December wasn't the easiest month for He Tian, with all the storms and gloomy weather. Mo Guan Shan would always catch the guy staring out from the picture window, sighing and looking like a droopy house plant.
"Is the weather that bad?" He knew it was a stupid question. It's been raining day and night and they can't even tell the time without looking at their wall clock.
"I hate the rain, that's all. Bear with me, okay?"
"Like you have to ask."
At first Mo Guan Shan was worried that his own dark clouds would worsen He Tian's but he discovered that the more He Tian needed him, the more he seemed to brighten up. Waking up early to fix him breakfast and making sure everything in the house was in order, it made him more motivated everyday.
He thought that maybe it's what happens when someone else is more miserable than you but he gently slapped his cheeks. That only happens when you're actually happy for other people's misery. He hated looking at a melancholic He Tian, but he felt like he was needed and he actually had a purpose.
"We should really get one of Rica's puppies," he told He Tian over dinner. "3rdBall's not furry enough to ease the stress."
"I was only waiting for you to bring that up," He Tian chuckled.
3rdBall was growing into a handsome cock and they let him inside most of the time, although Mo Guan Shan had to pick up random chicken shit on the floor before they squished one with their flip flops and scattered it all over the floor.
"I thought it wouldn't be so bad."
"We can have a Black Lab if you want. He Cheng adores his Labs."
"Nah, the little Aspin is good enough. I didn't peg He Cheng as a dog person. How about you?"
"Hmm. I had a Golden Retriever once. She died several years ago and I've been living alone after college so I didn't get another dog. I'd feel bad if I left them alone because I was out all the time."
They talked about dogs while camping in a tent in the middle of the living room. 3rdBall even perched on top of the tent, head tucked inside its wing. He's the new morning alarm and he's persistent.
"Can I go to the mall tomorrow?"
"Without me?" He Tian asked, making circles with his finger on Mo Guan Shan's arm.
"I had a good idea and I wanna surprise you with it."
"Take Nato with you."
"I was getting to that," he answered. Of course he's not going out on his own.
They read their own books in comfortable silence until Mo Guan Shan finally dozed off. The red-headed guy always complained about reading books because he said it made him sleepy but he's been into English novels lately. The cop fiction stuff with a badass cop who drives Porsche. Rica had a wide range of genres in her paperback collection to lend them.
He Tian traced a finger over Mo Guan Shan's eyebrow, down to his nose and stopping at the pointed tip. It's been his favorite hobby ever since living with this guy. Memorizing the contours of his face, studying each line, making sense of the unintelligible words that he mumbles on those soft lips as he sleeps.
How in love can you get before you finally begin to return full circle? Where's the apex of this love, because he knows he could go higher. Conquer more odds.
Later that night, Mo Guan Shan opened his eyes. He Tian's sound asleep next to him, looking so relaxed and handsome. He scooted closer to him and wrapped his arm over him as he pressed his back on his body. He loved being He Tian's little spoon. He also loved hugging the arm draped over him until he fell asleep.
At least the rain has let up by morning. He personally went to Nato's house and asked his mother if he could accompany him to the city. The boy's mother was officially the most intimidating person Mo Guan Shan had ever encountered in that place. She's the opposite to her brother Rico's Hakuna Matata attitude. Thank goodness Nato's sister Tasha was clever enough to jump in and tell Nato that she needed him to buy her some beauty soap and lotion. Nato promised to buy pasalubong.
"Careful not to fall on your ass, Little Mo," He Tian said when they were ready to go. He's holding a mug of hot chocolate while standing by the gate. 3rdBall didn't even step beyond the portico.
"Don't worry, Kuya. Bentong's father will give us a ride to the highway," Nato said. The boy was wearing good quality new clothes, He Tian noticed. Those were the kind of branded clothing lines that were practical and would last long, but weren't so cheap either. Mainly catering to the middle class.
It was only later that they found out that his father works abroad and taught them about buying quality goods instead of wasting money on the latest fashion in the town's market. The cheap imitations are made with thin clothes that would lose color after the initial wash.
The two hitched a ride on another carabao-pulled cart and this time there were only two of them so Mo Guan Shan didn't feel as guilty. When they arrived, Bentong's father jokingly told Nato to bring him something from the city. They promised to. These people love pasalubong.
"Ah, finally. I'm riding the bus again," Nato said. The bus wasn't cramped so they each got different seats to enjoy the view from the window. "I think it's been a year since I last went to the city."
"That long? Why though?"
"You saw my mom. She thinks it's a waste of money. I know she's saving so we could build the biggest house in that place. It's funny because Kuya He Tian beat her to it, so she's pissed at him."
"That's too bad."
Now Mo Guan Shan knew why they seldom see the woman and she wasn't the type to go to gatherings. But she had the prettiest garden with the most gorgeous orchids and their house looked like it's been wiped from roof to the outer walls.
"Nah, she liked him at first. She thought he's a good catch for Ate Tasha, but then when he returned with you and it became apparent that you two are together, she was frustrated again."
"Are you sure it's all right for you to talk about your mom like that?" Mo Guan Shan asked. He had no idea that they affect certain people that way, on a more personal level, just by arriving in that place. As if their mere existence was offensive.
"It's fine. We don't approve of her jealous nature and I always get in trouble for speaking my mind whenever she's ranting about our neighbors."
"I guess not everybody likes He Tian."
"Well, people are like that. Kuya He Tian draws jealousy out of people, especially the ones who work day and night but still find it hard to get by. I understand that it's not his fault he's rich but I also understand the sentiments of those who find him unbearable. We can't please everybody."
Nato heard people talk about He Tian that way, resenting him for being a grandson of some wealthy old money Chinese family. Some rumors said that He Tian's ancestors arrived in the Philippines in the 18th century and traded until they took root and established different businesses in the county and in China. Nato was sure those were just tales. Chinese people are always wealthy because they're good with business and they almost never rest. Filipinos are just a little bit happy-go-lucky and weirdly fixated on poverty, like it's worth being proud of. Nato wished Filipinos would be more ashamed of being poor.
And there's one more reason why people no longer like He Tian. Back then fathers would suck up to this newcomer because he's a foreigner and obviously easy with money. They were hoping to get him as a son-in-law.
Now that possibility was off the table.
"How about you?"
"I have no complaints," Nato answered with a laugh. He's lucky that he's close to these guys. "I'm just a kid."
"Yeah, be a kid when it's convenient."
Even with the bad weather, the mall was still overcrowded.
"It's always like this during December. Ahh! Thanks for bringing me along, Kuya Shan. Now I can buy gifts for everybody."
Mo Guan Shan handed the boy a red envelope.
"That's from He Tian."
Nato stared at him and shook his head, a serious expression on his face.
"I can't. I have my own money."
"He insisted. It's his early gift for you. Take it, or he might take it the wrong way."
"Aww, man," he reluctantly accepted the envelope that was thrusted into him. "Thank you, Kuya. I mean, even saying thank you doesn't feel enough."
"That's for all the bothersome stuff you do for these clueless foreigners, you know."
"Not bothersome. It's just playtime for us."
Mo Guan Shan offered to do his shopping alone so Nato could take his time with his own shopping but the kid stuck to him, saying that He Tian would kill him if Mo Guan Shan got lost. The boy wondered why these foreigners didn't have phones but he knew better than to ask awkward questions.
Nato proved to be a real kid when he bought three toy assault rifles and a big jar of pellets for him and his friends. He also bought new swimming goggles, a basketball, a volleyball and a box of local chocolates. He grinned and said that he's going to give it to the neighborhood kids because they didn't usually eat one whole chocolate bar for themselves. They always had to share with several siblings and friends.
"Well, not until you guys came. So I will give them chocolates and then they will call me Master and follow my orders."
Mo Guan Shan shook his head at the boy. He's an Alpha, all right.
"You're just hungry. Where do you wanna eat?"
"Your treat?" Nato asked suspiciously.
"Of course. I'm the adult here."
"Well then, there's only one place to go!"
The excited boy took him to a familiar fast food restaurant where a happy looking statue of a bee mascot stood pointing to the doorway. Compared to the McDonalds right in front of it, the place was jam-packed with diners.
"This is like, our national fast food restaurant. My dream is to have my own Jollibee and take everyone there."
"If it's you, I know you can do it," Mo Guan Shan smiled and handed the boy two blue bills. "You order what you want and order for me too. Make it big, I'm starving."
"I gotcha," Nato smiled while waiting in line. "Go find us a seat before every table gets taken."
Mo Guan Shan's eyes caught the red sofa by the glass wall and remembered the first fast food he'd ever had in this country. So He Tian took him to the national fast food of the Philippines on their "first date". Suddenly he wished he specifically asked Nato to order some chicken.
"Oh my gods you're MoMo?!"
He flinched upon hearing the name and turned around to face two Chinese girls smiling at him excitedly. They were dressed impeccably, and severely out-of-place, like they're space aliens in the middle of normally dressed locals. Some even took pictures and videos of the girls that Mo Guan Shan had to lower his head to hide his face.
"Wrong person," he muttered but they shrieked like they didn't hear anything.
"It's him! It's him! Like, we follow all your social media accounts and you've been inactive for so long that everyone was worried! OMG right?! People online were speculating that you jumped off a building and died! People believed you died, can you believe that? I cried for days. I lost weight, MoMo!" That was the Sailor Moon hairstyle girl, looking so tall in her platform chunky boots. Her eyes looked so big in her tiny face that diners eyed her with obvious alarm and confusion.
"Shut up, gurl. Why would our MoMo kill himself? He's famous!" The girl with a pixie cut rolled her eyes and gushed at Mo Guan Shan.
"Uhm, I'm sorry, you got the wrong guy."
"Shut up, MoMo. You're the real deal. Now tell us why you're in this place. This is practically the boonies! Did you. . . OMG, so it's true? You broke up with She Li? But whyyyyy?! You two were like, so hot together!" Pixie-cut jumped in her place in excitement but Mo Guan Shan wanted to puke on her. His head was spinning and it's beginning to feel like it's going to break.
"It's true then?! Rumors said that he was the one who leaked your video! But we still support you, Momo. I swear, straight or not straight, we're still your fans! We even hoped you're going to star in an online BL series!"
"Yeah, MoMo. Never mind the haters, for us you've become ten times waaaay hotter when we found out you swing this way. You're actually really famous right now in China! Too bad our Dads sent us here because of the. . ." she shifted her eyes around and said in a conspiratorial whisper. ". . .virus."
"You're here to get away too? Smart move, Momo."
"Uhm, excuse me, Ladies," Nato wedged himself between Mo Guan Shan and the girls, gaining disgusted twitching of their lips and arched brows. "Let's go, Kuya Shan. I ordered takeout."
Mo Guan Shan wanted to hug Nato for his quick thinking. He just wanted to go home and hide under He Tian's blankets.
* * *