“Xiumin…?”

Yixing smiled, “Yes, it’s your fake name.”

Minseok flipped the other files he got in a map. All of them looked so real compare to the real ones. Even the watermark of the files. Mentally, he praised Luhan and his fake files.

“Doesn’t it sound like…?” Minseok stopped, “Ah…we’re going to China indeed.”

Yixing nodded again.

Then Minseok’s face saddened because he remembered his parents.

Could my parents be one of them too?

Minseok shook his head, It’s just impossible.

Suddenly a cold thing hit his cheek. He yelped and turned his face. He saw Tao with a cold canned coke in his hand. The coke was the one which touched his cheek, he guessed. Tao wriggled the can in front of Minseok’s face. The chubby male got the meaning and took it from Tao.

“Thank you…”

Tao just shrugged and sipped his own coke.

Yixing had already moved to Kris’ side and they were talking about something while reading something on the laptop’s display. Luhan was sitting beside the window, looking the airplanes land and take off in boredom.

“Don’t worry.”

“Huh?” Minseok turned his face and looked at Tao confusedly.

Tao sipped his coke and repeated, “Don’t worry too much. Your parents are going to be okay as long as you stay away from them for a while.”

“Hmm…” Minseok hummed, pursing his lips.

“You’re lucky your parents are still alive, Minseok.” Tao smiled sadly and crashed the empty can by his hand.

“I’m so sorry to hear about your parents, Tao.” Minseok replied weakly.

Tao just shrugged and threw the can into the trash bin.

Minseok decided to drop the topic, “So, I haven’t been in China before. Well, I learned the basic conversation in high school but I don’t know if I still can use it though.”

“China…” Tao sighed. He folded his hands on the back of his head. “China is a huge country. There are so many things right there. But, I love Shanghai the most.”

“Ah…why not Beijing?” Minseok asked, feeling relieved finally the parents’ subject had been dropped.

“I don’t know.” Tao shrugged, “It’s just, Shanghai is beautiful.”

“Are we going there?” Minseok asked hopefully because he was curious about the city.

“We are.” Tao nodded, “I think you’re going to love Shanghai.”

Minseok smiled and nodded.

He learned something that day that Tao wasn’t a stupid jerk with erted mind like he had been thinking before.

-

Once they arrived in China, Luhan bid goodbye to them. They separated. Kris called a cab and it brought them to a medium house somewhere in Shanghai.

“It’s our home.” Yixing said happily after Minseok had asked him.

The house was dominated by wooden color. It had two stories. The first one contained the kitchen, the dining room, living room with fireplace, bathroom and back yard. The second one contained two bedrooms, bathroom, a small reading room and something like spacey place with carpet.

Minseok had to admit that the house was nice and cozy. He had loved it already.

“It’s midnight now. So, it’s better for us to get some sleep.” Kris said when they were gathering in the spacey carpeted room on the second stories, “But, Yixing, before we sleep, let’s contact Chen first.”

Yixing took his laptop and connected it to webcam. A man with bed hair and sleepy eyes appeared.

“ you, guys…don’t you see it’s midnight already?”

Minseok was surprised that the man on the display was using Korean than Chinese.

Kris chuckled, “Sorry, Chen. Can’t help it. We need weapons by tomorrow.”

Chen’s sleepy eyes snapped open and his lips curled up into smile, “Okay! Oh, you must know! I have plenty new upgraded stuff here! Wait, wait, I’ll send them to you!”

Chen scribbled with the keyboard and then suddenly a pop-up page appeared. The page contained some images of weapons. Guns, snipers even grenades were there.

“Wow, this is nice.” Tao pointed an image, “The sniper gun coded 2H801KL.”

“Ah, that one! Nice eyes, Tao!” Chen cheered, “It’s the newest, came from Russian black market.”

“I take that one. And those twin guns coded 5TG0158HP.” Tao said, “Oh, and a set of the black smoke grenades too.”

“I take this 6HJ03KY8, and this 40LP762GG and a set of plain smoke grenades, thanks. I don’t like it colored like Tao’s.” Kris pointed out.

“Hey, black is nice.” Tao rolled his eyes.

“What about you, Yixing?” Chen asked.

“I take the same with my previous weapons, thanks.” Yixing smiled.

“Why don’t you try the new one?” Kris asked.

Yixing shrugged, “I love that type of gun.”

“Okay, whatever.” Kris chuckled and pecked his boyfriend’s lips.

“Oh, please! Don’t do PDA in front of me!” Chen complained, “What about that chubby guy? He’s new?”

Minseok realized it was him. He looked around.

“Well, Chen, it’s kind of complicated to tell his status.” Tao said, “But, the simple gun must be enough for him. I don’t know if he could even use it though.”

“Wow, hi, there! What’s your name?”

“Min-”

“Xiumin.” Tao cut him, “His name is Xiumin.”

“Ah, hi, Xiumin, nice to meet you!” Chen waved, “Oh, , my mother is going up to my room! See you tomorrow, guys. I’ll make sure you get the weapons! Ciao!”

And then Chen disappeared.

“Listen, Xiumin. Sorry for not telling you this earlier.” Yixing said, “But, your identity is now Xiumin. You go with that name. So, whenever people introduce yourself, you have to tell your fake name, okay? It’s not safe here, in China. The mafias are scattering around us. I don’t want one of them recognize you by someone who’s involved in this.”

Minseok nodded.

“But, now, I’m still curious about you, Minseok.” Kris said, “Like what I said, I’m sure Chanyeol isn’t being around you for nothing. I know him too well. Who are you exactly? Are you someone like us, the assassin, or mafia or something else maybe? CIA? FBI? Army?”

“Uh…I don’t know.” Minseok bit his lower lip, “I just know that I’m probably someone else other than a ramen delivery man from you…I’m just…a normal civilian.”

“I don’t think so.” Tao said, “I think you have something in your past that you don’t know.”

“I hope I won’t know it.” Minseok said weakly, “I don’t want something change in my life.”

“But, indeed it has changed.” Tao sighed, “Let’s go. We have to sleep.”

Yixing and Kris got up to head to their room.

“See you tomorrow, Minseo-, I mean, Xiumin.” Yixing said and he disappeared behind the closed door.

“Yeah…” Minseok said.

Tao noticed the uneasiness in Minseok’s face. With a small sigh, he slipped his hand into Minseok’s smaller one and pulled the shocked chubby boy toward the one which was supposed to be their room. Tao closed the door and sat Minseok on the edge of the bed. He opened the closet and spread the futon and blanket on the wooden floor. Taking one of the pillows on the bed, he threw it on the futon.

“What are you doing…?” Minseok asked.

“I’m building a sand castle.” Tao rolled his eyes, “Of course I’m preparing my place to sleep.”

Minseok was taken aback, “Bu-but, I thought this was your room…”

“This is my room.” Tao said. He put off his shirt and laid down on his uninjured side, backing Minseok’s direction. “Now, sleep before I change my mind.”

“I-It’s okay, Tao, you can slee-”

Suddenly Tao turned his face and stared at Minseok’s eyes intensely, “Sleep, Minseok. Or I’ll kiss you.”

Minseok gasped. With a red face, he hurriedly turned to his side and covered his body with blanket. He could hear Tao chuckled behind him,

“Good night, Xiumin.”

“…Goo-good night, Tao.”

-

Tao woke up stiffly. He cursed breathily because his body was hurt from sleeping on the floor. The futon didn’t help him either. He stretched his body and he could hear some ‘crack’s come from his back.

“Damn. I have to remind Yixing to buy another bed.” He said.

The suspect of his pain was still sleeping soundly in (supposed to be) his bed. Minseok was mumbling something before rolling his body so his back faced Tao. It made Tao snort and covered his mouth so he wouldn’t make some noise. He kicked the blanket off his body and walked out from (once again, supposed to be) his room.

“Morning.” Yixing greeted him.

“Morning.” Tao greeted back once he was stepping into the kitchen after brushing his teeth and washing his face.

Yixing flipped over the pancake on the pan and placed it on the plate in front of Kris. When they were about to kiss, Tao hurriedly looked down and fiddled his fork. It wasn’t like he was jealous because of Kris. But, Yixing was the one who had found him back then. And he considered Yixing as his older brother. Tao thought maybe it was such kind of brother complex or something. But, Tao indeed admitted that Kris and Yixing looked sweet together.

“Uh…morning…”

Tao glanced at the doorway and found the bun like faced male on it, eyeing the kissing couple awkwardly. Unconsciously, Tao’s lips curled up into a smirk.

“What? Are you telling me that you’ve never seen people kissing before?” Tao asked, “Oh, or maybe you’ve never got one?”

Like what Tao had expected, Minseok’s face burnt in a second.

“I-It’s not your business!” Minseok squeaked.

“Ah, so your lips are . I’m sure your too, hm?” Tao narrowed his eyes into slits, “How about me teaching you, ?”

Minseok covered his red face and ran out again, leaving Tao for his loud laughter.

“Tao.” Yixing shook his head, “Why do you like to that much?”

“Because his reaction is funny!” Tao said between his laugh, “Come on. Give me some pancakes. I’m hungry.”

Yixing sighed and made the raven haired man some pancakes.

“Xiumin.” Kris called, “Come here. You have to eat.”

“No when that erted bastard is there!” Minseok shouted back.

Kris and Yixing immediately looked at Tao. The raven haired man, who was busy chewing his pancakes, felt the eyes on him. He looked up and raised his eyebrows in ‘what?’ way.

“Go get him, Tao.” Yixing said.

“Nnnnmmhgaoy!” Tao protested. He swallowed the food in his mouth and repeated his words, “No way!!!”

“Tao.” Kris looked at him with commanding tone.

“Ugh! Fine!” Tao groaned and left his pancakes.

Minseok gasped when he saw Tao stomping toward him, “What do you want?!”

“Don’t be a girl and eat your breakfast or I can’t eat mine peacefully.” Tao said, hands on hips.

“No…you finish it first.” Minseok said hesitantly.

“Come on!” Tao rolled his eyes, “Yixing won’t give me my breakfast if you don’t drag your ing there!”

“Tao, be nice!!!” Yixing yelled from the kitchen.

Minseok stuck his tongue, “Listen to Yixing, be nice!”

Tao narrowed his dark eyes, “You’re really testing my patience, aren’t you?”

“Uh…n-no…”

Tao bent his body so his face became dangerously close to Minseok. The chubby man swore he could feel Tao’s sweet butter favored breath (probably from the pancake) on his own lips.

“Minseok…” Tao breathed lowly.

On other hand, Yixing and Kris were waiting for Tao and Minseok to come in the kitchen when suddenly they heard Minseok screaming in high-pitched tone.

“Aish, that panda!” Yixing groaned and threw his pan to the sink before walking fast toward the living room.

Minseok was at the corner, covering his face while screaming incoherent words, while Tao was laughing his off on the floor.

“Aish, you! I told you to bring him not scare him!” Yixing groaned and smacked Tao’s head.

“Ouch!” Tao exclaimed but he was still laughing.

“Xiumin, calm down! What did he do to you?!”

“He tried to molest me!!!” Minseok cried.

“What?! No!” Tao laughed, “I was just trying to teach him how to kiss!”

Yixing sighed while calming the traumatized Minseok in his arms. He really didn’t know how to make those men get along.[]