It doesn’t take long for the press to get wind of the fact that yet another member of famous boyband EXO has filed a lawsuit against the company that launched them into stardom. But by the time the story hits the newsstands and his face is plastered all over the front cover of every gossip magazine and tv screen in the Seoul metropolis, Luhan is safely tucked away on a plane back to China, away from the rumors and accusations.

By the time netizens get wind of the story and take to the internet to voice their opinions, Luhan is nestled in the back of the taxi hurtling down the busy street of Beijing towards a small apartment nestled on the east side of town. And by the time his former band members are informed of his departure from the group (and company), Luhan is standing on an unfamiliar doorstep, knocking gently on an unfamiliar door and trying his hardest not to succumb to the storm of emotions raging inside of him in that moment.

**********

On the other side of the door Yifan hesitates because who on earth could be knocking on his door in the middle of the afternoon? His manager and stylists all have keys to his apartment and he hasn’t really made any new friends outside of his new company.

Despite himself, Yifan trudges down the hallway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and reaches for the doorknob. When the door swings open Yifan sort of forgets how to breath.

“...Luhan?”

Luhan smiles, bottom lip trembling slightly, and wipes away a stray tear trickling down his far too pale cheek, relishing in the sound of the other boy's rough raspy voice. “Hi...”

Yifan freezes in his doorway and coughs awkwardly, “Uhm... Hi...?”

Luhan chuckles and bounces on the balls of his feet on Yifan's doorstep. "Can I... uhm... Can I come in?"

Snapping out of his slight daze, Yifan nods and steps to one side. "Oh... Uh... Yeah. Come in."

Trying hard not to fall apart, Luhan drags his bright yellow suitcase into Yifan's apartment and toes his shoes off in the foyer as Yifan closes the door, sealing them off from the rest of the world.

He stands awkwardly in the middle of the taller boy's living room, taking in the quaint decor with a small smile.

At first, they sort of just stare at each other, taking in how much they've both changed in half a year's time. Luhan is thinner than Yifan remembers, skin much too pale and cheeks sunken. He looks gaunt and malnourished, and the dark circles under his eyes tell Yifan that the shorter boy hasn't slept well in weeks. This is not the Luhan he remembers leaving behind to care for the boys of EXO-M in his stead.

Yifan on the other hand, Luhan notes, is the picture of happiness and health. He's gained a little bit more weight and he's not as pale as he once was, skin smoother and full of color. He's standing taller now, broad shoulders pulled back instead of slumped the way they always used to be when he had still been a part of EXO-M. He is more handsome and alive than what Luhan remembers, and for that he is grateful. Because it means that a life for him exists after this whole terrible ordeal is all sorted out and that's the only ray of hope he has to cling to right now.

Yifan observes Luhan's hunched posture and his head to the side. "So... What's up Luhan-ge.... Shouldn't you be promoting with the others right now?"

Luhan smiles bitterly and shakes his head. "I... Yifan, I left them. I just... I couldn't do it anymore... I couldn't keep pretending that things were okay when they aren't..."

It's then that Luhan cracks a little bit, bowing his head as tears start to fall freely from his tired eyes. He wipes at them roughly with the sleeve of his shirt and jams the heel of his hands into his eyes but it doesn't stop the steady stream of saline rushing down his cheeks. In fact it only makes him cry harder and he hiccups in frustration when he finds himself spiraling out of control.

Yifan frowns, knowing how hard it must have been for Luhan to walk away from everything, and awkwardly wraps the older boy up in his strong arms, frown deepening at how frighteningly small and frail he feels in his arms. "It's okay Luhan-ge, just let it all out. You'll feel better afterwards, I promise."

And just like that, the dam inside of Luhan finally breaks. A thousand and one emotions pour out and he dissolves into a mess of tears and snot, sobbing into the warm skin of the crook of Yifan's neck.

They stand there in the awkward silence of the living room until Luhan's knees start to buckle and Yifan scoops the smaller boy into his arms, walking them both to his bedroom before settling onto his bed with Luhan gathered in his lap like a small child.

By the time Luhan's sobs subside to soft hiccups, the warmth of Yifan's apartment has lulled both of them to sleep wrapped up in each other. In the living room, Luhan's phone screeches angrily as text messages come flying in from the other members and several phone calls go unanswered because for the first time in weeks, Luhan is finally getting some well deserved shut eye.

**********

When Yifan wakes up several hours later to darkness and moonlight seeping through a small gap in his cream colored curtains, the first thing he does is check the time: 7:30PM. The next thing he does is check on Luhan, who appears to still be sleeping peacefully sprawled across his broad chest.

Yifan's thoughts drift back to six months earlier, when he had announced that he was leaving the group and Luhan had begged him to wait just a few more weeks for their contracts to be nullified. But Yifan had been adamant about leaving, he couldn't deal with the schedules and slave-driving managers anymore, so he had packed up his bags and left Luhan to pick up the pieces of a broken promise.

He had honestly meant to wait for negotiations with upper management to go through, but when weeks went by in silence, Yifan had had enough. If they weren't going to do anything and ignore his requests then he would force their hand and make them listen. He was sick and tired of being a pawn, a puppet to do with whatever they pleased. But they hadn't listened and so he left.

He packed up his bags, flew back to Beijing, and started over again, this time with a better company and better management. But a piece of him had stayed behind in Seoul, with Luhan who had looked so miserable and dejected as he watched Yifan disappear. Luhan who had pleaded with him to bear with it for just a few more weeks.

He hadn't realized that leaving the older boy behind would result in him becoming a shell of the person he had once been. It angered Yifan to realize that management had taken their anger out on the Chinese members who had stayed behind, made him want to sue them all over again for bringing harm to his brothers.

But he had Luhan now, safe and sound in China, and Yifan would be damned if he let anything  happen to the older boy. Luhan might have been older, but Yifan was bigger, and stronger, better at throwing his weight around to get what he wanted. Luhan was more delicate, along the lines of  a porcelain doll that had to be cared for and loved and cherished. He tended to be more fragile, and leaned on others for emotional support and comfort when things got difficult.

Carding a hand gently through Luhan’s bleach-blonde hair, Yifan sighs and stares up at the ceiling. How much hate would the older boy receive for leaving the group? How far through the mud would their old company drag his name and reputation before they were satisfied? And would Luhan survive the world turning against him overnight?

Yifan himself remembers how difficult it had been when he’d first broken away from the group. He remembers the hate and criticism, the heavy blame that had been laid on his shoulders instead of on the company that had worked him to the ground. He remembers the loneliness and how desperately he had wanted to reach out to his former members support, only to be turned away with harsh words and cold stares. Mostly, he remembers how much it had hurt to be told that it had been his fault that everything had gone to ruin.

As he continues to card his hand through Luhan’s hair, Yifan doesn’t realized that the smaller boy had awoken until the blonde boy turns onto his stomach and looks up at him with a small smile, eyes still puffy and red from crying. “Hi...”

Yifan smiles back at Luhan and continues to run his hand through the smaller boy’s blonde hair. “Feel better?”

Luhan offers a small smile and leans into Yifan’s touch, savoring the warmth. “Yeah... a little...”

Suddenly, Yifan’s smile falters and stops running his hand through Luhan’s hair to cup the smaller boy’s face in his large hands, thumbs gently over sunken cheeks as tears gather in his own brown eyes. “Xiaolu... I’m sorry...”

Luhan’s breath hitches and he opens his eyes to stare back at Yifan, the smallest smile painted on his pink lips. “Duizhang....”

Yifan smiles sadly at the old endearment, knowing that he no longer reserves the right to be called by that name. “I’m not your Duizhang anymore Xiaolu...”

Luhan smiles and turns his head to press a kiss into the palm of Yifan’s large hand. “You will always be my Duizhang, just like I’m always going to be your Xiaolu.”

There’s a moment of silence that passes where they sort of just stare at each other, and then Luhan is leaning forward, pressing his lips softly, hesitantly against Yifan’s. At first, Yifan freezes, body going tense at the unfamiliar feeling of Luhan’s lips against his before his brain finally registers that it isn’t actually that unfamiliar and then he’s kissing Luhan back.

They kiss, slowly, languidly, until Luhan feels something wet against his cheek and tastes salt on his lips. It’s then that he pulls back and sees that Yifan, strong, manly, Wu Yifan, is crying. Luhan blinks in shock and reaches up to wipe away the tears on the taller boy’s cheeks, when Yifan catches his hand mid-trip and presses his lips to the palm of Luhan’s hand. “I’m sorry, Xiaolu... I’m so sorry...”

Luhan smiles softly and cups Yifan’s face in his small hands, pressing another gentle kiss to his lips. “Why are you sorry? We talked about it and I told you it was okay, remember?”

Yifan sniffles and scrubs at his eyes angrily with the back of his hand. “But it’s not. I never should have left you behind to deal with everything... I should have insisted on taking you with me... ... I’m sorry, Xiaolu...”

Luhan’s gaze softens and he leans up to kiss Yifan’s tears away. “Stop it. I told you it was okay to go first. Besides, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

6 months too late. But Luhan is here and Luhan is safe and happy, and for that Yifan is eternally grateful. "You should have been here six months ago Xiaolu... I'm sorry I didn't go back for you..."

Luhan shakes his head and laces their fingers together tightly. "You need to stop blaming yourself Duizhang. I know we promised to leave together, heck I was the one who begged you to take me with you, but happens. You left first and that's okay. All that matters is that I'm here now. Okay?"

Yifan smiles and kisses Luhan hard on the lips, before pulling back to tell the latter something he should have told him before he left. "Wo ai ni... Xiaolu. (I love you, Little Deer)"

Luhan's eyes glitter with unshed tears of happiness as he kisses Yifan back and repeats the same words back to him. "Wo ai ni... Duizhang. (I love you, Captain)"

In that moment, both of them realize that everything is going to be okay. Because they have each other and the love between them.

Yifan finally has his Xiaolu back where he belongs and he's never letting go ever again.

And Luhan... Luhan is finally home.

Luhan is home and he couldn't be happier because he has his Duizhang and he knows that even if he wakes up tomorrow with the whole world against him, he will always have his Duizhang.

And that makes everything okay.