Author's Note: Final part of this arc! 

Enjoy!

"And then you went boom! And then bam-bam! And then before I knew it, your opponent was down on the mat just as the bell rung! You were amazing, Won Bin!" exclaimed one hyperactive kid as he recalled the epic tale of an epic hero as he won his epic battle.

...Sorry, I have a habit of speaking in third person when I get too giddy. Also, I have a habit of talking like an idiot, acting like an idiot, and exaggerating like an idiot during such circumstances. Won Bin merely smiled at me, thanking me for all the compliments I practically showered upon him.

I’M SORRY FOR MY WEIRDNESS. PLEASE ACCEPT ME.

Oh Se Hun, stop. What the hell are you doing. Now the kid thinks you're younger than he is, what with your antics. 

(Please stop these conversations with your inner self).

BUT HUHUHU WON BIN WAS JUST SO AMAZING, HOW CAN I KEEP THESE FEELINGS ALL BOTTLED UP. I MUST LET THEM OUT, NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A FOOL I LOOK LIKE. I HAVE SOME COOLNESS TO SPARE. I JUST CAN’T E—

“Whoah, there, Tiger.” Before I knew what the heck was going on (because words were flowing out of my mouth faster than the speed of light), Noona’s hand was flat against my chest as she smiled amusedly at me. The feeling of her cold skin permeated my shirt, sending chills up my spine and freezing my central nervous system. Noona’s lips twitched into her tiny smirk as I stared back at her, my mouth agape as all thoughts—both coherent and incoherent—washed out. Noona’s hand stayed there, rooted to my chest, for what seemed like an infinity. “Calm yourself, child.”

BUT, NOONA. WAEYO. WAE.

I wanted to scream but held myself back because huhu Noona asdkfjasdkfj

(屮゜Д゜)屮

WAEEEEEEEEEE.

“Now, now, Se Hun-ah.”

God, I love it when she calls me like that.

“I know you’re excited but please, stop making a fool of yourself,” Noona says with amusement in her voice as she gingerly takes my fingers and gently closes them together. Her cold hands wrap around my own as she brings my arms down to my sides.

HUHU NOONA IS TOUCHING ME AND ALL I CAN DO IS PULL OF THE FUGLIEST FEHZ IN THE WORLD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.

;;A;;

“Hihi,” I grin sheepishly because it’s all I can really do, “Sorry, Noona. Sehunnie will be more calm starting now.” WHY AM I MAKING A PROMISE I CAN’T KEEP.  

Noona grins at me and it’s unlike any other grin. When Chan Yeol-hyung grins, 19 of his pearly teeth show; when Jongin grins, it’s every bit of the stuttering fool that he is; when Baek Hyun-hyung grins, his lips form the weirdest rectangular shape evarrr. But when Noona grins, it’s enigmatic and cold and idk what to do but feel all fluttery inside.

“Great. Now go with me to the front and let’s order, hmm?”

“Okay!” I nod like an obedient puppy as Noona pats my head.

It was 9 o’ clock and we were back at Daehak where the Taek Won Do studio was. Amber-noona and Dong Yu-hyung decided to treat the team to bubble tea at the store just beside their studio, as a sort of unofficial celebration since only the teenagers were left at this hour (they told us they’ll be holding a real party at the studio sometime next week, with all the parents and kids invited). EXO tagged along, too, with Noona saying that she’ll be treating us since we were such amazing friends (“I don’t do this very often, but all right, since you all learned that cheer behind my back and even brought posters despite the fact that Se Hun and Kris are the only ones going to receive an actual grade from me.”).

“We’ll come with you!” Baek Hyun-hyung and Chan Yeol-hyung shouted in unison as they ran towards us.

“What for, Hyungs?” I grumpily asked, crossing my arms.

“Ey, Maknae, what’s with that face, huh?” Baek Hyun-hyung teased as he pinched my cheeks.

I turn my head away, a nasty frown on my face. “Stahp it, Hyung.” He simply replies with a wider grin.

“Yeah, what for?” Noona asks this time.

AND OH SEHUN SCOOOOOORRREEESSSS.

“Because we love you, Noona~” they both say, forming hearts with their hands. I am utterly disgusted at how they think they could get Noona’s attention and affection by being cutesy. Excuse me, Hyungs, but I’m the king of cute here. You ain’t got nothin’ to beat me.

Noona stares blankly at their blinding, quirky grins; a few seconds later, however, my two silly Hyungs were practically on their knees with hands clasped together as they showed begging faces to her, their eyes wide and teary, and their mouths forming the most persuasive pouts in this entire universe. Uh-oh. EVEN I CAN’T SAY NO TO THAT. Noona sighs and scratches her head. “Aish, you two troublemakers. I don’t know what you’re up to, but okay.”

“HOORAY!” they rejoiced, springing up and flailing their arms.

“Hey, be careful!” she chastised them, swatting their arms away to prevent their clumsiness from hurting anyone nearby. There wasn’t any much space left at the bubble tea store after we practically swarmed the place thirty minutes ago. I mean, just EXO was enough to occupy half of the tables.

“Sorry!” they said, putting their arms back to their sides. “We’ll keep it glued here, we promise!” Chan Yeol-hyung bellowed with that hoarse voice of his. “Sorry, everyone!”

Noona sighs, but flashes them a tiny smile nonetheless. “All right, let’s go order your drinks, boys.”

~

“So that’ll be two large chocolate bubble teas, two medium roasted milk teas, one large lychee milk tea with grass jelly, three large regular milk teas, two large jasmine rock salt and cheese milk teas—one with egg pudding, the other without--one medium Green tea, one large Okinawa milk tea, and one medium taro milk tea. Is that correct?” Noona heedlessly nods as the cashier, taking out her wallet from her back pocket. Suddenly, she looks up at the clerk, her eyes narrowed like a hawk’s.

“Sorry, did you just say ‘taro milk tea’?” she asked, to which the cashier nods nervously. I wanted to giggle at the drop of cold sweat that ran down his face. “That makes it 13 orders.” The cashier nods again. She whips her head towards BaekYeol. When her stone gaze met theirs, the two began to cower, hugging each other for support. “You two, Lu Han’s not here.”

“Aw, but, Noona, Hyung’s finishing his essay as fast as he can so he can join us!” Chan Yeol-hyung tried to reason.

“Yeah, yeah! You should’ve seen him a while ago! He was typing like his life depended on it.”

“His life does depend on it, you bacon boy. Anyway,” Noona turns to the cashier, “Please cancel the last one.”

“WHAT. WHY, NOONA,” they both wailed, shaking their heads at the cashier to stop her from processing Noona’s request. “Hyung will be here! He will!”

Noona purses her lips in annoyance, “But the thing is, he didn’t even show up for the competition. I’m treating only those who came and supported—and that’s all of EXO except for him.” From the look in her eyes, it was obvious that Noona’s mind had been made up. I knew, though, that she had actually waited for Xiao Lu’s appearance in Apgujeong. I saw her glance at the entrance time and time again back there, how her eyes lingered at the door, as if she was waiting for someone. And I certainly didn’t miss her borrow Amber-noona’s phone so she could call Xiao Lu. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew Noona had hoped for his arrival.

And that’s what’s killing me right now.

“BUT NOONA PLEAAAAAAASSSSSEEEEEEE,” they pleaded.

“Then pay for it,” she demanded, her hand spread wide as she waited for their payment. And really, that’s all that it took for their faces to light up again. Chan Yeol-hyung hurriedly took out his wallet and hung it upside down for the all the bills to fall down onto her palm. “Here, Noona, take errrrthinnnnngggggg!”

“Chan Yeol, you idiot!” she gasped, reaching out her other hand to catch the raining bills. Noona’s calm and collected composure had been broken, and it was all because of one happy virus.

“Sorry, Noona!” he yelped, bending down to help her.

“Hyung, you’re such a dork!” I giggled, bending forward to pick up some bills that landed on the floor.

Hyung could not do anything but laugh, sputtering a horrible excuse, “You know how I am when I’m excited. I can’t help it if I shower happiness like how a unicorn barfs rainbows.”

“Lay-hyung will kill you if he heard you say that!” Baek Hyun-hyung laughs.

“ZOMG PLEASE KEEP IT A SECRET!!!!” the Happy Virus panicked, his eyes turning bloodshot as his head whipped back and forth to look around. When he saw that Lay-hyung was busy talking with Xiumin-hyung and Kris-hyung, Chan Yeol-hyung sighed in relief, putting a hand to his chest. “Aish, my heart. That was close.”

“What will I do with you, Chan Yeol?” Noona asked, taking his wallet and neatly returning the bills to their rightful place.

“Love me forever and ever, Noona!”

Noona deadpans and proceeds to standing up and paying for our orders. Her silence was enough to all the sunshine from Hyung.

“Haha, take that, Hyung!” I mumbled, making sure that he wouldn’t hear me.

AND OH SEHUN SCORES AGAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNN.

~

The store was buzzing with noise as conversations here and there filled every corner of the tiny café. Noona was at Amber-noona and Dong Yu-hyung’s table, giving her formal congratulations to the contestants. She gave them all pats on the head and a thumbs-up, and then proceeded to joining them for a toast. “Cheers!” they all said, and then downed their drinks.

“Stop staring at her like that, Se Hun; you look like a stalker,” D.O.-hyung whispered, nudging me with his elbow. I blinked, returning to reality. I looked down at my milk tea and began to twiddle with my thumbs.

“But Hyung, I wasn’t staring,” I muttered.

“Staring at what, Se Hunnie?” Suho-hyung asked—nosy as ever. I swear to gahd that if I wasn’t so flustered, I would have laughed. There was this thing that Suho-hyung did with his face whenever he was curious about something; it was kind of like seeing a grandpa wanting to gossip: it was uncool and funny at the same time. Grandpa Suho blinked innocently, leaning towards me as we waited for my answer.

“I think you mean ‘who,’ Suho-hyung,” Chen-hyung grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. That sure piqued everyone’s interest, because as soon as the words left his lips, the rest of EXO stopped chattering and dropped everything they were holding to look at me. Chen-hyung’s Cheshire grin grew wider, feeling that everyone’s attention was finally on him. He turned his head to the side,  slightly so as not to catch the other table’s eyes, but just enough to get his message across.

My eyes grew wide. And before I realized what I was doing, I lurched forward to tackle this stupid troll of a Hyung and stop him from revealing my deepest, darkest secret. In only a few seconds’ worth of time, my body was lying across the table, milk tea spilled all over the surface and on my shirt. Chen-hyung, and practically everyone in the table leapt up to avoid the brown liquid that threatened to drip on them.

“SE HUN!” they all bellowed, looking sincerely pissed.

“Hihi, sorry, Hyungs,” I grinned. My face was completely smothered in milk tea, my shirt  drenched in sticky liquid, and my pink hair now a horrible shade of brown because of the beverage, but Oh Se Hun did not give a damn. I my lips, tasting the delicate sweetness of a familiar kind of tea.

“Okinawa milk tea!” I exclaimed happily.

Oh Se Hun regrets nothing.

NOTHIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG.

“I won’t even ask why that happened” Noona said as she took out her car keys. Despite her words, Noona’s lips twitched into a tiny smile that looked even cuter underneath the light of Daehak’s dim lampposts. My little stunt left me completely and utterly soaked—more like saturated—in milk teas of all flavors. My hair smelled and looked like chocolate, my face and chest were wet with sugary Okinawa milk tea, while my pants had a violet puddle of taro milk tea conveniently placed by the crotch area. But all of this was to protect my secret, and so I thought—at least I tried to—nothing of it. Noona, as kind as ever, agreed to drive me back to the dorm so I could get a change of clothes. I was hesitant to accept her offer, seeing as the smell of milk tea on her car wasn’t her favorite thing in the world, but she insisted, giving me that gentle smile I’d be a fool to deny.

And so here we were, outside the tiny café (they should seriously think about renting that space upstairs—it was empty for heaven’s sake), with Noona fiddling with her keys, head tilted towards the light, and with me—stupid me—leaning against the post and fiddling with my wet, sticky fingers.

“I’m sorry, Noona. I look like an idiot. And your car’s gonna stink because of me. Huhu,” was all I could say. Today was supposed to be a great day: today was supposed to be the day I share Noona’s happiness, the day I was supposed to celebrate with her, the day I was supposed to spend with her alone, without a thought of my favorite Hyung stealing her attention from me.

Well, you got what you wanted, Oh Se Hun. Her attention is definitely on you right now. Now I just want to dig a hole in the backyard and bury myself.

OH SEHUN IS OFFICIALLY DONE WITH LAIYFEEEE.

The sounds of metal clinking against each other stopped, and I looked up to see Noona smiling at me. She approached me and pat my head the way she always does. Noona chuckled, her fingers entangling themselves in my sticky strands. “Look at that, I can’t even comb through your hair anymore. That is one sticky solution,” she said, letting go and shaking her hand.

“Noona?”

“Don’t worry about it, kid. I think the scent of milk tea would go great with my car’s aroma. Strawberries and lavender and peaches go together with milk tea, so all is good. Also, you’re a cute idiot; there’s nothing to be sorry about,” she assures me. AND HUHU HO MAY LORD DID NOONA JUST CALL ME A CUTE IDIOT

;A; WHAT IS THIS HAPPINESS.

My heart felt like it was about to burst, and, ho gosh, great timing, Oh Se Hun, because you’re standing directly under the light, I bet she can see how red and pink and red and aldkjflskdjf your cheeks are. Genius, Oh Se Hun, you are a frikkin’ genius. Can we all please appreciate how your geniusness has the best effin’ timing in the world. THE VERY BEST. Alkdfjlskdjfkldsf

“I, uhm…”

Noona chuckles and then returns her attention to her keys.

As she continues to fiddle with them (“Where the hell are they. Why do I even have this many keys in the first place. Oh right, because I need at least five duplicates to my room because Lu Han does nothing but lose his key.”), the sound of hurrying footsteps against the concrete pavement rang across the street. And despite the busy nightlife of Daehak, despite the chatters of passers-by, the honking of cars from the main road, and the sizzling, crackling noise of street food being grilled, the sound of hurrying footsteps was loud and clear. From up ahead, a familiar figure began to emerge, lit only by the stream of weak light from the lamps. Xiao Lu’s heart shaped face was flushed red as he sprinted, his arms flailing wildly. By the time he reached Noona’s car, his hair was disheveled and his posture weak. He was panting, holding the hood of Noona’s silver car as he tried to catch his breath.

“Am I…Am I too late? Is the celebration done?” he asked in between shallow breaths.

“For the competition? Yes. The twins were looking for you and mistook Se Hun for you. They like him more than they like you, by the way. Also, we won five golden medals, ten silver medals and seven bronze medals. For the celebration? Dude, we just started. But, you might have to order another cup of taro milk tea. We had a little accident.”

“Oh,” Hyung blinks. He frowns when he sees Noona’s blank expression. “I’m sorry,” he pouts, “I’m sorry I didn’t make it. I really wanted to watch. And see,” he waves the rolled-up paper he brought along; it was already scrunched. “I even made a poster! But, umm…” Hyung looks down, “I didn’t make it. I’m sorry.”

“Lu Han, do you honestly think I’m mad?” she asks.

“Well,” Hyung begins to smile, and chortles, “No. You’re not mad; you’re not shallow, you’re logical and I know that this isn’t something you will ever be mad at.”

Noona replies with a smirk. “Then why are you apologizing, you stupid deer.”

“Because you deserve one. I’m your roommate, and therefore, I’m your number one fan, your number one supporter. I should have been there because you needed our—my support. But I wasn’t, so I’m sorry.” Before Noona could respond, however, Hyung cuts her off, “But you don’t want to hear an apology. So I am just going to march in there and have fun with everyone else. That’s what you want to me to do, am I right or am I right?” he grins.

Hyung knows Noona too well.

“Yes, you’re right. Now, here,” Noona fishes her wallet out and hands him a few bills, “I said that I wasn’t going to treat you, but because you’re my…quote, unquote ‘number one fan,’ here, have yourself some taro milk tea. Se Hun and I will be right back.” Xiao Lu happily takes the bills from Noona, and after giving her one last grin, runs into the bubble tea store. Noona looks back at me and gestures to her car.

“C’mon, we wouldn’t want to miss anything now, do we, Se Hun-ah?” Her smile is more radiant now, and she looks especially boyish underneath the dim lights. That was Noona’s charm: being incredibly boyish and handsome and cool and gosh, if she were a boy, she’d be the kind of guy I want to be.

I shook my head and shot her one of my special maknae eye-smiles. “Nope!” I ran to the passenger’s seat but just before I opened the door, I called her. “Noona!”

“What is it, Se Hun-ah?”

“Don’t believe, Xiao Lu, okay! I’m your number one fan!” I point to myself then make a heart with my hands.

Noona guffaws—and it’s loud and echoing and so unlike her, but it’s cute and endearing and it actually suits her. “The gods must really like me since I have two number one fans,” she laughs, before entering the car.

Please, Noona, the gods have nothing on Xiao Lu and I. 

If it matters, I wrote an alternate part where Chen reveals Se Hun's crush and everyone in EXO finds out

HIHIHIHIHI HI errbody! Thank for you reading and subscribing! 

I hope I can get some feedback from you guys :-) They make me happpppyyyyyy~!

Merry Christmas!