Page 62 of Love Limits

Zhong was standing over them, looking impossibly sexy with all of those hard muscles that he still hadn’t covered with a shirt, though he’d managed to pull on some loose sweatpants. His expression was adoring as he met Ash’s eyes and stroked over their hair again.

Please, could Ash just have more of this again? Maybe all day?

Zhong withdrew his hand to sign. I wish I could let you sleep more, but you have work in an hour. I didn’t know how long it would take you to get ready.

Ash rolled over and stretched. Scrubs made getting ready easy, so they probably would have slept in longer. And the drive was maybe ten minutes, which would save them a ton of time.

They kind of wanted to fall back asleep, but now that they were awake, they didn’t want to waste a moment of time with Zhong.

He helped untangle the covers and they crawled out. Their shirt rode up, exposing their underwear, and they pulled it back down.

Somewhere along the way, they realized that they hadn’t been self-conscious about their body at all while they were around Zhong.

Usually they double and triple checked before sleeping next to someone, nervous about what questions people would ask about their body and gender presentation. But last night their only worry had been overstepping Zhong’s boundaries, and that had dispersed as soon as they saw that it wasn’t a problem.

Zhong plainly wasn’t concerned, either about their gender identity or their body, not that it really mattered since they could always wear clothes. It was such a relief not to worry about it.

Even now, Zhong was just watching their face, his eyes never drifting downward. Take your time getting ready, and then you can join me for breakfast, if you want.

Yes, please! That would be amazing. And are we still hanging out tonight? That had been the original plan before Ash came over last night. Maybe it would be too much for Zhong now, though.

Of course. Zhong didn’t even hesitate. The new games came in yesterday.

How many had he even bought? He’d already ordered Gloomhaven, Root, Wingspan, Isle of Skye, and Azul. All of the games he claimed that he’d been wanting for a while, but couldn’t play because Dustin thought there were too many rules. And he’d gotten more?

Ash couldn’t keep the grin off their face. Of course, they wanted to play the games. But even more, it still seemed like a special gift for them, a symbol of connection.

Yay! Ash wiggled their hands over their head. Want me to pick up anything on my way back?

Only if there’s something special you want for dinner.

Hanging out a few times a week was becoming the default, but seeing how eager Zhong was to have them return still felt special. Everything you make is amazing. I can pick up groceries though.

Zhong shook his head. I went shopping yesterday. And the charter says you only get to pay for restaurants. Anyway, you’re always so tired after work. You should just come straight here.

The words yes Daddy were at their fingertips, but they held them back. Barely.

Zhong gave them a gentle shove. Go get ready for work. I’m going to make breakfast, and maybe we can cuddle and finish that crossword puzzle before you have to go.

Sounds good. Ash scurried toward the bathroom. They needed to get all of their feelings under control. So that they could come back again tonight and do it all over again.

But they were still thinking about Zhong wandering around in the kitchen, shirtless, making their lunch. They couldn’t wait to see what the adorable little compartments would be filled with today.

Chapter 13

Zhong

Zhong was tossing frozen peas into the shopping cart when his pocket vibrated. He pulled out his phone and checked his messages. Ash sent a picture of three baby birds in a nest, their mouths open to the skies.

Zhong grinned even though no one could see him. Ash had been a constant in his life for the past few months, but whenever his phone buzzed, he still felt a little pulse of warmth inside.

If Ash wanted to be a baby bird… He sent back a picture of a worm crawling around in the mud. Ash sent back a picture of an ice cream cone.

Zhong: That’s not food. Isn’t your mother feeding you?

Ash: she took an extra shift and cancelled on me

They added a picture of a sad puppy with long, silky ears.