Luhan doesn’t know how it started. Minseok had always been his friend. With them being the two oldest, as well as in the same sub-group, there was not much of a chance for them to not get along. But do not misunderstand; they did not bond over the convenience of it. No, with so many other guys training with them, it was fairly easy to pick out the ones that you wanted to be close to.

                But their friendship was different. That was something Luhan knew from the start. He knew that he could spill his worries to Minseok in a way that Sehun would never understand. He could share his love of Manchester United without worrying about someone like Zitao, who would only roll his eyes in disinterest. Even though he could communicate with Kris, Yixing, and Tao better verbally, Minseok always knew what he was saying.

                Minseok was always special.

                The way he laughed and showed his adorable crooked smile. His eyes, that showed his maturity, even when on such a young looking face. His petite frame, Luhan loved to hold him whenever possible. He was so strong. Even when the younger members told Minseok their problems (homesickness, anxiety, or just sadness), the older never faltered.  He was EXO’s pillar, whether everyone could see it or not.

                When they finally debuted, Luhan was swept away by the success. It was to be expected, they were SM’s pretty new flower boys after all, but actually experiencing the cheers of the crowd was different. Having fans follow him around was different. Having everyone know his name was different. Luhan became the poster boy for the Chinese group. His popularity was always impressive. Luhan knew he was attractive, and he knew that his more feminine looks would obviously attract the girls. For a time, Luhan could only think of EXO through his eyes. He only saw the adoring girls with the expensive cameras, and the never ending praise for their precious ‘deer’.  After all, that was EXO, right?

                Well, not exactly. He realized that not everyone was as popular as him one day at the airport. He and the other M members had just arrived in Korea at the end of the Chinese promotions. They were going to start preparations for touring around Asia along with the other SM artists.

                The airport was beyond packed with fans trying to see their idols up close. It was too hot, too crowded, and too loud. Luhan held onto Tao, trying to help the younger navigate through the crowd. Amid the chaos, he looked back to the maknae to see if he was okay, but something else caught his eye. He saw Minseok- beautiful, amazing Minseok- struggling by himself to get through. Luhan saw how the fans were not paying him much mind at all; instead trying to get closer to the Chinese members. Minseok was struggling to stay with his group, but the girls were not even letting him through.

                That’s when Luhan realized that not all the members had the same popularity. Not all the members were loved by the fans equally. They had favorites, members who they thought were better. Not many of them seemed to think of Minseok that much. This made no sense to Luhan. How could someone not fall in love with the older just by his smile? How did they not see how beautiful and selfless and absolutely amazing Minseok was?

                Once in the van, Luhan made sure to sit next to Minseok, and held his hand the entire way to the dorm. Minseok let him, and softly rubbed his thumb over Luhan’s fingers.

That night Luhan was quiet. Even with the celebrations with the K members, he could not stop thinking about what happened at the airport. Or more than that, what had he not noticed? How long had they been not watching Minseok the way he did? He had all the makings of a great star. He was absolutely stunning, and had an amazing personality to match. Not to mention his dance skills were superb, and had quite a voice. Minseok was perfection. How did they not see how much work he put in, how amazing he was?

After a while Luhan started to rationalize what was going on. Minseok was a Korean in the Chinese group. He did not speak Mandarin very well, and had very few lines in their entire album. He was not as skinny as the others either, and Luhan quickly realized through his days as a trainee that the world likes their idols to be as slender as possible.

None of it made sense though. Luhan had to deny all of these possibilities. Minseok was unbelievable. He was so strong and so stunning. He carried the weight of all the members on his shoulders. He fed the others when they were hungry; let them crawl into his bed if they needed someone. He was who the others went to for advice, or just for stability. He was not very loud, but had a presence that all of the members felt comfortable around. Who wouldn’t adore this man if they knew him?

But maybe they didn’t. Minseok had no chance to show how amazing he was. On all the shows, he could barely speak or understand what was going on. At concerts, he was hardly ever in the center. His face was not what came to mind to the fans when they hear the band’s name. Minseok never chased after attention like some of the other members, but it was never brought to him either, as it was for Luhan.

Luhan didn’t know what to say or do. He stayed with Minseok the whole night, faking smiles and laughter. He kept some sort of touch with the other the entire night, be it their shoulders or hands. He didn’t want to let go of Minseok ever again, because Minseok was special.

Luhan saw him differently than the others in that moment. Instead of the pillar, he began to see the one who needed protection. He wanted to protect his friend from the ignorant fans who never could appreciate Minseok. He wanted to hold Minseok and never let go.

That night, Luhan and Minseok crashed in someone room, and fell on a bed together. Room assignments hadn’t been set up yet, and he didn’t care if he normally hated sharing a bed. Tonight, he wanted to hold his beloved Minseok .

“What’s up with you?” Minseok managed to grumble out. He was tired from the day, and Luhan was far too warm for him to stay awake.

                Luhan just stared at Minseok’s delicate face for a minute, before answering with “you’re cute” and nuzzling the other’s hair. Minseok snorted and got comfortable, bringing the sheets over them and finally falling into Luhan’s arms. After a while, Luhan realized the older fell asleep.

                Luhan cried for a while, before joining the other.