exoact | ROUND 1 - Drabbles

Pool 1

01. Kai, Suho, Chen, Xiumin; We all have secrets - Team Kai

My name is Kim Jongin. I am 8 years old. Today is my first day of school. I see children around me, most of them crying. I am not. I don’t feel afraid because my older brothers are here. They stand outside the classroom, looking through the window and smiling at me. I smile back. Soon, parents are moving away from the windows. Time to let us kids grow up, they think. But not my brothers. They remain there. Always around to protect me.

Class is over. I have not made any friend yet. But it is ok. I have my brothers. They wait for me at the school gate. I smile as I join them for the walk home.

Junmyeon hyung whistles a song. Minseok hyung calls me cute. Jongdae hyung takes my hand with a smile. I have a big grin on my face. But it disappears when I think about my aunt at home. She scolds me for talking to my “dead brothers”.

She is wrong. The accident hasn’t taken them. They are still here with me. I won’t tell her anymore. It will be just us brothers now. Kim brothers. Forever sticking together.

We are home.

02. chenyeol/suho; We all have secrets - Team Baekhyun

relief. just a moment of bliss after the chaos of comeback, rehearsals, new tour, screaming fangirls... even leaders need to unwind, the high after performing keeping him awake and very much hard in his pants. images of plump lips mouthing good job, of big hands running through red hair, of his deliberately exposed arms. fucking tease. this might be wrong but it feels so so right. what he doesn't know won't hurt him. probably. whatever. ngh fuck him. the smell is strong enough to give him another boner but there is no time.
several members later the voice of his consciousness is almost inaudible. after taking care that everything is in place and with one last look at the dirty boxers, he leaves. nothing happened here. except it fucking did.
chen cuckles in the bathroom and types: can i tell you a secret?
phones these days, exposing secrets in hd.

03. Baekhyun/Chen; Image - Team Lay

The smoke drifted back into their faces, pushed by the wind. Jongdae's fingers tightened against the railing as he leaned forward, his arms straight, elbows bent. Beside him, the cigarette sat loosely between Baekhyun's fingers. In front of them, the city spread into the distance, punctuated by a tower symbolic of love, the notion of love, the notion of something too ephemeral to exist.

A touch—a cigarette, proffered, an offering. Jongdae nudged his hand away. A sigh, a shrug, another puff of smoke.

The sun hovered at the horizon. It was time, Jongdae thought, to finally go home.

Home.

04. Baekhyun/Minseok, Jongdae; We all have secrets - Team Chanyeol

“Thank you so much for helping me,” Baekhyun says from inside of his closet. He tosses a few shirts out behind him. “It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date.”

“I know,” Jongdae mumbles, catching the shirts and laying them out on Baekhyun’s bed.

Baekhyun emerges from the closet with a few more shirts. “Minseok’s your best friend, so I hope you know what he likes.”

“You’re my best friend,” Jongdae says before he can stop himself.

Baekhyun punches him in the shoulder with a grin. “Your other best friend, then,” Baekhyun says, tossing his mess of shirts onto Jongdae’s pile.

No one comes close to you, Jongdae doesn’t say. “Minseok likes blue,” he does say.

Baekhyun grabs a dark blue button down shirt from the pile and slips it on. Jongdae tries not to watch the way the muscles in his shoulders move as he lifts his arms, the way the fabric stretches tight over his back.

“How do I look?” Baekhyun turns back around.

Jongdae drags his eyes up from where Baekhyun’s left three buttons undone. He clears his throat. “Great. Minseok will love it,” Jongdae says, looking away so Baekhyun can’t see his heart breaking.

05. sekaiyeol; We all have secrets - Team Chanyeol

“Hurry up, we can’t let the others see us,” Jongin says.

Chanyeol huffs and drops to his knees. “You’re so impatient,” he says, mouthing at the outline of Jongin’s dick through his pants.

“What do you expect when you grope me in the middle of an interview?” Jongin says, leaning back and releasing a groan when Chanyeol unzips his pants.

Sehun starts kissing up Jongin’s neck. “Patience is a virtue,” he whispers.

Chanyeol snorts. “Like you would know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sehun huffs.

Jongin clears his throat, gesturing to his abandoned dick. “Can we get back to this?”

06. Xiumin; Lucky One - Team Suho

Minseok knows the women in white are there to pick him up even before he hears the clacking of their heels outside his door. As expected, the noises stop right outside his cell rather than the others', replaced by the unlocking mechanism's beeping. The women don't speak, though it's not like he requires instruction. He lies down on the gurney they've brought along, allows them to strap him down. Minseok knows how this goes. Knows exactly where they're taking him.

As they wheel him away, he closes his eyes and sees only white -- white uniforms and corridors and bedsheets. The white ceiling of the operating room they've brought him to once he's reopened them.

Unsurprisingly, Kyungsoo is already there, similarly bound but struggling against his restraints unlike Minseok, who watches, passive.

"Procedure will begin in five minutes," the intercom states. Warns. Kyungsoo jerks even more wildly as a woman empties a syringe of a familiar black serum into his bloodstream. Minseok's body relaxes just like Kyungsoo's, and even more so as his restraints are undone.

He's handed his own white lab coat -- the same white as the facility and the sclera of Kyungsoo's pleading eyes.

"Please. My gloves as well."

07. Chanyeol/Kyungsoo; Lucky One - Team Chanyeol

Kyungsoo wakes up to Chanyeol combing his hand through Kyungsoo’s hair, pushing the bangs out of his face and letting them fall back into place. Kyungsoo blinks his eyes open and looks up. Chanyeol grins when his eyes meet Kyungsoo’s.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Chanyeol says, ruffling Kyungsoo’s hair. He fits his thumb into the corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth and pushes it into a smile.

Kyungsoo grunts, kicking Chanyeol in the shin under the covers.

“Ouch,” Chanyeol whines, but he doesn’t pull away. He leans forward to kiss Kyungsoo’s forehead. “How did I get so lucky?”

“You’re only lucky I have low standards.”

Chanyeol laughs, pulling Kyungsoo into his arms. Chanyeol falls back asleep like that—wrapped around Kyungsoo, drool pooling at the corners of his mouth. Kyungsoo intertwines their fingers, presses a kiss to Chanyeol’s knuckles, watches the rise and fall of Chanyeol’s breaths.

I’m the lucky one, he thinks.

08. baekhyun/yixing; We all have secrets - Team Kai

“i’m more of a dog person,” baekhyun says.
yixing’s silent. he feels pleasantly warm.
“what star sign are you?” baekhyun asks. “let me guess. capricorn? no, sagittarius! aries? libra!”
yixing nods.
“i knew it!” baekhyun laughs. “zodiacs are kind of my sixth sense. feelings, too. i felt our connection from the minute i saw you, in the practice room. are the ropes too right? would you like some patbingsu?”
yixing shakes his head. he doesn’t want patbingsu. he wants to beg for his release, but the red ball in his mouth prevents it.
“i do!” baekhyun trills. “be right back!”

09. Chanyeol/Kyungsoo; We all have secrets - Team Chanyeol

Chanyeol places his hands on the sides of Kyungsoo’s face, pulling him in for a kiss. “Want to know a secret?” Chanyeol whispers. He leans in for another kiss before speaking. “I love you.”

Kyungsoo pulls back with a small smile. “I have a secret too.”

“Oh, really?” Chanyeol matches his smile. “What is it?”

“Why don’t you go wait in the bedroom and I’ll tell you in a minute.”

Chanyeol agrees without hesitation. Kyungsoo walks back to the kitchen and grabs the largest knife from Chanyeol’s drawer, watching the way the light reflects off the blade. His grin widens.

10. Chen, Chanyeol, D.O; Lucky One - Team Lay

“35AN?”

“Degenerate.”

“354I?”

“Self destructive…”

As the voices trail off in the distance, Jongdae finds himself regaining consciousness. The white lights are blinding. He quickly learns he’s chained down. The metal pierces his neck, making each breath uncomfortable.

Whirring in the background. The sound of an IV drip.

Jongdae can’t remember how he got here.

“Yes, sir. We’ve followed the procedures. 2B9N has been successful thus far. We are keeping an eye on 2B0O. The latter was injected with the blood of the 35x models.”

The voice sounds oddly familiar to Jongdae. Raspy, warm, and welcoming. He hears the voice approaching him and he’s almost sure—

A scream in the distance causes Jongdae to constrict. Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo!” Jongdae yells instinctively. “Where are you?! I’m here! Kyungsoo!”

By now, Jongdae is writhing in pain as his movement is restricted. Suddenly, five masked individuals loom over him to pin him down.

“Negative, sir. That was 2B0O just now. We have 2B9N showing violent behavior.”

Then Jongdae sees him. Chanyeol. In a white coat, speaking on the phone.

“Immediately, sir.”

Jongdae gasps. “Chanyeol?”

They make eye contact for a split second, and Chanyeol mouths I’m sorry.

Jongdae loses all feeling in his body.

11. sexing; We all have secrets - Team Lay

Starlight spills across the field, the moon asleep, the world dark. A brief respite, a foreign world, the first breath of air after an eternity underwater. Hands against arms, fingers tangled in fingers, a puff of breath against sensitive skin. He pulls away, giggling helplessly; he’s too old to giggle, but Sehun’s never too old to tease.

“Cute hyung,” Sehun laughs, and Yixing watches his face scrunch up in the dim light. The grass prickles a little against his skin, and the tail end of summer borders the chill side of cool.

In the distance, faint laughter, raucous, drifts across the woods, carried by lingering bonfire smoke. Yixing stills at the sound—Sehun does too.

“We should go back,” Yixing says.

Sehun breathes out incredulity, and Yixing tugs at him—Sehun gathers him close first.

“When’d you get so small, hyung?”

Yixing can only bury a smile against Sehun’s chest.

12. suchen; Image - Team Chanyeol

“This isn’t going how I planned,” Joonmyun whines, falling face first onto his hotel bed.

He was supposed to take Jongdae to the most expensive restaurant in Paris and propose over dessert while a quartet sang Jongdae’s favorite song. Instead, he was somehow pickpocketed, fell into a dirty pond, and ripped his best pair of dress pants.

Jongdae laughs, sitting next to Joonmyun on the bed and gently rubbing his back. “You’re an idiot.”

Joonmyun whines in protest, and Jongdae pinches his side in retaliation.

“You don’t have to do anything special to impress me,” Jongdae says, leaning forward to kiss the soft skin behind Joonmyun’s left ear. “I already want to marry you.”

“Really?” Joonmyun says. He tries to roll over so he can see Jongdae’s face, but he accidentally rolls right off the bed. “Ouch,” he whimpers, burying his face into the carpet.

Jongdae cackles. “Okay, maybe not.”

13. Kyungsoo, EXO; Lucky One - Team Sehun

"I refuse to believe you’re not cheating," Kyungsoo said flatly. He glared at the eight other members in turn, but they all gave him perfectly innocent looks.

“Cheating? Why would you say that?” Baekhyun said, and Kyungsoo was ready to strangle him.

“Right, hyung, how could we cheat playing rock paper scissors? It’s not like we know what you’ll put out.”

“I don’t know, maybe you have super powers!”

“Don’t be silly, they’re not real,” Joonmyun placated him. “Maybe you’re just really lucky today.”

“Losing three times in a—oh forget it,” Kyungsoo groaned and stood, missing Chanyeol’s victory sign.

14. Baekhyun, Kai; We all have secrets - Team Lay

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Jongin moans shakily.

Baekhyun glances at Jongin, who’s a trembling mess. He looks ashamed, but Baekhyun doesn’t miss the desire in his eyes.

It turns Baekhyun on even more, wishing he were fucking Jongin, too.

“Shit, I’m gonna come.”

Baekhyun thrusts faster to finish in sync with Jongin. He wishes he could take his time, to fully satiate his lust for the cold flesh, but Jongin’s a damn minute man.

When they finish, Jongin looks at Baekhyun worriedly.

“Don’t worry,” Baekhyun assures him. “They’ll be embalmed tomorrow. This is just between you and me.”

15. Chen, Baekhyun; Alice in Wonderland - Team Chen

The world fell away with dizzying clarity, leaving behind a young boy lying in the grass, under a tree. Slowly, his eyes opened, and he sat up, as if from a dream. He remembered falling, falling, falling—remembered the strangest things, remembered a turtle and a gryphon and a beheading happy queen.

But:

“Who in the world am I?”

“Ah, but that’s the great puzzle, isn’t it?” A head popped out, followed by a body, a young man with cat ears on his head, a grin on his face. “Who are you?”

“If I knew I wouldn’t have asked,” the boy said. “Who are you?”

“A cat,” the cat said, even though he was clearly more man than cat. He wasn’t much taller than the boy. The boy wasn’t very tall. “Do you have a name?”

“Probably, but I don’t know it.”

“Then let’s find you one first.”

“But how?”

16. Chen/Suho; We all have secrets - Team Lay

Blood smears hot against his skin, feet catching as he stumbles, back hitting the wall with a jagged jolt. In a flash, Jongdae’s fingers curl around his neck, his tongue against his lips, and Joonmyun pulls away, gasping.

Jongdae’s eyes flash in the low light, and a streak of crimson feathers along his cheek.

"What the fuck", he hisses, and Jongdae presses a finger against his lips.

"I could kill you instead", Jongdae says, and his voice is too calm, too poised. Light spills dull against the gun in his other hand—he doesn’t need a reminder.

His heart pounds in his chest—a memory: gentle kitten kisses, bashless smiles, a wreath of sun. A deserted parking lot, deep dusk, eyes dark enough to kill and the curl of a smile with too little remorse.

“Instead of what?”

Quick as a bullet, and Joonmyun’s on his back, and blood—more blood—damp in his hair. Jongdae sits on top of him and how could he have misread the cute barista from his favourite store so badly—

“Instead of keeping this a secret,” Jongdae breathes, and Joonmyun doesn’t have the breath to protest, and Jongdae’s fingers are slender against his wrist.

Pool 2

01. Chen/Xiumin; Image - Team Suho

Minseok sets his laptop down in the empty chair across from him, angling the webcam towards the morning sky and the city skyline instead of himself. It's not as good as seeing the City of Light in person, but neither he nor Jongdae can really help the fact that SM's design team had seen fit to fly them off to opposite sides of the world for their latest album photoshoot.

"I bet you're loving this, aren't you, hyung?" says Jongdae's distorted voice from the laptop speakers. He sighs, long and wistful and loud enough for his microphone to pick up. "The Eiffel Tower at dawn, a freshly brewed cup of coffee. What more could you ask for?"

'Company,' Minseok thinks as he leans back into his chair, clutching his cooling drink closer in lieu of Jongdae's soft hand. There's just enough warmth left for him to pretend it's enough. 'You'.

02. Suho/Lay; We all have secrets - Team Lay

How well do you really know him?

The question lay heavy in Junmyeon’s mind. But why? He knew Yixing better than anyone. Who else knows he prefers black coffee at 2PM and iced caramel macchiatos at 10AM? That he scraped his knees six times learning to ride a bike when he was five? Or about his apple shaped mole on his inner left thigh? Of course, no one. Only Junmyeon knew.

And yet, the question posed by Minseok wouldn’t leave his mind.

We all have something to hide. Half past five.

Junmyeon always gets out of the studio before 8AM. He hasn’t missed a day of work, ever. But today, he’s feeling a bit sick. It’s probably because he forgot to take his vitamins. Yeah, that’s it. His hands are shaking uncontrollably, and he knows this is what his mother warned him about when skipping those damn vitamins. Yes, that has to be it.

“Yixing? I’m home.”

Junmyeon checks his watch. 5:30AM.

He peers into their bedroom and sees Yixing sound asleep. Junmyeon sighs in relief.

“Baby, why are you awa--”

Junmyeon jumps at the sudden voice behind him, and comes eye to eye with his boss: Lee Sooman.

03. Suho; Lucky One - Team Suho

It's been a long time since the compass in Junmyeon's hand has held so steady. Far too long, he thinks, feeling more than ever the lingering ache in his left knee. He'd gotten used to the sight of its needle wavering between the SM building in Apgujeong and his university in Seokgwan, had forgotten what it felt like to know which path his heart had truly wanted as both the silence from upper management and his experiences in his university's acting department piled up.

Now, it points to the stack of unsigned papers in front of him, and the offer that had come along with them.

It's not the first time SM's promised him something over the past five years. But it is the first time they've promised a debut, as real as the contract clutched between his fingers, so close he can already see himself on stage, microphone in hand rather than the compass he's spent the past few years checking uncertainly. He feels fifteen again, when everything he'd ever wanted had seemed within arm's reach.

"Follow your heart," everyone says, and for once Junmyeon does find it that easy, thanks to the compass his heart's come along with.

04. Kai, Chen; We all have secrets - Team Lay

“stop twiddling your thumbs and tell me the real fucking reason you asked me to come here.”

jongin slightly winces at jongdae’s harsh tone. “god, you’re such a jerk. i’m about to pour out my heart to you and this is how you treat me?”

“it’s been two hours and you haven’t spilt any tea. what is up, jongin?”

jongin takes a deep breath and chugs his iced coffee. “okay, so, um. i think i like eating ass.”

jongdae stares at him wide eyed.

“oh jesus, kill me…”

jongdae smacks jongin across the head and gets up to leave. “you just wasted my goddamned time. You know, I could have been getting dick right now. Fuck you, jongin.”

“wait, hyung, what? Why are you so—“

“if you think it’s not obvious that you’re an ass muncher, then you need to reevaluate your life,” jongdae scoffs.

jongin is left aghast.

05. Chen, Kai, Suho, Xiumin; Alice in Wonderland - Team Suho

Jongin's hands are folded behind his back as he hunches over, as if to make himself smaller. An impossible task, considering the way he currently towers over all three of his older brothers, his head nearly banging against their ceiling. Jongdae glances between Minseok and Junmyeon and wonders which one will address the very large, Jongin-shaped elephant in their living room.

"What have we said about accepting food from Baekhyun?" Junmyeon starts sternly, crossing his arms. He's got that disappointed look Jongdae absolutely hates, that he only resorts to when he knows his usual genial approach won't get him anywhere.

Minseok nods his head in agreement, standing firmly in support of their second eldest. "You ate a mushroom off the ground. It probably wasn't even washed." He sounds more upset about that than Jongin's glaringly obvious disobedience, honestly.

The pout on Jongin's face is more pronounced than ever after his scolding, and not even because of his new size. "If I didn't, Jjanggu would've finished it off!"

"Jjanggu?" Jongdae asks, his heart sinking. His face pales as he's answered by a bark that echoes far too loudly and the sight of a giant black puppy nose outside their window.

06. Baekhyun/Lay; We all have secrets - Team Lay

“Jesus fuck don’t stop,” Baekhyun hisses, and Yixing smiles around his dick. His tongue curls against the underside and Baekhyun lets out a sound, his fingers tugging sharp at Yixing’s scalp.

Yixing wrinkles his nose, pulling back just enough to whine. “That hurts!”

Baekhyun’s lips catch in his teeth. “Please hyung, before someone comes in.”

“You should be more quiet,” Yixing says.

Baekhyun opens his mouth to retort, but doesn’t get a chance, not when Yixing’s mouth is so hot just about the head of his dick and fuck he’s good--

“We can hear you, Baekhyun!” Yixing stifles a laugh as Joonmyun knocks on the very door Baekhyun is leaning against. “Other people need the bathroom too.”

“Y-yeah hyung,” Baekhyun’s voice hitching; Yixing takes his whole length into his mouth.

“Has anyone seen Yixing?” they hear Joonmyun through the door.

Baekhyun ends up finishing himself off—Yixing’s too busy laughing.

07. Chanyeol/Lay; Image - Team Lay

When Chanyeol reflects on it, he realizes it’s only right it ends where it started. Here, on this balcony, overlooking the city’s skyline. This is where he and Yixing first met. An abandoned loft where Jongdae threw a party three years ago. Yixing was vomiting over the railing because that little fuck couldn’t hold his liquor. He confessed he was eyeing Chanyeol the whole night and just needed some liquid courage. Which was also the case for Chanyeol.

Ever since then, Chanyeol and Yixing would return here to make more memories. They made songs together. Made vlogs together. Made love to one another.

Chanyeol vividly remembers a more somber night where Yixing was feeling down after another company rejected his composition again.

“Nothing good ever lasts.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

Chanyeol should have known it then, that Yixing meant what he said. He should have known to let go of the belief that he and Yixing could make it last. He didn’t, though.

It was only when Yixing called Chanyeol a month ago to meet up here. That was when Chanyeol knew. He saw it in Yixing’s eyes; he didn’t even need to speak. Yixing was leaving him. Because indeed, nothing lasts.

08. Chanyeol/Kyungsoo; We all have secrets - Team Chanyeol

“You like this, don’t you?” Chanyeol whispers in Kyungsoo’s ear, bending him over so Chanyeol’s body is hovering over Kyungsoo’s back. “Me towering over you.”

Kyungsoo’s hands try to find leverage on the wall in front of him, but his grip slips. Chanyeol holds him up easily with an arm around Kyungsoo’s waist. Chanyeol grabs one of Kyungsoo’s hands and holds it in his, intertwining their fingers.

Chanyeol’s hand is almost twice the size, his fingers wrapping almost around Kyungsoo’s hand. Kyungsoo whimpers, closes his eyes.

This has always been Kyungsoo’s secret. He likes when Chanyeol makes him feel small.

09. xiubaek; Lucky One - Team Chanyeol

“Woo! I won again,” Minseok exclaims, wiggling in his chair in celebration. “Today must be my lucky day.”

Baekhyun grins. “Don’t get comfortable, hyung.”

They’ve been playing Mario Cart for hours, and Minseok has won the last five games. It’s a record for him because he can rarely beat anyone, much less Baekhyun.

Minseok turns around and sticks his tongue out at Baekhyun. “We’ll see,” he says. “After my pee break.”

As soon as he’s out of the room, Chanyeol scoffs from the other side of the room. “You’re letting him win.”

“So?” Baekhyun huffs. “He’s cute when he wins.”

10. xiubaek; We all have secrets - Team Xiumin

Baekhyun has been told he doesn't keep secrets very well.

"You talk too much," Jongdae pointed out, like Baekhyun didn't know that already, "and if it isn't with your mouth you show it on your face. Did you just get mad at hyung over a computer game?" Well, it wasn't JUST a computer game and he wasn't THAT mad, only a little, because he knew Minseok stayed up all night practicing for comeback and learning LoL, reading up on actual FAQs ("I want to do it properly," Minseok said, and it shouldn't sound hot but it was, Baekhyun's weak), and they still lost a lot and Baekhyun showed his ID to everyone and Minseok kept on apologizing like it was his fault when it wasn’t. Baekhyun's mad at himself for wanting to show off. Baekhyun's mad that Minseok didn't believe him. And why? Why couldn't Minseok believe him? Like when Baekhyun says he's hot or handsome or really cool? Or when he asks him out to take a trip together someday with no managers, no Jongdae, and Jongdae's shaking his head and was that words coming out of his own mouth. Oh.

"So, so bad at keeping secrets," Jongdae said.

11. Chanyeol, Sehun; We all have secrets - Team Baekhyun

when chanyeol spots an unfamiliar notebook on the coffee table at home, too small to be either minseok's or yixing's (not that the two would leave their belongings scattered around), he can't help picking it up and leafing through it. the penmanship is easily recognizable, though the words aren't as much. there are acrostic poems dedicated to all the members (save the writer himself), and free-flowing vignettes on flower fields, bright lights, and beloved pets, among other themes. chanyeol smiles, reminded of his own earlier attempts at poetry, but his stomach clenches at the pieces on love, whose roughness chafes at the heart with candid longing. only one so young and unsure can harbor such pain, he thinks. as chanyeol flips the notebook closed, he almost, almost, misses the bold heading on an otherwise blank page: “things to maybe show the hyungs when they need words for their music”

12. Kyungsoo/chanyeol; Lucky One - Team Baekhyun

Being taking into the spaceship is the last thing Kyungsoo remembers. Everything went to shit the moment he met Chanyeol. He said being alone was turning him into a ticking bomb but in retrospective he was probably talking about himself. Kyungsoo was fine and the world was safe. Safe from his kind. Living a normal life was too risky for them.
Was he greedy for wanting to be himself? Was it worth it?
Now there is no going back. They took them prisoners one by one. But they made a mistake. They are stronger together and their captors will pay.

13. Suho/Chen; We all have secrets - Team Suho

"Stand still," Junmyeon whispers as he kisses his neck, making him shudder against the body that is pressing his from behind.
Junmyeon's hands reach around and pinch his nipples, making Jongdae whimper.
"Hush now. We can't have anyone walking in on us, can we?"
Jongdae inhales sharply as Junmyeon's tongue teases the outer shell of his ear and he nods quickly, eager to please.
Then, after making sure Junmyeon is sated, Jongdae's head finds its favorite spot on Junmyeon's lap and he gets to hear the words he craves the most whispered over and over into his ear, "Good boy."

14. Sehun/Baekhyun; We all have secrets - Team Chanyeol

“It’s not what it looks like,” Baekhyun exclaims, slamming the closet door shut.

Sehun stands in front of him with a look of horror. He leans down to pick up Vivi, covering his eyes. “I can’t believe you’d let him see something like that. He’s just a puppy.”

“I can explain!” Baekhyun shouts as Sehun leaves the room with Vivi in tow. “We all have secrets!”

“You’ve taken it too far,” Sehun says.

Baekhyun opens his closet and sinks to his knees, grabbing the dog suit where it’s slumped against the carpet. “I’m just a furry. Is that so bad?”

15. Kyungsoo-centric; Lucky One - Team Xiumin

Their powers came back. Not all at once but in bits and pieces. It took a while before Chanyeol can get the bonfire going, or for Junmyeon to generate enough water for the members to drink. Jongin doesn’t attempt to teleport at all for fear of losing a body part.
“Must be nice knowing things again.” Sehun slumps beside Kyungsoo against the smooth rock-face, talking about the less mundane side of Kyungsoo’s abilities. If Kyungsoo lets his hands touch the ground he can feel it seep back into his fingers—the strength from the earth, the knowledge of this place, on what has been done to them, how lucky they are to have escaped—
They have never escaped. Kyungsoo grabs the sand. It’s slippery in his hands, less like sand and more like tidbits of simulation data.
“Not really,” he says and debates what he’s going to tell Junmyeon.

16. Suho/Lay; Image - Team Lay

Sometimes it hits him the moment he steps outside, or when he sits down with a coffee, or when he leans over the railing and smells the ghost of cigarette smoke. Strangely, it bothers him less than it should. A brief ache, as familiarly fleeting as the one in his knee.

Rainbows aren't mourned in their passing—their beauty was in transience itself, an elusive remnant of shrouded skies. Joonmyun sighs, and draws back inside.

It’s been three Tuesdays, since then. Since Yixing pat his arm one last time, and said, staring earnestly into his eyes: "it was worth it."

DQ. Chanyeol; Lucky One - Team Kai

“It’s happening. Next Monday.”

The memo is out. Soon, the boys will be ready for the public. EXO will become a household name. Nine handsome young men singing and dancing, becoming a phenomenon unlike any other. Hearts will be captured, cash will be incoming. It is going to be a success story for everyone involved.

“Attention, available helpers needed in Chanyeol’s room right now,” the voice on the speaker says. Squeaky shoes head in the direction of the boy’s room. Chanyeol, prepped to take the rapper position in the group, has the potential to be great. Sometimes, though, he behaves unpredictably; he shows signs of rejecting the effort put into making him extraordinary. He has no idea how lucky he is. EXO will be the lucky ones to taste unbelievable fame.

His body is too warm. He still has to practice controlling the fire within. Not now, though. He is still asleep. All nine of them. Each in their own room, monitored closely. Nine boys finally about to wake up with superhuman powers. Powers they will use for...other purposes. Missions not yet determined by Big Boss.

For now, they will dance and sing. Soon they will conquer. Everything. Everyone.