Tao walked up the stairs of the building complex, reaching a specific door and kicking it a few times. His arms were slowly starting to ache because of the bone chilling breeze that blew.

After a minute or two of Tao's kicks, the door opened to reveal a very worried Yixing.

"Tao! What happened?!" Lay questioned, helping the taller inside. Honestly Lay didn't expect any answer, but his eyes almost fell out of their sockets when Tao's calm voice answered him.

"Luhan got carried away studying for a test, he fell asleep in the library, I saw him and brought him home” Tao answered carrying Luhan to his room. Lay walked behind Tao and helped him with the door and the covers of the bed.

Tao placed the man softly in the bed and tried to remove his jacket from the other, only to find out that the boy had wrapped his hands around the soft fabric. Tao smiled and allowed him to keep the jacket for the night, flinching when a hand touched his back.

"It's good to see you smile again Tao" Lay commented, eyes fixated on the sleeping figure. It had been a while since Tao had done something as close as staying out of his room without being forced to, and Lay could tell that the sudden departure of their old friend and Tao's ex-boyfriend had given the raven-haired boy a hard blow. But he could also tell that Tao was trying hard to rebuild what he used to be, and the boy in front of them was the proof.

Without anything else, Tao placed Luhan's bag on the floor and turned around. He walked across the hallway and opened his room, slipping into the darkness that had been his sanctuary for the past months. Frowning at the darkness, Tao flicked the lights on to see the mess that was his room.

A smile crept up to Yixing's face when he saw Tao turn on the light. Just a few hours ago the younger wouldn't even bother in turning the lights on, not caring if he stepped on something or hurt himself in the process. Lay knew this because he had seen it happen a lot in this past weeks. Tao walking into his room, not even sparing a pitiful glance at the light switch, walking in and closing the door behind him, only to walk out a few hours later with dried blood in areas like the sole of his foot or the palm of his hands.

"Good night Tao" Lay called over before the door closed. Tao stopped just before the door closed and stared blankly at nothing, mumbling a goodnight before shutting the door.

Lay closed the door to his room and stared at the knocked out man that was on the other bed in deep thought. He rubbed his chin while he thought of something, a habit that he carried since little.

"Maybe we could work some sleeping arrangements after our trip to Korea" Lay mumbled to himself as he strolled over to his bed. He laid down and rested his head on his intertwined hands.

"Yeah, a change would be good for us" was the last thing Lay said before drifting off to sleep.

...

Luhan jolted back to life, looking around the room confused. He was pretty sure that he had fallen asleep in the campus of the university. His hand rubbed against a soft material, making him look down in confusion. On top of his lap rested Tao's favorite jacket, a hand the fabric tightly. He smiled at the thought of Tao bringing him home and tucking him to bed.

Soft chatter made him come back from his Tao daydream to reality. He pushed the covers off and walked up to the bathroom. He got freshened up and arranged a few stray hairs that stuck up. He walked out of the bathroom just in time to see the door to Tao's room opening, revealing a tired looking panda with half lidded eyes and hairs sticking in every possible way. When Tao caught sight of Luhan he made something that resembled a laze smile, eyes closing when he did so. This earned a chuckle from the elder, who just walked over to Tao and pushed him into the bathroom in a playful way.

Walking up to the common area, the boy glanced at his surroundings. In the dining table two plates with steam coming out of the food laid perfectly still one next to the other, waiting for someone to eat them. Luhan glanced over to the living room where he saw Xiumin and Chen sitting on the floor and playing a card game.

"Morning Luhan" they both chorused, only hearing a mumble from Luhan in acknowledgement. They looked back to see what was wrong and saw that Luhan was walking over to the table with his head hung low and face contorted in what Xiumin liked to call the 'I'm thinking of bad things' face. They really didn't want to pry on the matter, but they worried about their friend.

“Everything alright?”  Chen was the first one to speak up.

"More or less… Sehun sent me a text yesterday night" Luhan announced taking a seat on the table. At that, the pair on the floor left everything and sat with Luhan on the table in case that the boy needed comfort or something else. Xiumin scooted closer to his friend to show him his support.

"Did you answer him?" Lay asked, whatever he was doing in the kitchen long forgotten. Luhan just shook his head as tears started to blur his vision.

"It's not that I didn't answered out of anger, but I just couldn't, not after reading the message" Luhan said, trying to be strong and wiping the stray tears away from his face.

Knowing Luhan as well as he did, Xiumin didn't hesitate to stand up and walk to Luhan and Lay's room, knowing that the other wouldn't want to bother them and would bottle this up as well. He knew that Luhan was telling them the surface of the situation so that it didn't came like a bomb in another moment.

He pushed the door opened and started to look around for the bag that Luhan used yesterday. He guessed that the phone must still be there since it wasn't charging in its usual place, and now with what Luhan said, he was sure that, if the message was as bad as he imagined, Luhan wouldn't even bother to.

He spotted the bag lying next to Lu's bed. He ped it and rummaged through it, finding the small device under the extra pair of sweatpants that Luhan always took in case he felt like exercising. He grabbed it and straightened up, catching sight of another thing that made him smile inwardly.

Neatly folded on the bed was Tao's favorite jacket. He recalled almost every single one of their friends asking for the jacket in a certain moment, even Kris had. The young boy had never been merciful enough to allow another member to even touch it, this being one of the items that he bought himself before he got to the university, before he met them, and before anything they could recal. It had been something like his improvised comfort zone while he opened up to them. So naturally seeing the clothing in someone else's room was a great shock, and seeing that it on Luhan's bed made him even more shocked and happy.

He couldn't help the wave of jealousy that  was starting to form on him. He really liked that jacket, it looked really soft and warm.  He imagined how it would look on him, and how cozy he could be in a chilly night.

 Ok he really should stop, it was only a jacket, he could buy one on his own. Not like he would make love to a piece of clothing.  Right now there was something more important at hands.

He took his leave when the phone was secured in his hand. In his way over to his friends he the phone and read the message beforehand, face turning a red with anger and a vein popping in his forehead when he did. He stormed the rest of the way to his friends and pressed the phone on Chen's hand, the other giving him a quizzical look.

If there was any joke or amusement in the air, it fled the room when the other two read what it said. Lay looked at the phone in pure anger and shock, averting his look over to the hallway to see if Tao was still in the bathroom.

"Does Tao knows?" Lay asked in a low voice, thinking that if their youngest member didn't know he should. Luhan nodded, eyes staring at the food to avoid eye contact with his friends.

"So Tao knew and didn't say anything" Chen accused fuming, looking at Luhan who had watery eyes once again. The other two members looked at Luhan, making the other shrink back a little.

"It wasn't my place to tell in the first place" Tao's naturally smooth voice answered Chen with a hard tone. Three heads snapped to the side to see Tao grabbing his plate from the table and walking to the farthest corner of the room. They allowed the youngest to sit there in silence while he ate his breakfast.

"Don't worry Luhan, we are here with you now and nothing bad will happen" Xiumin assured calming down and rubbing said boy's shoulders. They all nodded and let the brown haired boy know that he had their support no matter what.

They allowed Luhan to eat and then started to get ready, Xiumin taking the first turn in the bathroom. Lay collected Luhan and Tao's plates and took them to the sink, heading to his room to check his bags and get clothes for when Xiumin got out of the bathroom. Chen ran along the same line of actions when he headed for his room, the only difference being that he was planning on stealing Lay's turn for the bathroom.

Luhan dragged his gaze over to where Tao sat, the younger's eyes closed and legs crossed, back leaning against the wall. He smiled as he recalled that this used to be Tao's way of calming down when he got nervous and had no one else to help him. He had figured it out when he saw the younger do it several times before. He also remembered that no one had asked him how he felt in those moments, not even Kris who used to be his boyfriend. Everyone would leave the man alone to figure out what he was thinking of by himself.

Thinking of those two together made Luhan ache, not able to suppress the jealousy towards the other man. He always thought that even if Kris was a good boyfriend in some moments, he was lacking in others. Those sweet small moments that made everything worth it, those were the moments that Kris would ignore and focus on the big moments, while Luhan was sure that he would treasure every moment he could get,  after all that’s what he always did in the past, treasure every second.

Taking a deep breath to calm his own nerves, Luhan stood up and slowly walked over to Tao. Not sure of what to do next, he just sat next to the younger quietly. He could hear Tao's worried breath next to him. Luhan just gulped lightly and turned his face looking at the other.

"You ok?" Luhan asked the taller, who jumped a little at the sudden voice "worried?" Luhan asked again with a smile. The older knew that something must've been bothering the other boy, ‘cause sneaking in on Tao was one of the hardest things ever, especially since he was a master of the stealth himself. But Luhan had managed to do so twice, well the first one not counting that much since Tao had headphones on.

Tao shook his head in denial closing his eyes again, but the blonde knew better. Luhan looked at Tao's face, this suddenly becoming even tenser.

Tao cursed at himself. All he wanted was to calm down before the trip, not wanting to rip Sehun's head at sight, that's why he had walked over to his corner. He had felt as the people in the room walked around until they left, or so he thought. He didn't noticed that Luhan had stayed in the room until he felt the elder sitting next to him. He tensed when Luhan asked if he was ok, this being the first time that someone actually approached him while he meditated.

When Luhan scooted closer to him, Tao felt even worst. He knew that he was weak, that Luhan was having it way worst and yet still tried to care for him. He frowned when he felt something in front of him, opening his eyes to see Luhan staring at him intently and way passed what he could call safe distance.

"What are you doing?" Tao asked looking back at the boy, one of his eyebrows quirking up.

"Nothing… I just never noticed how smooth your skin looks" Luhan said looking at the other's face. Tao looked away to hide the small blush that formed on his face.

"Why?" He asked in a low tone. Luhan just shrugged and kept staring. Tao started fidgeting under the boys stare, feeling that the boy could see right through him. Luhan just got so immerse in the other that he didn't noticed what left his mouth until it was too late.

"It looks nice, it makes you handsome" Luhan commented eyes widening in realization. Tao just stood up and rushed to his room before the older could see the furious blush that took control of his face.

Tao threw the door behind him and pressed his back against it, a hand coming up to feel his erratic heartbeat. He closed his eyes and left out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry Luhan" Tao apologized to the loneliness of his room, slowly slipping down the door and covering his face with both of his hands. Now regretted leaving like that. He cursed because now he knew, Luhan made his brain lousy, he couldn’t think clearly when all he could think was of wanting to hold the other close.

At the other side of the door Luhan smiled, having heard the apology. He knew that Tao thought that he was apologizing to nothing, but Luhan had heard it. He had followed the boy when the young had ran to his room, feeling bad for making the other feel uncomfortable, his own apology ready, only to hear Tao just in time.

He decided to leave the other like that and walked to his room, finding Lay there.

"Chen managed to sneak in before I got to the bathroom, so I had to wait for the choir to  end, but it's free now you can go" Lay announced putting a white shirt on and running a hand through his hair to dry it faster. Luhan nodded and grabbed what he was going to wear for the trip, a deep blue shirt with skinny jeans. He took a quick bath and told Tao that he should go prepare.

The group made it to the airport and ate something quick before bearding the plane. They handed over their boarding passes when it was time and got to their seat, getting comfortable for the trip.

The flight was quiet, Luhan watching out the window, and occasionally stealing glances at the back of the head that stuck out from the seat in front of him.

"If you keep staring he will get uncomfortable" Xiumin said, startling his best friend.

"Shh! He could hear you!" Luhan scolded, slapping his friend's leg lightly. Xiumin laughed a little and looked at his phone.

"He won't, I can hear the music from his headphones" Xiumin pointed, pulling out a few articles he had to read for their research project.

From Tao's seat, the sound of music blasting through headphones could be heard, the boy having closed his eyes to relax. Lay was leaning slightly away from Tao, trying hard to concentrate in the book that he brought. Luhan sighed and leaned his head back with a small nod.

Other than that, this was all the interaction that the members had with each other. When the plane landed they rushed over to where the other half of their group waited for them.

Near the area where they would pick up their luggage, Luhan looked around for two faces, Tao's so that he could feel somehow safe, and Sehun's to avoid him.

When they met with their friends, Luhan was engulfed in tight hugs for a good time. He smiled at the other members and greeted them, not even daring to look directly at Sehun who stood far from him.

"Suho, can we talk to you" Chen said, Xiumin and Lay nodding behind him. Suho nodded and followed the trio, Kyungsoo and Jonging, or Kai how they liked to call himself, following after. Luhan looked around the small group of people, watching as they chatted and laughed, until his face met with Sehun's stern gaze. He looked down immediately, suddenly finding his shoes more interesting.

The boy wanted a way out of the current situation, so he walked up to Baekyun and told him that he was going to the bathroom for a moment. Baekyun told him that it was ok so he walked away, not aware of the footsteps in the distance.

Luhan walked into the bathroom and up to one of the sinks. He pulled the tab open and splashed some water on his face. When he raised his head, the view that the mirror granted wasn't what he expected. He was met with a piercing glare, courtesy of Sehun.

"Well that sure was quick, looks like you are a after all" Sehun sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. Luhan just turned around and glared at Sehun, hands gripping tightly at the sink behind him. If he had to be forced to this, then he would face it like a man.

"What? You think I didn't noticed, the way that Tao looks at you?" Sehun said, poison seeping from each word "since when is this going on huh" the younger continued.

"He doesn't need to answer anything if he doesn't want to, much less to you" at this Luhan's heart felt grateful, Tao's voice sounding like music to his ears.

"He will answer, he is my-" Sehun started, only to be interrupted.

"Your what? Your boyfriend! Ha! I don't think so, you see, last thing I heard was that you left him without allowing him to explain" Tao spat positioning himself in between Luhan and the now fuming Sehun.

"There was nothing to explain, he was with another man that wasn't me in a restaurant, being all lovey and happy" Sehun accused, his glare never seizing to exist. Tao walked closer to Luhan, reassuring the other.

"Is that so? Or were you just selfish enough to not think about the possibilities" Tao spat, standing by Luhan's side at this point. Sehun turned red and glared daggers at the two boys in front of him.

"The man that you got so worked up about was my cousin Sehun" Luhan said quietly. In that moment Sehun looked as if he had been punched in the face.

"What?" Sehun asked in a mere whisper looking for Luhan's eyes in shock. Luhan brought his gaze up, meeting Sehun’s eyes since he had nothing to fear, for he spoke the truth and had nothing to hide.

"Now you know the simplicity of the situation and the level of your overreaction and to what degree you just messed up, now leave" Tao demanded, jaw clenched as he tried to keep as calm and collected as he could.

"Why? Because you say so? Perhaps I will go, since it looks like you're used to people just walking out on you" Sehun mocked, smirking when he saw how Tao's face contorted into something else. Sehun was looking for a way to get back up to his feet on the discussion, and he was taking the worst possible course to do so.

Every muscle in Tao's body tensed, and if Tao was already glaring daggers, now he was killing Sehun with the mere thought.

"Tao please don't" Luhan pleaded behind the taller, hand wrapping around Tao’s hand.

"Just like Kris did that day" Sehun finished, watching as Tao snapped.

All the confidence that Sehun had before fled upon seeing Tao's new face. He hadn't seen Tao changing like their friends at China had, the playful and lovable panda that he used to be, now having grown cold and distant. How training himself to exhaustion had actually made him slightly buffer and toned.

Tao grabbed Sehun by the collar of his shirt and pressed him against a wall of the bathroom. The slightly older man used his legs to pin the younger to the wall and readied a hand to punch him square in the face. He stopped in his tracks when a soft trembling hand wrapped itself around the arm that was ready to strike at Sehun.

"Tao please, he's not worth it" Luhan tried to reason with the younger, looking at him with pleading eyes. Tao exhaled loudly and lowered his fist, releasing Sehun from his grip. He turned around and started to follow Luhan, both turning to look at the boy, Luhan with nothing but a slight hint of pity in his eyes for the other.

"That's right, go behind the 's scrawny " Sehun spat at the leaving pair.

"SEHUN!" An unexpected voice boomed through the room. Everyone looked in shock as Kai stormed into the room and headed straight for Sehun, who was using a wall for support.

They stared in shock when Kai's fist connected with Sehun's jaw without a second thought. Before Kai could connect another blow Chanyeol walked in, taking Kai in his arms and carrying the trashing boy out, smiling sadly at Tao and Luhan before leaving with Kai.

Tao and Luhan walked out of the bathroom, one of Tao's hand in Luhan's shoulder. They walked over to their van and sat in the back seat. They waited for the rest of the group and drove off to their temporary dorms.

Luhan didn't wait for the others to get out of the van when they got to their temporary home and took his belongings, disappearing inside the building. Tao couldn't help but follow the boy with sad eyes.

"Why don't you go with him" Xiumin suggested, a hand resting on Tao's shoulder. Tao looked down at the hand of the shorter and then back up front.

With a light nod, Tao grabbed his things and headed in the same direction where the older had disappeared off to.

------ 

Another update! Thanks for the support so far!!

I must say, Exo’s new mvs were awesome! My personal favorite one was Monster

Baekhyun was so damn hot!

Anyways I hope you liked this, don’t forget to comment, subscribe and upvote!

Until the next update !

Peace out! <3