Love O2O- Beyond a Beautiful Smile

Chapter 19- Chengde Day 2

His pillow was hard.

Normally, upon waking enough to register that yes, he had a hangover and yes, he was not in his own bed, Hao Mei would panic. Not a full blown panic, but the helpful type of panic that wakes a person up immediately. This morning was different. His head felt fuzzy, the light in the room was making his eyelid refuse to open, and his pillow was much harder than any bedding should be... but it smelled so familiar. Warm and spicy; like chilli and cinnamon in hot chocolate. He rolled towards the source of heat and burrowed his nose into it, making his pillow flinch.

"Eh?" A flinching pillow? Time for that moment of panic. His eyes flew open and he would have bolted backwards except that his pillow had two arms wrapped around him. Wide awake, Hao Mei found himself staring KO's collarbone, head on his shoulder and arms tucked up against his side- trapped between their bodies. He wriggled and the arms around him tightened.

"Stay." KO's voice was gravelly with sleep, and the rasp sent shivers down Hao Mei's spine. When the older man kept his eyes closed, he carefully relaxed. A distant part of him wondered if he should take unction at being commanded like a dog, but that part was being chased out by a comfortable contentedness. Closing his eyes again, he blamed the hangover fogging his brain, for his willingness to stay in such a novel position.

Reality slowly intruded; his arm went numb and his bladder protested. When he tried to peel the cage of flesh from around his body, the bars tightened even further.

"Hey. Let go."

The arms tightened even further and Hao Mei wheezed.

"Let. Go."

Getting no response, he narrowed his eyes. "Last chance..."

A dig in to the rib cage secured his freedom and woke KO completely. The grumbles of the reluctant waker followed Hao Mei to the bathroom.

"You should have let me go when I first said. It's not like I left a bruise."

"There are nicer ways to wake up."

"Like what?" Hao Mei stepped out of the bathroom as he spoke, wiping his hands on his shorts. KO cleared his throat and just looked at him. "Forget I asked." Pervert.

After a breakfast that Hao Mei decided to never tell KO was not as delicious as his cooking, the pair headed back out. A taxi took them to Sledge Hammer Peak National Forest Park and they wandered for nearly an hour before taking the cable car to Sledge Hammer Peak. As they approached the halfway point of the cable car, feet dangling over blossoming peach trees and firs, Hao Mei turned to KO with a dirty comment at the ready- he knew he should treat the site with respect but seriously, the rock was just begging to be hammered with large, hard jokes- and discovered something strange. KO's knuckles were turning white as he gripped the rail of the cable car, and a drop of sweat rolled along his taut jawline. Mei looked down at their dangling legs and kicked his feet around, bumping against KO. The man froze even further and Mei watched his adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"Eh? Are you scared of heights?"

KO closed his eyes. "Don't like."

"Then why didn't you say anything? We didn't have to come up here."

"You were excited."

Mei had to admit that the prospect of riding in the cable cars had sent him a teensy bit hyper, but then he'd been the type of child to climb the tallest tree... and jump out to see if this time, he would fly.

"Just because I was excited, doesn't mean we have to do it. You can say no... I don't want to force you in to anything."

KO forced his eyes open to look at Mei's concerned face. "Mei Ren... you were smiling."