IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN – George Elliot

Knock. Knock.

Chen only managed to catch a glimpse of a bright smile before he felt himself tackled to the ground. Suho chuckled seeing the sight before him. Kai had thrown himself at Chen as soon as the door had opened. He had been really worried about his hyung and was glad to see Chen better. He no longer looked pale and lost. There was a small light in his eyes and his lips were no longer trapped in a permanent frown. Yes, Chen was much much better.

 “Hyung hyung! Everyone’s waiting for you back home!!” Kai beamed up at Chen refusing to get off of him.

“I get it Kai. I get it,” Chen tried his best to sound annoyed but it was ruined by the giggles that kept coming out. Suho took a mental picture of his two members, happy, storing it for safekeeping in his memories. He then gently pulled Kai and Chen apart, getting them ready to leave from this place and back home.

“Can’t keep everyone waiting now, can we?” They all stepped outside the room, Chen not once looking back, before Kai teleported them away.

~

Xiumin was glad to be back at the dorms. He could only spend so much time laying down in the hospital room before he got bored. Although, now that he was here, he couldn’t help but notice the absence of three particular members. He scanned the living room where they had all gathered. Maybe they’re hiding or..???

Or maybe Chen got expelled into the Special Room after the whole ~incident~.

“WHAT?” Xiumin hadn’t meant to yell the last part out but the news had shocked him. Just the thought of his Chen in the Special Room…

Your Chen?? Geez you both got it bad. Xiumin rounded on Luhan and demanded an explanation. Luhan shrugged and told him of how Chen got locked up in the Special Room once Xiumin had been rushed into the hospital. It was done mostly to appeal to the teachers of the other kids, to assure them that none of the guardians were dangerous and all precaution was taken when necessary.

“Who cares! Who cares what they think?? That’s Chen they threw in there! He’s not even 10 yet and they think its ok to just put a kid in there? Just so that some faceless people can feel safe!?” Everyone in the room felt the temperature dropping throughout Xiumin’s rant. Tao and Sehun were huddled together behind Kris’s back not used to seeing their hyung this angry.

“We know Xiumin. We pleaded with our teachers, we even went up to them and pleaded but…they wouldn’t listen. They would just say the same thing over and over again. He could’ve killed his hyung. He’s a threat until he learns to control his powers.” Kris spat out the last two sentences mockingly. The anger and sadness was permeable in the air. None of them had wanted Chen to end up in the Special Room. Even though they had all felt a little afraid of Chen at that moment they would’ve never wished for his isolation.

“If they had wanted him to improve then they should’ve let him continue training not…” Xiumin was too upset to finish his sentence. Luhan noticed Xiumin’s hands shaking and slowly reached for him, both physically and mentally, trying to comfort him.

“It’s ok now though cuz Suho and Kai left to go pick up Chen and bring him back and-” Xiumin rounded a second time that day to Luhan in shock.

“Wait, what??” Before Xiumin could continue a loud pop! was heard in the middle of the room. With a bang three new bodies landed hard on the floor as smoke dissipated into the air. There was a lot of groaning heard as the three bodies did their best to untangle from one another.

“I thought you said you had better control of your powers, Kai.”

“I do!! It’s just that it’s harder when it’s three people instead of two, hyung.” The playful bickering continued but Xiumin could only focus on the silent boy who was dusting himself. He looked a lot thinner than when they had last seen each other. The shirt swallowed him whole and a lot of the baby fat around his face was gone. However, Chen’s eyes were still bright and his cheeks had color and there was a smile threatening to break out on his face at the sight of his brothers. Guess I was worried for nothing, huh. It was then that Chen’s eyes lifted to meet his.

Xiumin could see the emotions running through Chen and he wanted nothing than to take them all away until only the happy little Chen he remembered was left. All the other guardians huddled around Kai and Suho leaving Xiumin and Chen alone. Chen seemed unsure how to react and stayed in place shuffling his feet to and fro.

Well I am the hyung. Xiumin took three long strides until he was standing in front of Chen. Gathering all of his energy, Xiumin focused on the palms of his hands, before placing them on Chen’s face. Chen let out a loud yelp at the cold feeling and jumped away from his hyung. Xiumin let out a loud laugh, holding his stomach with both hands as Chen looked at him in shock. Xiumin stopped laughing long enough to flash Chen his gummy smile.

“There. Now we’re even.” Chen stood gaping at him like a lost fish trying to process everything that had happened in the past three minutes. Xiumin just stood there patiently waiting. Sudden tears shone in Chen’s eyes and, faster than Xiumin could prepare himself, threw himself into his favorite hyung’s embrace.

“I’m sorry. I’m so so so so so sorry. I d-didn’t m-m-mean to hyung. –Hiccup- I’m sorry,” Chen continued sobbing out apologies as Xiumin tightened his arms around Chen. No matter what anyone believed, Xiumin never once blamed Chen. Mistakes happen. They’re all young. Too young to have complete controls over their powers.

So Xiumin just murmured comforting words into Chen’s ear, rubbing his back in soothing circles, until Chen’s sobs subsided. Xiumin pulled Chen away and smiled at him.

“No more apologies, ok? You need to save your energy for the party.” He ruffled Chen’s hair turning him to face the other guardians. Soon all of them were smothered together in a giant group hug.

“WELCOME HOME YOU TWO!!” And with that shout the young boys brought out the cake and coke and proceeded to party past 11 o’clock.

~
The guardians were given two days of rest before they would be forced to go back into training. They use the time to forget. Forget they are guardians, forget they have responsibilities as protectors of their world, and just be who they were always meant to be. Children. Children who fought over the swings, slid down slides, and swung around on the monkey bars. Children who all slept together in the living room and had pillow fights.

It’s never too late to be what you might’ve been but sometimes Suho and Kris wish their roles as guardians never forced them to let go of what they were in the first place.

...please dont shoot me i swear ive been struggling for months to get this out and i just sat down for 3 hrs and this came out IM SO SORRY YALL WERE NEVER MEANT TO WAIT THIS LONG ; A ; 

AND JUST THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME I SHOULDNT DELETE THIS CRAP ill see thru it to the end if its the last thing i do!!!! please bear with me tho i still have no confidence in anything i write and its so hard to find time to sit down and write when working 11+ hrs and going to college at same time /o\ 

BUT ILL DO MY BEST FOR YALL /THROWS YOU ALL CAKES AND COOKIES AND CHIBI EXO

Comment please~ BUT DONT SHOOT ME PLEASE YOU CAN PUNCH ME BUT NO SHOOTING OR BRICKING OTL

p.s there will be a part 3

pps this is for shika i love you bye