From the Beginning

Chapter 14: Husband

            Hearing someone chuckling, Skye gradually opened his eyes and blinked in surprise when he realized that Bowen was gazing at him.  Their proximity was so close that he could feel Bowen's breath on his lips the moment he gasped from being caught.  "I fell asleep."  Lifting his head off the desk, Skye rubbed his tired eyes and a yawn escaped his mouth.

            "You must have been exhausted," Bowen derived.

            The person standing by the door frame cleared his throat.  "It's time for dinner, you two sleepyheads."

            Bowen turned to look at the person.  "S-Sion ge.  How long have you been standing there?"

            "Long enough to see everything," Sion responded.  "Jensen ge says the soup is ready.  Let's eat."

            "Okay." Bowen rolled his chair back over to his desk and got up.  "Skye ge, let's go."

            "All right," Skye concurred and followed suit.

            The table was filled with plates of vegetables and various meats and seafood.  There were two large plates of tripe; one on each end.

            "Jensen ge," Bowen's eyes lit up, "that's a lot of food."

            "Sit down and start eating," Jensen suggested.

            Bowen pulled out a chair for Skye.  "Ge, sit down."

            Skye smiled and took the seat. 

            Bowen sat down in-between Skye and Sion and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.  "I'm starved."  He took the sauce dishes and scooped some Sha Cha sauce into each.  Placing a tad of chili into one of them, he handed it to Sion.  "Here."

            "Thank you." Sion picked up his chopsticks and stirred the sauce.

            The two with more chili went to Jensen and Skye, while his own didn't have any.  The tripe that Jensen put into the pot was cooked, so Skye took some and placed them on Bowen's plate.

            "You eat too." Bowen also placed some on Skye's plate.

            "Thank you," Skye said.

            Their eyes met and lingered for a moment.  They both woke from their trance when they heard Sion chortled. 

            "Smitten," Sion chimed.

            "Quit joking, Sion." Skye narrowed his eyes at him. 

            "I am so...not scared." Sion stuck his tongue out at Skye.

            "You need someone to tame that wild side of you."

            "Good luck with that."

            These two are the same as always.  Bowen quickly dipped the tripe into some sauce and ate it.  "Mm...this is delicious."

            "It is," Skye agreed when he did the same. 

            "You should eat more." Bowen filled Skye's plate with everything else.  "You're so thin."

            "T-That's too much.  You have to help me eat some of it."

            "Yes, Bowen didi.  Listen to your Skye gege and eat." Jensen voiced.

            "Fine." Bowen took a little of the food off Skye's plate and ate them.