The next day~

Luhan walks into the classroom. As he didn’t have any classes with Baekhyun and Chanyeol anymore after PE he didn’t get the opportunity yet to explain what happened. Well… Actually he did. Baekhyun did sent him a text yesterday:

Yah Luhannie! We waited for you but it took you so long that we had to leave if we wanted to be on time for class. Were you still on time for class? And more important, why the hell did it take you so long?! Did something happen? Just let me know okay~

Luhan laughed a little after reading it actually. Even in just a text you can see Baekhyun’s mood swings. But of course, soon after that he realized he needed to tell them at least sómething. He’s just not sure if he should tell what really happened, about what happened with Kai and especially about what happened with Sehun. He sighs as he sits at the table next to Baekhyun. He’ll probably be even more annoyed since Luhan didn’t reply his message.

“Hi Luhan!” Baekhyun greets with a happy voice. Only then he remembers… “Yah Luhan! Why didn’t you reply my message yesterday? Not even a word! That’s just rude, you know,” he says while folding his arms and pouting a little.

“Relax Baek. I’m sorry but my phone died right after I read your message,” he lies with a gentle smile.

“Oh… Well, okay then,” Baekhyun says, immediately believing him with no doubts. Okay, one down, one to go… “But… But then tell me now. What happened yesterday?” Luhan’s not very good at lying so, again, he’ll just keep it simple… and hope for the best.

“Well… Actually, I um… I had stomach ache,” he says before looking at Baekhyun again, anticipating. He hopes he doesn’t have to say more to make him understand. As Baekhyun thinks for a moment Luhan gets more insecure by the second.

“Oh come one, don’t be so embarrassed. It’s not like it’s a weird thing or something,” Baekhyun says with a smile while tapping Luhan reassuringly on the shoulder once. Yeah, embarrassed… Thát’s the problem… Luhan thinks sarcastically. He keeps waiting for a little while but Baekhyun doesn’t even look at him anymore and focuses on the teacher who just walked in. Apparently he understood. Well, he understood the lie, so it’s not like… Luhan, he believes it! Now let it go! He decides to just relax again and do the same as Baekhyun. Even though Sehun is sitting about two meters in front of him, he decides to relax. Or at least, he tries to…

At the end of class Baekhyun seems to have totally forgotten about PE already. Good… Apparently, he and Luhan are the last ones to leave the classroom. Well, that’s what they thought. From the corner of his eyes Luhan sees Sehun is still packing his bag as they walk past him. Especially because it seemed Sehun wasn’t even aware of them walking by it startles Luhan when he suddenly feels the soft touch of two fingers along his arm. It takes him more than a second to realize and turn around to see Sehun looking down again, of course, but looking at the way he’s standing towards him shows he does want Luhan’s attention. Luhan turns around again.

“Hey Baek, I-” he starts but then he sees Baekhyun is gone already. Without him? The filthy little- Well, maybe he had found Chanyeol already and is busy talking to him right now. In that case… he’ll just try to be fast so those two guys won’t notice it.

“What’s wrong Sehun?” he asks a little hesitantly but with a tender voice while turning to him again. Sehun still keeps standing there for two seconds before he opens his bag and starts to look for something in it. “Um… Sehun what are yo-” He stops when he sees that, whatever Sehun was looking for, he has found it. Then, to Luhan’s big surprise, Sehun holds up a towel, nicely folded, and not just any towel... Luhan’s towel. “Wha- You... Why did y- ” Again his line is cut off when Sehun walks up to him and sticks out his hand; without a smile, with barely any emotion, just looking at the towel in his hand, but Luhan doesn’t even really care. He takes it, still a little confused. “I… I never told you to give it b- Thank you,” he in the end just says. He had never expected this. It had already surprised him when Sehun walked up in his own will yesterday but definitely now that he does it again. Sehun too seems a little confused, but in a different way. Eventually he just makes a little bow and closes up his bag but he doesn’t leave yet. Instead, he points at Luhan and then slowly moves his finger towards the door. “What? What do you mean? Do I… Do I need to go first?” Luhan asks while holding his hand in front of his chest. Sehun reacts with the tiniest nod he’s ever seen, and a look in his eyes. Almost just like yesterday, Luhan lightly shivers. He has no idea why Sehun would want that, but… He somehow has the feeling that it’s for a good reason. “Alright then,” he says while turning around and walking out of the classroom. Almost right around the corner, just a few meters away, are Baekhyun and Chanyeol – I knew it – chatting with each other. They spot Luhan immediately though.

“Hey Luhan!” Chanyeol calls with a funny smile.

“Yah, why the hell did it take you so long?” Baekhyun asks right after. Having a déjà vu... Luhan thinks.

“Oh, I-I lost my phone and apparently I had just left it on my desk,” Luhan answers with a smile showing his teeth of embarrassment. Baekhyun sighs.

“Dude, you really need to take better care of your phone,” he says while holding up an accusing finger, being serious for the biggest part. Luhan laughs softly.

“Yeah, I know. And I will.” Only then Luhan, actually still with his thoughts on Sehun, hears him almost silently walk out of the classroom and walk the other way. Maybe… No, right? Did he… Did he maybe let him go first so that the others wouldn’t notice Sehun anymore? Somehow that’s what comes up with him right now. No, that’s way too thought through… Baekhyun and Chanyeol just keep on talking. They indeed don’t seem to notice anything. It takes a little while before Luhan actually listens to them again.

“Yah, I’m not that short! Come on Luhan, what do yóu think?”

“Hm… What?”

“I mean… I know I’m short, but not thát short, right?”

“Um…” Luhan thinks. “Let’s say Chanyeol wouldn’t bump into you yet because he simply didn’t spot you, but um…” he says acting serious while rubbing his chin, in the end unable to keep in his laughter. Chanyeol laughs along with him immediately. Baekhyun simply folds his arms, as always, and pouts slightly. Then Chanyeol turns to Luhan when realizing something.

“Yah, you shouldn’t be laughing as hard as me, you know,” he says while pointing at Luhan. “You’re not that tall either,” he mocks and starts laughing again, making Baekhyun cheer up a bit. Now it’s time for Luhan to fold his arms.

“Well, I’m still taller than him and by the way, I also appear quite tall even though I’m not.”

“So?” Chanyeol asks.

“It only matters how tall you appear. How many people are going to ask for my exact height? Ha!” he shouts victoriously. Chanyeol and Luhan now officially start a battle… again…

“Oh come one, you’re still a short little being.”

“Yah!”

“And I’m still ten centimeters taller than you.”

“No, you’re not!”

“Well, almost.”

“Again, such a vague answer. I like accuracy, Chanyeol. And by the way, maybe I’m just happy with my length.”

“Oh really? Now you suddenly are?” Baekhyun is really just… standing there, watching those two staring at each other and battling.

“Yeah, being tall is not everything, you know. It’s how yóu lost the game at PE yesterday.”

“Oh right, that again. Because my head stuck out of the water first, right?”

“Yes, indeed,” Luhan says with smile that has gotten really big of satisfaction by now. “I think-”

“Okay Luhan, I think it’s enough now,” Baekhyun throws in a little annoyed, but this time not really with much of a smile. “Shall we go get something to eat now? I’m starving,” he adds a little grumpy while holding Chanyeol’s upper arm and he just starts to walk through the hallway. Luhan follows soon enough but ís feeling a bit weird about Baekhyun’s reaction. He knows Baekhyun is a moody person, but… What was thát about?

Eventually they end up at the ‘big hall’ and everyone’s mood, and everyone is most of all Baekhyun, is totally fine again. I think most of all because he has a sandwich now – hunger can get people crazy – and also Chanyeol and Luhan have one, good for silence. For the first time these few days, actually this week, Luhan feels a bit relaxed again. But of course… that couldn’t last for long. Just as Luhan swallows the last piece of his sandwich he sees Kai, just entering the hall with a few friends, just as relaxed as Luhan was just yet. Yeah, just yet… Actually he hasn’t even met the biggest issue, because only after a while he sees Sehun is also standing against the wall on the other side of the hall. He really… sincerely hopes that Kai won’t spot Sehun. He hopes he doesn’t get spot by Kai himself either actually; he almost forgot what Kai said to him, and the way he said it. He closely follows Kai with his eyes. No. No, go to the right. Go to the ri- No no, not to the left! No… Luhan sighs. Of course. Of course, it’s Kai. How could he possibly nót notice Sehun? Luhan can’t hear what he says as they’re too far away but he can still see the shock going through Sehun’s body when he suddenly sees Kai standing in front of him, with his friends a few meters behind him. Sehun softly swallows.

“Hey Sehun~ah. How are you doing today baby?” he asks with a smirk, like nothing happened yesterday, or rather… like it was just normal what happened yesterday. “Did you um… catch a cold or something? Your nose is a little red, right… there,” he says tenderly and flicks Sehun’s nose at the last word. He softly laughs at Sehun’s reaction. “Well, at least nów it’s red,” he says making the few guys behind him laugh softly too now. Kai takes a step closer – Luhan didn’t even know that was possible – to the point where their faces are only centimeters away from each other. Then he slowly moves his mouth towards Sehun’s ear. “You um… didn’t tell anyone about yesterday, did you baby?” Sehun shakes his head, without looking at him. Kai stands upright again. “Good. You better not be lying to me Sehun~ah, cause… I don’t care if you say it out loud, write it down, use morse code or whatever…” he continues while laying his hand on Sehun’s cheek and moving it downwards very slowly. “If you think I’m not so nice right now, I don’t think you want to know what I’ll do if the opposite turns out,” he says with a raw voice while his hand has ended up at the collar of Sehun’s T-shirt now and he roughly grabs it.

“Yah Kai!” a guy says not that loud but more serious than ever. “Could you just leave him alone?”

“Yah, could you just stop interrupting me all the time Chany-” Kai’s sentence is cut off when he sees who’s actually standing next to him. “L-Luhan?” he says a bit confused. But soon after he starts chuckling. “Why… Why would you do this? Why would you think I would listen to you?” he says while loosing his hand from Sehun’s collar and folding his arms. “And what are you going to do if I don’t?”

“Why you would listen? No, not because I’m strong, not because I have Chanyeol who could back me up either, just because I’m very… very serious,” Luhan says while taking a step closer to Kai, with a gaze so piercing and a voice so dark that it surprises himself. He’s not sure but it almost seems like Kai is a little intimidated by Luhan’s way of acting. Kai looks at Sehun for a moment, who is looking alternating at both guys, and then back to Luhan. He holds up a finger right in front of Luhan’s face.

“I’m still keeping you to that promise. Both of you,” he says softly before turning around and walking away, his friends soon following after a bit of confused staring at Luhan.

“Um… Luhan what was thát about?” Luhan turns around. It’s Baekhyun, Chanyeol following him closely. Oops…

“How do you mean?” Luhan tries to act dumb.

“What the hell were you thinking? Why did you walk up to him?”

“What’s wrong with that? I just tried to help out Sehun,” Luhan says while gesturing to Sehun, who’s just standing there quietly, of course.

“Yeah I know, but Luhan talking back to Kai like that isn’t something you do just like that!”

“And what promise was he talking about?” Chanyeol suddenly throws in, quite seriously.

“What?” Luhan and Baekhyun ask simultaneously. Did he actually hear that?

“What are you talking about Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asks as he apparently didn’t hear Kai say that.

“Kai said I’m still keeping you to that promise. What did he mean with that?” Then suddenly it hits Baekhyun.

“You know Luhan… I don’t think you really need to worry about your phone anymore,” Baekhyun says while slowly folding his arms and squeezing his eyes a little.

“What?” Luhan asks, even though he knows exactly what he’s talking about. Chanyeol still seems completely oblivious.

“Come on Luhan, just tell us what really happened yesterday.” Luhan thinks. Baekhyun just waits.

“Okay, okay then!” Luhan gives in eventually. He sighs. “Yesterday I… I saw an interaction between Kai and Sehun, like what you saw just yet. Unfortunately Kai spot me and… well, he told me not to tell anyone. That’s the promise he was talking about. Although it wasn’t really a promise I made, rather just an order from him.” Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol think for a moment.

“Well, yeah… I know it’s no fun, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to get used to happenings like that. No offence Sehun,” Baekhyun says when remembering Sehun’s still there. Sehun doesn’t react.

“What? No. No, I’m not. Why do you think I wanted to help him out of the pool yesterday? To just let the same thing happen over and over again?!” Luhan says  by accident, suddenly a little angry, not even really towards Baekhyun but just in general.

“What?!” Baekhyun and Chanyeol now asks simultaneously.

“Oh… I didn’t tell that yet, did I?” Luhan says softly while laying two fingertips on his lips, sort of thinking out loud.

“No!” the two other guys immediately shout, again simultaneously. Then they cool themselves off.

“Okay, so whát happen exactly?” Baekhyun then asks, more curious than before. Luhan looks at Sehun for a second and then he lays his hands on both Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s backs and walks a few meters away. It’s not like Sehun can’t hear, he was the one it happened to, but Luhan just feels like he doesn’t want to repeat the whole thing in front of Sehun as it wasn’t a happy experience. He sighs, again.

“Okay… There was no teacher around and everyone else was gone already, as you know. Eventually… Kai didn’t just walk up to him and . Well, he did first but eventually – I never thought he would actually do it – he threw him into the pool.” Baekhyun and Chanyeol look at each other, a bit shocked. “After he did… That’s when he spot me, but right after he said that one thing to me he already walked away and went to change. Then I… I um…”

“What Luhan? What?”

“Then I kind of walked up to the pool and um… went to help Sehun.”

“Luhan, that’s…” Baekhyun starts. “That’s very nice of you but you know Sehun doesn’t accept help just like that. To be honest he never accepts it.”

“I tried to talk to him and even though it didn’t go that smooth at first he…” Luhan continues like Baekhyun said nothing. “In the end he did take my han- help,” he quickly corrects himself. Baekhyun and Chanyeol look surprised.

“He… He did? Well, that’s um… that’s rather strange,” Baekhyun while looking around Luhan at Sehun for a moment like he’s just trying to figure out why.

“Yeah I know,” Luhan in the end just says. “But I have to admit… I kind of forced him almost. Let’s say I wasn’t going to let him go just like that.” Then suddenly they hear the bell ring.

“Well… You are a lot more persistent than I remember you Luhan,” Baekhyun says with a little smile, although still confused. Luhan softly laughs at it himself too.

“Yeah, it kind of surprised me too, if I’m really honest.”

“Bet it did,” Baekhyun says closing it up while laying a hand on both Luhan and Chanyeol’s shoulders while starting to walk towards their classrooms. But then suddenly Luhan is being pulled back softly by someone holding his sleeve – this is seriously becoming a habit – and he soon turns around to see someone looking him straight in the eyes… Sehun. Luhan sees he’s thinking deeply and this time Luhan decides to guess what Sehun is trying to say. This time he thinks he’s certain.

“You’re welcome,” Luhan says with a gentle smile, a little bigger than it was actually supposed to be, and immediately turns around again, until he finds Baekhyun and Chanyeol sort of frozen. “Come on guys, we’re going to be late for class,” he says teasing, slightly smirking because of his friends’ ignorance, while pulling the two guys with him.

When they eventually part ways – Baekhyun and Chanyeol have different classes now - Luhan enters the classroom and starts to look for a nice spot. But soon he is stopped by the teacher.

“Luhan, can I ask you something for a second? It’s just… just a small thing,” the woman says. Luhan thinks it sounds a little bit suspicious but tries not to show it.

“Yes ma’am, what is it?”

“Are you good at Economics?”

“Um… Well, I guess.”

“Oh come on, I’ve seen your grades. You’re very good at it, right?”

“Yeah okay, I am. But… But why then?”

“Well, you see… What would you think about giving extra lessons in Economics? Because I’ve got a few people who need it and don’t have it yet.”

“Um… I don’t know.” Well, it can be nice, right? I ám quite good at it. “Actually… it’s fine. Yeah, I’ll do it.”

“Oh well, that’s great. Here I’ve got a little paper with the names on it. It’s not a lot of people, but…” she says while showing him the paper where three names are written. Luhan’s eyes get a little big when he sees one of the names.

“You know ma’am… I’m still a little busy these days, especially because I’ve just moved here and everything, so… Is it alright if I just give one person extra lessons?”

“Oh of course, that’s fine. I totally understand. But… which one of the three did you have in mind then?” Luhan tries very hard to keep his smile from growing to an abnormal size.

“Oh Sehun.” The teacher is startled.

“Really? Are you sure you…” she says with great surprise. “Um… O-Okay then,” she says trying to sound normal again. “I’ll just talk to him and arrange it and um… and then I’ll get back to you later, okay?” Luhan nods.

“That sounds great to me ma’am,’ he says while turning around. ‘Just great,” he adds almost soundless.