k-pop; i know secrets kill you (but my love can fill you) 2/3
“It’s like I haven’t talked to you in years, now that you’ve been so cozy with your mystery man,” Jongdae complains, greeting Wu Fan as he slinks into his usual seat. Wu Fan would have gone down to join Yixing at the end of the bar but, for once, the other man isn’t there. It makes a slight uneasiness slink into his chest, and he pushes it away to roll his eyes at Jongdae.
“I talk to you everyday,” Wu Fan says.
“Not the way you used to,” Jongdae replies. “You spend all evening laughing with Yixing instead and ignoring me.”
“He’s not as annoying as you,” Wu Fan says, smirking.
“But I’m the one who brings you the alcohol,” Jongdae says, holding a bottle of beer just out of Wu Fan’s grasp. Wu Fan narrows his eyes at him and reaches out to grab it, and Jongdae laughs as he just backs further away behind the counter until he takes pity on Wu Fan’s flailing and hands him the bottle. “So, spill. What’s so great about the guy?”
“Why are you so interested?” Wu Fan questions. “You could talk to the guy yourself.”
“My Mandarin is not nearly as good as your Korean,” Jongdae says, and he looks a little unhappy about the fact, like if he was more well-versed in the language, he would go up and pester Yixing himself. “That’s why Zitao usually gets his order.”
Wu Fan nods, takes a drink from his beer. “I don’t know what you want me to say,” he tells Jongdae with a slight shrug. “I like him?”
Jongdae’s face twists into amusement, a big grin on his face that’s not unlike the one Lu Han had given him back at the office earlier that day. “That much is obvious,” he says, and Wu Fan blinks at him.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he demands, even as that earlier unease starts to slink down into his stomach and a flush creeps up the back of his neck.
"Oh, I'm sure you know," Jongdae says with a wink and then wanders off to assist other guests. Wu Fan wants to drag him back and demand answers when a sudden touch along his back makes him jump.
He looks around to find Yixing, flushed in the face, presumably from the winter cold, and he's sliding into the chair on Wu Fan's right, his fingertips brushing along his shoulder blades until his hand drops completely to instead unbutton his coat.
"Sorry I'm late," he says with a dimpled smile, and Wu Fan tries not to focus on the way his body tingles from his touch, skin hot under his clothes.
Wu Fan laughs, hopes it doesn’t sound as strangled to Yixing as it does to his own ears. “You say that like we plan on meeting here,” he says, amused.
“Well, it’s kind of become that way, hasn’t it?” Yixing replies, shrugging out of his thick coat. He’s wearing a soft blue button down that’s completely undone with a simple white tank underneath. The low scoop of collar reveals the pale skin of his chest and Wu Fan swallows, taking a drink from his beer, and tries not to focus on how good he looks, how the color of his shirt really suits him.
Instead he says, “I guess you’re right.” He laughs. “Jongdae was just complaining about how I’ve been ignoring him for you.”
Yixing grins. “He’s just jealous.”
“Am not,” Jongdae says fiercely as he stops by and Yixing snickers behind a small hand. “Beer?” Jongdae asks him and Yixing ponders for a bit and ask instead for some soju. Jongdae nods and disappears to get some for him, and Wu Fan raises a brow.
“Living a little, huh?”
“It’s been a good day,” Yixing says vaguely, and his tone doesn’t leave room for Wu Fan to ask why. He wants to know so much but it’s like Yixing consistently puts up walls that block him out.
He smiles at himself as he realizes Yixing and Lay have that in common. It’s starting to drive him a bit mad.
Jongdae returns with a bottle of jinro and a small glass, gently setting it down on a square napkin in front of him. Yixing thanks him happily in Korean and Jongdae grins before he heads off to tend to the rest of the bar.
Yixing turns to Wu Fan after he pours himself the glass and takes a few sips, asks, “So, how was your day? Any progress with Lay?”
Wu Fan sighs, shoulders slumping. “No,” he says. “Well, yes, technically, because I did talk to him quite a bit, but no because he still won’t let me meet him. I really want to.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t like you,” Yixing says with a laugh, and Wu Fan smacks lightly at his shoulder in response.
"No, he likes me," Wu Fan says.
"Pretty confident there, Wu Fan," Yixing says, "How can you be so sure?"
"If he didn't like me, why waste time emailing me about random things when he could just answer my questions and be done with the whole thing?" Wu Fan points out. "I'm really glad he didn't do that because it would've made everything so boring." He thinks he's lucky, that Lay is as amiable as he is, because Wu Fan's had to interview people much worse, who found it a pain to answer his questions and would tell him to make up whatever he wanted, or people who he wouldn't hear back from weeks at a time. Lay maybe a little forgetful and chatty about things unrelated to work, but he keeps things interesting and Wu Fan really likes that.
Yixing makes a soft noise of thought in response, taking another drink of soju and refilling his glass. Then, he asks, "Are you busy Saturday around noon?"
Surprised, Wu Fan chokes around his mouthful of beer, eyes widening as he looks at Yixing's completely straight face. "No," he manages to answer, and unsuccessfully tries to calm the rapid beating his heart has picked up. "Why?"
"I want to have lunch with you," Yixing says simply, and he laughs when Wu Fan gapes at him, jaw dropping. Yixing tilts his head to the side and blinks, soft brown hair falling a little into his eyes, and he asks in a teasing tone that reminds Wu Fan of whenever Lu Han tells him to do something he knows he won't really like, "Do you not want to?"
And that, Wu Fan thinks couldn't be furthest from the truth. He quickly shakes his head and says, "No, I...I would really like that. I'm sorry, I’m just surprised." He rubs his palm against the back of his neck, skin a little too hot, and doesn’t quite meet Yixing's pleasant eyes.
"Oh, good," Yixing says cheerfully. "I've been curious to see if you're just as good-looking out of that suit."
If possible, Wu Fan blushes even more. He doesn't know how to respond, but it seems like Yixing doesn't particularly care. He's smiling as he points wordlessly to Wu Fans phone that's resting on the counter by his bottle. "Exchanging numbers," he explains, once Wu Fan nods blankly and he takes it, fingers tapping quickly on Wu Fan's phone to program himself in. Wu Fan, throat still a little tight to speak, reaches over to take Yixing's phone and add in his information as well.
They swap their phones back and Yixing grins down at Wu Fan's information. "I'll call you on Saturday about where we should meet," he says, and then he's slipping off his stool and pulling on his coat again. He turns his grin to Wu Fan, dimple pronounced in his cheek and eyes so bright Wu Fan feels a little blinded. "See you then," he says, and his fingers trail up Wu Fan's right arm softly as he leaves, just as light as when he touched him earlier.
Wu Fan stares after his retreating figure, mind spinning from the suddenness of everything as he tries to catch up, and he thinks, as he sips on his beer and ignores Jongdae’s questions about why Yixing left so soon, that Chanyeol and Lu Han might have it wrong.
The one he has a crush on is not Lay at all.
-
Not that Wu Fan would ever admit aloud that he has a crush on anyone because, truthfully, he doesn’t even know if this is a crush. It’s been awhile since Wu Fan has had time for relationships, even longer still that he’s had any interest in anyone on a personal level. He’s been dragged out by Chanyeol and Baekhyun to some clubs in Seoul and has taken some girls, some guys, home with him but they were almost always gone in the morning.
After moving to Korea, he hasn’t had much interest in looking for anyone to start a relationship with so he doesn’t know if he’s just interested in Yixing as a friend who makes his evenings a little brighter, or if it’s because of the way Yixing smiles at him with his cute dimple and crescent-shaped eyes, and the softness of his voice when he says Wu Fan’s name, and the fact that he’s like a puzzle that Wu Fan is constantly trying to figure out keeps Wu Fan awake at night.
Okay, so maybe Wu Fan likes him a little. Or a lot. But that doesn’t mean much, really, and he’s trying not to get too wrapped up in it. He focuses on work for all of Friday and definitely not on his impending lunch - date?! - with Yixing the next day.
Saturday morning, he wakes to a cheerful text from Yixing that names a time and place for their lunch, a small American-style cafe a few blocks from the bar they frequent. Wu Fan spends an agonizingly embarrassing amount of time staring at his closet for something to wear, deciding on a pair of pressed slacks and a button down only to remember Yixing’s words about wanting to see him in something other than suits. So he ends up back in front of his closet for another twenty minutes before settling on dark skinny jeans and a black, long-sleeved sweater with a thick jagged white line across the chest. He thinks it’s just dressy enough while still being pretty casual, and he doesn’t think about why he cares so much about impressing Yixing in the first place.
He’s running a little late and Yixing is already seated at a window table when Wu Fan enters the cafe, bells on the door jingling softly above his head. Yixing looks up at the sound, and his face splits into a wide, happy smile, and he waves softly as Wu Fan feels his stomach slosh around in nervousness. Wu Fan heads over to join him, noticing how Yixing quickly closes up his usual leather-bound notebook, and pushes it off to the side of the table, folding his small hands together when Wu Fan approaches.
“Hi!” he says. “You really came.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Wu Fan questions, pulling off his coat and setting it over the back of the chair. He sits down and grins across the table at Yixing and tries desperately to fight down his anxiety.
Yixing shrugs. “I don’t know, I thought maybe perhaps you never came out of your apartment unless it was in a suit,” he says, and slowly laughs as his eyes rake over Wu Fan’s appearance. “I guess I was wrong.” He looks back up at Wu Fan’s eyes, and Wu Fan really hopes his nervousness isn’t showing through. “You look nice.”
It’s not even been five minutes and Wu Fan’s already flushing, and he kind of hates how Yixing does that so easily. He shakes his head quickly because he thinks for sure if anyone looks nice here, it’s Yixing. In dark framed glasses and a cozy looking white knitted cardigan over a simple white shirt, Wu Fan thinks he looks almost...angelic.
As soon as the word crosses his mind though he heats up even more, wondering where these errant thoughts are even coming from. Yixing blinks at him, asks, “Are you okay?” and Wu Fan nods, clearing his throat.
“Do you come here often?” he asks, looking around the place. It’s fairly small, with only a few tables. There’s one other customer in the place, seated in the corner with a laptop and mug of coffee. A young high school girl works at the register, and Wu Fan pretends not to notice the way she keeps glancing over at their table when she thinks they’re not looking. The cafe has a quiet, comfortable feel about it, with the calming scent of coffee beans and cinnamon pastries that makes him feel right at home. He thinks he might come back here when he needs to work on his articles over the weekends.
Yixing nods at him, takes a sip of the mug of coffee he already has set out before him. Wu Fan could do with some, too, but he doesn’t want to get up quite yet, and instead focuses his attention back on Yixing. “I come here to work during the day a lot,” he says. “It’s nice, don’t you think?”
Wu Fan nods. “I like it,” he agrees. “But does it have good food, too?”
Yixing laughs. “Of course! I wouldn’t have invited you here if they didn’t!”
“Well, then, what do you recommend?” Wu Fan asks. He expects Yixing to tell him his favorite items, but instead Yixing pushes his chair back, the legs screeching against the floor, and walks around to grab Wu Fan’s hand and tug him up, too. He looks slightly taken aback by Wu Fan’s height, this really being the first time the two of them have stood so close to one another, but then he’s smiling and dragging Wu Fan up to the front.
He points out all the best sandwiches and soups and desserts on the menu while consistently flashing the girl behind the counter happy smiles. She’s clearly seen him here before and Yixing talks to her amiably while Wu Fan contemplates what to get, and he thinks it’s really cute, Yixing’s easy happiness. It’s infectious, too, pulling a smile onto his face as he picks out his meal and places the order, and they bicker for a moment over who should pay - which makes Wu Fan wonder again if this really is a date - until Yixing uses the advantage of knowing the cashier to quickly pay for them both while Wu Fan is distracted.
“You didn’t have to do that,” he says softly.
“It’s okay,” he says with a dimple-smile and eyes curving into crescents.
The food is delicious and Yixing looks pleased by Wu Fan’s reactions, giggling at his face as he blows air onto his spoonful of tomato soup. And Wu Fan isn’t sure what it is but it’s suddenly like everything Yixing does today stands out more than normal. Maybe it’s because they’re meeting for the first time outside of the bar, in a place that Yixing is clearly at home in, teasing the girl from earlier when she stops by to ask if everything’s going well, and greeting the man in the corner by name when he passed by the table to get a refill on his coffee. They chat for a few moments, and Wu Fan just takes it all in, the brightness of Yixing’s eyes as he talks, the things that make him laugh the easiest (Wu Fan saying something ridiculous, or later, when he spills his soup down his chin), the habit he has where he bites on his thumbnail when he’s listening, the occasional far-off look on his face like he’s thinking about something else but in reality he’s paying complete attention.
Wu Fan still doesn’t know if this is a date but it sure feels like one. Yixing asks him about work, about what he does in his spare time (which, Wu Fan tells him, is usually more work), pesters him into telling him stories about his colleagues, complaining all the while that as a novelist he doesn’t have that same office lifestyle and wishes he could experience it even once.
“It’s not all that great, believe me. Everyone is so nosy,” Wu Fan tells him. “They all keep pestering me about my crush on Lay, which I don’t have by the way,” he adds quickly when he notices Yixing’s gaze sharpen, the line of his back straightening.
Yixing laughs. “Really? Not even a little bit? Even after all your secret emails?”
“Oh no, not you too,” Wu Fan groans. “I should learn to keep my mouth shut. You tease me too much already.”
“Well, it’s so easy,” Yixing says with a wink that makes Wu Fan’s stomach flop around like a fish out of water.
They spend a few hours together that afternoon, finishing up lunch and ordering refills on their coffees, even splitting a large slice of tiramisu. Yixing gets a bit of cream on his upper lip and Wu Fan has to squash down on the thought that he’d much like to reach out and swipe it off with his thumb, or even lick it off for him, but instead points at him instead, laughing and hoping it hides his thoughts from Yixing who always seems to be able to read him like an open book.
“This was fun,” Wu Fan says when they cuddle back up in their coats and head out onto the street. It’s still light out so it’s not too cold, but Wu Fan crosses his arms over his chest and tries to keep warm. “I’m really glad you invited me.”
“I’m happy you said yes,” Yixing says, smiling warmly. “It was a great first date.”
Wu Fan almost trips over himself at Yixing’s words. “Date?” he asks, staring at him, and instantly he wants to take it back because the smile drops from Yixing’s face and his eyes widen and he looks embarrassed, and Yixing almost never looks embarrassed.
“Yes, date, well, I thought that’s what this was, I mean, I guess I shouldn’t have--”
“No! No, I mean, yes, that’s...that’s fine,” Wu Fan interjects quickly, and maybe a little too loudly because a middle-aged woman walking her dog glares at him as she passes by. Yixing laughs at that and the tension between them breaks easily. He grabs Wu Fan’s elbow to steer him off to the side of the building where less people can really notice them or hear them speaking.
“It’s fine?” Yixing asks. “Really?” He looks so hopeful.
Wu Fan nods. “Really. I just didn’t want to presume that it was--”
“Well why else would I ask you out for lunch, Wu Fan?” Yixing questions, chuckling softly in amusement. “I see you everyday, you’d think that’d be enough unless I really wanted to see you even more.”
Wu Fan feels himself blushing again. “Right,” he says weakly.
Yixing laughs at him, stepping up a bit closer, a little too close, and Wu Fan casts a worried look around them, but Yixing doesn’t seem concerned. “You’re really cute when you blush.”
Which only makes Wu Fan’s face heat up more, of course, and he groans, turning away from the spark in Yixing’s eyes and hiding his face in his hands. The sound of Yixing’s laughter is so pleasant, warming up his heart and his whole body like it’s the first day of June instead the middle of winter, and all he can muster is a “Shut up,” that sounds as pathetic as he thinks he must look.
Yixing is grinning at him when Wu Fan finally gets over his embarrassment, and he says, “So, I’ll see you later, then? I’ll call you.”
“Okay,” Wu Fan agrees, dropping his hands from his face, and Yixing reaches out to quickly squeeze his hand once, smaller fingers slipping between Wu Fan’s perfectly, before he pulls away. He waves, and turns away, heading off down the street, and Wu Fan can hear his heartbeat in his ears like never before, and he grins all the way home.
-
Chanyeol invites himself over that Sunday afternoon with a box of pizza and his usual loud, boisterous self, and Wu Fan doesn’t mind really because it’s been awhile since he’s hung out with him outside of catching lunch in the middle of the workday. Chanyeol puts in an action movie and yells a lot at the screen, and Wu Fan vaguely pays attention as he sifts through his notes from his meeting with Kyungsoo and all of his emails with Lay, and works on his article. The deadline is fast approaching and the last bit of the puzzle is just meeting Lay himself. He hopes Lu Han had a chance to talk him into it.
He gets a lot of texts from Yixing throughout the day. The first one telling him “good morning” surprised him when he woke up, but he definitely doesn’t mind. They’re cute, cheerful, very much like Yixing himself, and remind him quite a bit of Lay’s emails, with silly emoticons and constant teasing.
He tries to be inconspicuous about them, but it’s not long before Chanyeol notices how his phone beeps with alerts much more often than usual, and he’s tackling Wu Fan onto the couch in a mess of long limbs and curly hair. Chanyeol ends up being successful, withdrawing with Wu Fan’s phone clutched in his triumphantly outstretched hand, and he keeps his weight atop of Wu Fan’s body so he can’t move and snatch it back.
So instead he watches with an impending sense of doom as Chanyeol scrolls through his latest messages, eyes going wide, until he exclaims, “A date? An actual date with an actual human being?”
“Yes,” Wu Fan snaps, and uses Chanyeol’s complete surprise to shove him onto the floor and grab his phone.
“You haven’t been on a date since, well, ever!” Chanyeol says, looking astounded. “You’d always turn down those girls I told you about and even that one guy Baekhyun tried to set you up with, what was his name? Henry?”
Wu Fan shrugs noncommittally because he doesn’t want to talk about this, really. And the more he tells Chanyeol, the more Chanyeol is going to tell everyone because Chanyeol doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.
“This is such a big deal!” Chanyeol says, looking up at Wu Fan from where he’s still sprawled across the floor, and he has this expression on his face like he’s confused as to why Wu Fan isn’t as excited as he is.
“No, it’s not,” Wu Fan says. “He’s just a guy I met. We’ve gone out on one date. That’s it.” He glares at Chanyeol. “Now stop staring at me, it’s creepy.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Chanyeol says, patting Wu Fan’s knee, and it’s hard to tell whether he’s being sincere or just teasing. Then he grins, wide, showing two lines of perfect white teeth. “When can I meet the guy?”
“Never,” Wu Fan hisses, and ignores all of Chanyeol’s whines. “I don’t need you to scare him off.”
Chanyeol laughs, “Would I do that?” and pouts when Wu Fan instantly says, “Yes.”
“So mean, Wu Fan,” Chanyeol whines, pressing his cheek against Wu Fan’s knee and looking up at him. “Are you this mean to that Yixing person?”
Wu Fan laughs, shakes his head. “I think he’s meaner to me than I am to him.”
“Oh good, I approve of him already,” Chanyeol says happily, and then draws away to grab another slice of pizza and return his attention to the movie.
Wu Fan just rolls his eyes at him and grabs his phone when it beeps again. He pretends not to notice the smirk Chanyeol throws his way, focusing instead on the message on his phone that makes a grin spread wide across his face.
To: Wu Fan
From: Yixing!!
I hope we can go out again soon! Next time you should pick the place. ;)
-
To: wufan@smqmagazine.com
From: callmelay@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday January 8th, 2013 at 8:04 AM
What made you decide to become a writer? Is it something you always wanted to do?
No, actually I really wanted to be a singer! I wanted to be famous! Haha I guess I did manage to fulfill that dream just not the way I'd planned. I'd always loved music and I went to school for it, but somewhere along the way, I think because of a writing course I was required to take, I realized how much I enjoyed that, too. It's similar to writing lyrics and music, in a way, because it all comes from a very deep place inside of yourself. I may write stories about mysteries and love and things I've never really experienced firsthand, but everything the character feels is a little bit of me on the page. Every song I write is a piece of myself I want my audience to feel or understand or accept. It's all very similar, and I had a teacher tell me the things I wrote for that class were really quite good, that I should consider trying to publish them.
I sort of brushed it off then because I was interested in music, not writing, but even after that class I found myself writing a lot anyway. Little stories about places I've been or people I meet, just anecdotes to keep with me. Those turned into characters, into settings, into plotlines, into stories.
But anyway! I’m getting carried away!! I dropped out of university for a lot of reasons, but I guess that’s part of what pushed me to pursuing a writing career. I’d tried to find an agent in Beijing, sent works to literary magazines and editors but kept getting rejected, over and over again. It was really frustrating!! After I moved to Seoul, I tried again and again, and it was awhile before I met Kyungsoo. He really helped me out. And well, here I am today! :D
That was a lot longer than I’d planned, sorry! ^^;
To: callmelay@gmail.com
From: wufan@smqmagazine.com
Sent: Tuesday January 8th, 2013 at 8:16 AM
You know, this sort of thing would be so much easier to talk about in person.
To: wufan@smqmagazine.com
From: callmelay@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday January 8th, 2013 at 8:18 AM
You’re not going to stop bugging me about that, are you? Don’t worry! Lu Han talked to me about it, and I know I’m being difficult but it’s not on purpose. Really! I have a really big deadline coming up for the draft of my new novel, but I will try to find a time to meet you soon. I promise.
To: callmelay@gmail.com
From: wufan@smqmagazine.com
Sent: Tuesday January 8th, 2013 at 8:27 AM
I didn’t realize you were working on a new book. Can you tell me about it? What can we expect? Is it similar to your previous works or completely different?
To: wufan@smqmagazine.com
From: callmelay@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday January 8th, 2013 at 8:35 AM
So many questions, Wu Fan, calm down! I’m glad to see you’re interested, but if I give it away now it won’t be much fun, will it? ;)
Besides, this is still the first draft. Who knows what it’ll be like once Kyungsoo gets his hands on it!
To: callmelay@gmail.com
From: wufan@smqmagazine.com
Sent: Tuesday January 8th, 2013 at 8:50 AM
There’s probably no point in trying to change your mind about that, is there?
To: callmelay@gmail.com
From: wufan@smqmagazine.com
Sent: Tuesday January 8th, 2013 at 8:50 AM
Ah, you’re finally catching on!
-
Yixing's waiting out front of their usual bar, looking down at his phone and wrapped up in a nice plaid jacket with leather sleeves. He's wearing dark rimmed glasses and a tiny smile on his face as he looks at his phone. It grows wide when Wu Fan joins him, muttering out a "Sorry, I'm late," before Yixing is grinning, tucking his phone into his pocket, and stepping up on tiptoe to greet Wu Fan with a kiss.
Wu Fan gasps into his mouth, entirely surprised because this is definitely not how he expected their first kiss to be like (not that he ever thought about it, nope), and he thinks his brain may have short-circuited. He feels Yixing’s lips curl into a smile against his lips, soft and warm, before he pulls away and Wu Fan ignores the pang of disappointment.
“Hi,” Yixing says easily. “Are you ready to go?”
Wu Fan’s mind is still reeling from the unexpectedness of the kiss and it takes him a moment to register what Yixing just said. “Go where? Aren’t we going inside?” Wu Fan says finally, blinking in confusion, but Yixing laughs and shakes his head.
“I want to get dinner with you,” Yixing says, and he tugs on the hem of Wu Fan’s coat and leads him past the entrance to the bar and down the sidewalk. “There’s a great barbecue place two blocks over. I haven’t had a chance to eat properly today so I thought this would be good.”
Wu Fan chuckles, lets himself get dragged along by Yixing’s unpredictableness, and flushes a little when Yixing smiles happily at him when Wu Fan takes the hand that’s still clutching his jacket to intertwine their fingers instead. “I thought you said I’d get to pick the place when we go out again,” Wu Fan says.
“Next time,” Yixing promises, looking up at him a little apologetically. “Today I really just want to do this.”
Wu Fan squeezes his hand. “It’s okay. I’m fine with just spending time with you.”
That pulls a big laugh from Yixing and he reaches up to poke Wu Fan in the cheek. “You can be really lame sometimes, you know,” he says, but his eyes are wonderfully bright in amusement.
Wu Fan groans. “So my friends tell me,” he mumbles, remembering back to many occasions when Chanyeol and Lu Han have told him the same thing. “I’m sorry, it’s just that we haven’t seen each other the past two days, and--”
“I like it,” Yixing says, stepping a little closer to him so his right arm brushes against Wu Fan’s, their hands locked together between them. “It’s cute.” His smile is kind and affectionate, drawing that dimple out again and Wu Fan resists the urge to poke him back.
“Don’t call me cute,” he grumbles instead and Yixing snickers and doesn’t listen, calling Wu Fan every variation of the word “cute” that he can think of until they finally arrive at the barbecue restaurant.
They’re seated at a table in the corner, shrugging out of their coats and settling in comfortably before they order drinks and take the menus offered by the waitress. Yixing leans around the table to point out his favorite items on the menu, and Wu Fan tries not to focus on the way his knee slides up along his thigh under the table. They order when the waitress stops by again with their drinks, and Wu Fan bites back his disappointment when Yixing slips away, back into his seat.
It may be their second “date” but being with Yixing is easy and comfortable now, and Wu Fan likes that about him. He doesn’t have to worry so much about making a good impression, especially when Yixing seems content on ruining Wu Fan’s finely built cool exterior. They talk amiably about work, Yixing firing off questions about how his article writing going, and letting Wu Fan fall easily into discussing things Lay has told him over the course of their correspondence. He’s really supposed to keep these things secret, but Yixing makes it easy to talk about him, and Wu Fan’s done such a good job of not telling anyone at work what he’s learned (not even Lu Han who pesters him about it, whining that Lay himself won’t tell Lu Han much either), that he’s quickly excited about divulging information.
He keeps some things hidden of course, telling Yixing he has to wait until the article is published, and laughing at the cute pout that Yixing throws his way like it’ll change his mind. It almost does, but Wu Fan won’t tell him that.
“I’ll tell you more if you tell me about your own work,” Wu Fan says, raising a brow expectantly.
Yixing pouts at him again and says, “That’s mean.”
“Nah, it’s smart,” Wu Fan replies. He clears his throat and adds, looking down at his silverware instead of at Yixing’s face. “I just want to know more about you. I mean, if we’re, uh, well, dating...”
Now, Yixing looks slightly guilty, and he reaches a hand across the table to pat Wu Fan’s. “Don’t make me feel bad on our date. That’s mean.” But then he laughs, and Wu Fan does, too, because he definitely doesn’t want Yixing to feel upset, he’s just really curious. “I am sorry though,” Yixing says, “it’s not that I don’t want to tell you.”
“It’s fine,” Wu Fan says, shaking his head. “I think it’s my journalist nature. I like to know things.” He squeezes Yixing’s hand, then withdraws his own, placing it on his lap under the table. He smiles at Yixing. “I guess you just can’t help that mysterious persona, huh?”
Yixing laughs, looking slightly relieved that Wu Fan’s not annoyed by his secrets. “Ah, you’re finally catching on!” he says happily, eyes curving in crescents again, but Wu Fan blinks at him as those words creep down his back like he’s heard them before.
It takes him a moment but then he figures it out, remembering the email he’d gotten earlier that day from Lay who had said nearly the same thing to him. He laughs as he realizes this, staring at Yixing who blinks at him with that blank look he gets sometimes, tilting his head a little inquisitively.
“What?” Yixing asks finally, looking a little offput by Wu Fan’s amused stare.
“I just realized how much you remind me of Lay,” he says simply, then shakes his head. “No, I think I’ve thought that before, but what you said a moment ago, Lay said something like that to me today, too.”
Yixing sits up a little straighter, eyes widening for a second before his expression relaxes and he laughs, too. “Oh,” he says, and Wu Fan can’t help but notice the way his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but he’s not sure exactly why. “Really?”
Wu Fan nods. “Yeah,” he says, and shrugs. “You two are really alike. I mean, I haven’t met Lay yet, so I can’t exactly say that, but you remind me of him, and vice versa. You both definitely overuse ridiculous emoticons in your messages, and you definitely like making fun of me.”
Yixing’s laugh this time is honest, lighting up his whole face, and Wu Fan grins widely as he takes in the beautiful expression on his face. The tension in his shoulders seems to relax, too, as he hides his mouth behind his hand as he chuckles, then rests his chin upon his hand, elbow on the table, and looks directly across at Wu Fan.
“But you like me more, right?” he asks slyly, eyes mischievous, and Wu Fan flushes deeply as he nods.
“Yes! Well, yes, of course I--” Wu Fan exclaims, and Yixing settles back in his seat with a satisfied clap of his hands.
“Good. Just making sure,” he says, and Wu Fan rolls his eyes at him, but he feels relieved by the soft, affectionate look on Yixing’s face.
Wu Fan reaches for his bottle of beer and takes a few long, satisfying sips, and just barely notices the way Yixing stares at him from over his bottle, only his gaze seems a little clouded, like he’s thinking about something and not really looking at Wu Fan. It happens a lot, that sort of dazed look he gets, but Wu Fan feels like something is a little off, and he sets his bottle back down and waves a hand in front of Yixing’s face.
“Are you okay?” he asks, worried, and Yixing blinks quickly before his eyes refocus and he nods.
“Yeah, I-I’m fine,” he says, slightly flustered as though he didn’t want Wu Fan to realize he’d been spacing out.
Wu Fan assesses him, noticing the way Yixing’s now avoiding his gaze, and he’s biting on his thumbnail as he stares down at the tabletop with contemplation strong in his features. “You sure?” Wu Fan says carefully, not wanting to annoy him with his concern, but Wu Fan’s never quite seen Yixing like this, so suddenly withdrawn, that it makes his stomach knot unpleasantly.
Yixing flicks his gaze back up to him, then takes a deep breath and Wu Fan can see his shoulders rise and fall. He drops his hand to his lap and says, “Actually, I-uh, I had something I wanted to tell you--”
He’s cut off by their waitress returning with their dishes, smiling kindly at them and asking if they need anything else before rushing off. Wu Fan reaches for his chopsticks, lips stretching into a grin as he sees Yixing has already started in on his own meal. “What were you going to say?” he asks him.
“Oh,” Yixing says, shaking his head. “It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He smiles at Wu Fan who wants to press him for more, curious about what he’d been thinking so deeply about just moments earlier, but the unease in his belly has disappeared and Yixing looks visibly happier now with food in front of him, so he lets it go.
“You can tell me later,” he says instead and Yixing nods around a mouthful of rice and Wu Fan chuckles at the way his cheeks are puffed up adorably.
-
When Wu Fan heads to the bar after work Friday night, Yixing isn’t there yet. He heads to his usual seat, tugging off his leather gloves and pulling his phone from his pocket. He checks his messages to see if Yixing has sent him anything, but there’s just one there from Baekhyun about lunch plans on Sunday. He types back a quick affirmative response and sets the phone onto the counter as Zitao stops by.
“Beer?” he asks kindly, and Wu Fan nods. Zitao grabs a bottle, snapping off the cap and setting it down onto a napkin before Wu Fan who grins at his precision.
“Jongdae’s taught you well,” he says, amused, and Zitao laughs.
“So where’s your other half?” Zitao asks him interestedly and Wu Fan blinks in confusion until Zitao elaborates, “Yixing?”
“Oh,” Wu Fan says with a soft chuckle. He takes a drink from the bottle and returns it atop the napkin. “He’s been busy lately with work so I guess he’s a little late.”
Zitao assesses him quietly before the corner of his mouth tugs up into a smirk. “You don’t have to look so sad about that,” he teases and Wu Fan frowns at him.
“I’m not,” he insists quickly, maybe a little too quickly, because Zitao laughs at him at again and looks incredibly disbelieving. Grumbling, Wu Fan mutters, “You’re just as bad as Jongdae. Has he taught you how to annoy your customers, too?”
Zitao looks sheepish as his smile wanes a bit. “I’m not trying to be mean,” he says. “I just think it’s cute.”
“Like that’s any better,” Wu Fan says, narrowing his eyes.
Zitao shakes his head at him and turns away when he hears another customer asking for a refill a few seats away. Wu Fan sighs, drinking down more of his beer and then glancing at his phone messages again even though he knows he hasn’t heard it beep with any new alerts.
Yixing has been busy that past couple of days, working on meeting a deadline for whatever project he was working on that he still won’t tell Wu Fan much about. His messages have been few and far between, just occasional updates about how much he hates writing endings and how he was so close to throwing his laptop out the window. Wu Fan definitely sympathizes with that, sending back texts about his difficulties writing an article about a person he hasn’t had the chance to meet in person yet, even though Lay has emailed him answers to the rest of the questions Wu Fan had asked about. He has a lot of information, but he’d still very much like to meet him before handing in his draft to Lu Han.
Wu Fan is supposed to meet Yixing at the bar after work as Yixing said he would have his work into his publisher that morning so they could celebrate that night, but Wu Fan waits ten, twenty minutes and Yixing doesn’t show up. He’s finished off his beer and has sent Yixing a text to check up on him, even though he has an inkling that Yixing probably missed his deadline and is scrambling to finish, or fell asleep somewhere afterward, which is usually what happens to Wu Fan on days he has deadlines, too.
He pays for his drink and waves goodbye to Zitao, and heads back home, figuring there’s no point in sitting on his own at the bar, especially now that he’s gotten so used to spending his time there with Yixing. Just as he gets into his apartment, his phone rings, playing Wonder Girls’ Nobody, something ridiculous that Yixing had set as his own ringtone the last time they'd met. He fumbles to lock his door and grab his phone at the same time, just catching the call before it goes to voicemail.
“Yixing?” he asks.
“Wu Fan!” Yixing exclaims, sounding slightly frazzled. “Did you leave already? I’m sorry, I was at a dinner meeting with my editor and a friend of ours and it ran late.”
“It’s okay,” Wu Fan says, toeing out of his shoes and heading inside. He drops his briefcase onto the couch and unbuttons his coat, wedging his phone between his ear and shoulder until he’s put it away into the hall closet.
“Are you already home?” Yixing asks and when Wu Fan says that he is, Yixing adds quickly, “Then can I come over?”
Wu Fan almost walks into his kitchen table in surprise, not expecting that at all. He glances around the apartment, taking in the dirty dishes in the sink and the stacks of papers and magazines and every single one of Lay’s books and short stories spread out across the kitchen and coffee tables. It’s definitely not exactly what he’d like Yixing to see, but Yixing is already taking his silence as a no and pleading into his ear softly, and Wu Fan can just imagine the kicked-puppy look on his face.
“Okay, okay,” he says, unable to resist a smile as Yixing cheers.
“Great! Send me your address and I’ll be over soon!” he says before the line goes dead. Wu Fan chuckles, shaking his head, and quickly texts over his address to Yixing before setting his phone onto the kitchen counter and scrounging through the fridge for something quick to eat.
Ten minutes later, Yixing’s at his door, big grin behind a thick red scarf that he tugs down far enough to lean up and kiss Wu Fan on the cheek in greeting. His eyes are shining and Wu Fan catches the hint of alcohol in his breath when he pulls away, and Wu Fan takes Yixing’s coat from him and hangs it up in the closet.
“Your place is nice,” Yixing says. He’s standing in the middle of the living room, looking around curiously, just a tiny bit wobbly on his feet and Wu Fan remembers he said he’d been out with his editor and a friend, and it’s clear he’s a little tipsy. He’s peering at the bookshelf that’s overflowing with texts, everything from writing reference books to old Korean language books to authors Wu Fan enjoys reading. Yixing laughs, points to the second shelf from the top where Wu Fan haphazardly returned all of Lay’s books earlier. “You weren’t kidding that you liked him, huh?”
Wu Fan rubs the back of his neck and shrugs, heading to the couch and flopping down upon it. Yixing continues to stare at the bookshelf, head tilted slightly, and Wu Fan just catches the surprise in his eyes when he turns around. It’s gone in the next second, though, replaced by his usual softness, smiling wide as he walks over to join Wu Fan on the couch. He flops down upon it ungracefully, and Wu Fan is mostly amused, because he’s never really seen Yixing this inebriated.
“You even have Two Moons and that’s one of the lesser known ones,” Yixing says.
“How do you know that?” Wu Fan asks curiously, heart racing a bit as Yixing’s thigh presses up against his own.
“You’re not the only one who’s read his stuff,” he says simply.
Wu Fan laughs softly because he’s got a point and he settles back comfortably against the couch, stretching out long legs so his feet rest up onto the ledge of the coffee table. He notices the way Yixing’s eyes slide down the line of his legs, taking them in almost interestedly, and Wu Fan fights back the curl of pleasure in his stomach. He clears his throat and asks, “How was your dinner? Did you meet your deadline?”
“Oh, yes,” Yixing says happily, gaze sliding from Wu Fan’s legs up the length of his body before resting on his face. His eyes are bright with success. “My editor was pleasantly surprised that I was on time, though he’ll probably not be as pleased tomorrow once he’s read through the draft.” He laughs loudly, and his head rolls only Wu Fan’s shoulder and Wu Fan breath catches in his throat.
“A-Are you drunk?” he asks, now slightly concerned more than amused.
“No,” Yixing says, then adds, “Yes. Probably.” He pauses, presses his thumbnail to his lips and then sighs and Wu Fan can feel the soft heat of his breath through his shirt.
“Too much celebrating?” Wu Fan guesses, even when he can feel tension drawing into Yixing’s shoulders, the uncertainty that replaces the brightness in his eyes.
“Well, that,” Yixing agrees, “but I had something important to talk to my friend about, too. Needed advice about something.”
Wu Fan pulls back a bit so he can look down at Yixing clearly, and the contemplation in his eyes is so similar to the look he’d seen the other night when they’d had dinner together. He takes a chance and asks, “Is this about what you were thinking about when we had barbecue a few days ago?”
Yixing blinks up at him, surprised, so Wu Fan continues, “Well, you looked like you were seriously considering something important.” He scratches the side of his face, carefully broaching the topic because he doesn’t want to push any boundaries. “You never did tell me what you wanted to say.” He had thought about it a few times over the past couple of days, but he figured if it’d been really important, Yixing would have already told him. He is still curious, though.
“I will, I will,” Yixing says earnestly, nodding his head so that his hair flops into his eyes and it’s really adorable. Wu Fan reaches out to push his bangs away and the way Yixing smiles up at him makes his heart miss a beat. “It might have been about that, though. And, well, I’ll tell you. I just need to figure out how.”
Wu Fan nods because he understands that. He pulls his hand back, but Yixing takes it instead, threading their fingers together, and Wu Fan really likes how Yixing’s hand is so small in his but fits just right. “You can tell me anything, you know,” he finds himself saying, and he feels a flush creep up the back of his neck as his own words reach his ears. At Yixing’s laughter, he drops his gaze to the low scoop of Yixing’s white tank, loose under a black cardigan, and well, that’s not much better, he thinks, taking in the smooth pale skin of his chest.
He looks back up quickly when Yixing pokes at his nose and says, “You’re cute. Really cute.”
Wu Fan hates when he does that, but maybe he likes it, too, and right now he just burns a deeper red, and opens his mouth to deny it. But it’s as though Yixing knows what he’s going to say, and he cuts him off before Wu Fan can speak with lips pressed against his.
It’s not the first time Yixing has kissed him, but it is the first time Wu Fan has been able to kiss back before Yixing moves away, sliding his lips across Yixing’s and he catches Yixing’s flicker of surprise before his eyes fall shut. Wu Fan unfurls his hand from Yixing’s and reaches up to instead cup the side of his face, thumb rubbing over his cheekbone before slipping his fingers into his hair. Yixing sighs against his lips, the wet tip of his tongue darting out to lick along the seam of Wu Fan’s mouth until Wu Fan lets him in, a soft noise of pleasure escaping as Yixing kisses him harder.
And this, this is good, this is really good, and Wu Fan hasn’t been in a relationship in a long time but this he can do. And he likes Yixing, a lot, and right now he very much likes the way his mouth is slick and warm against his, the way his hands are pulling at the collar of Wu Fan’s button-down like he’s trying to bring Wu Fan even closer than he already is, the way he’s both eager and assertive, and the way he breathes out Wu Fan’s name.
Yixing’s hand rests on his thigh, and Wu Fan drops his feet from the coffee table so quickly he stubs his toe on the ledge and cries out. It has Yixing dissolving into giggles against his lips, eyes so bright when Wu Fan pulls back to look at him, and his face is burning in embarrassment. He thinks he’d like to hide behind his hands or something, just so Yixing would stop looking at him with such amusement, but instead he lowers his hand that’s still threaded in Yixing’s hair until it’s pressed against the nape of his neck and draws Yixing back up into his mouth. Yixing happily kisses him again, and Wu Fan feels the burn of embarrassment fade into the burn of pleasure, slow and steady like a candle lighting under his skin.
He gasps when Yixing slides his hand up his thigh, reaches around to hold onto Wu Fan’s hip and turn him, his other hand tugging at the collar of Wu Fan’s shirt, and somehow, Wu Fan finds himself pulled down atop of Yixing who sighs contently as his back hits the couch cushions. Wu Fan breaks away to stare down at him in surprise, but then Yixing shifts beneath him just enough that his crotch rubs against Wu Fan’s and Wu Fan can feel his arousal there.
Wu Fan licks his lips and Yixing blatantly stares, which makes him possibly even more flustered. Compared to Yixing, who looks so calm and collected, Wu Fan feels like every inch of his body is out of control, and he just lets Yixing lead, following along with every lick of his tongue against his lips, every touch of his fingers as they slip under his shirt, every rock of his hips up against Wu Fan’s.
It’s a little uncomfortable on the small couch though, and Wu Fan tries to find a way to fit without crushing Yixing under his weight and long limbs that feel even more awkward today than usual. Yixing just laughs though, his hair mussed from Wu Fan’s fingers and lips slightly swollen, and Wu Fan’s heart beats faster just looking at him.
“You’re too tall for this couch,” Yixing says, and he pushes Wu Fan off him and stands, stretches arms over his shoulder and smirks when he catches Wu Fan’s eyes on the stripe of skin across of his stomach where his shirt rides up. “You know, I haven’t been here before. Maybe you should give me a tour?” He takes Wu Fan’s hand and pulls him up. “We could start with your bedroom.”
The easy way he says it pulls a big laugh out of Wu Fan, and he laughs the way he knows shows his teeth and his gums and Yixing’s eyes grow so affectionate as he looks at him.
“Okay,” Wu Fan says, when his mirth subsides and he realizes exactly what Yixing is suggesting. He wants it, too, if the way his arousal spikes is any indication. “Okay, yeah, we can do that,” he says, and pulls a grinning Yixing to his room.
“Are you sure this is okay?” Yixing asks, pushing Wu Fan onto the bed easily and crawling on top of him. The insides of his thighs press warm against Wu Fan’s, and his hands rest atop his chest. Wu Fan wonders if Yixing can feel the rapid beating of his heart in his fingertips. “You look kind of nervous.” Yixing looks amused.
“You’re drunk,” Wu Fan counters, because he doesn’t really want to admit that, yeah, he is kinda nervous. “Are you sure this is okay?”
Yixing laughs, and his rolls his hips down against Wu Fan’s, drawing a hiss from between Wu Fan’s teeth. “I’m not that drunk,” he assures him. “And besides, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”
“Yeah?” Wu Fan says, sliding his hand up Yixing’s back as he leans forward to ghost his lips along Yixing’s.
“Yeah,” Yixing says and fits their mouths together again. From there it’s like a haze, like Wu Fan’s the one inebriated, mind growing fuzzy from the heat of Yixing’s mouth, the way his fingers flit along his heated skin as he unbuttons Wu Fan’s shirt, the tiny gasps he makes as Wu Fan brushes his thumb along the soft spot behind his ear.
Wu Fan shudders as Yixing drops his hands to the fastenings on his pants once he’s finished opening up his shirt, and he lifts his hips instinctively to help Yixing pull his black dress pants down his thighs. He’s harder than he’s been in a very long time, straining against his briefs, when Yixing slips a hand down the front to wrap his fingers around his cock, Wu Fan bites down so hard against Yixing’s bottom lip that he draws blood.
Yixing just laughs, soft and kind and reassuring, and Wu Fan doesn’t even have the chance to feel mortified because he’s stroking him from base to tip, rubbing his thumb over the slit, and it’s good, it’s really good, and Wu Fan’s bucking his hips up for more. “Relax,” Yixing chides him, only he sounds bemused, lips dragging down Wu Fan’s neck, tongue leaving hot wet trails on his skin.
“How do you expect me to--oh god,” Wu Fan gasps as Yixing closes his mouth around a nipple and he sucks softly, and Wu Fan feels like his whole body is being wound up too tightly in pleasure he has no control over. Yixing presses his hip down with his free hand, pinning him to the bed as he jerks him off faster, dips his head lower, and at the first touch of his tongue to Wu Fan’s cock, Wu Fan’s pretty sure it’s a miracle he doesn’t come.
Yixing flicks his gaze up to Wu Fan and his eyes are so bright Wu Fan can’t even dare to look away. Not that he even wants to, when Yixing’s red lips wrap around the head of his cock and suck, when his cheeks hollow as he takes more, when his tongue presses hot and slick against the sensitive spot below the head. Wu Fan tries to move up into the incredible heat, but Yixing pins him down again, pulling away to laugh when Wu Fan groans in frustration and the puffs of breath on his dick definitely doesn’t help his case at all. Yixing grins at him though, replacing his mouth with his hand, and he leans up to kiss Wu Fan again, catching every gasp and moan between his lips until Wu Fan comes, thighs trembling and fingers curling into the bedsheets as he spills onto his stomach and over Yixing’s fingers.
“That was fast,” Yixing comments.
“Shut up,” Wu Fan says but it’s without any real heat, his whole body quivering still and making it hard to think. “It’s been awhile.”
Yixing just makes a soft noise against his lips, slowly trailing his mouth across Wu Fan’s jaw and to his ear. He nips at the lobe and whispers, “Suck me off?”
Wu Fan definitely hasn’t done this in awhile but Yixing doesn’t seem to mind when he pushes him onto his back and slowly undoes his jeans, pushing up the end of his shirt to suck against the skin of his tummy. Yixing gasps as he bites down against his hipbone and finally gets his hand around his erection, stroking once, twice, before yanking his clothes down his thighs. Wu Fan swallows before he takes Yixing into his mouth, keeping his gaze on Yixing’s face and enjoying the way he slowly starts to fall apart. The pink in his cheeks and bruised lips, dark eyelashes fluttering against pale skin, teeth pressing into the cut Wu Fade made in his bottom lip. Once again, Wu Fan finds that he can’t look away.
Yixing’s hands slide into his hair and he pulls and pushes Wu Fan’s head further down. Wu Fan relaxes around him, taking him in deeper, until the head of his cock reaches the back of Wu Fan’s throat, and Yixing’s sharp gasp is all the warning he gets before he’s coming. Wu Fan chokes a bit, coughing as he backs up and swallows, and Yixing is staring up at him with big eyes of amazement, a sated smiling tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Sorry,” he breathes, but he doesn’t sound particularly apologetic, just happy, which Wu Fan thinks is better, anyway. He pulls Wu Fan down upon him by pulling at an open end of Wu Fan’s shirt, and adds against his lips, “That was really good, though.”
Wu Fan laughs, loud and irrepressible, feeling better than he has in a long, long time, a pleased hum low in his veins and heart impossibly warm in his chest. “Yeah?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Yixing says, before Wu Fan kisses him again.
-
The next week feels like Wu Fan is living someone else’s life. It’s been a long time since he’s been in anything remotely close to a real relationship, but being with Yixing makes everything feel easy and simple. Everything is still the same as before, when they were just two strangers who happened to become friends over drinks at a shared bar, but now Wu Fan can squeeze Yixing’s hand under the table when no one is looking, can kiss him full on the mouth when Yixing smiles at him softly, as long as they’re behind closed doors because Wu Fan doesn’t dare do that sort of thing in public. Yixing isn’t as concerned about those things, happily linking their fingers as they walk down the street to grab a bite to eat after a few drinks at the bar, or stepping up on tiptoes to greet Wu Fan with a kiss to the cheek. But he tones it down quickly, when he seems to catch the way Wu Fan grows slightly nervous, and Wu Fan likes that about him, too, that he doesn’t have to tell him what he feels, Yixing just knows.
They still go to the bar, but some nights they don’t, some nights Wu Fan meets Yixing for dinner after work and they go back to Wu Fan’s place (always his place because Yixing says his apartment is a right mess these days because of editing), and they watch a movie or work on their own things, sitting at opposite ends of the couch with their legs tangled in the middle and Yixing complains that Wu Fan’s giant body takes up too much space.
Yixing stays over a few times, falling asleep with his head in Wu Fan’s lap that Wu Fan doesn’t have the heart to make him go home and instead pulls him to bed with him. In the morning, Wu Fan finds him in the kitchen, singing along to a Jimmy Lin song as he makes breakfast in a pair of Wu Fan’s sweatpants that the seems to have taken from his closet, the ends rolled up to ankles. Wu Fan likes those mornings a lot, pressing a kiss to Yixing’s shoulder and laughing at the way he jumps, likes taking his time to eat breakfast properly as Yixing drags his foot up along his calf under the table, blinking innocently as he pops a piece of fruit into his mouth. Wu Fan, who usually rushes out in the morning to get to work on time, likes being able to take it easy with Yixing, who is all smiles and mussed up hair and soft kisses.
Being with Yixing like this puts him into an incredibly good mood that everyone seems to notice right away, Lu Han poking him mercilessly to tell him what’s up but Wu Fan refuses, content on keeping this bit of happiness to himself. Chanyeol is the only one who knows but Wu Fan gets him to keep his mouth shut about it if Chanyeol doesn’t want Baekhyun to know he was the one to put itching powder in his coat.
Yixing texts him a lot throughout the day, more so than ever before, but Wu Fan likes that, too, responding to him whenever he’s stuck on writing. It’s like his good mood has made everything else in his life better, too, because Lay’s sent back emails almost instantaneously, answering a few more questions about his previous works and what inspired them, or about places he likes to work, or what sorts of things he does when he’s stuck. Writing the article has become much easier, and all Wu Fan really needs at this point is a chance to talk to Lay in person, so he can ensure that the persona he’s written about Lay from his emails is true to the man himself.
On a Wednesday, Wu Fan declines Minseok's invitation to get lunch and meets Yixing instead, Yixing having messaged him that morning to see if he was free. They meet at a small burger place a block from Wu Fan's office, and halfway through their meals, Minseok and Chanyeol walk in, freezing in the doorway when they see him.
"Oh, so this is why you didn't want to come with us," Minseok says, amused, looking down at Yixing who has already befriended Chanyeol, sitting beside Yixing on a chair he’d pulled from another table.
“It just figures you guys would end up here, too,” Wu Fan sighs, eyeing Yixing and Chanyeol’s conversation warily, their laughter and the occasional smirks Chanyeol shoots at him worrisome.
“Well, it is Chanyeol’s favorite, so you probably should’ve thought of that if you didn’t want us to interrupt your little date,” Minseok says.
“Just go away,” Wu Fan says, waving a hand at him. “And take Chanyeol with you before he tells Yixing all of my dirty secrets.”
“Do you have many dirty secrets?” Yixing questions curiously, turning to look at Wu Fan when he hears his name.
“No,” Wu Fan quickly replies and Chanyeol barks out a laugh.
“What about the time when you--” he starts but yelps when Minseok grabs his collar and pulls him up and out of his chair.
“Come on,” he says, “let’s leave them to their date,” and drags a flailing Chanyeol away.
“Your friends from work?” Yixing asks, laughing as he watches Chanyeol and Minseok order up at the front for a moment before turning back to Wu Fan.
Wu Fan nods solemnly. “Chanyeol, the one who looks like an overgrown puppy, has been bugging me about meeting you ever since our first date,” he says, and chuckles softly as Chanyeol chooses that moment to shout goodbye at them, waving with both hands until Minseok grabs him by the hood of his jacket and literally pulls him out of the shop, a plastic bag of food clutched in his other hand.
Yixing grins. “Well, now I’m curious to meet them too. Properly.”
“Maybe next time,” Wu Fan says with a sigh. “I am worried about the stupid things Chanyeol will tell you, considering how much you tease me already, that’s the last thing I need.”
Laughing, Yixing reaches out to pat Wu Fan’s hand. “I tease to show my love.”
“Then you must love me a lot,” Wu Fan jokes, and feels his stomach fill with butterflies when Yixing just smiles enigmatically at him and doesn’t deny it.
part three