Work Text:
In the early hours of the morning Chen Yiming had heard the shattering of glasses for the first time. It was one of the nights he had to spend all alone at home again, his parents were too busy with anything that wasn't him yet again. It wasn’t really a rare occasion when the young boy was home alone, nor was the fact that he was busy playing video games instead of studying for his tests, quizzes or even upcoming exams determining his future. His mother was once again out with her friends, while his father was still at work, probably also staying there at the office overnight or just booking a hotel in case it was getting too late.
So the young handsome man invested all the freetime he had to finally get himself to level up in League of Legends. He had his rank drop really low thanks to the times he couldn’t spend playing and therefore didn’t manage to build up his skills in this online-competitive-game. When he heard someone screaming, Chen Yiming thought it was just someone in his team or some sort of a special effect or a cutscene that didn't appear on screen. But when there was another sound of loud shattering glasses, he was sure this time that this was definitely not from his game.
Chen Yiming was a clever but very nosy young man. Even though his exterior always seems to be the aloof type, he always wanted to know way more than he should be and was rather more interested in other people's business than his own, mostly because he was just hoping to help out anyone or anything somehow. So it wasn't really surprising that he closed his game - even though he could lose points for dipping a party - and walked into the living room. Maybe the glass shattering sound he heard was just a vase falling down because of his cats being clumsy. He would have to clean up the mess then, otherwise they might hurt themselves due to the shattered glass and Chen Yiming was clearly in no mindset, nor position to get to any vet fastly at this hour. But when he walked into the living room, Chen Yiming saw both the fluff balls sleeping safe and sound on the couch and armchair.
Now clear from the game sounds, he heard a boy screaming and then a woman yelling right above his living room. The young man looked up at the ceiling just like the cats did at the same time before another loud bang came to be. It was so frighteningly loud that Chen Yiming immediately thought it had to be a door or a chair or just anything big enough to injure someone deeply. Scared but ready to step in to stop whatever was getting out of control and save the person getting hurt above their flat. Chen Yiming put a jacket - belonging to his mom - over his pyjamas and put on his slippers. The oversized jacket was pulled tightly close in front of Chen Yiming’s chest, enough to keep him warm before he took the keys and walked out of the door and into a similar and content hallway of the apartment house. Outside the horrifying screams were even louder.
He couldn’t just stay in his room and listen to the screams and crying of that boy above him the whole night and do nothing about it knowing he was indeed being hurt. He had to do something. He had to take this risk. He had to take action.
Walking up the staircase, he was already so much closer to the sounds, strolling through the slightly run down hallway. Many wouldn’t really like living in such an environment and deem it poor or dirty but Chen Yiming liked it. It felt like home and had a special type of charm to it. It resembled a place where all kinds of people have once lived and grown, where many people have found a home no matter their occupation. A place where nice Aunties and Uncles were sharing their meals with the children and everyone was helping out each other. So even though the whole house was an old one, the people were great and they had a wonderful community here.
Chen Yiming walked down the small corridor to the flat just above his, knowing fully well that as soon as he would start knocking on the door, there was no going back. A moment later he looked at the small name plate stuck to the door, ultimately looking out of place on the rather old walls. Hou. He thought he'd remember the last name just in case it was necessary. Another scream resonated out of the flat and Chen Yiming’s face hardened. Forgotten was all the pent up nervousness about the possible confrontation of what could happen if he knocks the door. With all the courage that he could gather as a young teenage boy, Chen Yiming knocked against the wooden door, hoping to be loud enough so that it would oversound the turmoil going on inside the flat.
The whole flat got quiet at once really quickly and if Chen Yiming was hearing right there were small hushes and whispers until an adult woman opened up the door and looked at the young boy throwing him an aggressive look.
“What can I do for you?” The woman immediately blurted out without any greeting, her tone extremely over taken as if annoyed, making Chen Yiming’s heart pump faster due to the rudeness presented right in front of him.
“Hello Miss Hou, I live with my family below your floor and got concerned by all the glass shattering sounds coming from your flat and thought of checking if anything was wrong.”, Chen Yiming tried explaining as nicely as possible as he could manage in front of the angry looking woman.
“Ah there is nothing to worry about. Just a plate that I dropped accidentally.”, the woman replied instantly, ready to close the door again but Chen Yiming stuck his foot between the wooden door and its door frame.
“I also heard a boy scream so uh, can I…maybe see him? It would put me at ease.”, the young man requested with a small smile. He knew that this was a dangerous situation, that it could clearly make her explode like an active volcano just from the look on her face. She definitely wasn’t happy with Chen Yiming’s request.
“Aiya, young people again. You really wanna see my son? Do you even know him?”, the woman asked defensively, looking the young man up and down, most likely analyzing him. Chen Yiming suddenly felt really small, yet he couldn’t stop his saviour complex from making sure that the boy - however he was - was indeed okay.
“Auntie, I just want to rest at ease. If you had heard someone scream, you would check on them as well, right?” The woman glared at Chen Yiming, then looked into the room and waved a young boy towards the door.
[Chorus]
He said, "I think your ears are playing tricks on you"
Sweater zipped up to his chin
"Thanks for caring, sir, that's nice of you
But I have to go back in
Wish I could tell you about the noise
But I didn't hear a thing"
He said, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
He said, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
A young, handsome boy came up to the door. He was surely about a few years younger than Chen Yiming, probably around 16 while Chen Yiming would soon - soon meaning around 5 months - be 18. The young boy’s face was smeared with tears and messily wiped off. But if Chen Yiming wasn't imagining anything, there was a bruise on his shoulder. Unfortunately he couldn’t get a good enough look at the young boy. His mother had swiftly put a zipper jacket on him, stating that it was too cold to just stand in the corridor in only a t-shirt. The young man zipped his jacket fully up making it almost impossible for Chen Yiming to get a good look on him. Chen Yiming analyzed the boy up and down, he could tell that the boy's whole frame was shaking - not only by the cold - yet Chen Yiming couldn’t ask him any questions, at least not with the boy's mother around.
“Auntie, can I talk with him for a minute?”, the young man asked with puppy eyes towards the woman, hoping his boyish charm would help him in this case.
“First you ask to see him, now you want to speak with him alone as well? Young people clearly have no idea how to mind one's business in their hearts.”, the mother complained then left the door frame but not without shaking her head in disbelief. Yet, Chen Yiming only saw her turning towards the left, not exactly sure if she really had gone.
“Hi, I’m Chen Yiming. What’s your name?”, Chen Yiming asked with a small but sweet smile, hoping to see a little joy on the young man’s face. But the young man only looked to his left and then to Chen Yiming again.
“Hou Hao.”, the small mumble came from the young man. Chen Yiming now knew the boy was named Hou Hao. With a smile he then extended his hand which Hou Hao took after a short time, then letting go of it really fast.
“Hi Hou Hao. Are you okay? I heard screams from you probably and I thought of checking on you.”, Chen Yiming said, looking at the boy with a soft smile and a look of reassurance. Yet his heart was beating fast in fear of what he might hear from the young man.
“I think your ears are playing tricks on you.”, Hou Hao then answered with a neutral face as if he was making sure Chen Yiming couldn’t see anything that could be the reason why he heard those screams. A small smile rested on his face and his wet red cheeks that shimmered thanks to the softly lit hallway and the garish light coming from behind. "Thanks for caring, sir, that's nice of you but I have to go back in.” Hou Hao looked behind and pointed with his head inside the flat. A smile painted his face as he looked Chen Yiming into the eyes.
“I really wish I could tell you about the noise but I didn't hear a thing."
Even before Chen Yiming could ask anything else, the door shut right in front of his face, making the young man tilt his head in disbelief. He didn’t expect the young man closing the door right on his face like that and even this fast. Chen Yiming hadn’t even been able to stop him. A small sigh escaped his throat before the young man walked away from the door and down the stairs towards his own flat.
The wind seemed even colder than before, almost freezing, coming through the cracks of the concrete walls and into the tiny pores of his jacket and instantly chilling him bones deep. With a fast motion Chen Yiming almost jumped down two steps at a time and went with a similar pace towards the door of his flat. Ages ago the walls were more stable and strong but all those times they've been standing have taken hold on some of them and made them withered. With fingertips already red from the cold, Chen Yiming grabbed his key from his pocket and pushed it into the keyhole, before turning it and finally opening the door to get into the warmth that invited him within.
[Verse 2]
So I was layin' on the floor of my room
Cold concrete on my back
No, I just couldn't shake the feeling
I didn't want to intrude 'cause I knew
That I didn’t have all the facts
But I couldn’t bear the thought of leavin' him
Finally back in his flat, Chen Yiming got greeted by the now awake cats. Both of them swirled around his legs, busy trying to get as close as possible in the smallest amount of time. Chen Yiming tried to pass through without tripping over them but, to Chen Yiming’s chagrin, the cats didn’t stop their little show, making it almost impossible for him to take a step without stumbling over one of them.
“I just want to get inside, kitties.”, Chen Yiming exclaimed with a loud sigh. “Aiyo, why do you both want my attention so much right now?”, Chen Yiming asked, annoyed. His mind was still at the remembrance of that boy who had clearly been crying. His face had been messily wet and his eyes red and swollen from all the tears that were shed, yet he didn’t want to say anything. Chen Yiming felt at a loss. How can he help someone who doesn’t want help or is too scared to take it? He had planned on checking on the person screaming, yet the moment Hou Hao was presented in front of him, he felt… helpless, as if he didn’t have a plan at all. He was only a teenager himself, he couldn’t just take him away from his family or beat everyone up - not that this was any good impact as a solution -. Another quiet sigh escaped his mouth as his eyes drifted to the clock hanging a little crooked on the living room wall. In daze Chen Yiming watched the long and slender watch hand moving slowly yet in an even pattern and rhythm.
A bunch of loud and almost indignant sounding meows threw him out of his daze. And he soon registered what time it was and knew why exactly his cats had been so busy circling his legs and being clingy.
“Oh right! It’s food time.”, Chen Yiming laughed and bent over just so he was able to pet both of the cats at the same time. “You have to let me go though, otherwise it will be hard feeding you both.”, he added. The cats looked at him with their big bright eyes, clearly not happy of their owner not already feeding them and began meowing in a choir.
A small giggle escaped his throat as he took another move - now bigger - and was finally free of the clinging hungry cats. He then took fast strides towards the kitchen to prevent the cats from catching up to him too fast. He took two bowls out of the cupboard and put the empty bowls on the kitchen counter. Busy cats meowed in front of the counter, their big eyes looking up to the soon to be filled bowls. Chen Yiming grabbed two small bags of cat food which he promptly filled into the bowls and then proceeded to put the empty bags into the trash can. With the precision of someone who had fed noisy cats often, Chen Yiming found his way towards the food mat on which he put the bowls while the cats already tried getting closer to the tasty food served in.
Chen Yiming watched as the cats munched away happily, listening to the small sounds of wet cat food getting eaten with a happy purr. Since the kitties were busy being fed, Chen Yiming could finally make himself something small to eat. He took out some of the food still available from today's lunch from the fridge and quickly put it into a bowl and then shoved it into the microwave.
As he waited for the final ring of the microwave, Chen Yiming's thoughts once again drifted towards the young boy and his parents living in the flat above him. He had never seen the young man or the family despite everyone in the establishment and neighborhood knowing each other very well. They probably kept to themselves or they had been new tenants.
Chen Yiming remembered an old lady living above them but she had died just a few days after Chen Yiming's 15th birthday. The woman used to give many sorts of sweets and candies to all the kids around and Chen Yiming even remembered bringing her some cake slices on his birthday since the old woman was no longer capable of walking down the stairs. The poor woman hadn't had any relatives living here anymore, many had moved to Shanghai or Beijing - or so she said whenever she was asked about it.
But that was almost 3 years ago, Chen Yiming was soon turning 18 years old and he honestly didn't remember anyone occupying the flat after the old woman. But who knows, maybe he just didn't notice the new family arriving since he was either occupied with studies or gaming.
Just when Chen Yiming was remembering the young man's face in all its smooth details, the microwave gave three loud rings from itself as if it planned to not let Chen Yiming remincance onto the young man's soft features. Those big brown eyes that had been red and puffy from all the tears. The wet, soft-looking cheeks that had been wet from the salty drops that had been rolling down them mere seconds ago - he was sure of that fact.
Mindlessly Chen Yiming grabbed the hot bowl only to pull his hand away instantly since the hot porcelain was way too hot to be grabbed without any thick piece of cloth. A short cuss escaped his throat angrily as he began shaking his hand as fast as possible, hoping the air would cool down his almost burnt hand.
Thankfully he had only held the bowl for mere seconds, the pain gradually dulling down. The tasty smell of his mother's home made noodles with some green bell pepper in it - one of his favourites - brought water to his mouth. The loud rumbling of his stomach only followed the suit as Chen Yiming now looked for a small table cloth to hold the still hot bowl without much pain as before.
Successful in his search, Chen Yiming grabbed the small piece of cloth he just found and finally took his food out of the microwave. Hungrily, he sat down at the table, a look thrown over to the cats made clear that the small balls of fluff had already finished their own food and now licked their faces in full content. The behaviour always conjured a smile on his face.
Chen Yiming was just about to start eating when the face of Hou Hao manifested itself in his mind once again. Does the young man get enough to eat? Chen Yiming was only able to get a small glance at his structure but he was sure that the young man was much smaller than a usual boy was normally at that age. A sigh escaped his lips and his look fell down on his food. Maybe he should go upstairs and hopefully Hou Hao opens the door. He could give him some noodles and maybe talk with him somewhere more private - for example the upper floors or even the flat roof which was accessible for everyone.
Chen Yiming clenched his hand holding his chopsticks. No matter how much Chen Yiming tried, his mind kept jumping back to Hou Hao and the thoughts about the young boy getting abused and hurt right above his head made his appetite disappear completely. How awful is it that he gets to live in isolated peace while someone is getting hurt right under his nose? And what's even worse is that he knows about the fact but has no way of helping him out of this situation just right away. Especially since the mother seems to be circling around the boy like a predator to its helpless prey. Just like when Chen Yiming knew that the mother only stood at the corner, just enough to be right out of his sight when he was trying to ask Hou Hao about the things he had been hearing.
With a small sigh and a determined expression on his face, Chen Yiming stood up almost immediately and walked towards the door. He can't just pretend and act like there is nothing wrong happening right above his head. He has to try again.
When Chen Yiming once again found himself in front of the door of the flat, his eyes fell on the doorbell. Despite the existing determination that he had, Chen Yiming's stomach dropped and curled unpleasantly at the possibility of the woman opening again.
As a quite small young man himself, he couldn't possibly make himself look scary, not even a little bit. His eyes were the main features that betrayed him, looking soft and cute with all these pretty long lashes his mother was said to be so proud of. She always called him her "pretty boy", though Chen Yiming did not really like it. But to be honest, he was proud of these eyelashes himself. He liked how they looked and he would admit that it was even one of his most beautiful features. These looks were a benefit since his pretty looks often made people give in more easily.
And his pretty face and petite looking body facade fooled people easily even though Chen Yiming was particularly good in boxing and was in a training club for that matter, even boxing in leagues. He just looked slender and would usually dress in oversized clothes.
With a gulp of his spit, he finally rang the bell, begging to the gods - if they even existed - so that it was just Hou Hao opening the door and not his mother or even anyone else. He might not have heard anyone before but Chen Yiming also didn't notice anyone occupying the flat as well, so it would be of no wonder if he just didn't realise there was someone else in there other than mother and son.
Thankfully when Chen Yiming looked up due to the clicking sound of the door opening, a pair of warm, young eyes greeted him. Hou Hao was standing right in front of him, his sad looking eyes analyzing Chen Yiming up and down. Chen Yiming watched him as Hou Hao’s face lit up a bit as soon as he recognized Chen Yiming from moments before.
"Hi, sorry to bother again. I brought some noodles...uhm... would you like to eat some? Maybe together? We can go outside or we can go to the roof if you'd like to.", Chen Yiming asked with a small smile while pointing with his head towards the staircase that led up to the roof.
The hot food container was wrapped with a cloth around it - with silly cartoon dogs drawn onto it - and was held right in front of Chen Yiming's chest. He extended his arms a bit clumsily towards Hou Hao - almost dropping the container with all the tasty bits and pieces - while trying to make his intentions seem pure and clear.
Hou Hao smiled at the gesture and then nodded. "Sure. Just wait a few seconds, I'll be back.'', he said before closing the door on him.
An anxious Chen Yiming started fidgeting, fiddling with the fabric trying to keep the food warm inside as thoughts began stirring up in his head the moment he heard the door shut. What if Hou Hao decided to leave him waiting in front of the door embarrassingly. What if the young man wasn't allowed to leave the house? But before his head could start spinning even more worrisome questions, Chen Yiming heard the click of the door and saw the similar small figure dressed in a big brown coat emerge from within an incredibly dull looking place behind him. Chen Yiming might have only been able to look into the room for merely a few seconds but those seconds alone were enough. Almost everything looked sterile and clean as if no-one really lived there. It didn't feel like home at all but all it felt was like at a hospital instead.
When Hou Hao realised Chen Yiming's fazed look and noticed him standing still while staring at the door, his gaze gradually fell down, now looking at the ground. It took Chen Yiming a moment to notice it, instantly grabbing Hou Hao’s hand until he realised his action and let it go swiftly. With a slight pink tint on his face, Chen Yiming looked to the side and held his breath before letting out a small: “Let’s go to the roof quick, the food will get cold otherwise.”
The young man next to him didn’t say anything in return, but Chen Yiming heard some footsteps follow behind him and the sound of clothes rubbing against each other when he was standing in the completely empty hallway. When he suddenly felt a warm hand grabbing his, Chen Yiming’s heart skipped a beat, almost immediately stopping itself. With a shocked face Chen Yiming noticed that the cute young man had grabbed his hand. Unsure if he was imagining things, he looked down to see the hand and Hou Hao’s face again. The young man only smiled at him in response, his eyes looking soft and warm and relaxing. Being so close to Hou Hao and having his warm, almost burning hand grabbing his own, made Chen Yiming’s cheeks glow even redder than before. A burning sensation was warming up his whole body, the butterflies in his stomach finally waking up and flattering around busily.
Before Chen Yiming could say anything, Hou Hao started walking towards the big staircase, clearly not wanting to waste anymore time and wanting to go to the roof already. Stupidly, Chen Yiming stubbled after him, neither of them letting go of the other's hand.
When they finally reached the rooftop of the building while still holding each other's hand, they sat down on the warm gravel ground on the roof. Chen Yiming’s face was still red as he slowly let go of Hou Hao’s hand, having mixed feelings about if the young man was thinking weird things about him now. To keep his mind off these intrusive thoughts, Chen Yiming put down the box full of food and quickly opened up the neatly folded cloth in front of Hou Hao and presented the still steaming hot noodles.
A short glance towards Hou Hao made Chen Yiming realise how hungry the young man actually was. He could see how the young man’s eyes went bigger just from the sight of the noodles. As if the widened eyes weren’t a big enough indication, Hou Hao’s stomach decided to gumble loudly at the same moment. Spellbound by Hou Hao’s soft and lovely face alone, Chen Yiming couldn’t hold in the small bunch of giggles which tried to escape for a good amount of time already.
“Eat them. They are all for you.”, Chen Yiming said with a smile, the young man looked at him, unsure of his words at first but as soon as he noticed that Chen Yiming didn’t try to take the noodles away at the last minute -- and that there was also only one pair of chopsticks -- he grabbed them and soon started devouring the warm noodles. With big, warm eyes Chen Yiming watched the young man chowing down the noodles. “I see you like them, that’s good. Whenever you are hungry, you can just come down to 1C. That’s where I live with my family. My mom always cooks too much for me and is mad at me all the time for not eating all of my food.”, he explained with a small laugh, all the time while watching Hou Hao. The young man didn’t turn towards him but Chen Yiming noticed him stilling for a moment before nodding subtly. A gesture that would have gone completely unnoticed if Chen Yiming hadn't watched him this attentively.
As soon as half of the noodles were eaten, Hou Hao eventually started slowing down, even holding on for a moment and settling the rectangular bowl on the cloth that was still on the ground. Even though the weather was cold, the sun was enough to warm both of the young men up and the wind had gone completely still. Just by the look to the sky one might think it was still summer but a short glance towards the red and orange leaves on the trees and fallen on the ground, indicated clearly that it was autumn and a much cold one this time around the year as well. Normally the autumns were much warmer. Chen Yiming barely had to wear a jacket till the very late november last year. This time though a cold wind was blowing silently throughout nights, keeping the days cold as well.
Chen Yiming then watched how Hou Hao looked down at the noodles just to look up at him afterwards.
“Thank you, the noodles were really tasty.”, Hou Hao said with a smile, so lovely and bright Chen Yiming’s heart made a jump again. He might have only met the young man today but his heart had already decided to latch itself onto the man who was still smiling at him.
“It's all good. Besides, I had too much anyway. You can have the other half as well, I mean it.” Chen Yiming finished with a content smile, but his stomach, the traitor, decided to give out voice right in that moment, calling him a liar and embarrassing him right in front of Hou Hao. Instantly his hand found itself on his head, scratching at his scalp in an embarrassed manner with an awkward smile and closed eyes. A faint hue of red embarrassment painted his face. “Okay maybe I’m a little hungry but I have more at home.”, Chen Yiming tried explaining.
But as he opened his eyes, he saw a portion of noodles right before his lips, held by the same chopsticks Hou hao had just used. His eyes drifted away from the food and towards the hand, right under it - clearly trying to keep it from falling - was the way too close face of Hou Hao. Chen Yiming’s heart started beating fast as he tried to memorize every small detail on Hou Hao’s face. His plump, pink lips; the several birthmarks on his face - especially the one on his upper lip - and the beautiful, deep brown almond eyes. Chen Yiming’s whole body felt hot by the closeness of Hou Hao alone. It took some time for Chen Yiming to notice that he was probably looking like a lovesick teenager. “What...?”, he asked with confusion, lacing his voice, when he soon got interrupted by Hou Hao right away.
“Open your mouth.”
“Huh?” Chen Yiming asked dumbly. Hou Hao moved the food in front of Chen Yiming’s mouth towards his mouth, making a motion to make it clear to him on what exactly he meant but nonetheless, it still took Chen Yiming a few seconds before he realised why. “But I’m not hun-”
“Yes you are. Your stomach grumbled really loudly, so you are hungry indeed. Now open up your mouth.”, Hou Hao said with a stern face. If Chen Yiming didn’t know any better he would've actually thought the young man was caring for him. Even though he really didn’t want to eat the food he had put back just for Hou Hao only, he was sure that the young man wouldn’t let him go without eating the food offered to him. Chen Yiming opened his mouth and in a split second the warm noodles landed in his mouth. He closed his mouth right away but lightly enough for Hou Hao to withdraw the chopsticks from his mouth.
Only then did Chen Yiming notice how tasty the noodles really were. When he was trying to eat some of them before, it felt so dull but when Hou Hao fed him and especially since Chen Yiming knew Hou Hao was safe and with him at this moment, he could finally taste all the flavour his mother once again cooked together. On Chen Yiming’s face a smile conjured as he realised how tasty the food really was. Before he could even say anything, there was another portion present before his face and he opened his mouth once again. Chen Yiming watched the young man staring at him intensely, his brows slightly drawn together but a soft smile on his face. He looked almost as if he liked seeing Chen Yiming - eat of course. Nothing else. As if the younger boy had noticed Chen Yiming staring back at him, Hou hao blinked cutely and his cheeks started colouring red. Chen Yiming’s heart was beating fast, feeling as if he was running a long marathon and not because of being hand fed by a cute young man on top of the roof of their both homes.
Right before Hou Hao could feed him another bite, Chen Yiming jumped up. His poor heart had already been beating so fast he wasn’t sure if he could keep it all from exploding if Hou Hao kept on looking at him with that cute expression at him once again. “Thank you. That’s enough, really.” Chen Yiming rambled immediately before Hou hao could even respond to him, Chen Yiming looked at him with a serious face, meeting Hou Hao’s similar serious look. “I have more at home, I swear.” Finally, as if Hou Hao had found satisfaction with his actions and in Chen Yiming’s answer, he started eating the noodles again.
With a face as red as a ripe tomato Chen Yiming noticed that the young man hadn’t even wiped off his spit. Didn’t that mean- wasn’t that an indirect kiss? His face started burning and he turned away from Hou Hao, looking at the wide sky presented above their heads instead.
It might not be the most beautiful sky but Chen Yiming liked it. With Hou Hao together, this town and this place felt like home.
“Can I ask you something?”, he suddenly voiced out, turning to Hou Hao once again, his face cooled down by now. Hou Hao looked at him with a face stuffed with noodles and nodded with a slight smile, his eyes were wide open, probably just him wondering what Chen Yiming could probably want to ask him. “What...what was really happening at your apartment?”
It almost seemed as if Hou Hao had turned into a completely different person right before Chen Yiming’s eyes. “Nothing.”, came the short and cold answer. The young man didn’t actually seem as if he was mad or angry but more likely anxious instead and Chen Yiming didn’t know how he could...potentially help him from all this abuse.
“But I heard-”, Chen Yiming started once again but this time Hou Hao stood up, leaving the noodle box laying on the ground and looked at Chen Yiming with indifferent eyes.
[Chorus]
He said, "I think your ears are playing tricks on you"
Sweater zipped up to his chin
"Thanks for caring, sir, that's nice of you
But I have to go back in
Wish I could tell you about the noise
But I didn't hear a thing"
He said, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
He said, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
Chen Yiming watched as the young man walked away fastly, his hands still on his zipper - as if he was afraid of probably having Chen Yiming see anything suspicious under it. He felt as if he was glued to the ground, his feet didn't dare to move a single inch no matter how much he wished that they would move, that he would be able to run after Hou Hao and stop him from walking away from him instead of letting him wordlessly leave just like that once again. Chen Yiming was sure that Hou Hao had been hiding something deep and hurtful. He might have only met the young man today but Hou Hao had already taken a special place in his heart and seeing him cutting himself off that way, somehow hurt Chen Yiming. He just couldn't describe why.
When the sun had finally settled down, Chen Yiming was finally able to move again. Quietly he collected all the containers and chopsticks and walked down the stairs, stopping just right before Hou Hao's flat door once again. But instead of knocking on the door, he just waited and listened. He wasn't sure if he was praying to hear Hou Hao talk or just begging to hear absolutely nothing. What was to happen wasn’t his decision to make, so after waiting for some time at the front of the door and hearing nothing but silence, he finally moved on his way down the stairs and back into his similarly quiet flat. The warm flame he had felt in his heart before, had been extinguished leaving only guilt to settle into the place Hou Hao's image had made himself at home.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Days passed by miraculously but Chen Yiming just still couldn't get the young man out of his head. Whenever he had a free moment to himself or was passing some time alone, the soft smile and the warm eyes pushed themselves back into his thoughts. This warm feeling always ended up getting crushed by a probably never ending guilt that had been clinging itself to every thought of Hou Hao. Chen Yiming noticed at their very first meeting that the young man wasn’t at all ready to be in comfort to talk about whatever had been happening at his home, yet he stupidly tried asking him once again. It was just because of his blatant childlike curiosity and his wish to help Hou Hao out again, pushing itself in front of his mind again. It had prompted him to ask about the sounds of screaming and clattering of dishes instead of understanding Hou Hao's privacy and supporting him for the time being.
Like a scared rabbit he had foolishly hidden himself in the safety of his own four walls, barely going out because he was too much of a coward about possibly meeting Hou Hao. A loud and annoyed scream escaped his lungs as the teenage boy jumped up from his gaming chair and threw his headphones onto the desk. The black cat that had been sleeping soundly on his bed before had opened its eyes in shock by now, looking confused at the origin of the loud sound and Chen Yiming.
The young man in question had tried calming his mind with a gaming session but no matter how much he tried to focus on the game, his mind kept switching back to Hou Hao and how Chen Yiming had let him leave just like that without even chasing him.
“Young man, keep your volume down! Are you playing your stupid games again? You better be studying when I come in!”, Chen Yiming heard his mother argue right from the other side of his door. Before he could even shut down his computer, his mother had already stormed inside, an angry look on her face. Chen Yiming felt furious, not only had he been feeling bad all day, he probably had to listen to his mother’s guilt-tripping now. How he had been an ungrateful son, how they have been spending so much money on his educational career and how he was just wasting his time playing video games. He couldn’t care less, especially today. If either of his parents had really cared about him, they wouldn’t keep leaving him alone for weeks just to spend time at work or with friends instead of actually spending time with him. Before his mother could even start babbling her usual speech, Chen Yiming stormed out of his room, grabbed his jacket and his keys and slammed the apartment door shut. Despite feeling the anger burning inside him, he winced at the loud sound of slamming of the door.
A small glance back at the door made Chen Yiming realise that his mother wasn’t following after him, she wasn’t even trying to follow him or trying to bring him back inside at all. Resignation filled his heart and cooled the burning flame of anger down. He couldn’t just get inside the flat again, he would look incredibly stupid for storming off and reappearing almost right away. Instead he mindlessly walked up the stairs and around the 4-stories big apartment house. After some time he found himself standing in front of an all too familiar door with the surname Hou written on it. Anxiously Chen Yiming stared at the door, once again not hearing a single sound emitting from behind that door. Maybe nobody was home, maybe he just couldn’t hear anyone through the door. Those were just a few logical thoughts but a small voice in the back of his head asked completely different and morbid questions: What if Hou Hao and his family have moved away? What if Hou Hao was dead? What if he was the reason the young man was dead? What if he was his last hope and fucked up?
A fear settled inside his small heart, letting his body act before even any thinking. He dashed towards the door and started banging it. In a huge rush of panic he began screaming Hou Hao’s name over and over again. He didn’t even think about what the neighbours might be thinking of him as they'd be looking out of their doors and watched as the young man went rogue against a door. Somewhere behind him, he heard an old man tell him to stop the banging and just leave the poor family alone. Before Chen Yiming could start screaming any louder, the door opened and he almost fell inside the flat since the young man had leaned against the door while banging. Right in front of him stood Hou Hao who looked really confused to say at least. Chen Yiming quickly caught himself and almost jumped at the young man, pulling him into a tight embrace.
“Yiming, what-?” Hou Hao tried asking but before he could even finish his sentence Chen Yiming immediately blurted out everything he had in him.
“I’m sorry that I was so intrusive and asked questions I shouldn’t have. I was so scared that something bad happened to you because I haven’t seen you in so long but I didn’t hear anyone behind the door so I-”, the young said almost too fast for anyone to understand, as he held the younger man even tighterinto the embrace, scared that he might leave in an instance he would stop holding him. Suddenly a warm pair of hands touched his shoulder blades and started softly caressing said spots.
“Hey. Calm down, you are crushing me.”, Hou Hao said softly with a smile painted on his face. Chen Yiming instantly let go of the younger man and suddenly realised what he had been doing. The place Hou Hao’s hands had rested was still burning and even though he had just stopped the hug, Chen Yiming was longing for the younger boy's body being pressed tight against his own. He was longing for the warmth of the other and his calming smell. Realising his desires, Chen Yiming’s face started burning red and he looked away from the man's face swiftly.
“Ah. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to hurt you.” Chen Yiming said softly but anxious for he might have actually hurt the young man.
“I know.”, Hou Hao answered with a smile, staring at Chen Yiming up and down with a similar smile. “You wanna go towards the roof again?” Instead of answering Chen Yiming just smiled and nodded without hesitation. Faster than the wind, Hou Hao closed the door and immediately grabbed Chen Yiming’s hand. Just like the first time, Chen Yiming was pulled after Hou Hao as they both ran up the stairs to finally be greeted by the warm afternoon sun. The only difference now was that neither of them had food with them.
[Chorus]
"Promise I'm not playing tricks on you
You're always welcome to come in
You could stay here for an hour or two
If you ever need a friend"
"We can talk about the noise when you're ready, but 'til then"
I'll say, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
I'll say, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
As they sat down, their fingers remained intertwined, neither of them willing to let the other's hand go. It felt too right to hold Hou Hao’s hand, it felt more like home than anything else at the moment. Chen Yiming eyed Hou Hao from the side of his eye and observed how the young man closed his eyes as the sun kissed his face. How he began smiling as he wrinkled his nose and how the warm wind slowly blew through the brown, fluffy locks of hair resting on top of Hou Hao’s head. While their hands were still intertwined, Chen Yiming’s other hand had a life of its own. Slowly and carefully he touched Hou Hao’s cheek. Chen Yiming watched as Hou Hao turned his head to him, the same warm smile and the same soft face kissed by the sun, he had watched just a few seconds before. Before his mind could decide otherwise, Chen Yiming followed his heart and pulled Hou Hao’s face slightly towards his.
Before either of them could get back away from this, Chen Yiming had already made a move forward to meet Hou Hao’s lips with his own. Chen Yiming could feel his heart jump in happiness as soon as Hou Hao reapproached the kiss and their soft and smooth lips moved together. Innocent and naive as neither of them had any experience, yet it felt as if they were in heaven. Hou Hao was the first to stop for air. His face was red and flustered as the young man looked away, his chest moving heavily.
Chen Yiming smiled but his face shone in a similar red. His heart still jumped around in his chest and it seemed like it wouldn’t stop doing so any sooner. Neither of them knew how to move on from something just like this now on but they will find it out together, that’s for sure.
“Chen Yiming?”, a soft voice suddenly asked, which prompted him to turn around and look Hou Hao in the face again. The young man held his pinky towards him, staring at him intensely before saying: “Never leave. Promise?”
With a smile Chen Yiming took the pinky and wrapped it around with his own and looked at Hou Hao before answering him with the biggest smile he ever showed.
“I promise.”