"Oppa!"

The first word Xiumin ever heard falling past Tao's lips. At the time, he had been confused. Where was the girl who had called out to him? But there was no girl. Only the cat-faced boy with a shy smile, hoping he had done everything right. It hadn't taken long at all for Xiumin to find that this boy was extremely sensitive and sweet, trying his hardest to please others as well as improve himself. He stuttered his way through ten months of tongue slips and accidents, not quite grasping the language so many of his elders spoke. He'd been embarrassed to find that "oppa" was a term used by a girl, and had apologized again and again to Xiumin, who was the only one he had actually said it to.

Xiumin had pulled him into an easy hug, telling him it hadn't bothered him at all. While Tao had still been a bit red-faced, he had accepted that answer, but still made a strong effort to call him hyung. All in all, Xiumin thought it was adorable. Especially when his tongue slips led to the flustered teen calling him "oppa" time and time again. Eventually, he had managed to sooth the embarrassment of the word, and Tao stopped panicking when he said it. For a while, it became almost a nickname that only Tao could use, but as he practiced and time went on, it was used less and less often. It came to be a tool for Xiumin to recognize when Tao was tired, or upset, or just feeling vulnerable.

The night Tao woke him up from a sound sleep, only a few months after their debut in China, his head bowed slightly as he crouched beside the bed, Xiumin wasn't sure which of the three he was dealing with. Maybe a combination, based on the expression on Tao's face. His eyelids looked heavy, but his eyes were damp. The rest of his face was pulled into an expression most commonly seen on small children fearing they were going to be told 'no,' and Xiumin blinked at him in a confused state.

"What's wrong, Panda?" Xiumin asked, reaching out to fluff the younger's hair affectionately. Tao leaned easily into the touch, his eyes closing as he took a breath.

"Oppa...could I...could I stay with you tonight?" He asked, looking a little embarrassed.

Xiumin smiled softly, scooting back on his bed to make room for the maknae. Tao slid into the bed, curling up close to Xiumin a moment later. The elder's arms found their way around the younger, and within a few moments their legs became tangled as well. Tao found comfort in the warmth Xiumin provided, his head resting on the Korean's chest as a soft sigh escaped his lips. He was comfortable there, all tangled up with the boazi-faced elder, but it didn't take him long to realize there would be no sleep for him any time soon. He squirmed slightly, frustrated at his inability to relax. Xiumin, who Tao had believed to be asleep, let out a small laugh against his forehead.

"Did you change your mind?" He asked, and Tao pouted right away.

"I can't sleep." He admitted.

"What's keeping you up?" Xiumin asked, his voice soft and caring.

"Oppa..." Tao whined softly, and Xiumin smiled.

"Are you having nightmares again?" Xuimin asked, and Tao nodded. "I'll protect you. You know that."

"I can beat you up." Tao pointed out.

"I let you win." Xiumin said, reaching up to pet Tao's hair.

"Liar." Tao accused, his eyes fluttering closed at the feeling of the others fingers on his scalp.

"Maybe I am." Xiumin said, not bothered in the slightest. "But it's different when you have someone to protect."

"Would you protect the others, too?" Tao asked, his head tilting up to look at Xiumin.

"Of course I would." Xiumin said with a shrug. "I can't just stand by and watch someone get hurt."

"I know." Tao agreed, still staring at Xiumin's closed eyes.

"So what was your dream about?" Xiumin asked, and Tao swallowed.

"I...I can't remember." Tao lied, tilting his head down again and tucking it under Xiumin's chin.

Xiumin's eyes opened at that, but he couldn't get a look at the maknae. This had been happening a lot recently, where Tao would have some kind of dream that upset him horribly, but he refused to tell anyone what it was about. Xiumin reached down to Tao’s lower back, easily finding a small bunch of knots where his spine curved just slightly. Most people held stress in their shoulders, but for some reason it was Tao’s lower back, his waist, that tightened up. He massaged the spot gently, just enough pressure to relieve the knots, and Tao let out a soft groan.

“Relax.” Xiumin said, and he did. He melted right into the elder, a haze of sleep coming over his brain. “Do you have a schedule for tomorrow?”

“Just the interview.” Tao mumbled out sleepily.

“Then do yourself a favor, and sleep in tomorrow.” Xiumin said, and Tao nodded, pressing his forehead against Xiumin’s collarbone.

It wasn’t long before Tao found himself balancing between sleep and awareness, carefully treading the water to check for any signs of the nightmares that plagued him time and time again. He didn’t know how to tell the elder that he was the center of the dreams that woke him in tears at night. How do you tell your best friend you’ve got feelings for them?

Xiumin pressed a small kiss to Tao’s forehead before settling in to sleep himself. It escaped his notice entirely the way Tao’s cheeks tinted a light shade of pink, but even if it hadn’t, he wouldn’t have commented on it. Tao was so easily embarrassed sometimes, and he didn’t have any desire to humiliate him further.

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A/N: I wrote this a few months ago, and I've been iffy about posting it, but I eventually decided to give in and just do it. I want to reiterate that no one from EXO dies. I wouldn't be able to handle that. Enjoy~