Luhan had attached himself almost permanently to Chen the rest of the evening, barely able to let go when they had to split ways to shower, and immediately after that when Chen emerged from the bathroom he latched himself back on again.

If Chen minded, he didn't show it. He just laughed airily and ruffled his hair.

When it was bedtime, Luhan silently pulled Chen onto his bed, ignoring the other's yelps of protest.

"I don't care, you're sleeping with me."

"But Luhan... You never let me on your bed!!"

"Now it's different."

Luhan hugged him closer, the arms that had been around Chen's waist the whole evening now tightened, and he let his chin nuzzle against the other's neck.

Chen sighed softly. "You're really not going to let go at all, aren't you."

"No."

Luhan sneaked a peek at Chen's face. He was grinning.

"I'm not letting you leave me, ever again."

Chen's grin lowered a notch or two.

"Luhan..."

"Just sleep." He leaned over to brush his lips slowly across Chen's cheekbone, something he had been dying to do since forever. Chen sighed and turned his head, causing their lips to brush and Luhan's face to turn bright red. He wasn't really used to Chen taking the initiative, yet.

"Goodnight," Chen murmured against his lips.

Luhan doesn't think he would be able to sleep at all that night.

                                                                                    ***

"It WAS about time."

Chanyeol tutted in mock annoyance when he saw Chen and Luhan, hand in hand, arriving at the department store the next day. 

"That was honestly the longest lover's spat I have ever witnessed." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

"It wasn't a lover's spat." Luhan snapped, rolling his eyes. Chen didn't say anything, he just beamed like the sun and pecked Luhan's cheek. Such a chaste act rendered Luhan practically scarlet and shy and hyperventilating, and Chanyeol really couldn't understand why Luhan became so jelly-fied under Chen's touch.

But it was all good again, because finally Luhan was grinning like a madman and doing his duties extra diligently. That meant Chanyeol could focus on his own work and not spend half the time making sure Luhan wasn't off in some corner moping or something.

"Thanks for coming back, buddy," Chanyeol slung an arm around Chen as he was leaving the store. "I'm eternally grateful that you're finally back to relieve my duties as Luhan's unofficial babysitter."

Chen chuckled. "Thanks so much, Chanyeol. I owe you one now."

"Oh yes you do."

                                                                                    ***

The following week was blissful and happy. Every morning Luhan would wake up to Chen's heartbeat thrumming softly as he laid underneath Luhan, with Luhan's head on his chest.

On work days, Chen would walk him to the store, drop by with lunch, and then pick him straight up after work, clasping his hand tightly and waiting till they were safely in the stairwell before Chen would pick Luhan up bridal-style and carry him up the stairs. 

On non-work days, Luhan would take Chen out shopping or to the movies or to the park, where they would just snuggle close together, sharing their body heat as they watch the snow drift down soundlessly to the ground.

Every night, Chen would cuddle him close and murmur sweet nothings into his ear until he would blush really hard and smack Chen away and mumble about how if he continued that, Luhan would never get any sleep at all.

He wouldn't trade this for anything else in the world.


"Chen, you kissed that guy." Luhan cornered him one night, pressing him onto the bed sheets and scowling down at him in mock anger.

"What guy?" Chen drawled, managing a sleepy y smile that nearly distracted Luhan from his important conversation.

"The... The guy!! That evil one. Suho, is it? You kissed him." He gave a jealous pout, clamping his hand over Chen's eyes to prevent him from seeing how badly he was blushing.

Chen smirked, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement. Luhan's concentration wavered.

"I did. But he tasted..."

Luhan smacked his chest with a growl. "You actually tasted him?!"

"Don't interrupt me. He tasted nothing like how you taste."

Luhan's hand dropped and he peered at Chen's twinkling eyes. "How... I taste?"

Chen suddenly flipped him over and they exchanged positions, Luhan now pressed onto the bed and Chen straddling him with his trademark kitty grin.

"You taste like this." And he leaned down to press soft kisses on Luhan's lips, cheeks, forehead, making him heady with the warmth of Chen's mouth and dizzy with fluffiness. 

"Okay," he breathed, as Chen pulled away. "You win. I forgive you."

Chen hardly ever loses to me, anyway. He's just too perfect.

                                                                                    ***

Chen fidgeted under Luhan's stare.

"Urrmmmm, Luhan you might beat me up to a pulp or something after I say this, but..."

"What?!" Luhan shifted closer and took Chen's hands with his own, a worried look grazing his face.

"I... I need to travel for a while..."

"Travel?" Luhan's eyes widened.

Chen bit his lip, trying to process the best answer in his head.

Best that I start from the beginning.

"Well, you see, the plaque had its energy severely drained from Suho's attempts to break into my mind. He pooled its energy to create a power supply to zap my protective mind barrier, leaving me vulnerable to his hypnotism."

Seeing Luhan's confused gaze, he quickly added, "I activated my backup which stored my thoughts and memories in a safe corner of my brain while Suho manipulated the main core. But because of the volatility of my mind, I was able to differentiate between what's natural and what's induced."

"My brain tapped on the safe protected corner of my mind, ignoring the induced thoughts and perceptions that Suho had thrown into my head."

Luhan's jaw dropped in admiration. "Wahhhh..."

Chen leaned over to kiss Luhan softly. "You're so cute."

Luhan pouted and punched his arm, his cheeks turning pink. "Just continue!"

"So, because of that I was able to escape Suho's hypnotism. Although he did not succeed, not only did Suho destroy my protective mind barrier, he had weakened the plaque as well. That is a cause for concern."

"Why?" Luhan brushed away Chen's hair from his forehead.

Chen furrowed his brow. "For me, it leaves me vulnerable to further attacks. For the plaque, the weakened force field would allow easier access and breakthrough." He lowered his voice. "Breakthrough of unwanted beings on the surface of this universe."

Luhan shivered. Chen quickly pulled him into a hug, laughing.

"Don't worry Luhannie, I'll be gone for just a while!!"

"NO!!" Luhan pushed him away roughly, his eyes b with tears. "You are NEVER leaving me again!"

Chen's face fell. "Luhan..."

"I'll come with you!!" He grabbed Chen's shoulders and bounced up and down with a desperate look. Then he stopped suddenly, the tears making his eyes shimmer prettily, as he thought about something, his head tilting to the side.

"Where are you going anyway?"

Chen giggled and resisted the urge to pat Luhan on the head like a puppy. He was such an angel.

"I'm going to Pennsylvania, Luhan. It's a state in the USA. I'm going there because the HUMP in this universe is located there."

Luhan firmed up his shoulders. "I'm coming with you." 

Chen scoffed playfully, using a finger to push Luhan's head backwards lightly.

"And how are you getting there?"

"By plane, duh." He retorted, and then his eyes slowly widened as he processed his own words.

"But you don't have a-"

"Luhan." Chen placed both hands on the older boy's chest. "I'm travelling to Pennsylvania by foot, sweetheart. I'm walking there, and I'm clearly not going to be taking my time. There's no way you can keep up with me. Furthermore, you have a job to go to, and plane tickets aren't exactly cheap."

Luhan pouted sadly, his shoulders slumping all the way down to the mattress. Chen smoothed out the little wrinkles forming on Luhan's forehead with his thumbs, and kissed the tip of his nose.

"I got an idea, Luhannie. I'll get a handphone, okay? I'll call you every single day, I will never go to sleep without hearing your sweet voice every night. We'll always be together, in here." Chen picked up Luhan's limp hand and placed it over his heart, letting him feel his fluttering heartbeat. It was the same move that Luhan did on him months ago after the incident with Kai.

Luhan smiled tearfully, and Chen knew that he remembered. 

                                                                                    ***

"Where exactly is this HUMP building, Chen?"

Luhan and Chen laid together in the darkness a few nights later, after Chen had settled a few administrative matters and was ready to set off the next day.

"It's along the Appalachian Mountains, Luhan. It's a secluded building nestled in the middle of the mountains, away from prying eyes, highly protected and monitored by skilful watchers. No one can enter within its vicinity without being grabbed and questioned."

Luhan snuggled tighter to the warm body beside him. "Then you..."

"Don't worry, Luhan. I have called up the headquarters and they are expecting my arrival. Thank goodness there was a Korean employee there, though, because I think I mentioned it to you earlier, I can't speak the language!"

Luhan burst into giggles. I remember. Somehow I can't seem to forget anything Chen told me that day, the first time he had kissed me to surprise me. I remember every single thing he said, as clear as day.

"Will you call me everyday, Chen?" 

"Every single day, as long as I'm able to."

"When will you be back?"

"I've estimated a week to get there, a couple of days to fix myself and the plague up, another week to get back. If I include buffer time in case of bad weather or hold ups, it should take at most three and a half weeks."

"THREE AND A HALF WE-"

Chen pressed his lips shut with his own. "Luhan, that was loud enough to wake the dead."

Luhan whined loudly. "Chen... I'd die of loneliness.."

"Rubbish. I told you I'll always be right here in your heart, cheesy as it sounds."

Luhan made a sad puppy sound.

"Go stay with Chanyeol and Baekhyun if you're that lonely."

"Chen! No please!!" Luhan groaned and made a strangled noise. Chen laughed heartily.

"Then don't complain, sweetheart."

                                                                                    ***

The next morning dawned bright and sunny. Chen woke up way before Luhan, and he watched the boy sleep peacefully for a while, his breath warm on his chest, a sliver of drool forming at the corner of his small lips. 

He mentally snapped an image of sleeping Luhan in his mind, before reaching over to grab his new phone and snap a real image of him. Luhan stirred sleepily but did not wake, and Chen didn't have the heart to wake him up from such a peaceful slumber. He slipped out of bed softly and got ready for his long journey.

"Goodbye Luhan, I'll be back soon," and he leaned down to press a kiss on Luhan's forehead. The boy smiled and murmured Chen's name in his sleep. Chen had to use all his willpower to hold himself back from crawling back into the bed with Luhan. 

With a last lingering backward glance, Chen left the room.


Travelling almost 7000 miles in a week by foot is not a possible feat for an average human. Even a fittest human would walk about 50 miles a day, but not the astounding 1000 miles a day that Chen had planned himself to travel. 

But of course, he planned his journey route in a linear direction.

And of course, he would have to swim.

And that was what made his journey all the more easier.

On land, Chen was terribly restricted. All clumsy limbs and messy hair and clammy palms. Having to battle against the biting cold or the sweltering heat. Having to hike across uneven ground, having to face the wearing of the soles of his shoes. 

In water, Chen was free like a dolphin. He was incredibly fast and agile underwater. He couldn't outswim fast swimmers like swordfish, but he could easily clock 55 miles an hour if he used his power. He would whizz along the waves, skim along the surface of the cool oceanic water, without a care in the world.

Back in the other universe, Chen would swim every other day. Having not swum for months since he arrived, Chen felt a little rusty, but he figured it would be alright after a while. He had dropped by a swimwear shop and purchased around four sets of full body costumes, as well as six waterproof sheets to cover his small backpack. Yes, that's how fast the costumes and sheeting wear out. Nothing is built to last forever, anyway. 1000 miles a day is no joke either.


Chen stood by the shores, admiring the noon sky. The waves lapped gently at his feet, as he gazed out gently into the distance. The far distance, where his destination laid. Chen sighed and flexed his muscles, preparing himself for the long journey ahead. 

His body had never felt more ready.

Let's do this.

He tightened the strap of his backpack and dove into the water.

                                                                                    ***

"Hello? Chenchen?" Luhan lolled about on the bed sleepily.

"Hi sweetheart..."

"Where are you now?" Luhan smiled at the sound of Chen's warm voice that crackled slightly due to the distance. There were loud swooshing sounds in the background.

"I'm floating in the ocean."

"You gotta be kidding me!!" Luhan bolted up with a gasp. Chen is in the ocean?!

"I'm clinging onto a buoy, Luhan. The air here is fabulous!!" Chen laughed happily, his voice slightly carried away by the wind. Luhan closed his eyes and imagined Chen floating in the middle of a vast dark ocean.

"Are you lonely, Chen?"

"Lonely?!" Chen shrieked back incredulously. Then his voice softened. "I'm not lonely, Luhan. I know how to appreciate being alone. Being alone isn't the same as being lonely."

"What's the difference?" Luhan found himself asking, curious.

Chen gave a throaty chuckle. "Being alone is a hard fact. Being lonely is a mentality. Sometimes you can be surrounded with people you know, yet you're lonely. Sometimes you can be the only soul in miles and miles of vicinity, yet you don't feel lonely."

Luhan closed his eyes and again imagined Chen floating in the middle of the ocean. Somehow, the image in his head now wasn't one full of darkness, sadness and loneliness anymore.

"You have me." He piped up softly.

There was a loud crackle at the other end. "Yeah, I have you."

When Luhan hung up later, he laid back on his bed. What used to be just the right size of a bed to him now felt a little too big. Chen's absence was really glaring, and Luhan missed him.

But I don't feel lonely.

Chen said that lonely is a mentality. With Chen in my heart, I'll never be lonely. 

Because I know that somewhere out there, Chen is thinking of me.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

A/N: Okay so Chen is going to the US in a week by land (and sea) haha! Its freakin far but he can do it xD

MY RANDOMNESS SPOT:

Im spazzing over EXO showtime ep 3 now I MEAN ITS PERFECT. CHanyeol is adorable and I like how loving everyone is to each other :) 

Alittle sad that they didnt show Suho and Kyungsoo shopping. And also such a little bit of Chen and Baek :(

Glad that Chanyeol got to keep all the presents :) EXO Saranghaja!!

My Commentary:

4:58 - 5:10 Sehun's face + that "move over" + that reaction OMG OMG *cracks up*

5:20 Kaiyeol ship is sailing ~~~

6:20 I CAN'T TAKE IT Sehun's face OMG and the cheeky maknaes running away is GOLD

8:30 Domestic Baekchen AHHHH (Chen the wife wears coat for baek the husband)

9:30 Domestic Taoris HAHA (Kris hubby buying clothes for Tao the wife xD)

13:45 Dorky Sekai!! They are so freakin cute i can't

16:52 The boxers hahahaha

23:00 Luhan buying that koala ears OH LUHAN you will be the death of me T.T

37:30 OMG SEKAI the cheeky rascals I LOVE THEM SO MUCH and chanyeol is just like -.-"" haha

48:00 THE CAKE with all that askew candles HAHA that is SOO EXO xD

49:22 Kyungsoo stuffing the giraffe into Chanyeols shirt CUTENESS OVERLOAD

49:45 When Chen picked up the mug his hand looped with Kai AHH my Chenkai feels

KAIYEOL FEELZZ haha "Kiss~Kiss~ and Get married~" LOL

51:35 OMG thats so cuuuute like a children's party costume HAHA

52:08 The adorkable happy virus smile <3

:D 

Byes!! :)