The next morning, the first to wake was still Li Ting, who was always a light sleeper. However, when he saw the faint white light of dawn through the window, he let out a silent sigh. He had many dreams last night, and without exception, they were all about Xu Yanqiu. There were dreams of him dressed, undressed, standing at the door waiting for him to come home, or lying in the blankets with a red face inviting him in. Having slept poorly all night, it was no wonder he woke up so early.
He looked down at Xu Yanqiu, who was still sleeping soundly beside him. Perhaps because they had shared their true feelings the night before, the boy had let down his guard; he was currently clutching Li Ting’s arm, sleeping sweetly. Li Ting’s gaze moved silently over the boy’s long, thick eyelashes, drifted past the small bridge of his nose, and finally landed on his slightly swollen lips.
They really are swollen, the little fox thought gloomily. Was I truly that aggressive with my kissing last night?
It seemed he was. Those lips were so soft and tasted sweet, perhaps because Xu Yanqiu had snuck some pine nut candy, or perhaps he was just naturally that sweet. Recalling the intimacy of the previous night, Li Ting felt the urge to try again, but since Xu Yanqiu was still asleep, he did not want to disturb his dreams. The little fellow was smiling in his sleep, and it would be a pity to wake him.
Li Ting’s gaze drifted lower to Xu Yanqiu’s collarbone. Xu Yanqiu was not a particularly still sleeper; he tended to move closer to Li Ting, likely because Li Ting was warm. Now, his inner garment had been tugged open slightly, revealing a small patch of his chest. From Li Ting’s perspective, he could even see the small point of his heart pressing against the fabric. The little fox had to exercise great restraint not to reach out and touch him. This is only the beginning, he reminded himself. I cannot be too hasty. His Xiao Qiu is still too small.
Wait, perhaps not that small anymore. Li Ting remembered that tomorrow was Xu Yanqiu’s birthday. He pinched the boy’s soft earlobe with his fingertips. Before sleeping last night, he had quietly removed the boy’s earring so it would not get snagged or cause him pain when he turned over. Xu Yanqiu, never having worn an earring before, had been unwilling to take it off even for rest.
Outside in the courtyard, the chicks were chirping as they squeezed through the fence to find food. The morning birdsong mixed with the footsteps of people passing the gate and the low hum of conversation. Li Ting originally wanted to let Xu Yanqiu sleep longer, but as he reached out to cover the boy’s ears, he saw his eyelashes tremble. Then, Xu Yanqiu slowly opened his eyes.
He stared blankly ahead, unable to fully process the fact that the space in front of him was much more crowded than usual. Li Ting found it novel and wanted to tease him, so he released his tails. The quilt was suddenly propped up by nine fox tails, and Xu Yanqiu gave a start. Before he could react, several large, fluffy tails filled his arms.
“Ah,” Xu Yanqiu instinctively used one hand to hug the tails, which were soft and smooth to the touch but very strong as they tried to burrow into his embrace. One hand was no match for these powerful appendages, so he simply allowed the tails to cover most of his body. The fox fur felt better than the finest silk. Xu Yanqiu felt a bit nervous from the strange sensation but could not help stroking them a few more times. When a low chuckle sounded in his ear, he realized Li Ting had been awake for a while and was using his tails to play with him.
Xu Yanqiu was neither angry nor annoyed. Once he understood, he began to laugh as well. “Brother Li, are you awake?”
Having just woken up, his voice was thick with sleep and his speech was slow. Li Ting was overcome with affection; he pulled the boy deeper into his embrace and used his large hand to stroke the back of his head. “I have been awake for a long time.”
Xu Yanqiu found the touch so comfortable he almost purred like a cat. “If you were awake, why did you not wake me? Did we not say we were going to see the land today?”
This had been the plan for the last couple of days, but the wedding feast for Chang Shouye and Feng Lin had taken up their time, so they had postponed it until today. Xu Yanqiu made a move to get out of bed, but as soon as he moved, the tails tightened, pinning him firmly to Li Ting’s chest. He struggled for a moment and then went still, waiting for Li Ting to speak.
“Why are you so well behaved?” Li Ting hugged him and rubbed his head against the boy’s, completely unaware of how clingy he was being. Xu Yanqiu was also just realizing how much Brother Li enjoyed being close to him.
The feeling of satisfaction gave Xu Yanqiu the courage to wrap his arms around Li Ting’s waist. He originally just wanted to hold him, but he knew so little about Li Ting’s body and had never hugged anyone else before. When he finally made contact, he was stunned. Li Ting’s waist was wonderful to hold. Even though it took both of his hands to reach around, he realized for the first time how strong Li Ting actually was. He had known Li Ting’s back was firm from helping him bathe, but the muscles of his back felt entirely different from the supple, powerful feel of his waist. To Xu Yanqiu, touching Li Ting’s waist felt as though it might burn his palms, yet it held a fatal attraction. He could not bring himself to pull his hands away; even through the layer of clothing, he could feel the heat beneath.
“Does it feel good?” Li Ting generously pulled the boy even closer, letting him explore this new territory. Xu Yanqiu nodded with a red face and whispered, “It feels good.”
Li Ting looked down at the crown of the boy’s head. “Then compared to the tails, which feels better?”
Xu Yanqiu was not fully awake, but he was not a fool either; he knew that answering one way or the other might lead to Li Ting teasing him further. After a moment’s thought, he whispered even more softly, “I would have to touch them more to know for sure.”
The laughter from above vibrated in Xu Yanqiu’s heart, sending ripples of joy through him that would not stop. He took a deep breath and boldly buried his face in Li Ting’s chest. He was sleepy, but he had not lost his memory; he remembered everything that happened last night. The friction of their lips and the heat from Li Ting’s palms on his body served as a constant reminder that Li Ting knew his heart. It was no longer just him secretly loving Li Ting; Li Ting was also silently loving him.
This thrill and massive sense of satisfaction filled his soul. Immersed in his own world, Xu Yanqiu did not notice a certain fox’s hand reaching toward a place he himself had rarely touched. When Little Yanqiu was brushed through his clothes by Li Ting’s fingers, he gave a sudden start. He looked up in shock and accidentally kissed Li Ting’s jaw. Although he was embarrassed, there was something even more shameful to worry about. “Brother Li, not there.”
“I touched it by accident,” Li Ting said shamelessly. “My clothes are inside the quilt; could you get them for me?”
Xu Yanqiu felt that since last night, Li Ting had completely changed, giving him the illusion that he was meeting a whole new person. He arched his back and reached down into the covers, eventually finding Li Ting’s clothes. It seemed they had been dragged into the blankets by their movements the night before. He pulled the clothes out to give to Li Ting, but the fox did not reach for them. Instead, he asked with great interest, “Do you want me to help you?”
“Help me?” Xu Yanqiu was confused. “With what?”
When he was touched a second time, he finally understood what help Li Ting was referring to. The little blind boy’s face turned as red as the apples they had bought yesterday. He pursed his lips, his fingers tightening and loosening around Li Ting’s wrist until he finally spoke. “Yes, please.”
“Yes to what?” Li Ting pretended not to understand.
Xu Yanqiu swallowed. The memories of last night returned, and the boy, tasting the first flavors of romance, spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito. “I want Brother Li to help me.”
“I am very easy to talk to, but I expect a little bit of a return,” Li Ting said leisurely. “I will collect the interest later. Let me help you first.”
“Interest?” Before Xu Yanqiu could get an answer, Li Ting used one hand to hold him by the waist so he could not flee, while the other hand moved slowly downward, drawing Xu Yanqiu’s remaining consciousness into a whirlpool of desire.
Knowing Xu Yanqiu was new to this, he did not go too far. He stopped once he had helped the boy find relief. Xu Yanqiu was left breathless, and Li Ting held him and patted his back for a long time until he calmed down. “Are you alright?”
Xu Yanqiu gave a muffled response. Li Ting wanted to laugh but held it back to protect the boy’s pride. “Get up. We have a lot to do today.”
He made a move to get up, but Xu Yanqiu hugged his tails and refused to let go. Li Ting looked down to see that the boy was as red as a cooked shrimp. “Xiao Qiu?”
“What is it?” Li Ting took a discarded cloth to wipe his hand, thinking about how he would have to do laundry today. Then he heard Xu Yanqiu say, “Do you want me to help you?”
Now it was Li Ting’s turn to be surprised. Xu Yanqiu was bolder than he had imagined. However, fearing he might startle the boy, he said, “We can talk about that later. There is no rush.”
“Oh.” Xu Yanqiu felt a sense of disappointment. Did he not have a strong attraction for Li Ting?
Li Ting did not need to guess; he could see the expression on the boy’s face and knew exactly what he was thinking. The little fox lay back down, deciding to let Xu Yanqiu understand his heart after all. “Xiao Qiu wants to help me?”
Xu Yanqiu paused and then nodded. Immediately, he heard Li Ting say, “Be good. Press your legs together.”
Sometime later, Li Ting used warm water to wash Xu Yanqiu’s body. The boy sat obediently on the edge of the bed as Li Ting helped him dress. Still dazed, Xu Yanqiu only felt a bit of soreness in his thighs; he did not need to look to know they were likely red. Thinking of this made him remember Li Ting’s heavy breathing and the sweet talk in his ear, and his face heated up again. A warm hand touched his cheek, and Li Ting’s teasing voice followed. “Your face is so red; I thought you were overripe.”
Xu Yanqiu thought he probably was. He stayed silent and lifted his arms so Li Ting could guide the sleeves on. Then, without warning, Li Ting said, “We should start preparing for our own wedding feast next year.”
The little blind boy was completely stunned. His lip trembled, and he lunged forward to bury his face against Li Ting’s chest. He said nothing, but Li Ting felt a sudden dampness on his clean inner garment. Xu Yanqiu was soaking his clothes with tears. The little fox said nothing either; he simply patted Xu Yanqiu’s back gently.
He had his answer.