First

The shower had been so hot against Wen Rui's skin that he could still feel the lingering warmth radiating off his body after. He'd brushed his teeth before, but for good measure, brushed it against now to try and alleviate some of the nervous energy humming in his veins. If Xu Mushen or any of his other close friends could see him now, they would laugh and tease him about ruining his little prince image. But when it came to matters of the heart, Wen Rui felt like he was very much the same as any awkward teenage boy.

Never mind that he wasn't actually a teenager anymore.

Towelling his hair dry, he went into his walk-in wardrobe to pick out a set of bedclothes. Or maybe that would look too…would that look too suggestive? He wasn't sure what the protocol was. He strode over to the section with his outdoor outfits but dismissed it straight away. Wearing an oxford and slacks after a 10 pm shower would be trying too hard.

But what was he to do?

The clock on the wall read 10:25 pm. Wen Rui panicked. He didn't have time to deliberate unless he wanted to open the door in his birthday suit and—and—no.

By the time he heard the perfunctory knocking—two sharp curt raps of Zhou Ye's knuckles that was always loud enough and always in a pair—he'd finally settled on a loose cashmere house sweater and a pair of sleep shorts. The sweater was a bit on the big side with a wide collar and he noted with a hint of dismay that this might be even more suggestive than normal bedclothes. But Zhou Ye was already here, there was no time to change unless he wanted to keep him waiting.

Rushing to the door, Wen Rui slowed down just as he grabbed hold of the doorknob, willing himself to open it as calmly as he could so that he wouldn't look like he'd just spent the last 15 minutes tearing through his clothes collection with more fussiness than he'd demonstrated even for his 18th birthday party, which had been held in a ballroom in one of the most lavish hotels in the country.

"Hi, welcome," he said, feeling like an idiot the second the words escaped his mouth. Why was he speaking like he was greeting a visitor at the entrance of his apartment?! If he wanted to nitpick, this was Zhou Ye's house and he was the guest!

But Zhou Ye didn't seem to notice any oddness. "Hi," he responded. He was in a dark T-shirt that was just snug enough to highlight his enviable build without going over the top and yet another pair of comfy-looking sweats. He never seemed to run out of them, but that was okay since they made his legs go on for miles and—Wen Rui had to force his eyes back up to Zhou Ye's face, cheeks flaming as he suddenly recalled what he'd seen that first day he'd woken up in Zhou Ye's bed, the hint of its impressive size under the thin cloth.

If he'd looked up sooner, he would have noticed the way Zhou Ye's gaze had been drawn to the dips and curves of his collarbone, moulding along its lines the way Zhou Ye's fingers longed to do.

But Wen Rui missed it.

"Um, would you like to come in…or…?"

He'd never had Zhou Ye over before. Back when he'd been ill, Zhou Ye had nursed him to health in his own room, insisting that Wen Rui stayed put even after he'd regained consciousness as it would be too much hassle to shift up and down the corridor. Wen Rui had privately disagreed and had felt bad about occupying Zhou Ye's bed but something inside had made him hold his tongue and comply.

Now that he was no longer trying to ignore it, he understood that he hadn't wanted to leave.

Zhou Ye stepped in, eyes flickering over the furnishings in mild curiosity. Wen Rui watched him hesitantly, trying to see whether Zhou Ye would disapprove or not. From the way he was looking around, it seemed like he'd never entered Wen Rui's room before today. Of course, he wouldn't have, given how bad the terms they were on had been.

But maybe, things would be different from now on.

"I've customised the mouse you recommended," Wen Rui tried to make conversation, going over to his desk to tap on the keyboard. His computer woke up and his mouse lit up, the logo that reminded him a little of a modern version of the Eye of Horus glowing cyan to match the rest of his setup. Zhou Ye had been the one to introduce this brand to him and point out a range of devices that would be suitable to his gaming preferences. It had macro keys on the side and weight adjustments and Wen Rui fell in love with it at first PVP match.

"I'm glad you like it." A small smile curled on Zhou Ye's lips, reminding Wen Rui that the true reason why Zhou Ye was here was that he wanted to know what that mouth would feel like against his own.

He gulped inaudibly and willed himself to stay suave. But he hid his hands behind his back so that he could fiddle with the fabric of his sweater without Zhou Ye realising.

"Um, so…" It felt like too much effort to meet Zhou Ye's eyes. He lowered them to the polished wooden floors, marvelling at what a good job Aunty did every time. They were faultlessly shiny as always. Aunty was amazing—

…oh dear. Wen Rui's heart was racing so quickly it was going to be breaking the world record any second now. He needed to take deep breaths but Zhou Ye would hear and wonder why Wen Rui was so high-strung if it was just a practice, just an act, wasn't real…

"Wen Rui."

He bit hard on his tongue and told himself to focus.

"Y-yeah?"

"Come here."

Wen Rui's feet felt like lead but somehow or another, he managed to make his way over to the seat Zhou Ye had appropriated on the sofa Wen Rui liked to read on.

He blinked down in confusion at Zhou Ye, who reached a hand out to pull him an inch closer, firmly, but so gently that Wen Rui felt his heart shiver like someone had caressed it.

"The female lead is shorter than you, right?" Zhou Ye murmured. "This is the perfect height."

On any other day, Wen Rui would have bristled at the reference to their height difference but tonight, all Wen Rui could do was swallow past the lump that had lodged itself with a vengeance in his throat and tell himself repeatedly, [Zhou Ye is being professional, you be professional too, this is just to help you with tomorrow's scene, remember?]

But another voice sprang unbidden to his mind. [Who are you kidding?] it retorted. [If you wanted to be prOfeSsiOnaL, you would have let Zhou Ye know that there would be no actual kiss. Just angles. You're doing this because you want to kiss him. You're taking advantage, admit it.]

In the cosy lighting of Wen Rui's room, Zhou Ye's eyes were like obsidian, black and precious with a light right in the centre of their dark depths. They drew Wen Rui in like a moth to a flame, and he found himself leaning in closer, unable to look away until he felt his vision start to blur from the proximity, lashes fluttering shut before his accommodation reflex could kick in.

Where Wen Rui had been impervious to Yu Siqing earlier while acting with her on set, his entire being felt alight with a fervent want now. It wasn't sexual, not entirely anyway, but as he tilted his head to slot their mouths together, it had felt like something clicking into place, the intimacy of the gesture sparking a frisson of happiness that surprised him with how strong it was.

Zhou Ye sighed against him. His lips were softer than they'd looked and when they parted slightly to let out the quiet breath of air, Wen Rui couldn't resist pressing them more firmly together.

They weren't touching anywhere else, Wen Rui leaning down, Zhou Ye tilted up, his hands supporting him on the soda seat as he allowed Wen Rui to move his mouth tentatively, giving Zhou Ye's bottom lip an experimental nip before withdrawing a slight distance back like he was shy.

And he was. The burn on Wen Rui's cheeks was proportional to the number of seconds that passed. When it felt like he was going to combust on the spot, he tried to pull away, only to find that at some point, when he'd been drowning in the headiness of his first kiss, Zhou Ye had sneaked an arm around his waist to anchor him in place. Zhou Ye's knees bracketed the side of his legs, the light cedar and musk that must have been from Zhou Ye's soap or aftershave filling Wen Rui's lungs with its intoxicating scent.

"…?"

He tried to squirm backwards but found that realised that he couldn't budge.

"Is that all?" Zhou Ye asked. His voice was throaty in a way that made Wen Rui's stomach attempt to reenact the floor routine of Olympics gymnasts.

The flush reached Wen Rui's neck. "W-what else is there?"

"It's not good enough."

That tone. Wen Rui recognised it. It was Zhou Ye's 'Holier Than Thou' voice, the one that used to rankle him so badly back in high school that he would go out of his way to beat Zhou Ye in some inane competition that he'd made up on the spot, like who could clean the classroom more quickly or who could break the school record for the 100 m sprint.

But now, he could detect an underlying current of fond amusement that sent a shudder down his back, and suddenly, he found himself wondering whether all this while, even back in school, Zhou Ye had had him in the palm of his hands, toying with him the way cats toyed with their prey, flipping him over onto his back idly to prod where Wen Rui was most defenceless. And now that Wen Rui didn't want to fend Zhou Ye off with his spikes anymore…

He felt like he was at Zhou Ye's mercy.

"What's not good enough?" he tried to challenge, but the wavering note in his voice belied his anxiousness.

A thumb rubbed soothingly over the ridge of his spine.

"Let me show you," Zhou Ye murmured, low in Wen Rui's ear. "Is that all right?"

Show him what? That Zhou Ye was better at everything, even kissing?

Wen Rui…didn't know how to feel about that.

"Is that all right, Wen Rui?"

He might have nodded, Wen Rui was wasn't sure. When had Zhou Ye moved so close again? His nose was nuzzling, against Wen Rui's cheek and Wen Rui lost the ability to string together a coherent thought. Wasn't Zhou Ye just teasing him for being bad at this two seconds ago? What was going on now, what were they doing—

A mouth closed over his own, far more forcefully than Wen Rui's first attempt had been, and it derailed the rest of his train of thought.