Sehun was casually walking towards the cafeteria when a heavy arm was suddenly draped over his shoulders. Looking to his side, he saw Jongin grinning at him. 

"Hi!"

Sehun stared at him in disbelief. 

"Hey, what do you think about skipping book club today and sitting with us during lunch?" 

Sehun furrowed his eyebrows, "Book club?" 

"Yeah whatever you guys do during lunch." Jongin rolled his eyes, "Come on!" 

He didn't even wait for a reply and began leading Sehun to the cafeteria. The latter, however, was way too shocked and weirded out to even react. He could feel everyone's eyes on them since Jongin was basically the most popular guy in school and Sehun was always known for being a loner. Before he knew it, they were at the booth where all of Jongin's friends sat (who were all gaping at Jongin when they saw the two).

"You guys remember Sehun, right?" Jongin said.

"Uh, the guy you beat the out of a few weeks ago?" Baekhyun stated blankly, making Jongin shoot him glare.

"Well I guess you could say we sorted out our differences and I thought I'd invite him over to our lunch table."

"No we didn't," Sehun muttered, more to himself but loud enough for Jongin to hear. The latter simply ignored him and pushed him down to take a seat before sitting next to him. 

Cue awkward silence.

Sehun looked over to his booth and saw Luhan sitting there as usual, and right now he wanted nothing more than to go sit there.

"Your arm's heavy." Sehun said through gritted teeth and Jongin quickly retracted it, muttering a tiny "sorry". 

"Well this was lovely. Can I go now?" The blonde said sarcastically, standing up from his seat. The rest of the guys just looked around awkwardly. 

"Of course!" Jongin stood up too, "Let's go get some food." He began pulling him towards the canteen but by then Sehun's had enough. He pulled his arm away from Jongin's grasp and the latter stopped and turned around to face the glaring boy.

"I know why you're doing this. I already told you I'm not gonna be your stupid dance partner, so quit the act."

Jongin slightly widened his eyes, wondering how the hell Sehun figured it out. Looks like he's not the first in their grade for no reason.

He sighed frustratedly, "Why not?!" 

"I have my reasons. And if you think this whole 'nice guy' act is gonna cut it, let me just tell you now that it's not gonna work. So don't bother yourself anymore. Just go find another partner and don't waste your time on me."

"Then it'll just end up like every other time! I'll work my off day and night and in the end..." Jongin looked at Sehun in the eyes, "I'll just end up second place."

"Winning is not everything you know? And what makes you think it will be any different if you partner with me?" 

"Because you dance like you were born to do it." 

This took Sehun slightly by surprise.

"Dancing is not just about showing people a bunch of cool moves. It's more than that. It's about telling people a story. It's about making people feel something through your dancing. We work day and night to try and achieve that but you, Sehun, you did that so naturally and effortlessly that night that I'm almost ing jealous of you."

Sehun was speechless. He didn't expect words like these to come out of Jongin's mouth. In that moment he sounded so mature, like dance was something he was truly passionate about, like it meant the world to him.

"Please think about it." 

Sehun knew his parents didn't approve of his dancing. He had tried so hard to impress them, to show them how much it meant to him, but all they did was roll their eyes and say that it wasn't a real career. Before he knew it, he was not allowed to join any dance clubs and was set to go to medical school. He had no say in it.

"Okay, at least do this," Jongin said after seeing that Sehun didn't reply, "Stay a little late after school and come to the dance studio. Just come... and watch." 

Sehun didn't reply again, making Jongin sigh. He walked away from him, not before saying, "I'll be waiting for you."

Sehun was still frozen in place in the noisy cafeteria, clenching his fists repeatedly. With a sigh, he finally decided to just go and get some food. Taking a seat at his usual booth, Luhan looked up at him and smiled. "Hi." 

"Hey," Sehun greeted, suddenly finding the need to apologize to him, "I'm sorry I was a little late. I had an... encounter with someone."

Luhan smiled, "By someone you mean Kim Jongin, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

Luhan chuckled, "I saw you guys in the hallway earlier. You seemed a little annoyed with him. He can be an idiot sometimes, well, most of the time, but he's actually a good guy." 

Sehun's eyebrow rose curiously, "You, uh, you know him?"

There was a distant look on Luhan face. After a moment of silence, he replied softly, "Yeah. We used to be friends." 

"Oh." Sehun didn't want to ask any further questions since it looked like a touchy subject. The rest of lunch was silent. 

* * *

Sehun was distracted the entire day, contemplating on whether or not he should listen to Jongin and go to the dance studio after school. The last bell was ringing before he knew it and he still hadn't made up his mind. With a sigh, he picked up his book bag and made his way to the outside. Once he was outside the campus, he looked back and contemplated one last time.

I'll be waiting for you.

Jongin was stretching in front of the mirror as he stared at Taemin and Hoseok, who were busy practicing their routine. He then glanced at the door for the hundredth time, hoping to see Sehun walking in. 

"Ah, Jongin. Found a partner for the showcase yet?" Eunhyuk, their dance teacher, asked.

"Not yet," He sighed, "There's someone on my mind but he isn't agreeing." 

"Who is it?"

"He's not from the club. But he's really good."

"Yeah?" Eunhyuk was curious, "What's his name?"

"Oh Se-" He paused, wondering if he should say. No one in school knew that Sehun danced and it didn't look like he'd be happy if someone went around spreading the word. "I don't think he'd want anyone to know so..." 

"I understand." Eunhyuk smiled, "But it'd be great if you could get him to join the club. We could use some new blood."

Jongin chuckled, "Trust me. He'd blow your mind."

Eunhyuk nodded and proceeded to move to the center of the studio so he could start their class. Jongin spared one last glance at the door and sighed again. No sign of Sehun anywhere.

This will be harder than I thought.

* * *

Once class was over, Jongin picked up his bag and made his way towards the door. He was dripping with sweat and there was nothing he wanted more than to go home and take a nice cold shower. 

As he walked through the hallway, he could see another figure walking away a distance ahead. He squinted and tried to get a better look. He instantly recognized the blonde hair and broad shoulders and slowly, a smile stretched across his lips.

He came.

* * *

Sehun stared out the window of the car on the way home, feeling extremely tight in his chest. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he remembered how everyone in class looked so happy, dancing together, moving together in sync, having fun. Because they all had something in common-  a dream. And they had the freedom to chase it. Sehun was envious. Watching them was so heart-warming yet suffocating at the same time.

"Hyung, you can stop here," He told the chauffeur. He didn't want to go home just yet because he knew his mood would get even worse.

"B-But Master Sehun-"

"It's okay. I'll come back home on my own. I just need some air."

"Alright." He agreed, albeit hesitantly, before pulling over to the side of the road. "If you need me to pick you up just give me a call."

"Okay." Sehun got out of the expensive car and watched it leave. He was still wearing his school uniform but it didn't really matter much to him. He ed his blazer and loosened his tie around his neck. He then made his way to the nearest bus stop. Occasionally he liked to do this- going out by himself, taking the bus like other people would, going around shops and maybe trying new restaurants. But there was one thing that never changed.

He was always alone.

At that moment, Sehun wished he had someone to talk to. Someone who would just listen to him. Even if it was a stranger... It was crazy but he just wanted anyone to lend him a listening ear. So he didn't have to trap everything in his chest that was already getting so heavy.

When the bus stopped at the busy streets of downtown Seoul, Sehun got off and started to wander around. He stopped by a random stall and bought something to eat before sitting down at one of the tables by it. 

"Sehun-Hyung, let's go there!" 

"Sehun-Hyung, let's eat that!"

"Sehun-Hyung, I want to buy something!"

Sehun's jaw tightened and he stared down at his food, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Hyung is the best dancer in the world!"

"Someday, Hyung will become a great dance teacher!"

"Sehun?" 

Said boy snapped out of his reverie when he heard his name being called. He looked up to see a concerned Luhan.

"Are you alright?"

Sehun forced a smile, "I'm fine. What are you doing here, Hyung?"

"I was just walking around and then I saw you looking down so I thought something was wrong."

"N-Nothing's wrong, Hyung. I was just... thinking." Sehun tried to sound convincing but his voice shook, giving away the fact that he was indeed not fine, not fine at all. 

Luhan seemed to catch the drift but he didn't want to pry at what wasn't his business. "Ah, I'm sorry to bother you then. I guess I should go." 

"Wait!" Sehun found himself shouting when he saw Luhan turning around, and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. "I-I mean, you can stay for a bit. If you have time, that is. I don't mind."

Luhan was silent for a second, "Eh, okay." He took a seat opposite Sehun and the latter called the ahjusshi running the stall so Luhan could get something to eat. Once he made his order, the ahjusshi left, leaving the two alone.

"I don't mean to pry but... Are you really feeling okay?" Luhan asked cautiously. 

"I..." Sehun sighed, "It's just been a stressful day. I'm having trouble making a decision is all." 

"Maybe you should talk to someone about it." Luhan suggested.

Sehun stared down at his hands and whispered, just loud enough for Luhan to hear, "I have no one to talk to."

Luhan stayed silent for a while, contemplating on what to say. The younnger boy looked so distressed at that moment and he wanted to help him, but he wasn't sure how.

"You can talk to me."

Sehun looked up at the older male, slightly shocked. Just seconds ago he was thinking about how much he wanted someone to listen to him. And now here Luhan was, as if a present from God, offering to give him a listening ear. 

Just then the ahjusshi came to place a plate in front of Luhan. The latter smiled and paid for his meal before turning his eyes back to Sehun who looked extremely torn.

"It's okay if you don't want to but... it's really not good for you to keep everything inside. I know how that feels." Luhan added.

Sehun's eyes met Luhan's and all he saw was someone who was trying to help. Not someone who just wanted to poke his nose into other's business, but someone who genuinely just wanted to help.

"I..." Sehun wasn't sure where to start, "Kim Jongin, he asked me to be his dance partner for this upcoming showcase he has."

Luhan's face changed ever so slightly at the mention of his name but quickly played it off with a question, "You dance?"

"Kinda... I just do it as a hobby. Something that takes my mind off stuff. But it's something I'm really passionate about. My parents never understood that though. So they didn't allow me to join the dance club because they didn't want the idea that I could make a living out of it to grow in my head. They wanted me to be a doctor or a businessman, because apparently those are real jobs." He tried not to sound bitter but really, who could blame him?

Luhan simply nodded at him, motioning for him to go on.

"Jongin told me to come to the dance studio after school just to see how things go. And when I looked at everyone there... I felt jealous. All I could think about was how I also wanted to be with them in that room, not as an observer, but as one of them." Sehun stared down at his abandoned food and let out a frustrated sigh.

Luhan hummed softly before asking, "So why don't you?" 

"What?" Sehun furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why don't you join?"

"My parents-"

"They don't have to know."

Sehun never did anything without having his parents' approval before, so the thought didn't even cross his mind.

"It's your last year of school, Sehun. If you don't rebel now, when will you?" Luhan smiled, "And you know what you should do? Bring them to that showcase. Let them see for themselves how powerful this dream of yours is. Fight for it. Standing around and feeling sorry for yourself is easy, and it won't get you anywhere."

Sehun looked up at Luhan. It was true... he never put up much of a fight anyway. All his life it was simply keep quiet and nod your head. But now that he thought about it, what did his parents ever give him in return? Fancy food? A huge mansion? Sehun didn't need any of that. He needed parents that actually treated him like he was their own flesh and blood. People who smiled with him and cried with him, people he could share his pain with, people he could always come back to at the end of the day because he knew they would always be there. Something so simple but it would mean the world to him. But they were never those people. Instead they stripped away his one passion in life.

If not for himself then he should at least do it for Changjo. 

The one person who actually believed in him.

"Thank you, Hyung. I'll... I'll think about it."

Luhan smiled, "Anytime. We should probably eat now though. The food's all cold."

Sehun chuckled, finally finding himself having an appetite. For once he felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest rather than being added to it. Glancing at Luhan, he smiled to himself. 

Thank you.

Hopefully this was a little more interesting :P And OMG, 50+ subscribers already? You guys are awesome! Please keep commenting and upvoting because that's what motivates me to write more :) Thanks for reading!