Of Silver And Feathers (COMPLETE)

Of Silver and Feathers

Rating: PG

It was the small table outside the store that drew him out of the crowd's flow and toward the small shop. The table was covered with bright cloth and laden with homemade bits and bobs. They winked happily at him, dangling from their little stands.

Chengdu was littered with stores just like this one, but Xu WeiZhou was intrigued by the assortment of goods that lay displayed for his buying leisure. Leaving his mom and grandma bargaining with the jade street seller, he stepped quickly from the crowd and strode to the small table.

His wrists were already heavy with bracelets jangling together, but he eyed the small carved bangles appreciatively. Just beyond the table was the doorway; a little entrance into a bright and colourful shop. He glanced one last time at the table outside, fingering a mushroom earring consideringly, before stepping down the several stairs into the shop.

The room was small. Six other girls filled the small aisle way and in the corner beyond and WeiZhou was already fighting for elbow space. His feet left the last step and led him to the small shelf directly in front of him. Two steps and he was in the back of the shop. Hairbands sparkled to his right, and a gaggle of girls were mooning over shining rings in the far corner. WeiZhou eyed the shelf in front of him. Large, gaudy rings lay on the brown wood, and a stand disguised as a small tree arched across the space. From there lay several long necklaces, delicate chains clinging to odd charms at the bottom. It was the latter that caught his appraising eye.

WeiZhou's delicate fingers reached out and held the charm of a thin silver necklace. The chain looped through a small hole at the top of two silvers feathers. One of the silver feathers was dipped half in gold, the other one was adorned with tiny gold leaf. It was perfect: original without being ostentatious, funky without being flamboyant. He untangled the chain from the others and fought his way to the small counter at the end of the walkway. As the girl wrung up his purchase, WeiZhou slipped a small grin.

Huang JingYu would love it.

*

Unfortunately, delivering a gift wasn't as easy as declared. JingYu was elusive. Sand slipping through a sieve, a slippery snake, all the other analogies one can invent. WeiZhou may have been in two of the other boy's classes, but he never saw him.

JingYu was the college student that abused the "optional attendance." His absent marks were off the charts, and the rare days that WeiZhou actually missed a class seemed to be the only time JingYu showed up.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

There was a time, in high school, that WeiZhou saw JingYu constantly, slouching lazily in his chair and staring out the window. He was this new student from Dandong. Quite reserved, rarely talked, prefer to observe than participate. He was the teacher's favourite though. He was not the brightest student but he never refuses to help teachers in menial tasks, and single-handedly brought the school name to fame in the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu region tournament.

WeiZhou was not a shy person perse. He wore sparkly unitard for a hobby for crying out loud(also, being reprimanded in front of 900 students for smoking does help in developing thick skins).

But JingYu, JingYu is a whole different story. He'd just been too shy to approach the other.

And now, as WeiZhou had finally come into his own, JingYu employed the long time practice of ninja evasion. It wasn't even on purpose-WeiZhou chalked it up to having the worst luck ever. He'd taken to wearing the necklace every day, in case he managed to bump into the other and get an opportunity to deliver it.

JingYu wasn't lazy out of a general lack of interest. He was invested in other matters, such as the campus Jiu-jitsu team and whatever tasks his sports science course demand him. WeiZhou had been to a couple of his tournament matches, but never close enough to talk to the other boy. It was ridiculous-like JingYu was a celebrity and he was a mere mortal, unable to reach out and connect to the other. But they had been classmates for two of their compulsory courses. JingYu even passed back papers to him all year!