Let Me Ruffle Your Fur a Little

While heading upstairs, Mu Mu’er is already humming a tune. A tune he came up with on the spot, without much melody or rhythm, but a few notes on every step of the staircase. They reach the second floor just as he’s about finished with the whole song.

Bai Yao supervises him as he showers and brushes his teeth, then leads him to the bed after he’s all done, have him lie flat, and wrap him up with blankets into a ball. When Bai Yao is about to turn away, though, Mu Mu’er calls out to him.

“Yaoyao.”

Bai Yao turns back around, “mmhm?”

The lights are already shut, so all he can really see is Mu Mu’er dragging the blanket up to his chin. The boy says quietly, “Mu’er needs peepee.”

Bai Yao sighs and unwraps the boy from the blanket. He helps Mu Mu’er into the bathroom, props him up by the toilet, and is about to leave the bathroom alone when Mu Mu’er calls out, “Yaoyao, look.”

Mu Mu’er is looking up towards the ceiling with widened eyes and a surprised expression.

Bai Yao is mystified looking where Mu Mu’er is and seeing nothing. Yes, there’s a light on the ceiling glowing a warm yellowish colour, giving the bathroom brightness.

Before he can ask Mu Mu’er what he’s looking at, though, the boy mumbles, “so many stars.”

The boy’s drunk…

“Bright; the big one is the moon, it looks tasty.”

Drunk.
Dead drunk.
Dead drunk by self-infliction.

“Yaoyao, look.”

Bai Yao hasn’t had the time to think about how to coerce Mu Mu’er to go back to bed when Mu Mu’er has already stopped looking at the ‘stars’ but at the toilet, with his pants down.

“Oh dear…” Bai Yao doesn’t know if he should avert his gaze, or just continue looking like nothing’s wrong, “Yaoyao really doesn’t need to look at that.”

Mu Mu’er’s legs are wobbly. He’s nowhere near stable enough to pee; his attention is drifting up to the ‘stars’ on the ceiling again, and he’s counting, “one, two, three, four…” His head is almost at a right angle to his body, “so many stars, too many stars. Mu’er cannot count.”

“Yes, all the stars belong to Mu’er,” Bai Yao says, while supporting Mu’er on the back with his hand so he doesn’t tumble backwards, “can you finish peepee by yourself?”

Mu Mu’er answers in the form of almost tumbling over while making a confused ‘eh?’

Bai Yao has no choice but to help him position his little birdie, and shake it clean after he’s finished, before putting him back onto the bed and into the blankets.

He still has to clean up downstairs. Bai Yao gets up, thinking about preparing an additional glass of honey water for Mu Mu’er after he cleans up, so that he might not as bad of a hangover tomorrow.

Before he can leave, though, Mu Mu’er has grabbed his finger, tugging.

“Don’t go,” he says, his mumbled voice almost enchanting, “Yaoyao cannot go,” Mu Mu’er is only tugging on Bai Yao’s little finger tightly, pulling it towards himself, trying to get Bai Yao into bed next to him, “Yaoyao, is Mu’er’s.”

Bai Yao has lived together with Mu Mu’er long enough to know that he likes having company in his sleep, so he sits back down, and moves the stray locks of hair on Mu Mu’er’s forehead away gently.

The boy seems to be half-asleep already. Bai Yao tries to talk regardless, whispering in his ear, “why should Yaoyao not go?”

Mu Mu’er blinks a few times, and closes his eyes to speak slowly, “be… cause…”

Two syllables in and his voice dies down.

Bai Yao waits a few moments longer for Mu Mu’er to continue, only to see him fast asleep with his head still lying slanted on the pillow. He’s still holding onto his finger.

What an easygoing sea otter he is to fall asleep like this, and how cruel to stop speaking there, little heart’s thief.

He chuckles, and couldn’t stop his hand from feeling Mu Mu’er’s supple cheeks. The touch is almost lighter than a feather’s, but Mu Mu’er felt it, and instinctively moves a little closer towards his palm.

The face is soft, clean and smooth. Bai Yao decides to just put his entire hand on his face, holding it like a piece of invaluable pearl held by its oyster.

The pearl in his hand feels even more valuable than Oppenheimer Blue. He would never trade it away for anything, not even the entire world.

Bai Yao’s fingertips feel several degrees cooler than Mu Mu’er’s own cheeks, so he turns a little, and his lips end up sticking right onto the middle of Bai Yao’s palm. It moves a little as Mu Mu’er breaths, and appears engaged in a passionate kiss with Bai Yao’s palm.

“Don’t drink again, little alcoholic. Or it’s not just the ceiling, the entire house will be full of stars for you.”
“Why are you so cute and lovable?” Bai Yao almost speaks in a trance, “no wonder your older brother also wants you all to himself.”
“But he failed. You’re still mine.”

He remains sitting by the bed for a long, long time, unmoving, nor wanting to move. He can even just watch Mu Mu’er sleep like this for the whole night.

Bai Yao’s mind is wandering, and he happens to recall part of the conversation he had with Mu Yi, right before he walked off. He’s been reliving the conversation for many times already tonight, savouring it.

“Bai Yao, do you know why I decided to let him stay?”
“I’ve never seen my younger brother so dependent on anyone in my entire life. He looks at you with far more trust than when he looks at me.”
“I will believe in Mu’er no matter what, is what I’ve finally resolved myself to do these six years. I can never actually make up for what I did to him, but I can start by believing in his judgement. Everything else can come from that.”
“I will also believe in who he believes.”

Bai Yao looks at the boy sleeping quietly in front of him; specifically, at his lips.

He gulps, and, as if possessed, leans over, but just before they are about to kiss, Bai Yao stops himself. He straightens back up, and sighs lightly.

Mu Mu’er does not know what kisses mean. In fact, Bai Yao isn’t even sure how the boy feels about him.

He does not know if Mu Mu’er likes him as a friend, or is in a degree above that. Of course, he’s willing to accept him no matter his true feelings, and will be happy to stay by his side forever.

He can keep on caring for him, until one day, when he can tell Mu Mu’er, frankly and honestly, that he wants to kiss him.

At a moment when his Mu Mu’er will understand fully what the kiss entails.

Before then, he will always be there for him, protecting him and caring for him.

In the end, Bai Yao plants the kiss at the corner of Mu Mu’er’s lips instead.

His life was originally monotonous and unchanging. He spent every day by himself, waking up at six, busying himself for a day, until sleeping to rise again the next day. Walking forward with a single set of lonely footprints.

Not that he had any issue with that. He chose to live this way, and he likes it.

Now, though, there’s a little sea otter. Everything’s changed.

There is a new set of footprints by Bai Yao’s own. The marks of the paws of a little sea otter, a little soft round one, alongside him.

It’s like a little seashell being dropped into a pond. After the ripples, the water also rises that little bit higher.