Archive of Our Own

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the Fountain of Youth."

Sehun rolled his eyes at the cliché line. "Do you know where it is?"

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Are you taking the mission?"

Sehun sighed. "Yes, I'll take the mission."

Kai smiled. "Good. We located the person that can take you to the Fountain of Youth…for a price. Talk to him, see if you can get it from him."

"Okay and who is this person?" Sehun arched a brow.

"His name is Lu Han. He's located somewhere in China but that's all we know. Oh and he seems to be guarded by three guys: Zitao, Kris, and Yixing. You may want to watch out for them."

Sehun sighed. "Any information on them?"

Kai grinned brightly. "Nope, but I have their pictures along with Lu Han's. Kyungsoo should be around soon with your information packet. It'll have all your necessities for the trip."

"Thanks…anything else?"

"Nope, good luck and have fun in China." Kai smiled and waved before hanging up.

Sehun sighed and ended the call. He swiveled around in his chair just as the doorbell rang.

He headed towards the door and pulled it open to find a petite man standing there with a small briefcase and box. "Prompt as always."

Kyungsoo smiled brightly up at Sehun before walking past him into the room. He walked over to the kitchen table where he set down the small briefcase and box. "Here you go. I'll let myself out."

"Going to make Jongin some dinner?"

Kyungsoo smiled. "I already did, but he's just waiting for me to come back to eat it. At least that's what he said, but you know his stomach."

Sehun laughed. "Of course. I'll talk to you later I guess."

Kyungsoo nodded and left.

Sehun walked back over to his dining table and opened up the briefcase. It contained all the necessary information and paperwork he needed for his little trip. He skimmed over the stack of notes, organized by content. He checked all the forms and identification, memorizing each detail. He didn’t need an alias, which made the mission a lot easier. He remembered hearing tales of spies back in the day that had to deal with an alias and the pain and hassle of international traveling.

He looked at the box and opened it, smiling at the little gift Kyungsoo gave him. He tucked it away in a safe place before going back through the contents of the briefcase. He found a manila envelope and opened it up. Several pictures spilled out.

Sehun picked up one photo and stared. This had to be one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen. His skin was pale and smooth; it looked absolutely flawless. His nose, his eyes, his lips…they were beautiful. Sehun wanted to kiss them. His blonde hair shined brightly in the photo as a gentle smile tugged on his lips.

Sehun placed the picture down to study the other photos. He noticed another blonde male in the picture, a lot taller than the first one, with a serious expression on his face. There was one of a tall dark haired male with an expression that could kill. There was another of a brown haired male laughing and smiling with the first blonde guy. There was a group picture of all four males together with the shorter blonde in the center, flanked by the three others.

"Hmmm…I take it this guy must be Lu Han and the rest are his guards Zitao, Kris, and Yixing." Sehun flipped over the photos to find each of them neatly labeled. "Hmm…thanks, Kyungsoo."

Sehun's phone vibrated.

Kyungsoo: You're welcome

Sehun: Don't tell me you bugged my place again. Or did you bug the briefcase or package you sent?

Kai: What package?

Kyungsoo: LOL Don't mind Jongin.

Kai: It's KAI~!

Kyungsoo: But yes, there's a bug in the briefcase for when you need it. I think someone forgot to turn it off so yes, we did accidentally bug you~ Sorry

Sehun sighed.

Sehun: Okay. I'll let you go this time but if it happens again…

Kyungsoo: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know, we know, we know. Now get some sleep. You're leaving in the morning if you didn't see your flight ticket :P

Sehun rolled his eyes and put his phone away. He checked through the remaining contents of the bag and found his flight ticket. He was scheduled to leave tomorrow morning and thanks to it being an international flight, he should arrive at the airport a few hours before his flight. He tucked everything back into the suitcase and went to go pack his things.

~|~

Sehun sat on the plane. He looked out the window to catch one last glimpse of his home country before being completely surrounded by Chinese scenery. As this was his first solo assignment, he wasn’t sure how long it would take but he figured a couple weeks would be good, at least that was how long Kyungsoo had made his hotel reservation. He had been booked on a one-way ticket to China and would have to book his return flight home when it was time to leave.

He pulled his notebook out of his bag and slowly flipped through the pages, checking over his notes. He had briefly flipped through the notes in the briefcase and taken some quick initial notes to help him at the beginning. He knew where he was staying and where he could find Lu Han if he decided to go scope out the other guy after he had settled in.

After making sure everything was correct, he carefully placed it away and checked his pocket, making sure it was still there, before putting on his headphones and playing his music. He was asleep in an instant.

~|~

When the flight landed, Sehun gathered his things and headed to the hotel he would be staying at. He found it close to the center of the city where he could be relatively undisturbed. It had good access to public transportation and many nearby conveniences for someone new to the country.

Sehun got to his room and looked around. There was a small kitchenette to one side, a dining room table set for two, a small side table beneath a mirror and a queen-sized bed next to the window that looked out into the city. The light was slowly fading away, hiding behind the tall skyscrapers of the city, as the streets continued to rumble with the sound of traffic and walking pedestrians and the streetlights flickered on.

Walking around the room, he familiarized himself with everything before unpacking some of his things. He set everything in its place before grabbing his notebook and bag and heading out. He glanced at his map as he slowly wandered around the city. He made sure to take note of important places as he walked towards a well-known restaurant. Waiting in line, Sehun looked around him, noting the neighborhood was one of the wealthier parts of town.

As the line moved forward, Sehun looked at the people before him. His eyes passed over families and couples before lingering on a blonde head of hair. His eyes widened when he realized why that head of hair looked so familiar. Sharply turning his head away but keeping his gaze turned, Sehun watched Lu Han, Yixing, Kris, and Tao enter the restaurant.

Lu Han was more beautiful in person. The bright eyes, the fluffy head of hair, the cute nose, and beautiful lips combined together to create an enchanting visual. Narrowing his eyes, he saw an extra something about Lu Han that made him glow so ethereally even in the neon lights of the surrounding establishments.

His companions were also different in person. The three were quite attractive, not as attractive as Lu Han in his opinion, but the three could hold their own in the looks department. He had noticed passersby taking a second look at the group when they walked past. Kris turned out to be taller than him with Tao a close second in height. Yixing was close in stature to Lu Han though Yixing had slightly more muscle definition than Lu Han.

Sehun focused back on Lu Han. He was so beautiful like a fairy; it didn't seem like he was real at all. He looked impossibly young as well but that could be the effects of the Fountain of Youth.

Waiting in the line for the restaurant, Sehun bided his time until he was able to enter the restaurant. His eyes immediately swept through the place but couldn't find the quartet. He figured they had a private room and decided to sit down and enjoy his meal.

"Excuse me, but I have a message for you." Sehun looked at the waiter holding a folded note to him. He took the note and quickly opened it up.

Reading the message, his eyes widened and turned towards the back where a hallway could be seen, peeking through the short curtains. Standing up and adjusting his clothes, he headed down the hall and stopped at the door at the end. He quickly knocked on the door four times and waited.

A low voice filled with power called through the door. "Come in."

Slowly opening the door, he found a singular table in the middle of the room with a single occupant. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, he glanced around and noticed the other three standing behind him. Carefully closing the door behind him, he stepped into the room to stand before the table.

The man gestured to the seat across from him. "Please have a seat."

He sat down, facing the man. "So what is this all about?"

"Sehun,” the man clasped his hands in front of him on the table, “this is just a courtesy message to stop your search."

"Search? What search?" Sehun did his best to look confused and clueless.

Lu Han just stared at him, serious expression unchanging. "You will find no answers here. Return home and forget about this fruitless mission."

"With all due respect, Lu Han," Sehun didn't miss Lu Han's body stiffening or his guards tensing behind him, "the fact that you straight off warned me to go home and forget this mission proves there is something important about this mission and that you do have an important part in my mission. So thank you for confirming the facts."

He bowed his head in thanks. "And now if you'll excuse me, I think I've gathered enough information for now. I will show myself out."

Unfolding his long body, he stood at his full height of 181 cm, gave one last glance at Lu Han, and walked confidently out of the room.

"He's a lot braver than he looks."

Lu Han scoffed. "That's just a front. This is his first mission. I know he's shaken. No matter how confidently he walked out of here, I saw the slight shake of his hands. We'll get him to leave quicker than his predecessor did."

"I don't know.” Yixing’s mouth quirked up into a small smile. “He may surprise you. Plus you don't have someone here to distract his attention."

Lu Han waved a hand. "Doesn't matter. I doubt we'll be seeing him again."

Yixing just smiled serenely at Lu Han. Unlike him, Yixing had seen the flash of attraction in Sehun's eyes when he had first entered before schooling his expression. He had been impressed with Sehun, quickly pulling out his façade in the face of enemies, though he didn’t dare say anything to his friends. That flash of attraction has been strong but brief, yet there was no way Sehun would be leaving so soon. It always amused him how naive Lu Han still was despite his age. Covering his chuckle with his hand, he turned to their other companions. "So ready for dinner?"

~|~

Sehun went back to his hotel room, not caring that he let the door slam shut. His legs finally collapsed on him, the whole ordeal catching up with him. He had done his best to seem confident but with that first obstacle thrown at him so soon after his arrival threw him off. Taking a few breaths to try and calm himself, he went over to his laptop, booted it up, and made a call.

"Jongin! Why didn't you tell me he knew about me coming?" Sehun's worried face filled the screen.

"Huh? What? Oh, hi Sehun. How's it going?" Kai smiled.

"Lu Han knows about me being here for the Fountain of Youth.” Sehun frowned, his bottom lip slowly jutting out into a small pout. “How am I supposed to complete this mission now with the element of surprise gone?"

Kai waved a hand in the air. "You're smart. You'll figure a way out. Sorry but I have to go. It's time for dinner."

"Jongin, don't you dare hang up or -" Kai ended the call, not in the mood to deal with Sehun for now, not after what he had to go through on his behalf.

Joonmyun sat behind his desk, hands clasped together as he gave a disapproving frown to Kai. "Under whose authority did you have that gave you permission to send Sehun off on a mission alone, and to China of all places?"

Kai cleared his throat. "Well, I was looking through some of the files in the back when you sent me to go search for the file containing Baekhyun's mission. I noticed it was incomplete and thought it would be a good first mission for Sehun to finish an incomplete mission."

Joonmyun gave a heavy sigh. "You did not answer my question, Jongin. Whose authority allowed you to send this mission to Sehun?"

Kai fiddled with his hands. Joonmyun was normally very friendly, smiling at everyone, but when he wasn’t smiling, he could be very scary. It normally indicated that something wasn’t right. He chewed on his bottom lip."Well…I-I didn't really have anyone's authority but I went to show it to Kyungsoo and he seemed to think it was okay for me to give Sehun the mission."

Joonmyun lowered his head. He heaved a heavy sigh and reached out to push on the intercom to call Kyungsoo into the room.

Kyungsoo entered the room very slowly, keeping his head down. He knew he was going to be in trouble and had been waiting for the call. Quietly, he took a seat next to Kai.

Hands clasped on his desk, Joonmyun’s disapproving gaze swept back and forth between Kyungsoo and Kai before focusing on Kai.

"Jongin, while you have been here a long time and have grown within the team, you still do not have the authority to send people out on your own designated missions. You can only send someone on a mission when they have gotten my approval. Also, you cannot deem an incomplete mission acceptable for a first timer like Sehun, especially when it requires international travel. Jongin, you have broken many rules just by giving Sehun that mission." Joonmyun gave a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair, messing up the nicely styled hair. "Please leave. I will deal with you later."

Kai bowed his head and silently left the room.

Joonmyun came around the desk to stand before Kyungsoo. His arms crossed across his chest as he looked at his oldest friend and coworker. "Soo…you know what you did was wrong. Allowing Jongin to give Sehun that mission, you know what I'm going to say, right?"

Kyungsoo looked up, staring directly into Joonmyun’s eyes. "Yes, but I have my reasons for allowing Jongin to do that even though I know it's against the rules."

"Kyungsoo…" Joonmyun’s hand came out but immediately curled into a fist and came to rest at his side. His other hand hung by his side, curled tightly into a fist as well. As much as he wanted to scold his friend, he was never able to do that. Their bond went too deep.

Kyungsoo gave him a gentle smile, hand coming up to cup his cheek. His thumb gently traced the curve of his cheeks. He could see and feel the tension in Joonmyun’s body. "Go home and get some rest. We can talk later. And if you're worried about how things will go, don't. I have it under control. He knows about it already."

"What?" Joonmyun stared at Kyungsoo in disbelief. "Kyungsoo, you can't be serious. Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

A slow smile crossed Kyungsoo’s face, giving him the appearance of serene innocence. "Of course."

~|~

Sehun stayed away for a few days, trying to rework his initial strategy. Now that Lu Han knew he was here and searching for the Fountain of Youth, his mission had gotten tougher.

As this was his first solo assignment, Sehun could feel the pressure of wanting to succeed where the previous person had not and also completing his very first assignment. He had wanted to start off on the right foot, now that he was allowed to handle missions on his own instead of following along with Baekhyun or Chanyeol on one of their missions, but all that had gotten ruined with that unscheduled meeting.

In all his possible scenarios, he didn’t think he would be confronted so early in his mission, when he had done any solo research. He had to give props to his predecessor’s notes for being so accurate even if things hadn’t turned out as planned.

He gave a sigh, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, before sitting up and straightening his shoulders. He looked at his notes spread out before him. Even if he hadn't gone outside for the last few days, he had still been able to gather information on his target.

He had worked day and night to gain access to security feeds and satellites. Once he had gained access, he had to spend the better part of a day and half a night playing around with the controls to be able to get the information he wanted wherever he wanted. It had taken patience to weed through all the excess information and to learn how to figure out the controls to get the right signal. Now with the flick of a finger and some taps of a button, he could get data from any location he chose.

He looked at the stacks of paper laid before him. From the last few days, he had gathered video feeds from various locations, detailing Lu Han's daily habits. He had watched each video twice, writing down anything he felt was important about his target. He had transcripts of phone conversations to analyze Lu Han's mannerisms and, hopefully, his personality.

Getting up to make himself a cup of tea, he grabbed a small snack before settling down to pour over all the information he had. Behind him, his printer was working hard to print out the new information being gathered as he read through the current information at his hands.

He worked most of the next day and night, organizing his notes together. He'd get up to grab a drink or snack, head to his printer to gather the newly printed data, and sit back down to analyze and organize.

After a few more days of work, Sehun felt he had gotten an in-depth analysis on Lu Han and his companions. Even as his computer continued to print out new data, Sehun rubbed his eyes and stretched his back. It was time for him to get back into the field again and get a change of scenery. His eyes were tired of staring at black on white or the inside of his suite.

Glancing at his clock, he noticed the date and silently cursed. The days had passed by so quickly when he had gotten absorbed in his work.

Rubbing a hand through his unwashed hair, Sehun made a note to look into new living quarters. His hotel reservation was almost up and if he was going to be in China for a while, it would make more sense, budget-wise, to rent an apartment than to stay at a hotel for an indeterminate amount of time. Heading over to his laptop, he minimized all other programs and pulled up a web browser. May as well kill two birds with one stone.

~|~

Shifting his bag over his shoulder, he glanced down at his newly made list of available apartments. Locating the closest one, he headed down the crowded street, maneuvering past vendors and pedestrians and crossing the busy street when necessary, until he arrived at his destination. With a quick introduction and greeting to the landlord, Sehun was shown into the apartment. After a quick tour of the place and asking questions about rent and utilities, he headed off towards the next apartment on his list.

He repeated the steps until he had visited all the apartments and was now resting at a nearby café to grab a drink and gather his thoughts. He studied his list of apartments and the notes he had scribbled down afterwards. He was able to rule out a couple apartments by the time his drink and snack were ready.

Walking up to the counter, he accepted his order with a smile. Turning to head back to his table, the door opened and Lu Han and his friends walked through the door. His eyes widened, unprepared to see them, and he quickly ducked his head and rushed back to his table. He slipped into his chair and quietly sipped his drink, taking occasionally bites of his snack, as his eyes kept darting glances at Lu Han.

Maybe it was just his tired eyes, but he thought Lu Han looked even brighter and younger than before. He just seemed to glow with some inner vitality and his eyes sparkled as he talked with Yixing.

They had taken a table near the back corner, just a couple tables away from where he was seated. He wasn’t sure if it was on accident or by design, but he wasn’t going to waste an opportunity. Turning his body to better listen and watch, Sehun had his pen and notebook out, poised to take notes, as the four conversed together.

“He’s here, Lu Han.” Tao subtly glared at the tall man sitting a few tables away. He stood out like a sore thumb, his tall frame barely fitting in the wooden chair, his brunette hair shining beneath the café lights, and his pale skin almost glowing against the dark furnishings. How he was supposed to be some spy from Korea, Tao never knew. There was no way that face could fade from someone’s memory if he had to go undercover. “Are you sure you want to sit here?”

Lu Han smiled as he took a sip of his drink. “Yes, this is my favorite café and no little baby spy is going to make me move. I’m a bit surprised he’s still around. Since he hadn’t shown his face the last week or so, I thought he had left.”

“Well he didn’t leave and now you’re giving him a prime chance to spy on us. Can’t you tell he’s listening in?” Tao turned to shoot Sehun a glare. The boy didn’t even flinch or turn away, just leveled a look back at Tao. He grabbed his drink and lifted it to his lips, taking a sip, before setting it down with a small smirk.

Tao’s glare turned darker as he took a sip of his drink. A hand rested on his forearm and Tao looked up to see Kris looking at him. With a slight huff, he relaxed his body and settled back in his chair.

“Of course, I know he’s listening in, but he’s not going to get any information out of us, right?” Lu Han turned to Sehun with a bright smile.

The said boy frowned, studying Lu Han’s beaming face for a moment, before looking down at his notes.

Lu Han beamed at his friends and guards as he continued to relaxingly sip and enjoy his coffee.

Sehun continued to frown down at his cup. He finished the rest in one gulp and stuffed the rest of his snack into his mouth. Uncaring of the looks he was receiving, he tossed his things back into his bag and headed back towards his hotel. It could’ve been a trick of his mind, but he thought he heard laughter as he left the café.

~|~

This time, he stayed away from Lu Han for three days while he moved from the hotel to his new apartment. The move had been relatively easy, as he hadn’t brought much stuff with him.

After putting his things away, he took some time to go shopping for furniture and other home furnishings. He only bought the bare minimum for now since he didn’t really care about making his temporary home more than just a temporary home. There was no need to decorate or make it more personal since he was mainly here for work. True, his trip duration was open-ended but he didn’t want to bother with anything else and just focused on his mission.

He continued to collect data from the satellites and now with more space, he could organize his notes better. He had a wall dedicated to the mission. A large map of Beijing took center stage with various pictures and notes tacked on. Color lines marked the map as he drew the known route of Lu Han’s daily routine. It hadn’t really changed from the notes he had received in the briefcase. Places were circled and words were scribbled where he ran out of space or paper to write on.

Sehun looked at the stack of papers in his hand and studied his map. Grabbing a marker, he began to scribble some more then headed towards his computer set up on the side. He alternated back and forth between his notes, his computer, and the wall, checking and double-checking his data.

Sehun sighed and rubbed his forehead. A ding from his computer signaled an incoming call.

Accepting it, he lifted one corner of his mouth in a small smile. “Hello?”

Kyungsoo’s smiling face filled the screen. “Sehun! How are you doing?”

“Oh, hyung.” Sehun’s smiled widened. “I’m doing well for the most part. How are you?”

“Good, good, good. Just wanted to check up on you since you haven’t been keeping in contact with us.” Kyungsoo arched a brow, causing Sehun to slightly flush.

“I’m sorry about that. I’ve just been caught up in the mission and lost track of time.”

“Mmhmm…” Kyungsoo nodded his head. “So how is the mission going?”

“Uh…okay, I guess. I’ve gotten a lot of information about Lu Han but nothing so far regarding the Fountain of Youth. Did you know he already knew about me?” Subconsciously, Sehun’s lips jutted out into a pout.

Kyungsoo tried not to chuckle and coo over the young boy. For his manly, mature appearance, Sehun was still quite young, just over twenty years old. “Aww, I’m sorry about that but no mission is ever easy. You know that, right?”

“Yes, hyung, but I didn’t expect him to know already. I thought he would figure it out later or so…when it was too late.” Sehun frowned, his bottom lip even more pronounced, as he thought of his ruined plans.

Kyungsoo laughed, unable to control himself. “Oh Sehun, you’re a little too idealistic about your first mission, huh?”

Red crept up Sehun’s cheeks as his hyung knew him too well. “Well, I have been dreaming about my first mission for a while.”

With a small chuckle and shake of his head, Kyungsoo smiled. “You’re still young and need to get more experience before you can have an ‘easy’ mission.”

He smiled fondly at Sehun. “So care to tell me about what you’ve been doing so far?”

“Sure, sure, sure but uh…where’s Jongin?” Sehun’s eyes widened as his eyes roamed over the screen, finding no trace of his brunette friend and supervisor who gave him this mission. “Aren’t I supposed to be reporting to my supervisor that gave me this mission?”

“Yes, you should be but Jongin’s a bit tied up at the moment. Besides, you already messed up protocol by not checking in at least once a day so I’m sure we can bend the rules a little bit.”

Sehun’s eyes widened further. “Are you sure about this?”

Kyungsoo waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about it. So how’s it going?”

“Okay so far.” Sehun shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t actually spent that much time out in the field other than the first day I arrived and like three days ago. That first meeting threw me off my routine so I’ve been staying inside and collecting data that way. I have many papers filled with notes. Want to see?”

Sehun looked like he was about to pick his computer up but Kyungsoo stopped him with a shake of his head.

“Nah, it’s alright, Sehun. Just keep me up to date on how things are going. You don’t have to go into full detail. Just make sure you’re keeping a report for when we file this mission away once you’re done. And do try to check in every so often; it’s nice talking to you.” Kyungsoo winked.

Sehun pursed his lips. “So I don’t have to follow protocol and check in every day?”

“Nope.” Kyungsoo smiled and shook his head.

“But why?” Sehun’s eyes widened. “This is my first mission and you’re letting me break the rules already?”

“Rules were already broken when you were given this mission so what’s breaking a few more?”

Sehun’s eyes widened even more. “Wait, what? Rules were broken? What rules?”

A noise came from Kyungsoo’s side of the screen. He turned his head away from the camera to converse quietly with someone off screen. He turned back with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Sehun, but I have to go. We’ll talk later, okay?”

Kyungsoo hung up the call before Sehun could respond.

Kyungsoo sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Have you finished talking with Sehun then?”

Kyungsoo turned to look at Joonmyun standing by the door, arms crossed over his chest. He slowly pushed away from his desk and turned to face Joonmyun. “For now, yes.”

Joonmyun took a step into the room. “How is he?”

Kyungsoo saw the worry in his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. “He’s doing fine, doing well so far for his first solo mission. He looks decently healthy for a person on a mission.”

Joonmyun cracked a tiny smile at that. He remembered the days back when he was doing missions, how all your energies were focused on completing the mission and everything else like sleeping, eating, and drinking was pushed to the back, a secondary thought, until your body began to break down on you. He ran a hand through his hair and settled down in the chair next to Kyungsoo. “So he’s doing well?”

“Yeah, he’s adapted well I think, especially with that obstacle thrown in his way right at the beginning.” Kyungsoo smiled. “Lu Han called him out on spying right from the start.”

Joonmyun’s eyes widened. “Well that’s surprising…kind of.”

“Yeah, and Sehun’s still adjusting to it. From the stacks of notes he had in his hands and the papers I could see behind him, he’s been busy gathering data via satellites. I’m sure he has Lu Han’s routine down by now…alongside a few other notes about Lu Han.” Kyungsoo leaned back in his chair as his fingers began to tap on his desk.

Joonmyun gave his friend a wary look. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Kyungsoo?”

“Absolutely.” Kyungsoo grinned. “And thank you for letting me break so many rules for this.”

Joonmyun sighed, resting his head into his hands. “I didn’t want to but what choice did I have after you threatened me?”

Kyungsoo smiled innocently.

Joonmyun frowned at his friend. “Trying to evade the questioning, which I had forgotten you were pretty good at, by threatening and blackmailing your friend. I’d also forgotten how scary you could be since you’re normally so nice to me. Why won’t you tell me your reasons for allowing Jongin to do that?”

Kyungsoo laughed and came over to rub a soothing hand down his friend’s back. “I have my reasons. I haven’t even told Jongin why I did this, if that makes you feel better, not that he’s even asked yet. Just trust me on this. I’m trustworthy, right?”

Joonmyun made a face at his friend that Kyungsoo ignored.

“And you got to punish Jongin, something I know you’ve been wanting to do for a while since his last stunt, since it is his fault this all happened.” Kyungsoo smiled at Joonmyun’s small smile as he remembered his simple punishment for Kai.

“You were supposed to be the responsible one and not let him do this but noooo, you went ahead and let your boyfriend give his friend his first solo mission to go to another country to complete a mission I -“ Joonmyun quickly shut his mouth and glanced around the office. Luckily, no one else was around but in an office full of spies, you never knew who could accidentally listen in. Many were respectful of each other’s privacy but when you worked in tight quarters and were almost considered family, things blurred a bit.

“It’s alright, Joonmyun. Everything will be okay.” Kyungsoo smiled and patted his friend’s knee. “Why don’t we go out to dinner, just the two of us? I’m sure our boyfriends won’t mind. It’s been a while since I spent any quality time with my best friend.”

Joonmyun gave his friend a grateful smile, hand coming out to gently rest on top of Kyungsoo’s hand on his knee. “I’d like that.”

Sehun stared at his computer screen, his reflection staring back at him. He wasn’t sure why Kyungsoo had so abruptly changed subjects or hung up so quickly but he wasn’t about to analyze that right now when he had a mission to be working on. With a sigh and a brush of his hair, he set his laptop aside and went back to his notes.

After recording a bit more, Sehun felt he was prepared enough to go outside, plus his stomach was grumbling for some food as he had eaten the last of his groceries this morning.

Sehun grabbed his bag and keys and headed out the door, making sure the door was securely locked behind him. He headed down the block towards a local diner, ordering something random off the menu, and studiously looking at his notebook. He didn’t flinch as the door to the diner opened and people spilled inside. He did tense slightly when he heard that voice.

Slowly lifting his head, he was met with Lu Han’s smirk as the man sat down three tables away.

“He’s here.” Tao grumbled as he slipped into the seat next to Lu Han.

“Oh, be quiet, Tao. Of course he’s here.” Yixing smiled as he picked up the menu to browse through it even though he already knew what he wanted. “He doesn’t strike me as the type to give up so easily.”

“Can I go over and try to intimidate him away, Lu ge? And why do you keep choosing to sit so close to him when you know he’s eavesdropping?” Tao pursed his lips as his eyes glared daggers at the brunette several tables away. He wasn’t sure if it was by design or not but the tables between them stood empty so Sehun could definitely hear them if he was listening in and most likely he was with the way his hand was moving, furiously writing down whatever they were saying and whatever else he thought was important to note.

“No, Tao, just leave him alone for now.” Lu Han patted his friend’s shoulder.

“I’m sure he’ll get the hint soon enough when he realizes he’s not going to get anything useful from us.” Lu Han stirred his straw around his drink before taking a sip and glancing at the boy a few tables away.

Tao huffed and took a harsh sip of his drink.

Underneath the table, Kris placed a gentle hand on Tao’s knee. Tao looked up into Kris’ eyes and saw the silent message and small chastisement. With another huff and pout, Tao continued to take his anger out on his drink, finishing it before the waiter returned to take their orders.

“So any particular reason why you aren’t taking more precautions against him?” Yixing smiled as he stirred his straw around his drink. “You weren’t like this before.”

“Like I said before, he’s just a baby.” Lu Han took a bite of his meal. “He’s harmless and there’s no point in him sticking around since he’s not going to get anything from me.”

Yixing noticed how Lu Han had evaded his and Tao’s question about not avoiding the spy but said nothing as he ate his meal. He had eyes to observe what was happening in front of him and what he saw, he enjoyed immensely. He made sure to note everything to report later.

Lu Han flashed Sehun an innocent-looking smile as he brought up his fork and took another bite of his food.

Sehun kept his gaze locked on Lu Han’s as he lifted up his own fork to take a bite of his food. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

He leveled a challenging gaze at Lu Han as he quirked his mouth up into a small smirk.

Lu Han tightened his gaze around his fork, trying to ignore the reaction this baby spy was eliciting in him. No spy was going to get past his defenses, not before and not now.

~|~

It was ten years ago the last time a spy came close to finding out about the Fountain of Youth from Lu Han. He wasn’t sure how he had managed it but somehow, the spy had gotten a hold of his name when doing his individual research regarding the Fountain of Youth and had come after him.

It hadn’t been easy to avoid the persistent spy until a close friend popped up to distract the spy away.

Lu Han smiled to himself as he gently ran a finger over the face in the frame. Thanks to his friend, the spy had decided to give up the mission, leaving it incomplete and gathering dust in a filing cabinet back at his office.

But someone, Lu Han frowned to himself, had dug that file back out and now this baby spy Sehun was on his tail.

He sighed to himself as he set the photo aside and settled down on his couch. He wasn’t sure why he was taking so long to get rid of this spy. Normally, it would be very simple. If an intimidation tactic didn’t work, then gentle coaxing would. And if that didn’t work, then full on rejection and possible ejection from the country to keep the person gone.

But for some reason, Lu Han was hesitant to begin his normal techniques on this baby spy. Though Sehun may be a rookie in the spy world, he didn’t look like he was that young. He could easily pass for Lu Han’s senior by a couple years. Of course, that wasn’t the case as Lu Han was older than Sehun, way older than he probably expected.

Lu Han smiled to himself. No matter what year it was, Lu Han was always mistaken for his age, which helped in some cases but made it tough on him at times too. In many cases, it was a nuisance that he wished to avoid but he couldn’t do anything about it.

With a sigh, he turned back to the issue at hand which was Sehun, the baby spy. There was just something about the boy that made him hesitate when before, he had no cares and would do anything and everything to get rid of a spy. He tightly hugged a couch cushion to his chest as he turned on his TV to scroll through the channels.

As he watched some reporter talk about an incident that had happened earlier in the day, Lu Han resolved to get rid of this hesitant attitude and just begin to actually get rid of the spy since that first confrontation a few weeks ago hadn’t gotten him to leave.

Grabbing his phone, he dialed a number. “Tao, you can start.”

~|~

Sehun was about to sit down to a simple dinner when he heard two distinct knocks on his door. Not bothering to check who was there, he opened the door to be greeted by two of Lu Han’s bodyguards. “Yes? May I help you?”

“Actually, we are here to help you.” Tao took a step forward, walking right into Sehun’s personal space. “Leave now while you still can.”

Sehun arched a brow. “Is this supposed to be a threat? Because it’s not a very good one.”

“Like Lu Han said, your mission is pointless. Coming here was pointless. You need to leave now.”

“Uh, how about no? This little ‘intimidation’ tactic just proves there is something of worth here and here I will stay.” Sehun’s lips lifted in a small smile. “I’m going to find out what it is you’re trying to hide so hard and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“We’ll see about that.” Tao gave a slow smile as he signaled to Kris standing behind him.

Before Sehun could react, the two had grabbed him, Sehun’s door closing shut behind him, as the two carted him off to their car parked below.

~|~

Yixing smiled serenely from the kitchen when he noticed Kris and Tao carting Sehun into their apartment. “Oh hello, Sehun. Have a nice time.”

Bowing his head as Sehun gaped at him, Yixing finished cooking dinner and left, allowing Kris and Tao to go about their business. The two carried him down the hallway to a nondescript door.

In a bare, concrete room, Sehun was deposited in a ratty old wooden chair in the middle of the room. Kris tied his hands behind his back as Tao strapped his legs to the chair legs.

“Um…isn’t this a little extreme?” He raised a brow at his current state.

“You’ve seen those spy movies. Isn’t this how intimidation tactics always go?” Tao was over by the side where a small table and chest were. He was pulling on black leather gloves and grabbing what looked to be a whip.

Sehun’s eyes bulged when he noticed Kris doing the same thing. He quickly tried to calm himself, slowly taking deep breaths. He didn’t think people actually did this. Having been on missions with Baekhyun or Chanyeol, there was more paperwork going on than actual violence, nothing at all like how action movies portrayed.

He flinched a bit when he heard the crack of the whip. “Are you guys seriously going to beat me?”

Tao smiled as he flicked out the whip again, the crack resounding loudly in the room. “Well…if it’ll get you to leave…”

“We’re already told you that your mission is pointless. You should just return home and forget all about it.” Kris cracked his knuckles as he stepped closer to Sehun. “You really should’ve taken our advice and left that first day.”

Sehun tensed his body as he felt the two men stepping closer. He was bracing his body for the impact when everything just went dark.

~

Lu Han frowned at his two friends sitting demurely on his couch, hands in their lap and heads bowed. His hands were propped on his hips as he continued to look at his two friends. “Don’t you think you guys took it a little far tonight with that intimidation scene? What were you even trying to do? That just looked like some bad scene from some second rate action movie.”

Tao had the decency to blush, as he was a fan of such action movies. He felt a hand covering his and looked to see Kris smiling reassuringly at him. He turned over his hand and squeezed his hand in comfort. “I wasn’t really going to beat him. I just wanted to set the scene.”

“You know how Tao likes his scenes.” Kris gave Lu Han a small smile. “He meant no harm, just a little intimidation.”

“You at least brought him back home safe and sound?” Lu Han paced around his living room.

“Yes, we just knock him out for a bit. There was no beating at all, just a little scaring to see if he’ll go home afterwards.” Tao frowned, a bit disappointed he hadn’t been able to scare Sehun as he wanted. He had been hoping he’d be more terrified but at least he had gotten scared briefly before Kris decided to put him to sleep.

“You guys are not allowed to do that anymore, okay? We do not need any blood on our hands, not anymore. We stopped that years ago, many years ago, remember?” Lu Han looked at his two friends.

“Of course. It won’t happen again.” Kris pulled Tao up from the couch, bowing his head as he took his leave. Tao bowed his head and followed Kris back to their apartment.

Kris led Tao into their room and gently led him to their bed. Tao lay down as Kris wandered around the room. He got ready for bed and helped Tao as well.

When they were dressed for bed, Kris slipped into bed behind Tao, pulling him back into his embrace. His hand gently stroke Tao’s arm. “You okay?”

“Yeah…I’m just worried about Lu Han.”

Kris smiled behind Tao, pressing a kiss to the back of his nape. “I know. I am too.”

“I don’t think he’s thinking things through clearly.” Tao frowned as he placed his hand over Kris’.

Kris compared Lu Han’s current behavior to his previous behavior. “Probably not but as his friends, we can only just stay by his side and give him love and support.”

“Yeah, but I just want to keep him safe as well. It’s dangerous having that spy around.”

Kris sighed. “I know but we can’t do anything other than what Lu Han allows us to. We need to be careful now. It’s not like the old days where violence was more rampant and accepted.”

Tao frowned, remembering his days back at the monastery and his early days with Lu Han. Things had been easier then, violent acts were ignored even while frowned upon. “I wish it was ‘cause then I’d be free to do whatever was necessary to keep Lu Han safe.”

Kris sighed and just hugged Tao tighter. “I know, but what can we do? We just have to adapt to the times.”

“I am adapted.” Tao frowned, thinking of all his social media sites and various technological devices his friends were lacking. “But can’t I long for the old days when keeping Lu Han safe was easier?”

Kris quietly chuckled. “You can, but it’s not going to change anything.”

“I know…and this no violence thing is something I can deal with but you know I like my physical activity.”

“I know.” Kris smiled as he continued to press kisses to Tao’s nape. “Why don’t we give you some physical activity now?”

~|~

Sehun woke up with a serious crick in his neck and an ache in his back. He slowly blinked his eyes open to find himself lying on the floor of his apartment.

With a groan, he sat up and looked around, trying to remember what had happened. Flashes of a dark grey room coupled with cracks of a whip filled his head. He shut his eyes and tried to concentrate, bringing up the memories of what happened before.

Sehun let out a moan of frustration, rolling over on the floor and banging his hands repeated in a mini tantrum. He couldn’t believe he had been part of some bad B-movie interrogation scene. He didn’t think anyone actually did that in real life.

“God, I am so embarrassed. I just let them kidnap me so easily.” Sehun sat up and rubbed a frustrated hand through his hair. He was glad to note, besides the aching neck and back, there weren’t any other marks on his body. “At least they didn’t beat me up but seriously, what kind of intimidation tactic was that? Ugh, I’m so embarrassed.”

Sehun wandered to his bathroom to shower and change before heading out to look for Lu Han again…and maybe give him a piece of his mind regarding his two bodyguards.

~|~

Based on Lu Han’s talk with his bodyguards yesterday at dinner, he had made plans to go shopping. Checking his map, he rechecked the location of where the mall was.

Satisfied he wouldn’t get lost, he grabbed his bag, locked the door and headed out.

He walked quickly, bypassing tourists and natives, dodging cars, motorcycles, and bicycles, on his way to the mall.

It was a large mall, several stories high and crowded with people. Sehun slipped inside and into a crowd as his eyes searched the building for his target.

There were so many people and so many floors it was hard to look. He was still inexperienced and while he could quickly take in his surroundings, he still didn’t have enough experience to be able to spot his target in a crowded area so quickly.

Slipping into a dark corner, Sehun checked his phone to see if he could pick up Lu Han’s voice over his satellites. He kept the earbud pressed against his ear to hear over the chatter of people talking and feet walking.

Turning the volume up, he could just make out Lu Han’s voice.

“Oooo…let’s go there.”

“Again? Weren’t we just here?”

“Hey, we agreed that we would take turns going to a store each of us wanted.”

“Yeah, but you already had your turn.”

“So did you. You should respect your elders, Tao, especially when they’re -”

Sehun tapped on his earbud, trying to clear the static, even though that would do nothing. He shook his head at his moment of stupidity. He had to change locations to get a clearer signal.

He left his dark corner and started to wander around the mall, trying to find a clearer signal. He was so focused on getting a better signal, he almost missed what was right in front of him. Turning, he found the person he was looking for.

Lu Han was with Yixing, Kris, and Tao heading towards the sports store. Already, they each were carrying at least one bag filled with purchases.

Sehun maneuvered around the crowd to get closer to them but keeping a safe distance. A crowd of old ladies came between him and his target and he had to walk quickly around them to not lose the four of them. He managed to slip into the store right behind them, almost colliding into Kris.

Only quick reflexes stopped him from pitching forward but he did accidentally hit someone’s bag.

At the quiet rustle, the four turned to look at Sehun.

“Well, well, well…look who’s here.” A corner of Lu Han’s mouth turned up in a small smirk. “And the day was going so well.”

“Didn’t we tell you to go home?” Tao’s glare at Sehun looked murderous, causing a few bystanders to give them a wide berth.

“Yeah, but why would I go home when you keep proving over and over that there is a point to this mission? So shouldn’t you just give in and tell me?”

“Now why would we do that? We don’t know anything at all.” Lu Han smiled innocently up at Sehun.

“Don’t think that innocent act can work with me. Not after everything I’ve gone through so far, thanks to your two bodyguards Tao and Kris.” Sehun looked at Kris and Tao with narrowed eyes. Tao just glared back while Kris kept an impassive face.

“What do you mean? I don’t think you’ve had much contact with these two, at least not enough to be so…upset about.” Lu Han raised his brows at Sehun.

“Maybe I just have a low tolerance for that kind of behavior.”

“That kind of behavior? Care to elaborate for those of us that don’t know?” Lu Han continued to smile innocently at Sehun.

“Oh, I would think someone like you would know about it already. You seem to know about everything,” Sehun leaned in close, noticing how some of his bodyguards tensed at the close proximity, “especially anything concerning me and the Fountain of Youth.”

Lu Han ignored the shiver moving down his spine. “I think you’re mistaken. I know nothing about you and nothing about the Fountain of Youth. You’re wasting your time and mine with this silly mission.”

“And how many times do I have to tell you that I’m not? That you keep proving my point over and over with your constant refusal.”

“I think you have a flaw with your thinking. A constant refusal doesn’t mean I’m hiding anything. It just means you’re annoying me and need to leave now.” Lu Han gently pushed at Sehun’s chest to move him away but Sehun didn’t budge, to Lu Han’s surprise. Despite his lanky appearance, Sehun definitely had some strength in those unseen muscles.

Sehun’s lips curved into a smirk, noticing how Lu Han’s reasoning didn’t seem to connect as he had already proven how important this mission was when he called Sehun out right at the beginning. Sure he may be annoying the man, and that was necessary to carry out his mission, but Lu Han was wrong about his constant refusal not meaning he was hiding anything because he was definitely hiding something with the way he seemed so nervous around Sehun, though he projected an air of confidence, and Sehun was going to find out.

“Alright, I’ll leave you alone for now but I’ll be back. Count on it.”

Sehun briefly brushed his hand against Lu Han’s before straightening and leaving the foursome.

Lu Han tried to ignore that brief touch, where Sehun’s pinky seemed to have linked with his for a moment, a gesture of a promise. He hoped he wouldn’t be seeing the boy again but he knew deep down that he was not going to be able to get rid of Sehun so easily or so quickly. He just hoped their next meeting would be in a few weeks to give him some time to recover.

“You alright, Han?” Yixing placed a comforting hand on Lu Han’s shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just…let’s go back to shopping. I need a new ball…and maybe a punching bag.” Lu Han stalked off to the sports equipment, Yixing, Tao, and Kris trailing behind.

~|~

“Kyungsoo, why would you let me give Sehun that mission if you knew it was against the rules?” Kai pouted as he looked at his boyfriend busy cooking. He was still upset that he had to undergo punishment when he hadn’t known he would’ve been breaking the rules. His boyfriend had never mentioned anything, just letting him do his own thing, which had resulted in him being punished and his boyfriend not getting any punishment for being an accomplice.

Kyungsoo set down his knife, wiped his hands on his apron, and walked over to wrap his arms around Kai’s waist. “Aww baby, don’t be mad at me.”

He pressed a kiss to Kai’s clothed chest, right above his heart.

Kai tried not to weaken as Kyungsoo continued to press kisses along his chest.

Kyungsoo’s lips trailed up to Kai’s neck, pressing kisses along the long column. His tongue darted out to lick it every once in a while. He could feel Kai shaking beneath him as he tried to hide his reaction. “Come on, baby. Don’t be mad at me. I have my reasons for doing that.”

“Reasons you’ll tell me?”

Kyungsoo pulled back and smiled. He gently placed his hands on either side of Kai’s face. “No.”

Kai’s mouth dropped open, giving Kyungsoo the opening he wanted. He leaned up and pressed his mouth to Kai’s, trapping any protest Kai was going to make.

~|~

Sehun huffed as he stalked into his apartment. He was careful not to slam the door but once it was shut, he stomped around his apartment, muttering curses and all sorts of profanities. He stalked over to the map on the wall and slammed a hand against it, knocking a few pins loose and scattering some notes.

That trip to the mall hadn’t been what he had wanted but he was beginning to realize nothing with Lu Han would turn out the way he wanted. He didn’t like to be played with but what could he do when he was at a disadvantage?

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he gathered enough of his composure to start picking up his notes and placing them back on the wall. He headed over to his computer to see what new data had been collected while he was gone.

As he read through conversations, he noticed his own conversation with Lu Han earlier at the mall had been recorded. Seeing and hearing the conversation over again caused the anger and frustration to rise up again.

Still seething with emotion, Sehun decided he couldn’t work on the mission in this mood and should do something productive with this energy. He grabbed a small bag and tossed in some sweats, extra clothes, and a couple towels. Grabbing his wallet and keys, he left his apartment for the local gym to work off his current mood.

Quickly changing in the locker room and storing his stuff, Sehun headed towards the exercise equipment. He bypassed the weights and headed towards the cardio machines. He decided to warm up with some light jogging until he could work his way up to more intense running.

Sehun ran on the treadmill for around thirty minutes, breathing even, as he tried to run his frustration out. He gently slowed down, taking a sip from the water bottle he had almost forgotten to grab as he left his apartment. As he walked on the treadmill, he looked around to see what other machine he could go on.

Stepping off, he headed towards the stairmaster to walk up and down for a bit before he headed towards the weights.

Glancing around, he decided to work with the low weights but do high reps. However, he needed a spotter if he was going to do some weight lifting. He glanced around the gym and saw everyone busy. He quietly sighed to himself.

“Need a spotter?”

Sehun looked up to see Yixing smiling down at him. He blinked a few times, unsure of what he was seeing. “Yixing?”

“The one and only. So,” Yixing smiled at Sehun, “need a spotter?”

“Oh uh, yeah but you don’t have to trouble yourself.”

“Oh it’s no problem at all. I spot you and then you’ll spot me, okay?”

“Uh sure…” Sehun was a little wary of Yixing but he seemed to be the nicer one out of the trio though he still wasn’t entirely sure of him. He hadn’t been able to get much information regarding Lu Han’s friends and bodyguards as he was too focused on Lu Han himself.

Sehun settled onto the weight machine and chose a low setting before he began to work out. Yixing stood quietly on the side, watching Sehun to make sure he didn’t injure himself.

It was quiet between the two, just the sound of deep breathing as the two took turns on the weight machines.

It wasn’t until the third machine that Yixing spoke up. “So…feel better?”

“What?” Sehun paused and set the weights down before looking at Yixing smiling serenely at him.

“I asked if you felt better.” Yixing smiled as Sehun looked warily at him. “You seemed a bit frustrated earlier.”

“Frustrated? Me?” Sehun leaned down to grab his water bottle, taking a sip and working on keeping his composure.

Yixing just smiled, amused by Sehun. He waited until he was done with his drink. “So, feeling better?”

“Uh yeah. A good workout is always nice.”

“I’m sure it is.” Yixing’s eyes raked over Sehun’s sweat-slick body, taking in the still barely defined muscles. He could imagine Sehun’s body if he worked out more and knew it would be a sight to behold. He smiled to himself. “So how are you feeling now?”

Sehun arched a brow. “Didn’t you just ask me that?”

“No, I asked how you are feeling now. Before, I asked if you were feeling better. There’s a subtle difference.”

“Okay…” Sehun took another sip of his drink before resting an arm on his knee. “I guess I’m feeling alright. Not so frustrated since I worked off most of that mood I think.”

“That’s good.” Yixing took a seat across from Sehun at another machine. “So how’s the mission going so far?”

Sehun looked at Yixing, not sure what the other man was about. He couldn’t get a very good read on the man, even from this close proximity. Yixing had a very good poker face or he was always the picture of serenity with an air of naiveté. “Well…I would think you’d know how it was going. You’ve been there every time.”

“Yes, but I’m just a bystander, an observer. I’d like to know how you feel about it since I’m sure you experience it differently than me and differently than Lu Han.”

“Well, you do have a point.” Sehun stroked a hand over his chin. “I just don’t get him. I have all this data and yet, I still don’t get him.”

“Well, data can only give you so much information.” Yixing leaned back on his arms. “It’s a good basis but you really need to spend time around the person to really know him. Which you have been doing, right?”

“Kind of, if you call his constant rejection spending time.”

Yixing chuckled. “It’s a start.”

The two sat in silence for a while, the sounds of people working out filling their ears as the two got lost in their thoughts.

“Can I ask you a kind of personal question?”

“A kind of personal question?” Sehun stared at Yixing trying to see if he could find Yixing’s true intention. “What kind of personal question?”

“Oh don’t worry. It’s nothing that bad. I mean…it is related to your mission a bit but not that personal or invasive. You don’t need to worry.” Yixing waved a reassuring hand. “So can I ask?”

“Uh sure I guess.” Sehun still wasn’t sure about Yixing but one question wouldn’t really hurt.

“Why did you decide to do this mission?”

Sehun pursed his lips. “Well the mission was given to me so I didn’t really have a choice. I mean I did but it sounded interesting to me for a first mission so I took it. I don’t think there’s much else to it.”

“But why have you stuck it out when you could just go home?”

Sehun shrugged and headed to another weight machine. “It’s my first mission so I can’t just give up so easily. And now that I’m actually working on this mission, it’s really…interesting. I just can’t leave.”

Yixing made a noise of understanding. “So you’re going to stick it out until the end?”

“Yeah.” Sehun gave Yixing a wiry smile. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Yixing shrugged. “Doesn’t affect me that much…besides, it’s your choice. You do what you want.”

“Uh…thanks, Yixing.” Sehun’s lips pressed into a thin line, unsure of how to handle the feelings running around his head. Out of all of Lu Han’s bodyguards, Yixing seemed the friendliest and yet he was wary of Yixing’s easy demeanor, as he couldn’t really figure out the man beneath.

With a little huff, Sehun concentrated on his workout, Yixing quietly standing on the side watching him.

~|~

Sehun woke up with a groan, his body aching from the workout yesterday. It had been a while since he had last had a decent workout and his muscles were aching from overuse. He moaned and groaned as he shifted around on his small bed, body protesting at the movement.

After a good twelve minutes of rolling around and procrastinating, Sehun lifted himself up from his bed with a small groan. Gingerly placing his feet on the floor, he shuffled his way to the bathroom. He washed up and changed before shuffling his way to the living room.

He let gravity pull him to the couch, flopping down with a muffled groan.

A beep from his computer notified him of a new message. With a few mumbled groans, Sehun dragged him over to check his computer. He noticed a new email and opened it to find a funny e-card from Kai.

With an exasperated groan, Sehun searched around to send another one right back to his friend. That finished, Sehun decided he could move enough to wander into the kitchen to find something to fill his empty stomach.

He rooted around and was able to scrounge up enough food to satisfy his hunger for now.

With that satisfied, Sehun figured he could have one day of rest from his mission. He wasn’t going to get much done if he couldn’t really move himself.

He collapsed on the couch again and passed out.

~|~

Sehun woke up with a start, hand coming out to grab his intruder’s wrist.

“Wake up, Sehun. Time to get up.”

He blinked bleary eyes to find Yixing smiling over him. “Yixing? What are you doing in my apartment?”

“I’m here to wake you up of course.”

Sehun sat up, ruffling his hair, as Yixing moved towards Sehun’s kitchen. He yawned and waited for his mind to fully wake up before staring in shock at Yixing making himself at home in Sehun’s kitchen.

“Hmm…not much to work with but it’s doable.” Yixing hummed to himself as he wandered around the kitchen.

“Yixing…why are you in my apartment? How did you get into my apartment?”

Yixing slanted Sehun a look who gave a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his neck. “Ah, dumb question.”

Yixing chuckled as he fried some vegetables. “A little. So how are you feeling?”

“Still a little sore but better than yesterday.”

“I’m sure.” Yixing smiled as he plated the food and brought it over to Sehun on the couch. “But I’m sure sleeping on the couch can’t be good for your sore body.”

“Well that shows how tired I was.” Sehun accepted the plate gratefully. He dug in and moaned, the flavor bursting over his tongue. “Oh my god, this is delicious. You’re a fantastic cook.”

“Thanks. But it’s really nothing that special. It would’ve been better if you had more ingredients but what you had was doable.” Yixing gave a contented smile as he waited for Sehun to finish.

Sehun set aside the empty plate and patted his stomach. “That was great. Thanks so much, Yixing, even if you did break into my apartment to make me breakfast…and wake me up, which I’m still a bit confused about.”

Yixing continued to smile as he took the empty plate back into the kitchen, washing it, drying it, and putting it away. He was drying his hands as he came back to the living room. “So would you like a massage for those sore muscles?”

“A massage?” Sehun’s eyes widened. “You’re offering to give me a massage?”

“Yeah.” Yixing smiled so wide his eyes formed little crescents. “So how about it?”

“Uh as much as I like the offer, I think I’m good.” Sehun leaned back against his couch, legs crossing in front of him as he rested his clasped hands on his knee. “But would you care to explain why you’re even here?”

“I thought I told you why. To wake you up.”

“Yeah about that.” Sehun leveled Yixing with a look. “You didn’t have to actually do that unless you had an ulterior motive. While we may have worked out that one time, we’re not exactly friends.”

“I’d like to be.” Yixing smiled as he settled down on the floor across from Sehun, folding his legs beneath him.

Sehun coughed. “Uh yeah…that might be an issue right now but I think I’d like that too if circumstances were different.”

Yixing just continued to sit there serenely. “That’s good.”

“So why did you come here, Yixing?”

“No reason.” Yixing just shrugged his shoulders. “Just to see how you were. So you’re good?”

“Yeah. And if you don’t mind, could you leave now?”

“Oh sure.” Yixing got up and inclined his head. He left the same way he came in, quietly unobtrusive, as the door clicked shut behind him.

Sehun got up and made sure the door was securely locked but he knew it wouldn’t keep them out if they ever wanted to come in. He sighed, knowing his work was cut out for him if he wanted to keep his place private and secure.

He turned towards his bedroom, getting ready to go out and get the necessary supplies to keep his place secured. He missed the tiny note taped to his wall.

~|~

Sehun lifted his face up towards the sun, letting the rays shine onto his face. It had been over a week since he had last been outside.

Once he had gotten the necessary supplies, Sehun had worked hard to make sure his place was secure from any intruder. He had added the necessary measures he knew and then called Kai and Kyungsoo for help. He had spent so much time making sure no one could get into his place without knowing the security passcode, having the correct key, and his fingerprint.

Each day, he had an unknowing helper to test out his security upgrades, when Yixing kept stopping by his place to cook him a meal and just sit with him a while. They would make idle chit-chat, Sehun being careful not to reveal too much, yet he never knew that from each little chat they had, Yixing was beginning to learn more and more about this young man that was clearly attracted to Lu Han as much as he tried not to show it.

On the day Sehun finished adding all his security upgrades, Yixing didn’t come visit him, a sign of success. Sehun had smiled to himself and celebrated with a drink that turned into a whole bottle and another. He had woken up with a major hangover and a stupid grin on his face, knowing he could stay safe in his apartment.

Sehun had dragged himself around the apartment, reveling in his freedom to do as he wished in his apartment. He had turned on his music and danced around his apartment when his hangover had passed, having so much fun for the first time in weeks.

But his stomach had begun to protest all the activity and so he was outside again to hunt for food and maybe grocery shop once his stomach was filled. He let his nose lead him to a small restaurant tucked away from the main road. It looked comfy and homey with its cozy décor and small size.

Slipping into a small table near the back, Sehun smiled at the waiter before ordering something off the menu on the wall. He rested his hand on his head and let his mind wander.

He wondered what Lu Han was up to. He hadn’t been doing his mission for the last week while he was securing his apartment. Plus he was a little tired of all the paperwork he was doing for this mission. He knew a day’s worth of paperwork equaled an hour of fieldwork but his eyes were getting tired from reading so much print and all the data he was gathering was starting to repeat itself. He thought he had a good enough handle on who Lu Han was that he could conduct himself well at their next confrontation.

Sehun sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. He figured that no matter what data he had on Lu Han or how prepared he was, he was out of his element with Lu Han.

His food was set in front of him, the delicious smell wafting up his nose. He took a bite and smiled at the warmth filling his stomach. It had been a while since he had last had a decent meal. Taking another bite, he made a small sound of pleasure. He continued to eat his food until it was all gone.

“Well, someone certainly has an appetite.”

Sehun looked up with wide eyes. “Lu Han? What are you doing here?”

He glanced around and didn’t see Yixing, Tao, or Kris. “And where are your friends?”

“Oh, I was just taking a short walk so they didn’t need to accompany me.” Lu Han slipped into the seat across from Sehun. He waved a hand at the waiter and ordered some food.

Sehun sat there, still a bit in shock, as Lu Han enjoyed his meal. He wasn’t sure how to handle this unexpected situation. If he wasn’t wrong, Lu Han might actually be acting friendly towards him instead of his flippant dismissal from before. He decided to keep quiet, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere.

Lu Han finished his meal with a contented sigh. “Mmm…delicious. So you decided to finally leave your hole?”

Sehun arched a brow. “You’ve been paying attention to me, haven’t you?”

Lu Han scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

A corner of Sehun’s mouth lifted. He had seen Lu Han’s eyes widen a fraction before he had rolled his eyes and scoffed. He had to be getting under Lu Han’s skin after all this time. Maybe it was time to spend a lot more time with the man.

Sehun grabbed his drink and lifted it in a small toast to Lu Han. “Of course. So how was your walk?”

“Oh, not bad. I just needed a bit of fresh air.” Lu Han took a sip of his drink. “But it’s interesting to just wander around and take in the scenery. You never know what will change or stay the same.”

“Very true. And have you seen many changes in your life?”

“Everyone always sees many changes in their life.” Lu Han smiled. “It’s just a part of life in general.”

“Very true. But what about you personally?”

“Me personally?” Lu Han rested his head on his hand. “Well, everything just kind of seems to change in a flash before my eyes so I’m not actually sure how many changes I’ve actually seen.”

“Interesting. So how long have you been in Beijing?”

“About a year or so.”

“Really?” Sehun remembered the dates from the file he was given. It was from ten years ago but the information was still valid if Lu Han was here when he came over a month ago. “And how do you like it so far?”

“It’s nice. How are you finding Beijing?”

“It’s nice.”

Lu Han smiled, amused that Sehun had copied his words. “Well that’s…nice.”

The two shared a smile, a moment of connection sparking between them. Then Lu Han stood up from the table.

“Well I guess I’ll be seeing you around, since you’re too dumb to leave after all the threats.”

“All the threats? Is that what all that was? Doesn’t seem like it was that many.” Sehun smirked as he settled back in his chair.

Lu Han’s face hardened as he frowned down at the man. “Must you be so irritating?”

“Must you?”

Lu Han’s face scrunched up even further. “Well I’m going to go before my mood sours further. I’ll see you later.”

“Of course.” Sehun inclined his head.

Lu Han huffed like a child and wouldn’t admit that he stomped out like a little child having a temper tantrum.

Sehun watched, amused, and couldn’t wait until tomorrow when he’d see him again.

~|~

Sehun checked his reflection in the mirror, making sure he looked nice and neat. His hair was nicely combed and his face couldn’t look more handsome if he tried. He checked the time and noticed he would be late if he didn’t leave soon.

He had to thank Yixing for the little tip off and hurried out the door.

The ballroom was beautifully decorated and filled with glitter and sparkle from the many guests roaming around the room. Sehun quietly slipped inside, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, and headed to the side where he could hover unobtrusively and observe everyone. He had already seen Lu Han with his three friends near the stage.

“Yixing, why is he here?” Tao growled quietly to Yixing, making sure Lu Han didn’t hear.

Yixing looked in the direction Tao was glaring. “He’s here as a guest.”

“Why? I thought this was an exclusive event.”

“It is, which is why I gave him an invitation.”

Tao turned to Yixing with shock on his face. “Why would you do that? He’s the enemy.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Yixing smiled when he saw Lu Han look in the same direction, catching sight of Sehun. The look on his face made Yixing’s own smile widen. “I think you’re going to have to learn to be friends with him.”

“Never.” Tao frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yixing just smiled, not going to contradict Tao when he’d be changing his tune in a few weeks, maybe longer depending on how stubborn Lu Han decided to be.

Lu Han’s eyes narrowed when he spotted Sehun against the far wall. He took in the nicely styled hair, swept away from his lean handsome face. He saw the well-tailored suit, hugging Sehun’s lean figure and showing off his long legs. He ignored the attraction and walked over to Sehun with his head held high and gaze leveled on his, a glint of challenge in his eyes.

Sehun met that challenge with one of his own, staying against the wall and calmly sipping his champagne. “Hello, Lu Han.”

“Sehun.”

“Care for some champagne?” Sehun inclined his glass towards Lu Han.

“Sure.” Lu Han smiled at Sehun who set down his empty glass and plucked two new glasses from a passing waiter. The two silently toasted one another before taking a sip. “So what brings you here?”

Sehun gave a small smile, a corner of his lip lifting up. “Oh, I think you know the answer to that already.”

Lu Han couldn’t help cracking a smile at that. “Right, silly question. So are you enjoying yourself ?”

“So far. But I’m sure I’ll enjoy myself more later on.”

Lu Han smiled pleasantly at Sehun. He turned back towards his friends and noticed Yixing waving him over. He nodded, signaling for a minute. “Well, I’ll leave you to your enjoyment now. If you’ll excuse me.”

Lu Han headed back towards his friends and took his seat as the evening was about to begin. He kept the smile frozen on his face when he saw Sehun weave his way around the tables to sit right where he was seated.

Sehun took his spot right next to Yixing, just one chair away from Lu Han. Tao was seated across from Sehun and not hiding his glares. Kris just nodded at Sehun and kept a firm hand on Tao.

“Yixing, you’re going to have some explaining to do.” Lu Han whispered into Yixing’s ear.

“Of course.” Yixing patted Lu Han’s knee. “Now pay attention.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Lu Han wrinkled his nose at his friend before turning towards the speaker on stage.

~|~

“Yixing, why did you invite him tonight? And don’t lie that you didn’t invite him. We bought the table for just our group. Tao hates him and wouldn’t want him anywhere near us and Kris,” Lu Han looked at the man in question, seated on the couch with Tao cuddled up next to him, “well, you know Kris. Those two wouldn’t invite him so that leaves only you. There’s no way for him to be seated at our table without one of us inviting him. Besides, I know you’ve been hanging out with him so it could only be you.”

Yixing calmly sipped his tea. “Yes, it was me.”

Lu Han huffed and slumped into the chair across from Yixing. “Why, Yixing?”

“I thought he would enjoy the event.”

“Yixing!”

“Yes?” Yixing smiled at Lu Han.

Lu Han stared at his serenely smiling friend. He looked into his eyes but couldn’t read them, which frustrated him. Over several thousand years together and he still couldn’t really read his friend. He let out a frustrated huff and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yixing!”

Lu Han let his head fall on the table, not caring about the bruise he now had. “Why must you be like this?”

Yixing reached over and patted Lu Han’s head, gently stroking a hand through his hair. “You know I do it out of love for you.”

“But is it really out of love when you put my enemy so close to me?”

Yixing continued to stroke Lu Han’s hair. “Yes, and I’m sure you’ll thank me for it later.”

“Don’t count on it.” Lu Han scrunched his face at him.

“But you know Yixing is always annoyingly right.”

“Yeah, but I can fight it as long as I want, even if it’s stupid. I’m allowed to be stupid every so often. Everyone is.”

Kris held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, don’t get mad at me for stating a fact. I wasn’t insulting you either so don’t get so huffy.”

Lu Han frowned at his friends. “You guys aren’t helping.”

“How did you want us to help? You know we love you and would do everything in your best interest.” Tao smiled from his spot on the couch.

“Just…just…” Lu Han made a noise of frustration and resigned acceptance. “Just stay with me.”

“We do that already. Anything else?”

Lu Han narrowed his eyes at Tao. “I think that’s enough sass from you, young one. Go take him to bed, Kris. I think it’s past his bedtime.”

Tao pouted as Kris tugged him up from the couch and back towards their room. “Goodnight, everyone. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night.” Yixing waved to the couple. “Now let’s get you to bed too, Han.”

Yixing came over and picked up Lu Han, gently cradling him in his arms as he carried Lu Han to his room.

Lu Han was grateful for the attention, more exhausted than he had let on, leaning close and resting his head on Yixing’s shoulder. “Thanks, Xing.”

Yixing placed Lu Han on his bed and drew up his covers, tucking them under his chin. He brushed a hand over Lu Han’s head and smiled. “You’re welcome, Han. Sweet dreams.”

~|~

Sehun checked his schedule to see what he had planned for today. A sound from his laptop signaled an incoming call. He pulled up his laptop and accepted the call once he saw who it was from. “Hey, long time no see.”

Kai’s smiling face filled the screen. “Same to you. How are you doing? You’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m doing fine.” Sehun smiled. “How about you?”

“Not bad, not bad. So how’s the mission going?”

“The mission?” Sehun thought back to his encounters with Lu Han and his guards. He thought of how surely but slowly he was making some progress towards getting Lu Han to open up to him. “It’s going alright, I guess. This guy Lu Han is tough to crack.”

“Yeah well I’m sure you’ll find a way to open him up. I believe in you.” Kai grinned, holding a thumbs up to his friend. “Now to actual business, do you need more money? How are you surviving? You look a little thin. Are you sure you’re doing okay?”

“I told you I’m doing fine. Now I gotta go before you start clucking like a mother.” Sehun hung up on Kai’s indignant face, always happy to tease his friend. The two liked to take jabs at each other now and then; it helped ease the stress and worry they always had for each other. After putting away his laptop, Sehun grabbed his bag and headed towards the local museum.

Yixing had tipped him off on where Lu Han was going for the day, something Sehun could be grateful for, even if he was still a bit wary of receiving such information so easily. He had also told him that Lu Han would be alone, his friends having made other plans for the day.

Sehun smiled, grateful for not having to deal with Tao. Out of all of Lu Han’s friends and bodyguards, Tao made no effort to hide his dislike for the young spy. Yixing was the friendliest while Kris was normal compared to the other two. He pursed his lips together. He needed to learn more about Lu Han’s guards and not just Lu Han himself but Lu Han was, by far, more interesting than the other three.

Something about Lu Han just always drew Sehun’s eyes. Sure, the man was very handsome, but he also seemed to glow with an unnatural light. It was very subtle but there was no mistake that Lu Han just always glowed with an essence of youth. It was very intriguing. That glow of youth had to be tied to the Fountain of Youth. There couldn’t be any other explanation, not when he was sent here with very specific instructions to seek out Lu Han. No matter what Lu Han said or did, there was no denying he was connected to the Fountain of Youth in some way. Sehun intended to find out that connection.

He paused at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. As soon as it changed, he weaved around people, cars, and bikes until he ended up at the museum.

Once inside, he slowly made his way through the halls, stopping here and there to give the appearance that he had come to enjoy the exhibits instead of searching for Lu Han. Some of the artwork were very beautiful and caused Sehun to take a longer pause before moving on.

He found his target resting on a bench near a sculpture. Walking quietly, he slipped onto the bench next to him. Lu Han didn’t even flinch, just slowly turned his head and smiled at Sehun.

“Well, look who it is? I won’t ask what you’re doing here but I will ask if you at least enjoyed the exhibits.”

Sehun smiled. “Of course, some of the exhibits are very interesting. The amount of talent seen, that has been preserved for so long, is amazing. Who knew art could last so long?”

“The wonders of technology. I’m sure many artists paint and sculpt without ever thinking about their works lasting for centuries but here they are.” Lu Han smiled as he spread his arms out. “I believe art is universal and it seems to be so if people can enjoy them now like they did years ago.”

“Interesting thought.”

“Thank you.” Lu Han inclined his head. “Well, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll move on to the next exhibit.”

“Let me join you.” Sehun stood up and gently gripped Lu Han’s elbow to stop him from leaving.

Lu Han looked down at Sehun’s hand and then up to the owner. “You seem to forget yourself. Please take your hand off me.”

“Only if you’ll hold my hand instead.” Sehun smiled charmingly down at Lu Han.

“I could call for security to have you removed. Touching someone without their consent…” Lu Han tsked.

“I don’t believe you will.” Sehun leaned down to whisper into Lu Han’s ear. “You don’t like to draw attention to yourself and calling security would do that, minor as the attention would be. You prefer to keep a low profile so you’ll let me hold your hand and take you through the exhibit or I can create a scene you won’t like.”

Lu Han glared into Sehun’s eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

A slow grin spread across Sehun’s face. “Try me.”

Lu Han kept his gaze steady, searching Sehun’s eyes and seeing the determination there. With a sigh, he moved Sehun’s hand down to his and linked their fingers together.

Sehun smiled in triumph, swinging their arms once. “You do know I was only holding your elbow. That’s no reason to call security.”

Lu Han frowned. “I could’ve made something up.”

“Yeah but you don’t want the attention so I had the advantage.” Sehun smiled as he led Lu Han towards the next exhibit.

“I’m stronger than you, skinny boy.” Lu Han poked at Sehun’s side. “If I wanted to, I’d have you pinned beneath me in five seconds flat.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Sehun glanced at the floor. “But maybe another time…and on another floor.”

Lu Han huffed. “We’ll see if that even happens. I still don’t like you, spy.”

“But you’ll tolerate my company for now.” Sehun beamed brightly at Lu Han who could feel a slight flush creeping over his cheek at how cute Sehun looked.

“For now, until we’re done touring the museum.”

Sehun just grinned at Lu Han.

~|~

Lu Han sat across from Sehun at the restaurant. The said boy was enjoying his meal, eating his noodles enthusiastically. He spotted some soup dribbling down Sehun’s chin and had to resist the urge to wipe it away for him.

Sehun wiped his mouth soon after, saving Lu Han from the urge. He stared at Lu Han in puzzlement and indicated towards his bowl. “Don’t you like your food?”

“What? Oh it’s fine. It’s good.” Lu Han took a bite of his soup to please Sehun who smiled and turned back to his food. Lu Han continued to slowly eat his food, still a bit unsure how he had gotten maneuvered into having a meal with the guy.

After their walk around the museum, Sehun had kept a tight grip on Lu Han’s hand and led him to a nearby park, where the two just wandered around. They walked past other people enjoying the park and settled down on a bench by the small pond in the center.

Sehun hadn’t spoken a word, just kept silent during their walk and on the bench, which unnerved Lu Han a bit. Normally when he was with an unwanted, persistent spy, the spy would be trying to pry information from him, either with direct questions or subtle questions disguised as small talk. To be with a spy that wasn’t talking to him was a novelty. Lu Han had taken pleasure in the silence and begun to relax.

Sehun noticed Lu Han relaxing and pulled him close to his side, bringing his head down to rest on his shoulders. “You can close your eyes for a nap if you want.”

Lu Han shook his head, not wanting to sleep with an enemy nearby. But the heat of the sun and the calm surroundings plus Sehun’s warm body gently lulled him to sleep.

He woke up to see the sun starting to set and the park relatively empty. “Hey, how long did I sleep?”

Sehun glanced at his watch. “A couple of hours. Want to grab dinner together?”

“Huh? Sure.” Lu Han rubbed sleepily at his eyes until Sehun’s words sunk in. “Wait what?”

“Come on, let’s go.”

And Lu Han had ended up eating noodles with Sehun. By now, Sehun was almost done drinking the soup while Lu Han’s noodles had gotten swollen from being left in the broth too long.

Lu Han took one last bite before pushing his bowl away. He had lost his appetite and sat back, watching Sehun rub his satisfied stomach.

“Mmm delicious.” Sehun saw Lu Han’s still filled bowl. “You didn’t like it?”

“Kind of lost my appetite.” Lu Han gave a shrug.

Sehun pressed his lips together in a frown. “Well that’s not good. Would you like me to buy you something else to eat?”

“Uh no, that’s fine.” Lu Han stood up. He wasn’t sure why he waited for Sehun while he went to pay instead of just leaving but he figured it was courteous to wait for the person you shared a meal with and who also paid for said meal.

Sehun came back and instantly linked their hands together, something Lu Han tried to protest but Sehun had a strong grip and Lu Han didn’t want to make too much of a scene so he only tried a couple of tugs to free himself before being resigned to his current fate. “Alright, since you don’t want to eat something else, what would you like to do?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get home. It’s late and I have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Wake up early? For what?” Sehun started swinging their hands a bit as they walked down the street.

“Oh just something.” Lu Han smiled at Sehun. “None of your business really.”

“Uh huh. Anything you do is my business though.”

Lu Han paused to look at Sehun. “No, it isn’t but you made it your business I guess when you took that foolish mission. No matter what I do, you’re not going to stop, are you?”

“Took you this long to realize, Lu Han?”

“Well, I can always hope you’ll leave and forget this foolish mission, but you’re being stupid and stubborn about this so what can I do?” Lu Han shrugged his shoulders. “I won’t try to stop you…too much, but you do know I won’t make this easy.”

“You haven’t been making it easy from the beginning but that’s alright. I like a challenge.” Sehun grinned at Lu Han.

“Well this will be one challenge you won’t win.”

“Uh uh uh,” Sehun waved a finger in front of Lu Han’s face, “don’t count on it. When I want something, I find ways of getting it. You can bet on it.”

“Sorry but I don’t like to bet. I –“ Lu Han paused, noticing where they were. “Hey, when did we arrive in front of my place? How do you even – oh never mind, that’s another stupid question. I’ll see you later, Sehun, since you can’t take a hint and leave.”

“Wait, Lu Han.”

“What?” Lu Han turned around at the top of the stairs.

“You’re not going to give me a proper goodbye.”

“Proper goodbye? What do you mean?” Lu Han looked at Sehun puzzled.

“Well…” Sehun dragged the tip of his shoe against the ground. “We did just have a date. Shouldn’t you give me a kiss goodbye?”

Lu Han’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

His mind raced back over everything they did today. His face began to glare as he recalled the time spent in the park and the dinner they shared. “That wasn’t a date. In no way was that a date.”

Lu Han huffed like displeased royalty, looking down his nose at Sehun. “And for your information, I don’t kiss on the first date anyway so you’re out of luck. Not that you’ll ever get a kiss from me.”

Sehun gave Lu Han a cheeky grin. “Wanna bet?”

Lu Han hardened his glare, not wanting to show how amused and exasperated he actually was. “Like I said, I don’t bet. Now goodbye.”

Sehun laughed, smiled, and waved, watching as Lu Han headed inside his building. His attempt to get a reaction from Lu Han had worked. “Bye, Lu Han. Sweet dreams and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Don’t count on it,” Lu Han said over his shoulder as he shut the building door behind him.

Sehun waited until Lu Han had disappeared from view before heading home. Though he might not have realized it, Sehun had gotten a better glimpse at Lu Han today and he found something that was definitely intriguing and worth pursuing.

~|~

Despite the tip off about Lu Han’s early wake up the next day, when Sehun stopped by Lu Han’s place to look for him, he was nowhere around. He had even snuck into the building opposite to spy through the window and saw no movement inside. He frowned, wondering how they could’ve escaped him when he had a detailed schedule of their daily routine.

Sehun glanced at his notes again, noting the time and place were correct. “Damn it, they must have something else to do if they’re not following their daily routine.”

Sehun smacked his head. “Lu Han did say he had to wake up early and I thought I got here early enough but I guess not.”

He shot the empty apartment a glare before dejectedly trudging back to his apartment to see if he could locate Lu Han since he wasn’t sticking to the schedule.

~|~

Throughout the week, Sehun would set out from his apartment to stake out Lu Han’s place, but he seemed to always come too late as the apartment was already empty for a while when he arrived. He would wait for a while in hopes that someone would appear but no one ever did. He would return home to try and search for Lu Han or one of his friends via satellite but nothing would ever come up.

It seemed like the four of them had just disappeared. Sehun would’ve been discouraged but he knew they were still around. He had seen signs of them in the apartment, something different every day, so he knew they would come back to the apartment before heading off wherever they went. He just didn’t know where they disappeared.

Sehun stomped his foot, not liking how he could be so easily outmaneuvered. He stomped around his apartment, not sure what to do with himself if his target was missing. He didn’t want to go back to reading through satellite data but he wasn’t getting any satellite data if his target was missing. He also wasn’t in the mood to go work out; he already worked out his frustrations earlier and he was bound to do the same tomorrow.

Sehun collapsed on his couch and kicked his legs in a minor tempter tantrum. He was tired, annoyed, and he just wanted Lu Han. He pouted as he clutched a couch pillow to his chest. He had gone out shopping for little minor things for his apartment, random, impulse purchases to add a bit of a personal touch to the apartment since he was going to stay longer and wanted to make his place a bit homier.

Sehun’s gaze turned up to his ceiling as his mind began to wander.

The mission was supposed to be simple but nothing about the mission was simple from the very beginning.

Sehun sighed.

While he was adapting well to the obstacles thrown at him from Lu Han and his bodyguards, there was one thing he hadn’t counted on, something he had dismissed without another thought at the very beginning. It was only now in the quiet of his apartment, alone with his thoughts, that he could even begin to think about it and wonder what it would do to the mission.

He knew what happened when personal feelings got into a mission. He had seen it happen before and heard tales from his fellow spies during his training days.

But if he wasn’t mistaken, he might not be the only one dealing with personal feelings getting in the way of their objectivity. He smiled to himself, remembering what had happened earlier.

A light knock on the door had Sehun falling off his couch and scrambling for the door. He opened it to find no one there but a letter on the floor. He picked it up, slowly turning it over in his hands. There didn’t seem to be anything suspicious about it so he carried it inside, making sure to lock his door.

He sat down on the couch, staring at his name written on the front of the envelope. He flipped it over and carefully tore it open. Inside was a small piece of paper.

Hi Sehun, just wanted to let you know to stop coming by the apartment. You’re not going to be able to find us or follow us so take your time and maybe review your notes. You might find something you missed before. – Yixing

Sehun pursed his lips together in a frown. “Like that was helpful.”

He tossed the note on the ground and buried his face into the pillow. He let out a frustrated scream before slumping his head into the pillow in defeat.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, he decided to take Yixing’s advice and went over to his notes to begin reviewing.

~|~

Sehun spent the whole night waiting outside Lu Han’s apartment. This time, he was prepared and was not going to be turned away. He was determined to get some answers.

Yixing’s advice had been helpful. Sehun had discovered a few things he had overlooked. He just needed to confirm some of them and then proceed from there.

His eyes threatened to droop on him but he forced himself to stay awake. He had to talk to Lu Han and get some answers. The things he found were mind-boggling. He wasn’t sure if it was possible but given what he was looking for, it had to be and yet he didn’t want to believe it.

He noticed movement and immediately turned to spot Lu Han and his friends leaving their apartment building. Leaving his spot, Sehun walked towards the group, stopping right in front of Lu Han.

“Sehun?” Lu Han looked up with wide eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk. Now.” Sehun grabbed Lu Han’s wrist but felt another hand come over his. He looked up to see Tao glaring fiercely at him.

“Take your hand off him. Now.”

Sehun glared back at Tao. “No. I want some answers and I’m going to get them now.”

Tao stepped towards Sehun so their faces were only centimeters apart. “No, you’re not. Get away from him now before I tear your arm from its socket.”

Sehun growled at Tao. “I’d like to see you try.”

Tao’s grip tightened around Sehun’s wrist, making a bruise.

“Tao,” Lu Han placed a light hand on Tao’s forearm. “It’s fine.”

Lu Han looked at Sehun and carefully searched his face. He could see the determination radiating from his face and knew something was about to happen. It seemed as if Sehun had discovered something. He gave a quiet sigh before smiling gently up at Tao. “Really, it’ll be fine. It’s time.”

Tao stared at Lu Han before looking at Sehun again. He could see the stubbornness and determination and had to concede. With a frown, he released Sehun’s wrist and allowed Sehun to drag Lu Han back into their apartment building.

While he didn’t like the idea of Sehun in their apartment, it was the safest place for them to have their discussion.

With a sigh, Tao turned to Kris who was waiting with open arms. He went into his arms and buried his head into his neck.

“I just want to keep him safe,” Tao mumbled.

“I know, I know.” Kris rubbed soothing circles onto Tao’s back. “But he is a grown man and can protect himself.”

“But he’s so delicate and fragile. He needs protection.”

“Yes, but he does need to grow up.”

Tao leaned back to frown at Kris. “But he’ll never grow up.”

“He might not get old, but he will grow up. You’ll see.” Yixing smiled sweetly at the closed door to their apartment building.

Lu Han followed Sehun back to his apartment. He wasn’t even fazed that the other knew which apartment was his. He would’ve been surprised if Sehun hadn’t known. He knew the boy had done his research well. Perhaps a bit too well if Sehun’s current mood was any indication.

Lu Han bit his bottom lip, looking at Sehun’s back. He wasn’t sure how to handle this Sehun. From the information he had gathered or been handed to him, Sehun was a young man on his first mission. He was quite young, still in his early 20s, and like someone given their first solo assignment, he was dedicated to seeing this mission completed, especially since it had been left incomplete from the previous spy.

He was hardworking with a slight tendency to act before thinking but he was currently working to fix that. He had all the energy of a youth and some of the impatience as well. He was friendly and polite to strangers, playful and considerate to friends and family, and when determined, practically impossible to chase away.

Lu Han pursed his lips, having firsthand experience of Sehun’s determination. The boy had been a nuisance, but he didn’t actually mind having the boy around, taking delight in teasing the guy. Though maybe he shouldn’t have teased him so much since that only seemed to push the guy harder, getting him to dig out information Lu Han had taken great caution to prevent anyone from learning.

Lu Han looked at Sehun’s back with a tiny frown. He still wasn’t sure what Sehun had learned exactly, he was hoping it wasn’t much, but he was going to find out soon as they approached his apartment.

Sehun stopped at the front door and turned to Lu Han impatiently, his foot quickly tapping the ground. “Open the door.”

Lu Han could feel the emotion swirling beneath Sehun’s skin, saw it in the tightening of his jaw and the way his eyes kept moving back and forth, hoping no one would interrupt them. He looked like he was ready for something, not entirely sure what, but he was prepared, body tense with barely controlled emotions.

Lu Han kept his expression as neutral as possible, not wanting to further incite Sehun, and quickly opened the door. His arm was quickly held in a strong grip as Sehun pulled them into the apartment.

The door shut with a loud click, echoing in the silence of the apartment.

Lu Han stood in the middle of the hallway, watching Sehun sweep his eyes around the apartment. He should’ve cleaned up the place more and made sure everything was put away so that Sehun couldn’t learn more than he already knew but it was too late. Honestly, he hadn’t thought he would be entertaining a spy in his place but circumstances called for it. He just hoped it wouldn’t come back at him.

Sehun studied the apartment before him, taking in every detail. He had only gotten tiny glimpses from his peeping earlier so he was taking this advantage before getting down to business. Lu Han wasn’t going to go anywhere. He knew Lu Han knew that this talk had to happen now.

The apartment was modestly furnished even though according to the copy of the lease he had gotten, Lu Han had owned this place for years. Sehun wasn’t sure if he had read the date right but Lu Han had owned this apartment for several years, closer to a few decades. He had expected more furniture and knick knacks around the place, considering how long they had lived there, knowing that things tended to accumulate with time, but it was nice and clean. Sehun liked the simple décor and modest furnishings. It looked warm and inviting but not too personal. It almost appeared like it was staged with how everything was set up. It was similar to how his apartment currently was.

Sehun walked into the living room, stopping right by the black leather couch. Lu Han was still standing in the hallway, carefully watching Sehun.

“Please sit down, Lu Han.”

Lu Han slowly crossed the room, brushing past Sehun to sit on the couch. The two ignored that brush of bodies as there were more pressing matters to take care of. Once he was comfortably seated, lips pressed together, Lu Han looked up at Sehun. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Sehun huffed and sat across from Lu Han in the single arm chair. He crossed his right leg over his left and rested his hands on top of his knee. “Exactly how old are you?”

A slow smile spread across Lu Han’s face. “How old do you think I look?”

Sehun narrowed his eyes. “Don’t play games with me. Not now.”

Sehun stood up, feeling too agitated. “You don’t want to know what happens when I’m pushed to my limit.”

“Really?” Lu Han arched a brow. “While I’m tempted, I am pressed for time. So state your purpose.”

Even if he had been forced into this talk, he was going to take charge and make sure Sehun didn’t learn anymore. Lu Han’s arms crossed in front of his chest and he looked at Sehun standing there. If he squinted, he thought maybe he could see a little steam coming out from his ears. A slow smile crossed his face as Sehun narrowed his.

Sehun huffed and started pacing around the living room, walking back and forth in the hopes of calming down enough not to speak without thinking. “According to my research, you’re over fifty years old and yet you don’t look a day over twenty.”

“It’s my youthful spirit.” Lu Han beamed as he patted his cheek.

Sehun stared at Lu Han with a displeased frown on his face. “No, I think it’s something more…something special.”

“More special than I already am?”

“Yes.”

Lu Han tried to ignore the fluttering of his heart at Sehun’s direct agreement. He knew Sehun was too distracted to understand how his agreement to that question could be interpreted and Lu Han knew better but it was nice to know that someone that didn’t know his secret thought he was special. He pressed his lips together in a small frown, not wanting to show any emotion, as his mind tried to enter into thoughts he kept under a lock and key. Dangerous things happened when you fell for the enemy.

“Alright, then what is this something more?”

Sehun walked over to Lu Han, crouching down to match Lu Han’s eyes level, wanting to look into his eyes as he said his next words. “The Fountain of Youth.”

Lu Han’s eyes narrowed. “Oh really? And what makes you think that?”

“Have you forgotten everything about us?” Sehun jumped up to begin pacing around again, too irritated to stay still. “I came here with the specific intention to find the Fountain of Youth and that search led me right to you. Right at the beginning, you warned me to stop my search which only proved I was on the right track. Since then, you’ve thrown obstacle after obstacle to stop me from learning anything more.”

“Because you were being a stalker, always around me, bothering me, and just being a general nuisance,” Lu Han mumbled.

“It’s essentially my job.” Sehun frowned at Lu Han, “You should know that since you were doing the same thing.”

“That was for self preservation purposes. Not the same thing.”

“I beg to differ but to get back to the point, even with all those obstacles, I did find out something, something important.”

Lu Han felt his pulse spike at the intense look Sehun was directing at him. He swallowed nervously, afraid of what Sehun might have found out.

Sehun leaned down to be on Lu Han’s level. “You are connected to the Fountain of Youth in some way. For you to have lived so long and to look so young, you must have a very close relationship with the Fountain of Youth.”

Lu Han let out the breath he had secretly been holding. He lifted up a corner of his mouth, knowing when to reveal and when to hide. “Well, looks like you found my little secret.”

Sehun’s eyes widened, not thinking Lu Han would cave so easily.

“Yes, I have a close relation with the Fountain of Youth but that’s it.”

“So do you know where it is?”

Lu Han’s eyes twinkled with hidden secrets. “Now you really think I’ll tell you that?”

He stood up from the couch, surprising Sehun into falling over onto his butt. “Well, now that you’ve gotten what you came for, I think it’s time for you to leave. If you will?”

Lu Han indicated towards the door. Sehun looked at the door then at Lu Han.

Slowly he stood up, wiping off any dust from his butt. He headed towards the door but paused before opening it. “Just so you know, you’re wrong.”

“Wrong about what?”

Sehun’s mouth lifted in a soft, little smile. “I haven’t gotten what I came for, or well not all of it. I’ll see you later.”

Sehun left quietly through the front door, letting it fall close behind him.

Lu Han stared at the closed door, mind whirling over Sehun’s parting words. He didn’t want to know what Sehun meant by those words but he had a feeling he knew. He just wasn’t sure how he felt about that yet.

Lips pursed, Lu Han left the apartment, making sure it was closed, to return to his friends for their busy schedule.

~|~

Since that confrontation with Lu Han and his partial confession, Sehun had spent most of his time alone in his apartment, knowing Lu Han was busy doing something. He still had no idea where the quartet disappeared to and had stopped trying to find them after his many unsuccessful attempts to follow them.

His time spent alone allowed him to gather his thoughts together.

He had started this mission with an optimistic attitude, maybe a bit foolish, thinking he could complete the mission so easily within a few weeks. It still annoyed him how easily Lu Han had messed up his plans with his unplanned confrontation. He was not expecting to meet his target like that so soon. It had created quite a few obstacles later on. He no longer had his element of surprise, something he had actually been counting on.

Sehun sighed and rolled over on his couch, arm coming to rest beneath his head, as he stared blankly ahead.

With those obstacles thrown in his way, he had worked harder to overcome them, maybe even compensating in some areas. He’d spent so much time researching Lu Han, learning his habits, his mannerisms, his daily routine, that thoughts of Lu Han began to fill his head so all he could think about was Lu Han. He barely paid much attention to his friends, just some basic facts and whatever else he picked up when he was observing Lu Han.

However, his notes on Lu Han’s friends were sadly lacking as he had spent more time focused on Lu Han.

Sehun slipped off the couch to his notes spread out on the floor. It was organized by date and content. At the beginning, his notes were very meticulous, jotting down anything related to Lu Han’s daily habits and mannerisms. He had made a schedule of Lu Han’s daily routine and noted down anything that would be useful when next he encountered Lu Han.

As he progressed down the line of his notes, they continued to still be meticulous but their content had changed. He looked at the lines he had underlined, talking about the way Lu Han looked particularly good in this one outfit or how the sun shined brightly off his mop of blonde hair or how he just seemed to glow with so much youthful vitality.

Sehun narrowed his eyes at that one word: youthful. Several times, he had used that adjective to describe Lu Han as his notes progressed from an objective observation to a more personal observation. No matter what, Lu Han glowed with a youthful essence that had to stem from his relationship with the Fountain of Youth.

With his lips pursed together, Sehun poured over his notes, hoping to find some hidden hint about the Fountain of Youth. He had taken a step closer than his predecessor but he still didn’t know where the Fountain of Youth was. But at least he could verify the existence of the Fountain of Youth with Lu Han’s confession.

He had already added Lu Han’s confession to his folder of evidence on his laptop. That folder didn’t contain much, just that one sound file. He had a separate folder of all his notes, color coded and organized for quick retrieval or comparison. He had already spent time looking through them.

Sehun collapsed on the floor, limbs spread out, not caring that he was crinkling his notes a bit. His head ached from all the thinking and reading and he just wanted to rest for a while.

A knock on the door caused him to bolt upright, rushing to check who was there. He opened the door to find Lu Han standing there, smiling brightly.

Sehun’s jaw dropped.

“Hi, Sehun. Can I come in?” Lu Han pushed back Sehun into his apartment. His eyes roamed over Sehun’s place, committing everything to memory. He saw the papers spread out on the floor, catching sight of his name, before Sehun was rushing past to quickly sweep everything up.

Sehun quickly put the papers away in his bedroom. He grabbed his laptop along the way, putting them into the bedroom and locking the door. He stood there and watched as Lu Han stood serenely in the middle of the living room, observing everything.

“Are you done now?” Lu Han beamed at Sehun. “Care to get some food together?”

Sehun slowly approached Lu Han, not sure about this change in attitude. “Uh…sure. But where?”

“Oh anywhere.” Lu Han tapped his chin. “Oh, actually I know this nice little place not too far from here.”

“Wanna go?” Lu Han held his hand out to Sehun.

Sehun stared at Lu Han’s hand a moment too long.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to have a meal with me?” Lu Han’s bottom lip jutted out in an attractive pout.

Sehun felt his heart turn over at this display of cuteness. He knew he was in trouble but didn’t care. “Sure.”

He placed his hand in Lu Han’s and followed the boy outside.

~|~

“Things appearing to be going well.” Kyungsoo smiled as he watched the video feed. “Do they know we’re watching?”

“I don’t think so. For his age, Lu Han is still very naïve, which is quite amusing and adorable.” Yixing smiled, thinking of his long time friend who he had spent many centuries with. “Sehun’s still a bit naïve even if he does have some excellent spy skills. Did you train him yourself?”

Kyungsoo laughed. “No, it was Baekhyun which would explain why he’s still a bit…fresh.”

Yixing laughed. “Ah, I see. How is everyone?”

“I’m sure you’ll see them soon enough if you ever wanted to call someone else.”

Yixing waved his hand. “That’s okay. I’m sure they’re all busy with their own work as you should be.”

“I am, which is why I’m talking to you.” Kyungsoo looked at his second monitor where a camera was recording Lu Han and Sehun for their evening meal. This was their third in a couple weeks. He noticed their expressions and smiled though he knew they were moving quite slowly from what Yixing had told him. “So what do you think?”

“Your instincts seem to be point on as always but they are being a bit difficult.” Yixing thought back to those days after Lu Han had gone out to see Sehun. From Lu Han’s talks with him, he could tell Lu Han was still on guard, but for all his protests and excuses for hanging out with the boy, he knew Lu Han secretly enjoyed it.

“Being difficult how?”

“Well, they’re both spies and very suspicious, Lu Han more so because of who he is. And from what Lu Han told me, Sehun did partially confess but it’s nothing concrete.” Yixing pouted.

“Hmmm…well this wasn’t going to be easy, nothing like this ever is, but it’s progressing nicely, wouldn’t you say?”

“Why yes, yes it is.” Yixing smiled. “And I’m sure it’ll progress a little faster very soon.”

“Oh?”

Yixing’s eyes held a little twinkle. “We have some visitors coming in a few days.”

“Ah.” Kyungsoo nodded knowingly. “Well I hope that will speed things up.”

“Oh I don’t doubt it. Based on what I know about those two, I’m sure we can expect positive results.”

Kyungsoo laughed. “Well, keep me posted. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye Kyungsoo. Give my regards to Joonmyun.”

“You can do that yourself.”

Yixing waved. “Like I said, busy. And I think Lu Han will be home soon with more tales of his date with Sehun.”

“Alright. Take care.”

“You too.”

At that moment, the front door opened and Yixing looked up to see Lu Han walking into the apartment. “Hey, Lu Han.”

“Hi Xing.” Lu Han glanced around. “Are Tao and Kris here?”

“No, they’re still out shopping.”

Lu Han’s eyes widened. “This late?”

Yixing laughed. “Did you forget who was shopping?”

“Ah…right…forgot. I can’t believe he still enjoys shopping even after all these years.”

“It’s because there’s always something new and interesting for him to find.” Yixing set his laptop aside and waited for Lu Han to join him on the couch. Lu Han rested his head on Yixing’s lap as Yixing gently stroked his hair. “So they’re going to be out for a while. Kris texted me that they were going to home late thanks to a sale.”

“Ah, that’s good.” Lu Han shifted on the couch, turning more into Yixing to look at him. “I know Tao wouldn’t like me going out and meeting with Sehun, but I need to know about my enemy.”

“And have you been learning about him?”

“Yeah,” Lu Han gave a dreamy sigh. “He’s so much more than I first thought, though he’s still a child.”

Yixing chuckled. “Everyone’s a child compared to us.”

Lu Han scrunched up his face. “Please don’t remind me.”

“So how was dinner today?”

“Fine, good, normal, I guess.” Lu Han pressed his lips together as he thought about their evening meal.

“Nothing special happened?”

“No, just another meal together. Some small talk about the city, how we’re doing, what we’ve done. This is his first time out of the country by himself and he was nervous about it, but he’s adapted well. Even though he seems very mature, he still looks at everything with this wide-eyed innocence. It’s faint but it’s there if you look carefully into his eyes.” Lu Han gave a soft sigh, recalling those warm brown eyes. “He’s so cute, still such a baby.”

“I also found out he likes to play with his food when he’s busy talking. It’s cute.” Lu Han recalled Sehun moving his food around his plate, as he got lost in a story he was telling about his best friend and him playing on the playground where they pretended the ground was lava.

“That’s nice.” Yixing’s hands continued to rub soothingly over Lu Han’s hair. “Are you going to see him again?”

“Yeah, probably for dinner again in a few days.” Lu Han pressed his lips together. “Don’t want Tao getting more suspicious of where I go during these days off I give him.”

“Well, if you keep distracting him with shopping, you might stay safe for a bit more.”

Lu Han shook his head. “No, I’m sure he’ll get suspicious if he goes shopping so often, even if he does like to shop so much and feels like he needs just about everything he sees. I have no idea where he puts it all.”

Yixing smiled as he stroked Lu Han’s hair. “Have you forgotten that we all have our own place?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It makes me wonder what his place looks like but we don’t talk about that.”

“Yes, we don’t.” Yixing continued stroking Lu Han’s hair before he jolted a bit in his seat, upsetting Lu Han and almost causing said boy to fall over. Lu Han sat up and looked at Yixing. Yixing smiled apologetically before beaming. “Ah right, we have guests arriving.”

“Guests?” Lu Han’s eyes lit up in understanding. He bounced a little on the couch, scooting closer to Yixing. “When are they coming?”

“In a few days.”

Lu Han had a big grin on his face. “Great! I can’t wait to see them. We have to prepare for their arrival.”

Yixing laughed. “We don’t have to do anything special for them. They come every year.”

Lu Han pouted. “Yeah, but they visit so rarely I want to make it special for them.”

“Plus,” Lu Han’s eyes twinkled, “I’m sure I can get something out of their visit.”

Yixing recognized that mischievous twinkle and couldn’t wait to see what would happen.

~|~

It had been over a week since the last time he had a meal with Lu Han and he was missing his time with the other man. He had used his data to keep track of Lu Han and had seen him staying at home a lot but now the man had decided to venture out. He had jotted down the address and rushed out. A block away, Sehun decided to observe from the opposite street. If Lu Han didn’t want to see him, then he wouldn’t see him.

He had grabbed a seat outside the small café and slipped on his glasses. They were specially designed back at headquarters, allowing him to zoom in on whatever he wished. He relaxed in his chair as he turned towards the café across the street where Lu Han and his friends were seated.

“Who is that guy?” Sehun frowned when he spotted two new people join the foursome at the café.

Both men were short in stature with one slightly leaner than the other. One had sharp cheekbones and mischief in his eyes as he greeted everyone. The other…

Sehun gasped. The other man had a baby face and appeared to glow with an internal light.

He looked carefully at the man. It seemed like he glowed with a natural light similar to Lu Han but how was that possible? No one glowed like Lu Han as Lu Han was youth personified. No one else had a close relationship to the Fountain of Youth like Lu Han and yet this man had a similar essence to Lu Han. He had to find out why.

Sehun narrowed his gaze as he studied the group. The two new guys seemed to have slipped into the group seamlessly. They had come bearing drinks, passing them around to everyone, before slipping into their conversation.

Sehun had forgotten his earbuds so he wasn’t able to listen in to the conversation but he could try to read their lips. His skills were a bit rusty but he was able to catch a few words here and there. He thought he made out the name ‘Xiumin’ but wasn’t sure. He kept his eyes trained on them as the six people conversed together happily.

The glowing man smiled brightly at Lu Han before the two embraced.

Sehun ignored the feeling of jealousy welling up inside at how close the two seemed. He wanted to have that same comfortable atmosphere the two of them had. He took of his glasses to glare at the group, lips pursed tightly as he wondered how to get closer to Lu Han.

The six stood up from their table and headed down the street, heading towards an exclusive club, a place Sehun had no hope of entering. With a frown, he got up and headed home, knowing he wouldn’t be getting any more work done out in the field.

~|~

“So that was the spy bothering you?” Xiumin smiled as he settled into the booth. “He’s cute.”

“He’s an annoyance.” Lu Han slipped into the booth next to him.

“And yet you’ve been going out to eat with him,” Xiumin whispered into Lu Han’s ear.

“Shhh, don’t let Tao hear or he’ll go after him.”

“You don’t want Tao to go after him?” Xiumin arched a brow. “That’s not your usual behavior towards spies.”

“Sehun’s special.” Yixing whispered.

“I noticed,” Xiumin smirked. “Lu Han left out a few details when we were catching up.”

“No, I didn’t.” Lu Han stuck out his tongue.

“Are you guys done whispering and ready to order?” Chen lifted a brow at the trio.

“Right, right, right. Sorry, ChenChen.” Xiumin smiled and looked over the menu.

They placed their orders and then went back to their conversation.

“So any plans for this trip?”

“Just relax, take in the sites, the usual. Why did you have anything special planned for us?” Xiumin smiled at his friend.

“Nope.” Lu Han smiled. “Just wanted to see if you had anything planned.”

“Nope, though I do want a change of scenery from your apartment. You didn’t let me leave for three days, insisting that we catch up.” Xiumin’s eyes held a twinkle of mischief as he watched Lu Han pout and huff.

“Hey, it’s not my fault it took so long. If you called more…”

“What’s keeping you from calling me?” Xiumin arched a brow.

“Same thing that keeps you from calling me.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. From my knowledge, you don’t have anyone to have sex with.”

“Well not all of us are lucky enough to find someone to accept us as we are.” Lu Han glared at his friend.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry. I’m sure you’ll find someone soon.” Xiumin smiled. “So Tao, how are you doing?”

Chen moved his food around the plate, enjoying the lull of conversation around him. He missed hanging out with these guys but with them being in a different country, it was hard to meet up. He was glad to be so close to these guys considering they’ll be his friends for a long time. Though there was one friend he wanted to get a lot closer to…

He felt something nudge his foot. Looking up, he found Yixing smiling at him.

“Hey, you okay? You’re a bit quiet.”

“Oh, no, everything’s fine. Just…thinking I guess.”

“Can I ask about what?”

“Oh nothing. Just wondering what to do. It feels like I’ve seen everything already.”

“Already?” Yixing’s eyes widened. “Oh, I doubt that. There’s still so much more for you to see.”

“Oh?” Chen looked at Yixing surprised. “Like what?”

Yixing winked. “I’ll tell you later.”

Chen lowered his head, not wanting anyone to see the light blush staining his cheeks. Even though he knew Yixing was being his usual self, he couldn’t help hoping that his words meant something more.

~|~

“Hey babe,” Xiumin smiled through the camera. “When were you going to tell me Sehun was here?”

Joonmyun bit his bottom lip. He gave his boyfriend a nervous smile. “Uh…when it came up?”

Xiumin arched a brow. “And when would that have been?”

“Uh um…when you found out.”

Xiumin quietly chuckled. “Babe, why are you so shy and nervous right now? Is something wrong?”

Joonmyun puffed out his cheeks. “Well…Sehun’s working on the same mission I was given ten years ago.”

Xiumin’s eyes widened as he stared at his boyfriend hanging his head down. “Oh…and how did this happen?”

“Jongin.” Joonmyun scrunched his face up. “And Kyungsoo didn’t even stop him when Jongin showed him the file.”

“Oh,” Xiumin nibbled on his bottom lips, “well that’s a bit surprising. I would’ve thought Kyungsoo would know better. I mean isn’t that why you assigned him to be Jongin’s babysitter while he was stuck in the office for five more months?”

“He says he has his reasons for allowing Jongin to do that.” Joonmyun crossed his arms in front of his chest. “And while he didn’t tell me everything, he insists it’s for a good cause that will make everyone happy.”

Xiumin laughed. “Oh babe, what are you worried about then? Sounds like it won’t be that bad then. Sehun’s just doing the same mission you did and he’s not going to get anywhere with it. At least according to what Lu Han told me.”

He conveniently left out that Sehun had already learned Lu Han had a close connection to the Fountain of Youth. He didn’t want to worry his boyfriend any more than he was already worried. The boy had made better progress than Joonmyun but unlike Joonmyun, he didn’t really have a distraction to keep him away from his mission. Xiumin smiled to himself, remembering that time.

“But-but you don’t know that. Don’t you know Sehun? This is his first mission and you know he’s not going to give it up so easily I think.”

“Babe, hey,” Xiumin smiled calmly at his boyfriend, hands up to try and comfort him through the computer screen, “calm down. Don’t worry so much.”

“But what’s going to happen when he finds out?”

“He’s not going to find out.” Xiumin could only hope but with the way things were progressing, it was only a matter of time. He just hoped things would turn out well like before. “Lu Han has been doing fine for years now. Plus he has Yixing, Tao, and Kris to help him. Sehun isn’t going to learn anything he shouldn’t.”

“I hope you’re right.” Joonmyun’s lip stuck out in a tiny pout. “I miss you. When are you coming back?”

“In a little while. You know I like to spend a few weeks with Lu Han when I get the chance.”

Joonmyun sighed. “Yeah, I know. Just stay safe. And tell Chen that he better take good care of you.”

“Don’t worry. I will.” Xiumin smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The two sent each other kisses and then hung up.

Joonmyun felt better after talking with his boyfriend but he still couldn’t help but worry about how the mission would go. He just didn’t want anyone to get hurt, especially those he loved which was everyone currently involved in this mission.

“Maybe I should’ve just burned my report before I got back here so there’d be no record but there’s no way I could’ve done that. That would’ve been against the rules.”

But he had broken some rules when he let that mission stay incomplete instead of disclosing all he knew but he had a good reason to. He just hoped Sehun didn’t discover the same thing…or if he did, he’d make the right decision in the end.

~|~

“Thank you, Yixing ge.” Chen smiled as he accepted the steaming bowl of soup from Yixing. He scooped up some soup, gently blew on it, and ate it. He smiled to himself, letting the delicious flavor run over his tongue. He always enjoyed Yixing’s cooking; he liked it best when he could watch Yixing cook.

Yixing had a way about the kitchen, moving so easily, as he created something wonderful. It was a treat to watch Yixing cook, his movements confident as he chopped up ingredients, combined them together, and cooked it into something delicious.

He wondered how Yixing could be such a great cook but then he remembered how old Yixing really was and figured practice really did make things perfect. He let out a little sigh when his gaze settled on Yixing’s ass for a moment before he turned back to his food.

“You’re welcome, Chen.” Yixing had turned back to the stove to continue spooning out soup for Xiumin and himself. Xiumin was busy calling his boyfriend and would be out shortly, he said. He set the two bowls on the table and sat down across from Chen.

Yixing smiled as he watched Chen quietly but quickly devour his food. He always liked it when people enjoyed his cooking. He began to slowly eat his food, pausing every so often when his eyes strayed towards Chen. He had to stop himself from reaching out when he noticed some liquid had got on his chin.

It was quiet as the two ate their meal. Xiumin joined them shortly, sitting down next to Yixing.

“Mmm…this is excellent, Yixing. You’re a terrific cook.”

“Thank you, Xiumin. But it’s nothing special.”

“Well, it’s terrific.” Xiumin smiled as he slurped up more soup.

“So Minseok hyung, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Chen smiled as he set down his empty bowl. Yixing grabbed it and set it in the sink before Chen could say anything.

Frowning, Chen got up and nudged Yixing away to do the dishes himself. Minseok watched the two with amusement in his eyes. Yixing came back to sit next to Minseok when he failed to move Chen.

“Oh, I’m not sure yet. You up for walking the Wall?”

“Again?” Chen turned to his hyung with wide eyes. “But we’ve done that five times already, on almost every visit to China. Do we have to do it again?”

“Gotta stay fit, Jongdae.” Minseok smiled as he patted his stomach. “You don’t sit around lounging all day and get this kind of body. Plus we’re young and have lots of energy to burn.”

Chen glared at Xiumin smiling brightly. “Not all of us are young.”

Xiumin laughed. “Of course we are. Look at us. Do we look old to you?”

Chen’s gaze racked over Xiumin and Yixing next to him. “No, but looks can be deceiving.”

A slow grin crossed Xiumin’s face. “So true, but how about it? Walk the Great Wall again?”

Chen’s lips pursed together in a frown as he thought about making that same trek again. It hardly ever changed. The scenery was the same, the stones were the same, there were always tourists, it was always hot and tiring, and his feet always ached afterwards.

“I was thinking I might join you guys tomorrow. Lu Han wanted to stay in tomorrow so I have the day free. I haven’t been to the Great Wall in a while.” Yixing smiled as he watched his comment register on Chen’s face.

Chen’s frown deepened as he knew there was no way he wasn’t going to go now. Even though he was here to protect Xiumin, Xiumin was lax about Chen staying with him 24/7. There was always Yixing, Kris, and Tao for backup if Chen wasn’t available to watch Xiumin. But wherever Yixing went, Chen would follow like a puppy. He knew the others liked to tease him about it and he accepted it but he just wanted to spend as much time with Yixing hyung as possible whenever he was here. It wasn’t often he got to go to China and even less time to be with his crush.

Chen sighed, “Fine, we’ll go to the Wall tomorrow.”

Xiumin smiled brightly. “Great. Now go get some rest. It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow.”

When Chen turned back around to finish the dishes, Xiumin patted Yixing’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

Yixing just inclined his head. He got up and walked past Chen on his way out of the kitchen.

“You did that on purpose,” Chen mumbled under his breath.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Chen.” Yixing smiled innocently at the slightly fuming boy. “Go on and get some rest. I’ll finish up the dishes.”

“I can finish them myself.” With a huff, Chen moved the dishes out of Yixing’s reach. “Then I’ll go to sleep.”

“Alright then. Have a good night.” Yixing smiled and patted Chen’s lower back, hand lingering a little, before he headed off to bed.

Chen frowned down at the dishes, wondering if that touch had meant something. Yixing normally touched people he was close to but his hand had lingered if Chen wasn’t mistaken. Did that lingering mean something else or just Yixing being absentminded?

He continued to frown as he thought about Yixing’s behavior.

“Aish,” Chen rubbed at his head, not caring that he was getting his hair wet with some suds. He was so confused and wasn’t any closer to figuring out the man than he was when he had first met him.

The first time Chen had seen Yixing, it had been three years ago when he had first tagged along with Xiumin on his annual trip to China.

Xiumin and Chen had become close friends during their joint time at university. It wasn’t until their graduation that Chen learned the truth about Xiumin. He had felt honored to be taken into Xiumin’s confidence, knowing how difficult making that choice had been. He was grateful when Xiumin asked him to become his travel buddy and bodyguard as Chen was a bit lost on what to do after graduation with no job lined up.

At first, Chen had taken his job as bodyguard seriously until Xiumin laughed at him and told him to loosen up.

“You’re more going to be a travel buddy than a bodyguard.” Xiumin smiled as he relaxed on the couch. “It’s my boyfriend that wants me to have a bodyguard. I’m not really in the market for one since I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”

Chen recalled the times they had gone to the gym together. He had seen Xiumin’s workout routine and knew how strong and fast the other man was. He nodded his head.

“But I want to please him. So I found a compromise that my boyfriend doesn’t know about which is why you’re here. You’ll be my bodyguard and travel buddy, though more emphasis on the travel buddy.”

“O…kay, but what about your boyfriend?”

“Oh, I’ll just tell him you’re my bodyguard until I wear him down.” Xiumin waved it away like it was no big deal but Chen was a bit scared. He had never met Xiumin’s boyfriend before and he didn’t really look like the bodyguard type.

“What Joonmyun doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Xiumin had told Chen before his interview with Joonmyun. He had wanted to make sure he was suitable to protect his boyfriend.

After spending time with both Xiumin and Chen, Joonmyun had approved but it wasn’t until later that Joonmyun learned the truth and by then, it didn’t make a difference. Chen had ceased acting like a bodyguard when Joonmyun was around, too comfortable with the pair to care about pretenses anymore.

It was the first time Chen was going to travel out of the country with Xiumin and Joonmyun had been there to hover over them like a mother hen. He made sure they had their bags, their passports, and their tickets. He also went over all the rules of what they could and could not do. Both listened but inside, they were rolling their eyes, though Chen was a bit scared of going on the trip as it would also be his first time traveling out of the country as well. He stuck closer to Xiumin than may be necessary but Xiumin had just smiled and patted his head like a mother to a child.

The two had traveled to Shanghai, China, landing at Pudong Airport. The two had gotten off the plane to find Xiumin’s friends waiting for them.

On the flight over, Xiumin had given Chen a brief rundown of the people he would meet but all the names and faces he had memorized floated out of his head as soon as Chen had seen Yixing standing there.

Xiumin had to nudge Chen’s side twice before the man snapped out of his ogling. Quickly shaking his head and regaining his composure, he greeted the four men with a light blush on his face. His face reddened when he shook Yixing’s hand, being treated to the man’s beautiful smile.

“Welcome to Shanghai, Xiumin, Chen. I hope you enjoy your stay.” Yixing beamed at the couple and Chen felt his heart flip over. He was lost.

The rest of the trip had been spent with Chen following after Yixing without seeming creepy. The rest of the group had been amused, with Xiumin and Luhan both teasing Chen about his obvious crush, but Chen had been amazed to see how well the two of them had gotten along. He had fallen harder for the man.

Yet throughout the trip, Chen tried to find some sign of reciprocated feelings to no avail. It seemed as if Yixing treated everyone the same, in a gentle and caring way that didn’t divulge anything he was actually feeling or thinking. The man had the best mask ever.

Chen pouted. The man still had the best mask ever, even after all these years. They had kept in contact with email and the occasional phone call - he wasn’t sure why Yixing refused to video call him - but those were just normal and didn’t reveal anything. He sighed as he finished up the last of the dishes. What did he have to do to get the man’s attention?

“Chen? Are you still washing the dishes?” Yixing poked his head around the corner to find Chen by the sink. “You should get to bed if you’re going to be climbing the Wall tomorrow. You need all your energy for the climb.”

“Uh yeah. I’ll-I’ll head to bed now.” Chen kept his head down as he hurried past Yixing to his room to sleep.

Yixing watched Chen walk away with a small smile on his face. Once he heard the sound of the bedroom door closing, he set to work preparing their bags for tomorrow.

~|~

Lu Han sat alone in his apartment, wanting some time to himself. Xiumin, Chen, and Yixing had gone to the Wall while Tao and Kris took a short trip out to the beach.

Laying down on the couch, Lu Han stared up at the ceiling and allowed his mind to wander to a place he had previously shut off. An image of Sehun filled his vision as he recalled the other man. He had seen him the other day spying on them.

If he wasn’t wrong, he thought he could sense some hostile emotions from the other man, from the way he was seated, body tight with barely controlled tension.

Lu Han rolled over onto his side, letting his hand drop to the floor. He dragged his hand back and forth as he recalled their simple meals together over the last couple weeks. Alone, he could admit how much he had started to enjoy being in the other’s presence when he wasn’t occupied with completing his mission.

Lu Han frowned. Even though they had been spending time together, Sehun didn’t talk about the Fountain at all. The first time they officially went out on a meal together, Sehun had made a small inquiring comment about the Fountain and when Lu Han had brushed his comment aside, he had stopped bringing up the subject.

He wasn’t sure if this was a strategy or not but Lu Han was going to accept the harassment free time. It had been a while since he had spent time with someone other than his three friends and bodyguards, someone that actually wanted to spend time with him without an ulterior motive.

Although Sehun did have an ulterior motive, somehow that fact barely registered when he was with the other. Lu Han recalled their walk in the park and stopping by the little lake to watch the calm water with the occasional fish appearing. It had been so nice and comfortable Lu Han hadn’t even registered resting his head on Sehun’s shoulder but when he did, he didn’t move and Sehun didn’t say anything so they had sat together in silence.

There was something about Sehun, how they lost track of time when they were in each other’s company that was comforting to Lu Han. It had been a while since he had felt so at ease with another person. It was just surprising that he felt so comfortable with someone he should consider an enemy but the lines were beginning to blur, had been for a while now.

Lu Han sighed and brought his hand to rest under his head. Somehow, without realizing it, his feelings towards Sehun had changed or maybe they had always been there but he was just in denial.

“And I’ll continue to stay in denial since that’s the safest thing for everyone here.” Lu Han frowned to himself. “I can’t afford another relationship.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Lu Han sat up, turning towards the doorway. His eyes widened when he saw Sehun leaning against the doorjamb. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

Sehun gave a small smirk. “I came here to see you. And it was easy to get in. Someone forgot to lock it I think.”

He walked in, gently closing the door behind him. He locked the door before turning to smile at Lu Han. “There, now no one can get in without the key.”

“Thanks…I feel so safe now…alone with my enemy.” Lu Han gave a wry smile as he watched Sehun walk over and take a seat on the chair across from him.

“I thought I wasn’t the enemy anymore.” Sehun crossed his legs and looked at Lu Han with a smile.

“The jury is still out on that.” Lu Han narrowed his gaze at Sehun. “I may not completely trust you but I do find that I seem to enjoy your company.”

“Likewise.” Sehun smiled and brought his knees up to his chest. “So…?”

“So…?”

“Can I ask you to elaborate on what you said earlier?” Sehun tilted his head at Lu Han.

“What did I say earlier?” Lu Han shifted on the couch so that he was seated and facing Sehun.

“Being in denial about something,” Sehun arched a brow at Lu Han, “and not being able to afford another relationship. Strange, but I always thought relationships were free.”

“Oh no, no, no, relationships aren’t free. Nothing is free. Everything comes with a price.”

“Just some have a higher price than others?” Sehun had a small smile on his face as he looked at Lu Han with understanding.

“Yeah, and for me, any price is too high.” Lu Han nodded, adding emphasis to his claim.

“Then how do you explain your friends?” Lu Han looked at Sehun confused. “If the price is so high, why do they stick around?”

“Fine, some prices aren’t too high…or they’re dumb enough to stick around.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to insult your closest friends, Lu Han, but no matter the insult, you know we’ll always be here for you.”

“Yeah because you –“ Lu Han pressed his lips together, almost about to reveal something he shouldn’t. He huffed and crossed his arms.

“You know it’s because of that, though it is a side benefit.” Yixing smiled as he walked over to Lu Han, sitting down next to him, pulling the other man into his side.

Sehun was watching the exchange with fascinated eyes and a hint of jealousy. He wasn’t upset at being interrupted since it was just Yixing, the safer one out of the bodyguards, but he did mind someone getting close to Lu Han, something he wasn’t able to yet. He didn’t move from his chair, just sat there observing the two now poking each other’s sides.

“Hi, we haven’t been introduced. I’m Xiumin.”

Sehun tore his eyes away to be met with the same man from yesterday. If he looked carefully beneath the sheen of sweat, he could see that same glow that shined from Lu Han’s pores. He looked at the outstretched hand and slowly gripped it in his. He could appreciate the strong grip and returned one of his own.

Xiumin kept his smile in place but his eyes twinkled, amused by Sehun’s attitude, but he had some respect for Sehun, how he could keep his cool so well even if his eyes burned. He took his hand back and settled on the other chair.

“Hi, I’m Chen.”

Sehun turned to find the other man smiling at him, hand stretched out. Feeling a little bit more relaxed by the other’s gentle smile, he returned the smile and handshake.

Chen settled on the armrest of Xiumin’s chair and surveyed the group. “So what are you two up to?”

“Nothing. He just came a few minutes before you guys did.” Lu Han crossed his legs and settled into Yixing’s side.

“Ah, so nothing yet. Did you guys want to go out to eat? I’m starving.” Chen rubbed his stomach. “I’d forgotten how hungry I get after climbing the Wall.”

“I can whip us up some food.” Yixing made to stand up but Lu Han’s arm stopped him alongside Chen’s protest.

“No, you have to be tired from that walk. We’ll just go out…or order in.”

“Let’s go out.” Lu Han jumped up, tugging Yixing up with him. Xiumin stood up from the chair, Chen following suit. Sehun slowly stood up and waited by the couch.

The foursome had already headed towards the door. They turned back to look at Sehun.

“Aren’t you coming?” Lu Han arched a brow.

“Oh, sure.” Sehun headed towards the door, following after the group. A light touch to his wrist caused him to look up but everyone was already a few feet ahead, chatting animatedly. But he caught the small smile on Lu Han’s face and that was all he needed before he joined the group for dinner.

~|~

Sehun flopped onto his couch, body tired from going out every day. If he wasn’t going somewhere with Lu Han and his friends, he was still trailing after them to watch and observe.

Alone, he could admit that he was beginning to stalk Lu Han more than doing his job. It was true that he had to observe his subject but the feelings that came along with his observations were not related to his mission in any way. Whenever he went out to watch them, he always paid close attention to Lu Han and his interactions with the other.

There seemed to be this special bond between Lu Han and Xiumin. The two were very close, Lu Han liking to get into Xiumin’s space a lot and touching him, a brush of the arm here, a teasing peck on the cheek there.

And somehow Yixing seemed to be touchier with Lu Han, something he hadn’t noticed before. The two liked to give each other back hugs or poke each other’s sides. Lu Han had a habit of poking Yixing’s dimple on occasion.

Sehun pressed his lips into a frown. He was jealous of how the others could freely interact and touch Lu Han to their pleasure, something he didn’t think he would ever be able to do. Even if the two of them had been spending more time together and he thought they were getting closer, there was still a wall between them: his mission.

Sehun rolled onto his back to stare up at his ceiling. His mission was the reason he was brought here, brought to Lu Han. He couldn’t abandon his mission and yet all his objectivity was leaving him. If he continued on, he may even compromise the mission if he couldn’t keep his personal feelings out of it. In reality, he had already compromised his mission but there wasn’t much he could do. Sighing, he realized he was going to have to make a choice, a very difficult choice.

~|~

Sehun was waiting at the front of Lu Han’s apartment building. He already knew they were planning on going somewhere today, everyone but Lu Han. He just needed the others to leave before he went up to talk to Lu Han.

As he stood by the door, he saw Xiumin leave. He waved to the man but continued to watch the door.

Kris and Tao came next, Tao glaring in Sehun’s direction, but Kris’ restraining hold kept the other man from coming over. Sehun chanced flashing the taller man a grateful smile, receiving a small nod in return.

Last to leave were Chen and Yixing.

“See ya later, Sehun. Have a nice chat with Lu Han.” Yixing smiled and waved. Chen waved goodbye as well.

Sehun smiled to himself, noticing the light blush on Chen’s cheeks and saw the two holding hands, or more Yixing was holding Chen’s wrist as he tugged the man down the street.

Now with everyone gone, he entered the building and headed up towards Lu Han’s apartment.

Tao: I still can’t believe you’re letting him into the apartment to talk with Lu Han.

Yixing: You need to get rid of your hostility towards the guy. He’s going to be around for a while.

Tao: No, not until I get a good reason to. He’s a spy. He’s the enemy. How dare you leave him alone with Lu Han!

Yixing: Lu Han will be safe. He can take care of himself.

Tao: I still don’t like it.

Kris: I’ll work on Tao, Yixing. You go enjoy your time with Chen.

Yixing: Thank you. Have fun with Tao.

Xiumin: Has Tao always been this overprotective of Lu Han?

Yixing: Yes, it’s his upbringing but he’s more overprotective now than before. I wonder why ;) ;)

Xiumin: Do you know something you’re not telling me?

Yixing: I know many things that I don’t tell you. But don’t worry, all will be revealed in time.

Xiumin: You are not a fortune teller, Yixing. Don’t talk like one.

Tao: Actually he could be. I don’t know how he does it but he’s always right.

Xiumin: Hmm…wonder if Chen knows about this…

Tao: o.O why would Chen need to know about this? He should know already but what does this have to do with Chen?

Xiumin: Nothing, just thinking out loud.

Tao: Oh but I still don’t get it.

Kris: It’s okay, Tao. I don’t think anyone understands Minseok…except for Lu Han but that’s because they’re connected.

Tao: *pout* Oh fine. Well, we’re going shopping. See you at dinner ☺

Xiumin: shopping AGAIN??!?! Kris, how do you put up with this guy?

Kris: ☺ I have my ways

Lu Han opened the door and found Sehun standing before him. “Sehun? What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk.” He pushed past Lu Han into the apartment.

Lu Han frowned but shut the door and followed Sehun into the living room. “I don’t appreciate being pushed out of the way for you to enter my apartment uninvited.”

Sehun had the decency to look guilty. “Oh sorry, but I wasn’t sure if you’d let me in so I just too the initiative.”

“Hmph, well you’re right that I probably wouldn’t have let you in.” Lu Han sat down on the couch, legs stretched out in front.

“See?” Sehun grinned. “That’s why I did that but yeah, we need to talk.”

“Do we really? About what?” Lu Han brought a hand up to rest against the back of the couch, a position of arrogance when his body was beginning to tense with nerves.

Sehun looked directly into Lu Han’s eyes. “My mission.”

Lu Han swallowed nervously. “Your mission…what about your mission?”

Sehun hadn’t missed that nervous movement of Lu Han’s throat. He took a step closer. “You told me you were connected to the Fountain of Youth. That’s as far as I got. I have no lead on the location or any information regarding what the Fountain of Youth can do besides keeping you young forever, it seems like.”

“Okay…so why did you come to me?”

“Because you’re the person connected to the Fountain of Youth.” Sehun let out in an angry tone.

“You have the information I need for my mission, but you’re not telling me.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he moved around the living room.

“Well yeah, why should I tell you?” Lu Han arched a brow. “What makes you so special that I can reveal such information to you?”

Something about seeing Lu Han calmly sitting there while he was churning with emotions added fuel to the fire. He couldn’t be the only one affected; he had seen Lu Han, been with Lu Han. He knew there was something there.

“Because we’re...” Sehun took a deep breath, “Because we…we’re…”

Sehun stood before Lu Han, breathing deeply, before he groaned in frustration and grabbed Lu Han.

It happened too quickly for Lu Han to process. One minute he was sitting on the couch, the next he was in Sehun’s arms and Sehun’s mouth was covering his. He stiffened and brought up his arms to push Sehun away but they wrapped around his neck instead as his mouth fell open and allowed Sehun’s tongue to slip inside.

Sehun groaned and pulled Lu Han closer.

Lu Han could only accept the onslaught of emotions, helpless to do anything when he was unprepared. His grip tightened around Sehun’s neck as he began to kiss back, tongue intertwining with his.

When the need for air became unbearable, Sehun pulled away, looked down at Lu Han’s dazed expression and groaned. “Damn it, I give up.”

“G-G-Give up what?” Lu Han stared up at Sehun, seeing the ragged expression on his face. That kiss had been more than any other kiss he had previously. He wanted to do it again which scared him. He pushed at Sehun’s chest and fell back onto the couch.

Sehun sat down beside Lu Han. Lu Han scooted towards the end of the couch, drawing his knees up to his chest. “My mission. I can’t…I can’t do it. I don’t care about it anymore.”

Lu Han’s eyes widened. “But it’s your first mission. Don’t you want to finish it?”

“When I’d rather have you? No. I wanna pursue you, find out about you, instead of the Fountain of Youth.”

Lu Han felt a thrill run up his spine followed by dread. “No, no…you…you can’t give up your mission.”

“But I don’t care about it. I care about you.” Sehun’s lip unconsciously jutted out into a pout.

“No!” Lu Han jumped up from the couch and moved away from Sehun. “No, you can’t care about me. Care about your mission, damn it. It’ll bring about better results than trying to get me.”

Sehun snorted. “I doubt it.”

He got up from the couch and moved towards Lu Han. “I want you, Lu Han. I care about you and just want to be with you if you’d let me.”

Lu Han stared into Sehun’s eyes, seeing the sincerity reflected there. His own eyes hardened. “No, just go. Focus on your mission because you’re not going to get me.”

Sehun’s eyes narrowed. He brought his face down to Lu Han’s level. He smirked. “Oh, I think you’re wrong there. I’m going to start pursuing you, Lu Han, so prepare yourself.”

Lu Han huffed. “I am prepared. You’re not going to get me, Sehun, and that’s final.”

“We’ll just see about that.” Sehun placed a quick peck on Lu Han’s lips. “I’ll see you later.

Lu Han watched Sehun leave. Once the door shut behind him, he let out a stream of curses.

He grabbed his phone and pulled up the group message.

Lu Han: I’m going to need you guys to actually do your jobs now.

Yixing: Why? What happened?

Lu Han: Keep Sehun away from me. Don’t let him near me, don’t let me see him, don’t let me hear him. I don’t want him anywhere near me.

Kris: You know we could just take a trip somewhere if you want to avoid him completely.

Lu Han: No, I refuse to run away. He won’t have that power over me. We stay right here, just keep him away from me.

Tao: Okay, done.

Lu Han: ☺ Thank you, Tao. I knew I could count on you.

Tao: So any method goes?

Lu Han: As long as it’s not illegal. We want to avoid the authorities remember? Staying off the radar.

Tao: Gotcha. But we’ve been doing that so long, it’s not even a concern.

Lu Han: Well you never know. It’s good to be reminded every so often, especially with you and your love of lame action movies. You tend to go overboard sometimes. Kris needs a tighter leash on you.

Kris: It’s not my fault he can be so very persuasive.

Lu Han: *snorts* Actually, you’re too much of a softie. But it’s okay, we still love you…for your amazing connections.

Kris: ☹

Lu Han: and for being you. You know I’m just teasing. That is allowed, right?

Kris: Yeah, it’s just hard to tell emotions through text.

Tao: Not if you use emojis.

Kris: Whoa, one thing at a time.

Lu Han: Catch up with the times, Kris. Even Yixing is adapting well to technology even though he grew up without it.

Kris: -.- We all grew up without it. Just some of us adapt better to change.

Lu Han: Which you should be good at now. How long have you been alive?

Yixing: Are we going to start the age game?

Lu Han: No, Xing. Maybe another time. But you guys know what you’re supposed to do right: Keep Sehun away from me.

Tao: I already told you. I got it. It’s done.

Lu Han: Thanks, Tao. I’ll see you guys at dinner. Bye.

~|~

Sehun opened his front door and paused. A sheet of very thin plastic wrap covered the entire doorframe. Frowning, he tested it, pushing his hand against it. The material gave a bit, wrapping around his hand, but didn’t break. He pressed harder, stretching the material out but it still didn’t snap.

“Hi Sehun.”

Sehun jumped back as Tao filled the doorframe from the other side of the plastic wrap. “What are you doing here, Tao?”

“Making sure you don’t go anywhere.”

“What?!?!”

Tao smiled gleefully. “You’re under house arrest as of now.”

“And you think this…thing,” Sehun gestured at the plastic wrap, “will keep me locked in?”

“Yes.” Tao’s smile widened.

“Where did you even get this idea?” Sehun waved at the plastic on the door. “This just seems so…juvenile and like a practical joke.”

“That’s the idea. So no one will question it, should they happen to see it.”

“What the hell?!?!? Let me out now.” Sehun came up to the plastic again, hand hitting it and not doing much damage. It was stuck well to the doorframe.

“No, you’re under house arrest. And if you try to leave, something worse will be waiting for you out here.” Tao’s smile turned evil. “See you later.”

Tao waved his fingers at Sehun before sauntering off.

Sehun waited until Tao had disappeared from view. He headed towards his kitchen to grab a knife to cut the plastic away. If he couldn’t break it, he could cut it. He didn’t care what waited for him on the other side; he just needed to get out.

He slashed the plastic in the middle and then started cutting along the frame. He gathered up all the plastic and tossed it away.

Making sure he had his wallet and keys, he stepped out the door and instantly got doused in water.

Sehun frowned as water dripped off his hair and face. His clothes were completely soaked and so was the floor. Sighing, he walked back inside to grab a rag to dry the floor and then headed towards his bathroom to shower and change.

Once he was clean, he walked out of his apartment and ran straight into Kris.

“Oof,” Sehun rubbed his face and looked up at Kris. “Oh great, another one.”

“Hi Sehun.” Kris took in the remnants of the plastic wrap and the wet spot in front of the door. “How are you doing?”

“Alright if you like being trapped in your apartment by plastic wrap and then having a bucket of water dumped on you.” Sehun pursed his lips.

“Well, sorry about that. Tao kind of went ahead and did that on his own without telling anyone. He’s sneaky like that at times.” Kris gave a wry smile. “Want me to help clean up?”

“Uh no, that’s fine. I can take care of it myself later.”

“Uh about that.” Kris gave Sehun a sheepish smile. “I have orders to keep you at home.”

“Keep me at home?” Sehun’s eyebrows drew together as he looked at Kris. “What do you mean by that?”

“Actually, in reality, I’m just supposed to keep you from Lu Han.” Kris smiled gently.

“What?!?!?!?!” Sehun’s eyes widened. “Why are you supposed to do that? You weren’t doing that before.”

Kris shrugged. “Yeah, well now we have specific orders to keep you from him.”

“But-but I was just with him yesterday. I thought things were fine.” Sehun decided not to mention Lu Han’s rejection and protests. “Why can’t I see him?”

“Don’t know but I’m to keep you from him.” Kris leaned against the wall, hip cocked out.

Sehun arched a brow. “With any means necessary?”

“If necessary.”

“Okay…” Sehun bit his bottom lip. “So essentially I’m going to have a watchman on me until I leave?”

Kris cocked his head in thought. “I guess so. Didn’t really think about it.”

“Okay…well if that’s the case, care to come inside?” Sehun indicated towards his open doorway.

“Nah, it’s fine. Thanks for the offer.” Kris smiled. “I’ll just stand out here for a while.”

“You sure? Wouldn’t you be more comfortable inside?”

“Yes but I’m fine out here.”

“Okay, then I’ll stay out here too.” Sehun closed his door and leaned against it, arms crossed over his chest.

“Alright, whatever you want as long as you don’t go near Lu Han.” Kris smiled, relaxing against the wall.

The two stood there in silence, looking at each other, until Sehun broke the silence.

“Can I really not see him?”

“Yep. Got my orders to keep you from him.”

“But I have to see him. I need to see him.” Sehun looked pleadingly at Kris.

“Sorry but there’s nothing I can do about that.” Kris shrugged. He glanced at his watch. “Hmm, I think Yixing will be by soon.”

“Yixing?” Sehun’s eyes widened. “You guys are really going to set a watchman on me?”

“Looks that way.”

The sound of the elevator signaled someone’s arrival. They turned to see Yixing walking towards them holding a take out bag. “Hi guys. Want to go inside and eat?”

“No, I already have dinner plans.” Kris waved and headed towards the elevator.

Yixing turned to Sehun and tilted his head. “Shall we?”

Sehun sighed, knowing when he was beat. He opened up his door and let Yixing inside.

~|~

“Kyungsoo, I can’t take this anymore.”

“Hmm?” Kyungsoo glanced up from his paperwork to find Sehun’s worried face filling the screen. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m under freakin’ house arrest with a guard on me at all times.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened. “How did that happen?”

“Well a few days ago, I went to have a talk with Lu Han and an…incident happen.” Sehun gave a wry smile. “Then after that, I was put under house arrest by his guards.”

“An incident? What incident?” Kyungsoo perked up, giving Sehun all of his attention.

“Oh, it wasn’t anything.” Sehun waved a hand. “We just had a talk that got a little out of hand but nothing that warranted a house arrest. I can’t even see him at all.”

Sehun’s lips formed a tiny pout as he rested his head on his hands. “It feels like forever since I last got to see him. He’s so cute and handsome but don’t let his youthful appearance fool you. He’s very smart and I guess wise since I think he’s way older than he looks, but he still seems a bit naïve from what I’ve observed. He’s got an attitude and a playful teasing side but it’s adorable. He’s great to hang out with and…and he smells so nice…”

Sehun looked at his computer to see Kyungsoo looking at him with a knowing smile. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You like him, don’t you?”

“Well yeah, of course.” Sehun paused when he saw Kyungsoo shaking his head. “Wait, why are you shaking your head at me?”

“That’s not what I meant, Sehun.” Kyungsoo smiled. “You like him as more than a friend; you have a romantic interest in him.”

“No, no, I don’t. That would compromise the mission.”

“I think the mission is already compromised.” Kyungsoo smirked.

Sehun’s face paled a little. “No, it’s not.”

“Sehun…” Kyungsoo just stared at Sehun who was only able to last a few more seconds before caving.

“Fine…so I may have a small romantic inclination towards Lu Han.”

“You don’t have to state it so elaborately. But don’t worry.” Kyungsoo winked. “I won’t tell anyone else.”

“Thanks, Kyungsoo.” Sehun smiled gratefully. “So do you have any advice on how to get out of this house arrest? I’m still too new to this so any tricks I try, they know already.”

“Hmmm…let me think. It’s been a while.” Kyungsoo tapped his chin. “I’ve been so busy babysitting Jongin and doing paperwork I feel like I’ve forgotten what it was like to be out in the field.”

Sehun waved his hand. “It’s alright if you don’t. I’m just tired of this house arrest. I can go out but I just can’t get near Lu Han and I need him. I need him, Kyungsoo. Just a glimpse will do. Just anything at this point. I miss him.”

Kyungsoo quietly chuckled, looking at how adorable whiny Sehun was. It wasn’t often Sehun forgot himself to be a young man again. He only did it around close friends and when he let his guard down. “Aww, I’m sure you’ll see him again. You’re resourceful, Sehun, and able to adapt to any changes thrown your way. I’m sure you’ll find a way to see Lu Han again.”

“Thanks, Kyungsoo.” Sehun smiled. “Guess I’ll go knock my head around for some new ideas then if you can’t suggest anything.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, Sehun. But good luck. I believe in you.”

“Thanks, Kyungsoo. I’ll talk to you later.” Sehun waved and hung up the call. He glanced around the room. Everything looked like it normally did but he was hoping to find something that could get him out of this house arrest.

He had already scoped out his window as a possible escape route but he was facing a busy street, which presented dangers he wasn’t ready to tackle yet. He had checked his front door as an option but normally someone was either standing outside or nearby when he left to accompany him when he went out for food or the gym.

Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was time for him to head to the gym. He had been working out more lately due to pent up frustrations. He grabbed his gym bag and headed out the door. A moment later, Tao was trailing after him.

“Heading to the gym again?”

“Yeah,” Sehun turned to look at Tao, “got a problem with that?”

“Nope. But I could help you out if you want.” Tao kept pace with Sehun as he hurried to the gym.

“You?” Sehun looked at Tao incredulously. “Help me? Don’t you mean kill me?”

“Same thing.”

Sehun let out a groan. “Why do you feel you need to kill me?”

“So I can stop watching you and you won’t bother Lu Han anymore.”

“What?!?!?!” Sehun stopped in his tracks to stare at Tao. “Are you serious?”

Tao shrugged his shoulders. “A dead body is less troublesome than a living body.”

“OH MY GOD!” Sehun turned around and started to speedwalk away. Tao kept pace with him, not even breaking out a sweat, as Sehun weaved through the crowd. “I have to get away from you, you crazy person.”

“What? I just speak the truth. Nothing wrong with that.”

Sehun stopped and whirled around, pointing a finger at Tao. “You just casually talk about killing me like it’s no big deal.”

“It isn’t. Everyone dies at some point.”

“Oh really?” Sehun lifted a brow. “Then why isn’t Lu Han dead yet? Huh?”
Tao sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as he contemplated what to say. He couldn’t reveal anything and yet he couldn’t let this spy get the better of him.

“He may look like he’s still in his twenties but I know he’s been alive for over fifty years, maybe even longer. So explain how come he hasn’t died if everyone dies at some point?”

Tao chewed on his bottom lip. “I…can’t tell you. It’s not for me to say. But you’re not going to get the answer anyway since you’re not allowed near him.”

Sehun huffed and stomped away, Tao following after him again. “You can follow me if you have to but don’t talk to me. I want to be left alone.”

“Alright, since you’re not allowed to be left alone, I’ll just stay quiet.” Tao smiled as he followed Sehun into the gym.

~|~

Sehun was lounging on his bed, tired from the gym and tired from his situation. It had been two weeks since he was put on house arrest and nothing had changed. He was sick of being essentially stuck in his apartment or the gym; he couldn’t think of any ideas to get out of this situation. All he could think about was Lu Han.

He just wanted to be with Lu Han, nothing else mattered. He just needed Lu Han.

Sehun rolled over on his bed, burying his face into his pillow. He groaned, so tired of everything.

In a moment of impulse, he kicked out his legs in a minor temper tantrum on his bed.

“Hi, Sehun…having fun?”

Sehun lifted his head up, turning towards his bedroom door. Lu Han stood in the doorway, an amused grin on his face. “Lu Han?”

Lu Han stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. He stood with the door at his back and surveyed Sehun on his bed. He looked like he hadn’t shower for a bit. His clothes, a t-shirt and shorts, looked wrinkled and the bedsheets he was lying on were rumpled. He turned his gaze away, not wanting to speculate on Sehun in bed.

He smiled gently at Sehun. “How are you doing, Sehun? Well?”

Sehun’s eyes hadn’t left Lu Han’s since he entered the room. Lu Han was dressed in comfortable clothes, well-fitted jeans and a button down. The glow on his skin, more noticable in the dimly lit room, made him look so youthful and refreshing. He took in Lu Han’s appearance and felt even worse. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. What else?” Lu Han arched a brow as Sehun buried his head back into his pillow and groaned.

“But why? Why now? Can’t you pick a better time to call?”

“No better time than now.” Lu Han smiled as Sehun just groaned again. He wiggled on the bed, trying to bury himself. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

“I am,” Sehun mumbled, “but I look like crap now.”

Lu Han chuckled as he walked over to the bed, gingerly sitting on the edge. He reached out a hand to gently touch Sehun’s back, causing the man to whine and bury his head further into the pillow.

“Don’t touch me. I’m icky.” Sehun chanced a peek at Lu Han who was smiling warmly at him.

“It’s fine, Sehun. Don’t worry about it.” Lu Han’s hand stroked up and down Sehun’s back. “So how are you doing?”

“What do you think?” Sehun pouted at Lu Han. “You had your bodyguards put me on house arrest and watch my every move so that I never got anywhere near you. And all I really wanted was to be with you. I was happy if I could just get a glimpse of you but your bodyguards are good and kept me from you and now you’re here when I look and feel like crap and I just…why would you do this to me?”

Sehun made a whiny noise and wiggled on his bed. He didn’t care about being all mature and confident when Lu Han had found him in his current state. There was nothing left to really hide.

Lu Han’s smile widened, liking this childish side of Sehun. His hand continued its gentle stroking on Sehun’s back. “Sehun, it’s not that bad. You’re just overreacting.”

“But you’re amazing and special and I’m just normal.”

Lu Han’s heart fluttered at Sehun’s comment. “Come on, Sehun. Sit up and we’ll talk.”

“Really?” Sehun peeked at Lu Han. “You’ll really talk to me?”

“Yeah, but if it’s related to the Fountain of Youth, I can’t help you there.”

“You won’t help me.”

“No, I won’t help you.” Lu Han gave a small smile as Sehun slowly sat up. “But I’ll talk to you.”

“Really?” Sehun looked skeptically at Lu Han. “Would you let me kiss you again?”

Lu Han’s eyes widened as a light brush of color covered his cheeks. “Uh…no, no I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Sehun frowned.

“It’s just not a good idea.”

“Why not? I liked it; you liked it. Why not do it again?”

Lu Han thought back to their kiss, something he had thought about at random times throughout the last couple weeks. He could remember Sehun’s taste, his touch, and his feelings from that kiss. It was his feelings that frightened him then and now. He knew another kiss would force those feelings to the surface, something he still wanted to deny. “We can’t do it again. Not at all.”

Sehun frowned, head drooping down.

“But we can hang out again, as long as you promise not to make any advances on me.”

“But I can’t promise something like that.” Sehun pouted. “Whenever I’m near you, I just want to hold you and kiss you and be there for you.”

Lu Han held up a hand to stop Sehun from speaking anymore. “Sehun, you can’t like me like that. It’s not going to end well for you at all.”

“And why not? Why won’t you tell me why it won’t work out when I think it can?” Sehun crossed his arms across his chest and stared hard at Lu Han.

“I have my reasons. So either accept my terms or just go back to Korea where you can mope with the comfort of friends and family nearby.”

Sehun’s eyes narrowed. “So I can hang out with you with no romantic advances or return home to Korea?”

“Yes.” Lu Han nodded. “Are you going to take it or not?”

Sehun looked at Lu Han, carefully studying his expression. “Fine…I’ll do what you say.”

A smile spread across Lu Han’s face. “Great. Go shower and change and we’ll go out for dinner.”

“Fine.” Sehun stuck his tongue out at Lu Han, a moment of impulse, before he headed towards his bathroom.

Lu Han’s eyes followed Sehun, eyes falling to Sehun’s ass before he realized where he was looking and quickly changed his gaze.

Sehun was done in ten minutes, freshly showered and dressed in new clothes. He was wearing jeans and a button down shirt as well. He ran the towel over his hair, drying it quickly before tossing the towel aside. “Alright, what place did you have in mind?”

A smirk crossed Lu Han’s face. “It’s a secret. Come on.”

Lu Han reached out for Sehun’s hand, grasping it tightly, as he led them out of the apartment.

~|~

Sehun was relaxing on Lu Han’s couch, waiting for the other man to return with snacks. This was the third time this week that the two had hung out, just them alone. Tao had tried to stay behind but Kris had gently but firmly pulled him from the apartment, talk of a shopping spree getting the other man to follow along.

Lu Han walked back in, a large bowl of popcorn in his hands. “Did you pick a movie?”

“No, I was waiting for you to decide.”

Lu Han pursed his lips. “But I told you to pick one.”

“Well, I wanted to wait for you to make a decision together.”

Lu Han narrowed his eyes at Sehun. He huffed but sat down next to Sehun, passing him the bowl of popcorn as he grabbed the stack of DVDs. “Alright, what are you in the mood for?”

“Anything you want to watch. I’ve seen most of those movies already so it doesn’t matter which one we watch.” Sehun smiled as Lu Han frowned at him.

“Fine,” He grabbed a random DVD and popped it in. He settled down on the couch, unconsciously settling into Sehun’s side as he reached for some popcorn.

“It’s amazing how you got your bodyguards to leave you alone with the enemy.”

Lu Han turned to see Sehun smiling at him. “Well except for Tao, Kris and Yixing were accepting of us spending time alone together.”

“And what happened to Xiumin and Chen?”

“Oh, they went on a week-long trip to some other city and will be back later on.”

“Ah okay. I want to see them when they come back, if that’s okay with you. I liked hanging out with you guys.”

“And they liked hanging out with you too. Since I don’t mind your company now, we can hang out again.”

“Thanks…” Sehun wrinkled his face at Lu Han who just chuckled. “But I’m glad you’re letting me spend time with you. I like being around you even if you’re still not completely accepting of this.”

“Accepting of what? We’re…friends just hanging out.”

“Just friends?” Sehun lifted a brow. “I think someone’s in denial.”

“Give me my denial. I don’t want to deal with reality sometimes.” Lu Han stuck out his tongue. “Now be quiet and let me enjoy the movie.”

“Alright.” Sehun smiled as Lu Han settled back into his side. His arm slipped around Lu Han’s waist, keeping him close to him.

Lu Han tried to concentrate on the movie but Sehun’s hand on his waist was distracting him. It was so large and warm and at some point, Sehun started to rub small circles around his hip. He had shifted in his seat, either to move away or closer, but his movements didn’t discourage Sehun, whose hand continued to rub at his hip.

Lu Han moved on the couch, pressing into Sehun’s side.

“You okay?” Sehun whispered into Lu Han’s ear.

“Could you please stop moving your hand?”

“What hand?” Sehun glanced down and saw his hand around Lu Han’s waist. “Oh, sorry.”

His hand moved away, taking its warmth with him. Lu Han pressed his lips together to stop himself from asking Sehun to return his hand back to its position. “Thanks.”

“Sorry about that. It kind of happened on accident.” Sehun rubbed at the back of his neck.

Lu Han waved a hand. “Oh no, it’s fine. It was an accident right?”

He gave a smile. “Let’s just watch the movie.”

The two turned to watch the movie, already nearing the end of the film.

As the credits rolled, the two continued to sit there in silence.

Clearing his throat, Sehun turned to Lu Han. “Well, I guess I’ll be going home now. I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, sure.” Lu Han followed Sehun to the door. “It was nice hanging out with you.”

“Same.” Sehun paused at the door, looking like he wanted to say something else, but then he shook his head. “See you, Lu Han.”

Lu Han watched Sehun walk away. Before he could think it over, he ran after him. “Sehun!”

Sehun turned around to find warm lips pressed against his in a brief kiss. He stared down at Lu Han’s flushed face. “I’ll see you later. Bye Sehun.”

Lu Han ran back into his apartment, leaving Sehun standing dazed in the hallway.

~|~

Lu Han opened the doorway to find a small box and a single rose on his doorstep. Looking around, he waited a moment before picking up the package. He closed the door and headed towards the kitchen.

“Hey, Lu Han.” Yixing walked into the kitchen with a smile. “Oh, what’s that?”

“I don’t know. I just found it outside.” Lu Han glanced curiously at the package. “I don’t know what I should do with it.”

“You can wait for the others to get up and ask their opinion.” Yixing started pulling out ingredients to make breakfast.

“Alright.” Lu Han set the box in the middle of the table, staring at it, as around him, Yixing began to prepare breakfast. Xiumin, Chen, Tao, and Kris slowly came in, sleepily making their way inside.

“Mmm…that smells delicious. Hey, what’s that?” Xiumin pointed at the box.

“I don’t know. I just found it outside this morning.” Lu Han frowned at the box.

“Why haven’t you opened it?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure if it’s safe.”

Tao picked up the box, carefully holding it. He peered carefully at it and tested its weight. “Seems harmless. I think it’s safe to open.”

“Alright,” Lu Han grabbed the box and quickly unwrapped it. Inside was a small velvet box. His eyes widened as he lifted the lid.

Just a small token for you. Bet I scared you when you thought it was a ring. – Sehun

Inside, there was a small crystal. It looked like something you would pick up from a souvenir place; it was small and well cut, clean of any dirt. When Lu Han held it up to the light, it reflected all the colors of the rainbow.

“Oooo pretty.” Yixing came over to look at stone. Lu Han passed it over, letting Yixing hold it. “This is nice.”

“But why would he send you a stone?” Xiumin looked puzzled at the gift.

“I don’t know.” Lu Han frowned. “It’s weird. No one ever sends me anything.”

“But it’s nice receiving gifts, right?”

“Yeah but what does this mean?”

“You could always ask him yourself. You do know where to find him.” Yixing smiled as he plated their food.

“No, don’t see him. Just leave him alone and maybe he’ll leave you alone.”

Xiumin snorted. “I would think you’d be old enough to not be so naïve.”

“The same could be said for Lu Han,” Chen mumbled.

Lu Han turned to glare at the other man. “Don’t talk about your elders behind their back.”

Chen stuck his tongue out at Lu Han. “I didn’t. I just mumbled so quietly you wouldn’t hear.”

“Xiumin, do something about your friend.”

“He’s your friend too.” Xiumin took a bite of his food.

Lu Han narrowed his eyes at his friend. “If you’re going to be like this –“

“Yes.” Xiumin smiled guilelessly at his friend.

“Then I’m going to go on a walk.” Lu Han stood up from the table, grabbing his phone and wallet. He walked out the door, letting the door close behind him.

Tao stood up but Kris placed a firm hand on his arm. He looked down to see Kris staring at him. The two held a silent conversation before Tao slowly took his seat again. “You’re going to pay for this, Kris.”

“Don’t worry. He’s already been paying for everything.” Chen mumbled. A hard whack on the back of his head caused Chen to frown, turning to glare at whoever had done it, before he saw three pairs of eyes looking at him. Feeling contrite, Chen bowed his head and finished his meal in silence.

A hand reached out and patted his knee. Chen looked up to see Yixing smiling gently at him. He tilted his head in question but Yixing just smiled congenially at him, giving him another pat on the knee. Chen frowned and turned back to his food, stabbing at him.

Yixing caught Xiumin’s gaze and winked. Xiumin just shook his head and finished his food in silence.

Lu Han’s feet led him towards Sehun’s apartment, hand reaching out and knocking rapidly. The door opened, revealing a smiling Sehun.

“Hi Lu Han.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Lu Han shoved the box into Sehun’s face.

Sehun pushed his hand away and looked at what he was holding. A corner of his mouth lifted in a small grin. “It’s a gift. I would think you’d know what a gift was.”

“I know what a gift is but why did you send this to me?”

“I can’t send a gift to a friend when I feel like it?”

“You can but why send one to me?”

Sehun arched a brow. “Because I wanted to.”

“But why?!?! What’s the meaning of this?”

Sehun glanced up and down the hall before stepping back, gesturing for Lu Han to come inside.

Lu Han walked past and settled on the couch. He crossed his arms and legs, staring at Sehun. He arched a brow as Sehun came over to him. “So?”

“There is no meaning behind the gift. I saw it, thought you would like it, and bought it for you.”

“That’s it?” Lu Han carefully looked at Sehun, trying to discern any ulterior motive, but he looked sincere.

“Yeah, if you don’t want it, I’ll take it back. I don’t want you to feel uneasy.” Sehun held out his hand but Lu Han kept the box tight in his grip.

“No, it’s fine. I accept it.” Lu Han stared down at the box in his hands. “It’s been a while since I’ve received a gift from someone other than my friends.”

“I’m not a friend?” Sehun arched a brow.

Lu Han looked up surprised. “No, no you are a…friend…but like I haven’t…I just…thank you for the gift, Sehun.”

A light blush fused Lu Han’s cheeks.

Sehun took pity on him and decided not to comment. “You’re welcome. So any plans for today?”

“What? Oh…not really.”

“Great. Did you want to hang out together today?”

“Today?” Lu Han bit his bottom lip. “Oh…uh…”

“If you’re busy, it’s fine. Maybe another time?” Sehun gave a little smile.

“Oh no, no…we-we can hang out. What did you have in mind?”

“Nothing special. Do you mind taking a little trip?”

“Uh no. Just…let me tell my friends. They like me to check in with them if I disappear for too long.” Lu Han pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to Yixing. He received a response.

Yixing: Have fun. We’ll see you later.

Lu Han smiled at Sehun. “All set. So where are we going?”

~|~

“Is it okay for us to be following them like this?” Chen whispered.

“Yeah, he won’t notice us at all.” Yixing smiled. “He’s quite oblivious when distracted.”

“Aren’t most people like that?” Chen arched a brow.

“Yeah, come on. Let’s go before we lose them.” Yixing left his spot behind the bush to follow the couple down the path.

Chen followed suit. He glanced around spotting Xiumin a few meters away, enjoying a cup of coffee in the little café. Somehow, he was able to keep out of this whole shenanigan. He envied him even if he did like the excuse to spend more time with Yixing; he just wasn’t a fan of blatant spying. He preferred the accidental eavesdropping.

Tao and Kris were up ahead, Kris standing guard as Tao monitored from the trees. He had no idea how Tao could watch from the trees but many things about the other man confused him. Chen frowned but continued to follow after Yixing as they spied on Lu Han and Sehun further up on the path.

This was the fifth time in a couple weeks that the two had hung out. He had been hesitant to follow the two on their date, something Lu Han still denied, but acquiesced when Yixing convinced him. He just hadn’t realized it would be the whole group following them. He really hoped the two of them didn’t find them.

Chen watched the two up ahead. He saw Sehun point out something away from the path, drawing Lu Han’s attention to it. He watched Sehun say something to Lu Han that caused the other to smile.

“Things are progressing nicely.”

Chen turned his head to find Yixing a few centimeters away. His eyes widened as he jumped away. A hand around his waist kept him from falling over and revealing their position. He was pulled up against Yixing’s body, pressing him flushed against the other.

Yixing’s eyes twinkled as he leaned down and pressed his lips against Chen’s. Chen’s eyes widened before falling close, submitting to Yixing’s kiss.

“Woo-hoo, finally~”

Chen pulled away to find Xiumin and Lu Han grinning down at him. With a yelp, he tried to jump away but Yixing kept a tight grip on him. “W-w-what are you guys doing?”

“Question is what are you two doing?” Lu Han’s eyes twinkled.

Xiumin hit Lu Han’s arm. “Don’t tease them. You know what they were doing.”

Lu Han laughed. “But it’s fun. Look at how cute his reaction is.

Chen blushed and looked around. He noticed Sehun standing a few meters away along with Tao and Kris. “But I thought you guys were…”

Lu Han waved his hand. “This whole thing was a set-up by Yixing.”

“What?!?!?!” Chen stared at Yixing who was just smiling.

“We’ll talk later.” Yixing leaned down to whisper in Chen’s ear. He pressed a kiss to his cheek, causing his blush to deepen. “Shall we all go out to eat and celebrate?”

“Sure.” Lu Han grinned and headed back towards Sehun. “Want to join us for dinner?”

Sehun glanced at the group. He saw Yixing nod his head, Xiumin and Chen smile at him, Kris quirk his mouth at him, and Tao give a stiff nod. He turned back to Lu Han with a smile. “Sure.”

~|~

Lu Han sat on his couch, watching as Sehun chatted with Chen and Xiumin. Over the weeks, Sehun had seamlessly integrated into their group. Tao had even begun to warm up to Sehun when Sehun offered to go shopping with him and Kris.

Lu Han smiled as he saw Xiumin tease Sehun, causing said boy to flush. It seems as if all thoughts of the Fountain of Youth had left Sehun’s mind but he still had to be careful. However, it was nice to meet someone new that fit into their group; he just wasn’t sure if this would be a good thing. He couldn’t afford another relationship as he said before. It was just too much for him.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Lu Han looked up to see Yixing looking worriedly at him. He had a cup of tea in his hand that he passed to Lu Han. With a grateful smile, he accepted it, taking a little sip. “I’m alright, Xing.”

Yixing shook his head and sat down next to Lu Han. ”I know you, Han. Want to talk later?”

“Yeah.” Lu Han gave his friend a grateful smile.

“But you do know you’ll have to make a decision soon.”

Lu Han pouted. “Do I have to?”

Yixing chuckled. “Yeah but don’t worry. We’re here for you. Talk with me and Xiumin before you make a decision.”

“Thanks, Xing.” Lu Han held Yixing’s hand, squeezing it, before letting him go. He watched as Yixing went over to Chen, slipping his arms around his waist, surprising the other man who froze before relaxing, blush on his cheeks. It was cute to see Chen so flustered, still new to this relationship, but he was glad for his friends, knowing it was bound to happen when Yixing was ready for it.

His gaze moved over to Xiumin, his close friend and brother, though few knew about this relation. He had seen Xiumin enter a relationship that had lasted through the years and still going strong. He could see how happy his friend was and wanted that for himself. But for all his years and all he’s seen and done, he didn’t think it was possible.

His gaze unconsciously moved to Sehun. He took in the other’s appearance, noticing how much more relaxed he had become. He liked the change, liked this fun side to the serious man he had first met.

As if he could feel his gaze on him, Sehun looked up and flashed Lu Han a smile. Lu Han felt his heart flip in his chest and knew he was in trouble, big trouble.

~|~

“So talk,” Xiumin sat in the chair as Lu Han settled on the couch. He knew this was coming, given the development of Lu Han’s relationship with Sehun.

Lu Han sighed. “I already talked with Yixing about this since he is my best friend but you’re my brother and close friend plus you know what I’m going through since you went through it ten years ago.”

Xiumin nodded. “So what did you want to know about?”

Lu Han opened his mouth and then closed it again. He chewed his lip before attempting to talk again.

“Come on, Lu Han. What’s the problem? You like him, he likes you, so why aren’t you actually dating instead of this undefined relationship thing?”

Lu Han narrowed his eyes. “Are you quoting what I said to you?”

A quick grin flashed across Xiumin’s face. “Maybe. So what’s the deal, bro? Why the hesitancy?”

“Minseok!” Lu Han scrunched his face at his friend. “You know what we have to deal with.”

“Yes, and that makes having a relationship tough but when you find someone that’s worth it…” Xiumin smiled.

“Yeah but how do you know if a person is worth it?” Lu Han frowned.

“Getting to know the person will help. And trusting your instincts is a good one. Wasn’t it your instinct that allowed you to help make friends with everyone?”

Lu Han thought back to when he met his three friends and bodyguards. At the temple he had been training at, Tao’s master, seeing promise in the young boy, had introduced him to Lu Han as a bodyguard. He had met Yixing one day out in the field by his home and their time spent together had created a bond neither could deny. Lu Han had met Kris at a formal event and a chance encounter has resulted in another friendship. But these had taken place centuries ago and he hadn’t made any new friends until his accidental meeting with Xiumin. “Uh…I don’t think so? Maybe…but it’s been so long.”

Xiumin grinned. “Your instincts a little rusty?”

Lu Han scoffed. “Excuse you, my instincts are fine. I’ve been keeping spies at bay far longer than you have.”

“That may be true. But it’s been a while since you’ve made friends, haven’t you?”

“Well yeah because not all friends stick around. You know that.”

“Some do.” Xiumin tilted his head. “The true friends stick around.”

Lu Han sucked on his bottom lip. “True. But how do I know I can trust Sehun like you trusted Joonmyun?”

Xiumin shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes you just have to believe and hope for the best.”

“But isn’t that scary?”

Xiumin smiled. “Yes, but it’s worth it.”

Lu Han sighed. “Thanks. Hey, Minseok, was it easy making the decision?”

“No, but sometimes it’s worth the risk.”

~|~

Sehun opened his door to find Lu Han standing there. There hadn’t even been a knock to warn him. “Lu Han?”

“Sehun,” Lu Han looked up at Sehun, staring hard at him. “Do you like me?”

“Well yeah, but –“ Sehun paused when Lu Han held up a hand.

“Can we speak inside your apartment?”

“Oh what? Right.” Sehun moved aside to let Lu Han in.

Lu Han walked inside and stood in the middle of the living room. He turned to look at Sehun. “Sehun, I ask again, do you like me?”

“Yes, I like you but why are you asking me that?”

“Are you attracted to me?”

Sehun’s eyes widened. “Uh yes but what’s with all the questions?”

“Do you want to date me?”

“Yes, but only if you want to.” Sehun looked warily at Lu Han. “Are you feeling okay, Lu Han?”

“No but,” Lu Han tilted his head as he studied Sehun, “I think I will be.”

Sehun tilted his head, confused. “Huh?”

Throwing caution to the wind, Lu Han asked that one question that would change things. “Sehun, will you go out with me?”

Sehun’s eyes widened before he grinned. “Yes.”

Lu Han smiled and threw his arms around Sehun. Tilting his head up, Lu Han’s eyes widened when Sehun pressed his lips against his in a quick kiss.

“Was that okay?” Sehun’s eyes widened when he noticed Lu Han hadn’t moved.

“No.” Sehun tried to not look crestfallen. “Do it again, so I can actually kiss you back.”

Sehun’s eyes widened before he smiled, pulling Lu Han close, and kissing him again.

~|~

Sehun smiled as he waited for Lu Han outside his apartment. He appeared a few minutes later, dressed in casual clothes with a baseball cap over his head. Sehun was dressed similarly. “Ready?”

“Ready.” Lu Han beamed. He shyly reached for Sehun’s hand. “So where are we going?”

Sehun gestured to the air. “Wherever we want.”

“Okay.” Lu Han smiled.

The two started walking down the street, letting their feet lead them around. They ended up at a café where they ordered drinks and a pastry to share. The two enjoyed their time together, talking with shy, flirtatious touches.

Their next date was another simple affair, finding a quiet restaurant for a nice little meal and more flirting.

The two continued to go out, occasionally going on a double or triple date with Yixing and Chen and Tao and Kris. There were times they didn’t go out but hung out with everyone, which was a lot of fun. Since there was no longer any tension, everyone could relax and enjoy themselves.

Sehun was a good boyfriend, making sure Lu Han was well taken care of. All of Lu Han’s friends approved of him, even Tao who had gotten over his initial impression of the man.

Sehun always walked Lu Han home after a date, making sure he was safely home before leaving. Each time he left, their kisses grew deeper and more passionate as time went on until Sehun was fighting his instincts.

With regret, Sehun pulled away again before it hit that point. He stared down at Lu Han’s dazed expression and withheld his groan, hugging Lu Han a little too tightly before leaving.

“Sehun?”

Sehun looked down to see Lu Han had a tight grip on his hand. “Yes, Lu Han?”

“Did…” Lu Han bit his bottom lip. “Did you want to stay over?”

“Stay…over? Is it okay?” Sehun looked behind Lu Han to his apartment.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Lu Han tugged on Sehun’s hands. He unlocked the door and lead Sehun inside. “The others are out for the night so it’ll just be us.”

“Just…us?”

“Yes.” Lu Han looked at Sehun with a raise of his brow. “Is that okay?”

“Oh uh yeah. I just didn’t think they’d be –“

“We’re all grown adults…with our own needs. They understand.”

“But…they’re okay with this?”

Lu Han chuckled, coming over to hug Sehun. “If they weren’t, you wouldn’t be here.”

“You’re right about that.” Sehun smiled, arms tightening around Lu Han’s waist. He leaned down and pecked Lu Han.

Lu Han leaned up and deepened the kiss.

Sehun smiled, meeting Lu Han’s kiss. It was so nice how comfortable Lu Han had gotten around him. The two were no longer shy with their affections though they hadn’t gone farther than kissing.

As their tongues intertwined, Lu Han made the first move, his hand sliding down Sehun’s backside to gently touch his ass. Encouraged by Sehun’s quiet moan, Lu Han took a firmer grasp of Sehun’s ass, liking the feel of it in his hands.

Sehun decided to reciprocate, hand moving down to gently cup Lu Han’s ass as well. His hands gently massaged the curve, testing the weight in his hands.

Lu Han pulled his lips away from Sehun’s and began to gently press kisses along his cheek. His lips trailed down to Sehun’s neck. He tugged at the collar of Sehun’s shirt to reveal Sehun’s collarbones and pressed kisses along them. He pressed his body closer to Sehun’s, pressing against a growing bulge.

Lu Han pulled back to look at Sehun’s face flushed with pleasure. He could see Sehun breathing deeply as he glanced at Lu Han. “Want to move to the couch?”

Sehun shakily nodded his head, following Lu Han’s lead to the couch. He was gently pushed down as Lu Han climbed on top, straddling his waist. It placed him right on top of Sehun, allowing him to grind down against the bulge.

Lu Han gently cupped Sehun’s face as his hips ground down. He leaned down and kissed Sehun, tongue delving inside. His hands reached down and lightly teased along the waistband of Sehun’s pants. He slipped a teasing finger beneath Sehun’s shirt, tracing over his stomach.

His fingers tapped against the bulge. Lu Han pulled back to look at Sehun. “Can I?”

Sehun took in a few breaths to calm his heartbeat and looked at Lu Han. Lu Han was nervously biting on his bottom lip as his fingers teased at the zipper of Sehun’s pants. “Uh..yeah…if-if you want.”

Lu Han smiled and pecked Sehun before pulling back to get at Sehun’s pants. He gently pulled out Sehun’s length, eyes widening at the size. Shyly, he took it in his hand and slowly stroked it.

Sehun moaned and shifted his hips.

Lu Han took that as encouragement, stroking his length again. With another moan from Sehun, he gathered his courage and continued to stroke Sehun.

“Lu Han…” Sehun reached for the other man but paused before touching him. He let his hands fall to the side and braced them on the couch as his hips started to move up and down.

“Sehun…” Lu Han leaned down and gently kissed the tip causing Sehun to choke on his breath.

“Lu Han…”

Lu Han did it again, wanting to see what reaction he would get. He gently kissed the tip, letting it slip past his lips.

Sehun moaned, hands flexing against the couch, as he kept his body still, not wanting to interrupt Lu Han.

Lu Han gently held Sehun’s length in his hand as he gently licked at the tip.

“Lu Han…” Sehun shivered as Lu Han continued to use his tongue. “Lu Han…”

Lu Han pulled off to look at Sehun. “Are you okay?”

“Y-y-yeah…it just feels good.”

“Want me to keep going?”

“If you want to…”

“I do.”

“Then I’ll just tell you when I’m close, okay?” Sehun gently brushed a hand over Lu Han’s hair.

“Okay.” Lu Han smiled before he went down on Sehun again.

Lu Han bobbed up and down, encouraged by Sehun’s moans. He moved faster as he heard Sehun’s breath pick up. He steadied a hand on Sehun’s thigh and felt the tension beneath. Giving it a little squeeze, Lu Han pulled off and stroked Sehun’s length. He quickened his pace when he noticed Sehun’s hips moving along.

“Lu Han…please…just-just a little more.”

Lu Han’s hand moved faster until Sehun was letting out a low moan and coming all over Lu Han’s hand.

Lu Han stared at the mess and took a testing lick. Sehun, having seen this, groaned. “Sehun?”

Sehun saw Lu Han looking curiously at him. Lu Han licked his hand again. Sehun groaned and covered his eyes.

“Sehun…does that turn you on?”

Sehun could feel his cheeks heating up but he didn’t deny the claim. “Maybe…”

“Interesting…” Lu Han grinned. He continued to lick his hand clean and stood up.

Sehun removed his hand to see Lu Han smiling gently down at him. He noticed the bulge in Lu Han’s pants. “Can I?”

Lu Han looked to where Sehun gestured. “Another time. For now, let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Oh…okay.” Sehun tried not to pout as Lu Han went into the kitchen to grab some towels to clean them up.

When they were all clean, Lu Han lead Sehun into his bedroom, not allowing him a chance to look around as he was pushed onto the bed. With a quick kiss, Lu Han snuggled up close. “Night, Sehun.”

“Good night, Lu Han.”

Lu Han fell asleep a few moments later but Sehun just lay there, mind whirling with thoughts. With no chance to get any answers, he pulled Lu Han close and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

~|~

Sehun woke up to Yixing’s grinning face. “Morning, sunshine.”

“Yixing?!?!?” Sehun sat up, rubbing a hand over his hair. “What are you doing here?”

“Just coming to wake Lu Han up, but I’m sure you could do a better job than I could. Wake him up for breakfast. You’re welcome to join.” Yixing smiled as he slipped back out the door.

Sehun turned his head to look at Lu Han sleeping peacefully. He reached out a hand to brush the hair away from Lu Han’s face. Lu Han shifted in his sleep but didn’t wake up.

Sehun leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Lu Han’s lips.

Lu Han slowly blinked his eyes open to find Sehun looking at him. He gave him a sleepy smle. “Morning.”

“Morning. Yixing told me to wake you up.”

“Huh? Oh right.” Lu Han sat up and stretched. He slipped off the bed and headed outside, followed by Sehun.

The others were already seated at the table. Chen turned and smiled. “Hey, morning.”

“Morning.” Lu Han sat down. Sehun awkwardly stood on the side until Lu Han grabbed his hand and pulled him down next to him.

“So what’s the plan for today?”

“I don’t know. What did you guys have in mind?”

“A weekend trip to the beach. You up for it?”

“Sure.” Lu Han turned to Sehun. “Want to come?”

Sehun looked at Lu Han and then the rest of the group. “Sure.”

~|~

Sehun smiled as he watched Lu Han sing his heart out. At the beach house, there was a karaoke room the group was making good use of. They had already been treated to some of Tao’s dancing and Kris’ rapping. Chen and Yixing had sung a duet together. Now Lu Han was rocking the mic, singing along to some song he didn’t know the name of. But he enjoyed Lu Han’s singing voice.

“So, you two seem to be getting along well.” Yixing grinned as he sat down next to Sehun.

“Oh yeah…yeah we are.”

“That’s good.” Yixing smiled as he looked at Lu Han singing and dancing. “So how are you enjoying things so far?”

“Good, it’s good. You guys are a lot of fun to hang out with.”

“Thank you.” Yixing turned to look at the screen. “Well, are you ready to sing a song?”

“Me? Sing a song?”

“Yeah, you haven’t sung yet.”

“Oh…uh…”

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Sehun stared at Yixing and felt himself caving. “Alright.”

~|~

It was a quiet night in, Sehun and Lu Han watching a movie together at Lu Han’s place. The others had gone out for the night, letting the two have the place to themselves. Lu Han was cuddled against Sehun, resting his head against his shoulder as he watched the movie.

Sehun was half paying attention, his mind on something else. His hand gently rubbed against Lu Han’s waist, teasing the skin there.

Lu Han shifted, pressing closer to Sehun. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to Sehun’s neck.

Sehun turned and pressed a kiss to Lu Han’s lips. Lu Han leaned up and kissed back.

“Hey Lu Han.”

“Yes, Sehun?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

Lu Han leaned back to look at Sehun. “Uh sure…about what?”

“How come you never let me taste you, but you’ve tasted me?”

Lu Han tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Sehun’s cheeks flushed. “I mean…you’ve tasted my semen, but I don’t get to taste yours. You always keep me from actually tasting it. How come?”

“I just…” Lu Han bit his bottom lip. “It just feels too intimate to me, letting another taste my semen.”

“But you have no problem tasting mine…or tasting your own?” Sehun arched a brow, remembering the time Lu Han teased him when he had tasted his own after a handjob.

“Nope.”

Sehun’s bottom lip jutted out. “That’s not fair. Why won’t you let me? Aren’t we intimate enough for that? We have been together for over a month now.”

“Well…I-I guess so…I just…it’s a habit.”

“Well, will you let me taste you once? If you don’t like it, I won’t ask again. But just let me have a taste of you. Please?” Sehun looked imploringly at Lu Han.

“Oh…okay.”

Sehun grinned. “Thank you.”

He pulled Lu Han closed and pressed his lips against his.

~|~

Lu Han and Sehun had joined Yixing and Chen for a date at a nearby café. Sehun and Chen were getting their orders while Yixing and Lu Han sat at the table. The two were watching their boyfriends fondly.

Yixing was looking closely at Sehun. His eyes narrowed as he stared holes into the other’s back, causing the boy to look back at the table uneasily. With a smile and wave, Sehun turned back around as Yixing appeared thoughtful.

“Hey Han, when were you going to tell me you gave Sehun some of your blood?”

“What?” Lu Han looked confused. “But I didn’t.”

“Then why does he have that glow like he got some and a lot of it?”

Lu Han’s eyes widened as he glanced at Sehun. He saw the glow Yixing was talking about, a lot brigher than his friend’s, and turned to his friend shocked. He replayed the events from before. “OMG! OH NO! OMG, WHAT DO I DO? MY SEMEN PASSES ON THE ABILITY!”

Yixing’s eyes widened for a moment before he looked amused. “So that was from a shot of your semen? That’s some powerful baby juice.”

“YIXING!!!! OMG, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? How is this possible? OMG!” Lu Han began panicking.

“Hey, are you okay?” Sehun and Chen looked at Lu Han worriedly.

“Oh yes, yes I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

Sehun looked skeptically at Lu Han but decided not to question it. He set their order on the table and slipped into the seat next to Lu Han. “Alright, so what are the plans for the day?”

Yixing grinned. “Whatever we want.”

~|~

Lu Han sat on his couch, arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. He’d been in the same position since a few days ago after Sehun had dropped him off. He had given him an absent-minded kiss, too distracted by the glow on Sehun’s skin.

Xiumin, Tao, and Kris, having passed by Sehun on their way home, had questioned him about it, making him reveal the truth, something he still wasn’t sure he could believe.

Lu Han thought back to the time he had learned of his abilities. The first thing he had discovered were his tears, when he had been crying and his tears had dropped onto a wilting flower. That flower had grown and bloomed, lasting for several years. Then he had learned from his master that his blood held the same power, just with more potency. And now, he had learned of his third ability with his semen, completely on accident and a total surprise.

He wasn’t sure if this was a good thing but good he learned it eventually. Thankfully, he hadn’t given someone a secret dosage like he had done to Sehun.

Knowing that his semen held the same power just made his relationship with Sehun tougher. He had already tried to buy some time by avoiding the other man, which was unfair but his best coping method for the moment, but he knew he was out of time. It was time to reveal the truth.

~|~

Sehun knocked on Lu Han’s door. This time, he wasn’t ignored and the door opened to reveal a solemn Lu Han. That wasn’t a good sign. Warily, he gave him a small smile. “Hi.”

“Hi Sehun. Please come in.”

Sehun walked in, heading towards the couch. Lu Han followed behind, standing in front of Sehun, too nervous to sit down. “So…would you like to explain why you’ve been ignoring me?”

Lu Han twisted his fingers together. “Well, I just had to.”

“You just had to?” Sehun arched a brow. “Care to explain?”

“Well...I just needed some time alone to think.”

Dread began to fill the pit of Sehun’s stomach. “Oh…and did it help?”

“Yeah, it did.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Sehun lifted a corner of his mouth in a small smile. “So…did you want to hang out today?”

Lu Han shook his head. “I…I have something I need to tell you.”

“Tell me?” Sehun bit his bottom lip. “Okay.”

“Okay? Okay…” Lu Han took a deep breath to prepare himself. “Well…you know how you came here for your mission?”

“My mission?” Sehun nodded his head. “Yeah, searching for the Fountain of Youth which led me to you.”

Sehun gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry, but I’ve kind of forgotten about my mission.”

Lu Han pressed his lips together. “Well, it might be time to remember it.”

“Why is that?”

“Because…I am the Fountain of Youth.”

Sehun stared in Lu Han in disbelief. “What?”

Lu Han cleared his throat. “I am the Fountain of Youth.”

“But…but how can the Fountain of Youth be a person?”

Lu Han sighed and sat down across from Sehun. “Do you have time for this story? It’s a bit of a long one.”

“I have all the time in the world for you.”

“Not really but thanks for the thought.” Lu Han pursed his lips. “Well, this is what I was told from my master and some vague memories I have.

“At the beginning, the Fountain of Youth resided in a young woman. All was well; this woman was kept safe with the help of her guards.

“One day, she became pregnant; however, during her pregnancy, some unsavory people had come for the Fountain of Youth. They had taken out her guards and were chasing her down. As they got nearer to her, she made a last desperate attempt to save her unborn child. Mustering all her strength, she split herself apart, sending her unborn children to different parts of the world with the hope that someone would take pity on her children and raise them as their own.

Luckily for her, there are many different worshippers for the Fountain of Youth located throughout the world.”

“Ah, that explains the various tales that talk about the Fountain of Youth and its location.” Sehun tapped his chin. “So confusing to know which is true.”

“Yes. Anyway, somehow, her children were drawn to these groups by an unknown force.”

“Maybe they could feel a bond connecting them to these groups through the Fountain of Youth.”

“Maybe. But will you please stay quiet so I can finish talking? Then you can ask all the questions you want, okay?”

“Okay. Sorry.” Sehun sheepishly bowed his head. “You can continue.”

“Thank you. Now where was I?” Lu Han tapped his chin. “Oh right, so these children landed amongst these Fountain of Youth followers who took them in and raised them, keeping them safe from harm while teaching them life skills to help them in their long lives.”

“Wow…” Sehun’s eyes widened. “So how old are you?”

“Over thousands of years old.” Lu Han gave a small smile.

“Wow…you look really good for someone so old.”

Lu Han gave a little chuckle. “It’s my youthful spirit.”

“I’m sure it is.” Sehun bit his bottom lip, as he carefully looked Lu Han over. “So you’re really the Fountain of Youth? I mean you must be. You have that glow of youth that can’t be denied, but I just can’t believe it.”

“Well, believe it.” Lu Han frowned. He carefully looked at Sehun, looking into his eyes. What he saw caused him to pale.

Slowly, he stood up and walked towards the front door. “Sehun, I think you should leave now.”

“Leave?” Sehun’s eyes widened as he looked at Lu Han. He could see the set jaw and hard eyes and realized he wasn’t in a place to deal with any of this right now. “Oh…alright.”

He rose from the couch and made his way to the door. He paused at the entrance and turned to Lu Han. “I’ll see you later, right?”

“Right.” Lu Han gave a small smile, trying not to let his feelings show. “I’ll see you later, Sehun. Bye.”

Lu Han shut the door after Sehun and leaned back against it. His eyes watered as he thought back to what he had seen in Sehun’s eyes. The shock and disbelief there had been so deep, he wasn’t sure if Sehun would be able to get over it. He had also seen a hint of betrayal, something he hadn’t expected, and that had surprised him.

He didn’t want to think about why Sehun would feel betrayed when he should be upset. With the easy way Sehun had left, it seemed as if he hadn’t really cared about the person, just the Fountain, even if Sehun claimed to have forgotten about his mission.

Sniffling to stop his runny nose, Lu Han grabbed his phone.

Lu Han: It’s time to go.

~|~

Sehun lay down on his couch, staring up at the ceiling as his mind reviewed all that he had learned.

Lu Han was the Fountain of Youth. Lu Han was what he had been searching for when he first came to China.

But during his time here, he ceased to care about his mission and just cared about Lu Han; yet, this new information seemed to have changed things.

Sehun sighed as he rolled onto his side, head resting on his arms. He still couldn’t believe that Lu Han was the Fountain of Youth. What was he going to do? The man he liked had lived for so long and here he was, just a mere mortal in comparison, living only a handful of years. What kind of future could they have together?

A knock on the door had Sehun rolling off his couch and heading towards the door. His eyes widened when he noticed Xiumin standing there, arms crossed over his chest. “We need to talk.”

“Okay…” Sehun stepped aside.

Xiumin walked in and stood in the middle of the living room, waiting for Sehun to join him. “What are your feelings regarding Lu Han?”

Sehun’s eyes widened. “I like Lu Han.”

“Like him like what?”

“Like him like like him.” Sehun bit his bottom lip. “I think he’s great. He’s a really nice guy when you get to know him. He’s fun to be around. And he’s very attractive which doesn’t hurt.”

Xiumin pursed his lips. “And what about him being the Fountain of Youth?”

Sehun’s eyes widened. “You know about that?”

Xiumin waved a hand. “Just answer the question first.”

Sehun sighed. “Well what can I say? I didn’t even know that was possible. How could the Fountain of Youth be in a person?”

“Accept it as a part of life. The spirit of the Fountain resides inside a person, giving them youth and eternal life. That spirit runs through their body, manifesting in their bodily fluids, allowing them to pass this power temporarily to another living being through liquid consumption.”

Sehun narrowed his eyes. “You seem to know a lot about this, Xiumin.”

“That’s because I too am the Fountain of Youth, residing in Korea.”

“What?!?!?!” Sehun’s jaw dropped as he stared at Xiumin. “But how is that –“

“Didn’t Lu Han tell you the story of our birth?” Xiumin decided he had enough of standing and plopped down onto Sehun’s couch. “I’m sure there are other Fountains in other parts of the world; we just haven’t met them yet. For safety reasons, the Fountains are not supposed to meet with one another, though accidental meetings are okay and occasional one-on-one meetings. If too many met together at once, it would be like a glaring signal to those seeking the Fountain of Youth.”

“Ah okay. Is it because of your eternal glow?”

Xiumin shrugged. “Probably but it’s fine. I don’t need to know about my other siblings. Might make things a bit too crazy. Just having to deal with Lu Han is enough for me.”

“How is Lu Han?” Sehun pressed his lips together.

Xiumin pressed his lips together. “Do you really care or…”

Sehun’s eyes widened and he knelt before Xiumin. “Did something happen to Lu Han? What’s wrong?”

Xiumin looked at Sehun. He peered carefully into his eyes, searching. He could see the worry and beneath that, the care. He gave another sigh. It wouldn’t hurt to tell him and his reaction would provide the answer he needed. “Lu Han’s fine from what I know of. But he’s not here anymore.”

Sehun’s eyes widened as he reached out to grip the edge of the couch. “What do you mean he’s not here anymore?”

Xiumin lifted a corner of his mouth. “He’s not here as in he’s no longer in Beijing.”

“No longer in Beijing?” Sehun’s hands tightened on couch, turning his knuckles white. “Where would he go if he’s not in Beijing?”

“I don’t know. I just know he’s not in Beijing.” Xiumin gave a small sympathy smile, patting one of Sehun’s hands. “Well, I have to get going. I have a flight back to Korea I need to catch.”

“Oh, okay.” Sehun followed Xiumin to the door. “Have a safe flight back, Xiumin.”

“Thanks, Sehun.” Xiumin smiled as he stepped through the door. With a quiet gasp, Xiumin turned around. “Oh, and before I forget, don’t forget to call Joonmyun and tell him how you are. Maybe he can help you out.”

“Call Joonmyun?” Sehun tilted his head confused as Xiumin nodded and waved. He was gone a few seconds later.

Sehun re-entered his apartment, shutting the door behind him. He headed towards his bedroom to grab his computer.

Turning it on, he checked to see who was on. Seeing Joonmyun on, he quickly pressed the call button.

Joonmyun’s face filled the screen before he pulled back to a comfortable distance. “Sehun! Sehun, how are you doing? Is everything okay there in China?”

“Hi, hyung. Yes, things are fine in China.”

“So how’s your mission going?” Joonmyun pressed his lips together, wondering how much Sehun had learned.

“It’s going…alright.” Sehun frowned as he thought about Lu Han. He had yet to check if Xiumin’s claim about Lu Han leaving was true but he could check out Xiumin’s other claim. “Hey Joonmyun hyung?”

“Yes, Sehun?” Joonmyun was relieved that it seemed like Sehun hadn’t learned the truth yet. Everything was still okay though Kyungsoo could be in trouble once Joonmyun finally learned the truth behind Kyungsoo’s reasoning for letting his boyfriend go off and hand out a mission on his own.

“How come Xiumin told me to call you and said that you could help me out?”

“X-X-Xiumin?” Joonmyun’s eyes widened. “He told you to call me?”

“Yeah…why would he do that, hyung? Does he know you?”

Joonmyun chewed on his bottom lip. How much could he reveal?

A hand dropped onto his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Kyungsoo standing behind him. He nodded his head, signaling for Joonmyun to talk. His quiet presence gave Joonmyun the strength to reveal what he hadn’t really told anyone in a long time. “Yes…Xiumin knows me. We’re actually dating.”

“WHAT?!?!?!?” Sehun’s jaw dropped as he looked at his boss. “You and Xiumin??!?!? But...but how is that possible?”

Kyungsoo moved Joonmyun out of the way. “Well Sehun, when two people like each other, they decide to date one another.”

“Kyungsoo?!?!?! What are you doing there??!?!?? Wait a minute,” Sehun frowned. “Do you know Xiumin too?”

Kyungsoo snorted. “Of course I know Xiumin. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t know my best friend’s boyfriend of ten years?”

“Ten years? Wait…Joonmyun hyung…were you given the mission I am currently on?” Sehun’s eyes widened as he looked at the two.

Joonmyun’s cheeks flushed. “Yes –“

“Wait, if you were given the mission ten years ago, how come you still look twenty?” Sehun’s eyes bulged out. “Are you older than you look?”

Joonmyun’s blush deepened. “Yes.”

“But…but how is that possible? Even if it does explain a few things.” Sehun stuck his tongue out at his hyung.

“Explain what?”

Sehun shifted his eyes away, cursing his loose mouth.

“Sehun.” Joonmyun glared at the other.

Sehun puffed up his cheeks, not wanting to say anything, but he couldn’t go back. “Even though you look so young, you act really…old sometimes. Now I know. But wait, how do you still look so young if you’re so old? You’re not the Fountain of Youth.”

“Yes, but I get some from Xiumin.”

“From Xiumin?” Sehun’s eyes widened. “But…”

He gasped when he remembered what Xiumin had told him before he left.

A corner of Joonmyun’s mouth quirked up as he nodded in recognition and understanding. “To tell the truth, you weren’t actually supposed to get this mission. Jongin went against orders and gave you this mission on his own and Kyungsoo here didn’t even stop him.”

Joonmyun glared at his friend.

“I told you I have my reasons for this.”

“And what are these reasons?” Joonmyun stared at his friend.

“Later.” Kyungsoo waved his friend away as he turned back to the computer. “So Sehun, how did your mission go?”

“Well…I did learn where the Fountain of Youth is.”

“And…?” Kyungsoo arched a brow.

Sehun bit his bottom lip.

“It’s fine, Sehun. We already know but we want to know if you know.” Kyungsoo smiled encouraging at Sehun.

Sehun arched a brow but saved the question for another time. “Oh…well uh…the Fountain of Youth is actually Lu Han.”

“And…?”

“And so is Xiumin.”

“Good.” Kyungsoo beamed. “And anything else?”

Sehun’s eyes widened. “What else is there?”

Kyungsoo huffed and pressed his lips together. “Nothing.”

He crossed his arms and moved off screen, sitting to the side.

“So what did Xiumin mean when he said that you could help, Joonmyun hyung?” Sehun pursed his lips as he looked at his hyung.

“Uh…I’m not sure. Did he say anything else?”

“No, but we were talking about Lu Han beforehand.”

“And what about Lu Han were you talking about?”

“Oh, he was just asking me if…if I liked him.”

Joonmyun’s eyes widened as a thought popped into his head. “Sehun…did you fall for Lu Han during your mission?”

Kyungsoo perked up on the side but stayed off camera.

“I…I may have…” Sehun looked down at his hands, twisting them together.

“Sehun…” Joonmyun bit his lip. Now he understood why Xiumin had told Sehun to call him. “Were you willing to give up your mission for Lu Han?”

“Yes,” Sehun said quietly.

“Oh Sehun…” Joonmyun wished he could be with the other man right now to give him comfort but they were countries apart. He knew what the other must be feeling now. “Tell me how you’re feeling right now.”

“I…I’m not sure. I just feel so confused. I don’t know what to do.”

“Oh Sehun…I wish I could help you but until you know what’s on your mind, I can’t really help.” Joonmyun frowned as he looked at his friend stuck in another country alone.

“It’s fine, Joonmyun hyung. I’ll call you when I figure things out, okay?”

“Alright. Stay safe.”

“Thanks, hyung. You too.” Sehun waved and signed off. Once his laptop was safely put away, Sehun headed out to Lu Han’s apartment. It was completely empty, all signs of life gone. It was just as Xiumin said; Lu Han was gone.

~|~

“Kyungsoo! Why did you let me give that mission to my friend? Why did you let me break the rules and do that?” Kai wailed as he collapsed into his boyfriend’s arms.

Kyungsoo ran a soothing hand along Kai’s back as he let his boyfriend cry into his lap. His boyfriend was quite emotional although he tried to hide it at work – Baekhyun and Chanyeol could be ruthless in their teasing when they spotted a weakness. He knew how worried Kai was about his friend, seeing as the two had been close for years before eventually working at the same job together.

Kai had been hesitant about letting Sehun join the same company but he knew Sehun best and knew this job would be great for him. He just didn’t know he would end up being the cause for his friend’s current misery.

It had been a few months since Lu Han had left and Sehun had refused to leave Beijing even with the urging from his friends. He insisted in remaining in the city that he had met Lu Han even though he hadn’t heard from him in months.

When Kai had talked to him earlier, he could see the fatigue and depression on his face. He had wanted to go to him but was prevented by Joonmyun from flying over. No one was to go help Sehun even if he was appearing to waste away. He could see the worry on Joonmyun’s face when he had told Kai he couldn’t go. He hadn’t thought about how worried Joonmyun was as well. He knew Joonmyun cared for everyone on the team like family and to see the youngest member wasting away must be tearing him apart.

Kai sighed. Being a spy was supposed to be easy: get the mission, do the mission, complete the mission, and then head home. It was supposed to involve very few emotions and yet everything about this mission, from the very beginning, was not like the typical missions a spy received. How could he have been so blind to that? He thought he was doing a good thing by giving his friend that mission.

Kyungsoo kept rubbing soothing circles on his boyfriend’s back as Kai continued to sob about his friend’s current misery and how he was the cause of all of it and everything else related to the mission. He acted as the strong rock for his boyfriend, giving him soothing words and touches, but deep inside, he was also worried for both Sehun and Lu Han.

He thought he had made the right choice when he allowed Kai to go ahead and give Sehun that mission, knowing all the rules that would be broken when he had allowed it. He had hoped the outcome of the mission would outweigh all the other obstacles they had to go through and hoped it still would, but knowing how miserable Sehun currently was, his own confidence was a bit shaken.

It helped slightly that he also knew what Lu Han was currently going through. Yixing sent him periodic updates on Lu Han’s well being when he received updates from Lu Han. Kyungsoo could only hope for the best, that everything would turn out as he had imagined, and that the two would reach a happy ending soon.

~|~

Yixing watched his boyfriend pace across the floor. He smiled and waited for Chen to stop.

Chen had decided to stay behind when Xiumin had left for Korea last year, wanting to spend more time with his boyfriend when the four of them had decided to up and leave Beijing. Things had been good except for the slight dark spot that was Lu Han.

After spending a few months with Lu Han, the four decided to leave him alone, making sure he was safely secured in his private home before setting off for their private homes.

Yixing had taken Chen back to his home, which was now their home, if Chen was willing to live with him. Chen had been only too happy to agree, already settling into the place, but he still worried for Lu Han and Sehun.

Chen wasn’t happy with how Lu Han had just up and left Sehun when the two were crazy for each other. They just needed to have a serious heart-to-heart talk and then everything would be fine, he thought. He also didn’t like to leave the other without saying goodbye, he had gotten close to Sehun in their short time together, but since he was following his boyfriend, he had to do what they were doing.

“Are you sure things will be okay?” Chen pouted at his boyfriend.

“Yes, Chen. I’m sure things will work out just fine. It’s just going to take some time. Most of the good things do, like us.” Yixing smiled and kissed Chen’s forehead.

“Are you really sure?”

“When have I been wrong?” Yixing smiled reassuringly at his boyfriend.

Chen pursed his lips. “Alright, only because I trust you, I’ll leave this alone for now.”

“Good because we can’t do anything. This is between Lu Han and Sehun.”

“Alright, alright, alright.” Chen frowned. “But maybe you should distract me so I don’t keep worrying about this.”

A smirk crossed Yixing’s face. “Of course.”

He leaned down and pressed his lips against Chen’s.

~|~

“Minseok…what should I do? Sehun’s been there for three years already and Lu Han doesn’t show any sign of returning or speaking to him.” Joonmyun frowned as he paced his living room.

Xiumin was seated on the couch, quietly sipping his coffee. He knew to let his boyfriend get it all out, wanting a silent wall to vent to. It hurt to know his friend and brother were suffering, along with their friends who were worried for them, but this period of misery would help them both grow and mature. He took another sip of his coffee as his boyfriend continued to pace the living room, ranting about both Lu Han and Sehun and how worried he was.

“I wish I could just go to him and comfort him. He needs a friend right now but I can’t. I can’t just leave and see him. And Lu Han! That boy is so stupid. I don’t care if he’s older than me, way older than me. He is still a child. How could he just run away like that and stay gone for three years?!?!?! That’s not fair at all.”

Joonmyun turned to his boyfriend with a frown. “How come Lu Han is acting like this? It couldn’t have been that bad for him to disappear this long.”

Xiumin thought back to his brief time three years ago with the couple. He had seen how the two had interacted with each other. He had seen how much care Sehun had took with Lu Han, something Lu Han had enjoyed even if he didn’t say it. He had also seen the look of love whenever he gazed upon the other. The two were definitely in love with each other but something was keeping them apart.

He knew their talk with each other hadn’t gone over well. After his disappearing act, some months later, Lu Han had paid Xiumin a surprise visit in Korea. Luckily, he had chosen a time when Joonmyun was gone for a few days, taking a little vacation with his co-workers and friends.

Lu Han had walked in and collapsed on the couch, bag dropping down beside him, as he buried his head into a pillow.

“Hi, Lu Han.”

“Hey, Minseok.”

“Care to tell me why you’re here?”

“I just needed a break and some company.” Lu Han rolled over on the couch. “Got any food?”

“Yeah. Hold on.” Xiumin wandered into the kitchen, searching for something for them to eat. “So how are you doing?”

“Alright.” Lu Han turned to Xiumin.

Xiumin studied his friend’s face and saw the signs of fatigue and the slight weight loss. “Uh huh. So what did you have planned?”

“Nothing much. Just relaxing.”

Xiumin arched a brow. “Haven’t you been relaxing all this time?”

Lu Han made a grumbling noise.

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Minseok! I don’t know what to do.” Lu Han sat up, clutching the pillow to his chest, as his bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you other than what I already told you.”

“Yeah but how did you make it work?”

Xiumin’s eyes widened. “I thought I told you trust…and communication. If you can’t talk to each other, then you’re already having problems.”

“But I did talk to him…kind of and it didn’t work.”

“It also helps if you don’t run away either.” Xiumin snorted.

Lu Han’s jaw dropped. He grabbed the pillow and threw it at his friend. Xiumin easily caught it with a grin.

“Minseok!!!!”

“Lu Han, this is your problem. You need to figure it out yourself. I already gave you advice, not that you’ve been using it I think.”

Lu Han scrunched up his face. “But it’s just so hard.”

“Listening to someone else’s advice is hard but sometimes, typically it’s for the best.”

“I know but still…” Lu Han whined and buried his head into the couch.

Xiumin sighed. “Come on, get up and we’ll eat something before we go out for a bit of fun, okay?”

Lu Han sat up with a smile. “Okay.”

Slowly blinking his eyes, Xiumin refocused on his boyfriend still pacing around. Joonmyun paused and looked at his boyfriend. Xiumin opened his arms, Joonmyun crossing and slipping into them.

Xiumin rearranged them on the couch so that Joonmyun was nestled against his side and into his warmth. His hand gently stroked Joonmyun’s arm as his boyfriend relaxed.

“It’s okay, Joonmyun. Everything will be alright.” He pressed a kiss to Joonmyun’s head.

Joonmyun sighed. “I hope so.”

“Yixing believes so and you know he tends to be right.”

“I know but I still can’t help worrying.”

Xiumin chuckled. “I know.”

~|~

Sehun lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling. This had become a regular part of his routine, staring up at the blank wall, hoping he would eventually become as blank as the ceiling. He didn’t want to deal with the feelings and memories anymore after being left alone with them for over five years.

He turned his head to the side to stare at the wall covered with a map of Beijing, pictures and notes scattered all over. Marks covered the map, showing all the places he had scoured after he had discovered Lu Han had left. He didn’t want to believe Lu Han had left Beijing for good and had searched every corner of the city. He had used his satellites to search but found no trace of Lu Han.

With a sigh, Sehun rolled over on the floor, lying on his stomach. It irked him how Lu Han could disappear without a trace. It just went to show how much more knowledge and experience Lu Han had over him.

With a huff, Sehun sat up, tired of all his moping. He had done too much for the day, too much if he looked back on his last few years.

On a rare spurt of energy, he headed to his bathroom to shower and change and go out for some fresh air.

Stepping out of his apartment for the first time in a while, he slowly took a deep breath of some fresh air, smelling a mix of food, gasoline, and flowers. Looking up at the sky, he gave a wistful smile before letting his feet take him wherever it wanted.

He walked past shop fronts, tourists, natives, cars, and headed towards a familiar street. His gaze swept around before returning to a seemingly familiar backside. Focusing, his eyes widened and he slipped past pedestrians in pursuit.

He raced after him, not paying attention to where they were headed until they stopped in an isolated wooded area. Sehun looked around him, amazed such a place could exist within the city. He turned to find the person he was chasing waiting patiently with a small smile.

“Hi, Sehun.”

“Lu Han,” Sehun breathlessly said. His eyes took in Lu Han’s appearance, not believing that he was actually in front of him. He reached out a hand to touch but stopped just shy of actually touching.

He carefully looked over Lu Han, noticing that he looked the same and yet different. He seemed sadder, more tired, and had bright pink hair. His eyes widened at the vibrant shade of pink, how he hadn’t been able to spot this head of hair in any of his data. Something like that couldn’t be overlooked or missed and yet he hadn’t been able to find any sign of this. His bottom lip jutted out in an unconscious pout.

Lu Han reached up a hand to brush against Sehun’s bottom lip before moving to gently cup his face. His fingers traced over the slight wrinkles that hadn’t been there before. He gave him a sad little smile. “Sehun…you look so –“

“Old? Tired?” Sehun lifted a corner of his mouth. “Yeah, just a little side effect of missing you.”

Lu Han shook his head. “You could’ve stopped the aging if you wanted to.”

“Stopped the aging?” Sehun tilted his head in confusion. “How?”

Lu Han coughed. “Well…actually, I didn’t tell you this but I had uh accidentally given you a dose from the Fountain of Youth.”

“What?!?!?!?” Sehun’s eyes widened. “But how?”

Lu Han coughed again. “Well, I’m sure Xiumin told you but we can pass on the ability through liquid consumption.”

“Yeah but I didn’t have any liquid from you.”

“Actually, you did.” Lu Han’s cheeks flushed a bright red. “It-it happened during that last time…when I let you…let you have a taste.”

Sehun looked confused before it dawned on him. “Wait, so when I had some of your –“

Lu Han blushed harder and nodded. “You got a dose of the Fountain of Youth and an extra potent dosage. The effects lasted for a while but without a daily dosage, you start to age faster, hence the new wrinkles on your face.”

Lu Han touched those spots on Sehun’s face. “Without the daily dosage, your body starts to deteriorate faster and you die quicker. One taste is all it takes for your body to become addicted to the Fountain, needing it to survive.”

He looked up at him with teary eyes. “If I had known, I would’ve told you to take dosages from Xiumin to stop the aging.”

“It’s fine, Lu Han. It’s no big deal. Just a few wrinkles.”

“Yeah but –“ Sehun placed a finger over Lu Han’s lips to stop him from talking.

“Shh…just let me speak for a moment. I know you’re worried but it’s fine. It’s my life and I do what I want.” He gave a small smile. “I don’t know why you left or why you chose to come back but I’m glad you did so I can tell you what I wasn’t able to tell you before.”

Sehun gently cupped Lu Han’s face. “These past five years, I’ve had a chance to think, maybe too much time to think, and I have to tell you something important.”

Sehun looked deep into Lu Han’s eyes, which were slowly tearing up. “I love you, Lu Han. I don’t care what abilities you possess, I don’t care that I have to depend on you to keep living, I don’t care about anything but you.”

Sehun tilted Lu Han’s head up to his. “I need you in my life, Lu Han.”

Sehun pressed a gentle kiss to Lu Han’s forehead. “These past five years have been miserable without you. I didn’t care what happened to me; I just wanted to know you were safe and happy. Lu Han, you mean so much to me. If you let me, I’ll spend my whole life showing you. Just please don’t leave me again.”

Sehun stared deep into Lu Han’s eyes, seeing them fill with tears as his own became blurry with tears as well.

Lu Han’s bottom lip began to quiver and he wrapped his arms tight around Sehun as he buried his head into Sehun’s chest, letting his tears flow free. Everything he had kept locked up tight was now released as he sobbed into Sehun’s shirt.

Sehun kept his arms wrapped tight around Lu Han, giving him comfort as best as he could and waiting out his tears. When he felt Lu Han slowly quiet down, he rubbed his hand up and down his back until Lu Han was breathing normally. He gently tilted Lu Han’s head up to him and saw the tear tracks on his face. He ran a gently hand over Lu Han’s face, tracing the tracks. “Done crying?”

Lu Han nodded his head.

“Good.” Sehun gave Lu Han a gentle smile. “Wouldn’t want you wasting all your precious tears on my shirt.”

Lu Han looked up at Sehun in shock before he lightly hit his chest.

Sehun laughed and hugged Lu Han close. “Feel better now?”

“Yeah. Thank you, Sehun.”

“You’re welcome.” Sehun smiled down at Lu Han.

“Ready to go?” Lu Han leaned back, bringing his hand down to link with Sehun’s.

“Sure.” Sehun grinned. “If I recall correctly, I think I need my daily dosage so I can stay and love you forever.”

Lu Han blushed and nodded. “Alright. Well go back and I’ll give you your dosage.”

Sehun leaned down to whisper into Lu Han’s ear. “Will you give me an injection this time?”

“An injection? What are you –“ Lu Han’s eyes widened as the meaning dawned on him. His cheeks flushed a deep red and he smacked Sehun’s chest. “Sehun!”

Sehun laughed and tugged Lu Han into another hug, head leaning down to kiss Lu Han’s laughing mouth.

[Bonus scene]
Some time later

Lu Han and Sehun were relaxing on the couch as Joonmyun sat across from them, Xiumin resting on the armrest. The two had gone to visit them after they had taken some time to get reacquainted.

After their reunion, Lu Han had sent a text to Yixing, Chen, Kris, and Tao to tell them the good news. They joined the new couple a few days later, giving them some time alone before they descended. They had spent time catching up before Lu Han announced their trip to Korea.

It had been so long since Sehun had gone back to Korea the two were taking a long extended vacation until Sehun had gotten his fill and was ready to settle back in China with Lu Han.

Sehun had already spent time catching up with Kai and Kyungsoo. Sehun had almost been smothered by his friend with how tight he was clinging to him. Lu Han had been amused, standing with Kyungsoo, as he watched the two best friends reunite.

Now the two were spending some time with Joonmyun and Xiumin. “So I can see you two are happy together.”

Joonmyun smiled at the couple. “Guess I can’t be too mad at Kyungsoo for what he did then. I’m sure he told you his part in this whole thing.”

“We…talked about it for a bit.” Lu Han gave a small smile. “I can’t say I like his methods but I can agree with him about the outcome being worth all the trouble.”

Xiumin smiled. “That’s good.”

“So…” Xiumin’s grin turned wicked. “How are you enjoying your daily dosages, Sehun?”

“Oh…” Sehun’s cheeks flushed a little, “I’m…enjoying them.”

“Can I ask which method you use?”

Sehun bit his bottom lip. “Injection.”

“Injection?” Joonmyun looked at him confused as Xiumin choked on his breath before laughing. Joonmyun looked at his boyfriend confused until Xiumin composed himself enough to explain it to him. Joonmyun blushed and couldn’t look either Sehun or Lu Han in the eye for a minute.

“Do you like it?”

Sehun grinned. “Yeah, I enjoy it.”

He raised a brow. “You don’t, Joonmyun hyung?”

“Joonmyun doesn’t take a shot because too much potency in such a little body…” Joonmyun blushed and smacked Xiumin’s leg. “Alright, alright, he doesn’t take it because he doesn’t want to have so much at once. He thinks it’s too much at once.”

“What? Too much of the Fountain of Youth or too much semen?” Lu Han’s grin widened as Joonmyun’s blush deepened, causing him to turn his head away.

Xiumin laughed, quietly when Joonmyun looked at him. “But we do know he likes to be old.”

Joonmyun pouted and smacked Xiumin’s leg. “I am not that old.”

Xiumin chuckled and kissed Joonmyun’s pout away. “No, you’re not. You’re still a baby compared to me. But I’m just joking.”

Xiumin turned to look at Lu Han and Sehun. “He’s not a fan of ingesting semen, something about it being disgusting – “

“Like ingesting semen is worse than drinking blood,” scoffs Lu Han. “At least you get your protein.”

“- so he doesn’t really take it that way.”

“Ah okay. I guess everyone has their preference. But I know I won’t share any of Lu Han’s semen with anyone.”

“I don’t think anyone but you would want to ingest that.” Xiumin stuck his tongue out at Sehun. “Besides, drawing blood to drink is a lot easier than gathering tears or semen.”

“True that, but think of all the fun you can have if Joonmyun took your semen instead of your blood.” Lu Han’s eyes twinkled as Joonmyun’s eyes widened before his face turned as red as a tomato. Xiumin just shook his head.

“I think we’ve had enough of this talk. Care to go out and eat? I’m in the mood for steak. This talk of blood has me craving a medium rare steak, more pink than brown.” Lu Han stood up, tugging Sehun up after him. Xiumin and Joonmyun followed suit.

“Alright, as long as you’re paying.”

“Alright, but you get dessert, okay?” Lu Han grinned.

“That’s fine with me.” Xiumin smiled as he led everyone towards the door. He stopped Lu Han before he could follow his boyfriend out the door. “I’m so glad you took the risk.”

Lu Han smiled. “Same. I couldn’t be happier.”

“I can see.”

“Thanks, Minseok. You’re the best brother I have.”

Xiumin just looked at him with a deadpan expression. “I’m the only brother you know of.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t love you any less.”

Xiumin shook his head. “Love you too.”

Lu Han gave him a side hug before catching up with Sehun.

“Hey, what was that all about?”

“Oh nothing.” Lu Han smiled at Sehun.

“Hey, Sehun?”

“Yes, Lu Han?” Sehun looked down at Lu Han.

“I just want to tell you,” Lu Han looked right into Sehun’s eyes, “I love you.”

A grin stretched across Sehun’s face as his eyes began to water a little. “I love you too.”

Sehun brought Lu Han close for a tight hug and a kiss on his forehead. Lu Han pouted. “Don’t I deserve a proper kiss?”

“I guess you do since that’s the first time you ever told me that.” Sehun placed a finger under Lu Han’s chin and tilted it up, softly placing his lips over Lu Han’s.