Best friends.
Sehun did see that coming, but he didn't expect it to hurt so much every time he thought about it.
True, they were best friends who happened to sleep in the same bed and share kisses.
But Sehun couldn't shake off that little part of him that hoped Luhan would give a different answer.
He did tell Luhan he wouldn't force him into anything he didn't want, and Luhan must have been uncomfortable with the idea of being in a relationship with Sehun to give him that surprisingly painful answer.
Sehun wanted nothing more than Luhan's happiness, but he was still that naive, romantic teenager inside who wished for his love to be returned.

"Don't touch those. I'll do it." Sehun said softly as he retrieved the dish cloth from Luhan and started drying the stack of dishes before him.
It was raining and thunderstorming inside his head, but he couldn't bear to let Luhan work himself, not even placing or drying the dishes.
Perhaps subconsciously he was trying to win Luhan over, but the only thing on his mind was how he should act in front of Luhan.
He just didn't know how to act natural anymore, and he knew no matter what he did, his hurt would show through.
So he simply ignored Luhan while he stood beside him, watching him do their chore.
A couple of minutes later, he heard soft padding footsteps leaving his side, and he let out a bottomless sigh.
Stupid.
Sehun cursed out loud and threw down the dish cloth.
He moped into Suho and Lay's room, unaware of the fact that the motherly figure he was looking for wasn't even in the room.

"Young Sehun, a rare visitor.."
Sehun looked up and saw Lay sitting up in his bed reading, while Suho was nowhere to be seen.
This is not my day.
Sehun felt completely deflated, giving a weak nod before throwing himself onto Suho's bed.

"Looks like my plan wasn't much of a wake up call to Luhan." Lay closed his book and made his way over to Sehun, crouching down so he was at Sehun's eye level.
Plan?
He can't possibly mean...

"Wait, don't tell me-"

"Yes, I was playing Cupid for you. Or I tried." Lay shrugged.

"Sorry I failed you then." Sehun couldn't help being sarcastic.
He should have known it was more than a simple practical joke.
Lay fell quiet after that, and Sehun felt the guilt eating him up inside.
He should have been thankful, but there he was being an ungrateful brat because of the bitterness from rejection.

"Hyung, I'm sorry, I just... I don't know, I'm sorry okay?" Sehun covered his hand over his eyes tiredly.

"Does it hurt?"
Huh?
Sehun glanced at Lay and saw him patting the left side his own chest gently.
It reminded him of the night before, when Luhan was shifting his hand above where his heart was.
He was trying to feel my heart, literally.
Sehun's lips curved upwards when the sadness took over, twisting his smile.

"Yeah... Probably would have hurt less if Lu slapped me in the face."

"Then we're not so different." Lay dropped down and stretched his arms backwards, supporting himself on his palms.
Lay hyung doesn't even show that he likes Suho hyung.
Tao's words surfaced from Sehun's memory, and he felt his heart clench.

"It's not as bad as you think. You waddle in the pool of self-pity for long enough, and one day you'll look back and realize you've waddled out. And then it doesn't hurt so much anymore. Time heals everything." Lay gave Sehun a sad smile, then dropped his gaze and picked at the carpet with his fingers.
Sehun's chest felt impossibly tight that he found it hard to breathe, almost like being suffocated as he watched his hyung.
Is this really how it has to be?

No. It's not.
Sehun found himself sprinting out of the dormitory building, everything but Luhan thrown to the back of his mind.
I'm madly in love with Luhan.
He feels the same way.
Who cares if we're not together?
Sehun mentally cursed himself for being influenced by the others and complaints about their relationships.
He knew he was stupidly childish and selfish, practically turning cold towards the person he loved when he gave him the answer he wasn't hoping for.
Heck, he shouldn't even have asked the question in the first place.
It didn't even matter, what kind of relationship they had.
Sehun was running across the field, and the running track was in sight.
So was Luhan's sunkissed hazel brown hair.
Sehun's heart lifted and he made a final dash for the track, when he felt a harsh yank on his right shoulder, forcing him to spin around.
A brute.
That was the only word Sehun could think of to describe the person in front of him.
The man before him had fierce eyes, teeth bared like an animal, a dark brown scar running across the right side of his face, horrible steroid-induced muscles and he looked like he probably weighed more than double Sehun's weight.
Sehun widened his eyes in absolute fear, backing away to turn and run.
The brute was quicker than Sehun, grabbing onto his arm before throwing down to the ground.
He pinned him down with one hand and raised the other that was curled into a fist above his head.
Sehun recognized the black band on the brute's thick wrist.
It was a tracker.
B for Brutal.
His best friend's voice rung in his head again, and subconsciously Sehun craned his neck and desperately searched for Luhan.
The bench and track were empty.
With Luhan's safety ensured, Sehun closed his eyes and waited for the blow to land.
There was a cracking pain in Sehun's right cheekbone, and he spat out the rusty taste in his mouth at the brute.
Suddenly he was out of the brute's shadow, and the sunrays blinded him.
Sehun scrambled onto his hands and knees as quickly as he could even though the impact of the punch left his head spinning.
There was a white body over the brute's who was spazzing on the ground from the electric shocks sent through his wristband.
Then Sehun saw the head of hazel hair on the white body.

"Luhan!" Sehun screamed and tried to fight his way out of the dizziness to Luhan and the brute, but the concussion slowly knocked him out.
The last thing he saw before darkness took over his vision were charred marks on Luhan's white shirt.

Sehun opened his eyes to ten concerned and emotionally wrecked faces.

"He's awake!" There was a hushed voice from the back, and Sehun couldn't tell who it was from.
His head and cheek ached badly, his throat and mouth were dry and he couldn't feel his limbs.

"Sehun-ah, how are you feeling?" Suho reached around Sehun's back and helped him sit up.
It was only then Sehun realized he was in his own bed in his and Luhan's room.
Luhan.

"Where's Luhan?" Sehun didn't care about his sore body anymore and darted forwards, grabbing onto Suho's shoulders.
The only thing he wanted to hear then was that Luhan was okay.
Maybe he didn't get electrocuted, maybe Sehun was just hallucinating from being dizzy after the brute's punch.
Maybe he was just out for one of his little walks, on his way to watch the sunset.
Maybe he was doing whatever duty he and Sehun had that day.
Maybe he's alright.

"Sehun, calm down." Kris pushed Sehun back into the headboard, restraining him by his arms.

"Is Luhan okay?"

"Please, Sehun-"

"Tell me where Luhan is!" Sehun flung Kris's hands away and glared hard at the tall blonde.
The room fell painfully silent, and Sehun fisted his bed sheets tightly as he ran his eyes around the room, only to see every single person avoiding them.
No one was willing to tell Sehun where Luhan was.
Sehun cried out in frustration and hot tears trickled down his cheeks, stinging at the welt on his face.
Minutes passed before Baekhyun struggled out of Chanyeol's grip, ignoring the frantic protests from his roommate.
He pushed his way out and stood in front of Sehun, a nervous though determined expression on his face.

"Luhan is in the cell."

Author's Note:

Dramaaaaaaaaa wooooooh

That's enough angst author-nim!

Nope. Not even close. Yehet bishes.