To Hao Mei's surprise, there was no lingering awkwardness. While KO showered, Mei picked up the clothes scattered around the room and put them on to wash. Then, after he had taken a turn in the bathroom, he'd emerged to the smell of spicy poached fish.

"Hmm... yum..." He inhaled, licking his lips and groaning. "You really do make the best food."

KO turned around and pointed a wooden spoon at him. "Sit. Stop being so tempting."

Mei pouted as he sat. KO was wearing the pair of sweatpants Mei slept in. They were originally the hacker's, but had somehow made their way over to Mei's where he'd hidden them from their owner. Something about their loose, comfy fit- and the lingering scent he'd come to associate with KO- helped him sleep better at night. Although, when he thought about it, he'd had to wash them the day before and he hadn't slept well that night. Looking at KO wearing them, Mei finally admitted to himself that it had less to do with the feel of the pants, and everything to do with the scent of their owner.

KO hissed as oil spat from the pan, stinging his bare stomach. In the time that it took him to turn the hotplate off, Mei was already out of his seat and turning him to inspect the burn.

"Why aren't you waring a shirt? Who cooks without a shirt? Essssh..." Mei smoothed his finger along the unmarred skin of KO's stomach; running it parallel to the quickly pinking burn. "What were you thinking? Stay put..."

So preoccupied with his mission to find the first aid kit that his mother had sent him as a housewarming (he knew it was a comment on his lack of skill in the kitchen but hadn't seen fit to inform her that he wasn't the one cooking in it), Hao Mei missed the softening of KO's features. The hacker leaned against the bench, hissing as the movement stretched the burn on his stomach. It was silly of him to not wear a shirt; even just wearing one of Mei's as protection while cooking, but he'd wanted to see the look on Mei's face- he owed him one after the towel display in Chengde. He rubbed his chin and the hint of a wry smile could just be seen behind his hand. KO definitely hadn't expected Mei to be lusting over the food he was cooking... rather than the one doing the cooking! Maybe a less confident man would worry, but KO had never seen Mei lust over food that he thought someone else had cooked.

His smile was hidden as Mei hurried back into the kitchen. "Found it. In the laundry. Don't know why I thought that was a good place to keep it... stay still..."

The skin under his fingers was warm and smooth but Mei pushed those thoughts away to concentrate on the job at hand. Dabbing burn cream on the wound, he worried at his lip. "Sorry if it hurts. I'm trying not to..."

KO stilled Mei's hand, and tilted his head up. "You could never hurt me." He pressed a gentle kiss to Mei's forehead and watched the younger man's cheeks flush.

"Idiot." He scowled as he returned to his first aid. "We're not the main lead in a romantic drama... didn't need the obligatory first aid scene. Besides, isn't that supposed to happen before the leads fall in love? Having it happen afterwards is superfluous. Stupid man."

"Say that again."

"Stupid man."

"No. Before that."

"Say it yourself." Mei's eyebrows furrowed as he smoothed a patch over the burn. "And put some clothes on."

Packing the first aid kit back into its container, Mei turned away only to find his wrist caught by KO. Their eyes met, and a thousand words passed, unsaid, between them... all saying the same thing.

"Stupid man." Mei smiled; so gently the words became a caress. "Finish cooking. I'll get you a shirt."

Their love language wasn't flowery, but it was theirs.

KO dished up the food; setting the table while Mei put the first aid kit away and rummaged through his drawers for a shirt that would fit the bigger man. Eventually he unearthed an old hoodie that zipped up the front. He'd bought it during college, going through a phase of wearing clothes that were too big for him in the hopes he'd look smaller. It had worked, but he'd discovered that he preferred practicality to looking waifish. With the zipper half closed, the hoodie fit KO well and before the man had realised what was happening, Mei had snuck a picture of him on his phone.

"What?"

"I finally got you in colour!"

KO grimaced. The size of the hoodie fit well but the colours... The front was white with orange edging, the back was navy with white edging and the inside of the hood was a hideous lime green. "If anyone at the office ever sees that picture, I'm not cooking for you for a month."

Mei paused, fingers hovering over his phone screen. With a sigh, he hit delete. "I don't trust myself to not show someone. So... there... it's gone."

"You didn't have to."

"Better safe than sorry."

Pride warmed KO. "Are you growing up, Xiao Mei?"

Mei wrinkled his nose and flopped onto the couch, patting the spot next to him for KO to sit. "Will said I had to."

"Will?" KO sat next to Mei, who picked KO's legs up and swung them onto his lap. The younger man smoothed the fabric over KO's legs, absently worrying at a loose thread. "You kept in touch?"

"Hmm. Originally with Tom but when I started asking questions..." he coughed and shifted in his seat. "Well, he thought Will would be able to help."

"Ah."

"You don't mind?"

"No."

"I didn't think you would, but listening to how jealous some of the guys at work get if their girl talks to another guy... I didn't know if it would be different because we're two men."

"Being two men has nothing to do with it." KO placed a hand on Mei's where it rested on his knee. "I trust you. You trust me."

Mei's face lit up. "See, that's how I felt too."

"And... it's good you had someone to ask questions. I didn't think of that."

"You don't have questions?"

"Hmm... I wouldn't know. I had no plan for once we reached this stage."

"Good thing I had questions then." Mei smiled to take the sting from his words. "It stemmed from that day we went house hunting and the landlord made the assumption I would be 'the wife'... why am I the wife? You cook. You're better at housework. Why aren't you the wife?"

KO stayed silent and let Mei get it all out. As he talked, the younger man petted KO's legs: unknowingly soothing himself with the touch.

"Then we went to Chengde and met Tom and Will. They looked like us but Tom said Will was his furen. So I started wondering."

"And asking questions."

"And asking questions. Well, I couldn't ask Ban Shan or Yong Hou! And when Tom realised we hadn't... hadn't... well, he told me to talk to Will."

"Do you think you have to...?"

"Not now. Will explained that most couples they know, switch it around. But they made a mistake their first time and he hurt Tom... so Tom doesn't like bottoming anymore and Will won't ask him to."

KO blanched. How badly could someone be hurt? "You could..."

"No. I couldn't." Mei blushed, but looked KO straight in the eye. "Will said that whoever has the best self control, controls the sex. At least until we're both used to it. Then, if you want, we can change. But when it comes to self control, which one of us was able to use desire as a distraction? And which one couldn't see through that and relied on cold showers when jumping you didn't work?"

"You knew?" KO cleared his throat.

"I know now. Don't tell me you didn't sneak a look at my records when you helped me champion saosan? I'm smart... it just took me a while to connect all the dots."

"You knew that too?"

"Once I knew you were the hacker KO... it slowly fell in to place." Dimples flashed at the bashful hacker. "You never told me... but you always look after me. Even when I don't know. Which is why... I would be afraid of hurting you. But I trust you to look after me."

With a bark of laughter, KO grabbed Mei and hauled him off the couch, laying him along his body. Hands on either side of his face, thumbs slowly caressing Mei's cheeks. "You say the sweetest things."

Mei smiled. "And you say... I mean... who knew you would talk so much during sex... or in conversations about sex. You're a real chatterbox when you're naked."

KO growled at him. "I speak when it's important. You're important. This..." he waved his hand as though gesturing to everything that had happened in the room, "is important."

Mei stared at him. "How can you say that with a straight face? You really are a pervert."

His impudence was soundly kissed out of him, and when KO finally let him breathe again, Mei cursed him. "Ah... stupid... how am I supposed to hide that at work tomorrow? Work tomorrow! Oh no... Do you think everyone saw you carry me? How am I supposed to face everyone? You owe me something delicious for dinner tomorrow night, to soothe my heart. Oh... I'll be tormented mercilessly."

He leaned back to slap KO's chest. "Stupid pervert."