The Pieces of You

To Fear Everything But Death

Wen Ke Xing woke first, and it was to the sound of low voices outside the paper doors. The first thing he saw was sunlight shimmering onto the wood floor, the rays wavering in and out with the movement of the thin curtains that draped over the entrance to the garden. The chest under his cheek rose and fell evenly and was wonderfully warm. Stretching, he glanced up and almost broke out into a fit of laughter when he saw Zhou Zi Shu. 

The male was still sleeping quite soundly and the robe Ke Xing had placed on Zi Shu was wound around his torso haphazardly. His long hair was scattered, obscuring his features, and he looked completely relaxed. 

It was so different than the calm and poised Zhou Zi Shu he had gotten acquainted with over the past days that he couldn't help the tendril of affection that wound around his heart. He smiled softly and carefully extricated himself from under the covers to get dressed. Because of their sudden intimacy last night, he was slightly worried that Zi Shu might run away from him. Part of him was tempted to move the scattered hair aside, drink his fill of the male's beauty, and kiss him awake. 

But the bigger part of him knew it would all be over faster than he could press his head to the floor and apologize. The noise of fabric sliding on skin whispered in the still afternoon as he put on the clothes he grabbed from home, and he saw the naked male on the bed start to stir. 

Oh, how he would love to part those curtains and then part those legs. 

He shook his head dramatically and peered at the ceiling, once again repeating his mantra of food to calm himself. 

Afraid that Zhou Zi Shu wouldn't leave the safety of the canopy covering, he walked over to the door and spoke softly. "I will go get some breakfast." It was a clumsy excuse, especially since he was currently in a brothel and not in the convenience of his own home, but he could easily go out to the market to buy some congee or steamed buns. He quickly slid the door open, slipped out, and closed it behind him. 

His heart raced in his chest. He wanted to go back in there and repeat last night, and then some, but he couldn't. Wen Ke Xing inhaled deeply, blinked longer than necessary, and finally raised his gaze, only for it to land on the two women from his first arrival at the brothel. 

They stared at him knowingly, and the dark-haired woman hid a smile by turning her face towards the other woman. The woman with silver hair cleared her throat and gave him the barest respectful incline of the head. "The kitchen is that way. Take a right at the hallway of lotus pods, and a left at the chrysanthemums. The cook will know what he likes, just tell them you're there to pick up breakfast for the Madam." An air of mischief hid behind her dark eyes that had Wen Ke Xing feeling as though this were a trap more dangerous than his actual foes.   

He pushed back his hesitations and put one hand over the other in a polite half bow. "Many thanks." Their eyes burned into his back when he turned away to find the kitchen, and he suspected that he was now traversing a treacherous road full of dangers. 

There was indeed a hall of lotus pods and he turned to walk down it. The long stems reached proudly towards the ceiling and the little umbrella tops fanned out like they were waiting for a summer rain. They were arranged tastefully in various vases embellished with rich designs that were vibrant, even in the low lighting. Curiosity grabbed him tight and he peered down a side hallway. This one had lotus flower murals painted on delicate paper tapestries that lined the walls. 

He continued on and found the chrysanthemums as directed, admiring the carved flowers hanging on the wall from tassels and colorful lanterns above. Further investigation under the guise of being nosy gleaned more interesting details.