“Slow.”

Suho bared his teeth as he whipped around, aiming his foot in a high kick. As he moved, a layer of ice instantly grew and froze over his leg, a layer of protection created by Xiumin who stood a ways away. Suho aimed the enforced attack to Mr. Huang’s head, but the latter blocked with his arms, unbudging.

The older wolf sent a vicious jab to the fold of Suho’s knee, shattering the ice layer and pitching him sideways. Suho took the fall as ice shards headed straight for them, guided by Xiumin’s outstretched hands. Unlike Suho’s offensive maneuvers, Xiumin was on the defensive, making timely shots to back the latter’s attacks.

Tao's father sunk into a crouch before he could be hit, the ice only leaving a layer of misty droplets in his salt-and-pepper hair. Xiumin sent shot after shot, trying to put the wolf off balance; where Xiumin stood, the air around his form shimmered from his speed, swirling in bitterly cold fog as he manipulated water to create his element.

For the purpose of this fight, Amara had casted a wide, shallow river of water parallel to the arena field, fed by a waterfall beginning at one shadowy point beneath the second level. The two younger wolves relied on it heavily, aggressive in their tactics, but minutes into the spar neither had managed to land a solid hit on the older wolf. Tao’s father had the agility to avoid attacks with wide margins, but he chose to move at the last moment, his fighting style observant but intimate. He found his way close, finding the holes, weaknesses -- Suho thought of him like a cobra, winding around an opponent to find the perfect moment to strike. These spars weren’t meant to last long. It only took seconds to be overwhelmed and beaten; there wasn’t a breath of a moment to hesitate.

Suho regained his stance, drawing water. He pulled it in, letting a long stream coil around the length of his arms until they were entirely enveloped. He tensed as Mr. Huang shifted to Xiumin, edging closer by aiming lethal blows to the latter’s vital points. Suho edged in, waiting. He would find his opening, he would land a hit this time.  

Xiumin and Mr. Huang quickly locked arms; the former let his ice take hold of the latter’s limbs, the air misting between them icily. Mr. Huang didn’t even flinch. His face remained uncannily impassive as he put more strength in his stance. With a small grunt and a sharp inhale he clenched his upper body, taking a might heave downwards. The ice shattered, becoming thousands of fragile bits sparkling through the air.

Suho sent out one arm of water, enveloping the older wolf’s shoulder, dragging him back. Suho launched forward to meet him, setting his knee into the bottom of his spine. They pitched forward together: Suho grabbed for his arms but Mr. Huang managed to flip around mid-air, keeping them set in front of his stomach. When they hit the floor, Suho found his knee held still by the palm of one hand, the other positioning a pointed ice shard into his abdomen. Suho braced his hands on the ground, panting, but not quite able to breathe with the threatening pressure digging into his skin.

Mr. Huang remained still beneath him. “We’re done.”

“No,” Suho said, trying to keep his voice even between breaths, “please continue the assessment.” But the intense gleam in Mr. Huang’s eyes was disappearing. He was finished with them.

~~~

Tao cleared his throat when no one else in the pack would speak. He didn’t want to be the one to start, but the collective silence was oppressive when paired with the scratching sounds of pen on paper. After their third day of observation, the pack grouped in one of the separate rooms for Mr. Huang and Prosecutor Lee to brief them. With a paper cup of tea in his hands, Tao’s father was much less intense. Tao turned to him, unwilling to address the prosecutor directly, “did you need water?”

“No, I’m fine.” Mr. Huang said shortly. There had been a cup made for Prosecutor Lee, but her rapt attention to her board had let it grow cool. Eventually she did take a shallow sip, and setting the cup down she finally regarded the pack.

“Are you twelve serious about assisting us?”  

“We wouldn’t undergo an evaluation light heartedly,” Suho spoke.

She flipped through her notes, eyes glazed over with an indiscernible expression. “Exo has a reputation in society from its abundance of gifts, so I had come with some expectations -- what’s here is commonplace.”

“Commonplace?” Kris echoed, trying not to smile. The rest of the pack remained in varying degrees of exhaustion, but the first ripples of tension were unignorable.

“You all maintain average levels in manipulation, depth, and strategy.” She paused, noting their expressions, “I’m saying this from an objective perspective. Also, I would think you would want me to speak frankly since it connects with something so serious.” No one gave her a reply, some shifting silently with harden looks.

“Another death was confirmed today,” she moved on, voice clipped and professional. “At 6:57 am, a group of high school students reported a body lying near a bus station in Myeong-dong: a sixteen year old female reported missing by her family forty eight hours prior.” Prosecutor Lee leaned back slightly, but it gave the effect of her sitting even more straight. “This group has evaded us for a long time. They slip out of the grasp of mature, fully developed and skilled fighters on a regular basis; I need more than positive public opinion to take students onto this team.”

“It sounds like you’re considering us specifically through that label,” Kris interjected.

She smiled the jaded smile: nothing forced or genuine, only business. “I, as well as Mr. Huang, must take into account all aspects of potentials. That includes your current level of academic study.”

“How much does something like that matter?” D.O spoke.

“It matters as much as it is a limitation. Your ability levels should be high enough that the fact can be completely ignored,” she paused, “but it can’t.”

Suho heaved a silent breath. “Does this mean Exo will not be added to the force?”

Prosecutor Lee snapped her notes closed. “Nothing is decided yet. We need the input of our colleagues.” At that the two rose from their seats. Mr. Huang didn’t say a word during the whole briefing, a sign he had nothing to add. Or refute.

“Thank you for coming to assess us.” Suho spoke. The pack collectively bowed.

Prosecutor Lee dipped her head. “If Exo is deemed fit we’ll be in contact.” The room was silent after the pair walked out, a somber mood falling over the group. A few collapsed on the floor, others went for water.

A grimace filled Baekhyun’s face as he massaged a leg. “We failed.”

“That wasn’t a fair match. Tao’s dad is a legend for his combat skills.” Chanyeol braced his hands on his hips. D.O stood next to him, arms crossed and silent.

Suho sighed, “it was worth a try at least.”

Chen broke the silence. “They’re on an entirely different level, with years of experience. We train, but we’ve never gone through anything intense. This isn’t a shocking surprise.”

“But we were completely beaten by Mr. Huang, regardless of our strategies,” Luhan interjected, sounding frustrated. “Maybe if we had all taken him on at once?”

“If it takes all of us to bring only him down, how could we deal with all the Ghosts?” Lay murmured quietly. The latter could think of no answer.

“In or not, we’ll continue with practice.” Kris spoke up, trying to redirect the focus. “Take this as a learning experience. There will be other opportunities-”

“Where are you going?” Suho interrupted. Sehun stopped halfway through the door.

“Aren’t we done for the night?”

“Yeah. We should all grab dinner.”

Sehun shook his head at the idea. “I’m good for tonight.”

“Someone doesn’t seem so discouraged,” Xiumin spoke, but the comment held no bite. Sehun gave a muted smile, looking elsewhere.

“I’m going for a walk.” He explained, but it raised a number of looks across a few pack members.

“With no destination in mind?” Kai called out as he walked away. “You don’t look your best right now, maybe avoid bumping into people.”

~~~

“Sehun-ah?” I spoke, shocked. The hooded figure raised his head, the familiar smoldering eyes and neutral expression proving me right. But he was worn out, a tall figure bent low over himself, like he was curling in against the rain. There was no shelter at the bus stop he sat next to, so his sweatshirt and pants were utterly drenched. “W-what are you doing?”

Instead of responding, he gazed up half vacantly, as if a part of him was lost in thought. It was by chance I’d noticed his form while walking down the street. I had had a closing shift at the bookstore, and the steady rain had added another layer of darkness to the skies. A gut feeling had made me pause and swerve a little closer as I was passing, but I could’ve missed him entirely. I edged close, angling my umbrella over us both the best I could.

“Hey. I wasn’t sure you’d be okay seeing me,” he spoke after a while.

I stared down with wide eyes. “How long have you been out here?” I wanted to ask why, but it was quickly becoming clear this hadn’t been planned. Something in his expression just said so. Instead of answering, he pushed my umbrella back, letting the rain continue to hit him.

“You could catch a cold Lena,” he murmured.

“And you definitely will if you stay out here,” I insisted. The seat next to him was filled with a shallow puddle, so I kept as close as I comfortably could, staring down at him with a frown. “Did Kai-ah tell you I worked here?”

“Xiumin hyung did,” he paused, “it’s funny how you assume it was Kai,”

“Well he’s the type to talk,” I spoke slowly.

“About you?”

“N-no, just in general. I mean, he’s like Jae Hwa-ah, always getting into other people’s b-business.” Sehun blinked at my comparison. Incredibly, I earned a slow ghostly hint of a smile.

“What is it?”

He looked down at the ground, still smiling. “Nothing.”

“You... you’re really confusing,” I spoke. “All of you are just, strange and random and- and weird.”

“Weird,” he repeated, as if I was the one that wasn’t making sense.

“I mean, this-” I gestured to the area, the lack of people and how it made the echoing patter of the rain more powerful. It was like we were the only two souls there, “this situation could be the textbook definition of weird.” Sehun looked away, but I tell another smile was coming on his lips, and I still couldn’t see what part of my words were funny. “People don’t have a conversation in the middle of a rainstorm.”

“For one thing, I couldn’t call you,” he murmured, still in his weird sense of calm. Maybe the rain had gotten to his head.

“I exchanged numbers with Chanyeol-ah and Xiumin sunbae. You could’ve asked them.”

“Why would I do that?” He drew his hands out of his pockets, coming to a stand. I suddenly had to cran my neck to look into his dark eyes. “If I needed something, I’d go to you directly.”

“Even if you didn’t know where I was.” I said, letting doubt color my voice.

“I’d figure out a way if I need to talk to you,” he paused, eyes trailing across my face. “Or, if you needed me.”

A stray butterfly from the mount I had caged down fluttered up, my wariness momentarily vanishing. He almost reminded me of a knight, diligently watching over his princess. Except there was no danger here, and I didn’t own a single tiara.

“What happened Sehun-ah,”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” I echoed, incredulous. “Excuse me?”

“It’s nothing that’s important right now.” He spoke casually, as if trying to redirect.

“You’re hiding things again.”

“Things have been stressful lately. I came out here to try to clear my head.” I caught tension pass through his expression.

“By filling it with rain water?”

“It’s an effective method.” He took my umbrella handle, and I just let my hand drop.

“Sehun,” I said more firmly, “I’m being serious.”

He looked down, giving me the full extent of his dark gaze. I wasn’t as intimidated as before, maybe it was because of practice, maybe it was his conscious (or unconscious) effort to keep the cold at bay. “Tell me this at least, did something bad happen?”

The sound of rain weighed down on the silence between us. He paused too long for it to be nothing, but instead of answering he threw out another question: “Are you thinking of the student, Hei?”

The name alone sent a cold feeling through me. “Well, I wasn’t specifically thinking of him right now.”

“I didn’t mean to remind you.” Tension came again, burning deeper in his eyes. “But he won’t go near you again, I can promise that.”

How can you, we’re only students. “Thank you for looking out for me,” I spoke aloud, my voice going softer, “but I’m still waiting for an explanation from about everything.”

“I know.”

“I’ll need one eventually. Soon.”

“I know.”

It was all he could afford to say. I nodded slowly, taking a calming breath, then meeting his gaze again with a small smile.

“I guess I can let you off tonight though. We shouldn’t talk about bad things in the middle of this bad weather.” Slowly, his smile came back.

“Can I walk you home?”

“No.”

He raised a brow, “even after I waited out here?”  

“I’m fine walking alone,” I said, failing to keep an even tone.

“I’m already here, and you shouldn’t walk alone in the middle of this weather.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. He gestured down the road, “lead the way.” The warning signals in my head that regularly blared at every abnormal thing were silent tonight. Was I really that comfortable around him, around those I knew in Exo?

I didn’t know.

“Only for a couple blocks,” I spoke quietly.

His eyes crinkled with his smile. “That’ll be perfect.”

The entire way we stayed in a mindful silence. I decided to take a page from his book, soaking in the sound of the rain, acting like I wasn’t burning with questions or thoughts. For his part Sehun seemed relaxed now, his eyes focused on the store signs and windows as we walked by. He hadn’t come here to say anything to me tonight, but walking around drenched he was still satisfied, content even. The routine went by faster with him next to me; I was too absorbed with trying to read him to think of when to stop my feet and shoo him away.

We ended up going until the mouth of the back alley that ran across my apartment complex. Ha ri and I lived in the third building down, and from the distance the stout white fence and small potted plants were visible. I brought us to a stop under the banner of the nearby corner store. The pale light from within highlighted the lines of Sehun’s shoulders and arms, drawing shadows over his face.

“Take this, I can run inside.” I pushed my umbrella towards him, but the move made me lose balance on the uneven pavement. The top half of my body went back, out of the protection of the banner and into rain hailing down over my face. I jerked forward with a squeal, blinking rapidly.

Sehun actually scoffed at my klutziness. “Are you trying to get wet?”

“No-! It was an accident-” I sputtered. With a whispered huff he tugged on the corner of one of my sleeves, pulling it over my hand. He brought it up to my face, carefully dabbing at my eyes.

“You’re like a kid,” he murmured, but it sounded like it was comment mean moreso to himself.

“Well I’m not the one that’s drenched,” I wiggled my now captured hand for emphasis. “And I can do this myself.”

“Too late, I already started.” He spoke, not stopping until every part of my face was dabbed. It was like he was taking his time, let my face come to burn its brightest red. When he finally let go I instantly tugged the fabric back up my arm. The cuff tingled against my skin, damp but warm from the imprints of fingers. “Wipe your hair with a towel when you get inside.”

“I know,” I smoothed away the little drops on the crown of my head, “I’m not a kid.” The words were somehow enough to lift the corners of his mouth.

“Why do you keep smiling?” I asked, growing a little self conscious.

His shoulders gave a subtle lift, then drop.

“Do I look that ridiculous?”

“You look cute.” He tilted his head in an almost teasing way. “I’m glad we didn’t miss each other tonight.”

I looked away, feeling a pulse of heat come over my face. “Are you sure you don’t need a towel or jacket before I go?”

“Lena-ah?” A voice called. Sehun and I looked into the alley, where a figure was emerging. Ha ri, hunched in a raincoat, walked towards us with a plastic yellow umbrella over her head. “Why are you standing out here?” She asked,

“Auntie-” I walked towards her, “I was just coming in.” I was looking at her, but her eyes were completely trained on Sehun, comically drenched with my umbrella over his head. I could see the question mark growing on her face. Sehun bowed politely.

“Good evening,”

“Hi,” Ha ri said shortly. Her surprise made her blunt. “What happened to you?”

“We met coincidentally while I was walking home, he’s a classmate,” I intervened. “Go ahead first Sehun-ah. Good night.” With another bow, he headed back down the street, keeping my umbrella over his head.

“He’s already soaked. It won’t do him much good,” Ha ri murmured.

“It’s better than nothing,” I turned to her, “what made you come outside?”

“I saw you standing with him and I wanted to know who it was. Call me a concerned guardian.” I raised my brows at her reasoning, but she shrugged, “I’m taking care of my sister’s kid after all.”

“I’m not a kid.” It was funny how I was already repeating myself.

“Well, you’re still one to me,” she smiled thoughtfully, linking our arms. We huddled underneath the umbrella as we shuffled back to the apartment, but Ha ri cast another glance over her shoulders, her eyes fixed on his lone figure. “You just ran into him?”

“Yeah, it’s was a funny coincidence.” I spoke lightly.

She looked back to me, a considering look in her eyes. “Do you guys meet in school?”

“Yeah. I’ve been talking to him and a couple people he’s close to. We all became… friends recently.” The word felt funny falling from my mouth. Describing the kingkas in that way, even if only to Ha ri was like erasing the labels. I was so used to being incredibly conscious of them, of the trouble they promised my wallflower existence.

She gave me a pointed look, like of surprise. “Well. Okay, at least he seems nice,”

“What does that look mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“It’s just I’ve been seeing you talk with multiple boys lately, at some point you’re going to have to ‘fess up about which one is confession boy-”

“There is. No. Confession boy.” I said in a deadpan. Ha ri only shrugged again, casting another glance over her shoulder

“So you say, but walking a girl through the rain sounds too chivalrous to be friendly. This really was an interesting, coincidental meeting.”

~~~

Hi :)

What is up you wonderful lovely readers, it has been a while. I just pulled through finals so I’m back in my more focused, yet usual slow poke way, but I will be putting more effort into getting chapters out at a faster pace so please bear with me. I hope you enjoyed this update and if you did, please let me know by subscribing, commenting, and upvoting. I would really appreciate it :)

Until next time (and there will be a next time so please don’t be worried in the comments. I’m just slow, I’m sorry!)!

*busts out a confetti cannon and BOOM confetti is everywhere your welcome*

Bye~