Chapter 26: 23

Chapter 23

Teasing

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

 

Bai Yao ends up waking up before seven the next morning. He notices that this might have been his best sleep in weeks, then realises something soft but heavy is lying on him. He looks down, and sighs and shakes his head.

A sea otter.

After falling asleep, Mu Mu’er turned back eventually. The pyjamas are still loosely covering him, his little paws poking a little bit out of the little sleeves.

The clothed sea otter really looks a little funny.

He’s lying entirely on Bai Yao, with his head on his chest and his little paw in his hand. He’s still soundly asleep.

Bai Yao does not move, and just lies there, waiting for him to wake up.

This goes from just past 7 all the way until the clocks reads 7:38:02, when Bai Yao finds his chest getting sore even in spite of Mu Mu’er’s smaller frame compared to other sea otters.

He still looks like he’s soundly asleep to the brink of forming bubbles with his nose.

In order not to suffocate, Bai Yao starts to pet Mu Mu’er on his head, pulling his hair a little, then squeezes his paw, and then moves on to ruffling his tail.

When Mu Mu’er finally starts to wake up, Bai Yao closes his eyes to pretend he only just woke up and wasn’t doing anything.

The little sea otter slowly opens his eyes, and rubs his eyes with his paw. He’s finally awake.

And awfully slow, not feeling anything off. He sees Bai Yao, and squeaks at him, for a morning greeting.

Bai Yao sees Mu Mu’er doesn’t seem to notice he needs to turn back, and so boops him, “change back to human.”

Mu Mu’er shakes his head, however.

“…”

Looks like his entire speech last night was wasted.

Bai Yao says nothing, and just looks at Mu Mu’er, until he realises his wrongdoing.

The boy really is easy to read. He watches the little sea otter go from pretending not to understand to looking a little guilty, to looking hesitant, until finally turning back into human.

He is still sprawling himself on Bai Yao lazily, though. Bai Yao pushes him, until finally Mu Mu’er rolls onto the bed beside him.

“Mu’er, do you not like to look human?” Bai Yao gets up, and asks while folding the blanket, “does it hurt?”

Mu Mu’er shakes his head, and stands up on his naked feet. The cold makes him curl his toes a little.

He whispers, “not much.”

Bai Yao asks, “then can we not turn back into a sea otter?”

Mu Mu’er’s voice is a little coarse from having just woken up, and he asks, “Yaoyao does not like sea otter?”

“I do, but Yaoyao likes Mu’er like this more,” he says, pinching Mu Mu’er’s face gently.

It makes the boy smile. His eyes turn into a curve, and he happily nods.

“Mu’er, get ready, and we’ll eat downstairs.”

The prospect of eating sends Mu Mu’er beaming and heading downstairs immediately.

Bai Yao, though, remembers something and asks the boy’s silhouette.

“Mu’er.”

Mu Mu’er stops right by the door hearing the call; not being too used to his human feet, his balance almost trips him, but he manages to stay upright by holding the doorframe. He yelps.

Bai Yao bites his lips, but still decides to ask, “before meeting me, do you remember the last time you turned human?”

“Oh,” Mu Mu’er’s mind is too filled up with the tasty fried rice from last night, and his brain takes a while to process, “very, very long time ago.”

He shakes his head after that. He really can’t remember.

Bai Yao nods, and falls into thought. This is about what he expected.

Before the boy can excitedly hop down the stairs, Bai Yao grabs him and takes him to the bathroom to clean up first. He speaks gently, but teaches him firmly that he must do all these every morning and every night.

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The boy listens obediently. When Bai Yao tells him to squeeze toothpaste onto the toothbrush, he says, “ok, Yaoyao,” then he raises his head expecting praise.

After Mu Mu’er has brushed his teeth and washed his face, Bai Yao himself has to do so too, and so tells him to wait next to him. While brushing, Bai Yao happens to see Mu Mu’er staring at his chin with wide eyes.

He’s a head taller than Mu Mu’er, and can see his puppy eyes clearly.

He did shave his beard, didn’t he? Bai Yao feels it, and it’s smooth. He certainly shaved before sleeping last night.

So Bai Yao decides to ask Mu Mu’er while his mouth is still drowning in toothpaste, “what?”

“I’m close. I can see, clearly.”
“Yaoyao is handsome.”

Mu Mu’er is even shorter as a sea otter – about the height of a pug, perhaps, so obviously this is the first time he’s seeing Bai Yao from this angle. He can’t help but find the tall and manly figure handsome.

It’s the first time Bai Yao has been called handsome by a sea otter, so he chuckles.

He ruffles Mu Mu’ers head, then rinses his mouth, “alright, time to eat.”

While Bai Yao is making the meal, Mu Mu’er sits patiently in front of the table, counting and looking at the shells he was given to pass the time.

Bai Yao’s meal is done quickly enough, and a whole table of breakfast is here before half an hour.

Mu Mu’er is slightly disappointed that it is not the seafood curry fried rice, but two eggs with avocado and toast, fruit salad and a glass of milk. It’s a nutritionally satisfying breakfast.

He may have preferred fried rice, but Mu Mu’er is not a picky eater. He eats the soft-boiled egg and starts to attack the toast.

The toast is a delicacy he didn’t expect. It’s just slightly crispy on the outside while soft on the inside. The avocado sauce acts like melted butter, with a soft and smooth texture and sweet fragrance.

Mu Mu’er certainly wasn’t expecting it to taste this good. This might be the tastiest thing he’s ever had.

Oh, wait, actually, the seafood fried rice was still better.

After the egg and avocado, he’s already full and leaning back in the chair, touching his slightly more swollen belly.

He doesn’t want to drink the glass of milk, though, pushing it away slightly after only smelling it a little, and looking up to check if Bai Yao noticed.

Of course Bai Yao noticed the really, really obvious fact that the glass of milk has been pushed from his side of the table to the other side, close to falling off.

Almost like a kitty who decides to push everything off the shelf for no reason at all. Frustrating, yes, but also damned cute.

“Don’t want to grow taller anymore?” Bai Yao asks, raising his brow at him.

Mu Mu’er feels a little guilty, but shakes his head, “Mu’er can grow. Don’t want to drink.”

Even if he doesn’t drink, he can still grow, huh?

Bai Yao lies to him, “but you won’t grow at all if you don’t drink it. You’ll always be a shorty.”

Not that Mu Mu’er is actually that short. He’s average, but much shorter compared to Bai Yao at over 1.9m tall.

He starts to consider Bai Yao’s answer, but decides to shake his head in the end. He doesn’t want to drink milk, not even if it means he will never grow up.

Though suddenly, he has an idea. There is a cunning in Mu Mu’er’s expression. He bites his lips, and observes Bai Yao’s reaction as he asks, “yesterday…” he does not know the name of the meal, so he can only describe it, “smelled nice, tasty.”

“I want more.”

Then he points to the glass of milk, “for this.”

Bai Yao smiles at the suggestion.

Ah, the little thing has learned to negotiate. Even though he was just a little sea otter grooming himself yesterday. He sure learned quick.

“That’s all?” How simple. Bai Yao agrees, “sure, then drink the milk first.”

Mu Mu’er is a man of his word, and he lifts up the glass and drinks it while pinching his nose and looking all disgusted.

Only when he’s done, does Bai Yao speaks flippantly.

“Oh, no. Whatever will I do?” He narrows his eyes, observing Mu Mu’er’s expression of pain with interest, while circling his finger about his cup of coffee, and adds, “we ate all the curry last night already. I don’t think I can make it tonight.”

To make sure Mu Mu’er understands, he clarifies, “we can’t have the food that smells nice and is tasty.”

Mu Mu’er then starts glaring at the empty glass of milk with regret and hatred, looking like he wants to puke the milk right back out into it.

Sea otter? Maybe he got mistaken and carried a little piggy back home instead.

Bai Yao chuckles, then ruffles the boy’s soft hair and reassures him, “I’m teasing you. We’ll have it tonight.”

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