Archive of Our Own ^beta

One day Liming was playing alone as usual. He was building sand castles in the sandbox, humming something with a slight smile when suddenly he saw someone landing close to him.

“Good morning,” Liming said politely, as his uncle always taught him to do.

But the boy next to him didn't respond.

Liming frowned and pressed his lips in a pout. Why was this guy ignoring him? It was something ordinary for Liming when boys were calling him names or beating him, but he never faced indifference before.

“Hello!” Liming repeated, but there was still no answer, as the boy near to him was doing his own business with a slight pout on his lips.

It made Liming angry, so he tapped the boy’s shoulder which made him look at Liming’s eyes in surprise.

The boy parted his lips as he was about to say something, but then he closed them with a sad expression. 

Liming was stunned because he couldn't understand why the boy was refusing to talk to him. He was just staring at the guy in disbelief, waiting for him to say finally something, while the latter looked down for a moment, thinking about something unknown for Liming.

But then the boy just wrote down with his fingers on the sand, “I’m sorry, I can't hear you”.

Liming gasped in surprise. He didn't understand — what does it mean the boy can’t hear him? How? Liming never heard about the boys like him before, so it was very hard to process for him.

But instead of questioning it further, Liming decided just to brush it off. Maybe he would just find an answer later eventually. He erased the boy's words on the sand with a hand and wrote down above, “Do you want to play with me?”

“I cannot play with you. I am not tamed”, the boy answered, drawing slowly every letter and looking at Liming with a dead serious expression.

“What does it mean to be ‘tamed’?” Liming mumbled to himself, pretty much puzzled, but then he realised that the boy couldn't hear him, so he repeated his question on the sand.

The boy just smiled and grabbed a little notepad from his pocket with a small pencil and started to write all his thoughts slowly, as he was collecting them little by little,

“It means to establish ties. 

To me you're just a little boy who I met accidentally. And I have no need of you. And the same goes for you. 

But if you tame me, then we'll need each other. To me you’ll be the only boy on this planet, and I’ll be someone special for you too”.

Liming read it with a puzzled expression, trying to proceed with the boy's words. It sounded strange, but somehow Liming understood what ‘to be tamed’ meant.

“I am beginning to understand,” Liming wrote down on the sand. “But can you explain it more?”

Not like Liming didn’t understand it at all, but the boy’s way of thinking was just strangely endearing for him, he badly wanted to know more about him and about this odd “taming” thing.

“My life is boring. All the boys are just alike. No one wants to play with me because I can’t hear them. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I’ll be waking up with a thought that I’ll meet you. And I will try to do my homework faster, to eat my lunch completely, to do every chores just to see you sooner. Everything will have its meaning” , the boy wrote down in the notepad and smiled at Liming.

“I think we’re alike, I understand you so much,” Liming wrote down on the sand, then added with a soft smile, “Tame me, please!” he clapped his hands in excitement.

“Tell me your name first”, the boy answered on the sand to respond faster than it would be in the notepad.

“Liming,” Liming answered, writing his name as he was speaking it out loud with syllables for the boy slowly too.

“I’m Heart,” the boy smiled as he drew his name under the Liming’s, so their names looked together like a complete picture.

Heart then took from his pocket another one notepad and another small pencil and handed them to Liming. In the first page of this notepad was just one line, written accurately by Heart himself: “For my future dear friend” , as he was waiting for this moment all his life. 

Liming took a notepad with a surprised face. He didn’t expect the boy to give him anything, especially something like this shiny blue expensive notepad which seemed to be special and dear for Heart as well. It made Liming smile widely because no one ever besides his uncle treated him this way nor gave him gifts. 

Noticing his smile, Heart tugged his lips on a light soft smile in response. 

“Thank you so much for this notepad and pencil, I’m really grateful for your trust” was the first thing Liming wrote down in his new notepad and Heart nodded to him sheepishly. “So, what must I do to tame you?” Liming then wrote above, taking this thing very seriously.

“You must be very patient. First you will sit down a little distance from me. I will be looking at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. But you will sit a little closer to me every day. So, with this we'll learn how to speak without any words, and our hearts will hear each other instead,” Heart wrote down on his own notepad and Liming nodded as he understood the assignment now.

Next few days Liming did as Heart told him to do. They were seeing each other at the same time and place, but they didn’t interact at all. They were just playing in the sandbox on their own, but each day Liming was sitting closer and closer to Heart. 

It was strangely comforting for Liming though. He never felt this comfortable just because of someone’s mere presence. For the first sight nothing had changed as he was still playing alone in the sandbox like he always did. And yet, it felt so different, he didn’t feel lonely anymore, as the warmth emanating from Heart was enveloping him with the dim light of Heart’s gentle soul.

More than that, Liming just liked watching how Heart was playing with sand, how he was building every castle carefully and deliberately. He always started with a basement, making it steady before building smaller details. And it was so unlike Liming's habits — he always was a little bit hot-headed and impatient, so his castles very often failed. But apart from this, Liming just liked making up his own stories about these castles way more than actually building them. So it was more like he was building something simple, then just played with his own made up characters, as he was mumbling fairy tales to himself absorbedly.

It was strange for Liming how he started to understand Heart’s mindset and soul without even interacting with him directly. And it just felt nice.

On the 4th day Liming decided to not build his own castle this time, as he was just watching Heart for a while. When Heart was almost done with the castle, Liming smiled at him, tapped his shoulder to get his attention and started to explain his own made-up story with random gestures. This story just came to Liming’s mind when he was looking at Heart’s castle and he badly wanted to share it with the boy. So, Liming stood up as he was showing a scene with princes, battles and so on. Princes were supposed to live together in Heart’s castle as the one among them was the crown prince and the other was a guest prince from another kingdom. 

Heart was just looking at Liming with a soft smile, giggling from time to time when the latter showed funny scenes. They didn’t say (or rather write) a word to each other though, as all their connection was just through gestures, acting and facial expressions. 

After that day they started to play together — Liming was trying to explain his stories to Heart with simple gestures and playing scenes while Heart was building castles according to his stories. It was a double fun for Heart too because he usually had problems with playing with his castles — he usually didn’t know what to do with them after building them. And Liming always had a lot of ideas and stories so Heart felt like he was a character from the book every day, as once Liming even forced him to act like he was a fox while he himself was playing the role of prince. 

After some more days they finally started to write short messages on their notepads from time to time. They still weren’t talking much but shared some facts from their lives. With that Liming found out eventually that Heart wasn’t attending school and teachers were teaching him at home instead. His parents didn’t let him play outside or interact with anyone after he became deaf at the age of 6. This part of the day was the only time when he could sneak from house to street, because his parents were at work and his old nanny usually took a nap, totally unaware about Heart’s walks. Usually he was unbothered with a fact that his parents prohibited him interacting with anyone since no one he met before didn’t want to talk to him anyway. But now Heart was scared that one day his parents would find out about Liming and would make them cut off their meetings. 

Liming told about his life to Heart too. He lived with an uncle, since his mother lived in another city with her new family. Children at school bullied him because he was poor, not good at studying and lived with an uncle. Liming didn’t pay attention to them most of the time and he never was bullied easily as well — usually he just was fighting with them, that was why he usually carried cuts and plasters on his face. Sometimes he felt lonely of course too, as he always dreamed about having friends. Although he knew how to entertain himself, as he had a very vivid imagination, he was really happy that Heart was playing with him, letting him make up more complicated stories with both of them.

Days lightened up so much for both of them since they met each other. Heart was teaching Liming a sign language, and even if it was a little bit complicated for the boy at first, very soon Liming learnt some words and they could partly interact with each other only by gestures. It was something very funny for Liming too, since it looked to him like they had their own secret language, and no one from passing by people understood what they were telling each other. 

One day they were just sitting next to each other on the bench and eating ice cream which Heart bought for both of them. Suddenly, Heart turned to Liming as the latter was stuffing his cheeks with an ice cream with a pleased face. Heart smiled softly at such a sight, then tapped Liming’s shoulder as he signed, “I want to share with you a secret, which I found out from a book”.

Liming looked at him with a surprised face and frown and nodded to make the boy continue. He even stopped chewing to pay as much attention as he could.

“It’s a very simple secret”, Heart smiled again as he was signing slowly so that Liming could understand, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye”.

Liming nodded again trying to process the meaning of Heart’s words.

“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” Liming repeated to himself, making this phrase sink deep inside of his heart. 

They were eating an ice cream without saying anything more then, each one deep inside their own thoughts. But then Heart turned to Liming again with a sad expression now. Liming looked at him with a slight anxiety as he was feeling that something was off now.

“My parents are planning to move,” Heart signed slowly and Liming felt his fingertips getting cold, “so very soon we won’t be able to see each other anymore. It makes me so sad, but I’m very grateful that you tamed me nevertheless,” Heart added with teary eyes and soft soreful smile.

“It’s your fault,” Liming signed with a painful expression. “Because I tamed you, you and I will cry a lot. I’m so scared. I don’t want to lose you, Heart”. 

“Yes, that is so,” Heart signed with an unreadable face, “But don’t you think that it was good despite that?”

“How?”

“We’re not alone anymore, Liming. We might not be able to see each other anymore, but I will always remember you and the hours we spent together. When I see someone with a mole on their nose, I’ll remember you and it’ll warm my heart wherever I am. Our hearts are connected now, so we’ll always find a way to talk with each other again even without words just like how we did on the first days we met”.

“It still hurts so much, Heart. I feel like my heart is breaking into pieces, my chest hurts.. I never expected that to be tamed can be so painful.” 

“It’ll pass with time,” Heart smiled while his eyes were still full of glistering tears. “And I believe that we’ll meet once again someday. Just don’t forget a little secret I shared with you earlier. And be happy, Liming.”

It was the last words Heart said to him before his parents suddenly found him here and took him from Liming, scolding the boy while they were going away with him. Liming was left here on the bench all alone, as he felt totally numb. He almost didn’t move and just sat for hours as part of him was hoping that Heart would just return and tell that it was a joke. But he never came.

When Liming was heading home after that, he felt like someone just ripped his heart out of his chest. Or more like his Heart, as he was an undeniable part of Liming’s soul now.

─── ♡ ───

Liming was cleaning up at the cafe with a deep frown visible on his face. He didn’t know what to do with his life anymore. He was at high school already, and everything pressured on him just that much. Uncle told him to attend additional lessons, but Liming felt that he was just not meant for studying. He wanted to work already and it was so sad that uncle never asked him what he really wanted.

Liming felt really lonely too. He didn’t have any close friends to lean on. Although he didn’t have the problems like in his childhood when his classmates treated him badly, yet, he didn’t have anyone to trust his insecure thoughts or share his problems with as well. His uncle and workers at the cafe were kind to him and Liming appreciated it so much, but at the end of the day, they weren’t his peers so he could never share with them his deepest thoughts. And sometimes he wondered how it might feel to have someone by his side. 

And of course he didn’t have any lover either. He even never was on the date before as he couldn’t find anyone interesting enough for him nor anyone was interested in him as well. Sometimes he thought that maybe he was still carrying that silly childhood crush that he had on the boy with whom he played for a while. But at the end of the day Liming didn’t know where the boy currently was, how his life looked like now, as he wasn’t even sure that Heart remembered him. After all, anything could happen after his department. 

Even if Liming was thinking about the possibility of the boy forgetting him with soreful heart, he hoped that Heart really moved on and found new friends or even a lover. A mere thought of that was making Liming uncomfortable though, but he just wished the best for Heart.

Heart was the only person in his entire life who actually tried to listen to Liming, even if technically he wasn’t able to hear anything. The days spent with Heart were something very precious for Liming, he was always remembering them with a gentle smile. Heart just was the only one friend of his in his entire life and his first and only one crush too. 

Back then Liming of course didn’t understand that he liked Heart in this way. As it was just a childhood crush he never treated it very seriously too, but deep inside he knew that if he met Heart again, he might actually fall in love with him completely. Somehow he felt and knew that Heart didn’t change that much and was still a kind and pure ball of light as he was in childhood.

Liming was pulled out of his thoughts by the sudden soft click of the opening door. He brushed off all his thoughts and got ready immediately, smiling at the customer and greeting him politely. 

The customer turned out to be a young guy presumably close to his age and breathtakingly beautiful too, which made Liming stunned for a second. The guy was slim and tall, and his curly hair was falling over his eyes, making him brush away bangs from time to time automatically. He entered the cafe slowly, his steps almost noiseless and somehow Liming found it endearing. 

The guy didn’t respond to Liming’s greeting though, but the latter didn’t want to pay too much attention to it. Maybe the boy wasn’t in the mood for conversations, so Liming just decided to wait for the customer to choose something from a menu that was lying on the table. 

After a while, Liming approached the table and asked a guy what he wanted to order. The latter just pointed to the preferable food on the menu, so Liming showed him the “ok” sign and went to prepare an order. 

Somehow Liming was restless while cooking food for the customer. It was the very first time for him to feel attached just to someone’s appearance. But there was something very special about this guy and Liming didn’t understand what it was. It wasn’t only about his face or features, but his demeanor, his moves. They looked almost strangely familiar. 

With a little bit of shaky knees, Liming was heading to the table with a tray. When he was carrying food for the guy, his uncle’s cat suddenly passed by fast, which made Liming lose his balance. He closed his eyes as was ready to meet the floor with his face, but it never came. Instead he felt a soft touch on his forearm.

Liming opened his eyes and saw that the guy was holding him tightly and gently, stopping him from falling. Liming just sighed in relief and put the tray down on the table, as he felt how his heart started to race fast as well.

“Thank you very much,” Liming smiled gently, “It will be my treat then.”

But the guy just pointed at his ears and it hit Liming that he must be deaf which explained his quiet behaviour earlier. So, Liming just let out a soft “uhh” and repeated his words with sign language. The guy’s eyes opened wide from surprise.

“Do you know sign language?” The guy signed with still parted from surprise lips.

Liming just nodded with a soft smile, as he signed back, “Yes, I had a deaf friend in my childhood, so I remember it a little.”

It wasn’t a lie, but it was just half of the truth. Of course, if it was just like that he would forget sign language already since he learnt it when he was only 8 years old. But part of him always hoped to meet Heart again, so he was refreshing his knowledge from time to time just in case.

“I see,” the guy answered, smiling almost with excitement. “But you don’t have to treat me, it was nothing bad, I’m just glad that you didn’t fall”.

“But I insist,” Liming signed back as he tugged his lips in a slight smile. “Take it as a marketing ploy I use to make you come back here again”, he giggled making the guy smirk too. 

“Okay, okay, maybe then you want to share the food with me? I guess I ordered too much accidentally,” the guy signed, as he gestured to the seat in front of him.

“With my great pleasure,” Liming smiled as he took off apron, tossing it for god knows where, and taking a seat in front of the guy. There were no more customers anyway.

“What’s your name?” Liming then signed, watching how the guy started eating.

“My name is Heart”.

Liming’s eyes widened from shock as he felt like he was about to pass out. Was he hallucinating all of this? Was it really his Heart? He looked different now of course, but he was deaf, his name was Heart and he was deadly handsome… There is no way it can be someone else.

Heart looked at him in surprise because he didn’t expect such a reaction just from telling his name. So he decided to continue a conversation, “And what is your name?”

“I’m Liming,” Liming signed very slowly, as he was staring at Heart’s eyes with a complicated expression and eyes full of glistering hope.

Heart didn’t answer right away anything as he titled his head slightly. “Liming… why does it sound so familiar? And not only his name, his appearance seems familiar as well,” he thought to himself, biting his lower lip.

“Liming… Did we meet before?” Heart finally asked, as he was watching carefully every change on Liming’s face.

This question echoed Liming’s ears even if it was said in sign language. Liming heard ringing in his ears and felt so dizzy, that he thought he might choke with air. Anxiety was crawling inside of him slowly.

So, Heart really didn’t remember him. Or maybe it really wasn’t his Heart after all?

But the fragile hope was still filling up Liming’s soul. Even if Heart didn’t remember him, maybe, just maybe Liming could make him remember instead? He waited for him way too long to lose this opportunity now. So, Liming decided to take the chance as he knew the only thing he could do in such a situation.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye,” was the only thing Liming answered to the boy with shaky hands and teary eyes.

These words were his last hope. He carried them with himself all this time as his Heart told him to do. It was almost a motto of his whole existence already, as he was even writing it down sometimes on his notebooks during boring lessons. 

Then Heart’s eyes widened as he let out a loud gasp. Tears started rolling down his cheeks while he was just staring at Liming in disbelief. A second later he just leaned over the table and wrapped Liming in a firm hug, as he whispered with a raspy halting voice, “Liming…”

Liming’s eyes opened wide as he wasn’t ready to hear his name out loud from the boy, and was overwhelmed with the whole situation as well. Was he hallucinating everything now? Did he understand it right? Was it really his Heart in front of him? And did he actually remember him?

But the wave of happiness hit Liming when he started realising all of this. And hearing finally voice of Heart made him over the moon as he didn’t do it even in their childhood. So he hummed from emotions overwhelming him, and hugged Heart even tighter.

Heart then pulled away after a while, still with tears on his eyes which he whipped fast and signed after that, “I can’t believe that I found you. Sorry that I forgot your name,” he paused as he looked at Liming with a deep guilt. “My parents punished me really harshly after they found out that I was sneaking out of the house all this time. It even made me forget your name, but I’ve never forgotten about you. I was searching for you all this time, but it was quite impossible without your name”.

Liming was looking at Heart with disbelief. That’s all was just way too much to process in one time. But more than that Liming felt a pang in his chest when he imagined what Heart’s parents did to him as he even forgot Liming’s name. 

Liming cupped Heart’s hands with his, brushing his soft skin with his thumb, as he was just shaking his head and smiling with a complicated expression at Heart.

“It’s okay,” Liming signed after that. “I’m so glad that I finally met you, I still can’t believe it. I’m so happy, I– I–”

But Heart just squeezed Liming’s hand and caressed his hair in a reassurance gesture. Words were not needed anymore. Like it had always been between them. 

And they hugged each other later again, as Liming now was sitting near to Heart, trying to be as close to him as he could. Liming rested his chin on the boy’s shoulder and Heart was embracing him tightly as he silently moved his lips in the simple words into the crock of Liming’s neck to leave this unnoticed, “I love you”. He smiled softly after that.

Little did he know that Liming was whispering the same thing to him at that moment, deciding to tell this later to him again, when the proper time came. Their hearts were beating in one rhythm now, finally connected completely to each other. Their story only just began.

Maybe the true meaning of ‘to be tamed’ was always this. Once you are tamed, your souls will always find each other, as this connection can never be broken.