Xiao Zhan is caught up in the aftermath of the '227 Incident' and makes the mistake of shutting Wang Yibo out. Months later, can his newfound honesty thaw Yibo's heart?
Mature content in marked chapters. Reposted from my AO3 account.
Xiao Zhan knows he shouldn't but he is drawn to WeChat when he sees that Yibo has texted him. Everyone, from his manager to his mom, has told him to worry about himself for now. Everything else, especially Wang Yibo, can wait.
Xiao Zhan: Hey dd, I'm okay. Don't worry about it.
Almost immediately after he hits 'enter', he sees those three dots that mean Yibo is typing.
Wang Yibo: I'm glad to hear from you, ge. Is there anything I can do? A press release or something?
Xiao Zhan: No! Please don't!
Xiao Zhan feels a twinge of anger towards Yibo. Why is this boy so impulsive? This is Xiao Zhan's problem and he can handle it.
Xiao Zhan: Please keep away from this issue. We are handling it.
Yibo is taken aback by the marked lack of warmth in Xiao Zhan's messages. He must be really stressed out but Yibo knows better than to push him.
Wang Yibo: Okay, okay.. Have you eaten? Shall I come over with some beer and sushi?
Xiao Zhan is angry now, clenching his fists at how little Yibo understands. Things will never be that simple again.
Xiao Zhan: I don't think it makes sense for us to hang out anymore, Yibo. It sucks but that's how it is.
Xiao Zhan hopes he comes across stern, perhaps even harsh.
Yibo blinks at the text message, disappointment flooding through him.
Wang Yibo: Sure, Zhan-ge. Just... text me if you can.
Xiao Zhan huffs, and exits the WeChat application. He won't be texting Yibo again.
Five months later
August 5, 2020
You have 34 new messages!
Xiao Zhan: Happy Birthday, Bo di! I hope you have a really good day, and a very successful year!
When Yibo sees the name 'Xiao Zhan' pop up in the notification bar, he gasps in spite of himself. For the first few months, he had sent innocuous messages, stickers and memes to Xiao Zhan with no acknowledgment from the older man. As his manager kept telling him, Zhan-ge had made a politically correct career choice, and Yibo should respect that. And he did. He stopped trying to reach out to Xiao Zhan, though he kept following his shows and Weibo updates.
Despite everything, Yibo felt a warmth in his chest as he read the simple birthday message, and Xiao Zhan's use of 'Bo di' which he probably hadn't been called in a year or so. For a moment, he thought that he should ignore the text for sometime but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Wang Yibo: Thanks, ge! Good to hear from you.
Xiao Zhan didn't realize that he had been holding his breath for Yibo's reply. He thought, surely Yibo would rake him over the coals for at least sometime, given how cold he had been to him for the past many months.
Xiao Zhan: I'm sorry it took so long.
Yibo couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at the unexpected admission. He hadn't asked for an explanation but it looked like Xiao Zhan wanted to clear the air.
Wang Yibo: That's okay. We've both been busy.
Yibo could feel his heart beating fast, too fast. He did not want to talk about it. He had made his peace with being ignored, his vulnerability going unnoticed, and with just being dispensable in Xiao Zhan's life.
Xiao Zhan ran his fingers through his hair. He wanted to apologize but what good would it do? It would alleviate his guilt but probably spoil Yibo's mood. That would really suck, especially on his birthday. So, Xiao Zhan decided to take the out... and sent Yibo a meme.
Xiao Zhan: sent you a GIF.
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It was a bit from one of their early interviews, back when they were still shooting The Untamed. Yibo couldn't exactly remember the context, but the gif showed him, dressed in his Lan Zhan garb, saying 'Wow'.
Xiao Zhan: You are even more magnanimous as you get older, senbae. Wow haha
Yibo rolled his eyes. Xiao Zhan was trying too hard. Maybe some tough love was necessary, so he ignored the attempt at humour and went back to answering his other texts.
He hadn't meant to ignore Xiao Zhan completely but it just so happened that he didn't think about the text again until a few days later. He'd had a peaceful birthday, hung out with his racing buddies and just chilled out, for once. However, someone had taken some pictures of him leaving a bar with his friends and he had gone viral on Weibo.
When Xiao Zhan saw the pictures of a semi-grainy Yibo walking out of a bar with a young man beside him, he wondered if he was too late to the game. Not that he had any game, not with Yibo, at least. He had probably blown it with the 'senbae' stuff, acting over-familiar, as if the last few months hadn't happened. He should have left it at that, but after a few glasses of wine, he didn't see why he couldn't double text Yibo. Or triple text.
Yibo's eyes widened as he woke up the next morning to six texts from Xiao Zhan.
Xiao Zhan: Seems like you had a great birthday!
Xiao Zhan: I've always wanted to go to that bar but never got around to it.
Xiao Zhan: So who's your new friend?
Xiao Zhan: Or old friend, whatever. Suibian haha
Xiao Zhan: Sorry for spamming you this way
Xiao Zhan: Are you getting these
Something was seriously wrong with Xiao Zhan, and Wang Yibo needed to figure it out.
A/N: Reposted from my AO3 account! Comments are everything, please comment!
Suibian, as you may know, means 'whatever' and is the name of Wei Wuxian's sword in the Untamed.
