It was a reasonable time, Sehun supposed, as he was only woken five minutes before his alarm was to go off. Yet the wake up was not at all pleasant. It began with a thunderstorm outside and ended with Jongdae and Baekhyun in his bed, Jongdae's face in his the first thing he saw that morning, and Baekhyun curled around his feet at the bottom of the bed like a dog the second.

'This had better not be a regular thing.' Sehun had said grumpily through a yawn, shoving Jongdae away from him who whined in response.

'But there was thunder and lightning and it was so scary.' Baekhyun mewled, crawling up to join Sehun and Jongdae at the top of the bed. Sehun rolled his eyes. He was sharing his room with a pair of children. Jongdae nodded at Baekhyun's comment.

'Your power is lightning. How can you possibly be scared of thunderstorms?' Sehun asked briskly, throwing himself out of bed and away from the skinship of Baekhyun and Jongdae who had made themselves quite comfortable in his bed. Jongdae peeped out from underneath the covers. 'It was so loud.'

Sehun rolled his eyes so hard that it strained them. He grabbed his toiletry bag and a towel then headed off to the bathrooms that were a short walk from the dorm room. There was, in his opinion, nothing better than a scalding shower and the scent of his shampoo in the morning. Besides, after being in a bed with those two that morning he felt dirty.

From beneath the stream of hot water though, Sehun thought that life wasn't too bad. Sure his dad was an who was pressuring to study subjects he had no love for, but he was young, looked dashing in his school uniform, and had friends who wouldn't freak out when the weather was affected by his emotions. As the water began to feel cooler against his skin, Sehun wished that he had time control so he could stay in his steamy nirvana for longer. He let out a sigh as he stepped out from the shower and began towelling himself dry. Chemistry was his first lesson. He hated chemistry and all that it contained.

Looking in the mirror, Sehun's cheeks were flushed red from the heat of the bathroom and he meticulously applied bb cream and eyeliner to his face in an attempt to look decent. At his old school he probably wouldn't have bothered but this was a new place and he had suddenly acquired a group of friends who happened to be especially good looking , and Sehun felt he couldn't let them down by looking bad in any way. And so by the time he was done he looked more than decent. Baekhyun let out a whistle when he came back into the dorm room, towel wrapped tightly around him. 'This maknae scrubs up nicely.'

Sehun smiled 'You think so?' He didn't need anyone to tell him how great he looked because he already knew it, but a second conformation was nice.

'Jongdae, come look at how pretty our baby is.' Baekhyun shrieked at the figure still in Sehun's bed. Jongdae groaned and looked up from under the covers. His face lit up.

'Aw, he's growing up so fast. Let's see...either Chanyeol, Kris, or Tao is going to be one lucky boy...unless you're into other things because then I guess you could keep all three of them happy.' Jongdae rolled from the bed into a heap on the floor.

'Ew no, I don't want to date anyone. I don't even know who they are.' Sehun pouted. Of course it seemed obvious now that they kept dating in within the group to keep their powers out in the open. So why did he have to come so late on when there were only a couple of people left for the taking. He'd rather have no choice at all if he couldn't have a larger one.

'Sure you do. You met them last night.'

'And you can get to know them even better at breakfast.' Baekhyun said, applying eyeliner with precision.

Sehun pouted at which Baekhyun and Jongdae both cooed and ruffled his hair. Sehun vowed that he would never smile again when he was in their presence.

…

They both insisted that Sehun hold their hands on the way to breakfast, Jongdae on his left and Baekhyun on his right, swinging their arms in tandem. Sehun walked between them wishing that the ground would swallow him up. He tried multiple times to peel them off, claiming that he'd forgotten something and that they should just go on without him while he got it, but in response they said they'd come with him because he didn't even know where the hall was and that they wouldn't have their baby wandering around the school without any idea where he was going. Sehun didn't want to be their baby and he really didn't mind about getting lost. His second attempt was slightly more feeble and was really just him trying to forcefully remove their hands, pulling down his wrists hard when he thought they weren't paying attention. Baekhyun scolded him for that and said he couldn't have ice cream after dinner if he tried to do it again. He scoffed but silently agreed to bear the embarrassment in return for ice cream, although he doubted they could stop him from having some anyway.

He lowered his head when they got to the hall and allowed them to guide him to where they were sitting. They again decided that Sehun could not be trusted on his own and sat either side of him. As he chewed a piece of toast thoughtfully, Baekhyun nudged his side. 'Don't you think Chanyeol is funny.'

Sehun looked over the table at said person who was twirling a bagel round his finger and chatting to Jongin. He looked faintly surprised when it flew off and hit a first year in the head.

'Yeah sure I guess so.' Sehun guessed that Chanyeol was probably an acquired taste, not because he wasn't handsome or anything like that, but rather that he only seemed to have one emotion and that was perpetually cheerful. And he had that awful hair. 'He seems happy with his own company though.'

'I know he can come off as odd at first but he's a really good person. I should know. I dated him for like a year.' Baekhyun said, stopping Sehun from thinking every other thought he was at that time thinking. It perplexed him that there was actually a time when he and Jongdae weren't joined at the hip. 'Besides, if we go back to the olden times then I could probably sell you to him for a whole cow or something!'

'You are not selling me to anyone Baekhyun.' Sehun said firmly over his cup of tea.

Compared to the usual quiet of his breakfasts at home, eating in the hall was a huge change. The boy called Luhan was threatening to kick his football at Yixing because Yixing had allegedly thrown a grapefruit at the boy called Xiumin, and Xiumin and Junmyeon were between the two trying to calm them both down with glasses of milk and cuddles which they submitted to. Jongin then admitted that he was the one who threw the grapefruit but Kyungsoo said that if Luhan laid one finger on Jongin then he would put him in a choke hold although Jongin probably deserved to be beaten by both Luhan and Xiumin. Sehun spent the whole argument flicking his head from side to side and wondering whether he missed the quiet or not.

Jongdae laughed loudly at Sehun's side, snapping pictures with his new camera for an art project he said was called 'decadence'.

'Hey Chanyeol, come over here and pose next to Sehun. I have a wonderful feeling that you two will complement each other.' Baekhyun called, watching proudly as Jongdae took a picture of a pile of sugar that had been artfully spilled on the table. Chanyeol looked taken aback for a moment before ambling over to where Sehun sat and putting an arm around him in a friendly manner. Sehun tensed up for a moment then relaxed into him for the sake of the picture. After a few pictures were taken, Baekhyun snatched up the camera and looked at what Jongdae had taken. 'You two look so cute together!' he cooed, going over to Junmyeon and showing him. 'Don't you think they're photogenic?'

Junmyeon looked sympathetically at Sehun and seemed to mouth 'ignore him'.

'Tao, Kris, don't you think they look good together?' Baekhyun continued, going around the long table and trying to show everyone. Kris mumbled a reply when he saw the photo, his eyes travelling to Chanyeol. The one called Tao seemed to study the photo intently and then pushed the camera back at Baekhyun. 'They don't match each other at all.' he said simply, going back to his conversation with Kris.

Sehun frowned slightly. Tao, with his blonde hair and dark eyes, had a voice that didn't seem to match the rest of him. His tone was soft and almost musical, and most of all, especially intriguing to Sehun. He wanted to hear him speak again just so he could confirm that the voice actually belonged to him. Sehun stared at the boy with his tanned skin and sharp features and found himself not wanting to look away. He blushed furiously when Jongdae caught him staring and quickly began to study the inside of his empty teacup.

'Ignore him, he wouldn't know a good thing if it hit him in the face.'

When breakfast was over, Sehun made his way back to the dorm to pick up the things he'd need for the days lessons; his pencil case, books, lab coat and some snacks just in case he got hungry at any point. Sehun was in the bathroom checking out his appearance in the mirror when Jongdae cornered him.

'I saw you looking at Tao.' he said with pretty much no expression what-so-ever. He had his arms crossed against his chest and Sehun looked around him to see if Baekhyun was somewhere behind him because the two of them couldn't seem to spend any time apart from each other. 'No he's not here.' Jongdae confirmed, closing the door and shutting them both in the bathroom.

'I'm allowed to look at people.' Sehun said bluntly, echoing Jongdae's posture.

'Please don't get involved with him Sehun. It won't be good for you.' Jongdae's expression changed to that of pleading. 'I know he has that vibe about him that makes him seem mysterious and dangerous but just keep away from him okay?'

'Why?' Sehun asked, curiosity sparking inside him.

'No reason really, Tao's a pretty nice guy except for when he whines, it's just that Baek and I just want to see you get with Chanyeol.' Jongdae grinned, punching Sehun in the shoulder. Sehun sighed heavily and pushed his way out of the bathroom. Jongdae stopped him. 'Sehun.' he whined, putting his hand in Sehun's. 'We all have a bet and if you get with Chanyeol then we'll win. Don't you want your mummy and daddy to win and rub it in everyone else's faces?'

'Will you all stop betting on my actions?' Sehun said remarkably calmly for him. 'Wait, who did everyone else vote for me to get with?'

'Well obviously Tao, Kris, and Chanyeol aren't in on it. Xiumin, Luhan, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon are betting on Tao, me, Baek and Jongin are betting on Chanyeol, and Yixing is solely betting on Kris.'

'Well you can tell Yixing that he's already lost because there is no way I would ever get with Kris. He's terrifying.'

…

Sehun's previous statement was confirmed in his chemistry class. Everyone else in the class already had a lab partner and so Sehun had to join the pair of Kris and Tao and make a trio. He should have known that Kris wasn't a safe partner when he first saw the acid burns up the front and the singed wrists of his lab coat and the way that he refused to wear goggles and instead rested them on his head at all times so they pushed his hair back. His methods were anything but careful as he tossed chemicals around and spilled things everywhere. Tao at first watched him amusedly but then began to look quite annoyed with him.

'Stop it Kris, you're going to make me fail this class.' he pouted, crossing his arms against his chest. After Kris went to wash hydrochloric acid off his hand, Tao took over the experiment all together, ignoring Sehun entirely and acting like he wasn't even there.

'Is there anything you want me to do?' Sehun asked quietly, adjusting his goggles. Tao looked up from what he was doing and stared at Sehun quite innocently for a moment, his expression soon turning to a snarl. 'We've managed without you so far.'

Tao closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, all was still. Sehun looked up at the taller male from under his lashes. He didn't understand what was happening. It was fascinating to see everything so motionless. Everything except the two of them.

'Look Sehun, I'm not like the others in our group. I'm not even going to pretend that I like you.' Sehun opened his mouth to say something but Tao cut him off. 'We don't need any one else in our group. I like the number eleven. I have come to terms with the idea that there's no getting rid of you because we have to accept you thanks to your stupid power, but I want you to know that I don't care about you and I will never care about you. I already know that the majority of the group is betting on us getting together, but I don't want you to even think about it.'

Sehun didn't know what to say. How could the intimidating boy with the sweet voice be so harsh? Sehun didn't need to be told twice and said a quiet 'okay'. He could feel time speeding up again slowly but he called out and told Tao to stop it again.

'Okay I understand that you've had your little group mixed up a little bit by my arrival, but who the are you to be so judgemental and deem me unacceptable to be in your company?' Sehun could feel himself getting angrier as he spoke, balling his hands up into fists.

Tao smiled a little bit in response, 'Just stay away from me okay?'

'With pleasure you .'

Time started again and Kris walked over to them. 'Woah Sehun, your face is red, are you okay?'

'I'm just fine.' he said defiantly, looking Tao straight in the eye.

…

For the rest of the day, Sehun was in a bad mood. He scribbled notes furiously in the rest of his lessons, stormed out of classrooms, and pushed past people forcedly in the corridors. He ate lunch in silence and went straight to his dorm room when the day was over, not stopping to see what the rest of the group was planning to do for the rest of the afternoon.

He threw himself on his bed with a groan and smooshed his face into his pillow. He hadn't planned on gaining an enemy so quickly- he thought it would take a week at least for someone to decide they hated him. Sehun wasn't even sure on what grounds Tao hated him. So what if he was the new member of their precious little group, it wasn't like he would be breathing down Tao's neck and demanding that everyone pay attention to him at all times.

Sehun lifted his head from the pillow and looked at the bed behind him. Jongdae's camera had been discarded onto the covers. He grabbed it then made his way back to his bed, sitting cross legged as he turned it on. The latest picture was one of Kyungsoo smiling and reaching out towards the camera to seemingly push it away, and the next few shots Sehun supposed were meant to be artistic but in his opinion made no sense at all. Then there were the pictures of him and Chanyeol, the latter doing bunny ears behind his head as Sehun looked at the camera lens with a glassy expression. He skimmed past the pictures of that morning and looked back at the images Jongdae had collected from the past.

He was merely an outsider looking in on their little world as they smiled from behind the screen. The images were varied, some of individuals, and the rest with increased group sizes. There were some shots of all eleven of them, squashed into poses and looking like the most secure group there ever was. Of course in every picture, Sehun was most drawn to Tao who had proven to be ridiculously photogenic and alarmingly adorable in his choice of poses, not that Sehun would ever admit that because he knew first hand that the boy was far from cute.

He spent hours looking at the pictures, their locations different every time. Sehun had already chosen his favourites. The first was them at a sleepover in one of the cleaner looking dorms, all of them wearing face masks. The shot was taken from one side of the room looking in, pin-pointing what everybody was doing at the time; Baekhyun and Chanyeol hitting each other with pillows, Tao and Kyungsoo giving each other manicures, Yixing doing yoga with Junmyeon, Xiumin and Luhan eating pizza together Kris and Jongin flexing at each other in what looked like an argument, and obviously Jongdae taking the picture, his thumb visible in the top of the frame. His second favourite seemed to have taken place on a sports day at the school, all of the boys in green tracksuits, lounging around on the school field. His third favourite was, sadly, of Tao. He didn't want to like it. He really didn't, but not even he could deny that it was a wonderful photo. It was Tao sitting at a desk in the school library, chin resting in his crossed arms and surrounded by piles of books, his eyes closed behind a pair of black framed glasses. He looked so sweet and content in the picture that it inadvertently made Sehun smile. He realised what his face was doing and turned the camera off, placing it back on Jongdae's bed.

Baekhyun and Jongdae arrived shortly after, both of them holding bubble tea and Sehun really wished that he'd gone out with them. He informed the pair of them that he was going for a bath, grabbing his towel and his pyjamas.

As he poured Baekhyun's mango scented bubble bath under the running tap, Sehun decided that one, he would have to get his own bath things because Baekhyun's smelt far too strong for his sensitive little nose, and two, that he would have to sign up for some extra curricular clubs instead of holing himself up in the dorm room every evening. He dipped a wary toe in the bath water to test the temperature and after deeming it perfect he submerged himself in the water. He somehow managed to fall asleep in the bath, the humidity of the bathroom luring him in.

When he finally woke up he had a headache and a cricked neck as well as bleary eyes. He hauled himself out of the bath, his arms tired and barely able to support himself, feeling like his body had absorbed the majority of the bath water, his wrinkled fingers confirming his suspicion that a fair bit of time had passed. He reached for his towel only to find it missing, his pyjamas too. His energy all seemed to flood back to him.

'You ing s, I'll kill you all.' Sehun shouted from inside the bathroom. He was dripping with water, his hair plastered to his forehead. Sehun knew what he had to do and he cursed the group for being so cliché with their pranks. He knew they were out there. He could hear them sniggering and shushing each other.

He stepped out of the bathroom, hands covering his downstairs area as he madly dashed for the dorm room. He wasn't quite fast enough though as eleven people stepped out from the door alcoves in front of him, camera's flashing in his face. 'I hate you all.' Sehun fumed, barging past the with his shoulders and giving them a full view of his as he tried to open the door to the dorm. 'It's locked.' he said quietly. Turning around he noticed that Jongdae had set up a tripod and was taking high quality photos of him in all his glory.

'The key is outside.' Yixing said helpfully from behind his phone as he snapped a picture. 'You have to go get it if you ever want to see your clothes again.'

Sehun stood, water rolling of him and dripping onto the floor of the hall. He looked from amused face to amused face, wanting to hurt all of them. Especially Tao because he seemed to be filming the situation. 'You know what, it.'

Sehun bombed down the stairs, the rest of the group laughing and whooping loudly as they followed him outside. 'Where the is the key?'

He asked that question repeatedly, everyone refusing to tell him, even Xiumin who Sehun thought was the most merciful of the group. Well actually, Xiumin seemed to be about to tell him but Luhan covered his mouth with his hand before he had a chance to say anything illegible. Sehun was beginning to get overly cold and told the rest of the group that he was going to die and that it would all be their fault.

Soon enough though they became tired of Sehun storming around angrily and complaining and told him that Junmyeon had they key all along and that he could have it if he stopped being bratty. Sehun begrudgingly agreed and was given the key with a smile and a bow from his hyungs.

After everyone else had gone back inside, Kyungsoo stayed behind and put a hand on Sehun's bare shoulder. 'You passed the first trial; bravery.'

'What was brave about that? I looked like an idiot.' Sehun whined, shivering from the cold that had seeped into him. Kyungsoo rubbed the top of Sehun's arms to warm him a bit more and Sehun began to realise why he and Jongin made such a good couple. It was because although Kyungsoo was scary he really seemed to care about the people around him, and Jongin was someone who seemed to need caring for.

'You didn't look like an idiot. It was much funnier when we did it to Jongin last year because he cried all the way through'

'So you've all done it?' Sehun asked as Kyungsoo walked him back to his dorm room.

'No, not all of us. The founding members haven't, that's me, Kris, Junmyeon, Xiumin and Luhan by the way. And I have to say, apart from Tao you reacted the best.'

'How did Tao react?' Not like he cared or anything though.

'He didn't even bother to cover his junk. The boy was so confident in himself that we had to take it one step further and hide the key in the head teacher's office. It was hilarious. He nearly got expelled for exposure. I have the pictures if you want to see them?' Kyungsoo smiled at the memory.

'Maybe some other time.'

When they got back to the dorm the door was already unlocked and Kyungsoo said his goodbyes and congratulated Sehun again. Sehun hurriedly put on his pyjamas before anyone else could decide to take them away again. A lot of time had passed since Sehun had finished his last lesson of the day and the sky was an inky blue mottled with grey clouds, the moon was almost full in the sky. From the window, which overlooked the school field, Sehun saw something in the distance. There was somebody at the far end of the field moving around, dressed all in black, and Sehun, being the curious boy that he was decided to go and investigate. 

sorry

it will be ok i promise