Chapter Text
CLING
The bell rang, signaling that someone had arrived at the door. A man was arranging books on shelves that lined the walls. Upon seeing the person enter, he stopped what he was doing and introduced himself.
“Hello, how can I help you?”
The young man who had just walked in held onto the counter lightly so he wouldn’t fall over from what his eyes were seeing. He was looking at a ridiculously handsome man with hair down to his waist, black like his eyes, wearing glasses and a bit of makeup. He was gorgeous; if it were up to him, he’d spend his entire shift staring until the man left. But he just blinked for a few seconds and said: “yeah… umm…. moonstone, I’m here to look at some moonstones.”
The man nodded and motioned for him to follow him to a display case. “We have pendants — some with chains, raw, some polished. What are you looking for?” The man looked at him without expression, though with a touch of politeness and elegance.
“Polished? Those are the shiny ones, right?” The man in glasses nodded. “Then yes, one of those — the slightly larger one.” The man pointed to a stone. “No, that one. On the other side.” He showed him the exact stone he wanted.
“Alright, young man, anything else?” The man smiled at him and set the stone aside on the counter. His smile was warm—not the kind you’d give a friend mid-conversation, but something softer.
“Any books on…” He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and read it. “I Ching.”
“Oh, yes, we have several. Were you looking for one in particular?”
He unfolded the paper completely and read: “The Tao of I Ching: Way to Divination by Tsung Hwa Jou” The man leaned toward him and the paper. They were just a few inches apart. His long hair almost brushed against his hand.
Before that could happen, he tucked that strand behind his ear and sat back up.
“I think I have it, wait a second.” The man went to the back of the store and stayed there for a few minutes. He returned with a book in his hand. “Is this the one? There are different versions,” he said. The young man examined it for a few moments and nodded.
“Okay, would you like to see anything else?”
He looked around the shop and found a smudge stick visually appealing. “Does this smell good?” he asked. He just wanted to strike up a conversation with the good-looking man.
What else can I say? What else?
He panicked and asked every corner of his mind to come up with some ideas.
“Honestly, the first few times you might find it a bit strong, but once you get used to it, you start to like the scent.”
And... he gave up; he had never been in the presence of such an attractive person, which caused his system to freeze up and he was physically unable to react.
Leaving his unease aside, in addition to the book and the crystals, he had a couple more things to purchase.
The minutes he spent there were agonizing, and one could almost smell his awkwardness. He had finally reached the end of his list.
“Okay, maybe I’ll come back for other things later. That’s it for now,” he managed to move his lips enough to speak.
“Of course. Would you like a regular bag, or should I wrap it as a gift?”
“As a gift, please.” He fidgeted slightly.
On the one hand, he wanted to stay and talk to the strange, but somehow, interesting man about anything, literally anything. Just being with him while he did something was enough for him.
On the other hand, he wanted to run out of there as fast as he could.
The man took his time wrapping the items; he was meticulous, and his hands moved carefully, as if handling a highly fragile object. Which indeed, in a sense, it was. After just a few seconds of watching him, he deduced that he’d been working here for quite some time and already knew almost the entire place by heart.
He's probably in his late twenties, almost thirty. He was of average height, with a slim yet well-defined build; he had delicate features, and his skin was as pale as the very moonstone he had chosen.
When the man finished wrapping his gift, he told him the exact amount; the young man handed over the money and left the store without another word.
…
Once at his friend’s house, he collapsed onto the mattress, rolled over, laid his head on the pillow, and reached out his arm.
“I almost died trying to get your damn crystals and witchy stuff Xie Lian.” The young man said as he dropped the bag into his friend’s lap.
He laughed and patted him on the back. “Thanks, Feng Xin, you’re a good friend, but how did you almost die? Did something happen on the way?”
“A man. That’s what happened. A man.”
“Did he do something to you?” His friend asked him, looking a little concerned, but he didn't worry too much since Feng Xin was right besides him, looking perfectly fine.
“He’ll probably be stuck in my mind now and for the rest of my life.”
Xie Lian smiled with a chuckle and said: “You’re being dramatic. Who could have made you feel that way? I’ve never seen a man have any effect on you. And what’s the reason behind it?”
Actually, he was wrong.
In his life, there had been several male figures he found attractive — sometimes too much so. Even his own friend, the one he was talking to now — in his youth, he’d had a crush on him. It had taken a lot of effort to overcome that feeling. To detach himself and rid himself of it completely. When his friend had told him he was seeing someone, that was enough for him to let go of what he felt, push it into a corner of his mind, and move on with his life and their friendship.
He lifted his head off the bed and propped himself up on his elbows.
“Well, it happened, and it’s still happening. His beauty... he’s handsome. When I tell you that guy was as hot as fuck, I mean it.”
“I believe you. When you swear, it’s because you truly mean it.” He said and began to open the bag containing what he told Feng Xin to buy for him. "Thanks for bringing me what I asked for, but why in a gift bag?” Xie Lian began inspecting the bag’s contents and pulling the items out one by one.
“I panicked and told him to wrap it as a gift.”
Chuckling, his friend changed the subject so Feng Xin's mind could get some rest.
"Are you going to stay and carry the stone with me under the moonlight? We might as well have a little party for two while we’re at it.”
“What? I’m not into that stuff, Xie Lian, you know it.” Tilting his head and resting a knuckle on his chin, Feng Xin looked at him more closely.
“I know — that’s why I said we could have a mini feast. I’ll cleanse and charge my crystal, we’ll both eat something, and we can stay and talk or have a drink — whatever two friends do under the light of a full moon.”
“Okay, you’re weird. But fine, I’m up for that.”
“Thanks. I’m going to ask you to do me a favor. Are you up for it?” In a serious manner, Xie Lian asked him.
“Tell me.”
“I forgot to buy a few things at that store. Could you go back to—”
“No fucking way.” Feng Xin pushed himself up from the bed to sit on it.
"I’m kidding. I know you won’t go back... at least for now."
Feng Xin sighed and shook his head. “If I ever go back, will you come with me? And if I die, at least I’ll die with someone I know.” Xie Lian laughed.
“By the way, you have a bunch of crystals or stones — whatever you call them — why do you want more?” His friend asked curiously.
“Oh, that happens once you get into the world of the occult — or more specifically, crystals. Some people collect them out of desire, others like to benefit from their properties, and still others just because it’s trendy. I fall into the second category. You know, ever since we were pretty young, I’ve been buying esoteric books.”
Xie Lian's words caught Feng Xin's attention. He gestured him to keep going.
“From then on, I couldn’t tear myself away from these practices — nor did I want to — so now that I’m older and more experienced, I’m thinking of taking this part of my life seriously.”
Truth is, the two had practically grown up together, and his friend had been interested in these things from an early age, just as he said. He started collecting rocks from when they went mountain climbing or took trips to rural areas; he’d use those moments to meditate outdoors as well.
Feng Xin always gave him his space. He saw that it did him a world of good, so he always quietly encouraged him. He never opposed his beliefs or practices. He just didn’t want to get involved. And Xie Lian respected that.
“Let’s go to the supermarket to buy things for tonight.” His friend snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Let’s go.”
Grabbing some tote bags they kept for trips like this, the two left their shared apartment.
They chatted with each other while riding the bus, all the way to the mall.
Feng Xin told him how traumatized he'd been by the man in question. With some laughter and encouraging words from Xie Lian, they began their journey.