by Z. Allora
The group carefully climbed their way back down the nearly vertical steps and zigzagged a bit on the crumbling stone path. Li took several more pictures with his cell phone along the way.
Indigo stopped and stared down at the budding plum blossoms ready to burst into bloom in another week. “I don’t hear any birds.”
Jin studied Indigo for a moment. “Yeah?”
“Well, shouldn’t there be birds and critters?” Indigo glanced over his shoulder at the three of them.
Li explained, “Not this close to people.”
“What?” The realization of what Li was suggesting seemed to hit Indigo hard. “No. Come on. People ate them?”
America was a rich country. So it was understandable that Indigo wasn’t able to fully comprehend the poor ate whatever they could find. Pigeons, sparrows, and small animals made a decent meal. Hunger made you less picky.
Li changed the subject. “Are we ready to head down? I bet at least two of us want to do some shopping.”
Jin and Indigo raised their hands, identifying themselves as shoppers to Styx and Li. After a laugh, they sidestepped the crowds of tour groups forming in the most inconvenient places. Taking a twisting path, they arrived at the alpine slide.
Only a small line had formed, allowing them to view the demonstration. A hand brake controlled the sled’s speed. The attendants told everyone to lean into the turns, otherwise the sled would fly right off the track.
The metal track glistened in the sun as it snaked down the mountain. The one-person sled was completely open. It was four wheels under a seat with a hand brake.
“And of course there are no safety rails,” Indigo pointed out the obvious. “I have a friend of mine who did this and got hurt.”
Li amended the story. “He got a scratched knee.”
“Whatever. It wouldn’t happen in America,” Indigo stated, eyeing with unease the contraption built to take them down the mountain.
Li snorted with a bit of disgust. “That’s because someone would sue.”
“And it is safer.” Indigo shook his head in disagreement. “Not trying to pick a fight. Just be careful.” Indigo’s worry was kind of sweet, though his fussing clearly annoyed Li.
Li jumped on the car and took off at an excessive clip.
Indigo growled. He got into the next sliding car and followed as if he’d prevent Li from getting hurt. Indigo’s “Slow down, Li” and Li’s happy laughter rang through the crisp air as they whooshed down the twists and turns of the track.
Styx smiled at Jin. “Go ahead. See you at the bottom.” Jin got into the car, bouncing with excitement. Styx couldn’t help but add, “Remember to lean into the turns and use your brake if you need to. I’ll be right behind you.”
Jin grinned over his shoulder and flew down the track.
Styx got into his sled and gave chase. He couldn’t stop smiling as he glided down the slick track after his bandmates. Yeah, they were now a band with a singer and even a name.
Once they all got off their alpine sleds, Li dragged Indigo off to the bathroom while Jin and Styx perused the items in the long row of stalls. Vendors hawked all manner of items, from T-shirts to models of the Wall. The stalls led back to the parking area.
When Li and Indigo rejoined them, they were both smiling and all seemed right in their world.
Styx tried not to dwell on what they probably did in the bathroom. Together. Alone in a stall. But he would bet it was one time Indigo wasn’t complaining about the state of the restroom.
THE DRIVER had purchased box lunches for them. They feasted on cold pork buns on the way back to the city. Their next stop was the Temple of Heaven.
Jin and Li were awed at the sight of the beautiful circular building in reds, blues, and yellows. “The colors are amazingly vivid,” Jin murmured. “Can you imagine we are standing in the same place all the emperors came to worship?”
Li nodded his agreement before pointing out the symmetry of the building. “Amazing how they could design something with a rounded shape in 1420.”
After a few minutes of quiet reflection and admiring the carved ceiling and altarpieces, Jin gestured to a path leading away from the other buildings of the Temple complex. “Let’s go check out the echo wall.” The curved wall was famous for carrying sound over a long distance.
Indigo and Jin went to one side, and Styx and Li waited for their voices. Indigo’s deep voice could be heard. “Styx?”
Grinning at Li, Styx answered, “Yeah? I can hear you.”
“Are you a top or a bottom?”
“What?” Styx pulled away from the wall to get an Indigo translation from Li. The expression on Li’s face meant he really didn’t want one. He had a feeling he could piece together the definition.
“Styx? Can you hear me?” Jin’s softer voice moved along the wall.
Grinning, Styx answered him, “Yeah. Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Li?” Indigo’s voice called out.
“I’m here, Indi,” Li said quietly.
“Mm, good. Coming back to you.”
“Excellent,” Li said.
“Me too,” Jin added. When they returned, Jin smiled at Styx. “That was cool.”
“Yeah, but Styx never answered,” Indigo teased.
Styx didn’t understand the question. He decided the best defense was a skilled offense. “What are you?”
Indigo’s mouth dropped open.
Styx was pleased he shocked the man for once, instead of the other way around. Granted it was only one semibold deflection, but the expression on Indigo’s face had been worth it. Indigo cocked his head at Li, as if Li had somehow teamed up against him with Styx.
Li smirked at Styx and gave him a fist bump.
His triumph was short-lived when Indigo answered, “Well, I can do both, but I do have a preference.” His eyes sparkled. And for some reason, Li blushed.
Li clearly didn’t wish the conversation to continue and herded them back to their transport. “Come on. According to Uncle Tai-hua, if we hit the Forbidden City now, it won’t be crowded.”
“Even though it’s almost a holiday?” Jin asked. “National Day, no less.”
Li shrugged. “Who knows? But we’re here.”
Styx’s cock hurt and still remained semi-erect. He barely restrained a frustrated sigh. He wanted to go back to the hotel and get to the “later” Jin had promised.
Jin’s face lit with anticipation about seeing the Forbidden City. Styx would deal with the throb a little longer.
The courtyard was crowded. People were everywhere, and bands played in honor of the upcoming day of national pride, adding to the chaos. Li handed out the entrance tickets from his uncle.
Jin hissed in Styx’s ear, “We’re entering the Forbidden City. Can you believe it?”
Styx shook his head. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d leave his hometown, let alone go to the Forbidden City! “Li, we have to do something for your uncle. He was thoughtful to invite us to his friend’s wedding, but to send us sightseeing for the day was beyond.”
Li shook his head. “No need. He appreciates you guys letting us share the apartment with you.”
Jin held out his hand to stop Li’s thank-you. “Uncle Bao-zhi would do anything for his friends. And besides, a band should live together.”
“Agreed,” Indigo said, seemingly speaking from his experience again. “Especially at the beginning. My father always encouraged his artists to be in the same place because music happens everywhere all the time.” He grumbled something under his breath Styx couldn’t catch.
“Yeah, um, speaking of that….” Jin hesitated. Everyone stopped to stare at him. “Should we ask Tian Di to move in to the study room?”
“What?” Li asked, voice rising. He gaped at Jin.
“I think he may be having trouble at his apartment, and we have an empty room. None of us really go in there.”
Wary of his friends’ reactions, Styx asked, “Did Tian Di say he’d had
problems?”
“Not in so many words, but my uncle knows his landlord. He told me the guy doesn’t have the best reputation for keeping his apartments up to code.”
Styx chuckled. “We are a band now, with a name and everything.”
Jin glanced over at Li and Indigo as if just realizing this might be an issue. “I don’t want it to cause problems, and if you guys don’t want me to ask him, I won’t.”
Li and Indigo shared one of their moments of silent communication before Li said, “It’s your uncle’s apartment and therefore not our decision.” They continued through the two-story-tall red doors and Li stepped over the raised threshold, which was almost up to Styx’s knee.
Li told Indigo, “Make sure you step over it with your right foot.”
“Why?” Indigo’s face was full of confusion, but he did as instructed. “And why the hell is it so high?”
Jin carefully stepped over it. “It’s high to prevent the hall from being flooded. And some people believe stepping over with your right foot gives you good luck.”
He shrugged examining the high wood. “What if you step on it?” Indigo asked as he followed into a courtyard surrounded by a complex of red buildings with yellow ceramic roofs.
“Some believe you are inviting obstacles into your path.”
Jin cleared his throat. “Um, back to the original topic, if you’re sure you guys are okay with it, I’ll text Tian Di to see if he’s having trouble.”
“We’ll deal,” Li’s tone suggested neither Indigo nor he wanted Tian Di to be in close quarters.
Styx wasn’t sure if Jin didn’t hear or was purposefully ignoring their reaction, because he forged forward. “I am going to ask. He’ll probably say no anyway.”
Jin started texting Tian Di quickly as though afraid someone might try to change his mind.
It struck Styx that they were standing in the awe-inspiring courtyard of the Forbidden City. He stopped for a moment to appreciate its beauty and history. How many emperors had stood where he was standing? Grabbing Jin, he snapped pictures of them with his phone camera. In the picture, he made sure the enormous hall with the red roof and yellow roof guardians was visible.
Li spoke after he snapped an interesting picture of the large mythical creatures guarding the front of the building. “The best way to do this is go to the back and start at the garden and work our way forward.”
Indigo stepped closer to Li. “Yeah, but that’s if you get here when it opens. You want to beat the crowds to the back. Right now, it seems like most of the people are already in. Maybe we should just meander slowly.”
Li smirked. “Well, Indigo can vouch on how much I love taking it slow.” Li’s fingers barely skimmed the surface of Indigo’s arm. “Real slow.”
Wow. Was Indigo actually blushing?
Jin waved the group toward the first of the buildings. “Hey the guidebook said a Starbucks used to be here.”
Laughing, Li replied, “Yeah, but the government took it out, replacing the coffee icon with a local tea house.”
“Damn, I want a taste of home.” Indigo sighed before shrugging at the group. “What? I love Starbucks… tastes like America!”
Jin smiled sympathetically at Indigo. “Do you know we have at least thirteen of them in Suzhou?”
Li snorted back a chuckle. “He knows and he’s been to them all.”
“Are those roof guardians?” Indigo pointedly ignored Li’s tease.
Styx followed Indigo’s finger to the yellow ceramic creatures perched on the corners of the sloping roofs. “Yeah, a roof guardian’s job is to protect the buildings from fire. Each one means something different, and the building’s importance is indicated by how many of the creatures protect the roof.”
Li pulled out his phone to read off the information. “The dragon controls the wind and the water. Next, the phoenix is supposed to have power over the wind and air. Then comes the lion for power, horse for speed, and sea horse for control over water again. And after the sea horse is the half lion, half horse, called Suan Ni.”
“Suan Nis are mythical beasts,” Jin explained.
Reading from his phone, Li scrolled down. “The fish is a guardian in charge of wind and storms. The one with a horn, Xiezhi, will gore enemies, and the bull also uses his horns to dispel evil.”
“Who’s the guy riding Big Bird?” Indigo seemed interested in the meaning of the statues? Really?
“He’s the immortal, bringing peace and harmony.” Li scrolled down a bit on his phone. “His presence makes this building the Hall of Supreme Harmony.”
“See? Even the emperor was in a band.” Indigo laughed to himself as he opened the guidebook he carried with him. “See those?” He pointed to big iron pots. “The emperor must not have trusted the roof guardians completely because those were used to gather rainwater to put out a fire!”
Styx goaded him, “Do you see, Indi? A safety measure being used all the way back through several dynasties.”
Indigo grinned at him and nodded.
Then he couldn’t resist pointing out, “Look, the toilet was rated four stars. Maybe it’s good enough for you to take a piss in?”
“Well, usually I only go in the five-star ones, but today it appears I’m making an exception.” Indigo snorted and disappeared into the building.
“Well, if the bathroom is four stars, I guess it’s good enough to use.” Jin went inside.
Li shrugged to him, then went in.
Styx followed the guys inside.
As they were washing their hands, Jin whispered to Styx, “I think it’s only a three-and-a-half-star bathroom.”
“Shhh, Indigo will try to get the stars adjusted!” Styx chuckled, reminded how much he loved spending time with Jin doing something as simple as washing his hands.
They spent the rest of the afternoon fighting the crowds to see the rest of the buildings and the gardens.
Jin said, “You can almost see how the creators of the Suzhou gardens were influenced by working here.”
Styx understood what he meant. Some of the rockeries here echoed the ones in Suzhou, as well as some of the placement of bridges and pavilions. He almost felt well-traveled to be able to make the comparison.
Li asked, “You guys go to the Suzhou gardens a lot?” After Jin nodded, Li added, “I might tag along on your next visit.”
“Great,” Jin said.
Indigo leered at Li in a way that made Styx very aware his cock still ached for some satisfaction. “Do we have time to head back to the hotel before the tea house show?”
Li checked his watch. “Yeah. You guys want a break?”
Jin glanced over at Styx with an expression filled with hunger. “Very up for one.”
It was Styx’s turn to blush. He hoped Li and Indigo didn’t get what Jin implied. Indigo’s chortling made that hope wishful thinking.
Styx slapped the back of Indigo’s head. Indigo rubbed his head and said, “Seems like I’m not the only one who’s going to get lucky.”
STYX ENTERED their small but clean hotel room and faced the window until the door clicked shut. The lock sliding into place made him turn toward Jin.
Jin untied his sweatshirt from around his waist and let it drop to the floor. The fading sunlight caught the sparkles in his hair, making the silken strands glisten.
Styx’s emotions surged through him. He took a deep breath, trying to steady the trembling inside before he shook apart. Stepping over to stand in front of Jin, who rested against a well-used white dresser, Styx needed Jin to understand everything he couldn’t say.
On a deep inhalation, Styx said what was chasing around his mind. What was always in his heart. “I want you.”
The world be damned; he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in Jin and never find his way back.
Jin swallowed but glanced away from the intensity of Styx’s stare.
Right now, Styx wasn’t going to back away from the reality he craved. He held Jin’s chin and forced him to make eye
contact.
Jin’s big gray eyes held all the answers to every question Styx was too terrified to ask.
Styx leaned in and clumsily pressed a kiss to Jin’s mouth.
“Oh.” A soft sigh of surprise fell from Jin before he began to return the kiss.
The touch of their lips burned with such perfection it brought moisture to Styx’s eyes. He kept the kiss going as they stumbled the short distance to the bed. Jin sat down and Styx straddled his thighs, making Jin’s arousal push against his ass. A zing of power raced through Styx. He caused Jin’s erection. Usually he was the one completely out of control, so this was an exciting turnabout. It gave Styx the confidence to keep control of the kiss.
Jin welcomed him by softening his parted lips. Their tongues caressed each other’s mouth.
Empowered by Jin’s surrender, Styx decided to use action to show Jin how dear he was to him.
With that thought guiding him, Styx decided to do what Jin had done to him on the train. He had no idea if he’d succeed or if he’d be sidetracked like last time, but he wanted to try. The memory of Jin’s mouth on him sharpened his arousal. If he made Jin experience half of what he had, he’d be satisfied.
Styx slipped to the floor, landing on his knees between Jin’s thighs. He ran his hands along Jin’s jean-covered thighs and back down to circle Jin’s knees. Styx put his hands on Jin’s kneecaps, and in a quick move, spread his thighs to make room for himself.
Jin’s only response was a whimper.
Styx’s self-confidence continued to build as he worked on removing Jin’s pants.
Jin thrust his hips around to assist in divesting his clothing. His wiggling made his cock free itself of jersey underwear. Jeans and underwear sailed across the room along with his thin gray T-shirt, which landed in the pile.
Styx tried to keep the cocky, assertive attitude, but faced with a naked Jin, he became anxious. As usual, when he needed support, he found his encouragement through Jin. The desperate want on Jin’s face chased away his fears while reinforcing his determination to blow Jin’s mind.
He ran his fingers over Jin’s warm, hard cock, studying the shaft for a moment. The late afternoon sun cast shadows in the room. Jin’s cock rose from a closely trimmed gold thatch.
