“Love me like money.
Love me like cars.
Love me babe, love me babe, wherever you are.
Hold me like diamonds.
Treat me like a star!”

“Mother ing god of all that is holy, would you please shut up!?” Xiu Min interrupts Tao’s singing. “You’ve been singing that song nonstop since it’s come out! I can’t take it anymore!”

“But… gege. I like that song,” Tao pouts. “Especially that part! Isn’t Sun Ye’s voice so pretty?” he asks, practically drooling as he says it. “You’re right, it isn’t pretty; it’s gorgeous, just like her,” he says before Xiu Min can actually say anything in reply.

“Just... give it a rest for a little bit,” Xiu Min says, holding up his hand, thumb and index finger spaced a little as he says it. “Just a little bit. That’s all I ask.”

Sighing, Tao nods, disappointed. As Xiu Min walks back to his and Chen’s room he can hear Tao whispering “love me babe, love me babe, wherever you are” behind him.

“I’ll love you babe, love you babe, wherever I am,” Kris says as he pulls Tao off of the couch and starts dancing with him.

Tao blushes and looks down. “You’re so cheesy, duizhang.”

“Awww, does that mean you don’t like it?” Kris asks, letting a fake pout make its way onto his face as he dips Tao.

Tao shakes his head. “But do you know what I would like?”

“What’s that?” Kris asks as he slides his arms around Tao’s waist and pulls the younger close to him. “Unless it has to do with food, then don’t tell me.”

Leaning up and pressing his lips to Kris’s cheek, Tao skips off towards the front door. “Follow me,” he says as he slips his shoes on and walks out the door.

------------

“Have I ever told you that you’re just a big kid?” Kris half asks, half teases as he pushes Tao forward, holding his hands out in preparation for when Tao swings back to him.

“Every now and then,” Tao says as the swing starts to head back in Kris’s direction. “Have I ever told you that I love it?” he asks when Kris pushes him forward again.

“Every now and then,” Kris apes, a smile on his face.

“Did you know there’s a story about this online?” Tao asks.

“About what?”

“About us at the park,” Tao answers.

“Are you seriously still reading those, Panda Bear?”

“Uh huh,” Tao replies as he starts to drag his feet on the ground, turning in the swing to look at Kris when his swing is fully stopped. “Someone likes to write about us being at this park a lot. You’re always pushing me on the swing. It’s one of my favorite things to do with you, so I like that one.”

Crouching down in front of Tao, Kris puts his hands on the younger’s knees and starts to spin him around, the chains of the swing twisting together. “What will it take to get you to stop reading those?”

“What’s wrong with me reading them?” Tao whines.

“They always put ideas into your head and you always try them out,” Kris answers, still spinning Tao around. “I don’t want you to try things on me just because you read about them, but because you want to do it.”

“I don’t always try what they say,” Tao says, voice resolute. “If I did, I would’ve kissed you here by now.”

“I wouldn’t mind that one so much,” Kris says, looking up at Tao and winking, causing to Tao to giggle and blush.

“That’s nice, gege,” he says, patting the leader’s shoulders, “but I think the fans would feel a little differently about that.”

“Not really,” Kris says as he stops spinning the younger. “Who do you think writes all of those stories? If you kissed me here right now, they’d probably all start planning our wedding,” he chuckles, watching Tao spin when he takes his hands away.

“That’s. Probably. True,” Tao says each time he spins around to face Kris again. “But. It. Still. Means. I. Haven’t. Done. Something.” When it finally stops spinning, Tao stands up, only to fall over the second his feet are on the ground. “How is it possible to twirl the swing so many times?” he asks as he closes his eyes, laying back on the grass.

“Anything’s possible when you’re with me,” Kris says as he lays himself down next to Tao, staring up at the sky. “Do you think the sky is sad?”

Turning his head towards Kris and slightly opening one eye, Tao stares at him for a few seconds before responding. “What in the world are you talking about, duizhang?”

“I don’t know. I’ve just always been curious.” Before continuing, he points up towards the sky. “They say when you’re sad, you’re blue. And the sky is always blue. The only time it isn’t bright and cheery is when the sun is gone. It makes you wonder if the sun just comes out when everybody’s awake to make us think the sky is happy.”

Scooting his hand closer to Kris’s, Tao loops his pinky around his boyfriend’s. “Baby, only you would wonder about something like that. Nobody else.”

“But the only time it seems gloomy outside is when the clouds are out. If you think about it,” Kris says, turning his head to look at Tao, “it’s only gloomy outside when you can’t see the sky shining because of the sun.” Unhooking his and Tao’s pinkies, he puts his hand over the younger’s before looking back up at the sky. “Maybe the sky is always sad, but nobody ever knows is because it always seems like it has a friend.”

“A friend, duizhang?” Tao asks, turning his hand up so he can intertwine their fingers. “Now what are you talking about?”

“The sun and the moon,” Kris answers. “Maybe nobody thinks about it because it seems like the sun and the moon are friends with the sky because one or the other is always there. It’s really quite sad if you think about it though. It’s like they trade off each day because they can only stand so much of the sky before wanting to get rid of it.”

“Gege, you’re overthinking things,” Tao says, tightening his grip on Kris’s hand. “Just let it go, okay?”

Feeling Tao’s grip on his hand tighten, Kris does the same. “What if I’m not though? What if one day the sky, so used to having a sun and a moon, suddenly has only one? Or suddenly has neither? Wouldn’t the sky become even sadder?”

Tao can see the one stray tear slide down the side of Kris’s face when he says that, and suddenly he knows why this whole thing is making Kris like this. Squeezing Kris’s hand, Tao reaches over with his other hand to quickly wipe away the tear. “This is about Jong Dae ge, isn’t it?” Kris shakes his head, but the way his eyes start to water and his hold on Tao’s hand is weakening betray him. Reaching over a little farther, Tao grabs Kris’s shoulder and turns the older man towards him, letting him hide his crying face in his neck. “It’s okay, baby. Just let it out. Just let it all out.”

And let it all out, Kris does. He spends the next ten minutes lying there, tears falling nonstop from his eyes as he mumbles incoherent things about Jong Dae and him. When the tears have finally stopped, and the remaining body tremors are happening less frequently, Kris presses his lips against Tao’s neck, salty from all of his tears. Tao lets him, forgetting for a moment that they’re still just lying there in the grass at the park. They both push themselves away from the other when the realization hits them. Looking around them, they let out the breaths they were both holding when they discover that nobody there is even paying them any attention.

Neither of them wanting to leave the park yet, and both of them knowing what could happen if they lay down beside each other again, they decide to sit behind each other, back to back. Leaning his head back a little, Tao lets his rest on Kris’s shoulder; Kris, leaning his back, does the same. They both just sit there, heads on each other’s shoulder, looking up at the sky again. “Duizhang,” Tao finally breaks the silence.

“Hm?”

“I will be your sun and your moon. I promise.”

“Panda B –“

“No,” Tao interrupts. “Don’t say anything. Just know that I mean it when I say that. If Jong Dae can manage to work things out and become one of those for you, then I’ll gladly let him have the position. But if he can’t, then I promise to be both of them for you until he can.”

“I love you, Panda,” Kris whispers. It’s so quiet that Tao almost doesn’t hear it.

Tao reaches up and back, mussing up Kris’s hair before quickly standing up, causing Kris to fall backwards. “You better,” Tao says as he smiles down at him. “Shall we get going?” he asks as he holds his hand out to Kris to help him up.

Grabbing onto Tao’s hand, Kris uses his other hand to push himself up as the younger pulls. “We shall.”

------------

“We brought home lunch~!” Tao and Kris yell out together as they walk into the dorm. The sounds of running feet can be heard almost instantly. When the two lovebirds walk into the kitchen, bags in hand, they can see each of the other four members sitting down at the table already, sweet looks on their faces. “It’s amazing the power you can wield with food,” Kris jokes as they set the bags down on the counter. Taking out two wrapped sandwiches, Kris hands one to Tao before moving to sit down, the latter sitting on his lap when he does. The other members stare at them expectantly. “I said we brought home lunch, not that we were delivering it,” Kris says to them before taking a bite from his sandwich. Tao giggles when the other members groan and get up to get their food.

Within only five minutes, they’ve all managed to somehow finish their sandwiches. “My god, you guys are pigs,” Tao says.

“Says the human garbage disposal,” Lay replies, sticking his tongue out at the younger.

“I worked up an appetite. What did you do?” He gets off of Kris’s lap and starts walking to Lay’s room. “I wonder if I’ll see a long call to South Korea on someone’s phone,” he singsongs.

“You won’t!” Lay shouts as he jumps out of his chair, running after the youngest member. “You definitely won’t!”

Kris just shakes his head in amusement, a smile on his face as he picks up the trash those two left on the table. “If he’s looking for a long call he should be looking at his phone,” Kris motions with his head towards Lu Han, who’s already on his way out of the kitchen with the phone to his hear. “I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to help him out with his bill too. My parents are gonna kill me when I ask for the money. Remind me to tell him that it’s over after this month,” he says to the one remaining member in the kitchen, Xiu Min having left to watch Lay and Tao fight over the phone.

“Will do,” he hears Chen say.

He stops dead in his tracks before looking up at the young Korean, jaw slack. That’s the first time he’s heard Chen’s voice in weeks. He’s not even completely sure he did hear him say anything until he sees a shy smile make its way onto Chen’s face. “You will?” he asks, wanting to hear him speak again. He doesn’t though. Chen only nods. That’s all that Kris needs though before he practically runs towards Chen with his arms open, stopping in front of him when the Korean holds his hand up and shakes his head. Kris nods, understanding, silently chastising himself for doing that. With the shy smile still on his face, Chen gets up and heads back to his bedroom, throwing his trash away on the way out.

“Gege!” Tao shouts seconds later as he runs into the kitchen. “You got a letter!” he shouts again, holding the folded white paper out in front of him.

Opening it, he only sees a name and three short messages, but they make him incredibly happy to read.

“I miss you too.

~ Jong Dae

P.S – The cake was good.

P.P.S – Yes, I can read English.”

Folding the paper back up, he slips it into his back pocket. He moves to hug Tao but sees that the youngest member is already gone again.

“Love me like money!
Love me like cars!
Love me babe, love me babe, wherever you are!
Hold me like diamonds!
Treat me like a star!
Love me babe, love me babe, wherever you are!”

“HUANG ZI TAO!” are the words he can hear Xiu Min yelling at him soon after.

______________________________________________________________________

A/N: It's been a week since I updated! Gah, I'm so sorry. And I love all of you that didn't leave me (and those of you that subbed as well!). <3 It's been a bit of a rough week, and then I had my birthday to deal with. Lol. And maybe I finally started Ghost because I'm a little in love with So Ji Sub.

I've been listening to Like Money a lot today, so I just had to put that in this chapter. Hehe. And since I'm crazy about Sun Ye, I went and made Tao a Sun Ye fanboy as well so we can fanboy together in the future.

@fluffcloud - I do my best! :D
@VitaminBuns - The main reason I wasn't gonna watch Dr. Jin was because of the operations. I know it's fake, but stuff like that tends to gross me out. Luckily, it's so fake that I don't mind. Although, I must admit, that tumor made me a little queasy.
@starkey - Every Exo pairing is freaking adorable.  -Cuddles them all-
@verachan - Haha. He really does, doesn't he!? xD  I made sure to put him everywhere in this chapter. ^_^
@animeotakupooh - I think everybody remember when Tao called Xiu Min that. Haha. <3
@legna_angel - I have! Bless all of the shows for having Exo-M on. You've gotta love Lay. Always spilling secrets and making fun of members. Just keeps on moving up on my bias list.  Hooray for channeling the real Kris with mah letter! -Dances-  And your mind is definitely one-track. Lol. My other story is getting to a point where I won't have to worry about too much , so maybe I can work my lack of naughty magic in here somewhere.
@leonn - I'm fairly certain both 'ge' and 'gege' are correct. I could be wrong, but I'm going off of what I've read/seen in shows. :]  Thank you though!

Hope you enjoyed this tiny update!
-Skips off singing Like Money-
Time to watch an episode or two of Ghost before bed.