There is something heavy in the air; chilly and fresh but still strangely suffocating, like just before a thunderstorm. Suho steps out from the alley alongside Baekhyun, soon followed by a bouncing Jongin, and Sehun pats Kyungsoo on the arm before they straighten their legs and walk out as well, Chanyeol and the other two in tow. They come out to a wide avenue between two buildings, half-heartedly lit by a few scattered streetlamps along the sidewalk, and Suho stomps out to the middle line separating the two lanes to stare down towards a door in the wall of the opposite building.

“Hey!” he shouts, but there is no immediate response. It’s eerily quiet at the street; one end comes out to the quay with a view of the water, the other goes on for a good half mile along dull warehouses before being cut off by an intersecting road and an ever duller warehouse, but there isn’t a soul to be seen anywhere. Suho takes a deep breath and goes again, but now with a generous addition in terms of volume. “HEEEY!”

After a rough minute there is a rustle sounding from the door, and it swings open with a piercing creak. Kris comes sauntering out first, taking a last, deep blow of a half cigarette before flicking it away. Lay and Luhan are close behind him, striding equally careless over the street to trail to a halt a rough ten meters in front of Suho. Then comes Xiu Min and the boy who’s name Sehun now knows is Jongdae, orChen, followed by another two boys Sehun doesn’t recognize. Last emerges Tao, off-handedly kicking the door shut behind him before trailing up to Lay’s side and Sehun registers a strange tingling in his stomach, just barely noticeable among the currents of adrenaline steadily spreading through his veins.

“Good evening.” Kris says, shooting Suho a pleasant smile.

“Spare the formalities.” Suho snarls. “You know why we’re here.”

Kris’ smile widens into a cold grin. “We have a hunch.”

“Yeah?” Jongin barks, draping himself over Suho’s shoulder. “So what are we waiting for?”

Kris chuckles briefly, and takes a step forward. “Which one of you is actually in charge?”

Jongin startles, but doesn’t remove himself. Only when receiving a searing glare from Suho does he sheepishly pull back, and Suho takes a moment to sniff self-righteously before taking a step forward as well.

“Ah.” Kris exclaims, smiling widely. “Joonmyun, isn’t it?”

Sehun’s eyes widen, and he doesn’t need to see Suho’s face to know that it has darkened.

“Don’t. You dare. Call me that.” He grits out, taking another step forward.

“Oh my.” Kris coos. “Fuzzy, are we?”

“Assholes, are we?”

“Such manners. When we were kind enough to redecorate your basement and all.”

“Yeah, that was nice. Let me return the favor by redecorating your face.”

There’s now barely a meter between them, and Sehun notes Suho stretching his back to even out the height difference a bit. He just barely manages to reach Kris’ nose. Kris is carefully eyeing him up and down, before he fixes his gaze on his face and cocks his head to the side.

“Joonmyun-ah.” He tuts, earning a scowl from the other. “As a fellow leader, I can trust you not to attempt to cheat, right?”

“We play fair as long as you do.” Suho retorts, and Kris smiles again.

“Neat. In that case, why don’t you start that redecoration you were talking about.”

Suho blinks, and Kris’ smile widens before he leans forward slightly, bringing up a finger to tap at his own jaw.

Suho scoffs. “You patronizing bastard.” He growls out, pulling his fist back and laying his entire body strength behind the blow landing right at Kris’ chin with a mellow thud.

There is a pause; nobody moving as Kris lingers with his head bent to the side, fingers coming up again to dab at his face before he straightens his back and looks directly into Suho’s eyes with a scornful grin.

“That’s the best you got?”

Sehun barely has time to register a vague rumble at his side before Jongin has lunged forward, crossing the distance in a few long steps and landing a sturdy sock in Kris’ face before the latter can even wipe the grin off. The next moment hell breaks loose; Lay lunges on Suho, Kyungsoo darts out to assist him but is immediately attacked by Luhan, Chanyeol shoots out towards Chen and Baekhyun delivers a harsh kick to Kris’ shins while passing him on his way towards the shortest of the two newcomers. Kris’ loud profanity bounces between the walls as Sehun whirls around, trying to find Tao in the mess and soon spotting him receiving a fistful by Minho before rewarding the taller with a high kick at the shoulder that almost has him losing his balance. Sehun frowns and is just about to head in their direction when he’s blocked by a smirking Xiu Min.

“How’s that lisp going, kid?” he jeers, throwing out a fist that Sehun just barely manages to dodge. “Maybe I can punch it out for you.”

“Kid?” Sehun retorts, throwing any ambitions of finesse out the window. “Aren’t you like, ten?” Xiu Min scowls at him and shoots out again, landing a good punch at Sehun’s face before receiving a few to his own.

Baekhyun jams a knee up the crotch of his opponent, but frowns when he only stumbles backwards and collides with Xiu Min. The two whip around at each other and exchange a confused frown before the small boy pounces on Baekhyun again and Sehun uses the moment of disorder to sneak away, trying to circle the whole scene on the outside while noting how Xiu Min goes for Chanyeol instead and immediately is welcomed with an elbow across his nose. Meanwhile Kris has gotten Jongin down on all four and is aiming a harsh kick towards his bandaged shoulder when interrupted by Suho’s fist to his midsection. Sehun finds himself panting, willing Jongin to get up, and releases a shaky sigh when Taemin appears to pull him up by his good arm. He notes that Minho has moved on to Lay, and is reminded of his own mission.

The next thing he knows he’s slapped across the shoulder blade and he twirls around just as Tao comes back up from his pirouette, immediately bending his knees in a defensive position. There is a small smirk on Tao’s lips that Sehun really can’t bring himself to mirror; the curses and shouts behind him as well as the dull, meaty sound of knuckles meeting muscle are considerably off-putting, and he can’t stop himself from beginning to turn around at a pained groan that sounds very much like Baekhyun but immediately has his attention brought back forward by a kick to the arm.

“Focus!” Tao snaps, lunging closer to kick Sehun in the stomach. Sehun whimpers and frowns; if Tao’s gonna play his role well, so will Sehun. He drowns out all the noise and trains his gaze on the other’s face, easily dodging the next blow before reciprocating. For a minute it’s like they’re in Tao’s living room again, just sparring, and he smoothly traces Tao’s pattern of movement, blocking his fists and ducking for his kicks.

A sudden strangled yelp brings Sehun back to reality, and he swirls around just in time to catch Suho falling to the ground with Kris swiftly descending on him, but immediately has to pay for his lacking attention with a hard kick to the shoulder. He dodges the next blow and grabs onto Tao’s wrist to pull him close, their chests bumping together.

“Do something.” He breathes out before pushing the other away, and Tao’s narrowed eyes skims over the crowd. Sehun gives him a few moments before diving in again, but is taken by surprise when Tao grabs him in a headlock and wrings him around so his back is pressed against the older’s chest with both of Tao’s arms curled snugly around his head. Sehun grabs onto Tao’s wrist as he feels him placing his hands on either side of his head and applying just the slightest pressure, before leaning his mouth close to his ear and breathing out a hissed;

“Die.”

A moment passes, two, before Sehun tips his head forward in the smallest nod. The next second Tao lets out a loud, piercing howl and jerks his arms around Sehun’s neck, gently forcing his head to the side. Sehun immediately follows, snapping his head around quick enough for the muscles to hurt, before going completely limp against Tao’s chest.

He slumps down on the ground as Tao releases him and backs away. His forehead scrapes painfully against the jagged tarmac but he struggles to not react, only keep his eyes shut and limbs relaxed. The surrounding buzz quickly dies down as Tao sets off down the street, and someone screams something in Mandarin after him. For a while it’s strangely quiet, but then Sehun can hear steps slowly gathering around him and a foreign mumble rising over his head.

Before he knows it a sharp, shaky comment cuts through the air, and the next moment the feet are disappearing; the sound of soles desperately flapping against the street quickly fading out as someone slumps down at his side.

“Fuck.” It’s undoubtedly Jongin’s voice. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…”

“Is he..?”

“I… No…”

“But he…”

“I don’t know, I…”

“What did…”

“For fucks’ sake, someone flip him over!” Suho barks out, and the next moment Sehun’s manhandled over to his back, concentrating on keeping every muscle in his body limp and flaccid, letting his head loll to the side and mouth fall open.

“Th—That freak!” Chanyeol. “He… Sehun… He killed him?!” Sehun just barely manages to hold in a snort.

A pair of clammy fingers come to Sehun’s neck, jerkily roaming around for a bit before stilling right over his pulse. “No, he… He’s not…”

“But he…” Kyungsoo.

“Fuck!” It’s Suho again, coming down at Sehun’s other side and putting a cold hand over his cheek. “I never should have let him…”

“What is wrong with him, then?” Possibly Taemin.

“I don’t know, I…” Sehun finds his head being cradled and raised off the ground, fingers tentatively feeling their way through his hair. “He’s just…”

“But…”

“He’s just out of it…”

“Someone call a fucking ambulance!” Jongin again. “Right…? He’s…”

“Who has a phone? Kyungsoo?”

“No, I…”

“Baekhyun?”

“Yes, but…”

“Good, do it!”

“But I…”

“Call!”

“I can’t!”

“Why?”

“I just…”

“F—Fuck… Chanyeol, you do it!”

“Gimme…”

When Sehun hears the dull natter of buttons he swiftly pulls himself into sitting position and opens his eyes, blinking.

“Yeah, there’s no need for that.” He says casually, nimbly getting to his feet and reaching out for the phone in Chanyeol’s hand to clamp it shut. Jongin and Suho are still on their knees on the ground, blankly staring at him with their mouths hanging open. Baekhyun’s on his haunches at their side, chest heaving erratically and tears continuously streaming down his cheeks. Taemin and Minho are a few meters away, staring at him with eyes the size of saucers, while Kyungsoo’s standing next to Chanyeol, face pale as a sheet.

“What…” Chanyeol mumbles lamely, fingers still hovering over his open palm from where the phone was just removed.

“I’m fine.” Sehun says slowly, looking deep into Chanyeol’s eyes. Yet, there is another long pause before anyone speaks up.

“Fuck…” Jongin caws. “What the hell was that?”

The next moment Suho shoots to his feet, lunging on Sehun and leaning close into his face with a searing (but at the same time, clearly relieved) glare. “What the actual fuck is wrong with you? You scared the shit out of us!”

“That was sort of the point.” Sehun retorts, carefully meeting Suho’s gaze. A strangled sob is heard from his left, and he turns his head just in time to catch Baekhyun’s face scrunching up before he buries it in his arms.

“Why?!”

“Because it could have been real.” Sehun answers, fighting to keep his gaze stable under Suho’s scrutiny. “And we’re pretty fucking close to having it coming. One day, one of us’ll get seriously hurt. Or one of them.”

“…So you’re teaching us a lesson?”

Sehun shrugs. “Maybe I am.”

“What?” Chanyeol barks out. “You’re better than us now? You’re too good for this all of a sudden?” He steps closer as well, narrowing his eyes. “Or are you just being chicken?”

Sehun can’t help but to let out a snort. “Because I have a sense of self-preservation?”

Chanyeol clenches his jaw. “If you can’t even take a shot for the team, then maybe you should just scram.”

“And then having to come back to scrape the remains of your face off the street?” Sehun scoffs. “Be fucking smart here. What are we actually fighting over? A name? Some imaginary borders? Our own self-importance? Over this, we’re willing to get physically hurt, and physically hurt others? Seriously?”

“The fuck?” Chanyeol sputters. “Since when are you all up on some high horse? Last time I checked, we were in this together! You were just as ticked at these guys as the rest of us!”

“And then I realized just how pissy and immature we were all being.” Sehun retorts. “It’s one thing to be fourteen and running around playing tough, but this is just fucking ridiculous.”

“The fuck are you saying.” Suho growls. “During all these years, we looked out for each other. Together, we were strong. Together, nobody could fuck with us. We cared for each other. Don’t come here telling me that’s ridiculous.”

“Hyung.” Sehun says. “If we hadn’t been in a gang, nobody would have fucked with us in the first place.” Suho’s nostrils begin to flare and his mouth opens, but before he has time to say anything Jongin also gets to his feet.

“But…” He stammers. “Tao…?”

“Uh.” Sehun says. “Well, he was in on it as well.”

“What do you mean, in on it?” Suho questions, eyes narrowed.

“Uh.” Sehun says again. “We might be…” Lovers? The word flashes through his brain, but he immediately pushes it away. Friends? “We’ve been hanging out... a bit.”

Suho’s eyes widen, a heavy breath shakily leaving his nostrils. “You’ve been… hanging out with them? For how long?”

“Not them.” Sehun corrects him. “They don’t know anything. It’s just… Just Tao. Ever since that night I ran into him and he beat me up.”

“For all this time… you’ve been… hanging out… with the enemy?”

Sehun rolls his eyes. “Listen to yourself. Enemy? They’re just regular guys. You if anyone should see how stupid all of this is.” Suho quirks a brow, but Sehun doesn’t give him any moment to cut in. “How long are we gonna huddle in that basement? Isn’t it time we grow up? Don’t you have things you want to do? College? Career?”

“You stuck-up little—” Chanyeol spits out, but quickly falls silent as Suho puts a hand to his chest. Suho studies Sehun for a long time, his intense stare and silence soon making Sehun feel considerably uneasy, before he exhales heavily and lets his head slump forward.

“You fucker.” He says, but somewhat lacking any fervor. “You shitty little fucker.” The next moment his head whips back up and he fixes Sehun with his glare once more. “You know what? You’re right.” He bites out, short and sharp. “I’m tired of having you guys towing along wherever I go. I’m tired of constantly having to pick up the pieces for the shit you do.” His glare just briefly sails over in Chanyeol’s direction before it is whipped back to Sehun. “I’m too old for this shit. I quit.” He takes a step backwards and lets his gaze sweep over the others. “Do what the fuck you want with the gang, just stay away from my basement.”

He sends them all a last glare before promptly turns on his heel, shoving his hands deep into his jean pockets and marching down the street. Baekhyun looks up from his arms, sniffing and swallowing thickly before jumping up.

“Hyung! Wait!” he calls, sprinting to catch up with Suho just as he turns a corner towards the city. Sehun watches them both disappear before turning back to Chanyeol, being met with a somewhat faltered glare. His nose is swollen with a smudged stream of dried blood under it, but other than that he looks pretty fine. Jongin’s clutching at his shoulder, his bottom lip cracked and even thicker than usual, while Kyungsoo’s donning the beginnings of a neat shiner. Taemin and Minho are only sporting a good couple of bruises, but suddenly Sehun also starts feeling that his skin is a bit sore in places.

Jongin, whose jaw for the last ten minutes or so has been hanging open, finally closes his mouth, heaves a big breath and walks up to Sehun.

“You fucking asshole.” He says matter-of-factly, before wrapping both arms around Sehun’s shoulders and burying his face at his neck. Sehun stands still (a little dumbfounded) and lets him do what he needs to, and soon Jongin pulls away again, sniffing and shrugging vaguely before rubbing at his shoulder and rolling his arm around in its joint.

“Fuck, I really could use some grub.” He says to nobody in particular, promptly shoving his hands into his pockets and sauntering down the street. Chanyeol glares at his back for a moment before giving it an animated roll of the eyes and making to follow him. Taemin and Minho share a look before shrugging and trailing after, and Kyungsoo shoots Sehun a glance.

“You coming?”

“Uh.” Sehun says, inconspicuously looking around the street. “Actually, I…”

A way too knowing grin spreads on Kyungsoo’s face, and he only gives him an offhanded nod upwards before hurrying after the others, leaving Sehun frowning in the middle of the street.

He has only walked for a few minutes when something big and dark suddenly appears – seemingly out of thin air – before him, and he puts a shaking hand to his chest, glancing up at the ledge (at least two meters tall) running along the sidewalk as Tao gets to his feet.

“You have a new career path to consider.” He says, lips nursing a lopsided little smirk as he ambles up to Sehun.

“Shut up.” Sehun mutters. He eyes Tao for a moment, waiting for his breathing to fully still before promptly grabbing him by the collar to pull him closer and unceremoniously smash their lips together. It’s smushy and finesse-less and probably pretty ugly, but he enjoys the proximity; the hands coming up to grip at his elbows and the nose brushing against his cheek (just enjoys Tao, period), and doesn’t even bother feeling ashamed over any of it. When pulling away Tao lingers, well within the borders of his personal space, watching him with eyes dark and deep and amused.

“What was that for?” he asks, but Sehun only shrugs, untangling his hands from Tao’s jacket and proceeding to make his way down the sidewalk.

“Just felt like it.”

-

“…Fuck.”

“…Yes.”

“…Fuck.”

“…”

“…Fuck.”

“Yes, Chanyeol, fuck. We heard you the first time.”

“…Fu— Ouch!”

Sehun leans back on his hands and peers up at the sky. The tarmac is cold and ragged against his palms and the multiple streetlamps around the parking lot eliminates any vain chance at seeing any stars, but he’s still feeling strangely good. He takes a deep breath of the chilly evening air – that isn’t as much air as an unholy coition between diesel fumes and the greasy, saturated exhaust of the vent of the shitty diner behind which they’re seated – and feels, considering the current circumstances, obnoxiously content.

“My ass hurts.”

“I swear to god, Chanyeol, if I hear one more word coming out of your mouth tonight, I will personally—“

“…It is also cold— ggh…”

“…Take it easy, Jongin. I don’t think he can breathe very well if you keep strangling him like that.” Kyungsoo remarks idly, taking a swig of his beer before handing the can to Sehun. Jongin stops assaulting Chanyeol but instead ventures off into a long rant about the pink, frilly cushion that he will personally have tailored for the taller, with straps to be tied around the shoulders so that Chanyeol always can carry it with him and never have to suffer the horrible fate of having his poor tush cold and hurting, and thus Jongin in turn wouldn’t have to suffer the horrible fate of having to listen to Chanyeol’s pissy whining about said tush – but Sehun habitually drowns it out and turns to Kyungsoo again, swirling a sip of bitter beer around in his mouth as he hands the can back. Kyungsoo’s hunched over his folded legs, fiddling with his cellphone.

“Suho says hi.” He says.

Sehun grins. “He does?”

Kyungsoo shoots him a glance from the corner of his eye and grins as well. “Something along those lines.”

A car comes around from the corner of the building, headlights sharp and stark over the asphalt, but Sehun doesn’t even bother turning around. He leans back on his hands again and tips his face up towards the sky, sliding his eyes shut. There is something about the feeling of tarmac against his fingertips that Sehun appreciates. It makes him feel at ease somehow; like he belongs. He just barely listens to the soft natter of Kyungsoo typing on his phone or Chanyeol’s morose mutterings inbetween Jongin’s occasional bark, only concentrates on the lazy gush of wind playing in his hair, noting through closed eyelids how the lights are shut off, and then—

“Hey!”

Jongin’s already at his feet, Chanyeol not far behind, and since even Kyungsoo seems alarmed Sehun actually bothers turning his head, startling slightly when realizing that half of the members of the other EXO’s are standing before them on the parking lot, the other half in the process of climbing out of the car. Sehun’s stomach makes an instinctive little flip when noticing Tao coming up at Kris’s side and earning him a barely noticeable cock of the head. Jongin’s chest is however already heaving rapidly, and Sehun musters up the effort to roll his eyes and getting to his feet as well.

“What are you bastards doing here?!”

Kris is chewing on a straw, lazily observing Jongin through narrowed eyes. “Don’t worry, little EXO’s.” he says. “We’re merely on a hunt for dinner. I have made a promise to a certain someone not to mess with you.”

Jongin is, however, far beyond pacification already. “Don’t bother!” he barks out. “We can still take you!”

Kris blinks at him, looking highly uninterested. “With or without Mister Up-And-Coming-Actor over there faking a seizure?” he drawls, cocking his head in Sehun’s general direction. When Jongin can’t seem to come up with a reply he deems witty enough, Kris rolls his eyes. “You shouldn’t be so…” he trails off, tiredly furrowing his brows before shooting a comment back at his gang.

Xiu Min snorts. “Belligerent.” He calls back, grinning, and Kris nods, turning to Jongin again.

“Right. You shouldn’t be so belligerent, and you’ll live longer. Just a tip.”

Without even waiting for a reply he slings an arm around Tao’s shoulder and turns around to saunter away. They’ve already made it halfway across the parking lot when Jongin, who during their journey has grown increasingly jerkier, takes a few bouncy steps forward.

“Hey!” he calls again, but less aggressively now. Kris halts, heaving a visible sigh before turning his head around to shoot Jongin a blank glare.

“What if…” Jongin trails, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket. “Uh.”

“What, pup?” Kris croaks.

“We.” Jongin manages, taking another couple of steps forward. “We should be together!” Kris quirks a brow, and Jongin blinks before hurrying to continue; “I mean. We have the same name and all. We should be one gang.”

Kris actually bothers turning around fully now, and his members crowd around him, amusement quickly spreading amongst them.

“Let me get this straight.” Kris says, actually taking the straw out of his mouth. “Are you asking to join us?”

“Uh. No.” Jongin says. “I mean. Yes.”

There is a tug at Kris’ lips. “And what do your fellow companions say about that?”

Jongin startles visibly, swirling around to shoot a look back at the other three. Chanyeol’s giving him a passionate evil eye, Kyungsoo shoots Sehun a look before shrugging and Sehun fights to keep his features schooled – watching Tao doing the same.

“Uh.” Jongin says. “All in favor.”

“What the hell?” Chanyeol barks out, but it’s drowned in Kris’ hoarse cackle. He takes a couple of steps forward, eyeing Jongin with newly sparked interest.

“And who would lead?”

“Uh. Me.” Jongin says. “I mean. You.”

Kris grins. “I won’t go easy on you.”

Jongin sniffs, pushing his chest out. “I think I can handle some tang.”

Kris laughs, taking the last steps up to Jongin and leisurely stretching his back to fully tower over him. “If you say so.” He says, grin wider than ever. He blinks down at Jongin and cocks his head towards the building on his right. “Eat on it?”

It’s feels surreal, to say the least. Kyungsoo and Luhan are deeply engrossed in a conversation about the latter’s jacket, with Chen sitting at the side translating where vocabulary fails under the pressure of excitement. Xiu Min and Kris are having the time of their lives teasing Jongin with whatever will tick him off – meaning practically anything – while Lay’s preoccupied with slowly but surely working his way through a gigantic plate of ribs all by himself. Chanyeol’s sulking in a corner, shooting pointed glares at anyone who dares come within ten feet of him, and the waitresses do everything in their power to avoid going near the three tables they all have occupied. Sehun’s slumped against a pillar at the side, watching the scene without really knowing how to feel about it, and barely startles when someone comes up behind him and breathes against his neck.

“This isn’t quite what I had in mind.” Tao mutters, resting his chin on Sehun’s shoulder, and Sehun uses his unoccupied one to shrug.

“It could be worse.”

“…I thought you didn’t want to do it anymore.”

Sehun shrugs again, gaze shifting from Chanyeol (sullenly nursing the straw of a vanilla milkshake) to Kyungsoo (exchanging cellphone numbers with Luhan) and to Jongin (frowning and gritting his teeth as Kris and Xiu Min switch over to Mandarin before breaking out into loud guffaws). “They’re my members. I go where they go.”

Tao snorts. “And you’re on my case for being loyal.”

“Someone has to stick around to make sure they don’t get seriously hurt.” Sehun says, but his grin fades when feeling Tao’s lips on his nape. “Fuck…” He breathes out. “Not here.” Tao chuckles lowly, drawing his nose up into Sehun’s hair before pulling away.

“I’mma get myself some apple pie.” He says, already shifting towards the counter but shooting a look back, tongue darting out to lick his lips in a way that certainly isn’t directly necessary in the corresponding situation. “If you care to join.”

Sehun swallows thickly, not even managing ten seconds before moving to follow him.

Authors note: By popular demand, here's the last part! \o/ Not entirely confident about it, but I guess it's a good exercise for the perfectionist in me. To everbody who has read and commented on this series, THANK YOU SO MUCH OMG