Angel Maker 8/27
title: Angel Maker
chapter rating: PG
warnings: mild language
summary: Mathematically gifted Oh Sehun makes a miscalculation that could cost him his life when he agrees to run an errand for an old high school acquaintance. The job brings Sehun face to face with much more than he'd bargained for and suddenly he has to question the binary makings of his existence, eventually ending up coming across the most delicate secret hosted by a quasi-governmental data bank.
story notes: See the foreword for more information on the story.
Sehun didn't understand. He frowned, looking back at the beautiful male. What did it mean that Luhan was the investment of some information bank of an institute? Had they funded his college studies or something? But they didn't revolve around money, so how did that make sense? His head felt way too full of questions, the pressure building up like he'd caught a cold.
"I don't really get it", he admitted.
"Don't worry", Luhan said, and smiled that tiny smile.
"So... Like..." Sehun bit his lip lightly, thinking for a second. "Are you friends with Jongin, or...?"
"I only met him face-to-face today", Luhan said, "but he's friends with Baekhyun, and I know Baekhyun well." He nodded and sipped the coffee. Then, he looked at Sehun a little blankly, as if he'd only come to realize something and was mulling over it with all he had. "You're a student, right."
"Yeah", Sehun nodded a bit.
"That's impressive", the light haired male smiled his small smile, looking much more gentle and tender. "Jongin said you'd had a look at the data they had with them."
"Uh. I did... Not that I would've been able to make much sense of it." Sehun brushed his hair back and scratched his earlobe lightly. "I just looked at it."
Luhan hummed. "But it must've been complicated."
"It was a mess", he admitted.
The light haired male let a hum and said, "Sensibly enough."
"Do you know what it was?" He frowned and pursed his lips into a thin line, his hands balled in fists on his thighs. Luhan was surprisingly easy to talk to, and while Sehun usually disliked talking to strangers the deer-eyed male made him feel quite secure. It was an odd sensation considering he had no understanding of the things they were discussing.
"I'm pretty sure I've an idea."
The other's accent was proper and good, but listening to him Sehun noticed his pronunciation was soft and here and there somewhat uncertain. And his name, too, it was a little strange for a Korean... Without really considering whether it was rude or not Sehun blurted out, "Are you from around here?"
The fawn-like boy appeared a little surprised by the sudden question, and then slowly shook his head before visibly relaxing in his seat. "No, I'm from Beijing."
"Beijing?" From China? Sehun was taken aback. He mumbled mostly to himself, "I thought you were Korean."
Luhan laughed gently. "I hear that a lot."
Sehun nodded slightly for no reason and brushed his fringe a little toward the side only to have it slide back over his eyes. All the information was nesting in his head heavy and thick like fog. He felt physically ill, bringing his hands to rub his temples.
Whether it was the whole night's events or the situation he'd wound up in, or the way he'd eaten too quickly or the overload of information Sehun couldn't put his hand on the single detail that was making him feel so ill out of nowhere - but then, in terms of considering the flow of events, people often single out the shocking but simple details to explain what had come to happen. Maybe he was simply catching a cold from spending the night out. He felt his head spin a little with how hard he was trying to focus, and at last, he had to admit it aloud: "I'm not feeling very well."
The other remained quiet and for a moment Sehun wondered if he'd heard or if Luhan was lost in thought. But then, the chair scraped against the floor, and the smooth voice said, "I'll be right back."
He didn't look, but Sehun heard the steps lead away from the table. There were words from the direction of the counter, but they sounded much more distant to be coming from the register's location.
Soon enough the kitchen door slammed shut and a warm hand came onto his shoulder, Suho's voice asking, "Are you okay?"
Sehun nodded his head a little, but it didn't seem convincing enough as Suho only grabbed him harder, followed by his almost burning hot palm pushing the brown fringe aside and pressing against his forehead.
"I'm fine." Sehun winced.
"You've been all weird the whole day", Suho mused, but his voice was serious. "You should go home."
"I can't just leave", the younger tried arguing, but his voice wouldn't come up his throat very insisting.
"Sehun. Do it for me. It'll be better for us both if you go home and rest", said the older, let go of him, and then patted his upper back softly. "Take a day off, eat well and drink something warm, and don't push yourself. That way I won't have to worry about you here either."
It was sensible, very much so, but Sehun didn't want to go home. The idea made him cringe. He wanted nothing to do with his house today, not before his mother would come down from her workaholic cloud and remember she had a family. It wasn't like he'd hated her; no, he was an adult and could take care of himself all right, but Sehun didn't think it was very fair of her. She'd been like that ever since the divorce, having withdrawn into her shell, only occasionally coming back to the real world to discuss the weather or to tend to the apple tree outside the kitchen window. Sure, it must've hurt, judging by how much yelling had been going on, followed by long periods of silence during which Sehun's brother had moved out and he'd tried to focus on after-school activities to stay out of the way. But it had been years, already, and instead of living her life she'd chosen to surround herself with dictionaries, thesauruses, clients and imaginary worlds created by other people. And that, if anything, hurt.
He wanted to say something about it, but it felt as though sound had been removed from him entirely and his throat clogged just thinking about it.
Suho let a sigh. "Please?"
Reluctantly, but not really standing a chance, Sehun nodded his head a little. "Fine." Maybe he could figure someplace else on the way.
His hopes came down quickly: Suho patted his shoulder a few times more in a light, friendly manner and then spoke again, "Can you make sure Sehun gets home?"
Taken aback, surprised by how Suho had asked such a thing from a stranger Sehun looked up a little, facing the cream haired male who looked a little troubled, but that small curve adorned his lips nevertheless. He looked proper, polite, good in every way, the sort of a guy who'd know exactly how to behave when being presented to one's family - except that this wasn't such a situation, and even if Sehun had planned to introduce any friend to his mother, it'd require her to actually pay attention, and from his point of view that seemed unlikely to happen in a while. The deer eyes were on him, the blankness in them almost stunning yet the beauty and strange coolness of them was what took his breath away.
"Of course", Luhan said with a firm, small nod of his head, his hair flicking a bit forward from the movement. He brought a hand to swipe the strands back.
"Thank you." Suho was clearly smiling judging by his voice, but Sehun couldn't bring himself to look, captivated by the fawn-like creature.
Luhan stepped over to him, extending an arm. He didn't hesitate taking the other by the hand, pulling himself up, his body feeling light as a feather like a gust of wind had pushed him from behind. The older looked at him a little amused, the smile glistening on his face as he asked quietly like speaking a secret, "Did you have anything with you?"
"Uh. My bag", Sehun replied, his voice hardly any louder than a whisper, but he knew Luhan would hear it. It was as though a bubble of their own had surrounded the two: a separate part of the world where nobody else mattered.
"Nothing else?"
"No."
Luhan's hand felt cold holding onto his, but the other wouldn't let go as he turned to look at Suho. The brunette didn't listen to his words, only to his voice, looking at his lips as he spoke. So many things about Luhan felt so familiar: his voice, the way Sehun had to look ever so slightly down to meet his captivating eyes, the way he stood with his back straight but made it look so effortless... He could hear Suho reply, and then Luhan was looking at him again, saying, "You'll have to show the way."
Sehun only nodded as a reply.
Suho returned carrying Sehun's bag; as the brunette was about to reach to take it Luhan brushed his raised hand off, picking the bag, and swinging it over his shoulder with ease. He only smiled at Sehun who felt he must've looked quite silly, gaping like this, and realizing that the younger lowered his eyes to the floor that reflected light only ever so slightly.
"Thank you again", Suho said.
"I'm glad to help", Luhan replied, giving Sehun's hand a light tug as he stepped toward the exit. Sehun followed obediently, feeling no problem with letting the other control him like this as the sense of security remained. He held on to the cool hand tighter as they stepped outside, followed by the chime of the bell and Suho calling out something about Sehun having to rest properly.
chapter rating: PG
warnings: mild language
summary: Mathematically gifted Oh Sehun makes a miscalculation that could cost him his life when he agrees to run an errand for an old high school acquaintance. The job brings Sehun face to face with much more than he'd bargained for and suddenly he has to question the binary makings of his existence, eventually ending up coming across the most delicate secret hosted by a quasi-governmental data bank.
story notes: See the foreword for more information on the story.
Sehun didn't understand. He frowned, looking back at the beautiful male. What did it mean that Luhan was the investment of some information bank of an institute? Had they funded his college studies or something? But they didn't revolve around money, so how did that make sense? His head felt way too full of questions, the pressure building up like he'd caught a cold.
"I don't really get it", he admitted.
"Don't worry", Luhan said, and smiled that tiny smile.
"So... Like..." Sehun bit his lip lightly, thinking for a second. "Are you friends with Jongin, or...?"
"I only met him face-to-face today", Luhan said, "but he's friends with Baekhyun, and I know Baekhyun well." He nodded and sipped the coffee. Then, he looked at Sehun a little blankly, as if he'd only come to realize something and was mulling over it with all he had. "You're a student, right."
"Yeah", Sehun nodded a bit.
"That's impressive", the light haired male smiled his small smile, looking much more gentle and tender. "Jongin said you'd had a look at the data they had with them."
"Uh. I did... Not that I would've been able to make much sense of it." Sehun brushed his hair back and scratched his earlobe lightly. "I just looked at it."
Luhan hummed. "But it must've been complicated."
"It was a mess", he admitted.
The light haired male let a hum and said, "Sensibly enough."
"Do you know what it was?" He frowned and pursed his lips into a thin line, his hands balled in fists on his thighs. Luhan was surprisingly easy to talk to, and while Sehun usually disliked talking to strangers the deer-eyed male made him feel quite secure. It was an odd sensation considering he had no understanding of the things they were discussing.
"I'm pretty sure I've an idea."
The other's accent was proper and good, but listening to him Sehun noticed his pronunciation was soft and here and there somewhat uncertain. And his name, too, it was a little strange for a Korean... Without really considering whether it was rude or not Sehun blurted out, "Are you from around here?"
The fawn-like boy appeared a little surprised by the sudden question, and then slowly shook his head before visibly relaxing in his seat. "No, I'm from Beijing."
"Beijing?" From China? Sehun was taken aback. He mumbled mostly to himself, "I thought you were Korean."
Luhan laughed gently. "I hear that a lot."
Sehun nodded slightly for no reason and brushed his fringe a little toward the side only to have it slide back over his eyes. All the information was nesting in his head heavy and thick like fog. He felt physically ill, bringing his hands to rub his temples.
Whether it was the whole night's events or the situation he'd wound up in, or the way he'd eaten too quickly or the overload of information Sehun couldn't put his hand on the single detail that was making him feel so ill out of nowhere - but then, in terms of considering the flow of events, people often single out the shocking but simple details to explain what had come to happen. Maybe he was simply catching a cold from spending the night out. He felt his head spin a little with how hard he was trying to focus, and at last, he had to admit it aloud: "I'm not feeling very well."
The other remained quiet and for a moment Sehun wondered if he'd heard or if Luhan was lost in thought. But then, the chair scraped against the floor, and the smooth voice said, "I'll be right back."
He didn't look, but Sehun heard the steps lead away from the table. There were words from the direction of the counter, but they sounded much more distant to be coming from the register's location.
Soon enough the kitchen door slammed shut and a warm hand came onto his shoulder, Suho's voice asking, "Are you okay?"
Sehun nodded his head a little, but it didn't seem convincing enough as Suho only grabbed him harder, followed by his almost burning hot palm pushing the brown fringe aside and pressing against his forehead.
"I'm fine." Sehun winced.
"You've been all weird the whole day", Suho mused, but his voice was serious. "You should go home."
"I can't just leave", the younger tried arguing, but his voice wouldn't come up his throat very insisting.
"Sehun. Do it for me. It'll be better for us both if you go home and rest", said the older, let go of him, and then patted his upper back softly. "Take a day off, eat well and drink something warm, and don't push yourself. That way I won't have to worry about you here either."
It was sensible, very much so, but Sehun didn't want to go home. The idea made him cringe. He wanted nothing to do with his house today, not before his mother would come down from her workaholic cloud and remember she had a family. It wasn't like he'd hated her; no, he was an adult and could take care of himself all right, but Sehun didn't think it was very fair of her. She'd been like that ever since the divorce, having withdrawn into her shell, only occasionally coming back to the real world to discuss the weather or to tend to the apple tree outside the kitchen window. Sure, it must've hurt, judging by how much yelling had been going on, followed by long periods of silence during which Sehun's brother had moved out and he'd tried to focus on after-school activities to stay out of the way. But it had been years, already, and instead of living her life she'd chosen to surround herself with dictionaries, thesauruses, clients and imaginary worlds created by other people. And that, if anything, hurt.
He wanted to say something about it, but it felt as though sound had been removed from him entirely and his throat clogged just thinking about it.
Suho let a sigh. "Please?"
Reluctantly, but not really standing a chance, Sehun nodded his head a little. "Fine." Maybe he could figure someplace else on the way.
His hopes came down quickly: Suho patted his shoulder a few times more in a light, friendly manner and then spoke again, "Can you make sure Sehun gets home?"
Taken aback, surprised by how Suho had asked such a thing from a stranger Sehun looked up a little, facing the cream haired male who looked a little troubled, but that small curve adorned his lips nevertheless. He looked proper, polite, good in every way, the sort of a guy who'd know exactly how to behave when being presented to one's family - except that this wasn't such a situation, and even if Sehun had planned to introduce any friend to his mother, it'd require her to actually pay attention, and from his point of view that seemed unlikely to happen in a while. The deer eyes were on him, the blankness in them almost stunning yet the beauty and strange coolness of them was what took his breath away.
"Of course", Luhan said with a firm, small nod of his head, his hair flicking a bit forward from the movement. He brought a hand to swipe the strands back.
"Thank you." Suho was clearly smiling judging by his voice, but Sehun couldn't bring himself to look, captivated by the fawn-like creature.
Luhan stepped over to him, extending an arm. He didn't hesitate taking the other by the hand, pulling himself up, his body feeling light as a feather like a gust of wind had pushed him from behind. The older looked at him a little amused, the smile glistening on his face as he asked quietly like speaking a secret, "Did you have anything with you?"
"Uh. My bag", Sehun replied, his voice hardly any louder than a whisper, but he knew Luhan would hear it. It was as though a bubble of their own had surrounded the two: a separate part of the world where nobody else mattered.
"Nothing else?"
"No."
Luhan's hand felt cold holding onto his, but the other wouldn't let go as he turned to look at Suho. The brunette didn't listen to his words, only to his voice, looking at his lips as he spoke. So many things about Luhan felt so familiar: his voice, the way Sehun had to look ever so slightly down to meet his captivating eyes, the way he stood with his back straight but made it look so effortless... He could hear Suho reply, and then Luhan was looking at him again, saying, "You'll have to show the way."
Sehun only nodded as a reply.
Suho returned carrying Sehun's bag; as the brunette was about to reach to take it Luhan brushed his raised hand off, picking the bag, and swinging it over his shoulder with ease. He only smiled at Sehun who felt he must've looked quite silly, gaping like this, and realizing that the younger lowered his eyes to the floor that reflected light only ever so slightly.
"Thank you again", Suho said.
"I'm glad to help", Luhan replied, giving Sehun's hand a light tug as he stepped toward the exit. Sehun followed obediently, feeling no problem with letting the other control him like this as the sense of security remained. He held on to the cool hand tighter as they stepped outside, followed by the chime of the bell and Suho calling out something about Sehun having to rest properly.