Yixing didn't have anything to do the next day aside from tagging along to Yifan's press conference later in the afternoon but for now he is free and will be able to enjoy his morning. His thoughts are filled with the long lines of Yifan's body, his legs that go for miles stretched on the sofa as he does some poses directed to the camera, body twisting to highlight his lean physique. The author rolls onto his stomach and grumbles into his pillow. This is definitely not something he should be thinking about right when he wakes up, especially when he fell asleep with images of a half- Yifan as well.

It's his fault, Yixing reasons, parading himself around with jeans undone like that.

It really wasn't the actor's fault since he was just following what he was told to do and did as instructed. But what Yixing thinks right now and not something he'll ever know so the author justifies that he can put all the blame on the taller male and his unfair god-like appearance. The author can still see it clearly, the black line of the waistband of his briefs that disappears under his jeans which accentuates the actor's hip bones even more. Yixing also remembers being unable to peel his gaze away from the muscles on Yifan's back, the way his golden skin molded over his shoulder blades whenever he moved and the way his body slims out as it goes lower. The author barely slurps back the drool dripping from the corner of his mouth when another image of the elder flashes through the back of his eyelids, one cemented in his mind and will probably stay there for a couple of weeks, maybe months and even years.

Yifan's smirk.

Yixing isn't certain if the actor was doing it only for him to see when the photographer decided to give the camera to the author to take photos of Yifan himself. But after he passes the device to the Hao Hsieh, the smirk had already disappeared, making the younger think that it was something Yifan wanted to show to him alone. The author shakes his head in hopes of shaking the thought away. He decides to think of other things, like what he can possibly do for the hours that he is free before going to the venue of the taller one's press conference. He was in the middle of deciding what to bake, scrolling through a website for new recipes when a notification pops up on top of his screen. A text message from Yifan.

Wu Yifan
Good morning! Are you up already? Mind having brunch with me?

Yixing taps the message, redirecting him to his inbox. He looks at the message, unsure of what to reply or if he even wants to. He's not certain whether he can see Yifan again that early after what happened the night before. The author thought he'd have enough time to forget and prepare himself to see the actor again but with what the taller male is suggesting, he might not be able to. He can easily say no or pretend that he is still sleeping, tired from yesterday's happenings. But Yixing has never really been the best at lying and if asked later he might blurt out that he was just lazing around in his room when Yifan texted him. Breathing in deeply, he allows his fingers to tap away on the screen, deleting what he has typed down multiple times until he is satisfied with what he has.

To: Wu Yifan
Good morning to you too! :) Yes, I am. Where are we supposed to meet and what time?

The author sits up on his bed, stretching his arm out to place the mobile device on his nightstand when the gadget buzzes to let him know that another message just came through. He's not expecting Yifan to reply to him so quickly but he did. Yixing almost falls out of his bed when he sees what the actor wrote in his message.

From: Wu Yifan
I can just pick you up. I'll be out of the house in an hour.

Yixing fumbles for his phone, steadying himself on his bed at the same time. When he directs his attention to the time, he sees that it's just a few minutes past nine o'clock. The author is sure he can quickly shower and still relax around the house after he replies a quick Okay to Yifan. However, that's not what happens. After leaving the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, Yixing paces in front of his closet thinking of what look he should go for. It should be something that he can use for a simple eat out and to blend in with the crowd for the press conference afterwards. Stopping in front of the cabinet, he surveys the clothes hanging on the rack and the ones neatly folded and placed on the drawers. He eyes a white dress shirt and some black slim fit jeans. He places a hand on his chin as he tries to imagine what he will look like with the combination and if it's enough to so as not to look shabby when he walks close to the actor. Before he can come to a conclusion his phone beeps on from where he has been charging the device, alerting him of a new message.

Wu Yifan
I'll be out in fifteen minutes. See you.

The author fidgets and hastily writes back before going back to dress himself, retrieving the clothes he has no choice but to wear from their hangers. He tucks the shirt into his pants and leaves the to two buttons open to let air in before he focuses on his hair. Standing in front of the mirror, he tilts his head to the side and wonders what he should do with it. Then a knock on the door startles him.

"Uncle," Shixun calls out to him and he wonders for a second if Yifan already arrived but he didn't hear the doorbell ringing so it should be something else. When he opens the door to his room, his nephew looks at him a little bit puzzled.

"Going out on a date?" The younger looks at his uncle, unusually dressed away from his comfy style. It is something that Yixing rarely does so he reckons it is for some important event.

The Chinese stutters in his reply, arms flailing as he denies his nephew's speculation, correcting him and telling the younger that he's just going to meet Yifan and tag along for his press conference. Shixun doesn't look completely convinced but he lets it drop in favour of telling Yixing why he was looking to talk to him. After discussing the college student's plans of staying over at his classmate's place the coming week, the elder gives his nephew cash for grocery and some extra pocket money. The author dismisses him afterwards, reminding the boy of the dinner his parents have arranged the following Saturday. Before Shixun walks away to disappear in his room though, Yixing calls out to him again. The elder thinks thoroughly if he should ask his nephew but the younger one has always been more stylish than he is, probably not as good as others but Shixun always made sure he is comfortable with what he is wearing or how his hair is done.

So without thinking too deeply into it, he asks for his nephew's opinion on the matter, "What do you think should I do with my hair?"

What Shixun replies has Yixing questioning his decision of asking in the first place, So you are going on a date."

Despite questioning his uncle's reasons for having to look his best when he's only going to follow Yifan around, Shixun still suggests what's best for the look that Yixing is going for. So when the author walks into the elevator and sees himself on the mirror, he gets a bit of shock at what the reflective object shows him. He's not used to the hairstyle that he is currently sporting but he can say that it actually fits well with what he is wearing. The author just hopes that the others see the same as well.

When he reaches the ground floor and walks to the lobby of his apartment building he finds a black car waiting in front of the entrance, shiny and looking extremely expensive. The windows roll down to reveal Yifan sitting behind the wheel. For a moment Yixing sees a look of surprise on the elder's face and he can't be sure if it's a good thing or a bad one. He doesn't get to dwell on it too much as it disappears in exchange for a small smile on the actor's face. The taller male reaches to the passenger's side and opens the door for the author, leaning back again when the younger opens the door completely and slides into the seat.

"Hey," Yifan greets when Yixing is finally settles on his seat, safety belt pulled over his chest and secured beside him.

"Hi," the younger dimples and the actor finds himself unable to look away.

Yixing looks different, it's as if another person is sitting beside him. The author has completely abandoned the tank top and cardigans for a simple white shirt, top two buttons open to give everybody a peek of his deeply carved collarbones. Yifan gulps and hopes the author doesn't notice him staring too much. He can't help it, however, eyes traveling down the younger's tight black pants that show the sinewy thighs hiding behind his usual sweatpants and ill-fitting jeans.

"Uh, Yifan?" Yixing's voice makes the actor's head snap back up, eyes meeting the chocolatey brown orbs of the smaller one. Once more the actor swallows, heart racing because he has obviously been caught staring. Without stalling any further he puts the gear on drive and leaves the building, trying his best to keep his eyes on the road and not on the angel-like being sitting beside him. But even with his focus on the asphalt, Yifan's mind plays images of the other's face, hair pushed back to show his features better. And although it only shows the hidden forehead that the younger always keeps beneath his fringe, it somehow clears the rest of his face, allowing for others to see him better. For a moment the actor wonders why Yixing is not an actor, his face can definitely pass to be one and he's sure being an author will help him hone his talent for acting as well. Unknowingly the elder bites down his bottom lip, imagining himself working with the smaller male on A Diamond with a Flaw instead of Yibo. It takes all his focus to divert his attention back to the road again, the GPS on his car talking over his thoughts reminding him of their destination.

"Sorry for suddenly asking you out for brunch," Yifan breaks the silence, thinking it is better to talk than for his mind to take over and give him other ideas, ones hat involve Yixing.

"Nah, it's okay," the author responds, eyes trained to the other side, out to the tall buildings surrounding them. They come to a stop and Yifan uses it as a chance to look at the younger. He doesn't even know why but he can't seem to take his eyes away from Yixing. The actor isn't exactly sure what it is but his eyes, his attention, his everything seems to gravitate towards the smaller one. His eyes follow the way the younger's lips move as he talks, the slow motions of the plump, pink pair alone is enough to stir a different sensation that he himself cannot put a name on. "I haven't had breakfast anyway and lunch seems to be off the list seeing as I'll be following you around."

After a second, Yixing looks towards the elder, hands shaking in front of himself when he adds, "Not that I blame it on tagging along, I'm just saying it would probably be impossible to have a bite so this is actually a good idea."

Yifan cannot control the stretch of his lips at how adorable Yixing is being, chuckling even as the smaller one's eyes widen at the seemingly unexpected reaction he has been given. The actor is clearly aware of how people view him and he knows he has to work on it but still manage to have that cold appearance of his. So it doesn't really bother him that the other responds that way. But then the younger mirrors his smile, even tilting his head to the side and once more Yifan feels something awaken inside him. He shakes his head and looks at the traffic lights, willing the red to turn green soon so that he can shift his focus to something else.

"It's a good thing that I invited you then."

Yixing hums under his breath, facing forward again as their car starts moving again, battling the heavy traffic to move them to their destination.

"I was wondering," the younger speaks up after a while, realizing something, "Why are you driving? Where is Minseok Ge?"

"Ah, I gave him a day off," Yifan answers, remembering how beat the Korean is, "He deserves it even just for today."

"How about later?"

"I have another manager who will take care of me later." The taller male takes a right turn as instructed by the GPS navigator. "Don't worry."

Yixing finds out that they'll be having their meal at the hotel where the press conference will be held in the afternoon. Yifan asks him to follow him but the younger can't seem to do so, always on alert for the possibility of fans lurking around the corner ready to jump at the actor.

"You shouldn't really go out without your manager or security, you know?" The author comments when he sees a crowd outside by the entrance of the hotel when he peers through the window once they're seated. It's still quite early for them to be there but as it turns out, fifty fans will be allowed to enter aside from the fifty who have already signed up a month before the press conference. Usually such events only allowed the media but with it being an opportunity for brands to boost their sales through raffling events, companies have been using this with the disguise to bring their product users closer to their endorsers.

They breeze through their meal with Yixing questioning the elder more about what will happen later and if there are things that he considers perks in his line of work other than having tens and thousands of fans who are at his beck and call. Yifan bounces the question to him and they discuss what kind of stories the younger enjoys reading and writing, surprised to find out that the smaller male have contrasting choices for the two. Their conversation only halts when the actor's phone catches his attention, buzzing from the pocket of his trousers. They don't even realize that they've spent more than an hour inside the restaurant, throwing each other questions that they have probably been wanting to ask.

"We need to go," Yifan informs the younger who quickly pats down what may have been left of the dessert he recently had on the corner of his lips.

"The bill?" Yixing mentions, realizing they haven't paid for what they've eaten.

"You asked me a while ago what perks I liked about my job." The actor shrugs his shoulders as if that alone is enough answer for the other's question. And it is enough. It means Yifan is pretty much free to eat anywhere and anything he’d like without having to pay for it. Yixing is quite impressed.

The elevator ride to Yifan’s room is quiet but it is comfortable, the silence only interrupted by the ding that indicates they’ve reached their floor. There are guards with large bodies that Yixing assumes to be rock hard and one would never want to slam against. They nod towards Yifan but tried to stop the author, only allowing the smaller male to pass through when the actor tells them that Yixing is with him. They step into the room and are greeted loudly by a male with tanned skin and sunglasses on. Just one look and the younger already knows that his personality a complete contrast to Minseok’s. Yifan introduces the man to him as Luo Zhixiang and is the elder’s back-up manager, the man clearly unhappy with his use of the word back-up. He seems delighted to meet Yixing though, telling the author he’s heard a lot about him through Minseok.

“I’m sorry, Yixing, but I have to borrow Yifan for a while,” Zhixiang tells the younger after a few exchanges, “You can come with, if you want.”

They walk into the bedroom where Yifan’s styling team waits for him, instructing him to removing his top and replace it with the robe. Yixing turns around and pretends to look out the window even though the view isn’t any different from others he’s seen before. He’ll take anything to avoid seeing the actor’s half- body, really. When he hears the tell-tale signs of women moving to do their work that’s when he turns around, watching in earnest and fascination at how they apply the cosmetic products to Yifan’s face. It doesn’t take long for them to finish and Yixing excuses himself to give them privacy to dress the actor.

When he shuts the door, Zhixiang lifts his eyes from his mobile device and asks Yixing curiously, “Aren’t you going to watch them dress up their human Ken doll?”

The author shakes his head and takes the seat to the right of the couch when the manager is, answering, “Nah, I’m good.”

Zhixiang returns to his phone after nodding, typing furiously as he looks at his screen with furrow eyebrows. When the manager notices that Yixing has his eyes on him, he looks up, tilting his head to the side.

“Oh, sorry,” the author quickly apologizes, “I just really like observing people. And you looked so into whatever you were typing.”

Zhixiang laughs and shoots down Yixing’s worries before showing the other the screen of his phone and explains the reason for his concentration in one word, “Girlfriend.”

The author makes a sound to show his understanding and nods, asking the manager to continue with whatever he was typing and saying his apologies once again for interrupting him. Yifan comes out of the bedroom after a while, wearing a simple ensemble. He has a grey shirt on with a mint-coloured suit jacket over it, his pants matching his jacket and folded at the bottom. His shoes are black and shiny and he’s obviously wearing no socks. They’ve tied up his hair in a half ponytail much like how it was done for his photoshoot yesterday but neater. The actor sits beside his manager and they wait until they’ve been called down to start the press conference. He converses with Yixing and his manager and some of the styling team that are done with their work of fixing the mess in the bedroom.

Zhixiang stands up followed by Yifan and Yixing timidly follows after. The elder calls for one of the bodyguards, this time the guard’s body isn’t as bulky as the ones outside and he instructs him to keep an eye out for Yixing. When the author protests that he doesn’t need it since he’ll be walking around the venue to observe, Yifan shoots him down with one look. He doesn’t say anything afterwards, meekly following behind the group of men before him as they make their way to the ballroom set up for the press con.

Yixing parted with Yifan and Zhixiang to be able to roam around the huge room, observing the vibe, the people and how everything is done from the sidelines. Some scream when Yifan is introduced by the host and some lose their cool when the actor finally enters, long legs bringing him to the middle of the stage that has been created for the event. Yifan was questioned alternately by the host and the fans and at one point Yixing finds himself smiling because he can guess what the actor will answer. He shares a little about the current movie he is filming when somebody asks about it and the author is slightly relieved when he doesn’t hear them ask about Yifan’s opinion on the homoual relationship in the story. But he realizes afterwards that the next question might be worse than knowing the elder’s opinion on gay couples.

A microphone is given to a fan and she grips it with all her might, smiles at Yifan and almost melts when the actor nods towards her. Yixing can sympathize. He’s by the side of the stage now, overlooking the crowd and the media in front of it. The author looks at the girl and waits for her to breathe out what she wants to ask.

“What are you looking for in a girl?”

Yixing blinks. His eyes turn serious when he looks at Yifan who thanks the girl for her question before he responds.

“I like someone who is capable of holding a conversation, a person who is filial and loving as well.” The actor finally answers, the crowd cooing when he puts his microphone down. When the host notices he lack of physical attributes he urges the actor to list some of them.

“Uh, I’ve never really thought much about that.” Yifan answers and to help him, the host asks him quickfire questions whether he likes short or long hair, brown or black, tall or petite and he replies automatically: short hair, brown and petite.

Yixing feels a stab of pain. He knows why but he doesn’t want to admit it. The elder answering such a question is like a slap to his face, a reminder that he shouldn’t even try because Yifan will never look at him that way because he is straight. He likes girls. The author looks away, breathes in deeply and excuses himself to the washroom. When the bodyguard follows him, he asks him to be left alone and that he will be going to the toilet and promises to return. But he doesn’t.

Kyungsoo stands before the exit to the baggage claim area, still in a bit of disbelief that he is back in Korea and will see Jongin in a while after a week of being apart. It sounds too dramatic but that’s just how he and his life has been and will always probably be. With a skip in his steps, he exits and finds himself at the arrival area with a man in a suit holding a board with his name on it, neatly typewritten with his flight number on it. He approaches the man and he is quickly ushered to a car waiting for them outside, a colour of embarrassment painting his cheeks at how everything is too much for someone like him. But the car will bring him to Jongin so slides into the passenger seat, his luggage taken by the man who introduced himself as Jaehyun, the producer’s secretary in Korea. They speed away and leave Incheon International Airport behind to meet with Jongin, the CEO waiting for him at the office with a pile of work he has to tend to in order for him to spend enough time with Kyungsoo during the scriptwriter’s two-week stay. The producer had begged him to make it at least a month but the younger didn’t want to be away for too long.

An hour and thirty minutes passes by without Kyungsoo even noticing, fascinated by the large change in the landscape since he left his home country. The car stops in front of a building that has the CEO’s initials on it in English alphabet, silver and gleaming in the light of the setting sun. Jaehyun asks him to follow him and when he inquires about his luggage, the man tells him that it is being brought to the CEO’s house as they speak. He nods, entering the elevator after Jaehyun and not surprised to see the man punch the button for the highest floor. When the doors open, all Kyungsoo sees is glass and a few design pieces that hinder hsi view of the inside of Jongin’s office.

“You may enter Mr. Do,” Kyungsoo sees Jaehyun holding out the glass door for him, “CEO Kim is already waiting for you.”

Before entering he thanks the man for picking him up at the airport and for all his help so far, the man nodding with a smile on his face and Kyungsoo is sure that Jongin’s secretary might be even younger than the scriptwriter. All these thoughts escape him when he finally walks into the CEO’s work area, finding the elder hunched on his chair, reading the document in his hands.

“Jongin,” the younger calls out softly to the producer. The CEO’s head snaps up and a broad smile stretches on his lips as he stands up from his chair to make the distance between him and Kyungsoo disappear. He envelops the smaller male in his embrace, whispering how much he missed him and how he is so glad to see him again.

“Dinner,” Jongin blurts out when he pulls away to hold Kyungsoo at an arm’s length.

“But your work,” the scriptwriter tries to protest, as he’s spun around by the elder’s hold on his wrist. Jongin doesn’t even bother taking the jacket that’s hanging on rack beside the shelf behind his desk or the laptop case on the couch.

“It can wait.”

They find themselves in a hotel restaurant once again, expensive meals on their table as Jongin asks Kyungsoo to tell him what he’s been up to since the CEO returned to Korea. The scriptwriter feels like a broken record because he always talks to the elder during the time that they weren’t together that everything he’s saying is just a repeat of what he’s already told the CEO. He indulges Jongin, however, adding a few new stories that he has not been able to tell the other.

Once they are back in the car on their way to Jongin’s house, Kyungsoo notices the elder’s unease, the CEO’s palm sweaty against his own. When he asks what is bothering him, the elder tells him that he’s just exhausted and at the same time excited that Kyungsoo is in Seoul. But the younger knows that although that’s not a complete lie, it isn’t the exact truth either. He lets it drop though and just squeezes the other’s hand until they get to Jongin’s place.

However, the other grows more fidgety as they step out of the vehicle, and it makes the younger worry even more. When the door to the house opens though, he hears a cheerful voice and a scolding one following closely behind it, making him forget momentarily about the troubled CEO. He looks up from removing his shoes to find a little girl around the age of seven embracing Jongin’s neck with a gleeful smile on her face. What she says when she pulls away from the tall tanned male freezes Kyungsoo in place, eyes as wide as saucers.

“Daddy, you’re home!”

A/N: I was supposed to post this last month but I completely forgot. So sorry. :( But things should move fast, both the story and the updating, from now on. Thank you for staying^_^