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Yibo is clingy.
That’s not exactly new information. Yibo has been clingy since time immemorial or, well, since the day he had his sights set on Xiao Zhan. The man is glued to his side that not even their professions and busy schedules can keep them apart. Yibo’s manager has lost track of how many times he’s had to move heaven and earth to switch flights for him on such short notice just to get to where Xiao Zhan is at. And if it’s not being stuck shoulder to shoulder, Yibo will poke, shove, tickle, stroke, caress, kiss, kick, jab, and everything else he can do to annoy or show affection and cling to his boyfriend.
Yibo is also caring.
Another information that’s known in their circles. Yibo will bring Xiao Zhan food to eat in between shoots. He’s also known to send him over a few jackets and coats when it gets cold so the man doesn’t get sick. Yibo makes sure to watch over him when he has rehearsals so nothing is amiss when he goes live on stage. He even does the simplest thing like crushes his ice pops before giving it to him so Xiao Zhan can eat it better or orders his favorite green tea ahead of time so the man doesn’t run out of it. Yibo dotes on him and that’s only natural because he loves him.
So Yibo is clingy and caring. It’s normal. It’s natural. It’s something everyone knows very well. There’s always a certain extent to it that shows just how healthy that kind of love is. There is a line where it gets overbearing that Yibo never crosses. Until one day, in all their years of being together, he does.The clinginess and the caring goes overboard and naturally, it’s Xiao Zhan who picks up on the signs first.
He can tell by just the amount of food Yibo gives him. Yibo is well aware of his eating habits and how much is too much. Sometimes there are two bowls of noodle soup and that’s fine. They’ll bicker about it. Yibo will pout and tell him to eat it all and Xiao Zhan would sigh and say he’s on a diet and noodles pack in too much carbs and all that. But he’ll eat it. He’ll work it off afterwards. And he’ll thank Yibo for knowing how hungry he was and how his last meal was probably breakfast and Yibo just knows how much food he needs, just enough to fuel him for his shoots.
The food he sends over recently is a feast. There is rice. There are noodles. There are dumplings and vegetables and beef and chicken. And is that… herbal soup? The expensive kind with the rare mushrooms and root crops that were known to provide vitality or something? Xiao Zhan has no idea why Yibo would send him these. But he eats them anyway. He shares, of course. Like the other times Yibo would send food over. The staff is grateful. It’s not everyday they eat some sort of longevity mushroom. Xiao Zhan is too. Confused at first. But grateful.
It was only the beginning.
Next came the clinginess. How on one occasion while they were walking down the stairs, Yibo reached out to hold his hand. They used to do that stealthily. Whenever they’re out in public. But this time, for some reason, Yibo holds him like Xiao Zhan is so frail and that the man will slip and fall. It should be funny. Xiao Zhan had laughed. But there is only a crease in Yibo’s brow as he concentrates on making sure Xiao Zhan doesn’t lose his footing as if Xiao Zhan doesn’t have two eyes to see where he’s walking.
Then there’s the medicines. Xiao Zhan takes a few. In his age and the way his schedules are tight, Xiao Zhan takes the basics. There’s vitamin C for his immune system, D for calcium, Zinc and then his Bs for everything else. And then all of a sudden their kitchen counter is suddenly filled with herbal stuff Xiao Zhan has never seen before that he later finds out cost a fortune.
“We don’t need these .” Xiao Zhan had gawked at all of them, especially at the ginseng one that he knows are expensive.
“Well, later we might.” Yibo only shrugged.
“Yibo, you’re twenty-three. You don’t need-” Xiao Zhan picks up a random small medicine bottle and reads through the description. “Diabetes control.” Xiao Zhan looks up at him. “Unless you have diabetes that I don’t know about.”
Yibo only waves him off saying it’s medically approved by their doctor and all so there’s no need to worry and that it’s just there for emergencies.
So there’s the food. There’s the clinginess that has evolved to increased calls more than usual. There’s also the nagging which Xiao Zhan was surprised since Yibo never nags unless things get really hectic for Xiao Zhan and he forgets about his own well-being. But that’s not often. That’s on very rare occasions. But the nagging has been going on for far too long. Everything suddenly becomes too much that Xiao Zhan eventually blows up at him one day.
In all honesty, it was the migraine he was having that day due to a delayed photo shoot with incompetent staff. Xiao Zhan is always patient about these things but he has already pushed back two other schedules due to this delay and feels quite awful about the inconvenience this has all caused. He hasn’t slept well either and his last meal was yesterday night. So there he was, sporting a migraine, battling hunger and then some, when Yibo suddenly shows up in his trailer with a displeased look on his face.
“Yibo? What are you doing here?” Xiao Zhan asks in that tired voice. He’s actually leaning back in his seat, head thrown back as he rubs the pad of his forefinger around his temple to alleviate the migraine. He’s waiting for the makeup artist to arrive who is also running late.
“I called and she said you weren’t feeling good. What’s wrong?” Yibo says, coming up to him and feeling his forehead. She could only refer to Xiao Zhan’s manager who is currently the only one in the trailer sitting by the side working her magic on her laptop to salvage the schedule mishap they’re in.
“I have a migraine that’s all.” Xiao Zhan answers. “Don’t you have an interview scheduled today?”
“Have you taken anything? Did you eat?” Yibo ignores his question. He then turns to Xiao Zhan’s manager. “Why does he look like this?”
Xiao Zhan frowns. He does not like the tone Yibo is using to talk to his manager.
“I sent over soup and ribs this morning. Did he eat it? How about the ginger tea? He was complaining about his throat last night. Don’t tell me he didn’t get any sleep-”
“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan tries to cut him off. Now is not the time to play mother to him.
“And today’s weather isn’t really good.” Yibo only continues. “He should have a few coats on him. Or maybe some hot packs? Did jiejie forget to bring a few?”
Xiao Zhan’s temples throb.
“Maybe he should rest. He definitely should. I can talk to the director for the shoot. He might cancel the whole thing-”
“Wang Yibo!” Xiao Zhan can’t help but raise his voice and stand up. His migraine pounds at the back of his head at his sudden outburst and he squeezes his eyes shut. Yibo, seeing this, immediately helps him sit down but Xiao Zhan swats at him. He has had enough .
“What is it?” Yibo asks, still not getting it. “Is there anything you need, ge ?”
Xiao Zhan takes a deep breath. “I need… you to leave.”
Yibo looks taken aback by his response.
“I need,” Xiao Zhan continues. “... you to apologize for the way you are speaking to a senior,” Xiao Zhan motions to his manager. “Who by the way is doing everything she can since this morning to fix a problem that’s out of our control.”
Xiao Zhan is glad Yibo is not saying anything and has lowered his eyes to the ground.
“I need you to stop nagging at me. I am not a child, Yibo. I can very well fend for myself.”
“Zhan ge… ” Yibo looks at him and Xiao Zhan is not swayed by that puppy look he always gives him. “I didn’t mean...”
“I also need you to go back to your interview, which I know you ditched to come here. That’s not very professional.” Xiao Zhan continues. “And I need you to stop calling me, or my manager, or anyone else for today because I am fine . I just have a migraine which a few pills can deal with and nothing to get all worked up about. Alright?”
Xiao Zhan takes a deep breath. “I also do not want to see you for the time being.”
Yibo’s eyes widened at that. “But-”
“No buts.” Xiao Zhan sighs. “Just please go. I’ll call you when I’m done with all my projects for the week. Okay?”
Xiao Zhan does not miss the way he looks like a beaten up puppy. In fact, it had been difficult to say all that out loud. But it’s been a few weeks of this sort of thing and Yibo needed to hear it.
So off Yibo goes. He bows low at Xiao Zhan’s manager and apologizes. Xiao Zhan is pleased to hear the sincerity in his tone. Yibo then gives Xiao Zhan one last longing look, shoulders hunched, before leaving his trailer. It does send a pang in Xiao Zhan’s heart to see him leave like that but it was for the best.
“That was harsh.” His manager says as she hands him a pill for his migraine and a bottle of water.
“He needed to hear it.” Xiao Zhan replies. “He’s been really…”
“Weird?” His manager offers. “I know. And have you asked why?”
Xiao Zhan shakes his head. He likes to think his and Yibo’s relationship don’t really need any prodding. Xiao Zhan knows him like the back of his hand. So he thought he could understand why Yibo was acting the way he has been acting. But it went on for a few weeks and Xiao Zhan was busy. He didn’t have the time to sit down and talk to him.
Maybe he should’ve asked.
“He only means well.” His manager says.
“I know.” Xiao Zhan sighs, already feeling bad at what happened. “I’ll talk to him as soon as this clears.”
“You should. He’s not always like that, you know.”
Xiao Zhan makes a mental note to properly ask Yibo what is up with him. But making a mental note when you have a migraine, a dozen other schedules, and running on an empty stomach makes one forget so Xiao Zhan doesn’t really follow up on it until the week ends.
He has to hand it to Yibo for sticking to what he said. Yibo doesn’t call him. Yibo doesn’t come to visit him in his sets. Yibo doesn’t even go home to their shared apartment. Xiao Zhan is aware he hasn’t let go of his old one so he’s probably staying there for awhile. But there has been no word from him and Xiao Zhan’s heart aches a little at how much he misses his boyfriend.
Yibo doesn’t stop caring for him though. He still sends food fit for Xiao Zhan’s whole crew to eat. He sends over his basic medicine, none of those expensive herbal things. There is a supply of coats in Xiao Zhan’s van that’s ready for him to use, some hot packs that are replenished constantly, freshly brewed tea that not even Xiao Zhan’s manager knows how it got there. And everytime Xiao Zhan sees them, sees the way Yibo still cares for him from afar, his resolve weakens and the need to see him eventually eats up at him.
By the second week, Xiao Zhan decides he has had enough of the quiet treatment and makes plans to see him. But as soon as he opens the door to his place, he sees Yibo standing there, hand raised as if to knock on his door too only Xiao Zhan has wrenched it open at the same time.
Maybe it’s because they haven’t spoken to each other in so long or they haven’t seen each other for quite some time. It’s only been two weeks. But this is the longest they’ve gone without even sending a simple text that the moment Xiao Zhan sees him, a burst of emotion fills him.
“Where have you been?!” Xiao Zhan can’t help but exclaim.
Yibo stands there in surprise. “Didn’t you tell me not to see you?”
Xiao Zhan grumbles at his own words. “I know what I said.” He says before pulling at the front of Yibo’s shirt to bring him in for a kiss.
Yibo gives off a small grunt as he stumbles inside but nevertheless kisses him back. It’s just one kiss. One long breathless kiss that has Xiao Zhan melt in his hold as he welcomes him.
“Am I… Am I forgiven?” Yibo asks sheepishly, voice strangled and hoarse when Xiao Zhan pulls away.
“Not really. Go sit while I make tea. And then we’ll talk.”
A few minutes later, with mugs of herbal teas in their hands (they had to start using those herbal things somehow otherwise it was going to expire), Xiao Zhan asks Yibo what’s going on.
Xiao Zhan is surprised to find Yibo suddenly very shy and hesitant.
“You know what, I turned it into a big deal. Let’s just forget about it.” Yibo mutters.
“No. I want to know.” Xiao Zhan insists.
It takes a while for Yibo to reply and Xiao Zhan patiently drinks his tea as he waits for him.
“It’s just…” Yibo starts, struggling to find the right words to start. “Don’t laugh.” He eyes him and Xiao Zhan promises he won’t.
“Okay… So,” Yibo clears his throat. “We’re dating, right?”
Xiao Zhan finds this amusing but nods.
“And someday, someday I’d like to believe we’ll get married.”
Xiao Zhan nods again.
“And then maybe down the road, we’ll have pets or kids.” Yibo continues. “And we’ll have a house, a place of our own. We’ll have our little family. Or a big one. We’ve never really talked about how many kids we wanted.”
Xiao Zhan nods again and only listens to what Yibo is trying to say.
“And then… Before we know it, we’ll be old.” Yibo swallows hard and Xiao Zhan sees him look very pained for some reason. “And that’s inevitable. But Zhan ge is six years older than me so ge will likely… You know…”
No, Xiao Zhan doesn’t know.
“Go. First.”
Ah.
Xiao Zhan sits there and wonders how in the world does Yibo think about these things at his age. Xiao Zhan hasn’t thought that far down the road. He doesn’t have any concrete plans about the future except maybe having a good meal for breakfast tomorrow and none of that granola bar crap he has been having. To think fifty or sixty years from now, that’s something Xiao Zhan hasn’t entertained at all.
Suddenly, everything just makes sense. The things Yibo has been doing the past few weeks. The amount of food with the longevity mushrooms. The herbal medicines to combat sickness. Watching over his health and the way he walks down the stairs.
Honestly, Xiao Zhan thinks it’s a laughing matter. He could giggle at all this. But looking at Yibo sitting there with his eyes glistening as he stares at his cup of tea and looking very worried about the future has Xiao Zhan zip it.
He also tries to remember what brought this on when he recalls the movie they watched one night as they curled up in bed weeks ago. It was a love story about an old couple. Xiao Zhan found it nice and bittersweet. Yibo, however, apparently thought too much about it.
Xiao Zhan gets up from his seat. He slowly takes Yibo’s hand so he can let go of the warm mug. Yibo looks up at him, confused at what he’s doing when Xiao Zhan kneels by his side so he can look at him properly.
“You know we can’t control what happens in the future, right?” He says. Yibo nods. “So we don’t know that. We don’t know if I’ll go first or you go first or the both of us do at the same time.”
Xiao Zhan smiles at him. “But what I do know is that I like spending everyday with you and that we should probably enjoy that rather than worry about things that have yet to happen.”
“I know. I just get…” Yibo sighs and closes his eyes. “I just want to grow old with you.”
Xiao Zhan finds himself blushing at those words. How he’s almost thirty and he’s still blushing at something he finds so silly. But it is kind of romantic.
“We will.” Xiao Zhan assures him. “I mean, with all those herbal medicines you bought-” Yibo chokes up a laugh. “We’ll probably live to about a hundred or so.”
Xiao Zhan laughs as he cups his boyfriend’s face.
“Oh didi … My Yibo…” Xiao Zhan smiles. “Stop worrying about the future and know this,” Xiao Zhan squeezes his hand. “I want to grow old with you too.”
Yibo smiles and Xiao Zhan opens his arms for Yibo to burrow into his embrace. Xiao Zhan is well aware their age differences are huge. Not so huge that there’s this big divide but huge enough that even though Yibo acts all mature most of the time, Xiao Zhan forgets that the love of his life is like a kid sometimes. It’s adorable really.
“Sorry for being so weird the past few weeks.” Yibo says in his hold.
“Forgiven,” Xiao Zhan says. “Although…”
He pulls back to look at his boyfriend and throws him a look.
“You really think I’m that old?”
Yibo chuckles. “I didn’t mean it like that-”
Xiao Zhan rises to his feet, placing one hand on the back of Yibo’s chair. He looms over him and Yibo looks up and blinks.
“Does didi think I’m so frail and weak?”
“ Ge , come on. I said I was sorry.”
Xiao Zhan gives a tsk .
“You know what,” Xiao Zhan hooks a finger under Yibo’s chin to tip his face upwards even more. Xiao Zhan then bends lower so that his own lips are right near his. “Let this gege try to convince you how young he is.”
He does. Xiao Zhan proves his point. He scoops him up easily in his hold and Yibo sputters at having to be manhandled like that. It’s not everyday Xiao Zhan does this anyway. Yibo always likes to be the one taking the lead and carrying his Zhan ge along. But Xiao Zhan is up for anything to surprise his boyfriend as he carries Yibo to the bedroom where he proceeds to show him just how young, how full of vigor, and how they don’t really need those longevity mushrooms and whatever kind of herbal medicine Yibo bought to keep Xiao Zhan up for as long as he wants him to.
(Yibo eventually drops it. Who wouldn’t after being taken several times on that random Saturday afternoon. Yibo is thoroughly pleased and fucked out of his mind which is also the kind of reassurance he needed. With the way Xiao Zhan just took him, Yibo is reminded that his boyfriend is one hell of a lover in bed, age difference be damned. They could do this until their seventies.)
So Yibo doesn’t bring it up anymore. Xiao Zhan never mentions it either. Xiao Zhan only shows him he’s not going anywhere by taking care of his health and making sure he’s not leaving Yibo anytime soon.
Yibo said he wanted to grow old with him. And well, Xiao Zhan fully intends for that to happen too.