It was a hot summer day, not the kind that Luhan enjoyed. It was muggy and humid and way too hot for anyone to have a nice day.

                “Luhan!” Luhan’s mother called, “Lulu, where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Luhan giggled, sitting in his hiding place.

                “Now, where could our Lulu be?” his father mused, and Luhan giggled again. Suddenly, Luhan’s father’s face appeared under the table, and Luhan shrieked with excitement, scrambling around the house. His parents chased him, both of them laughing nearly as much as he was.

                “We’re going to get you!” they laughed, and Luhan giggled again, running away from them.

                He found himself running slower and slower before he suddenly felt so dizzy that he couldn’t run anymore. He stopped, and the entire room looked blurry. He couldn’t tell what was going on.

                “Luhan!” he heard a scream. “Luhan!”

                The credenza that held a vase with a sprig of lavender flew across his vision, and suddenly everything went black.

Luhan awoke with a terrible headache, like the back of his head was being carved out. He remembered. He remembered seeing his parents’ corpses in that room.

He was back in Minseok’s shop, and he noticed that a clock had fell on his head and he supposed it had knocked him out. He had no clue how long he’d been out, but he consulted one of the unscathed clocks on the wall, and it was midafternoon.

Luhan had to go help Minseok. He had to. His heart was pounding with terror. How long had Minseok been gone? An hour? A day? Where was he? What were they doing with him?

He ran as fast as he could back to the red-light district. He still remembered the way. He made it to the slums, and he was surprised to see that nobody was bothering him. Maybe it would be easier to help Minseok than he’d expected.

                He threw the door to Jina’s club open, and still nobody was there. Where could he be?

                “God damn it, Minseok!” Luhan cried. “Where is he? Come out, Jina! Give him back!”

                “Luhan!” he heard a voice. He whipped around, and there was Minseok, standing across the room from him.

                “Oh, Minseok, thank god you’re—”

                “Go, Luhan!” Minseok choked. “It’s a trap; run! Use your gift!”

                “Minseok, my gift is gone. And I’m not leaving you! I’m not walking away from you.”

                “It’s…it’s gone? Just—no, Luhan, it’s a trap, Luhan, please just go! If you don’t leave, then both of us will be stuck here forever!” Minseok shouted.

                “It’s better than leaving you here alone!” Luhan protested, and Minseok started crying. Luhan wasn’t scared; he was angry. More furious than he’d ever been in his entire life. He ran to Minseok and pulled him close. The feeling of his body safely in Luhan’s arms felt so fulfilling.

                “Let go, let go, it’s a trap,” Minseok sobbed.

                “I don’t care! I’m not going to let you go,” Luhan said, holding Minseok protectively. They could get out. They could.

                He walked the both of them to the entrance, and they were almost there when Luhan’s heart dropped.

                The thugs from before were there, blocking the door.

                “I told you, I told you,” Minseok wept, clinging onto Luhan tighter.

                “So, our fresh-faced beauty returns,” the biggest one said, smiling sinisterly.

                “People will come looking for us. This is the first place they’ll look,” Luhan warned, glaring at the lot of them.

                “Then we’ll just have to hide you real well, won’t we?” Jina’s voice sounded, and Luhan whipped around to see her standing several paces behind him. “It’s so nice of you to have come back, even if we did have to use a little bait.”

                “I’m just here to get him back, and I’m leaving now. Let us go or else.”

                “Or else what?” Jina cackled. “I’m serious, you could make a career here. Him too. His body is so soft.”

                Luhan pulled Minseok closed to him.

                “You touched him?” he demanded. “Now you’re seriously going to get it!”

                “From a little waifish thing like you?” she chuckled. “I don’t think so. Luhan, we want you and little honey buns here to be part of our family. With a face like yours, our profits could…double.”

                “What makes you think I’d want to do anything you have in mind for me?” Luhan accused. “And you can’t have Minseok, either.”

                “Oh, he’s yours, is he?” she scoffed in a mockingly simpering tone. “Do you love him?”

                “Shut up!” Luhan cried. “Shut up! Why can’t you give up? We’re not staying here!” He stomped his foot, and Jina laughed.

                “Boys, look, he’s angry!” she teased, and Luhan wanted to slap her more than anything.

                But he knew that letting go of Minseok would mean more struggle, and he didn’t want that.

                “Alright,” Jina sighed, “this has been a lot of fun, but it’s time for me to attend to business. Boys, take them in and please make sure they don’t get out this time.” She walked away as the thugs closed in on them.

                “Damn it, no! Get off of us!” Luhan shouted, and Minseok was still crying in fear. The biggest one grabbed Luhan’s arm, and suddenly, Luhan was furious. He didn’t even have time to be scared, he was furious that anyone would touch Minseok, that they were still trying to keep them there, that such an establishment even existed.

                “I said GET OFF!” he bellowed, and suddenly, the thug was thrown off of him. The others looked confused for a moment before turning back to Luhan, but he was already throwing the thugs off of him. His gift wouldn’t let up, throwing them every which direction, multiple people at a time into fire bowls, burning them and setting the colorful fabrics around the club on fire.

                “What’s happening?” he heard Jina cry. “How—?” She stood up on the balcony of the second level, looking more than irritated.

                Luhan flipped her over the railing, and she fell to the first floor, collapsing. She didn’t move after that, and for a moment Luhan thought she was dead.

                “Luhan,” Minseok spluttered, but Luhan wasn’t listening. He was beyond angry.

                As he threw off the last couple of people, he decided to make his escape count. He upturned tiles in the floor, ripping up the floor joists and sending some people falling down into the basement.

                “Don’t mess with us again,” Luhan snarled before rushing out of the club.

                “Luhan,” Minseok said again as they moved quickly through the streets, heading back to the food district.

                “Shh,” Luhan snapped, still gripping Minseok’s shoulders tight. He was silent the rest of the way, as they sped through the streets of Duven. His throat was clenched and his delayed sense of fear was finally catching up to him.

                “Luhan,” Minseok panted once they reached Galata.

Suddenly, Luhan burst into tears. He grabbed Minseok and buried his face in Minseok’s shoulder.

                “I was so scared,” he sobbed, “I was so scared.” Minseok patted his back, but he had started crying as well.

                “I was scared too,” Minseok cried. “I thought you wouldn’t come.”

                “Why would you think that?” Luhan asked, tears subsiding.

                “Because,” Minseok sniffled, “I was so…so awful to you. I’m sorry, Luhan, I’m so sorry. I was scared of how my friends would react since they were so disdainful of Prince Minho’s wedding, but then Kyungsoo told me that they were all okay with it but at that point the damage was done and I thought you hated me.”

                “I couldn’t,” Luhan replied. “Didn’t you know that? I tried to hate you, remember? It didn’t work.” Minseok gave a teary laugh. “They didn’t touch you, did they?”

                “She was bluffing,” Minseok reassured him. “I’m still shaking.”

                “Let’s go upstairs and we can have some tea,” Luhan offered, and Minseok nodded. They went upstairs, and it seemed like Hangeng and Fei were both out. Luhan set the kettle to boil and turned back to Minseok. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and he could swear that his headache was returning.

                “What is it?” Minseok asked.

“Your shop is still completely destroyed. Do you…uh, do you want to stay here tonight?” Luhan offered, and Minseok’s cheeks turned rosy.

                “Really?” Minseok asked, his eyes shining bright once again. Luhan nodded.

                “We don’t have a guest room, and my room is really small, but…you don’t mind sharing a bed, right?” Luhan asked again, and Minseok turned scarlet.

                “I…I’d like that,” Minseok smiled. “A lot.”

                “Great,” Luhan grinned. “Oh, right, uh, tea.” His hands were shaking almost as much as they had been when he was rescuing Minseok.

                “You were really cool back there,” Minseok said. “And I’ve never seen you use your gift like that. It was amazing. Really scary, but amazing.”

                “They kidnapped you. I thought they touched you. I couldn’t just leave them be and let them come bother us again,” Luhan said, trying to sound modest but having trouble disguising just how happy he was that Minseok thought he was cool.

                “I thought you told me your gift was gone,” Minseok said.

                “I thought it was too,” Luhan replied. “But I guess not. I was really angry, I guess. Or really happy to see you. Either one. Do you want milk in your tea? Sugar?”

                “I’ll take both,” Minseok replied.

                “I think I will too,” Luhan agreed, serving the tea and putting in the appropriate additions. He reached over the table and took Minseok’s hand, and it was as warm and soft as he remembered.

                “So,” Minseok said, “before I got kidnapped, I received an invitation to the royal wedding. And it said I could bring a date. Do you want to come with me?”

                “It sounds extravagant,” Luhan said, pretending he was pondering whether or not he wanted to attend.

                “Ah,” Minseok smiled, “but rumor has it that Prince Minho’s fiancé abhors extravagance.”

                “In that case, I think I’ll come,” Luhan replied. “Hey, do you want a biscotti?”

                “Sure,” Minseok replied, smiling at Luhan as he pulled out the biscotti from the cabinet. He took one out of the package and offered it to Minseok, who opened his mouth. At the last minute, Luhan drew it back and took a bite himself. Minseok looked affronted.

                “Hey!” he cried. Luhan grinned as he consumed the biscotti. He offered another to Minseok, but Minseok refused.

                “I’ll really give it to you this time,” Luhan laughed, and Minseok leaned forward and bit into the biscotti. He smiled as he ate it happily.

                They heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and suddenly Fei’s face appeared.

                “Oh!” she cried, jumping backwards, holding her chest. “Oh, God, you scared me. I didn’t think you’d be home! And I didn’t expect Minseok to be here.”

                “He’s staying over tonight,” Luhan said quickly, and he caught a hint of a smile on Fei’s face before she changed the subject.

                “Oh, did you hear? There was a fire at one of the clubs in the red-light district, and while the fire department was there, they uncovered an illicit ion ring. Tons of arrests.”

                “Really?” Minseok asked, and Luhan chuckled.

                “Serves them right,” he muttered, and Minseok cast a glance at him. When their eyes met, Minseok started laughing, which led Luhan to laugh as well.

                “What’s so funny, you two?” Fei asked, smiling along with them. “I see you’re back together.”

                “We were never really apart,” Minseok told her, and she beamed.

                “I know,” she replied, putting down the bag she was carrying. She waved at them as she graciously gave them some alone time.

                That night, wrapped in the blankets of Luhan’s bed and each other’s arms, Luhan was happier than he’d ever been. They held each other close, their bodies warm next to each other.

                They didn’t need to do anything more than that, because just holding Minseok there, knowing that he was Luhan’s and only Luhan’s was enough.

                “I’m so happy to have you,” Minseok breathed, and Luhan felt the warmth of his breath on his neck. “I thought you were out of my league. I thought a few times that maybe I should just give up.”

              “And thank goodness you didn’t. Thank goodness you broke my defenses. When I first saw your soft bun-face, I—”

                “My what?” Minseok laughed.

                “Well, you know, you have soft edges. You reminded me of a bun,” Luhan said. Minseok couldn’t stop laughing. “Hey, it’s not that funny! Minseok, seriously, it’s not that funny.” But Minseok wouldn’t stop.

                Luhan kissed him, which shut him up right away. Those warm, soft lips he missed so much were perfection.

                “Luhan,” Minseok said weakly, but Luhan kept kissing him. Minseok parted his lips and Luhan pushed himself closer to Minseok, running his tongue along Minseok’s gums. He pulled Minseok towards him, pressing his fingers into Minseok’s soft skin.

                “Luhan,” Minseok said again, and Luhan kissed his jaw, trailing kisses down his neck. “Luhan, I love you.”

                Luhan stopped.

                “What?” he asked. Minseok was a brilliant shade of scarlet, spreading all the way to his ears, and he was sweating.

                “I love you,” he whispered.

                And for a moment, Luhan thought his heart was going to explode. Because he had certainly never felt anything before like what he was feeling then.

                “I can’t just say I love you back,” Luhan said, and Minseok faltered for a moment. “I can’t, because it goes way beyond that. Minseok, I love you, I adore you, I would do anything for you, and I never want to leave your side.”

                “Isn’t that a little…” Minseok said blushingly, but Luhan kissed him fiercely.

                “No, it’s not, because it’s all true. And I don’t care if you feel the same way, because knowing you love me is enough. I love you, I love you, I love you,” he said, littering kisses all over Minseok’s perfect, soft face.

                “I do feel the same way,” Minseok replied. “Luhan, I love you.” Luhan pulled Minseok closer to him, and they repeated those words all night.

                They repeated those words for months and years to come.

                Because they were all true.

A/N: I really don't know what to say. This story is my baby and I have so many feels about it. Thank you all for sticking with it...I know at the beginning there was a lot of time between updates, but I'm really pleased that I was able to finish it up. The Prince Minho and Sir Henry stories will come sometime during 2013. In the meantime, I hope you'll read my other stories. 

You are all wonderful and this is the first story that I really feel...well, I feel sort of empty now that I'm done with it. It's sort of been most of my life for the past two weeks.

Anyway, I'm going to start working on Simple's sequel now, so I hope you'll read that when I publish it. Thank you all again, so much, and here are a few Xiuhan gifs/pictures that I love (Also, please don't repost them on tumblr. I've included the links to the rebloggable posts if you'll just click the image.)

This has been ♥ Exie