Soft morning sunlight slipped through the curtains and fell gently across his face, slowly pulling him from the depths of sleep. For a few blissful seconds, Zixin remained half-asleep, enjoying the warmth of the morning.
Then he felt it.
A sudden, unfamiliar weight pressed against his chest.
The sensation startled him so badly that, for a moment, he felt as though his soul had left his body.
He slowly lowered his gaze and found a messy-haired black head resting comfortably against his chest.
Zixin stared at it in disbelief.
When had this guy crawled onto him?
Without a second thought, he pushed him away.
The young man let out a sleepy groan as he rolled to the side. Slowly rubbing his eyes, he blinked up at Zixin with those clear, jewel-like eyes.
"Good morning, Zixin."
Before Zixin could even react, he rolled closer again and wrapped his arms around Zixin's waist, completely disregarding the other man's personal space.
"Let's sleep a bit more."
"Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to be so touchy-touchy?"
Zixin immediately pried the offending arms away and shot upright, glaring at him.
The young man merely groaned in protest before rolling himself back into the blanket. Within seconds, he had bundled himself into a comfortable little cocoon, as if Zixin's complaints had never happened.
Zixin's gaze drifted toward the sofa.
The blankets there looked practically untouched.
He looked back at the figure wrapped in his blanket and narrowed his eyes.
"If you love sleeping on the floor so much, you should have said so."
He rubbed his aching back with a grimace. Sleeping on the floor had already left every bone in his body protesting, and apparently, the other guy had decided that the floor wasn't good enough for him either.
"I don't like the floor…" came the muffled reply.
The blanket shifted slightly, revealing half of the young man's face.
"I just wanted to sleep somewhere warm. And you were very warm, Zixin."
For a brief second, Zixin froze.
Those jewel-like eyes stared innocently at him from beneath the blanket, still hazy with sleep. His messy black hair fell over his forehead, his pale face softened by the morning light.
Zixin's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
He immediately looked away.
Fuck. Does he have some kind of special power? Seduction or something?
He rubbed his chest irritably.
Why does a man have to be this pretty?
Before his thoughts could wander any further, Zixin turned and headed straight for the bathroom.
He quickly washed his face with cold water, hoping the chill would clear his head. But when he finally lifted his eyes, his gaze landed on his reflection in the mirror.
He paused.
Something looked different.
His eyes appeared noticeably brighter and more energized. The heavy exhaustion that usually clung to his face was gone, and even the dark circles beneath his eyes had almost completely disappeared after a single night's sleep.
Zixin slowly touched his cheek, staring at his reflection with disbelief.
He couldn't remember the last time he had looked this rested.
More importantly, he couldn't remember the last time he had slept so peacefully.
For the first time in his life, he had slept through the entire night without waking up once.
And somehow, the irritating man sleeping in his bed—or rather, on him—seemed to have something to do with it.
'Don't overthink it…'
Zixin forced himself to push the strange thoughts aside. He quickly brushed his teeth, washed his face, and filled several water bottles before stuffing them into his backpack. He then headed into the kitchen, searching through the cupboards and refrigerator for anything edible. Whatever food he could find that might last for a while went straight into his bag.
All the while, a pair of curious eyes quietly followed his every movement.
"If you're awake, get up and get ready. We're leaving."
Bao slowly sat up, letting the blanket slide down around his waist. His hair was a complete mess, and his sleepy expression made him look more like a spoiled child than someone who had spent the night in a world overrun by monsters.
"But it's too early," he complained, rubbing his eyes. "Can't we sleep a little longer?"
"No."
"Why not?" he quipped, sounding genuinely offended by the answer.
"Just no. Get ready, or stay here."
Bao puffed out his cheeks, clearly displeased. "Why are you always ready to abandon me?" he grumbled as he reluctantly climbed out of bed and shuffled toward the bathroom.
Zixin rolled his eyes but said nothing.
A few minutes later, a small gasp suddenly came from inside the bathroom.
"Zixin! Zixin!"
The urgent whisper made Zixin turn around.
The bathroom door cracked open, and Bao poked his head through the gap, his eyes wide with what appeared to be genuine amazement.
"Come look at this!"
Zixin sighed heavily and walked over, already regretting his decision.
"What now?"
Bao pulled down his pants just enough to inspect himself.
Zixin's eyes widened.
"Oh my god, man! Why do you keep doing that? Are you a pervert or something?"
He immediately turned his face away, refusing to look any further.
"But, Zixin!" Bao sounded genuinely confused. "I have two ding-dings! Look!"
Zixin paused.
"What?"
His curiosity finally overcame his embarrassment. He cautiously glanced over, only to find two distinct organs where there should have been one.
For several seconds, his brain simply refused to process what he was seeing.
He accepted that Bao was a snake.
And apparently, being a snake came with surprises.
Zixin slowly looked away and rubbed his forehead.
"I guess you really are a snake."
"Yeah!" Bao immediately brightened. "Snakes have two things, right?"
He tilted his head, his expression filled with innocent curiosity.
"Hehe… Do you think I can pee through both of them?"
Zixin stared at him.
Of all the questions he could have asked…
Deciding it was easier to humour him than explain anything, Zixin forced a smile and nodded.
"Oh, why don't you try it?"
"Yeah, yeah! Let's do that!" Bao's eyes lit up with excitement. "Do you want to see?"
"No!"
Zixin snapped his head around, glared at him, and immediately shut the bathroom door.
"Gods…" he muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples. "I liked you best as a snake."
"I heard that!"
Bao's indignant voice immediately came from behind the closed door.
Zixin closed his eyes.
Of course he had.