SMTown in Tokyo had ended with extreme success. That, in turn, meant the members of EXO were all extremely tired. As they neared their hotel in the wee hours of the night, arguments over who would be staying with whom in what rooms filled the van. There were 11 of them, so naturally a 4-4-3 split between their 3 rooms would be best, yet some made it known who they were opposed to sharing a bed with. Others, like Luhan and Kai, were just trying to tune out the noise to sleep. Tao and Sehun said nothing, only occasionally looking over at each other when not giving annoyed looks to the louder men in the bunch. One Byun Baekhyun had set the bar for being the most boisterous.

"How about this? How about just sticking the maknaes in a room and having Suho supervise?"

The two glared at Baekhyun, causing him to be so amused that he simply grinned at them in return.

"Wait, why make Suho chaperone them? If anyone needs to be watched over, it’s Chanyeol and Kyungie," Chen said with a smirk. That smirk quickly disappeared when he was hit with both a piercing stare and a fist to the shoulder by Kyungsoo, whose face looked visibly flustered even with only passing streetlights illuminating it.

"Guys…" Suho tried to say, but was cut off again by Xiumin.

"Here’s an idea. Why don’t you stay with the maknaes, Baekhyun? I have a feeling you’d all get along perfectly.” Lay stifled a laugh next to him.

"What’s that supposed to mean?” Baekhyun turned around in his seat to argue. Meanwhile, all Tao could think to do was look over at the poor van driver, their manager, who had to deal with all this tumult in such a confined space. The expression on his face mirrored what Tao was feeling: he just wanted to be out of this damn van.

"Alright, enough!" The members silenced themselves at once, as the voice that rose above the rest had been Kai’s, who was now sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Tao peeked back over at the bus driver and let out a silent laugh when he saw him heave a sigh of relief. "If I stay with Tao and Sehun, will you all shut the up and let me rest?” His tired eyes flashed over at Tao and Sehun from where they sat side by side. “That includes you two.”

"Yeah, that works, I guess," Sehun answered, speaking for both of them. Tao was starting to feel the weight of fatigue, his ability to say much in coherent Korean slipping away with each minute that passed. Sehun glanced back over at him, and offered a smile. Tao closed his eyes, but not before leaning his head back on the seat and reaching over to grip the cuff of Sehun’s jacket. His way of saying he was okay with the decision. Very much so.

"Okay then," Kai said, returning his head to where it had been propped up against the van’s window, and flicking his hand dismissively. "Carry on with your A+ decision making."

Sehun marveled at the fact that Luhan looked like he was completely out, even with all the chatter. He guessed Luhan was trying to fight off another oncoming bout of sickness he was so susceptible to getting, especially lately. Like Kai, Sehun also laid his head against the cool window, fingers itching to make Tao hold onto his hand rather than the sleeve of his coat, but ultimately deciding against it. In lieu of this, he focused on the way the stars seemed to shine differently in Japan than in Korea, and the argument of room arrangements resumed soon after. The members fought about who Baekhyun was to stay with for the remainder of the trip.

~*~*~*~

Despite the energy they had in the van, by the time they all got to the hotel, and en route to their respective rooms, they were drained. A crowd of hundreds of thousands and multiple shenanigans among the SMTown artists on a large stage would do that to a person. Tao and Sehun walked side by side to their room at the end of the hall, pulling their luggage behind them. They both kept checking to see if Kai was still keeping up; he was, but at a zombie’s pace.

"Well, hyung, at least you’re guaranteed to get a good night’s sleep. I won’t be surprised if Kyungsoo-hyung kills Baek-hyung by morning."

Sehun leaned slightly into Tao, a cue he usually made for Tao to laugh at one of his hilarious jokes. Tao gave him this one, and let out a soft chuckle, looking behind him when Kai responded with a borderline threatening, “Yeah, I better.”

When they reached their hotel room, they dragged all their belongings to the middle of the room, searching for specific clothes and items before they went to sleep. With their backs turned, they only realized that Kai had locked himself in the bathroom when they heard the ‘click’ of the door’s lock. Sehun dropped all his things back in his suitcase and bolted up, pounding a fist again the door.

"Hyung, no fair! I called the shower first!"

Tao could practically visualize Sehun’s pouty bottom lip protruding without even looking at him, just by the way Sehun was whining. From beyond the door, the boys could hear the shower starting up, Kai’s voice coming out as a faint echo.

"Sorry, I can’t hear you!"

Sehun growled in irritation. He looked to Tao for support, but got in return Tao standing and shaking his head.

"What?" There was that pout, as clear as day.

"Nothing," Tao responded with a shrug. His words came out with a bit of a slur. He was much better at speaking Korean when his brain was up with the sun. He wandered over to the large window that overlooked Tokyo. Below were lights in and on and around buildings and busy stop-and-go cars and equally busy people, always moving, always so kinetic. Above him were the stars, or what he could see of them past some scattered clouds, moon nearly full.

Sehun abandoned his pursuit of the bathroom and wandered over to Tao, who was so engrossed by the sights before him, he jumped when Sehun rested his chin on his shoulder.

"You okay? Just a tired baby?" Sehun pinched Tao’s cheek, which Tao immediately swatted away, muttering a "Cut it out". But Sehun couldn’t help himself, and proceeded to poke at Tao in random places, from his belly to the black hair atop his head. No amount of attempting to shoo Sehun away like the pest he pretended to be would stop him, Tao soon realized. He stepped away from Sehun and flopped onto the bed behind them, closing his eyes before he spoke.

"Do you feel small here?"

Sehun stared down, confused. “‘Small’?” he repeated as he made his way toward the end of the bed.

"I mean…" The corners of Sehun’s mouth upturned at the way Tao’s brows furrowed, the way it did when Tao was trying to search for the right words. "Like… Japan is new and different. We don’t know much Japanese. And I’ve just been feeling…" Tao rubbed his dark eyes, making a frustrated huff when he came up short.

"Out of place?" Sehun offered, because he’d been feeling it too. Some of the other members had a better grasp on Japanese, and it was his own fault for not paying closer attention the Japanese lessons the group was getting before the concert. But he knew Tao had been struggling the most. To learn Korean, English, and now Japanese on top of it all. He was surprised the boy’s head hadn’t exploded yet.

"Yeah," Tao answered, almost relieved. He sat up and looked Sehun in the eye. "You too?"

"Me? Nah, I’m a pro." A boldfaced lie boasted by a smirk and puffing out his svelte chest. Tao rolled his eyes and tried to push Sehun off the bed until Sehun grabbed Tao’s wrists to still him. He sighed. "A little bit, if I’m being honest. But… I don’t know. I feel okay being around the members and everyone in SM. I don’t feel too bothered by it.”

Tao nodded, looking down at the way Sehun’s hands were still firmly gripped around his wrists. He could’ve let go by now. Instead, Sehun leaned in, threatening to pop Tao’s personal bubble.

"Don’t feel out of place. You have us to help you out." Tao saw the bob of Sehun’s adam’s apple, a thick swallow of nerves and perhaps pride, before Sehun spoke. "You have me, too."

Tao eyes met Sehun’s, encouraging him to go on. Because, whether fatigue had deluded his perceptions or not, it looked like Sehun had more to say. Sehun shifted his hold on Tao so that his hands were now encased in his.

"I know things have been rough for you lately. I just don’t ever want you to feel alone." Sehun squeezed Tao’s hands, and the tingling sensation in his cheeks told him that he was blushing, but he ignored it. "Are you okay, Zitao?"

Tao’s mouth opened automatically to answer a generic “Yes” any time he was asked that question, but he faltered. He wanted to be as candid as Sehun was being with him. He owed him that much. So, biting his lip, Tao nodded.

"I am, with you here."

The tension wasn’t too suffocating, but still, Tao felt the urge to break it by giggling. It was evident that both of them were being so careful and coy, but for what? He inched up closer to Sehun and rested his tired head on his shoulder.

"Thank you." He spoke in Chinese. The words seemed more sincere that way, and at the same time, the sincerity was something he couldn’t do so confidently with Sehun’s eyes on him. He worried it came off as anything but, and doubt crept down his back. But a hand reaching up to his arm, warm and gentle, accompanied by a thumb his bicep, put his worries at bay.

"You’re welcome," Sehun said in a language that Tao hadn’t expected.

"Hey, your Chinese is getting better. You should pay that close attention for Japanese…" Tao snickered then yelped against Sehun’s shoulder when he felt a pinch instead of soothing applied to his arm.

The two looked up at each other and laughed. Sehun laid sideways on the bed, motioning for Tao to lay down with him. Tao did so without hesitation, because his body was wet sand and his head ached for a soft place to rest. At least, that’s what he told himself. He lay his head on Sehun’s outstretched arm, hands reaching out to play with the hem of Sehun’s shirt. Sehun chuckled, quickly learning that this would be a constant means for Tao to be close to him. They closed their eyes, fighting sleepiness so they could remember this feeling of comfort by the other’s presence. They let silence take over and speak the words they wanted to say.

A sudden slam came from the bathroom. Through this whole talk, they’d forgotten Kai was in the shower. But now he emerged, barely dried off, hair still dripping, with nothing but a towel draped around his neck and another tied off around his waist. Tao and Sehun gawked at Kai’s appearance, but Kai didn’t spare them a glance, dragging his damp body to the other unoccupied bed and falling into it with a soft ‘thud’.

"Guess that means I’m sleeping on this bed tonight," Sehun whispered, closing his eyes again.

"I can take up a lot of space when I sleep," Tao warned.

"That’s okay. I’ll just cuddle you to keep you from moving around." Sehun opened his eyes as much as he could, the hills of his smiling cheeks making them crescent slits, as he playfully demonstrated by taking hold of Tao’s waist.

"You try to cuddle me and I will wushu you off of this bed," Tao muttered into Sehun’s arm, but Sehun could see the way Tao was trying not to smile as he bit his lip.

"Please. I’d like to see you tr—"

"What did I say about shutting the up?" came the muffled questioned by Kai, who was now hugging a pillow against his bare chest and face.

The two boys on the bed hushed themselves with matching beaming expressions. The thought had crossed Tao’s mind to thank Baekhyun for shoving two maknaes in a room together. But on the off-chance that Baekhyun got on his nerves like he surely would tomorrow, he decided to reserve his thanks for Sehun, who was currently running a hand through Tao’s hair. And his eyes fluttered shut.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: I have a couple lil Easter eggs in this story: one foreshadowing Luhan's departure from EXO, one involving a very recent mini-scandal with Kyungsoo, and a tiny mention of a second pairing. Just thought I should mention it~

Comments of any kind are always appreciated, especially those that could improve this story. But I hope you enjoyed either way! ^_^

EDIT: I copy/pasted this directly from my original Tumblr text post, and have no clue how to get rid of those lines boxed around the text. Apologies for that >_>