[ Emperor Yang? ]
Zhou Jian was a bit startled and so was Yang Ning. The golden eyes glanced at the back haired boy.
"Is he not human?"
Wang Tao shook his head. Meeting his friend's questioning gaze, Wang Tao pointed at their senior.
"Celestial Emperor of the Sun, Yang Ning."
"The Demon Emperor of the Zions, Zhou Jian."
The two boys showed a look of understanding once the Celestial finished his short introduction.
Yang Ning looked at the pair and the disbelief in his heart grew. He had obviously recognized the Celestial the moment he laid eyes on him but he ignored it.
Why? Because he couldn't believe his eyes. When did the emotionless, silent, unapproachable man turn into a cute, docile and spoiled - Yang Ning was certain that the other was oblivious to this one - cat?
"You've…changed."
Wang Tao looked blankly at the golden haired boy before nodding. Something flashed in those golden eyes before the boy smiled.
"That's very good. I would love to talk more about this expressive side but I have to go. See you later."
Yang Ning said his goodbye to the Celestial, gave a curt nod to the Zion and left.
"I'm still hungry."
Zhou Jian looked at Wang Tao who was pouting and rubbing his tummy. Warmth flowed into the purple orbs as Zhou Jian brought his friend back to class. Once Wang Tao had a proper meal, the Zion fed his friend the rest of the cookies.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Wang Tao accompanied Zhou Jian as the two walked through the school garden. Colorful flowers and scattered tall trees gave off a very refreshing feel. The air was cool and the breeze guided the fallen leaves in a waltz.
The silver eyes shifted between their clasped hands and the side of the Zions face. Red was visible at the tips of his ears as he bit the inside of his lip nervously.
Zhou Jian had been holding his hand since they came outside and Wang Tao wasn't sure why. Despite his confusion, he was more focused on the butterflies in his stomach.
As the Celestial tried to ignore his inner thoughts, Zhou Jian led him towards a big Wisteria tree, deep in the garden. The tall trunk supported the hundreds of branches with wisterias hanging from them. A wide area was shaded thanks to its enormous size, making a perfect spot for a nap.
"It's beautiful."
"Mm-hmm, when I spotted it I knew you would like it. Maybe it'll become your favorite spot."
Zhou Jian said all this as he sat and gestured for the other to join him. Leaning against the tree, the Celestial stared up in awe, his eyes twinkling.
[ He really likes flowers, doesn't he? ]
The older boy smiled slightly. Noticing that the other had finished his inspection, the Zion scooted closer.
As had become the norm, Wang Tao rested his head on the other's shoulder and fell asleep. Slowly, Zhou Jian combed the silky hair with his hand.
__
Wang Tao's eyes fluttered open and he realized that the two were still under the tree.
"A Jian."
"..."
Blinking, the Celestial noticed that the older boy was sleeping. Gently, he fixed the other so that he would lie down with his head on his lap.
Phoenix shaped eyes stared at the Zion's face silently. Hesitating, his hand gingerly touched the other's face.
His hand wandered idly, before caressing the cheek. The warmth on his palm was comforting and he relaxed further.
His thumb slightly brushed the Zion's lip and he froze. Wang Tao's finger trembled slightly as he resisted the urge to do it again. Sighing, he continued to caress Zhou Jian's cheek while digging into his sea of thoughts.
Wang Tao was conflicted. Currently, he was debating whether or not he had a chance. Zhou Jian was now single and it had been years since Chen Xiang left.
The Celestial had a hope in his heart that maybe Zhou Jian might love him now. But that hope was small.
Firstly, Wang Tao didn't believe the man was over Chen Xiang, especially since the other wouldn't share. Also, Wang Tao had no idea how to court.
[ From what I've seen, courting is…giving gifts and making food…That seems off. Somethings missing…A kiss on the cheek? Chen Xiang gave A Jian one before they started dating in the first world. ]
Wang Tao awkwardly pieced things together in his mind but couldn't get farther than that. Zhou Jian had made an effort not to do much PDA in front of the Celestial once the couple was together, much less before.
Unable to come up with more, Wang Tao figured that it was enough.
[ A Jian wouldn't mind the food. It's just that…should I? What if it doesn't work? What if he only sees me as a friend? What if he falls for someone else? ]
Anxiousness overcame Wang Tao and a foreign emotion as well. The Celestial was incredibly unwilling. For the first time, the Emperor wanted to completely occupy someone for all himself, to hide them from the world.
Well, it wasn't like he hadn't felt like this before but it was small enough to be ignored. There was also the fact that his unrequited love was for someone in a loving relationship.
Because of all this the Celestial forced down his love as much as possible once discovering them. His possessiveness had no chance to show because he was being too mindful of how his love may affect the other's happiness.
Now the situation was different. Zhou Jian had no lover, wife nor target of affection. This knowledge made the Celestial Emperor put up his hopes and even gave him the courage to attempt to court the other.
However, after experiencing so much, Wang Tao was extremely cautious. He feared the disappointment and pain of knowing that even when Zhou Jian knew he loved him and had no other possible love interest, the Zion still wouldn't choose him.
It would make Wang Tao feel as if he was so unworthy or undeserving that Zhou Jian's heart would never consider him even if he was the last option in the realm. Obviously this was too much of an exaggeration but the Celestial knew it was probably the most accurate description of his reaction in a situation like that.
"A Tao?"
The tsunami in his thoughts immediately calmed, as if the dark ocean was just a pond. Blinking slowly, Wang Tao lowered his head to meet the purple eyes.
"Mm."
"You seem troubled. What's wrong?"
Zhou Jian's concerned expression made Wang Tao feel guilty. He was always making the man worry about him.
Putting on a smile, he shook his head saying,
"It's a stupid reason. You wouldn't want to hear."
"Oh...well you can talk when you're comfortable."
Freezing for a moment, a sliver of joy appeared in the silver eyes.
[ As expected, I couldn't hide it from A Jian. ]
His attempts to brush off the seriousness failed as always. Fortunately, the Zion wouldn't probe for details.
[ How could I tell A Jian of my plans to chase him? I'd probably be rejected before I can even begin. ]
Zhou Jian sat up and the two locked gazes for a moment. The purple eyes pierced in to his soul and the Celestial felt like his heart was on fire. His eyes traced the other's face carefully.
Wang Tao didn't know what came over him but in the next moment his face was red. Jerking back, his hands covered his mouth as his eyes widened.
The tingly sensation was still on his lips as he hastily organized his scrambled thoughts to apologize.
"A Jian, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean t-"
His body tensed further as he listened to the other chuckle. The Zion lightly touched his burning cheek, he could still feel the other's soft lips. Zhou Jian's eyes didn't show even a sliver of disgust but his face softened considerably.
Approaching his friend, Zhou Jian pulled the pale hands down. Bringing them to his lips, he kissed them softly, his eyes gazing into those beautiful silver orbs.
"My little cat is as cute as ever."
Wang Tao's hands trembled slightly and his face was now as red as blood.
[ H-how could A Jian say something like that? That's...I-Is he trying to make me feel better? Yeah that's probably why...]
Retracting his hands, he covered up his damp mood quickly but of course the other noticed. However Wang Tao didn't realize as rose to his feet, saying softly.
"I-I'm sorry about the kiss, just forget about it...We should go now, lunch will be over in a bit."
The Celestial couldn't bear to look at Zhou Jian and hurriedly began to walk back to class.
The Zion had frozen, only snapping out of it a moment later. Scrunching his brows, he stood up and followed, speeding up his pace to catch up.