Xiumin tolerates Luhan.  

He allows Luhan’s near-constant presence by his side, especially when EXO first debuts, because it’s not like any of them have a choice.  The official lineup have the members lined up by height, and even if they may switch Yixing and Jongdae around (and sometimes even Yifan and Zitao), the two eldest hyungs will always be the two shortest, and Xiumin inwardly curses the fact that his body decided to stop growing years ago, leaving him with a square, squat stature.  Even then, he tolerates Luhan’s jibes about his height.  

He tolerates Luhan’s incomprehensible persistence to shove Xiumin in the spotlight, whether in the countless EXO-M interviews, or the variety shows that provide for more entertainment, both of which are almost always Chinese and would rather focus on one of their own instead of a foreigner who can barely string together a sentence in Mandarin.  Xiumin will never understand Luhan’s motive behind drawing more attention to Xiumin, so he throws out a weak protest when it happens, but nothing more, because Xiumin has enough patience to tolerate anything, even Luhan.  Especially Luhan.  

So he lets Luhan give him a little push now and then, but quickly recedes into the background soon after.  He’s never sure what to say in front of the camera and wouldn’t have much of an opportunity to talk anyway, with the language barrier.  He only responds when asked a question, which happens often enough, thanks to Luhan’s nickname for him: baozi.  

He tolerates Luhan’s playful teasing of his chubby face and round cheeks all through EXO-M’s first year, and the hosts’ amusement when they learn of the silly title.  The name sticks, because without Chinese heritage and Chen’s powerful voice, there’s not really much else to distinguish Xiumin from the others.  So he tolerates the light teasing and the laughs and the baozi because with the little spotlight time Luhan has given him he might as well portray a good attitude (and it’s not like he really dislikes the name).  Even when EXO starts promoting as one with the start of the Wolf era and Xiumin loses weight and his cheeks aren’t as round and soft anymore, he still puts up with the baozi whispered in his ear in Luhan’s musical voice, accompanied with the outrageously goofy laugh and subsequent facial contortions that just add to the rapidly lengthening list of things about Luhan that Xiumin has to tolerate.  

He tolerates the steady, piercing gazes that he can feel on his person in any interview or photoshoot (even when Luhan’s on the opposite side of the room) because Luhan has a tendency to give his full attention to anyone who’s speaking, but everyone and their grandmother could see how his eyes linger on Xiumin more than anyone else.  He tolerates the arm slid around his shoulder that pulls him closer to Luhan’s side as the cameras flash and the fangirls squeal about how close they are.  He tolerates the hand carelessly sliding down his back or up his thigh in front of the camera because it’s simple skinship and Luhan is known for being overly touchy and friendly with all s (never mind that his hands seem to gravitate towards Minseok the most, to the point where even Yixing comes down from his eight-dimensional, Baekhyun’s grandmother-centered heaven to point that out).  He tolerates Luhan’s disregard for Xiumin’s personal space, merely throwing him a look when Luhan playfully leans against him from behind or moves his lips too close to his ear when translating.  

Xiumin tolerates all of Luhan, his hands and his stares and his teasing, because Xiumin is the infinitely patient half-fifty hyung who’s not interested in any of it.  Xiumin tolerates how painfully obvious and open Luhan is in front of the camera, because even if Xiumin isn’t interested, Kim Minseok most certainly is.  

Minseok loves Luhan.  

He loves the little things about Luhan, his small pretty face, his open gaze, those hands that never seem to stay still no matter whether he’s solving a Rubix Cube or that puzzle which is Minseok’s body.  He loves the fact that they’re both the same age and so comfortable and in sync, or so it seems, because it’s usually Luhan copying Minseok.  He loves how, though they both seem camera-shy, Luhan can talk and laugh with Minseok for hours and hours about soccer and coffee and God knows what else and neither of them would ever show any sign of getting bored, because it’s just so easy to talk to Luhan like it isn’t with anyone else.  He loves how dramatic Luhan can be, whining and tugging at Minseok to please go out to get coffee or play soccer or anything else because if he stays another second in this dorm with Tao and his Gucci obsession he’ll go and throw himself a cliff (despite Minseok very sensibly pointing out that there are no cliffs in Korea).  

Frankly, Minseok loves all the things about Luhan that Xiumin tolerates, including the way he tries to wink when really he looks like he’s got something in his eye, the way he tries not to laugh at Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s antics and his eyes crinkle up at the corners until he can’t hold back anymore and his jaw unhinges from the rest of his face.  He loves the way Luhan looks when he plays soccer, concentrated and focused, like he is on everything he cares about, especially Minseok.  He even loves the way Luhan continuously insists that he’s manly and the other members scorn him and Minseok just grins to himself because they all know the only opinion Luhan cares is Minseok’s and Minseok really could not care less whether Luhan is manly or not because he loves Luhan for being Luhan (and how manly could any of them be when wearing eyeliner and flower shirts anyway).  

He loves how Luhan kisses him, warmly and openly and deeply, never caring where they are as long as there aren’t any fans around, even if that means making out in the shower and forgetting themselves until Jongdae pounds on the bathroom door and hollers loud enough for the entire dorm complex to hear that the two lovebirds should stop to each other and let the straight people have their turn (Minseok makes a mental note to make Jongdae’s death as slow and painful as possible when he inevitably snaps one day).  He loves when Luhan sneaks a kiss when the camera’s not pointed their way, earning exasperated yet resigned looks from Joonmyeon and Yifan and triggering a rant from Zitao about how Joonmyeon always fusses at him and Sehunnie for being so obvious but Luhan-ge’s kissing Minseok hyung right there and nobody ever yells at them (Luhan blithely responds that it’s because Zitao and Sehun are about as subtle as a walrus in the Sahara Desert, which only irritates Zitao further until Sehun rolls his eyes and tugs him away to supposedly get “bubble tea”).  He loves the way their bodies fit together every time Luhan pulls Minseok to him, how Luhan’s presence is so familiar that he doesn’t even have to turn his head to know it’s him when he feels an arm wrap around his waist from behind.  He loves those intense gazes that Xiumin pretends not to see, because it makes Minseok feel like he’s the most important person in the world and his heart warms at the thought.  He loves how obvious Luhan is in public, because Minseok knows that even if they can never officially announce their relationship, Luhan is too open of a person to fully restrain himself, and no matter how much he loves his fans and his career, Luhan loves Minseok so much more.  It gives Minseok the courage to respond and tease back and even initiate skinship in front of the fans, and he’s found at some point he’s stopped caring what others think about their relationship because all that matters is that he and Luhan know the truth.  

The truth is that Minseok loves Luhan, and even if they both have their flaws and fights from time to time and Minseok has to resort to Luhan-tolerating Xiumin for a while, Minseok doesn’t mind because those little mistakes and flaws are what makes up the Luhan he loves.  Just like how Minseok loves all of Luhan, Luhan loves all of Minseok, and Minseok loves that about Luhan most of all.