To say that Kyungsoo felt extremely unpleasant the next day would be a complete understatement. In reality, he felt like . It seemed as though the intimate activities he had participated in yesterday were evidently punishing him for his actions. A pulsating ache had formed in the back of his head due to it being repeatedly banged against his headboard; and the decision to not use lubrication had left the male with a mild pain in his lower back.

Kyungsoo made his way down the flight of stairs in front of him; a hand placed on the bottommost region of his back. For some unusual reason, the Junior had woken up much earlier than usual.  In most cases, he’d drift back off to sleep almost instantly. But today he had failed to do so, and after a few seconds of self-debating, Kyungsoo concluded that he’d prepare himself for the school day and head downstairs for a light breakfast.

Watching his footing, the Junior carefully strode down the last two steps leading towards the front door. Turning to his left, Kyungsoo felt a delectable aroma rush in his direction; and, without delay, a marvelous scent filled his nostrils. The male couldn’t help but smile as an ear-piercing whistle erupted from a near by tea kettle. Knowing that his mother had woken up voluntarily in order to prepare a morning meal for the two of them, Kyungsoo headed in the direction of the kitchen. The more he approached, the stronger the fragrance became; and the scent was enough to satisfy his desire for food.

Kyungsoo’s mother, who had already taken her place at the table, looked up at her son with a neutral facial expression. “Good morning, Kyung-ah.”

“‘Morning, ma,” Kyungsoo greeted; a small smile plastered on his face.

The verbal exchange between the two was quite brief, but the communication was enough to genuinely express their thoughts without tainting the serene atmosphere. Kyungsoo let out a weak yawn before drawing near the wooden table; a hand still placed on his back as he faintly limped towards his destination. The appetizing aroma was getting stronger, and a heavenly sigh left the male’s lips as he was presented with a traditional, American-styled breakfast: bacon, eggs, pancakes, and sausages.

“Wow… this looks really good,” complimented the Junior as he inched his hand closer to the set-up plate in front of him. Kyungsoo hungrily picked up a sausage, but slowly paused his actions when he saw his mother stating intently at him. “What?”

The petite woman stirred her freshly poured tea before bluntly asking, “You did something while I was gone yesterday, didn’t you?”

The question shocked Kyungsoo tremendously, and he honestly didn’t want to answer it. Taking a seat, the male felt his heart beating uncontrollably in his chest. It was actually quite common for the both of them to have discussions like this; where they’d gather together and tell each other practically everything. If it were any other day, he wouldn’t have minded, but today was a different story; Kyungsoo was too ashamed to acknowledge the one minor mistake he had committed yesterday that would upset his mother.

Deeply inhaling, Kyungsoo glanced down at his meal and cautiously admitted, “I may… or may not… have had unprotected with my boyfriend…”

“Unprotected ?” his mother repeated with emphasis, disappointment clearly dripping from her words. “Kyungsoo, are you ing kidding me? I thought we talked about this! Never have unprotected ; especially in this house!”

Kyungsoo bit his lower lip as he felt tears start to well up in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ma. I’m so… so s-sorry.”

A single tear made its way down the Junior’s cheek as he buried his head in his hands. Kyungsoo despised this feeling; the feeling one gets when they let someone close to them down. It wasn’t an intentional mistake; if he had been in the right state of mind at that time, he would’ve definitely told Jongin to use a . But Kyungsoo wasn’t in one at the time, and it dismayed him that the thought of using protection hadn’t even crossed his mind at all. They were being selfish; needy even, that in their intimate moment they had not given thought to the consequences of them catching something. And the older Junior had stood up all night mentally scolding himself for that.

Kyungsoo rocked back and forth, sobbing as he did so. “I r-really am… s-sorry.”

It pained Kyungsoo’s mom to see him in such a state, but they both knew that unprotected was not taken lightly in there household. Kyungsoo was at that age where his hormones controlled most of his desires; and his mother knew that. However, she also knew from experience that deciding against using a , even just once, could drastically change one’s life. And even though this was his first time going ‘unprotected’, she didn’t want it to be a reoccurrence.

With a sigh, the Junior’s mother rose from her seat and headed towards the other. Standing in front of him, the woman situated her arms over his neck and leaned him in so that his forehead was gently placed on her stomach. “Don’t cry, Kyung-ah. I’m not mad at you. Disappointed? Of course. Upset? Maybe a little; but I’m not angry.”

Kyungsoo sniffled; using his hands to wipe away his tears before wrapping his arms around his mom’s waist affectionately. “I p-promise it won’t happen a-again.”

“It better not,” his mother scolded with a tiny hint of playfulness. Combing her son’s hair with her hand, she advised, “Just be more careful, ok? As a single parent, I’m obligated to talk to you and protect you from certain things. It’s not an easy task, and it’s very tiring, you know? More so when you’re forced to play the father role at the same time.”

Kyungsoo let go of his mother and took a shaky breath. “I…I get the point you’re trying to make.”

“Good,” the boy’s mom exclaimed before grabbing her empty plate and making her way towards the sink. “It’s at times like this when I’m happy that you’re attracted to the same . The last thing I need is another one of you prancing around here.”

The male being spoken to chuckled as he poked his cold breakfast. “The way you’re saying it implies that the idea of another me is a bad thing. Admit it; you’re just afraid of getting old.”

His mother sharply focused her attention on him with a cold stare, and the latter couldn’t help but laugh. Although their previous conversation had formed a tense atmosphere, Kyungsoo was content that he had such a rational mother. Being sixteen, the former knew that several obstacles were headed his way; and he hoped that his mother would continue to stay by his side and help him make it through.


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Kyungsoo tugged at the rough material around his neck as he proceeded to eat his lunch. Before departing from his house this morning, the Junior concluded that he’d conceal his noticeable hickey and lie about his feeble limp by wrapping an elastic bandage around his neck and his left ankle. His lies were quite credible; his neck was ‘sore’, and he had sprained his ankle. However, a new matter opened up when Kyungsoo was spotted locking lips with none other than Jongin by the former’s locker.

So, after wasting more than ten minutes explaining to his friends how the relationship between he and Jongin came to be, Kyungsoo was finally able to eat his meal. With the addition of newcomer Kris and social butterfly Chanyeol, the table had gotten much more vivacious than it had been a week ago. The former had went through the same procedure as Tao when the latter had first arrived, and Chanyeol was busy telling them some of his outrageous stories. The mood was enough to cheer Kyungsoo up from that morning’s events.

“I wish we had an American school system,” Baekhyun shared out of the blue as he took a sip of his vanilla milk. All of the first-hand accounts Kris had shared with them about life in Canada seemed to fascinate him. “I mean, they have summer vacation. I’d love to have something like that.”

Kris merely shrugged at the other’s confession. “Summer vacation isn’t really as great as it seems. If you don’t have a lot of friends, or friends with money, you practically stay home the whole time.”

Baekhyun nodded at this new piece of information while he reached out to grab his milk carton. Drinking in, the eldest Junior noted a distinct taste in his beverage. No longer was it that creamy vanilla he preferred to order; it was much thicker, like a blend of rich chocolate. At that realization, Baekhyun paused his motions, and the soft snickers and cackles coming from his friends were soon heard by him. The former eyed them suspiciously as they tried to be obscure.

“What?” questioned Baekhyun in irritation.

Suho bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from laughing. “Baekhyun, that’s Chanyeol’s milk.”

Baekhyun froze entirely as the laughter around him grew louder. Turning to his left, the Junior noticed that Chanyeol was also chuckling with his gaze set on the former. Baekhyun felt his face heat up; embarrassment and humiliation coursing through his body. However, the older of the two tried his utmost best not to show it, and with a forced smile he began to sheepishly laugh with the others.

“Uh, sorry for taking your milk,” apologized Baekhyun as he put the carton in front of its rightful owner. “Here, you can, um, have it back.”

Chanyeol stretched out for the milk carton, and when he had it in his grasp he took a quick sip. Smiling, the younger male said, “You don’t have to apologize. Besides, I thought it was cute.”

Baekhyun felt a blush creep onto his face at the other’s honest words, but before he got to respond or take in the fact that they shared an indirect kiss, the bell to end lunch rang loudly. The former let out a breath of relief as he rose from his seat so that he could get rid of his trash. Soon enough, most of the students were out of the cafeteria, leaving Sehun and a few other students behind.

Picking up a piece of his rice with a pair of chopsticks, Sehun took a minute to absorb his surroundings. The cafeteria  was desolate for the most part, as only people with a study period after lunch were able to stay. Sehun, being one of those people, always opted to remain and finish his meal. Because of his lisp, chewing certain foods was quite tiring for him, since tongue and jaw muscles were frequently involved in the process. Therefore, the Sophomore was told he had to eat slowly, thus leaving him with no other choice but to skip study period and consume the rest of his lunch.

Swallowing the last of his food, Sehun gathered up his empty tray and headed for the nearest trashcan. Fortunately for him, the waste basket was only a few feet away from him, which saved the Sophomore from having to stroll to the other side of the cafeteria. Reaching the bin, Sehun carelessly threw the tray inside, causing it to collide roughly with the other garbage. Everything was going smoothly, but when the boy turned around to leave, however, his face slammed into a rocklike surface. The impact was harsh enough to startle the boy, who soon found himself face-up on the ground.

“Aw, did poor little Thehun get thcared?” a voice above him jeered humiliatingly.

Sehun, already knowing who the voice belonged to, chose to ignore the other’s teasing words. “I wasn’t scared. Now leave me alone, Moonkyu-ssi.”

Said boy sneered before continuing with his verbal torment. “I’m tho thorry Thehun. I didn’t mean to upthet you.”

The younger Sophomore said nothing when laughter erupted at a table near him, and quietly made an effort to pick himself up. Although he’d never admit it, Moonkyu’s verbal mockery greatly affected him. It made the latter feel isolated, as if he were of a different species. Yet it wasn’t only Moonkyu; other Sophomore students felt the need to comment on Sehun’s speech disorder. They’d treat him like a mentally disabled child, and it’d take all he had not to break down in front of them. He’d just put on a poker face while his heart cried silently in his chest; he was tired of fighting back.

“Tsk, pathetic,” snickered Moonkyu; kicking the younger male down before walking away from the scene.

Sehun groaned as he once again crashed onto the floor. He didn’t complain though, and by placing his hands on the ground, he was soon able to get back on his feet. A hiss escaped his lips as he clutched his right wrist. Sehun frequently used that hand to break his falls, so much so that it was now quite vulnerable. His hyungs advised him to get it checked out, but he dismissed their worries; telling them that it’s be alright.

“Sehun-ah!”

The Sophomore ceased his actions the moment his name was called, and a familiar vocalization rang in his ears. Sehun averted his attention from his wrist to the owner of the voice, who happened to be standing about two arm’s lengths away from him. Observing the figure in front of his eyes, the young male couldn’t help but let his mouth go agape in shock. He opened his mouth, expecting some sort of sound to make its way out. But no words were spoken, and Sehun soon found his phrases lodged in his throat.

“S-Sunbae…” stammered Sehun; his eyes stuck on the almond-eyed boy in his view. A smile crept onto the former’s face as he ran towards the copper blonde-haired male. “Luhan sunbae!”

Luhan beamed at the other; air soon getting knocked out of his body when Sehun pulled him into a secure embrace. The latter tightly wrapped his arms around the other, rocking him left and right. Chuckling, Luhan expressed, “You’re acting as though you haven’t seen me in forever.”

“Well, one year feels like forever,” muttered the Sophomore as he placed his chin on top of the other’s shoulder. “We all missed you; and a lot of things have changed since you left.”

“I can see that,” agreed Luhan, referring to the last part of Sehun’s statement. When Luhan had returned to Beijing his Junior year due to a family emergency, he hadn’t expected to stay there for such a long time. He genuinely missed his friends, and longed to reunite with them some day. After coming back after a whole year and finally reunifying with his friends, Luhan felt as though he had missed out on too much. “I mean, what was that?”

Sehun pulled away from the hug with a raised eyebrow, but soon sighed once he figured out that the Senior was talking about the incident with Moonkyu. “That was nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Luhan glanced at the Sophomore skeptically as they both began to walk out of the cafeteria. “Are you sure? That kid kicked you down pretty hard. Why’d he do that?”

“I—Just…Don’t think about it too much, sunbae. It’s fine.” Sehun lied, putting on his tough façade once again. When Luhan had first met Sehun, the latter was a Freshman who had his hyungs and sunbaes guiding him. But the following school year, Luhan had left to China, and most of his older friends had different classes. That, in turn, made Sehun much more vulnerable to attacks and such, and he soon found himself becoming a victim of verbal, and at times physical, bullying.

At first, the insults revolving him and his lip hurt him tremendously; and at times they still do. Yet Sehun had managed to block the painful words out, concluding that for the remainder of his high school career he’d simply hide behind a mask; a façade. His hyungs stuck by his side and did everything they could to stop harsh words, and he was forever grateful. But although Sehun had told his hyungs about it, didn’t mean he was going to inform Luhan; especially when the latter had just gotten back. He’d feel like a burden.

Luhan was still uneasy about everything he had witnessed. The Senior just couldn’t fathom why anybody would just kick someone in that manner; particularly someone like Sehun. But he dropped the subject after the Sophomore’s reassurance. He trusted Sehun, and if there was one thing Luhan knew about the other, it’s that he’d never lie.


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“That show was stupid,” grumbled Jongin while he stared at the television screen.

Kyungsoo chuckled at his boyfriend, but continued to watch the show nonetheless. “Really? I thought it was kind of adorable.”

Jongin simply shrugged as he leaned over to seize control of the remote. School for both Juniors had ended less than two hours ago; and after completing their strenuous homework, the couple decided to slouch around the living room and watch television. Unfortunately for Jongin, most channels insisted on broadcasting reruns of clichéd soap operas and ‘aegyo animations’. That didn’t seem to agitate Kyungsoo, however, who watched every show with interest.

A sigh left Jongin’s lips as he brought a hand up to Kyungsoo’s head; his fingers running through his partner’s hair like a comb. The touch was soothing to the latter, who, with his head on the other’s lap, switched his posture so that he was now facing his boyfriend. At his action, Jongin looked down at the former; a heartwarming smile playing on his lips as he placed a thumb on Kyungsoo’s cheek, caressing it softly.

Both males gazed at each other, a mutual affection being transmitted without the use of words. Without breaking the eye contact, Kyungsoo positioned the palm of his hand behind Jongin’s neck. As if getting the signal, the latter commenced to lean in; his eyes now staring at his boyfriend’s lips whilst his tongue craved the taste of the other’s cavern. Kyungsoo lifted his head slightly as he tried to reach his partner’s mouth; the beating of his heart increasing. They were so close; merely seconds away from a passionate osculation. But their little moment was shattered when a rambunctious tune filled the living room.

Jongin groaned in irritation as he placed his hand inside his denim pocket. After a few seconds of digging around, the younger Junior was able to pull out his cellphone and peek at the caller identification. “Ugh, my mom’s calling me. Mind if I take this outside?”

Kyungsoo shook his head, lifting it up simultaneously to give the other male room to rise and exit. The former puffed his cheeks out in dismay; his lips begging to feel the warmth of his boyfriend’s. Kyungsoo breathed out heavily as he glanced at the television screen. The Junior had been so preoccupied with his previous activity that he had no clue what the program was about. And before he could even dwell on the thought of figuring out the show’s plot, Kyungsoo felt a vibration in his jean pocket. Taking out his cellular phone, the male was able to acknowledge the fact that he had received a message from Baekhyun.

To: Kyungsoo

From: Baekhyun

Hey, can you stay over my house this weekend?

The receiver stared at the text message in curiosity. Baekhyun hardly texted Kyungsoo; he’d usually call the latter instead. So obtaining a message from the older Junior came as a surprise to him. Either Baekhyun didn’t feel like talking, or there was something serious going on with the other. Trying to sort out his guesses, the younger Junior replied.

To: Baekhyun

From: Kyungsoo

Sure, I don’t mind staying over. Is there a specific reason why you’re asking, though?

Kyungsoo’s thumb hovered over the send button before pressing it down. Was there actually a reason why Baekhyun asked him out of the blue? Kyungsoo wasn’t quite sure, but seeing how he hadn’t stayed over Baekhyun’s house for a few weeks, there had to be at least one. And his hunch was deemed correct when he received another message.

To: Kyungsoo

From: Baekhyun

I need some advice about… someone

Rereading the text, Kyungsoo’s eyes widened ever so slightly. Baekhyun needed advice from him? If anything, the former should be asking someone like Suho. Kyungsoo’s fingers maneuvered over his keypad; and instead of him questioning why he was chosen, he simply typed ‘About who?’ The response wasn’t shocking, but was enough to bring a smirk onto Kyungsoo’s face.

To: Kyungsoo

From: Baekhyun

… About Chanyeol…


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A/N: Whew, so much stuff is going on in this chapter! Mother, daughter son talk, 'cause that is forever relevant when it comes to unprotected . I also added in a bit of Baekyeol in ♥ Expect more soon. Also, the newly inserted Hunhan! Luhan is back from Beijing, and Sehun gets bullied because of his lisp (high school is so, so cruel, I tell you). 
 

• For those of you who don't know who Moonkyu is: he was an SM trainee that was a rumored member of EXO before their debut. Some people say that he left SM, I'm not quite sure.
   

On a different note, I want to thank everyone who subscribed and commented. And about the , yes, it was my first time. I honestly didn't expect you guys to think so highly of it, but I'm glad that those who read it, enjoyed it. Also, if there are any Hispanic people reading this, feel free to write me a comment in Spanish (it's actually my first language), and to everybody else, don't be afraid to friend request me. I get lonely sometimes....

Anyways, hope you guys liked this chapter. Until next time!