What is love?

When someone mentions the word love Yifan didn't even need to think twice, because the first person that would pop into his head would be Zhang Yixing, his boyfriend of four beautiful years.

They had met through his best friend Luhan and his boyfriend Xiumin. Luhan had insisted that Yifan should go out with them that night because Xiumin’s friend had flown in from China, and Luhan had been adamant about the two meeting because apparently the man was “just your style.” Okay, and maybe it was the fact that Luhan had pleaded with him using those damn doe eyes and promises of free food.

They had arrived at the restaurant earlier than Xiumin and his guest so Luhan decided to just order for all of them since it was his idea to come here. Their appetizers had just arrived, pork and chicken dumplings, when Xiumin and his guest made their appearance. Yifan was halfway to swallowing when he caught sight of the beautiful man standing beside Xiumin and started choking.

Luhan flashed the new arrivals a grin as he started thumping on Yifan’s back as he drank his water that Luhan magically shoved into his hands. He could feel his face burning up as his eyes flickered over to the man who had an amused expression gracing his angel like face. And in the corner of his eye he could see Luhan with a eating grin on his face.

Oh wow real smooth hot shot now he thinks you’re some kind of idiot who can’t eat properly.

“Hey Yifan you came! Sorry we’re late, there was an accident on the freeway and we got stuck in the middle of it.”

Xiumin greeted as he slid into the seat across from Luhan planting a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek as the beautiful male took the seat across from Yifan.

“Yifan this is Yixing, he’s been my friend since the start of college until now."

Yixing extended his hand out for Yifan to shake and as he did so he couldn't help but marvel in the feel of his soft hands. And whoa okay that came out creepier than intended.

“And Yixing this is Yifan, the one that I've been telling you about.”

At that Yifan raised a brow as a slight flush came over Yixing who cleared his throat and looked him straight in the eye.

“Well you look much better than these two have described you if I must say.”

Yixing complimented with a small smile and oh my god he had a dimple on his right cheek. Maintaining his features as to not give away the feeling of butterflies in his stomach, Yifan turned to Luhan breaking eye contact less he do something stupid like oh, I don’t know, maybe poke Yixing’s dimple.

“You’ve been talking about me now have you?”

Yifan asked the couple who both had matching grins on their faces.

“Well it’s not like we were saying bad stuff about you.”

Luhan answered as he waved his hand in his face.

“I surely hope not Han.”

Yifan threatened as Yixing giggled when Yifan turned to flash him a dazzling smile of his own. Luhan narrowed his eyes at him and turned away to talk to his boyfriend as Yifan did a mini celebratory dance in his head.

"So tell me, what exactly have they been telling you about me?"

Yifan questioned as he resumed eating.

"Well Lu-ge has been saying you look like an angry bird but I don't really think so, you look more like one of those Hugo boss models."

Yifan could feel his cheeks burning at Yixing's unexpected compliment and even though he was plotting Luhan's fiery death, he smiled at Yixing with that big gummy smile that only a few people has ever seen. Just that fact alone made Yixing become even more special, even if they just met. And well their friends were obviously setting them up so what's there to lose?

"Well I'm flattered, but I think somebody better call the heavens ."

Yixing cocked his head to the right and stared at him inquisitively.

"Why?"

"Because they're missing an angel like you."

Beside him Luhan snorted and across from him Yixing had the reddest cheeks Yifan has ever laid eyes on. Yixing cleared his throat as he reached for the bread sticks.

"You know, you might be asked to leave soon."

Alarmed that he might have said the wrong thing, Yifan was about to apologize when YIxing caught his eyes and smiled again.

"You're making all the other guys in Korea look bad."

Oh well, damn. Yixing is just his style indeed.

"Oh my god you two are a match made in heaven."

Luhan exclaimed with a scrunched up face as Yifan stole another glance at the angel across from him.

The rest of the night was a blur after that save for the little incidents where Yixing accidentally would tap his shin with his foot or their fingers would brush against each other as they both reached for the water pitcher. That night Yifan felt those cliché butterflies in his stomach whenever he caught Yixing glancing at him with an adorable blush gracing his pale cheeks. And whenever Yixing spoke to him Yifan swears to god he can still feel the way his heart beat sped up. Yifan could feel himself free falling into the happy unknown abyss as Luhan and Xiumin watched the two with an all knowing twinkle in their eyes.

That was the start of their beautiful relationship, one that he thanks the heavens, Luhan, and Xiumin for every day.

So what is love?

Would love be the silly notes that Yixing had stuffed into Yifans’ pockets or backpack whenever he thought that Yifan wasn't looking? Would love be lacing their fingers together in public even if people stared at them? Would love be the fluttering of his heart as Yixing lay beside him every night? Would love be the feeling of complete and utter bliss of having someone he can hold, someone he could talk to, someone who soothed his worries with soft words of reassurances?

Love is Yifan saving all those little notes that Yixing wrote over the years in a simple white box that he would bring out to look at whenever he was down. (Yixing thought it was the cutest thing ever when he discovered it.) Love is not caring about the judging stares of others because as long as he had Yixing’s hand in his own, Yifan felt as if he could conquer the galaxy. Love is going to sleep at night with the person he holds dearest to his heart lying beside him and waking up the next morning to see his beautiful face.

Love is all the times Yixing would help him by encouraging him with little text messages throughout the day like 宝贝 and 我爱你 that could lift his spirits high into the sky. Love is also the times whenever Yifan is having a bad day and Yixing would just hug him and lending an ear to let him spill his heart out. Yixing always says that having Yifan’s arms around him made him feel safe and protected but little did he know that when the roles were reversed, Yifan felt as if Yixing could protect him from anything in the world. Just being with Yixing is like opening up a book and discovering new things every day, there was never a dull moment and just like an interesting plot line, Yixing had him hook line and sinker.

Yifan falls in love every day because being in love with Yixing made Yifan the happiest man in the world. There are many types of love out there but to Yifan, love came to him in the form of a 179 cm brown haired dimpled angel known by the name of Zhang Yixing.

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chinese translations (please correct me if I'm wrong!):

宝贝 (bǎobèi)= babe/baby/darling

我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ) = i love you baby

a/n: If you've come this far I'd like to thank you.
I actually started writing this before the whole kris lawsuit happened and I just couldn't finish it until now because of all the feels.