warning: unbetaed

STANDING STILL.

By

Takashi Mio

Yifan did not know exactly when everything went wrong for him.

It started with the announcement of his debut; unexpected news during the early autumn. The first thing he remembered was calling his mother back in Canada. They cried together; his mom was sobbing her eyes out, proud of her only one son; Yifan had a single tear and his voice remained in control. The brunet promised himself not to give up and that he would make his mother happy. It was a promise a long time ago that he held so dearly.

In the middle of practice, there was a boy; maybe a few years younger than him; staring at Yifan’s group, eyeing each movement carefully. Mind did wonder at first, but the lean rapper was too absorbed in his practice. Yifan did not know that those sharp eyes were directed to him – he would never know at that time. It was a love at first sight for Huang Zitao.

Zitao was a special kid.

The younger was hard working; catching up to the others in no time. He did not care about what people said or did to him. He focused on things that he needed – or wanted to do. Huang Zitao was persistent; uninterrupted; determined – patient.

But it was not the only quality he had as a person. When it was not about music and dancing, there was this cold face that turned into a heart-warming smile. There was innocence in his laughter and sincerity in his words. The young Zitao followed him like chicks to the mother hen, chanting brother in Chinese, pestering Yifan whenever the brunet liked it.

Yifan neither hate it nor exasperate by it.

Zitao was young and inexperience in entertainment industry. All the younger needed was guidance and Yifan was ready to be a good older brother who could lead the younger brother to adulthood. The older just did not see it – the love that reflected on Zitao’s dark orbs. It was clouded by his desire to stand on the stage. He was clueless.

It was a profound, selfless love.

Two years later, when Yifan felt like his debut was a mistake, Zitao confessed to him – in his own way.

Yifan was lost in his most glorious time of his life. It was good at the first time, but then things turned sullen. The glamorous and sparkling stage was no longer the right place for him to step on. The camera flash that the leader used to seek was no longer as bright as it was. The fans’ scream was no longer pretty in his ears. Yifan had enough of everything; this useless fame was not equal to the pressure he got; the obligation to lie to the public, keeping an image that was the opposite of him, the constant plastic surgery, and the limitation in all everything you did; the blond just cold no longer hold it. Many times, he would miss home; a place where his family resided, a place with warmth and comfort, where Yifan could be just ordinary self without having to fool anyone around him.

It was a lot pain, to be away from the house for such a long time, to put on a mask almost everyday. But he found one way out.

At the beginning, it was just an ordinary painkiller that he used to take after surgery or an aspirin to kill the severe headache he had at night.  At the right time and the right place, someone offered him white powder in small plastic bags. Of course Yifan knew what it was. His friends used to ditch classes and take it in school during lunchtime. The blond was not interested, not at all until when the pain was getting unbearable and harrowing.

It was in the bedroom when the first time he took it. Claiming that he did not feel well, he managed to be left alone in the dormitory. The others would not be home until a few hours later and that was plenty for the desperate man. When he felt the toxic ran through his veins, the door was wide opened and there were one pair of eyes staring right into him in revelation.

But there were no exchange of words; for tears in regret were down on his cheeks. All the shame and anger were no longer relevant as Zitao ran to him, threw his stuff and held his hands tightly. Then Yifan began to lose his sane mind, drifting into illusion. In his mind, he was an angel in heaven, playing with the clouds and stars.  Oh, so beautiful compared to the cruel world where people did not really care about him and all about looks.  Oh, how he would like to stay forever in this magnificent hallucination.

By the time his mind shifted to reality, he noticed the very same hands were still holding his; waiting for the whole time; still as tight as before.

Zitao was crying for him.

But what for? Zitao would not understand the way he felt or experienced the same pain as him. After all, the tolerance level of handling pain was different from a person to another person. So why, of all people, did Zitao shed tears for him? Was it a pity? Maybe the answer, at the slightest, was indeed correct. Yet, the now brunet never said anything. There was no judgment in his eyes.

Zitao was telling him that he loved Yifan; that he cared no matter what Yifan did.

“Let’s wash your face. You’ll feel better.” Zitao said with a kind smile, leading him to the bathroom. Yifan had not seen his own face for a long time. He looked spent and depressed. There was no gleam of joy reflected on his eyes and he looked rather pathetic. The blond could not believe it himself. Where was this young man who went to South Korea with confidence? Where did it go; the will to be successful, the will to make his family happy? They were vanished right before his eyes.

Yifan no longer had dreams.

Something reminds Yifan of home that night; Zitao’s gentle hands. The younger was cleaning his face as if the brunet wanted to erase all the worries in him. Yifan let his friend to walk him back to their bedroom. They heard the others shouting for food and bath. The younger put up a fake smile and told everyone that he and duizhang would go to sleep early.

Yifan was startled when Zitao climbed onto his bed, under the same blanket.

“Look at me.” The younger demanded, touching the side of Yifan’s cheek and he found himself obliged without even asking. “I will never leave you. Never.” Zitao said, assuring and sincerely. Yifan was taken aback, still unable to say anything, but he held Zitao’s hand, which was on his cheek. “Thank you for saving me.” The blond muttered before drifting off to sleep. It was warm and home-like in Zitao’s embrace that night. And there was no better place for Yifan than this; if only he remembered.

If he could, Zitao wanted to take all of the pain in Yifan’s heart.

It was in the middle of the year, when Yifan announced the members that he would depart from EXO permanently.  Together with SM Entertainment, the blond changed his contract into acting and modeling, giving him more space and time to think through about his future. It reminded all of them about Kibum, the sunbae that they had never seen around the company due to the “modified contract”.

Yifan’s plane was scheduled to depart by the end of the week. It should be enough for them to say their good byes. Yifan promised to visit them when they were in China or when he visited Korea. It was not a big deal for all of them; all of them, beside Zitao. 

The brunet watched his roommate, who finally figured things out; of course without him. Somehow was glad that Yifan finally had some time to rest; to hide himself from the public; to be normal just like he and his family wanted. Deep down inside, Zitao wanted to scream; wanted to grab his hand and tell him not to leave, anything to prevent him from leaving his side. Nonetheless, the younger had no rights whatsoever; not even a legitimate one. Yifan would never know how he felt towards him.

Zitao was standing still, hoping to stop the time, as his love was moving forward into another page without him.

“Zitao, help me pack my stuff, okay?” the soon to be ex-leader was smiling at him, a relieved one. For two seconds, the brunet thought that the happiness of his beloved was the happiness for him too. It was a lie.

“Can I keep this?” the younger asked, holding Yifan’s favorite bag with a doll keychain. Yifan was glaring at him; it was his favorite bag and Zitao knew that the chance of owning his most fond belongings was thin. But this was Huang Zitao after all, his baby brother, his best friend, and his soul mate. “Fine, but please take care of it, okay. If it’s broken I’ll sue you.” Zitao smiled at him, trying to go along with his joke, but it only made him even sadder.

Yifan suddenly held his hand and looked into the other’s eyes deeply. “Thank you for making me find my own may. It’s all thanks to you.” The older said. “I did nothing for you. You’re strong enough to handle all of this, although I still don’t know what ‘this’ is.” The younger replied. “I might not tell you anything, but you believed in me and you were always there. So I thank you for all you’ve done for me. For being such a good friend.” Yifan continued while Zitao was praying to God so he would not cry at that very moment.

Zitao laid on his bed that night, watching the back that was always facing him, knowing that after a week there would only be a cold empty bed.

A week later, Yifan had his luggage and passport in his hands. “Take care of yourself, okay? I’ll see you guys when I have the chance.” The blond said, receiving a hug from each member. “Can I come with you to the airport?” Zitao asked in the midst of goodbyes.

The manager stepped in, “I’m sorry, Tao, but…”

“Can he? Please?” Yifan begged.

Inside the van, they did not say anything. Yifan was watching the street, probably memorizing Seoul’s scenery, while Zitao did not know what to think or say. He was terrified of losing the blond. He was not ready for this.

They walked to the VIP entrance together, Zitao was slightly trembling. “So this is it. I’m going to miss you.” Yifan said as he wrapped his arms around Zitao’s waist. Yongmin, who noticed that it was important for them to bid good bye to each other, left them and returned to his car.

As soon as he arrived in the car, Joonmyun phoned him. “Hyung, is everything alright there?” the EXO-K’s leader asked. Yongmin took his time to open the window and light a cigarette. “Zitao will cry for sure. He’s going to be lonely, so you have to take care of him on behalf of Kris, okay?” he answered and heard Joonmyun was sighing.

“I have to go now.” Yifan said to the younger who was not letting go of him. Zitao still did not cry, but his heart was crushed into pieces when Yifan released himself. Yifan waved his hand and walked to the security, giving his passport to be checked. The automatic door was closed and Zitao was watching that back, walking away even further.

Zitao was still not crying by then and he hoped Yifan would turn his head once again to him. The brunet moved to the side and chased Yifan’s figure. He had to see Yifan just a bit more until he was no longer visible in front of his eyes.  But it was too late. It was too late.

Yifan stopped walking, feeling that something was not right. Someone was calling him. He knew it was Zitao. But how could it be? The younger was outside and there was no chance that Zitao would see him. Yifan walked back to the check in counter, where he could see people through the glass door.

Yifan’s eyes widened when he saw his bandmate was still standing there. Their eyes met.

Zitao smiled bitterly at him and waved his hand. Yifan mouthed, “What are you doing?” Zitao did a sign language that he did not understand, probably a sign that he used to learn to talk to Chen, his deaf friend. Then, there was an announcement of his flight that was about to board. Yifan mouthed, “I have to go. My plane is boarding soon.” Zitao nodded at that and waved his hand again.

Yifan sat on his seat, closing his eyes as he plane boarded. He recalled all the good and bad things that he had gone through in Korea. Yifan would not forget all of his experiences. Then an image of Zitao appeared in his mind.

“I’m going to teach something that I learned from Chenchen.” Zitao said excitedly to Yifan. He moved his hands slowly so the leader could follow him. “This is ‘I love you’ in English Sign Language.”

Yifan opened his eyes abruptly and looked at the window, only to remember that he was on the way back to Canada.

The days passed so quickly without Yifan around. They were busy preparing their comeback. Everyone had been taking care of Zitao since they knew that the youngest Chinese used to rely on the ex-leader a lot. The brunet was never okay since Yifan left. He kept his distance from everyone, he was extremely quiet about everything. Sometimes he would go through sleepless night and was very tired in the morning.

Zitao cried so many times as he stared at the empty bed right next to him. There was a book that Yifan used to read inside their drawer. Between page forty-five and forty-six, there was a bookmark given by him as a present. Zitao carried that book everywhere inside Yifan’s bag, although he did not understand what the book was about.

There was not a single day where Zitao did not miss Yifan.

“How is Zitao?” Yifan asked Yongmin through phone. Two years had passed since Yifan left EXO for his solo career. Shame on the blond, he did not have the guts to contact Zitao at all after he realized that the younger confessed to him on his last day. “He doesn’t belong with them anymore. You, among everyone, should know.” Yongmin answered. He knew; he watched Zitao countless times, feeling like he was lost, like he was no longer fit in EXO anymore. Sometimes Zitao was restless, a lot of things in his mind, eyes wandering far away to unknown place.

“Of course, I’ll scold him when he doesn’t focus. But as a brother, I wonder if you were still here with him. I’m not against that kind of relationship, I know how he feels for you and I know how you feel about him too.” Yongmin watched the kids from the glass window, dancing neatly according to the music. He was glad that Zitao was so focus that day, it was very rare of him.

Yifan did not know what to say. Was his feeling for Zitao that clear? He used to deny it, ignore it, and even tried to ditch it. He was scared of that foreign feeling. They were both men and the blond knew there were many kinds of love, but what he felt for Zitao was terrifying. It was not until he left that he realized that it was love. And now two years later; precisely eight hundred and fifty days later, he was still in love with the younger.

“I’ll come back next month for a job, but don’t tell the boys I’m going to visit, okay?” Yifan told the older man, who was now his friend instead of manager. “Will the prince steal the princess away?” Yongmin joked to which Yifan replied, “Quit it, hyung.”

It was late and Chanyeol was being whiny about going out to have some street food, but the managers told them to stay at home, because there would be a meeting later. Zitao was sitting on his bed, playing a game in his phone, earphones playing loud music till he could not hear a sound. He did not like the loud crowd when the others gathered outside. He would prefer the comfort of his room, where he could stare at the window and Yifan’s empty bed.

“When’s the meeting going to start, for God’s sake!” Chanyeol whined to Yongmin. This was their precious day and he just did not want to lock up inside their apartment all day. The bell was ringing and Yongmin perked up a little. He grinned to himself and immediately opened the door.

Yifan was standing on the door, his coat wrapped neatly around his body. He still had the same blond hair he had before he left South Korea. “Hi, hyung. You look old.” Yifan greeted him with a wide grin. Yongmin pulled him into a tight hug, “My man, you look great. I missed you so much! Come in. The boys are inside, come!” he helped Yifan with the luggage and let the man came into the apartment.

“My freaking God, tell me I’m hallucinating, because -- is that Kris?” Chanyeol’s loud voice made all the members turned their heads to the door. “Holy , Kris!!” Luhan half screamed. They ran towards the ex-leader and gave a massive hug for him. Yifan was thrilled to see them all, but he did not see the person that he wanted to see the most.

“Are you guys hungry? Wanna eat meat with hyung?” Yongmin offered to the boys, in fact including Yifan. “Let’s eat together, hyung!” Sehun grabbed the blond’s  arm. “I’m just going to sleep and go with you guys tomorrow, how does it sound? I’m having a jet lag, seriously.” Yifan told them all while giving a knowing look to Yongmin. The boys left thirty minutes later after a ruckus and Yifan was standing in front of his and Zitao’s door a while after.

He did not knock – he did not have to.

Zitao took his earphones, realizing that someone was opening the door, right next to him. He looked up and looked into Yifan’s eyes directly. Zitao felt like the time stopped and the whole world rotated backwards. He knew this person. The brunet was dreaming about him day and night. Was this hallucination? Was the one in front of his eyes.

“Welcome back.” Zitao muttered with a sad smile before letting himself fell into Yifan’s welcoming arms.

“I miss you so much.” Yifan whispered into his ear. Zitao felt everything was surreal. He could feel Yifan’s warm, his breath, his smell. Oh, Yifan had no idea how Zitao missed him terribly, but he was so afraid to be happy; afraid that everything was only a momentarily. Yifan would not stay for long and it was a fact.

Yifan was sitting in front of him and none of them was able to look at each other’s eyes. They knew that there was unsettled thing between them, but they both did not seem to want to talk about it. “I have a job to do. Only for three days, though.” Yifan was the first one to speak. “Where are you going to stay?” Zitao encouraged himself to ask. It felt slightly awkward to talk to someone after two years of no absolute contact. “I’m still a part of EXO, well theoretically, so I’m going to stay here.” Zitao’s eyes lit up and the blond was glad that the younger looked happy at the very least.

“You must be tired. Do you want a hot bath?” the brunet stood up and walked towards the door, but Yifan stopped him. His chest was pressing against Zitao’s back and a hand was on the door handle, preventing the younger to step outside. The shorter turned his head, realizing that they probably had to talk about that. There was no turning back. But his heart betrayed him and he had tears on the edge of his eyes again. Yifan’s eyes were tender and looked painful, just like his.

There was no word spoken, just empty silence.

Zitao released Yifan’s grip from the doorknob and left the older inside.

That night, neither of them could sleep. The brunet could feel the heat radiating from his back; he tried to shut his eyes, but tears were sliding down from his eyes.

“I will never leave you. Never.” Zitao said, assuring and sincerely.

But in the end Yifan was the one who left.

Zitao came again to the airport with Yifan on the blond’s last day in Seoul. The brunet walked him to the same VIP entrance and gave him the same warm embrace. “Today, I’m going to stop here.” Zitao said, patting Yifan’s chest lightly. The older smiled at him and nodded understandingly.  He walked into the immigration check, but turned back once again to wave his hand at Zitao, but the younger had left.

Yifan was the one who left Zitao, all along, and Zitao’s heart was broken for waiting too long.

It was then another year, another era. EXO was in Hongkong for another fansigning session and Seunghwan told them that they had a full two days for themselves after the fansigning. Zitao was more than excited to go shopping with Sehun in the city. However, he was deadly tired after the fansigning and was left alone in his hotel room. Something odd was told by Seunghwan earlier; he said to wait for a couple of hours for an important package from SM. The courier had a spare key, so no need to lock the room.

The brunet’s mind flew to the thoughts of his beloved, Yifan. He had never heard from him for such a long time. When he was alone like this, when the bed next to him was empty, he thought about Yifan. A lot.

It was raining outside and it was getting colder inside the room. Zitao closed his eyes and hoped to fall asleep. Yifan was already a past to him.

There was a bump on the door, twice precisely, and a tall man walked into the room. His luggage was big; he had to push it instead of dragging it. Zitao jumped from his bed, hoping it was not an intruding sasaeng. The brunet grabbed a fruit knife on the table and with careful pace, the young idol walked towards the door.

“Hi?” Yifan smiled a little at the younger, knowing that his sudden visit really shocked the brunet. Zitao returned the smile and helped the blond to drag the luggage inside.  They sat on the bed awkwardly, trying to break the ice after a year of no communication.

But Zitao knew, deep inside his heart he would never be able to forget the shape of Yifan’s face; every inch of it, the heavy voice that sounded kind in his ear, and the blond smelled. “I heard from hyung that you guys are here. I had a photo shoot earlier this morning, so I decided to stay here for two or three days.” The older was the one who decided to talk first, finally getting Zitao’s full attention.

“Do I have to send you off again as always?” Zitao asked, slightly and oddly sarcastic even for himself. Because it hurt; it hurt that Yifan suddenly came and he had to send him off the day after. It hurt that Yifan was the only one who was allowed to have his own way; coming and leaving as he pleased. Zitao was tired of waiting, expecting, and hoping for the older to stay, but Yifan would always leave. The brunet hated being in love; so much in love for something that was not certain.

“You don’t have to send me off, really. I’m just here to visit.” Yifan replied, obviously noticing the Zitao’s cold tone.

“The others would be here late. You’d better take a shower and sleep. You can meet them tomorrow during breakfast.” The brunet said coldly to him. For him, it was a nothing to lose game. He had never had Yifan in the very first beginning and it seemed like he would never had him in the years ahead. To be in love was a gamble; sometimes you would not win the round, but in the end you would not stop trying. Love always had a chance, only if we gave that chance.

Yifan sensed that the next day would be a long day. Zitao clearly was not pleased about his sudden visit. Zitao might be right; the best thing to do was to get some rest.

It was getting late and the room was entirely dark. Zitao was facing the window, hoping that he would fall asleep soon. But how could he sleep peacefully, knowing that there was someone he adored next to him and all he wanted was to remind himself the shape of his face, his expression when he was asleep, or how he shallowly breathed for one last time?

Heavy lids closed along with the sound of clock ticking.

The morning filled with loud yells and cheers as the members found out Yifan’s visit. They all went to breakfast together, catching up with each other. Zitao was claimed by Sehun, sitting and eating next to the youngest Korean, away from Yifan who was busy talking to Luhan and Chanyeol.

Late afternoon, Zitao was sitting on his bed, thinking what to do on his last day in Hongkong. Yifan was on the phone with his manager, talking about his soon to be packed schedule the week after.

“Tao-er, do you want to go out?” Yifan suddenly asked, causing Zitao to slightly jump from his seat.

“Where to? The fans will follow us.” The younger responded.

“I told my manager to bring the car for me, so we can have a little chat outside while eating or drinking coffee.” The blond answered, packing his stuff into the bag that he had been using for the past six years.

A spark of happiness bloomed inside the younger’s heart, but of course he would not show it. The brunette took his bag and sunglasses; ready to follow Yifan wherever he wanted to go.

A place they visited was a building with rooftop dining. The restaurant was very quiet and had a private atmosphere, indeed because Yifan booked the entire restaurant for them. Zitao wished he wore something more appropriate than just a t-shirt and leather jacket. They ordered wine and food, chatted about the scenery of the city they could see from the place they stood at, and occasionally enjoying jazz music played there.

“We slept next to each other everyday in the past, sometimes it feels weird to sleep alone in my condo.” Yifan grinned to the younger after drinking a gulp of wine. Zitao wanted to reply, “it was the same for me too,” but it felt like words were once again stuck in his throat.

“The kids seem well, and looks like everyone’s okay even without me around.” Of course Zitao took it as a joke. In fact, no one seemed okay after one of their leaders left them for good.

“You said that, but you didn’t ask them to go with you. And here we are, stuck together in secluded place meant for couples.” Zitao replied in the same manner. Yifan, however, seemed to take it seriously, as his expression turned a little sullen.

“I’m not here to see them. I’m here to see you. One year ago, too, I was there to see you.” Yifan, truth be told, had sensed a little sincerity in Zitao’s words for him. They both knew that there was insincerity between them; a wall that needed to be broken just to say a few words. And that was where their relationship – or this connection between them was always existed, hanging, unsolved. It was because a promise was made one-sided, because although Zitao promised to stay, Yifan chose to leave.

“Stay.” – was a word that Zitao had wanted to say to Yifan since the day the older decided to leave, but of course he could not say it.

Leaving was the only way for Yifan to be alive; to save himself and the younger would not ruin that chance for a petty selfish reason such as love. Nonetheless, if he could, he wanted Yifan to understand.

“Why do you want to see me? You always leave anyway.” Zitao replied, his tone clearly showed that he was upset.

“You knew. You knew how it was hard for me to stay, to be on the stage continuously, for doing something that I don’t like. You were there when I was at the lowest point of my life. You knew!” Yifan answered, feeling as if he was being blamed for leaving when Zitao was supposed to be the only person who understood his reason.

“I knew – hell, I know! But don’t you ever think that I need you then? I have no one! You left and it was never the same for me anymore!” Zitao replied, emotion that he used to keep ignited once again. He took another short breath,

“You come and then you leave, and it’s hard for me to face the same thing over and over again. I can’t do anything to prevent you from leaving, because I know that is what you need; to leave. Don’t you know how frustrating it is for me?!You never leave a room for me to move forward, and when I think I can do it, you come again like this…and a few days later I have to see you – ing leave again. If you are here to see me, why don’t you ever say anything then?!” the younger ranted and lost his breath

But then the energy to be angry turned into tears, “You never tell me anything, Yifan…” Zitao wiped his own tears, face flustered in frustration.

The blond slowly put his arm around the younger’s shoulders and embraced him. “I’m so sorry…” Yifan’s voice was trembling, trying to calm himself down from the whole blow. He had never thought that Zitao felt like that; like he was betrayed.

They never talked. They could not read each other’s minds.

“It was frustrating for me to be away from you, but I can’t stay. I can’t.” and the younger fully understood about this. Being EXO was not the right choice for the older. Yifan kissed Zitao’s earlobe, breathing in, “I…I’ve always been in love with you,” and somehow the younger felt so relieved. Zitao thought so many times that this feeling was just a one-man battle, but he finally heard the thing he wanted the most. The blond did not need to hear the brunet’s reply; Zitao had always been true to his feeling.

The ride back to their hotel was quiet yet relaxing. The younger’s eyes were red and swollen from all the crying and Yifan had to pay extra tip for the staff for causing ruckus. That amount of money should be enough to shut them up. It was late when they arrived and both were very tired. They took a bath in turn before heading to bed.

The next day they would be separated again.

“Don’t leave…” Zitao muttered quietly to make sure Yifan would not wake up. The younger did the same thing like he did the day before the blonde left; a ritual; remembering the shape of the other man’s face. Realizing that he could not be selfish, the brunet turned so his back was facing the older. He shut his eyes, trying to sleep before a strong arm embraced him from behind and warm chest met his back.

“I’ll go back as often as I can, so please wait for me and stop crying…please?” Yifan pleaded gently, lacing their fingers together. Zitao nodded, feeling a bit bittersweet about their relationship. It sure took a long time before they could finally be honest to each other.

“Yifan…”

“Hm??”

“I love you.”

The older smiled and kissed the younger’s nape. Zitao turned his face and their eyes met immediately. “May I have the permission to kiss you, my Lord?” it was refreshing to hear a lame joke at a very serious timing, but the older was trying to be the Yifan that Zitao used to know. “Yes.” The younger grinned before their lips met for the first time. Their noses bumped to each other and they chuckled before trying to kiss again. Zitao maneuvered so he could cup the older’s cheeks and deepened the kiss.

They had never been so in love before.

*****

Zitao was reading a book in a café on Tuesday morning. He took a sip of his warm mint latte, adjusting his jacket to Vancouver’s cold weather. The now blond man was glancing at his watch; Yifan sure took a long time. He marked the page he was reading and just watched the peaceful scenery around. The dark orbs travelled to his hand, where a gold ring circled his ring finger.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. My manager, she kept on talking nonstop. Shall we go?” Yifan was panting from running, but still he was late anyway. The now brunet offered his hand to the younger and Zitao grinned, lacing their fingers.

They walked hand in hand without shame to the cake store. “Baby, promise me you wouldn’t lost it and eat our wedding cake before we can even cut it.” The older joked and Zitao just chuckled. “You also have to promise me that we won’t have galaxy themed wedding!” the older opened the door for them.

“Welcome home.”

A/N

Hi guys!! So busy with work sobs so here is the compensation for you guys who are waiting for my chaptered fics to be updated. Thanks for coping with grammatical error /sobs. Please do leave comment.