Hongbin could not help but scowl in Ravi's direction as they follow their guide, steadily trying to bore a hole into the other boy's face with his stare.

 

Ravi ignored him with impressive resolve and continued to examine their new surroundings with an almost over exaggerated air of cheer. Like he was not two steps away from being mauled by his best friend.

 

On his other side, Hyuk did his best to ignore them both, trudging along a step slower than the rest of the group with a sullen air of the teenager they were all supposed to be portraying.

 

Technically, that was what they really were. Have always been. Will probably always be.

 

They are not actually that old, but they have been aware and physically mature for quite some time. Does being born a teenager count for age or should they count their age from the year they were brought into existence? Either way, this age seems to suit them well and it was likely that anyone who might want to find them would not even think to look in a high school of all places.

 

In the end, it N's clever idea and ultimate decision, with being the oldest and the leader of them all.

 

After escaping the basement and, subsequently, Saetbyeol's house with what cash they found there, they had been forced to wander for a while until they decided what to do next.

 

Having no one to go to and no experience in dealing with humans, they were at somewhat of a loss.

 

The first real action they took was to give Hongbin his sight back, using Saetbyeol's stolen Book of Spells to accomplish it. The mere sight of the tome had them all squirming in discomfort and N had taken it upon himself to be the caster, an aggrieved expression on his face as he held the book and read from it. He pushed on through the situation though and, gradually, Hongbin's sight returned.

 

It had left N drained, the spell siphoning the magic that kept them alive from the eldest, and the boys had made the decision to stay somewhere proper for once.

 

Proper being loosely defined as a step up from beneath the bridges and empty warehouses to a shady motel with a manager who asked no questions.

 

Lingering in that part of town eventually led Leo and Ravi to a moment of realization, as they vaguely recognized the area as somewhere they had been before.

 

Being the muscle of the group had given them the opportunity to leave the basement with Saetbyeol on occasion. Whenever she needed some intimidation to get what she wanted she brought them along. Even in the magical world, being a woman still meant that she was taken less seriously – no matter what amount of power she held.

 

It had taken some time for the pair to agree on a location, a fair bit of arguing and cold silences being found between them, but Ravi and Leo managed to lead the others to a questionable bar and the grim man who led it.

 

They left with their pockets much lighter than they had been for his fee, but a bag full of 'legal documents' for the six of them was worth it.

 

They would, at least, have a chance to make that money back – once they had more experience in the world to navigate it.

 

However, being short on cash meant they could only afford one motel room for an extended period of time and six not-so-small boys crammed into one room led to a rather tense atmosphere. No matter how close of a relationship they all shared.

 

Which was why they were all very eager to get out of the house and into their new school – one that did not require an entrance exam.

 

Hongbin, too, had been excited for their first day, but at some point between dropping the eldest three boys off at their classroom and the younger three being led on, Ravi's tie had gone missing and a few of his shirt buttons had come undone. Mysteriously.

 

The smooth slope of Ravi's neck was visible to all, the tan skin contrasting prettily against his white collar, and seemingly free of tattoos, which were hidden with a small charm that N had cast on his earrings. If Ravi tilted forward even slightly Hongbin would be able to see his collar bones.

 

It was very distracting.

 

Hongbin tore his eyes away from the sight and returned to scowling at Ravi.

 

The other boy just turned to smile at him before going back to his feigned ignorance.

 

Hongbin felt his blood pressure rise and gave up all premises of restraint when their guiding teacher left them alone in the hall to speak to their homeroom teacher. He lunged at Ravi, nearly toppling them over as he tried to button the other boy's collar back up to a more decent level.

 

Hyuk had the good sense to step out of the way. He made no move to help Ravi and watched Hongbin throttle him with mild interest.

 

Nothing out of the ordinary in a day of their lives.

 

If Ravi and Hongbin look a little flushed and mildly disheveled when the teacher returned for them, no one mentioned it.

 

Hyuk waved them off gloomily as he was left behind, being the lone first year of their group, and Hongbin sneaked a kiss against their baby's temple when no one was watching. The youngest boy's irritated expression had Hongbin hurrying into the classroom to avoid being hit, though if he had turned around, he might have seen the pleased smile that stretched across Hyuk's face.

 

Their teacher had them introduce themselves and when Hongbin smiled, many of the girls (and a couple of boys) were beside themselves with how handsome he was. A few just smiled back at him politely and he felt relieved at the more normal reactions. He knew he was good looking – but how many of those who swooned over him today would have been able to stand him when he was bloodied and broken, like Ravi and the others had? He felt a little spoiled in their relationship, having always been loved for who he was, rather than for how cute his dimples were or how clear his skin was. Though, he did enjoy their appreciation of him occasionally. (Telling N was still a taboo, in his books, as the older would never stop cooing over how cute he was... like they all did to Hyuk.)

 

Ravi received an even louder response when he winked playfully during his introduction, eating up the attention like he loved to do, and a few of the bolder girls giggled coquettishly at him. He didn’t' mean anything serious by it, but it made the rest of his lovers get a little more possessive and vocal in their affections, which he enjoyed.

 

Hongbin rolled his eyes at the flirt and moved to sit at his new desk without a further glance at his friend. He knew when someone was trying to get a rise out of him and decided not to dignify the other with a reaction. Ravi followed to the empty desk beside him.

 

The classmate on his other side was one of the few girls who did not giggle at him, but she still greeted him sincerely, a smile on her face that makes her nose scrunch up slightly. She looked a bit like a baby rabbit with that expression, welcoming with wide dark eyes and cute chubby cheeks.

 

“Hi, I'm Jeon Chae.” she introduced herself, quietly since the teacher had begun class. “Nice to meet you. I hope you like it here.”

 

Then she winced, covering her face and muttering to herself about cliché introductions and she thought she sounded too much like a school representative. What an original impression.

 

Hongbin could not help but grin at her because she was one of the cutest humans he had seen yet and he kind of wanted to squish her face like he did the maknae's on occasion (when the other was too sleepy to hit him for the gesture). That would probably get him in trouble though, considering that it was not a normal thing for humans to do to a stranger.

 

Years of unrestrained interaction between him and the others, snuck in at night when they would sneak out of their cages to be together, had left Hongbin with the urge to react the same to everyone.

 

Meaning he wanted to squish cuties, even if they felt like they were awkward. It was endearing and she seemed nice enough. He could not fault a person for just introducing themselves.

 

With fingers wrapped firmly around the edges of his desk, discouraging any wandering, he smiled sweetly at her. “Nice to meet you, Chae-ssi.”

 

The girl peeked through her fingers at him, smiling back shyly, and Hongbin hoped that this would be a chance to make his first human friend.

 

 

Overreaction to her unoriginal greeting aside, Chae had feelt rather good about managing to carry on a conversation with the new boys.

 

Wonshik, who sat a bit further away, divided his attentions between Chae and a few of the other students on his opposite side. Hongbin, however, would answer a few questions here and there from the rest of the students before turning his entire focus back to Chae. Occasionally it took Wonshik jabbing him in the ribs in order to tear his attention away from his seatmate, but Hongbin kept returning to face her like a compass pointing north.

 

Maybe it was because she did not giggle at everything he said, or that she was actually paying attention to what he said and responding instead of just watching him speak.

 

Chae was familiar with the glazed expression on Hyejeong's face, the girl who sat behind Hongbin now staring at him the same way she did the teacher during history class.

 

Hongbin looked away from the girl and turned his eyes to Chae, unsure of what to do as silence fell between them. His own questions went unanswered by Hyejeong.

 

Chae bit back her grin and lightly tapped on the other girl's desk to free her from her stupor. “Hyejeong-ah, I think Bomi and Beomseok are trying to get your attention.”

 

Indeed, the twins were trying to flag their friend down, Beomseok looking more annoyed than his sister.

 

“Oh.” Hyejeong looked a bit relieved at the chance to leave, having wanted to speak to the new boy but also not wanting to rudely run off when the conversation took a less interesting turn. “I'd better go see what's up with them before they get mad. Nice meeting you, Hongbin-ssi! Bye, Chae!”

 

“Hyejeongie's really nice,” Chae explained sheepishly once the girl was gone, remembering the way the girl was willing to talk to anyone and bought Chae a cupcake on her birthday last year. “She just has trouble focusing sometimes. That's the Song Twins, by the way. The girl is Bomi and Beomseok's her brother. She likes to go on about how she's the older sibling to annoy him and once they start arguing they won't stop, so it's alright if you just walk away from them when they get like that. They never notice.”

 

Hongbin looked amused. “They sound like my friends – the ones that are in third year. Are you close to the twins?”

 

Chae shrugged, feeling mildly uncomfortable. “We're classmates. I had gym with them last year too, so I've seen them go at it a few times. I've also seen Bomi bean a few guys with a softball so I'd steer clear of her if you see her on the field.”

 

Hongbin laughed, causing an impish grin to spread across Chae's face.

 

There was another student, however, who was not so amused.

 

“I'm going to the bathroom,” Wonshik growled, standing abruptly and Hongbin's laughter cut off at the anger in his tone. He and Chae turned to the scene before them in concern.

 

Wonshik, with an air off agitation, had stood abruptly from his desk and stormed from the classroom to get away from the pair of girls that had been pestering him. The shorter of the two looked just as annoyed as he was before she noticed Hongbin's eyes on her, the expression smoothing into something brighter. She offered Hongbin a winning smile and sauntered closer.

 

“Hongbin-oppa – I can call you oppa, right? I'm Moon Aera. Come sit with us. My friends and I can show you around the school, since you just moved here. You just moved here right? Unlike the rest of the people in this place, we know how to have fun in Tan. My unnie, she's a third year, knows some cool places we can hang out at. That other guy, Wonshik, said he didn't want to come but it's his loss. Who needs a buzzkill like that hanging around anyway? Come on, we'll help you move your stuff!”

 

“Did she even breathe?” Chae blurted, unable to hold herself back from reacting. “Or even really ask?”

 

Aera scowled at her. “No one asked you, loser.”

 

“Oooh, what an original insult. Must have taken you a long time to come up with that.” Chae snorted. “Surprised you had the time since you didn't even stop and breathe just then.”

 

Hongbin's lips quirked up at the comeback but slid down into a frown as he turned to Aera. “Wonshik happens to be my best friend. He's not a buzzkill – he just knows when someone's trying to pull a fast one on him. If you acted like that, it's no wonder that he ran away. He doesn't want to hang out with you and I don't want to go anywhere. I like this desk just fine. The company's better over here.”

 

A high pitched giggle resounded through the room and the teens turned around to find Hyejeong and the twins watching the exchange avidly. Across the room, several more students were doing the same. It had quickly become no secret that Hongbin had no tolerance for anyone who badmouthed Wonshik – and it seemed Chae was now included in that as well. The dimpled boy had shifted so that he was leaning in front of her, shielding her from Aera and her companion.

 

Aera flushed a dull ruddy color before sniffing haughtily. “Fine. Your loss.”

 

Chae and Hongbin exchanged a look as the girls headed back to their desks, the boy raising his eyebrows incredulously.

 

“Did that really just happen?” he snorted.

 

“I feel like I'm Ron Weasley and you're Harry Potter. She totally just Malfoy-ed you by the way.”

 

“Harry Potter?” Hongbin blinked, seeming lost. “Who's he?”

 

Chae looked stricken. “You poor child. We can fix this during our lunch break. I'd take you now, considering that you're missing a real treasure here. I mean, it's the best book series about magic and adventure and everything. But our break's almost over so we'll have to hit the library later.”

 

Her enthusiasm was endearing and Hongbin felt the urge to squish her cheeks once more. “It's something you really like, isn't it?”

 

“It's Harry Potter – it's awesome.” Hyejeong confirmed, sliding back into her seat behind Hongbin just as Wonshik returned to the classroom.

 

Chae high-fived the other girl.

 

 

When they were released from history class to head to gym, Ravi could not have been more relieved.

 

Learning about the world that they had missed while in the basement was interesting enough and, while he did have fun during the 'pop culture lesson' that Chae had held for them at lunch (read: introducing them to the Harry Potter series), Ravi found their teacher's lecture boring.

 

He understood that dazed look that the rest of the students wore on and off through the day. The girl behind Hongbin had given up entirely and laid her head down on her desk for a nap. Ravi felt like he should have followed her lead, seeing as nothing their teacher spouted facts about actually stuck in his memory.

 

Hongbin looked similarly bored, but was diligently taking notes. Notes that Ravi intended to steal from him later so he could make his own copy – and maybe hold for ransom so the other boy could explain everything to him at home better than their teacher had.

 

On Hongbin's other side, Jeon Chae had appeared wide-awake and absorbed in the lesson – which was a stark contrast from how she had looked earlier that day during their math class. Both she and Ravi had tuned out the world around them while Hongbin was the one who sat through the period with interest.

 

The teacher dismissed them and a few of the more enthusiastic kids bolted for the doors, led by the loudest boy in their class who wore a boxy grin as he raced a shorter brunette into the hall.

 

Hongbin held onto Ravi's shirt sleeve to keep him from running off with the others while Chae finished packing her things away and the trio joined the crowd that was leaving the classroom in a slow trickle.

 

“You don't have to wait for me,” she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck as she watched the hall traffic become more hectic. “You might've made it out in time to avoid all this if you'd gone ahead without me.”

 

“I don't mind,” Hongbin hummed, throwing an arm around Ravi's shoulder to keep him from being swept away. Ravi just shrugged, not really caring if they left the girl behind or not.

 

Students from the other classes filled the halls around them and Ravi saw Ken heading by in the center of a group of seniors going towards the library. The older boy offered Ravi and Hongbin a wide smile and a wave before he was gone, swallowed once more by the crowd. He seemed to be enjoying himself at least.

 

“Chae-ah!” a girl appeared at their side as they made their little trio headed towards the gym. “Exy texted and told me we're playing soccer today. Wanna join our team again?”

 

Chae looked uncertainly at the boys, not knowing if her new friends (Ravi didn't really consider himself her friend, but Hongbin had certainly found himself in the category) would want to play with her or not. “Uh...”

 

Ravi sighed. “Would I sound like a selfish jerk if I said I didn't want to give you up yet? I've actually gotten some peace with you around – it gets kind of annoying when someone asks the same question three times in a row because they weren't really listening. You can actually pay attention to someone.”

 

Hongbin and Chae stared at him in surprise.

 

He had not really spoken to the girl throughout the day and, while his words were not praising her entire existence, she had gotten more approval from Ravi that any of her other classmates had. He had originally presented himself as a flirt, but he was just trying to have some fun with the people who were fluttering over them. Actually dealing with people who were only interested in appearances was a pain in the neck.

 

“Oh, are you the new students then? I'm Kim Hyunjung.” The newcomer grinned, blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders with every step. “Most people call me Seola though.”

 

Seola stayed with them all the way to their next class before parting ways to join her friends on the bleachers outside the gym where the students waited until attendance was taken.

 

Apparently Chae would join the other girls' team on days when their class split into smaller groups. Today, though, she had been drafted to play soccer against them and did not seem too distraught over the fact. If anything, she looked a little eager to be playing against the other girls, who the trio had elected to play a friendly game with after the coach left them to their own devices. While the teams played, he wandered around the field where the students had spread out, the teacher making sure that everyone stayed active. Those who were against playing soccer had been ordered to at least walk around the field until the end of the period. Those students who were late were also doing laps, albeit at a run instead.

 

The coach was the first teacher Ravi had seen being strict about attendance and he decided to skip class instead if he looked like he wouldn't get to the gym in time.

 

“Do you guys have room for one more?” a boy with bright, auburn colored hair asked hopefully, jogging over to their small team. “Hey, you're the new kids! Looks like I can say that I've met everyone in our year now. I'm Lee Hyunwoo – from the third class.” He grinned at them.

 

He looked sort of like an excited puppy and his bubbly attitude had Ravi shying away immediately. His last encounter with an attitude like that had been that Aera girl and he did not feel up to dealing with another person like that – sincere attitude or not, he was beginning to associate outgoing with annoying.

 

Hongbin seemed taken, though, and Chae looked like she was out of her element but was rolling with it. That girl had enough 'chill' in her that it made Ravi a little envious.

 

“You're on the soccer team, right, Hyunwoo-ssi?” she smiled, recognizing him.

 

Hyunwoo blinked at her. “You aren't new too, are you? I don't think we've met! But call me Hyunwoo – we're the same age after all! Or oppa~ You're cute, so I don't mind at all.”

 

Chae turned pink, hiding her face in her hands, and Ravi could not help but find Hyunwoo's description fitting. She was pretty cute – for a human anyway.