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You all are darling; thank you so much for your patience <3

Once he’s done eating, Minseok’s up and out of the restaurant (ungrateful little ), leaving the other two behind faster than the speed of light.

“There, there,” Yixing pats Lu Han’s back to comfort the distraught male.

“It’s like he doesn’t even care about his role as my friendzoned childhood friend!” Lu Han cries, throwing his hands in the air for dramatic effect so as to properly express his angst in large, physical volumes.

“Oh, he was talking to me while you were in the bathroom. He said something along the lines of ‘I could care less about Lu Han and his overactive imagination.”

“He didn’t even pay for the food,” Lu Han sobs.

“I guess we should return to our dorms,” Yixing looks down at his wrist to check the time only to remember that he doesn’t own a wristwatch. “I’m sure Yifan will be back from basketball practice soon.”

“Basketba-” Lu Han all but flies out of his seat, shoving the last handful of fries into his mouth like a madman and charging towards the restaurant exit with cheeks bulging like a chipmunk ready for winter. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?! Those sweaty abs aren’t going to wait!”

“Watch out for the-” Yixing’s warning is cut off by the crack of thunder and seconds later Lu Han trudges back in, sopping wet and looking extremely displeased by Mother Nature. “-rain.”

“I don’t see why you’re so upset,” Yixing says as he dabs at Lu Han’s soggy hair with a napkin like one would onto a greasy slice of pizza. “Didn’t you check the weather forecast?”

“Yixing, no one checks the weather forecast anymore,” Lu Han grumbles, missing the mildly offended look that briefly crosses his friend’s face. “Besides, that’s not why I’m upset.”

“You’re allergic to water?” Yixing tries again.

“Oh yes, I’m simply breaking out into hives right now,” Lu Han gripes with no feeling. “Where on earth could my epi-pen have gone, I wonder?”

“Well walking into that rain sure did make you sassier,” Yixing runs his fingers through Lu Han’s wet hair to tussle the wet locks, an action that totally does not make Lu Han let out a happy sigh at the feeling. “It’s a good thing I brought an umbrella.”

“No!” Lu Han suddenly jumps up, almost immediately regretting his decision as now no one is petting his head anymore and Yixing possesses miracle hands. “No, we can’t use the umbrella.”

Yixing looks a bit more confused than his usual state of befuddlement but nonetheless goes along with Lu Han’s usual self-absorbed thought process. “And… why can’t we use the umbrella again?”

“Or-” Lu Han looks down at the table where his 500+ paged manuscript is sitting, “Ugh, the rain scene isn’t supposed to happen until after we’ve love-hated each other for another month or so.”

“Love-hated?” Yixing wrinkles his nose at the unfamiliar term and Lu Han does not find it adorable. “Oh, are you talking about Yifan again?”

“Yes,” Lu Han preens, extremely satisfied that finally someone is paying attention to his life plans. “It’s supposed to rain and then Yifan is supposed to offer his coat to share for us to run underneath it together in the most romantic of ways.”

“Is it even possible to run romantically?” Yixing asks, mostly to no one because Lu Han is once again caught up in another one of his utterly useless fantasies.

“And then halfway through he’ll just say ‘ it’ and kiss me under a dimly lit street lamp and then we’ll flirtatiously dance our way back to the dorms and express our passionate love for one another.”

“I don’t know, dimly lit street lamps give off a pretty -y vibe if you ask me,” Yixing scratches the back of his head.

“-y vibes?!” Lu Han squawks, “That is not- you know what, never mind let’s just go.”

He holds his hand out to Yixing, who simply looks back at him cluelessly. “…What?”

“C’mon, hold my hand. I need to get more practice in before Yifan gets here!”

“Ah, okay.” Yixing still just goes along with it.

They stand outside of the restaurant for a good ten minutes holding hands before Yixing finally turns back to Lu Han. “Why are we out here again?”

Lu Han huffs. “Because I have to wait for Yifan to show up and offer me his coat so we can have romantic interaction and sudden character chemistry.”

Yixing pauses. “Why would Yifan be wearing a coat in the summertime?”

“Details, details,” Lu Han waves his free hand around. “Until he gets here we can’t leave.”

“Oh.” Yixing thinks about it for a moment, before clicking open his umbrella. “But that means I can leave now, right?”

“Wait whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Lu Han tightens his grip on Yixing’s hand, preventing the other from moving too far. “You can’t just go and leave me here! I need you to stay here with me!”

Yixing his head to the side. “Why?”

Lu Han freezes, scrounging his mind to think of a logical reply. “Well…. uh, because…. moral support?”

“Bye~” Yixing sings, gently slipping his hand out of Lu Han’s and stepping into the rain to head back to their dorms.

“I- Ugh, fine,” Lu Han looks around him, before letting out a frustrated kind of noise and eventually giving chase. “Yixing, wait up!”

“Are you sure you don’t want to share the umbrella?”

“For god sakes Yixing, stop asking me the answer is no!”

“But you’re going to catch a cold like that,” Yixing bites at his lower lip in worry and Lu Han does not admire how plush Yixing’s lips are. that lip volume and all the thoughts it plagues Lu Han’s mind with.

“For the last time, if Yifan shows up and I’m already dry under your damn umbrella then the entire plan is soiled!” Lu Han cries.

Yixing takes in the sight of the thoroughly drenched Lu Han, who has begun to look more and more like a drowned cat than any sort of k-drama character, walking beside him. “I don’t know, we’re almost to the dorms and the closest you’ve been to human interaction aside from me if when that car almost hit you while we were crossing the street.”

“ing Pokémon Go drivers,” Lu Han shakes his head. “You’d think the possibility of flattening someone with your two ton vehicle is enough to keep them more alert when they’re on the road.”

“You’d think the idiot I spent half an hour drying off with restaurant napkins would take my offer of staying dry under an umbrella in the pouring rain,” Yixing mutters under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

They make it back to the dorms without any interruptions from a certain basketball player, much to Lu Han’s dismay.

“It’s the dimly lit streetlamps, I’m telling you. They totally give off -y vibes.”

“Ugh, why is it that when I’m with you, nothing in my damn plan seems to go right?!” Lu Han complains as he squeezes out some of the rainwater that his clothes have soaked up.

“Well let’s look on the bright side!” Yixing chirps, shaking the water off his umbrella and onto a loudly protesting Lu Han. “At least you didn’t catch a cold!”

Lu Han’s only response is a sneeze.

“Well I guess that old saying isn’t true after all. Idiots do catch colds.”

“ you,” comes the scratchy reply, followed by a blatant middle finger popping up from beneath the cover to flip Minseok off. “No one ing asked you, you ditcher.”

“I knew it was going to rain soon, and I had other plans later,” Minseok shrugs. “Unlike you, I was smart enough to leave early because I knew I didn’t have an umbrella.”

Lu Han lets out an obnoxiously loud sniffle, not one to let a stuffy nose interfere with defending his honor. “It was all part of the plan! If you had read the manuscript and emails I’ve been sending then you would know.”

“I’m sure Yixing took the time to remind you yesterday like I asked him to do, but uh,” Minseok hands his friend a tissue, a kind gesture that contrasts greatly to his savage reply, “The number of s I give about your plans is currently amounting up to a great zero.”

“I didn’t even get to see Yifan’s sweaty abs,” Lu Han moans in distress, completely used to Minseok’s could-care-less attitude. He’d show him. Eventually

“Did I hear my name?”

.

“Hey Yifan,” Minseok does the bro-nod at Yifan, who has entered Lu Han’s room unannounced and easily returns the greeting. SINCE WHEN HAS MINSEOK BEEN ACQUAINTED WITH YIFAN ON A BRO-NOD LEVEL AND WHY WASN’T LU HAN INFORMED OF SUCH IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT . “Excited for the new semester?”

Yifan rubs the back of his neck in an attractive way that only Lu Han’s meant-to-be could. “Yeah, I guess. The team’s super pumped to take Nationals this year. How does it feel like to be football* captain?”

“Not all too different, just have to lead warmups and talk more with the coaches and some other stuff.”

Lu Han, feeling extremely left out in what should be proper bonding time with his destined beloved, suddenly sits up and opens his mouth to speak.

Only to indulge the itch in his nose by sneezing his snot across the crotch region of Yifan’s jeans.

Lu Han has never felt more mortified in his life.

Yifan’s expression is unreadable.

Minseok looks close to pissing himself in laughter. “Annnd that’s my cue to leave.”

The glare Lu Han sends his friend speaks of murder, but goes completely ignored as Minseok takes his exit, gently patting Yifan on the shoulder on his way out and still desperately trying to hold back the laughter threatening to spill past his lips. “Good- pft- good luck with this one.”

“Bye?” Yifan still doesn’t seem to quite understand what has just transpired, looking down at the contaminated area before back at Lu Han the perpetrator. “Um…”

“Oh my god,” Words finally return to Lu Han and he covers his face with both hands, apparently more horrified at the incriminating mucus staining Yifan’s pants than the victim himself. “I’m, oh god, I’m so sorry, I just-”

“No, no, it’s alright,” Yifan can’t seem to get over the fact that someone just blew their snot onto his . “It’s just… do you have a tissue?”

“I’m never going back to the dorms,” Lu Han sobs as he shovels an impossibly large spoonful of fro-yo into his mouth, sniffling loudly in the quiet atmosphere of the café.

“See, this is what happens when you don’t check the weather forecast,” Yixing chides, “Are you sure you should be out in public eating fro-yo of all things in your condition?”

“It’s better than resting in bed knowing that Yifan’s probably scrubbing my phlegm out of his jeans in the bathroom twenty feet away,” Lu Han moans, upset once again at simply the memory of what has become the lowest point in his life.

Yixing sighs, knowing that there probably isn’t much he can say that will comfort Lu Han anymore. He leans down for another bite of his own frozen yogurt, before pausing at what he sees out of the corner of his eye.

“Is that… Yifan outside trying to hide behind a telephone pole?”

Baekhyun freezes mid-chew, looking around the fro-yo shop suspiciously before quickly swallowing and speaking. “Someone’s watching us.”

Zitao shrugs. “Probably because you keep your spoon like you’re giving head.”

“Not me,” Baekhyun hisses, spitefully stealing a spoonful from his roommate’s bowl for that previous comment, “Pretty sure whoever it is is looking at you.”

“You do aikido and I do wushu,” Zitao points out thoughtfully. “I’m pretty sure we could break that person with a finger each, so…”

“It’s not that kind of staring it’s like-” Baekhyun’s eyes widen in realization. “Oh my god, it’s your secret admirer!”

Zitao’s only response is an eye roll.

“Quick, look around! Who do you think it is?” Baekhyun suddenly sits up straighter in his chair, looking around frantically and definitely not subtly.

“Is this really necessary?” Zitao deadpans, finding sneaking a bite from Baekhyun’s fro-yo to be a much more interesting. Revenge, .

“Oh c’mon, you’ve been hanging out way too much with Sehun. Live a little!” Baekhyun’s eyes finally fall on someone interesting. “How about that guy? The one over there by the entrance shoveling fro-yo into his mouth. Damn, he’s fast.”

Zitao looks over to the person that’s caught Baekhyun’s attention. “The one over there with Yixing? I think that’s the guy that fell on me the other day or something. He tripped on his own shoelace and made a bunch of weird faces before flipping his hair back and landing on me.”

“It has to be him then!” Baekhyun squirms in his seat in unprecedented excitement. “God, he has such pretty face. I bet he’s going to join a sports team here to reassert his manliness.”

“I think you’re taking this whole admirer thing way too seriously,” Zitao wipes at his mouth with a napkin, having cleaned out both his and the rest of Baekhyun’s frozen yogurt while Baekhyun was busy conducting his little investigation. “Besides, I could feel the stare coming from outside of the shop, not from inside.”

“Ugh, why didn’t you say anything sooner,” Baekhyun turns back around in disappointment, only to let out a shriek upon discovering his empty bowl. “You ate the rest of my fro-yo!”

“And that’s why I didn’t tell you until now,” Zitao smiles cheekily, dodging Baekhyun’s little fists of fury.

“I hate you!” comes the whine.

“You only love me for my closet,” Zitao throws back.

“…. Yeah you’re right.”

They leave the fro-yo shop soon after, heading to one of their favorite little boutiques across the street.

Zitao is running his hand along a row of tops when he suddenly bumps into someone. “Oof!”

“I’m sorry, are you alright?” says a familiar voice.

“Yeah, that was partially my fault, don’t sweat it.” Zitao looks up at the guy. Where has he seen this guy before?

“I- I’m Yifan,” the other holds out a hand. “I think I saw you by the school entrance once or twice?”

“Oh,” Hmm, figures. “Nice to meet you.”

“What… What’s your name?”

“Oh yeah, my bad. I’m Zitao.” Zitao shakes Yifan’s hand, before turning back to the clothing rack he was previously browsing.

Yifan doesn’t move from his spot, still staring at his hand in awe. He finally did it. He finally grew the balls to introduce himself to Zitao. He felt like he was on top of the world. He looked back up, this time planning to start a conversation about similar interests, only to find that the subject of his ridiculous crush was no longer in front of him. In fact, he was leaving the store already, arms looped with his roommate Baekhyun.

“W-wait!” Yifan makes a run for the door, only to run into someone, knocking that person onto the ground and landing on top of them with an oomph. Upon his eyes after the impact, he realizes it’s Lu Han, his new roommate.

Who, due to the dust that was knocked back up into the air after he hit the floor, feels that dreaded itch in his nose once again and this time, sneezes square into Yifan’s face.

Lu Han decides that now is an appropriate time to bury himself.

Yifan is torn between chasing after Zitao or cleaning the snot off his face.

Yixing finally notices what seems to have happened, looking down from his previous admiration of a pair of sweatpants from the rack. “Oh, bless you.”

FINALLY. I'VE UPDATED. I HAVE RISEN. I AM ALIVEEEEEE.

Thank you all soooo so much for your patience and encouragement. Productivity has definitely been slower this summer than it was before, so I'm very grateful to those that have stuck with this fic despite the very slow updates ^^

*Like I said last chapter, I live in the States, but the football I'm referring to is the universal football (aka soccer).

If you enjoyed, please subscribe, comment and upvote! Feedback is always welcome <3

Fingers crossed that this gets me back into writing more, I've missed writing and updating so much ;;

Also please please please take a look at this blog post if you have the time: x. 

Have a lovely Friday!

PalmerPie