A/N: I'm really sorry this took so long. Also, I realize that sometimes I use their stage names or their real names; this is because I'm writing from different characters, and they all address each other differently. Sorry if it gets confusing. 

Junmyeon had set a later alarm the night before, just because he had wanted to give Kris some more time to wake up. Junmyeon himself was awake before it went off anyway. His body was so used to its sleeping schedule that at seven thirty a.m sharp he was up and moving, starting by making his bed.

Once finished he automatically began to dress, pulling on his perfectly tailored slacks, one of seven black pairs that he had for each day of the week. Next he chose a white button-down (he had two white, two black, two grey, and one blue, just to spice things up) and tucked it in neatly. He finished by throwing on a red-wine Academy sweater, embossed with an ‘A’ over his left . The next ten minutes he spent washing up, spending an embarrassingly long amount of time styling his hair until it looked perfectly tousled.

After all this there remained another ten minutes until the actual alarm was to go off and wake Kris, so Junmyeon simply sat down on his already-made bed, going over the days’ plans he had written down in his notepad. Breakfast would be attended to first, in the cafeteria. Then Kris needed to be shown around campus, maybe with Jongdae and Yixing, and for lunch Junmyeon thought he might take Kris to the local hot pot place. He believed the other Guarders had voiced similar plans, and perhaps they would end up all dining together- another bonding experience, if you will. The afternoon had been left blank on his notepad. The options to fill this space were numerous, left to Kris to decide.

For now, his roommate slept with his back to Junmyeon, bare shoulders moving as he breathed. The night before he had been characteristically quiet, almost moody as he calmly packed away his things and then requested that they sleep early. Barely any conversation had passed between them, and to Junmyeon this was just fine. As far as he was concerned, Kris seemed responsible, and that was enough. He could not imagine himself Guarding someone like Baekhyun, who sported insufferable amounts of energy and could not stop talking, or Sehun, who’s young age had already managed to show through his blasé attitude. There had been the minor issue with Tao at brunch, but Junmyeon figured Kris had simply been cranky from travelling. Maybe also intimidated.

When the alarm went off, Kris let out one breath before sitting up right away. He gave Junmyeon a nod without eye contact before standing, the sheets sliding off his bare torso in a smooth whoosh, and moved to his bathroom.

Junmyeon waited for a moment, listening for the tap to start, and then stood to make Kris’s bed. There was just something so infuriating about unmade beds in the morning.

When they went down to the cafeteria, the news was as per usual playing on the television, showing updates on the ongoing war. Kris helped himself to the buffet before sitting down in front of the TV, shoveling food into his mouth as he watched the news with silent wide eyes. Junmyeon joined him a moment later, and then they watched the updates in silence together.

Junmyeon had watched the war play out on his television for as long as he could remember. In reality, the war had not started until he was four, after the first outbreaks of Pythia began to arise. But Junmyeon could not recall a time before his parents’ murmurs of frightened panic, before smooth-faced politicians spoke promises of sure cures that never worked, before the television bleeped out dry messages of protesting citizens and a government that responded with firepower. Today the news showed new incidents of the rabid. The headlines acted like it was something new, but cases of the Pythia gone rabid were played almost daily. Junmyeon had them practically memorized by now.

Although it was unsaid, the Guarders knew they were valuable assets in the war. The government’s worst nightmare was the public getting the idea that the Guarders could be used as a catalyst for coup, and training them as Guards for the children of the rich and high profile was just one way of keeping them under close watch.

Junmyeon was well aware that he and his peers were destined to eventually play a large role in the battles. But currently it seemed at a far-off distance. He was content to focus on his studies, and now, on Kris.

As they ate silently, others began to slowly trickle down from their dorms, helping themselves to the buffet and sitting scattered about the cafeteria. Just when Junmyeon and Kris finished up and began to head back upstairs, Sehun and Tao emerged as the last ones awake, incessantly talking; not yet fully dressed in their school uniforms. Junmyeon noted abruptly with vague interest that they looked so similar that they could perhaps be brothers; their blonde locks, lean frames and matching smirks were eerily similar. Not to mention the way they talked. 

Kris walked past them with his back stiff, and did not bother to stop when his shoulders collided harshly with Tao’s, crushing him against Sehun. The pair of them righted themselves and then looked towards Kris in surprise, caught off guard.

Junmyeon gave Tao an apologetic look as he passed them, not quite sure what to do, and then hurried to catch up to Kris. His long legs had already taken him several yards ahead.

-

Yixing ran his hands along the book covers as they walked, marveling quietly at the ceilings arching highly above his head.

“Junmyeon likes to study in here,” Jongdae was saying from beside him, a hint of amusement in his smile. “And he studies a lot.”

“I take my classes seriously,” Suho answered in a mild tone. “And it’s a good spot. Quiet.” This was true. They were alone in the room, and apart from their voices echoing off the marble walls, it was silent.  

“So you can just take whichever books you want?” Kyungsoo questioned, and Suho nodded in assent. “You don’t have to check them out? There’s no…record?”

“There’s no one to keep the records,” Kai explained. “But we always bring the books back anyway.”

Yixing noted this with interest. A library with no librarian, he mused, peering curiously around the large room again, and estimated there must be over a thousand books in the high oak bookshelves. There could be no way that every single book was brought back, accounted for, and beyond that, organized back into its proper place. How could the students themselves even find anything in here, without the records? Yet somehow, Kai telling them that there was no librarian did not surprise him. In the forty-some hours he had spent at the Academy, he had been quick to note that they were severely lacking in staff. Or, perhaps, whatever staff did exist was keeping their distance, because Yixing had observed all of seven different adults, each of them being supervisors hosting blank expressions.

The library turned out to be the last stop on the campus tour. The six boys then wandered out to the front of the school, where Jongdae explained they were waiting for transportation to take them to lunch.

“Why are the windows out?” Kris asked when the car pulled up. It had been the first thing that he had said all day, and the others turned to look at him.  

“For our safety,” Suho answered uncomfortably, opening the doors to usher them inside. Even from the inside, the windows were black. Yixing wondered why they even bothered making the cars with windows if no light could get through. No matter, though. The ceiling of the car- it was almost like a limousine, Yixing realized- was lined with fluorescent lights that cast a blueish glow on their faces, turning them all waxy and sun-deprived. 

“Where are we going?” Kyungsoo asked, sitting himself down next to Kai.

“Hot pot,” Kai answered with a content grin.

Kyungsoo’s face lit up. Kris caught Yixing’s gaze from where he sat across and rolled his eyes knowingly. Yixing couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter, and Jongdae glanced over in surprise.

“You shouldn’t get him started talking about food,” Yixing explained with a laugh. “Especially hot pot. That’s his thing.”

“It’s one of the best cuisines!” Kyungsoo protested, and then suddenly he and Kai were off in a deep conversation about the delicacies of the Korean cooking. Yixing realized with a start that they were already friends. The other four watched awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to do next, and then Jongdae turned quickly to Yixing.

“So uh…what’s your thing?”

Yixing shrugged mildly, pressing himself deeper into his seat.

“Computers,” Kris supplied for him. “He’s obsessed with that .”

“Language,” Yixing reprimanded, and then shrugged again. “But yeah, computers.”

“Cool,” Jongdae said, sounding vaguely bored. He blew at a wisp of hair that had fallen into his eyes. 

“Do you design them?” Suho asked, an effort to keep the conversation live.

Yixing shook his head. “I mostly do coding.”

“Hacking,” Kris coughed under his breath with a grin, and Yixing shot him a look.

“That is cool,” Jongdae said again, this time sounding a little more interested. He leaned foreword, hands steepled beneath his chin. “Hacking isn’t a very traditional hobby for the heir of a billion dollar company.” His eyes flashed. “Unless it is. Breaking into other networks. Is that your job? Could you hack security networks?”

Yixing wasn’t sure how to reply for a moment, and just looked at his Guarder in surprise.

“I could,” Jongdae told him smoothly. He held out a hand. “And I wouldn’t even need a computer. Just one of these. Even one spark- and boom!”

“Jongdae,” Suho snapped. “That’s enough.”

Jongdae’s jaw tensed, and for a moment Yixing thought he might snap in reply. But then he simply rolled his eyes and leaned back into his seat, his bottom lip jutting out into a pout. The four lapsed back into silence.

Yixing watched Jongdae wearily, his eyes going up and down his small body, settling on his hands. His outburst was an effective reminder that his new peers were dangerous. He glanced again at the black windows. They were dark for protection, Suho had said. Protection for those inside the car? Or were they protecting the people on the outside… from them?

One spark, Yixing thought dimly, eyes falling on his Guarder’s lithe, smooth fingers. One spark, and then boom!

-

Sehun sat at the edge of the restaurant booth, watching the other boys. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were laughing raucously with Chen, clapping each other’s back at some joke. The restaurant was empty apart from themselves and the staff, but they made enough noise to make up for it. Kris, Suho, and Yixing sat near the three, all leaning stiffly away. They seemed distinctly uncomfortable. Sehun thought that perhaps something had happened on their way there, but he didn’t bother to ask. He had been relatively quiet for most of the lunch and wasn’t really in the mood to change that. Kyungsoo had ended up on his left and introduced him to the Teleporter, and they had talked amicably for a while (he had even insisted that Sehun call him Jongin), but now he was back in soft conversation with Kyungsoo and the two had forgotten him.

He supposed he could try to talk to Tao, who was sitting on his other side, but his Guarder was maintaining a persistent stony silence. In fact, he was so still that at one point Sehun thought he had fallen asleep.    

Sehun stood abruptly. “Bathroom,” he explained to Tao when his Guarder looked up, and scooted past. He needed some air.

The bathroom was at the back of the restaurant, at the very end of a hallway. The door to it swung open before Sehun could reach for the handle, revealing Luhan on the other side, his blazer off and looped over his arm.

“Oh,” Sehun said in surprise, and then stepped back to let him pass.

“You first,” Luhan smiled. He opened the door wider, motioning for Sehun to go through with a wide sweeping gesture. Sehun didn’t move. There was a pause, and then Luhan raised his eyebrows in amusement.

“I don’t really need to go,” Sehun admitted in a rush. He felt his cheeks begin to colour. “I just wanted some air. The others are loud.”

Luhan laughed sweetly and then stepped closer, letting the door swing shut behind him. “I get that." He unfolded his jacked from his arm and began to pull it on. "Want some company?”

“Sure,” Sehun stumbled, and watched as Luhan stepped past him and moved down the hallway. He stood, frozen for a moment still, and then urged his feet to follow, trailing him like a lost puppy.

Luhan reached the end of the hallway and then pushed another door to his right. He looked over his shoulder at Sehun, disappearing through it with a smile. Sehun followed, and then paused. The door said Employees Only. He hesitated for a fraction of a moment and then pushed foreword, only to find that it led outside to a small balcony with a dumpster a few feet to the right.

“They take their trash out this door,” Luhan explained with another laugh. “Chanyeol once dared me to open it- he had some idea that maybe it led to a secret passageway. We were all supremely disappointed to find this instead.”

Sehun couldn’t help but laugh too, and stepped towards the edge of the balcony to join him. “Couldn’t you just predict what was on the other side?”

At this Luhan broke down into giggles. “It doesn’t really work that way.” He glanced at Sehun through the corner of his eye, a wide grin on his face. “I was pretty sure I wouldn’t die though, so I thought I’d risk it.”

“Seems like you have your priorities in order,” Sehun told him dryly, and Luhan giggled again. The sound was perfectly adorable. When the laughter died off they stood in silence for a moment, enjoying the outside air.

“How are you doing?” Luhan asked suddenly, turning to him. “You’re the youngest, aren’t you? It must be a lot to take in. I hope we haven’t been too intimidating.” He smiled sagely. “Then again, you have the most intimidating Guarder, so I guess we can’t be that bad.”

“I like Tao,” Sehun said.

“I wasn’t doubting that,” Luhan laughed.

“Why does he have the Cuff?” Sehun asked suddenly. He had questioned Tao about it as many times as he dared, but he had only learned its function, never the story behind it. He supposed it was a touchy subject for everyone, but he realized with a start that he felt strangely comfortable around Luhan. He wouldn’t have dared ask him otherwise. “I know it stops him from using his power. But he refuses to tell me…why.”

Luhan’s face had gone blank. He looked at Sehun with what might have been sympathy. “Tao likes to do things his way,” he said. “Sometimes he’s dangerous. There’s nothing more to it than that.”

Sehun looked away in frustration. Yet another answer that answered nothing. “You’re all dangerous,” he muttered under his breath. There was silence. , Sehun thought with a sigh. Now he’s offended.

“We’re young boys,” Luhan said softly after a beat of quiet. “We’re hardly dangerous. It’s our powers that can be- if the situation calls for it. And sometimes it’s hard to know when that situation is.” He looked Sehun squarely in the eye, shoulders tense. “Tao didn’t know.”

Sehun swallowed, and then nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Luhan shrugged. “As I said, I was hoping we weren’t intimidating. But sometimes people see something they haven’t experienced before and they interpret it as danger.” He kept his eyes trained on Sehun. “We’re here to protect you. The Cuff is just an extension of that, believe me.”

“I do,” Sehun replied quietly. He glanced at the closed door behind them. “Perhaps we should go back. We don’t want them to forget about us.”

Luhan laughed again, sweet as ever. “They won’t.” All the same, he reached for the door handle and pulled it open, ushering Sehun to go first. “It would be hard to forget someone like you.” At this Sehun turned, wanting to ask what that meant, but then Minseok shouted Luhan’s name from back at the booth. The Telepathic stepped past him, calling back, and Sehun was forgotten.