My Guardian Is a Monster

When Xing Lou was eighteen, he moved out of the orphanage and into Iris Street, where he and his guardian, Mr. Moon, ran a flower shop. Life on Iris Street was always so happy. He woke each morning to Mr. Moon's gentle calls, ate the carefully prepared breakfast, greeted Aunt Mary from the bakery next door, then hurried to catch the last bus to university. After a day of hard studying, he would happily run home in the fading sunlight and get a hug from Mr. Moon, followed by dinner, a bedtime story, and the essential goodnight kiss. After saying goodnight to Mr. Moon, he would drift into a lovely dream beneath the bright moonlight, then wake up the next day and repeat the same wonderful routine. But beneath this peaceful life, something always seemed a little off. The room was always mysteriously damp. White grains of salt were left behind on the balcony. Something was always shifting in the shadows, and now and then he caught a glimpse of something black in the corner of his eye. But those were all minor problems, Xing Lou thought dizzily as he lay in Mr. Moon's cold embrace. He would rest his head on Mr. Moon's chest, listen to the gentle sound of waves coming from within, and spend one peaceful night after another. In this life, Xing Lou's biggest complaints were that his guardian wouldn't let him be picky about food and wouldn't sleep with him. But lately, Xing Lou had been a little irritable. Strange people kept appearing around him, looking at him with feverish, reverent eyes and saying things he couldn't understand. At last, one day, those people stormed into his home. Flowerpots shattered across the floor, and soft petals were trampled beneath their feet, oozing bright red juice. With fear and revulsion, they said Mr. Moon was a terrifying monster from the dark sky, a twisted evil god from the deep sea, where shadows churned. They gazed fervently at the boy and declared that he was the one true god who could save the world. To let the true god see the monster's true form, they gave Xing Lou a lens. Through it, the warm and peaceful flower shop looked completely different. Damp fog shrouded the entire house, and cold, slick tentacles swam through the mist. Even the vague outline of the immense creature was enough to reveal the horror of that indescribable being. The broken flowers twisted and laughed in the fog, while the soft earth heaved in a steady rhythm, breathing as if it were alive. The intruders waited for the true god to rage and turn around. Xing Lou, however, stared intently at the monster and counted on his fingers, looking increasingly troubled. "One, two, three... sixteen... forty-nine..." The more Xing Lou counted, the more dejected he became. His future boyfriend had so many tentacles. Just how many rings would he need to save up for before he could propose? He'd have to work hard and save money! As he thought this, he reached toward the monster coiled around the house and asked unhappily, "Why aren't you hugging me?" The monster sighed, then stopped hesitating and gathered the lamb who knew no fear into its arms. The fog swallowed him, the tentacles engulfed him, and the monster's star kept chattering away as it complained. "They're bad people." "Mm." "We have to take them to the police!" "All right." "If there's a reward, can I have it...?" "You can have all of it." Whatever you want, I'll give it to you, the monster promised silently. But the monster would also ask for a gift in return. There was no need to worry, though. The gift had already obediently walked into its arms. Bonus Scene 1: One day, an evil god awoke from the depths of the sea and was about to pass through the city. The inspectors from the Bureau of Unusual Affairs were on edge, braced for the worst. They had all written their last letters and were ready to kill themselves before they went completely [mad]. After all, even if the god meant humanity no harm, merely perceiving it was more than they could bear. But when the evil god appeared, every inspector fell silent. Could that being, covered in flashy, glowing rings, really be an evil god? After the god left, the new inspector remained silent for a long time. The old team leader thought he had been contaminated and was about to send him to the isolation room when the new recruit suddenly slapped his forehead in frustration. "Ah, I remember! Those are the Ocean Adventure anniversary rings!" "Damn it, I tried everything and still couldn't get one! Why does an evil god have them?!" "Why is a god fighting humans for merch? That's so unfair!" The old team leader fell silent, then smiled grimly. Sure enough, the new recruit was badly contaminated. He'd have to spend another week in the isolation room. Meanwhile, the passing evil god hurried home with his sleeping boyfriend, so they could watch tonight's episode of Ocean Adventure together. Bonus Scene 2: At first, Xing Lou thought there wasn't much wrong with his boyfriend having tentacles, apart from needing to save up an awful lot of money to buy an awful lot of rings before he could propose. Later, wrapped up in those tentacles, he whimpered as he tried to negotiate with his boyfriend... "Can we, can we get married first? Could you make up for the rings later...?" The monster softly agreed, then continued building its nest through his open mouth. So now, there's nothing wrong at all with his boyfriend having tentacles. Reader's guide: 1. An atypical evil god story, with only the tiniest hint of cosmic horror. A sweet, slice-of-life romance where the top and bottom kiss, hug, and cuddle every day. The top isn't an evil god in the usual sense, and the bottom isn't human in the usual sense. 2. The guardian relationship is simply how the top and bottom address each other. The bottom was already an adult when they met. 3. This is a parallel-world expansion of the monster and rose story from the third world of Red Rose and White Moonlight Got Their Happy Ending. Apart from the top and bottom's characterizations, everything else is different. You won't miss anything if you don't read it. Theme: Love knows no bounds