Sehun isn't sure how, but he knows that he has succeeded in doing two things: freeing Zitao, and not dying. And now he's around the corner from the open space, peeking at the events that are unfolding. Zitao told him that he would come back for him, but there had been something in his eyes that scared Sehun; he didn't look like Zitao, and he hadn't been acting like Zitao. He's attacking Minseok right now, and the Zitao that Sehun knows would never deliberately hurt anyone. He wants to yell for Zitao to stop, but he doesn't want Jongdae to know he's there. Zitao has told him that Jongdae was the one who had trapped him in that force field. He muffles his scream of horror when Minseok freezes Zitao, but he's not terrified until he sees Jongdae knock out Minseok.

"," he mutters under his breath.

Sehun watches as Jongdae carelessly tosses Minseok over his shoulder before stalking off in the other direction, and a mass of black smoke carries the frozen Zitao away. Distraught, Sehun stays petrified in his spot, so shaken that his body is not listening to him at all. Shivering, and not because of the cold, Sehun slowly drags his body away from the place where he'd just witnessed all of that. Hugging the wall, his legs feel like jelly as he turns the next corner and the next, not even paying attention to his surroundings; he just never thought that one of them would betray them like that, never had he even entertained the possibility. The image of Jongdae shocking Minseok until he collapsed is an image that Sehun knows he'll never be able to forget.

Tears are sliding down his face, and Sehun can see his vision blurring. He needs someone, someone he can talk to… but now he doesn’t know who he can trust, especially after seeing one of their own betray them so completely. Sehun is afraid for Minseok and Zitao, as well as everyone else, but what if the others are working with Jongdae? Sehun has no idea what to do as he finally stops walking and collapses against a wall; never has he felt more like the world is against him. Right now, Sehun is sure of one thing: that Minseok, Zitao, and probably Jongin, are trustworthy, and he can't say the same for anyone else.

Where is Jongin? Sehun wonders, hoping that the other is all right.

Just as those words enter his brain, there's a pop to his far right, and Sehun scrambles to his feet, needing to confirm that it is Jongin, and to his relief, it is.

"Jongin!" Sehun yells as loudly as possible, trying to force his legs to go faster. "Stay, please…"

Jongin turns to look at him, his face three shades paler than usual, and his body shivering like he's trapped in a blizzard. A shaky hand is held out towards Sehun, and Sehun tries to move faster, desperate to not let him down.

"I want to save you," Sehun tells him sincerely, grasping one of his hands. "Please."

"Free me… Sehunnie…" Jongin's voice is barely above a whisper, his eyes drooping shut. "I can't… take… anymore…"

Sehun is barely able to react fast enough before Jongin collapses.

"How though?" Sehun asks, kneeling down, and placing Jongin's head in his lap. "How do I… free you?"

Jongin's eyes are barely open as he looks into Sehun's, pain and exhaustion the most obvious in them. There's a pop then, along with the usual black smoke, and Sehun is afraid that he's failed him again, but when the smoke clears, he's still lying in his lap. He can no longer teleport away. The wind manipulator bites down on his lip, feeling a deep hatred for the one behind this, for the one that pushed Jongin to such a level of exhaustion. Sehun barely notices when Jongin gestures to the back of his neck, and for a moment he's confused, until Jongin mutters the word free again.

Gently, Sehun turns Jongin on to his side so that he can see the back of his neck, and he places a hand there, trying to figure out exactly what's there. And Sehun finds that he feels it, he can tell exactly where it is; it's almost vibrating, reaching out to him. He summons as much wind as he can muster up at the point and sends it through Jongin's skin, feeling the other shiver before tensing up. A heart wrenching scream erupts from his lips when Sehun is finally able to touch it with his powers. Using his other hand to hold Jongin still, Sehun pulls at it, but when nothing happens he pulls harder, and harder, until this strange seed-like thing finally flies out. Jongin calms down almost immediately after that, still panting, but colour is already returning to his face. Sehun can feel that dull, throbbing pain in his chest again, but at least he can still breathe.

"You did it, Sehunnie," Jongin whispers, still out of breath, as he turns on to his back again. "I'm free…"

Sehun can only smile as Jongin stares into his eyes, something there that he can't quite identify. Jongin's hands reach up and caress Sehun's cheeks before pulling him down. Their lips touch softly at first before Jongin begins applying more pressure, and Sehun kisses back.  He’d never thought about it much before, he’s realising now that this is something he has always wanted. There's an undeniable spark, and Sehun swears he can actually feel electricity running down his spine as he tries to deepen the kiss further. Sehun runs a hand through Jongin's white-blonde hair, and sighs in contentment. Eventually, they break apart, but only due to lack of air.

"I think I love you, Oh Sehun," Jongin whispers, laughing, before brushing his lips gently across his again.  

Sehun laughs, pressing his forehead against Jongin's.

"I think I love you too, Kim Jongin."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We found love in a hopeless place..."

Also, congrats to EXO for winning four awards at the MAMAs, so proud of them! ^_^

Anyway, just wanted to thank everyone again for the support, means a lot! ^_^ <3

So, until... Sunday, hopefully. OTL