^{a/n: Hello~ ^^}

^{Me is back! I hope you all can enjoy this new extra, but as usual, low expectation only xD}

^{OH! I made a story about how Lay and Luhan met called 'First' HERE}

^{you have to read that!!!!! LOL~ kidding, but if you interested please do}

Minseok didn't really feel well that Saturday. He got his wisdom tooth pulled out the night before, and maybe because of the pain killer, but he felt tired and lazy (fortunately, no pain), so they were just staying at home and being all snuggly. That was a pretty comfortable and pleasant day, they woke up late and spent the day bundled in a blanket watching some DVDs Junmyeon bought few days before, and eating whatever Minseok wanted and could eat. Minseok took a nap later on and they just continued to watch another movie after he woke up. In the middle of the third movie they watched that day, the door bell rang, making Minseok turned his face from the TV screen towards Junmyeon, "Are you ordering take outs for dinner?" He asked.

Junmyeon shook his head lightly, "No, I haven't. Who could that be?" He wondered, which Minseok responded with a shrug, "Wait up, I'll go up and see." He said before he got up from the couch to see who rang his door bell.

He was pleasantly surprised when he opened the door to a tall tanned male, "Zitao? What are you doing here?" He greeted happily. That wasn't the first time Tao visited him, but it had been a while since the last time he came. The last time Tao came, was even before Minseok and him started dating.

Tao smiled just as bright and lifted the plastic bag he brought in his hand, "I bring some dinner!"

"Junmyeon, who’s—“ Minseok who wrapped in the blanket didn’t got to finish his sentence when he saw the person outside Junmyeon’s door. The first time he met Tao was at Victoria’s wedding, but that wasn’t really a pleasant meeting. And by the look Tao gave him when he saw him again that day, he knew that for whatever reason, Tao still didn’t so happy to see him.

Junmyeon let his guest in and walked towards his boyfriend who was still inanimate at his spot, “It’s Tao,” he said and kissed Minseok’s cheek, because the younger looked like he wasn’t paying attention, “You two met at Victoria’s wedding already. He brought some dinner.”

“Sorry, I don’t know that he’s here, so I only bought dinner for two.” Tao said as he put the plastic bag down on the dining table, his voice clearly showed that he didn’t actually feeling sorry. That made Junmyeon remembered about their unpleasant first meeting at Victoria’s wedding.

“It’s alright, I—I can just go to my apartment and do some home works.” Minseok tried to avoid being at the same place at Tao.

But Junmyeon was not having any of it, “It’s alright, we can share.” He said lightly as he tried to drag Minseok to the dining table where Tao was already seated, “Beside, you finished all your home works already.”

“Are you sure?” Tao asked and looking at Junmyeon as if he wanted to convinced him to just let Minseok leave.

“Yes,” Junmyeon answered firmly, “He hasn’t have dinner, and he’s not feeling well, so I don’t want to leave him alone.”

To explain it in a simple way, Minseok was totally uncomfortable throughout the dinner. Tao kept talking about their friends, which, Minseok didn’t know, so there was no way he could be involved in their conversation. But that wasn’t really the reason why Minseok felt uncomfortable, the thing Tao talked about was how this friend just got a promotion in his work place, and how that friend just opened a shop somewhere, there was also this friend who got accepted in an international company and so on. It was almost like Tao was trying to remind him about who is he compared to their circle of friends.

There was nothing much Minseok could do. If it was any other people, he could careless about what they said about him, but it was different. It was Junmyeon’s friend, who knew him longer than himself, belittling him in front of Junmyeon. He felt helpless, and he didn’t want to cause trouble to Junmyeon and making a scene, not in front of Junmyeon, not with Junmyeon’s friend. So all he could do was just to swallow whatever Tao said along with the food he ate, even though it was hard.

Junmyeon’s situation wasn’t any better either. He kept trying to talk about anything else with Tao, but that boy just always had a way to steer the conversation as he like, and it made him felt guilty for making Minseok stayed there. But then, there was no way that he would leave Minseok alone when he clearly didn’t feel well. He did try his hardest, but it was just not enough.

After dinner, Minseok helped Junmyeon washing the dishes simply because he didn’t want to be near Tao, as the said boy still blabbering from the dining table. “What is you parents’ job, Minseok?” Tao asked suddenly, making Minseok froze while still holding a plate in his hand. What was that for? He thought. What answer Tao actually expected from him? How far he was going to humiliate him? As if the fact that he was a high school student who lived alone and make a living for himself wasn’t enough to give him a clue about how his relationship with his parents was. He went pale and that wasn’t because he was sick, and he unconsciously gripped the plate harder until his nails turned white.

“Minseok, baby, why don’t you take a warm shower and go get some rest?” Junmyeon said before Minseok could came up with an answer, not like he could think about one anyway. The younger only mumbled a weak, “yeah…” and put the plate in his hand down slowly. “Yeah? Don’t forget to take your medicines, I’ll stay at your place tonight.” He continued before pulling Minseok closer to place a kiss on his temple and a whisper a comforting “I love you” to his ear.

As soon as he heard a soft click from his front door, Junmyeon turned his whole body to face Tao, anger clearly shown on his normally calm face, “Can you stop treating him like that?” He asked his junior who seemed shocked by the way he talked.

“Like what?” Tao answered with another question.

“Like he’s nothing! What you did to him was so childish and unnecessary Tao!” Junmyeon could feel his own voice rose.

“What? I was just wanted to know him better!” Tao tried to defend his action.

Junmyeon couldn’t believe Tao actually thought that he would believe that, “No! You didn’t! You were trying to make a point, Zitao. You were trying to tell him that he is not as good as you and me, you were trying to make him feel that he’s not at the same level as you and me!”

Tao gasped at Junmyeon words, he knew what he did, what he didn’t expect was Junmyeon could see his intention, “That was because I care about you!”

Junmyeon shook his head in disbelief, “You said you care about me, but you can’t even respect my boyfriend for the simple fact that he is my boyfriend! What did he ever do wrong to you so that you feel the right to treat him like that?”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt, like, what if he wants to use you?” If only Tao knew the effect of his words, he would never say those words.

“Using me?” Junmyeon was extremely offended by Tao’s words, “All he ever asked from me was a slice of cake and two goldfishes! Do you actually think that I’m that dumb to not realize when someone is using me? Don’t you dare to say that kind of thing about him when you don’t even know him in the first place!”

“That’s why I want to know about him!”

Junmyeon squeezed his eyes in frustration, “You don’t want to know about him Tao, you want to validate that he’s indeed not a good person like what you think about him!” He didn’t usually lose his calm, but Tao was too much. “If you really want to know him, I’ll tell you about him.” Junmyeon took a deep breath so that he wouldn’t raise his voice more than he already was, “His parents were alcoholics who abused him since he was a little. He stole his birth certificate and brought it with him everywhere since age twelve, because he knew for a fact that one day, he would have to run away from his parents. His parent tried to sell him to ion when he was fifteen, but thank God he could run away. And since then, he struggled by himself to survive and stay in school. He was betrayed over and over again, he didn’t even know how to trust himself, and he didn’t even know how to accept love.”

Tao was at lost for words, and tried to process the information Junmyeon gave him.

“He didn’t choose his life!” Junmyeon continued, “He didn’t choose that kind of life, but he put up with it. And all people around him could do was just judging and label him with all kind of label without trying to understand him. So if you think that he’s not as good as any of us, you’re wrong! The fact is, I always feel that I’m not good enough for him.” Junmyeon paused to catch some breath. “And if you don’t already know by now, I love him so much and I’m so damn proud of him!”

==========

Junmyeon walked into Minseok’s apartment and found his boyfriend sitting cross legged on the couch, clad in grey sweatshirt that was a little bit too big for him and a pair of black sweatpants. It was one of those times that reminded him that Minseok was just a teen, and no matter what he had been trough in his life, he was just a kid few years ago, but he didn’t get the chance to actually be a kid. “Hey…” Junmyeon greeted when he was close enough, which the younger managed to respond with a tired smile before Junmyeon kissed him and took a seat beside him on the couch.

Once he was comfortable, Junmyeon pulled Minseok to his chest, circling his arms around him and inhaling the soft smell of apple shampoo from Minseok’s damp hair. Minseok always have a calming scent, a mix of baby powder, and whatever shampoo and shower gel he uses at the moment, most of the time it would be apple like that time, sometimes strawberry or fresh pine, but Junmyeon loved everything. It was always calming to be near Minseok, for a moment, Junmyeon could forget about the papers his professors gave him or the work files piling on the table, because for that moment, all his attention would belong to Minseok and Minseok alone.

Junmyeon kissed the top of Minseok’s head and mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Minseok asked, after positioning himself so he could snuggle comfortably in Junmyeon’s arms.

“For making you stayed there.” Regret was apparent in Junmyeon’s voice.

Minseok shook his head lightly, “I’m not blaming you…”

“But—”

“Listen,” Minseok didn’t let Junymeon finished what he was about to say. “I want you to know that I understand. I understand why you wanted me to stay there, and I also understand that—That no matter how much you love me, there will always—There will always people who questioning your choice to—To date me.” Minseok paused a little before continuing, “But as long as you are not regretting that choice, then I’ll be okay.”

“Kim Minseok,” Junmyeon whisper, only loud enough for the younger to hear, “You are, the best decision I ever made in my life. And I don’t regret any of it even for the slightest.”

“Then I’m glad.” Minseok whispered back.

“But still, what Tao did to you wasn’t right.”

“It wasn’t okay,” Minseok answered honestly, “But I’m used to it already.”

And that was why it’s sad, Junmyeon thought. You were not supposed to get used to people treating you like that, and just because you were used to it, it didn’t mean that it would hurt less. Junmyeon hug Minseok tighter to his chest, convincing himself that if he hug him tight enough, he would be able to protect him from the world, “I know I said it a lot of the time already, but I want you to know that I love you so much and I’m so proud of you.”

Minseok only nodded his head, silently telling Junmyeon that he knew. He didn’t say a word, because he felt like he would cry if he did, and it would make Junmyeon sad, and he didn’t want to make Junmyeon sad.

==========

Minseok decided to take another day off from work that Sunday, because Junmyeon said it would be better if he fully recovered before starting to work again, and another day to be spent with his boyfriend sounded not bad at all, so he agreed. He just finished making his bed when he heard his doorbell rang. Junmyeon told him that he would go to a friend’s house to hand some papers, so that was definitely not Junmyeon, and why would Junmyeon ring the bell in the first place? His curiosity soon answered as he opened his door and greeted with a sight of a tall male. To say that he was shocked must be an understatement, “Tao?” He mumbled under his breath.

Tao was just awkwardly standing there, totally a different attitude than the night before when he acted as if he was ready to chew Minseok off.

“Yo—you come to wrong apartment, Junmyeon’s apartment is—” Minseok thought Tao came to the wrong apartment since his apartment and Junmyeon’s were side by side.

“I come to see you.” Tao cut before Minseok finished his sentence, “Can I come in?”

Minseok wondered why would Tao wanted to meet him. Didn’t he hate him? But for better or worse, he let the tall boy in, without a word, he made a way for Tao to come in.

Inside, Tao stood in the middle of Minseok’s living room, scanning his surrounding. Minseok’s apartment was neat and clean, different from what he thought. There was a small couch in front of the TV and a small coffee table in between with some text book on top of it. There weren’t much decoration, just two small frames on each side of the TV, one was the picture of Minseok and Junmyeon, and the other was Minseok with two other boys, probably his friend. But there was no family picture.

“You can sit wherever you want,” Minseok snapped Tao back to reality.

Tao lifted the cup holder on his hand, “I bought you coffee,” he said before putting them on the small dining table next to the kitchen and pulled one chair for him to sit on.

After mumbled a confused ‘Thank you’ Minseok also pulled a chair and sit in front of Tao. They were trapped in a silence as Minseok waited for Tao to speak, while the older boy trying to form a sentence.

“Junmyeon-hyung was pretty mad at me last night,” Tao started, “But just so you know, I come here today, not because of him. I want to apologize to you.”

Minseok didn’t know what to respond, so he just stayed silent, waiting for Tao to speak more.

“I used to like him,” Tao continued, shocking the boy sitting in front of him, as the said boy had his eyes opened wider. “I don’t like him like that anymore now, if you are wondering.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Minseok questioned.

Tao took a sip of his coffee as he tried to think about a proper explanation, “I used to like him few years ago,” he repeated himself. “But he rejected me, and then I started to wonder, what was I lack of? Few months later, he started to date Chanyeol-hyung.” He paused again. “That time, I kind of accepted the fact that he chose Chanyeol-hyung, because Chanyeol-hyung is… He’s rich, handsome, friendly, funny, and nice. So I could understand why he would choose him. But even then, I could clearly see that Junmyeon-hyung was just not that into Chanyeol-hyung. And I wondered again, if Chanyeol-hyung wasn’t good enough for him, who will?”

Minseok still didn’t quite understand the direction of that conversation. Well, if you could call that a conversation, because it was just Tao talking, while he was just listening.

“The next thing I knew was Junmyeon-hyung introduced you to me at Victoria’s wedding.” Minseok remember their first meeting, it wasn’t a nice memory. Tao went on, “Even just by the way Junmyeon-hyung introduced you to me, and the way he looked at you and talked to you, I could tell that you are… different. That he was really in love with you. And I couldn’t help myself to compare you to me. I tried to convince myself that I’m better than you, that Junmyeon-hyung’s choice was wrong. That he deserved someone better than me, better than Chanyeol-hyung, and I didn’t think you were the one. I know I’m wrong, now, but that time, I was being stupid.”

Minseok chewed his bottom lip before asking, “So—so you don’t actually hate me?”

Tao sighed, “Hate is a strong word, it’s not like I wanted something bad happened to you or anything,” he said honestly but stopped, thinking about a way to make Minseok understand, before continuing, “It’s just—Even though I know Junmyeon-hyung doesn’t like me that way and I don’t like him like that anymore, I always know that I’m his favorite junior, and I’m like a brother to him. But then you came, and suddenly—you are his world, Minseok, his world revolves around you and you only, do you know that? He’s not the type of person who would talk about you all the time, but somehow, there’s always you. We would bought some coffee and he would say something about how you like coffee, we would hang out at a café and he would buy a cheesecake for you, we went to the mall and he bought a pair of socks and gloves because you needed them, we walked pass a pet shop and he would bought fish food for your fishes, there’s always you, Minseok.

And I know I’m still his favorite junior, and I know he still loves me like a brother, but—nothing and no one can be compared to you. So I was being jealous and stupid and childish. That was the reason why I did the thing I do to you.”

Minseok couldn’t say anything as he tried to digest what Tao just said. He was trying to understand every reason Tao just told him in that long confession. It wasn’t sadness or anger but just pure confusion on Minseok side, and to be honest, he was also kind of happy. That was the first time someone ever apologizes to him after they hurt him, because usually people didn’t care, and the very few people who cared never hurt him. And did Tao just tell him that he was jealous? That means he has something meaningful that Tao didn’t have. That was also the first time.

“Junmyeon told me that you are not a bad person, and I thought, because Junmyeon said so, it must be true,” Minseok started after he recovered from the initial confusion. “So I didn’t quite understand when you kept being not nice to me. But now I know that you are indeed a good person.”

It was Tao’s turn to be confused, “You think so?”

Minseok nodded his head slowly, “Yeah, no one ever apologized to me after they hurt me or say mean things to me. You are the first.”

Tao hung his mouth open when he heard that, he felt bad more than he already was, “So you accept my apology?” He asked, which Minseok replied with a nod. “I don’t expect you to consider me as a friend right away or anything,” He said after let out a sigh of relieve, “But, it’s a start?”

Minseok gave a small smile, it wasn’t much, but it was genuine, “Yeah, it’s a start.”

==========

Junmyeon barely got into the apartment when Minseok jumped into his arms and whispered “Welcome home!” to his ears. “Do you miss me that much? I was just gone for two hours.” He joked, but he was quite happy that the younger looked happier.

“Yeah… I miss you!” Minseok answered, not breaking the hug.

Junmyeon was the one who eventually broke the hug so he could see Minseok’s face properly, “You look happy, what happened?”

Minseok gave him a wide smile before answering, “I have you, of course I’m happy,” he said and pulled Junmyeon for a kiss.

“Yes, you have me,” Junmyeon whispered as Minseok clung onto his neck again. Minseok still need to tell him what happened, but as for then, he would just let Minseok hug him as long as he wanted, the story can wait.

^{a/n: So~~~ I hope it wasn't that bad x) comments if you wish~ and see you at next extra~! ^^}