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“You got the door?”
“Yeah, let me just—” Xiao Zhan switches the phone and wallet he’s got in his right hand to his left so he can type in the passcode to his apartment. The door pings and Xiao Zhan turns the door handle so both him and Yibo can enter.
The two set aside their coats and luggage by the entry hallway before entering the main complex leading to the living room.
“I’m so tired, Lao-Wang.” Xiao Zhan drops himself on the sofa with a huff. Yibo follows, dropping himself on top of Xiao Zhan and hugging his mid-section. “Ugh, get off of me, I can feel my hip digging on the couch.” Yibo responds by tightening his grip and snuggling himself under Xiao Zhan’s chin, pressing a quick kiss on his neck.
“Hey, that tickles!” Xiao Zhan giggles.
“Please, you like when I give you kisses.” Yibo said, rising from his position under his head.
Xiao Zhan turns a sweet shade of pink, smacking Yibo’s back in an attempt to stop the man from pressing any more ticklish pecks. Yibo decides to let up and give Xiao Zhan some reprieve from any more sweet torture.
“What do you want to have for dinner? I think I can make something up from whatever I have left in my fridge.” Xiao Zhan asked.
“We haven’t been here in a week, are you even sure whatever you got is still good?”
Rummaging through the fridge, Xiao Zhan finds a few shrivelled up carrots, spring onions, and a pack of tofu that — just his luck — expired a few days ago.
Nowadays, Xiao Zhan hasn’t really had the time to go back to his apartment in Beijing with back to back filmings with SpyING and his latest medical drama, so whenever he did come back, it was usually to a pretty dusty home with nothing in his fridge.
Often, Wang Yibo would scold him and tell him to take a break, so that he wouldn’t “gain white hairs so easily” as per his words and as much as Xiao Zhan wants to take his advice, he’s always been insecure of his late start in the entertainment industry as compared to the rest of the actors in his age group.
He knows he has to work extra harder to gain the respect and achievements of someone his age and if that means taking multiple projects back-to-back, then he will. It’s something that he and Yibo have fought about before with Yibo claiming that his Zhan-ge was just as youthful as everyone else and all that false praise and excessive flattery.
“Well, looks like we’re ordering in tonight.”
Rising from the couch, Yibo walks over to where Xiao Zhan is to take a look at the fridge. “Told you,” Yibo snorted. “I can go make my assistant buy some food if you want,”
“It’s seven in the evening, just let him rest.” Xiao Zhan says, already opening up a food delivery app on his phone.
After having a full meal and cleaning up their take-out boxes, the two fall into a comfortable silence in the living room. Yibo scrolls through his phone while Xiao Zhan lies beside him, eyes closed as he tries to catch up on some more sleep.
After weeks of working on promotional ads and attending endorsement features and livestreams, Xiao Zhan’s thrilled to finally be able to take a break and laze around his apartment with Wang Yibo.
The best part about Yibo’s unofficial hiatus from acting was that he had a lot more time to spare. He took some days off to go visit his family back in Luoyang, try out some new hobbies, and most importantly, free up more time to spend with the love of his life.
Although Xiao Zhan is now the busier of the two, Yibo doesn’t really fault him for taking up more acting jobs and endorsements especially when these offers were now coming from big-time productions and prolific directors, but Yibo sure wishes he would give himself time to rest every now and then between filming projects.
“You really set the bar with your last work,” Yibo says.
Xiao Zhan hums before replying, “Legend of Zanghai? Yeah, I’m really grateful to Director Zheng for the opportunity. You know, I was shaking the first time I got the offer?”
Yibo snickered at the thought, “How can I forget, you wouldn’t shut up about it over the phone.”
“Okay, I get it.” Xiao Zhan reaches over to smack Yibo on the chest.
Sitting up from his position on the sofa, he moves closer to Yibo so he can rest his head on the man’s shoulder. Yibo raises his right arm to wrap around Xiao Zhan shoulders, so he can press his body closer to him.
With his free arm, Yibo takes his phone and opens up an app.
“From the whole vibe of Legend of Zanghai, I didn’t really think it would have a romance plot.” Yibo comments.
Only then does Xiao Zhan realize that Yibo has been scrolling through Douyin, watching different clips of him from the show. Gently lowering Yibo’s other arm, he curiously glances at the phone in his hand. On-screen, the scene of him and his co-star’s first kiss was playing.
“She bit your lip? What’s that all about?”
Xiao Zhan scowls, “It’s part of her character!”
Yibo continues his teasing, “Because Zhan-ge likes to be feisty like that,”
“Wow, you’re calling me the feisty one?”
“Are you not? I won’t be surprised if you suggested to add that bit to the show.” Yibo teases, “Ah, ah– ah! I get it, I get it, it’s because they’re both young and inexperienced, stop hitting me now Zhan-ge.”
Satisfied with the rain of smacks he’s landed on Yibo, Xiao Zhan shrugs, “Wasn’t as bad as our first kiss, though,”
At that, Yibo flits up. What?
Offended and with an incredulous look in his eyes, “What do you mean by that?” Yibo asks.
Yibo, for one, believes that he’s a naturally good kisser the same way he naturally has the rhythm and groove of a dancer, so to be given feedback that he’s apparently bad at it is surprising to say the least.
“You don’t remember?” Xiao Zhan lifts an eyebrow at him.
Yibo isn’t exactly sure what Xiao Zhan means by remember because to his perspective, their first kiss was all sunshine and rainbows. After months-long pining for his co-star, he finally won over his heart albeit with unexpected challenges (read: Xiao Zhan escaping to Japan before giving Yibo a proper answer.)
If Yibo had to describe their first kiss, he’d say it was passionate, filled with longing. Spit-slick lips pressed against another, soft groans escaping their mouths before they parted with yearning gazes directed to each other.
“Our first kiss was hot, what are you talking about,” Yibo quips.
Xiao Zhan gives him a pointed look before rolling his eyes, “Yibo, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we share the same opinions on our first kiss.”
“Oh yeah? Then how exactly did it go for you?” Yibo challenges.
“You were barely moving your lips!” Xiao Zhan squawked.
“No, I wasn’t!”
Contrary to what Yibo believes, their first kiss really wasn’t all that. At the time, Xiao Zhan had just returned from Japan with a firm heart and a more assured mind. He had been so exhilarated after coming to terms with his feelings and shaking off the character bleed, all he wanted to do was hop on the next flight to Changsha and finally give Yibo the answer he’d left him waiting for.
Unfortunately, Yibo had been filming Day Day Up when Xiao Zhan first arrived, so he had to wait until the evening before meeting Yibo in the hotel room he’d been staying in.
“Zhan-ge…” Yibo whispered, surprised to see Xiao Zhan on his door, “How did you know where I was, who told you—”
“I’ve made up my mind.” Xiao Zhan interrupts him.
For a brief moment, a flicker of sadness crosses on Yibo’s face. Xiao Zhan quickly waves his hands, “No, I mean… I know now what I want,” He hesitates, placing the palm of his hand on Yibo cheek, drifting his gaze towards the man’s lips, “Is this… okay?”
Yibo responds by wrapping both his arms around Xiao Zhan’s waist making him squeal.
“Zhan-ge,” his breath fans against Xiao Zhan’s lips.
That’s all it takes for Xiao Zhan to finally close the distance between them, bracing one hand on Yibo’s shoulder and the other on his cheek as he pressed his lips against the other’s.
Trying to deepen the kiss, Xiao Zhan slightly parted his lips to give a silent invitation for Yibo to enter his mouth. When he didn't respond, he slowly opened his eyes to take a glance at Yibo.
For some reason, Yibo’s eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and when Xiao Zhan’s gaze drifted to his lips, he found them pursed into a slight pout that reminded him of a cartoon character.
What the hell, is this his first ever kiss? He thought.
Well, if he had to base it off of what he was feeling, iit might just be. Deciding to spare Yibo the embarrassment, he pulled away.
When he looked down, Yibo’s eyes were blown wide, feeling excited from the new step in their relationship. Xiao Zhan wanted to make a joke about their kiss at least, but seeing the sweet look on Yibo’s face, he decided against it.
“I like you, Yibo,” He says instead, “For a long time now,”
“Zhan-ge, you don’t know just how much I want this,” Yibo professes, “If you really choose to be with me, I promise to treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
And who was Xiao Zhan to say no to that?
Regrettably, Xiao Zhan had to leave just as quickly as he arrived. After a solemn conversation about the new direction of their relationship, Xiao Zhan packed up his things and kissed Yibo goodbye. (On the cheek this time because he had a lot to train Yibo for.)
“It was not like that!” Yibo retorts.
“Yes. Yes, it was.” Xiao Zhan replies dryly.
Recalling the events from the early days of their budding relationship, Yibo is left sputtering and blushing at the memory of humiliating himself in front of someone as beautiful as Xiao Zhan.
Yibo makes a move to poke at Xiao Zhan waist and the latter shrieks at the touch. Between laughs, he takes the hand that’s been tickling him and swats it away.
“It’s not like you’re bad now,” Xiao Zhan pants, breathless from laughing. “If anything, I think you’re pretty kinky, if I’m gonna be honest.”
“Stop trying to lift me up after you decided to humiliate me.”
Xiao Zhan laughs and takes Yibo’s face in his hands, wiggling it around and squeezing his cheeks. “Oh please, you just needed me to whip you into shape,”
His voice drops down to a more smooth and sultry tone. Their faces are inches apart, and as Xiao Zhan swings his legs up to settle on Yibo’s lap, their noses brush lightly, his breath warm against Yibo’s lips. Yibo steadies him with a hand at his waist, his fingers teasing the hem between his shirt and shorts.
“And you’re calling me the kinky one?”
“Lao-Wang, if you think this is kinky then you’re missing out,” Xiao Zhan inches closer so their lips slightly graze each other.
“Oh really? Then can you tell me what exactly I’m missing out on, Zhan-ge?”
Xiao Zhan smirks before he presses their lips together in a hard kiss.
It’s been 7 years since they first began their relationship and Wang Yibo is still incredibly grateful that he gets to spend his life with the one he loves. It didn’t exactly go as smoothly as they’d prefer — being a gay celebrity couple — and all. There may be times where Yibo wishes that Xiao Zhan can go watch his races or accompany him to a bouldering gym. Even simply going out and feeling the world without any cameras or eyes following their every move was a dream. But for a chance to express his love and be with the one who holds his heart, he knows this is the price they must pay.
He might not have had the best track record when it came to intimacy at the start of their relationship, but he’s not too worried about that. If Xiao Zhan still deemed him lacking in any aspect of their physical relationship, he’s got the rest of his whole life with Xiao Zhan to learn.