A/N – Warning…angst…sad…

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Things have been awkward in the flat for the past week. Suho and Kris have been avoiding eye contact with Kyungsoo where possible, only making it with Jongin when absolutely necessary, and all because of how close the two have become.

In fact, despite Suho not liking it, every room pair has become closer since the news broke. Sehun hardly lets Luhan out of his sight, Chanyeol gasps every time Baekhyun gets his back pain, Jongdae insists on trailing Minseok everywhere, Suho has made more of an effort to be someone Yixing can lean on, Kris just refuses to let Tao leave his vicinity, and Jongin remains blissfully unaware that Kyungsoo is in danger.

Suho rings up Jiyong every day to ask if he was sure, and he answers with a yes every day. With the blood samples he collected, he funnelled them into a nifty little machine of his own which allowed him to keep a track of the people without needing more blood from them. And every time he checked, each level had gone down. If it were a battery sign, there would be at least three on the amber, and only one deep in the red.

Losing more fibres of the little people every day, Jiyong needed to come up with something. And he did. A plan. An escape. But it was only to be used when death was near.

Jiyong knocks on the apartment of the little people, Daesung by his side.

“Do you think they’ll actually let us in this time?” Daesung whispers to his superior.

“They’ll have to,” he replies before the door is swung open.

Chanyeol stands there, his previous smile disappearing as he takes in the appearance of the two smaller men. “What do you want?” he growls, putting himself in the space between the door and the frame.

“We would like to talk to Suho,” Jiyong replies calmly, inspecting his fingernails. “And I must insist that we do, as it’s urgent. And it concerns your friends.”

At the thought of the little people, and shamelessly mostly thinking of Baekhyun, Chanyeol steps aside with a concerned frown. He also sends a shout through to Suho, who spots the men and invites them into his bedroom. Yixing is currently with Luhan and Minseok on the kitchen counter, so the room is safe.

“Is there something wrong?” Suho asks quietly as he situates himself on him office chair. The guests take the bed.

“I’m afraid there is,” Daesung answers back in the same hushed tone. Looking to Jiyong for permission, he continues. “Our charts have been plummeting lately, especially two. Whereas we were only concerned with Kyungsoo before, now the other five have started rocketing down. Namely Luhan.”

Suho nods gravely. “What do you wish us to do?”

“We propose taking the people in,” Jiyong adds as he beats Suho’s pillow to a nice consistency, then lies down informally. “Daesung and Yongbae have been working on something, a sort of counter serum that has the potential to reverse the effects of the initial serum. They’ve also developed more of the initial serum, so the boys will have a choice. The can either reinforce their small selves, or they can grow to normal human sizes for their age.”

“A-And when can they choose this?” Suho asks, stuttering over the thought of having twelve fully grown males living in the small apartment. It barely fits six, let alone double!

“Well that’s why we’re here today. We’d like to take them away today, give them all a choice, and then we can report to you what they have chosen.”

 * * *

Chanyeol sits and stares at the door Suho and the other disappeared into half an hour ago. They’ve been in there for far too long. He came and called the little people in with the two scientists a while ago, and they haven’t made any move to come out.

“When are they going to be done,” Sehun whines, hitting his palms repetitively on the back of the sofa.

“Now would be good,” Jongdae replies from the floor. He’s closest to the room, but they all got scolded by Suho to stay where they were and not come closer. Kris would have defied that, only he went into the room too as moral support for Suho.

“What if we just go in and take them?” Chanyeol grumbles, his face in the cushion from the sofa.

“Then Kris would hang us from the roof,” Jongin replies mardily.

That’s when the bedroom door opens, Kris emerging. He’s got Tao in his hands, so the others take that as a sign to grab their friends. The youngest is in the room first, ignoring the two scientists on the bed with papers as he grabs his Luhan. The elder makes a little squeal as he’s scooped up, then gets run away with to the bedroom they stay in, the door slamming after them as Sehun catapults them to the bed. He would hug Luhan if he could, but he settles for holding him in his hand a he snuggles down onto the bed.

“What went on in there?” Sehun enquires as he begins rubbing Luhan’s back softly with his thumb, enjoying Luhan’s smiling face as he lies down in Sehun’s palm.

Luhan freezes at the question, eyes opening up before closing them guiltily.

Upon not getting an answer, Sehun repeats the question.

“Umm stuff,” Luhan mumbles as he enjoys the back rub. Sehun doesn’t stop, though he wants to know what went on.

“Luhan,” he prompts, urgency in his voice. Those scientists have never been anything but trouble.

“Sehunnie,” Luhan whispers as he sits up, breaking the contact. He then grabs onto Sehun’s thumb and wraps his arms and legs around it like a koala, looking up at Sehun sadly. “I’m going to miss you.”

“What are you talking about, Lu?”

“They want us to go with them,” he replies quietly.

“What?! No way!”

“Sehunnie, calm down,” Luhan replies feebly as Sehun jumps up and storms out of the room.

He heads straight for Jongin’s room, hearing the older boy storm out as well. “Did he tell you?” Sehun asks angrily. His friend nods.

“There’s no way they can do this,” he growls back. Chanyeol soon joins them, followed by Jongdae.

“Have any of you asked them why?” Kris booms, standing with Tao in his palm. He’s got tears down his face, prompting each boy to return to their friend.

Sehun re-enters his room, heart plummeting when he watches a little Luhan snivelling into the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry Lu,” Sehun reluctantly admits as he takes his seat at the bed, holding his hand out for Luhan to crawl into. He doesn’t.

“W-We have to leave,” Luhan stutters. Sehun’s heart breaks a little more. “H-He said w-we’re in d-danger, and I don’t want to die, Sehunnie!”

“You’re not going to die, Lulu,” Sehun says soothingly as he scoops the boy up and holds him close.

“Y-Yes I am, Hunnie. H-He said I’m the second lowest, and I’m scared,” he sobs, Sehun’ t-shirt sticking to his chest as he takes in the information. Luhan can’t die. He’s not allowed. He can’t do that, no way. Nope. Nuh-uh. N to the O.

“Surely they’ve got a way to save you.”

“They do, but I have to go away. And I don’t want to leave,” Luhan replies. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Sehun allows a smirk, hoping to lighten the mood. “Weren’t you the one telling us not to get too attached?” he whispers as he wipes away one of the little guy’s tears with his index finger. Going to move it away, Luhan stops him by clinging onto it like a koala bear again.

“I failed,” he mumbles. “I got attached to you. I’m a hypocrite, and I hate that, but I got attached to you. And if you laugh at me, I’ll…I’ll…figure something out evil to do, and then I’ll do it!”

“I won’t laugh,” Sehun promises, biting his lip to stop from doing so. Then his face falls. “When do they want to take you?”

Luhan looks up and locks eyes with his roommate. “Today. They’re getting our old owner to come and get us with the dog cage he’d keep us in at night.”

Sehun opens his mouth, yet lets it hang open for a second. “He kept you in a cage?! What the hell kind of sicko is he?!”

“I-It was so we wouldn’t get hurt or lost…”

Sehun takes a breath in, st