5 Years Old

Hot breath fanned against the side of Wen Rui's neck, tickling the sensitive patch of skin just below his ear. Unbalanced, he jerked forward and toppled over onto Zhou Ye, reaching out by instinct to brace himself against firm shoulders. One of the strong arms that had yanked on him slid down to wrap around his waist, pulling him chest to chest with a firm torso as Wen Rui had no choice but to kneel in an ungainly sprawl onto the ground.

His heart slammed against its rib cage and he could another thundering in tandem beneath the fabric of Zhou Ye's suit.

They beat so hard he thought he heard it echo down the corridor.

"H-hey," he stammered, trying to push Zhou Ye away, breaking out into a cold sweat from the surge of adrenaline through his veins. He could feel his cheeks burning, as though he was the one who had indulged in too much alcohol, instead of this clumsy oaf of a fake husband of his. "Let go, Zhou Ye. Come on, try and stand up?" He almost added 'on your own' at the end of that sentence but swallowed it because it was painful on his pride to admit that he wasn't strong enough to lift Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye looked so slim in his tailored suits, who would have guessed that the man weighed a ton? It had to be that, not Wen Rui's skinny arms.

Wen Rui tried to get back to his feet but a sudden nuzzle against the side of his jaw made him freeze. Zhou Ye seemed to take this as permission to cuddle because he tightened his hold even further, fully yanking Wen Rui into his arms for a full-on hug. Wen Rui yelped and tried to resist but it felt futile against the tight lock Zhou Ye had clamped down around him.

Zhou Ye mumbled something incoherent against Wen Rui's jaw. He shifted his head away and reached out to push at Zhou Ye but in the last second, he caught sight of Zhou Ye's eyes and—

And stopped.

Instead of the usual sharp glint in his gaze, Zhou Ye's eyes were bright and red-rimmed. Wen Rui felt something explode in the back of his brain. Why did Zhou Ye look like that, like he was close to tears? Even just thinking about this hypothetically made Wen Rui break out in goosebumps. It couldn't be. Zhou Ye probably needed antihistamines or something for an allergy. There was no way he would let him appear so vulnerable in front of anyone—

"Wen Rui," Zhou Ye said hoarsely. In the quiet darkness of the hallway, Wen Rui's name curled off his tongue like a plea that Wen Rui couldn't decipher. It lingered in the air long after Zhou Ye stopped speaking, leaning down to press his forehead into Wen Rui's collarbones hard enough for it to hurt.

But Wen Rui didn't shove him off. He found that he couldn't bring himself to. What on earth was going on? Zhou Ye had sounded fine over the phone, was this just what he was like when he was drunk or had something happened in the interim?

Worry coursed through Wen Rui. It might be selfish to think about it this way, but despite their past differences, which Wen Rui had already mostly set aside, Zhou Ye was the only anchor keeping him grounded. Without Zhou Ye, Wen Rui would be lost out at sea. He needed Zhou Ye to be all right because he didn't know how to take care of anyone, not even himself.

It was an ugly thought to have, made Wen Rui loathe himself a little for his self-serving reliance. But what he felt more acutely was a mounting panic.

"Hey," he tried, as soothingly as he could be. "It's okay, I'm here." Since Zhou Ye was calling for him. His arms hung awkwardly by his side as he didn't know where to put them but he reached up with tentative slowness to return Zhou Ye's embrace.

This spurred Zhou Ye on. Wen Rui was being held so firmly now that it felt suffocating. But he didn't fight against Zhou Ye anymore, one hand stroking Zhou Ye's head with a tenderness that he didn't even notice in himself. Zhou Ye must have used styling product earlier for the function because Wen Rui could feel remnants of it but it must have loosened its hold because Zhou Ye's hair was easily mussed.

Wen Rui had never seen him this dishevelled before. He'd never had such a strong reminder that Zhou Ye was only human before.

Instead of gloating, it caused a pang of heartache. Back in high school, Wen Rui had spent nearly every waking moment competing with Zhou Ye in everything, wanting to best him, to tear him off the pedestal and regain what he'd deemed his rightful place.

But now that Zhou Ye was in his arms and less than perfect, he realised he didn't like seeing Zhou Ye like this, whispering his name with a peculiar note that Wen Rui couldn't place.

Wen Rui shifted his weight gingerly because his legs were falling asleep. The carpet beneath his knees was plush but it still wasn't the most comfortable surface to be kneeling on and he didn't want rug burn of all things. There was a basketball scene to film in a couple of days and Wen Rui remembered that his outfit comprised of the school tee and jersey shorts. Rugburn would be impossible to explain to Wardrobe and Makeup.

He could try and pry information out of Zhou Ye when he was sober but he needed to get Zhou Ye rested first. In the gentlest tone he could manage, he attempted to coax Zhou Ye to his feet. Zhou Ye seemed to still have his reflexes, so Wen Rui surmised that he would be able to walk. The stairs were too dangerous to attempt but luckily, the modular sofa comprised of a huge ottoman that he could dump Zhou Ye on. The entire set was made out of high-density foam and topped with a luxurious layer of 100% goose feathers, which made it the most comfortable sofa Wen Rui had ever lounged on.

Good enough for a drunkard to sleep on.

With great effort, Wen Rui finally convinced Zhou Ye that he didn't want to be sitting on the ground anymore. Using Wen Rui as a crutch, Zhou Ye stood up but clung to Wen Rui's shoulders from the back, pressing so close to Wen Rui that he was a long, solid line against Wen Rui's spine.

Wen Rui gulped. He didn't know why the proximity unnerved him, he'd had classmates seize him by the neck or jump onto his back in a raucous fit before. But horsing around didn't feel the same as Zhou Ye's closeness did now. It definitely didn't cause Wen Rui's skin to tingle with a numbness that was distracting.

"You're so troublesome," he mumbled, more to conceal his embarrassment than anything else. Zhou Ye was still murmuring unintelligibly to himself. What Wen Rui could make out sounded like a foreign language to him but he wasn't sure if this was Zhou Ye accidentally flaunting his linguistic abilities or just gibberish.

It took forever to settle Zhou Ye onto the ottoman and then another forever to convince him to lie down and let go of Wen Rui's pyjamas, which he was clinging to like a particularly grabby oversized koala.

"Wh'r y' going?" Zhou Ye said into the sharp jut of Wen Rui's hip bone, the sensation of his speech vibrated its way up Wen Rui's spinal cord. He shivered and hurriedly foisted Zhou Ye off.

"Stay put," Wen Rui retorted, pushing Zhou Ye back against the cushions. "I'm going to get you a glass of water."

"D'un wanna." Arms came back around his waist in a stubborn cling.

"…" If Wen Rui's amnesia turned him 18 again, alcohol made Zhou Ye regress to all of 5.

Sighing, Wen Rui sat down on the couch next to him and pulled the soft woollen throw over to haphazardly cover Zhou Ye. The apartment had underfloor heating but it was still slightly chilly. He was going to have to go fetch Zhou Ye's blankets once Zhou Ye dozed off. Otherwise, come tomorrow, he was likely to end up being responsible for a hungover AND ill Zhou Ye.

Speaking of hangovers.

By his side, Zhou Ye, folded an arm beneath his head and shut his eyes obediently when Wen Rui commanded him to. He seemed placated just by having Wen Rui's presence around, which was as confusing a discovery as it was startling.

Resigned to having to spend an entire night out here taking care of an idiot, Wen Rui closed his eyes and tried to recall the ingredients required for hangover soup. Fish, spring onions, ginger and…it was a long time ago that he'd watched his mother shoo the helpers out of the kitchen to prepare a bowl for his father herself. Wen Rui couldn't remember her exact recipe but he had the advantage of Baidu's search engine.

Making a mental note to order groceries online later so that Auntie could prepare some in the morning, he closed his eyes and leaned against the backrest, not pulling away when long fingers wrapped themselves around the edge of his sleeve.

He could tease Zhou Ye about this tomorrow. Tonight, Wen Rui could pamper him a little.