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“What are you doing here?!”
The night was still young when someone broke inside Minghao’s bedroom with a loud thud that surprised the latter from his concentration. Xu Minghao, the student prodigy, was locked up in his room deep in his research for his thesis defense. Scratch papers were scattered all over the floor and the buzz of his printer surrounded the whole room. Yes, this is a normal night for the Chinese student.
Perhaps the only thing that wasn’t normal in Minghao’s routine was when the (cliché) resident bad boy, Wen Junhui, broke inside his room by breaking the window pane. Shattered glasses poured all over by the window, and the culprit already landed on the middle of the room, crouching and wincing in pain from the fall’s impact.
“For the second time, Wen Junhui, what are you doing here?” Minghao shrieked at the man, emphasizing the name.
Jun took a moment before answering the panicking Minghao, still holding his right arm with his left hand in pain with a disgruntled face. “I tried knocking your window, by the way. But you seem so immersed with what you’re doing. What are you even doing, Xu Minghao?”
“Me?! The exact opposite of what you’re doing! I’m here studying instead of breaking in someone’s room without permission like a lunatic!” The younger waved his hands in front of Jun out of frustration. “For the third time, what are you doing here?”
When Jun already composed and hoisted himself up, he walked over to where the younger’s computer is and looked at what the screen is showing. “This is what you’ve been doing?” He took a seat at the chair and deleted all the content.
As soon as Minghao realized what the other had done, he squealed in shock and pounced at Jun, hitting him on the same arm who broke his fall.
“Ow! Ow! Ow! What was that for?” Jun hissed.
“That’s for breaking in to my room and deleting all my thesis! Who do you think you are?” Minghao glowered.
But before Jun could even answer back, Minghao already pinned him to the wall near where the door is. The culprit’s lips were met by the younger’s hand to shut him up. “Lower your voice. Mom might hear us,” Minghao warned.
They stayed in that position quite for a while now before Minghao’s mother from downstairs bellowed in Mandarin, “Xiaoba! What’s that noise up there?”
“Nothing, Mom! Nothing to worry about!” Minghao shouted back.
Footsteps were already heard going towards the direction of Minghao’s room. Looks like Mrs. Xu wasn’t convinced enough.
“Hide!” Minghao mouthed.
“Xiaoba?” Jun teased.
“Just hide for Pete’s sake!” the younger whisper-shouted.
Jun scanned the room to for a better hididng spot. He decided to hide under the bed just in time before Mrs. Xu burst the door open and welcomed herself in her son’s room.
“I heard some noise earlier. Are you fine?” she asked.
Minghao roamed his eyes across his room and landed on the shattered panes by the window. He turned his mom so that her back is facing where the broken glasses are, unable to see them. “Of course! I was just talking to Mingyu on the phone. Heated argument and stuff, but we’ll fix it.”
“Are you sure?” Minghao nodded. “Then okay, I’ll leave now. Don’t forget to lock your door when you sleep, ‘kay?”
“Affirmative, Mom. Yes. Now go, please,” he pleaded.
“Alright, alright. I’ll go now. For a second I thought you were talking to your boyfriend,” his mom teased before turning the knob and exited.
Minghao took a moment to realize what she just said. “I don’t have a boyfriend yet!” He shouted at the closed door, hoping for his mom to hear outside.
Silence enveloped the whole room completely, with only the swaying of the leafless tree branch scratching against the other unbroken window pane of the room. Jun shifted from his crouching position and emerged from under the bed, with a smug look on his face. “Funny how your mom thought I was your boyfriend.”
The young black-haired man shot a death glare to Jun. “She didn’t hear any shit.”
Jun’s eyes widened at the sudden curse from the younger. “Woah! Who would’ve thought the resident good boy knows how to curse?”
“Clearly not you.”
The delinquent threw himself on the bed, legs crossed against each other and hands situated under his head to serve as a pillow. “Get ready. We’re going out.”
Minghao felt scandalized by the sudden order. “And who are you exactly to boss me around? I’m not going anywhere.”
“Look, you asked what I was doing here, right? I’m here to get you out of your miserable life. I already deleted your thesis, there’s nothing you can do about that. It looks rushed, by the way. Isn’t our defense a month away?” Jun raised himself and is now sitting on Minghao’s bed. “You have a plenty of time to redo it all. All you need right now is to relax and have fun.” He got up from the bed and stood up in front of him.
Minghao, one hand outstretched in front of him. “Come with me.”
Minghao could only stare at the intruder, look at the hand and swatted it away. “I’m not going anywhere. Specifically with someone like you.”
Jun looked hurt. “A delinquent? A good-for-nothing student? Troublemaker?”
“I don’t judge someone by their looks and values.” Minghao turned and went to his computer. “A stranger. That’s what you are to me.” He spun his computer chair to look at Jun straight (ironically) in the face before turning back to face the screen.
The blonde man only stared at Minghao’s back in silence, standing in the middle of his room for a moment, before deciding to unplug the computer from the outlet and ran towards the broken window’s direction.
“This is your third warning, Wen Junhui!” Minghao is so close in killing Jun that night.
“Just come down, Hao. It’s worth it, I promise.” And with that, Jun disappeared from Minghao’s sight.
As soon as Minghao finally went down, he realized his mistake not wearing a jacket when the cold breeze brushed against his cheeks and skin, sending shivers to his whole body. When he was about to turn around to go back inside, Jun was quick to catch his arm and spun Minghao around to face him. “Don’t worry. You can just use my jacket.”
The taller man was already stripping his leather jacket to lend it to the other, revealing his lean body hugged by the tight white shirt he’s wearing, accentuating the muscular features within his body. (Minghao is definitely looking.)
“Like what you’re seeing, Xiaoba?” Jun smirked while giving it to the other.
Minghao grumbly took the jacket and murmured “as if” while donning the jacket, which Jun didn’t quite hear.
“I’m sorry, what was that? I can’t quite hear you over your bitchy attitude.”
“Are we doing this or what? If we’ll spend the night insulting each other I might as well stayed inside and didn’t listen to you,” Minghao snapped.
Jun raised his arms in surrender. “Okay, okay. Princess, chill, we’ll do this. I’m going to give you the best night of your life.”
“Sounds suspicious. I’ll ghost you forever if you’ll end up killing me in a ditch,” he threatened.
“Sounds comforting,” Jun corrected. “I’m not gonna kill you, I just want someone to accompany me to an amusement park.”
The pair unconsciously strode on the neighborhood’s sidewalk side by side slowly in the dead of the night. With only lampposts guiding their path, they eventually reached Jun’s motorcycle which he parked farther from Minghao’s residence.
“I’m not going on that thing,” Minghao announced, referring to the motorcycle.
“What do you mean thing? This is my baby. My most prized possession. My life,” Jun said, caressing his motorcycle like a newborn infant.
“First, I wore your leather jacket like I’m one of your whores, and now you’re letting me ride on that thing? That’s it, I’m out. Go bother your other girls, Junhui. Just not me,” the younger rudely finished.
Jun looked like as if a wooden stake was pierced through his heart. “For someone who claim they don’t judge by their looks and values, you sure do look like one.” He took a step, towering over Minghao. “You don’t know me.”
The blonde turned and went for his motorbike, mounted it, and turned it on. The engine came to life and broke the awkward silence between the two. “You’re free to leave, by the way. I’m sorry for breaking in. I’ll compensate for the broken window, I promise,” Jun apologized.
He started to drive off the curb and into the night when Minghao thought of probably the stupidest idea he ever came up with.
“Wait!” the black-haired yelled. The motorbike suddenly halted. “I’ll go with you!”
“Put your arms around my waist, Xu!” Jun yelled against his helmet from the front seat. “Or else you’ll fall!”
Thirteen minutes have passed since they exited the suburbs and now entering the bustling city. Jun kept a moderate speed since Minghao is not used to a fast pace, he also wants to keep a good impression, no matter how many times Minghao indirectly called him a ‘delinquent’ in many different ways.
Minghao hesitated, but eventually wrapped his arms around Jun’s waist. “Good girl, princess!” the driver teased.
“Wen Junhui!” Minghao shouted against his helmet as well.
Jun only chuckled at the flustered state of the younger.
When they finally arrived at the park, the place was swarmed by multitudes of people dispersing in different shops and booths. Bright lights almost blinded Minghao’s vision. Loud booth owners shouting there and there to attract customers. Children running around, completely inaccessible to their parent’s reach. Young lovers scattered almost everywhere in the area. This is the complete opposite of how Minghao spend his night after school hours.
His train of thoughts and curiosity was interrupted when Jun suddenly intertwined their fingers together, now holding hands.
“What are you doing?” Minghao whispered aggressively.
“Just go with it. Couples have discounts on the rides.” Jun winked.
Minghao desperately tried to escape from the other man’s strong hold, but Jun was way more powerful than he is, so he eventually gave up.
“No use of resisting, Hao. You’re stuck with me from now on.”
Minghao has never been to an amusement park ever since he was a kid. He dedicated all his life to academics and to extracurriculars, which resulted him being clueless in any outdoor activities. His friends relentlessly begged him to join them shopping or even eat outside sometimes, but Minghao only reasoned out that he has to keep studying more and more.
So when Jun asked him what he ride he wanted to do first, all he could think of is nothing.
“Uhm… I don’t know?” Minghao fretted, looking away from Jun’s eyes. He felt so small under his gaze and grip.
Jun stared at him for a few seconds and they started walking again. “Where are we going?” Minghao asked.
“I was thinking of riding the roller coaster, so that’s where we’re heading.” Jun shot a smile on Minghao’s way.
The pair strode towards the ride’s direction hand in hand. It was awkward for Minghao at first, but got used to it in the long run. Jun, on the other hand, seems unbothered by the fact that he’s holding hands with him. When they finally reached where the roller coaster is, the line for the tickets was long, no surprise. But as they were patiently waiting for their turn, people were giving them side glances and curious looks along their way.
“Don’t mind them, okay?” Jun whispered in Minghao’s ear, reassuring him while giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. (Just like the caring boyfriend that he is.)
When it’s finally their turn, the ticket seller greeted them enthusiastically. “Two tickets, please,” Jun said.
“Two tickets for the lovely young couple, coming right up!” the seller jovially exclaimed and gave them their tickets right away. He also pointed the direction of where the operator is to give the ticket to.
The fake couple complied and went to the pointed direction. Jun gave the tickets and the operator led them to the ride.
“Enjoy your date!” the operator greeted them before turning back to his station to operate the coaster.
When the two already positioned themselves comfortably, Minghao heard a female whisper from someone behind them saying, “Look at the couple in front of us! They’re so sweet! Why are you not like that to me anymore?”
As if on cue, Jun wrapped his arm around Minghao’s shoulders to achieve the Ideal Couple look.
“What are you doing?” Minghao leaned in whispered to his ear.
“Being a good boyfriend.” Jun gave him kiss on the cheek that sent all the other lovers on the ride jealous.
He was about to protest when the roller coaster came to life and all the other people in the ride begin to scream in excitement. Jun did the exact same thing. Minghao, however, was distracted.
He was distracted by the way Jun shouted in enjoyment as if he was a kid again, as if he was not the very person who causes ruckus on their school. He was distracted how Jun looks so vulnerable that night, how the stars bright stars reflected on his eyes and the way they glistened. He was distracted how gorgeous Jun looks with his hair ruffled against the strong wind as the coaster goes up and down again and again. He was distracted because of Jun.
Minghao felt the time stopped and the world was his when he was with Jun, a feeling he never felt before, even with his friends. A feeling so foreign that it is only with Jun that he could feel it with.
The night was still young, so he decided to enjoy the moment.
Jun held him tightly while screaming when the roller coaster suddenly twisted from a horizontal plane to a vertical plane. All the other passengers were screaming in either excitement or they’re crying and pleading for the ride to stop, either way, it heightens the thrill of the ride in general.
When the trip was finally over, sighs of relief were heard from the tired and nauseous passengers. It was the end of the line for Minghao and Jun too. They declined from their seats and made their way outside to breathe some fresh air. Jun was about to throw up when he heard Minghao giggled softly like a sweet melody to his ears.
“That,” Jun clutched his stomach in pain, “was the first time I ever heard you laugh! Even in school!” He burst in amazement. “Did you enjoy the ride?”
Minghao blurted another series of soft giggles which activated the butterflies inside Jun’s stomach, making it ache even more, not that he’s complaining though. Jun would go through every pain just to hear Minghao laugh again.
“Never knew… you were a… scaredy cat!” Minghao says in between giggles.
“Yeah, no shit. The ride almost threw us up in the air!” Jun defended, masking his softness for Minghao with a fake bravado.
This time, Minghao initiated the holding hands first and led the way. “Come on, let’s try the booths this time.”
The couple (???) made sure there’s no booth left unexplored that night. They often stop to buy some snacks and drinks on their way to another booth. Jun insisted on paying everything for their food, which irked Minghao. “Oh, come on! You already paid for all the tickets, you should have let me pay this time.”
“I would never ever make my princess pay for the date that I specifically planned,” Jun pointed out.
“Every relationship should be 50%-50%! I can’t let you pay for all the thi-” Minghao immediately stopped when he realized what he just said.
“Relationship?” Jun smirked.
“Wow, let’s pretend you never said that this was a date you planned. You totally kidnapped me from my own house.” The younger rolled his eyes.
“I was just in character. We’re pretending, remember?”
Minghao would never admit, but his heart just shattered from that statement alone. “Yeah, of course. Duh.”
If Jun could tell the change of tone of his voice, he never pointed it out. Instead, he diverted their attention to a booth they haven’t gone yet. It was, unfortunately, the last booth in their imaginary list. “Step right up and win your prize!” bellowed the booth owner to charm costumers.
“You! The two young men in the audience! Why won’t you try and play the game?” The booth owner pointed at Minghao and Jun’s direction.
Jun held the other’s hand and dragged him towards the booth. “We’re down!”
“Great! The game is simple. You just have to hit those three bottles in the middle with balls. But you only have three chances, so play the game wisely! Hit one bottle and you’ll get a teddy bear! Hit two bottles and you’ll get both the teddy bear and a hoodie. But hit all three of those bottles and not only you’ll get the teddy bear and the shirt, but also you get to choose your third prize!” the booth owner explained thoroughly. “So are you ready? Who’s playing?”
Jun is already reaching out on his wallet to pay the owner. “I will.”
The owner got the money and gave him three balls. “Ready when you are, young lad!”
“Which third prize do you want?” Jun whispered to Minghao.
“Cocky of you to assume you’ll hit all of them.”
“Cocky of you to assume I won’t hit all of them.”
“Just play the damn game, Junhui.” Minghao sighed.
In just a blink of an eye, the bottles which were once standing are now rolling on the floor. Jun hit the three of them. “Claim your prize right here!” the owner cheered.
Jun winked at his date. “Told ya.”
“Which prize do you want, young man?” the owner asked to Minghao.
Minghao examined the part of the booth where all the prizes where hung up. When his eyes landed on a particular stuffed toy that piqued his interest, he excitedly told Jun. “That one! That one!” He pointed to where the toy of his interest is.
“That one?!” Jun’s eyes went enormous.
“You’ve got a problem?” Minghao pouted.
“No! What my princess wants, he gets it, okay?” Jun put his hands over the younger’s face to squish it.
When they already caused enough scene, Jun told the owner, “That Kermit the Frog plushy, please!”
The owner hurriedly granted the couple’s wish. He prepared all of the three prizes: a life-sized teddy bear, an oversized hoodie, and Minghao’s favorite Kermit plushy. “Enjoy the rest of your night!” the owner bid them goodbye.
As soon as Minghao picked all three prizes up, Jun could only smile fondly at the sight. “You need help with that, Xiaoba?” he asked.
Minghao looks like he indeed needs help, but declined. “No need! I got this!” he says, face squished against the head of the goddamn large bear.
“You look like you need help,” Jun stated, but also did nothing whatsoever to help him. He just stood there, smiling like a complete fool watching the sight of his (fake?) date struggling with all his prizes.
The younger only shook his head in response, and instead he held out his hand for Jun to hold.
Jun intertwined their fingers for a hundredth time that night.
They finally decided to call it a night and left the park, much to Minghao’s dismay. He finally felt so alive for the first time that night. A side of him wants that night to never end, but fought that thought off from his mind when he came up with the conclusion that this was just a one-time offer. Everything would be back to normal by tomorrow, he thought. But why doesn’t he feel so happy about it?
When Jun’s motorcycle took a left instead of going straight to the direction where Minghao lives, it definitely alarmed the younger.
“Relax, I have something to show you first,” Jun reassured when he felt Minghao tensed up from the backseat. “Just trust me, okay?”
Minghao only tightened his embrace on Jun’s waist.
When they finally reached their destination, there was nothing to see but endless rows of dark trees on their left and the city’s overview on their right. Jun parked his motorcycle right by a dead tree in the middle of an abandoned grasslands. Something to it doesn’t feel right to Minghao.
“This is it. This is where you’ll kill me,” Minghao weakly said. Jun only chuckled and ruffled his hair. “No, I’m not gonna kill you.”
He went back to his motorcycle and got something from its compartment. A blanket. He laid it down near the edge to have a better look on the city’s skyline. He took a seat and patted the space to invite Minghao. “Come, sit.”
Minghao immediately obeyed.
They sat there in total silence for a while. Appreciating each other’s presence without having the need to verbally talk. Just them and the stars, looking over to the place they now call home.
“Do you miss home? China, I mean?” Minghao broke the silence.
Jun took a deep breath before answering, “Mhmm. Sometimes. But not really.”
Minghao shifted from his position and now looking directly at Jun. “Why?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion like a lost pup. “Don’t you miss your family? Your house? Your memories? How ‘bout the food? I even miss the holidays sometimes.”
“Home doesn’t have to be a place, right? It could be a person, Hao.” Jun looked back at Minghao’s innocent yet sweet eyes. “And besides, I don’t have much of a memory back there anyway. China’s just a big blur to me.”
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Minghao carefully asked, afraid that Jun might get triggered.
But instead of blowing up like a detonated time bomb, Jun calmly took a deep breath again. “They just… don’t care at all. They’re more concerned with how I look and how I act in front of their rich friends. I’m just a big investment in their eyes. I make money for them, that’s what I am to my parents. A bank account.”
Minghao didn’t answer, but listened.
“They once sold me off in an engagement when our company was bankrupt. I was fifteen! I was fifteen and they’re already thinking of selling me to a business partner to wed their daughter just so they could pay off their debts. That’s the last straw for me. So I ran away.”
“You’ve never seen them ever since?” Minghao asked.
“I don’t need to. I constantly check on my brother still, but he’s stuck with them though. I wish I had the enough power to send him here, with me.” Tears were threatening to fall down from Jun’s eyes. “I… I never wanted to be this way. A troublemaker.”
“But you’re not though.” Minghao intertwined their fingers. “You’re more than just a bad boy. You’re always there for your friends whenever they need help. You once helped a stray kitten find its mother. You once volunteered to teach kids in dancing when their teacher was not around. You once helped an old lady cross the street. You once punched a bully when they were getting too physical with that one foreign student. You just don’t know, Jun. I witnessed it all, okay?”
“Wow, coming from someone who told me I have a lot of whores,” Jun teased, even though he was already crying.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Minghao apologized, tousling Jun’s blonde hair. “I promise I’ll never say that again.”
Jun collected himself and chuckled into the night. “You’re cute, princess.”
It was already midnight when Jun dropped Minghao off. He parked his motorcycle on the exact spot and walked with him towards their house. Just the two of them again, on a quiet empty street, with only stars to light their way.
When they reached the front porch, Minghao turned to him and and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for tonight.”
Jun carefully dropped the prizes they won earlier and gave the younger a tight hug in return. “Anything for you, princess.”
Minghao giggled at the nickname.
The butterflies are back again, Jun thought.
They stood there in complete silence, just drinking the sight of each other until Minghao has to eventually go inside.
“Wait! Your jacket’s still with me!” Minghao remembered.
“Keep it.” Jun kissed his forehead. “It looks better on you.”
Minghao felt a blush creeping up to his face. If Jun noticed, he never said anything.
“Bye, Jun.”
“Bye, my love.” Jun whispered in Mandarin.
“What was that?” Minghao asked.
“Nothing.” He smiled. “Go inside now, Hao.” Minghao complied.
When Minghao successfully creeped into his room without waking up his mother, he immediately turned towards his window where he can see Jun already on his motorcycle, leaning against it and looking at Minghao. The younger waved at him as Jun was mounting on his ride. Jun waved back before he went off and disappeared into the night.