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The day was hot and muggy when Feng Xin met him for the first time.
He was walking along the coastal road, fuming from the confrontation he’d just had with his father, when he spotted something strange tangled among the boulders lining the shore. From the distance he was at, he couldn’t quite tell what he was looking at.
Almost, it seemed like a large fish tangled in a fishing net had washed up on the shore. That happened sometimes, he was familiar enough with it. Generally by the time the fish were washed up, they were already rotting and weren’t good to eat anymore. He wondered, though, what had happened with this fish. His curiosity was enough to get him moving. He turned off of the path and started to climb down the side of the sandy cliff side towards the boulders lining the shore. As he grew nearer, he thought his eyes might be playing tricks on him.
An arm seemed to be tangled in the net as well, and… hair, of some sort. The waves crashed against the large, mottled tail, splashing up and hitting Feng Xin’s legs as he drew nearer. When he was close enough to feel the sea spray stinging his cheeks, he realized that he wasn’t seeing anything wrong. In fact, there was an arm in there. Immediately, he threw himself to his knees, wondering if this was a fisherman that’d been attacked by a shark or something along those lines.
His hands immediately went to the net, tangling his fingers through the holes. To his dismay, he realized the net was tangled in the person’s hair as well. Feng Xin pulled a knife out of his pocket to start sawing at the rope to pull it’s heavy material away.
The tail of the fish started to swish around as he did so, and he felt the person beneath his hands stirring slightly. Feng Xin continued his movements, careful not to cut the person or their hair. He started speaking then, his voice as soft as he could make it, “Hey,” he said, “Are you okay? What - what happened?”
As he pulled the last of the net away, a hand shot up and scratched down his cheek and jaw. The person had shot up and pushed himself back into the water quickly afterwards, swimming just far enough away that Feng Xin couldn’t react and hurt him in retaliation.
“The fuck?!” His voice raised, and he slapped a hand over the scratches. Pulling it away, he saw blood on his fingers. The person, who he realized was still connected to the net and also the tail somehow, was staring at him from the water, all but his eyes and the top of his head submerged. “I’m- I’m trying to help you!” He growled out, but the person didn’t seem to hear him. Feng Xin let himself fall onto his butt, staring at the strange man.
It was then, as the man swam back further and then turned around and swam away, that Feng Xin realized that the tail was… connected to him. Not in the expected “There is a fish’s mouth around your body!” way, but in a “Holy shit why do you have a tail?” way. He blinked hard - once, twice. Sure that he’d misunderstood what he’d seen, or even that he’d hallucinated it. But no. There was no mistaking what he’d seen.
When he was alone again, Feng Xin stared at the spot in the water where the man - or the creature, rather - had been. There was nothing besides the lapping of waves now, and he was dumbfounded for a moment as he sat in bewilderment. The sea-breeze was chilly on his skin and, mixed with the setting of water into his clothes, he felt a chill roll up his spine.
Standing back up on shaky legs, Feng Xin tried to make sense of what he’d just seen. A man with the lower half of a large fish. The man’s flesh had been quite pale, and his hair had been dark and long, tangled over his limbs and the mess of net that he’d been stuck in. His tail had been in stark contrast, dark gray with navy and black lines and spots over the majority of it.
As he turned his back to the water, he couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. How marvelous, how unbelievable.
He’d heard stories before, of course. How could he not, living along the coast as he did (though he’d never truly put much faith in them before). Fish people, or so they went. Generally young men and women with beautiful faces who had the tails of fish. Some stories said they had an intelligence that matched humans, others insisted they had the intelligence of a fish, which is to say, little to none at all. This was a fish man? He wondered more… Were there more like him? Where had he come from?
Climbing up the side of the hill that he’d slid down, Feng Xin again touched at the scratches on his jaw. Absolutely incredible, he thought, and secretly hoped he’d get to see another creature like that again. Maybe not the same guy, as the scratches hurt like hell and he wasn’t interested in a round 2 anytime soon. The sea birds called out to each other overhead as he turned back the way he’d come, headed back to his house, the argument with his father all but forgotten now in favor of his strange encounter instead.
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It had become a habit, of sorts, for Feng Xin to return to the little shoreline where he’d found the creature before. The rocky coast offered plenty of areas to sit whilst avoiding getting wet, and the thought of possibly getting to get another look at it was more than enough to convince Feng Xin to return again and again, every day that he was able to.
His returning visits were not met with positive results until some days later. The sky was overcast; waves crashing and wind whipping in a way that promised a great storm was on its way. Feng Xin had not expected much of the day this time, he’d really only come all this way in the off chance that he’d spot something. Anything to tell him that he had not just imagined the creature.
This time, when he spotted the top of someone’s head in the water, he froze mid-step. Slowly, he made his way towards the edge of the sandy hill, eyes never leaving those that were poking out of the water. The creature, because Feng Xin was quite certain that was who he was looking at right now, was still and motionless in the water, watching as Feng Xin climbed down towards the rocky shore. When he made it to the rocks, he carefully climbed on top of one of them and then stopped, crouching down to watch the creature.
The water was choppy today, a promise and warning from nature herself about the storm that was to come. Feng Xin was careful not to fall into it, not wanting to get drenched nor wanting to scare the little creature away. His boots were, blessedly, able to help keep him from slipping. Carefully, he lowered himself fully to his bottom and sat in a terse, quiet silence as he waited for the creature to make the next move. To his dismay, it ducked beneath the water and he lost sight of it after all. Feng Xin sighed, considering his luck. The creature, of course, had to leave him when he was just trying to understand what he was looking at.
But then, shockingly, the water only a few feet away from him rippled, and that same head of dark hair popped back out. From this distance, he could see the creatures dark eyes, could see the light reflecting in them. He noticed, almost unconsciously, that there didn’t seem to be any of the net left on it. It lifted an arm out of the water and tossed something thin and shiny in his direction. It landed with a splash in the shallow water right in front of him, a fish that’s scales seemed to glisten despite the overcast light of the sun being so pale. Feng Xin’s eyes went wide, as he looked down at it and then back to the creature. He reached forward hesitantly as the creature watched him with keen eyes, and picked up the fish that was, he realized, dead.
The creature itself had risen slightly more out of the water, it’s whole face now exposed to the open air. Feng Xin noted that, indeed, this thing was truly beautiful. Elegantly shaped features. Large, dark eyes ringed with long lashes. A mouth set into a natural pout. He wondered, ludicrously, whether mermaids or fish people or whatever they were called had beauty standards. Because that was what he was, after all. Clearly a fish person.
It moved closer still, it’s movements a bit slow and unsure, as if afraid to get too close, but unable to help its curiosity. The feeling, Feng Xin noted within himself, was completely mutual. He pushed himself back up to his feet and hopped from boulder to boulder until he was closer to the deeper part of the shore, closer to the creature. It watched him warily, but it didn’t try to flee this time. Feng Xin couldn’t help that grin that spread over his lips, though he bit his lower lip in a futile attempt to temper it down. He said, “Hello…”
He didn’t expect to receive a response, and he was right to do so, this thing probably couldn’t even understand him, much less respond. Closer, he could notice the finer details about the creature, like the fact that his long black hair hung loosely in the water around him, like the fact that he had moles dotted along his left cheek and jaw, like the fact that his lips had parted to reveal a line of sharp teeth in the cave of his mouth. He was beautiful, yes, but obviously dangerous.
“Fuck,” Feng Xin whispered in wonder. The creature continued to look at him expectantly, and Feng Xin had to almost huff out a breath of amusement. He said, “I can’t eat this raw,” gesturing towards the fish. The creature did not seem to understand, so Feng Xin tried to use his hands to explain. He pointed to the fish and then to his mouth, then he shook his head, and rubbed his stomach.
The thought that he probably looked a fool popped into his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to truly care. This stretch of beach was often left deserted, so there was no one but the creature around to judge him. They both seemed too taken and fascinated with each other for that to really matter though. Certainly, he wouldn’t have to worry about the way the creature perceived him.
“Do you have a name…” He murmured, placing the fish gently onto the rock beside him. He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do with it, but he knew his manners well enough to know it would be disrespectful to just toss it back in the ocean. The creature just watched him for a while before swimming a bit further away. He, obviously, did not receive a response. “Maybe I’ll name you myself,” he went on, pausing as if waiting to hear back from the creature.
It was at that moment that a bicycle came rolling down the path. Feng Xin ignored it for as long as he could, interested more in the creature than any person who might see him and wonder what he was doing. The old man riding it called out to him, “Feng Xin! What are you doing out there? Your father was looking for you!” He was instantly pulled from his thoughts.
“Thank you, dà yé!” He called back, looking over his shoulder and waving to him, momentarily distracted. It took his brain a moment to catch up and realize the risk that there was for him to be seen talking to this random creature, but when he turned back to the creature, it was already gone. Perplexed, but amused, Feng Xin sighed and stayed where he was sitting for a while longer before pulling himself to his feet. He hopped from rock to rock until he reached the shore, fish in hand, and went home for the day.
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When he showed up next, the creature was closer than he had ever been. He had been pressing nearer and nearer with every interaction that they’d had thus far, but today he was eerily close. Near enough that when Feng Xin finally settled into his spot, his wrapped lunch on his thigh, he could see the water droplets clinging to the creature’s unusually long and pretty eyelashes, could see his sharp fingernails cutting through the water.
Swallowing down the memory of the way those claws felt when they’d scratched into his skin, Feng Xin put on his most charming smile. The creature simply stared at him, as if distrustfully but utterly unable to keep himself away. Oddly enough, Feng Xin could relate. It was like every day he woke up looking forward to when he could make his way out to this spot, looking forward to observing and hanging out with this guy for just a little while longer.
“Mind if I eat?” He asked, more as a courtesy than actually expecting an answer. The creature blinked at him, expression stuck in a permanent scowl. Feng Xin found it funny. He went ahead and unwrapped his lunch, a simple sandwich and an apple. He took a bite of the sandwich, inhaling the scent of the ocean and closing his eyes, feeling quite relaxed.
He heard the sound of water moving, and when he opened his eyes again, the creature was right in front of him, eyes wide and gazing at the sandwich in his hands. Feng Xin startled at the sight, almost dropping his food, and blinked. He said, “What, wanna try some?”
There wasn’t a response, just those wide obsidian eyes staring, unblinking. Snorting, Feng Xin ripped off the corner of his sandwich and offered it to the creature. It looked at his hand, and then at his face. Slowly, it leaned forward and ate the piece of food from his fingertips. Despite the teeth that Feng Xin knew were concealed behind his lips, the creature was extremely gentle in the way that he took the food. Once he pulled away, chewing, Feng Xin dropped his hand back to his lap and watched with interest. “Did you like that?” He asked, ripping another piece off and holding it out for the creature. He took it without hesitation, chewing and then swallowing quickly.
Taking another bite himself, Feng Xin gazed at the creature. The creature gazed back.
“I think I need to give you a name,” he decided, “I don’t want to keep calling you a fish creature.” Though, admittedly, it wasn’t like he was talking to anyone about his meetings with him. It. Him. Feng Xin shook his head, knowing that interchangeably using he and it for him was going to continue confusing him. Already, he feared his interest in this beautiful fish man was strange. Not strange enough to do anything about it, but strange enough to consider sometimes… Like now.
The creature reached out with wet hands, pulling the sandwich from Feng Xin’s hands and ripping a large piece off for himself, giving Feng Xin the much smaller, now wet, piece that was left of the two. The creature pushed the entire thing into his mouth and swallowed, looking back up at Feng Xin.
Indulgently, he offered the rest of his sandwich to the creature instead. He took it and gobbled it up efficiently. “How about Mu Qing,” he said, for no other reason than the way that the creature was looking at him. “Seems fitting,” he added, to no one in particular. The creature - Mu Qing - gazed at him for a few more moments before swimming away in the opposite direction. Assuming that he would be leaving as he normally did, Feng Xin bit into his apple, glancing towards the path. He heard the sound of water moving again, felt a splash on his cheek. He turned his attention back to Mu Qing, who was actually just swimming back and forth in front of him, not going far.
“Oh, you’re staying?” He asked. Mu Qing responded by flicking his tail and splashing more water on Feng Xin. Laughing, he wiped the water away from his face and watched him swim around a bit. Then he said, “I’m Feng Xin, by the way.” Mu Qing moved as if he hadn’t heard him at all, which was fine. That was kind of turning into their dynamic.
“You know,” he said, after a while of watching Mu Qing moving, “I really can’t stand my dad sometimes. He can be such a jerk for no reason. He treats me like I’m the reason his sales have been so low lately - not like the new fish merchants that moved into town could have anything to do with it.” He paused, letting his words sink into his own skin as he thought about his frustrations.
“He’s getting old,” his voice had gone softer, despite himself, “and I get that he wants to make sure that I know how to take on his responsibilities when he dies, but…” But he didn’t want to be a fisherman. Feng Xin had spent the better part of his childhood working hard to ensure that his family was taken care of in the little tasks that others would have rather skipped over and left for someone else. He knew it was selfish, but there was a part of him, a part that he normally buried down so as not to put other people out, that longed to find his own purpose in the world…
“You’re a great listener,” he said to Mu Qing - who was either dutifully ignoring him or simply didn’t feel the need to acknowledge his words, either was possible - then, with a snort, “It’s not like it’ll matter one way or another. I’ll end up doing whatever I’m told regardless, but I guess it is nice to get this off of my chest.”
He spent the better part of that afternoon there, talking to Mu Qing as the other eventually stopped his swimming in favor of floating lazily in the sunlight instead. With his stomach facing up towards the sky, Feng Xin got an eyeful of pale skin and the mottled, scaly tail. Mu Qing was built beautifully, limbs sized perfectly with his body, waist narrowing and melting into the long tail. It was strange, yes, but it was strangely pretty too. In a way that only a fish person could be, Feng Xin thought.
When he finally left for the night, it was only because the sun had started it’s steady descent over the horizon, and he didn’t want to risk being unable to find his footing on his way back to the shore over the slick boulders he stepped on to get closer. Mu Qing, in a surprising turn of fate, had stayed there with him for hours. He hadn’t left until after Feng Xin had made it back to shore, feet in the sand. The only reason Feng Xin noticed was because he’d looked back.
In a moment of pure delusional happiness, he convinced himself it was Mu Qing’s way of making sure he didn’t fall in. He left the little beach with a grin on his face.
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The fourth time he met Mu Qing was really just a chance encounter. An unfortunate one, at that.
Feng Xin had grown busier, his father becoming more and more expectant that he’d be helping him out with this, that, and everything else. Feng Xin just grit his teeth and did whatever he was bid to do, following instructions to deliver this or that, going here and there for his mother as well. He was exhausted by it, but things had started to feel better between him and his father. Or at the very least, less tense.
For one thing, his father was actually asking for help now; not just trying to do everything on his own and getting mad when no one else realized that he needed help. On the other hand, Feng Xin had been bummed that he couldn’t go and visit his new friend…
It wasstrange, to him, that he considered Mu Qing as such. They’d not once had a proper conversation… At this point, Feng Xin was convinced they never would, as Mu Qing seemed to lack the ability to even mimic sounds (in so far as he had not tried to mimic Feng Xin once). But there was something about him that captivated Feng Xin, something that left him feeling like he’d found a part or a piece that he hadn’t even known was missing from himself.
He’d been running one such errand for his father, collecting odds and ends that they were going to need for a fishing trip they would be going on together, when he started to think about Mu Qing. It still brought a small smile to his lips when he thought about the fact that he’d chosen such a name for the creature, but really - was it his fault? Despite not having had an actual conversation, they’d communicated plenty in their own ways.
Mu Qing, despite his initial fear and animosity, had continued coming back. Just like Feng Xin, he had returned to this spot, and even spent time with him. There was never any real promise that they’d meet again, and yet. They continued to do so. On top of that, he’d even thanked Feng Xin (albeit in a very strange way) and shared food with him.
He could tell, even without words, that Mu Qing longed for the same thing that he did, maybe even more than he did. Home. A sense of belonging. It was a name that fit him the more Feng Xin thought about it.
Today was different, though.
The sky was overcast again, rain already spilling in fat droplets from the sky. Feng Xin had been hurrying along to finish his tasks before the rain really picked up, when he passed the little beach where they normally met. He heard the voices before he saw what was happening. Three of them, distinctly, were laughing and calling out.
His head turned at the sound, half in search of Mu Qing unconsciously, and half in an attempt to find who was making all of that noise. He spotted the boys then, they couldn’t have been older than thirteen or fourteen. Each of them had rocks in hand that they were launching into the water.
“Come out, you freak!” One of them said, throwing another stone. The other two guffawed. Feng Xin spotted Mu Qing’s eyes peeking out of the water just as the rock smacked down onto his forehead. Stopping in his tracks, Feng Xin stared in horror.
“Hey…” His voice didn’t quite carry far, the wind whipped at the already choppy water. He turned his body and set the things in his hands down, ready to intervene when another rock was thrown. This one narrowly missed Mu Qing, but he had grabbed it before it sunk and reared up to throw it back at the boys. “No!” Feng Xin shouted, already sliding down the sandy hill.
The boys laughed harder, picking up the largest rocks they could find, “We see you! You’re not even trying to hide!” The boys said. And before Feng Xin could reach them, the biggest of the boys hoisted one such rock over his head.
“FUCKING — STOP!” Feng Xin screamed as the boy threw the rock. Mu Qing, in his annoyance, had moved closer to shore, probably to try and scratch the boys (Feng Xin didn’t dare think about any other response he might have had to their bullying). Even as he saw the large rock coming for him, he didn’t seem to realize he needed to move. “MU QING!” Feng Xin called, unhelpfully. The other turned to look at him, his expression a messy tangle of hope and frustration. At that point, the rock landed with a deafening crack in the water.
Mu Qing sunk with the rock. The boys, who’d realized that their disgusting activity had been caught by someone else, turned and looked at Feng Xin in fear. “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HERE!” He snarled, before immediately diving into the water to find Mu Qing. He didn’t even wait to make sure that the boys had in fact left, his mind had only one thing on it.
It didn’t occur to him at that point that Mu Qing lived in the water, that he was a creature of the sea who was probably just hiding in fear to get away. It didn’t matter. His mind was full of terrible images - Mu Qing trapped under that giant rock and too weak to get away. Mu Qing unconscious and slowly drowning. Mu Qing being swept away by a riptide never to be seen again. He had to find him, to help him before it was too late.
The thing about swimming in the ocean is that it kind of sucks when you’re searching for something. Salty water burned his eyes as he blinked them open and closed in intervals to get snapshots of the water around him. He knew he’d be paying for it later, but when he found Mu Qing, looking at him quizzically, he knew it was worth it.
He felt around, almost blindly, and grabbed onto the rock. Beneath it, he saw the mottled gray and blue of Mu Qing’s tail. Shoving with all of his strength as his lungs started to ache, Feng Xin managed to push the rock away. He grabbed Mu Qing beneath his arms and started to swim back to the surface.
Breaching the waves, he gasped for air, still holding onto Mu Qing. He dragged him all the way to shore, and started to fuss over him, looking him over for any injuries. Though they were both soaking wet, Feng Xin saw the watered down blood dripping from Mu Qing’s hairline. Looking down, he also saw a wound on his tail, presumably where the rock had pinned him. Taking a shaky breath, Feng Xin removed his shirt and tore it into thin strips. It was a slow process, but Mu Qing didn’t try to escape, didn’t even blink. He stared at Feng Xin, dumbfounded.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Feng Xin’s voice was rough with worry, to the point that he almost didn’t recognize the sound himself. Using the strips of fabric, he started to dress Mu Qing’s wounds. He started with the tail, as that one seemed the more concerning of the two. He used the wet fabric to dab at the bloody wound, and glanced up at Mu Qing.
To his dismay, the other’s lip trembled. He watched on in shock as Mu Qing threw himself forward into Feng Xin’s arms. “F-Feng Xiiin….” He said, in a voice so sweet Feng Xin felt he might get a cavity, he stared down at him, awestruck. Mu Qing’s arms wrapped around his neck, holding onto him desperately.
“I-it’s okay,” Feng Xin said, immediately scooting closer and wrapping his own arms around Mu Qing’s waist, holding him against his chest, “I’m here… they’re gone. They won’t hurt you anymore.” He wanted to soothe him, to take his fear or worry away. Mu Qing held him tighter, burying his face into Feng Xin’s shoulder. As Mu Qing’s shoulders shook in Feng Xin’s arms, and he knew that he must be crying right now.
“Feng Xin….” He said again, sweet voice thick with emotion. One of Feng Xin’s hands came up to rest on the back of Mu Qing’s head, he soothed him softly. They stayed like that until the rain came, hard and fast, and then they parted ways quickly. If Feng Xin’s cheeks had been on fire, that was no one’s business but his own.
He climbed up that sandy hill and grabbed his things quickly, looking back only once and seeing that Mu Qing had gone already. He made his way home, shirtless and dripping wet, trying to figure out what exactly he could tell his parents had happened to him.
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Feng Xin visited every day following that afternoon. He told himself it was just to make sure that Mu Qing was doing alright, to make sure that those boys didn’t come back to harass him anymore. He knew better though, deep down. That is to say, he knew it wasn’t just that. He’d also just wanted to see Mu Qing. So much so that it felt like he’d go crazy if he didn’t.
There were plenty of things in life that didn’t make sense to Feng Xin. But this, his strange attachment to Mu Qing, this took the prize for strangest. He’d only ever felt like this one other time, when he was younger and had had a crush on a girl who lived beside him.
Those feelings had been different though, surely. Feng Xin didn’t have a crush on Mu Qing, that would be utterly ridiculous… Except… well, except he knew the way that he felt when he thought of Mu Qing was familiar. The swarm of butterflies in his gut, that excitement bubbling up whenever he thought he might see him, the warmth that he felt when he watched Mu Qing do literally anything… It was confusing, okay? How did one go about having a crush on a beautiful fish creature? Especially one who acted cold and nonchalant at best most of the time?
All of that aside, it didn’t matter anyways. Even if Feng Xin wanted to see him desperately, he couldn’t ensure that Mu Qing would also show up. The first three days after the incident, he did not. Feng Xin waited for him, a bit like a dog waiting for its owner, before realizing he would not be joined. He’d then, sullenly, leave the beach and go back home. It was fine, really. He knew that he shouldn’t just expect that Mu Qing would be there all the time, especially not after being as upset as he had been from what the boys had done.
The beach had gone from their shared little slice of comfort to something scary and unsafe. It made sense that Mu Qing would want to avoid it if he could… Feng Xin only wished that it felt a bit less like being abandoned.
On the fourth day when he returned, Mu Qing was there, albeit a little further away from shore than normal. But still, amazingly, he was there! Feng Xin didn’t even try to keep the grin off of his face. He slid down the sandy hill and stopped at the edge of the shore. Mu Qing was already looking at him, head tilted to the side. Feeling overwhelmingly charmed, Feng Xin called out, “Oi! Mu Qing!”
Even from this distance, Feng Xin could see his hesitation. That would not do. Slowly, he bent down to unlace his boots. If Mu Qing wasn’t comfortable getting closer, Feng Xin was more than fine with meeting him somewhere he deemed safer. He pulled his shirt off over his head then, folding it messily and dropping it onto his boots. Then he stepped into the cool water.
It was lucky that the day had been a hot one; the sun burning bright overhead for most of the morning and afternoon. It was lucky that Feng Xin had grown up here, had learned how to swim at a young age. It was lucky that Mu Qing seemed startled enough by his getting into the water that he swam closer. Cool water rose steadily up his legs… to his stomach, and then eventually sternum… and neck. Feng Xin swam closer to Mu Qing, until he was right in front of him.
Feng Xin was still wearing his grin, pleased by Mu Qing’s confused but seemingly happy expression. Mu Qing took the opportunity to swim in a circle around Feng Xin. “Mu Qing,” he said, sounding pleased, “Hi.”
Mu Qing did not respond, though he did stop in front of Feng Xin again. At this distance, Feng Xin could see every little detail of the other man clearly. The moles across his skin, the water droplets on his cheeks, his long, dark eyelashes. He was so pretty, it was almost unfair.
“Wanna play a game?” He asked instead of doing something stupid about the butterflies in his stomach. Mu Qing cocked a head at him, so Feng Xin slowly ducked into the water and splashed Mu Qing as he came back up. He hoped that it would be seen as more playful than aggressive.
His hopes were answered.
They played a game together then, a little like hide and seek. Feng Xin would close his eyes and count to ten, and when he opened them, he had to try and find Mu Qing. The first round, Mu Qing had been right behind him, head above water. When Feng Xin finally realized it, Mu Qing had splashed him hard with water before swimming away.
Feng Xin swore that he saw a small smile on Mu Qing’s lips. Despite being drenched in the salty water now, he was completely enchanted.
The second round, Mu Qing had gone under water. After a few moments of confused looking around beneath the water to no avail, Feng Xin felt a hand wrap around his ankle, and he was pulled under. It didn’t last long, and Mu Qing made sure to help Feng Xin back up for air, but it was enough to make Feng Xin stutter out a bewildered laugh. His hair dripped into his face, and he asked, “Oh, you play dirty now?”
Mu Qing smiled at him, swimming in another circle around him. Feng Xin decided to chase after him. Their afternoon was full of more laughter and smiles, until the sun started to set, and Feng Xin sighed, thinking it was probably time to go home now. He turned back to glance at Mu Qing one more time, and looking back he’d never be able to pinpoint what it was. Maybe Mu Qing’s smile, even with his sharp looking teeth. Maybe it was the giddiness that came with finally swimming with him. Or maybe it was something that had always been bound to happen.
He swam back towards Mu Qing and stopped in front of him. Feng Xin’s hands gently came to Mu Qing’s cheeks, and he drew their faces closer, until he felt the soft lips of the other man press against his. He could taste the saltiness of the kiss for just a breath, and then he pulled away. Mu Qing looked, again, dumbfounded, but his cheeks were a pretty shade of pink as Feng Xin turned away and began swimming back to shore. By the time he’d gotten his boots back on, and looked back at Mu Qing, the other was already gone.
Feeling like he was on top of the world, Feng Xin headed home for the night.
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It became a habit, as it had already steadily become, for Feng Xin to go visit Mu Qing every chance that he got. Their visits varied. Some days Feng Xin would walk into the water and they would swim together. Some days he would sit on the rocks and share his food with Mu Qing, while talking about how his days had been going.
This evening was one such occasion. Feng Xin had just returned from the fishing trip with his father that morning, so he was feeling a bit too fatigued to actually get in and swim. That was fine though, as he’d brought an extra sandwich to share with Mu Qing. They’d already finished eating, and Feng Xin was in the middle of recounting how he’d just barely saved his father from falling overboard when he felt hands on his knees.
Touching each other was no longer a rarity between them, in fact, Mu Qing seemed to have grown more comfortable with casual touches with every day that passed between them. So, in hindsight, Feng Xin knew that he should not be all that surprised by this.
However.
However, Mu Qing was looking up at him with his wide, dark eyes, the light catching them just so in a way that made them look positively radiant. Biting his lip to hold back a smile, Feng Xin said, “What is it?”
“Feng Xiiin…” Mu Qing said, which had also started to become a normal occurrence. It didn’t seem like he’d picked up much else from his language besides his name. Feng Xin was absolutely fine with that though. He quite liked the way the other said it.
Mu Qing’s fingers ended with sharp nails, but he was careful not to hurt or scratch Feng Xin. Almost uncharacteristically, Mu Qing moved closer and wrapped his arms around Feng Xin’s waist, leaving half of his body exposed to the open air and the other half submerged under water. He hugged Feng Xin, resting his head in his lap.
Unable to help himself, Feng Xin let one of his hands come to rest on Mu Qing’s head, petting it softly. He said, “What am I going to do with you?”
Mu Qing, as expected, did not answer nor did he move. Happily, Feng Xin let out a small sigh. In a not-so-rare-anymore moment of contentedness, he thought that he wouldn’t mind staying like this for the rest of his life. The thought, so it seemed, was a shared one between them both.
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