it’s not the first time aiden had spent a day outside with a friend, but plastering the label of friend onto yuan doesn’t feel right either. not after all that—in a way, yuan had seen aiden at his most vulnerable so far. a moment of weakness, a lapse in his judgement, a sight he hadn’t thought he would let anyone else see. unsurprisingly, aiden finds himself worrying over that, never one to lose his composure; at least in his own eyes. so far, he had done a decent job at keeping himself upright. he wonders, then, what is it about that night that caused a snap in his carefully woven threads.
was it yuan himself? maybe. after much pondering ( too much, he realises ), aiden came to no satisfying conclusion, simply meeting another set of questions without any answers. what he’s aware of, though, is that allowing someone to have that much power over him won’t bode well in the future. for both parties involved.
the idea of letting go of control isn’t one that would often pass by aiden’s mind. but lately, it feels like it’s only a matter of time, as much as he’s trying to turn a blind eye to that fact. like a lot of the obstacles he believes he isn’t ready to tackle yet.
before he can drown in a sea of his own thoughts once more, a familiar voice he had been looking forward to hearing pulls him out of his subtle frenzy; seen by no one else but himself. a second later, he’s being tugged into an embrace—it’s warm, melting the ice of doubts that’s been settling within his chest. aiden can feel his heart beating again, a steady rhythm. safe. for now, he supposes that’s enough to cease everything else.
yuan’s bright and chipper as always, which influences aiden’s mood too. it’s hard to hold back a smile when yuan greets him with such enthusiasm, easily letting aiden know that he isn’t the only one excited for the day ahead. “it’s okay, i think it’s worth it.” he replies in earnest, genuine with his words. “you look really cute. now i feel kind of bad for coming here in nothing but my hoodie and jeans,” he sighs playfully, tugging at the hoodie in question to annunciate his point. it’s nothing special, just a grey hoodie with a pixelated heart at the center. all the more reason why he should let yuan dress him up.
“oh yeah?” aiden responds with a quirk of his eyebrow, chuckling lightly. “sounds like fun. the real question is,” he drops to a low whisper, leaning just a little closer so only yuan can hear. “are you going to keep those clothes on by the end of it?” he questions with a teasing tilt, eyes glazing with mischief and a dash of taunts; another challenge. a neverending game. “i guess we’ll see where the day takes us.”
before saying anything else that may be compromising, aiden gently takes a hold of yuan’s hand with one of his own, lifting it up slowly so he doesn’t alarm the other. “by the way, i have something for you,” aiden announces, dropping the little cat keychain he had been keeping onto the palm of yuan’s hand. “i spotted it as i was headed here. it reminded me of you. you see the cheeks?” he pokes at it as he’s pointing it out, then yuan’s, before he lets out a small laugh. “it’s just like yours.”
that should be enough playing around. or not, they’ll have plenty of time for that later. “i guess i’m a little thirsty,” he says, finally answering yuan’s question. “nothing urgent though. we can begin our shopping journey! i’ll let you know when my stomach starts growling,” he promises.
it’s funny to yuan how one simple compliment from aiden disarms him so profoundly. he’s never met anyone that’s been able to do that for him — be as bold with their words and advances as he is. for so long, he’s been the one that aims to fluster the handsome people that he engages with, and while he loves seeing the flowers within their cheeks blossom into vivid hues of rose and scarlet, he’s seldom the one that experiences that sensation. that all changes, though, when it comes to aiden. for some reason, all of the syrupy syllables that spill from between the other’s lips always color yuan’s countenance; always make his heart flutter effervescently within his chest; always make a scrumptiously giddy energy zoom through his limbs. all of these signs and signals tell him that how he feels for his senior is far beyond what’s considered platonic, and while that’s been a bit obvious to him for awhile now, it’s only made more so by this interaction. it scares him a little, but not enough for him to retreat. instead, he’s more eager to lean into it — to step closer to the cliff’s edge and eventually trust the free-fall into the often overwhelming feelings of love. he’s pretty confident that aiden’ll be there to catch him when it happens.
for now, though, he nibbles down on his bottom lip; pupils dilating at the sight of the taller man before him. “ thank you, ” he begins simply, happy to know that the effort he put into himself is appreciated. “ what are you talking about ?? you look lovely, as always. i actually really love that hoodie. it makes you look extra cuddle-able. ” yuan lilts, sights set on the pixelated heart in the center of the aiden’s top — finding it endearing. it’s hard for him not to lean in and kiss him, or to continuously tighten their embrace in an effort to fuse them together, but he’s aware that public displays of affection are more complicated for the two of them, so he refrains. all of that can be saved for later. speaking of which, when his idea about returning back to his place for a fashion show is responded to in a positive light, he grins, then giggles at the follow-up. it makes him happy knowing that he’s not the only one who had the same [ devilish ] idea. “ mmm, well, i can tell you that i wasn’t planning on it... ” he winks, then recalls the last couple of times they saw one another; reflecting on how carnal those encounters became. “ though, if that’s what you’re aching for at any point today, you can just follow me into the dressing room; help me try things on... ”
though, the trajectory of his thoughts shift when his hand is taken up within aiden’s, and when he’s gifted a keychain, he audibly coos at how adorable it is; blushing even more at the mention of how its cheeks resemble his own. knowing that he’s being thought of by other people in the form of gift-giving has always been something that he adores, and it further sweeps him off of his feet. “ you’re so sweet to me, aiden... ” the younger sighs, wanting so badly to offer him a kiss on his jawline as a thank you, but is sad to realize that it’s not the time or place for that. “ i’ll hold onto this forever, i can promise you that !! things like this mean a lot to me, so thank you. honestly, you always know how to make me feel special... it’s wild. ” with that, he smiles, and he’s careful when he places his present into his pocket; not wanting it to get lost.
pivoting towards the hustle and bustle of the sidewalk, he motions to lead them to worksout — one of his favorite spots to window shop. he’s just gotten paid, so he’s hoping he can find a thing or two to pick up while he’s there. that, and he also thinks aiden would look good in their clothes, too, if he’s interested in getting some for himself. “ i have a feeling that today is gonna be incredible !! then again, whenever you and i are together, i have the best time. ” he admits, closing the gap between them a little as they progress onward. “ do you think that you’ll let me pick some stuff out for you today, too ?? i think it’d be fun if i could dress you up, but if you’re not in the mood, that’s fine, too. you just have perfect proportions. you’d make the best model for me — and i really do mean that. everything about you is just right. ”
after a small trek, they’re where they need to be, and the instant yuan walks in into boutique, he immediately sees a shirt that screams his name — eyes growing wide at the sight of it. rushing over, he searches for his size and breathes a sigh of relief when they have it; pulling it off of the rack and showing it to aiden. “ do you think i could pull this off ?? ” he asks, placing it over his clothes to get a better visual. “ i would probably have to wear a shirt underneath it unless i’m feeling really brave, but i find that i look best in intricate designs that are softer like this, and the lace is so beautiful !! maybe with some nice, high-waisted pants ?? hm... what do you think ?? ”
