i choose the methods i do best (kris/lay)
I choose the methods I do best
Kris/Lay. PG-13. 1.7k words.
Kris writes. Yixing illustrates. Together, they create the greatest, most exciting story ever told. (written for a request @ seoulfulness, and has been edited since)
i choose the methods i do best
yixing has always had this weird fascination with eloquent people. he remembers having a huge crush on his literary writing teacher back when he was in fifth grade, and oh, that one time where had the biggest crush on the moderator of the school paper. there's something about mastering words that piques yixing every single time, so when he somehow ends up in bed with two-time best-selling novelist kris wu, he isn't really surprised.
"so, what're you up to now?" yixing asks, then rests his chin on kris' shoulder. he feels kris tense at the sudden contact and notes the small smile that creeps to kris' lips. kris remains silent, just chuckles a little, and answers much later, when they're already having breakfast and enjoying their first cup of coffee.
"i'm writing a story about an artist. a comic book artist, actually," kris begins. "there's the classic starving artist cliche, of course." kris pauses, laughing a bit as he looks at yixing, then continues, "but he meets this writer - a good-looking one, by the way - and they hit it off at once and they start working on this really great story."
yixing narrows his eyes. "and?"
"and, well, they hit a roadblock."
yixing almost spits his coffee. "a roadblock?"
"mhmm." kris fiddles with the pen he's holding, tracing figures, words, shapes on the table before continuing. "they hit a roadblock and the story gets put on hold until they find the resolution to the conflict in the story."
"and how do they do that?"
kris shrugs, then takes a sip of his coffee. "i have no idea."
yixing takes a deep breath and feels his chest constrict.
---
"starving artist" is a poor euphemism for what yixing used to be prior to meeting kris. after spending nearly all of his money on his mother's unsuccessful heart transplant, he was left with nothing but his grandmother's old house, his art materials, and his 2009-model macbook pro. he'd been taking freelance project left and right since then and, when his laptop started lagging and eventually gave up on him, he had to stop taking projects.
then he met kris at a comic convention.
it was funny how they hit it off at once, and how kris seemed to have all the solutions to his problems. kris hooked him up with a few people, got him employed in a creative agency, and now they're collaborating on kris' first-ever illustrated novel. nothing can possibly go wrong.
except kris is writing about an artist and a writer meeting, collaborating on a comic, then hitting a roadblock, and yixing knows very well that kris only ever writes about real life experiences.
maybe the sex isn't good :P, lu han comments over text, and yixing just shakes his head as he absent-mindedly types a reply.
i really wish it was just that. i wish.
---
it only takes one text message to let yixing know that they've already hit the roadblock - "i'm busy. let's resched?" kris isn't usually the kind of person to put things off or to delay whatever needs to be done, so it comes off as highly uncharacteristic, and maybe yixing is overreacting, and maybe yixing is just being paranoid because kris shows up on his doorstep unannounced three days after, a box of donuts in one hand and coffee in the other, and an apology written on the curve of his lips.
---
their meetings become less frequent. kris has tight deadlines and yixing has his own, and they arrive at an agreement to limit their dates to once every week instead of the thrice-a-week engagement they once agreed on. yixing understands, of course, the things kris has to go through; kris is an artist in his own right, and artists understand fellow artists, eccentricities and all.
"maybe you were too complacent," lu han offers when yixing asks him if he's had any faults or shortcomings. "or maybe he was starting to feel smothered. he looks like the type to not like that."
yixing takes a deep breath and sighs, then sinks in his seat. he reaches to his right, grabbing his sketchpad, and goes through the unfinished illustrations for their collaboration. the line art is done, but the washes hardly do the drawings any justice; they're too bland.
"are you cellshading manually?" lu han asks, peering over yixing's shoulder. "because that's so last millennium."
yixing can never tell.
---
kris disappears one day with only a sticky note tacked to the fridge, saying, "i think we need some time apart. - k"
"what does he mean we need some time apart? we've barely ever seen each other for the past two months and he still needs time apart?" yixing shakes his head and slams the bottle of beer he's holding on the table. he laughs a little when he sees lu han tremble and furrow his eyebrows; maybe he's a little drunk.
"you're making fun of me."
"no, i'm not. just finding something good in this bad experience of yours.
"maybe kris is right. maybe you have to find that resolution, that one thing that will get you through that roadblock. i don't know with you, okay, but it seems your relationship with kris is founded on nothing but your shared artistry and love for coffee." lu han scoffs and shakes his head. "if you ask me, that's hardly enough to convince kris to hold on to whatever you have."
"wow." yixing gulps down. "that hit hard."
lu han chuckles, then ruffles yixing's hair. "don't thank me yet. now get your ass moving and get back to work."
---
monday, yixing starts with sending kris a text message. i think we need this time apart to get to know ourselves and each other better, he begins, then fiddles with his phone for a while before continuing, and i really, really want to get to know you better.
so this is your solution? kris replies. yixing shakes his head, forgetting kris can't see him, then laughs when he realizes this.
nope. this is the resolution.
tuesday night, they meet at a local pizza place for dinner. it's cozy enough for two people to be able to talk about things without the distraction of noise. yixing lets kris pick the food, but he picks out their beer. "that way, we get to find out things about each other. slowly but surely, of course."
"yeah, like you not liking pineapples," kris declares, pointing an accusing finger at the pool of pineapple bits on yixing's plate. "what a waste."
yixing laughs, then notes the flush of pink painting kris' cheeks. kris probably doesn't hold his alcohol well.
yixing asks kris to block off his wednesday to visit an amusement park. kris discovers his fear of heights by accident, when kris suggests that they ride the rollercoaster. "i think i'll pass," yixing says, an awkward smile on his lips, and turns on his heel to walk away and just wait for kris on one of the benches.
"no fair. i took the day off. the least you could do is submit to my whims."
"anything but the rollercoaster, please."
"scared, zhang?"
yixing's tempted to use a harry potter reference, but he decides to pass. "yes."
kris laughs, then beams. "awesome. you're riding with me."
yixing can't say he didn't enjoy the ride, not when he was smiling and screaming the whole time, or when kris was holding his hand throughout the ride. "i have no words," yixing says when kris asks for a reaction, and chokes down the words i loved it lodged at his throat.
they spend thursday and friday at one of kris' favorite beaches. they play beach volleyball with the college youngsters and build sandcastles for the children. "so those hands are good with sculpting, huh?" kris says, a playful smile at the curve of his lips. yixing just shakes his head and demolishes kris' sandcastle, promptly regretting it when one of the children bursts into tears.
friday afternoon, kris drags yixing to one of the best fishing spots and tries to convince him that fishing can be interesting.
"only if you actually catch something," yixing comments. he struggles with the rod for a while until he successfully pulls out his catch; pretty good for a beginner.
"i'm good enough a catch, though."
now, yixing knows why chanyeol, one of kris' fellow writers, calls kris "grease".
they spend the evening tucked in bed, with kris snuggled against yixing.
saturday finds them traveling back to the city, with kris eager to work on their tiny collaboration again. kris manages to write a snippet of the resolution. lu han delivers a box of kurecolor at yixing's doorstep. "to add some color to your bland personality," lu han says, then promptly shuts the door even before yixing can react.
"when i said 'some color', i didn't mean rainbows."
yixing holds up the proof of the comic book's cover at an arm's length. "what? it's not that bad. i actually like it. besides, it's... pop art."
"it's atrocious," kris comments from behind the two. he steps back just in time to dodge the slap yixing's poised to land on his arm.
yixing just shakes his head when kris and lu han burst into laughter. he takes another look at the cover - lu han's right, it's a bit too colorful, but he'll take rainbows over cellshading any day. and maybe kris is right, too. maybe it is atrocious. he'll never admit it, though, like he'll never admit that watching kris laugh the living daylights out himself is giving him the strangest urge to reach for his blue kurecolor and paint 'til the ink runs out.
he'll save that for another day. besides, there's still volume two. and three. and four.
Kris/Lay. PG-13. 1.7k words.
Kris writes. Yixing illustrates. Together, they create the greatest, most exciting story ever told. (written for a request @ seoulfulness, and has been edited since)
i choose the methods i do best
yixing has always had this weird fascination with eloquent people. he remembers having a huge crush on his literary writing teacher back when he was in fifth grade, and oh, that one time where had the biggest crush on the moderator of the school paper. there's something about mastering words that piques yixing every single time, so when he somehow ends up in bed with two-time best-selling novelist kris wu, he isn't really surprised.
"so, what're you up to now?" yixing asks, then rests his chin on kris' shoulder. he feels kris tense at the sudden contact and notes the small smile that creeps to kris' lips. kris remains silent, just chuckles a little, and answers much later, when they're already having breakfast and enjoying their first cup of coffee.
"i'm writing a story about an artist. a comic book artist, actually," kris begins. "there's the classic starving artist cliche, of course." kris pauses, laughing a bit as he looks at yixing, then continues, "but he meets this writer - a good-looking one, by the way - and they hit it off at once and they start working on this really great story."
yixing narrows his eyes. "and?"
"and, well, they hit a roadblock."
yixing almost spits his coffee. "a roadblock?"
"mhmm." kris fiddles with the pen he's holding, tracing figures, words, shapes on the table before continuing. "they hit a roadblock and the story gets put on hold until they find the resolution to the conflict in the story."
"and how do they do that?"
kris shrugs, then takes a sip of his coffee. "i have no idea."
yixing takes a deep breath and feels his chest constrict.
---
"starving artist" is a poor euphemism for what yixing used to be prior to meeting kris. after spending nearly all of his money on his mother's unsuccessful heart transplant, he was left with nothing but his grandmother's old house, his art materials, and his 2009-model macbook pro. he'd been taking freelance project left and right since then and, when his laptop started lagging and eventually gave up on him, he had to stop taking projects.
then he met kris at a comic convention.
it was funny how they hit it off at once, and how kris seemed to have all the solutions to his problems. kris hooked him up with a few people, got him employed in a creative agency, and now they're collaborating on kris' first-ever illustrated novel. nothing can possibly go wrong.
except kris is writing about an artist and a writer meeting, collaborating on a comic, then hitting a roadblock, and yixing knows very well that kris only ever writes about real life experiences.
maybe the sex isn't good :P, lu han comments over text, and yixing just shakes his head as he absent-mindedly types a reply.
i really wish it was just that. i wish.
---
it only takes one text message to let yixing know that they've already hit the roadblock - "i'm busy. let's resched?" kris isn't usually the kind of person to put things off or to delay whatever needs to be done, so it comes off as highly uncharacteristic, and maybe yixing is overreacting, and maybe yixing is just being paranoid because kris shows up on his doorstep unannounced three days after, a box of donuts in one hand and coffee in the other, and an apology written on the curve of his lips.
---
their meetings become less frequent. kris has tight deadlines and yixing has his own, and they arrive at an agreement to limit their dates to once every week instead of the thrice-a-week engagement they once agreed on. yixing understands, of course, the things kris has to go through; kris is an artist in his own right, and artists understand fellow artists, eccentricities and all.
"maybe you were too complacent," lu han offers when yixing asks him if he's had any faults or shortcomings. "or maybe he was starting to feel smothered. he looks like the type to not like that."
yixing takes a deep breath and sighs, then sinks in his seat. he reaches to his right, grabbing his sketchpad, and goes through the unfinished illustrations for their collaboration. the line art is done, but the washes hardly do the drawings any justice; they're too bland.
"are you cellshading manually?" lu han asks, peering over yixing's shoulder. "because that's so last millennium."
yixing can never tell.
---
kris disappears one day with only a sticky note tacked to the fridge, saying, "i think we need some time apart. - k"
"what does he mean we need some time apart? we've barely ever seen each other for the past two months and he still needs time apart?" yixing shakes his head and slams the bottle of beer he's holding on the table. he laughs a little when he sees lu han tremble and furrow his eyebrows; maybe he's a little drunk.
"you're making fun of me."
"no, i'm not. just finding something good in this bad experience of yours.
"maybe kris is right. maybe you have to find that resolution, that one thing that will get you through that roadblock. i don't know with you, okay, but it seems your relationship with kris is founded on nothing but your shared artistry and love for coffee." lu han scoffs and shakes his head. "if you ask me, that's hardly enough to convince kris to hold on to whatever you have."
"wow." yixing gulps down. "that hit hard."
lu han chuckles, then ruffles yixing's hair. "don't thank me yet. now get your ass moving and get back to work."
---
monday, yixing starts with sending kris a text message. i think we need this time apart to get to know ourselves and each other better, he begins, then fiddles with his phone for a while before continuing, and i really, really want to get to know you better.
so this is your solution? kris replies. yixing shakes his head, forgetting kris can't see him, then laughs when he realizes this.
nope. this is the resolution.
tuesday night, they meet at a local pizza place for dinner. it's cozy enough for two people to be able to talk about things without the distraction of noise. yixing lets kris pick the food, but he picks out their beer. "that way, we get to find out things about each other. slowly but surely, of course."
"yeah, like you not liking pineapples," kris declares, pointing an accusing finger at the pool of pineapple bits on yixing's plate. "what a waste."
yixing laughs, then notes the flush of pink painting kris' cheeks. kris probably doesn't hold his alcohol well.
yixing asks kris to block off his wednesday to visit an amusement park. kris discovers his fear of heights by accident, when kris suggests that they ride the rollercoaster. "i think i'll pass," yixing says, an awkward smile on his lips, and turns on his heel to walk away and just wait for kris on one of the benches.
"no fair. i took the day off. the least you could do is submit to my whims."
"anything but the rollercoaster, please."
"scared, zhang?"
yixing's tempted to use a harry potter reference, but he decides to pass. "yes."
kris laughs, then beams. "awesome. you're riding with me."
yixing can't say he didn't enjoy the ride, not when he was smiling and screaming the whole time, or when kris was holding his hand throughout the ride. "i have no words," yixing says when kris asks for a reaction, and chokes down the words i loved it lodged at his throat.
they spend thursday and friday at one of kris' favorite beaches. they play beach volleyball with the college youngsters and build sandcastles for the children. "so those hands are good with sculpting, huh?" kris says, a playful smile at the curve of his lips. yixing just shakes his head and demolishes kris' sandcastle, promptly regretting it when one of the children bursts into tears.
friday afternoon, kris drags yixing to one of the best fishing spots and tries to convince him that fishing can be interesting.
"only if you actually catch something," yixing comments. he struggles with the rod for a while until he successfully pulls out his catch; pretty good for a beginner.
"i'm good enough a catch, though."
now, yixing knows why chanyeol, one of kris' fellow writers, calls kris "grease".
they spend the evening tucked in bed, with kris snuggled against yixing.
saturday finds them traveling back to the city, with kris eager to work on their tiny collaboration again. kris manages to write a snippet of the resolution. lu han delivers a box of kurecolor at yixing's doorstep. "to add some color to your bland personality," lu han says, then promptly shuts the door even before yixing can react.
"when i said 'some color', i didn't mean rainbows."
yixing holds up the proof of the comic book's cover at an arm's length. "what? it's not that bad. i actually like it. besides, it's... pop art."
"it's atrocious," kris comments from behind the two. he steps back just in time to dodge the slap yixing's poised to land on his arm.
yixing just shakes his head when kris and lu han burst into laughter. he takes another look at the cover - lu han's right, it's a bit too colorful, but he'll take rainbows over cellshading any day. and maybe kris is right, too. maybe it is atrocious. he'll never admit it, though, like he'll never admit that watching kris laugh the living daylights out himself is giving him the strangest urge to reach for his blue kurecolor and paint 'til the ink runs out.
he'll save that for another day. besides, there's still volume two. and three. and four.