'Ello 'ello, my lovelies!! See, I'm still alive!😀 And no, there is no way I'm gonna abandon this story or any stories of mine!😅 I have everything planned.😎 It's just that all my procrastinations at work have finally come back to kick my butt.😑 And to ice the cake- Writer's Block!😑😑😑

Anyway, here is the "meet the mommy-in-law" chappy!😂😂 The 👆 above pic is a photo manip but that beautiful lady is indeed JingYu's mother.😍

I don't know if you guys are still with this story, but if you are, I'm very sorry for such a late update!😞 I usually deliver long chapters and with my current schedule it takes me loads of time to manage one. So, I have a question, in future, for all my stories, if I update smaller chapters but quicker, will that be okay? Or are you ready to wait and have a bulky hulky chapter? Let me know!

Comments and votes and shares and stares are very much appreciated!😀😀

Hope you enjoy the read!
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"All my memories gather round her, miner's lady, stranger to blue water.
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye."

- "Take me home country roads" by John Denver

*********************

Chapter-23

Dandong was beautiful. The journey was beautiful. The weather was beautiful. And Timmy was scared to death.

They had not talked about how JingYu was going to introduce Timmy to his mother. After his boyfriend called his Mum, Timmy tried to subtly ask him what did he tell her and all he got back was, “Told her that we were coming” and a puzzled face.

God, JingYu was such a dunce sometimes.

And now, Timmy was all set to hyperventilate and JingYu’s poker face was making the matter worse.

They took a cab from the station and Timmy had hardly spoken two words since. He started off as the usual chatter box, excitement thrumming all over him, but as their destination neared his radio of a mouth got quieter and quieter.

“Are you all right? You look pale.” JingYu asked in a worried voice and felt his forehead.

No, I’m not! I’m ready to piss myself, Timmy wanted to snap. After the way things went with his own parents his fear was justified, or so he thought. He would break if he had to witness JingYu suffering through the same humiliation. And moreover, he did not want to jeopardize JingYu and his mother’s relationship. Though the other man was very tight lipped about it, Timmy intuitively felt that his Mum and he had a well knit relationship.

Well, time to test that theory.

The cab dropped them off at the mouth of a narrow alley whose both sides were lined by small houses congested together wall to wall. JingYu was carrying the duffle and the backpack, leaving Timmy with only his own backpack. Timmy trotted after him hesitatingly, eyes trying to gauze which door was their destination.

“ZhouZhou?”

Timmy jumped up in the air, “Y-yes?”

“What’s wrong?” JingYu asked with a frown.

“Nothing, nothing’s wrong.”

“You’ve been acting weird,” he said doubtfully, not believing Timmy’s fib for a second.

“Haha, no no, it’s just- I’m just....um..thirsty! Yeah, I’m so thirsty!” He faked a parched expression.

“You’re holding the water bottle,” came JingYu’s deadpan answer.

Timmy opened his mouth to say something but could not think of anything to cover up, so, he just kept it open.

“Are you having second thoughts? But I told you I live in a poor neighbourhood, didn’t I?”

Oh, God...now he thinks I’m reluctant because he is poor! Fan-fucking-tastic.

JingYu’s hurt and slightly defensive tone got his mouth working life a jumping jack.

“I’m scared to death, JingYu! I don’t know your Mum; you’ve never told me anything about her. I don’t know how she’s gonna react. Wh-what if she- I don’t know- beat you or somthing....or...or-“

Face clearing of the looming uncertainty, JingYu rolled his eyes massively and turned to head for his house.

“JingYu!” Timmy half whined, half yelled and followed him with a frustrated grunt.

They stopped in front of a brown door, identical to its neighbours. By the way JingYu’s shoulders heaved up, Timmy realized that he inhaled deeply and then, rapped on the door.

Half a minute passed that felt like hours to Timmy’s slowing down heart and finally the door opened to reveal a petite lady. And boy, was she beautiful.

Now he knew from where exactly JingYu inherited that gene pool.

Mother and son looked at each other for a couple of seconds before JingYu blurted out a, “Mum” and hugged his mother.

With that single uttered word Timmy understood the depth of love JingYu held for his mother. That one word sounded like coming from the deepest core of his soul.

JingYu’s Mum was standing on her tiptoes to keep her chin above JingYu’s wide shoulder and eventually her eyes fell upon Timmy.

“Oh, my!”

JingYu released her immediately to make the introduction.

He cleared his throat once and said, “Mum, this is Zh- Timmy,” looked at him, “Timmy this is-“

She cut him off, “What a beautiful boy!” And she patted Timmy’s cheek.

The reaction was so drastically different from all the scenarios Timmy had been imagining that he felt baffled even more. Not knowing how to respond to that gesture, he stretched his lips in the oddest looking smile, held up his palm, gave a jerky nod and said, “Wassup?”

The following stifled laugh from Mrs. Huang and snorts from JingYu were not remotely enough to drown his horror when he realized just what he had done.

Well, fuck.

XOXOXOX

“Did I just ‘whassup-d’ your Mum?” Timmy asked in absolute terror, standing in the middle of JingYu’s room.

The house had three small rooms, one kitchen and a bathroom. There was a slice of land in the backyard where JingYu’s Mum had her vegetable garden and which could be seen from the window of JingYu’s room.

JingYu’s room was a small single room, with a single bed against the wall, a study table and a stool at the foot of the bed. There were some old photographs pasted on the opposite wall, a pair of boxing gloves hanging from a hook beside them. A wooden cupboard was at the furthest corner.

“Sounded like that,” JingYu said as he shoved the duffle under the bed.

“What will happen now?” He whispered in a desperate voice.

“Mmm...dunno...she might,” JingYu began to stack their clothes at the top empty shelf of the cupboard, “throw you out or start to beat you with that,” he indicated those boxing gloves and went back to putting the rest of their clothes.

“JingYu! I’m serious here! Look at me, you moron!” He hissed furiously at his moronic boyfriend, hands balling up in agitation.

“What did you just call me?” JingYu rounded him, one eyebrow arched up in an ‘I dare you’ curve.

Timmy had all the intention to show him what exactly did he call him but a voice from behind stopped him.

“What are you two hissing about?” JingYu’s Mum asked with a smile. Timmy had yet to see her without a smile.

“He thinks you’re going to throw him out,” JingYu chirped happily.

The fuck? “No, I wasn’t!” he protested vehemently, “I swear I wasn’t. It was him, Auntie!”

“Johnny, leave the poor boy alone!” She chided her son and then told Timmy, “Don’t mind him, dear. He is a nuisance. And come, you two, I’ve served the food.”

Wait, Johnny? Who’s Johnny? What?

“Johnny?” He asked in confusion, eyes going back and forth between JingYu and his mother.

“Oh!” Rui, JingYu’s mother exclaimed softly, then began to laugh, addressing her son, “So, you haven’t even told him?”

JingYu suddenly found his nails very interesting.

“I call him Johnny, that’s his nickname and he absolutely hates it. Always have. Never let others know of its existence if he can help it.”

Hurt, angry, confused, Timmy glowered at JingYu who looked back innocently.

Wait till we get back home. I’ll show you what happens when you hide things from your partner, Timmy’s eyes threatened.

I have no idea what are you talking about, JingYu’s blinks answered.

“Stop glaring at each other and come quickly. I won’t reheat the food. And Johnny, don’t tease. Leave him alone, you hear me?” she warned again.

No sooner than she left, Timmy felt something hit his bum. JingYu had slapped him with a towel.

“Trust me, Mum, he doesn’t want me to leave this alone,” and pinched the hurting butt.

Who are you and what did you do with my emotionally constipated JingYu?

XOXOXOX

Growing up in a household where everything was managed by servants, Timmy had a very different concept of happy domesticity. Neither he had seen his mother doing all the household chores all by herself, nor had he stayed at a house like this before. When he was young, on long drives, sitting inside in his father’s expensive air conditioned car, he often felt pity for the people who lived in houses like this. But now, seeing JingYu’s mother’s ever smiling face that could brighten any dark recess, all he felt was overwhelming amazement and shame for ever pitying these people.

They sat around a small table on the floor, delicious yet simple looking dishes spread in front of them.

“Dear, Auntie could not manage more than this today. You are probably not habituated eating foods like this,” she smiled embarrassedly; “I’ll make something better tomorrow.”

Not knowing how to react to anything anymore Timmy wanted to crawl to JingYu’s lap and sob. Every kindness, every smile this beautiful lady directed at him reminded him of his own mother, of his parents and how drastically different the situation would have been had he taken JingYu to his home instead.

“No, auntie, it’s perfect...it’s....um...it’s-“ he stammered but luckily his boyfriend saved the day by saying, “Don’t worry, Mum. He is habituated eating my cooking. Yours will taste heavenly to him.”

Timmy nodded his affirmation vigorously.

“Oh?” She stopped midway placing a piece of meat to Timmy’s bowl and asked, “You two live together?”

Shit.

But JingYu did not even pause his eating and just “Mmhm’ed” noncommittally while chomping on a morsel of chicken.

Knowing that making eye contact could be fatal at this point, Timmy shoved his head inside his bowl.

“Oh my!”

XOXOXOX

JingYu gave the bed to Timmy and made his own bed on the floor beside him. 

“Why don’t you take the bed? I can sleep on the floor,” Timmy said for the hundredth time and like all the time before did not receive any reply.

JingYu bolted the door, began to shed his clothes and looked at Timmy intently.

“You really don’t want me to sleep on the floor?”

Timmy shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning down.

“Okay,” he replied simply. He was down to his boxers and vest now.

The lights went out by the flick of a switch and all of a sudden Timmy was toppled over the bed with JingYu sprawling over him.

“Wh-JingYu! What are you doing?!” Timmy yelped, eyes going to the direction of the door.

“Why? Doing what you wanted me to do,” came JingYu’s cheeky reply that was followed by a wet warm tongue that invaded Timmy’s ear.

“I did not want you to molest me!”

“The pot was boiling over; I’m just trying to help it let out some steam,” he explained and slipped his cold hands inside Timmy’s shirt.

Timmy howled in protest.

“Cold! It’s cold! Get them off me!”

“If I have no hands then how I can do this?” And JingYu rubbed at Timmy’s cock which must have shrunk into a bean from the cold touch and the fear of getting caught. “Or....are you trying to insinuate that tonight you want things hands free, hm?”

“You are out of your fucking mind!” Timmy tried to push off this limpet who weighed same as Hulk; when the other boy still did not relent and began sucking on his lobe, collar bone and cheek, Timmy stopped struggling for a moment to try for logic. “JingYu, how can you be like this? Your Mum is just outside the door!”

JingYu lifted up his head, the pale moonlight from the garden lighting up his face a bit.

“I can assure you, love, that my mother does not sleep outside my door.”

Timmy scowled, “But she’s-“

“Sleeping soundly in her room.”

“What if she comes to the garden and sees us?”

“And you think she will sneak into the garden at the dead of such a cold night so that she could spy on her son doing something illicit?”

“What? Noooo! No! But what if she hears us? These walls are thin!”

Letting out a huff, JingYu said, “ZhouZhou, this room had witnessed many of my wanking sessions without once informing my mother. Your moans are safe within these four walls.”

Timmy’s irrational jealously butted in.

“You’ve never wanked here thinking of me,” he mumbled.

“This is the first time I’m here after meeting you.”

“That’s not the point,” he knew he was just being petty but he could not help it. “This room does not hold any memory of you thinking of me.” He pushed at JingYu’s chest again, this time more out of spite than concern of being found out.

“True. But that’s going to change soon. It’s in for a treat tonight as I’m going to have the real deal with you.”

His boyfriend dove in without giving him any scope of resisting.

Finally he knew what JingYu meant by his moans being safe here; the bed moaned more than him.

XOXOXOX

Timmy found out that looking someone in the eye after having sex with her son, in her own house was very, very uncomfortable and difficult. Every time she looked at him he felt his ears growing warm. Every smile she shot his way felt knowing.

And JingYu wiggling his eyebrows at him at every given chance was not helping at all.

“Did you sleep well last night, dear?”

Timmy choked on his tea.

“There there,” JingYu passed him his hankie with a smirk.

“Umm...yeah, I slept perfectly, Auntie. No problem at all. Slept like a log. Didn’t wake up till this morning. Sound sleep-”

“Overdoing it,” JingYu sang through clamped teeth and made Timmy shut up immediately.

“Oh, hush,” Rui admonished JingYu with a frown, then told Timmy, “I was worried. The bed is an old one. It was broken and I never replaced it. And it makes this creaking noise every time someone lying on it moves. I was worried that you might not be able to sleep because of it.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

“I-“ and his voice shook; it fucking shook.

“Mum, stop pestering him.”

Thankfully, the culprit of everything decided to save his arse at last.

“Have you heard anything? No? So, stop worrying,” he brushed her protest off casually and added, “he snores anyway.”

What in bloody- “I do not!”

“And drools.”

“Most certainly not!”

He had been constantly messing things up after meeting JingYu’s Mum and now this? All his attempts at impressing this lady was going down the drain from the start and JingYu decided to botch his efforts even more? Enraged with hurt pride, he glared at his boyfriend and yelled, “And you hog all the blankets! Leaving me out in the cold every night!”

The words rang in the suddenly quiet room. Timmy with his wide eyes and gaping mouth, saw as JingYu’s face turned pink.

“The rice must be done by now. Let me check it. You two eat,” she patted Timmy’s back, “go on, eat.” And went to check the rice.

Christ fucking Jesus!

XOXOXOX

“Did you bring me here to punish me?”

They were out, heading for somewhere which Timmy did not know and did not care. He was fuming. And JingYu’s lacklustre attitude was grating on his nerves.

The taller man was walking ahead and said without turning, “You seemed to enjoy your punishment very much last night.”

Knowing that yelling in the street would only make him look foolish, Timmy groused his teeth and asked, “Where are we going?”

“To a pet shop.”

Timmy’s face lit up with hope, all rage forgotten immediately. Wasn’t adopting a pet considered the next step in the relationship?

“Are we going to have a pet?” His voice reflected the joy that suddenly shimmered within him.

“Nope, I’m going to donate you there.”

A vicious kick landed on JingYu’s calf, but instead of hurting he burst out laughing.

“Aww, is my ZhouMeow angry?”

“I fucking hate you!”

“I love you too.”

XOXOXOX

One of JingYu’s childhood friends owned the pet shop and he chose to meet his friends there so that Timmy would not have to feel awkward or bored. Timmy’s love for all pets would keep him busy while JingYu caught up with his friends.

And he felt the need to calm his boyfriend’s nerves. That boy was on his toes all the time after coming here. He squeezed Timmy’s cold hand once and with an assured smile, entered the shop and beckoned him to follow.

Billy and Ping were inside. They hollered and after greeting each other with one arm hugs and back thumping, Bill’s eyes landed on Timmy who was standing away, by the door.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, here,” JingYu stretched his arm towards Timmy to call him up, “this is Timmy. And ZhouZhou, this is Billy, this shop is his and this is Ping. These two are my oldest friends.”

They exchanged polite but genuine smiles and greetings.

“So, you’re from Beijing?” Ping asked.

“Uh, yeah. My family’s been there for years. They are originally from Shanghai but I was born and brought up in Beijing,” Timmy explained.

“So, how do you find this place? Compared to Beijing, it must seem bland to you, no?” Billy enquired.

For some reason, JingYu felt nervous of what his boyfriend was going to say. Not that Timmy was going to say anything negative but he put his faith on his ability to detect when Timmy was fibbing.

“Oh no, absolutely not. I love it here, truly. This is so peaceful and serene. It’s a blessing to get away from all the hustle bustle of Beijing.”

“He is probably trying to get inspiration for his songs. He’s a singer, you know. Pretty good too.” Pleased, JingYu tried for an off handed compliment but the way his voice practically swelled up with pride, he did not think he succeeded.

And seeing Timmy’s face glowing up with happiness, he did not regret it.

They chit chatted for a bit before JingYu said to Timmy, “You can go and have a look around. I know you are itching to cuddle those kittens.”

“I can?” Timmy asked him and then Billy.

“Sure, dude. Go on. God knows these poor things need some love.”

Once Timmy went to the cats, his two friends began to pester him.

“He looks like a kid. How come you two are friends?” Billy asked.

“You look like my granddad and we are friends. So?” JingYu shot back, carefully dodging any further explanation.

“You can bring friends from Beijing but you can’t take me there?” Ping accused him.

It was true that Ping had asked him time and again if he could come and spend some days in Beijing and JingYu had avoided every time. But what could he do? Ping was like a happy puppy, running off to everywhere, wagging his tail and just making a mess. Billy should cage him up too.

“Next time, I promise.”

Ping’s face lit up immediately. Bill rolled his eyes.

They talked about other friends and their whereabouts. JingYu came to know that many had left Dandong for job or just moved out in hope of getting better opportunities. In short, adult life happened to all of them.

“And you may like to know that Sana is single now,” Ping chirped happily and winked at him.

It took JingYu a bit too long to get what Ping was saying. When he did though, his eyes instantly reverted towards Timmy.

“-and was asking after you. Somehow, your modelling news has reached her,” oblivious of JingYu’s sinking stomach, Ping happily blabbered on. “I’d say your time has come at last, Johnny. I have her number.....”

Nothing entered in JingYu’s head. Timmy, on the other side of the room, had gone completely stiff. Though he had not turned around but JingYu could practically see his ears perking up towards their group.

He cursed mentally. “Keep it down, will you?!” He mouthed the words at the buffoon.

“What? Why?” Ping asked. Billy squinted his eyes at him.

JingYu took a sharp quick breath and said, “He may misunderstand.”

A series of blinking from Ping, a heavy frown from Billy and then came a, “NOOOOOOOOO!” Ping howled in his slaughtered donkey voice, then, whispered in utter shock, “He has a crush on Sana too?!

Billy almost spilt Ping’s skull in two with his knuckles.

XOXOXOX

After enduring Billy’s endless dick jokes and Ping’s facepalm worthy questions, when they finally left the shop, it was drizzling outside.

Timmy was silent, contemplative. His friends could be really a bit too much sometimes, JingYu knew that very well, hence he did not give it much of a thought. He took off his jacket and covered Timmy’s head with it.

“Wh- hey, what are you doing?” Timmy protested immediately.

“You’ll have a cold if you get drenched.”

“And what about you? You’re in your shirt only!”

“I’ll be fine.”

They bickered back and forth till the light shower became a downpour. It was still quite far from home; running was out of the question. JingYu hurriedly dragged them under the shed of a closed shop and stood covering Timmy with his back towards the street.

“JingYu! You are going to get soaked to your bones!”

“Doesn’t matter. Let’s just worry about keeping you dry,” JingYu brushed off Timmy’s objection.

“Why?” Timmy asked, looking up at him with a pinched expression.

“You still can’t tell?”

Timmy looked away, eyes staring into the space behind JingYu’s shoulder and started to chew on his lower lip. JingYu waited.

“Is she the one you told me about? Your high schoo crush?”

It was asked in a quiet, stilted voice, telling JingYu how bothered his ZhouZhou felt.

“Yes, she is,” he answered truthfully, simply; eyes still mapping the sad face in front of him.

More lip chewing.

“Do you.....” Timmy swallowed, looking both hesitant and reluctant, “do you still like her?”

JingYu stared at those downcast eyes, those worrying lips, sad moue of that mouth. Sometimes, this crazy boy was really just a silly little kid.

“ZhouZhou, there is only one person in my heart and mind. It’s you. There is literally no place left to entertain even the thoughts of anyone else.”

Timmy looked at him sharply, still not convinced, “Would you have given it a thought if the situation was otherwise?”

“You mean if you weren’t in the picture?” JingYu asked and when Timmy gave a reluctant erratic nod, added, “No, I wouldn’t have. I have moved on from my school life a long time ago, ZhouZhou. It was a long time ago. And it wasn’t even love or remotely something close.”

The pout still refused to go and instead of feeling annoyed for being doubted upon in this heavy rain, JingYu felt a swell of love inside him.

“I have been living in Beijing for years now. I come home only a few times in a year. I barely manage to keep contact with those two, let alone other friends. Now, you tell me where do you see me having interest in her?”

That fluffy lower lip jutted out more, “You didn’t even tell me your name was Johnny.”

Oh lord! Pursing his lips so that the laugh did not spill out, JingYu said in a serious tone, “I am sorry, ZhouZhou. I apologize. Can you forgive me?”

A pair of round eyes blinked at him owlishly and said, “If you catch cold, I won’t look after you.”

JingYu laughed out and pressed tight with the smaller body, “Keep me warm, then.”

The street was completely deserted; opposite the shop was a vast field. JingYu looked up and down the road, then ducked his head to steal a kiss from those cold, rain flavoured lips.

XOXOXOX

The sneezing fits began before dinner. Timmy watched with concern as JingYu’s face gradually became more and more flushed and blotchy, eyes watery with a runny nose.

“I told you not to get drenched, now look at you!” Timmy chided while handing his stubborn boyfriend the warm honeyed water.

“’s no-uh-uh-acchoo-nodig,” JingYu sniffled.

“He is this stubborn since his childhood, you know?” Rui told Timmy and glared at her son, “I have given up telling him to take care of himself because he never would. What does he care if his mother dies here slowly worrying for him?”

“Buuuuuuub,” JingYu whined like a petulant child, stuffy nose making his speech hilarious.

“Don’t Mum me. You’ll know once I’m dead.”

JingYu rolled his eyes and fell face first into the cushion on the couch. Arms crushed under his chest, butt sticking out.

Timmy found the posture so endearing. It was so unlike his JingYu and yet it was everything JingYu was about. After coming here he had been rediscovering his boyfriend more and more. It was like seeing the man through another perspective. And the more he saw the harder he fell, all over again.

But as much as he wanted to admire that upturned arse, he quickly tried to pull the cushion out of JingYu’s face, “The cotton lint will make your sneezes worse,” he explained when JingYu scowled at him with droopy eyes.

“Dooo, it wo-acchoo!”

JingYu’s mother fed him some clear soup. Timmy’s hands itched to do that but he restrained his impulse. Not only it was out of question to ask Auntie if he could feed his son instead but also he did not want to take away this rare chance for JingYu to have his mother’s care. Therefore, he just sat on the side, legs bent, chin resting on the knees and watched this simple yet priceless picture of a mother tending to her ailing child.

And it reminded him of his own mother who still had not called him once.

XOXOXOX

Rui was preparing a heat pad, although, her son had said he would not need one and Timmy promised her that he would look after him during the night, despite many protests from her. The kid was her guest and was there to spend some relax time. How could she let that little boy care for an ill person? But well, she could not win against two stubborn kids now, could she?

Sighing, she unplugged the pad from the charger and headed towards his son’s room. However, her feet stopped on their own at the doorstep because of the scene that was unfolding inside the room.

Both the boys were on the bed; Timmy propped up on one of his elbows, JingYu laid beside him, face burrowed into Timmy’s chest, arms circling around Timmy’s stomach who carded his fingers through JingYu’s hair with a kind of tenderness that made Rui’s breath halt.

“You never listen to me. See, you got sick on our vacation,” Timmy whispered but not unkindly. On the contrary, every word was dripping with concern and....love.

“Don’t scold me, I’m sick,” JingYu whined in a mumble and rubbed his face in the warm chest.

“I’m not scolding you, Jin. I’m just worried.” Saying this Timmy dropped a kiss on the side of JingYu’s head.

JingYu snuggled deeper.

“Sing for me,” he demanded.

“What, now?”

“Yes, now. You never sing for me anymore. I miss it so much. You don’t love me anymore,” JingYu whined again and leaned back to look at Timmy’s face.

Timmy let out a soft chuckle and brushed his fingers over JingYu’s forehead, “You are adorable when sick.”

JingYu went back to snuggling his chest again, “’m not. Sing me something, ZhouZhou, pleeee-acchoo!”

“Okay okay, I will but you better try to get some sleep, all right?”

“If only you sing to me.”

“I will.”

JingYu clung even tighter, holding Timmy to him as if the boy would float away if he loosened his grip.

And Timmy began to sing in a soft, hushed voice,

“When the rain is blowing in your face,
And the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love.....”

With utmost care so that she would not make a sound, Rui backed away from the door. She felt that she was trespassing into something pure, something divine where no other soul should be allowed.

She did not even notice when her eyes spilled over and the tears fell unbidden. With her heart heavy with emotions there was one thing on her mind.

Her little Johnny was finally happy.

XOXOXOX

JingYu’s fever finally broke by the next evening. Timmy was going out of his mind by then. He had never cared for a sick person before and it was not that JingYu’s Mum let him do anything but the problem was he wanted to do something, anything to make his boyfriend comfortable. And it had shaken him up too; the concrete proof that JingYu was not as tough and invincible as he looked. As simple as a rain could make him fall prey to the illness too. He regretted for not being more persistent about keeping the man out of the downpour, for doubting him and as a result exposing him to the rain for a longer stretch of time.

He wanted to weep in relief when the fever finally broke with a cold sweat and JingYu’s sleep became uninterrupted. He himself had been up all night and had barely managed to kip for a few hours this afternoon. Rubbing his tired face, Timmy got up and went to look for Auntie.

She was in the kitchen, kneading dough.

“Let me help you, Auntie.”

She got startled a bit but quickly recovered and her usual smile bloomed on her beautiful face.

“You know how to cook?”

Timmy gave a shrug, “Not really. I just help JingYu at the kitchen now and then.” By gobbling up the food he prepares; that’s your help, his head drawled at him.

“Oh? So, how is his cooking now days?” She went back to her dough and asked, “He learned to cook very early, you see. I had to go to work and after coming home I would find him trying to cook something, so that I would not have to spend time in the kitchen.” She laughed but it was tinged with nostalgia. To Timmy’s ears it sounded melancholic also.

He could vividly imagine a tiny JingYu standing on a footstool, trying to make something for his tired Mum. It was so like him. His chest tightened.

There was a bowl of boiled potatoes. He took one and began to peel the skin.

“Yes, he is really good. He makes me pancakes too. And his fried rice is the best!”

“That’s because Johnny loves pancakes very much. Let me tell you, it’s more for his own benefit than yours,” she told him in a conspiring voice and they both giggled.

A companionable silence fell in which Timmy struggled with peeling the potatoes.

“Timmy?”

“Hmm?”

“.........Are you happy? Because I know my son is. I can see that clearly. He smiles more, he is more open about expressing himself, it reaches his eyes when he laughs.” She paused but Timmy did not dare to look up; she continued, “And I know that I have only you to thank for this change. You are the one who has made my little Johnny break free from his bindings at last.”

The inside of Timmy’s mouth was completely dry. It even pained to swallow.

“But are you happy, dear? I know my son, even though he thinks I don’t and if he feels that he is the only one happy in this relationship then he would break beyond repair. So, this is actually very selfish of me to enquire after your happiness.....but I’m a mother. And a mother is always selfish when it comes to her children.”

She sounded guilty, as if she was trying to explain herself which pushed the block inside Timmy’s throat to move.

“I’m....happy,” he hated immediately how his voice squaked; clearing his throat, he repeated again, “I am very happy.” When nothing came from the other side, he took the hint and marched on. “I never thought I could be this happy. I mean, music was my everything, you know? And never once in my life I thought something could be more important to me than my music. But.....” he paused to take a short, composing breath, “but then I met him. And...and he makes me happier than my music.”

He stopped. His entire body was shaking internally. His knees felt week. It was not fear or embarrassment. No, it was nothing negative. The truth that he was talking about his and JingYu’s relationship with someone else other than his friends, someone adult and that someone was JingYu’s mother, who accepted him, accepted them without even asking made his heart whimper.

“I’m glad. I’m so glad to know that, dear.”

Her voice sounded tearful but Timmy was not composed enough to look her in the eye yet. His own eyes were filling up too. He gave a nod.

“I’m an old person. I don’t claim to understand the dynamics of your relationship fully but that does not bother me in the least. As a mother, I see my kids, you and Johnny, happy together and it is everything I want. But Timmy, Auntie have a request too.”

Finally Timmy looked at her with a questioning gaze.

“I know how difficult can my son be at times. He is stubborn to a fault. He keeps his problems to himself and does not want to communicate when upset. And he can be really stupid at times and makes a mess of things. But dear, he is not a bad boy. He acts all strong and fearless but he is not that tough. He grew up before his time, never getting a chance to be a kid and for it, I blame my inability to provide him with a sound childhood. Whatever flaws he has within him are caused by the difficulties he had to suffer through as a kid, and those have impacted him in some negative ways. He is always afraid to be happy. He is always scared that his freedom which he has earned with his blood and sweat will be snatched away from him.”

She stared into his eyes intently; a pleading expression adorning those dark orbs.

“Please, don’t give up on my Johnny.”

Timmy’s mouth twisted down in a cry and he pressed the heels of his palm to his eyes, shaking his head frantically to convey his answer which he could not with words at the moment.

Two hands, a small but kind shoulder and a motherly smell with a hint of flour engulfed him.

XOXOXOX

The next morning Timmy kissed an almost recovered but still clingy JingYu, told him not to make a fuss and be a good boy and went out to shop some groceries, which he had never done before. Rui did not object either, just shot him a knowing smile. They both knew why this sudden eagerness to buy sugar, flour, rice and whatnots.

He felt that need to give the mother and son some alone time. After the talk, he felt free and wanted JingYu to feel the same too.

While on the street, strolling lazily, Timmy looked up in the sky. This skyline, the surrounding would change within a day or two and they would be back in their home, in a city that brought them together with one of its many momentary miracle-loops.

And at the same time, he realized with a jolt, that he would feel like leaving a part of the family behind when he would have to say goodbye to Auntie.

Not only in Beijing but the miracle-loops were everywhere; all he needed to do was to take a step forward.

[][][][]

A/N: The song Timmy sang was, "Make you feel my love," Adele's rendition. My YuZhou song.

Any thoughts?