Hot flashes

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and a thin ray of sunlight squeezed in through the gap, landing on the tip of Zhou Heng's nose.

He wrinkled his nose and shrank further under the covers. The body behind him immediately pressed against him, its arms tightening, its palm against his lower abdomen, pulling him closer.

"Awake?" Xiao Jue's voice was low and hoarse from just waking up, his breath hot against Zhou Heng's neck, tickling his skin. Zhou Heng hummed in response, without moving.

Xiao Jue pressed his lips against the back of Zhou Heng's neck, slowly nuzzling it. The stubble was a little prickly, and Zhou Heng shrank back, but Xiao Jue tightened his arms, preventing him from escaping.

"Stop fooling around..." Zhou Heng's voice softened, with a nasal tone as if he hadn't woken up yet.

Xiao Jue's lips moved from the back of Zhou Heng's neck to behind her ear, taking her thin earlobe into his mouth and gently biting it. Zhou Heng felt a shiver run down her spine, reaching behind her to push Xiao Jue's face away. "You didn't brush your teeth..."

Xiao Jue ignored him, his tongue slowly licking along the curve of Zhou Heng's earlobe, leaving a wet trail. Zhou Heng's breathing became erratic, his waist involuntarily arching backward as he pressed himself against Xiao Jue's chest.

Xiao Jue's hand slid from his ribs to his waist, clasped his hands, and pressed his thumb against Zhou Heng's lower back. Zhou Heng groaned softly, his body trembling. "Xiao Jue..."

Xiao Jue's lips stopped behind his ear, his breathing becoming heavy. "Mmm."

Zhou Heng grasped the hand that was resting on his waist, his fingertips digging into the bone crevices of the back of the hand.

Xiao Jue turned his hand over, intertwined his fingers with his, palm to palm, and pressed the other hand onto the mattress.

The light from outside the window brightened a bit. The light slowly moved from the pillow to their clasped hands, and then to the small mole at the base of Zhou Heng's ring finger.

Xiao Jue lowered his head, his lips landing on the mole. Zhou Heng's fingers curled slightly, then relaxed.

"Aren't you going to court today?" His voice was a little hoarse.

"Take a break." Xiao Jue's voice was muffled between his fingers, indistinct.

Zhou Heng thought for a moment, but couldn't remember what day it was. Xiao Jue's lips moved from his fingers to his palm, slowly tracing the lines on his palm. Zhou Heng's palm itched, and he wanted to pull it back, but Xiao Jue wouldn't let him.

"It itches..." he whispered.

Xiao Jue looked up at him. His gaze traveled upwards, piercing through the hazy morning light, and landed on Zhou Heng's face. Zhou Heng's heart skipped a beat at that gaze, and he turned his head away.

Xiao Jue propped himself up, rolled over from behind him, and faced him.

He braced his arms on either side of Zhou Heng, shielding him completely. Zhou Heng was forced to look up at him. The man's hair was loose, hanging down and brushing against Zhou Heng's cheeks, tickling him.

"What are you looking at?" Zhou Heng asked.

Xiao Jue did not answer. He lowered his head, his forehead touching Zhou Heng's forehead, their noses almost touching.

Their breaths mingled, indistinguishable from each other's. Zhou Heng closed his eyes, feeling the other's lips land on his brow.

Then it moved down, landing on the tip of the nose, on the lips. Very lightly, very slowly, as if savoring something precious.

Zhou Heng raised his hand and placed it on the back of his neck, his fingertips digging into his hair. Hair slipped through his fingers and then tangled up again.

Xiao Jue's kiss gradually intensified. Her tongue parted his lips and teeth, probing inside and entwining with his tongue.

Zhou Heng was breathless from his kiss, her fingers tightening as she gripped his hair. Xiao Jue winced in pain, letting out a muffled groan, and kissed him even more fiercely.

Zhou Heng was pinned down on the pillow, his whole body sinking into the bedding, like a leaf overturned by waves.

Xiao Jue's hand slid up from his waist, past his ribs, across his chest, and stopped at his collarbone. His thumb pressed against the raised curve, gently caressing it.

"Too thin." Xiao Jue released his lips, pressed his forehead against his, and said in a hoarse voice, like sandpaper scraping against iron.

Zhou Heng was panting, his chest heaving violently. "You say that every day..."

Xiao Jue lowered his head, his lips landing on his collarbone. He slowly kissed along the curve of the bone, down to the back of his shoulder, then back again.

Zhou Heng tilted his head back, a soft sound escaping his throat, broken up by the morning light and the other person's breath, scattering across the pillow.

Xiao Jue's hand was around his waist, his thumb pressing on his lower back, slowly massaging it.

Zhou Heng's body began to tremble. He loosened his grip on Xiao Jue's hair, then tightened it again, then loosened it again, then tightened it again.

"Xiao Jue..." he called his name, his voice broken and incoherent.

Xiao Jue raised his head and looked at him.

"Aheng," he called back.

A bird chirped once outside the window, then fell silent again. The light brightened, dispelling the gloom that filled the room.

Xiao Jue lifted his head from the crook of his neck. Those eyes were like ink soaked in water, slowly spreading and turning into a gentle smile.

Zhou Heng felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and turned his head away. "Have you looked enough?"

Xiao Jue didn't answer. He lowered his head, his lips lightly touching Zhou Heng's lips. "No," he said, "I can't get enough of looking at him."

Zhou Heng's ears turned red. He reached out and pushed Xiao Jue's face away. "Get up, it's time for breakfast."

Xiao Jue didn't move. He took Zhou Heng's hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed his fingers one by one.

He kissed from the thumb to the little finger, from the fingertip to the base of the finger, and when he reached the tiny mole at the base of the ring finger, he stopped there, held that patch of skin in his mouth, and gently sucked on it.

Zhou Heng curled his fingers up in his palm, like a cat retracting its claws.

Xiao Jue pried open his fingers one by one and intertwined them with his own. Palm to palm, fingers interlocked, a perfect fit.

The light outside the window grew brighter and brighter.

"Get up," Zhou Heng nudged him.

Xiao Jue didn't move. "Lie down a little longer."

Zhou Heng nudged him again. "You really should get up, or someone will come looking for you."

Xiao Jue remained unmoved. "Who dares?"

Zhou Heng couldn't do anything about it. Xiao Jue's arm was wrapped around his waist like a lock. Zhou Heng stopped struggling, and sleepiness gradually crept in again.