"Hyojin? When I said that I'd stand by your side no matter what, because I'm your brother, I meant it. But ballet doesn't involve much standing."

The reply came in the form of two sniffles and a cough. Luhan's hand flew up to his face, feeling the mask that he'd pulled on before entering the germ-infested room that his sister referred to as her 'sanctuary.' Swallowing, he wondered if the sudden tickle in his throat was just a figment of his imagination.

"Lulu," croaked Hyojin, crooking her fingers towards herself.

Luhan stepped closer, still keeping a considerable distance between himself and the pale, sickly monster. He bent down to look into the mouth of the blanket mountain, piled high on the bed. Inside, he found his sister — in all her red, runny nose and messy bed head glory.

"You look awful," he remarked, earning himself a (deserved) punch to the shoulder.

"I need you to fill in for me on Friday night's performance. I'm too sick, and even though you , I'll at least have a shot at getting an invitation to my dream school with you there."

Luhan scoffed indignantly, discreetly nursing his sore shoulder. "What do you mean by 'you '?"

"You thought a 'fish dive' was when you 'taught a fish to dive'."

"Yeah, but—"

"You thought a 'bourrée' was short for 'jamboree'."

"In my defense—"

"You thought a 'battlement glissé' was a 'battle against grease'."

"It's still—"

"You thought the 'seven positions' were 'positions to be done in bed—'"

"I get it!" Luhan huffed. "But none of those things have anything to do with actually dancing. No one thinks to themselves, 'oh, gotta do a brisé next!' No, they think, 'jump like you're leaping into the arms of your lover.'"

"…"

"What?"

* * *

That's how Luhan found himself in the ballet studio around the corner, barefoot and clad in sweats, waiting for the instructor.

Luhan glanced at the clock and groaned. He just realized that this mirrored version of Hell was going to be his home away from home for the next four days.

It was in the sixth minute of Luhan's self-pity marathon that the door to the studio swung open and in walked a kid of no more than seven — if his outfit had anything to say about it.

"Hey. You must be the 'hopeless deer'," the dragon said by way of greeting.

Luhan gaped, eyes opening wider before he burst into laughter, hands clutching his sides. The kid waited patiently, as if used to this reaction.

When his laughs faded away, he sat up, leaning against the mirror with a slight smirk on his lips.

"I can show you the way to the day care, if you can't get there yourself," Luhan offered.

"My day is dedicated to taking care of you," he said.

"I think you're mistaken, little one. My teacher is—"

"No need for yi to look any fan-ther! I'm the Yifan you're looking for," Yifan said, striking a pose.

"B-but you're a child!" Luhan sputtered.

"Who has been trained in the art of ballet since he was three years old."

"That's not saying much considering the fact that you're seven."

"I lost a dare, okay? And I'll be thirteen in two months!" Yifan fumed. "If you don't shut up, I'll fly you to the nearest volcano and drop you in!"

Luhan's laughs stopped abruptly. "Fly...as in a vacation to Hawaii?"

"As in I'll hop off the roof of this building with you in tow and carry you to the volcano."

"You are aware that you're not actually a dragon, right?"

"Whatever gets you to shut up. Now, let's start."

* * *

"Your sister wasn't kidding when she said that you ," said Yifan, wings and elbows resting on the bar.

Luhan glared, chugging the contents of his water bottle. "Maybe you just as a teacher."

"'y ballet teacher' isn't what's written on my resume," he replied, calling down the hall for a 'black soda drink.'

"But 'dragon' definitely is?" Luhan asked sarcastically.

"Gotta put down the facts, bro."

This straight-faced dork of a child was really getting on Luhan's nerves.

* * *

There were two good things about the four days of intense ballet training: getting to see his teammate and friend, Tao, and leaving at the end of each day.

"What's up, panda puff?" Luhan asked, dropping his bag and on the couch in the practice room.

Tao turned off the music and put away his staff before joining Luhan at the back of the room.

"How's ballet going?" he asked, taking sips from his Kung Fu Panda water bottle.

"I'm getting taught by a kid who is even younger than you. How do you think it's going?"

"Ah, you're talking about Yifan." Tao nodded sagely. "He's young, but he's really good. Give him a chance."

"Like you gave Prada a chance?" Luhan raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing holds a candle to Gucci," sniffed Tao.

"Luhan, you slacker deer! I know you're here somewhere. The secretary saw you sign in!" shouted Yifan, marching down the hall.

Luhan sighed, walking to open the door. As his hand turned the knob, the door flew open and in flew the raging dragon.

"What are you doing, lying on the ground, when you should be waiting in the studio for me??" Yifan fumed as Luhan propped himself up on one arm.

The reply came in the form of a groan and a chuckle. Whirling around, his tail smacking the previously seated and newly injured deer's face, Yifan was met with the smile of the panda.

"H-hi, ge," Yifan managed to get out.

"Hey," Tao said, patting his head as he walked over to help Luhan stand.

"Oh, look at the time!" Yifan said, glancing down at his watchless, costume-covered arm. "We gotta go! Thanks for the help, Tao ge!"

Embarrassed, Yifan pulled Luhan out of the room, leaving Tao standing with a puzzled look on his face.

* * *

The redness in Yifan's cheeks never faded. If anything, they continued to flush, spreading to his entire face unt he threw his costume off in a heat-fueled fit of passion. It landed on the head of the newly-arrived Tao, shocking Yifan and sending Luhan into a bout of exhaustion-induced laughter.

"Tao ge!" yelled Yifan, three octaves higher than usual, as if puberty hadn't hit him yet.

Tao stood, meeting Luhan's eyes before dropping his gaze to an extremely flustered Yifan. Biting his lip, he fought to keep the smile off his face.

Yifan stood on his tiptoes, pulling the costume off of Tao's head. He ran his fingers through Tao's hair, arranging his fringe and patting down the flyaways. He looked down, noticing Tao's gaze on him for the first time.

"Uh, I, uh.. S-sorry," he mumbled, taking three steps back.

Tao laughed, his eyes conveying that he wasn't upset. He held out his arm, from which a familiar bag dangled.

"You forgot this in my room, Lu."

"Thanks," Luhan said.

He looked over to see his dance instructor stealing glances at his friend. Smirking, Luhan asked, "would you like to stay and see how I've improved?"

"Sure," Tao said, settling himself down gently on one of the chairs meant for waiting parents.

Needless to say, Luhan's embarrassment at being taught by a boy four years his junior was overshadowed by the previously mentioned boy fumbling with his instructions.

Thankfully, he finally got into the zone after an hour of stuttering and heated glances directed at the relaxed panda.

* * *

"Good job today," praised Yifan, taking a drink.

"Thanks," Luhan nodded, drying his hair after the shower. "Thank goodness for the bathrooms. Walking home sweaty and smelling like a camel under the desert sun isn't on my bucket list."

No reply came and Luhan turned a around only to see Yifan standing with a tall blond boy, both wearing identical poorly concealed smirks on their faces. Seeing the stunned 'deer in headlights' look on Luhan's face, they both burst into peals of laughter.

"I'm Sehun, Yifan's older brother," the boy greeted after pulling himself together.

"L-Luhan," he stuttered, grasping the hand in a manly greeting.

Sehun brought their clasped hands up to his nose, sniffing.

"You smell good. Do you use vanilla-scented soap?"

The manly squeal definitely did not come from Luhan.

* * *

"You don't look seventeen," said Sehun.

Luhan forced himself to lift his gaze from the sixteen year old's pink lips, currently wrapped around the big blue straw.

"I'm told that a lot," he said.

Sehun hummed in response and took another sip. His of the boba balls definitely wasn't going to his head.

He looked down at his phone, seeing that the past two hours had flown by. Even if they'd gone dumpster diving while waiting for Yifan's lessons to end, Luhan would have been happy.

"I should get going," said Sehun, getting up to sumo his empty cup in the trash.

Luhan quickly slurped up the remnants of his bubble tea before scrambling to get up. "I'll come with you."

"You don't have to! I'm sure you have a girlfriend waiting to see you," Sehun said, forcing a smile.

"Nope," Luhan replied, lips making a popping sound.

He was rewarded with the cute crescent-eyed smile of his junior. Sehun held out his hand for Luhan to grasp, "so the crowds don't separate us."

They walked hand in hand back towards the studio when Sehun spotted the tornado potatoes that Yifan liked. He tugged Luhan to the vendor where Luhan shoved the money to pay for the snack before Sehun could even reach for his wallet.

"Thanks, Lulu!" Sehun beamed after an intense thirty second verbal battle that rivaled the volley of the ball in a Ping Pong match.

Luhan melted at the nickname. Somehow it sounded better when Sehun said it.

"Anything for you...r brother. He's been a big help, Luhan improvised, turning his head to hide the flush creeping up his cheeks.

"What a pretty and thoughtful girlfriend you have! Treat her well!" the vendor called as they walked away.

"Thank you, ma'am! I'm very lucky!" Sehun called.

"But I'm not—"

Sehun shoved Luhan against the wall of a building, one hand holding the potato and the other pressed against Luhan's chest. As opposed to his hands, his lips pressed gently against Luhan's willing mouth. After a short kiss, depending on who you asked, Sehun pulled back.

"I'm very aware that you're a guy," he whispered to the panting boy.

* * *

Sehun and Luhan snuck into the music-filled studio where Tao sat watching Yifan finish up his lessons. With one final pirouette, Yifan finished with a flourish, arms open wide, matching his smile.

The three high schoolers clapped, applauding his skills. Sehun went up to his little brother and fell to one knee, holding the tornado potato above his head like a single red rose. Yifan took it and bowed, blowing kisses to his admirers, real and imaginary. Only when Tao winked did he fumble and return to the blushing boy Luhan had grown fond of. He and Sehun sat on the couch like proud parents, thighs pressed together, watching Tao and Yifan share the tornado potato, words, and laughter.

* * *

"I have to wear a wig?!"

"Yes," huffed Yifan. "Cinderella had blonde hair and we don't have time to dye and grow yours out."

"But I look awful in buns!" screeched Luhan.

Yifan placed his hands on his shoulders and pulled him down.

"You may not look like a dude, but your hair does. Now let Maureen and the makeup artist work their magic. I'm going to find my brother and watch the show. Make me proud!"

Yifan hopped out the door to Tao, ushering him to their seats. That left Luhan as the lone figure standing in the middle of the chaotic backstage area. One of the makeup artists took advantage of his open mouth to apply the lipstick.

* * *

The wine-red curtain fell to the worn wooden stage, marking the end to the final performance of 'Cinderella'. With the deafening applause and standing ovation,  Luhan almost didn't notice Yifan sitting behind the scouts, in the third row, yelling, "I knew you could do it!"

The cast and crew retreated backstage to remove their costumes and change back into their street clothes. And in Luhan's case, remove his hair as well. He was the first one out the door of the theater, successfully dodging the approaching gaggle of scouts.

His sister would never forgive him if he said something to jeopardize her invitations. He'd leave the rest of the cast to deal with things.

* * *

"You did really well! And I know what I'm talking about. When you have a ballet prodigy as a younger brother, you grow up knowing how to recognize talent. Forget about hip hop. Ballet is your future," Sehun beamed, eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

Luhan flushed, praying that the night was dark enough to hide his flaming cheeks. But nothing could conceal ('don't feel, don't let them know,' Luhan sang internally) the heat of his face from Sehun's large hand. Luhan, 'the little deer,' as his sister called him, was seconds away from the second kiss of his life. His large eyes stared at Sehun's closed ones, etching each eyelash into his memory. Allowing his eyes to close, he leaned in.

"Hunnie!" a whiny female voice called out, dousing the porch with light from inside the house.

"Yeah?" asked Sehun, pulling away from a dejected Luhan. "What's up, 'Gi?"

"Come inside for a bit. They're having a dance off!" she said, pulling Sehun from the bench and ignoring Luhan.

Luhan was left outside with only his thoughts to accompany him. Leaning back, he glanced up at the moon.

"What does 'Gi' stand for? Aegi?" he wondered aloud.

"It stands for Gigi," answered Sehun.

Luhan jumped at the sudden voice, whirling around in his seat to find Sehun leaning out the window.

Sehun glanced behind him at the closed door before opening the window wider and stepping over the sill.

"Having fun out here?" he asked.

"Yeah. All three of us were chatting," Luhan replied.

Sehun only gave him a confused look.

"Me, myself, and I," Luhan said, smiling when he heard Sehun laugh.

Sehun sat down next to Luhan again, but this time, the distance between them felt smaller .

"So, who is Gi?" Luhan asked.

"A childhood friend. Even if I were interested, she has a boyfriend," Sehun explained.

"Ah."

Sehun turned Luhan's face towards him with one hand, gazing into his eyes. Leaning in, they allowed their eyes to shut, lips meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skin.

"Ge!" Yifan yelled from the window.

They both pulled back, eyes catching sight of the thin arm out the window.

"You know how I lost my watch a while ago? Well, Tao ge gave me a new one!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C(l)ockblocked.

___

HECK YES. I DID IT.

HUNHAN, CHECK. CRACK, CHECK. COMPLETED FIC, CHECK.

I'm still in China but I had some time one day, so I decided to hand write the whole fic in my notebook. I miss writing. ^^;; It seemed a lot easier with this fic than any other. Maybe because I knew where I wanted it to go? I just kept writing. Halfway through, I realized that this was supposed to be a Hunhan fic... But Sehun hadn't even appeared.

Please tell me what you think! And upvote if you like it. ^^ I'll try to update another fic if I have time.