Work Text:
This fiction happened at the last part of EP. 17, when Tian said with Jao Sua Song that he would move into Mae Bua house with Jiu, Mei, and Fu. Plus my own obsessed with Tian in his satin pajamas.
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A gentle sunlight in dawn shone pass the slits of the enormous Rain tree's canopy into a dim bedroom, bathed the two slept bodies. Two steady breathes sounded in harmony. Before one of them wiggled slowly and awaken from the bed.
That body twisted a little to expel the laziness. Then the youthful face turned to gaze another person whom slept beside. Sparkles eyes shone with cherish while the lips curled up gently. A hand reached to touch the rough and sunburned face that slept in unconscious.
...You go out for work in many days. That would be exhaust you to much, isn't it, Jiu?...
Tian thought with himself, felt a little heartache when seeing how tired his lover was.
Since he had moved from the Song's main house to live in this small house, changed his status as the first master who going-to-be an heir into a translator, Jiu confirmed with him that he would work hard to support their family income. He tried to oppose. But the other didn't listen, just promised that he could do it. Tian then had to let his lover go for working in the market, let him sold candy dolls or work as a labor.
Jiu's sunburned skin and tight muscles all over his body was the indicator told that how hard and diligent he worked. Made Tian felt heartache when realized that how hard Jiu tried to stand by his side proudly even if their status were different as sky and abyss. But in another way, it made his heart warm and fuzzy, with some peculiar sensation when seeing and touching.
Especially, when they both induced each other for 'eating sweets'...
Tian hurrily took his hand back, diverted his eyes away when some of naughty thoughts popped up into his head. Then flipped his body up from the bed and went out the room. Fear that if he stayed longer, those thoughts would be clearer in his mind and effected his demeanor. Then Jiu would awake and saw them. And at that time, he would not escape from this room for the long time.
He knew that this incident would happen. Because it used to occur, and not in just one time.
With Jiu's strength, lying from exhaust on the bed for all day long wasn't the exaggerate thing at all.
Luckily that Mei and Fu were in the faraway room, otherwise he really didn't know how to explain this stuff to them.
And fortunately, both kids were in the age of going to school. So he was relief that they might not see an unappropriate scene for children between him and Jiu.
Tian glanced left and right to the three brother-sister's serene bedrooms, then went downstair to the kitchen, explored all of stuffs that could be this breakfast, and sighed in dissappointment when he didn't see any ready-to-eat thing.
Since they had lived in this house, all of their foods were bought from the market or cooked fresh meal after meal by Jiu. Even if they were easy-cooking foods that didn't need intensive skills, such as omelet with rice, stir-fried chinese kale with salted fish, stir-fried pickled mustard green with egg, or white poddrige with salted eggs, sweet pickled radish, soy sauce sprinkled boiled eggs.
He, himself was the big problem who couldn't cook any dish. From his identity as a young master who didn't need to cook himself, only ate food that servants brought when it was the meal time. It made he didn't have any chance to get close to the stove or even the kitchen door.
Another thing was, he didn't dare to request Mae Bua at the main house to cook for him. Her cooking tasks for his father and everybody at the main house was too great, so he shouldn't ask her to do more.
Tian could feel the great trouble after moving to this house with Jiu at this time.
Now he could weeping house, wiping house, do the laundry. Except cooking, which he determined to do.
If he could cook, it would reduce Jiu's houseworks. Then Jiu could go out for working with relieved.
Tian glanced at the stove with determined eyes, clasped his hands together, encouraged himself to set the fire.
Mei and Fu were sleeping. They should sleep enough as the growing children who attended school. So he shouldn't wake them up to help him.
Jiu was a must-not to wake up. Yesterday he just carried a lot of rice sacks for all day long, and extreamly exhausted when coming home.
So...he ought to do it with himself.
Just setting the fire for cooking...how could it hard for him.
After thinking about that, Tian didn't waste the time anymore. He shoved charcoals into the stove, and find the match box.
But...
Some wrinkles appeared on Tian's face after seeing that no matter how he tried, the charcoals in the stove didn't combust.
What happened? It looked so easy when Jiu did. The fire was set within a few blink. But when he, himself did, why it was so difficult?
The matches were used one another one, piled up into a small mountain. When it was the thirtieth-one, the stove was lighted up.
Tian's furrow eyebrows were relaxed. Joy appeared on his face when seeing that his first mission was completed.
But his lit up hope suddenly snuffed out, when seeing the burning red charcoal was burned out and emitted thick smoke.
Tian rubbed his hands on his face with weary, left the black prints on both of his cheeks. Then determined to light up the stove for another try until the charcoal was ignited and glow red. This time he didn't forget to fan the stove, made the fire burned all over it. With his fanning, thick smoke appeared and fumed his body until he had to step back 3 times and cough severely with teary eyes and irritated nose.
Why setting up the stove was so difficult?
Tian blinked his teary eyes. The slightly red eyes from the irritation radiated a glow of joy when he saw the charcoal stove filled with fire. Even though it was a little chaotic, but he had succeeded.
...The fire is set. What should I cook next?...
The problem of setting a charcoal stove has passed. The next problem he faced was the food he would make.
Tian tried to think of the food he could make. The final result was the egg dishes like fried eggs. Just heated the oil, cracked eggs in, and fried into a sunny egg. And that was all.
He poured oil into the pan. Waited until hot. Then washed the eggs thoroughly. Before cracked the eggs in.
Suddenly...
A loud crack sounded out, along with oil sprayed out of the pan like a bullet rain. Tian was startled and jumped away two meters, looked at the egg in the pan in horror as if it was the deceased Jaosua Ma who was firing bullets at him.
An egg in the pan turned from golden yellow to a burnt brown, made his heart clenched tightly, want to go in and scoop it out on a plate. But he was unable to resist the oil that was still firing at him continuoustly.
The catastrophe fire burned all over stove. The burning smell grew stronger as smoke billowed out of the fried egg, which was now a charred brown clump.
Tian took a breath and gathered his courage. His hand tightened on the spatula, preparing to try his luck and scoop out the eggs from the pan. But then it was interrupted by a deep shout mixed with panic and the sound of running wildly from upstairs in the house from behind.
“Tian!...Where are you? ...Tian!"
Heavy footsteps were coming closer and closer. Jiu's extremely shocked expression finally came into view. Those sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. And finally stopped at the troublesome stove, which was raging menacingly as if it were about to burn the kitchen down.
Jiu cursed loudly, grabbed a damp cloth, wrapped it around the handle of the pan and lifted it off the stove, before scooped up water and splashed it onto the stove with a loud splash. Then everything returned to peace.
The atmosphere suddenly became silent. Only the sizzling sound of burned out stove and the sound of Jiu's heavy breathing could heard.
After the burly young man regained his composure, he put the pan down, then quickly turned his head to look at his lover who was standing freeze at the corner of the kitchen. Seeing the appearance of the other party, He suddenly felt heartache and amusement.
Tian now looked like a frightened Siamese cat covered in dust. A figure in satin pajamas stood stiffly. His face and body were stained with black charcoal. The round, big eyes radiated both fear and guilt.
Jiu immediately rushed over to support Tian. His once hard and vigilance eyes suddenly softened and shone with a gentle light.
“Tian, what happened? Are you okay? Have you injured?"
A series of questions expressed with extreme concern. As the speaker bent down to examine the injuries on the other person's body with an anxious expression.
"I'm fine, Jiu. Just a little shocked."
Jiu's expression calmed down when her lover was not harmed, before raising his hand to caress the soft, blackened cheek of the person in front of him.
“Why did you come down to cook and not wake me up? What would you be if you got burned from fire or hot water? You never lit the stove, did you?"
Jiu complained. The wave of panick still lingered in his chest when he woke up and didn't see his lover, while the smell of burnt food was wafting from the ground floor.
A premonition of danger suddenly flashed in his heart. He quickly jumped up from the mattress. Forgot all drowsiness and exhaustion. And quickly ran down to the kitchen while praying nothing bad happened to his Tian.
Tian glanced at Jiu's face briefly before lowering his eyes. Like a guilt child who got caught from secretly committing a crime. Both hands nervously tugged at the hem of his pajamas.
“I see you are tired from work. So I didn't dare wake you up to cook. And I didn't dare wake the children. So I tried to learn how to cook myself. I want to be able to cook in order to share the burden for you..."
TBC