First Love

Ever since Shixun came home from school, the house has been quiet. It is very odd, knowing how the child, seven years of age, would either be running around, playing with Rourou or sitting in front of the television watching his favorite cartoons. Yixing only notices this when his husband comes home from work and says: “That’s weird.” He tilts his head to the side as he fixes the utensils around their dining table, looking at Yifan leaning on the entryway to their dining area as if listening for something.

“What is?” Yixing asks, suddenly on high alert that maybe Yifan heard an intruder as he eyes his husband for an answer.

“It’s quiet.” He furrows his eyebrows and waits for an explanation as to why it is weird. “Shixun is quiet.”

Oh. Yixing’s been busy finalizing a few details for the restaurant that he’s planning to open with his best friend that he didn’t even notice that the house has been quiet even with Shixun’s presence.

“We’ll have to ask what’s wrong.” Yifan just waits for Yixing’s nod before he moves to take the stairs to their son’s bedroom. He doesn’t even wait for Yixing to follow but he hears the younger’s lighter footsteps behind him.

They stand in front of Shixun’s door and nod at each other before they knock. When they open the door, they find the kid seated and doing some homework on his desk. Yixing gives Yifan the look and the elder has no choice but be the first to make a move.

“Hey, son.” Shixun whips his head around when his father sits on his bed. “You’ve been quiet.” The young Wu looks back on his notebook and erases something only to rewrite the same thing. Yixing sees this and places a hand over his son’s.

“Is something wrong, baby?” Yixing asks as he hugs his son from behind.

“Baba.” Shixun was only able to say one word before he started crying. Yifan and Yixing exchange a horrified look, panic-stricken faces as they think of ways to calm the kid down.

“Baby, baby, calm down.” Yixing rubs the child’s back as Yifan holds him close to his chest. “Tell us what happened.”

Shixun pulls away from his father, the elder Wu’s white uniform soaked on the front with his son’s tears.

“I think,” Shixun hiccups and wipes the back of his hands on his eyes, tears still pouring out of them, “I think I love Zitao!”

Yifan and Yixing share another look, this time a fond one. They kind of knew from the very beginning that Shixun and Zitao had a different kind of bond. They practically grew up with each other that their parents were just waiting for one of their kids to spill the beans and confess their undying love for the other. 

However, they didn’t expect it to be this early. Shixun and Zitao are only seven and may not know much about love yet. Yifan and Yixing see themselves in their kid, falling in love early on and knowing from the very beginning that it will be them for eternity. So they don’t have the heart to tell him that he’s too young for love because nobody is, love is love, it has no age of beginning or end.

“Then why are you crying?” Yixing voices out the question he knows his husband is dying to know but will never ask.

“W-what if,” the child stutters and faces his Baba fully, “what if he doesn’t love me?”

How? Yixing asks himself, eyes wide, how can such a pure innocent boy already think of heartbreak at an age? Shouldn’t he be thinking of the possibilities with Zitao instead?

Yixing catches Yifan’s gaze and he knows the elder got this.

“Son, listen to me.” Shixun wipes his face down with his hands, sniffles then looks up at his father. “I was like that too when I was a kid. I thought Baba wouldn’t like me but look at where we are now.” Yifan looks at Yixing with a sparkle in his eyes, reminiscing their childhood days and how Yixing was, and is still, so beautiful and how their love is as well. 

Shixun looks at his parents with hesitance and mutters: “But what if…” He trails off and this time it’s Yixing who answers.

“Then you have us,” Yixing rests his chin on his son’s head, eyes closing as he wraps his arms around the tiny body, “Daddy and I will love you always, more than anyone ever will.”