LuHan was a painter.

 
A special kind of painter. 

He doesn't draw with pencil, or paint on a white canvas. 

He didn't have any of that.

But he did have a blade.

A small, silver one. 

It was sharp. 

It hurt too. 

The blade was his brush. And his skin was the canvas.

SeHun was also a painter. 

One that went through life unseen.

One that was classified as 'perfect' and 'happy'.

One that loved painting so much, he did it everyday. 

You should see his wrists.

They're carved up and anything but perfect. 

But that doesn't matter. As long as everybody sees his facade, he's okay. Right?

Wrong.

~~~
He was 14. 

The metal SeHun got was from an abandoned razor his dad left behind. 

Luhan had a fractured family.

His dad left them when he turned 11. His mom never gave him the attention he truly needed. The blade he first used was a pair of scissors at the age of 15.

LuHan never spoke in class. Never hung around for too long. He was always just a forgotten memory of a boy no one knew.

SeHun? Nobody could forget him if he tried. No matter what, he managed to make everybody wonderstruck with all his simple movements. 

The outcast and the popular had nothing in common. 

But at the end of the day, they had so much in common. 

They both put up a masquerade to deceive their asinine peers. 

They were both broken.

They were both marked with unwanted memories and pain.

~~~
"You okay?" LuHan's beating heart felt like collapsing. His mind spun, breaths coming short and fast. 

"Are you okay?" SeHun asked once again, the shorter boy hunched over a wooden desk, unable to speak or form a coherent thought.

 
"Hey, just calm down, it's-" 

"I've never been here before." SeHun stepped back in surprise. He spoke. 

"It's nothing to be scared about, it's just detention..." The junior paused his sentence, not knowing his name. "LuHan," The senior's voice came out quiet and frail.

"My name's LuHan."

The sound of his voice was heaven in SeHun's ears. LuHan lifted his head to face the dark haired boy and SeHun's heart stopped. The air was stuck in his throat. 
The boy in front of him was... perfect. His voice, his hair, his eyes, his everything.

 "How come I've never seen you before... Are you new?" 

LuHan felt like dying. His eyes drooped down to their usual position, half closed, half open. "No. I've always been here." His voice was laced with pain and misery, something SeHun knew too well. 

"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry." SeHun apologized, words and sentences swarming around his head. "Don't be. I'm nameless here." As the words left his mouth, LuHan choked back a sob, breathing becoming uneven again. 

"Hey, hey, calm down, it's okay." SeHun's 'comforting' words didn't help much, LuHan's breathing never lulling the slightest bit. "Okay, okay look." SeHun made the sitting boy move over a little, sitting on the side of his chair. 

"Whenever this happens to me, I always write down these dots and dashes." SeHun quickly took a pencil and paper from a nearby shelf, returning to LuHan's seat. He scribbled '.--- ..- ... -  -... .-. . .- - .... .  --- -.- .- -.--  .-.. ..- .... .- -. -. .. .?' messily down on one of the lines. When LuHan gave him a confused face, a smile slowly made it's way to the younger's face. "It's morse code." Explained SeHun. LuHan cocked his head to the side, staring at the dots and dashes. "What does it mean?" His soft voice asked, eyes still fixated on the paper. 

"Just breathe,  okay LuHannie?" 

A pained smile grew on his face. "Teach me ." 

SeHun smiled, taking a deep breath. "Okay."

~~~

'-.-- --- ..- .-. .  ... ---  ..-. .-. . .- -.- .. -. --.  .--. . .-. ..-. . -.-. - '
"What does that mean?" A curious LuHan peeped over SeHun's shoulder, staring at the pencil marks. 

"Nothing, it's- It's nothing." SeHun erased the symbols in a rush. LuHan just pouted and returned to studying morse code. 

The younger boy sighed, staring at the ghost lines of the message he had written and erased. 

'You're so freaking perfect.'

SeHun didn't know it yet, but LuHan thought he was 'freaking perfect' too.

~~~
Locker 59. 

SeHun had seen LuHan place all his belongings in this locker. It had to be his. Taking a deep breath and swallowing the lump in his throat, the boy swiftly placed the note in, running towards History class.
~~~
'.... . -.--  .... --- .--  .... .- ...  -.-- --- ..- .-.  -.. .- -.--  -... . . -.  .. --  .- ... ... ..- -- .. -. --.  -.-- --- ..- .-. .  . .. - .... . .-.  .- -  .... --- -- .  --- .-.  .- -  -.-- --- ..- .-.  .-.. --- -.-. -.- . .-.  .-- .... .. .-.. .  .-. . .- -.. .. -. --.  - .... .. ...  ..  .--- ..- ... -  .-- .- -. - . -..  - ---  -.. .-. --- .--.  -... -.--  .- -. -..  ... .- -.--  .... ..  --. . -  .... --- -- .  ... .- ..-. . .-.. -.--  - . -..- -  -- .  .-- .... . -.  -.-- --- ..-  -.. ---  --- -.- .- -.--  :)
... . .... ..- -.'

LuHan still hadn't yet grasped all the letters and symbols of morse code, only deciphering the letters a, b, e, and 'hi'. The boy sighed, stuffing the note in his pocket. 
Walking out the door, all he could think about was Oh SeHun.
~~~
'Hey, how has your day been? I'm assuming you're either at home or at your locker while reading this. Just wanted to drop by and say hi. Get home safely! Text me when you do, okay? :)
-SeHun'

The name lingered in LuHan's mind the rest of the night. 
~~~

'..  --. --- -  -.-- --- ..- .-.  -. --- - .  .. --  ... --- .-. .-. -.--  ..  -.. .. -.. -. -  - . -..- -  -.-- --- ..-  ..  .--- ..- ... -  --. --- -  .-  .-.. .. - - .-.. .  -.-. .- ..- --. .... -  ..- .--.  .-- .. - ....  .... --- -- . .-- --- .-. -.-  ... --- .-. .-. -.--  .. ..-.  ..  .-- --- .-. .-. .. . -..  -.-- --- ..-  .... .- ...- .  .-  --. .-. . .- -  -.. .- -.--  ... . .... ..- -. -. .. .  --. --- --- -..  .-.. ..- -.-. -.-  .-- .. - ....  -.-- --- ..- .-.  -- .- - ....  - . ... - 
.-.. ..- .... .- -.'

A dopey smile graced itself on SeHun's face. 'He wrote back.' was all he could think about.

'I got your note. I'm sorry I didn't text you, I just got a little caught up with homework. Sorry if I worried you. Have a great day SeHunnie, good luck with your math test.
LuHan'
~~~
Short, sweet notes were placed on the inside of their lockers each day. So much, that LuHan had finally figured out the whole morse code thing and was able to decipher the notes perfectly. 

As time flew by, the two boys became less and less broken, fixing each other bit by bit. 

Except, maybe everything wasn't going as smoothly as they thought.
~~~
"Sehun!"

Thwack!

The sound of a hand meeting cheek was the only thing to be heard in the 15 year old boy's bedroom. "I thought I told you to stay out of this!" Yuri's angered voice echoed around the empty room, intimidating him more than it should've had. 

"I was just trying to help-" 

Thwack!

The elder girl's hand collided with his flesh, the skin reddening. 

"You ruin everything!"

She ran out of the room in a furious haze, leaving SeHun in the middle of his room, ashamed to look up.

He was just trying to help. 

His eyes skimmed across his room to find something he hadn't touched in a long time. 

His brush. 

The short piece of metal taunted him, gleaming in the light. He picked it up, twirling it in his hands carefully.

The painter had returned.
~~~
"Why are you wearing a long sleeved shirt? It's so hot out here." LuHan's smiling face questioned SeHun but he had already prepared for this. "I don't know, it's kind of windy so I thought I should wear one just in case."

LuHan being the innocent boy he is just smiled and nodded, lacing his hands with SeHun's. The taller boy swallowed, gripping the blond's hand. 

It wasn't until a week later when LuHan knew something was up.

~~~
'SeHun-Ah, why are you so pale'  Was the words sprawled across a small piece of ripped line paper. 

The broken boy shot his doe-eyed boyfriend a sad smile and quickly scribbled back three simple words. 

'I love you.'

He let a tear roll down his cheek and onto the paper before wiping it away with the back of his hand in a hurry. He ripped the small part where the tear had dropped.  When the note was read by LuHan, he shot SeHun a confused look. He merely shook his head, a pained smile on his face.

LuHan kept the note and wondered what was teared off. Why was it even teared off? Why did he say he loved him?

SeHun had a reason.

The paper still in LuHan's hand, SeHun gripped the wooden pencil and hastily writes down what he's been wanting to say. 

'It might be the last time I ever say that again.'

The school library's quietness let SeHun soak in his own depression.

~~~
"SeHun, what's up with you? You've been ignoring me all week and you haven't returned any of my calls. Why?"

'So it'd be easier for me to leave.'

"Are you... Are you sick of me?" The fragile boy's bottom lip began to quiver, tears stinging his eyes. 

"LuHan..." The name hung in the thick silence, SeHun's eyes not meeting LuHan's.

SeHun's eyes travelled the room, studying everything in sight. The messy, un-made bed. The clothes scattered on the floor. Pens and paper everywhere. A picture of the two smiling at the camera like everything was alright. 

His restless eyes wandered in the thick silence until they met with LuHan's. 

LuHan felt his heart stop.

SeHun's eyes that were once filled with hope and happiness...

They were shattered.

And then, SeHun made the worst mistake of his life.

'I love you'.

"I'm breaking up with you."

~~~
A week had passed when LuHan got a call from SeHun's mom. 

"Hello?" His voice cracked and was relieved that the woman on the other end of the line couldn't see his swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks. 

"SeHun..."

Hearing his name again was so painful. 

It was like having your heart ripped out and stomped on again and again. 

It was a feeling he couldn't describe.

It was the feeling you got when you lost someone you love.

"What?" LuHan's voice came out frail, soft and quiet, almost inaudible.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Then, he heard the words he never wanted to hear.

"He killed himself."

~~~
No one ever sees the after-math of a funeral. 

No one ever wants to the see the after-math of a funeral.

Let me tell you something right now. It's all tears and heart-wrenching sobs. 

SeHun's mom was crying. Everyone was.

Except LuHan.

He was too broken and dehydrated to cry anymore. He was tired. Tired of being hurt and left behind. 

'Why'd you leave me SeHunnie?'
~~~

There was a note.

One last word from SeHun.

And it was for him.

His final words were to him. 

'LuHan.
- .... .- -. -.- / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- / - .... .- -. -.- / -.-- --- ..- / ... --- / -- ..- -.-. .... / ..-. --- .-. / .-.. --- ...- .. -. --. / -- . / ..-. --- .-. / - .... . / ... .... --- .-. - / .--. . .-. .. --- -.. / --- ..-. / - .. -- . / .-- . .----. ...- . / -... . . -. / - --- --. . - .... . .-. .-.-.- / - .... .- -. -.- / -.-- --- ..- / ..-. --- .-. / ... - .. - -.-. .... .. -. --. / ..- .--. / -- -.-- / ... -.-. .- .-. ... / .- -. -.. / .-.. --- ...- .. -. --. / - .... . / .--. .- .. -. / .- .-- .- -.-- .-.-.- / .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- / ... --- / -- ..- -.-. .... / .-.. ..- .... .- -. --..-- / - .... .- - / .-- --- .-. -.. ... / -.-. .- -. .----. - / . ...- . -. / . -..- .--. .-.. .- .. -. / .. - .-.-.- / .. .----. -- / ... --- / ... --- .-. .-. -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / -. --- - / -... . .. -. --. / .- -... .-.. . / - --- / ..-. .. -..- / -.-- --- ..- / .- ... / .-- . .-.. .-.. / .- ... / .. / .... .- -.. / .... --- .--. . -.. .-.-.- / ... -- .. .-.. . / --- -.- .- -.-- ..--.. / ... - .- -.-- / ... - .-. --- -. --. / ..-. --- .-. / -- . .-.-.- / .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- / - --- --- / -- ..- -.-. .... / - --- / ... . . / -.-- --- ..- / .. -. / .--. .- .. -. .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- .----. .-. . / - .... . / -... . ... - / - .... .. -. --. / - .... .- - .----. ... / . ...- . .-. / .... .- .--. .--. . -. . -.. / - --- / -- . .-.-.- / .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.-
Love, SeHun.'