The lavish Mercedes hummed to a halt in front of the old house. The dark night swallowed the distant sounds, leaving only the soft purr of the engine as Yu Han and Li Hao finally reached their destination.
Yu Han, stiff from the long journey, stared out at the silhouette of his childhood home.
"Well," Yu Han finally broke the silence, turning to Li Hao, "Where are you going to stay?"
Li Hao, already unfastening his seatbelt with a casual air, looked at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course, with you."
Yu Han's eyes widened in disbelief. "You must be joking. How can you stay with me at this old house? Go find some other arrangement."
Li Hao turned his whole body towards Yu Han, his expression suddenly serious. "I have driven the whole day to reach here not just to stay away from you."
Yu Han sat, a mixture of confusion and exasperation on his face. "You can't stay with me, please go back."
Li Hao leaned back, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "If you want me to go back then it's fine... but I'll not be going alone."
Yu Han's patience snapped. "Shut the fuck up, and open this damn door!"
Li Hao's smirk widened. "Then I'm coming with you." He didn't wait for another argument, stepping out of the car. He walked around to the passenger side, pulling open Yu Han's door.
Yu Han gave him a death look that promised retribution later, but begrudgingly stepped out. He stretched his body with a loud "Ahhh…" sound, as if he was the one who had driven the whole day.
Li Hao glanced at him, an amused glint in his eyes. "Tired, huh?"
"Yes, very much," Yu Han grumbled, rubbing his lower back.
He took a few steps towards the old, weathered house. This was where he was born, the place heavy with the memories of his parents, his childhood. But now, it was nothing but just a house. The memories of his childhood suddenly filled his heart, a bittersweet ache.
He stood outside, looking at the familiar structure, but inside, in his heart, the faces of his parents filled every corner. He controlled himself, taking a deep breath, and walked inside. He hadn't visited in months, but surprisingly, the house was still in good condition.
Li Hao followed him in, his eyes scanning every detail, from the faded wallpaper to the old wooden furniture. "So," he said, turning to Yu Han, "where are we going to sleep?"
Yu Han gave him a fierce look and strode into a room – his old bedroom. He opened a cabinet, pulled out a blanket and a pillow, and threw them at Li Hao. "Sleep here," he said in a harsh voice, pointing towards a worn sofa in the living room.
Li Hao caught the items with practiced ease, looking from the sofa to Yu Han with an expression of pure incredulity.
"You know who am I, I am Li Hao, who has been living in luxury since birth, who has thousands of people taking care of him. How can I sleep on the sofa? Are you serious?" he asked in a haughty voice.
"Then fucking go back to your thousands of people!" Yu Han snapped, his voice rising. "I didn't invite you, you're the one who insisted to stay with me, then stay like it, otherwise get lost!"
Li Hao's tone softened slightly, a hint of calculated charm replacing his earlier arrogance. "I was just saying that I can't sleep on the sofa," he began, then pointed to Yu Han's room. "We can sleep there."
Yu Han's face flushed with renewed fury. "Shut up! My bed is not big as yours! And I fucking don't want to sleep with you! If you want to sleep on the sofa then sleep, otherwise get lost from here!"
After hearing this, Li Hao didn't say another word. He simply turned, walked out of the house, and disappeared into the night, leaving Yu Han alone.
Yu Han stood there in the quiet living room, the blanket and pillow still on the floor where Li Hao had dropped them, a wave of confusion washing over him. He really left? What a man. Fuck you, Li Hao.
He took a long, hot shower, changed into comfortable clothes, and then sank onto the sofa in the living room. As he sat, his childhood memories began to flash in his eyes.
He stood up and paced towards the wall where some old photographs hung.
He picked up one – his childhood photo, a wide smile on his face, nestled between his parents. His heart weighed heavier than the old frame. He tried to control his tears, but they came anyway, hot and silent.
This house, the only tangible memory of his parents, and he was going to sell it. It was so difficult for him.
He slid down the wall, sinking to the floor, holding the photograph to his chest, and openly crying. His eyes reddened, the pain in his heart a raw, aching wound.
Minutes passed, Yu Han still huddled in the same position.
Then, a large figure entered the house.
Yu Han lifted his head, eyes blurry with tears. He rubbed them with the back of his hand, and there, standing in front of him, was Li Hao, balancing several food packets.
Seeing him, Yu Han quickly rubbed his eyes again, trying to hide the evidence of his breakdown, and stood up, his voice still thick with emotion. "I thought you had left. Why did you come back?"
Li Hao walked over to the small table, placing the food packets down one by one. "I didn't leave. I was just hungry. Don't you feel hungry after crying like a baby?"
Yu Han, despite himself, lunged forward and lightly punched Li Hao's stomach. "I'm not a baby!"
Li Hao laughed a little, a genuine, warm sound. "Come, eat."
After the dinner,
Yu Han went straight into his room, leaving Li Hao in cold living room.
The old house groaned under the assault of the fierce full winds.
Inside, Li Hao shivered, wrapped tightly in a single thin blanket on the old, lumpy sofa. The fissures in the windows were like open mouths, inviting the cold deeper.
His large frame was barely covered, his legs completely exposed and stiff with cold. He curled into a tighter ball, trying to bear the relentless chill of the night.
Meanwhile, in the small room, Yu Han tossed and turned on his bed, cocooned in a soft, warm quilt. Yet, sleep eluded him. His mind buzzed, thoughts chasing each other in the darkness. After an hour of restless turning, a more pressing need arose- the toilet.
He swung his legs out of bed, the sudden chill of the wooden floor a sharp contrast to his warm sheets.
As he stepped out of the room, he saw Li Hao on the sofa. The meager blanket was practically useless. Li Hao's teeth were chattering even in his sleep, his body trembling violently. His long legs, bare and pale, lay completely uncovered.
A strange pang struck Yu Han's chest.
"This man... he drove all day only because of me. Even brought me dinner. And look at how I'm treating him."
A flicker of something he couldn't quite name settled in his heart.
He walked over to the sofa, a sudden, inexplicable urge to do 'something' overcoming him. Then, he delivered a sharp kick to Li Hao's side.
Li Hao yelped, jolting awake with a surprised grunt. He tumbled off the sofa with a thud, rubbing his eyes with a half-lidded gaze.
"Wha...? Why did you kick me?"
Yu Han bent down, snatching up the blanket from the sofa. His voice was gruff, deliberately devoid of the concern he felt.
"Sleep in the room."
Li Hao's eyes widened, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep.
"The room? But... you said your bed was small! And you said you couldn't sleep with me, so why...?"
Yu Han let out an exasperated sigh, the sound cutting through the wind's howl.
"If you don't want to sleep, fine. Die here from the cold, then."
That seemed to be enough. Li Hao scrambled to his feet, abandoning the cold sofa.
He practically lunged towards Yu Han's room, throwing himself onto the bed with a relieved sigh.
"Ahhh... this is so warm! I've been sleeping on much bigger and comfier beds than this, but why does this bed feel so much better?"
A moment later, Yu Han walked back into the room. He took in the sight of Li Hao's large body sprawled like a dead whale across his entire bed.
Without a word, he delivered another kick, this time nudging Li Hao towards the wall.
"Move over."
Li Hao, surprisingly compliant, shifted, pressing himself against the cold wall.
The bed was indeed small. Their bodies were now practically glued together.
Yu Han lay down, his back facing Li Hao, trying to create as much distance as possible.
But it was futile. He could feel Li Hao's warm breaths on his back, tickling the skin on his neck.
A wave of irritation washed over Yu Han. He turned his head slightly, glancing at Li Hao's face in the dim light.
His features were surprisingly serene in sleep, a stark contrast to the fierce, almost menacing expression he'd seen when Li Hao was dealing with others.
"How could someone with a face like this shoot so fiercely? Punch someone? Slap someone?"
For the first time, Yu Han was seeing Li Hao's face so closely, without the usual filter of their antagonistic relationship.
His gaze lingered, drifting from Li Hao's forehead, down his nose, and then, inexplicably, to his lips.
A sudden, vivid flashback of that other night, the passionate, unexpected kiss, flared in his mind.
Then, Li Hao's eyes twitched.
Yu Han's head snapped back to its original position, his mind racing.
"What the fuck are you doing, Yu Han?! I'm fucking admiring a man's face! What the fuck! "
He cursed himself silently, his cheeks burning in the darkness.
Suddenly, a large hand wrapped around his waist, and he was pulled back, pressed firmly against Li Hao's chest.
"What the FUCK are you doing?!" Yu Han shouted, bolting upright, his voice a panicked whisper-scream in the quiet room.
Li Hao's eyes fluttered open slowly, a sleepy, almost innocent expression on his face.
"Huh? Oh... there's no space to place my hands. And my hands are aching."
"Don't fucking touch me with those filthy hands!" Yu Han hissed, trying to pull away.
Li Hao, however, just chuckled, a low, rumbling sound against Yu Han's back.
"Come on, we're guys. There's nothing in touching, is there? Or... do you feel something when I touch you, Yu Han?" He paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Do you like me? Is that why you kissed me that night?" He laughed softly, a teasing note in his voice.
"Ah, I get it now! You literally liked me, didn't you? That's why you felt jealous when you saw me making out with that woman!"
"Shut up!" Yu Han roared, twisting around and delivering a sharp punch to Li Hao's arm.
"Otherwise, I'll throw you out of the window!" He then angrily lay back down, pulling the quilt up to his chin.
Li Hao just grinned, rubbing his arm. He then casually draped his arm over Yu Han's waist, pulling him closer.
Even in such a congested bed, with a furious Yu Han beside him, Li Hao quickly drifted off to a peaceful sleep. It was the first time when Li Hao has slept very comfortably.