It’s been two years since already. Bai Yao doesn’t hate Wen Yue anymore, but merely wants to forget about him. He was completely taken by surprise that the person he doesn’t want to see again his entire life would suddenly visit.
Bai Yao is in pain, an old trauma has revisited and also wounded Mu Mu’er. He feels it is his fault that Mu Mu’er had to go through this, and he takes a little bit more time dressing up than usual to reorganise himself.
After changing, Mu Mu’er is still the little sea otter, lying flat on the ground, with his chin resting on his paws, looking a little despondent.
Bai Yao crouches to ruffle his soft, fluffy little head, before carrying him onto the bed, “he’s gone. You can change back.”
When he’s dressed back up, Bai Yao holds his hand and returns downstairs.
He still has to do his prep and everything. He only closed the restaurant for two days, and he has to open today.
Given the mood, he doesn’t speak much downstairs.
Mu Mu’er, though, recovers at his usual breakneck pace, busily hopping about around Bai Yao, watching him work, wondering why he isn’t speaking.
“Yaoyao,” finally, the boy asks, “who was him?”
Bai Yao puts his stuff down, and leads Mu Mu’er outside to the desks, and seats him before answering, “he used to be Yaoyao’s friend, but he was a very, very bad person. He is no longer Yaoyao’s friend.”
“Ex-boy-friend?”Mu Mu’er still remembers the word that Wen Yue used.
He may be slow with a lot of things, but he’s quite sensitive in other aspects. He thinks he is already the bestest of friends with Bai Yao already, but now, hearing the additional mention of a gender in front of ‘friend,’ it seems to imply something even closer.
Mu Mu’er falls silent then. Bai Yao assumes he must be unhappy because of Wen Yue. He feels both guilty and ashamed.
It’s true that he lived with Wen Yue for a while before he met Mu Mu’er, but he doesn’t know how to explain in a way that would not make him further saddened and unhappy.
He wants to apologise, to hug him, to hide him in the wardrobe upstairs, covering him up with his clothes, burying him into a ball, so that he is never hurt again.
“Did he bully Yaoyao?” Mu Mu’er then asks, “Mu’er will bully Wen Yue for Yaoyao, to make revenge. Mu’er will protect Yaoyao.”
Bai Yao only realises after a bit of time that the boy did not mind.
This is what he was thinking about?
He has never thought that Mu Mu’er will be electing to protect him from before. In fact, up to this point, he’s thought of himself as Mu Mu’er’s guardian instead, and Mu Mu’er is who he needs to protect. There is nothing wrong with that, as he’s willing and more than happy to spoil him.
Yet this turns out not to be the case. Mu Mu’er also wants to protect him; he is capable of protecting him. Yaoyao is at least as important to Mu Mu’er as he is to him.
They’re both the most important person in the other’s life.
Mu Mu’er is also no mere soft pushover of a sea otter, but also has his own sharp canines and claws. He can protect the person he cares about, the person he likes, with all his life.
Even if that person is a ghost of the mountains with sharper fangs and claws.
How could there be such a pure and innocent and adorkable little sea otter?
In retrospect, it was actually kind of murky who was bullying whom back there. If Bai Yao did have the intention, he could have bitten and clawed Wen Yue to death.
He no longer held a grudge against him then, as he had seen through the true nature of that mountain hare, and had no further intention to be involved with him. He merely wants to forget about him altogether.
Bai Yao ruffles Mu Mu’er’s head, “he didn’t.”
Mu Mu’er doesn’t seem to buy it, but changes the question anyway, “what does ‘boy-friend’ mean?”
Bai Yao knew he was going to be curious, and explains patiently and gently, as usual, “it means, unrelated by blood, when two people love each other very much, and they can have kisses and hugs.”
Then he adds, “a boyfriend is someone you like a lot, a lot-a lot, so much more than you like everyone else, combined. You think that he is the best, most kind person around. You want to see him every day, and sleep together every day.”
Mu Mu’er has caught the keyword he needed, “can have kisses?”
“Yes, and not just kisses, but more than that, too.”
Mu Mu’er isn’t sure about what other things counts as ‘more than kisses,’ but he doesn’t mind. He cares about having kisses, and he wants kisses too, every day, and only with Bai Yao.
He remembers his kiss for Bai Yao on the beach. It was his present for Bai Yao, meaning that he really, really liked him.
Bai Yao didn’t kiss him back, but Mu Mu’er really wanted him to.
If they become boyfriends, they can kiss each other, can’t they?
Yes, it must be so.
Mu Mu’er looks hopeful, and his tone excited, rising towards the end, “have kisses, every day?”
Bai Yao answers, “yes, all the time. It is one of the perks of being a boyfriend.”
Mu Mu’er is looking right into Bai Yao’s eyes, his thoughts almost bare given his desirous expression.
Bai Yao thinks, he’s fallen in love. He loves him more and more the more he looks. In fact, his like for him has grown day after day since he first saw him that fateful day, grown like a snowball snowballing down a snowy peak. The like has transformed into love, so full it cannot be concealed or hidden.
Still, he is too afraid to confess, because he’s worried Mu Mu’er does not understand, and their relationship isn’t far enough ahead yet.
Now, though, Bai Yao realises he might have been wrong. Dead wrong.
“My dear boy,” Bai Yao squeezes Mu Mu’er’s earlobe a little, and when they are looking right at each other, he slowly says, “transform back?”
After all the time they’ve spent together, Bai Yao has never asked Mu Mu’er to turn back into a sea otter of his own initiative. He’s only ever tolerated his little behaviour, but never supported it.
This is the very first time.
Mu Mu’er is a little confused, and does not speak for a while, only making an inquisitive ‘mm?’
Bai Yao wraps his arms around Mu Mu’er’s waist, and leans in to snuggle his head against the boy’s shoulder. Then, with a deep, almost gravelly tone, he says,
“Let me ruffle your fur a little.”
It’s been two years since already. Bai Yao doesn’t hate Wen Yue anymore, but merely wants to forget about him. He was completely taken by surprise that the person he doesn’t want to see again his entire life would suddenly visit.
Bai Yao is in pain, an old trauma has revisited and also wounded Mu Mu’er. He feels it is his fault that Mu Mu’er had to go through this, and he takes a little bit more time dressing up than usual to reorganise himself.
After changing, Mu Mu’er is still the little sea otter, lying flat on the ground, with his chin resting on his paws, looking a little despondent.
Bai Yao crouches to ruffle his soft, fluffy little head, before carrying him onto the bed, “he’s gone. You can change back.”
When he’s dressed back up, Bai Yao holds his hand and returns downstairs.
He still has to do his prep and everything. He only closed the restaurant for two days, and he has to open today.
Given the mood, he doesn’t speak much downstairs.
Mu Mu’er, though, recovers at his usual breakneck pace, busily hopping about around Bai Yao, watching him work, wondering why he isn’t speaking.
“Yaoyao,” finally, the boy asks, “who was him?”
Bai Yao puts his stuff down, and leads Mu Mu’er outside to the desks, and seats him before answering, “he used to be Yaoyao’s friend, but he was a very, very bad person. He is no longer Yaoyao’s friend.”
“Ex-boy-friend?”Mu Mu’er still remembers the word that Wen Yue used.
He may be slow with a lot of things, but he’s quite sensitive in other aspects. He thinks he is already the bestest of friends with Bai Yao already, but now, hearing the additional mention of a gender in front of ‘friend,’ it seems to imply something even closer.
Mu Mu’er falls silent then. Bai Yao assumes he must be unhappy because of Wen Yue. He feels both guilty and ashamed.
It’s true that he lived with Wen Yue for a while before he met Mu Mu’er, but he doesn’t know how to explain in a way that would not make him further saddened and unhappy.
He wants to apologise, to hug him, to hide him in the wardrobe upstairs, covering him up with his clothes, burying him into a ball, so that he is never hurt again.
“Did he bully Yaoyao?” Mu Mu’er then asks, “Mu’er will bully Wen Yue for Yaoyao, to make revenge. Mu’er will protect Yaoyao.”
Bai Yao only realises after a bit of time that the boy did not mind.
This is what he was thinking about?
He has never thought that Mu Mu’er will be electing to protect him from before. In fact, up to this point, he’s thought of himself as Mu Mu’er’s guardian instead, and Mu Mu’er is who he needs to protect. There is nothing wrong with that, as he’s willing and more than happy to spoil him.
Yet this turns out not to be the case. Mu Mu’er also wants to protect him; he is capable of protecting him. Yaoyao is at least as important to Mu Mu’er as he is to him.
They’re both the most important person in the other’s life.
Mu Mu’er is also no mere soft pushover of a sea otter, but also has his own sharp canines and claws. He can protect the person he cares about, the person he likes, with all his life.
Even if that person is a ghost of the mountains with sharper fangs and claws.
How could there be such a pure and innocent and adorkable little sea otter?
In retrospect, it was actually kind of murky who was bullying whom back there. If Bai Yao did have the intention, he could have bitten and clawed Wen Yue to death.
He no longer held a grudge against him then, as he had seen through the true nature of that mountain hare, and had no further intention to be involved with him. He merely wants to forget about him altogether.
Bai Yao ruffles Mu Mu’er’s head, “he didn’t.”
Mu Mu’er doesn’t seem to buy it, but changes the question anyway, “what does ‘boy-friend’ mean?”
Bai Yao knew he was going to be curious, and explains patiently and gently, as usual, “it means, unrelated by blood, when two people love each other very much, and they can have kisses and hugs.”
Then he adds, “a boyfriend is someone you like a lot, a lot-a lot, so much more than you like everyone else, combined. You think that he is the best, most kind person around. You want to see him every day, and sleep together every day.”
Mu Mu’er has caught the keyword he needed, “can have kisses?”
“Yes, and not just kisses, but more than that, too.”
Mu Mu’er isn’t sure about what other things counts as ‘more than kisses,’ but he doesn’t mind. He cares about having kisses, and he wants kisses too, every day, and only with Bai Yao.
He remembers his kiss for Bai Yao on the beach. It was his present for Bai Yao, meaning that he really, really liked him.
Bai Yao didn’t kiss him back, but Mu Mu’er really wanted him to.
If they become boyfriends, they can kiss each other, can’t they?
Yes, it must be so.
Mu Mu’er looks hopeful, and his tone excited, rising towards the end, “have kisses, every day?”
Bai Yao answers, “yes, all the time. It is one of the perks of being a boyfriend.”
Mu Mu’er is looking right into Bai Yao’s eyes, his thoughts almost bare given his desirous expression.
Bai Yao thinks, he’s fallen in love. He loves him more and more the more he looks. In fact, his like for him has grown day after day since he first saw him that fateful day, grown like a snowball snowballing down a snowy peak. The like has transformed into love, so full it cannot be concealed or hidden.
Still, he is too afraid to confess, because he’s worried Mu Mu’er does not understand, and their relationship isn’t far enough ahead yet.
Now, though, Bai Yao realises he might have been wrong. Dead wrong.
“My dear boy,” Bai Yao squeezes Mu Mu’er’s earlobe a little, and when they are looking right at each other, he slowly says, “transform back?”
After all the time they’ve spent together, Bai Yao has never asked Mu Mu’er to turn back into a sea otter of his own initiative. He’s only ever tolerated his little behaviour, but never supported it.
This is the very first time.
Mu Mu’er is a little confused, and does not speak for a while, only making an inquisitive ‘mm?’
Bai Yao wraps his arms around Mu Mu’er’s waist, and leans in to snuggle his head against the boy’s shoulder. Then, with a deep, almost gravelly tone, he says,
“Let me ruffle your fur a little.”
