Some twenty minutes later, Bai Yao is catching his breath on the ground while holding his lover in his embrace – well, more like sandwiched between him and the grass, with his arms raised over his head.
“So, are you raising your paws in surrender?” Bai Yao chuckles, but doesn’t let Mu Mu’er’s wrists go just yet, enjoying the spectacle of Mu Mu’er being unable to escape like a sparrow with wings locked in place.
He leans down to bury his head in Mu Mu’er’s neck, to get some fresh and warm air from the little guy.
Suddenly, Mu Mu’er speaks softly and with a much hoarser voice, “two embraces. Mu’er can give two embraces a day…”
Bai Yao chuckles again.
The boy really does smell warm and nice, with a layer of citrus lemon to it. This is a personal scent to Bai Yao, a most special scent in the entire world.
The smell of home.
They may call snow leopards the ghost of the mountains, solitary and free in nature. Even ghosts, though, have lifestyles they prefer, places they want to be, and people they want to love.
The ghost Bai Yao is lucky to find his little sea otter. The soft, fuzzy animal slowly saunted into his chest, building a small abode in his chest, and is here to stay.
Now, even the ghost has a home.
Meeting is their luck; loving is their instinct.
They lie flat on the grasslands, with Bai Yao looking up at the stars, and saying, “Mu’er, you can make a wish, and tell the stars what Mu’er wants. They might make it come true for you.”
Mu Mu’er stargazes for quite a while before asking in turn, “what does Yaoyao want?”
Bai Yao turns to look at the boy, and moves him over into his lap, kissing him on the forehead, “Yaoyao wants his Mu’er to be safe and happy his whole life, always.”
He’s already got plans to add another tattoo to his arm——An ocean with a full moon over it.
He hails from the mountains, and Mu’er from the oceans. The two who may have never met each other, instead met at a quiet little seaside town named Qiaohai, and decided to devote the rest of their lives to each other.
Bai Yao also wants to change the restaurant’s name. ‘Scallops and Shells,’ Mu’er’s favourite food. Letting all the customers know that the owner’s lover is a cute and soft little sea otter.
Mu Mu’er declares, while hugging Bai Yao, “Mu’er wants too. Wants Yaoyao to be happy forever, and hold hands with Mu’er forever.”
He pauses, and points up to the brightest star in the sky, “the biggest, shiniest one is Yaoyao’s. The smaller one next to it is Mu’er’s. The next biggest one there is my gege‘s…”
Mu Mu’er continues counting and distributing the stars on the sky with glee. One by one. Until he reaches the thirty-second star and forgets which stars he’s already counted, and starts again.
Bai Yao listens quietly without interrupting.
It is said that the starry skies on this remote island is the most beautiful thing to see, so Bai Yao has always planned to take whomever he ends up together with here to see. Now, though, actually being here with his boyfriend has made him realise that not even an entire canvas of stars can compare to his little sea otter.
Not just the stars, but nothing else. Not even the entire Moon.
The word ‘forever’ only gains true meaning when one meets the star that belongs just to them.
“An old sea otter and an old snow leopard, together for our whole lives,” Bai Yao waits for when Mu Mu’er turns to look at him, and kiss him on the eyelids, “alright?”
The little sea otter nudges forward a little, until he’s right under Bai Yao’s arms, close to his heart.
Mu Mu’er may only have learned of the word ‘boyfriend’ only a week or so ago, but he already understands what the word means fully by now. Boyfriend, to him, is someone he loves, really loves, loves a lot, a lot, that the person will fill every single space and corner inside the body. That is the person you will want to spend, and will spend an entire lifetime with.
Yes. His answer is yes.
A hundred yeses. A thousand. Ten thousand.
Mu Mu’er continues to say yes inside Bai Yao’s lap.
He can let him ruffle his fur his whole life long, and he has no doubt that Bai Yao will look for little seashells to give to him his entire life, too. It must be the most magical thing in the world to be sleeping next to the one you love.
Bai Yao holds the little guy’s face and says, with an utmost, serious tone, “Yaoyao will even go to space to get stars for you if you want to. No matter how many. Thirty forty fifty. You only need to say a number.”
Mu Mu’er is blushing a lot, while his eyes are clearly losing focus. He must be really sleepy now.
Bai Yao is going to continue speaking again, smiling, patient to repeat, but Mu Mu’er shakes his head.
“No stars. No. Mu’er can watch,” he is brushing his cheeks against Bai Yao’s palms, “Mu’er only needs Yaoyao.”
His voice is so sweet after kisses. He’s such a softie. Bai Yao observes him up and down, from his hair follicles, to his brows, the tip of his nose, his little dimples, and then, the corner of his lips.
From now on, this is the image of the only person etched into his mind. He will do whatever it takes to protect him and treasure him the rest of his life.
Shortly after, he calls out, “darling.”
Mu Mu’er looks up, with some curiosity, but also love in his eyes.
Bai Yao recalls the little sea otter he met in the midsummer July days on the beach. He was a soft little plushie, who really liked collecting little knick-knacks. He thought he adopted a pet, but now…
He would like to propose to this little darling, to put a silver ring around his ring finger. Then kiss him on the lips for an eternity, teaching him that ‘strawberries’ doesn’t mean food in this case.
A lifetime is fleeting, but it’s also not short, when spent with the one you love. He may not have come to the rescue right on the moment, but the little regret would be just perfect to leave as a connection in their next life – for them to meet again, to be boyfriends again.
Their life together will probably be just long enough to figure out whether the sun is more beautiful during dawn or dusk – an answer that is solely a secret between the two.
Bai Yao whispers, “I’ve fallen for you, my entire life, I’d bet.”
Mu Mu’er doesn’t answer, but continues looking at Bai Yao, with eyes that trust, that relies on, that loves him fully.
Like a white lily blooming under dazzling starlight, it’s clean, bright, soft; Mu Mu’er, from the first day he met Bai Yao, has entrusted him his entirety, his whole being of love.
Yes. Their relationship is of equals. Mu Mu’er does not love Bai Yao any less than Bai Yao does. Both are genuinely treating the other person as the most valuable treasure in their lives.
Bai Yao knows that confession might have been a little subtle for the little guy, so he smiles while guiding the boy’s chin towards him.
The trails of the stars above must have dropped dust onto his eyes, and he wants to kiss him, to help him clean each one away by small licks, then, to kiss him with a mouthful of starlight, for the Milky Way shall emerge from between their lips.
They say Qiaohai is a place where even their souls can find respite. Bai Yao, though, has found a better respite for his soul – on the little sea otter. His home isn’t just where the town is, but where Mu Mu’er is.
Bai Yao calls out quietly, “Mu’er.”
“Mm?” Says a sleepy Mu Mu’er.
Bai Yao, with the biggest smile of his life, pokes the boy on the lower lip with his fingertip, while asking, “babe, let’s get married. Will you let me?”
— The End —
Some twenty minutes later, Bai Yao is catching his breath on the ground while holding his lover in his embrace – well, more like sandwiched between him and the grass, with his arms raised over his head.
“So, are you raising your paws in surrender?” Bai Yao chuckles, but doesn’t let Mu Mu’er’s wrists go just yet, enjoying the spectacle of Mu Mu’er being unable to escape like a sparrow with wings locked in place.
He leans down to bury his head in Mu Mu’er’s neck, to get some fresh and warm air from the little guy.
Suddenly, Mu Mu’er speaks softly and with a much hoarser voice, “two embraces. Mu’er can give two embraces a day…”
Bai Yao chuckles again.
The boy really does smell warm and nice, with a layer of citrus lemon to it. This is a personal scent to Bai Yao, a most special scent in the entire world.
The smell of home.
They may call snow leopards the ghost of the mountains, solitary and free in nature. Even ghosts, though, have lifestyles they prefer, places they want to be, and people they want to love.
The ghost Bai Yao is lucky to find his little sea otter. The soft, fuzzy animal slowly saunted into his chest, building a small abode in his chest, and is here to stay.
Now, even the ghost has a home.
Meeting is their luck; loving is their instinct.
They lie flat on the grasslands, with Bai Yao looking up at the stars, and saying, “Mu’er, you can make a wish, and tell the stars what Mu’er wants. They might make it come true for you.”
Mu Mu’er stargazes for quite a while before asking in turn, “what does Yaoyao want?”
Bai Yao turns to look at the boy, and moves him over into his lap, kissing him on the forehead, “Yaoyao wants his Mu’er to be safe and happy his whole life, always.”
He’s already got plans to add another tattoo to his arm——An ocean with a full moon over it.
He hails from the mountains, and Mu’er from the oceans. The two who may have never met each other, instead met at a quiet little seaside town named Qiaohai, and decided to devote the rest of their lives to each other.
Bai Yao also wants to change the restaurant’s name. ‘Scallops and Shells,’ Mu’er’s favourite food. Letting all the customers know that the owner’s lover is a cute and soft little sea otter.
Mu Mu’er declares, while hugging Bai Yao, “Mu’er wants too. Wants Yaoyao to be happy forever, and hold hands with Mu’er forever.”
He pauses, and points up to the brightest star in the sky, “the biggest, shiniest one is Yaoyao’s. The smaller one next to it is Mu’er’s. The next biggest one there is my gege‘s…”
Mu Mu’er continues counting and distributing the stars on the sky with glee. One by one. Until he reaches the thirty-second star and forgets which stars he’s already counted, and starts again.
Bai Yao listens quietly without interrupting.
It is said that the starry skies on this remote island is the most beautiful thing to see, so Bai Yao has always planned to take whomever he ends up together with here to see. Now, though, actually being here with his boyfriend has made him realise that not even an entire canvas of stars can compare to his little sea otter.
Not just the stars, but nothing else. Not even the entire Moon.
The word ‘forever’ only gains true meaning when one meets the star that belongs just to them.
“An old sea otter and an old snow leopard, together for our whole lives,” Bai Yao waits for when Mu Mu’er turns to look at him, and kiss him on the eyelids, “alright?”
The little sea otter nudges forward a little, until he’s right under Bai Yao’s arms, close to his heart.
Mu Mu’er may only have learned of the word ‘boyfriend’ only a week or so ago, but he already understands what the word means fully by now. Boyfriend, to him, is someone he loves, really loves, loves a lot, a lot, that the person will fill every single space and corner inside the body. That is the person you will want to spend, and will spend an entire lifetime with.
Yes. His answer is yes.
A hundred yeses. A thousand. Ten thousand.
Mu Mu’er continues to say yes inside Bai Yao’s lap.
He can let him ruffle his fur his whole life long, and he has no doubt that Bai Yao will look for little seashells to give to him his entire life, too. It must be the most magical thing in the world to be sleeping next to the one you love.
Bai Yao holds the little guy’s face and says, with an utmost, serious tone, “Yaoyao will even go to space to get stars for you if you want to. No matter how many. Thirty forty fifty. You only need to say a number.”
Mu Mu’er is blushing a lot, while his eyes are clearly losing focus. He must be really sleepy now.
Bai Yao is going to continue speaking again, smiling, patient to repeat, but Mu Mu’er shakes his head.
“No stars. No. Mu’er can watch,” he is brushing his cheeks against Bai Yao’s palms, “Mu’er only needs Yaoyao.”
His voice is so sweet after kisses. He’s such a softie. Bai Yao observes him up and down, from his hair follicles, to his brows, the tip of his nose, his little dimples, and then, the corner of his lips.
From now on, this is the image of the only person etched into his mind. He will do whatever it takes to protect him and treasure him the rest of his life.
Shortly after, he calls out, “darling.”
Mu Mu’er looks up, with some curiosity, but also love in his eyes.
Bai Yao recalls the little sea otter he met in the midsummer July days on the beach. He was a soft little plushie, who really liked collecting little knick-knacks. He thought he adopted a pet, but now…
He would like to propose to this little darling, to put a silver ring around his ring finger. Then kiss him on the lips for an eternity, teaching him that ‘strawberries’ doesn’t mean food in this case.
A lifetime is fleeting, but it’s also not short, when spent with the one you love. He may not have come to the rescue right on the moment, but the little regret would be just perfect to leave as a connection in their next life – for them to meet again, to be boyfriends again.
Their life together will probably be just long enough to figure out whether the sun is more beautiful during dawn or dusk – an answer that is solely a secret between the two.
Bai Yao whispers, “I’ve fallen for you, my entire life, I’d bet.”
Mu Mu’er doesn’t answer, but continues looking at Bai Yao, with eyes that trust, that relies on, that loves him fully.
Like a white lily blooming under dazzling starlight, it’s clean, bright, soft; Mu Mu’er, from the first day he met Bai Yao, has entrusted him his entirety, his whole being of love.
Yes. Their relationship is of equals. Mu Mu’er does not love Bai Yao any less than Bai Yao does. Both are genuinely treating the other person as the most valuable treasure in their lives.
Bai Yao knows that confession might have been a little subtle for the little guy, so he smiles while guiding the boy’s chin towards him.
The trails of the stars above must have dropped dust onto his eyes, and he wants to kiss him, to help him clean each one away by small licks, then, to kiss him with a mouthful of starlight, for the Milky Way shall emerge from between their lips.
They say Qiaohai is a place where even their souls can find respite. Bai Yao, though, has found a better respite for his soul – on the little sea otter. His home isn’t just where the town is, but where Mu Mu’er is.
Bai Yao calls out quietly, “Mu’er.”
“Mm?” Says a sleepy Mu Mu’er.
Bai Yao, with the biggest smile of his life, pokes the boy on the lower lip with his fingertip, while asking, “babe, let’s get married. Will you let me?”
— The End —
