On Saturdays the restaurant didn't open until dinner, so Luhan's mother would spend her morning off by lounging on the couch and catching up on her dramas. That is where she was when he came out of his bedroom at 8:30am. He sat down on the couch next to her and pulled her legs on to his lap so that he could rub her feet and ankles.

She closed her eyes and sighed, "What did I do to deserve such a wonderful son?"

Luhan smiled and moved to her toes. "I think it's the other way around, Mom."

"Well, I think we will have to agree to disagree on that one." She opened her eyes and looked Luhan over, taking in his clothes and hair. "What is the occasion? You look like you are dressed for an outing."

He smiled a little and gave her a quick look. "Minseok and I are going somewhere. He told me to dress comfortably."

"So, this Minseok. He is your new "friend"? When will I get to meet him?" she asked, he tone playful.

"He is coming to pick me up at 10, so...."

She sat up then, "Wait! He is coming here? Well, I need to greet him properly. And I might as well pack you guys a lunch to take with you while I am at it. Go ahead and wash the veggies for some kimbap while I go change." 

By 9:30 Luhan's mom had made a feast and packed it up neatly into a backpack for the boys to take with them. She was putting the teapot on to boil when there was a knock at the front door.

"Oh! He is a half an hour early! Look's like he couldn't wait to see you.", she said with a smile.

Luhan opened the door to to see Minseok standing there, smiling.

Minseok's eyes took in his hair and then moved to his eyes. "No more hiding those pretty eyes from me now."

Luhan felt his cheeks redden and stepped back and motioned for Minseok to come inside. "My mom wants to meet you.", he said quietly.

He let him in and led him to the kitchen where his mother was pouring tea into 3 cups. When she looked up Minseok bowed to her.

"Hello, I'm Minseok."

"It's nice to meet you, Minseok. Please, sit down and have some tea. Tell me a little about yourself."

"Well, I'm 19 years old and I just moved back from The States last week." he said, sitting down

"Moved back?", Luhan's mom asked.

"So, you were born in Korea? What brought your family back to Korea?"

He nodded, "Yes, I was born here. We moved to the states when I was 14. But, I moved back alone. My mom and dad are still in the US."

"Your parents didn't come too? Why would you want to move back alone?", she asked, furrowing her brow as if this was the most confusing thing she had ever heard.

Minseok smiled and looked at the table top, "It was my wish, so they allowed it."

Luhan's mother tilted her head to the side. "Your wish? What do you mean?" "

Just that I missed Korea, so they let me move back alone. They are both too busy with their business there."

She nodded slowly, "I see. Well. Consider me as your mother while you are here. You are welcome here anytime." She got up then, walked around the table, and wrapped her arms around Minseok's neck from behind. "Anyone who makes my Luhan happy is instantly my family." Then she laid a kiss on top of his head and let him go.

Minseok blushed and bent his head. From where Luhan was sitting, he could see Minseok's chin quiver. He got up and hugged his mom, giving the other boy a moment to collect himself. "Well, Mom. We are going to head out now." She hugged him back.

"Have fun.", then she whispered in his ear, "I think he needs you as much as you need him." 

~~~~~~

They had been on the bus for an hour when Luhan finally asked Minseok where they were going.

"You'll see. We will be there soon." he took Luhan's hand and closed his eyes, leaning back against the head rest. "Just sit back and relax."

Luhan looked down at their hands, his heart beating in his chest. He took a peek at Minseok's face and saw a small smile on his lips. Biting his own lip, he smiled and adjusted their hands to where their fingers were interlacing. Minseok squeezed his hand once and then fell asleep. Luhan spent the rest of the trip watching Minseok's sleeping face.

By 1pm they had gotten off of the bus and were walking down a country road. Minseok wouldn't let go of Luhan's hand, swinging it lightly as they walked. To their left a lake came into view, with a dock and a couple small boats.

"Here we are. See that blue row boat with the canopy? That is my uncle's. He said I could use it when ever I wanted. But, first,", the smaller boy said, leading Luhan to a flat spot under a tree."Let's eat. I'm starving." They laid out the blanket Minseok had packed and pulled out the containers of food Luhan's mother had made them. "Your mom is so awesome. It was really nice of her to make these for us. Sure beats the bags of chips that I had packed." Luhan smiled is agreement.

After they had been eating for a few minutes, Minseok broke the silence. "So, remember the other day when I told you I would tell you a secret in exchange for yours?"

Luhan looked up at Minseok, who was playing with his fruit salad. "Yes?"

"Well," Minseok said, achewing on a grap. "I'm going to tell you what it is now." He took a deep breathe and blew it out. "When I was a kid I was short and fat. I got bullied. A lot. Sometimes it was so bad that I would just go into the bathroom and cry so hard I would throw up." Luhan could see the pain in Xumin's eyes as he said this. "One day, when I was in 6th grade, I was in the bathroom crying after a particularly rough beat down, and a boy in the next stall said something to me that changed my life. He said "Take what they give you, but don't give them anything in return. They will give up and leave you alone if don't give them the satisfaction of seeing how much you hurt. That's what I did, and now they don't even acknowledge my existence. It's.."

Luhan's eyes widened in recognition as he finished the sentence "... better that way."

He nodded, "You remember? You didn't see me, but when you went to leave, I followed you out and saw you. We were in different classes but I would always look for you in the halls and in the yard. Every time I saw you, the more I wanted to know you. The more I learned about you, the more I wanted you."

"Why didn't you ever say anything to me?" Luhan asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I was going to but then my parents wisked us away to the US." He cocked his head to the side and looked at Luhan, "But, I never forgot about you. You were always there, floating in and out of my thoughts. That's why I came back. I needed to see if you were ok, if you were living happily. But, then I found you there in the dark, humming to yourself, still closed off from everyone and everything. My heart broke and I knew then that I had to do whatever I could to pull you out of that dark place. Will you let me do that?" Minseok scooted closer to Luhan and took his hand, his fingers with his thumb, his eyes intent on Luhan's. "If you accept my heart, I promise you, I'll do anything and everything in my power to make you happy. To never let you hurt again." 

Luhan was so shaken by Minseok's confession that he was having a hard time even gathering his thoughts. He looked down at his hand in Minseok's, watching the way the other boys thumb gently brushed across his knuckles. He did the same thing to his mother, who he loved immensely. He looked up into Minseok's eager gaze and saw himself reflected. He could see the truth there as well. Luhan's eyes drifted to Minseok's lips. He slowly leaned forward until their lips were a breath apart.  

Minseok stiffened, his breathing speeding up and his heart pounded harder in his chest. Letting go of Luhan's hand, Minseok placed his hands on each side of the other boys face and kissed him, breathing his sent in through his nose, getting high on his everything

The kiss quickly went from an innocent brushing of lips, to a breath takingly, sweet tangle of lips and tongues. Luhan, who had moved his hands to Minseok's waist, closed his eyes and grabbed the fabric on his t-shirt, pulling him on top of him as he laid back on the blanket. Minseok moved his lips to Luhan's jaw, kissing a wet line down his neck to his exposed collar bone. A small moan escaped Luhan and he pushed his fingers into the his hair, encouraging him to continue. Minseok lay wet, kisses along Luhan's throat and pushed one hand under his shirt, relishing the feel of his love's skin. When his fingers brushed against one of his s, Luhan whimpered and gripped Minseok's shoulder.

Minseok moved from Luhan's neck to his ear and on his earlobe. "Do you like that?", he whispered into his ear.

"Yes. Don't stop." he whined.

"Anything for you, Luhan", Minseok said as he tugged Luhan's shirt up and over his head then did the same with his own. "I want nothing more than to make you happy."