Archive of Our Own

After adding the herbs into the cauldron, Hao spends a minute mixing the ingredients together with the stirring paddle. When he’s satisfied, he leaves it to simmer and goes to wash his hands. In fifty minutes, this batch of health potions will be ready to be poured into vials.

With a warm cup of tea, Hao settles on his armchair as he watches his apprentice, Yujin, collect fallen bluebell petals through the window. The sun has yet to set but Hao can feel his body aching from hours of arduous work. Although he’s had this busy lifestyle for years, it hasn’t gotten any less tiring.

The first part of Hao's day was spent treating ailments and lifting curses on people and objects, and then he’d barely had time for lunch before he had to write a long report about a new ointment he’s been working on. Fortunately, brewing potions is the last thing he has to do for today, so he can finally lean back and relax.

As he sips on his tea, Hao thinks about his schedule for the coming week. He doesn’t have any duties outside for the next two days, which means he can catch up on some of the sleep he’s been missing out on because of work. After that, he’ll have his hands full again because he has a string of conferences to attend. Just the thought of being around loads of strangers for hours on end is enough to make Hao’s stomach churn. They can be interesting sometimes, but these people can also get scarily serious about what they do, and that’s not fun, especially for someone as introverted as he is.

The front door swings inwards and Yujin steps inside, holding a basket full of bluebell petals. Hao blinks a few times to make sure he isn’t imagining it when he sees him bring them straight to his room. What does he need so many for? Before Hao can think of some possible explanations, Yujin reappears and begins to pull open various drawers. He seems to be searching for something to no avail, based on the way he peers into every drawer, sifts through its contents, and then closes it, his hands woefully empty each time.

After searching through Hao’s entire supply of ingredients and magical items, a very evident frown settles on Yujin’s face as he takes a step back. Before Hao knows it, he’s putting his cup down and calling out to Yujin. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

Yujin turns around. “I’m looking for griffin talons, but I can’t find any,” he says.

“Griffin talons?” Hao repeats. After Yujin nods, he folds his arms, thinking deeply. “I don’t think I’ve ever used any.”

“Ah…” Yujin’s shoulders slump. “I found a recipe for a potion I really want to make, and it says I need four of them,” he mumbles.

Hao raises his eyebrows. This is the first time he’s heard of Yujin wanting to make a potion of his own volition. He’s usually more interested in other kinds of witchcraft, like casting spells. That explains the bluebell petals. Seeing how disappointed Yujin seems, Hao quickly gets to his feet. “Let’s go ask Matthew, maybe he has some that he can sell to us.”

Yujin nods. “Alright. Give me a minute to get ready,” he says, slipping back into his room.

Finishing the last of his tea, Hao goes to put on his cloak and hat, then grabs his coin pouch. When Yujin returns from his room, Hao opens the door and they head out into town.

Matthew’s store is a twenty minute walk away from Hao’s house. Close to the town centre, it is well-known amongst the townspeople. Whenever someone needs something, they don’t hesitate to pay the store a visit. Its abundance of items, warm colours, fragrant aroma, and of course, its friendly owner, welcome everyone. The entire population of Reven loves Matthew, and even though it’s been over a month, sometimes Hao still wonders how he managed to be the person lucky enough to date him.

Although he has an actual reason to go to the store today, Hao still can’t help but feel a burst of excitement. It’s been a few days since his last visit, and seeing Matthew always lights up his day, no matter how busy he is. He tries not to make it too obvious though, lest Yujin notices and jokingly accuses him of making up an excuse to see his boyfriend.

“What kind of potion are you trying to make anyway?” Hao asks.

Yujin shrugs. “Just something I want to try out.”

Hao quirks an eyebrow at the vague answer, but doesn’t push him for specifics. Having mentored him for years now, he knows Yujin won’t do anything stupid. If he doesn’t want to tell Hao exactly what potion he’s making, he must have his reasons.

The town is bustling with life. There are some people pushing carts of freshly harvested crops and produce, other workers tinkering away at shop signs and damaged roofs, and families out and about.

Finally, after they turn another corner, the familiar store comes into view. Through the large glass windows, Hao can see a group of children talking to Matthew. They’re probably chatting about some new toys or collectible items; those have always been a hit with the kids in town. Hao can’t help but speed up a little, eager to talk to his boyfriend too.

When Hao pulls open the door, the little bell rings and the heads of the children gathered around the counter whip around. As soon as they catch sight of Hao, they gasp. “It’s him!” Giggling, the children hurriedly pick up their trading cards and push past Hao and Yujin to leave the store, puckering their lips and making exaggerated kissing sounds at him as they go.

Hao covers his face with his hand, trying not to groan. “They’re never going to let us live that down, are they?” he mumbles.

From behind the counter, Matthew chuckles. “Maybe not.”

Two weeks ago, Hao was giving Matthew a quick kiss goodbye when a few children barged into the store to retrieve something they had accidentally left there. Needless to say, word spread quickly, and soon all the children were teasing Hao whenever he showed up at Matthew’s store.

With the children gone, Hao and Yujin walk up to Matthew. A bright smile sits comfortably on his face, making Hao feel at ease right away. If they were alone, Hao would be reaching for Matthew’s hand, but with his apprentice next to him, he holds himself back. He’ll have to wait for another time, when they’re alone together. “It’s nice to see you both. What brings you two here today?” Matthew asks.

“We’re looking for griffin talons, do you have any?” Hao asks. “Yujin needs them for a potion.” Yujin nods in agreement.

Matthew shakes his head. “No, I don’t have any. They’re not native to our region so I don’t think you’ll find them anywhere else here, but I know of a port where they sell those talons. Would you like me to put in a request for them? I can have them sent here in about two weeks.”

Hao glances at Yujin, waiting for him to respond. He’s the one who wants to make this potion, after all. Before he can try to gauge what Yujin’s thinking, Matthew speaks again.

“Or… would you like to go to the port?” he asks, voice soft. “I can take you two there if you want to get the talons sooner. It’s really pretty and they sell loads of other things which you can’t find here. I can also show you around if you want to explore the area, it’s a nice place.”

Hao bites his lip. He doesn’t know of any nearby ports, so it can’t be close, and with all the things he has to do, he’s not sure if he has enough time to leave town. “How far is it?”

“Well… it’s about six hours away by flying carriage.”

Hao flinches when he hears Matthew’s response. “Oh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea, that’s not a short journey…”

“You should go,” Yujin suddenly pipes up, nudging Hao.

“Me?” Hao asks, bewildered. “What about you?”

“You need a break,” Yujin says flatly. “I can take care of the house for a few days.”

Hao swallows. Well, the idea of going somewhere new with Matthew does sound enticing… And if Yujin is staying here, he won’t have to worry so much… “Okay then,” he finally says, then turns to Matthew. “I’ll go with you.”

Matthew beams instantly. “When do you want to go?”

Hao purses his lips as he thinks about his schedule. “Um, would tomorrow be too soon? I should be free for the next two days, but after that there are a bunch of conferences I have to attend and I’m not sure when I’ll be free next.”

To his relief, Matthew nods. “That works for me, two days is more than enough. I can ask Gunwook or one of my part-timers to manage the store while I’m gone.”

“Great, where do I meet you tomorrow?” Hao asks.

“Um, just be ready to leave at eight in the morning, I’ll come to your house and we can walk to the carriage together.”

“Alright.” Glancing at the clock on the wall, Hao realises his health potions will be done brewing soon. “Sorry, I have to get going now,” he says apologetically.

“That’s okay,” Matthew says. “I should get ready to close the store for the day too.”

Bidding Matthew farewell is one of Hao’s least favourite things to do, but at least it won’t be long until their next meeting. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he says.

“See you!” Matthew says with a wave. “Bye, Yujin!”

“Bye,” Yujin says, offering a smile in return.

After they leave the store, Hao and Yujin make their way back home. There are more people than there were earlier, many likely heading home or going somewhere for dinner. While they walk, Hao mentally runs over the things he’ll have to prepare for Yujin so things won’t fall apart while he’s away.

Yujin abruptly turns to Hao, smiling brightly. “You two can finally go on a proper date now!” he exclaims.

Hao freezes. “What?” he splutters. “How do you know this is a date?”

“Why are you so surprised?” Yujin asks. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Hao furrows his brows. “No…?” He tries to calm his racing heartbeat as he shifts from foot to foot, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that their trip tomorrow is apparently a date.

“Didn’t you see how Matthew was so nervous about asking? He was practically dancing on his heels!”

Was he? “No, I didn’t… I must have been distracted,” Hao murmurs.

“You need to pay more attention to your boyfriend,” Yujin jokes. “Right now you’re as nervous as he was, actually,” he says, gesturing at Hao’s fidgeting. “Couples go on trips like this all the time. Besides, he said he would pick you up from the house when he didn’t have to. Doesn’t that sound like something someone would do for a date?”

“I… That never occurred to me,” Hao admits, cheeks flushed. He might be more of an idiot than he thought, if someone seven years his junior is able to point all these things out. “Is that why you said you would stay behind?”

Yujin nods. “Of course, I don’t want to get in the way or feel like I’m just thirdwheeling. Or worse, both.” He pretends to shudder, which draws a chuckle out of Hao.

“Good point. Thank you,” Hao says, reaching out to pat Yujin on the head. “I knew I could count on you. I’ll get you those griffin talons as soon as I can.”

Now that it’s been established that this is some kind of date, Hao can’t relax. Because of how busy they always are, they’d only ever spent time together at Matthew’s store or grabbed a quick meal at a restaurant. Going somewhere else together is a new kind of experience. Hao has all kinds of qualifications, but none of them have prepared him for the world of dating.

The moment they return home, Hao hurriedly pours the potion into vials, almost spilling a bit from how fast he's going. Once that's done, he runs to dig through his entire closet for his best clothes, throwing various options onto his bed. He stares them down as he tries to imagine what Matthew would like the most. If this is going to be their first date, then he can’t dress like he usually does.

After what feels like a century, he settles on wearing a pair of tight-fitting pants with a flowy white shirt the next day and a blue shirt the day after. As he’s reorganising his closet, he finds a light pink cloak that his mom had sent him years ago. With all the things he does for work, he’d never worn it because he was afraid of damaging it. Looking at it now, this shade of pink would look pretty good with the shirts he'd chosen, so he takes it out. It makes sense to wear a nicer cloak for this trip instead of the one he’s been wearing for years. Digging through his closet one more time, Hao manages to find a hat in the same shade of pink.

Over dinner, he asks for Yujin’s opinion on his best hairstyle and what accessories to wear, much to the apprentice’s amusement. “I never thought I would see you panic this much again. You haven’t been this nervous about him since the day you two got together,” Yujin says.

“Of course I’m going to be nervous,” Hao says, “it’s our first time really going somewhere together after we started dating. I want to leave a good impression, not let him down.”

“That man is head over heels in love with you, you know?” Yujin says, pointing his spoon at Hao. “You could wear nothing but a sack and he’d still call you a snack, or whatever it is he usually says.”

It draws a laugh out of Hao before his nerves overcome him once more. “But still…” he whines. “Just help me out, alright? I have no one else to ask.”

Yujin chuckles. “Of course I will, I don’t want to lose my apprenticeship.”

Hao throws Yujin a glare, but there’s no heat behind it because he knows he’s joking.

Despite his best preparations, when he finally climbs into bed that night, Hao finds himself struggling to fall asleep. His heart is beating too fast. He can’t wait for tomorrow to come. At the same time, he can’t silence the thoughts that maybe he’ll disappoint Matthew somehow. What if whatever he’s done to prepare isn’t going to be enough? Hao inhales deeply, trying to convince himself that it’ll be fine, but his stubborn heart won’t slow down.

As the minutes drag on, Hao even contemplates drinking a sleep potion, but the knowledge that it might knock him out for much longer than desired keeps him from getting up to grab one. Taking a deep breath, Hao resorts to counting griffins in his head until he finally slips into dreamland.

The next morning, Hao briefs Yujin on the tasks he’ll have to carry out in Hao’s stead. In the remaining few minutes before the clock strikes eight, he checks his reflection in their small mirror as he waits for Matthew to arrive. His heart is pounding again, both with anxiety and anticipation.

“You’ll be fine,” Yujin says, when he notices how restless Hao is.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Hao mumbles, adjusting his shirt and cloak for the hundredth time.

“Do you feel nervous every time you're going to see him?” Yujin asks.

“No,” Hao answers. “Well, not since we started dating.”

“Exactly, today should feel no different. The only difference is that you’ll be spending time with him somewhere else."

Hao sighs. “You’re right.”

“I’m always right,” Yujin jokes. Seeing the way Hao chuckles, Yujin smiles and disappears into the next room.

Shortly afterwards, there’s a knock on the door, and Hao is on his feet in a second. He pulls the door open to see Matthew standing outside.

“Good morning,” Matthew says with a smile. He’s got a bag over his shoulder and he’s wearing a sleeveless linen shirt Hao has never seen before.

“Good morning,” Hao says, returning Matthew’s smile. Having his boyfriend in front of him seems to be taking Hao’s mind off his worries already. Or rather, having his boyfriend’s arms right in his line of sight is distracting him from everything else. Hao’s always known that Matthew’s very strong, but he normally wears long sleeves at the store so it’s his first time seeing exactly how well-defined his arms are. It’s hard to tear his eyes away when they look like that.

“You look great today,” Matthew says. “I like your cloak, it suits you.”

The compliment makes Hao’s cheeks flush, and at the same time he feels relieved. It seems like he made the right choice wearing this. “Thank you, it’s my first time wearing it. You look great too.”

“Thanks.” Matthew grins. “Ready to go?”

Hao nods. “Yeah.” He turns around to find Yujin and sees him polishing some glassware. “I’m going now, Yujin,” he calls out. “Take care while I’m gone!”

Yujin looks up. “Alright, see you! Have fun.”

“Thank you,” Hao says.

After he shuts the door, Hao casts one last glance at the house, taking in all the details from the roof to the windows. He never really leaves his place of abode for too long, let alone for a whole day and a half. Hopefully Yujin will be fine on his own. Tearing his gaze away, he falls into step with Matthew, who leads the way past the forest. It doesn’t take long before Hao’s hand slips into Matthew’s and they lace their fingers together.

“Did you sleep well?” Matthew asks.

“I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep at first,” Hao confesses. “But I think I still slept pretty well in spite of it. I’ve been so busy these days and my work keeps cutting into my sleep.”

Matthew frowns when he hears this. “Hopefully these two days will be really restful for you,” he says, his thumb rubbing circles on Hao’s hand.

Hao nods. “I hope so too. How about you? Did you sleep well?”

“Mm, mostly,” Matthew shrugs. Hao wonders if Matthew was also so nervous and excited that it affected his sleep.

After a few minutes, they approach an area Hao doesn’t think he’s ever been to. It’s a grassy clearing by the river. With no houses or buildings around, he can see the sun shining over them quite clearly.

“This is where the flying carriages to the port stop,” Matthew explains.

On the side of the path, Hao can see an old sign with ‘Reven to Port Bada’ written on it in faded letters. “Port Bada,” he mumbles. “That’s a nice name.”

“Yeah, a nice name for a nice place,” Matthew replies.

As they continue to walk, they spot a majestic flying carriage a few feet ahead of them. Two pegasi stand still while the coachman fastens their reins, securing them to the large white carriage. Although they’re a common form of transport, it's been a while since Hao last saw a flying carriage, let alone entered one of them, because he’s always in the town centre rather than the outskirts. The huge white wings on the sides of the carriage never fail to amaze him, especially knowing the amount of magic needed to enchant them in order to keep the carriage afloat.

“Shall we?” Matthew asks, after the coachman’s settled into his seat.

Hao nods. He starts to reach into his pocket for his coin pouch, but Matthew stops him before he can take it out. “It’s okay, I’ll pay for us.”

“Oh, thanks,” Hao mumbles, letting go of his pouch. Yujin was right, it really does seem like a date.

Matthew pays the coachman and they step into the carriage. The inside is painted a simple light brown, with red curtains neatly hooked to the sides of the windows. The padded seats are crimson and there seems to be enough space for at least eight people.

They sit together by one of the windows. The seats are soft and much more comfortable than the ones Hao remembers sitting on several years ago during his last flying carriage ride. With how large the wheels of the carriage are, Hao feels a little taller when he peers outside and looks at the path they had just come from.

Before he can say anything, a family of three enters the carriage and sit across from Matthew and Hao. The young boy clambers onto the seat to gaze out of the window while his parents sit next to him. He squeals in delight, and his parents exchange a smile. Hao wonders if it’s his first time on a flying carriage. The boy’s parents point outside as they talk to him, seemingly explaining something. Just from watching them, Hao can’t help but smile too.

No one else shows up, so after another minute, the door closes, the pegasi start galloping, and the flying carriage takes off. Hao can see the carriage wings flapping elegantly, carrying them into the sky.

“This is exciting,” Matthew says to Hao, grinning. His hand finds Hao’s again, clutching it. “It’s been a while since your last carriage ride, right?”

“Yeah, it’s nice to take it again,” Hao says. “I think the last time was when I moved here from Syawla.”

Matthew looks surprised. “Oh really? That’s quite a few years then.”

As they fly higher and higher up, Hao can see the whole town of Reven. “Hey, I think that’s my house,” he says, pointing at a familiar grey roof next to the forest.

Matthew nods. “Oh yeah, and over there should be my store,” he says, pointing at another building. It doesn’t look much different than many of the other buildings around it, but Hao knows Matthew’s right when he traces the path from his house.

Hao can recognise other places he frequents, like the town hall and the library. It feels strange seeing the entire town condensed into a tiny area. “Everything feels so small from up here,” he muses. “I’ve never seen it from above like this.”

“It’s cool seeing it from this angle,” Matthew says. “I almost feel like a bird.”

After a while, they find themselves amongst the white clouds. Hao can’t help but feel a sense of wonder every time this happens. It’s like he’s being whisked away to another world.

Across from them, the little boy is waving his arms in excitement. Hao wonders how Yujin would be acting right now, if he had decided to come with them. He’s obviously much older than this boy, but he’s never been on a flying carriage either. Maybe there would be the same kind of fascination in his eyes.

Soon Reven completely disappears from view, and they find themselves looking at other towns and landscapes. In one area, Hao sees a big waterfall. The waves of water cascading down steep mountains look like something out of a dream. “That’s such a pretty waterfall,” he gushes. “Where do you think that is?”

Matthew hums, tilting his head to the side. “I’m not sure. Maybe we should look at a map later. I have some really detailed ones at my store.”

“Great idea, let’s do that after we get back,” Hao says. He can picture them sitting at Matthew’s desk together, looking at the names of various places. Thinking about Matthew cutely trying to pronounce them is already making him excited. “How often do you go to this port?”

“Maybe once every few months?” Matthew says, tilting his head to the side. “I haven’t been there that many times, but I think I roughly know my way around now. They don’t have a lot of signs so it used to be a bit confusing for me.” He chuckles, seemingly recalling something. Hao finds himself smiling too. “It’s been three or four months since the last time I went, so it’s good to go again.”

“That’s nice. What do you want to do after we get there?”

“Well, other than getting the talons, I was thinking of taking you to eat a lot of delicious food and check out the view. And then there are also other things like museums and they have an area where you can try to steer a ship, since there are loads of them around. But we don’t have to visit all of them, I don’t want it to seem like we’re on a fixed schedule or something.”

Hao nods gratefully. “Alright, that sounds good, we can see how we’re feeling.”

Even after a few hours in the sky, Hao is still just as fascinated by all the sights to see. Every area is different. There are mountainous regions as well as places with more rivers and streams. There are beaches and deserts, jungles and swamps, and other kinds of terrain Hao can’t even begin to describe. He wishes he had a way to capture everything so he could show Yujin and look at them whenever he wants.

“How many of these other places have you been to?” Hao asks.

“Not a lot, that’s for sure,” Matthew replies. “My parents took my sister and I to a few places when we were kids, but most weren’t very far. Other than when I had to buy stock for my store, I haven’t really gone anywhere in the last few years. It would be hard to keep the store open if I’m always gone,” he says with a laugh.

Hao nods in understanding. Indeed, not many can afford to spend hours travelling to other places for fun in this economy. “Me too, I’ve only gone to a few neighbouring areas.”

Eventually, the flying carriage starts to descend, signalling that they’re almost at their destination. Hao gazes outside again, looking down at the colourful little dots of houses and buildings as well as the vast sea stretching out in front of the area.

“Look over there,” Matthew says, pointing at an area right by the sea with neat rows of stalls. “That’s the market we’ll be going to.”

There are numerous rows of tarp-covered stalls lined up by the beach. Some of the covers are flat colours, some have patterns, and others have images or words painted on them. Hao wonders which one they’ll be able to get griffin talons from.

As they get closer to the ground, Hao spots a large wooden sign with blue and white paint on it. “Welcome to Port Bada,” he reads aloud.

Gradually, the flying carriage comes to a stop. The family gets up to leave first, the young boy excitedly tugging on his parents’ hands. Then it’s Hao and Matthew’s turn; they stand up and nimbly step off the carriage. The air is crisp and refreshing, and in the distance, Hao notices many trees which he doesn’t think he’s seen before, their branches thinner and trunks taller. There are flowers of a multitude of hues, as well as birds and butterflies Hao doesn’t recognise.

“The market is this way,” Matthew says, nodding at a pathway that seemingly leads to the beach.

Hao takes his hand and they walk slowly, admiring the pretty view of the sky and the sea. They stop near the shoreline briefly, watching the water glisten. Little crabs in different colours crawl around the beach, digging holes in the sand. There are seagulls flying about too, occasionally entering the water to snatch a fish so quickly that it startles Hao. A few large ships pass by too, some carrying cargo in crates or bundles and some carrying people who wave at them. As the two of them wave back, Hao quickly decides he likes it here.

In contrast to how quiet the other places he’d passed by were, the market is a busy place. There are many people walking around and buying various items, and the chatter makes the atmosphere quite lively. Not to mention, Hao can smell food from some of the stalls, and it’s making his stomach growl.

Matthew takes him to a small stall tucked between a large one selling ores and another boasting fancy fabrics. Potted plants hang on the sides of the stall and the table is decked with a variety of items, from common potion ingredients to rare crystals. Hao spots a little basket of toadstools and recalls the time when Yujin had nearly eaten one because he thought it was a better version of a mushroom. Matthew walks up to the tall woman standing behind the table.

“Hello,” he says. “Do you have griffin talons?”

The woman shakes her head. “Sorry, they’re sold out for today.” Hearing this, Hao’s heart sinks. “But we should have more arriving tomorrow morning, so you can come back if you still want some,” the woman continues.

“Alright! Thank you,” Matthew says. They excuse themselves and Matthew leads Hao away from the stall. “Good thing we’ll still be here tomorrow, right?” he says with a smile.

Hao nods, relieved. “Yeah. I didn’t think they would be so popular that they’d be sold out in the early afternoon though.“ He swallows. “Are you sure tomorrow’s batch won’t be sold out right away too?” Yujin’s potion doesn’t seem to be an incredibly important one, but Hao still doesn’t like the idea of having to tell him that they couldn’t get the talons.

“We’ll come first thing in the morning then!” Matthew assures him. “We’ll get them for sure, don’t worry.” He pats Hao on the shoulder. “Are you hungry?”

“Yeah,” Hao says. “The smell has been taunting me ever since we got here,” he admits.

Matthew cracks a smile. “Let’s go right to the source then. I know a place that has really good giant prawn skewers, you’ll love them.”

They walk over to a row of various food stalls, but before they find the one with the prawns, Hao catches sight of a familiar spiky green fruit and runs right towards it, dragging Matthew with him. The price written on the board next to them is so shockingly low that he has to blink a few times to make sure he read it right. Surprisingly, the familiar pungent smell durians typically have is nowhere to be found. Hao wonders if the people running the stall applied some kind of charm to suppress the smell.

Matthew looks at him curiously. “Did something catch your eye?”

“They have durians here?!” Hao asks, mouth ajar.

“Oh, the durians? Yeah, they’re pretty common here,” Matthew says with a nod. “Do you like durian?”

“I love durian. If I knew they were being sold for so cheap, I would’ve come here ages ago!” Hao exclaims.

Matthew cracks a smile. “Do you want to eat some now?” When Hao nods eagerly, he turns to the man running the stall. “Hi, can I have this pack?” he asks, pointing at a pack of two pieces. Before Hao can stop him, he drops some coins into the man’s hand.

“Do you also like durian?” Hao asks.

“Well, I’ve never tried it before, but seeing how much you love it, I want to have some too.” Seeing the earnest look on Matthew’s face, Hao’s heart melts and he has to resist the urge to lean in and kiss him in front of everyone.

As Matthew starts to unwrap the pack, Hao can finally smell the durian. He inhales deeply, a serene smile on his lips. All feels right in the world now. The smell definitely hits Matthew too, because he’s scrunching up his nose and blinking rapidly. “Wow, the smell is really strong. Is it supposed to be like this?” he asks.

“Yeah!” Hao nods. “It’s great, isn’t it?” He breathes it in with a smile. “I know it’s not for everyone though, I also wasn’t used to it at first.” When Matthew is done unwrapping it, Hao eagerly picks up a piece and bites into it, savouring the flavour as he chews. “I missed this so much,” he murmurs.

While Hao continues to eat, Matthew grabs the other piece and takes a cautious bite. He chews on it slowly. “Actually, it’s kind of nice,” he says. “Like a weird custard?”

Hao beams, proud to have been able to introduce one of his favourite things to Matthew. “I’m glad you like it.”

After they finish the durian, they resume their search for the stall with the prawn skewers. They almost miss it, because not only is it actually right next to the durian stall, there’s also a group of people gathered around it. When Hao sees someone walking away holding a few skewers, his jaw drops. The prawn on each skewer is larger than his entire forearm. “A-Are they always that big?” he asks Matthew.

Matthew chuckles. “Yeah, I said they’re giant prawn skewers, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect them to be that big!”

“Now you know!” Matthew says, grinning. “I can’t wait for it to be our turn.”

Hao cranes his neck to get a better look at the stall. There are dozens of prawn skewers spread out on the large grill, but there’s only one man handling everything. Hao instantly notices how handsome he is, with sharp features that make him look like he was carved by one of the finest sculptors. He wonders if this is another reason for the popularity of these skewers.

When the customers in front of them finish making their purchase, Matthew walks up to the man and says, “Can I have two skewers please?” Without missing a beat, he takes some more coins out of his pouch to pay the man.

“Are you sure you want to pay for everything?” Hao asks. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to. It’s not like I didn’t bring any money.”

“It’s okay, this trip is my treat,” Matthew says, beaming. “You can treat me for our next date,” he adds, a little more softly.

Although Yujin had made it clear that this must be a date, hearing it from Matthew himself still surprises Hao a little. More than that, the thought of their next date makes his heart skip a beat. “Oh, of course,” he quickly replies. “Thank you.”

The man hands them two skewers from the grill. “Enjoy!” he says cheerily.

“Thank you,” Hao and Matthew say. They take a few steps away from the stall so that they don’t block the way.

Now that he has a skewer in his hand, Hao takes a moment to turn the wooden stick slowly so he can gawk at the size of the prawn up close. It’s a warm shade of orange with chili peppers sprinkled on it. “It looks amazing,” he says.

“Right?” Matthew grins. “I make sure to eat it every time I’m here.” He holds the stick up to his mouth and starts to sink his teeth into the prawn, only to pull it away immediately. “It’s so hot!” he cries out. “I think I just burned my tongue!”

Hao bursts out laughing. “Aren’t you supposed to be the one who’s eaten this multiple times?” he teases.

“Well, it’s been a few months,” Matthew murmurs, pouting. He looks so adorable that Hao can’t stop himself from reaching out to pinch his cheek.

Having seen what happened to Matthew, Hao makes sure to blow on his own skewer for a while. When he’s satisfied, he brings it to his lips and takes a big bite from the middle of the prawn. Beyond the crunch of the shell, the flesh of the prawn is incredibly juicy and the seasoning brings out the flavour even more.

“Wow!” he exclaims. “This is delicious.”

“It really is,” Matthew says in agreement, already going for his second bite.

They make quick work of their skewers, and then they wander around the other stalls selling all kinds of food and eat several different things, many of which Hao has never seen or heard of before. Everything is scrumptious, pleasing both to his eyes and taste buds.

When they’ve eaten their fill, Matthew takes Hao to the restroom on the far side of the market. After they finish washing their hands, he turns to Hao once more.

“Since we’re here already, how about we walk around and take a look at the other stuff they sell here?” he suggests.

“Sounds good,” Hao says. It seems like Matthew wants to find some more things to sell at his store, and Hao is nothing if not a supportive boyfriend. “You can take the lead.”

The stall closest to them boasts an assortment of stationery, from different kinds of paper to quills and bottles of ink in multiple colours. Hao picks up a few of the quills to take a closer look. They feel firm, quite unlike the flimsy ones which break very quickly, but he already has a lot of quills at home, so he walks away without buying any. Besides, he would feel bad if Matthew were to insist on paying for these too.

They check out loads of other stalls, looking at their selection of clothes, books, and more nifty items.

The tarp of the next stall is a bizarre combination of neon magenta, brown, and lime green. While Hao’s busy staring at it in horror, the man running the stall sees Matthew and his eyes widen in recognition.

“Oh hey, it’s been a while since we last met!” he says, grinning.

“Hi!” Matthew smiles. “It’s good to see you again. How’ve you been?”

Unsure of what to do whilst Matthew and the man converse with one another, Hao stands on the side awkwardly and looks at what the stall has to offer. It turns out they have a range of model flying carriages in various shapes and sizes. They even have a few like the one he and Matthew had taken earlier.

“Quite well, we’ve started selling some more flying carriages from other regions, like these ones,” the man says, gesturing at a few sharp red ones on the side of the table.

“Oh, nice!” Matthew says. He picks one up and turns it over in his hands. “It looks great.”

“Yeah, it’s much more refined than some of the previous models,” the man says. “How’s it going with your store?”

“Not bad, it’s been the same as always,” Matthew says. “The kids have been loving the models of the flying carriages that come to Reven.” He puts the model in his hands back on the table. “Can you send me some of these with my next order?”

“How many do you want?” the man asks, grabbing a small notepad from his pocket.

Matthew scratches the back of his head. “Mm, maybe five first?”

“Sure,” the man says, writing it down. “Oh right, how is that fine man you’ve been crushing on? Did you end up pretending to be sick to talk to him?” he asks, a devious little smile on his face.

Hao blinks. Is the man talking about him? Matthew pretended to be sick to talk to him? This is the first time Hao’s heard about it. He does recall a time some months back when Matthew had come to him for health potions, claiming he had gotten a cold…

Matthew averts his gaze while his ears start to turn a little red. “T-This is him,” he stammers, gesturing at Hao, who nods at the man in greeting.

“Oh!” the man exclaims, looking over at Hao. “Are you two dating now? Or did I just say something I shouldn’t have?”

Matthew chuckles heartily. “Don’t worry, we’re dating,” he reassures the man. “We’ve been together for more than a month now.”

The man smiles wider than Hao had considered humanly possible, dimples appearing on his face. “That’s great! You know, your boyfriend over here would always gush about you to me, to the point where it felt less like we were doing business and more like I was giving him relationship advice,” he tells Hao.

“Oh, really?” Hao asks, raising an eyebrow as he glances at Matthew, who looks even more flustered. “I didn’t know he was talking to other people about me.”

The man laughs loudly. “Oh, don’t get me started on all the things he’s said to me. We’ll be here all day if I tell you everything.” He grins. “Congrats though, I’m happy you two figured it out.”

“Thank you,” Hao says with a smile, albeit a little disappointed that the man didn’t continue sharing about what Matthew had told him. He’ll have to find another chance to get the man to spill the beans.

When they move on to another stall, Matthew’s fingers wrap around Hao’s more tightly. Despite his embarrassment earlier, he seems pleased to be reminded of how he’d successfully managed to start dating Hao after what seems to be a long time spent pining. Hao feels like he’s on top of the world thinking about it too, of course, and he squeezes Matthew’s hand and sends him a smile. Once again, he has to resist the urge to lean in to kiss Matthew.

In the corner of the market is a small stall filled with tons of little trinkets and accessories. Some of them seem rather antique, and they draw Hao’s interest right away. He picks up different objects, admiring the details and craftsmanship.

One particular silver pendant in the shape of a crow stands out to Hao as soon as he lays eyes on it, and he reaches out to grab it right away. He can feel the bumps of the crow’s feathers under his thumb, and the blue crystal stone clutched beneath its talons shines under the sunlight.

“This is really pretty,” Hao muses, showing it to Matthew. “Doesn’t this remind you of the crow you used to send me back then?”

“Oh yeah, it does,” Matthew says. “Especially with that stone in its mouth.”

“I always think about how that crow helped to bring us together, all because it stole the shiny stuff you tried to send me and we had to go find it after you realised I didn’t receive it.”

Matthew laughs. “That’s true, I have to give it credit for that. I probably would’ve taken much longer to confess to you if we didn’t go on that quest.”

Hao smiles fondly at it as he puts the pendant down. “I wonder how that crow is doing now. Have you seen it lately?”

“Nope, I haven’t seen it again since the last time I asked it to bring something to you. I hope it’s doing well though. Maybe we’ll cross paths with it again someday,” Matthew says, shrugging as he smiles.

By the time they finish taking a look at all the stalls, the sun has started to set and both of them are feeling hungry again.

Expecting to be grabbing more food from some of the stalls in the market, Hao’s stomach growls in anticipation. He definitely wouldn’t mind eating another one of those giant prawns.

To his surprise, Matthew says, “I want to take you to a certain restaurant. It’s not too far from here.”

“Sure, let’s go,” Hao says right away, curious what kind of place it is.

They spend a few minutes walking away, off to a new forested area. Hao feels a bit sad to leave the market, but he knows he’ll be back tomorrow so the feeling goes away quickly.

“This is the place,” Matthew says, when they approach a single storey building surrounded by tall trees and bushes. From the outside, Hao can’t discern anything about what the restaurant is like.

There’s no one at the entrance, so Matthew leads Hao inside. The restaurant is not very brightly lit, but its warm lighting is quite homely, and there are paintings of landscapes on the walls. They seem a bit familiar, but Hao can’t quite put his finger on where he might have seen them before. The sound of someone roaring with laughter distracts him from his thoughts. There are a few tables of people, but they’re too far away for Hao to see what they’re eating.

A waitress walks out from the kitchen and approaches them. “Good evening,” she greets. “Table for two?”

“Yes please,” Matthew replies.

“Right this way, please,” the waitress says, guiding them to sit at a small round table.

There are two menus on the table. Hao picks up one of them and flips it open. The moment he starts reading, he gasps. He recognises all of these dish names, because they’re from his hometown, Syawla.

Glancing up, Hao finds Matthew smiling at him. “I know we don’t have any places that serve Syawlain cuisine in Reven, so I thought you might like it if I brought you here,” he explains.

“You’re right,” Hao says, smiling back. “Thank you. I haven’t even tried the food but I already feel so happy.”

“And that’s all that matters to me,” Matthew says, reaching out to give Hao’s hand a squeeze. “Go ahead and order whatever you want.”

“No need to tell me twice,” Hao jokes. After he quickly picks out a few dishes and tells them to the waitress, he turns back to face Matthew. “So how did you know about this place? It seems a little out of the way.”

“Ah,” Matthew chuckles. “The first time I came to this port, I got lost. I had no idea where I was, and so when I stumbled upon this place, I came in to ask for directions. I didn’t eat here but I noticed that they specialise in Syawlain cuisine. Then after I met you and learned that you’re from Syawla, I came here to try their food the next time I visited this port because I was curious about what the food you grew up eating is like. Everything I tried was really nice.”

Hearing this, Hao can’t help but grin at the thought of Matthew doing different things to get to know him better. “You’re so cute.”

Matthew smiles and looks down. “That merchant really wasn’t exaggerating, my chats with him were more like relationship advice sessions. Back then, after I realised my feelings for you were more romantic than platonic, I was a mess because I didn’t know how I should approach you and get things going. That was when I discovered that he runs that stall with his boyfriend. Both of them are around our age, so it was easier to open up to them especially since they don’t know you. They were both really supportive and gave me many tips.”

The thought of Matthew consulting other people and getting advice from them warms Hao’s heart. “That’s good, I’m glad they could help you out.”

“Me too,” Matthew says. “Who knows how much longer I would’ve taken to do something if I didn’t have anyone to talk to? I came up with the idea of sending you things with a crow myself, but they were the ones who said I could try to do some things to test the waters. Though that obviously didn’t go the way I expected it would, since you thought the crow was trying to befriend you.”

Hao chuckles. “I’m really not the best at communicating with animals.”

Soon, the waitress returns with the first dish, and Hao almost feels like crying seeing the plate of chicken sprinkled with magical herbs. He grabs Matthew’s bowl to give him some first before he takes a good helping for himself. “Did you try this one last time?” he asks.

Matthew hums. “I don’t think so,” he replies.

When Hao notices that Matthew seems to be waiting for Hao to start eating first, Hao takes a bite. The meat is tender and the amount of herbs is just right. It’s heavenly, and tastes just like how it did back home.

“It’s amazing,” he gushes. “Try it.”

Matthew puts a big piece into his mouth and nods as he chews. “Mm, it’s great!”

“It’s one of our best dishes,” Hao says proudly. “It’s just as good as I remember.”

“When was the last time you had it?” Matthew asks in between mouthfuls.

“Years ago… The last time I had any of these was definitely when I still lived in Syawla. Some of the ingredients are hard to find in Reven, but even if I had them, I’ve never been much of a good chef, so I never bothered trying. That’s why it’s really nice to eat it again.”

The other dishes are just as delicious as the first one. Hao wishes he could bring this entire restaurant back to Reven with him. He makes sure not to eat too quickly, trying to savour every bite as much as he can. Unfortunately, by the time they finish the food, Hao’s stomach is already bursting.

“Do you want to order more?” Matthew asks.

“I wish I could, but I’m already really full from all of these,” Hao says, frowning. “How about you?”

“I’m stuffed too,” Matthew replies. “Maybe next time, then?”

Hao feels his chest warm at the thought of returning here with Matthew. “Yeah, for sure.” Maybe even tomorrow. Hao hopes this restaurant never has to shut down.

They ask for the bill and Matthew readily pays again. “What time do you open tomorrow?” he asks the waitress, seemingly having read Hao’s mind.

“I’m really sorry, but we’re closed tomorrow,” she says apologetically.

“Oh, it’s alright,” Matthew says. “We’ll come back another time then.” Hao nods with him.

When they step outside the restaurant, the sky is dark and the sound of cicadas fills up the area around them. Hao turns to Matthew. “Is there anything else you think we should do tonight?” he asks.

Matthew shakes his head. “Not really. I was thinking we could call it a night and go to bed early. There’s an inn I usually stay at when I’m here, and their beds are really comfortable. I think you’ll get the best night of sleep you’ve ever had. We can head there now if you want.”

Hao would never say no to more sleep, and what Matthew just said sounds like music to his ears. “That sounds great, let’s go.”

Matthew leads them in the direction opposite from the one they had come from. There are not as many people here, but still just as much greenery. The dimly lit path would normally compel Hao to create an orb of light, but with Matthew holding his hand, Hao feels safe rather than scared.

After a few minutes, the tranquil soundscape is slowly cut through by vibrant music. More specifically, a chorus of different instruments coming together to form an energetic, festive tune. Like moths to a flame, Hao and Matthew head towards the source.

When they take another turn, they find a large area lit up with colourful lanterns, with a big group of people dancing together in the middle while a number of others play instruments on the sides. “Is this a festival or something?” Hao asks.

“I’m not sure,” Matthew says, an adorable look of confusion on his face. “It’s my first time seeing this here. But… do you want to join in?”

Hao blinks. “You mean the dance?”

“Yeah!” Matthew nods. He lets go of Hao’s hand so he can take a step in front of him and bow like a prince.

“May I have this dance?” Matthew asks in a suave tone, extending an arm.

As charming as it is, Hao can’t keep himself from laughing. “I don’t think this is very fitting for this kind of jolly atmosphere,” he says, but he still takes Matthew’s hand with a smile. “You may.”

Matthew grins and pulls Hao into the swarm of dancing people. “You don’t know this type of dance, do you?”

Hao shakes his head. “No, it’s my first time seeing it.”

“I’ll teach you!” Matthew explains the different steps, demonstrating how Hao is supposed to move his feet according to the beat and where his arms go. There’s even a part where one person does a spin, and Hao lets out a giggle every time he gets spun around.

They take it slow at first while Hao gets used to the movements, with Matthew offering lots of encouragement. They’re careful not to bump into anyone as they move around the space. Surrounded by all these people, young and old, dancing together, Hao finds himself getting lost in the music, as if he and Matthew are suspended in time while they enjoy this moment. Whenever Hao makes eye contact with one of the other dancers, they send him a big smile and he smiles back.

Soon enough, Hao is the one taking the lead. “Oh, you’ve really gotten the hang of it!” Matthew exclaims after Hao successfully spins him around. “You’re a fast learner.”

“Faster than you?” Hao asks.

Matthew smirks. “Nope.” He catches Hao off guard with an abrupt spin, making him stumble on his feet and lose his balance. Luckily, Matthew leans forward and wraps his arm around Hao’s waist before he can fall, leaving their faces inches from each other.

Hao feels breathless staring up at his boyfriend’s gorgeous features. “That wasn’t fair,” he whines weakly, making Matthew laugh.

“I have to keep you on your toes or you’ll start to get bored,” he says, grinning as he pulls Hao back up to his feet. Matthew’s smile is always beautiful, but right now it’s practically dazzling, and Hao doesn’t want to lose sight of it for even a second.

The exhilaration carries them through a few more songs, and when they find that they’re both starting to tire out, they quickly slip out of the crowd.

“That was really fun,” Matthew says, after they’ve had a moment to catch their breath.

“Yeah, it was,” Hao says. “I think that was more exercise than I usually do in a month.”

Matthew laughs. “We can do this more then, just you and me.”

Imagining the two of them dancing inside Matthew’s store or in his house makes Hao’s heart flutter. “I like the sound of that,” he says. “But right now, I think I’m more than ready to collapse in bed.”

“Me too, honestly. Shall we go?”

Hao nods, and they tear themselves away from the joyful music to resume their walk to the inn.

It turns out the inn is only a few minutes away. It’s three floors high, with beautiful fuchsia flowers growing on its walls and a wide doorway. When they step inside, they find a very tall man standing at the counter, long fingers drumming on the surface. “Hello, how may I help you?” he asks, a big smile on his face.

“Hi, do you have a room for two?” Matthew asks.

The man shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but we’re out of rooms tonight. There have been a lot of people coming to the port these days.”

Hao wonders if that means the other inns will be full too. He can see the way Matthew bites his lip as he thinks about what to do.

Just as Hao starts to reach for Matthew’s arm, the man suddenly claps his hands together. “But! We also have some really good tents which you can rent,” he says, grinning.

“Tents…?” Hao asks. He’s never heard of inns offering tents before. Is this a Port Bada thing?

“Yes!” The man takes out a board with three detailed drawings of different tents on it and points at the two at the top. One has more of a square base while the other is more triangular in shape. “These are our basic ones, they’re really easy to set up and perfect for keeping you cool even when it’s hot outside.”

Then he taps on the one below, which is a bit similar to the other two, but also has what appear to be spears sticking out of its sides and the top. It might be because it’s a drawing, but Hao has never seen such a tent before. “We also have this upgraded tent, which is made of much sturdier material. It’s good for heavy rain and will scare off any potential thieves, if that’s a concern you have. And for any of our tents, you can take a free shower here when you return it to us. Isn’t that a great deal?” The man’s eyes turn into crescents as he smiles at them.

“Uh…” Matthew glances at Hao. “Do you mind if we sleep in a tent?” He looks hesitant, but clearly he hasn’t outright rejected the idea either, if he’s asking Hao this.

Hao swallows. He doesn’t particularly want to sleep in a tent, but what if they can’t get a room anywhere else? It’s getting late and they’re both tired now, so he would rather not waste time going to other inns in vain. “I don’t mind. What about you?”

“I’m fine with it too,” Matthew says softly. “I’m pretty sure there are no other inns nearby.”

Hao purses his lips. All the more reason to get a tent then. “Is there one you prefer between the three of these? I don’t know the first thing about tents so I think you should decide…”

“How about this one?” Matthew asks, pointing at the basic tent with the square base.

“Sure.” Hao looks up at the man. “We’ll take one of these square ones.”

The man lights up, reminding Hao of a giant puppy. “Brilliant choice!”

After paying for the tent, Hao and Matthew venture out to find somewhere to set it up. They don’t talk much as they walk, both too worn out to carry much of a conversation. When they come across a public restroom, they take the chance to brush their teeth and wash their faces before they return to searching for a place to stop for the night.

A bit of a distance away from the inn, they stumble upon a large area of grass. There are a few other people sitting there, but no buildings around. “Let’s stay here,” Hao says. “It seems nice, and I think it should be cooler too.”

Matthew nods and puts the bundle of tent equipment down. He’s been quiet ever since they left the inn, expression kind of troubled as they trudged along. It might be Hao’s first time seeing him look so down. He doesn’t blame Matthew, sleeping outside in a tent is far from ideal, but he also isn’t sure how he should act. Should he say something to try to improve the mood or give Matthew some space?

While Hao is still wondering what to do, Matthew starts untying the bundle. He holds out the longest of the wooden poles for Hao to take. “Here, I think we start with this.”

Since Matthew seemingly just wants to set up the tent, Hao decides to go with it. He takes the pole and looks for a good spot.

Pitching a tent turns out to require more effort than expected. They have to put down the thick wooden poles to hold up the tent, then pierce some stakes into the ground, forming four corners of a square with them, before they finally drape the coarse brown fabric over everything, with ropes tying them to the stakes. Hao isn’t sure if he knows what he’s doing. At one point, he considers trying to use some magic to help get it over with sooner, but when he sees Matthew working on it diligently, his brows cutely furrowed in concentration, he changes his mind.

After several minutes of struggling, the tent is finally done. “Does that look right?” Matthew asks, narrowing his eyes at it.

Hao stares at it for a moment. He really is no expert in tents. “I think so? It’s symmetrical, at least.”

“We should test it to make sure it doesn’t suddenly fall apart.” Matthew tries gently pushing the tent and shaking the poles. “Seems alright.”

“Yeah, I think it looks sturdy enough,” Hao says.

Having confirmed that the tent won’t collapse out of nowhere, Matthew beams. “We did it!” he exclaims.

Hao smiles, relieved to see Matthew a little brighter than earlier. “We did!” he says. “Now we can go to sleep.”

“Yeah, finally,” Matthew says, letting out a yawn as he stretches. He looks adorable like this. Hao wonders if he can also finally engulf Matthew in kisses when they’re lying down next to each other.

They take their shoes off and crawl inside the tent, but before Hao can even start to lie down, he sees Matthew frowning again. “Is something bothering you?” he asks.

“Do you think it’s kind of warm in here?” Matthew asks.

Hao hums. “Yeah, a little.”

“Isn’t this thing supposed to keep us cool?”

“Oh yeah, I think the guy mentioned that.” Hao presses his palm flat against the side of the tent, feeling its magical energy. “I think a cooling charm was applied to this material, but some of it’s been lost from years of use, so that’s why it’s kind of stuffy now.”

Matthew groans. “Man, I thought the material itself was cooling, I didn’t realise it was just a charm. If I’d known I would’ve asked the guy to check it before we left. Can you strengthen it again?”

“Let me try.” Hao closes his eyes, trying to concentrate on channeling his magic into the tent. His eyebrow twitches when he realises his attempts are failing. “Sorry, I can’t do it,” he mumbles, his hand falling to his lap, “I’m too drained right now. These kinds of charms take a lot of energy.”

“It’s alright, it’s not your fault,” Matthew says. “I wish I knew how to do stuff like that, but even if I did, I think I wouldn’t have enough energy either.” He brings the back of his hand to his neck, wiping what Hao assumes to be sweat with it.

“If this goes on, we’re going to be baking in here, not sleeping,” Hao says. “Maybe we should go back out, it’s cooler outside.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Matthew crawls back out first, and Hao follows.

The light breeze is an immediate relief to them, and a sigh escapes Hao’s lips. “It’s way better out here. Should we just sleep here? Sucks that we already put so much effort into pitching the tent though.”

There’s a pause for a moment, and then Matthew mutters, “I’m sorry.” His eyes are trained on the ground in front of them and his arms are hugging his knees. Hao feels a pang in his heart. Matthew seems so far away again; they’re sitting next to each other and yet he’s also out of Hao’s reach. It’s at moments like these that Hao remembers that this is really just the beginning of their relationship. There are still sides of Matthew he hasn’t seen, things he doesn’t know about him yet. He doesn’t know what’s the best way to handle this.

“Why are you sorry?” he finally asks.

“Because I should’ve prepared better. I wanted this to be a perfect restful trip for us, but now we’re stuck out here with a tent that isn’t even comfortable to sleep in and we can’t even shower.” Matthew’s voice is laced with so much remorse and sadness that pain seeps right into Hao too.

“No, no. It’s not on you, Matthew. We only agreed to come here yesterday, so it’s not like you could’ve planned everything way in advance. You didn’t know the inn would be full. You have nothing to apologise for.”

“I know, but… you deserve better than this,” Matthew says. “You didn’t agree to come all the way here so you could sleep outside.”

“That’s true, but I already have everything I could have asked for,” Hao says softly, reaching for Matthew’s hand. Matthew finally looks up at him. “And that’s you, Matthew. We’re spending more than just one or two hours together for once, and we’ve done a lot of fun things today. You took me to see so much and treated me to all this amazing food, even food from my hometown. Everything you’ve done means so much to me, but even if we were having a terrible time, at least we’re here together. That’s all I really need.”

Matthew’s expression softens. “I’m happy just being with you too,” he says.

Hao smiles. “It really doesn’t matter to me that we have to sleep outside tonight,” he continues. “Don’t you think this will be a funny experience to look back on later? It would be fun to tell others about it, at least. I’m sure Yujin would laugh at how we spent ages setting up a tent and then didn’t even end up using it.”

Matthew snickers. “Yeah, I think he would definitely laugh at us.” He sits up, squeezing Hao’s hand. “Thank you, Hao. I think I just got a bit too obsessed with everything going perfectly, but you’re right, the most important thing is that we’re spending time together.”

“It’s alright,” Hao says, giving Matthew a reassuring smile.

“I’ll take you out on many other fun dates in the future. I promise.”

Hao smiles. “I promise to take you out on lots of fun dates too.”

Fingers tightly intertwined, they stare at each other for a while, neither willing to look away.

Eventually, Matthew is the one who breaks eye contact. His gaze turns to the sky, and his mouth falls open. “Hey, check out all these stars. There are so many of them.”

Hao casts a glance at the dark sky, and realises it’s dotted with hundreds of stars. “Woah, I don’t usually see this many.” The stars here seem to twinkle even more brightly than he thought possible. “They’re beautiful,” he says.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Matthew quips.

“I knew you were going to say that,” Hao deadpans, making Matthew laugh. Although Hao’s playfully rolling his eyes, he can also feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “I know you know this too, but you’re also beautiful.”

Matthew hums. “Yeah, I’m well aware.” The smirk on his face makes Hao chuckle.

Scooting a bit closer to Matthew, Hao leans his head on his shoulder, and Matthew puts an arm around him.

“Look at that constellation!” Matthew gasps, pointing up at some stars. “Isn’t that Sesorez?”

“Sesorez?” Hao repeats, squinting as he tries to figure out what Matthew’s referring to. “What’s that?”

“Do you see how those stars look kind of like a rose?” Matthew draws a circle with his finger, tracing the outline of the constellation. Hao starts to see the petals that make up the shape of a rose.

“Oh, I see it now!” he says.

Matthew grins. “That’s Sesorez! It’s so bright today.”

“Does it have some kind of special meaning?” Hao asks.

Matthew takes a moment to think. “I think it symbolises family and love. It’s a really sweet constellation.”

“That’s nice,” Hao hums, warmth spreading in his chest. It feels kind of apt to be able to see this with Matthew. He knows it hasn’t even been two months since they began dating yet, but when they’re together, he feels so at ease. The worries he’d had about this date had disappeared right away as soon as Matthew arrived at his house. It might be a little soon, but he’s starting to think that Matthew is one of the closest people he has to family in Reven. “Can you see any others?”

“Yeah!” Matthew starts pointing out other constellations, explaining what they represent or telling Hao some fun facts about them.

With hardly anyone around, they can gaze at the stars comfortably, enjoying the moment. Despite his exhaustion, Hao feels like he could watch them for hours. He wonders if it would be foolish to wish upon a star, to wish that he and Matthew will continue to spend many days like this in the future.

“Maybe it’s a good thing we couldn’t stay at the inn tonight,” Matthew suddenly says, breaking the silence they had fallen into for a while. “We probably would’ve missed this if we did.”

“Yeah, I think we would’ve. I’m glad I got to see it with you tonight.”

“I want to see many more night skies like this with you,” Matthew says.

Hao grins. “I was thinking something similar just now.”

“Really?” Matthew asks, eyes shining. “Then let’s go to many more places together and stargaze everywhere, until we’ve seen as many stars as we can. Until we’re old and can’t move.”

Something stirs inside Hao. A feeling of hope and awe at Matthew’s words, but beyond that, love. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t kissed him all day, despite the multiple moments where he’d ached to press their lips together. And now, the urge to kiss his boyfriend is rapidly bubbling up inside of him, like a cauldron left to boil for too long.

Lifting his head from Matthew’s shoulder, Hao leans in, finally capturing Matthew’s lips in his. Matthew reacts quickly, kissing Hao back as his hand moves down to rest on his waist. There’s always been something intoxicating about Matthew’s lips, and Hao doesn’t want to part from them. He thinks about their day so far, from the flying carriage ride in the morning and the things they had seen and ate at the market, to their dinner and the dance in the evening. Even their struggles with the tent have become a fond memory already. Hao wishes all his days could start and end with Matthew like this.

“I love you,” Hao says, when they have to break apart for air. The words spill out of him so easily, especially for something he’s never said before. It’s the undeniable truth, after all.

Matthew grins back at him, pressing a kiss to his nose. “I love you too, Hao.”

“I can’t wait to travel more with you.”

“Me too.” Matthew leans in to peck Hao on the lips again. “Sorry, I can’t get enough of you,” he mumbles.

Hao laughs so hard he nearly knocks his head against Matthew’s. “You—” he says in between wheezes, “you don’t need to apologise for that.” He wraps his hands around Matthew’s neck, pulling him closer. “For the record, I can’t get enough of you either.” He kisses Matthew again, smiling.

When they pull away, Hao gazes into Matthew’s eyes. Knowing that Matthew loves him just as much as he does makes Hao feel like he can do anything. He wishes this night would never end, but his eyes are fighting to stay open.

Matthew seems to notice, because he smiles and says, “Looks like we should sleep now.”

Hao nods, too tired to say something in reply.

“Ah, wait, your shirt is white,” Matthew says. He pulls his jacket out of his bag and spreads it out on the grass. “Here, sleep on this.”

Hao blinks. “But what about you?”

“I’ll be fine. I can sleep anywhere, really.”

Hao isn’t sure if the sharp blades of grass will be a very comfortable pillow. He lies down and beckons Matthew to do the same. He puts his hand on Matthew’s waist and pulls him closer, until Matthew’s head is also on the jacket. “That’s better,” he whispers.

“Are you sure?” Matthew asks. “Your shirt might get dirty if you move in your sleep.”

“Nothing a cleansing spell can’t fix,” Hao replies, snuggling up to Matthew.

“That’s true,” Matthew mumbles. He puts an arm around Hao as he yawns softly.

Summoning the last of his energy, Hao squeezes his eyes shut and casts a protection spell over them. “Goodnight, Matthew.”

“Goodnight, Hao.”

Hao wakes up to the bright rays of sunshine. Matthew is sound asleep, his arms still wrapped around Hao’s torso. Matthew’s warm embrace is more comfortable than any bed in the world and Hao loves it. All the more reason to think that it’s a beautiful morning. No potions to make or urgent matters to take care of; Yujin’s got them covered. Hao can take his time getting up.

Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t last long. With a start, Hao realises that they need to get to the market quickly if they want to get the griffin talons before other people can snatch them all up. He sits up and shakes Matthew’s shoulder.

“Matthew,” he calls out. “Wake up.”

“Mm?” Matthew mumbles. He looks so adorable like this, but Hao has no time to dwell on it.

“We need to go to the market. I don’t know what time it is right now and I also don’t know when the stalls open, so we might need to hurry.”

Matthew’s eyes shoot open and he scrambles to his feet. “Eight,” he says. “They open at eight.”

They hastily pack up the tent and head back to the inn. On the way, they pass by a clock mounted on a post, and learn that it’s seven, so they still have an hour.

Pushing the door of the inn open, they’re greeted by another man this time, one who has multiple ear piercings and a tattoo on the side of his neck. “Hello, how can I help you?” he asks in a deep voice.

“Hi, we’re here to return this tent,” Hao says, placing the bundle on the counter. “Um, the cooling charm seems to have worn off, so you might want to fix that before you rent it out again.”

Hearing this, the man’s eyebrows pinch together. “Oh, I’m so sorry about that. I think my husb—”

“It’s okay,” Hao says, waving a hand. He holds himself back from telling the man that maybe the tent actually did him and Matthew a favour.

“Do you still want the free showers?” the man asks.

“Yes, we definitely do,” Matthew says.

“Alright. I’ll take you to our showers in a moment. Please accept one of our deluxe soap sets as an apology gift,” the man says.

“Oh, that would be great, thank you.”

After they’re done speedily washing up, Hao and Matthew meet in the hallway. It might be an effect of the soap he’d just used, but Matthew’s skin looks like it’s glowing. His hair is messy, and Hao instinctively reaches out to smooth it down.

“Thanks,” Matthew says.

Now that they’re ready, they leave the inn and make their way to the market. The sun isn’t too bright at this hour, and the gentle breeze makes it an extra pleasant walk. As the market comes into view, Hao exhales in relief when he sees that it’s not as busy as it had been when they arrived yesterday.

“Do you mind if we split up for a bit?” Matthew asks. “There’s something I want to get.”

Hao figures he must be getting some items he wants to sell at his store. “Oh, of course we can!”

“Great, I’ll come find you once I’m done. Just don’t leave the market area.” With a wave, Matthew walks off.

Hao looks for the stall that should have the griffin talons. When he spots it, he heads over to her right away. The same woman is moving a crate, seemingly still setting up. “Good morning,” Hao greets.

The woman looks up. “Ah, it’s you! You’re very early today. It’s not even eight yet.”

“Oh, yes,” Hao says with an awkward chuckle. “I can come back a bit later if you’re not ready yet.”

The woman shakes her head. “Don’t worry! What was it you wanted? Griffin talons?”

Hao nods. “Yes! Do you have more of them today?”

“Yes, they just arrived!” The woman shows him another crate filled with sharp black talons. “How many do you need?”

Yujin had told him the recipe asked for four. It would be better if he got more than that, just in case. “Could I have eight?” Hao asks.

“Of course.” The woman counts as she puts them into a pouch, then hands it to Hao. “Here you go!”

“Thank you.” After he pays the woman, Hao decides to wander around while he waits for Matthew.

Remembering the merchant from yesterday who had shared that Matthew had talked to him about Hao numerous times, Hao searches for the stall with the eyesore of a tarp. When he finally finds it, he tries not to frown when he realises that today the stall is being run by a different man, one with a whisker-like smile and sparkly eyes. If it had been the same man as yesterday, Hao would’ve gone up to him right away to ask for more details about the kinds of things Matthew had said about him. Could this man be the boyfriend Matthew mentioned the merchant had yesterday? He does look like he’s around the same age as them. If that’s the case, he should know Matthew too, but Hao hesitates to approach him in case he’s wrong. Not to mention, there are also a few children talking to him and picking up model flying carriages. It reminds Hao of Matthew being surrounded by kids in his store.

In the end, Hao doesn’t go up to the man and continues to walk around. A short distance away, he comes across a stall selling a variety of fruits. Many of them are much bigger than the ones in Reven, and they have durians too. While he ponders over which durian to buy, he spots a bunch of peaches hidden behind some other fruits. Wait. Yujin loves peaches.

“Excuse me,” Hao calls out to the woman running the stall. When she turns around, he picks up the biggest durian in front of him. “I’d like this, and two of these,” he says, pointing at the peaches.

While Hao takes his coin pouch out to pay, the woman puts the fruits into a sack.

“Come again soon!” she says, passing the sack to Hao.

Hao smiles as he nods at her. He hopes he can.

Gradually, more people show up to the market. Even though he isn’t the most fond of such huge crowds, there’s something about this atmosphere that Hao likes. Much like in Reven, the people here are easygoing and friendly, and the good weather makes it nice to stay out.

The smell of bread lures Hao to a stall selling pretty pastries and other baked goods. They have some unique ones with ingredients Hao can’t quite put his finger on, but they all make his mouth water with how nice they look. Avoiding the ones with cheese, Hao picks out a few that he thinks Matthew will like and pays for them, slipping them into his bag.

On the way to take a look at another stall, someone taps him on the shoulder, making him yelp. Hao whips around to find Matthew smiling at him.

“Oh, it’s just you,” Hao says, putting a hand over his heart. “You scared me.”

“My bad,” Matthew says with a giggle. “What’s that you’ve got there?” He points at the sack of fruits.

“I bought a durian to bring back home as well as two peaches for Yujin.”

“Nice! Did you get the talons?”

“Yeah, I got enough for two potions, just in case.”

Matthew nods. “That’s great.”

Hao looks Matthew up and down, wondering why he isn’t holding a crate or anything of the sort. “Did you manage to find what you were looking for?” he asks.

“Oh, yeah!” Matthew pats his bag. “It’s all in here.”

“Ahh, no wonder. So where are we off to now?”

“I was thinking we could walk uphill today. The view from there’s awesome too, so I want to show it to you,” Matthew says. His gaze drops to the sack in Hao’s hands again. “Ah, my bad, I forgot to tell you earlier. Here, I’ll hold it for you.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I can just use a levitating spell,” Hao says. He channels some magic into the sack and feels it get lighter and lighter. When he lets go, it floats next to them. “There, now neither of us have to hold it.” He grins at Matthew. “I slept really well, so I’ve got lots of energy today.”

Matthew smiles back. “I’m glad. Then let’s go now.” He takes Hao’s hand and they leave the market once more.

They follow a path that winds up the hill, passing many rows of colourful houses. The wind is strong but incredibly refreshing, and Hao is loving every second of it. They walk slowly, stopping whenever they see something that piques their interest like a stray cat or a pretty garden.

Around half an hour later, they find themselves admiring the view of the port and the sea from the peak. When Hao looks down at this angle, everything’s further away, but close at the same time. He can see the market, and a little to his left he can see the grassy area where they’d slept last night. When he turns some more, he can also see the place where he and Matthew had danced, albeit a lot less lively than it had been last night.

“It looks great from here,” Hao says.

“Yeah, you can see pretty much everything,” Matthew says. “I think this is a nice spot especially if you want to get away from everything. Reven doesn’t really have anything like this since it’s more flat.”

Hao nods. “I can see that.” He spends a few more minutes gazing at everything, trying to embed it all in his mind. If he was better at art, he would be sketching some of it right now, but it almost feels as if even a painting wouldn’t be able to do this landscape justice.

After a while, Matthew tugs on his arm. “Do you want to do something else here or should we head back to Reven now?” he asks. “It’s a pity that the Syawlain restaurant isn’t open today, otherwise I’d say we could go there again. But there are some other things we can check out if you want.”

Hao thinks for a moment. His time so far has been spent well, and he could afford to stay longer, but he wants to conserve some more energy for his upcoming conferences too. He also knows Yujin must be waiting for him, and Matthew has a store to get back to. “I don’t want us to end up having to rush back, so I think it might be better to leave now,” he says. “But we can afford to walk slowly.”

Matthew nods. “Sounds good.”

They take their time walking down, choosing another path this time. When they’re back at the same place where the flying carriage had dropped them off yesterday, they see a few people standing there waiting, but no flying carriage in sight yet. Hao takes the opportunity to turn back and look at the port once more, taking in the beautiful sea and the view of the houses and greenery.

“I hope we can come back another time,” he says to Matthew.

“Me too,” Matthew says. “Maybe you can join me the next time I have to come here.”

“I’d love that,” Hao says.

The sound of flapping wings alerts them of a flying carriage descending from the sky. It looks the same as the one they had taken yesterday. After a few people step off the carriage, they pay the coachwoman and enter.

Thankfully, Matthew and Hao manage to get seats by the window again. Hao gazes outside the carriage again as it takes flight, watching as Port Bada gets smaller and smaller. “Until next time,” he whispers.

When the port is out of sight, he turns back to Matthew. “I bought some food at the market earlier,” Hao says. “We can have some when we’re feeling hungry.”

“Oh, good call!” Matthew exclaims. “Thank you for thinking of that. I’m actually starting to get a bit hungry.”

“Perfect timing then,” Hao says, reaching into his bag to take the bread out. He shows them all to Matthew. “Take your pick. We can share them, if you want.”

“Sure, we can just split them all in half. I’ll start with this one first, it looks great,” Matthew says, taking the biggest one with salt sprinkled on it.

Hao nods and picks another one with ham in it for himself. Unwrapping it, he takes a big bite. The thin slices of meat complement the crunchiness of the bread perfectly, and Hao already finds himself wishing he’d bought more. “Mm, this is really good.”

“Mine too,” Matthew says in between bites. A while later, they trade and Hao quickly devours his half of the salted bread.

When Hao spares a glance at the other people in the carriage, he finds that they’re fast asleep. It makes sense, given how long this journey is. After the first few times, looking outside might not be all that interesting.

They continue to munch on their bread as they enjoy the view once more. They’re flying over some tiny islands now, and they look like tiny dots and lines from all the way up. “Do you think we can go there someday too?” Hao asks.

“Probably?” Matthew replies. He chuckles. “We really need to take a look at a map later.”

Just as they had agreed, they exchange their bread halfway through again. Hao loves moments like these, when they’re doing simple things together like sharing a meal.

When they’ve finished four of the five pieces of bread, Matthew grins. “I think you know my taste in food really well.”

Hao smiles. “I’m glad you approve of my choices.” In reality, he thinks he’s only scratched the surface of it. And it’s not just about his taste in food. There’s so much more Hao wants to know about Matthew, so much more to uncover about him.

“Do you mind if we save the last one for Gunwook?” Matthew asks, pointing at the lone bread roll on the seat next to them. “He’s been managing the store for me these past two days.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea, of course I don’t mind,” Hao says with a nod. “I should’ve bought some more.”

“It’s alright, I got him and the part-timers some other stuff earlier too.”

In their remaining hours in the sky, they chat about all kinds of things, and Hao finds himself mindlessly playing with Matthew’s hands. While they’re still up here, Hao doesn’t have to think about his work and responsibilities. He can lose himself in conversation with Matthew and daydream about lands they have yet to traverse. “I know I was the one who said we should go back earlier, but I almost don’t want to go back home, you know?” Hao groans. “The past day was just so nice. I wish we could stay up here.”

“Oh, I understand that very well,” Matthew says, a smile stretching at his lips. “But it’s okay!” He gives Hao’s hand a squeeze. “Let’s try to make time for another trip or some other fun thing soon.”

Hao nods. “I’ll do my best.” He loves Matthew’s optimism. The past day has only made it even more obvious how much Hao loves being with him. He’s not looking forward to going back to seeing him for only a couple of minutes every few days.

“Me too,” Matthew murmurs, smiling. Hao feels his chest warm. He would do anything for that smile.

“Thank you for bringing me to the port, I had a great time.”

“I’m happy you did, I had a great time too. It was lots more fun going to the port with you than on my own.”

Eventually, they notice the familiar geography of Reven, and the flying carriage soon begins its inevitable descent. The afternoon sun is warm and bright, and Hao can hear birds chirping, as if they’re welcoming them home.

The flying carriage gradually comes to a stop in the clearing and the other passengers leave first. Hao takes a deep breath and gets up from his seat. Matthew is already standing on the grass by the door, holding a hand out. It reminds Hao of the way Matthew is like an anchor that grounds him, someone who’s there to catch him when he falls and keeps him steady even when he’s swamped with work. Hao hopes he’s that person for Matthew too.

With a smile, Hao steps off of the carriage and grabs Matthew’s hand, interlocking their fingers.

“It’s a bit late for us to do much else, so how about I walk you home?” Matthew suggests.

Hao would never turn down an opportunity to spend more time with Matthew. “I’d love that.”

Matthew leads him to his house at a leisurely pace, chatting about the things they’ll have to catch up with now that they’re back.

As they near his house, Hao can see the light on inside through the window. He wonders what Yujin’s up to right now.

A few steps away from Hao’s front door, Matthew suddenly stops walking. Confused, Hao turns to him. “Actually, I got you a present,” Matthew says, his voice soft.

Hao blinks. “Oh, you did?”

“Yeah!” Matthew reaches into his bag and takes something out. Hao recognises it right away. It’s the crow pendant they’d seen yesterday, now attached to a thin silver necklace. Holding it out to Hao, Matthew says, “I remember you liked this, so I thought it would be a good way to remember this trip.”

A smile grows on Hao’s face. He reaches out to touch the crow’s head with his finger. “Aw, you really didn’t have to. I didn’t get anything for you.”

“It’s fine, I just wanted to give you something, and what better than something that reminds you of how we got together?” Matthew grins, sliding it into Hao’s palm.

Hao’s heart swells. He closes his fingers over the pendant and holds it over his heart. “Thank you, Matthew. I’ll take good care of it. Can you help me put it on right now?”

“Of course.” Matthew takes the necklace from Hao and clasps the chain around his neck.

Adjusting the pendant so it sits on his collarbone comfortably, Hao looks at Matthew expectantly. “How does it look?”

“Gorgeous,” Matthew replies, grinning.

Hao smiles back. He can’t wait to wear it every day and keep a reminder of Matthew with him at all times.

“I also bought something else,” Matthew says. He pulls a large book out of his bag. “I managed to find a Syawlain cookbook at one of the stalls. You said you haven’t tried cooking any of the dishes, so I thought maybe we could give it a try together in the future, once I’ve sourced some ingredients.”

Hao feels like he’s going to burst from all the love Matthew has for him.

“Thank you. You always have the best ideas. I’d love to try making them together, I think Yujin would like some of these too.” He leans in to give Matthew a kiss. Matthew smiles into it, his free hand coming to rest on the small of Hao’s back. When Hao pulls away, he swears he can see stars prettier than any of the ones they’d seen last night in Matthew’s eyes.

“I’ll bring it to the store with me so I can have a proper look at the recipes tonight, but if you ever want to see it, just let me know,” Matthew says, slipping it back into his bag.

Hao nods, ever so appreciative of Matthew’s thoughtfulness. “Alright, I will.”

Out of nowhere, Hao’s front door opens, and Yujin peers out. “Are you two going to come inside yet?” he asks.

Hao freezes. How long had Yujin been watching them? Did he watch him kiss Matthew? Hao can feel a blush spreading across his face already.

“Hey, Yujin,” Matthew greets, a lot more composed than Hao is. “We were just about to come in.”

“Welcome back,” Yujin says, holding the door open for them.

“Thank you, it’s good to be back.” Hao steps inside and sets his bag and sack of fruits down on the table, motioning for Matthew to do the same.

“Did you manage to find the talons?” Yujin asks, closing the door.

“Yeah! They ran out when we got there yesterday but we went back first thing in the morning today. I got eight just in case you need another batch.” Hao opens his bag and takes the pouch out, handing it to Yujin.

“Thank you, I’m glad you could find them,” Yujin says, cupping the pouch in his hands.

“So am I, it would’ve been terrible if we went all the way there only to fail to get any. Also, I got you two nice and big peaches!” Hao exclaims, pointing at the sack.

Yujin’s eyes widen. “Really?” He pries the sack open and his mouth falls open when he sees the peaches. “These are huge!”

“I got a durian too, you’re welcome to try some when I open it later.”

“Sure, I’ve never tried it before,” Yujin says. He closes the sack and picks the pouch of talons back up. “Since both of you are here, let me finish the potion now.”

Hao raises an eyebrow, wondering what Matthew has to do with the potion. Is it so dangerous that they need a third person around? Deciding to wait and see, he and Matthew follow Yujin to his room. Next to a stack of books he’s borrowed from Hao is a flask with a murky blue substance.

Yujin opens the pouch and carefully adds four of the griffin talons into the flask. Matthew and Hao watch intently as the substance starts to turn green. A few seconds after Yujin starts to stir the potion, a cloud of smoke emerges from the substance and the entire flask explodes just as he drops it in a panic.

“Are you alright?” Hao asks, looking Yujin up and down for any injuries. The sound of glass shattering definitely tripled Hao’s heart rate, and not in a good way.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Yujin says, blinking rapidly.

“I’ll help clean up,” Matthew says, summoning the broom that had been propped against the wall.

Yujin steps aside so Matthew can sweep up the shards that had fallen on the floor. “Sorry you’re cleaning up my mess. This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he says, frowning.

“It’s alright, it happens to the best of us. Maybe you got one of the ingredients wrong or missed a step?” Hao says gently. “Check the recipe.”

Yujin picks up the book at the top of the pile and flips it open to a page in the middle. As he reads the recipe, his face falls.

“What is it?” Hao asks.

Exhaling, Yujin meets Hao’s gaze. “I misread the ingredients section. It asked for hippogriff talons, not griffin talons.”

“Oh,” Hao mumbles. Hippogriff talons, huh. They’re easily found in Reven. Hao definitely has some in his house somewhere.

Yujin puts the book down on the table with a sigh. “I’m sorry for making you two travel for six hours just to get me griffin talons I didn’t even need.”

“There’s no need to apologise, Yujin,” Hao says, putting a hand on Yujin’s shoulder. “It’s an honest mistake. Besides, we had a good time there, right, Matthew?”

“Definitely!” Matthew flashes a smile. “It was lots of fun. We have loads of stories to tell you later.”

“So it’s completely fine that the talons weren’t the ones you actually needed,” Hao continues, patting Yujin on the shoulder. “You gave us a much needed chance to spend some more time together, after all. It’s all thanks to you, really. You know how rarely I get to spend time doing things besides work.”

When Yujin hears this, he stops frowning and even starts to smile. “That’s a relief. I’m glad you two had a good time.”

Hao smiles too. “Maybe the remaining griffin talons will end up being useful for something else. Well anyway, do you have enough ingredients to make another potion?” he asks. “I can find you the hippogriff talons, though I can’t remember how many I have.”

Yujin thinks for a moment. “Not at the moment. There are a few other things which I don’t have enough of. But it’s alright, it seems I don’t need to make it right away.”

Hao raises an eyebrow. “What’s the potion even for? You wouldn’t tell me last time.”

Yujin smirks. “It’s a potion that will enhance your productivity. I know how busy both of you are, so I wanted to make it for you two so you could get your work done faster and spend more time with one another, but I guess I indirectly made it happen anyway.”

Hao’s heart warms right away. He grabs Yujin and pulls him in for a hug. “Aw, thank you, Yujin. You’re so thoughtful.”

Matthew is grinning too as he reaches over to ruffle Yujin’s hair. “Thank you. I’d love to have some of that potion in the future. Hao and I have a lot of places to travel to, so it would be great to have a boost like that so we can free up more time. If you want, you can join us sometime.”

Yujin makes a face. “Thanks for the offer, but I already saw you two kissing just now. Once is more than enough.”

“Hey!” Hao says, while Matthew bursts out laughing.

“I’m kidding,” Yujin says, cracking a smile. “Travelling together might be nice, actually. There’s a lot I want to see out there too.”

For a moment, Hao thinks back to the family that had been on the flying carriage with him yesterday. In a way, they remind him of the three of them, the main difference being that Yujin is more like their younger brother than their son. “I’ll bring you to places with even better peaches and other good food,” Hao says. “We can even go to my hometown.”

Yujin nods enthusiastically. “I would love to visit Syawla. I’m curious if it’s just like how I imagine it to be based on all the stories you’ve told me.”

“Me too!” Matthew chimes in. “I just bought a Syawlain cookbook today, but I’m sure the dishes will taste even better in Syawla itself.”

Their conversation continues all the way until Matthew ends up staying for dinner too. Knowing Hao has a conference the next morning, Matthew insists that he rest while he fixes up something simple with Yujin. Hao sits at the table with his notes, watching Matthew and Yujin work together to cook potatoes and meat.

Looking between Matthew and Yujin, perhaps Hao stands a little corrected about his earlier thought. His boyfriend Matthew isn’t the only one who keeps him sane amidst his busy schedule and tiring days. He also has his apprentice Yujin, who keeps him company even when he doesn’t have to and looks for ways to support him. Both of them are important to Hao, and he wouldn’t know what to do without either of them by his side. A fond smile spreads on his lips as he thinks about how lucky he is to have them. Hao would give anything if it means things can stay this way.

Just as Hao finishes going through his notes for the first conference, Matthew appears next to him. “Dinner’s here,” he says, placing a plate of food in front of Hao.

“It smells amazing,” Hao says, breathing in the wonderful aroma of the meat. “Thank you.” He leans up so he can press a kiss to Matthew’s cheek.

“I’m right here, you know,” Yujin says from behind them.

When Hao turns around, he finds Yujin making a face of disgust. Hao laughs. “Do you want a kiss too?” he asks.

“No thanks,” Yujin replies, sitting down across from them with his own plate.

Matthew and Hao exchange a smile. Hao definitely wouldn’t trade this for the world.