A/N: It is the last chapter! You've been my inspiration for continuing this, as most of my stories just end up with me not updating for like four years... Oh, and I hope that I won't disappoint you with the end! Wow, this got cheesy real fast. Anyways. I hope you enjoy!

"Hey!" Minseok shouted as he caught Luhan from behind.

Luhan tried to turn to him, but Minseok just hugged him harder while holding him in a steel-grip.

"Don't you DARE," he whispered, "leave me again," he stood like that for half a minute, and then let go, his arms falling to his sides. Luhan stood stiff in shock as Minseok hugged him, but softened as he was let go.

He turned around, tears streaming down his face. He had been holding them in, pretending that he was okay for Minseok. But Minseok didn't care. The important thing for him was that Luhan didn't back away. He didn't turn around and run, like he usually would have. Minseok knew him well enough to know that. Luhan was open minded, kind-hearted and nice, but the didn't like bonding. He feared it.

They were standing so close to each other that they were only centimeters from touching, like they had been that day in his apartment. Luhan had put on a straight face in front of Minseok, but couldn't do it anymore now. The tears were silently rolling down his cheeks, continuously. And Minseok could feel his own press behids his eyelids. The face of the broken Luhan in front of him was almost too much.

"Then what else am I supposed to do?” Luhan asked.  “At least if I move, I'll have roof over my head. They would never leave their fetcher to die so easily..." He sounded unsure for a few seconds, "I think..."

It may have been in that moment that Minseok decided. Just when Luhan said 'I think', throwing his life around like it was a ball. Minseok wouldn't let him do that. What would all this struggles up until now be worth, if he died? What would all those years of constantly living on the edge matter, if he was no longer alive? And what would Minseok do? He had finally found Luhan. He had finally found someone he cared for that way. Yes, he had Lay. Yes, he had his parents. But it wasn't the same. They would never be Luhan. No one would ever be Luhan.

"So you're telling me, that if you had somewhere to live, you would stay here?" he asked, and Luhan nodded. They were only ten centimeters apart, and Minseok could almost hear Luhan’s heartbeat, beating fast in sync with his own. Their foreheads were almost touching, and it sent shivers down his spine. He hadn't fully realized what Luhan meant to him, until now. So much more than he had thought. This wasn't just some stupid high school-love. This was something so pure it was almost unbearable. It burned a hole through his heart, and all he wanted to do, was grip the boy in front of him tight and never let go. He wanted to fall asleep to the sound of Luhan's breathing. He wanted to wake up with Luhan cuddeled up beside him. All he wanted, was to be near him.

Luhan slowly nodded to Minseok's question, wondering where this was headed. Minseok could feel Luhan’s breath mixed with muted sobs on his lips, and he resisted the urge to touch his face to wipe away the tears. The light in his eyes looked so broken. His face looked too old for someone only aged 24. 

"Then live with me, Luhan," Minseok outed the words, and Luhan's tired, puffy eyes looked at him, shocked. Then he shook his head. Luhan hated depending on people, Minseok knew that. But for once, he wanted Luhan to have a little faith in him. He wanted to show Luhan that they would get through it together, as long as Luhan let go for a little while.

"There is no way I could do that," he sighed and averted his eyes. "You're too kind to me, Minseok,"

This made Minseok want to grip Luhan's shoulders and shake him until he admitted that Minseok was right. Luhan could stop his act now. He could stop being so tough. For once, couldn't he just let someone else do things for him?

"That is because I love you, ," Minseok shook his head, and Luhan, who had been looking away, stared at him. And he stared back. He couldn't believe he had actually said those words. He was very careful with saying that he loved someone. He thought that those words were special - so he would cherish them until he shared them with someone he really loved. And he realized - he actually loved Luhan like that. Like someone he had spent years with already. It wasn't a flaming love that faltered quickly. It was a smaller, steadier flame that would continue to burn for ages.

Minseok looked even more serious at Luhan. His wish was written in stone. Luhan was going home with him, that was for sure. "I have a spare bedroom. My apartment is too big. I'll even let you pay rent if that's what you want. Move in with me, Luhan. Focus on school. Then we'll deal with those non-Italian idiots someday else."

But Luhan just stood there. It was like he was still processing what Minseok had said. He seemed to still put the letters and words together to a sentence, and when he was done, he looked more determined than ever. "No, Minseok, stop trying. I can't and you know that. They'll kill you, as well as me. And I'm not willing to take that risk for your life." He sounded certain this time. Minseok knew that he was in the progress of deciding, now. And if he decided to go, there was no way back and he would leave for good. He realized that it was now or never. He had to wake Luhan up, to make him stay.

"Then what do you want me to do?" Minseok asked desperate. "What do I have to do to make you realize that I don't care about those people? We'll pay that money your brother owns in the end, anyways. It will go faster if you stay here," he insisted, making up arguments on the spot.

‘At least they don’t completely ,’ Minseok thought for himself, as he argued. And obviously Luhan thought so too. He started to seem more uncertain, more doubting. That was how Minseok knew it worked. Without looking away from his eyes, he grabbed Luhan's hands and intertwined his warm fingers in Luhan's cold ones. "Stay with me, Luhan," it started out as a normal sentence, but his voice gradually faded into a whisper. What else could he do now? To make Luhan understand? As he stared into the other boy's misty eyes, he found his last argument. The argument that hopefully would change his mind. If not, there was no hope at all. Then he might as well give up. If Luhan didn't change his mind after this, there was nothing else Minseok could do.

And so, for the first time in his life, Minseok felt the salty taste of someone else’s tears. He closed the small gap between them, gently placing his lips on Luhan's. Luhan hesitated a little bit, but then answered, just as gentle. It was as soft as thick slowflakes on a cold-winterday, but instead of the freezing sensation, it was warm. It felt like Minseok's head would stop functioning any time, as he felt the familiar heat that had surrounded his heart spread in his chest, and down his spine. And he wanted to stand there forever. But still, after a few seconds, he drew away. It was now or never.

"Do you still have to go?" he asked, breathing slowly in and out. Their foreheads touched, and they stared into each other’s eyes, without as much as blinking.

"I... I guess I can stay for a short while..." Luhan stuttered, taken aback by Minseok's last resolution. It had worked. Minseok had convinced him.

This made him smile wide. An honest, happy smile. Not like the jokingly ones he so often shared with Lay. No, this smile was pure happiness, reserved for Luhan only.

And then they just stood there. They didn't have anything urgent to attend to, neither of them. Minseok's shift was probably over already. Lay would surely cover his absence, knowing something was going on.

But in the end, Minseok let go and stepped back. Luhan looked at him with curious eyes, and tilted his head slightly, silently asking why he did it.

"Let's go back to the shop. I'll get my things, and then we can go prepare your room." Minseok said and smiled. He expected Luhan to get the doubting look on his face again when mentioning the room, but instead, he nodded and grinned.

"Sure!" he said energetic, and it seemed like the unsure boy from just a few minutes ago was gone. They slowly started walking towards the shop, and Minseok almost laughed out loud. It all seemed so surreal.

"But you know," Luhan started to squabble on their way. "I'll pay you rent EVERY month. And I won't live with you for long, I promise. And -" His ranting seemed endless, but Minseok didn't really care. He would much rather have too much of Luhan, than not have him at all.

In he end, Minseok concluded, this was like a bad soap opera. Complete with the unsocial, weird main character, the great best friend, and the heart-warming lover. Even the horrible boss, he added in the last second. Dear God, when had his turned into a soap?

But Kim Minseok could live with that. And Luhan. If there was something Kim Minseok certainly could, it was live with Luhan.

---

It's been a nice journey. But I hope you liked it, though. We're at this story's end now, but as this bides its farewell, I have more to come even if it's not in this story-line ^_^

If you want to read something more, I have another Xiuhan-fic here. Also, I wrote something on a whim yesterday. It's kind of short compared to my two other stories, but I hope you'll take the time to read it. It's a Baekyeol-one shot, and you can find it here. Both of my other stories are completed by the way, so you won't need to wait for an end ^^/