Thirty-six

"Your room really is amazing." He complimented gawking at the sight. It was much cleaner than the last time he came over so I can understand his unearthed awe. I wake up every morning in this room so it doesn't really feel like anything special.

That got me curious about Yibo's room, I wonder what it looks like.

"I'd love to see your room someday." I said, scouring the room for my small basketball.

"Yeah, maybe." He said it unconvincingly with a slight shrug. I really wonder why he's so secretive. I want to get to know the guy better. When it comes to certain things he completely shuts me out. I'll give him his space though, he seems like he's been through a lot already so I don't want to pressure him.

I found the little basketball on one of my dressers and tossed it to Yibo. He just barely managed to catch it, being taken by surprise. A smile propped my face and he threw it back to me. It started getting intense after a while with us almost

knocking things over.

I didn't have anything planned for us, I just really wanted to spend the night with Yibo. Being around him helped me forget about what happened today. I was pretty shaken by it but when I saw Yibo enter the locker room I felt myself relax, all the tension melted away.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't able to come up with anything fun for us to do." I admitted I was a little disappointed. I stole a peek at him to see his expression, he looked happy? I tilted my head slightly in confusion.

"This is plenty fun." He beamed. "Anything is fine with me, as long as I'm here." He said stretching his arms and twirling around the room. He tumbled over onto my bed feeling too dizzy to stand. I quickly toppled myself on him, pinning him to the bed. His small body shook as he chuckled under me. I loved pinning him down and just laying there, it's a great feeling. It's something I can do to get close to him and get away with it. He doesn't mind it either, in fact, I think he likes it.

That got me thinking, tonight I'm going to ask him... We'll see where it goes from there.

A loud growling sound pulled me from my thoughts. I looked down and saw a red-faced boy.

"You're hungry?" I asked, staring at his attractive face. He nodded shyly and I stood up before I lost control of myself, I was hungry too... but for him.

"I'll get us something to eat." I told him as I headed out the door.

Yibo's pov.

I almost swore as my stomach growled. It was such a perfect moment and my stomach had to go and ruin it. I wanted to lay like that a while longer but I was getting hungry, and my stomach made sure to tell every soul in the room, including the deceased.

A frown crossed my face when Zhan stepped out of the room, it wasn't even intentional, it just happened. While I waited for Zhan I figured it would be a good time to chat with Xichen if he was home. I made my way into the hall and studied the doors trying to figure out which one belonged to him. The one right besides Zhan's screamed Xichen. He had stuff hanging from it; clothes, pictures, posters, it was a range of items. I didn't know whether to knock or not since he can be a pretty guarded person, and I know how that is. After much hesitation, I finally built enough courage to knock. The first knock there wasn't an answer, I decided to try once more, then I got a response.

"Who is it?" I heard Xichen's voice ask behind the door.

"Uh, Yibo." I answered. There was a moment of silence then the door opened. revealing Xichen's room. He stood at the frame in blue shorts and a wife beater looking a little surprised.

"Come in, and shut the door behind you." He commanded as he walked over to his bed which was covered in blue sheets.

"So, what did you need me for?" He asked, hopping backward onto his bed with the wood squeaking.

"I just wanted to say hi while I was over," I replied, checking out his room. It's much brighter than Zhan's, and more cluttered too.

"And check out my room. " He chuckled.

"It's nice." I complimented, admiring the blue walls captured by the light of his bright desk lamp.

"If you think my room is nice I can't imagine how bad yours is." He said with his laughing growing.

"You have no idea..." I unintentionally spoke out loud.

"Come, I have something to show you. If you're amazed by this then I'm sure you'll like it." He said, propping himself up in his bed.

"Alright, show me." I replied with interest. He stood from his bed and pulled open his closet door and entered it, I followed.

My eyes lit up at the sight that had caught my eye. His closet was brighter than any other room in the house. It had fuzzy white pillows thrown about, pictures placed on a shelf in the corner with two trophies sat next to them, and several LED lights hung around the room.

"Whoa." I gasped, clearly in awe. "I know." He smirked.

"You guys have accomplished so much." I stated, looking at the trophy. He and Zhan had already done so much with their lives already. This made me feel pretty bad about myself. My childhood was stripped away the day I came out, and a lot of it was already gone before then, due to the passing of my grandparents.

"It's nothing much, just some trophies I won last year." He shrugged. "It makes me happy that someone acknowledged them though." He mumbled looking off into the distance.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to get a view of his face.

"Well, as usual, my achievements were overshadowed by Zhan's. He was the only one who truly complimented me for it though. I was kinda bitter to him. I feel a little bad about it but... he and everyone else just ignore me, they don't pay any attention to me. That's his fault too, everyone just likes him better." Xichen ranted, sighing in the end.

"I can assure you that isn't true." I tried to comfort him. I'm right though, he's nowhere near as invisible as I was. After observing him I know that people try to give him his space since he can be snappy, this is the case with him and Zhan.

"You really should talk to him." I said, making him snap his head towards me. I could see the fear in his eyes.

"You really think he'll want to talk to me? After the way I treated him?" He asked. I nodded with a reassuring smile.

"Speaking of Zhan, I have to get back to his room." I informed. I wanted to stay in this cozy den but I also wanted to be with Zhan, he is the one who invited me over after all.

"Of course you do." He said with sarcasm clear in his voice, yet he seemed fine with it. He smiled and waved me out of the room. I giggled and headed for the door. Just before my hand reached the handle Xichen spoke.

"Do you really want to be my friend?" He said with a look of curiosity overtaking his face.

"I already am." I replied, smiling at him. His shoulders slumped, being put at ease. He chortled and gave me a shy embarrassed look.

"Bye!" He yelled, hopping back on his bed.

"See you tomorrow." I responded quietly as I left the room. I gently shut the door behind me and walked back to Zhan's room. When I got there I saw him standing there scratching his head. When the room came into full view. I saw two bowls of spaghetti sitting on the sheets and a laptop placed on the end of his bed.

He turned to the door and heard my footsteps. "There you are. Bathroom?" He asked.

I shook my head "No, I was talking to Xichen." I answered as I headed over to the bed.

"I'm really happy you guys are getting along." He said with a smile growing on his face. "He's not the most friendly person."

"He's just misunderstood." I informed him.

"I suppose." That was all he said before going silent for a moment.

"Mom made spaghetti." He gestured to the two bowls sitting on the bed. It looked so delicious, it was begging for me to eat it.

"I thought we could maybe... watch something?" He started with a question.

"Yeah, that sounds good." I tried to sound as casual as possible but I was screaming on the inside. This felt so much like a date, and that's exactly what I'll take in my head. For Zhan it's probably nothing more than friends hanging out. I'm charting dangerous territory now, because if he ever gets a girlfriend then I'm sure I'll be heartbroken, even though there was never anything between us, that would be too much to handle.

Zhan's Pov.

When I returned to my room Yibo was nowhere in sight. I assumed he went to the bathroom so I sat the two bowls of spaghetti on my bed. I figured we could watch something on my laptop, so I pulled it off of my desk and placed it on the foot of my bed. I scanned the room while scratching my head, trying to figure out if this was all we needed. I couldn't come up with anything beyond dinner and a movie

so that's all I settled for.

I turned my head as I heard footsteps approaching the room. My eyes landed on the light of my night, Yibo.

"There you are. Bathroom?" I assumed turning back to the bed.

"No, I was talking to Xichen." He answered.

"I'm really happy you guys are getting along." I said, smiling. It makes me happy that he has someone to talk to. "He's definitely not the most friendly person." I explained.

"He's just misunderstood." He said in what I assumed was a sad tone.

"I suppose." I replied, getting lost in my thoughts. Maybe I have been misunderstanding him, I don't know. If he wants to be around more people he

definitely has to work on his attitude.

"Mom made spaghetti." I said, gesturing to the two bowls on the bed.

"I thought we could maybe... watch something?" I started but came out with a question.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Yibo said cheerful yet soft. We got on the bed and I popped open the laptop. We went over movies we found interesting and eventually settled on an action comedy. Yibo sat on his knees while I sat with my legs across the bed.

Just a few minutes into the movie and we were already choking on our dinner. We were having a good time and the food was really good so it only added to the moment. The little things about Yibo captivated me, how he held his bowl with two hands, the way his cheeks lifted as he smiled, the way he'd occasionally play with his hair, I found myself wanting to do it for him. I don't think I have a simple crush anymore, I think I'm truly falling in love with him.

We finished our dinner and sat the bowls on the bed while we continued watching the movie. Sometime later I felt his head hit my shoulder. The biggest blush crossed my face. I was afraid to look down at him, instead, I placed a hand on his waist and held him closer. We watched the rest of the movie like this. When it finally ended I decided this was the perfect time to ask him the question that's been on my mind forever. My heart rate increased as I prepared myself.

"Yibo..." I started, looking down at him only to realize he'd fallen asleep. I chuckled to myself, I guess it'll have to wait for tomorrow, heh, and just when I was finally prepared too.

It was getting pretty late so I called Yibo in hopes to wake him, but he was sleeping like a log. I guess he must be worn out. I don't know where he lives exactly so I can't drive him home, not that I'd try when he's sleeping. His parents are okay with him being over this late so it would probably be okay for him to stay the night, if not he can blame me for it later.

I brushed my teeth and took a shower then returned to the room. I softly adjusted Yibo on the bed so that he was laying on one of my pillows. He groaned a little and moved around a second before becoming unanimated, aside from his body rising from his light breaths. He was comfortable sleeping with me during the trip so he'll be more than likely okay with it now. With that in mind I stripped my shirt and crawled into bed beside him after shutting off the lights, leaving the room in a dull blue glow peeking from the curtains from the rising moon. I couldn't stop myself from pulling him into my chest and cuddling him, it truly was the best feeling ever. I couldn't have asked for a better night before my practice match. I shut my eyes and let my tiredness take over my being.

Yibo's Pov

Today was exhausting. Watching a movie with Zhan was the perfect way to end the night. The food was delicious and the movie was great. I started getting sleepy near the end though. I couldn't fight the sleep any longer and dozed off. At the the time I wasn't aware of what I was doing, I was too tired to pay any attention to my surroundings. Sometime during my sleep, I got comfortable, it was almost as if another heat source was nearby. My body felt like it was melting and I felt electric tingles traveling through me. I snuggled against the warmth and fell into an even deeper sleep.

I woke up the next morning, groaning and stretching a little. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of lava over me when I spotted Zhan sleeping next to me. My breaths became shallow as my eyes ran over his naked chest.

After just barely gaining composure over myself I got out of the bed realizing it wasn't mine. It was morning as the sun's rays beamed through the window and curtains.

"Morning." I heard a deep voice say behind me. I turned to see Zhan sitting up in bed.

"G-good morning." I stuttered and flushed.

"S-sorry for falling asleep here. I kinda just dozed off." I apologized.

"No worries, I tried waking you but you wouldn't budge." He chuckled, running a hand through his thick dark hair. I looked to the floor feeling a little guilty. "Really, it's no problem. I slept really well last night so there aren't any problems on my end." He assured me, stepping out of bed. I remember him saying something like that back at our cabin. It eased me a little, but also made me redden further if it were possible.

"Crap, it's almost time for school." Zhan grumbled as he stumbled over to his clock.

"Wanna head home before you go? I can take you." He offered, looking over to me while holding on to his dresser.

"No, I'd rather just head to school." I shook my head. My father is probably going to beat me if he finds out I didn't return to the house, but if he saw me coming home now I'm sure I'd just be giving myself away.

Can I use your bathroom? I asked shyly.

Sure, he walked me into his bathroom and gave me a new brush. I had a quick shower and left the comfortable bathroom.

I lifted my school bag off the floor and followed Zhan downstairs for breakfast. Jia, Jang, and Xichen were all surprised to see that I was still here. I apologized and explained that I fell asleep and ended up spending the night. Jia and Jang seemed fine, Xichen didn't seem to care at all. I noticed that he spaced himself away from the rest of the family and didn't interact with any of them much. It was sad to see them drifting apart from something so simple. It's up to Xichen to handle it though. I'm sure he'll pull through.

I had a bowl of frosted flakes. I ate it in their fancy-looking kitchen alongside Zhan who was eating the same. Soon after we were finished we headed to Zhan's car preparing to leave for school.

"Why don't you take Xichen to school?" I asked curiously. I mean obviously, they don't like each other that much, but that shouldn't be enough reason for him to have to wait for a bus.

"I've offered, he refuses every time though." He explained, shrugging.

"Hold on... I'll be right back." I said dropping my bag to the ground. Zhan raised a brow and I smiled running back to the house. I opened the door and just as I thought, Xichen was still sitting at the counter. When he heard the door open he turned to face it, spotting me.

"Come with us." I said grinning at him.

"Why?" He asked, hesitant.

"It'll be faster, and more comfortable. Plus it'll be more fun." I explained with a hopeful look on my face. He stayed silent for a moment then sighed.

"Is Zhan okay with it?" He asked, sounding weary.

"I'm sure he will be." I assured. I was doing my best to convince him to come. I can't do much to help mend their problems directly but I can try to at least give it a little nudge in the right direction. Plus I'd be getting to hang out with Xichen more.

"You can take any seat you want." I add, looking more desperate.

"Gosh, you're going to be an annoying friend." Xichen chuckled while rolling his eyes.

"Fine... I'll join you guys, but I'm only doing this for you." He said sternly, pointing his finger in my direction. We headed out to Zhan's car together after Xichen collected his things. Zhan was shocked to see his brother come over beside me. I could tell Xichen was feeling a little uneasy.

"A-are you coming with us?" Zhan stuttered. still in shock.

"Yeah... if that's okay." Xichen's reply was barely audible.

"It is." Zhan confirmed with a warm smile overtaking his face. He looked much happier than I imagined him to be.