Baekhyun’s eyes blatantly follow the tall figure out of the cafeteria. Before he could stop himself, a sigh leaves his lips as he sits his chin in his palm.

“What's got you down my good ole buddy of mine?” Jongdae asks as he sets himself next to his said buddy. “Is it this lanky lad you've set your eyes on? Cause I gotta say, he's also greasy as hell.”

Baekhyun pointedly glares at him, but Jongdae only shrugs. “Only telling the truth. His hair shines bright than my future.”

“Your future is bright babe,” Yixing comments as he sits on the other side of Baekhyun.

Jongdae holds a hand to his chest and feigns a sob. “You flatter me. What did I ever do to deserve someone like you? I don't deserve such kindness.”

“I don't deserve this third wheeling treatment,” Baekhyun says offhandedly. He pushes himself away from the table, but not so far that he'll tip himself over. That was done one too many times.

Yixing just smiles his dimpled smile at him. Now he has to scoot his chair back to be with his gross friends.

“But no seriously, what's up with greaser boy. You ever gonna tell us?” Jongdae complains and stretches out onto the cafeteria table. Which honestly is kind of gross. Who knows what sticky substance made it on there today. Barbeque sauce or something else, take a pick.

Disregarding the mystery of cafeteria tables, Baekhyun blindly kicks Jongdae’s shin. Which he is successful at. “There's nothing. Nothing! Okay,” Baekhyun sighs. “It’s nothing…”

At the change of their friend's demeanor, Yixing and Jongdae decide to change the subject with a nod of their heads. Yixing places a hand on his shoulder and smiles when Baekhyun turns to look at him. “We won't push if you don't want to talk about it. Just know that we'll be here when you do.”

“Yeah, just try not to let it get to you so much,” Jongdae reassures him. Baekhyun gives them an crooked smile in return of their assurances. Not feeling satisfied with the turn of events, Jongdae leans back and stretches his hands above his head. “But seriously nothing?” All he gets in response is a glare.

“It's not like either of you know who he is anyways,” Baekhyun scoffs and glares down at the table with his arms crossed. Jongdae raises an eyebrow, which Yixing shrugs to.

“You never know. Maybe we do know him. What's his name?” Yixing asks as he scoots his chair closer to the table and his friend.

“It's Sehun,” he says with much reluctance. “Oh Sehun-ssi.”

“Sehun? He's in the class I'm the TA for!” Yixing exclaims as he points a finger at himself. “Wow, what a coincidence. Who would've known that was the case. He's such a sweet kid. Not bad Baekhyun.” Yixing smiles and gives Baekhyun a firm pat on the back.

“You know him?” Jongdae and Baekhyun ask simultaneously with confusion on their faces.

Yixing nods. “Yup. We talk sometimes in class. He's the only other native student in that class. Everyone else is taking their third year of Chinese. I'm kinda like that cool, older friend that makes friends with younger students. Cool right?”

His dimpled smile never leaves him as Baekhyun slowly digests this information. So Yixing is his friend...this is something he could possibly use.

“So...he's Chinese or something?” Baekhyun asks hesitantly.

“Yeah, he said that his mom is Chinese. But he has his dad's last name. I'm pretty sure he's half if that's the case. I think his parents divorced or something, but don't tell him I said that,” Yixing tells him.

“You seem pretty close to the kid,” Jongdae points out.

“Like I said he's the only other native speaker in that class. We kinda just bonded over the fact that we both speak the same language,” Yixing explains. “He's pretty open about himself to me. At least in Chinese. We don't really speak outside of class.”

“What else did he say?” Baekhyun eagerly waits for more insight from Yixing, but all he gets is a shake of the head. The answer dissatisfies him as he whines, “Why not?”

Yixing pats him on the shoulder as some form of consolidation. It doesn't do much.

“It's an invasion of privacy Baek,” Yixing tells him. “I already told you about his parents when I didn't mean to. It would be rude to tell more without his permission. I can introduce you two if you'd like. But like I said, we don't really talk outside of class. So I can't really guarantee anything.”

Baekhyun thinks this over for a minute. He kind of met Sehun. Sehun already kind of met him. Would it just seem like he's intruding on his life? (Aka stalking him, kinda.) But it is his senior year, so what has he got to lose?

“Sure, let's do it.”

xXx

Sehun’s grateful for this new job. He really is. The pay is higher and he only has to work from Friday to Sunday (and maybe a few other days if the company needs help). Although, the physical work is the same as when he was working with the post office. But at least it's a job he knows he can keep. Plus there might be tips if he's good.

“Doing good there?” Jeongguk asks as he places a box with a large ‘fragile’ sticker on the top on the table that Sehun is sitting at.

“Doing peachy,” he responds as he focuses on slicing the apple into thin slices.

“That's good. Jun said for you to arrange the apple slices into like roses. I don't know how you're-”

“I know. Don't worry,” Sehun assures him.

Jeongguk eyes him wearily, but doesn't question him. “If you say so. Need help slicing them? I kinda wanna get out of doing the heavy lifting.”

Sehun chuckles and nods toward the crate of apples sitting next to him. “Grab a knife and take a seat.”

The two boys sit in silence with the sounds of knifes accompanying them. It isn't long before Jeongguk takes a break by stretching his hands above his head. “What do you think this party is for? Aren't these things full of chaebols? Think we can weasel some tips of these guys?”

“Doubt it. The rich never like donating even though they have millions to spare.” Sehun sets his knife down and tosses the apple core into the garbage. “Hopefully someone does.”

“Man. We're just some poor kids trying to make a living. Think we can appeal to their emotions? You know do the poor kid thing. Cover ourselves in dirt to make us look even more pitiful. That'll work, right?” Jeongguk jokes as he waves his knife around. His laughter dies down as he takes on a somber look. “Too bad it's like this.”

“Yeah. But we can't sit around here feeling sorry for ourselves.” Sehun adjusts his crate to face the dozens, maybe even hundreds, of apple slices waiting to be folded into intricate rose pieces. “Come on work.”

xXx

“Sehun!” He takes his hands out of the soapy water and turns around to the source of the voice.

As he wipes his hands on the towel on waist, Sehun walks over to Junmyeon, the owner of the catering company. “Yeah, what's up?”

The older man smiles and pats his shoulder. Sehun eyes it suspiciously before directing it towards the cheeky smile in front of him. “What are you thinking?”

“Extra hundred bucks if you go out there and wait. Two hundred if you change into this.” Junmyeon lifts up an opaque black bag. “You can even keep this.” He waves it around in an attempt to persuade him.

Sehun holds back a sigh and takes the bag from him. Money is money. Junmyeon smiles and gives him a thumbs up. “See Zitao to clean you up. You'll do great out there!” The man skips out of the bustling kitchen, the only indicator of his presence is the flapping kitchen door. The small slivers of the outside scene waft through each time. Each time sickening his stomach.

He doesn't dwell on it and goes to the bathrooms. There he sees Zitao taking out bottles from his chartreuse (the last he'd seen it, he had called it blue and almost got slapped for that) bag. Sehun stands awkwardly in the dim lighting with the bag clutched closely to his chest. He glances around the bathroom, taking in the earth toned tiles on the wall and floor with the mirror spanning almost the entire length of one wall, showcasing all the bathroom stalls. What a treat it must be to walk out from the bathroom post and see your reflection. It's almost like a walk of shame.

“You just gonna stand there?” Suddenly his attention is brought to Zitao, standing with a hand on his hip and the other on the marble counter. From what Sehun can see on the counter, he's in for a treat. “I'm not gonna slap you this time. Come here.” He waves him over and goes back to arranging his stuff.

Sehun shuffles over silently, watching Zitao’s hands closely. Once he sees what's sitting on the counters, he wants to bolt. Zitao's seems to sense this and grabs his wrist before he could do anything. “You're not getting out of this once you've said yes.”

He sighs deeply as he glares at the accursed clothing in the bag, which seems identical to the things Zitao's wearing. “Take your shirt off.”

What? “What?” Sehun stares at him with wide eyes. “You want me to do what?”

“Shirt. Off. Now.” Zitao's shakes an offending bottle at his face. “Your hair hasn't seen the light of day since I first met you. We are washing the damn strands. Maybe even t it. When was the last time you got a haircut?” Their eyes meet and Zitao shakes his head. “No. I take it back. I don't wanna know.”

Sehun obeys, albeit hesitantly, and ends up get the sides of his head trimmed with his overall length being shortened and styled with gel. He doesn't look as dirty and actually looks good. In his opinion at least. Zitao's hasn't said anything since he changed into the waiter outfit. Which consisted of a ironed white collared shirt with a black suit vest and a similar colored pleated pants.

The reflection looking back at him doesn't seem like himself. Rather, it seemed strange to see himself so put together when his life wasn't.

“You actually had a handsome face under all that sweat and dirt,” Zitao says as he takes a raindrop shaped sponge and dabs it on his wrist. He motions for Sehun to come toward him and begins to dab the sponge under his eyes. “You'll do great out there. Maybe get a model offer if you're lucky.” At that Sehun raises an eyebrow. “Some people who used to cater here got a few job offers from the people who do these dinners. You know Wu Yifan?”

Sehun shakes his head and gets a small slap to the back of his head. “Jun took him in a couple years back. He got an offer from one of the guests. And guess where he is now? He's married to Jun! Kinda unbelievable if you think about it. Also, also, like one of the cutest stories you'll ever see. Underprivileged kid gets his big break and falls in love with the one person who helped him back onto his feet. Almost like a modern day fairytale.” Zitao swoons as he swoops around to his bag.

“Maybe that'll happen to you. It's yet to happen with me, but I will get my chance, don't doubt that.” He shakes his fist in the air and turns to Sehun who is halfway through the door. The fist turns into an accusing finger. “You know, you look like one of those people who reject this fairy tale ideal. Don't get me wrong, it's hard to accept other people's help. But don't be afraid to ask for it.”

xXx

Sehun stands in front of an elongated table with a white cloth smoothed over the top. At the front stands Yifan who is announcing roles to the wait staff standing at the table.

“If you can't find your table, ask someone to direct you. Otherwise refer to the map on the wall by the door before you leave. Appetizers will be served first, then you serve drinks once that last plate leaves your hand. Understood?” Yifan glances up and nods when he gets affirmation from the staff. “The next dish won't be served until nine thirty, but that doesn't mean you can loiter around. Walk around your assigned area. Even if you aren't assigned to that table you are still obligated to serve them. Good?”

He gets a resounding ‘Yes’ from everyone. Yifan smiles and tosses the clipboard onto the table. “It's five minutes until showtime. Let's go!” He claps twice and everyone disperses into a loud crowd.

Sehun stands around for a few seconds before he sees Zitao motioning for him to come. Somehow he makes his way to the corner through his bustling coworkers.

“You good?” Zitao asks as he hands him an apron. Sehun nods as he ties it around his waist. “Sure hope you are. You didn't look too good during the briefing.”

“I'm fine.” Sehun sighs once the knot behind his back is secured. “Just tired.”

Zitao lets out a dry laugh. “Aren't we all?”

A/N: *whispers* hi….I’m still on that semi-hiatus but I churned this out over the course of time that I was gone while on the bus to school. Hope you like it! Thanks for your patience everyone!!

P.S. follow me on tumblr @alytse :)