It was a Wednesday morning when Minseok was almost done with his shift. There were almost no customers at this time of the day, so he had a lot of free time. Their customers usually came in very early, or pretty late. Twelve o’clock on a normal day, this place as almost always empty.

For the fourth time that hour, Minseok washed the surfaces of the tables with a wet cloth to make time pass.

"I think the tables are pretty clean now, Minseok," Yixing said, almost dozing off at the counter.

"Hey, if the boss-lady sees you now you're fired on the spot," Minseok answered, throwing the wet cloth in the sink in the staff room.

"She won't, because she adooores my barista-skills, just like everybody else," Yixing grinned confidently, while suppressing a yawn.

Minseok knew he was right of course, but smiled and replied with a sarcastic "yeah, right," anyways. Then he walked into the storage to get some more coffee beans (even though they weren't really running out any time soon), and just as he started to unpack one of the big, brown boxes with beans, someone came in.

Yixing pulled himself together and greeted the customer like he normally did, but then became uneasy, all of a sudden. He helped the customer as usual, but something was off. Even Minseok could hear that. Yixing's professional tone seemed different, more casual. But it was like he forcefully made it casual, and then overdid it.

"Uh... Looks like there's no more cream. I'll - I'll go get some cream. Yeah, that's right. Cream." Yixing stuttered.

'That's weird,' Minseok thought, 'Yixing never stutters like this when he's working,' Maybe it was a girl. He smirked, a playful and mischievous grin spreading across his face. Maybe he wasn't the only one confused by love and God-knows-what else, but Yixing as well. That would certainly be fun.

As Minseok got done arranging the different packs of coffee beans carefully in his arms Yixing came into the room, seemingly upset.

"I'll take those," he said as soon as he entered. He ran over to Minseok, and before Minseok could react, he took the coffee-packs out of his arms, destroying the careful order Minseok proudly had arranged.

"Go get the customer! Wants your Chocolate Mocha anyways." Yixing said impatient, staggering under the weight of the coffee beans.

"Yixing, are you really okay by yourself?" Minseok asked, still unsure. What was going on with him today?

"Mhm," Yixing replied and nodded energetic. "Totally okay! Go serve that customer, now,"

Minseok eyed him suspiciously, but got going, heading for the counter.

And Minseok understood - it wasn't a girl that made Yixing all weird. It was someone completely else.

It was Luhan. It was obvious that Yixing had noticed that whatever was going on, the main problem was Minseok/Luhan. Dear, poor, Yixing. How Minseok loved that idiot.

As Minseok walked over to Luhan wide-eyed, he wondered if it really was Luhan standing there. But his brain told him that it was Luhan indeed, from the way he leant with one arm to the counter, to the way he looked at Minseok.

"Double Chocolate Mocha with cream?" Luhan asked trying. He seemed much more tired then last time. He had a smear of something red across his cheek, and his face looked hollower than it had just a couple of weeks ago. But Minseok couldn't do anything but nod, staring at the boy in front of him. After one month without as much as a word, Luhan was now right in front of him. Minseok hesitated for a moment, but then turned around and started making Luhan his coffee, his cheeks burning. If it had been anything else, he would certainly have messed it up. Luckily he was very used to making the Mocha, so it was like a routine - he just did it.

As Minseok served Luhan his coffee, Luhan cocked his head slightly to the left, like saying "aren’t you going to follow me?". So that's what Minseok did, leaving the front counter to Yixing, who was now probably stuck under a dozen packs of coffee beans.

And they just sat there for a while. No one said anything, and Luhan sipped his coffee every so often, until it wad almost empty. In the end, Minseok got impatient.

"Why didn't you get back to me?" he asked, a little bit upset.

Luhan waited with answering. He seemed reluctant all of a sudden. Then, he looked down to his left, a sign of doubt. "I thought you hated me," he muttered, in the end.

This made Minseok want to grip his hair out of frustration. "I don't even have your cellphone number, how can I contact you to tell you that I don't hate you? For Heaven's sake Luhan, don't just... Draw your own conclusions!" Minseok rarely got upset, not to mention irritated. And it was even rarer that he showed it on the outside. But Luhan had made him feel so many things over the past weeks - he couldn't even have imagined just a month ago.

This time around, Luhan was the one speechless and wide-eyed. "Wait, so you're okay with it?" he asked slightly shocked and stared at Minseok.

Minseok lifted an eyebrow. "Depends on what 'it' means. If you mean leaving me alone for a month without notice, then FOR GOD'S SAKE NO. If you meant something else, then I guess yes," he said discomposed.

Luhan's cheeks burned as he looked down at the floor. "I just... I didn't think you would miss me that much. And do I really have to say what 'it' means?" he muttered. This made Minseok even more angered. Didn't think he would miss him?! That Luhan, he was all he had been able to think about the past month! He also realized what Luhan meant by 'it' now. He had to hold his laughter in, and somehow some of his irritation melted away. Luhan meant the kiss, talking he was a shy ten year old girl.

But even though some of his irritation was gone, he still had plenty left. "Miss you? You've been all I have - I mean, of course I missed you! And no, I was not bothered a bit about 'it' or whatever we've decided to call it," Minseok felt the words come out of his mouth like a waterfall, scolding Luhan. But he didn't want to scold him. To be honest, Minseok was happy. Happy that he could see him again. Happy that Luhan came here, at all.

Luhan however, looked at Minseok shocked. "What? I mean... Like... Oh God," he hid his head in his hands, gripping his hair. "Oh my..."

Minseok leant forward in his chair, and over the old, wooden table that parted him and Luhan. "Luhan?" he asked unsure. "What is it?"

The boy opposite of him didn't say anything for a while. Then he started to rock slightly back and forward, biting his thumb nervously. "I came to..." he started to say, but didn't complete his sentence, and it floated into the silence. He stood up, traces of tears in his eyes. "I came to say goodbye, Minseok," he said, trying to keep his facade up.

And all that had become Minseok's world up until now, crumbled right in front of him. "Leave?" he tried to ask, but the words left his mouth without a voice to accompany it.

Luhan was quiet for a while, like he was saving up the courage to tell Minseok. "That gang... They tracked me up again. Burned down my apartment. I'm living in a small youth hostel now, but my money is running out. The gang is sending me to the other side of the country to fetch something for them. They're saying I'll be back in a few weeks. If I know them right, I'm probably not coming back at all. At least not alive. I’m the peace offering between two rivaling teams," then he stood up, and bowed to Minseok. "I've never met someone like you, Minseok. And I probably never will. I want to thank you for everything you've done for me." He quickly turned around, and walked out of the small coffee shop, leaving Minseok, once again, at a loss for words.

But something, a brave little voice in the back of Minseok's head, shouted at him. 'Are you going to let him leave once again?' it asked. 'Are you going to let him go like that?'

And he stood up, determined. Luhan wasn't slipping away from him once again. That deer of a boy was his. He had been his ever since he had put his finger on Luhan's lips, insisting that they were friends to Yixing.

So Minseok stood up, and ran out. Luhan hadn't got that far. He was walking on the street fifty meters in front of Minseok, slightly hunched forward. Even from behind, Minseok could see that he was really, really unhappy. But this just made him more determined. He was going to make Luhan stay. Stay with him. So he ran for his life.

Minseok had never been an athlete. And he felt it on his body, as he sprinted towards Luhan. He had trouble breathing, and his lungs burned. His legs as well. It was like someone was pouring acid on his muscles, so hard was he running. And in the end, he reached the petite boy. Luhan wasn’t slipping away from him again.

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU.