Warning: Language only.

I'm sorry for the lack of updates D: If you're still reading this, thank you!

O.o o.O

Tao had grown up a crybaby, and finally at the age of six, his parents had decided to enrol him in martial arts classes, hoping that he would ‘man up’ and gain a stronger, more aggressive personality. Alas, it was not in Tao’s nature, and though he was physically strong and able, he remained gentle and easily moved to tears - a fact that his suitemates soon discovered one fateful evening.

Zhang Yixing’s Marvellous Plan of Ultimate Seduction had been put into place - and step one was titled “Skinship”. Too bad Tao had no idea how Yixing actually planned to make that happen.

“Movie night tonight,” Yixing announced, hands on his hips as the others wolfed down their takeaway dinners.

“Paper,” Luhan said, slurping up a noodle, black bean sauce staining his face.

“Early practice,” Kris said, not bothering to look up from his rice.

“No!” Tao blinked, surprised that the normally easygoing man was so adamant. “You are all going to watch with me so help me god I will pee on everything you love.”

Luhan stared with large, round eyes, noodles hanging from his mouth.

Kris raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, Yixing-hyung, dude, what’s with the urgency?” Jongdae tried for a sweet smile, but Yixing was trying to send smoke signals to Luhan with his eyebrows and completely missed it.

A sudden knot appeared in Tao’s stomach as realisation crept slowly through him.

“Because I want to watch it now and I am not watching it by myself.”

“Uh, okay, I’m in,” Minseok said, catching on fairly quickly and kicking Luhan under the table.

Luhan, however, still did not understand. “Ow, what the ?” He glared at Minseok, swiping at his mouth with the back of one hand and stabbing his chopsticks into his noodles with the other. “Stop kicking me, motherer.”

“I’m not kicking you,” Minseok said, staring hard at Luhan and giving another nudge with his foot.

“Yes you are, you -”

Yixing hit Luhan across the back of the head. “Oh my god will you shut up and just wipe your face, please? You’re making Tao lose his appetite.”

Tao really did not want to be brought into the discussion as five pairs of eyes turned to him. “Uh, I’m okay,” he said softly.

Kris turned to eye him. “You do seem a bit pale,” he said. “Maybe you should rest up instead of watching the movie.”

If only he could, Tao thought desperately. “I’m okay, ge. Movie night sounds fun.”

Mostly because he suspected Yixing would actually go through with his threat and pee on Mr Panda.

Intense whispering between Luhan and Minseok drew both Kris and Tao’s attention back to the other side of the round table, as Luhan’s eyes widened and he gave increasingly dramatic exclamations: “Oh? Oh. Oooh. OOOOOOHH.”

Kris’ brows began to furrow. “What are you two -”

“MOVIE NIGHT,” Luhan exclaimed loudly. “It’ll be a good bonding experience.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Tao, who gave a surreptitious sigh. Giant blinking neon lights were more subtle than Luhan.

They tidied up quickly after dinner, tossing all their takeaway boxes into a garbage bag, and settled in front of the television. The six of them huddled together on the sofa and the floor, Tao blushing a mortified red when Luhan grabbed him and Kris by the forearms and shoved them into a seat, together. “Don’t be too loud, kids,” he said, throwing a blanket over their heads.

“Luhan, what the is wrong with you,” Kris grumbled. Tao just curled deeper into himself, trying to melt into the arm of the couch and touching Kris as little as possible, which was quite difficult considering there were four of them on a sofa that seated three.

The second the movie title began to play, Tao’s stomach dropped through the floor and his dinner immediately threatened to make its way back up his throat.

It was a horror movie. Of course it was a horror movie.

Tao hadn’t realised his breathing had quickened, not until Kris leaned in close and murmured in his ear, “You okay?”

Forcing himself to nod, Tao squeezed his eyes shut, but that didn’t stop the sounds from the movie. He didn’t want to cover his ears, because then he wouldn’t even be able to hear if a monster sneaked up on him and why was the room so dark there are things in the shadows and -

“Yixing, turn the movie off. Minseok, turn the lights on.” Kris’ authoritative voice rang loud and clear, but Tao was so lost in his thoughts it barely registered on his mind. “Tao? Tao, it’s okay.” Large hands cupped his cheeks, wet with tears. “Tao, it’s Kris. You’re safe, okay? You’re safe.”

Tao sniffed, fear making his throat close up, and he trembled, curling up tighter into a ball. Jongdae pushed through the crowd and shoved Mr Panda into Tao’s face, his own clouded with worry. Tao clutched at Mr Panda tearfully, and Kris held him close, cradling him to his chest as he rocked back and forth, one hand Tao’s head and the other wrapped tight around his waist.

“I’m here. You’re safe. It’s okay,” Kris murmured over and over again, until Tao’s sniffles lessened and his trembles ceased. “I’m taking him to bed,” he said, coaxing Tao to his feet gently.

Tao made his way to his room in a blur of leftover tears. The rest of the night passed with Kris sitting on his bed, petting Tao to sleep, the overhead light in his room staying firmly on.

O.o o.O

Jongdae called the meeting to order with a bang of his squeaky gavel. “I suppose you all know why we’re gathered here today.” He gave them a stern look.

Tao cuddled deeper into his comforter (Luhan had kidnapped Mr Panda again), mortification seeping through him for the millionth time in the last twelve hours.

“Yixing-hyung. Shouldn’t you have conferred with Tao on a movie choice before acting on your own?” Jongdae frowned, shaking his head slowly at Yixing.

Yixing pouted. “It was a good idea! How was I to know that Tao didn’t like scary movies? And anyway, what about Luhan? He almost blew our cover totally with his stupid comments the entire night.”

“Hey!” Luhan said, “I advocated tying Tao to Kris’ bed with a ‘ Me’ sign. You guys voted for Yixing’s plan of your own will so don’t go blaming it on me.”

“Luhan,” Minseok sighed, “You asked if Tao was crying because there was no lube.”

“Which was a legit question,” Luhan said, crossing his arms defensively.

“I have reviewed the plan,” Jongdae said loudly over the ensuing squabble. “And while it is workable, there definitely needs to be adjustments made.”

“My plan is perfect,” Yixing said stubbornly, sticking his tongue out at Jongdae.

“No, it’s not. Trust me, I’m a lawyer.” Jongdae adjusted his round glasses, and Yixing rolled his eyes at him.

“That is exactly why I don’t.”

“AS I WAS SAYING,” Jongdae continued as if Yixing hadn’t spoken, “we need to make this plan foolproof. Emphasis on ‘fool’.”


“That’d be pretty hard with Luhan in the mix,” Minseok said seriously.

Yixing’s eyes widened. “With Luhan, it’d be impossible!”

“HEY.”

“To me, nothing in this world is impossible,” Tao quipped.

“This very well might be,” Jongdae said, shaking his head solemnly.

“HEY.” Luhan hurled Mr Panda at Jongdae and Tao couldn’t help it, he screamed.

“What the actual is going on in here?” Kris boomed, standing over them with his arms crossed, tall enough to fill the doorway to Tao’s room.

“Oh, hi Kris, fancy seeing you here,” Yixing said, smiling guilelessly.

“I live here, dumb.”

Yixing nodded. “Of course you do,” he said placatingly.

Kris sighed, and his sharp eyes caught sight of Mr Panda now in Jongdae’s clutches. “Jongdae, give Mr Panda back to Tao.”

A suspicious squeaking sound came from Minseok’s direction, and he widened his eyes innocently when they all looked over at him. “Adoption,” he mouthed to Luhan a split second after everyone turned away.

Luhan didn’t even bother hiding his squeal, writhing shamelessly on the floor.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Kris said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Not even. Jongdae, Mr Panda, now.”

Jongdae tucked it into Tao’s arms with sly smile.

“And would it kill you guys to keep it down? I just finished basketball practise on no sleep and I’d like to have a nap. Unless you dumbs feel like wrestling me for silence.”

“Tao would,” Luhan said.

Tao wouldn’t.

“Okay, that’s it. All of you, out. No, Tao, you can stay in your own room. All of you - that means you too, Yixing, I can see you under Tao’s blanket. Go be dumbs in K suite and leave me the alone.”

“What about Tao?” Jongdae whined.

“Tao doesn’t need your bad influences. And Tao needs a nap, too.”

Tao wanted to die of mortification when Luhan gave him a wide, creepy looking grin from behind Kris’ bicep. “I’m okay, ge.”

“Nap,” Kris said, pointing to the bed, and Tao instantly crawled up from the floor in a mass of blankets and panda bear. He watched, lying down, as Kris stood in Tao’s doorway and hollered, “OUT!”

There was an ensuing stampede to the door, and then blessed, blessed silence.

Tao closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. He started when a hand rested on his head, and saw Kris squatting down in front of him. “Get some rest, okay, kid?”

“Okay, ge,” Tao said in a tiny voice. “I’ll be good.”

Kris just smiled, ruffling Tao’s hair before standing up, closing the door quietly behind him as he left.

Tao clutched Mr Panda tight to his face as he squealed into soft fur and rolled back and forth on his narrow bed.

O.o o.O

/Part 6