Help Me Before I Crack

Hardly a day or two into the finals, and I was already on the verge of collapsing -- figuratively, as well as literally, over my desk -- from the pressure of having to study. However, there I was, bent over the table, my eyes seconds away from piercing holes into the notes which lay scattered about in front of me. Nursing a cup of hot coffee in one hand, which was the only hope I had of staying awake if I had any intention of getting done with the subject, my other hand ceased moving as I continuously scribbled notes.

It had been almost a week since the Winter Festival I had been to, and due to the immense amount of studying -- not to mention cramming -- I had to complete for being able to face the finals head on, I was holed up at home for the entire finals week, not even finding enough time to head over to the library. Which also meant that it had been a week since I had last seen or talked to Kyungsoo as well as Yixing. Hyerin and I met every day in law school only because of the exams, and before we knew it, we were done with all the papers but the last one. Thankfully, it had been scheduled on a Monday, so the students had been given the weekend to study for it.

After a lot of convincing, or rather begging, Mom had finally deemed me old enough -- and the neighbourhood safe enough -- to leave me on my own at home when she went to work. It had seemed nothing short of a miracle, but I wasn't complaining. At least it saved the time of having to get out of the house.

I couldn't even remember the last time I had studied to such an extent as I pitied my pathetic, coffee-fuelled self. The only thing I remember was my surprise and disbelief at many others previously, when they buried themselves in their notes, not caring about food or sleep. I guess I had no right to comment anything about them when I was functioning on a mere three hours of sleep every day, and while I could barely get myself to perform well on an empty stomach, I wasn't even ready to get up and prepare a decent enough snack. The only food that ever entered my body was the meals cooked by my mother, and at the growing age of twenty-one, I knew that was not adequate for me.

I was aware that I was looking like a complete wreck, now seated at the dining table with my books, while my mother fussed about behind me, nagging about how I was not taking care of myself at all. She finally gave up on trying to lecture me, as I heard her walk off with a loud huff. To be honest, I did not want to worry her, but currently, everything was proving to be a distraction for me. I had eaten a couple slices of toast for an excuse of a breakfast, and even as my stomach growled torturously, I refused to budge, practically glued to the chair.

The ringing of the doorbell was more than enough to divert my attention, and I groaned to myself for having lost that train of thought. I could hear my mother walking over to the front door, and a moment later, she seemed to be conversing with someone; even if I had a pretty sharp sense of hearing sometimes, I could neither make out the conversation nor recognise the voice of whoever it was. I dismissed it, getting back to my notes.

I vaguely noticed Mom going to her room before coming out, her brown purse slung over a shoulder. "I'm heading out for a while, Daeun. Be careful, and take care of the house," she said, and strangely, I heard a hint of relief in her voice as I mumbled an okay and nodded.

So absorbed I was in the task at hand, that I failed to hear the footsteps approaching from behind.

"Too busy, are we?"

I must say, I had gotten rather better at not feeling too startled at sudden noises as I gasped loudly -- no shrieking, yay me -- as I whirled around in the chair, staring at the source of the voice with wide eyes.

"Yixing!" I whined, letting out the breath I had been unconsciously holding as I saw the guy grinning at me, putting a hand to my heart. "Don't scare me like that, you fool."

He merely chuckled in response with a shrug, walking closer and leaning over my books, making a big show of reading the notes intently. "Sorry," he said, although he didn't look in the least bit apologetic, "I just wanted to find out what was keeping you from me for so long."

My jaw hit the floor as I gawked at him, my head tilted to a side, before I managed to compose myself, clearing my throat. "Well, I'm sorry I gave more importance to my education than to a friend. I promise not to do it again," I said, my tone mock serious.

Yixing laughed again, showing off that deep dimple of his as he shook his head, and patted me lightly on the shoulder. "You know I didn't mean it that way, Daeun." His smile faded as he took in my appearance, visibly wincing with a soft sigh.

"I knew your mother was concerned about you from the expression on her face. Look at you!" He exclaimed, his voice taking on a stern note as he gestured at my face, to which I promptly jerked my head back, afraid that one of his fingers might accidentally poke me in the eye.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Zhang Yixing," I countered smugly, crossing my arms over my chest, only to receive a light hit on my head as he glared at me.

"Don't try to act sassy, Daeun. I know how important finals must be for you, but how will you be able to stand on your own two feet if you can't even take care of yourself properly?" He chastised, while I sat there like a kid, pouting, with my gaze lowered to the floor. I could hear him sigh again, and a shadow fell over my lap as he leaned a bit closer, positioning both hands on my shoulders as he tried to shake some sense into me.

"You had me really worried during this week," he said, and even as I met his unwavering gaze, his voice shook slightly. "That's why I came over to check up on you. Kyungsoo told me that you guys had your finals, but hey, that didn't stop me from being such a worry wart. I know how devoted you can get to a thing, to the point where you neglect anything else that is equally necessary to be done." He gave me a faint grin before straightening up and heading to the kitchen, where he rummaged through the refrigerator and cupboards.

I sat there in stunned silence as I mulled over his words, feeling the heat rising up slowly to my cheeks. Since when had Yixing become such an expert on my behaviour? As I slowly turned to look at him, the faintest of smiles crept up on my face, and I watched as he whipped up a quick meal of noodles and kimchi with a glass of orange juice.

"I'm really glad I came here when I did, and met your mom. She asked me to feed you and make sure you rested, hoping you would listen to me, if not her," he spoke as he cooked, then came over to gently push my books aside as he made room for the plate of food. With slight surprise, I realised just how much my mother trusted Yixing to leave him with me alone in the house. I guess that's what people mean when they talk about a parent's instinct, but I didn't let it bother me currently.

"And what makes you think I will listen to you?" I asked, trying to be as witty as I could before I caught a glimpse of his face, hands resting on his hips as he glared at me, an eyebrow raised as he reprimanded me wordlessly. I promptly snapped my mouth shut as I averted my gaze again, my stomach growling once more, much louder this time. I could imagine Yixing shaking his head, but as he placed the food and drink in front of me, I couldn't help but take a long whiff, leaning ahead.

I did not need any more instructions as I dug in, my appetite kicking into overdrive as I ate, trying my best to not choke on the food. It was a lot more delicious than I had thought it would be, and once I had literally inhaled it all, I sat back in the chair with a sigh, smiling gratefully at Yixing. "Thanks, I guess I needed that. You're not a bad cook."

"I'm glad," he said as he picked up the empty plate and glass, loading them up in the dishwasher despite my protests, and turned back to look at me. "Now come on, get your off the chair and inside your room." He motioned with a finger to make me stand up, but I remained seated, peering at him.

"Yixing, I appreciate your concern, but I really need to-"

"What you need is a good rest," he interrupted, glaring at me once again, before sighing for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "Take a good look at yourself in the mirror, Daeun, you look so haggard. You have dark bags under your eyes, for God's sake! Be honest, how long have you been sleeping every night?"

I went back to looking down at my hands, having developed a sudden interest in them.

"I'm waiting for an answer, Daeun."

I could swear he sounded like Mom.

"Um... three hours...?" I muttered as I looked up, eyes widening as I saw him stomp over, before pulling me up by my arm. It felt extremely weird how Yixing was bossing me around in my house, but for some reason, it wasn't in the least bit uncomfortable. Rather, it felt strangely nice to have someone fuss over me, and after having grown out of that stage, honestly, I didn't really expect my mother to do that a lot.

That's why, I did not object as I let him half lead, half drag me over to my room. I presumed he would stop at the door of my room, but he surprised me as he let himself in after me, and I couldn't help but think... weird kinds of thoughts. I shouldn't have been so scared, however, as I realised Yixing was just making sure that I really slept, tucking me in and ensuring that I stayed warm under the covers.

"Please don't hate me for doing this, Daeun. I promise you will feel a lot better, and will be able to concentrate on your studies more," he said in a soft voice as he leaned down slightly, bringing his face closer to mine before lightly patting my cheek. Because of the warmth of the covers, I felt exhaustion take over me, and I was out like a light even before I could thank him.

Yixing had left by the time I awoke early in the evening, but I had to admit, him taking care of me had really had a good effect on me, and I was a lot less stressed and at least a tad bit more confident the next day as I wrote the last paper of the examination.

Of course, I made sure to meet him later and thank him for everything he had done, which he promptly waved off good-naturedly as we talked over cups of coffee at the same café he had taken me to previously. He was, once again, back to being the cheery guy I had known. Kyungsoo had, as promised, gone to Jeju with Hyerin for her cousin's wedding, so almost every day, I found myself meeting up with Yixing. Our conversations through the phone had evolved from exchanging simple texts to talking for hours on end, and I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so close to someone other than my childhood friend.

As always, I was laughing over something silly Yixing had narrated to me, some story about having to constantly look after a cousin of his named Zitao, back in China when they were in middle school.

"You're just like a mother hen, Yixing," I commented as I sipped on my cup of cappuccino, laughing at the priceless pout on his face.

"Hey, can't I care about people I like?" He retorted with a huff, and I had to resort to staring at the coffee. Had he just said that he liked me? I shook myself mentally at that line of thought; he must have meant liking me as a friend, that's exactly what it must be.

"Daeun, I... I have a question..." he said in a small voice, and as I turned my gaze back to him, I could see him visibly fidgeting in his seat.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Would you um... you know, be... interested in uh..." he trailed off, leaving me slightly confused as I tilted my head to a side, blinking.

"DoyouwannalearnMandarin?"

I blinked again, but because I didn't catch a word he said, or words, as everything came out of his mouth in a hurried jumble. Taking a deep breath as he noticed the blank look I was giving him, he spoke once again, this time slower, enunciating each word.

"Do you want to learn Mandarin? I-it's a pretty fun language to learn, and I thought I could t-teach you some of it, but it's totally fine if you don't want to, seeing as you finished giving your exams just a few days ago so I c-completely understand...."

I realised that Yixing had this adorable habit of rambling whenever he was nervous, but from the way he was stuttering every few words, I felt that this was not the question he originally intended to ask me. However, I tossed that thought aside as a smile automatically found its way on my face, and I let out a little laugh.

"Why not, Yixing? I'm sure I will have fun, and it's not like I have anything else to do for a few weeks. Besides, having you as a tutor would just be a bonus, I guess," I said, my voice laced with humour, an amused frown on my face as I saw him relax and then beam at me, albeit with a slight colouring of his cheeks. Had I imagined it, or was Zhang Yixing blushing at my words?

"That's great!" He exclaimed, reaching over to gently grasp my hand, before shyly letting go. "You are going to enjoy a lot, trust me."

Yes, okay, I didn't doubt that, but why did I feel a light fluttering in the pit of my stomach at the smallest of touches from him?

Author's Note:

So... I had actually intended for this to be a filler-y kind of chapter, but I ended up adding plot. I think that it's about time the two of them got somewhere with their feelings, and even if I'm not writing this from Yixing's perspective, I hope his feelings are becoming quite clear to the readers, especially during the later chapters.

Also, how could I ever pass up on writing about mother hen Yixing fussing over her?

Oh, updates for this story will be on Thursdays every week.

And a huge shoutout to my dear reader Adi345, for her insistent comments saying I do not give up at all. I would like to thank her for being so obsessed with the story XD

I hope you liked it, and have a nice day!~