Baekhyun knows that the different grades have different lunch periods, so he is surprised and just a little bit confused Kai and Krystal show up outside his class. “Did you really think we were going to let you have lunch by yourself on your first day?” Krystal grins at him. Like before, he is torn between feeling touched and offended.

He decides he’s touched, but he pretends to be offended, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout. “And who says I would have eaten alone if you two hadn’t come along?” He sniffs indignantly.

Kai slings an arm around Baekhyun and leads him out of the classroom block as Krystal follows on his other side. “You’re welcome to leave if you have other plans for lunch. Princess and I will just go back to class.”

Krystal scoffs at that. “As if.”

"Won’t you get into trouble for skipping class?" Baekhyun asks as he’s led over to a large tree in the courtyard.

"I have physical education right now," Kai answers, "And the teacher is too busy making out with the music teacher to care that half his class is gone."

"English," Krystal merely says, and Baekhyun understands at once why she’s not in class. It must be boring, sitting in a class full of people only just grasping something she was already good at.

"You guys speak really good English," he compliments, saying nothing as Kai steals a piece of kimchi from his lunch.

Kai shrugs, chewing the kimchi before speaking. “We’ve only been in Korea a few years. We used to live in America.”

It explains why the pair seems to have no regard for the age hierarchy, Baekhyun supposes. Baekhyun has been taught since young to respect his elders and that his juniors should respect him, but for some reason he isn’t offended by the informality when it comes to the siblings. Maybe because they don’t feel like juniors, because they’re the ones who are taking care of him — from Krystal stepping in to stop the bully and then helping him clean up, to Kai beating the bully up — and not the other way round. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Baekhyun asks before he can stop himself. Maybe it’s a little rude, he should accept their kindness and stop questioning it, but he is also curious beyond belief. “I’m grateful, I am. But you two don’t seem like the type who cares much about other people besides each other, much less the new transfer kid who gets picked on.” He bites his lip.

The apology is on the tip of Baekhyun’s tongue when he sees the anger and hurt swirling in Kai’s eyes, but Krystal plops her head onto Kai’s lap and his eyes soften. “What to do? He doesn’t remember,” she says with a sad sigh, and Kai cups her face gently, his thumb caressing her cheek softly.

Baekhyun wants to ask her what she means by that, what is he not remembering, but he doesn’t. Instead he opts to apologise. “I’m sorry,” he says softly, his lunch forgotten on his lap, “I shouldn’t have said that. You’ve been nothing but kind to me and I was quick to judge.”

Kai laughs softly, reaching over to squeeze Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Don’t be. You’re right. I would do anything for Krystal — I would burn the whole world down until I could dig her out of the ashes.” The grim determination in his voice makes Baekhyun shiver despite the warm afternoon sun.

"I love you," the girl in question says, looking up at Kai from where she lay on his lap. "I love you the most."

Kai smiles softly at her, the tenderness in his gaze a stark contrast from the grit of his words, and leans down to kiss her. Baekhyun turns away this time, because this kiss feels different. It isn’t playful like the others. They mean it this time.

He feels a soft hand on his face, pulling gently to make him turn back so he does, only to feel a pair of soft lips on his. When Baekhyun regains his senses, Krystal is already repositioning herself on Kai’s lap.

"What was that for?" His breath comes out in a whisper, his heart pounding wildly. He wants to kiss her again.

She reaches out and Baekhyun finds himself meeting her halfway, holding onto her hand. “It means I won’t let anything happen to you either, Baekhyun-ah,” Krystal smiles, giving his hand a small squeeze before releasing it. Baekhyun thinks of the fierce girl from this morning, and he can’t fathom how that girl and the girl who is with him now are the same person.

"Don’t forget about me, hyung," a voice whines, and Baekhyun laughs at the pout on Kai’s handsome face. He reaches over to ruffle the boy’s hair and Kai jerks in surprise, causing Krystal’s head to slip off his lap and onto the ground. She yells at him angrily and Kai jumps up, running away from the girl. She gives chase as Baekhyun chuckles at the chain reaction he set off. The pair run around for a bit before Kai calls a truce and dutifully checks Krystal over for injuries like the dedicated big brother he is. Baekhyun is done with his packed lunch by the time Kai and Krystal return, sitting on either side of him this time.

"Will you kiss me again?" He asks when Krystal leans her head on his shoulder. He can feel the vibrations running through her body as she laughs.

"Maybe," she chews her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Hyung," Kai calls, and Baekhyun turns to him with a hum, and for the second time in the last half an hour, he receives a surprise kiss. Like before, Kai pulls away before Baekhyun has time to react. "I’m a better kisser, aren’t I?"

Krystal snorts at that.

Kai looks at him with eager eyes, waiting for his answer. Krystal doesn’t lift her head from his shoulder to look at him, but he can feel the her stiffness as she waits for him to answer. Baekhyun pretends to think. “I don’t know,” he sighs dramatically, “I think you guys should both have another go sometime. Maybe then I’ll be able to decide.”

All three of them burst into laughter at that, and both Kai and Krystal agree to kiss him again in the future if it will help him determine who the better kisser is. The first bell goes off, signalling the students to return to their classes and Baekhyun lets Krystal help him up. Kai is the one who walks him to his class this time, and he doesn’t miss the way people stare as they walk by.

When Baekhyun slides into his seat, his table mate Kyungsoo turns to him with wide eyes — Baekhyun isn’t sure if the boy is surprised or not. “How did you befriend them? They’re usually indifferent to everyone but each other,” he whispers.

Baekhyun can only shrug. “I honestly don’t know how either,” he replies truthfully and Kyungsoo pats him on the back before turning to the front again. He thinks of what Krystal said when he had asked and again he finds himself wondering just what it is that he’s forgotten.

A/N: It's past 9am in the morning and I still haven't gone to bed, but I just finished writing chapter 5, so I thought I should update before I forgot. The bit about burning the world down was taken from City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. The original quote goes 'He'd burn the whole world down till he could dig you out of the ashes.' I just really, really love that line, because it shows perfectly how destructive and selfish love can be, and I thought it fit well with the love Kai felt for his sister.