‘Master Luhan. You have a visitor.’ The Guardian raised his hand and pushed the door to Luhan’s quarters open. Bowing to the expansive darkness, the Guardian grimaced at the state of the room. Bottles were scattered across the living space, empty junk food wrappers trailed from the kitchen off to the left, littering the normally immaculate space. The only light in the room cast through the now open doorway onto the huddled figure on the bed. Blankets and sheets wrapped up the half sleeping form.

‘Master Luhan?’ The Guardian questioned.

‘No.’

‘I’m sorry, Sir?’

‘It is half seven in the morning. On a Saturday. I do not have a visitor.’

‘My sincere apologies, Sir. But I’m afraid it’s one of the Kim brothers, he seems very eager to discuss something with you.’

When Luhan didn’t respond and his huddled form made no attempts at movement the Guardian strode across the room, leaping over an upturned table and sweeping the curtains back. The room exploded with bright sunlight and Luhan squealed, slipping off the edge of the bed in his attempt to escape.

‘My eyes! How could you!?’ Luhan wailed, shielding his face uselessly. Rolling his eyes the Guardian set about making the space suitable for visitors; they had standards to uphold after all. He deposited a somewhat quieter Luhan onto the bed with one arm, holding his nose with the other to block the heavy stench of alcohol radiating from the boy. A faint chuckle from the doorway caught his attention; he glanced up and found the aforementioned visitor leaning on the doorframe, his phone in hand. The Guardian bowed briefly and walked over to Luhan, who had returned to his cocoon of sheets.

‘Sir?’ The Guardian questioned softly, glancing over in embarrassed silence to the boy in the doorway. ‘Master Luhan, you have a guest.’ A muffled whine reverberated through the sheets into the air.

‘I’m sorry, Sir, would you give me one moment?’ The Guardian enquired, fixing his best smile bowing once more to the boy in the doorway. 

‘Of course!’ One of the Kim brothers smiled, whichever one it was, and his thin lips parted to reveal his neat, white teeth, ‘Make it a good one.’ He added, with a playful smirk. 

Even though it was true that none of the Kim brothers were actually related and their appearances were nothing alike, the Guardian had trouble distinguishing which one was which due to his condition. With another bow the Guardian turned and harshly pulled the sheets upward, exposing the wriggling mass underneath.

‘Up. Now.’ The Guardian snapped, pushing the boy from his bed and onto the floor. Luhan rolled pathetically, his most girlish scream yet escaping his lips as he reached the three stairs that elevated his bed from the rest of the room. Luhan rolled to a stop and lifted his head from his sheets, his hair similar in style to a birds nest full of feathers. His normally sweet face was contorted in a grisly frown and the Guardian nearly joined the Kim brother from the doorway in his unceremonious snorting.

‘Oh! Thud, thud, thud!’ The boy from the doorway cackled, recording the scene on his phone.

‘I could have you fired.’ Luhan snapped at the guardian who had returned to cleaning, trying to force down the giggles that his masters dishevelled appearance caused.

‘I am sure you can, Sir. But I’m also sure you won’t.’ With an elegant bow the Guardian turned and left, not before asking the Kim brother whom by now he was sure was Kim Jongdae, if his cacophonous laughter was anything to go by, if he would like any breakfast. 

‘I’m fine, thank you. Remember me yet?’ He inquired, tilting his head sympathetically, and stuffing his phone back into his pocket before a now lucid Luhan could figure out he’d videoed his rather unceremonious wake up call.

‘Kim Jongdae, Sir?’ The Guardian questioned hesitantly, and felt a rush of relief when the boy nodded happily, pulling the taller male into a surprising hug. ‘You only forget because there’s a tonne of us, I'm telling you. We don’t take it personally.’

‘I am sure, Sir. Except the problem doesn’t seem to just end with your and your siblings.’ The Guardian ignored the obvious concern in Kim Jongdae’s eyes and smiled, gathering up a few bottles Luhan had toppled on his way out of bed.

‘I’ll see you again, Sir, excuse me.’ The Guardian bowed again, glad that his condition didn’t seem to have gotten drastically worse. With a smile, he wandered out of the room and down the corridor, completely forgetting that he hadn’t asked if Luhan wanted any breakfast.

---

‘Jongdae, eh? We haven’t called you that in years.’ Luhan snorted, gathering the blankets around his waist and stumbling over to the couch, he flicked the television on with a wave of his wrists and settled himself into the cushions.

‘I know. I didn’t want to make it harder for him.’ Chen slumped down next to Luhan, he grimaced at the proximity and moved fyrther up the couch. 'Luhan, I can practically taste what you ate last night.'

‘Because Chen is harder to remember?’ Luhan snorted. Feeling the queasiness of a hangover settling in 'I just got up. I'm supposed to smell freaky. Men smell freaky.'

‘It is when he’s known me my whole and I only decided to use Chen after he was diagnosed.’ Chen waved his arm harshly, flicking through the channels on the television and settling on the news. Luhan nodded absently, rubbing his temples to avoid the throbbing in his head. He had no idea why he’d let his less responisble friends convince him that it was a good idea to get hammered last night; he had another meeting with his android today. For a few minutes they watched the news of the war in silence. There was still no word on whether Alpha had agreed to the release of the seventy-six academy soldiers they had taken prisoner during the last raid. There was no news of a new General, which wasn’t surprising because the last one to be chosen had been six years ago and they were still waiting on another five.

‘I wonder how Kai’s General training is going.’ Luhan mumbled, heaving himself up and shuffling off to the kitchen to get a drink, he knew how Chen felt about his brother’s role. It was better to be out of his reach but close enough to comfort him if he cried. Luhan absently filled a glass from the kitchen with iced water, wrinkling his nose at the abundance of wrappers around him. He’d have to work out twice as hard this week to make back what he’d gained no doubt. When he returned he found Chen exactly where he’d left him, staring absently at the television. Carefully, he slouched back into seat. Chen’s eyes were cold and for once not a single hint of a smile lit up his elfin face.

‘You alright, man?’ Luhan asked, placing his glass down and reaching out to pat Chen’s shoulder. With a start the younger male jumped, a brief flash illuminated the room and Luhan rolled backward onto the couch holding his hand.

‘Jesus Christ, Chen! When will you learn not to blast your friends with lightning!?’ Luhan screamed, cradling his injured palm.

‘It’s not my fault! You know I get all on edge when I’m thinking! It’s involuntary.’ Chen yelled back, yanking the older male to his feet, and dragging him to the closet.

‘Well make it voluntary and stop doing it! This is like the fourth time!’ Luhan cringed at the smell of his burning flesh.

 ‘We’re going to have to let Suho and Lay look at that. There’s no way it’s going to heal on its own.’

‘Brilliant.’ Luhan deadpanned.

‘I’m sorry.’ Chen rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

‘Shut up and take me to your brother.’ Luhan snapped.

 

The ground shook as Luhan forced his way through the thick undergrowth of the forest; brief wails punctuated the empty air. His breath was short and ragged from exertion; telekinesis was only so much good when trying to fight your way through weeds.  

‘Jongdae! Where are you?’ Silence greeted him and he shivered, unsure of the sudden lack of noise.

‘Jongdae?’ He questioned the still air in a whisper, continuing to creep across the forest floor, heading to where he’d last heard the wails coming from. He tried to be as quite as possible, and relied on his physical strength to pull him through the thick weeds and roots, if he overexerted himself trying to use his ability for everything he could collapse and be stuck here forever. Luhan shivered again, unsure he was even going in the right direction. It was freezing in the forest now, the light from the moon barely glancing through the heavy tree tops, his breath forming clouds in the air.

‘Jongdae?’ Luhan hissed as he reached a clearing. The glassy surface of a pond stretched out in front of him. Trees hunkered down overhead, creating a secluded cove with their trunks and leaves. Luhan wheezed stagnant air into his lungs and followed the edge of the pond round, coming across a small cave on his way. He thought he imagined the sound of sobs coming from the inside and nearly carried on walking right past the malicious looking entrance, but stopped when he noticed the footsteps leading into the darkness.

‘Jongdae? Is that you?’ Luhan called into the opening, his feet inching forward. Deciding he definitely had heard the choked sobs coming from the inside.

‘Jongdae I can’t see. If it is you can you make a little light? Just a little flash?’ More sobs echoed around the empty space and Luhan controlled his urge to turn on his heel and run away. Jongdae was his friend. He had to help him. It wasn’t long before he reached a drop in the cave floor and below, curled into a ball to one side, was Jongdae.

‘Jongdae?’ Luhan called. The crying figures head snapped up and Luhan smiled at the familiar, if not slightly blotchy, face of his friend.

‘Lu?’ Jongdae called his voice barely a croak in the blackness.

‘It’s me. Think you can stand up?’

‘I’m not sure; I think I’ve hurt my ankle…’ Jongdae trailed off his explanation at Luhan’s severe look and forced himself up the wall, leaning all his body weight on his uninjured leg. After much hobbling and wrestling, Luhan managed to drag Jongdae up and out of the cave, the younger boy clinging onto him in the darkness. Jongdae and Luhan settled down next to each other on the shore of the pond admiring the completely smooth surface together, they stared up through the small gap in the trees where the moon was just visible.

‘Why did they take Kai?’ Luhan asked, peering at his friend sheepishly out of the corner of his eye. He saw Jongdae stiffen and sigh dejectedly.

‘He was chosen as a Guardian.’ Jongdae rubbed his eyes with his hands and stared at the surface of the lake in silence. Luhan nodded once and turned his attention back to the moon. Minutes passed and shifted into hours, as the moon shifted in the sky Luhan noticed Jongdae’s quiet snores. With a gentle pull, he attempted to lay his friend down. A brief flash illuminated the pond, blinding Luhan temporarily and flinging him onto his back.

‘Holy , Jongdae!’ Luhan screamed, cradling his injured palms. The flesh up to his forearms was singed and burnt, an almost floral pattern of pulsating red tracing up his skin. Jongdae woke with a start at his cursing and flattened him down on the floor.

‘Holy , Luhan! Stay still!’

‘No way!’

‘I can’t see if you move!’ Jongdae punched Luhan square in the jaw, for a few seconds his friend wobbled precariously before hitting the floor with a thud. His eyes flickered closed and Jongdae heaved out a sigh of relief. He carefully studied the burns on Luhan’s arms. This was why he hated his ability.

‘I’m sorry. We’ll have to get Junmyeon and Lay to look at you in the morning.’ Jongdae muttered in the darkness, cradling his friend as he waited for the sun to rise.