In the end, it didn’t take more than two minutes. Luhan ran towards the centrum of the city, the place Minseok had just left. With its small side streets that intertwined in an endless maze, he honestly wondered how both the gang and himself was supposed to keep up with him. He was so fast when it came to running, and Minseok silently wondered hos his legs managed so sustain. They seemed so fragile as his soaked jeans stuck to them when he ran, carrying him in the speed of light. Luhan reminded him of a bird – a fast and small one, hidden for the blind eye.

As he dashed down, Minseok felt like a bird himself – though more like a crow. Not nearly as fast, clumsy and so normal that we went unnoticed when he hurried past. He wondered if he should shout for Luhan, but quickly scrapped the idea. The gang was just in hearing range, and Luhan was far out of it. And even if he had heard Minseok? If he stopped for as much as a second, the gang would catch up with him. Minseok didn’t want to think further than that, but everyone could get a clear idea on where that would end.

As his chest rose and fell rapidly, his lungs heaved for oxygen and his breaths snapped short, his shoes got half soaked as the water splashed up when they connected with the ground. The muscles in his legs burned like acid. Minseok hated the admit it, but he was weak. He had never done any other sport than golfing – and he gave that up after two practices. He didn’t even know if it counted as a sport at all. He wasn’t very strong, or very fast. He had a little bit more strength in his arms than before considering how many boxes of coffee-beans and what else he had to carry for the shop, but even they started to fade as he wasn’t working any more. He didn’t have anything to fight back with, if the thugs realized who he was and his relationship to Luhan. His childhood had consisted of books and whatever he managed to do without being shushed on, whereas these guys probably got into fights every day.

Minseok’s heart was beating faster than it ever had before, his pulse evenly rising. As his lungs burned spots of black clouded the sides of his vision, but he didn’t let it bother him. Luhan was his first priority, his oxygen intake second. It seemed like – and probably was – a bad choice in putting things but Minseok had long since stopped trying to figure out how his head worked when it came to Luhan. It only made him more confused and the simplest thought would become an unsolved puzzle he’d give up in the end. It was a little bit funny, he had caught himself thinking one time. How Luhan was like those ten thousand-pieces puzzles everyone gave up in the end, and how he had made Minseok’s own head into one as well.

The already faded colours seemed to clear even more, draining from the grey, lifeless pavements. He bumped into various people as he sprinted, and he figured none were too happy about it. But right now? He didn’t care the slightest. He was usually overly conscious about other people, but he didn’t leave the anonymous faces a second thought as the rain drenched him to the bone. There was one word swirling in his mind, repeating again and again in an endless loop, and it kept him focused on his purpose. Luhan. He had to catch Luhan.

Minseok’s plan was great, at least in his head. However, just like Jongdae when he decided to dance, the plan was better in his head than actually executing it in real life. As his body threatened to give in any second, he regretted not going to the gym and keeping fit. Goddamn it.

He lost track of both the gang and Luhan as soon as they met a bigger crossroad, and he had no idea what way they had taken from there. All he knew that it was downtown, and that he had never been there before. It had been okay when they were running straight forward, but then he had blinked and they were gone. He looked in every direction from them, but no sings were given as to where they had run. He had never been here before, but Luhan obviously had. That was a big disadvantage for him already. Great. Minseok slowed down at a red light, turning 360 degrees and looking in all directions. Just great. Not only had he lost Luhan, but his direction home as well. What was he going to do now? Something in his head told him to sit down right where he was and brood over his failure, and that was what seemed most tempting at the moment as well. His common sense however, screamed at him to get up and get his back home because he was going to get himself killed if he kept out after dark in this part of town. And for once, the sense actually won.

Leaning into a red brick-building, he put his hand on his knee and tried to catch his breath somewhat. He searched his pockets for the phone he was sure had to be broken by now, sighing as he started to feel the cold from his wet clothes. Note to self: buy waterproof shoes.

The environment he had loved to observe just twenty minutes ago, suddenly didn’t seem so exciting any more. He really wanted to continue his search, but even in his messed up state he knew any attempt of trying to find Luhan was futile. He knew the city like his own pocket – Minseok barely knew his way to university. Looking after Luhan here would be much like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

He got the phone out of his pocket, and as he unlocked it he wondered who he should call. As sad as it was he was used to getting lost, and Yixing usually had to come save him, being the city boy he was. But he couldn’t keep calling him forever, could he? At this time Yixing would read classics by Hemingway, do the laundry or clean up his apartment. Well, maybe on a second thought, it was okay to call after all. He quickly dialed number after settling on the option of calling – the only option he had, really.

The summing tone and the even beeping-noise continued before someone picked up. “Xing, I’m lost,” Minseok informed his friend before he got the chance to even say hi.

From the other end of the line, someone sighed. “Again?”

Minseok tried to defend himself, claiming that ‘this time it wasn’t even his fault’, but Yixing didn’t seem too interested as he knew that things never were Minseok’s fault (even when they were).

“Yeah, yeah,” Yixing dismissed him. “Where are you? I’ll come get you,” he seemed to be outside already, judging by the background noise. So maybe he wasn’t reading Hemingway after all.

“if I knew where I was, I wouldn’t be calling you,” Minseok blurted out before he could bite it in. He regretted it immediately. “Sorry, I’m kind of anxious at the moment,” he apologized as he kicked a stone by his feet, looking up at the grey sky and then down on the squared stones that made the pavement. There was no need to take it out on others, he knew it.

Yixing accepted his apology, waving it off. “Okay, describe where you are then,” he said, trying to figure out where Minseok had got himself stuck this time.

“Uh,” the latter muttered, looking around as he tried to find something prominent about where he currently was. This was downtown, at least. It wasn’t as lively or crowded as the main streets, and less modern. The traffic light over lonely crossroad he had stopped at shifted from red to orange to green without any cars to take use of it more than every five minutes or so. The crossroad itself was pretty big, and the roads were wide. Graffiti covered the most buildings, some artistic while some were just plain vandalism.

“There’s a tree here,” he said, his eyes resting on one placed on the other side of the street outside a closed hairdresser. He knew the city council was trying to make the city prettier by placing trees here and there, but it didn’t work very well. It looked kind of sad, really.

“That’s not going to help me much, Minseok,” Yixing commented, and Minseok could feel him rolling his eyes on his side of the connection.

“A bench, a black one. It looks like it’s been standing here for ages though. I’m at a crossroad, and there is a traffic light here. And, uh, I think it’s a convenience store? I’m not sure.” He tried to explain as well as he could, describing everything he saw.

“Gee Minseok, now I know where you are! You literally just described how the whole city looks, I can’t find you based on that!” Yixing replied sarcastic. “You know in which district you are in, then?”

Minseok searched his surroundings thoroughly, trying to find at least something that could give him a hint. After a minute of muttering for himself, he found a street sign, on the red brick building right above his head. For his own ego’s confidence he pretended it was really hidden away and there was no way he should have been able so see that, and gave Yixing the correct address. After a short scolding on “how the hell he managed to end up there of all places” he hung up, happy to have such a friend. He was pretty sure no one else than Yixing would care to come get him when he got lost.

Somewhere along the way as he waited for Yixing, the rain stopped. The sun didn’t peak through the clouds and it still lay like a think cover over the city, but at least it didn’t constantly pour down. He stepped out from under the little, worn awning that had sheltered from most of the weather, and took a deep breath. He looked in every direction for a sign of Yixing, as his mind raced faster than he could keep up with, thoughts coming and leaving before he had the chance to complete them in his head. Where was Luhan? What was he doing? Did he outrun them? Did he manage to escape? But the most important question still lingered: Would he come home?

After what seemed like an eternity – though couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes – a black Peugeot pulled up on the street where Minseok was standing. It took about ten seconds to figure out what car it was, and then who it belonged to. A smile spread on his lips as he walked over and opened the front door to the passenger side. Yixing sat inside with his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised quizzically. He usually had a somewhat drowsy look, but now he seemed fully awake and alerted, not to mention suspicious.

“Before I’m driving anywhere,” he declared, “You’re telling me what the hell you are doing on this side of town,”

As Minseok closed the down and put on his seatbelt, he almost spilled the whole story from waking up alone to the chase that happened just half an hour ago, but as the sky broke again and the tapping-sound of water filled the car, he hesitated. Luhan didn’t even know he knew. How was he supposed to explain that Yixing knew as well? Of course, Yixing knew about the situation they was in – he was the one who had saved them from the gang that had chased them into Minseok’s apartment – but there was a reason Luhan didn’t want Minseok in the mess that was happening. Maybe he tended to be a little slow sometimes, but he wasn’t stupid. Originally, this had been Luhan’s problem – Minseok had meddled into it and saved him for a little while. But although Minseok believed so, he had known it wouldn’t last. Still, Minseok had felt so smart in that moment. Save Luhan, offer him a place to stay! Wait and see it through! Never for a second had he thought his plan would backfire. And now where were they? But still, he didn’t regret it. If he hadn’t convinced Luhan then, the latter would have ended up dead on the other side of the country. If he regretted anything, it was that he couldn’t do anything further.

No, he decided. He didn’t want Yixing into the messes that were supposed to be their lives more than he already was.

“I was,” Minseok stuttered, trying to find a convincing excuse. “Uh, I was exploring.” ‘yeah, great. Why don’t you convince him the sky is green as well,’ Minseok internally face-palmed for having such bad acting-skills.

Luckily Yixing let his poor excuse pass, not trying to understand what Minseok was doing there any further. Instead he looked like he suddenly remembered something, his expression rapidly changing.

“Oh!” he exclaimed. “I forgot to tell you, I visited boss-lady today!”

So that’s why he was out, Minseok reasoned. But it was a touchy subject for both of them, and his expression darkened.

“Yeah?” he asked, as he suddenly got very interested in the windscreen wipers that moved over the screen in an even rhythm.

Yixing furred his eyebrows. “Uh… do you enjoy what you do at the moment?” he asked.

Minseok turned his head to him mildly confused, but then shook his head as he fiddled with the volume-button to the off-turned radio. Where was Yixing going with all this? He knew the answer already.

“Do you like what you’re studying at the moment then, Minseok?” his confidence wavered  throughout the sentence, slowly seeping in and out of his voice.

Minseok’s eyebrows crept together and Yixing’s expression loosened up. “Of course I don’t, you know that,” he said. How many times had he not complained about it? About how Advanced Business was the most boring course in the whole universe, maybe except T2 maths?

“That’s good,” Yixing nodded for himself as he set the gear in reverse and left the spot on the side of the street for the empty road instead. This only confused Minseok further. This was the guy that had encouraged him to not give up, but get through and get back at his mother. This was the guy that had told him to endure instead.

“BecauseIkindofputthenewshopinyournameaswell,” the sentence came fast and without a pause for breathing, though Yixing’s face lay in casual folds. And Minseok thanked god that he wasn’t the one driving, because he would have crashed the car instantly. Did he hear what he thought he heard?

“New shop?” he coughed.

“Yeah, about that,” Yixing shifted his weight, looking extremely uncomfortable. “I’ve talked it over with both boss-lady and Jongdae for a long time. We just could see the coffee shop go just like that. You know this kind of thing is what I’ve worked against, what I have a dream of opening myself one day. Jongdae follows me on that dream, and we’re both soon done with our studies. The boss-lady seemed so happy Minseok, when I mentioned it for her. The shop is officially closed in the registers and has been for quite a while now, so we have to start anew. And I might have accidently probably maybe put it in your and Luhan’s name as well.”

It was hard to take in. Yixing pronounced the letters and words, but Minseok’s head couldn’t seem to get them to form a sentence. Something about a new shop? His business-mind kicked in, and he tilted his head.

“That costs a lot of money,” he reasoned. “How are we going to fund that?” Minseok wouldn’t have any problem. He had enough, and he wasn’t even paying off student-loans. When he said ‘we’, he meant Luhan. The one being chased down the streets for not being able to pay back the guys his idiot of a brother stole so much money from.

“Boss-lady,” Yixing said. “Remember how she doesn’t have anyone else than us? She’s rich Minseok, and she only opened the shop to keep herself busy when she retired. She gave us money for the expenses… she told me it originally was for us when she died, but she would be happier to see them go to something like this. Everything is still intact, we haven’t sold anything. We’re as much as in for business,” he talked slowly, but the shock still overwhelmed Minseok. The gang was catching up on Luhan and him again, and how he had this as well, including his goddamned studies. He had as much chance at managing it all as he had to win in a race again Usain Bolt. Yeah, very likely. This was too much, too much was happening at once.

Minseok blinked as he looked at Yixing. The latter looked fairly calm, but his hands gripped so hard around the steering wheel that his knuckles whitened.

“So you’re telling me,” Minseok tried to grasp the situation, “To drop out of college and join the coffee shop?”

Yixing shook his head , the anxious look in his eyes not wearing off. “What? No! You have to go! I’ll manage the shifts in the daytime, along with Jongdae. You and Luhan have to get your studies done. We need someone take care of the business and numbers and everything, after all. Your name is there just to be there, really. And well…” he paused for a second, looking out in the empty air in front of him as they sped through the wet streets. The atmosphere was weird – ever since they had met they had always been comfortable around each other, so the setting was really unusual.

Yixing turned his head to Minseok, deadly serious. “With this, we could do something on our own. You’re free to leave whenever you want, but Jongdae and I will stay. I know Advanced Business and International Cooperation isn’t really your thing, but after your studies you have infinite possibilities. But Luhan? If we get this one up and running, it’ll give him financial stability. I am not saying this for your sake, or my own. But have you looked at Luhan? He’s a natural at what he does, just like you and me. Boss-lady told me the money was intended for us when she died, but she gave it to us now. You know Minseok? Even if the part the total in four, it will still be enough to pay the gang back by far. We could fix this. Who knows, maybe our lives could turn somewhat normal,” he chose his words carefully, speaking slowly. Minseok knew Yixing didn’t say this to win him over, but rather stating the facts.

And it hit him. They could actually get rid of the gang, and Luhan would have no debt. They would be, in the simplest terms, free.

“Can you and Luhan come over tonight, so we can talk it over?” Yixing asked as he dropped Minseok off by his apartment-complex.

Minseok hesitated, before shaking his head. He didn’t know if Luhan was home yet, and if he was, he was probably dead tired. “Sorry. Luhan isn’t feeling very well these days,” he excused himself, before saying goodbye and leaving the cold streets for his home.

The lights were still off when came home, the apartment drowned in darkness. It was rapidly turning darker, and he could see the sun sinking deeper behind the horizon, even through the thick layer of clouds. He tried to loosen up as we got his jacket and shoes off, walking into the living room. He attempted to watch TV, but it soon turned out to be futile as he couldn’t concentrate on anything. He walked around anxiously, opening the door to the balcony just to close it seconds. He made himself dinner, but ended up forgetting it and it got so burnt he had throw it all in the trash. Heck, he even did the laundry to make time pass, only waiting for Luhan to come home. The only lights he were those in the kitchen, and the others remained turned off. But no one switched them on that night. Minseok waited anxiously for someone to open that door and turn on the lights in the hallway, but no one ever did. Because no one ever came home.

And the days passed. Three of them, the two last where he didn’t even bother to go to school. He got multiple texts asking where he was and what he was doing, but he replied with a short “I’m sick”, or not at all. It was tiring him out, as he fell asleep in a cold bed to the sound of his own heartbeat. He didn’t really move but he still felt so tired, like he had run a marathon. Yixing and Jongdae visited him believing he had caught a cold in the rain, bringing him chicken soup. He was grateful, it wasn’t that. He really was, because he didn’t have the energy to make something himself. Even the instant jajjangmyeon he had in one of the kitchen drawers seemed too complicated. He knew Luhan could take care of himself. He knew he shouldn’t worry. But this was their home. If Luhan wasn’t here, then where was he? What was he doing? He didn’t even want to know.

Minseok did various things to make time pass. Heck, he had watched the entire season of ‘The Heirs’ and ‘You Who Came From the Stars’, and had even started on ‘Boys over Flowers’. That was when he knew things were going bad.

He was useless. He was helpless, sinking into a hole of worrying and he was pitiful. But most of all, he was an idiot. He knew Yixing and Jongdae needed him as well. They were really trying to set up the coffee shop again – he should be helping them, not wallow in worry and self-pity. He tried to call and text Luhan, but never got any replies. In the end, the calls changed from ‘this person cannot be reached at the moment’ to ‘the phone seems to be turned off’. And Minseok really got the taste of being terrified.

The third night Minseok was alone, listening to his playlist especially made for when he was sad on a scary volume to drown his thoughts, an unusual sound made its way through the room. He quickly turned the music off, sitting up from the couch where he had been camping under five layers of blankets for the past days. It was the sound of a door unlocking itself. Had Yixing finally called the police to force him to a psychologist? But… the door opened, and no uniform-clad officers came it. It was a petite boy quietly taking off his jacket and shoes, trying not to make as much as a noise. But Minseok heard him. It was half past three in the night, but he was still wide-awake after having completely messed up his sleeping-patters. He sat up, and after realizing who it was, he threw off all the blankets.

“LUHAN!” he exclaimed as he run up to the younger of them. He felt so relieved. So relieved he could have cried. But… he was angry as well. “LUHAN, WHERE THE DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN?!” he screamed as he grabbed the boy’s shoulders. He didn’t give him time to reply before he continued. “No message. No note. I woke up to you being gone, and I saw you as you ran down the streets with those guys after you.” His throat thickened and he was threatening to tear up, but he was still too angry. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?! If you’re going to leave like that, then at least tell me, for s sake!”

Luhan looked back at him, wide-eyed in shock. He wasn’t used to this kind of Minseok. He was used to calm, loving and sheepish Minseok. This was a completely new side of him.

“I’m…” Luhan stuttered. “I’m sorry, Minseok.” His last words came out as a whisper.

That wasn’t enough. “I’m sorry?! You think that’ll fix it? What are we if we can’t trust each other?” he gripped his hair in frustration, feeling the angry tears threaten behind his eyelids. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“I’ve been so… I haven’t been able to think! I’ve tried to call you so many times. Even I get tired of the same automatic voice telling me you are out of reach sometime, you know,” he said, trying to calm himself down as he took deep breaths. But no could do, as the angry tears started to run down his face uncontrollably. It was only three or four, but it left Luhan shocked and devastated, realizing just how much he had let Minseok worry. He knew he couldn’t forgive himself, so would Minseok ever?

“I… Minseok, I don’t know what I can do to make it okay,” he was completely shocked with the reaction of his boyfriend. He had thought he would only be gone for four hours max. But it had ended up being three days.

Minseok let his hands leave his hair, letting them fall for a couple of seconds before he raised them again. And before Luhan could think, he was pinned to the wall.

Minseok’s forehead rested on the wall on his left side, his breathing becoming more steady by the second. He had hit his right hand against the wall, but in the presence of each other they didn't realize.

“Don’t.” the elder whispered. “Ever do that to me again,” his lips trailed along the soft skin of Luhan’s shoulder, following it up to his neck and leaving marks as he went. His breath was hot against Luhan’s skin, and the latter felt shivers shoot up his spine. Minseok reached his jaw and swept along it as well, leaving small kisses that lingered when he moved. When he reached Luhan’s mouth however, he let go of the tender touch of it and kissed with such intensity Luhan had never experienced. It was pleading, desperate, passionate and angry. It was all of Minseok’s feeling conveyed into one kiss, with such force that if Luhan hadn’t had has back up against the wall, he would have staggered a couple of steps backwards. But he liked it. As they melted into each other Luhan let him lose himself in the kiss, accepting every ounce of anger Minseok was feeling right now. He deserved it, the frustration that was poured in, along all the other feelings. They kissed until their lips were swollen and mouths were tired. As Minseok let his lips linger on Luhan’s – only lightly touching them, he opened his mouth, but only to speak words and not kiss like before.

“Do you promise?” he whispered against the younger’s lips. “To never do that to me again?”

And Luhan could only nod, afraid that if he answered, the faint touch that connected them would disappear. All he wanted as of now, was to clash together with Minseok again. He had been exhausted when he took the elevator up to the apartment, but it all vanished now. And Minseok’s lips moved approvingly as it trailed the upper lip, lower lip, his cheek and jaw. He left love marks along the neck, before returning to the lips again with just as much force as before. Luhan’s breath was erratic as he gasped for air when they parted, only to connect again as soon as possible. But at one point he broke the kiss, putting both his hands on Minseok’s cheeks. He had an unreadable look in his eyes, but as they locked with Luhan’s own determined ones, they became more open again.

“Bedroom. Now.” Luhan only managed to whisper before the elder sweeping him into his arms, half-carrying half-staggering over to the bedroom in the speed of light. That night, Luhan lost.

4.7k, more than usual. Thank you for reading up until now! I wish I could just go and hug you all (I'm not trying to be creepy I swear). Please leave a thought on the chapter if you feel like! I hope I won't disappoint you with the next chapters either. On that note, if the chapters continue being this long, the story might be over in four of them.

Also, I never really expressed my opinion on Luhan leaving. I'll always support him and I understand what he did, but in my mind, Xiuhan will still continue to live forever and I will probably never stop shipping it. Xiuhan is my otp out of all otps, so for me it'll never die.