Kris knows before he opens his eyes that Tao is still laying next to him.   He feels a smile curve his lips as he reaches out, rolling the dark haired boy into his arms. He hears Tao grumble in protest at being woken up, his slim hands curling into Kris's shirt. Kris curves his head towards Tao, enjoying the sweet lavender-cotton smell of the dark haired boy.   It's been almost a week since school started again and so far all of them were perpetually exhausted. Chen had gotten better fairly quickly and was now being watched by both Suho and Xiumin to make sure he was truly well. Kai and Sehun had been spending more and more time at their dorm and eventually Suho had given up, converting their rarely used library into a bedroom with bunk beds while Kai and Sehun filled out the paperwork to have themselves transferred to the dorm with the other boys.   Tao and Kris's relationship was still going well, Tao agreeing to letting Kris cuddle him once a week for an hour. Tao was quite specific, but the fact that he was so formal made him that much more adorable. Perhaps last night was one of the exceptions because Tao had fallen asleep before the hour was up, curling closer to Kris and sleeping next to him for the remainder of the night. Kris glances at the clock, his hazel eyes narrowing as he sees that the time is six o'clock.   They have to be in class in an hour but somehow that seems less important compared to the fact that Tao was now murmuring something quietly, twisting his head to press a kiss to Kris's cheek, his voice thick with sleep,   "Please don't tell me we have to get up already. You make such a comfortable pillow...."   Kris groans, pulling Tao a little bit closer,   'I don't want to get up either, but we can't miss school. The weekend is soon, you can make it one more day, then we can relax.'   Tao sighs, sitting up, his dark hair messy, his sweater hanging long past his hands. He looks annoyed, his nose crinkling, the circles under his eyes startlingly dark; and yet somehow he's never looked more beautiful. He sits there for a moment, looking lost before he gets to his feet, walking across the room to the door. Pale light is filtering in the window, making Tao's skin seem darker. He has really beautiful legs. Kris almost laughs as his own thought, leaning his head back and resting for a few more moments.   He hears the water in the shower kick on and sighs, getting to his feet. It's still snowing outside and he takes a deep breath before pulling off his shirt, the cold air making him shiver as he dresses quickly, putting on the black jacket Tao likes him to wear and jeans, grabbing his fingerless gloves off the dresser and pulling them over his hands as he walks downstairs.   The first thing he realizes is that Lay is crying. Kris doesn't like when anyone cries, but particularly Lay. He looks so sad, so helpless, like when a little kid cries. It has to be one of the most heartbreaking things ever. Suho is sitting next to Lay, looking on the verge of tears himself, whispering softly to Lay as he laces their fingers. Baekhyun has an arm around Lay's waist as is leaning his head on his shoulder, his eyes closed. Chanyeol, Chen, and Xiumin are all looking away, their eyes in their laps. Kris pauses as he walks towards Lay, looking bewildered,    'Xing? Lay, what's wrong? Did something happen?'   Lay's breath is sharp, tears on his cheeks as he shakes his head, unable to speak. Kris turns his head as Suho releases Lay, getting to his feet and walking to the kitchen, pulling Kris after him. He fixes the tall hazel-eyed boy with a slight glare, his voice a low hiss,   'Lay's parents called him this morning to tell him his grandma passed away last night. Apparently they were very close when Lay was a child and he's been crying all morning, none of us can get him to talk....'   Kris feels his shoulders sag, his eyes falling shut. If this had to happen to any of them, it shouldn't have been Lay. Lay was the most fragile of all of them, having had been born with a rare heart condition that had left him in fairly constant pain, even now. He didn't deserve this. Kris sighs, his voice low as he meets Suho's eyes, his gaze intense,   'Suho, I know this hurts you, to see him in pain, but he needs you to be there for him. More than any of us, he needs you. You know that.'   Suho looks almost sad for a moment, his eyes flicking away from Kris's as he nods, patting him on the shoulder,   'Take good care of Tao, you're lucky to be with the person you care most about.'   He steps past Kris, returning to the dining room. Kris stands there for a moment and follows after him, he watches as Suho tells Lay that he has to leave for class and the younger boy suddenly gets to his feet, pulling Suho into a tight hug, still crying, his voice so quiet that Kris can barely hear him,   'Suho. Don't go. Please.'   Suho looks almost powerless for a second as he hugs Lay back just as tightly, his voice fierce and filled with love,   'Never. I'll always stay, Xing.'       Eventually, Suho decides Lay should stay home and volunteers to watch over him. Soon Lay is asleep on the couch, his head on Suho's shoulder, the blonde haired boy looking happier than Kris had seen him in a while. Chanyeol and Baekhyun head off for class early, both of them whispering to Suho to call them if he needs anything.   Kris settles down for breakfast with Xiumin and Chen, both of whom are looking happy, Chen staying quiet as Xiumin asks Kris about him and Tao. Kris simply laughs and replies that they're good, that he couldn't be happier. And he couldn't be. He was so lucky to have Tao in his life, to wake up every morning to his smile, his laugh; to fall asleep every night to his snores, how beautiful he looked when he closes his eyes.   Kris pulls himself out of his thoughts as he hears Tao's footsteps and glances up. Tao is dressed in a white jacket, black tee shirt and dark jeans. He smiles as he sits across from Kris, pouring himself a cup of tea, his voice light,   "Where are Suho and Xing?"   Kris frowns slightly, looking sad, his voice slow and careful,   'Lay's grandma died last night and he's pretty upset. Suho is staying home from school today to take care of him.'   The smile slides off Tao's face and he looks somber for a moment, his dark eyes serious as he looks up at Kris,   "I'm sorry to hear that. He must be feeling awful."   He looks sad for a moment and Kris reaches across the table, lacing their fingers,   'Hey, don't be sad, okay? We have to be strong for Lay. He'd want us to be happy.'   Tao nods and manages a smile. Tao wasn't particularly strong, not when it came to tragedy or heartbreak, but he was one of the only people Kris knew that could hide his pain so well. Something about that bothered Kris. How many times had Tao hid things from him with a smile? How many things did he still not know?   Tao pulls his hand back and sighs, getting to his feet as he shoves a piece of toast in his mouth and grabs his backpack from the floor next to his chair, waving to Kris and saying a quick goodbye to Xiumin and Chen as he heads off to class. After a few minutes, Chen seems to realize the time, choking on his cereal as he gets hurriedly to his feet, grabbing his coat and running out the door, yelling to Xiumin as he grabs his backpack,   'I love you, Minseok!'   Xiumin laughs, sounding amused as he yells back to his boyfriend,   'I love you too, Jongdae!'   Kris smiles, turning his attention to Xiumin,   'So, how long have you and Chen been together?'   Xiumin blushes slightly, his voice a bit embarrassed,   'We've been dating officially for a year but we've been a couple off and on for about three years now.'   Kris smirks, his eyes sparkling with amusement,   'Do your parents like him?'   Xiumin laughs, his face lighting up,   'They love him! More than me I think.'   Kris grins, though his voice is slightly jealous,   'You and Chen make such a good couple, I'm happy for both of you. You must really love him to have put up with his idiocy for this long.'   Xiumin laughs softly, affection in his eyes,   'Chen can be a bit difficult sometimes, but I really do love him. He's my best friend and I'm more than lucky to have fallen in love with my best friend.'   Kris falls silent, a sad smile on his face. He'd never realized how badly he wanted Tao to say that about them, for it to be true. To fall in love with someone that you trusted, someone you cared about, someone who knew everything about you. Come to think of it, Tao didn't even know everything about him. Didn't know about his past, his plans for the future.   The more he thought of it the more he realized that he didn't know as much about Tao as he wanted to. Maybe that should change. After all, if they were going to be together forever, they might as well be best friends too.     Kris's last class of the day ends at four thirty and he decides to head home rather than going to the library like he usually does. It's colder than usual, the school heater deciding to malfunction on one of the coldest days of the year. Kris shivers, adjusting the strap of his backpack over one of his shoulders and pulling his jacket farther down his arms so that it covers his hands.   His thoughts go immediately to Tao as he thinks about their plans for the weekend; his lips curve