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“Oh for fuck…” Hua Cheng struggles to stay on his loafer-clad feet as the typically melancholic BlackWater tugs him along, brimming with unbridled excitement.
“But THE FISH,” BlackWater screeches as he continues his mad dash. His faded black t-shirt billows behind him, flapping against the hapless young man he is dragging behind him.
“They’re open for 8 more fucking hours.” Hua Cheng hangs his head in resignation.
“That’s not enough for me.”
The crowd parts awkwardly, many people staring at the two oddly mismatched men. One is the picture of elegance and wealth bordering on tackiness; the other is mostly unkempt and weirdly moist. They head towards the SeaWorld ticket booth, no one daring to stay in their way.
However, they are brought to an abrupt stop as they reach the end of the ticket line, which is moving at a snail's pace.
BlackWater releases the death grip he has on Hua Cheng, his arm dejectedly flopping against his torso. “Fuck, this is what I was talking about.” BlackWater mumbles, but apparently with enough kick for the other to hear that he said…something. Seeming to suddenly become interested in what he had to say, Hua Cheng leans down, his various chains clinking as he moves. God, could he be anymore obnoxious if he tried? He’s jangly enough to keep a million kids entertained, or scare the fish away from here. Steeling himself, ensuring to add more bite to his words, BlackWater repeats himself. “I said this is what I was fucking talking about earlier.”
A sly smirk and a slight ‘mmm’ is all he gets for his efforts, before his hair is unstuck from his cheek and slid behind his ear. Hua Cheng crowds him even further; it takes everything in BlackWater not to immediately recoil. “Maybe I just like to hear you talk.” Hua Cheng says in his ear, the heat of his breath further adding to the condensation already on them.
This was enough to snap the carefully crafted patience he had been cultivating all morning. Before he knew what he was doing, BlackWater snaps his head to face Hua Cheng and clamps his mouth over the bony fingers still hovering near his ear. Hua Cheng roars something both terrifying and utterly incomprehensible at the same time as he tears his fingers away from BlackWater’s sharp teeth. BlackWater snaps his jaw at Hua Cheng a few times menacingly, already… missing the feeling? He is torn from his reverie as the line starts moving. BlackWater grabs Hua Cheng’s hand, still red, and drags him forward with the other park guests as Hua Cheng continues cursing BlackWater and his entire lineage.
After an excruciating wait, BlackWater finally comes face-to-face with a bored-looking middle-aged park employee in a dark blue uniform. “How many?” The employee asks, the light of a better life clearly fading behind his eyes.
“Two, please.” BlackWater cheers, his eyes firmly on the opening to the rest of the park at the end of the hall.
“This one is a child ticket.” Hua Cheng chimes in. BlackWater grips his hand hard, causing Hua Cheng to wince. “Fine, two adults.”
The employee, too tired to care, mumbles, “he’s too old anyway.”
Finally entering the park, BlackWater feels his half-dead heart thump dramatically, once, in his chest. The corners of his lips also almost threaten to curl, as he takes in the sight before him. The entranceway opens into a space completely devoid of any kind of architectural ‘clutter’, as only a singular billboard of the upcoming events and a list of the various areas sits perfectly in the middle of the area. As if a moth drawn to a flame, BlackWater instinctively floats towards said board, his eyes flitting back and forward, trying to take in all the information before him. All the while trying to plan exactly how they can see every attraction, all the while carving out time between each event for essentials, i.e. snacks, meals, sweets.
Okay, fine, just food in general. Oh, maybe he could even get his hands on some of the food reserved for the creatures. He is obviously too enraptured in his own twisted fantasies as he doesn’t register movement in his peripheral vision. A warm finger traces a line from his chin to just under his bottom lip, its glide oddly smooth against his skin. Snapping out of his reverie, BlackWater clocks Hua Cheng’s retreating thumb, glistening with an oddly shiny, clear liquid before it disappears between his own plump lips.
Hua Cheng diligently sucks his thumb clean. “What? You were drooling a little. What kind of degenerate food were you contemplating consuming, mmm?” He says with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.
BlackWater looks at the jangly bitch sucking drool from his thumb, thinking about all the ways he’d like to eat him… or eat him… when he spots something less nutritious and more delicious. “Dolphin Dog!” He exclaims, drool splattering the ground in front of him as he bolts over to a stand that reeks of heavily processed meat. Hua Cheng simply stands there dumbfounded for a moment before shaking his head and following, dejected. By the time Hua Cheng makes it over to the slimy degenerate, BlackWater is downing a hot dog that, for some god-forsaken reason, is shaped like a dolphin. BlackWater’s jaw seems to unhinge like a snake as the entire meat mammal is mushed into a grey and pink sludge before disappearing down to his stomach, his throat stretching slightly to accommodate the meat. Hua Cheng seems to be thinking of… other matters… as he watches how easily BlackWater handles his sausages. BlackWater internally preens at the heated gaze that is being directed at him.
“We’re going.” BlackWater grabs Hua Cheng’s hand once again as they head towards one of the massive fish tanks nearby.
They walk down the hallway of tanks as it starts to enclose over them, the lights lowering as they enter a glass tunnel that bores through a massive tank. BlackWater looks around himself in amazement, his mind racing as he sees different species. Names and facts blast through his mind as he points around at fish seemingly at random.
“See, a lot of people think that you can just throw any fish together as long as they fit into the fresh or saltwater category. But that isn’t how it works, exactly. There is a whole ass compatibility chart…look.” BlackWater points back to a chart that spans the entirety of one of the walls, while staring directly at Hua Cheng. The other does turn his head in the denoted direction; however, his eyes appear unseeing and glazed over. “You aren’t really looking, are you? Fuck you.” BlackWater says with no real bite behind it as he spins on his heels and continues further down the tunnel, his eyes flitting from species to species before him. It is fine, he can enjoy the fish all by himself.
“Hey, yeah, yeah, compatibility chart. I’m listening.” Hua Cheng calls out behind him.
Sighing, BlackWater continues, becoming more and more animated as he goes. “Right, so for instance, Pterophyllum leopoldi, Amphiprioninae, and Monacanthidae can cohabitate quite well, even if the Pterophyllum leopoldi can be a little aggressive, even though it is just a little guy. But you couldn’t just throw in a Muraenidae, just cuz it looked cool. Ya know…”
“Uhhh, sure…but you do know I only understood like 70% of what you said. Which, hey,” an ungraceful snort escapes Hua Cheng, “is more than I usually do. So hey, progress.”
BlackWater begins rethinking his entire life and the choices that have led him to this specific moment. What god’s mouth did he piss in to deserve this, honestly? Slumping against the glass with an audible squelch, he restates what he just said, but this time translated for moron. “ Angle fish, specifically Leopold’s angle fish…” BlackWater unseeingly points to said fish swimming by, “named after King Leopold the third of Belgium for his expedition, if you care…”
“I do not.”
“Mmm. Well, them and clownfish, I don’t think I need to point to those, do I…Nemo.”
“Yes, I know what a fucking clownfish looks like.” Hua Cheng says, crossing his arms over his chest. God, is he pouting? Just end him now.
BlackWater raises his eyebrows. “Can you stop interrupting me? Jesus. Well, those two fish can also cohabitate with file fish. No, I do not know why they are called that before you ask. I do know that they have a palytoxin in their organs and gastrointestinal tract; unfortunately, no one has died from one. Oh well. Anyway, they aren’t compatible with moray eels, so you can’t just chuck it into the tank. Or whatever. That was all I was saying. Come on, your stupidity is making us late.” BlackWater extracts himself from the glass, where there is a wet sheen in the shape of his wily frame, and latches onto Hua Cheng’s hand once again.
The two continue down the tunnel as BlackWater continuously points out various other species, rattling off more facts than any one human should possess about fish.
Some time later, he looks back at Hua Cheng for a moment, noticing how disinterested he seems. “Look at the fish,” BlackWater pouts. Hua Cheng makes a disinterested noise and pulls out his phone. “LOOK… AT… THE FISH,” BlackWater says as he grips Hua Cheng’s chin, dragging it around to look at the fish. Hua Cheng makes an odd little noise at the back of his throat as he squirms in BlackWater’s tight grip. BlackWater pointedly ignores Hua Cheng’s tightening pants and the outline of his dick that is beginning to make itself known. God, can’t he just enjoy one fucking day?
“Yes, yes, I SEE the fish.” Hua Cheng says, almost sounding exacerbated. “I wasn’t ignoring you, I was simply checking the time. Wasn’t there a dolphin or some orca show that you wanted to see?”
“They are very different animals. How could you not know the difference?” BlackWater snaps back, already spinning on his heels and yanking Hua Cheng in the direction of the show.
Hua Cheng provides no resistance to the pull, seemingly smugly enjoying himself.
BlackWater does feel him tense just before the most idiotic thing escapes the other’s mouth. “Same diff, really.”
God, he hates this man so, so much. There surely are no nerves left in which to “get on”. Yet here we are with him tap dancing upon the only ones left in the dark recesses of BlackWater's mind.
Sighing, he reluctantly entertains the completely obvious bait. He has time to kill anyway; he'd ideally like to strangle someone else. But this is not the time nor the place to entertain those fantasies. “Orcas are a ruthless and highly intelligent species, some of the most deadly creatures actually.” His shoulders pick up slightly as he continues. “Dolphins are also intelligent, but not nearly as ruthless. They are fucked up, don’t get me wrong, with all the rape of humans and other sea creatures. Oh, and I can't forget the drug usage ....” His voice starts to trail off, and me begins to mumble to himself. “Actually, maybe I should rethink my preference…”
A sudden shout of, “The WHAT,” rings out behind him. But BlackWater is too lost in his own ruminations about the pros and cons of the debauchery of various sea mammals to take any notice. They were close to the showgrounds anyway, so Hua Cheng can stew in that revelation all by himself.
___
The bizarre duo enter an area reminiscent of a shitty colosseum, the centre dominated by a massive pool. Hua Cheng, still bewildered and gaping, follows BlackWater to an area of empty seats.
“Oh, yay, we’re in the splash zone.” BlackWater happily bounces on the steel bench beneath them.
“The… WHAT… Oh no no no. I’m not getting fucking wet, you weirdo.” Hua Cheng tries desperately to get up and move, but suddenly feels the iron grip of BlackWater returning on his wrist.
“This is the best way to get the full experience…” BlackWater was about to start explaining why when loud music suddenly filled the area, and an announcer's voice insisted that park goers should take their seats and get ready for the show.
BlackWater looked at the stage with almost childlike excitement, so excited in fact that he didn’t notice Hua Cheng giving him a tender and satisfied look to his side. A park employee clad in a wetsuit walked to the edge of the pool, waving to the kids. She gave an odd look to the two weird-looking men. One with his head in his ring-covered hands and the other wide-eyed and breathing a little too fast, as she passed over their section of seating. One employee with a microphone introduced the dolphins as they leapt in and out of the pool before swimming over to the nearby handlers. BlackWater felt a gentle but firm hand pushing him back into his seat. He didn’t even realise he was ready to dive into the water until Hua Cheng stopped him. Now the real test of Hua Cheng’s strength comes up as the handlers start asking for volunteers to come pet the dolphins.
BlackWater instantly goes to stand, and Hua Cheng has to yank him back into his seat. They repeat the same motions, with BlackWater getting further and further each time. Numerous children rise from their seats and make their way down to the pool, and the employees begin to hand each of them various types of fish to presumably feed to the dolphins. Seeing this seems to ignite something within BlackWater as he makes to join them and as Hua Cheng’s hand slinks around his wrist, he yanks free. However, he only gets one step away from their spot on the bench before two arms ensnare his waist, and he is being flung back and down, at an alarming velocity. Although his landing is oddly squishy and padded. His confusion doesn’t last long as he realises that he has been placed square on Hua Cheng’s lap, with his arms still firmly locked around BlackWater’s waist. “Let me go,” BlackWater says, beginning to squirm.
“Why don’t you let the kids go play and get wet with the dolphins, and you can stay right where you are. Mmm?” Hua Cheng says right into BlackWater’s ear just before he punctuates his sentence by dragging his hair to the side. Presumably to grant him easier access for the warm press of his lips to the back of his neck. The feelings of Hua Cheng’s pants being slowly soaked by their prolonged contact and the soft kiss stir something within BlackWater. But that only lasts a small moment before his attention is whipped back to the dolphins as the volunteer spots are quickly filling up.
Thus, BlackWater doubles his efforts and goes slack in Hua Cheng’s arms, making it harder for him to find purchase. When he feels the tension release slightly, he relentlessly begins to wiggle in the loosening hold.
“Sit still.” Hua Cheng groans.
“You can wet your dick later. Right now imma go get ‘wet’ with the dolphins.” BlackWater punctuates his sentence with a sharp bite that will surely leave a mark on Hua Cheng’s forearm.
Reluctantly, Hua Cheng releases BlackWater. He mutters a few curses under his breath as he watches the other basically merrily skip towards the awaiting wildlife. This man will truly be the death of him.
BlackWater waddles gleefully towards the Dolphins. As he approaches, the kids start to tremble in fear, raising their hands to their faces to hide as well as cover their noses. This and the murmur of concerned parents nearby give him a slight pause, and BlackWater sighs as he resigns himself to waiting at the back of the line. He stands there bouncing on his heels as it moves, ever so slowly, forward, before finally standing before a dolphin handler carrying a bucket. Without a word, BlackWater reaches into the bucket and snatches out a raw fish. He looks up and sees the kids feeding the fish one by one to the happy dolphins. BlackWater, however, has other ideas and slowly raises the fish to his slobbering maw. He would have done it too, had Hua Cheng not urgently cried out his name. Dejected, he lowers the fish before feeling in better spirits again as he realises he’s at the front of the queue.
“Here, little guy. Don’t you worry, I won’t eat you today.” BlackWater whispers to the dolphin he was assigned to as he reaches out with the fish. In a move that mystifies even the handlers, the dolphin seems to back away in fear and leave, choosing to dive deep into the pool rather than eat its favourite treat. “Oh, um, did I say something?” BlackWater scratches his head in confusion, hand still reeking of dead fish. The handlers quickly lead the kids and BlackWater away from the pool and back to their seats.
“What did you do this time?” Hua Cheng chuckles as BlackWater sits back down beside him.
“I didn’t do anything…” BlackWater sits mystified, as normally only land mammals react like that. Not sea ones.
The show continues in the background, unnoticed by BlackWater as he stews in his ruminations. That is, until the handlers give a command and the dolphins perform a synchronised leap, before landing back into the water, spraying a decent amount of water onto those within the designated slash zone.
Hua Cheng sighs and desperately tries to cover himself, to little avail. As he ends up absolutely soaked, his socks seemingly taking the brunt of it as they squelch in his loafers. “Fuck me…” He mutters under his breath while wiping a few stray droplets from his eyes.
However, when he looks over the other looks completely unchanged, as if buckets of water do little in the face of a premoistened individual. A soft smile crosses his face as he takes in the view, that is, until the other’s shoulders slump as he speaks.
“Oh, they are leaving…” BlackWater says to himself.
“En…they are.” Hua Cheng breathes out. “But we have more of those stupid tunnel things and…” He looks down and checks the time. “It should be feeding time soon.”
That grabs his attention as BlackWater's head snaps up. “Which creature?” BlackWater's eyes become almost unseeing and stare into the middle distance as he racks his brain for what other feedings he remembers seeing on the board. “I don’t think there are…”
Hua Cheng suddenly leans over into his space and extends his finger towards BlackWater’s face with very clear intention. He resigns himself to the touch. Booping his nose, Hua Cheng says, “You. You are the creature and it is feeding time.” He makes little chomp chomp motions towards BlackWater. The mimicry of his own motions from earlier almost makes him feel something; some would call this movement cute. Well, they can think what they like. BlackWater has more fish to see and has no time for this shit.
“Fuck you, we are leaving,” BlackWater says as he latches onto Hua Cheng and, for the millionth time, drags him to their next destination.
__
BlackWater grins inwardly as he drags Hua Cheng into the crowded food court. People fall back onto glossy white tables and cheap blue chairs in their scrambled attempts to get away from them.
Giving the scared park goers menacing chomping motions in the air, BlackWater pushes his way to the back of the court, where a fish and chip shop sits proudly flush with the tiled wall.
He is so entranced that he never even notices the way Hua Cheng gazes lovingly into the back of his head.
“Um, hey, um, hi, um, what would you…. What you….. Like…. Eat….?” Asks a petrified teenage worker behind the cash register. Their eyes are wide, and noticeable sweat is beading on his forehead.
“Six barramundi, battered. Nine calamari rings. Three cod, crumbed. Four Potato cakes. Five Dim-Sims. A family chips. And a Pepsi Max, large.” BlackWater rattles off. “Would you like something too?” He asks Hua Cheng offhandedly, all the while not taking his eyes off the raw fish before him. As if he was ready to jump over the counter and devour them right then and there.
“Just a nugget and chips meal, please.” Hua Cheng asks, strangely sheepish.
The two wait, 100%, patiently for their number to be called, before BlackWater all but sprints over to collect the order.
Finding their own table, the two sit facing one another. The food barely grazes the table surface before its packaging is torn open, its paper resembling that of an animal torn to shreds by a wild bear. Hua Cheng sits there in a daze, daintily nibbling on his nuggies, all the while gazing at the man before him. His heart floods with warmth and care for the man currently shovelling food into his mouth, with a solid 80% making it in. The rest is left speckled around his lips, which are always plump and moist. Especially under his ministrations, he thinks proudly.
“You do know that is a kid’s meal, right?” BlackWater laughs while gesturing with his head towards Hua Cheng’s pathetic-looking meal. All the while continuing his.
“Yeah, so what, I’m allowed a kids' meal after your repeated attempts to put a baby in me.” Hua Cheng quips back, raising his eyebrow in taunt. His words pierce through BlackWater like a sizzling knife.
“Well, it isn’t like you try too hard…” BlackWater mumbles, working his mouth around the amalgamation of fish and Cephalopod (squid).
Hua Cheng’s gaze hardens, “Excuse me. Last time you couldn’t walk for a week straight…I had to HAND FEED YOU. That was my punishment. After that, I vowed to never go that hard again.”
BlackWater snorts, sending some of the Pepsi fizzing out his nose. “God, you are so easy to stir up, you know.”
“Fuck you.” Hua Cheng throws a chip at BlackWater, hitting him squarely in the forehead. “And clean yourself up, you look obscene.” He says, pointing to BlackWater’s mouth where a line of creamy white aioli runs from the corner down to his chin. Before BlackWater can clean it up, however, Hua Cheng leans over with another chip and drags it up the line of aioli. This coats the chip with a mix of aioli and saliva before Hua Cheng leans back on his chair to eat the chip with a smirk.
BlackWater cleans his face with his shirt, cleaning off the leftover aioli but leaving his face slicker than ever. “Fuck I love this food.” He exclaims, shovelling dim-sims in his mouth before sculling more Pepsi. He picks up a potato cake and somehow swallows it whole, his throat bulging slightly as the disk goes down.
“You know, I’ve got something even better that I could stick in your mouth.” Hua Cheng teases. He reaches over and flicks BlackWater on the nose, startling him out of his food fixation.
“You stick it in, and I swear to god I will bite it,” BlackWater warns, a handful of calamari rings clutched tightly, already halfway to his mouth.
“Bet.” Is all Hua Cheng says as he grabs BlackWater’s wrist, scattering the calamari across the table and floor and knocking over his drink. BlackWater tries desperately to grab more food from the table and shovel it into his mouth, pockets, and bag as Hua Cheng tears him away from his prize with surprising strength.
“Where the fuck are we going, you tacky asshole?” BlackWater manages to get out between mouthfuls of fried fish as he stumbles after his man.
“You know where we’re going.” Hua Cheng retorts as he drags BlackWater in front of the row of single-stall men’s toilets. “Get in, and stop eating, it’s unhygienic."
“As if what you wanna do is any more hygienic,” BlackWater mutters as he stumbles into the stall. Hua Cheng follows him and locks the door behind them as the din of the outside world subsides slightly.
“Oww, you are standing on…” BlackWater's sentence is cut off by Hua Cheng’s mouth that was suddenly on his. He sways slightly and sags towards the warm body before him, his hands coming to rest on the broad, firm chest before him. Pushing against it he attempts to indicate his need. However, this seems to fall on deaf ears, as Hua Cheng begins to plunder his mouth with the whip of a tongue he possesses.
Fuck, fine. Have it your way.
Leaning more into the kiss, lowering the other’s defences, BlackWater begins to work Hua Cheng’s lower lip between his teeth. Gently at first, ensuring not to draw blood…yet.
Hua Cheng’s moan is greedily swallowed by him. A knee making its way between his thighs has him answering with one of his own.
God, his toes, his TOES…
Having had enough of the rougher treatment downstairs, and not in the place he wants it, BlackWater bites down hard on the plush lip he’s still working with his tongue and teeth. The tang of thick iron coats his tongue and throat as he greedily swallows it down.
“Fuck ow…” Hua Cheng exclaims as he pulls back just enough to rest his forehead on the others.
“Toes, asshole.” BlackWater's voice rings out, bouncing off the walls of the small stall. His breath, an amalgamation of fish and soda wash over Hua Cheng, and further ignites his burning passion. As he wants to devour the man pinned under him, allowing the flavours to wash over every corner of his mouth. He wants them to take refuge there, staining, claiming him as his.
Looking down, Hua Cheng takes stock of this large loafer resting on top of the other's feet and immediately shifts. Although he is careful to remain plastered to BlackWater wherever he can. “Sorry.” He breaths out, before surging forward once again and claiming the tantalising mouth before him.
The two of them remain like this, slowly edging each other closer and closer towards the edge. The desire is palpable between them, and just as he feels both of them reaching the climax, Hua Cheng pulls back.
BlackWater swallows a whine at the loss of contact; he will not be seen as needy. If he needs to finish this himself later, then whatever…
A soft “He Xuan” breaks him out of his thoughts. His chest constricts at the sound of his name in the other’s mouth, and his eyes shoot up to meet Hua Cheng’s that are already burning with something BlackWater can’t quite make out past the swirling desire. So all he offers in return is an equally soft, “mmm.”
Before he can register what is happening, BlackWater is staring down at Hua Cheng, who is crouched on one knee, fishing around for something in his pockets.
What the FUCK is the man DOING?
A red velvet box makes an appearance in Hua Cheng’s hands, as he clutches it like a lifeline.
Clearing his throat, Hua Cheng begins speaking. “He Xuan, I know we haven’t known each other long…”
“No shit, it has only been a week, now get up.” BlackWater scrambles to find purchase and drag the man before him up off his knees. But between his slippery fingers and the other’s stubbornness, he doesn’t move.
Shit, well, apparently this is continuing for the moment.
“Mmm, and yet, it has been the best week of my life and…” Hua Cheng trails off, looking around as if unsure.
“Are you really fucking proposing to me in a toilet stall?” BlackWater huffs out.
Hua Cheng’s gaze flicks to meet his, and the intensity simmering beneath his eyes, one ruby red eye and the other onyx, makes him feel as though he is off balance. “I thought it would be fitting.” Hua Cheng quips back.
“Fuck you!” BlackWater says as he tries to make his way around the other and out of the stall. To little avail, as a strong hand slinks around his bicep and shoves him against the stall wall.
He is now completely caged once again, sturdy hands bracketing his head on either side and a solid presence pressed against him.
“That isn’t a no…” Hua Cheng breathes in his ear. His seductive voice wraps itself around BlackWater's throat, as a choked-out sound escapes. “Mmm, just as I thought.”
“I know you love me.” He purrs.
BlackWaters' cheek burn, almost hot enough to evaporate the condensation clinging to them. “Yeah, whatever. Shut up.” He says as he turns his head to the side, in an attempt to hide his shame.
He doesn’t get much of a reprieve before his chin is grabbed and his face is turned towards the other once more. “I’ll ask once more,” Hua Cheng’s voice drops lower, “will you marry me?”
BlackWater meets the others' eyes for one last time as he reaches up to cradle Hua Cheng’s face and offers a soft “fuck you.”
Hua Cheng’s lips quirk as he says, “Good enough,” before diving into a binding kiss.
Signalling his willingness to dive into the dark depths of the others' water, he has yet to explore.
For now, they will weather the storms together.
The end.