Li Hao and Yu Han spent the entire night nestled together in Yu Han's room. They were lost to the world, immersed completely in each other, showering one another with a love they'd denied for far too long.
A tender flower now bloomed in their hearts, a shared promise never to separate. Countless kisses were exchanged that night; this was the feeling of love....pure love. The love they had refused to accept for years
Yu Han slept, a picture of serene contentment in Li Hao's embrace.
But Li Hao found no rest. He couldn't close his eyes, desperate to absorb every facet of Yu Han – his gentle breaths, the unique scent that clung to him, a fragrance like standing amidst nature, embodying the untamed freedom Li Hao found in him.
Every rise and fall of Yu Han's chest, every warm exhale, was a treasure Li Hao consumed with an insatiable hunger.
"Yu Han… finally, you are mine," Li Hao whispered, pressing his lips to Yu Han's forehead, his fingers gently stroking stray strands of hair away from his temples.
Hours passed in this tender vigil, the deep indigo of night softening into the ethereal grey of pre-dawn.
A gentle stir, and Yu Han's eyelids fluttered open, heavy with sleep. His vision, still blurry, slowly focused on the handsome face directly before him, Li Hao's eyes already gazing into his own. A faint, knowing smile curved at the corner of Li Hao's lips.
Li Hao leaned in, a soft kiss landing on Yu Han's forehead.
"It's still early. You can sleep more." He stroked the back of Yu Han's head.
"Uh… I need to use the washroom," Yu Han mumbled, his voice thick with slumber.
Li Hao pushed himself up and reached for his jacket, which lay draped over the bed frame. He offered it to Yu Han.
"Here, cover yourself completely. It's still cold out there."
Yu Han obediently took the jacket, pulling it snugly around him, and padded out of the room.
It was 4:15 AM. Li Hao, having been awake all night, felt a familiar pang of hunger.
"I really should have eaten dinner," he muttered, his gaze drifting to a packet of chips on the bedside table.
They seemed to beckon him, a crispy salvation.
He stretched, reaching for the packet.
"Hot and Spicy," the label declared. He pulled out a single chip and popped it into his mouth.
At first, nothing. He took another, then another, quickly devouring half the packet before the promised spice finally hit, a fiery explosion across his tongue.
"Ahhh… it's really spicy," he gasped, fanning his mouth.
Just as he was about to consume the very last chip, Yu Han re-entered, looking refreshed from his trip to the washroom. His eyes immediately landed on the chip in Li Hao's hand.
"Heyyy… that's mine!" he cried.
But he was too late. Half the chip was already in Li Hao's mouth. Yu Han lunged, tackling Li Hao onto the bed.
"Hey! That was mine! I didn't even share it with Yang Zi!"
"Huh?" Li Hao, genuinely bewildered for a second, then a mischievous spark ignited in his eyes.
He leaned forward, narrowing the space between them. Cupping Yu Han's face firmly, the half-eaten chip still peeking from his own lips, Li Hao pressed his mouth to Yu Han's.
The remaining chip was gently nudged into Yu Han's mouth. Yu Han's eyes widened at the sudden intimacy, but before he could react, the kiss deepened.
Li Hao's tongue found Yu Han's, twisting and playing, transferring not just the chip, but the scorching heat from his own mouth.
Yu Han's lips began to burn with an alarming intensity. The fiery sensation was, of course, from the spicy chips Li Hao had just consumed – a deliberate, tactical transfer designed to alleviate Li Hao's own discomfort.
With a yelp, Yu Han punched Li Hao's chest and pushed him away.
"Ahhhh… it's so spicy! My lips… my lips are burning!" He winced, slapping at his mouth, the spice escalating. He punched Li Hao again. "You're a monster!" he cursed, his voice a whine.
Li Hao, utterly shameless, merely chuckled at his own devious game.
"I hate you!" Yu Han declared, his cheeks puffed out like an indignant balloon.
"Okay, okay… I'm really sorry," Li Hao said, pulling Yu Han into another embrace.
"We just started dating last night, and you're breaking up with me in the morning? That's not fair, huh?" His voice was impossibly sweet and low as he held Yu Han close.
"You finished all my chips… I hate you," Yu Han mumbled, still sulking.
Li Hao rubbed his nose against Yu Han's.
"I apologize. Forgive me, Yu Han."
Yu Han rolled his eyes.
"Hmph… okay."
Li Hao pinched his nose playfully.
"Are you free today?" Yu Han asked, still pouting slightly.
"Today?" Li Hao considered. "I don't know. It depends on my schedule. Why are you asking?"
"I want to go shopping. I need some new summer clothes."
"Okay… I'll come with you," Li Hao declared, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Yu Han turned his face to Li Hao. "What if you have other important work?"
Li Hao's gaze turned firm, a dangerous edge to his low voice. "I don't care about other things. If I said I'm coming with you, then I'm coming with you. That's final."
"Then meet me at ten o'clock," Yu Han conceded, a small smile finally playing on his lips.
After spending some more minutes with each other, it's finally time to leave and back to the real world.
"How will you go back?" Yu Han asked, his voice a low thrum of deep concern that vibrated through Li Hao's chest where Yu Han's head still rested.
He didn't want this moment to end, didn't want to break the fragile bubble they'd created.
"Through the window, of course." His tone was infuriatingly casual, as if this bastard scales a building in the early hours was a daily routine.
Yu Han yanked his head up, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Are you an idiot, huh? It's so dangerous!" He could already picture the absurd, perilous climb, a knot forming in his stomach.
Li Hao chuckled, a low, confident sound. He expertly rotated his shoulders, stretching languidly.
"Nah, it's fine. As you can see," he flexed an arm, his bicep rippling subtly,
"I'm strong and flexible. I could practically Spider-Man my way down." He concluded with a triumphant smirk, clearly proud of his physique and utterly oblivious to Yu Han's very real anxiety.
"Shut the fuck up," Yu Han hissed, pushing himself up and scrambling off the bed.
He grabbed Li Hao's hand, tugging him firmly. "Come with me."
"Where?" Li Hao asked, still amused by Yu Han's flustered state, allowing himself to be pulled.
"To the main door," Yu Han declared, already halfway across the room. "You'll leave from there."
"What?! What if Yang Zi sees us?" The thought seemed to genuinely tickle him.
Yu Han, however, was not amused.
"Don't worry," he whispered, a nervous tremor in his voice as he glanced at the closed bedroom door across the hall.
"It's still early. He usually sleeps like a log until at least seven. You can leave from the main door. He won't know a thing."
Yu Han's assurance was more for his own benefit than Li Hao's, a desperate attempt to believe their secret was safe.
With their hearts thumping a synchronized rhythm of adrenaline and hushed urgency, both of them tiptoed out of the bedroom, each movement agonizingly slow and deliberate.
The floorboards, usually silent, seemed to creak under every step, amplifying the slightest noise in the otherwise still apartment.
Their destination: the main door, a mere ten feet away, yet it felt like a mile.
But the moment they reached the threshold of the living room, a sudden, jarring sound shattered their carefully orchestrated stealth.
Click.
The distinct sound of a door opening – Yang Zi's door.
Yu Han's blood ran cold. His eyes, wide with panic, darted towards the sound.
Without a second thought, his instincts taking over, he grabbed Li Hao's arms with surprising force and shoved him behind the large, overstuffed sofa in the living room.
Li Hao, caught off guard, stumbled and landed in a heap, a muffled "Oof!" escaping his lips.
A figure emerged from the bedroom, weaving slowly into the hallway. Yang Zi.
He strode towards them, or rather, drifted, a deep yawn stretching his jaw. His steps were heavy, sluggish, and his eyes were still half-closed, his movements reminiscent of a sleepwalking zombie. He was clearly still in the hazy depths of slumber.
But his sleepy momentum halted abruptly as his bleary gaze registered Yu Han's presence in the living room.
The sight of his roommate, fully dressed and standing by the sofa in the dim light, was enough to drag him back to semi-consciousness.
"Yu Han?" His eyes, previously slits, now shot open, a flicker of confusion igniting within them.
"What are you doing up at this time?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep, the question laced with genuine bewilderment.
It was highly unusual to see Yu Han awake, let alone out of his room, before Yang Zi's alarm.
Beads of cold sweat immediately prickled Yu Han's forehead. His mind raced, a frantic scramble for a plausible excuse.
His mouth felt dry, his tongue a useless lump. Li Hao, he knew, was holding his breath behind the sofa, likely stifling a laugh. This was not the time for amusement.
"Uh... I... I was... was just..." He stammered, his gaze darting around the room as if an answer might be magically inscribed on the ceiling. Nothing. His brain was blank.
Finally, a desperate idea, thin and flimsy, materialized. "Uhh, actually, I was hungry." It was the best he could manage, a pathetic lie that felt transparent even to himself.
"Hungry?" Yang Zi echoed, his eyebrows rising slowly, a clear sign of skepticism.
He rubbed his eyes, gaining a little more clarity. "Okay," he said, much to Yu Han's surprise, accepting the weak excuse without further question.
"Wait for some time, I'll make breakfast after freshening up." He gave a vague nod and, to Yu Han's immense relief, turned and walked towards the washroom, his footsteps still unhurried.
The sound of the door closing and then the click of the lock was the sweetest music Yu Han had ever heard.
Yu Han deflated, a long, ragged sigh of relief escaping his lips. He leaned against the back of the sofa, his heart still hammering like a trapped bird. He risked a glance over the back of the couch.
Li Hao was already rising, a triumphant, almost mischievous grin on his face.
He mouthed, "That was close!" and Yu Han just scowled, though a tiny smile twitched at the corner of his own lips.
This was their chance. The washroom door effectively bought them precious minutes. Li Hao moved with newfound urgency, but still with the stealth of a cat.
He covered the remaining distance to the main door in a few swift.
Yu Han watched him, a mix of relief and a familiar ache of longing washing over him.
Just as Li Hao reached for the doorknob, he paused. He turned back, his eyes catching Yu Han's.
A familiar warmth spread through Yu Han as Li Hao's gaze softened.
Then, with a quick, deliberate motion, Li Hao stepped back, closed the distance between them, and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Yu Han's cheek.
"See you soon," Li Hao whispered, his breath warm against Yu Han's ear.
Then, with a final, quick grin, he turned the doorknob, slipped out of the apartment.