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Against his better judgement, Chu Wanning had agreed to try pranking his boyfriend. Initially, he felt the premise of the prank was rather rude. He understood how it could be funny to some (say, Shen Yuan) but he was uncertain how it would work for him. For all Shen Yuan complained and claimed to be the opposite of clingy, Chu Wanning had seen first hand the type of warmth he showed when Luo Binghe was around.
Chu Wanning, on the other hand, was always quite cold. Mo Ran always worked extremely hard to draw out reactions from him. As a default he tended to ignore his energetic boyfriend’s behavior. And any reactions he did give were so minimal that he wasn’t sure if Mo Ran would notice were he to stop.
Regardless of his worries, Chu Wanning had agreed to try, and Chu Wanning didn’t go back on his word. So, he got to work and hoped for the best.
He planted two cameras, one facing the couch directly, and another with a wider view of the kitchen. Mo Ran was out grocery shopping, so the kitchen shot made sense. Chu Wanning made himself comfortable on the couch, book in hand, and waited for this nonsense to be over with.
The front door sounded with the jangle of keys, signaling Mo Ran’s return. Chu Wanning picked up his book and settled in for the long haul.
“I’m home!”
Mo Ran stumbled inside, arms piled high with groceries. Chu Wanning always scolded him for buying so much, but Mo Ran was the one cooking so he always got his way. His boyfriend struggled to close the door, then dropped some loose apples with a mumbled ‘oops’ before finally trekking towards the kitchen.
Chu Wanning fought down the urge to get up and help. Hm, this might be harder than expected.
Mo Ran settled things down in the kitchen, chattering happily as he unloaded the groceries. This part of their routine wasn’t hard to change. Mo Ran was always carrying a conversation, Chu Wanning supplying him with a few hums to show his attention. All he had to do was stop humming; Mo Ran probably didn’t even notice the difference.
Mo Ran had to come back to the living room to retrieve the fallen apples, shooting Chu Wanning a strange look. He bit his lip and stared at the pages in front of him. It was awfully rude to not help at all. Wasn’t this too suspicious? Mo Ran would probably figure out the prank in no time.
Groceries finally put away, Mo Ran strolled into the living room and plopped by Chu Wanning’s side. Mo Ran was always so warm, where Chu Wanning was cold; it took effort not to gravitate towards it like usual.
Things finally came to a point when Mo Ran pressed a kiss to Chu Wanning’s head and received no reaction. He paused, silent, and Chu Wanning kept his eyes firmly glued to the page in front of him.
“Are you okay? Baobei?”
He kept his face carefully blank, ignoring the concern in Mo Ran’s tone. He nearly jumped when Mo Ran touched his face, rough palm feeling his cheek and forehead. Thankfully he’d worn his hair loose, covering how his ears burned red at the tender touch.
“Do you feel sick?” He asked gently. “Should I make you some tea?”
Despite receiving no response, he got to work anyway. Chu Wanning heard the sounds of running water and counter clatter as Mo Ran worked on brewing some tea. Mo Ran was always thoughtful like that, jumping to take care of him at a moment’s notice. It made Chu Wanning feel incredibly guilty.
Mo Ran returned with a hot mug and held it out to him. He didn’t take it, didn’t even acknowledge his presence. Chu Wanning could feel Mo Ran’s growing hesitation in the silence that followed. Finally, with a sigh, Mo Ran placed the mug on their coffee table, taking his earlier place by Chu Wanning again.
“Baobei, are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?” Chu Wanning could just imagine the pleading way Mo Ran was staring at him through his simpering tone alone. He stayed silent. Mo Ran slumped. “Okay, I’ll leave you alone then. Sorry. I love you.”
He reached over to place a soft kiss at Chu Wanning’s temple. Seeing no reaction, Mo Ran scuttled away, metaphorical tail between his legs. Chu Wanning heard their bedroom door click closed and dropped his book with a groan.
Alright, so Mo Ran hadn’t figured out the prank right away. That was a good thing, essentially. However, Chu Wanning didn’t like the idea that Mo Ran believed he was mad at him. This wasn’t the way he showed his anger. Strange…
Chu Wanning was left on his own for nearly an hour. In that time he managed to receive enough encouraging texts from Shen Yuan (and by default, Shang Qinghua) that he felt steady enough to continue the prank. When footfalls rang in the hall, Chu Wanning picked up his book with a determined expression.
Had he spared Mo Ran a single glance, he would’ve noticed the odd redness around his dark eyes.
“Wanning, I need to go to work now. Are you still not talking to me?”
Mo Ran’s voice was gentle in a way that made Chu Wanning hesitate. But no, it was too soon to give in. Mo Ran took a step forward but didn’t sit on the couch again.
“Wanning, I can’t fix things if you won’t tell me what I did. I know I do lots of things wrong, it could’ve been anything. But please, please tell me?”
Chu Wanning stayed silent. A pain slowly grew in his chest. He heard Mo Ran huff, a hand running through his hair in frustration.
“Okay, you don’t have to tell me. If you’re mad then just be mad. You can yell at me if you want. Just let it out, it’s okay. Yell at me, hit me, I don’t care. Just… do you… show me you care?”
Chu Wanning’s fingers twitched. Hit him? What was Mo Ran thinking! To resort to violence… That had only happened one time, and it was a misunderstanding! Why did he want Wanning to hit him?
He was so distracted by the call for violence that he hadn’t quite processed Mo Ran’s final question. Perhaps it was that which was the true mistake.
“I really have to go now. We won’t be able to talk again for hours.”
Chu Wanning’s silence this time was charged with a thread of true anger.
“Can you… just nod, just let me know we’ll talk about this later?”
Stubbornly, Chu Wanning held on. Honestly, he was a little offended by Mo Ran’s presumptions. Mo Ran let out a heavy sigh, one Chu Wanning nearly felt in his bones.
“Okay. That’s… that’s okay. Alright. I’ll, um… I’ll be back later. Dinner is in the oven when you’re hungry.”
Mo Ran slowly went to the front door. He hesitated at the threshold. Chu Wanning held his breath. The air was tense. “Um, no matter what, I still love you Chu Wanning. Okay? Okay.”
Finally, Mo Ran left, door clicking ominously behind him. Chu Wanning collapsed along the length of couch, face on fire, chest clenching with emotion. The way Mo Ran sounded so dejected… he wasn’t sure how much longer he should keep this up. Something about that last exchange left him feeling wary.
He groaned, pulling out his phone to answer the goading of his so called friends. All he knew was that this better turn out to be a damn good video.
Chu Wanning ignored the sinking feeling that told him none of this was going the way it should…
Mo Ran had a six hour shift that evening, more than enough time for Chu Wanning to eat some dinner (delicious as usual) and sneak in a nap. An hour before Mo Ran was due back, Chu Wanning reviewed some of the footage.
Mo Ran… looked really sad in some of the shots, and he hadn’t even reviewed the “close up” kitchen and bedroom footage yet. Chu Wanning knew if he did, he wouldn’t have the heart to keep the prank going. Thankfully (or not) Shen Yuan called him and convinced him to keep going. Just a bit longer.
Chu Wanning conceded in carrying on. Though, he did plan for a sort of apology later on, the thought of which made him blush. He just… wouldn’t think about that for now. But if it didn’t chase away some of Mo Ran’s blues, then Chu Wanning didn’t know what would.
Chu Wanning heard keys rattling and sighed. He solemnly took his place on the couch, determined to continue.
“I’m home.”
That determination nearly crumbled in the face of that dejected greeting. Mo Ran quietly toed his shoes off, hesitating at the threshold, probably waiting for Chu Wanning to respond. He sighed and walked forward, stopping by the couch.
“Wanning…” Mo Ran’s voice was soft as he reached out, fingers hovering by his face. But Mo Ran didn’t touch him this time. He let his hand drop, taking a small step back.
“You still don’t want to talk about it?”
There was a strange, quiet acceptance in that question. It had Chu Wanning biting his lip, until he tasted iron, to stop himself from reacting. Just a little longer…
Mo Ran sighed. “Right. There’s nothing to talk about I guess.”
With that resigned statement, Mo Ran walked away. Chu Wanning didn’t dare move until he clearly heard the door to their bedroom click shut.
He put his book down on the coffee table, feeling uneasy. It was strange that Mo Ran had given in so quickly. Chu Wanning could only guess that Mo Ran was sulking at work as well, tired of dealing with his cold shoulder. The prank had gone on for almost a whole day at this point.
It really wasn’t fun anymore. Unlike Shen Yuan, Chu Wanning wasn’t sure he’d get any entertaining footage from this. Resolved, Chu Wanning waited for Mo Ran to come back out. A dramatic reveal of the prank might make a good finale for the night.
He was kept waiting for quite a while, to the point where he contemplated seeking out Mo Ran himself. Then the bedroom door opened again, footsteps rang in the hall, and Chu Wanning hurried to pick up his book.
Mo Ran paused at the mouth of the hallway and Chu Wanning could feel the intense stare being sent his way. Keeping his face firmly buried in a book was much easier now that Chu Wanning knew it was almost over. He made his demeanor even colder to counter Mo Ran’s burning stare. Just a little longer…
Mo Ran resumed his slow approach, stopping again a few steps from the couch. Chu Wanning felt his looming shadow, felt the tension rolling between them in waves, but he held strong to his indifference. Just one more exchange, he told himself. One more exchange and he could finally reveal this horrible prank once and for all.
He couldn’t have expected that, instead of a question, what he heard next was the sound of a bag hitting the ground. And that said bag would be followed by Mo Ran sinking to his knees. Chu Wanning froze in place, breath caught in his throat. Vaguely, he felt the heat of Mo Ran’s hand, where it rested lightly on his socked ankle, tugging in a weak attempt to gain his attention.
Chu Wanning wasn’t ignoring Mo Ran anymore. However, he was petrified, swallowing a heavy dose of dread. Something was about to happen and he was powerless to stop it.
“Laoshi…”
Just that simple form of address had ice coursing through his veins. Mo Ran never called him laoshi in private, not since they’d started dating. It was almost like…
“This one is very sorry, for everything he’s done. Although I don’t exactly know what finally did it, I could never blame you. I’m not very smart, you know, so it’s no surprise I wouldn’t even notice I did something to wrong you this much.”
Chu Wanning’s heart was hammering in his chest. He finally caved, staring down at Mo Ran with wide eyes, only to find that the man wasn’t even looking at him. Mo Ran had his head bowed, fingers clenched on his knees, in a demure bow of apology.
“So, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk. There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t deserve your words anymore. I guess deep down I always knew this day would come. I should just be grateful that you put up with me for this long.”
Mo Ran’s voice wavered with so much emotion, Chu Wanning was choking with it.
“Just let me say that I’m grateful to have had your love, if even for a moment. You’ll always have my heart, I know that. But I refuse to be selfish in this. I know I’m overbearing and greedy, but your happiness is the most important thing to me. And I don’t make you happy anymore, do I? So, you don’t have to tell me to leave. I’ll… it’s… I just love you… And because I love you I can… can say…”
Finally, Mo Ran looked up. “Goodbye… Wanning?!”
Chu Wanning stared down at him, barely daring to breathe, tears falling hot down his cheeks.
Mo Ran immediately stood up, cradling his face and wiping away those treacherous tears. Chu Wanning clutched onto his hoodie, burying his face in Mo Ran’s stomach. Mo Ran made a small sound of surprise but didn’t hesitate to hold him close, strong arms wrapping around his shoulders.
After what felt like an eternity but must’ve only been minutes, Chu Wanning felt his breath even out. He pulled away from the safety of Mo Ran’s arm to stare up at him with red eyes. Mo Ran’s own eyes were wide and watery, etched with equal amounts of confusion and sadness. Chu Wanning hated the sight, making his next words come out sharper than he meant.
“Mo Weiyu… Don’t you dare leave me.”
His voice cracked at the end, another sob clawing up his throat. Mo Ran looked like he’d been punched in the gut, shaking his head rapidly.
“I won’t, I won’t, I’d never leave you Wanning.”
Chu Wanning groaned in frustration, pulling so that Mo Ran would finally sit on the couch with him. He stared at his boyfriend with exasperation. “So stupid.”
Mo Ran nodded dumbly, still smoothing Chu Wanning’s hair in comfort. “Yes, I’m really stupid, I’m sorry.”
“No, shut up. You’re not stupid, stop saying that,” Chu Wanning batted his hands away, waving around in frustration. “It’s, me, this, fuck.”
Mo Ran dropped his hands and blinked, shocked; Chu Wanning never cursed. Unable to find words, Chu Wanning shot up and stormed across the room.
“Wanning?”
Mo Ran called out warily, as if he wouldn’t come back. It made his movements even more aggressive. Finally, he pushed away the right books and pulled out a camera, violently shutting it off. He spun on Mo Ran with a thundering expression, holding out the culprit with disgust.
“It was a prank.”
Mo Ran stared in a dazed confusion. “What was…?”
“The ‘ignore your boyfriend’ prank. I was convinced to try it for a video. It was a prank, Mo Ran.” Chu Wanning spat out his explanation, dropping heavily back onto the couch. He saw the exact moment the words registered.
“I… oh. Oh.”
Mo Ran sighed heavily, the breath releasing all the tension in his body. Mo Ran all but collapsed against the couch cushions, eyes pinched shut, breath shuddering. Chu Wanning furrowed his brows in concern. He reached out to pet Mo Ran’s head this time, a classic offer of comfort.
But physical comfort wouldn’t suffice, not in this situation. He needed to say something.
“I’m not mad at you,” he murmured, trying for soothing. “I never was. You’ve done nothing wrong to me, and if you did I would tell you. Not just… do whatever you just imagined.”
“Right. Of course you would. I… overreacted.”
Mo Ran nodded, obviously embarrassed. And still visibly emotional. It tugged at something in Chu Wanning’s chest, something that had him reaching out to cup that sharp jawline, turning that handsome face towards him.
“Mo Ran.”
“Baobei…”
“We’re going to have to talk about this.”
A deep sigh. “I know.”
“But…” he reached out for Mo Ran’s hand and played with his fingers, “Not tonight.”
Mo Ran looked at him in confusion, red rimmed eyes shining with emotion. That kicked puppy look had Chu Wanning swallowing his pride enough to guide Mo Ran’s hand first to his waist, then up under his large sweater. Mo Ran’s brows shot up, letting Chu Wanning guide his hand until those fingers touched a trim of lace.
Chu Wanning’s face was bright red, he just knew it was. Mo Ran stared at him in something like wonder, those shining dark eyes glimmering with something different. Hopefully, Mo Ran took it for what it was: an apology, and an invitation. Chu Wanning rarely dared to be so bold but it was all he could think of earlier. Though, after this level of emotional fall out, perhaps it wasn’t the best move…
That doubt was quickly shelved when Mo Ran’s hand tightened. He pulled Chu Wanning closer, kissing the corner of his mouth; a tease. Chu Wanning chased it with his tongue, tasting the bitter salt of tears. Mo Ran chuckled and ducked to nip at his ear, just to make him squirm.
“Chu Wanning. You’re dangerous.”