Chapter 4

"Did somebody mention drink?" The drunken boy's eyes lit up with excitement when his compadré mentioned the "d" word and he immediately began jumping up and down on the spot, much to the embarrassment of his younger friend. Luhan wasn't an alcoholic or anything, he just enjoyed a drink and after hearing about Sehun's success earlier that day he had suggested that they quenched their thirst at the nearby club. Their first drink felt eons ago now and the darker the sky became, the more excitable Luhan had become and he had seemed to finish an increasing number of alcoholic beverages with each passing hour. Now look at him:clueless, tired and wasted. Sehun kept his head down. He wasn't entirely sure whether the two males Luhan had ran into earlier were still opposite them, their inquisitive gazes glued to the scene before them and their lips curved in amusement. Luhan stumbled forward and grabbed a lamppost for support, his precious bottle clashing against the metal with a strong "clash". He clung there, mouth wide and hunched over, for a long time before he screeched. "Who are you?"

Yixing almost jumped out of his skin. His dark eyes darted between the drunken boy and his friend multiple times before eventually focusing on his bemused friend. He cocked his head to the side. Xiumin's wicked smile made him feel uneasy. Leaning to the side slightly he whispered in Xiumin's ear. "Xiumin, what do we say?" Xiumin burst into laughter. Tears prickled his eyes and he had to clutch his stomach because it hurt so much. He slapped the Chinese boy's shoulder, a little harder than expected,and rolled his eyes. "Lighten up.You Chinese need to relax a little. This happens a lot."

"What's so funny?" Luhan snapped, his tired gaze aimed at the laughing boy as he stumbled away from the lamppost and took a few mere steps towards the pair. Sehun's eyes widened. "Luhan. Just leave them both alone. Stop bothering them." And with that,he scooped his hyung up from the floor once he saw Luhan had tripped, most likely over his own two feet. His bottle had smashed also but Luhan was clearly far too interested in the other boys to even hear the sound of the shattering glass let alone tidy his mess. Public drunkenness was fairly common in Korea though so it didn't particularly surprise anyone of the mess that Luhan had made. Sehun s one arm around the older boy's stomach and the other covered his mouth. Sehun refused to budge,no matter how much Luhan insisted on his palm with his tongue. Sehun grimaced but knew damn well he'd get revenge somehow. 

"Come on Luhan. We need to get going now." he said as he began to usher to boy away from the pond. Away from the two boys. Away from the humiliation. As he guided the drunken mess-of-a-best-friend back up the path and back the way they'd came,he looked back over his shoulder at the two males who,he realised, had witnessed the entire event without saying a word. His cheeks flared in embarrassment and he hung his head low as he led both himself and his drunken friend away from the messy situation.

***

The next morning Sehun was furious. "Luhan,you bastard. Do you know how much of a hassle you were last night because of how much you drank?" Sehun spat as he saw the older boy wander into the kitchen, expecting a breakfast from the younger which he certainly wasn't going to get. Luhan walked to the cupbaord, pulled out a glass and then walked to the tap to make himself a drink. "I'm sorry?" he mumbled as he took a sip of his drink. "You'd better be a lot more than sorry, hyung." Sehun screeched, angrily throwing a slice of bread -which he was about to put in the toaster- at the older boy who had to pick it up off the floor. "Jeez, calm down. What did the bread ever do to you?"

"It didn't embarass me in front of two strangers. That's what it didn't do!" Sehun retorted, buttering his toast so quickly that barely any was actually spreading and instead just being flicked all over the place. A smile crept across Luhan's lips as he observed his friend. He slid over beside him and hopped onto the countertop, sitting himself down,as Sehun sat at the table and began eating his toast. "So, you're really worried about what these strangers will think of you?" Luhan asked,eyebrow raising in a high arch. Sehun decided to ignore the question and continued eating his toast. "Aish, Sehun," Luhan rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. If he was going to get anything out of the boy, he'd have to go at it from a different point of view. 

"You know, I don't remember much of last night, Sehun, but you know what I do remember?" Sehun peered over his shoulder at Luhan on the countertop behind him. He arched an eyebrow and heaved a heavy sigh. "What do you remember, hyung?" Every word was laced with sarcasm. Luhan snorted. "I remember how cute that guy was," he admitted, unfolding his arms and pretending to look at his nails as if the staement meant nothing to him. He merely shrugged it off. Sehun, however, didn't. His eyes flew open. "Which guy?" he asked quickly, staring at the older boy who was now smiling broadly at him. "Which guy? You know,the short one? With the chubby cheeks and the spiked hair.I think you know who I mean," Luhan laughed, resting his head on his hands behind him and leaning backwards. He was expectant to see how this would turn out.

Sehun stiffened. "You know what,I don't think I know who you're on about actually. I barely noticed either of them last night. Too busy dragging you away from them, I guess," He smiled sweetly at Luhan, eyes turning into small half-moon shapes as he did so. He then proceeded to tidying away his plate, throwing it into the sink with a clatter and washing it with the sponge. Luhan slid off the counter and stood behind him, a playful smirk gracing his lips. "You sure? You know what I think, Sehun. I think that you're lying to me," He ruffled the younger boy's hair. "And you know why I think that? Because I'm positive you remember exactly who those two guys were last night and you were embarrassed about what happened because you want to see one of them again. Am I right?"

Sehun finished cleaning the plate and shoved it onto the side where he was going to let it dry. Right now, he did not want to deal with Luhan who was determined on finding out answers. "No, you are wrong Luhan. And if I don't get going I'm going to be late for my first day at a new job," he sighed, pushing past the Chinese boy and heading to the front door where he grabbed his jacket and shoes. "Wrong, am I? Then why is the name "Xiumin" written on your hand?" Luhan ran to the boy and grabbed a hold of his left hand where, as plain as day, was the name "Xiumin" written on it. "Oh that? That's nothing. Someone I work with actually," And with that, Sehun snatched his hand from Luhan's grip, swung the door open and disappeared outside with a short "goodbye hyung" following him out.

Luhan rolled his eyes, looking into the mirror that they had near their front door. He attempted to tame his tangled morning hair when it suddenly occurred to him:today was Saturday, Sehun didn't start work until Sunday.

End of Chapter 4