Chapter 8: 1.8 FATED LOVE: Surrender

Mo Yinan cautiously steps inside and Liu Lianyu kind of wants to rewind the past five minutes of his life because he doesn't know what possessed him to invite his stupid soulmate in.

His apartment is the perfect picture of a bachelor's den. There are countless beer cans and empty bottles left about. Two fall jackets lie on the side of the couch, not counting the one on the floor. His shoes and slippers aren't even properly placed on the shoe rack.

But Mo Yinan says nothing when he looks around and Liu Lianyu does his best to mimic nonchalant composure. "It's a bit messy. Sorry about that." A bit is more than an understatement but he still looks over his shoulder, challenging Mo Yinan to state otherwise.

Mo Yinan makes no offhanded comments. He smiles bashfully and carefully steps over the jackets on the couch to find a spot to sit. "It's okay. I don't mind."

Liu Lianyu huffs and saunters over to his fridge. He wants to believe himself to be a better host than this but frankly, he's without any preparation. There's nothing but water and beer to drink, with the soy milk having mostly gone down his hatch just prior to Mo Yinan's arrival.

Still, he asks, "Do you want something to drink?"

He kind of hopes that Mo Yinan just says water. He can hear the couch rustling, Mo Yinan perking up. "Um. Do you have Coke Zero?"

"…I have water. And beer."

"Oh. Um, what brand is it?"

"…" Liu Lianyu does not deign him with an answer even though 'the cheapest Tsingtao shit' is on the tip of his tongue.

"Uh, water…is fine too."

"Alright." He pulls two cups from the cabinet and it takes him a moment to remember where he put the water bottle.

Oh, it was just next to the fridge, behind the fallen stack of pizza boxes he still hasn't taken out. Hm. Liu Lianyu ignores it and listens to the way the water fills the glass. It takes exactly six seconds before he can no longer bear the silence.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Teacher Liu, aren't you unwell? I can get it myself."

They speak at the same time. Liu Lianyu loves the way that Mo Yinan looks like a deer caught in headlights and he can't help but laugh as he strolls on over, offering the kid his glass. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to bite your head off."

He has to move over some junk before sitting down. Liu Lianyu makes it a point to sit as far away from Mo Yinan as possible, the last vestige of his reason lingers.

Mo Yinan pouts slightly, his chin raised eyes staring off, away from Liu Lianyu. "How would I have known that?" But his cheeky complaint lasts but a moment, his expression falling back to one of wonderment and guilt. "Sorry! I didn't mean to…"

"To what?" Liu Lianyu urges, feeling a bit mean but in a fun way. He can hardly keep his lips from quirking up.

Mo Yinan stares like a goldfish hypnotized and when he finally blinks, he looks away. He's like an open book, Liu Lianyu thinks. Now that his attention is on the kid, Liu Lianyu is the one who cannot stop staring.

"I'm just teasing," Liu Lianyu admittedly hums. When he brings the glass of water to his lips, he's a bit disappointed that it's water and not beer. "Sorry for giving you a hard time."

A blissful, rose-colored veil clouds his reality and Liu Lianyu can't remember why he ever pushed his soulmate away in the first place. But he's not so naive and not so ignorant. The thought reminds him of the reasons, of the cold hard edge of reality that flickers around the edge of his awareness.

"It's okay," The way he sneaks a few peaks is shy, his ears red, "Either way, I'm glad to have met you… Liu Lianyu." Mo Yinan tastes his name on his tongue, draws it out like he's sampling the sound on his lips.

It's funny because Liu Lianyu feels the same. Still, he scoffs and leans back into the couch. "You don't even know me, brat. I could be your worst nightmare. Our personalities might clash and you might find me intolerable or vice-versa." He spews these things like it's a lecture, like they're back in class.

"But we're soul—" Mo Yinan coughs and corrects himself, "We're hyper-compatible. That has to count for something, right?"

Maybe. It's not that Liu Lianyu needs convincing though, half the time he knows that he doesn't want to be convinced. He's afraid.

He leans into his palm, elbow against the armrest. A long sigh escapes Liu Lianyu's lips. "Sometimes, all it counts for is a murder-suicide. They're so common among fated pairs that people don't even bat an eye at them anymore." He chuckles bitterly and tries not to think too hard about it because it's true.

"…" But Mo Yinan scrunches his face in clear disapproval. "Are you saying…you're a murderer?"

Liu Lianyu peeks out of his heavy eyelid. A smirk. "No." The workings of a young alpha's mind is unfathomable to him but for some reason, it's interesting for once. Liu Lianyu supposes he only has hyper-compatibility to blame.

"Okay, I know you don't really trust me, but I swear I'm not a serial killer so it's fine right?"

A snort escapes his lips and Liu Lianyu rolls his eyes, "Your logic is flawed, should I tell you why?"

A pout, "No. I think I like my flawed logic. Are you saying you don't?"

"Only in small doses," Liu Lianyu confesses but he's thinking about media and fictional stories and those fake alpha males that are written to be terribly toxic but terribly perfect at the same time.

Mo Yinan beams at him, he leans a bit on the couch, coming closer but not quite in Liu Lianyu's personal bubble. "So Yuyu is saying that you'll have me in small doses, right?"

Liu Lianyu almost chokes on his water. He kicks at the gangly legs that stretch out beneath the sofa. Mo Yinan yelps and backs off and Liu Lianyu is trying really hard not to feel sorry. He coughs, face a bit heated, "I said you could call me Liu Lianyu. Not anything else."

Mo Yinan chews his lips. His leg shakes with restlessness. "Yu-gege," he tries even as Liu Lianyu shoots him a death glare, "Even if you decide to kill me, I won't mind."

"I won't kill you," the omega says slowly, "But I'll definitely kick you out of my apartment." Liu Lianyu clicks his tongue and shoves Mo Yinan over. It's really hard to hide the way his lips are curling into a smile but he's trying.

That's probably why he doesn't immediately register when Mo Yinan dodges his clumsy movements and closes the distance between them in an instant. The back of his hand reaches up suddenly and touches the clammy surface of Liu Lianyu's head.

He gasps and freezes, uncertain how everything shifted so suddenly.

Mo Yinan's eyes are eagle-sharp and it's like he can see through the very foundations of Liu Lianyu's soul. It's likely just a fanciful conjuring thanks to his over-imaginative mind. But the powerful sway of emotions is difficult to stave even in the face of logic.

The alpha suddenly snaps out of it, his hand drawn back as though burned. "Sorry— I didn't mean to—" The excuses don't string together naturally but it doesn't matter because Liu Lianyu's not really listening anyway.

He touches his forehead, where his skin is feverish, scorching even and Liu Lianyu isn't even sure how he didn't notice sooner.

"It's fine," he bites out, "I'm fine."

"No, I shouldn't have just…touched you like that. I don't know what came over me."

Liu Lianyu smiles a bit, "Must be those killer instincts of yours. Looks like I should be worried after all." He notices how Mo Yinan's glass is empty and reaches for it on instinct. "Let me pour you some more."

In all honesty, when Liu Lianyu said that he was fine, he had meant it in truth. Which is why he feels embarrassed when he tries to stand falls over, face forward. The world is going in slow motion when he crashes into Mo Yinan's chest.

"Yu-gege! Are you okay? You're really feverish."

Liu Lianyu groans in complaint and hides his face in the fabric of Mo Yinan's shirt. It smells delectable. "A bit dizzy," he admits.

"Okay, I think you should lie down." When Mo Yinan tries to guide him down, Liu Lianyu grumbles and refuses.

"No, I want my bed." He momentarily forgets that he's supposed to be the older one.

"Okay—" Mo Yinan takes another step closer and with the way he's bending down, Liu Lianyu can tell that he's trying to pick the omega up. He smacks the kid in disapproval but still lets Mo Yinan lean in and help him stand up straight.

It takes a bit of kicking and coordination that Liu Lianyu doesn't have to finally get him to the bedroom.

He doesn't even comment when Mo Yinan follows after him.

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
valiantxvillainous

Hello hihi

I don't know if anyone's noticed ; w ;

But there's a slight difference betweeen how 'soulmates' and 'hyper-compatibility' are received in this ABO world, although they allude to the same thing.

I hope you have a good dayyy I'mma yeet

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