A/N: Written circa-2012/13 ...so set during that period. Please be guided accordingly. 

A Comforting Hand

Kris was tired. Scratch that. He was dead.

That was the only way he found that could explain the way he just fell on his bed after he had showered earlier, limbs seemingly dying on him and honestly falling from his height face first on his bed did nothing to help his tired limbs, all seemingly screaming at him. He thought a hot shower would help, but by the time he got to the bathroom, the other brats had about used about all of it, having to take a quick shower if he did not want to wait a lifetime and then get yelled at when the manager went over their expenses later in the month when he realized that they all used the electric heater when the solar panels gave out, willing to make the sacrifice as their leader, wanting the younger ones to have some muscle movement the next day, especially Yixing and Jongin, who were relentless throughout the day, their comeback on the horizon, the practice sessions gruelling and just painful.

He was certainly not the only casualty, but he tried to keep a strong face and ensure the morale of the group was high, but with his face reverting back to its natural default expression during stressful times, he feared that he was more of a hindrance to his band mates than a bright star. Thankfully that was not his role, and the younger or cuter ones could manage that well without him trying to add to it. The only problem was the effect it was having to the lines of his face, the stress definitely taking a toll, supposing he would touch his smooth face and apologize to it for failing to apply the necessary lotions for the day. He was supposed to do it after he showered , but since he basically collapsed from exhaustion, he didn't really have the time or energy to get that done, feeling sympathy for his face, but unable to summon the will to make himself  move, his face squished into the sheets, luckily finding the sense to turn his head sideways, breathing deeply, wondering if he would manage to get his left leg onto the bed, the long appendage hanging over the end, his angles all wrong and he was sure it would just ache in the morning.

With super human will and a few deep breathes, he managed to align himself more appropriately on the bed, his head reaching his pillow finally, leg fitting on the bed now, twisting to his side lazily, his broad shoulders holding the weight, eyes shut as he took a deep breath, ready to sleep. It had been a long day and dreams awaited him. Or they did, anyway.

He expected to fall  asleep in seconds, or a little longer if he allowed himself sometime to deal with the guilt of not checking on everyone earlier, and the stress about the concept, along with his failure of not applying his skin cream, were all running around his tired mind, sleep escaping him so far, wanting to find a way to just float above it all, to disconnect from everything and just find peace. He supposed now he was just going insane, slamming his eyes shut and forcibly maintaining it as he sighed. Sleep would come to him one way or the other, the cramp on his left leg agreeing with him.

Somehow or the other his stubbornness paid off, his eyes remaining shut of their own accord, the bliss of sleep, just off the horizon, his body feeling light finally, his mind being consumed by a pleasurable blackness, longing on with happiness as he saw what he wanted before his eyes, sleep coming to him like a present after a year's worth of hard work, letting all thoughts escape him as his body relaxed, breathing slowing down, hands limply trying to pull his covers up, not exactly cold, but they were told to protect themselves against any sort of illness at the critical time, so he figured the covers wouldn't hurt them. He tugged a bit, but sleep was really too important than some stupid covers, waiting patiently for sleep to arrive, before he was interrupted.

"Move" someone said, and repeated it again he thought, too tired to focus and eyes happily closed so he was not given much to go on with his addled mind and frankly he was content to let it go. Any other day, when he was capable of moving he would have glared something fierce, but as it was, he was just too tired to care. Wanting to ignore whoever was stupid enough to bother him then, only grunting when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Why aren't you moving?" the person asked once again, the sound coming over Kris completely. He was too sleepy to bother and it all sounded like gibberish to him anyway, only sparing a grunt when the hand he wanted to use to shoo whoever the person was refused to move, therefore leaving it at a stalemate, the person now giggling cute…really cutely…..Luhan!

"Luhan" that was all it took to get some energy back into him, his eyes fluttering open, the name spilling from his lips easily as he took in the sight before him. Luhan, leaning over his  bed, dressed in a too big tee-shirt and sweat pants, smiling at him with amusement in his eyes, his baby pink hair seemingly perfect on the face before his eyes, happy to see him, but already wary of that sort of teasing smile, speaking of mischief.

"I thought you were dead"  [punctuated by a chuckle from Luhan],"now shift around' Luhan instructed with a warm smile, Kris still just looking at him foolishly, admiring the older man's beauty, not really paying attention to what was being said, Luhan shaking his head at him.

Before he knew what was happening, Luhan was pulling back the covers and entering his bed, Kris finally shifting a little, his bed not unusually large, so it would be a bit difficult for them to fit, but it was not as if he could stop Luhan anyway. 

What was Luhan doing? The older man by then sliding into the soft mattress, reaching downwards to tug on the covers, seemingly having difficulties, Kris just observing him really, not sure what Luhan was up to, a common feeling for him by then. He was therefore very content to just wait until Luhan told him about it, eyes fluttering closed once more from the tiredness, only to be smacked gently across the arm.

"You are on the covers, move. Why are you so damn big and heavy anyway?" Luhan grumbled to himself as he tried to pull the covers from under Kris's seemingly dead body so that he could cover them both, annoyed that he had to work so hard, pushing a hand against his shoulder to make him move faster.

 Kris stupidly shifting as that seemed to be what Luhan wanted, catching on eventually that he was on his covers and that was preventing him from pulling it up, trying to get some energy to move, finally succeeding, Luhan still grumbling in his vicinity wondering what he would do with now.

Luhan had some success dislodging the covers, pulling them over himself and Kris, settling himself comfortably on the bed, Kris not sure what was going on, especially not when Luhan slid closer to him.

"What are you doing here?" Kris asked casually, hoping to get an answer.

 He was happy to see him,  of course he was, but it was still a bit strange, especially when he moved closer, twisting his relatively smaller body until he was also on his side, moving closer to him, until their legs were touching and a hand moved to Kris's waist. Luhan moved closer once more, soon so close that all he could smell was the freshness of cut grass and the calm of lavender in his nostrils, Luhan smiling at him as he made himself comfortable.

"Sleeping" short and to the point, twisting with mischievousness as he continued to shift.

His head came to rest on Kris's previously outstretched hand, his small body now virtually pressed against Kris, except for the hand that he used to pull Kris's hand to his hip, dropping the large hand in the area, Kris naturally shifting it until he was comfortable, the hand sliding to Luhan's lower back, basically holding him against his body, Luhan twisting until he sighed in comfort.

"We'll get into trouble" Kris warned sleepily, though he did nothing to change their arrangement.

His mind was a little too preoccupied by the hand on his chest that was tapping something, the older man still nestling himself against his body, Kris really unable to resist despite the difficulties. They did not room together anymore, so being so close was a little dangerous now.

It was an open secret that he and Luhan had a different sort of relationship, but it was never addressed or admitted to and no one asked. He and Luhan kept it all to a minimum with the others, who in turn kept it to themselves and did not ask questions that would be too awkward to answer.

Kris figured that Jongdae might find it a little awkward if they came back to their room and found them like that, Luhan nearly entirely pressed against his body, clearly borne from intimacy and not just friendship. He rather spare the kid, but he also had no intention of making Luhan leave, so he better endure.

"Yixing is teaching him Chinese again, so he might join us here" Luhan said with a snicker, the comment not even as close to as dirty as it should have been, Kris grunting and shaking his head, Luhan still clearly still amused by his bad innuendo that they both knew had no meaning.

 Jongdae was an interesting young man, generally well kept and self contained, but after Chinese lessons with Yixing, a rather strict teacher as to be expected, he would be desperate for comfort and not entirely unlikely to just crawl into bed with Luhan or Kris or them both, ignoring the fact that they would both be wrapped up in each other to complain about his hard life and have Luhan promise him that it would be better. Jongdae wasn't one that enjoyed babying, but after those Chinese lessons, that was all he would want, particularly from Luhan or Kris, but more so Luhan.

"He should have gone to sleep. Tomorrow will be a hard day" Kris sighed, now thinking about his lead vocalist and lead dancer, wondering why they did not just have the sense to go to sleep.

E specially after the day they just had, and the fact that they had a concert appearance to make the following day, which meant stress for one, and another hectic day of styling and practicing and travelling and so many other things.

He really wished he checked on them so that they would have known that they needed sleep.

 He tried to shift, to get up, but Luhan had his hand on his waist before long and was snuggling closer, making it clear that he had no intention of letting him move, Kris glad he could blame Luhan later, his body was certainly not complying with him, not moving on command.

"Stay. I told them to sleep within the hour before I came in, so don't worry about it" Luhan assured, trying to get Kris to relax once more.

 The younger man's face in a grimace that was caused by the sudden movement of muscles, Luhan wondering why Kris always felt the need to do everything himself, resolved to hug him close and keep him on the bed so that he could certainly get the rest that he deserved.

Kris didn't seem to like the idea much, grateful that Luhan had stepped in, but now guilty once more for leaving his duties unattended, even if Suho could have done it for him. He supposed that Suho would have been too tired to deal with his crazy bunch to deal with Kris's stubborn set of kids.

"Does anyone even listen to you though?" Kris teased with a weak smile, opening his eyes to look down at the small man in his arms.

 Luhan glaring at him with those big dear eyes that shined brighter than the moon, the expression on his face meant to be reprimanding but it was just caught in the prettiness that it always became lost when Luhan was not truly angry, Kris chuckling then, especially when Luhan grabbed the skin at the small of his back for teasing him.

It always annoyed Luhan when Kris mentioned that they others saw him more of a friend than a hyung/ge, so it was not often that they listened to him when it came to instructions and things like that.

"You listen to me" Luhan purred suggestively, shifting a little so that he could breathe against Kris's throat.

The warm breathes in the area making Kris’s skin super sensitive, a sly sneaky hand slipping beneath the thin shirt at the small of his back, comparatively small fingers hot against his skin, Luhan pressed against him originally, now hell bent on destroying all the possible space between them, lips close to his throat that Kris's breathe was caught, the older man certainly tempting in the soft light that illuminated the room from the lights of the city outside, supposing Luhan switched off the light for him, waiting with baited breathe for Luhan to finish what he started, his hand at Luhan's side naturally tightening, drawing him close as his breathing become shallow and his pulse raced, the warm air against his skin, sickeningly sensitive, hands pulling Luhan closer and closer but still those soft lips had yet to touch his skin, Luhan giggling as Kris finally caught on, scoffing.

"Aww, don't be mad" Luhan sang a little, finally pulling back from Kris's throat, deciding that it was too late to tease the younger man and they were both much too tired for it, Kris grumbling a strange mixture of words in various languages under his breath, glaring at Luhan under his eyelashes for teasing him, Luhan never having any intention of a kiss, just wanting to teach Kris a quick lessons.

People certainly listened to him.

 Kris was a clear example of that, his ego inflating a little, but that was nothing compared to the flutter in his chest and that swell of happiness that he felt.

He supposed he should stop giggling but Kris's displeased face was honestly the cutest thing he had ever seen, finding the much larger man to be rather adorable.

"Fix your face or it will stay that way. I'll help" Luhan teased.

“I’ll help” he said, lifting a hand to playfully sooth out the crinkles on Kris's forehead, his warm finger working carefully to sooth them away, completely amused by the fact, even if he began to do it seriously, a reflection of the worry that he always felt when it came to Kris.

He knew that the younger man was strong and unyielding, determined to do well and lead them all to success but he couldn't help worry about what that determination did to him.

Kris took care of everything and everyone other than himself.

 It was not about applying skin cream and things like that, just the stress that he carried about them all, so much on his broad shoulder, all kept to himself. Luhan wished it would be easier for him more often than he cared to admit. Kris was just too stubborn and determined to relax, and he would be hypocritical to complain about it, since he was the same way. The effect however was more stress lines that someone Kris's age should have, and more burdens and worries than was right. He tried his best to help him, but Kris would always be Kris, that meant he would think he alone had a duty to take care of everything.

 There was nothing Luhan could do to get him to stop, so he found another way to help.

No matter how tired he was personally, he would find the strength to drag himself to Kris's room, bribe his dongsaeng for his silence, and slip into bed with him, hoping that at least then Kris would share the burden with him and even if he didn't, he would be the one that held Kris, while he held on to everyone else. It was not much, but it was all he could do…and soothe his forehead of course. He really would get a lot of wrinkles if he continued like that, working diligently.

"Stop that" Kris grumbled, pulling the hand away from his forehead with a glare, Luhan having shifted so that he could look at his face, the older man looking at him cutely, shaking his head in annoyance at himself, never able to stay mad at Luhan, currently allowing his fingers to be laced with Luhan's, the older man smiling at him in a way that made his heart purr, the tiredness not going away, but suddenly a lot more bearable.

"It will be okay you know" Luhan promised with sincerity, not exactly speaking about anything in particular, just everything as a whole, wishing to make it easier for Kris, for him to worry less, to console him as he seemed to do for everyone else.

 Even if he did not hold their hands and walk them through any of that, he was such a strong presence in their lives, that his mere presence was a comfort to them all. Luhan hoped he could be a comfort to Kris, though he was never sure what he could do to make anything easier for him. He would try to assure him though, try as hard as he could, pulling his hand away from Kris, so that he could return to his favourite place, nestled against Kris chest, hugging the younger man tightly, his hand over his waist and latched onto his back, head resting on his chest, taking a whiff of the crisp water freshness, mixed with soap and that artificial fruitiness, holding on tightly.

"I know" Kris confirmed in a low sleepy voice, strangely enough believing Luhan.

It was always strange that way. If anyone else had said that he would just shrug. He could find no way to believe them when he had so much stress and worries on his mind, so much to do and so much to take care of, but when Luhan said it he always believed it.

Luhan had this strange ability to comfort him, to make him think that the world was a perfect place and everything would be okay. If Luhan said it, somehow it would be so, trusting Luhan and trusting himself, as he pulled him even closer, his head dipping to bury itself in the strangely cut, strawberry blond hair, smiling when the fragrance hit his nose.

"Yixing" Kris chuckled, finding the smell oddly familiar, amused.

"Huh?" Luhan asked, not sure if he heard him right and seriously not considering that flash of annoyance that shot through him when Kris smelled his hair and said another name, refusing to believe that he was truly that irrational.

"Yixing. You smell like him. You used his shampoo again didn't you? He will kill you" Kris chuckled, taking another whiff of the fragrance, convinced it smelled like strawberries and cream.

It was very different from the lavender than normally surrounded Luhan, though his hair often smelt like most of the band, since he would forget to chose the right shampoo when he showered and often ended up using everyone else's, today seemingly choosing Yixing's. He didn't like when other people used his shampoo, so Luhan would be in trouble, though that didn't mean much, since Yixing was nearly as bad as he was when it came to letting Luhan have his way.

"Don't tell him" Luhan pleaded sleepily, his position now the sort that demanded sleep, his heart put at ease when Kris explained why he was saying Yixing's name, surprised that he was the sort that let something like that trouble him, but then again Kris caused a lot of surprises naturally.

 Kris was nothing like what he ever had and nothing like what he wanted or expected, but there he was, and he was quite happy to be honest.

"He will know anyway. You are always all over him" Kris responded, his smile falling a little, not supposing anything untoward in the least, but the sight of his Luhan hanging himself  off someone else's body was hard to bear, but thankfully it was Yixing or Minseok and no one else.

 He didn't trust anyone else with him, but those two and Jongdae and Tao and the rest of EXO, his grip tight on Luhan now, a natural possessive gesture that he didn't notice, but made Luhan smile despite himself, telling himself that was not happy that Kris was possessive over him, but sometimes a smile didn't lie.

"Hmmm" Luhan forgo an answer, just wanting to sleep now, his body exceedingly comfortable and warm and just so damn tired that he was surprised that he even managed to get so far in the day without collapsing completely, happy that he made it to Kris's side though, eyes fluttering close.

Kris felt the change when Luhan snuggled closer and was sort of glad that the conversation was at an end, just wanting to enjoy the comfort the small body provided, and the happiness that always seemed to bloom when Luhan was in his arms, dropping a useless kiss to his hair, eyes closing once more, positive that sleep would come easy now, his mind surprising clear of all stray thoughts, a heady sort of completeness taking hold of him, already feeling as if he was floating, the effort to leave consciousness certainly easy at that point, trying to say goodnight but his tongue felt heavy, so just hugging Luhan tighter as he closed his eyes, only for them to fly open when a weight fell on him.

"Luhan hyung, save me!" Jongdae whined, throwing himself on the cuddled form of Kris and Luhan, his chest falling mostly on Kris, though part of him landed on Luhan, the older man groaning form the impact, shifting about beneath him.

Jongdae not caring that he was interrupting a moment, just wanting Luhan to make the torture stop, his head swimming with Chinese and Yixing's fierce disproving expression each time he got a word wrong, the man not being mean really, just his natural expressions, making him feel horrible and frustrated and by the time he made it to his room, the sight of the two was too sweet for him to leave alone, thinking interrupting them would give him some sadistic pleasure, but now that he was basically lying on them both, he realized that he really just wanted one or the other make him feel better. Considering that Kris was glaring at him and looked ready to rip his head off, he was going to go with Luhan, who was now on his back and reaching a hand out to touch his cheek for him.

"Are you freaking insane?" Kris fumed, pushing Jongdae off of him, not even bothering to move much other than his face and his hands, pushing their lead vocalist away from him, resisting the urge to strangle him.

He was thankful for the first time that night that he was too tired to move, positive that it would have ended in a half dead Jongdae, who he would kill for both waking him and disturbing him and Luhan. He honestly thought that the sight of him and Luhan being so cheesy and inappropriate would at least make Jongdae sick, so he would not be prevailed upon to interfere, but it seemed as if he was wrong, the younger man lying on top of him and Luhan, Kris pushing him away as Luhan pulled him.

"Was it too hard?" Luhan questioned finally when he succeeded in finally pulling Jongdae to lie next to him, pushing his body back against Kris, having turned to face Jongdae, the bed much too small for three people, Kris forced to move, shifting to give the two some room, his back pressed against the cold wall, Luhan no longer paying attention to him, now his back pressed against his chest, Kris unwilling to let him go, not wanting to lose him, his hand thrown over his waist as he held him close, Luhan busy fussing over Jongdae.

Kris didn’t know how it ended that way, but he was too tired to fight it, not even with the cold wall against his back, just closing his eyes and pulling Luhan close, the older man's body pressed against his chest, Kris basically spooning against him, though he ensured that his hand remained around his middle, so his grasp on Luhan would not weakened.

The older man was currently using his hands to rub comforting on Jongdae's stomach, the young man lying flat on his back next to the two of them, not caring that he was continuing to interrupt, instead complaining about having a hard time, letting Luhan make him feel better and help him with his pronunciation, Kris amazed at the two really.

He wanted to send Jongdae on his way, but figured that Luhan would not let him go without talking to him and he was just too tired to wait for them to finish, instead, just nestling against Luhan and letting sleep come to him, the last sound in his ear, being Luhan's soft giggle and Jongdae's whine and somehow he was still happy.

He found that he was happy once more when he awoke in the morning  to Yixing's disapproving stare, a hand wrapped around Luhan slightly, who was, as expected half way on top of Jongdae, who was snoring rather cutely, hugging onto Luhan and now grumbling in his sleep, Yixing shaking his head disapprovingly at the sight, Kris just shrugging.

"All of you will have muscle pains now" Yixing warned when he realized that Kris was awake, shaking his head as he went about trying to straighten Luhan's body, Kris just laughing, because honestly, he didn't know what to do else.

********