⋆˙⟡♡ summary: nine love letters mysteriously appear at your door. nine confessions, nine requests for a valentine's date. who will you decide to spend your time with? choose your own adventure!
⋆˙⟡♡ wc (intro/m-list): 489 words
⋆˙⟡♡ content: exo x f! reader | this entire work is sfw | other content warnings will be posted with each individual part
⋆˙⟡♡ a/n: happy valentine's season my dears! i wanted to do something special for our boys. this is just a fun, fluffy, sfw thing so it will be a significant departure from my usual works (smut just didn't fit in with the vision of this project, but dw! there may be some festive filth in the works). this part functions as both a part 1/introduction and a masterlist, soooo keep reading!
"You're popular today."
You look up from your laptop and peer at the stack of letters in your roommate's hands. She waves the multicolored pieces of paper in front of your face with a sly grin. "Feels like I'm in kindergarten all over again and the popular kid got all the Valentine's."
"What are you talking about?" you sigh, holding your hand out impatiently. "Nothing exciting about getting a bunch of bills."
"Bills?!" She flops down next to you on the couch and spreads out the pink and red envelopes. "Do these look like bills to you?"
You take the envelopes and flip through them quickly. Sure enough, your name is plastered on the front of each one, each with different handwriting and writing styles. There's no return address, or even any indication of the sender's identity.
"Kinda creepy," you mutter.
"I think it's cute! Who's doing this anymore, huh? I'd much rather get one of these then get another 'you up' message from Hinge." She shudders. "Well, aren't you going to open them?"
You sit there and go through each letter one by one, your face burning embarrassingly hot with each word read out loud between the two of you. They're… love notes. Confessions of feelings ranging from silly and light-hearted to deeply sincere. With each note, you realize the identity of each letter writer: nine distinct men that you’ve had contact with recently. Some of whom you’ve known for years, but some that you barely knew their names.
Each letter ends similarly: a request to take you on a proper first date.
“It seems like I had better find some plans for Valentine’s Day,” your roommate whistles.
“I don’t even know what to do,” you moan, putting your head in your hands. “Nine dates to choose from?”
“Oh no, my steak is too juicy, my lobster is too buttered.” She pries your head out of your grasp and squeezes your hands reassuringly. “Hey, you know all these guys, right? It’s not like they’re creeps. You really can’t make a wrong choice here. And hey, who said you can’t go on all these dates?”
You roll your eyes, but she nods vigorously. “Seriously! If you really can’t choose… then don’t!”
You look at the scattered letters around you and think carefully. Of course, one date (or nine) couldn’t hurt. The question was: who should you reply to first?
⋆˙⟡♡ the artist you accidentally bumped into on the street last week?
⋆˙⟡♡ the man you’ve started talking to on the commute home from work?
⋆˙⟡♡ the pianist who’s always playing in your apartment lobby?
⋆˙⟡♡ your next-door neighbor who’s always trying to borrow some sugar?
⋆˙⟡♡ the barista at your favorite cafe?
⋆˙⟡♡ the guy you met at the record store?
⋆˙⟡♡ your old college friend you recently reconnected with?
⋆˙⟡♡ the dancer that’s always in the gym at the same time as you?
hey hey!! can i request yixing content?? I’d love to see Yixing as a dad. What do you think he’d be like? Maybe you can write story about this or something?
cats, ice creams and... dinner?
⟡ summary: when his daughter wandered away in the park, he never thought he would find her too comfortable with someone they just met.
⟡ content: sfw, non idol au, fluff, girldad!yixing x gn!reader | word count: 1,1k words
⟡ a/note: of courseee. i was originally gonna just do a headcanon, but my brain actually cooperated and turned it into this drabble instead. hope you like this cute side of him <3
The cardboard tray of melting ice creams shook in Yixing’s grip as he reached the swing set. The seat was still swaying slightly, but it was empty. His daughter, who had been laughing there only moments before, was gone.
A wave of cold, sharp dread washed over him. He had only been gone for three minutes. He abandoned the treats on a nearby bench and began to run, his heart hammering against his ribs. Yixing stopped every parent he passed, his voice cracking as he described her bright jacket and small stature, but they all offered the same hollow shakes of their heads. Nobody had seen her leave.
He was spiraling into a total state of panic when he spotted her near the edge of the duck pond. She wasn’t crying or struggling; instead, she was standing beside someone she had never met: you.
Yixing slowed his pace, his breath hitching in his chest. His daughter—usually so shy and guarded around strangers—was leaning in close to you. Between her small hands, she clutched Yixing’s phone, animatedly swiping through photos. He must have left it on the swing, and she had grabbed it before wandering off.
You were crouched down to his daughter’s eye level, your coat dusting the grass, watching her with a kind, attentive smile. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and stepped forward, his footsteps slowing in confusion. He caught the sound of your voices.
“And this one is Leo.” Her finger tapped the screen with pride. “He sleeps on my head every night. And that’s my daddy.”
You leaned in, squinting at the bright display. “Oh, wow! Leo looks a little grumpy,” you teased, making the little girl giggle. You pointed at the photo of Yixing holding the cat. “But he’s very cute, isn’t he? And your dad looks very kind.”
The little girl’s face lit up like a sunbeam. “Yes! He makes the best pancakes, and he never gets mad when Leo breaks things!”
Her usual shyness completely vanished. When you both let out a synchronized laugh, the last of the adrenaline drained from Yixing’s limbs. He took a shaky breath and finally stepped into the light of the afternoon sun.
“Pumpkin?” he called out, his voice a mix of profound relief and lingering exhaustion.
At the sound of his voice, she spun around, her eyes wide. “Daddy! Look!” she cheered, holding up a cat fluffy plushie keyring as if it were a trophy. But as he drew closer and she saw his empty hands, her face fell into a pout of pure childhood tragedy. “You forgot the strawberry ice cream!”
Yixing reached them, his face pale and his breath still coming in short, jagged bursts. He looked like he wanted to pull her into a thousand hugs and scold her all at once. Instead, he dropped to one knee, keeping his voice remarkably soft despite the lingering tremor in his hands.
“Pumpkin, you cannot wander away like that,” he said quietly, looking her directly in the eye. “You promised to stay by the swings.”
Watching him handle his fear with such patience made you stand up from the grass, brushing the stray petals from your knees. A flush of guilt rose to your cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” you said, looking down at him. “I should have looked around for her parents immediately. I got so distracted by her stories that I didn’t realize she had wandered off.”
She shook her head vigorously, holding up a small cat keyring that was now looped around her finger. “No! I saw the kitty in your bag!”
She gestured toward your purse, where a small clip sat empty. “I just wanted to ask if it was Leo’s friend,” she explained.
You gave Yixing a sheepish smile. “She liked it so much, I couldn’t help but let her keep it. It’s a bit of a peace offering for the scare we gave you.”
Yixing looked from the little plushie to your face, the last of his sternness melting away. A small, genuine dimple appeared as he finally smiled. “You don’t have to,” he said, standing up to his full height. “Thank you.”
She looked at the small plushie in her hand and then back at you. A determined look crossed her face. She tugged on the hem of Yixing’s shirt, gesturing for him to lean down.
Yixing bent his head so she could whisper into his ear. However, her whisper was loud enough to carry across the entire clearing.
“Daddy!” she hissed excitedly, “we should invite her to come with us for an ice cream! You always said people who like cats are cute.”
Yixing’s ears turned a faint shade of pink, knowing full well you had heard every single word. He straightened up, rubbing the back of his neck as he offered you a bashful, apologetic look.
“Oh! No, you don’t have to do that.” You waved your hands with a small laugh. “It was a gift, truly. You’ve had enough of a scare for one afternoon—I wouldn’t wanna intrude on your family time.”
Yixing stepped closer, his expression shifting from embarrassed to genuinely warm. He didn’t look like a panicked stranger anymore.
“You wouldn’t be intruding,” he said gently. “Honestly, I think I’d feel better if I could thank you for looking after her—that is, if you aren’t too busy?”
You looked from Yixing’s hopeful smile to the little girl, who was currently bouncing on her heels while clutching her new kitty keyring. The afternoon sun was warm, and the tension of the last ten minutes had completely evaporated, replaced by a strange, pleasant spark of curiosity.
“I suppose I’m not that busy,” you admitted, a smile tugging at your lips. “I’d love to join you.”
She let out a small cheer, but she wasn’t finished. She looked at you, then back at her father, her eyes dancing with a new, even bigger idea. “And since you’re our friend now,” she announced, “you have to come home for dinner too! We have plenty of pasta, and Leo needs to meet you!”
Yixing nearly choked on the air, his eyes widening in total shock. The flush on his neck turned into a frantic, bright red. “Pumpkin!”
The little girl tilted her head, pointing a finger at his flaming cheeks. “Daddy’s face is red! Is it because our new friend is pretty?”
Yixing buried his face in one hand, groaning softly while you let out a startled, breathless laugh. “I’m so, so sorry,” he mumbled through his fingers. He looked at you with a sheepish smile. “She’s never this forward. I think the excitement has gone to her head.”
You laughed again, finding the whole scene incredibly endearing. “It’s okay,” you said, catching his eye. “She’s cute.”
Yixing let out a long, shaky breath, his dimple reappearing. “She definitely has more courage than her father,” he admitted softly. He looked down at her daughter, who was already trying to pull both of your hands toward the vendor. “But she’s right about the pasta. If you’re not free tonight... maybe we could start with a coffee sometime instead?”
[mob boss!yixing. arranged marriage au, established relationship, fluff]
a/n: no idea why this idea popped up into my head but i had to write it. i know he'd be such a caring and attentive husband 😩
“i don't care how late it gets. call me.”
that's something yixing's never forgotten to remind you about. whether you're on the other side of the town in a cafe with your friends, whether you need help with groceries, whether you're tired from work and just need a breather—he's always going to be there for you.
but you're not sure if it'll apply to you now—in the aftermath of a fight you already regretted the second it started, the second you heard yixing's exhale of frustration betraying his composure, the sound of the door slamming a little too hard.
you can't even remember why it started. maybe it had something to do with the long hours he seems to be spending at work lately, hunched over his desk, constantly revising plans and forgetting basic functions like eating and sleeping.
all you know is that your feet hurt in the shoes you're wearing, your energy is completely drained, and the edges of a headache are beginning to creep through your skull.
and you still remember yixing's upset face, the way he didn't even give you a kiss goodbye like he always does.
it's a thing between the two of you, and has been for a few months now. after you actually fell in love with each other, the ruse of a marriage for an alliance that slowly became something the two of you treasured. and those kisses reminded you of it every morning, every moment you had to spend away from each other.
but yixing had just left for his study, the slam of the solid oak door somewhat ringing through the large penthouse.
and you were left with an uncomfortable mix of annoyance and guilt.
your thumb hovers over yixing's contact, wondering if you should try calling him, see if he's willing to pick you up. but you hesitate. what if he's sleeping? or worse, still working?
so you quickly shoot a text to his right-hand man, baekhyun.
hey, need a ride home. yixing's probably busy, don't want to disturb him. hope you're not too?
baekhyun's sweet. he's yixing's most trusted man, in charge of handling all his meetings and driving him to places where he meets with his clients and other mob bosses. he's also one of yixing's closest friends, and someone yixing trusts to look after you when he can't.
this counts as one of those moments, right?
the message you sent to baekhyun hasn't been read yet. you sigh. maybe yixing's busy going over tomorrow's schedule with him, which is why he hasn't had the chance to see it yet.
so you suck it up and bid goodbye to your friends, calculating how long the walk home will take. twenty two minutes. not bad. probably thirty, given the dull ache in your feet. but it's not difficult. you have the footpath, the streetlights which are quite bright even for this time of the night, and your phone handy and charged enough in case you need to make a call.
yixing is your emergency contact, after all.
you've just entered your neighbourhood when your phone suddenly rings, startling you. it's a stark contrast to the quiet of the night you're walking in. when you look down, you see an incoming call from none other than yixing. you don't know what to expect.
“hello?” you ask, hesitant. you hate being hesitant. especially with your own husband.
“where are you?” he asks, voice a little unsettled. very uncharacteristic. but he doesn't sound annoyed, at least. you hear the jingle of keys for a moment.
“i'm...on my way home?”
“are you asking me or are you telling me?” the slam of a door.
“telling you.”
“right. but you didn't tell me your party ended?”
“because it hasn't. i just left early because i was tired.”
“hm. and you didn't bother letting me know?”
you scoff. “we fought, yixing. you didn't even have a response to anything i said. sorry if i didn't think you'd care.”
a loud exhale. “where exactly are you right now?”
“almost home? i just turned the corner. it'll take me ten more minutes to reach.”
“can you just wait?”
“what do you mean, wait? i told you, i'm almost home. are you, what, picking me up or something?”
“i am,” he says, voice firm. “no something. just wait at the bus stop. i'm coming.”
“why are you—”
the line cuts before you get to voice your question. shaking your head, you keep walking till you get to the bus stop. it's empty at this hour of the night, but it's well-lit and safe. you wonder if you should sit. you could just walk the remainder of the distance, but yixing had insisted. and you know you can't do anything once he's made up his mind.
you barely have a minute to yourself when you hear someone's footsteps slow down and stop right in front of you.
it's yixing. cap over his head covering his eyes, oversized hoodie hanging off his frame, and running shoes you'd recognize anywhere. a far cry from the polished shoes and crisp suits he always wears during the day.
you just stare at him. he's heaving, taking in deep breaths as if—
“did you run here?” you ask, frowning. no way. “couldn't you have just taken your car?”
“our car. and...i forgot.”
you blink. “to take the car? the great zhang yixing just forgot he had a car?”
“don't be like that,” he sighs. “come on.” he extends a hand out to you. you take it, wincing when you put weight on your feet again.
yixing notices. like he always does.
“fuck, baby, do your feet hurt?”
“it's nothing,” you say, trying to shake it off, heart fluttering a little at the nickname, but he's not having it. he makes you sit down again and then crouches, unclasping your shoes. his hands work steadily, lifting your foot to get the shoe off before repeating the process with the other one.
you feel more comfortable already. but before you can ask him why he's doing all this, he gets up, turns around, and bends a little, gesturing for you to climb his back.
“yixing...” you say hesitantly, feeling a little sober all of a sudden. it's just the two of you on a road not far from home, and yixing wants to...give you a piggyback ride?
“come on,” he says, looking back at you. “can't let you walk back home like that.”
“but—”
“what kind of a husband would i be if i did that, hmm?”
his voice is so sweet, you can't help but lean on him. he hoists you up further and you cling onto him with one arm, shoes dangling from your other hand.
“yixing, i can walk,” you try saying, but he just shakes his head.
you reach home like that, trying your best not to fall asleep on yixing's broad back as he carries you through the lobby of your building. it's a little embarrassing, but yixing doesn't falter one bit as he heads straight for the lift that takes you up to your floor.
he manages to unlock the door to your home while still holding onto you. you don't waste time the moment he sets you down, heading to the bathroom to clean up, taking a quick shower only to find out he's laid your nightclothes on the bed for you. he's even kept out a hoodie for you—his old one, now yours.
you head out to the living room, feeling clean, tired but not yet sleepy. you find yixing watching the news on the television, eyes scanning the news ticker for information on stock prices. he looks at you when you sit down on the couch.
“are you hungry? do your feet still hurt? do you want me to get you anything?” he asks instantly.
you shrink a little under the weight of his gaze, unable to look at him properly. “i'm okay,” you manage to say. “just...tired.”
you see yixing nod from from the corner of your eye.
you draw your knees up to yourself, wrapping your arms around them. you want to say something, but you're not sure what can break the silence comfortably.
yixing clears his throat. “about earlier...”
you sneak a look at him.
“i'm sorry for snapping at you before you left,” he says, turning to face you fully. there's no escaping his gaze now. “i know you were just looking out for me. i had no right to behave that way. forgive me?”
you reach out to lay a hand on his arm. “i just wanted you to take better care of yourself, xing.”
“i know. i was just too caught up to see that. i promise i won't react so harshly again. come here?”
you shift closer, leaning into his side as he wraps an arm around you.
“i was trying to wrap things up so i'd be free for a few weeks,” he says, fingers stroking your hair. “we could take that vacation you've been hinting at for a while. or we could just do nothing. either way, i want to spend my time with you.”
you groan. “you're making me feel bad now.”
“mm, don't. someone needs to keep me in check every now and then. i'm glad it's you.”
you smile at that, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
“also,” he says, grip around you tightening, “don't text baekhyun the next time you need something. doesn't make me feel needed when you do that.”
you suddenly remember the text you sent in your desperation to be on yixing's good side, only to have made him pout. “oh. oops?”
“cheeky,” he mutters. “you're lucky i love you.”
you cuddle closer to him, wrapping an arm around his stomach. “i know. i love you, too. i didn't want to disturb you, that's all. thought you might be busy.”
“i'm yours. to lean on, to talk to, to use. don't ever think otherwise.”
“shut up,” you murmur, feeling your cheeks heat up at his words.
“what? it's true. there's no one else i'd give a piggyback ride to at this hour of the night.”
there really isn't anyone, you realize, when yixing starts telling you about the antics his team got up to today, and how he wants the two of you to spend the first day of his break tomorrow, that loves you the way yixing does.
Summary: You are getting ready to start the day and the new year, but your new boyfriend is still asleep, so you try to be as quiet as possible.
Word count: 620
A/N: This is exciting! I’ll be writing little drabbles like this one for this month, celebrating that it is my birthday month. I have it all set with all of the days assigned for the January Prompts from @creativepromptsforwriting but if anyone wants to request a member for any prompt, I’m completely open to it.
ALL JANUARY PROMPTS POSTS
Getting ready fast was almost an art for you, but you were also loud while doing so. This was a challenge now, as Yixing slept soundly on the bed, and the hotel room was dimly lit with the morning light coming through the thin curtains. You looked over at him, chuckling to yourself a bit, tiptoeing your way to the closet to get your clothes.
He had so much fun at the party last night, letting loose and enjoying himself. It was nice seeing him smile so much and dancing around with all of your friends.
Your eyes lingered on his lips, remembering the sweet New Year’s kiss you shared. You had to look all over for him as he got distracted mingling around. The minutes were ticking, and you had to still light up some sparklers and take your traditional New Year picture. It was like a scene from a rom-com movie, both of you finding each other on opposite sides of the room, smiles growing and a walk in slow motion.
The closet door squeaked as you tried closing it slowly, and you cursed under your breath. Looking back at Yixing, you noticed him shifting in his sleep and bit your lip unconsciously as if trying to stop any more sounds. It all seemed okay until you took a step back and stumbled with his bag, making you fall on the floor.
Yixing woke up at the sound and sat on the bed, his lidded eyes barely open, and his cute messy hair making you chuckle a little louder. You had tried to muffle your laugh at your clumsiness, but it was impossible.
“What happened? Who’s there?”
His voice was so raspy and deep even in his alerted state, but his sleepy face betrayed the sexiness it could have had. Your heart still skipped a beat, even though you found the entire situation quite entertaining. No matter how much your relationship changed the night before, he was still the same Yixing.
He spotted you on the floor on the other side of the room, and his eyes widened. “What happened, baby?” Yixing’s face tensed for a moment, as if he had let something slip that he was keeping a secret, but then quickly relaxed as he remembered the softness of your lips and the warmth of having you so close. “Ah, right… you’re now my baby.”
Your heart melted on the spot, witnessing his widening smile at his realization. “I’m okay, just fell on the floor.”
“What?” He moved out of bed in an almost jump and reached just in time to finish helping you get up.
“Just clumsy me…”
“No, no, are you okay? Any scratches? Does it hurt somewhere?” It’s like he didn’t even hear you through his worry. He started searching for any red spots or bruises, but all he found was the marks he left on your shoulder.
You managed to place a kiss on his cheek and made him stop. His head started turning slowly towards you from that little bruise and straight to your lips. Flashbacks to the night before occupied his mind while doing so, his face starting to be adorned with a tender yet hungry smile.
“Happy new year…” He whispered, the words almost a mumble. “I forgot to say that, didn’t I?”
A small chuckle escaped you as you held his gaze with yours. “Yeah, well… you rushed to kiss me at the last second, and then… we’re here, where our night led us.”
“I did tell you I like you, though, right?”
“Yeah, you definitely did!”
“Well,” he started, a smug grin on his lips, “today is the actual start of the new year… Happy New Year, baby.”
imagine yixing resting his head on your shoulder. you could be doing anything: waiting in line at the grocery store, cooking a meal, even when working, and he’d lay his head on your shoulder. he’d tell you that was his favorite spot to rest all the time, resulting in a sheepish grin from you. you’d never admit it, but you found just as much comfort from the action as him. it just showed how much you loved each other.
Pairing: Yixing x Reader
Genre: Fluff
Rating: G
Summary: At the company’s milestone celebration party, Yixing has a surprise for you, his hardest worker.
Word Count: 0.6k
Warnings: None
Inspired by this post.
As always, the office party was a success. Everyone who worked for and with Yixing turned up to celebrate another major milestone. However, this time was a little different.
“Can I have your attention for a minute?” Yixing gently tapped a champagne glass with a fork. A hush fell over the room as all eyes turned to him. When it was reasonably quiet, he continued. “Thank you all for your hard work and dedication. Without your sacrifices, we wouldn’t have gotten this far. Serving a thousand clients is insane, yet we did it!” Applause filled the room.
He scanned the room until he found you near the drink table, watching him with a soft smile that warmed his heart. “While I’d like to take credit for keeping things in order and running smoothly, no one would believe me.” The crowd chuckled knowingly. “So, with the insistence of everyone here at Zhang Advertising, I’d like to present our first annual employee of the year award,” he extended his hand in your direction, “to you, _____. Could you come up here, please?”
You nearly dropped your glass of wine. The way everyone looked at you fondly, obviously in on this. How did he keep it from you? Yixing usually couldn’t do anything without your input or help. Sure, he wasn’t completely helpless, but he had the hardest time keeping secrets from you. Someone took your glass from you and gentle hands guided you to the front of the room where he waited. When you were within reach, he slung an arm around your shoulders and pulled you close.
“Without you, we likely would have gone out of business months ago. You came in, all business and sunshine, and helped turn this ship around. We cannot appreciate you and all that you’ve done enough.”
You shook your head. “It’s what you hired me to do! An assistant does their best to keep things from falling apart.”
“Mm, yeah, but you pulled off six-day work weeks with countless hours of overtime. You made sure every project met our standards and exceeded client expectations. You protected our reputation while keeping the morale up. We all agree that you make this place worth working for. I personally can’t imagine anyone else being able to bring the passion, diligence, and competence you have with you every day you show up.”
You bowed your head, unable to deny the truth in his words. You considered the company and its employees to be family and treated it as such.
“So,” he reached behind you and picked up a gift bag, “we want you to have this.”
You took the bag with a murmured thanks and peeked inside. There were several gift cards for shopping, spas, and food. You easily knew who helped pick out each card based on what conversations you remembered having.
“Also, there’s this.” You looked up to find Yixing handing you a key.
“What’s this for?” You took it and eyed it. It didn’t look familiar and had no telling markings.
“Well, I thought my Vice President should have her own office.”
Your neck snapped when you turned to look at him. “Your what?”
“I think it’s time you got the promotion you deserve. I—no, we—would be honored to have you be the Vice President of Zhang Advertising.” He patted your shoulders. “It’s the least we could do after all you’ve done for us.”
You blinked back tears, overcome with emotion and barely able to speak. Nonetheless, you nodded.
He pulled you into a hug as the room erupted with applause and cheers. “Here’s to another year, yeah?”
“I’m sorry Y/N, but Yixing really just isn’t the right guy for you.”
As your eyes looked to the man in front of you, neither of you quite knew what to do as the words of your mother still rang in your mind. Your high hopes of acceptance had been crushed, and now neither of you had the slightest idea of how to carry on.
In the back of your mind there had always been a worry for you that your parents wouldn’t support your relationship with Yixing. They had strong aspirations for you, an ideal type in their mind, but Yixing failed to tick many of the boxes that they had held out for you to fill.
There was a small distance between you both as you sat down in his studio, unsure as to what to say. When you arrived on the verge of tears, Yixing knew straight away that something was wrong, but getting the mark of disapproval was the last thing he expected or wanted.
His head and his heart were pulling him in two different directions as he looked across at you. Your eyes had been firmly to the floor for some time, trying to come up with a solution, but failing every single time.
“This is just ridiculous.”
You hadn’t meant to speak aloud, but it soon caught Yixing’s attention. Just hearing your voice brought him back into the room, quickly reminding himself about what was important in the current situation, you.
“Are you alright?”
“No.”
The sudden question that came from Yixing took you by surprise, but your answer was simple. On one hand you had your family, who had always been there for you and cheered you on. On the other, was Yixing, the guy who had completely swept you off your feet.
“What are you thinking?” He asked, moving a little closer towards you, “or are you even able to think right now?”
“I don’t know,” you sighed, “I just feel stuck.”
“I understand,” he instantly assured you, smiling softly, “I don’t think either of us saw this coming, how can anyone ever prepare for something like this?”
The more Yixing spoke, the more you struggled to hold it together. The pads of your thumbs soon wiped underneath your eyes, leaving him conflicted as to whether to reach out or help you or keep a distance as your parents wished.
“What can I do?” You asked him, “either way I hurt someone, you or my family, but no matter what, I hurt myself too.”
A soft sigh came from beside you as Yixing felt himself begin to get teary eyed too. “I hate that your family has put the pressure on you to decide between making them happy and making yourself happy, it’s just so unfair Y/N.”
Your head nodded, “whose happiness am I supposed to sacrifice? Who do I want to hurt more?”
You felt guilty for putting your happiness first after everything your family had done for you, but at the same time, you just couldn’t lose Yixing. Whether your parents could learn to accept Yixing was a mystery, but all you could do was hope.
“Your parents weren’t keen on me when I met them a few months ago, but they’ve accepted us, but my parents don’t seem quite as willing to change. I hate the fact that they smiled around you, and then as soon as you left, they couldn’t wait to start talking about you and warning me off continuing our relationship.”
“They were never going to like me; I could just tell from the start.”
He wanted to protect you and try and keep the smile on his face, but deep down, as soon as he entered your parent’s home, he knew he was in trouble. Your mother barely offered him a smile, and the way your father shook his hand was weak to say the least.
Looking back, he knew that they were the two signs he needed to know things were going to go downhill, but neither were enough to stop him from loving you and trying to fight for your relationship, proving them wrong.
“I don’t want us to break up just because my parents say so, I’m a grown up, I have to learn to stand up on my own two feet,” you told him.
Your words brought a small hint of a smile to Yixing’s face, relieved to know that you were willing to fight. He knew that there was an easy option in front of you, to just walk away, but you couldn’t, not when your heart was screaming out for Yixing.
“And what about your family Y/N?” Yixing asked.
Your shoulders shrugged in the exact same way his had done just a couple of months ago. “They’ll learn to accept it; they won’t have a choice if they truly want to see me happy. That’s what they’ve always told me, and this is the happiest I’ve ever been anyway.”
Whilst you never wanted to defy your parents, you weren’t about to compromise your own happiness for their wishes. Perhaps Yixing wasn’t what they expected, but with time, you could only hope they’d see more of the person you saw in him.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do.”
Your hand reached out, feeling Yixing’s hand rest into it immediately, gripping onto you much tighter than he ever had done before. It wasn’t the solution, but it was a start, a hurdle that you knew you were going to try and climb over together.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone, but this situation doesn’t give me much of a choice. I know you’re worried about hurting my parents more by sticking around, but for once I want to do what I want, and seeing you walk away to please my parents just isn’t that.”
Yixing’s head nodded, paying close attention to every word that you spoke. Thankfully for him, your tears had dried up, and your mind was made up, hurting others was never easy, but you had to protect yourself first.
“I’ve been in your shoes, and I know how hard it is too. It doesn’t feel good having the stamp of disapproval on my back, but I’m determined to prove your parents wrong about me, and about us,” he assured you.
“They’ll see, I just know they will. If my happiness is truly what they want for me more than anything else, then they’ve got no choice but to see just how happy you make me.”
“If I make you happy, then I trust in that,” he vowed, “I trust that that will be the difference.”
You weren’t entirely confident that your parent’s minds would be changed, but you knew with a little bit of openness there was a chance. Even if they didn’t, you would never be able to give up Yixing just for them.
“If I taught your parents to like me, it should be easy for you then,” you joked.
His head instantly shook, I’ve got enough pressure on my shoulders right now without you adding to it.”
“It’ll be fine.”
His head shook, not entirely convinced himself. “Let’s just take one step at a time, at some point I quite fancy getting approved by your parents.”
(I noticed I hadn’t written anything for Yixing yet and that’s a crime, so have a quick blurb)
[00:28]
After an exhausting day at work, you arrive home to find the house empty. Knowing your workaholic husband, you assume you can find him at the dance studio at this time of the night. After a quick rinse and changing into comfortable clothes, you head over to the studio to find him.
You quickly find him, dancing his heart out, as you expected. You watch him through the door until the song ends. As you open the door and wave into the mirror at him, he beams back at you.
“Hi babe! What are you doing here?” He leans in and leaves a kiss on your head, careful not to touch you and get sweat all over you.
“Yixing, honey, do you know what time it is? I worked overtime, went home to shower, and still met you here. Have you taken breaks? Drank water? Have you even eaten anything?” You worry, as this isn’t the first time this has happened.
He stares up at the ceiling as he tries recounting his day. When he remembers, he claims that, while he’s staying hydrated and taking adequate breaks, he only remembers eating a sandwich early in the day. Quickly, you gather up his things and drag him out of the room by the hand. You momentarily stop to let him lock up, but then drag him outside to the nearest convenience store, nagging him about his health.
Right outside the store, he pulls you back, stopping you and pulling you into a hug, “What would I do without you? Thank you for taking such good care of me.”
While his words are sweet, you pull away due to the sticky, salty substance that covers him. You joke about needing to shower again because of him, then you turn and enter the shop. He follows closely behind, insisting you get something for yourself as well. You both grab your favorite instant noodles, pay and heat them up. You then find an empty table outside to sit and eat together, admiring the clear sky and all the stars.
You finally relax after seeing Yixing finish his bowl. He thanks you again for looking after him, insisting that he’ll make it up to you later. A sly look forms as he says it, so you quickly try to hide your blush with the food as your mind is flooded with possibilities of what he has in mind. After all, even after being together for 5 years, he always knows how to keep things interesting.
“I hope you’re ready for lots of cuddles. You’re always taking care of me, so I’ll make sure to pamper you extra for the next few days.” He stands to throw out his trash, patting your head as he passes and leaning in to whisper, “What dirty thoughts had you hiding behind those noodles, I wonder.”
