"The Little Things"

I gotta ask

Zhao Yunlan woke up from his fever enhanced dreams and, for some time, blinked at the ceiling. He vaguely remembered getting to his apartment and the long journey to his bed. He moved and grimaced at the sudden headache.

"What's wrong?" Shen Wei's blurred face appeared mere centimetres from his own. Zhao jumped, surprised, and only Black Lord's reflexes saved them from a painful head to head collision.

"Nothing, my head hurts. What are you doing here?" he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Your door was unlocked. I found you passed out on the bed. You had a high fever. Here-" Shen Wei took a bowl of brownish liquid and moved closer. "Sit up. You need to drink this. It's the medicine for cold." Shen Wei started helping him up with his spare hand, and the realization hit Zhao when a cool hand landed on his back.

"Why am I naked?" he asked, surprised. Shen Wei looked away, paling.

"You are not naked. I... I didn't take everything off," the professor mumbled, and after a quick look, Zhao confirmed having his underwear on. A sly grin appeared on his face as he observed the embarrassed man. Shen Wei was frozen, one hand on Zhao's back, the other holding the bowl, head turned to the wall.

"Ah, Shen Wei, I didn't know you were so into me." The grin grew even wider when Shen Wei turned his attention back to him.

"Stop talking nonsense!" the professor exclaimed angrily, cold fury burning inside him. He ignored Zhao's disappointed expression. "Drink your medicine." He lifted the bowl to Yunlan's lips, leaving the man with no choice but to comply. "I'll heat up some porridge. You need to eat something." When the professor walked to the kitchen, Zhao twisted in the bed to have a better look. Shen Wei's shoulders were tense, and it surprised Zhao that the man reacted to the playful words so intensely. Unless... there was something else. He sat up slowly and sneezed. Shen Wei was next to him in a second.

"Why are you getting up?" he demanded, eyes throwing daggers, fists clenched.

"I just sat up to enjoy some porridge. Why are you so worked up?"

Shen Wei pursed his lips and pointed his hand at Zhao's torso. "Mind explaining what those are?"

Zhao looked down at his battered body. After two days, the bruises got darker and more prominent.

"Ah, those are-"

"You said the roots were harmless!"

"I did not say such a thing. But the roots were on our side. When your brother was... I mean, look, I saw you in pain and wanted to interfere. The roots tried to stop me, and I'm not the one to comply. They used some force because I'm an incredibly strong guy." Yunlan spread his hands wide. He saw and heard Shen Wei's short exhalation and knew the crisis was averted. "Did you just snort?" he asked, squinting. Shen Wei just watched him, then shook his head and returned to the kitchen space. "Really, did you snort?"

After eating porridge and spending a few hours in bed, Zhao started feeling restless. He looked at Shen Wei sitting on the couch and reading some University documents. Then he got up.

"Where are you going?" Shen Wei jumped up.

"To the bathroom, want to join me?" joked Zhao.

"Do you need help?" came an earnest reply. Wei's eyes were boring into him, and Zhao's ears reddened.

"No!" he replied, moving quickly. "I'll take a quick shower. I'm all itchy." He closed the door behind him and exhaled slowly. He hoped for a hot shower, but now he started thinking that a cold one would be better. He took off his underwear and stood for a long while under the steady stream of water before he began washing.

Shen Wei was sorting his documents when he heard the sound of breaking glass. He jumped to his feet and went to the bathroom's door.

"Are you all right?" he asked urgently.

"Yeah, it's fine. I was reaching for the toothbrush and knocked over the glass it was in. I... ugh..."

"Did you hurt yourself?" Shen Wei had his hand on the door handle.

"No, but..."

"I'm coming in."

"No, wait!" Zhao managed to put a towel around himself just as Shen Wei burst through the door. He looked around. There was broken glass all over the floor. Zhao Yunlan was standing barefoot, near the basin, on the other side of the bathroom, holding a towel, a sheepish grin on his face. He looked unhurt, and Shen Wei breathed a sigh of relief. Then he frowned.

"Where are your slippers?"

"Um, I don't have any. There used to be a pair, but I guess Daqing must have thrown them away." He laughed, embarrassed. "If you could bring a broom or something..."

Shen Wei clenched his jaw. The floor was wet, and there was no way he could sweep all the shards safely away. And that barefoot idiot...

He walked right up to Zhao Yunlan, and without any warning, he picked him up.

"Whoa, what.." Zhao was too shocked to formulate a coherent sentence, one hand gripping tight his towel tightly. He looked up and saw Shen Wei's clenched jaw and fury in the eyes boring into his. He escaped with his gaze.

Shen Wei carried him out of the bathroom to the bed where he was dumped unceremonially. Then Shen Wei turned back, a dark expression on his face, went to the kitchen to get a rubbish bin and returned to the bathroom. He reached out his hand and the dark energy formed, gathering the shattered glass into a swirling ball. He tossed them into the bin, which he put away.

"Whoa, impressive." Zhao was smiling again, his embarrassment long gone and replaced once more by mischievousness. "So... We really need to get some things straight now." He waited for Shen Wei's quizzical expression to find him, and he broadened the smile.

"Soooo... You just carried me through a door and onto a bed, and to be honest, that last bit still needs some work, but you also do the cooking and the cleaning. So I gotta ask. Who's the husband in this house?"