Chapter Text
“ Excuse me? ” The blonde asked incredulously.
“You heard me,” Sehun scrambled out of the cupboard to stand, skinny arms folded across his chest as he puffed himself up, “I’d like to join your circus troupe.”
“You would, would you?” the man sneered, stalking slowly forward till he stood uncomfortably close. Sehun swore the air dropped ten degrees when the other’s piercing gaze met his, “And how old are you?”
“S-seventeen…” Sehun admitted. He blushed when he saw the blonde’s lip curl cruelly.
“A child,” the man smirked. He had to be in his mid-twenties at least.
“I’m not a child.”
“An outspoken one at that…” he scoffed, “The last thing I need.”
“Wait, Jongin,” the redhead piped up, “don’t you think you should hear him out?”
“I don’t take in strays, Chanyeol.” Jongin’s eyes never left Sehun, who had begun to hold his breath without realising it. He let it out now with a huff.
“I’m not a stray either!” he argued. The words sounded a lot smaller out loud than they had in his head and Sehun couldn’t help but wince.
“Run home, little boy. We don’t need you,” Jongin said, turning away. He paused only when he felt a hand grab his sleeve. The leader was greeted by a scowl when he at last looked back.
If there was one thing Sehun hated, it was being talked down to.
“You can’t know that,” he protested, eyes pleading as he rose up on his toes, “How do you know I’m not exactly what you’ve been missing?”
“Careful, kid...” the shortest rested a hand on his shoulder, frowning under thick eyebrows. Sehun shook himself free of his grip.
“And what would that be?” Jongin demanded, beginning to circle around him. As he moved he gestured to the others that filled the room, “Baekhyun and Minseok are trapeze artists...”
The raven-haired pixie blew a kiss.
The auburn one winked a cat-eye.
“Chanyeol is a fire breather…”
Finger guns from the red-head.
“Kyungsoo’s an animal tamer...”
A silent nod of acknowledgment from the short brunette.
“Junmyeon performs magic…”
Champagne Pink waved cheerfully.
“Jongdae juggles…”
The puppy grinned from ear to ear.
“Yixing is a gymnast…”
A dimpled smile and a salute.
“And me?” Jongin stopped in front of Sehun once again, crowding him even closer than before, “I’m the ringmaster. Now that’s a pretty comprehensive list, wouldn’t you say?”
Sehun said nothing as he felt his shoulders wilt. He could feel his skin catching fire, a realisation which only made the blush run deeper.
“So tell me quickly, Oh Sehun. What exactly is it you will bring to my team?”
Sehun swallowed. He needed to think of something, and quick .
“I don’t like to repeat myself...”
Just say something, he thought. Anything!
“Did you hear me-”
“Your errand boy.”
“My what? ”
“I’m your new errand boy,” he said again, sounding a little surer of himself.
“Are you indeed?” Jongin raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Sehun nodded sagely. He was a little startled himself at the direction this was taking, but that was okay. Sehun had always been good at rolling with surprises.
“Ask me to do whatever you want. You name it, I’ll do it.”
“Anything, you say?”
“Anything.”
“Alright,” Jongin smiled then, but the sight stirred something uncomfortable in Sehun’s chest. It didn’t quite reach the man’s eyes, “Then this is all I ask of you…” he leaned in and spoke low, “Go back to wherever it is you came from, Oh Sehun. Somewhere you belong.”
Sehun’s heart sank. “You’re not even going to give me a chance?”
“I’ve seen all I need to.”
“How can we make an informed decision without seeing how he works first?”
Those very words had been on the tip of the boy’s tongue, but it wasn’t Sehun who spoke them. It was the brunette, who still hovered by the blonde’s shoulder.
“Kyungsoo, enough,” the leader barked.
“He’s right, Jonginnie,” Baekhyun spoke up, “A trial period is only fair.”
“We all got one,” Jongdae added.
“And besides,” Yixing added thoughtfully, “it’s not like we can turn back now we’re on the move.”
Jongin raise a hand, sending the room into silence. His face looked ashen and Sehun’s heart sank.
“I’ve heard enough. Everyone to bed,” he ordered, “and you…”
Here it came. Any second and he’d be out…
“Tomorrow begins your three day trial.”
“M-my…my what? ”
“You heard me,” Jongin narrowed his gaze, “Time to prove your value. You have until the end of the week.”
“I knew it! Who could say no to that face?” Chanyeol cooed, coming closer to squish Sehun cheeks while the younger’s face remained frozen in bewilderment.
“Where’s he going to sleep?” asked Kyungsoo calmly.
“I don’t mind sharing,” Junmyeon smiled.
“Neither do we!” Baekhyun emerged from behind Chanyeol and Jongdae, circling his arms round Sehun’s waist, “Be warned though, cutie. Channie rolls around a lot in his sleep.”
“Shove, that's the secret,” Jongdae grinned, “Tactical use of the elbow.”
“The boy won’t be sharing with any of you.”
Minseok blinked, “Wait, surely…”
“Not you , Jongin?!” Jongdae squawked. The blonde just shook his head.
“Have you forgotten so soon? Sehun already made his bed.” He nodded towards the linen cupboard, then back to the youngest, “You seemed cosy enough in there when we found you, after all.”
When Sehun stirred into consciousness it took him a moment to work out where he was. His body was tightly curled so the snug wardrobe could accommodate him comfortably, and as he unwound his limbs they felt stiff and sore.
The clock on the wall read five o’clock. It was brighter out than he expected, and it took him a minute to register that the vehicle was no longer moving. The others were scattered on the floor around the room, fast asleep and piled up like a litter of cubs. Sehun’s eyes searched for Jongin but found no sign. Perhaps he slept elsewhere?
Sehun tiptoed round the bodies to the door, jiggling the handle but with no luck. He gave it a light kick to stir the stiff hinges into life, and the door creaked quietly outwards. Descending the wooden steps he gasped when his feet met with damp grass. He smiled, curling his toes and glancing down along the line of other vehicles, now parked and locked into place at the wheels. Immediately past the sleeping quarters was a huge cage concealed beneath brown tarpaulin. After that stood a large storage truck. At the very back, a single compartment, nondescript and smaller than the rest. Sehun’s feet propelled him towards it, curiosity getting the better of him.
Blackout blinds shut the interior off entirely from the new day. It took Sehun’s eyes a minute to adjust to the gloom, but when they did he blinked down at the sight of a sleeping figure on a floor-level mattress.
Jongin lay perfectly still at his feet, bare chest half concealed under a thin sheet. His features were soft and open for once. Suddenly the age difference between the two didn’t feel so vast. When Sehun crept closer to study him he again spotted the familiar chain looped around his neck, the shape of the ring standing out in a small lump from beneath the bedsheet. Could he…? But if the man woke up, how would he explain-
“What are you doing in here?”
Sehun yelped, springing backwards like he’d seen a ghost.
“This is the second time. Surely you’re not ‘lost’ again?” Jongin was sitting up now, voice laced with sleepy anger.
“N-no! I…” he fumbled, “I came to ask how you take your coffee.”
“How I…?” Jongin repeated incredulously, “Sehun, do you take me for a fool?”
“Not at all,” Sehun said quickly, “You said I had three days to prove myself?”
“Yes…”
“Then I’m not going to waste your time,” Sehun began to step back away from the bed, “But I can come back later.” His hand was on the door before he heard a response.
“Black. A splash of cold water.”
Jongin was staring down into his empty cup when he heard Kyungsoo’s silent approach across the moor, settling down beside him on the step. He pulled out a matchbook and struck a light, beckoning for Jongin’s pipe before handing it back. Jongin took a long drag and sighed.
“Early riser,” he acknowledged with a smirk.
Kyungsoo just shrugged, “You know I can’t sleep past the sun,” he said, taking a sip from his own mug, “the kid makes good coffee, I’ll give him that.”
“He has no place here,” Jongin muttered, voice low and stubborn.
Kyungsoo gave him a calm look, “Why’s that?”
“He’s too young.”
“Seventeen,” Kyungsoo corrected, “The same age you were when you ran away.”
Jongin snarled, averting his gaze, “He’s dead weight. Just another mouth to feed.”
“You gave the kid three days, Kai,” he said gently, watching Jongin’s tension unwind at the use of the childhood nickname, “You’ve got to honour that.”
“Who says so?”
“Everyone in there, for starters,” he nodded to the other trailer.
“Enough,” Jongin snapped, standing and turning back to his room, “He has until the end of the week to make his case. Then I’ll make my decision.” Just before the door closed he heard Kyungsoo’s quiet reply.
“…At this rate, I think you already have.”