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The sound of the door closing behind him was lost in the rushing water, drumming like soft rain. The air was thick with steam, obscuring the broad shape in the shower before him and making his breath feel heavy in an instant. Qiu stepped forward quietly. It was the second time this week that he had to invade his boss’s privacy with pressing matters on his brother. Last time he got away with an icy look and a few side blows in the following day, but he couldn’t expect his employer to always be this indulgent. Still, Qiu couldn’t help but take some pride in the way the heir of the He family had grown to trust him and he had made it his own little game to push the boundaries every now and then. Being tolerated, when He Cheng was naked, had been his latest effort - of course without any ulterior motives, he kept telling himself, while trying to keep his eyes in check. Over the years they had been through unspeakable things together, seeing the very best and worst of each other more than once, but some lines shouldn’t be crossed too carelessly.
Preparing for a rebuke, he raised his hands and opened his mouth to pre-empt any accusations but stopped mid-track. He Cheng’s body was now mostly visible. He stood slightly bent forward and leaned against one solid glass wall, left forearm supporting his head, the other reaching in front of him in a slow pumping movement. Qiu froze. He didn’t do, what he thought he did, right? Surely, he was just cleaning himself. Walking in on his boss wanking would be equivalent to suicide, surely nothing he'd ever get himself into. Against all better judgement he took another silent step forward, just enough to see what was going on without being noticed right away.
Well, suicide it would be after all.
It was as if time slowed down for a few seconds, his senses heightened by the adrenalin rushing into his system, eyes wide. All at once he seemed to absorb the details of the scene before him. He saw how He Cheng’s long, slender fingers wrapped tightly around his erect penis, stroking up and down with the flick of his wrist, a drop of precum at the tip reflecting the harsh ceiling lights. Saw the individual water drops pearling down his muscular back, down to those damn tight ass cheeks his eyes were not allowed to linger on normally. Heard his breathing, quicker and deeper than usual and a little raspy when he exhaled. A few last rational braincells shouted at Qui to slowly walk backwards and get out of this situation unscathed. The rest of his mind was busy bombarding him with images he had pressed away thoroughly over the last years. Images of He Cheng opening his legs for him, He Cheng on all fours looking up at him, blushing, moaning his name, hands on his hips, lips on his-
The energy in the room changed.
Qiu looked up and almost stumbled backwards when he was met with a gaze so piercing and cold it sent chills down his spine. He Cheng straightened and turned towards him, stepping to the edge of the shower cabin and pushing its door outward. A gush of hot steam hit Qius face, temporarily taking his sight until it revealed the broad shouldered man once more. He seemed to be towering over him, his aura so powerful Qiu completely forgot that Cheng was actually in a more vulnerable position – hard, naked, and a few centimetres smaller. Qiu didn’t dare to break eye contact.
Neither of them spoke for what seemed like eternity.
“Why are you still here?”, He Cheng asked eventually, voice as level and unaffected as always.
“…I don’t-“
“If there was a matter so important that it justifies invading my privacy as fundamentally as you just did, you would have already told me. So explain”, he took a step closer, “why you are still here.”
Qiu’s mind was racing. He didn’t have a reasonable explanation; habit and curiosity had simply taken over in the worst possible situation – He Tians newest misbehaviour wasn’t nearly important enough to justify his actions. He decided to stick to his original plan and apologize, surely the other would let his actions slide, like he always did.
“I’m sorry, boss. It’s your brother and his thoughtless decisions again, but I reckon he can wait. I’ll leave you alone now.” Good, his voice didn’t tremble, all sorted. Qiu had already started to retreat, when He Cheng slightly raised his hand and gestured for him to stop.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Something was different today. Apparently, He Cheng wasn’t in the mood for their usual banter. Qiu searched for an emotion or other clue in his boss’s face, but didn’t find anything other than calm reservation. He pressed his lips together and tried to ignore how close they were standing now, determined not to look down again. What could He Cheng possibly want to hear? How he had fantasised about a moment like this in lonely, drunk evenings and sleepless nights? Inappropriate for an employee and a close confidant even more so. No sufficient answer came to his mind. Instead, drops of sweat started to form on his temples.
“He Cheng, I apologize for disrespecting you. Will you-“
“Your apology”, the other interrupted him. “Go on.”
Qiu furrowed his brows in disbelieve. He had seen his boss treat unruly subordinates and low-class criminals like that, but never him. He Cheng narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t joking. Slowly, Qiu got down on his knees, now at eye level with his boss’s still fairly erect member - was he enjoying this? – and closed his eyes.
“I sincerely apologize. Please forgive me for my inconsiderate behaviour”, Qiu ground out between pressed teeth.
“You were so eager to look at me before, why so reserved now?”, He Cheng asked unsmilingly. “Open your mouth. Finish what you started.”
Qiu felt the other shift closer. He opened his eyes and was met with He Cheng’s groin mere centimetres away from his face. A hand slid into his hair and grabbed tightly onto the short strands, tugging him forward until his lips almost touched the other’s dick. For a moment, Qiu’s head was spinning and his stomach sank, leaving him with an ill feeling in his gut. No way. This couldn’t be happening. What a weird twist, having his most secret fantasies turned against him in this moment. He glanced back up and found nothing in He Cheng’s face but cold determination. This wasn’t what he had wanted. He knew his boss’s body language well enough to realize, he wouldn’t tolerate any more resistance. Defeatedly, he opened his mouth and braced himself for what was about to happen.
“Good boy”, He Cheng sighed, as he slid his penis into Qiu’s throat in one singular, slow motion until he bottomed out. The sudden praise made something in Qiu’s lower regions tingle and he swallowed hard. For the first time in their encounter, He Cheng’s expression flickered and lost some of its edge, as his lashes fluttered ever so slightly, head tipping back. Again, the tingling. Something in Qiu clicked into place and the crippling feeling inside made way for a bold resolution. He had wanted this for a long time, or at least some version of it. If he was bound to give his boss a blowjob, he would make it the fucking best he ever had. As said man finally began to withdraw and set into an even rhythm, Qiu made sure to keep up a steady level of suction and swirled his tongue around He Cheng’s tip, whenever he pulled out. Moments later they had attuned themselves to each other, not unlike they had done countless times in the past during sparring sessions with each other or serious fights with members of rivalling gangs. The taste and uncomfortable stretch of his lips was not like anything Qiu had experienced before. The sensation of having another man’s dick in his mouth so unforgivingly real, it awakened some unknown carnal lust inside him, he had never felt with any sexual partner before. Why had he only ever been on the receiving end before?
“Who would have known you’re actually quite decent at this?”, He Cheng said, breathing noticeably heavier now. Qiu grimaced and grumbled with only half-serious annoyance, which led his boss to twitch in his throat and thrust forward unexpectedly. Qiu’s hands shot up to regain balance and found the other man’s thighs for support. “Do that again”, he ordered, and Qiu hummed compliantly, pleased with himself for making his boss’s controlled mask slip. He wouldn’t stop there. As he kept on humming during every thrust, He Cheng slowly became more vocal, small grunts and sighs escaping his mouth every now and then. Qiu began to bop his head slightly in a countermovement and stroked the other man’s thighs with gentle pressure, then he grabbed his hip with one hand, while the other reached further behind and squeezed one of his firm butt cheeks. He Cheng moaned audibly for the first time, rhythm getting faster and more erratic. Qiu too began to move his head more rapidly, meeting his boss halfway, tearing eyes squeezed shut and heartbeat loud in his ears. He felt his own trousers growing tight around his middle, seemingly unnoticed by the other. Hell, this was not how he had imagined a sexual encounter between them to go, but he surely was enjoying himself, nonetheless.
He felt He Cheng’s hand sliding from his hair down to his jaw, almost tenderly, and the other hand grab onto his shoulder. He squinted up at him and saw that his expression was now mostly relaxed, eyes half opened and unfocussed, a soft blush on his cheeks, but somehow still radiating authority. So beautiful, he thought. Oh, he would hold onto this image for his next lonesome horny evening and probably many more.
“Getting ambitious now, ah-are we?”, his boss panted between thrusts, “That’s right, show me how well you can please me.”
Encouraged, Qiu grabbed his boss’s hips harder and amplified his effort once more. Letting his head fall back, He Cheng moaned loudly, once, twice, then he suddenly pulled back from Qiu’s grip and bent over, still bracing himself on Qiu’s shoulder and now hurriedly jerking himself off, groaning softly. Qiu pulled He Cheng’s head down to his own, temple to temple, holding onto his nape for dear life while catching his breath, eyes wet from exhaustion.
“Qiu, I’m gonna-“, he managed to say breathlessly, before thick ropes of cum fell onto Qiu’s shirt and the damp bathroom floor. He Cheng’s legs gave out under him, and Qiu pulled his head into the crook of his neck, an arm around his shoulder, holding him through the ebbing waves of his orgasm.
What was he supposed to do now, Qiu wondered, not daring to push his luck, although he ached for more, his own erection throbbing neglected in his pants. Somewhere in the last minutes it had stopped being a punishment and crossed an unspoken line, turning into something else. Something Qiu was willing to explore, although he felt a creeping suspicion rising up his spine, that the connection they had right now might pop like a bubble and disperse into nothingness.
They didn’t speak until He Cheng finally sat up, an odd expression on his face. His hair, usually neatly combed back, fell tousled onto his forehead and the blush still hadn’t fainted completely, making him look younger and more delicate. Apart from that, he seemed to have regained his distant composure.
“Are you alright?”, he asked, his tone almost formal, as if he had asked how the last mission went or when the next meeting was scheduled. Qiu smirked darkly at that thought. After all they did in the past minutes, he didn’t expect him to draw back so quickly. Apparently, it had all been in his head and he was nothing but a fling to the other. Alright, he could settle for being an occasional fuck, if that was all the other was willing to commit to. He wouldn’t be disappointed, not him.
“Knees kinda hurt”, he answered truthfully, to which He Cheng responded by helping him up and manoeuvring him to a small bench to sit on, while he himself kept on standing. It felt good to stretch his aching legs, but the sudden change of tone still irritated him.
“Take off your clothes and come joint me”, He Cheng said and stepped back into the still running shower, turning away from Qiu, who did as commanded, leaving his clothes behind in a messy pile which he knew would annoy the other later. A small rebellion against the, as he felt, unnecessarily frosty treatment. He joined He Cheng under the hot stream of water and stood beside him, simply enjoying the soothing warmth for a few moments, until he felt he was being watched. As he looked over, he saw his boss observing him, still with that searching look in his eyes. Was that regret? Fear even?
“What ‘bout you?”, he asked. He Cheng took his time to answer.
“I’m worried I took things too far”, he said eventually.
“Since when do you worry about me. It’s literally my job to be the one thing you don’t have to be concerned about”, Qiu returned provocatively, a single eyebrow perked up, although he felt a sting in his heart from his own words. In the last few minutes, his boss had both initiated and then abruptly dismissed the most intimate, affectionate moment they had ever had with each other. Why the hell did he keep on sending mixed signals? “First, you demand a blowjob as punishment for looking at your dick, and now you fear to have upset me? Make up your damn mind, man”, he grumbled. Bickering felt good, familiar, but it didn’t match the intimate position they were in. It alarmed Qiu, to be in uncharted terrain, unsure where they stood. The other man seemed to be upset by his words and turned his face back into the stream of water, which further annoyed Qiu, but he bit back any additional scathing comments.
“You know as well as I do, that I’m forced to stick to the rules of this game. I give orders, you must follow them. You disobey, I must punish you. How else are we supposed to function in a world like this? Caring about you always meant making you a weak spot. But how am I supposed to NOT care, when you relentlessly creep your way into every aspect of my life?”, Qiu saw him clench his fist at that, “Now, I apparently can’t even jerk off without you and your cursed bedroom eyes being right there.” He Cheng pressed his lips together. Apparently, he had revealed more than he wanted to. Qiu stared at him, stunned. When he felt able to move again, he gripped his boss by the shoulders and forced him to face him directly.
“Are you telling me, the whole thing we just did, was you losing your composure and running with what you thought was expected from you?”, he asked, not quite believing it. His boss sighed deeply in frustration and brought one hand up over his face, massaging his temples.
“I can’t be your superior without ignoring your feelings, and not your friend or… lover without losing dignity as your leader. Choosing one always means neglecting the others. I ran with what seemed to be the only option to get at least some aspects of both worlds.”
“You realize I would have slept with you, if you had simply asked, right?” Finally, He Cheng made eye contact again.
“How does one simply ask for such a thing, Qiu? How would I know you truly wanted me, and didn’t just endure my mood, so I wouldn’t put a bullet in your head?” He reached over to Qiu’s cheek, tracing the lines of his jaw, cheekbone and eyebrow, thumb coming to rest in the corner of his mouth, as if his boss didn’t dare to touch his lips.
“Why would you care, whether I wanted you or not?
Oh.