1997, Haidan District, Beijing

The autumn air was ridiculously warm.  

Pulling at his collar to soothe the sweltering heat, Minseok walked the path from the school steps with haste. All he wanted was to get to some cool relief, but the ten-minute walk to his new house was looking more like a torturous trek. The heat was a blanket. It simmered sultrily against his skin and clouded his vision; so real it had become seemingly visible.

In the midst of daydreaming, someone pushed him.

Minseok would later wail that fate was cruel to him, and even later he would muse about how lucky he was that fate was so kind. Just as he rounded the corner to pass in front of the school’s one fountain, fate would have it that someone pushed him- intentionally or not he would never know- right into the water.

He had been daydreaming. Perhaps because of the extreme heat, perhaps because he had just started third grade in a new city, perhaps because a lot had been going on at home and he was exhausted with constantly moving, or perhaps because he still wasn’t used to China, but no matter the reason he’d been somewhere else.

Whatever the case, Minseok had no time to react, and he landed in the fountain, bum first, and made a ridiculously dramatic splash.

His face flamed hot, not even noticing the soothing cold of the water. Old and young around him had stopped, mouths opening in unified ‘O’s. There were a few light giggles. Someone shifted in the crowd, a blonde head bobbing ahead to catch a glimpse of the spectacle. Minseok could not breathe for a moment, his small fingers curling beneath his knuckles and scraping against the fountain bottom. Then he stood, water dripping from his soaked school uniform, and he ran.

The blondie found him in a pile of crisp september leaves beneath an oak tree not more than five minutes later. To Minseok it had felt like an eternity, an eternity which he had spent crying, and he barely registered the presence of another in the midst of his wails.

“Oh, don’t be dramatic,” came a childish, surprisingly sweet voice. Minseok looked up in bewilderment, his sobbing halting momentarily as his eyes came to rest on the elfin face. At the time he had no idea that this face would completely reset the course of his life.

Crunching a plethora of leaves, the other boy sat down, his eyes amused. “It’s not like the world has ended.” He paused, head tilting. “May I sit with you?”

For a moment Minseok could only stare back in surprise, hiccuping down swallowed tears. But then as it became apparent the other boy was waiting for him to answer, he straightened, wiping the tears away with two furious swipes. “Yes,” he said, voice coming out smaller than he would’ve liked.

The other boy nodded approvingly, his delicate features forming a smile. “That was so funny. But doesn’t it feel nice?” He gave the wet clothes an envious glance.

Minseok shook his head, hiding into the small of his hands.

The boy’s smile widened further. “Oh, stop. Here, I can make you feel better.”

Minseok squinted in confusion. “How?” he asked dubiously. And then, without really meaning to, his mouth formed another question- “What do you mean?” and suddenly he was very much intrigued.

The boy laughed, a sound that would become honeyed and familiar to Minseok. “It means I can help you. And,” he repeated knowingly, “You’ll feel much better.”

“You can dry my clothes?” Minseok gasped hopefully. And then, almost like an afterthought he added, “What’s your name?”

“Oh, no,” the boy grinned. “What I do is much better. Here, I’ll show you.” His bangs fell across his face as his eyes closed, his smile settling into a neutral line. He reached out and took each of Minseok’s hands in his own, and whispered, “Close your eyes.” Minseok obeyed wonderingly.

For a moment there was nothing save the rustling of fall leaves and the lazy heat. But then, curiously so, he slowly he felt his embarrassment begin to fade, as if nullified in a relaxing wave of calm that swept across his thoughts. He sat peacefully for a moment, bathing in the airy serene. Then, a little grainy, though still quite understandable, words bloomed beneath his eyelids. Minseok’s mouth opened in awe. They came inside his mind with one hot warm flash of endearment-

( My name is Luhan. )

-

Thirteen years later, Seoul

“Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon stopped making the bed and glanced up with wide-eyed surprise, his face quickly settling into a pre-conditioned smile. “Hi Jongin. Have you finished setting up your room yet?”

“No,” Jongin answered him tiredly. “I’m sure Mr. Do Kyungsoo has learned how to make his own bed in his eighteen years.”

“Jongin,” Junmyeon warned sharply.

Jongin rolled his eyes. “I'll do it. I just came to ask if you could help with my tie.”

Junmyeon sighed, but his eyes softened with humour. “The Great and Powerful Teleporter Can’t Tie a Tie. Imagine that as a headline. Kim Youngmin would be thrilled.” All the same, he stepped forward to fix Jongin’s knot over his wine-red school blazer, carefully smoothing the creases with Junmyeon-level precision. “Jongin, you know it’s not set in stone that you’ll end up with Kyungsoo. Try to be a little more open-minded tonight, won’t you?”

“I’ll be as open-minded as I can be while being threatened by one of the richest men in Korea and the principals of both Academies,” Jongin answered dryly.

“It was a threat,” Junmyeon reminded him. “That’s all, Jongin. A threat.”

“His father will cut our funding,” Jongin said quietly. “It doesn’t matter if it’s only a threat. No one here can afford cuts to our funding.”

Junmyeon said nothing for a moment, instead fussing with Jongin’s collar. “Go finish setting up your room,” he finally said once there was nothing left to fuss with. “No matter which student you end up with, we want all the dorms to look as presentable as possible.” Jongin nodded silently and turned to leave.

“Jongin,” Junmyeon added before he could step out.

“Yes?”

“Run a comb through your hair. You look like you have roadkill on top of your head.”

-

Tao knocked on Luhan’s door with his good hand, taking note of the ‘Welcome!’ spelt out with construction paper letters that he had taped on. “Luhan?”

“Come in,” came a muffled voice, and Tao pushed the door inwards. He stepped in and then paused, staring unimpressed around the room.

“Really? You’re nuts.”

“I want them to feel welcome!” Luhan defended himself, and then sheepishly got down from where he was hanging faerie lights to the windows. Tao glanced around the rest of the room, taking in the fresh flowers on the tables, the chocolates on the pillows and the art hung on the walls.

“You want Minseok to feel welcome,” he corrected Luhan. He looked lazily around the heavily decorated room once more before glancing back at the Telepathic. “What if you two don’t get paired together?”

“He’s my best friend,” Luhan said calmly. “We will get paired together.”

“You haven’t seen him in three years,” Tao pointed out matter-of-factly. “How can you be sure?”

“We’ve been sending letters,” Luhan answered determinedly, and reached for a pillow to fluff it up a bit more.

Tao rolled his eyes. “Whatever. They want us down in the dining room in ten minutes. So hurry up.” With that he his heel, closing the door with a snap behind him.

-

Jongdae stood in the dining room with the five other boys, all of them standing in a stick-straight line, hands clasped behind their backs. He was listening absentmindedly as Mr. Kim explained how the principal of their sister school, KAE (the Korean Academy of Excellence) had been unable to make it to this very important evening, but they were expected to behave anyway.

Blah, blah, blah. Jongdae’s nose was itchy, which was all he could really think about, but he wasn’t allowed to move during the principal’s speech. Supervisors lined the walls around the room, ready to spring into action if he did one thing wrong.

“As you know, this is one of the most esteemed programs in Korea…” Mr. Kim droned on. “Our students possess powers that once could only be emulated in fiction…”

That’s right, Jongdae thought, bored out of his mind. Dully he wondered what would happen if he just decided to harness his power right now. He could feel it simmering excitedly within him, hovering contentedly in the capsule of his body, waiting for him to coax it out, spreading from his chest down his arms and legs, settling into his fingertips so he could push it outwards, expelling bright bolts of electricity that would travel through the walls, blowing the circuits in the lights-

But that wasn’t an option right now. Unauthorized use of his power would result in detainment in solitary for at least a week. Probably longer, considering this was literally the most important night for the Academy all year.

“In this time of war, our unique program allows our students to exploit their powers for the greater good,” Mr. Kim was saying.

Right, Jongdae thought with a snort. Sure, the greater good, if you considered working for rich s the remainder of their lives the ‘greater good’. This was just a fancy way of saying that the students were training to become really intense bodyguards.

“In the Academy, these powerful individuals are able to train to become Guarders,” Mr. Kim said from the stage. “As Guarders, they will be partnered with students of our sister school, KAE, and master the art of protection.”

Protection, Jongdae mused. He thought again of the simmering energy within him, and wondered how anyone could ever think such a power was protection. What Mr. Kim really meant to say was that the Guarders would learn to destroy anything that threatened their charge.

“Tonight, we have six esteemed students of KAE with us,” Mr. Kim boomed. “They have been hand-selected, with the highest grades, the most impressive records, and the most promising futures-”

And the richest families, Jongdae thought with a sigh.

“-and will make their introductions with our six Guarders. Tonight is the night twelve students will embark on their journey, learning to trust, train, and protect. Boys, let us welcome the students of KAE!”

-

Kyungsoo’s father told him often not to be afraid of anything. After all, he hadn’t become a billionaire by being scared. Fearlessness was vital. Kyungsoo had it to thank for the Rolex on his wrist and the Corvette in his garage, and not a day went by when his father hadn’t reiterated this fact in one way or another.

But God, was it a sin to be nervous?

Baekhyun was bouncing at his side, his own nervousness showing its true face in an unfortunate display of energy.

“Hyung, I’m going to strangle you,” Kyungsoo said dryly when Baekhyun decided that figuring out how to braid Kyungsoo’s hair was essential in that exact moment. And to clarify, the braids definitely needed to be tested on Kyungsoo because-

“I can’t reach my own head,” Baekhyun whined. “Fine. Would you rather I massage you? Here-” he grinned, not waiting for Kyungsoo’s reply.

“Five more minutes,” Kyungsoo sighed under his breath, closing his eyes in silent prayer. “Five minutes and the Guarders will be here and I can ditch this idiot for forever five more minutes-” God, his nerves needed to just stop. All he was doing was meeting a possible partner, six absurdly powerful students, walking into a room of basically celebrities, and this was only one of the most important relationships he would ever forge-

“May I have everyone’s attention please,” came a microphone voice. Kyungsoo straightened up, shaking off Baekhyun’s hands with a firm grunt. Finally.

Ten minutes later they had entered a dining room filled with people, most milling about the beverage bar save the few official-looking teachers in their suits by the doors. They made awkward small-talk among one another, but it was pretty obvious that their eyes exclusively on the students.

Unsurprising. This was, as usual, one of the biggest events of the year for KAE, despite its demure appearance. After all, Guarders were potentially for life.

Baekhyun was in amongst the Guarders in no time, his laugh echoing loudly from between a group of three red-jacketed boys. Typical. The little playboy.

Instead of joining the bigger part of the crowd at the drinks, Kyungsoo opted to find someone alone. He figured it would look like he was making an effort without actually having to interact with anyone.

There was one red blazer at the table in the corner, a shock of white hair covering the face buried between his arms. Kyungsoo promptly walked over, going for a friendly smile.

“Hello,” he said politely to the boy’s arms.

“Hmm?” the Guarder muttered, and then raised his head sleepily. His hair fell about his eyes, and he looked, Kyungsoo decided, like one hot mess. “Oh. Hey.”

For a moment Kyungsoo wasn’t sure how to respond. This was a formal event, but the boy hardly looked more official than a Vegas wedding. He was practically asleep.

“Um,” Kyungsoo said, watching as the boy proceeded to ruffle his hair and then rest his face against the table so he could watch Kyungsoo out of the corner of his eye without actually raising his head. “I’m Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo.” He held out a hand, although handshakes seemed foolishly proper in comparison to the other’s behaviour.

He was mildly surprised when the boy actually shot upright and took his hand, his demeanour changing so quick it was like he hadn’t been tired at all. “Oh! Do Kyungsoo. Yes, I’ve been...spoken to…by your father.” He gave a rather forced smile. “I’m Kim Jongin.”

Kyungsoo frowned. “I’m sorry, my...father?”

“Yes,” sighed Jongin, his forced smile dropping into its actual bleak expression. “Most people don’t- I mean-” He gave a frustrated sigh, fixing himself into a proper sitting position before starting again. “I’m Kai. The Teleporter.” Saying these words his face grew even more austere.

“Oh!” Kyungsoo exclaimed with the same sudden recognition Jongin had greeted him with mere seconds ago. “Oh.”

So this was him. Kyungsoo’s father, in a natural display of power, had mentioned to KAE in that sly way of his that he wanted the Teleporter for his son’s Guard and no one else. Oh, and if that request wasn’t met he would withdraw his son from KAE, along with the generous donations that came each year. The school administrators had stiffly told him they didn’t make promises, but here the Teleporter was with Kyungsoo’s name familiar to his mouth, so clearly his fathers’s wish had been granted. Kyungsoo hadn’t expected to meet him this quickly. In real life, Kai looked...younger.

Jongin was giving him a slow once-over, his face maddeningly unreadable. “I would’ve, you know, made an effort,” he said after a second, waving to the crowd of people. “But. Well. I figured you’d find me eventually. And you did.” He laughed tiredly, and then pulled out a chair next to him. “Sorry. I didn’t recognize you- you don’t look anything like your father.” He eyed the Rolex on Kyungsoo’s wrist as he took the seat. “I guess I’m not making a great first impression.”

No, Kyungsoo thought amusedly. Not particularly. “Let’s start over then,” he smiled placidly. “...Jongin?”

Jongin grinned sheepishly, smoothing down his blazer. “Yeah. My parents gave me a press name when my powers first came to light. Thus, Kai was born. Identity protection and that stuff. My real name’s Jongin.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but be curious. “Oh. Isn’t it weird for you? Like, everyone knows you as Kai. You’re...the Kai.”

“I’ve learned to keep him separate,” Jongin answered, rubbing his hands together. “Kai is battle ready. Press ready. Guarder ready. Jongin is…” he shrugged. “Jongin.”

They lapsed into a bout of silence. “What did my father say to you, exactly?” Kyungsoo ventured after a minute.

Jongin shifted uncomfortably. “That his son went to KAE, requested a Guarder, and that I would fit the profile.” He frowned slightly, and then continued, “He was extremely nice. Weirdly so, considering he was basically telling me that I was being forced to work for his family.” He paused, and then muttered under his breath, “You know, I never really said it out loud before. It sounds worse now that I did.” He shot Kyungsoo a curious glance.

Kyungsoo laughed. “Yes well, my father has a way of doing that. He’s an unfortunately talented manipulator.” He turned at the sudden loud voice of Baekhyun and saw that he had cornered one particularly tall red blazer. The Guarder didn’t seem to mind however, and even chuckled when Baekhyun reached his hands up to ruffle his hair.

“Chanyeol,” Jongin said unnecessarily, motioning to the tall Guarder.

“Ah,” Kyungsoo nodded. “Yes. Well, after three days with that little brat he’s going to wish they’d never met.” He smiled fondly, just in case Jongin thought he really meant it. The two fell quiet once more, and Kyungsoo took the time to see who else had begun to pair up. Minseok was standing with who he assumed was his childhood friend Luhan, the Telepathic he had been talking non-stop about for the past week, the two in soft conversation. Sehun had positioned himself next to a blonde boy with his hands stuffed in his pockets. They had equally judging looks on their faces. Even Kris had seemed to separate off with a red blazer that Kyungsoo was able to identify as Suho, one of the more known students. And perhaps most surprisingly, shy Yixing was already in deep conversation with a tiny Guarder with wide glasses. Interesting. He really hadn’t thought it would go this well.

“This worked out well,” Jongin noted beside him, echoing his thoughts. “Awe, Luhan,” he added flatly when Minseok was pulled into a bear hug by his Telepathic friend.

For the rest of the evening, no formal introductions were made, but Kyungsoo still managed to meet the other five Guarders when they began to mingle a bit more openly. The original partners broke apart to talk to their respective school friends, but they always seemed to come back together. As for Kyungsoo, he didn’t leave Jongin’s side. The Teleporter seemed quite content to just sit in the corner and let others come to them, which they did. Kyungsoo quickly realized that he was strangely magnetic, not just because of his famous powers, but his quiet confidence and flashing eyes. The others were drawn to him.

“So,” was the first word Baekhyun said when he made his way over, the last of everyone to come and chat. Chanyeol was still at his side, and shot Jongin a fervent smile. In turn, Jongin indulged him with a sarcastic grin and then buried his head back in his hands. “How are you two doing?” Baekhyun continued, and looped an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

“Um,” Kyungsoo offered, and glanced at Jongin’s bored expression. “Well, it’s been two hours. So as well as we could be doing.”

“Two hours?” Baekhyun gasped, his shock a little too overdone to be real. He glanced back at Chanyeol with a sweet loopy grin. “It feels like time doesn’t even pass when I’m with you.”

Kyungsoo made a barfing sound at the back of his throat and Jongin laughed. Once the two had wandered off Kyungsoo glanced hesitantly at his Guard. They had barely spoken all evening, and he scrambled for something else to ask him. “Do you mind… telling me the others’ powers?” he finally managed. Awkward as he was, Jongin nodded with a small smile.

“Yeah, of course.” He straightened, and glanced around the room. “Well, the one with your little friend, Chanyeol, he’s the Agnikinetic.”

Kyungsoo looked at him blankly.

“Fire,” Jongin laughed. “But specifically fire. He creates flames exclusively.” He paused, and then added, “Like a barbecue.”

Kyungsoo gave a snort and Jongin smiled wryly before continuing. “The one over there,” he said, pointing towards the glasses-clad shorty with Yixing, “Is Jongdae. You might’ve heard of him as Chen. He’s Electrokinetic. So he’s pure energy. He acts like it too, literally, you won’t even be surprised that he shoots lighting bolts from his hands after talking to him for five minutes.”

“Do you all have press names?” Kyungsoo cut in, watching as Jongdae fixed Yixing’s blazer collar.

Jongin shrugged. “Just those of us who needed it. Like Junmyeon,” he said, and nodded towards Kris and Suho.

“Suho,” Kyungsoo provided lamely, and then jumped to add in, “Water?”

Jongin nodded, and then shifted his gaze to the left side of the room. “Luhan and Tao were both kept a secret intentionally,” he pointed, and then paused, biting his lip. “They’re both...different.”

“I know about Luhan,” Kyungsoo sighed, remembering how exhausting the past weeks had been with Minseok, who had been unable to stop talking about his coming reunion with the Telepathic. “So Tao?” he motioned towards the one red blazer they hadn’t mentioned yet, who was chatting idly with Yixing and Jongdae.

Jongin nodded. “See his hand?” he motioned, and Kyungsoo obliged, then gawked in surprise. Tao’s left hand, out of his pocket for what seemed like the first time that evening, was made of metal. Well, that was probably wrong- it was more like he was wearing a metal glove. It shone dully under the artificial lights, full of wires and joints and black paint.

“They need to keep him under control,” Jongin explained, sounding tired but at the same time a bit sad. “They’d do it to me, too, but they don’t know how.” He flexed his fingers. “And I’m better behaved.”

“What does he do?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly.

“Chronokinesis,” Jongin mumbled, and then a bit stronger, “He manipulates Time.”

Kyungsoo gave him a look of awe. “What? You’re kidding! How have we never heard of this?”

“Intentional secret,” Jongin repeated, and Kyungsoo nodded slowly, dumbfounded. He hadn’t thought such a thing was possible. Surely his father would have requested Tao if he had known.

“What does the hand do?” he asked, trying to play his shock off.

Jongin shifted uncomfortably. “We all have different ways for activating our powers. For him, he’s unable to harness it without clasping his hands together.”

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows.

“When he’s wearing that Cuff, it effectively stops him from doing just that. His bare hands can’t touch. And,” he gave another heavy sigh, “It’s impossible to remove without extremely specific equipment. So they make him wear it to prevent him from using his powers.”

“That’s so cruel,” Kyungsoo gasped, horrified. As he said it, Tao slipped both hands back into his pocket and turned, almost as if he had heard from across the room.

“Yes, well,” Jongin said indifferently, “He caused a lot of problems before they got him under control.”

Kyungsoo gave him another look and he backtracked. “I don’t think it’s right,” he amended quickly. “It’s an awful device. But Tao can be a…” he searched for a word before laughing lightly and settling with, “Rebel.”

“And you wouldn’t know what that’s like?” Kyungsoo asked him quietly. “You’re not a rebel?”

Jongin looked at him carefully. “None of us want that to happen to us,” he answered cautiously. “And I harness my power purely by thinking about it.” He glanced towards Tao again, the bulky shape of the Cuff visible in his pocket. “If they wanted to Cuff me, they would have to put something inside my brain. And I don’t want that. Not at all.”

Kyungsoo nodded again, unsure how to respond. They lapsed back into silence once more.

The evening ended a couple hours later, after Mr. Kim had given yet another speech, and the students filed back to their teachers, the blue blazers from KAE to one side of the room and the red blazers of the Academy to the other. Kyungsoo and the rest of the KAE students were moved to a temporary dorm. Their supervisors explained how the next day would be spent doing activities with the Guarders. After dinner, the pairings would be announced based on how the students interacted with one another during tonight’s introductions and tomorrow’s festivities. For now, they were to rest up so they could be on their best behaviour with the Guarders tomorrow.

After washing up, Kyungsoo settled into the uncomfortable dorm bed, exhausted. His father's strict voice whispered monotonously in his head, interspersed with thoughts of the Teleporter, his dark eyes, and his messy white hair.

A/N: Hello! I hope this introduction into this AU wasn't too confusing. Hopefully any questions you have will be answered in future chapters. Anyways, thanks for reading :)