Whirlwind
Pairing: Lay/Victoria
Rating: PG (R for language but PG)
Words: 4,257
Summary: Qian is everything Yixing isn’t, and he knows he’s not good enough for her.
Notes: For tarp_walls. HAPPY 17TH MY DARLING! I wrote an Yixing story for you last year, do you remember? Of course you do. I love you! You always encourage me and talk to me and all my friends at college know you because you’re my 16-year old (now 17-year old) best friend. Please excuse this story’s shortness and lack of plot. It’s roughly linked to our Spoiled Rich Kids verse. Anyway have a perfect birthday. Play all your games. Win sensei’s heart. Do cardio. And eat biscuits! XOXO Exie <3
Yixing was kind of shocked when a beautiful girl came bouncing up to him at the art gallery gala. He was innocently standing next to the food table when she appeared with a smile and an introduction.
“Hi! I’m Qian. What’s your name?” she asked, sticking out her delicate fingers. He shook her hand tentatively.
“Yixing,” he said slowly, still not quite able to comprehend why this beauty was talking to him. He was just a plain-looking, barely established son of a new-money family, and here was this obvious socialite paying attention to him.
“Ah, so that’s who you are,” she said, taking a step closer to him. He was still not used to how close ridiculously rich people stood to each other when talking, but he liked this. She really was beautiful. “I’ve noticed you, actually. You’re a dancer, right?”
Yixing blinked. “Yeah,” he said, “how’d you know?”
“I saw your class at rehearsal a few weeks ago for the first time…I don’t know if this is weird, but you caught my eye that very first day! And I came back because I really admired your dancing. You’re so fluid, yet mechanical, and I was really impressed!” she said. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you here because I’ve been hoping I could find out your name!”
It wasn’t weird. It was wonderful.
“Do you dance?” Yixing asked, and Qian laughed a beautiful, musical laugh.
“Yes,” she said. “Traditional and modern dance. I’m dabbling in ballet as well. You do modern, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Yixing replied. Qian put her hand on Yixing’s shoulder.
“Good, because I’ve been looking for a partner to do this routine with me, and I really think you’re the one,” she said, and her tone had become serious. “I want to get to know you better. Do you think maybe you’d be up for it?” she asked.
“Sure,” he replied before he knew was he was saying. Yixing loved the feeling of wonder blooming in his chest. He’d never had a chance like this.
Qian’s eyes focused on something behind Yixing suddenly.
“Tao!” she cried as Yixing’s towering friend and feline boyfriend Chen appeared behind him. She knew Tao. Fantastic. “I didn’t know you were here!”
“Oh, you know each other?” Yixing asked, hoping that the defeat he felt didn’t show on his face. He was no match for Tao.
“She’s my step-sister,” Tao said in what sounded like a reassuring voice. And it did reassure Yixing, because Qian was back in his reach.
“Oh,” he said, his mind filling with relief. Qian laughed that wonderful laugh again.
“Yup, Taozi is my little brother,” she smiled. “He’s actually really cute once you get past his sour face.” Qian stared at Chen for a moment before smiling as if she had told a very funny joke, and Yixing didn’t understand at all. “Come on Yixing,” she said, tugging on Yixing’s arm. “Let’s go look at some art.”
Yixing’s heart did a backflip. He just knew it was going to be bad for his already weak constitution.
Qian was beautiful and perfect and everything Yixing had ever wanted, he discovered after spending several days with her at the studio. She was bubbly and energetic and an absolute whirlwind. She was exactly what Yixing wasn’t.
One late night in the studio, Yixing had brought wasabi peas-Qian had mentioned they were her favorite a few days before and Yixing was surprised, because they were his favorite too-and they sat across from each other in the corner of the room. He could see every side of Qian in the mirrors, and she could probably see every side of him, too. Qian popped two wasabi peas in her mouth and then scooted towards Yixing.
“Okay, Yixing,” Qian said, “do you want to know the dance I wanted to do?”
“Haven’t we been doing it all this time?” Yixing asked, recalling the moves they’d been practicing for the past several days. She laughed and shook her head.
“No,” she replied. “Do you know the Troublemaker dance?”
Yixing gulped. He knew it. To do that dance effectively, it required a lot of close proximity and a lot of touching.
“I know it,” he said slowly, and she looked at him with big eyes, trying to gauge his reaction to her proposition.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, Yixing, then you don’t have to do it,” Qian said quietly, “but I wanted you to be my partner because you had really fluid motions when I watched you dance, and I think that would be good for what I have in mind.”
Yixing shook his head a little too enthusiastically. “No!” he cried, “I’m willing to do it! I’m just…a little…”
“Nervous?” Qian asked with a smile. “Me too. It’s an intimate dance. But that’s why I chose you!” she said, leaning forward to stretch her legs.
But Yixing didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand why she wanted him. She was too beautiful, too bouncy, too…opposite of Yixing. While he was thrilled that she was paying him so much attention, he couldn’t help but think that he was in over his head.
Yixing was called to his father’s office that weekend. He hadn’t seen his father in weeks-as CEO of Zhang Communications, the man was constantly busy. Yixing was led into the large doors by a secretary and he was seated at the end of a long table, opposite of his imposing father, who was looking at paperwork and didn’t bother to acknowledge his son’s presence.
“Yixing,” his father finally spoke after several moments of silence. “I understand you’ve been spending time with Song Qian, heiress of the Song Group.”
“Yes, father,” Yixing replied in the bold voice his father had always instructed him to use.
“How do you find her?” his father continued.
“She’s lovely,” Yixing replied. “Kind and interesting and pretty.”
“And wealthy and powerful,” his father added, looking back down at his papers. “Yixing, it would be very favorable for the company if we were to have lasting ties with the Song Group. Your mother and I have had a long talk with Mr. Song and his wife, and we’ve decided that you and Qian are to be married at the end of this year.”
“Married?” Yixing choked. Qian was wonderful, yes, but marriage was a big step and Yixing wasn’t even sure if she liked him the way he liked her. She could hate him because of this.
“Yes, married. However, there are certain conditions. While you have no say in this, Qian does. She’s allowed to choose someone else to marry. Your job is to make sure that does not happen. You will marry Qian at the end of this year or suffer the consequences. Are we understood?”
“Yes, father,” Yixing replied.
“You may go,” his father said with a tone of finality, and the secretary entered the room again to escort Yixing out.
“Father-” Yixing turned back towards the businessman before leaving, “I do like her. I’ll try my hardest.”
His father cracked a smile. “That’s my boy,” he said.
“So, did you hear the news?” Qian asked as she and Yixing were stretching. “Married! You and me! Exciting, huh? I guess we’ll have to get to know each other a little better, won’t we?” She laughed and didn’t seem remotely uncomfortable, and it gave Yixing a boost of confidence.
“I was terrified that you’d hate me because of it,” Yixing admitted, and Qian poked her fiancé.
“How could I hate you? I’m excited! Honestly, Yixing, since I have to marry someone, I’d rather it be you than anyone else,” she told him with a smile.
“Well, that’s good,” Yixing said with a sigh. He was still terrified, scared that he wasn’t enough for her. Qian bit her lip, looking a little deflated all of a sudden.
“Yeah,” Qian said, standing up and reaching her hand out to help Yixing off the floor. “Now let’s dance.”
A few months later, he’d hardly seen Qian at all. They hadn’t been practicing, and it made Yixing nervous. They both had their lives, of course, but she hadn’t reached out to him since that day in the studio.
In any case, there was a party at Kyungsoo’s country club, and Suho was getting ready with Yixing.
“We’re going to be late!” Yixing cried, frantically trying to find his tie.
“Hey, did you hear that Kris and Kai are fucking?” Suho asked, but Yixing wasn’t even listening.
“Suho, have you seen my tie?”
“Do you need a tie to go to a club?” Suho asked, standing up and tugging at his collar. “Last time I went-”
“Last time you went you got drunk and woke up the next morning with a dragon tattooed on your hip,” Yixing snapped, lifting up pillows. He’d chosen just the right tie and it had somehow disappeared.
“I knew I was getting it!” Suho protested. “Luhan has a rose on his hip, you know, I’m not the only one.”
“It’s not that kind of club, anyway,” Yixing said, “so take one of my ties and put it on.”
“I think black would look good, don’t you think?” Suho asked.
Yixing stopped listening entirely and breathed a sigh of relief when he found his tie underneath the blanket of his bed. His heart had started to race and he’d felt the familiar sensation of being almost ready to faint. His constitution was getting weaker.
He allowed himself a breather before he carefully put on his tie, checking in the mirror to make sure he looked good enough for his fiancée. He wanted to impress her at least a little. He turned around to ask Suho how he looked.
“What do you-whoa, where’d you get those cufflinks?” Yixing asked, grabbing Suho’s wrist. “Are those emeralds?”
Suho pulled away, looking extremely embarrassed. “Yes,” he said in a small voice. “A friend gave them to me.”
“Must be a special friend,” Yixing said with a grin. “Come on, let’s get my chauffeur and then we can go. I hope I’m not too late.”
His wishes for promptness were left unheard, because he discovered that he was too late. Qian was talking with Baekhyun, laughing and leaning on the womanizer’s shoulder. Yixing had never felt so jealous in his life. He marched up to the pair, and Qian’s eyes widened when she saw Yixing.
“Oh, Yixing, there you are,” she said, and Baekhyun turned to Yixing as well.
“Hey, Yixing,” he said coolly. Yixing gritted his teeth.
“Aren’t you supposed to be hanging out with Kris?” Yixing asked as calmly as he could, but Baekhyun just shrugged.
“He’s currently fucking Kai in the bathroom,” Baekhyun yawned. “And they both say they’re not gay-please. Anyway, Victoria here says she’s a dancer.”
“Victoria?” Yixing asked, and Qian looked confused for a moment before shaking her head.
“That’s my other name,” she said. “Mostly my family uses it-I thought I told you! Taozi must have even if I didn’t.”
“No,” Yixing said, “nobody told me anything.” Qian looked back at Baekhyun for a moment.
“Baekhyun sings,” she said as if she was offering an explanation. “He said he’d write a song for me; isn’t that sweet?”
Yixing wanted to choke or throw up. “Qian…”
“What, Yixing?” she said a little sharply. Yixing couldn’t let this happen-he couldn’t lose her. Not to Baekhyun, and not to anyone.
But he couldn’t think of anything to say to get her to come back to him. What could he say that would convince her of his worth?
“N-nothing,” he stuttered instead. “I’m…going to look for…Suho.” Qian’s face morphed into an expression of disappointment, and Yixing knew he was disappointing. As he retreated, he heard Baekhyun’s suave voice. “Don’t mind him, Victoria. You look beautiful tonight.”
Baekhyun wasn’t right for her. He was right for the girls that you pick up at the club, but not for girls like Qian. If only Yixing could get her to see that.
“Oh, Yixing!” Qian called, grabbing Yixing’s shoulder. Yixing turned around, suddenly full of hope. “I know we were going to perform the dance next week, but something came up,” she said, glancing back at Baekhyun, who smiled. “So I don’t know when we’ll be able to do it, but…yeah. I can’t next week.”
“Oh,” Yixing replied. It’s not like he hadn’t slightly expected this-they hadn’t practiced in a while. Qian smiled apologetically and returned to Baekhyun’s side, and Baekhyun slid a hand around her waist. Yixing frowned.
He was totally lost.
Yixing got a call from Xiumin, his old dance buddy, a few days later. Xiumin wanted to know if he wanted to practice a little, and Yixing welcomed the reprieve from his loneliness.
They had been close friends before, and even though they hadn’t seen each other in quite a while, it was almost as if no time had passed. They went through their old dance routines from their hip hop classes as easily as if they’d just been in class.
“You haven’t lost your touch at all,” Yixing smiled, admiring Xiumin’s skills. “So, how are things going with Luhan and Sehun? You seem pretty happy.”
“Yeah...” Xiumin said, his expression changing as he looked in the mirror. Yixing recognized the expression on his face-self-doubt. Yixing knew it well. “Hey, let me show you something,” Xiumin suddenly said. He started doing a ridiculous dance move that looked bad no matter how you looked at it. Yixing bit his lip.
“Are you sure you’re happy?” he asked finally.
“Yeah, yeah,” Xiumin said distractedly. “H-how’s your stuff going? You know with Victoria and your dancing? Have you two done a duet yet?”
“Well,” Yixing sighed, having known this topic would arise, “it’s complicated. It’s...yeah, it’s complicated. We sort of started doing a duet but we haven’t practiced it in a while. Actually...” He trailed off, embarrassed, and chuckled slightly. “We were planning on performing it next week, but she had to cancel last minute. She said something came up.”
“Really?” Xiumin asked, tilting his head curiously. “What?”
Yixing shrugged as the music began again, and he began to dance. “I don’t really know. She didn’t tell me.”
“I...I know how you feel,” Xiumin sighed. “What was the routine?”
Yixing scrambled over to his iPod and paused the music, scrolling through the song list. “It was a really powerful dance. I just thought she could pull it off really well. Here, I’ll show you, but it’s not really a dance that can be done alone. You know the song, right? Troublemaker?”
“Say no more!” Xiumin exclaimed. “I know it.”
“You don’t mind practicing with me?” Yixing asked. Xiumin was a close enough friend that it wouldn’t be awkward for Yixing, but maybe for Xiumin it might be a little odd. “I know it’s kind of...sexy...but I do need the practice.”
“Of course not!” Xiumin hurried to say. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.” He took his position next to Yixing, and as they started to dance, Yixing’s feet remembered the movements perfectly. But it just wasn’t the same without Qian.
They were in a particularly intimate pose, Yixing and Xiumin’s faces dangerously close (as the dance called for) and Yixing’s hand cupping Xiumin’s cheek, when the door flew open.
“Stop right this second!” Luhan cried, rushing forward to push Yixing away from his boyfriend. He shot a glare at his friend, hand clenching instinctively into a fist.
“Luhan!” Xiumin scolded. Yixing was confused and just a little bit scared.
“Yixing, I thought you were straight! You were even like kind of going out with Tao’s sister!” Sehun cried accusingly. Yixing choked.
“What? I am straight! And I am kind of going out with Tao’s sister!” he retorted. “Xiumin and I were just practicing a dance!”
“Xiumin, why did you do this?” Luhan demanded, and Xiumin looked offended.
“What do you mean why?” he asked. “I was lonely! You two were ignoring me and doing things without me. Did you just expect me to sit alone at home and wallow until you regained interest?”
“We were giving you space after that night at the club! We thought that’s what you wanted!” Sehun exclaimed, and Xiumin looked like he was about to cry.
“Why would I ever want space from you two?” he asked with a clenched throat.
Yixing glanced quickly between Luhan, Sehun, and Xiumin, edging toward his iPod. He grabbed it, turning off the music and quickly headed for the door. “I’ll just leave this for you to figure out,” he said awkwardly, fleeing from the scene. He fled into a room down the hall, where he let himself practice on his own for a little bit.
Twenty minutes in, he just couldn’t do it anymore. He was killing himself, trying to make his moves even more precise and intense, and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears and see Qian’s smile burned on the back of his eyelids. He couldn’t breathe. His lungs were caving in on themselves, his heart pounding so hard he thought it was going to burst. That was when he knew he had to lie down. He wanted to cry, but it would only mess with his breathing, and he couldn’t afford that.
After five minutes, his system had regulated, and he was relieved. He sighed, turning off his music and packing up as he took a few more gulps of water. He stepped outside the room.
Yixing wasn’t sure at first, but after a few seconds, he was fairly certain he could hear crying down the hall. Had Sehun and Luhan’s fight with Xiumin been that serious? He waited for a few minutes and the sobs subsided, but he was still worried. He walked down the hall to the office, and he knocked on the door.
“Xiumin? Are you in there? Is everything okay? I thought I heard crying…” he trailed off.
“I’m fine!” came Xiumin’s voice a moment later. “I’m more than fine.”
“Okay,” Yixing said, still a little concerned. “I’m leaving now, so…”
“It’s okay, go ahead, I’ll be fine!” Xiumin assured him, and so Yixing shrugged and left the studio. He was jealous of Xiumin, whose boyfriends would come fight for him. He had two boyfriends and yet both of them would fight for him rather than leave him for the other.
He assumed it was because they were in love. Qian was obviously not in love with Yixing in the same way.
November was upon them, and Yixing had all but given up hope that Qian would come back to him. He’d taken to dancing with a senior at the studio name Hyoyeon. She danced in a very different way than Qian did, and while she was an excellent dancer, Yixing just didn’t fit with Hyoyeon like he had with Qian.
He’d met with Qian several times, of course, because their parents assumed their marriage was still on. It was, technically, since Qian and Yixing had never talked about it since the first few days, but Yixing wasn’t sure how excited Qian was anymore. Especially considering the time she’d started spending with Baekhyun. In any case, there had been “family banquets” where the Songs and the Zhangs would share a ten-course meal and discuss the futures of their “families” which was really more of a business discussion.
But November meant Tao’s mother’s Late Autumn Gala. The Late Autumn Gala was one of the biggest events of the year, held at one of the Oh Group’s hotels. It was meant to fundraise for poor people or endangered animals or something, but nobody really paid attention to the cause of the celebration as much as the celebration itself. Everyone came with a date-it was unacceptable not to have one. Every year, Yixing had been set up with Kris’s little sister, who was nice enough but ultimately preferred spending time with her friends, and that was fine. But this year, she had a date.
Yixing assumed Qian was going with Baekhyun, so he asked Hyoyeon to go with him instead. She shrugged and said “sure,” but it didn’t take her long to find Kai at the party. Yixing didn’t mind-he wanted to see where Qian was, anyway.
He walked through the ballroom. He passed Kris, whose arm was occupied by a boyish-looking girl Yixing didn’t recognize. Kris looked genuinely into her though, so Yixing thought little of it. He passed Suho, and he was surprised Suho had been invited since he was not part of the over-moneyed crowd like the rest of them were. But he was wrapped up in a tall, terribly handsome man who Yixing had never seen before, and Yixing figured maybe that’s where Suho had gotten his cufflinks. He passed Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, who were laughing with each other. Chanyeol had a small dollop of brie on his nose and Kyungsoo seemed to find it incredibly hilarious. Xiumin, Sehun, and Luhan were nowhere to be seen, but that was to be expected since they’d undoubtedly rented a room for the evening. Tao and Chen were likely to be on the terrace, looking at the stars.
It was just his luck that Baekhyun would be the last person he found, doting on a pretty girl who was most definitely not Qian.
“Baekhyun,” Yixing said, and Baekhyun turned to him, his expression one of mild interest.
“Oh, you came,” Baekhyun said. “I wasn’t sure if you would. This is Jieun. She’s my date.”
“Where’s Qian?” Yixing asked before he could stop himself. Baekhyun looked at him like he was crazy.
“I don’t know-why am I supposed to know where she is? She’s not my date. She’s yours,” Baekhyun shrugged.
“She’s not my date,” Yixing said quietly. “I thought she was going with you!”
Baekhyun frowned. “I asked her to go with me, but she said no,” he pouted. “Which is why I thought she was going with you.” Baekhyun’s date looked mildly put off, but she just took a sip of her champagne moodily as Baekhyun turned back to her. He whispered a few sweet nothings and she was giggling again within moments.
But Yixing wasn’t concerned with them. Was Qian even there?
Yixing stumbled onto the terrace frantically, where Chen and Tao were indeed standing close together, looking over at the city.
“Tao, have you seen your sister?” he asked, and Tao turned. Chen looked slightly annoyed that their tender moment had been interrupted, but Yixing didn’t care.
“She’s downstairs in the dance studio, as far as I know,” Tao said, and Yixing should have known. He rushed downstairs in a panic, feeling his lungs starting to contract. His body couldn’t do this to him, not now. He peeked in the window of every studio room until he found the one Qian was in.
She looked shocked-and quite blurry-when he threw open the door. Her mouth was moving but Yixing couldn’t hear anything. He vaguely noted that his legs weren’t really holding him up anymore. But only one thing mattered.
“I found you,” he smiled, and he was only slightly aware of Qian rushing over to him before everything went black.
Yixing opened his eyes.
“Where am I?” he asked to no one in particular.
“You’re in a hotel room,” came Luhan’s voice. “You passed out in the basement and Victoria told Tao who told Chen who told Xiumin and then Xiumin and Sehun and I brought you up here. Thanks to you, us three haven’t even fucked yet.”
“Hey!” Xiumin cried from across the room.
“Also that’s only partially true. We fucked twice this morning,” Sehun said in a bored voice. Everything was coming into focus again, and Yixing could now clearly see that he was in a spacious hotel suite.
“Where’s Qian?”
“I’m right here,” he heard Qian’s voice coming from his other side, so he turned, and Qian was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Her face was streaked with tears.
“She thought you died,” Luhan chuckled.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a weak constitution?” Qian asked gently. Yixing propped himself up in the bed.
“Because you…you’re such a whirlwind, and I can’t be one. I thought I couldn’t keep up with you. And then you went to Baekhyun-”
“I thought you didn’t like me,” Qian said, looking nervous. Xiumin, Luhan, and Sehun took this moment to leave the room, and Luhan was whispering all the way out. Qian continued once they’d gone. “You were always hesitant around me and even when I told you flat out that I was excited about our wedding, you didn’t seem interested. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“But I do like you!” Yixing hurried to say, pushing himself up. “I was just-I was scared that I wasn’t enough for you.”
“Yixing,” Qian let out an exasperated laugh, “wasn’t I the one who came to you? I told you I admired you! I said I was excited about getting married! I don’t think I could have been any more clear with how much I liked you without being too forward!”
“So…so this is all a misunderstanding?” Yixing asked. “All this time?”
“Yes, you fool,” Qian laughed, tears falling again. Yixing reached out.
“Don’t cry,” he said. “Now we understand. And we’re going to get married.”
“I can’t wait,” Qian smiled, and Yixing leaned forward to kiss her. They met each other halfway-something they should have done far, far earlier.
+ happy birthday baby <3
+ follow me on twitter ( @eexiee) or on tumblr (zhoumimis) yo
Rating: PG (R for language but PG)
Words: 4,257
Summary: Qian is everything Yixing isn’t, and he knows he’s not good enough for her.
Notes: For tarp_walls. HAPPY 17TH MY DARLING! I wrote an Yixing story for you last year, do you remember? Of course you do. I love you! You always encourage me and talk to me and all my friends at college know you because you’re my 16-year old (now 17-year old) best friend. Please excuse this story’s shortness and lack of plot. It’s roughly linked to our Spoiled Rich Kids verse. Anyway have a perfect birthday. Play all your games. Win sensei’s heart. Do cardio. And eat biscuits! XOXO Exie <3
Yixing was kind of shocked when a beautiful girl came bouncing up to him at the art gallery gala. He was innocently standing next to the food table when she appeared with a smile and an introduction.
“Hi! I’m Qian. What’s your name?” she asked, sticking out her delicate fingers. He shook her hand tentatively.
“Yixing,” he said slowly, still not quite able to comprehend why this beauty was talking to him. He was just a plain-looking, barely established son of a new-money family, and here was this obvious socialite paying attention to him.
“Ah, so that’s who you are,” she said, taking a step closer to him. He was still not used to how close ridiculously rich people stood to each other when talking, but he liked this. She really was beautiful. “I’ve noticed you, actually. You’re a dancer, right?”
Yixing blinked. “Yeah,” he said, “how’d you know?”
“I saw your class at rehearsal a few weeks ago for the first time…I don’t know if this is weird, but you caught my eye that very first day! And I came back because I really admired your dancing. You’re so fluid, yet mechanical, and I was really impressed!” she said. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you here because I’ve been hoping I could find out your name!”
It wasn’t weird. It was wonderful.
“Do you dance?” Yixing asked, and Qian laughed a beautiful, musical laugh.
“Yes,” she said. “Traditional and modern dance. I’m dabbling in ballet as well. You do modern, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Yixing replied. Qian put her hand on Yixing’s shoulder.
“Good, because I’ve been looking for a partner to do this routine with me, and I really think you’re the one,” she said, and her tone had become serious. “I want to get to know you better. Do you think maybe you’d be up for it?” she asked.
“Sure,” he replied before he knew was he was saying. Yixing loved the feeling of wonder blooming in his chest. He’d never had a chance like this.
Qian’s eyes focused on something behind Yixing suddenly.
“Tao!” she cried as Yixing’s towering friend and feline boyfriend Chen appeared behind him. She knew Tao. Fantastic. “I didn’t know you were here!”
“Oh, you know each other?” Yixing asked, hoping that the defeat he felt didn’t show on his face. He was no match for Tao.
“She’s my step-sister,” Tao said in what sounded like a reassuring voice. And it did reassure Yixing, because Qian was back in his reach.
“Oh,” he said, his mind filling with relief. Qian laughed that wonderful laugh again.
“Yup, Taozi is my little brother,” she smiled. “He’s actually really cute once you get past his sour face.” Qian stared at Chen for a moment before smiling as if she had told a very funny joke, and Yixing didn’t understand at all. “Come on Yixing,” she said, tugging on Yixing’s arm. “Let’s go look at some art.”
Yixing’s heart did a backflip. He just knew it was going to be bad for his already weak constitution.
Qian was beautiful and perfect and everything Yixing had ever wanted, he discovered after spending several days with her at the studio. She was bubbly and energetic and an absolute whirlwind. She was exactly what Yixing wasn’t.
One late night in the studio, Yixing had brought wasabi peas-Qian had mentioned they were her favorite a few days before and Yixing was surprised, because they were his favorite too-and they sat across from each other in the corner of the room. He could see every side of Qian in the mirrors, and she could probably see every side of him, too. Qian popped two wasabi peas in her mouth and then scooted towards Yixing.
“Okay, Yixing,” Qian said, “do you want to know the dance I wanted to do?”
“Haven’t we been doing it all this time?” Yixing asked, recalling the moves they’d been practicing for the past several days. She laughed and shook her head.
“No,” she replied. “Do you know the Troublemaker dance?”
Yixing gulped. He knew it. To do that dance effectively, it required a lot of close proximity and a lot of touching.
“I know it,” he said slowly, and she looked at him with big eyes, trying to gauge his reaction to her proposition.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, Yixing, then you don’t have to do it,” Qian said quietly, “but I wanted you to be my partner because you had really fluid motions when I watched you dance, and I think that would be good for what I have in mind.”
Yixing shook his head a little too enthusiastically. “No!” he cried, “I’m willing to do it! I’m just…a little…”
“Nervous?” Qian asked with a smile. “Me too. It’s an intimate dance. But that’s why I chose you!” she said, leaning forward to stretch her legs.
But Yixing didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand why she wanted him. She was too beautiful, too bouncy, too…opposite of Yixing. While he was thrilled that she was paying him so much attention, he couldn’t help but think that he was in over his head.
Yixing was called to his father’s office that weekend. He hadn’t seen his father in weeks-as CEO of Zhang Communications, the man was constantly busy. Yixing was led into the large doors by a secretary and he was seated at the end of a long table, opposite of his imposing father, who was looking at paperwork and didn’t bother to acknowledge his son’s presence.
“Yixing,” his father finally spoke after several moments of silence. “I understand you’ve been spending time with Song Qian, heiress of the Song Group.”
“Yes, father,” Yixing replied in the bold voice his father had always instructed him to use.
“How do you find her?” his father continued.
“She’s lovely,” Yixing replied. “Kind and interesting and pretty.”
“And wealthy and powerful,” his father added, looking back down at his papers. “Yixing, it would be very favorable for the company if we were to have lasting ties with the Song Group. Your mother and I have had a long talk with Mr. Song and his wife, and we’ve decided that you and Qian are to be married at the end of this year.”
“Married?” Yixing choked. Qian was wonderful, yes, but marriage was a big step and Yixing wasn’t even sure if she liked him the way he liked her. She could hate him because of this.
“Yes, married. However, there are certain conditions. While you have no say in this, Qian does. She’s allowed to choose someone else to marry. Your job is to make sure that does not happen. You will marry Qian at the end of this year or suffer the consequences. Are we understood?”
“Yes, father,” Yixing replied.
“You may go,” his father said with a tone of finality, and the secretary entered the room again to escort Yixing out.
“Father-” Yixing turned back towards the businessman before leaving, “I do like her. I’ll try my hardest.”
His father cracked a smile. “That’s my boy,” he said.
“So, did you hear the news?” Qian asked as she and Yixing were stretching. “Married! You and me! Exciting, huh? I guess we’ll have to get to know each other a little better, won’t we?” She laughed and didn’t seem remotely uncomfortable, and it gave Yixing a boost of confidence.
“I was terrified that you’d hate me because of it,” Yixing admitted, and Qian poked her fiancé.
“How could I hate you? I’m excited! Honestly, Yixing, since I have to marry someone, I’d rather it be you than anyone else,” she told him with a smile.
“Well, that’s good,” Yixing said with a sigh. He was still terrified, scared that he wasn’t enough for her. Qian bit her lip, looking a little deflated all of a sudden.
“Yeah,” Qian said, standing up and reaching her hand out to help Yixing off the floor. “Now let’s dance.”
A few months later, he’d hardly seen Qian at all. They hadn’t been practicing, and it made Yixing nervous. They both had their lives, of course, but she hadn’t reached out to him since that day in the studio.
In any case, there was a party at Kyungsoo’s country club, and Suho was getting ready with Yixing.
“We’re going to be late!” Yixing cried, frantically trying to find his tie.
“Hey, did you hear that Kris and Kai are fucking?” Suho asked, but Yixing wasn’t even listening.
“Suho, have you seen my tie?”
“Do you need a tie to go to a club?” Suho asked, standing up and tugging at his collar. “Last time I went-”
“Last time you went you got drunk and woke up the next morning with a dragon tattooed on your hip,” Yixing snapped, lifting up pillows. He’d chosen just the right tie and it had somehow disappeared.
“I knew I was getting it!” Suho protested. “Luhan has a rose on his hip, you know, I’m not the only one.”
“It’s not that kind of club, anyway,” Yixing said, “so take one of my ties and put it on.”
“I think black would look good, don’t you think?” Suho asked.
Yixing stopped listening entirely and breathed a sigh of relief when he found his tie underneath the blanket of his bed. His heart had started to race and he’d felt the familiar sensation of being almost ready to faint. His constitution was getting weaker.
He allowed himself a breather before he carefully put on his tie, checking in the mirror to make sure he looked good enough for his fiancée. He wanted to impress her at least a little. He turned around to ask Suho how he looked.
“What do you-whoa, where’d you get those cufflinks?” Yixing asked, grabbing Suho’s wrist. “Are those emeralds?”
Suho pulled away, looking extremely embarrassed. “Yes,” he said in a small voice. “A friend gave them to me.”
“Must be a special friend,” Yixing said with a grin. “Come on, let’s get my chauffeur and then we can go. I hope I’m not too late.”
His wishes for promptness were left unheard, because he discovered that he was too late. Qian was talking with Baekhyun, laughing and leaning on the womanizer’s shoulder. Yixing had never felt so jealous in his life. He marched up to the pair, and Qian’s eyes widened when she saw Yixing.
“Oh, Yixing, there you are,” she said, and Baekhyun turned to Yixing as well.
“Hey, Yixing,” he said coolly. Yixing gritted his teeth.
“Aren’t you supposed to be hanging out with Kris?” Yixing asked as calmly as he could, but Baekhyun just shrugged.
“He’s currently fucking Kai in the bathroom,” Baekhyun yawned. “And they both say they’re not gay-please. Anyway, Victoria here says she’s a dancer.”
“Victoria?” Yixing asked, and Qian looked confused for a moment before shaking her head.
“That’s my other name,” she said. “Mostly my family uses it-I thought I told you! Taozi must have even if I didn’t.”
“No,” Yixing said, “nobody told me anything.” Qian looked back at Baekhyun for a moment.
“Baekhyun sings,” she said as if she was offering an explanation. “He said he’d write a song for me; isn’t that sweet?”
Yixing wanted to choke or throw up. “Qian…”
“What, Yixing?” she said a little sharply. Yixing couldn’t let this happen-he couldn’t lose her. Not to Baekhyun, and not to anyone.
But he couldn’t think of anything to say to get her to come back to him. What could he say that would convince her of his worth?
“N-nothing,” he stuttered instead. “I’m…going to look for…Suho.” Qian’s face morphed into an expression of disappointment, and Yixing knew he was disappointing. As he retreated, he heard Baekhyun’s suave voice. “Don’t mind him, Victoria. You look beautiful tonight.”
Baekhyun wasn’t right for her. He was right for the girls that you pick up at the club, but not for girls like Qian. If only Yixing could get her to see that.
“Oh, Yixing!” Qian called, grabbing Yixing’s shoulder. Yixing turned around, suddenly full of hope. “I know we were going to perform the dance next week, but something came up,” she said, glancing back at Baekhyun, who smiled. “So I don’t know when we’ll be able to do it, but…yeah. I can’t next week.”
“Oh,” Yixing replied. It’s not like he hadn’t slightly expected this-they hadn’t practiced in a while. Qian smiled apologetically and returned to Baekhyun’s side, and Baekhyun slid a hand around her waist. Yixing frowned.
He was totally lost.
Yixing got a call from Xiumin, his old dance buddy, a few days later. Xiumin wanted to know if he wanted to practice a little, and Yixing welcomed the reprieve from his loneliness.
They had been close friends before, and even though they hadn’t seen each other in quite a while, it was almost as if no time had passed. They went through their old dance routines from their hip hop classes as easily as if they’d just been in class.
“You haven’t lost your touch at all,” Yixing smiled, admiring Xiumin’s skills. “So, how are things going with Luhan and Sehun? You seem pretty happy.”
“Yeah...” Xiumin said, his expression changing as he looked in the mirror. Yixing recognized the expression on his face-self-doubt. Yixing knew it well. “Hey, let me show you something,” Xiumin suddenly said. He started doing a ridiculous dance move that looked bad no matter how you looked at it. Yixing bit his lip.
“Are you sure you’re happy?” he asked finally.
“Yeah, yeah,” Xiumin said distractedly. “H-how’s your stuff going? You know with Victoria and your dancing? Have you two done a duet yet?”
“Well,” Yixing sighed, having known this topic would arise, “it’s complicated. It’s...yeah, it’s complicated. We sort of started doing a duet but we haven’t practiced it in a while. Actually...” He trailed off, embarrassed, and chuckled slightly. “We were planning on performing it next week, but she had to cancel last minute. She said something came up.”
“Really?” Xiumin asked, tilting his head curiously. “What?”
Yixing shrugged as the music began again, and he began to dance. “I don’t really know. She didn’t tell me.”
“I...I know how you feel,” Xiumin sighed. “What was the routine?”
Yixing scrambled over to his iPod and paused the music, scrolling through the song list. “It was a really powerful dance. I just thought she could pull it off really well. Here, I’ll show you, but it’s not really a dance that can be done alone. You know the song, right? Troublemaker?”
“Say no more!” Xiumin exclaimed. “I know it.”
“You don’t mind practicing with me?” Yixing asked. Xiumin was a close enough friend that it wouldn’t be awkward for Yixing, but maybe for Xiumin it might be a little odd. “I know it’s kind of...sexy...but I do need the practice.”
“Of course not!” Xiumin hurried to say. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.” He took his position next to Yixing, and as they started to dance, Yixing’s feet remembered the movements perfectly. But it just wasn’t the same without Qian.
They were in a particularly intimate pose, Yixing and Xiumin’s faces dangerously close (as the dance called for) and Yixing’s hand cupping Xiumin’s cheek, when the door flew open.
“Stop right this second!” Luhan cried, rushing forward to push Yixing away from his boyfriend. He shot a glare at his friend, hand clenching instinctively into a fist.
“Luhan!” Xiumin scolded. Yixing was confused and just a little bit scared.
“Yixing, I thought you were straight! You were even like kind of going out with Tao’s sister!” Sehun cried accusingly. Yixing choked.
“What? I am straight! And I am kind of going out with Tao’s sister!” he retorted. “Xiumin and I were just practicing a dance!”
“Xiumin, why did you do this?” Luhan demanded, and Xiumin looked offended.
“What do you mean why?” he asked. “I was lonely! You two were ignoring me and doing things without me. Did you just expect me to sit alone at home and wallow until you regained interest?”
“We were giving you space after that night at the club! We thought that’s what you wanted!” Sehun exclaimed, and Xiumin looked like he was about to cry.
“Why would I ever want space from you two?” he asked with a clenched throat.
Yixing glanced quickly between Luhan, Sehun, and Xiumin, edging toward his iPod. He grabbed it, turning off the music and quickly headed for the door. “I’ll just leave this for you to figure out,” he said awkwardly, fleeing from the scene. He fled into a room down the hall, where he let himself practice on his own for a little bit.
Twenty minutes in, he just couldn’t do it anymore. He was killing himself, trying to make his moves even more precise and intense, and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears and see Qian’s smile burned on the back of his eyelids. He couldn’t breathe. His lungs were caving in on themselves, his heart pounding so hard he thought it was going to burst. That was when he knew he had to lie down. He wanted to cry, but it would only mess with his breathing, and he couldn’t afford that.
After five minutes, his system had regulated, and he was relieved. He sighed, turning off his music and packing up as he took a few more gulps of water. He stepped outside the room.
Yixing wasn’t sure at first, but after a few seconds, he was fairly certain he could hear crying down the hall. Had Sehun and Luhan’s fight with Xiumin been that serious? He waited for a few minutes and the sobs subsided, but he was still worried. He walked down the hall to the office, and he knocked on the door.
“Xiumin? Are you in there? Is everything okay? I thought I heard crying…” he trailed off.
“I’m fine!” came Xiumin’s voice a moment later. “I’m more than fine.”
“Okay,” Yixing said, still a little concerned. “I’m leaving now, so…”
“It’s okay, go ahead, I’ll be fine!” Xiumin assured him, and so Yixing shrugged and left the studio. He was jealous of Xiumin, whose boyfriends would come fight for him. He had two boyfriends and yet both of them would fight for him rather than leave him for the other.
He assumed it was because they were in love. Qian was obviously not in love with Yixing in the same way.
November was upon them, and Yixing had all but given up hope that Qian would come back to him. He’d taken to dancing with a senior at the studio name Hyoyeon. She danced in a very different way than Qian did, and while she was an excellent dancer, Yixing just didn’t fit with Hyoyeon like he had with Qian.
He’d met with Qian several times, of course, because their parents assumed their marriage was still on. It was, technically, since Qian and Yixing had never talked about it since the first few days, but Yixing wasn’t sure how excited Qian was anymore. Especially considering the time she’d started spending with Baekhyun. In any case, there had been “family banquets” where the Songs and the Zhangs would share a ten-course meal and discuss the futures of their “families” which was really more of a business discussion.
But November meant Tao’s mother’s Late Autumn Gala. The Late Autumn Gala was one of the biggest events of the year, held at one of the Oh Group’s hotels. It was meant to fundraise for poor people or endangered animals or something, but nobody really paid attention to the cause of the celebration as much as the celebration itself. Everyone came with a date-it was unacceptable not to have one. Every year, Yixing had been set up with Kris’s little sister, who was nice enough but ultimately preferred spending time with her friends, and that was fine. But this year, she had a date.
Yixing assumed Qian was going with Baekhyun, so he asked Hyoyeon to go with him instead. She shrugged and said “sure,” but it didn’t take her long to find Kai at the party. Yixing didn’t mind-he wanted to see where Qian was, anyway.
He walked through the ballroom. He passed Kris, whose arm was occupied by a boyish-looking girl Yixing didn’t recognize. Kris looked genuinely into her though, so Yixing thought little of it. He passed Suho, and he was surprised Suho had been invited since he was not part of the over-moneyed crowd like the rest of them were. But he was wrapped up in a tall, terribly handsome man who Yixing had never seen before, and Yixing figured maybe that’s where Suho had gotten his cufflinks. He passed Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, who were laughing with each other. Chanyeol had a small dollop of brie on his nose and Kyungsoo seemed to find it incredibly hilarious. Xiumin, Sehun, and Luhan were nowhere to be seen, but that was to be expected since they’d undoubtedly rented a room for the evening. Tao and Chen were likely to be on the terrace, looking at the stars.
It was just his luck that Baekhyun would be the last person he found, doting on a pretty girl who was most definitely not Qian.
“Baekhyun,” Yixing said, and Baekhyun turned to him, his expression one of mild interest.
“Oh, you came,” Baekhyun said. “I wasn’t sure if you would. This is Jieun. She’s my date.”
“Where’s Qian?” Yixing asked before he could stop himself. Baekhyun looked at him like he was crazy.
“I don’t know-why am I supposed to know where she is? She’s not my date. She’s yours,” Baekhyun shrugged.
“She’s not my date,” Yixing said quietly. “I thought she was going with you!”
Baekhyun frowned. “I asked her to go with me, but she said no,” he pouted. “Which is why I thought she was going with you.” Baekhyun’s date looked mildly put off, but she just took a sip of her champagne moodily as Baekhyun turned back to her. He whispered a few sweet nothings and she was giggling again within moments.
But Yixing wasn’t concerned with them. Was Qian even there?
Yixing stumbled onto the terrace frantically, where Chen and Tao were indeed standing close together, looking over at the city.
“Tao, have you seen your sister?” he asked, and Tao turned. Chen looked slightly annoyed that their tender moment had been interrupted, but Yixing didn’t care.
“She’s downstairs in the dance studio, as far as I know,” Tao said, and Yixing should have known. He rushed downstairs in a panic, feeling his lungs starting to contract. His body couldn’t do this to him, not now. He peeked in the window of every studio room until he found the one Qian was in.
She looked shocked-and quite blurry-when he threw open the door. Her mouth was moving but Yixing couldn’t hear anything. He vaguely noted that his legs weren’t really holding him up anymore. But only one thing mattered.
“I found you,” he smiled, and he was only slightly aware of Qian rushing over to him before everything went black.
Yixing opened his eyes.
“Where am I?” he asked to no one in particular.
“You’re in a hotel room,” came Luhan’s voice. “You passed out in the basement and Victoria told Tao who told Chen who told Xiumin and then Xiumin and Sehun and I brought you up here. Thanks to you, us three haven’t even fucked yet.”
“Hey!” Xiumin cried from across the room.
“Also that’s only partially true. We fucked twice this morning,” Sehun said in a bored voice. Everything was coming into focus again, and Yixing could now clearly see that he was in a spacious hotel suite.
“Where’s Qian?”
“I’m right here,” he heard Qian’s voice coming from his other side, so he turned, and Qian was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Her face was streaked with tears.
“She thought you died,” Luhan chuckled.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a weak constitution?” Qian asked gently. Yixing propped himself up in the bed.
“Because you…you’re such a whirlwind, and I can’t be one. I thought I couldn’t keep up with you. And then you went to Baekhyun-”
“I thought you didn’t like me,” Qian said, looking nervous. Xiumin, Luhan, and Sehun took this moment to leave the room, and Luhan was whispering all the way out. Qian continued once they’d gone. “You were always hesitant around me and even when I told you flat out that I was excited about our wedding, you didn’t seem interested. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“But I do like you!” Yixing hurried to say, pushing himself up. “I was just-I was scared that I wasn’t enough for you.”
“Yixing,” Qian let out an exasperated laugh, “wasn’t I the one who came to you? I told you I admired you! I said I was excited about getting married! I don’t think I could have been any more clear with how much I liked you without being too forward!”
“So…so this is all a misunderstanding?” Yixing asked. “All this time?”
“Yes, you fool,” Qian laughed, tears falling again. Yixing reached out.
“Don’t cry,” he said. “Now we understand. And we’re going to get married.”
“I can’t wait,” Qian smiled, and Yixing leaned forward to kiss her. They met each other halfway-something they should have done far, far earlier.
+ happy birthday baby <3
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