Yo peeps! Here it is! Hope you're having a good week. I'm feeling a bit low. I need some candies.😞

Cover courtesy- Full credit to the artist whose identity is unknown to me unfortunately.

Those who comment/vote/share- You guys are part of my life now. We are in this journey together. I love you all. 💗

To the silent readers- I hope you are enjoying this too. 💗

Special thanks to-

LuanaPapaianopol- She doesn't mind me even when I'm a potato!😘 She's love!

IMPORTANT- For those who don't know this yet, in Abbie's universe ZZ calls JY Jin or JinJin.

Read the A/N, please.

Enjoy the read!

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Settle down with me
Cover me up
Cuddle me in

Lie down with me
And hold me in your arms

And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck
I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet
And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now

Kiss me like you wanna be loved
You wanna be loved
You wanna be loved
This feels like falling in love
Falling in love
We're falling in love

- "Kiss Me" by Ed Sheeran (this song is love)

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Chapter-15

The first thing Timmy did after they entered JingYu's one room apartment was to ask JingYu where he kept his first aid kit. Somewhat bewildered and worried, JingYu answered, "In the bathroom cabinet...but, are you hurt? What happened?"

But Timmy was already in the bathroom, rummaging through. He came out a moment later with a white box where JingYu kept the basic aiding things.

"Sit," Timmy said.

"What?"

"Sit," it was a command this time, brooking no arguments further.

And so, JingYu complied.

Timmy ran his fingers over the bruised corner with a feathery touch. When JingYu opened his mouth to protest, a finger was pressed over his lips, shushing him quiet.

"Shh."

Their eyes locked for a moment, then, Timmy jumped into action. First he tried to clean the wound with a dry cotton stick; when the lint stuck to the split skin, he took a new stick, dipped it in the antiseptic liquid and dabbed it over the wound. The first sting of the medicine made JingYu wince and Timmy apologized promptly.

"Sorry, sorry...I-"

"Nnn, ths 'kay," JingYu assured.

Once the tending was done, Timmy went back to the bathroom to discard the sticks and put the kit back in its place. JingYu sat silently, still trying to wrap his mind around the happenings of this evening. Timmy appeared and stood in the middle of the room, looking around, hesitant and curious at the same time. JingYu followed his line of sight and tried to look at his room with a stranger's eyes.

A small room with a single bed and other necessary things, like a table, a chest of drawers, chairs, a wardrobe cabinet and so on. There was a kitchen counter on the far corner of the room. Bathroom on the other side. There's a long stretch of a window just above the headboard of his bed. The room was not itself an untidy one but the old wallpaper, the small space and the lack of anything that was not a necessity gave the it an air of bleakness. He cringed mentally when he realized what Timmy must be thinking.

"I like it here."

As if reading his thoughts, Timmy voiced his own. JingYu gave a snort at the boy's attempt to reassure him.

"Yeah, right," he agreed insincerely.
The sarcastic quality was not lost on Timmy, for he said, with an adamant expression, "No, really. I do like it."

"Timmy, you probably live in a mansion! And while it is really nice of you but you don't have to be. I know how this room must look to you."

Timmy's face hardened, "If I didn't like it, I would have just kept quiet. Yes, it is smaller than I expected but it smells like you, feels like you here and that's enough for me to love it."

Words failed JingYu. And what was he supposed to say after that? He just stared at Timmy in open wonder......and a bit of shyness.

Timmy was chewing his lower lip. Something is bothering him, then, JingYu thought. But before he could ask, the boy himself told him.

"You......you called me Timmy. Are you...angry with me?"

The absurdity of that question took JingYu off guard and it took him a few blinks to figure out what Timmy meant. And then he laughed.

"What? No! No, absolutely not. I...wasn't even aware of it. But why did you think I was angry? Do I call you Timmy when I'm angry?"

The boy looked at him owlishly and nodded. It was nothing different, per say, but JingYu's heart melted at the honest and innocent gesture.

"Come here," he said and patted the place beside him on the bed.

Timmy crawled onto his lap instead, legs hanging on either side of JingYu. They were yet to have a proper hug and Timmy was already on his lap! The sensation of having a hard, muscular body on him was so foreign, but once he realized that it was his ZhouZhou's jeans clad inner thigh pressing over his own outer one, the soft flesh of ZhouZhou's arse over his knees, it sent a shiver through his body; he clasped that lithe waist with both of his hands. Timmy's hands rested on his shoulders.

"I'm not angry with you, ZhouZhou. I never was," he informed. "I was hurt, very much so, but I don't think I was angry with you ever."

Timmy, looking at him with a sad expression and gripping and bunching up JingYu's t-shirt where his hands were holding it, said, "I was hurt more. I was hurt so much. I thought you didn't want me back. And when Mei texted me about you going on a date, it felt like my insides were being shredded to pieces. Why did you do that to me?"

JingYu pulled out the lower lip that Timmy had sucked in inside his mouth, one of his nervous gestures, and soothed the reddened flesh with his thumb, "I was hurting and couldn't think. All I wanted to do was to forget you and stop this pain within me. And a date sounded like a good escape.... I'm sorry."

"You wanted to....to forget me?"
Timmy's wide eyes reflected the hurt his voice carried.

"I'm sorry," JingYu apologized again.

"I won't ever forgive you," Timmy's voice trembled a bit and he hugged JingYu, burying his face into the crook of his neck.

"I know," JingYu answered by hugging back the smaller body, one arm around the back, another supporting the shoulder, one big hand resting over the head that was currently pressed tight to his neck.

"I hate you."

"I know."

"And I won't let you go."

"Me neither."

"And I'll ingrain myself in you such a way that even if you have a lobotomy, you won't be able to forget me."

JingYu chuckled, "Aren't you quite the romantic, bringing up lobotomy in a love talk?"

"This is not a romantic talk."

"If you say so."

Timmy bit his neck and, lifting up his face, sat back.

"Take a shower."

Still under the haze of having Timmy finally with him, JingYu whined very uncharacteristically, "Don' wanna."

"But you have to," the boy said sternly, "I can smell her perfume on you. Wash it off. Right now."

That broke JingYu's bubble as he tried to take a sniff, "You can?"

"Don't sniff! Why are you sniffing? Go to the shower, go!" With a thump on his chest, Timmy got off of his lap and tried to physically drag JingYu to the bathroom, unsuccessfully.

"All right, All right, I'm going! But are you gonna stay like that?" he gestured at the boy's apparel.

"Why, you don't like them? I brought these only for you," Timmy informed him and struck a pose.

Rolling his eyes at this kid's antics, JingYu grumbled out, "If it were only for my eyes I'd probably have the time of my life but instead I got a heart attack seeing you like that in the club. What were you thinking anyway?!"

"What I usually do."

When JingYu still stared at him questioningly, Timmy added, "How to make you fall for me, of course."

"That battle was already won long ago," JingYu muttered under his breath as he started to look through his wardrobe. He took out a pair of pajama bottoms and his worn out, soft comfy t-shirt for himself, and also a clean set of boxer shorts and another t-shirt that was a size smaller than his usual. He handed these to Timmy.

"Here, change into them. Shower after me. I won't be long."

And he entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

XOXOXOX

As soon as JingYu went to the bathroom, Timmy flopped on the bed, face up. After the soul ripping pain of the last couple of days, the psychological and physical exhaustion were taking a toll on him. His fuzzy mind was yet to fully realize what was happening. But he did not care. He was with JingYu, in JingYu's home, on JingYu's bed, about to wear JingYu's clothes.

He pressed the t-shirt he was given to his nose and inhaled. Even the washing powder smelt like JingYu. Timmy grinned broadly. He knew JingYu was feeling hesitant and embarrassed about this room, but he should not have been. When Timmy said he liked it he meant it with all his heart. He would have liked even the roadside if that was where JingYu took hm. Because the mere presence of the man made everything better for Timmy.

Because JingYu was Timmy's home.

Something was welling up inside him, making him laugh, making him cry, making him tremble. This was it. This was the day he had been dreaming of since the day he first saw the man in that park. This day was the result of his prayer, of his effort......of his love.

He had gone all out for JingYu and now that the man had accepted him, reciprocated his feelings, Timmy was still finding it hard to believe. He had put up a cool façade in front of JingYu but inside his head all he could think about was, "what's the catch?"

The sound of the shower running reached him and the image of water sliding down JingYu's naked body flooded Timmy's vision. Hopefully, soon he would have real memories of that body instead of his imagination. His skin broke out into goose bumps in anticipation.

He was not sure where they stood at the moment. Are we a couple now? Boyfriends? More than friends? Before his mood could spiral down that path, he shoved those questions out of his head. He'd worry about the labels later. Now, the only thing he wanted was to be horizontal with the love of his life.

The bathroom door opened, revealing a freshly showered, homely looking JingYu with droplets of water dripping down his hair.

Timmy sat and stared with stars in his eyes. He had never seen someone looking this good in a holey shirt with worn out collar.

"Umm...I've saved you some hot water, so, uh..you might want to take a shower? There are some fresh towels in the cabinet under the sink..umm."

JingYu was acting all awkward and cute. Even that was beautiful.

You've got it bad, boy! Timmy's brain chided him. "Okay," he replied dazedly, whom he wasn't sure.

XOXOXOX

There was a bottle of shower gel and a bar of body soap. Without thinking twice, Timmy took the bar and rubbed it over his torso happily. Well, the choice was obvious, wasn't it?
Discarding his battle armour with a relieved sigh and changing into the black and white checked boxer and the navy blue tee, he looked into the mirror.

What now? Were they going to do it? Was tonight going to be the night when......

Suddenly scared out of his wits, Timmy took the bottle of the mouthwash and gurgled vigorously, hoping for the minty cool liquid to calm his nerves somehow.

"Come on, man up. You've been wanting this for ages. It'd be easy peasy. He won't let you get hurt. Yes," He murmured to the mirror and gave a nod before getting out.

JingYu was at the kitchen, tinkering away with something. Timmy stood there awkwardly, not sure what he should do now. He must have made a noise and JingYu looked over his shoulder and said, "Oh, did you get the towels?"

"Mmhm."

"Good. I'm making some sandwiches. Is orange marmalade okay with you?" JingYu asked without taking his eyes off his task.

"Sandwich? We're gonna eat now?" He asked incredulously.

His tone caught JingYu's attention as he turned to him slightly and asked, "You haven't eaten in hours, what do you think we'll do?"

I don't know, maybe, like, get into that bed and hump each other?Like in the movies? He mentally scoffed and mumbled out a, "Dunno."

"We'll eat now. Here," Jingyu put a plate with two sandwiches and a glass of warm milk and gestured Timmy to take them.

"You know what, I'm really, really tired," he faked a yawn, "can we go to bed now?" And promptly tried to dash towards the bed.

But JingYu was quicker and caught him by the waist, "I don't think so, young man. You'll finish them and then sleep."

And saying this JingYu lifted him up with arms circling under Timmy's bum and put him down on the counter, thus rendering Timmy speechless with his action. As Timmy sat there frozen, JingYu began to clean the kitchen top, as though he hadn't just thrown Timmy into a loop.

"Is something wrong? Don't you like the marmalade? Should I make you something else?"

JingYu's worried voiced dragged him out of his stunned state and he shook his head forcibly and took a large bite on his sandwich.

It was the best sandwich he had ever eaten.

Once both of them finished eating and JingYu put the plates and glass on the sink, an impish thought popped into Timmy's head.

He stretched his arms at JingYu.

JingYu looked at him, at his stretched limbs and snorted, "Really?"

Timmy wriggled his fingers as an answer.

The other man just shook his head amusedly, lifted Timmy off the counter and put him down. But he didn't release his hold immediately.
"You're a very annoying kid, do you know that?"

Timmy nodded energetically, and after a moment gazing at each other, received a kiss on his forehead.

With his tummy full and heart soaring, he felt bold and tapped a finger on his right cheek, looking at JingYu expectantly.

The taller man got the message and leaned in to place a kiss there.

Timmy tapped the left cheek and JingYu's kissed it with a hint of tongue.

A tap on the nose, followed by a kiss.

Finally, with an intense look and dramatic pause, Timmy tapped his lips.

JingYu swooped in for the kiss.
At first, it was a simple press of four lips that quickly grew to be a crushing force. Lips mashed with each other. Timmy's lower lip went between JingYu's lips and was sucked on. As his part, Timmy lapped his tongue over, around and inside JingYu's upper lip and teeth. After continuing like that for a while, both of the opened their mouths fully for better access and JingYu's tongue quickly inserted itself inside Timmy's hot mouth. Not wanting to be the passive one, Timmy's tongue did the same, thus beginning the game of who could melt whom with their kisses.

What started off as a simple, chaste peck soon escalated into a panting, hot mess of exchanging saliva, mixing the flavours, tasting, biting and hard sucking.

As if by some silent understanding, they both pulled out at the same time. Timmy's hooded eyes saw as a droplet of their mingled saliva hung low from JingYu's lip. He leaned forward and licked it off.

He could feel JingYu's fingers tightening and loosening where they grabbed onto Timmy's clothed back.

"We should," JingYu swallowed, still breathing hard, "maybe we should take this to bed?"

"Finally! Thought you'd never ask!" Aroused as fuck but still cheeky as hell, Timmy sassed out.

XOXOXOX

JingYu placed a few butterfly kisses while they covered the distance between the kitchen and the bed. He laid Timmy down, fluffing up the pillow under his head and settled himself over the smaller, lithe body. Mindful all the time as not to put his entire weight on the boy.

His boy. His ZhouZhou.

They resumed the kiss. This time with hands having the full freedom to roam along.

JingYu wanted to touch Timmy everywhere. Wanted to catalogue every inch of skin. He had been holding himself back for a long time. But now that the barrier was no more between them, he could feel the obsession creeping in. With one arm under Timmy's neck, he felt up the lean, flat body beneath him with his other hand. Fingers tugging the inky locks, sliding down his face, neck, side of the torso and grabbing and squeezing that slim waist he so loved.
Timmy was tugging at his shirt with all his might, bunching it up, twisting it, trying to bring their bodies even closer. So, JingYu granted his wish. He settled onto Timmy more securely, without once breaking the kiss. The sound of smooching and sucking and moaning from both of them filled the quiet room.

Suddenly JingYu felt something around his lower abdomen. It didn't register at first. The kiss was still on full swing. But the next time, he could swear he felt the poke of something hard. His eyes flew open and acting on pure reflex he leapt out and sat up. Timmy's mouth mourned the loss immediately and tried to follow its pair with closed eyes, and then sensing something wrong opened his eyes too.

Embarrassed beyond words by what he just did, JingYu's already flushed face turned crimson.

"What's wrong?" Timmy asked while sitting up slowly.

That lost look on Timmy's face made him feel even more mortified. But he needed to explain the matter to avoid any unwanted misunderstanding. So, he gulped down his embarrassment and said, "I..umm..I am not really very habituated with it."

He gestured the general area of Timmy's crotch with his eyes and promptly rubbed his own forehead. Damn, this was so stupid.

Timmy stared at him in bewilderment for a moment long, then, looked down his own lap where a definite bulge had formed and then, looked up to watch JingYu some more.

"You....mean...my dick?" He asked slowly, confusedly.

JingYu wanted to dig a hole, crawl in it and die.

"Ye-yeah," the word was uttered barely.

"But-" if anything, the younger boy looked more puzzled, "but you have one for yourself! How are you not habituated?

God, please let me die! "It's..umm..I haven't felt it poked at me before, have I? So, it....oh God..it's kinda foreign to me, you know?"

".........Oh," Timmy's face fell when the realization dawned on him. "Oh," he repeated again, chewing his lip, lost in thought.

JingYu felt like a moron for killing the mood completely. But he could not blame himself from reacting. It was a big enough change for him to get accustomed with feeling up a strong, hard body instead of a soft, curvy one in the throes of passion. But to feel another penis pressed against him and not to react, it definitely demanded a bit of getting used to.

But looking at Timmy's worried face he regretted his action.

"Look, ZhouZhou-"

"Maybe you could-"

They spoke at the same time and stopped together, too. JingYu gestured him to continue.

"Maybe you could...I don't know....poke yourself with your own dick and get used to it? Maybe?"

Oh my God! He's completely mental! What have I gotten myself into?!

JingYu's jaw dropped and he gaped like a fish.

"I....could...what???"

Maybe because of JingYu's witless expression, or perhaps because of the insane quality of his suggestion, Timmy backtracked a moment later and proposed another solution.

"Or you could practice with me! With mine, I mean."

A moment of silence and they both burst out laughing. They laughed so hard. They laughed for the shared moments. They laughed for the moments that were lost in agony. They laughed for the fact that they were blessed with each other and with reasons to laugh.

JingYu's laugh tapered out while Timmy still continued to roll on the bed, arms holding the stomach, tears in his eyes.

JingYu watched on, mesmerized.

He might not be habituated with making love to another male body, but he would never, ever, trade this magical being in front of him for the entirely world. He could never think his life without ZhouZhou.

Sliding beside Timmy, he turned him over to face him, as the younger boy was facing the other way, and held him tight in his chest.

Timmy's laugh turned into a foolish grin. JingYu pushed those fringes out of his forehead to get a clear view of the face that had held his soul captive.

"I'm sorry," the apology slipped out as he looked in those deep dark eyes.

Timmy always looked at him as if he had hung the moon, and while such admiration was flattering, JingYu felt ashamed for doing nothing to deserve it.

"I'm really sorry," he repeated and meant every word of it.

"For what?"

"For being a jerk, in general. For hurting you when it was the last thing I wanted to do."

Timmy stared at him for a long moment, then, said, "I've never blamed you, not really."

And that's what makes my guilt unbearable. "Why didn't you? You should have."

"Because I couldn't. I can't. Because I knew you were fighting too. You were fighting with your own self and that was way harder than me fighting with your reluctance."

JingYu was not the crying type, but ZhouZhou was making him rediscover himself in many ways.

"I've had rejected you time and again, had been downright rude, never encouraged you. Didn't you ever think of quitting? Of leaving me?"

He felt Timmy's shake of negation rather than seeing it.

"Why?"

ZhouZhou, in his arms, was quiet for a long while and just when JingYu thought he might not get a reply, the boy spoke. Voice soft, subdued.

"Because I don't know how to not love you."

Another pause.

"Because I love you."

A press that told JingYu to hold ZhouZhou tighter and he did.

"Because deep down, I knew you loved me too."

With throat blocked by a lump of pain, eyes blurring out the vision, JingYu gave a tiny nod. And once the lump eased a bit he said, "I did. I do. I love you. So much. I love you, ZhouZhou. With my everything."
They stayed like that for a long moment.

"I doubt myself all the time," JingYu began, "and I still think you are better off without me," nails dug into his flesh at that and he went on, "because I think you deserve way better than me. If you look at me without any bias, I have absolutely nothing to offer you, ZhouZhou. No money, no established career, no secure future, nothing."

"JingYu...." Timmy clutched at him painfully.

"In short, I am the peasant and you are the prince. But, I cannot go on lying and denying anymore that I don't want you. Because I do. Beyond words. I love you. Beyond I can properly show. So, ZhouZhou, here I am, without my inhibition, my walls, my inferiority complex, my worries and my rational head, and I am asking you....no, not asking, begging you, will you let me walk beside you holding your hand? Will you let me be the one that can shelter you from troubled wind? Or Share your burden when it's too heavy? Will you let me give my heart to you, completely, unconditionally? Because that's all I can give you: just me. Will you take it?"

A sobbing sound came from his chest where Timmy had burrowed his face.
The sob sounded like a soul breaking its cage and coming out. It broke JingYu's heart but he let the boy cry. He just carded his fingers through Timmy's hair, making soothing sounds now and then.

"I- I have dr- dreamt of this...y-you know. I would s-stay awake ev-every night and- and think of- of this mome-nt. I've- I've never thought you'd love me b-back............"

Timmy swallowed his tears audibly and wiped his dripping nose on JingYu's t-shirt. JingYu dropped a kiss over Timmy's head.

"And when I felt like you liked me too, I told myself not to get my hopes up. At one point I thought I would never get anything more than what we had and consoled myself telling that at least I'd get to see you every day."

It was JingYu's turn to hold his ZhouZhou tighter. He felt like going back in time and kick his past self.

"That day, when I kissed you? I pushed you away because I thought if I didn't you'd push me away and leave forever. I don't know why I wrote that text that way, but know that I was scared. More scared than I had ever been in my life."

Timmy moved and JingYu felt a kiss on his neck.

"Losing you is the biggest fear of my life, Jin."

"You won't."

"But what if something-"

JingYu didn't let him finish, "Then we will have to find each other and fall in love all over again..... But I don't think I will ever stop loving you, even if that hypothetical "something" happens."

"Me too."

They breathed each other in. Timmy smelt like warm chocolate, wind before the storm and surprisingly of baby powder. It left JingYu cozy, secure and drunk. He had both of Timmy's leg in between his own, but noticed that Timmy was minutely avoiding any contact between their pelvic region. JingYu gathered the boy more securely, bringing their nether regions together. Timmy lifted his face and looked at him with open astonishment. JingYu just smiled softly and gave a quick chaste kiss on his lips.

He could not tell how long but it was a long time before Timmy spoke again.

"Rebecca was beautiful."

JingYu hummed in approval, not in the mood of talking. He just wanted to relish the first feeling of having his love in his arms.

"Sooooooo, did you like her?"

"Yeah, I did. I mean, I'll always be thankful to her and Mei."

This time Timmy hummed noncommittally and spoke again, "Suppose, if such a situation arises, would you like to date her?"

That got JingYu's attention at last and he became fully conscious.

"ZhouZhou?"

"I am just saying. Can't you please humour me?"

But JingYu was well aware of the hidden insecurity of Timmy's question and felt the need to address the subject. He pretended to think for a bit, then, replied with a resolute voice, "No, I would not."

"How can you be so sure? She is very likable and pretty."

"She might be many things but I still would not date her."

"But why?"

"Because she is not my ZhouZhou. It's either ZhouZhou or no one."

JingYu mirrored the smile that he felt on his skin when Timmy's lips stretched into a grin.

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A/N- The Honeymoon phase will start in the next chapter😉. I felt that some things were needed to be cleared first between them.

Comments/votes/shares are very much appreciated.