When Minseok hears a blaring sound early the next day, the first thing he does is to reach his arm out to the nightstand to hit the snooze on his alarm, wanting to have a few more minutes in the comfort of his bed. The second alarm effectively rouses him from his slumber, sitting up on the bed after stretching his limbs and yawning. He blankly stares at the painting hanging on the wall opposite his bed, only moving a few seconds later after realizing that his mobile device is still ringing. The manager pushes himself to lean against the headboard before retrieving the smartphone, unplugging it from the socket where it has been charging overnight. He almost drops the gadget when he sees the message sandwiched between two coming from Yifan.

From: Lu Han
I’m sorry.

The manager doesn’t exactly know what the apology was for. There are a few things that the director might want to say sorry for, he guesses, but for which one it is, he’s not certain. He debates on what to reply to the Chinese male or if he should even do so. The smaller male decides on not writing anyone back, setting the device on the nightstand again before pushing himself up and out of his bed to go to the bathroom hoping the distance between him and his smartphone will help him forget the text messages, especially the one from Lu Han.

His strategy only works until lunch, however, when he’s already in the coffee shop, tending to his business. The device buzzes in his pocket and he immediately digs into his pants as a reflex reaction from years of being on alert for calls and messages. He remembers then that he still has yet to reply to Lu Han, the director’s name showing on his screen with another message below, this time a little bit longer than what he received during his sleep.
          
From: Lu Han
I’m not sure if you didn’t receive my message earlier but if so then I’ll just repeat myself. I’m sorry, Minseok. I didn’t mean to be rude to you or hurt your feelings when I turned your offer to be a friend. I’m just not used to it so I hope you understand.

Minseok enters his office as he reads the text, almost deleting the chat box when another message arrives from the director. And the manager can’t believe his eyes, body falling onto his chair with a loud thud once he’s finished reading.

From: Lu Han
I’ve decided to take you up on your offer so I hope I’ll see you on set soon.

Before he replies to the Chinese male, he exits the chat box and scrolls through his inbox to find Yixing’s name, tapping on the author’s details to give him a ring. He thinks that Lu Han is just playing around with him, maybe a revenge for what he said the day before. The manager cannot deny the small bubble of happiness trying to push away the doubt but he doesn’t let it overcome him just yet. Before he can even celebrate, he wants to be positive that everything the director said were what they were; no hidden meanings whatsoever. And who better to ask than the other’s best friend. At least he knows that Yixing will never lie to him or sugar coat anything to make him feel better.

“Ge?” The younger answers on the fourth ring, sounding casual as if the manager calling him happens on a day to day basis that he doesn’t get surprised about it anymore when in fact this is only the second time the Korean has ever called the author; first time that it is unrelated to work or the film.

“Hi, Yixing, umm, I hope I’m not bothering you or anything.” There is obvious nervousness in his voice and Minseok wishes he can just dissolve them to sound confident and not as rattled as he is.

“No, it’s okay,” the author quickly assures the elder and the manager can hear Yixing tapping on the keyboard of his laptop, “I’m just reading through some of the stories I’ve started in the last two weeks.”

“Ah I see,” Minseok lets out and then he becomes quiet, suddenly becoming unsure of how he should open the topic about Lu Han’s messages to him. He didn’t have to worry, however, because along with the list of the younger’s other talents, he seems to be able to read minds as well.

“It’s my troublesome best friend, isn’t it?”

The younger chuckles when the manager stutters out, “How did you know?”

“I know everything about Lu Han, Ge.” The author replies and Minseok can hear that he’s smiling when he adds, “Everything.”

“So is this real or is he going to change his mind in the next six hours?”

“Hmmm you should reply soon before he retracts it.” The mischievous tone in Yixing’s voice should irritate Minseok but all he can think of at the moment is that the director has finally opened the gates for him.

“I’m just kidding, Ge,” the Chinese male turns thoughtful and the manager can hear the small amount of annoyance in his words when he adds, “But seriously, write him back already. I can’t deal with his hysterical texts anymore and besides Yifan misses having you beside him on set too.”

“I’m sure Yifan feels the same for you.”

“Right.” Minseok fails to decipher what emotion is lying underneath that one word reply he got from Yixing but he supposes the younger is right, he’ll have to go back on set.

“Ahh.” Yifan stretches his arms to his sides after stepping out of the dressing room, patting Minseok on the back once while his manager is walking in front of him.

“I thought you’d never come back.” The younger yet taller male takes a few strides to be in step with the Korean, smiling down at the elder to show that he is genuinely happy to have the other beside him again. It’s already been three days since Minseok’s return and the mood on set has increased tremendously despite the steady drop in temperature. Zhixiang is a great guy too but he has other things to worry about regarding handling Yifan’s product endorsements, current and future, that he spends more time on his phone and laptop to close deals and talk about meetings than to mingle with the rest of the crew. Minseok is more hands-on and even helps the hair and makeup staff when necessary, he’s always by Yifan’s side for whatever the actor might need. However, lately his attention has been split between Yifan and Lu Han, the Korean always spending his free time off the set with the director. 

Once the actor’s scenes are done for the day, Minseok’s focus immediately shifts to the doe-eyed male, taking a seat near the other after he’s seen his talent take to the dressing room. People on set noticed it too and had to look twice to shake off the disbelief in their eyes when they saw Minseok and Lu Han chatting before the first scene when the manager returned. It wasn’t instant how they fell into a comfortable rhythm, even now Minseok can still sense awkwardness between them whenever they are together. He doesn’t mind, however, liking how Lu Han gets flustered every now and then whenever they are taking about some mindless things, often about stuff that aren’t related to their work. He can see the director trying as well, sometimes being the first to fill in the silence between them when it is starting to become unbearable, not snapping at him as he usually would whenever he insomuch as sees the shadow of the manager. Small things like Lu Han acknowledging his greetings now and replying to his messages are enough to make Minseok’s stomach do a little flip. Although the responses are sometimes quite late he can’t find it in him to be troubled by it, not anymore.
 

 
It’s a Friday afternoon when Minseok finds himself in the Yu Residence set, knowing that Lu Han has chosen that spot to rest while the crew fix the next location for the following scene. It doesn’t even take him a minute to find the director, lying down in one of the low beams that connect two pillars standing along the pathways of the courtyard, hands on top of his chest and stomach as he naps under the shade of the high ceiling. The manager takes careful steps to where the other is, afraid that the smallest of sounds can wake the sleeping man.

He successfully reaches the director without rousing him then he crouches down to be able to observe the other closer. The manager assumes he still has enough time before someone comes rushing in to properly wake Lu Han so they can start filming once again. He places his arms over his knees and restrains himself from stretching his arm out to poke the other on the cheek, looking adorable even with his mouth slightly parted. He’s knocked out cold and Minseok is afraid he’ll be too tempted to do something that goes beyond the bounds of what Lu Han has allowed of their friendship. So before he can even attempt anything, the manager finally lifts one hand and rubs the Chinese male’s arm.
 
“Lu Han.”

The sweet call of his name rouses him from his dreamless sleep almost instantly. Hearing the gentle voice from his left, the director looks towards his side and is blinded by the smile Minseok is giving him.

“Time to wake up.”

There is a sudden undeniable increase in his heartbeat, feeling his heart thumping against his chest as if it wants to escape when he realizes how close the manager’s face is to his. He cannot deny that urge inside him – to kiss the other – and he swallows when the Korean tilts his head to the side in confusion, an adorable expression taking over his face while he observes Lu Han. The doe-eyed male internally groans and forces himself to look away from the clear and innocent eyes that are locked with his, pushing himself off the hard wood to sit up and rub the sleep off his eyes.

“The guys are waiting by the lake.” Minseok informs him with another smile, the curve of his lips growing wider before he struts away to what Lu Han can only deduce as the manmade lake they have on the set.

He watches the manager walk away, following the line of his back, the strong muscles that are hidden beneath the fitted clothes. The director shakes his head, knowing having such thoughts aren’t going to be helpful to him, not when he’s told himself that Minseok is just a friend. But when he looks up and finds the figure has already disappeared, he suddenly feels a portion of himself turn hollow, that part inside him that only the Korean can seemingly fill.

Lu Han leans against the wooden pillar and sighs, trying to collect himself and calm his heart. The pattern is the same that he just can’t deny it anymore; how frighteningly fast and similar things are, things he was afraid of before he accepted Minseok’s proffered hand and offered friendship.

“Tell me this is not happening…not again.”
 
 

 
Kyungsoo’s face lights up when he sees Jongin and Hyein walk out of the baggage claim area, the CEO’s daughter squealing when she spots the scriptwriter, screaming his name before tugging herself out of her father’s hold to run to the other’s open arms.

“Uncle Soo,” Hyein repeats once she’s already enveloped in the elder’s embrace, giggling excitedly when he lifts her off the floor and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

“How was it?” Kyungsoo asks right away, a smile blooming on his face when he sees the wide stretch of the kid’s lips. “Did you like flying?” He adds even though there’s really no other experience that he has to ask about the small girl. It’s her first time riding a plane and leaving the country and the elder is curious as to what she thinks about it, always amused at the younger’s comments.

“Yes!” Hyein answers enthusiastically, not letting go of the scriptwriter’s neck even with her father having already arrived to where they are standing. “Especially when the buildings start becoming smaller it’s like I’ve become taller than them.”

“You should have seen her,” Jongin pats down his daughter’s head, smiling wide enough for his eyes to close and shape into crescents, “she couldn’t stop talking about the buildings, the roads, the clouds and the sky. I wish you were there to answer her questions.”

“Why are you passing that responsibility to me?” Kyungsoo chuckles good-naturedly before turning to follow the elder’s bodyguards to where a car is probably waiting for them, the same one the scriptwriter refused to take from his apartment to the airport opting to use the train instead.

“Obviously because you’re the smarter one in this relationship.” Jongin pokes his tongue out as his daughter yawns and lays her head on the scriptwriter’s shoulder, her eyelids drooping as the exhaustion of travelling slowly seeps into her body.
Kyungsoo blushes at the reminder that he and the elder are now officially each other’s boyfriend and the other seems to take notice of this as he smiles even wider at the younger’s reaction.

“We-we’re equal, in my opinion.” The scriptwriter tries not to pay attention to the way his boyfriend is looking at him, hoping the reddening of his face will go away sometime soon so that the other cannot about it.

“Look at you being humble again.” Jongin looks disapproving but his voice betrays him as it shows no hint of real disappointment in the younger’s answer. The CEO asks Kyungsoo to enter the car before him, placing a hand on the top part of the frame of the door so the other will avoid hitting his head.

“Are we going to the hotel now?” Hyein suddenly asks she is jostled awake from her short nap, eyes opening slightly to look at her father.

“We’re going to the set first, you said you wanted to see it right?” The little girl nods to Jongin’s question. Seeing his child’s response, the CEO continues, “Then we’ll go to a nearby hotel after where you’ll be staying with Uncle Soo for the night because daddy has things to do early tomorrow.” Hyein frowns a little and the tanned male sighs before reaching out to his daughter’s cheek, “We’ve already talked about this, right? Once daddy finishes tomorrow then I’ll go fetch you and Kyungsoo, okay?”

There is a moment before their vehicle finally surges forward to leave the parking space when Hyein just keeps quiet as if to consider it. She finally nods once they’ve left the immediate premises of the airport. The two adults obviously exhale in relief at the little girl’s agreement, not needing to have a sudden change of plans.

“Why don’t you sleep first?” It’s the scriptwriter who speaks up this time, patting down the little girl’s head, voice gentle as he coaxes her to rest. “It takes quite a while to get there.” He doesn’t struggle with Hyein though, Kyungsoo never had to – now that Jongin thinks about it – and the young one gets comfortable on the scriptwriter’s chest again, small arms tightening around the wide-eyed male’s torso which quickly slacken when she finally goes off to sleep.

Once the younger is sure that Hyein is already asleep, he turns his head to address the CEO this time, reaching out to place a hand on the other’s cheek, “You should sleep too, Jongin.”

The elder leans into Kyungsoo’s touch before lifting his hand and taking the smaller one away from his cheek, kissing the inner side of the scriptwriter’s wrist before scooting closer to place his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. Jongin intertwines their fingers and falls asleep with his boyfriend’s thumb creating circles on the back of his hand. It should be hard for Kyungsoo to follow the father and child duo to sleep, especially not in a moving vehicle but the comfortable warmth surrounding him and the feeling of family relaxes his heart and puts him so at ease that the scriptwriter falls into slumber as well despite having a full 8-hour sleep the night before.

They have only been away from each other for a few days but with how much time the scriptwriter spent with the two during his stay in Korea, he can’t deny that he missed them so much that he feels so complete knowing he is together with them again. His relationship with Jongin also progressed by a lot that he is now able to see things that the other wouldn’t normally show others, his weaknesses and his immaturity. It might have been fast considering they have only been official just weeks ago but there is a sense of home that Kyungsoo can only feel around Jongin that he can look over how they speedily fell into such comfort. Needless to say, the rest of the journey to the set is quiet and peaceful.

“Kyungsoo!” Minseok shouts his name when the elder spots him coming from the parking lot, the manager looking more like himself compared to when he saw him last time. He only hopes that this means that whatever misunderstanding he and Lu Han had has already been cleared out.

“Hyung!” The scriptwriter lifts a hand to wave in greeting as he walks further into the set. “Long time no see.”

“Indeed.” The elder smiles as the huge distance between them disappears, the two standing just a meter apart. “When did you return? And,” the manager looks down to where Hyein is tightly clinging to Kyungsoo’s hand and clothes, “who’s the kid?”

“Ah, I arrived Friday,” the younger answers, seeing the other’s eyes widening after it.

“I thought you were only going for two weeks?” There’s a bit of confusion in Minseok’s voice as the elder tries to do the math. It’s already been almost three weeks since the manager returned to the set which means the scriptwriter’s vacation has been extended for two weeks and a change. “Your company allowed you to stay there for so long?”

Before Kyungsoo can answer an arm is draped over his shoulders and he feels a large, familiar hand squeezing his shoulder and the comforting presence beside him is warm as Jongin replies in his stead.

“Of course, I allowed him since he’s spending time with me.” The grin on the CEO’s face is inerasable even as the younger nudges him on the ribs.

The manager chuckles and nods, “Of course.” Then Minseok squats down and looks at Hyein, smiling as warm as he can to show the child that he’s not a bad person. “So who is the cute little girl? Your niece?” He looks up to meet eyes with Kyungsoo, directing the question to him.

Again, it’s Jongin who answers for the younger, not minding the wary glance the scriptwriter sends him when he says, “She’s my daughter.”

“Hmmm.” Minseok nods and moves his eyes from Jongin to the small girl and then back. “Now that you say it I do see the resemblance.”

Kyungsoo isn’t sure if he should be relieved that the elder doesn’t seem to be questioning the sudden presence of the little girl – not sure if he should take it as the manager having already assumed that the CEO was bound to have a child despite being single or that Minseok never really cared too much for people’s relations with others. But knowing the manager, he’s sure that the older Korean would never assume such things about Jongin and he is being polite in order not to threaten the child as well.

“Hyein,” Kyungsoo takes the reins as the little girl still seems to be cautious around the other Korean, “this is Uncle Minseok. As you heard he can speak in Korean so while we’re here you can also talk to him if you have questions.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Hyein.” Minseok gives the kid a little wave, looking at her adorably as she waves back. “Ah, someone brought cupcakes today. Do you want some?” The manager’s smile is bright and the way he glances at Kyungsoo and Jongin seems to relay a message, understanding that the quiet hanging above them is something that the two need to fill on their own.

Knowing his daughter will not go with another man without his approval, Jongin encourages the little girl to take the hand that Minseok is offering her.

“It’s okay, Hyein.” The CEO answers his daughter’s silent inquiry. “You can go with Uncle Minseok while Uncle Soo and I look at something important. You’re hungry, aren’t you?” Jongin is certain that the child has grown hungry after their flight but he also knows that she doesn’t trust others easily, pushing her physiological needs aside to make sure she’s secure. So the elder reassures her with a smile, “We will go to you afterwards.”

The grip Hyein has on the scriptwriter’s hand loosens as she takes Minseok’s proffered hand, looking back at Jongin and Kyungsoo as she walks towards the area of the dressing rooms with the manager.

“Are you sure about this?” The younger asks when the two are out of earshot, watching as their figures disappear behind the door of the actors’ waiting room. “People will ask and most probably create rumors.”

“Rumors that are true.” Jongin turns to face Kyungsoo, taking the scriptwriter’s hands into his. “They can create scandals all they want but I’m not afraid anymore.” The younger closes his eyes when the taller male releases one of Kyungsoo’s hands to lift his own so he can caress the smaller one’s cheek.

“What matters to me is what you say, not other people’s opinions.”

The younger knows that whatever Jongin has started he will always, always see through and now that he has decided to bring Hyein out in public with him there’s no more turning back. Soon people will find out about their relationship as well but like what the CEO said, it’s not what others say that he should take into account. When the elder pulls him into an embrace, Kyungsoo all but melts in the warmth surrounding him, sighing in contentment as the worries that clouded him a while ago slowly dissipate to be filled by nothing but a sense of security. He lifts his arms to reciprocate the taller male’s gesture, tightening it around Jongin’s torso when he feels a kiss pressed to the crown of his head. Kyungsoo wishes that he can pause that moment for an eternity and stay there in that bubble of safety where there is no one but him and Jongin. And Hyein too, he adds as an afterthought, knowing the little girl’s absence in his life will create a huge hole that no one else can fill.
 
 

 
 
“Did you like it?” Yixing asks, anticipating the little girl’s reaction as he leans forward to watch her expression closely. Although his Korean is barely passable – since he only took the language in college to fill his credits – he still tries to communicate with Hyein in a way she understands to hopefully make her comfortable around them.

“They’re delicious, right?” Beside the author, Yifan also moves his torso forward to ask the little girl, his Korean sounding more natural than the younger’s. When the smaller male asked him about it, the actor reminded him of the Chinese-Korean film he did the year before where he had to learn a little bit of the language to make it sound natural when he delivers his lines.

The tall Chinese is still in his robes, looking too royal for the mess in the dressing room that even with his friendly tone, Hyein can’t help but hide on Minseok’s side. Yifan doesn’t let it get to him, however, especially when Yixing places a hand to pat him on the back for trying all the same.

“Yixing’s cupcakes are good, aren’t they?” The manager takes a tissue and wipes the icing from the corner of the girl’s lips, offering another cupcake to her which she gladly accepts.

“They are. Thank you.” Hyein doesn’t really need to give a verbal reply with how much she’s munching down on the treats being handed to her but the little girl knows her manners and finds it rude not to answer when she’s being asked.

“Ah Yixing, I’m telling you, you should make these for my coffee shop.” The manager looks at the remaining box on the table that was meant for Yifan, the carton containing the taller one’s choice flavours that Yixing made especially for him.

“Ge, if you pay me we will have no problem.” The author answers playfully, feeling the actor’s eyes on him, seeing the other’s lips curve from his periphery.

“I never thought I’d hear that from you.” Minseok exaggeratedly leans back which makes the younger laugh, even Hyein seems to understand the joke with how she giggles at the older Korean’s actions.

The doors open after that little exchange to show Jongin and Kyungsoo. Hyein immediately stands up and brings one of the cupcakes to make the scriptwriter taste it.

“Jongin, are you sure she’s your child, not Kyungsoo’s?” The manager teases when he sees to whom the little girl runs to first.

“Hmmm,” the CEO places a hand on his chin and looks contemplative for a second before answering, “Well, she is our child, right baby?” Hyein smiles up at the couple and nods before offering a bite to her father as well.

“Well, you aren’t wrong there, I guess.” Minseok smiles as he looks at the picture perfect family standing in front of him. Yifan and Yixing seem to be transfixed at the sight before them as well, happy smiles on their faces as they watch the three interact with each other.

“Ah, we’ll go out for now,” Jongin says after downing the cupcake, “We’ll show Hyein the set.”

“I should see what Lu Han’s doing too.” The manager stands up from where he sat himself on the floor, dusting his pants. “I’ll go with you guys.” Before Minseok disappears to the busy filming site, he turns around to address his talent, “Your next scene will be at around an hour so you can nap if you want.”

“And how do you suggest I should sleep with this?” Yifan points to his head where his hair is tightly pulled and styled so he’s wearing his mane up, creating a heavy weight above his head.

“I don’t know.” Minseok shrugs, almost ready to bolt to where the current scene is being filmed to bring Lu Han something to drink, knowing how the other is easily drained, especially since they’ve been filming that one scene for two hours already. “Make it work?”

Once the manager is out of the door, Yifan sighs heavily, shoulders dropping as he thinks of what to do so he can at least nap comfortably.

“What if you lean over the table?” Yixing suggests from beside him, the author already cleaning up the mess on the table where a box of his cupcakes have been wiped clean by Minseok, Lu Han, Yifan and Hyein. “That way you won’t ruin your hair?”
When his suggestion is responded with silence, the author turns to look where he assumes the other has fallen asleep. However, when he faces Yifan, the actor just smiles at him and says, “What will I do without you?”

Yixing swallows, hoping the heat he is feeling on his cheeks isn’t too visible. It’s already been three weeks since he came into this agreement with Yifan to see whether their feelings are real or not. Within those weeks he realized how much grease, cheese and corn the elder is capable of producing, all successful in making the author flustered and flushed the second they come out of the taller’s lips. But the shorter male has gradually learned how to deal with the emotions the other is making him experience, shrugging when he says:
“Probably live all the same?”

“Nah,” Yifan quickly shoots down his assumption, “I think it will be different without you.”

The blush that Yixing thought he already managed threaten to creep up his cheeks once again with how important the elder is making him feel. He braces himself when he hears the other’s clothes rustling as Yifan stands up, knowing the other will try to come closer. Then he feels arms around his shoulders, the taller male’s chin on top of his head.

“Wait for me,” the actor sleepily mumbles, “I’ll drive you home tonight since I have my car with me.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Yixing lifts his hand and squeezes the elder’s arm to assure him, “Besides, I have to leave early since I’ll be meeting with my publisher tomorrow.”

There is silence as if Yifan is thinking of what to say and then it’s broken. “When will I see you again then?”

“I’m not sure,” the smaller male answers honestly, not quite certain what will happen the next day, “It depends on what we decide on tomorrow.”

“Okay but make sure you say good bye before you leave.” Yixing hums and releases himself from the actor’s hold, assuring him before pushing him towards the tables.

“Now sleep while you still can,” the author instructs as he sits Yifan in front of the table, turning off the blinding lights so the elder can have his nap, “I’ll be here.” The taller male reaches for the younger’s hand and squeezes it for a second before taking heed of the other’s words, crossing his arms over the pillow Yixing placed on the desk before leaning his head on them to rest for a bit.

The younger perches himself on the sofa, laptop set in front of him to continue writing from where he left off. He glances over to where the actor is when he realizes how similar Yifan’s features are to the main character of the story he recently started.

It has been three weeks since they agreed to test whether the feelings they think they have for each other is more than just the result of their proximity and lack of intimate connection with somebody else. Within those three weeks, Yixing took himself off his house arrest and frequently visited the set to see Yifan again, sometimes even going there late when he has the urge to just see a glimpse of the actor. The elder doesn’t seem to be bothered by it, even when the author arrives before he has to go to bed, urging the smaller male to just spend the night there instead of going back to his apartment late. 

Equally, the taller Chinese also spends most of his free time with Yixing, driving to the younger’s place and bringing food so they can just relax in the author’s home, sharing more about themselves to one another than they normally would. There are also a few things that the brunet finds out about Yifan on his own just by observing the actor. One of them is that the cold persona the tall man has created for himself and projects as a celebrity is just a hoax, seeing how the elder’s lips pout when he doesn’t get what he wants or how he is easy to tears when a sad scene comes up in a movie they’re watching. Another is how persistent Yifan is. Even from when the other begged him three weeks before to confirm their feelings, he already had an inkling but the assumption strengthened itself when he heard stories from the other about how he moved from one audition to another just to fulfill his dreams to be an actor. Sometimes he finds it in the smallest things that the other does, like whenever he would find the taller male unwilling to give up on a game until he passes a stage or tires himself out. It’s silly and funny to an outsider but to Yixing it means a lot, it shows that whatever the elder has decided to pursue he will keep which he hopes will reflect on their relationship if they do decide to finally make it exclusive.

Yixing is sure that the elder has also found out a lot of things about him, some he knows that the other deduced without the author having to tell him just the same way as the smaller male discovered his little quirks as well. He hopes that what Yifan knows about him now is more than just his occupation and what he does on his free time but who he is deep inside. Even though there are still a few important things that he can’t share with the actor yet, he hopes what he has shown to the taller male is still true to who he is.

When his smartphone beeps to alert him of a received message, he quickly reaches for it and puts it on silent mode knowing how light of a sleeper the elder is. Thankfully, the sound doesn’t seem loud enough to rouse the other. 

Once he’s finished replying to his publisher, he exits his messaging app to check a few things on the internet but before he can even tap on the web browser he stops, looking at his wallpaper. It’s a photo of him and Yifan when the elder forced him to have a mini party with just the two of them after finding out that Yixing’s birthday already passed, the important day had happened while the smaller one was still keen on keeping himself away from the other. Even against the younger’s wishes, the actor came to his house bringing foods, cake and balloons. He was a bit confused with the balloons since he wasn’t a child anymore but he saw that they’re gold balloons of his initials and decided to let it slide. Those are still tied to his bed even with the helium inside them have already seeped out. He can’t exactly say that that was one of his favourite birthdays considering it didn’t happen on his birth date but it is definitely in the top five of his favourite days and now that he thinks about it, the only reason for that is that it is the first time he celebrated it with Yifan, that alone is enough to earn itself a coveted title. Yixing giggles to himself when he thinks that if that is his sole reason then the rest of the days he’s already spent with Yifan and the future ones too will all be his favourites.

The author stops from his musings when a finger pokes his dimple, realizing just then that the actor has woken up. He apologizes quickly but the taller male just shakes his head, the sleepy smile on the elder’s lips doing nothing to Yixing’s already flipping stomach.

“I like it when I wake up to see you smiling.”

Yixing isn’t certain if Yifan’s presence in his life is a blessing or a curse as he hears his heart beating loud against his ribcage. One thing’s for sure, however, he’ll have a heart disease one day because of the elder but for now he can’t be too worried about that as the actor looks at him so lovingly, his eyes enough to melt the author on the spot. They stare for what feels like forever until they hear a knock on the door and Yifan has to go for his next scene. Yixing watches the taller male walk away, the author barely able to support himself as his knees weaken when the other turns to look at him, smiling when he finds that the smaller male’s eyes are still on him.

The younger groans and bites the inside of his cheek once the elder’s broad back faces him again, internally be, Curse you Wu Yifan and the things you do to me.