Chapter Text
Xiao Zhan is choking. Yeah, no, he really is choking. He's currently choking on his food because the end of the string on his pinky is wrapped around the whole body of Yu Bin, one of his closest friends.
Wang Yibo, his best friend, his assholebastardhe'ssofuckingbeautiful best friend, is also as shocked as him. He is slack-jawed, eyes wide and unblinking in astonishment. Xiao Zhan doesn't know what the other is so stupefied about but he doesn't care because right now, he is choking and the other end of his red string is connected to Yu Bin and what the fuck, he does not know what to feel. Should he be overjoyed or should he be dejected?
Yu Bin rushed over his side, flustered and trying to ease his hardship, not that he is helping much with him smacking Xiao Zhan's back repeatedly. It hurts, what the hell. Cursing his bad luck, he turns to Yibo who flinched out of his daze before he came running towards the both of them. His childhood friend pushed Yu Bin away before he takes the other's place and throws a worried gaze at Xiao Zhan. His hand gently rubbed his back in a circular motion and Xiao Zhan is thankful, he really is.
But like Yu Bin, it's not helping him too.
'Does he think I am just coughing?! I'm choking, you brat!'
Something is blocking his windpipe, refusing to grant him air and Xiao Zhan panics, is he dying? He can't die! He just turned eighteen today! He coughs, giving his best to breathe by coughing out whatever is choking him but still, nothing. Feeling helpless, he lifted a hand and squeezed Yibo's arm, eyes terrified and pleading. At his actions, Yibo and Yu Bin have officially gone hysterical, with the latter fishing his phone from his jeans' pocket before trembling fingers dial a number, probably 120.
And Xiao Zhan still cannot breathe and holy shit he's dying on his birthday-
Yibo shouts at him, telling him to hang in there and the ambulance will arrive soon but how can he? He can't breathe!
The last thing he sees before he blacks out is Yibo yelling profanities at Yu Bin who looks ready to cry.
His last thought should be in the form of regret but surprisingly, it was far from that.
'Poor Yu Bin...don't yell at him...stupid Yibo...'
And he passed out.
"Hey, I'm Xiao Zhan! What's your name?"
Wang Yibo turns around, big eyes staring curiously at the boy who bothered his playtime. His chubby hands are holding two motorcycle toys, one is red and one is blue. These toys are new, the gifts he got from his parents after they moved in Chongqing and he won't let anyone play with them. Last time he did that, one of his toys was broken and he even got into a fight with his friends so he is not taking any chances this time, especially in a place he barely knows.
It was just a month ago since they moved in and Yibo, in fear of getting his toys broken, had rejected the kids in their neighborhood who invited him to play with them. Because of it, the other children left him alone and decided to ignore him. This did not upset Yibo since he has his toys but it was saddening when they call him names when he didn't even do anything wrong.
At the end, he plays by himself on the sandbox with no one to talk or play with. Until now, that is.
He furrows his eyebrows at the boy who stands in front of him and has a wide smile on his face. The other is wearing a plain white shirt and black shorts, LED shoes adorning his feet. Strangely enough, the image of this smiling boy brought an impression inside his mind and before he can help himself, he mutters, "You look like a bunny."
Xiao Zhan blinks at him, losing his smile and Yibo thinks this one is also like the other kids so after blurting out what is in his mind, he turns back to what he is doing. He's fine by himself. Besides, this Xiao Zhan looks like he's one of those children who gets picked on easily. It's better if he stays away from Yibo or the others would call him names too.
"Really? You think I'm cute?!"
Yibo gasped in shock, dropping his toys at the sudden close proximity of the other boy's face. He was met with a sheepish smile and an apology, the other helping him pick up his toys. He stood in bewilderment, watching the other shaking off the dirt from his playthings. Xiao Zhan tilts his head at his reaction, handing him the little motorcycles while beaming a grin, "Here you go!"
Yibo silently takes the toys, cheeks burning red, "Thank you..."
"Hehe, you're welcome!"
The other should have left then. That's what usually happens after they talk to him but surprisingly, Xiao Zhan stayed and played with him. He even helped Yibo in many things like apologizing to the other children, making up with them and then becoming friends.
Everyday is fun if there is Xiao Zhan beside him, laughing and playing with him. They were even mistaken as brothers for being an inseparable pair and Yibo always believed that it will stay that way forever. Not until he hears the topic of being soul mates coming out of Xiao Zhan's lips.
Both of them are currently inside Yibo's room, hanging out after a long day of schooling. As soon as they got inside the room, Xiao Zhan immediately threw himself on the soft and fluffy bed of his friend, had taken his PSP out of his bag and proceeded to play while Yibo serves him some snacks then sat on the seat of his studying table, doing his assignment.
An hour of silence had passed, with only the sound of pen scratching the paper and Xiao Zhan groaning every now and then until the latter finally decided to break the ice.
"Bo-gege, you will be turning twelve in August right?" Xiao Zhan drawled, lying on the clean white bed of Yibo while lazily tapping on the buttons of his playstation portable. Yibo closed his notebook before putting his pen down. He turned his chair to his friend, shaking his numb right hand and answering the other's question, "Don't call me that. I'm only older by one month and yeah. Why?"
Xiao Zhan continues playing with his PSP, even clicking his tongue every time his character fails to kill one of the enemies, "Then I'll call you Bo-didi. Anyway, that means you'll meet your soulmate earlier than I'll meet mine."
He furrowed his eyebrows, putting his hands on his knees and casting his gaze on the floor, "Soulmate? Then after that, you will meet yours too?" Yibo had been told. He knows what a soulmate is, his mother explained it to him after his father left their family for another woman.
"Your dad left us for another woman...although...although we were soulmates...why?"
"Mom, mom, what is a soulmate? Why are you crying? Where is Dad?"
"Dad has left us, baby."
"What...? Where did he go? Mom!"
"Shush, come here."
"Mom...call him, call him okay? Maybe he is just pranking us. He often does that to me-"
"It's fine. It will be okay. We will be okay. I have you, right? Mom has you. It's okay."
"Mom...don't cry..."
"Yeah! My mama says we will meet our fated pair once we reach eighteen. She said something about a red string, which I don't really understand much but-ah! You stupid character! Why won't you move like I want you to?!" Xiao Zhan frustratingly raised his hand as if to throw the PSP but decided against it and puts down the thing, forming a pout with his lips.
Now that his attention is away from his game, he noticed Yibo's dark form. Wondering why the other is acting like this, he suddenly remembered that the boy did not eat his lunch earlier. He puts the PSP on the bed before getting off and approaching his suddenly silent friend.
"Wang Yibo? What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt? I told you to eat didn't I? This is why you're so-"
Yibo mutters, "Then when you meet your pair, will you leave me?"
"Huh?"
Yibo gasped and looked up, seeing Xiao Zhan looming over him with a concerned gaze. Clenching his hands, he forced a smile on his face and opened his mouth.
"It's nothing."
His heart throbs painfully inside his chest.
Yibo stares at a sleeping Xiao Zhan, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. Yu Bin is beside him, seated while texting some of their friends regarding his best friend's situation. The first ones they called are Zhan's parents and they wouldn't arrive until five hours later. They are on their vacation and it must have been a shock to hear that your only child almost died while you were enjoying the sights of a foreign country.
Yibo also called his mother earlier, telling her that he won't be home until Xiao Zhan wakes up. His mother also wanted to go but he told her to rest, that his friend is already in a stable condition.
Two hours had already passed and Xiao Zhan's still not awake. The doctor says he will be fine but to ease his own worries, Yibo detached himself from the wall he is leaning on and started to rant. "I told him to chew his food slowly, yet he still wolfs it down like he had been starving for ten years! Does he think it can go down properly like that? He even has those sharp bunny teeth, what does he use them for?" Yibo paces left and right, unexpectedly letting out a long string of words, a trait he had adapted after meeting Xiao Zhan.
"Smiling?"
Yibo stares at Yu Bin with dead eyes, silently conveying the 'are you kidding me?' sentence. The latter smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Yibo wants to snap back at him but seeing the...the red string wrapped around Yu Bin like that, he just stayed silent and waited for Xiao Zhan to wake up.
"...ater..."
Yibo turns his attention to Xiao Zhan, the latter slowly opening his eyes before rasping out, "Water..."
Yu Bin nods vigorously, "Water! Wait, I'll get you some."
Yibo comes over and sat on Yu Bin's seat, worried eyes scanning the taller man. "How do you feel?"
Xiao Zhan swallowed, giving him a weak smile and sitting up with Yibo assisting him gently, "My throat hurts."
Finally, the knot in Yibo's chest lifted up and he sighs in relief, "Don't scare me like that, Zhan."
Xiao Zhan smiles sadly, lifting a hand to pat Yibo's head, the scary tinge of blue in his lips and fingertips now gone. "Sorry. As expected huh, I ended up in the hospital."
He laughs lightly, "I almost died on my birthday, it's stupid."
He expected the other to laugh but Yibo only nods at him, fondly pulling his soft cheek, "Yeah. Make sure to eat your food slowly next time. You...you idiot." If only this idiot knew how much Yibo suffered at seeing his best friend not breathing, lips and fingertips turning blue. He thought the other died already but he was thankful that Yu Bin knew what to do when he was frozen.
"Ow..." Xiao Zhan pouted, although he brightened up when Yu Bin hands him the glass of water. "Thank you!"
Yu Bin nods, smiling at him.
Yibo scoffs, "Your parents will be here in two and a half hours."
Xiao Zhan spits the water he is drinking at Yibo's statement, earning another scolding from the smaller man, "You! You almost died from choking! Drink slowly!"
"What the hell, Wang Yibo!"
Xiao Zhan was discharged immediately and Yibo is thankful that he is not in any danger now. Aside from his sore throat, there is nothing to worry about. The doctor told him to eat soft food for now and definitely chew his food slowly next time. After that, he needs to come back for another check up to make sure that he is doing fine.
Now, he's back in school and everyone laughed when he joked about how he almost died on his birthday. It was not a joke per se, but his friends still laughed their worries away. Some professors even offered to add five points to his test papers for escaping death, Xiao Zhan was ecstatic, of course, but it turned out to be a lie.
They are eating lunch in the cafeteria, without Yu Bin this time and Yibo is cherishing this moment of rare peace until Xiao Zhan spoke.
"Yu Bin's my soulmate."
What...?