A black limousine stopped in front of the enormous gate to the residence. The guards paid their respects and let the car through when they saw the passenger on the backseat and immediately recognized the distinguished guest.
The estate belonged to one of the most powerful triad leaders in Hong Kong. Fei Long had been invited here many times over business. But that day it was for a wedding reception of the leader's only daughter. It was very important that he attended.
The Baishe leader stepped out of the car with a bored look on his face as he saw the number of guests involved. He had never enjoyed being surrounded by so many people, most of all when everyone knew who he was and felt the necessity to stare at him so openly. Not to mention the agony of having to go through the night pretending to have a good time listening to countless number of people trying to suck up to him. Luckily it was an outdoor wedding reception. He could possibly sneak away and disappeared into the garden every now and then to relief his frustration.
He was escorted to the one of the VIP tables near the stage. Most of the VIPs had already arrived except for a few, including the one whose place was next to him. He glanced at the name on the placement card and remembered a short, middle aged man who was a little heavy in the mid section. Not an exciting tablemate, he thought. But at least he was an ally.
"Don't you know it's rude to look more beautiful than the bride?" A deep, husky voice sounded close to his ear. He didn't have to turn around to see who it was, and Mikhail didn't have to speak in Russian for him to identify that voice.
"Do you suggest I show up in rags?" He replied back in the same language. Why was he surprised? Of course, Mikhail was also invited.
"And you'd be just as gorgeous." The Russian smiled and seated himself on the empty chair next to him.
"That is someone else's seat." He gave the man a criticizing look, suggesting with his gaze that the man looked at the placement card.
"Not now, it isn't." Mikhail just shrugged and threw away the little piece of paper. He didn't even snigger. It was something that came naturally to him. Everything that got in his way shall be removed by whatever means possible. The unfortunate man whose place was stolen was in a way, lucky that he had arrived late.
Fei Long would have stared in awe at the shameless behavior had he not known Mikhail better. No rules had ever applied to Mikhail Arbatov. The worst thing about it was that he didn't have his own rules either. And to him the word 'discipline' meant something that applied to dogs, not humans. And so without a trace of conscience, the man continued to sit there and greeted other guests on the table, making conversation as if it had been his place all along.
Oh well, perhaps the damn wedding isn't going to be too boring after all, Fei Long thought. But sitting next to Mikhail in a public place might not be a good idea, especially when…
"Take your hand off my leg!" Fei Long said quietly through gritted teeth in Russian, praying to the gods no one on that table heard or understood the language and pinched hard on the hand under the table.
It didn't budge. And the shameless Russian was still smiling and making conversation as his hand reached underneath his cheongsam and roamed further up his thigh.
"Take it off or I will kill you!" Fei Long warned with a deadly glare that could shatter the wine glass in Mikhail's hand.
And that got his attention…somewhat.
"Would you rather have me do it over the table instead?" The man whispered back with a playful grin, leaning closer to his ear in a gesture that could very well be misleading.
Without thinking twice he stood up abruptly and excused himself from the table for a breath of fresh air. Had he stayed any longer he would not be able to suppress the urge to smack the Russian dead on that table. What the hell was Mikhail thinking?
"Don't follow me!" Fei Long said in irritation as soon as he saw the man catching up with him.
"How can you leave me alone there with all those idiots? You're so cruel."
"YOU'VE NEVER SEEN ME SO CRUEL!." Fei Long warned with a look that told the other man he wasn't kidding. And yet the taller man ignored him and continued to stroll in the garden by his side, looking all proud of himself and with a grin as wide as a clown.
"Can I hold your hand?" Mikhail asked innocently.
"Are you insane?" Fei Long stared at him in disbelief. Was there anything he could do to discourage this pervert at all? Sure, they'd share their beds. But at the moment it was at someone else's house, with guests, hundreds of them. Did he honestly think it was all right for two deadly mafia bosses to walk around holding hands wooing each other like lovebirds?
"When it comes to you? Always." The man said with absolutely no shame.
Fei Long just sighed and gave up. He had to admit, it flattered him a bit. Mikhail's confidence was extraordinary. He wasn't full of himself. He was just confident in everything that he ever said or done no matter how ridiculous it was. If anyone can possibly recite Romeo's declaration of love to Juliet to woo a girl in the 21st century and still get a date, it was Mikhail Arbatov. One might as well give him a sword and a white horse and they still wouldn't be out of place.
"Have you ever thought about what it'd be like to get married?" Mikhail asked merrily.
Here comes the next embarrassing question. Fei Long thought. Will he ever shut up?
"Have you ever considered the fact that I have no interest in women?" Fei Long replied. His eyes narrowed in irritation.
"A lot of men marry each other." The Russian defended himself.
"Not in Hong Kong. They don't." Great, now they were arguing like kids.
Suddenly a memory from his childhood flashed in his mind and his expression changed a little.
"What was that look?" Mikhail caught it just in time.
"Nothing." He swore if he was smiling it was only a split second. Did nothing escape the Russian's eyes at all?
"Bullshit. You're thinking of something. Tell me."
Only Mikhail would dare poke him that way. He still wasn't sure why it was so difficult for him to hate this man. But it was true. It was hard to hate him. And at times the man was a rather fun to be with. There were very few people he was close enough to talk to over things that didn't matter. Mikhail had become one of them. And that night in particular, he felt like making conversation.
"There was a boy at my father's birthday party." Fei Long began to recall the story from his childhood – one that didn't come back to him up until a moment ago. For some reasons the conversation with Mikhail had made the memory resurface. "I think I was six and he must have been a little older. He was looking at me in a weird way and the next minute he walked right up to my father who was standing next to me and said, 'Can I marry her?" Fei Long chuckled softly in his throat as he recalled. At the time he wanted to knock the kid's teeth out, but now that he looked back, it seemed rather innocent and adorable.
"Bold." Mikhail complimented laughingly. "What did you do? Stuffed a grenade in his mouth?" He was so sure that would have happen had it occurred in the present. It'd be fun to see someone with the nerve to call Fei Long a girl and the consequence he later suffered.
"I would have if I had one." Fei Long replied with a serious tone but with a playful look in his eyes, an expression that had Mikhail holding his breath without knowing.
It was more than rare to see Fei Long talk about things so leisurely and making jokes. His already beautiful complexion seemed to grow even more breathtaking when he smiled. When he was in that kind of mood, with his guards down, Fei Long can be surprisingly compassionate and tender in contrast to his profession. There was a perfect balance of yin and yang in his presence that made him so rare and unique. It was what first caught his attention, and the more he stayed around, the deeper he fell for the beautiful dragon.
"It's better than that." He added. His eyes sparkled in amusement as he spoke. A simple gesture, but to Mikhail, that made his heart sank to his stomach.
"When my father told him I was a boy, he said 'Can I marry him then?'" This time he laughed openly at the end of his sentence. Although still perfectly composed and elegant, he did laugh, and laughed innocently.
Mikhail found himself at a loss for words at the sight before him. Fei Long would never know this, but that was all it took for him to never set his eyes on any man or woman ever again. That was it. That laugh. The kindness in those eyes that reminded him of his mother, and the tenderness he radiated that filled his heart like nothing else could. That was the moment his fate was decided. It was to be right here, by this man's side, and nothing could ever change it.
"That's a great story." Mikhail smiled and ceased his steps.
"Except it was a New Year celebration. And you were five."
The Baishe leader blinked a few times, dumbfounded at what the statement implied. "That was you?"
"How could you have forgotten such an adorable kid?" winked, the Russian mafia.
At first he didn't really believe it, but now that he thought about it, it did make sense. Mikhail must have suffered from some kind of disease. Decades had passed and the man was still eight years old.
"I would have remembered if you were adorable." Fei Long sniggered.
"I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen." Mikhail said, laughing at the memory of himself on that day. While Fei Long barely remember it, he did very clearly, not to mention that it had been a joke in his family for decades.
Strangely, Fei Long found himself smiling at the look on the Rusian's face. Very few people could laugh wholeheartedly like Mikhail. Sometimes those blue eyes seemed as innocent and as honest as Tao's. And perhaps it was why he had allowed Mikhail to be that close.
"You know, you still are." Mikhail confirmed with a look that resembled very closely the boy from more than twenty years ago. And somehow it made him remember what it felt like to be young again. When he had a family. When Yan was just a protective brother. And when it was still appropriate for his father to pat him on his head, telling him how beautiful his hair was. It was the reason why he'd never found the courage to cut it. When everything else he did seemed to bring shame and misfortune to the family, his hair was perhaps the only thing about him that made his father proud.
"And my offer still stands." Mikhail said smilingly.
"What offer?"
"The marriage proposal?" replied the Russian with a big grin.
"You really are insane if you think I'm going to be your wife. Even IF I were a woman." Fei Long replied with a snort. The man did have a sense of humor.
"No need. You can be my husband," Mikhail made another offer. Lifting up his hands and started counting his fingers. "I'll cook, clean, do your laundry, make you lemonades and bake you cookies."
This time he had the privilege to see the great Liu Fei Long laughing out loud. "Are you going to be my wife or my maid?"
"All right, if you prefer." The Russian cleared his throat. "I'll clean your guns, go to boring meetings in your place, smuggle drugs for you with no cut, and whack your enemies at no charge. How does that sound?"
"Temping." Fei Long replied, grinning amusingly. "What else?" He hadn't heard anything so funny in years.
"Make you a warm bath, massage your feet," Mikhail paused for a second and stepped closer, bending over and whispered, "please you in bed?"
At that moment Fei Long wanted to curse himself. Why was it that his body reacted to this man's touch and seduction so sensitively? He was still laughing a minute ago and then he was already a little hard and his cheeks were a little warm.
"I have something for you." Mikhail reached into his pocket and brought out a little red leather box.
"Please tell me that's not a ring in there." Fei Long looked at the box in horror. Is this man for real?
"No, not exactly." Mikhail laughed as he opened the box. In it lied a small cylindrical pendent on a fine necklace. "Do you know what this is?"
"It's a pendent?" He didn't understand what else it could possibly be. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing." Mikhail smiled tenderly. Perhaps he was lucky Fei Long didn't know the meaning behind it or there would be little hope that he would accept the gift. "Will you wear it?"
"I don't wear jewelry."
"I strongly suggest you take it." Mikhail warned.
"Or what?" Fei Long snorted. What could Mikhail possibly threaten him with?
"Or I will grab a microphone from them," he pointed at the band that was performing on stage, "get down on my knees and propose to you from that stage. Do you know they're also filming the wedding?"
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" That moment he thought he was going to faint.
"I sing very well too, you know?" Mikhail said, looking like he was going to burst into song.
"Give me the goddamn necklace," Fei Long hurriedly snatched the box from his hand. That was Mikhail Arbatov. He was more than certain the man would do exactly what he said, if not more. And then he would have to start finding a place to bury himself.
"Wear it." The Russian dictated. "Or I'll also make sure they broadcast the tape on national television from here to….."
"Oh shut up!" He just had to cut in before he heard the whole sentence and put the thing around his neck or he was sure he'd start having brain damage. "Are you happy now?"
"Very." Mikhail replied with a wide smile on his face, one that resembled Tao when he received a compliment. And because he could never be angry with Tao, Mikhail with that kind of smile had made him grown equally soft. He would have to be a cold-blooded, insensitive prick to not be affected by such a big, honest smile and those baby blue eyes as eager as a puppy's. If he had a tail Mikhail would be wagging it right about now. Despite the embarrassing situation, it was kind of adorable.
"What am I going to do with you?" Fei Long sighed in defeat. Sometimes he really didn't know if he should beat him up to a pulp or cuddle the big teddy bear.
"Oh, God, please do something to me." Mikhail stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the slender waist, pulling him closer into his embrace as he whispered.
"All right, wife. What do you have in mind?" Fei Long teased, curling Mikhail's golden locks around his fingers. (secretly thinking about the whip and gag he had at home)
Mikhail responded with a kiss on his lips, one so tender that made him grew even softer.
Burying his face in the curtain of long black hair as smooth as silk, he whispered, "Why don't you start by taking me home with you?"