It wasn't that hard to drag Sehun home. Maybe the alcohol in his system had taken away part of his natural stubbornness. It might have also been due to the fact that the nightly journey to Suho's home was something they were both well-used to.
After all, Sehun would usually stick to Suho on any occasion, including meetings and parties. And because Suho was a responsible person like that he tended to look out for the young blonde and more often than not accompanied him home. Or, as it was the case this time, took him to his home since it was closer. Besides that Suho was reasonably worried for the tipsy blonde.
Of course it had a slightly different feeling to it from usual - at least for Suho.
Sehun seemed no different at all. Pleasantly buzzed he hummed to himself as he awkwardly  supported himself on Suho's shoulder.
Who tried not to blush at the close proximity. He could not understand how no one had noticed the changes the Maknae had gone through. Wasn't it all too obvious?
Just from thinking back to his caring fingers in his hair made his head all fuzzy. Shaking the feeling off, he concentrated on subtly using his gift to steady the tall blonde.

Getting Sehun inside his apartment was easy enough.
Getting him to dress into some pajamas was a whole different story.
In fact Suho had just stepped into his bedroom when Sehun had already flopped himself onto Suho's bed face first.
"Sehunnie, you should not sleep like that."
A muffled hum followed and when Suho left the bathroom, the blonde was already lightly snoring. For a moment he considered taking the alcohol out of his body after all, but he seemed to do quite well. Besides that he was pretty sleepy himself. So he merely threw a blanket over the unconscious boy.
After dressing into his pajamas he was facing the next problem: Where was he going to sleep?
Of course he could sleep on his sofa. But it was far away in the living room and what if Sehun woke up in the middle of the night, feeling unwell...?
But squeezing himself beside Sehun was no option, either.
Maybe, a few months ago, he would have done just that. But now...
Torn between the few options he had, Suho shifted from one foot to the other.
What to do... What to do...
When he had finally settled down, he immediately fell into a deep sleep that enveloped him like a comfortable dark blanket.
 

In the late morning hours, Sehun began to stir. He vaguely wondered how the sun could be bothering him that much since his room didn't get any sunlight before the early evening hours. When his hazy mind began to clear up a bit, he remembered going to Suho's place. Sleepily he turned around to his side, rubbing his eyes. At the motion he couldn't keep a quiet groan to himself at the world's spinning movements. Okay. So he had been drinking. Not that amazing of an experience. Note to self: Alcohol is not worth it.
When he actually opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the angelic(alright, so he might have been biased, but so what?) sight of a sleeping Suho, he decided to re-consider the former statement. If alcohol got him closer to Suho he might... Okay, no. But still, Suho did look beautiful.
Why in the world he was sleeping in a sitting position next to his bed with his upper body leaning against the bed and his head cushioned by his own arms, he didn't know. He couldn't help but smile in amusement.
"Hyung, you're so strange sometimes." he whispered as tried to get out of the bed as quiet as possible.
 

It was warm, comfortable and the sun was lazily shining into the room already. And he wasn't hunched over the bed anymore...?
Sleepily, Suho attempted to turn onto his back, only to find his body restricted. By another body. Normally this would be the moment to panic, but everything was far too fuzzy to actually process it. Mumbling vaguely he tried to free himself only to get embraced more tightly.
"What-"
Suddenly he got spun around and pressed into a warm and very much bare chest.
A very pale chest.
"S-sehun?"
He received a raspy hum by Sehun who had effectively tucked the older under his chin.
"Hyung. You're awake."
Immediately, he felt his heartbeat increase rapidly but he made no real effort to turn away. Somehow it was... Nice?
"Hyung, if you're awake we can play now~" he drawled out while lazily draping himself over Suho and pushing him onto his back.
"W-what? Play? What... do you mean by that?"
The stirring he felt wasn't only reduced to his stomach when the blonde hovered above him, gazing into his eyes intensely before raking his eyes further down his body.
Wait. Wait a minute, he thought. This was not right. But somehow he was reluctant to push him off. Still. Oh God, this was Sehun above him. He must be drunk.
"Sehun please. That's not a good idea. You should really sober up- ah..."
He clamped one hand over his mouth when the traitorous sound escaped his mouth as the blonde suddenly pressed his body against his. Hard.
"But Hyung. You're not sober either. It's okay. Come ooo~n-", he continued while rubbing himself on his weakly-resisting Hyung, "Don't you want to make me happy?"
"Well..." he weakly muttered, already softly returning the grinding movements. His resistance was slipping and god, that felt actually good.
Hands were snaking beneath his loose pajama hoodie and pushing it up gradually, causing him to whine and squirm into the hot touch.
He looked up at the glistening face of Sehun with his slightly parted lips that were inching closer, stopping only an inch before his own to whisper against his skin.
"Hyung. Can't I make you happy?"
 

Suho slipped back into reality with a startled noise and burning cheeks.
"Oh God." he whispered as he sat up.
Then he realized he was indeed sitting on his bed.
"Oh GOD."
His head whipped around, but Sehun was nowhere to be seen. Hastily he looked down at himself to find his pajamas still intact.
A deep sigh of relief escaped his lips.
Then he noticed that the dream hadn't left his body that... un-affected.
"Oh Gooo~d..." he murmured in a desperate high-pitched voice and let himself fall back into the generously cushioned blankets. Hurriedly he buried himself in them while wishing he could just dissipate.
The terror was real.
Just now he was having a wet dream of their Maknae Oh Sehun.
He would never be able to look Sehun in the eye again. Heck, he wouldn't be able to look at himself in the mirror.
Suho bit onto his lip to stop any possible curse from escaping him.
That was it. He would most definitely not get up any time so-
"Hyung?" a call from the kitchen was heard.
Oh no.
For a second he entertained the thought of faking to be asleep.
"Hyung, are you awake?
He heard some nearing footsteps and hurriedly changed his strategy.
"EhYES. Yes, I'm awake, you can just... Wait for me in the kitchen."
The footsteps came to a halt.
"Is everything alright Suho Hyung?"
Again, Suho bit his lip. His voice sounded so worried and innocent.
"Yeah! Well, I'm just having terrible bed-hair, I mean I just look horrible and, uhm, I... I would like to take a shower now, I'll be done real quick, don't worry! Just, just wait for me, alright?" he rambled while already jumping through his room in search for clothes and a towel.
"O... kay...?" the uncertain reply resounded while Sehun retreated to the kitchen.
Suho exhaled in relief. Safe.
Then he scrambled to actually get into the much-needed shower.

Twenty minutes later he was faced with a simple but fresh breakfast.
"Wow, did you make that Sehunnie?"
The eye-crinkling smile he received caused his stomach to churn uncomfortably in guilt.
Shaking his head rapidly he sat down opposite to the blonde and tried not to stare.
Sehun had already showered and his hair had dried almost completely. The shirt he had obviously borrowed was a little tight around the shoulders, but Sehun would probably be able to pull off a garbage bag so he wasn't even questioning that.
Suddenly his gaze was replied by attentive eyes looking up to meet his.
"Hyung? D-don't you like it?"
"What. Ah, the food. No. I mean yes. I like it, of course."
Mentally facepalming he reached for the little soup bowl to start eating.
For a while, they just silently ate. What was up with Sehun being so quiet? It was unusual to say the least.
And it kinda made him nervous.
Suddenly, Sehun's clear voice broke the silence.
"Hyung, aren't you sore?"
Suho choked on his soup and barely stopped himself from spitting it all over the table.
"W-what?!" he wheezed out, coughing the rests of liquid out of his throat.
"I mean, your sleeping position looked really uncomfortable." he elaborated, seemingly surprised at his Hyung's strange behavior.
"Oh.... OH. No, I'm fine. Everything's fine. W-when did you..."
"Just a few hours ago, when I woke up." Sehun helped him, though his cheeks were also dusted a little pink.
"I'm sorry, I didn't wake up any earlier-"
"No, that's alright. Thank you."
An awkward silence settled in between them.
"So, do you feel better now? You got a hangover?" Suho asked in a (pitiful) attempt to sound casual.
 

A few days later Sehun found himself still mulling over their awkward Sunday morning.
Why did it have to be like this...? Ruffling his hair in frustration he slowly made his way to the library located at the top floor and far end of the building. He couldn't remember doing anything wrong.
Yes, he might have been a tad drunk, but he was positive nothing had happened. Yet Suho had been behaving strangely all morning.
With a sigh he entered the library and searched for a table at the top floor. The sight of the ancient-looking furniture immediately calmed him down a bit. Even though Sehun wasn't actually the book-reading type of person he couldn't deny that their old library was very cozy. Slumping down in a chair he took out a small notepad and a ball pen, listing all the lessons he'd had before. Maybe the key to Suho's weird behavior was hidden in between the lines.
- read the situation (well, he had obviously failed at this so far)
- be natural (another clear fail)
- be curious (what was he supposed to ask? "Hey Hyung, did we do something weird whilst drunk?" Yeah. Can I not.)
- be manly (So more like "Hyung. Don't worry. Whatever happened, it changes nothing." Yeah no. Sounds stupid. What if nothing happened in the first place?!)
- be honest ("Hyung, I've noticed you acting strange and this makes me uncomfortable. Please tell me your worries." ...he would've brushed me off in an instant.)
- be cute ("Hyu-  Never mind that.)
- be

Sehun nervously wet his lips. Be... Seductive.
He really hadn't done anything stupid, he was so sure of it. But had he unconsciously overstepped a border? Maybe making breakfast was too boyfriend-like?
It was true, normally if Sehun had slept over at his place he would've just lazed around in the morning, waiting for his Hyung to wake up.
Oh, and maybe... Maybe Suho was the one uncomfortable with his behavior. Whining quietly he hit his head onto the desk, closing his eyes.
Maybe he was simply uncomfortable about his advances. It would be conceited to take Suho's interest for granted. Maybe he was kinda appalled since Sehun was so young. Or a man, for that matter...
"Yo, yo! Sehun-ah, are you sleeping at the library? I'm not even THAT late."
Sehun lifted his head, not holding back another complaining whine.
"Luhan-Hyung, you're too loud."
The blonde seemed unimpressed as he flopped down opposite of him.
"What? Still hungover? Gee, it's already wednesday shortie."
"Don't call me short. I'm not."
Even though Sehun was acting out his typical grumpy attitude, they both knew there was no real bite behind it. When Tao had been added to their group, Sehun and Luhan were somewhat pushed towards each other as well due to being close friends with the Chinese boy. They might not be the closest buddies, but nevertheless they could consider each other good friends.
"Is it really alright for me to be here though?"
The younger easily dismissed him.
"I told you, gifted ones are always welcome in the library, no matter whether you attend this school or not. It's because they stock most of the books about gifts here."
"Okay. If you say so. I can tell the librarian wasn't happy though."
"It's not in her nature to be happy. You really shouldn't go around reading other's thoughts like that."
Luhan wrinkled his nose at this.
"It's not something I enjoy, you know! There are plenty of things I would have preferred NOT to know! Just yesterday when we met up with Baekhyun and-"
"STOP. Nope. I don't wan't to hear this. Gross."
"I didn't even say anythi-"
"It was in Byun Baekhyun's head? It can only be gross. Now let's just talk about that paper you got from Chanyeol. No more erseness."
Luhan grumbled as he fished out a folded piece of yellow paper.
"You make it sound like I'm weird. I was not the one to consider-"
"What's on the sheet, Hyung?" Sehun asked with faked composure.
He finally placed the piece of paper onto the table.

Be dedicated.

"Be dedicated?" he dumbly repeated.
"Come on, even I know what that means - You're the native speaker here."
"I know what it means!" he angrily retorted, crossing his arms like the pouty kid he was.
"But isn't that pretty much the same Xiumin Hyung taught me?"
"How would I know what Xiumin told you?"
"Well. Just. That I should do things for Suho Hyung." he finished lamely, a little flustered at actually talking about it.
Luhan didn't even blink.
"Like what?"
"Well...! I don't know! Stuff, I guess. ...don't look at me like that! I'm already supporting him!"
"In what way?"
Thinking back to their little semi-intimate scene at the party, Sehun blushed lightly.
He would have loved to wipe the smirk off the blonde's smug face.
"Naughty, Sehun. I wouldn't have expected-"
"Shut up! It's not like that! Don't you DARE looking into my head right now!"
Luhan laughed quietly as he lifted his hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay. I'm just toying with you. Let's see... Dedication does involve doing 'stuff' for each other-", he began, totally undeterred by the glare he got, "-but I think there's a little more to it. Actually I guess it's about going one step further than the usual support."
Since Luhan seemed serious, Sehun also refrained from being bratty and decided to listen attentively. It was Luhan's turn to show nervousness as he absentmindedly played with Sehun's ball pen.
"You see... Uhm. I don't actually talk about this a lot.", he slowly began while averting his gaze, "...but I met Kris under unusual circumstances, right?"
The younger one merely nodded. He had heard about this through Tao who had visited Kris during his hospitalization. How exactly he and Luhan had become a thing he didn't know. But considering his gift of reading thoughts and the likes he had a vague idea.
"Yeah. So... It wasn't that easy for any of us. Still, I did the best I could to not only support him but to... bring him back."
Luhan's speech was slow and tentative. Sehun didn't dare to interrupt him or push him any further.
"I took several jobs next to the one at the convenience store in order to pay his rent while he was not able to. I also joined the fire brigade so I would get a better understanding of him. On top of that I later began medical training at the hospital. It wasn't something I solely did for him, but it definitely helped me in... Treating him. And all the while I was visiting him, of course. No matter how tired I was, I was supporting him mentally because otherwise you're losing your chances of waking up. So it was a given that I was not allowed to share my pressure with him."
Luhan leaned back in his seat to finally face Sehun.
"What I'm trying to tell you", he continued with a soft but determined voice, "-is that I not only went out of my way or stepped out of my comfort zone. I pushed myself -body, gift and mind- as far as I possibly could. Maybe we had a special case with very specific obstacles. But no matter whom I would have fallen for... I would always be ready to give my all."
For a while, Sehun looked stunned at the blonde across him. He rarely experienced Luhan like that and was overwhelmed by his mature attitude.
"I... I understand." he finally uttered quietly.
"Thank you Hyung."
And he meant what he had said. With a smile, Luhan reached over to ruffle his hair and just this once Sehun let him.
"It's nothing. I know you have it in you, Sehun. I'll leave now to save this situation from getting awkward and catch up with my beautiful boyfriend before he accidentally sets the kitchen on fire."
With a smile and a small wave he bid him goodbye.
Sehun was still a little awestruck at the new information. He had definitely developed a new level of respect for his Hyung today.
 

The next two hours Sehun lazed around at the library, playing Angry Birds on his phone and reading Manga online. When it was almost six P.M, he diligently packed his stuff and made sure he looked alright enough.
Today he would confront Suho and make sure he was alright!
He tried to keep the nervous lip-biting at a minimum as he slowly walked down the hallways. A short peek told him that Suho was not in his office, which left another room.
So Sehun staggered to the school's council room. The door was closed but an ear on the door confirmed an ongoing conference.
The blonde positioned himself a few feet away where he (purposefully) casually leaned against a wall. And he waited. Patience had never been one of Oh Sehun's virtues, but he tried.
As the doors opened not too long after and everyone busily left the room Sehun avoided their eyes, not acknowledging them at all(politeness also wasn't in his dictionary).
When everyone had left and Suho was still nowhere in sight he began to wonder though. With a raised eyebrow he attempted to take a look into the room when the door almost hit him in the face.
He silently thanked himself for having trained reflexes since a crushed nose would've been kind of unattractive. Still, he was annoyed. Even more so at the fact that whoever decided to unneccessarily burst the door open didn't even seem willing to leave. Instead he just stood there with one handle at the door while talking loudly.
"Well, you'll see how far you're gonna get with those ideas. You're not gonna worm yourself out of it next time."
"We will see about that."
Sehun's ears perked up at the patient yet serious voice of his Hyung.
"Neither you nor your pack of freaks are needed here. Much less do you deserve special treatment."
"I have no intention of discussing this with you."
A mocking snort was heard as the guy left the room and Sehun recognized him as one of the main student council members.
"Yeah sure you don't. Because nowadays, even the likes of you can feel all high and mighty. Just indulge yourself in the illusion of being better. We all know the truth."
"What do you mean by that?" Sehun suddenly jumped in. The look he got in response was cold and disgusted.
"What, you got your little minions following you around already? You must be pretty scared of being rightened, huh?"
"Sehun? What are you doing here?"
Suho looked at him worriedly as if checking for injuries or any visible problem.
Sehun was still staring at the offensive guy though.
"What exactly do you think there is to righten about Suho Hyung?"
He immediately felt a heavy hand lying on his shoulder.
"Sehun. You're being rude." Suho quietly said.
Not that the blonde cared. He was already feeling a rush of anger and with every word of that ignorant guy he lost it a little more.
"Hah! Of course he's rude! Look at him having a '1' on his tie. Because nowadays, an abnormal disease grants you advantages like that! There's no need to be polite to others anymore, they're all just a bunch of insolent, arrogant brats."
"Well, I don't see you being polite either. So why would I even bother?", Sehun coldly responded, though his glare could have burnt a hole through him.
"Sehun, please."
"Well, Suho 'Hyung'", he mockingly said, "There you got it. The likes of you do not even want to fit in. And it's just a matter of time until you all get what you deserve. The law's changing, the tables are turning. You're not gonna be so lucky next time."
The hand was tightening around his shoulder and Sehun could feel Suho's uneasiness flaring up. And he hated it. Hated seeing his Hyung, his crush, this cornered. He had no idea what exactly they were talking about but no one was allowed to insult Suho and that measly guy had the guts to do so in public. In front of him.
"You do not know that yet."
The strain in Suho's voice was ugly. Sehun disliked it greatly.
Again, the guy only snorted and shook his head.
"I don't even know why you're so much in denial. Though you seem just like the denying type. Why are you even so worried? As soon as you're all cooped up together you can finally take it up the all day long - since that's basically a thing for all of you, right?"
"Take that back."
Sehun's voice was an angry hiss as he clenched his fists.
"Sehun."
"Oh what a cutie. Such a threat. Well, as much of a threat as a you could be. Would you, by any chance, get by your Hyung fiddling with his shirt like a little girl? Or-"
But he was cut off when Sehun's raised fist met his stomach in a movement to quick for him or even Suho to process.
Sehun was already lifting his fist for a second hit. No one was allowed to talk about Suho like that. No one. He didn't care what that said about him, but he would never allow him to even speak his name with that filthy mouth of his.
"Sehun! STOP!"
He was about to land a second hit when his body suddenly stopped following his orders.
A strong hand reached for his shirt and roughly pulled him backwards.
"Stop it Hyung! That bastard was begging for it-"
The guy gave him an incredulous look as he steadied himself at a wall.
"What do you think you're- You will pay for that Suho! Letting your kind loose like that, I will make sure every one of them is gonna be put on a leash - including you!"
Sehun was restrained but the guy suddenly halted mid-speech and began to make weird wheezing noises as the air was pressed out of his lungs.
"Sehun, ENOUGH."
This time Suho grabbed his shoulder so tightly that it would surely bruise but it was the voice that made Sehun flinch and stop his assault. Suho rarely got this angry and never at Sehun before. The guy was still wheezing and rubbing his throat with panic written all over his face when Suho pushed him into a bowing position.
"Apologize to him."
Sehun stubbornly stared at the ground, not saying a word.
"Apologize. Now."
His tone had never been so... unforgiving.
"I-I'm sorry." he mumbled.
A croaked laugh was heard.
"Crazy piece of... This is not the end of it Suho. You'll hear about this exact happenings at next month's meeting; Oh, I'm gonna make sure they'll hear every tiny detail! Let's see who's gonna save your sorry then!"
With this, he stomped down the corridor with a panicked haste that Sehun noticed with grim satisfaction. The feeling was short-lived, however, when Suho stepped aside with his arms crossed.
"Sehun... What were you thinking?!"
Oh. Suho was really really angry. He could easily tell by his knitted eyebrows and his narrowed eyes. But... Sehun didn't quite understand it. He thought Suho would be grateful since he had stood up for him.
"What do you mean Hyung? He was insulting you!"
"That does not justify your behavior.", he strictly retorted.
Alright, so maybe not openly grateful. But wasn't he at least a little happy on the inside? Sehun didn't understand it at all.
"W-what? He's not allowed to say stuff like that!"
Suho sighed.
"Well, that's the way things are from time to time. That's what the adult's world is like Sehun."
"Well, then I don't like this world! I'm not gonna stand by and watch people hurting you!"
"That's childish."
"It's not!"
Sehun knew that this mere reaction was childish, but his intentions weren't.
"I don't care about some stupid high and mighty guys - I only care about you!"
"Could you just stop acting so immature just for ONCE, then?!" Suho shouted with his hands thrown up in exasperation.
Sehun froze, looking at his Hyung with wide eyes.
"Can't you see you're only making it more difficult for me?! I'm trying to protect all of you so why do you... Make it so hard?" His voice broke a little and the last part was hardly above a whisper.
He rubbed his temple in frustration. When Sehun stepped forwards, Suho took one step back. The simple action was crushing something inside him. Never had his Hyung ever denied him... Anything, really.
"Sehun, please. I'm gonna go and begin the preparations for next month's meeting now. Considering what happened just now I will need to come up with something really good. You need to over-think your behavior in the future. Not only was it foolish... You embarrassed me Sehun."
The words cut him sharply and he could already feel his eyes starting to burn.
"You're so cruel, Hyung.", he began with a slight tremble in his voice,
"I only had good intentions... Why are you being like that?"
He firmly grasped the strap of his backpack as he distanced himself a few steps.
"I still won't feel sorry! I won't feel sorry for wanting to protect you! I'd do it again and again and AGAIN!"
With this he whirled around and ran down the corridor.
Suho made no move to stop him and he didn't turn around either.
He ran around a few corners until he randomly stopped in the middle of a deserted hallway, leaning his forehead against the cool wall. His breathing was ragged from running and crying. The blonde didn't even feel pathetic for crying like a little girl in public. The school was deserted at this hour and besides that his mind was filled to the brim with thoughts about Suho. Everything was meshing together, leaving him emotionally confused.
There was anger bubbling in his stomach. Anger at the stupid world of bureaucracy that allowed people to trample all over Suho and at Suho himself for letting it happen. And he was also hurt in his pride at being brushed away and reprimanded like that, even though he would never openly admit it.
He felt ashamed.
With every step away from the situation, he had begun to realize that his behavior had been putting his Hyung in a pinch. It was exactly like he had said it. Sehun had behaved like a little kid. Embarrassment flooded him, leaving his wet cheeks burning.
Frantically rubbing them he smeared the tears all over his sleeves.
It just wasn't fair. Wasn't he supposed to stand up for him, to protect him?
Why was he not appreciated by him?
Suddenly the image of Luhan came back to his mind.
'I would always be ready to give my all.'
But... Didn't he do exactly that?
Sehun thought about what Luhan might have done in his position. He would probably have used his gift as well, he stubbornly thought.
His gift was just more subtle than his!
It was frustrating; he didn't know what he should've done instead.
What would he have done in Luhan's place, then? He tried to imagine meeting Suho in the hospital. He would have tried to get him back with his gift, immediately. And then it began to dawn on him. The difference between his dedication and Luhan's.
In the end his way of supporting his Hyung was selfish. Because for him it was an easy way out while it wasn't the support Suho had actually needed.
Sehun thought about it for another two minutes.
Then he rubbed the tears of his face for one last time, re-adjusted his uniform and turned around to hurry down the hallway to his next destination with new-found determination in his eyes.

The library was quiet and the top floor pretty much deserted. Sehun bustled towards a table hidden behind the farthest shelves with a small window behind it, balancing a bunch of heavy books in his arms.
"Sehun?" a rather quiet voice asked and almost made him drop all the books he was holding.
Carefully peeking over the stack he caught sight of Baekhyun and was in the midst of greeting him when the shorter one raised a finger to his lips. Only when he had put down the books did he see that Baekhyun wasn't alone.
Next to him in the generous armchair sat Lay, who was peacefully sleeping with his head rested on the table. Sehun looked at the two of them unsurely, but Baekhyun generously invited him to just take a seat.
"What's up Sehunnie?", the brunette asked quietly.
He fidgeted a little with the books, having them purposefully placed so Baekhyun wouldn't be able to read the titles.
"Uh. Nothing special."
Baekhyun put an English book aside in favor of leaning onto his fist as he studied Sehun's face with a judging look.
"Sehun, please. Your eyes are all red. As if you being in the library wasn't enough reason to worry."
"Pff, and you sure are one to talk."
"If you went here more often than once a year you would have noticed us being here quite frequently, excuse you." Baekhyun retorted with a dramatic hand gesture. Such a drama queen. Sehun merely shrugged at this.
"We shouldn't wake up Lay Hyung..."
"Nah, don't worry about him. If we don't shout, he won't wake up. He's a pretty heavy sleeper."
It was then that Sehun gave up. Baekhyun was persistent whenever he picked up on some potential blackmail material and even more so when he sensed serious issues.

"I see. Well... you acted on impulse. happens."
"You're not making me feel any better here..." Sehun mumbled with his face buried between his arms.
"Hey, hey... We all make mistakes. You just need to apologize well." he replied with a lopsided grin while one of his hand absentmindedly rubbed soothing circles onto Lay's back.
"I will."
Baekhyun gave him an understanding nod before reaching for one of Sehun's books.
"W-wait, don't-"
"Shh, don't wake him."
Sehun instantly shut up and it took him a second too long to notice the playful glint in Baekhyun's eye who seized the chance to snatch the book away.
"Laws and Prosecution of gifted ones? Are you working on an assignment for extra credits? Didn't take you for the type to do that."
"No... It's just... I want to understand what exactly Suho Hyung does. I don't really know anything about the current situation or the past development of the political situation regarding gifted ones. I know Suho has to deal with this a lot as our school representative and also in the city council. So I'd like to know a little more about all of this."
"Hmmm..."
Baekhyun nodded once again, flipping the pages of the book in disinterest.
"You got a lot to read there though. Could take you quite a while to go through all of those."
"It's alright. I'll just work hard. Let's see how long it takes."

It did take long.
Sehun wasn't exaggerating when he told Luhan that most books about gifts were stored there. It soon became a routine for him to hang out with Baekhyun and Lay at the library until late into the night. Lay was obviously studying to belatedly achieve his college degree while Baekhyun just wanted to keep him company.
Even though Baekhyun was loud and downright shameless(and Sehun had just recently found out that Lay was not an angel either), he found their relationship surprisingly... gentle.
It wasn't rare that Lay would at some point doze off due to exhaustion and Baekhyun was always pretty good at making him comfortable and watching over him while occasionally his hair.
Sehun decided not to feel jealous but spurred on to win Suho's heart so he could also be a real support for his Hyung soon.

"I brought you a coke, I hope that's alright?"
"Of course. My favorite, actually." Kris replied with a small smile.
Relieved, Sehun plopped down on the opposite table.
They had gone to a well-known Japanese food chain and were now seated at the top floor, close to the window. It wasn't exactly a fancy place to get to know each other but it was the only good restaurant close to the school's campus - which had become Sehun's new home, much to the amusement of his close friends.
As soon as he was seated the inevitable thing happened. Awkward silence.
Maybe he really should have insisted on meeting with Luhan(who was almost as effective in acting as social glue as Chanyeol), but he had deemed it rude. In retrospect it didn't seem like such a smart thing to do. If only he hadn't been too impatient to wait until they both had time.
They two didn't seem to know where to start and Kris had even played the weather-card already when they initially sat down.
Now it wasn't that they disliked each other. At least Sehun was pretty sure of that. Kris seemed like a nice person to him, and if only a tenth of what Luhan was gushing about him at the convenience store was true he probably was a better person than Sehun himself.
A thing they did have in common was their misleading facial expression of looking perpetually unimpressed at everyone and anything though.
And maybe their social awkwardness.
He had always thought that similarities made it easier to converse. Maybe this didn't apply to their special case.
"So...", Sehun hesitantly began while awkwardly moving his glass around, "...Luhan talks a lot about you."
Kris raised an eyebrow at him.
"Does he?"
As if it was an afterthought he added with wariness: "Nothing embarrassing though, right? Uh... Only good things?"
"Nope." Sehun deadpanned, not noticing how Kris' expression fell slightly.
"Better things. Idealistic things. Honestly, he's talking about you like you're some ethereal, otherworldly being. It's sickening."
"Oh. I'm... Sorry about that." Kris slowly replied in an awkward manner though his eyes had brightened up suspiciously.
Sehun shrugged it off, telling him it wasn't his fault.
Kris was still trying to hide his smile when he pulled out his rose-colored paper card to place it on the table.

Entrust yourself

Now Sehun was giving him a judging look, and a 100% intentional one at that. But Kris didn't seem to notice it at all and cleared his throat.
"Well. I don't really know Suho very well, so I'm not sure whether I'll be able to help you..."
"You don't even know me but that hasn't stopped anyone yet."
When the Chinese nodded with a wry smile and didn't continue immediately, Sehun vaguely noticed that he might have offended him.
"Uh. Which is not... a bad thing, I guess. I mean. Probably you're pretty good if you manage to help a stranger." he added seemingly nonchalant.
Furrowing his eyebrows in something that was misinterpreted by Sehun as annoyance(when it was actually him being hurt), Kris lowered his gaze.
"Uuuh, I was trying to say... Uhm... Oh, screw this. You know what I mean."
"Actually I don't." Kris replied a little too sharp.
"Oh. Okay, then... Never mind. Just forget about it."
"Huh. 'kay."
Silence enveloped them.
They kept looking at the immensely captivating table and when the waitress set down their food she was immediately infected by the awkward atmosphere, gave a forced smile and hurriedly retreated.
None of them touched their food and after another minute of tense silence Kris finally sighed deeply and spoke up in a resigned manner.
"Look. I know you didn't ask for me to be added to your friend's group. So if you dislike me, I can understand it. Actually I was just hoping we could be friends, maybe... But if you want me to leave, I'll just go... It's alright."
Sehun stared at him in disbelieve.
"W-what? Dislike you? I don't dislike you - I like you! I mean. You seem like a cool guy. I thought you didn't like me. Since you seem pretty annoyed at about anything I say."
"And you seem pretty hurtful with anything you say." Kris pointed out though there was no trace of hostility in his voice.
With a little smile, that Sehun would recognize months later as a hopeful one, Kris offered him his hand over the table.
"So... Are we cool, then?"
Shaking his hand, Sehun nodded.
"You decidedly more than me, but yeah. We're cool."
"Then let's not let this food go to waste."
And as they both began to eat in silence the waitress was cringing in second-hand awkwardness whenever she passed by, not noticing the tiny, happy smile on their faces.

"That was really good." Kris said as he put down his empty soup bowl.
"Yeah, this place is not that bad."
The atmosphere was much more relaxed as Sehun leaned back in his chair and sipped on his coke.
"So... You already gave me the lesson, huh?"
Kris blinked at him in surprise.
"What?"
"The lesson. About entrusting yourself. Our discussion earlier was intended, right?"
Looking a little scandalized, Kris sharply let out a "No!" before composing himself and calm down a little.
"No, that was not- I didn't plan it. I was just being honest."
"Oh."
In the following two seconds you could observe the wheels turning in both their heads(no one said either of them was particularly smart after all).
"Now that you've said it... Maybe it was a good example." Kris pensively continued.
"I prepared a whole lot to say, but I guess this also did the trick."
Sehun raised an eyebrow at him for being so serious about this whole thing, but decided not to mention it.
"So basically I need to 'entrust myself' if I want to be understood." he instead provided helpfully.
"Yes, sort of. It's not only about this though. You see... A relationship is all about giving and taking. Everyone makes you think you need to give, and that taking is a bad thing when it's actually not."
Thinking about this really hard, Sehun scrunched his eyebrows together.
"But... Isn't it selfish to take? Isn't it a prove of affection to give?"
"No and yes. Think about it. If you only give, then what can your partner give you?"
"Uhm... Love?" Sehun replied, now feeling rather dumb.
But Kris didn't laugh at him and merely continued.
"Yes, you can both give love. But what about understanding, for instance? If you really want to get to know Suho and to understand him and support him... You also need to open up so Suho will in turn be able to understand you. A relationship cannot be a one-way street. By holding back on yourself you're not actually doing Suho a favor since it means you don't trust him with yourself. You can't expect him to know it all by himself, Suho's no mind reader-"
"-unlike Luhan."
"Yeah. Unlike Luhan." Kris concluded and Sehun might just have imagined his voice to have a dreamy touch.
"It was the same for us. When Luhan... Came up to me. We wouldn't be the way we are today if I wouldn't have entrusted myself to him like that. And I received trust in turn. With Luhan I know that whatever he asked of me, I'd give him my all. ...Are you alright?"
Sehun looked at him with wide eyes upon hearing the exact same words Luhan had used.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine."
"I'm being cheesy, right?"
"No... Not at all. I just... I think I realized something, so can we call it a day? I think I got it now."
"Oh. Sure."
"Not that I dislike your company, let's hang out again, okay?" Sehun added as he threw on his jacket and put some cash on the table.
Kris merely gave him a nod and Sehun had already deserted him and rushed out of the restaurant when a happy smile made it's way onto his face.

Glancing onto his phone he noticed that he was just on time and slowed down his steps. In the distance he could see the glass door to Suho's office. Being the representative of the gifted ones was gradually pushing more and more responsibilities on him and Sehun would have preferred him not to already have his own office if only it meant for him to work less.
He stilled and leaned against the wall to catch his breath and rehearsed the things he was going to say one more time in his head.
Sehun had thought about apologizing to Suho for a while now, even though he was planning to wait until he had something to show for it. But when he got a glimpse of how in tune Kris and Luhan were, he realized that he might have gone about this the wrong way.

And so he patted his cheeks once to get a grip on himself and with a deep inhale he knocked on the door.
A muffled "Come in, please." was heard and Sehun quietly opened the door to peek his head in. The office looked a little messy like Suho himself as he looked up from a desk piled with papers with his reading glasses lying crookedly on the bridge of his nose, his blonde hair a little ruffled. If Sehun wasn't so nervous or aware of the fact that his Hyung was overworked he would have found the sight fairly attractive(because un-composed and messed up Suho was his favorite Suho).
"Sehun!" he spluttered in surprise and stood up, rightening his appearance to his best abilities.
"I didn't know you were still around school at this time. I wanted to-"
"No, Hyung." Sehun interrupted him quickly, stepping forward with his hands awkwardly clasped together. He must have looked like a student expecting to get scolded.
"Let me talk first, please."
Looking hesitant Suho relented and closed his mouth again.

"I'm sorry, Suho Hyung. I messed up last time." Sehun began, searching for his Hyung's eyes.
"My behavior was indeed childish and also selfish. I wanted to protect you but I didn't consider the trouble I put you into."
Suho seemed inclined to say something but Sehun hastily continued.
"I'm really grateful you put me in my place even though it hurt at first." he continued with his eyes trained on the floor.
"I will try harder to consider you in the future. I-I'm clumsy and stupid when it comes to dealing with people. But whenever I see you getting pushed around or hurt, I'm hurt as well. I want to lessen your pain and your burdens.
But... actually there are just so many things I want to do for you."
At this he looked determined and his voice was unwavering.
"I want to be natural and for you to feel at ease around me. I want to know you and I want you to know me. I want to be able to read your signals in time and be a strong support to catch you before you fall. I want us to lean against each other to prevent us from tumbling.
I want to make you laugh and to seduce you."
With a deep inhale he looked up and into the wide eyes of Suho.
"I would like to do all of these for you. If you let me."
"Is this, I mean... A-are you-" Suho stuttered incoherently, his face burning up.
Sehun shyly looked up at him from beneath his bangs and tried to keep his voice as steady as possible.
"Y-yeah. It's a confession. I'm... I'm confessing to you, Suho Hyung."

[To: S/S '16(group)]

12:34
From: Yeol
Guys, has anyone seen Suho? >_<
Haven't seen him in two days and I kinda need a new certificate... :/

12:34
From: Baekkie
You sure you want one and face the reality of it scoring as low as your last history exam?

12:34
From: Kai
I haven't seen him either... What about Lay or Xiumin Hyung?
Btw, I also hardly see Sehun around lately

12:35
From: Yeol
Shut up Baek. At least I only at ONE subject - You only get a decent score if you add up ALL of your scores :P

12:35
From: Lay
You don't need to worry about Sehun.
Suho texted me he was working from home atm. Some supposedly important stuff.

12:35
From: Kai
That's not like him. Something's definitely fishy.

12:36
From: Baekkie
At least I(!) only at school

12:36
From: Xiumin
:)

12:36
From: ChenChen
XD
Touché!

12:36
From Baekkie
HAH!

12:36
From: Yeol
Xiuuu... Stop doing this to me... ;__;

12:37
From: Kai
Did Xiumin just use an emoticon. God, that's freaking me out.

12:37
From: Kai
Anyway, Sehun. There's only one person left, right?

12:38
From: ChenChen
Yes, Sehunnie, are you avoiding me?? D:

12:40
From: Sehun
...Do I have to?

12:40
From: ChenChen
... ;_;

12:41
From: Kyungsoo
Sehun.

12:41
From: Sehun
Alright, alright! Jesus.
I'm free at any time.

12:41
From: Kyungsoo
:)

12:41
From: Kai
Okay guys, this IS getting creepy. Stop it.

"Hello Sehunnie~!" Chen happily chirped as he slipped into the seat opposite of Sehun.
Sehun only hummed noncommittally and moodily swirled his straw in the bubble tea cup. The ice had long melted and probably turned his favorite drink into a sploshy and watery mess. Watery. Water. Suho. The way he-
"Sehun?"
"W-what?" he uttered, startled out of his thoughts.
Chen frowned at his unhappy expression.
"What's wrong, Sehun?" he inquired with worry in his voice.
"It's nothing."
"Now now, you shouldn't lie to your Hyung! Come on, tell me."
"No. There's nothing to tell."
"I see...", Chen murmured as he lowered his gaze, "I understand. We're not that close, are we?"
Chen's voice had been quiet and bared no accusation at all, but what it had was even worse for Sehun. Disappointment.
Disappointing Chen was kind of like disappointing Tao - you instantly felt like a horrible person.
So he sighed and put down his drink.
"Three days ago I confessed to Suho Hyung."
"What? Really now?", Chen asked with wide eyes, "So... What happened?"
"Nothing much.", Sehun shrugged nonchalantly though he felt anything but that,  "He basically said he needed some time."
"And... What were his exact words?" Chen carefully inquired.
Wringing his hands together under the table, Sehun looked dejected and tired.
"Well... He was about to turn me down on the spot and so I told him to at least think it through properly."
"I see. And since then he hasn't contacted you."
"U-huh."
The brunette looked conflicted as he leaned back in his chair.
"I understand why you're down, then... But it has only been three days, I don't think you should worry already."
Sehun hummed neutrally.
"Yeah. But there's nothing I can do, either."
Seemingly deep in thought Chen suddenly ruffled his hair.
"Aaah! This is so frustrating! Why is Suho so difficult! Doesn't he like you? I was SO sure he liked you, what's holding him back?!"
Again, Sehun shrugged, fully aware he was being a moody teenager.
"Maybe my age. Maybe I'm too childish. Maybe because I'm a man."
"Nah, I don't know... I don't feel like that's it..." Chen pensively said with his chin supported on his elbows.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"So now you have it. Whatever you could teach me, it's kinda too late now."
Snapping back to it Chen raised his voice in genuine indignation.
"It's never too late! Don't say that!"
Sighing at his supposed Hyung's enthusiasm, Sehun crossed his arms.
"Alright, Hyung. Enlighten me. How am I supposed to win over Suho Hyung?"
"No idea."
"Huh? But-"
Chen shook his head and lifted a finger to his temple in a demonstrating manner.
"I can't. Because it's something that's in your head. I mean. I cannot guarantee you that you will 'win over Suho' as you put it. But maybe you should ask yourself this: What are you most scared of?"
Sehun blinked. And he blinked again.
"Uh. I dunno. Failing history? Running in on Jongin having ? Death?"
Chen gave him a lopsided grin, accompanied by an amused look.
"Nice to see you got your priorities set. Now think about something concerning Suho."
his lips, Sehun hesitated. He felt like he had too many fears to even mention.
"Uhm... Of course I'm scared he might reject me. That I'm too childish as I've just said. I'm a little scared he just isn't into guys since I'd never have a chance then... But I'm also afraid that I'm making him uncomfortable and he'll worry about it too much. Because then, I would have been nothing but a burden all along. I could go on but I guess that's enough?"
"Hmm... It depends.", Chen said as he tapped a finger against his arm absentmindedly, "I think you should make a list, for your own purpose. To collect and sort out your thoughts, you know? You might organize them from the biggest to the smallest fear."
Sehun nodded.
"And then... You can start thinking about facing them!"
Now the blonde looked confused. Facing your fear sounded nice, but-
"...how am I supposed to change the facts?"
"Well, are they facts? You fear you might be childish. Now you should think about whether you want to change. If you want to, do it!"
Sehun hesitated.
"I'm trying but... If I change too much, will Suho Hyung only like that part of me...?"
"Great, you're asking the right questions!", Chen broke out enthusiastically, "You're wary of something else now, right? You're afraid Suho might not like you for who you are. And that fear is greater than the first one, isn't it?"
"Y-yes... I guess you're right." Sehun quietly said with an understanding nod.
Chen shot him an encouraging smile.
"There you have it. You should organize them well and then face the biggest fear first. You would be surprised by how many of the smaller fears evaporate alongside the biggest one."
They were interrupted by a bright tinkling sound, and Chen looked down at his phone and to the door of the coffee shop where Kyungsoo was waiting outside, looking as unwilling as ever. When Chen waved at him exaggeratedly, Kyungsoo only lifted his hand in a single wave and did he look a little shy? Sehun raised his eyebrow. So miracles actually did exist.
Looking back at him the brunette rummaged through his jacket.
"I know it's not easy to face your fear. And I can't really tell you how to do it, since you have to find out on your own. But if you figured it out-"
He finally found the light gray paper card and offered it to Sehun with a sincere smile that granted Sehun a glimpse of the person beyond the perpetually smiley Chen.
"-Don't hesitate. Be brave."
Sehun carefully accepted the card and the brunette shuffled to get his jacket and flash him a last, bright smile.
"Alright then. That's my advise for you - I hope it's a little useful! See you at school, alright? Don't stay cooped up in the library, you should come down for some food. Just text us, we'll cook something for you!"
Even though generally scared of Kyungsoo, Sehun was touched nevertheless and thanked him for the offer.
"See you around, Sehunnie~!"
Sehun watched him saunter to the exit and tumble into Kyungsoo's side, giving him a last wave of his hand and Sehun waved back. Even Kyungsoo spared him a simple nod and the couple left. Ceasing the waving, Sehun's gaze fell to the card in his hand.

Be brave.

And he thought about it.
After a while, he took out a little notebook and a pen.

The hallway was growing silent as the council members shuffled into the room and gradually sat down at the big table. Suho calmly spread out his notes even though he was tense on the inside. He was tired and fought the urge to rub his temples to rid them off the faintly pulsing headache. For once he had been working even harder the past few weeks. He had even canceled a few afterclasses, leaving Lay to be his substitute. But he'd be fooling himself if he blamed it on being overworked. He had managed worse tasks in lesser time. Though his mind had never been that occupied before, causing him to work less efficient.
He felt stressed and overwhelmed by the turmoil in his head.
Shaking his head discreetly he looked to his side to find Lay still missing. Oh well. He was surely running late since he wrote down the wrong time. Lay did things like that.
Then the supervising teacher who happened to be the principal's assistant, spoke up to get done with the formalities and start the meeting. Just as she was done with introducing herself, the door opened and a lanky blonde entered to give a quick bow in apology of being late.
"Sehun! What are you doing here?" Suho broke out in surprise before he could stop himself.
Sehun didn't even spare him a glance as he formally answered.
"Hello everyone, I'm the substitute assistant for Suho. I apologize for being late."
The teacher merely dismissed his apology and Sehun swiftly crossed the room and slipped into the chair next to Suho.
"What are you doing here, Sehun!?" Suho harshly whispered as soon as he had sat down.
Sehun only looked forwards as if listening intently and mumbled: "Filling in for Lay."
"You can't just-"
"Is there a problem Mr. Kim?" the teacher inquired rather sharply, obviously annoyed at getting interrupted twice in a minute.
"N-no, Mrs. Park. I'm sorry."
She continued with an annoyed huff and Suho subtly whispered a hushed "Just be quiet and let me handle this."
Sehun didn't show any sign of acknowledgment and Suho also directed his attention to the meeting.
Unfortunately he soon found himself spacing out and thinking about Sehun. Sehun, whom he had expertly avoided over the past weeks. Sehun, whom he owed an apology. And probably a lot more. Sehun, who didn't even bring any notes. He just prayed the blonde wouldn't do anything stupid.

__

He was grinning.
That guy Sehun had punched in the stomach had the audacity to actually grin.
Once more Sehun was grateful for his deadpan-expression since on the inside he was already heavily annoyed. So this was Suho's world. A table of people talking. And in between the lines there were stares and smiles, all hiding the truth, the harsh hierarchy. There was the principal's assistant, acting as a neutral observer. Then there was a representative of the city council, sitting right next to her, also mostly observing unless addressed. Her other side was occupied by the actual student council leader who directed the discussions and made sure they followed the agenda.
The rest of the table was occupied by people like Suho and that guy - representatives of various groups and years. Unlike all the others Suho was the only one to have an assistant though. Due to the fact that gifted ones were their whole own category and the whole country, no, the whole world was probably keeping an eye on them.
And still this pathetic guy dared to look down on him.
Sehun narrowed his eyes in a barely visible manner as they reached the current situation revolving around the gifted ones and the despicable guy spoke up to make a proposal.
It was revolting and extreme. If it hadn't been for Sehun sitting at the conference table he would have openly scoffed at him.
'Separated tuition from regular students'
'Individual dorms, away from the campus'
'Tightened security measurements'
'An increasing number of harsher tests and heightened standards for the working requirements'
'Increasing observation, also covering the free-time outside the school grounds'
It was laughable, really.
Behind the pretty words that guy wanted nothing but to cage them all in like frightening mutations. Relieved, Sehun noticed that most council members seemed more than skeptical. Most probably that retard was known for proposing nonsense like that.

And so Sehun started watching how Suho calmly but purposefully picked apart his reasons. His main statement was that by putting more emotional pressure and isolation onto gifted ones their powers and minds were more likely to grow unstable, causing them to turn from incredibly useful additions to potential dangers of today's society.
The guy countered that they were potential sources of danger either way and the risk was too high.
Just when the tables were turning in Suho's favor (since his reasoning was far too one-sided), he decided to finally address Sehun's mishap.
"I think the evidence of them being dangerous is actually right among us." he snarled, looking directly at the unfazed blonde.
"And he even showed up, clearly not even feeling any remorse at all."
He could feel Suho tensing up next to him, but before he could say a word the accusation was continued as their incident from weeks ago was re-cited in an overly exaggerated manner, stating that Sehun had threatened him with his gift in a mere mood swing.
"Is this true, Mr. Oh?" the board leader asked neutrally.
Sehun -who hadn't said a single word so far- straightened his back even more and spoke in a firm, equally neutral voice.
"Thank you for addressing me. First of all I will shortly introduce myself as Oh Sehun, gifted one class 1, specifying on Air. What Mr..."
He only hesitated for a second, leaving his eyes to flit to his nameplate(even though he clearly knew his name - it was just a small gesture to tick him off), before continuing.
"...Jun said is partially true. One month ago I physically attacked him after he verbally -and quite racist, if I may add- insulted someone I respect a lot. It was a childish thing to do and I regret my actions."
Suho began to fidget again until Sehun subtly rested his hand on his thigh and grasped it firmly. The desired effect kicked in and Suho kept silent though he could feel his worried gaze boring a hole through his head.
"However; I do not regret my actions because I feel sorry for the person I punched. I merely realized that it's my responsibility as a gifted one to live by a certain moral code. Even though said one is harsher than the one regular people go by. Because if there is something that goes unnoticed by many...", he began, raising his voice and looking around at every single member while talking, "...it's that gifted people lead a tougher daily life already. They need to attend more classes and undergo physical and mental tests while other teenagers hang out at some arcade. They have to keep themselves in control at any time; to function properly. On top of that they are expected to show the same academical results as others and not only to behave well, but to behave even better than anyone else. Since every wrong step that would have been overlooked if done by anyone else, will have bad repercussions for gifted ones.
So they learn to control their gifts, but how often do you see them using those powers in public? Rarely. Why is that? Because they're aware that society is still wary of them.
There are many sources of pressure from friends, family and, of course, the whole society. But do you hear them complaining? No.
Again, why is that?
They, no, WE are seeing the reason behind people's caution. We're also seeing the opportunities. The only thing we want is to live our life - like anybody else, really. If we want to use our gift for the better, we will. We are not forced to do so and that's another thing we appreciate.
While society adapted, we are adapting as well. I feel like our times are very peaceful and productive. Breaking the trust would be a huge set-back in my opinion."
All the while the guy was attempting to interrupt him but Sehun merely continued, unperturbed.
For a second, just one second, it was dead silent as everyone looked at him.
Sehun could tell that they were caught off-guard by his rather emotional point of view. Surely Suho had never voiced his opinion like that and neither did Lay. Both were more on the neutral and professional side, which was great. Still, sometimes this different approach might be neccessary as well.
The short silence was broken by a rather heated snarl.
"You can easily throw big words into the room - it won't change the fact that you lost your temper and prove first-hand what kind of a risk the likes of you are - You cannot take risks like that at a school!"
Sehun didn't hesitate.
"For one I would like to avoid discussing personal business; this is not the right time. Furthermore I think your reasoning is flawed. Gifted people might be dangerous, yes. But so is literally every other person you encounter. What exactly stops a regular student from getting their hands on a gun, or let's say even just a knife, and to attack people? Maybe nothing. But maybe it could be the gifted ones attending school. You would think twice about attacking students when a person who's able to control air is in the room, wouldn't you? And if you're a gifted one you would still have to face other people with powers who are certainly able to keep you in check.
As far as I'm concerned it looks like a win-win situation to me.
And lastly I would be grateful if you could refrain from referring to us as "the likes of us", since I find it highly offensive."
Suho was still blatantly staring at him, but Sehun paid him no mind, concentrating on using the right choice of words.
He knew that the guy was losing, and judging by his red face, he knew it as well.
"I... I have a right to stay safe at school! Every student has that right!
Giving them a special treatment only results in them getting cocky and suppressing everyone around them! It doesn't matter what one little kid says - whatever the outcome of today is gonna be, I will start collecting signatures and hand in the proposal of an observation law!"
Again, Sehun only raised an eyebrow in a way he exactly knew it drove people mad.
"And here I was, hoping we could get this done by logical reasoning. You're contradicting yourself by stating that you're against special treatment while you're vying for a dozen more laws and regulations? Still, you can go ahead and collect signatures - as you said, it's you're right as a citizen of Seoul. You might however keep in mind that should not hand in the demand of permanent observation since it'd be a clear offense against the privacy laws as stated in paragraph 35.3a in the New Civil Code where you can clearly read that no individual is to be monitored without their consent if no reasonable suspicions are given. I don't even need to cite the first paragraph about equality no matter the gender, race or gift, I'm sure of that. On top of that you might be careful with your wording while trying to gather your signatures; I'm positive you're not keen on getting arrested for a breach of further laws including possible slander or sedition. "
"I think this is enough.", the principal's assistant surprisingly threw in since everyone else seemed a little too keen on watching Sehun pick apart that insolent guy.
"I think this discussion is leaving our agenda, though I have to thank you for your effort. I think the outcome is quite clear. Now, in respects of Mr. Park here, we should continue-"
She seemed nervous when the city's representative who had kept quiet so far, suddenly raised his hand and she immediately fell silent.
"That was quite interesting, young man. Allow me one question though."
Now he could feel Suho practically clawing at his hand that had remained on his thigh all the time. He tried to keep his notorious face at bay while he respectfully nodded.
"What do you think is the reason for the heightened fear towards gifted people even though the number of past incidents is close to zero?"
For a second he thought about it. But when he lifted his gaze and looked in the curious faces of all the board members, he had his answer.
"I'd say it's simply a lack of knowledge. Just a few minutes ago, everyone was looking at me attentively, right? I didn't feel threatened though. Because the looks didn't seem hostile but merely... curious. I can only assume that hearing the perspective of a gifted one first hand is something new to everyone."
He made sure to look around once more, signalizing that he meant no criticism by his words.
"...So I come to the conclusion that the lack of knowledge makes us unpredictable. I don't intend to criticize anyone though. Because everyone here seems genuinely willing to try and understand. I feel like a better communication might prevent misunderstandings like that in the future."
When Suho's hand loosened it's grip and the man gave him a tiny smile while scribbling a short note, Sehun knew that he had done the right thing.

Sehun stayed back to have a quick chat with the female teacher who was simply ecstatic at his appearance and repeatedly told him that he should consider staying politically active for gifted ones.
A little surprised but appreciative nonetheless, Sehun was relieved when he finally managed to leave the conference room and found himself... Face to face with Suho who wore an expression he surely hadn't ever seen before on him.
Smiling brightly, albeit shyly, Suho looked a little conflicted. He stepped towards Sehun, but seemed to think better of it and stopped at a respectable distance.
"Sehun, that was... Incredible.", he breathed out with genuine amazement, "I'm so... proud of you. Really. I'm very, very proud of you."
The blonde couldn't help the smile lighting up his face. Suho had praised him before. But never had he worn this expression of genuine admiration. Never had he felt equal like that.
"Thank you, Hyung. I... wanted to make up for last time. But also I wanted to support you. I know this wasn't much yet and that tougher times will come for all of us... But you don't need to face them all alone. It's too big of a battle to fight on your own."
Upon hearing this, he looked conflicted. Like he wanted to cry, but a mellow smie spread over his features.
"Thank you, Sehun. I truly appreciate it."
The smile slowly vanished with the passing seconds of awkward silence.
He bit his lip and nodded to himself as he spoke up again.
"...Also I would like to... talk to you. I'm still owing you a proper answer. Of course you were right and it was disrespectful of me to brush you off easily."
Sehun's eyes widened in anticipation and nervousness. Nervousness that was mirrored in Suho's eyes.
"So... I think I'll be ready by this evening. Do you think you're free?"
"Yes! O-of course!" Sehun answered probably a little too eager.
"Oh. Okay, that's good. I'll... I'll text you later, then." With an anxious half-smile Suho waved him goodbye and left.

"He's still stalling time, that must be a bad sign...!" Sehun whined with his head lying flat on the library table.
It was sadly his first place of seeking comfort, out of pure habit. Besides that he wasn't sure on whether Suho would want to meet around the campus later.
He was surprised to find the usual couple consisting of Lay and Baekhyun to have reversed roles as Baekhyun was deeply asleep, curled into Lay's side who gently petted his hair or rubbed his shoulders.
'Every whirlwind needs a little break once in a while.' he had only calmly said.
"You can't say that for sure. I'm positive that Suho would be the type to give you subtle hints if he were to let you down."
"Maybe I simply misread them!"
"Sehun. Worrying like that makes no sense. Try to calm your nerves a little, I'll wake you up if your phone goes off."
The next hours consisted of Sehun trying to distract himself by reading boring stuff and napping. It took him a while and when Lay poked his shoulder he felt like he had never in his life had been awake that quick.

20:46
From: Suho Hyung
I'm at the basement's indoor pool.
I'll be here for a while, so... I'll wait for you.

Sehun was completely freaking out by the time he was staggering down the hallways hastily and almost walked past Tao who held him by his upper arm.
"Sehun, what's wrong? You didn't even hear me. Are you alright?" he inquired worryingly.

Ruffling his hair he looked anywhere but at the Chinese.
"Yeah, sure, uhm... I need to go now." he distractedly murmured.
But of course his friend wouldn't let him get away that easily.
"Did something go wrong today? At the meeting?"
Shaking his head with a hum, his eyes darted between the hallway's end and Tao.
"W-why are you around so late, Tao? Shouldn't you go home?"
"Ah, I'm waiting for Kai to finish his dance rehearsal. Wait... don't you try to distract me! Come on, Sehun. What is it?"
Relenting, Sehun lowered his gaze.
"Suho Hyung has called for me to talk... I'm nervous as hell."
"Oh..." Tao replied, looking as if he immediately felt the distress on his behalf.
Then he put his hands on both his shoulders like a sport's coach.
"You can do it, Sehun! Just keep in mind how you want things to be and it will work out!"
Nodding a little insecurely, Sehun turned to go when Tao called after him.
"And if everything fails, remember the aegyo~!"
"Oh hell no!"

The indoor pool that was mostly used by the swimming club was deserted on fridays. Suho had merely switched on the pool's lights and the dim little spotlights that were placed around the ground, providing a dull yellow glow in the room. He was sitting on one of the white deck chairs(courtesy of winning last year's naional swimming competition) near the water and stared into the illuminated pool with his chin supported on one hand. When Sehun entered the room he sat up straight and awkwardly smiled at him.
"Hey."
"Hey..." Sehun replied, unsurely stepping closer.
Sensing his insecurity, Suho pointed to a chair next to his.
"Why don't you take a seat?"
"O-okay."
He sat down with a fair distance between their chairs and grew silent.
Not knowing where to look he imitated Suho and stared into the pool. The lights made it seem vividly blue and Sehun wished he could jump inside to distract himself. Nervous wasn't even beginning to cover what he felt. He was close to a breakdown. He had let it all out, had confessed to him in that embarrassing way and now he would finally get his answer after one and a half year of him trying to win his Hyung's heart. And still there was something he needed to do before that.
He had been hesitant, but Tao's words echoed in his head.
'Think about how you want things to be.'
Alright.

"Uhm. Hyung...", he meekly began, all the self-confidence from the meeting before evaporated, "I-I would like to tell you something."
Suho looked at him with mild surprise since he obviously thought it was his turn to talk. But he didn't interrupt him, either.
So Sehun turned his whole body towards him and began talking.
"I know that I have been quite... clingy and persistent over the past few months. And of course I've noticed that it made you uncomfortable. I can understand if you're feeling that way. And if it's because I'm a guy... No, whatever your reason is, please be honest and give me a clear answer. I promise not to be childish about it. If you feel comfortable enough I will just stay around but I promise not to ever make another advance. If you don't, then that's fine as well and I'll stay away from you. I won't feel bad about it since I'd feel worse knowing I'm being a source of negative feelings for you.
So... I respect your decision, whatever it may be."
Sehun's heart was pricking him at this words, but he knew it was the right thing to do. If Suho didn't want him, he would leave him alone. He had thought about it thoroughly and this was what he truly wanted.
This was his courage.
Suho looked a little shocked but didn't immediately say anything.

"I can leave you to think about i-"
"No, no!", Suho surprisingly threw in quite earnestly, "I told you I was going to talk to you, so... Keep me company a little longer?"
"Sure."
Sehun slumped down again and returned to stare at the pool to avoid Suho's gaze in fear of what he might see in it.
The silence seemed to stretch on forever. With every passing minute Sehun felt more and more anxious. Staring at the tiny distortions on the water surface he carefully blew some air over them to spur them on a little without fully realizing it.
He was doing it for so long that he almost flinched when Suho's calm voice broke the silence.
"You're stirring the water."
It was a mere fact, not betraying any emotion.
Immediately, Sehun stopped in his tracks.
"I-I'm sorry."
"No, don't be..." the elder quietly said.
Again it got silent.
Until Suho spoke up once more, his voice sounding pensive and hesitant.
"I've never thought about it. Being together with a guy, I mean. Seeing those people around me... it doesn't seem to be much different from being with a girl."
He paused and Sehun could feel himself growing tense as he listened into the silence, desperately waiting for him to continue.

"Back then, when you punched that guy... I was actually a little happy. I mean, it was wrong, of course it was. But seeing someone willing to stand up for me... Knowing that someone actually cares so much... That was a really nice feeling. I-I'm not telling you to repeat that though!" he continued with a nervous chuckle to which Sehun only grinned weakly.

He grew serious again and sounded conflicted when he looked back at the pool's surface and his voice broke down to a whisper.
"You keep stirring the water. You keep stirring me."

He didn't look at Sehun when he quietly continued.
"You know... In a way we're similar to the sea and the wind. The winds keep moving the water, causing huge waves to build up and crash, just to be built anew. I feel a little like that. You manage to show me a side of myself even I didn't know of. I don't want to sound stupid, but... I was wondering if... just like the waves and winds... we could become something greater if we were together."
Sehun stared at him with wide eyes and Suho flinched when he met his gaze.
"I-I mean. I have no idea how to go about this whole thing, but-"
"Was this a 'yes'?" Sehun breathed out in disbelief.
"Well-", Suho began a little flustered, "I'm very boring. And older than you. I have no idea why you would even-"
His voice was muffled as he suddenly had his face and arms full of Sehun who had flung himself at him.
"Thank you, thank you, Hyung, for giving me a chance!" he mumbled into the shoulder of a blushing Suho who helplessly patted his back.
"I-I really don't think you should still call me Hyung, now that we're... Uhm."
"Okay. Suho. ...Suho. My Suho." Sehun murmured while embracing him tightly, making Suho heat up even more at the possessive undertone.

For a long time they merely enjoyed each other's proximity, until Sehun rested his chin on Suho's shoulder.
"So... Now that we're kind of together... Can we kiss?"
"W-WHAT?" Suho squealed unintentionally, tightening his grip on the blondes upper arms.
"Is it not alright?"
"Uhm. That's not it. I mean. R-right now?" Suho rambled with his voice slightly cracking.
"Shouldn't we, like, wait a little and-"
He suddenly had his vision blocked by the very attractive sight of Sehun's face who slowly lifted his hand and...
"But Suhooo, do you dislike me~? ...Bbuing bbuing!" he said with a cute pout and innocent big eyes.
Completely startled and burning up Suho stared at him wide-eyed. Using his chance Sehun quickly leaned in to steal his first peck.
And the second.
 

The third came all on it's own.

[To: S/S '16(group)]

19:38
From: Sehun
Guys, I'm disappointed in all of you.

19:38
From: Kai
??
Suho Hyung?

19:38
From: Yeol
Definitely, Sehun doesn't do punctuation >_>

19:39
From: Sehun
I don't even mind you having a group with everyone but me.
But I had expected you to have a better taste than this.

19:39
From: ChenChen
*pscht* You hear that? Someone's huuuurt~

19:39
From: Yeol
Hyung, what are you even talking about?

19:40
From: Sehun
Naming a chatgroup after a ruthless European WWII protection squadron is just a symbol of bad taste. You shouldn't make fun of stuff like that, seriously.

19:40
From: Yeol
??

19:40
From: PandaTao
Guys, what does 'squadron' mean?

19:40
From: Kai
What even.

19:41
From: Lay
I think he's referring to the German SS organisation that was majorly involved in the most gruesome stuff that happened in Europe during WWII

19:41
From: Lu
I see someone has done their history homework ;)

19:41
From: Lay
:)
Need to set an example for certain LAZY students

19:41
From: Yeol
Wait, what are you talking about! As if anyone of us knew about stuff like that o_O

19:42
From: Xiumin
Really now, Suho. I had expected more of you than to overestimate their educational level like that.

19:42
From: Kyungsoo
And he's calling himself our teacher, huh.

19:42
From: PandaTao
So... What DOES the group name stand for, then?

19:43
From: Kris
I was wondering about that as well. Saving Sehun maybe?

19:43
From: Yeol
No idea, actually... o_o
Baekhyun opened this chatroom, so he should know, right?!

19:43
From: Yeol
Yah, Byun Baekhyun! Answer right now! >0<
I KNOW you're permanently glued to your phone ò_ó

19:45
From: Baekkie
WTF guys!
I just read the whole thing and WTF Suho!
And you guys, what's wrong with you! It's so obvious!
It stands for Spring/Summer '16

19:47
From: Baekkie
You know, like the latest fashion shows?

19:50
From: Baekkie
As in, "Let's hope they get together before next year's summer?

19:55
From: Baekkie
Oh, and it also stood for SeducingSuho
Nice pun, eh?

19:55
From: Sehun
WHAT.

~Baekkie has left the group~

...Aaaand it's done.
With this, Opposite & Side by Side is officially over!
I'm as much relieved that I managed to finish my very first fic as I'm sad that it's over now...

I sincerley thank every reader, no matter if you were an AFF member or not, a silent reader or a commenter, a subscriber or not... I love all of you! ♥

Tomorrow I'm gonna upload another chapter containing a few fun facts and background information on this~
I'm not sure whether I'll write a Sequel or anything on this since I have a lot of other fics planned, but feel free to request anyway...? c:

Last but not least I was shamelessly throwing in a bit of self-promotion for my next chaptered fic:

Spring/Summer In My Heart

...Which is going to be a Chansoo RomCom, though the other couples are not fully decided yet - So feel free to give it a look c:

So, this was it...?
Can I tell you one more time how much I love you? ♥
Okay, I'll go away now.

Love,
Sugar-and-Salt ♥