You're touching me [revised]

Whether it was the dim yellow light that felt too intimate or the teasing hint of a smile on the other man's face that was too alluring, Chu Qingjiu nearly surrendered under his scorching gaze.

But he still had his reason. He pulled his hand free and said coolly, "Where's my room?"

"There aren't enough rooms, so I gave you mine. The only sofa in here is the little one you're sitting on. I couldn't let you sleep somewhere that small, could I?"

Qi Wu gazed into Chu Qingjiu's beautiful purple eyes, his eyes curving with his smile, looking utterly harmless.

"If you don't want to sleep with me, I'll sleep on the little sofa. I didn't know your size, so the clothes I prepared for you are all mine, but I've never worn them. I'll go shopping with you after you wake up tomorrow."

"..."

Qi Wu made no attempt to insist. He simply stood up and looked at the armchair Chu Qingjiu was sitting in, apparently considering how best to sleep on it.

He was tall and well-built. The armchair was just the right size for Chu Qingjiu, but it would probably be a tight fit for Qi Wu.

After a long silence, Chu Qingjiu suddenly said, "The sofa's dirty."

He hadn't showered yet and might still have plenty of dust on him. Being placed on the sofa would surely have dirtied it.

But that wasn't all he meant.

The sofa's dirty, so you can't sleep on it. We can sleep in the bed together.

He didn't know whether Qi Wu genuinely intended to sleep on the sofa or was merely retreating to advance, but hearing him say that really did make Chu Qingjiu feel as though he was bullying a child.

He had taken over Qi Wu's room and was now making its owner sleep on a tiny sofa. Perhaps Qi Wu looked so innocent that it had stirred his rarely seen conscience.

Without waiting for Qi Wu's answer, Chu Qingjiu rose and said casually, "I'm going to shower."

If Qi Wu understood, they could sleep together. If he didn't, he could pretend Chu Qingjiu had never said anything.

Despite Chu Qingjiu's cool, even indifferent manner, Qi Wu could see his reddened ear tips perfectly clearly.

They had visibly begun turning red the moment Chu Qingjiu said, "The sofa's dirty." Of course, Qi Wu had deliberately used this approach to soften him up. Retreating to advance was the best strategy.

He sat on the bed and, hearing water rush in the bathroom, gave an intimate, teasing smile.

After waiting for a while, Qi Wu really was getting sleepy. It was already past two, and he lay on the bed, drifting toward sleep. But when he heard the door open, he still turned toward the bathroom.

Chu Qingjiu emerged from the bathroom trailing warmth. He wore one of Qi Wu's unworn white shirts. Because Qi Wu was tall and broad, its loose hem hung below Chu Qingjiu's thighs.

His straight, slender legs were faintly pink from his shower, growing all the more enticing with every step.

For some reason, Qi Wu suddenly grew nervous. His heartbeat sped up, and his gaze traveled up from those legs, finally settling on that deliciously beautiful face.

His long black hair was pinned up. The steam had brought much more color to Chu Qingjiu's face, tinting his cheeks pink, while a shimmering mist veiled his beautiful purple eyes. He looked at Qi Wu with a touch of innocent bewilderment, making him swallow involuntarily.

Well, that did it. Wide awake now.

Qi Wu nervously shifted to the side. Fortunately, the bed was large enough. Chu Qingjiu lay down naturally, then turned toward the thoroughly alert Qi Wu with a faint smile.

"Good night."

"Ahem. Good night, gege."

Qi Wu's reply came out hoarse.

There might not be much good about this night.

After a sound night's sleep, Chu Qingjiu woke in Qi Wu's arms the next morning. Judging by their position, he must have gotten cold during the night and clung to him on his own.

Chu Qingjiu carried a great deal of yin energy and usually slept with the heat on. Otherwise, he could easily wake himself up from the cold. Last night, however, he had slept wonderfully.

After all, Qi Wu was walking yang energy, which made him a big, huggable heater as far as Chu Qingjiu was concerned.

Resting against Qi Wu's chest, he could hear his heart pounding. At that rate, Qi Wu seemed to be awake.

Although he didn't know whether he'd disturbed Qi Wu last night, he probably hadn't crossed any other boundaries beyond suddenly hugging him for warmth in the middle of the night.

He didn't dare move. Their current position was simply too embarrassing to describe.

One of Qi Wu's arms rested beneath his neck, while the other encircled his waist. He could even feel Qi Wu's chin resting on top of his head.

His own hand rested on Qi Wu's waist, their bodies pressed tightly together in an embrace.

Well, Qi Wu was certainly crossing a boundary right now.

Still, it was understandable. Qi Wu was young and full of vigor, and it was morning. Perfectly normal. Perfectly normal.

Having found a reasonable excuse for Qi Wu, Chu Qingjiu quietly rolled over and moved away, pretending nothing had happened and he knew nothing.

But it seemed Qi Wu hadn't lied about that particular aspect...

Chu Qingjiu buried his head in the pillow. Had sleeping so comfortably driven him a little mad too? Why had his thoughts wandered somewhere so strange?

Qi Wu hadn't slept much at all. Last night, he'd recited the Purity Mantra for ages before finally calming himself down.

Just as he was finally ready to sleep, Chu Qingjiu had suddenly hugged him, pressing close as though searching for a heat pack.

There had been the soft feel of his body and the fragrance of Qi Wu's own shower gel on him, all while he wore a peaceful, lovely expression, utterly oblivious.

Had he known this would happen, he should have stayed put on the sofa.

Then... he'd lain wide-eyed, trying to find a way to fall asleep. Once the Purity Mantra stopped working, he'd begun silently reciting the Great Compassion Mantra. Wonderful. That hadn't worked either.

The Calming Talisman was in his outerwear pocket. If he went to get it, Chu Qingjiu would inevitably wake, so after hesitating for a long time, he decided to endure it. He spent the whole night counting sheep with his eyes open.

Watching Chu Qingjiu roll over and pretend he wasn't awake, Qi Wu figured he must have realized something. Remaining composed with a beauty in his arms-with self-control like this, he could consider becoming a monk.

He'd even thought of a Dharma name: Unruffled.

Without the beauty in his arms, Qi Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief. But when his gaze fell on the other's exposed ear, his lips suddenly curved into a smile.

That once-pale ear was growing redder and redder, almost red enough to drip blood. He had even buried his head in the pillow, as though... he was shy.

"Good morning, gege."

Qi Wu suddenly spoke with keen interest, making no effort to hide his delighted smile.

Since these were his first words of the morning, Qi Wu's voice still held a little huskiness, a wonderfully pleasant, textured rasp that tickled like a little feather. Just hearing it could make someone blush and their heart race.

Chu Qingjiu chose to keep pretending to sleep, but the man behind him wrapped himself around him like an octopus, hugging him and whispering in his ear, "Good morning, gege."

Left with no choice, Chu Qingjiu could only answer, "Morning... Stay away from me."

His ears burned as though they were on fire. Especially when Qi Wu spoke beside them, they seemed to grow even hotter.

Qi Wu chuckled softly. Every note of that deep, magnetic voice reached Chu Qingjiu's ears, making half his body tingle.

Chu Qingjiu said coolly, "You're not allowed to speak right next to my ear again."

At those words, Qi Wu's face immediately fell. He nuzzled into the crook of Chu Qingjiu's neck and whined shamelessly, "Aw... No, no. I'm very well-behaved, gege."

"..."

Chu Qingjiu sighed, whether out of helplessness or sheer speechlessness. He nudged Qi Wu with his elbow, but when the other man kept nuzzling insistently into his neck, he said coolly:

"You're touching me."