He has half a ham sandwich hanging out his mouth, keys clacking noisily beneath his fingers as he fills out titles and descriptions and tags for the latest three videos to go up on his channel. He never uploads this much, maybe one video every couple of days or so, but, between being plain lazy and spending so much time with Lu Han these past three weeks, he’s been neglecting his channel and his subscribers are starting to make jokes that he either died or finally ran off to elope with Jongdae — the latter being the more outrageous of the two. He really doesn’t understand why they think he and Jongdae are an item. He played one game with Jongdae and all of a sudden the entire Korean gaming community believed they were lusting after each other. Okay so there may have been some horribly blatant innuendos about banana touching and torpedo riding throughout the entire hour of them playing Mario Kart, all started by Jongdae, but that doesn’t mean he wants Jongdae. His subs should know he has better standards than that.

As he hits the upload button his phone explodes into a cacophony of ear-bleeding wails, better described as Jongdae’s voice telling him to pick up his phone, and he shrieks, nearly falling out of his chair in surprise. He stares at the vibrating device for a whole two rings, wondering when Jongdae had the time to take his phone, record himself, and change his ringtone without his knowledge, before getting annoyed with the auditory warfare and swiftly sliding his finger over the screen and picking up the call on speaker.

“You set me up with a bumbling idiot.”

Taking his sandwich out of his mouth, Minseok exhales a breathy laugh and casts a playfully judging glance at his cell phone even though he knows it can’t be seen. He waits for Baekhyun to continue, to give him a full-blown rant on what Chanyeol has done to warrant this phone call and then blame him for the millionth time for introducing them to each other. Attention once more focused on his monitor, he opens another browser tab upon noticing that it’ll take another couple minutes for his videos to finish loading.

He hums when he realizes Baekhyun is no longer speaking. “Is that it?”

"Did you want me to keep going?" Baekhyun says, the warning in his voice tinged with amusement. "Because I can complain for hours."

Rolling his eyes, Minseok quickly checks on his uploads. He knows that Baekhyun can complain for hours, they did live together once upon a time, and Baekhyun never gave him mercy before so he doesn't understand why he is now. Still, Minseok doesn’t care to hear him whine about things he already knows about Chanyeol. "You could give me the cliff notes version."

He soon figures out that he shouldn't have asked for any elaboration at all as Baekhyun dives nose first into a rant over how Chanyeol can't take two steps without knocking something over and how this is the third time in the past month that Baekhyun has had to go out and buy new decorative vases. His words are quick to the point that they begin to all run together and Minseok can't tell when his sentences start and when they end. After a while, he tunes out his old roommate, already familiar with how this process goes and finishes his sandwich. He gives it another minute and like clockwork Baekhyun has to stop to breathe, his emotional pants audible through the line.

"How about," Minseok taps his fingers on his desk as he stares disinterestedly at his monitor, "you stop buying vases if you know Chanyeol is just going to break them."

"But what else am I going to put on the tables to make the room look homey?"

This is familiar as well: Baekhyun not getting the very helpful advice Minseok offers him.

"Or you can continue to waste your money but on plastic table decorations," he suggests. Slumping into his chair, he leans his head back and pushes away from his desk to spin around in circles.

"That’s...actually a good idea."

The one before it was an even better idea. He sticks his leg out and it catches on the end of the desk, stopping his spinning. His vision swims and he can feel the nausea behind his eyes. "Why are you dating him if you insist he's an idiot?"

"He's cute. And a surprisingly good lay."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Minseok grimaces. "Too much information."

Baekhyun laughs as if he didn't just cause Minseok to contemplate Chanyeol's skills in bed. "But enough about us. How are you? How was your date with that cute guy you had over the last time?"

It takes Minseok a full thirty seconds to realize what Baekhyun is talking about, remembering almost a month back when he introduced Jongdae to the couple. His lips pull into a tight frown. "I thought I told you we were just friends."

"You two were way too close to be 'just friends'. I know a couple in the making when I see one."

"We are not into each other like that. We may as well be brothers or something," he stresses. He isn't oblivious. He knows what they look like to other people, yes; it's not completely platonic to hug and cuddle and kiss your best friend but they've always been like that and probably always will be until Jongdae finds a boyfriend who won't be comfortable with their touchiness. "Plus, I plan to buy a farm and raise a hundred cats that’ll all be named Sir Fluffybuttom III."

"Minseok," Baekhyun deadpans. Minseok can imagine the unamusement on the younger man's face. "Seriously though, I think having a boyfriend would be good for you. Even if it isn’t Jongdae or whatever his name is. I heard from Chanyeol that you're regressing. I don't think I ever saw you panic when we were in college. You were so lively, maybe not outgoing exactly, but at least you got out. It scares me to think that you barely leave your house and the only human interaction you get is with someone you've known for a long time. That's not healthy, Minseok, really."

Minseok doesn't see how his anxiety is related to his lack of a romantic relationship but either way... "No one would want to date a nervous wreck like me so--"

"But you don't know that!" Baekhyun interrupts. "There might be some sweet guy out there who will love you unconditionally, anxiety and all."

Scoffing, Minseok goes back to spinning around. "I don't want to talk about this, Baek."

He hears Baekhyun sigh but the topic is dropped and Baekhyun starts talking about how he and Chanyeol are planning a trip to Jeju next month. He invites Minseok and says he can bring Jongdae along if he wants. Minseok says that he'll think about it (read: No thanks).

"I should probably hang up and get started on dinner before I get too comfortable sitting around. We've been eating takeout all week and if I eat any more of that crap, I'll get sick."

Minseok laughs lightly. "You two worry me."

"You worry us," Baekhyun says like he can't believe Minseok just said that. Before Minseok can respond he continues, "Call me soon if you want to go to Jeju with us, 'kay."

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

"I'm letting you know right now that the first rat I see, I'm hijacking your bed and your is on the floor," Yixing warns as they pass through the doors of Lu Han's ty apartment building. He has a bag with a boxed sleeping bag hanging from his fingertips, their most important purchase tonight other than a couple boxes of Chinese takeout.

Rolling his eyes, Lu Han transfers the bags of takeout to his other hand so he can rifle through his pockets for his keys. If Yixing was going to complain about sleeping on the floor he should have gotten a hotel. The spoiled rotten bastard. He doesn't know half of what it's like living Lu Han's plain life or the struggles he constantly goes through trying to pretend he didn’t used to be the same privileged boy Yixing is a handful of years ago. "Look at you, all spooked at the thought of a little mouse. I thought you wanted to be a vet, Xing."

Yixing sniffs. "Rats are different from mice. And my wanting to be a vet doesn't mean I automatically like all animals."

Dropping the conversation because he has no interest in Yixing's aspirations or his fear of large, invasive rodents, Lu Han shoves his key in the lock, heaving an exasperated sigh when it gets stuck and the handle won't turn. He wiggles the key, hoping it'll turn so he doesn't have to stand out here any longer. This is the first time in a while that he hasn't been stopped by his old hag of a landlord. Two and half minutes of key jiggling and kicking the bottom of the door later, the lock turns and he pushes the door open.

"I still don't understand why you left home to come to this hole," Yixing comments as he toes off his shoes and kicks them out of the way.

"Yeah, well, I still don't understand why you're such a pain in my ," Lu Han replies as he drops the takeout on the cramped counter space that he has between his refrigerator and the kitchen sink. He maneuvers around Yixing while pulling off his shirt and flinging it into the hamper. He does the same with his jeans, replacing them with the sweatpants he's been sleeping in for the last couple of days. Scratching his stomach, he drops onto his bed and watches Yixing turn the box containing his new sleeping bag in his hands.

"This is a load of bull," the younger Chinese man grumbles as he tears open the box and tugs out the ugly roll of fabric and insulation.

"I would have offered you a couple of blankets but these are my only clean set at the moment." Lu Han runs his hands over his bedspread with a teasing grin on his face. He otherwise lets Yixing arrange the sleeping bag on his own in silence, tossing down a spare pillow for his cousin when he finishes. "I told you to take your to a hotel," he reminds him.

Yixing narrows his eyes at him. Sighing, he flops onto his back, grunting when he feels how hard the floor is beneath him. Camping in the middle of the forest would be more comfortable than this. "I told Uncle I was staying with an ex for a couple weeks. He'd think it suspicious if he saw hotel transactions on my bank statement," he explains.

"Are you going to tell me the real reason why you're here?" Lu Han lies back on his own pillow and stares up at the ceiling as he so often does.

"Uncle is starting to look into property overseas to buy and sell."

Lu Han hums, disinterested. Okay? That's not anything special. His family owns a real estate enterprise. It's a surprise they haven't looked into foreign property earlier. "I don’t see how this is important to me."

"Our family has been into real estate for generations now and we've never gone into the foreign market. We've never had to."

Mhm, this is all stuff Lu Han already knows. They've never needed to look into foreign real estate because they've always been the largest real estate company on the mainland.

"I think Uncle knows you're not in America. I think he's doing it to find you under the pretense that he's trying to expand the company," Yixing explains, propping himself up on his right arm.

Lu Han rolls onto his side to look at him, frowning at the serious expression on his cousin's face. It makes sense. Kind of. His father isn’t known to do things just for the hell of it, especially when it could cost him precious money, and if their company is in the same state as it was when Lu Han ran away, there is no viable reason why they would need to branch out. Yixing's theory is, if not a little far-fetched, completely plausible. He knits his brows. "Why are you telling me this?"

Yixing's smile is small, barely noticeable, but it's there all the same. "We might not get along all the time but we're both in the same ty boat. I may be mad at you for ruining my chances of being a vet but let's be real, Uncle would have never would have let me be one anyway. And if either of us has a chance of being happy, we should help another out."

Touched by his cousin's words, Lu Han returns the smile with a slight quirk of his lips. "Thanks," he says earnestly and then he steels his gaze. "This little heart to heart doesn't mean . I still don't like you."

Snorting, Yixing picks himself up and travels the short distance to the kitchen. "Likewise," he assures. When he takes out his own styrofoam box of food, Lu Han pipes up again.

"Get mine too."

He doesn't appreciate being ordered around but he can't complain. This isn't anything he's not used to. Lu Han bossed him around when they were younger all the time.

"What's up with you and the cute Korean boy?" He asks as he hands over Lu Han's food and a pair of disposable chopsticks.

They crack open the containers and simultaneously grin at the sight of food.

Lu Han plays around with the noodles, picking them up and letting them drop over and over before he sighs. "I don't know. I'm probably doing something totally stupid considering I never got to go to grad school and am not at all of any psychiatric assistance but I really want to help him. He's stronger than he thinks he is."

"Do you really want to get in his pants too?"

Chopsticks heavy with noodles halfway to his mouth, Lu Han splutters, unable to help the embarrassment that rushes through him, heating his face. Weakly kicking out at Yixing who dodges his foot, he takes his first bite of food. Swallowing is harder than it should be. "It's not like that. We have a clear patient-doctor relationship."

Wiggling his eyebrows, Yixing smirks. "That's some , Han." He full out laughs when Lu Han tries to glare at him with a beet-red face. "Seriously, though, you should stop lying to yourself," he says once he's sobered up. "I can tell you like the guy. He might even like you back. He barely left your side at the golf course."

Lu Han waves his chopsticks around dismissively. "He doesn't have many friends. It was probably because he was unsure about you."

Yixing makes a face. "What does he have?"

Playing with his food once more, Lu Han shrugs. It suddenly occurs to him that he's never talked to Minseok about his condition. "I think he has social anxiety," he says, adding as an afterthought, "and maybe a little bit of agoraphobia. He does fine in public most times but if he starts thinking that people are making fun of him or judging him, he freaks out." He shrugs again. That's all he can assume from observing him at least.

Yixing nods. "Don't it up. You won't be able to fix things if you hurt him too badly."

Lu Han scowls. "I just ing said we're not like that."

"See? You're already reacting badly to your first crush."

Scoffing, Lu Han stuffs his (still pink) face with noodles. "And what the hell do you know about this? You've never been with anyone either."

"I know a lot more than you," Yixing retorts, lips working around his chopsticks.

Finally accepting that he lost his appetite, Lu Han closes the styrofoam container and sits it to the side. "What is with you tonight?"

Yixing tilts his head to the side, eyes round like he has no idea what Lu Han is talking about. "Don't worry. I'm just having a good day. I'll go back to being a proper pain in your tomorrow."