Belated Bloom - Lay (EXOxLay)

Maknae Mistake

The next few months were weird, to say the least. Jongdae and Baekhyun still wouldn't speak to him but the rest of Exo seemed like they had variably forgiven him. Sehun and Tao (who always gave Yixing long intense stares) were stuck to him like glue, talking his ear off or practicing together- yet Jongin, Kyungsoo, and Chanyeol all seemed a bit stiff whenever Yixing was around but they at least tried to lessen the divide that the Yifan scandal had created between Yixing and Exo.

Jongin was sadly the most distant and Yixing did not want to scare him away by pushing too hard, which meant Jongin had most of the studio time during the day and Yixing chose to practice at night; it cut his sleeping hours in half, but in his mind, it was worth every second of lost sleep if it meant someday he would have his friendship with Jongin back.

He was running himself a bit ragged but they were still promoting Overdose and everything had to be perfect if they wanted to take their best step forward as the new 10-member Exo. Yixing was sure that the others felt the same and were working just as hard to keep Exo at the top.

When mid-November came so did 'award show' season, which meant more media coverage and more interviews. And a week before the first award show Junmyeon and Minseok approached him with a simple proposal:

"Yixing, I would like to formally offer you a place in our pack- you don't have to answer now, we've offered this to the other members as well, we're hoping to bring Exo back together as a pack...and we really want you to be a part of it too Xingie."

The offer left Yixing stunned, it had been sudden and to-the-point, no beating around the bush; very Minseok-like

"I- I.." he wanted to scream "Yes!" but he couldn't. Luhan's parting words kept resounding in his head- he had always wanted a pack but what if he couldn't actually take the bite? Then he would be caught, he would have to tell them the truth- that he had been lying to them for over a year. And if the Yifan scandal fallout was anything to go by then telling them the truth would probably destroy his bonds with Exo.

"Wait! Before you say no, just take some time to think about it. I know it's a little sudden but Minseok and I have been throwing the idea around for a bit now and-"

"You asked Luhan, right?" the two seated across from him stilled in surprise, "That's why he ran right? Because you asked him?".

An angry look rolled across Minseok's shocked expression, "Is that what he told you?" Yixing didn't answer, just watching the other two mull the information over, gauging their reactions.

Junmyeon scoffed after a beat, looking away with an annoyed expression as well muttering as he stood and left the room angrily.

"Ignore him, Luhan I mean. He was offered a spot, yes, but he was a bit volatile when he declined..." Minseok's angry expression looked a bit sad now, "But that was his choice, and he did what he wanted to do, always has and always will" his hard expression melted somewhat as he described his longtime friend- it made Yixing's heart clench, knowing Minseok had experienced just as much pain when Luhan left as he had, if not more.

"Do you know why he declined?" Yixing knew the answer, or at least the one Luhan gave him but he was curious if there was anything else to the story.

Minseok didn't answer right away, hesitant to divulge the information, "Since he's not here to defend himself I won't say much but I think Luhan still felt he was a good friend of mine even after the Exo-M mess. I think he thought I would name him my second, because he seemed happy enough with the idea of a pack until I told him Chanyeol would be my second-in-command".

'Ahh, so Luhan's pride was hurt as well...'

"Then he stomped out cursing at me the whole way- I haven't seen him since." Minseok's voice warbled a bit, regretting the last moments he had with once-best friend. He was never one to openly show his feelings, like Baekhyun or Chanyeol, but that's what made him a good alpha and will most likely help him be a good pack leader.