give me this

recollection

Mo opens his eyes groggily, immediately being hit with the pain of last night. He glances over to where He Tian had slept next to him, only to find it empty. He sits up and doesn't see him around the apartment either. Spotting his phone plugged in, courtesy of He Tian he supposes, he decides to check for messages from his mother. Aside from the one he received right before midnight where she was worried he wasn't home yet, there's only one more:

Your classmate He Tian told me you will study at his home this weekend. So you should work hard and don't think about playing.

Apparently, he had called his mother after he'd fallen asleep and told a white lie that she'd be happy with. As much as he loves her and hates making her worry, he can't find it in him to respond right now.

Forcing himself to get up, he realizes still has no pants on. Grateful that He Tian isn't here to watch him, he grabs a pillow to cover up and makes his way to He Tian's closet. The pants he grabs are too long, of course, but he doesn't let it bother him. He would rather wear these than what he had on the day before, whether his own pants are clean or not. Something about feeling...safe? He Tian's clothes have a track record of doing that for him. There's no point in thinking about the reasoning behind that. It'll only add to his headache, and he is not a masochist.

While looking through the dryer, a coughing fit brings blood into his hand. Pausing his rummaging, he makes his way to the sink. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots two things: the fish he was sure was dead and the studs He Tian had given him. The fish is in a bowl with filtered water and there's even fish food for him. He doesn't know when He Tian had done that, but he guesses the other male didn't sleep at all. He most likely waited for Mo to drift off before getting up to take care of other things.

In front of the bowl are the broken studs. He feels his heart clench at the thought of this happening because he wasn't wearing them. Maybe if they'd been in his ears, they wouldn't be ruined. Maybe She Li would've ripped them out, but maybe that almost would've been better. He rather them be ripped from his ears than to watch them be set to flames as they sit in his bag. He recalls rushing to find them after he'd woken up from unconsciousness, seeing that She Li and his gang had finally left. It was all he cared about. He didn't give a fuck about his schoolwork that he'd have to make a bullshit excuse for the teachers as to why he didn't have it. He didn't give a fuck about the calculator, pencils, and the bag itself that he'd have to replace. He did give a fuck about miracles being real and finding that damned box with the studs unharmed.

By then, the fire had died down to small flames dancing around soot and the charred boat wood. He cupped his hands and threw water onto the remaining flames and spotted the box, no longer red and new. It was fragile and withered away as he opened it, revealing the broken earrings. He felt his eyes prickle with tears as he scooped them from their place on the velvet cushion. Clenching them in his hand, he grabbed his clothes and the fish, hoping it was still alive, and walked off.

He's suddenly pulled from reliving the events of the night before as an idea quickly pops into his head.

Interrupting his thoughts once more, He Tian walks in, still dressed in pajamas and holding a bag from some food place, it seems.

"Did you just wake up?" He walks over to Mo, placing his hand on his forehead.

"The fever has gone down...this brat. You're recovering very quickly. I bought you some porridge," he says, turning to the kitchen, "come over and eat some."

Before he can stop himself, Mo grabs his wrist, making He Tian turn around to face him again.

He hums. "What's the matter?"

"He Tian..." Mo trails off as he interlocks his fingers with He Tian's.

Surprised, He Tian lets out a confused sound.

Mo points to his ear, leaving no time for him to chicken out. He knows he wants this. He knows he wants something from He Tian that is new entirely, not some studs that fill a pushpin hole made by She Li.

He wants something for him. For them.

"Here, you can pierce my ear bone."