Some childhood Xiuchen. ^^ They just melt my heart! 

And some Taoris.

And a little Hunhan

Next chapter will probably be longer.

No Kaisoo TvT (if you spot some, I'll be shocked. XDDD)

 . . . . And a little Woohyun.

I'm debating whether to make 6 or 8 chapters, so to be safe I put 8. Lol

Xiumin tugged on his uniform pants and tossed his hair to the side and away from his eyes. He was lost to the happenings of Suho and Lay, besides their yelling, and he was sure Lay would fill him in later at practice. Luhan stuck his head inside to see how Xiumin was faring, shaking his head as the sickly male tugged on the first pair of green socks he could set his small hands on. 

"Come on Min, everyone is ready to go." Xiumin nodded his head in reply, his reaction slow as he stood and walked over to the door where Luhan waited for him, worrying over him much like Kyungsoo would for Chen. That dream must have been messed up for him to be acting like this. I have to snap him out of this before we get to school. Everyone sat or stood around with their bags held against arms and one Chanyeol holding onto Baekhyun's bag as if he were in a crowd and worried Baekhyun would be lost.

Sehun waited by the door, arms crossed, and his foot tapping the floor in a consistent amount of seconds and waited for Luhan and the boy stealing his lover’s attention. He stared the both of them down as Luhan helped Xiumin walk towards the door, Kai, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun following suite. He was completely ignored as Luhan tied Xiumin's shoes for him and took his hand, right in front of him! The nerve! Sehun locked up the house as the sun drizzled them in sunlight and drenched them in warmth from the sun.

Xiumin still felt cold. He had been freezing since taking a shower, and his clothes clung to his body uncomfortably. Where was Chen when he needed him? Only he could provide the warm, bubbly feeling in Xiumin's chest, take him away from moments like this, when he feels himself being erased, replaced by something distorted, indistinguishable when compared to air. Chen was his guide when his eyes are closed, when he can't see. So little time had proved it true, but Xiumin couldn't stop his heart from yearning to be with him. Love is intangible, ugly, beautiful, but most of all, it happens when it isn't expected.

Chen slept peacefully, wrapped in wine drenched blankets and burying his head deeper into his favorite squishy pillow. He and Kyungsoo had returned Kris' car to his apartment and walked back to the dorms, which were close by. Once he had taken off his clothes and bid Kyungsoo a goodnight, he had fallen asleep, dreaming under closed lids, dreams of memories, dreams of peering up at a little boy, soccer ball in hand.

"What are you doin on the floor?" His voice was cute and adolescent, his big eyes blinking in innocent wonder and his lips forming a little point. From his dream, Chen could feel the place the soccer ball had bounced against throb slowly with a dull ache of the past, and in his dream his vision blurred. He was fully prepared the shed tears. He sat up, and touched the back of his head, the pain more intense.

"Y-You hit me!" And suddenly he was crying and Xiumin was telling him not to, the soccer ball forgotten as he managed to help Chen stand, then reach up on the tips of his toes to rub at the spot that hurt.

"Better, better," he chanted, and Chen felt the pain go away at the frantic look in such big, beautiful eyes. Is he an angel? Chen looked down at his small form and felt . . . At home. Here with this boy who just hurt his head, he felt safe and much better. He didn't want to go back to that prison, that place where he's ignored and taken care of by people unknown to him. Chen wanted to stay here. 

"Name?" He asked in the only way he could, his face leaning closer just to see the little boy scrunch up his name in thought.

"Xiu . . . Min." Xiumin. Xiumin. Xiumin. He could say the name over and over and never be bored again for the rest of his life.

"You?" Xiumin still had a hand running through his long raven hair, and it tickled Chen to the soles of his feet. 

"Chenchen!" 

"Chenchen!" Xiumin called back his name with a giggle as company, finding the name cuter the quicker he could say it.

"Where is Chenchen going?" Why was Chen there? Where was he going? Chen's face dropped, his happy picture tearing in half. He didn't know where he was anymore, once he was out of that house, he had ran as fast as he could.

"Away. Far away." Xiumin stopped moving his fingers, his breath caught in his little lungs.

"Why?" Why did Chen have to leave? Xiumin never had any friends, besides those his parents had paid to play with him and even they were boring. Chen was the first boy he had met that had spoken more than one word to him.

"Nobody cares about me." You're the first person to be kind to me. 

"B-But Min cares! Min hurt you and he's sawwy! Stay. Stay. Stay!" Chen understood that Xiumin was referring to himself in third person, and before he could say another word, Xiumin had taken his hand and begun pulling him up the street he had come.

"Where are we going?"

"Min is taking Chenchen home so Min can find him again." So that he can find me again. Chen followed Xiumin, looking down at his short brown hair that was light and bounced with each step. He was the most beautiful boy Chen had ever seen. Ever.

"Where is Chenchen's house?" Chen looked around for the large estate, dark and foreboding against the light atmosphere of the smaller houses. It was easy to find. Chen pointed at it with his small hand and Xiumin started walking faster, smiling that he helped Chen home and he could now visit him whenever he wanted. They stood outside the gates to the estate, still holding hands, Xiumin staring at the house with wonder.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" He wanted to be with Xiumin more, he liked his smile, his eyes, his plump cheeks he wanted to touch, how small he was, and how small his hands were. Xiumin breathed in deeply, already tired from their short trek, but tried to put on a strong front.

"Yes! Min will be here and Chenchen won't have to be lonely no more." They went their separate ways, Chen watched Xiumin walk back down the street, staying in his same spot until he couldn't see Xiumin's back anymore. Then Chen stepped between a bare of the gate and into the private grounds, his happiness only found in remembering Xiumin's face. 

The next day, Xiumin moved. 

"I guess I can let him sleep for a few more minutes," Kyungsoo murmured, his eyes soft and caring as he watched Chen turn to face him. 
"That date must have been something." Gently shutting the door, Kyungsoo walked his way way back to the living room where Tao sat feeding Kris cereal. Why the two always felt the need to mooch off of him and his roommates was a mystery, but Kyungsoo enjoyed seeing Tao happy again. When the boy had found out about Kris’ intentions on leaving, he had been crushed and there was a fight that put their relationship in jeopardy. Kris called Tao selfish while Tao called the older a heartless man. He told him he loved him, loved him until there was no one else he could love, love him until there was no one else he knew how to love. They were best friends, lovers, soul mates, someone could label it all they wanted to, but the point was they were together.

“Say ahh~” Kris cutely parted his lips and Tao slowly placed the spoon holding cinnamon toast crunch in his mouth, his eyes brightening every time Kris swallowed. How do I know you’ll be eating everyday if you’re gone?

“My turn,” Kyungsoo felt his stomach lurched as the couple switched in feeding and went to go take a shower instead of subjecting himself to something so vulgar.

Tao stuck out his tongue and lapped up the milk dribbling down his chin unconsciously. The dorm was quiet besides the sound of water running from the bathroom and the little sounds coming from the TV. He looked up at Kris only to meet his dark eyes and smiled. Who could find him scary? All Tao could see was the love swirling in his onyx orbs and the sadness imbedded deep within.

“I know what you’re thinking, so stop.”

“How can I? We’ll be thousands of miles apart and I’m a very jealous person, you should know this.” And Tao did know. The first month in he received the worst bruise against his neck for talking to a pretty boy named Himchan over a project. The next came a week later because he was seemingly “flirting” with a cute boy named Aaron. Every male that Tao decided to speak to that lay outside of their group, Kris took as a threat, and he found great pleasure in marking his territory much like a prideful wolf. Tao had gotten used to it, a secret little it had grown in to.

“Yeah, I have a pretty good idea,” Tao muttered, pressing wary fingers against the new bruise that had formed that very night, and the bruises that littered his clothed back. He and Kris had issues with never reaching a bed, and the roughness to match.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go?” Tao’s mouth gaped open with the absurdity of it all. Kris had to be joking, especially to be taking something so lightly and thinking of tossing it aside. He shook his head. No way would he make a decision that could affect the rest of Kris’ life. And this was important to him. When Kris was happy, he was happy.

“No, go. I still have school here and this is a big thing. Don’t ever think that you have to make sacrifices for me. I won’t think any less of you. So go, and send me postcards and emails and text me and Skype me and call me and-“Kris chuckled as Tao called out different ways of communication such as telepathy and walkie talkie.

“Alright, I get it. I’ll do everything for you. And when I get back, guess where I’m taking you?” Tao could feel his insides churn, Kris had that single immaculate smile on his lips that told of good things to come.

“Where?” Could it be?

“Gucci shopping.” And Tao woke up Chen with his sloppy sobs and caused an accident in the bathroom with his screaming.

“Hunnie, help me make Xiumin better.” Luhan had tugged his boyfriend aside during the walk to school, leaving Xiumin to walk up ahead alone, his shoulders slumped and hair messily placed.

“Why should I?” Luhan pouted and took a piece of skin on Sehun’s arm, pulling the flesh between his fingers harshly.

“Okay, okay! W-What’s wrong with him?”

“He had a nightmare that Chen kissed Woohyun and he feels guilty about the bet. Go talk to him or something.” Where was Lay when he was needed? Sehun sighed and stalked ahead of the breakfast couple and the narcissist holding a handheld mirror to Xiumin’s side. Xiumin didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he made no show of it.

“Xiumin, what’s wrong? You’re usually the happy one in the morning, and after last night, I would have thought you’d be bouncing off the walls like me and Kai are usually.” Xiumin continued walking, pursing his lips in thought.

“I just feel a little sick, that’s all. I’ll be fine.” It felt odd, Xiumin was distant and vague, and Sehun found it weird to see him acting that way. Xiumin was known for his cheerful, playful attitude, not this depressed prude.

“Look, about the bet-“

“I don’t-“

“Shut up! The bet has already been made and we all know that Woohyun won’t back down from a challenge with you. So instead of being a , you need to think of this as another tournament. What do you do before a ranked game? Do you think of how badly you might lose or how y you feel?”

“ . . . No.”

“No, you don’t. You train your off so that you don’t lose. And that’s what you need to do. You’re captain for goodness sake! So man the up and-“

“I see we meet again.” The hair against the nape of Xiumin’s neck stood on end, his teeth clenching painfully as his entire body fell rigid. Only that voice could produce such an instantaneous response.

“Woohyun, what is it now?” Woohyun smiled good-naturedly and raised his hands as a surrendering gesture, a million watt smile portrayed on his lips.

“I came to see how my little rival has been faring since our little wager has been set. I happened to see you last night and I just wanted to tell you Chen is even more beautiful to me than I had initially thought. I’m really looking forward to our match in 6 days.” Xiumin almost pounced on the taller male and pummeled him into a mess of bloody limbs if not for the rule standing between him and kicking that .

“6 days is more than enough for my team to prepare the kicking you’re going to get.

“And I’m thinking 6 days will be enough to get Chen to move in with me, and you know what they say, what happens behind closed doors,

Stays that way.”

This will probably cover down to day 3 or 4. Next chapter will take place purely on the soccer field and you'll see Xiumin's awesome leaderly skills ! :)