Sehun 

Sehun sighs as he pulls his long-sleeve shirt off, tossing it to the side. He goes to his bad and squats, looking for something else. He smiles weakly when Taemin walks in. “Hey cutie,” He greets and sits on Sehun’s bed. “You ready for the bonfire yet?” He asks.

“I suppose so,” Sehun sighs. “It’s my first,” He admits shyly. His mother doesn't ever let him go to things like that. When Taemin goes quiet, he frowns and glances back at the stylist. He sees him stare at Sehun’s arms. Sighing again, Sehun rubs them. “D-don’t stare…”

“I’m sorry, honey,” Taemin apologizes and pats the bed beside him. When sehun looks confused, Taemin grabs him gently by his arm and pulls him up and beside him. “Let’s have a talk, okay?”

“Okay,” Sehun says slowly. “A-about what?” He blushes and tries to over his chest. Smiling, Taemin grabs a shirt from the bag, one with long sleeves thankfully, and hands it to him. After the boy has it on, the stylist wraps an arm around his shoulder again and pulls him close.

“Kai tried to talk about your cutting, huh?”

Sehun nods. “H-he’s not good at it…”

“No, he’s not,” Taemin chuckles. “He gets mad, which is the last thing we both need. The problem is that Kai...really, really does care. He just doesn’t know how to deal with this stuff.”

“I noticed…”

“But he DOES care, Sehun. Albeit, not in the best way. He just has a hard time expressing himself. And he’s not angry at YOU. He’s mad that something pushed you this far, that you even have something to feel this...sad about.”

“This sad about…” Sehun repeats quietly. He relaxes in Taemin’s supportive arms.

“He loves me like a brother,” Taemin goes on. “I know he doesn’t hate me and yet, when I used to cut, he always yelled at me,” He chuckles. “He told me to never cry or he’d have to kick someone’s ,” He pauses. “So, why do you do it?”

Sehun sighs as he thinks about how much to tell him. “Did Kai tell you about Tao?”

“Not the whole thing, no,”

“W-well...all through last summer, I was stuck in,” He sighs. “I was stuck in a hospital.”

Taemin raises his brows. “For…?” When he’s given a pointed look, he lets out a shaky sigh. “O-Oh.”

Sehun hums a bit as he tries to think some more. “Um...Tao...is my ex-lover. He was kind of like the anchor that kept me grounded.”

Taemin nods. “Like what Jonghyun is for me.”

“Yeah,” Sehun agrees. “But Tao left me for a scholarship back in China. When he left me, I felt so lost...and I...I kind of tried to…” He swallows hard. “I tried to kill myself.”

“Oh...oh, honey,” The stylist sighs as he hugs Sehun tighter. “And he came back? Tao?”

“Yes, with his new fiance.”

“Okay, I don’t know him,” Taemin begins. “But I’m going to kick his ing ! He thinks Kai’s -kicking will hurt? Ha! I specialize in pain!” That makes Sehun laugh as he leans his head against the Stylist’s chest. Taemin lets out a frustrated sigh, clinging to Sehun like he’s trying to protect him. He pats the boy’s arm and let's go. “Stay here, okay? I want to give you something.”

Sehun watches in confusion as Taemin gets up and quickly heads out of the room. He frowns as he waits. He really likes Taemin. Not romantically, of course. But like an older brother that he’s never had before. He's is an amazing person, and Sehun knows Jonghyun is a lucky guy. He smiles when Taemin comes back in, holding a small bag of what looks like rubber bands. He takes a seat beside him again and opens it up. Pulling a band out, he grabs Sehun’s hand and wraps it around his wrist. “What’s this for?”

“Whenever you feel like cutting, just snap that against yourself instead. It’s a method I used and it helps,” Taemin smiles at him fondly. “Give it a try the next time you feel like hurting yourself. And if you need to talk to someone, anytime, you call me; I don’t care what time it is. I’m sure Kai is there for you but I am too, okay? Plus, I know more about this stuff,” He chuckles and stands. He extends his hand, helping Sehun up. “Let’s go have some fun, okay?”

Sehun smiles shyly. “O-okay…”

"Come on, let's party!" Taemin shouts happily as he loops arms around Kai, using his free hand to take a gulp of beer. They both begin to laugh and dance around stupidly with each other. Kai holds his own bottle, careful to not spill it as he twirls around with Taemin.

"Are they always like this?" Sehun asks, watching with amusement.

Jonghyun stretches out and nods. "Yup," He responds. "Whenever the weekend rolls over, they both let their run free- two party punks.”

"Really? Even Kai?"

Jonghyun glances at Kai and smirks. "Yeah but uh...he seems more lively tonight.”

Sehun watches Kai, smiling as he howls along with his best friend. Taemin and Kai both pull their shirts off and tosses it to the side. The punks loop their arms and finishes off their drinks in one go.

“ yeah!” Kai cheers as he smashes his bottle against a nearby tree. He goes over to the cooler and pulls out some more. He winks when he hands Sehun one. He blushes and looks away, into the fire. He grumbles when he forgot that Jonghyun had gotten shirtless awhile ago.

"Why is uh...everyone shirtless?" He asks shyly.

Jonghyun chuckles. "Because we're by a fire and it's fun?" He sighs and leans back on his arms. "You don't have to, even if Taemin tries to peer pressure you."

Sehun laughs and looks over at the blue sky barely turning pink. He sighs happily and takes a drink of his own beer now. This is the most fun he's had in a long time. After the long, stressful summer and year, spending time with these people is refreshing. He wonders if he could ever get his friends to hang out with these guys. He just knows Baekhyun and Taemin would get along very easily.

"Ohh, some love biiiirds," Taemin giggles. Sehun turns his head, seeing two people holding hands and walking in the distance. He huffs and squints to see the two people, trying to figure out what they looked like. He gasps loudly when recognizing one as his mother and quickly scrambles to his feet.

"Oh !" Sehun curses and reaches over, grabbing Kai tightly by his arm. He points to Jonghyun and Taemin. “You two stay here a-and stall them!” He says before pulling the tipsy drunk punk towards the cabin.

"Wha?" Taemin looks at the people and narrows his eyes. Kai's father and Sehun's mother. “Awe, me!”

Sehun pushes Kai through the door and closes it. He ducks behind the window and peeks out.

The punk groans and rubs his face. “, Sehun, if you just wanted me alone..” He snickers as he sways around a bit. "Guess we could start our own party,” His voice is a bit seductive and Sehun glares.

"Kai, shut up and pay attention!" Sehun hisses, pointing towards the bonfire.

Kai rolls his eyes and sighs as he peaks out the window as well. He lets out a sigh when he sees the pair. “, man, those ing idiots ruin everything.”

"Oh! Hello," Taemin greets the pair, an innocent smile on his face but he doesn’t seem to hide any of the alcohol.

"Oh, aren't two you Jongin's friends?" Kai's father asks as he looks around.

Taemin nods. “Actually, I'm friends with Sehuna too," He admits cheerfully. “He’s a sweetie, isn’t he?”

Sehun's mother looks very surprised at that. "Oh? How do you know my son?"

"Um, I cut his hair for him," Taemin says. “He’s a really nice boy, Mrs. Oh, you should be proud.”

"My son is at the cabin, right?" Kai’s father asks now.

"Uhh..."Taemin looks at the cabin and shrugs. "Yeah, pretty much."

“I think I'll go say hello then,” He says. “I haven’t talked to him for a few days.”

Taemin stands up fast. "Uh wait no he um..." He bites his lip, seeming to think of something to say. “He’s-”

"I'll only be a moment," His father interrupts, followed by a laugh. He looks at Sehun's mother. "Do you want to say hello?"

She sighs and crosses his arms before shrugging. "If I must.”

"Come now, our sons should get along," He says as he leads her over to the cabin. "In order for that to happen, you need to learn to like my son." Sehun's mother looks irritated, almost disgusted at the thought of even seeing Kai.

"My mother can't see me, Jongin!" Sehun whispers, almost in a begging manner. “She’d KILL me! Drag me back home by my hair!” Kai lets out a sigh and nods. He grabs Sehun by the arm gently and leads him into the bedroom.

“Hide under the bed,” He instructs. “I’ll come get you when they leave.” Sehun nods and quickly crawls away, into the bedroom. He gets under the bed and lays flat on his stomach. He shuts his eyes, groaning as he hears the door open. He’s been drinking and a little tipsy. And he knows his mother would be able to tell. She doesn’t know he drinks.

"Oh, what’s up?" Kai greets casually. “What brings you here, pops?” Sehun wants to laugh at the casual nickname for his father.

"We were walking along the beach when he saw your friends,” his dad says. “I haven’t seen Taemin since um..."

"Krystal," Kai finishes for him. Sehun’s heart aches at the hurt in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah. How is she?" he asks. "I know you two broke up but um...has she been around? You two were really-"

"I don’t talk to her,” He interrupts.

"That's a pity; you two were perfect for each other,” His father sighs.

Sehun sighs as well, feeling bad for Kai. He knows how it is, being asked about exes. His mother was the same when Tao suddenly left. A part of him wants to walk out and help him but he knows that’s a bad idea. "Sehun isn't here, is here?" Sehun’s mother asks.

"What makes you say that?" Kai asks.

"This is his jacket," She says and Sehun curses under his breath. He internally slaps himself a million times. Rookie mistake.

"That? Oh yeah, it's Sehun's," Kai admits. "But he’s letting me use it.”

"He...did?”

"Yup!" Sehun can hear fabric moving. He assumes Kai had put the jacket on to demonstrate his point. "It’s only until break ends but uh, yeah. It’s pretty nice.”

Sehun's mother sighs. "Well, my Sehun is a very sweet boy- he loves helping unfortunate people.” Sehun narrows his eyes. Kai is most certainly not an unfortunate person. If anything, he’s more fortunate than Sehun. The punk has a freedom Sehun only dreams of.

"Sehun's...he's a really nice kid," Kai says, sounding sincere. "I wish he was here but uh...no, sadly.”

"It's good to see you're making friends!" Kai's father says happily. "Especially with a good kid like Sehun! I've seen your report card so far and I'm impressed!" He laughs. “Sehun is really smart, isn’t he?”

“He’s the smartest person I know, actually,” The punk admits and it makes Sehun blush.

"You two...are really friends?" Sehun's mother asks, her voice full of disbelief.

"I like to think so.”

Sehun smiles sheepishly and rests his chin on his hands. Aww. Kai…Sehun, if asked, would probably tell people they’re friends, without a doubt. The idea that Kai feels the same, makes him feel extremely happy. He tries to now smile so widely but it’s hard. There’s a short silence in the other room and Sehun has to strain to hear anything.  

"Well, We should get going now," Kai's father finally says. "We have a lot planned."

"Yeah, good idea,” Kai agrees, trying to rush them without seeming like it. “See you back home, dad.” Sounds of footsteps echo through the cabin, followed by a door opening and closing a few seconds later. Just in case, Sehun stays on his belly and waits. He squeals when Kai’s face pops out all of a sudden.

“!” Sehun gasps. He groans as he crawls out. “That’s not funny,” He frowns when Kai snickers. “Thank you, by the way,” He says sincerely and smiles. “I mean it.” He notices Kai wearing his blue letterman jacket, seeing how good he looks in it. "Well, that's not fair." Sehun mutters as he accepts Kai’s extended hand and stands "You look better in my jacket than I do."

Kai shrugs the jacket off and sets in on the bed. "Whatever," Kai shrugs. "Hey, you wanna have some fun?"

Sehun leans against the bedpost. "What kind of fun?”

Kai smirks and glances over his shoulder before leaning in. "With our parents- let’s prank them or something.”

"H-huh? I don’t know, Jongin…”

"Come on, it'll be fun." Kai heads over to the closet, taking out his coat and boots. "We'll wait for it to turn totally dark, take a couple of spray paint cans…”

"You want to graffiti my mom and your dad's cabin…?”

Kai shrugs. "Yeah, Taemin and Jonghyun would happily lie for us- if they question us," He says. "They'll be our alibis. We go to town, buy a few things of paint..." He trails off again.

Sehun groans and looks out the window. "I don't know…”

Kai pulls a bag out and smiles at him. “You know, I only do this with friends.”

“W-what?”

"I only graffiti with people I consider friends," Kai says, putting his hands in his pocket. "Come on, nosebleed- let's leave the lovebirds and have our own kinda fun."

“Okay, what about those other people? Before we met?”

“Oh,” Kai shrugs. “Those guys stopped being my friend when they ing bailed. Come on, Sehun! Live a little!”

Sehun shakes his head as Kai helps him shrug into his coat. “You might be rubbing off on me, Kim Jongin.”

“I knew it,” Kai smirks and Sehun frowns.

“Shut up.”

Sehun and Kai sit behind their parent’s cabin, waiting for them to sleep. They waste time together by talking, playing rock, paper, scissors, and other shenanigans they can think of to help past the time. He even listens to some of the punk’s stories. Most of them about Taemin and his mischievous adventures. And how, if Sehun wants, he’ll teach the boy how to pick a lock. Sehun tries to not get too excited about that. Everything feels so natural and relaxed, they both almost forget about their plans. “You keep losing because you always use scissors or rock,” Sehun points out.

Kai glares at their hands. “That’s bull,” He mutters. “Jonghyun told me those two always win!”

Sehun grins slowly. “And...you believed him?” He asks.

Kai opens his mouth but closes it when he seems to think about it. “Damn it! He jooped me?!”

Sehun shakes his head and laughs before finally glancing into the window. He smacks Kai’s arm and motions. “Hey, I think they’re done.”

“Finally,” Kai scoffs. “That movie was ing dumb.”

Sehun gasps. “What’s wrong with Pirates of the Caribbean!?”

Kai shrugs. “I don’t know,” He admits. “I never watched it.”

"Oh," Sehun scoffs as well, quietly. "We are SO having a marathon when we get back home." They both sneak together to the other side of the building, to hear better.

"Today must be a difficult day for you, dear," Kai's father says. "And for Sehun as well."

Kai looks at Sehun oddly, but he just shrugs. "Yes...I'm just so glad Sehun can be with Tao today," she sniffs. "His father died more than a year ago- I can't imagine how heartbroken he must be; thank god Tao’s there for him.” Sehun narrows his eyes and looks back into the house. He watches his mother sit at a table with Kai's father, seeming to almost cry. "It's so hard for us."

"I can only imagine," Kai's father says, sympathetically.

She nods and takes his hand. She lets out a sigh. "My Sehun has been so stubborn lately...he hasn't been himself. He's hardly ever home anymore and when he is, he doesn't even speak to me." That’s true. Sehun never spends time at home anymore, he’s always with Kai, Taemin, or at school. As for not talking to his mother, that’s just because he’s mad at her. After everything she’s done to his father, how can he not be? “Speaking of which, I want to talk to you about your son.”

"About Jongin?”

"Does he always drink?"

"Well, of course not, " He responds. "He's a teenage boy and since he's been doing so well at school, I figured he deserves it.”

"I'm sorry but that's going to change once we're married."

"I...I understand."

Sehun watches the two of them get up from the table and enter the bedroom. When the light turns off a few minutes later, Sehun swallows hard as he keeps staring in. his father isn’t dead. He literally just talked to him on the phone earlier today. He jumps a little when Kai grabs his hand. He looks at his friend in confusion.

“Sorry, I didn’t know about your dad…”

Sehun shakes his head. “Jongin...my dad isn’t dead.” Kai raises his brows in surprise but Sehun just sighs and shakes his head. "It's okay," Sehun whispers. "Let's do this."

Kai nods and motions to the front. "I'll get the car, you get the cabin."

As soon as he’s finished, Sehun takes a step back and looks at his handiwork. He knows he should feel horrible but he just doesn’t. "Are you all done?" Kai whispers, sneaking over to Sehun.

“Yes…” Sehun mutters as he tosses the can back into Kai’s bag."This was a bad idea," He mumbles.

Kai takes a step back as well, almost choking when he sees the large, red words spelled out. "?!" Kai covers his mouth and laughs. He smacks Sehun's back. "Oh , that's bad!" He shakes his head and smiles as he stuffs his own can back in the bag. "Let's get the hell outta here.” He grabs Sehun’s hand and turns, starting to run down the beach, away from the dirtied building. When they’re far enough, they both pull off their masks and erupt into loud laughter.

“That...that was actually fun,” Sehun admits.

"See?" Kai chuckles. "I knew you'd have a blast."

Sehun lets out a heavy sigh as he falls rolls over onto his back His chest heaves heavily up and down as he tries to catch his breath. He stares up at the stars. "Jongin...?" Sehun calls out.

"What's up?"

Sehun sighs and looks over at Kai kneeling beside him, writing profanities in the sand. "We...we have to stop them.”

"Who?"

Sehun sits up. "Your dad and my mom, from marrying."

Kai turns to look at him. "Because your mom is an evil who has been pretending your father has been dead for years just to have a gross affair?"

"Yeah, pretty much.”

"Cool!" Kai exclaims as he stands. "I'm in." He offers his hand to Sehun, yanking him up when he takes it. "Next time your father's in town, let's have a little meeting."

"And say what?" Sehun huffs as Kai wraps an arm around his shoulder. "Hey dad! Mom's been having an affair on you for more than a year and is pretending your dead! Welcome home!" Sehun shouts with fake enthusiasm.

"We could just beat her face in," Kai offers and Sehun stares at him with wide eyes.

"Jongin!"

"I'm just kidding!”

Sehun gasps and points to him. "No, you're not!"

"Yeah," Kai shrugs. "I'm not."