Strings of Fate || Mafia AU (hiatus)

Ch. 8

Wuxian came home from school after a week of absence.

For the whole week, he grieved. Not leaving his quiet little apartment even if his cabinets and fridge ran out of food, he cannot feel his hunger anyway so he didn't bother filling them. 

He asked his manager for a short break, he could not face the memories of his first meeting with his lost love that happened right at that place. His mental capacity and emotional self might suddenly wash him like the strong currents of the ocean. 

After conditioning himself, he buries the thoughts of Wangji in the back of his mind. He cannot just wallow his whole life just for a person, he needs to move forward just like any other person would do. Though the memories are still written in his frail heart, it doesn't disappear as instantly as he wishes. So he bagged them all up, hiding them the best he can, and toughen up to not cry at any possible chance.

But before he can enter his apartment, Xichen was about to get out of his own. Wuxian absentmindedly looks his way, eyes looking tired. Then he bows, lips pressed into a flat smile to greet him, he even didn't notice the man is dressed in a fine suit, looking suspicious of living in a small apartment but having expensive worthy clothes. 

Xichen almost panics, having been seen wearing his fancy clothes, but the look on the younger's face, the look of tiredness, it instantly made him stride his way to the younger. 

"What happened?" he asked softly, his gentle hands reached out to Wuxian's cheeks and gently rub the swollen skin under his eyes, his eyes are full of worries as he stares at them.

Wuxian looks away, letting the warm hands cup his face. He just barely survives a day outside, everytime every tear wants to leave his eyes, he sucks a deep breath and distracts himself from it. But he cannot believe a soft 'what happened?' broke his fragile walls. And in an instant, tears spilled out of his tear ducts, the tears he's been keeping since this morning fell. 

Xichen immediately panics upon seeing tears rolling out of the younger's face, the instant reaction of his body was to pull him into his arms. He pressed him into his chest while rubbing his palms into soothing circles on his back. His supposed itinerary was long forgotten as the image of his unrequited love crying onto his arms filled his mind. He almost swore that he'll kill whoever made him cry but his Xian is his priority first.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, letting the younger sniff and bawl his heart out on his chest. Even if his expensive clothing was damp with the youngster's tears, it didn't matter to him. 

Wuxian nods slowly, still sniffling as he clutches his hands onto the older's clothes, totally wrinkling them into his fist. 

The older sighs, not letting the younger go as he drags him effortlessly inside his apartment. 

After letting him sit in his small living room, he crouches down to his level. "Now now, I'll just prepare something so we can talk about it over food," he said softly, reaching out to wipe his tears.

Wuxian nods obediently like a kid, wiping his tears profusely despite them not stopping from falling. "...And alcohol, please..." he mumbles behind sobs. 

Xichen raised a brow, completely confused as to why the younger is asking for alcohol when he has work tomorrow. 

"But-" he was about to protest when the younger pouts, causing damage to his heart. 'That's cheating, how can I even resist that?!' he cries internally before sighing in defeat. Well, he can't really resist him. And so he nods, "Fine. Wait here. I'll whip something up before we drink, yeah?" he assures not waiting for Wuxian's response, and stood to walk his way to his bedroom to change his clothes before going to the kitchen and prepare their food. 

.

 After their unannounced dinner together, alcohol was immediately served on the table. The rounds of the alcohol went around until the moon shone above, and stars started blinking brightly onto the dark veil of the night. 

Wuxian was already in the state of being unable to control himself, firstly to get drunk. He drinks every chance he could while Xichen who only watches the younger get wasted only sips once in a while, listening to inaudible rants of Wuxian. Finding him cute as he slurs words the older can't even understand.

Until one word draws Xichen's attention.

"Wangji.." the younger spits in a slur followed by tears flowing down his face.

A deep furrow painted the older's forehead. Connecting two and two, he finally deciphers the reason for the younger's broken look. 

"Why did you leave?... I was ready to tell you that..." Wuxian cries as he swallows down the last drop of the bottle he was drinking. 

"...I- I like you..." he whimpers before bawling his eyes out harder than before. The feeling he hardly kept inside came rushing out of his already swollen eyes. 

The older's heart clenched painfully, he doesn't know where. If it's because the younger fell for his adopted brother, or because it was his brother he fell for, or because Wuxian is crying in front of him and it pains him to see his first love crying in front of him. 

Whatever it is, he feels the stabbing pain bore through him. But he let them stab him deeply. He's used to it, he even almost had a near-death experience if not for his trusted person — Wangji. He has stab wounds somewhere in his body and he survived them, what more of being emotionally stabbed? 

He immediately hugged the younger, dragging him to sit on the sofa without breaking the embrace as he lulls him, transferring comfort to the other. 

There's no time for his feelings to be prioritized at this moment, his first love is in pain himself, and he can't afford to wallow in his feelings over letting his Xian be in pain. 

 "Shh, I'm here," he coos, kissing his temple before letting the younger bury his face onto his shoulder and letting his trembling hands clutch onto him tightly. 

"I'm so dumb for not telling him what I feel!" he bawls, voice muffled onto his shirt. 

Xichen smiles, "If I had known I would've stopped him," he utters, rubbing his back soothingly. 

They stayed in each other's embrace until the younger's sobs slowly died down, little sniffles leaving Wuxian's lips though his hands that are clutched tightly om the older's clothes are not letting go. 

"You're calm now?" The older finally asked still giving soothing circles on his back. 

Wuxian nods but buries deeper onto the crook of the older's neck, hugging him more tightly than before. 

"Say..." Xichen trails off, catching the younger's attention. "I know you liked him to the point of crying your eyes out, and I'm not sure myself when is Wangji coming back to wipe them off of your face," he continues, "...But you can always run to me whenever you wanted to cry, you know?" he offers, swiping his thumb to dry off excess tears from the younger's cheek. 

Wuxian stares at him confusedly behind his hiccups, "...But- but *hic*"

Xichen chuckles softly and playfully pinch his nose, "No buts! Just accept my offer, yeah?" he beams, placing a peck on his temple before pulling him to his embrace once again. 

Wuxian smiles and eventually nods."Okay," he answers, succumbing to the warmth of the other's embrace. "Why are you even going to such lengths?" he asks.

But the older only chuckles. 'Because I like–no, I love you'  he wants to voice out but he lets his words die down in his throat, he doesn't want to burden the other with another problem. 

But maybe, maybe somewhere along the way, he'll be able to tell him.

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A/N: That was a roller coaster of emotions. I really suck at dramas. Lmao. Anyways, Thank you for reading! I hope I get through to you with my updates. Thank you for always waiting for updates. I love you all! （づ￣3￣）づ╭❤️～