บท 14: Chapter 14- House Hunting
The first place they looked at was just around the corner from the hotel KO was already staying in. They walked in to the lobby and Hao Mei promptly turned around and walked back out.
"No."
"We didn't even look at the room."
"The lobby smelled of piss and dirty fish water." Hao Mei wrinkled his nose in disgust. "They didn't even have fish tanks in the lobby, so I have no idea where the smell was coming from."
"That's the lobby. The room might be different." KO didn't think he should tell Mei that in the past, he'd lived in rooms with a similar smell.
"I'm not walking through eau de incontinence every time I come to visit."
And with that, it was decided.
The second place was very similar to KO's current situation, however the bathroom mould had decided to branch out and see what life was like as living room mould. Both men took one look at the black dots growing over the wall and ceiling, and refused to step through the doorway. There was nothing outstandingly bad about the third and fourth places, but they were also no better than where he was staying and KO didn't see the point in moving to somewhere that was basically no different. There had to be an advantage to moving.
It was at the fifth place, a tiny one bedroom studio room with a kitchenette, that Hao Mei noticed the manager making assumptions about their situation. He hadn't thought anything of the fact that two friends were house hunting; he was just helping KO find a new place to stay after all, but two adults going house hunting for a one bedroom place? It was when the manager made a comment about the room being big enough for a king size bed, with a stomach-churning leer, that Mei realised the appearance was different to the reality. While he knew they were just friends- he wondered why he felt the need to emphasise that during a conversation with himself- the managers and landlords they were meeting, were assuming there was something more going on. He'd barely come to this epiphany, standing in the middle of the empty bedroom, when he heard the manager talking to KO about the kitchenette.
"It's not big, but there's all he'll need to have dinner ready for you when you get home."
What? Does he think... Why has he assumed I'd be the wife in this relationship? Mei's mind spun, settling when he heard KO's soft grunt.
"He doesn't cook. That's my job."
"You? But... Ah..."
Leaning against the bedroom door, Hao Mei shamelessly eavesdropped, waiting for KO to set the manager straight. He will set him straight, right?
"I was a chef."
Mei frowned. That wasn't what I meant. Now set him straight properly.
"Oh." Understanding coloured the manager's voice. "So he must do the housework, and look; there's a double sink so he can do the dishes after you've cooked."
KO grunted, and Mei felt his knees buckle. Where was the objection? Why wasn't he clarifying their friendship with the manager instead of letting him continue making assumptions? And why are they both so happy for me to be the wife? As if able to hear Hao Mei's inner whining, KO looked over his shoulder at that moment, surprising Mei, who felt like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The barest hint of a smile twitched at the corner of KO's mouth and, for him, his eyes were positively dancing. Hao Mei glared at his friend, smoothing his features into a practised smile as the manager noticed KO's attention had shifted and turned look in the same direction. The speed with which Mei went from glaring to smiling, had KO drawing his eyebrows together in concern. Mei hid a smirk. Make fun of me, will you? Let's see how you like it.
"Babe..." Mei pushed away from the door frame and added an exaggerated sway to his hips. "This place is no good. Let's keep looking."
Both KO and the manager watched, wide eyed, as Mei slid an arm around KO's waist and tucked himself against the other man's side. He could feel the tension in KO's body, and could just detect the faintest tremor in his breath. Reaching up, he stage-whispered in KO's ear, "The bedroom floor bounces in the middle... will make too much noise."
The manager choked, turning bright red, and while KO didn't so much as grunt, Hao Mei could feel his breath seize in his lungs. Turning an innocent face to the manager, Hao Mei used the truth as the sharpest sword.
"He likes to get his, uh, exercise, in the morning before going to work. It might be too early for the people living underneath him. He's an early bird. Not like me, I like to sleep in, but sometimes he wakes me up to exercise with him."
The body under his arm shivered and the faint movement took Mei by surprise. Looking up, he expected to see anger- at a joke taken too far- hiding behind KO's usual mask, however he couldn't see it. Instead, for the briefest moment, and gone so quick Mei thought he might have imagined it if not for the faint trembling he could still feel, there was the kind of look that was usually found on his own face when he was thinking about food. Hungry... and anticipatory. Mei's mouth went dry and he wondered if, once again, he'd acted a bit too rashly. When he tried to put some space between them, KO's arm snaked up his back, hand settling at the nape of his neck and fingers digging in warningly. For once, prudence won out and Mei stayed put.
He wasn't sure how KO managed to extract them, or why he was so obediently following him down the hallway... and he definitely wasn't sure how many other places they looked at while he was still preoccupied with his own thoughts, but as his mind started to clear, a physical awareness crept in. He started noticing how often KO touched him; fingers brushing against the back of his hand as they walked side by side, stroking his cheek to get his attention, lightly resting laying his hand on his shoulder to turn him and, in the process, letting his fingertips softly slide over his collar and linger on his skin. It took him until the final place, a dingy studio room that was no better than KO's current rooms and may even be in worse condition, for him to notice a similarity between KO's behaviour and the way that Xiao Nai was around Bei Wei Wei.
The landlord left them to look at the empty studio on their own, directing them to his own rooms down the hall if they had any questions. In the silence, Hao Mei snuck quick looks at KO's carefully blank face. Clearing his throat, he tugged on KO's sleeve.
"KO... About earlier..."
"Hmm?"
"Why didn't you correct that man's wrong impression?"
"Was it wrong?"
"Eh?"
"You don't cook. I do. You hate housework. I don't." Covering his mouth with his hand, KO still
couldn't completely hide his grin. "I do like exercising in the morning. You like sleeping in. Nothing you said was wrong."
"Hmm. But he thought that... that we..."
"Did that bother you?"
Against his will, Hao Mei could feel his face start to burn. "Not that..." He muttered.
KO raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"It was his assumption that I'd be the docile little housewife." He pulled a face at the very thought.
"You wouldn't be the wife?" KO stepped towards him and Hao Mei unconsciously took a step
back.
"Me? Why me?" Another step forward, and another step back.
"Not me." Another step forward, another step back.
"Why not?" Mei jutted his chin up and his head hit the wall behind him. "Eh?" He could feel the wall behind his shoulders and KO loomed in front of him. Clearing his throat, he shifted his weight to the side and an arm blocked his way. He turned the other way and KO simply put his other arm up, caging the younger man against the wall.
Hands against the wall, on either side of Hao Mei's shoulders, KO leaned forward, bringing their faces close together. Their gazes locked and Mei watched KO's eyes darken.
"Why not? Because of this..." KO bent his head and breathed along Mei's jawline, raising goose-bumps on his arms and making his legs weaken. The older man slowly pulled away, looking down at Mei's flushed face and half-closed eyes. It was only when Mei felt him start to move away completely that the final dot connected and he recalled a conversation he'd overheard between Wei Wei and her friends. The realisation that KO was doing the same to him made his heart race and rose his ire; he wasn't a blushing rose to be treated with silk gloves. When KO took a step back, Mei's hand reached out of its own accord; grabbing his wrist and then swinging the unsuspecting man around, slamming his back against the wall that Mei had been pressed against.
Surprise widened KO's eyes and his hands automatically came up to rest on Hao Mei's shoulders; whether to push him away or to pull him close, it didn't matter, as Mei ignored the movement and leaned against his chest. With a hand on the side of KO's face and his fingers sliding over the man's short hair, Mei raised his mouth to hover over KO's, flicking his tongue out to moisten his own lips before murmuring, "I'm not a bloody frog."
KO's fingers tightened on Mei's shoulders and Mei could see the tension in his jaw. He opened his mouth to speak... and a knock at the door had them springing them apart just as the landlord entered, wondering what they thought of the place. Deeming retreat to be his most prudent course of action, Mei left KO discussing the studio with the landlord and slipped out. Taking the stairs two at a time, he blamed his race down the stairs for his lack of breath.
Text to: Number One Chef
[You can find a better room than that one. See you at work tomorrow.]
Mei smiled the whole way home.
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