A ring interrupted Lay and Tao's conversation. It was Tao's phone. Lay giggled as Tao fumbled round his pants for it. "W-wei?" He forgot to look at the caller before answering.

 

The voice that resonated seemed out of breath. ". . . You called?" It was Kris.

 

"About time you picked up. . ."

 

"Sorry, Chen-Chen and I were. . . *cough* busy."

 

"Well, duizhang," he gritted through his teeth, "While you and Jongdae were out being 'busy,' Minseok-gege was taken by Lu Han."

 

"Oh? Already?" Kris sounded surprised.

 

"What the hell do you mean by 'already'?! YOU KNEW?"

 

". . . stop yelling, you're scaring Chen-Chen," Kris distanced himself from the phone and muffled the receiver with his hand, but Tao could still hear Kris' words, "No, he's not mad. H-hey, don't cry anymore. Do you hurt? Are you hurt? No? Can you walk?" Upon hearing the conversation between Kris and Chen, thoughts ran through Tao's head. He heard some whimpering in the background. Kris returned to the phone saying, "Ah, sorry, you were saying?"

 

"Duizhang. . . did you, and Jongdae. . ."

 

"What?"

 

"Did you. . ."

 

"What? Just say it."

 

"N-nevermind. Xing-Xing and I are going to go look for Lu Han and Minseok, but. . . we're stopping by the house first. We were going to wait for you and Jongdae, but you guys didn't pick up. We're in a taxi right now." This statement alarmed Kris.

 

"You guys are already headed home? Be careful of watchful eyes and ears. . . the taxi driver is listening to you guys right now," Kris explained, revealing his keen perception. Tao glanced up to the driver, whose eyes were fixated upon him through the rear-view mirror. The shock paralyzed him. 

 

"OKGOTTAGOBYE," Tao rushed to end the call, eyes wide with panic. He heaved out an exasperated sigh while he stuffed his phone in his pocket. Then, he leaned over to Lay's ear, which had been listening intently while shifting his eyes in random places. "He's listening," he whispered, cupping his hand over Lay's ear, and pointed to the driver, whose eyes had since shifted back to the road.

 

"Oh. Whoops," was all Lay could manage to say.

 

Delicious gossip, the driver hummed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The shower head now rained above their heads, drenching them in warm drops of water. Lu Han rested his head on the other's head,  his arms still draped around the gently crying Xiumin, who couldn't seem to hold himself together. The crying made his head bob against the chest of the younger, who he tried to calm his baozi down by running his fingers down the back of his head.

 

". . .Did it hurt that much?"

 

Xiumin shook his head no vigorously.

 

". . .then, are you happy?"

 

To this he nodded his head yes, once. Lu Han beamed.

 

"Oh baozi, you know that I. . . I love you so much." Xiumin was listening. "Why am I like this? Going overboard. . . forcing you. I'm sorry. But I can't help it. My mind blanks when I'm with you and I turn like. . . that." He kissed the crown of Minseok's head. "It's hard to explain, but. . . I'm only like this when I'm alone with you."

 

Xiumin's gently cries and 'hics' dissolved further into only occasional hics and shudders. "Lu Han. . . *hic* me too. With you, I used to feel so insecure. When I realized it was because I harbored feelings towards you. . . *hic* and that you loved me back. . . I wanted you to do everything to me. I didn't care, as long as it was you."

 

Again, Lu Han's heart fluttered.

 

"Minseok. . . you'll always be my one and only. My love. My everything," he reassured him, and Minseok softly nodded his head, accepting the status of being Lu Han's boyfriend. They held each other in silence until their breaths synched, as the shower drops trickled down their skin.

 

A thought jolted through Xiumin's mind, springing his eyes wide. "Lu Han, please don't get hard again!" Lu Han laughed so hard it hurt. "It's not funny! You'll tear me apart. . .!"

 

"Don't worry little baozi, I'm tired too. . . I want to rest. I've already marked you as mine," he laughed. "So no one else will ever lay their hands on you. Besides, we've had enough fun for today. . . I think." He smirked.

 

"Don't you dare get any ideas."

 

"Like that's not going to happen. . . baozi, let me wash your body!" he said, groping at Xiumin's tender waist again; the slightest touch sent a twinge that rendered his lower body continuously paralyzed. After recovering from the shock, he slapped at Lu Han's grabby hands clutched about him.

 

"No!"

 

"W-what? Why not?" he pouted.

 

"I can't even move my body, you beast! I can only sit here like this, so. . . no! No no no," he shook his head side to side violently until he began to get dizzy.

 

"Why are you so cute?" Lu Han whined, "I want have a taste of these baozi. . ." He caressed the side of Xiumin's face, doused with beads of water, and lightly bit it, tasted it with his tongue. Sweet. Down, he shifted the attention of his lips a little bit, and tasted again, Xiumin's mouth, with his presumptuous tongue. The kiss was more gentle and thorough than usual, so Xiumin fought back with his own technique, wanting to leave Lu Han breathless this time. Losing air, Lu Han tried to retreat from their liplock rendezvous, but Xiumin moved with him, refusing to give in. He couldn't break away until Xiumin decided to stop. Lu Han gasped for a  gulp of air, while the older male his lips triumphantly, and wiped away their saliva drippings that laced his lips with the back of his hand.

 

"I win~"

 

Lu Han snorted and clicked his tongue. "Dare me and I'll your face dry."

 

"Do i―" his words got cut off and swallowed by Lu Han's lips, which violently pressed up against his own; the agressor's tongue worked its magic until Xiumin started to choke on his own spit. The poor victim could only escape stifled moans and cries of protest until his head began to spin from lack of oxygen going to his brain. Lu Han didn't quit until much later, when Xiumin's head began to droop backwards, on the verge of passing out. When Lu Han released his lips, it made a puckering sound, and Xiumin began air up like a vacuum. Their chests pulsed heavily.

 

"Again?" Lu Han challenged and smirked. Xiumin just shoved his chest and then rested his head upon it.

 

"I hate you. . ." he groaned into his lover's chest.

 

Lu Han chuckled, "Awh, Minseok-baobei. I love you, too."

 

"I said, I hate you! Dummy Lu Han!"

 

"And I said," Lu Han kissed the tear welling in his beloved's eye before fixating his gaze longingly into those glistening dark, almost black, orbs, "I love you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lay handed some bills to the driver and bowed on his way out. "Thank you, mister driver." Tao bowed as well. The driver dismissed them with a typical "Have a good day" before driving off. Something familiar laying on the floor caught the attention of Lay's peripheral vision, and he glanced over to it. "That bag. . . looks familiar," Lay thumbed his chin. Tao was leaving him behind, walking up to the gate of their building. "Wait! Tao. . . Tao, this bag. . ." Tao turned his head. "It's Lu Han's!"

 

Tao rushed over to Lay to observe the bag.

 

"What is it doing here?"

 

"I-I don't know. I just saw it here and then I recognized it as Lu Han's. It's from when we were shopping earlier. . ."

 

"Then that means they stopped by the house," Tao his heels and started walking back toward the gate. His movements were stiff; he acted so mechanically, lifeless like a zombie. Lay sheepishly followed behind with stumbling footwork. Tao swiped the card and marched up to the door. Lay seized his arm before he could reach for the knob.

 

"Wait!―" Lay cried out, but Tao immediately threw down Lay's hand.

 

"What!" Tao spat impatiently, "What, Yixing?! Why do you always want to stop me!"

 

"Because, Tao, Tao. . ." Lay mumbled, ". . . you're going to get hurt." Lay shuffled his feet on the floor.

 

Tao tightened his hands into fists. "I know, gege. But, as you said, I want to fight for it. Even if there's the slightest chance that I have, I want to take it." Reaffirming his thoughts, Tao twisted open the knob, and to his surprise, it was already unlocked. It's open. He stormed inside with purpose.

"Lu Han! Minseok!" he yelled, cupping his hands to project his voice. Only silence returned. The house seemed strangely undisturbed.

 

Lay put a hand on Tao's shoulder. "They've probably left already."

 

Tao rose his hand and held Lay's own in place to ensure he didn't move it. "Wait. Shh. . ." He crept closer to the hallway. "I sense. . . something," he whispered. Irrational thoughts of the presence raced through his mind: saesang fans, robbers, killers, everything. But unlike most people, Tao's first instinct is fight, not flight. He wanted to round the corner and check. Or maybe he didn't. He wasn't sure.

 

"Tao, you're scaring me!" Lay cried out, and found himself cornered by a glaring Tao, a hand firmly fixated over his mouth. 

 

He hissed at the older man, through gritted teeth, "I said, shh. Quiet." Fearing for his life, Yixing nodded his head slowly with wide, watering eyes. "Stay here," Tao commanded him, and as soon as he was released, Lay slid down the wall and balled up, rocking himself back and forth, crying a little inside.

 

When Tao rounded the corner, the hallway seemed eerily empty as if something would pop out unexpectedly―the way it happens in horror movies. "Manager?" Tao voiced and he carefully stepped. He saw that the door to his and Xiumin's room was still closed, as they left it. Down the hall, he saw the door to Lu Han and Lay's room was slightly ajar, and for a moment, his chest tightened and he held his breath. Did they leave their door open this morning? He asked himself.

 

Still touching his feet to the floor stealthily, he poked open the door.

 

 

 

 

 

Back at the entrance, Lay continued to rock himself, almost in a hypnotic trance. It would have seemed weird, but for someone like Lay, it was actually pretty normal. . .

 

THUD.

 

The tremor caused his ears to perk up, as well as his head, the word 'fear' typed incoherently through his mind like binary code. At that moment, he was a little glad to be shriveled up in a little corner, hidden from plain sight.

 

 

 

 

 

⌛ Meanwhile. . . (the following takes place at the same time Lay and Tao begin to arrive at their residence.)

 

 

 

 

 

Lu Han and Xiumin had since rinsed each other off, at the expense of some more petty name-calling and abuse, which were overshadowed by the sickeningly sweet talk courtesy of Lu Han, but all of that further deepened their intimacy as they shared their first evening as a ually-active, fully-fledged couple. Wait, which came first? Their status as a couple or as buddies. . .? Either way, the love was always there. Whether they realized it or not then didn't really make a difference now. It was these two together against the world, and no one could tear that apart. Not even. . . well, speak of the devil.

 

Back in Lu Han's room, Xiumin was still temporarily disabled from the waist down. He cried about it some more, while Lu Han tried to make it seem like it wasn't that bad, that it would go away and that it's best to get used to it now rather than later. His poor word choice paired with keen logic never failed to infuriate the easily-flared Xiumin; it was this temper that Lu Han fell in love with since the beginning―the one that charmed him into stealing curious glances, enticing wordplay, and turning into the greedy, obsessive monster that he loathed. The one that made teasing his beloved all too easy.

 

I've fallen so deep. . . I can't see the sky anymore. When he took so much as a glance onto the figure of his lover's body as he dried his succulent ivory skin with a towel, his heart swooned and raced like he was freefalling off of the tallest skyscraper in the world. God, I can't even look at him without wanting to attack him! Help me, someone! Calm yourself, Lu Han. You can fight it. Resist. Resist. . .

 

At that moment, he reached an arm around Xiumin's chest and pulled him back into a passionate kiss, proceeding to stick his tongue down the other's throat before he could so much as utter a sound; he needed to do this to stave off the craving he felt for that tempting body that called his name. When Xiumin began to moan, he heightened the aggression of his tongue lashes, swallowing and ling everything it came it contact with. The sweet juices inside their mouths began to taste like honey, making it so much harder for Lu Han to release himself. Gagging once again, Xiumin flimsily shoved away Lu Han's face by the cheek and broke away breathlessly, his chest throbbed wildly while his heart did the same.

 

But Lu Han wasn't done yet. Xiumin fighting back always made him lust for. . . more. He intertwined their fingers together and trailed kisses down that silky neck, feeling a gasp emanate up the throat and escape in the form of a weary sigh. Lu Han squeezed his eyes shut to the turmoil he faced inside. Control. He had none of it. And Xiumin's feeble resistance made it so much worse. The need to control and possess everything that Minseok ever was or will be grew stronger. He groaned before embracing Xiumin's body, dropping his head, and draping his arms over the man who wore only a towel tied around his hips.

 

"This isn't going to work." He grumbled while resting his head on the back of Xiu's shoulder.

 

"What?"

 

"Me. With you. There's no way."

 

Xiumin's heart sank. I-is he breaking. . .up with me? His voice shook. "What. . do you mean?"

 

"I mean, the fact that. . . we are. . . and I can't. . ." he took a deep breath before continuing, "I want to lock you up and never let anyone else lay their eyes on you again."

 

Something erupted in the back of Xiumin's mind, but paid more heed to the piercing impact of such cruel loving words forming goosebumps along his arms and legs. "What are you saying. . ." he laughed softly, stricken with relief.

 

Lu Han tightened his embrace. "I'm serious."

 

Xiumin whirled his head around to face Lu Han, who raised his head, keeping their hands connected. "Lu Han. . . if you haven't noticed, then, I should tell you that I solely belong to you and you only. Even if I'm somewhere else, you will always be on my mind. I'm no object; you can't lock me up. But there's one thing that you have the key to, now and forever, and that's my heart." Lu Han stared at him for a while, quietly, and Xiumin returned the favor, waiting for a response. But the intense emotion that stirred in Lu Han's  eyes was response enough. "Thank you," it said.

 

The creak from the door sounded, signalling its opening, and a pair of glaring eyes cast upon to glowing silhouettes of the near- bodies that illuminated against the streaming sunlight. The two lovebirds broke their romantic moment and glanced over to the person hunched at the doorway.

 

THUD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: OOOOH, the end is so near, I'm about to tear up. ;~~~; whelp, I just did. DID ANYONE ELSE GO SEE THE AVENGERS. UGH, SO HOT. EVERYTHING. ACTION-PACKED. THE BROMANCE. The nn. The cast is so friendly toward one another~~~ Anyway, I won't ruin it for those who haven't seen it yet. buuuut, i'm inspired to do a superhero fic with the 12 EXO membaaars and their powers. HMMM. I know there's some out there already, but I'm still tempted. Very tempted...

 

lolol back to the fic. Here's Tao turning into a douche. Lay being a weenie. Lu Han being an obsessive brat sweet talker. And Xiumin being Xiumin, dat cute wittle bun. :'D Sorry for slower updates; hopefully the next will be the LAST. Plus maybe an aftermath/epilogue. Are you curious? SO AM I. xD /lol hasn't written a thing yet.