Almost a week had passed since the encounter with Jackson and his Forcebearer. Jisoo had worried a lot about the consequences of revealing Chan's rank to someone as greedy for power as Jackson but weirdly enough, he seemed to have somewhat calmed down and even greeted Jisoo from time to time in an almost friendly manner when they walked past each other in the hallways.

Jisoo also had made a point of visiting Yugyeom after one of his classes and had apologized to the flabbergasted Warrior on behalf of Chan (the younger hadn't liked that one bit when Jisoo had told him at dinner). Yugyeom's blush had gotten darker with each word that had left the Wielder's lips and he had even attempted to defend Chan's actions but Jisoo had resolutely told him that the Guardian's obvious thirst for blood had been out of line. He had left a very confused - but also very happy - Forcebearer behind, who had held ointment that was supposed to help against bruising, a parting gift from Jisoo. Ever since then, the Wielder had gained a loyal fan (Jisoo would've preferred to call him a friend but Yugyeom behaved too much like a starstruck fanboy whenever he saw him - the people in Jackson's group watched him with disdain but didn't interfere).

Also, there was still the matter of the group project. Jisoo attended that particular class three times a week, which was three times too many in his eyes. Although he didn't mind Seokmin's presence at all (far from it actually, they got along well and seemed to hold the same interests, something Jisoo was incredibly grateful for), it was quite a different matter when it came to Jihoon and Kangin. Jihoon had turned out to be a perfectionist, which translated into constant nagging as soon as he wasn't satisfied with the progress their project was making. Besides, during the group session on Thursday, he had blown up twice, revealing that he had quite a frightening temper hidden in his rather petit body. Not even Kangin had dared to say anything when Jihoon had started screaming. Apart from that, Kangin was his usual cruel self. He seemed to respect Jihoon as a Wielder and Seokmin as a Forcebearer but when it came to Jisoo, he loved to rub his flaws into the poor Wielder's face - but only when Seokmin wasn't in earshot, Jihoon couldn't care less about the bullying. Jisoo had tried to fight back at first but after some fruitless struggle, he had decided to ignore the scathing remarks even though they tore at his heart.

Therefore, he was absolutely not looking forward to meeting his group again later that day when he opened his eyes on a grey Monday morning. He groaned quietly at the thought of what he would have to endure and snuggled closer to Chan who was still deeply asleep.

They had formed the habit of sleeping in the same bed after they had fallen asleep together on the couch multiple times, usually waking up with stiff necks and numb limbs sometime during the night. And Jisoo had to admit: he really liked it. It was nice to have someone to talk to before drifting off into dreamland and their initial reluctance when it came to cuddling and touching in general was pretty much non-existent by now.

Their bond had strengthened through it as well. It was now possible for them to feel even light distress of the other over a significant distance. Chan had been incredibly worried after feeling Jisoo's anxiety during the last group project session and had insisted on buying new phones the very same day, so they could call each other in case of emergency. Fortunately, they had found two cheap but already rather outdated devices they could afford in a small shop for used electrical equipment. The Guardian had spent two days trying to explain the magic that was a smartphone to a clueless Jisoo.

The one week that Chan had spent with Jisoo also had revealed a playful side in him; a side, even he had not known of before. He loved teasing his Wielder because he knew that Jisoo wouldn't be mad and he enjoyed nothing more than getting a little stutter out of him. Yet, without Jisoo noticing, Chan had also turned quite protective of the elder. From day one, he had known that Jisoo was a very kind and gentle person - albeit somewhat clueless and naive, which wasn't necessarily a good combination - and this impression had only grown stronger as time had passed. Chan blamed his status as a Guardian for his secret desire to wrap the other in blankets and hide him from the evil of the world.

Chan's alarm started ringing on the bedside table and it only made Jisoo pull the blanket further over his head to block out the sound.

"Morning hyung," the Guardian's muffled voice reached his ears before the warm cover got pulled away and Jisoo squeaked at the coldness that hit him, "rise and shine!"

"I don't wanna go to class, Channie," he whined, his eyes still closed and his body curled into a protective ball against the cold air.

The younger snorted next to him and poked his cheek. "Are you sure you're older? But yeah, stay in bed. I'll go to university alone and take the test without your support." He fake-sniffed, pretending to be hurt.

Jisoo's eyes shot open and he sat up at once. "Oh god, that's today! Why are you still here, get dressed!"

Chan only laughed at him and left to take a shower.

They arrived at university just in time for Chan to get called into the office while the Wielder went to class with a fluttery stomach. He tried to calm himself, just in case he would project his nervousness through their bond but also because he believed in Chan. While Jisoo had worked at his part-time job during the weekend, the younger had spent his time in the library preparing for the entrance exam that hopefully would grant him a scholarship if he scored high enough.

Up until lunch break, Jisoo was completely distracted from class which brought him a scolding from his professor because he hadn't reacted to the question he had been asked. As soon as it was time to leave, he jumped up and sprinted towards the office, narrowly missing other students on his way. Breathlessly, he arrived but Chan was nowhere to be seen yet, so he decided to sit down for a bit.

He had ju