I Let You Get Close

A prickly, thunderbolt-tempered uke in the dog days of summer x an older, nurturing, guiding top

Xiang Du quit his job and returned to his hometown. His grandmother was home, and they had a little courtyard: flowers and fish in front, vegetables and chickens in back.

He heard the new neighbor was named Tang Zhaoye, and was handsome, sturdy, and good-looking.

When he got home and saw him, the description was only half right.

He was pretty handsome, but not as pretty as Xiang Du!

Still, he was definitely sturdy, sturdy enough to make Xiang Du want to reach out and feel him up.

Tang Zhaoye returned to his hometown to build a house and hired Xiang Du to design it. As they spent time together, he stopped acting like an outsider and started making plenty of demands.

He wanted coffee made by Xiang Du's own hands, and it had to be "imported."

As if inviting himself inside weren't enough, he also wanted to eat and sleep with Xiang Du, and wouldn't leave his room.

That summer, they harvested rice, picked lotus pods, dug up lotus shoots, and caught shrimp and fish in the countryside. They bickered constantly, and before long, feelings blossomed between them.

Tang Zhaoye: I like you.

Xiang Du: Get lost! (Go on, I dare you.)

Tang Zhaoye: Let's date.

Xiang Du: No! (Yet he let the other man take his hand and move in for a kiss.)

They weren't officially dating, but seemed more like lovers than any couple.

He realized you liked him before you did. He didn't say a word or rush you; he just quietly planned your future as an us.

One-on-one, happy ending.

You bristle, I'll smooth your fur. Older-man pampering, just pure sweetness!

Theme: Keep moving forward and upward.