"Kai, please tell me you did not just drive me to a mall an hour away JUST to go shopping," Sehun says as soon as Kai helps him out of the car. 

"Maybe," Kai pauses to light a cigarette. "Why, are you mad?"

Sehun crosses his arms. "Maybe, did you drive here for me?"

Kai looks at Sehun for a moment, blowing smoke towards his face. He grins when Sehun waves it away from his face. With brief raise of his eyebrow and a smirk, he shrugs. "Maybe." 

Sehun scoffs and follows as Kai leads him through the parking lot and towards the shopping mall. "You're really smooth for a straight guy."

"Why? You falling for me?" Kai smirks and Sehun jokingly gags. "Well, either way, you've been stressed as hell lately and that rubs off."

"You made me sit in the car with you for an hour because I'm stressed?"

Kai puts his cigarette out on the bottom of his boot before tossing the bud in the trash. He opens the door, allowing Sehun to go in first. "I brought you to this mall instead of the one by your home because you might run into someone you know."

"God forbid!" Sehun gasps dramatically. 

The man gives him a pointed look. "That means we can just...you know, be ourselves; none of the bull act we have to put on, you know?"

Sehun smiles and lets out a long sigh. "That'd be so nice."

"I mean, I'm NOT that bad."

Sehun quickly shakes his head. "I didn't mean it like that, Kai! I-it's just...I've been all tense a-and..."

Kai laughs as he motions for Sehun, ushering him into a clothing store. "I'm kidding, you need to chill. You don't have to pretend around me, got it? Our weird friendship has to start somewhere."

"Since when did you want to be my friend?" Sehun scoffs as he looks through some racks. "And I'm too broke to shop, I hope you know that. You drove-"

"Kyungsoo gave me the money for this," Kai interrupts. "Just relax and shop or something. And I want to get to know you better." He stops at some jackets, looking through. Sehun beams when he passes up anything leather. "Not the you I have to know for your parents but, just you."

"Just us," Sehun slowly nods, liking the idea. No parental influence or stress of ex-boyfriends. No worrying who sees him and judges him.

"And uh..." Kai clears his throat, embarrassed. "The way you handled...the cinema situation."

Sehun joins him by the rack and looks confused. "What about it?"

"That was...really big of you," Kai mumbles. "Most people would have just kept on going and just..."

Seeing how uncomfortable Kai's becoming, Sehun steps in. "I just...I suddenly felt really terrible  and I had to...get out of there." 

"Well, you're too soft," Kai states but Sehun just smiles. He considers it a compliment, while others might not. Sighing at the buzz in his pocket, he's relieved to find it's just Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo: I hope you are having fun, Sehun.

Sehun: You know me, easy to please :)

Sehun glances at Kai and bites his lip a little.

Sehun: Thanks for giving Kai the money for this.

Kyungsoo: I didn't give him any money...He told me he'd just use his own money and asked to borrow my car for a few hours. I was going to say no but then he told me it was for you.

Sehun frowns and turns back to watch Kai. He shifts through some articles of clothing, not paying much attention around him. Why would he pay out of his own wallet? More importantly, why would he lie about it? Sighing and deciding to let it go, for now, he turns his eyes back to his screen.

Sehun: Thank you for lending your car. I'll see you when we get back.

After slipping his phone back into his pocket, he returns to Kai's side. "You're not going to try and get me to wear leather again, are you?"

"Nope," Kai says as he pulls a sweater off and hovers it over Sehun. "You might look good in it but it just doesn't suit you. It's like trying to put a spiked collar on a kid."

Sehun crosses his arms. "I'm not a child, Kai."

Putting it back and choosing another, Kai smirks. "I'm not calling you one. I just mean, from what I've seen," Kai pauses to look at another top. "You're too sweet and kind to be running around with that kind of stuff on."

"So, you're saying you're not sweet? Or kind?"

"No, I'm a ing and so is Tao."

"Tao isn't-"

"Yes, he is," Kai interrupts. He hands Sehun a jacket as if instructing him to try it on. "He asked out your roommate in a fit of jealousy when he saw the two of us and then probably hoped to stick his in you at the theater. The fact that he's showing his stupid ing face around your apartment pisses me off and makes me want to throw him off your balcony."

Sehun laughs as he zips up the coat, getting a feeling for it. Kai steps behind him to get a good look. "Has anyone ever told you that you're kind of cute when you get all protective?"

"Not by a guy," Kai returns his brief smile. "See that? You're different when you're away from home."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Kai stares at him through the mirror. "You're more open and stuff. Back home, you'd never say that."

Sehun fiddles with the zipper of the coat as he tries to ignore Kai's gaze. "I don't know. It's...easier with you." When his eyes meet Kai's, Sehun can feel his cheek start to feel a little warm. They hold each other's stare for a moment before Sehun looks back down at his reflection. 

"It looks good on you, you should get it."

"I don't know. The price is a bit-"

"I told you already," Kai cuts him off as he heads to another rack; he turns his back towards Sehun. "Just...relax or something. Your gloomy attitude is making me all depressed and ."

Sehun looks back at him and smiles weakly. Kai must care in his own, little strange way. If he didn't care, why would he do all this? Especially with paying out of his own wallet.

"Hey, try this one."

Sehun looks away from his reflections and towards Kai. He stares at the short, tight red dress that he holds up. He opens his mouth to say something before closing it. "Are...are you kidding?"

Kai purses his lips and looks at the dress. "I was thinking we'd get you some nice heels or something to match."

"I'm actually going to kill you," Sehun states as he s the jacket to shrug it off. Kai laughs at that and waves the hang around jokingly before setting it back. Sehun blushes and shakes his head. If he won't wear leather, he's not going to wear something like that. Oh, his parents would definitely kill him.

Sehun clings to his shopping bags like a life-line. Kai had tried to hold them for him, but Sehun wasn't going to let him; not after the guy paid for everything. He wouldn't feel as bad if it really was Kyungsoo's money. But since it came from Kai's own, personal wallet. They talk idling as they walk through the halls, in no direction particular. They only stop when Kai's name is called. 

"Kai, hey!"

Kai and Sehun both turn to face the man that casually jogs to them. He stops and grins. "Chen, hey."

Chen puts his hands on his hips and looks at Sehun. "Who's this? A friend of yours?"

Kai looks at Sehun for a moment. "Yeah, his name is Sehun." For some reason, that makes him happy. The idea that Kai actually would consider Sehun a friend and not anything professional. IF asked, Sehun would say Kai is his friend as well. He's just glad it's not one-sided. "We're just shopping."

"Hey, I haven't seen you at the club lately- what's up with that?"

Kai shrugs. "Just a little busy, you know."

Chen nods. "Well, some of the girls are talkin' about how they miss you and ; wondering where you've been."

Sehun's heart drops a little. He fiddles with the handle of his bag. He doesn't know why it upsets him. Kai is straight, not gay. 

Kai scoffs. "Their obnoxious screaming always gave me a headache."

"Oh , did you smash?"

Kai laughs as if Chen were insane. Sehun feels a little jealous but he tries to ignore it. "Seriously? I have some taste, dude. And I'm not just going to put my in any some chick." He feels a little realived. "Anyway, I found some better company," Sehun feels bashful when Chen looks at him. He grabs onto Kai's arm shyly, slightly hiding behind him. 

"Pet project?"

Kai smiles now. "No, he's my friend." That word again. Friend.

", nice to meet you. IT's about time Kai made some decent friends," Chen laughs. "Anyways, I'll text you later, bro." He waves goodbye before hurrying away back to his group of friends that waited nearby. 

"You can't always hold onto me when you get scared."

Sehun slowly legs go and looks down to his feet. "I wasn't scared..."

"Shy then, whatever." Kai leads Sehun to a food court and sits him down. "What do you want to eat? Hamburger and fries?"

"Yeah, thanks," Sehun hums and grabs his ringing phone as soon as Kai walks off. Normally he'd check the caller ID, but he's in a good mood. "Hello."

"Sehun, hey."

Sehun's smile slowly falters before completely disappearing at the sound of Tao's voice. "Oh...Tao."

"What's wrong? You sound upset."

Sehun swallows hard. "No, I'm not. I just...wasn't expecting you to call."

Tao laughs over the line. "Well, I do love calling you, Sehun. Are you free right now?" Sehun looks over at Kai, smiling when their eyes meet. 

"Um...no, I'm not."

"Are you...with Kai?"

"Yes," Sehun responds without hesitation. "He's buying our lunch right now."

There's a brief silence before Tao speaks up again. "Sehun, is he really your boyfriend? What is he to you?"

Sehun takes a deep breath. "That depends on what Luhan is to you."

Tao sighs. "Luhan is a nice guy, really."

Sehun frowns. "But?"

"But," Tao pauses and Sehun assumes he shrugged. "He's not you; no one is." Sehun closes his eyes and slowly presses his head to the cold wood of the table. He lets out a long sigh before opening his eyes to stare at his shoes. "We both know Kai and Luhan won't ever replace what we used to be for each other." Sehun knows he's right, of course. Kai is straight and Luhan...well, he doesn't seem to actually like Luhan. The thought makes him sick and honestly, kind of sad. Tao used to be an escape of sorts for Sehun. He used to help him feel alive and excited. Has Tao always been like this and he never noticed? Or is it the idea of Sehun being with another man? The idea of someone else potentially touching what Tao thinks is his. He gasps when someone touches his back.

"Hey, you alright?" Kai asks. Sehun looks up at him and slowly nods.

"Sorry, I have to go," Sehun quickly says before hanging up; regardless of hearing Tao begin to speak. He grips his phone tight in his hand for a moment, thinking about what his ex-boyfriend said.

"Who was that?" Kai sets a tray down before handing Sehun his food and sitting down. "I swear to god If it was Tao; I'm going to shove my hand down his throat."

"That's...gross," Sehun wrinkles his nose. "And kind of weird."

"It was him, huh?"

Sehun just smiles in response before he begins to eat. He wonders if he should do something about Luhan and him. While it might not be his place to do or say anything, he has to do something. Luhan is his close friend and the idea of someone using him as leverage makes him really mad. His chewing grows to a slow crawl the more he thinks. He suddenly stops and stares at his phone. Their plan was to break Tao and Luahn up so that he wants Sehun again. But this time it's not about Sehun at all. He doesn't want Tao, he wants to make sure Luhan won't get hurt again.

"Kai, If I said I needed your help..."

"You have it," Kai easily says with a shrug. "What's up?"

"How do you...feel about breaking up two people?"

"Honestly?" Kai wipes his mouth and winks. "My specialty."

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Shy Sehun, Kai gotta protec