Work Text:
As the news broke out to Xiao Zhan that people all around China had started to pit against him, a million thoughts were running through his head, but only one had truly captured his mind.
'What about Yibo?'
Even though his phone screen lit up showing hundreds of notifications from various people, he only paid attention to one contact.
Yibo: Gege
Yibo: What's going on?
Yibo: Why am I hearing about people boycotting you?
3 Missed Calls
Yibo: Gege.
Yibo: Call me when you see this.
Yibo: Or i'll go there myself.
No. He can't go here. It'll only make it worse.
Xiao Zhan: No
Xiao Zhan: Don't come here.
Xiao Zhan: I swear i'll talk to you
Xiao Zhan: Just
Xiao Zhan: Give me some time alone for now, didi.
Yibo: Fine.
Yibo: Take care of yourself, gege.
Xiao Zhan sighs as he flops himself into his bed, there's a million things he has to do, but all he wants right now is to feel the warmth of Yibo's embrace. Which is exactly the core of his problem.
He turns off his phone, and tosses it to his bed side table. He takes off his glasses, and closes his eyes, trying to relax, but all his thoughts are about Yibo.
He knows the netizens don't plan on just attacking him, but Yibo as well, he doesn't mind losing his career, but Yibo he... He's still young, and being in the industry has always been his goal. Before becoming a celebrity, Xiao Zhan was used to having a simple life, he wouldn't mind having it back, but Yibo... He's dedicated his entire life to the industry, he can't let this issue destroy Yibo's career.
And that's when it hits him. The thought he's been avoiding all this time, the decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life, but it's the only solution to save his and Yibo's career.
To end this. To end them.
He can already feel his eyes water as he forms this thought. He doesn't want to. He wants to selfishly scream at the world how much Wang Yibo means to him, but that doesn't only mean losing his career, but Yibo's career aswell.
He covers his face with his hands, as if it would help him stop crying. He cries and cries, endlessly, for hours. He recalls all their memories together, mostly during the filming of The Untamed. How things had been so simple back then, he would have never imagined it would have come to this point.
Being with Yibo had truly felt like a dream come true. It felt like he had been a character in a fairy tale he had read when he was a kid. Wang Yibo had truly been perfect, he was so good to him, he doesn't deserve it.
He remembers their dates, sometimes it was fancy restaurants, and outdoor activities like rock climbing. But sometimes they also just stayed at home, watched movies as Yibo tries to help him cook, (he only slows down the process with his skills, but Xiao Zhan would never admit that.) and cuddled as they fell to sleep.
It was all so perfect, too perfect, he had gotten too comfortable. Sometimes he wished that he and Yibo were just normal people, so that he didn't have to hide all of this. He wishes he could post all their dates on social media, tweet about how much he misses his boyfriend, and hold hands together in public, but he can't now. He chose this career, and now, he has to deal with it.
Xiao Zhan finally forces himself out of the covers, only to realize he had cried his way to dawn. He walks to the bathroom, head spinning, and when he looks at the mirror his eyes are puffy and red, but he pushes himself through.
He has to talk to Yibo today, he needs to end this today. He can spend the rest of his life stalking Yibo online. He can spend the rest of his life alone, if it means keeping Yibo safe.
Yibo: Gege.
Yibo: I miss you.
Yibo: You know you can talk to me.
Yibo: You know i'll always listen.
He feels his vision blur as tears fill his eyes once again as he reads Yibo's messages, he hasn't drank water since last night, how can he still cry? He types out a reply, short and fast, to mask all these unnecessary emotions he's feeling.
Xiao Zhan: I'm on my way.
He turns off his phone before Yibo can respond. Just one more message from Yibo, and he fears he'll back out of his plan.
He's able to convince his PR team to drive him to Yibo's apartment, barely being able to escape paparazzi. He arrives at the door of Wang Yibo's apartment complex.
'This is really it.' He thinks before knocking.
Yibo hurriedly opens the door, almost hitting Xiao Zhan in the face before pushing him inside like some kind of psycho and wrapping Xiao Zhan in a tight, warm, and comforting embrace. He's missed this, it's truly upsetting knowing this will be the last time he'll ever hug Yibo. He frowns in Yibo's embrace. He really will miss this.
He pushes Yibo away, and the younger one stumbles a bit. "Gege?" He says with a worried and concerned tone. Xiao Zhan can't face him, he knows exactly what face Yibo has right now, and he truly thinks that when he looks at the man all these thoughts about breaking up will disappear and he'll forget the reason why he's even here, so he looks down instead. Grabbing both of Yibo's hands and dragging him to the living room as Yibo follows behind him silently.
As they sit down on the couch, he takes a deep breath before speaking.
"Yibo..."
"I know what you're trying to do." Yibo interrupts before he can even say another word. His tone makes Xiao Zhan freeze, and he looks up to Yibo to find that the younger had a cold and stoic face on.
"And i'm telling you right now gege, it's not happening."
"I'm not breaking up with you."
He says as if it's a fact, as if it's so simple. It makes Xiao Zhan frown, why does he get to decide? Does he even fully understand the situation right now?
"Yibo, just listen to me, please..." He pleads but he gets interrupted once again.
"I already know what you're going to say. No. I don't want to."
"It's not that easy."
"Well, I don't care."
Xiao Zhan sighs, he forgot how stubborn Yibo is. He always does what he wants, and even though before he had loved that side of Yibo, it's really fucking annoying when it's you he's disagreeing with. He looks back down to their hands that are intertwined, and Yibo pressed his hands against Xiao Zhan's.
"Gege, please. I can't leave you." He begs, and Xiao Zhan closes his eyes in frustration.
"If it was up to me, I'd tell the world what you mean to me. But... I know you don't want that. So, i'll love you silently. I'll adjust for you, you know I'd do anything for you."
Xiao Zhan's eyes widen when he realizes that Yibo had the same thoughts as him, but he doesn't get more time to think about it since Yibo takes him by surprise even more when he moves down from the couch to the floor, his knees on the cold tiles of his apartment. Xiao Zhan's eyes widen even more as he realizes what's going on. He tries to make the younger one get up but Yibo refuses to before Xiao Zhan can even utter a word. Seriously.. this kid is so stubborn.
"Gege, look at me, please?" He begs, placing both of Xiao Zhan's palms on either side of his face. Xiao Zhan hesitantly looks at him, freezing when he locks eyes with the teary eyed and pouty Yibo. Oh, what the fuck? He doesn't have time to be turned on right now.
'Lock in Xiao Zhan!!!!!!' He internally screams to himself.
Thankfully, Yibo interrupts his thoughts, "Zhan-ge." He says slowly.
"Don't leave. Because i'm not going to. I'm not leaving you, and no one can make me. I'll be here with you through everything, i'll be beside you despite any issue. Just let me, please?" Those words were his last straw as he felt tears running down his face and dripping down to his pants.
"Don't cry gege." Yibo says as he wipes his tears, "I know it's hard for you, but it'll be even more difficult for you if you deal with this situation alone. We can solve this together, okay?"
"It's not your problem to deal with." Xiao Zhan says in between his sobs, "You're not supposed to be involved. That's why I want to break up with you, I don't want to ruin your career."
"I don't care about my career, gege." Yibo deadpans, and it makes Xiao Zhan freeze. "As long as I have you, I don't care about anything else." He admits, and Xiao Zhan feels his heart shatter.
He pulls Yibo up from the floor for an embrace, "I really don't deserve you" he mumbles in the embrace. "What are you saying gege? You deserve me and so much more." Yibo reassures him.
They stay like that for about an hour, cuddling on Yibo's couch in silence, till Yibo breaks the silence with, "You haven't eaten anything yet, have you?" Xiao Zhan nods, he forgot to eat since the first thing he did after getting out of bed was go straight to Yibo's apartment.
"Let's get you something to eat, gege."
When the food arrives they sit beside each other on the floor, eating food on Yibo's coffee table as Yibo plays a movie on the TV. It's silent, warm, and comfortable, though what happened today didn't go exactly how Xiao Zhan had planned it. He's happy that when the sun sets, he still has a loving and caring person beside him that he can call his boyfriend.
"Gege." Yibo calls out, "Mm?" Xiao Zhan answers while chewing his food. "What do you say about moving in with me?"
Xiao Zhan almost chokes on his food at the thought of it, and Yibo worriedly hands him water. "Well damn I didn't know it would be such a bad idea." Yibo says, clearly upset.
"No I- I don't think it's a bad idea." He reassures Yibo, "It's just that. I don't think it's a good time for me to be moving in with you at a time like this, didi."
Yibo sighs, "Mm, okay. I understand. But gege, if you think about it, it would benefit you. We wouldn't have to sneak around on dates anymore if we can just stay here at home."
Xiao Zhan looks up to Yibo and brushes his hair away from his face. "You're right, let's just wait for everything to calm down, didi. Then we'll talk more about it."
"Are you scared?" Yibo asks, Xiao Zhan nods, "Of course I am. But as you said, as long as you're here, I can deal with it."
Yibo flashes him with the same smile that he fell in love with the first time they met. The smile that told him that he would be beside Xiao Zhan no matter what. His boyfriend's smile.
A few years later.
"And that's the end of our recap of everything that happened in the Weibo Awards Ceremony 2025!" The anchor says on the car radio, "Now before we end this talk, let me ask you, jiejie. Which outfit was your favorite tonight?"
"Ahh, for me, definitely Wang Yibo's outfit. I loved his coat, especially the inner fabric inside, and with his long hair too? He was truly so handsome tonight." Another anchor answers, "What about you?"
"I agree with you, I loved Wang Yibo's outfit tonight, actually all of their outfits looked amazing. But if I had to pick a favorite, I would probably choose Xiao Zhan's."
"Yes! Yes! Amazing taste."
"Exactly. I loved his red bedazzled blazer a lot. It was very simple, yet he stood out the most for me. I don't know if it was because his outfit was really nice, or if he stood out to me because he's really handsome."
"You're right. Speaking of Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan, am I the only one who misses them? I mean I know there was a big issue about them a few years ago but it has settled down right? And Xiao Zhan has rebuilt his career so well that it's practically impossible for an issue like that to even nudge his career once again."
"Yes, yes. I miss them too, I remember watching The Untamed and absolutely loving their bromance. I hope they're still friends until now. Just a little more private? I'm guessing.."
"Yes, yes...."
The voices of the radio anchors slowly drift from his mind as he falls asleep in his car, waiting to arrive home after the event. After what felt like ages, his driver finally wakes him up, "Xiao Zhan, we're here." He nods, and thanks his driver before leaving the car. He enters his condominium, and gets ready for bed.
When he's finally about to sleep, he hears the door to his room open. "Gege? Are you still awake?" A familiar voice asks, Xiao Zhan rubs his eye to try and wake up, sitting up to see the person.
He sees a man with a mullet haircut, and a nice black coat with a bright inner fabric, the same one the lady on the radio was praising earlier. He smiles, and calls the man to come closer before pulling him for an embrace.
"Are you okay?" The man asks, Xiao Zhan nods.
"Of course i'm okay. I'm always going to be okay if i'm with you, didi.”