The Guarders had been given new training schedules. When they were first announced the six had not dared protest, but it had been a while since and now the reality of three extra daily training hours was setting in. Waiting in their empty classroom for the next lesson to start, KAE students at their sides, the complaints were coming out in full force.

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Jongin was saying. “They bring you guys here so that we have a chance to bond, and then they take away all the time we have together.”

Tao found this rather ironic, considering that before the KAE students had arrived Jongin had been the biggest protester to it all. He supposed Kyungsoo had managed to change his stance.

“It’s stupid,” Jongdae said, in his usual blunt way. “This whole thing is stupid.”

Tao himself was privately not wholly opposed to the new schedules. He was in fact excited, because even though yes, the Guarders had been given more hours, it was also announced that they would begin training privately. And for Tao, that meant that maybe, just maybe, they’d finally let him train without the Cuff.

He flexed his fingers, the metal squealing as he did so. He used to protest its purpose during group simulations, and the trainers would tell him over and over again that they would not remove it in a group setting. That he would have to be in simulation alone for them to allow such a thing.

And finally, after all these years, one-on-one training was put into his schedule. So, he welcomed the change with open arms. But it would look bad to say that, so he stayed silent, watching the others get angry knowing they would do absolutely nothing about it. None of them would dare question the Academy’s decisions outside of a closed room.

Luhan was the only other one who didn’t participate in the discussion, but Tao couldn’t gauge his thoughts on it at all. After the whole incident after training a few weeks ago, Luhan had a permanently stoic expression on his face. Even though the others had tried to get him to talk, the most he would say about his screaming was that he didn’t remember it happening. That they had just been testing a new simulation which had been particularly awful, but that he was fine.

None of them believed it, especially after Jongdae had freaked. But Luhan was staying quiet about it, and the others knew well enough than to push him. He had enough to deal with without their questioning.

Out of the corner of his eye Tao could make out Sehun, his gaze invariably on the Telepath. Since their argument Sehun had been giving him the silent treatment, which Tao could not be bothered to fight back against. Let him be a child. Tao wasn’t apologizing. He had nothing to be sorry for.

It was also quite apparent that Sehun was not taking his advice into account. Every opportunity he got the boy was glued to Luhan’s side, like a blond magnet. But Luhan didn’t appear bothered by it- Minseok had been away so much that Tao supposed he couldn’t help but enjoy the company.

Fine. Tao wasn’t going to stop it. He was well aware that if he even tried, Sehun would just want the Telepath even more. Besides, he was sure that his intervention wasn’t needed. Luhan wouldn’t be careless enough to allow something to happen. He permitted Sehun’s friendship, but Tao was certain it stopped there. Luhan had bigger things to worry about.

And anyway, so did Tao. His first individual training was only twenty four hours away.

He flexed the metal hand again, and it squealed once more in dull protest. From across the room Kris’s head snapped up, a faint sneer on his face. Tao met his gaze levelly, half amused. Yet another KAE boy that thought he owned the world.

At Tao’s acknowledgment Kris’s mouth widened into a full fledged contempt, his eyes narrowing to slits. Tao decided right then and there that if he ever got the Cuff off Kris would be the first one to be taught a lesson.

He folded his fingers to a fist, slipping the cool metal back into his pocket.

-

“What the ! ” Jongin screamed.

The words were out before he could even think. His body was red hot, his vision shaking and blurring as the world came back into focus around him. The supervisors were momentarily shocked into silence, and in it Jongin ripped the sensors from his skin, frustration too wild to let him consider his actions.

Within a moment he had sped past them out the training room doors, ignoring the supervisor’s mouth widening into a reprimand.

He was running, feet pounding against the linoleum, taking him out of the training wing and through the cafeteria, all the way across to the staircase that lead to their dorm rooms.

Only when he was halfway up the stairs did he pause for even a fraction of a second, out of breath, but it was enough. All at once he collapsed against the railing, his body giving beneath him, his exhale hitching in his throat.

What had he just done?

It was not the first time he had messed up this terribly in a training session. But it was definitely the first time he had run out without permission.

His hands were shaking. He brought them over his face, trying to force down the oncoming sobs. True, the training had been absolutely brutal. Since the implementation of private training Jongin had been struggling. This was the twenty-fifth time he had run the same simulation and once again he had failed. In that one instant it had become all too much, an his frustration had overflowed, in fact erupted with violent force. But why couldn't have he just stayed in the room? Tried to suppress his  anger for even a second?

Someone must be coming for him. This thought gave him a start, and his head snapped to look back from where he had come, but there was no one. No one at all.

Maybe they hadn’t seen where he was going. It didn’t matter, not now. He was getting detention anyhow.

Slowly Jongin stood, trying to steady his trembling legs. Then he forced himself the rest of the way up the staircase, reaching his dorm door with a heart full of fire.

-

Tao burst into consciousness, gasping for breath. Jongin’s scream echoed from the next room over, hanging heavy and hot in the air.

For a moment Tao was unsure what had happened, his breath still coming in heavy pants. At once the supervisors were at his side, murmuring apologies, just as confused as he about the sudden halt in the system. But then Tao heard the sound of a door slam, and couldn’t help but feel a smile twitch at his lips.

So Jongin had run out, then.

Tao couldn’t blame him. Everyone had been complaining about the hours lately, irritated over the sudden jump in simulation difficulty. And, of course, the war updates had been coming hot and fast the past week, their Academy fortress suddenly feeling much closer to the fight than before. Most of them were running on five hours of sleep or less each day.

For Tao though, it was worth it.

He glanced down at his left hand, the wires giving just enough to allow him to bend his chin. He paid no heed to the supervisors rearranging his sensors, gaze focused downward.

His hand was bare. For the third time this week.

It was simply glorious.

Skin, real skin, even if it was bruised purple and blue, it was skin that met his eyes, and not metal. The mere sight of it was intoxicating, sending a hum of pleasure up his body.

Tao’s eyes slid to the right, to the table behind one of the supervisors. There the Cuff sat, stoic and gleaming under the florescent lights. Off of his hand, it was nothing but a hunk of metal.

And beside it, the Key.

If only he could get to it.

Even as he thought this Tao knew it was wrong. The Key, the one contraption that could open the Cuff, sitting right there in plain sight. But never for Tao to touch, never for him to control. That kind of freedom was not an option in the Academy, least of all for him.

And of course, it wasn’t that simple. Despite his careful watching, he was still not quite sure how the Key worked, did not know the intricacies of the process that made his Cuff unlock. But he was trying- every time they took the damned thing off of his hand he had paid close attention, doing his best to detail each step in his mind.

“Okay,” one of the supervisors said, finished fiddling with his wiring. “Are you ready?”

Despite himself, Tao smiled. “Yes,” he answered, and closed his eyes, letting himself slip back into simulation, the only place where the force of his powers were untamed, wild and coursing with years of held-back strength at his fingertips.

-

Kyungsoo looked up from his bed, expecting Baekhyun, but mildly surprised to see Jongin instead at the entrance to his room. His Guarder appeared equally surprised to see Kyungsoo, body freezing in the door frame.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked, instantly concerned. His Guarder looked absolutely terrible. His face was red, eyes distressed, fingers shaking. “What’s going on?”

“Why are you here?” Jongin asked abruptly instead of answering. “Don’t you have class?”

“English just ended,” Kyungsoo said, beginning to rise from the mattress. He lowered his phone, which was playing updates once again about the Pythia. He approached Jongin with hesitant steps. “Jongin, are you okay?”

Jongin said nothing for a moment. He looked, Kyungsoo thought, utterly defeated. He was well aware of how tough things had gotten for Jongin and the rest of the Guarders in the past few weeks, but he also knew that his training session wasn’t over for another hour. Something was really wrong.

“I left,” Jongin said, and stepped fully into the room, letting the door snap shut behind him. “I’m not going back, not today.” He said it with such force that Kyungsoo had no choice to nod, leading him to sit on the edge of his bed. The intensity in his face made him stay quiet. For a moment they just sat there, the silence heavy and uncomfortable between them.

And then Jongin looked at him, the most queer expression in his eyes. Kyungsoo felt his heart beat a little faster.

“Can we...” Jongin began, and then closed his eyes, cutting himself off. When he reopened them his voice had hardened into calm steel. “Can we just sit for a moment? Sit and talk?” His eyes flitted back to Kyungsoo’s, bright and pleading.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said, trying not to let his concern bleed into his reply. “What about?”

“Anything,” Jongin said, closing his eyes again. He let himself fall back against the bed, arms spreading wide. “Anything. Just not school. Please.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said again, watching Jongin’s uniform move with his torso. “Tell me about your dogs.”

A ghost of a smile flitted across his Guarder’s lips.

-

Kyungsoo stared up at the ceiling, shoulders brushing Jongin’s.

They had been talking for nearly an hour. They were both supposed to be in Math now, but the alarm they had set had came and passed. No one had come to look for them. Even if they came now Jongin didn’t care. He was feeling so pleasant in that moment that the idea of detention didn’t even deter him.

Kyungsoo closed his eyes, a small smile on his parted lips.

Jongin realized with a start that he wanted to kiss him.

The thought shocked him into momentary confusion, his heart actually stopping in his chest. And then all at once he remembered Luhan, he remembered him flowing out of the library with his white robes, he remembered his ringing laugh as he walked away.

“You’re wrong,” Luhan had said that day. “You’re wrong, it’s exactly the same. Kyungsoo!”

Was it the same? Jongin tried to calm his racing thoughts, sort out what exactly it was that he wanted. Was it the same right now, the same as it had been with Luhan so many years ago?

No, he realized. Of course it wasn’t. Because with Luhan it had been meaningless, something they had done to pass the time when it was late at night and they were bored in their shared dorm room. It had had been nothing more than that and nothing less.

But with Kyungsoo- with Kyungsoo it was not meaningless. Jongin wanted to kiss him, not because he was bored, not because he wanted to pass the time, but because it was Kyungsoo. Because he had made him laugh and smile and forget everything for the past hour. Because he had been kind and gentle right from the start. Because with him the world no longer felt war ravaged and terrifying. Because he was always awake to welcome Jongin back to his dorm, always to ask him how his training had gone, with genuine concern, and wish him a good night.

And now Jongin was sure he could not deny how he felt about him. It seemed obvious now, as he lay, watching Kyungsoo’s chest move up and down with ease. He was so unbelievably beautiful. How had he not realized it before? He almost could not remember what was it like before he had thought that Kyungsoo was gorgeous. And watching him rest beside him, his eyes wide and blinking up at nothing, it was almost painfully euphoric.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin said softly, breath unconsciously slowing.

Kyungsoo tilted his head towards him, the small smile widening slightly. “Jongin,” he answered. Jongin stared at him just long enough to see Kyungsoo’s eyebrows shift into a slight frown. There. He saw it, whatever it was. He knew.

Perhaps that was what convinced Jongin to do it. Later, he would think and could not remember for the life of him what had given him the bravery. But he thought perhaps that was it-the way that something had changed in Kyungsoo’s soft brown eyes, sensing that he wanted something... something else .

Jongin leaned over just slightly-they were only inches apart anyway- and gently kissed him on the mouth.

At first Kyungsoo didn’t react, and something inside of him froze cold, but then…but then. There was a soft pressure, and he was kissing him back. It only lasted a few seconds, too short. It was warm, hesitant, a kiss that lasted barely longer than a couple blinks- yet it was perfect.

When they drew away, Kyungsoo’s eyes were even wider then before, surprised and faintly happy. His mouth was still in that smile, and a slight blush coloured his cheeks. “Jongin?” he asked, his voice lilting and gentle.

“Kyungsoo?” he asked back, in that same teasing tone, and they both began to laugh, at first shyly and then as they had laughed a thousand times before.

From somewhere beside him he felt the brush of Kyungsoo’s hand against his, and the fingers slowly interlaced.

Perfect.

A/N: Sorry this is so focused on certain characters right now, it's hard to flesh out 12 different plotlines all at once aha. Other members will get their chance to shine soon enough, I promise :)