Partings are always hard to deal with. Aren't they? Especially if we get attached to what or who might leave us. Sadly, they are inevitable, and all we can do once the companionship is over is cherish all the memories, beautiful or otherwise, that were created along the way.

Now you must be wondering why I am talking about such a melancholy topic, right? Well, as always, there is a good reason for that.

Now, let's move on to where Zhan, I mean JZhan, had walked in on Yibo in the middle of his moaning session...I mean physical therapy session, and accused the innocent but injured roommate cum co-actor of being interested in broad-shouldered muscular men.

The man addressed to as 'broad-shouldered' shakes his head. "Zhan laoshi, it seems that I have caused some kind of misunderstanding here."

"Hyung," Yibo calls Dr. Kim, who helps him sit up and covers his naked shoulders.

"Yibo, let me speak, please." He requests; Nodding, Zhan supports it, "Yes, Bo di, I would love to hear what you were doing in broad-"

"I am Yibo's brother-in-law." The 'taken' hot doctor blurts out. "I am his sister's husband. I am one hundred percent into women...scratch that, I am only into my wife, who I believe is my soul mate. So, Zhan laoshi, you accusing me of cheating on her is something I can not and will not tolerate, even if my dumb brother-in-law is in love with you. Alright?" He fixes Zhan with a stern gaze and instructs a very flustered-looking Zhan, "Now, go take a bath till I get rid of the stiffness in his shoulder."

There is nothing to do except following the doctor's advice. So, that's what Zhan does. Well, he almost does it before he hears Yibo ask, "Zhan ge, do you remember his name?"

Zhan shakes his head and leaves Yibo to get treated.

Kim's brows knit, "What's wrong with him?" He enquires, but seeing as it had made Yibo uncomfortable, he doesn't press. Instead, he continues the treatment and nods approvingly once the younger man does the arm exercises successfully. Smiling, he gives Yibo the happy news.

No, Yibo is not pregnant. For one, neither of the Zhans have moved past second base with him, and secondly, this is not a mpreg fic 🙄.

"The injury is not as bad as I had suspected. You will have to take it easy for a couple of days. No strenuous activity, understand?" The doctor's voice jumps to a higher octave, "and take pain killers as and when required. Other than that, you can do whatever you want. Of course, the bands on your shoulders will have to stay for a bit longer."

After that, the doctor leaves Yibo with his thoughts. And like all of us, Yibo once again struggles with self-doubt. 'Why does Zhan ge still not trust me? Did I not confess to him!? How can I make him understand? How can I make him believe me?'

A gentle tap on his shoulder brings the young man out of his musings. He glances up, "Zhan ge?" He hesitates. He tries to read the man's eyes, hoping to figure out who was the person standing in front of him but fails.

"Bo di, I want to apologize for doubting you. But what was I supposed to do? I mean, the sounds you were making..." he trails off.

'It's still JZhan.' Yibo concludes, 'Why hasn't he turned back?' He wonders when the latter reaches for his shirt wanting to slide it off his shoulders.
"Zhan ge!" Yibo grabs the latter's hand, panicking. "What are you doing?"

"You never told me how you got hurt. I don't even know the extent of your injury. I hate that your brother-in-law knows more about you than I do." The older man complains, slipping the shirt off the younger man's shoulder.

Yibo contemplates stopping Zhan's wandering hands and eyes as they inspect his shoulder, careful not to hurt him, but in the end, he gives up.

'I don't have the energy to stop JZhan.' Yibo tells himself. However, by now, we all know that was not the reason.

Can we blame Yibo for secretly enjoying Zhan's touches? Can we fault Zhan when his eyes, worship Yibo's spectacular body, stray to uninjured parts of Yibo's anatomy? Absolutely not.

Why? Because we would have done the same thing!?

A moment of silence for my brain cells, which have left the ration side of my brain and taken permanent residence in the drain.

Zhan moves closer, his fingers become more daring. He doesn't even bother giving Yibo an excuse as they move from his shoulder to his forearm and jump to his lean, muscular torso, caressing the rock-hard abs...

Yibo closes his eyes and purses his lips in a thin line. His heart starts racing at the speed of light. His cheeks take on a lovely shade of pink that travels to his neck and fades into his chest. His fists clench at his sides when Zhan's fingers catch on his now perky bud (accidentally, of course) and linger in the region for more time than bromantically necessary. When the accident happens again-once again by accident- Yibo's lips fall open; breathing heavily, he calls, "Zhan ge."

"Yes, Bo di?" Zhan's voice is distracted when he replies. He closes his eyes, shakes his, and then absentmindedly he adds, "Do you like it when I touch you like this, Lan Zhan, or does it make you angry?"

"Mn?" Yibo's brows crawl up. He tilts his head, 'Didn't I deal with FZhan already?' He racks his brain. After all, he had thought that he was rid of that pesky, persistent personality for good.

Yibo gulps, "Zhan..." he starts but snaps his mouth shut out of fear. 'What if FZhan throws a fit, again?'

Having missed Yibo's internal panic, Zhan leans in and presses his lips to Yibo's uninjured bare shoulder, making the younger suck in a breath.

Zhan catches Yibo's eyes, "I am waiting, Lan Zhan."

"Wei Ying?" Yibo hesitates, and Zhan urges him to go on. Yibo nods, "Yes."

Zhan smiles. It's heartbreakingly sad, "Lan Zhan, you are beautiful. Perfect. But the truth is that I am sick. As much as I want you and want to be with you, I am scared that I might mess up anytime. I don't want to pull you down with me. This illness," his eyes swim with tears, and he tries to hide them, not letting them spill. "Can you tell me what I did this time?"

It suddenly hits Yibo that it was his Zhan ge, who was just following Xia Jiejie's instructions and addressing him as Lan Zhan.

Yibo closes his hand over Zhan's, "Zhan ge," he pauses,  "Can I call you Zhan ge?"

Zhan nods.

"Just till we go out, can you please call me Bo di?"

Zhan nods again.

"You came back from the gym and walked in on doctor Kim giving me a massage. You misunderstood and..."

Zhan's eyes widen. "And?"

"You kinda accused me of cheating on you with him." Yibo blurts out in a go.

"Noooo!" Zhan gasps, shocked. He shakes his head. Then he remembers something else, "I know he is important to you. You are close. Maybe part of me felt threatened." He buries his face in his hands, "This is so fucked up! We are not even dating. I don't even know what I feel for you is love."

Zhan's honest words somehow sting the latter, but Yibo holds his peace. He was not the kind to make everything the other says about himself. He realizes that not everyone can accept such feelings as he can.

"What else?" Zhan demands, and Yibo continues, "What you said upset him. He reprimanded you and asked you to go take a shower. Then he left after asking me to not exert myself."

"Please apologize to him on my behalf the next time you guys meet," Zhan says, sounding distraught. 'How many times have I put Bo di in such types of situations?' He wonders, but before he can voice his thoughts, Yibo adds, "What concerns me is that this is probably the first time your personality has interacted with someone other than me." He fidgets with his fingers, "However, that's just what I think. I am not sure...Zhan ge,  have you ever lost time even I was not around you?"

Zhan shakes his head. His shoulders slump, "So, instead of getting better, I am getting worse." He catches Yibo's eyes, "Bo di, if anything happens when we step out today, blame everything on me, alright?"

"Zhan ge, we are in this together-"

Zhan holds his hand up, "Later." He says dismissively and glances at the wall clock. 'Damn it. I lost almost forty-five minutes.' He sighs, "How are you feeling?"

Yibo doesn't know how to react anymore. He feels unsure of how to respond. He mutters 'fine' under his breath.

Zhan nods, "Better than yesterday?"
Yibo gives him a thumbs up.
"I was planning to help you get ready." He gives himself a once over, "Looks like I showered already."

"Yes, you showered. Will you help me get ready?" Yibo asks hopefully, massaging his injured side to emotionally blackmail Zhan if the latter was planning to change his mind about helping him.

Zhan nods. He walks to the latter's wardrobe and pulls out a buttoned-down baggy shirt and track pants. He holds them up for approval, and when Yibo nods, he enquires, "Undergarments?"

"Lower rack," Yibo instructs and starts walking towards the bath. Zhan follows him inside shortly. He places the younger's clothes on the shelf, "Be sure to hold your shoulder to hot water." He turns, "Call me when you need me."

Before Yibo can ask him to stay, Zhan leaves. The dancer feels disappointed, but it passes as soon as it had arrived. He slides his shirt off. Smirking, Yibo calls, "Wei Ying!"

Zhan enters the bath a split second later, "What's wrong?" He asks, on the verge of panic.

'Was he standing right outside?' Yibo wonders and points at his pants, "Can you help me?"

Zhan stands staring at Yibo's pants, regretting offering the cunning man child his services...I mean assistance.

"Wei Ying, if you don't-"

Zhan steps closer, "I will do it." He decides. His mouth feels like he had swallowed a ball of crumpled paper: dry. His chest constricts. He hopes that Yibo doesn't notice his trembling hands and hears his galloping heart. Keeping his eyes on the relatively safe region: Yibo's abs, he helps the younger off with the pants. Not wanting to do any more favors, he promptly leaves the bath.

"Coward." Yibo mumbles, feeling slightly annoyed and frustrated, "If you weren't so insecure, we could be having the time of our lives right now." He murmurs and starts the shower. He follows the older man's advice, and the relief that the hot water brings to him washes the anger he had felt towards the latter away.
When Yibo steps out, barely covered, he finds Zhan fully dressed.

"Zhan...Wei Ying, can you help me get dressed?" Yibo requests, and painstakingly, Zhan complies. In the time he had spent getting dressed, the older had realized that Yibo might ask him to do just that, so he had prepared himself for the same.

Yibo is obviously disappointed. He had expected to get a reaction out of the latter, but it had not panned out.
Zhan goes a step further and helps Yibo with his hair as well, all the while keeping mum. It is only when the duo are about to step out that Zhan speaks, "Lan...Bo di, I know we have been putting off having the talk," he smiles sincerely, "How about we do it when we get back?" He suggests; Yibo nods, and the two set off first towards the cafeteria and from there to Xia Jiejie's office.

The young woman beckons them in, and after picking up stacks of what looked like their individual look test photo spreads, she leads them to the room they had converted into a studio. "Is Yibo laoshi up for the photoshoot?" She asks Yibo, who nods, "Doctor Kim told me that apart from strenuous activities, I can do everything else."

As soon as Yibo finishes, Zhan feels slightly (that's an understatement) betrayed and like a fool. 'He took advantage of my ignorance!?' The older man fumes internally, not letting anyone suspect that a volcano is erupting within him. Well, at least that's what Zhan thinks, but his 'pretend' composure doesn't succeed in fooling Yibo, who immediately sees through the latter's calm facade.

'F@^&&%%&&$@@K!'
(not a typing error)

Yibo thinks and wonders which one of 'his men' will come out to punish me for this muck up and how will they choose to exact their revenge?

Now you guys are wondering why I mentioned the word: parting, when there was none of it in this chapter, right?

Well, simple, because unlike all the other chapters, this one is going to be broken into two parts, and since that's the case, there will be no life lessons to be had in the second part of this update, which incidentally will also be the last part of this book.

Will Zhan be able to get rid of FZhan and JZhan? Will Yibo and Zhan end up together? Or, will the two crazy personalities slip out during an inopportune moment? To find out, I  urge you to stick with this story for one last time; after all, you have (somehow, miraculously) stuck with it till now, might as well see it through till the end.

{Note:- That's it for this update.

The next chapter is the last one. And there is no way it can pass off as bromantic 😅

Please Vote on this update if you have enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day.}