Atop the quarterdeck of a beautiful ship with red sails stood a tall young man dressed in a maroon robe with golden Qilins embroidered from the hem up to the lapel. With his hand clenched behind his back, he watched his crew leisurely hanging around on the main deck of the ship with contented smiles on their faces.
Some were gambling, others were telling each other legendary stories and some were sleeping in hammocks enjoying the beautiful sun. From where he stood he could see everyone including Rui Li and Rui Yewan who were arguing over nothing in what could only be described as a traditional sibling fight.
Everyone seemed so happy and relaxed which was what his crew should be like but something was off about this picture. His brows creased as his gaze swept past the serene waters and still skies but his heart wasn't at ease.
Something was wrong but he couldn't put his finger on it. Thinking hard he tried to find the anomaly. The air that was peaceful suddenly stirred with a breeze that wasn't there before blowing past him to the rest of the ship.
The speed of the wind grew stronger grasping the attention of everyone on the main deck except Ji Yao. What they didn't realise was that his emotions were affecting the weather around them.
Ji Yao felt a sharp ache in his heart like it had been snapped into two. Overhead an ominous flash of lightning crackled in the sky followed by a tumultuous bombing sound. That's when that person's face flashed in his mind.
"Fei-er!" he yelled in panic as he searched the main deck. Where could Rui Fei be? How can he not be on this ship? Where he was Rui Fei should be because they were each other's home as the saying goes 'home is where the heart is'.
Ji Yao began to call out Rui Fei's name over and over again but there was no answer. Afraid that he would never see him again he ran down the stairs onto the main deck and asked his crew where Rui Fei was but none of them knew his whereabouts.
Frustrated his emotions ran high that his inquisition turned to an interrogation. Clutching the lapels of his crew member he asked in a fierce voice, "Did he leave me again... is that it? Huh?"
His crew tried to calm him down but it was only getting worse. His heart suddenly felt a familiar feeling of emptiness like a part of him had been forcibly ripped away from him. His body collapsed on the ground clutching his chest as he murmured, "He promised me though... he promised."
His surroundings slowly turned dark like his heart was being engulfed by a thick curtain. A feeling of hopelessness overtook him further drowning him in his worst nightmare.
Just when he thought he would be trapped in this dark place forever his eyes opened slowly realising it was just a bad dream. His vision blurred he lazily blinked his eyes to clear the fog when he saw a pair of eyes staring at him intently.
"Shit," he swore as he shifted his body backwards only to find that he couldn't move. It was as though his body was restrained by an octopus making it difficult to free himself.
A light chuckle rang in his ear making him a little itchy. "Did you dream about me? You kept calling my name," said Rui Fei with his nose brushing against Ji Yao's ear teasingly.
"You were like Ah... Fei-er, Fei-er," making his voice purposefully high pitched and coy, "It must have been a spring dream because the way you called my name made me shiver all over."
Ji Yao, "..."
He stood by his policy to never entertain the crazy otherwise you will be dragged into their shit. Unable to bear such provocation he shifted to the side and replied, "You left me alone. You are such an ass."
Rui Fei who had been wrongly accused tightened his hold on Ji Yao and said, "I would never do that to you. Why should I be punished for something that happened in a dream?"
That question was indeed valid. Ji Yao was acting like an angry spouse after dreaming about them cheating. Even if they didn't and wouldn't cheat in real life but because of that dream, they found themselves on the hook for it.
A little embarrassed Ji Yao gazed down at the arm and leg wrapped around him and asked, "Why are we in this position? I thought for sure they would separate us." As he said this he looked around studying his environment only to find out that they were in a cold dungeon lying on a stone bed.
"That's because of this," replied Rui Fei showing off the string that was still binding them together. The man really went to extreme lengths to make sure they won't be separated even when unconscious.
He suddenly felt bad for accusing Rui Fei of leaving him behind. Of course, Rui Fei would never leave him behind like in the dream. His expression relaxed considerably after that.
Seeing this Rui Fei tugged at the string and said, "I call it the love string... Romantic, right?" His expression looked like a tv host on one of those 'As seen on TV' infomercials advertising mops that probably won't work only in his case the goods were genuine.
"No... it's too cheesy," said Ji Yao turning his face to look at Rui Fei. Since he was lying on his back he had to turn his face at a ninety-degree angle to look at him. The tips of their noses brushed as they faced each other making Rui Fei gulp as he licked his lips.
The situation wasn't conducive but he really wanted to kiss so he whispered, "Baby can....," but before he could finish Ji Yao replied,
"No..... we can't kiss here. It's weird."
The 'here' he was referring to was the dungeon. The latrion bars of the prison door made it inconvenient. He was comfortable kissing in front of his crew but for some reason, he felt really unsettled kissing in front of prison guards who were holding them against their will.
Seeming a little aggrieved Rui Fei moved a little closer and whispered, "Please... just a peck. I promise I won't linger."
Won't linger? Ji Yao had heard the same pleading tone before just that words were a little different. Before it was 'Yao-ge I will only touch' or 'Baby, I will only do it one more time' and each time he faltered only for Rui Fei to take advantage. The shameless man would take a mile after being given an inch.
"Get off me first and I will let you," he said but Rui Fei couldn't choose between the two.
Sulking a little he said, "Why do I have to pick between the two? Why can't I have both?" As he said this he tightened his grip with his right leg hooking Ji Yao's body further keeping him in place.
"Ah, Ah-Fei you are squishing my junior brother," said Ji Yao putting on the most convincing act of his life.
Rui Fei who had been tricked plenty of times checked his thigh that was nowhere near Ji Yao's groin and tightened his hold with his face plastered on Ji Yao's neck. "I am not even near it... and what's up with you calling it junior brother, huh? How about we give it a name? Maybe xiao méng (cute). What do you think?"
He asked seriously only for his waist to be pinched ruthlessly.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! Why do you always choose violence? I just named it xiao méng méng and you pinched me," exclaimed Rui Fei digging his own grave deeper and deeper.
"What are you calling méng? There is nothing méng about it," replied Ji Yao before he shut his mouth refusing to talk anymore.
When the dungeon fell into silence the guards outside felt so relieved. The conversation between these two was so embarrassing that they wished they could change shifts.
Who would want to spend their afternoon hearing a man ask another man for a kiss and call his privates cute? That was a whole new level of shamelessness.
The cringe conversation between these two made them feel like they were going to tear each other's clothes off. Now that peace had been restored they could heave a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately for them, they sighed a little early. This was just the beginning. Not even a single minute later Rui Fei broke the silence whispering, "I still think it's méng."
"Méng is for puppies. Now if you really want to get laid in the future you better stop calling it that," replied Ji Yao with a stern tone but in truth, it sounded a little coquettish in the guards' ears making them choke on this unwanted dog food.
Hearing this Rui Fei became the most well behaved being in the world. He nuzzled Ji Yao's neck as though going to sleep. Looking at that interaction one would think they were on their honeymoon but the environment was definitely off.
Instead of a sunny beach with a tall glass of sex on the beach, I mean the cocktail not the um... never mind. But they were in a cold icy dungeon cuddling each other happily like they had no stress in the world.
*Sigh, such is people in love.. They are happy anywhere as long as they are together.