II. Beginning

There had always been Minseok and Luhan, Luhan and Minseok. There never was a time that the two was separated, as if their bodies were superglued which made other potential friends impossible to get through them.

The two met during preschool, snot running shamelessly from their nose and minds too young and naive to the world.

It happened when a pretty boy was crying loudly on his seat, which made Minseok turn from his chair and find the source of that sound. Turns out that Luhan was throwing a tantrum when he was given a chocolate milk instead of his usual strawberry milk.

Minseok was taught that sharing is caring and as mind as his mind was, he thought that the other boy is too pretty to be crying. So he walked back to his table and grabbed his own strawberry milk and ed it to Luhan. The other boy was too eager to drink from the carton to notice the boy who gave the milk, after emptying its contents, Luhan finally looked up and thanked his angel.

"I am Luhan, I am-" Luhan shows his hands with four of his fingers raised, his thumb hidden by his other hand. "Who are you?" He tilts his head in a questioning manner.

"Minseok." The boy silently says. Luhan is too observant for his age so he noticed that the chubby kid is longingly eyeing the pink milk carton, the box inflated and the straw chewed.

"Oh! I give this to you because you gave your milk." Luhan then inserted the straw to the hole, of course with some of the contents accidentally spilling.

"Um-" Minseok trails off, he wants to shake his head and say that he can have it for later but the look on the other boy's eyes is too shiny to be declined, Minseok is afraid that Luhan would burst out if he would say no.

So he accepts the milk and holds it on his tiny hand, he puts the straw on his mouth and let it stay there. But Luhan is stubborn. "You're not even drinking it." Luhan whines, a pout forming on his tiny lips.

Minseok internally cries and he fisted his small hands, wishing to his fairies that he would not visit the too clean and white place just like what had happened before. He took a sip and after the sweet and creamy taste settled on his mouth, he drank more until the whole box is empty.

Their teacher rang the bell which signifies that break time is over and that they are going to start doing fun things again. Luhan cleared out the chair next to him and urged Minseok to sit there.

Minseok likes to have friends but is too shy to have one but Luhan is taking initiatives and Minseok is not one who let the good things fly out from his mouth so ge gladly takes the sit and said a thank you to the pretty boy.

An hour later, Minseok sees tiny dots on his skin and scratched them because it's way too itchy, not minding when his mother would always tell him to not scratch his skin way too much. He continued doing so which earned a curious look from Luhan which he in turn only gave out a toothy smile.

After the itchiness had subsided a little, Minseok could hear his stomach grumbling but he tells his stomach that he just ate and that they are about to do fun things so he can't eat just yet.

The class was asked to circle around the huge mat placed proudly  at the center of the room. Minseok clutches his stomach with the hopes that it would stop, then he sat down of course next to his newfound friend Luhan. 

The little boy could not take it anymore, his stomach is aching terribly and he could already feel the gas about to release from his cute bum. He forces himself to not release anything and his face formed into someone who looks terribly constipated. Minseok wants to ask help from Luhan but the boy is too absorbed with what he is doing so he placed his hand down and rubs his tummy to relieve the pain.

"Teacher I-" Minseok helplessly speaks, his little body could not really take it anymore so he raised his left hand to call his teacher's attention. Seeing Minseok's pale face, the teacher immediately attended him and Minseok breathes a sigh of relief which made all the things he was holding on releasr freely.

The teacher noticed the wet patch on Minseok's yellow shorts and lets out a word which Minseok is sure a bad word (his parents fought way too much and he asked one time what '' means and his mother starred at him in horror and tapped the boy's mouth and said to never say that word because that is bad and santa won't give you gifts, Minseok shakes off to say that he heard that word from them and if he ask that, santa would probably not give his mama and papa gifts.)

Minseok wants to scold his teacher to never say that word again but his body suddenly feels to exhausted to utter anything so he let the darkness swallow him whole and maybe he could rest a little if he succumbs into it.

--

It took Minseok three days to go back to school, he stayed to the same hospital just as the other time and he received quite an earful from his parents (and they spoke those bad words again in front of him, thinking that he was asleep but really he was just trying if he could still see with his eyes in slits). His wrist was poked with something sharp and Minseok is proud to say that he didn't cry when the kind lady inserted it.

As soon as his feet stepped on the colorful room, he was tackled by someone which made him almost fall on his  so he pried the other kid off him to see who is so excited that he's back to school again, alive and kicking.

Turns out that it's Luhan. Minseok smiles to the boy and is about to grab a piece of candy he received from the kind lady, he saved and kept it safely on his bag thinking that his new friend would love it.

"I was-" Luhan hiccups, seconds later the boy rubs his eyes and started crying, his wail alarming Minseok.

There are two things which Minseok realized that day. One, he hates seeing Luhan cry and two, this boy will be his bestfriend forever.

--

In their years of friendship, Minseok was only able to go to Luhan's house twice. Both only a brief visit to get Luhan's stuff since Luhan had always preferred Minseok's house anyway because of their wide backyard, perfect for playing soccer.

So it was a shock for Minseok when his mother announced that he's going to stay at the Oh's for the meantime. Minseok was too used with Luhan visiting him so staying at some stranger's (not Luhan) might be an uncomfortable experiencr and a torture to him.

"But mom I-" 

"Minseok, we've already talked about this." His mom's voice is stern and reprimanding which made Minseok to cower a little. It's annoying on his part because he thought that he's already used to this treatment but it seems like he would never get the hang of it.

Of course,  Minseok wants to scream, he wants to throw a tantrum and break something just to get his point across. He wants to tell his mom that he would never get used to this arrangement, that he's not fine with his family slowly breaking off but what would a 12 year old child could do? All he could do is to accept, say okay and not give his parents more problems.

His parents didn't ever get along as far as Minseok's memories could ever reach. The couple had always fought shamelessly, throwing things here and there and punching each other with harsh and hurtful words. Minseok is an only child so he's actually glad that no one other than him would feel the pain of being treated like this. 

With Luhan visiting him, he's actually happy for a lot of reasons. Mainly because his parents would actually try to act civil when the boy is there. But then again, Minseok is almost always left to his own devices which is actually a real nightmare to the young boy.

--

After his mother had dropped him at Luhan's house, he's left sitting cautiously on the cream sofa. Luhan's parents are accomodating as usual but Minseok is actually scared because he swears to himself that he could feel someone staring deep into his soul, silently judging but the impact stinging.

Mr. and Mrs. Oh made sure that Minseok is comfortable, he was already shown the room which he is going to stay for some time. He's actually in awe because the room is full of soccer stuffs, from curtains to linens. "Oh, you're going to sleep with Luhan since Sehun is a little brat who hates sharing." Mrs. Oh jokingly says while grabbing fresh pillow covers for the newcomer.

The look on his face might be too visible as Mrs. Oh starts to explain that Sehun is Luhan's younger brother and that he is 4 years younger than them. "He might look like he's angry at you but that boy is all bark with no bite."

Minseok only met Sehun when Luhan opened the door to his room, a boy hugging Luhan's waist. "Who you." The boy demands, brows turning into furrows and a scowl present on his face.

"Um-" Minseok starts but it seems that the boy is not hearing any from him as he starts singing a random song and makes faces at him. The discomfort must be visible as Luhan sighs and prices his brother off him and ruffles Sehun's hair which Sehun had leaned into and clearly enjoying it.

"Hun-ah, this is Minseok hyung,  my best friend.  He's going to live here for a while." Upon hearing this, the frown on his lips went deeper and Luhan pinches his cheeks to make the boy stop.

--

Sehun and Minseok never clicked together, the former too prickly and snobbish to the latter. Minseok is trying his best though, always including the younger to all of their games and sometimes even plays with him when Luhan is out. But all his efforts are nothing when Sehun always turns away from him, not giving Minseok a second glance. Minseok assures himself that the boy could be as bratty as he wants to be as long as Luhan is still by his side, he would be fine. 

Luhan, being the adventurous and outdoor freak that he is, signed up for a school camping trip in the woods. He's been really excited with the trip that he keeps on blabbering the plans which he is going to do, adding the word fun every now and then but Minseok is still not convinced. The moment Luhan had shown the poster of the trip, Minseok already spat a no. It's not that he hates being one with mother nature, it's his socializing skills which hindered him from doing things which Luhan considered fun. It would also be a burden on his part and he would rather sleep in their warm and comfortable shared room and he would prefer to tolerate and deal with Sehun than slapping mosquitos.

The day on Luhan's departure, Sehun is shamelessly sulking and openly threw a fit in front of everyone which made the usual chill Luhan flustered and embarrassed. Sehun is still clinging on his brother's legs, not wanting to let go and Luhan desperately tries to get help from Minseok which in turn made him swallow his own spit.

Minseok is about to forcefully pry Sehun off and drag him out when Mr. Lu carried the little boy and put him on his shoulder just like a sack of rice. He breathes in a sigh of relief and silently thanked Mr. Oh and all the gods from above for sparing his dear life.

They all said their goodbyes, Sehun did as well albeit a little forced and went to the car to drive home.

--

Even if it looks like he has given up on Sehun,  Minseok is still silently looking out for him especially that his older brother is out. He makes sure that Sehun has the best even sacrificing his favorite Melona just so Sehun would be at least a tiny bit happy (which is quite impossible when Minseok is within his reach.)

It was a bright and sunny that morning, a day after Luhan was out. The weather is perfect for playing soccer so he ties the laces of his soccer cleats and proceeds to find the soccer ball only to find out that it is not in its usual hiding place. So Minseok went out to the garden and wishes that they had only forgotten to return it only or else Mrs. Oh would be mad at them.

To say that he was shocked is an understatement, his mouth is gaping and he's not sure whether if he's going to laugh with the obscenity of this situation or cry because the scene is really quite obscene. Oh Sehun is trying to kick the soccer ball (the keyword here is trying), his tongue is peeking from his mouth, brows furrowed in concentration. He always missed the ball even if it's really near from his foot, Minseok could see that Sehun is only wearing slippers so there's a probability that he would hurt his feet later on.

There are many ideas surrounding around Minseok's head onto why the kid is trying so hard to kick balls, one is because he wants to be like his older brother. "I'll teach you soccer?" Minseok asks, still unsure if he should enter he devil's den. But seeing the concentration and the dedication in Sehun, he would do his best to help the kid. This could also be a step for their apparently (not)blossoming friendship. 

Sehun looks at him then at the ground then looks at him again. He crosses his arms on his chest and sighs, grudgingly nodding at his brother's bestfriend. He fetches the ball and places it near Minseok.

After sucking a mouthful of air, Minseok starts to teach him the basics and how to properly kick the ball. He even removed his soccer cleats and places it on Sehun's feet, he wants the best for Sehun even if he's acting difficult on him, he does not want Sehun to be in pain just because he's not wearing the proper gear.

The heat of the sun is slowly draining all of his energy, after running around the backyard, and sometimes kicking the ball, Minseok is definitely tired. He lays his body under the shade of a tree and raises his hand, as if reaching up for the sun. The bright sunlight streaming through his fingers and he thinks it's utterly beautiful until he could see Sehun's face towering over him. 

Minseok rises up until it's Sehun who is  the one looking up to him. "Thank you." Sehun quietly says, playing with his fingers and insecurity underlying his tone.

It's an act of bravery and Minseok reaches over Sehun's head and ruffles his hair, making sure he's not going to knot the hair too much. He shows Sehun his brightest smile and grabs the ball from Sehun's grasp and challenged him for another round of soccer.

Minseok likes to think that Sehun had always liked him, it's just that the kid is having a hard time on how to approach him and act around the new kid.

--

Minseok's parents never took him back, as if they have forgotten that they once had a child. The shame of staying over the Oh's is slowly getting into his system, he's been what he thinks is free loading at their house for a long time now and he feels like he's being a burden to them. He's even aware that his parents already stopped sending money for Minseok's daily consumption the Oh's have been paying for his school tuition and all. 

Minseok is slowly packing all of his clothes and belongings and tries to keep his tears at bay. He's planning to run away and hopefully find someone who he could work for in exchange for a house and education, although it would alnost be impossible for anyone to accept a scrawny 14 year old to work for them. Thankfully, Luhan is out again so running away in midnight would be easy as a pie. 

The door to his room opened loudly and Minseok suddenly twisted his neck to see who's the intruder.

"Hyung, let's- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Sehun's shrieks and Minseok swears he would definitely miss the quite annoying voice of this kid.

After seeing Minseok's packed bags, Sehun ran downstairs to tell his mom what Minseok hyung is about to do. Even at his young age, Sehun knows what the packed bags means, he already watched too many movies and is quick to conclude that Minseok hyung is going to do the same.

He drags his mom with him, saying that Minseok hyung is doing something dangerous and reckless. Minseok, on the other hand is terribly shaking and kind of want to cover Sehun's mouth to stop him from telling Mrs. Oh.

"Minseok? Are you trying to run away?" 

"I've been a nuisance to you Mrs. Oh, my parents stopped caring about me and you're already spending much money on me." Minseok looks down, shame heating his face. 

Mrs. Oh sighs and wrapped Minseok around her. "You've never been a nuisance to us Minseok, we already treated you as our own the time you stepped into this home. You could day here as long as you want plus your presence is already much of your payment. Plus you made grumpy Sehun to happy Sehun." 

As embarrassing as it is, Minseok burst into tears in Mrs. Oh's arms. "Hyung is a crybaby." Sehun teases and pokes Minseok's ribs, it always makes Minseok laugh.

At that time, Minseok learned that family does not only mean sharing the same blood. Family means the people who would stick by your side during your darkest time and would accept you no matter what. 

**

A/N : it took me some time to figure out why it looks bad on mobile and i'm actually quite mad. nevertheless, i hope it looks alright. also it's not beta-d because i would always be ashamed to reread my . enjoy c: