Eli woke up to a familiar throb in his back and hips. The blanket was wrapped snugly against his body as he rubbed his eyes. It took a while for him to remember he was at Aesop's parents' house. Attempting to sit up, he stretched stiffly, wincing as his lower back twinged in pain. There were some clothes hanging on the wardrobe door. A note was pinned to it.
I don't know when you'll wake, or if you'll be able to get up to read this. If you managed to, wear this for the day. I'll bring up some breakfast for you.
Eli smiled softly and bundled up the clothes and towel in his arms. The bathroom tiles were cold as he stepped in. He ran some warm water in the tub, marvelling the amount of bath salts and soaps on the shelves. He gingerly lowered himself into the water, closing his eyes as warmth soaked into his skin. There was a soft knock on the door, startling him.
"You in there, Eli?"
It was just Aesop. He opened the door, peeking in through the crack before letting himself in fully. Eli smiled as he pressed a kiss to Aesop's lips.
"Thanks for the spare clothes."
"No big deal. Sore muscles?"
"Hm... Just a bit."
Aesop got up from where he was crouching and went to the shelf. He looked around for a bit before reaching for a jar.
"Epsom salts. Helps relive sore muscles."
He poured some into the water, swirling hit around until it dissolved.
"I've left breakfast in the room. Just take your time, no rush."
Eli nodded as Aesop left the bathroom. He sat in the silence, swirling the water around. A couple minutes later he rose, drying himself and slipping the clothes on. It was a simple white sweater, paired with loose pants that just about cover his bruised thighs. Aesop was sitting by the table in his room, reading what seems to be an old book.
"Ah, you're back. Lucky the smoothie bowl is still cold. Didn't know if you wanted coffee or orange juice so I grabbed both."
Eli chuckled and sat down across the table and picked up the spoon. Aesop went back to the book, eyes wide as he scanned each line. A few pages later he scoffed and put it down. Eli reached over to have a look.
"I don't think you'd wanna read that. The plot was disappointingly predictable."
"I read this when I was in high school. Only because I had nothing else to do in class. I found the plot quite surprising actually."
He swallowed the berries and flicked through a few pages at the back. He left that page open and handed the book to Aesop.
"They got together here."
The other male took the book, eyes scanning the lines again. Eli smiled into his coffee mug as Aesop flipped to the next page. A smirk spread across his face and he glanced up at Eli.
"I didn't know you had such taste as a teen, Eli Clark."
"Huh?"
Aesop handed the book to him, his finger pointing at the last paragraph of that page. Eli read it, face heating up as he realised what sort of scene it was. He put the book down silently, ignoring the muffled snickering from Aesop.
"Aw come on, no need to be shy about it. We've already done it two times anyw-"
"Aesop!"
He laughed. Even so Eli couldn't deny that indeed they'd done it twice. After he finished the meal and much protesting, Aesop brought the empty plates down to the kitchen. Rosa had dragged Andrej out for shopping, so they had the whole mansion to themselves. Aesop carried him down the stairs to the living room, where they stayed and watched movies.
----------------------------------------------
Joseph woke up in his bed, blanket wrapped around him like a sushi roll. He wrestled with it for a bit before sitting up, winded. It took a while for him to recall last night's memories at the carnival and fall asleep in the car.
Fucking Fan Wu'Jiu.
He stretched, reluctant to get up from the bed. He didn't have work to do anyway, so he lay back down, staring at the ceiling. Eventually boredom and hunger got the best of him and he got up anyway. As he was brushing his teeth and wondering what to eat, an idea struck him. Since the twins were always treating him around, he may as well bring them out for a meal too. He immediately got to messaging them and searching for a good restaurant around the area.
When he went to pick them up, they were already outside waiting for him, dressed in casual matching shirts. Bi'An had his properly buttoned up and ironed while Wu'Jiu's looked slightly rumpled.
"So where are we goin?"
"A Chinese restaurant. I thought it would be suitable for you since you both are-"
"Actually it doesn't matter much, we're not picky."
Wu'Jiu chuckled. He was looking up the restaurant, which was apparently quite new but was already famous for its traditional Chinese food and services. Surely this wouldn't come cheap...
"I insist on paying for it, please."
Joseph said from the front. Wu'Jiu looked up, surprised that he knew. Joseph glanced at the mirror, smirking.
"I can tell when you see expensive things Wu'Jiu. You grimace. Bi'An closes his eyes and sighs instead."
The other male couldn't help but laugh, quite impressed that such an airhead would actually notice these details. They pulled into a parking lot and got out. A waiter was already ushering them to a table the moment they entered, shoving menus into their hands and rapidly recommending dishes. The twins were quick to help Joseph decide and order. The waiter rushed away with their order, disappearing into the kitchen and coming out with a small tray. There were an assortment of salted cashews, peanuts and pickled vegetables.
"Oh? I'm surprised they do this. Normally only older Chinese restaurants do this at this point."
"Those ones with sticky tables and kids studying for college somewhere in the corner?"
"Yea those sorts."
"We should bring our dearest Desaulniers to one some day."
The two chuckled. Joseph seemingly summarised the situation. The first few dishes were served, along with a steaming bowl of rice. They tucked in, enjoying the plates of meat and vegetables and then washing it all down with a cup of fragrant tea. Surprisingly it wasn't as expensive as the two predicted it to be when Joseph went to the counter. Fishing out some candy from the plastic bowl on the counter on his way out, Wu'Jiu patted his stomach.
"So, next time we bring him to a French café or that old Chinese 咖啡店?"
Bi'An chuckled. The answer was obvious enough to Wu'Jiu it seemed. He looked over at Joseph before they crossed the street.
"Next time you might wanna bring some loose change when we bring you out."
