Chapter Text
The scene never changed.
The little old lady pulling out her fruit carts to the front of her shop, filled with fresh produce. The young jogger on his route stopping to greet the woman, giving himself a moment to breathe before he continued on his run. The minivan pulling up across the street to dump a stack of the days newspapers in front of the kiosk, prompting the stout shop owner to come out from behind his till and start displaying the papers, then flipping his sign from ‘closed’ to ‘open’. A group of 5 young school children making their way out from an alley heading towards an open park, chattering away and haphazardly bumping about in excitement at the thought of having an hour to kill before their classes started.
Shen Wei took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the newly risen sun warming his eyelids as he tilted his head back to enjoy the fresh air from his 3rd story apartment balcony. Just on time, like everything else, he heard the sound of a sliding door opening and shutting, it was his neighbour letting his cat out to stretch before it dangerously made it’s way down the balconies to do what ever the fat cat did during the day. Like every other day Shen Wei turned his head expecting to see the fat cat, always greeting it with a smile before it bounced it’s way down the building.
Only this time he didn’t see the familiar furry ball of fur. With half a smile creeping across his face, Shen Wei was stunning to see a man.
And the man was mid climbing over his balcony. Like two deer caught in the headlights of a car they both stilled and stared at each other.
“Uh- Hi.” The man cautiously said to Shen Wei, still perched precariously on the railing.
Shen Wei just stood staring, still trying to take in what exactly was going on.
“Listen,” the man started “this is gonna sound strange but this is actually nothing out of the ordinary.” Just when he had finished speaking he heard a female voice call out from inside the strangers apartment.
“Yunlan~?”
Before Shen Wei could react the man had made the leap onto his balcony and rushed over to him, pressing Shen Wei up against his glass door in amongst his potted plants and covering his mouth with his hand.
If Shen Wei wasn’t still in shock from the absolute nonsense that he was trying to wrap his head around he would’ve flipped the man over the balcony and called the police. Except he was just standing there with a strange man pressed up against him and a hand over his mouth.
He couldn’t see much but Shen Wei heard the strangers door slide open and the woman’s voice from earlier called out once more, “Zhao Yunlan?”
Turning to face the stranger, Shen Wei was met with pleading eyes. The man brought a finger up to his own mouth, hoping that Shen Wei would stay quiet. How dare he, Shen Wei thought standing in amongst his bushes, what on earth gives this complete stranger the right to come onto his own property and restrain him like his. His face started to heat with anger.
Yes, definitely with anger, not because of the warm hand on his lips and the solid torso pressed against his own.
After a couple of minutes of silence the man leaned back, checking if the coast was clear before turning to Shen Wei with a sympathetic smile. The second their eyes met at this distance Shen Wei’s stomach dropped with the feeling of a thousand years of longing, the feeling of waiting for something he didn’t know he was waiting on. It overcame him so much that the corners of his eyes started to dampen.
Seeing Shen Wei’s sudden change in demeanour and thinking he was suffocating him, the man withdrew his hand like he had been burned.
“Ah, I’m sorry, that was-”
“What on earth are you doing?” Shen Wei bellowed, cutting him off. He wasn’t an idiot, Shen Wei knew exactly what was going on. The man, who he now assumed was Zhao Yunlan, was hiding from another one of his nightly escapades. He had seen many young pretty people leaving his apartment in the early hours of the morning, always wearing the same clothes they were seen in the night before. This was the first time he had seen the mystery man who hosted so many differently people. “You know what? Don’t answer that, get off my balcony.”
Shen Wei started approaching Yunlan, making him back him into the railing.
“Well, hold on let me explain. I’m sorry, it was earlier than expected, you’re usually back inside by the time I-” The man quickly stopped talking after seeing Shen Wei’s face harden.
Earlier than expected? Usually back inside? Had he been using his balcony as a get away escape the whole time without Shen Wei realising?
“Wait, listen- I can explain” Yunlan called out but by that time Shen Wei’s had strode back into his apartment and slammed the door behind him, leaving Yunlan standing out on his balcony with his mouth half open.
A fantastic way to ruin someone’s morning.