pairing: xiuhan (+ chen/female oc).
word count: 7500.
rating: pg-13 (almost r, oop).
genre: romance.
summary: minseok has never been lucky with love, but perhaps going to his best friend's wedding will change that.
 

Beijing in July is incredibly humid. That is what Minseok has learned in the one day he has been staying here so far. The dampness in the air makes his white dress shirt stick to his back in a way that's uncomfortable at best and being trapped in a stuffy room with dozens upon dozens of people he has never met before in his life definitely isn't helping anything. He's standing in a corner by himself, sporadically sipping the drink he's holding while he watches people mingle and he secretly hopes that none of them attempt to talk to him because then he will most likely be screwed.

The thought has barely left him before someone taps him on the shoulder. He turns around hesitantly, coming face to face with the one person here that he actually knows. Minseok has known Kim Jongdae for a long time - since his first year of elementary school to be exact - and here he is, currently beaming at the older. "Hyung, you made it!" he exclaims, right before he proceeds to throw himself at Minseok.

The older chuckles into Jongdae's shoulder. "Of course I did, I wouldn't miss my best friend's wedding for anything in the world." He returns the bright smile when the other finally pulls away. Then he shifts his gaze to look at the young woman who has been hovering awkwardly behind Jongdae the whole time and his expression changes completely. "Oh, is this...?"

Apparently it was wrong of Minseok to think that his friend's smile couldn't grow any bigger than it already was. The second he turns towards the woman it does get wider and it gets proportionally brighter as well. Gently placing a hand at the small of her back, Jongdae urges her forward. "Minseok, I would like you to meet MeiHua. My wife." It's endearing how he has that newlywed pride in his tone when he refers to her as his 'wife'. He mutters something in Chinese to her and the only part Minseok catches is his own name so he assumes that he is being introduced.

"It's very nice to meet you," Minseok manages to stutter out, trying his best to remember and repeat exactly what the lady with the foreign-sounding name had said on the language learning CD he listened to on the plane ride to Beijing, and he bows politely in greeting.

"You too," MeiHua says slowly - Minseok gives himself a mental pat on the back for being able to understand her - and bows in return.

"Nice catch, man," he comments, this time in Korean and directed at Jongdae along with a grin. "Your wife is hot. If I swung that way I would've totally tried hitting on her."

The younger looks slightly nervous and he opens his mouth to say something, but MeiHua gets ahead of him. "I speak Korean too, you know," she sniffs. There's barely even a hint of an accent of any kind. Minseok can feel his face go bright red and he stammers something incoherent and MeiHua narrows her eyes at him for what feels like the longest five seconds of Minseok's life, but then she smiles. She looks up at Jongdae. "I like this one, can we keep him?"

"But Minseok-hyung already has a family, bǎobèi."

"Aww." She pouts. "You never let me have any fun." There's a special type of loving look in Jongdae's eyes as he chuckles and pulls her closer and leans in to press his lips to her temple that convinces Minseok that this is exactly the right person for his best friend to be married to. Her playful scowl dissolves into a smile. She looks at Minseok again. "Well, I'll leave you two to catch up. It was very nice to meet you, Minseok-sshi."

The other does a dismissing hand gesture. "Oh, you can just go ahead and skip the formalities. We're practically family now." MeiHua laughs and says something to Jongdae in a spout of rapid Chinese before leaving to join another group of people.

"She said she likes you, in case you were wondering." Minseok lets out an inaudible sigh of relief because he kind of was. They're both silent for a while, but it's not awkward in any way. They're used to enjoying each other's company without finding it necessary to constantly have to make conversation. "You're not staying here for long, are you?"

Minseok shakes his head. "I only came for the wedding. I fly back home tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to spend more time with you. To show you around and stuff."

"Don't worry about it, I understand completely." He nudges the younger in the side. "That just gives me an excuse to come back and visit you some other time, doesn't it?" Jongdae chuckles. They lapse into comfortable silence once again, sipping their drinks and watching people interact and it feels just like they're back in college all over again except they're both half a decade older than they were back then. Eventually Minseok sighs. "Wow," he says. "Who would have thought that little Kim Jongdae was going to marry a Chinese woman and move to Beijing? I sure didn't expect this!" The younger grins at him and Minseok grins back before he lets out another sigh, this time a wistful one. "You seem really happy, though, so... I'm happy as well. I'm happy for you."

Jongdae bumps their shoulders together. "What's this? Are you going all mushy on your old days, Kim Minseok?" There's a teasing glint in his eyes and a corresponding pang in Minseok's heart because he misses this, he misses joking around with Jongdae this way. Unfortunately he knows that he's not going to get the chance to do so very often anymore.

"Yah! I'm only twenty-six, you brat," he retorts mock-bitterly. He contemplates catching the other in a headlock, but he's already receiving disapproving glares from several of the people around him for raising his voice in the first place so he doesn't do that. He settles for nudging him in the ribs with his elbow again and revels in the quiet laugh his action elicits.

Minseok is about to say something else when MeiHua reappears by Jongdae's side, wrapping both of her arms around one of his and flashing an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt you guys, but there are other people who would like to have a word with the groom. I hope it's okay if I kidnap my husband."

"Go ahead," Minseok mutters. "This brat is only causing me trouble anyway." Jongdae grins mischievously. He pulls away from his wife to give his best friend another tight hug and he leaves him with a promise of hundreds of late night phone calls and Skype conversations in the future.

Several people make attempts to talk to Minseok, but they're all quick to abandon him once they realize that he understands next to no Chinese - "hello, my name is Minseok" and "where is the bathroom?" can only get one so far - and soon he is left all by himself. The thought of just going back to his room, which is coincidentally in the same hotel as the reception, returns to him more than once, but it would be impolite to leave before dinner is even served.

He's thinking up his seventh escape plan - this is the first one that doesn't involve some form of arson - when he is tapped on the shoulder once more and he turns around to face the person who has approached him. It's a guy, who seems to be a bit younger than Minseok, but the creases that appear around his eyes when he smiles tell a different tale. The guy's face is excruciatingly pretty and Minseok can't help but stare. But then he says something and Minseok slumps over in defeat. "Chinese," he sighs and does a negative gesture because he just doesn't understand.

Surprisingly this only makes the guy smile more. "Ah, Korean?" Minseok gawks when the familiar word settles in his brain. An overwhelming sense of relief washes over him. He kind of wants tackle the guy and hug the living daylights out of him, but that would most likely be frowned upon considering that they literally just met.

He settles for nodding eagerly. "Yes, yes, I'm Korean, yes."

The guy chuckles charmingly. "No wonder you look so lost," he says smoothly and then reaches out his hand. "I'm Luhan."

"Luhan?" It rolls awkwardly off of Minseok's tongue. He flushes when his stilted pronunciation makes the other stifle another chuckle and he tries repeating the foreign name a couple of times, feeling proud when he finally gets it right and the other beams and nods. "Nice to meet you, I'm Minseok. Kim Minseok."

"Oh, you're Chen's best friend, right?" The unfamiliar nickname makes the other hesitate, but then he nods and the other lights up in a smile as he rambles: "He told me a lot about you. He said you've known each other for about twenty years. Since elementary school, right? Wow, that's a long time! It seems like you guys are pretty close."

"How come you're so good at Korean?" Minseok blurts out without thinking and exactly a second later he realizes the bluntness of his question and clasps a hand in front of his mouth. "I-I'm sorry, that was rude. I didn't mean it like that."

Luhan does a dismissing hand gesture as if to tell him not to worry about it. "I lived in Seoul for a few years when I was younger. For studying purposes."

"Oh." There is a brief moment of silence, both males taking this opportunity to take another sip from their glasses. Minseok tries being subtle as he looks the other over despite the fact that subtlety was never really his forte. The other male seems unaware of the eyes that are on him, though. He's really attractive, Minseok thinks to himself. If he had a type this would most likely be it.

Just as the latter opens his mouth to speak again everyone in the room begins to migrate towards the dining area and he pauses, confused. "Ah, food must be served," Luhan says. "Sit with me?" He doesn't hesitate to grab the other male's arm to start dragging him along, following the throng of people. Minseok stumbles helplessly after him.

At this point he has lost count of how many times he has wish he had studied some more before leaving South Korea. Dinner is an overwhelming event and every course is presented only in the language that is as foreign to him as the country he is in so when a plate is placed in front of him he has no idea what he's about to put in his mouth. He shoots a sidelong glance at Luhan, who merely smiles at him, expectantly, and Minseok caves in to the knowing glisten in his eyes. "Please tell me what this is," he sighs in a defeated tone.

Luhan grins mischievously and then he repeats a row of words that sounds exactly like what the person who had announced the course said, which doesn't really help at all. The expression on the other male's face makes Luhan chuckle. He leans in closer as to not disturb the other guests and points to one of the items on the plate. "Jellyfish," he mutters. He pronounces the word in Mandarin as well and looks expectantly at Minseok.

The latter makes an honest attempt at repeating what Luhan just said, but the syllables kind of just tumble out of his mouth without his consent, which makes Luhan giggle behind his hand. Minseok frowns. "Chinese is too hard," he grumbles.

"No, come on, don't give up!" Minseok only barely manages to convince himself that Luhan gripping his arm has nothing to do with his consent. Nothing at all.

Letting out a sigh, Minseok tries to repeat the word once more and judging by the enthusiastic response he gets from the other male it's close to right. Probably as close as it's ever going to get with his limited language skills. Immediately afterwards Luhan points to the next item on the plate and tells him that it's pork and says the name in Mandarin as well, waiting for the other to repeat it. Minseok gapes. "How many courses are there?" he groans.

"Eight," Luhan quips brightly. "Excluding dessert." Minseok groans again, slumping over in defeat. This is going to take some time.

It does. Five hours to be exact, complete with speeches and toasts and games and dancing, all of which Minseok has understood next to nothing of, but participated in the to the best of his ability and with (more than) a little help from Luhan. At this point his Chinese vocabulary has notably expanded and he is slightly buzzed from the various alcoholic beverages that has accompanied each dish. "Chocolate cake," Minseok says confidently when he sees the dessert that has been placed in front of him. He knows cake.

"Chocolate cake with orange chocolate mousse," Luhan corrects him, pointing at the brown dollop next to the cake, and he is halfway through pronouncing the Chinese version of the same meal description when he is cut off by a cake-filled fork being shoved into his mouth.

"Take a break," the other mumbles and Luhan glowers halfheartedly, but he complies, chewing the cake slowly. Minseok just appreciates the break in teaching. All the new words he has learned are a bit overwhelming if he has to be honest and he's pretty sure he doesn't even remember half of them. He definitely won't remember them the following day, that's for sure.

He has barely finished his dessert before Luhan stands up abruptly. Minseok is about to question his action when he notices that everyone else has left their seats as well except for him and when he shoots a questioning glance at the male by his side, Luhan gestures for him to get up. So he does. When everyone begins to make their way towards the exit, Minseok raises his eyebrows and he realizes that it's over. "I know it may seem a bit odd, but it's tradition," Luhan replies when he's asked about it. "You're expected to say your goodbyes and leave about twenty minutes after the dessert has been served."

"Oh." Minseok isn't sure why, but he feels oddly disappointed by this information. Earlier he had been looking forward to going back to his room and maybe watch some TV that he wouldn't understand anything of considering his limited knowledge of the Chinese language, but now that's one of the last things he wants to do. Although he knows that this unwillingness has everything to do with parting with Luhan, he doesn't want to admit it to himself. He's not smitten. He's totally not.

All the guests make their way to the hotel's lobby. The bride and groom along with the former's mother and father are waiting by the door to say goodbye to everyone and thank them for coming to the reception. Minseok respectfully bows to the parents first before moving on to the married couple and Jongdae - despite the large amount of people waiting - promptly pulls him in for a hug. "I'm happy you could make it, man," he says again, thumping Minseok on the back. Minseok swears he can hear his voice trembling a little, just like when they had said their vows earlier.

"I'm happy to be here," he responds with a grin and a thump of his own. "Your parents would have been so proud of you if they could have been here today." MeiHua smiles at him over his best friend's shoulder and he smiles back. "You did good." Jongdae only chuckles.

Minseok waits and watches Luhan say his goodbyes as well, exchanging formalities with the newlyweds' parents in the foreign language that flows so easily from his lips. He hugs MeiHua lightly and ruffles up Jongdae's hair despite his loud protests - Minseok can't stop himself from smiling at this, he knows how long Jongdae spent on perfecting his hair that same morning - and his eyes are bright and twinkling when he joins Minseok. "Let's go," he says and links his arm with Minseok's to pull him along.

The latter frowns. "Where are we going?"

"Where are you staying?" the other shoots back in the same flat tone.

"Twelfth floor."

"Oh." Luhan pauses in his tracks. Then a smile breaks out on his face. "Even better!" he chirps and starts dragging Minseok towards the elevators instead.

"Who says I even want you to come along?" He tries very hard to keep his voice level. Truthfully he's happy that Luhan decided to invite himself back to his room since he probably wouldn't have had the guts to do it if he hadn't. Luhan is fun to be around.

"Don't be silly," is all Luhan says. He pushes Minseok off to the side and tells him to stay put. He's gone before Minseok can ask any questions.

After a short search he spots the other male by the bar in the opposite end of the lobby. When their eyes meet, Luhan grins mischievously and he presses a finger to his lips in a gesture for the other not to say anything. Then he casts a quick look around the area. Minseok doesn't understand what he's looking for until he sees Luhan leaning over the bar to grab a bottle from under the counter and his heart starts racing when he realizes what's going on.

Luhan sneaks off without getting caught. He approaches Minseok in a fast pace, curling his free hand around Minseok's arm to continue dragging him along. Minseok is holding his breath. He's expecting someone to catch them in the act, to hear someone calling out in angry Chinese. It never happens and they reach the elevator safely, gilded doors sliding shut behind them.

The quiet whir of the wires lifting them upwards is the only sound until Minseok clears his throat. "Is it a habit of yours to steal champagne from hotel bars?" He casts a glance at the label on the bottle in the other's hand. It's an expensive brand too.

Luhan looks amused. He nudges the other with his shoulder and leans closer to say in a stage whisper: "Only when there are cute Koreans involved." He adds a greasy wink at the end of the sentence for effect. Minseok's face heats up and he averts his gaze. He pretends that his sudden bashfulness has nothing to do with Luhan calling him cute.

They stumble through the door after Minseok fights back the nerves and finally manages to slide the key card through the electronic lock with shaking hands. He casts a self-conscious look around the room. He hadn't expected to bring anyone back here when he left that morning so it's not as tidy as it could have been. There are magazines strewn across the small table by the window and clothes hanging haphazardly over the sides of the suitcase lying open on the floor.

Luhan doesn't seem to care about that, though. He shrugs off his blazer and hangs it on a chair and then he heads straight for the mini bar to pull out two wine flutes. Miraculously he manages to open the bottle without making the champagne spill and he fills both glasses with sparkling liquid and s one of them at Minseok, who takes it a bit hesitantly. Luhan is staring at him as if he's waiting for something. So Minseok clears his throat and raises his glass as he says, loud and clear: "To new acquaintances." The heat in his cheeks is probably not from the rush of alcohol.

Luhan's lips quirk and he raises his glass as well. "To the newlyweds."

"To the newlyweds paying for this room," Minseok adds and Luhan snorts into his champagne.

Once more there's a while of silence, though not a tense one. They occupy themselves by watching the way the setting sun drags long shadows on the building across from the hotel and how the darkness of dusk causes lights to turn on one by one. At one point Minseok sheds his jacket, leaving him in only a white T-shirt over his dark pants. He tries to pretend he doesn't see the way the other eyes him.

It's Luhan who eventually breaks the silence. "So tell me, Kim Minseok," he drawls, glancing at the other through his lashes, over the rim of his glass. "What do you do when you're not attending your best friend's wedding?"

"I'm an accountant," sounds the response. "I work for a small business in Seoul."

The other scrunches up his (cute) nose. "That sounds boring."

"It's work. Pays the bills." Luhan makes an impassive noise and leaves it at that, sticking to taking sips of his champagne until Minseok asks: "What about you?"

"I work with Jongdae. That's how we got to know each other in the first place. He came to work at the same company as me when he first came to China and once he found out that I know Korean he wouldn't leave me alone. Kind of like you." The grin he flashes when the other huffs makes his entire face light up and almost distracts Minseok from his indignant rant:

"I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure you are the one who has been clinging to me all night, not the other way around. If I-..." He pauses abruptly when Luhan begins to lean closer, but he doesn't move away, mostly because he's pretty sure he can't (partially because he doesn't really want to move).

"Are you complaining?" Luhan arches a brow in question.

Minseok swallows something. Then he shakes his head and meekly says: "No." He swears he sees Luhan's gaze drop to his lips for just a second. But then he stands back upright and takes another long sip, emptying his glass. While he refills it, Minseok takes the opportunity to breathe.

"Let me ask you something a little more personal, then." His eyes wander over Minseok's face as if searching for something and the latter just waits. Luhan plasters a smile onto his lips. "Do you have someone waiting for you back in Korea?"

There's something about the way he says it, with a lightness that's so blatantly feigned, that makes Minseok feel a little on edge as he honestly answers: "Not since I found him in my living room with his shoved down my old roommate's throat."

Luhan winces. "Ouch. I'm sorry about that." Minseok shrugs, watching the last bit of champagne swirl around in his glass as he moves his hand just so. He had kind of seen it coming, the guy he was dating wasn't exactly known for his fidelity of all things. That doesn't mean it didn't hurt, though. Unaware of Minseok's straying thoughts, Luhan sighs. "I've been in love with my best friend for five years. He's straight as a stick, but I can't help it."

"Been there," Minseok mumbles, bitterness seeping into his tone at the reminiscence. He has never been lucky with love. He downs the rest of his alcohol in one go and holds his glass out for more without saying anything. Luhan fills it right away. He finally puts the bottle down.

Once more Luhan's unsteady eyes rake over the panes of Minseok's face. His pensive expression makes it look like he's trying to determine whether the question he wants to ask is appropriate or not even though he doesn't exactly come off as the type to be self-conscious about things like that. Again Minseok just waits for him to come to a conclusion, staring out the window while swaying on the spot. He can really feel the effects of the alcohol now.

"Okay," Luhan says at last. There's a sense of determination in his tone. Minseok turns his head to try to focus on him. "If you could do anything in the world right now, anything at all, with no strings attached and no chances of it backfiring, what would you do?"

"Hypothetically speaking?"

"Sure."

Minseok takes another sip of his drink as he thinks about it and he eyes the other male over like he had done to him. Then he swallows the fizzing liquid in his mouth. It burns slightly on its way down his esophagus and serves to make him even more lightheaded right away. "I'd probably kiss you," he admits. When he feels his face heat up at the confession he averts his gaze and raises the glass to his lips once more. Apparently one dose of liquid courage wasn't quite enough for him to fully lose his inhibitions.

Leaning back against the wall, Luhan drags his tongue lazily over his lips. Minseok feels his throat go parched at the action. "Do it," Luhan challenges, voice low.

For what feels like a long time Minseok lets his eyes linger on the other's mouth. It looks soft and a little wet and it's a pretty pink color. There's a small scar cutting through the bottom one, turning the edge uneven, jagged. Somehow this just makes Minseok all that more eager to place his own mouth there. But... He raises his gaze to lock with Luhan's unwavering one. He's a coward. "Then it wouldn't exactly be hypothetical anymore, would it?" He's pretty sure his thundering pulse can be heard all the way down on the floor below them with how loud it is.

Luhan breathes out a shaky laugh as the other's words sink in. "I guess not," he mutters and now he does lower his gaze. His fingers are tight around the glass he's holding and trembling slightly, his cheeks are tinted faint red. He looks a little dejected.

Normally Minseok isn't a person for rash decisions and taking risks, that's just not his thing. He prefers stability and routine and schedules and having things planned out in advance. This is yet another reason why he had felt so uncomfortable going to Jongdae's wedding in the first place. The whole idea of going to a foreign country filled with people he didn't know who all spoke a language he didn't understand worried him. Unfamiliar things worry him.

But then there's Luhan. Luhan had, seemingly without hesitation, approached the lost-looking Korean guy at his colleague's wedding, he had stuck with him throughout the entire night and helped him through dinner, he had no qualms stealing expensive champagne to have a little fun and definitely didn't mind butting into other people's lives either, from the looks of it all. Definitely a risk-taker. Maybe Minseok should follow his example and be a little more brave for once.

Wide eyes shoot up to meet Minseok's when he takes a step forward and Luhan allows him to grab the flute from his hand so he can put both of them down beside the bottle standing on the small table next to them. A shaking hand cups Luhan's face, thumb smoothing over cheekbone. They're mere inches apart. Minseok can feel heat seeping through layers of clothes. Luhan fits his own warm hand over Minseok's and the latter's gaze drops to Luhan's throat as his Adam's apple bobs with a swallow. This would be the perfect opportunity for Minseok to say something, something romantic or defining or maybe even witty. He doesn't. Instead he just looks into Luhan's bright eyes for a few moments before he leans in to press his lips against the other's slightly parted ones.

A couple of seconds go by in which Minseok feels the beginnings of panic lurking at the back of his mind, but then Luhan starts kissing back. Their lips slide together slickly, smoothly and Luhan is letting out short, breathy pants as he into the other's mouth, curling his tongue around Minseok's. Luhan tastes like champagne - that was expected - but also faintly of some kind of sweet fruit that Minseok can't quite pinpoint, but that's not the most important thing at the moment anyway. The important thing is that he's actually kissing Luhan and that it feels pretty ing good.

Hooking his fingers into Minseok's belt loops, Luhan pulls him closer to himself and once they're pressed flush together he twines his arms around Minseok's shoulders. The latter lets his hands rest gingerly on Luhan's waist in turn, rubbing gentle circles on his hipbones through his clothes. It's been a while since he did this so he's afraid of messing up. It doesn't really help that Luhan is so beautiful. He feels more than just a little inferior.

One of them shifts - it could quite possibly be Minseok, he's not entirely sure - and their crotches rub together. The sound that escapes Minseok at the contact has him flushing from the roots of his hair and all the way down his neck. They're both hard, so hard. Luhan just smiles, the other can feel it in the curve of the lips against his own, and deepens the kiss.

They part momentarily to breathe in air. Luhan takes this opportunity to tug on Minseok's shirt to pull it out of his pants. He runs his hands under it, ghosting touches over a soft abdomen while scattering fleeting butterfly kisses along Minseok's jaw. When he reaches Minseok's lips the latter slides his hands into Luhan's hair to hold him in place as their swollen lips mesh together and they kiss again, tongues dancing, tangling.

Minseok pulls away with a groan when nimble fingers wander a little too close to the waistband of his underwear and he grabs Luhan's hand to stop him from going further down. Curious, slightly anxious eyes shoot up to meet his. Minseok gulps. "Is it...? I mean, d-do you really want to...?"

"Yes," Luhan gasps breathlessly against his lips. "Yes. Of course." He sounds so needy that it makes Minseok feel a bit dizzy.

Luhan's belt hits the floor with a heavy thump. Minseok's shaky hands first his vest and then his dress shirt, pushing both off his shoulders to leave him topless and Minseok is suddenly self-conscious all over again. Luhan is firm, lean muscle under smooth skin, his stomach is flat with subtle abs and he doesn't seem insecure at all. He shoots Minseok a questioning look when he notices the other's hesitance. Minseok laughs shakily. "You're so beautiful," he mumbles with a flush heating up his cheeks. Luhan smiles brilliantly and pulls him in for another lock of lips.

Somewhere along the way Minseok loses his shirt as well and he shudders when Luhan's palms ghost over his chest. "You're beautiful too," he whispers, looking down at where his hands are splayed out over pale skin. "So beautiful." Compared to Luhan Minseok feels like nothing and he wants to say this, but the other is looking at him so softly, so admiringly. He holds his tongue and slips it into Luhan's mouth instead with their next kiss.

They stumble towards the bed and drop onto it almost without taking their lips off of each other. Minseok hastily peels off Luhan's jeans, Luhan urgently pushes down Minseok's slacks, both of which end up on the floor with the rest of their clothes. That is soon followed by their underwear. Hands and touches are all over, skin on skin as they familiarize themselves with each other's bodies, trying to figure out what the other likes and doesn't like, what makes the other's back arch, what tears moans from a parched throat.

Several times Minseok begins to feel a little uncertain about the whole thing. His body is nothing like Luhan's and now he's , they're , and there's no barrier in the form of clothing for him to hide behind and what if the other doesn't like the way he looks? But Luhan is peppering sweet kisses in a hot trail down his neck and chest and quivering stomach and along the soft insides of his thighs and every tiny bit of doubt evaporates with each press of lips against his skin (Luhan's mouth on his and what follows after may have something to do with that too, though).

They take some time to cool down afterwards, lying on their backs side by side on the large hotel bed, both staring at the city lights that dance on the ceiling. Luhan is playing with the other's hand, drawing unreadable figures in his palm with the tip of one of his fingers. It tickles but Minseok doesn't pull away. He kind of likes it. "That was nice," he mutters. He's almost a little ashamed to ruin the atmosphere. It's so calm and quiet, so relaxed.

Luhan hums in agreement. "Really nice." With a smile he rolls over to look at Minseok, who turns his head to meet his gaze. Luhan's eyes are practically twinkling. "I really want to show you around the city," he whispers, he sounds so excited. "I want to walk along the Great Wall and I want to go to Shi Cha Hai and I want to visit all the street carts and laugh at the faces you make when you try all the weird food and I want to go boating on the lake in Beihai Park and I want... I want to show you everything. I want to spend time with you." He looks expectantly at the other.

"I have to go back home tomorrow," Minseok blurts out.

Luhan stares at him in surprise for a few more moments. Then his face falls. He looks away. "Oh." His disappointment is easy to read even though he tries to hide it. "What time are you leaving?"

"I have to be at the airport around noon." Luhan just nods in response. He's not looking at the other. Minseok's heart clenches. He feels terrible. "If it's any consolation I would have loved to go to all those places. With you." He squeezes Luhan's hand and Luhan sends him a forced smile in return. It looks more disappointed than happy, though. That just makes Minseok feel even worse. "Come here," he exhales, pulling Luhan on top of himself. He kisses him until they're both out of breath.

At around nine the following morning Minseok wakes up to an empty bed. Even though he can't exactly say that he's surprised by this, he can't stop the cold feeling of disappointment from creeping up his back either. He rolls over to stare forlornly at the abandoned pillow next to his own. He has had enough encounters like this by now to know how it works. Still, he had foolishly hoped that it would be different with Luhan. Turns out he was wrong about that.

Minseok snaps his head around when he hears the beep of the electric lock. He yanks the blanket up to cover himself and potentially save a hotel worker from mental scarring. He's overwhelmed by relief for more reasons than one when Luhan steps through the door, looking nothing like someone who went beyond the point of tipsy the night before. Maybe his hair is a bit messy, maybe his clothes are a bit wrinkled, but he looks breathtaking all the same. "I got us breakfast," he declares cheerfully, wielding a plastic bag. He pushes the door shut with a bump of his hip and places both the key card and the food on the nightstand before getting onto the bed to straddle Minseok.

Like this the latter becomes very aware of the fact that he's still very , covered only by a thin blanket. Luhan doesn't seem to care, though, so Minseok swallows down the self-consciousness. He feels stupid for the way his heart throbs at the sight of Luhan smiling at him with the morning sun illuminating features. "I thought you left," he mutters, placing his hands on the other's hips.

"You really think you'd get rid of me that easily?" Luhan chuckles and he leans down to give the other a kiss, frowning when he turns his head away.

"Let me just go brush my teeth," Minseok mumbles. His attention has been directed at the horrible taste that lingers on the back of his tongue, something akin to death. Luhan rolls his eyes but gets off him nonetheless and sends him off with a pat to his bare .

When Minseok returns - now with a clean mouth and hair that looks as close to decent as possible with only his hands to aid him - Luhan has unpacked the food. Numerous Styrofoam containers are scattered on the bed and Minseok's stomach rumbles at the mouthwatering sight of Beijing cuisine. He quickly slides on a pair of boxers. Then he joins Luhan, eagerly reaching out for the chopsticks. Luhan pulls them out of his reach and fixes him with a stern look and a pout that contradicts his self-proclaimed manliness. "You still owe me that kiss," he says to Minseok's expression of protest. This time it's Minseok who rolls his eyes before he leans in to press their lips together.

The food tastes even better than it looks and Minseok eats it happily. At one point he notices that Luhan looks incredibly smug. He raises an eyebrow. "What?" he asks suspiciously.

"I got those because they reminded me of you," he says and points his chopsticks at the dumpling Minseok is currently eating. The latter glances down at it with a frown, not seeing the resemblance. Luhan giggles. "Your cheeks look like baozi." Minseok sputters and bats at the other's hand when it reaches out to squish his face. He would probably throttle Luhan if there wasn't food all over the bed. He settles for glaring venomously instead. Luhan just laughs and pokes his cheek.

(He calls him baozi for the rest of the day. Minseok can't bring himself to really be angry about it.)

As the time for Minseok's departure grows nearer, Luhan seems to become increasingly upset. He tries his best to cover it up with good-natured teasing and laughter and stolen kisses while Minseok packs his suitcase, but the latter can see the truth in his eyes. He's sad.

"You don't have to," Minseok says when Luhan offers to go with him to the airport.

"Oh, but I insist," Luhan counters, pushing Minseok out the door. "Come on, let's go, let's go."

They hail a cab in front of the hotel and Luhan climbs into the backseat with Minseok, muttering something to the driver that Minseok doesn't understand, but he trusts Luhan with the directions so he just sits back and lets the other deal with it. He feels a cool touch on his hand and when he looks down, Luhan has tangled their fingers together and he's smiling. Minseok lets him do that too. His heart feels like it's going to explode.

Time seems to go by far too fast. In the blink of an eye they're at the airport and they get out of the cab. With slow steps they make their way towards the entrance hall, Luhan holding tightly onto Minseok so they won't get separated. There are hundreds of people going in various directions and talking in multiple languages and it's loud and busy, but Minseok only sees Luhan.

As the check-in counter comes into view, Luhan tugs on Minseok's wrist to make him stop. The latter turns to his companion with a soft smile. Luhan isn't looking at him. Minseok pulls him in for a hug nonetheless, quickly letting go of him. "Is this the part where we say goodbye and then never talk to each other ever again?" Minseok asks. Luhan shrugs, still facing the floor. The other chews on his lip. Be brave, Minseok. He breathes in deeply. "What if I say I don't want this to be the part where we say goodbye and then never talk to each other ever again?"

This makes the other male raise his gaze, but only for a few seconds. "Minseok, I... I don't kn-... I mean, you... you live in Seoul and I live here and... and we barely even know each other and... I just..." He trails off and falls silent, staring at his own shuffling feet and Minseok nods.

"I understand," he says, because, really, he does. "Don't worry about it." It's kind of scary. Taking risks is a scary thing. He really likes Luhan, but starting something with a person he has only met once in his life is a pretty big risk, especially since they barely know each other and don't really have much of a chance to become more acquainted when they live so far apart. Minseok smiles wryly. He's not surprised. He has never been lucky with love.

A glance at the clock lets him know that he should get going and he tells Luhan this. The latter nods and then attempts a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes and therefore only comes off as solemn. He hugs Minseok again. The latter makes his way towards the check-in counter. He turns his head one last time to glance at Luhan. He's still standing where Minseok left him and looks so small with the bustling airport as his backdrop. When he notices that the other is watching he smiles desolately and raises his hand in a wave before he quickly spins around on his heel to leave. And Minseok stands there and watches the other's retreating back as he blends into the crowd.

Minseok sputters as he is hit directly in the face by a throw pillow and he removes it to scowl at his roommate Yixing, who scowls mockingly right back at him with his arms crossed over his chest. "So are you gonna put on pants anytime soon or...?"

Minseok scoffs. "Why bother?" he mumbles dismally.

"My friend from high school is coming over, I thought I already told you."

"Oh yeah. What does he want again?"

"He moved to Seoul last week and we decided to meet up, but we didn't have the chance to until now. I told you that too." This time Minseok says nothing, just continues to flip idly through the channels. Yixing rolls his eyes, lets out a sigh. "Look, I know you've been all mopey-and-refusing-to-talk-about-it ever since you came back from Beijing and that's fine. If you want to be all childish, suit yourself. I just figured I'd give you a fair warning. You probably don't want him ogling your gangly legs." He kicks Minseok's ankle with a slipper-clad foot and the latter grumbles.

"He can just look the other way if he's bothered by it. He is a guy, right?"

The doorbell rings before Yixing has the chance to retort and with another kick, this time aimed at Minseok's shin, he leaves the room, calling out: "Don't be so obnoxious, ge." Then he's gone. Minseok sulks, sinking further into the couch cushion.

Yixing and his friend are loud. The moment the latter steps through the door they start chatting enthusiastically in Mandarin that is too fast for Minseok to grasp even with the classes he's been taking (totally because of Jongdae and his wife and totally not because of anyone else or anything, nope). Minseok manages to catch sentences such as 'long time no see' and 'I've missed you' and 'how are you?' and feels proud of himself. He also understands that Yixing is showing his friend - did he ever even tell Minseok his name? - around the apartment.

The voices are getting closer and closer. Minseok casts a quick look down at his outfit that currently consists of boxers and a slightly stained T-shirt, both of which he has been wearing for several days. He's had some time off work and he hasn't found any reason to shower or get dressed during those days. He briefly wonders if he should have taken Yixing's advice and cleaned up a bit and put on pants while he had the chance. First impressions and all.

It's too late now, though, he just heard Yixing saying 'living room'. Minseok fixes the pillow in his lap to cover as much as possible and tries to seem unaffected as they enter the room. "And this is my roommate Minseok." He looks up to greet Yixing's friend only to lose every rational thought or sentence he may have conjured in his mind at the sight of the other and he's left with his mouth hanging awkwardly open in surprise. "Minseok, this is my friend Luhan," Yixing says, now in Korean for his roommate's sake. He gestures to the person standing by his side.

Said person is wearing an expression of shock that probably mirrors Minseok's own perfectly, but that soon morphs into a brilliant smile and he grins and says cheerfully: "Hello, baozi."

~*~

A/N: everything in this story happened because of that one picture. everything. it all started with me seeing that one picture like a billion months ago, then I imagined the scene where luhan steals the champagne and it just kind of built from there and somehow turned into 7500 words of fic and hLEP SOMEONE STAHP ME. ;AAA; I would just like to add that jongdae's wife is 100% made up in my brain and if anyone knows anyone named meihua then I can assure you that it's entirely coincidental. also, I researched a bit about chinese weddings because I wanted to make it accurate. I hope I did at least semi-well. \o/
ah. I love xiuhan. T^T (and I love yixing in this, but I'm probably totally biased because xing bby my starrrrr huhuhuhuh ♥)

I cry. ;AAA;

ps. to all the people who upvoted my story since the last oneshot I posted; thank you so, so, so much. I'd thank you all individually like I did the last time, but it's 1:30am right now and I'm leaving for san francisco tomorrow morning. sorry. ;AAA
pps. this story wasn't supposed to be marked as "rated" but aff made it so. oh well. 8D