School was back in session in less time than the couple needed. They hadn’t been doing much of anything other than watching movies and cuddling and trying to keep warm. Over the break, Baekhyun had cleared out a drawer in his room for Chanyeol, and Chanyeol cried, but only a little. Baekhyun attacked him with kisses because he didn’t want Chanyeol to cry but he was assured it was happy tears, and that made him feel a little bit better.

               They had found a way to not get on one another’s nerves while they studied and they managed to still talk every so often. Even sometimes when they were at Chanyeol’s apartment they would cook Jongup some dinner too and despite the fact the boy only seemed to like beef and ramen, he never complained about the free food and always ate it all. They sometimes chatted about things here and there and would laugh over classes and professors, but it wasn’t anything serious ever. Sometimes Jongup’s girlfriend would be brought up and a smile would break on his face and he would look down at his plate, blushing like mad and grinning like a fool. Baekhyun wondered if he did that too when people talked about Chanyeol to him.

               Sometimes they would invite Luhan and Sehun over and they would talk over some drinks (non-alcoholic for Sehun though despite his whining) and they would chat about work and movies and classes and film and music and whatever came to mind. The four had become the best of friends and even though Sehun and Chanyeol weren’t exactly comfortable with each other yet, they still got along for the sake of Luhan and Baekhyun. Some nights, they would split off into groups of two and gossip about their boyfriends. Baekhyun and Luhan always found themselves inside while Chanyeol and Sehun sat out under a dim lamp that was outside the apartment.

               “Do you want a sip?” Chanyeol asked, holding out his beer to Sehun, who looked at it and crinkled his nose. He grabbed it from the older male and knocked back a swig before swallowing and making a face of utter disgust. Chanyeol laughed at him and took it back, taking a swig himself and then setting it at his side.

               “How can you guys stand that?” Sehun asked. Chanyeol shrugged, pulling at a loose thread on his shirt.

               “We don’t. Alcohol isn’t supposed to taste good, it’s supposed to make you forget.” he said, his voice a little sullen. Sehun just looked at him with the usual bored expression he always had on his face.

               “What are you trying to forget? I thought you liked being with us?” he asked, and Chanyeol waved his hand dismissively and wrapped the thread around his finger, yanking it off and then discarding it on the ground. It whirled around a little before it was swept away by the wind.

               “I do, don’t get me wrong but you know, school and when I’m with you guys we talk about it a lot and I don’t want to be at school when I don’t have to.” Chanyeol said, and Sehun nodded. “I want to talk about, I don’t know, even movies sometimes I get sick of because that’s school too. I want to talk about more mature and intimate stuff, but I don’t want to scare everyone.”

               “Like what?” Sehun asked a little confused. Chanyeol huffed not because he was annoyed, but he thought maybe Sehun was too young for talk about this.

               “You know, . Marriage. The works. I want to know who in your relationship tops. Who bottoms? What’s the freakiest you’ve ever done? Do you think you love Luhan enough to marry him?” Chanyeol asked, picking up his beer bottle again and taking another drink. Sehun watched the way Chanyeol’s lips curled over the opening and thought about it. “Baekhyun brought up marriage. Well, I brought up marriage actually and the thought scares me.” he admitted. Sehun nodded.

               “Luhan generally receives, but on the occasion I take it from him, but that’s so rare it’s only happened like, twice. Freaky stuff? We tried standing 69 and that didn’t work out too well. Luhan’s been trying to hint at wanting to do fantasies but I’m not too comfortable with it. He likes it slow and deep and I like my slow to but I don’t want it to drag out. Marriage though? Could I marry Luhan? I don’t know. I’ve never but more than a grain of rice of thought into it.” Sehun said, and Chanyeol for once saw him smiling like a genuine full on smile.

               “He seems like he would be a good husband. Wife. Thing. I don’t know, but I do love him. I love him a lot and I guess I don’t show him it much. Generally you buy things to show affection but I know Luhan has a hard time spending money, so I don’t spend on him so he doesn’t feel guilty. But, he and I do spend our time together in the wisest way possible. We go on dates and do other stupid couple things, but we’ve never discussed marriage. I always think in the back of my mind it’s far away, but a lot of people get married then they’re like, 25, and Luhan is 23. I think to myself, “Will he keep liking me even if I’m so young? Will he be okay waiting for me? Is he fine having such an immature boyfriend?”. I wonder if he’s ashamed that he’s dating a 19 year old. I don’t know who he’s told, but I’ve told some of the other guys, and they’re all saying he’s a creep for dating me. I don’t think he is.” Sehun said, sighing. He motioned for Chanyeol’s beer and was handed it, taking another large gulp before shaking his head and passing it back.

               “I don’t think he is. I don’t see why it’s creepy since he loves me. When he does buy me things, they’re gorgeous. He bought me a gold band.” he said, feeling the ring on his finger. Chanyeol looked at it with amazement. He would need to sell his organs to be able to buy Baekhyun something like that, but he was brought back when Sehun spoke up again.

               “All the guys too, they all thought I was weird for dating a guy, even though Kyungsoo, you know him? He said that he and Kai fool around if they’ve gone without from a girl for some time. Kris and Tao too, they kiss and cuddle and Tao says they shower together and they’ve touched each other’s before and I don’t get why I’m the one being ostracized for being in a relationship with another guy.”

               Chanyeol put his hand on Sehun’s back as he noticed his voice wavering. He wasn’t used to seeing anyone cry other than Baekhyun and once he saw Jongup cry, but that was because he had really hurt himself. Sehun wiped at his eyes and looked off in the opposite direction of Chanyeol, trying to keep himself steady to talk.

               “I love him. I’ve never loved someone so much in my entire life and I want to tell that to the guys but I also don’t want them to hate me. So what if he’s older? So what if we’re both guys? We love one another and that should be all that matters, right? I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.” Sehun said. His body shook lightly and Chanyeol moved his hand up and down on his back.

               “I don’t get it either Sehun. I don’t either, and I don’t think I ever will.”

               “A scout came up to me. He asked me to sing on the spot, and I did. He told me I was an angel Baekhyun. He told me I looked like money. He said that if I accepted their offer, I wouldn’t ever have to worry about money again. I could pay off my mom and dad’s debuts and I could get Sehun through school.” Luhan said, his voice low. Baekhyun’s eyes were wide.

               “Why didn’t you take it on the spot? That’s an amazing opportunity! Have you told Sehun yet?” he asked, and Luhan shook his head, holding the business card in his hand. They were quivering and Baekhyun looked at it like it was a million dollars. It very well could have been, but he heard about how rigorous the training at SM was. He had heard that you rarely got breaks and then there were psychotic fans who would find out sooner or later that Luhan and Sehun were dating, and having a gay figure in the spotlight could ruin them.

               “They said anywhere from two to seven years I would be a trainee, and I don’t know if I want to be away from Sehun for that long. They told me… they told me that if I knew any friends too who have talent to give me their names. I said you. I said Chanyeol too and even Sehun. I didn’t know what to do.  I froze up on the spot. I’m so sorry.”

               Luhan’s voice was like ice. It was colder than the night outside, and Baekhyun knew more than anyone else how tempting this was to him. The promise of money was more tempting than being with Sehun or with being Baekhyun and seeing him regularly. Baekhyun sighed, gently reaching for the business card and taking it from Luhan’s hand. He held it like it was glass, running his fingers over the print and sighing.

               “If you go, I’ll go. We can audition together and then we won’t have to be apart, but you have to talk Sehun about it first. I’ll tell Chanyeol too, but I know he won’t be happy. His passion is movies, but his passion is also me, and I’ll be damned if he says yes exclusively because of me. You have to want to do this Luhan. You can’t be unsure about wanting to go into something so serious. This isn’t a game, this is a career. This is fifteen or more years of promise. You do get that, right?” Baekhyun asked, and Luhan looked at him with tears in his eyes. He yelled.

               “Of course I know! You don’t think I didn’t do my research? I’m scared Baekhyun. I want to go but I don’t want to drag you guys in with me. I don’t want to endanger us and I don’t want us to be split up. What if we’re not put in the same group? I don’t want to be separated from you or Sehun or Chanyeol even! What if Sehun is in a separate group and you, Chanyeol and I are together? What of Chanyeol splits off? You’ll blame me. You’ll hate me.”

               “Pull yourself together Luhan!” Baekhyun yelled, putting the card down and gripping his friend by the shoulders. “You remember the puzzle pieces you bought for us? That means we’re always going to complete each other even if we’re not with each other, okay? I would never hate you if that happened. If this is how you’re acting right now, just rip us the card and throw it away. Sehun never has to know.” Baekhyun said, picking up the card and handing it to Luhan. He held it in his hands and looked down on it, crumpling his fist around it and then opening it. When it wasn’t gone, he tried again, and again. He opened and closed his fist around it, wishing it to go away, but it taunted him. The money taunted him.

               “I could save everyone from financial troubles.” he said, finally putting the card into his pocket instead of shredding it like he should have. “I’ll go in alone as long as your bring me to the audition and sit with me through it. There’s no guarantee I’ll even get in, right?” he said, smiling, but it was weak. Both he and Baekhyun knew it was a small chance he wouldn’t get in. Luhan was beautiful and talented, and that’s what they needed. Baekhyun smiled back at him though and nodded his head. He got up and pulled Luhan into a hug, his hair and he kissed him chastely on the temple.

               “I know you’ll do great.”

               The day came around and Baekhyun picked up Luhan and Sehun at Luhan’s place. They had spent the night together, going over things like how their relationship could change and how they might break up. Sehun took it all very well to their surprise, but he was strong. He sat in the backseat with Chanyeol, who put his hand on Sehun’s thigh and squeezed it to let him know it would be all okay. He nodded, and Baekhyun drove them to the venue where Luhan’s life could change. Baekhyun’s too. He told Chanyeol that he was going to be with Luhan through it all and that a promise was a promise. He had brought an application and everything. Chanyeol told him he would support him in every decision he made, even if he was disappointed that this basically nixed Baekhyun’s chances of being a chef.

               They pulled up to the hall the auditions were being held in and watched the stream of kids roll in. Yes, kids. Luhan was ancient compared to them, but he thought he might still have a chance. He was talented. Sehun could easily get in too since he was still young, and that scared all of them. What if all of them failed the audition and only Sehun got in? Chanyeol clutched his own seat just thinking about this whole thing.

               “You know, I’m starting to think this wasn’t a god idea. I mean, all of these kids don’t look at a day over 14. We’re all like fossils next to them, so why don’t we turn back?” he said with his voice shaking. There was a nervous laugh from all of them, but Baekhyun was the first to unbuckle and open to car door. Luhan was next, and Chanyeol and Sehun just sat for a few more seconds before giving each other a nod and getting out themselves.

               “I’ll just be sure to pseudo up.” Sehun said to Chanyeol, who laughed some and patted him on the back. As the group walked in, they began to see some parents who were yelling at small children about how if they mess this up they’re getting a beating and some crying ones who were too nervous. There were more than enough trashcans around and from the stench you could tell some got sick from anxiety. They all held their noses and walked into the packed building.

               No head turned as they walked in, which was odd considering they were a good foot taller than most of the people there. Some might have thought they were on staff, but with Sehun obnoxious hair color they really didn’t understand why they didn’t receive a few odd looks. It was a little bit of a blow to the ego, but that didn’t deter them, especially not Luhan, who took turned in his form with chin up and a look of determination.

               “You too?” said a voice from beside him. Luhan looked over to be met with a tan boy, whose skin contrasted with his quite a lot. Sehun popped up behind them and he seemed to know the boy.

               “Kai? You’re auditioning too?” he asked, surprised. Kai nodded, looking at Sehun’s form in hand and pointed to it.

               “If your whole troupe going to try to get in? I don’t think they’ll allow a bunch of your kind in an entertainment company.” he replied with a disgusted look on his face. Luhan looked at him straight in the eyes.

               “What, you mean talented?” he asked, trying to act oblivious. Sehun had his hand on Luhan’s lower back and kept it there as Kai just smirked at them.

               “Everyone’s going to see it.” Kai said, and Sehun shook his head, grinning.

               “Kyungsoo is trying out too, right? He has a good voice. You know there’s a dating ban, and you two seem pretty friendly enough as it is. Don’t act like everyone hasn’t seen you two hold hands in the movies and sneak kisses here and there when you don’t think we’re watching. We know Kai, we know.” Sehun said, and he said it as a threat. Kai’s skin seemed to pale at the words.

               “You wouldn’t.” he replied, and Sehun wrapped his arm around Luhan’s waist pulling him in closer and quickly kissing his temple.

               “Oh, but I would.”

               Baekhyun and Chanyeol seemed to walk in at just the right time, because Kai was about to punch out Sehun had to the other’s not showed up. He grimaced at the four and turned around to head back to his own group, who seemed to all also be trying out. Some of them meekly waved while other side eyed them and turned away. Chanyeol waved enthusiastically, but it was not returned.

               “What’s their problem?” he asked, and Sehun shrugged.

               “We just discussed some personal matters, nothing else.” Sehun said as he tossed a glance over his shoulder. Kai was right by Kyungsoo, whispering something and then the other boy’s eyes became even wider than they naturally were. He looked panicked, but Kai held on to his hand and his back. He was so in denial you could see it from space. Sehun laughed to himself.

               “So how does this work?” Baekhyun asked, and the three turned to him.

               “You mean you didn’t look up how this went?” Chanyeol asked, and Baekhyun shrugged some.

               “I was too busy trying to make sure I could move around for this no thanks to you . You’re not exactly gentle when you’re excited.” he said, making the younger boy blush. Sehun did too, but Luhan just laughed.

               “Anyways, we basically sit and then wait for judges to come out and we get pulled in for singing auditions or we go to a room for dancing. It depends on what you put on your sheet. I sure as hell hope you put singing on there, right?” Chanyeol asked, and Baekhyun nodded.

               “What about you? Can you sing?” he asked back, and Chanyeol shook his head.

               “I sure as hell can’t dance either, so I hope I can get by with rapping. I’m pretty good at that.” he said, and the three looked worried. “What about you Sehun?”

               “I-I put down dance.” he said, looking back over at Kai. He knew Kai was one of the best dancers around, so to have to compete with him was terrifying. He didn’t want to be the only one who couldn’t make it in, but if that was the case, he knew Chanyeol might not make it in too, and that was fine by him. The boyfriends could wait on their significant other’s and cheer them on. Maybe they could work together to go to every show they had when they debuted and it would be fine, right? Right. Sehun tried to convince himself that.

               “We’re all going to be fine guys, just wait. The judges will be floored. And speaking of, I think people are being called in as we speak. Let’s find a place to sit and just take a few breaths before we go in, alright? And best of luck to everyone.” Baekhyun said, and for some reason, it lifted everyone’s spirits. “What about Jongup though?” Baekhyun asked suddenly to Chanyeol. Chanyeol was taken off guard, but he recovered.

               “Oh, he’s going in for a different company. He said that SM is too pushy and he’s way too shy to have so much spotlight on him so suddenly. I know he’s going to make it in.” Chanyeol said, and Luhan looked at him.

               “What company?” he asked. Chanyeol put his finger on his chin and tapped it.

               “It’s small, but it’s the company that one girl group is from. Secret? They also have Untouchable and it’s another initial company. T… T something.” he said. Luhan spoke up.

               “TS?”

               “That’s it.” Chanyeol said, snapping and then pointing to Sehun, who backed away for a second. “TS. He’s going there.”

               Everyone nodded as they found seats. They all took one, putting their hands in their lap and their legs jittered with nerves. Luhan was the only one who seemed all together. Baekhyun was next in line while Chanyeol was after him. Sehun was a mess internally. He wouldn’t let the other boys know how scared he was, but it was Kai he was most scared about. He couldn’t care less about the judges, it was him though that he wanted to impress.

               The thought soon was whisked away as names were called one by one to go and sing, dance or rap. Whenever one would leave, another was shortly called after. They all said good luck and that they were going to do great, but the loom of being separated hung high above their heads.

               The four got home, all shakes and nerves as they clung to their phones like they were their life, and they were in a sense. They went to Chanyeol’s apartment, waiting for Jongup to come back too, but as they waited, they waited in silence.

               Chanyeol’s phone was the first to ring. They all stared at him, and when Chanyeol pulled it out, he saw the caller ID was from the audition, and he picked it up with his hands shaking like mad. They all listened in carefully as the voice on the other line spoke.

               “Park Chanyeol?” it asked.

               “This is he.”

               “We have some good news. You’re accepted into SM Entertainment as a trainee!” it said, and then Baekhyun’s phone went off. Sehun’s did. Luhan’s did. Jongup burst through the door with his phone in hand, and all of them were silent.

               “Oh Sehun?”

               “Byun Baekhyun?”

               “Lu Han?”

               “Moon Jongup?”

               “This is he.” they all said in unison. There was a pause, and Chanyeol looked around the room his call had ended already, and he waited on pins and needles for words to be spoken. As if on cue, from all phones, there was a unanimous “Congratulations! You made it into SM/TS entertainment as a trainee!” and cheers erupted from all around the room.

               Sehun was bawling while Baekhyun and Chanyeol locked lips in a celebratory kiss. Jongup was dialing his girlfriend frantically to tell her that all of her spending habits would be covered for as long as she lived.

               “This is so surreal!” Luhan yelped, holding Sehun in his arms and wiping away tears that the younger was shedding. He was smiling from ear to ear but the tears would not stop coming from him. Baekhyun was shaking Chanyeol by his shoulders and kept pulling him into hugs and was kissing him every chance he got while the shrill scream of Jongup’s girlfriend came from the phone. All of them were so happy they couldn’t feel their face from smiling.

               “This calls for a celebration!” Luhan announced, and all of them looked at him, breathing heavily from all the yelling and jumping around. “We’re going out to dinner, and it’s on me!”

               Baekhyun helped Chanyeol adjust his tie for the 4^th time that night and Chanyeol couldn’t help but to keep buttoning and ing the middle one on his shirt from nerves. Baekhyun went to grab his wrist to stop him and he held his hand, weaving their fingers together and putting it in between them as Luhan drove them to a restaurant that apparently you needed reservations, but Luhan got in Scott free. They looked at the city lights swirling all around them and took it all in, feeling like they were in heaven even though they all knew hell was soon to come.

               Both couples had discussed PDA policies when they were in training. They all found it thankful that most groups were already very affectionate with one another so it shouldn’t be that much of a problem for them to get enough touch and pass here and there, but it wasn’t the quality time they wanted. There wasn’t going to be any more huge breakfasts after a hard night of ing and there wasn’t going to be any alone time walking out and playing in the snow. They were one step closer to being under constant watch whether they knew it or not. 

               “You guys look good.” Sehun said from the passenger seat, his voice still shaking from the news earlier. Baekhyun and Chanyeol hummed in response. They weren’t exactly sure of what to say or do since they were all too elated but grossly terrified in the same breath.

               All of them did look good though. Chanyeol had recently gotten his hair cut short and I was set into a small little fauxhawk and dyed black. He was a wearing a yellow dress shirt even though Baekhyun hated it. Chanyeol had convinced him since ‘it was a happy occasion, he needed a happy color’ and he wore a light green tie, which reminded Baekhyun of a sunflower. His slacks were thankfully black and not some horrid color. Baekhyun wasn’t sure how Chanyeol managed to dress himself every day if this was his fashion taste.

               Baekhyun wore a light blue dress shirt and a powder pink tie, which reminded Chanyeol of a baby shower for a child whose gender wasn’t known yet. Baekhyun made a face at that comment and ruffled his own hair to fix it. He felt self-conscious about his looks since soon he would be up and looked at all the time.

               Luhan was wearing something similar to Baekhyun, but instead of a blue shirt his was a dark purple and his tie was a deep blue. He would have looked the best had it not been for Sehun, who had dyed his hair a blonde-grey color and was adorned with a blood red dress shirt and sleek black tie. Luhan was having a hard time focusing on the road with something like that sitting next to him.

               “So where are we going?” Chanyeol asked to break the silence. Baekhyun squeezed his hand and shook his head, telling him silently to not spoil the occasion by ruining the surprise. Luhan smiled to himself and was proud that he was about to drop a big wad of cash down on dinner. Baekhyun kept his wallet with him just in case though Luhan freaked out.

               Soon, they reached an exit on the highway and Luhan took it, leading the group of boys to a small but high end looking steakhouse. Chanyeol’s mouth began to water and Baekhyun just looked at it incredulously.

               “Are you sure?” Baekhyun asked to Luhan quietly while Sehun and Chanyeol all but ran out of the car. Luhan nodded, adjusting his tie around his neck to make it a little looser. He was sweating already.

               “Yeah. It’s a special occasion and I feel bad for always being the one who doesn’t pay or buy anything for that matter, so I decided you bring you guys here.” he said, and Baekhyun lifted an eyebrow and kept him in the car for a couple of seconds.

               “Can I ask you a personal question really fast?” Baekhyun said, and Luhan nodded.

               “Yeah, sure.”

               Baekhyun looked to be sure Sehun and Chanyeol were far enough away so they couldn’t hear, and he leaned in close to Luhan, who was looking a little worried by now.

               “That gold band around Sehun’s finger, was that you? Was it just a gift as a boyfriend or are you…” Baekhyun trailed off as Luhan looked over at Sehun, smiling. There was a faint trace of sadness in his eyes.

               “We’re trainees now, so even if I wanted to marry him any time soon we would have to debut and then go out our course. I mean, I love him. I do, but I told him if anyone asks about that, just say it was a memento from his mother. We don’t need controversy surrounding us so soon.” Luhan said, and Baekhyun waited for him to say more. “I should have made it one. I should buy him another one, but we’ve been dating for less than a year but I already feel so, so in love with him. What about you and Chanyeol?” he asked from the blue, and Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol outside. He was talking energetically about something with Sehun.

               “I don’t think I’ll do anything any time soon. Like you said, we’ve been dating for less than a year so I mean, I mean I don’t want to rush things. He’s still young, so I don’t want to make him jump into a decision he’ll regret later. I’m not saying your thoughts are a mistake, but I do just want to say that both you and I are floating in the same boat. When I think about popping the question, I’ll tell you, best man.” Baekhyun said, and Luhan’s face lit up.            

               “Best man?” he asked. Baekhyun nodded.

               “What, did you really think anyone else would be suitable for the role? You act as if I have more friends than just you.”