Mornings for Luhan and Yixing consist of the same routine: it’s always Yixing waking up first to the sound of their alarm (JJ Lin’s ‘I Don’t Know’). He would then get out of bed and start to wake up Luhan with a gentle ‘good morning’ and by running his hand up and down Luhan's back gently. Once he sees Luhan starting to move, Yixing would get ready for the day while Luhan falls back to sleep. Once Yixing is finished getting ready, he would wake up Luhan for the second time and if he’s lucky, Luhan will actually wake up this time around. This is a routine that they have set in place.

However, the morning after the disaster that was their dinner with their Yunho sunbae, Luhan oversleeps. He expects Yixing’s soothing voice and back rubs, however, he wakes up to someone shaking him roughly.

“Xing, stop,” he whines, trying to snuggle into his blanket more. “Give me 5 more minutes.”

He hears a faint giggle and feels someone tugging on his blanket.

“YAH, XING, I SAID STOP--” Luhan opens his eyes to find Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s faces centimeters away from his. He shrieks. “Chanyeol, Baekhyun, what are you doing?!”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol both grin as Luhan shoves their faces away from his.

This is not how he expected his morning to be. He turns to his right to look at the bed next to his to find it made as if no one had slept there the night before.

“Where’s Yixing?” Luhan asks groggily, sitting up on his bed.

“He showed up at our dorm a few hours ago. He and Jongin are at it again at the practice room,” Chanyeol says.

Luhan pouts because Yixing would always make sure to wake him up, even if his practice sessions are earlier than his, to at least let Luhan know where he’ll be.

“Either way, both of them are lucky.” Baekhyun continues. “They got out even before Joonmyeon hyung started ranting about ‘bonding during lunch’. You better get up before he gets in here and starts an hour rant about how it’s important to wake up before 11AM in the morning and about how we need to spend more time with each other, blah blah blah..."

Luhan gets up because he’s been on the receiving end for those talks and never again does he want to go through that.

It takes him another half an hour to really get ready and by the time that he gets to the dining table, he is startled to find all eleven members in the dining area, including Jongin and Yixing, who were both seated on either side of Kyungsoo. All three of them must be talking about something hilarious because both Jongin and Yixing are laughing loudly.

“Oh, Luhan, you’re finally awake!” Joonmyeon exclaims. “Here, take this seat,” he says, patting the empty seat next to him.

Luhan furrows his eyebrows because every time they eat in the dining room as twelve, he and Yixing would always sit together. This makes it easier on them because they always end up sharing their food.

However, when Yixing doesn’t even spare him a glance as he quietly sits next to Joonmyeon, he cannot help but recall Yixing’s words to him the night before…

“I promise you, ge, that starting tomorrow I will leave you alone, just as how you wanted...”

Luhan, feeling sick to his stomach, pushes away the plate Joonmyeon unceremoniously plops in front of him. He’s suddenly lost his appetite.

*~*~*~

Their only schedule that day is a music show where all of them would be performing ‘Christmas Day’ and while everyone is fooling around as they wait for their turn with the coordi noona for makeup and wardrobe, Luhan is sulking because it is blatant that Yixing is avoiding him.

At first he tries to make excuses for it.

‘Yixing didn’t wake me up this morning because he started practice so early he didn’t want to inconvenience me.’

‘Yixing ignored me at breakfast today because Jongin and Kyungsoo were engaging him in a really lively conversation.’

‘Yixing didn’t sit next to me in the car because he’s tired from getting up too early in the morning and wants to be alone.’

However, the last straw for Luhan comes as he watches Sehun wrap his arms around Yixing’s waist and start blowing air gently towards his neck.

“Sehun, stop!!” Yixing shrieks, trying not to crumple into the ground in a heaping mess of giggles.

“No!” Sehun yells out, laughing at Yixing’s reaction.

Yixing spots Luhan across the room and yells out,  “Luhan ge help --”

He stops mid sentence and freezes. Awkward silence fills the air and Sehun, sensing the tension between his two hyungs, lets go of Yixing.

“I...have to go practice the piano,” Yixing mutters, exiting the room as quickly as he could, Sehun hot behind his trail.

Luhan just stays rooted in his spot, staring at the place Yixing stood before running off.

“What was that all about?” Yifan asks. He’s the first one to be done with wardrobe and is currently sporting his crisp white shirt, black pants, and suspenders.

“Go away, Yifan. Don’t you have stuff animals to cuddle?” Luhan retorts.

Yifan whistles. “I could really smell the butthurt from here, Luhan.”

Luhan resorts to glaring at Yifan.

“But seriously. I don’t know what the hell happened at dinner last night, but whatever it is, fix it.”

He looks at Luhan’s dejected face and continues, “Otherwise I’ll just keep Yixing for myself because you obviously can’t take care of him.” He grins at Luhan smugly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Luhan mutters.

“You know what I mean! Now that Yixing has ditched you, maybe I can be his new best friend!” Yifan exclaims, turning around with his hands in the air.

Luhan swiftly grabs the back of Yifan’s suspenders and releases it quickly. When hears the satisfying ‘snap’ of the suspenders hitting Yifan’s back and Yifan yelping in pain, Luhan feels slightly better - but not enough to make up for his situation with Yixing.

*~*~*~

Luhan always prefers to being last to do the wardrobe and makeup, simply because he doesn’t care too much about how he looks. He’s not like Tao who wants his hair perfectly styled or like Baekhyun who spends 12 minutes doing eyeliner in front of the mirror.

While he waits, he decides to check out the stage set.

Since the show hasn’t started yet, the auditorium is still empty and dark - the only lights in the place comes from the 'EXIT' signs at the door. Luhan takes a seat in the fan area, smiling because it is a great vantage point and because it’s fun seeing how the stage looks like from a fan’s point of view.

He hears giggling right beside him and notices two fangirls about four seats away from him in dark clothing. They are so inconspicuous that if he didn’t hear the giggling, he never would have known that they are there at all.

“Is that Luhan oppa?” one of them asks the other as they stare at Luhan. "It's too dark, I can't really see."

“Aniya, I don’t think so. I mean...Luhan oppa looks much better than that. Must be an EXO fanboy that managed to sneak in like us."

Luhan would have been offended but the fact he gets to keep his privacy means more to him so he ignores them.

Their conversation is cut short when the spotlight hits the stage, illuminating the single piano on it.

Yixing walks on the stage by himself and when he gets to the middle of the stage he bows to the darkness. “Thanks for the light, ahjusshi!!” he yells out before he sits on the piano chair and starts stretching his arms.

“Omo omo omo, we’ll get to hear Yixing play the piano,” one of the girls whispers fiercely to her friend.

Luhan sighs deeply, looking at his best friend on the stage.

Yixing is clearly dressed up and ready to go for their Miracles in December performance, wearing a cream sweater and white skinny jeans. With the spotlight hitting him just perfectly, Yixing seems like he is glowing.

All three of them in the audience wait in anticipation as Yixing places his hands on the piano keys and the soft melody of Miracles in December fills the silent hall.

Miracles in December is a song that Luhan has to sing and hear over and over again to rehearse and perfect and quite frankly, he is getting tired of it. However, watching Yixing play the the song on the piano by himself- it’s different. Each chord that Yixing hits makes Luhan feel like he’s hearing the song for the first time.

As the melody of the song fills the room, Luhan takes a look at Yixing - really takes a  good look - and what he finds scares him. His heart begins to race, butterflies in his stomach, his palms sweaty. He's scared because sitting in front of him is not Zhang Yixing, his clingy best friend - it's more than that. He realizes that in front of him is the most amazing person he’s ever known in his life.

And listening to Yixing play the piano, the memories of times he’s spent with Yixing throughout the years flashes through his mind...

The times when he and Yixing would spend mindless hours talking about anything and everything.

The times when he’d get sick and Yixing would be the one there, taking care of him at 4 in the morning by lulling him to sleep with his voice and guitar.

The times when he would feel homesick and feel like giving up and he’d find comfort and warmth in the arms of Yixing.

The times when he was so happy and ecstatic and realizes that the only person that he wants to share all his joy with is Yixing.

Zhang Yixing, to Luhan, is the most caring, humble, and positive person he’s known. Zhang Yixing is beautiful inside and out.

Before he knows it, tears are streaming down his face as he recalls all that he's said about Yixing the night before.

"He’s annoying. He’s stupid. He’s awkward as hell....."

Lies - all lies. Yixing is smart, kind, and one of the friendliest people he knows.

"I don’t even know how he manages to make friends because he’s such a loner!"

Luhan doesn't even know where that accusation came from because everyone adores Yixing - from Minseok all the way to Sehun.

"He’s probably going to end up alone for the rest of his life - “

Another lie.

One day, Luhan realizes, this person is going to leave him and find someone that would love him and cherish him and gives him all the love that he deserves.

He feels a pang of pain in his chest knowing that it will never be him.

He didn't deserve it,' Luhan thinks to himself. 'He didn't deserve to hear those things that because they were all lies.'

Luhan knows that if Yifan or Jongdae would hear him right now they would have laughed. Because it hasn't even been a day and he's already caved in.

But he can't deny what he is feeling.

Luhan wants him back.

He wants his Yixing back.

He wants his Yixing back because he loves him and he’s never been more sure of anything in his life. But he knows he's messed up and he doesn't know if Yixing will ever forgive him.

He hastily wipes the tears in his face.

“Wahhh. Lay oppa has moved you to tears.”

Luhan almost forgets where he is at the moment and the sound of the fangirl’s voice startles him. He stares at the two girls, speechless. He looks back at the stage to find that Yixing has finished the piece and has already left.

One of the fangirl stares at Luhan. “You must be a Lay oppa fan. But you have no fansign on you!! Here, you can have my glowstick.”

He doesn't know why but he accepts it anyway. “Thank you,” Luhan says.

“You’re welcome,” the fangirl replies before focusing her attention on the stage.

All three of them just continue silently sitting in almost complete darkness when the other fangirl whispers, “But Luhan oppa, I think it’s time for you to go back and get changed because the show is starting soon.”

He stares at the two of them in shock.

"We're not dumb, you know. We knew it was you the moment it got a bit brighter in here. Don't worry, we'll keep this a secret," one of the girls say. "But you really need to go."

Luhan takes the time to look at his watch and gasps before jumping out of his seat and running for the backstage entrance.

Yifan is SO going to kill him.

*~*~*~

A/N: You guys...when I first started this fic, I honestly thought that no one would see it or care much for it so to see you all of you subscribe and comment really makes me super happy!! Thank you guys so much!! ^_____^

I'm so sorry for posting this SO late. I've been super tired lately because of work. I even legit pulled a Lay on my brothers - I fell asleep in the middle of Skyping with them...mid coversation...as in I was in the middle of a sentence and just slept. OTL

I'm not entirely satistified with this but I still hope that you all enjoy it. The third part should be out sooner because I already have it planned out in my head.

Go look up the Miracles in December instrumental for feels, if you guys want. LOL That's what I did while writing this. /I'm a loser and I know it. LOL