Chapter Text
STAY
Chapter One – Take me home
It was late, the pair of actors had been drinking together for a couple of hours now, since the communal meal ended.
Get to know each other better, the producer had said. Get more familiar with each other, for the rather intimate nature of the scenes.
Not too intimate, though, because China did not allow any visual displays of affection between two males. But there were plenty of scenes where the pair touched each other a lot.
Gong Jun likes men, so he was happy with the scenes. He also found his co-star very attractive, but was sure he had heard rumours of a girlfriend somewhere in the background.
Now Zhang Zhehan was very drunk and slurring a little as he talked with Jun.
“Mmm...sometimes I miss my cat,” he admitted as they finished another bottle of wine.
“Should we get another one?”
“Cat?” asked Jun, puzzled.
“No...bottle of wine.”
“I think...we’ve had enough. We ahould go home.”
They were at a small local bar.
“How,” replied Zhehan, standing up and plopping straight down again. “I don’t think I can walk.”
“i’ll carry you,” offered Jun, amused. “You should sleep it off. WE have an early call tomorrow.
“You’ll carry me?”
“Arm around shoulders kind of carry, not on my back.”
“It’s quite far.”
“I’m quite strong,” replied Jun, macho style.
“Sure you don’t want us to get a taxi?”
“Not for such a small distance.”
“Okay, come on then.”
Zhehan was not a big man, quite slim in fact, but he was heavier as a drunk, so Jun had to make quite some effort to get him up and walking...well, stumbling, and it took them at least half an hour to cover the distance to Xhehan’s room.
Jun opened the door with Zhehan’s keys.
“I’m going to put you down on the bed,” he declared. “To save any tumbles.”
“Mmm,” said Zhehan, sinking down onto said bed.
“Are you alright? Do you need anything?”
“Water,” replied his fellow actor.
Jun brought a bottle from the fridge and set it by the bed. He brought Zhehan’s legs onto the bed and covered him with the quilt.
“Right, you are all settled. I’ll head off.”
But to his surprise a firm hand came up and held his wrist. “Don’t go,” murmured Zhehan. “Stay.”
A puzzled frown settled between Jun’s brows.
“Stay? Why?”
“Stay with me,” muttered his fellow actor and his surprisingly strong arms came around Jun and dragged him forward, onto the bed. Jun could not really move to get away. He toppled forward and Zhehan caught him and brought his arms around Jun, pinning him close to his body.
“Zhehan...it’s me, Jun. I need to leave…”
But Zhehan, once he had Jun under the quilt and tight in his arms, drifted off to sleep, and Jun finally kicked off his shoes and curled his body up on the bed, in his friend’s arms, puzzled and captive and not even sure why.