Axolotl Translations

“Hey—slow down!”

Gu Mengran practically landed on the bed. His back sank into the soft mattress just as Liang Zhao leaned over him, his eyes burning with barely held-back passion. With his wrists pinned tightly above his head, Gu Mengran couldn’t struggle at all. Gentle kisses brushed his nose, then his lips, and then trailed down to his neck, lingering there.

The cabin was bright and noisy. Sunlight poured straight through the clear plastic windows, and the rain hammered down on the roof in a messy rhythm, its patter echoing all around them. The clear walls made the horizon seem endless, giving the strange feeling that they were completely alone out in the wild.

It was too weird. Gu Mengran couldn’t lift his arms, so he bent his knees and nudged Liang Zhao with them.

“Calm down,” he said. “Can you please just calm down? It’s the middle of the day, come on—don’t be silly.”

But before he could finish telling him off, Liang Zhao pressed down on his legs, pinning those too. His lips, damp from the rain, moved slowly up Gu Mengran’s neck until they reached his ear, his voice low and coaxing: “Don’t be scared. It’s okay. There’s no one else out here but us.”

“This isn’t about being scared!” Gu Mengran laughed a little, nudging him again with his chin. “It’s broad daylight, for goodness sake—it feels like we’re about to do it in the middle of nowhere or something!”

Liang Zhao hadn’t completely lost it—not yet. He bit Gu Mengran’s earlobe lightly, almost sulking, before finally letting go and pulling back. But his breathing was fast and uneven. A couple of seconds later, he looked around, his eyes still flushed, and asked with an almost childlike urgency, “I—I’ll close the curtains, okay?”

Before Gu Mengran could even answer, he jumped up and rushed around the room, yanking all the curtains shut quickly, like he’d done it many times before. Darkness fell over the cabin instantly, with only a faint light coming through the skylight above. He came back to the bed, half hidden in shadow.

This wasn’t the Liang Zhao Gu Mengran knew. There was something wild in his eyes—untamed, dangerous, like he was about to snap. Like a wild animal barely holding itself back, ready to pounce. And yet, even with all that going on in his head, that wild animal looked no more threatening than a soft, fluffy kitten.

Gu Mengran’s eyes curved into a smile. Without thinking twice, he opened his arms wide.

“What are you waiting for? Get over here.”

Like a gust of wind through an open door, Liang Zhao flew back onto the bed. Grabbing Gu Mengran’s arms, he pulled him close and squeezed him in a tight hug.

Desire had taken over all reason. Before Gu Mengran could say another word, Liang Zhao tilted his chin and kissed him—hard.

Their breaths mixed, their mouths tangled together, and the kiss grew like a storm, intense and all-consuming, taking away what little sense they had left.

It felt like ants crawling all over his heart—a tingly, electric ache that pulled Gu Mengran deeper and deeper.

Another warm, wet kiss landed on his throat, and just like that, the hazy feeling broke. He blinked awake and lifted his arms to pull Liang Zhao close, a soft laugh escaping him.

“So impatient? Can’t you wait until tonight?”

The desire Liang Zhao stirred in him had long ago gone wild. Gu Mengran trembled all over—if he wasn’t holding onto Liang Zhao, he probably couldn’t even sit up straight. But that didn’t stop him from teasing. He liked seeing Liang Zhao on that edge between holding back and letting go for him.

Unfortunately, this time, Liang Zhao didn’t play along. A hot hand slid down to his waist. His white T-shirt floated softly to the floor. Liang Zhao kissed his cheek, his breath warm against his ear.

“I can’t wait anymore, Mengran. It’s too much.”

“Can’t even wait a few—”

A sudden chill went through the closed-up cabin. His shoulders felt cold. His legs, too. Gu Mengran shivered, holding tighter to Liang Zhao’s arms as he struggled to speak through trembling lips.

“You can’t even wait a few hours? Your self-control is just… just awful.”

“My self-control is bad?”

Liang Zhao chuckled softly. He reached up to brush some damp hair from Gu Mengran’s forehead and kissed the tip of his nose.

“From the moment I saw you again, I’ve been waiting every single day. Don’t think I’m some perfect person, Mengran. My feelings for you were never meant to be kept at a distance. I want to know—does the sun that lit up my younger days still feel as warm as I remember?”

“Wh—what are you even talking about? That’s so…” Gu Mengran was stunned—so stunned his words came out all mixed up. How could Liang Zhao say something like that with such a serious face?

Before he could gather his thoughts, Liang Zhao’s low voice whispered again, “In my dreams, you were always—”

“You were fantasizing about me?!” Gu Mengran’s eyes widened in disbelief. His face turned red as he cut him off.

Liang Zhao looked down, looking sorry. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

And just like that, Gu Mengran’s heart softened. He patted Liang Zhao’s firm back, ready to comfort him.

But before he could say anything, Liang Zhao’s lips curled into a sly smile. The guilty look in his eyes vanished in a flash, replaced by a playful sparkle.

“I promise it won’t happen again. I’ll just… experience it for myself.”

“You—!”

Whatever he was going to say never left his lips. Liang Zhao’s kiss came down hard and without holding back, stealing both his breath and his words.

The warmth of another person wrapped around him completely. Gu Mengran didn’t have any strength left to fight it. Just before his mind went completely blank, he managed to squeeze out a strained sentence:

“Wait… what’s that… down—”

“I know. Under the pillow.”

……

From afternoon until late at night, from inside the cabin to outside—there wasn’t a moment to rest.

The night felt heavy and still. After drying his hair, Gu Mengran slowly crawled back under the covers, every muscle in his body aching. He felt like his bones had come apart. His head didn’t even reach the pillow right. He tried to push himself up a little, but even that was too much—he could only wiggle upward bit by bit.

“Ah—!”

He accidentally pulled on something that hurt, taking a sharp breath in.

The buzzing of the hairdryer stopped. Liang Zhao, still just in a towel with damp hair, got into bed and put a hand on Gu Mengran’s shoulder.

“Trying to move up a little? I’ll help.”

“No!” Gu Mengran immediately bumped his head against Liang Zhao’s hand like a cat swatting away attention. “Get your dirty hands off me. Don’t touch.”

“Wow, ruthless,” Liang Zhao teased, tapping the end of his nose. “How are my hands dirty? Weren’t they just the ones that washed your hair, dried it, carried you to bed, and put on your medicine?”

Those long fingers started to playfully move around his face. Gu Mengran opened his mouth, about to bite him, but then stopped as an idea popped into his head. His face twisted in disgust, and he huffed out two sharp breaths. “Did you even wash properly? Don’t touch my face if you didn’t.”

Liang Zhao burst out laughing. “Who complains about their own body?”

“That’s not me, that’s you I’m complaining about!”

Still chuckling, Liang Zhao tossed the towel aside, lifted the blanket, and slipped underneath. The heat coming off him pressed against Gu Mengran without warning. Gu Mengran’s shoulders jerked up defensively, startled.

“What are you doing?! Your hair’s still wet!”

“It’s almost dry.” Liang Zhao turned to lie on his side, resting one arm on Gu Mengran’s pillow, a lazy smile spreading across his face. “Mengran, I was thinking—”

“No, you were not!” Gu Mengran cut him off instantly and scooted away despite his soreness, glaring at him. “Are you even human, Liang Zhao? A whole box of four and you used all of them?! And you’re still thinking of more? There is something seriously wrong with you. Normal people don’t have that kind of stamina!”

There’s a saying: it’s never the land that gives out, just the ox that’s overworked.

But with them, it was clear the roles were reversed. Gu Mengran was sore from head to toe, completely worn out, while Liang Zhao was full of energy—like he’d just downed a ton of coffee.

Sure, once you got used to it, the whole thing was kind of… strangely enjoyable. But they couldn’t just keep doing that, right?

Seeing the caution in Gu Mengran’s eyes, Liang Zhao barely stopped himself from laughing. He messed up his hair playfully.

“Relax. Can I at least say something? I just want to hold you and sleep.”

Had he… gotten him wrong? Gu Mengran froze, then quickly dismissed the thought.

“No way. Go sleep by yourself. You’ve already completely ruined any trust we had.”

“Why?” Liang Zhao blinked innocently, his fingers playing with Gu Mengran’s earlobe.

“Why?” Gu Mengran stared at him, furious. “You said we were just going to take a shower and sleep—then two hours later we still weren’t done! You said it was just putting on cream—then we had to ‘go wash up’ again. You liar. You’re just a big, horny—”

Before he could finish, Liang Zhao wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him close, firmly and so he couldn’t escape. Warm skin pressed against his, immediately bringing back a rush of very inappropriate memories. Gu Mengran raised his hand to push him away—until he heard that low, rough voice in his ear:

“Does it really hurt that much? Are you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, Mengran… I got too carried away. I wasn’t thinking about how you’d feel.”

Like someone throwing a bucket of cold water on a fire, the frustration inside him vanished instantly. Gu Mengran stopped fighting, curling up in Liang Zhao’s arms like a small bird. He stayed quiet for only a minute or two before he heard a soft, almost silent sigh above him. Gu Mengran bit his lip, then mumbled awkwardly: “…It’s not that bad. Actually, once you get used to it, it’s… kind of nice. Just… kind of exhausting.”

First-time driver. Great equipment. Skills… still need work.

But knowing how sensitive Liang Zhao could be, Gu Mengran didn’t want to criticize him too harshly. After thinking for a moment, he added seriously, “You just need more practice. You can learn how to do it better. And, um… I like being close to you. It feels… really special.”

“Really? So… more practice?” Liang Zhao repeated quietly, still sounding a little unsure.

“Mhm.” Gu Mengran nodded and, for once, didn’t pull away from his hug. In fact, just to make him feel better, he even snuggled in a little closer.

But barely two seconds later, he froze—his whole body going stiff. His face darkened as he gritted his teeth and hissed, “Liang Zhao. Did you just trick me?”

Feeling him about to get away, Liang Zhao tightened his arms around him and held him firmly. He kissed the soft hair on Gu Mengran’s head, his voice full of amusement.

“Didn’t you say we should practice more? And now you won’t even give me a chance?”

There was no way out. Giving up, Gu Mengran buried his face in Liang Zhao’s chest and grumbled like a spoiled cat, “Tomorrow, okay? My back really hurts…”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop teasing. If he doesn’t know how to behave, I do. Let me give you a massage.”

Liang Zhao propped Gu Mengran’s head up with one arm and slid the other under the covers, gently rubbing his waist with slow, steady movements—no funny stuff this time.

He was surprisingly good at it. Slowly, Gu Mengran relaxed, his eyes closing in comfort. Exhaustion quickly took over. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt a soft kiss on the top of his head, followed by Liang Zhao’s whisper: “This feels so nice… I wish I could hold you like this forever.”

Sleepiness faded a little. Gu Mengran laughed, his face still tucked into his chest.

“Forever? Try just a few months. We’ll both end up with frozen shoulders and slipped discs.”

Liang Zhao: …So much for romance.

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