“Baek?”

Baekhyun, who was leaning against the wall of his apartment building, looked behind his shoulders to see Jongin walking closer. He quickly turned around and fastened his pace, stopping when he was only inches away from Jongin.

“I need your help.”

“You alright?” Jongin said, his previously annoyed look quickly turning into a worried one. “Why? Did that guy you were on the phone with say something?”

“It was Daehyun-hyung, you git.”

Jongin faltered in his steps, eyes widening.

“Daehyun hyung? I thought he was in the army!”

“He’s on break,” Baekhyun grumbled quietly. “The point is, he said he’s been going to the club ever since he got out, and apparently we shouldn’t be going there.”

“What?” Jongin said, frowning. “Why? He took us there all the time when we were younger! What’s the problem now?”

“I mentioned I was bringing some friends over,” Baekhyun said, biting his lips anxiously, “and he asked me if it was you. I told him it was going to be a much larger group, and listed a few of you guys, and when I got to Sehun’s name, he started freaking out.”

“Sehun? As in, our Sehun?”

“You know how he used to live here when he was younger, right? Around his middle school years? Yeah, apparently he hung out with a bad crowd. I asked hyung what the he was talking about, Sehun said he didn’t have any friends before he met us, and that he must’ve heard wrong. Daehyun-hyung was positive though. He knows a couple people who knew Sehun back then. He was withdrawn and quiet, and it was clear he didn’t like his so called ‘friends’, but apparently he was still part of the Iljin crowd - you know, the crowd that rules the school with an iron fist and gets into fights all the time?”

“Oh Sehun isn’t an iljin,” Jongin said incredulously. “He looks like he could barely hold his own fight.”

“He was expelled after a year and a half, so hyung doesn’t know much about him, especially because he’s so much younger, but the crowd he used to hang out with? They come to the club nearly every day these days. Daehyun-hyung doesn’t know if Sehun had a change of heart now, but he doesn’t think it’ll be a good idea for him to meet his old ‘friends.’ He’s scared a fight might break out.”

“Wait, Baekhyun, I’m confused. Sehun said himself that he didn’t have any friends and that he remained in the background, unnoticed by everyone, in all of his past schools. He also said he got expelled because his goddamn luck and that he never did anything bad intentionally.”

“I’m not doubting Sehun,” Baekhyun snapped, “but Sehun went to tons of different schools, even after the one here. He could’ve gotten in trouble here and expelled, and started to change after. It’s not impossible. I care for Sehun, Jongin, he’s one of my closest friends, and I really don’t want to take him to the club knowing he might possibly face a past he doesn’t want to remember.”

“I don’t believe Daehyun-hyung,” Jongin narrowed his eyes, “but even if I do, I’m not going to trap Sehun in your house. He’s not a part of that anymore, he’s a part of us, and it’s clear he left the past behind. If he really did change, he won’t get into any stupid fights.”

“Think about Luhan! If Sehun gets hurt, and if Luhan finds out we knew about this before, he’ll murder us.”

“Luhan wouldn’t give a as long as Sehun is no longer an iljin. Don’t worry about it Baek. You’re overthinking it.”

“They were bad news back in middle school. Imagine how they would be now? Daehyun-hyung told me that we should try to avoid them at all costs. I do not want to walk straight into a death trap.”

“Baekhyun, we’re going to go have fun with each other, not to speak to strangers. Chances are, we won’t even see them. And they won’t see us. I’ll keep tabs on Sehun if you’re so worried. No fights, and even if one does break out, I’ll be there to stop it. Okay?”

Baekhyun groaned, shaking his head in defeat. “Stupid Oh Sehun. Being all stupid when he was younger. Why did he have to hang out with the iljins?”

“Because it’s easy. Because it has benefits that can’t be ignored. Sehun was smart to hang out with them back in middle school - now he has his youth and immaturity to blame, just like me. Come on, let’s head back. It’s getting late,” Jongin said with a shrug and threw his arms around Baekhyun’s smaller shoulders.

Baekhyun grumbled quietly, but nodded and the two slowly made their way back up.

“We’re back,” Luhan sung, taking a large bite of his waffle before prancing into the living room. Sehun was staring down at his greasy hands with a large frown.

“Early, I see. Thanks Sehun,” Baekhyun said as he stood up, greeting the two with a surprised look. Sehun nodded dismissively before going straight to the bathroom.

“Hey! I’m the one who reminded him we had to head back,” Luhan protested. “I’m good with time too.”

“Sure Luhan.”

Luhan frowned deeper when he noticed Baekhyun wasn’t even looking in his direction. His eyes were fixed on the closed bathroom door, eyes stern and stormy.

“What’s your problem?” The words left his mouth before he could stop himself, and it seemed to finally catch Baekhyun’s attention, who turned and matched Luhan’s frown.

“It’s nothing,” Baekhyun replied impatiently.

“You look like you want to storm in there and attack Sehun.”

“I said it was nothing, Luhan. Drop it.”

“You’re pissed off and I don’t know why. I think I have the right to at least ask.”

“My god. Will you just shut up?”

Jongin, who had been sitting down and watching the two silently, stood up quickly and placed himself between the two boys.

“You should finish that waffle,” he pointed out, hoping to distract Luhan. Luhan’s eyes hardened as they bore into Baekhyun’s, but with a sigh, he pushed past his friends and sat down on the couch.

“Don’t say anything,” Jongin muttered quietly to Baekhyun before sitting down himself. Baekhyun sighed and watched as Sehun opened the door and came out, drying his wet hands on his jeans.

“Are we leaving now?” He said, finding his place beside Luhan. Luhan took one last bite before throwing the wrapper into the trashcan. Baekhyun watched the whole thing, his deep frown even catching Sehun’s attention.

“You alright?” Sehun asked, and Baekhyun froze for a moment before nodding firmly. Jongin sighed and buried his head in his hands.

“We’re ready now!”

Jongdae and Minseok pushed open the bedroom door, exclaiming loudly as they entered the living room. They seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere between the four boys.

“I’m so excited,” Jongdae gushed, and Minseok chuckled before patting his boyfriend’s head.

“No alcohol.”

“Baek said there wasn’t even any available,” Jongdae retorted, and the two broke out into large, matching grins. Luhan groaned before leaning back, hiding behind Sehun’s back.

“Sometimes they just make me sick,” he grumbled, and Sehun, who was staring intensely at Baekhyun, finally tore his gaze away to look at Luhan.

“They make me sick all the time.”

“Woah, it’s time already. Sorry for being late,” Chanyeol’s loud voice boomed as he and Kyungsoo came walking in. Jongin’s eyes narrowed when he saw Kyungsoo’s hand wrapped around Chanyeol’s upper arm.

Baekhyun, who was mentally trying to decide if this was a good idea or not, sighed defeatedly at all the expectant looks on him. “Alright then. Let’s leave.”

Everyone followed Baekhyun out, sticking closely to each other in pairs. Minseok and Jongdae were whispering things to each other excitedly, earning eye rolls from everyone else. Baekhyun was leading silently, and Jongin, who was right behind him, kept his eyes between his friend and Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was still practically attached to Chanyeol, while the latter was frowning when he noticed the gloomy look on Baekhyun’s face.

“Baekhyun’s upset,” Luhan stated, taking his place at the very back of the crowd. Sehun was strolling beside him, and a look of understanding passed his impassive face.

“He was in a perfectly fine mood this morning.”

“I swear he was glaring at you when you were in the bathroom,” Luhan said, stealing a look to see Sehun’s reaction. “Did you say something to him?”

“I didn’t speak to him one on one all day.”

“Jongin was unusually jumpy too,” Luhan sighed, looking away. “Minseok and Jongdae are so lucky for being either extremely ignorant or plain unobservant.”

“We’re here!”

Baekhyun’s voice cut off Sehun’s reply, and the two followed the rest of the boys into a large, bright building. They all walked down a steep stairway to a glass, sliding door. A boy greeted them, particularly Baekhyun and Jongin, as they stepped into a room filled with ear-piercing music blasting in every corner.

“Baek, you came,” the boy said, an uneasy smile tugging on his lips. Sehun felt the boy’s eyes flicker up to glance at him, and he frowned slightly in return.

“Hey hyung,” Baekhyun said, reaching up to fist pump the older guy. “I hope you’re okay with this.”

“It wasn’t my decision to make,” the boy said, but he shook his head before smiling at Jongin. “Good to see you too. You grew so much, Jongin!”

“I see you tanned quite a bit in the military, hyung,” Jongin teased. “What did they do to your poor soul?”

“Oh, shove it. At least you don’t have to worry about coming back five shades darker and your parents not recognizing you,” Daehyun shot back, but his smile was much more laid back than before.

Daehyun’s eyes traveled behind, eyeing the rest of the group.

“My name’s Minseok,” Minseok walked forward, shaking Daehyun’s hand firmly. “This is my ..... friend, Jongdae.”

“Your boyfriend, you mean?”

Minseok’s eyes widened, and Daehyun laughed loudly. “I already know. And for the record, I don’t give a . Baekhyun here is my favorite dongsaeng.”

Minseok’s cautious look relaxed, and he smiled in return. “That’s great. This is my boyfriend, Kim Jongdae.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jongdae said, and Daehyun returned the handshake.

“My name’s Park Chanyeol,” Chanyeol said, and he pointed at the shorter boy beside him. “And this is-”

“Do Kyungsoo, right?” Daehyun jumped forward, eyes shining excitedly. “Man, I’ve heard so much about you. Jongin wouldn’t shut up. I thought I would never get the chance to meet you.”

Kyungsoo gaped silently, and Jongin was making strange choking noises in the back, face red in embarrassment. Finally, Kyungsoo managed to smile and relax.

“Yes, my name is Kyungsoo.”

“Jongin, dude, you are exceptionally good in your physical descriptions. I recognized him straight away,” Daehyun said playfully, ignoring as Jongin blushed beet red once more.

“And you’re Luhan?”

Luhan nodded, giving him his resident good-natured grin. “The one and only.”

“I like you already,” Daehyun replied. His smile froze as he turned to face Sehun, eyes hardening quickly.

“Oh Sehun?”

Sehun stared back, trying to pay no attention to Luhan’s inquisitive look.

“You know me?”

“I’ve heard about you,” Daehyun said, taking Sehun’s hand to shake it firmly. “You used to live here.”

“I did,” Sehun said, and Luhan caught the boy stiffening. “A long time ago. Back when I was in middle school.”

“Hyung, we should probably go and get settled,” Baekhyun interrupted. “Can you take us to a good seat? Preferably a quieter place so some of us can stay away from all the noise.”

“I know the perfect place,” Daehyun replied with a wink, and he gave Sehun one last look before leading the way to the back corner of the club. It was a round table surrounded by a red velvet couch large enough to fit 10.

“Yongguk is in the music booth right now, so go to him if you want a particular song,” Daehyun pointed to the other corner of the club. “I’ll see you guys later. Have fun!”

The boys waved bye and slowly began settling down, throwing their jackets and bags on the floor and on top of the table.

“I’m going to go dance,” Jongdae yelled, trying to get himself heard over the music. Their seat was quieter than the rest of the club, but it was still hard for them to talk normally. “Who’s coming with me?”

“I’m not letting you go by yourself,” Minseok stood up, staring down at the rest expectantly.

“I’ll go!” Chanyeol said, and Baekhyun who was looking at him from the corner of his eyes, quickly raised his hand. “I’ll go as well!”

“Jongin?” Jongdae said, leaning down to rest his hand on the table. “You’re coming, right? We have to have a dance battle.”

“I think I’ll stay,” Jongin said apologetically, stealing a glance at Sehun who looked like he wasn’t going to budge from his seat all night. “Maybe next time.”

“Loser,” Jongdae tutted and gave the rest a scolding look. “You guys aren’t going to go either?”

“I want to stay,” Kyungsoo said, voice louder than normal to get himself heard.

“I ain’t going anywhere,” Sehun asserted, earning an eyeroll from both Jongdae and Minseok.

“Sehun, come on,” Luhan pleaded, but Sehun crossed his arms and buried himself deeper into the couch. “No.”

“Please? Just this once?”

“I said no, Luhan.”

“We can come back straight away if you don’t like it.”

“What part of no don’t you understand?”

“Sehun, you always say no. For once can you just say yes?”

“I don’t ing want to go.”

Luhan halted before looking away, body slowly shifting away from Sehun.

“And I take it that you aren’t going to come?” Minseok asked, smirking as Luhan sulked silently and shook his head.

“Have fun then,” the two pat Luhan’s head, watching the boy’s expression turn even more sour as they headed to the dance floor with Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

“Don’t pout, Luhan,” Sehun drawled, bringing out his phone to surf the web. Luhan glared at the boy, gritting his teeth.

“You came to be on your phone?” Luhan hissed, and Sehun glanced at him briefly.

“I told you I didn’t want to come.”

“But you did! You can’t just sit here for the whole time!”

“Leave him alone, Luhan,” Jongin said with a sigh, “he doesn’t want to go. Drop it.”

“What the is wrong with you now? Baekhyun is in a mood, and now you’re taking Sehun’s side all of the sudden?”

“Luhan, calm down,” Kyungsoo’s quiet, placid voice rang out, surprising Luhan to silence. “It’s not Jongin’s fault.”

“Oh, that’s extremely rich of you, Kyungsoo. You’re allowed to snap at Jongin whenever you please, but when I do it’s all wrong?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kyungsoo replied, voice as calm as ever. “I know I was wrong.”

“You found out nine years too late,” Luhan snapped.

“Luhan. You’re getting mad for no reason,” Jongin said, scooting forward to meet Luhan’s angry eyes. “Don’t snap at Kyungsoo. He wasn’t even in this discussion in the first place.”

“You weren’t in this discussion before you had the strange urge to in. I was talking to Sehun, not you.”

“Will you please quiet down?” Sehun snapped, finally facing Luhan and looking pissed off. “You’re attracting attention.”

“We’re in a ing club,” Luhan hissed, “we’re in a club, sitting down, arguing with each other, instead of going out there and having fun.”

“I never stopped you from going. You decided to stay on your own,” Sehun said angrily. “Don’t turn the blame on me.”

“I was simply trying to-”

“, Luhan. Can’t you do anything by yourself?”

Luhan blinked slowly, trying to register what Sehun had just said. The three watched as Luhan flushed red in anger, his hands tightening into fists.

“What do you take me for? I have goddam feelings, you . If I try this hard to do things with you, trying hard to maintain this friendship because you seem to care less, the least you can do is at least pretend to go along. I’m a human being, Sehun! I get hurt whenever you say no. I get upset whenever you make it very clear you find me annoying. I’m not some doll who will smile and cling onto you no matter what you say and do!”

Jongin, who was in too much shock to move, managed to speak gently. “Luhan, you know that’s not what he thi-”

“You and Baekhyun are even worse! Just because I smile all the time and act dumb doesn’t mean I actually am! I’m not just going to smile, nod, and not even have a ing opinion. I might not be as forward as you two, but it doesn’t mean you guys can walk all over me.”

Sehun stared silently in shock when he saw a tear fall from Luhan’s eyes as the boy jumped to his feet and began storming off. He finally snapped out of the shock and leaned over to grab Luhan’s wrist, making him turn back around.

“Luhan, I don’t find you annoying.”

Luhan stared back, eyes red and tears now rolling now uncontrollably. With a loud sniff, he snatched his wrist away.

“ you,” he hissed with a sharp glare. Before Sehun could stop him, Luhan quickly ran off to the large crowd.

/hides behind a rock.

(I'll see you guys soon. please don't kill me.)