The sun peeked through soft clouds as the four of them, Chi Cheng, Wu Suo Wei, Mama Wu, and Mama Chi stepped out of the apartment together, bags in hand.
"We already brought enough food to last a month," Mama Wu said, but still tossed another head of lettuce into the cart.
"And who's going to cook it for them when we're gone?" Mama Chi countered, raising an eyebrow. "You know these boys. Instant noodles every day if we're not careful."
Suo Wei trailed behind, arms full of spring onions and tofu, while Chi Cheng casually pushed the cart with one hand, phone in the other. But every now and then, his eyes flicked to Suo Wei. Watching him pout and wobble trying to balance the bags made Chi Cheng's lips tug upward.
"You walk like a duck when you're holding too much," he murmured under his breath.
"I—! Do not!" Suo Wei huffed.
"You do."
Their mothers didn't notice the banter, already arguing gently about which brand of soy sauce was better. Suo Wei lowered his head, cheeks warm.
By the time they returned home, their kitchen was stacked to the ceiling with vegetables, sauces, and carefully packed containers of homemade food. Mama Wu insisted on labeling each one in large black marker. ("So you know this is spicy and don't blame me later!")
After lunch, full of laughter and way too many dumplings, the moms finally got ready to leave.
"You'll take care of each other, right?" Mama Chi said, adjusting Chi Cheng's collar.
"We will," he said, expression calm.
Suo Wei nodded quickly beside him. "Yes, yes, I'll—I mean, we will! We always do!"
Chi Cheng looked sideways at him. So eager, huh.
There were tight hugs, last-minute nagging about cleaning, vitamins, and phone calls—then the front door closed behind their moms, and the apartment fell into a rare, still silence.
Suo Wei stood in the living room, fiddling with the drawstrings of his hoodie. The apartment suddenly felt too quiet.
"Well..." he said, glancing shyly over at Chi Cheng, who was calmly putting away the last container in the fridge. "I guess you can go back to the small room now."
Chi Cheng didn't even pause.
"Nope."
Suo Wei blinked. "Huh?"
Chi Cheng shut the fridge, leaned on the counter, arms crossed. "I'm staying in the big room from now on."
Suo Wei's eyes widened, heart skipping. "B-But... that was just for show, right? For our moms?"
Chi Cheng tilted his head thoughtfully, as if trying to appear deep. "Yeah, but the bed in the guest room is giving me back problems."
Suo Wei's jaw dropped. "You're twenty."
"Exactly. Too young to be in pain."
Suo Wei sputtered. "But—but you said—!"
Chi Cheng walked past him slowly, heading to the bedroom. "Also, you sleep like a cat on a radiator. It's warm."
Suo Wei turned red. "Chi Cheng!"
Chi Cheng paused at the bedroom door and turned around, smirking faintly. "What? Want me to beg?"
Suo Wei's whole face turned the color of a tomato. "I—! No!! I just—!"
"Then goodnight, Da Bao."
He disappeared into the room like it was nothing.
Suo Wei stood frozen in the hallway for a full minute, hoodie strings still clenched in his fists, mind spinning.
He said Da Bao again...
Finally, with his heart fluttering and stomach doing flips, he tiptoed in.
Chi Cheng was already lying in bed, one arm behind his head like he owned the world, the other flipping lazily through his phone.
Suo Wei climbed in slowly, careful not to move the mattress too much.
"Relax," Chi Cheng murmured. "Not gonna bite."
"You already did," Suo Wei mumbled under his breath, curling under the blanket.
Chi Cheng glanced at him, amused. "Huh?"
"Nothing!"
A soft chuckle. The lights went out.
And in the quiet, only their breathing remained.
Somewhere in the dark, Chi Cheng's hand brushed his under the blanket...just lightly, casually, like maybe it was an accident.
But neither moved it away.