“Hey, promise, okay?” Luhan has you face him in hopes of wiping away your moping disguise. He stomps his feet on the ground like a 10 year old kid (he’s always been one anyway, you mentally take note of) as he does all kinds of ineffective aegyo around you. You know for yourself that you’re only playing him and he knows this best – but what makes him all the better is how well he plays along with you despite the .

“What if you don’t come back?” You put on an act, turning your head away from him with a masked smile of disappointment.

“Gege will come back in time.” He tucks you in his chest, the gap not too prominent. If anyone would have guessed, you two looked like you were twins, or that sort. He tiptoes a little just for his lips to reach the crown of your head, a routine he’s gotten used to fond over his ‘mei mei.’ You can’t help peering from your fringe, so he helps and brushes them off your eyes. “Here, take a better look of me. You’ll miss yourself some Luhan Gege.” He jests; you willingly accept them anyway.

Your eyes crinkle at its ends as you finally ring your pinky around his. “When you become a singer, you’ll sing me your favorite song okay!”

This gege you see walking away at seventeen remains to love you like you’re his own little sister. And through the years, he’s become more than that beyond your consciousness – at least your eyes think so.

--

Luhan appears in front of you like an ethereal prince with an actual glowing aura emanating off him as he stands under the limelight. It’s been, what, five years of him training, and this is the first time you see him transforming: from your gege to an oppa to many. The droning calls of ‘Oppa’ brings you back to the realization Luhan won’t be seeing you today because you’re just one among those who ‘supposedly’ call him that.

Of course communication’s lessened over time but it didn’t become a barrier. That, you can only thank of through the years. The relationship seemingly strengthened as you stand strong for him especially when he’s almost about to fall and give up.

“I promise you Luhan – they’ll see you and your efforts, how you put up with life, how you’ll finally debut. They will look at you and say in their proudest tones, ‘This is our Luhan,’” you console him the week before. You promise him though you don’t have a hold onto anything concrete.  

You can say the least that among these fans, you’re the most excited. So you think of surprising him today with the two most important persons in his life.

That’s why at the backstage, when you manage to permeate through the heavy security, you finally get in as Luhan’s “little sister,” guise (also, because of Sehun’s help). The debut showcase is about to start so you’ve come to tell Luhan that you’ve invited his parents, his beloved parents, just so he’d have his confidence boosted, but you get just as half devastated than Luhan will ever be when his parents tell you of their persistency of not attending to possibly, the most important day of all days Luhan’s lived because of reasons you never really knew of.

You didn’t want to come empty handed so you hide behind Sehun’s back, almost cursing because you’ve promised him – but what happened? “Are you swearing in Chinese—“ Sehun shoots you a knowing look to which you counter with a slap to his back. Sehun’s the only one who knows of everything you’ve planned of, only knows that you’re panicking so much right now because of your failed surprise, you think: but Sehun thinks, mainly because you’re not little anymore and Luhan will see you again.

Luhan looks at the maknae. Not really.

“Is that _________?” He looks past his shoulders the first, and faces Sehun fully the next. You sink beneath Sehun’s taller stature. Luhan walks past Minseok, with an expectant smile when Sehun deliberately pulls you from his back. This brat.

Luhan literally runs over to your side, with much, much wider opened arms – with longer strides of him to you and the next thing you know, your face crashes flat on his chest. Have you been this little your whole life? His scent is musky, you notice, when he pulls you in tighter, his hands circling your arms around him yourself as he ruffles your hair, literally, like he’s used to. His hair’s grown longer, now tinged in blonde highlights, even better than yours as it lightly brushes over your neck.

One could tell he much probably looks like one clingy koala, but you thank t