It was rare that Yixing went out with someone that wasn’t his boyfriend. Usually, Zhixiang would tag along, even if he wasn’t invited. However, the elder was stuck in work, having to talk with the journalist he had told Yixing about, which left the younger man to be free with his friends. Being somewhat of a homebody, Yixing didn’t really care for going out at night, but Luhan and Tao had literally dragged him out of his apartment. “You look half dead,” Tao had said when he saw the elder man, his hair freshly bleached and his body clad in some ridiculous outfit that Yixing couldn’t comprehend.

    “Basically,” Yixing replied, bringing his hand to his eyes to rub the bags under them. He had been asleep when his friends came to his apartment, since he had barely gotten any sleep from the night before. Zhixiang had a lot of energy to spend.

    “Dead enough to go drinking like you have nothing to lose?” Luhan questioned, slinging an arm around the taller man’s shoulders and forcing him to walk down the sidewalk.

    “Not dead enough for that. I don’t drink, Luhan.”

    “You’re still no fun,” Tao sighed.

    “I’m a responsible adult. Unlike you two.”

    Tao gasped out loud and slammed his hand against his heart, feigning pain. “I’m very responsible. I waited to drink until I was 16,” he pouted, “More responsible than some people.”

    Yixing shrugged Luhan’s arm off his shoulder and shoved his hands into his pockets. Compared to Tao, him and Luhan were saints. And compared to Luhan, Yixing was an angel. It was hard for him to see why he had remained friends with the two for so many years. He glanced up at the sky for a moment, taking in the bright white light of the stars against the black backdrop. Clouds that were colored in shades of purple and gray danced slowly along the sky, signalling the beginning of April showers that would attack the ground soon. The neon signs of the downtown were flaring up into the sky, interrupting the silk night with loud reds and oranges. Yixing’s apartment was on the border of old and new, making travel to the sleazier part of the city quick. He didn’t mind it, since he rarely spent time in his own home. But as he looked at the brick buildings, with dumpsters at their sides and broken beer bottles spilling into the gutters, he missed the pristine neighborhood of his boyfriend’s house. Luhan’s fingers snapped in front of his eyes, and he found himself at the entrance of one of the bars with his friends on each side of him. “Are you tripping out, or something?” he asked.

    “I’m fine,” he motioned for them to go inside, “Let’s just go.”

   Yixing was surprised to find men clad in nice suits sitting at the bar, talking amongst themselves. He hadn’t noticed them at first, when they had sat down in their own booth, but he found it strange. He could definitely tell when a suit was expensive, thanks to his boyfriend’s job, and the business men clearly had money. He was questioning in his head why they would be in such a part of town. There were nicer bars to go to, more expensive and classy ones, so why on Earth choose one that he was certain was infested by rats? Luhan slapped his arm, the elder’s hand cold from the beer he had just been holding. “That’s that guy from the park!” he exclaimed, but his voice was hushed.

    Yixing looked down the line of men to find a purple-haired one at the end, he was at least a head shorter than his colleagues, even when sitting. “Oh, your bank.”

    Luhan was explaining to Tao about how this pastel-haired, rich man was his current interest. The blond chuckled and set down his glass before resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. “Why don’t you go up to him?”

    The eldest almost spit out his drink, motioning to his body. “In this?” He showed off his Puma sweatpants and beat up tennis shoes with furrowed eyebrows.

    “Trust me, Lu, he won’t care,” Tao grinned.

    Yixing’s cell phone rang in his pocket as Luhan stood up. He glanced down at the screen to find Zhixiang’s name and photo, hesitating as he slid his thumb and accepted the call. “Hello?”

    “Hey, Xing. Are you at home?”

    “No, I’m with friends.” He kept himself from disclosing his location. The last time Zhixiang found that he was at a bar, the elder didn’t leave his side for a week, out of fear that Yixing had flirted with another person, or even went home with them.

    “Ah, well, I just got home. That journalist really is a piece of work. I can’t believe he hasn’t done modeling before.”

    Yixing stood up and quietly told Tao that he would be back before heading outside of the bar, not minding Luhan who was currently trying to break the ice with that man. It had started sprinkling, but it wasn’t enough to make Yixing run for cover. He sat on the curb outside of the bar, his elbows dropping to his knees as he held his cellphone against his ear. “Is he handsome?”

    “Very. I’ve never seen a jawline like that before.”

    The statement made Yixing’s own hand trace against his jaw. “What was the interview about?”

    “Oh, he didn’t interview me today. He sat in on one of the conferences.”

    Yixing jumped slightly when the door to the bar swung open, his first instinct was to stand up and turn towards it. A few of the rich men were leaving, only a couple of them visibly tipsy. He sighed and pulled his phone away to check the time. “Can I talk to you when I get home?” he asked.

    “Of course. I’ll talk to you then, baby. I love you.”

    “I love you too.”

    One last goodbye was shared before the call ended, and Yixing slipped the device back into his pocket. He pushed open the door to the bar and walked inside, finding Luhan had situated himself next to the purple-haired man. He watched as he made his way back to the booth, seeing Luhan shyly begin to pick up a conversation. Tao was observing it like it was a romance movie. “He’s clearly into this guy,” Tao announced when Yixing sat down, “I’ve never seen him actually take time in his approach.”

    “I never noticed.”

    “Luhan’s the type to find his prey and get a quick .”

    Yixing shrugged his shoulders and peered into the drink his friends had ordered for him. They insisted that he should at least drink something, and he was concerned by the pink color of the liquid. He didn’t like fruity drinks. “When was the last time he had a steady relationship?” Yixing asked.

    “That Jackson guy, from high school,” Tao waved his hand in the air, and accompanied the gesture with an eyeroll, “The I want to spend my life with you but I’m gonna a couple of cheerleaders behind your back and then tell the school you're queer guy.”

    Yixing peered up at the blond. “Seriously? That was, what, eight years ago?”

    Tao nodded his head. “Sad, huh? Even you and me have had more romance in our lives.”

    Yixing sank back against the uncomfortable vinyl seat. “Yeah.”

    “How are you and Zhixiang?”

    “We’re good.”

    Tao tilted his head and smiled, playing with the straw in his cup. “C’mon, Yixing, I have the right to know. Without me, you wouldn’t have met each other. What business would you have with a guy a decade older than you, without me?”

    Yixing rolled his eyes and sat up to rest his elbows on the tabletop. “There’s nothing you need to know. Nothing’s changed, really, since the last time you asked.”

    “Is it some weird kink thing that you can’t talk about him?” Tao asked, sounding serious in his question.

    “No, Tao.”

    “Okay, so clearly, there’s something wrong. You shouldn’t be so bent up on the topic.”

    He let out a frustrated sigh. “Yeah. Okay. Something’s wrong.”

    “Seriously?” Tao’s perfectly groomed eyebrows lifted up. “Well, tell me.”

    “Zhixiang’s… he’s really sweet. Don’t get me wrong. I really love him. Sometimes it just feels… wrong? I guess?”

    “Did something happen?”

    Yixing shook his head. “It isn’t anything new. He’s been paying for me since we started dating, but back then he had a reason to,” he said, thinking back on how he was two years ago. He didn’t have a very good job, and he had to rely on Zhixiang to make it through. “But I don’t see why he insists so much now. I can’t even buy a coffee on my own.”

    “Sounds like you have a sugar daddy, so why are you complaining about it?’

    “I’m not a materialistic person, Tao. I’m sure you’d love a relationship like this.”

    “Mhm. Free stuff, and good ,” he looked at Yixing suddenly, biting his tongue. “It is good , right?”

    “Can we not talk about this?”

    “Right, sorry. You’re not as open as Luhan is. He’ll tell me the entire rundown.”

    “Fantastic,” Yixing sighed as he finally took a sip of the pink concoction before him. It was more bitter than anything, making Yixing’s lips pucker as he quickly swallowed it down. Luhan’s muddy blond hair popped into his view, followed by a smile molded onto the older man’s lips. He slid into his seat next to Yixing and let out a big sigh. “So?” Tao started.

    “I got his number. He said he’s got to get going because he has work tomorrow,” Luhan related to them, slapping down a folded napkin on the tabletop. It had numbers smeared on it with blue ink. “Can you imagine? A working man. That’s hot.”

    Tao snickered and nodded his head, throwing a glance towards Yixing, who was more preoccupied in trying to gulp down his glass of toxin. “Yixing knows all about that.”

    “Why are you trying to pull me into the conversation?” Yixing droned, running his tongue against his lips.

    “Because you’re not happy, and Luhan is. That’s rare. And I don’t like it,” Tao said as he pushed the cup away from Yixing. “Luhan shouldn’t be the one in a good relationship.”

    “Getting someone’s number is not the same as being in a relationship.”

    “You know what I mean. Yixing, you’re the only one of us that’s been sleeping with the same person more than once.”

    “What point are you trying to get at?” Yixing asked, resting his chin against his palm as he looked Tao in the eyes. He couldn’t see what was going through his head, as he normally could. Tao was typically as easy to read as a children’s book. But now, he was a foreign language that Yixing didn’t know. He shook his head and reached for the water glass the waiter had just set onto the table. “What does my romantic life have to do with you guys?”

    “I care about you, Yixing, I really do,” Tao hummed, sitting back. “When you and Zhixiang started dating, it was different.”

    Luhan chimed in, “It could be that they’re both growing up.”

    “You know you don’t have to stay in one relationship forever, Yixing.”

    “I know.”

***

   It was rude to think, but Yixing was thankful when Tao called to say he was heading back home. Though he loved to see his friend, he was better off not having to see him all the time. He had enough on his plate dealing with Luhan so often, that Tao visiting every once in awhile made his appetite for petty complaints overflow. Zhixiang chuckled when Yixing hung up the phone. “Tao’s going home?” he asked as Yixing dropped his cellphone on the table and nuzzled back into the crook of the elder’s side.

    “I guess so. He said he has somewhere to be, it’s probably something for work,” Yixing affirmed, closing his eyes as his cheek rested against Zhixiang’s chest.

    “He’s a crazy kid,” Zhixiang muttered, pressing a kiss to the top of Yixing’s head.

    “He gets on my nerves.”

    “You still love him.”

    “I do.”

    Zhixiang shifted slightly, sitting up straight. It made Yixing’s head fall from its support, causing the younger to look up at him. A smile was on Zhixiang’s lips, and his thumb had found its way to Yixing’s. He traced his chapped lips gently before pulling him closer for a chaste kiss. Zhixiang’s hand traveled to the back of Yixing’s neck, and the younger found his own hands falling to the elder’s thighs for support. The kiss was over as quickly as it started, Zhixiang pulling away to have his straightener-fried fringe tickle against Yixing’s face. A soft confession of love was shared between them before they dived in for another kiss, this one deeper. Yixing’s hands scrambled against Zhixiang’s shirt, gripping it as the elder’s mouth came to his neck. Instead of kissing his sensitive skin, he blew on it. Yixing almost screamed, falling back against the arm of the couch as his shoulder hit his ear, covering the delicate area from any further attack. It didn’t help, as Zhixiang followed him down, breaking through the barrier and kissing any skin he could. Yixing’s hands held onto the back of the elder’s shirt, a low moan retreating from his throat when he kissed under his ear. “Zhixiang,” he whined out, rubbing his hand on the other’s back, “I’m tired.” In all honesty, Yixing just wanted to lay on his boyfriend’s chest, watch a movie, and fall asleep in his arms. He didn’t expect something else.

    Zhixiang immediately pulled back, straddling Yixing. He gave him another soft kiss. “I’m not.”

    He glanced up at him, seeing the fire that was ready to light in Zhixiang’s light brown eyes. He couldn’t watch when the elder caught his lip between his teeth, turning his head to the side.

    “Please, Yixing?”

    “Zhixiang…”

    “It’ll be quick.”

    Yixing looked up at the other, at first only staring into his eyes. His gaze travelled down, and then he sighed. He rubbed his hand along Zhixiang’s forearm. “Let me do it then.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “For you, I mean. I’ll do it for you.”

    Zhixiang pulled away to give Yixing some space, sitting next to him rather than hovering above. He watched Yixing like he was prey, following the younger’s hand as it ped his jeans. Then his hand slipped in, and nothing else mattered.

   Yixing had left the bedroom in the middle of the night with his cell phone in his hand, sitting down on the couch and curling his legs beneath him before pressing Luhan’s contact. It rang on the other end for quite awhile before a tired voice greeted him, “Why are you calling? It’s like, midnight.”

    Yixing sighed and traced the sewn edges of the sofa. “Honestly… I don’t know. I just felt like I needed to talk to someone.”

    “You have your boyfriend.”

    “I can’t really talk about my boyfriend to my boyfriend.”

    Luhan’s voice changed, like life came to him, “What happened?”

    “Nothing. I just, I don’t know what to do anymore, I guess. This has been eating at me for awhile.”

    “Do you want to break up with him?

    “I don’t know,” he huffed. He shifted and pulled his legs against his chest. “It’s okay to not know, right?”

    “Of course it is,” Luhan replied, and Yixing could hear the shuffling of his sheets over the line, “Don’t feel like you’re forced to stay in the relationship. You know that I thought he was going to take advantage of you, but I really know now that he isn’t.”

    “Is it because he’s getting older, do you think?”

    “Could be a reason,” there was a snicker, “Maybe you’re getting old. You need fresh meat.”

    “Shut up.”

    “I need to go back to sleep, Yixing. I’ll talk to you later.”

    Yixing said his farewell, albeit hesitantly, and ended the call. He leaned his head against the back of the couch and shut his eyes. He could hear rain dripping on the windows, and wheels from passing cars kicking water onto the curb. He fell asleep to that.