Your Distance

Ting Shuang pretended not to hear him, and continued speeding away. He sped to the sofa and looked back, realising that Bai Changyi hadn’t come out to catch him. As if it was a warning that teachers gave to students that weren’t paying attention – one that had no actual punishment even if ignored, Ting Shuang thought that him touching Bai Changyi’s ass was overlooked after that call of “Ting, come back”.

He scanned the surroundings, put the freesia on the dining table, and returned to the kitchen.

Everything looked normal in the kitchen: the braised ribs were marinated with light and dark soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and cooking wine. The potatoes were boiled in the pan, waiting to be peeled. The semi-finished mushroom grilled fish was roasting in the oven. Bai Changyi was holding a knife, deveining the prawns one by one.

Ting Shuang, looking very free and restless, opened the refrigerator and tore open the ice cream box, eating two at once.

Delicious.

Just as he was about to eat a third one, he suddenly heard Bai Changyi, who had finished with the shrimps and was washing his hands, say slowly, “Ting, can you not hear me when I’m talking?”

Ting Shuang startled, slowly put the ice cream back into the refrigerator, and turned his head, “Hm? I’m listening.”

Bai Changyi wiped his hands dry, “Take the potatoes out.”

“Oh oh, okay.” Ting Shuang turned off the fire, took out all the potatoes, then waved the colander in the air and asked, “What’s the next step? Peeling them?”

Bai Changyi, from behind Ting Shuang, took away the colander, “Do you remember what you did just now.”

Ting Shuang felt the atmosphere change, “… T-took out the potatoes.”

Bai Changyi said, “Before that.”

Ting Shuang said, “… I j-just ate two ice creams.”

“Even before that.”

“Um… I put the flowers in a vase…”

“Mm, even before that.”

Even before that.

Even before that…

Didn’t I just touch your ass?

You have an ass but don’t allow others to touch it?

Then why did you grow an ass?

Ting Shuang turned around and forced himself to say self-righteously, “I just… touched you once, what about it? You have something like this, and don’t allow others to touch it?”

Bai Changyi looked down at Ting Shuang, lips curving up, “That does make sense.”

Ting Shuang was stared at until he felt uneasy, “I-I didn’t say anything wrong…”

Bai Changyi said, “Then why did you run.”

Why did he run…

It was only thrilling if he ran after groping it.

Ting Shuang was in the midst of thinking of a valid reason, when he was pushed onto the counter by Bai Changyi.

(…)

By the time he had fully come to his senses, Bai Changyi was already frying the marinated ribs very elegantly beside him.

“Fuck, you… you…” The cold and sticky thing on Ting Shuang’s pants made him feel uncomfortable. With how Bai Changyi looked at that moment, he was so angry he couldn’t think of a suitable word to call him by(1), “I only have this pair of pants on me right now, and you just couldn’t let me take my pants off first? What do I wear now? Yours? “

Bai Changyi flipped over the ribs and said, “Mine aren’t suitable.”

Ting Shuang said angrily, “Then what am I supposed to wear? Do I go half-naked?”

Bai Changyi’s lips slightly curved, “I don’t mind.”

Ting Shuang stared at Bai Changyi’s side profile for a long time. Those frameless glasses, that spectacle chain, that turtleneck sweater, that look of someone who wouldn’t look at others with lustful eyes…

“Cultured scum… A well-dressed beast…” Ting Shuang cursed as he got off the counter in an embarrassed manner, picked up a jar of who-knew-what spice and tried to pour it into Bai Changyi’s sweet and sour pork ribs.

Bai Changyi moved the pot away with one hand and took the spice jar away from Ting Shuang with the other, chuckling, “Don’t make a fuss.”

Ting Shuang was about to continue causing trouble, when Bai Changyi kissed him on the lips and said, “Okay, no more making a fuss.”

This move made it so that Ting Shuang suddenly couldn’t make a fuss.

And he wasn’t angry anymore.

Something in his heart suddenly shifted a little.

It kind of swelled.

He stood beside Bai Changyi for a while, watching Bai Changyi finish frying the ribs while quietly finishing an ice cream before saying “I’m going to wash up for a bit” with a low voice. Then he carried his pants to the bathroom.

He took a shower.

The warm stream of water flowed over the top of his head and to the rest of his body.

Ting Shuang lowered his head and touched his left chest.

Okay, no more making a fuss.

Okay…

Then he wouldn’t make a fuss anymore.

The shower took longer than usual. He watched the water flow over his skin, taking with it minute pieces of dust and grime.

After the shower, he turned off the tap.

Ting Shuang realised that he couldn’t find a bath towel to dry himself with.

He wanted to call for Bai Changyi to ask where the towel was, but he didn’t know what to call him by.

Professor, can you bring me a bath towel?

No, Professor wasn’t used in such a way.

What about directly calling his name?

He didn’t dare.

Plus, Ting Shuang had actually never asked which three Chinese characters(2) Bai Changyi was.

Ting Shuang hesitated over it for a long time, and simply shouted shamelessly in the direction of the kitchen, “Dear– I don’t have a bath towel–“

A minute later, Bai Changyi appeared at the bathroom door and knocked on the closed bathroom door.

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Ting Shuang cracked open the bathroom door, not daring to look at Bai Changyi’s expression. He only stretched out a hand and felt around in the air for the bath towel, grabbed it, then retracted his hand back at the speed of light.

Outside the door, Bai Changyi said, “Get ready for dinner.”

Ting Shuang cracked open the door again and said, “Um…”

Bai Changyi said, “Um what?”

Um what?

He just wanted Ting Shuang to address him directly, didn’t he?

Beggars can’t be choosers.

Ting Shuang stuck his head out and said, “Dear… Could you lend me a pair of shorts… It’s fine even if it’s too big…”

Two minutes later, Ting Shuang obtained a pair of clean undergarments.

It was slightly big, but it still was better than going out half-naked.

Ting Shuang wore his white shirt, Bai Changyi’s grey undergarments, and had casually put on a pair of slippers. He walked to the kitchen while buttoning up his shirt.

Bai Changyi was carrying plates of two dishes out of the kitchen, and just so happened to see Ting Shuang walk towards him. He wore the normal pair of undergarments low on his waist, and it was practically hanging off his crotch area, looking as if it would fall with just a tug. The legs that stretched out through the shorts were long and slender, their muscles showing that they were suitably strong. They seemed to be able to take rough treatment well.

Noticing the look in Bai Changyi’s eyes through the spectacle lens, Ting Shuang asked, “… What do you want?”

Bai Changyi glanced towards the kitchen and said, “Go bring out the dishes.”

“Oh… right away.” Ting Shuang brought the remaining dishes out to the dining area.

Unlike before, he didn’t feel like it was good to sit as far as possible. This time, he sat down right next to Bai Changyi, such that he could touch Bai Changyi’s pants if he just shifted his calf slightly.

While eating, he constantly made contact with Bai Changyi’s legs, all the while observing Bai Changyi’s expression.

Hmph…

He was being so obvious, and yet the old man was still pretending to be entirely focused on eating his food.

Ting Shuang picked up a piece of pork ribs with his chopsticks, his leg continuing to make contact with Bai Changyi’s.

Bai Changyi’s expression finally changed.

Hmph hmph…

He finally couldn’t hold back, huh…

A well-dressed beast…

Bai Changyi put down his chopsticks, “Ting.”

Ting Shuang leaned over, “Hm?”

Bai Changyi used a tone that one would use to educate children, “Don’t shake your legs while eating.”

Don’t shake your legs while eating.

Don’t shake your legs.

Shake your legs.

F I N E.

If he didn’t want him to shake his legs then he wouldn’t shake them.

Ting Shuang kept his legs back to himself and said dryly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice.”