Secrets Worth Keeping [8/15]
secrets worth keeping [8/15]
Pairings: Kris/Lay, Xiumin/Luhan, one sided!Taoris, Kris/Chanyeol
Genre: High School!AU
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 3,000
Summary: Wu Fan is the star player of the school’s basketball team and a known ladies man. But Yixing discovers that it’s not all quite what it seems.
prologue | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | {xiuhan side story} | eight | nine | ten | eleven | twelve | {taochen side story} | thirteen | fourteen | fifteen
They stand outside the classroom in the morning. Jongdae leans against the wall and is currently occupying himself by seeing how many items he can steal out of Zitao’s bag without him noticing. Wu Fan is having a conversation with Zitao about the newest episode of some drama on television, while Yixing flicks through his school books to make sure all of his homework is there.
Yixing looks up when he sees two people approaching and, upon realising that it’s Lu Han and Minseok and noting that they’re holding hands, grins widely.
“Hey,” Lu Han says and the rest of them look up. Jongdae subtly tries to return the stapler he has just taken from Zitao’s bag.
“We have something to tell you,” Lu Han continues. Zitao raises an eyebrow and Jongdae’s eyes widen. Lu Han looks at Minseok, and Yixing wants to strangle them both because the adoration in their shared gaze is almost sickening.
“We’re together,” Minseok says, beaming at them all.
Jongdae manages to get halfway through a wolf whistle before Zitao’s hand is clamped over his mouth. Lu Han shoots a venomous glare in Jongdae’s direction and his hand tightens around Minseok’s.
“Congratulations,” Zitao says, “now you know how stupid you both are.”
“Shut up,” Lu Han snaps while Minseok just smiles happily beside him.
Wu Fan snorts softly, “To be honest, even I could tell you two liked each other.”
Jongdae makes a strangled sound which sounds like a muffled laugh behind the hand pressed against his lips. Zitao looks at him and then jerks his hand away roughly, wiping it frantically on his school trousers.
“Did you just lick me?”
Jongdae grins.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” He then turns his attention towards Minseok and Lu Han. “Well it’s nice to know that it only took you two a few thousand years to work it out.”
Minseok rolls his eyes and punches Jongdae on the arm. “You’re a dick,” he says.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
Lu Han sighs. “I knew you guys would react like this.” He looks at Minseok. “We should never have told them really.”
Minseok nods, eyes serious. “Yes, but I think they might have worked it out after we started kissing.”
“Oh god,” Jongdae says, pulling a disgusted face, “do we have to watch you guys make out now?”
“No,” says Minseok at the same time Lu Han says “yes.” They both look at each other for a moment as Jongdae makes garbled choking sounds in the background. Zitao sighs and elbows him to shut him up.
“Seriously though, I’m glad you two worked it out,” he says, offering them both a warm smile. Minseok’s lips quirk in to a shy smile back and he pulls Lu Han closer, unlinking their fingers so he can wrap an arm around his shoulders instead.
“Me too,” he says softly and Lu Han grins, kissing him lightly on the lips.
*
The sun is slowly sinking beyond the horizon as they sit in the classroom after school, Wu Fan instructing Yixing to write out sentences and then correcting any mistakes. It's getting to the point now where it is every five or so sentences where he needs help, rather than every second word.
"Are you going to the party tomorrow?" Wu Fan asks, tilting his head sideways so that he can look at Yixing. He doesn't have to specify. Every year an older guy from their school- Zhoumi or something - hosts a huge party in his house when his parents leave on their annual holiday. Yixing has never gone before, not so much because he couldn't, but because it wasn't really his thing. He isn’t a huge fan of drinking until you pass out and spending the next morning re-visiting your dinner.
"I don't think so," he replies, as Wu Fan's face falls. Wu Fan frowns, poking him in the side
"Come on Yixing! Come for me, even if just for a little bit!"
Yixing’s eyes meet his and he immediately realises that looking over was a terrible idea because Wu Fan is watching him with large eyes, the light of the sun glinting off them and threading a brilliant gold around the edge of his irises. His eyebrows pull up at the middle, and his lips are pursed in what almost resembles a pout. There’s a sudden trickle of dread that makes its way through Yixing’s heart alongside the realisation that it’s impossible for him to say no to Wu Fan.
"Fine," Yixing huffs, "but only if you stop making that face."
Wu Fan relaxes into a grin and he nudges against Yixing happily.
"You have yourself a deal,” he says.
*Yixing finds Lu Han first thing in the morning, bounding up to him in a few long steps. He wraps an arm around his thin frame and pushes close, a hopeful smile etching itself onto his face. Lu Han wrinkles his nose and sends him a look of annoyance.
“What do you want,” he asks, suspicion crossing his features.
“Lu Han my best friend, how would you feel about coming to Zhoumi’s party tonight?”
Lu Han grimaces.
“I wouldn’t feel very good about it.”
“But it will be fun! Only the best of the best will be there. So you’ll be there right?”
“How about no.”
Yixing sighs, his pretenses falling, although his arm still remains latched around Lu Han’s waist.
"Please Lu Han, you have to come."
“Give me one good reason to go to Zhoumi’s party when i'm supposed to be going on a date with Minseok."
"You can bring him!"
Lu Han remains unconvinced and untangles himself from Yixing’s hold, starting to walk away, but not before Yixing grabs his wrist and pulls him back. He has a sudden spark of an idea and his smile become a little more devious.
"Do you remember what Minseok is like when he drinks?" Yixing says and Lu Han looks at him, one of his eyebrows twitching.
"I-"
"Do you remember how clingy he is? Do you remember how touchy he is?"
Lu Han's eyes widen a little and Yixing cheers inwardly. Hook, line and sinker he thinks with a smirk.
"Fine," Lu Han says, "but we're not staying all night."
"That's perfectly okay." Yixing claps him on the back. "I just want another friend there apart from Wu Fan.”
“I thought you would have liked to be alone with him,” Lu Han says.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Lu Han sings as he walks away.
*
The party blasts through the walls and even before Yixing steps through the door, the bass sends shockwaves of rhythm through his body and his heart hurtling in time to a racing beat. Someone almost immediately spills a drink over his leg and it seeps into his socks, much to his annoyance. It seems like most of them are already drunk, despite the time still being relatively early in the night. After pushing through a huge crowd of people, he manages to spot Wu Fan's head between them.
The latter is sitting on the lounge, legs swung across the arm rest and his shirt unbuttoned a little with something that looks like a crumpled paper plane sticking out of his pocket. He grins when he spots Yixing and waves him over manically - it's quite obvious that he wasn't left behind when everyone else decided to drink. Yixing slides on to the lounge beside him and Wu Fan shuffles closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
"You made it!" he says, breath hot and tainted with alcohol.
"What do you have in your pocket?" Yixing asks, reaching over and pulling it out. His first guess was right - it is a squashed paper plane and when he smooths it out, he sees something written in an untidy scrawl across the paper. Wu Fan laughs and snatches it back from him, missing the first time before he snags it the second.
"I was trying to send Zitao a message," he says and Yixing snorts, an amused smile on his lips.
"Why don't you just text him?"
Wu Fan turns to him with wide eyes. "I knew there was a reason we're friends!" he says and slips out his phone, typing something before hitting send and making a pleased sound in throat.
It's then that someone trips over Yixing's foot and goes flying, all sprawling gangly limbs and a mess of brunette hair. It’s Chanyeol, Yixing realises, as said man glances up at them, blinking furiously.
"Okay was it just me or did the floor just slip away?"
"I think it was just you," Yixing says, barely managing to suppress a laugh. Chanyeol looks at him and his eyes grow very round, a grin making its way onto his face.
"Yixing! I didn't know you were coming! Have a drink," he says, offering one of the cups he had been holding. Yixing takes it, despite the fact that any drink that had been inside it is now all over the floor beside Chanyeol.
"Okay, I'm going to go have look around for a bit, see if I can find Lu Han or something," Yixing says to Wu Fan who nods.
"Just make sure you come back."
Yixing assures him with a pat on the shoulder before he gets to his feet.
Somehow, he manages to weave his way through the crowd, pushing through unsteady bodies until he reaches the backyard.
The night air is a cool relief from the stuffy atmosphere inside the house and he relishes it for a moment, inhaling deeply. There are far fewer people outside, mainly couples feeling each other up in the shadows. Yixing stands there for a little while and is about to go back inside when he sees the dark outline of two people kissing by the pool. They are only just visible against the dull light of the moon but Yixing manages to make out their faces.
"Lu Han?"
Lu Han snaps around, eyes wide and mouth parted. Minseok has one hand in Lu Han's hair and the other beneath his shirt. Yixing laughs and shakes his head.
"Don't mind me," he says, offering them a wave, and Minseok seems to take that as initiative, tugging Lu Han back towards him and kissing him fiercely. Yixing watches them for a few moments in a sort of disgusted amusement before he decides he'd better leave when Lu Han groans loudly and pulls Minseok on top of him.
He slips back in to the hum of the party, losing himself among faces he barely knows. Amazingly, he manages to become involved in a few decent conversations, despite the fact that the majority of the party can barely string a few words together.
It’s after his second drink that Yixing’s gaze drifts over to Wu Fan and he sees the latter clinging onto Chanyeol, lips brushing against his ear in a way that is far too intimate. Yixing feels a surge of fear because he knows Wu Fan is too drunk to monitor his actions properly and so he excuses himself from the people around him and pushes through the crowd until he reaches Wu Fan. With a quick motion, he reaches out and grabs Wu Fan's wrist, possibly a little too hard because Wu Fan lets out a small yelp before getting to his feet. He teeters for a moment so Yixing moves forward to hold him, slinging an arm around his back to keep him upright.
“That’s enough Wu Fan,” Yixing says, attempting to be stern and ignoring the arm which snakes around his own waist, fingers slipping under his shirt and brushing against the skin of his hip. Wu Fan looks at him with a slightly dazed smile and leans all of his weight back into Yixing, head falling forwards so that his hair brushes across Yixing’s cheek.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” he says, but his resistance stops there. Yixing sighs, moving Wu Fan so that they stand in a quieter corner of the room, away from the thunderous laughter and noisy conversations.
“Do you have a way to get home?”
A curt shake of the head beside him causes him to let out another sigh.
“Okay, well my house is just down the road. I can get my mum to take you home.”
Wu Fan shakes his head violently, messing his hair up so that it sticks up in all the wrong angles.
“My parents can't see me like this!” he says, emphatically waving his hands up and down before basically confirming his words by accidently tripping backwards and knocking a drink out of another boy’s hand. Yixing drags him upright again and loops an arm around his waist, pulling him as close as he can so that their sides are pressed flush against each other for support.
“Fine, you can stay over with me then.”
Wu Fan grunts in approval and lets himself be led out of the house, past the huddles of people, and into the night. It’s so dark outside with only the moon and the neon street lamps lighting the way; the rest of the street swallowed in black. Wu Fan stumbles on a dent in the pavement and almost pulls Yixing down with him, the latter only just managing to reclaim his balance to stop them both from hurtling to the ground. He groans and shifts Wu Fan’s weight away from him slightly, as Wu Fan’s fingers clench tight in the material of Yixing’s shirt just around his waist.
“The stars are pretty,” Wu Fan says and Yixing is silently amused that he can speak so eloquently and yet barely stand. Yixing hums in agreement and tugs him along, quickening his pace as he feels the cold air begin to bite at his bare arms.
“My house is just around the corner,” he says, nodding towards the turn of the pavement up ahead and the shadow of the street sign planted right by it. Wu Fan’s fingers crawl up his ribs, over his shoulder and a thumb brushes against Yixing’s face before the fingers relax, falling loose beside his cheek.
“The stars aren’t as pretty as you,” he says, and then he grins, and even in the dark Yixing can see the outline of his expression, all teeth and eyes. His heart jerks in response and he grits his teeth together, continuing to move. The sight of his house spurs him forward and as he climbs up the small steps leading to his front door he lets Wu Fan go for a moment, fumbling around for his key.
As he retrieves it from his pocket, Wu Fan suddenly reaches over and grabs his wrist, fingertips cold as they clench around Yixing’s skin. There’s a dull light that shines on his doorstep and beneath it, he can see Wu Fan’s eyes swirling with all of the emotions he usually masks. He steps forward and pulls Yixing closer by his hips until they are so close that their noses are only an inch apart, Wu Fan’s breath ghosting across Yixing’s mouth.
“You’re drunk Wu Fan,” Yixing says, not missing the way his voice trembles and how Wu Fan’s lips quirk a little in a smile.
"I know," he says softly, reaching up to unsteadily brush Yixing's hair away from his face, “It’s the only way I can do this."
And then he leans forward and kisses him.
It’s such an imperfect moment as they clash clumsily, teeth and lips and the taste of alcohol on Wu Fan’s tongue; but Yixing feels his heart twinge with a desire for more and his arms ache to move around Wu Fan’s neck, to pull him as close as possible, to moan against his mouth.
Instead, his rationality prevails and he pushes Wu Fan away gently.
“Stop," he says softly, and he has to exert all of his effort to keep his heart from breaking in two when Wu Fan 's face falls. Wu Fan nods unhappily and steps away as Yixing forces himself to remember how to breathe. He blinks for a few long moments, composing himself before he shakily turns the key in the lock, hearing the click of the door as it opens.
The house is dark as they walk inside - Yixing’s mother has fallen asleep long ago. Wu Fan follows him quietly as they step carefully up the stairs, managing with only a few creaks of the floorboards. As they enter into Yixing’s bedroom, he closes the door shut behind them, flicking the light switch on so they can see.
“I can sleep on the couch,” Yixing says and Wu Fan, is either too drunk or too exhausted to politely offer to take the couch instead. “The toilet is down the hall,” he continues, “and if you need anything else you can just wake me.” He finds it difficult to look Wu Fan in the eyes with heat crawling up the back of his neck and fanning across his cheeks. When he wets his lips, he can taste Wu Fan on his mouth and it sends a shiver trickling down his spine.
Wu Fan takes his shoes off and collapses on to the mattress, curling his legs up so that he faces Yixing.
“Are you going to stay with me for a bit?” he asks, hesitant, and sounding so very un-Wu Fan that Yixing pauses for a moment, before he nods.
“If you want.”
Yixing sits down beside him, the mattress sinking a little beneath him as Wu Fan smiles sleepily and closes his eyes, exhaling slowly. Wu Fan’s breathing steadies quickly and his body relaxes, shuffling closer against Yixing, heavy under the weight of drowsiness. He looks so peaceful like this, his lips drawn upwards in a soft, curving smile and his forehead unwrinkled. Yixing feels a stab of affection and he leans a little closer, just enough to smell the alcohol on Wu Fan’s breath and see the way his eyes flutter a little as he slips into unconsciousness.
There's a sudden overwhelming tiredness which floods through him and he carefully edges sideways onto the mattress, wary of waking Wu Fan. The couch seems just far too distant for him right now and with his heavy limbs, he isn’t entirely sure if he will make it before collapsing.
It’s only with his legs stretched straight that they can both fit on the bed and even then, Yixing can feel the heat where their knees push together and their elbows brush. Wu Fan snuffles in his sleep and his nose wrinkles as his chest slowly expands and contracts with each breath. Yixing feels his own breathing slow to match and he smiles sleepily at the boy curled up before him.
‘Good night Wu Fan,” he says softly and is only just able to register a large hand curling around his fingers before he is pulled into his dreams.
*
AN: /drowns under a thousand cliches. I re-wrote the this chapter so many times oh my gosh. i've been tossing up whether to include a taochen side story. It wasn't in the original plan but I was drafting out a few ideas last night and...I kind of like them tbh. If I did write taochen, nothing for the main story would change at all, it would only really be in the side story considering it was never in the original pairings list. but anyway, yay or nay readers? Oh also I drew some art for SWK idek...
Pairings: Kris/Lay, Xiumin/Luhan, one sided!Taoris, Kris/Chanyeol
Genre: High School!AU
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 3,000
Summary: Wu Fan is the star player of the school’s basketball team and a known ladies man. But Yixing discovers that it’s not all quite what it seems.
prologue | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | {xiuhan side story} | eight | nine | ten | eleven | twelve | {taochen side story} | thirteen | fourteen | fifteen
They stand outside the classroom in the morning. Jongdae leans against the wall and is currently occupying himself by seeing how many items he can steal out of Zitao’s bag without him noticing. Wu Fan is having a conversation with Zitao about the newest episode of some drama on television, while Yixing flicks through his school books to make sure all of his homework is there.
Yixing looks up when he sees two people approaching and, upon realising that it’s Lu Han and Minseok and noting that they’re holding hands, grins widely.
“Hey,” Lu Han says and the rest of them look up. Jongdae subtly tries to return the stapler he has just taken from Zitao’s bag.
“We have something to tell you,” Lu Han continues. Zitao raises an eyebrow and Jongdae’s eyes widen. Lu Han looks at Minseok, and Yixing wants to strangle them both because the adoration in their shared gaze is almost sickening.
“We’re together,” Minseok says, beaming at them all.
Jongdae manages to get halfway through a wolf whistle before Zitao’s hand is clamped over his mouth. Lu Han shoots a venomous glare in Jongdae’s direction and his hand tightens around Minseok’s.
“Congratulations,” Zitao says, “now you know how stupid you both are.”
“Shut up,” Lu Han snaps while Minseok just smiles happily beside him.
Wu Fan snorts softly, “To be honest, even I could tell you two liked each other.”
Jongdae makes a strangled sound which sounds like a muffled laugh behind the hand pressed against his lips. Zitao looks at him and then jerks his hand away roughly, wiping it frantically on his school trousers.
“Did you just lick me?”
Jongdae grins.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” He then turns his attention towards Minseok and Lu Han. “Well it’s nice to know that it only took you two a few thousand years to work it out.”
Minseok rolls his eyes and punches Jongdae on the arm. “You’re a dick,” he says.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
Lu Han sighs. “I knew you guys would react like this.” He looks at Minseok. “We should never have told them really.”
Minseok nods, eyes serious. “Yes, but I think they might have worked it out after we started kissing.”
“Oh god,” Jongdae says, pulling a disgusted face, “do we have to watch you guys make out now?”
“No,” says Minseok at the same time Lu Han says “yes.” They both look at each other for a moment as Jongdae makes garbled choking sounds in the background. Zitao sighs and elbows him to shut him up.
“Seriously though, I’m glad you two worked it out,” he says, offering them both a warm smile. Minseok’s lips quirk in to a shy smile back and he pulls Lu Han closer, unlinking their fingers so he can wrap an arm around his shoulders instead.
“Me too,” he says softly and Lu Han grins, kissing him lightly on the lips.
*
The sun is slowly sinking beyond the horizon as they sit in the classroom after school, Wu Fan instructing Yixing to write out sentences and then correcting any mistakes. It's getting to the point now where it is every five or so sentences where he needs help, rather than every second word.
"Are you going to the party tomorrow?" Wu Fan asks, tilting his head sideways so that he can look at Yixing. He doesn't have to specify. Every year an older guy from their school- Zhoumi or something - hosts a huge party in his house when his parents leave on their annual holiday. Yixing has never gone before, not so much because he couldn't, but because it wasn't really his thing. He isn’t a huge fan of drinking until you pass out and spending the next morning re-visiting your dinner.
"I don't think so," he replies, as Wu Fan's face falls. Wu Fan frowns, poking him in the side
"Come on Yixing! Come for me, even if just for a little bit!"
Yixing’s eyes meet his and he immediately realises that looking over was a terrible idea because Wu Fan is watching him with large eyes, the light of the sun glinting off them and threading a brilliant gold around the edge of his irises. His eyebrows pull up at the middle, and his lips are pursed in what almost resembles a pout. There’s a sudden trickle of dread that makes its way through Yixing’s heart alongside the realisation that it’s impossible for him to say no to Wu Fan.
"Fine," Yixing huffs, "but only if you stop making that face."
Wu Fan relaxes into a grin and he nudges against Yixing happily.
"You have yourself a deal,” he says.
*Yixing finds Lu Han first thing in the morning, bounding up to him in a few long steps. He wraps an arm around his thin frame and pushes close, a hopeful smile etching itself onto his face. Lu Han wrinkles his nose and sends him a look of annoyance.
“What do you want,” he asks, suspicion crossing his features.
“Lu Han my best friend, how would you feel about coming to Zhoumi’s party tonight?”
Lu Han grimaces.
“I wouldn’t feel very good about it.”
“But it will be fun! Only the best of the best will be there. So you’ll be there right?”
“How about no.”
Yixing sighs, his pretenses falling, although his arm still remains latched around Lu Han’s waist.
"Please Lu Han, you have to come."
“Give me one good reason to go to Zhoumi’s party when i'm supposed to be going on a date with Minseok."
"You can bring him!"
Lu Han remains unconvinced and untangles himself from Yixing’s hold, starting to walk away, but not before Yixing grabs his wrist and pulls him back. He has a sudden spark of an idea and his smile become a little more devious.
"Do you remember what Minseok is like when he drinks?" Yixing says and Lu Han looks at him, one of his eyebrows twitching.
"I-"
"Do you remember how clingy he is? Do you remember how touchy he is?"
Lu Han's eyes widen a little and Yixing cheers inwardly. Hook, line and sinker he thinks with a smirk.
"Fine," Lu Han says, "but we're not staying all night."
"That's perfectly okay." Yixing claps him on the back. "I just want another friend there apart from Wu Fan.”
“I thought you would have liked to be alone with him,” Lu Han says.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Lu Han sings as he walks away.
*
The party blasts through the walls and even before Yixing steps through the door, the bass sends shockwaves of rhythm through his body and his heart hurtling in time to a racing beat. Someone almost immediately spills a drink over his leg and it seeps into his socks, much to his annoyance. It seems like most of them are already drunk, despite the time still being relatively early in the night. After pushing through a huge crowd of people, he manages to spot Wu Fan's head between them.
The latter is sitting on the lounge, legs swung across the arm rest and his shirt unbuttoned a little with something that looks like a crumpled paper plane sticking out of his pocket. He grins when he spots Yixing and waves him over manically - it's quite obvious that he wasn't left behind when everyone else decided to drink. Yixing slides on to the lounge beside him and Wu Fan shuffles closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
"You made it!" he says, breath hot and tainted with alcohol.
"What do you have in your pocket?" Yixing asks, reaching over and pulling it out. His first guess was right - it is a squashed paper plane and when he smooths it out, he sees something written in an untidy scrawl across the paper. Wu Fan laughs and snatches it back from him, missing the first time before he snags it the second.
"I was trying to send Zitao a message," he says and Yixing snorts, an amused smile on his lips.
"Why don't you just text him?"
Wu Fan turns to him with wide eyes. "I knew there was a reason we're friends!" he says and slips out his phone, typing something before hitting send and making a pleased sound in throat.
It's then that someone trips over Yixing's foot and goes flying, all sprawling gangly limbs and a mess of brunette hair. It’s Chanyeol, Yixing realises, as said man glances up at them, blinking furiously.
"Okay was it just me or did the floor just slip away?"
"I think it was just you," Yixing says, barely managing to suppress a laugh. Chanyeol looks at him and his eyes grow very round, a grin making its way onto his face.
"Yixing! I didn't know you were coming! Have a drink," he says, offering one of the cups he had been holding. Yixing takes it, despite the fact that any drink that had been inside it is now all over the floor beside Chanyeol.
"Okay, I'm going to go have look around for a bit, see if I can find Lu Han or something," Yixing says to Wu Fan who nods.
"Just make sure you come back."
Yixing assures him with a pat on the shoulder before he gets to his feet.
Somehow, he manages to weave his way through the crowd, pushing through unsteady bodies until he reaches the backyard.
The night air is a cool relief from the stuffy atmosphere inside the house and he relishes it for a moment, inhaling deeply. There are far fewer people outside, mainly couples feeling each other up in the shadows. Yixing stands there for a little while and is about to go back inside when he sees the dark outline of two people kissing by the pool. They are only just visible against the dull light of the moon but Yixing manages to make out their faces.
"Lu Han?"
Lu Han snaps around, eyes wide and mouth parted. Minseok has one hand in Lu Han's hair and the other beneath his shirt. Yixing laughs and shakes his head.
"Don't mind me," he says, offering them a wave, and Minseok seems to take that as initiative, tugging Lu Han back towards him and kissing him fiercely. Yixing watches them for a few moments in a sort of disgusted amusement before he decides he'd better leave when Lu Han groans loudly and pulls Minseok on top of him.
He slips back in to the hum of the party, losing himself among faces he barely knows. Amazingly, he manages to become involved in a few decent conversations, despite the fact that the majority of the party can barely string a few words together.
It’s after his second drink that Yixing’s gaze drifts over to Wu Fan and he sees the latter clinging onto Chanyeol, lips brushing against his ear in a way that is far too intimate. Yixing feels a surge of fear because he knows Wu Fan is too drunk to monitor his actions properly and so he excuses himself from the people around him and pushes through the crowd until he reaches Wu Fan. With a quick motion, he reaches out and grabs Wu Fan's wrist, possibly a little too hard because Wu Fan lets out a small yelp before getting to his feet. He teeters for a moment so Yixing moves forward to hold him, slinging an arm around his back to keep him upright.
“That’s enough Wu Fan,” Yixing says, attempting to be stern and ignoring the arm which snakes around his own waist, fingers slipping under his shirt and brushing against the skin of his hip. Wu Fan looks at him with a slightly dazed smile and leans all of his weight back into Yixing, head falling forwards so that his hair brushes across Yixing’s cheek.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” he says, but his resistance stops there. Yixing sighs, moving Wu Fan so that they stand in a quieter corner of the room, away from the thunderous laughter and noisy conversations.
“Do you have a way to get home?”
A curt shake of the head beside him causes him to let out another sigh.
“Okay, well my house is just down the road. I can get my mum to take you home.”
Wu Fan shakes his head violently, messing his hair up so that it sticks up in all the wrong angles.
“My parents can't see me like this!” he says, emphatically waving his hands up and down before basically confirming his words by accidently tripping backwards and knocking a drink out of another boy’s hand. Yixing drags him upright again and loops an arm around his waist, pulling him as close as he can so that their sides are pressed flush against each other for support.
“Fine, you can stay over with me then.”
Wu Fan grunts in approval and lets himself be led out of the house, past the huddles of people, and into the night. It’s so dark outside with only the moon and the neon street lamps lighting the way; the rest of the street swallowed in black. Wu Fan stumbles on a dent in the pavement and almost pulls Yixing down with him, the latter only just managing to reclaim his balance to stop them both from hurtling to the ground. He groans and shifts Wu Fan’s weight away from him slightly, as Wu Fan’s fingers clench tight in the material of Yixing’s shirt just around his waist.
“The stars are pretty,” Wu Fan says and Yixing is silently amused that he can speak so eloquently and yet barely stand. Yixing hums in agreement and tugs him along, quickening his pace as he feels the cold air begin to bite at his bare arms.
“My house is just around the corner,” he says, nodding towards the turn of the pavement up ahead and the shadow of the street sign planted right by it. Wu Fan’s fingers crawl up his ribs, over his shoulder and a thumb brushes against Yixing’s face before the fingers relax, falling loose beside his cheek.
“The stars aren’t as pretty as you,” he says, and then he grins, and even in the dark Yixing can see the outline of his expression, all teeth and eyes. His heart jerks in response and he grits his teeth together, continuing to move. The sight of his house spurs him forward and as he climbs up the small steps leading to his front door he lets Wu Fan go for a moment, fumbling around for his key.
As he retrieves it from his pocket, Wu Fan suddenly reaches over and grabs his wrist, fingertips cold as they clench around Yixing’s skin. There’s a dull light that shines on his doorstep and beneath it, he can see Wu Fan’s eyes swirling with all of the emotions he usually masks. He steps forward and pulls Yixing closer by his hips until they are so close that their noses are only an inch apart, Wu Fan’s breath ghosting across Yixing’s mouth.
“You’re drunk Wu Fan,” Yixing says, not missing the way his voice trembles and how Wu Fan’s lips quirk a little in a smile.
"I know," he says softly, reaching up to unsteadily brush Yixing's hair away from his face, “It’s the only way I can do this."
And then he leans forward and kisses him.
It’s such an imperfect moment as they clash clumsily, teeth and lips and the taste of alcohol on Wu Fan’s tongue; but Yixing feels his heart twinge with a desire for more and his arms ache to move around Wu Fan’s neck, to pull him as close as possible, to moan against his mouth.
Instead, his rationality prevails and he pushes Wu Fan away gently.
“Stop," he says softly, and he has to exert all of his effort to keep his heart from breaking in two when Wu Fan 's face falls. Wu Fan nods unhappily and steps away as Yixing forces himself to remember how to breathe. He blinks for a few long moments, composing himself before he shakily turns the key in the lock, hearing the click of the door as it opens.
The house is dark as they walk inside - Yixing’s mother has fallen asleep long ago. Wu Fan follows him quietly as they step carefully up the stairs, managing with only a few creaks of the floorboards. As they enter into Yixing’s bedroom, he closes the door shut behind them, flicking the light switch on so they can see.
“I can sleep on the couch,” Yixing says and Wu Fan, is either too drunk or too exhausted to politely offer to take the couch instead. “The toilet is down the hall,” he continues, “and if you need anything else you can just wake me.” He finds it difficult to look Wu Fan in the eyes with heat crawling up the back of his neck and fanning across his cheeks. When he wets his lips, he can taste Wu Fan on his mouth and it sends a shiver trickling down his spine.
Wu Fan takes his shoes off and collapses on to the mattress, curling his legs up so that he faces Yixing.
“Are you going to stay with me for a bit?” he asks, hesitant, and sounding so very un-Wu Fan that Yixing pauses for a moment, before he nods.
“If you want.”
Yixing sits down beside him, the mattress sinking a little beneath him as Wu Fan smiles sleepily and closes his eyes, exhaling slowly. Wu Fan’s breathing steadies quickly and his body relaxes, shuffling closer against Yixing, heavy under the weight of drowsiness. He looks so peaceful like this, his lips drawn upwards in a soft, curving smile and his forehead unwrinkled. Yixing feels a stab of affection and he leans a little closer, just enough to smell the alcohol on Wu Fan’s breath and see the way his eyes flutter a little as he slips into unconsciousness.
There's a sudden overwhelming tiredness which floods through him and he carefully edges sideways onto the mattress, wary of waking Wu Fan. The couch seems just far too distant for him right now and with his heavy limbs, he isn’t entirely sure if he will make it before collapsing.
It’s only with his legs stretched straight that they can both fit on the bed and even then, Yixing can feel the heat where their knees push together and their elbows brush. Wu Fan snuffles in his sleep and his nose wrinkles as his chest slowly expands and contracts with each breath. Yixing feels his own breathing slow to match and he smiles sleepily at the boy curled up before him.
‘Good night Wu Fan,” he says softly and is only just able to register a large hand curling around his fingers before he is pulled into his dreams.
*
AN: /drowns under a thousand cliches. I re-wrote the this chapter so many times oh my gosh. i've been tossing up whether to include a taochen side story. It wasn't in the original plan but I was drafting out a few ideas last night and...I kind of like them tbh. If I did write taochen, nothing for the main story would change at all, it would only really be in the side story considering it was never in the original pairings list. but anyway, yay or nay readers? Oh also I drew some art for SWK idek...