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The photo studio has been quiet.
Cheng Xiaoshi has been quiet.
It had been raining hard for the past few days, especially during the Time Photo Studio’s open hours. And Cheng Xiaoshi hates the rain. He has tried out some of the things that most people do during the rainy season in order to maybe appreciate it a bit more and find the fun in it. He’d tried the things people say make rainy days feel cozy—racing raindrops across the windowpane, making hot chocolate for him and Lu Guang, curling up with movies or little games to drown out the roof’s pitter-patter. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the cold weight of those old, empty, rainy nights. Not completely. Nothing could rid the memories of those pouring nights when he was younger and had no one around him to make him feel warm. And it haunts him, every single time.
“Let’s not open the shop today,” is what Lu Guang said when Cheng Xiaoshi got down the stairs just this morning. Cheng Xiaoshi was glad, but also confused, since the rain wasn’t even any stronger than it had been for the past few days. But he didn’t complain. He made his way to the dining room to have breakfast—some french toast and hot chocolate prepared with love by Lu Guang—then went straight back to his room, on his bed.
What Lu Guang didn’t mention, though, was that he always sees. He’s always known that Cheng Xiaoshi wasn’t fond of the rain, and he always sees how drastically his mood would drop when the rain did come. He sees how this affects even his work. Part of this stems from the guilt of not being able to give help to the people who need it the most “just because” of his own low mood.
Lu Guang sees all of this.
So today, when the sun finally shows itself, he comes up with an idea.
“Cheng Xiaoshi,” Lu Guang says, barely above a whisper, as he taps Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulder.
It’s 2:00 PM, Cheng Xiaoshi is still lying in bed, curled on his side and facing the wall. He turns around slowly, and his hand catches Lu Guang’s on his shoulder. He looks up—eyes tired, but warm. A strange mix of sadness and fondness in his gaze. It hits Lu Guang harder than he expects. He smiles, soft.
“It’s not raining anymore.”
“Let’s go on a walk.”
The first few minutes of the walk are quiet.
The rain has stopped, and the sky is covered in layers of clouds, but puddles still make themselves comfortable on the path that Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi walk on. Cheng Xiaoshi’s head hangs low. He tries to keep his focus on different things like his own shoes, hands, and sometimes even Lu Guang’s hands. But he can’t help but glance at every puddle they pass, remembering the heavy rain that fell not long ago, and fearing that it could return when they least expect it. So he stays close to Lu Guang. And Lu Guang lets him.
Lu Guang’s fingers brush against Cheng Xiaoshi’s intentionally. Cheng Xiaoshi looks up, his head tilting slightly. “Boba tea,” Lu Guang says, pointing at a shop to their left. “You want? My treat.” Cheng Xiaoshi’s heart does a weird thing when he hears Lu Guang’s voice. The way the question rolled off his tongue was perfect. It wasn’t strict and pressuring, nor enthusiastic to convince. It was just simple, patient. He really just asked.
Cheng Xiaoshi looks at the boba tea stand. Then back at Lu Guang with a small smile. ”…Yeah… Thanks.”
The both of them decide to go simple, both ordering the classic black sugar boba tea. When they get their orders, they give a small “thank you” and a nod to the shop handlers before continuing forward with their walk. Lu Guang can already tell Cheng Xiaoshi’s mood has been lifted with the way his eyes lit up and his head began to sway slightly from the very first sip. Lu Guang sighs contently, and a smile tugs on his lips on the straw.
When they finish their drinks, Lu Guang hands his cup to Cheng Xiaoshi for him to throw in the trash bin. Lu Guang pauses in their tracks to think about where they should go next, when he hears Cheng Xiaoshi calling his name. He looks to the side, where Cheng Xiaoshi seemed to wander off to without him noticing. “Guangguang, look!” he exclaims, pointing at an alleyway probably leading to another part of the town.
Lu Guang walks to his side. What they spot is a small weekend market. It’s not super busy, just a few vendors selling handmade crafts, trinkets, snacks, and other simple things. A child giggles as they tug their mother toward a stand selling snacks, while an elderly vendor waves lazily at passersby, offering homemade keychains with pastel beads. The scent of roasted chestnuts and something faintly floral hang in the breeze. It’s not loud, not crowded—it just feels… lived in. Familiar. The kind of place you could wander through slowly, hand in hand.
Lu Guang looks at Cheng Xiaoshi, whose face is already beaming and eyes shining in fascination. Butterflies fill up Lu Guang’s stomach to the brim, and all of a sudden, his plans to plan for the rest of the day are gone. His hand intertwines with Cheng Xiaoshi’s.
”Let’s go?”
Cheng Xiaoshi looks surprised at first, but his smile widens even more when he processes the words that came out of Lu Guang’s mouth. He immediately links their arms, and they make their way to the first stand right in front of them.
The first stand they visit is one selling handmade crafts, like bracelets, keychains, bookmarks and other accessories. Cheng Xiaoshi kneels down slightly, his fingers brushing over the crafts so perfectly laid out on the table and shelves. He picks up some of the crafts from time to time to get a closer look at them, and he has an adoring smile on his face the entire time he’s at it.
”For your girlfriend?” Cheng Xiaoshi hears the vendor behind the table say. He turns around subtly to see who she’s talking to, wondering what this person might have gotten for his girlfriend. Maybe he could take some inspiration and get some gifts for his friends. But when he turns around, he’s surprised to see Lu Guang standing on the other side of the table, handing the vendor some money as she hands him whatever he bought. Cheng Xiaoshi can’t see the item clearly just yet. The vendor looks at Lu Guang expectantly as she gets out his change, waiting for an answer. ”…No,” he finally says, to which the vendor simply nods and lets out a faint “Ah.” With a smile, she gives him his change.
Lu Guang walks to the side, the item he bought still in his pocket. He notices Cheng Xiaoshi staring at him. Raising an eyebrow, he asks, “Are you gonna buy anything?” Cheng Xiaoshi’s pouts at Lu Guang’s sudden mysterious behavior. He walks up to Lu Guang, his arms swinging forward and back dramatically. He stops right in front of him, and he notes the way Lu Guang freezes. “What did you get? Who’s it for?” Lu Guang’s breath hitches for a second before he finally exhales and takes out the small plastic bag from his pocket. Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes widen. ‘This is…’
Inside the plastic bag is a small, simple wooden keychain—a daisy, delicately carved, with a tiny green bead at the top. It’s soft around the edges, a little imperfect. But Cheng Xiaoshi stares at it like Lu Guang just handed him the moon. He isn’t smiling, just staring, stunned.
”You like daisies, don’t you?” Lu Guang starts, the plastic bag still resting on his palm. “You always stare at them whenever we pass by that flower shop near the photo studio, but you never want to get them, even though they’re generally easy to take care of. So…” Lu Guang extends his arm slightly more, bringing the keychain closer to Cheng Xiaoshi while averting his own gaze. “…At least this, you can have it with you anytime and not need to worry about how long it’ll last.”
Lu Guang pauses. “Plus, it…”
“…It reminded me of you.”
. . . . .
“Well? Take it, dumbass,” Lu Guang shoves the keychain against Cheng Xiaoshi’s chest, but there’s no real bite behind his words nor actions. In fact, with how fast his pulse has gotten from the anxiety of the wait, he’s fairly sure his ears and cheeks have already been tinted pink, but he just prays that no one would mind.
Finally, Cheng Xiaoshi blinks. His smile returns so fast when he accepts the keychain. He’s quick to open the plastic bag, take out the daisy keychain, and hang it on one of the belt loops of his pants. He then throws his arm around Lu Guang’s shoulder, an action that sends the latter’s body shuddering in the surprise. “You’re so unfair, Lu Guang!” Cheng Xiaoshi lets out a giggle, and Lu Guang doesn’t think he’s ever heard a sound any more heavenly than that. “Let’s go! At least let me get you something too, hehe!” And before Lu Guang knew it, he and Cheng Xiaoshi were already making their way to another stand.
As they walk, Cheng Xiaoshi is always a few steps ahead of Lu Guang so as to not spoil his surprise, AKA whatever gift he’s planning to get for him. But he makes sure to look back from time to time to check if Lu Guang is still with him. And surely, he always is.
When Lu Guang got that daisy keychain for him, Cheng Xiaoshi knew he had to get him something in return, preferably something flower-related too.
On his search, Cheng Xiaoshi passes by a stand selling handmade earrings, both piercings and clip-ons. There were a lot of designs, such as simple beads, different colored gems, and the one that caught Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes—flowers.
All giddy and skipping, Cheng Xiaoshi approaches the vendor, who looks to be a young girl still in high school. Just behind the counter, Cheng Xiaoshi can see that she’s working on something, probably another pair of earrings. ‘Huh. Impressive.’ Cheng Xiaoshi thinks. He notices there’s a lot of different flower designs available. Sunflowers, red dahlias, even daisies. But when he can’t find the one he’s looking for, he asks the vendor, “Uhm… excuse me?” The girl looks up from her work and at Cheng Xiaoshi, eyes wide. Cheng Xiaoshi continues. ”Ah, uh… I saw all these flower earrings over here, and, uh… I wanted to ask, do you have forget-me-nots, by any chance? They’re his favorite…” Cheng Xiaoshi scratches the back of his neck when he asks, but his hand comes to a quick stop when he realizes what he said. “His favorite.” Ah. Probably shouldn’t have added that last part. Or at least should have clarified who. Not that he was ashamed or anything; just a bit worried of the look she might give him.
But when he looks back at the vendor, her eyes are practically glowing. Suddenly, she picks up the pair of earrings that she was working on, holding it carefully in her hands. “Forget-me-nots! That’s what I’m working on right now, hehe!” Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes glow too and his smile comes immediately when he sees the pair. There it is—the icy blue flowers with simple petals and the yellow center, complimented with beads of white, blue, silver, and some purple, all of different sizes. It was beautiful. It looked exactly like the ones Lu Guang’s hands would hover over whenever they would happen to see it. The flower shop nearby never had forget-me-nots, and Lu Guang didn’t seem to mind at all. But whenever he saw them, he would always freeze. His expression would soften immensely—maybe even sadden a bit, Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t know why—his mouth gaping slightly and his eyes fixed on the flower before him.
Lu Guang loves forget-me-notes. Cheng Xiaoshi never knew why.
But he figured he could at least let Lu Guang know that he sees him too.
When Cheng Xiaoshi returns to Lu Guang’s side at the stand just across the earrings one, he notices that Lu Guang already has a paper bag in hand. “What’s in there?” he asks, kneeling down to slide his finger inside the bag to take a peak. Lu Guang opens it, taking out a bag of chips to show it to Cheng Xiaoshi. “I just bought some snacks. For us, and Qiao Ling-jie,” he answers lowly. Before Cheng Xiaoshi can snatch the snacks out of Lu Guang’s hand for him to devour all by himself, Lu Guang shoves it bag in the paper bag which he hides behind his back, away from Cheng Xiaoshi. Cheng Xiaoshi pouts and his eyebrows furrow at this so-cruel act towards him. Then Lu Guang points at the pouting man. “And you? What did you get?”
Cheng Xiaoshi snickers when he hears the question. He reaches into his jacket pocket for his gift. He takes out the pair of blue dangling earrings, resting on the gray display card in his hands. “For you, Guangguang, your favorite! Forget-me-nots!”
. . .
Lu Guang stares. Part of his expression is the same as the one he always makes when he sees those blue flowers, but another part is… something else. Plain shock, mainly, but Lu Guang’s cheeks fade to a light, very subtle shade of pink. So there has to be something else. Embarrassment, maybe, especially considering the fact that—
“Cheng Xiaoshi, I… I don’t… wear earrings…” Lu Guang says obviously, his hand coming up to touch his ear which, very clearly, has no piercings. But Cheng Xiaoshi still stands proud. His smile remains, and he takes one of the earrings out. “Don’t worry, they’re clip-on earrings, and somehow don’t hurt at all! I tried one pair on myself, hehe!” Lu Guang stands still when Cheng Xiaoshi moves closer, carefully clipping the earring on his right earlobe. While he does this, he just continues speaking, slightly lower this time, “Plus, you—… you looked really good with the earrings in your cosplay back in high school, so…”
Lu Guang shivers when he feels Cheng Xiaoshi’s fingers brush against his ear. Somehow, he can feel his entire body heating up from the smallest touch. But still, he manages to keep his nonchalant and composed expression.
Finally, Cheng Xiaoshi steps back. He pulls his phone out for Lu Guang to see his reflection on the turned-off screen. Lu Guang leans forward a bit to get a closer look at the earring he’s wearing right now. Cheng Xiaoshi was right. It doesn’t hurt at all, unlike what he’s heard from Qiao Ling and Xu Shanshan’s previous experiences with clip-on earrings when they were a bit younger. ”See! You look pre—… good, Lu Guang!” Cheng Xiaoshi exclaims, the other earring still in his hand. Lu Guang doesn’t reply, but as much as he’d hate to admit it, he… kind of agreed. Blue has always been said to be his color, with the way it blends with both his natural white hair and steel gray eyes, and these earrings seem to have proved that point. His heart suddenly feels warmer when he remembered what flowers the earrings’ design are. Forget-me-nots. His favorite, for a reason he has yet to speak of to Cheng Xiaoshi. But still, his favorite. And Cheng Xiaoshi knows. Lu Guang sighs and backs away from the phone. He doesn’t say anything, and instead closes his eyes and turns around, leaving Cheng Xiaoshi clueless. “L-Lu Guang?” Cheng Xiaoshi asks hesitantly. “Uh… what do you think? I think it looks pretty good on you, but, y’know! You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to!”
When Cheng Xiaoshi’s hand reaches out for Lu Guang’s, Lu Guang swats him away, initially worrying Cheng Xiaoshi to hell, before taking his hand into his own, soft, cold one. Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes widen. He looks up at Lu Guang, his mouth twitching so slightly in the corners.
“…Thank you,” Lu Guang mutters.
Cheng Xiaoshi smiles warm. Slowly, he pulls his hand away from Lu Guang’s. He reaches for the second earring and throws the display card into the paper bag with Lu Guang’s stuff. He rushes back to Lu Guang’s side, getting closer to put the second earring on. Before he does, he shoots Lu Guang an inquiring look, mouthing a, “Can I?” to which Lu Guang nods. When the second earring is finally on, Cheng Xiaoshi smiles fondly at the masterpiece in front of him. He takes out his phone to snap a picture, and surprisingly, Lu Guang doesn’t protest. He doesn’t pose or anything, just looks at the camera, maybe smiling the tiniest bit. Cheng Xiaoshi admires the picture on his phone for a few seconds before turning his phone off and returning it in his pocket. His hand intertwines with Lu Guang’s once more, his thumb gently rubbing on Lu Guang’s index finger. “Oh!” Cheng Xiaoshi suddenly exclaims. “What about we get something for Qiao Ling-jie too? Oh, and maybe some more snacks, hehe!” Lu Guang doesn’t respond. He just nods, and the both of them continue to walk side by side, hand in hand, through the market as the day goes on.
The clouds are already starting to gather again, dimming the stands in the market slightly, when Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang finally decide to leave, continuing the path they left off of earlier to circle back to the photo studio. As they walk, brown paper bags and plastic ones clank against each other, containing the items the two boys bought in the market. They bought different kinds of bread for the next few days’ breakfast, some decorations for the photo studio, and before they forgot, a pink hyacinth hair clip for Qiao Ling. “It’s her favorite!…I think. It’s the thought that counts!!” Cheng Xiaoshi told Lu Guang. Lu Guang’s pocket now feels a lot lighter, with most of his money gone from his wallet, but he doesn’t mind.
Side by side, the walk home is silent. It’s not an awkward and heavy silence like earlier, when Cheng Xiaoshi was feeling down from the rain. Right now, it’s comfortable. It’s the kind of silence that lingers when you’re with someone so special that you don’t need words to feel comfortable and have fun with each other. It’s the kind of silence that whispers, “I’m glad you’re here with me, even if we don’t speak.”
Lu Guang notices the way Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes still follow the puddles from last night’s rain whenever they pass by them. But unlike earlier, Cheng Xiaoshi’s head doesn’t hang low like it’s scared to face whatever else they might bump into on their walk. Now, it’s raised, and his expression is more than content. He’s more than content that he managed to get out of bed despite how weak he was feeling, and that now he’s spending his time with his best friend ever.
He’s happy. And now, so is Lu Guang.
Suddenly, Cheng Xiaoshi yanks the plastic bags out of Lu Guang’s hands, leaving the latter frozen and wide-eyed. “Xi-Xiaoshi! What the h—” When he looks up to look for Cheng Xiaoshi, the latter is already running to a bench to their side, placing their bags down. Lu Guang follows behind, and he finally notices. He notices the colorful playground right in front of the bench. There’s a lot of the basic playground equipment—slides, swings, monkey bars, towers—but not a lot of kids come to play here, so the equipment is probably a bit old and rusty. Cheng Xiaoshi grabs Lu Guang’s wrist again, and pulls him towards one of the towers.
“I-Idiot… what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Lu Guang asks, a bit concerned.
Cheng Xiaoshi smiles and looks back at Lu Guang. “What do you think? Let’s play, Lu Guang!”
Before Lu Guang can reply, Cheng Xiaoshi is already making his way up the climbing wall, and he reaches the top of the tower. He watches as Cheng Xiaoshi’s smile turns into a pretend-confused face. He puts one hand up against his forehead, like a pirate looking for treasure. Then he looks back down at Lu Guang. “Guangguang! What are you waiting for? Get up here!” he says, sitting at the edge of the tower top, holding his hand out for Lu Guang to take. Lu Guang groans and sighs. “Childish…” he deadpans. “It just rained a few hours ago. It might still be wet somewhere up there, and there’s also the mu— Ah!” Lu Guang isn’t able to finish his sentence with the way Cheng Xiaoshi tugs on his shirt collar. Lu Guang wants to pull away, but he’s also worried of the damage that might cause his shirt. So finally, he gives in, climbing up the tower.
When he reaches the top, he immediately sits in one corner of the tower, his knees against his chest, while Cheng Xiaoshi continues to play pirate. His eyes are focused on the childish, bright expression Cheng Xiaoshi is making, then his gaze lowers. He watches the daisy keychain hanging from his pants, dangling with every little movement that Cheng Xiaoshi makes. He smiles, fond, reaching up to fiddle with his own forget-me-not earrings.
Cheng Xiaoshi sighs. He goes to sit right beside Lu Guang, resting his head on his shoulder. Lu Guang reaches up to ruffle Cheng Xiaoshi’s hair, the black-haired man melting into the touch immediately. They stay like that for a while, watching as the sky changes color as the night prepares for its arrival.
Cheng Xiaoshi slowly opens his eyes. “…Lu Guang. Did you play at the playground a lot when you were younger?”
Lu Guang doesn’t reply immediately. He inhales, taking in the scent of Cheng Xiaoshi’s hair, tickling his jaw. “…No. But… I used to play with an old friend of mine by the train tracks. Just the two of us.”
”Hah? The train tracks??? That’s weird… pretty dangerous too.”
Lu Guang scoffs. “Yeah, it is. But I don’t see how two fully grown men in their 20s playing in the playground, alone, is any less weird.” A smirk forms on Lu Guang’s face. “And since when were you one to worry about danger?”
Cheng Xiaoshi lightly hits Lu Guang’s chest with the back of his hand. “It’s called healing your inner child! And I’m always careful and worrying about danger, what are you talking about!?” Lu Guang rolls his eyes. “Yeah, sure.” ”Hmph.”
. . . . .
“I never got to play at the playground a lot,” Cheng Xiaoshi says. His smile starts to fade as he stares off into the sunset in front of them. “…Well, Qiao Ling-jie would always invite me to go with her. But the kids then, especially in my school, knew about me and my parents... And they would always make fun of me. So I was always scared that… it would be the same here.”
“…Xiaoshi…”
“…But I’m glad, you know? I’m glad that my first real experience here is with you, Lu Guang. Thanks for coming with me.”
“…You’re welcome, Xiaoshi. I’m… glad to be with you too.”
Cheng Xiaoshi turns his head slightly to look at what’s on the other side of the small tower they’re in, and he realizes that the wall is mostly open, revealing the monkey bars right beside them. He perks up, aggressively tugging on Lu Guang’s sleeve while excitedly saying his name. Lu Guang flinches at the sudden movement, his eyes closing tightly to steady himself, and his pulse quickening. When he finally calms down, he sighs and follows Cheng Xiaoshi’s gaze to the side. Cheng Xiaoshi turns back around to Lu Guang to smile at him. “Let’s go on the monkey bars! Come on!” Cheng Xiaoshi tugs on Lu Guang’s arm now, bringing out a small groan from the white-haired man. “Idiot… it just rained. It’s probably still slippery and wet down there.” After letting out a small, “Hmph!” Cheng Xiaoshi peaks out the tower, and oh. Lu Guang’s right. It’s pretty mud right below the monkey bars, especially in the middle. But he doesn’t mind, and he persists. “That’s alright! Come on, look, I’ll make it to the other side, then you go after me. I’ll catch you before you fall!”
”X-Xiaoshi, wai—”
Cheng Xiaoshi’s legs hang from the tower which... isn’t actually very high up. It's just around their height. He puts one hand on the first bar. Then he adds another one, and he lifts from the tower, his legs swaying above the ground. “Lu Guang, Lu Guang, watch me!” he says. With ease, he moves one hand on the second bar, then the other on the third bar, and so on until he reaches the end and jumps down, just barely missing the puddle of mud by his shoes. He smiles and snickers, clearly satisfied with himself. He turns around to wave at Lu Guang. “Come ooonn, Guangguang!! Gotta work on that arm strength of yours~!” Lu Guang covers his face with one hand, slightly embarrassed. The both of them know very well that Cheng Xiaoshi is the physically stronger one between them, but Lu Guang wants to try to keep up. It’s just monkey bars. It’s just the monkey bars of a playground. It’s not that long nor tall, so it’d be easy to get off if he needed to.
sigh.
Lu Guang follows Cheng Xiaoshi’s previous action. He sits by the edge of the tower platform. Both hands on the first bar, he lifts, and lets himself hang there for a bit, making sure his grip is just right. Cheng Xiaoshi waves at him from the other side. “Come on, Lu Guang!!! Come ‘n get me!” Lu Guang sighs. Then he moves. He moves a lot more carefully compared to Cheng Xiaoshi, getting both hands on one bar first before moving to the next. He worries for a few seconds that Cheng Xiaoshi might be laughing at him, but when he checks, Cheng Xiaoshi is just smiling and cheering him on. It warms his heart.
Lu Guang reaches over half-way. ”GOOO GUANGGUANG!! YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!” Lu Guang lets one hand go off the 4th-to-the last bar. ‘Almost… Almost the—’
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP BEEP BEEP!!!!
Lu Guang’s hands slip off the bars and come straight to cover his ears to block out the honks of the truck nearby. His eyes close, his eyebrows knitting together and lips pursed. ‘God……’ ”Lu Guang!” Cheng Xiaoshi rushes to his side, his hands on Lu Guang’s shoulders. “Lu Guang, are you okay? Lu Guang!” he asks, the concern clear in his voice. “It’s okay, Guangguang, it was just… I don’t even know, honestly…” Lu Guang’s hands don’t move away from his ears. He just moves closer to Cheng Xiaoshi, resting his head against his chest. He’s never been one for very sudden, loud noises. Cheng Xiaoshi welcomes him, wrapping his arms around him in a soft embrace, one hand trailing up and down Lu Guang’s back.
When he finally calms down, Lu Guang lifts his head slowly. Then he lifts a heel to walk away from the tower—but that’s when he feels it. He feels the moisture on his socks. He hears the disgusting, wet, squelching sound beneath him when he moves. He sighs heavily.
”Oh…” Cheng Xiaoshi says when he sees Lu Guang’s clearly disturbed expression, plus the cause of it. “…The mud…”
Cheng Xiaoshi keeps his hands on Lu Guang’s arms as he leads them back to the brown bench where they left their bags from the market. Lu Guang walks slowly, whimpering at the wet feeling in his socks.
When they finally reach the bench, Lu Guang sits down almost immediately, then just stares. He just stares at his shoes, trying his damnest not to move and to just ignore the feeling. And Cheng Xiaoshi is beside him.
“…Uhm…” Cheng Xiaoshi scratches his cheek with his index finger, trying to come up with a solution. “Do you wanna, uhh… uhh…… maybe you coooouulddd… wear my shoes on the way home……?????”
Lu Guang sighs. “No, it’s okay. It’s… we’re almost home, anyway…”
“Ah…”
They sit in silence for a while, Cheng Xiaoshi looking everywhere for a solution, or just any way to make Lu Guang cheer up. He looks behind them: nothing. Looks at his phone: nothing. Looks back at the playground, noth— oh? Hold on. The playground is still pretty muddy in other spots, of course including the one that just got poor Lu Guang’s white shoes all dirty. Cheng Xiaoshi looks at his own, perfectly clean gray shoes. And he comes up with an idea.
Cheng Xiaoshi stands. Lu Guang watches.
"Xiaoshi…? What are you—”
”WEEEEEEE!!!!!”
Before he can finish his question, Cheng Xiaoshi is already sprinting off, away from the bench and directly to the puddles of mud nearby, and Lu Guang already knows exactly what he’s gonna do.
“Xi-Xiaoshi…… XIAOSHI, NO—”
SPLAAASHHH
Cheng Xiaoshi stomps into one of the puddles, the mud jumping up and out to the sides, the water seeping into his shoes. He stands there for a second, trying to get used to the feeling. He’s pretty deep in the mud, and it… is pretty disgusting… but also, somehow, a bit satisfying. Then he moves. He walks oh-so-calmly through the mud, ignoring Lu Guang who’s scolding him from afar. “CH-CHENG XIAOSHI! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING!!??!!!!” he was saying, still seated on the bench. Cheng Xiaoshi doesn’t reply. Just walks. Jumps. Waddles…… or something. He’s having the time of his life. And honestly? Just from seeing that, Lu Guang already feels a bit better.
After a few minutes, Cheng Xiaoshi finishes. He steps away from all the mud, now onto a dry surface. He walks back to Lu Guang’s side, the mud dripping from his shoe and leaving prints behind him. He sits down. Lu Guang stares, still dumbfounded. “…You do realize that means we have two pairs of shoes to clean now, right?” he deadpans. ”Mhm!” Cheng Xiaoshi nods. “Buuuttt, that also means you’re not the only one that’ll be walking home with muddy shoes and whining! I’ll even help with the cleaning, so you won’t be alone!” ”…Hm.” Lu Guang hums, a smile tugging in the corner of his lips.
It’s funny. He was the one who decided for them to go on a walk so that he could make Cheng Xiaoshi feel better. But now, it feels like the tables have turned. It feels like none of this was even his plan to begin with, but rather Cheng Xiaoshi’s, with the way he was the one trying to (and succeeding at) get Lu Guang back in his mood. Not that Lu Guang is complaining at all. The shoes issue… does still bother him a bit, but Cheng Xiaoshi’s silly actions did lift the weight in his heart. And he's glad. Really.
Lu Guang stands up.
He walks towards Cheng Xiaoshi, who looks confused.
Then he hugs him. Just like he did earlier when he had slipped from the bars because of that stupid truck. And Cheng Xiaoshi hugs him back without hesitation.
They don’t say anything.
They don’t need to.
They just stand there. In messy, muddy shoes, but in each others’ embrace, making memories together. Perfect memories that neither of them ever plan to forget.
Moments of silence pass, then Cheng Xiaoshi speaks again, moving his head back slightly to glance at Lu Guang. “…You wanna go home now? We can come back here someday if you’d like… Because I think I’d like that, hehe…”
”Tsk, childish…” Lu Guang mutters while digging his face into Cheng Xiaohi’s shirt, a hint of fondness that Cheng Xiaoshi can clearly catch in his voice. “…Sure. I’d like that too.”
One hand still on Lu Guang’s waist, Cheng Xiaoshi’s other hand reaches for the bags on the bench to their side. His hand travels down to meet Lu Guang’s. “Let’s go?”
Lu Guang smiles and nods. And hand-in-hand, bags in one, they make their way back to the photo studio.
By the time they get back, it starts raining again. But, oh well.
At least now, Cheng Xiaoshi isn’t alone.
At least now, Cheng Xiaoshi won’t feel so cold.
No, he won’t.
Not with Lu Guang forever by his side.