He's been staring at the darkness. Only doctors and nurses who regularly check on him came and went. The guy, He Tian, told a nurse to let him know that he'll be gone for several days to take care of some important things before they go.
Sleeping at night became too difficult for him because every time he closed his eyes he felt like he's being dragged down into the deepest ocean. Most of the time it was the falling all of a sudden that kept him from sleeping. He would hold tightly to the side of his bed just so he "wouldn't fall down".
His doctor asked if he would like to have a psychiatrist talk to him but he strongly objected to that idea. Nothing was worse than having strangers poke around your head for salvageable scraps of your old "normal" personality.
By the second month, he's fully recovered but the guy still hadn't shown his face.
"How much do you think I owe this hospital?" Mo Guan Shan asked the nurse that he's most comfortable with. She's a plump middle-aged woman with a cheerful smile and thin eyebrows.
"Oh, I avoid thinking about huge sums of money. It messes with my head and next thing I know my migraine would be killing me!" she exclaimed in her loud voice. She once told him she's having a hard time keeping her voice down and got into trouble a lot of times because of that. She even told him that her husband was crazy about her because of her screams during sex.
Mo Guan Shan laughed softly at the thought.
"You don't have to worry about anything though. Your husband made sure you'll be treated like a VIP," she winked at him. Mo Guan Shan felt like he's being dipped into scalding hot water and he's sure his face looked like it too.
"He's not ma--my. . .!"
She laughed in her usual witch cackle and slapped her thigh.
"I'm just messing with you."
He covered his face with an extra pillow. He Tian's cocky face popped out in his head so he groaned loudly and pressed the pillow harder on his face.
"I'm just wondering why he wastes his resources on me. Why would a person buy garbage when he can afford the best, right?"
There was no reply so he sat up. His face was met by a bouquet of sunflowers and a smiling He Tian.
"You're not in the position to decide what's best for me," the boy said without a change in his smile.
"Where were you?" Mo Guan Shan snapped, turning his face away from the flowers.
"I said I was gonna take care of important things," He Tian answered before putting down the flowers on the table.
"No. You didn't tell me."
"You were asleep."
"Then you should've waited for me to wake up."
"It was urgent."
"I'm an investment, right? So I have some value in me, right? And do people leave valuables anywhere they please?!"
He Tian sighed and held both his arms before kissing him, as if he's fed up with all his complaints. The kiss itself reeked of warnings and anger.
"Keep your tantrums until you're out of here," he whispered while holding his face by the cheeks with one long-fingered hand. Mo Guan Shan felt foolish while helplessly staring at the other boy's eyes, his lips protruding like a fish.
By the next day, they were on a plane to god-knows-where, sitting on the economy class of all things. He's sitting next to He Tian but he wasn't saying anything so he kept his face turned to the side. It was his first time seeing clouds so after a while, his face was pressed on the glass in awe.
"Where the hell are we?!" he asked He Tian after they landed. Outside the airport, the world was too hot and the people looked different. Even the noise and the smell of the air felt different.
"Philippines. Cebu, specifically."
"What?! Why are we. . .?"
"I told you we're running away from the world you hate so much."
Mo Guan Shan looked around. People were glancing their way and he's beginning to panic. It felt like they knew him and his scandal. They were talking in a strange language while pointing at them that he trembled and desperately searched for something to hold on to. His hand was squeezed tightly by He Tian.
"Relax. Don't flatter yourself into thinking it's you they're admiring."
Strangely, that savage remark calmed him down and he convinced himself to take it easy.
After a while, he finally got rid of the hostility filter in his brain and realized that He Tian was telling the truth. People really weren't looking at him but at He Tian.
They took a taxi and Mo Guan Shan napped while leaning on He Tian who let him.
He Tian took him out to eat at an overpopulated fast food restaurant with a lot of kids ogling at them. Despite the bustle, something smelled so good that his stomach began growling for attention.
There's a play pen and a slide on one corner and little kids were taking turns crawling inside tubes and tunnels.
"Why here? You don't look like a fast food kind of guy."
"I'm not. You are that kind of guy though. And with your tantrums, I'm sure you and these kids will get along just fine."
Mo Guan Shan glared at He Tian but the guy just smiled his usual plastic smile.
"Now go find us a table."
Mo Guan Shan didn't budge. The place was filled with people that he has no idea if there was any vacant place left.
He Tian reached out for his hand and kissed it. The urge to kick the fucker overtook him that he quickly turned around and left.
Most of the people around had their eyes fixed on him and he wondered why. He Tian wasn't with him anymore. He told himself to calm down but his brain kept on telling him that his video might just have been seen by Filipinos too. There's internet and there's a crowd so the probability was high.
"May I help you, Sir?"
Mo Guan Shan jumped in surprise before turning to his side and a smiling service crew girl looked up at him. And she's speaking in English.
"Uhm," he swallowed hard, thinking what to say next. He looked down and tapped at a table. The girl nodded without ever breaking her smile.
"This way please," she said and walked ahead. Mo Guan Shan understood simple English, but he had trouble speaking it. He followed the girl to a stairway.
The second floor was almost full too, but not as crowded as the main floor. The crew led him to a corner seat with a red sofa and a table.
"Uhm, thank you," he said, nodding. "I- I have . . ."
"Good job finding us a good seat, Little Mo," He Tian said from behind the crew. She stepped aside and excused herself. He Tian carried two red plastic trays filled with assorted food like crispy fried chicken, fries and burgers. He refrained from giving a fuck. Too hungry to stir up some trouble.
They ate in silence. The place was still hot despite the air conditioning so Mo Guan Shan attacked his pineapple juice like he's been left dry for too long. He Tian stood up once again and returned with two larger cups of pineapple juice.
He remembered the service crew and wondered if it was because they were foreigners that she went out of her way to accommodate him. Or maybe he looked like a lost child. Though they say Filipinos were the best at playing host, so he's glad for the help.
"This chicken rocks," He Tian commented on his second spicy chicken thigh. Mo Guan Shan agreed with him but he liked the peach mango pie better, even if it scalded his tongue at first bite. He couldn't read the warning.
After Jollibee, He Tian took him back to their room. He said it was the tallest building on that island and they're almost at the top.
"This is the part where you rape me senseless."
He Tian stopped in the middle of untying his shoes and looked at him. He avoided his murderous look by flopping on the soft bed with arms outstretched.
"Do you want me to?"
"I have no opinion on things I'm not in-charge of."
"Then get up there and come shower with me."