Chapter Text
When the bony hand reached behind Jian Yi and clasped his shoulder, he woke up to his own whimpering. There were no sudden jerks or gasps for breath. Just a quiet, incoherent little whine that squeezed itself out from somewhere deep in his chest. It had traveled a long way from his consciousness to pierce through the veil that separated the dream world from reality.
Jian Yi blinked in the room, trying to make sense of where he was. His eyes landed hazily on a broad naked back in front of him.
Zhan Zheng Xi.
A wave of relief washed over him. He swallowed dryly and breathed slowly, deliberately, to pull the rest of himself out of the dream and calm himself down. He licked his chapped lips – a nervous habit – and pressed closer to Zhan Zheng Xi’s back, absorbing his body heat and inhaling his scent.
Wait. Jian Yi tensed up again. What if he had woken him up?
Carefully he listened to any signs of being awake. His only answer was Zhan Zheng Xi’s even breathing and someone slamming the front door in the hallway. Beams of sunlight were spearing through the shadowy room between the closed curtains.
What time was it?
“Mornin’.”
Jian Yi flinched at Zhan Zheng Xi suddenly speaking. His voice was low but clear, no hoarseness of sleep. Had he been awake after all? Had he heard Jian Yi?
“Morning~.”
Jian Yi wrapped his arms tighter around Zhan Zheng Xi’s waist and sneaked a little kiss – a press of dry lips – on the back of his neck. The tips of Zhan Zheng Xi’s bed hair tickled his face, and he nuzzled the soft skin with his nose.
“Stop clinging to me first thing in the morning.”
“But Xixi is so soft in the morning!”
“You’re soft in the head!”
With great effort – and by twisting Jian Yi’s wandering hand painfully – Zhan Zheng Xi managed to untangle himself and sit on the edge of the bed. Jian Yi flopped on his back and watched Zhan Zheng Xi’s muscles and shoulders flex when he reached to pick up his shirt on the floor and pull it over his head. He imagined digging his fingernails in the soft skin and dragging them over the shoulder blades.
Clasping them tightly and dragging them back to the darkness.
A cold mental shudder ran through Jian Yi – an aftershock of his nightmare – and he licked his dry lips again.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Zhan Zheng Xi said over his shoulder.
“Pancakes!”
“Again? We had pancakes yesterday. You should have more balanced meals.”
“Pan~cakes, pan~cakes, pan~cakes,” Jian Yi chanted.
Muttering something along the lines of “then die of a heart attack, see if I care” under his breath, Zhan Zheng Xi yanked on his red sweats and disappeared off to the kitchen. Jian Yi stretched out in the bed and listened to the banging of cupboard doors and clatter of dishes. Lazily he scratched his stomach and enjoyed the feeling of morning light beginning to pour into his bloodstream.
Soon, wafts of pungent coffee and thick batter sizzling on a pan tickled Jian Yi’s senses. He rolled off the bed, looked around for a pair of pants (didn’t bother with a shirt) and padded to the little breakfast counter barefoot. The old stool squeaked and creaked when he wiggled to take a seat. Zhan Zheng Xi wiped his hands on a kitchen towel and threw it over his shoulder with a familiar swing.
“Coffee?”
“Hng.”
A steaming mug appeared in front of him. Droplets of coffee splashed on the counter when Zhan Zheng Xi poured milk in it for him. Jian Yi started at the white swirl slowly dissolving in the darkness.
“How’d ya sleep?”
“Fine~. You?”
He tried to peek at Zhan Zheng Xi’s expression nonchalantly and flinched when he found him looking at him closely.
“Did you have another nightmare? You were whimpering in your sleep.”
“I dreamed that Xixi’s pee-pee had shriveled off.”
“Be serious.”
“I am! It was horrible.”
“Just answer the question.”
“Your pancake is smoking,” Jian Yi said and nodded at the faint swirls of smoke rising off the pan.
Zhan Zheng Xi cursed and hurried to flip the thick disk of batter. Unlike Jian Yi, he could always turn them so neatly, not a speck of batter or grease anywhere. Jian Yi took a tentative sip of the coffee and tried not to grimace. He hated bitter things, but it worked wonders in banishing the last remains of the dream.
It had been just a stupid dream.
“When do you get off today?” he said to Zhan Zheng Xi’s back.
“The usual time.”
“I’ll come to get you.”
“No need.”
“I’ll come anyway.”
A stack of pancakes was put on a plate for him – the burnt one on top – accompanied by a bottle of syrup.
“Excuse me, Mr. Waitress, but my breakfast is burnt.”
“Shut up and eat or I will burn all of them.”
Suddenly hungry and his stomach grumbling, Jian Yi lathered the pancakes with the translucently brown, gooey goodness. A droplet trickled down the side of the bottle, threatening to go to waste. He wiped it off with his thumb and savored the molasses taste on his tongue.
There was nothing better than starting your day with sweets. Well, maybe one other thing, but sugar was definitely a close second.
“Don’t you think it would be good for you to talk with someone?”
“With who?” Jian Yi said around a scorching, syrup-dripping piece of pancake.
Zhan Zheng Xi rubbed the pan with a stick of butter, and it hissed and spat when he poured another scoop of the thick fluffy batter. While the new patch started cooking, he turned to stare at Jian Yi eating.
“I don’t know. Like a psychiatrist or something.”
“Don’t you think that’s overkill? I told you, I’m fine.”
“Then what was the dream about?”
“Tiny penises.”
“Jian Yi!”
Zhan Zheng Xi raised his voice and slammed his hand on the counter between them. Jian Yi jumped on the stool, cowered involuntarily. Regret flashed over Zhan Zheng Xi’s face – a small frown, downcast eyes, and worrying of the lip. He pulled back.
“Sorry. I’m just – “
He released a little sigh and ran a hand through his hair. The frustration came off from him in waves.
“Just give it some thought, okay?”
“Hng,”
The pancake had turned into dry, wooden Styrofoam in Jian Yi’s throat, and he struggled to swallow it down.
“Promise.”
Zhan Zheng Xi shoved his right-hand pinky in Jian Yi’s face and pointed it at him expectantly. Jian Yi looked at it, frowning a little. Just as he was about to say something, his phone started vibrating on the floor next to the mattress. Hurriedly he spun on the stool and strode across the room to where the bed was.
“Oi!”
“Yeah, yeah, I promise,” Jian Yi sang out over his shoulder before accepting the call.