Among MAMA, What is Love, History, Teasers, strange Super Powers, recordings, Music video shootings and rehearsal harder than ever, Jongin celebrated his birthday with a little party at EXO's dorm, Byul and Yeonsu coming over to cook dinner and spending a nice night with the twelve boys. 

Yeonsu already knew the boys quite well but as she managed to know them a little better that night, she chose a clueless Yixing as her third personal favorite after of course Jongin and Luhan. Kyungsoo helped Byul at cooking dinner while Tao, Baekhyun and Chanyeol played as the evening's MCs. 

Jongin had fun, and he was glad the most important people of his life could get along well so easily, for him. 

At the end of the night, when he was laying in his bed all smiling and re-thinking of the night's most memorable episodes-for example, Tao falling down miserably while performing some of his martial art dance and getting mocked by Yeonsu, or Yixing's adorable face when Yeonsu picked him the most handsome of them all and playing the unicorn with her- when he noticed Kyungsoo entering the room with his usual flat face, followed by Yixing who smiled widely at him before getting on his bed.

"Didn't you see Luhan-hyung's gift yet?" 

Jongin looked up at him in confusion, and Yixing pointed at his pillow. 

"Luhan-hyung's gift for your birthday," he repeated "Under there." 

Kyungsoo stretched his neck to see better from his position as a clueless Jongin pulled a little brithday-themed package out from under his pillow, a note on it that Jongin read out aloud.

"Sincerely happy birthday, from your one and only Luhan." 

The boy felt his body melt at the sweet message and unwrapped his gift with quick, impatient movements. 

It was a little photo-frame with the shape of a deer, in steel, where Luhan had put a photo of Jongin and Yeonsu smiling together. It was a photo taken by Luhan without the two knowing it and its feeling was so natural, real. Jongin stared at it for long before managing to let out a touched "This is so beautiful." 

Yixing smiled knowingly. "Luhan-hyung is so precious." he stated before greeting his two roommates goodnight. 

Jongin couldn't stop staring at the present still in his hands.

He posed it right besides his bed, smiling like a fool and rushing out of his room to wherever Luhan was. 

He ignored the fact that Kyungsoo had looked at him darkly for the whole time.

-- 

Jongin was sure the reason why Luhan managed to give him such a beautiful present was that Luhan was a natural romantic, baby-like boy who could enchant people without even trying. 

As for him, well, he wasn't really a romantic. He had lost that side of him long ago, when Yeonsu's mother had left him alone with a new-born baby and a broken heart, and he had gotten colder, almost allergic to that kind of stuff. Luhan was the only one who could make him both like cheesy things and want to try hard to be cheesy.

So here he was, scrolling down a website on the iPad the company had bought for him and for all the others, looking desperately for 'the perfect gift' as he was already thinking about how he could equally impress Luhan on the boy's birthday in April. 

He sighed heavily, pressing the home button of the tablet in exasperation. Looking for gift-ideas on the internet wasn't romantic at all. 

"It's the fifth time I hear you sighing, Kim Jongin." Kyungsoo appeared out of no where, a box of what seems to be kimchii in his hands "You are annoying."

"Where did you appear from? And what is that?" 

Confirming it was kimchii, Kyungsoo invited him to give a look around their shared room, and glared.

"I've always been here, idiot." 

Jongin rolls his eyes. "You are such a rude dongsaeng."

The younger boy gave him a-like I care- look before looking down at his phone to write a text. "So, why all the sighs?" he asked with nonchalance.

Jongin had no intention to answer the question whatsoever. Kyungsoo hadn't changed a bit since the first day they had met and despite their relationship growing a little bit stronger and more relaxed, the younger boy was still an impenetrable mask of flatness that would eat him up alive whenever the Luhan Topic showed up. 

"I really think you shouldn't care." he answered then, stretching an arm towards the Kimchii box and receiving a slap on the hand. 

"It's for Junmyeon-hyung." 

Jongin rolled his eyes and went back to rest his back on the bed  "Why are you dragging it around then." 

Kyungsoo ignored the question and glanced at him casually. "You never look so concerned except for when you think about Luhan-hyung." 

The older boy froze in his spot and pulled off his best poker face not to let it shown. 

"What a nonsense." 

"Well, considering you were scrolling down a ridiculous site about gift-"

"You spied me!" Jongin exploded at that, on a scale from Sehun to Luhan pissed at a Luhan level.

Kyungsoo only shrugged. "I just happened to see."

"I'm going to kill you." 

"Yeah, right. Anyway, you are over thinking too much. Luhan-hyung will be happy with anything. Besides, isn't it a bit too early to think about his birthday?"

"Kyungsoo, stop interfering." he plead, getting a little embarrassed. "We are bandmates, I care about him like I care for you all."

"Did you scroll down cheesy sites for someone else's birthday?" The younger boy raised an eyebrow and Jongin fell silent. "Exactly."

"That's different. Luhan bought such a beautiful present for my birth-"

"Because he is just like that. He cares about you a lot, and knows how to show it. You don't, and you don't know him either." 

"Why are you being like this again?" Jongin spilled out, disappointment painted all over his handsome face "My God you piss me off so much." 

Kyungsoo ignored him and looked away with a thoughtful expression.

"Have you ever wondered about the reason why he loves you and your sisters so much?"

Just like any other question coming from Kyungsoo, that one hit Jongin.  The younger boy took his big eyes on him and continued, low voiced "I won't believe in your sincere feelings towards him until the day you'll fully understand his own, Kim Jongin." 

Jongin was left alone in the room after the confusing statement. He frowned, not really knowing what to think as the boy's words filled his mind. 

What was that supposed to mean, really? Jongin couldn't understand.

--

Jongin couldn't understand until the night before of EXO's official debut.

Everyone was stressed at the thought that their lives were about to change forever in a few hours, and none of them actually managed to sleep properly. 

Jongin had spent a few hours with his family and he was not the only one. Apparently, all of his bandmates' families would of course show up the day after, at the debut showcase. 

Kyungsoo was flatter than ever, looking almost scared from time to time, concern and a mixture of feelings making his face pale. Jongin noticed him sneaking out the closet-room at one point, after a loud sigh, and watched carefully as he walked towards him.

He stopped, eyes not meeting him. Jongin was sure Kyungsoo would have wanted to say something but in the end he closed his mouth, moving his attention to a poor Tao being cutely bullied by his hyungs.

It's just then that Jongin noticed Luhan was missing. He stood up quickly, moving inside the room to look for the other boy and blinking a few times, attentive, when he found him on the floor of the closet-room, hugging his knees. 

"Luhan," he called softly and the boy jumped, bringing big eyes up to look at him. Jongin quickly closed the distance between them, sitting besides him and inviting him to release his knees, to bring him even closer. 

"What's wrong?"

Luhan was a strong boy, Jongin knew it. He had been one of the few members who did not freak out at the idea of finally debuting. He was also probably the only one Jongin never saw crying. Still, Luhan looked beat now, and Jongin's heart missed a beat. 

"I want to be happy, Jongin." came as Luhan's answer "I want a great career, I want my friends close, I want my family close, to support me, to tell me they are proud of me."

He stopped for a second, eyes shutting closed. "I want my parents to come and cheer on me tomorrow." 

Jongin frowned, Luhan's soft hair. "They cannot come?"

"They don't want to." 

Jongin stopped for a moment. Luhan continued, "They hate me, for who I am. For who I want to be. They didn't want their son to become a singer."

With a sigh, Luhan rested his head on the cold wall.

"I haven't seen them in four years now." words became whispers "I don't even remember how it feels, to have a family supporting you, being proud of you."

It was right then that Jongin understood. 

It sent shivers all through his body, a mixture of sadness and anger. In a moment he realized how much pain Luhan had endured, alone. How far Luhan had moved, alone. How much Luhan had been lonely and depraved of attentions, care and love he was supposed to receive. 

He realized why Luhan had grown such a big feeling for Jongin, Yeonsu and Byul, for his family. Luhan needed that, a family, and he had unconsciously found a little one in them.

His heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

Jongin found the strength to look up at Luhan's face, staring at the beautiful features wrench in sorrow as the big, sweet eyes stared at something unfocused, painful memories surfacing in the background of Luhan's mind. Jongin closed his eyes and instinctively pulled Luhan towards him for a sudden, fierce hug. 

The boy hesitated for a moment before letting his body relax inside the strong hold of Jongin's arms, who had his face pressed in his hair. Luhan closed his eyes, hugging back, burying his face in Jongin's chest. He got lulled by the loud beating of Jongin's heart.

"Your heart is beating so fast." 

Jongin nodded, starting to release him from his hug and looking for his face. 

"Why?" 

Luhan saw him shrugging, "Because he can tell you how much I want to protect you with words I am unable to say."

The next day, after the endless success their showcase turned out to be, Luhan found himself staring at the crowed backstage full of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and any other close siblings his bandmates could have, hugging their boys proudly.

He didn't even manage to process the thought that, predictably, he was the only one whose family was absent, that he heard a familiar voice calling for him. He turned around, and Yeonsu was already hugging his legs firmly. 

"Oppa, I am so happy." the little girl stated as Luhan got down to receive a proper hug from her "I am proud of you."

Jongin appeared behind her a second later, looking for Luhan's eyes as he Yeonsu's cheeks lovingly. Their eyes met and Jongin felt his lips curving at the sight of the heart-breaking beauty Luhan's joyful face was. 

The words flew silent between their smiling lips.

You are not alone.