The next day Sehun came back to the cuddly toys shop was a Thursday. It was about one week after the day Luhan had given him the white rabbit. One of his teachers was absent which allowed it to finish school sooner, but he didn’t want to go back home; he found himself going in town to see Luhan again. And also to thank him (and apologise).

                Though, once he arrived in front of the glass door and the multicoloured sign, he hesitated. Had Luhan been really honest when he had offered him to be friends? Maybe he had just been pitying him. Sehun fidgeted, shifting from one foot to the other. He didn’t want to annoy Luhan.

                Instinctively, he looked for something to reassure himself, and rummaged through his pockets. With a sigh of relief, he felt the rabbit in his right one and squeezed it affectionately. But when he looked up at the shop again, still unsure whether he would enter or not, he started.

                Luhan was staring at him through the glass door, both his hands resting against it as if he were trying to wave at Sehun. He was smiling broadly and the younger boy blinked several times, surprised. Luhan looked hilarious, with his eyes wide open and his big grin, but at the same time, it was somehow scary.

                Sehun stepped back and held the rabbit tighter. Seeing the dark-haired boy was afraid, Luhan laughed and opened the door. He smiled in apology. “Sorry, I scared you,” he said, and Sehun looked at his feet to hide his embarrassment. “How are you?” Luhan continued softly.

                “I’m fine,” Sehun answered. Now you have to ask him how he is, he said to himself. But no words came out. Luhan waited for a minute or two, cheering the dark-haired boy mentally. When he saw nothing would come out of Sehun’s mouth, he nodded towards the shop.

                “Do you want to come in for a while?” he asked. “It’s a bit cold here outside.”

                Sehun nodded and followed the pink-haired boy in the cuddly toys shop – where the temperature was warmer indeed. Mechanically, he rubbed his hands together to warm them up.

                Luhan spotted two white ears hanging out of Sehun’s right pocket. He smiled tenderly but didn’t say anything, knowing it would only embarrass the young boy. Though he was inwardly really glad Sehun liked the rabbit to the point of carrying it with him.

                Sehun looked down and saw the two ears too. He quickly stuffed them into his pocket, hoping Luhan hadn’t seen them. He didn’t want to look like a baby carrying a plushy with him. Yet he was. He breathed in deeply, preparing a sentence in his head. When he was ready (about five minutes later, because he kept changing the words he was planning to say), he cleared his throat.

                Luhan looked up from his papers and smiled at him – causing him to forget his sentence for a second. Then he remembered. “I wanted to – thank you. (Even after repeating his sentence mentally ten times, he was still stammering.) For the rabbit, I mean. It’s wonderful. (Luhan giggled at the word Sehun had used.) No! I just wanted to say – – no, I didn’t want to say , I…”

                He got his words all muddled up. Luhan gave him an encouraging nod. “I love it. Peco.”

                The pink-haired boy walked to him and beamed. “I’m happy you like it,” he said sincerely. “I suppose you two get on well.”

                “Yes – thank you,” Sehun managed to say.

                “You’re welcome, Sehun-ah.”

                Sehun felt his cheeks burn at the affective suffix. He started to feel a little ill at ease, and Luhan saw it. “Do you want to drink something?” he offered warmly. Sehun wanted to say yes, but he didn’t want to bother Luhan. After hesitating for five good minutes (Luhan waited patiently), he shook his head, blushing guiltily.

                “No, thank you,” he said, looking away. Luhan felt a bit sad, disappointed, because he knew Sehun really wanted to run away right then, but also because he knew his shyness was a real burden for him. “I have homework to do and – I mean, thank you very much, I would have liked to stay but – I can’t…thank you but – no, thank you,” Sehun finished, as red as a tomato.

                Luhan was starting to count the ‘thank yous’ the dark-haired boy said. “Ah, but it’s okay, come back tomorrow if you want to. I’m closing the shop at half past six, we could go in town and have dinner somewhere. Would you like to?” he said with a beam. He really hoped Sehun would accept.

                The young boy blinked a few times – he thought he had misheard Luhan. “Are you asking me…if I’d like to – have dinner with you?” he said slowly. Luhan laughed.

                “Of course I am! We’re friends, Sehun-ah!”

                Sehun thought for a minute or two, then nodded eagerly. “Are you sure – I mean, yes, I would love to!” he exclaimed. “Oh, I…em, thank you so much…”

                Luhan smiled at him softly. “You don’t need to thank me all the time,” he said with a wink. “Just come tomorrow and I’ll be happy, okay?”

                Sehun blushed again and turned around, almost rushing to the door. “Good – goodbye,” he said in a weird tone.

                Luhan waved at him, saying, “See you tomorrow, Sehun-ah! Don’t forget.”

                There’s no chance I might forget, Sehun thought when he was outside. Fortunately, Luhan hadn’t offered him to help with his homework – he would surely have fainted. He went back home quickly and worked for about half an hour (though less carefully than usual).

He told his mother he was having dinner outside the next day, and realised he would be eating with Luhan, with a new friend. For a second, he froze, then a little smile, almost incredulous, formed on his lips. Bit by bit, Sehun grinned, looking at the white rabbit he carried with him almost everywhere. He couldn’t wait.

~

                About one hour before the moment he had to go at the cuddly toys shop, Sehun’s stomach started to hurt and he felt his breath speed up. He knew perfectly what it was; it felt exactly like the day had taken that huge maths test, or the time he had played the saxophone in front of his whole family.

                But at the same time, it was pleasant – he was excited, but not to the point he might throw up in the toilets at every moment. Massaging his belly under his shirt, Sehun looked at his alarm clock. It was about twenty minutes to six. And suddenly, he realised that he wasn’t wearing anything special.

                Hurriedly, he tried on all his clothes, and finally opted for a simple shirt and his favourite pair of jeans (he stuffed the rabbit into his pocket). He looked at the time again. The appointment was only in half an hour, and going to the shop wouldn’t take him more than ten minutes, but Sehun was so anxious he started to pace up and down in his room.

                And then, he thought… What if the bus broke down? What if he forgot something and he had to run back home? What if he broke and ankle on the way? What if there was a monstrous accident in town? What if a meteorite fell on him? What if he was kidnapped by extraterrestrials? What if…

                He might be late.

                Sehun got up, and after quickly putting on a coat and a scarf, left his house as fast as possible.

                Of course, he reached the shop barely ten minutes later. Feeling a little stupid, he hid against a wall nearby so that Luhan couldn’t see him shivering in the winter night.

                Actually, Luhan was really absorbed in what he was doing and only looked in the street about a quarter later. When he spotted the dark-haired boy fidgeting and rubbing his hands together, he shook his head, chuckling, and opened the glass door.

                He stepped in the street and walked to Sehun. Said boy’s cheeks turned awfully red and he looked away – surely trying to hide behind an invisible wall. Luhan smiled sweetly. “You shouldn’t have waited outside, it’s really cold…” he said. “Come on, come in, Sehun-ah. I’m closing in a few minutes.”

                He grabbed Sehun’s hand and led him to the cosy shop. The atmosphere there was warm and comfortable. Sehun’s left hand was still on fire even after Luhan let go of it (but it felt rather good). He plunged it in his pocked to share the heat with the rabbit, squeezing it as usual.

                A girl with long brown hair entered the shop, and Luhan smiled at her. Sehun watched them talk a bit (the girl finally bought a giraffe), looking at his feet whenever Luhan laughed with the girl. He squeezed the rabbit again.

                And at last, the girl left, and Luhan came to him. “I’m closing, now,” he said joyfully. “Let’s go?” he added. Sehun nodded shyly and the pink-haired boy proceeded to close the cuddly toys shop. It was twenty-five to seven. “So, where do you want to eat?” Luhan asked. But he immediately saw Sehun wasn’t really going to give him an answer.

                He giggled inwardly as the dark-haired boy said hesitantly, “Em…I don’t know… you – you choose?”

                “Ah, but I don’t want you to eat something you don’t like…” Luhan laughed. “Do you like Italian food?” he asked. Sehun nodded quickly. But Luhan knew he would have said yes even if he had asked him whether he liked eating clouds and stars. “I know a good Italian restaurant. Is it okay if we go there?”

                “O – of course,” Sehun answered. They walked side by side in the streets, and he thought about something to say. “So…how is – the shop…how is it going?” he asked, almost as if he were asking whether it was the right question to ask rather than actually asking it. Luhan smiled happily.

                “Fine, really fine!” he answered. “It’s Christmas soon, so a lot of people buy cuddly toys for their children.”

                Sehun smiled too. “I’m glad,” he said, his voice low.

                “And what about you? You’re in high school, right?” Luhan asked enthusiastically – taking Sehun’s hand in his own again. The younger boy started.

                “Y – yes,” he stuttered. “In first year.”

                “That’s good,” Luhan replied. “And how is it going?”

                “I – I manage,” Sehun answered, grinning in spite of himself. If he was proud of something, it was of his marks at school. Luhan laughed when he saw his happy face; he guessed the young boy was good at school.

                He managed to get a few more words of him, stammered hesitantly, before they arrived at the restaurant. Although the beginning of the dinner was spent in an awkward silence, Luhan succeeded in making him talk bit by bit. (Maybe the lightly alcoholic beverage he had ordered helped a little. “But you’re sixteen, you can drink a little bit of alcohol!”)

                Sehun had ordered a strategic meal, that he wanted to be the lightest, the easiest to eat without staining his clothes, and above all the cheapest as possible, since Luhan had insisted on paying for him. That was made with chicken and olive oil, there was lettuce…but he didn’t really pay attention to it, even if it tasted really good.

                He was too busy staring at Luhan. Well, they were rather staring at each other. “So,” Luhan said, smiling, “I’ll understand if you don’t want to tell me, of course, but… Ah, forgive me, I just…”

                He laughed – now he was the one stammering! Sehun grinned back at him, unaware of what the pink-haired boy wanted to ask him. “What?” he said. “What do you want to know?”

                “You’re not only shy with me, are you?”

                Sehun swallowed and looked down guiltily. “No – not really,” he answered. Luhan nodded, silently telling him to go on. He cleared his throat. “That’s just – weird… Sometimes I’m facing someone and it’s like I had forgotten how to speak – I feel horrible, as if everyone in the world were staring at me – and my stomach always hurts, I’m breathing fast…”

                “And you blush, cutely,” Luhan said with a smile, reaching his hand to his cheek. Sehun opened his eyes wide but didn’t pull away. A couple of minutes later, he nodded slowly, his cheeks scarlet. Luhan giggled. “Do you want a dessert?” he asked. Sehun shook his head frantically.

                “No! You’re already paying for the rest, I don’t want –”

                “Okay,” Luhan cut him. “I’m ordering only one ice cream, but I’ll make you eat some. With a single spoon,” he said. Sehun froze. “So what do you prefer? Eating your own ice cream or sharing one with me?”

                As the dark-haired boy didn’t answer, he chuckled and mischievously ordered an ice cream – rosemary and thyme. Sehun pouted when the waited brought it. “I’m not hungry anymore, anyway…” he said very low. But Luhan raised the spoon to the young boy’s lips.

                “Taste it at least. It’s delicious, you’ll see,” he said. Sehun opened his mouth weakly, and Luhan made him eat the ice cream. He watched his reaction.

                “Um…you were right,” the boy said. Luhan laughed happily.

                “Again?” he offered, and Sehun flushed adorably. “And how is Peco?” the pink-haired boy asked as he gave him another bit of ice cream. “Are you two still getting on well?”

                Sehun smiled but felt a little like a baby, realising the rabbit was with him again. “Y – yes,” he answered. “I love him. Thank you again.”

                Luhan beamed. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it,” he said. He ate some ice cream too. “You know… I used to be really shy too when I was a child,” he added. Sehun didn’t say anything and only listened. “Hahaha, that was ridiculous!” Luhan said, laughing as he recalled a childhood memory. “Once, when I was in kindergarten, we were in a play. And I was so anxious I wetted myself and started crying when it was my turn to speak.”

                Sehun burst out laughing, imitating Luhan. It was surely the most genuine laugh Luhan had heard for a long time.

                They left the restaurant a while later, going out in the cold streets. “Oh, they have started to light the Christmas decorations!” Luhan said, smiling as he looked up. Sehun nodded. The elder boy walked him home and they crossed the roads silently.

                “Em…I live there,” Sehun said, pointing at his house awkwardly when they reached it.

                Luhan smiled. “I really had fun with you tonight,” he said. “See you soon, Sehun-ah!”

                Sehun nodded without a word and Luhan left after waving at him. But as he was a few meters away, the pink-haired boy turned around and quickly walked back to him. “Don’t do anything, okay? Relax,” he said. Gently, he stood on tiptoes and pecked Sehun’s lips for a split second. Then he smiled and walked away again.

                Sehun stumbled into his house, banging into several pieces of furniture but not caring at all. His mother gave him a questioning look and asked him how the dinner had been, but he only muttered a quick ‘perfect’ and made a beeline to his bedroom, while Mrs Oh wondered why her son’s cheeks were so red.

~

                When Sehun opened his eyes the next day, the first thing he did was touch his lips dreamily in a clichéd way. So Luhan had…kissed him? For a second, he felt like dancing and laughing, but then he wondered – had he really meant it? Maybe it was just because of the alcohol. (Even if the beverage wasn’t really strong.)

                Sehun’s grin vanished and he got up reluctantly. His breakfast tasted a bit insipid, compared with Luhan’s lips. He thought for a moment. Normally, the cuddly toys shop was sometimes open on Saturdays, especially now, before Christmas.

                As if he were attracted there by a magnet, he went out in town; at the same time, Sehun wanted to see Luhan and talk to him, but he almost wished the pink-haired boy weren’t there so that he would embarrass himself once more.

                When Luhan saw the young boy arrive in front of the shop with a hesitant tread, he felt a little guilty. Sehun must be either angry or upset. He bit his lip, blaming himself for having been so reckless. Smiling a little, he opened the door, and the dark-haired boy started.

                “Hello,” Luhan said. Sehun muttered something inaudible, looking away. As there wasn’t anybody else in the shop at the moment, Luhan decided to apologise now. “Listen, I’m really sorry for what I did last night,” he said. “I shouldn’t have…”

                He left his sentence unfinished, and Sehun pretended to find the floor truly fascinating. “So you didn’t mean it…” he whispered, feeling sad; he didn’t think something that felt so wonderful for him wasn’t important for Luhan. The pink-haired boy put his hand over Sehun’s right arm and squeezed it gently.

                “Of course I did,” he replied. “I just didn’t want to upset you, and that’s why I’m sorry. You have the right to be mad at me.”

                Sehun raised his eyebrows and his eyes widened. “I’m not!” he exclaimed. But instantly, he spoke lower. “I – I mean…I – liked it. So I’m not mad.”

                He blushed heavily, wringing his hands behind his back. Luhan got closer to him, smiling softly.

                “Are you sure?” he asked very low. Sehun nodded, almost imperceptibly. “Can I do it again? I’d love to,” Luhan said. The younger boy whispered a shaky ‘yes’ and closed his eyes tight, waiting.

                Soon Luhan’s lips met his own and he could taste a light sweetness in them. He tensed a bit but Luhan fondled his shoulder to make him relax. The pink-haired boy cupped his face and right then everything was truly magic. Until the little bell tinkled and a girl entered the shop.

                Sehun and Luhan froze and then parted clumsily. It was the same brown-haired girl Sehun had seen the night they’d been at the restaurant. His cheeks successively turning pink, red, scarlet, crimson, he looked at his feet. Luhan cleared his throat.

                The girl stood there, arms crossed in front of her chest and pretending to have seen nothing. “Goodbye,” Sehun muttered, quickly walking to the door looking neither at her nor at Luhan. The bell tinkled once again, and he was gone.

                Luhan rushed to the door and called his name, but the young boy had really left. Sadly, Luhan sighed and went back in the shop, trying to smile and to be as polite as possible with the girl.

                Once she had left, he collapsed on a chair. He wanted to run after Sehun. For the first time, he cursed his job. He looked at his watch. It wasn’t midday at all – he shouldn’t have closed and left. But he blew air in his cheeks to muster up his courage, and left as fast as he could, a sign telling ‘Closed – something important to do’ plastered on the door.

                He made a beeline to Sehun’s house and rang the doorbell. A slim woman with a warm smile opened the door. “Hello,” she said. Luhan smiled back at her.

                “Hello, Mrs Oh?” he began, and the woman, Sehun’s mother, nodded. “I’m a friend of Sehun’s. Is he at home?”

                “Yes, he’s just come back a few minutes ago,” Mrs Oh answered. Then she narrowed her eyes mischievously. “You’re Luhan, aren’t you?”

                Luhan nodded. “Yes, madam,” he answered. So Sehun’s mother had heard about him.

                “Come in,” Mrs Oh replied, moving aside. Luhan stepped in, and Sehun’s mother pointed at the staircase. After taking his shoes off, he climbed the stairs. He quickly found Sehun’s room; there was a small sign telling ‘Oh Sehun’ and an anime character plastered on the door. He smiled and knocked softly.

                “Sehun-ah? It’s Luhan,” he said. He heard a low ‘Come in’, and turned the door knob. He chuckled silently. The walls were covered with anime posters and calendars. He looked for Sehun, but didn’t find him. And then, he saw a big form on the bed, under the bed sheets, that looked like a sort of ball. He smiled even more.

                That was Sehun. Luhan walked to the bed and sat down. “Sehun?” he said, scratching the covers with a finger. Sehun curled up into a ball even more, even if he was starting to suffocate. “Sehun,” Luhan repeated. “What’s wrong?”

                Sehun nearly choked. What was wrong? The kiss, the girl, himself… He popped his head out of the covers, looking at the pink-haired boy with sad eyes. He didn’t answer. Luhan smiled at his cute face, already happy Sehun looked at him. He lifted the covers up. “You would die of heat,” he explained. Sehun pouted. “What’s wrong?” Luhan repeated, even more softly.

                No answer.

                “Is it because I kissed you that you are upset?”

                Sehun shook his head.

                “Is it because of the girl who saw us?”

                Sehun shook his head again. He was starting to feel like a child whose mother was asking him questions about why he was crying. And who wasn’t willing to speak.

                “Is it because we’re both boys?”

                Shake.

                “Is it because you’re sixteen and I’m twenty?”

                Shake, again.

                “Is it because you don’t like me?”

                New shake, more frantic.

                Luhan was starting to run out of ideas. “Is it…” he began. Sehun sat up suddenly.

                “It’s because I…” he cut. “Because...”

                He looked away, embarrassed. He didn’t even know. Luhan giggled and took his hand gently. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked. Sehun nodded for the first time and even smiled; realising he’d acted stupidly. “Okay, don’t think I’m a ert,” Luhan continued. “But can I kiss you, please, Sehun-ah?”

                The younger boy blushed a bit but lifted his chin up expectantly. Luhan bent towards him and kissed his lips even more gently than the first time. He wanted it to feel as sweet and soft as possible. For a second or two, Sehun was completely lost; all his perception seemed to have concentrated in his lips and he couldn’t feel anything else than Luhan’s soft mouth against his own.

                Then the pink-haired boy broke the kiss, smiling. “Thank you,” he said, and Sehun blinked several times to try to understand what he’d just said. They looked at each other for several minutes before the young boy found at last something to say. A shame it was something silly.

                “Do you want some chocolate?”

                Luhan laughed – it had sounded really weird, all of a sudden. He smiled though, as if it were perfectly normal to ask such a thing after a perfect kiss. “Why not?” he answered (he tried to ignore the fact that it was rather lunchtime, and also to ignore he should have been at the shop). “And you could introduce me to your mother.”

                Sehun flushed. It sounded like he would be introducing his fiancé – and he didn’t even want to think about what Luhan was for him – friend, boyfriend?... They got up, and the pink-haired boy, as if he’d read his mind, asked, “And what are you going to say I am?”

                “What – a – a friend…of course…” Sehun answered hesitantly, but his heart sank when he saw a hint of disappointment in Luhan’s eyes.

                “Can’t I be your boyfriend?” the small boy asked. Sehun nibbled on his lower lip.

                “I don’t like that word…” he replied.

                “Lover?” Luhan offered. “Please…”

                Sehun nodded. “Lover.”

A/N : Second chapter is up! Thank you again for reading. Please do comment and subscribe! It makes me so happy... ♥

EDIT: READ THAT PLEASE. You know what?! Someone told me about the tracklist of EXO's album...and, there surely will be a song called PETER PAN! I didn't even know! I can't explain it, but really...how did this happen? (And I actually didn't know about that, because I wrote this fanfic more than a month ago, when i didn't even know EXO would be coming back. One word: HOW?) If there's really a song called Peter Pan, then I'm sure it will be great! I hope it will fit my story~

(And if you don't believe me, look at when I created the story... It was before the tracklist was announced. And I wrote the story several weeks before! I can't even believe it!)