Secrets Worth Keeping [12/15]
secrets worth keeping [12/15]
Pairings: Kris/Lay, Xiumin/Luhan, one sided!Taoris, Kris/Chanyeol
Genre: High School!AU
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 2, 780
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
Yixing is sitting at home when the doorbell rings. He checks the clock - its 5:30 in the afternoon, the beginnings of a sunset evident in the dusty streaks of light which fall through the window. His parents have gone out to dinner and so he gets to his feet begrudgingly, switching the television off before he pads over to the door.
He clicks it open and blinks in surprise at what he finds.
Wu Fan stands in front of him in a nice shirt, his hair pulled back into a small ponytail and a bunch of flowers in his hand. He smiles, albeit a little shyly, and passes the flowers over. Yixing takes them with a raised eyebrow and a dash of confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to take my boyfriend out on a date. You said your parents were out tonight right?”
Yixing nods slowly as he feels himself fall in love with Wu Fan all over again. The use of the word boyfriend doesn’t escape his notice and his chest constricts painfully, contentment overwhelming him. As Wu Fan’s lips quirk upwards at the corners into a hopeful smile, Yixing has to restrain himself from throwing the flowers to the ground, pushing Wu Fan against the wall and kissing him senseless. Instead, he swallows.
“That sounds amazing,” he replies, his own smile spreading across his lips. “Come inside for a bit while I get changed okay?”
Wu Fan follows him in, sitting down on the lounge as Yixing goes back into his room. It doesn’t take him too long, fumbling with a few buttons and zippers, before he is dressed and he comes back downstairs. Wu Fan stands up as soon as he sees him, eyes widening slightly as he clears his throat.
“You look…good,” he trails off. Yixing laughs and this time he really does press Wu Fan against the wall, kissing him hard, slipping his tongue between their open mouths.
“You are so lame I think I might die.”
Wu Fan smiles against his jaw and curls his fingers around Yixing’s hand.
“Can you wait until after dinner?”
“I don’t know. My boyfriend is bringing me flowers and looking all perfect and asking me out on a date so, I’m probably expected to die any second now.”
It’s quiet in the house and Wu Fan’s following laughter bounces off the walls, sending warmth pooling below Yixing’s stomach and enveloping his heart. He kisses Wu Fan again until the laughter fades and the varying pressure of lips against lips is all that is left. Wu Fan pushes Yixing back, tugging on his hand, a dazed smile on his face.
“Come on, we have to go or we’ll be late.”
They end up at a small Italian restaurant tucked in beside an alleyway with beautiful fairy lights strung about the ceiling and small antique lamps beside each table. Wu Fan has booked a private table, hidden behind a red curtain and Yixing realises that despite how romantic Wu Fan may be, the fear of being found with another boy still haunts him.
They eat slowly as they talk and every time Wu Fan laughs, Yixing feels his heart stutter. He catches himself following the lines beside Wu Fan’s eyes when they crinkle into half-moons, how he almost automatically brings a hand up to covers his laughter, fingers curling into a loose fist against his curved lips. When he talks about basketball, his eyes become serious, twinkling with barely restrained excitement, hands mapping out each word and pause with emphatic gestures. And when he talks about Yixing, his eyes grow soft, more intense; his voice lowering to something bordering on adoration. His hands are far larger than Yixing’s and they move forward, trapping Yixing’s hands against the table.
“Yixing, I really like you,” he says, gaze falling down to their hands, eyelashes fluttering against his cheek.
Yixing lets out a small puff of laughter, nudging his knee beneath the table.
“I know, you tell me every chance you get.”
Wu Fan shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips. He looks up, head tilted to the side as his eyes graze across Yixing’s face.
“I know but, I think,” he pauses, collecting himself as his cheeks turn a light shade of pink, “it’s nothing.” The sentence is clearly cut short and Yixing frowns.
“What is it?”
“I can’t say it.”
“Why not?”
Wu Fan breathes out, slouching forward a little in his seat. His mouth presses into an unhappy line, the corners of his lips falling down.
“I’m afraid. I’m afraid because every time somebody says those three words it doesn’t end well.”
Yixing blinks at him, watching the way Wu Fan’s eyes dart across the table, and he really is afraid, Yixing thinks, like he can’t believe happiness has the ability to last forever. Yixing shifts a little closer, one knee slipping between both of Wu Fan’s. He rotates his hand beneath Wu Fan’s hold, linking them together, perfectly fitting the spaces between his fingers.
“That’s not true,” he says sternly, eyes strong as they hold Wu Fan’s gaze.
“For everyone I know it is.”
“Then let’s be the first to have a happy ending.”
They walk home in the dark; hands clasped and pulled close together, Yixing shivering beside Wu Fan. They stand on the doorstep for a moment, blinking at each other beneath the dull light of the moon.
“Thanks for tonight,” Yixing says, his breath misting in the air. Wu Fan smiles and leans down, kissing him softly.
“See you tomorrow,” Wu Fan whispers against Yixing’s lips and Yixing thinks that it’s already too late for him - he fell in love with Wu Fan long ago in an abandoned classroom over English notes and warm smiles.
*
Yixing spends most of the next day yawning and complaining about how tired he is. Wu Fan spends most of the day grinning. Lu Han is much too suspicious.
“Why is Wu Fan so happy?” he asks, eyes narrowing as Yixing yawns for the umpteenth time that morning.
‘I don’t know, is he not allowed to be happy?”
Lu Han grumbles something about too many secrets and crosses his arms over his chest, remaining silent for the rest of the class.
*
Lunch begins with a loud shout and a shove and Zitao not speaking to Jongdae.
“Why aren’t you guys speaking?” Lu Han is the first to ask of course, his curiosity always outweighing his sensitivity. Jongdae rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically. Zitao glares at him.
“Well, someone, decided to get us detention.”
Jongdae opens his mouth; indignant.
“Excuse me, you threw the eraser back so don’t place all the blame on me!”
“But you were throwing tiny bits of it and it was getting caught in my hair!”
“Pretty sure you didn’t care about that until we got detention.”
“Pretty sure you’re an idiot.”
Lu Han raises both of his hands in the air. “Okay, wow, please, I feel so sorry for you guys and all of your problems.” The emphasis he places on the last word is far from light. “Seriously, how old are you?”
Jongdae scoffs.
“I was just bored okay? History is ridiculous.”
“It was geography Jongdae,” Zitao says with a pained sigh.
Lu Han shakes his head, choosing to ignore the two of them and occupy himself by assaulting Yixing with questions about Wu Fan again. Minseok slides into the spot beside him and Lu Han immediately gravitates to his side, arm around his waist, and cheek leaning against his shoulder.
“Okay look, I know Wu Fan likes you so can you just please…”
“Oh yeah he really does,” Minseok pipes up. “I’ve never seen him as happy with all those girls as he is with you. It’s kind of disconcerting actually.”
Yixing valiantly fights a blush and wonders if it actually is that obvious.
“You just have to tell Wu Fan-”
“Tell me what?” Wu Fan says, awkwardly manoeuvring his long legs underneath the table so he can sit down in front of Yixing.
Lu Han sends Yixing a knowing look and Yixing is just about ready to strangle him. The foot slowly working its way up Yixing’s leg is a nice distraction though.
“Nothing. They’re just being stupid.”
Wu Fan nods, seemingly satisfied, and begins to eat his lunch. His foot doesn’t move from its spot just near the inside of Yixing’s thigh until the bell goes for class.
*
When the bell signalling the end of school rings, Wu Fan and Yixing hang back after the others. It’s become something of a tradition now that they wait until the classroom is empty, until the sounds of laughter and talking fades down the hallways. Wu Fan pulls Yixing close and kisses him behind the door, fingers tangling in his hair. Yixing sighs into the kiss, letting his own hands linger on Wu Fan’s waist, weaving through the belt loops to pull their hips closer together, intensifying the friction between them.
There’s a sudden bang and they both jerk to attention, jumping apart with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. The sound, Yixing realises after a few seconds, is due to a pile of textbooks falling on the floor, above which, stands a gaping Lu Han.
“What,” Lu Han says, and his voice seems torn between ecstatic and confused.
“I… we…” Yixing begins because really, there are only so many excuses for why they would be kissing each other. Wu Fan looks terrified and Yixing’s hand itches to curl around his palm; to reassure him.
“It’s not what it looks like?” Yixing tries weakly, mentally berating himself for the terrible lie. Lu Han clearly does not believe it one bit and is about to say something further when Wu Fan speaks up.
“No,” he says quietly, and Yixing looks over, hearing the tremble of his voice. “It’s exactly what it looks like.” Yixing swallows.
“Wu Fan...”
“No,” Wu Fan repeats, and his voice is gaining strength now as he turns his attention to Yixing, “I can do it.” Yixing smiles and moves closer as Wu Fan links their fingers together.
Lu Han raises an eyebrow. “So are you two together now?”
Wu Fan nods, fingers tightening around Yixing’s palm.
“Yeah,” he says softly, a smile tugging at his lips. Yixing grins. Lu Han grins enthusiastically.
“I’m so happy for you both,” he gushes, “I can’t wait to tell all of the others I-“
Yixing holds up a hand to silence him.
“You can’t tell them yet. Just, let us do it, when we’re ready okay?”
Lu Han’s eyebrows crease slightly into a frown for a moment before he smiles again, all teeth and gums.
“I just can’t believe it! This is great!”
Yixing laughs and Wu Fan pulls him close, placing a small kiss against his hair as Lu Han begins to list all of the couple dates they can have together with him and Minseok. After they finally manage to get rid of him, they walk back home together and Yixing already feels a great deal lighter.
“Just so you know,” he says, “we are never going on a couple date with Minseok and Lu Han.”
Wu Fan laughs and Yixing closes his eyes for a moment, loving the way the sound dances around him.
*Lu Han, amazingly, manages to keep their secret. With only a few un-subtle glances here and there, he rarely mentions them at all the next day. Yixing is thankful and he can tell Wu Fan is too and even though it’s just one person knowing about their relationship, it suddenly feels like the secret is not too difficult to bear any longer.
Friday comes around and they all huddle in blankets at Minseok’s house, slowly making their way through all six of the Star Wars movies.
They are utterly exhausted by the end of it, already having lost Zitao to sleep, and so they settle in to their mattresses without a fuss and only a few tired exchanged words.
The lights flicker off and there is a series of sighs and the sounds of rustling sheets until after a few minutes, it seems to quieten down. Yixing blinks up at the ceiling, his vision filled with dots of various shades of black, only just able to make out the silhouette of the light hanging above him. Cold toes touch against his calf and he starts, eyes snapping to his side. Wu Fan’s sleepy grin is brilliant enough to see even in the darkness.
With a grunt of effort, Wu Fan manages to roll himself across, slipping beneath Yixing’s blanket and pressing close against him. The warmth is overwhelming and Yixing feels his breath catch in his throat for a moment, before oxygen returns to his lungs. Their legs are tangled together beneath the sheets and Wu Fan’s arm rests on his waist, fingers dangling across his hip.
Yixing moves closer almost instinctively, just enough so that their noses almost brush.
“What are you doing?” he whispers, only just audible for fear of being overheard by the others.
Wu Fan exhales and Yixing can feel it ghost across his lips.
“Sleeping next to you.”
Yixing makes a sound of amusement but doesn’t protest when Wu Fan pulls them even closer, stomachs pressed together and foreheads bowed, just touching. Wu Fan leans forward, pecking Yixing lightly on the lips.
“Good night,” he says and Yixing smiles.
“Good night Wu Fan.”
*
Yixing is woken up by not-so-subtle laughter trickling over him.
He blinks tiredly, groaning a little as he shifts in the warmth enveloping him. As his eyes accustom to the early morning light, the first thing he sees is Wu Fan’s closed eyes right before his, lips parted as he sleeps, one arm wrapped around Yixing’s waist and a leg hooked over Yixing’s side. Yixing smiles and moves closer into his hold, but then the laughter sounds again and he snaps to attention to see a dozen or so eyes watching them from above.
He jerks out of Wu Fan’s grasp, just as Wu Fan makes a groan of unhappiness, stretching with a yawn.
“I guess you had a good sleep,” Lu Han says, grin far too large on his small face. He isn’t alone either; Jongdae, Zitao and Minseok watch them both with uncontained amusement.
“I knew you two were getting it on,” Jongdae says and Zitao snorts beside him. Wu Fan sits up suddenly with a gasp as he notices the others. He and Yixing exchange glances.
“I..”
“We…”
Minseok grins, bouncing onto the mattress between them.
“This is wonderful! So, when did it all start?”
“Ew, no thank you,” Jongdae says, falling to the carpet beside them, crossing his legs. “Please keep all of the details as vague as possible.”
Zitao kicks him before following suit, sitting on the floor with his legs bent at the knees, arms wrapping around them.
“Was it recently?” he asks, eyes wide with curiosity.
Wu Fan makes a sort of choked sound, mouth opening and closing helplessly. He doesn’t seem to be trying to refute it though, being found intertwined and in bed with your best friend is clearly rather difficult to excuse. Yixing exercises most of his self-control to stop himself from laughing.
“I guess it was kind of recent,” Wu Fan says eventually, after clearing his throat a few times. “Just a few days ago.”
Minseok claps his hands together excitedly as Zitao grins.
“So are you dating now?” Zitao asks.
“Please don’t become like Minseok and Lu Han,” Jongdae says, earning himself a shove from Lu Han.
Yixing turns his attention towards Wu Fan, a gentle smile curving across his mouth.
“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend,” he says softly, and he loves the way the word rolls off his tongue; so easy, laced with pride and brimming with happiness. Wu Fan smiles back, anxiety visibly dissipating. Lu Han coos behind them and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jongdae make a heart with his hands.
Wu Fan laughs lightly as he looks back at Jongdae, a playful grin on his face.
“And don’t worry, I promise we will never be as annoying as Minseok and Lu Han.”
There is a simultaneous shout of indignation as Minseok and Lu Han both throw punches in his direction. Jongdae just laughs wildly and Yixing drapes an arm around Wu Fan’s shoulders, pulling him close while attempting to fend off Lu Han and Minseok’s attacks. Something happy swirls inside his chest because it’s so much easier like this - without the need to monitor every action. As he offers a light kiss to Wu Fan’s cheek, a laugh murmured against his skin, he thinks it’s almost perfect.
*
AN: so, im estimating that this will probably be 15 chapters long! (either 14 or 15 but we'll see) we're almost there! ALSO, HERE'S AN INCREDIBLY CHEESY TAOCHEN SIDE STORY! *throws it at you all* but ps. its not necessary to read, since there were divided opinions (including my own) about putting taochen in this. You can choose to ignore it or read it, it won't change the main storyline at all. :3 ♥
Pairings: Kris/Lay, Xiumin/Luhan, one sided!Taoris, Kris/Chanyeol
Genre: High School!AU
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 2, 780
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
Yixing is sitting at home when the doorbell rings. He checks the clock - its 5:30 in the afternoon, the beginnings of a sunset evident in the dusty streaks of light which fall through the window. His parents have gone out to dinner and so he gets to his feet begrudgingly, switching the television off before he pads over to the door.
He clicks it open and blinks in surprise at what he finds.
Wu Fan stands in front of him in a nice shirt, his hair pulled back into a small ponytail and a bunch of flowers in his hand. He smiles, albeit a little shyly, and passes the flowers over. Yixing takes them with a raised eyebrow and a dash of confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to take my boyfriend out on a date. You said your parents were out tonight right?”
Yixing nods slowly as he feels himself fall in love with Wu Fan all over again. The use of the word boyfriend doesn’t escape his notice and his chest constricts painfully, contentment overwhelming him. As Wu Fan’s lips quirk upwards at the corners into a hopeful smile, Yixing has to restrain himself from throwing the flowers to the ground, pushing Wu Fan against the wall and kissing him senseless. Instead, he swallows.
“That sounds amazing,” he replies, his own smile spreading across his lips. “Come inside for a bit while I get changed okay?”
Wu Fan follows him in, sitting down on the lounge as Yixing goes back into his room. It doesn’t take him too long, fumbling with a few buttons and zippers, before he is dressed and he comes back downstairs. Wu Fan stands up as soon as he sees him, eyes widening slightly as he clears his throat.
“You look…good,” he trails off. Yixing laughs and this time he really does press Wu Fan against the wall, kissing him hard, slipping his tongue between their open mouths.
“You are so lame I think I might die.”
Wu Fan smiles against his jaw and curls his fingers around Yixing’s hand.
“Can you wait until after dinner?”
“I don’t know. My boyfriend is bringing me flowers and looking all perfect and asking me out on a date so, I’m probably expected to die any second now.”
It’s quiet in the house and Wu Fan’s following laughter bounces off the walls, sending warmth pooling below Yixing’s stomach and enveloping his heart. He kisses Wu Fan again until the laughter fades and the varying pressure of lips against lips is all that is left. Wu Fan pushes Yixing back, tugging on his hand, a dazed smile on his face.
“Come on, we have to go or we’ll be late.”
They end up at a small Italian restaurant tucked in beside an alleyway with beautiful fairy lights strung about the ceiling and small antique lamps beside each table. Wu Fan has booked a private table, hidden behind a red curtain and Yixing realises that despite how romantic Wu Fan may be, the fear of being found with another boy still haunts him.
They eat slowly as they talk and every time Wu Fan laughs, Yixing feels his heart stutter. He catches himself following the lines beside Wu Fan’s eyes when they crinkle into half-moons, how he almost automatically brings a hand up to covers his laughter, fingers curling into a loose fist against his curved lips. When he talks about basketball, his eyes become serious, twinkling with barely restrained excitement, hands mapping out each word and pause with emphatic gestures. And when he talks about Yixing, his eyes grow soft, more intense; his voice lowering to something bordering on adoration. His hands are far larger than Yixing’s and they move forward, trapping Yixing’s hands against the table.
“Yixing, I really like you,” he says, gaze falling down to their hands, eyelashes fluttering against his cheek.
Yixing lets out a small puff of laughter, nudging his knee beneath the table.
“I know, you tell me every chance you get.”
Wu Fan shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips. He looks up, head tilted to the side as his eyes graze across Yixing’s face.
“I know but, I think,” he pauses, collecting himself as his cheeks turn a light shade of pink, “it’s nothing.” The sentence is clearly cut short and Yixing frowns.
“What is it?”
“I can’t say it.”
“Why not?”
Wu Fan breathes out, slouching forward a little in his seat. His mouth presses into an unhappy line, the corners of his lips falling down.
“I’m afraid. I’m afraid because every time somebody says those three words it doesn’t end well.”
Yixing blinks at him, watching the way Wu Fan’s eyes dart across the table, and he really is afraid, Yixing thinks, like he can’t believe happiness has the ability to last forever. Yixing shifts a little closer, one knee slipping between both of Wu Fan’s. He rotates his hand beneath Wu Fan’s hold, linking them together, perfectly fitting the spaces between his fingers.
“That’s not true,” he says sternly, eyes strong as they hold Wu Fan’s gaze.
“For everyone I know it is.”
“Then let’s be the first to have a happy ending.”
They walk home in the dark; hands clasped and pulled close together, Yixing shivering beside Wu Fan. They stand on the doorstep for a moment, blinking at each other beneath the dull light of the moon.
“Thanks for tonight,” Yixing says, his breath misting in the air. Wu Fan smiles and leans down, kissing him softly.
“See you tomorrow,” Wu Fan whispers against Yixing’s lips and Yixing thinks that it’s already too late for him - he fell in love with Wu Fan long ago in an abandoned classroom over English notes and warm smiles.
*
Yixing spends most of the next day yawning and complaining about how tired he is. Wu Fan spends most of the day grinning. Lu Han is much too suspicious.
“Why is Wu Fan so happy?” he asks, eyes narrowing as Yixing yawns for the umpteenth time that morning.
‘I don’t know, is he not allowed to be happy?”
Lu Han grumbles something about too many secrets and crosses his arms over his chest, remaining silent for the rest of the class.
*
Lunch begins with a loud shout and a shove and Zitao not speaking to Jongdae.
“Why aren’t you guys speaking?” Lu Han is the first to ask of course, his curiosity always outweighing his sensitivity. Jongdae rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically. Zitao glares at him.
“Well, someone, decided to get us detention.”
Jongdae opens his mouth; indignant.
“Excuse me, you threw the eraser back so don’t place all the blame on me!”
“But you were throwing tiny bits of it and it was getting caught in my hair!”
“Pretty sure you didn’t care about that until we got detention.”
“Pretty sure you’re an idiot.”
Lu Han raises both of his hands in the air. “Okay, wow, please, I feel so sorry for you guys and all of your problems.” The emphasis he places on the last word is far from light. “Seriously, how old are you?”
Jongdae scoffs.
“I was just bored okay? History is ridiculous.”
“It was geography Jongdae,” Zitao says with a pained sigh.
Lu Han shakes his head, choosing to ignore the two of them and occupy himself by assaulting Yixing with questions about Wu Fan again. Minseok slides into the spot beside him and Lu Han immediately gravitates to his side, arm around his waist, and cheek leaning against his shoulder.
“Okay look, I know Wu Fan likes you so can you just please…”
“Oh yeah he really does,” Minseok pipes up. “I’ve never seen him as happy with all those girls as he is with you. It’s kind of disconcerting actually.”
Yixing valiantly fights a blush and wonders if it actually is that obvious.
“You just have to tell Wu Fan-”
“Tell me what?” Wu Fan says, awkwardly manoeuvring his long legs underneath the table so he can sit down in front of Yixing.
Lu Han sends Yixing a knowing look and Yixing is just about ready to strangle him. The foot slowly working its way up Yixing’s leg is a nice distraction though.
“Nothing. They’re just being stupid.”
Wu Fan nods, seemingly satisfied, and begins to eat his lunch. His foot doesn’t move from its spot just near the inside of Yixing’s thigh until the bell goes for class.
*
When the bell signalling the end of school rings, Wu Fan and Yixing hang back after the others. It’s become something of a tradition now that they wait until the classroom is empty, until the sounds of laughter and talking fades down the hallways. Wu Fan pulls Yixing close and kisses him behind the door, fingers tangling in his hair. Yixing sighs into the kiss, letting his own hands linger on Wu Fan’s waist, weaving through the belt loops to pull their hips closer together, intensifying the friction between them.
There’s a sudden bang and they both jerk to attention, jumping apart with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. The sound, Yixing realises after a few seconds, is due to a pile of textbooks falling on the floor, above which, stands a gaping Lu Han.
“What,” Lu Han says, and his voice seems torn between ecstatic and confused.
“I… we…” Yixing begins because really, there are only so many excuses for why they would be kissing each other. Wu Fan looks terrified and Yixing’s hand itches to curl around his palm; to reassure him.
“It’s not what it looks like?” Yixing tries weakly, mentally berating himself for the terrible lie. Lu Han clearly does not believe it one bit and is about to say something further when Wu Fan speaks up.
“No,” he says quietly, and Yixing looks over, hearing the tremble of his voice. “It’s exactly what it looks like.” Yixing swallows.
“Wu Fan...”
“No,” Wu Fan repeats, and his voice is gaining strength now as he turns his attention to Yixing, “I can do it.” Yixing smiles and moves closer as Wu Fan links their fingers together.
Lu Han raises an eyebrow. “So are you two together now?”
Wu Fan nods, fingers tightening around Yixing’s palm.
“Yeah,” he says softly, a smile tugging at his lips. Yixing grins. Lu Han grins enthusiastically.
“I’m so happy for you both,” he gushes, “I can’t wait to tell all of the others I-“
Yixing holds up a hand to silence him.
“You can’t tell them yet. Just, let us do it, when we’re ready okay?”
Lu Han’s eyebrows crease slightly into a frown for a moment before he smiles again, all teeth and gums.
“I just can’t believe it! This is great!”
Yixing laughs and Wu Fan pulls him close, placing a small kiss against his hair as Lu Han begins to list all of the couple dates they can have together with him and Minseok. After they finally manage to get rid of him, they walk back home together and Yixing already feels a great deal lighter.
“Just so you know,” he says, “we are never going on a couple date with Minseok and Lu Han.”
Wu Fan laughs and Yixing closes his eyes for a moment, loving the way the sound dances around him.
*Lu Han, amazingly, manages to keep their secret. With only a few un-subtle glances here and there, he rarely mentions them at all the next day. Yixing is thankful and he can tell Wu Fan is too and even though it’s just one person knowing about their relationship, it suddenly feels like the secret is not too difficult to bear any longer.
Friday comes around and they all huddle in blankets at Minseok’s house, slowly making their way through all six of the Star Wars movies.
They are utterly exhausted by the end of it, already having lost Zitao to sleep, and so they settle in to their mattresses without a fuss and only a few tired exchanged words.
The lights flicker off and there is a series of sighs and the sounds of rustling sheets until after a few minutes, it seems to quieten down. Yixing blinks up at the ceiling, his vision filled with dots of various shades of black, only just able to make out the silhouette of the light hanging above him. Cold toes touch against his calf and he starts, eyes snapping to his side. Wu Fan’s sleepy grin is brilliant enough to see even in the darkness.
With a grunt of effort, Wu Fan manages to roll himself across, slipping beneath Yixing’s blanket and pressing close against him. The warmth is overwhelming and Yixing feels his breath catch in his throat for a moment, before oxygen returns to his lungs. Their legs are tangled together beneath the sheets and Wu Fan’s arm rests on his waist, fingers dangling across his hip.
Yixing moves closer almost instinctively, just enough so that their noses almost brush.
“What are you doing?” he whispers, only just audible for fear of being overheard by the others.
Wu Fan exhales and Yixing can feel it ghost across his lips.
“Sleeping next to you.”
Yixing makes a sound of amusement but doesn’t protest when Wu Fan pulls them even closer, stomachs pressed together and foreheads bowed, just touching. Wu Fan leans forward, pecking Yixing lightly on the lips.
“Good night,” he says and Yixing smiles.
“Good night Wu Fan.”
*
Yixing is woken up by not-so-subtle laughter trickling over him.
He blinks tiredly, groaning a little as he shifts in the warmth enveloping him. As his eyes accustom to the early morning light, the first thing he sees is Wu Fan’s closed eyes right before his, lips parted as he sleeps, one arm wrapped around Yixing’s waist and a leg hooked over Yixing’s side. Yixing smiles and moves closer into his hold, but then the laughter sounds again and he snaps to attention to see a dozen or so eyes watching them from above.
He jerks out of Wu Fan’s grasp, just as Wu Fan makes a groan of unhappiness, stretching with a yawn.
“I guess you had a good sleep,” Lu Han says, grin far too large on his small face. He isn’t alone either; Jongdae, Zitao and Minseok watch them both with uncontained amusement.
“I knew you two were getting it on,” Jongdae says and Zitao snorts beside him. Wu Fan sits up suddenly with a gasp as he notices the others. He and Yixing exchange glances.
“I..”
“We…”
Minseok grins, bouncing onto the mattress between them.
“This is wonderful! So, when did it all start?”
“Ew, no thank you,” Jongdae says, falling to the carpet beside them, crossing his legs. “Please keep all of the details as vague as possible.”
Zitao kicks him before following suit, sitting on the floor with his legs bent at the knees, arms wrapping around them.
“Was it recently?” he asks, eyes wide with curiosity.
Wu Fan makes a sort of choked sound, mouth opening and closing helplessly. He doesn’t seem to be trying to refute it though, being found intertwined and in bed with your best friend is clearly rather difficult to excuse. Yixing exercises most of his self-control to stop himself from laughing.
“I guess it was kind of recent,” Wu Fan says eventually, after clearing his throat a few times. “Just a few days ago.”
Minseok claps his hands together excitedly as Zitao grins.
“So are you dating now?” Zitao asks.
“Please don’t become like Minseok and Lu Han,” Jongdae says, earning himself a shove from Lu Han.
Yixing turns his attention towards Wu Fan, a gentle smile curving across his mouth.
“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend,” he says softly, and he loves the way the word rolls off his tongue; so easy, laced with pride and brimming with happiness. Wu Fan smiles back, anxiety visibly dissipating. Lu Han coos behind them and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jongdae make a heart with his hands.
Wu Fan laughs lightly as he looks back at Jongdae, a playful grin on his face.
“And don’t worry, I promise we will never be as annoying as Minseok and Lu Han.”
There is a simultaneous shout of indignation as Minseok and Lu Han both throw punches in his direction. Jongdae just laughs wildly and Yixing drapes an arm around Wu Fan’s shoulders, pulling him close while attempting to fend off Lu Han and Minseok’s attacks. Something happy swirls inside his chest because it’s so much easier like this - without the need to monitor every action. As he offers a light kiss to Wu Fan’s cheek, a laugh murmured against his skin, he thinks it’s almost perfect.
*
AN: so, im estimating that this will probably be 15 chapters long! (either 14 or 15 but we'll see) we're almost there! ALSO, HERE'S AN INCREDIBLY CHEESY TAOCHEN SIDE STORY! *throws it at you all* but ps. its not necessary to read, since there were divided opinions (including my own) about putting taochen in this. You can choose to ignore it or read it, it won't change the main storyline at all. :3 ♥