12

"I'm not letting you out of this place until I have your word."
 
"I need to get back to practice." 
 
"Don't even think about it."
 
"What concern does this have with you anyway?" 
 
Silence from both parties certainly did not do good to the already tense atmosphere. Sehun could see the anger and disappointment in the other boy's eyes despite the dim lighting in the long abandoned training room. Ten minutes ago, he's been dragged into the room he thought only he knew about. Now, he felt like he was being interrogated and this little "argument" was seeping its way to the "soon-to-be-heated" category. All this time, he couldn't figure out what had his own problem got to do with the dumb giant. 
 
"Why? Do you really want to know why?" 
 
The taller of the two advanced. He knew that his emotions were in a bit of a mess at that very instant because he could feel every nerve and vein in him threatening to scream "Because it's you, stupid!"
 
"Because I hate watching people do things they don't deserve to themselves. Because I hate leaving people in the ditch when I know I can do something to help. Because you don't deserve any of these and don't need to do any of these at all." He paused, "Because you, Oh Sehun, are perfect in my eyes." 
 
"Let go." Sehun squirmed, prying off the strong pair of hands gripping on to his shoulders. "Chanyeol, let go it hurts." 
 
Chanyeol slackened his grip, but not letting go. "Sehun ah, you don't deserve any of these. Please don't do this anymore." 
 
"Look, whatever I do, does not concern you." Sehun replied looking at his laces, his voice quivering. "You can just walk out that door and pretend nothing ever happened and after that you can rid yourself of the obligation to help anyone. There's no one here for you to help. I'm beyond hopeless. I know it's bad, I know it's wrong, but I just can't stop, so please leave me to be."
 
A drop of tear fell on the parquet floor between them. Letting his grip loose, Chanyeol pulled the younger boy closer and when was glad that the younger boy did not put up any form of rejection. Wrapping his arms around the younger male, Chanyeol was shocked. He knew Sehun was skinny, but he definitely had not expected him to be this skinny; he was practically a walking set of skeletons and skin. His heart starting to ache, Chanyeol pulled Sehun into a tighter embrace, careful as though the younger were a piece of fine chinaware which would shatter any time. "You will be able to, I will be here to help you." 
 
Sehun muttered inaudibly amidst sobs, just loud enough for Chanyeol to make out the words. 
 
"Why? Because.." 

Because I like you, Sehun ah. 
 
"Because you deserve better."
 
For the first time in a very long while, Oh Sehun broke down. 

 
-- 

"Both of you, why are you late?" Yunho's voice was stern, displeasure written all over his face. He had minimal tolerance with students who were late and the only possible reason they were still not chased out of the studio was because Sehun'd been Yunho's most hardworking and favourite student all these while.
 
Sehun looked down at his shoes again, feeling a bunch of guilt building up within him. Guilt, the emotion that now easily controlled his every waking second; for being late for practice, for letting Yunho down, for dragging Chanyeol into trouble with Yunho and for letting his own little secret slip. 
 
"Sehun wasn't feeling well earlier on so I'd stayed with him for awhile. He's better now!" Chanyeol replied with a grin. It had always been amazing how the giant could grin in front of a straight-faced Yunho, as though nothing had ever happened. He was sure he felt a pair of eyes rolling so hard they would drop anytime. 
 
Yunho examined his favourite kid from afar; his face was pale and worn out, dark circles trying their best to hold his heavy eyebags from drooping further. His eyes were puffy and nose red, as though he'd just cried or as though he was down with a serious flu. "Sehun, go rest and resume after lunch. Chanyeol, get yourself warmed up and get back in formation." 

"But.." His sentence was cut off by a reassuring squeeze at his hand, still in the grasp of the giant boy since they'd left the other studio. 
 
At this very moment, he felt so vulnerable he thought he would collapse at any monent. 

Took me a tad bit too long to get this up. It's pretty short but well, better short than nothing! 

Please please, drop me a comment sorta and yes I do read them comments!! :) 

So till then, xoxo.