Chapter Text
In his defense, Wen Kexing hadn't meant to stay this long. He hadn't meant to end up in some random apartment at all, and he'd intended originally to look around, see if there was anything useful just in case, and then leave. Instead…
He'd been staying in Zhou Zishu's apartment for almost two weeks, and the only reason he was considering leaving now was so he never had to look at Zhou Zishu's pathetic excuse for cooking again. Wen Kexing would happily cook all his meals for him, but that would require having a human body.
He'd worried for a brief moment about whether it would be too strange—if discovering that the snake he'd allowed inside his apartment was really a man would cross a line for Zhou Zishu. And then Zhou Zishu had decided he was a person on his own and let him stay anyway, so that worry was neatly erased.
Did that mean Zhou Zishu would walk around the apartment shirtless if Wen Kexing was there as a human too? If so, that was something Wen Kexing needed to see for himself. His eyesight as a snake was fairly terrible; he could see enough to know that Zhou Zishu moved fluidly and in a way that spoke of athleticism, even if all he seemed to do these days was putter around his horrifically empty apartment. But any detail was impossible to make out. Maybe that would be the thing that finally convinced him to turn back.
The thing was, being a snake was restful, as long as someone was there to look out for him. And Zhou Zishu had done that very well, despite all of his complaining and despite subjecting him to an examination from that friend of his. So the incentives to become a human again were low. Wen Kexing's plan to take revenge on the Five Lakes Corporation was stalled out, waiting for the perfect moment to put the next stage into action, and Gu Xiang was staying with Luo-yi for her yearly visit, so what did he have to do as a human? Worry? No thank you. Wen Kexing would stay here and admire Zhou Zishu and ignore everything else.
Wen Kexing hadn't stayed a snake this long for a very long time, and the last time had been out of fear and anger and pure desperate need. Now, he was letting himself relax into it.
"You better not be hiding under anything. If you jump out from my couch, I'll step on you," Zhou Zishu called out.
Wen Kexing lifted his head off the table and waved his tail.
Zhou Zishu said, "Oh, there you are," and changed course, coming to sit at the chair by the table instead of on the couch. He set a bottle of some kind of liquor down and poured himself a cup. He didn't look at Wen Kexing as he tossed it back.
Now what was this about? Zhou Zishu hadn't seemed to be a cheerful man, but this felt more intentional than what Wen Kexing had assumed was his everyday grumpiness. For one thing, his drink of choice up until now had been beer, and by the volume he consumed, Wen Kexing had guessed it was cheap. This didn't seem cheap, although given his absolutely atrocious vision as a snake, Wen Kexing couldn't say for sure.
"I can't decide if talking around you is a good idea or not," Zhou Zishu muttered, still not looking at him. "I know you can understand me, so it's not safe the way a real animal would be. But then again, if all you're going to do is sit in my apartment and be a pest, who could you tell?"
Wen Kexing stayed very still.
"It's been a year since I left my job," Zhou Zishu said, and followed it up with a harsh laugh. "That makes it sound so normal." He poured himself another cup of liquor and once again drank the cup all at once. "I almost made it a whole year staying away from everyone I used to know, but then you showed up," he pointed accusingly at Wen Kexing, "and now Beiyuan and Wu Xi know where I am and they won't stop trying to get in contact." Zhou Zishu sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "It was easier when no one knew I was alive."
In the end, the choice to turn back into a human was a simple one.
Wen Kexing slithered to the edge of the table, arranging himself as best he could. The change was easy, an instinctive motion. He was pleased to notice that he'd successfully positioned himself so he was still sitting on the edge of the table, although it creaked under the sudden heavy weight.
"A-Xu, isn't it depressing to drink alone? Here, let me drink with you."
Zhou Zishu's head snapped forward to look at him so fast Wen Kexing almost worried that he'd get whiplash. "You—" he stuttered. "You're—"
"Hello," Wen Kexing waved and smiled as brightly as he could. "Nice to meet you. I have to say, I've never spoken to someone for the first time after sleeping in their house for two weeks, but I'm overjoyed that you're my first."
To his delight, Zhou Zishu visibly composed himself, and then rolled his eyes. "I was right. You were much more bearable when you didn't talk."
---
"A-Xu," Wen Kexing called out, stepping through the front door.
Zhou Zishu appeared from the kitchen. "Why do you call me that anyway?" His brows furrowed in confusion. "You didn't—can snakes read?"
Wen Kexing paused. "I— What? I heard you introduce yourself as Zhou Xu when you called the pet store. Why do you think snakes might be able to read?"
"Oh. I thought— I don't know, some of the mail is addressed to Zhou Xu," Zhou Zishu said, looking as if he might almost be fighting embarrassment, a state that was both uncharacteristic and adorable.
"No, A-Xu, I did not go through your mail while I was a snake," Wen Kexing said with great amusement. If he was being honest, he probably would have if he'd been able. Zhou Zishu didn't need to know that.
The way he raised an eyebrow at Wen Kexing seemed to suggest that perhaps he suspected anyway. "Well, I'm glad the man who ended up in my apartment because his illegal surveillance of another apartment didn't pan out was honorable enough not to go through my mail, which he couldn't read at the time," Zhou Zishu said, his own amusement visible even through his affected disdain.
Wen Kexing came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Zhou Zishu's shoulders. "A-Xu, I can't believe my own husband would suspect me of such nefarious activities."
"You admitted to them," Zhou Zishu said dismissively. "And besides, who's your husband, we've known each other for two months."
"So cruel," Wen Kexing sighed, burying his face against Zhou Zishu's hair.
Zhou Zishu huffed. "I miss the peace and quiet of you being a snake."
Wen Kexing leaned forward, letting Zhou Zishu take more of his weight before changing, wrapping his snake body even more tightly around Zhou Zishu's shoulders.
Zhou Zishu looked down at him. "You're right, there was no peace and quiet even then," he said fondly.
Wen Kexing lifted his head to flick his tongue against Zhou Zishu's cheek. He sat there for a moment, appreciating Zhou Zishu's warmth against his body before changing back and slowly sliding his hands down to Zhou Zishu's waist.
"Besides," Wen Kexing said, close enough to Zhou Zishu's ear that he barely had to speak to be heard. "I have hands now."