Kray; The Painter’s Shell 6/?

“Yixing, did you buy this?”

Kris had walked into the room warily, as if approaching a sleeping lion. Yixing did not look up when he entered, and Kris cursed his damn luck.

“Yeah,” He answered simply, though his grip on the brush faltered for a second.

“Why?” Kris asked, still cautious. These questions he was giving knotted his stomach, making him feel cold in places.

“Why not?” Yixing retorted, before sighing. “I bought it when Kai’s buying some juice for himself. Looked interesting, so I bought it,”

Right. Kai. He had forgotten about him.

“Oh yeah, Kai. How did it go?” Unsaid questions swam about in his head, questions he did not dare ask, like; did he do anything indecent to you? Did he try to kiss you?

Kris knew better than to ask.

“Good. Just worked on a few designs and added a few details on some others. I even redesigned one,” He said, a triumphant note in his voice. It distracted Kris for a while, and he smiled at the painter. “He was happy. So I guess it turned out okay.”

“Of course,” He scoffed. Of course Kai’s happy. “That’s all? Do you have to do anything else?”

“Not today,” Yixing said lightly, dabbing the brush lightly on the palette. “He said he’d call me back for the show. Through you, of course,”

“Show? So it means this will not be his last meeting with you?”

“No,”

And he stopped at that, not elaborating at all. Instead, he carried on with his painting, though Kris could see that his hands were a bit tenser than usual, applying pressure where it was not needed. Kris couldn’t decide if this silence is caused by Yixing’s reluctance to talk to him, or if it was a dismissal.

But that doesn’t matter. He needed to know if Yixing was mad at him, because by the looks of it, he certainly was. He couldn’t be too sure, though.

“So,” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Have you read this?”

“Yeah,” He put the brush back where it belongs, but Kris didn’t miss the way his knuckles turned white before loosening his grip, or that he slammed it a bit too harshly. When Yixing turned around with a cold smile on his face, Kris bit his lip, waiting for the inevitable.

“I never knew you fancied Hyori,”

--

Kris looked at his phone in annoyance, staring for the longest hour at the sequence of numbers on his phone, belonging to a certain Spawn of the Devil. He was tempted to press the little green button at the bottom of the screen, but his ego got the better of himself. What if Kai ends the call before he could finish talking?

His face took on a frown as he tried to take deep breaths. Instantly, he was reminded of Yixing, who he had consoled on many occasions. Now he had no one to do the same for him.

Earlier, Yixing had merely sat down with that smile on his face, watching as Kris struggled with the answer.

“I do not,” He managed. “She was just... there,”

“Doesn’t matter to me anyway,” He had said with a laugh, but Kris saw how it was forced, the twitch of his lips unnatural and his eyes remaining icy.

“Really,” He had tried again. “I told her-“

“Are you hungry?”

It got Kris off guard. “No.”

“Okay,” He said simply before leaving, ignoring what Kris had to say.

Kris shook his head vigorously at the memory, shaking off the bitter feeling as he did so. It left him in unease, when Yixing does things like that to him. The dejection still hung heavy in his heart. He slid off the couch as he shut his phone, making his way to the bathroom.

He really needed a shower.

--

That night, he found Yixing on the balcony, something he rarely see Yixing do. In fact, he hadn’t seen the balcony door open since the first time he came. His eyes were soft as he stared at the moon, as if he had a soft spot for the moon. The wind was soft and cold, and it caressed his skin gently, leaving bumps in its wake.

He walked out tentatively, joining Yixing on the balcony as he stared out to the night sky. Kris however, was drawn to the beauty beside him.

“Are you still mad at me?” He asked, pouting slightly. This simple gesture earned him a soft, melodious laughter and it turned his pout into a wide grin almost instantly.

“No,” His eyes flickered towards Kris, albeit shyly. “It was fun teasing you though,”

Kris laughed along, the sounds melting comfortably before they stopped, a smile decorating each of their faces. But even after Yixing had said that, Kris couldn’t help but feel that Yixing’s anger was genuine, and that the cold shoulder was a result of that.

“But really, I have nothing to do with her,” He confirmed, just for the sake of setting things right.

“Why do you feel the need to explain, anyway?”

When he glanced to his right, Yixing had a faraway look in his eyes.

Kris felt caught. He didn’t know what Yixing expected with such a question, when even himself didn’t know the answer. Why? These feelings he’s been having, he didn’t know what to call them. All these attractions he had felt towards the brunette, he had no idea what they were. But one thing for sure, he felt the need to make sure that Yixing knows that he’ll always be there for him.

There’s also this deprivation, one that only occurs to him when Yixing’s around. The desire to touch had been increasing steadily ever since their almost-kiss, but he did not dare dwell in too deep into it.

“Because I want to,”

Kris instantly shut up. He was supposed to give a more meaningful answer, a deeper one. But he just had to go and screw it up.

“Why?” Yixing looked at him, stars of mischief twinkling in his eyes.

“Because I don’t want you to think that I like Hyori,” He averted his gaze, the knowing look in Yixing’s eyes almost unbearable.

“Why?” This time, Kris gave him a glare, but Yixing had already looked out to the sea again, completely putting his efforts at looking intimidating to waste.

“You’re being annoying,” He said through narrowed eyes, and Yixing turned back to him.

“You’re not answering the question.” Despite being almost a head shorter, Yixing held his gaze with determination.

“Fine,” He sighed. Now or never. He could always make this sound more casual, easier than it seemed, anyway. “I think I like you. That’s why I’ve been acting the way I did these past few days,”

“Think?” Yixing teases, trying to hold back a smile. Kris made the mistake of glancing towards him, for what he saw right then managed to make his heart palpitate wildly in his ribcage, breathing properly becoming a challenge as cold sweat threatened to pour down his every pore. At last, he settled on just being honest, both to Yixing and himself. There was no other way out, anyway.

“I like you,” Kris said exasperatedly, warmth creeping to his cheeks. He didn’t dare look at Yixing right now, for fear that he might not be able to control what he will do next. His determination to avert his gaze only strengthened when he heard the small laugh from beside him. His mind conjured up the image of Yixing even when he was not looking, his eyes softened and his right cheek dimpled.

Kris looked down at his hands on the rail, trying to keep his will intact. He inhaled deeply, willing himself to accept any consequence that decides to come after this.

“I like you,” He paused, careful to not let his eyes flicker. “I really do. I thought I can predict everyone, but I can’t predict you. So I had no idea I was falling. Until recently.”

He drew in a deep breath, playing with his own fingers nervously.

“I know I shouldn’t say this, but I’ve had a... dream. Of you.”

Uncertainty filled his head when he glanced towards Yixing, afraid if a repeat of the beach incident might happen. But Yixing was looking at him with gentle eyes, filled with something he had seen before, at the beach. Happiness, affection. A beautiful smile was perched on those pink lips, and Kris just had to resist leaning in towards them. He found himself staring, those lips luring him in.

When he looked back up into his eyes, he found amusement in them and suddenly the moon was no longer a rival to him. Now that he thought about it, no one could.

You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now.

Kris stared at those lips, wondering what it might feel like to have them against his own.

“So why don’t you?”

Yixing asked, amused. Kris’s eyes widened when he realised that he had actually said that out loud. Damn you mouth. It took a moment for him to finally process what Yixing had said, and his jaw dropped open.

“Can I?” His voice came out a bit uncertain, and he had to press his lips into a thin line to refrain from saying anything else.

“Do you have to ask?” Yixing’s voice had dropped to a whisper as he looked up at Kris from under dark eyelashes. Hearing such a seductive tone from Yixing, he could not help but shiver. His hands trembled slightly as he leaned in, his heartbeat deafening in his ears.

The moment seemed like an eternity to him, as he closed his eyes and sought out his prize. When their lips finally touched, Kris found the true meaning of heaven.

Their first kiss was full of uncertainty, but to Kris, it was the most perfect moment between them. His lips were warm and soft against his own, a stark contrast to the cold wind blowing their way. The sound of the waves against the shore was drowned out by the constant loud beating of his heart and the thrumming in his ears.

When he pulled away, Yixing had his eyes closed. But when he opened them, Kris couldn’t look away.

He was breathtaking. His eyes were glossy, glazed under the night sky. In it, were a thousand emotions that he had locked away before, emotions that he’d rather push to the back of his mind. But now it was bared. And Kris didn’t know how to describe it in words.

So he dived in for a second taste.

--

“You were jealous of Kai weren’t you,” Yixing said with the barest hint of a laugh, stating it matter-of-factly instead of posing it as a question.

From beside him on the bed, Kris gave him a glare. After the kiss, he had felt so intoxicated, so carefree that he saw the world as a place void of any cruelties and evil. He’d preferred it to stay that way too, at least until he could have a sweet dream about the kiss. But no, this brunette he so loved just had to mention the Spawn of Devil himself.

“Please mind my jealousy,” He said, rolling his eyes. Yixing let out the laugh he’d been holding when Kris draped himself over him protectively, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Kris felt Yixing shiver slightlt when his breath ghosted over pale, sensitive skin, which only managed to his ego.

“You were so obvious, it’s funny.” Yixing’s fingers started tracing invisible patterns on the back of the blonde’s shoulder, marking a path down his arm as he talked. “I wonder what you’d do to him if I’ve told you what he did to me today,”

That got his full attention.

“What? What did he do to you?” He immediately pushed himself up on his elbow to look straight into his eyes.

“Oh, nothing,” Yixing cooed, this time his fingers ghosted over his neck, making him shiver.

“That tickles,” Kris glared, although its effects were completely lost when Yixing touched his nape. “Alright. You asked for it,”

With that, he leaned down, pressing kisses on the skin of his bared shoulder as his hands held both of Yixing’s to the sides of his head. Yixing gave a laugh, struggling to free himself from his grip as Kris continued his path to his neck, where Kris could feel his struggles cease rapidly. When he continued up his neck though, Yixing gave a small whimper, the bump in his jugular bobbing in rapid succession.

And after it, a moan.

Kris instantly felt fire in his core as he released the hands, fuelled by the very sight of a willing Yixing, his loose shirt dishevelled and his head tilted to give more access to his neck. Kris was instantly reminded of his hunger, which he had not yet satisfied, for the object was always almost unapproachable. But now, seeing Yixing’s gaze, he could sense that the desires rivalled his own. And he felt the beast within him wake up.

As his fingers traced a path under his shirt, Kris could feel a triumphant smile forming on his face from hearing the sounds that were distinctly Yixing.

--

The next day, they had breakfast for four. Kris sat beside Chanyeol, who sat across Baekhyun. They both had their gazes fixed onto Kris, subtlety forgotten as Kris simply ignored them. Because that morning, Kris wore his smile like a tiara.

“Um. Are you okay?” Chanyeol looked at him, his surprise still obviously written on his face.

“Yeah,” He replied with a smile, to which Baekhyun widened his eyes at.

“You didn’t... hit your head or anything?” This time, it was Baekhyun who asked, and Kris was suddenly overcome by the need to laugh at them.

“Really. I’m Kris, and I’m okay,”

“But,” Chanyeol asked, his voice rising. “You’re not mad,”

“Is that such a rare occurrence?” He deadpanned, looking at Chanyeol as if he was the madman.

Their good-natured bickering stopped though when Yixing served their food. Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s gazes were instantly drawn to the food, while the blonde’s strayed to the person across him. He was wearing a turtleneck, for the most obvious of reasons, though the only ones who knew were of course, Yixing and himself. As his eyes traced the features of the person before him, he could not help but sigh dreamily.

Can I have you instead?

But when Yixing looked up from the food with his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, Kris knew he had once again, spoken out loud.

Where are the big rocks when you need them?

The two monkeys beside him caught on quickly, and before he knew it, they were already jumping around and screaming. Kris covered his face with his palms out of mortification, humiliated at how stupid he must’ve looked. Amidst the chaos of the screams, Yixing kept tugging on his own sleeve uncomfortably, as if too much of him was exposed and he wanted it covered. But no matter what they did, they could not change the fact that Baekhyun and Chanyeol had seen their blushes.

Chanyeol was the first one to speak when they both recovered, pointing at Kris with a crazy smile on his face as if he had committed a crime.

“So that’s why you were all smiley!” He laughed, high-fiving Baekhyun in the process.

“And maybe this explains why you’re wearing a turtleneck?” Baekhyun said devilishly, inching closer to Yixing. His hand pulled back the turtleneck when Yixing failed to grasp his motives, and he peeked inside, screaming instantly after. “It does!”

Yixing looked mortified when they both broke out in laughter again, completely embarrassing the other two figures in the room. His eyes flickered towards Kris for help, and Kris immediately had a glare onto Chanyeol.

“That’s it. I’m making you work every second of this whole week,” Kris announced through gritted teeth at Chanyeol, who instantly sobered up and looked at him in calmed panic.

“You wouldn’t,” He said slowly.

“Try me,” Kris said before shooting off to his room, his sole purpose set to reschedule. And Chanyeol, being the monkey he was, ran after him screaming.

--

In the afternoon, every trace of insanity left together with Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who once again decided to spend their days in the confines of Chanyeol’s apartment. The other two were left behind in comfort and tranquillity once again, and like usual, Yixing dedicates himself to painting while Kris mopes around his room like a bored zombie.

His phone was out again, with the offending number in view. Just looking at it made me angry, because somehow it felt like Kai’s presence was there in his room, and it irked him to no end. Before he could grow any more restless, he decided to just press the button and wait for eternal damnation.

“Hello?”

Kris tried to ignore the smugness in his voice, but found that he indeed, can’t. Not when it’s that deliberately obvious.

“Is the world ending?” He asked with a chuckle. “Because I didn’t think I’d see a day where you’d dial me up,”

“I just wanted to ask if Yixing has any more parts in the project.” He forced himself to be professional, controlling his twitch every now and then.

“Show.” Kai corrected before continuing, but even for that brief moment, Kris could feel contempt radiating off his back in waves. “Yeah. He’d have to supervise the decorations for the runway and hall and pick out the snacks. So I’d call back in about a week before the actual show.”

“He’s not an interior designer,” He replied simply, to which Kai chuckled. He ignored it though, for his mind was focused at the task of getting Yixing away from Kai as soon as possible.

“No, but he’s capable of it. It’s less of a hassle anyway.”

“Why aren’t you doing it?” Kris glared at the wall in front of him.

“Oh dearest Kris, I’ll be the one busy with the outfits and models. You can’t possibly expect me to do all the work do you?” Kai cooed into the phone, which made Kris cringe. “Though you can help me with the models if you want,”

“Not in a million years,”

“And so I guessed, since you still hate me and all. But let’s leave it aside for a while, shall we?” He could hear the sound of clicking keys in the background as Kai talked. “So, what’s all these things I found about you and the models?”

Kris facepalmed. It’s reached the internet already? These people surely work like freaking neurones.

“There’s nothing between Hyori and me,” He said, resigning. Why’s he explaining himself again?

“That doesn’t explain the million others though,” Kai sounded amused hearing his answer, and it was quickly followed by rapid clicking of keys.

Kris frowned.

“What million others?” He asked warily.

“Get on the net and you’ll see,”

Despite being the person who called, Kris rudely ended the call, once again without saying goodbye. He was pretty sure Kai was used to it by then anyway.

Sliding off the bed, he skipped over to his table. He flipped open his laptop in haste, waiting impatiently for it to boot before typing into a search engine furiously. Throughout the process, his mind couldn’t shake off the feeling that something bad was waiting.

“ing ,” He cursed under his breath when the results popped up. He had expected only Hyori, but there were tons other pictures as well. Sooyoung, Krystal and even Victoria, who like him, was a mere manager. All the previous photos of him and other models seemed to have resurfaced, and all he could do was let his fingers run through his hair in frustration.

“Come ing on!”

--

Fortunately for him Yixing didn’t know. Or he didn’t care. Kris didn’t know which was true, but he was happy that Yixing treated him like he always did, anyway. When he entered his room, he was still painting, something Kris couldn’t really decipher. He wasn’t the artsy type.

“Stop painting,” He whined before falling unceremoniously onto the bed, watching the brunette all the while. “I’m lonely,”

Yixing had given him a brief glance, along with a smile, and it was enough to melt him.

“Just a minute,”

Kris rolled onto his back, spreading his limbs on the bed comfortably. An involuntary smile crept onto his face when he watched Yixing, brows slightly furrowed in concentration, the soft light from the windows falling onto him.

“You’re really beautiful,” He whispered, and the corners of Yixing’s mouth quirked up, though his eyes did not leave the painting.

“Is that intentional?” He asked, referring to the statement.

“Yeah,” He laughed. “You can’t really let tongue slips happen thrice, can you?”

Yixing hummed in agreement before putting down his brush. “All done,” He said as he inspected his painting, a satisfied smile on his face. Kris briefly wondered how many people had seen the smile since the accident.

When Yixing turned towards him, he patted the space beside him, beckoning him to come. Kris let his eyes rake over the other’s figure when he stood up, walking towards the bed with mischief in his eyes. But instead of sitting on the bed, he swung his leg over Kris’ hips, straddling him.

“Now. What can I do for you?” He whispered, tracing his hands up the blonde’s torso, his warmth feeling like fire to Kris.

“What would you like to do?” Kris countered, playing along, letting his hands rest on the other’s thighs as he stared straight into his eyes challengingly.

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe tell me more about your dreams?” He bit his lip right after, looking at Kris from under thick, dark eyelashes. At the onslaught of the vivid memories of his dreams, Kris groaned, desire coursing his veins. “So I can give you the real experience?”

His breath sped up when Yixing leaned forward, creating friction against his lower region while untying his hair, knowing full well that it was a turn on to Kris. Heat spread like wildfire from where their bodies touched, warming his body up. . Yixing undoubtedly knew what he was doing to Kris. His hair cascaded in silky strands, framing his face, which by then had a naughty smile on. His eyes were dark, challenging.

“Tell me,”

Kris swallowed. . And slowly, agonizingly, he breathed out.

“I dreamed of...”

--

They spent the next week getting to know each other, exploring every inch of their bodies when they found time, or simply lounged in front of the television wrapped up in each other, laughing at the jokes the actors cracked, or starting conversation whenever the programs got too boring to stand. Within the span of those seven days, Kris found out more about Yixing than he had the few months prior. Like how he liked watching sappy, romantic dramas only to shut his eyes when there comes death. Like how he liked cuddling, liked Kris’ arms around his waist, or how he liked to fall asleep in the middle of a horror movie.

Some nights, Kris found himself trapped between the back of the couch and Yixing, underneath his favourite blanket, more often dressed than not, much to his dismay.

One time, Kris woke up to the sound of the door closing. Yixing stayed curled against him, his pale skin warm against his own, his breathing laboured as he travelled his dreams without disturbances. Then he saw Baekhyun and Chanyeol on the stairs, looking at them with a pleased smile on his face.

He could’ve been dreaming, but he thought Baekhyun had given him a thumbs up and a wide smile right after.

As he drifted back to sleep, all that made it to his receptors were the smell of Yixing, and the soft sounds of the waves, coming in through the open windows., and he briefly thought he’d found the real paradise on earth.

--

A/N: This chapter. O.O Don’t kill me! I know it’s irrelevant ;A; but i need them to be close for the next chapter to work >.< And like usual, I stopped before could happen because I’m evil  I really don’t know how to. T^T lol so here I made Yixing sweeter, less like his usual self, because Kris had finally managed to seize his heart or cheesy like that. Sooooo, I don’t know. Lol I have no idea what happened in this chapter. But enjoy if you can? T^T

Comments loved, darls~ :3 and dont forget to vote! :D