A/N: confusing! This is part 2 of a chapter but part 1 of a two part update (09/05/2017)

In his mind, the alleyway incident was a very small and innocent piece of an infinitely checkered past - so easily forgotten amongst darker and more chaotic memories. But it didn’t seem to be the same for Sehun.

The following day, Lu Han caught him hanging around the gates of his high school after dismissal, waiting. He was lurking near a tree, fidgeting and looking around between the passing students. Lu Han had been chatting with one of his friends, Zhou Mi, but stopped as soon as he saw him.

“What are you skulking around here for?” he asked, startling the boy by conking him on the head lightly. He flinched and turned around quickly.

“I was waiting,” he replied, seeming nervous.

“Yeah?” said Lu Han, raising a brow, “For who? Trying to pick another fight?”

“No!” he shouted abruptly, an uncharacteristic blush covering his cheeks. “I was waiting for you.”

“Ooh,” snickered Zhou Mi, looking over Lu Han’s shoulder with his hands in his pockets. “Who’s the kid, Lu? A suitor?”

Lu Han elbowed him in the stomach, grinning. “He’s my kid neighbor, you .”

“I’m not a kid!” Sehun started, but Lu Han waved him off without a glance.

“Yeah, yeah. Thirteen. I know - so predictable. Anyways,” he gave Zhou Mi a little push in the other direction, “I better see what he wants. See you tomorrow.”

Zhou Mi wandered off with a little wave to the two of them, and Lu Han started in the direction of home, Sehun jogging to match his pace.

“So what’s all this about?” he asked nonchalantly, since Sehun didn’t look like he was willing to talk anytime soon.

When Sehun finally looked up at him, he had that starry-eyed look on his face again. “Can you teach me how to fight?”

Lu Han snorted. “No way,” he replied automatically.

“What?” he said incredulously. “But why not?”

“You’re just a kid. What do you need to fight for anyways?”

“I just want to learn.”

“Then take a class.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then I can’t help you.”

Sehun sulked. “I thought you were supposed to be nice. You act like it in front of my mom but whenever it’s just me around you’re super mean.”

Lu Han laughed. “Then why do you want to learn from me in the first place?”

To that, Sehun didn’t have an answer. But he didn’t need one. They’d arrived in front of the middle school and from there they parted ways. Apparently, Sehun’s mom was supposed to pick him up from the school gates.

Lu Han didn’t think much of the interaction until it happened again. The following day Sehun was at the front gates again, this time with a declaration that he needed help studying. Like before, Lu Han refused him, confused by this kid’s sudden need to befriend him. For a week Sehun consistently showed up to pester the elder, and though Lu Han thought little of him, he had to give the boy credit for his moxie.

The following week he was finally trapped. They had just arrived at Sehun’s school after the usual banter when they ran into Ms. Oh, who had gotten off of work early and had arrived faster than usual to pick up her son.

“Oh! Lu Han!” she greeted with a wave. “What a surprise seeing you around here.”

“Not at all,” he said with a customary grin, “I pass by here on my way home from school.”

“Oh, that’s right! Well can we give you a ride? We’re going straight home.” Before he could even begin to refuse she smiled at him brightly. “I insist.”

He acquiesced easily, not wanting to be rude lest his mother give him heat for it, and on the car ride home - somewhere between the subject of high school and sports - the subject of grades came up.

“He’s doing passably well so far, but Sehun could really use a tutor for math.”

“Lu Han’s top in his class!” Sehun piped up and Lu Han quietly glared at him.

He didn’t know how or why Sehun had that information, but somehow he knew it would be his downfall.

“That’s true,” he agreed casually, attempting humility, “it doesn’t come easily though.”

Ms. Oh nodded as if she’d just decided something. “That’s the attitude I want Sehun to have, that good things don’t come easily.”

You don’t say, Lu Han thought privately.

“Lu Han, dear,” she continued. “Would you be interested in tutoring Sehun after school on Thursdays? He could really use the help and it would be a huge favor to me. I could pay you for your help.”

“Oh, no ma’am, I couldn’t take your-“

“I insist, actually.”

He was stuck. The sweat on his spine told him to refuse and the thought of what his mother would say told him to accept, but the look on Ms. Oh’s face told him he had no real choice in the matter.

“Then, of course,” he sighed reluctantly.

“Excellent,” she beamed. “Can you start this week?”

“Yes.”

Sehun sniggered in the background and Lu Han sent him a glare neither he nor his mother would see.

“Perfect. Let’s say 5 o’clock.”

“Sounds great.”

As they pulled up to the house he hopped out in a flash, and Sehun leaned out the window to wave to him.

“See you Thursday,” he smiled wickedly.

Lu Han rolled his eyes and tromped into his house. He would have slammed the front door had he not immediately heard his parents talking in the kitchen.

“It’s fine,” his father said, like he’d been repeating it over and over again.

“But are you sure – really sure?” asked his mother, worry evident in her tone.

“I’m telling you. Hong Lei is keeping an eye out and he says they have no idea where we are.”

“Do you trust Hong Lei? After what he did to us…”

“I trust him as far as this. He owes me this much and-“

The wind slammed the door shut behind Lu Han with a bang that echoed through the whole house, and his parents shut their mouths quickly.

“Lu Han?” his mother called, coming out to meet him.

“I’m home,” he replied quickly, naturally. He wasn’t sure why he stayed quiet, why he didn’t confront them about a conversation he knew he shouldn’t have been listening to.

“How was school?”

“Good. I’m going to go wash up and start on homework.”

“Okay,” she said with a bit of a frown, sensing something strange in his behavior. He hurried away before she could examine his expression too closely. “Dinner’s at seven!” she called after him.

When he got into his room he calmed his labored breathing. He wouldn’t think about it. He couldn’t. He couldn’t let the dark ominous cloud of debt that hung over his family stop him from living, could he? He couldn’t let it distract him now, not when he was so close to getting out from under it.

Just a little bit longer… He would ignore the signs for now.

-

Come Thursday, Lu Han found himself on the Ohs’ doorstep a minute before five, reluctant to press the buzzer. With a sigh he did anyway, and it took less than fifteen seconds for Sehun to swing the door wide, like he’d been waiting.

“Hi,” he said rather shyly.

“Hey,” Lu Han replied, nodding his head.

“Lu Han!” called Ms. Oh from the other room, coming out to meet them. She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel before shaking his hand. “You guys can use my study for work. I was thinking we could see what you guys get done in an hour and then eat dinner?”

“Sounds great, Ms. Oh.”

“Sehun,” she commanded. “Show Lu Han to the study.”

Down the far hallway was a small room that was filled closely with a large desk and a few chairs. Two had already been set up at the desk and what looked like Sehun’s school supplies were scattered all over. Sehun directed him to his seat, and as Lu Han sat down he went back to shut the door.

When Sehun finally sat down Lu Han confronted him with a hard stare. “Okay, kid. You win. You trapped me here. Now, what do you really want?”

Sehun attempted to appear very innocent as he batted his eyelashes. “Math help.”

“Bull . You’ve been pestering me all week. Now tell me what you need or I’ll tell your mom about the fight.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“I would,” he replied, grinning at Sehun’s expression.

The other fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. “I wanted to thank you - for helping me out that time.”
“Oh,” Lu Han responded, surprised. Then, “Thank me how? By trapping me into fake-tutoring you?”

“That’s not what I intended,” Sehun frowned.

“Well you sure have a weird way of showing me you’re grateful, kid.”

“Let me make it up to you,” he demanded. “Please,” he added quickly.

Lu Han raised a brow. “Make it up to me? How?”

“I don’t know… I’ll buy you something?”

“Buy me something,” he repeated skeptically. “What can you even afford? Doesn’t your mom give you money?”

Sehun stared at the floor, his cheeks suddenly flaring pink with embarrassment. Lu Han felt a little bad for him – maybe his teasing was too harsh. Obviously, the kid meant well.

“Ice cream,” he coughed.

“What?” asked Sehun.

“I would like some ice cream. Buy it for me.”

Sehun grinned slowly, his expression turning bright and hopeful. It pained Lu Han’s heart. “Okay. How about tomorrow after school?”

“What? Not now?”

Sehun shook his head and turned shy again. “I do actually need help with math.”

Lu Han laughed despite himself. “You sure are trouble, kid.”

-

The next day Sehun arrived promptly at the gates of Lu Han’s school just as they were all dismissed. Lu Han joined him silently as they began the walk home.

 “No mom today?” he finally asked.

Sehun shook his head. “Since we’re getting ice cream I told her I’d walk home.”

“How adventurous of you,” Lu Han deadpanned.

Sehun rolled his eyes. “It’s just up here.”

About halfway between the middle and high schools was a small but popular ice cream shop known for their adventurous flavors. Lu Han had wanted to go along with his classmates but had always avoided their invitations with easy excuses. He didn’t exactly want to advertise that he had no extra money to spend.

The bells on the doors chimed merrily as they entered, and Lu Han grabbed them a seat near the window. When Sehun went up to the counter to order the bells on the door jingled again and a gaggle of high schoolers followed them in.

“Lu Han!” one of them cried excitedly, patting him on the back as he stole the seat across from him. The others slid into the booth next to him and opposite. “I thought I saw you come in here! What are you doing? Finally getting off your and trying this place out?”

Lu Han felt a familiar thin smile stretch across his face. “Well, if I’d have known you losers were showing up I wouldn’t have bothered, Wonjoon.”

They smacked him playfully. “Seriously though. We haven’t seen you around enough outside of class. Soccer tryouts are this weekend. Are you in?”

Lu Han sighed. “Sadly, no.”

“Dude. I’ve seen you in gym class. You have to join. All the seniors are gone – we’ll be destroyed without someone like you.”

Lu Han laughed. “Sorry. I wish I could, but I just can’t. I have too many extracurriculars already. One more could literally kill me.” Or bankrupt him, but he left that part out.

The guys made to whine some more when they were interrupted by a soft voice, clearing their throat. Sehun had returned, dripping ice creams in hand.

“Who’s this?” asked Wonjoon.

“My kid neighbor, Sehun,” answered Lu Han automatically. “I’m tutoring him in math.”

“Tutoring?” he asked, looking back and forth between the ice cream.

“We’re on break,” Lu Han shrugged. “Now scram, you guys.”

Wonjoon frowned as they scooted out of the bench seat. “Okay, but think about it, Lu Han. I mean it.”

Lu Han waved at them, a big smile stretching his lips thin. “I will! See you later.”

When the boys finally left, Sehun slid into the booth opposite them, a huge frown interrupting his face.

“What?” asked Lu Han, mirroring his expression.

“You’re, like, a,” he paused, “a huge fake.”

Lu Han folded his arms across his chest and laughed, probably harder than he should have. Sehun only frowned more intensely, his eyebrows furrowing and marring his forehead.

“So?” he asked.

“So?” Sehun reiterated. “So why?  Why do you put on a fake persona around my mom and your friends? And on top of that you know all these crazy self-defense moves like some Hollywood action star. But my mom and the whole neighborhood all think you’re just this nice, white-bread Honors Student. You act like you’re hiding something all the time.”

“Well, I am hiding something, which is none of your business. But you’re making me out to be some, like, undercover agent or something and I’m not.”

“Then what’s the truth?” asked Sehun, sincere, earnest pleading coloring his tone.

Lu Han frowned. There was no reason for him to be honest with this boy, no reason for him to let him in on his life – to irrationally encourage a crush he could see was developing rapidly. But something about him was so innocent, so raw and real that Lu Han never felt like he needed to build up a front.

“I can’t tell you the truth,” Lu Han sighed. “At least not the whole of it.”

Sehun’s eyes continued to shine however, and Lu Han felt himself slowly give in. “I wouldn’t tell anyone,” he begged. “I just… I just want - no - need to know.”

Lu Han didn’t question why he needed to know about him - deep down he’d already realized Sehun’s juvenile feelings for him – but he responded as honestly as he could.

“We’re poor,” he started, very softly. “My family, I mean, - like, below dirt poor. We move around a lot, but this is the longest we’ve ever stayed in one place. And the thing is, when you’re constantly uprooting yourself, the easiest way to assimilate is to act how everyone wants you to be. There’s no getting on people’s nerves, alienating yourself, or sticking out when you’re just passing through. I’ll be gone soon enough and these people won’t remember me anyways. And that’s the whole of it.”

Sehun frowned again. “That’s sad,” he said slowly.

Lu Han pushed his hair back. “Maybe so. But it’s how I’ve survived all these years.”

“Hmm,” Sehun muttered.

“You seem dissatisfied,” chuckled Lu Han.

“Well there’s two things I don’t understand.” Lu Han raised an eyebrow and Sehun saw it as a cue to go on. “What’s with the martial arts training? Surely that would make you stand out, right?”

Lu Han shrugged. “I needed it. When,” he cleared his throat, “when you have to answer to creditors or when someone’s trying to bully the out of a kid it’s a useful skill to have.”

Sehun considered it for a moment and Lu Han could see he wasn’t full satisfied with his nonchalant answer. But Lu Han had been wholly serious.

“And what’s the second thing?” he asked.

“Well,” Sehun paused. “If you really are just passing through. Then really, what’s the point of putting up the whole front? Why be the best of your grade when you’re just there to pass? Why do you work so hard?”

“I need a good job,” Lu Han answered honestly. “But first I have to get into a good university and that requires good grades – better than good, really.”

“And you