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This was undoubtedly the lowest-quality lodgings in which Zhao Yunlan had ever stayed. At least there was likely to be one benefit, he thought, as he and Shen Wei wearily climbed the five flights of stairs to their room. If he was lucky, the room would have only one bed, and perhaps he would finally be able to get closer to the most attractive and least understood man in his life.
They reached the room and Zhao Yunlan jiggled the old-fashioned metal key in the lock until it yielded and the door creaked open, revealing ... one bed. My luck is in, he thought jubilantly.
Shen Wei turned to him, unruffled. "There appears to be only one bed," he said in a voice so calm as to be unreadable.
Zhao Yunlan carefully kept the elation out of his voice. "Oh," he said. "What a shame." After a moment he added, with a genuine shiver, "It's just as well. This room is too cold to sleep alone."
Then he took a good look at the bed. The layer of dust on the mattress was thicker than the mattress itself; several broken springs were visibly poking through it from below. No luck at all tonight, then. "We'll need to find somewhere else," he said regretfully. "That's not a bed, it's a one-stop shopping center for tetanus."
"There is nowhere else," said Shen Wei. "Otherwise we wouldn't be here. Besides, I think we can manage."
Shen Wei reached over and delicately picked up the pillow by one corner, using the other hand to direct a flow of dark energy at it. Zhao Yunlan lifted an eyebrow. "Disinfecting," said Shen Wei. When he finished, the pillow had gone from dingy beige to gleaming white, and also appeared plumper and more comfortable.
"That was impressive," said Zhao Yunlan. "Can you fix the mattress and the springs, too?"
Shen Wei shook his head. "Alas, no. I should make it a priority to add such powers to my repertoire at my earliest convenience." Zhao Yunlan was positive that he detected the tiniest hint of humor in his companion's voice. "No worries," Shen Wei added in a less formal tone. "We can manage."
He closed his eyes for a moment and put his hands slightly in front of him, palms down. Dark energy swirled, momentarily obscuring his figure; when the energy cleared, he was in his robes as Hei Pao Shi. He whirled the cape off, laid it down on the floor, and plopped the clean pillow on it, near the collar. "Come on," he said, pulling off his boots and lying down on the cloak, using exactly half the pillow. He patted the cloak next to him. "I've been reliably informed that it's too cold to sleep alone."
Uncertain, but certainly not hesitant, Zhao Yunlan peeled off his boots without bothering to untie them and plunked himself down next to Shen Wei. The cloak felt a lot softer and thicker than it looked and made a surprisingly comfortable sleeping surface.
"Too far," murmured Shen Wei, rolling onto his side and reaching over to pull Zhao Yunlan closer, adjusting him so they were both facing the same way. "That's better." He waved his hand, which was currently on Zhao Yunlan's hip, and the cloak wrapped itself warmly around both of them.
Zhao Yunlan waited for Shen Wei to pull his arm back, now that he seemed satisfied with their position, but he merely tightened it snugly around Zhao Yunlan's waist.
"Good night," said Shen Wei. Zhao Yunlan felt the puff of warm breath on the back of his neck. He wanted to prolong the moment, but he was so exhausted from their adventures of the day, he found he could not keep his eyes open. As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered whether removing the bed from his apartment might result in a repeat of the experience. If so, it would be worth it.