Warning: Language only.

I'm sorry for the late update; RL and work just really ...

O.o o.O

There were plenty of spare mirrored rooms in the university fitness centre for Tao to book and practice wushu in, which he did regularly every day without fail, normally accompanied by a gentle warm-down of an hour on the treadmill.

Tao had never given much thought to the general hygiene conditions of the gym, mostly because it was the university that was in charge of cleaning it, so he always figured it was clean enough. Until he was mid-spin and caught a cockroach scuttling right across his vision and something in his back pulled and Tao was a mess on the floor with a squashed cockroach under his elbow.

He screamed.

Of course.

And then ran like a madman to the men’s locker rooms.

By the time he deemed his arm ‘clean enough’, his skin was bright red and raw with his exertions. Tao grimaced as each step back towards the dorms jolted the pulled muscle in his back so that he hobbled awkwardly, a hand on his waist trying to massage out the pain.

“Hey, you’re back,” Kris said. He was spinning a basketball on a finger as he watched television, not even looking up when Tao entered.

“Yeah,” Tao said, voice wobbling just the slightest.

“Are you okay?”

“Pulled a muscle at the gym,” Tao said, waddling carefully towards his room.

Kris darted up from the couch, hands held out to Tao. “Here, lean on me a bit. I have some pain cream in my room. Go lie down, okay? I’ll get you some ice too.”

“It’s okay, ge.” Tao crumpled to the floor facedown once inside the bedroom.

“It really isn’t. Don’t worry, the guys on my team pull muscles all the time so I totally know what to do, okay? Take your shirt off and wait for me.”

“Okay,” Tao said, reaching for his pillow and Mr Panda, glad he was facing away from Kris so his blush was hidden.

O.o o.O

Jongdae pulled his earphones out as he entered the (unusually) quiet suite. It would probably be a good idea to get some nap time in before everyone else returned, Jongdae thought, running a tired hand through messy hair.

“Okay, this is going to hurt, so I want you to relax, okay?”

“Ah! Ge, it’s cold.”

“It’ll warm up soon.”

Jongdae stopped in his tracks. What was that? He tiptoed towards Tao’s room, where the door was slightly ajar.

“It hurts.” Tao’s voice was tearful.

“Shh. Relax. Take deep breaths.” And since when did their resident duizhang speak in such dulcet tones?

Jongdae’s face lit up like Christmas came early, and he fished his cell phone out of his pocket, hurriedly punching in the password and bringing up the voice recorder app.

“Deep breaths,” Kris repeated.

Tao gave a long sigh in reply.

“Relax,” Kris said soothingly.

A few soft whimpers from Tao, before a sharp cry. “Oh! It hurts! It really hurts!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll go slower.”

Jongdae’s mouth opened in a wide, silent cackle, eyes forming black crescents on his handsome face. He wasn’t sure if the faint, rhythmic sound of flesh against flesh would be recorded, but it didn’t even matter - Tao and Kris’ running commentary was loud enough for any microphone, even (read: especially) the one on Jongdae’s phone.

“You need to loosen up more or it’ll hurt more later.”

Tao’s pout was audible. “I’ll try.”

A few more soft whimpers from Tao, before a star worthy moan drifted from the room.

“Right there?” The wobble in Kris’ voice caused Jongdae to bend over in another silent laugh.

“Mmm, yeah,” Tao moaned.

“Okay,” Kris said, blowing out a sigh. “Remember to relax, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jongdae crept away a few moments later when Tao’s and groaning became too much even for him to handle.

O.o o.O

Tao limped out from his room, back sore but not quite as painful before. He yawned, hobbling towards the couches, not yet aware of the four Cheshire cat grins that met him from around the suite.

“Here, baby Tao,” Luhan said, voice syrupy sweet. “Sit with this cushion. Poor baby, you must be in so much pain.”

“Um. Thank you?” Tao felt rather bewildered as he lowered himself carefully onto the sofa.

Minseok stared at him in awe. “Peaches tamed the Dragon,” he said.

“What?” What were they even talking about?

“Never mind that,” Luhan said, waving his hand. “I’m just surprised you’re not bedridden.”

“It’s no big deal,” Tao said hesitantly. He was starting to feel uncomfortable with all the staring.

“Peaches totally didn’t even need our help,” Minseok continued, grin widening to the point that Tao wondered if his face didn’t actually hurt.

“Poor baby,” Luhan cooed again, leaning in ominously. “Tell me everything.”

“Uh, what?”

Jongdae waved a hand. “No worries, baby Tao. I almost but not quite walked in on you guys so I just sent the audio to everyone in EXO.”

“What audio?”

“You can thank me later. I forwarded it to you and duizhang, too.”

Tao was starting to get worried. “What audio?” he repeated.

“This audio,” Yixing said, holding his phone up, and then the room was filled with the sound of Tao’s moans and Kris’ voice urging him to relax.

Tao nearly had an apoplectic fit as he almost bit his tongue trying to explain to the four pairs of shining wide eyes fixed on him from around the room. “I - that’s - cockroach and - my back -”

“Yes, sweetie, your back,” Luhan said soothingly, rubbing Tao’s shoulder.

The front door slammed open and five pairs of eyes swivelled over to Kris, who entered with reading glasses on and his laptop in hand. “Hey guys, what’s up,” he said, setting the laptop down on a counter and opening the fridge for a coke.

“You absolute ing ,” Luhan hissed, pointing an accusing finger. “How could you leave baby Tao like that?”

“Luhan-ge, it’s not like that,” Tao said desperately, trying to wave down Luhan’s arm but wincing as he pulled his back again in the process.

“Uh. Not like what?” Kris looked utterly confused. 


“Alone! He woke up alone,” Luhan said, as Minseok shook his head sadly.

“Poor Peaches,” he muttered. “Used and tossed aside, just like that.”

“That’s why I keep saying, you don’t where you eat,” Jongdae said smugly.

“So sweet, Tao’s defending you, Yifan-ah,” Yixing said.

“Defending me from what?” Kris asked, perplexed.

“You might want to check your phone,” Yixing said serenely, though the Cheshire cat grin was still firmly fixed on his face.

Luhan stood up, arms waving wildly as he ranted on and on about how Kris took advantage of poor baby Tao, who looked up to him so much, how could Kris just use him like that, and it probably was baby Tao’s first time too, oh dear god, poor baby Tao, to be tossed aside just like -

“KIM JONGDAE WHAT THE DID YOU SEND TO THE GROUP CHAT?”

Jongdae shrugged. “Evidence.”

Kris started yelling at Jongdae about privacy and respect and Jongdae just smirked up at him, completely uncaring as Luhan continued to accuse Kris of taking advantage of (baby) Tao and Minseok gave Tao sympathetic looks as Yixing watched on peacefully.

“I’M SORRY!” Tao yelled, standing up, eyes scrunching shut with tears. “I’M SORRY IT WAS ALL MY FAULT.”

The room fell silent.

Luhan blinked wide eyes at him. “Tao, what -”

“Luhan-ge, I hurt my back when I was at the gym and Kris-ge helped me put on pain cream. Kris-ge, I’m sorry they misunderstood, I tried to explain but they just wouldn’t listen.” Tao sniffed, face heating up over his embarrassment at crying in front of all of them. He swiped at his face roughly. “I’m sorry.”

They all crowded around Tao, patting him on the back and rubbing his arm.

“Tao, you don’t have to apologise,” Kris said gently. “None of it was your fault at all.”

Luhan cupped Tao’s face in his hands. “Sorry, baby Tao.”

Even Jongdae seemed chagrined. “I didn’t mean it.”

“You totally did,” Kris glared.

“Okay fine, I did, but I didn’t mean to make you upset, Tao.”

“I know,” Tao said, sniffling some more until Minseok sidled up with a tissue and tucked it into his hand for him to blow his nose.

After a few more sniffles, Kris made the executive decision to put Tao back to bed, and Tao waddled back off, Luhan helping him along silently.

“Sorry, baby Tao,” he said again, as he tucked the blanket under Tao’s chin. He patted Mr Panda on the head. “Rest well and call if you need anything, alright? You have your phone?”

“Right here,” Tao said, patting the space next to his pillow.

Jongdae’s face popped up from behind Luhan’s shoulder. “Nighty-night, Tao,” he said. “No hard feelings, right?”

Tao shook his head. “Of course not. I know you didn’t mean it.”

“You’re too kind to him,” Yixing said mildly, dropping a kiss on Tao’s forehead. “Sleep tight. Eat lots of bedbugs.”

Jongdae rolled his eyes. “It’s supposed to be ‘don’t let the bedbugs bite.’”

“Oh.”

“Want me to stay with you, Peaches?” Minseok asked, sitting by Tao’s bedside.

“I’m okay,” Tao mumbled into Mr Panda, and Minseok left after a soft pat to both Tao and the stuffed animal.

He thought everyone had left when Kris suddenly crouched down near his pillow, and Tao bit his lip, embarrassed and unsure.

“I’m sorry,” he squeaked.

“Nothing to be sorry about, kid,” Kris said, brushing some of Tao’s fringe away from his forehead. “Get some rest, alright? Things will be better tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he said softly, and closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to watch Kris leaving his room.

O.o o.O

Tao woke in the middle of the night to Yixing’s muffled laughter.

“I’m serious!” Kris said loudly. “You guys really need to stop it!”

“I can tell you’re serious about it,” Yixing said, sounding amused. “But really, I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Look, I’m fine with whatever you guys pull, but Tao obviously is uncomfortable with it. Don’t think I don’t know that you’re the ringleader behind this. The others wouldn’t be so into it if you hadn’t put the idea into their heads in the first place.”

“I haven’t done anything,” Yixing said mildly.

“I know you,” Kris said. “Just leave Tao alone. He’s too good a kid for you to mess with.”

“Who says we’re messing?”

“I am!” Kris shouted, obviously frustrated.

Yixing snorted. “You’re really emotionally invested in him, aren’t you?”

“Don’t talk about me, we’re talking about Tao. Stop messing with him.”

“Or what?”

“Or you’ll deal with me.”

A pause.

“I’d like to see you try,” Yixing said slyly, before a door slammed (presumably Yixing’s), and Kris began pounding loudly on it.

“STOP BEING SUCH A ING , YIXING,” Kris yelled.

“SHUT THE UP BEFORE I CASTRATE Y’ALL,” Luhan screamed from the inside of his own room.

The suite fell silent again, with only the sound of Kris shuffling back into his room and gently closing his own door.

Tao lay awake for the next two and a half hours.

O.o o.O

/Part 7