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...Just why is Mo Ran doing this again?
Why is he sitting on a rickety chair (Xue Meng purposefully gave him this exact chair, he just knows it) at the end of a deserted hallway, surrounded by obnoxiously pink decorations that are so pretentious it’s almost laughable? Why, on fucking Kiss Day no less, does he have to do this chicken shit gig? Mo Ran could be wooing his crush at this very moment for all he knows.
Of course, he’s just going to go over the fact that said crush is his professor. Mo Ran never worries about the small details; they’re just as what they are meant to be. Small. Irrelevant.
Anyways, the point is, he’s sitting in a fucking kissing booth to earn funds for their up-and-coming band. Mo Ran wonders if Ye Wangxi and the others planned this without knowing the implications of doing it on this day in particular, where practically every couple is out on a date and the single ones couldn’t be bothered to try this joke of a booth that they put together in, what? One hour? Thirty minutes tops?
“But you’re—you’re hot!” Xue Meng had said, with as much disdain as a person who refuses to accept that the earth is round and their life is actually a lie. “You’re the only one who can pull this off. Look, ge, do you want to upgrade our instruments or what?”
Mo Ran doesn’t know if he should be delighted that his cousin finally complimented him or if he wants to strangle Xue Meng for coming up with the most absurd idea to end all ideas.
But, well, the damage is done. Mo Ran will just take what he got and suffer through the afternoon kissing random strangers. If there will be anyone who would be remotely interested in their pathetic booth.
Mo Ran pulls out his phone to pass some time. He has four more hours until they call it a day, and even if he tries to escape, he knows that Xue Meng and the others are constantly lurking here and there. Mo Ran can’t take the risk.
He is just about to watch a YouTube compilation of white cats drinking milk when—
“Mo Ran?”
The man in question stops in his tracks. Was it just his imagination or did the white cat in the video start talking? In Chu Wanning’s voice, no less?!
Slowly, as if he’s a main character in a horror movie, Mo Ran looks up to the owner of the voice. Instead of a horrendous monster or a pale-faced ghost, though, he meets Chu Wanning in the eye. Cold yet beautiful Chu Wanning. Tall and gorgeous Chu Wanning.
Mo Ran clears his throat. His professor , Chu Wanning.
“Chu-laoshi?” He mirrors Chu Wanning’s confused expression. Chu Wanning never goes through this hallway. And Mo Ran knows that because his band mostly practices in this part of the building, not because he knows Chu Wanning’s schedule by heart, thank you very much. “What are you doing here?”
It’s a subtle change, but Mo Ran swears he can see the faintest hint of red on the apples of Chu Wanning’s cheeks after he asked that question. Mo Ran is suddenly very, very interested.
“...I heard the other professors talking about your band’s fundraising event.” He starts, albeit hesitant. Mo Ran wonders if his heart-eyes towards the vision that is Chu Wanning can be seen from miles away. “So I went to check how things are. And to… help.”
“Help? How?”
“I’m buying some sweets for myself. What else is there?” Chu Wanning says with an air of petulance. It almost sounds like he’s pouting, and Mo Ran doesn’t know if he actually wants to see Chu Wanning pouting and risk the possibility of him suffering from a heart attack.
He nods instead, already opening his mouth to explain the vast array of candies laid out on the table when he realizes.
Chu Wanning buying the candies implies that he has to kiss Mo Ran while eating them. He is going to buy them and then he will stand in front of Mo Ran and then they will share whatever candy it is that Chu Wanning will buy. Between their mouths. They are going to kiss.
“Chu-laoshi…” Mo Ran almost doesn’t want to tell Chu Wanning off. He almost lost control, but he is harnessing all his strength and willpower to resist Chu Wanning’s irresistible charm for the sake of both his and his professor’s future. Kissing Chu Wanning can wait until he graduates, right? Just one more year. “You do know that you have to kiss me while you’re eating the candy, right?”
Almost comically, Chu Wanning’s eyes round in surprise. He really, really looks like one of the white cats from the video that he was watching. His mouth parts for the slightest bit, revealing a hint of teeth and a shy peek of tongue. Okay, wait—no, Mo Ran. Not now.
Immediately after that, the barely perceptible blush on Chu Wanning’s cheeks suddenly deepened, spreading throughout the entirety of his face down to his neck. He looks so scandalous and flustered and yet Mo Ran still finds him so alluring. “W-what? What kind of fundraising event involves such acts?!”
“Chu-laoshi has never heard of a kissing booth?”
“Kissing… booth?” He says it slowly, like he’s testing the name on his tongue. “So… the other people who will buy the candies have to kiss you too?”
Mo Ran raises an eyebrow. “Yes, basically.”
Then, the unexpected happens. A strange expression flies by Chu Wanning’s face. He looks… incredulous and somewhat annoyed, maybe even jealous if Mo Ran is seeing all of this correctly? His eyebrows are furrowed much like when he’s lost in thought and thinking deeply about something, a frown set upon those thin, pink lips that Mo Ran has been yearning to touch. How soft can they be? How glossy? Will Chu Wanning’s lips open up when Mo Ran urges him to? Will it mold perfectly against his when they—
Looking at Chu Wanning for more than a minute proves to be detrimental for Mo Ran. His thoughts always veer into dangerous territories.
After an eternity of silence, Chu Wanning finally opens his mouth to speak. “A-alright then.”
“W-what?” Mo Ran answers Chu Wanning’s stutter with one of his own. “Chu-laoshi, you do know that that means you have to—”
“I know.” Chu Wanning says, suddenly much more poised and indignant than his discomposed state not even five minutes ago. The blush is still ever-present on him, though, if ever, it just gets darker the more he forces the words out of his mouth. “I’ll buy them all.” Mo Ran gapes. He was just about to retort but Chu Wanning beat him to it. “I’m only doing this to help your band.”
Well then, Mo Ran tries to compose himself. The keyword being try. It’s all just for charity, nothing more.
—
He is dreaming.
Chu Wanning is looking at the piece of hard candy like he would towards his class materials and engineering blueprints, sharp yet calculating. Mo Ran thinks he’s actually figuring out the time it will take for the candy to melt between their mouths.
Surely, this is just a dream. One that Mo Ran’s traitorous, horny mind had managed to conjure.
Because there’s no way in hell that Chu Wanning would be standing so close to him, so nonchalant about the fact that he’s going to kiss Mo Ran, of all people. It is virtually impossible for someone like Chu Wanning to even agree to a situation like this, one that demands intimate physical touch with someone who’s practically a stranger to him.
And yet he is here. Maybe, just maybe, Mo Ran can convince himself that this is actually happening.
“This is the most expensive one, right?”
“Yes, Chu-laoshi.” Mo Ran says his answer through clenched teeth. “You know, laoshi, we don’t have to do this if—”
Chu Wanning actually glares at him. He’s holding the jawbreaker inside one clenched fist, and for a moment there, Mo Ran thought it’s going to get crushed inside Chu Wanning’s palm.
“It—it wouldn’t be fair to the other customers.”
Mo Ran narrows his eyes at him. How would they even have more customers if Chu Wanning already bought all of their candies?
Shaking his head, Mo Ran walks up to Chu Wanning. The latter flinches in response as the space between them keeps decreasing exponentially but he stubbornly refuses to move, pointedly staring at the ground as if it’s the most interesting sight in the world. His arms are slightly shaking when Mo Ran peels the candy from his tight grip.
“Chu-laoshi, we don’t have to do this. Just you buying all of our candies is enough.” He tries, for the last time.
When Chu Wanning finally tilts his head up to look at him, Mo Ran is rewarded with a wonderful flushed expression. This close, he can see that even the tips of Chu Wanning’s ears are blushing.
“Like I said,” He says slowly. “It wouldn’t be fair.”
On one hand, Mo Ran is sweating his balls out because surely, surely this kind of thing isn’t allowed in public institutions, even when both parties have consented to the arrangement. Someone is definitely going to catch them by some hilarious coincidence even though this building is basically a ghost town and they will get reported for indecent acts or some other shit. The scandal that this would cause will be the end of not only the two of them but also Mo Ran’s band, and he doesn’t want any of that happening to his friends.
On the other… well… Chu Wanning is really hot. And Mo Ran really, really wants to kiss him.
It doesn’t hurt if he dives in for a peck, right? After that, Mo Ran will stop. He can’t really risk themselves like this, no matter how cute Chu Wanning looks when he’s flustered beyond control, how infuriating it is that he keeps licking his lips in what Mo Ran wants to assume as anticipation for what’s about to come, how—
Okay, enough of being sidetracked. Mo Ran clears his throat and takes one step, two steps, until there’s no more than twenty centimeters between them. A certain part of him smirks in satisfaction when Chu Wanning blushes even deeper at their distance.
“Give me your hand, Chu-laoshi?”
“...What?”
“I meant the candy, sorry. Or would you rather have it in your mouth first? I don’t mind either way.” A pair of obviously shaken phoenix eyes darts from Mo Ran’s face to the piece of jawbreaker in his hand, ruminating on its next course of action. Chu Wanning seems torn.
Finally, after a whole forty-five seconds of thinking, Chu Wanning gingerly lifts a clenched hand, one that holds the godforsaken candy inside. A jolt of electricity ran through their bodies the second their hands touched, adding to the tension that is slowly piling up in the deep chasm between their trembling forms.
Mo Ran smiles reassuringly, one where he knows his dimples will pop out, because he kind of has an inkling that Chu Wanning finds that certain aspect of him adorable. He was proven right when said professor balked at the display, immediately averting his eyes from Mo Ran as he fakes a cough and covers his face with a shaking fist. How cute.
“It’s going to be okay.” Mo Ran says to Chu Wanning. Or to himself. Heaven knows they’ll both need it. “I’m only going to be quick, Chu-laoshi. We can’t keep kissing until the jawbreaker melts; someone might walk by and I don’t think neither of us wants that to happen right now.”
Mo Ran’s eyes must be playing tricks on him, because there is no way in hell that Chu Wanning would wear a disappointed face after hearing the words that came out of Mo Ran’s mouth. It’s subtle but it’s there; a tiny little frown that opens a whole can of questions in Mo Ran’s end, questions that he’s too afraid to know the answers to.
Nevertheless, the expression is gone as quickly as it appeared, and before Mo Ran knew it, Chu Wanning has already schooled his face back to its somewhat neutral state, save for the stubborn pink sheen that still dusts his cheeks, most likely from their proximity.
Mo Ran suddenly wonders. Has Chu Wanning not been intimate with anyone in his life? Surely he has some experience or two, because there’s no way in hell that a man as gorgeous as him could have been single his entire life. A lot of people may find Chu Wanning cold and aloof at first, heck, it even happened to him the first time, but that was just his exterior; a wall covered with thorns to keep anyone who dares sully the blooming flowers on the other side, an intimidating front to an otherwise kind and caring heart.
He had experienced it firsthand, the first look at the blossoming petals that lie behind Chu Wanning’s frosty countenance. Mo Ran had been on his last legs after a particularly grueling final exam, and on top of that, he had band practice and an after-school job to attend. It wasn’t his intention at all, but he fell asleep not even halfway through Chu Wanning’s class, a situation that he would never find himself in because Mo Ran would never pass up an opportunity to stare at his professor’s body, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Point is, Mo Ran was still asleep even after the class had ended, and when he finally came to, he awakens to a container that is wafting an irresistible scent of what seems to be spicy wontons as well as a can of his favorite iced coffee.
Confused, Mo Ran darted his eyes all over the empty room until he saw a sliver of a shadow walk away from the half-opened door. He immediately sprung to his feet to chase the kind samaritan and thank them with his whole heart, but when he got to the hallway, they had already turned into a corner. Mo Ran only saw a brief sliver of long, black hair and a cream-colored canvas bag.
Luckily, he knows exactly who the owner of the bag is.
Mo Ran never told Chu Wanning that he knew it was him, but he still treasured the little sentiment in his heart nonetheless.
“Mo Ran?”
The man addressed flinches at the sound of his own name, the little bubble of his fond memory with Chu Wanning popping out of existence to reveal… Chu Wanning himself. Eyes wide and questioning, albeit still visibly embarrassed at their whole predicament. If Mo Ran didn’t know better, he’d have ravished Chu Wanning right then and there, consequences be damned.
“Sorry.” Mo Ran unwraps the jawbreaker as fast as he can; and if that gives away his excitement, then so be it. The candy is a hefty weight in his palm, and Mo Ran laments over the fact that he can’t kiss Chu Wanning for no longer than two minutes because he sure as hell is willing to spend his entire afternoon just sitting here, kissing the life out of his professor, rickety chair and all. “Ready, Chu-laoshi?”
Chu Wanning humphs and pivots his head to the side. “Why do you need to ask such unnecessary questions? Would I have agreed with this if I wasn’t willing enough? Just get it over already.”
How absolutely adorable, his Chu-laoshi. “Of course, of course. I will listen to Chu-laoshi.”
Mo Ran pops the candy into his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue to let the outer coating melt a little bit. When he deems it sufficient enough, he bridges what remaining distance there is between them, lays a cautious hand on the back of Chu Wanning’s neck, and pulls him close.
There’s no turning back now.
Kissing Chu Wanning…
Most people say that your first kiss with your special someone will feel like fireworks on a hot and humid night; an explosion of emotions and unsaid words, one that is so powerful it leaves you reeling from the sheer amount of feelings behind every nip, or every swipe of a tongue.
Mo Ran just thinks that they’re talking bullshit.
Kissing Chu Wanning feels nothing like a spontaneous explosion. Instead, it’s a slow drive, like how a piece of candy melts into your palate. The sweetness of his lips spreads through each tendril of Mo Ran’s senses oh so gradually, much like how the hard exterior of a candy dissolves into sweet nothings, little by little, with every push and pull of tongue. Mo Ran can feel Chu Wanning lose himself in the kiss, clearly overwhelmed by the unfamiliar sensation. A strange sense of smugness washes over him; he is the only one who has witnessed Chu Wanning like this, raw and stripped down to his core.
He doesn’t have much time, so Mo Ran immediately goes into action. Slowly but surely, he introduces the jawbreaker to Chu Wanning’s inexperienced mouth, teasing him with the taste by lifting the candy by his tongue and passing it between Chu Wanning’s parted lips, not enough for it to wholly enter his mouth but just the right amount for a brief taste, a teaser of what’s to come.
When Mo Ran pulls the candy back, he is rewarded by the sensation of Chu Wanning’s silky tongue chasing his, like a kid who’s eager to get some treats. He whines when Mo Ran seals his lips to prevent him from going further, and he had nearly lost all of his self restraint if the lingering fear of choking on a piece of candy wasn’t present at all. Mo Ran still wants to get the most out of this experience, after all.
Grabbing Chu Wanning by his (small, small ) waist, Mo Ran gently passes the marginally smaller candy to his waiting mouth, humming at the fruity aftertaste and the unique flavor of Chu Wanning that still lingers on his taste buds. He keeps kissing him, of course, moving his lips in motions that resemble a clumsy yet familiar dance. It’s a wonder how easily Mo Ran got accustomed to kissing Chu Wanning.
Chu Wanning, bless his kind soul, honest to god moans at the taste of the jawbreaker. The vibrations of it can be felt on Mo Ran’s lips, resonating through the rest of his body like ripples in a pond.
Fuck, this is bad. This is so bad.
Not only does Mo Ran have to focus on passing the candy between them and not choking while he’s at it, he also has to physically restrain himself from digging his fingertips along the column of Chu Wanning’s neck and whisk him away to somewhere else more private. Preferably a place where they can lie comfortably so he can see how good Chu Wanning would look with his hair fanned out behind him as Mo Ran slides his tongue down and—
“Mo Ran…” Chu Wanning mutters amidst the kiss. He’s hanging on for dear life; hands pitifully trembling as he grips Mo Ran’s biceps so hard he swears it’ll bruise come tomorrow. Not that he minds, though. “I—we should—”
Mo Ran pulls away rather reluctantly, refusing to acknowledge the little disappointed mewl from Chu Wanning before he does something that he will regret for the rest of his life. It’s not that much of a loss, though, because holy fucking shit, Chu Wanning looks absolutely gorgeous like this.
His long phoenix eyes are still half-lidded, looking a little dazed and lost from the onslaught of foreign sensations that he had just experienced not even a whole ten seconds ago. It’s a good look on him, Mo Ran concludes. It matches the deep red that paints the entirety of his face and neck—the perfect image of someone who has been thoroughly bullied.
Mo Ran sure hopes this doesn’t awaken something inside him.
“...Chu-laoshi is right.” Chu Wanning’s eyes snap back to his form, slowly regaining their usual frosty aura. Mo Ran didn’t miss the part where Chu Wanning quickly hid his trembling hands behind his back, though. “We should really stop before someone sees us.”
For a split second, Chu Wanning did kind of look upset that they had to stop kissing, but surely, that must be a trick of the light or something, right? Chu Wanning is an upright man who always abides by the rules and encourages everyone to do the same, surely he can’t be thinking of kissing his own student all afternoon on university grounds no less?
Mo Ran didn’t have time to ponder about this, though, because the next thing he knew, Chu Wanning is muttering a silent ‘thank you’ and ‘good luck’ before he all but dashes out of Mo Ran’s sight, not even remembering to gather the rest of the candies that he bought.
Well, Mo Ran licks his lips to get what remains of the jawbreaker is left on him, sighing when he finds them still warm from the press of Chu Wanning own plush lips. At least they have money for new instruments now.
—
“Remember the first time we kissed?”
“We are not having this conversation while your dick is in my ass, Mo Ran.”
Said man laughs at his partner’s statement, bending down to place a light peck on Chu Wanning’s lips. Mo Ran is holding a piece of candy in his hand—some kind of elongated lollipop with colorful swirls that Chu Wanning likes to snack on more often than not. Mo Ran always teases him for being able to take all the entirety of the candy in one fell swoop, only to get smacked by Chu Wanning in return.
“So vulgar, Wanning. Where did you learn to talk like that?”
Then, Mo Ran prods the end of the lollipop against Chu Wanning’s lips, spreading the sticky substance across the swollen flesh until he slides it lower, down his chin, his neck, before finally stopping at one of his nipples. Mo Ran circles the candy along the rosy bud, chuckling when Chu Wanning groans and bucks up at the touch, his hole clenching around Mo Ran’s length. He repeats the motions on the other one as he increases the pace of his hips, swallowing the little gasps and moans that find their way out of Chu Wanning’s irresistible mouth.
Mo Ran thinks that Chu Wanning is sweeter than any piece of candy known to man.