Early update because you guys are awesome and I love all of you!

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“This is nice,” Yixing comments when they pull away from each other. “I don’t think we’ve actually made out since we first got together.”

 

“I don’t think we’ve ever had so much time off work since then.” Yifan kisses Yixing while pushing up his t-shirt. “I’m glad I got you pregnant.”

 

Yixing whines and shies away from his boyfriend’s touch and turns to lie on his other side. “Because you’re not the one who has to carry around an extra person who sits on your bladder and makes you swell in places you didn’t think was possible.”

 

“I know, I know.” Yifan moves closer to spoon Yixing and rests his arm around his waist. “I hate seeing you uncomfortable.”

 

Yixing sighs and melts into the touch. “It’s alright. As long as the baby’s healthy I can put up with being uncomfortable.”

 

The day before, the two of them had gone to the doctor for a regular ultrasound where they could possibly determine the of their baby. Unfortunately, the baby wasn’t in the correct position for the technician to tell.

 

Tears welled up in Yixing’s eyes for a little bit on the way back for the appointment. It wasn’t that he was extremely disappointed about not knowing the of their baby, but they had agreed to go buy baby clothes the minute they found out what they were having. Always trying to keep Yixing from crying, Yifan drove to the mall to look at cribs, and they bought one with green bedding.

 

“We should get up; Luhan will be coming over soon.” Yixing sits up throws his legs over the side of the bed. “Ugh, and there’s my bladder. Listen at the door, alright?”

 

As Yixing shuffles to the bathroom, Yifan moves into their closet to change into a better t-shirt and jeans. He’s just pulling his shirt on when he hears the familiar small knock on the door.

 

When he pulls open the door, Luhan is immediately attached to him and sobbing into his pant leg. His eyes widen and he stammers for a few seconds, trying to figures out what to say.

 

“Luhan? What happened? Are you hurt?” He crouches down to wrap his arms around the inconsolable boy who continues sobbing into his shirt. Luhan’s father is not far behind his son. Yifan stands up, with Luhan still in his arms, and bows politely. “Is Luhan alright?”

 

Luye sighs and reaches out to rub his son’s back. “Minseok’s family went back to their country for the holiday, and won’t be back until January. I told him it’s just a few weeks, but he’s been very upset.”

 

Yifan nods and uses his thumb to wipe away some of Luhan’s tears. “It’s okay, you’ll see him soon. How about we make him a present for when he comes back?” Luhan nods sadly and wipes his nose with the back of his hand. “I’ll have him back to you by his bedtime.”

 

Luye nods and gives Luhan a kiss on the back of his head. “Your step-mother promised to make your favorite breakfast in the morning, so cheer up, okay?”

 

“O-okay, bà ba,” he answers miserably through his tears.

 

After Luhan’s father leaves, Yixing emerges from their bedroom dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt that stretches across his expanding stomach. “What’s wrong with him?” Yixing attempts to take the boy from Yifan’s arms, but after a few seconds of trying to maneuver the boy around his stomach, he hands him back.

 

“Minseok is away until January.” Yixing nods. They don’t have to say much more, knowing how inseparable the two boys are. “I told him that he can make a present for when he comes back.”

 

“What do you want to make for him?” Yixing rubs Luhan’s back. Luhan shrugs. “How about you make a picture for him? You’re really good at coloring.”

 

“But I give Minseokkie pictures all the time…”

 

“We can make a big special one! With finger paint and glitter and stickers. How does that sound?”

 

Luhan nods and wipes his eyes. “Can I glue a baozi on it?”

 

“Um, we’ll see what they have at the art supply store.”

 

An hour later, the three of them are sitting around the kitchen table creating a poster for Minseok. Luhan busies himself with writing ‘I love you’ in blue paint and decorating the surrounded area with the entire container of glitter. Yixing’s busy drawing a cartoon football player for Luhan to copy onto the poster, while Yifan is making some sort of figure out of macaroni.

 

“You must really like Minseok to do this for him,” Yifan notes as he tries to figure out what he just glued to the poster.

 

Luhan is content by this point, putting all his efforts into make his gift. “Not just like. I love him,” he states, matter-of-factly.

 

“You sound so sure of yourself.”

 

“Mmhmm. I saw him on the very first day of school and wanted to marry him.”

 

“It took Yifan three months to even say hi to me after we first saw each other.” Yixing grins at his boyfriend who’s turning red at this point.

 

Luhan clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Mr. Wu, you have to talk fast before they want to marry someone else.”

 

Yixing laughs and pats Luhan’s head. “You’ve very wise for your age.” Yifan nods in silent agreement.

 

//

 

“Any plans for the holidays,” Chanyeol asks while his make-up is being done. The makeup artist sighs and turns his face back straight.

 

Yifan closes his eyes as his face is powdered. “We don’t usually celebrate Christmas properly, but he wants to play up the holiday for the baby so we’re doing sort of a test run this year.” Chanyeol nods, which smears the eyeliner his makeup artist is attempting to put on. “And, um, I’m thinking of proposing.”

 

“Really?” Chanyeol completely turns his body to stare at Yifan. “It took you long enough.”

 

“I just… like to be sure before I make huge decisions.”

 

“Another way of saying that you’re a coward who probably planned to propose months ago.”

 

Yifan sighs. “Well, yeah. I planned to do it on his birthday, but we’d just found out he was pregnant so it slipped my mind. Then I planned to do it on my birthday, but he wouldn't let me leave the bedroom. But I definitely want to do it before the end of the year.”

 

“I bet my firstborn child that you’ll chicken out.” Yifan shoots him a strange look.

 

“Uh… you already have one of those.”

 

“I know.”

 

“I don’t think Baekhyun would appreciate you betting your child.”

 

Chanyeol shrugs and sits correctly in his chair. “Baek’s a little busy with his own wedding to care about what I do.”

 

Yifan nods in understanding. “I’m really sorry about that.”

 

“Nah, it’s okay,” Chanyeol laughs it off. “As long as he’s happy. And on the up side, I get Kyungsoo for an entire month while they go on their honeymoon and get settled in.”

 

Yifan smiles back, deciding not to bring up the sad look in his friend’s eyes.

 

//

 

“For 30 extra dollars we could have had someone assemble this for us.”

 

“No! This is fun,” Yixing insists as he looks over the assembly instructions. “Okay, now connect part a to part b using 2 screw a’s.”

 

Yifan stares at the pile of parts between them and attempts to make some sense of it. “Is there a picture or…?”

 

Yixing crawls over next to Yifan and lays out the instructions. “Okay… I think this,” he picks out a long piece. “is part b, and this,” he picks up a shorter piece. “is part a.”

 

“I have an idea.” Yixing curiously looks over at his boyfriend. “We can wing it and just put things together until it looks crib-ish, and then put Luhan in it to see if it’ll hold his weight.”

 

“We can’t sacrifice our neighbor’s child because we don’t want to read the instructions. Now,” he looks down at the instructions. “We just need to find screw a.”

 

An hour and a half later, they finally have the crib looking exactly like the display one in the baby store. As far as thy can tell, everything is right, but a year before they did have a bookshelf fall completely apart after they put it together.

 

“Supposedly, it can hold up to 100 kilograms,” Yixing looks at the caption on the box then looks over at Yifan. “Get in.”

 

Yifan’s eyes widen comically and his jaw falls open. “What?”

 

“Get in. We have to see if it’ll stay together.”

 

“You said we couldn’t sacrifice anyone to build it!”

 

“We couldn’t sacrifice a child,” Yixing grows impatient and pushes Yifan towards the crib. “Just sit in it for a minute.”

 

“Okay, okay.” Yifan hesitantly lowers the side of the crib enough so he can lift a leg over it. After a few embarrassing moments, Yifan finally settles himself in the crib with his knees awkwardly pulled up to his chest. “Um, Xing?” The spot where he was standing is empty and he cranes his neck to look down the hall.

 

Yixing suddenly re-enters the room with a camera, and he snaps several pictures before Yifan can protest. “Aha! Cover of our family photo album!” Yifan sputters a little, but doesn’t tell Yixing to delete the picture. “You look cute like that.” He leans over to kiss Yifan and looks at the picture again. “Definitely the cover.”

 

//

 

Five days before Christmas, Yifan takes Yixing to one his favorite Cantonese cuisine restaurant, and as a surprise Yifan even managed for Yixing’s favorite French cheese to be served with his noodles.

 

“You know the upside to my cravings is that I can combine all my favorite foods together and never get sick.” “He reaches over to eat a bit off Yifan’s plate. “Those first few weeks after we found out I’m pregnant were the worse though. I was so sick of throwing up that I started having these dreams about you.”

 

“What kind of dreams?” Yifan moves half his meat onto Yixing’s plate and eats some of his noodles.

 

“Well,” he drinks some of his water to wash his food down. “The one I had the most is when we’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and you somehow fall off and start splashing around. I can tell you’re starting to drown, but I just watch you get pulled under. Then after you disappear under the water, I just calmly row away.”

 

Yifan raises his eyebrows. “Should I be worried that you want to subconsciously kill me?”

 

“No, no, I don’t really want to kill you. I asked my doctor about the dream, and he said that it’s normal to have dreams of harming my significant other during pregnancy. I don’t have them now, but he said it might happen as I get closer to my caesarian.”

 

“I’ll be sure to remember that then.” He’s not sure how to follow up Yixing’s homicidal dreams with a marriage proposal, but he racks his mind trying to think of a way to switch the topic without being awkward. Yixing shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, my stomach just feels weird.”

 

“Weird how? Indigestion?”

 

“I don’t think so… It’s like the feeling of having butterflies in my tummy. And being with you always makes my stomach flip in a good way, but usually my heartbeat picks up too.” The tip of Yifan’s cheeks turn red at how his boyfriend can openly state his affections as if they’re discussing the weather. “But it stopped now so never mind.”

 

The box in his jacket pocket suddenly feels heavy as he reaches for it, thinking that there’s no possible way to change the conversation and he might as well go through with it.

 

“Ugh, there it goes again. It’s been happening all through dinner.”

 

“Maybe… maybe it’s the baby?”

 

Yixing’s eyes light up as he realizes what Yifan said, and he moves a hand to his stomach. “Mmm, I can’t feel it on the outside, but there’s definitely something going on in there.”

 

Yifan shifts his seat over to rest both of his hands on Yixing’s stomach, and though he can’t feel anything he’s smiling the widest he ever has in years. He decides to put the proposal on hold for now, but for a good reason: this is enough of a surprise for the night.

 

//

 

Early Christmas morning, Yifan wakes up to Yixing kissing his face as he usually does on Sundays.

 

“I thought this Christmas is a practice. We don’t have to wake up this early.”

 

“Yes, we do! It’s Christmas, and our child will wake up before us on Christmas every year so we have to get used to it.” Yixing sits up and tries to pull Yifan out of the bed.

 

“Not until it’s at least two, so we should appreciate these first few years where we can sleep in.”

 

“But I have the best Christmas present for you!”

 

“I thought we agreed on still not exchanging presents even though we’re celebrating this year.” Yifan rolls further to the other edge of the bed.

 

Yixing pouts and gets out the bed to pull Yifan out the other side. “I didn’t spend money on this though, so come with me to the tree.” Yifan sighs and sits up, promising to come into the living room.

 

Watching Yixing sit on the ground has becoming an amusing pastime in the last couple of weeks. He holds on to the couch to lower himself onto his knees then crawls over to sit by their small tree. “Are you done watching me?” Yixing asks, sending him a fake glare.

 

“I could watch you forever, you know that.” He sits down next to Yixing and watches him pull out a small wrapped package that he didn’t see the night before.

 

“Okay, this might be a dumb present because it’s not just for you; it’s for both of us and the baby.” He opens the gift and reveals a large photo album, with the picture of Yifan in the crib as the cover. “I told you I would use this as the cover.”

 

“I love you and all, but if anyone outside this family sees this, I will have to burn your camera.”

 

“You wouldn’t do anything to make me sad,” Yixing states happily, opening the photo album to the first page. Yifan doesn’t argue because they both know he’s right. “Okay, so obviously since our family is just starting, I don’t have many pictures. I’ve just put in the few ultrasounds we have.”

 

Yifan flips through the few sonograms he’d previously seen before stopping at the last picture in the album. “I don’t remember this one… it’s dated last week?”

 

“Yeah, well, I knew that all I wanted for Christmas was to know what the baby is, so I went back to the doctor while you were shooting your energy drink ad, and the baby was in the right position.” In the picture, the ultrasound technician had circled a certain part of the fetus’ anatomy with an arrow pointing to it that read ‘boy!’.

 

“A boy,” Yifan simply says.

 

Yixing repeats him. “A boy.”

 

And so he puts off the proposal for a few more days. Today Is a day to celebrate their future family with their little boy.

 

//

 

They go to the model agency’s New Year’s Eve party every year at the same penthouse apartment of one of the models. One of the reasons Yifan likes his agency so much is that they’re more close-knit than others, and relationships between the models’ families are more common.

 

Besides them, there’s only one other model who’s in a committed relationship, so the rest of the guest like to make a game out of who they’ll kiss at midnight. This year they put each other’s name in a bowl, and Chanyeol insists on drawing 4 times before he's satisfied with his partner.

 

While everyone else talks among each other, snacking on appetizers and drinking champagne, Yixing’s leans against the kitchen counter sipping on the straw of his sparkling apple cider. Honestly, he didn’t want to go to the party, his back had been sore for most of the morning, but lately Yifan didn’t have any time to really spend time with his friends. Besides, no matter how bored he may be, he knows Yifan will find him before midnight as he does every year.

 

Just as he predicts, Yifan shows up half an hour before midnight with a glass of champagne in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

 

“I see you’re drinking moderately this year,” Yixing teases him. The New Year’s Eve party is usually the only time they let themselves get a little tipsy and crash in one of the guestrooms.

 

Yifan shrugs and counters one sip of champagne with almost half the glass of water. “I have to start drinking more responsibly now for our son, right?”

 

Yixing hums and leans against him. “He’s been moving all day. I think he’s excited.”

 

“Excited for what?” Yifan just gets a shrug in response. “Do you want to step outside for some air? It’s a little stuffy in here, and all the smokers cleared out.”

 

He nods and Yifan sets the glass of water down to hold his hand. The air outside is very crisp and cool as the temperature reaches it’s lowest point of the day. There’s a couple of cushioned wicker chairs on the balcony and Yifan settles himself in one, pulling Yixing into his lap. Yixing protests at first, hyper aware of the almost 5kg he’d gain over time, but Yifan refuses to let go of him so he settles and leans back.

 

“I love you more than anything in this world,” Yifan murmurs into his ear. Yixing smiles slightly, waiting for the older to say more, but he’s suddenly silent as if he’s thinking deeply about something.

 

“Are you afraid I’ll say no?” Yixing asks, his voice so low that Yifan can barely hear him over the noise of the party behind them.

 

“What?”

 

“Have you not proposed yet because you’re afraid I’ll say no?” he repeats slowly.

 

Yifan stares at the man in his lap, stunned. “I-“

 

“Because I won’t… I won’t say no.” Yixing just looks at him so sincerely and full of love that even though he left the ring in the closet at home, there’s no better time to ask than now.

 

“Zhang Yixing… Xing, will you marry me?” At this point, they’re positioned so their noses are almost touching. Yixing’s eyes are closed, but it doesn’t take away any of the intimacy of the moment.

 

“Yes.”

 

And they kiss. It’s still 20 minutes before midnight at a party and the ring is sitting in Yifan’s pocket halfway across the city, but any other way just wouldn’t be them.

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