~Verse~

"Hi, welcome to Bubble Trouble, what can I get you?"

Luhan took a breath to steady his nerves before he quietly gave his order to the employee behind the desk. "I'll take, uh, a milk tea with standard pearls please."

"Sure thing, coming right up."

Glancing around a little anxiously, Luhan quickly paid for his bubble tea before standing to one side to wait for it to be made. Originally he had planned on getting something warm to drink, to try and steady his nerves a little better, but Jongdae had already jumped out at him once so far that day, and that ghost had a tendency to repeatedly try to scare him. Of course he succeeded every time. Luhan was scared of ghosts after all. And not wanting to scald himself with hot tea he had changed his plans and gone for something colder instead.

He hated that he had the ability to see ghosts. But not only that... he could touch them and they could touch him. He could talk with them, not that he wanted to. Of course not all of them would threaten to kill him and rob him of something, but all of them held some terror for Luhan. Especially after his first brushes with them after his accident.

The ghosts were easier to deal with here in South Korea compared to Beijing. The language difference meant he wasn't immediately understanding what it was the spectres were saying. Plus not all of the Korean ghosts realised that he could see them. He was still careful though. He kept to himself mostly, not wanting yet more people to think that he was insane. Too many of his friends and family back home believed him to be just that.

He loved them all dearly, but the lack of support was hard for him. And the ghosts? They were a lot more sinister back home. South Korea, Seoul, was much better for him. Or so he had found for the six months he had already been living there for.

It was strange to see how much things could change in a year. A year ago he had come to from a coma and discovered something that had changed his life completely and in one of the worst ways possible. He was not the Luhan he had been before the accident, not by any stretch of the imagination. And nobody back home could understand the changes within him, just writing him off as crazy and needing therapy.

He probably did need therapy, but the professionals he had seen back then had done nothing to help him, writing him off as a lost cause, or accusing him of attention seeking.

So as soon as he felt able to, he had packed up his life and moved to South Korea. He could speak Korean fluently, having studied it when he was at school, but he still needed the brief moment to switch languages in his head. That made it much easier for him to ignore the ghosts that seemed to still plague him.

Though sometimes he found it difficult to work out who was a ghost and who was actually a living breathing person. Over time the ghosts he had seen had slowly gained colour. And many times before he had mistaken one as someone living causing everybody else around him to look at him like he was crazy.

There were moments before when he did wonder if he was crazy, the stress and shock of the car accident making him go insane. But after a year with no change other than the spectres becoming more solid to his eye Luhan had come to just accept it, even if he did hate it.

Taking the plastic cup into hand, Luhan nodded in gratitude to the employee before he turned and made his way out of the store. He didn't get far though before something popped up in front of him with a yell. Immediately Luhan jumped, yelping loudly and nearly dropping the drink he had only just bought. Thankfully, though, he managed to keep a good grip on it, though his heart was thudding hard in his chest.

"Oh man! I can't believe you fell for it again! Every time. You are so much fun." A voice cackled in front of him.

Jongdae, of course. That ghost had had it in for him ever since he had discovered that Luhan could see him, and not only that... was terrified of him and all other ghosts. He took every opportunity he could get to scare Luhan, relishing in his reactions.

"Please... just leave me alone." Luhan begged him, not for the first time. He didn't stick around for the inevitable negative reply. Instead he ducked around the sniggering ghost and hurried as fast as he could away from him. He didn't care where as long as he was no where near him. He just wanted some peace, was that too much to ask?

His feet hit the pavement hard as his panic began to take over him. His chest was constricting and even though he was outside he felt like walls were beginning to close in on him. Luhan weaved through the masses of people, trying his best to avoid accidentally bumping into any of them. Luck wasn't on his side though as he ran straight into another body, impacting hard enough for Luhan to fall backwards onto the ground.

Lifting his hands, Luhan glanced down at them with a sigh, noting the broken skin on his palms. Great, just what he needed. He bit his lip, a flush of embarrassment beginning to spread up his face and neck, as he looked up at the guy he had bumped into. Immediately his eyes met the large startled ones of the other.

The look the guy was giving him... Luhan didn't know what to make it of it at all. There was the obvious shock but there was also confusion and disbelief, and was there a little concern in there too, and curiosity? That... was something Luhan didn't want to deal with right then, so tearing his eyes away he quickly scooped up his fallen drink which had thankfully kept the lid on, with minimum spillage from the straw before he stumbled to his feet.

"I-I'm sorry." Luhan apologised, quickly bowing his head. He hoped that just a quick apology would be enough and that the stranger would just let him go. He even took a step to continue on his way when he was stopped by a small hand grabbing his upper arm and a soft voice reaching his ears.

"Hey, are... are you okay?"

Almost reluctantly Luhan raised his eyes to meet those of the strangers again for a brief moment, taking in his facial features. His hair was a reddy brown, styled in a way to highlight his eyes which, like he had noticed before, were large but filled with a strange warmth. He had a small nose, bow-shaped lips and round cheeks that gave him a somewhat cherubic appearance. He was... cute. And that made Luhan feel even more intimidated by the situation.

He nodded his head a little abruptly, desperation to just get away making him go almost twitchy. "I'm fine." He answered, his words crisp and sharp. They didn't have the intended effect though for the hand around his arm tightened slightly.

"You don't look fine. You look scared. What's wrong?"

Luhan really just wanted to rip his arm out of the stranger's grip, tell him that it's none of his business and run. He didn't want to be questioned. He didn't want to be considered crazy again if he did talk. He just wanted to be left alone.

And yet his body did none of that. His feet refused to move, deciding to pretend to be glued to the pavement instead, keeping Luhan very much there and being confronted by some random stranger with intimidating cuteness.

Biting his lip, Luhan just shook his head quickly, averting his eyes to the ground. "You'd just think I'm crazy."

To his surprise the stranger laughed, showing a wide somewhat infectious smile, and Luhan quickly looked up and spotted a twinkle in his eyes. "I highly doubt that. Come on, I'm a good listener and I don't judge, I promise."

That's what a lot of his old friends and family members back home had said to him... before they called him crazy and turned their backs on him. So Luhan was a little cautious to believe him. And why should he anyway? He didn't even know who this guy was! He could be an axe murder for all he knew. Using his cute and innocent face to lure unsuspecting victims into trusting him before he took them somewhere private where nobody could hear their screams and hacked them into teeny tiny little pieces with a wood splitting axe...

Okay, so maybe that idea was probably a little far-fetched but the basic point of it was still valid. Just why should he believe him when they had only just met? "Just trust me..." The stranger said again, and the reassuring smile on his lips was the final straw to make Luhan nod his head finally in agreement.

"All right." Luhan said, his voice quiet as he sighed almost silently. He was probably going to live to regret this. "But... can we talk somewhere else?" He asked, glancing around at the surrounding stream of people walking past them.

"Of course." The stranger replied back, giving Luhan another reassuring smile that continued to serve to intimidate him. "There's a park nearby we could go to?"

A park? Well it was better than standing in the middle of the street, Luhan thought. Though the axe murder theory sprang back up in his mind. An empty part of the park would be the perfect place for the stranger to bump him off...

Though what harm could he really do? If he was killed at least he wouldn't be traumatised by ghosts any more... He'd be one himself... What a morbid thought.

"Sure." Luhan nodded though, glancing around again before indicating to the other male to lead the way.

Shuffling after the retreating back of the stranger, Luhan made sure to keep his head down, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Jongdae who had at some point reappeared again and was now looking between Luhan and the stranger quizzically.

"Please... Leave me alone, just this once, please..." He whispered, almost begging the ghost to just give him a break for once.

And for the first time ever... he did.

---

The seat of the swing was hard underneath his legs as Luhan sat upon it, the coldness seeping through the material of his pants and chilling his already pale skin. It wasn't the most comfortable of seating choices but in the middle of a park there wasn't really anywhere else to sit bar on the grass. But with this being a popular spot for dog walkers... Luhan didn't particularly want to risk it, the swing-set would do.

It creaked slightly as he rolled on his feet, pushing him forward the tiniest bit. He was never able to sit still.

"So... before you talk about whatever it is that you think I'll find crazy, I think introductions are in order."

Lifting his head, Luhan locked eyes with the stranger once again, insecurity running through him for a moment before he nodded his agreement. The other's words made sense, though did he really want them to pass from the label of 'strangers' to 'acquaintances'? One look at the warm smile on that cute face gave Luhan his answer. Yes, he really did want to get to know this guy more.

"Great, well... I'm Minseok. It's nice to meet you..." The stranger trailed off, his voice indicating for Luhan to continue.

And after giving him a small smile, he did just that. "Luhan. It's nice to meet you too, Minseok."

"Luhan? Chinese?" The no longer a stranger, Minseok, asked him.

Luhan tightened his grip around the bubble tea cup that was still in his hand, his gaze dropping down to it as he exhaled an almost silent chuckle. "Yeah. Bet my name gave it away."

"Actually," Minseok started, drawing Luhan's attention back up to his face and the almost mischievous smile on his face. "I could hear it in your accent." An almost proud smile spread over the other's lips and Luhan had to look away for a moment to stop himself from flushing. It was unfair just how good Minseok looked when he smiled. "I can also speak Mandarin."

This caught Luhan's interest. Minseok could speak Mandarin? "Really?"

"Yeah, I learnt a little when I was at school. Though I'm nowhere near as good at Mandarin as you are at Korean. You're so fluent!"

Luhan really had no chance of preventing the soft blush from spreading over his cheeks at that. He found it hard to accept compliments, always had done. And receiving one from someone who looked like Minseok... it made him feel more than a little flustered. "I've been living over here for around six months now, that certainly helps."

"Well if it wasn't for your accent, I would have thought you were Korean."

He didn't know what it was, but there was something about the other male that was allowing Luhan to relax. The more they spoke, the more he trusted him. He seemed like a really nice guy, and despite how ruffled Luhan was acting, he was actually fairly easy to talk to.

This activated the playful side to Luhan and a small teasing smile danced around his lips. "Oh really? Then what about my name?"

"That too... But you know what I meant." Minseok said, a chuckle in his voice.

Luhan merely laughed gently himself in reply, giving a single nod. "Thanks."

"No problem." Minseok said, giving Luhan another warm smile that sent tingles through him. That wasn't helping at all, but at least the urge to flee hadn't overridden the rest of his senses yet. "Now, why don't we finally talk about what we're here for? What were you afraid of and why would I think you're crazy?"

Lifting the cup, Luhan took a sip through the straw, trying to bide himself some time. He really didn't want to talk about this. Whenever he did the other person would always think he was mentally unstable and would then have nothing more to do with him. And even though they had just met Luhan didn't really want to lose Minseok already. But he had asked, and it was the whole reason they were even there. And his axe murder predictions clearly weren't going to come true...

"I..." He started, immediately pausing to sigh as his eyes dropped to stare absent-mindedly at the ground in front of his feet as he swayed back and forth on the swing. "I can see ghosts. I can see them, talk to them, touch them... and they can do the same to me."

Silence fell over them for a moment, the only sounds being the rustle of leaves as the wind played with the trees and the gentle creak of the swing-set. Luhan's heart was pounding hard in his chest. This was it. Any minute now Minseok was going to call him insane, get up from the swing and walk right out of the park and Luhan's life. He was almost ticking down the seconds in his mind, waiting for the inevitable outcome.

Five... Four... Three... Two... One...

"Okay. I can understand why that would scare you, and why some people may call you crazy. But... I don't think you are."

That... was not the answer that Luhan had been expecting, and his head shot up so fast to stare at the other that he almost over-balanced backwards and fell off the swing. He caught himself on the chain in time but he could not stop himself from gaping at the other male.

"R-Really?" He asked, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yeah. I can see them too actually, so I don't think you are crazy at all."

Luhan blinked at him, his voice stuck in his throat. The hope he had felt beginning to build in his chest had fizzled out immediately at Minseok's words. Usually he got called crazy... he was rarely made fun of like this. And this... this hurt. He would have rather Minseok call him names and leave than do this. This was cruel, and Luhan could feel distressed tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

No, he would not cry. He was stronger than this. After everything he had been through so far he was not going to cry when some guy he had just met started making fun of him.

"If I knew you were just going to start making fun of me then I wouldn't have said anything." Luhan said, unable to mask the hurt in his tone as he pushed himself up and off of the swing. "I'll just be going now."

"No, Luhan wait. I'm being serious. I really can see them."

Luhan found his arm being grabbed once again, but this time he did pull out of the other's grip. He wasn't going to fall for it again. He was going to leave, with his head held high and go home to where he could address his hurt emotions in peace... providing Jongdae didn't stalk him home which he was sometimes prone to doing. "Save it, I'm leaving."

He was grabbed once again though, in a stronger hold and was physically forced to turn around to meet Minseok's eyes once again. Why couldn't he just leave him alone? Hadn't he hurt him enough already?

"Please, I'm telling the truth." Minseok begged, his eyes swimming with apologies. Luhan didn't want to believe him, but he already felt his resolve weakening. Maybe he was a glutton for punishment or something, but he couldn't bring himself to think badly of the other male. Especially not when he was looking at him like that. He dropped his gaze to the ground, chewing on his bottom lip though making no sound, and he felt his arm being released. "Over there by the far trees. That's a ghost right? A female ghost?"

Luhan didn't want to look. He really did not want to look. And yet he found himself lifting his head and looking over to where Minseok was describing. Immediately a startled yelp left his throat and he the spot so his back was to the far trees. Minseok had been right. There was a ghost there. A girl with long black hair, wearing a white floaty dress. But what had made it obvious that she was ghost? The very prominent marks around her neck... rope burn... and she was just standing there, not moving... creepy. Yeah, she was definitely a ghost, and it took every bit of Luhan's strength to stop himself from bolting.

"Luhan? Luhan what's wrong?"

He hadn't realised he had started shaking, nor that he had gone incredibly pale. He did know that his eyes were wide in fear though, and shaking his head he swallowed thickly before replying. "I believe you now." He said, his voice quiet and shaky. "I can see her, she's there."

"L-Luhan...?" He heard Minseok's voice before a hand was placed gently on his arm and the other male moved into his line of sight. "Are you scared of ghosts?"

Raising his eyes, Luhan bit down onto his bottom lip as he looked up into the other's worried gaze. A whimper left his lips as he in a breath before he nodded. "Terrified."

He watched as Minseok's eyes softened even more and suddenly Luhan found himself pulled into an embrace, his face being pressed into the spot between the other's neck and shoulder. The touch was incredibly comforting, and Luhan couldn't help but raise his arms to all but cling to the back of the other's shirt. A hand soothingly rubbed at his back and gentle words were practically hummed into his ear. "It's okay. That's why you seemed so scared earlier."

All Luhan could do was nod into the other's neck, taking a deep breath to try and calm his pounding heart and the fear running through him. Forgotten was the bubble tea cup where it had dropped to the floor and was idly rolling down the mild incline until it came to a stop against a rock that was jutting out of the grass. Everything was quiet bar the gentle murmurings Minseok was doing in Luhan's ear, trying to help him to calm down. And Luhan couldn't help but really appreciate that he was trying to help him.

His initial fears about him being an axe murder? False. His worry about the other calling him crazy and just walking out of his life? False. His upset that Minseok was making fun of him and his ghost problem? False. And Luhan had never felt so glad to be wrong in his entire life. Minseok was a good guy. He was nice. He was decent. And already he was caring about Luhan, after only knowing him an hour or so, more than what his own family did.

Taking another breath, Luhan finally loosened his hold on the other male, and risked a glance back towards the far trees only to blink a little in confusion. "She's gone..."

"What?" Minseok asked, and Luhan looked back to him to see him too blinking in confusion. His eyebrows were furrowed and Luhan was hit with an almost strong need to run his finger between them. He managed to keep that somewhat random urge to himself though and instead returned his eyes to the tree line that was currently clear of any ghosts.

"The ghost, she's gone."

"Luhan..." Minseok started, giving him an uneasy look. "She's still there."

Shaking his head, Luhan turned back to the empty tree line. "No, she's not. I can't see her."

He felt the arms around him loosening as Minseok pulled away from the embrace. "Luhan, she's still there. Look."

How could she still be there when Luhan couldn't see her? He doubted his ability to see ghosts had just vanished. So she couldn't be there now if he couldn't see her, right? His own eyebrows furrowed in confusion but he did as asked and looked back towards where the ghost had been before. Almost immediately another startled yelp fell from his lips as he jumped.

There she was. Still just standing there, staring in their direction. Her dress still billowing softly in the wind. She was still there.

Then... why wasn't he able to see her before? What had happened in that short time that had removed her from his sight but not Minseok's?

He felt the other's small hand rest gently on his back again and he glanced up to find... an empty tree line again. What was going on?

Slowly an idea began to form in his mind, a suspicion of why she kept disappearing. And with eyes locked on to the spot, with his heart thudding hard in his chest in fear, Luhan swallowed before speaking. "Minseok... Remove your hand for a second..."

"What? Why?" Minseok asked, his hand unmoving on Luhan's back.

Luhan quickly glanced at him, trying to almost plead him with his eyes for a moment before he locked his gaze on the spot in the tree line again. "I've got a theory... Please?"

Though his eyes weren't on the other male he did hear Minseok's quiet sigh as the hand was finally removed from his back. Luhan bit down onto his bottom lip trying his hardest not to let his anxiety and fear get the better of him. Yet as the reassuring hand was removed, the ghost came back into view.

Some how... Minseok's touch removed the ghosts from Luhan's sight. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. But if Luhan had been looking for a temporary cure, a reprieve no matter how small, he had just found it.

"Minseok..." Luhan started, holding out a shaking hand towards him. "Grab my hand again."

He knew that the other male was eyeing him curiously, but so far they had trusted each other and sure enough Luhan felt Minseok's fingers wrapping around his own as he took his hand. Yet again the ghost disappeared from view, and he let out a breath he didn't even notice he had been holding.

Gripping Minseok's hand back tightly, he the spot so his back was to the tree line again as he stared in amazement at the other male. He didn't say anything, the words stuck in his throat as disbelief ran through him. He didn't want to question it any further. Minseok could help him. He was the answer to a prayer he hadn't even realised he had made.

The staring though was apparently a little unnerving as Minseok was looking at him in confusion. "What? What is it?"

Luhan remained quiet, still just gazing at the other with pure hope and amazement shining in his eyes before he managed to find his voice again. "Minseok..." He started, his heart beat thudding loudly in his chest and his breaths tightening. "When you touch me... I can't see the ghosts."

The other male blinked at him again, a little confused. "What?"

"When you touch me, when you hold my hand, or rest your hand on my back or anything that involves us physically touching... I can't see the ghosts. That's why she kept disappearing from my sight."

"R-Really?" Minseok asked, his hand tightening around Luhan's as a smile began to grow on his face.

A smile which Luhan happily returned as he nodded. "Yeah." And before he knew what he was doing, he moved forward, throwing his arms around the smaller male and hugging him tightly, happiness beginning to radiate through him. He didn't want to get his hopes up completely but with his arms around Minseok, and the other's arms around him... he felt safe.

Over by the tree line another figure emerged. One dressed all in black, with blond hair and an intense gaze in their dark eyes. They observed the two hugging forms silently for a moment, the expression on their face unreadable. The female ghost turned slowly to face the dark figure before cowering away and fading back into the trees. This went unnoticed by both Luhan and Minseok as well as the dark figure observing them.

Instead the figure crossed long thin arms over it's chest before a soft voice left it's thin lips. "Yifan was right..." The voice was clearly male though with a pitch somewhat higher than what the figure's height would have led you to believe. It was full of power though and if Luhan had heard it, a chill would have ran through him.

"Soon all will fall back into place."