Let Me Ruffle Your Fur a Little

Chapter 64

Mu'er Is Yaoyao's

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

Mu Mu’er is looking at the single contact in his WeChat for a long time – it’s Bai Yao. Thinking the boy perhaps lost in the new software, Bai Yao leans over only to realise the boy is blanking out watching his profile picture.

“Yaoyao is here,” the profile picture being rather small on screen means Mu Mu’er has to look really closely at the phone screen. He mumbles, to no one in particular, “I like this.”

Bai Yao’s profile picture is a side selfie he took by the coast when he first arrived at Qiaohai, and he’s used it for a couple years without changing it. He didn’t really care as long as it was working.

Mu Mu’er seems interested, though, so he clicks on the picture to zoom it out, letting him see it fully on the phone.

The boy has never seen Bai Yao like this, and continues to observe. His nose is almost poking the screen.

Bai Yao asks jokingly, “you forgot who this is?”

Bai Yao had a buzzcut then, his hair almost barely sticking out of his head, which only emphasises the aggressive aura coming from him. His face appears even more chiselled, with a wild, unrestrained playboy sort of feel to him.

Now he’s let his hair grow out enough to make a bun, and he looks more carefree with some strands of hair hanging loosely by the side of his face.

Mu Mu’er looks at the photo, then at Bai Yao, and back. He appears amazed; there are two Yaoyaos. The Yaoyao in the phone looks different; he can see his Yaoyao there, but it’s also a little unfamiliar to him.

“It’s Yaoyao, handsome,” Mu Mu’er quietly answers.

Bai Yao is teasing him, “which is more handsome?”

Bai Yao appears very different now compared to the photograph. Mu Mu’er looks like he’s having trouble computing, and thinks about it with a serious expression. He then feels the bun Bai Yao has tied behind his hair, lightly grabbing it before letting go.

“Handsome. Both handsome,” he says, the answer disappointingly vague. His gaze is wandering about.

Bai Yao ruffles Mu Mu’er’s hair into a mess for revenge.

Then Bai Yao takes a photograph of Mu’er for a profile picture. He’s clearly completely unprepared, with widened eyes and a bird’s nest for a hairstyle.

He’s like a hamster who just had his home ransacked.

Bai Yao changes the profile picture with a smile, while making his personal signature a ‘woop.’

Then, with nothing else to do, he also teaches Mu Mu’er about gifs and emojis, purely because he wants to see Mu Mu’er send Mu Yi a ‘shy smile.’ Though he won’t be able to see Mu Yi’s reaction in person, just imagining it makes his day.

“Like this?” Mu Mu’er presses the smiling emoji icon next to the ‘+’ symbol in the chat screen, and shows Bai Yao by planting the phone’s screen right in his face.

“Yep, Mu’er can choose one you like.”

Mu Mu’er ends up choosing the raccoon emoji pack which has 24 different images. He sends them one by one to Bai Yao.

Bai Yao’s phone is right next to them, and every single emoji from Mu Mu’er causes a ding in his phone. It’s like a melody.

PileOfFur: [Twerking.jpg]
PileOfFur: [Kisses.jpg]
PileOfFur: [HowVeryPolite.jpg]
…

Bai Yao is at a bit of a loss. He wasn’t hoping for Mu Mu’er to send them to him, but simply to teach him how to use. Mu Yi hasn’t received a single one yet, while he’s getting bombarded here.

“Yaoyao has them!” Mu Mu’er is satisfied looking at Bai Yao’s phone with all 24 emojis on it. He clearly hasn’t had enough, and is asking Bai Yao, “are there more?”

“Nope,” Bai Yao pretends that is the only set of emojis in the entire world. He isn’t ready to receive things like [Nice_bro.jpg] and [BreakWind.jpg] every day from Mu Mu’er.

And since Mu Mu’er can’t exactly type on the phone, Bai Yao teaches him how to send voice messages, releasing his finger from the screen only after he’s finished speaking.

Bai Yao makes Mu Mu’er practise, so Mu Mu’er sits on the sofa with his phone in hand, carefully pushing the voice message key, and speaking very slowly into the microphone.

Soon, Bai Yao receives dozens of voice messages. Each one about two to three seconds long, all of them Mu Mu’er saying ‘Yaoyao’

By the time Bai Yao is heading downstairs to do his prep work for the evening, Mu Mu’er is still having fun with his new present. After he’s finished playing, he rests his head on the sofa’s handrest, looking up at the faux chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Some time later, he rolls around and looks at every little corner in the house.

He’s very easily satisfied with whatever little ‘goodie’ Bai Yao gives him. It could be a piece of candy, or another plate of crêpes, or a plate of seafood fried rice. He would be happy for days; yet, Bai Yao’s house, his new home, has made him happy for the longest. He has been happy from last night until now. Even in his dreams, he is dreaming about the inflatable pool in the garden and the jatropha curcas growing there.

This home is far more important than candies, or crêpes, or fried rice.

After the restaurant closes at eight, Bai Yao cleans the kitchen and prepares to cook dinner.

Since there will be three of them, he’s decided to go with a low-effort hotpot. He takes out the barely-used yin-yang pot, and the long chopsticks and soup ladle needed.

He prepares two broths, both without spiciness. One is mushroom-stewed pork bones, the other tomatoes and mushrooms. Mu Yi’s tastes weren’t part of his consideration, or even his own, but everything Mu Mu’er likes.

Hotpots don’t demand a lot, simply fresh vegetables, meat and seafood. Easy enough. When walking outside the kitchen with the tools, though, he notices Mu Mu’er on one of the booth seats, blanking out.

The boy isn’t often so quiet, but now, his eyes are fixedly staring at an unremarkable corner of the restaurant. No idea what’s caught his attention so.

Bai Yao is curious, and calls out to him, but Mu Mu’er doesn’t react.

He’s going to become a sea otter statue at this point.

With the tools and ingredients set out, Bai Yao then walks next to Mu Mu’er and touches his face, asking, “what’s up?”

Mu Mu’er only reacts after a while, looking at Bai Yao now, unmoving. He speaks after some time.

“Mu’er will not leave Yaoyao from now on,” he hesitantly wraps his hands around Bai Yao’s waist while butting his head against the abdomen, “never, never ever. Forever together.”

Bai Yao smiles, and asks jokingly, “Mu’er, do you know how long ‘forever’ is?”

The question is difficult for Mu Mu’er. He does not remember where he learned this word, but he used the word reflexively, having a vague idea it served to tell Bai Yao how much he likes him.

Bai Yao caress the boy when he does not answer, and explains, “‘forever’ is very long. Long enough that Mu’er will become an old sea otter from a little sea otter. Maybe your whiskers will have fallen off.”

“Yaoyao,” Mu Mu’er can feel that Bai Yao did not respond to what he said, and tugs his clothes, a little anxious, “ok?”

Bai Yao has failed to pacify the boy for once. The boy is not giving up without an answer.

Bai Yao smiles, and holds Mu Mu’er’s shoulder as he leads him towards the kitchen. He answers Mu Mu’er, “of course. Sure.”

Mu Mu’er finally breaks into a smile, but complains, “gege is bad. He did not let Mu’er go find Yaoyao; he tried to steal Mu’er.”

Bai Yao stops.

“Gege is not a bad person. Mu’er, do you know why your gege did not want you to come find me?” Bai Yao lifts Mu Mu’er’s chin a little so they look each other in the eye. “because your older brother likes Mu’er very much. So very, very much. As much as Yaoyao does. Enough that he also wants to share Mu’er and take half of you away.”

The expression seems to spook Mu Mu’er. Maybe he’s imagining Mu Yi splitting him in twain to take away.

“But there is only one Mu’er. Mu’er cannot be shared,” his voice is a little hushed, “what should Mu’er do? Mu’er cannot split.”

It’s really cute how his mouth frowns a little when thinking about the impossible. Bai Yao really feels like poking the corner of his mouth with his finger. Run it across his lips. Brush it over his dimples.

“It’s ok. When your older brother wants to see Mu’er, he can come here. So Mu’er, can I ask you to be generous when that happens, and lend your whole self to your gege for a few days?”

Mu Mu’er thinks about it for half a minute before nodding.

“Ok, Mu’er can be lent to gege,” but then Mu Mu’er mumbles and adds, “only for a day. No longer than a day. Mu’er is Yaoyao’s, and Yaoyao must not be happy when Mu’er is lent away.”

Bai Yao can hear his grumbles just fine, and has to hold back from laughing. Man, Mu Mu’er’s serious look… He, Bai Yao, truly is one lucky bastard to be the little sea otter’s big fluff.