Page 4 of Love Limits

I hope you find your person, Dustin said before switching to the other foot.

And I hope you find yours. Someone who wants to be tied up and whipped this time.

Dustin tickled him again and Zhong kicked him back.

Hey, want to watch a movie? Dustin asked.

Sure, Zhong agreed. He wasn’t quite going to invite himself over for the night, but if they started a movie this late, and still had to make dinner, he knew where he’d end up sleeping.

They ended up watching two movies and eating their soup with chopsticks on the couch. When they were yawning, Zhong headed into his bedroom to take a shower while Dustin put the leftovers away.

The shower in Zhong’s room at Dustin’s house was much bigger than the one in Zhong’s apartment, and already had his shampoo and stuff in it. This was part of being home, too.

When he finished, he slipped on a pair of loose boxers and wandered down the hall to Dustin’s room.

Dustin was already in bed, his lanky frame sprawled out over the queen-sized bed. His face was illuminated by the glow of his tablet and the small lamp that he left on when Zhong was over so they could sign with each other.

Zhong took a moment just to watch him. He’d missed this.

Dustin must have heard some noise that was imperceptible to Zhong, because he rested his tablet on his chest. While Dustin communicated entirely in ASL, it was because he had Auditory Processing Disorder. So he could hear things, just not usually interpret them.

Dustin gave him a fond smile. I’ll never understand how showering doesn’t keep you awake all night.

I’ll never understand how you can go to bed all stinky and dirty. It wasn’t true, of course. Dustin went running each morning and took a shower when he came back, but Zhong could still tease him.

Dustin threw a pillow, which he caught neatly. Move over.

Dustin made a big production of it, but eventually they were nestled together, where they could both see the crossword puzzle.

Zhong commandeered the tablet and quickly skimmed through all the clues, filling in a couple. This was a hard one, probably a Saturday puzzle though they did them out of order. He was only able to put in about a handful without knowing most of the letters.

After that, they passed it back and forth, filling in one section at a time.

When they got to the last two squares, Dustin asked for a hint from the app.

Cheater, Zhong signed.

Dustin rolled his eyes. I can’t just leave it with two empty squares.

We could at least look them up online. Then we’d learn about… the 1915 hockey championships?

It’s called the Stanley Cup. And also cheating.

Dustin “completed” the puzzle, turned off the tablet, and set it on his bedside table. Zhong kind of liked it that they still each had a “side” of the bed even though he only slept over every other week or so. Before that, there had been a gap of three years when Dustin was with Alan.

And that was why Zhong needed to find someone for his own. Someone who liked doing crossword puzzles in bed. He reached for the chair where his jeans were folded with the notebook on top, made a few annotations in the soft light of the lamp, and returned it.

Zhong laid on his back and waited for Dustin to settle in on his shoulder. Zhong added sleeping compatibility to his mental list. He’d have to record that in the morning.

Zhong always slept on his back and Dustin slept on his side. If they got the pillows set up the right way, they could sleep comfortably like that all night.

Dustin draped one furry leg over Zhong’s thighs and rested his hand on his chest. Zhong ran a soothing hand up and down his back and another along his arm.

Dustin didn’t seem to be quite tired yet, because he was still twisting and turning instead of relaxing.

It only took Zhong a few minutes to notice the problem. Is that a banana in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? He signed one-handed, or at least as well as he could. The sign for banana involved holding up one finger to be the banana and peeling it with the other hand, so it was difficult.

God, I hate you, Dustin slapped him on the chest. It’s not my fault that my dick thinks you smell good and have nice muscles.