Rekindle (18/20)
- EIGHTEEN -
Yixing decided to stay at Yifan's place for the time being. He sent a short message to both of his parents so that they won't worry much knowing that their son is just on the other side of the street. Although he wasn't really planning on sending the message but because of Yifan's persistence he gave up and sent his location to his parents. They didn't give him a reply which made him feel stupid to think that they would care.
"Here." Yifan handed him a mug of tea which Yifan had a hard time looking for because he only drinks hot chocolate or juice whenever he's home so the location of the tea was unbeknownst to him. The smaller boy took the tea gratefully and sipped away in silence.
"The guest room is already prepared if you want to sleep now?" Yifan was being subtle because his eyes are closing on their own already but of course he doesn't want Yixing to feel unwanted as well.
"I can't sleep, really. You can go ahead. I'll just go up later." Yifan nodded and made a move to leave for his bedroom. He flicked the light on for the guest room even if he knows Yixing is aware of where it is. He immediately fell asleep when he fell face flat on the mattress.
He woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of sniffling and quiet sobbing. He didn't even notice when Yixing dragged himself up to the guest room but he knows that the only other person in the house is him. In his daze, he slowly gets up and makes his way to where he knows his best friend should be. He knocked and for a while the sniffling and the sobbing stopped before the door opened just slightly; only to show half of Yixing's face.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"
"No, no." Yifan shook his head but he didn't want to lie either so he added: "You did but it's okay."
Yixing looks like he's stopping himself from crying just so he can hold a proper conversation with Yifan. He didn't like seeing his best friend sad and now that he's crying he felt like his heart was breaking.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Yixing shook his head instantly.
"I'm fine, really." He mumbled as he tried to hide more behind the door.
"You can't tell me you're fine when you have snot running down your nose." Yixing immediately blocked his nose and mouth from Yifan's playful eyes.
"Maybe you'll feel a bit better if you talk about it. I told you not to keep it to yourself."
"I know but I don't want to bother you." Yixing looks down and fiddles with the hem of his shirt because to him staying at the Wu residence is already too much of a bother for his best friend.
"Please Yixing. If anything I'm the one bothering you from your crying here." The smaller still didn’t say anything because he’s so close to breaking down again in front of Yifan.
"Can I come in?" Yixing doesn’t answer but he opens the door wider and steps aside so his best friend can enter the room. Yifan immediately sat down on the bed and patted the space beside him. The younger slowly walked his way to the bed and sat a few inches away from Yifan who immediately rubbed his back. He couldn’t take it anymore and the sobs broke out again. He wanted to stop crying but there was nothing he can do when Yifan is enveloping him in his embrace and whispering to him words that he hoped to hear from his parents.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Yifan kept repeating his words in hopes that Yixing will calm down and realize that his parents are probably just surprised to hear his confession.
“Y-you s-should’ve seen their faces…they look…they look like…they don’t want anything to do with me…” Yixing had a hard time letting his words out in between his gasps for air. The words were a bit muffled because his face is pressed to Yifan’s chest.
“They’re just shocked, Yixing. Give them time.” Yixing’s still shaking in his hold even if his hands are firmly gripping on his shoulders and arms to stop him from doing so. “You can stay here as long as you need.”
“They looked disgusted and disappointed, Yifan.” His teeth were chattering as his whole body shook from all the emotions coursing through his veins. He tried to keep his eyes open because when he closes them, the faces of his parents are engraved on his lids; the way they looked disappointed with his words and how he knows just by that look that they’re embarrassed of him.
“That’s not true, Xing.” Yifan pulls back and he uses his thumbs to wipe away the tears on his best friend’s face. He can’t bear to see Yixing like this all the time but there’s no one else he’s left to turn to. He has to be strong for him to be there for him.
“You’re wonderful. There’s no reason for them to think that way when all of you’ve done is to succeed.” Yixing is trying his best to look at Yifan and he’s glad he has him back in his life. Even if his parents spite him for who he is, he knows there’s someone who still sees him in a positive light.
They don’t say anything afterwards and only Yixing’s sobbing fills the room as it dies down to sniffles.
They end up sleeping in the queen size bed with Yifan spooning Yixing from behind. It took the younger quite some time to get a wink but with Yifan behind him, it felt comforting and helped him not to think of what transpired just hours ago. And he can’t deny the fact that ever since they came back from Changsha, he had a hard time sleeping because he missed sharing a bed with the big guy.
~*~
"Morning, Xing." Yifan was the first to wake up with Yixing’s head on his arm. The weight was welcomed especially when his best friend turned around at his greeting.
"I have practice at nine." He murmured after returning the taller’s greeting.
"It's just seven." Yifan announces after looking at the clock above their heads.
"Mrs. Park usually has breakfast ready by eight. We can laze around a bit more." Yixing realized that Yifan still has his arms around him and they grew tighter when Yifan buried his nose in Yixing's hair. He knows he should be denying the older of the physical contact but at the same time he also feels very safe in his arms and it all feels right to him.
Yixing decided to free himself from Yifan with the excuse that it would be better to take a shower already so he doesn't have to rush his way to the hall. The older offered for the driver to send him to the place of their practice but he declined it.
When he saw Yixing disappear into the guest bathroom, he rolled around and inhaled Yixing’s scent from the younger’s pillow before falling back to sleep only to be awaken by Mrs. Park calling him for breakfast already.
~*~
It’s already been two days since Yixing started staying at their house and Yifan never really went out during school vacations unless Chanyeol or any of the boys ask him to play basketball or just go out for movies.
"Yixing hyung?" Chanyeol tilted his head as he saw Yixing going down the stairs and he shook his head as if to make sure that it really is Yixing that he’s seeing.
"Oh, hi Chanyeol!” The smaller hyung greets him as he makes his way to the dining table to get a sandwich prepared by Mrs. Park.
“I'll be out, Fan. See you later." Yifan can see the red rimming Yixing’s puffy eyes even if he tries not to look at Yifan directly. He can’t blame him since his parents haven’t tried communicating with him again even if they’re just right across the street. He stood up and walked to the door where Yixing is struggling with his shoes. When Yixing stood up again to leave, Yifan turns him around and gives him a hug.
“Don’t think too much.” He whispered before he released Yixing and he added: “Take care.”
"Why is he here?" Chanyeol asks when he hears the door close after Yixing. He stood frozen on his spot and just watched as Yifan sent Yixing off.
"He's staying here for the mean time."
“Yeah, I can see that but why?” The vice-captain insists and he has his eyes trained on Yifan until the older is sat back on his chair and even then, Chanyeol’s eyes only intensified.
“I don’t think it’s my place to answer that.” That made him pull back and realize that maybe there is a reason that can’t be told to him and he respects that.
"Do you know what this means?" Chanyeol suddenly said and Yifan doesn’t have an answer because whenever the younger boy has that face like he just had a great idea, most likely it isn’t a great idea.
"The gods have congregated and made this opportunity for you!" Yifan thanks that Mrs. Park is already out and not watching the disgrace that Chanyeol is being at the moment.
"First of all, I never thought you knew such a word and second I'm not going to take advantage of my friend when he's at his weakest." Yifan answered before forcefully putting bacon in his mouth.
"It's now or never, hyung." The older sighed heavily and answered back after downing the whole glass of orange juice beside him. Chanyeol looks at him weirdly afterwards.
"I know. I know and I get it. I just need the proper time to tell him.” There’s distress in his voice and he knows what Yixing is going through right now and he doesn’t want to add up to the things that the younger is thinking of at the moment.
“Yixing’s not the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind, not that I’ve ever done that. I just want to take things slow and not scare him away." He doesn’t exactly know what his best friend feels for him, if there is any, but after Changsha and what happened a few nights ago, one thing is for sure: he just wants to make Yixing happy, all the time.
Chanyeol looks at him and tries not to laugh when he said he just wanted to take things slow. “Trust me, hyung, at this pace you’re already slower than the tortoise.”
~*~
“What are you doing here?” Yifan looks at a petite figure standing in front of their gate with bags of chips from the local convenience store.
“Chanyeol told me we have a crisis and he asked me to come here.” Baekhyun answered nonchalantly then he’s waving at Chanyeol’s figure behind Yifan.
Yifan turns around and scowls at Chanyeol before speaking, “Since when did I give you permission to invite people to my house?”
“Oh come on, you’ll thank me after this.” Chanyeol pushes him aside and pulls Baekhyun in before going straight to the living room.
After three bags of chips and two movies, Yifan finally asked what Baekhyun is actually doing there. He doesn’t really like the fact that the two are trying to inconspicuously flirt with each other in front of him in his own house.
“We have to plan how you’ll confess to Yixing hyung.” Baekhyun answered as Chanyeol pulled a notebook and a pen from his backpack, poised to write on a blank page right away.
“No, no, no. We’re not doing this.” He wildly waved his hands before him in protest of the younger couple’s idea. He had to do it his way. He wanted it to be sincere and nothing extremely fancy but he doesn’t really know what Yixing likes and how he wants to be confessed to.
“Hyung, classes are starting in a few days. We can’t have you still single by then nor will we let Yixing hyung go back to school without holding hands with you.” Chanyeol countered him and the younger is already sick of seeing the two denying each other when they look like a perfect fit for each other.
“You don’t even know if Yixing likes me.” Baekhyun and Chanyeol can’t help but slap their hands over their faces before wiping their palms over it in hopes of removing the frustration they’re feeling over Yifan’s situation.
“Man, you two are so dense.” Chanyeol says in exasperation before turning to Baekhyun.
“Promise me, we will make this happen.” Baekhyun gave him a firm nod before they both eyed Yifan who suddenly felt hot at their intense stares.
The two planned in front of him and even if he pretended he didn’t care, his ears are wide open and eavesdropping their planning even if he knows they’ll let him on it later on. He learned that Yixing doesn’t really like anything fancy but he really appreciates surprises so they planned to do the confession at the end of the week at Yifan’s backyard where they’ll prepare a dinner for the both of them with Mrs. Park’s help of course.
~*~
Yifan heard a soft knock on his door before Yixing popped his head in with a shy smile gracing his face.
“Wanna play?” Yifan noticed the basketball tucked in Yixing’s arms. Even though he played basketball with Chanyeol the day before to end his sleep over, he can’t say no to Yixing. And it’s basketball, he’ll never say no to basketball.
They find themselves in one of the open courts near the park where some boys from their school are playing too. They played with them for a while before the boys bid them good bye then it was just the two of them and the basketball. The duo call it quits when they tied in points already. Yifan offered to buy them something to drink while Yixing waits for him on one of the benches in the park.
Yixing patiently waits for Yifan when the autumn leaves start falling. It’s already past dinner time and the only people in the park are people who are just passing by to get to their homes, in a hurry to join their families for supper.
Yixing found himself sitting on one of the swings as he looks at the leaves continuously falling around him. He closed his eyes and focused on the sound of the wind blowing and the leaves softly touching the ground. He doesn’t notice Yifan coming his way nor does he notice the way Yifan was looking at him in awe.
In Yifan’s eyes, Yixing is the most beautiful at that moment when everything is so peaceful and so are his features. It’s been a while since he saw his face relax and not worry about anything. His skin is still glistening from their earlier basketball one-on-one and it does nothing but make him even more beautiful than he already is. A smile suddenly crept up his face and the dimple that Yifan so rarely sees nowadays digs deep on his cheek and just seeing it makes the taller smile. Inexplicably his heart starts beating faster than when he just finished a game and his face is heating up worse than when he’s inside the sauna.
Yixing slowly opens his eyes and they’re directed at the moon. Yifan can clearly see the reflection in his brown orbs and he realized how perfect Yixing is, how he wants to bottle this memory and keep it for future use when he needs something to lift him up.
After a long moment of silence, Yixing probably already knows he’s there, he’s just basking in the peace and serenity of the place; he breaks the silence, "Hey, Xing?"
"Hmmmm?"
It’s now or never, hyung. Chanyeol’s words creep up to his memory right at that moment and it urges him not to pull back anymore and hide his feelings, yet again. There have been a lot of times and opportunities for him to tell Yixing how much he treasures him but he feels that there is no better moment than this, no better time than now as he looks at younger and finds himself unable to look away.
"I have something to tell you." He knows they have something prepared and all for the end of the week but he just looks so happy and light and all-in-all just beautiful at that moment that Yifan suddenly had the urge to tell him what he's been feeling.
"I've thought about this a lot and how I should tell you but there's just no better way than to have you alone with me."
"What is it?" Yixing tilts his head in curiosity and Yifan restrains himself from giving him a kiss because he’s just downright adorable when he’s confused. It takes him a while and before he can even back out, he heaves a sigh and looks at Yixing straight in the eyes.
"I..." Yixing looks at him intently and all the nervousness suddenly fades away, "I like you."
- NINETEEN -