Chapter 21 The Kiss

Chapter 21: The Kiss

As they walked out of the barbecue place, Lin Xishan only just realized he'd actually had quite a bit to drink.

He wasn't dead drunk or anything, but his head felt heavy and his steps were a little wobbly.

He stood at the door, taking a deep breath of the cold night air. The cold air hit his lungs and cleared his head a bit, but the alcohol's fog was still hanging around in his mind.

He'd been a little careless.

But to be fair, he'd only been playing nice and drinking properly to get on Pei Zhi's bandmates' good side.

I mean, buttering up the Patron's coworkers was part of the job, right?

Lin Xishan tried to work through that question but couldn't find an answer.

Pei Zhi stood next to him, not pushing him.

Zhou Yan and Jiang Muye were muttering their goodbyes behind them, while Gu Zhou was already leaning against the wall, about to pass out.

"We're gonna head out now." Zhou Yan waved at Pei Zhi, glanced at Lin Xishan, and shot him a meaningful grin. "Xiao Lin, we'll drink again next time."

"Sure, Brother Zhou, take it easy." Lin Xishan forced a smile and answered, keeping it together.

The three of them staggered off, holding each other up, and the street in front of the BBQ place went quiet. Pei Zhi stood there, hands in his coat pockets, not budging.

Lin Xishan turned to look at him.

The streetlight hit his face, making his already sharp features even more defined.

"What're you staring at?" Pei Zhi noticed his gaze and tilted his head slightly.

"You." Lin Xishan answered honestly—the alcohol made him more direct than usual. "You look good."

The corner of Pei Zhi's mouth twitched. "You're crazy."

The words sounded harsh, but they came off more like a half-hearted scolding.

With that, he turned away quickly, like he was trying to escape. "Come on."

"Hey, wait up." Lin Xishan said, catching up with his long strides, and the two of them walked side by side down the quiet late-night street.

The street was busy during the day, but at this hour, it was nearly empty.

Neither said anything, but the silence didn't feel awkward.

Lin Xishan could feel the alcohol moving through his veins, warming him up, but his face was cold from the wind. The mix of hot and cold made him feel weirdly clear-headed, but also strangely unreal.

"Did you have a good time today?" Pei Zhi suddenly spoke.

Lin Xishan thought for a moment. "Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Your bandmates are a lot of fun."

Pei Zhi was silent for a moment. "They're not usually like this. It's 'cause you showed up today."

Lin Xishan blinked. "Because of me?"

"Yeah." Pei Zhi paused. "They like you."

That was blunt and sure, and Lin Xishan couldn't help but laugh. "What about you? You like me too?"

Pei Zhi didn't answer immediately.

He walked with his head down, his pace steady.

"Not bad," he said, barely above a whisper.

Lin Xishan knew him well enough by now.

That meant he really liked him.

As they passed a small park, some weird pull of fate made Lin Xishan ask, almost without thinking: "Wanna sit in there for a bit?"

"Sure." Pei Zhi agreed right away—actually, almost eagerly.

The park was small. They picked the bench at the very back, up against a tree, hidden and quiet.

Lin Xishan sat down and tilted his head to look at the sky.

The city sky had no stars, just a deep, endless gray-black, like something had smothered it.

"No moon tonight," he said.

Pei Zhi was looking at him.

Lin Xishan felt the gaze, turned his head, and met Pei Zhi's eyes.

In those phoenix eyes, there was the slight buzz from the alcohol, and something else—something Lin Xishan couldn't put his finger on. He just felt like being looked at like that was like being wrapped in something warm.

"You're turning red," Pei Zhi said.

"Just the wind."

"No," Pei Zhi said. "It's from drinking."

Lin Xishan opened his mouth to argue, but Pei Zhi leaned closer.

Slow.

So slow that Lin Xishan had all the time in the world to pull back, but he didn't.

Or rather, dodging wasn't even an option in his head right now. His alcohol-soaked brain had just one thought.

Close.

Way too close.

So close he could see the little patch of dry, dead skin on Pei Zhi's lips.

Yeah, but they still looked really kissable.

Pei Zhi's gaze landed on Lin Xishan's lips.

In those phoenix eyes, alcohol, want, and something deeper and softer all swirled together, making him look nothing like the usual cold, distant Pei Zhi—more like a cat cautiously inching toward a flame.

"Lin Xishan." Pei Zhi said his name, low and quiet.

“Mm?” Lin Xishan's voice came out warm and syrupy.

“Can I kiss you?”

The words were so soft they almost dissolved into the night breeze.

But Lin Xishan heard them clearly.

His heart gave a thump, then another.

He looked into Pei Zhi's eyes—those phoenix eyes that were usually brooding and sharp—and in them, he saw a show of bravado that said, “If you say no, I'll just pretend I never asked.”

Lin Xishan suddenly thought of the Maine Coon he'd had as a kid. It reminded him a lot of Pei Zhi. Or rather, Pei Zhi reminded him of it.

Equally beautiful, equally sensitive, equally clingy.

Lin Xishan didn't reply.

He just tilted his head a little and pressed his lips to Pei Zhi's.

The kiss was featherlight, like a dragonfly touching water—lips meeting lips, barely a second long.

Lin Xishan drew back slightly, meeting Pei Zhi's gaze.

Pei Zhi didn't move.

He was frozen, eyes wide, lashes fluttering, lips still parted as if still being kissed.

Then, all of a sudden, he reached up, cupped Lin Xishan's face in both hands, and kissed him back.

This kiss was nothing like Lin Xishan's careful one.

Pei Zhi's technique was awful—if you could even call it kissing, it was more like chewing, lips mashing against lips, teeth clacking against the soft flesh, with a reckless, desperate urgency.

It stung a little, but Lin Xishan didn't flinch.

Instead, he planted one hand on the bench back and slid the other to the nape of Pei Zhi's neck, threading his fingers through Pei Zhi's hair and tugging him closer.

Pei Zhi's breath came in ragged gasps.

Lin Xishan felt him shake—starting at his fingers, spreading up his arms, then through his whole body.

The kiss went on for a long time.

So long that Lin Xishan's lips were starting to ache from all the biting, so long that they both ran out of air before finally breaking apart.

Pei Zhi slumped against Lin Xishan's shoulder, panting, chest heaving.

Lin Xishan was breathing hard too, but not as theatrically. He tipped his head back, staring at the sky, feeling the ghost of the kiss and the faint sting on his lips.

“Pei Zhi, has anyone ever told you,” Lin Xishan said, voice a little rougher than usual, “that you're a terrible kisser?”

Pei Zhi went rigid.

“But it tastes pretty good,” Lin Xishan tacked on.

Pei Zhi raised his head from Lin Xishan's shoulder and looked at him.

The streetlight spilled across his face. Lin Xishan could see his lips were a little swollen, with a faint smear of blood on the bottom one—whether he'd bitten it himself or Pei Zhi had, he couldn't tell.

“Pretty good?” Pei Zhi's voice was hoarse, with a hesitant, probing edge.

“Mm.” Lin Xishan said, using his thumb to wipe the faint trace of blood off Pei Zhi's lip. “There's room to improve, but for a first kiss, this already blew past my expectations.”

Pei Zhi stared at him for a beat.

Then he did something Lin Xishan didn't expect.

He smiled.

Not the faint, quickly-vanishing curve of his usual smile, but a real one—eyes lit up, lips curling.

Pei Zhi was beautiful when he smiled.

Lin Xishan had figured that out before, but now, with that smiling face so close, he felt the point deserved repeating.

“You're really beautiful,” Lin Xishan said, meaning it.

Pei Zhi's smile dropped, and he turned his head away. “Cut it out.”

“Why?” Lin Xishan wasn't usually this pushy, but maybe he was a little drunk tonight, so his words came out all over the place.

“Just drop it.” Pei Zhi stood, zipped his jacket all the way up to hide half his face. “Let's go. Home.”

He turned and took two steps, then realized Lin Xishan wasn't following. He glanced back and shot him a look—not much bite to it. “You coming or not?”

Lin Xishan got up and caught up with him, and they walked out of the park side by side.

A few steps later, Pei Zhi's hand brushed against the back of Lin Xishan's.

Not a grab—just a brush, like he was testing the waters.

Lin Xishan didn't pull away.

Pei Zhi touched him again, this time lingering a little longer.

Lin Xishan still didn't pull away.

Pei Zhi's fingers slowly slipped between his, lacing them together.

Their fingers locked together.

His hand was a little smaller than Lin Xishan's, but years of playing in a band meant his palms were callused, his knuckles sharp, his fingertips cold.

Lin Xishan squeezed tighter, folding Pei Zhi's cold fingers into the warmth of his palm.

And so they walked, hand in hand, through the empty streets in the dead of night. Pei Zhi called his name: “Lin Xishan.”

“Hmm?” Lin Xishan turned his head to look at his profile.

Pei Zhi didn't look at him, but said in a serious tone, “This sugar daddy deal you mentioned—does it cover kissing?”

Lin Xishan was caught off guard, then laughed.

“It does,” he said. “A million bucks, what's a kiss or two? Kiss whenever you want, for as long as you want—just schedule it in advance.”

Pei Zhi's thumb drew a small circle on the back of his hand. “Then I'm booking tomorrow's.”

Lin Xishan burst out laughing. He turned to look at Pei Zhi, who wasn't looking back—eyes fixed on the road ahead, face dead serious, but the tips of his ears gave him away, flushed red.

"Alright," Lin Xishan said, "Anyway, tomorrow's Sunday, and I've got nothing on."

Pei Zhi gave a soft "mm" in reply, his grip on Lin Xishan's hand tightening slightly.

They walked back to the apartment without turning on the lights, plunging it into total darkness.

As Lin Xishan fumbled for the light switch, Pei Zhi suddenly leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Like a surprise attack.

Lin Xishan asked, "Didn't you book for tomorrow?"

Pei Zhi's voice sounded in the darkness, with a hint of smugness: "Night show."

Lin Xishan froze for a moment, then bent over laughing, holding onto the wall.

When he straightened up, his eyes met Pei Zhi's in the darkness.

The sound of clothes coming off filled the air.

Lin Xishan discovered yet another commonality between Pei Zhi and that Maine Coon cat.

Both had incredibly soft bodies.