Yixing had known Minseok for a few years now, and he was well aware of the insecurities the elder had. His body was one thing to deal with. His voice was another one.

Certainly, Minseok had entered SM Entertainment via a singing contest, but the company had since constantly put him down, giving him only a few word for each and every one of their songs, and never the ones that would glorify his fantastic vocals. It wasn't a secret among them, they all admired how high his voice could go, how he could convey emotion much like Jongdae. Yet, for unknown reasons, they were always putting him behind, at the most irrelevant position, with the most irrelevant parts. Yixing was suspecting the company to do that because of Minseok's physics.

Don't get it wrong. Minseok was beautiful, handsome, manly, pretty, everything you wanted. The only one who couldn't see it was the pink haired man himself. He had that kind of beauty that was special, discrete, yet everyone could see it. It wasn't as raw as Jongin's presence or as refined as Jongdae's look. No, Minseok was a bit in between, having a bit of both and the eleven of them loved his looks, but –

Sorry. Yes Kim Minseok was stunning for whoever had functional eyes - and yet, blind ones could /feel/ it - but it wasn't the subject here. Where were we again ? Ha yes. Yixing knew about Minseok's insecurities about his own voice. It didn't help that the elder man kept denying it when he had caught a bit of a cold, coughing and hurting. He kept denying it because /no, I don't have a cold Luhan, I just at singing/ Yixing caught him once saying this to Luhan. He had then fled the scenery, upset, leaving an angry but worried Luhan in the middle of the room.

They all hated it when Minseok went like that, wild because he had enough of his friend searching excuses for his crappy voice.

“They aren't ing excuse,” Yixing grunted under his breath, aware of the fact that Minseok was coughing non stop since the day before.

But here he was, in the practice room, trying to sing yet again, but never satisfied with himself – it shouldn't hurt him to sing after all, why the was it hurting and why the was his voice utter today – as he looked down at the floor, nervously linking his own fingers in a sigh, with his eyes a bit wet. Minseok was tired of everything but knew better than to break down in the practice room where anyone could enter - like his fellow member. Standing just beside the door, he observed his friend sadly. Yixing knew that if he were to once again tell him he shouldn't be so harsh on his throat like that, when he was sick, Minseok would snap at him.

Instead, Yixing gently placed a hand on his friend, startling him since he had been deep in his thoughts.

“Let's get out.”

Turning around, he blinked once, twice, getting rid of the wetness in his eyes before opening his mouth.

"What ?"

"Let's get out. You and me, anywhere you want. You need to get your head out of here." Yixing pointed at the room with his chin, knowing the elder had surely been there since a few hours now. "Come on !" He added when he saw a glint of hesitation in Minseok's eyes.

The smaller man finally gave in with half of a smile directed to his friend.

"I get to choose ?" Yixing nodded, happy he had won the battle. /Sweet method's always win./

Minseok grabbed his backpack, opened the zipper and pulled out a black mask he always carried with him in case he wanted to get out.

"Changmin hyung told me about that new coffee shop a few blocks away, seemed to him like a really good one. Is it okay with you ? Walking over there ?"

Meanwhile, Yixing had put on a matching black mask, hiding his chin in a dark blue woollen scarf. He nodded with his signature smile and dimple, waiting for his older friend to get ready. Minseok pulled on a pastel sweater and covered his mouth with his mask before leaving the room with his friend.

If he were to be honest with himself, Minseok was grateful for Yixing's sudden invitation at going out, because he was seriously starting to get desperate. Twenty meters away form the building they'd been in, the chinese man stopped him, wrapping Minseok with half of his scarf, leaving them entangled together. Minseok cocked an eyebrow, starting to protest, but Yixing beat him to.

"Here. You won't worsen your cold like that. And don't tell me you don't have one." He quickly added, knowing his friend would deny it. He started walking again, forcing Minseok to follow him. He didn't say anything after that, quietly grumbling about being 'over protected' and someone being a 'mother hen' and 'imagining things'.

+

Yixing hadn't noticed how late it had already been when the both of them had left the SM building. Minseok and him were sitting in a booth at the Café – Birdhouse, as it was named – just beside a window overlooking the street. It was already dark and the both of them tried to make their moment inside the shop as long as possible, the perspective of coming back to the dorms in the dark not that appealing.

They were silently watching as men and women passed through, hurrying to catch either a taxi or the subway, eager to get home. The weather was nowadays, nearing profound winter and its possible snowfalls. Tired, Minseok sighed as he let his head fall on the table, rolling from side to side with his beverage getting cold beside his body. Yixing grinned fondly at his older friend's sudden need to nap in the shop before reaching for his own cup of hot chocolate.

“You know hyung, you shouldn't practice that long. It only gets you frustrated.”

A muffled 'yeah I know' left Minseok's lips before he rolled his head to the side, looking at the gloomy sight that was the exterior.

“Plus, you keeps forcing your voice when you're sick. It won't do good to you throat, one day you'll regret it.” Yixing ended his sentence by taking a sip of his beverage, the expression of a wise old man on his face.

However, Minseok lifted his whole body up so he was facing his friend, brows furrowed in the most intimating way he could. His eyebrows were so expressive. He started to open his mouth, ready to protest, but Yixing moved faster, placing a finger on his lips from across the table.

“Shht. Don't. Hyung, since yesterday you keep coughing when you think no one will hear, and you talk even less. And you sleep more. I know winter is coming, but I've spent at least five winters with you, and you never hibernated.” Minseok raised an eyebrow. “Either you caught a cold, like every ing winter, and you're perturbed because your voice doesn't sound right, either your voice is tired from all that pulling. Which you are doing because you have a ing. Cold.”

Minseok was fully pouting now, knowing his friend was right. And Yixing wasn't allowing any reject of his claims since he was now plainly cursing. Yixing never cursed. Never. Ever. After a sigh, he brought his knees up to his chest, avoiding the younger man's gaze. Maybe he was tired of all this . Maybe he was tired of working hard and getting in return. Yixing's eyes softened at the sudden sadness in Minseok's expression, sliding a hand across the table to hold his friend's one.

“Hyung...” He swallowed, searching for words. A few seconds passed and he decided that their current position arrangement didn't suit him. He got up on his two legs, earning a worried look from Minseok, before walking to the other banquette. He sat down next to the elder, once again linking their fingers together, before taking another breath in.

“Minseok hyung. Recently hasn't been real good for you, I know. From the crowd thing, where you were unwell-” Minseok gasped at that. So Yixing had noticed how he had been glued to Chanyeol for comfort. “- to the not eating thing. And you've been sick too. And now you're sick again. The two last weeks really , uh ?”

Minseok decided to avoid his friend's eyes, letting them drift out to the window. He stared at a point in the void, still listening the the younger man.

“You're having a rough time, and I know that you know that you can come talk to me everytime. And not only me. Everyone. They all love you so much, you know ? We all hate it when you're going through periods like this. Trust me, maybe you didn't notice, well, last time, but we were all very worried.”

Yixing leaned his head on top of Minseok's shoulder, mimicking him as he brought his knees to his chest too.

“We're all already looking out for you, please hyung, stop worrying about how others see you. It doesn't matter if idiotic people think you're a bit squishy, because a bit of fat never killed anyone. Plus it's potential surface material.” Minseok snorted, knowing Yixing was trying to lift his mood up. “I don't care, hell, we don't care if s think you're not good enough, because it's ing wrong. And people who think like that doesn't even deserve to talk about you, because you're perfect in every possible way.”

Yixing's fingers squeezed Minseok's. The chinese man brought both of their hands to his mouth, where he kissed the smaller hand before flashing a dimple to his friend.

“Stop hurting yourself like that, hyung.”

+

When they came back, most of the members were already at the dorms, either playing or sleeping – for Tao, because the poor kid had caught Minseok's virus from Yifan. Joonmyeon had been sitting on the sofa, scrolling through something on his phone when he saw the two men enter the room, exhausted but smiling. And it sent a wave of warmness through is body, because even thought he wasn't in a good situation since a few weeks, Minseok was genuinely smiling at Yixing. He didn't what had happened, because surely something did happen. Junmyeon didn't know, but he was just thankful Minseok was okay today. Because maybe he wouldn't be tomorrow.

A/N : HEY GYESS WHO'S ALIVE

WELL NOT  ME I'M SICK

OH MY GOD FINALLY I AM SO SO SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY

I couldn't write for two weeks and it really . Like everything I wrote was utter . I'm rather happy with this chapter, even tho it's smaller than Yifan's, because iT'S JUST SO FLUFFY AND IMAGINE YIXING AND MINSEOK JUST HUGGING IN A CAFE idk it makes me all bubbly.

I really wanted to add the drawing like I did to the four others, but I don't even have time to draw anymore ( school) and I thought I had left you hanging already too much.

The credit for the "Potential Surface" belongs to one of my friend at school. KISS KISS I LOVED THIS.

As always, comment, subscribe, upvote if you liked this c: !! Thanks for reading and have a good day/night !