Work Text:
When Mo opens He Tian’s bedroom door, He Tian’s sound asleep.
He Tian had called him an hour ago and asked if he would drop by. They haven’t seen each other for a week. Mo wanted to see him too. Once work was over, Mo rushed to He Tian’s place, not even bothering to let his mother know. She will figure it out somehow. If he’s not home by midnight, he’ll be at He Tian’s.
Mo quietly walks towards the bed and sits down without making a noise. He Tian must have fallen asleep waiting for him. Mo decides to let him sleep. This way, he can just stare at his stupid, pretty face without giving He Tian the satisfaction.
He Tian looks like an angel when he sleeps, Mo cannot help but let a smile take over his face. His heart swells with fondness and he’s once again hit by the realisation that he’s in love with this guy and this guy would bring the moon for him if he asks.
He takes He Tian’s hand in his and intertwines them. He Tian’s hands are made to be loved and to love. He thinks about the way He Tian holds him gently. How softly he caresses his earlobe. How tenderly he touches his face like Mo is someone delicate.
But then he also remembers the time he got blood in this very hand for him. That’s all in the past and every day Mo tries his best to move on from that because no one can harm them now and they don’t have to fight anyone now. But he cannot forget that and whenever he thinks of He Tian’s bloodied hands, his heart aches.
It has been so long since then and Mo had made a promise to himself to never let that happen ever again. He Tian’s hand will only see love from now on. Mo, with his other hand, reaches for something in his back pocket.
He Tian loves him. Mo knows that so well. The last time they met, He Tian told him: It’s my fault that I can’t live without you. He Tian is someone who isn’t afraid to tell him things like that.
Mo couldn’t say anything to him in return then. He is not good with words like He Tian is. But he loves He Tian with all his heart. So much that it hurts.
He places a feather-light kiss on He Tian’s knuckles.
—
By the time He Tian wakes up and finds him in the kitchen, Mo is done setting the table for a light dinner.
“Little Mo,” He Tian calls out to him, a silent confusion on his face as he walks towards him. He Tian must have noticed it already. Mo feels his heart in his throat. He Tian asks him, eyes unreadable, “Is it my birthday today?”
Avoiding his eyes, Mo shakes his head.
He Tian reaches out to hold his elbow and something glimmers in his finger, catching the ceiling lights. “Then why am I getting a gift now?”
Mo is pressed up against the counter now and He Tian is cradling his face with his other hand so he doesn’t avert his eyes. “I… wanted to buy you one.”
Last Christmas when He Tian found a dummy ring, he had joked about it. Mo doesn’t know how to make bold declarations like He Tian. Mo had just thought then: I will buy you one. So he saved up and bought a decent one.
“It’s not much,” Mo quickly says, finding He Tian’s eyes. He cannot tell what He Tian is thinking because he keeps staring at him and he is starting to get embarrassed about this whole thing. What if this is all so silly? “It’s just a ring.”
He Tian lets out a soft, shaky sigh and drops his head onto Mo’s shoulder as if he wants to hide his face. Mo brings his hand to cradle the back of his head on instinct. “Little Mo.”
Mo hums. He feels He Tian’s shoulder trembling and he wraps an arm around him, holding him properly.
He Tian stays silent for a very long moment before he speaks, “I am not sure what you were thinking when you put this on me. But this is making me so happy.”
Mo lets himself smile into He Tian’s hair. He made He Tian happy. “Really?”
He Tian lets out a watery chuckle. “So happy that I could die right here, right now.”
Mo pinches the skin at the base of his neck, making He Tian yelp into the crook of his neck. “You… Don’t ever say that again,” Mo scolds. “If you are that happy, shouldn’t you want to live?” Mo pauses and He Tian raises his head to look at him. The words are already there, stuck in his throat and he just has to come out and say it. He takes a deep breath. “So live. Live happily with me.”
He Tian looks at him with wide, surprised eyes. Mo makes sure to look at him this time so he sees the way his eyes water and glistens with unshed tears. When Mo cups He Tian’s cheek to catch the first tear that falls, he feels his own eyes burn but he holds back his tears. He kisses away He Tian’s tears away before He Tian presses their lips together.
“You said it yourself,” He Tian tells him in between kisses, “now you can never leave me. You are stuck with me now, Mo.”
Mo stares at his stupid, handsome face. He is stuck with this guy for life. They both are smiling so hard right now. Pressing his forehead against his lover’s, Mo thinks, I don’t think I can live without you either. I wouldn’t have this any other way.