Warning: I use real names in this fic. If you don't know them the important ones for this chapter are:

Minki = Ren
Dongho = Baekho
Jonghyun = JR

Zitao = Tao
Han = Luhan
Fan = Kris
 

“So, you have a girlfriend huh?” Dongho drawled from where he was leaning against Minki’s door frame.

Minki looked up from where he was sprawled on his bed, textbooks scattered around him as he tried to do his homework.

“Uhm, kinda?” he said nervously, eyes darting around to make sure no one else was around eavesdropping.

Dongho, seeing his nervousness, came inside and closed the door before sitting on his own bed, “’Kinda’?”

Minki blushed, “well uhhh…..we’re kinda not really dating and it’s kinda not really a girlfriend. Only it is. But I’m the girlfriend.” Baekho stared at him in silence as his brain tried to register what his best friend had just said. “But you really can’t tell anyone because we would be in so much trouble and we really need the publicity and what’s better than publicity then a scandal and it’ll be fine because the fans will all think it’s cute and adorable and gush about how I’m probably prettier than my girlfriend, which I totally am, and won’t mind at all but you can’t tell anyone ever because then they’d stop it and I don’t know what it’s like to date so I really need to keep this up and-“ the magnae stopped rambling as his friend held up a hand.

“Just…who is it?” he said finally.

“Tao from EXO-M. His company wanted a scandal too.” Minki replied quietly.

“Okay, I’ll keep quiet about this and cover for you when you go meet up with him,” Dongho said at last, “but you have to be careful. Don’t get caught. Be careful of the fans. I hear EXO-M have a few sasaengs already and I don’t want you to get involved with all of that.”

Minki jumped up and grabbed his friend in a tight hug, “thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyousoingmuch.”

“Language magnae,” Dongho smiled.

Minki only giggled.

-SceneBreak-

Tao was washing dishes after dinner when his phone chimed, signalling he had a new message. He ignored it for the time being, no one important messaged him anyways, and was rewarded by Han's squeak as he read the message, “Zitao your girlfriend's so cute!” the older boy gushed, running into the kitchen, waving the phone in front of him.

Tao frowned for a second. Girlfriend? Then he remembered. Minki.

“She's a high schooler Lu, too young for you,” he smirked.

“I don't need a girlfriend Huang Zitao,” Lu Han huffed, “I'm amazing enough as it is, if I got a girlfriend worthy of me the world would implode at too much awesomeness in such close proximity.”

“Whatever you say Lu.”

“But you two would be a really cute couple, when do we get to meet her?” Han continued, sitting on the counter.

“Uhhh, we only just got together Lu, I'm not ready to introduce her to you idiots, she might change her mind about dating me.”

Lu Han pouted, “DUIZHANG, ZITAO IS TOO ASHAMED TO INTRODUCE US TO HIS GIRLFRIEND WHO IS PRETTIER THAN ME!”

“Zitao's too young to have a girlfriend,” Kris called back from the other room.

“Well he has one anyway!” Han yelled, throwing a triumphant smirk at the magnae as the sound of their leader falling off the couch and then stomping his way through the dorm reached their ears.

Tao rolled his eyes and went back to washing dishes. It wasn't like Kris could do anything about it anyway.

“Tao, what part of 'dating ban' do you not understand?” Kris asked lowly from the doorway.

Tao kept washing dishes, not looking up as he answered, “Manager-hyung said it was alright when I asked him,”

“What's her name?” Han piped up, deliberately ignoring the tension clouding the room.

“Choi Jeonghwa,”

“How did you meet her?~” Han was getting into this now. He always loved gossip. And stirring up trouble. And this was both of those at once! If only Yixing were there to share in the joy.. alas the dancer was still at the company building going through some chereography with Minseok.

“She sat down at my table at a café,” it wasn't a total lie, and Tao got the idea that the company and managers wouldn't be pleased if he let s in on their scheme so quickly. That was why he refused to look at Kris. He knew that the moment he met the elder's eye that his resolve would crumble and he would tell him everything.

No. He had to hold on.

At least until he could talk to Baekhyun. He'd know what to do in regards to Tao's over-protective ge.

“I don't approve,” Kris spoke up.

“Of course you don't approve Fanfan. You wouldn't approve of Zitao dating anyone,” Han drawled, rolling his eyes, “I approve though and I'm older than you so there,” Han stuck out his tongue childishly, giggling at the death glare his leader sent in his direction.

Tao looked up at that, sensing that there was something going on that he didn't know about.

Kris caught his eye and Tao flushed, quickly staring back down to the sink which had somehow managed to empty itself of dishes. Drying his hands quickly on a tea-towel, the magnae hurried off to his room, remembering at the last moment to snatch his phone from Han's loose grasp as the elder laughed at s.

-SceneBreak-

“Why did I agree to that?” Minki whined as he pulled off the stockings he had put on so he could send a selca to his new “boyfriend”.

“Because you said you would do whatever I wanted you to if I didn't tell anyone,” Dongho smirked, flicking through the photos on Minki's phone. “Ooh, Lover Boy replied, I wonder what he said...”

“Don't call him that and don't go through my messages, jerk,” Minki snapped, somehow managing not to fall over as he snatched his phone back with the stockings tangled around his ankles.

The magnae glanced down at the screen and grinned, bouncing back onto his bed like a high school girl in love.

“What did he saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy?” Dongho whined, shoving at Minki's shoulder and making a grab for his phone.

Minki kept the phone out of his reach with a giggle, “my conversations with my boyfriend are private thankyouverymuch. But oh my God, Tao-hyung's Korean is adorable. He's so bad at it.”

“Let me seeeee,” Dongho pouted and this time, Minki let him pull the phone from his hand.

In response to the gorgeous selca Minki had sent him, Tao had replied with a bathroom selca with the caption “thinking of you~”. Or at least, that's what Dongho assumed he meant. What he actually said was “you think”.

“Oh my God, this is way too precious.” the slightly elder boy said, grinning over at his friend, “you're boyfriend is such a sap Jeonghwa-ah.”

“You're just jealous because my boyfriend is better looking than you,” Minki retorted with a smirk.

“Yah, just do your homework brat, you miss too much school as it is.”

-SceneBreak-

“My best friend keeps trying to steal my phone :(“ was the next message Tao got from 'Jeonghwa', it was accompanied by a selca of Minki, still in his wig, and Baekho laying on a bed with school books scattered around them.

“I hope you don't mind that I told him about us but he's impossible to keep stuff like this from~” came shortly afterwards and Tao shook his head, grinning at his phone before sending back; “I don't mind that you told him. But please tell him to stop doing things like this with my girlfriend.”

“And do your homework” he added as an after thought.

“I'm trying,” Minki sent back, “But Dongho-yah keeps trying to distract me by asking about you. I think he's upset that I said you were better looking... :)”

“Of course I'm better looking than him. Have you seen my face?” Tao smirked as he sent the text.

“That's what I said!” the reply came instantaneously.

“But of course Jeonghwa-ah is prettier~” he sent back. Maybe they could make this work after all. Chatting with Minki like this was fun.

The next reply took a little longer to come, “Sorry about that Oppa, Omma came in and told me to say goodbye to Dongho-yah and go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow!! Goodnight~~~~ <3<3<3”

Tao looked at the time, it was almost 2am, “that's okay Jagiyah, I should probably be going to sleep now anyway. I have a busy schedule tomorrow but I'll text you when I can <3~”

-SceneBreak-

The next day at an interview, the question of ideal types came up again.

Luhan was shooting Tao the biggest grins while everyone else was answering the question. When it was Tao's turn he ducked his head and blushed a little, “I like girls who look cute but have a fiery personality when they need to,” he said.

“Wait a moment,” the interviewer said, “I'm pretty sure Tao's answer has changed again! Is there something you want to tell us?”

“Uhm, I really hope our fans won't be disappointed and hurt by this, but I have a girlfriend,” he explained, “she said it was okay to tell people we're dating but doesn't want anyone to know who she is.”

“She's a high schooler and really pretty,” Luhan piped up, “and she keeps sending Tao cute messages.”

“Wow, and what do the other members think of her?” the interviewer asked.

“This is the first time we've heard of her,” Lay said, “Are you sure she exists?” he asked Luhan who laughed and nodded.

“I saw the selca she sent him last night,” he grinned.

“What does the leader think of his magnae dating a high schooler?” the interviewer asked, noticing that Kris had gone quiet the moment Tao's girlfriend had come up.

“As the leader, I hope that Tao's relationship will not interfere with our image as idols. I also hope that our fans will be understanding of him in this time,” he replied.

“Did you know about the relationship before this interview?”

“I found out last night,” Kris replied, “Tao said he cleared it with our company and he's my little brother so I believe him. I don't have any problem with it as long as he doesn't get too distracted.”

“As a brother you must be pleased for him though?”

“Of course I am happy for him. He spent all of last night holed up in his room texting her so I know she makes him happy, and that is what is important.”

“Ahhh, wow, you really are a great hyung.”

-SceneBreak-

“Seriously Minki-yah,” Jonghyun said about a week after his magnae had begun dating some mysterious girl, “when are we meeting this girlfriend of yours? We don't even know her name!”

“Her name is Jeonghwa and you're not meeting her,” Minki replied, not looking up from his maths textbook. Seriously, why did his teacher have to give him so much homework?

“That's not fair,” pouted Minhyun, leaning over to copy Minki's answers, “do we at least get to see a picture? I want to know who is deemed good looking enough to catch the eye our our Minki-yah.”

“Dongho knows who she is, that's all you need to know,” Minki said just as his phone went off.

As one, the trio in the living room made a dive for the phone. Minhyun managed to get it first and grinned in triumph. Only to groan as he realised he didn't know Minki's password.

“Yah, Choi Minki, what's your password?” he asked, holding the phone out of the magnae's reach.

“I'm not telling you, you'll go through my phone in an interview or something and spill all my secrets in public,” Minki replied, “plus, my conversations with Jeonghwa are private.”

“I bet you let Dongho look through them,” Jonghyun grumbled under his breath.

“What was that Jonghyun?” Minhyun asked.

Minki took advantage of his distraction to snatch the phone back as their leader answered, “oh, nothing.”

“I heard Dongho-yah's name,” Minki commented as he check his text messages, “oh my God,” he said when he read the latest message from Tao.

“What is it?” Minhyun said, trying to snatch the phone again but Minki was quicker and locked it before he could see anything.

“That was Jeaonghwa's oppa, he stole her phone so he could demand to meet me. What should I do? He's going to kill me!” Minki wailed, “Hyung!” he said, crawling over to Jonghyun, “Hyung you have to help me!! I'll call you hyung forever and ever if you help me get out of this,” he pleaded.

“No way,” Jonghyun said, “this is way too amusing, plus it's your fault for dating a girl with an oppa.”

“I hate you,” Minki pouted, gathering his stuff and snatching his phone back off Minhyun, “Dongho would help me.”

“Dongho's off filming for that drama of his so you're on your own,” Jonghyun said drily.

Minki huffed and slammed the door to his room shut as he disappeared behind it.

-SceneBreak-

“Lu Han! I can't believe you just did that to her! She's probably freaking out now thinking you're some kind of ert!” Tao whined, stare alternating between his phone, where 'his' latest message to Minki was proudly on display, and Han's face.

“Well it's not my fault you keep refusing to introduce us,” Han pouted, “So I just had to take matters into my own hands to make sure you're not dating some insane fangirl. We have to deal with them enough without you dating one.”

“We only started dating a week ago! That's too soon for the whole 'meet the family' stuff and you know it!”

“Ahhh, I understand now, you don't want us to meet her because she's too ashamed to introduce you to her family,” Han said sagely, nodding his head as if he knew what he was talking about.

“Her family's in Busan,” Tao said triumphantly, “she couldn't introduce me if we wanted to. Which we don't. Because her parents would probably freak out that she was dating a celebrity.”

“Aahh, so it's the whole secrecy thing that's grating on your nerves.” Han his chin where his beard would be if he chose to/were allowed to grow one, “it's good that you're doing this now then because as an idol you can never really be open about your relationships. Ever. Even if we disband, you'll have to wait until you're fifty before the fans will leave you alone.”

“Shut up Lu, you don't know what you're talking about.” Tao's rant was interrupted by his message tone.

Before he could even attempt to look at it, Han had snatched the phone from him again and read the message aloud, a grin stretching over his face, “Oppa~ tell you're hyung I'll come over tomorrow night for dinner then~ I'll be there at 7:30. Text me the address okay?~~~ <3<3<3”

“Great, now she thinks that she has to come over to try and please you. She's probably terrified right now. She's only a high schooler Lu.”

Lu Han pouted at the magnae “You're just worried that once she meets me she'll dump you for not being good looking enough.”

“You're just jealous that I'm younger than you, have horrible Korean, have been in the country for less time than you, and yet have managed not only to get myself a girlfriend while we're still promoting, but that she's prettier than you too.”

“Yah! Huang Zitao!! You take that back this instance!!”

-tbc-

Wow okay I am so sorry this took so long (it would have been up yesterday but aff was being stupid as I'm sure you all know)

Thank you to all the new subscribers!!! Comments do actually help me stay on track with fics but please don't feel like I'm trying to pressure you into commenting because I'm really not. Except for Amamnda. Because she's my wife and is therefore obligated to comment on all my fics. Every single time.