Chapter Text
Xiao Zhan smiled happily at the customer as he handed her the drink she had ordered.
“Thank you,” she muttered, a delicate blush gracing her features. Xiao Zhan nodded happily and checked the time on his wrist watch as she left the bakery.
There was fifteen minutes left until the closing time. He hummed happily to himself and began to tidy up the seating area. There was no one left in the bakery anymore, just himself.
A sudden ping went off and Xiao Zhan paused in the cleaning and reached into his pocket for his phone.
Lulu: Zhanzhan! Thanks for covering for me!
Xiao Zhan smiled at the text from his best friend and quickly typed out his reply.
Xiao Zhan: No problem Lulu, you know how I love being here and helping out in the bakery
Lulu: Really though, why don’t you just come and work here?
Xiao Zhan sighed.
Xiao Zhan: We’ve been through this, I can’t leave my job (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ
Xiao Zhan: I’m always happy to cover, as you know, but working permanently... I have clients lined up! If I just ditch on them what will they think?
Lulu: Okay, just please don’t tire yourself out
Xiao Zhan: I won’t! Don’t worry!
Xiao Zhan huffed lightly and switching his phone off, he went about to clean up the rest of the bakery.
Before long, everything was done. The chairs were atop the tables, the dishes were pristine, the counter was clear and everything was ready for the next morning.
Xiao Zhan grabbed his coat from the backrooms and after he did a last once over on the place, he switched the lights off and stepped outside after locking the doors.
They were right in the middle of the winter season, and so it had started to snow. Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but look up at the dark sky, mesmerised by the sight of small white flakes dancing themselves downwards, aided by the wind. The air was chilly as well, so he shrugged his jacket closer to himself and buried his hands in his pockets, seeking the warmth.
He didn’t need to take a ride to go back to his apartment as it was only walking distance away, but still, he couldn’t help but think that it would have been much nicer to have avoided the cold.
It wasn’t long before the snow started to come down heavier, and so Xiao Zhan increased his pace.
The roads were quiet, with no doubt people staying inside to shelter themselves from the snow. Xiao Zhan hummed a soft tune to himself as he continued to walk.
He would have almost missed the soft, pained whine to his left, but he didn’t, and he immediately stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard it.
Xiao Zhan blinked as he stared into the dark alleyway. He wondered if what he’d heard was just his imagination, but not even a second later and the sound came again.
As soon as he heard the sound, he quickly fumbled through his pockets and took his phone out, putting on the flashlight as he slowly walked in the alleyway, flashing the light in every direction.
The sound was getting louder and louder, and Xiao Zhan swallowed, trying to suppress the rising fear in him and the way his heart was beating so loudly against his chest.
A part of his mind was telling him to leave, but another part was telling him that someone could be in trouble, and what kind of person would he be if he were to ignore someone in danger?
He shook the thoughts out from his mind and continued to tentatively make his way through the alley, shining the light across every inch.
“Hello?” He softly called out.
Silence, save for the wind that brushed through his hair.
“Hello?” He called a bit louder this time, and a small whine echoed around in response.
Xiao Zhan whipped around to the direction of the cry and the light shone upon a black cat. He gasped, stunned, and then quickly approached the small animal. He reached a hand out, but then the cat suddenly opened its eyes, green and piercing and it hissed, so he quickly pulled back.
Instead, he tried to see if the cat was hurt anywhere.
He frowned after a few moments. The cat didn’t seem to be hurt, but then again, it was quite dark. Xiao Zhan thought for a moment and came to a conclusion as he reached his hand out again.
The cat retracted backwards instantly and Xiao Zhan let his hand stay out helplessly for a second, before he took a breath and kept it held out.
He waited.
The cat kept gazing at him, and its eyes darted to his hand, and then back to his face.
Xiao Zhan nodded and smiled comfortingly at it.
Then, after a few more moments, the cat reached out and pressed its head into Xiao Zhan’s hand.
Xiao Zhan smiled to himself at the soft touch of the animal against his palm, and he tenderly caressed it. “Let’s take you home,” he whispered.
The cat didn’t protest when Xiao Zhan scooped it up into his arms and took him out of the alley snuggled to his chest.
As soon as he stepped back out into the street light, Xiao Zhan looked back down at the animal. Now that he paid more attention to it, he noticed that the cat seemed a little different than normal cats he had seen, but he couldn't quite put a finger as to what was different.
He shook the feeling away, just wanting to get the animal safe and in a warm environment. Starting to stroke it, he felt the way it seemed to relax against his hold and he smiled down at it, scratching affectionately behind its ears.
“You’re so cute,” he whispered, but as soon as the words left his mouth, the cat bit at his thumb.
“Ah!” Xiao Zhan yelped at the sting and small blood started to trickle out from his thumb. He glared at the cat in his arms, who seemed completely unbothered at what it just did, and Xiao Zhan could only sigh.
“Brat,” he whispered, but he held the cat even closer, shielding it from the chilly air and snow.
When Xiao Zhan got home, the cat leapt out of his hands and jumped to the floor before sprinting around. Xiao Zhan stared at it, scoffing. Where was its energy before? But he also couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“Hey,” and Xiao Zhan blinked, not really expecting the cat to stop and stare at him with a look.
He approached it and crouched down, picking it up again. Luckily, the animal didn’t protest and let itself be carried to the couch.
Xiao Zhan gently placed it down, then began probing it.
The cat gave him a judgmental look.
“I’m trying to see where you’re hurt,” Xiao Zhan slightly pouted, silently thinking of the amount of attitude the cat had.
When there were no more reactions, he leaned back against the couch.
“I brought you here because I thought you were hurt, but you seem fine to me,” Xiao Zhan thought aloud, staring at the ceiling as he shook his head.
Deciding he was too tired to think more today, he got up and headed to his bedroom.
The soft patter of paws against the tiles made him turn around.
He smiled.
“Following me to the bathroom?”
The cat paused, then turned away.
Xiao Zhan stared at its retreating back and couldn’t help but laugh.
Once he was done with washing up and was dressed in comfortable clothes, he made his way back out to the living room.
The cat was there. Sitting on the couch. Watching TV.
Xiao Zhan blinked.
Okay, so, this wasn’t a weird dream. He decided not to dwell much on the fact that the cat had turned the TV on. It was mostly likely just a random press of the button, he mused.
“Making yourself at home, are you?”
The cat turned to look at him with a fixed gaze, its green eyes judgmental and somewhat cold.
Everytime the cat would eye him with that look, Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but feel at a loss for words.
Now that he paid more attention to its eyes though, Xiao Zhan could note that the cat’s eyes were not just green, but also had a tinge of a brilliant blue. He hadn’t seen many cats with blue eyes, so he couldn’t help but be fascinated.
“Wow, your eyes are beautiful.” Xiao Zhan said, sitting down next to the animal as he stared into his eyes, assessing. He was so busy admiring the unique eyes that he didn’t realise there was a paw coming straight to his head.
Then it hit him.
“You—!”
The cat looked away and turned its attention back to the TV.
Xiao Zhan was still stunned, and when he turned to face the TV, he saw that a motorcycle racing show was playing. He grabbed the remote and switched the TV off.
The cat turned to slowly look at him, and Xiao Zhan was taken aback.
“What?”
The cat stayed silent.
Of course it stayed silent, Xiao Zhan mused, it wasn’t going to speak. Cats don’t speak.
But even though he had been with this animal for not even one night, the feeling of a familiarity had washed over him, and he genuinely felt as if it wasn’t a cat next to him, but a person.
He shook his head, thinking he really was tired to think about something so absurd. Getting up, he switched the lights off to the room and took a couple of pillows from the couch as he made his way back to the bedroom, the gentle tapping behind him letting him know that the cat was following him.
Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but smile. As unusual as the cat may seem, it seemed a bit clingy, and Xiao Zhan knew it may have something to do with the fact that he had found it alone and whining in an alleyway in the freezing air.
Setting the pillows down beside the wall, Xiao Zhan sheepishly smiled.
“I know it’s not much but—” He turned to see where the cat was, only to pause when he saw it curled on his bed.
Xiao Zhan huffed softly at the sight, feeling his heart swell with warmth.
“Okay, mister, you can sleep there.” He sighed, knowing that with the level of stubbornness this cat had shown, he was unlikely to be deterred from not sleeping there.
He gazed at the cat for a few seconds before heading back out to the kitchen. He filled a bowl with water and then brought it back to the room and set it down by the pillows.
“I’ll get some food for you tomorrow,” he muttered, before yawning and flopping down onto the mattress.
As soon as his head hit the pillow, he passed out.
Wang Yibo didn’t expect to end up here.
It was cold and he was tired, and the lights from the streets were blinding so he headed straight for an alleyway where there would be a cover of darkness. He didn’t know how much time had passed, just that he was curled in on himself in his baby panther form.
His fight with his father was still ringing in his ears.
“For the safety of our pack, you must do it, Yibo.”
“Father, with all due respect, we’ve been safe for generations.”
“And we must continue to maintain that safety!” His father had raised his voice.
“How is a marriage going to—”
“You’re the heir, it is your responsibility.”
“Don’t I get a choice?”
His father had no reply.
Yibo didn’t understand where his father was coming from. He had instilled the values of being a leader into him ever since he was young, and providing choice and freedom was a part of those values. It was incredibly ironic.
He didn’t even realise that his frustrations were echoing around the place in the form of whines, until a bright white light had shone upon him, and a beautiful face had come into sight.
The man’s face, lit up by the glow, looked like a work of art. His doe eyes, dark and deep, seemed to hold so much emotion, framed by perfectly shaped brows. His lips looked soft and slightly parted, and he seemed to be on the verge of speaking. He looked ethereal, and with the light bouncing around, Yibo wondered for a short moment whether the guy was actually an angel.
Very soon though, he realised that no, the man was very much human. A sweet, kind and gentle human.
Different to what his father had painted them out to be.
Yibo didn’t need to be taken by the stranger — he didn’t need to be carried. He could have changed into his full form and frightened him away, but the stranger’s sweet scent was so alluring it was almost impossible for him to pull away.
Yibo was entranced, and he wasn’t about to let go.
Xiao Zhan groaned, feeling a tap on his forehead.
“Five more minutes...” He mumbled groggily into the pillow, hugging it tighter as he pressed his cheek against it.
The tapping paused, and then continued.
Xiao Zhan ignored it.
And then he realised.
Opening his eyes, he bolted upright, staring down at the cat stretching innocently.
“You...” Xiao Zhan shook his head, smiling, “Good morning little mister.” He spoke softly, stroking the cat’s soft black fur. It was so soft, he thought, continuing to stroke the animal as he began to scratch behind his ears.
It was then that he noticed the plaster on his thumb.
“Huh,” he looked at it with confusion. He didn’t remember putting on a plaster last night for the cut, but then again, he had been very tired so he may have done it absentmindedly. Stretching, he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.
Once he was done freshening up, he sat back down on the bed, amused when the cat settled in his lap. “You really are a cutie,” he grinned, scratching behind its ears again.
At once, the cat leapt, giving barely any time for Xiao Zhan to do anything before it sauntered away and out of the room.
“What the...” Xiao Zhan could only blink at it as it left the room.
Deciding not to worry about it for the moment, he checked his phone. There were a few messages from his parents, from his friends, but the one that caught his eye the most was the message from his client. It seemed that they had some updates for him regarding his most recent project.
Xiao Zhan opened the message, and thinking for a moment, typed out his reply. It would mean extra work, but he was determined to get it done. He would start working today on the designs, but first of all he needed to get the little mister some food.
One thing Yibo noticed having stayed with the human for a night — the human whose name he’d found out was Xiao Zhan from his phone — was how endearing some of his actions were.
For instance, when he was deep in thought, his lips would form a small pout and his brows would furrow the smallest amount. When he was asleep, he would hug the pillow tightly and bury his face into it, mumbling incoherent words.
It sent such a weird feeling through him everytime he saw it, which was quite often, and he didn’t know what to do with it. He had never felt this way before, towards anyone or anything. It was a feeling of protectiveness and possessiveness. Maybe towards his pack he had felt this way, but it was very different to how he felt about the human.
And staying with him was turning out to be some sort of adventure.
So, Yibo thought to himself, there was no rush to go back to his pack and face his father’s discontent, when he could be here, watching Xiao Zhan get ready to get some food for him.
Food that he wasn’t fond of but would eat for the man anyways, just to see that pretty, dazzling smile again.
What was funny though was that Xiao Zhan hadn’t seemed to have realised yet that Yibo wasn’t actually a cat, but in the form of a baby panther, and Yibo couldn’t wait to see his expression when he would realise.
“Alright, I’m back!” Xiao Zhan announced to no one in particular — okay, maybe to the cat — as he placed the shopping bags down on the kitchen counter.
The cat seemed to appear out of nowhere, jumping up gracefully to situate itself next to the bags.
“Hey there,” Xiao Zhan smiled, reaching out to scratch behind its ears. He couldn’t stop his grin from widening as he saw the way the cat leaned into his touch, purring happily. It seemed the cat was finally allowing for his touch.
“I got your food as promised,” he took the contents out of the bag and started preparing them in a bowl.
After Xiao Zhan was done, he set the bowl down on the ground and watched as the cat jumped to have a taste. Chuckling, Xiao Zhan crouched down to stroke its fur before getting back up again, sighing as he made his way to his work station in his room.
As soon as he sat down behind his desk, the cat appeared out of nowhere, startling him and he almost fell out of the chair.
“You—! You were just eating a minute ago? You can’t have finished already!” He frowned.
The cat raised its head slightly, as if offering a challenge.
Xiao Zhan scoffed, crossing his arms.
“Okay, you can stay here... If,” he paused, putting emphasis on the word, “You let me work in peace.”
Xiao Zhan could’ve sworn he saw the cat nod, but then he thought he really was going crazy because to him it looked as if the cat was smirking.
No, that’s not right. Cats didn’t smirk the last time he checked.
Running a hand through his hair, Xiao Zhan side eyed the cat which was perched innocently at the end of the desk. Even though it wasn’t doing anything it had already successfully distracted him. He groaned into his hand and ran it through his hair again, closing his eyes to refocus before reopening them.
After a few long minutes of staring into nothingness, Xiao Zhan placed the pencil onto his paper and began to work.
Soon enough, the ideas came to him naturally and he quickly scribbled some rough notes onto a separate sheet of paper as he continued sketching out an outline. He paused, scratching the back of his head with the pencil as he subconsciously bit at his lower lip, lost in thought.
Then, intense blue–green eyes came into his mind and he blinked.
He quickly began sketching and writing the new inspiration that had come to mind.
Notes:
Hii, this fic is 90%~ complete, and I hope to update weekly <3
I hope you'll enjoy !! 💓
Chapter Text
Yibo watched as the human worked himself for hours.
He seemed to have forgotten that Yibo was in the room and he didn’t even glance his way when Yibo leapt off the desk to walk mindlessly around, taking note of everything.
Now that he properly glanced around, he could see that Xiao Zhan’s personality was almost everywhere he looked.
It was tidy, neat and there was some art on the wall, as well as a poster of a handsome Korean man that had Yibo glaring at for a little longer than necessary.
Overall, it was a simple yet humble place to live, differing drastically to his own home in the woods.
Thinking back to it, Yibo smiled inwardly.
His pack had found sanctuary in a forest years ago and they had ended up staying there for generations. After time, rumours had spread around about the forest being haunted, and so people very rarely disturbed them.
There were plentiful cabins for if they wanted to shift into their human form, so it was incredibly comfortable, and the forest itself was a perfect home if they wished to change into their panther forms.
It wasn’t much, but it was perfect for Yibo, and having grown up there he couldn’t think of a more perfect place to have been brought up in.
Now, the place that he was currently staying in because of an undeniable interest had him staring at the clock, waiting for the human to get up to have some lunch.
Except he didn’t.
Yibo internally groaned, thinking to himself about how this human could be so careless. As he walked off and into the kitchen, he continued to mindlessly think until an idea came to mind.
It wasn’t the best idea he had, but hopefully it would work, so he cleared his throat and tried his best impression of what could be considered a decent meow.
Nothing. There was no reaction from Xiao Zhan, just the continuous sound of pen scribbling against paper.
And so Yibo tried again, ignoring his pride.
His attempt worked as Xiao Zhan finally seemed to have awoken from his stupor, and he came walking into the kitchen, blinking slowly.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Xiao Zhan crouched down in front of him, his eyes concerned as he gazed at him.
As Xiao Zhan continued to stare at him, Yibo was at a momentary loss for words.
This human was simply too stunning, and so, so gentle.
Yibo could only blink in response, before bringing up a paw and pointing it towards the fridge.
Xiao Zhan followed his point, eyes slightly squinted and his mouth upturned in an adorable show of confusion. Yibo couldn’t help but stare at the pout, wondering for the nth time since he first laid eyes on Xiao Zhan, how could a human be so cute?
After a moment, Xiao Zhan turned back at him, his eyes still holding a trace of confusion.
“What?” He asked.
Yibo pointed again at the fridge, moving his head along with the gesture.
After a couple of moments, it seemed as if something finally clicked in Xiao Zhan and he gasped, an ‘o’ forming on his mouth.
Yibo got a sight of those adorable bunny teeth, but before he could think again about how adorable Xiao Zhan was, he spoke up.
“You clever cat!” Xiao Zhan’s smile was so incredibly wide Yibo felt as if he was almost blinded by it. How could a human hold that much light? That much purity?
Before he could dwell on the thoughts any further Xiao Zhan leaned in and kissed his head, letting a hand trail softly up and down his soft body.
Yibo froze.
Xiao Zhan didn’t register Yibo’s state and after a few more light strokes, he got up to open the fridge, bringing out some leftovers that he began to heat up.
Yibo still hadn’t moved from his spot.
Where Xiao Zhan had kissed him felt as if he was branded by heat. His lips had been so incredibly soft and full and they felt so right on him. He wanted those lips on him again. He wanted—
“Little mister?”
Yibo startled out of the thoughts and looked up at Xiao Zhan, who was watching him with a curious expression.
“If you’re tired, go take a nap,” he smiled, amused.
Right. Yeah. Yibo should get some sleep, even though he wasn’t tired in the slightest. Maybe then he could clear his mind with the odd feelings going through him.
Xiao Zhan seemed to be stunned that he listened to his words and left for the bedroom obediently, but Yibo didn’t look back to see the expression on Xiao Zhan that would reflect his thoughts, knowing he would think about how cute it would be. Again.
Instead, he leapt onto the bed and closed his eyes.
“Lulu, I’m telling you. This cat is beyond amazing!”
“Xiao Zhan...”
“No, listen! He literally does everything I say—”
Xuan Lu let out an amused chuckle at Xiao Zhan’s words.
“I’m serious! He listens to everything I ask to do. I suggested he go take a nap and he did!”
Xuan Lu chuckled again on the other end of the phone, and Xiao Zhan could almost picture the way she would be covering her mouth.
“I’m so glad you found this cat, Zhanzhan,” she said, her tone soft.
Xiao Zhan smiled sweetly as he looked back at the cat’s sleeping form on his bed.
“Yeah... so am I.”
“Oh yeah!” He started again, “He even reminded me to have lunch.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
“He... what?”
Xiao Zhan grinned to himself. “I know.”
“I’m not even going to ask.” She lightly laughed.
They talked for a few more moments but soon ended the call.
Xiao Zhan smiled at the phone for a couple of seconds before setting it down and making his way back to his desk.
He stared down at the new design, pleased with the way everything had turned out so far. Hopefully, it would turn out to his client’s liking. All he had to do now was refine and then present it, but he still had a day before the presentation, so Xiao Zhan gave himself the luxury of taking a quick nap.
Smiling to himself, he nestled down by the cat, deciding not to cover himself with the sheets lest he disturb the cat’s nap. Instead, he placed a gentle hand on the animal and closed his eyes.
Feeling a soothing warmth, Yibo leaned into the comforting touch. He almost sighed, but then he remembered where he was and he quickly shot up, going to the other end of the bed.
When he turned around, he saw the human sleeping peacefully, a small smile on his delicate features.
Yibo let himself stare for a couple of minutes, then he jumped down from the bed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was in his human form.
As he walked around the bed, his eyes never left the human’s. When he was right next to him, Yibo stared again. He was so, so, beautiful.
Subconsciously, a hand began reaching out to his face and when he realised what he was doing, he stopped for a moment.
“Xiao Zhan... how did you do this to me?” He said quietly after a moment, finally placing a hand on those soft cheeks.
He brushed his face, a bit too tenderly, and then quickly pulled back, feeling his heartbeat quicken. He had no idea what was happening but whatever it was, it had happened too fast, too quickly for him to come to terms with.
He wasn’t oblivious, but it was rather the fact that he didn’t want to believe what exactly it was.
Then, he saw Xiao Zhan frown, his lips forming an adorable pout that Yibo couldn’t look away from and before he knew what had happened, Xiao Zhan had suddenly grabbed his wrists and pulled him down with surprising strength from someone who was still asleep.
Yibo was so surprised that he didn’t stop himself from being tugged downwards and he found himself suddenly on top of Xiao Zhan, his arms bracketed on either side of his face.
It felt as if his heart was going to leap out of his chest.
Up close, Xiao Zhan was even more beautiful. This close to his lips, Yibo couldn’t help but stare at them intently, unblinking as desire pooled in his gut to get a taste.
Xiao Zhan began to stir again and in a second Yibo was back into his panther form.
Xiao Zhan startled awake when he felt a soft weight on his chest and he looked down, seeing the cat snuggled against him. Xiao Zhan huffed fondly and realising that the cat was awake, he smiled at him.
“Hello mister,” he began to stroke him, his smile widening at the endearing way the cat snuggled closer to him.
He still couldn’t quite believe how close they had gotten in such a short while, especially since the cat had been hesitant to his touch at the start.
After a few minutes of absentminded stroking, Xiao Zhan finally got up in a sitting position, the cat somewhat protesting.
“I have to work,” Xiao Zhan chuckled when the small animal refused to budge from his lap.
The cat gave him a look then perched itself on his shoulder.
Xiao Zhan huffed fondly, “You’re so stubborn it’s unbelievable,” he said, stretching his limbs gently before standing up and making his way towards his desk. He smiled when he saw the earlier design he had created and picked up the pencil to start refining it, the cat still resting comfortably on his shoulder.
Occasionally, its tail would touch his neck, making Xiao Zhan still as it gave him a tickling sensation. It was as if the cat was doing it on purpose, trying to get a reaction out of him, like it knew Xiao Zhan was sensitive in that area.
When it was the sixth time the cat teased him, Xiao Zhan finally did something about it.
“You little brat,” he twisted in his seat and grabbed at the cat, grinning in victory when he finally perched him down on the floor.
The cat stared at him blankly.
“Behave,” Xiao Zhan pointed a finger at it and the cat’s eyes followed his fingers, before sitting down comfortably on the floor.
Xiao Zhan sighed in relief and turned back to his work, but then almost accidentally snapped his pencil when he felt a tail brush his ankle.
Finally, after quite a while of trying his best to ignore the constant teasing the cat made him endure, Xiao Zhan was done with his designs. He smiled as he stared down at his pages of art and writing and neatly placed them into one of his folders.
By the time he checked the clock, it was already late into the evening — time really did zoom past when he immersed himself into his work, he smiled.
For dinner, Xiao Zhan just heated up some more of the remaining leftovers and by the time he was done with eating, he sat on the sofa, putting on a drama he had started some time ago.
It was romantic and funny and it had Xiao Zhan laughing softly to himself. He turned to his left, seeing the cat sitting there with a sort of bored look on its face. Xiao Zhan shook his head and turned his attention back to the show.
After thirty minutes, he started to yawn. The exhaustion was getting to him now so he changed his position and lay down on the sofa, his head resting comfortably on the armrest. In the process, he almost kicked the cat.
Xiao Zhan snickered. “Sorry!”
The cat didn’t even spare him a glance and hopped off, walking away. Xiao Zhan huffed, his gaze going back to the two main leads on the screen who were in a bakery, browsing through the delectable treats.
Before long, his eyes began to droop, and the last thing on his mind was fresh croissants and pastries with chocolate filling.
In his human form, Yibo looked down at the peaceful expression on Xiao Zhan’s face. His mouth was slightly parted, revealing a set of two adorable bunny teeth. His face was to the side, giving Yibo a full view of that gorgeous neck.
Of that neck he wanted to sink his own teeth into and mark, claim. To show anyone and everyone who would ever lay eyes on him that he was already taken.
Yibo looked away, trying to suppress the dangerous thoughts. When he looked back, Xiao Zhan’s brows furrowed adorably and he looked to be on the verge of saying something.
“Little mister... clean that mess...” He mumbled, his body turning so that he now faced the backrest of the sofa. In the middle of it all, his shirt had slipped upwards, revealing that waist that Yibo was sure his hands could fully envelop.
“Okay...” Yibo said to himself after a moment, his voice hoarse, “Bed.”
Slipping his hands underneath Xiao Zhan’s shoulder and waist, Yibo hoisted him up effortlessly, his inner animal strength making the endeavour easy.
Xiao Zhan stirred in his hold, making Yibo freeze for a moment, before the human buried his face in his chest.
Yibo stared down at him and briefly wondered how Xiao Zhan wasn’t waking up to the sound of his thundering heart.
After a few more moments of unabashed staring, Yibo finally began making his way to the bedroom, leaning down and placing Xiao Zhan gently on the bed. Immediately, Xiao Zhan’s hands reached upwards as if they were seeking something and Yibo swallowed, his heart about to break with the amount of affection he held for the other man.
How had it come to this?
As Yibo brushed a hand through Xiao Zhan’s hair, Xiao Zhan’s hands slowly went back to his sides and a content look graced his features as he leaned into Yibo’s touch.
“Xiao Zhan...” Yibo whispered, a sudden urge for Xiao Zhan to notice him, to see him for who he truly was.
But he couldn’t.
Not now.
A distant ringing sound could be heard. It was annoying and disruptive and Xiao Zhan desperately wanted it to stop. Groaning, he blinked his eyes open, staring dazedly at the ceiling above.
Then, he shot up, the blanket around him falling down to his waist.
Looking around for his phone, Xiao Zhan found it on the bedside table and he quickly switched the alarm off, running a hand through his hair.
Right, the presentation was today.
After he got ready, he went out into the kitchen and fixed himself some breakfast. Once that was done, he made his way back into his bedroom and gathered all the necessary papers, double checking that he had everything.
When he made his way to the living room, he paused in his tracks.
Since he hadn’t seen the cat in his room or the kitchen, he thought that maybe it was in the living room or perhaps on the sofa.
The sofa.
He blinked slowly as the memories of last night came to him. He remembered the vague feeling of being taken into strong arms, the feeling of a firm yet soft chest, the sound of a deep voice calling his name...
Xiao Zhan ran a hand down his face. It was such a vivid dream…
“Little mister?” He called out after quickly dispersing the thoughts from his mind as he looked around the room.
Xiao Zhan felt panic begin to rise within him when he couldn’t see the cat anywhere and he frantically started searching the rest of the house.
Once it was certain that the cat was nowhere, Xiao Zhan didn’t know what to do. He saw that the window in his bedroom was open and though he didn’t even remember opening it, he knew it was his fault.
He had been careless and now the cat was gone. Who knew if Xiao Zhan was ever going to see him again?
He swallowed, berating himself for feeling this way towards a cat that wasn’t even his. He had just kept him for a few days and yet he had grown so attached to the animal that his disappearance had already left a deep, hollow emptiness in his heart.
Letting out a shaky sigh, Xiao Zhan closed his eyes, trying to keep his emotions at bay.
Then, he took his bag with the designs and left his apartment.
Yibo felt refreshed after going outside. He needed to clear his head and that meant he couldn’t be there when Xiao Zhan woke up. Who knew if his control would snap and he’d shapeshift right in front of him and just grab him by the neck and devour his mouth—
Yibo stopped in his tracks.
So much for clearing his head.
Sighing, he made his way to a park and sat on a bench.
Just what was he to do with all the intense feelings? It was truly unlike anything else he’d ever experienced.
All he knew was that he wanted to see Xiao Zhan smile, he wanted to see Xiao Zhan laugh, he wanted to tear apart anyone who’d ever make his smile flicker, he wanted to hide Xiao Zhan away so that the only one who’d get to see his beauty would be him.
It was a dangerous desire, one that he knew he had no right to feel, but he couldn’t help it.
He was in love with him.
Yibo stayed sitting there on the bench, his hands in his pockets as he watched the day unfold before him. Before, time had never been an issue for him — the days would pass by in the blink of an eye, but now with Xiao Zhan, Yibo didn’t want time to continue. He wanted to stay in the moment, cherishing each and every touch Xiao Zhan would give him, every smile and every call for his name.
He chuckled suddenly, thinking of what Xiao Zhan was calling him. Really, did he have no better name for him than little mister? He shook his head fondly.
Deciding that it was time to head back, Yibo got up and made his way back to Xiao Zhan’s apartment. When he was just outside, he made his way around the back, and, double checking no one was around, he shifted into his small panther form.
It didn’t take long for him to jump onto the windows and open them from the outside. It was so easy to open that Yibo made a mental note to one day, preferably soon, secure the windows so that it wasn’t so easy for someone to open them from the outside, even though Xiao Zhan’s apartment was higher up.
As soon as he went in, Yibo knew something was wrong.
It was quiet, too quiet. Xiao Zhan should’ve arrived home by now. His presentation wasn’t supposed to have lasted the entire day.
With his heart hammering, Yibo quickly went into each room. Not a single light was on and there was no indication that Xiao Zhan had returned home at all.
Yibo felt something inside him twist.
Xiao Zhan needed to be okay, he needed to be alright.
Shifting back into his human form, Yibo made his way quickly out of the apartment, making his way down the staircase. As soon as he stepped back out into the air, he realised the night air had turned colder.
Yibo closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself, then a sudden idea came to him and he mentally cursed at the fact that he hadn’t thought of it earlier.
Going back into his animal form to get back into Xiao Zhan’s apartment, he shifted back again and rummaged through the wardrobe. Thinking quickly but carefully, Yibo took out a dark red scarf that belonged to Xiao Zhan.
Swallowing the rising emotion in his throat, Yibo brought the scarf closer to his nose, his heart instantly feeling soothed and warm at the familiar peach scent that he breathed in.
Using his instincts, Yibo held onto the scarf and left the apartment once again, following the trace of the scent that would lead him to Xiao Zhan.
It had to work. Yibo didn’t know what he would do if it didn’t.
Notes:
Xz: I’m just gonna focus on work and not get distracted! 🐰
Yb: *proceeds to do everything in his (baby panther) power to tease him 🦁
I hope you liked this update hehe. Yb it’s only chapter 2 and you’re already in love, so shameless!
Chapter Text
Xiao Zhan could feel his brain getting cloudy and even though he had made a promise to himself that he would only have one drink and one drink only to indulge in his sorrow, he couldn’t help but drink a couple more, effectively ignoring the silent promise he made to himself.
It turned out that the presentation for the designs didn’t work out because his client didn’t show up. Xiao Zhan had waited, and waited, only to get a quick call from the client suddenly changing his mind to go to a different firm.
It was one of the first presentations Xiao Zhan had eagerly been waiting for and it was one of the first that he had full confidence in, as well as being the one he’d been most proud of. So as not to get even a chance to showcase his efforts...
He didn’t know what to do, so instead of heading home, he decided to sort the problem by heading to a bar.
Normally, Xiao Zhan would only go with friends as they would be able to take care of him if things went out of hand, or urge him to monitor how much he was drinking. He wasn’t a good drinker after all, so he rarely went alone, but this time he couldn’t help it.
That was how he found himself on his third, fourth — he didn’t know — drink. He was flushed and the music that was booming everywhere was starting to give him a painful headache.
Wanting to get rid of the headache, Xiao Zhan finally got up from the stool, only to stumble backwards until he felt something firm behind him.
Xiao Zhan closed his eyes and whilst the touch behind him was supposed to be unfamiliar, even in his dazed state Xiao Zhan felt a sense of familiarity, so he couldn’t help but lean backwards into the touch.
At that, a hand wrapped around his waist and Xiao Zhan gasped as the man held him tightly whilst dragging him out of the bar. He didn’t even resist and went along with him willingly.
As soon as they were out, the cold hit him and Xiao Zhan shivered slightly.
“Here,” the voice was deep and alluring and Xiao Zhan closed his eyes, wanting to listen more to the stranger’s voice.
He didn’t even realise he had rested his head onto the man’s shoulder and was beginning to doze off, before the same hand that had been gripping his waist slowly travelled up his body to rest loosely on his neck.
Xiao Zhan liked the touch. It was soft, gentle, and in no way he felt that he should be scared. Sighing into the shoulder, Xiao Zhan snuggled closer, not realising that by doing so his hips were pressed tight against the other’s.
After hearing a stuttered breath, the hand on his neck was gone and Xiao Zhan frowned, wanting the familiar warmth to be back on him.
It was as if the man could hear his thoughts as in the next moment, something warm had wrapped around his neck again and he sighed in content.
“Mm, thank you...” Xiao Zhan whispered, his head still resting on the shoulder.
A hand brushed some of his hairs away from his forehead.
“I like that,” Xiao Zhan muttered, smiling into the shoulder.
The hand paused.
“I said I like that, why did you stop?” Xiao Zhan wrapped his arms tight around the man’s waist, wanting to be even closer to him.
“Xiao Zhan.”
“...”
“...Xiao Zhan?”
“...”
Xiao Zhan didn't care how the man knew his name. All Xiao Zhan knew was that he wanted him to say it for the rest of his life.
Vaguely, he could feel the last restraints of his consciousness begin to fade, so he asked a question he knew even in his drunken state he needed to know.
“Your...name?”
The silence that followed lasted for too long. Xiao Zhan didn’t like it so he hugged the man even tighter. Finally, after a few more moments, he spoke.
“Wang Yibo.”
“Mn, Wang Yibo... I like...” Xiao Zhan didn’t get the chance to finish the rest of his sentence as darkness finally overcame him. The last thing he felt were the arms around him tighten protectively, stopping him from falling.
Xiao Zhan woke up with a pounding headache and he frowned, bringing a hand to his head. Groaning, he blinked his eyes open and he almost shrieked when he saw a pair of eyes staring straight at him.
Startling upright, Xiao Zhan stared at the cat who just looked at him, blinking ever so innocently.
“You—” He began, running a hand through his hair, “You almost gave me a heart attack there little mister,” he huffed.
Then, everything came back to him like a crashing wave.
The presentation— the client— the drinks— the man—
Oh.
“Wang Yibo.” Xiao Zhan subconsciously said aloud, the name on his lips making his heartbeat instinctively quicken.
When he looked back at the cat, he noticed how its entire demeanour had changed. It looked more alert and it seemed to stare at him, its piercing eyes going straight through him.
Xiao Zhan swallowed and looked away, feeling heat course through him at the reminder of how shamelessly he had acted the previous night.
That man though... Wang Yibo... How did he know where Xiao Zhan lived, because how else would he have gotten home? And why did Xiao Zhan feel so safe with him even though he barely knew what he himself was doing?
Shaking his head out of the thoughts, Xiao Zhan looked back at the cat who was still looking at him. Overcome with a need for comfort, Xiao Zhan surged forward and grabbed the cat into his arms before hugging it as he rubbed his face against it.
He felt the cat freeze but then it continued to allow for him to cuddle.
“Little mister,” Xiao Zhan said once he pulled back, “You will not believe the day I had yesterday.” He chuckled.
After rambling on and on to the cat about what had happened, Xiao Zhan could’ve sworn he saw the cat’s eyes darken. He thought it was just a simple trick of the light, so he didn’t think much of it.
“That Wang Yibo... he smelled so good.” Xiao Zhan absentmindedly said as he continued to stroke the cat resting on his chest.
Xiao Zhan had allowed himself to have a lazy morning in bed and in doing so all of his thoughts were spilling out.
“I don’t really remember his face, but I know he was so handsome.” He continued. Xiao Zhan felt the cat snuggle closer to him and he hummed in content.
“It’s crazy though, what happened? All I remember is falling asleep on him,” Xiao Zhan chuckled. The memory was incredibly faint but he could still recall that familiar musk.
“I don’t remember anything I said though, just that I sort of...hugged him?” He finished uncertainly as a flush graced his features — he still couldn’t believe how he had acted.
The cat looked up at him, and Xiao Zhan stared down, meeting its eyes. After a few seconds, the cat looked away but not before stretching on him. Xiao Zhan laughed, once again thinking how cute the cat was.
“Thank you for coming back, little mister,” he began to say, scratching him behind the ears, “I really thought you were gone,” he sighed.
The little animal then suddenly jumped up from his chest and found a spot beside his neck, and before Xiao Zhan knew what was happening he was getting licked by the cat.
Xiao Zhan giggled at the feeling and that only seemed to make the cat more eager as he continued, making Xiao Zhan’s neck damper by the second.
“Okay!” Xiao Zhan was breathless after laughing for so long, “That’s enough,” he turned on his side and pulled the cat back into his arms.
The day passed by quickly, much to Xiao Zhan’s reluctance. He had gone in the afternoon down to the bakery to help out and it was incredibly refreshing to be in that sort of environment again. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his job, it was just that right now he didn’t want to focus on it, especially after what happened the previous day.
When night came by, Xiao Zhan took out a bottle of wine that he had bought but never had the chance to drink and poured himself a glass.
The emotions he had tried to ignore throughout the day were coming at him, so he decided to finally open the bottle and drink his worries away. The cat just watched him do it all with reproachful eyes.
A couple glasses in and Xiao Zhan was already pretty much drunk. He sat at the table for a few moments, blinking slowly at nothing in particular before an absurd thought came to mind. Jolting up, Xiao Zhan stumbled for a moment, catching himself on the table.
“Yibo...” His voice came out slurred, but his mind was clear with the vision of pure handsomeness that came from the mysterious man he had met.
The cat, who had been taking steps towards him, paused in his tracks.
“Little mister... I’m... I’ll be back!” He grinned, his smile as bright as the sun as he stared down at the animal. “I’m going to find my future husband!”
If Xiao Zhan had been in his normal, completely sober state, then he definitely would’ve found the look of complete shock on the cat’s face unusual — it’s eyes were wide and his mouth was open.
But Xiao Zhan could only giggle at the amusing sight as he dashed out of the room, quickly putting on his shoes as he left into the night.
Wang Yibo had fallen in love with an idiot. A gorgeous, beautiful, smart idiot.
It only made him seem to love Xiao Zhan even more though, even though right now he was currently, subtly, walking a fair enough distance behind the man in order to keep an eye on him.
He was so cute normally, but a drunk Xiao Zhan seemed to be an adorable force to be reckoned with, so in his human form Yibo quickly ventured out after Xiao Zhan to look after him.
His heart did not forget what Xiao Zhan had said though — that he was going to find his future husband. Now Yibo most likely would have been jealous if no name had been said, but Xiao Zhan had said a name. His. And so Yibo was trying his best not to freak out.
He was brought out of his thoughts by a light cheer and he snapped his head up to see Xiao Zhan grinning outside the bar he had found him in the previous day.
Yibo sighed and followed Xiao Zhan as he went in.
Inside, it was busy to say the least. The music was loud and bodies were pressed against each other as they danced sensually to the beat.
Yibo was silently grateful when all Xiao Zhan did was sit behind the counter. It would make everything much easier.
He took a seat right next to Xiao Zhan and was about to order before two beautiful wide doe eyes set themselves on him.
“Husband!” Xiao Zhan exclaimed, his eyes bright and his mouth curved into the single-handedly most beautiful smile Yibo had ever seen.
Okay. Maybe Yibo wasn’t prepared for this. His heart was already thundering in his chest.
He swallowed and after a few seconds regained his composure.
“Xiao Zhan,” he nodded, trying his best to sound as if Xiao Zhan wasn’t currently causing his heart to combust.
“You remember me,” Xiao Zhan gasped in awe. The expression on his face was too cute. How could a grown man like Xiao Zhan be so adorable? Yibo wondered.
“How could I forget you?”
Xiao Zhan laughed, the sound melodious even with the booming music reverberating around.
“Are you real, Wang Yibo?” Xiao Zhan poked his shoulder, once, twice, and after a few more times he came to a conclusion.
“You really are real, but are you a part of this world?” He asked with a serious expression.
Yibo huffed and he couldn’t help but smile.
“You could say something like that.”
“So cool!” Xiao Zhan was staring at him as if he hung the stars and Yibo wanted to kiss him.
Of course, he didn’t, even though it was taking so much strength within him not to just bend Xiao Zhan over the counter and take him right there—
“Husband?”
“...”
“Husband...?”
Yibo blinked, then he sucked in a sharp breath. Xiao Zhan was so close to him, so close that if Yibo wanted to he could count every one of his eyelashes.
Yibo stared, mesmerised, and he let his eyes travel across Xiao Zhan’s face, taking in every bit of beauty until he landed on his lips.
They were so plush, and then a tongue peeked out and Yibo felt his pants getting tighter. The tongue that had darted out started to wet the lower lip, leaving a shine that made Yibo’s mouth dry. Then, the tongue went up and wetted the upper lip, before hiding back inside the mouth Yibo so desperately wanted to devour.
Yibo shifted in his seat, trying to control the dangerous desire within him to claim the man.
It took everything within him to look away, but before he knew what was happening, hands gripped his neck tightly and forced him to look back at the man that had stolen his heart.
There was a desperate look in Xiao Zhan’s eyes, and his face was flushed as he breathed out.
“Don’t look away from me again,” he said, and he surged forward, pressing his lips hard against Yibo’s.
Yibo froze for about three seconds before he gripped the nape of Xiao Zhan’s neck and pulled him in further, their lips moving against each other as if they were starved.
Xiao Zhan moaned, his hands dropping from Yibo’s neck to move clumsily across his body, touching everywhere.
As he parted his mouth, instantly Yibo surged inside, their tongues meeting and creating a whirlwind of emotions within Yibo.
Xiao Zhan tasted perfect.
He wanted more.
His grip tightened on Xiao Zhan’s neck and he forced his head to angle slightly, going deeper into his mouth as his tongue traced every inch of it.
Xiao Zhan was so warm and so pliant that Yibo felt as if he was going to go crazy.
“Y-Yibo—” Xiao Zhan whimpered, trying to pull back for breath, but Yibo wasn’t going to let him go just yet.
He licked, and licked, and licked inside that gorgeous cavern, but it still wasn’t enough and Xiao Zhan’s moans and whimpers were adding to his already raging desire.
Yibo wanted this man so much and he never wanted to let Xiao Zhan go. He couldn’t.
His heart was raging, heat was coursing and Yibo was drowning in Xiao Zhan’s taste.
“I— I need you, Wang Yibo,” Xiao Zhan managed to gasp out. Yibo swallowed the words from him as he sucked his tongue, his fingers delicately caressing Xiao Zhan’s neck. Xiao Zhan was shuddering at the touch, but the way he bared his neck made it obvious he loved it as much as Yibo did.
“Need me?” Yibo finally pulled away, smirking. Xiao Zhan had a beautiful flush spreading across his face as he blinked slowly.
“Yes,” Xiao Zhan breathed out.
Yibo leaned in. He was so close to Xiao Zhan that his mouth was barely an inch away from his ear.
“Not now, Xiao Zhan. When the time is right, I promise you’ll be mine.”
You already are.
“Yibo?”
“Mn,” Yibo looked back at his father. He had been distracted thinking about having left Xiao Zhan back at his apartment, and though he was just sleeping, he still couldn’t help the worry creep up at him.
“You seem distracted. You haven’t been here for a few days,” his father said with a straight voice.
Yibo sighed, knowing this sort of conversation was going to come. He had only really come here out of the request of his father, otherwise he knew he would have stayed with Xiao Zhan tonight.
He still couldn’t forget the feeling of having him so close to him. Of having those delectable lips on him. Of having Xiao Zhan moaning his name so wantonly.
“Yibo?”
“Yes?”
“You’re proving my point.”
Yibo sighed again.
“What’s happening? What’s got you so distracted that you can’t even come here? You know I need you, especially now since we’re finding a suitor for you.”
Yibo gritted his teeth. “Father, we’ve talked about this.”
“And I thought that by now you would’ve come to terms with it.”
“How can you ask that of me?”
His father just stared at him.
“Yibo,” he started slowly, “Cheng Xiao’s pack have offered her hand and—”
“Stop. Just stop, father. You know me and Cheng Xiao have been friends for years. Why would you do this when it’s clear how we both feel about each other? That we are friends?”
“I know it’s difficult Yibo, but you need to take responsibility. You are the heir, and as the heir you need an heir of your own to secure our safety.”
“Having an heir doesn’t guarantee anything. Anyone who is capable and strong enough can lead a pack. They don’t need to be blood related to do that,” Yibo said, staring straight at his father whose eyes had widened.
“You—! What about our traditions? We have been doing this for hundreds of years!”
Yibo struggled to keep his composure. He knew his father was just speaking about the traditions of his pack, but the way he kept on enforcing it upon him was incredibly irritating.
“Father,” he started slowly, not wanting to upset the man even further, though he secretly knew that was not possible, “I’m sorry. But I cannot go ahead with this marriage. My heart is already taken,” he finished, standing up and bowing his head.
He didn’t dare to see the look on his father’s face. Yibo could only guess the shock on it.
Quickly, he made his way out of the woods. As he passed through the familiar trees and bushes of his childhood, a smile couldn’t help but stretch across his face. This place was his home and he would do anything to protect it, but Yibo knew getting married to another pack wouldn’t protect it, but rather taint it. Sure, it had been happening for generations, but Yibo knew what would follow after. Packs would fight with each other, even if they were bonded by marriage. It wouldn't stop each person from trying to best the other in anything, and Yibo wanted to prevent that. It would bring his pack nothing but trouble. He just wished his father would understand.
Sighing, Yibo finally made it out of the forest. He looked back for a long moment and only after a few moments did he look back in front of him, on his way back to another place he could call home.
Notes:
drunk zz my favourite 🥺
Chapter Text
“Beautiful, Xiao Zhan, you’re so beautiful,” Yibo said to Xiao Zhan, his eyes glinting with awe as he brushed his fingers across his cheek tantalisingly slowly. Xiao Zhan smiled, looking downwards in a shy manner as the touch sent an electric jolt through his body. Yibo’s fingers were so warm and they felt so right on him, especially when they gripped him possessively. Xiao Zhan didn’t want Yibo to let go, so he leaned into the touch, sighing as he closed his eyes and let out a warm breath.
He heard Yibo hum deeply in content, the sound going straight through him. When Xiao Zhan opened his eyes again, he saw Yibo looking at him with a look of pure adoration mixed with a dark intensity, and Xiao Zhan felt his heart skip a few beats with how intently Yibo was staring at him with that expression, almost as if he wanted to eat him whole.
“Yibo,” he breathed out, leaning his forehead against his, a small smile on his lips.
“Yes?” Yibo replied deeply.
“Who are you?” Xiao Zhan found himself asking despite the familiarity and safety he felt with the man.
Yibo didn’t say anything, so Xiao Zhan leaned back, looking at the handsome man with a questioning gaze. When Yibo looked up and their eyes met again, he leaned close and whispered in his ear.
“Yours, Xiao Zhan, I’m yours.”
Xiao Zhan woke with a gasp. Blinking the remnants of the dream away, he wiped a hand down his face before he began to stare at the dark ceiling. The curtains were drawn, so no light had seeped through and into the room. Now that Xiao Zhan looked properly, he noticed that it seemed to be still dark outside. He sighed, knowing he had woken up earlier than he had intended to.
He got up slowly, his mind ringing somewhat. He felt as if he should be remembering something important, but he couldn’t quite recall what it was.
Then, it hit him fast, and the reality of it sent a wave of heat coursing through him, making his skin prickle with awareness as his breath caught in his throat.
He had met Wang Yibo again. He had kissed him.
Xiao Zhan’s breaths started to get shorter as he recalled the vivid images of the night, with Yibo’s warm soft lips on his own, devouring him with such ease. He remembered the hand that had gripped him tightly, as if he’d never wanted to let go. Xiao Zhan wasn’t sure how he remembered everything with this much detail. Normally, after getting drunk, the memories would come back in flashes randomly, but since meeting with Yibo, it was as if his mind didn’t want him to forget.
Even though he had been drunk, Xiao Zhan could not deny the feeling of how inexplicably amazing the time spent with Yibo had been. He didn’t even know who Wang Yibo was, and yet he had already fallen asleep on him and kissed him.
If Xiao Zhan didn’t know any better, he might’ve thought that Wang Yibo saw him as just a crazy person, but with the way Yibo had been looking at him — as if he created his whole world, he knew that couldn’t be true.
In any case, Xiao Zhan made a promise to himself that he would find Wang Yibo again, preferably not whilst being intoxicated. He wanted to have a proper conversation with him, and maybe, he could get to know him. He didn’t even know how old he was, but judging by his looks, Xiao Zhan thought he was probably just a few years younger than himself.
He didn’t realise he had been lost in thought for so long that the light that hadn’t been there before was starting to flood out from under the drapes of the curtains.
After getting up, he prepared himself breakfast, and looked around to see where the little mister could’ve gone. When he walked into the lounge and saw the cat sleeping so peacefully on the couch, Xiao Zhan smiled and stayed there to gaze at the cute animal, almost forgetting the eggs he was currently frying.
“Ah!” He exclaimed after rushing back into the kitchen, seeing that they looked a bit burnt. It was fine, he reassured himself, it was still edible after all.
After eating the burnt egg and swallowing it down with some juice, Xiao Zhan sat at his desk and opened up his laptop to check his emails. There wasn’t anything special, apart from a few discounts he had ended up winning at a restaurant.
But then he saw an email from the client who he was supposed to have presented his designs to. Xiao Zhan bit his lip, preparing himself to open it.
Finally, he clicked it, and read through.
By the end of it, Xiao Zhan was feeling a mixture of emotions.
It was an apology, but it sounded almost strained. Xiao Zhan didn’t know how to exactly describe it, but it sounded completely out of character from someone who had just given him a brief notice about how he wasn’t going to attend. It was almost as if someone had put the client up to this, but as soon as that thought came Xiao Zhan shook his head, knowing he hadn’t actually told anyone about the situation apart from the cat.
The said cat was now awake and staring at him from the floor, looking almost smug, as if it knew everything the email contained.
Wang Yibo knew that he loved Xiao Zhan. That much was obvious right now, but the extent of that love was still unknown as it seemed to stretch on forever. Everyday he was falling in love a little bit more, even though that in itself seemed impossible because Yibo already thought he loved to his full capacity.
But no, with Xiao Zhan it was different. Yibo just couldn’t stop loving him, and that love couldn’t help but grow.
The days were more or less the same now, with Xiao Zhan working during the day for his clients with renewed energy. It seemed Yibo’s trip down to that specific client’s house had worked then, he smirked to himself.
Sometimes if Xiao Zhan was free in the afternoons, he would go to visit the bakery, either to just greet his friend Lulu, Yibo had learned, or to help out there. Everytime he would come back Xiao Zhan would walk through smelling like freshly baked goods, and Yibo only had so much restraint.
He kitten licked him a few times. Xiao Zhan always ended up laughing. But there was still one thing Xiao Zhan had not yet noticed. That the cat in his home wasn’t quite a cat, but rather a panther. It had been days and Yibo honestly thought Xiao Zhan would’ve realised by now.
That day came very soon however when Xuan Lu came to visit Xiao Zhan in the apartment.
They greeted with a warm hug, at which Yibo had to look away. He couldn’t help the sudden burn of jealousy that had gone through him. He wished it was him who was able to hug Xiao Zhan.
It had taken Xuan Lu one look at him to realise it all.
“... Zhanzhan?”
“Yeah?” Xiao Zhan came back from the kitchen, holding the glass of water he was about to offer. He saw the shocked look on Xuan Lu’s face and followed her gaze to the little mister.
She was silent for a few moments.
“You said you had a cat... right?”
“Yes,” Xiao Zhan frowned, not knowing where this was going. He had spoken about his cat numerous times to her, and each time she had been really happy for him.
She swallowed, then turned to look at him. There was a look in her gaze that he could translate to her usual look of ‘promise me you won’t freak out.’ Xiao Zhan just stared at her with a puzzled expression.
“So... why is there a baby panther in your lounge?”
It took Xiao Zhan about five seconds to react.
First, his mouth parted, then the glass in his hand slipped.
Xuan Lu managed to catch it before it made a mess, and then he blurted out, “Ah??”
Xuan Lu chuckled nervously, placing the cup back down on the coffee table.
“Zhanzhan... you really didn’t know?”
“You’re not messing with me?”
“Why would I mess with you with this! Sure, I do love to tease you, but not about something like this!”
Xiao Zhan blinked at her, then turned to face the cat... no, the baby panther that was looking between the both of them, as if he was enjoying a good show.
“Holy shit,” Xiao Zhan breathed, finally taking note of just how different the animal was compared to an ordinary cat. Sure there were similarities, but Xiao Zhan had overlooked all of the differences. Now everything seemed to make sense to him.
“What— what do I do?” He looked back at Xuan Lu.
She gave him a disheartened look, “You’re going to have to bring him to a rescue centre of something.”
“What?! No— but—”
“Zhanzhan...”
“But I...” Xiao Zhan looked back at the animal, his eyes wide. He was at a loss for what to say.
That night, Xiao Zhan held his little mister even tighter.
“I guess you finally found out,” Yibo whispered softly, brushing the loose hairs from Xiao Zhan’s sleeping face. He looked so peaceful like this, so innocent. As Yibo brushed his hands against the tender skin, Xiao Zhan mumbled something incoherently, and Yibo smiled softly.
“Mine,” he said quietly to himself, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Xiao Zhan’s forehead.
Then Xiao Zhan did something unexpected and before Yibo could react, arms had looped around his neck and were bringing him down. It took a second for Yibo to realise Xiao Zhan was trying to kiss him, but his eyes were still closed and he seemed to be dreaming.
Yibo could easily get out of Xiao Zhan’s hold, but he didn’t want to. Xiao Zhan was intoxicating and being this close to him, to his alluring scent, sent desire coursing through his veins.
He let out a shaky exhale and let himself climb properly onto the bed.
Xiao Zhan’s grip around him was still tight, and he was pressing him even closer. Yibo moved to the side so that he was no longer on top of Xiao Zhan but rather lying down on his side next to him.
He couldn’t take advantage of Xiao Zhan like this, no matter how high his primal desire of just pinning him down onto the bed and having his way with him was.
Xiao Zhan, you’re going to be the death of me.
Yibo started watching the human closely as Xiao Zhan shifted forward, his arms still around his neck.
Soon enough, Yibo went to sleep watching Xiao Zhan’s face, and it was easily the best sleep he had ever had.
When the morning light illuminated the room, Yibo awoke with a start. He looked to the side and saw Xiao Zhan still sleeping peacefully, but the hands that had been around his neck were now gripping onto his shirt, looking more like little paws. Yibo chuckled quietly to himself and looked back up at Xiao Zhan’s sleeping face.
The more he stared, the drier his lips were getting.
Xiao Zhan was just so gorgeous, and the light coming from the window highlighted his striking features. Yibo wanted to kiss him awake. Yibo wanted to bury his face in his neck and breathe in his scent whilst nipping at the area. Yibo wanted so many things. But he knew he had to wait.
Now wasn’t the right time.
Yibo didn’t know when the right time would be, just that he knew he wanted Xiao Zhan.
After a few long minutes, Xiao Zhan started to stir, so Yibo quickly shifted back into his animal form.
“Morning little mister,” was the first thing Xiao Zhan said when he woke up. The little panther was just lying next to him, looking at him, and Xiao Zhan could feel the unbearable fondness he held for the small animal.
He still couldn’t believe that this supposed cat was in fact not a cat, but a baby panther. How he managed to miss that he didn’t know, but it didn’t change how he felt. He loved him the same and didn’t want to part from him, though he knew that was most likely the inevitable outcome.
Until then, Xiao Zhan would do his best to care for the animal.
Lulu: Zhanzhan, I’m gonna tell you something, and you can’t say no
Xiao Zhan: Should I be scared?
Lulu: Not at all 😊
Xiao Zhan: Okay...
Lulu: You haven’t gotten laid in years, right?
Xiao Zhan: What the fuck?
Lulu: It’s about time you get some action
Xiao Zhan: ????
Lulu: Yeah, so come with me tonight
Xiao Zhan: Lulu!??!?!
Lulu: I want you to be ready by 8
Lulu: And wear something sexy!
Before Xiao Zhan could respond, he could see that Xuan Lu had quickly gone offline.
He groaned, switched his phone off, and flopped face down onto the couch.
He knew his best friend. She didn’t do this without a reason. It was most likely she noticed how upset he’d gotten when finding out he wouldn’t be able to keep the baby panther, so when an opportunity arose for him to practically forget himself for the night, Xuan Lu had, in her best interests, offered – no, forced – him to go.
Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but think about that one mystery man though. Wang Yibo.
Xiao Zhan hadn’t seen him since, but he couldn’t shake him from his mind. It was like he had permanently taken a spot in his heart and was refusing to go. At one point, he even wondered if Wang Yibo was real, or if he was just a concoction his drunk mind had created, but he very quickly dismissed that idea.
Wang Yibo’s touch, their tongues sliding against each other, his hands gripping tight around him, almost possessive — he remembered that all too well.
It was unlikely Xiao Zhan was ever going to forget.
And tonight, Xiao Zhan wasn’t up for having sex with a stranger, but if he knew it were Yibo, he’d be thinking very differently.
Catching himself with those thoughts, he felt heat rush to his face and he got up from the sofa, patting his hot cheek. But the image of Yibo’s smirk, of his dark eyes that seemed to pierce through him, of those large hands that seemed to love touching him everywhere — Xiao Zhan couldn’t just shake those thoughts off and he felt his pants getting tighter and tighter.
He didn’t need to look down to note the obvious strain.
Xiao Zhan got up and swiftly made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He didn’t need to close the door as he did live alone. But even if the small animal came in whilst he was jerking off, Xiao Zhan would still be embarrassed, so he made sure it was shut.
He stripped himself out of his shirt and pants and then his boxers. His cock sprang out, hard and already leaking. He quickly turned the shower on and as soon as water ran down his back, Xiao Zhan grabbed his hard, aching cock.
He sighed, pressing his other palm to the tiles before he started to stroke slowly, exploring the head as the memories of his and Yibo’s passionate kiss came to mind. He dragged his hand expertly across the length, his thumb squeezing at the precome on the tip as he moaned softly.
If that night had stretched on longer, if Xiao Zhan wasn’t in a drunken state, if Yibo had taken him back to his home…
Even though he barely knew the man, Xiao Zhan knew what Yibo would’ve done.
He would’ve pushed him through the doors and slammed him against the wall, kissing him as if he were parched. He would’ve trailed bites and kisses down into the crevice of his neck, hands sliding down into the waistband of his pants. Xiao Zhan would feel the searing heat of the touch, and when Yibo would palm his erection, Xiao Zhan would buck his hips into his hand desperately.
With a cry muffled by the sound of the running water, Xiao Zhan came into his hand and onto the wall. In seconds, everything was washed away.
He had to steady himself. His knees felt weak and his heart was racing. His breaths were coming out short, but Xiao Zhan’s mind and heart was clear.
He needed Wang Yibo. He needed this stranger that had found a way into his dreams.
Xiao Zhan needed Yibo.
Once he was done towelling himself dry, he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked out.
He was greeted with the little mister on his bed, stretching, almost looking bored. Xiao Zhan huffed fondly at the sight and hearing him, the small panther looked at him, looked away for a second, then looked back at him again. To Xiao Zhan, it seemed as if he’d done a double take, and he couldn’t help but laugh at that. It was cute.
He got changed there in the room into comfortable clothes. However, he knew he’d later on have to find something to wear for the night.
It wasn’t as if Xiao Zhan was going to ignore what Xuan Lu had said. He didn’t really have a choice either.
To Xiao Zhan, it felt like two hours on deciding what to wear later but in reality, it was just twenty long minutes.
It had been a long time since he’d been to a party, or a nightclub where he’d put effort into what he looked like.
In the end, he chose dark, black sequined jeans that Xuan Lu had said accentuated his waist, and a thin dark red shirt that he knew was loose around the collar. Xiao Zhan set aside these clothes for later and went about the rest of the day working, whilst secretly hoping for a chance to meet Yibo again.
He knew the chances were very low, but Xiao Zhan was going to hold out hope.
When evening arrived, Xiao Zhan changed into his clothes. After tucking the shirt in, he looked in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair, trying to style it. In the end he just ruffled it slightly, giving it an artfully messy look. Xiao Zhan thought he looked okay at most.
“Little mister, I’m going to be gone for the night.” Xiao Zhan said to the baby panther once he was ready to leave, and the animal just looked up at him and blinked. Cute. “So, behave, okay?” He warned gently.
He knew the baby panther had never given him any serious trouble before, but he also had a weird feeling that the panther seemed to understand him. It was a strange thought that he couldn’t shake off, though he knew how ridiculous it was.
Notes:
well done xz you're 50% of the way there to knowing the truth 🥳
Chapter Text
Xiao Zhan only had to wait outside of the apartment building for a couple of minutes before Xuan Lu pulled up in a taxi, beaming at him as she jumped out and rushed over, before enveloping him in a quick hug.
“Zhanzhan! You look amazing!” She squealed as she stepped back, looking him up and down with an awed expression.
Xiao Zhan felt heat rise to his face and he blushed, feeling a little shy.
“Ah, thank you,” he chuckled lightly, “So do you Lulu! You’re looking beautiful as always,” Xiao Zhan said after taking in her appearance. She was wearing a gorgeous silver dress and her hair was styled in loose waves, framing her face.
“Thank you!” She smiled, then she smirked. “I see you listened to me when I asked you to wear something sexy,” her eyes fell onto his exposed collarbone.
Xiao Zhan unconsciously tugged his shirt upwards, but it didn’t do much and Xiao Zhan didn’t know what to say, so he just walked ahead and got into the taxi that was waiting for them. Xuan Lu came in after, laughing softly.
It wasn’t a party Xuan Lu had taken him to, but a nightclub. As soon as they walked in, Xiao Zhan was almost swept away by the busy crowd. It was incredibly big and the lights danced around them like a kaleidoscope, creating an electric atmosphere that seemed to buzz with energy. The thumping bass reverberated through his chest, mingling with the loud laughter and chatter of the crowd.
“Okay, this is where I leave you Zhanzhan! Go get some!” Xuan Lu shouted, and before Xiao Zhan could react she was gone, melting into the crowd.
Xiao Zhan could only huff fondly. Well, he was here now, he might as well enjoy himself, even if that meant he would just be sitting at an empty booth and enjoying the atmosphere.
Xiao Zhan didn’t want to drink tonight, so he just got a glass of water and sat quietly at the empty booth. It was the only one left free, as the others were either filled with friend groups, or occupied with people kissing passionately.
A moment later, just as he sipped on the drink, a deep voice came to his right.
“Found you.”
Xiao Zhan almost choked on his water.
He knew that voice.
It was a voice that had occupied his dreams. It was a voice he’d been longing to hear again. It was a voice that belonged to the stranger that had somehow stolen a piece of his heart.
Xiao Zhan set the glass on the table, and slowly looked up.
His breath caught in his throat.
“Yibo,” he blurted out, his mind unable to catch up with his mouth. Once he realised what he said, he looked down, face burning.
A large, firm yet soft hand gently grabbed his chin and made him look back up. Xiao Zhan swallowed as he stared into the beautiful dark eyes, trying not to focus on the way the warm touch on his face sent his heart racing.
“Xiao Zhan,” Yibo said.
The way he said his name, as if hundreds of different emotions weighed behind it, Xiao Zhan could only blink, mouth parted. And then Yibo leaned down, tugging lightly at his chin to meet him halfway in a kiss.
Xiao Zhan stared, wide and doe-eyed at Yibo as he kissed him as if it were the most natural thing to do. The press of his lips was soft yet electrifying, sending a shiver down Xiao Zhan’s spine. His heart pounded in his chest, echoing the rhythm of the music pulsing around them as the rest of the world faded into nothing. All that remained was the heat of Yibo’s mouth, the firmness of his grip and the shock of the kiss that left him breathless.
Before Xiao Zhan could even comprehend what had just happened, before he could respond, Yibo pulled back. His lips curled into a smirk, as if this moment had played out exactly as he had imagined.
Yibo’s hand lingered on Xiao Zhan’s chin for just a second longer, thumb brushing over his jaw, the touch intimate and lingering.
“You...” Xiao Zhan began, at a loss for what to say.
Yibo had effortlessly swept him off his feet, had made him speechless and breathless with a single kiss.
“Let me get to know you, Xiao Zhan.”
Xiao Zhan opened his mouth, then closed it, not knowing what to say. Instead, he just nodded and Yibo smiled. It was a small smile, yet Xiao Zhan felt it was enchanting.
Xiao Zhan watched Yibo’s every movement as he made his way to sit opposite him. When he sat down, Xiao Zhan couldn’t believe he was sitting opposite Wang Yibo. The literal man of his dreams and drunken stupors. This man had just kissed him, and Xiao Zhan was already falling hard, not that he hadn’t already.
“Okay,” he finally managed to reply, gazing at Yibo fondly.
Yibo then smiled, and the sight was too much for Xiao Zhan’s heart. Yibo looked absolutely stunning and Xiao Zhan was overcome with a desire to get to know Yibo in a very different way.
Both of their thoughts seemed to be on the same track however, as Yibo got up just as Xiao Zhan did, and their lips met again in a frenzied kiss.
Xiao Zhan moaned, the sound escaping his lips and into Yibo’s mouth as the latter ran his hands down Xiao Zhan’s body, settling them on his waist.
Yibo pushed Xiao Zhan lightly so that he was sitting on the table, their lips never breaking contact. Xiao Zhan’s pulse quickened, his heart pounding in sync with the thumping bass of the nightclub.
The world around them seemed to dissolve into a blur of neon lights and muffled sound. All that mattered was Yibo, his hands firm on Xiao Zhan’s waist, grounding him as their kiss deepened even further.
Xiao Zhan could feel Yibo’s warmth pressing into him as his fingers gripped him tight and possessive, as if he was afraid Xiao Zhan might slip away from him. The intensity of Yibo’s kiss was overwhelming, and Xiao Zhan responded eagerly, his own hands finding purchase on Yibo’s collar as he pulled him desperately closer for more.
When they finally parted for air, Xiao Zhan’s chest heaved as he looked up at Yibo, whose lips were slightly swollen from their frantic kiss. The satisfied, almost predatory look in Yibo’s eyes sent a shiver down Xiao Zhan’s spine.
A moment later, Yibo’s thumb brushed softly across Xiao Zhan’s lower lip, still wet from their kiss.
“Beautiful,” Yibo said, “So, so beautiful,” he leaned down again, but instead of kissing him on the lips, Yibo pressed a kiss into the corner of his mouth, right where his mole was. The simple act made a wave of affection crash over Xiao Zhan, and he felt like melting right then and there.
“Yibo,” he breathed, not knowing what to say.
Yibo’s eyes darted back up to his, and he smiled again.
“Take me back to your home. We still need to get to know each other properly.”
It took Xiao Zhan a second to realise the intention behind Yibo’s words, and he sputtered.
“W-Wang Yibo!”
Yibo just laughed.
Xiao Zhan stared.
He hadn’t seen Yibo laugh. He had only seen that beautiful smile, but his laugh, that was something else entirely. The way his face lit up, the way his eyes sparkled — Xiao Zhan was enamoured.
Overcome with emotion, Xiao Zhan leaned forward and kissed him eagerly, his tongue going straight into his mouth. At that, Yibo stopped laughing and hummed in amusement, and when their tongues met again, dancing against each other, Xiao Zhan knew he was ruined for anyone else.
Wang Yibo, the man he still did not yet know, had fully stolen his heart.
Xiao Zhan fumbled with the keys to his apartment, and Yibo digging his fingers into his waist wasn’t helping in the slightest. Taking pity, Yibo let go, though Xiao Zhan secretly didn’t want him to, but at least he could finally breathe and concentrate.
As soon as the door closed behind them Yibo pushed him against the wall. With the moonlight filtering in through the window, Xiao Zhan could see a satisfied smirk on the other’s face, and he could only smile in return, his heart hammering in his chest as he wrapped his arms around Yibo’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss.
This time, the kiss was sweet and slow, as if they were savouring each other’s taste. Xiao Zhan groaned when Yibo nipped and swiped his tongue across his bottom lip, and when Xiao Zhan felt the tongue prodding at his mouth, he opened up only too eagerly.
Yibo wasted no time in slipping his tongue into Xiao Zhan’s mouth, exploring with deliberate slowness.
Xiao Zhan’s fingers tangled into Yibo’s hair, pulling him closer, wanting to feel every inch of him while Yibo’s hands slid down, finding their place on Xiao Zhan’s hips once again.
Xiao Zhan’s back pressed firmly against the wall, the cool surface grounding him as Yibo’s body heat seemed to consume him. Every touch, every caress sent sparks shooting through him, making it impossible to think about anything but Yibo’s lips, Yibo’s hands, Yibo’s presence overwhelming him in the best possible way.
After a few moments, Yibo pulled back just enough to look at Xiao Zhan, his breaths heavy and his eyes dark with desire.
“You're driving me crazy,” he whispered, his voice low and full with restraint.
Xiao Zhan smiled breathlessly.
“Good,” he teased, his voice soft but playful as he brushed his lips lightly against Yibo’s once more.
With a growl of frustration and amusement, Yibo captured Xiao Zhan’s mouth again, this time harder and more desperate. His hands roamed lower, gripping Xiao Zhan’s thighs and lifting him effortlessly against the wall. Xiao Zhan gasped in surprise, but his legs instinctively wrapped around Yibo’s waist, the closeness making his entire body buzz with anticipation.
Yibo’s lips trailed from Xiao Zhan’s mouth to his jaw, then lower, finding the sensitive spot just below his ear that made Xiao Zhan shudder.
“Yibo...” Xiao Zhan moaned, his fingers tightening their grip in Yibo’s hair as the sensations sent waves of pleasure coursing through him.
“Mine,” Yibo murmured lowly against his skin, his voice a husky promise that sent another rush of warmth flooding through Xiao Zhan’s already fevered body.
Yibo’s breath was hot against Xiao Zhan’s skin as he pressed deep, open-mouthed kisses along his neck, each one sending a shiver down Xiao Zhan’s spine. The feeling of Yibo’s lips, soft yet insistent, made Xiao Zhan feel like he was floating between reality and a dream.
His mind was hazy, lost in the sensation of Yibo’s body pressed so intimately against his. Xiao Zhan’s pulse quickened when Yibo’s strong hands untucked his shirt and then slid up under it, the warmth of his palms against his bare skin igniting a fire deep within him. The sensation was electrifying, each touch making Xiao Zhan arch closer, needing more of Yibo.
“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan gasped, his voice breathless as his fingers tightened around Yibo’s shoulders. His head fell back against the wall, exposing more of his neck and Yibo took full advantage as he sucked gently at the exposed skin until all Xiao Zhan could do was moan in pleasure.
Yibo paused for a second, his lips hovering over Xiao Zhan’s skin, his breath warm and ragged. He pulled back to meet Xiao Zhan’s eyes, his gaze intense and filled with something raw and possessive.
“Tell me if you want me to stop,” Yibo murmured, his voice deep but gentle, as if the edges of his control were fraying but still there.
Xiao Zhan shook his head, barely able to speak as he pressed his forehead against Yibo’s.
“Where did you get that idea? Don’t stop,” Xiao Zhan whispered, pleading, his heart racing.
With that, Yibo’s mouth instantly found his again, the kiss slow and deep, almost as if he was claiming him. Yibo’s hands moved lower, gripping Xiao Zhan’s waist tighter as if anchoring them both to this moment.
“Yibo...” Xiao Zhan whispered again, his voice barely audible between their kisses as his hands wandered over Yibo’s back, tracing the lines of muscle as he slipped his hands under his shirt. He wanted to memorise every detail, every inch of Yibo that he had craved and dreamt about.
Yibo’s lips paused, hovering above Xiao Zhan’s as he looked into his eyes, searching. Whatever he found there made his lips curve into a small, tender smile before he leaned in again, this time softer and more deliberate, the kiss laced with an emotion neither of them needed to say out loud.
It was already there in every touch, every look and every stolen breath between them.
And then suddenly without warning, Yibo spun them around and began walking, carrying Xiao Zhan effortlessly as he continued to kiss him.
Xiao Zhan yelped into his mouth and wrapped his legs tighter around Yibo, arms coming around to wrap themselves tighter around him.
Huffing in fond amusement, Yibo took him through the doorway and as if knowing exactly which room to go to, led him to his bedroom.
Xiao Zhan’s back hit the bed as Yibo laid him down. Yibo hovered over him, his eyes dark and intense and filled with raw want as he looked down at Xiao Zhan sprawled beneath him, breathless and wanting.
Xiao Zhan reached up and pulled Yibo back down to him, his body arching as their lips met again, his hands roaming over Yibo’s chest and feeling the firm muscles.
Yibo groaned softly and he slipped a hand under Xiao Zhan’s shirt, fingers dancing across his skin and leaving a searing touch under their wake.
Xiao Zhan’s breath hitched and his body leaned again into Yibo’s touch.
“You’re really the most beautiful man I have ever seen,” Yibo murmured as his fingers teased the hem of Xiao Zhan’s shirt. Xiao Zhan felt heat course through him at the words, but before he could even think of a response, Yibo tugged the shirt up and over Xiao Zhan’s head, tossing it aside carelessly.
The cool air of the room hit Xiao Zhan’s exposed skin, but all he could focus on was the way Yibo was looking at him as if he wanted to devour him.
Xiao Zhan swallowed.
Then, Yibo’s hands roamed over him, touching and feeling and memorising every inch of his skin. Yibo leaned down, capturing his lips once again and this time it was more heated and fast, all tongue and teeth.
As he kissed desperately, Xiao Zhan’s hands found the buttons of Yibo’s shirt, and he fumbled to undo them, his fingers trembling with anticipation. When he finally got the shirt open, he ran his hands over Yibo’s chest and felt the heat of his skin against his palms before he pulled the shirt off him, throwing it in a random direction.
Yibo buried his face in his neck and Xiao Zhan moaned when Yibo bit harshly, tugging at the skin with his teeth and leaning back to admire the harsh, blooming mark. He leaned back down and continued with his ministrations, and Xiao Zhan started rutting against him in response, desperate for the friction as Yibo continued to mark his neck.
Yibo chuckled after he was done and then he slid his hands under Xiao Zhan’s ass and grabbed the clothed plush cheeks.
Xiao Zhan gasped at the touch, and Yibo only gripped him harder.
“Y-Yibo...!”
“Do you know how you were looking in these jeans?” He started, licking his lips, “I had to control myself from just bending you over the table and fucking you until all you would remember was my cock.”
Xiao Zhan blinked, his doe eyes wide as he registered Yibo’s words.
“You’re shameless.” Was the only thing he could say, his face red.
Yibo’s warm laugh echoed around the room. “You make me that way, Xiao Zhan.”
Xiao Zhan blushed at his words and Yibo kissed his forehead, then, in record speed he stripped him out of his trousers and boxers until Xiao Zhan was laid completely bare before him.
“Yibo!” Xiao Zhan tried to cross his legs, covering his face with his hands.
“Yes?” He grinned, spreading Xiao Zhan’s legs open and gently uncovering his face with his hands.
“I’ve told you, you’re beautiful,” he said, his tone laced with so much affection Xiao Zhan felt his heart stutter. Words couldn’t express how he felt at the moment, so he leaned up and kissed him passionately instead.
Yibo returned the kiss with equal fervour, reaching to the side to open the drawer from the bedside table.
When Yibo broke the kiss, Xiao Zhan opened his eyes, and his heart started racing again when he saw a bottle of lube in Yibo’s hand as he poured a generous amount into his palm.
“How did you...”
“Where else would it have been?” Yibo huffed lightly and started trailing his fingers lightly up his leg.
Xiao Zhan shuddered at the touch, but his legs instinctively opened wider, his hole looking inviting as Yibo sucked in a sharp breath at the sight.
“Look at you, spread out like this just for me,” he smirked.
“Shut up,” Xiao Zhan said as he looked away, but when a finger suddenly entered him his words turned into soft moans.
Yibo groaned above him, his eyes fixated on the sight of Xiao Zhan sucking him in.
He pulled his finger out a bit, then back in, Xiao Zhan’s continuous moans a melody as Yibo continued with the slow thrusting motion.
When a second finger entered, Xiao Zhan pushed his hips down into his fingers, fucking himself gently on them.
“So desperate,” Yibo hummed, feeling the walls around his fingers clamp down on him as he hit a certain spot.
“Yibo... right there, yes!” Xiao Zhan cried out when Yibo hit him at his prostate. The feeling was overwhelming and his breaths were coming out in gasps as Yibo started fucking into him harder, his fingers going deeper and hitting those nerves.
“Ngh... Yibo, please...”
Yibo chuckled, “What do you want, Xiao Zhan?”
“I– You know...!” Xiao Zhan’s breath hitched as Yibo’s fingers continued to prod at his most sensitive spot.
Yibo leaned in so that his mouth was only a breath away from Xiao Zhan’s.
“Say it,” he commanded deeply.
Xiao Zhan tried to give him a glare, but his face quickly morphed into one full with pleasure as Yibo’s fingers continued to work in him.
“Your cock,” Xiao Zhan gasped out.
Yibo smirked and took his fingers out as Xiao Zhan’s hole flickered at the sudden emptiness he felt. Yibo huffed at the sight.
“As you wish.”
Notes:
they finally got what they wanted 💥💥💥
thanks for reading!! 🥰
Chapter Text
As soon as Yibo took off his own pants, Xiao Zhan’s breath hitched at the sight that met him.
Yibo was big to say the least. For a fleeting moment, Xiao Zhan wondered whether or not he would be able to fit inside him, and he could only wet his lips with anticipation.
Seeing his expression, Yibo laughed lightly, a smug look in his eyes.
“Like what you see?”
After regaining his senses, Xiao Zhan swallowed and looked up at him with wide eyes.
“How— how will this—”
“Fit inside you?” Yibo interrupted, his eyes gleaming darkly, “Don’t worry, it will.”
Yibo spoke the words like it was a dark promise and Xiao Zhan could only nod in response, his eyes darting back to Yibo’s hard cock that looked so beautiful and equally monstrous.
Xiao Zhan watched with bated breath as Yibo wrapped his large hand around his cock, coating it with a generous amount of lube. Once he was done, he aligned it with his hole, and Xiao Zhan’s heart began thumping with anticipation.
The feeling of just the tip entering him was unlike anything Xiao Zhan had ever experienced. He let out a breathy moan, his back arching and his legs spreading out wider as Yibo slowly sheathed his whole length inside him.
“Fuck...” Yibo groaned from above him, his hands gripping tight around Xiao Zhan’s waist, “You’re so fucking tight, Xiao Zhan.”
Xiao Zhan could only let out another breathy moan in response, the feeling of Yibo’s cock throbbing inside him rendered him unable to even think of any words. All he knew was that he desperately wanted Yibo to start moving.
“Yibo,” he began, his voice tight and strained, “I- please, move,” he pleaded, his eyes teary as he stared up at Yibo with his doe eyes.
Yibo chuckled, the sound warm and amused as he met Xiao Zhan’s gaze. Xiao Zhan opened his mouth but before he could get any words out, his voice dragged out in a long moan as Yibo began to slowly roll his hips, broken only by the way Yibo’s tongue started licking into his mouth heatedly.
“I– Ahh, Yibo...”
Yibo was getting intoxicated with the way Xiao Zhan gasped out his name. In response, he pulled his cock out just a bit and then slammed right back inside him.
Xiao Zhan cried out beautifully as Yibo thrust in him, his neck baring as he continued to throw his head back with the onslaught of pleasure crashing down on him with the way Yibo speared inside. Yibo couldn’t resist the delectable sight, so he moved from tasting his lips to tasting his neck, sucking at the skin as he continued to thrust his cock fast into him, the sound of skin slapping upon skin echoing around the room mixed with the continuous moans spilling from Xiao Zhan’s mouth.
“M-More!” Xiao Zhan cried, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears as Yibo continued to thrust into him.
Yibo groaned at Xiao Zhan’s plea and instantly slammed his hips into him again with increased fervour as he gripped his waist even tighter.
Xiao Zhan cried his loudest moan yet as a sudden wave of pleasure rushed through him, knowing Yibo had found his most sensitive spot.
Yibo smirked, trailing kisses against his jaw to his cheek and then to his mouth where he sucked and bit at Xiao Zhan’s lips. He aimed his thrusts right into the nerves that had Xiao Zhan continue to cry out as he kissed him thoroughly, savouring the sweetness of his mouth as he pounded his cock into him with vigour.
“Yibo– ah! Need you...”
“You have me,” Yibo said deeply into his mouth, kissing him sweetly after he said the words, contrasting the way he was piercing through Xiao Zhan’s inner walls.
Xiao Zhan wanted to say something, anything, because Yibo’s words were hitting straight at his heart and he needed to say something to express his feelings, but the words flew out of his mind when Yibo’s tongue started licking his chest.
“Y-Yibo... what are you– ohh,” Xiao Zhan let out a gasp when Yibo’s tongue lapped over his nipple, and when Yibo sucked harshly at it, Xiao Zhan suddenly came, hot liquid spurting between their entangled bodies as Xiao Zhan’s body arched.
The pleasure was indescribable.
He could feel Yibo’s tongue continuing its ministrations on his other perked nipple as his cock continued to drive into him relentlessly, and then suddenly, he felt hot liquid filling him up.
“Fuck... Xiao Zhan,” Yibo groaned, his hands an iron grip on Xiao Zhan’s waist as he pulled back from his chest, meeting Xiao Zhan’s dazed gaze as he licked his lips.
He could spend an eternity staring into those gorgeous doe eyes.
“How are you real,” Yibo breathed out after a moment of simply staring at him, bringing a hand to cup Xiao Zhan’s cheek.
“I could ask the same for you,” Xiao Zhan said after a beat, regaining his breaths. And then Xiao Zhan did something Yibo didn’t think he’d ever be prepared for — he broke out in the widest, purest, sweetest smile and Yibo felt something pull deeply in his heart.
He didn’t know how to form words at the moment, so he drove forward, his cock going deeper inside Xiao Zhan as he leaned forward to kiss him. Xiao Zhan moaned softly, the feeling of Yibo’s cock moving languidly inside him as their tongues intertwined and danced, was pure bliss.
After minutes of basking in each other’s warmth, Yibo slowly began to draw backwards, but before he could go any further Xiao Zhan reached out and grabbed his wrist.
“No, don’t go,” he looked up at him, his eyes pleading.
Yibo smiled fondly and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead, the act making heat rush through Xiao Zhan.
“Okay.”
Xiao Zhan beamed at him and wrapped his arms around his back, pulling him back in so that their chests were pressed against each other and also so that they were lying face-to-face on their sides. At the movement, Yibo’s cock shifted inside him again and Xiao Zhan sighed softly at the feeling.
“Should I pull out?” Yibo asked gently.
“No, I want you to stay,” Xiao Zhan looked shy as he said the words, but Yibo broke out into a satisfied grin.
“Good.” He pecked him on the lips, and when Yibo pulled back to look at Xiao Zhan’s face, he saw that his eyes were closed and his breaths were even. There was an ethereal glow on him and Yibo couldn’t help but stare, entranced at Xiao Zhan’s beauty.
He spent who knew how long staring at Xiao Zhan’s face, before he felt the pull of sleep, and slowly closed his eyes.
Xiao Zhan woke up the next morning feeling like he had woken up from a dream, one that lingered on the edges of his consciousness, leaving a warmth in his chest and a sense of calm he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He blinked, adjusting to the soft light filtering through the curtains and the weight of a strong arm draped across his waist, bringing him back to reality.
Yibo.
Xiao Zhan’s heart skipped a beat as the events of the previous night flooded his mind. He glanced down at the arm resting over him, feeling the warmth of Yibo’s skin against his own and a smile tugged at his lips. Carefully, he turned his head to look at Yibo, who was still fast asleep, his face relaxed and peaceful in the early morning light.
For a moment, Xiao Zhan just lay there, watching the gentle rise and fall of Yibo’s chest, feeling a strange sense of disbelief that this was actually real.
Yibo, the same person who had ignited feelings in him he hadn’t felt with anyone else ever, was right there with him, lying next to him.
Xiao Zhan sighed softly, feeling the weight of Yibo’s arm tighten slightly around him in response. He couldn’t help but reach out, his fingers brushing lightly across his cheek as he traced the faint outline of his jaw. Yibo stirred at the touch and his eyes fluttered open and revealed that familiar dark gaze that always seemed to hold so much more than words could say.
“Morning,” Yibo mumbled, his voice husky with sleep and his lips curving into a lazy grin as he looked at Xiao Zhan.
“Morning,” Xiao Zhan whispered back, his own smile growing as warmth bloomed in his chest.
Yibo shifted closer, nuzzling into Xiao Zhan’s neck as he pressed a soft kiss to his collarbone. “Did you sleep well?”
Xiao Zhan hummed in response, threading his fingers through Yibo’s hair.
“What do you think?” He huffed.
Yibo pulled back slightly, his eyes searching Xiao Zhan’s face with a soft intensity.
“Good,” he said quietly, brushing a strand of hair from Xiao Zhan’s forehead. “Because I know what I want, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Xiao Zhan’s heart fluttered and for a moment, he couldn’t find the words to respond. But then he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Yibo’s lips, letting the act say everything.
Yibo hummed into his mouth as Xiao Zhan gently parted his lips, allowing for Yibo’s eager tongue to enter and trace every inch of his mouth. The kiss deepened, and it became a slow exploration that sent sparks down Xiao Zhan’s spine. Yibo’s hand slid up and his fingers curled around the back of his neck, pulling him closer as if the space between them was too much.
Xiao Zhan’s breath stuttered, his body reacting to Yibo’s touch.
Every stroke of Yibo’s tongue against his own felt like a strong promise, and the way Yibo’s hand moved down to rest on his waist sent a shiver through him. Yibo’s grip tightened slightly, and Xiao Zhan lightly moaned at the possessive touch.
They broke apart after a while, both of them gasping for air with their foreheads resting together. Xiao Zhan’s lips felt like they were tingling from the kiss and he couldn’t help but smile, his heart racing.
Then, Yibo pulled his cock out and Xiao Zhan keened with the sudden loss. At that, trickles of white began to leak from Xiao Zhan’s hole and Yibo licked his lips at the sight.
“Shower?” He said, coming back to himself after a minute and Xiao Zhan lightly slapped him on the shoulder.
“If you’re done ogling, then yes,” Xiao Zhan said, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he shook his head.
After washing themselves in the shower together — Xiao Zhan made sure everything was kept innocent, though it was a bit hard with Yibo kneading his ass every five seconds — he offered Yibo some clothes to change into.
“Sure I can’t just stay here naked?”
Xiao Zhan stared at him.
“Yibo! Just take the clothes,” he threw them at him and Yibo laughed, catching the clothes effortlessly.
It was whilst Yibo was changing that Xiao Zhan suddenly remembered there was supposed to be a baby panther somewhere.
“Fuck!”
“What is it?” Yibo said, rushing into the living room where Xiao Zhan was.
“I can’t find him!” Xiao Zhan said, his voice shaky. It took a second for Yibo to register what Xiao Zhan was talking about, and the only thought that went through his mind was ‘oh shit.’
“Who are you looking for?” He asked tentatively, trying to sound confused.
“My pa– cat,” Xiao Zhan quickly changed his words, and if Yibo weren’t listening so attentively he might have missed it.
“What if he just went out for a walk?” Yibo tried to calm Xiao Zhan’s nerves, and though he wanted to melt with affection at how much Xiao Zhan cared for him as a baby panther, he didn’t want Xiao Zhan to feel any stress.
“You’re right... or what if we scared him last night?” Then, Xiao Zhan’s eyes widened as he thought of something. “What if he heard us?”
“Xiao Zhan,” he started, shaking his head with undeniable fondness. “I don’t think a cat would care about you crying and begging and moaning my name out loud.”
Xiao Zhan’s reaction was worth it all.
The way he stared at him, then blinked slowly as if comprehending the words, then blushed, and then grabbed what was nearest to him — luckily for Yibo, it was only a pillow — before throwing it in his direction.
Yibo only laughed aloud, his heart unbearably full as he shielded himself from the oncoming pillow heading his way.
He knew he wanted nothing more than to stay with Xiao Zhan forever.
After coaxing Xiao Zhan that his ‘cat’ was most likely more than okay, Xiao Zhan made them breakfast. Yibo had attempted to help, but it only took a minute of him being behind the stove for Xiao Zhan to banish him back to the living room.
Yibo however, didn’t go down without a fight. He hovered behind Xiao Zhan and wrapped his arms around his waist as he pressed teasing kisses to the back of his neck. Xiao Zhan simply swatted him away, but Yibo could tell from the soft laughter that escaped him that he absolutely loved the attention.
“Seriously, Yibo,” Xiao Zhan said, trying and failing to sound stern, “You’ll burn down my kitchen if I let you near the stove again.”
“Can’t say I didn’t try,” Yibo smiled, pressing a final kiss to Xiao Zhan’s cheek before he reluctantly retreated to the couch. He flopped down dramatically, stretching his long legs out as he watched Xiao Zhan busy himself with breakfast. The domesticity of it all filled him with a beautiful, warm, homey feeling.
Once they finished eating — Yibo had made sure to let Xiao Zhan know just how delicious it was — Xiao Zhan asked him if he was supposed to be working.
Right. Work. A job.
Yibo had completely forgotten.
He didn’t want to lie to Xiao Zhan, but he also knew that he couldn’t tell him the whole truth.
“Ah, I have a day off today luckily,” Yibo smiled, getting up to place his empty plate in the sink. Xiao Zhan hummed in content, following after him to place his own plate down.
Before Xiao Zhan could put it down however, Yibo took it from him and turned on the tap. Then he began to start washing the dirty dishes, smiling softly to himself.
“What are you doing?” Xiao Zhan asked him.
“You made a delicious breakfast, it’s only fair that I return the favour by washing the dishes.”
Xiao Zhan was quiet for a long moment, so Yibo paused what he was doing and looked up. His heart caught in his throat when he saw that Xiao Zhan’s eyes had gone teary, and a sudden wave of protectiveness came over him.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” He wanted to bring his hands and wipe away the tears, but his hands were dirty so he quickly washed them clean and dried them before turning his full attention back to Xiao Zhan. He brought both of his hands to cup his cheeks as his thumbs brushed away the lingering tears.
Xiao Zhan wetly chuckled. “It’s... it’s stupid, ignore me Yibo...”
Yibo frowned, not believing a single word. “It can’t be stupid if it made you react like this? What happened? Was it something I said? I didn’t upset you did I? You know I will always—”
“Yibo, why are you so perfect?”
Yibo blinked in surprise, not expecting this sort of question. While his heart swelled with warmth from the question, he knew Xiao Zhan wasn’t letting more on to what he was saying.
“I really don’t deserve you, I mean we barely know each other as it is and—”
“Stop.” Yibo said suddenly.
Xiao Zhan’s mouth fell shut instantly.
“Xiao Zhan,” Yibo started again gently, seeing the expression on Xiao Zhan’s face, “It really doesn’t matter how little we’ve known each other, as long as I’m with you and you’re with me, that’s enough.”
Xiao Zhan opened his mouth and then closed it, looking as if he were struggling to find the right words. Yibo found the act particularly cute so he chuckled softly and placed a warm hand on his cheek and gently tugged his face closer to his, so that their lips were breaths away from each other.
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, Yibo admiring the faint blush that had begun to adorn Xiao Zhan’s beautiful features, whilst Xiao Zhan bit down on his lower lip.
Yibo’s gaze trailed down to those rosy luscious lips and he traced his thumb over them slowly, relishing in the short gasp Xiao Zhan let out at the touch.
“I mean it, Xiao Zhan, you’re everything to me already,” Yibo said, his voice so endearingly soft.
Xiao Zhan let out a breath, his lips parting slightly at Yibo’s touch. “But what if you realise I’m not enough?” He said quietly, his eyes downcast.
Yibo’s gaze darkened with an intensity. “That's not possible,” he whispered. “You're more than enough, Xiao Zhan. I just want you.”
The vulnerability in Xiao Zhan’s eyes tugged at Yibo’s heart even harder and he couldn’t resist any longer. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to Xiao Zhan’s in a soft but powerful kiss, pouring all the reassurance and affection he felt into that hard yet gentle touch.
Xiao Zhan melted against him, his hands coming up to clutch at Yibo’s shirt as he kissed back hesitantly, then with more certainty. The tension seemed to dissolve from his body as if Yibo’s kiss was all the reassurance he needed.
When they pulled back, they rested their foreheads against each other.
“Yibo, you know, you made it so easy for me to fall for you,” Xiao Zhan said with a shy smile, meeting his gaze.
“Good, keep falling for me, I’ll catch you everytime.”
“Wang Yibo!” Xiao Zhan slapped at his arm, burying his face in his shoulder. “Way to ruin the moment, how did you even say that with a straight face?” He chuckled as he shook his head.
Yibo laughed heartily, his arms coming up to tightly wrap around Xiao Zhan. Xiao Zhan huffed and then wrapped his own arms around him, and they stayed like that for a few moments, just basking in each other’s comforting warmth.
The dishes were long forgotten.
Chapter Text
Later, Xiao Zhan made a plan that he was going to head down to the bakery. He wanted to take Yibo with him and show him something he loved to do in his spare time.
“Yibo,” he asked, turning to face Yibo from the sofa they were sitting at, watching a show. Yibo looked at him, his eyes fond as he nodded for him to continue.
“I’m going down to help at a bakery, do you want to come with me?”
Yibo surged forward to kiss him passionately, catching him by surprise. Xiao Zhan didn’t even have time to return the kiss before Yibo leaned back, his eyes deep and sure as he said, “Of course.”
Xiao Zhan beamed at him.
They found themselves walking hand in hand down the street, the afternoon sun casting a bright hue over the city. Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but steal glances at Yibo, his heart fluttering every time he looked at him from the side.
As they approached the bakery, the familiar scent of freshly baked bread and pastries filled the air. The little shop had large windows with pastel curtains and a chalkboard outside listed the specials for the day. Inside, it was even cosier with warm lights, rustic wooden shelves filled with baked goods, and a counter that displayed an array of tempting pastries and goods.
Xuan Lu wasn’t there today, but the owner, Na Ying, was there, and when she saw them walk through the door she beamed happily at them.
“Zhanzhan! You—” Her eyes fell to the joined hands and a knowing look crossed her features. Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but blush and Yibo, ever reluctantly, did the favour of letting his hand go and bowed his head in a polite greeting.
Xiao Zhan cleared his throat. “Na-jie, this is Yibo, I hope you don’t mind but I brought a helping hand today,” he finished with a soft smile.
“Wait what—” Yibo started, having only thought he would be visiting, not actually doing any baking.
“Ah, perfect!” She clapped her hands, “We could use an extra pair of hands today.” Na Ying said, her eyes twinkling as she took in Yibo’s expression, clearly amused with his reaction.
Yibo blinked, slightly taken aback, before he offered a hesitant smile.
“I, uh... I’m not exactly experienced when it comes to baking.”
Na Ying waved him off with a playful chuckle. “Nonsense! We’ll put you to good use. Besides, anyone who comes with Zhanzhan is already part of the family.”
“Don’t worry, Na-jie, I’ll show him the ropes,” Xiao Zhan said with a light laugh.
Na Ying grinned knowingly and motioned for them to follow her behind the counter. The familiar warmth of the bakery’s kitchen enveloped them and the smell of rising dough and sweet pastries created a nice and cosy atmosphere. Flour dusted the counters and trays of freshly baked bread cooled nearby.
“Zhanzhan, you know the drill,” Na Ying said, pulling an apron off the hook and tossing it to Xiao Zhan. She then grabbed another apron and handed it to Yibo, who took it with a slightly bewildered expression. “You,” she said, pointing at Yibo, “are in charge of kneading.”
Yibo blinked. “Kneading?”
Xiao Zhan stifled a laugh, watching as Yibo tied the apron around his waist. “Don’t worry, it’s not that hard. I’ll help you.”
Na Ying smiled at them. “I’ll be behind the counter if you need me, but I’m sure Zhanzhan is enough for you, Yibo.”
Before Xiao Zhan could respond she was gone, heading back out to the front where a customer had been patiently waiting.
Xiao Zhan guided Yibo to the long wooden worktable where a large bowl of dough waited to be worked on. He stood beside Yibo, showing him how to knead properly, pushing the dough down with the heels of his hands and folding it over.
Yibo furrowed his brows in concentration as he mimicked Xiao Zhan’s movements, though his technique seemed a bit awkward at first. He pressed too hard, causing the dough to flatten into a mess.
“You don’t have to be so aggressive,” Xiao Zhan said with a laugh, reaching over to adjust Yibo’s hands. Their fingers touched, and it sent a warm spark through Xiao Zhan.
“Just be gentle, like this,” he said, guiding Yibo’s larger hands as he kneaded into the bread.
Instead of returning to his own dough, Xiao Zhan continued to press lightly onto Yibo’s hands as he guided him through the motions, his hands resting over Yibo’s as they worked the dough together.
The closeness between them seemed to thicken the air, with the warmth of the kitchen mingling with the warmth building between them. Xiao Zhan’s breath caught slightly as he realised how intimate the moment felt.
Yibo didn’t move or protest but instead, he tilted his head slightly, watching Xiao Zhan with a soft, amused expression.
“You’re not letting go.” Yibo murmured, his voice was low and teasing and Xiao Zhan blinked, realising he was still holding onto Yibo’s hands. His heart skipped a beat as he pulled his hands back quickly, laughing a little to cover his embarrassment. “Right. Sorry about that.”
But Yibo just smiled, his eyes warm and endearingly soft.
“Don’t apologise. I wasn’t complaining.”
The teasing lilt in Yibo’s voice sent a shiver down Xiao Zhan’s spine, but he forced himself to focus, clearing his throat and turning back to his own dough. His hands felt strangely empty without Yibo’s larger ones beneath them, but he tried not to dwell on it.
As they continued working, Yibo glanced over at him again, his voice playful.
“You know, if you wanted to hold my hand, you could’ve just asked.”
Xiao Zhan’s cheeks flushed a deep red as he shot Yibo an exasperated look.
“You’re impossible.”
Yibo only smirked.
Once they were done, they went back out into the front. Xiao Zhan helped out by being behind the counter for some time, and Yibo watched him fondly by sitting at one of the small tables, tasting a delicious buttery croissant Xiao Zhan had given him.
It didn’t take long before Xiao Zhan was finally done, and Na Ying came to say goodbye and express her thanks to them both for helping out.
“Zhanzhan, bring him here often!” She said eagerly and with a smile.
Xiao Zhan chuckled, “I will, I will,” he looked at Yibo, and when his and Yibo’s eyes met it was as if there was no one else around them, just each other.
They stayed staring at each other, lost in the depth of each other’s emotions before a somewhat deliberate cough could be heard. Immediately, Xiao Zhan turned back to Na Ying and she looked at him like she had figured everything out, before turning her gaze to Yibo.
“It was nice meeting you, Yibo,” she smiled warmly at him, and Yibo nodded back at her, bowing his head.
After they said their goodbyes they left the bakery, their hands finding each other again.
“How was it?” Xiao Zhan asked eagerly.
“My favourite bit was when you were holding my hands.” Yibo said without missing a beat.
Xiao Zhan quickly let go of their joined hands.
“Hey— wait!” Yibo laughed, catching Xiao Zhan’s hand again before he could pull away completely. “I was just teasing. Don’t be so shy.”
Xiao Zhan was flustered and looked away with a pout, but there was no real anger behind it.
“You really don’t miss an opportunity, do you?”
Yibo grinned, giving his hand a light squeeze.
“Not when it comes to you.”
“Oh my god,” Xiao Zhan wanted to bury his face in his hands at Yibo’s continuous antics. He had no clue Yibo was such a tease, and he loved it, even though he would rather die than admit it to him.
They spent some time just walking around, taking in the fresh air and the quiet of the city, even though it was nearing the evening. Xiao Zhan had been on walks before, either needing to clear his head or just for fun, but nothing could compare to this walk with Yibo. They barely even spoke, but no words needed to be spoken and there was an air of absolute comfort between them.
Soon enough, they eventually reached the front of Xiao Zhan’s apartment building.
“Yibo, do you want to come in?” Xiao Zhan turned to face Yibo with hopeful, wide eyes.
Yibo looked at him and Xiao Zhan felt like melting at the undeniable fondness that was held in those eyes.
“Xiao Zhan, I have to go back, okay?” Yibo closed the space between them, bringing a hand to firmly grasp the back of his neck as he leaned in and kissed him.
Xiao Zhan hummed softly into the kiss as Yibo’s tongue lapped across his lips. Before the kiss could deepen however, Xiao Zhan pulled back.
“Yibo, can I have your number?” He asked quickly.
The suddenness of the question raised a laugh out of Yibo.
“We really did it backwards,” he smiled, bringing his phone out of his pocket. Yibo barely used his phone, but he did have a number luckily.
Once they were exchanged, Yibo sent a message to Xiao Zhan.
Yibo: Testing
“Perfect!” Xiao Zhan said once he received the message.
Yibo nodded softly.
Their gazes met again and Yibo desperately didn’t want to leave, but he also knew that if Xiao Zhan went back into his apartment and didn’t see the little panther he was expecting to see, he would be so worried again.
“See you, Xiao Zhan.” Yibo pressed a quick peck to his lips. Xiao Zhan smiled warmly at him.
“See you, Yibo.”
As Xiao Zhan watched Yibo’s retreating back, he smiled to himself and went into the building.
When he reached his floor and unlocked his door, he broke out into a wide smile.
“Little mister!” He laughed as he crouched down to grab the baby panther that was waiting patiently behind the door, and brought him to his chest.
“I missed you earlier,” he nuzzled his face into his neck, smiling widely at the way the small animal seemed to nuzzle back. It was so unbearably adorable that Xiao Zhan could only press a kiss to the panther’s head.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, but you have all my attention now,” he grinned at him as he walked into his bedroom. He placed the animal on the bed and then proceeded to change out of his clothes and into his soft and comfortable ones. He then practically jumped onto the bed, the baby panther making its way to him and settling itself on his chest as Xiao Zhan took out his phone.
The first thing he did was send Yibo a message.
It ended up being a dance of his thumbs as he spent a few minutes deciding on what to say. The animal twisted its head to look at him, and Xiao Zhan could almost feel the judgmental gaze in his eyes.
“Shut up,” he said, looking back at his phone as he continued to think silently about how to start a conversation.
Xiao Zhan: Hi
Xiao Zhan quickly pressed send before he could change his mind.
“Do you think it’s too dry? Am I being too forward? I texted him just straight after he left also, what if I seem too desperate and—”
A paw smacked him on the head.
Xiao Zhan blinked.
“Right,” he chuckled nervously, “Sorry.”
The panther just jumped off his chest and nuzzled into his neck, before licking him a few times. Xiao Zhan laughed lightly at the ticklish sensation and closed his eyes, the exhaustion of the day getting to him even though it was only the evening.
Soon enough, the phone slipped from his hand and landed beside him as his breaths started to even out, the reigns of consciousness slowly fading out.
Xiao Zhan woke up, his heart erratic in his chest and a chill crawling down his spine.
The comforting weight of the baby panther was gone, replaced by an oppressive darkness that enveloped all around him.
He squinted, trying to adjust to the dimness, but his surroundings felt foreign and disorienting.
“Hello?” He called out, his voice shaky.
The only response was a haunting silence.
Panic tightened in his chest as he pushed himself up, only to realise he was bound, his wrists held together by rope as he was tied to a cold, metallic chair.
His heart raced as he struggled against the restraints, the harsh rope biting into his skin. Shadows were dancing along the walls, and a shiver crawled up his spine at the sight.
In the distance, he could hear faint sounds of muffled voices.
“Xiao Zhan.” One voice called, sharp and commanding.
“Who’s there?” He shouted, the bravado in his voice wavering as fear washed over him.
The door creaked open, revealing a figure cloaked in darkness. A flash of cold eyes pierced through the dark and locked onto his. Xiao Zhan’s breath caught in his throat at the sight.
“What— what is it, why am I here?” Xiao Zhan demanded, trying to summon the courage that felt so far away from him.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” the shadowed figure hissed, his voice dripping with mockery.
Xiao Zhan’s heart continued to race frantically as panic clawed at the edges of his mind. He struggled against the ropes, but the more he fought, the tighter they seemed to grip him. The shadows loomed larger, and he felt a sense of helplessness that made his stomach twist.
“No, no,” he muttered, fighting back tears. “This can’t be real. This isn’t happening.”
But as the figure advanced, the world around him began to darken, the edges of his vision blurring. The chill seeped deeper into his bones and the laughter of the shadows surrounded him.
“Wake up, Xiao Zhan,” a voice whispered in the dark, and in that moment, he realised with horror that he might be trapped here forever.
Xiao Zhan woke with a start, his face damp as sweat clung to his skin. He let out a shuddering breath as he looked around, trying to take in his surroundings.
It took him a few moments, but he noticed the small panther was awake and seemed to be anxious, his beautiful eyes wide as he pressed two of his paws to his face, almost as if he could tell Xiao Zhan had been distressed.
Xiao Zhan let out a wet chuckle.
“Don’t worry little mister,” he started, his throat dry, “It was just a nightmare, nothing serious,” he finished, bringing a hand to gently stroke the panther’s small body.
The panther didn’t seem to care about his words as he just snuggled closer, his head burying into the crevice of Xiao Zhan’s neck. Xiao Zhan could only smile at the endearing behaviour.
“Little mister, you’re really stubborn, I told you I’m fine,” he laughed, getting up in a sitting position.
The panther didn’t budge from his position though and Xiao Zhan sighed, scooping him up in one hand as he made his way to the bathroom.
The panther didn’t seem to want to part from him, so Xiao Zhan just let him rest securely on his shoulders as he looked at his own expression from the mirror.
His eyes looked a little red and he did look tired, so he turned the tap on and splashed some cold water onto his face.
He didn’t check the time, so he didn’t know how late it had gotten into the night, just that he knew he didn’t want to go back to sleep again just yet. He didn’t want to admit it, but there was something about that nightmare that just seemed to give him cold chills, and he didn’t want to risk living it out again or continuing it in his sleep.
Some of the cold water had splashed onto the panther and he just shook it off, the fast movement of the soft fur giving Xiao Zhan a tickling sensation on his neck. He couldn’t help but giggle, and just like that, the nightmare was already at the back of his mind.
It turned out that it was only midnight. Having slept in the evening, Xiao Zhan deduced that was more than enough sleep for him, and he could instead for the rest of the night do some work.
It was when he was having a break from his work when he realised he may have gotten a response from Yibo.
Eagerly unlocking his phone, Xiao Zhan opened their conversation and a wide smile adorned his features when he saw a notification from the other man.
Yibo: Hey
It was sent a couple hours ago, so it was whilst he was asleep. Xiao Zhan grinned secretly to himself as he typed out his response. Then, an idea came to him and he got rid of his message and instead opened his camera. After taking a casual selfie of himself smiling, he sent it before he could change his mind.
Xiao Zhan: [IMG1005 Attached]
Xiao Zhan waited eagerly for a response, and then realised it was the middle of the night so Yibo was most likely sleeping. He chuckled lightly to himself and then scrolled through his other unread chats.
When he saw quite a few unread messages from Xuan Lu, he swallowed.
He had completely forgotten to tell her what happened.
Lulu: Zhanzhan
Lulu: I saw you with a handsome man last night
Lulu: And then you disappeared
Lulu: If I don’t see any marks on your neck the next time I see you I’m going to be disappointed
Lulu: If it wasn’t clear I approve him
Xiao Zhan let out a breathy laugh at Xuan Lu’s words and grinned to himself.
Xiao Zhan: Hehe
Xiao Zhan: He’s so handsome, and he’s funny and kind and just perfect I literally don’t have the words
Xiao Zhan: I have a photo of us together I took secretly
Xiao Zhan: [IMG3328]
Xiao Zhan spent a few moments just staring at the photo he sent, looking so fondly at Yibo’s face. He really was so beautiful, so out of this world that Xiao Zhan for a second wondered if he was worthy to be with Yibo.
He quickly buried the thoughts, not wanting to go down that path and instead he switched his phone off.
Setting his phone down on the desk, Xiao Zhan went back to working, completely unaware of the pair of eyes from a certain panther perched on his shoulder who had been watching everything he had just been doing.
Notes:
I love writing scenes where xz is just being his cute adorable self and yb in his baby panther form is either like *smack* with his paw or *lick lick* to his neck
Chapter Text
Yibo wanted to turn back into a human and kiss Xiao Zhan right then and there. The photo Xiao Zhan had secretly taken of them both was too much for his heart and he desperately wanted to just hug the human and press soft kisses into his neck, relishing in the sweet, adorable sounds Xiao Zhan would let out.
Instead, he stayed there as a panther, on the shoulder of Xiao Zhan as he watched him dedicating the night to his work.
It wasn’t long before Xiao Zhan’s eyes started to blink slower, the pen in his hand slipping slowly before he slumped forward, clearly having fallen asleep.
As soon as it happened, Yibo jumped off and quickly changed back to human.
“Fuck, Xiao Zhan,” Yibo whispered into his ear, leaning down from behind him as his eyes closed, pressing a long kiss behind his ear.
Xiao Zhan didn’t react to the touch, his breaths were still deep and even, and Yibo stayed staring at him for a few moments before he gently carried him into his arms.
Xiao Zhan instinctively held onto him, his hands gripping onto the lapel of his shirt and Yibo smiled down at him, pressing another soft kiss to his head.
Yibo carried him to the bedroom and gently placed him down onto the mattress.
He lingered by the bed, his fingers brushing against Xiao Zhan’s hair, tucking stray strands behind his ear. The soft texture felt comforting beneath his fingertips and Yibo found himself wishing he could capture this moment forever.
With a quiet determination, Yibo made his decision.
He slipped back into his panther form, his sleek black fur melding seamlessly with the shadows of the room. He hopped onto the bed and curled up next to Xiao Zhan as he felt the familiar rush of warmth as he nestled close to him, resting his head onto his chest.
The soft rise and fall of Xiao Zhan’s chest became a soothing rhythm for him. Yibo let out a soft, rumbling purr that seemed to vibrate in the air around the room.
Xiao Zhan smelled like fresh peaches, and before long, the sweet scent lulled Yibo into a peaceful slumber.
When Yibo woke up, there was an air of coldness around him. Before he even opened his eyes, he could tell that Xiao Zhan wasn’t in the room.
Immediately jumping from the bed, Yibo went out and ventured through the apartment. It didn’t take long for him to realise that Xiao Zhan had left.
Seeing this, Yibo shifted back to human and silently wondered to himself where Xiao Zhan could be.
Xiao Zhan was his own person of course, but Yibo had a primal, possessive urge within him to know where he was at all times, to know he was safe.
The sound of the door clicking open brought him out of his thoughts, and Yibo froze.
Xiao Zhan walked through the door, and when he saw Yibo he also froze.
Yibo wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn’t. The words were stuck in his throat and he could only stare at Xiao Zhan like a deer caught in headlights.
“Yibo...?” Xiao Zhan blurted and he shut his eyes before opening them again. He blinked a few times, and Yibo couldn’t help but find the act incredibly adorable.
“Ah? How—”
“I came earlier!” Yibo quickly interrupted him, “And the door was left unlocked so I just thought I’d wait for you,” he quickly reasoned, making sure he sounded convincing.
“...”
“...”
A phone started ringing somewhere and Yibo almost sighed in relief at the impeccable timing.
Xiao Zhan quickly pulled his phone out and declined the call, before placing it back into his pocket.
“Well, you’re here now, and—”
Yibo strode forward and closed the distance between them before Xiao Zhan had the chance to continue speaking.
Xiao Zhan giggled into his mouth and looped his arms around him as he kissed him back passionately.
“Well, good morning, Yibo,” Xiao Zhan whispered into his mouth, pressing another soft kiss to his lips.
“Good morning, Xiao Zhan,” Yibo smiled into the kiss.
They stayed standing there, kissing each other softly as if there was nothing in the world they’d rather be doing.
When they pulled back, they smiled at each other and Xiao Zhan placed a hand on Yibo’s cheek.
“Thank you for coming here, Yibo, you’ve already made my day,” he smiled sweetly, and Yibo was overcome with desire so he pulled Xiao Zhan into another kiss, this time heated and with more passion.
Xiao Zhan let out a soft whimper when Yibo bit harshly at his lower lip, and before Xiao Zhan knew it, his back had hit the wall.
Yibo’s hands were already sliding down Xiao Zhan’s sides, gripping him possessively as their kisses grew more fervent. The warmth between them ignited a fire and Xiao Zhan could feel his pulse racing. His body responded instinctively, his fingers tangling in Yibo’s hair as he pulled him closer, almost desperate to melt into him.
“Yibo...” Xiao Zhan gasped between the kisses, his breath coming in short bursts. His words were barely coherent, lost in the heat of the moment.
Yibo growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating against Xiao Zhan’s lips.
Yibo pressed harder against him, his lips trailing from Xiao Zhan’s mouth down to his jawline, leaving a searing path of kisses in their wake.
“Mine,” Yibo whispered, his voice husky with want. The possessiveness in his tone sent a shiver down Xiao Zhan’s spine, and he could only nod in response, his heart pounding in his chest.
Xiao Zhan’s head tilted back against the wall, his eyes fluttering shut as Yibo’s mouth found the sensitive spot on his neck.
A soft moan escaped Xiao Zhan’s lips and he arched into Yibo’s touch, his hands gripping the fabric of Yibo’s shirt as if it were the only thing keeping him grounded.
Yibo pulled back slightly, his eyes dark and intense as they locked onto Xiao Zhan’s. He raised a hand to cup Xiao Zhan’s cheek, his thumb brushing gently against his plush lips.
“You really have no idea what you do to me, Xiao Zhan, everytime.”
Xiao Zhan’s breath hitched at Yibo’s words, the intensity in his gaze almost too much to bear. His heart was racing, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to steady himself, but the way Yibo was looking at him made it impossible to think clearly.
“I feel the same,” Xiao Zhan whispered, his voice barely audible.
Yibo’s thumb gently traced the outline of Xiao Zhan’s lips, his expression softening slightly, though the intensity in his eyes remained.
“Then I’ll say it again, you know I won’t let you go, okay?” Yibo murmured, his voice deep and possessive.
Xiao Zhan nodded, his hands still gripping Yibo’s shirt tightly.
“I don’t want you to.” The truth of his feelings were laid bare in those words, and the vulnerability in his eyes reflected the depth of his emotions.
At Xiao Zhan’s words, Yibo’s expression shifted and something tender flashed in his eyes as he leaned in, brushing his lips softly against Xiao Zhan’s. This kiss was different — gentle, as if Yibo was pouring every unsaid word, every unspoken feeling into the touch.
Xiao Zhan’s heart swelled in his chest and his fingers relaxed their grip onto Yibo’s shirt as he melted into the kiss, letting himself be completely lost in the moment.
When they finally pulled away, both of them were breathing heavily, their foreheads resting against each other as they tried to catch their breath.
Yibo’s hand cupped the back of Xiao Zhan’s neck, his fingers lightly massaging the skin there, sending small shivers down Xiao Zhan’s spine.
“You’re mine,” Yibo repeated, softer this time, his lips brushing against Xiao Zhan’s forehead.
Xiao Zhan smiled.
“I should start a count on how many times you’ve said that.”
Yibo huffed, kissing him again. He was addicted to Xiao Zhan’s sinful lips.
As all the words Yibo had said fully settled in Xiao Zhan’s chest, his heart tightened at the casual and obvious possessiveness in Yibo’s tone, but it wasn’t suffocating at all — it was comforting and everything he needed to hear, and so he couldn’t help but whisper back. “And you’re mine.”
Just as they were both savouring the moment, a phone went off again.
Xiao Zhan groaned, quickly checked who it was, thought for a moment, then switched his phone off, the sound of the ringing dying out.
Yibo gave him a look.
“It was just my friend, Xuan Lu,” Xiao Zhan smiled as he pocketed his phone.
“You should answer her.”
Xiao Zhan looked at him, then turned his head away. Yibo could see a faint blush gracing his cheeks.
“I’d... I’d rather do something else,” Xiao Zhan bit on his lower lip, averting his gaze.
Yibo grabbed his chin so that he was facing him again, and Xiao Zhan let out a soft gasp.
“And what does this something else mean?”
Xiao Zhan looked away again and Yibo smirked, bringing his mouth to his ear.
“Are you asking to be fucked again, Xiao Zhan?”
Instantly, heat rose to Xiao Zhan’s face and he shook his face, though it was clear his body was betraying him. Their hips were pressed together, and Yibo could already feel Xiao Zhan’s growing erection against his own.
“I didn’t know you were such a slut, Xiao Zhan,” Yibo nipped his ear as he grabbed Xiao Zhan’s ass, pushing their hard cocks against each other as Xiao Zhan shuddered.
Xiao Zhan’s breath caught in his throat as Yibo's words sent a jolt of electricity down his spine. The raw intensity between them made his pulse quicken, his entire body reacting to Yibo’s touch. His hands that had been clinging to Yibo’s shirt now gripped even tighter, his fingers curling into the fabric as if it were the only thing keeping him from melting under Yibo’s dark gaze.
“Yibo...” Xiao Zhan’s voice was barely a whisper and full with need. He didn’t trust himself to say much more, not when Yibo had him pressed so close, their bodies practically burning with heat.
Yibo’s smirk deepened as he pressed their hips even tighter together, the friction making Xiao Zhan gasp softly, his eyelids fluttering as waves of pleasure coursed through him.
“Say it, Xiao Zhan,” Yibo murmured against his ear, his breath hot on his skin. “I want to hear you admit it.”
Xiao Zhan’s mind was spinning, his thoughts a blur as Yibo’s hands gripped his ass tighter.
He could feel the heat pooling in his abdomen, the sensation overwhelming him. His lips parted, but the words refused to come out.
Yibo chuckled lowly, his hand sliding up to grip Xiao Zhan’s waist firmly. “You like this, don’t you? Being so desperate for me,” he whispered, his voice velvety. He nipped hard at Xiao Zhan’s neck, drawing a soft moan from him.
The sensation sent shivers down Xiao Zhan’s spine and he could no longer hold back.
“Yes,” he breathed out, filled with raw desire. “I want you, Yibo. I need you—!”
Yibo’s eyes darkened with satisfaction as he heard Xiao Zhan’s words, and he pulled back slightly, his lips hovering just inches from Xiao Zhan’s.
“Good.”
And then Yibo’s lips crashed down on Xiao Zhan’s again, fierce and dominant. The kiss was rough, filled with the pent-up need they both felt. Xiao Zhan’s body responded immediately, arching into Yibo’s touch with every fibre of his being craving for more and more.
Yibo’s hands slid down to Xiao Zhan’s thighs, lifting him up effortlessly. Xiao Zhan wrapped his legs around Yibo’s waist, the feeling of their bodies pressed together making him dizzy with want. His mind was clouded, lost in the sheer intensity of the moment and he couldn’t help but moan into Yibo’s mouth.
With a swift motion, Yibo carried him toward the bedroom, never breaking the kiss, their mouths still locked in a heated exchange.
The want in Yibo’s touch, the way his hands gripped Xiao Zhan’s body like he never wanted to let go, made Xiao Zhan feel consumed in the best possible way.
As Yibo lowered him onto the mattress, Xiao Zhan’s heart pounded in his chest.
Yibo’s fingers moved with purpose, sliding under the hem of Xiao Zhan’s shirt and grazing the soft skin of his abdomen.
Xiao Zhan’s breath hitched at the searing touch, his muscles tensing with anticipation as Yibo slowly pushed the fabric up, exposing more of his skin to the cool air as he tugged the shirt off him.
Yibo’s eyes darkened further, filled with hunger as they trailed over Xiao Zhan’s naked torso.
Xiao Zhan’s pulse raced under Yibo’s intense gaze.
The moment felt electric, and Xiao Zhan wanted nothing more than to fall deeper into it. His hands came up, sliding across Yibo’s back, feeling the warmth of his skin through the fabric of his shirt.
He tugged gently, and Yibo smiled as he took his own shirt off, chucking it somewhere.
Yibo leaned down, his lips ghosting over Xiao Zhan’s neck as he whispered in a low, sultry voice. “You’re always so beautiful like this.”
His breath sent a shiver down Xiao Zhan’s spine, making him arch involuntarily into Yibo’s touch.
Yibo’s lips trailed down his throat, lingering at the sensitive spot where his neck met his shoulder. Xiao Zhan’s breathing grew ragged as he felt Yibo’s teeth scrape lightly against his skin.
The sensation made Xiao Zhan squirm beneath him, a quiet moan escaping his lips as he pressed his head back into the pillow, offering more of his neck to Yibo.
As Yibo focused his attention on his neck, Xiao Zhan’s hands slipped lower, his fingers curling around the waistband of Yibo’s jeans, tugging lightly as he arched his back, desperate for more contact, for more of Yibo.
Yibo chuckled softly, his lips brushing against Xiao Zhan’s ear.
“So impatient,” he teased, though his own breathing was becoming more laboured.
Xiao Zhan let out a breathy laugh, and it was cut short by the feeling of Yibo’s hand sliding down his torso, his fingers trailing over every inch of skin as if memorising the way Xiao Zhan felt beneath him.
“You’re one to talk,” Xiao Zhan breathed, his lips curving into a smile as he met Yibo’s gaze.
Yibo smiled at him before he dipped down and captured Xiao Zhan’s lips in a messy kiss.
Xiao Zhan let out a whimper as Yibo’s hands continued their exploration over his body, before slipping his hand back under his waistband to pull down his pants and boxers alike, chucking them randomly away.
“Fuck,” Yibo groaned, eyeing Xiao Zhan’s hard length.
Before Xiao Zhan knew what was happening, Yibo had leaned down and begun to lick teasingly at the tip. Xiao Zhan moaned, his hands coming to thread through Yibo’s hair, his breath catching in his throat as Yibo gave his sole focus to his aching cock.
The bedroom was very quickly soon full with Xiao Zhan’s moans and whimpers as Yibo’s mouth worked his cock, swallowing and sucking relentlessly.
Xiao Zhan so desperately wanted to come, but Yibo kept squeezing the base of his cock as he licked his entire length again and again as he continued to suck him off.
Yibo’s hand gripped his waist, and it was like an iron grip. Xiao Zhan choked on a cry when Yibo did a particularly long drag with his tongue.
“Y-Yibo! I’m going to—”
“Do it,” Yibo pulled his mouth down a bit so that his voice could be heard. “Come for me, baobei.”
That was all it took before Xiao Zhan’s back arched as he came hard, his hot release going down Yibo’s throat as Yibo simply swallowed it all down.
Xiao Zhan was panting, his eyes half lidded and his face flushed as he reeled from the onslaught of pleasure still coursing through his veins.
Yibo took in the beautiful sight as he crawled on top of Xiao Zhan again, leaning down to connect their lips in a fiery kiss.
Xiao Zhan was too dazed to kiss back properly, so he just parted his lips and let Yibo devour his mouth, licking deep as he tasted himself from Yibo.
When Yibo pulled back, Xiao Zhan promptly switched their positions so that Yibo was the one lying beneath him as he placed a hand on his chest.
Yibo raised a brow, then smirked.
“I’m going to ride you,” Xiao Zhan said, his expression determined.
Yibo’s face morphed into the widest grin at seeing Xiao Zhan’s adorable determined expression — Yibo silently wondered if Xiao Zhan even realised he was pouting.
Xiao Zhan smiled back as he adjusted himself so he was settled above Yibo’s lap. Sucking in a sharp breath, he grabbed Yibo’s cock, positioned it, and sank down.
The moan he let out when just the tip breached him was long and pleasure filled. Then his breaths became short and sharp as Yibo’s cock disappeared in him as he sucked him in.
“Yibo...” He moaned breathily, tipping his head slightly back.
Yibo stared at him, his eyes dark and intense. The sight of Xiao Zhan looking already so gone with pleasure before he had even started moving was too much, so he snapped his hips upwards.
“Ahh—Y-Yibo!” Xiao Zhan gasped when waves of pleasure ran through him as Yibo’s cock thrusted into his tight cavern.
“Hm?” Yibo’s hands came to his hips to hold him steadily.
Xiao Zhan shook his head, his face flushed and his eyes glazed as he struggled to take in a breath.
“I-I want to... let me...” His voice trailed off at the end, and a blush graced his features as he suddenly looked a bit shy.
The sight of such a shy look on Xiao Zhan’s face whilst he was sitting on his dick was almost sinful to Yibo, and he was helpless compared to Xiao Zhan’s teary doe eyes, so he nodded, smiling softly as he leant back fully, his hands still gripped tight on Xiao Zhan’s waist.
Xiao Zhan took a few breaths before he began to move. It was slow at first, but the pleasure was undeniable and the feeling of Yibo’s cock slowly tearing through him as he bounced on him was electric.
As Xiao Zhan started to gain momentum, his moans became louder and more dragged out, and Yibo took it all in as if he were starved.
“Xiao Zhan,” Yibo groaned beneath him, his fingers tightening on his hips as Xiao Zhan continued to ride him.
“Yibo...” Xiao Zhan moaned in response, and Yibo’s desire to completely ravish Xiao Zhan increased tenfold.
He didn’t hold back, and he snapped his hips upwards again.
Xiao Zhan cried out as Yibo’s cock slammed into him, right into where he was most sensitive.
“Y-Yibo, please–” He whimpered, not having a single clue as to what he was pleading for.
“Hm?” Yibo smirked as he thrusted into him again, watching as Xiao Zhan let out another moan.
“Ahh, I– don’t stop!” Xiao Zhan gasped, too far gone to register what he was saying as Yibo’s cock continued to ram into him.
Yibo only smirked and pounded harder into him, watching the erotic sight of his cock being sucked in by Xiao Zhan again and again.
Then, Yibo leaned upwards and Xiao Zhan’s moans were swallowed as Yibo’s tongue swiped across his lips and entered his mouth in a frenzy. Xiao Zhan’s hands reached out, digging into the back of Yibo’s shoulder blades as he sought purchase from the overwhelming sensations going through him as Yibo’s cock continued to spear into him relentlessly, going deeper and deeper.
“Yibo—! I’m– I’m going to–”
“Do it.”
Xiao Zhan came with a cry, his nails digging harder into Yibo’s back as he arched his own back, his come shooting out between them.
He collapsed onto Yibo, his face buried in his neck as Yibo continued to thrust into him, chasing his own orgasm.
Xiao Zhan continued to let out soft moans in Yibo’s neck, and before long Yibo came into him with a groan, his hot spend filling him up.
They stayed lying there, their hearts racing as they breathed heavily. Then, Xiao Zhan raised his face from where it was buried, and blinked dazedly at Yibo as he smiled.
“Yibo, you should come by every morning,” he grinned.
Yibo laughed, his hands coming around to wrap around Xiao Zhan.
“Do you think you can take it?” Yibo whispered, his voice low. “I’m afraid you may lose the ability to walk by the end of it,” he smirked.
Xiao Zhan stuttered and weakly slapped at his chest.
“So shameless...”
Yibo’s smile only widened.
Notes:
ps: don't be like xz, if u find someone in ur house, REPORT 😂
Chapter Text
“Yibo, how old are you?” Xiao Zhan quietly asked him. They were lying together kissing lazily on the couch, the movie in the background that had been playing completely forgotten and acting as a backdrop to Xiao Zhan’s question.
The thought came suddenly to him and he was surprised how he’d never really given it any thought until now.
“Twenty-four.” Yibo answered between the sweet and soft kisses.
Xiao Zhan hummed, but once he comprehended what Yibo said he startled.
“You’re... what?”
“Twenty-four.” Yibo repeated absentmindedly, his gaze completely focused on Xiao Zhan’s mouth.
But before Yibo had the chance to lean in and kiss him again, Xiao Zhan interrupted him.
“Yibo, I’m thirty.”
“So?” Yibo frowned, not getting at what the problem was here.
“You’re– You’re young! And I’m—”
“Xiao Zhan, if you’re about to say you’re old I will—”
“Aiyo, It’s not that... it’s just that what if...” his voice trailed off, not knowing how to voice his complex thoughts.
Seeing his hesitation, Yibo gave him an assuring smile and ran a comforting hand up and down his back.
“Xiao Zhan, it’s okay. Talk to me.”
Xiao Zhan hesitated, chewing slightly on his bottom lip as he looked away, trying to sort out his messy thoughts. After a few moments he looked back, a clear look in his eyes.
“It’s just, you’re young, Yibo. I just worry, you know? Maybe one day you’ll want something else, or maybe you’ll regret choosing me,” his voice was barely a whisper by the end of it.
Yibo gazed at him for a moment before he lifted his hands and brought them in front of Xiao Zhan’s face.
Xiao Zhan stared at him with those gorgeous eyes of his and Yibo gently placed his hands on his cheek, so that he was cradling the face of his world.
“Xiao Zhan, you know I’ve said this many times before, but I’ll say it again. I know what I want and it’s you. I don’t care about any numbers, okay?”
Xiao Zhan gave him a beautiful smile as if the words deeply warmed his heart, but his expression still showed uncertainty.
“Yibo, don’t you want to see the world and experience more? I don’t want you later to feel like you’re tied down to someone older,” he averted his eyes, as if the thought of Yibo being uncomfortable with him pained him terribly.
It did.
Yibo smiled softly. “In what way are you tying me down or holding me back? You’re young yourself and you easily look my age! As for me seeing the world, I’d rather do that with you by my side. Xiao Zhan, I don’t plan on letting you go ever, so stop saying nonsense,” he finished with a smile as he began to inch his face closer.
Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but let out a shy laugh and he leaned in to meet Yibo’s lips.
Yibo hummed in content as their lips moved slowly against each other, savouring the taste, and when Xiao Zhan finally pulled back, his face had a light flush across it.
“I don’t want to let you go either, I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I just–”
Yibo shut him up with another kiss.
“There you are!” Xiao Zhan exclaimed happily when he saw the little panther jump in through the open window. He had left it open knowing that the animal would return sooner rather than later – it was just a feeling, but it had ended up being right.
Yibo had left just a few minutes ago and though Xiao Zhan had secretly wanted him to stay the night, he let Yibo go, knowing he probably had to do something.
The little panther made its way to him, its beautiful eyes gleaming as Xiao Zhan picked him up and squeezed his face.
“Look at you, always so cute,” he kissed its little head. The panther didn’t squirm like he did when Xiao Zhan first found him, no, now it let him do whatever he wanted, whether it be hugging or kissing.
When Xiao Zhan went to bed later that night, the little panther was once again entangled in his arms, snuggled close to him.
Xiao Zhan hated the cold that continued to surround him.
He hated the darkness pressing in, stealing his breath and leaving him in terror. But most of all, he hated the feeling of being helpless, of being bound and unable to move or try to escape.
Movement brought his eyes to the back of the room and the same dark figure was there. It drew closer and Xiao Zhan could see the coldness shining in the eyes.
“You thought you could escape?”
Xiao Zhan didn’t say anything. All that could be heard were his heavy breaths as he struggled to keep control of his breathing.
“Escape?” He said after a few moments, “I didn’t–” he didn’t remember trying to escape. But there was something that happened… he just couldn’t remember what exactly.
“You know,” the figure laughed, the cold sound echoing around the dark room.
A sudden, splitting headache overtook Xiao Zhan and flashes of memories flickered into his mind.
There were brief, confusing fragments of laughter, warmth, and a smile he couldn’t quite place that felt intimately familiar.
And then the image of Yibo, his gentle yet terrified gaze, the comfort of his hand as he held him…
The blood...
Tears welled in Xiao Zhan’s eyes as the horrifying memories came back to him.
“Yibo... what did you do to him?!” He cried, his voice so broken it sounded as if his very soul had been shattered.
Xiao Zhan awoke with a start, panting heavily and his breaths uneven. There was a sharp lingering ache in his head and he brought a hand to touch it, grimacing at the sheen of sweat that he felt.
He closed his eyes, trying to regain control of his breathing, but as soon as he did flashes of the dream came to mind and he gasped, his eyes opening frantically.
It was then that he felt the small urgent patters of a paw against his face.
“Little mister,” Xiao Zhan croaked out, clearing his throat, “I’m sorry, did I wake you?” He began to pet its small body, the touch somewhat clearing his mind.
The small panther just snuggled up closer to him and the comforting warmth helped Xiao Zhan.
“Another weird nightmare,” he chuckled to himself as he continued to pet the panther, trying his best to push back the feelings of being bound, of despair and heartbreak.
It was then that the panther looked up at him and Xiao Zhan could see the firmness in the look the small animal was giving him.
It was at times like this when Xiao Zhan thought it was a human, not an animal. The panther was so unique he couldn’t help but hold the small animal tighter in his arms and press a kiss to his small head.
“No need to look at me like that,” he chuckled breathily, leaning his head back against the cushions. “It’s just my subconscious playing with me,” he joked, trying to ignore the remnants of the dark dream that flashed through his mind.
He shook his head, closing his eyes and steadying his breaths, the presence of the baby panther in his arms grounding him.
Yibo wanted to change into his human form right then. Seeing Xiao Zhan struggling to keep his composure, because of a continuous nightmare that didn’t seem to give him a peaceful sleep — Yibo just wanted to embrace him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. Because with him around, Yibo knew he would never let anything happen to Xiao Zhan.
He was about to do just that, not worrying about the consequences it could bring, before he heard a long exhale from Xiao Zhan.
When he looked up, he realised that Xiao Zhan had fallen asleep again.
Yibo internally sighed and placed his paw delicately on Xiao Zhan’s cheek, making sure his claws were not going to unintentionally harm him.
Xiao Zhan shifted in his sleep and his face subconsciously inched closer to his paw.
Yibo smiled to himself.
Sleep well, Xiao Zhan. I’m here.
“Where is he?”
Cheng Xiao smiled inwardly to herself at the question.
“I’m not sure,” she frowned at Yibo’s father, showing an expression of sadness, though she was secretly glad Yibo didn’t show up. Whilst she did miss her childhood friend, she didn’t want to see him again after months on a special dinner where they were going to discuss their arranged marriage, something they both amicably didn’t want for themselves.
Yibo’s father shook his head after a few moments, clearly in disapproval towards his son’s absence.
“I specifically told him to come back today,” he clenched his fists, getting up from the dinner table where the food had been untouched.
“I’m sorry, I hope you can forgive my son’s behaviour,” he bowed at Cheng Xiao’s mother and father, who just gave a curt nod in return, their lips pressed tightly together. They knew how powerful the Wang family and pack was, so marrying into them to secure additional power and security was an excellent move on their behalf – they knew that, and if it were any other family they would have left at the absence of the to-be-groom, but it wasn’t just any groom, it was Wang Yibo.
Their pride was worth a small dent when it came to the Wang heir.
“I’ll teach him a lesson when he comes back,” Mr Wang continued, his face determined. Everyone present could see the controlled anger in his eyes and the determination in his voice.
“Please, Mr Wang, it’s okay,” Cheng Xiao smiled warmly, standing up, “I’ll see Yibo when he wants to be seen.”
“At least stay for dinner.” Mr Wang offered, gesturing to the untouched plates.
Cheng Xiao looked in her mother and father’s direction and they nodded to her, so she sat back down, silently hoping that Yibo wouldn’t have to face his father’s wrath when he would return, though she knew how unlikely that was going to be.
Mr Wang also sat back down after her and quickly gestured for everyone to indulge in the meals provided. Whilst everyone ate in silence, the empty chair next to Cheng Xiao spoke volumes.
In the middle of the night, when Yibo was sure Xiao Zhan was sound asleep and nightmare free, he reluctantly left the apartment block.
It wasn’t planned for him to miss the dinner his father had urged him to attend, even after their last talk and his declaration that he wanted nothing to do with the marriage, but Xiao Zhan’s discomfort preceded any random dinner, so he pushed it at the back of his mind and focused his sole attention towards his human.
Now though, he couldn’t delay it any further, lest his father track him down by himself. No, that would implicate Xiao Zhan, and Yibo desperately wanted to avoid Xiao Zhan getting caught in the crossfire of his family feud.
Despite their home in the woods, his father owned a relatively decent sized mansion which was mainly used for business purposes, like the dinner he was supposed to attend today. His father had obtained it through blending into the human corporate world decades ago when he was around his own age, a time before he held such enmity towards humans.
Yibo had asked him many times about it, but his father always ignored him.
As Yibo quickly made his way through the gate, a couple of guards recognised him instantly and nodded, opening the door for him.
Yibo entered the house. It had been quite a while since he had visited the mansion, but it was as beautiful and luxurious as ever.
He didn’t have long to admire it though as he heard voices coming from the dining room and he quickly made his way over.
As soon as he entered, he met his father’s gaze. It was cold and distant and Yibo tried not to think about it much, or the fierce disappointment those eyes held.
“Yibo.” Cheng Xiao got up and bowed her head respectively, though there was a wide smile on her face. Yibo nodded back, pleased to see his childhood friend after so long, even under these circumstances.
“How have you been?” He asked, mindful of the gazes on them.
“I’ve been well,” she smiled, “I hope you have been too.”
Yibo nodded with a small smile, his thoughts automatically returning to that gorgeous smile and pretty mole. Before he could get further lost in his thoughts, he quickly caught himself and cooled his expression, turning to give his greetings to Cheng Xiao’s parents as he bowed his head.
After the greetings were exchanged Yibo sat down.
He had yet to speak to his father, but when he’d looked at him all Yibo had been greeted with was an unreadable expression. He had to suppress a sigh and he knew there was going to be a long talk about his disappearance and lack of formality after this.
All it took was one thought about Xiao Zhan for him to lose any tension in his body at the prospect.
They continued to eat their food in silence, with only the sound of cutlery cutting through meat, or the gentle tapping of the glass as it was set back down on the table echoing around the room.
It was uncomfortable and Yibo wished he was still lying next to Xiao Zhan.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when Madam Cheng started speaking.
“So, Yibo, how have you been? We’ve heard that you rarely stay the night in your home anymore.” Her tone was light, but Yibo could detect the underlying implication behind it.
“Yes. Is there a problem with that?” He asked politely.
“No, not at all. I was just wondering whether you would do the same to our dear Cheng Xiao after your marriage after all.”
Yibo could feel Cheng Xiao tense up next to him, and he himself struggled to unclench his tight fists.
“The marriage?” He asked, taking a sip from his glass. He didn’t elaborate on the question any further, letting them deal with what he was implying.
“Yes,” Madam Cheng’s eyes squinted slightly, “The marriage between you and my beloved daughter.”
“I thought I had already expressed my feelings towards it.”
“Yibo.” His father warned. Yibo paid him no attention.
“Your feelings?” Madam Cheng continued, her voice sarcastic.
“Yes, the fact that I don’t want to go ahead with this marriage.”
Madam Cheng placed her cutlery down sharply, the metal sound echoing around the now silent room. The servants that had been going around and refilling the glasses with wine quickly backed away, leaving the families alone.
Yibo didn’t bother looking at his father. He could already feel the glare fixed on him.
“I would think the Wang heir would be honoured by this arrangement, am I wrong?” Mr Cheng started speaking.
“It is an honour,” Yibo lied, “But I’m afraid I cannot go through with it.”
“May I ask why?” Madam Cheng asked through gritted teeth.
“I already have someone in my heart I wish to spend the rest of my life with,” he said simply, meeting their gazes head on.
They both seemed taken aback by his sudden declaration, but Yibo paid it no mind.
“Now if you excuse me,” he started to get up, only to feel a strong grip on his arm.
“No, Yibo, you will stay and tell us all about who exactly has been the one to hold such a spell on you for you to disregard what could have been a beautiful union,” his father said, his voice clipped.
Madam Cheng and Mr Cheng both nodded at his father’s words and Yibo wanted to pull himself from his father’s grip, knowing he could easily overcome him, but he knew deep down it would only create more drama, and he desperately wanted to get this meeting over and done with so he could go back to Xiao Zhan.
“Fine, what do you want to know?”
“Who is she, what’s her name?”
“His name is Xiao Zhan and he’s a designer.”
“...”
“Xiao Zhan?” All three of them repeated the name.
Yibo nodded, smiling slightly at the thought of him.
“Yibo... Is he– Is he human?”
Yibo sighed. “And what of it?”
“I have told you what humans are capable of, how they drove us out into hiding generations ago! And you what, decide to love one? Yibo, do you have any idea what—”
“He’s not like that,” Yibo interrupted, his jaw clenched, “Xiao Zhan is different. He is kind, compassionate, and everything you claim humans are not.” Yibo’s voice held a fierce determination. He knew this discussion wouldn’t go well, but he wasn’t about to let them dictate his life, especially not his love.
Mr Wang’s face darkened, his grip on Yibo’s arm tightening painfully.
“You think a human, no matter how kind, can understand the responsibilities and challenges that come with being part of this family? Of being part of our pack?”
Yibo met his father’s gaze steadily, refusing to back down. “It doesn’t matter. I would face any challenge with him. Xiao Zhan gives me a reason to be better, to protect not just for our people but for him too.”
Madam Cheng scoffed, exchanging a quick glance with her husband.
“Your loyalty should be to your pack, Yibo, not to someone who will never understand your life or our traditions. It’s reckless, childish even, to throw everything away for something as trivial as infatuation.”
“It’s not infatuation,” Yibo replied coldly. “I love him and he loves me, no matter what you say.”
Cheng Xiao finally spoke, her voice calm and collected.
“I’m with Yibo, I’ve also made a human friend and they are so different from how you told us they were. There might have been a time when they were what you say they are, but it’s certainly not now.”
“Cheng Xiao, this isn’t your discussion.” Madam Cheng said coldly.
“But it is my marriage and I respect Yibo’s wishes.”
Mr Wang’s expression turned steely, his gaze turning back to Yibo.
“If you are set on this Yibo, know that there will be consequences. A life with a human will bring you nothing but ruin and risk.”
Yibo clenched his fists, swallowing the sting of his father’s words.
“Then let there be consequences, because nothing you say will change my mind.” With that, he pulled his arm free, gave Cheng Xiao a grateful nod, and strode out of the room, leaving the tense silence and the disapproving gazes behind him.
As soon as Yibo left the mansion, he took in a slow breath. He knew the dinner was going to go something like this, but he just wished that it didn’t have to happen in the first place.
He had made his stand on the marriage — he wasn’t going to agree to it, now the problem was left with his father and Mr and Madam Cheng.
Sighing, Yibo started making his way back towards Xiao Zhan’s apartment building, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep in his embrace again.
His mind full with the prospect of meeting Xiao Zhan again, he didn’t realise there was a lingering shadow following his every move.
When he arrived back into the apartment and into the bedroom, a soft voice called out.
“Yibo?”
Yibo halted in his steps. He knew he should have come back into the bedroom in his panther form, but he didn’t think Xiao Zhan would be awake. Now that he paid attention though, he realised that Xiao Zhan was actually just mumbling into his pillow with his hand reaching out into the air.
His heart melting at the sight, Yibo changed back to being a small panther and quickly snuggled up next to him.
“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan wrapped an arm around his small panther body and hoisted him towards his chest, smiling in his sleep.
This is where Yibo belonged and this is where Yibo was determined to stay for the rest of his life.
By Xiao Zhan’s side.
Notes:
this is where the family drama tag starts coming through 👀
Chapter 10
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
When Yibo woke up in the morning, it was to a gorgeous yawning Xiao Zhan sat upright on the bed, relaxed against the bedpost and running a hand through his ruffled hair. Yibo got up and jumped, reaching out and ruffling his hair even more with his small paws.
Xiao Zhan laughed at his movements, the sound a melody to his ears so Yibo continued with messing his hair up even more than it already was, and Xiao Zhan’s laughter only continued to grow as Yibo continued his antics.
“Little mister, what’s got you so naughty today?” Xiao Zhan huffed after the panther finally let go.
Yibo just blinked at him and nestled himself into his lap.
Xiao Zhan giggled heartily, his eyes shining as he looked down at the little animal perched in his lap.
“Not going to let me go to work today?”
Ah, right. Xiao Zhan needed to go to his workplace. Internally sighing, Yibo got up from his lap, trying not to dwell on the loss of warmth he felt. He wasn’t trying to be clingy, but it was Xiao Zhan after all.
After Xiao Zhan finished eating breakfast and got ready, he pressed a soft kiss to the panther’s head and made his way out of the apartment.
When he got out the air was neither warm nor chilly but still, Xiao Zhan had a small scarf wrapped around his neck and his hands were buried in the pockets of his coat.
He started walking, a subconscious smile on his face as he thought of Yibo and his little panther. But as he continued to walk down the road, he couldn’t help but feel the sense that something unusual was happening. He didn’t know how to explain it, just that he felt the odd sensation of being watched. Before he could dwell further on it though, he quickly dispersed the thoughts from his head, not wanting to unnecessarily worry himself.
He walked for another few minutes before a sudden voice came from behind him.
“Excuse me.”
Xiao Zhan startled, not expecting this but he turned around with a small smile. It was a man who looked to be in his late forties and there was something undeniably familiar about him.
“Yes?” Xiao Zhan smiled politely and asked, his eyes raising expectantly.
“Are you Xiao Zhan?”
Xiao Zhan was taken aback and he didn’t know how to respond to the question for a moment.
“You are,” the man nodded to himself, as if he were affirming something.
“Excuse me sir, how did you–”
“So you’re the one my son has fallen in love with.”
Xiao Zhan blinked his doe eyes as the realisation set in.
“You’re... Yibo’s father?”
The man nodded curtly and Xiao Zhan saw how there was nothing warm in his eyes.
“What do you want?” The man asked indifferently.
“I'm sorry?”
“Name your price, tell me what do you want so you can leave Yibo alone.”
It took Xiao Zhan a moment to comprehend what the man was saying, but once he did, his eyebrows furrowed and he looked at the man with a frown.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you sir, but there’s absolutely nothing you could give me that would make me want to leave Yibo. I love him.” Xiao Zhan stated simply, his gaze and voice unwavering. He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with Yibo’s father — that the man had found him in the middle of the street and was asking him something Xiao Zhan had only seen in the many kdramas he had watched.
Yibo’s father just looked at him with a kind of assessing gaze. Xiao Zhan didn’t know what to make of it, just that he knew he was going to get late to the office if he didn’t show up on time.
“I’m sorry, Uncle, but I really must leave now.” He bowed his head and with a small smile, he continued walking ahead briskly. After some time, he subtly looked back and let out a small breath of relief when he saw the same figure walking the other way.
Quickly fetching his phone out of his pocket, he started texting Yibo.
Xiao Zhan: Yibo
The reply was almost instantaneous and Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but smile at that.
Yibo: Yes
Xiao Zhan: I think I just met your father
Xiao Zhan waited for Yibo to respond, but Yibo seemed to be taking a while to type out his response. After a few moments however a text finally came through.
Yibo: Are you okay? Where are you? I’ll come find you
Xiao Zhan chuckled to himself at Yibo’s words.
Xiao Zhan: You’re cute
Yibo: Xiao Zhan
Xiao Zhan: Okay okay!
Xiao Zhan: It was nothing
Xiao Zhan: He somehow found me and just asked me what I would take to leave you
Yibo: What you would take?
Xiao Zhan: Yeah, like money
Xiao Zhan: And before you ask, yes I took the money 😁 Very worth it. Best deal I’ve ever made
Yibo: Ha ha very funny Xiao Zhan
Yibo: Be careful what you say next or I’ll punish you
Xiao Zhan: Wow so forward
Yibo: Do you need me to come by?
Xiao Zhan: Yibo, I love you, but I’m walking currently in the middle of the street
“Doesn’t mean I still can’t find you.”
“Ah—! What the fuck?!” Xiao Zhan almost dropped his phone and his heart stuttered at the sudden voice that crept from behind him. Yibo laughed heartily and wrapped his arms around his waist, his mouth close to his ear.
Xiao Zhan let out a shaky exhale.
“H-how did you–”
“Love makes people crazy. It was love that led me to you.”
“Wang Yibo, I’m going to give you a three second warning before I hit you.”
Instead of listening to his warning, Yibo pressed a long kiss to his ear.
“One...” Xiao Zhan started counting down.
Yibo began to trail his kisses down into his neck.
“Two...”
But still, instead of giving in, Yibo’s hands started to dangerously trail down to cup Xiao Zhan’s ass as if it were the most normal and natural thing for him to do out in the open.
Xiao Zhan quickly turned around and flicked him on the forehead.
“In public! How shameless can you get, Wang Yibo?” He sighed, trying to suppress the large smile that threatened to show on his face.
“Well, I’ve got to make sure everyone knows you’re mine.”
Xiao Zhan shook his head exasperatedly, struggling to control a smile.
“Yeah, well, right back at you,” and with that he grabbed the back of Yibo’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
Yibo’s eyes widened, not expecting the sudden kiss but then he melted into Xiao Zhan’s mouth and they stayed connected like that for a long minute, their lips moving against each other slowly. Xiao Zhan’s hand tenderly brushed against the back of Yibo’s neck and he let his fingers get lost in the soft touch of his hair. In turn, Yibo placed both of his hands to Xiao Zhan’s side, gripping it tightly.
When they pulled back slightly breathless, Xiao Zhan looked at Yibo softly.
“Your father...”
Yibo shook his head, not wanting to discuss the matter of his father right now. “Let’s talk about him later, let me walk you to your office.”
“Do you even know the way?” Xiao Zhan snickered lightly as they started to walk side by side, their hands clasped tightly in each other’s grasp.
“If my love led me to you, I’m certain it can lead me to the place you work!” Yibo smirked at him, bringing his clasped hand up to press a kiss to the back of Xiao Zhan’s hand.
“Yibo! Will your shamelessness ever cease?” Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but blush at Yibo’s words.
Yibo raised an eye at him.
“What do you think, Xiao Zhan?”
“So this is where you work?” Yibo asked when they entered Xiao Zhan’s office.
“You’re lucky I have my own room so you could come in.” Xiao Zhan shook his head, smiling widely to himself.
“So if you have such a lovely place to work here, how come you stay at home, surely you’d want a change of scenery?” Yibo asked him, settling down on the comfortable sofa.
“You know the baby panther I took in?”
“...”
“Yibo?”
“Didn’t you tell me it was a cat?”
“...”
“Xiao Zhan?”
“Oh.”
Yibo shook his head, grinning widely at his successful teasing.
“Come here,” he gestured towards his lap and Xiao Zhan squinted his eyes at him, knowing what accepting the gesture could potentially lead to — with him not getting any work done at all, and there was no way he was going to do it with Yibo here.
“What?” Yibo looked up at him with an innocent expression, even though Xiao Zhan knew it was anything but. Even so, Xiao Zhan made his way over to Yibo and set himself in his lap. As he sat down comfortably, heat rising within him at their positions, two large hands came to hold loosely at his waist.
“So, you have a baby pet panther?” Yibo asked him, absentmindedly stroking his sides.
“Apparently so,” Xiao Zhan tried to keep his focus, but the way Yibo’s hands were sliding up the back of his shirt was not helping in the slightest.
“How come I’ve never seen it?”
Xiao Zhan blinked, not knowing how to explain that for some reason the baby panther always seemed to disappear whenever Yibo was around.
“Yibo.” Xiao Zhan warned when Yibo started teasing his hands under his shirt further.
“What?” Yibo continued to blink innocently at him as his hands went higher and Xiao Zhan felt shivers go through him at the electrifying touch of Yibo’s hands.
“I came here to work—ah!” Xiao Zhan gasped when Yibo suddenly leaned in and latched his teeth into the crook of his neck, tugging harshly with his teeth.
Xiao Zhan weakly slapped his chest, trying to push the insatiable beast off of him, but it seemed to just make Yibo more determined — Xiao Zhan could certainly feel it with Yibo’s growing erection pressing into him.
Then, he heard voices and footsteps just outside of the office and Xiao Zhan quickly scrambled off of Yibo as fast as he could, his heart thundering.
When the voices and footsteps had died down, Xiao Zhan turned back to face Yibo, only to see an adorable frown on his face. Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the cute expression.
“What did you expect, Yibo?” He snickered, making his way to sit at his desk.
Yibo’s frown only deepened.
“Let me stay here while you work then.”
“I was going to let you anyway,” Xiao Zhan huffed and turned to his awaiting work.
He heard some shuffling behind him and then there was a soft kiss being pressed onto his cheek. Xiao Zhan’s eyes sparkled as he turned and saw Yibo smiling at him, and he couldn’t help but lean in and kiss Yibo’s forehead before he finally turned his full attention to the awaiting papers in front.
“Yibo, I'm finally done! We can...”
As Xiao Zhan turned around to face him, instead of a beaming face he expected to see, he saw Yibo lying on the sofa, sound asleep with his arms crossed and his head turned into the sofa’s backrest. His breaths were coming out long and deep and he looked so relaxed.
Xiao Zhan let himself stare and found that right now, Yibo looked so young and he couldn’t help but get up and quietly make his way towards him, kneeling down to gaze fondly at him up close. As he continued to stare, Xiao Zhan noticed a little mole next to his eyebrow and he leaned close to kiss it softly.
He ran a hand through Yibo’s soft hair, smiling secretly to himself at the way it felt as if he were running his hand through the softest pile of feathers. Instead of waking him up, Xiao Zhan carefully climbed onto the sofa, nestled his head into the crook of Yibo’s neck, and breathed in the familiar woody scent as he slowly closed his eyes.
The last thing he felt before he succumbed to a peaceful sleep was an arm tightening protectively around his waist.
Hours later, Xiao Zhan woke up to a hand threading through his hair and he smiled automatically before his eyes had even opened.
“Awake?” Came a rough voice, still lidded with sleep.
Xiao Zhan hummed, keeping his eyes closed for a moment before he opened them.
“Did we stay the night here?” Xiao Zhan asked, lifting his head up.
“Yeah, it seems so,” Yibo smiled, leaning in to kiss him, deep and slow.
Xiao Zhan smiled into the kiss, returning it as he parted his lips. It wasn’t long before the kiss turned more frenzied, with Yibo’s hand coming up to grab his face to pull him in even deeper, his tongue swiping across the roof of his mouth.
When they pulled back for air, there was a misty look in Xiao Zhan’s eyes and his face was flushed, as if he were caught in a daze.
“Yibo, I want you,” he suddenly breathed out, pressing himself harder against Yibo.
Yibo felt his cock shift at Xiao Zhan’s words and he kissed him thoroughly again.
When they pulled back, Yibo spoke. “I thought you were worried about–”
“It’s early. No one is going to be here. Please– I–”
Yibo didn’t need telling twice. At once, he lifted himself with Xiao Zhan up from the sofa and laid him down. He hovered over him, relishing in the sight of Xiao Zhan’s half-lidded and flushed gaze beneath him. He looked so beautiful like this, so obedient and ready to be ravished.
Yibo leaned down, brushing his lips over Xiao Zhan’s jaw, leaving soft kisses along his neck. He took his time and savoured each sound Xiao Zhan made and the way his body arched under his touch.
Xiao Zhan tangled his fingers in Yibo’s hair, pulling him even closer as he let himself get lost in the sensation of Yibo’s lips moving against his skin.
“Tell me what you want, say it again,” Yibo murmured, his voice a low, husky whisper that sent shivers down Xiao Zhan’s spine.
Xiao Zhan’s breath hitched, his fingers curling tighter in Yibo’s hair.
“I want you... Here, now,” he whispered, his voice soft yet filled with need.
Yibo’s eyes darkened and he crashed their lips together again, biting on Xiao Zhan’s lower lip. Xiao Zhan moaned at the faint sting mixed with pleasure.
Yibo then pulled back, eyed Xiao Zhan with that intense expression and then thrust three of his fingers into Xiao Zhan’s mouth.
Xiao Zhan choked at the sudden intrusion but he quickly worked his tongue around the digits, sucking and licking as they pushed in and out of him. Their eyes locked as Yibo kept his fingers moving and as Xiao Zhan expertly ran his tongue up and around them.
When Yibo was satisfied, he pulled his fingers out and then pulled Xiao Zhan’s pants down.
“Look at you,” Yibo smirked, eyeing Xiao Zhan’s hard, flushed cock that immediately sprang out.
“Yibo, please, just–”
Yibo shut him up with a kiss and then eased a first finger into his tight hole.
“Ah–!” Xiao Zhan gasped into Yibo’s mouth as he clenched around the digit. Yibo bit back a groan at the sensation of Xiao Zhan sucking him in and he started a steady pace of thrusting his finger in and out slowly before gaining momentum.
Xiao Zhan’s hands came to grip behind his shoulders, his nails digging into his shoulder blades as Yibo continued to simultaneously thrust into his hole and kiss him deeply, the sensations making Xiao Zhan’s mind a daze.
As Yibo eased in a second finger, Xiao Zhan moaned, the sound echoing around the office even as Yibo continued to lick into his mouth with a possessive hunger.
As Yibo started to curl his fingers, Xiao Zhan cried out. “M-more!”
Yibo smirked at Xiao Zhan’s plea and he pushed in a third finger through the entrance, eliciting another sweet gasp that quickly turned into a pleasure filled moan from Xiao Zhan.
As Yibo worked his fingers, stretching and moving against Xiao Zhan’s inner walls, Xiao Zhan felt himself getting closer over the edge and he clenched down on Yibo, pushing his hips further downwards until Yibo prodded at his prostate. He gasped and Yibo smirked, directing his fingers fast into his sensitive nerves.
“Yibo, I’m going to–”
Before he could get the words out, his cock spurted and he cried out.
Yibo licked his lips at the sight and then eased his fingers out of him. The sight was incredibly erotic and Yibo let himself stare, etching the image to his mind.
After reaching his peak and regaining his breaths, Xiao Zhan slid his hands into Yibo’s boxers, pulling them down as he cupped the large hard-on. Yibo groaned above him as Xiao Zhan started to deftly move his hands with a swift, expert motion that made Yibo see stars.
“Xiao Zhan,” Yibo gasped as Xiao Zhan pressed teasingly at the tip, rubbing his thumb across it before twisting his hand in a way that made Yibo have to bite back a groan.
Then Xiao Zhan leaned up and captured his lips and Yibo came into his hand.
After they had cleaned up, Xiao Zhan looked at Yibo with a sort of shy expression, completely different to how he had practically begged Yibo to fuck him earlier.
“Please tell me, how am I ever going to be able to look at this sofa without thinking of what we just did?” He sighed dramatically, though he was inwardly smug. He could check ‘doing it in his office’ off the list.
Yibo only chuckled, clearly pleased with himself.
“Think about it very clearly everytime you step foot in here,” he smirked.
Xiao Zhan just bared his cute teeth at him and Yibo was reminded of a cute angry bunny. He made a mental note to change Xiao Zhan’s contact handle to that.
Notes:
I hope you liked this update! 💓
the action is definitely on its way 🙂↕️
Chapter 11
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
They were lucky they didn’t run into anyone when they left the office and as soon as they stepped out into the morning air, Xiao Zhan grabbed Yibo’s hand and held it tightly, the familiar warmth soothing him. He had grown so used to Yibo’s hand being in his that every second that passed without the close contact felt as if he were missing a part of himself.
“Let’s grab some breakfast,” Xiao Zhan said and Yibo nodded, smiling softly. He had an inkling of where they were going to go but he didn’t say anything, thinking Xiao Zhan may want to surprise him.
His feeling was right.
Before he knew it, Yibo found himself entering the very same bakery that he had helped work in.
“Welcome, how can I–” A female voice greeted them and when she looked up at them she paused, her eyes automatically drawing to their joined hands, almost exactly as how Na Ying’s did.
“Zhanzhan,” she smiled sweetly and Yibo could almost detect the underlying tease held in her tone.
“Lulu,” Xiao Zhan deadpanned at her and Yibo had to suppress the smile at the way Xiao Zhan seemed to try to warn his friend.
“We just came to grab some breakfast,” Xiao Zhan said to her.
“Wow, you’re even more handsome up close,” she completely ignored Xiao Zhan and spoke directly to Yibo, catching him off guard.
“Lulu!”
“What? The only other time I saw him was when he was sticking his tongue down your throat back at the club.”
“...”
“...”
“Yibo, right? I’m glad to finally meet you,” Xuan Lu smiled sweetly at him, as if what she just said was completely expected.
Yibo cleared his throat.
“Nice to meet you too.”
“Lulu,” Xiao Zhan sounded exasperated and Yibo squeezed his hand in comfort, though he couldn’t help but give a small smile in amusement at Xuan Lu’s antics and their evidently comfortable relationship.
“Okay okay! What do you want?” Xuan Lu finally acquiesced, though the wide grin on her face stayed.
“I’ll have the chocolate croissant, what about you Yibo?” Xiao Zhan sounded as if he was grateful that the conversation had finally shifted.
“I’ll also try the chocolate croissant,” Yibo replied.
“Got it,” Xuan Lu started to take the croissants out from behind the display glass and into a small bag. “On the house, Zhanzhan, as a thank you for finally introducing me to your hot boyfriend,” she winked.
“You didn’t have to–”
“Get out of here already, go continue your date!” Xuan Lu gestured for them to head towards the door.
Xiao Zhan sighed and shook his head as he smiled, “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” she smiled warmly at him, “Let’s meet again Yibo!”
Yibo nodded, giving a small smile. When they left the bakery, Xiao Zhan quickly turned to him.
“Before you say anything,” Yibo quickly interrupted, “I like her.”
Xiao Zhan blinked his doe eyes then visibly relaxed before kissing him on the cheek.
“She can be a bit much sometimes, but she’s—”
“I know,” Yibo said and he grabbed Xiao Zhan by the neck and pulled him in for a gentle, long kiss.
They were only broken apart by the incessant buzzing coming from Xiao Zhan’s phone. When he checked it heat rose to his face at record speed.
Lulu: Really? Right outside the door where I can still see everything 👀
Lulu: Jokes aside, he treats you well. I’m happy for you!
Xiao Zhan: Couldn’t you have waited until after we were done?
Xiao Zhan: [Hearted ‘Jokes aside, he treats you well. I’m happy for you!’]
Lulu: Go back to kissing your boyfriend. I take your attention for one minute and he already looks like a lost puppy
Xiao Zhan looked up and Yibo did indeed mirror an expression of a lost puppy waiting for the attention to fall back on him.
“Gouzaizai,” he voiced his thoughts aloud, grinning happily.
“Hm?” Yibo looked at him, his expression clearly confused.
“Nothing,” he pocketed his phone, gave Xuan Lu a little wave through the glass of the store and then led Yibo by the hand to continue walking down the path.
They spent the rest of the day outside, travelling around the city and enjoying each other’s presence. Xiao Zhan knew he had work waiting for him when he got home, but it still didn’t change his extremely cheerful mood as he spent the day with Yibo.
They were currently sitting on the bench of a quiet park as the sun began to descend, with Xiao Zhan’s head resting on Yibo as a calm silence washed over them.
“Xiao Zhan, don’t move,” Yibo suddenly said and he grabbed his phone from his pocket with careful movement.
The sound of a camera clicking went off and once he was done, Yibo showed him the photo he took.
Xiao Zhan’s eyes widened and they sparkled at the sight that he saw — it seemed that a beautiful red butterfly was currently resting on his shoulder. Xiao Zhan slowly turned his head to his right shoulder and let out an awed gasp at the sight.
The butterfly was even more beautiful up close, its wings intricate with tiny, patterned details that seemed to shine in the light of the sunset. Then its wings opened wide and it took flight.
“Wow,” Xiao Zhan breathed in awe, turning to Yibo who was looking at him with fondness shining in his eyes.
“Zhan-ge is so beautiful that even the prettiest insects are drawn to him,” he smiled shamelessly, his eyes sparkling with tease.
Xiao Zhan just blinked at him, his heart skipping a beat.
“What?” Yibo asked with a chuckle.
“Say that again.”
“Fishing for more compliments are we?” He shook his head, smiling, “Zhan-ge is so beautiful that—”
He paused and realisation seemed to dawn on him.
“Zhan-ge,” he said with a growing grin as he leaned in, “Do you like me calling you that?”
Xiao Zhan gave his answer with a quick kiss on his cheek.
“What do you think, Yibo?” He huffed fondly, his heart feeling full with the overflowing affection he held for the other man.
They went back to Xiao Zhan’s apartment that night after watching the sunset in the park. Yibo was on his phone in the bed having just freshly showered and was gazing fondly at the photo of Xiao Zhan and the butterfly.
With a click, the bathroom door opened and Xiao Zhan came out, ruffling a towel through his hair. As he continued to dry his hair, Yibo thought he looked incredibly soft with just a t-shirt and light joggers on and he quickly pulled Xiao Zhan by the hand towards himself.
Yelping, Xiao Zhan dropped the towel that was drying his hair and his head ended up straight on Yibo’s lap.
“Hi,” Yibo said as he brushed a hand through his damp hair, suppressing a smile.
Xiao Zhan looked up at him, slightly out of breath from the sudden closeness between them.
“Hey,” Xiao Zhan grinned.
“Come here,” Yibo smiled, and Xiao Zhan adjusted himself so that his head was resting comfortably in his lap as he wrapped his arms around Yibo’s waist, snuggling closer.
Yibo thought that Xiao Zhan resembled a cat and he scratched behind his ears in return.
“Ah— that tickles,” Xiao Zhan buried his head further into Yibo’s lap and he squirmed as Yibo just began to tickle him further.
“Now you know how I feel,” Yibo muttered, continuing with his ministrations.
Xiao Zhan didn’t think much about the meaning behind the statement, mostly because he was struggling hard not to laugh.
“Yibo please–” He wheezed and Yibo finally acquiesced, not being able to deny the sparkling, scrunched up eyes that radiated pure joy.
“Let’s go to sleep,” Yibo whispered after he spent a shameless few moments admiring Xiao Zhan, and pressed a long and lingering kiss to his hair.
“But I don’t want to move, you’re very comfortable.”
“Xiao Zhan.”
“No.”
“Zhan-ge.”
“No.”
“Zhanzhan.”
“Did you just—” Xiao Zhan got up from his lap and gave him a look, but before he could do anything Yibo quickly grabbed him by the waist and rolled him over so that he was on top of him. Before Xiao Zhan could react, Yibo had caught his mouth in a kiss.
Xiao Zhan’s eyes widened and then he chuckled into Yibo’s mouth, the sweet sound like honey to Yibo’s ears.
When Yibo pulled back, Xiao Zhan leaned back in and started to press kisses into his neck as his hand started to trail teasingly downwards to stroke Yibo’s crotch.
It was easy to say that they didn’t go to sleep until way into the night.
“Yibo?” Xiao Zhan whispered, poking Yibo’s cheek.
There was no reaction.
He did it again, and when there was no reaction once more he huffed quietly to himself and got up from the bed. It seemed that Yibo was still in a deep sleep, so he decided to head to the bathroom to have a quick shower and thought that he would make breakfast for them both after. It would be a sweet surprise Yibo would wake up to, he smiled just at the thought of it.
The little mister also didn’t seem to be anywhere and since this wasn’t the first time the small panther had disappeared when Yibo was over, Xiao Zhan tried not to worry about him as much, knowing he had always come back after.
It was whilst he was in the middle of frying a couple of eggs that the doorbell sounded, echoing around the apartment. Startling, he quickly turned the stove off and made his way to the door.
When he opened it, the smile of a stranger in company uniform holding a clipboard greeted him.
“Morning, are you Xiao Zhan?” The man asked.
“Morning,” Xiao Zhan smiled, “Yes, that’s me.”
“There’s a parcel waiting for you downstairs, I just need you to sign here,” he pointed to the signature box on the paper and handed him the pen from his hand.
“I didn’t order anything though,” Xiao Zhan frowned, trying to recall if he had ordered something and had just forgotten, but still, the last thing he remembered ordering online was—
Xiao Zhan wasn’t even going to go there.
That was ages ago anyways. He was just lucky Yibo hadn’t found his secret box yet – he knew he would never hear the end of it.
“It’s possible someone ordered something as a gift and had it delivered to your address,” the man suggested and Xiao Zhan, who had been lost in thought, immediately began to think of Yibo.
This definitely was something that Yibo would do to surprise him and Xiao Zhan couldn’t help but smile at the idea.
“Yeah, I’ll sign,” Xiao Zhan took the pen from the man with a small smile and scanned the contents of the documents. From the corner of his eye, he saw some movement, but he didn’t think much of it.
“All done,” he handed the pen back after he signed and looked up.
Before he had time to even comprehend what was happening let alone dodge, the man forcibly covered his mouth with a wet tissue.
Xiao Zhan knew what this was the instant the smell came to him.
He knew he had seconds left before he fell under and he needed to do something before then. He tried calling out, but the man gripped onto him tighter, more painfully, and his cries were muffled. He tried kicking out but the effects of the drug were already making his movements slower and less effective and before Xiao Zhan could try attacking again, his eyes started to close even as he struggled to fight to keep them open, but to no avail.
He fell limp into the man’s hands.
The last thing on his mind before darkness welcomed him, was Yibo.
As soon as Yibo woke up, there was something in his heart telling him that something was wrong.
There was an indescribable feeling gnawing at his heart and though he couldn’t explain it, he knew something had happened, he just didn’t know what.
Knowing only Xiao Zhan’s warmth could help calm him and his nerves, he stretched out his hand hoping to find him, only for his hand to land back on the mattress. Turning his head, he saw that the other side of the bed was empty.
Sighing, he slowly got up and the smell of eggs reached him. He smiled softly to himself and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
When he got into the kitchen however, Xiao Zhan wasn’t anywhere to be seen and when he approached the stove, he realised the eggs seemed to be only half cooked.
The feeling from earlier settled back in his heart and he called out with a shaky voice.
“Zhan-ge?”
Silence.
“Xiao Zhan!” He tried again, his heart constricting in his chest. He knew Xiao Zhan was a fully grown man who could take care of himself, but with the lingering feeling that something had gone wrong, Yibo knew he could take no chances, especially when it came to Xiao Zhan.
Grabbing his phone, he quickly dialled Xiao Zhan’s number. Almost instantly a ringing sound could be heard from the bedroom and Yibo felt his heart drop as he rushed back there.
He found Xiao Zhan’s phone lying on the nightstand.
He took it with trembling fingers and Yibo knew, he knew, though he desperately wished it wasn’t true — that his father had something to do with this. Xiao Zhan would leave him a note, or a message, but he certainly wouldn’t leave without his phone, and only his father could do something like this.
He left the apartment fast, got into the first taxi he saw and urged the driver to get to the mansion his father was likely in as fast as possible.
As soon as he reached he burst through the doors. His father was by the fireplace, seemingly lost in thought before he startled at Yibo’s sudden entrance.
“Yibo, you—”
“Where is he? What did you do?” Yibo demanded coldly, his voice livid.
“What? Yibo, what are you talking about?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know a thing. Xiao Zhan’s gone,” his voice shook as he said the words, “Just tell me where he is, that he’s okay.” Yibo walked closer, his heart on breaking point. As long as Xiao Zhan was okay, everything else would be.
“Yibo,” his father started, and his voice sounded somewhat sympathetic, “After meeting him and seeing you two together, I knew there was nothing that could change either of your minds. Your... love, whatever you call it, was clear and I knew it was a mistake to force you into the marriage. Yibo, I’ll admit it was wrong of me, but you should have been-” He clenched his fists, controlling his rising anger.
After a short moment, he continued his words, “but know that I did nothing to the human,” he finished with an air of conviction and Yibo swallowed, his hands fisting by his sides.
“Then where...” He would think about his father’s words properly later, the only thing that was important was Xiao Zhan. It was always and would only ever be Xiao Zhan.
His father just shook his head, “Have you tried tracking his scent?”
“I—” Yibo’s mind had been so preoccupied with worry he didn’t even think of that.
“Do it.”
Yibo nodded and he quickly turned around to leave. As soon as the doors opened, he almost bumped straight into someone.
He didn’t wait to say anything and walked straight past without checking who it was, but then a familiar voice called out for him.
“Yibo!”
Yibo turned around and saw Cheng Xiao, a look of urgency on her face. Yibo frowned, nothing was more important than Xiao Zhan. Not now and not ever.
He gave an apologetic nod, his mind occupied with Xiao Zhan and then turned to walk away. However a sudden strong grip stopped him and he halted in his tracks as he turned to face her again. Just as he was about to start speaking, she quickly interrupted him.
“Yibo wait! Before you say anything, it’s about Xiao Zhan!”
He felt his heart tighten.
“What–”
“I...I overheard my parents...” She looked away and Yibo saw guilt in her expression. He quickly gripped onto her shoulders before he allowed her to continue, a serious look on his face.
“Tell me everything.” He demanded, his face unreadable yet the undeniable fire in his eyes could be seen.
Notes:
Go on Yibo!! save him 🏃
Chapter 12
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The first thing Xiao Zhan felt when consciousness slowly returned to him was a painful throbbing sensation in his head. He shook it, willing the pain to go away, but with the sudden fast movement it seemed to hurt tenfold and he winced.
Wanting to rub his head, hoping at least that way the pain could subside or ease off, Xiao Zhan tried to bring a hand to his head.
Except he couldn’t.
Slowly opening his eyes, Xiao Zhan blinked, adjusting to the sudden dimness of the room.
A room that he didn’t recognise.
“Yibo—” He tried to speak, only to realise he couldn’t get the words out. There was something tight around his mouth and he instantly felt a wave of panic crash through him at the feeling. It was then that he realised his hands were also bound tightly behind him at the back of a chair and he wanted to cry out as he tried to pull free from the restraints, but to no avail.
His breathing started to turn ragged and his heart was thundering loudly in his chest. The last thing he remembered was when he woke up, went to make some breakfast, heard a doorbell and—
Xiao Zhan took in a shaky breath, his mind racing.
He turned his head, scanning the dimly lit room for anything that could help him. Old furniture, dust hanging in the air, and a window covered by heavy curtains. The more he looked, the more the dread grew in him, twisting into a horrible feeling of ‘is this it, the end?’
Willing those thoughts to stay down, he started to focus on the tightness around his mouth, wondering whether it would be possible to get rid of it. He felt it and knew it was duct tape, and panic flared through him again as his eyes became glassy with unshed tears, but he tried his best to not let them fall. He knew shouting wouldn’t help either and what he needed was a plan.
Suddenly, the door creaked open and Xiao Zhan felt himself freeze.
A figure stepped inside, silhouetted by the dim light from the hallway. Xiao Zhan’s heart continued to race as he strained to see through the shadows.
It didn’t take long for him to realise that this scene was very much like the one from his dreams.
He wanted to speak, cry, shout at the man, but the man just stood there, as if he were being entertained by Xiao Zhan’s pain.
“You’re awake,” the man said after a moment, his voice rough.
Xiao Zhan didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to provoke the man into doing something and he knew staying silent was the best way to lessen the chances of anything happening.
‘Who are you’ and ‘what am I doing here’ were two of the hundreds of questions racing through his mind, but Xiao Zhan willed himself to stay calm and composed.
It wasn’t as if he had anything special, so he had no clue what the man wanted with him.
As he started to approach him, Xiao Zhan’s thoughts instinctively turned to Yibo as he sought out the only thing that could help calm his thundering heart. Images of Yibo’s smile, his warmth and his love spread through him, and Xiao Zhan blinked the tears from his eyes, hoping that Yibo was safe and that he also hadn’t been dragged into whatever hell this was.
A hand gripped his neck aggressively and pain flared through him again. He cried out, but the sound came out muffled because of the tape and the man sneered at him.
“Humans,” he gritted out, gripping his neck even tighter. Tears filled Xiao Zhan’s eyes and he tried to force his head backwards to escape the grip, but the action only seemed to fuel the man’s anger more, and with his other hand he gripped tightly on his hair.
“You may just be my favourite assignment I’ve been given,” he smirked, forcing Xiao Zhan’s head backwards as he eyed him.
Xiao Zhan felt a surge of fear at the man’s words, his heart racing even faster. ‘Assignment?’ He thought, struggling against the grip that felt like a vice around his neck. He knew it would leave painful bruises.
As if seeing the confusion on his face, the man drew closer until his hot breath was right by his ear.
“That’s right,” he said and Xiao Zhan winced, shutting his eyes closed.
After a few long and torturous seconds, the man let go of him and Xiao Zhan gasped, breathing heavily as he struggled to regain control of his breaths through the tape.
“I still wonder what Yibo finds so special about you that he’d turn his back on my family,” he scoffed, and Xiao Zhan felt his heart drop.
Blinking the tears from his eyes, he looked down, not wanting to provoke the man any further than he had been.
“Ah, you didn’t know.”
Xiao Zhan didn’t look up.
“Do you know who Wang Yibo is?”
Xiao Zhan still didn’t look up.
“Well, you’ll find out soon enough anyways. I bet he’s already tracking you down and on his way here. How is he so blinded by stupid love to miss such a trap?” He scoffed.
Xiao Zhan snapped his head up, his eyes wide and fearful and he shook his head. The man was lying, he told himself. Yibo would be okay, he would be safe. He wouldn’t find him, and then Yibo would stay safe, and not fall to whatever trap the man was talking about.
How would Yibo even find him?
Even though there was deep pain in his heart at the thought of never seeing Yibo again, or not making it out of here alive, Xiao Zhan would rather Yibo stay thousands of miles away from him if it meant him not coming here, where he could be walking straight into his death.
Whatever and whoever these people were, Xiao Zhan knew that if they were capable of this, they could be capable of much worse, and that terrified him.
Wang Yibo had never been as angry as he was right now in his life, ever. After hearing what Cheng Xiao said, what her own parents had planned for Xiao Zhan and what they planned to do to him, Yibo saw red and wanted to destroy everything in the vicinity.
He wanted to push Cheng Xiao away, to never see her again, but he knew deep down that she had nothing to do with it. She never did.
And so Yibo just spared her a split second glance and then left for Xiao Zhan as quickly as he could.
As soon as he got closer to the building Cheng Xiao had mentioned, Yibo could feel the tension in the air. His mind was a storm of fury and fear and no matter how hard he tried to focus, all he could see was Xiao Zhan – his beautiful face, his soft laugh, his warmth, and the thought of him in danger was enough to make Yibo’s heart twist in ways he couldn’t ever explain.
Before long, the building loomed over him – it was an abandoned structure on the outskirts of the city.
Yibo didn’t waste any time.
The door was locked but that didn’t matter in the slightest.
With a single swift motion he kicked it in effortlessly and the splintered wood echoed throughout the empty space. Just the sound itself seemed to stir something inside of him, his primal instincts that surged to the surface. His instincts were on high alert and his senses were sharp as he scanned the darkness beyond the entrance.
The air smelled stale, but there was something else too, something faint but undeniably familiar.
It was Xiao Zhan’s scent.
To his horror, Yibo also smelled the scent of blood.
His blood.
The need for him to start charging through and wreck the entire place was immense, but he knew he needed to do this right. Xiao Zhan’s life was on the line and he couldn’t afford to be reckless.
Willing himself to stay under control and not to lose to his innermost animalistic side, Yibo’s heart pounded, each beat sounding like the echo of thunder in his chest as he followed the scent of his human.
The metallic tang cut through the air and it pulled desperately at his instincts, making his panther side roar for release. He could feel it again, that primal part of himself scratching at the surface, desperate to tear through the room and find Xiao Zhan. But Yibo couldn’t afford to lose control. Not now. Not when Xiao Zhan’s life was at stake – it was something he kept having to remind himself.
He forced himself to breathe steadily, his sharp eyes scanning every shadowed corner. The faintest hint of movement caught his attention and he charged into the final room at the end of the hallway.
What he saw made his heart stutter and he froze upon the scene.
Xiao Zhan was bound to a chair, his forehead covered in blood and his face stained with tears. He looked frantically at Yibo, shaking his head desperately as he struggled from the tight bounds.
Yibo saw nothing but Xiao Zhan in that moment and he wildly rushed to him, his heart on breaking point as he knelt down in front of him, his eyes full of relief that he was alive, mixed with the unbearable pain of seeing him like this.
Xiao Zhan continued to shake his head desperately, his eyes teary and his voice muffled by the tape on his mouth.
Yibo gently coaxed him, his own voice trembling as he said the words. He brought a shaking hand to Xiao Zhan’s face and brushed away his tears.
“Hey, it’s okay now. I’m here—”
In the corner of his eye, Yibo saw movement and before the man could do anything, Yibo turned and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him to the ground, a harsh cracking sound echoing in the room.
Spitting out blood, the man leered and Yibo’s eyes widened in recognition. It was Cheng Xiao’s cousin, but in that moment of hesitation he escaped Yibo with a brute force and got up, shaking his head with a bloody smile.
“Yibo, how are you after all these years?” He asked casually, as if they were friends catching up.
Yibo’s expression hardened.
“How dare you,” he gritted out, pure resentment dripping from his tone and he aimed for him again, except this time the other man was ready for the blow and he effortlessly dodged.
“Come on, Yibo! How about we do this the old fashioned way?”
Yibo knew instantly what he meant when he said that, but then he turned to Xiao Zhan and saw the terrified teary eyed expression he had and his crazy, animalistic instincts were slightly suppressed. He wanted to get Xiao Zhan out of this place as soon as possible.
Seeing his reluctance, the man urged him on.
“The Yibo I remember wouldn’t back down from a pure fight with me!” He exclaimed proudly, laughing darkly.
Yibo didn’t want to remember those memories and instead, he shook his head.
“Just get out, before I—”
“Before you what, Yibo?”
And before Yibo stopped him or started another attack, the man transformed into his full panther form and Yibo knew in the split second he had that as just a simple human he could barely do anything against him.
In the mix of his chaotic thoughts, he didn’t dare turn to see Xiao Zhan’s expression.
Though he wanted to more than ever.
He wanted to turn to face him, to say how sorry he was and that despite everything, he loved him more than words could express. He knew that as soon as he did his next move, nothing would ever stay the same between them.
His eyes flickered, and he let go.
At once, his panther instincts surged to the surface and Yibo fully embraced his animalistic side. Instantly, the two panthers glared at each other, their movements slow and predatory, before Yibo leapt.
Xiao Zhan thought he was going insane.
Even his thunderous heart and the continuous pain in his head could not drown out the sounds of the animalistic fury resounding around him.
Xiao Zhan had no idea what was happening in front of him, just that the man he loved more than anything else was currently fighting a panther, as a panther himself.
Xiao Zhan knew he was going crazy, because there was no way that what was happening in front of him was real. It couldn’t be. There must have been something in that drug that made his mind so distorted to come up with something as crazy as this.
Because, Yibo was not a panther.
He wasn’t.
He didn’t believe it.
He shut his eyes, trying his best to drown out the chaos, trying to force his mind to not accept the unbelievable reality before him.
But every instinct screamed at him that it was real. The ferocity in Yibo’s movements as he fought the other panther, the sheer primal power, was undeniable.
Xiao Zhan’s heart raced and his breath was shallow as he tried to make sense of the scene.
He opened his eyes and couldn’t look away from the battle unfolding before him, of the two animals locked in a violent struggle. Their bodies collided with such force that the very walls seemed to tremble with each strike. Yibo, the one he loved, was no longer the calm and collected man who had held him, comforted him, teased him and whispered sweet promises in his ear. No, now he was just a creature of fury, a panther unleashed and the man against him was just as wild and vicious.
It was impossible.
But it was happening right in front of his eyes.
Xiao Zhan wanted to call out to Yibo, to reach him, but it wasn’t Yibo before him.
This shouldn’t be possible, he kept telling himself, but it was.
Xiao Zhan’s chest continued to tighten painfully and it was as if his very soul was being torn in two. He was terrified, more terrified than he had ever been in his entire life. His hands that were still bound tightly behind the chair were trembling hard and he ached to reach out to stop Yibo, to beg Yibo to come back to him.
But all he could do was watch.
“Yibo...” His voice, muffled by the tape over his mouth, barely reached the air. He shook his head again, tears spilling down his cheeks. He thought of how just a moment ago Yibo had gently wiped his tears and he remembered the terror that coursed through him when he saw the man approach behind Yibo, his aim ready to strike, and the pure helplessness that he felt as he could only watch.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to beg Yibo to stop, to control himself, to remember who he was. But it felt like his voice was lost in the chaos, drowned out by the animalistic roars echoing in the room.
Suddenly there was a powerful, ear-splitting roar that seemed to shake the very ground beneath him. Xiao Zhan’s heart lurched as he saw Yibo’s panther form pinning the other to the floor. The other panther’s resistance was weakening, but Yibo didn’t let up and his claws dug into the other panther’s side, drawing blood with a savage growl.
For a moment, everything stopped.
Xiao Zhan couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe as he watched Yibo – his Yibo – tower over the fallen animal, his body radiating dominance and power. The air felt thick with tension as if time had frozen, but Xiao Zhan’s mind was racing.
“Yibo!” Xiao Zhan cried out, his voice barely audible with the tape still around his mouth.
However, something seemed to shift in Yibo and he looked up, meeting Xiao Zhan’s gaze head on.
Xiao Zhan’s heart stuttered.
Yibo’s panther form was gorgeous, his sleek black fur shimmering as if he were a living shadow, but it was the eyes, those undeniably familiar blue-green eyes that struck Xiao Zhan, and more tears formed in his glassy eyes as recognition washed over him.
Xiao Zhan knew exactly who Yibo was.
As Yibo continued to gaze at him, Xiao Zhan could see the predatory look in his eyes lessen.
But it didn’t last for long, as the moment of hesitation was all the other panther needed before he struck.
Before Xiao Zhan could cry out, Yibo reacted in a blur of motion and he knocked the panther to the ground with brute force once again. His claws extended and his fangs bared in a final warning, and the other clearly wounded panther tried his best to attack again despite his weakened condition.
Yibo had no intention of letting him escape and he sunk his claws deep into his flesh.
Xiao Zhan felt his heart drop.
Notes:
It's been a while~ I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 💕
Chapter Text
Everything was quiet for a moment. Xiao Zhan didn’t dare say anything as Yibo quickly got up from the fallen and unmoving figure beneath him.
Xiao Zhan stared as Yibo shifted back human, and though his heart was full with a heavy, confused weight, he couldn’t help the relief that coursed through him at seeing Yibo okay - at seeing him alive.
Yibo turned to him slowly, painfully slowly, and then their eyes met, the intensity of that gaze never failing to make Xiao Zhan feel as if he were falling. It was a gaze full of pain, desperation and a deep love that was more than enough to make Xiao Zhan’s heart ache painfully, feeling as if he were drowning in all of those unspoken emotions.
The silence stretched on as Xiao Zhan struggled to regain his composure, his heart still racing from the events that had unfolded around him. The tape around his mouth burned, but his focus remained on Yibo.
As if stepping out of a trance, Yibo quickly staggered over to him, falling to his knees and with shaking hands, his fingers brushed the tape on Xiao Zhan’s mouth. His touch was soft yet firm as he carefully removed it.
Then he moved to untie him from behind and Xiao Zhan felt his trembling hands gently remove the bindings. When Yibo was done, he stood up and pressed a hand to Xiao Zhan’s head, his face struggling to maintain the composure he was fighting so hard to control as he felt the dampness beneath his fingers.
Blood.
Yibo looked at Xiao Zhan, and Xiao Zhan looked up at him. He had so much to say, to ask, but he couldn’t find his voice right now.
Everything had happened so fast and what had happened should have been impossible.
Suddenly, the warmth from Yibo’s hand on his head disappeared and Yibo took a step back, his face etched in barely concealed pain as if he had seen something heartbreaking in Xiao Zhan’s eyes.
Xiao Zhan stood up quickly, wanting to say something, knowing he had to give Yibo that reassurance, but words failed him again.
“Yibo—” His voice was unsteady and he outstretched his hand, but as soon as he took another step, the earlier pain from his head came back in full force and he groaned, clutching his head. He looked up at Yibo’s worried expression and felt his vision waver as his energy finally drained away from him.
“Xiao Zhan, I’m sorry,” Yibo whispered to him, brushing a strand of his hair out of the way. Xiao Zhan looked up at him with teary eyes and he choked on his words.
“Yibo, who, what are you?”
Yibo just smiled at him, shaking his head.
“No one, Xiao Zhan, it’s best you forget me.”
“No, wait—!”
Xiao Zhan startled awake, his heart racing as he groaned. There was a lingering pain in his head and he brought a hand to clutch it. When he felt what seemed to be a bandage on it, he paused.
The memories hit him like a raging storm.
As everything came back to him, he got up instantly from his bed, wavering slightly as dizziness washed over him.
“Yibo!” He called out, desperate that there would be a response, that Yibo was here.
“Yibo,” he cried again, stumbling from room to room in his apartment to see if Yibo was anywhere. It was clear he wasn’t, but Xiao Zhan didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to believe that Yibo was gone, that his dream was not some fear his mind had conjured up.
When it was clear that Yibo was nowhere to be seen, he rushed back to his bedroom and grabbed his phone.
Quickly unlocking it, he opened Yibo’s contact and pressed the call button.
The sounds of slow ringing filled the air and Xiao Zhan felt as if every second that passed and every buzz that sounded was like a stab to his heart.
Finally, it went to voicemail and Xiao Zhan struggled to keep his voice as normal as he could.
“Yibo, please, I remember it all—” He choked on his words — the images of Yibo shifting into a panther came to mind and he sucked in a sharp breath.
“Yibo, I— please talk to me.” Xiao Zhan said, his eyes blurring as he barely coherently spoke the words.
He knew he should be terrified, he knew that he should be questioning everything, but his love for Yibo transcended above all else and even if he stayed away from him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stay away for long.
No, he wanted—needed Yibo.
Hanging the phone, his arm fell limply to his side and he stared blankly at nothing in particular for a few moments as he tried to collect his thoughts.
Yibo could shapeshift into a panther.
As he said the words in his mind, he wanted to laugh. It sounded like a joke, and he still couldn’t quite believe that it was anything but one.
And then his mind turned to the baby panther he had found in the alleyway, and to know that it was Yibo all this time...
Question after question ran through his mind and he felt the dizziness return to him, so he walked out of his bedroom, phone clasped tightly in his hand as he began to make himself a simple tea.
As he waited for the kettle to boil, he tried calling Yibo again, but it went to voicemail after the long, torturous rings.
Sighing, he drank the tea, scrolling through his gallery and his photos with Yibo. He smiled and his eyes started to get watery as he looked through the photos. When he came across photos of the little panther, a few single tears began to run down his face.
Wiping them roughly, Xiao Zhan put the now empty mug into the sink and headed to the bathroom. When he looked into the mirror, he saw his slightly red eyes and the small bandage.
Running the tap open, he let the cold water rush through his hands for a moment before splashing it onto his face.
The cold water was refreshing, but it did little to smooth the terrible ache in his heart.
It had only been a short while, but the lack of Yibo’s presence and response was so incredibly painful.
He splashed his face again before turning the tap off and returning back to his room.
Then he remembered that he had a meeting today scheduled for the afternoon.
Though he desperately wanted to cancel, Xiao Zhan knew it could be a good thing. It could help him to focus his attention on something else whilst waiting for Yibo to get back to him.
Because Yibo would get back to him.
He wouldn’t just leave.
He ignored the ache in his heart telling him otherwise.
He removed the bandage before leaving his apartment and the wound wasn’t that bad. It was small and could luckily be hidden behind his hair.
As he walked through the roads, a sense of comfort came over him. He didn’t know where it came from, but it was oddly familiar to the comfort he felt whenever Yibo was close to him. He couldn’t help but sadly smile as he thought of the other man and he prayed that he was okay.
It wasn’t long before he reached his office building and as soon as he stepped in, that feeling vanished, leaving something cold and empty behind.
The receptionist behind the desk asked him if he was okay when he shivered, to which he just replied with a tight smile and a nod.
He didn’t think that being back in his office would be more painful than it already was.
He looked at the sofa and saw the memories of Yibo lying there, sound asleep and the night they shared there in each other’s arms, as well as the morning after.
Xiao Zhan had to force his eyes away to stop any tears that were threatening to spill.
As soon as he sat at his desk, he began to bury himself in his work.
Time passed by in a blur. The meeting was over before he knew it and despite everything that had happened and his emotions weighing down his heart, it had gone better than expected.
As he was getting ready to leave, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
His heart leapt and he got it out of his pocket at breakneck speed, thinking that it was Yibo.
Xiao Zhan didn’t know if he had ever felt as disappointed in his life as he did in this moment when he saw that it was just an email notification.
He sighed helplessly and made his way to leave.
As soon as he left the building, that odd soothing feeling came again and he stopped in his tracks, looking around somewhat hopefully.
He didn’t know what he would see — whether he would see Yibo or not, but as that soothing and comforting feeling washed over him, Xiao Zhan smiled.
He didn’t know how to explain the feeling.
He didn’t know if it was Yibo or not, but the idea of it was enough for his heart.
When he reached home, he called Yibo again.
There was no answer.
When evening came, he absentmindedly made himself dinner. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was until he ate the first bite and in a couple of short minutes his plate was empty.
A couple of hours later he lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He didn’t end up going to sleep for a long, long time.
Xiao Zhan felt the constriction around him, the tightness that made him unable to move or speak. He wanted to shout for help, but it would be futile. No one would be able to hear him.
He was bound to the chair alone with nothing but the darkness of the room as his sole company.
But then he heard a voice, and it was a voice he had ended up falling in love with.
“Yibo,” he cried through the tape, his voice muffled and desperate as hope rushed through him. The voice got louder and louder and Xiao Zhan wanted to run towards it, to run and never look back, to fall into the comfort that voice always gave him, but before he could do anything he felt a sharp pull from behind.
Drenched in sweat, Xiao Zhan startled upright, his breaths heavy as his figure trembled from the nightmare.
It didn’t take him long for him to realise that he was crying.
The feeling of being back there in that place even if it was just a dream was unbearable and Xiao Zhan shuddered just thinking about it.
He thought of Yibo and how desperately he wanted to embrace him, for Yibo to whisper in his ear in that deep, soothing voice of his that everything was going to be okay.
Knowing he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, Xiao Zhan reached out for his phone and switched it on. There were a few messages, but he ignored them.
None of them had the name Yibo on them.
Already expecting no answer, Xiao Zhan tried calling him again and he tried his best not to cry at the voicemail it went to.
“Yibo,” his voice came out thick and he cleared his throat, though it did nothing to hide the obvious pain in his voice, “Come home,” he said, not knowing what else he could say.
He didn’t want to think if there was any other reason that Yibo was avoiding him. He didn’t want to think that maybe the man Yibo had fought was alive, because Xiao Zhan didn’t know if Yibo had killed him or just led him to be unconscious, but strangely enough the former didn’t scare him.
It should.
But even though it was clear that Xiao Zhan didn’t fully know Yibo, what was as clear as day was how much Yibo cared for him. The thought sent a warm rush to his heart, mixing in with the lingering sadness that could not disappear unless he heard from Yibo.
He desperately hoped the man wouldn’t be able to go after Yibo. He hoped Yibo was safe and he would rather Yibo be avoiding him than for him to be hurt, no matter how much it tore at his heart.
Switching the phone off, he dropped it back onto the nightstand and got up, ignoring the way his hand trembled as he let it go.
He needed to clear his head and though it was currently in the middle of the night, Xiao Zhan couldn’t think of a better time for him to take a walk.
He left wearing a thin coat and a scarf, his hands buried in his pockets. If Yibo were here and he were taking a nighttime walk with him, Xiao Zhan knew they would be in one of those moments where no words needed to be spoken between them with their hands clasped tightly in each other’s grasp.
As he walked outside, that feeling of calm washed over him again and he sucked in a sharp breath, looking around.
Yibo was here. He could feel it. This is what that feeling was — his heart was certain of it.
“Yibo,” he whispered, swallowing the rising emotion within him. He continued to look around, hope rising in his chest.
But all he saw were the few cars driving down the road and the lights from the few restaurants that were still open.
He didn’t let go of the certainty though. He couldn’t explain how he knew, but he did. Yibo was here with him. Somewhere. But here.
He searched in his pockets for his phone, only to realise that he had left it on the nightstand earlier. Inwardly cursing himself, Xiao Zhan sighed, but he didn’t let the hope in his heart rest.
He would see Yibo, he just had to think of a way for it to happen.
When a week passed by and Xiao Zhan still hadn’t heard from Yibo, he knew what he needed to do.
The thought had come to him much earlier but he didn’t act upon it, knowing it was completely reckless. But Xiao Zhan was desperate and the longer he went without no contact from Yibo, the more he felt his heart piercing apart, fearing that it would never feel complete again without Yibo.
In case anything would go wrong, he sent quick messages to the people he loved.
Xiao Zhan: I love you
Lulu: Zhanzhan, you already know I love you too, but this is quite out of the blue. Is everything okay?
Xiao Zhan: Yes! I just wanted to say it, I haven’t said it in a while
Lulu: You know I don’t need you to say it for me to know
Lulu: I already know you do, and I do as well, so much
Xiao Zhan switched his phone off before he saw the next few messages that she sent and he felt his heart tremble with the reminder of what he was about to do.
It was dangerous, but he knew it needed to be done if he were going to see Yibo — if Yibo was going to show himself.
A part of him, the more rational part of his mind was telling him that this wasn’t ideal. That putting himself deliberately in such a position would do no good. But his heart was telling him otherwise and that Yibo had always been watching him, looking over him but unable to face him.
Xiao Zhan needed to speak to him, to tell him that despite everything his love for him never changed, and that it never would.
Chapter Text
The morning of the day passed by quickly, and as soon as the rush hour of the afternoon came, Xiao Zhan stepped outside.
The air was fresh and he took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he tried to calm his nerves. That feeling that always occupied him whenever he walked outside came again, and he smiled, knowing that somewhere Yibo could see him.
That Yibo was watching him.
He was so sure of it.
Everything was going to be okay, he told himself.
Yibo was here.
He walked amongst the crowd of people on the pavement, his heart thumping loudly with every step he took. He listened to the loud chatter of two women talking amongst themselves about the holiday trip they had planned for next week, he overheard a little boy calling out to his mother about a new toy his friends had that he also wanted, and he heard a man in a suit talking deeply on the phone with someone about a serious matter.
It was all the things he would normally overlook but right now, he couldn’t help but pay attention to even the smallest of details.
He stopped at the crossing and the pedestrian light showed it had three seconds left before it turned red.
Xiao Zhan watched as the counter went from three to zero, and as soon as it did, he stepped onto the road.
He kept his eyes ahead of him, his hands in his pockets as he ignored the exclaims from the people behind him.
The earlier cars which had been waiting honked impatiently at him, but a speeding car which was overtaking from way behind could be heard charging forward.
He heard the oncoming car from his right and though Xiao Zhan seemed to tremble all over, and though a part of him desperately wanted to run, he didn’t.
He loved, trusted Yibo and if he had to go through something this extreme to simply see him again, he would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Xiao Zhan continued to walk, unwavering in his steps as he walked ahead into the second lane where the speeding car would turn up.
And it did.
The car honked at the sight of Xiao Zhan, but its speed didn’t change, and for a second Xiao Zhan thought everything would be over.
And then he felt a harsh tug at his waist, pulling him out of the way as the car zoomed past with less than a second to spare as he fell to the floor, strong arms gripping protectively around his waist as he fell, landing not on the pavement but on—
“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan breathed, his heart on breaking point as he saw the terrified expression on Yibo’s face, his arms tightening around him once he saw that Xiao Zhan was okay.
Yibo didn’t say anything. His breaths were heavy and he was staring up at Xiao Zhan as if he had almost lost his entire world.
“You came,” Xiao Zhan panted. “I knew you would,” he had to blink away the oncoming tears at the sight of Yibo.
Almost as if he had been struck, Yibo’s entire demeanour changed and he let go of Xiao Zhan, sitting up right.
“Get off.”
“...What?”
“Xiao Zhan, please get off me.”
Xiao Zhan felt his heart stutter at Yibo’s words, but he slowly got off, eyeing Yibo apprehensively. As soon as he got up, Yibo grabbed his hand tightly, too tightly, and dragged him away from the crowd that had, without Xiao Zhan realising, surrounded them.
Xiao Zhan stumbled a few times but Yibo didn’t let up until they were out of the public eye.
Yibo led them into an alleyway and Xiao Zhan recognised it to be the one he had found Yibo in when he first met him thinking he was a cat all those weeks ago.
Before he knew what was happening, Xiao Zhan felt a force push him back against the wall, Yibo’s hands tightening harshly on his waist.
“Yibo, what—”
“Are you crazy?” Yibo asked in a loud, harsh tone, his grip tightening on his waist.
Xiao Zhan looked at him, his mouth open and his eyes watery. “Yibo, wait—”
“No!” Yibo’s voice rose, and he looked angrier than Xiao Zhan had ever seen him before. “Do you understand what could have happened if I wasn’t there? Why would you do that?” Yibo’s voice was sharp and he gripped into his waist even tighter, making Xiao Zhan wince in pain.
Seeing this, Yibo immediately let go, guilt flashing across his expression. He took a step back, fear flashing through his eyes.
“No. Don’t go, not again,” Xiao Zhan pleaded, quickly stepping forward and grabbing onto Yibo’s arm tightly, afraid that if he were to let go Yibo would vanish just like he did before.
“Zhan-ge...” Yibo’s voice sounded as broken as ever and it pained Xiao Zhan to hear his name being spoken with such an emotion, so different to the way Yibo normally said his name.
“Why would you do that?” Yibo asked, anger still evident in his tone as he tried to back away again, but Xiao Zhan didn’t let him and held his arm firmly, refusing to let go.
Xiao Zhan knew Yibo could easily get out of his grasp. He could do it in a heartbeat if he wanted to, but still Yibo didn’t, and that alone gave Xiao Zhan the hope he needed.
“Yibo,” Xiao Zhan took a tentative step forward, “I needed to see you,” he said softly, but then Yibo grabbed his wrist.
“So you what, was prepared to die for that?” He asked through gritted teeth, his own eyes watering.
Xiao Zhan opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t deny Yibo’s words. It was true. It was a reckless, completely dangerous decision that could have cost him his life, but deep down he knew that couldn’t have been an option if Yibo was indeed around and watching over him.
And since his instincts had told him that he was, Xiao Zhan chose to believe it. To trust his heart.
“I knew you would be there,” he said, keeping his tone soft to try and get through to Yibo.
“And if I wasn’t?” Yibo stared at him with an unreadable expression, save for the way his own eyes were turning glassy at the tears he seemed to be fighting to control.
“But you were,” Xiao Zhan stepped forward again, closing the distance between them both and grabbing both of Yibo’s hands, holding onto them tightly.
Yibo shook his head, “You shouldn’t even want to see me.”
“What?” Xiao Zhan blinked at Yibo’s words, having no idea where he came up with such an absurd idea.
“Xiao Zhan, do you remember what—”
“Yes, and it doesn’t change anything.”
Yibo was taken aback by Xiao Zhan’s declaration, and his voice trembled as he spoke again.
“Why...?”
Xiao Zhan smiled softly, his eyes turning into beautiful crescents as he looked at Yibo with an expression of undeniable love, placing a hand on his cheek.
“Because it’s you.”
There was silence after Xiao Zhan spoke and the wind picked up, gently brushing through his hair and making him look softer in Yibo’s eyes.
Yibo wanted to speak, to say something, but he couldn’t. He was so angry that Xiao Zhan was willing to risk his own life for the chance to see him again, but he was more angry at himself for running away in the first place.
When he had saved Xiao Zhan and removed all the constraints binding him, he had looked deeply at him, having no idea what was running through Xiao Zhan’s mind. Did he hate him? Did he think he was some sort of a monster? And those thoughts coupled with the expression of fear in Xiao Zhan’s face gave Yibo the idea that Xiao Zhan was afraid and disgusted at him, but was trying his best to mask those emotions.
Now, as he stared at the one he so deeply loved, at the one who had changed his life, Yibo realised he had never been this stupid in his entire life.
“Hey,” Xiao Zhan began again softly, almost as if he could hear every one of Yibo’s swirling thoughts. Yibo’s lips trembled as he leaned into the soft, warm touch of Xiao Zhan’s palm on his cheek and Xiao Zhan smiled gently.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Xiao Zhan,” he spoke, his voice wavering as the emotions got the better of him.
Yibo was not one to get emotional in front of others, especially those he cared deeply about, but he couldn’t help himself. Not now, not when Xiao Zhan seemed to accept him for who he was, not when Xiao Zhan was here right now, in front of him, alive.
Xiao Zhan shook his head and shushed him gently, almost coaxingly and Yibo obediently took in a deep breath, controlling the emotions that were on the brink of overflowing.
“You have nothing to apologise for Yibo, just don’t ever leave me again. I have no idea how I can live without you otherwise.” Xiao Zhan said, his own glassy eyes mirroring Yibo’s.
“I won’t, ever,” Yibo said quickly, his voice firm despite his mind’s haze.
“Good,” Xiao Zhan chuckled in relief, “Let’s go home.”
Yibo smiled and kissed the palm on his cheek, earning a fond huff from Xiao Zhan. He then leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss below Xiao Zhan’s lips, just where that beautiful mole was and tenderly brushed his hand through his hair, his other hand rubbing soothingly on Xiao Zhan’s back.
When Yibo was about to pull back, Xiao Zhan wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his face in the crook of his neck, leaving hot kisses as he breathed in the familiar comforting scent of Yibo.
After a few moments, they pulled back, their foreheads resting against each other.
They were already home.
“Yibo?”
“Hm?”
“What... exactly happened that day?”
They were lying in bed, both glowing from the aftermath of several rounds of mindblowing sex and Xiao Zhan had his arm draped across Yibo’s torso as he hugged him, looking up to meet his eyes.
Yibo stayed quiet, watching him intently and Xiao Zhan swallowed, averting his eyes. He realised he hadn’t asked the question at the best moment, but it had been eating away at him for so long he knew if he didn’t ask now he would keep thinking about all the terrible possibilities.
After a moment, Yibo let out a sigh and he closed his eyes, taking in a short breath.
“There was an arranged marriage between me and a woman named Cheng Xiao. She’s part of a different pack.”
Xiao Zhan blinked, taking in Yibo’s words.
“Arranged marriage?” He asked, trying to keep his voice stable, but after hearing those words Xiao Zhan didn’t want to admit it, but he felt a sudden wave of envy go through him.
“Zhan-ge?”
“Hm? What?” He quickly dispersed the thoughts from his mind and looked back at Yibo.
Yibo seemed to see right through him as he always did and chuckled softly.
“You’re the only one for me, okay?” He kissed him sweetly on the nose.
“Ah,” Xiao Zhan looked away and Yibo suppressed a smirk at the red ears. “Always so shameless,” Xiao Zhan muttered to himself.
Shaking his head fondly, Yibo continued.
“I tried to tell my father I didn’t want it, but he insisted it was the right and traditional thing to do for an heir.”
Xiao Zhan felt his heart drop.
“An heir?”
“Mn,” Yibo hummed, absentmindedly tracing his fingers up and down Xiao Zhan’s arm, “My father is the leader of the pack and as an heir myself, according to him it’s my duty to produce an heir.”
Xiao Zhan was quiet for a moment and when Yibo looked at him he could see a complicated look in his eyes.
He leaned forward again and kissed his forehead, brushing a hand lightly behind his ear, “Zhan-ge, talk to me.”
Xiao Zhan took in a steadying breath and shuffled closer to Yibo.
“It’s just, your pack... will they accept me, since I can’t give you an heir?”
“No. They will love you. Not as much as me but—”
Xiao Zhan slapped his arm lightly, earning an amused laugh from Yibo.
They didn’t speak more after that and just stayed cuddled close together in each other’s arms as they both slowly fell asleep with a smile.
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