Chapter Text
YEAR 0: BOY MEETS BOY
Xue Yang was seven-and-a-half when he pushed Xiao Xingchen, two years his senior, into the river and watched him drown. He didn’t do it on purpose, but with his record and haughty attitude, the townsfolk were eager to point damning fingers. Xiao Xingchen developed a fear of water from that incident and, subsequently, a fear of the boy himself. He kept his distance, but it’s this distance that reeled Xue Yang in. He liked what he could not have.
YEAR 3: BOY MISSES BOY
One day, Xiao Xingchen disappeared from the bus stop they frequented every morning. Rumor was that he had developed a special ability—that he was one of God’s chosen few.
The world was unfair.
Xiao Xingchen was blessed by the heavens; and Xue Yang, in contrast, had nothing to call his own. Despite this, he still wished upon the stars, praying to the spirits to give him something, anything.
YEAR 5: BOY REJOINS BOY
Xue Yang realized that he could move water. He discovered this ability in late April when the rain began to pour; and he proved this to his grandmother, a month later, when he moved the spilled tea back into her cup. Like others who exhibited gifts, he was sent away to The Island. It was where all the chosen ones went to train.
The one who greeted him at the dock was none other than Xiao Xingchen himself. He showed him the facilities, introduced him to the faculty. “This will be your temporary home,” he told him, “and I will be your temporary mentor.”
Half-assed promises.
Xiao Xingchen was notably troubled when he found out that Xue Yang could manipulate water. Even after all this time, he still harbored that fear—and what an awful coincidence it was to assign him to a junior whose ability was his worst nightmare.
YEAR 7: BOY LIKES BOY
Xue Yang was fourteen years old when he realized he had a big, fat crush on his mentor. It started out small, like an itch that tickled his heart every time Xiao Xingchen braved his trauma to watch Xue Yang train. But as days, weeks, and months went by, it grew with each compliment, each giggle, each smile. The feeling swelled in his chest and flushed his cheeks every time Xiao Xingchen reached over to pat pat him on the head.
Not one to hold back, he confessed one night under the bright full moon.
While they were walking back to the dormitories, reminiscing about the town where they’d both come from and how much they missed it, Xue Yang suddenly blurted, “I like you.”
Xiao Xingchen responded as he always had: he smiled at him, kind, and patted his head.
YEAR 8: BOY MEETS GIRL
The rejection did not push him away. Nothing had changed—he still liked what he could not have, so he stayed by Xiao Xingchen’s side.
And then came a girl.
Her name was A-Qing, two years his junior, and an absolute firecracker, especially when it pertained to her unique ability. Xiao Xingchen volunteered to be her mentor—like them both, she came from the same town.
Xue Yang did not like her. They would often squabble over the littlest thing, and even more so for Xiao Xingchen’s attention. And when she began to look at their mentor a certain way, Xue Yang removed the moisture from her lips so she would always look unkissable whenever she spoke to Xiao Xingchen.
“Don’t bother,” Xue Yang told her one day. “He turned me down.”
She scoffed and said, “Yeah, but I’m not you.”
YEAR 9: BOY CONFRONTS BOY
“Why aren’t you telling her to back off?”
Xiao Xingchen sounded a bit exasperated as he said, “What she feels is temporary. It will eventually disappear. She’s young. I do not want to hurt her feelings.”
“What about mine, then?” he snipped back. “I was her age when I confessed to you, wasn’t I? And you still turned me down. Where was your consideration when it came to my feelings?”
“I didn’t think you meant it.”
Xue Yang snorted. “You never take me seriously.”
YEAR 10: BOY CONTINUES TO LIKE BOY
Sometimes, when they shared the same space, Xue Yang would watch him from a comfortable distance, their new norm. He watched as Xiao Xingchen interacted with others, lips always curved into a smile, laughter vibrating through the corridor, cute. But oddly, it left him bitter.
Xiao Xingchen looked and sounded different when he’s with Xue Yang. He was quieter, a bit more reserved in every regard—he hid his smiles, giggled for the most part, even if nothing humorous was said. Xue Yang could only wonder why he was on the receiving end of something lesser.
But that’s how things were.
The world was unfair, and Xiao Xingchen was a part of this world.
YEAR 11: BOY HOLDS BOY
Ever the keen one, Xue Yang found out that his powers were much stronger given two conditions: first, when he’s experiencing immense emotional turmoil; and second, when there’s a full moon. On these special nights, he’d spend hours at the dock, controlling the waves that rolled toward the shore.
He could also make it rain on himself, if he so chose to.
One night, that was how Xiao Xingchen found him—drenched from head to toe without a mere cloud in sight. He only asked if he was all right, and when he received no such reply, he took Xue Yang into his arms and held him tightly. His warm was all that was needed then.
YEAR 12: BOY LEAVES BOY
It was Xiao Xingchen’s time to leave The Island and return home. He’d graduated with the highest praise from each trainer and was sent away with a farewell party that Xue Yang did not attend. And when Xiao Xingchen sought him out personally, Xue Yang shut the door in his face and turned up the speakers. He didn’t want to hear him say goodbye. Not now, not ever.
But he had to see him one last time.
Later that evening, when the ferry carrying XIao Xingchen departed, Xue Yang stood at the shore with his arms outstretched. He moved the vast waters and created waves that rocked the ocean to its floor. The trainers and his fellow classmates caught on immediately and reached for him, but he knocked them away with a single flick on his finger. The moon was full, and his emotions were beyond comprehensible. Tonight, he was unbeatable.
Then came a hug from behind.
“Stop it!” A-Qing cried, pressing her face into the dip of his back. “Please stop! He’s afraid of water!”
“Because of me,” he scowled. “He’s afraid, because of me.”
He pushed her away, but she came right back, clinging to him so tightly that he could feel her thundering heart. She was scared.
“Stop,” she begged once more.
“I don’t want him to leave.”
“I don’t want him to either, but please. Please, just stop. You’ll kill him, Xue Yang.”
That stirred him.
He stopped, and a moment later, he began to regret. Everything he had worked toward—all those stupid years he’d taken to mend their relationship so Xiao Xingchen could replace that awful memory of the river accident with something more pleasant to remember him by—all of that was washed away.
YEAR 13: BOY STAYS WITH BOY
Xiao Xingchen was too afraid to leave The Island after that, so he chose to stay and was soon granted the instructor’s title. For months, neither spoke to each other. Ever the forgiving one, Xiao Xingchen had reached out repeatedly to make amends, but Xue Yang thought the matter was beyond repair. So he kept his distance, though his eyes still lingered on his former mentor’s back and his heart still yearned to hear that laugh.
At long last, they found each other at the same dock, where Xue Yang now sat to his lonesome, his knees pressed up against his chest, his head tilted down. He was, once again, drenched head to toe without a cloud in sight.
Xiao Xingchen sat beside him, like he always had, and wrapped his arms around his shaking form. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “We’re okay.”
“I wish you would just hate me,” Xue Yang muttered. “I wish you weren’t so goddamn nice.”
“I could never hate you.”
His eyes narrowed at the depths. “I almost killed you. If A-Qing didn’t stop me, maybe I would’ve.”
“But you didn’t. You stopped yourself and you gently brought the ferry back to the dock.” Xiao Xingchen leaned against him, a soft breath escaping from his cold lips as frail fingers trail along wet trousers. “And every night from then on, you eased the waves from crashing onto the shore, so they would not frighten me as I fell asleep… I noticed.”
Again, Xue Yang had nothing smart to say. He allowed his heart to speak for him, so he blurted, “I still like you.”
This time, Xiao Xingchen did not resort to an awkward smile and headpats.
He replied softly, “I know.”
YEAR 14: BOY SAVES BOY
Then came a storm that swept The Island with such force that it fractured trees and flooded shores. The two of them were housed in the lowest complex, closest to the thunderous waters. Xiao Xingchen was pale, his body too frozen and frightened to leave for higher ground.
Xue Yang stayed beside him and kept a tight arm around the trembling form. The waves broke through the windows, shattering it to shards. With one hand, he pushed it away farther—and farther. Relentlessly, he held back the storm to keep Xiao Xingchen safe and dry.
See, Xiao Xingchen could move everything and anything with his mind, except for water. And so Xue Yang made a vow to himself many, many years ago—if it was water that Xiao Xingchen feared, then he would push back entire oceans, just for him.
YEAR 15: BOY LIKES BOY BACK
“It won’t hurt you.”
“I know,” Xiao Xingchen giggled as he took his first step into the ocean. “You’d move it, if it did.”
“Damn right, I would.”
With his fingers intertwined tightly with Xiao Xingchen’s own, Xue Yang led him into the dark depths. They were about knees deep when Xiao Xingchen began to hesitate.
“It’s all right.”
“I know,” he echoed, this time quieter, his eyes growing wide.
“Hey, don’t do that. Look at me.”
Xiao Xingchen lifted his gaze and, not too long after, broke into a smile. “I’m fine. Let’s continue.”
They walked a bit more, slowly, until suddenly—Xiao Xingchen slipped. He fell back, and like so, the water cleared from underneath. Xue Yang was quick to catch him and bring him into his arms where he’d promised safety.
“I’m okay,” Xiao Xingchen whispered. “As long as you’re with me, I have nothing to be afraid of.”
The water began to seep back, rising steadily past their knees, all the way up to their waists. It sat very still, even as Xue Yang loosened his grip around Xiao Xingchen and allowed him to test out the waters himself. But Xiao Xingchen did not leave his arms. Instead, he hooked his own around Xue Yang’s neck.
They moved deeper into the water until it rested right below their shoulders. Xiao Xingchen became visibly tense, and his arms around Xue Yang’s neck tightened, but he stood his ground. For the past year, they had worked on this, and today was the farthest he’d gone.
“How are you feeling?”
“My heart’s beating really fast.”
“Deep breaths.”
“Not because of the water,” Xiao Xingchen said, his eyes meeting Xue Yang’s. “You’re close.”
Fifteen years, they had known each other.
Eight years, Xue Yang harbored feelings that had grown stronger and stronger over time.
Once, long, long ago, he wished upon the stars and prayed to the spirits to give him something, anything.
And at last, they granted his wish.
“This is comfortable,” Xiao Xingchen admitted, his eyes falling to Xue Yang’s lips. “I like this.”
Xue Yang’s gaze followed suit and trailed down to Xiao Xingchen’s mouth. They're pretty pink, soft to the sight, and surely soft to the touch. He moved closer, and Xiao Xingchen met him half-way until their foreheads met and their lips were just a breath apart.
“Are you sure?” he murmured.
“Yes,” Xiao Xingchen murmured. “Kiss me.”
And so he did.