The opening of the shop the month before had gone smoothly and Yifan was glad that he could finally rest and spend more time with his girlfriend. Tan-Mi had been an angel even through his most frustrated and edgy days and he could not be more thankful. He had wanted to take her on a trip, but her first midterms were coming up soon, so she did not want to be too distracted. He had opted on joining her on her morning run instead and he had to admit it was quite a brilliant idea. Even if the coolness of the air on this Saturday morning had made her chose the pants over the shorts, they clung nicely to her legs and he had hummed to himself the whole jogging long, pleased to annoy her with the out-of-tune melodies and for the fact his long legs had no problem catching up with her even if he lacked the diligence in training. He wished the weather were warmer though, because he would have loved to drench her with his bottle of water. It was fascinating even to himself how childish he turned around her, the playful banter and constant teasing were part of their dynamic, something which made her more and more essential in his life.

They were stretching when he noticed Tan-Mi's eyes follow two older men walking past them. She was still watching them when she asked innocently “Is that normal here?”

Yifan was confused for a second about the question but he eventually noticed that the two men were holding hands. “Hmm, nothing out of the ordinary.” He answered vaguely.

“It's not something you'll see in China.” She stated, contemplative. “I find it a bit sad honestly, they can't even have children.”

“They can adopt here you know.”

“It's not the same!” She protested.

“Is it?” He asked, a bit surprised. He understood her reaction had little to do with homophobia, and was more related to her education, but it was still a bit baffling to hear the wonder in her voice over the difference between the two cultures.

“Do you think any of the EXO members might be gay?”

The question was unexpected and it brought him back to months earlier and to the memory of Tao's lips against his. Kissing Tao had not been disgusting, merely a stimulating and pleasing press of flesh in itself, if not moist due to the younger man's tears. Some might say it was a very gay thing to indulge in, but really, he did not mind because he was certain of his own uality. He liked curves and delicacy. He liked to feel the overwhelming need he had to take care of someone short and cute and indulge in them to see their lips stretch in a smile. He loved short girls because he found them very cute, and cute made him happy. The funny thing was, Tan-Mi was a fighter, a tough rebellious cookie that he wanted to squish between his arms. Most of the times she looked cute in his eyes, but he knew that she actually leaned more on the y and wild type – she hated it whenever Yifan took her for a fragile being, and it was something very refreshing for Yifan, and maybe it was the reason why he loved her so much.

“I don't know, maybe Tao.” He finally answered. “And I would not be surprised if Sehun was bi.”

His girlfriend arched back up from her bent, the wave of her and back enticing, and somehow, the movement reminded him of Tao's stretching.

“Did a guy ever make a move on you?” She asked, curiosity adorning her face.

“Nooo!” He answered in a laugh, effectively ending the conversation.

*.*.*

Launching his own brand was a lot more complicated than he thought it would be. Having the idea was one thing, creating and selling the products were another matter altogether. Yifan sought the help of a friend of his mother to launch his accessory brand, and once the legal papers were finally finished, he collaborated with the company’s manager to settle on the details. The first design was a simple ring on which hung a chiseled wing. The whole series revolved around the idea of freedom, and the six first models involved wings, locks and keys, but the main piece, one which had lead Yifan on studying European monarchies and which inspired the name of his new brand was an elegant crown. Bold Sovereign’s target was the young avant-gardist fashion scene. Only a small sample of each design would be created, and if it raised interest, he would think of broadening the market.

The day before the rings would be brought to life and sent to the different shops and to Yen-Wen’s, his girlfriend and him decided to celebrate the event with a romantic dinner. They spent the afternoon strolling the streets and shopping and they came back home early to try cooking a western dish. Tan-Mi laughed at Yifan’s big hands which were unable to cut vegetables properly and she urged him on working on the dessert instead. Making whipped cream was a lot more complicated than he expected, but he eventually succeeded thanks to the directions and he proceeded on painting Tan-Min’s skin with it. The first bit landed on the side of her neck and the second on her cheek. She turned her face away from the work surface and glowered at him, but he was quick on encircling her in his arms and the cream away, a playful smile on his lips. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He said, his tone far from apologetic. “You’re disgusting!” She answered, but there was no heat and she let him kiss and nuzzle her nape until he decided he might as well finish making the dessert instead of letting her do all the cooking.

They took turn taking their shower, and Yifan was finishing setting the table when she came back, dressed in a beautiful black dress. They lit the candles together, then Yifan kissed her, thinking of the small black box waiting for her. During the first tests run for his brand, he kept two copies of the crown design, one for himself, which was already settled snuggly around his left ring finger and another one for her. They were left with only a few months before she would go back to China, and they had already discussed the issue several times together. Yifan had asked her to stay in Canada, but she said she missed her friends and family back in China and the matter remained unresolved. Yifan could tell that she was homesick sometimes but smiled because he was with her. He did his best to cheer her up during those times, and she tried her best for him, but he did not wish for their relationship to put shackles on her. So he had to make a decision. And after a long talk with his mother, his mind was finally set. Tonight, he would give her the ring, and tell her he would follow her to China.

When he eventually reached for her hand that evening, he had not expected the casual comment saying the crown ring on his finger was a bit too pretentious of a design even if it was pretty, and that she liked the wing design better, but nonetheless he told her about his decision to go and live with her in China. Her whole face broke in a smile at the news and she tugged him in a kiss, making him forget about the dessert and the champagne as she worshiped him like a prince for the rest of the night.

And the crown ring was left aside with no one who wished to wear it.

_________________________________

Today's question might as well be "who do you think might be gay in exo ?"

I let Yifan answer for me in the story, but I'd bet on Tao, and on Sehun and Kai for being bi-curious ! :o

Anyways, no blatant taoris in this part either, but it will probably start in part 10 :)

*\ Thank you so much for reading and commenting ! /*