Work Text:
"I have to go. You have nothing interesting to say, you fucking perv. Fuck."
"Hahaha, oh, don't be like that. Make sure you dream about me. I sure will." Tian sent a flying kiss to his phone, even though he couldn't see Mo anymore.
Tian didn't hang up. He always waited for the other boy to end the call. After a few seconds, the line was still open. Tian instantly felt a spike of worry, but he hid it.
"Little Mo, did you die of embarrassment?" he teased.
"Shut up, asshole... like, why are you like this? Why do you do things like this?" What do you want me to feel toward you...
Tian saw a glimpse of Mo standing up and walking away, his back facing the phone. His hands were on his face, hiding.
The line was silent for a moment. Tian could see that Mo was genuinely struggling. Tian thought it might be about the past he'd shared earlier. Did I say or do something that triggered a bad memory or feeling? He'd just been trying to be his usual self, trying to keep things from getting awkward after everything that happened today.
Tian didn't know how to communicate what he was thinking, and neither could Mo. They absolutely needed to talk about the dramatic shift in their relationship.
"Why? Did you just figure out that I don't care what you think?" He ended it with a scoff.
Mo felt like he was in a car dangerously hanging on a cliff. He was being played with. His emotions were Tian's amusement. Tian didn't care what he felt or how much he was struggling, even after Mo had poured his heart out. My mistake. Stupid. I was so stupid.
He lowered his hands and turned toward his phone. He looked at Tian's face, which held no shred of emotion, while his own must have had far too much.
Mo walked to his desk and picked up his phone. "I... I..." He sighed heavily. I feel like an idiot. You don't care? Then why does it feel like you do? Why do you bother me so much that it seems like you care? What was that at the lake? Why do you do something only to dismiss it and pretend it was nothing?
He was about to hurl his phone against the opposite wall when he remembered he couldn't afford a new one. He wanted to scream how stupid he felt, but then—blink—the anger vanished as quickly as it came. It wasn't worth it. Tian wasn't worth putting himself through this.
"See you at school." And he hung up.
Tian stared at his phone. The display showed they had talked for nine minutes, twenty-six seconds, and thirty-eight milliseconds.
"Shit!" He threw his phone on the floor because he could afford it. He ran his hands through his jet-black hair, pulling lightly, a sting of pain across his skull. He knew what he said and why he said it that way. But he was furious with himself. The last look on Mo's face was not what he wanted. His intention was for Mo to speak up, to put his thoughts into words. He'd even expected a few curses. But not this...
"Fucking hell! How am I supposed to fix this... you idiot." He jumped to his feet, frustrated.
He anxiously paced from his bedroom to the living room and back. Should I go to him?
Before the question was fully answered, he grabbed his shoes, jacket, and motorcycle keys. A few minutes later, he was out the door.
--------------------------------------------------
Rich asshole: I am at your door. Open up.
Did he read that correctly? No way... WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE!
Mo got up to look out his window. He saw Tian next to his motorcycle, dressed all in black with a cigarette in his hand.
What the fuck does he want now? Mo was tired.
At first, he wanted to pretend he hadn't seen the message... or Tian... but his curiosity got the best of him. Why is he here?
He pulled a jacket from his closet and slowly opened the door, careful not to wake his mother, who had gone to sleep early. He took his keys and quietly closed the door behind him.
He ran down the stairs, almost tripping a few times.
His amber eyes met Tian's almost black ones.
Neither spoke as they approached. Tian tossed his cigarette to the ground, his expression unreadable. Mo hated that expression. He hated it so much he wondered why this guy kept riling him up.
They stood there for a few seconds, neither wanting to break the silence. Both too stubborn to give in.
Tian took a step closer. Mo was too stubborn to move, practically challenging Tian to go further. Tian stepped closer still, so near that he could see a tiny scar above Mo's left eyebrow—something he hadn't noticed before.
Tian slowly reached out to touch the scar. That's when Mo couldn't take it and stepped back.
"What do you want?" His irritation slowly built. He was tired of Tian's bullshit. He'd had enough.
Tian's face finally cracked open. A smile appeared—one that shouldn't be there, not in this situation.
Why is he smiling like that?
"I asked you something. Stop wasting my time."
When Mo didn't get an immediate answer, he snapped. "You know what? Fuck you." He turned to go back inside, exhausted by the games.
"Are you okay?" Tian's voice was like a cold breeze on a winter's morning. Mo felt it in his bones. It was spring, yet he couldn't stop the shivers. He froze in his tracks.
"What do you want from me?" He didn't turn around. "I told you what you wanted to know. So why are you still like this? You're confusing me."
What was Tian hearing? Did he hear it right? I'm confusing him.
"...What do you mean?" He had to cough before speaking, his throat suddenly too dry.
"Your teasing and flirting... for you, it's just a game, right?" You don't like me like I like you... Mo raised his hands to his neck like it hurt.
"Can you stop being like that? It's already hard for me just thinking about you. But when you come here like this, I feel like I want to punch you in the face." My thoughts are all over the place. What the actual fuck am I talking about? Neither of us understands this nonsense.
"Just forget it. Go home." He took a few steps toward the stairs when he felt a hand on his right wrist. It wasn't a firm grip; it was soft. He didn't want to turn around. His eyes were on the ground, his face and ears hot with embarrassment after what he'd just said.
Tian was so close Mo could feel his breath on his neck. When Tian spoke, Mo had to close his eyes, afraid of this new, soft intimacy. Calm down, just play it off cool. He's an idiot. He didn't catch what you really meant.
"Mo..." When Tian got no answer, he lifted his free hand to touch the confused boy's left cheek. "Little Mo, I don't understand what you just tried to say. But I did catch that I'm confusing you. Can you tell me how... how I'm confusing you?" He then touched the left eyebrow, making Mo frown harder, as if in pain. Stop touching me.
Tian seemed to read that. He let go completely and moved to stand in front of Mo, still close.
"I don't want to do something you'd misunderstand that would ruin our relationship. I worked too damn hard to finally be this close to you. You're the only one I truly trust. You can't cast me asi—"
"You said you didn't care what I thought." With his eyes still on the ground, Mo tried to walk past him.
Tian blocked his way to the stairs. Mo wasn't getting away. Not when they had dug this deep. Both had said things that needed clarifying.
"Mo, I care! I thought I made that clear earlier today at the river."
Tian was starting to lose his patience when Mo kept avoiding his face and remaining quiet.
"Yeah, alright. I said some stupid things to push you away. But that was because you clearly don't feel the same... you just hang around me because you're scared, right? All my money and my family's power—it scares you, right? You think I have that same darkness..." You're afraid of me. Tian wondered if he were just a regular boy like Mo if they would have had to go through all this. Probably not. They would have figured things out a long time ago without all this drama.
"It would be easier for you if it was someone else, wouldn't it... If you want an apology, I don't have one." Tian's voice was steady, until the last sentence, where it cracked.
Tian sighed heavily, settling the weight of the new emotions he felt for the boy in front of him.
"We need to talk this out, Mo. Whether you like it or not." He put his hands in his pockets, his eyes mirroring Mo's, waiting for the other boy to speak up.
"I like you. Not as a friend."
Tian felt nailed to the ground. He instantly looked at Mo, watching his beautiful amber eyes. I'm dreaming, right? This is a dream. This can't be happening. Did I hear that correctly?
"W-wha... what did... what did you just s-say?" For the first time, Mo heard Tian completely lost for words. I shouldn't have said that, shit.
Mo tried again to move past Tian, but the latter wouldn't allow it. He held him firmly by the shoulders.
"You like me? Like more than a friend? Like romantically? Like, you want to be with me? Mo, Mo, you need to explain fast, like right fucking now. I swear to God I'll lose my mind. You have feelings for me? When? How? When did you start feeling like this? Oh my god."
Mo was trapped and couldn't get a word in, being cut off by Tian multiple times. Frustrated, he did what he thought would calm the other boy down. He moved forward and captured Tian's lips with his own.
Tian froze, his eyes wide open in absolute shock. Mo's eyes were closed; he desperately wanted to calm Tian down. After a few short seconds, he pulled away.
Tian didn't move. His eyes searched for an answer but only found Mo's slightly scared expression. Tian let go of his shoulders to touch his own lower lip. He was breathing heavily. Mo hugged himself, red as a tomato. Shit. I can't believe I did that.
Tian bit his lip lightly. He wanted it again. He moved very carefully, afraid to startle the "red fox." He reached out to touch Mo's cheek. As soon as skin touched skin, Mo looked up. Damn, how am I going to survive this? My fucking heart is going to stop any moment now.
"Can I kiss you?" He was asking for consent, for an answer, for confirmation.
Mo couldn't speak, so he simply nodded.
That was more than enough for Tian to slowly close the gap. Mo, in turn, grabbed Tian's hips to pull their bodies closer.
Shit, they both thought.