Chapter Text
People moved out of the way when Mu Tianchi walked. Even down a busy street, he commanded enough presence to walk unencumbered with his assistant Wang Xi trailing behind him. His body moved in autopilot on his banal commute to work.
Then he ran right into someone. Wang Xi didn’t have time to warn him before his shoulder checked into another body and sent them both sprawling. He growled in irritation, dusting off his suit. Wang Xi steadied him before helping up the young man on the sidewalk.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” he cried as he scrambled up.
“You need to watch where you’re going!” Wang Xi scolded him.
Mu Tianchi looked the young man up and down as he stammered more apologies. He had delicate features with expressive wide eyes. Attractive, though Mu Tianchi rarely paid much attention to such things. His stature was short and slight, much more than Mu Tianchi himself. Easily knocked around.
Not caring to stay any longer, Mu Tianchi huffed and kept walking. Behind him, Wang Xi finished his scolding and hurried after. One last apology was yelled out to his retreating back. Mu Tianchi ignored it.
The interaction was out of his mind as soon as he was in his office.
Work was merely something Mu Tianchi did to fill the time. The job wasn’t hard, working for his father’s company. Unlike his brothers, he wasn’t gunning to become the next CEO when his father retired. Not that he would ever be given the position in the first place, between his disability and general unlikability.
Mu Tianchi didn’t resent his brothers. He had a comfortable position in upper management, where he was respected, but could easily rely on Wang Xi to speak for him. His underlings respected him, but didn’t necessarily like him. He wasn’t close with any of his coworkers.
His job involved meetings he had to sit through, paperwork, emails, and delegating. Unfortunately none of it was very mentally stimulating.
Each day followed that routine. Walk to work, work, walk home, and eat. If the inspiration struck he’d paint in the evenings. Usually he read before bed. Every other day he woke up early for a morning workout.
His house was kept up by a cleaning service, meals cooked by a personal chef, his clothes bought by his stylist, his work outs planned by his trainer.
There were rarely changes in the routine.
Except on his way back home that night. Something gold caught the light in Mu Tianchi’s peripheral vision. He glanced to the side. Something was in the gutter, caught against some garbage. He stopped.
“Mr. Mu?” Wang Xi asked.
He pointed.
“Oh?” Wang Xi stooped down. Using a handkerchief, he picked it up. “Here.”
Mu Tianchi took the handkerchief. A teardrop shaped pendant, inlaid with a pearl, hung from a thin gold chain. An entirely unassuming piece of jewelry, understated but beautiful.
“What a lovely thing to find on the ground,” Wang Xi commented.
Mu Tianchi studied it closer. The way the light caught the gold had been what had drawn his eye. But at a closer look, the sheen of the pearl was more captivating. The shine was more bright and colorful than he’d seen from a pearl before. There was a warm quality to the pendant that he couldn’t describe.
He folded the handkerchief over the necklace and slipped it into his pocket.
The dull routine changed again the next day, when he saw the young man again.
This time, he was hunched over, looking carefully at the sidewalk. He scrambled around the oncoming foot traffic, frantically checking the gutter. The idiot was completely unaware of his surroundings.
A car came hurtling down the street, horn blazing.
Mu Tianchi reacted without thinking, grabbing the young man by the arm and yanking him off the street. They both fell backward on the sidewalk, people skittering out of the way. Wang Xi cried out as he rushed over.
“Watch where you’re going!” Mu Tianchi signed. He felt angry enough to bother trying to sign with someone other than Wang Xi.
The boy’s face lit up.
“You know hand signs?” he replied, fingers moving quickly.
Mu Tianchi stared at him with disapproval. He’d almost been hit and was asking about sign language. Wang Xi appeared at his side and offered him a hand up. The boy clambered up as well, his hands still moving.
“I didn’t know others understood!” he continued signing.
Mu Tianchi scoffed. He hated when people made a big deal of it. The attention it attracted was why he didn’t sign often. Wang Xi could read his intentions well enough and he let his actions speak for him. But acting as if others didn’t know sign language was ridiculous.
“Mr. Mu are you alright?” Wang Xi asked.
He waved him off. His suit was dirty, but he was fine. Around them, people continued walking, seeing everything was fine.
“Mr. Mu, I’m so sorry!” he signed.
“Watch where you’re going, ’ ” Mu Tianchi signed back firmly.
“Yes, sorry!” the young man apologized aloud. He bowed. “Thank you for saving me!”
“You really must be more careful!” Wang Xi scolded. “This is the second day in a row!”
The young man blushed as he bowed again.
“I will do better in the future!” he promised.
Mu Tianchi huffed and turned to continue his commute. No use in blocking foot traffic anymore than they already had. He left the young man behind, breathless and apologetic.
This time, Mu Tianchi thought of the young man a few times throughout the day. Each time he felt irritated. Twice that careless boy had interrupted his morning, being distracted on a busy street. Like he’d never been in a city before. A young, attractive, and naive boy would be an easy target for those looking to take advantage. He would have to learn. Others wouldn’t be as kind as Mu Tianchi had been today.
But he knew sign language. Mu Tianchi hadn’t noticed at the moment, but he had an entire conversation without needing Wang Xi to interpret.
The next morning, Mu Tianchi saw him again. This time the young man sat at a bench in the park, his elbows on his knees, looking exhausted. He was wearing the same thing he’d been in yesterday. He glanced up and caught his eye from across the street.
He waved and signed “Hello Mr. Mu!”
Mu Tianchi paused and nodded in acknowledgement, before continuing on his commute. He didn’t know why he was being so friendly. Their other two interactions hadn’t been pleasant.
Every day for the next week, Mu Tianchi saw him. Sometimes he was at the park, sometimes he was under the eves of a storefront. Each time they passed by, Li Yu smiled and greeted them. Each time they passed, Mu Tianchi acknowledged him with a nod. Each time they passed, Li Yu looked a little more stressed. His eyes grew tired, his skin a little sallow. His hair was always kept and clean, though he didn’t have many sets of clothes.
Mu Tianchi found he often thought about him. Was the young man homeless? He didn’t seem to have a job. He couldn’t be more than 20, perhaps right out of high school.
The fifth day it was raining. As Mu Tianchi walked home, he stopped in front of the young man. He stood under some eves staring listlessly. Belatedly, he was startled.
“Oh hi Mr. Mu,” He signed in greeting. “Mr. Wang.”
Mu Tianchi handed his umbrella to Wang Xi, to free up his hands. Dutifully, Wang Xi took it and held it over his head so he didn’t get wet.
“Mu Tianchi,” he signed back.
The young man looked confused.
“You may call me Mu Tianchi.”
He smiled brightly and signed, “Hello, Mu Tianchi. My name is Li Yu.”
Mu Tianchi nodded and took his umbrella back from Wang Xi. He moved to leave before stopping. It wasn’t raining too hard and Li Yu was partially protected by the eves. But Mu Tianchi still found himself handing over the umbrella. With a confused look, Li Yu took it.
“Stay dry,” Mu Tianchi signed and then walked away.
“Thank you!” Li Yu said aloud. Then added “See you tomorrow!”
Mu Tianchi turned around, nodded and continued walking. When they were far enough away, he turned to Wang Xi.
“Have someone tail him, see if he has somewhere to stay. Watch what he does during the day and report back to me,” he signed in instruction.
“Yes Mr. Mu,” Wang Xi nodded.
Something was suspicious with Li Yu’s situation and Mu Tianchi needed to know.
Li Yu had lost his pearl. The most important thing in his possession, the thing that was a part of his being! And it was gone.
He had no way back to the ocean without it.
The human world was plenty nice, sure! There were so many colors and smells and people! More people that he’d even been around! His pod was much smaller than the city he was staying in. And the buildings! So tall!
Anyway, that didn’t change the main problem at hand!
Li Yu had a pretty good idea where he’d lost his pearl. There were traces of its magic on the road he’d fallen down a few days ago. But then the trail ran cold. Someone had picked it up and it might as well be lost to him forever.
At the park on a bench, Li Yu sat and thought of what to do. He put his head in his hands.
At least he had the house by the ocean. His pod maintained it for mermaids to use on their coming of age journey. The house was well stocked with food, though it was all canned and preserved. It was enough to last him awhile, but after that…
He couldn’t rely on a rescue. Even if his pod sent someone to check on him, they couldn’t do anything about his pearl. All he could really do was stay in the same area and hope he would sense it on one of the strangers passing by.
Li Yu had met a few nice people at least. Mr. Mu had seemed very scary at first, but he and Mr. Wang even knew his people’s hand signs. The ones mermaids used to communicate underwater, for what their songs couldn’t say. He wondered where they learned it. Mermaid pods kept themselves secret from humans after all. But Li Yu supposed that if he could learn human speech, humans could learn hand signs.
Thinking about hand signs and his pod only made him ache for his pearl.
Later that night, Mu Tianchi sat on his bed, absently thumbing the pearl pendant. He’d been kept on the bedside table and looked at it every night. There was something soothing about it, warming his hands and calming his thoughts. Almost like a child’s favorite stuffed toy. He sighed and put the necklace back. He pulled his sketchbook and pen into his lap and began to draw while sorting out his thoughts.
It was an impulse to speak to Li Yu earlier. Maybe part of him had wanted to be able to speak with someone directly and not through Wang Xi. No one in his family ever learned sign. The only people he could ever talk to were his nannies, tutors, and eventually Wang Xi. Any conversations he had were awkward and stilted, with pauses for translation. Speaking with Li Yu had been freeing in a way he hadn’t experienced before.
No one ever greeted him so cheerfully everyday, like they were actually happy to see him. He realized that he had been looking forward to seeing Li Yu everyday. Was this why he felt concerned for someone new?
Admittedly, Li Yu was also attractive. Mu Tianchi found something alluring about those wide innocent eyes. He’d never acted on an attraction before, but something inside him felt a tug towards Li Yu. Like a connection he’d never had with anyone else in his life.
His phone buzzed with a message, interrupting his thoughts.
‘Mr. Li sat by the park pond for several hours. Late in the evening he went to the beach where he stood on the shore before making his way to a beach house. The house is in decent shape, though old. We couldn’t find any records of a Li Yu matching his description. Looking into the records of the beach house.’
Mu Tianchi set his phone aside and folded his arms.
Li Yu had somewhere to stay. Mu Tianchi expected as much, given how clean and kept he was. But he didn’t have many sets of clothing. He’d only seen Li Yu wearing two different shirts, a coat, and a pair of pants. Mu Tianchi doubted that he was eating well either, given how gaunt he looked.
Mu Tianchi wanted to feed Li Yu, he realized. He wanted to dress him, to make him comfortable.
Before he went to sleep, he made plans.
The next morning, Mu Tianchi stopped at a local bakery. Coffee and pastries were never something he indulged in, but he suspected Li Yu would enjoy them. He was also sure to get a breakfast sandwich, for something more substantial.
He watched for him on his way to work and saw him on his usual park bench.
“Hello!” Li Yu signed with a smile.
For the first time, instead of saying hello and continuing on his commute, Mu Tianchi approached. When he reached him, Mu Tianchi held out a to-go cup of coffee and a paper bag. Li Yu blinked and held his hands awkwardly in front of him. When he didn’t take them right away, Mu Tianchi shook them impatiently. Slowly, Li Yu reached out and took them.
“For you,” Mu Tianchi signed. “Eat.”
“Thank you?” Li Yu said.
“Mr. Mu purchased breakfast for you,” Wang Xi explained.
“Oh,” Li Yu blinked and looked closer at the coffee in his hand. “Thank you, I’ve never had coffee before.”
Wang Xi’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve never had coffee?”
“Mmhm,” Li Yu hummed as he took a sip. He pulled back with a frown. Mu Tianchi made a note to get something sweeter next time. Maybe tea.
“I don’t like coffee either,” Mu Tianchi signed.
“It’s, uh, interesting,” Li Yu said politely. “But thank you! You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” Mu Tianchi replied, his chest warming at Li Yu’s bright smile.
At lunch, Mu Tianchi did another unprecedented thing, he took it outside his office. That morning he had two lunches prepared for him. He walked briskly down the street, with Wang Xi trailing behind him. He found Li Yu at the park again, sitting at the same bench, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He didn’t notice Mu Tianchi approaching until he was standing right in front of him. Li Yu looked up with surprise.
“Mu Tianchi,” Li Yu signed with delight. “I don’t normally see you at this time!”
“We’re having lunch together,” Mu Tianchi signed, then gestured to Wang Xi behind him. He handed over the tupperware containing their quinoa salad.
Li Yu eyed him as he scooted over to make room, Mu Tianchi sat down and handed over the container. Li Yu took it reluctantly, still watching him carefully.
“Thank you again,” Li Yu signed. “But I can’t pay you back.”
Mu Tianchi set his food down to sign, “I want to eat with you.”
“Well, I suppose that’s alright then,” Li Yu replied.
This became the routine.
They ate everyday together. Every morning Mu Tianchi brought Li Yu breakfast and in the afternoon they had lunch in the park. Slowly he was discerning Li Yu’s tastes. Li Yu, though he always politely ate what was given to him, clearly didn’t enjoy Mu Tianchi’s regimented diet. A lot of the food Mu Tianchi brought seemed new to him. But he had a taste for sweets and seafood. New fruits were always welcome for taste testing, vegetables less so. Mu Tianchi had instructed his staff accordingly, making two separate lunches.
Li Yu hadn’t looked starved before Mu Tianchi started feeding him, but he looked better fed now. His face had more color in it. However, there was no change to the deep bags under his eyes. He didn’t sleep well. There was nothing Mu Tianchi could do about that.
Their meetings became a very important part of Mu Tianchi’s routine. The first time Mu Tianchi was late for lunch, he nearly ran to their meeting spot. He didn’t want Li Yu to think he’d forgotten about him, that he wasn’t important. But his meeting ran late, a meeting run by his father, so he couldn’t duck out early.
At their usual bench, Li Yu sat, hunched over staring at his hands. Mu Tianchi rushed over, stopping in front of him and Li Yu jerked in surprise.
“Mu Tianchi!” he said, with a bright smile.
He shoved the lunch boxes into Li Yu’s arms.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he signed fervently. “Meeting ran long.”
Li Yu pressed his lips together, holding back a laugh. When that wasn’t enough he pressed his hand to his mouth. As Mu Tianchi’s brow furrowed in confusion, the laugh finally escaped.
“Sorry, it’s just. You looked so worried! And you don’t have to do any of this for me and I thought you’d finally decided you were tired of me,” he laughed.
“I’ll never get tired of you,” Mu Tianchi signed in reply.
“I’m glad, because I won’t get tired of you either.”
Mu Tianchi’s chest swelled and a small smile broke across his face.
There were many other odd things about Li Yu.
“How can I contact you?” Mu Tianchi signed, so that he could let Li Yu know if he would be late in the future.
Li Yu looked confused. “I’m always here?”
“Do you have a phone number?” Mu Tianchi asked in sign.
“Phone?” Li Yu repeated the sign, frowning.
Mu Tianchi pulled out his phone from his pocket. Li Yu tilted his head in curiosity. Mu Tianchi unlocked it and handed it over.
“For talking and texting,” Mu Tianchi signed in explanation.
“To keep in contact over long distances!” Li Yu said excitedly.
Mu Tianchi nodded and found himself smiling. He showed the other features of the smartphone, like the camera. Li Yu was most excited about that and insisted on taking a couple selfies with him.
Casually, Mu Tianchi bought a phone for him. It was the latest, most expensive model, but Li Yu didn’t realize that. He didn’t seem to have a solid understanding of money or the value of different goods. Money was no object for Mu Tianchi, so he had no problem spending it on Li Yu.
Mu Tianchi made sure the phone was programmed with his and Wang Xi’s numbers, in case Li Yu ever needed to contact them. When Mu Tianchi showed him how to text, Li Yu admitted that he couldn’t read. Instead, he showed him talk-to-text and screen readers.
What kind of childhood could Li Yu have had? Had he recently escaped from an abusive household? A cult? That was the best guess Mu Tianchi came up with.
When talking about his past, Li Yu didn’t give specifics.
“The ocean has always been home, no matter which part,” Li Yu signed softly, a sad smile on his face.
“I have always lived in this city,” Mu Tianchi signed in reply. “It’s a place I live. That’s all.”
He’s never admitted as such before. Perhaps not even to himself. But when he heard the way Li Yu talked about the ocean he realized he’d never felt like anywhere was truly home.
“Really?” Li Yu said, a frown on his face. “That’s sad, isn’t it?”
Mu Tianchi paused. “I’ve never really considered that.”
The two of them were comfortable with each other. Mu Tianchi talked with Li Yu more than he had anyone else.
As the weather grew warmer, Mu Tianchi had an excuse to start buying Li Yu clothes.
Usually after work, the two of them exchanged hellos and Mu Tianchi continued on his way home. He had no excuse to spend more time with Li Yu. Ideally, they’d have dinner together and Mu Tianchi could spend all day with him. But he didn’t want to be too pushy or scare Li Yu away. But this was the perfect opportunity. Li Yu only had a few long sleeve shirts and pants.
“Come shopping with me,” Mu Tianchi signed on their usual evening exchange. “You need clothes.”
“You don’t have to,” Li Yu signed in reply. He looked down at his outfit and blushed. It was worn and ill fitting.
“I want to,” Mu Tianchi signed.
“Okay.”
At first Mu Tianchi considered taking him to more modestly priced stores, but then decided against it. Li Yu wouldn’t likely know the difference and he deserved the best. They went to the usual places Mu Tianchi bought his clothes. Li Yu looked around in awe. The shop assistants came forward immediately, recognizing Mu Tianchi.
“Get whatever you want,” he signed to Li Yu. “Tell them to help you get the basics.”
Li Yu nodded and repeated the instruction out loud.
Early in their friendship, Li Yu asked why Mu Tianchi knew how to speak with his hands. He’d explained that he couldn’t speak, so he used sign language to communicate. Li Yu had then asked if others knew hand signs and was a little disappointed that most people didn’t. But he dutifully took over translating for Mu Tianchi when he was around.
The shop assistant showed him around, asking about colors and styles. Li Yu didn’t have many opinions, other than being partial to blues and greens. Mostly he nodded along to the shop assistant’s suggestions.
With a stack of clothes, they went to the changing room. At first Li Yu was shy to show each new outfit, but with some encouragement, he grew bolder. He asked for Mu Tianchi’s opinion on everything. Mu Tianchi thought he looked good in everything.
“Which ones do you want?” Mu Tianchi signed.
“These ones,” Li Yu said, picking out most of the items from the stack. There were shirts, both casual and business appropriate, as well as pants and shorts to accompany everything. Mu Tianchi threw in some underwear and socks on top of the pile.
Li Yu watched curiously as Mu Tianchi checked out. He followed the shop assistant’s hands as they placed each item in a bag. He had no reaction to the total price and Mu Tianchi was glad he was too unaware to make a fuss. With several bags in hand, they left the store.
“We’ll get shoes next,” Mu Tianchi signed.
At the shoe store, Li Yu seemed had his shoe size taken and Mu Tianchi helped him find comfortable sneakers, a pair of sandals, and dress shoes. They finished up fairly quickly and Mu Tianchi insisted he wear his new shoes out of the store.
“Can I help you take these home?” Mu Tianchi asked. There were too many bags for one of them to carry and he had to push the bags down to his elbows to free his hands to sign.
“Okay,” Li Yu replied aloud, his hands too full.
The walk from the shops to the beach was a little long, but Li Yu didn’t seem to tire. He spoke the whole way, being fine with a one way conversation. The beach he led them to was a secluded one, on private property. The house was small, but clean and in good condition. It had a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and little else. The furniture was basic, functional, and a little dated, with no personal touches.
“This is where I’m staying,” Li Yu said, taking them right to the bedroom. “You can put the bags here.”
Mu Tianchi set them down on the twin sized bed.
“Thank you,” Li Yu signed. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“You’re welcome,” Mu Tianchi signed. “I wanted to.”
After that, they started to spend more time in the evenings together. Mu Tianchi found various reasons to buy things for Li Yu. They would go grocery shopping, to fill out Li Yu’s cupboards, which were filled with canned food and ready made meals. Li Yu had admitted he didn’t know how to cook. Mu Tianchi didn't know how to cook much on his own either, so the two of them learned together. Following video tutorials, they did their best. But it gave them more reasons to spend time together.
In the hours they spent together they talked, but also spent just as much time in silence, enjoying each other’s company. There was a sense of ease and familiarity with each other. Together, Mu Tianchi felt peaceful and settled.
Eventually Mu Tianchi asked the question he’d been meaning to ask from the moment he’d met him.
“What are you doing here?” Mu Tianchi signed in question.
Li Yu seemed to pick up on what ‘here’ meant.
“It’s part of my family tradition to leave home and explore places we’ve never been before.” he signed and explained carefully.
“But you seem unhappy here,” Mu Tianchi signed.
“No, no! I’m grateful for the experience,” he signed quickly. “I was able to meet you,” he added shyly.
Mu Tianchi loved that blush on his face.
“But,” he continued, “I’ve lost something.” He looked directly at Mu Tianchi as he signed. “I can’t return home until I find it.”
The words were heavy with meaning. Mu Tianchi felt he should know what he was referring to, but didn’t fully understand.
“Let me know how I can help,” he signed, not liking the sad look on his face.
Li Yu only searched his face carefully and sighed, but didn’t say anything else.
Li Yu hadn’t quite expected this when he left on his journey, but being courted wasn’t one of them. Mu Tianchi was doing all the proper displays of courtship. He brought gifts and fed him, all to prove he could provide as a mate. But more importantly to Li Yu, he spent time with him, listening to his stories. Li Yu wished he could talk more about his life in the ocean, about his pod.
There had been stories of mermaids who chose to leave the ocean and mate with humans. Most didn’t end happily.
Of course when Mu Tianchi had started making mating gestures, Li Yu was flattered. Mu Tianchi was a handsome man, though initially appearing cold. As Li Yu got to know him more though, he found Mu Tianchi was more kind and expressive than at first glance. After a few weeks of meeting everyday, Li Yu could feel he was falling for him.
If Mu Tianchi was a fellow mermaid, Li Yu would’ve accepted his suit. They would’ve mated.
But Mu Tianchi wasn’t a mermaid. And Li Yu was stuck in the human world while his pearl was missing.
“Come home with me tonight,” Mu Tianchi asked at the end of lunch, after two months. “We can get dinner.”
In all the evenings together, they still hadn’t been to Mu Tianchi’s apartment. It felt like the final step, to allow Li Yu into his space. They didn’t have a name for what was going on between them, but Mu Tianchi knew it was leading to something.
Li Yu’s cheeks flushed in such a pretty way. “Okay,” he signed shyly.
They were quiet on the way home. Li Yu was pretty familiar with the city now and kept track of where they were going. He stared at the large building Mu Tianchi led them too.
“You live here?” he signed.
Mu Tianchi nodded and held the door open. He lived in the penthouse suite at the top, so they took the elevator. Li Yu gasped as it took them up. The doors opened right into the apartment and Mu Tianchi held his arm out, inviting him in.
“Wow, your place is so lovely,” Li Yu marveled. As he walked around, his head turned slowly in awe.
It was true that the space was tastefully decorated, and certainly bigger than Li Yu’s little house on the beach. But it felt cold. There were no personal touches, no color or life. He would much rather live in Li Yu’s little house than here.
Mu Tianchi took him to the spare room, to the closet. He pulled out a suit, light teal with a light pink tie, for Li Yu. He’d made a note of Li Yu’s measurements and had made bespoke for him. Mu Tianchi wanted to take him somewhere fancy for dinner that night.
“For me?” Li Yu signed.
Mu Tianchi nodded and handed it over.
“Go get dressed,” he told him.
Mu Tianchi went to his own room to dress. He chose a more flashy suit than his work clothes. Something he had around for events and parties. It was black, but felt sleek.
When he emerged, Li Yu was already waiting for him. The fitted suit accentuated his slim frame. His waist looked small and Mu Tianchi wanted to put his hands around it. Seeing Li Yu in clothes he paid for and looking so good in them, made Mu Tianchi feel warm.
“What do you think?” Li Yu signed, looking bashful.
“You looked wonderful,” he answered.
“Thank you, you look nice too.”
Mu Tianchi nodded and held out his arm.
Eagerly, Li Yu took it and they went to dinner.
Li Yu seemed to feel a little uncomfortable at the restaurant they had gone to. It wasn’t the fanciest, but Mu Tianchi still wanted to spoil and impress his date a little. Li Yu clearly hadn’t experienced eating out much, but followed Mu Tianchi’s lead. He was grateful they could leave Wang Xi behind, as Li Yu could translate for him.
Like many people did when dealing with a translator, the waitress spoke to Li Yu, instead of directly to Mu Tianchi.
“Speak to him, not me,” Li Yu said, correcting her, when she asked him what Mu Tianchi would like to order.
Once food came and the conversation shifted. Soon they were back to effortlessly flirting. It was smooth and easy. Mu Tianchi felt warm with every blush and giggle from Li Yu.
“Come back with me?” he asked and Li Yu nodded.
They walked back to the apartment holding hands. Li Yu kept glancing at him from the corner of his eye. Mu Tianchi squeezed his hand in reply.
One in the apartment, Mu Tianchi turned to Li Yu. He pulled his hand from Li Yu’s, moving to cup his face. With a sigh, Li Yu closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. Leaning in close, he could feel Li Yu’s fluttering breath. Sensing no resistance, he closed the gap between them. Their lips met.
He pulled back to gauge Li Yu’s reaction, but before he could, arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him back down. He moved his hands to Li Yu’s waist, bringing their bodies together. They moved against each other eagerly. Mu Tianchi ran his tongue over his lips, until he was granted entrance. His mouth was warm and welcoming, his tongue coming to greet him. They kissed like that for a few minutes, until Li Yu was gasping for breath.
Mu Tianchi pulled back, taking him by the hand and leading him to the bedroom.
Once through the doorway, Li Yu suddenly froze. He stared at something being Mu Tianchi. He looked, but only saw his bed and side table, with the pearl necklace sitting on top. When he turned back, Li Yu’s mouth was agape.
“It was here,” he said quietly. “This whole time it was with you!”
Mu Tianchi stared at him, not knowing what he meant. Li Yu moved forward suddenly, grabbing the pearl.
“This is what I needed,” Li Yu said, tears in his eyes. “Thank you for returning it to me.”
Before Mu Tianchi could reply, Li Yu hurried out the door.
He was gone.