Prompt: Scenario where you're with Kris or Tao (whichever you choose) and he's being manly and caring since you are scared of .. well you can decide on that :)

A/N: I know there is a possibility of me getting some hate on still writing about Kris even after all this drama has happened, but I request that you keep that negativity to yourself. Exo started as twelve, and in my heart they will remain twelve forever, even if they aren't all together performing in the group. That being said, I will continue to write about him and include him still.

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Fear in the Dark

Bravery was something you were pretty well known for having. You weren’t like most girls that screamed at the sheer sight of an insect. In fact, when you were a toddler half your diet consisted of bugs you found crawling on the playground. You were never the prim and proper girly girl, and for the longest time you felt like that hindered you from having a relationship. Guys always went for the pretty girls who wore short skirts and tight shirts and got manicures every week, and it seemed as though you were just going to be single forever.

That is, until Kris came along.

Kris destroyed all the preconceived notions of what men your age were like. Not once did make you feel uncomfortable or ugly. He made you feel absolutely gorgeous in your own skin. Kris had accepted and loved you for exactly who you were, and you would be lying if you said you weren’t enraptured with him. Within the first two weeks of knowing each other he was completely smitten, and he helped instill in you a bright confidence in yourself that had at first surprised you. You fell hard, and it was blissful.

Over the past few months the two of you had learned everything there was to know about each other. Well, almost everything. For all Kris knew, you were the completely fearless girl who didn’t give a single about what anybody else thought about you. And that’s exactly what you wanted to be perceived as, but there was one tiny problem with that. There actually was something that frightened you, something that made your blood turn ice cold.

Thunderstorms.

You were perfectly aware that your fear was utterly ridiculous, especially for a girl your age. Hell, your five year old niece wasn’t scared of storms, but you were. And because of this you were a big baby. At least that’s what you told yourself. This wouldn’t really be much of an issue if there wasn’t any chance that Kris would find out. But it seemed as though fate was against you, that your luck had run out. That karma was a vindictive punishing you for punching that little snobby nosed rich boy in the face when you were thirteen. In your defense, he deserved it. He said your nose looked like a potato.

This evening you were going to spend the night over at your boyfriend’s apartment, and after hoping and praying that the evening sky was going to be crystal clear you kept a vigilant eye on the weather forecast only to find that for the next three days was to be filled stormy and rainy clouds. Tonight wasn’t the first time you had stayed over at his place, the two of you often went back and forth between your respective apartments, but you knew that this time around you might not be able to hide this fear from him anymore. And in that very moment, you weren’t really sure what frightened you more, the storms, or the possibility of Kris finding your fear ridiculous.

--

Your hands gripped the pearly white edges of the bathroom sink as you glared at your reflection in the mirror. “Come on, you can do this. You’ve got to do this. Just breathe,” You muttered to yourself. The watch you had laid on the counter before you scrubbed your face and brushed your teeth read 11:07pm and you knew that you really couldn’t hide any longer. Luckily the system had slowed a bit, meaning that it hadn’t hit your area just yet, but that also meant that it wouldn’t just quickly blow through as you had anticipated. Perhaps if you hurried and went to bed you could sleep through it. Maybe.

A soft knock from the door startled you. “Babe, you okay in there?” Kris’ deep, rumbling voice was muffled by the thick wood of the door. This was it, you had to steel your nerves and just get your out there, you couldn’t hide in a bathroom forever. Taking one final deep breath, you opened the door and came face to face with your boyfriend. Well more like face to chest, but whatever.

You took Kris in appreciatively. Blue plaid flannel pants slung low on his hips and your eyes flickered to the thin patch of hair leading from the bottom of his navel down to disappear below his pajamas. You loved that he slept without a shirt, it allowed you to lay your head right over his heart and hear the beating of it lull you to sleep. You also loved running your fingers all over the smooth expanse of his torso and arms, his body was toned and there wasn’t anything that could compare to wrapping your fingers around those muscular arms.

“You ready for bed?” He asked, and you nodded wordlessly. His frame moved away from the door so that you could pass by, and he followed you into his bedroom, shutting the door with a soft click. You took a quick peek through his window, and off in the distance you could see the flickering of lighting. Dread settled low in the pit of your stomach, and you tried to swallow it back while you crawled into Kris’ bed. You felt the mattress dip as Kris slid into bed after he reached over to turn off his bedside lamp, the only source of light illuminating the room. His long arms settled around your waist to pull you towards him until his chest as flush against your back. Your heart that was frantically beating in fear and anticipation of the storm headed this way started to flutter from his presence so close to you instead. After all these months he still had such a strong effect on you, and tonight he calmed you. And before you knew it, you were able to drift into sleep with his steady breathing as your lullaby.

--

Two hours later found you curled into a tiny ball under the bed, your hands pressed tightly over your ears and the comforter that was meant to keep you and Kris warm through the night hastily thrown over your trembling frame as the storm raged outside. You had been woken by an extremely loud crash of thunder, and in about five seconds flat you were huddled under the bed, like a tiny kitten hiding from its master before bath time. Your heart seized in your chest as more lightning flashed outside, the bright white splaying across the walls and you braced yourself for the booming soon to follow. You prayed that your whimpers and gasps of fear weren’t loud enough to wake Kris, but with all the noise outside yet to bother him, you doubted he would wake at all tonight.

Tears started to fill your eyes. This was horrible, you wanted these storms to just go away. Another flash of lightning illuminated through the window and you were unable to hold back the shriek that escaped your lungs. The floor and walls rattled with the force of the sound waves caused by the thunder, and that was when your sobbing began. You barely registered the large hand smoothing down your back, and you resisted when he tried to pull the large quilt away from you so that he could nestle in your makeshift cocoon with you, but you were no match for his size or strength. Kris held you to his body tightly, his hand smoothing down your hair and the tip of your nose resting on his clavicle with tears flowing from your eyes.

“Baby, shhhh, it’s all gonna be okay. I’ve got you…I’ve got you now...” Kris murmured into your ear. He comforted you through the rest of the storm and long after it had ended, holding you tighter when your shoulders shook from your cries and wiping the stray tears from the apples of your cheeks. He left a never ending stream of kisses scattered all over your face and the top of your head, and finally, once you were absolutely certain that all that was left outside was rain, you allowed Kris to pull you from under the bed and onto it once more. He set you down gently, as though you were a fragile doll that might break at the slightest movement. He pulled back slightly to look at you, your eyes were red and puffy, and he could see dried tear tracks running down your face. You couldn’t bear to hold his gaze, and you turned your head to the side, bracing yourself for the ridicule you were nearly certain that was sure to come.

Instead, all you heard was a breathless, “Oh, baby,” before you felt his lips press against yours. His large hands cradled your face as his mouth molded against yours, and your eyes snapped open in shock. Once he pulled away, you tried to open your mouth to ask what the hell that was for, but he quickly silenced you before you could speak.

“You never told me….is it that bad every time?” His eyes bored into yours and you swore that he was looking right into your soul. You couldn’t find your voice, your vocal chords raw from screaming and crying, so you just nodded instead. Kris frowned and grabbed your hand, pulling your knuckles to his mouth and pressed his lips against them one at a time. “I wish I would have known sooner. Don’t you know I wouldn’t have let you go through that by yourself?”

His words alone were enough to make your breath catch in your throat and fresh tears to spring into your eyes, but the pure sincerity and sorrow shimmering in his brown orbs were what pushed you over the edge again. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down for a bone crushing hug, crying into his shoulder. You couldn’t believe it, he didn’t think you were childish or stupid or ridiculous. He actually wanted to protect you, to take care of you during your worst moments, and that knowledge made you feel genuinely loved and cared for. As cliché as it sounded, Kris really was your knight in shining armor, protecting his fair maiden from all her darkest fears. He hugged you close, and while you breathed in his familiar, soothing scent you couldn’t think of anywhere else you’d rather be.