Thank you so much for voting on the poll, Xiuhan leads by 9 votes... so it should be Xiuhan, right? lol.. Let's see XiuRis.. may be the votes will change... :))

@Teeheehaha-ara they fight for their hyung, lol ^ ^,

@GugGig0307 yep, he does!!

@BabyYoo hahaha... sweet Minseok :))

@froyolovers I'm considering Xiuhan... but Xiuris is interesting too ^ ^"

@smiley44 TaoChen is really funny here, i love them too

@SuperCloud_Nov I can't imagine Baozi tops Kris or Lulu, really - -"

@bambino these two youngests are cute together :))

@KristineeVee the poll says Xiuhan.. but still I feel more like Xiuris..lol

@futsuji thank you so much!!!!!

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Chapter 10 : Whatever will be…. Will be…

…

…

After the cat fight between Tao and Chen, they separated to their own room…… with the order to sleep together tonight…

“….hyung….” …Tao opened their share bedroom, walked straight to the big brother… Xiumin sat there on his study table, glanced at the youngest then got back to his notebook…

“ what?...” …asked back commonly… Tao bit his lower lip, could tell that the hyung is still annoyed…

“ I’m sorry hyung…” ….back hugged that person on the chair, crossing his arms over the hyung’s chest… Xiumin didn’t reply, put down a pen in his hand…

“ I shouldn’t behave like that.. I’m sorry..” …rested his chin on Xiumin’s shoulder… the big brother sighed, raised a hand put over Tao’s arms…

“ don’t fight again…ok?” ….said in stern tone… Tao flashed a smile then took a quick peck on Xiumin’s cheek… the elder startled by that soft lips… but… it’s culture..  right??....

“ Tao! stop kissing me whenever you please .. it’s weird..” …raised his hand higher to wipe that cheek… Tao laughed at his hyung…

“ why hyung.. what’s so weird about kissing… you can do it to me too… here… do it…” ….puffed his cheek and pointed at it, convinced the big hyung to give him a kiss … Xiumin shook his head, pushed the younger’s face away …

“ who will do it, you silly… get off of me… we need to prepare to leave..” …removed Tao’s arms and stood up facing the boy…. Tao smiled brightly to the hyung…

“ hyung, you are not angry no more, right?..” …blinked his eyes cutely to the elder…Xiumin narrowed his eyes staring at the maknae…what does he want this time…

“ will you cancel the room switching.. huh? I can’t sleep without you, you know that..” …finally let his thought out… the eldest smirked at the request…

‘bzzzzzz….. bzzzzzz… bzzzz..’ …. Xiumin picked up the call…

“ yeah hyung… we are ready… yeah… going now…” …grabbed his backpack, ready to leave for practice…

“ Let’s go Tao, Kyunie hyung is waiting…” told the younger. The boy made a face like ‘what??’…

“ oh hyung, c’mon… how about the room switching..” …expected a kind answer.

Xiumin ruffled maknae’s hair, smile to him warmly…

“ just three nights boy, bear with it…” said just that and walked to the door…

“ Hyung!!!...” Tao protested, followed his hyung out.

When the eldest opened to door…. Chen was there with his ear pressed firmly against the wall..

“ oh…Chen … eavesdropping?.... Well…” … the eldest looked at the two younger boys…

“ probably you guys need four nights….” … walked passed Chen who stood there with his mouth opened…

“ let’s go…” …called the two to comedown. Tao glared at the lead vocalist, stirred that chin up to close the mouth..

“ it’s all your fault hyung..” … stomped down stairways…

…

…

Three boys were already waiting at the practice room, stretching their body prepared for the long hours practice…

“ tell already Luhan.. what’s with that purple thing on your face…” Kris gestured at Luhan’s left jaw, He asked about it since the morning but Luhan didn’t say a thing. It’s not swollen but formed up a dark green-purple mark instead… Lay looked at the two… One is glaring waiting for the answer.. another one keeps his mouth shut, ignores the question…

“ He was drunk last night.. and fell on the floor.. good thing I brought him the icepack.. so it’s not that bad…” … He didn’t lie a single word… Luhan did drink.. he did fall on the floor… he did use the icepack..

Kris nodded to the story..

“… I’m not surprised….” … His friend is clumsy, he knows… this Luhan falls every where, hits his head with every thing…Tall boy lifted that chin up to check….

“ you must be soooooo drunk.. who did you drink with?..” … freed that chin, asked other question instead…

Luhan sighed… still felt not right for the last night incident… he was drunk, so he did it the wrong way… one of all the causes was you, YiFan.. because you confessed.. it drove me to the corner..

“ Oh… you are here already?..” …before Luhan can tell whom he was with, Kris turned to the three boys who just entered the practice room. There’s Xiumin walked up front, followed by two boy.. they were quieter than ever…

Luhan looked at Xiumin with his heart drumming like crazy, didn’t know how to react… short boy stole a glance at him, didn’t say a thing but sat down beside Kris instead. Lay observed the situation, chuckled to himself. Xiumin turned to face the leader and told what he has planned.

“ Kris, tonight let these two roommate… they fought like three years old kids just now… let them stick together for three nights… what do you say?...” …attacked the leader with his request.

Kris looked at the two who still nagged at each other about who is at fault, then look back at his small friend..

“ that’s fine… but where should I sleep then?..” … had no idea, how Xiumin arranged sleeping order, usually if a pair got in to fight, other will have to rotate their room too. Last time Kris and Lay fought, Lay went up to his room, Luhan slept with Xiumin, two youngest slept together…

“ with me....” ….

“ oh.. hyung!!!!” …. Two boy whimpered the same time… Lay snorted.. Luhan looked at the floor…. And Kris…..

“ What a good idea Minseok-ah!!! Appreciated it, really!!!!....” …oh Duizhang.. should you control your action a little bit….. Xiumin narrowed his eyes at his friend… Kris seemed to realize how did he react to the arrangement… he cleared his throat a few times, lifted his head up.. acted all cool…

“ I mean.. really.. appreciated your consideration towards the two, they will maintain a nice relationship for sure…” …..- -“…hey Duizhang…. actually they didn’t fight that bad…

Xiumin nodded, then turned to look at Hyun Kyun who came in with the CDs for practice… The man smiled to the boys, gave CDs to Luhan.

“ just start already… we have only three hours today..” the manager told all of them, regarding their schedule for interview this evening…

“ wait.. Luhan… let me see..” Hyun Kyun grabbed Luhan’s shoulder, turned the boy’s face to his direction…

“ ummm.. you may need thick make up tonight, I’ll talk to codi-team… next time be careful ok?...” patted the blonde boy’s back before leaving the practice room. Luhan sighed with his heavy heart… he knows… he deserves this… then lifted his head… was it his eyes playing prank on him??... he saw Xiumin was looking at him.. with the concerning expression… two boys met each other gaze… no words slip from them...

Kris, Tao and Chen, looked at Xiumin then turned to Luhan, wondered what happen… they didn’t see interaction between the two since Xiumin arrived…

“ well… let’s practice then…” Lay interrupted the atmosphere.. took the CDs from Luhan’s hand and put in on play…  

The practice went on like that, repeat all the songs again and again. Like the famous words of SM trainers.. “don’t just learn it, own it!!!”

After the practice ended, Kris walked to Xiumin’s side worriedly…

“.. hey…Luhan and you… are you ok?..” something must be wrong, Luhan didn’t play around Xiumin today but frequently looked at the small boy’s direction, while the eldest didn’t seem to care much about it…

Xiumin smiled at his tall friend, wrapped his arm on that long waist…

“ sure thing.. I’m good.. nothing happens.. right? Luhan..” …the end of sentence talked to Luhan. Blonde boy surprised at the sudden question, he smiled bitterly to both of them…

“ ah.. umm…. Yeah.. we are good..” …halfhearted answered… tried hardly to keep his smile on… Kris doubtfully nodded….

“ I hope so… I never expect you two to fight…” …said that, wrapped his arm on Xiumin’s shoulder, led small boy to walk out together…

Luhan sighed a long breath… Xiumin wanted to cover up the situation, he knew… ‘nothing happens’… it sounded like the eldest didn’t care of his confession at all…

Lay walked to the second eldest boy, patted on that shoulder a few times…

“ I’m not sure.. what’s with you guys last night.. apologize already… it will help…” …gave his sincere advice to the elder, and Luhan nodded to it. ….right gege…just apologize.. when you say sorry… it means you admit that you committed the wrong thing… your kiss and confession will turn to be just a bad joke….

…

..

It’s almost 9 when they got back to the dorm.

“ Tao… get your stuffs..” …Xiumin ordered the maknae, who stood at the door pouting, the young one didn’t move one bit… Big brother glared at him then walked to the youngest’s bed, took his pillow and blanket to the boy…

“ I’ll see you tomorrow…” smiled to the dongsaeng, but Tao didn’t take the things.. he hugged his hyung instead…

“ no hyung.. I don’t want to…” …his voice sounded like he is gonna cry, and Xiumin almost give in…

“ stop your pretending, I’m sleepy.. get out..” …deep low voice intruded their emotional scene… the youngest turned to the leader, shot a dead glare to him..

Kris shrugged at Tao, walked passed the two, put his stuff on Tao’s bed, sat on it happily then stared at the maknae mouthing a Korean word without a sound..

“ go… [KA]…” … gestured his hand like evicting the youngest… Tao grinded his teeth at Duizhang… knowing that he could never win.. the boy looked back at his beloved brother… broke the hug from Xiumin and took his stuffs..

“ alright hyung… three nights…” …said sadly to the big brother… Xiumin even felt sorry for him… raised a hand touching that soft cheek…

“ need me walk you there?...huh?..” …took a pillow from young boy, Tao grinned widely…

“ no need.. I will take him..” …short skinny boy took that pillow from Xiumin.

“ Oh.. Jongdae.. thank you.. don’t fight ok?..” .. the big hyung said thanks to him, but the youngest gave a piercing stare to him instead.. slowly followed the short boy up third floor..

Xiumin sent them off with smile then walked back in, sat down on his study table… Kris checked up the small boy..

“ study??...” …walked to stand beside the table…

“ yes.. till 11o’clock, I always study with Tao..” ..tell what they usually do before going to bed..

“ let me help you then..” ..tall boy offered, pulled Tao’s chair closer to Xiumin’s.. rested his elbow on the table, another arm put on Xiumin’s chair… bended down to read the book..

“ YiFan…” small boy called out..

“hmm?...” asked from his throat… concentrated on the book…

“ too close…” said that and the tall boy suddenly realized the distance between their faces, he lifted his head and Xiumin’s face was like an inch away from him…

“ ah.. well.. oh… sorry…” …pulled his chair out a little bit, felt his face hot… small boy looked at him, furrowed an eyebrow…

“ your face is red… are you ok?..” …asked concerning… handsome dude shook his head, looked other direction…

“ … no… I’m fine.. it’s just, a bit warm in here…” …fanned himself. Xiumin stared at him questioning, took the air-con remote control adjusted the temperature down.

“ I think it’s already cold.. ok, I’ll get you cold water.. wait here..” …left the room for that. Kris exhaled all the air in his lung…

“ OMG… I can’t control myself when I’m alone with him..” wiped the sweat from his forehead.. laid down on the bed…

“ today was a rough day… I’m so tired…” …talked to himself, closed those sharp eyes… and fell asleep immediately…

..

Xiumin walked down stairways, seeing the light in the kitchen is on… Lay?? … continued his step to the destination…

“ Luhan…..” …whispered the name out, felt his heart drumming.. he still didn’t know how to interact with this friend.. the situation is not clear yet…

The boy in the kitchen looked at Xiumin’s surprise expression, then let out a bitter smile…

“ ..hi..” Luhan greeted first… it’s already 10 at night, but it’s first time they properly met today…

“ oh.. hi…” … the eldest answered, avoided Luhan’s gaze. Small boy walked passed Luhan to the fridge, tried not to meet, touch or talk… hurriedly took two bottles of water… he made it quick.. it’s too stuffy to be alone with Luhan…but when he turned back.. Luhan stood right there behind him..

“ oh!!..” Xiumin yelped, the bottles fell from his hands…  Luhan’s eyes didn’t show his playful sense as it used to be… it’s serious… too serious… and that’s scary…

“ we need to talk..” blonde boy started.. he looked straight into Xiumin’s eyes.. didn’t blink even once… small boy felt like he can’t breath at the situation…

“ ah.. ok….” He felt so nervous … don’t know why.. this is Luhan.. his close friend Luhan… the kind and beautiful Luhan that he always has to his side…but why he felt so uncomfortable…. don’t know what Luhan will say… hope he will apologize.. that way all the things can be settled…

“ look at me..” the voice was cold, mixed with pain. Xiumin sighed a long breath, inhaled again then lifted his head up to meet Luhan… at the moment he noticed.. the bruise is no joke…

“ I’m sorry.. I hit you…”… ended up saying sorry by himself…

Luhan bit his lip when he heard the apology..

“ you don’t need to… I deserved it…” …said Luhan.. the short boy really didn’t know how to react.. the atmosphere is too uncomfortable… both of them fell in silence for a while…. finally the short boy bursted out…

“ alright then.. you deserved it.. you did.. why the hell you had to kiss me?! why the hell to say you love me?!!..” ..tried to keep his voice down, but it’s still loud in the silent room..

“ ‘coz I wanted to..” ..blonde boy replied bluntly.. seeing Xiumin widened his eyes in shock…

“ I kissed you, because I wanted to, always want to, even now! I said I love you, because I do. I love you! Can’t you hear it?!” ..the pretty boy also bursted his emotion. Xiumin took a step back, he heard it… but he could never believe it.. what kind of joke is this??....

“ I love you Kim Minseok… I love you so much that my heart can’t take it no more…” …with the words, his tears streamed down…

“ ….” …no word from small boy…

“ I love you..” Luhan said it again.. Xiumin shook his head frantically…

“ stop it..” …tried to calm Luhan down… he felt his body numbed and his mind went all blank…..

“ I love you…” ….

“I love you….”  ….

“I love you…” …he said it continuously… Xiumin raised both hands covering his ears…

“ stop it!! .. I said stop!!..” screamed out in frustrated..

“ Minseok-ah… even you cover your ears.. but my love is still there.. you know it…” ….his pretty eyes were soaked in tears..  

“ even I didn’t say.. I still love you.. I’ll say it million times… billion times… to let you know … I’ll never get tired of it… I’ll never get tired of this love..” …walked one step further to short boy, who still kept his eyes tightly shut, two hands pressed hardly on the ears..

“ Minseok…” ..wavering voice called softly, grabbed Xiumin’s wrists and pulled it off to his direction…  short boy gaped with his eyes widen in surprise, trying to get his hands back…

“ get off!! Don’t touch me!!..” ..ranted to Luhan, stepped back till his back hit the fridge… Luhan is still pretty and soft as usual.. but why he scared of this friend so much….

“ Luhan.. please.. let me go…  we can talk later ok?!!...” furiously begged the blonde boy to free his hands.. he freaked out, his voice was shaking too… if this was a random gangster situation happens on the street, he will surely beat the crap out of them… but this is Luhan.. besides the punch from yesterday, he never expect himself to hurt this boy no more…

Luhan swallowed the lump of tears in his throat, didn’t let go of the person as he was asked…

“ Minseok-ah… don’t be scared.. I’ll never harm you…” …with the words, he lifts the soft hands up… pressed his lips on it…

“ I won’t force the answer from you right now… I just want to let you know how I fell… spare me some thought.. then reply me when you are ready...” ….  Kissed again on those fingers’ tip… 

Xiumin breathed roughly… his eyes couldn’t really focus… snatched his hands back….

“ I… I… I don’t know!!...” ….. pushed Luhan with all his might, he saw skinny boy fell on the floor… but he couldn’t stay to help now… dashed out of the kitchen, headed forward to stairways..

“ Oops! Hyung.. what is it.??..” monotone unicorn who was walking down the stair, held the big brother in his arms when the short boy almost fell after bumping with him real hard… seeing the hyung’s face pale and obviously in shock….

“ did you see ghost??..” asked to confirm his thought… Xiumin shook his head, but grabbed on to Lay’s shoulder firmly… he felt his legs went weak…

“ are you ok?...” the younger asked again, wrapped his arm around the elder’s waist..

“ I’ll take you room…” said that and supported the hyung to his bedroom…

In the bedroom, there was Kris sleeping with his long legs hanging from the bed.. the slamming sound woke him up…

“ what…” sleepy boy whined.. adjusted his eyes to the sight…

“ Minseok! What’s wrong?...” …flew to his friend… helped Lay taking him to the bed… short boy didn’t say a thing.. he quickly slipped himself in that thick blanket, pulled it covering his head… Lay and Kris looked at the action then turned to look at each other… the tall boy dragged unicorn out of the room..

“ what’s happened…” asked worriedly… Lay shrugged…

“ I’m not sure… I think he saw ghost.. he ran out of the living room, I met him at the stairways.. and he was already like that…” …told what he knew. Kris furrowed an eyebrow to the story…

“ ghost??... kidding??..” …he doesn’t believe this stuff… the younger nodded..

“ probably… I don’t know.. why don’t you go down and check then… I heard sobbing sound at that time too.. may be you can find something to prove it’s just kidding…” … yawning as he finished his words.. the boy patted on the leader’s back before walking to his room…

“ tell me in the morning if you find something..” ..then closed his bedroom door, left the tallest member there by himself… Kris rolled his eyes.. to the right.. then to the left…

“ well.. I’m not scared… really.. I’ll check on it…” .. said it loud enough for Lay in his bedroom to hear… then lowered his voice down for the next sentence..

“…. tomorrow… in the morning…” …ashamed of himself.. hurriedly went back to Xiumin’s bedroom..

While the boy in the other room laughed real hard at what he heard…

“ ..hahahaha.. Duizhang.. I don’t know you believe in ghost…” ..continued laughing like no tomorrow… then looked at Luhan’s bed…

“ You played sadistic cheater for last night… then played a pathetic sobbing ghost for tonight.... all in all.. you did confess to him again… so not fun..”  spoke to the blank bed… He didn’t see the whole actions but he heard all of it.. and can imagine what is what… Luhan was crying and Xuimin was in shock.. but it’s clear that the eldest already acknowledged Luhan’s feeling now..

“ it’s not funny this way… Kris-ge needs to do something…” …pouting by himself.. then laid down on the bed when hearing the door opened..

Luhan walked in quietly.. laid on the bed without chit chatting with Lay as usual…  his breathing was still uneven from his epic cry..

Lay felt sad for Luhan… but the big brother must be shocked too… he lives as a man, manly man for all his life, then one day his pretty friend confessed to him… his very close friend attacked him and kissed him… it surely left a big pain memory…

“ gege… just now.. Minseok hyung saw a ghost… he was really shock, you know?... he face was pale and his body was trembling… “ …told Luhan, who’s sleeping on his side, facing the wall..

“ um…” the elder answered in his throat… he knew.. he saw it too…

“ the ghost must be so scary.. do you think so?? he had to run out that fast...” …there’s something in his words… Luhan lost in his thought… that’s right… Lay said it right… ‘coz Minseok scared of it too much.. he ran away….

“ what a stupid ghost… scared our big brother to dead… if I were the ghost… I will just watch him… or at least… let him acknowledge me slowly… so he wouldn’t be so shock.. poor Minseok hyung…” …it didn’t sound like ghost story no more… Luhan could sense that too.. the comment matched perfectly with his situation…

“ I thought you were talking about ghost…” …replied to the younger… Lay chuckled at his roommate…

“ I’m talking about ghost, gege… what else should it mean to.. ” …played dumb…

Luhan didn’t want to talk no more… he is tired.. today was a terrible day.. he quit his relationship with the girl.. she didn’t blame him for anything.. the girl said she knows this will happen, ‘coz Luhan never looked at her… but always tried to find someone else in her. It was her fault from the start, who insisted this relationship even Luhan politely refused her many times.. ‘I can wait till you stop loving that person, during this period of time.. let me take care of you. And if it doesn’t work.. we can still be friends..’ that’s what she said back then… good thing they remain being friends… what a nice girl… but sorry.. I love only Minseok…

…

Kris walked to sit on Xiumin’s bed.. don’t know how the ghost looked like to make small boy scared the out like this…

“ Minseok-ah.. are you alright?..” ..patted on the blanket, the part he thought it supposed to be shoulder… after few second he heard an answer underneath that quilt..

“ I’m good…” …indistinctly replied..

Tall boy smiled at his friend…

“ C’mon.. Minseok-ah… it may be just an illusion..” … shook that shoulder again, tried to console his friend..

Xiumin, in the dark under the blanket, sighed to himself… it’s not ghost, you silly… it was Luhan… thought that then pulled the cover to other side.. seeing Kris sat right beside him..

“ I’m fine.. you just go to sleep..” …pushed Kris’s arm with his cold hand.. the leader lifted an eyebrow, grabbed that soft hand tightly..

“ why your hand is so cold??..” ..Kris put another hand on it, to give small hand the warmth…. Xiumin gazed at his hand the further to Kris’s face.. yeah.. this is how a friend should look like…

“ I’m ok, YiFan… just sleep already..” … smiled to the tall boy who still holding his hand… it’s not disgusting… it’s not scary… if it’s a friend.. skin ship is ok…

“ good to see your smile, I’ll beat that ghost to crap tomorrow… so it won’t bother you no more..” …the leader said jokingly… then laid down beside short boy…

“ what?!.. wait!..” ….sat up pushing Kris out, but the big boy ignored him.. scooted even closer…

“ sleep already Minseok-ah..” pulled Xiumin’s shoulder to lay back down, then put his strong arm on that soft waist…

“ YiFan!..” …raised his voice to his friend, who already closed his eyes like he really asleep.

“ ….” .. no word from the giant…  Xiumin sighed at his temporary roommate, knowing he is still awake..

“ YiFan….” Called out again, lifted his gaze to focus on Kris face… the big boy didn’t reply.. pulled Xiumin into his full embrace instead… small boy fell silence in that hug… this time is closer than I was with Luhan.. but why I’m not scared at all.. but feel safe… and warm…in a hug of a friend… rested his forehead on the thick chest…

“ Good night YiFan…” …whispered sweetly, allowed himself to visit the dreamland…

After a while… the big boy who pretended to be asleep all those time, opened his eyes looking at his small friend with warm smile…

“ don’t worry Minseok-ah… I’ll protect you… not just from ghost… but anything…” … kissed softly on Xiumin’s eyelid… kept watching that cute face… I’m sure myself now.. I can’t wait no more.. I will let you know my feeling soon… in your language…. In your country, where you can feel the most comfortable… just wait a little bit…

“ good night Minseok… I love you…” ……

….

….

TBC.....