“Rough is the only life I know,” Mao answered pertly, grinning away. “So don’t you judge me.” He was joking, but what he said wasn’t so far from the truth. It wasn’t really a case of preference, rather it was a lack of experience when it came to anything soft and sweet. It showed when Vaughn’s pinch became a caress, the man seeming to catch Mao off guard.
The boy blushed, felt himself blush, and frowned at the sensation. It wasn’t as easy for him to accept affection in this form, and so it was his turn to get flustered. He tried to cover for it by pulling away to poke through the box of scallion pancakes, taking his time before choosing one to nibble on. He didn’t look at Vaughn right away afterward, though he let out a scoff at the suggestion he left men tongue tied.
“Yeah, right. It may come as a surprise, but not everyone has as good of tastes as you.” Instinct told him to be wary of men who showed interest in him. He had seen the way his mother had been treated by anyone she made the mistake of letting close, and in his life, most men were more interested in beating his ass then fucking it. He was lucky that he was so much stronger than he looked. He had protected his mother, and then himself once he was on his own. He won all those schoolyard fights during his foster years, but just because the bullies learned not to try him twice that didn’t mean anyone was fawning over him.
Vaughn too would have been viewed with suspicion if Mao hadn’t met him and spent so much time with him as a cat. He had seen how he was without any outside influences. Vaughn was Vaughn, and that was enough for Mao to let down his walls a little. “It's already awkward, V. Don’t worry about it.”
Mao was back to laughing when asked about the movie. “No, it's the whole drawn out fight to the death in the end,” he answered. “It's weirdly romantic.”
As tempting as it was to call Vaughn out for his oh-so-smooth move of putting his arm around the back of the sofa, Mao refrained and allowed it. It was so dorky and obvious that it was charming. His brows shot up. “Your finger, huh? Hm… We’ll see what my appetite is like after the movie, then.”