Work Text:
Yin Yu stretched his arms over his head, trying to relieve the accumulated tension before getting ready for his next work meeting. The countless hours of slaving away, drafting blueprints and sketches for one project or another at the architectural firm he works for were not exactly kind to his spine.
Ahhhhh, yes. His spine popped in an extremely satisfying way. That ’s it.
His stretching efforts got interrupted by the insistent vibration of his cellphone, currently inside his pants back pocket. That was weird: almost no one called him during office hours, since it’s a well-known fact that he’s most probably not going to answer, always too busy.
Well, he still has a few minutes to spare.
To his surprise, when he takes the phone out of his pocket to check who’s calling, it was not Yizhen (the most likely suspect for a sudden call) but Pei Ming.
What could Quan Yizhen’s colleague be calling him for? … Should he feel worried?
“Hello?” He takes the call, while nervously carding through his hair, undoing the low ponytail holding the dark, shoulder length strands together.
“Heyyyy, is this Yin Yu?” Pei Ming’s voice was almost drowned by street noises, which was a bit weird. Wasn’t he supposed to be working at the gym at this hour?
Well, maybe he just… liked to talk outside. Or was in a break.
“Yes, that’s me.” Would it be too rude of him if he just asked why was Pei Ming calling him?
“Sorry to call you out the blue like this, but… uhmm. You see, there was an accident at the gym, and-“
“What?!” Yin Yu felt all the tension returning to his body at once. “Is Yizhen okay? Did something happen to him?!”
“He’s mostly okay!” Pei Ming’s voice was as jovial as ever, and he didn’t sound like he was trying to hide anything from Yin Yu. “We’re at the hospital right now, they had to run a few tests to see if he should be allowed to go home tonight or should be kept here until tomorrow.”
“What hospital was he taken to?” He took his jacket and his bag while still talking over the phone. “Send me the location, please, and I’ll be there shortly. And thank you for letting me know, by the way.”
“I’ll send you a text with the info. Drive safely, Yin Yu.”
The phone call ended with a click.
Fuck.
He needs to get out of here, stat. To hell with the meeting and with his work altogether. His boss was more than capable of dealing with their clients on his own, anyway. He collected the files he was supposed to take to their meeting, with the intention of handing them over to his boss before leaving, but before he could exit his office, Hua Cheng had appeared in the threshold.
“Where are you going, Yin Yu? We have a meeting in about…” he checked his expensive wrist watch “ten minutes.” Then, looking at Yin Yu, he realized that something was very wrong: he was clearly rattled. “Did something happen to you?”
“I just got a call.” Yin Yu impatiently clenched and unclenched his fist, wanting nothing but to exit this office and get on his way. “Yizhen had some kind of accident at work, and he’s in the hospital right now, so I really gotta go. Here, take this” he shoved the pile of files he was holding under his other arm, into Hua Cheng’s, who had no other option but take them. Unless he wanted the files falling to the floor. “I’ll call you later, good luck with the meeting, Boss.”
Before Hua Cheng could say anything, Yin Yu already had shoved past him and started running towards the office elevators. He never acted like this, on a normal day, but he was sure that his boss would survive one meeting without him.
Or so he hoped. This is an important meeting, after all. Probably the most important meeting they had ever been a part of, in their whole history as an architectural firm.
But still, leaving Hua Cheng to deal with it would be more than fair, considering the amount of times that Yin Yu had to deal with clients on his own in Hua Cheng’s absence (always related to his own accident-prone husband).
While he waited for the elevator to arrive, Pei Ming texted him the hospital address. Great, it wasn’t too far, he should be able to make it there real soon.
Should he drive there? It would be the quickest way, but he risked having an accident with how anxious he was.
His bike should stay here. In fact, he had already forgotten his helmet at his office.
Yep, a taxi would be a much better option.
He flagged one almost as soon as he exited the building, and the taxi ride was quick, but his anxiety kept growing with each passing second. He should’ve asked Pei Ming for more details, instead of just running to the hospital like a madman.
What if it was something serious? What if one of the machines at the gym fell over Yizhen and he got seriously injured? Or if something happened during one of his sparring sessions? What if -
“We’re here, sir.” The taxi driver’s voice took him out of his rumination. He sounded a bit exasperated, so Yin Yu assumed he had repeated that phrase more than twice.
Yin Yu just shoved some bills into his hand - clearly more than what he owed - and basically ran outside the car and into the ER, as quickly as his legs allowed him.
“Hello, how can I help you?” The nurse working at the reception desk greeted him with an utterly tired and yet affable expression.
“Good evening. I’m- I’m looking for my husband, I got a call that he was brought here after he suffered an accident at work.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” The nurse steady voice soothed his anxiety a bit. “Could you please tell me yours and your husband’s name?”
“Of course. My name is Yin Yu, and my husband’s name is Quan Yizhen.”
“Ahh, I see.” For some reason, she looked… amused? “I remember him! Please, Mr. Yin, take a sit over there,” she gestured towards the waiting area. “I’ll call the doctor that’s treating him, so he can explain the situation to you.” Well, if she was smiling, it couldn’t be that serious.
Or so Yin Yu hoped.
“Thank you so much… Ling Wen” Yin Yu replied, reading the name-tag on the nurse’s uniform.
“It’s no problem.”
He walked towards the waiting area, and discovered that Pei Ming was actually already there too, so he approached him to finally ask him what the hell had happened to Quan Yizhen.
“Pei Ming?” The man had not see him arrive, apparently too lost scrolling on his phone. Probably on some sketchy dating app, if what Quan Yizhen had told him about Pei Ming was true.
“Oh, you’re already here!” Pei Ming stood up and offered him his hand. “You really were quick, man. I hope you were not driving recklessly.”
“No, no, I took a taxi.”
While they waited for the doctor, Pei Ming handed him Quan Yizhen’s backpack, and a plastic bag with some of his belongings (like his watch, his wedding ring, and his earrings), and then explained what had happened.
Apparently, some idiot client at the gym was using one of the machines in a really unsafe and incorrect manner, and when Quan Yizhen approached to help him, the machine actually broke. He ended up being hit right in the head by one of the machine’s weights, and fell unconscious to the floor.
“At least he wasn’t bleeding!” Pei Ming tried to reassure Yin Yu, without success. “There was no visible wound, and the paramedics said that it was probably just a concussion and nothing else. But they wanted to keep him under observation for a while, to run a few extra tests. That way they can make sure there isn’t anything else happening with his head that would be a risk if he was sent home.”
“… All this sounds much more serious than what you said over the phone, Pei Ming.” Yin Yu had no idea of how to react to all this. A hit directly on the head? And falling to the floor on top of that? None of that was relieving!
“Aw come on, man, what else did you want me to tell you? I didn’t want to unnecessarily scare you!” Pei Ming hit his arm in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture. “I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but I swear it wasn’t that bad. I bet everything is going to be okay, you don’t need to worry.” Yin Yu really didn’t understand how Pei Ming was able to act so relaxed. “Everyone here at the ER was really calm about the situation, so I didn’t see any reason to make you panic, that’s all.”
A doctor appeared before Yin Yu could retort. “Hello, are you perhaps a relative of Mr. Quan Yizhen?”
“Yes, I’m his husband.” Yin Yu immediately stood up to stretch the doctor’s hand. “My name is Yin Yu.”
“Good evening, Mr. Yin. My name is Mu Qing, I’m the neurologist in charge of your husband. Follow me, please.”
“I will go home, then. Let me know how he is, okay?” Pei Ming patted Yin Yu’s back, and promptly took his leave.
The doctor took Yin Yu through the double doors that separated the waiting room from the area where the patients awaited for examination, and past that, through several different corridors, until they arrived at one with several individual rooms.
While they were walking, the doctor explained some things: Quan Yizhen had suffered a concussion, arriving unconscious to the ER, and they ran some tests that came back mostly normal (aside from the concussion), and now they were waiting for him to wake up.
Depending on how he looked after that, they would decide the next steps to take for his treatment.
“You can expect him to appear confused, or even have a bout of temporary amnesia. That’s a common occurrence after a head injury, so please, if that happens, don’t be alarmed.” Dr. Mu stopped in front of one of the doors, that must be the room Quan Yizhen was in. “It shouldn’t last more than a few days: if it prolongs after a week, please come back to the hospital with him.”
The doctor’s voice was calm and dispassionate, but still kind. He must be habituated to see this kind of injury all the time in the ER. “In any case, my main advice is to keep calm: your husband might be scared after he wakes up, but if he sees that you are not worried, it will help him feel better.” They entered the small room where Quan Yizhen was staying for observation.
Doctor Mu approached the bed where Quan Yizhen was sleeping in, and took the patient's chart, from its place at the foot of the bed. After checking it and writing something, he kept talking to Yin Yu.
“He will have to stay here overnight, so we can keep monitoring him, but if everything goes well, he will be allowed to go home no later than tomorrow afternoon. Please, press this button to call a nurse if anything happens, or you need something.” He pointed to a very noticeable button by the side of the hospital bed. “You can stay in this room, if you want. The recliners are much more comfortable than they look.”
“Thank you so much, doctor Mu.”
The doctor disappeared, probably on his way to see a different patient, leaving Yin Yu alone with a still deeply asleep Quan Yizhen. He looked peaceful, and the only thing out of the ordinary was the quite big bump in his head.
Ahh, his poor Yizhen, that must have hurt so much!
Yin Yu approached the bed and took one of Quan Yizhen’s hands. Feeling his warmth calmed him down, as it always did, and while he caressed that big, calloused and beloved hand, he used his free hand to move the curly strands of hair resting over his husband’s forehead, to place a soft kiss over it.
Then, he realized that they had removed Quan Yizhen’s wedding band, probably for a resonance or some other exam, so Yin Yu looked for it in between the things Pei Ming had handed him. It was inside the small bag.
He put the ring back on Quan Yizhen’s ring finger. A few minutes passed just like that, without anything interrupting the silence in the room. Yin Yu just continued caressing Quan Yizhen’s hand, until his husband finally opened his eyes.
“Hey there, Zhenzhen. How are you feeling?” Yin Yu smiled softly, seeing those hazel eyes finally looking back at him, widening in disbelief, and still a bit unfocused.
Was it because he was still half asleep, or because of the concussion?
“Did… Did I die? Am I in Heaven?” Quan Yizhen asked, while trying to sit up, but his head protested wildly, so he immediately surrendered, letting himself fall back into the hospital bed, eyes closed and brows now furrowed out of dizziness and pain.
“What? No, we’re at the hospital. You had an accident at work.” Yin Yu explained, trying to stay calm, remembering that doctor Mu had already warned him that a bit of confusion was expected and normal. “Does your head hurt?” He got close to Quan Yizhen, to pat his head, but hesitated, not wanting to make his pain worse.
Quan Yizhen opened his eyes to look at Yin Yu again. “Are you sure you’re not a god, then?” Quan Yizhen was pouting. “Because you definitely look like one.”
Yin Yu couldn’t help but smile at that. What a silly, silly husband he has.
“You’re just confused because of the concussion, Zhenzhen.” Quan Yizhen did not say anything else, but kept pouting. “I’ll call the nurse so they can check on you again, okay?” Yin Yu pressed the button and soon, a nurse appeared, but promptly disappeared to call for doctor Mu, who arrived shortly after.
“Let’s see.” The doctor examined Quan Yizhen vitals, taking some notes, and then proceeded with some questions, while examining his eyes.
“Could you please tell me your name and today’s date?”
“Huh… I- I don’t remember.” Quan Yizhen, now sitting up thanks to the bed’s reclining mechanism, looked very confused. “I’m sorry, I-”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re safe here: we’re just assessing your overall health condition.” Dr. Mu offered the small bit of explanation before proceeding with his examination. “Do you remember anything from before the moment you woke up here?”
“No, not really. I… I’m sorry, I don’t know. My head hurts a lot if I think too hard, I’m sorry.” He was pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes tightly closed.
“We’ll give you some medication for the pain, now that you’re fully awake. You will need to stay here until tomorrow afternoon, though. If nothing unexpected happens, you’ll get to go home by then.”
“Can he stay with me?” Quan Yizhen pointed at Yin Yu, who was standing besides his bed, silently waiting for the medical examination to finish.
“Yes, if he wants to, he can stay. But first, we have to make sure you’re comfortable and not in pain. So, if you please excuse us…”
Dr. Mu left the room with the nurse, to retrieve the promised medications for Quan Yizhen.
“You really don’t know who I am, Yizhen?” Yin Yu felt a mix of fear and sadness, but made an effort to not show too much of it. “I’m only asking to know what I should explain now.”
“I’m really sorry, but it’s true. I don’t know who you are. But!” Quan Yizhen straightened his back, and grimaced for a second, but dismissed his own pain in favor of looking at Yin Yu’s face, “But I feel really happy that you’re here. I can’t explain why, but I do.”
Yin Yu felt instantly much better. Yizhen just needed some rest, that was all. He will be fine. They both will be.
The nurse came back speedily and prepared Quan Yizhen so he could receive some IV medications, and also brought a thick blanket and a pillow for Yin Yu. After reassuring them, she explained that she would be back a few times over the night, to examine Quan Yizhen again and make sure he was okay.
Then, she left them alone in the room again.
“So” Quan Yizhen slowly moved in the bed, until he was resting on his side, facing Yin Yu. “What’s your name?”
Seeing him act so playful while he still had a big bump in his head was hilarious, but Yin Yu just smiled at him and decided to follow his little game.
“My name is Yin Yu. But you should act more respectfully, since I’m your senior.”
“Oh, I apologize, Yin-ge. ”
“Don’t worry, I understand, Yizhen. By the way, that’s your name: Quan Yizhen.”
“But Yin-ge should call me didi.”
“Oh, sometimes I do. But I still prefer to call you Zhenzhen.” My Zhenzhen.
“Are you single, Yin-ge?” Oh, so he was going to be like this.
“No, I'm not. I'm married.” Yin Yu showed Quan Yizhen his left hand, and pointed at his platinum wedding band.
“Oh, damn.” Yizhen looked really dejected now. “Well, I should have expected it. There’s no way someone like you would be single.”
“Oh, but you're not single either, Zhenzhen.” Yin Yu had to stop himself from giggling.
The face Quan Yizhen made at that was hilarious. Yin Yu hadn’t expected to enjoy this situation so much.
“… I'm not?”
“You’re not.” Yin Yu points to Quan Yizhen’s ring finger where, of course, a matching wedding band sits. “In fact… We're married to each other.”
“YOU'RE MY HUSBAND?” Quan Yizhen was so surprised that, again, he moved too quickly, making his head spin and hurt again.
“Easy, Zhenzhen. You need to rest.” Yin Yu pushes him back towards the hospital bed. “But yes. I'm your husband.”
“Then I must be a really, really lucky man.”
Yin Yu just smiles, but he's pretty sure that he is the luckier one.
“We are both really, really lucky, I’d say.” Yin Yu, now sitting at the edge of Quan Yizhen’s hospital bed, took one of his husband’s hands again, to caress it softly, while looking at Quan Yizhen’s face.
Wow, even without remembering me, he ’s looking at me with the same intensity as he always does.
“May I have a kiss now, then, husband?” Quan Yizhen looks at Yin Yu with a disarming look.
Maybe he doesn’t remember it now… but Yin Yu is wholly unable to tell him no.
“Of course, Zhenzhen. I was just waiting for you to ask.” Yin Yu leans over Quan Yizhen, and carefully connects their lips.
The kiss they share is soft, and sweet, and takes away any fears and doubts they could be feeling. They will be okay. They always do: the years together have more than proved that, several times, so why would this be any different? As long as they have each other, everything will be okay.
After a while, and with the help of the medicines the nurse had administered, Quan Yizhen falls asleep, so Yin Yu takes the opportunity to sit back and text Pei Ming.
Hey
Just wanted to thank you again
And let you know that Yizhen won’t be able to go to the gym
He will need least a week to recover
Of course!
No need to worry about that
I can take care of the paperwork too
Thank you, really
I will update you in case anything changes
How is he feeling?
I guess he already woke up, right?
He’s having a bout of amnesia, but it shouldn’t last long
No more than a week, if everything goes well
That’s why he needs to take some time off work
I see.
Let me know if you need anything, okay?
Everyone at the gym will be rooting for him.
That was… unexpectedly sweet. And knowing that they won’t need to worry about the situation at Yizhen’s work was a big relief.
Thinking about work… he has to talk to his own boss, too. At least now should be late enough for him to be either working late, or already at home.
He decides to give him a call, after taking off his tie and getting a bit more comfortable on the recliner chair where he’s supposed to sleep.
“Yin Yu.” Hua Cheng answers his phone pretty quickly.
“Hi, Boss. I’m sorry for calling you back so late. How was the meeting?”
Yin Yu heard Xie Lian’s voice in the background, asking about Yizhen. It’s not a surprise: they all know each other, and Xie Lian loves to spar with Quan Yizhen from time to time.
“Wait. I’ll put you on speaker. Gege wants to talk to you too.”
After a few muffled sounds, Xie Lian’s frantic voice comes through the phone speaker.
“YIN YU! HOW’S A-ZHEN? IS HE OK?” It’s endearing to know how much he cares, and Yin Yu feels a bit bad for not letting them know about Quan Yizhen’s status earlier than this.
“Hello, A-Lian. Don’t worry, he’ll be okay. It’s just a concussion, and he’s suffering a bout of amnesia related to it, but he should recover quickly. He’s asleep now, but if nothing changes, we should be able to go back home by tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s a relief! I hope he recovers quickly. Oh! Now that I think of it... I have a friend who is a doctor.”
“Ah, do you mean Mu Qing, Gege?” There’s a tiny hint of displeasure in Hua Cheng’s voice.
“Yes, him. I can call him and ask if he can take look at Yizhen, if you want. He’s a really good neurologist!”
“… Does your friend coincidentally work at National University Hospital?”
“What?! You’ve already met him?!”
Yin Yu explains what happened, this time with more detail, including a description of Mu Qing’s appearance to confirm it is, indeed, the same doctor, and also he let them know about the silly way Quan Yizhen had acted. Xie Lian calmed down a lot after hearing all that.
“If Mu Qing said Yizhen will be okay, then there’s no need to worry. He really knows his thing.”
“How are you feeling, Yin Yu?” This time, it’s Hua Cheng’s voice coming from the speaker. “If there’s anything you need, just let us know.”
“I’m fine, Boss. It was a bit scary, but I really feel we’re going to be okay. I won’t be able to go back to the office for a few days, though, I’m sorry.”
“No need to worry. The meeting went exactly as we planned, so we have some time to breathe before the project officially starts. I wish you could’ve seen Jun Wu’s face when the client confirmed they were going with our proposal instead of theirs.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting a celebration, then.”
“Nahh, that can wait until A-Zhen is okay” Xie Lian said. “That way, we can all go somewhere fancy!”
“Yeah, that would be fun.” It was a big project, after all. They deserved to celebrate, especially knowing who they had been competing with. “Boss, I bet there’s still some things I can do from home, to prepare for the next steps of the project.” He was starting to feel some guilt over the way he had bolted before the meeting.
“We will see. I’ll let you know if there’s anything urgent. I still have to update our little Fish about this, but that meeting can wait for a bit. Focus on your own idiot for now.”
“And don’t forget to rest too!” Xie Lian added. “Taking care of someone else can be pretty exhausting, so please, let us know if there’s something we can help you with. And oh, please tell Mu Qing I said hi! I have not seen him in a long time!”
“I will. And I will rest, don’t worry. Also, thanks, to both of you. It means a lot to have your support. By the way, Boss, I think I should be able to join the meeting with He Xuan, even if it’s remotely.”
After ending the call, he just looked at Quan Yizhen’s peacefully sleeping figure for a while, until he himself started feeling sleepy, too. He settled into the chair, at Yizhen’s bedside, and covered himself with the blanket, falling asleep while still holding one of Yizhen’s hands.
✧˖ °. ݁₊ . ݁˖ . ݁‧₊˚ ☾. ݁₊ . ݁˖ . ݁˖°✧
The next day, after a new examination by Mu Qing (who was really surprised by Yin Yu’s mention of Xie Lian), another round of medication, and receiving the last advice and recommendations, plus a prescription in case Quan Yizhen’s head hurts again, they finally were able to go home.
Quan Yizhen was, fortunately, feeling much better now: the inflammation of the bump in his head had already decreased a lot, and he wasn’t dizzy anymore, at least as long as he did not make any sudden movements. He was supposed to rest, so that should not be a problem, if he doesn’t disobey the doctor’s instructions, that is. Thankfully, he has a husband that will make sure he gets his prescribed rest, no matter what.
They take a taxi back to their apartment. It’s a short and peaceful ride, and Quan Yizhen constantly looks outside from the window, asking questions about the city and getting as excited as a child would be when visiting for the first time.
Well, that’s what it’s like for him, isn’t it? At least Quan Yizhen was taking the situation really well. Probably because he felt safe enough, being by his husband’s side.
Yin Yu can’t help but feel a bit nervous when he’s opening the door of their apartment, but does his best to not show it. He wants Quan Yizhen to feel relaxed, and enjoy the next few days without having to worry or feel bad about not remembering things.
“Welcome home, Zhenzhen.”
They enter the apartment, hand in hand, and Quan Yizhen’s eyes sparkle with curiosity, absorbing every detail he can from his surroundings.
“Let’s take off our shoes so I can give you a tour, okay?” Yin Yu says while closing the door behind them and leaving his keys on the bowl sitting over the side table. “Want me to help you? That way you won’t need to move your head.”
“I’d really appreciate that, yeah.” After all, he had to rest and avoid moving his head too much. Crouching down to untie his sneakers would probably make him dizzy.
Yin Yu quickly gets both of them off their shoes, and then helps Quan Yizhen put on the pair of fuzzy socks he prefers to use around the apartment. Yin Yu, on the other hand, likes to use slippers.
“There. All done.” Yin Yu gets up again, and starts taking off his jacket, before helping Quan Yizhen with his own.
“Thanks, Yu-er. You’re the best husband in the whole world.”
“Oh, you remembered how you usually call me?” Yin Yu’s face lit up at that.
“Yes, of course” Quan Yizhen nodded, in such a slow and cautious manner that it made Yin Yu smile even wider. “I’m a model husband, see? I think I deserve a prize.”
Quan Yizhen stood there, still in the foyer, all prim and proper, like a kid waiting for a headpat.
“Mmmm” Yin Yu pretends to think about it for a few seconds, tapping his chin, while slowly approaching Quan Yizhen again. “Yeah, I guess you do.”
Yin Yu got closer and closer, while Quan Yizhen just waited, patiently, but clearly fighting the urge to move, his eyes closed and his hands behind his back. Yin Yu kissed him on the nose and, just when Quan Yizhen was about to protest, kissed him on the lips. They both smiled through it, and Quan Yizhen embraced Yin Yu after they separated, hiding in the crook of his neck.
“Want me to give you the tour now?” Yin Yu asked in a whisper, while holding his husband as tight as he was able to. Quan Yizhen loved to be held like that, in a crushing embrace, whenever he needed to be comforted.
“Mmhm” was all the answer Quan Yizhen was able to give.
So Yin Yu just held Quan Yizhen in his arms for a while, as he did every time he got overwhelmed or sad. It was understandable, after all. Even if Quan Yizhen seemed to be taking the situation in a pretty relaxed manner, by now he probably was starting to feel overwhelmed, trying to process the weight of the many memories he was missing, while being surrounded by so many details that he should be able to remember but couldn’t…
At least Quan Yizhen still felt comforted and safe in Yin Yu’s arms. Yin Yu had no idea of what he would’ve done if that was not the case.
After a few minutes, Quan Yizhen extracted himself from Yin Yu’s embrace and offered him a tiny smile.
“Thanks for staying with me, Yu-er.”
“No need to thank me” Yin Yu kissed the tip of Quan Yizhen’s nose again. “I’m just doing what I vowed to do, when I married you.” Then, he took his hand and guided him towards the apartment. “Come, let’s change into something comfy and then you can look around here.”
Their room is Quan Yizhen’s favorite place in their whole apartment. There’s a big, extra fluffy bed, covered in plushies and cushions, and the window had heavy blackout curtains that ensured total darkness, no matter the time of the day. And if they open the curtains, the look of the city is amazing, especially at night.
The en suite bathroom is also pretty nice (the tub is big enough for them both!) and the room has a walk-in closet too.
Quan Yizhen sat on the bed, taking everything in while Yin Yu busied himself looking for some comfortable clothes for them in the closet.
There was a pile of plushies on the bed, but Quan Yizhen’s eyes locked in on the ones located at the center of it: a lion with a fluffy mane and a cute, starry eyed expression, and a bat with comically big canine teeth and a cape. He remembered those!
He gave Yin Yu the bat one, after he had seen a photo of him as a kid, in a vampire costume for Halloween. It was so adorable that, when he randomly stumbled upon the bat plushie, he couldn’t resist and bought it for him.
“You gave me this plushie when we celebrated our first 100 days together” Quan Yizhen said, while holding the lion plushie. “I remember you told me it reminded you of me, because of the wild hair.”
“Huh?” Yin Yu looked back at him, while trying to decide what he wants to wear. “Oh, yes. You showed me an old photo, and you had the fluffiest curls I’ve ever seen. I still think you’d look amazing with longer hair.”
“But you like how I look now, right?” Quan Yizhen pouted while carding the messy mop of fluffy curls at the top of his head. “Even if I wear my hair short?”
“Of course I do” Yin Yu threw the clothes over the bed and got closer to Quan Yizhen to (carefully) ruffle his hair.
“Are you sure? You’re not going to divorce me for not being curly enough?”
Yin Yu couldn’t hold his laughter at that, making Quan Yizhen pout even more.
“Yu-er laughs at this poor, concussed husband.”
“Only when my over-dramatic, handsome and concussed husband is acting silly” Yin Yu retorted, still amused. “On top of all that, my very concussed husband should be comfortably resting. Here,” he handed Quan Yizhen his favorite pajamas (loose pants and an old t-shirt with a design so faded that it was unrecognizable by now).
“I should shower before changing, though. I feel disgusting.”
“It’s okay, a hot shower should help you feel better anyway.”
“My husband is joining, right? Just to make sure I don’t accidentally fall and get an even worse concussion, over my already horrible concussion.”
…How is it that even after almost ten years of marriage, Yin Yu still can’t say no to anything Quan Yizhen asks of him?
He can’t deny that he would very much like to have a hot shower (or, even more tempting: a hot bath) with his husband, to get rid of all the stress of the last 24 hours. And considering Quan Yizhen’s work at the gym, he must feel pretty uncomfortable by now, after spending a night in (probably) sweaty clothes.
Not that long after, they’re both soaking in the tub, with Quan Yizhen nestled between Yin Yu’s legs, happily leaning his back on Yin Yu’s chest.
“I have the best husband ever” Quan Yizhen mumbled, sleepily, while Yin Yu washed his body and massaged his tired muscles. “Wish I could remember what I did to win you over, though.”
“I can tell you about it. And show you some photos to help you remember, if you want.”
“And you still have to show me the rest of our apartment.”
“Sounds like we have a plan for today.”
Getting Quan Yizhen dry and into comfortable clothes was a bit of a battle, since he was getting some… ideas.
“Yizhen, we can’t do anything physically straining. Doctor’s orders.”
“But what if I just lie there and you-” Yin Yu just shut him up by sliding the t-shirt over his head.
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Quan Yizhen is fascinated by how comfortable everything in their apartment is. All their lights are dimmable, and the carpets are so soft, and they have all the emergency foods he likes to eat, and there’s no scented candles or incense or anything like that, and even the clothes he has in the closet are all so comfortable and soft!
“Yu-er seems to know all there is to know about me.”
“Well, I'm your husband, of course i know your preferences. It took a while to make our apartment like this, but I really like it, too.”
They walked around the apartment, hand in hand again, and Yin Yu felt his heart getting all warm and fuzzy from seeing how genuinely happy Quan Yizhen was about any and all the details Yin Yu could share.
That mug over the kitchen counter? It was a gift from Yin Yu, from last Christmas.
That plant over there? “Oh, you chose it some time ago, Zhenzhen, we were getting some things at the market and you decided it looked like it needed a home.”
The empty space on the walk-in closet? “Oh, I remember this! We make pillow forts here whenever one of us had a bad day.”
Quan Yizhen was all smiles while walking around, now barefoot, asking all about the photographs that lined the apartment walls: the first one he saw was from their wedding day, and it prompted Quan Yizhen to take Yin Yu in his arms to spin them around while repeating “ I cant believe how lucky I am! ”
Fortunately for them, he did not get dizzy, so no one fell to the floor.
“That was the happiest day of my life!” Quan Yizhen pointed to the framed photo, while still holding Yin Yu’s waist with his other arm. The picture was taken at the start of their wedding reception: they were both dressed in elegant traditional Tang suits, and Yin Yu was smiling while Quan Yizhen kissed his cheek. It was taken spontaneously: the photographer they hired for the wedding did an amazing job capturing those kind of moments.
After sharing several kisses on the cheek (“Don’t you think repetition might help me remember more details, Yu-er?”), Yin Yu guided Quan Yizhen towards a different set of photographs, that were taken at several martial arts competitions, and showed Quan Yizhen surrounded by different groups of kids.
“Do you remember any of them?”
“Yes! Those are the kids from my classes at the gym, right?”
“Yes. I bet Pei Ming never thought you would be so good with kids.” Yin Yu’s voice was full of pride. “But you are.”
It’s true. Quan Yizhen teaches a martial arts class, and the kids love him. No one expected him to actually have any patience with them, and when Pei Ming asked him about it, Quan Yizhen just said that it was how he wished his old teachers had been with him during his childhood.
“I’m not that patient with adult people, though. I leave those to Pei Ming.” Quan Yizhen shudders at the thought. Pei Ming works as a personal trainer and he also teaches some classes at the same gym. His spinning class in particular is always full, and his services as a private personal trainer are very popular (especially between the ladies).
“The important part is that not only you’re real good at what you do, you’re really appreciated by your students.” Yin Yu takes him by the hand and guides him towards their shared office, where there’s bookcases full of not only Yin Yu’s architecture books and Quan Yizhen’s trophies from different competitions, but also lots of small trinkets and figurines gifted to Quan Yizhen by his students. “And also… I’m very proud of you.”
Quan Yizhen’s eyes brighten so much at those words! Because Yin Yu is the kind of person that usually shows him his love through other means: he always takes care of anything that would bother Quan Yizhen, and makes sure he’s always comfortable and safe. It’s rare that he offers this kind of praise without any prompting.
“I’m also very proud of my husband. He’s the smartest and most considerate person. And very good at what he does. I love my husband very much.”
Quan Yizhen, on the other hand, has no filter when it comes to praising Yin Yu, and he’s always reminding him of how much he loves him, how proud he is, and the many reasons why he feels that way.
“Hmm, I know that. You always make sure I don’t forget about it” Yin Yu replies with a smile. “… And I love my husband very much, too.” They’ve been married for almost ten years, but Yin Yu still blushes whenever he says this kind of things out loud. And Quan Yizhen still feels an insane amount of butterflies fluttering inside him when it happens.
The next few minutes are dedicated to look at the evidence of how good Yin Yu is at his work, starting by the photographs of his graduation ceremony (“of course you were top of the class, Yu-er!”), some press clippings (framed by Quan Yizhen) that show some prizes received by the architectural firm Yin Yu works at, and also several designs made by Yin Yu.
Architecture was not Yin Yu’s first choice of a career, but, somehow, things worked in that direction. And he’s actually grateful for it: even if it’s a demanding and stressful thing, is also pretty rewarding. Working with Hua Cheng started as an almost delusional gamble that, in the end, paid off in life-changing ways.
Like this apartment, for example. The success of one of the first big projects won by their (at the time) small firm, gave them a meteoric push, opening the doors for even more ambitious ideas. Yin Yu used the money from that first successful adventure to buy this apartment.
“I never thought I’d have a home like this.” Quan Yizhen’s voice brought Yin Yu back to the present. “Or that I’d ever convince you to marry me.”
“It’s very difficult to refuse you, even if I try, Zhenzhen.” And God knows how much he had tried to resist at first! “But I’m glad I stopped resisting. I’ve never been happier that I am with you.”
“… Can you tell me about it?”
“Of course.”
The rest of their day was spent in their sofa, covered by their softest blankets and surrounded by some pizza Yin Yu had ordered for them, plus all their photo albums (both the physical ones and those from their social media accounts), to slowly put together the pieces from the memories Quan Yizhen was missing.
Like the coffee shop where they had their very first date: a nice and cozy place, good for taking photos, that also served really, really awful food. They still had spent several hours there, drinking the worst coffee they had ever had, before taking a walk through a park nearby, until it was too late to be outside and they had to go their separate ways.
Or a camping trip with Hua Cheng and Xie Lian, that ended with all of them going back earlier than planned, because Xie Lian somehow managed to badly sprain his ankle while walking on perfectly flat terrain. They went back there on a different occasion, and no one had any accidents that time, fortunately.
And the first time they had a real fancy date, to celebrate their second anniversary. They had planned a special night at a hotel, but got drunk on cheap champagne after going back from their dinner, and ended up falling asleep in the middle of the process of getting naked, without any of the mind-blowing sex they were previously so eager to have. (Their next anniversary went much better, though, and was actually full of sexy times).
Yin Yu also had saved every small gift from his husband in a special box, from the time they were dating until now: Quan Yizhen had the habit of bringing him things like bright-colored leaves and interestingly shaped rocks (how did he even managed to find them?), four-leaf clovers (Yin Yu had amassed a whole collection of them, carefully preserved) and wild flowers (also carefully preserved).
Later, when they started living together, Quan Yizhen also left small notes around the apartment, to make Yin Yu smile, and he had saved them all (but Quan Yizhen had no idea he did, until now).
There was also a small pile of polaroids they had taken to immortalize their many visits at museums and festivals, usually accompanied with small souvenirs (like magnets and keychains).
And over the course of their years together, they also traveled to other cities and even went abroad for their honeymoon (but since Quan Yizhen was not fond of flying, they preferred going on roadtrips). Yin Yu had carefully saved all the tickets from wherever they went.
“My husband still hasn't told me how I convinced him to marry me” Quan Yizhen said, while they were about to watch a video of them paragliding during one of their more recent vacations.
“Well…” Yin Yu blushed again. “Are you really sure you don’t remember?” He had the suspicion that Quan Yizhen just wanted him to tell the story.
“What do you mean?” Quan Yizhen’s genuine confusion at Yin Yu’s question prompted him to retell that part of their history anyway.
“… You proposed several times, but I always said no, for different reasons.” It was too early, or they did not have enough stability for it, or there was an important project coming that would make it impossible for him to focus on anything but his work, or… there was always something. “So you stopped proposing, and said that if I never wanted to tie the knot, it was okay too.”
But it wasn’t that Yin Yu did not want to ever get married. Or that he did not love Quan Yizhen enough to marry him. It was just him overthinking every little thing. Fearing that, one day, Quan Yizhen would get bored of him, or find someone better, more deserving of a wonderful partner like him.
“And then I kept proposing anyway?”
“No, I was the one who asked you next.” Quan Yizhen’s eyes opened comically big at that revelation. “I bought this apartment and then realized how stupid I was being, because it was so empty without you.” Yin Yu played with his wedding ring while he tried to find the words he needed. “It meant nothing, it wasn’t home. If you were not here, it would never feel like home. So the next thing I did was run to the closest jewelry store I could find to buy a ring, and ask you to marry me and come to live with me.”
Quan Yizhen looked at his own wedding band, and slowly started recalling that night’s events.
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Yin Yu had called him, quite late for his standards, and asked him to come down and meet him at a small playground located in front of the apartment building where Quan Yizhen lived at the time.
“Did something happen? Should I be worried?” Quan Yizhen was a bit alarmed, since Yin Yu’s voice seemed to be uncharacteristically eager.
“It’s nothing serious. I just- there’s something- I have to tell you something important. I promise is nothing bad, Zhenzhen.”
Quan Yizhen found Yin Yu waiting for him, sitting on one of the swings. He looked quite silly, trying to fit on a swing clearly too small for him, while keeping a serious countenance, clad on formal clothes from work, plus a long coat and scarf, since they were in the middle of winter.
He stood up as soon as he saw Quan Yizhen approaching him.
“Sorry for making you come here in the cold like this, Zhenzhen.” Yin Yu looked a bit stiff. Was it the cold? Was it tension? He had one hand inside his coat pocket, while the other carded his hair nervously, messing a bit his usually tidy hairstyle.
“You know I’m basically a furnace, I don’t really feel that cold.” Quan Yizhen was on his pajamas, but had put on a jacket and a pair of sneakers before coming here, at least. “Should we go back to my apartment?” He gestured towards the building, fearing that Yin Yu was actually feeling too cold after waiting for him.
“No, no, I- I’ll make this short.” Yin Yu took a deep breath, before going on. “Quan Yizhen. Zhenzhen. I… Today, I realized something important. I’ve been… I’ve been so blind. And I, no, we have lost so much time because of that. But I’m here to correct that mistake.” Then, he got on one knee, and finally took his hand from his pocket, to reveal the small box he had been clutching since the moment he left the jewelry store, earlier that day. “I know this is not the romantic proposal you deserve, but I just, I couldn’t wait. Because I’ve realized that you’re my home, and all I want is to make sure that you know it too. To stay by your side for the rest of my life, doing my best to make you happy.” He opened the box, revealing a simple platinum band. “Would you marry me, Zhenzhen?”
Quan Yizhen, unable to speak, just tackled Yin Yu to the ground in a crushing embrace.
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“I’m sorry for not making the proposal more special.”
“You could have proposed with a candy ring and I would still have said yes.”
Yin Yu just kissed Quan Yizhen’s forehead in response.
“You still deserved something better. But well, I can’t change the past.”
There was a bit of silence, interrupted by the sound of Quan Yizhen suddenly snoring.
“We should put all this away and go to sleep, it’s getting late. And you need to sleep comfortably. Come on, let’s go to bed.”
“I get to sleep with you?” Quan Yizhen’s hands were getting adventurous at the prospect.
“No physically straining activities!” Yin Yu shooed Quan Yizhen’s hands away from him. “Maybe it would be better if I sleep on the couch until you recover.”
“No! No, don’t worry! I will behave! Yu-er! Don't go!”
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They spent the next few days following the same slow rhythm, and Quan Yizhen gradually returned to normal, with Yin Yu doting on him and making sure he rested and took his medications as needed.
By the end of the week, he had completely recovered.
“I swear I feel completely fine, Yu-er. Come on,” Quan Yizhen said, while slowly kissing the skin below Yin Yu’s left ear, “we should celebrate my recovery, and I miss my husband a lot.” He punctuated that phrase by pressing the noticeable tent in his pajama pants against Yin Yu’s ass, while still mouthing at his neck.
“I don’t want you to- nghhh- to risk your health- mmmh-“ Quan Yizhen’s hands were occupied unbuttoning Yin Yu’s shirt and teasing him, blunt nails dragging dangerously close to his nipples, while he kept rutting against his ass, ignoring his pleas to stop. “We shouldn’t- ahh”
“I promise I’ll stop if I get dizzy.” Quan Yizhen had absolutely no intention to stop. If he blacked out, hell, if he died while fucking his husband it would be an excellent way to go. But that was not going to happen, because he was completely fine! He was more likely to die from not being able to do this, in fact.
Yin Yu had been trying to make breakfast for them both, but now he was about to get relentlessly fucked over the kitchen counter instead, if Quan Yizhen’s hands position were anything to go by. Quan Yizhen loves to hold him by the waist, always marveling at how slender it is and how his own hands appear so big in comparison whenever he places them around it.
Leaving bruises on his hips and waist from how hard he grips Yin Yu is a tradition he has never failed to uphold. He's not going to fail now, either.
But Yin Yu squirmed until he managed to face Quan Yizhen again. “At least let’s go back to our bedroom! I don’t want to do this here in the kitchen!” Even if they were not in bad physical condition, he very much preferred an actual bed, thank you very much. His poor spine would appreciate something softer than the kitchen counter.
Quan Yizhen considered his options for a moment and then just turned off the stove, before taking Yin Yu and carrying him over his shoulder.
He had never admitted it out loud, but Yin Yu loves to be manhandled by his husband. And over the years, Quan Yizhen learned how to read him with such precision that there's no need to say anything.
As soon as he brought him to their bed, Quan Yizhen trapped him under his body.
“I really can’t wait to be inside you” Quan Yizhen was frantically fighting the remaining unopened buttons on Yin Yu’s pajamas shirt. “It feels like the last time we did this was a lifetime ago.”
“It has been a few weeks, that’s right” Yin Yu abandoned his attempts to stop Quan Yizhen and instead started helping him get rid of his clothes too. “My work was a bit hectic, I’m sorry.” He had ignored his own desires in favor of taking care of Quan Yizhen, but now he was realizing how much he had missed this kind of intimacy, too.
“At least my accident got you a bit of rest.” Quan Yizhen murmured against the skin of Yin Yu’s chest, now completely bare, while he started peppering it with kisses and bites. “It’s a silver lining, don’t you think?”
“I’d rather have you with your head intact, even if that meant waiting a bit more before doing this again.” He had finally gotten rid of the last of Yizhen’s clothing, and having some skin to skin contact felt really fucking good. Ah, he have missed the scalding hot touch of his husband much more than he was aware of.
“And I’d gladly get another concussion if that meant not waiting for a se-“
Yin Yu shuts him up by kissing him. Sometimes that was the only way to silence him, and he knew that Quan Yizhen was probably doing that on purpose, too. But it was okay. He loved kissing his husband.
He had missed this. Biting those plush lips, parting his own to allow Quan Yizhen’s tongue to slide inside his mouth, always so eager to explore, to the point he had to grip him by the hair and force him to stop and breathe. Quan Yizhen can get so focused on swallowing Yin Yu's moans that he actually forgets he needs to breathe. He probably would train to hold his breathing like a diver, just to be able to kiss him for longer.
But since they both do need to breathe, Quan Yizhen simply uses that stretch of time as an opportunity to let his lips wander along Yin Yu’s jaw, leaving a series of wet kisses on his way towards his neck, while Yin Yu runs his hands over his back, enjoying the feeling of those powerful muscles rippling with every movement his husband makes.
Quan Yizhen’s toned body never fails to make him drool. It’s not the main reason why he loves him, but he can’t deny how nice of a bonus it is to get railed into oblivion by such a good looking husband.
“Zhenzhen”
“Hmm?” Quan Yizhen was too absorbed trying to taste every inch of Yin Yu’s skin he could reach. It really had been too long, and he felt as if he was going crazy with need. He wanted to map every inch of Yin Yu’s skin, count again every beauty mark, and leave hickeys and bites anywhere he was allowed to. Seeing Yin Yu’s skin so pristine and devoid of his imprints felt wrong. He had to change that, soon.
“I don’t want to wait, either.” Now that they had already started, there was no use for Yin Yu to pretend he hadn’t missed this, or that he wasn’t feeling just as desperate as Yizhen was. “I need you inside.”
Instead of replying, Quan Yizhen opened the drawer of the bedside table, took the bottle of lube as quickly as he was able to… and went back to kissing and licking Yin Yu’s chest.
“Yizhen, please.”
“But I promised my husband I was going to be careful.” He flicked a nipple with the tip of his tongue, delighted by the shiver that action elicited on Yin Yu.
“You also said you were- ahhh, completely fine.” That tongue was really a torturous pleasure, taking its time to harden each oversensitive bud, flicking them, circling them and teasing relentlessly. If only that same tongue moved to other places -
“We have all day ahead of us” Quan Yizhen trapped a nipple between his teeth and tugged at it, while pinching and rolling the other between his fingers. “There’s no need to rush, Yu-er.”
Yin Yu decided to take the matters in his hands, quite literally, and reached for Quan Yizhen’s cock, already rock hard and dripping with precome. It was a dizzying feeling, knowing it was because of him. He had married the most attractive man he had ever known, and said man was now painfully hard, rutting into his fist, almost whining from the pleasurable sensations, about to lose all his self control.
“That’s, nnngh, not fair.” He had stopped torturing Yin Yu’s nipples, since Yin Yu’s hand was making him lose his focus, opting to hide in the crook of Yin Yu’s neck. “Ahhh- I’m not going to last if you keep doing that, please, Yu-er-”
“Doing what?” Yin Yu asked innocently, while he kept gripping his husband cock in the exact way he knew would make his sanity evaporate, spreading his precome to make the slide easier, teasing under the head, tracing the veins and then griping at the base every time he felt Quan Yizhen was getting too close to climaxing. All while biting his own bottom lip, to stop himself from moaning at the thought of tasting that cock, having his husband shooting his cum down his throat.
But Quan Yizhen knew how to play this game too, so he opened the bottle of lube and coated his fingers generously. He used his clean hand to take Yin Yu by the wrists, freeing his cock from the torturous teasing and pinning Yin Yu's hands over his head instead.
“Is this what my husband wants from me?” he asked, inserting his index finger almost without a care. Yin Yu’s preferences were on the rougher side, after all, and they had an ample history of playing like this. “I could make you come on my fingers, before properly fucking you,” he added another finger, and pushed deeper, as if to prove a point. “I’d do whatever my husband asks me to. Just tell me what you want, Yu-er.” Yin Yu felt Quan Yizhen’s hot breath right beside his ear when he said that.
“Stop- ahhhh, talkinnnngh” Quan Yizhen’s fingers had found their target, and Yin Yu’s eyes rolled back, while Quan Yizhen’s fingers kept going for his prostate again and again, only stopping for him to add a third finger, stretching him thoroughly.
“Why would I stop, when getting my husband to tell me what he wants is so sexy?” He removed his fingers from Yin Yu’s hole, and started lubing his cock.
“Yizhen”
Without saying another word, Quan Yizhen lined his cock with Yin Yu’s entrance and pushed in, sliding inside in one fluid movement, and then positioned one of Yin Yu’s legs over his shoulder, immediately going for an angle that allowed him to reach deeper, and taking the chance to bite and kiss his ankle, trying to distract himself from how delectable Yin Yu’s hole looked while swallowing him, how hot and how tight it felt around his dick.
“You’re so tight, ahhh, fuck, Yu-er, I missed you so much” Quan Yizhen started babbling as he always did, thrusting into his husband with all the force he could muster, quickly getting lost in the pleasure.
“Mmmh, Yizhen, harder, don’t- ahhh, don’t stop, don't stop, didi.”
“Ahhh, Yu-er, I won’t last much, I’m sorry, you feel so good, I-”
Yin Yu brought one of Quan Yizhen’s hands to his own dick, and did not say anything, but Quan Yizhen got the message and started jerking him off, on time with his thrusts.
“Good boy, Zhenzhen, aah, ahh, keep going like that, nnnngh, just a bit more, didi, I’m so close-”
“Yu-er, Yu-er, I’m -“
“Come for me, Yizhen, fill me up with your cum”
Quan Yizhen released inside Yin Yu with a deep groan, and Yin Yu followed soon, painting his chest with several white ropes.
The only problem was that Quan Yizhen fell over Yin Yu like a rag doll immediately after.
“Yizhen?” Yin Yu tried to shake him awake. “Are you okay? Yizhen!?”
“Hhnnngh.” A few seconds later, Quan Yizhen managed to reply. “Don’t worry, I just... I got a bit lightheaded for a second, but I’m okay.”
“… I told you this wasn’t a good idea.”
“No regrets here.”
“Don’t be silly, Quan Yizhen.” Yin Yu was worried, but he also wasn't exactly regretting this.
“I mean it. I don’t even regret the concussion! It was like falling for my husband for the first time a second time. Maybe I should get another one in the future.”
“Please don't, Yizhen. One concussion is enough for a lifetime. And I was terrified when I got that call from Pei Ming.”
“Hmm. Well, I guess it’s not needed, since I fall in love with my husband everyday, anyway.”
There was a bit of silence. Quan Yizhen knew that Yin Yu was blushing hard, even without looking at him to make sure. But that wasn't a bad thing.
“Next round, you will just lie there while I do the work.”
“Oh, we will have a second round?”
Yin Yu just rolled them over and then straddled Quan Yizhen’s lap.
“Not only a second round, didi.”
Quan Yizhen felt lightheaded again, but this time was not because of the concussion.
They had a whole day ahead, and several weeks of lost time to recover. Fortunately for them, Yin Yu is a dedicated workaholic, and Quan Yizhen has the stamina of a martial artist.
They will definitely get back all that lost time.