“Tao-ssi, have you bathed?” asked Sehun who just entered the living room with the towel around his neck. There were Tao, Suho, Kyungsoo, and Xiumin, watching tv peacefully. They had no schedule that day, so they could be relax.

            Tao nodded without turning his face from tv. “I’ve bathed,” he answered carelessly.

            “With whom?” Sehun asked again. He looked disappointed by Tao’s answer. “I thought I could take a bath with you,” he admitted then he got a deathly glare from Kyungsoo.

            “I did that by myself,” Tao answered, still in careless tone.

            Xiumin, Suho, and Sehun gasped in surprised. They never knew Tao could take a bath alone and it was really a big news.

            “Did you really do that?” asked Xiumin in disbelief.

            Tao nodded with his eyes were still on tv. “Kyungsoo yah, I don’t like this show. Can you change the channel?” Without his knowledge, Suho hugged him tightly. “Woah, mom, why are hugging me in a sudden?” he asked confusedly.

            “Because I’m so proud of you, baby,” Suho said then released his arms from Tao and smiled broadly at him. “You’ve made a big progress. That’s great! You’re my good boy.” He ruffled his baby’s hair lovingly.

            Tao chuckled with Suho’s affection. “But I won’t make it if it’s not because of Baekhyunie hyung, Chenie hyung, and Kyungsoo. You should thank them because they insisted me to take a bath alone. Ah! And Lay-ge too. He’s the one who had changed my mind.” He paused for a while after saying Lay’s name. Is there something I forget? He thought. Then his eyes widened. “Oh! I need to meet him now,” he said then left the room.

            Sehun sighed with his leaving. “Now I don’t have a companion for bathing,” he said in a sad tone.

            “What are you trying to say, Hunie?” asked Kyungsoo as he looked at Sehun, judging in disbelief.

            Sehun only cuckled in response then hurriedly went to the bathroom. He did not want to argue with Kyungsoo.

***

            Tao silently came into LaySoo’s room without knocking the door first. He did that on purpose because he wanted to make the older surprised. He found Lay busy composing a song with his back faced him. The older did not aware with the maknae’s presence. Tao did not want o wait longer, so he walked to Lay hurriedly but silently then patted his shoulder hardly while making a loud of noise.

            Lay was so surprised until he got up from his chair and turned his body to see the person who had made him surprised. His eyes widened in horror, but slowly he felt relief after seeing Tao. “Yah! I thought you were a ghost!” he exclaimed then caught Tao’s body and pushed him into his height. “What did you think you’re doing?!” Lay ruffled Tao’s hair randomly and made it look messy.

            Tao laughed satisfiedly after being success making Lay surprised. He even grabbed his stomach while laughing. “I just… I just wanted to make you surprised, ge,” he said after the laughing slowly went down. “You should look yourself when you’re surprised. You look so silly.” Tao started laughing again and it made Lay upset.

            “What did you say?!” Lay started tickling Tao’s body and it made the younger laugh even harder. He chuckled to see the laughing Tao and did not want to stop tickling him. “This is the punishment for being so rude to me. I’m older than you, Zitao yah~”

            “Hahaha… stop tickling me… hahaha… it tickles…” Tao begged. The tears formed in his eyes because of his laughing. “I won’t do that again hahaha… please, stop it…”

            “Say the magic word~” Lay teased and kept tickling Tao.

            “I’ve hahaha… I’ve said it… hahaha… I’ve said please… hahaha…”

            “No, it’s not the magic word I want to hear. Try again~”

            Tao thought so hard while laughing. “Oh! Hahaha… I got what you hahaha… Lay-ge, sorry~ hahaha… I’m so sorry hahaha… stop tickling meee~”

            Lay finally stopped tickling Tao then patted the maknae’s head who sat on the floor, panting because he was so tired for laughing too much. “Good boy, good boy…” he said as he smiled satisfiedly. “Now what are you going to do in here? I don’t have time to play with you because I want to finish my song.” Lay came to his chair again, ready to continue his work.

            “You won’t dump me after I say what I’m going to do,” Tao smirked then got up from the floor.

            “Just say it out,” said Lay carelessly and without facing Tao.

            Tao took his cellphone from his jeans pocket then looked for Luhan’s number. “Lu-ge and I were sending messages to each other last night,” he said and it was success to make Lay turned his body to see Tao with a disbelief look. “And we’ve promised to do a phone call today. He also asked me to take you along. He misses you so much, ge.”

            Lay gasped and without his knowledge, his eyes became wet in happiness. He got up from his chair then walked to Tao. “Hurry, call him up now!!!” he said eagerly as he patted the maknae’s back lightly.

            Tao chuckled then pressed Luhan’s number. Shortly after that, they saw Luhan smiled and waved at them. “Lu-geeee~ hi!!!” Tao greeted happily.

            “Hello, Tao yah! Hi, Lay! Finally I can see your happy face,” Luhan chuckled and it made Tao and Lay chuckle too. “How’s life, guys? Everything’s fine?”

            Tao nodded fastly, but Lay shook his head in response. “Everything isn’t fine if you’re not here with us,” he said in a sad tone. “When will you go home, ge? I miss you.”

            Tao frowned at Lay who looked sad in a sudden. He never saw the older being so sentimental like that and he felt uneasy. “He will go home soon, Lay-ge, right, Lu-ge?”

            Luhan was silent for a moment then nodded awkwardly. “Let’s talk something else!” he exclaimed to bright the situation. “Guys, Kris is so popular here and I’m so happy with that. He had proved to us that he can be success after leaving EXO.”

            “Huh? Why does it sound weird in my ears?” Tao frowned. “Do you think leaving EXO was the right choice for him?”

            Luhan only shrugged in response. “By the way, I’m going to meet him tonight. We’ll have dinner together here in my home. Ah… I wish I could take you along with us,” he pouted.

            “Ah, I miss him too…” Lay pouted.

            “Lu-ge, do you like Kris-ge?” Tao asked in a sudden.

            Luhan nodded. “Of course, I do. Who doesn’t?”

            Tao felt uneasy. He remembered what Kris had said last night about Luhan. Did he really mean it or not? He thought. “If he confesses his love to you, what will you do, ge?”

            “What?!” Luhan’s eyes widened in surprised then laughed.

            “Yah, Zitao yah, what are you talking about?” asked Lay confusedly.

            “Lu-ge, answer me~” Tao begged to Luhan and ignored Lay’s question.

            Luhan thought Tao was playing around with him, but when he saw his eyes, he knew the maknae was so serious with his question, so he stopped laughing and smiled at him broadly. “He’s my favorite brother and I know him very well, Tao yah. He won’t do that to me.”

            “But what if he confesses his love to you?” Tao kept on asking. Because he said he fell in love with you, Lu-ge!

            “Come on, let’s talk about something else again,” said Lay. He felt uneasy with the conversation. “Lu-ge, I’m making a new song for you, but it’s not finished yet. I’ll finish it as soon as possible, so I can make you listen to my song when you’re here.”

            “That’s good, Lay yah! You’re my good boy,” Luhan said happily. Without his knowledge, the tears fell from his eyes. He wiped them then chuckled. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m too happy.”

            “Lu-ge…” Tao was not sure with what he wanted to say to Luhan after that, but he felt the urge to say it out. “Thank you for always taking care of me since our trainee days. You’re my favorite brother after Kris-ge and my mom. I love you, Lu-ge.”

            “Me too,” added Lay. “I always adore you for being so strong with no matter how hard problem we have nowadays. Thank you for taking care of me too. You’re the one who really care of my health and I’m so grateful for that. I love you so much, ge.”

            Luhan could not hold his tears again. He knew he should not cry, but he had no choice. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry for making you see me cry…” he sniffed. “I’m a grown up man and a grown up man doesn’t cry, right?”

            Tao chuckled. “You sound like Kyungsoo,” he said. “He always says that to me whenever he saw me cry. I don’t really agree with that line. Everyone can be so sentimental and then cry. I always feel more relief after I cry anyway.”

            “But I don’t like to see anyone cries because it makes me want to cry too,” Lay admitted. “Lu-ge, stop crying… Ah, if I were with you, I would hug you tightly to comfort you.”

            Luhan chuckled after sniffing for the last time. He did not want to make a sad meeting with them. He should bright up the situation again. He did not them to worry him. “So, how’re the others?”

***

acctually, I wanted to post this part earlier but I couldn't. I was kind a emotional a bit while writing this Dx

guys, prepare yourself for the next chapter. I don't have any idea yet, but maybe I'll put some sad scene

I hope you don't mind it and have enjoyed the story so far

thank you for still subscribing this story~ *bow*