Paired

Pythia

Sehun fiddled with his blazer collar, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. A large banquet table was spread out before him, twelve beautiful silver plates set daintily in front of the waiting students, still empty of food. The boys sat in an alternating pattern based on their school, so he had a Guarder on either side of him. It was painfully quiet.

Sehun took the time to steal glances at the two boys beside him. Tao was on his right, slumped over and cradling his metal hand in his lap. Although the Guarder sported a rather small frame, Sehun could not help but be mildly intimidated. Last night the drapes that had covered the wall-length windows had been pulled closed, but now they were open, letting in the soft sunlight that landed on Tao’s lap. The unpainted metal joints on his hand, which he had refused to explain to Sehun the night before, shone dully, flashing when he moved. As if he could sense Sehun’s eyes on him, Tao glanced up to meet them, giving him a small smile.

On his left, the Telepathic sat serenely, his pretty face blank with expression. In comparison to Tao, who was still hunched in the large dining room chairs, Luhan had exquisite posture, his delicate hands folded neatly into his lap. His eyes gazed past Kris, who sat across from him, and they were unblinking, his long lashes barely fluttering in the still air.

“So…” Junmyeon started in the silence, and everyone turned to look at him. He smiled forcedly. “Um. How…was your guy’s trip up here?”

“Good,” Kris answered him when no one else did.

Silence again.

“It was a little bumpy,” Baekhyun attempted, but had nothing further to say after that. The twelve boys stirred restlessly in their seats, avoiding eye contact with one another.

“I like your rings, Kris,” Tao said from beside Sehun after a full minute of quiet.

Kris glanced down at his left hand, which was decorated with expensive silver rings, not meeting Tao’s eyes. “Thanks,” he muttered coldly, “But you would never be able to wear them with that contraption.”

At least three people gasped.

“Where did you get them?” Tao asked calmly after a second, unfazed by Kris’s hostility.

“Somewhere you couldn’t afford,” Kris growled at him from across the table.

“Kris!” Sehun hissed in a shocked voice, glancing worriedly at Tao.

Kris had raised his chin to meet Tao’s eyes for the first time, and he was glaring. Tao stared back for a moment, but when Kris’s face would not soften, he gave up and turned his head away.

“Look, food’s here!” Baekhyun announced hurriedly, attempting to cover his friend’s behaviour, and the other eleven boys turned to the door with relief, where the servers had finally arrived with their brunch.

Once it had been set down on the tables, the boys began to distribute the food, hesitantly starting to converse among one another.

“Thank you,” Luhan said softly when Sehun offered him some hashbrowns. Their eyes met and he gave him a gentle smile.

“So…can you actually tell the future?” Sehun blurted out, feeling as if he had to say something in return, and Minseok giggled from where he sat on Luhan’s other side. Luhan smiled prettily again, his eyes amused, and he shook his head.

“Not exactly,” he answered him lightly.

“What can you do, then?” Yixing asked, tuning into the conversation.

Luhan laughed. “Mostly, I just have really strong feelings about things. I know when something is going to turn out bad, or good.”

“And he’s always right,” Kai, or Jongin, or whatever his name was added from across the table.

“That just sounds like strong intuition, not a superpower,” Baekhyun grinned, and suddenly everyone was listening as Luhan talked.

“Sometimes I can get more precise than that,” he answered Baekhyun mildly.

“How precise?” Sehun asked eagerly.

Luhan looked at him wryly. “Very.”

“But he does something else, too,” Minseok beamed from beside him. “C’mon, Lu, show them.”

Luhan glanced at one of the supervisors who were standing by the wall-windows, and when one of them nodded at him, he turned back to the other eleven students. “Okay,” he addressed all of them. “Close your eyes.”

The Guarders all immediately closed theirs, being used to this, and the other six students from KAE glanced at one another hesitantly before doing the same. Sehun could feel the air move as Luhan rustled beside him, lifting his hands from his lap. For a second there was only silence, and then…there wasn’t.

It was like a…a blanket in his mind. That was the only way Sehun could describe it. It settled comfortingly over his conscious, enveloping him gently. Sehun thought that if it had a colour, it would be a rosy pink.

( Hello. )

All the students from KAE collectively gasped, except for Minseok, who giggled.

“What was that?” Kris demanded.

( It’s Luhan. Hello. Welcome to the Academy, students of KAE. )

He was speaking to them, Sehun realized with awe. Inside their thoughts.

( I hope you are all enjoying your brunch. We are so excited to have you here. )

“How is this possible?” Sehun exclaimed with wonder.

( It just is. ) Something like a laugh sounded inside his head. ( This is what I do. I know, it’s a little freaky. But not as freaky as Jongin. Just wait until he gets going- )

“Stop!” Baekhyun shouted agitatedly, and then the connection cut out. Sehun opened his eyes, confused. “Sorry,” Baekhyun amended sheepishly, when he found everyone looking at him. “Its just- that was-” he winced.

“Some people are more sensitive to it then others,” Luhan told him softly.

“It does kind of hurt,” Yixing admitted, rubbing his temples, and Kyungsoo and Kris gave nods of assertion, both raising their hands to massage their foreheads.

“Even I’m still not used to that,” Chanyeol told Baekhyun comfortingly. “Don’t worry about it. He’s not offended.”

“I’m not,” Luhan agreed with a laugh. The conversation shifted, but Sehun continued to stare at Luhan, still totally awestruck, and wacthed as he reached forward to grab another waffle, his lithe fingers ending in perfectly manicured nails. As he sat back, he turned, caught Sehun staring, and smiled again. Sehun glanced away, reddening, and hurriedly engaged himself into conversation with Tao.

 

-

 

Lights dimmed, and the noise did along with it. Baekhyun sat sandwiched between his fellow KAE students in the darkened theatre, bookended by Tao and Luhan. The simple stage in front of them was dark, silent. Then, in the quiet, there was a sharp crackling sound, and suddenly a flame appeared in the middle of the stage. It started off tiny, only visible because of the dark, but then it began to grow. Within thirty seconds, it had gone from a small candle-like flame into a pulsing, fiery ball. Baekhyun watched in awe as Chanyeol’s face came into view, illuminated by the fire that was glowing between his palms.

He smiled as the students all gasped with delight, looking completely at ease. “We hope you enjoy our show,” he announced easily, and then aimed his arms towards the sky. The fiery ball of flames followed, shooting upwards before bursting like a balloon, coming down in a shower of orange sparks around Chanyeol. Baekhyun’s jaw dropped. It had done so many times since he had arrived. He stared at Chanyeol’s tall, loping figure as the Guarder began to move, flames tingling at the tips of his fingers. Music had begun to play from the theatre speakers, and Chanyeol’s flames reacted with them, glittering like diamonds in his hands. The Guarder began to confidently shoot the flames outwards, almost dancing with them as he created ornate patterns in the air. He looked, Baekhyun decided, simply beautiful. His easy smile never left his face even as the fire flared just millimetres from his skin. Baekhyun felt tingles as he watched, the warmth of the flames beginning to heat the room.

As the song came to an end, Chanyeol pulled his arms into himself and the fire stopped. It went dark, and then on the final beat of music, he whipped his arms open and huge, flowing flames shot out after them, reaching at least three feet past his body on either side. For a moment, he looked like a fire-winged angel. Baekhyun could not help but squeal with delight, immediately bursting into applause. The other students followed suite as Chanyeol took his exit and Jongdae mounted the stage.

The rest of the show was simply magical. The Guarders presented their powers with exquisite artfulness, crafting them into a performance. Jongdae’s lightning sent everyone’s hair standing on end, erupting powerfully from his small hands, travelling up and around the room, beyond the borders of the stage. Jongin appeared onstage with no context, and then proceeded to teleport so subtly, quickly and suddenly it seemed like he was dancing. Suho was last, creating water walls and hulking shapes before letting them crash to the ground, splashing over the students’ toes. For the finale, all four of them went on stage together, and electricity, water, and flames met as one while Jongin expertly weaved his way between them. As the water and fire met it created a smoky haze, Jongdae’s blue bolts looking like lightning crackling from huge thunderclouds of smoke.

When it was over everyone was on their feet, including Tao and Luhan.

“Why didn’t he perform?” Baekhyun heard Kris mutter to Sehun during the applause. He glanced over and saw Kris motioning towards Tao again, a disdained look on his face.

“He’s not allowed, it’s too dangerous,” Sehun whispered back to him. “Besides, Luhan didn’t perform either.”

“Yeah, but he already proved to us what he can do,” Kris shot back. “For all we know, Iron Man over there is just like us.”

“Stop picking on him, hyung,” Sehun answered him sharply, and turned away.

“What’d you guys think?” interrupted Chanyeol’s happy voice, and Baekhyun twisted, Sehun and Kris forgotten.

“That was amazing!” Baekhyun answered him, bubbling with excitement. The lights slowly began to come back on, and the four Guarders who had performed came down from the stage to greet the others.

"You really thought so?" Jongdae asked with a wide smile.

“Well,  don’t see how all that would be very practical in battle,” Yixing mused with a laugh.

“We’ll dazzle the enemies so much they’ll be unable to fight back,” Jongdae quipped back, and Yixing laughed again.

“I suppose that’s always an option.”

“You guys were fantastic,” Kyungsoo told them earnestly, and the four bustled in thanks.

Many thanks to the performers,” the loudspeakers announced in the midst of their talking. “All students may now proceed to the dining hall.”

 

-

 

Dinner went slightly better than brunch, a little less awkward now that the ice had been broken. The KAE students engaged their respective Guarders into polite conversation; all of them pretty certain now of whom they would be paired with. Once they were finished eating, the tables were cleared and the students were instructed to line up on the stage.

The pairing was relatively lacklustre, considering it was the moment that everyone had been building up to. In fact, there really was no formal announcement, simply the handing out of room keys. Tao felt a rush of relief when he was called up with Sehun, and the two took their matching keys from the supervisors before stepping back into line. After everyone had been called, the students were invited to go find their rooms, the rest of the evening unscheduled. They had the entire weekend before formal classes started on Monday, so the students were told to get to know their roommates as well as possible during their free time.

“Your Guarders have their own things planned for you,” the principal said with a laugh, addressing the new KAE students. “Hopefully they will help you get to know the campus better, and may even take you into town.”

Sehun glanced over to his new Guarder and in return Tao shot him a mischievous grin. “I’ll take you somewhere fun, don’t worry about it.”

The students were then dismissed, two days of freedom ahead of them before the official semester was to start.

 

-

 

“So…this is us,” Jongin announced, and stopped at the third dorm room door.

Kyungsoo nodded, dragging two suitcases behind him.

“I didn’t really decorate,” Jongin told him as he unlocked the door. “I figured you might want to do that yourself.”  The two of them stepped into the room, Jongin reaching back to help Kyungsoo with his bags.

“Wow,” Kyungsoo said in appreciation. The room was rather huge, a modestly sized bed smoothed over with white sheets on either end. Almost the entirety of the back wall was just one giant window, floor-length soft blue curtains swinging across it, revealing the gorgeous view of the coutryside behind it. A white side table accompanied each bed, one already covered with pictures and knick-knacks, and the other totally empty. Over the course of his life, Kyungsoo had definitely stayed in rooms way fancier than this one, but in comparison to the uncomfortable temporary bed he’d slept in last night, the dorm seemed perfect.

“I didn’t know which bed you would want,” Jongin apologized, gesturing towards the covered side table. “We can switch if you want this one.”

“No, it’s fine,” Kyungsoo answered quickly. He pulled his suitcases to the left side of the room.

“There’s two closets,” Jongin explained, motioning to both sides of the room. “And two bathrooms. Except mine has a shower and yours has a bath. You can always use the shower if you need it though, I don’t mind.”

Kyungsoo laughed. “Okay, thanks.”

“Also, there’s a curtain that pulls across the middle of the room,” Jongin continued, and pointed to the gathered blue curtain next to the door they had come in through. “In case you ever want some privacy.”

Kyungsoo grinned ruefully. “Alright.” He turned to his luggage, and began to open the smaller of the two.

Jongin sat himself down on his bed, opposite of Kyungsoo. “So…” he started after a moment of quiet. “Do you…need any help?”

“I’m good for now,” Kyungsoo replied peacefully, and began to lift clothes from the suitcase onto his bed. Jongin sat silently for another minute, looking at him from across the room, and then abruptly got up.

“I’m going to get some hot chocolate from the cafeteria. Want anything?”

“Do they have tea?” Kyungsoo asked him, not looking up from his suitcase.

“Yeah. What kind do you want?”

“Do they have chai?”

“I think so.”

“That works.”

“Okay. Back soon.” There was the sound of footsteps on the hardwood floor and then the door clicked quietly shut behind him. Kyungsoo ruffled through his luggage a moment longer, and then gave a sigh, flopping resolutely down onto the bed. He was exhausted. He glanced over to Jongin’s side of the room, and after a moment of debating, got up.

 Padding over to Jongin’s bed table, he noted that there was a single poster on the wall, carefully pasted above the headboard. It featured three fluffy puppies, two brown and one white. Kyungsoo felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. On Jongin’s table, there was three framed pictures- one black-and-white one of a pretty young couple that Kyungsoo assumed was Jongin’s parents, and two others of the six Guarders, posing in front of Korean monuments. Along with the photos, the bed table housed a set of dog tags, a stick of lip balm, and a retainer. At this Kyungsoo couldn’t help but laugh aloud. The famous Kai, with a cobalt-blue retainer sitting on his bedside table.

“Something funny?” Jongin called, confused, and re-entered the room with a paper cup in each hand.

“No,” Kyungsoo amended quickly. “I like your puppy poster, though.”

Jongin blushed, fumbling as he handed Kyungsoo a cup. “I haven’t seen them for a while,” he mumbled, and took a sip of his hot chocolate.

“They’re yours?” Kyungsoo asked in surprise, eyebrows rising.

“Yeah,” Jongin answered him with a small smile. “But not really anymore, since I can’t take care of them. They live with my mom now.”

“Just your mom?” Kyungsoo asked him, and lifted the tea to his lips. “Thanks, by the way.”

“You’re welcome.” Jongin answered him, his voice suddenly flat. “And yeah, just her." He glanced up at the posters and then at Kyungsoo, lips pursed into a straight line. "My dad died in the war.”

Kyungsoo’s mouth parted. “Oh-I-I didn’t know...I’m so sorry," he faltered. 

“It’s not your fault,” Jongin smiled cheerlessly. “Don’t be sorry. I was a child. I barely remember him.”

Kyungsoo dropped his eyes, panicking slightly. This conversation had gone downhill very fast. Yet he couldn't stop his eyes from drifting back to the dog tags on Jongin’s table. 

“Yeah, they’re his,” Jongin told him, clearly noticing. There was silence for a moment, and the two boys sipped their drinks, not looking at one another. Then Jongin turned back to Kyungsoo, his eyes shadowed. “I know I only met your dad once- and it’s not like I have the right or anything, but- just know- you’re lucky. To have a dad still. Even if…if-”

“-If he’s a ?” Kyungsoo supplied for him wryly, and Jongin glanced at him in surprise, unsure what to make of those words coming from his sweet, innocent lips.

“I guess,” Jongin answered, his face breaking out in a shy smile. “I mean, I would have worded it better, but-”

“I know,” Kyungsoo laughed. “But you’re right.”

Jongin laughed again, the awkward moment past, and then motioned to the mess of clothes on Kyungsoo’s bed. “Are you going to hang those up, or…?”

“Oh, right,” Kyungsoo exclaimed. “Yeah. I should probably do that.”

“I’ll help,” Jongin told him, and set down his hot chocolate before walking over to grab hangers from the closet. 

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo told him quietly as Jongin began to busy himself with the clothes hangers, humming as he did so.

“Don’t get used to it,” Jongin turned to him with a smile, his eyes twinkling with humour.

“It’s your job,” Kyungsoo pointed out, and Jongin waved him away with his hands.

“I’m your Guarder, not your maid. Trust me, if I was a maid, I’d be dressed way ier than this.” He gave Kyungsoo a pointed look and then they both burst into laughter, and for a moment, everything was all right.

 

A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed that- there's still a lot of set-up being done, I'm sorry, but hopefully in was enjoyable anyway lol. As always, thanks for reading! :)

Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
chainedearth #1
Chapter 18: Noooo it can’t be the end so soon :( Been enjoying how the story has been falling into place.... Would there be a happy ending?
_bianymeans_
#2
Chapter 13: I don’t know if I’m reading this correct, but it says completed for me? Am I reading it wrong? I probably am, I’m relatively new to this site. ?
This is really good, you’re a very skilled author. You know how to cause tension!
_bianymeans_
#3
Chapter 11: I love this!
Mishtique
#4
Chapter 8: awe happy kaisoo
Mishtique
#5
Chapter 7: awe taotao
PurpleMoonDragon #6
Chapter 5: I enjoyed Reading this, please continue to update
emiliemgc #7
Chapter 2: Please update soon ~ this story looks so interesting, i'm looking forward to seeing what happens!!
yini_666 #8
Chapter 2: This is progressing wonderfully! Kris is so salty towards Tao lol. In 'locked' their relationship was so electrical! I'm looking forward to how they get together :))
AshleyAntwolf #9
Love it. Can't wait for the next chapter!