Everything About Living Free [4/8]
Title: Everything about living free
Pairing: kris/lay
Rating: PG-13
Length: 43,278 words
Summary: Yixing has an eight-step list to change his life and the first thing is to get a tattoo. What’s not on the list, however, is the hot tattoo artist that comes along. (it's so much more than that, really)
{item n. 3}
4. Make a donation
Yifan chuckles. Yixing’s not sure when he got used to the sound, but it rings really familiar through his ears. He likes it. “I’m not sure that’s how the saying goes.”
“In Soojung’s case it goes just like that.” They stand up and the song starts playing.
Maybe it’s the occasion, but Yixing doesn’t think he ever saw Soojung smile as honestly and brightly as today when she walks down the aisle. Her father is clearly holding back his tears, and Yixing can’t stop wondering when they’d made up, since the last news he’d gotten about her parents indicated that they were pissed about the pregnancy. Well, she certainly doesn’t look like she’s pregnant, especially with how the dress looks marvelous on her slim body.
Yixing turns to Yifan so he can voice out the thought about the dress, but is surprised in catching him watching Jongdae instead. He merely blinks, mouth slightly parted and one of those silly, permanent smiles on.
“Are you a groom-watcher?” Yixing whispers.
Yifan sighs, quickly looking down at him before settling on Jongdae again. “Everyone thinks the bride looks so happy and beautiful,” he shrugs. “That’s because they’re not paying attention to the groom. He’s just… I keep trying to imagine what’s on his mind as she walks.”
And you? Yixing wants to ask. What’s really on your mind? How would you feel if I hold your hand right now?
Instead, he takes a deep breath and watches the bride and groom make their vows.
The party seems expensive. It’s held in a hotel in Gangnam which Yixing can’t even remember the name of, but it’s fine, since the food looks good. And the cake, of course. The decoration is not extravagant, but sophisticated instead. Royal chairs with red, padded seats, and round tables adorned with antique candlesticks. There is, indeed, a chandelier. It’s all very Victorian, as expected from Soojung, and the hint of refinement explains exactly why she’s been obsessive about everything looking perfect. Yixing’s hair certainly clashes with the red from the chairs.
Yifan takes the seat next to Yixing, and shortly after, Baekhyun and Song Qian join them.
“What kind of booze do you think they’re serving?” Baekhyun shamelessly asks, earning himself a slap at the nape by Song Qian before she dutifully tosses her hair.
“I’m not helping if you get drunk.” she says and they easily fall into bickering. Yixing takes the chance to turn to Yifan.
“Hey,” he says. “Thank you for coming tonight.”
Yifan smiles one of those smiles Yixing recognizes too well. It’s not helpful that Yifan looks the most attractive he’s looked since they met each other, in his black suit and pink tie, hair arranged in a purposefully messy (and classy) ponytail. It’s hard not to stare, and Yixing worries that he is too obvious. “It’s my pleasure, really. Thank you for inviting me.”
By the time Jongdae and Soojung arrive at the party, half of the guests are on the dancefloor and the other half is already getting drunk. Song Qian has moved to the bridesmaids table after one of them stopped by to drop some gossip with Baekhyun trailing after her -- in favor of the bridesmaids, Yixing thinks. It’s just Yifan and him at the table, and they switch between a comfortable silence and casual conversation. They’re counting how many people are wearing something yellow when Jongdae and Soojung stop by their table.
“Yixing!” Jongdae says, arms wide open with a wide grin. Yixing stands up to greet him.
“Dude, you’re married!” he says, words muffled by Jongdae’s attire. “Congratulations!”
“And so it begins,” his friend says, stretching a hand to Yifan. “Mr. Handsome, thank you for coming!”
Soojung steps forward, “His name is Yifan.” she points out, waving a hand at him before turning to Yixing. “Hello Zhang. You look… Not bad.”
Yixing snorts, pulling Soojung in for a hug and ignoring the indignant barks about her hair and the pearls of her dress. “You look unbelievable today. Like a true princess.”
She smiles gracefully, “You too. I’m sorry I’ve been a bitch--”
“Witch,” Yifan cuts in. “He says you’re a witch, not a bitch.”
Soojung gasps, pretty hand dramatic over her chest and wide eyes staring incredulously at Yixing.
Jongdae bursts in laughter. “He’s a keeper!” Soojung glares at him. “Or… Not.”
She checks Yifan out and rolls her eyes at him, staring at Yixing for a brief moment before mumbling a disgusted “Thank you for coming.”
Once they’re gone, Yixing turns to Yifan (who’s biting back a laugh) “Why would you? On her wedding?”
“What can I say, I’m not afraid of her.”
Yixing laughs and glances at the dancefloor. He could use some dance right now. “Let’s dance, you free spirit.”
They almost knock over a waiter maneuvering a tray with a dozen plates of salmon on their way to the dancefloor with Yixing’s flailing arms and gracefully uncoordinated limbs. Yifan doesn’t seem to mind, sympathetically following his dance moves when they’re dancing to a fast beat and scooting closer when a slow song starts. By the time shy fingers find their way into Yixing’s hips, he’s not minding the clenching of his stomach and the shivers down his spine anymore.
People really like to eat at weddings. It’s like cheat day; they store hunger for days and then let it all free upon the cupcakes and chocolates. Yixing eats all right, and Yifan doesn’t seem to be that hungry, so when the sweet goods are brought over, the horde moves from the dancefloor back to the tables and they drift off to some place quiet. There’s a beautiful poolside garden, and Yixing doesn’t even know if they’re allowed to wander that direction, but they do anyways, sitting at a wooden bench between flamingo sculptures.
For a while, they just sit there in silence, watching how the lights from the hotel suites shimmer over the pool water, and how drunk are the people seen through the glass doors separating the pool area and the ballroom.
He’s not sure how long has passed before Yifan speaks. “Do you ever think about it?” Yixing gazes at him, Yifan’s eyes focused on the dancing people. “Getting married?”
“Sometimes,” everyone looks thrilled. It’s a happy celebration, a wedding, impossible not to be infected by all the happiness. “I think about a party like this, and the feeling of being so happy it hurts.” he sighs. “But somehow I don’t seem to go any further.”
Yifan hums. “Yeah…”
“Do you?” Yixing turns to meet his eyes. Yifan’s eyebrows are soothing, and it’s so easy to read him like this, so see someone soft with a big heart willing to offer his meal to a homeless man. Or cross the river to visit a cat.
“I used to, when I had a girlfriend.” he nods. Yixing ignores the punch of surprise at his throat and just swallows.
“What happened?” he chooses to ask instead.
Yifan shrugs, “Life. My mom was so mad when we broke up. She really liked her, I bet the wedding was already being planned.” he chuckles half-heartedly and shakes his head, the ponytail shaking.
“Why did you break up?” maybe he shouldn’t have asked, but Yifan doesn’t seem fazed about the question.
“I couldn’t keep leading her to a dead end,” he lowers his eyes, feet lightly kicking the grass. “Or my family. Or her parents,” he snorts. “And then my mother smiled and said ‘maybe she isn’t the right girl’. I thought she would faint when I said there weren’t any right girls.”
There’s a moment of silence, with only their steady breathings filling the air. Yixing’s stomach flutters, but he’s been ignoring these types of reactions for a whole part of the night, so he lets out a soft ‘Oh’ and gazes at Yifan.
“She didn’t though,” the latter says. “My father wouldn’t speak with me for weeks. Wendy, my girlfriend, was really nice about it.”
“Aren’t you scared?” Yixing ventures, fingers tightening around the edges of the bench seat. He can feel Yifan’s eyes on him.
“Scared of what?”
“I don’t know… People.” he finally looks up at him.
Yifan snorts and leans back. “Nah. The ones I care about, care about me too. I have my family, my friends, a job, a home. Why would I be scared of others?”
“I want to be like you.” Yixing says. He kicks the grass and turns up to look at Yifan. He’s not ready for the way the other is staring at him, hooded eyes overflowing with something he’s never seen in Yifan’s eyes before. It’s comforting, reassuring. Yixing can feel the tips of his ears warming up at the weight of Yifan’s eyes and soon enough, his cheeks are warm too. He chooses to drop his gaze and blinks at the lights shimmering over the pool.
A hand comes to gently caress his hair, and Yixing shivers. It feels good, the way Yifan’s hand strokes his hair and slides down to his neck. It almost makes Yixing want to curl into him and let his hands wander where they wanted to all night. He tries to brush off these thoughts and he quickly lifts his eyes saying, “Do you think they still have those cupcakes?”
Yifan chuckles, his fingers brushing down the sides of Yixing’s neck before he stands up and stretches a hand. “Come on.”
✦
Sundays aren’t usually Yixing’s best days. He tends to wake up at a comfortable time and plant himself in front of his TV with his xbox controller in his hands for a whole morning of Rising Dead 3. Today he’s not feeling like Rising Dead 3, nor any of the games he’s got stashed next to his console, so he gives the device a lazy glance and scratches his head before hopping off bed to feed Peter Parker. The cat meows at him as soon as he catches sight of Yixing, trailing after him into the kitchen and nudging Yixing’s calf.
He wasn’t really expecting his apartment to feel this alive when he brought Peter Parker in, but it’s really hard to feel lonely with Peter Parker around, meowing from time to time or clawing Yixing’s mattress. Sometimes it even feels like the kitty can sense when Yixing’s down, curling up on his lap or nudging his head into Yixing’s hand. He’s not sure if that’s how a cat is supposed to act, but Peter Parker definitely fits perfectly into Yixing’s life.
As the morning slowly progresses, Yixing takes out his baking tools. I’m baking lemon cupcakes he texts Song Qian, placing his cellphone on the counter and making room for the ingredients. His recipe isn’t hard to follow, just a regular cupcake recipe with a few adjustments to fit his liking. He likes to add vanilla and a bit of cinnamon to all cupcake flavors, even if Jongdae rattles about cinnamon not always going with every single flavor. To the lemon, however, he ditches cinnamon. He adds chestnuts and whipped egg whites instead, choosing to squeeze the juice right from the lemon into the dough. The icing is almost always lemon buttercream (with chantilly at the sides). Lemon is not his specialty, but it’s one of Song Qian’s favorites, so Yixing considers bringing it over to her place after he finishes everything up.
Once he’s done, he sends his mother an e-mail. Yixing’s been thinking about what institution he should make his donation to. There are just so many. He has researched a few in Seoul, but then remembered the Children’s home back in Changsha that his mother and grandmother cook food for once a week.
He transfers a small sum to his mom’s account and writes:
Use the money I transferred to buy food for the children at the centre. See? I’m not like Mei Ling’s son.
Then he grabs the cupcakes and marches to Song Qian’s, which also feels kinda like a donation.
✦
Today’s band is a new one. Soulful beats with the singer working some wonderful runs in it. Their music fits quite well as a soundtrack for the Friday night they’re having. After an ordinary, stressful week, Yixing, Jongdae, Baekhyun and Song Qian meet up at Club Evans.
“What I mean is that since you started up this list business I haven’t heard you mention a change of jobs,” Baekhyun takes a big gulp of his beer. “Not even once! Wasn’t that what made your life hard?”
Yixing sighs and pushes his beer in Jongdae’s direction, just because the other looks like he could use some, but Jongdae hardly looks up from his phone. “It’s not that easy.”
“How come? The newspaper has this fun stuff called the classified ads.” Baekhyun explains. Yixing really wants to rolls his eyes, but he holds back the urge with a straight face. “People actually use those to find jobs.”
“Figuring out where to go next is hard though” Song Qian pops in, eyes glued to the stage. They have a table that’s one of the closest to the stage, and since the band started performing, she’s been shamelessly flirting with the keyboard player. “Besides, that’s not the next item on his list.”
“What could be more urgent than another job?” Baekhyun inquires.
“Visiting a haunted house.” Yixing announces. Song Qian winks at the keyboard player and Baekhyun chokes on his beer.
“You are telling me that you’d rather visit a haunted place than to search for another job?”
“Why can’t we concentrate on Jongdae and the fact that he’s hardly looked up from his phone since we got here?” Yixing pleads, and it actually works.
Jongdae groans, his eyebrows furrowed at his phone as his fingers skate across the keyboard. “Soojung is throwing a fit. She wants me to go home because,” he looks up. “apparently she needs to eat peaches.”
“She’s pregnant, you’ve got to get her some peaches.” Yixing says, genuinely worried. There’s a chance of Jongdae’s kid being born peach-faced and he would like to be able to help his friend in avoiding an unpleasant situation. He would look down at the kid and puff out his chest, saying ‘You don’t have a peach face because of me’.
Jongdae makes a disgruntled noise. “I’m trying this new method of dealing with her, which consists of not complying.”
“So basically she’s listening to a lot of “No-s”?” Baekhyun tries and Jongdae groans again. “That can’t be good.”
“You have no idea how mad she is,” he looks miserable. “She keeps yelling that it’s my fault we didn’t have a honeymoon, because she wanted to rush the ceremony so her dress would fit her, and now it’s my fault we had to use the money to change the reservations!” Jongdae takes a deep breath and his eyebrows do that endearing thing that makes Yixing want to cuddle him. “Do you know how expensive it is to change the dates of a hotel venue?”
Song Qian, who finally looks away from the keyboard player she has been eyeing, places a sympathetic hand on Jongdae’s shoulder. “Forget about the new method. Go get her peaches or you’re fucked.”
He whimpers, but throws a few crumpled notes on the table and leaves, into the Evil Witch’s claws. Yixing sighs and brings his beer to his mouth, ready to gulp when Baekhyun’s attention turns to him.
“A haunted place?” he frowns, and Yixing thinks he could have offered himself to accompany Jongdae.
✦
It’s not exactly easy to move from Gwanak-gu to Mapo-gu. Yixing has to take the 6003 bus at the Gwanak-gu office, which leaves every 30 minutes, then he needs to take the train at the Gimpo Airport Station and hop off at Hongik University Station. A trip that takes a total of 51 minutes and 859,67 won for a bottle of water at the Gimpo Station. It’s a journey across the river after all, and Yixing is only used to riding to Hongdae from his work building in Jung.
The good thing is, as they settled the details of Yixing’s visit to Yifan’s apartment, he got so confused by all possible methods of transportation (he could have taken the subway at the Seoul National University Station or at the Sillim Station and hopped off at the Mangwon Station, but the walk wasn’t worth the 20 minutes he’d gain) that Yifan agreed to pick him up at Hongik. Yixing had been nervous at first; receiving a late-night invitation for a movie day with Yifan’s friends was kind of baffling (if that’s even the appropriate word), but after Baekhyun slapped him on the back -- he was still in the bar when the text popped up --, Yixing was able to think straight and send an appropriate answer.
Meeting Yifan’s friends, though, is setting him on the edge. It should be ok, since he’s also a friend of Yifan’s, and he’ll only be meeting others of his own kind.
That line of thought worked for a while, that was before he walked out of that train in Hongik and met Yifan waiting for him outside in a red knit cardigan and washed out jeans. His hair tied in the usual ponytail and as soon as he catches sight of Yixing, his face lights in one of those awfully endearing gummy smiles.
“That’s the most colorful I’ve ever seen on you.” Yixing says and tries not to dwell on how warm he feels when Yifan hugs him. It’s 10AM and the weather app on his phone registers 15º, but when he steps away, it feels like -2º.
“Why thank you,” Yifan chuckles. It seems like Yixing’s senses have heightened -- the laugh reverberates inside him and it suddenly feels like 15º all over again. “Shall we?”
“Yeah.” Yixing follows him out of the station and into the street.
“How long did it take?” Yifan stuffs his hands in his pockets and gazes at Yixing.
“52 minutes or so. The bus didn’t take long. Maybe next time I venture to Hongdae I’ll take the subway at Seoul National and get off at Hapjeong.”
“It’s the exact same walk to my apartment,” Yifan shrugs. “Would Hapjeong have been better for you?”
“Maybe, but that’s not important. Hey, I brought chips.” Yixing lifts the bag in his hand and Yifan hums.
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to. Luhan brought a lot of food and Sehun is cooking right now. He’s not the best chef, but Chanyeol is out of town, so…” he snorts a chuckle and uses a finger to scratch the side of his head. “They’re really excited to meet you.”
Yixing’s eyebrows arch, “How so?”
“Well,” Yifan coughs. “I might have talked about you way too much.”
He bites on his lip to prevent his lips from going all dumb smile on Yifan. “Is that a good thing?”
“I’m not sure.” Yifan tugs at his forearm, pulling him along when he takes a detour, turning on a street.
“Do they have a nickname for me?”
“No, only your friends do that” They meet eyes for a second and Yixing laughs. Yifan smiles at him before looking at the path ahead of them and touching Yixing’s neck gently. It’s becoming a habit of his, apparently, and maybe being honest about how sensitive that area is would result in him stopping but Yixing really doesn’t want him to stop.
More four minutes of walk and they reach Yifan’s apartment building. Yixing keeps repeating to himself that he shouldn’t be afraid of Yifan’s friends. They’re just others of his kind…
Who can speak fast and loud Chinese.
As soon as they step out of the elevator, he can hear accented Chinese. Frowning, he looks up at Yifan, who just smiles and unlocks the door. As he barges in, he screams - in Chinese, for good measure, he thinks - “I’m here, just stop screaming!”
Sudden silence, then three pairs of eyes are focused on Yixing. The tips of his ears feel tingly, so he reaches to scratch behind it. He’s sure he looks dumb, because everyone just stares at him until Yifan motions between them. “This is Yixing. Yixing, this is my gang,” and then he just strides to the kitchen.
“Hey,” says a blonde guy sitting at the floor with a terrible Chinese accent. “I’m Sehun. I’m not Chinese.”
“His Chinese is awful, we’ve been trying to educate him, but he’s just dumb.” says the only one Yixing knows. Bags under his eyes and kittenish mouth. “I’m Zitao. Do you remember me from the--”
“Tattoo studio, yes.” Yixing nods. “How are you?”
“Suffering.” Zitao rolls his eyes and shoots a murderous glare at Sehun, who just ignores it. He points to a guy on the couch. “This is Luhan.”
“Yo,” says a light-brown haired guy. He’s so pretty Yixing has to remind himself not to gape, because he knows he tends to gape sometimes. “You doin’ man?”
Yixing frowns, “What?”
Yifan comes back from the kitchen with a glass of something that looks like soda and hands it over to Yixing. “Gimme your chip bag.” he grabs the plastic bag and returns to the kitchen.
“You brought chips?” asks Zitao, lifting very tattooed, very ringed hands to press against his cheeks. The image doesn’t quite live up to his appearance. It’s kinda cute.
“Yes.” Yixing smiles.
“At least someone brought something.” Sehun mumbles in Korean. Zitao snaps his head and glares.
“Do you think I didn’t hear that?”
Yixing watches the interaction between them with a certain curiosity before Luhan waves a hand at him and offers a seat by his side. Yixing sits.
“They’re always bickering like that, don’t worry.” he explains with sparkly eyes and Yixing blinks while trying not to stare. “It’s gotten worse since Sehun started dating that Joy girl from the shoe store. I think Zitao is jealous.”
Yixing hums, because honestly he has no idea of what else to say. He’s not emotionally ready for this encounter. Yifan’s friends seem very nice and normal (with the bickering and pretty faces), but Yixing is unable to stop thinking about this like a step further in their relationship. Not that… He’s been thinking too much about relationships.
“So, do you like the place?” Yifan stands next to the couch with both hands on his hips, eyeing Yixing apprehensively.
His apartment is not big, but spacious for a single person, and very neatly organized. There’s a couch against the kitchen counter with blue and brown fluffy-looking cushions, a TV set on the opposite wall and a few shelves with a lamp and supplies. There’s a staircase, and Yixing imagines that the bedroom is upstairs. He takes another look around and decides he likes this place.
“Yep, I like it. I’ve been thinking about getting a duplex. It may be one of the items on my list, but it’s kinda far.” he chuckles and takes a sip of the soda. “And I like your cushions.”
Yifan nods his head in acknowledgement and sits at the floor, closer to where Yixing is sitting at the couch. “It’s a good location. Not far from subway stations and convenience stores and all.”
“Oh yeah, in the heart of Hongdae.” Yixing nods.
Instead of adding to the conversation, Yifan frowns and looks at his friends. “I thought Sehun was cooking.”
Zitao snorts, and Luhan looks up from his cellphone. “He messed the meat, we ordered jajangmyeon.”
“He what?” Yifan sighs. “I was out for fifteen minutes, dude. How did he mess the meat?”
“I don’t know. How does Sehun mess everything else? We just smelled it and deemed inedible.” Luhan shrugs and throws his phone on the couch. “Maybe we should order some chicken as well.”
“No, we have chips.” Yifan says.
“But we’re talking about 9 hours of movies here.” Sehun says. It’s weird, he starts with Chinese, but finishes off with Korean. It takes everyone a while to understand.
“9 hours?” Yixing asks.
“We’re watching The Lord of the Rings.” Zitao explains.
“Oh. I’ve never seen the last one.” Yixing confesses and everyone gasps.
“This madness ends today,” Yifan says and stands up. “I’m getting the movies.”
As soon as Yifan climbs the stairs (singsonging to some Lord of the Rings theme song or so), Luhan pokes Yixing’s ribs and he jumps in his place.
“You know he wants into your pants, right?” Luhan asks too seriously.
Yixing is glad he doesn’t have any soda in his mouth. “What?” Although he can feel the tips of his ears acting up again, and he puts a lot of effort into not scratching it.
“He wants into your pants.” Luhan repeats, scooting closer and pressing his leg against Yixing’s. “Are you gay?”
Scratching seems inevitable. Yixing reaches up for the back of his ear and hopes that he doesn’t sound too pathetic. Because Yifan’s friend is telling that he wants into Yixing’s pants. And now he may be crossing a border. But he guesses that’s how people bond nowadays. “Um…” Yixing hums and heaves a shuddering breath. “Perhaps…”
“That’s a yes or no question, buddy.”
“Y-yes.”
Zitao huffs and plops on the floor, in front of Yixing. “Stop scaring him.” he says to Luhan before turning to the frightened one. “What he means is that… Yifan likes you. And he’s very impulsive; does whatever pops into that mind of his,” like crossing the river to pay Yixing a late night visit. “And he’s fighting all his natural instincts when it comes to you. He’s being really careful, and this means he cares about you… So if you don’t think about him… In a gay way… Then I suggest you kindly remove yourself from his life.”
“He’s really precious to us, you know.” Luhan continues, “Don’t get me wrong, we really like you. It’s just that… We like Yifan best.”
Rolling his eyes, Sehun who finally cares to enter the conversation adds in, “what we mean is that…” and a sigh, “don’t hurt him, please?”
The Fellowship of the Ring passes by with too much thought poured into what Yifan’s friends had said. He likes Yifan. It’s not like Yixing hasn’t been thinking about Yifan in that way; he just rather not to. It prevents disappointment. He’s been disappointed a lot. But Yifan… There’s something different about Yifan. He is that kind of guy that stops someone from leaving his tattoo studio without a healing cream. He is the type of person who creates stupid excuses just to text someone and tries not to make it out to be too much about himself. Perhaps he’s the worst kind. The kind that cares.
Zitao and Sehun fall asleep on the floor about 1 hour and 45 minutes into The Two Towers. It’s only 3:50 PM and they doze off as if it’s midnight, Yixing suspects it’s the food coma from their full bellies. Luhan promptly snaps pictures and makes fun of them, but 15 minutes into The Return of the King, he’s fast snoring. Yifan and Yixing finish the nine hours of movies with body stretches and a bottle of soda. After Yifan introduces Yixing to his hamster, Toy, they sit by the kitchen counter and stare at Yifan’s wall.
“I can’t believe Frodo went away,” Yixing takes a gulp of his soda and gently places it on the counter.
“He just wanted some rest,” Yifan reasons, face resting on his palm, eyes intent on Yixing. Sometimes, as he speaks, Yixing has the impression he’s trying to say something completely different with his eyes. “Can you imagine carrying that burden for so long?”
“Poor Frodo.” he sighs.
Yifan hums and stares at some point barely above Yixing’s eyes. He stretches a hand and touches Yixing’s short hair strands. “Your roots are already showing.”
“Ah…” Yixing runs a hand through his hair. “It grows fast.”
“So,” Yifan takes a sip of his soda. “what’s next?”
“A haunted house,” he promptly answers.
The taller frowns. “Were you really serious about that?”
“Totally.”
“How is that relevant to your life changing process?” Yifan chuckles, and Yixing can tell he’s genuinely amused. He’s not sure if it’s supposed to do what it does to his heart.
“Well, it’s a complete process. It involves all kinds of stuff, as you can see.” he says matter-of-factly. “I need to visit a haunted house.”
“Why is that?” Yifan asks, mouth pressed into his palm.
“I’m not very keen on ghosts or haunted places, so it will feel like I tore down a wall or something.” he explains, pulling up the sleeves of his cardigan. He’s too self-conscious of Yifan’s eyes on him, and his ears starts itching.
“How did it go with the donation?”
“Good. I helped the children centre close to home, back in Changsha.” he says.
Yifan’s eyebrows arch. “So you’re from Changsha.”
“Yep. Are you from Changsha?”
“No, I’m from Guangzhou. But I know people from Changsha.” Yifan frowns very slightly. Yixing could sit and watch his eyebrows for a long time.
“You know… We always sit and talk about me. I’m kinda tired of talking about me. Can’t we talk about you for a while?”
Yifan seems amused, stretching his lips in one of his endearing smiles. “Oh yeah? What do you wanna know?”
“I don’t know.” he shrugs. “Tell me something interesting about yourself.”
“I like plush toys.”
Yixing muffles a laugh with his hand. He doesn’t want to wake Yifan’s friends up. “Is this supposed to be interesting?”
Yifan just shrugs, but the smile lingers. “People like us, we’re not strong characters. We’re just… basic, average guys.”
“Hey, I’m a strong character! And does this sentence finish with and we’re here to save the world?”
He laughs. “What I mean is that… We struggle to find our place in life. It just doesn’t come easily, and I think we’re doing a great job.”
Yixing can tell he means it, by the way his eyes stay for a little too long. Or maybe it’s how he places his hand on the back of Yixing’s neck and lets his fingers softly brush over it.
“Do you want to come with me to the haunted house?” The question just… slips, rolls from his tongue while he’s being entranced by Yifan’s eyes.
“Wow, it would be great. If you really want me to.” he says.
“I do,” Yixing takes a deep breath and continues, “In fact, can you do me the favor of picking the location? I don’t wanna do the research.”
Yifan snorts a laugh and nods. “Sure. Of course I can.”
{item n. 5}
Pairing: kris/lay
Rating: PG-13
Length: 43,278 words
Summary: Yixing has an eight-step list to change his life and the first thing is to get a tattoo. What’s not on the list, however, is the hot tattoo artist that comes along. (it's so much more than that, really)
{item n. 3}
4. Make a donation
Yifan chuckles. Yixing’s not sure when he got used to the sound, but it rings really familiar through his ears. He likes it. “I’m not sure that’s how the saying goes.”
“In Soojung’s case it goes just like that.” They stand up and the song starts playing.
Maybe it’s the occasion, but Yixing doesn’t think he ever saw Soojung smile as honestly and brightly as today when she walks down the aisle. Her father is clearly holding back his tears, and Yixing can’t stop wondering when they’d made up, since the last news he’d gotten about her parents indicated that they were pissed about the pregnancy. Well, she certainly doesn’t look like she’s pregnant, especially with how the dress looks marvelous on her slim body.
Yixing turns to Yifan so he can voice out the thought about the dress, but is surprised in catching him watching Jongdae instead. He merely blinks, mouth slightly parted and one of those silly, permanent smiles on.
“Are you a groom-watcher?” Yixing whispers.
Yifan sighs, quickly looking down at him before settling on Jongdae again. “Everyone thinks the bride looks so happy and beautiful,” he shrugs. “That’s because they’re not paying attention to the groom. He’s just… I keep trying to imagine what’s on his mind as she walks.”
And you? Yixing wants to ask. What’s really on your mind? How would you feel if I hold your hand right now?
Instead, he takes a deep breath and watches the bride and groom make their vows.
The party seems expensive. It’s held in a hotel in Gangnam which Yixing can’t even remember the name of, but it’s fine, since the food looks good. And the cake, of course. The decoration is not extravagant, but sophisticated instead. Royal chairs with red, padded seats, and round tables adorned with antique candlesticks. There is, indeed, a chandelier. It’s all very Victorian, as expected from Soojung, and the hint of refinement explains exactly why she’s been obsessive about everything looking perfect. Yixing’s hair certainly clashes with the red from the chairs.
Yifan takes the seat next to Yixing, and shortly after, Baekhyun and Song Qian join them.
“What kind of booze do you think they’re serving?” Baekhyun shamelessly asks, earning himself a slap at the nape by Song Qian before she dutifully tosses her hair.
“I’m not helping if you get drunk.” she says and they easily fall into bickering. Yixing takes the chance to turn to Yifan.
“Hey,” he says. “Thank you for coming tonight.”
Yifan smiles one of those smiles Yixing recognizes too well. It’s not helpful that Yifan looks the most attractive he’s looked since they met each other, in his black suit and pink tie, hair arranged in a purposefully messy (and classy) ponytail. It’s hard not to stare, and Yixing worries that he is too obvious. “It’s my pleasure, really. Thank you for inviting me.”
By the time Jongdae and Soojung arrive at the party, half of the guests are on the dancefloor and the other half is already getting drunk. Song Qian has moved to the bridesmaids table after one of them stopped by to drop some gossip with Baekhyun trailing after her -- in favor of the bridesmaids, Yixing thinks. It’s just Yifan and him at the table, and they switch between a comfortable silence and casual conversation. They’re counting how many people are wearing something yellow when Jongdae and Soojung stop by their table.
“Yixing!” Jongdae says, arms wide open with a wide grin. Yixing stands up to greet him.
“Dude, you’re married!” he says, words muffled by Jongdae’s attire. “Congratulations!”
“And so it begins,” his friend says, stretching a hand to Yifan. “Mr. Handsome, thank you for coming!”
Soojung steps forward, “His name is Yifan.” she points out, waving a hand at him before turning to Yixing. “Hello Zhang. You look… Not bad.”
Yixing snorts, pulling Soojung in for a hug and ignoring the indignant barks about her hair and the pearls of her dress. “You look unbelievable today. Like a true princess.”
She smiles gracefully, “You too. I’m sorry I’ve been a bitch--”
“Witch,” Yifan cuts in. “He says you’re a witch, not a bitch.”
Soojung gasps, pretty hand dramatic over her chest and wide eyes staring incredulously at Yixing.
Jongdae bursts in laughter. “He’s a keeper!” Soojung glares at him. “Or… Not.”
She checks Yifan out and rolls her eyes at him, staring at Yixing for a brief moment before mumbling a disgusted “Thank you for coming.”
Once they’re gone, Yixing turns to Yifan (who’s biting back a laugh) “Why would you? On her wedding?”
“What can I say, I’m not afraid of her.”
Yixing laughs and glances at the dancefloor. He could use some dance right now. “Let’s dance, you free spirit.”
They almost knock over a waiter maneuvering a tray with a dozen plates of salmon on their way to the dancefloor with Yixing’s flailing arms and gracefully uncoordinated limbs. Yifan doesn’t seem to mind, sympathetically following his dance moves when they’re dancing to a fast beat and scooting closer when a slow song starts. By the time shy fingers find their way into Yixing’s hips, he’s not minding the clenching of his stomach and the shivers down his spine anymore.
People really like to eat at weddings. It’s like cheat day; they store hunger for days and then let it all free upon the cupcakes and chocolates. Yixing eats all right, and Yifan doesn’t seem to be that hungry, so when the sweet goods are brought over, the horde moves from the dancefloor back to the tables and they drift off to some place quiet. There’s a beautiful poolside garden, and Yixing doesn’t even know if they’re allowed to wander that direction, but they do anyways, sitting at a wooden bench between flamingo sculptures.
For a while, they just sit there in silence, watching how the lights from the hotel suites shimmer over the pool water, and how drunk are the people seen through the glass doors separating the pool area and the ballroom.
He’s not sure how long has passed before Yifan speaks. “Do you ever think about it?” Yixing gazes at him, Yifan’s eyes focused on the dancing people. “Getting married?”
“Sometimes,” everyone looks thrilled. It’s a happy celebration, a wedding, impossible not to be infected by all the happiness. “I think about a party like this, and the feeling of being so happy it hurts.” he sighs. “But somehow I don’t seem to go any further.”
Yifan hums. “Yeah…”
“Do you?” Yixing turns to meet his eyes. Yifan’s eyebrows are soothing, and it’s so easy to read him like this, so see someone soft with a big heart willing to offer his meal to a homeless man. Or cross the river to visit a cat.
“I used to, when I had a girlfriend.” he nods. Yixing ignores the punch of surprise at his throat and just swallows.
“What happened?” he chooses to ask instead.
Yifan shrugs, “Life. My mom was so mad when we broke up. She really liked her, I bet the wedding was already being planned.” he chuckles half-heartedly and shakes his head, the ponytail shaking.
“Why did you break up?” maybe he shouldn’t have asked, but Yifan doesn’t seem fazed about the question.
“I couldn’t keep leading her to a dead end,” he lowers his eyes, feet lightly kicking the grass. “Or my family. Or her parents,” he snorts. “And then my mother smiled and said ‘maybe she isn’t the right girl’. I thought she would faint when I said there weren’t any right girls.”
There’s a moment of silence, with only their steady breathings filling the air. Yixing’s stomach flutters, but he’s been ignoring these types of reactions for a whole part of the night, so he lets out a soft ‘Oh’ and gazes at Yifan.
“She didn’t though,” the latter says. “My father wouldn’t speak with me for weeks. Wendy, my girlfriend, was really nice about it.”
“Aren’t you scared?” Yixing ventures, fingers tightening around the edges of the bench seat. He can feel Yifan’s eyes on him.
“Scared of what?”
“I don’t know… People.” he finally looks up at him.
Yifan snorts and leans back. “Nah. The ones I care about, care about me too. I have my family, my friends, a job, a home. Why would I be scared of others?”
“I want to be like you.” Yixing says. He kicks the grass and turns up to look at Yifan. He’s not ready for the way the other is staring at him, hooded eyes overflowing with something he’s never seen in Yifan’s eyes before. It’s comforting, reassuring. Yixing can feel the tips of his ears warming up at the weight of Yifan’s eyes and soon enough, his cheeks are warm too. He chooses to drop his gaze and blinks at the lights shimmering over the pool.
A hand comes to gently caress his hair, and Yixing shivers. It feels good, the way Yifan’s hand strokes his hair and slides down to his neck. It almost makes Yixing want to curl into him and let his hands wander where they wanted to all night. He tries to brush off these thoughts and he quickly lifts his eyes saying, “Do you think they still have those cupcakes?”
Yifan chuckles, his fingers brushing down the sides of Yixing’s neck before he stands up and stretches a hand. “Come on.”
✦
Sundays aren’t usually Yixing’s best days. He tends to wake up at a comfortable time and plant himself in front of his TV with his xbox controller in his hands for a whole morning of Rising Dead 3. Today he’s not feeling like Rising Dead 3, nor any of the games he’s got stashed next to his console, so he gives the device a lazy glance and scratches his head before hopping off bed to feed Peter Parker. The cat meows at him as soon as he catches sight of Yixing, trailing after him into the kitchen and nudging Yixing’s calf.
He wasn’t really expecting his apartment to feel this alive when he brought Peter Parker in, but it’s really hard to feel lonely with Peter Parker around, meowing from time to time or clawing Yixing’s mattress. Sometimes it even feels like the kitty can sense when Yixing’s down, curling up on his lap or nudging his head into Yixing’s hand. He’s not sure if that’s how a cat is supposed to act, but Peter Parker definitely fits perfectly into Yixing’s life.
As the morning slowly progresses, Yixing takes out his baking tools. I’m baking lemon cupcakes he texts Song Qian, placing his cellphone on the counter and making room for the ingredients. His recipe isn’t hard to follow, just a regular cupcake recipe with a few adjustments to fit his liking. He likes to add vanilla and a bit of cinnamon to all cupcake flavors, even if Jongdae rattles about cinnamon not always going with every single flavor. To the lemon, however, he ditches cinnamon. He adds chestnuts and whipped egg whites instead, choosing to squeeze the juice right from the lemon into the dough. The icing is almost always lemon buttercream (with chantilly at the sides). Lemon is not his specialty, but it’s one of Song Qian’s favorites, so Yixing considers bringing it over to her place after he finishes everything up.
Once he’s done, he sends his mother an e-mail. Yixing’s been thinking about what institution he should make his donation to. There are just so many. He has researched a few in Seoul, but then remembered the Children’s home back in Changsha that his mother and grandmother cook food for once a week.
He transfers a small sum to his mom’s account and writes:
Use the money I transferred to buy food for the children at the centre. See? I’m not like Mei Ling’s son.
Then he grabs the cupcakes and marches to Song Qian’s, which also feels kinda like a donation.
✦
Today’s band is a new one. Soulful beats with the singer working some wonderful runs in it. Their music fits quite well as a soundtrack for the Friday night they’re having. After an ordinary, stressful week, Yixing, Jongdae, Baekhyun and Song Qian meet up at Club Evans.
“What I mean is that since you started up this list business I haven’t heard you mention a change of jobs,” Baekhyun takes a big gulp of his beer. “Not even once! Wasn’t that what made your life hard?”
Yixing sighs and pushes his beer in Jongdae’s direction, just because the other looks like he could use some, but Jongdae hardly looks up from his phone. “It’s not that easy.”
“How come? The newspaper has this fun stuff called the classified ads.” Baekhyun explains. Yixing really wants to rolls his eyes, but he holds back the urge with a straight face. “People actually use those to find jobs.”
“Figuring out where to go next is hard though” Song Qian pops in, eyes glued to the stage. They have a table that’s one of the closest to the stage, and since the band started performing, she’s been shamelessly flirting with the keyboard player. “Besides, that’s not the next item on his list.”
“What could be more urgent than another job?” Baekhyun inquires.
“Visiting a haunted house.” Yixing announces. Song Qian winks at the keyboard player and Baekhyun chokes on his beer.
“You are telling me that you’d rather visit a haunted place than to search for another job?”
“Why can’t we concentrate on Jongdae and the fact that he’s hardly looked up from his phone since we got here?” Yixing pleads, and it actually works.
Jongdae groans, his eyebrows furrowed at his phone as his fingers skate across the keyboard. “Soojung is throwing a fit. She wants me to go home because,” he looks up. “apparently she needs to eat peaches.”
“She’s pregnant, you’ve got to get her some peaches.” Yixing says, genuinely worried. There’s a chance of Jongdae’s kid being born peach-faced and he would like to be able to help his friend in avoiding an unpleasant situation. He would look down at the kid and puff out his chest, saying ‘You don’t have a peach face because of me’.
Jongdae makes a disgruntled noise. “I’m trying this new method of dealing with her, which consists of not complying.”
“So basically she’s listening to a lot of “No-s”?” Baekhyun tries and Jongdae groans again. “That can’t be good.”
“You have no idea how mad she is,” he looks miserable. “She keeps yelling that it’s my fault we didn’t have a honeymoon, because she wanted to rush the ceremony so her dress would fit her, and now it’s my fault we had to use the money to change the reservations!” Jongdae takes a deep breath and his eyebrows do that endearing thing that makes Yixing want to cuddle him. “Do you know how expensive it is to change the dates of a hotel venue?”
Song Qian, who finally looks away from the keyboard player she has been eyeing, places a sympathetic hand on Jongdae’s shoulder. “Forget about the new method. Go get her peaches or you’re fucked.”
He whimpers, but throws a few crumpled notes on the table and leaves, into the Evil Witch’s claws. Yixing sighs and brings his beer to his mouth, ready to gulp when Baekhyun’s attention turns to him.
“A haunted place?” he frowns, and Yixing thinks he could have offered himself to accompany Jongdae.
✦
It’s not exactly easy to move from Gwanak-gu to Mapo-gu. Yixing has to take the 6003 bus at the Gwanak-gu office, which leaves every 30 minutes, then he needs to take the train at the Gimpo Airport Station and hop off at Hongik University Station. A trip that takes a total of 51 minutes and 859,67 won for a bottle of water at the Gimpo Station. It’s a journey across the river after all, and Yixing is only used to riding to Hongdae from his work building in Jung.
The good thing is, as they settled the details of Yixing’s visit to Yifan’s apartment, he got so confused by all possible methods of transportation (he could have taken the subway at the Seoul National University Station or at the Sillim Station and hopped off at the Mangwon Station, but the walk wasn’t worth the 20 minutes he’d gain) that Yifan agreed to pick him up at Hongik. Yixing had been nervous at first; receiving a late-night invitation for a movie day with Yifan’s friends was kind of baffling (if that’s even the appropriate word), but after Baekhyun slapped him on the back -- he was still in the bar when the text popped up --, Yixing was able to think straight and send an appropriate answer.
Meeting Yifan’s friends, though, is setting him on the edge. It should be ok, since he’s also a friend of Yifan’s, and he’ll only be meeting others of his own kind.
That line of thought worked for a while, that was before he walked out of that train in Hongik and met Yifan waiting for him outside in a red knit cardigan and washed out jeans. His hair tied in the usual ponytail and as soon as he catches sight of Yixing, his face lights in one of those awfully endearing gummy smiles.
“That’s the most colorful I’ve ever seen on you.” Yixing says and tries not to dwell on how warm he feels when Yifan hugs him. It’s 10AM and the weather app on his phone registers 15º, but when he steps away, it feels like -2º.
“Why thank you,” Yifan chuckles. It seems like Yixing’s senses have heightened -- the laugh reverberates inside him and it suddenly feels like 15º all over again. “Shall we?”
“Yeah.” Yixing follows him out of the station and into the street.
“How long did it take?” Yifan stuffs his hands in his pockets and gazes at Yixing.
“52 minutes or so. The bus didn’t take long. Maybe next time I venture to Hongdae I’ll take the subway at Seoul National and get off at Hapjeong.”
“It’s the exact same walk to my apartment,” Yifan shrugs. “Would Hapjeong have been better for you?”
“Maybe, but that’s not important. Hey, I brought chips.” Yixing lifts the bag in his hand and Yifan hums.
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to. Luhan brought a lot of food and Sehun is cooking right now. He’s not the best chef, but Chanyeol is out of town, so…” he snorts a chuckle and uses a finger to scratch the side of his head. “They’re really excited to meet you.”
Yixing’s eyebrows arch, “How so?”
“Well,” Yifan coughs. “I might have talked about you way too much.”
He bites on his lip to prevent his lips from going all dumb smile on Yifan. “Is that a good thing?”
“I’m not sure.” Yifan tugs at his forearm, pulling him along when he takes a detour, turning on a street.
“Do they have a nickname for me?”
“No, only your friends do that” They meet eyes for a second and Yixing laughs. Yifan smiles at him before looking at the path ahead of them and touching Yixing’s neck gently. It’s becoming a habit of his, apparently, and maybe being honest about how sensitive that area is would result in him stopping but Yixing really doesn’t want him to stop.
More four minutes of walk and they reach Yifan’s apartment building. Yixing keeps repeating to himself that he shouldn’t be afraid of Yifan’s friends. They’re just others of his kind…
Who can speak fast and loud Chinese.
As soon as they step out of the elevator, he can hear accented Chinese. Frowning, he looks up at Yifan, who just smiles and unlocks the door. As he barges in, he screams - in Chinese, for good measure, he thinks - “I’m here, just stop screaming!”
Sudden silence, then three pairs of eyes are focused on Yixing. The tips of his ears feel tingly, so he reaches to scratch behind it. He’s sure he looks dumb, because everyone just stares at him until Yifan motions between them. “This is Yixing. Yixing, this is my gang,” and then he just strides to the kitchen.
“Hey,” says a blonde guy sitting at the floor with a terrible Chinese accent. “I’m Sehun. I’m not Chinese.”
“His Chinese is awful, we’ve been trying to educate him, but he’s just dumb.” says the only one Yixing knows. Bags under his eyes and kittenish mouth. “I’m Zitao. Do you remember me from the--”
“Tattoo studio, yes.” Yixing nods. “How are you?”
“Suffering.” Zitao rolls his eyes and shoots a murderous glare at Sehun, who just ignores it. He points to a guy on the couch. “This is Luhan.”
“Yo,” says a light-brown haired guy. He’s so pretty Yixing has to remind himself not to gape, because he knows he tends to gape sometimes. “You doin’ man?”
Yixing frowns, “What?”
Yifan comes back from the kitchen with a glass of something that looks like soda and hands it over to Yixing. “Gimme your chip bag.” he grabs the plastic bag and returns to the kitchen.
“You brought chips?” asks Zitao, lifting very tattooed, very ringed hands to press against his cheeks. The image doesn’t quite live up to his appearance. It’s kinda cute.
“Yes.” Yixing smiles.
“At least someone brought something.” Sehun mumbles in Korean. Zitao snaps his head and glares.
“Do you think I didn’t hear that?”
Yixing watches the interaction between them with a certain curiosity before Luhan waves a hand at him and offers a seat by his side. Yixing sits.
“They’re always bickering like that, don’t worry.” he explains with sparkly eyes and Yixing blinks while trying not to stare. “It’s gotten worse since Sehun started dating that Joy girl from the shoe store. I think Zitao is jealous.”
Yixing hums, because honestly he has no idea of what else to say. He’s not emotionally ready for this encounter. Yifan’s friends seem very nice and normal (with the bickering and pretty faces), but Yixing is unable to stop thinking about this like a step further in their relationship. Not that… He’s been thinking too much about relationships.
“So, do you like the place?” Yifan stands next to the couch with both hands on his hips, eyeing Yixing apprehensively.
His apartment is not big, but spacious for a single person, and very neatly organized. There’s a couch against the kitchen counter with blue and brown fluffy-looking cushions, a TV set on the opposite wall and a few shelves with a lamp and supplies. There’s a staircase, and Yixing imagines that the bedroom is upstairs. He takes another look around and decides he likes this place.
“Yep, I like it. I’ve been thinking about getting a duplex. It may be one of the items on my list, but it’s kinda far.” he chuckles and takes a sip of the soda. “And I like your cushions.”
Yifan nods his head in acknowledgement and sits at the floor, closer to where Yixing is sitting at the couch. “It’s a good location. Not far from subway stations and convenience stores and all.”
“Oh yeah, in the heart of Hongdae.” Yixing nods.
Instead of adding to the conversation, Yifan frowns and looks at his friends. “I thought Sehun was cooking.”
Zitao snorts, and Luhan looks up from his cellphone. “He messed the meat, we ordered jajangmyeon.”
“He what?” Yifan sighs. “I was out for fifteen minutes, dude. How did he mess the meat?”
“I don’t know. How does Sehun mess everything else? We just smelled it and deemed inedible.” Luhan shrugs and throws his phone on the couch. “Maybe we should order some chicken as well.”
“No, we have chips.” Yifan says.
“But we’re talking about 9 hours of movies here.” Sehun says. It’s weird, he starts with Chinese, but finishes off with Korean. It takes everyone a while to understand.
“9 hours?” Yixing asks.
“We’re watching The Lord of the Rings.” Zitao explains.
“Oh. I’ve never seen the last one.” Yixing confesses and everyone gasps.
“This madness ends today,” Yifan says and stands up. “I’m getting the movies.”
As soon as Yifan climbs the stairs (singsonging to some Lord of the Rings theme song or so), Luhan pokes Yixing’s ribs and he jumps in his place.
“You know he wants into your pants, right?” Luhan asks too seriously.
Yixing is glad he doesn’t have any soda in his mouth. “What?” Although he can feel the tips of his ears acting up again, and he puts a lot of effort into not scratching it.
“He wants into your pants.” Luhan repeats, scooting closer and pressing his leg against Yixing’s. “Are you gay?”
Scratching seems inevitable. Yixing reaches up for the back of his ear and hopes that he doesn’t sound too pathetic. Because Yifan’s friend is telling that he wants into Yixing’s pants. And now he may be crossing a border. But he guesses that’s how people bond nowadays. “Um…” Yixing hums and heaves a shuddering breath. “Perhaps…”
“That’s a yes or no question, buddy.”
“Y-yes.”
Zitao huffs and plops on the floor, in front of Yixing. “Stop scaring him.” he says to Luhan before turning to the frightened one. “What he means is that… Yifan likes you. And he’s very impulsive; does whatever pops into that mind of his,” like crossing the river to pay Yixing a late night visit. “And he’s fighting all his natural instincts when it comes to you. He’s being really careful, and this means he cares about you… So if you don’t think about him… In a gay way… Then I suggest you kindly remove yourself from his life.”
“He’s really precious to us, you know.” Luhan continues, “Don’t get me wrong, we really like you. It’s just that… We like Yifan best.”
Rolling his eyes, Sehun who finally cares to enter the conversation adds in, “what we mean is that…” and a sigh, “don’t hurt him, please?”
The Fellowship of the Ring passes by with too much thought poured into what Yifan’s friends had said. He likes Yifan. It’s not like Yixing hasn’t been thinking about Yifan in that way; he just rather not to. It prevents disappointment. He’s been disappointed a lot. But Yifan… There’s something different about Yifan. He is that kind of guy that stops someone from leaving his tattoo studio without a healing cream. He is the type of person who creates stupid excuses just to text someone and tries not to make it out to be too much about himself. Perhaps he’s the worst kind. The kind that cares.
Zitao and Sehun fall asleep on the floor about 1 hour and 45 minutes into The Two Towers. It’s only 3:50 PM and they doze off as if it’s midnight, Yixing suspects it’s the food coma from their full bellies. Luhan promptly snaps pictures and makes fun of them, but 15 minutes into The Return of the King, he’s fast snoring. Yifan and Yixing finish the nine hours of movies with body stretches and a bottle of soda. After Yifan introduces Yixing to his hamster, Toy, they sit by the kitchen counter and stare at Yifan’s wall.
“I can’t believe Frodo went away,” Yixing takes a gulp of his soda and gently places it on the counter.
“He just wanted some rest,” Yifan reasons, face resting on his palm, eyes intent on Yixing. Sometimes, as he speaks, Yixing has the impression he’s trying to say something completely different with his eyes. “Can you imagine carrying that burden for so long?”
“Poor Frodo.” he sighs.
Yifan hums and stares at some point barely above Yixing’s eyes. He stretches a hand and touches Yixing’s short hair strands. “Your roots are already showing.”
“Ah…” Yixing runs a hand through his hair. “It grows fast.”
“So,” Yifan takes a sip of his soda. “what’s next?”
“A haunted house,” he promptly answers.
The taller frowns. “Were you really serious about that?”
“Totally.”
“How is that relevant to your life changing process?” Yifan chuckles, and Yixing can tell he’s genuinely amused. He’s not sure if it’s supposed to do what it does to his heart.
“Well, it’s a complete process. It involves all kinds of stuff, as you can see.” he says matter-of-factly. “I need to visit a haunted house.”
“Why is that?” Yifan asks, mouth pressed into his palm.
“I’m not very keen on ghosts or haunted places, so it will feel like I tore down a wall or something.” he explains, pulling up the sleeves of his cardigan. He’s too self-conscious of Yifan’s eyes on him, and his ears starts itching.
“How did it go with the donation?”
“Good. I helped the children centre close to home, back in Changsha.” he says.
Yifan’s eyebrows arch. “So you’re from Changsha.”
“Yep. Are you from Changsha?”
“No, I’m from Guangzhou. But I know people from Changsha.” Yifan frowns very slightly. Yixing could sit and watch his eyebrows for a long time.
“You know… We always sit and talk about me. I’m kinda tired of talking about me. Can’t we talk about you for a while?”
Yifan seems amused, stretching his lips in one of his endearing smiles. “Oh yeah? What do you wanna know?”
“I don’t know.” he shrugs. “Tell me something interesting about yourself.”
“I like plush toys.”
Yixing muffles a laugh with his hand. He doesn’t want to wake Yifan’s friends up. “Is this supposed to be interesting?”
Yifan just shrugs, but the smile lingers. “People like us, we’re not strong characters. We’re just… basic, average guys.”
“Hey, I’m a strong character! And does this sentence finish with and we’re here to save the world?”
He laughs. “What I mean is that… We struggle to find our place in life. It just doesn’t come easily, and I think we’re doing a great job.”
Yixing can tell he means it, by the way his eyes stay for a little too long. Or maybe it’s how he places his hand on the back of Yixing’s neck and lets his fingers softly brush over it.
“Do you want to come with me to the haunted house?” The question just… slips, rolls from his tongue while he’s being entranced by Yifan’s eyes.
“Wow, it would be great. If you really want me to.” he says.
“I do,” Yixing takes a deep breath and continues, “In fact, can you do me the favor of picking the location? I don’t wanna do the research.”
Yifan snorts a laugh and nods. “Sure. Of course I can.”
{item n. 5}