In retrospect, Kyungsoo thought, perhaps letting Jongin talk him into having a roller skating race down the halls of the school whilst fighting wasn’t the best idea. Though he had won, so it wasn’t all bad.

Sitting beside Jongin in Onew’s office whilst the headmaster – and Minho – yelled at them was pretty awful though, especially when he kept having to fight back laughter as Jongin constantly interrupted the pair.

“… and besides,” Jongin said as though talking about a game of football, or the weather, “you always encourage practising our powers…”

“Not if it means destroying my school in the process!” Onew shot back.

Okay, so he had a point with that, Kyungsoo couldn’t deny it. They had made a bit of a mess of the East Wing.

“It wasn’t that bad” Jongin tried, and Kyungsoo cringed as he waited for the rebuttal.

“wasn’t that bad?” Minho scoffed, “wasn’t that bad?! Jongin, there is a skate embedded in the ceiling. The whole of the floor is caved in, three of the light brackets are missing, and a door exploded! In what world is that not that bad?!” he shouted, making Kyungsoo slide lower in his seat, still actively cringing at the situation.

“Okay, when you put it like that it sounds bad… but it’s… fixable. So really, no harm no foul” Jongin tried again.

Minho’s face turned purple with rage, even Onew looked less than chuffed, “Jongin” Onew said slowly, “Stop talking. For the love of god, just stop” he closed his eyes to pinch the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

Kyungsoo vaguely wondered how much other the older man had to put up with like this. He would have felt awful if it weren’t for utter hilariousness he saw in the situation. He didn’t really get into trouble, but a part of him couldn’t help but feel it was worth it this time around.

“But I-”

“Stop” Onew cut Jongin off, “No more. Just, clean up your mess by the end of today and you’re free to go”

“Onew!” Minho objected.

Onew turned to look at him, “Do you really want him to keep going?” he asked.

With a reluctant sigh, Minho answered, “No”

“So it’s settled then, unless you have anything to add, Minho?” Onew raised a brow.

Minho looked at the pair for a moment before nodding and saying, “You’re both on field duty for a week. And no powers, Kyungsoo. I know your game”

“Rude” Kyungsoo tutted, “fine, can we go now?” he asked.

Onew nodded, “Yes. Please do, before he starts talking again” he shot a pointed look at Jongin who frowned.

Kyungsoo didn’t give anyone another chance to speak before he grabbed Jongin by the hand and pulled him up and out of the office.

They were walking down the hallway towards the dorm when Kyungsoo broke out into laughter, “Jesus, Jongin” he said, “You really don’t know when to shut up, do you?”

“It’s a gift” Jongin grinned back, “But maybe I knew that it would end up getting us out of there pretty fast. Maybe I’m just a genius”

Kyungsoo snorted, his hand still in Jongin’s as their arms swung between them, “No, you’re an idiot” he shot back easily, a grin still on his face as the two of them walked hand in hand.

“Yeah, well I still got us out of there, so who’s the real winner here?” Jongin said pointedly, tucking their hands into the pocket of his jumper to keep them warm.

“Still them? You do realise we got put on field duty… That major ” Kyungsoo shot back with a raised brow, “Literally nothing good comes of that. And we need to go clean up the East Wing”

Jongin smirked slightly before pulling Kyungsoo into him, and the next thing Kyungsoo knew, they were stood in the wreck that was the East Wing, “Do your thing, Earth Boy” he said, letting go, but keeping Kyungsoo’s hand in his own.

Kyungsoo groaned, pulling his hand out of Jongin’s, “Go find the light brackets, I’ll clean this up” he said, shoving Jongin away with a roll of his eyes before sitting down on the floor and placing his hands flat against the stone that was still there.

Jongin watched for a moment as the floor began to reform and the skate that was lodged in the ceiling fell down as the ceiling began to right itself under Kyungsoo’s control. He shook his head with a smile before flitting out and relocating the missing light brackets.

By the time he was back with all three, Kyungsoo had returned the mess back to its neat state, and left the skate to one side, since neither of them could actually remember where its matching skate had disappeared to.

Jongin walked over and sat himself down beside Kyungsoo, handing him the brackets as he did.

Kyungsoo laid them out on the ground in front of him, then one by one, they each returned to their original positions.

“This place looks brand-spanking-new” Jongin said approvingly.

Kyungsoo scoffed, “Yeah, and so much help you were with that” he said, turning to face the boy sat beside him, “It was fun though. I don’t think I’ve laughed that much in ages”

“See, I’m good for something” Jongin beamed, “Fun is my middle name!”

“I’m sure” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, “I… Shall we just go back to the dorm then? We’ll do field duty starting tomorrow, since he wasn’t specific…”

Jongin nodded, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo as he did, “Room or common room?”

“Our room” Kyungsoo said, “otherwise everyone’s gonna bombard us with questions about what happened”

Jongin hummed, “Okey dokey” he said and flitted them both to their dorm room, where they landed with a soft thump on Kyungsoo’s bed.

“What is it with you and my bed, seriously?” Kyungsoo laughed, “You could have landed on yours”

Jongin shrugged, pulling an arm back and keeping the other around Kyungsoo as he pulled them both to lie down and look up at the tall ceiling above, “I like your bed, it’s comfortable”

“They’re literally the same” Kyungsoo said, turning his head to look at Jongin, “You just like touching me too much”

“Guilty as charged” Jongin said, not even bothering to deny it, “What you gonna do? Sue me?” he teased lightly.

“Don’t test me, Nini. I could have you in a whole world of pain before you could even blink” Kyungsoo purred, twisting onto his side and wrapping an arm around Jongin’s middle as he looked at him with a small smirk.

Jongin raised a brow at the shorter boy, “I’m starting to think I’d like it though” he said lowly, his face moving slightly closer to Kyungsoo’s.

“Why do you never listen to anything I say?” Kyungsoo said, and it was obvious he was no longer talking about the bed situation.

Although it had been a good two weeks since their fight, the topic came up more often than it didn’t, and Kyungsoo’s resolve was becoming weaker the more Jongin pushed. It wasn’t that the younger boy was outwardly spouting that he wanted Kyungsoo to give in, and that he wasn’t giving up, but his actions spoke more than words ever could.

It was subtle, Kyungsoo would give him that much, but at the same time, because Kyungsoo knew what he was up to, it wasn’t subtle in the slightest.

They’d had a very touchy feely relationship from the off, so it wasn’t that big of a deal that as soon as they’d woken from their nap, they picked up right where they’d left off before it had come to blows, with the hand holding, the hugs, and everything in between, and the others didn’t bat an eyelid to it, since they were just happy that the two of them had gotten their together.

But Kyungsoo wasn’t stupid, he’d noticed the way that Jongin’s hands lingered more now by the way that when they hugged, Jongin’s hands would trace down his spine and run over his hips before they let go. Or the way that when they held hands, Jongin’s thumb would tease circles on the back of Kyungsoo’s hand. Or when they sat together, Jongin would lean over to whisper things, letting his lips trail over the shell of Kyungsoo’s ear.

Jongin smiled a little, “I’ve been told listening isn’t one of my strong suits” he said cheekily, his nose now pressing lightly against Kyungsoo’s.

Kyungsoo sighed softly, his eyes looking into Jongin’s, though blurring slightly from the closeness of the other boy’s face, “Why do I feel like I’m going to regret not pushing you away from me right now”

“Because you probably are” Jongin said seriously, his lips ghosting over Kyungsoo’s, a barely there touch that sent shivers through them both.

Kyungsoo let out a shaky breath, he knew that it was a bad idea to let what was about to happen, happen. But there was something that was keeping him from pushing Jongin away. Something that said maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. Something that was telling him for once in his bleak life, to let what made him feel alive actually happen, even if there would be consequences in the long run.

Jongin took Kyungsoo’s silence as a go ahead, and closed that small gap that was left, his lips soundly against Kyungsoo’s in a warm kiss. It took him a couple of seconds, but Kyungsoo relented and let himself kiss Jongin back in the way he’d been wanting to since that day on the field when Jongin had managed to pull the chair through the void.

Jongin’s hand reached over to cup Kyungsoo’s cheek as they kissed, whilst the other held onto Kyungsoo’s arm from where he had it still wrapped around the older boy. In return, Kyungsoo fisted the material of Jongin’s tee in the hand that was on Jongin’s stomach, whilst his other was trapped between them, not that he seemed to mind in the moment.

Kyungsoo sighed contently against Jongin’s lips, giving Jongin the chance to slip his tongue into Kyungsoo’s mouth and give a teasing before exploring what he’d been craving for, for a long while. Kyungsoo hummed, catching Jongin’s tongue between his teeth and giving it a teasing , smiling at the soft whine that left Jongin.

Jongin kissed him one last time before pulling back slightly and resting his forehead against Kyungsoo’s, “Regretting it yet?” he asked.

Kyungsoo let out a small laugh, “Not as much as I expected, but never say never” he replied, liking the way that Jongin’s hand remained on his cheek, his finger’s soft and comforting.

“Mm, but the real question is, did you like it?” Jongin asked, smiling slightly as he awaited the elder’s answer.

Kyungsoo laughed again, “Yes” he admitted, “But don’t let it go to your head. Your ego’s already big enough”

Jongin grinned, pressing another kiss to Kyungsoo’s full lips, “Good, because I did too” he replied, “And… I just want you to know that this… It’s not me pressuring you or anything. I understand if you don’t want it to mean anything. I meant it when I said I’d wait until you were ready”

Kyungsoo smiled slightly, pulling back just a little to better look at Jongin, “When did you get all grown up?” he asked teasingly.

Jongin shrugged, “It must have been that kiss. I absorbed some of your adult-ish-ness”

“Right, okay and you just reverted back to child-Nini” Kyungsoo laughed, shaking his head and subtly moving his hand so that it was below Jongin’s tee, pressed against his tanned stomach.

Jongin snickered, “Well, I can’t be brilliant all the time”

“Okay, yeah. The regret is hitting me now…” Kyungsoo joked with a grin.

Jongin hummed, “I’m sure” he laughed, but then he was leaning back in and they were kissing again.

Sehun smirked at Luhan from across the field, “You ready?” he leered, his fingers twitching.

“Always” Luhan scoffed, though he wished he’d been a little more prepared as Sehun attacked him with a burst of wind from behind, sending him flying forwards into Sehun’s waiting arms, “You’re getting good at that” he breathed.

Sehun’s smirked widened, “I had a pretty good incentive to learn” he purred, “I like having you up close like this”

“This is supposed to be a lesson, Sehun” Luhan rolled his eyes.

“So teach me something” Sehun raised a suggestive brow, “If you think you’re up for it”

Luhan let out a twinkling laugh, “Oh my god, could you be any more inappropriate?” he shoved Sehun away in amusement, “We’re here to practise your powers, arsehole”

“But Lu” Sehun whined, “We could be doing something so much more fun”

“Training” Luhan deadpanned, “Don’t you start, Oh Sehun, or I’ll stop going easy on you” he pointed a finger at the younger.

There was a mischievous glint in Sehun’s eyes, “Bring it, Lu” he purred.

“Alright” Luhan laughed and then Sehun was being held in the air by his t-shirt and letting out a pained yelp.

“Bloody hell!” Sehun gasped, he was barely able to knock Luhan back in order to fall back to the floor, “I thought you were joking! I wasn’t ready!”

“You should always be ready. We’re about to go fight a real threat, Sehun. You need to be on top of your game twenty-four-seven. They’re not going to let you tap out just because you weren’t ready” Luhan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

Sehun sighed too, getting to his feet and walking over to Luhan to pull the elder into a hug, “I’m sorry” he said, “I know I shouldn’t be playful when we’re training. I just want to make good memories with you, you know?” he told the other, “I didn’t mean to annoy you”

Luhan nodded, “I know. I just don’t want you getting hurt out there for something stupid like not paying attention” he replied, “I have something for you, by the way, well for both of us, really. If you want it?”

“I’m listening” Sehun smiled.

Luhan smiled back before reaching into his pocket and pulling out two patterned pieces of green string, holding them up in front of Sehun.

“String?” Sehun asked confusedly.

Luhan laughed, “Enchanted string” he explained, “It turns into an unbreakable bangle when you put it on. So it’s kind of like a commitment to the person that puts it on you…”

Sehun grinned bashfully, holding out his wrist to Luhan, “Well, commit me up” he said.

“You are? It won’t come off…” Luhan reminded him.

“Are you gonna let me put the other one on you?” the younger asked, then was met with a nod, “Then what are you waiting for? Put it on me.”

Luhan smiled down towards the ground as he tied one of the pretty green strings around Sehun’s wrist, and then before their eyes it began to glow until it formed into a solid silver bagel with Luhan’s name engraved onto the side of it in tiny letters.

Sehun’s lips quirked up happily on one side as he took the other string from Luhan and repeated the process. His smile widened as his own name appeared on Luhan’s bracelet.

“Beautiful” Luhan murmured.

Sehun hummed, “Yeah. You are”

“Oh shut up” Luhan laughed, grabbing the front of Sehun’s tee and pulling him down for a quick kiss, “Now, that’s enough of a break. Let’s get back to it. Access your full power” he demanded, shoving Sehun away and getting into battle stance.

Sehun rolled his eyes. Trust Luhan to completely push aside their moment for a fight, “You never cease to amaze me, Lu” he snorted.

“I try. Now attack me” was Luhan’s response.

“He gives me gifts then asks me to attack him, charming” Sehun muttered, getting into position, “I’m feeling some mixed signals here” he his palms forward and sent a blast of air at Luhan, who neatly span out of the way before sending a large metal pole towards Sehun.

Sehun managed to duck beneath it, only to have Luhan bring it crashing into the back of his knees, sending the younger to the ground with a grunt.

The pole landed beside him as Sehun kicked forward and managed to flick back upright. With a frown he ran towards Luhan, fast enough to become a blur, but Luhan was expecting it and flipped out of the way before the taller boy could do anything.

Sehun smirked slightly as he paused in his run to face Luhan, he lifted his hand and began to make a circular motion with his index finger. Luhan looked at him oddly, but it all became apparent what Sehun was doing as the wind began to pick up and circulate around the elder, effectively trapping him in the eye of a twister.

His hair was blowing around violently as he looked around for a way to get out of the situation, though he couldn’t see anything of help.

“Okay, Han… Think” he whispered to himself, “Think”

Finally an idea hit him. He raised his hands above his head and tried to ignore the cold sting of the wind on his face.

Sehun remained watching him in anticipation as Luhan concentrated hard on something. A moment later, Sehun understood. From the window of their dorm flew out five large metal balls and three small ones. They all zoomed over and surrounded Sehun, all buzzing warningly. He met Luhan’s eyes as he looked up and saw the challenging gleam in the elder’s eyes.

Sehun brought his raised hand into a clenched fist and the wind that circled Luhan grew faster, so fast that Sehun could hear the air roaring and whistling as the wind blew harshly, ripping up the mud and grass at Luhan’s feet almost violently.

The metal balls began to circle Sehun, though every now and again one would dart forward and hit him randomly on his body. It hurt but he was determined not to back down. They began to vibrate as they picked up their pace, zooming out more often to jab Sehun harshly.

One of the smaller ones smashed against the knuckle of Sehun’s clenched fist and the resounding crack that came from it told him that it had been broken. Though he wasn’t going to give in that easily.

Biting back the cry of pain that fought to leave his throat, he narrowed his eyes and watched the wind around Luhan grow tighter, pulling closer to the elder. His clothes were being thrown to and fro and it was clear that he was fighting hard to remain standing as the air knocked him about roughly.

Bits of debris began to get caught up in the wind cage surrounding Luhan, effectively sending dirt and dust into his face, hindering his vision. He let out a scream of annoyance, he couldn’t fight blindly.

He sent all the balls hurtling at Sehun, letting them all smash into the younger, and then all went still.

The wind dropped so suddenly and the metal balls fell heavily to the ground, allowing them both to look at one another properly again.

Luhan’s legs only just managed to keep him standing, though the same couldn’t be said for Sehun, as they buckled beneath him and he fell to his knees with a cry of pain.

He had a swollen hand, a busted lip and bruises already bloomy all over him.

Luhan, in turn, had red raw eyes, a few scrapes on his hands and face, and looked all around dishevelled.

“… Sehun are you alright?!” Luhan gasped, taking in the state of his boyfriend. He was quick to forget his aches as he hurried over to where Sehun was knelt on the ground.

“Relax” Sehun breathed, aiming for nonchalance and failing, “I’m dandy”

“Sehun, your knuckle’s broken!” Luhan yelled, “Why didn’t you just stop? You could have gotten really hurt!”

Sehun rolled his eyes before hissing at the pain of his ribs, “Lu, relax. Look, you said it yourself, there’s no tapping out in a real fight. So why not practise properly?” he pointed out, “I need to learn and this is the best way how”

Luhan sighed, “Come on. Training’s over for the day. Let’s go and find Yixing so we can get you fixed up” he said, being as gentle as he could in helping Sehun to his feet, feeling guilty at the hisses of pain that left the younger.

He quickly sent the metal balls back up to their room before the two of them slowly made their way back into the school.

It didn’t take them long to find the healer, since he and Junmyeon were pressed up against one of the walls in the foyer, face.

Luhan let out a deliberate cough, gaining their attention. Yixing looked annoyed for a moment until his eyes landed on Sehun. He was quick to pull away from Junmyeon and bustle over to the youngest.

“What happened?!” Yixing demanded, gently pushing Luhan away so that he could better get to Sehun and help him lean against the wall.

“Nothing. We were just fighting a little rough…” Luhan said, “Maybe a little too rough, because someone doesn’t know when to tell me that they’ve been hurt!” he shot a small glare at Sehun, who only smiled back and shot him a pained-looking ‘v’ sign.

“It looks worse than it is” Sehun tried.

“Liar” Yixing and Luhan shot back at once.

Sehun chuckled slightly before a sigh of relief left him as Yixing healed his knuckle and then his bruises.

“You’re a menace, kid” Yixing tutted, pressing a finger to Sehun’s lip and watching as it returned to normal once more.

Sehun laughed, “Maybe it’s just because I like you touching me so much, hyung” he winked, only to be slapped on the arm by Luhan, and have a large ball of water thrown at him by Junmyeon.

“Keep your hands to yourself, if you know what’s good for you, Sehun” Junmyeon said lightly, “It’s bad enough that he does it,” he pointed at Luhan, who was grinning innocently, “I don’t need it from the pair of you”

Sehun feigned heartbreak, “But Yixing hyung is just so damn irresistible” he objected.

Yixing laughed, turning to look back at Junmyeon as he healed Luhan’s face of scratches, “I keep trying to tell you this! I’m so loveable, Myeon” he sang.

“I’m well aware” Junmyeon rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help but smile at Yixing’s antics.

Yixing pulled back from Luhan’s freshly healed face and moved to stand back beside Junmyeon, “Alright. All set, but for the love of god, take it easy, Sehun. It’s not easy to bring a corpse back to life”

“You can do that?!” Sehun gasped.

Yixing shrugged, “If I wanna kill myself in the process, sure. Death isn’t something you should mess with, though. It’s not a game” he said gravely, “So I’d appreciate you not getting yourself killed for the sake of your ego”

“Duly noted” Sehun gave Yixing a nod, “Well, I guess we’ll be off then and let you get back to your riveting game of tonsil tennis” he shot Junmyeon a quick wink before taking Luhan by the hand and dragging him odd in the direction of their dorm.

“Do you have a crush on Yixing?” Luhan asked quietly after a few moments, making Sehun stop abruptly and turn to look incredulously at him.

“Excuse me?”

Luhan flushed slightly, looking down at his shoes, “it’s just… You and him are close, and you’re always making flirty comments to one another… I just thought maybe… I don’t know…”

Sehun sighed, “Lu, look at me” he said, then waited until the elder looked up before he continued, “I don’t feel anything other than friendship for him, okay? I like you and only you, hence why you’re my boyfriend, and not him. You really think I’d be with you if there was anyone else? Hm?” he pressed.

Luhan pursed his lips, looking up at Sehun with cautious eyes, “I don’t know what I think. I just… I know that he’s a catch, and I’m… me-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there” Sehun cut him off, “you’re not ‘just you’. You’re Luhan. You’re powerful and amazing and you’re someone that I count myself lucky to have. Don’t compare yourself to other people because you’re not them, and that’s a good thing. Lu, I don’t ever want you to feel insecure when it comes to how I feel about you, because you’re the only person I want to be with. Will ever want to be with. Alright?” he said.

Luhan looked back at him silently.

“Alright?” Sehun repeated a little more forcefully.

Luhan sighed, relenting, “Alright” he nodded.

“Good,” Sehun smiled, leaning down and capturing Luhan’s lips in a soft kiss.

Luhan smiled slightly against Sehun’s lips, his hands coming up and gripping onto the collar of Sehun’s t-shirt. He kept a firm hold on it even as they pulled apart, “Sorry for being stupid”

“Don’t be daft” Sehun waved him off, “having insecurities isn’t stupid. We’ve all got ‘em, so relax. And I’ll just have to keep reminding you that you’re the only one for me, my Xiao Lu” he smiled warmly at the other boy, “Plus, we’re committed, remember” he lifted his wrist to flash Luhan his bracelet.

“Committed, yeah. I remember” Luhan laughed, clinking his bracelet against Sehun’s.

Tao sighed softly as he looked over the photographs in his hands.

He missed his family terribly. And though he oved being a Special, loved learning about and evolving his powers, he couldn’t help the longing he felt for his mother’s warm hugs and his father’s hair ruffles.

He still remembered the last day he was with them as though it was yesterday. It was a week after he’d written to Onew to tell him about his powers and ask for the chance to be trained up.

“Zitao! Come down, sweetheart, there’s someone here to see you!” Tao’s mother called up the stairs.

Tao paused his video game and pulled off his headset, then made his way downstairs to see what all the fuss was about.

He made his way into the living room to find his parents sat having tea with a man that he didn’t recognise.

“What’s going on?” he asked carefully, walking over to sit beside his mother.

“Zitao, I’m Lee Jinki. From EXO school for Special,” the man said simply, “I’m here in response to your letter, and to offer you a place at my school”

Tao assessed the man for a moment, “What’s the catch?” he asked, feeling a touch suspicious of the sudden offer.

The man hadn’t even responded to him in writing and now all of a sudden he was in his living room offering him a place at his school in order to train him up? It was too… convenient.

The man – Jinki, Tao reminded himself – smiled, “the catch,” he said, “Is that should you accept, you are to leave with me tonight. For safety reasons, you will not be allowed to contact your family at any time. And when the time comes – and believe me, it will come – you will be expected to fight for our side in the upcoming war. It is a weighty cost, but it is a necessary one. The decision is yours, Zitao, make it wisely. But I can tell you that in return for your sacrifice, you will receive the best training this world has to offer. You will learn to have complete control over your gift, and you will learn to use it in protecting yourself, and your brothers in the war, and you will learn to use it as a weapon.

 “Being a Special means a lot more than being able to do party tricks. It means being a part of something that is so much larger than yourself, and I need to know that you are able to accept this. You will learn out history, you will learn things that you wouldn’t have believed possible. We will train you to fight, we will train you to use your mind, and to work as a team. You will become more powerful than you can imagine, but you will also hold a lot of responsibility in return for that power.

 “If this is something that you can live with, something that you can embrace, then I feel you should fit in beautifully, however, should you find this something you will find hard to come to terms with, then I suggest you turn down this offer” he said, remaining blunt as he spoke.

“Now wait a minute!” Tao’s father objected, “He’s just a boy!”

Onew smiled, “And sadly, we live in a world where children cannot be children for long. Should he accept my offer, he shall be a boy no longer, I am afraid. He will become a man”

“This is ridiculous!” Tao’s father shouted, “He’s barely seventeen years old!”

“And I have had boys at my school from a lot younger, but they are still able to act like adults when they have to. It’s nothing about age, I’m afraid, and with your son’s gifts… we have a valuable asset in him.

Tao’s father got to his feet, “You’re putting these children through hell to create an army?! An army that will fight against grown Specials?! It’s a suicide mission!”

“I respectfully disagree” Onew said calmly, taking a sip of his tea.

Tao’s father’s eyes narrowed at the headmaster of EXO, “You’ve got some nerve!” he huffed.

“Dad,” Tao said, “This is bigger than me. Bigger than any of us… Give me a chance to make this world good again”

His mother looked horrified, “Zitao,” she pleaded, but Tao only shook his head and looked at Onew.

“I’ll go with you” he decided, “It’s for the best”

Onew nodded, “I shall wait here whilst you pack your belongings. I hope you are aware of the severity of your decision”

“Yes, sir” Tao nodded, then he was back on his feet and making his way upstairs again.

He waited until he’d closed his bedroom door behind him to cry.

There were a lot of times that Tao had thought of only himself, he couldn’t deny that, but this was something that was far bigger than he would ever be. It was something far bigger than anything he’d ever faced before and it was time to grow up and face the music.

He knew that it wouldn’t be easy, it would be far, far from it.

But it was something that he had to do.

He would never see his family again.

He could well easily die by going to this place, by going to fight in a war that he had no business being in.

But he had to go.

He had to be brave for once in his life.

“Why so glum, chum?”

Tao was snapped out of his thoughts as Kris laid a hand on his shoulder, making him jump slightly.

“Huh? Oh, just lost in thought” Tao said, shaking his head to clear it.

“You ought to be careful. You might not find your way out next time” Kris joked half-heartedly as he sat down on the bed beside Tao.

Tao laughed slightly, “Yeah” he hummed, “What are you doing up here? I’d have thought you’d be down at dinner with the others”

“I was, but you weren’t. So I brought you up some food. Can’t have you wasting away now, can we?” Kris smiled warmly at Tao then passed him a bowl of soup and a spoon.

“Thanks,” Tao smiled back gratefully, taking a mouthful of the food, “Oh god. I didn’t realise how hungry I was!” he groaned before wolfing down the rest as Kris watched on.

Kris wasn’t an idiot, he could see how hard things were for Tao a lot of the time, being away from his family like that. Kris had always been at the school, so being around a real family, he didn’t know what it was like. He didn’t have the nostalgia to drag him down on the bad days.

Sure, he had other demons clawing at him, but he felt for Tao, he really did, because he knew how hard it had been over the past two years for him.

He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up with a loving family that care for you, nurtured you, a family that was there to cheer on your first steps, to hold your hand through the tough times, to see you off on your first day of school, only to have that all pulled out from under you when all you wanted to do was better yourself, wanting to make the world a better place again after having to live in such an evil one.

Had he been put in the same position, he didn’t know if he’d have been able to go through with it. “You miss them” Kris said, looking over Tao as the younger placed his empty bowl and spoon on the bedside table.

Tao smiled sadly, “Yeah. All the time…” he said.