"Hallelujah Chance!"

Cue to blinding light and dramatic face-blocking with the back of his hand. One, two, Luhan blinks open his eyes and sees white. He swivels around, groans when his knee collides with the toilet and buckles. Standing back up just as quickly the 22-year-old storms out of the cubicle. This is already his sixth time-travel, and considering the fifth one was to the New Year eve he hasn't got much chance left. Five times of failure to confess. He really has to do it right this time.

"Heyheyheyheyheyhey. Here, here, over here."

It's Yixing. Luhan sighs, glad to have meet him before anyone else this time.

"Next week will be their second year anniversary." and the day of the proposal.

"We've just finished lunch. He's going to buy the ring after this."

Luhan nods, eyes to the ground. Somehow Yixing had figured out the fourth time he travelled back in time, on Yifan's 21st birthday.

"...Will it be your last chance? Today?"

"I don't know. I don't know whether there'll be another photo of me in the slideshow."

"I see. You better do it now then."

"Yeah."

The slap to the back Yixing gives him is hard. He would've returned the favor if not for the voice across the corridor.

"What's taking you guys so long?"

Zitao is walking towards them, trailing behind are Minseok and Yifan. Yifan. Luhan feels himself shrink.

"Bowel problems."

"Yeah right. Let's go now, I want to quickly look at the rings, can't trust Yifan's judgement, he doesn't know what a girl likes."

Yifan raises his eyebrows in protest, about to say something when Yixing butts in.

"Do you forget we have something important to do today?"

"Wha-"

"Luhan can go accompany him. You, me and Minseok have something else to do."

Thankfully Minseok catches on fast. He grabs on Zitao's arm and drags him away at the same time Yixing pushes Luhan towards Yifan. They bid their goodbyes and leave, with Zitao in the middle and the other two tightly gripping him. Luhan hopes the hand clamping Zitao's mouth shut is only optical illusion, and if it isn't, that Yifan doesn't see it.

"W, well, let's go."

The jewelry store is near to their elementary school. Luhan didn't know this, of course; he had made some excuse to exclude himself the first time today happened. He was still very bitter then. The ring itself he recognizes – a white gold band with blue diamond eye. He thought, still thinks it's very pretty. Yifan has always liked simple accessories and the preference rubs off on Luhan. A lot of things do. Like watching old english movies in black and white, or old chinese action movies, and things as superficial as clothing and accessories. Luhan has his fair share of influence too, especially in choice of music. Thirteen years of growing up together does that, he guesses.

"Want to go there?"

Yifan is pointing to the playground.

"You've been looking at it quite a while."

Luhan laughs, waving his hand. Yifan gives a brief smile before slinging an arm around his shoulder, guiding him forward across the street into the school ground. A few steps later the weight of the limb is no longer on him, and he tries not to reach out to it.

"This used to look so tall."

The monkey bar is now coated with paint of different colour, adding to the foreign image it gives off. Yifan climbs it with ease.

"You're barely off the ground."

He makes a silly scene, Luhan thinks, looking misplaced hanging low from the bar. But silly Yifan is the best, because he would do things like forcing his basketball team to cheer for Luhan in his soccer match and offering to go to school with his hair up in pigtails if he won. He lost, and Yifan did it on the way home instead.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You in pigtails."

With a groan Yifan lets go of his grip and plods to the ground.

"That was in middle school. Six... seven years ago. Heh, you were even shorter then."

"Well excuse you, I was more popular with the girls than Mr. pigtails."

"Yet you dated none."

"Like you're one to talk."

Up until high school he thought it was okay, that they were going to stay forever together like it had been since he could remember. It was naive of him, and the confusion that attacked when Yifan introduced his girlfriend was painfully strong. They kissed only once, when Luhan's grandfather passed away and Yifan was beside him as a pillar of support. Yifan had initiated it and Luhan reciprocated but neither of them ever brought it up. Maybe Yifan gave up after that.

"I'm going to propose to her next week."

"I know, I know, it's your second year anniversary, right?"

Yifan smiles, longer this time. It's sheepish and his gums are showing. Luhan wants to keep it in his memory and never forget.

"She'll say yes."

He says it not only for encouragement; he says it because he knows it's true.

"Thank you."

"There's no need to."

Luhan's eyes follow Yifan when he walks closer. It's natural to look up to him literally, and even easier figuratively. Yifan is always composed. Yifan is also soft. Yifan is as determined as he is emotional, although most people only know of the first trait and assume otherwise for the second. Circumstances make Yifan steady, but what Luhan loves the most is when he spills out to him. He will always take pride in being the one Yifan relies on; and that he can't be the only one forever is his only regret.

"I remember feeling so upset when school reopened. I hated them for putting me in a different class from my childhood crush, and you were assigned the seat next to mine even though we didn't know each other. My eraser leaped from the table when I rubbed it too hard, I was about to cry when I couldn't find it. You took my hand; because you had been very quiet the whole morning I thought you were scary and about to hit me. But you gave me your extra pencil instead. You said I could use the eraser on top of it. That made a good first impression."

"You smiled and said thank you. It made a good impression on me too," Yifan says in between his chuckles.

"I thought you looked cute."

"We played together almost everyday, until the sixth grade was over and we had our graduation. I went back from my vacation and suddenly there was this tall boy with a deep voice waiting in front of the house. If not for the matching cap we bought after graduation I wouldn't have recognised you. I never told you before that it scared me, how much your appearance had changed in such a short time. At the end of the day I figured my fear was pretty silly because you were still the same old Yifan I knew. Throughout middle school and high school we were always in the same class, I think I saw you more often than my own parents. Then college happened and for the first time since we met, you and I went in different directions. Yixing, Zitao and Minseok too, but three years down the road all five of us are still best friends. We always regard you as a leader figure, the most mature of us all and now–soon you’re going to be someone’s husband, be a part of a new family. Sometimes I still can’t believe it. I still, sometimes, see you as that little boy who loves to watch old movies and impersonate the characters in front of the mirror. But you’ve grown,"

Luhan shifts his gaze from the yard to look at Yifan. Shouldn’t have done so. He feels like the kid who lost his eraser in the classroom thirteen years ago, the difference being there is no one to give him a replacement this time.

"...And I’m sure you’ll do a good job in making her happy. How's that for a best man speech?"

It's completely different from the final draft he wrote on paper, but nobody will know. Yifan gapes a little, looking slightly taken aback at his question. As if he'd expected Luhan to say something else. Luhan doesn't wait for him to form his thoughts, doesn't give him chance to utter a word as he hugs Yifan; chin brushing against shoulder.

"Thank you for being my friend. I can't even express it myself, but all this while, from a simple-minded kid up to now; even when becoming an adult have complicated a lot of things, my feelings for you never change."

Luhan squeezes him a little tighter before letting go completely. He is putting on the best smile he can muster.

"I've always loved you. Please continue to be happy."

Leaving behind those words he runs away. Yifan doesn't chase him. Luhan doesn't expect him to. His feet drive him back home and in the solitude of his room he cries. When he has calmed down Luhan takes out a camera from his drawer and snaps a picture of himself.

For all Kris x Luhan fans out there :)

Chapter two will be updated this weekend.