"How about you Xiumin?" The interviwer asked, staring expectantly at Xiumin. Luhan turned to look at his friend and was greeted with a blank look. He had no idea what the interviewer said. Luhan stared as the translator explained it to Xiumin who immediately let out an 'Ah~' and replied appropriately to the question. Then, the translator gave his response back to the interviewer. She made a comment about it but of course, Xiumin didn't know what the heck she was going on about. It was infuriating for Luhan to even watch. It must for Xiumin and Chen, he wondered. He watched as the translator again said something back to Xiumin who nodded, before saying something back to her. This cycle repeated until the interviewer got fed up with it and moved on to another member. 

The interview itself was awkward, all the members had no idea how to answer and no one wanted to say something wrong. As the interviwer made a joke about Kris's height, Luhan began to laugh and naturally turned to Xiumin to see his reaction. The boy was staring straight ahead, an awkward smile permanently fixed on his face, his eyes wide. Luhan felt something in his chest tighten and before he knew it, he leaned down to Xiumin and whispered in his ear. "She called Kris a giant." He spoke in Korean.

Xiumin looked up at Luhan and let out a laugh before turning to Chen to tell him, who looked as lost as Xiumin. Luhan smiled as they both shared a laugh. Luhan wanted Xiumin to be involved. He wanted Xiumin to know what was going on. And so, all the way through that interview, he would lean into Xiumin to whisper something in his ear. Sometimes, he would tell a joke that the interviwer said (Tao looks like a panda) or a compliment she gave (She said Lay is cute). Sometimes it wasn't even related to the interview, he would just make random comments (Want to get some coffee later? Want to play soccer later?) to get Xiumin's attention and to give him somoeone to communicate to. 

He soon took over the translator's job and would immediately whisper what the interviwer said into Xiumin's ear. He didn't know why he did this but it was something that happened naturally and he was sure he was much faster in translating than the translator herself. 

~

EXO-M and EXO-K had been seperated for the first time, EXO-K was still in Korea whereas EXO-M was in China. They all missed EXO-K, after all, they were now as close as family and Luhan considered them to be his brothers. Furthermore, they were always busy with their schedules and were often too exhausted to properly communicate yet Kris, every night, would get out his laptop and make a skype call to Suho. Everyone would spend 5 minutes on the sofa, just talking. They would share interesting events that had occured, worries about the days to come and excitement as well. 

It was another one of those skype calls and they were all sitting down on the sofa. Luhan was of course sitting next to Xiumin. Kris was trying to set up the call and Lay was watching the screen in anticipation. Tao was complaining to Chen that he didn't have enough space and Chen replied with a sarcastic response. He's been hanging with Baekhyun too much, Luhan thought absentmindedly. He smiled at his own thought and turned to tell Xiumin about it. 

Xiumin was staring at the wall with a frown on his face, he looked upset. Luhan bit his lip, wondering what was wrong. "Hey, you alright?" He whispered, nudging him. Xiumin got startled. "Huh, oh yeah, fine." He said looking down before quickly giving a small (fake) smile. Luhan stared at Xiumin before forcing his head up so that he was forced to look in Luhan's eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked softly. Xiumin sighed. "It's just-" 

"HELLO!" They both jumped. Luhan's hand left Xiumin's chin to stare at the computer where the sound had come from. They had finally connected. "How are you guys?" Suho asked warmly but was soon replaced with Baekhyun. "Did anything interesting happen? I'm seriously exhausted." The boy said before yelping as D.O. hit his head. "Everyone's tired." The boy said with gritted teeth before smiling innocently at the camera. Luhan stared back at Xiumin but he was no longer looking at him and was focused on the screen, a genuine smile on his face. 

Later, Luhan promised quietly. We'll talk later.

~

But later had to be postponed again and again as their schedule took away all of their time. Soon, the members no longer had enough time or energy to even speak to each other and the skype calls became rushed as both parties just wanted to go to bed. They were all working hard, no one wanted to make a mistake now that they had finally debuted. So everyone worked until they collapsed, literally.

It was one of these tiring nights and they came back to the dorm at 3am, knowing they would have to wake up in 3 hours. "Go to bed." Kris ordered, as if anyone had enough energy to do anything else. Everyone trudged off to their rooms. Luhan was about to enter his room when he spotted Xiumin. He froze in place. 

Xiumin looked tired. So tired. Was it possible for someone to look so tired? Even Luhan didn't look that tired. Xiumin sighed, his head low as he shuffled forward into the room shutting the door with a firm click.Luhan couldn't move. He felt his chest tighten again. He stared at his chest, confused. "Why?" He whispered quietly in Korean before clutching his chest, trying to release the tension. He stared at the closed door. What was wrong? What did he need to do- Oh. Oh. Oh god.

Xiumin. Xiumin had wanted to talk. Xiumin needed him. There was something wrong. Luhan smacked his head. Stupid idiot. He had forgotten all about it. "Uh, hyung?" Chen was staring at him confused. "Goodnight Chen." He said before literally running into Xiumin's room. Xiumin was sitting next to the bed. His head in his hands. 

He was crying, Luhan realized. His eyes widened. "Xiumin." He whispered. The boy stared up at him shocked. His usually big and bright eyes were sad. His cheeks had streaks of water runnning down them. This wasn't Xiumin, a member of EXO-M. This wasn't Xiumin, the confident and friendly rapper, the incredibly talente dancer. This was Minseok, his scared and tired and sad friend. "Minseok-ah." He whispered stepping forward before crouching down in front of the boy. 

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly. "I'm not good at anything." Minseok blubbered, his sobs filling the air. "I can't even participate in the interviews, I don't have any skills in the group and I'm still too fat." Again, that tightness in his chest. "Oh Minseok," Luhan whispered taking the boy and carrying him onto his lap. The boy looked down. Luhan wrapped his arms around Minseok's "How can you say that? It's not your fault you don't know Mandarin. You're trying your hardest and that's what matters. You're not fat and I'll castrate anyone that says otherwise. As for skills, you're a brilliant rapper and an even greater dancer. As good as Lay. Honestly." Luhan said sincerely, his head. 

Minseok pulled away from him. "What a joke. Tao and Kris are rappers. Lay is the dancer. They don't need me here. What is the point of me even being in this group; no one even needs me-"

"Shut up." Luhan whispered softly. He had said it so quietly that he was surprised when Minseok actually stopped talking. "You're an idiot. Can't you see? Why can't you see your worth? This group would be as lost without you as they would be without Lay or Kris or Tao. We need you here. More importantly, I need you here. " He said softly Minseok's cheek, wiping away the tears.  

Minseok gave a tiny smile and Luhan felt immediately triumphant. "What do you even need me for?" He said trying to act nonchalant. Luhan laughed, it was obvious that Minseok was trying to get complimented but Luhan was happy to provide them. "I need you to scold me when I'm acting dumb, I need you to hold my hand when I'm nervous, I need you to make me laugh, I don't know why but I even need you fuss over me for not setting my stupid bed but most importantly, I need you to be my best friend." Luhan finished. Even though they both knew they were best friends, it was the first time that one of them had acknowledged it out loud. 

Minseok gave him such a sweet smile back that Luhan couldn't help smiling back. "Thank you. Thank you, best friend." Minseok whispered hugging Luhan. He hugged him back, happy to have made Minseok smile. 

~

There were 2 days left before they would be going back to Korea to meet up with EXO-K and all the boys were granted a free day to explore China. Luhan had been excited thinking of all the places where he wanted to take Xiumin. They were now in the car and Tao and Luhan were both talking excitedly about where to go. "And we have to take them to that market-" "And the great wall as well!" "Oh yeah! Of course!" The other members stared at them, smiling with affection at the excitement of the boys. Chen had his head on Lay's shoulder and was reading a chinese to korean dictionary. 

They reached their first destination, the market. Luhan jumped out of the car and grabbed Xiumin's hand, ready to drag him so that he could taste the incredibly delicious-"Luhan! We have to stick together. You can't just drag Xiumin away." Kris called out. Luhan stopped and turned around. He huffed angrily and was about to throw back a reply when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. You can show whatever you wanted to show me later." Xiumin said smiling up at him. "But Minseok-ah, I was going to show you the ShiuMai." (AN: Not sure if that's the right pinyin..) Luhan whined. "You little kid. You can show it to me later." He reasoned, before dragging Luhan to where Kris and the other members waited. 

"Let's go." Kris said and they began to walk around. Xiumin had a camera out and was taking pictures of all the stalls. Luhan walked next to him, pointing out what the signs said and what was being sold. Tao was trying to convince Kris to buy him something and Chen was trying to communicate to one of the passerbys, convinced, no doubt, that he was speaking correctly. Lay was trying to get him to move away from the woman, who looked harassed. Luhan smiled wrapping an arm around Xiumin's shoulder. The boy looked up at him and gave him a smile before lifting up his camera and taking a picture of Luhan's face. "Hey. I wasn't ready." He complained, his lips forming a pout. 

"Aish. Stop doing aegyo." Xiumin said but his smile was still there and his eyes shined mischievously. Luhan smiled back. "You love it." He said before shooting back love bullets. "Not really" Xiumin shot back his own love bullets. Luhan flushed, he hadn't expected the other to shoot back. "And you're the eldest hyung." He mumbled. "You're the second eldest." Xiumin scoffed. "Xiumin-ge, Luhan-ge, Chen-ge's going to eat a scorpion!" Tao said (in Korean) excitedly interrupting their conversation. 

"Seriously? I want a picture!" Xiumin said bounding over with Tao. Luhan jogged behind them, he wanted to see this as well. Chen was looking at the stick uncertainly. "Go ahead." Xiumin said his camera ready. Chen shrugged his shoulders before taking a bite. The members all oohed. "How was it?" Luhan asked excitedly. Chen's face was scrunched up. "Nothing special. Just like chicken." He said before finishing it off in another bite. 

~

They were walking on the great wall. As usual, it was really crowded, and they had to hold hands to keep from seperating. Luhan and Xiumin were together, they would be meeting the other members back at the market. "So many steps." Xiumin gasped out. Luhan nodded his head in agreement, dragging Xiumin up the last step. He leaned back on the wall, gasping for breath. Xiumin collapsed next to him. "The view." Luhan panted out, pointing towards the wall. Xiumin got up and pulled Luhan up with him. "Wait." Luhan said covering Xiumin's eyes with his hands. "I want to see your reaction." HE gently moved forward. He now realized what an awkward position he had put them in. Xiumin's was pressed onto Luhan's crotch. Luhan gulped. Stupid idiot. Thankfully, neither one of them was gay. 

"Okay, 1, 2, 3." Luhan said before taking off his hands. He stared at Xiumin, smiling. Xiumin gasped out. "Wow..." He let out. They had spent an entire 3 hours climbing to the midway point, just to see the view. Now that they were here, it was worth it. The view was composed of mountains, the wall and the sky and was beautiful. Xiumin grabbed his camera and took a picture of the view. "It's beautiful." He whispered. Luhan nodded in agreement. "The first time I came, I didn't move from this area for one hour. I just gazed at the view." He recalled, smiling at the memory. 

Noticing Xiumin's smile, he smiled at the boy. "Well, I'm glad that I came here with you." Xiumin whispered. Luhan smiled feeling satisfied. "Let's take a picture as a memory." Xiumin blurted out. Luhan shuffled closer to Xiumin as Xiumin pushed the camera back. Seeing Xiumin making the V-sign, Luhan copied him and smiled. "1, 2, 3!" Xiumin said before clicking. He brought the camera down. "Let me see." Luhan said. The photo turned out great, their faces looking happy and young. "My cheeks look fat." Xiumin mumbled pouting. "It's your best quality." Luhan reassured him. "Baozi." He added at the end. "Ya!" Xiumin smacked his arm. Luhan laughed and soon Xiumin was joining him. 

~

The airport was way too crowded. "So many fans came." Luhan said in a hushed voice to Xiumin. Xiumin nodded back. Luhan noticed a lot of signs saying 'Luhan' but couldn't spot a lot that said 'Xiumin'. He felt disappointed. He knew that they boy didn't have many fans but he still didn't understand why. Xiumin was everything anyone could ever want in an idol. They were waiting for the other members to be checked in. One of the airport receptionists came up towards them. "Can I have your autograph?" She asked Luhan, completely ignoring Xiumin.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Xiumin's face fall a little, though he kept smiling. Luhan blurted out in chinese "Only if you ask for an autograph and picture from the boy next to me." The girl cocked her head but nodded. Luhan gave her his signature. The girl turned towards Xiumin and held out the pen and book. Xiumin looked surprised before grinning and signing the book. "She also wants a picture." Luhan told Xiumin in Korean. "Seriously?" Xiumin asked looking positively shocked now. Luhan nodded. The girl handed Luhan her phone. "Can you take the picture?" She asked a bit confused but going along with it. Thank god, Luhan thought. Luhan took the picture.

"Can I have one with you as well?" She asked Luhan when he handed her the phone. "She wants to tell you that she thinks your cheeks are adorable and to ignore my nickname." He told Xiumin in Korean. As Luhan had turned towards Xiumin, the girl had looked as well, curious about what he was saying. Therefore, Xiumin was under the impression that she was awaiting his reply. Xiumin's face lit up with a smile. "Seriously?" He said before adding Thank you in chinese. The girl smiled although she had no idea what he was thanking her for. "What are you even saying right now?" She asked Luhan. "She says you're also very good at dancing and her favourite member." Luhan told Xiumin happily. The girl looked a bit annoyed now but Xiumin didn't notice and he sincerely thanked her, a beautiful smile on his face. The girl then left, ready to tell her friend about the snobby brat and his Korean friend she had just met. 

"Wow. I didn't know I even had fans." Xiumin said. Luhan turned to see his face lit up completely with one of the brightest smiles Luhan had ever seen. Luhan smiled. "Of course you do, you're amazing!" He said bumping Xiumin with his hip. Xiumin laughed. "Hey guys." Luhan turned to see Lay. "How long have you been here?" Luhan asked biting his lip. "Enough to see Xiumin's exhange with his number 1 fan." Lay said smiling at Xiumin. Xiumin jumped excitedly laughing. At that moment, Tao came through the door as well and Xiumin ran to tell him about his fan. 

"Yixing, you can't tell him." Luhan pleaded immediately. Lay raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't going to. But I just want to know, why did you do it?" He asked. "He doesn't see how amazing he is, ever. And just because he can't understand the language, he has less fans." Luhan said bitterly. He sighed before continuing. "I just wanted to make him happy, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders. "You really care for him, huh?" Lay asked. "He's my best friend." Luhan replied automatically. Lay smiled. "Well, I can understand why you did it. Don't worry, I won't tell him." He said patting Luhan's shoulder. "Thanks man." Luhan said feeling much more relaxed. 

~

Screams, everywhere. Luhan pushed through the crowd, trying to find space to move through. The security guards could only do so much, he thought as he pushed though the throb of fans. He was almost to the top of the stairs when he remembered Xiumin. He looked back. Xiumin was struggling to get through as there weren't as many security guards back there. One of the fans was even pulling his shirt. Luhan immediately turned around and walked down towards Xiumin. "Hey!" The security guard yelled after him but he ignored him. He reached the poor boy who looked at him with a terrified look in his eyes. "Go before me." He yelled, trying to get himself heard. Xiumin did as he was told. Luhan wrapped his arms around Xiumin's waist and they walked back up, together. 

When they reached the top, Luhan was relieved to see there were fences seperating the fans from the boys. Luhan still didn't remove his hands though and Xiumin didn't tell him to until they reached the entrance to the airplane. "You can let go now." Xiumin mumbled. Luhan let go quickly. "Sorry." He muttered staring down at the floor. Xiumin turned to him. "Thanks about that, you know, back there. Thanks for helping me." He said smiling. "What are friends for?" Luhan asked smiling back before grabbing the shorter boy's hand and taking him into the plane. 

~~~

Ugh really crappy I know.