Chapter Text
The first week flirted with the idea of being a success. By the second day, Sizhui managed to get Jin Ling to smile at him. It was a small, tight smile that lasted for a second, but Sizhui counted it anyway. On the third day, Jin Ling returned his greeting in the morning. By Friday afternoon Sizhui was confident that he could befriend Jin Ling with just a little more time. Jin Ling had said goodbye to him at the end of the day, unprompted, which had left Sizhui smiling all the way up until he met JingYi at the school gate. JingYi was not onboard with his naive cousin’s current project, and he tried to get between Jin Ling and Sizhui whenever he could; unfortunately, Sizhui was equal parts kind and determined.
It was Sizhui’s kindness that helped him to ignore JingYi’s attitude, and on Saturday they still met up to hang out like they usually did. Sizhui thanked the driver as they stepped off the bus, his bag hanging over one shoulder while JingYi slouched, his hands in his hoodie pocket as they wandered the sidewalk. They quite often spent their weekends at the boardwalk, at the arcade or getting food, and now that the nice weather was starting to pass they planned on making the most of it while they could. The boardwalk wrapped around a large lake and was busy, but Sizhui and JingYi were still both surprised when something pushed in between them rather rudely.
And then a rather large black dog stopped in front of them, its pink tongue lolling as it gazed up at them. Sizhui immediately lit up, crouching down to offer out his hand.
“Sizhui! It could be dangerous!” JingYi protested, stunned that he was the one having to call out such a basic warning. Sizhui ignored him, and the dog seemed to melt as Sizhui scratched under its chin. It had a tail that curled over its back, which wagged happily. The dog was dragging a lead, a shiny gold pendant hanging from its collar. Sizhui dug his fingers into the dog’s ruff before looking at the tag.
“... Fairy?” He said out loud, running his finger over the engraving.
“Fairy!” Someone yelled from behind them, and both Sizhui and JingYi turned around to see Jin Ling running towards them, calling for the dog that was still standing next to Sizhui, golden eyes staring towards its master but refusing to budge. Jin Ling slowed down as he realized who it was with his dog, his face tense and cheeks just slightly flushed. “Fairy. Come.”
The dog didn’t move, pawing at Sizhui’s knees now that it had gone a few moments without a pat. Obidently, Sizhui stroked behind the dog’s ear, picking up its lead with his free hand. Jin Ling was forced to come closer, huffing when he met JingYi’s gaze for a moment. JingYi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “You named your dog Fairy ?”
“What’s wrong with his name?” Jin Ling immediately snapped back, and JingYi burst into laughter, shaking his head.
“ He? Fairy is a boy ? He’s so big and scary and you named him Fairy!” Sizhui frowned at his cousin, finally standing up straight while one hand still absently played with the dog’s perked ears.
“He’s not scary! And he was only little when I got him!” Jin Ling argued, but the flush in his cheeks grew brighter as he realised who and what he was arguing about. He looked to Sizhui who was smiling brightly at him, offering the dog’s lead. Jin Ling took it and gave it a tug, but Fairy only lolled his tongue back out again, panting as it rubbed against Sizhui’s thigh. “Fairy, come on, stop bothering him.”
“He’s not a bother,” Sizhui laughed, “he’s beautiful, and very friendly. Do you usually walk him on the boardwalk? I haven’t seen either of you here before.”
Jin Ling gradually resigned to the fact that Fairy was not about to leave Sizhui’s side, shooting the dog a half-hearted glare while he thought to himself: traitor . On Sizhui’s side, JingYi was resigning himself to this conversation, and he reached out to gently flick Fairy’s ear which made the dog shiver head to toe. JingYi smiled a little. “... No, I don’t usually walk him here. My uncle… said I should check it out while it’s still nice.”
“Oh! Do you want to get bubble tea with us then? JingYi and I come here all the time, there’s a park not too far from here where we can let Fairy off, too.” Before anyone could agree to anything, Sizhui grabbed Jin Ling with one hand and JingYi with the other, dragging both boys away with Fairy happily trotting along beside him, seeming quite pleased with himself.
JingYi and Sizhui’s favorite bubble tea shop was a hole in the wall; there was no store to step into, you simply ordered through a window and waited, which was perfect for three boys and a dog. Sizhui ordered his usual while JingYi came up with the most bizarre concoction the store was willing to make. Jin ling stared at the menu, his expression difficult to read. Sizhui stepped closer to him, trying to track what he was looking at.
“If you choose something and don’t like it, I’ll get you something else. You can try mine, too,” Sizhui said, quietly so that it was just between the two of them. Jin Ling glanced at him from the corner of his eye-- Sizhui had a small mole just below the curve of his right cheek, a tiny fleck on otherwise porcelain skin. Sizhui tipped his head slightly, expectantly. “Jin Ling?”
“... You can choose something.” Jin Ling eventually relented, averting his gaze while Sizhui placed the order for him. Fairy looked up at his master, whining quietly, as if he was disappointed. Jin Ling frowned, mouthing at him; traitor, I’ll cook you. Fairy was unbothered.
Once their orders were ready, Sizhui insisted on carrying his and Jin Ling’s drinks until they reached the park, where they found a spot that was as quiet as possible on a warm Saturday afternoon. JingYi was already half way through his concoction, which had made Sizhui look quite blue in the face when he tried it, while Jin Ling was only just taking the first tentative sip of whatever Sizhui had ordered for him. It was a fruity tea with the jelly at the bottom off-setting the sweetness a little, although he couldn’t quite pin the taste. Jin Ling sat slightly to the side of Sizhui and his cousin, Fairy stretched out in front of them, his head resting between his paws. Chewing on a tapioca pearl, Sizhui leaned over.
“Is it good? Do you want to try mine?” He asked, and with a wicked grin JingYi leaned over as well, thrusting his drink over.
“Try mine, too!” Jin Ling’s scalp tingled just looking at JingYi’s, which was pressed so close to his face he’d go cross-eyed if he focused on just the straw. He shook his head, pulling a face that made JingYi snort. “Suit yourself! I’m a master of making up new mixes, but you can have Sizhui’s boring one instead.” And with that, JingYi pulled his drink back and took a long sip. Sizhui looked a little peaky again, closing his eyes to gather himself.
“Mine is just a milk tea,” Sizhui admitted, and Jin Ling called it spite that made him take a sip of it, just to rub it in JingYi’s face that he didn’t want his. Sizhui was still holding the drink, his cheeks warm as he watched Jin Ling bend over to try it. “The one I ordered for you is one I get when it’s really hot out, it’s not as sweet.”
In the end, Jin Ling decided he liked the drink Sizhui had picked for him and all three of them sat in the grass in relative peace. Once Sizhui had finished his drink he went back to doting on Fairy, scratching and rubbing the dog’s belly until Jin Ling let the dog off the lead and then like a child, Sizhui couldn’t help but spring up and run off with Fairy, searching for a stick or something to play with. His cousin roughhousing with a dog, JingYi was left alone with Jin Ling. It was quiet, and JingYi had always struggled with silence. He chewed on his drink straw, glancing between his cousin and the new kid.
“... Why are you staring at him?” he eventually asked. Jin Ling’s face had been quite still, but admittedly his ears burned red and he snapped his head to one side, furious.
“I’m not staring at him!” Jin Ling snapped and JingYi rolled his eyes, smacking him lightly on the shoulder.
“Why are you always so defensive? It’s just a question.” JingYi wasn’t exactly soothing him, but he was trying not to antagonize him at least. “Sizhui likes dogs, but his dad is terrified of them. If you let him he’ll probably play with Fairy all day… Sizhui’s a really good person, you know? Everyone likes him, he would do pretty much anything for anyone… If he got hurt, a lot of people would be angry.”
Jin Ling was quiet, but he nodded a little and sat in the quiet tension, finishing his drink and watching Sizhui, who played with Fairy until they were both panting and exhausted. Sizhui’s cheeks were ruddy and aching from smiling when he wandered back to his cousin and Jin Ling, picking grass out of his hair as he smoothed it out. Fairy seemed to finally acknowledge Jin Ling again, nearly climbing into his lap to rest while Jin Ling patted the dog’s side distractedly, watching as Sizhui pulled his sweater off over his head and rummaged through his backpack for a bottle of water. His shirt sat high on his hip, smooth skin peeking out… But before Jin Ling could stare for too long, JingYi socked him in the arm and knocked him out of it. Jin Ling scowled, rubbing his arm before shoving JingYi back. He wasn’t doing anything! And Sizhui had moved again and fixed his shirt so it didn’t matter anyway. Sizhui seemed completely oblivious, trying to find a way to share his water with Fairy until he ended up just tipping it into his palm so the dog could get in a few licks.
In the end, it turned out they had used up the best part of the day. It wasn’t long after Sizhui had gotten his breath back that the sky started to roll over grey-- not rain, but it got cold fast. Sizhui put his sweater back on and Fairy was put back on his lead, which Sizhui also held. Jin Ling followed the cousins back to the bus stop, a few steps behind as he thought.
“... Sizhui,” Jin Ling mumbled but still caught his attention. Like it was the first time they’d seen each other in a week, Sizhui was beaming at him, tilted his head slightly in inquiry. Jin Ling felt like his neck had been burning all damn day at this point, so he stared at his feet rather than Sizhui’s face. “We… I could walk you home. So you can spend more time with Fairy.”
“Really? That would be great! JingYi? Is it okay if we walk?” Jin Ling’s heart sank immediately. Why does he have to come? He grumbled internally, but the decisions were already made, and so the trio set off together. Sizhui and JingYi had grown up together; it seemed like they could talk about absolutely anything together while Jin Ling lagged behind, anything he wanted to stay becoming irrelevant within a few breaths. It felt futile, but to a degree, Jin Ling found himself just kind of enjoying listening to a completely normal conversation, Sizhui laughing so hard he snorts, which only makes them both laugh even more, and occasionally they would throw Jin Ling a bone, asking for his opinion on something. He wanted to make Sizhui laugh, but so far he hadn’t managed it. He still hadn’t by the time they reached Sizhui’s house. At the front gate Sizhui crouched down to say goodbye to Fairy, kissing along his muzzle while JingYi leaned against the fence, looking exceptionally fond of his cousin.
“Your dad is gonna kill you if he sees you with that dog,” he teased and Sizhui stood up with a pout, folding his arms across his chest.
“Only if you tell him.” Sizhui said, turning to their guest. “Thank you for today, it was nice spending time with you outside of school. I wish I could invite you in, but…” The but was directed at Fairy, whose lead Jin Ling finally had a hold of, winding around his wrist.
“It’s fine,” Jin Ling insisted with a shake of his head. A silence lulled between them and JingYi unlatched the front gate, slowly trying to coax Sizhui through but his cousin was lingering, his lips slightly parted.
“I-- Jin Ling, we should hang out more, okay?” Sizhui was so earnest that it made everyone blush, Jin Ling staring for a long moment until he felt like he was going to combust if he looked at this ray of sunshine directly for another second.
“... Yeah. Yeah, sure.”