One thing neither of the boys had considered was that they'd have to share the bed. It wasn't a new situation—they had shared a bed before, back when He Shun didn't have a guestroom and Luan Xie had nowhere else to sleep. But now, after the charged moment they had just experienced, the air between them felt different, heavier somehow.
He Shun glanced at the bed, then at Luan Xie, trying to gauge his reaction. Normally, this wouldn't have been a big deal; they had both been fine with it before. But now, the unspoken tension hung between them, making something as simple as sharing a bed feel like a loaded question.
Luan Xie's expression remained impassive, though He Shun noticed the slight stiffness in his posture. It was clear that the earlier interaction had left them both feeling a bit on edge, but neither of them wanted to acknowledge it. Instead, they fell back on the familiar, pretending that nothing had changed.
"I guess it's the same setup as before," He Shun said casually, hoping to ease the tension as he moved toward the bed. His voice was light, but he couldn't quite shake the underlying awkwardness.
Luan Xie gave a small nod, his face unreadable. "It's fine," he replied evenly, though his tone lacked the usual cool detachment he often maintained. There was something softer in it, something that suggested he was just as aware of the shift between them as He Shun was.
They both moved with careful precision, as if any sudden motion might shatter the fragile balance they were trying to maintain. When Luan Xie slid under the covers, he kept to his side of the bed, leaving a noticeable gap between them. He Shun followed suit, lying down on his back and staring up at the ceiling, trying to will away the awkwardness.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke, the silence stretching out as they both tried to settle into a comfortable position. But comfort was elusive, especially with the memory of that close moment still lingering in the air.
He Shun could feel the warmth of Luan Xie's body next to him, close but not touching, and it made his heart race a little faster than he liked to admit. He wanted to reach out, to say something that would break the ice, but he wasn't sure what to say. Everything felt too delicate, too precarious.
Luan Xie, on the other hand, was doing his best to stay composed. He wasn't used to feeling this unsettled, especially not over something as simple as sharing a bed. But He Shun's presence had a way of getting under his skin, making him question the walls he had so carefully built around himself.
He told himself that this was no different than the times they had shared a bed before, but it was a lie. Everything had changed, and they both knew it.
Finally, He Shun let out a soft sigh, turning his head slightly to glance at Luan Xie. "You okay?" he asked, his voice gentle, almost tentative.
Luan Xie turned his head as well, their eyes meeting in the dim light of the room. "I'm fine," he said, the words almost automatic. But even as he said them, he could feel the weight of everything unsaid between them.
For a moment, they just looked at each other, the silence between them more telling than anything they could have said. Then, as if by some unspoken agreement, they both shifted slightly, closing the gap between them just enough that their shoulders brushed.
It was a small gesture, barely anything at all, but it was enough to break the tension. He Shun felt the knot in his chest loosen slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Luan Xie didn't smile back, but there was a softness in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
They didn't say anything else, didn't need to. The tension wasn't gone, but it had eased, replaced by a quiet understanding. They still had a long way to go, but for now, this was enough.
As the silence stretched between them, the room seemed to shrink, leaving just enough space for the two of them to exist in this shared, fragile moment. He Shun turned his head slightly, his gaze drifting toward Luan Xie. He hadn't expected to find Luan Xie already looking at him, their eyes meeting in the soft glow of the room.
Time seemed to slow, the world outside their room fading away as they focused on each other. He Shun could see so much in Luan Xie's eyes—layers of emotion that the other man so rarely let slip. There was a guarded intensity there, but also something softer, something that made He Shun's heart stutter in his chest.
Luan Xie's gaze was steady, but it was impossible to ignore the way his breath had caught in his throat. He wasn't sure what he was looking for in He Shun's eyes, but he found himself unwilling to look away, drawn in by the warmth he saw there. It was unsettling, the way He Shun seemed to see right through him, yet Luan Xie didn't feel the usual urge to retreat. Instead, he felt a pull, a magnetic force that held him in place, his heart beating a little faster with each passing second.
He Shun felt it too—the way the air between them seemed to thrum with a quiet electricity. He could feel the warmth of Luan Xie's shoulder brushing against his, just the faintest contact, but it was enough to make his skin tingle. He wanted to say something, to break the silence, but the words caught in his throat. There was a tenderness in Luan Xie's eyes that he didn't want to disturb, a rare moment of vulnerability that felt too precious to shatter with words.
Instead, He Shun let his hand drift, moving slowly across the space between them. He hesitated, giving Luan Xie a chance to pull away, but when Luan Xie didn't move, he let his fingers lightly brush against the back of Luan Xie's hand, a tentative, almost shy gesture. Luan Xie's breath hitched, his eyes flickering down to where their hands touched before meeting He Shun's gaze once more.
Neither of them spoke, but in that silent exchange, a thousand unspoken words passed between them. Luan Xie's heart pounded in his chest, a strange mixture of fear and longing swirling within him. He wasn't used to this, wasn't used to letting someone get this close. But as He Shun's fingers curled gently around his, Luan Xie felt a warmth spreading through him, melting the icy walls he had built around his heart.
He Shun's thumb traced small, comforting circles against Luan Xie's skin, and he felt the tension in Luan Xie's body slowly begin to ease. There was something so incredibly intimate about the moment, the way they were just lying there, staring at each other, neither of them needing to speak to understand what the other was feeling.
Luan Xie's eyes softened, his usual guarded expression giving way to something more open, more vulnerable. He wasn't sure what was happening between them, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away. Not when He Shun was looking at him like that, with such tenderness, such quiet reverence, as if Luan Xie was something precious, something worth cherishing.
And maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to believe that he could be.
He Shun leaned in slightly, closing the small distance between them. Their foreheads nearly touched, their breaths mingling in the small space. It would have been so easy to lean in just a little more, to close the distance between their lips, but neither of them moved. There was something perfect about the moment as it was, the quiet anticipation, the unspoken promise lingering between them.
Luan Xie's heart raced, his pulse thrumming in his ears, but for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel the need to run, to protect himself from the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. Instead, he let himself be present in the moment, let himself feel the warmth of He Shun's touch, the sincerity in his gaze.
"I'm here," He Shun whispered, his voice barely more than a breath, but it carried the weight of a promise. "I'm not going anywhere."
Luan Xie didn't respond with words. Instead, he let his fingers tighten around He Shun's, his eyes saying what his lips could not. He wasn't ready to fully open up, wasn't ready to let go of all his fears, but for now, this was enough. The quiet understanding between them, the gentle touch, the way He Shun was looking at him like he was something worth waiting for—it was enough to make him believe that maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to face everything alone.
And as they lay there, the silence between them no longer heavy but filled with a quiet, shared warmth, Luan Xie allowed himself to hope, just a little, that this was the beginning of something he had long thought impossible.