(( Merry Christmas! We're mostly back? Which means we're going off hiatus but we might not be updating weekly, it might be more like a week and a half to two weeks between updates, but we will be updating again! My health has recovered a lot and while I may not be 100% better, I'm at least in a place where I can write again ^^ Thank you all for being patient, and enjoy~ ))

“Mama? I didn’t expect to get a call from you so soon,” LuHan said, Sehun glancing at him before pouring the older a cup of coffee and sitting beside him.

“I know we talked a couple of weeks ago, but! I found a girl.” LuHan groaned, rubbing his face with his free hand.

“Ma, we talked about this. I’m with Sehun, and I’m very happy,” he replied, hearing her tsk.

“It’s rude to interrupt people, especially your Mama. I raised you to have more manners,” she muttered before her tone brightened again. “Any way, she’s the niece of one of my close coworkers, and she’s such a pretty little thing that I’m sure no one will direct a pretty compliment towards you when the two of you are together. I’m sure that happens all the time with you and…”

“Sehun.” LuHan said in a firm tone, trying to fight the urge to snap at her.

“Right, right, Senhoo. I’m sure you’re mistaken for a girl when walking around with another guy, and Mama knows how much that hurts your feelings. Wouldn’t it be so much simpler and less of a headache to get over this phase and settle down with one of the nice girls your Baba and I have been searching so hard for? I understand that being with a guy may seem like the only option you have since none of those Korean girls are even close to being considered pretty let alone beautiful enough for our darling Han, but there are other options. Baba and I are putting in all the hard work, all you have to do is say yes and we will send you a plane ticket home.”

“I’m not going back to China!” He could hear his mother pouting.

“Have you really set up such strong roots there? What’s so good about Seoul anyway?” she asked, LuHan taking a slow breath, his knuckles long since having turned white from how tightly he was holding onto his mobile. “Fine,” she started again when he fell silent for a long period of time, causing LuHan’s hold to ease. “We’ll send her to you. When is your next day off of work? Oh, we’ll need the address to your apartment t-” LuHan ended the call, tossing the device on the dining room table with an irritated sigh.

“I thought telling them about you would make them stop, but it just made things worse. Now they’re trying to play match maker,” LuHan grumbled, picking up his coffee cup and taking a sip. “Also I never realized just how racist my mother is,” he added, shaking his head before he left Sehun rest his chin on his shoulder. “Sorry about this,” LuHan added, shaking his head. 

“It’s fine. Well, it’s not, but it will be. Eventually they’ll have to give up, right?” Sehun asked, LuHan offering a shrug before he slumped back in his seat.

“I know we were supposed to go out on a date tonight, but I really don’t feel like it. I’m sorry,” LuHan replied, Sehun shifting closer to him.

“We don’t have to go out, why don’t we just order a little takeout and watch a movie?” He offered, LuHan learning into his touch as he nodded. The pair dug through the several take out pamphlets they had accumulated over the last several months, Sehun letting LuHan pick whatever sounded the best to him. LuHan picked up his mobile, dialing the restaurant to place their usual order, Sehun frowning a little when the older didn’t stop there, placing a hand on the pink haired male’s shoulder.

“Hey, unless Junmyeon-Hyung’s paying, slow down,” he said with a slightly nervous laugh. “I don’t have that much money.”

“Did you spend it all on bubble tea and video games again?” LuHan retorted, the staff member on the line asking if he could repeat what he had said, causing LuHan’s attention to snap back to the call. “Sorry, uh… take off the last thing I said, and that should be good,” he corrected, the staff member reading back the order for confirmation. While they waited for their food to be delivered, LuHan gathered the bedding and settled it on the couch like a nest while Sehun picked out a few movie options.

"Can you get some of the extra blankets from the closet?" Sehun asked, popping the movie into the DVD player, LuHan nodding as he made his way to their room. Opening the closet he looked up at the stack of blankets, debating on if he was more likely to knock the whole stack down if he tried to get the ones from the top or the bottom, eventually deciding that pulling the bottom two out would be the safest bet. When he successfully retrieved the two blankets he heard a soft thud follow and he frowned looking down in confusion as it didn't seem like anything had fallen from the closet. He knelt down to pick up the two blankets, pausing when his hand brushed over something hard underneath one, peeling back the blanket to reveal a small gift box.

The pink haired male stared at the box for a long moment before picking it up as he stood, turning it in his hands a few times, opening it as his curiosity was sparked. The glint of silver caused him to drop the box, the fall somehow not dislodging the ring from where it was fascined in the padding of the box, heart thundering in his chest. Why was there a ring in the closet? He sure didn't put it there, which meant that Sehun had. LuHan's eyes widened.

Sehun had bought him a ring, which meant that Sehun was thinking about proposing to him. Is this why he had been broke the last three months? What was he thinking? He know how my parents feel, how deeply they’re in denial… It’s probably safe to say that my mother hates him to a certain extent since she’s likely to blame him for the fact that we’re together… Would they even show up to the wedding? He flinched, shaking his head. Wedding? What am I thinking, we’re not… we can’t get married. It hasn’t even been two years yet, how can marriage be on his mind? I get that his best friend’s getting married, but that doesn’t mean he needs to. He shouldn’t rush into something, people should never rush into something like marriage. I declared my major two months ago after being in college for four years, and even then I don’t know what I want to do for a living, let alone what I want to do for the rest of my life, how can I even try to commit to someone for the rest of a life that I’m uncertain of?

When he heard Sehun call his name he nearly dropped the ring box, snapping out of his thoughts before he scrambled to shove the box under the few other blankets in the closet, leaving the room with the two he had gotten. The pair settled on the couch in the giant nest of blankets, the opening credits finishing just in time for the knock at the door to signal the arrival of their delivery. Once the coffee table was set with the various boxes, along with plates and utensils Sehun settled back into the nest, starting the movie back up as he started to eat. He looked over at LuHan, who was sitting on the edge of his cushion, stiffly taking slow bites of his food; his attention snapped to Sehun when the younger placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him back.

“Hyung, everything okay?” It took the other a moment to respond.

“Yeah, I… I’m fine. Just… I keep remembering the phone call,” LuHan explained, Sehun offering a nod before shifting closer to snuggle against him.

“It’ll be alright. They’ll come around one day. They have to,” He said, LuHan giving a slow nod as he set down the take out box he had been eating from, letting Sehun pull him back, focused on just how tense he was as Sehun cuddled him in what he knew was meant to be a comforting manner, though it felt more like he was being suffocated as his thoughts continued to race. The movie was only half way through before Sehun was leaning against LuHan, eyelids feeling heavy as he tried to stay awake without much luck, unaware of how zoned out LuHan was through the whole movie. He opened his eyes slowly after what had felt like just a long blink to find the television had been switched off, and the coffee table was almost cleared of their dinner, blinking slowly as LuHan came back into the room to grab the last of the dishes.

“Sorry I fell asleep, Hyung,” He said, earning half a nod from the older. Sehun gathered the blankets that belonged on the bed, leaving the other two to be dealt with the next day after work, and tossing them on the bed before making half an attempt to flatten them out so that they would be able to be under more than a nest. He waited for LuHan to come into the room, closing the door behind himself before settling in the bed, snuggling up against the older once again before letting sleep take him for the night.

Sehun rolled over onto his other side, face scrunching a little at the absence of warmth on the older’s side of the bed, his eyes slowly opening and focusing on the other’s back. He was already dressed, Sehun’s eyes shifting to the clock on the nightstand. 6:43am. Since when did LuHan get up that early when he didn’t have class until 11? Sehun meant to blink, but when his eyes opened again the other was nowhere to be seen, the clock reading 7:28am before his eyes closed again.

The next time he woke up, it was to the sound of the bedroom door opening, and he looked over at the clock again before LuHan. 7:55am, and LuHan was settling back onto the bed, still dressed in his street clothes.

“Where did you go?” he asked, shifting closer to cling to the older, even if he wasn’t much of a source of heat at the moment.

“Don’t worry about it, just go back to sleep, okay?” LuHan asked, Sehun opening his mouth to argue, though it was silenced by a yawn that was what little convincing he needed to go back to sleep for the short hour left before his alarm went off, telling him it was time to get up and get ready for class. When LuHan wasn’t in the bed again, a frown settled on Sehun’s face, unsure of how to feel about finding the older in the kitchen, cooking him breakfast. The pair sat mostly in silence, Sehun standing once he was finished eating to wash the dishes with the last few minutes he had, leaning back into the back hug LuHan gave him as he was drying off his hands.

“Have fun in class,” the older said, Sehun tuning in his arms, a smile playing across his lips when he felt the older’s against them.

“You too,” he replied, reluctantly pulling away to grab his backpack and slide into his shoes. He stopped off at the store on his way home, picking up a couple of things that they were running low on, pausing when he found the deadbolt on their door offered no resistance to his key. 

“Hyung?” he called, staring at the door as he closed it behind himself. “Why’s the door unlocked? That isn’t like you.” Silence. Sehun pulled out his mobile, reading over the time several times before pulling up his message line with the older, setting the grocery bags on the table. He scrolled through the last several messages, trying to see if LuHan had mentioned being late home from class or that he had plans to do something, heartbeat starting to pick up as he went back through three days-worth of messaging without anything of the sort. He’s probably… just late. Sehun tried to assure himself, making his way into their room to set down his bag, stopping on his way to the bathroom and taking a step back, looking to their dresser; the watch that Sehun had gotten the older for their one year anniversary, that LuHan only wore on special occasions was gone. His eyes tailed down, falling onto the drawer that was still open, half of its contents seeming to be missing, worry creeping up to grasp the blond’s neck. Sehun forced a breath, stepping back out of the room, picking up his mobile and opening his message line.

To: Minseok-Hyung(15:41)> Hey, is LuHan-Hyung with you?

He set the device on the table, just finishing with putting the groceries away when his mobile buzzed.

From: Minseok-Hyung(15:49)> No, he’s not. Is he in class?

Sehun stared at the message for a long moment before he exited out of it, selecting his contacts, holding the device to his ear. Eight long rings later an automated voice answered.

“I’m sorry, the person you’re trying to reach is out of service at the moment. Please check the number, or call again la-” He ended the call, selecting Jongin’s, starting to pace around the apartment as the line rang his heart lodging itself in his throat when he heard the other’s voice. 

“Sehun? What’s going on, I was about to call y-”

“Hyung’s gone.” A pause.

“What?”

“LuHan-Hyung, he’s gone. The door was unlocked, some of his things are missing, I… I don’t know what to do, he’s not answering my calls,” Sehun said, voice shaking almost enough to make him stutter as he paced through the apartment. On one trip past the bedroom closet he realized it was open, eyebrows knitting together as he stopped talking, a small box sticking out from under one of the blankets on the top shelf. His panic is was most likely caused his slow processing of what it was and he snatched it once he did, stomach dropping when he opened it to find the ring missing from it. Jongin’s voice faded in, Sehun swallowing several times before he could speak again.

“The ring.” Jongin cut off, silent for a moment.

“The ring?”

“The one I got for him… it’s missing too.”

“Okay, here’s what you need to do…”

The landlady seemed surprised to see the panicked blond, but she offered an attempt of a reassuring smile.

“Is there a problem?” she asked when he didn’t speak first, and Sehun looked down at his mobile for a long moment before back to her.

“I… The person I was living with, in 209… I… I think he moved out without t-telling me, I was wondering if he bought out the lease or broke it or something… and if so, how long do I have before I have to leave?” Her smile faded, attention shifting to her computer as she clacked away at the keyboard for a few painfully long moments.

“2-0…9?” Sehun nodded when her attention flickered to him, and she looked back to the screen, scrolling for a little while longer. She then turned to him, her smile showing confusion that she didn’t seem like she was going to try and find the answers to. “If your friend has moved out, we have no record of him trying to get out of the lease. The rent, and an approximation of the water and electricity has been paid four months out,” she explained, Sehun’s eyes widening.

“I… thank you,” he said slowly, turning and making his way back up to the apartment, waiting just as Jongin had told him to. When the silence started to get to him, he pulled out his mobile, selecting his message line with Minseok when he saw the notification icon.

From: Minseok-Hyung(16:07)> Is everything alright? 

From: Minseok-Hyung(16:12)> I tried calling him and he didn’t answer me either. 

From: Minseok-Hyung(16:20)> Call me when you can.

Sehun forced himself to take a deep breath before selecting the older’s number, holding his mobile to his ear. The other picked up on the third ring.

“What happened?” Sehun tried to ignore the sting in his eyes, dropping himself on the couch; he didn’t have the energy to pace anymore.

“I… I don’t know. He got a call from his mom last night, she was trying to set him up with someone again, and then we had a night in, and then he was acting normal until I left… when I came home from class he was just… gone…” He jumped out of his skin when there was a knock on the front door, standing and hurrying over to it. He half expected it to be the copper haired male, not surprised to see Kyungsoo tagging along behind Jongin as he entered the apartment.

“I’ve had a bad feeling all day, I was hoping that it was just ZiTao having a bad first day of work, as terrible as that may sound.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean. C-can I call you back later? Jongin’s here to help me try to sort this all out.”

“Of course, I’ll keep my phone close. Let me know if you find out anything or need me to do anything, alright?”

“I will, Hyung,” Sehun replied before ending the call, looking to the pair. They exchanged a glance before Jongin wrapped an arm around Sehun’s shoulders, leading him over to sit back on the couch. “Did… did you find anything at the school?” He asked, Jongin biting the inside of his lip as he held Sehun closer, making the blond feel both comforted and suffocated.

“According to our director, he withdrew from the music program this morning, and the office eventually admitted that he withdrew from the rest of his classes at the same time. He didn’t give any reason that they would tell us though,” Kyungsoo explained softly. Sehun stood out of Jongin’s hold, shaking his head. 

“Hyung, he… he wouldn’t do this, he wouldn’t just up and leave like this, why would he? Things were fine, I don’t…” Sehun shook his head again, pulling out his mobile and calling LuHan again. The click sounded different, and Sehun almost perked up until he heard a different voice.

“We’re sorry, but the number you’ve dialed has been disconnected. Please check the number and try again.” The device fell to the floor, Jongin standing and quickly moving to catch the younger as his knees tried to give out.

“He… he’s really gone…”

(( Merry Christmas, LuHan's gone owo ))