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Mo should have known that today wasn’t going to be his day. The teacher had caught him sleeping in class and had also discovered his new art piece. It was truly a master piece this time, he’d managed to create a sunflower from sunflower seeds on the window. Tasty and productive. The teacher had made him stand outside while he kept a stern eye on him as he kept teaching. Mo didn’t dare run out on this teacher, he was known for chasing down students and handing out severe punishments. After school he was made to clean the windows of his art piece. He couldn’t afford to get a stricter punishment and risk the school calling his mum. She was already stressed and overworked without her stupid kid’s bullshit to worry about.Mo Guan Shan should have known the moment he finally walked out of school that the universe was never this good to him. Usually by this time the school yard was mostly empty, but today there were throngs of girls in groups giggling and staring at a shiny red car outside the gates. This day couldn’t get worse, he was home free once school was over, or so he thought. He fucking Tian. That guy just knew how to crawl under his skin and to ruin all his plans. There he was surrounded by girls with his usual smirk in place, leaning coolly against his car with sunglasses on. Mo couldn’t help but roll his eyes and tried to edge around the crowd to avoid catching He Tian’s attention. He had just made it out of the gate and was almost past the crowd when out of nowhere He Tian appeared. He effortlessly used his arms to trap Mo between the concrete wall and an immovable object- He Tian. “Now, now that’s rather rude isn’t it?” He Tian said mock-innocently “and here I was waiting so patiently for Mo Guan Shan to finish”. The girls in the background squealed excitedly at the sudden development.“Who in chicken shit balls asked you to wait?” Mo muttered under his breath and gave a quick glare up at He Tian. He Tian must have been in a good mood because he let it slide, that or he couldn’t be too violent in front of his adoring fans. “We’ve got errands to run” he said putting his hand on his shoulder as if he was being friendly, but his grip was like steel as he steered him into the passenger seat. “Gotta go” he said flippantly to the crowd with a charming smile. A few stragglers lingered and stared hopefully at He Tian even as they peeled out of the street. Soft guitar music was playing. Mo wouldn’t have thought that He Tian was the type to enjoy this kind of music. He always figured with his demonic personality he’d enjoy rock music.“Where are we going? What errands?” Red demanded.He Tian ignored his questions and threw his phone at Mo “You need to navigate until this point on the map. Once we get there I know the rest of the way.”Mo fumbled and looked blankly at the map on He Tian’s phone. It looked like He Tian wasn’t going to answer his questions. “Don’t you have a GPS in your car? Who even said I wanted to go wherever we’re going?”“Broken. Shouldn’t good friends spend time with each other?”“What in chicken balls shit dick are you talking about?!”He Tian just looked amused “Fine then, do you really have anything better to do with your time?”. This took Mo off guard and he spluttered.“Fine, Whatever, I don’t care” he sulked with his arms crossed. He slouched down in the seat and if he was going to be taken for a ride he was going to be comfortable. He relaxed a little and let his legs sprawl out. He checked that map and saw that the route was relatively straightforward.“Keep going straight until I say so” he muttered. Mo wouldn’t say that he trusted He Tian but enough that he wasn’t going to take him to the middle of nowhere to murder him. He was probably rich enough to have someone do it for him anyway. Mo stretched languidly and was settling down to get comfy again when He Tian lazily drawled “Are you trying to seduce me?”. This sent shivers down Mo’s spine and he sat up straight instantly and drew his legs to the side as far away from He Tian as possible.“-the fuck?!”“I’m joking! Don’t worry ‘don’t close mountain’ I won’t do anything” He said. Mo stared at him and slowly relaxed and after a while sprawled his legs again but not as wide as previously. Mo glanced back down at the phone to distract himself from what had just happened.“Shit, we missed the turn off 50 metres back”Mo expected He Tian to bite his head off but instead he just looked at him with a calm expression.“Just let the map re-route and then follow that, idiot”Mo was in shock “the last word was said in an almost fond tone?” he thought but his natural retort was that He Tian was the idiot and that he was the one who didn’t know the way to the mystery location. He Tian just smirked and they fell into their usual banter.
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Mo’s hand trembled and he kept his eyes on the map, he couldn’t screw up again. He Tian had been strangely nice about it and it didn’t sit well with him. He glanced sideways at He Tian who was uncharacteristically quiet. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable but the moment their eyes met Mo felt like the air was suddenly charged with tension and for a second he couldn’t breathe. But of course He Tian then ruined the moment by smirking and saying “admiring how handsome I am?”. Mo choked on his spit and burst out laughing clutching his side like it was the funniest joke he’d heard “who??”. He Tian teasingly pushed at Mo’s head and the car slightly veered with the movement. The laughter died on his tongue. “WATCH THE ROAD” he said scrabbling around panicking. He swore he could hear his own heartbeat, there was a cold dread in his stomach and he felt himself break into a cold sweat. He Tian put up one of his hands in a kind of apology and then gently patted Mo’s head. “Don’t worry, I’m a good driver. I won’t let anything happen” He Tian said softly. Mo slowed his breathing and slowly unclenched his hands, it felt like he was trying to pry metal open. He focused on speed that they were passing by shops and street signs, his breathing was still uneven and sounded forced. At some point in his panic He Tian’s hand had moved from petting his head to gently resting on his knee, his thumb moving back and forth slowly in a soothing manner. Gradually the cold dread gradually faded and he finally felt like he had come back to himself. He was still flushed from his mini panic but now it was because He Tian was resting his hand on his knee. He couldn’t help but feel hyperaware of his touch. It should have felt scalding but instead it was a warm heavy comfort. Once his breathing was even and calm, He Tian looked over with a neutral look. As naturally and inconspicuously as his hand had appeared on his knee, it disappeared. The unspoken lingered in the air, everything about today’s atmosphere was charged with intense energy and staring. Once Mo had realised what had just transpired he quickly changed the topic.“Where are we actually going?”“How close are we to where I told you?”Mo stared at him and slowly replied “turn right off the round about”“We’ll be there in 20 minutes, sleep if you want”Mo still looked at him and reluctantly settled down. He tried to think about what was in the area but he wasn’t too familiar with this part of town. It was mostly shops, outlets and some high end stores. He shrugged, the quicker He Tian accomplished whatever he wanted, the faster he could go home to play video games and then sleep. He looked at his phone to check notifications and then settle down to play candy crush. The music changed from acoustic guitar to piano music with the singer lamenting about his life. Mo found the music soothing and was soon lulled into a light doze. He opened his eyes as soon as the car stopped and immediately looked at He Tian. “We’re here” he said getting out of the car. They were in a carpark and then ahead there were bright colours accompanied by loud screams and laughter. They were at an amusement park. He Tian beamed at him gauging his reaction. Mo didn’t know what to think and he couldn’t help but feel suspicious. He Tian arched an eyebrow at Mo’s nonplussed reaction. “What errands do you have to accomplish at an amusement park?”“It’s always more satisfying winning against someone at the games”“You’re such a dick, if your balls were as big as your ego” Mo scoffed and pulled the finger at him. He Tian grinned and casually slung his arm around Mo dragging him towards the entrance. “It goes without saying since you dragged me here, you’re paying”“Yeah, yeah”Once they were inside with their ticket bands and complimentary balloons Mo couldn’t help but look around a little. He hadn’t been to an amusement park since he was a child. He was always busy with part time jobs and could never justify such frivolous spending. He tightly clutched his balloon and stared as the lights decorating each of the game booths and stands slowly lit up as the sky darkened. The air smelt of buttery popcorn and something sweet. He Tian quietly observed Mo and let him take it all in. Mo’s face was softer, for once the permanent scowl etched into his face was almost gone and the hardness in his eyes were replaced with childlike wonder. He Tian gently nudged him.“Ready to lose ‘Don’t close mountain’?”“Pshh, in your dreams. Just because you think you’re all that”“Oh really now?” He Tian grinned with a calculating glint in his eyes. What had he gotten himself into? Too late now, He Tian was definitely going to call out his bluff. He just hoped that whatever game they played he would be victorious.“Then how about a friendly wager?”
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Mo swallowed and met He Tian’s gaze. “What’ll we play for?”He Tian pretended to think stroking his chin much to Mo’s annoyance, Mo raised an eyebrow at He Tian’s false pretence. “I know you already have something in mind. Spit it out.”He Tian grinned mischievously and the paranoia at the back of Mo’s mind intensified.“How about the loser has to whatever the winner wants for one hour? Within reason of course. Nothing illegal, dangerous or grievous bodily harm. At least 3 out of 5 games.”Mo couldn’t tell if was filled with dread or anticipation at these high stakes. His mind was a whirlwind trying to work out the stakes. On one hand, imagine the high and mighty He Tian doing whatever he wanted for an hour. He could use him as a foot rest and there would be no repercussions (straight away). On the other hand, He Tian would have almost limitless power. But how was that much different from when He Tian coerced him to do anything? Mo dug his fingernails into his palm and bit his lip. It wasn’t a bet without high stakes.He Tian was staring with his hand stretched out and impatiently waiting for his answer. In the end, the opportunity to have He Tian at his beck and call was too tempting. Mo shook his hand with light pressure.“You’re on.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They both agreed that they would each pick 2 games and the the last game had to be mutually agreed. “So, who starts?” Mo asked shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Rock, paper, scissors?”He Tian shrugged and then held his fist up.“Rock, Paper, SCISSORS” they both chanted.Mo chose rock and He Tian chose paper.“Predictable ‘Don’t close mountain’.” He Tian teased and messed up his hair.“Fuck off! Hurry up and choose your game.”He Tian tsked at him and led him towards one of the game booths. He had chosen balloon darts. Inwardly Mo cheered. He’d had plenty of dart practise when he had worked at a bar.“2 please” He Tian said gesturing to the both of them and gave the friendly stall assistant a few dollars.“Ok Gentleman! Here are 6 darts. You need to pop 5 balloons for our small prizes, 7 for the medium and 9 for the big prizes. You’ll only have one chance, good luck!”It didn’t look too hard, throw the darts at the balloons. Ideally, one dart per a balloon. Mo picked up his first dart and rolled it around between his fingers. He looked at his other hand that was holding his balloon and shifted around uncomfortably until He Tian tsked. He Tian had tied his balloon to his non-dominate hand and he leaned over and plucked the balloon from Mo’s grasp and gently tied it to his hand that wasn’t holding the dart.“Don’t cry when you lose it cause you’re careless”“Go eat an asshole”He Tian had a shit-eating grin on his face and to Mo’s mortification leaned forward to whisper in his ear “gladly”. Mo pushed He Tian’s head away, his face was bright red and he heard the sales assistant mutter to themselves along the lines of “youth these days”.“Let’s just start!” Mo said averting his gaze. He Tian patted his shoulder and then turned back to the darts and began squaring up. Mo had managed to pop 2 balloons on his first go while He Tian had only managed to pop 1. He Tian shrugged and picked up his second dart, he closed one eye and carefully threw the dart in a downwards motion. POP, POP, POP three balloons. He Tian grinned smugly while Mo looked aghast.“How was that even possible?! No, don’t let him get inside your head” Mo muttered. He took a deep breath and steadied his hand threw his second dart. POP, only one balloon. They both continued in silence apart from the sounds of the balloons popping. He Tian finished first with a total of 9 balloons and was watching Mo throw his last dart. His stare was like a laser beam and Mo’s hand shook a little as he threw his last dart. He needed 1 darts to beat He Tian. POP Mo felt instant relief as soon as he heard that. He grinned then tried to play it cool by schooling his features to something neutral and elbowed He Tian. The stall assistant was smiling and ringing a bell and told them to pick one of the prizes from the top shelf. He Tian picked a medium sized angry looking red panda and Mo picked a fluffy black grizzly bear with soft fur. Four more rounds to go and he only had to win two more. Maybe, just maybe he had a chance after all. Mo looked at each of the stalls weighing each of his options and chances. He could pick 2 games and he had to play to his advantages. What about the bottle and ring throw? Then further down the stalls something caught his eyes. “C’mon let’s go” Mo said excitedly and raced ahead with his balloon bobbing around. Once they reached the stall Mo had a nostalgic look on his face as he reached for his wallet. He Tian looked at him questioningly and he shook his head. “I can at least pay for this much. I can’t have you lording this entire day over my head.” There was a pause and then Mo uncharacteristically had a soft look on his face. “I haven’t played with water guns since I was a kid, it used to be my favourite”“You better win then, though this game is rather simple.” He Tian said gently elbowing him. Mo retaliated by scowling while nudging him back and also ‘accidentally’ stepping on He Tian’s toes when he went to reach for the gun.The clowns across the stall smiled menacingly at them. Mo shuddered and scowled. The limp balloon sat above the clown’s hat. All he had to do to win was aim the water gun at the clown’s mouth accurately and fast enough for it to pop first. The bell rang signalling for them to start and Mo pulled the trigger tried to aim for the mouth. The stream of water was a sad limp flop but enough was filling the clown’s mouth. He Tian’s gun was no better and he was getting increasingly frustrated with it whilst Mo persevered, slowly but surely. Eventually He Tian had managed to find the right angle and was attacking the clown with renewed energy however Mo managed to fill the balloon enough for a medium prize just as the timer rang. “That was rigged” He Tian huffed displeasure clearly showing on his face, and subsequently the stall person slightly fearfully offered him a consolation prize of a small rubber monster finger puppet. He Tian glared at the little puppet as it rested on his forefinger and experimentally waved his finger back and forth causing the puppet to wave its hands wildly about. Mo snorted at He Tian’s sulking and looked at the prizes. Mo ended up picking a leek shaped back massager. Mo stared amused as he waved the leek back and forth and could hear the rustle of the beads inside. Mo then turned around and hit He Tian with the back massager.“Oi, for the sore loser” he said and then chucked the leek at He Tian.“Who’s a sore loser?” He Tian sneered but caught the leek and stared at it. “What-why did you pick this of all things?”.Mo was glad his back was turned to him as he was probably blushing. “Payback for valentines. Besides you need to eat more vegetables and not that crap from the convenience store all the time.” He Tian noticed the slight flush on his ears but said nothing.“OI! HURRY UP!“ Mo yelled.“You don’t even know where we’re going since it’s MY pick” He Tian yelled back.“THEN HURRY UP AND DECIDE. I DON’T HAVE ALL NIGHT.”