Sehun and Luhan's lives have been great, their relationship growing and evolving with each passing day. All of their friends were happy for them, excited that they finally fixed whatever problems they had between them. Yixing just about threw a damn parade when he heard to news, jumping around, yelling, until Yifan and Zitao finally calmed him down.
Sehun found himself hanging out with the Chinese exchange students a lot now, finding it surprisingly easy to spend time with them. Sehun would go to the group even if Luhan wasn't there, something he thought he would never do before. He was happier and it was obvious to anyone who looked at him. Sehun wasn't scared as of the world as he was before. Sure, they would always be those lingering insecurities inside of him that would be hard to get rid of, but he had Luhan now to help him with everything. 
First semester came and went in a blur and seconds semester brought more exciting things with it. Winter break was spent with Luhan and his friends, since the Chinese students didn't have the money to return home. Sehun's mother understood, allowing him to spend the time on campus. They made great new memories in those few weeks, adventuring out to do new things that neither of them have ever done. There were many late nights where a bottle of soju would be passed around, while Sehun wondering how Yifan had managed to snag the drink. The thought died off after his first sip. Those nights were the times where all five of them would sit in a circle in one of their dorms, talking about anything that came to mind. Sometimes they would get serious, spilling secrets that they have never told any one before. Zitao confessed something that had them all staring in surprise, heart breaking for the boy. When the Chinese boy said that his family had never wanted him, kicking him out of the house in slurred words, Yifan had hugged him until everyone was crying. The secrets were never as personal as Zitao's, but they still revealed a hidden part of them to people who actually cared. 
Namsan tower was one of their regular hangouts, despite how incovenient it was to get there and the crowd that was always threatening to seperate their small group. Yifan, Tao, Luhan, and Sehun had picked out locks to put along the gate, writing individual messages showing their feelings about their partner. They laughed at Yixing who stood off to the side, hands crossed and looking impossibly awkward around all the couples. 
"It's okay. You'll find someone," Sehun said.
Yixing opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when he felt someone fall against him. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw who it was.  
"Oh, Yixing! Wow, I haven't seen you in forever!" Joonmyun exclaimed, eyes shining as he looked down at Yixing. Yixing opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find the words to say. Joonmyun chuckled. "You're adorable." 
Yixing had blushed and everyone watching the scene laughed at how fluttered their friend was. Joonmyun eventually said hello to everyone else, spending extra time with Sehun since Joonmyun also hadn't seen the former since the night of the party. 
"I was worried about you!" 
"Don't worry, hyung. I'm okay!"
Joonmyun had smiled and ruffled Sehun's hair, causing the latter to laugh. 
They all said their goodbye's, Joonmyun promising to visit more often and Yixing still wasn't able to say anything so he settled for giving a small wave before burying his face in his sweater. They all about it on the way home and Yixing threatened to smother them all with a pillow. They shut up after that.
Sehun had been talking more with Jongin everyday, videochatting now instead of just the ocassional text. Jongin looked exhausted a lot but happy, having just come from dance practice. Sehun understood because he had the same feeling everytime he learned a new dance, putting everything he had into it to make perfect. 
They talked about everything and nothing, really. It was usually what had happened that day and how things were going for them. They made fun and joked and it was almost like they were in the same room, forgetting the fact that they were actually miles away. Sehun told Jongin of some of the new hobbies he was recently interested in while Jongin talked about the new city his dance team had ventured off to. Jongin's stories were usually more exciting but Sehun didn't care. Jongin was always happy to hear what his best friend had to say anyway. 
Jongin introduced Sehun to the mystery boy he was interested in, the boy with heart shaped lips going by the name of Kyungsoo. Jongin had finally mustered up the courage to ask him out and the older boy said yes happily. His wide smile and bright eyes shocked Sehun, Kyungsoo being absolutely beautiful and matching perfectly with Jongin. Kyungsoo had gotten concerned when Sehun didn't say anything, but Jongin assured him that that's what Sehun did whenever he saw pretty people. Kyungsoo bit his lip bashfully and hung his head to hide his reddening cheeks. Sehun laughed and Jongin put an arm around Kyungsoo to comfort him. Luhan made a couple appearances in these video chats, getting along with Kyungsoo easily. Sometimes, they would move Jongin and Sehun out of the way, forcing the two friends to talk on the phone and complain about how horrible their boyfriends were. They never meant it though, usually going on to brag about how lucky they were to have met such amazing people. 
Luhan and Sehun had grown a lot closer in the months that they had been dating. They opened up more to each other and Sehun was able to tell Luhan everything about his past and why he was the way he was. Luhan had held his boyfriend throughout that night, Sehun's hair as he retold every traumatizing moment that had affected him in a major way. Luhan had already heard it all from Jongin, but hearing it from Sehun made it different, made it so much more real. Luhan grit his teeth and vowed never to hurt Sehun ever again, wanting to give him the life that the younger boy deserved. 
Their physical relationship was progressing steadily. Suprisingly, it was Sehun who had made the first bold move, his hand diving into Luhan's pants in a heated makeout session. Luhan had yelped and Sehun looked so scared, but Luhan had assured him that he was okay, that what Sehun was doing was okay, so his boyfriend continued, pumping Luhan until he saw stars and painted both of them white with his release. Luhan returned the favor, Sehun having never experienced this type of pleasure. He didn't last very long and was very embarrased by this but Luhan told him that he shouldn't be. Sehun was still inexperienced and Luhan didn't expect him to be anything that he wasn't. Sehun had kissed him silly, eventually having to get up to clean both of them up. 
They ventured into farther stages, s and s becoming a normal thing in their relationship. They found themselves sneaking away from their friends to find a hidden corner where one of them would drop to their knees, and until their boyfriend was shaking with pleasure, grasping the giver's hair tight in between his fingers. It was daring and exciting and it made it that much more better.
It never went farther than that. There had been times where they would be close, but one would stop what they were doing, shaking his head and the other would understand, both of them being slightly relieved. Neither of them were ready and they both agreed to wait. They didn't want to rush into something and have their first time be anything less than perfect. They were fine with that, both of them wanting nothing more than to be with each other. Sehun smiled much more everyday and Luhan smiled just looking at Sehun. 
Everything was going okay for once. 


                                                                                   ~*~*~*~

"Im really nervous, Luhan."
"You shouldn't be! You've done this routine a bunch of times. You'll do great."
Sehun had his head in Luhan's lap, looking up at his boyfriend. The end of the year was approaching quickly, which meant the showcase was almost here. The entire arts department was in a frenzy, rushing to get everything ready before they had to perform. It was a hectic time for both Luhan and Sehun and they rarely had time to spend with each other. Luhan was preparing for his solo performance while Sehun was getting ready for his solo dance along with the group number and the both of them came back to their room exhausted. They went to sleep in the same bed, not caring that Sehun smelled like sweat and Luhan snored from how tired he was. 
They were currently enjoying one of their rare breaks, deciding to spend the time alone. Sehun had taken this time to mentally prepare himself for what he was going to do and had accidentally ended up freaking himself out. Jongin, along with his family and friends, were coming to see him and he was scared that he would let them down. It was a big deal to Sehun, even if no one else saw it that way. This was finally the chance that Sehun had been waiting for, to show off what he was capable of without having to be in the shadows of Jongin. He loved his best friend more than anything, but it was very tiring always being overlooked because Jongin would upstage him. There were other amazing students in his class that definitely had the talent, but Sehun wasn't afraid anymore. He knew what he was capable of and he was going to do his best, no matter if it was good enough for anyone else. 
Luhan understood his nervousness completely. Luhan had never sung really sung for a crowd as big as the one that was going to be at the showcase. Luhan was going to have a chance, as well, hoping to be able to captivate the audience with his voice. It wasn't as powerful or amazing as some kids in his class. There was one kid in particular who made Luhan so extremely jealous with his ability. His name was Jongdae and he was a beautiful man with the ability to sing high and low notes with ease. He could sing any song given to him and was the favored student of the teacher. He had transfered in second semester, leaving everyone speechless with the things he could do with his voice. Luhan knew he was no longer the best student, and maybe he never was, but he wasn't going to let a star pupil get in the way of his time to shine.
And who knows? Maybe their talents will be recognized by someone who wants what Sehun and Luhan can offer. This showcase always has a ton of agents in audience, scouting for the best student to try and snag for their company. Sehun and Luhan knew better than to keep their hopes up for something that was probably impossible, but the thought of them being picked is what motivated them when they got too tired, when they felt like they wanted to give up.
"I really hope that people like my dance," Sehun sighed, "I've been working really hard on it."
"Why wouldn't they like it? If it's being danced by you, they have no reason not to."
Sehun smiled, raising his hand up so he could cup Luhan's cheek. He the soft skin just under Luhan's eyes gently with his thumb. Luhan shivered a bit, biting his lip. Sehun lifted up his head a bit and Luhan immediately bent down, kissing Sehun's lips soft and deep. No one made any move to take things further, the feeling of having their mouths move together already being enough. 
"Luhan?"
"Yea?" Luhan breathed against Sehun's mouth.
"I-" I love you. Sehun felt the words threatening to escape but he couldn't bring himself to say them. This had happened before during the past few weeks. He would get the courage to start but his voice would falter and he would blush. Luhan would just laugh and call Sehun cute, but Sehun felt ridicuously stupid. This time was different from the others and Sehun felt his cheeks heating up again. "I'm really happy with you..." he said softly. 
Luhan pecked Sehun's lips before leaning back. "I'm happy with you, too."
Call Sehun a coward, he knew that he was. But there was so much on the line if he were to utter those three words. It wasn't worth losing everything that he had worked for just to express his feelings. One day, when he was ten thousand percent sure that Luhan wouldn't run away screaming, or worse, laughing, he would say it. Only when the time was right. 
But for now, he was going to focus on his dance while Luhan focused on song and they would go about their routine and be happy. 
That's what they were. 
Happy.

 
                                                                                ~*~*~*~   


"Where are my shoes?"
"Minho, you're needed in makeup. NOW."
"You're my costume, you idiot!"
It had arrived, the day of the showcase and it was even more hectic than the rehearsals. Teachers and producers were running around backstage, making sure the students were where they needed to be and doing what they were supposed to be doing. The performers were stressing out, running through their routine or practicing their song a few more times in the last minutes before the curtain went up. Everyone was crossing their fingers, hoping that the show would go off without any problems. They had prepared too long for a little mistake to ruin everything. Once in a while, someone would go out and take a look into the crowd and come back, nervous excitement all of their faces. They would exclaim about how many people were out there, how all of the agents were in the front row. 
This, however, didn't make Sehun excited. It seemed to make him even more scared about performing 
I'm in the third row! Don't up :D, was the message that Jongin had sent him. 
Sehun knew that Jongin didn't mean anything by it, but it honestly just added to his nerves, making him shake and grip the chair he was sitting in until his knuckles were white. The makeup artist sensed what he was feelings and sent him a sympathetic smile.
"Do you want me to call someone to be here with you? Family isn't allowed back here, but I'd let it slip for you. Would you like me to call your mom?"
Sehun shook his head. "Luhan. I-I need Luhan."
The makeup artist seemed surprised by his request but regained her composure, talking to a person next to her holding a clipboard. The person nodded then walked away and the girl resumed putting eyeliner on him. "Someone's off to get Luhan, okay?"
"O-Okay."
Sehun closed his eyes, taking deep breaths as the artist resumed her work without trying to talk to him anymore. He heard someone yelling that the show was going to start in five minutes and he let out a small whimper. He didn't think it would be this bad.
"Sehun?" asked a gentle voice.
Sehun opened his eyes to see Luhan kneeling in front of him, worry sketched onto his face. Sehun let out a sigh of relief and instantly went to wrap his arms around his boyfriend. He began taking deep breaths and saw the makeup artist leave them alone from the corner of his eye. Sehun kissed Luhan's neck softly before pulling away, holding Luhan at arm's distance. 
Luhan is dressed in a white blazer, black shirt and black pants. He had a hint of eye liner as his makeup and nothing else. Sehun thought he looked breathtaking. 
"I can't, Luhan. I just can't," Sehun said, voice shaking, his eyes looking at a smudge on the ground.
"Hey, Sehun. It'll be okay. Look at me." Sehun raised his eyes, staring at Luhan's shining brown orbs. "It's going to be okay. Don't freak out. You're going to be amazing."
"But what-"
"No," Luhan interrupted. "No buts. Everything is going to be fine. You are going to go out on that stage and all of our friends will be there. Your mom will be there. Jongin will be there. They are all going to be looking at you, loving whatever you have to show them even if you mess up. Don't care about Taemin or any of the agents, okay? They don't matter. It's all about you and if you think you did the best out there. That's all that really matters." 
Luhan offered a small smile and Sehun returned the favor. He grabbed Luhan's hands in between his. He nodded and Luhan smiled wider, kissing one of Sehun's hands. All of the chaos around them disappeared and it was only the two of them in the dressing room, using each other's strengths to comfort and reassure. 
When the producer called that it was time for the first act, the two didn't hear it. It wasn't their time yet. Let the beginners show people just how far they've come in a year. This was their time. Luhan and Sehun would never want to steal that. 
There time wasn't scheduled until the end, the fact that they were advanced students making them the last performances. Sehun hated this because now he had to sit through act after act, listening to the thunderous applause of everyone in the audience reminding him just how many people were out there waiting for him. To make matters worse, Sehun was the last of the individual dances, him being the youngest giving him special (or not so special) treatment. Taemin had wanted to surprise people with how such a young person could move his body the way he did. 
Luhan sensed that Sehun was beginning to think again, flooding his mind with unecessary things. He kissed Sehun unexpectedly, not that the other minded. Luhan kissed Sehun until Sehun was kissing back with just as much passion as Luhan. Luhan kissed Sehun until he could feel the younger boy stop shaking. Luhan kissed Sehun until Luhan had calmed himself down, being just as nervous as he boyfriend was. Luhan kissed Sehun until it was time, time to go, time to show what they have. 
Luhan was going to be the first one to have to go up and the producer was yelling his name in a panic, wondering where he was. 
"I have to go."
"I know."
"Wish me luck."
"You don't need any."
Luhan smiled, kissed Sehun on the cheek, and walked away taking a deep breath before waiting in the wings, waiting for the lights to go off, waiting for it to all begin. 
The hall dimmed and he ran to take his spot on the stage, listening for his cue. 
It was time.


                                                                                  ~*~*~*~


During the entire first year of college, Luhan could never have imagined something like this to happen. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. The stage was cold, surprisingly, Luhan couldn't see the audience. It was still dark and he heard people begin to murmur around him. His face heat up and Luhan began to wonder if there was something wrong with his music. 
But then, those first few notes filled the roomed and his heart sped up. The lights went on and there stood Luhan, gripping his microphone a bit too hard and standing a bit too straight. His eyes were wide and he tried to count the beats before he would have to sing but everything mushed together and he freaked out a little. 
Luhan faintly heard the last notes of the intro and he knew that he was up. He raised the microphone up to his mouth and sang. 
He sang like he never had before, flying through the words as if he was born knowing them. His voice never faltered and he felt adrenaline running through his veins. Luhan had never felt this type of satisfaction before. There was no noise besides his own voice. 
He hit all the high notes perfectly and sang all of the low notes with accuracy. The song he had chosen held special meaning to him. It was the song he had auditioned with both times to actually get into the school. 
Soon (too soon for Luhan), the song was over and Luhan stood on the stage, microphone still up and his last note ringing out in the auditorium. 
Silence. 
And then came the applause.


                                                                       ~*~*~*~

"ing hell, Sehun. Luhan sings like a ing angel." 
Sehun smiled to himself as he read the message from Jongin. "I know," he said to the open air, heart swelling as he saw his boyfriend on stage, singing his heart out and giving it to the audience. Sehun had never seen Luhan perform so passionately and he was immensely proud with what Luhan was doing. If anybody had any doubts about Luhan's abilities, tonight they were proven wrong. 
The song was over before Sehun knew it and Luhan was running off stage, face a bit red but glowing. Luhan had the biggest smile on his face and his eyes were sparkling. 
Sehun held out his arms as Luhan came closer and the latter immediately ran into them. 
"I'm so ing proud of you, Lu."
Luhan giggled, wrapping his arms tighter around Sehun. "It was amazing, Sehun. I-Wow, I want to go back, it was so great."
Sehun felt warmth run through him as he heard his boyfriend talk about his performance. Sehun knew that Luhan absolutely what he did, and the fact that he was able to finally get some recognition, it was beyond unbelievable. For the both of them.
"Dancers on in two minutes!" Someone screamed from behind them.
Sehun stiffened and Luhan began rubbing his back. "It's your turn, Sehunnie."
"I know."
"You'll be great. You're going to love it."
For once, Sehun believed him.


                                                                                           ~*~*~*~    


First Sungmin, then Jongup, Youngbae, Kiseop, then came Yixing, who danced fabulously, and then it was Sehun's turn. He stood in the wings of the stage, watching as Yixing held his last move and smiled so small that Sehun was pretty sure only he could hear as the audience cheered and clapped their hands. The lights went off and Yixing was running off stage and patting Sehun on the back with a smile as he went to go wipe the sweat off of his face. 
Someone shoved him lightly from behind and he knew that there was no more waiting. He had to go. He tripped over his feet as he walked over to his spot, getting into his first pose as he waited for the music to began. Sehun was shaking and nervous but there was no backing out from this now. 
The song began and goosebumps rose on Sehun's skin. His mind shut down and his body took over, already moving into the first moves before Sehun could process what was happening. 
He had practiced this routine countless of times so he was confident that he would not mess up. He was confident that he would impress everyone watching him today, and if the cheers he was getting were anything to go by, he knew that he succeeded. There were body rolls and hip s, arm movements and flexibility. There was a lot that went into Oh Sehun's dance and he knew that today, it was finally paying off. 
"You go, Sehun!" 
Jongin. Sehun smiled. 
He did the last moves of his dance and stopped, holding his stance as he heard the music fade away. 
Sehun would deny that he cried as he heard the deafening applause. He would say that it was his sweat, that his makeup had gotten into his eyes. Sehun would say all of this. But he knew that truth. 
He finally knew what it felt like to be appreciated for what he could. 
Sehun always wanted to feel that.


                                                                                   ~*~*~*~


Sehun and Luhan were embracing as soon as they met backstage. Both were shaking, from what neither of them knew. But they knew there were happy, they knew that they had put everything they had into tonight's show and that was all they needed. They were enough for each other, for themselves. 
Sehun had to go on stage one more time for his group dance and then back out with Luhan for the final bow before the show was finally over. People weren't rushing about anymore, instead sitting down in groups around the mess of clothes and shoes, telling each other the best part of the night. Luhan and Sehun met up with Yixing, hugging the latter and telling him what a great job he had done tonight. Yixing had smiled, showing his dimple and praising the couple in return. They were tired but that's okay. It was a great kind of tired. 
They eventually changed out of their stage outfits, putting on sweats and pulling their hair out of their face with a headband. They grabbed their duffle bags, hoisting it on to their shoulder before finally heading towards the exit, walking out into the crowd of people who were congratulating their other classmates. 
As soon as Sehun stepped away from the door, he was tackled, strong arms wrapping around his shoulders. He was momentarily confused before he recognized the dark hair to be Jongin's and he smiled, returning the hug. 
"You were so so so ing great, Sehun. I-Wow. You ing blew my mind. You've improved so much and-I'm proud of you, Sehun."
This time, Sehun didn't hold back the tears that spilled out, some of them dripping onto Jongin's neck. The other didn't mind. 
"I understand why you did it, Jongin."
"What?"
"Why you left to America. I understand now. The feeling when you're up there. It's amazing," Sehun whispered. 
Sehun could feel Jongin smiling into his neck. "So you're not mad at me anymore?"
"I was never mad at you. I'll always support you, Jongin. Even if you leave me all alone to brave this cruel world," he said teasingly.
Jongin laughed. "Thanks, Sehun. But this is isn't about me! This is your night!" Jongin yelled, letting go of Sehun. "Let's go out and celebrate!"
"I'd have to ask if Luhan was okay with that."
"He can come along! The more the merrier!"
As Jongin said that, Sehun noticed that Luhan was no where to be seen. After Jongin had attacked him, the older had disappeared. He looked around, trying to spot his boyfriend in the mass of people in front of him. "Where'd he go?" Sehun wondered.
Jongin began craning his neck as well before he raised a finger and pointed at something in the distance. "There he is!" Sehun looked to where Jongin was pointing at. 
Oh. That's why he couldn't see Luhan. Yifan was in the way. He chuckled, shaking his head before walking over, motioning for Jongin to follow him. Luhan was with Yixing, surrounded by Zitao and Yifan as they yelled compliments to their friends. Luhan and Yixing were blushing, covering their faces everytime one of their friends said something that was too embarrasing for them.
Sehun and Jongin stood outside of the group, smiling at the two performers reactions. It was Zitao who saw them first, yet another person who launched himself at Sehun. Soon, Yifan joined in on the hug and Luhan began whining about how they were hogging his boyfriend. They backed away, laughing and Luhan hooked his arm through Sehun's, leaning his head on his shoulder. They linked their fingers together, looking up and smiling at each other.
"Hey, Luhan!" Jongin said, ruining their moment. "I wanted to take Sehun out to celebrate tonight and I was wondering if you'd want to come. You guys can come too!" he said to Yixing, Yifan, and Zitao. 
"Really?" Jongin nodded. "Well, yea! Okay! I'd just have to go back our room to change."
"That's fine! We'll wait!"
So Sehun, Luhan, and Yixing were waving goodbye to their friends for the moment and heading off to get ready for another part of the night.


                                                                                          ~*~*~*~

 

"I love you." 
Sehun paused, his hand on the doorknob of their dorm room. He heard Luhan gasp soflty beside him. They had just seperated from Yixing, the latter going to his own dorm room. Luhan had been quiet the entire time and Sehun began to get worried. Something about the older boy seemed off and even when Sehun tried to get him to talk, Luhan would always answer with short responses and not look him in the eye. Sehun didn't know what had changed in Luhan, but upon hearing those words said to him, he understood why. He turned his head to see his boyfriend staring at him with wide eyes and hands covering his mouth. 
". , I didn't mean to say it like that. Oh my god, don't freak out-Just forget I said it, okay? Let's go inside-"
"I love you, too."
Luhan eye's widened even more. "You-you do?" 
Sehun nodded, walking over to take Luhan's face in his hands. "Of course I do. I love you so much. I've loved you for the longest time. You're perfect, Luhan."
Luhan blushed. "I'm not perfect."
"You are to me and that's all that matters. I can't believe I got so lucky with you."
"I should be the one saying that. You're my everything, Sehun." 
Sehun leaned in with shaking hands, kissing Luhan with all the emotion in him. Luhan kissed back, heart thumping wildly in his chest as he opened his mouth and let Sehun in. 
Luhan pulled away, Sehun sending him a confused look. "I swear, I really wasn't going to say it this way. It's just your dancing and how beautiful you looked and-" 
Sehun cut off Luhan with another kiss and this time no one tried to break it. They knew their friends were probably waiting for them but they didn't care. They had been waiting for this moment for too long to have it cut short.
It may not have been the best confession and it certainly wasn't the way that either of them planned it, but it was one that expressed true feelings, one that showed just exactly how much they wanted to be with each other. 
Not a lot of people could say that they had someone who loved them unconditionally. Both Sehun and Luhan had that. 
I'll always love you.

HEYYYYYY HOW'S IT GOING I LOVE YOU ALL FOR WAITING.
LOL it seems as if every A/N i'm always apologizing for the long wait. I'm sorry I at updating *hides in shame*
BUT HERE TAKE THIS AS A PRESENT 
So yea as i was reading this over again i noticed that i wrote a lot of kissing and hugging and smiling and whoa lol but yea there are probably still mistakes because im watching the olympics (Yuzuru Hanyu anyone?) and yeaaa
Sadly, the next chapter will most likely be the last D: i don't want to drag this story out any longer than needed and HunHan have already gotten together and everyone is happy so what more can I do? I'm pretty sure you guys don't want anymore angst (even if i totally had an idea of minseok coming in and luhan being like OH BABY and they and sehun walks in and THE MESS CONTINUES trust me you guys i can always write angst even if its not needed) 
but no for once i want to have a happy story with not major mess and sadness (even if this one was still kinda sad) lol you should see my other stories and see how angsty i can get.
LOL WOW OKAY LONG AUTHORS NOTE IS OVER 
Please comment and subscribe! 
Until next time! Love you all!
OH WAIT I LIED okay so I would like to thank all of the people who commented and encouraged me to keep writing this story. It meant a lot even if I didn't reply to your comments. Thank you so much and I hope I'm rewarding you with worthy chapters. <3
Okay author out