Something More // Zhang Yixing

up and down

You woke to gentle fingers tracing the curve of your face and a smooth breeze ruffling the white curtains. Despite the peace and tranquility, you felt as if you had been hit by a truck, and you wanted nothing more than to simply go back to sleep.

"Jinnie, baby, how are you feeling?"

You opened your eyes just enough to see Yixing lying beside you, looking extremely concerned.

"Horrible," you croaked.

"Well, you've got some nasty bruises now. I bet your hangover isn't treating you too well, either. Do you have a headache?"

Your head was pounding ridiculously, feeling as if it was going to just collapse in on itself and explode. And when you slightly shifted, you gasped at the sore bruises aching across your body.

"Jinnie?" Yixing panickingly inquired. "Are you okay?"

"It-It's okay," you breathed. "Everything just hurts."

"I'm going to get you a painkiller or something, then—"

Almost in reflex, your hand shot out to grab at him before he got too far, and you cried, "No, stay."

"Baby, I'll be right back," Yixing assured, trying to coax your hand away, but you only gripped hard and tried to pull him back.

"Yixing, please," you begged, not entirely sure why you were so afraid of letting him go. All you knew was that the thought of him leaving you made you extremely fearful.

"Jinnie, what is wrong? I'm going to come right back. I don't understand why you're so upset," he sighed, but returned himself back into the sheets, the morning light highlighting the slopes of his bare chest. His arms circled around you as you tiredly sat up, and your arms encircled his neck.

"I-I just want you to stay. Just stay here, with me." You knew now what you were afraid of. You had become conscious, too conscious, of what could happen as soon as he stepped through the bedroom door. Sunhee would magically appear, somewhere, somehow, distract him—take him away from you. You could not have that. You could not live without Yixing.

"Of course, Jinnie. I'm right here, and I won't leave you. Here—at least, let me check your bruises. I hope they haven't gotten too much worse."

You let Yixing push the blankets away from your bare legs, wincing at the sight of horribly purple, blue, green, yellow bruises litter your skin. He gently skimmed his fingers along your side, lifting up the thin t-shirt he had put you in last night, and you flinched just slightly as his fingers accidentally pressed at a particularly nasty bruise along the side of your ribcage.

"Shit, sorry, Jinnie. They hurt an awful lot, hmm?"

You nodded, shifting farther into his grasp and lying your head on his shoulder. Your menacing migraine was what hurt the most, though, and all you wanted was to go back to sleep to escape it. Yixing's fingers left your side and pulled all your hair back over your shoulder and away from your face, and then he folded you carefully into his arms, trying his best not to press to hard against any bruises.

"I want to sleep more," you whispered.

"Then sleep, baby," Yixing encouraged.

It didn't take you long to fall back into deep slumber.

»«

When you woke again later, afternoon sun bright through the balcony doors, Yixing was missing from beside you in the bed, but you sat up and found him simply picking up clothes you had strewn across the floor and trying to straighten out the room. It was no secret of yours that most of the messes in the room had been thanks to your careless nature.