The first week of the short break, Xu Chen returned home, he hadn't visited his parents at all during the first semester and his Mum was angry again. Ma Tian had told Xu Chen he would take him back since he was always asking about meeting his parents, but Xu Chen ran back home alone before he had the chance. Only Wang Li knew that Xu Chen's parents didn't know about his sexuality.

At home Xu Chen was ignoring Ma Tian's messages for the first time because he was too stressed about whether he should tell his parents or not. Before, it had been fine since his parents had never told him to get a girlfriend or try and find girls for him but now that he had a boyfriend, Xu Chen couldn't help but be scared that the topic could come up. Five days passed while he was at home and Xu Cen finally answered Ma Tian's phone call. As soon as the call connected, he heard Ma Tian's serious voice on the other side loudly.

"What the hell!? Why have you been ignoring me? Also you left without taking me or saying goodbye!"

"Sorry, I'm ...just I... ah~."

On the other end Ma Tian could hear Xu Chen struggle to talk and come up with an excuse, after not being able to think of anything to say that would be believable, Xu Chen could only tell the truth to his angry boyfriend. Ma TIan listened before he finally calmed down.

"Will you tell them?"

"I want to, I don't know how though Ge. How did you tell your Dad?"

Without skipping a beat, Ma Tian answered with no real emotion.

"Dad told me he had a boyfriend over dinner then I said "Really you can do that?" After he told me there were no rules to love, blah blah I said "Oh cool, I have a boyfriend too" and that was that."

The colour of Xu Chen's face had darkened as he listened to his boyfriends ridiculous story. How could he talk so openly to his Dad? And who was this boyfriend? Ma Tian was no help in the end and they talked on the phone about other things until he was called for dinner. The call had distracted him but now that he wasn't taking to Ma Tian, the butterflies returned to his stomach. When Xu Chen made it to the dining table, his Mother gave him a stern look.

"Who were you talking on the phone with for so long? Was it Xiao Li?"

"Eh, a-another friend."

His Mum put the last dish on the table and sat down beside her husband without saying anything else, leaving Xu Chen to sit beside his baby sister. Dinner was quiet and peaceful for everyone except Xu Chen. His back was covered in a cold sweat as he thought over and over about saying something or staying quiet. Near the end of dinner, Xu Chen could no longer take it and he cleared his throat quietly before telling his parents he had something to tell them. Both his parents were very kind looking people and had never lifted a hand to him during his upbringing, he was hoping that would remain the same during this announcement.

"I-I am in a relationship."

Mrs Xu put down her chopsticks to show she was listening while Mr Xu kept eating, intermittently looking up. Xu Chen's next words were caught in his throat and his Mum was the one to talk next.

"Is it a girl from class?"

"N-No."

Xu Chen was cursing himself for so much stuttering and gulped down his water to calm his nerves, seeing their son's actions made both Mrs Xu and Mr Xu curious, they looked at each other before Mr Xu spoke in a stern voice.

"Well tell us already."

"He is older than me by a few years. And w-well I'm dating a... man."

The room went silent except for his little sister's beginner chopsticks hitting the bottom of her bowl, she was too young to fully understand their conversation so she was only focused on her food. The silence from his parents was killing Xu Chen as he didn't know what they were thinking.

Slowly his Mum stood from her chair and picked his younger sister up, leaving the room without another word. Xu Chen's heart almost shattered and he looked at his Dad, almost begging him with his gaze to say something. His dad coughed awkwardly as he avoided his son's pleading gaze. He picked his cup up and drank what was left, only speaking to Xu Chen once it was placed back on the table.

"I'll call Mr Wang to come pick you up. I think it's best if you stay with him while your Mother and I think through this."

The last shred of hope he had of being comforted or accepted was shattered, without saying another word, Xu Chen looked at the floor as he walked to his room to pack. He could hear in the other room  the conversation his Dad was having with Mr Wang. The excuse was that his sister was sick and they didn't want Xu Chen to catch anything. Xu Chen didn't bother waiting in his room once his bag was packed and he walked out of his childhood home to wait on the street.

It was a Saturday night and that meant Wang Li wouldn't be home tonight, Xu Chen stood outside his front gate in the cold while he waited for Mr Wang. His parents could obviously see him standing in the ice cold wind but never invited him back in. The winter weather chilled Xu Chen to the bone but it wasn't as bad as the pain in his heart.

Mr Wang arrived after a little over an hour after receiving the surprise call, when he heard the tone of Mr Xu, he didn't believe he was being asked to take Xu Chen away because of his sister being ill, luckily the traffic was light and he arrived quicker than he usually would. Instead of waiting in the car like he usually did whenever picking Xu Chen or Wang Li up, Mr Wang parked the car and walked over to the almost frozen boy

Once Xu Chen saw Mr Wang get out of the car for him, the tears he had been pushing down flooded his black eyes and he ran into the older man's chest, sobbing loudly. Mr Wang understood without having to be told anything and he wrapped his own coat around Xu Chen's thin windbreaker. Xu Chen sobbed so loud he was sure his parents and neighbours could hear but he didn't care.

Mr Wang didn't say anything and only rubbed Xu Chen's back soothingly; once the loud broken cries quietened and only large tears were falling down the red cheeks, he helped Xu Chen into the car, carrying the small bag. On the drive back to the apartment, Xu Chen had fallen asleep since the car heating had been turned on high. In the parked car, Mr Wang called his beloved and told him he wouldn't be coming back to the apartment. On the other line, Mr Ma asked curiously.

"Why? Xiao Chen can stay here."

"I think it would be best if he stays where he's comfortable, something happened with his parents tonight."

Mr Wang didn't go into details as it wasn't his place to speak on Xu Chen's behalf. Mr Ma didn't dig for details either. After a few lovey dovey words, Mr Wang hung up and woke the red eyed Xu Chen. In the apartment, Mr Wang offered to cook or prepare a warm drink but Xu Chen only wanted to shower and head to bed.

After his warm shower Xu Chen walked into his room and stood shocked in the doorway. On the bed Ma Tian was slumped against the large pile of oversized plushies, scrolling through his phone. When he noticed his towel wrapped lover in the doorway, he put his phone away and stood up.

"I've been waiting so long, why do you take such long showers?"

Unlike what happened with Mr Wang, Xu Chen only walked over to Ma Tian and crushed his face into the strong chest, he didn't cry or sob but breathed in deeply so he could surround himself with the comforting smell of his boyfriend. Ma Tian picked up Xu Chen and they got into bed together properly, Xu Chen moved so he was laying on Ma Tian's torso then pulled the ginger cat plushie to his side, petting it like it was a real cat.

"I told Mr Wang to go back to my Dad's. Wanna talk about it?"

Xu Chen gave a quick summary of what happened at dinner but once he mentioned how his Mum just stood up and left without saying anything, he stopped talking as fat tears streamed down his face. Ma Tian wrapped the thick blanket around the two of them tightly while he rubbed Xu Chen's bare back, the hot tears soaking through his shirt. Xu Chen ended up crying himself to sleep in Ma Tian's arms, but his breathing was still uneven in his sleep.

The next day Wang Li rushed over with Kong Da, he had practically ran the whole way and when he arrived, he felt like he was dying as he rushed to the toilet, feeling like he would throw up at any second. Kong Da closed the door behind him before stepping into the quiet apartment. Kong Da had jogged alongside his silly lover but he was only a little flushed and out of breath. Once Xu Chen heard Wang Li was back, he followed behind the dying young man and closed the bathroom door.

The whole morning Ma Tian couldn't get another word from Xu Chen and he had to watch his beloved pretend everything was okay. The acoustics in the bathroom caused the two boys' conversation to be easily overheard. Ma Tian and Kong Da heard Xu Chen explain for a second time what happened and his voice still broke when talking about the way his parents ignored him.

Ma Tian became angry having to listen to Xu Chen break down and soon the conversation was blocked by the sound of a shower running. After 30 minutes, both Xu Chen and Wang Li came out of the bathroom wrapped in a large towel each. The little bottoms could see their husbands eyes darken, while Ma Tian spoke in a low tone.

"You showered together?"

Un. Wang Li didn't see the big deal since it wasn't the first time they had done this, still wrapped up in their towels, Wang Li and Xu Chen sat beside their vinegar eating boyfriends. Suddenly  Kong Da got up and asked if he could use the shower, after all he had run to the building too.

"There's no need to ask Da Ge, I think I have some of your clothes here too."

"Tian, you coming."

Ma Tian walked into the bathroom with Kong Da and the noise of the running water was heard again. Both Wang Li and Xu Chen stared at one another in shock, picturing their strong and handsome men bathing together was too much. Of course Wang Li couldn't accept any of this and he banged on the locked door harshly, demanding that Ma Tian better not peek at his man, let alone touch him. All he got in return though was loud laughter from both men.

Not long after Mr Ma and Mr Wang returned to the apartment too while the grown men were still showering together. Mr Wang sat beside the now dressed Xu Chen but didn't say anything. As he expected, Xu Chen asked if they could talk and they left for Mr Wang's bedroom, leaving Wang Li to sit with his soon to be step Father.

Mr Wang had been openly dating Mr Ma for almost a year now but this didn't mean Wang Li was close to him, he sat on the couch stiffly in sweatpants and Kong Da's hoodie. While Mr Ma was wearing old jeans with a jumper, he sat lazily in the single arm chair and looked completely at home in the apartment, causing Wang Li looked like the guest in this situation.

To Wang Li, the atmosphere was awkward and he was glad when his handsome man and Ma Tian came out of the bathroom, towels wrapped around their slender hips. Mr Ma looked over at them before rolling his eyes.

"Why did the two of you bathe together? You two haven't done that since you were teens."

Ma Tian shrugged as he checked the kitchen for Xu Chen, only to be told he was talking to Mr Wang. Mr Ma could see the annoyance on his son's face and told him to sit down so they could talk. Kong Da went into Wang Li's and Xu Chen's bedroom to get dressed with Wang Li following behind, interrogating him to see if Ma Tian touched him inappropriately, but all the silly boy got in return was loud laughter from three men. Once Mr Ma and Ma Tian were alone, Mr Ma started talking to his son.

"Why are you upset? Xu Chen should be the one who is upset."

After returning to his Husband last night, Mr Wang couldn't hold back and ended up telling Mr Ma the bare minimum of what happened. When he heard the situation, Mr Ma was very sorry towards the small boy. At first Ma Tian didn't want to talk to his Dad, but he couldn't stand feeling annoyed and reluctantly talked.

"Last night I get told the bare minimum of why my boyfriend was upset, I didn't push him since I thought he needed time but when Wang Li turns up, he tells him not only what happened but how it made him feel and the fears this whole thing has caused him and now, Mr Wang is here and they're having a heart to heart too."

Mr Ma along to what his son was saying before he replied.

"You feel left out?"

"I want Xiao Chen to know that he can depend on me and confide in me like he does with Xiao Li and Mr Wang."

Mr Ma slowly started to understand but couldn't offer any advice, Ma Tian and Xu Chen had to build trust over time and all though they had been dating for a couple months, for someone like Xu Chen, trust would take more time than others.

Ma Tian didn't feel any better after getting this off his chest and he grumpily sat in his towel, he only got up and changed when Xu Chen and Mr Wang came out of the bedroom. By then Kong Da and Wang Li were coming out of the other bedroom too. Xu Chen was at peace now and seemed more like his usual self. When he saw Ma Tian side step him and walk into the bedroom with a grumpy expression, he followed, closing the door behind him.

"Ge, is everything okay?"

Whenever Xu Chen called Ma Tian Ge, he would always feel light and happy; the frustration Ma Tian was feeling at the moment was cut in half from the single word but he still felt sour, so he chose to ignore the question. Thankfully for Ma Tian he had brought a bag with him when racing over to the apartment after hearing Xu Chen was upset, he wrenched his clothes out then started to get dressed.

After not getting a reply, Xu Chen lazed on the bed as he watched his handsome lover put his underwear on, ever since he saw what Ma Tian had tattooed on his penis, he couldn't help but admire it every time he saw it.

On the whole of the shaft were small colourful flowers, the flowers were dainty and clean, even when the thick manhood was erect they still looked pretty. Xu Chen stared at it until the underwear was pulled up and arranged, he then moved his eyes to stare at the toned chest and stomach that were also covered in colourful ink. Ma Tian enjoyed working out and it showed by the firm muscles.

Slowly Ma Tian's sour mood dissipated from his lover's ogling and he bent down to kiss Xu Chen, talking in a quiet amused voice.

"If you keep staring, I might have to take it back out for you to play with."

The apartment wasn't like Mr Ma's or Ma Tian's and the soundproofing could prove that. Xu Chen stopped his blatant staring and played with his ginger cat instead. Ma Tian dressed quickly before he cuddled in behind Xu Chen, petting the plushie too.

"Do you want one?"

"No, I'm allergic."

Ma Tian spooned Xu Chen from behind and rested his head against the nape of Xu Chen's neck, they smelled the same after using the same shower gel and shampoo. Xu Chen thought Ma Tian had fallen asleep since he was laying still and breathing deeply but Ma Tian whispered into his soft skin tenderly.

"Xiao Chen, please don't hide things from me. I not only want to see the good side of you but also the side you don't want other people to see. Don't hide yourself from me."

Xu Chen didn't think he could cry anymore after talking with Mr Wang but Ma Tian's words brought tears to his eyes and he nodded his head before turning around to hug the strong man. They stayed in the room until mid afternoon. Xu Chen broke down the last of his walls and talked about his family, his parents' reaction to him coming out as well as how they told him not to come back until they said. He told his lover everything, instead of receiving jokes or a silly comment like Ma Tian would usually serve to diffuse the situation, he was held and coaxed while Ma Tian told him about the kind of future they would have together.

"You'll work in a high class restaurant while I'll be taking over from my Dad, we can spend whatever free time we have travelling and eating all the good food this world has to offer. I'll even find a cat you're not allergic to."