Chapter Text
day 1: love at first sight
Yibo had never believed in the idea of love at first sight.
Sure, it was a sweet sentiment, but it wasn’t the sentiment for him. His parents had built up a marriage on a dutiful understanding of each other, and Yibo being who he was, had felt strongly that his own relationship would follow suit.
Growing up, he’d received many shy letters stuck in his locker, many awkward requests for a short meeting after school, and he’d rejected all of them. He couldn’t fathom liking someone just because they took one look at his face and decided that he was worthy of their affections.
He just didn’t understand it. He wanted to fall in love with someone logically, for a reason. Someone who wouldn’t waste his time or efforts. Someone who was sure to like him back. Someone he knew was entirely right for him.
It was thus wholly laughable that this quality of Yibo’s turns completely on its head the first day of school in his sixteenth year. The universe took one look at Yibo’s surety and decided to teach him a lesson.
Yibo learns his fallibility very quickly.
The day begins like any other school day at the start of a school year, Yibo fumbling on his uniform and grabbing his skateboard to head swiftly to school in time for the bell. He’s so distracted from being a couple of minutes late that he doesn’t bother to do his usual checks before taking a turn around the corner, and-
Collides heavily with someone on the pavement.
They’re both going to fall heavily onto the rough stone tiles, Yibo’s brain helpfully supplies as he trips and seizes the person for balance. Turning roughly, Yibo lands hard on the ground, the person he collided with falling flat onto him.
Yibo groans, the wind knocked out of his lungs. He’s sure his back must be bruised, the white of his school uniform stained from the dirt of the pathway. It takes him a minute to realise that there’s a pair of eyes staring back at him, wide and sheepish.
He blinks up at them, and at the lovely face that they sit on. The boy who Yibo has lying solidly on his chest and lower torso is just as tall as he is, taller maybe, hands braced on either side of Yibo’s head.
And when he talks, the only thing Yibo can think is-
Oh. Oh no.
“I’m so, so sorry,” the boy says, pushing himself off Yibo to a kneeling position. His cheeks have gone very pink, but he’s still trying to drag Yibo to sit up too. His voice is honey, sticky sweet in a way that has Yibo dazed. “I was late, and I couldn’t find the school entrance at all, and-”
The school bell rings, marking their tardiness. The boy sighs, reaching for his map that lies crumpled on the ground, and then his umbrella, which had probably fallen out of his hands due to Yibo’s untimely collision.
“My fault,” Yibo says, finally finding a way to make his dormant tongue move. It seems very happy to lay flat and have Yibo continue to look like a gaping idiot. “I didn’t check, I’m sorry. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” the boy says, looking at the closing school gates in dismay. He smoothes out the hair on top of his head, giving Yibo a shy smile. “You’re in this school too?”
It’s only now that Yibo realises how the boy is wearing the same long pants as him. Only sixteen-year-olds and above wear them and their school isn’t big. There’s only three classes per level. Maybe he’s in Yibo’s class.
When all Yibo does is continue to gaze fixedly at him, the boy waves a hand in front of Yibo’s face, the oversized cardigan sleeve down to his knuckles.
Why is that so cute?
Yibo swallows, blinking hurriedly as the boy stares, a look of concern etched on his face. The world must be turning on its side, spinning round and round.
The only thing steady in Yibo’s vision is the pretty boy.
“Did you hit your head, um- uh-”
“Yibo,” Yibo breathes, and the boy straightens at Yibo’s focus on him. “Wang Yibo. And you’re-”
“Xiao Zhan,” the boy smiles, and his lips part to reveal a perfect row of bunny teeth. He stretches out his hand eagerly. “I’m a new student here. It’s nice to meet you, Yibo.”
Somehow when Xiao Zhan’s hand slides into his, Yibo’s winded.
It’s like he’s fallen down all over again, but this time, he doesn’t want to get up.