The first thing that Luhan notices when he wakes up is that he’s still in Minseok’s bedroom, and that it’s only 3 a.m.  He gets up, suddenly remembering that he left the TV on when he went to Minseok’s room last night, only to find it turned off.  He also notices Yixing’s sneakers by the door, meaning his boyfriend is back from the party, and also another pair of sneakers.  Curious, he went to find Yixing in their room.  He isn’t even that near the door when he hears the sounds.

He’s shocked speechless.  He can’t even begin to comprehend what he’s hearing.  The only thing that’s going through his head is, no, no, Yixing is not doing this to me.  He’s not doing this.  Then he feels like he couldn’t breathe when he steps closer to the door, the sounds coming from inside the room increasing in volume.  He opens to door slightly, and peeks through the small opening and he sees it—he sees them—and that’s enough to make him want to break down.  Luhan grabs his winter coat, gloves, and scarf from where he left them in the kitchen last night and heads straight for Minseok’s room, closing the door gently and locking himself in.  He immediately dials Minseok’s number on his phone, silently praying that the other boy would wake.  The phone rings for a few seconds before Minseok answers, voice lazy and sleepy.

“Hello?” 

“Hey, Min.  It’s Luhan.”  Luhan replies, hoping his voice doesn’t crack.

“Han, what’s wrong?  It’s three in the morning.”  Minseok asks and Luhan smiles slightly at the nickname.  It’s been a while since he heard that nickname coming from those lips, and he can’t help but feel happy despite the current situation.

“Can you meet me at the park near the penthouse in half an hour?  I really need to talk to you.”  Luhan says.

“Okay, but what’s wrong?”

“Can’t we just talk about that later?”  Luhan asks as he makes his way out of Minseok’s room and to the living room, searching for his keys.

“Okay, I’ll see you later then.  Be careful on your way there, okay?” 

“Okay, you too.”  Luhan says before he ends the call.  He locates his keys and slips on his shoes, making sure not to make a single sound, and steps out of the penthouse.  He reaches the parking lot where his SUV is parked and climbs into the car, hastily starting the engine and making his way to the park.  He hopes that Minseok would really be there, that his best friend would still care even after everything that’s happened.  He is not disappointed because when he pulls over at their meeting place after half an hour and steps out to search for his friend, he finds him sitting on one of the benches.

He’s surprised though, by the state of his friend.  He’s obviously sleepy, but that’s not what caught his attention.  Minseok’s shivering, really bad; and he’s wearing a really thin winter coat—it’s not really thin, but it’s thinner in comparison to most winter coats—and he isn’t wearing a scarf and gloves, and Luhan’s just freaked out like hell.  He quickly approaches Minseok, putting a gloved hand on the other boy’s shoulder, causing him to jump before he looks around to see Luhan.

“What the hell, Minseok?!”  Luhan exclaims, noticing how bad Minseok’s shivering.

“Luhan, you wake me up at 3 in the morning and tell me to meet you here in half an hour and that’s all I get?  Not even a hi or hello?”  Minseok asks, before rubbing his eyes with an ungloved hand.  Luhan takes that hand and shows it to Minseok, who totally looks confused.

“Why the hell aren’t you wearing any gloves or even a ing scarf?  Do you want to die out here?!”  Luhan exclaims, totally not thinking about Minseok dying.  Nope, that’s not acceptable.

“Luhan, I don’t really—I—it’s…”  Minseok struggles to form the right words and Luhan mentally slaps himself.  Of course Minseok’s still can’t afford to buy his own gloves and scarves, he’s been borrowing Luhan’s when he still lives with the other boy, because he still has to pay rent and save up for food.  Luhan once again mentally slaps himself when he remembers that this is his entire fault, if he hadn’t been drunk and said those words, Minseok would still be living with him, safe and warm.

“, I’m sorry.  Come on, let’s go.  It’s cold out here.”  Luhan says as he pulls Minseok up using the hand that he’s holding, before he drags the other boy to his SUV.  They reach it within minutes and Luhan opens to door to the backseat for Minseok before turning on the engine and the heater, and then joining the other boy on the backseat.

Minseok has already shed off his coat when he settles down beside him, and Luhan examines it and confirms his suspicion.  It’s thinner than the usual winter coat, and it’s not really brand new and Luhan just wants to cry.  But he can’t, especially when he notices that Minseok’s still shivering.  The shivering boy is wearing a hoodie, with a long-sleeved shirt underneath it; he partnered it with jeans and some high-cut sneakers.  Luhan wraps his arms around Minseok, pulling him close, rubbing circles on the other boy’s back.

“Hey, you okay?”  Luhan asks, concerned.

“Yeah, it’s just cold and I’m sleepy.”  Minseok replies, stifling a yawn.  Luhan chuckles before he pulls Minseok down with him to lie down on the backseat, keeping the younger boy still locked in the embrace.

“Come on, sleep then. I disturbed your sleep after all.”  Luhan says and sees Minseok close his eyes right in front of him, nodding at the older boy.  They just stay like that; Minseok with his eyes closed and Luhan looking at him, cherishing the moment.  Luhan feels really warm with Minseok in his arms, knowing that the other boy is safe and sound.  Minseok sighs contentedly, and it’s because of this that Luhan knows he’s finally fallen asleep.  He smiles softly, brushing some of Minseok’s bangs away from his closed eyes, before kissing the sleeping boy on the forehead and sitting up.  He grabs the pillow that he always keeps in the car and cushions Minseok’s head using it, and then he rummages around for the blanket that goes with the pillow.  He finds it under Minseok’s coat, and pulls it out before he tucks it around Minseok, keeping the sleeping boy warm.

Luhan then moves onto the driver’s seat, pulling out his phone and dialing Changmin’s number.

“Luhan, what the actual ?  Do you know what time it is?”  Changmin asks as soon as he answers the call.

“Uhm… approximately 3:45 a.m.  Oh, and good morning to you too, Changmin.”  Luhan replies, a smug smile on his face.

“Good morning, Luhan.  Now what is it that you want?”

“Can Minseok and I go to your place?  We just met up and want to go somewhere else aside from home.”  Luhan replies.

“Minseok’s with you?  Okay, I’ll wait up for you then.”  Changmin replies and they chat some more before they end the call.  Luhan looks back to check on Minseok, and sees the boy still sound asleep.  He realizes that Minseok has stopped shivering now, and he feels the concern evaporating away.  He then drives them towards Changmin’s home.

They arrive half an hour later, Luhan pulling in Changmin’s driveway.  Minseok is still fast asleep, and Luhan decides to wake him later, choosing to go up to Changmin’s door first.  Changmin answers the door after a couple of minutes, a blanket around him.

“Where’s Minseok?”  Was the first thing his uncle asks Luhan after he opened the door.

“In the car, asleep.”  Luhan replies.

“You left him in the car?!  What the hell, Luhan!  Go ahead and get him out, now.”  Changmin says, ordering Luhan and the younger boy just rolls his eyes.  He goes to the car, though, and climbs onto the backseat, sitting right beside Minseok’s hip.  He nudges the boy awake, and Minseok opens his eyes sometime later.

“Huh?”  Minseok asks, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

“Come on, we’re here.  You can sleep inside, it’s warmer there.”  Luhan replies, gently helping Minseok to stand up.

“Where exactly is here?”  Minseok asks once they’re almost out of the vehicle.

“Changmin’s.”  Luhan replies and Minseok says nothing anymore.  Luhan knows that Minseok really loves Changmin’s house, with all the musical instruments and albums scattered all over the place.  Changmin lets them in, and points to the direction of one of the guest rooms.

The first thing that Minseok realizes when he wakes up is the sunlight entering the room through the window, and he wonders what time it is.  Second, he realizes that he’s not in his room.  He tries to remember last night’s—or rather this morning’s—events, and eventually ends up with the realization that he’s in one of Changmin’s guest rooms.  He checks his phone that is on the top of a drawer, along with his wallet and keys only to find out that he’s already late—two hours late.  So naturally, he freaks out.  That’s when Luhan enters the room, wearing the same clothes he slept in, carrying a breakfast tray.

“Oh, hey, you’re awake.  Did you sleep well?”  Luhan asks as he sees Minseok awake.

“Luhan!  Why didn’t you wake me up?  I’m already two hours late for work!”  Minseok replies, panicking.  He’s never really been late for a reason such as sleeping in before, and he doesn’t know how he’ll explain himself to Yunho.

“Don’t worry, calm down.”  Luhan coos as he approaches the bed, setting the tray down beside Minseok.  “I already called Jung gyoh-soo-nim a while ago and I told him that you’ll come in late.  Now, eat up.  Changmin already left, but he told Kyungsoo to come in here and cook some breakfast for us before he checks in the restaurant.”

“What did you tell Yunho?”  Minseok asks as he takes hold of the chopsticks, considering his options.  He can either eat the bread first, or the scrambled eggs.

“The truth; that I woke you up and got you tired for nothing at all.  Oh, and that you don’t look too good this morning.  He just told me that he thought so too and to make sure that you eat proper breakfast and have some more sleep if you need it.  You can actually skip work, or come in after lunch if you want.”  Luhan replies, putting some butter on Minseok’s toast for him.  “Eat everything, okay?”

“Oh, that’s nice of Yunho.  And okay, fine, I’ll eat everything, mom.”  Minseok replies, rolling his eyes at Luhan.  Luhan just lets out a soft laugh before he ruffles Minseok’s sleep tousled hair.

“So, what have you been up to?”  Luhan asks.

“Music project.  We have to write some songs for our own compilation that’s to be passed at the end of the year.  I’m grouped with Sehun and Yeol.”  Minseok replies, biting some toast right after.  “I guess I’ll just go to work after I eat breakfast and have a shower.”

“Can’t you just skip?  I wanted the two of us to have fun today.”  Luhan says, pouting.

“Luhan, I actually have to work to support myself, you know.  Do you want me to die out there in the cold?”  Minseok asks, raising an eyebrow at Luhan.  Luhan just shakes his head, completely freaked out by the thought of Minseok dying in the snow.  “And besides, we can always have some fun some time else.  Just tell me when, okay?”

“But still, you can always ask for help from me.  Or you can just move back in.”  Luhan replies and Minseok just rolls his eyes once again.  But before Luhan can reply, his phone rings and he goes to check it out, only to see it’s Yixing calling him.  He suddenly feels really sad and crushed, remembering this morning’s events back at his penthouse.

“Luhan!  Where are you?!”

“Changmin’s.”  Luhan replies, trying to make his voice as cold as possible.

“God, I was so worried!  Don’t do that again, okay?!  At least call or leave a message next time!”

“Okay.  I won’t be home early today, I’m going to go have some time off with the gang.”

“Oh, okay.  Have fun, then!  And be careful!”  And with that, Luhan ends the call, tossing his phone back into his open bag right after.

“Everything okay?”  Minseok asks and Luhan just nods.  “I’ll go take a shower now.  Wait, what about my clothes?!” 

“Uhm… I guess I’ll just wash it and dry it afterwards using the dryer.  Just take a nice, long bath, okay?”  Luhan replies.

“Luhan, it’s cold.  I don’t want to take a nice, long bath.”  Minseok replies as Luhan hands him a fresh towel.

“Minseok, the water’s heated.  Oh, and Changmin has a bath tub, remember?!”  Luhan replies as Minseok heads towards the direction of the bathroom and he takes back the tray to the kitchen.  He thinks about what Minseok said a while ago, about the water being cold.  Minseok’s used to the hot water and bath tub back at their penthouse before, does that mean that he doesn’t get enough heating at his own apartment?  The thought makes Luhan’s stomach twist; he can’t imagine Minseok having to live through a life like that.  He thinks of how tired Minseok looked when they saw each other this morning, and how he slept every time he can, like he’s not getting enough sleep at all.  Luhan arrives in front of the bathroom door and takes Minseok’s clothes to the washing machine and starts it, before he sits back down on the bed where they slept in when they arrived.  At least he got a chance to get enough sleep this morning, and at least he’s relaxing right now.

It takes Minseok half an hour to shower—nice, long bath, as Luhan said it—and to put on his clothes that have been washed and dried by Luhan.  They’re already on their way to Cassiopeia when Minseok receives a call on his phone.  He checks it out only to see that it’s Yunho.

“Hey, Yunho… don’t worry, we’re already on our way and I’m—oh, okay.  I’ll still go there.”  Minseok says.  He nods sometime after and then ends the call. 

“What’s up?!”  Luhan asks as they turn left.

“Joohyun and Tiffany started working today so Yunho told me that I can rest all I want.  I’ll still go there, anyway.”  Minseok replies.

“What?!  You can take the day off and you still go to work?  Are you serious?!”  Luhan replies.

“Yes, Luhan.  I’m serious.  Now can we go faster?”  Luhan just rolls his eyes and makes a U-turn, then speeding up.

“Uhm… okay, we’re going to the wrong direction.”  Minseok tells Luhan who, once again, just rolls his eyes.

“You’re not going to work, you’re going to rest.  But, not after we have some fun first.”  Luhan says, scanning his brain for the best places to enjoy themselves today.

“Luhan—“ Minseok starts but Luhan cuts him.

“Seriously, Min, you need this.  You’ve been working too hard; you need a break.  And when was the last time we actually managed to hang out without the others?  You know, spending quality time with your best friend?!” 

Minseok thinks over what Luhan just said.  Yeah, he really wants to take a break and spend the day with Luhan now that he’s given the chance but he also needs to work.  Well, it.  Minseok just ends up nodding and smiling like crazy at the idea of Luhan wanting to spend the day with him.  Luhan just smiles at him in return.

“Well, it’s settled then!  First off, I wanna look at some clothes…” Luhan says and Minseok just smiles wider, if that’s even possible.  It’s very typical for Luhan to just go to stores and look at clothes for hours and hours at end, and only end up buying a shirt or a pair of pants.  He used to drag Minseok everywhere when they went shopping for clothes but, at least its better then accompanying Chanyeol whenever he goes shopping for shoes, ‘cause that’s just extremely boring.  They stop in front of a boutique and they enter.

It’s full of winter wear, and Minseok mentally makes a note to himself to actually start looking for some winter wear for himself, the piano can wait, he thinks.  He isn’t going to sacrifice himself for a damn piano, though he’s been saving up for the instrument for more than a year now.  Luhan disappears into the back, and Minseok starts to go through some shirts.

Luhan returns a couple of minutes later, carrying three winter coats and some gloves.  He also has some scarves at the basket he’s carrying on the other arm.

“So, what do you think of these?”  Luhan asks, raising his hands and showing Minseok the coats.

“Uhm… they’re okay.”  Minseok replies, looking at the coats.

“Cool.”  Luhan replies, before he pushes Minseok in front of a full-length mirror.  He sets the basket down and places the gloves on top of the scarves.  “Okay, now start with this.”  Luhan then says, handing Minseok a black coat.

“Huh?  Why?”  Minseok asks as he takes the coat and puts it on.

“To check if it fits.”  Luhan replies.  He looks at Minseok wearing the coats and sees that it fits perfectly.  “Nice fit.”

“Uhm… thanks?  Are we done?”  Minseok asks as he hands the coat back to Luhan after he takes it off.

“Yeah, sure.  Lemme just pay for these.”  Luhan replies and goes straight for the counter, leaving Minseok speechless.  Luhan returns a couple of minutes later and they climb back into the car, the shopping bags full of clothes dumped in the trunk.  They spend another hour driving around, looking for some other places to go, before they realize that it’s almost lunchtime.

“Let’s just have lunch at the restaurant.  I think Changmin’s there today.”  Luhan suggests and Minseok nods.  Anything you want, honestly.  They drive towards the opposite direction and within half an hour, they arrive at the said restaurant.  Jonghyun, the doorman, greets the two of them and lets them in.  They are then greeted by the employees and led to a table far from the others, so as to keep privacy, and then Changmin himself arrives to take their orders.

“Hey, boys.  What can I get for you today?”  Changmin asks, taking out a little notebook and pen. 

“What do you want, Min?”  Luhan asks Minseok, not even bothering to take a look at the menu.

“Anything, really.  Just some coffee.”  Minseok replies.  Luhan then proceeds to order for the two of them, and Changmin leaves them to go tell Kyungsoo, the cook, what to make.

“So, Changmin’s going to have a party at Christmas Eve, can you come?”  Luhan asks Minseok.

“Yeah, sure.  Is it okay with you if I do?”  Minseok asks, unsure.  Because if Yixing is going to be there and he’s going to be there… wouldn’t it be weird?

“Yeah, why not?!  Oh, and bring Sehun and Chanyeol too.”  Luhan replies, wondering about what Minseok said.  Did he just ask me if he’s okay to go to the party?  That’s the most unexpected question he’s ever asked.  Just because he left the penthouse doesn’t mean that he can’t go to the parties anymore.  What’s going on in here??

“I’m pretty sure Zitao’s going to invite Sehun already.”  Minseok replies, smirking.

“Ah, of course.  They’re pretty unexpected, are they?”  Luhan replies just as their coffee arrive.

“They’re the last people I expected to be in a relationship with each other.  But I already talked to Zitao, and I can see that he’s pretty serious about Sehun.” 

“The question is… is Sehun serious about Zitao?  I also don’t want my friend hurt, you know.”

“I’m still going to talk to him about that.  Sehun is actually a pretty guarded person, and likes to keep things private.  I’m pretty sure that his and Zitao’s lifestyles will clash, but if they really love each other then I’m sure that they can work it out.”

Their orders arrive a couple of minutes later and they eat, occasionally talking about some stuff about school.

“So, about your project with Sehun and Chanyeol, how’s it going?”  Luhan asks, taking a sip of his soup.

“Okay, I guess.  I mean, it’s pretty hard to write a song but if you already know what you want to write, then it should just flow from pen to paper easily.  The problem is, we still don’t know what we want to write, and so far we’ve only finished three songs.  Sehun and I are co- writing one and we’re just done with one of the stanzas.”

“Wow, I guess song writing is pretty serious business then.”

“You have no idea.”

“Tell me about this song you’re writing with Sehun.  I mean, there’s already the two of you working on it, what’s taking so long?”

“Let’s just say that we’re not sure about the direction we’re going with the song.  I mean, the lyrics aren’t even coherent yet.  They’re just random lines that we thought of, pieces of our memories written in thoughtful words.  And to write a song like that, it definitely takes time because it’s based from our memories, something has to happen to trigger our recollection of them.”

“Wow, pretty complicated.  What are you going to do with the songs after you submit them, then?”

“Yunho said that we’re going to have an acoustic set concert, or something like that.  Each group is going to perform at least three songs from their compilation so that the rest of the university could hear it.”

“Really?  That’s nice!  I can’t wait to hear you guys perform.  Wait, you all sing, right?  Does that mean that you’ll all be singing for the compilation?”  Luhan asks, completely hopeful.  He’s heard Minseok sing countless times before; lullabies, stuff on the radio, nursery rhymes, whatever.  He hasn’t heard Minseok sing for some time now, though, and he just realized how much he missed it. 

“Yeah, the rule that the three of us made for our group is that if you write it, you’ll sing it.  It means that Sehun and I will be singing the as a duet.”  Minseok replies and notices Luhan raising an eyebrow at the mention of the duet.

“How will that go?”

“You’ll have to wait to find out!”  Minseok replies and Luhan just laughs in return.

A/N: I find this chapter to be somewhat boring.

Also, Yixing. (✿◠‿◠)