Mainly through correspondence and video chats with Sehun, Luhan knew more about Exo-K’s interrelationships than anyone else in Exo-M.  He knew that Jongin and Kyungsoo were dancing around the issue like kindergarteners, staring at one another constantly, each unable to take their eyes away from the other when there was nothing else to look at. He knew they showed off for each other, trying to be impressive.  He was aware – or so he’d thought - that Suho had a burgeoning crush on Lay.  The fact that Sehun was in love with him was no secret, though the maknae had never outright confessed to him.  Truthfully, he was glad about that; he liked Sehun, probably more than a little, but he wasn’t sure how he would handle an actual confession of feelings to his face.  He was happy with their relationship as it was, and didn’t want to hurry Sehun into anything rash.  He seemed so young at just eighteen that Luhan felt the four-year gap in their ages to be oceans wide sometimes. 

And he knew, probably better than anyone – even Sehun – how much Baekhyun loved Chanyeol.  They were perfectly suited to each other in every way.  He’d been overjoyed when Sehun told him Baekhyun was planning to confess his feelings.  And now – this.

Baekhyun was outside somewhere, broken-hearted and alone.  Suho and Chanyeol, who’d so carelessly done immense damage to not only their friend but also the team dynamic, were getting a stern dressing-down from Kris, but it wasn’t enough.  Luhan wanted to take Tao’s wushu stick and beat the hell out of both of them for not warning anyone, or at least – at least! – taking it into the bedroom, where such things belonged.  For them to be on the couch in Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s dorm room was unacceptable.  But Kris had ordered him out of the room, taking charge of Exo as a whole, since Suho was implicated in the recent problems, and now Sehun was barring the door.  The kitchenette was barely large enough for one person, and Sehun wasn’t exactly small.  Pinned between Sehun’s unyielding warmth and the sink, Luhan tried to get a grip on himself.   Then Sehun was hugging him, and suddenly the rage evaporated.  He just couldn’t be mad when Sehun was being so… so cute.  Not even on Baekhyun’s behalf. 

“Find out what’s in the bag,” Sehun said, and although his words were flat, Luhan knew the maknae well enough to know that there was an immense well of curiousity behind the demand.  Baekhyun had only found out just before they came in, and they’d lingered longer at the café than he had.  Clearly, the bag was something he’d gone out of his way to collect, and then dropped upon discovering Chanyeol and Suho.

Sehun released him to allow him to carefully dump the contents of the bag into the sink, and Luhan’s rage returned as though Sehun had been the barrier keeping it contained.   With short, evenly controlled movements, he upended the bag.  Shards of glass tinkled out, followed by a broken bottle of ramuné.   An intact bottle, some candy, a movie, and a ramuné-coated hat dropped into the sink. 

Gifts, clearly meant for Chanyeol.  Luhan’s hands tightened into fists again. 

“Murder is illegal,” Sehun whispered, wrapping his arms around Luhan’s waist and tucking his chin into Luhan’s shoulder. 

“And think of the trouble we’d have in replacing him,” Xiumin said from the entrance to the tiny kitchenette.  Sehun jumped slightly – Luhan guessed he was only aware of it because of how close they were standing – and released the older boy with a faintly embarrassed air.  “What was it?  Kris has Lay and Chen on clean-up duty in the sitting room, but it’s not coming out.  I think it’s going to leave a stain on the carpet.” 

“What was going on with – the other two?”

Sehun couldn’t even bring himself to name them, and Luhan realised that he was probably just as angry as Luhan himself.  He was just being more mature about concealing it.  He took a deep breath and forcibly uncurled his fists.  Sehun was not going to out-mature him over this situation.  Now that his initial vitriol had been expended, he found it was becoming easier to concentrate.

Xiumin shrugged.  “Apparently it was Suho’s idea.  The manager-hyungs have finally discovered fan-service, and hinted to Suho that we ought to become – er – comfortable with each other.”  From his face, Luhan guessed that he was also having flashbacks to Kris’ Half Hour of Hell, when they’d all spent five minutes with each other.  Xiumin eyed Sehun’s arm, still looped around Luhan’s waist.  Sehun stared flatly back at him, refusing to budge.  “What was in the bag?” Xiumin asked, deciding that discretion was the better part of valour and moving on. 

“Some things from Baekhyun to Chanyeol.  Snacks, and some special drinks.”

“Oh, so those two were actually toget-” Xiumin cut himself off with a cough. 

“No.” Sehun said coldly, and Luhan suddenly found their positions reversed.  He could almost sense Sehun’s patience disintegrating.  Some long-forgotten sense of self-preservation kicked in and Xiumin beat a hasty retreat from the kitchenette, followed more slowly by Luhan and Sehun.  Kris was still going up one side of Chanyeol and Suho and back down the other. 

“Privacy!” he barked.  Sehun jumped again.  “Consideration!  Do either of these words mean anything to the two of you!?  Would it have killed you to have gone to the bedroom?  Locked the door?  Put a notice up, reading, ‘Manager-hyung’s have lost their goddamn minds, do not enter!’?”

Chanyeol flinched.  Suho stared into space.  Kris paced back and forth, gesturing with both hands and occasionally slipping into English and Mandarin.  Luhan knew from experience that Kris only ever veered out of his chosen language when he was supremely upset.  Fortunately it hadn’t happened very often – Kris was six feet tall, huge, and imposing, and he only got scarier when he was mad – but he recognised the signs from Exo-M’s early days together.  “Now Baekhyun’s missing, and –”

“What?”

Kris glared at Chanyeol for the interruption, and then glanced at Tao.  Luhan belatedly noticed Tao was on the phone, muttering quietly to himself in Chinese.  When Tao noticed the attention he was getting, he shook his head and lowered the handset. 

“Not yet.  He’s still not picking up.” He returned his attention to the phone, obviously hanging up and redialing.  Kai poked his head into the room.

“He’s definitely not in the building, or anywhere nearby,” he reported.  Kris nodded, then turned his attention back to Suho and Chanyeol.

  A tiny portion in the back of Luhan’s mind marveled at Kris’ organizational skills.  He was truly an exceptional leader.  Everything had been thought of.   In truth, however, what Suho and Chanyeol were guilty of wasn’t so much making out – a drunken dare in Thailand had resulted in Luhan’s poor eyes being subjected to Tao kissing Chen for ten whole minutes, while Kris stood back and tried to hide how he was glaring at them, and the Half Hour of Hell he never wanted to repeat – it was having no respect for the other members, and resulting in Baekhyun literally fleeing the premises.  They still didn’t know where he was. 

Luhan felt  a shiver of unease run up his spine.