Work Text:
(1)
The first time he sees Shao Fei napping, Tang Yi finds himself feeling more confused than anything else.
Meng Shao Fei has been creating trouble for him for the past three years, and no matter how many times he tries to sue the police officer, the persistent man keeps on turning up at inopportune times.
Ah De keeps asking him if they should just shoot the man and save them all a lot of trouble. Tang Yi isn’t proud to admit that he actually considered it seriously a few times.
Disrupting his schedule, turning up when he’s having business dinners, stalking him for hours on end and hanging around the establishments Tang Yi owns, Meng Shao Fei is nothing but a huge nuisance. He’s loud, impulsive, quick to anger and nothing good happens when he turns up. It’s impossible to ignore him and honestly, few people dare to get all up in his space the way Meng Shao Fei does.
They’ve almost gotten into fights a few times, and no matter how much Tang Yi shouts at him, no matter how angry he gets, Meng Shao Fei always turns up. Rain or shine, the man is calling out his name, popping up in his line of vision.
Tang Yi has learnt to be very creative with his escape plans.
Not that he needs to flee from the police officer, but sometimes he doesn’t have the energy to deal with Meng Shao Fei and it’s easier to make an exit instead.
Quickly.
Tang Yi has also been to the police station so many times in the past three years, be it being dragged there by some ridiculous charge Meng Shao Fei managed to slap on him, or turning up to declare his intent to sue the man (again) for encroaching on his rights. Sometimes, he gets called in because of the nature of his position. Trouble finds him no matter where he goes because he is the leader of Xing Tian Meng, even as he’s closer to reforming the gang than he or Boss Tang ever was at this point.
To his surprise, Meng Shao Fei is nowhere to be seen from the moment he stepped into the station today. Usually, the police officer is the one bringing him in, or even if he isn’t, he turns up the second Tang Yi appears, gloating and demanding he tell him the truth of what happened three years ago.
It’s late afternoon when he’s finally released from the interrogation room with his lawyer, and still Meng Shao Fei does not turn up. Jack, his latest new hire, is leaning against the wall outside the room, waiting for him.
Well, while it is unexpected, Tang Yi would not say Meng Shao Fei’s absence upsets him in any way.
Quite the contrary, in fact.
“Let’s get back to the office,” Tang Yi says as he walks past Jack, the man falling in behind him.
They walk past the floor’s pantry on the way out, and that’s when Tang Yi stops in his footsteps, before turning to look inside. The pantry area is rather spacious, with two long tables and benches. At this time of the day, it’s empty, save for one person.
Meng Shao Fei is seated on the bench and asleep, his face resting on his folded arms on the table. He’s lightly snoring too, his lips slightly parted.
He feels the need to stop and stare, because he has never seen Meng Shao Fei this quiet, this still, this… vulnerable, and god forbid, cute.
“Ah,” Jack comments, stepping closer and after following Tang Yi’s gaze to see what has caught the man’s attention. “From what I heard, Team Three has been on a stakeout for the past week, day and night. The case was finally closed a few hours ago.”
Tang Yi tears his eyes away from Meng Shao Fei to stare at Jack.
“I didn’t ask,” he replies coolly.
As they move on, the image of the slumbering police officer lingers in Tang Yi’s mind.
He’s definitely much cuter like this when he’s not being a nuisance, Tang Yi thinks.
(2)
Shao Fei has been living in his house for a week when Tang Yi catches him napping again.
Today’s schedule is a little unexpected — early in the morning, one of the retired elders from Xing Tian Meng gave him a call and asked to meet urgently. Uncle Tian Bao now lives in central Taichung city, which is a two hour drive away from Taipei. As one of the elders who supported him the moment he stepped into the shoes Boss Tang left him, Tang Yi found it hard to refuse the man.
Of course, the latest addition to his protection detail insisted on coming along.
Tang Yi has long since moved past resenting Shao Fei’s presence, and he let Shao Fei come along after refusing the man once. While he found Shao Fei to be noisy and a nuisance a few months ago, Tang Yi would go as far as to say he enjoys Shao Fei’s company now, even the man’s inane chatter.
As expected, Shao Fei keeps the conversation going as they travel between Taipei and Taichung. Tang Yi responds as needed, huffing in amusement more than a handful of times at Shao Fei’s antics and ignoring Jack’s curious glances in the rearview mirror.
When they arrive at Uncle Tian Bao’s sprawling mansion, Shao Fei moves to get out of the car, but Tang Yi stops him.
“Stay here,” he orders. Before Shao Fei can protest, Tang Yi adds, “They’ll be able to tell you’re a police officer from miles away. You can follow me here, but you can’t follow me inside. Stay put, and don’t wander off. I’ll be out in half an hour at most.”
“But-“
“Jack will be with me,” Tang Yi sighs, as Jack opens the door for him on his side. “I’m not joking. Wait here.”
With a carefree grin, Jack nods at Shao Fei, and then drops the car keys into his hands. They move off, Shao Fei’s eyes following Tang Yi until he disappears past the mansion’s gates.
Exactly twenty-five minutes later, Tang Yi and Jack leave the mansion, and thankfully, Shao Fei is seated right where they left him, swiping his finger across his phone screen. The police officer looks up as they approach, and the smile that breaks out across Shao Fei’s face at the sight of him makes his feel all warm suddenly.
“What did he want?” asks Shao Fei.
“Just some family matters to deal with,” Tang Yi avoids the question easily.
He may be fond of Shao Fei, but Tang Yi knows where the line lies. Shao Fei is a police officer, and he is still a gang leader — there are things he cannot share with Shao Fei.
Not now, anyway.
To be honest, Tang Yi should have seen this coming. Uncle Tian Bao was one of Boss Tang’s closest friends when the man was still alive, and he was always kind to Tang Yi and Hong Ye. When there was dissent four years ago with him stepping into the role of Xing Tian Meng’s leader, it was Uncle Tian Bao who backed him up and helped him to secure the position during a time when several other elders and members of the gang were fighting over the seat.
In any case, Uncle Tian Bao has also heard of Shao Fei moving into the house, and today’s visit was Uncle Tian Bao nagging at him to be careful, to cut Shao Fei clean out of his life before Tang Yi gets dragged into more trouble.
A little too late for that now, Tang Yi ponders with amusement as he turns his head to look at the man sitting next to him.
In the ten minutes it took for Jack to get onto the highway, Shao Fei has fallen asleep.
The weather is getting colder day by day as winter approaches, but the sunlight coming in through the window on Shao Fei’s side seems to be keeping him cozy. His face is pressed against the glass, his arms folded across his chest and suddenly, the memory of Shao Fei’s napping face from another time comes to mind suddenly.
When was that? About a little over a year ago?
His lips curve unconsciously as he stares at Shao Fei napping here, of all places.
Tang Yi is reaching out for Shao Fei before he even realises what he is doing. Gently, he moves Shao Fei’s head from its uncomfortable position where it is leaning against the window, to the cushioned car seat. His hand lingers, until he’s sure Shao Fei’s head is in no danger of sliding downwards. Shao Fei barely even stirs at the movement.
Jack is also doing a really terrible job of pretending he’s not looking. Mercenary his ass, Tang Yi sighs inwardly, shaking his head.
Clearing his throat softly, Tang Yi shifts in his seat and picks up his iPad to continue looking through work tasks for the day.
If Jack catches Tang Yi sneaking a few more glances at Shao Fei’s sleeping face in the next hour, he wisely keeps it to himself.
(3)
“Good afternoon, boss,” Xia Yue, the manager of his tailor store, greets as she holds the door open for him to enter.
Freedom is something he is still getting used to, even five weeks after being released from prison. Being able to go wherever he wanted and doing as he pleased without his movements being watched constantly was something he took for granted before he served his time in prison. Tang Yi admits that he is still adjusting to life back outside in the real world, and thankfully, things have been in place for him to come back to. Nothing much has changed, except that Hong Ye managed to acquire a few more businesses while Tang Yi was away.
Of course, he is pulling through only because Shao Fei was, and continues to be an anchoring presence at his side, promising to never leave him.
A week after he returned, Tang Yi was back at work at Shi Hai Corporation. The routines he had before he did his time came back easily to him, and that includes visiting all the establishments he owns, every week.
His favourite, Tang Yi smiles, is definitely the tailor store.
“Is he here?” Tang Yi asks Xia Yue, stepping inside.
The modest Honda that Tang Yi bought for Shao Fei (who balked at the thought of getting anything more expensive) is parked right outside in front of Tang Yi’s own car. Even though Shao Fei has no reason to stalk him anymore, it seems the tailor store is also Shao Fei’s favourite, because he turns up here weekly if he doesn’t have an urgent case, and browses the racks for their weekly new arrivals until Tang Yi turns up.
Shao Fei has also taken to grabbing more ridiculous prints every week, and Tang Yi is beginning to wonder if he should be concerned about his boyfriend’s fashion tastes.
At his question, Xia Yue laughs.
“Captain Meng is here,” she answers, looking towards the sitting area of the store. “You’re a little late today, boss.”
Bemused, Tang Yi ventures further inside the store, and then he suddenly understands what Xia Yue was laughing about.
On the couch, Shao Fei is napping, dead to the world. Tang Yi takes a minute to just look at him, his eyes tracing over Shao Fei’s eyelids, the bridge of his nose and his lips. Unable to resist, Tang Yi crouches down and leans in close until he’s only a hair’s breadth away from Shao Fei.
He kisses Shao Fei on the forehead, his thumb caressing softly against Shao Fei’s cheek. The man moves a little, but does not wake. Tang Yi smiles, before kissing Shao Fei again on the cheek, then on the nose, and finally, his lips.
At that, Shao Fei’s eyes finally flutter open.
Blinking away the haze of sleep, Shao Fei finally sees Tang Yi, and he grins.
“Sorry I’m late today,” Tang Yi murmurs, stealing another kiss from Shao Fei.
Tang Yi leans back as Shao Fei sits up, the man rubbing at his eyes cutely.
With a yawn, he replies, “It’s okay. I can’t believe I managed to take a nap in here of all places.”
Looking at Tang Yi next, he says, “Tang, I’m hungry.”
“We’ll go for early dinner,” Tang Yi agrees, standing and then pulling Shao Fei up with him. “What do you want to eat?”
“I want you to cook for me. Hmm… omelette with crab, spicy tofu, fried rice… wintermelon and pork rib soup and.. oh! Coke!”
There really is nothing he would refuse Shao Fei, as long as the man asks for it.
Tang Yi laughs and with a nod, he says indulgently, “Anything you want.”
(4)
He can hardly remember the last time he came to the beach. It was probably a long, long time ago, when Boss Tang was still around. Tang Yi has some vague recollection of him and Hong Ye throwing sand into each other’s faces as Dao Yi and Boss Tang looked on from where they were seated under the shade of a tree.
Everyone’s schedules were finally lined up for this weekend getaway, and while some part of Tang Yi doesn’t understand why he’s spending the weekend with so many people rather than with Shao Fei alone, this is a sight he hasn’t seen in a long time.
“Zuo Hong Ye! Stay right where you are, how dare you!” Shao Fei shouts, running after Hong Ye across the sand as his sister taunts him.
Dao Yi is standing a little to the side, looking on with a helpless expression.
“Bet you a hundred dollars Zuo Hong Ye wins,” Jiang Jin Tang snorts from where he’s seated next to Tang Yi on the mat, safe from the heat of the sun under the huge umbrella over them. “She’s vicious when she wants to be. Which is all the time.”
Tang Yi takes the bet on principle, but silently agrees with Jin Tang.
“Why can’t we just stay indoors?” sulks Andy from the chair next to Tang Yi’s.
Andy is holding up an electric fan in front of his face, and Ah Hui, his boyfriend, is dutifully rubbing sunscreen onto his back and arms, but Andy looks almost offended that he has to be out here with the rest of them instead of hiding away in a place where it’s cool.
According to Andy, tanned skin doesn’t work well with the several meshed tops he likes to wear.
“Instead of wearing those sorry excuses for shirts,” Jin Tang scoffs before Tang Yi can say anything, “You can just be like normal people and wear a non-sheer shirt. Also what are you complaining for? No one forced you to tag along.”
Luckily, before the two can get into a fight, Zhao Zi turns up with two bags full of cold drinks. Jack follows closely behind with two picnic baskets.
This is a long stretch of beach that only they have access to as it comes with the three beachfront villas they are renting for the weekend. It’s an overdue holiday, and despite the chaos, Tang Yi finds himself filled with content. This is his family, and he’s glad he has them all in one place.
It’s comfortably warm — the sun is slowly setting in the horizon, casting a lovely orange glow over the entire beach. It’s not too hot as well, not with the gentle, cool breeze blowing steadily.
A while later, Tang Yi looks up from his book at loud peals of laughter a distance away from him. It seems everyone has moved into the waters, even Dao Yi and Andy. There’s a lot splashing and yelling going on, and Tang Yi shakes his head.
Then he realises that Shao Fei isn’t in the water with the rest of them. Tang Yi looks again, but sure enough, Shao Fei is nowhere to be seen. He doesn’t think Shao Fei has drowned considering that the man has both diving and lifeguard certificates, and no one is screaming for help.
“Where did Shao Fei go?” Tang Yi asks Zhao Zi as the police officer returns to the shaded area for another drink.
“Ah Fei went to the bathroom,” Zhao Zi answers, then looks around with a frown. “But that was some time ago. Did he get lost?”
Tang Yi has an inkling of where Shao Fei might have disappeared off to, but doesn’t say a thing. Instead, he puts his book down and sets off in the direction of the villas in search of his boyfriend. Before long, he locates Shao Fei, and as he predicted, the man is napping, this time on a sturdy and wide hammock strung up on the back porch.
The man looks so peaceful and unguarded, and it’s a look that only Tang Yi is privy to. Shao Fei is so fair that just a couple of hours in the sun have turned him a little darker, and the skin on his shoulders are tinged red.
Bending downwards, Tang Yi reaches out, and pinches Shao Fei’s nose firmly.
“Hnn…” Shao Fei frowns, his hands coming up to bat Tang Yi’s away. “Go away-“
“If you don’t wake up now,” Tang Yi smirks, “I won’t be responsible if Hong Ye finds you here lazing about later.”
Shao Fei mumbles something under his breath in reply, but doesn’t wake fully. Instead, he rolls over to his other side, away from Tang Yi.
Afraid that Shao Fei will catch a cold sleeping out here in the open, Tang Yi finds a clean towel from inside the room and throws it over his boyfriend. Then, he heads over to the barbecue pit and begins preparations for dinner.
Half an hour later, when the sun has mostly set and everyone is crowded around the communal eating area, everyone suddenly hears the loud yelp and a crash coming from within the villa.
Then-
“ZUO HONG YE!” comes the shout, and two sets of heavy footsteps echo as Shao Fei and Hong Ye play another game of catch.
“You should be grateful I woke you up! All you do is nap, you’re going to turn into a pig soon and I don’t want a pig marrying my brother-“
Everyone else chuckles, shaking their heads at the antics of the pair and also feeling some measure of pity for Tang Yi, who has to deal with this frequently.
Tang Yi only smiles.
(5)
A cup of coffee is set on the table at his elbow.
Glancing at the steaming beverage briefly, Tang Yi’s eyes return to the document he was reading before he was interrupted, and says idly, “Thank you.”
“I bring you coffee and you don’t even look at me,” comes a familiar sigh, much to Tang Yi’s surprise. “The romance is dead.”
Looking up, he sees Shao Fei leaning against the front of his desk with his arms folded, his mouth pursed in a mock sulk and looking like a child whose cookie was taken away. Tang Yi breaks out into a wide smile, then sets the folder in his hands aside and stands up.
“What are you doing here so early? It’s only 4pm.”
They kiss softly over the table, Tang Yi’s thumb caressing over Shao Fei’s jaw.
When they break apart, Shao Fei’s eyes are so, so soft. The way Shao Fei looks at him makes Tang Yi feel so loved, as if Shao Fei can only see him and no one else.
“We solved a case early this morning, so I dismissed everyone in the team early to get some rest. We’ve been on this for the past two weeks,” Shao Fei answers with a grin. “Aren’t you touched? I came straight here instead of going home. Don’t I deserve a reward?”
Tang Yi laughs, but he also sees how exhausted Shao Fei is. The man is paler than usual, and while he’s smiling, his eyes are a little dull. His heart aches, because they’ve both been really busy these few weeks and they haven’t seen each other as much as they would like. When they go home tonight, Tang Yi will feed Shao Fei properly.
Pressing another kiss to Shao Fei’s forehead, Tang Yi says, “Well. There’s your reward.”
“You’re so stingy,” pouts Shao Fei.
Tang Yi is about to reply, when a knock sounds on his office door. The both of them look up, only to see Dao Yi at the door, a knowing smile on his face.
With some regret, he says, “The board meeting begins in 10 minutes. Hong Ye asked me to come and get you.”
“Dao Yi Ge,” Shao Fei calls obediently, and then at Tang Yi’s look, he continues, “Go for your meeting. I’m not going anywhere, I’ll just sit here and wait for you to come and get me, so don’t take too long!”
He hates to leave Shao Fei here alone, and Tang Yi wishes he could cancel the meeting, but it’s impossible to reschedule this today.
“Okay, I won’t be too long,” Tang Yi promises, picking up the folder on his table. “Get Ah Man to get you some coffee and snacks if you’re hungry.”
Shao Fei rolls his eyes, waving Tang Yi off. “Yes, I know. Hurry and go!”
Tang Yi pauses. At the very last minute, he turns and grabs Shao Fei’s arm, pulling the man flushed against him as he catches Shao Fei’s lips with his own again, kissing him properly.
“I’ll be back,” says Tang Yi after, pulling away.
The image of Shao Fei’s red cheeks stick with him as he walks away, and Tang Yi is determined to finish the meeting as quickly as possible.
Despite his intentions, the meeting drags on for an hour longer than he would have liked. When it finally does end, Tang Yi doesn’t waste time, and leaves the meeting room first. All he needs to do is go back to his office, pick Shao Fei up, and then they can go home together.
Whatever Tang Yi is expecting upon his return, it’s certainly not this.
As he turns the corner into a corridor that leads him back to his office, Tang Yi first sees the crowd of female staff standing outside of his office. Worst still, they’re all giggling and staring at something inside his office.
Tang Yi clears his throat loudly, and the women all jump, not hearing him approach at all.
“CEO Tang,” one of them greets sheepishly. “I… We’re…”
“Is there a problem?” he asks, one eyebrow raised.
“Not at all. Nope, we’re just going to… go,” the woman chorus and flee in varying directions, but not forgetting to laugh again.
One of the younger staff from the marketing department puts up both her thumbs at him as she walks past.
Frowning, Tang Yi looks at his office too, bewildered. What were they all giggling about-
Inside his office, there Shao Fei is, taking a nap on his couch. His left arm is flung over the coffee table, and his right is hugging- is hugging Tang Yi’s navy coat to his chest. The curtains aren’t drawn and the walls of his office are made entirely out of glass, so anyone who walks past will see Shao Fei sleeping like this, without a care in the world.
The whole company knows who Shao Fei is by now, considering that Tang Yi has been married to him for the past year, and dating him for much longer. The police captain is a common presence at the company. With his usual friendly and easy-going demeanour, Shao Fei has made plenty of friends at the company and is well-liked by most of his employees.
Tang Yi can’t help but feel the squeeze of jealousy, that others have now seen Shao Fei looking like this.
If anyone sees Tang Yi carrying a sleeping Shao Fei in his arms out of the office building and into the car parked at the lobby later, no one dares to take a second look, or say a word.
Hong Ye and Dao Yi, on the other hand, feel no need to avert their eyes. Instead, they stare fully as Tang Yi carries Shao Fei out, the man snuggling into Tang Yi’s hold even in sleep. It’s enough to make her want to gag.
“Dao Yi,” she huffs, turning around to look at her husband, “How can they be like this? They’ve been married longer than we have, but they’re still so sweet with each other. Must they do this? Must they display so much affection to each other? What am I? Am I invisble? Why aren’t you like this with me? I’m going to complain to Ah Yi. Dao Yi, tell Ah Yi to stop-“
Dao Yi sighs to himself, leaning down to kiss Hong Ye, hoping that this will appease her. Otherwise, he knows he’s not going to get any sleep tonight.
+1
It’s earlier than usual when he returns home that Sunday afternoon. Shao Fei kicks off his shoes and removes his jacket as he passes the doorway.
The house is quieter than usual, and as he steps further inside, he finds the living room and kitchen empty. Shao Fei makes his way upstairs then, expecting to find Tang Yi in his study reading or doing some work.
A pang of guilt strikes him again, because he promised Tang Yi that they would have this weekend together. Who knew that there would be an emergency at the station this morning?
Shao Fei pushes the door to their bedroom open, and his eyes go wide instantly.
Tang Yi is in their room, but he’s not seated at the table. Instead, the man is in bed under the covers, and he is napping.
Between the both of them, Shao Fei knows he’s the one with the habit of napping. In his line of work, he learnt early on to catch up on sleep wherever and whenever he could, because a lot of cases require him to stay awake and be on alert for days on end. Besides, napping is a hobby of his. One of the best feelings in the world is feeling drowsy in the afternoon and just lying down, giving into sleep.
On the other hand, Tang Yi is a creature of routine and discipline. He wakes at 6.30am without fail every morning, goes for a jog and hits the gym before work, and still manages to power through the day at peak condition, before sleeping latest at midnight.
Shao Fei really hasn’t had a chance to see Tang Yi take a nap, so this is a pleasant surprise.
Making as little noise as possible, Shao Fei settles down next to Tang Yi gingerly, the bed dipping under his weight. When Tang Yi doesn’t even stir, Shao Fei moves to lie down facing Tang Yi.
He traces a finger over Tang Yi’s nose, then over the man’s lips.
Lying down like this makes him drowsy too, especially after the day he’s had. Shao Fei inches closer to Tang Yi unitl he can feel his husband’s breaths against his skin.
“I love you,” Shao Fei whispers. “Tang, I love you so much.”
At his quiet declaration, Tang Yi stirs, his eyes opening slightly. “Shao Fei?”
“Hnn. Go back to sleep.”
“Mmm… okay,” the man breathes, and then he shifts around until he’s hugging Shao Fei to him.
Tang Yi’s familiar embrace is so warm and Shao Fei feels the safest when he’s held like this in Tang Yi’s arms, so it’s impossible to fight against the pull of sleep. His eyelids lower slowly.
The last thing he hears is a soft, muffled i love you too into his ear.
Shao Fei beams, happy.