fancy running you over

[Tyson Liu]

He was ashamed to say that this was perhaps the first and only time he broke down like a baby in public. Tyson and emotional didn't belong in the same sentence together. Even when Bohai passed away, he went through the motions of burying him stone-faced. He didn't speak to a single person for nearly a month as he grieved, and the people around him who knew him left him alone to work through his emotions.

But this wasn't something he could 'work through' and come out on the other end feeling okay. The only thing that Tyson realized was that life was not worth living without Bohai. It was too much to have found his soul mate, then to have him ripped forcibly out of his life--and somehow 'be okay' with it. He wasn't okay with it and so, if this last-ditch effort hadn't panned out... Tyson was fully prepared to join Bohai, wherever he may be. It was better than living an entire lifetime without him.

He gazed down at Bohai--or the girl whose body Bohai inhabited--as hands came up to cup his face. The motion was familiar but everything else was so strange, knowing that behind that girl's face was his Bohai. "I know," he managed to whisper as he pulled Bohai back in close, lowering his head into the crook of the girl's neck. It was... foreign. He was used to holding a body as tall as he was, as strong and athletic. Now it felt like there was so little to hold, like the last few days of Bohai's short life when he began to waste away. Just... a tiny sliver of Bohai to grasp onto with desperate hands...

"...don't go..." His voice was a tremulous, barely-audible whisper. Words he wanted to say to Bohai in his last days, but couldn't because he knew that he had to be strong for both of them. Tyson held him tight, tight, tight... "Please don't go."

[Zhou Luli]

"I won't."

He wouldn't. He wouldn't go anywhere. There were no plans to go anywhere. If he could stay at Ty's side for the rest of time, or for the rest of Ty's time before they could be truly reunited, then that was what he planned to do! He clung to Tyson, almost in disbelief. He... he could feel him, so familiar. He could smell him, the familiar scent of his shampoo, his skin. The familiar body, the shape, the voice. His heart ached for Tyson; how foreign it must feel now to be holding somebody else.

But he swore, it was him. It was him inside.

"I love you. Forever." And beyond time. Always. He wanted to say more; there was so much more to share, to talk about. They had so much time to explain things. Bohai had so much to tell Tyson! But he could feel something in the back of his mind pushing and his heart beat faster as he realized what was happening.

"No... no... no..." he murmured, trying to push the girl back. This was his time! His time!

[Tyson Liu]

He could live with this—with her. Tyson was so relieved to have Bohai back that he didn't care if the body was different, as long as they could be together. Happiness wasn't dependent on appearances; Tyson fell in love with Bohai's free spirit, with his sense of humor, with the way that he made Tyson's life more complete in every single way. They were light and dark, yin and yang, two parts of a whole.

"I love you too," he mirrored, holding Bohai close. Part of him was afraid that Bohai would disappear again. Or, worse, that he would wake up to an empty bed and empty apartment, with all the echoes of their laughter haunting his nights and days. His fingers clenched around the girl's coat and he shut his eyes tight and prayed. Tyson prayed with everything he had to keep him, but...

"Bo? What is it?" He pulled back as Bohai began to mutter, alarm written in every line of his face. Tyson shook his head, frantic again. No no no... no he couldn't lose Bohai again! Not again! Clinging to his lover in desperation, Tyson breathed in sharply and erratically. "No please. Please stay. Please please don't go Bo. Don't go!"

[Zhou Luli]

"I... I... I'm trying," he said, furrowing the girl's brow as he concentrated on staying in the body. But he was still weak in spirit and the girl had a lot more experience dealing with belligerent spirits. After a moment, she successfully pushed him away and immediately, she tried to move away from the man called Tyson. Bohai, meanwhile, was left helplessly standing over them, watching as his beloved Tyson tried to hold onto him.

//No! NO! TY! Can you hear me?!// he called in vain. Luli shook her head, both as a response and also to shake off the remnants of Bohai's heavy, desperate emotions. That kind of emotion took a toll on her; she couldn't hold onto a spirit that long when they were feeling things so strongly. It ended up confusing her and that always ended with her pulling away. She had to; part of her was afraid she could lose her whole identity to a spirit that was stubborn and dedicated enough.

"I'm--I'm really sorry!" Luli said. "But I... I can't let him stay any longer."

[Tyson Liu]

Just like that...

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, Bohai was gone. Tyson knew it because he knew Bohai's manner, his demeanor, even the way he held himself and once Bohai was gone, and the girl had come back, everything was different. He didn't let the girl go, though, despite her attempt to twist out of his grasp. He held on to her by the upper arms, gripping her tightly.

"No! Bring him back!" Wild-eyed and with that ugly desperation welling up inside, Tyson shook her as though he might somehow dislodge her and allow Bohai to slip back in. "Bring Bohai back! Bring him back, you have to bring him back! Bohai! Bohai!"

[Zhou Luli]

They were both so mad at her!

No... Mad wasn't the word. They were both desperate. And sad. They were both really sad. And they wanted to be together but... but how was Luli supposed to help with that? She couldn't just be Bohai forever! She had her own life and she couldn't throw it all away to let that guy take over her body. Besides... she didn't think she could just give up her body like that. What would happen to her spirit?! It scared her and she tried in vain to get away from the man who held onto her, demanding that she bring back his lover.

"I--I can't!"

Which was maybe a little bit of a lie. He was still there, hovering close by, also demanding to use her body just a little longer. Pleading with her. But she... she couldn't!

"I can't!" she said again, trying to steady herself because the shaking was giving her an awful headache and truthfully making her feel a little sick. "Let go of me!"

[Tyson Liu]

"Is he still here?!" Tyson wasn't letting go. He wasn't letting go of her, if she was his last chance at being able to reunite with Bohai! Although he stopped shaking her around, he kept a hold of her and searched her desperately, trying to find any last hint that Bohai was inside. This was beyond his ability to understand but he knew that for a brief moment, Bohai had been there.

It didn't matter at all how that was possible. Tyson wasn't a superstitious person normally; he didn't believe in things like ghosts and goblins. Psychics were hacks that gullible people turned to and he used to laugh about it but... Now he was on the other side. Now he was the desperate one, searching for even the tiniest shred of hope.

"What happened to him? Where is he?!" Tyson looked up as though he could see something up in the air. Was Bohai nearby? Was he trying to get back into this girl's body, to talk to him again, to touch him and hold him and tell him that he loved him?

[Zhou Luli]

"Y-yes!"

She looked around, just as the man--Tyson--did. Could he see him? Tilting her head, she regarded the wild look in his eyes and how he never settled right onto Bohai, despite him standing perfectly still beside her. No, no, he couldn't see him. Disappointment shuddered through her and she could tell that it was partly a remnant of Bohai, too. He was disappointed. He was upset at not being able to be seen and experienced by his lover. Ex-lover. Hm. What did a person call that?

Luli gently brushed the air where Bohai stood, even if she could have pointed anywhere and the poor man would have believed her. Luli had never used her abilities to laugh at somebody, although she had seen her family cheat people... She wasn't really on board with that, either.

"He's still here. He's been following me for a while, looking for you. But listen, listen!" Before he went around asking her to let him in again, she had to be clear and put her foot down. "I can't keep channeling him for you. I mean... I can channel him for you... sometimes. But not... it's not something that's meant to happen for um... extended periods of time? It's tiring and it wears out the body!"

She reached up and grasped at her hair, self conscious. "My mother said it made her go grey early!"

[Tyson Liu]

"He's still here?"

Tyson's heart settled down a little, from a frantic drumbeat to a dull thump. He looked to the place where the girl indicated and then let go of her so that he too could touch the air where Bohai was. Did he touch him? Any part of him? Was Bohai standing right there?

She said he'd been following him... Bohai had been with him. For how long? What had he seen? Had he been there while Tyson grieved? Was he always there, beside him, while he traveled across the country, searching for someone—anyone—who could help him reconnect with his lover? Did he know how close Tyson had been to... joining him?

"Bohai?" Tyson stepped closer to the spot where Bohai was, only half listening to the girl now. She could channel him... sometimes. That was better than nothing, but it wasn't nearly enough for Tyson. He needed Bohai forever. They were supposed to be together for all their lives—this one, the next, the one after that...

"You can channel him again? He's not going away?" Finally he looked back at the girl, as though only just noticing her. Tyson reached down and took her hand, this time with a far less aggressive grip. He just wanted to hold on to her—to hold on to his chances at seeing Bohai again. "When? When can I talk to him again?"

[Zhou Luli]

The sound that came out of Bohai as his lover reached for him and his hand moved right through him... It almost didn't sound human. Like an animal, a hurt animal. It made Luli's heart wrench for him. This was the trouble with channeling spirits. It was impossible for her not to feel for them, especially once they'd made the bond of sharing a body. Luli lowered her head and listened to Tyson move closer to the ghost.

//Ty... I'm here! I'm right here! Just keep looking and you'll--I know you'll see me!//

Luli raised her hands up to her face. It was horrific. Why did they have to be separated? Even knowing she could help soothe it for a little while, in the end... one of them was dead and the other was alive. And the worst part was, even if Tyson tried to join him in the afterlife, there was no guarantee that he would. That was the worst part. They could be apart forever.

"Um, well," Luli said, lowering her hands, only to have Tyson take one of them. More gently this time, at least. "I just... I need to eat a lot to get my energy back up. And a good night's rest. I can try after that...?"

[Tyson Liu]

"All right." He held on to her hand and started walking towards the center of town, where there was sure to be restaurants and hotels--food and rest, she said. And then he could have Bohai back again. That seemed fair and although Tyson was already impatient, looking forward to speaking with his departed lover, he knew that he shouldn't push the girl too hard. If something happened to her, he might never speak to Bohai again...

"What's your name? Is there anything you want to eat in particular?" The wind picked up behind them, as though pushing them towards town. He tried to shield her as he walked; she was now the most precious thing in the world to him and he was going to make damn well sure nothing happened to her. Not even a cold, not so much as a sniffle.

[Zhou Luli]

Oh! He was being so gentlemanly! Luli didn't think she was one that easily swooned but... he was a handsome, tall man and he looked just like a prince from a fairy tale! She wanted to smack herself on both cheeks to wake herself up from her weird dream. Besides... he wasn't just being nice to be nice. He had that past lover of his literally lingering behind them as they walked through the sudden storm that came out of nowhere.

"I'm Zhou Luli. You can just call me Luli!" And since he didn't really introduce himself, she gently poked him over the heart. "And you're Tyson, I know that much."

From his boyfriend, the one that was still lingering and watching their every move. It made things a little uncomfortable but it wasn't like it was new; Luli had been stalked by ghosts since she was a baby. Lucky for her, she had come from a family that knew what she was seeing and talking to. Otherwise, life could have been a lot rougher!

"Have you tried the Panda Panda Palace?" she asked eagerly. "The cooks there are old friends of my mom and they're really, really good! Wonton soup sounds perfect right now that it's raining. What do you think?"

[Tyson Liu]

"Luli..." He repeated her name softly under his breath to commit it to memory. Now he had a name and if he ever got separated from her, he knew who to look for. Good. As for his own name, well, obviously it was Tyson, and he half-smiled at the poke to the chest. Right where it felt the most hollow. "Yes, I'm Tyson. Liu." His name probably meant nothing to her—not unless she was an avid art fan—but hers meant everything to him.

As they walked, Tyson kept looking around, trying to see Bohai. Was he here? There? Was he beside Tyson? Briefly he reached out into the space beside his free hand, as though to reach for another hand, and then slowly he pulled it back. He couldn't touch Bohai, not unless he was in Luli's body, but... still. It still felt better to know that Bohai was there, beside him, watching over him.

"Hm? Panda Panda Palace? Is that anything like Panda Express?" He didn't know about these small-town Asian restaurants but he wasn't the one eating. The last thing he felt like doing was stuff his face. His thoughts were too preoccupied by Bohai and by what just happened with Luli. Tyson's hand around hers tightened slightly as he fought his way against the wind, which had picked up considerably.

"It sounds fine. I'll buy you anything you want. But I don't know where it is, so you'll have to lead the way." He pulled her closer as fat droplets began to fall. "Should we run for it?"

[Zhou Luli]

"A little. But less fast food and more hometown food!"

It was located in the part of town they called Little Asia because of the pocket of Asians that had taken up residence within. It was a cool place to Luli, who enjoyed perusing the pretty shops and the various places to eat. Luli smiled as the hand that held hers tightened slightly and she swung their hands together.

"Okay! Ready? Run!"

She laughed a little as she led Tyson to the little restaurant with its lanterns and window painting of little roly-poly pandas. It was a cute little place but of course, the food was the real reason to eat there. They entered as quickly as possible but they were still pretty soaked from the savage storm that came out of nowhere outside. Meanwhile, the inside of the restaurant was bustling and warm. It seemed several others had taken refuge inside as well.

"Where do you want to sit?" Luli asked. Then: "Bohai says he wants to sit there."

She pointed to a table near a window. "He says he likes sitting by the windows?"

[Tyson Liu]

Dashing through the rain against the wind robbed Tyson of nearly all his breath; it felt a little like that first moment he met Bohai, with all the air escaping out of his lungs. That seemed like a lifetime ago, though. So much had happened between that fateful moment and now, as he tried to outrun a storm with Luli laughing by his side. Tyson didn't laugh; adrenaline ran through him but not exhilaration, because all of his laughter and all of his joy went with Bohai.

Inside the restaurant, he was enveloped in warmth and the familiar scents of Asian food. Diners chattered amongst themselves, adding to the busy atmosphere and contributing to the noise level. Tyson preferred to eat in quiet surroundings, but beggars couldn't exactly be choosers here. He was about to head off towards an empty table when Luli pointed to one by the window and Tyson stopped short.

"...he did. He... does." Bohai was here, he had to remember that. Bohai was with him. Tyson strode boldly over to the table by the window and pulled out a chair for Luli first, before seating himself. A kindly middle-aged waitress came over to hand them steaming cups of green tea and pushed menus before them. Tyson barely looked at his; he studied the empty seat beside him with faraway eyes, wondering if Bohai was there now, sitting beside him...

"Order anything you want," he said absently to Luli as he finally tore his gaze away from the chair. But under the table, he rested a hand on the edge of the seat.