Suddenly an image popped out involuntarily in his head.

A very specific image, involving the tail, and the same teasing words, just in more private environment and not a stitch of clothes between them.

And that gremlin knew it.

But before he could retaliate, they were called to resume the shooting, and that gremlin left with a smirk on his face.
 
 
He knew that getting within 5 feet from him was a big mistake, or maybe he just had a masochist tendencies, with the way his nether region is twitching right now and he can't think of any other mean to relieve it. He decided then to walk it off, thankful for the loose pants. 
 
He noticed that the filming crew were stealing glances at him, but frankly, he just doesn't care anymore. He had developed quite a thick skin since last year, a big progress because he used to take everything by heart and overthinking it. 
 
As he walked slowly across the beach, he stopped to smell the saltwater, and feel the sun on his face, caressed by the gentle breeze of the wind. The sand was entering his shoes, and that's why he took it off, and walking barefoot to where they were filming for the next sequence, but stayed behind the shadow, just to observe a bit before heading back to the villa. 
 
And that's when that familiar blinding smiles stopped him in his track. 
 
The smile that caught his heart almost in an instant, a lifetime ago.
 
The sun in his bleary days.
 
The stars in his moonless nights. 
 
He just forgot about how potent the smile could be, given its effect on him right now, turning his insides out in mere seconds.

He tried to look away, but how could he? It's like every breath in his body refused to breath the air in, the air without Yibo in it. 
 
He knew just when the old instincts kicked in. 
 
The twitch in his hands, trying to grasp something that wasn't there anymore. 
 
The yearn for the jasmine scented perfectly sculpted body.
 
The need to kiss the smile that changed his whole world.
 
The hole in his heart, left by a perfectly shaped human-sized creature called Wang Yibo. 
 
Oh, what he would give just for another kiss from him. 
 
Another touch. 
 
Another...

He mentally slapped himself, repeatedly.
 

At least he knew that he made the right decision, when he saw how relaxed Yibo was, and how happy he is right now, playing around with his co-stars, surfing as he was born a merman, jet skiing as if he had no worries in the world. 
 
He definitely made the right decision back then.
 
Then he turned around and walked back to the boat.
 

-----

He's been pacing back and forth ever since he got back from the mainland, contemplating hard whether to go to the party or not. And he's been gauging of how much further his heart can take before he breaks down into pieces and crawling back to him, begging him to take him back.

But his instinct told him to go. Just go. And have fun once in a while. Or maybe it was the beer he downed just a minute ago, speaking.

Whatever it was, he finally decided to go, he promised them, and it would not be good if he changed his mind so suddenly. Like there were bad bloods between them. It's not their problem, it's his problem, and besides he would not dragged Yibo into this.

He prepared himself, mentally and physically. Added another liquid courage, and he's good to go.

-----
 
He was back to the beach just when the sun was about to set, and the party was just starting to get crowded. He tried to avoid Yibo, and in the vain effort of it, he drunk more alcohol than he was supposed to. 
He could feel his bones melting right now, and when he was just about to drop down like a sack of potato, a pair of arms grabbed him from behind.
 
"Be careful there.."
 
He whirled his head around, to find a stranger's holding him. A tall, dark, handsome stranger, with a muscular body and wore only white loose top and shortie shorts. He chuckled, because that's the sign that the alcohol was slowly taking over his body.
 
"Hi, there..." then a hiccup "..oops.."
 
"Are you lost, sir? Because heaven is a long way from here." The stranger grins at his own joke.
 
It took him a full minute to get the pun, but he finally giggled.
 
"That was funny...you are funny haha, I'm from heaven? Do I look like an angel? Well, I surely don't feel like one." His eyes darted to someone behind the stranger. "Now THAT is an angel... he's so perfect and beautiful, just came in straight from the heaven..." he sighed dreamily.
 
"I'll take it from here." Yibo grabbed Xiao Zhan's waist, and hoisted him.
 
"Hey, I saw him first!" The stranger tried to hold on to Xiao Zhan's arms, but one look from Yibo made him let go. "Fine, fine, whatever" he grumbled then leave.
 
Yibo looks at the hot mess in his arms. "Ge, are you alright? Let me get you back to the villa." He pulled Xiao Zhan closer and with his incredible arm strength, he lifted him from under his arms.
 
 

 
"I must be dreaming right now." Xiao Zhan whispered to himself, when they were already back at the villa, and Yibo put him on his bed, taking off his shoes.
 
"And why is that?"
 
"Because Wang Yibo is nice to me." He giggled and choked.
 
Yibo gave him a glass of water. "And why would Wang Yibo not being nice to you?" He asked softly.
 
"I was being such an asshole to him, but he's still nice to me." He felt the tears came out from the corner of his eyes and quickly wiped it, but not before Yibo saw it. "I hurt him very badly, yet he's still nice to me, what did I do to deserve him? His kindness? I'm a good for nothing person, I brought only troubles to those who loved me, and whom I loved dearly, but if only... if only I could go back to where it all started... I... I..." he choked on his own tears.
 
"What would you do, if you could go back, ge?" Yibo softly asked him, hands straightened the stray hair from his face.
 
"I won't ever let him go...ever again..." his voice muffled by the pillow, but the other heard him, clearly as a day. "I love you, dream Yibo, I still love you, and I think I won't be able to NOT loving you... and since this was just a dream... thank you dream Yibo, for taking such a good care of me, I hope you're happy wherever you are... with or without me."
 
And he snored lightly.
 

Yibo, on the other hand, wiped the lone tear from his eyes, and kissed the older's forehead.
 
"I still love you too, ge, and I don't think I ever stopped."