THE BOOK OF EXO SHIPS

XIUHAN

Xiumin works at your every-day-average office, with the tiny, open cubicles, the never blank whiteboards, the fake plants, and whatnot. The man who works in the space next to him is named Luhan, a pretty Chinese boy who smiles more than necessary. They talked often and got along extremely well with each other, having clicked from the very first moment Luhan had walked in and accidentally spilled coffee on Xiumin. It had a gone a bit like this:

"Ohmygod I am so sorry oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh!" Luhan reached for a napkin and started wiping the mess off of Xiumin's newly purchased white button-up.

"It's fine, really, don't worry about it." Xiumin couldn't help but pause for a second. The boy was so flustered, it made Xiumin feel that way too.

"Oh gosh, I am so sorry, ohmygod. Aren't you my new boss? Oh my god, I'm so-!" He bowed several times, eyebrows knit together as he continued trying to clean the already stained fabric.

Xiumin chuckled. "Yeah, I am. Don't worry about it, really." He stuck out a hand. "Welcome to the group."

Luhan took it with a grateful smile. "Thank you. God, how can I make it up to you?"

Xiumin shook his head. "Really, it's fine. I'm fine. And if I ever need a favor, I'm sure it'll come up one day." 

Xiumin glanced over at him now. Luhan was typing away on his keyboard, his expression unreadable. It seemed a bit...troubled? Xiumin wasn't sure, but he felt a bit of worry knot up in his heart. He reached over to ask if the other boy was alright when he suddenly cried out in anguish and stood up very quickly. His chair flipped back and then he was taking short, speedy steps away, his arm covering his eyes. His computer screen was black; he'd turned it off. Xiumin was frozen in his position, hand still in midair. He looked around at his coworkers, who were staring back at him with the same question burning in all of their eyes. What the hell is with him? Xiumin could only shrug and run after him.

Luhan was a delicate boy, to say the least. Xiumin had to admit that he often felt as though he were talking to a girl when discussing problems with him. But this was a new predicament. Luhan had never actually physically broken down at the office before and Xiumin, who felt an immense amount of responsibility for him, could not help but chase after him.

Maybe Xiumin's feelings of "friendship" was just a modest title for what he really felt. In all honesty, he was more than just worried, he was absolutely anxious, absolutely horrified as to what might have happened to him. 

Luhan was not to be found in the break room. He wasn't in the cafeteria, or the coffee bar, or anywhere. Xiumin could only assume that he had returned home. It was fairly late in the night, and he remembered that Luhan had been looking forward to something today. He'd practically skipped up to his boss and told him that he was meeting someone today. Maybe something had gone wrong with his plans. 

Xiumin started up the engine on his car. It was a chilly night and he turned up the heater higher than he usually does. He didn't just feel cold on the outside, he felt cold on the inside too. He'd been to Luhan's house exactly once, for a Christmas party. He had the way there memorized and he drove as fast he could, without hitting speed limits.

He walked up the driveway with long strides and stopped in front of the door. He wasn't so sure anymore if he should even be here. He took a breath in, and knocked on the door. 

It was opened a few seconds later by a sniffling Luhan, rubbing his eyes and saying, "Hello?" He hadn't even looked up yet, but he seemed to recognize it was Xiumin. He lifted his head to meet his eyes and started rubbing his eyes even faster, trying to swipe away the tears that endlessly poured out. Xiumin reached out and caught a salty droplet with his finger. Luhan nodded his thanks. 

"Can I come in?" Xiumin asked. Luhan nodded again and moved back to let him in. "Thanks." Xiumin whispered, and took a step. The house looked the same since the Christmas party. Bits of mess here and there, bookshelves lined one wall, a bright and happy atmosphere. He heard the door close behind him and he turned to face the other boy. He grabbed Luhan's shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"Luhan."

He nodded.

"What happened?"

Luhan sniffed. "He... he..."

" 'He'? He what?"

He sniffed again. And then again. And then he hiccuped and said cried out, "He broke up with me!" And he sobbed as he threw himself against Xiumin, who enveloped him into a hesitant hug, patting his back lightly. "On our one year anniversary!"

Xiumin coughed. "Your.... your boyfriend?" Luhan nodded, his forehead against Xiumin's collarbone. Xiumin hugged him tighter and took a breath.

They stayed like that until Luhan calmed down, his crying now reduced to an occasional hiccup and red, puffy eyes. "Thank you. And I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay." Xiumin gave him a small smile to reassure him. "I want to be here for you."

Luhan looked up at his hyung. "What?" 

Xiumin cupped Luhan's head in his hands and pressed their foreheads together. He kept smiling. "You can tell me all about him. You can let it out. And I will sit here and hug you when you need it. I'll hand you tissues when you need me to. I'll stay for as long as you'll let me."

Luhan's eyes were glossy with even more tears. "Why would...you ever do that?" The corners of his lips turned down in confusion.

Xiumin closed his eyes. "Because I love you. I think I always have. I want you to be happy. I want you to be the smiling idiot you always are at the office. I want to wake up and be excited to see you every day. I want to be here for you. I hope that's enough."

Luhan almost started bawling again. "That's more than enough!"

"Then," Xiumin paused to say the last bit of his confession. "I hope that I can be the one to make you smile soon."

Luhan buries his head in Xiumin's jacket and vigorously nods. "Yes. Yes, I really hope so too."

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[131108] hi everyone! I didn't read this over, so if it has typos, then please tell me T.T Thank you for the request, love~! I hope EXO wins the EMA MTV WorldWideAct!!!! I admit, I've been having a bit of writer's block recently...so i hope you like it ><