Chapter 18

It’s late at night and Kris is watching some late-night sitcom that is showing on the TV right now. Or at least he’s trying to.

To be honest, Kris doesn’t want to watch this boring show at all. The plot is uninteresting, the acting mediocre… he is only staying awake because of his boyfriend who refuses to sleep. Another yawn threatens to erupt from him again, and stifles it with the back of his hand, as he shifts into a more comfortable position on the couch.

He watches with blurry eyes as the female lead character digs her nails into her co-star’s arm, begging him not to leave her as fervent apologies for neglecting him, flow out of . It’s stupid really, Kris thinks. Why get into a relationship in the first place if you’re going to end up neglecting your other half. It’s a pure waste of time, he scoffs.

Though he’ll never admit it, he is curious as to how the male lead will react. It’s all the clichés rolled into one late-night drama but somehow it still leaves him quietly hooked, wondering if the storyline might go according to what he imagines it to be.

The male lead turns to the other and takes in a deep breath- only to have the screen blocked by Yixing who has stopped pacing and is frowning at the book in his hands as he mutters to himself. Kris lets out a small sigh before turning off the television with a flick of the remote.

He opts for staring at his boyfriend instead.

The beautifully mussed up hair, which Kris is tempted to run his fingers through, the pale collarbones exposed from the loose t-shirt Yixing is wearing, one sleeve hanging off his shoulder, the sweatpants hanging dangerously low on his hips, and the pale pink mouth which he longs to press his lips against. Kris closes his eyes and leans back on the armrest of the couch, long legs hanging off the other end. All he wants to do now, is to cuddle in bed with Yixing, but Yixing has been insistent on studying, even though Kris is sure that Yixing will do well in the test.

In fact, Yixing has been staying up late for the past few days and the pale shadows under his eyes are evidence to that. To top it off, he still has lessons to teach in the morning and Kris wonders how Yixing manages to pull it all off.

Cracking an eye open, he watches as Yixing brushes past him again, book in his hands, eyes faraway as he drills the English tenses and verbs into his head.

That’s when Kris decides he’s had enough.

Straightening himself against the armrest, he catches Yixing by the waist the moment the younger paces past him again.

YIxing lets out a squeak of surprise, grammar book falling out of his hands with a thump as he lands on his boyfriend’s lap, a mess of limbs.

“Yifan what-”

“Ssh, you need to sleep” Kris mumbles with his eyes closed, as he pulls Yixing closer to himself, nuzzling against the brunette’s neck, inhaling the familiar smell of his.

“But I need to study” Yixing whines, squirming as he tries to escape from Kris’ cage of arms. But to no avail.

Sighing, he tries to change tact, his hand reaching out from under Kris’ hold, attempting to reach for the fallen book on the floor instead.

“Nuh uh, don’t even think about it,” and a long leg pushes the book away, sending it spinning to the other side of the room. Yixing watches in dismay, and wails in frustration, burying his head in his boyfriend’s chest.

Kris laughs, as he watches Yixing lift his face to frown at him, a pout evident on his face. If anything, Yixing doesn’t look the least bit angry. In fact, he looks adorable. He catches the brunette’s face in his hands, his thumbs gently rubbing the light circles under his eyes.

“You need to sleep too, you know,” he murmurs, his eyes warm and affectionate. And Yixing can’t help but melt at the quiet gesture. He feels a stab of guilt, remembering how Kris has been staying up with him for the past few nights, worrying about him and helping him whenever he needed it.

He finally gives a sigh of contentment, letting himself relax in Kris’ embrace. “Thank you,” he whispers, his hand reaching to interlace their fingers together.

“What for?”

“For- for taking care of me, and being there for me these few days,” he mumbles a little embarrassed. He’s aware of the red flush that’s beginning to work its way down from his cheeks to his neck.

“Then I have to thank you for being such a wonderful teacher, putting up with my crap dancing and all?” Kris replies, a teasing lilt in his voice.

Yixing laughs, the sound a sweet melody in the air, twisting around mischievously to poke Kris at the side. “Maybe?” and the older retaliates immediately. They end up having a mini-fight on the couch, Yixing almost falling over in the process, if not for Kris grabbing him by the waist, arms looping around protectively afterwards.

Yixing lies on top of Kris, giggling breathlessly, his cheeks flushed and Kris feels a surge of affection at how adorable his boyfriend is. He reaches up to brush his fringe away and leans forward, pressing a kiss on the younger boy’s lips.

“I love you,”

“There see, your English is perfect after all”

He earns a whack on his arm for that.

“Go to sleep, you still have your exam tomorrow,” he murmurs, gently Yixing’s brown hair as he pulls Yixing close.  

“Mmmhmm” Yixing hums sleepily his fingers curling around the thin material of Kris’ cotton shirt, breath fanning across his collarbones.

Kris looks on fondly and he suddenly feels like he’s the happiest man in the world, holding the most beautiful boy in his arms.

He suddenly remembers Luhan’s words from before.

 “Well, you never know, you could be the happiest man in the world because of me.” And he frowns at how Luhan is right for once, because he wouldn’t have met Yixing if not for him.

But it’s worth it and he’s fine with that. Because Yixing is worth it.

“I love you too,” he finally whispers, pressing a kiss on the brunette’s forehead before he closes his eyes, letting sleep wash over him.

ok omg hi i've actually had half of this chapter lying around for quite sometime so i decided to finish it! im sorry for the lack of updates, it's because im currently on hiatus rn bc of exams! i'll be back in nov so do wait for me! thank you to everyone who has commented and hello to new subscribers tqqq ;uuu; ok i hope you like this update~ gonna go back to studying now! ilu guys!! ^^ <3