"Hyung..."

Kyungsu turned away from the soft voice, closing his eyes briefly. If he found out...

"Hyung, why won't you look at me?" Jongin sounded (and probably felt) hurt. "Please..."

Then Kyungsu felt a gentle hand on his arm and inwardly sighed. It was too late. He could smell the scent of the younger man's cologne, the very same cologne he'd bought him for Chuseok, as Jongin moved closer.

"Jongin-ah, what do you want?" Kyungsu murmured tiredly, still keeping his face averted from him. "We're in public."

"Why do you let him do this to you?" Jongin replied, his left hand coming up to trace the outline of a bruise over Kyungsu's eye that he hadn't quite managed to hide with the make-up he'd borrowed from one of the coordi-noonas. "It's not right." His hand dropped into a fist at his side. "So he's EXO M's Duizhang. I don't care. He can't hurt you like this. Even if he doesn't do it very often because he's in China and you're here."

"Jongin-ah..." Kyungsu glanced over at the tall blond who was talking to Luhan and Lay, though he wasn't fooled; he knew Kris kept an eye on him no matter what they were both doing. "Don't. He'll only hurt you too, and I can't let him do that. I'll endure anything to keep that from happening..."

"So you're not denying it?" Jongin said, surprised by the unspoken admission that it was Kris who'd hurt Kyungsu. "Why? Why does he hurt you, if he loves you? Do you love him?" The hand around Kyungsu's arm was back, though a little less gentle than it had been before due to the younger man's agitation. "Don't let him do this to you. Let me protect you."

"Better me than Yixing," Kyungsu murmured, startling Jongin. "He wouldn't be able to take it, so I do..." He looked up at Jongin then, a faint smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. "And no, I don't love Kris, and I'm not under the illusion that he loves me. I'm doing this for Yixing. And for Kris, really."

He could tell Jongin didn't understand, not that he really expected him to.

"Kris... is under a lot of pressure," he explained quietly, biting his lip and looking down. "He needs to let it out some way, and there isn't anyone else who is willing to let him without judging him or breaking. And he loves Yixing too much to hurt him." He shrugged. "I don't want him to turn to you, so..."

"Kyungsu-hyung, you can't do this," Jongin replied just as softly, pain in his voice as he took the older man by the arm and began to lead him out of the view of both Kris and the fans. This was private. "He can't keep hurting you whenever the pressure is too much. There are other ways, healthier ways, of letting out the stress than hitting people..." And Jongin really hoped that's all it was. He wasn't sure he could stand it if there was more involved than that.

"Don't you think he's already tried that?" Kyungsu asked, suddenly angry. "I wouldn't be doing this if there wasn't any other way for him to get what he needs. I would never allow it unless it was necessary..."

Jongin's eyes glittered under the harsh airport lighting. "And I won't allow him to hurt the person I care the most about," he said firmly. "If I have to, I will give up everything else, but I won't, I can't lose you. Not to something like this."

"You aren't losing me, Jongin-ah," Kyungsu replied, pulling away from the younger man and turning to face him. He ignored the flinch as Jongin got a better look at his face. "Just leave me alone. And don't say anything to anyone, please." The look he gave was pleading, a sight that broke Jongin's heart. "This could ruin more than just Kris or me..."

"Don't you think I know that?" Jongin replied angrily, letting him go. "If anyone else sees how much he's hurt you..."

He stopped as Kris appeared and Kyungsu ran, pushing past the older man as he stared at Jongin with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What did he tell you?" Kris finally broke the silence, his voice low, though he continued to watch Jongin like a hawk watched its prey.

"Nothing I wanted him to," Jongin replied, his voice harsh and his eyes narrowed. "And not near enough to explain what's going on between you!"

Kris' eyes narrowed as well at the tone of the younger man's voice. "You sound jealous," he said, smirking suddenly and catching Jongin off guard. He leaned closer, his eyes hard.

"Did Kyungsu tell you that he lets me him?" When Jongin recoiled in disgust, Kris smiled coldly. "Obviously not, then." He moved closer, causing Jongin to move back until he was effectively pinned to the wall by the older man. "Did he tell you he likes it rough? That he screams your name when he comes?"
 
It was all lies, not that he'd tell Jongin that, and Kris hoped that Jongin wouldn't believe anything Kyungsu told him now, which was his goal. If anyone found out what he was doing, especially the one person he didn't want to know, everything would be over, and Kris just couldn't let that happen. Even if he had to hurt the others in order to stop it.

Instead of responding, Jongin looked past Kris, his eyes wide. The back of his neck suddenly prickling, Kris turned around, just in time to see the devastated expression on Yixing's face before he bolted, the bag in his hand dropping to the tiled floor with a crash.

"Yixing!"

The interruption was just what Jongin needed to escape from Kris' hold and he disappeared, leaving Kris to sink to the floor with his back to the wall, his head in his hands as he tried to work out how he was going to fix the mess he'd just made.



"How dare you!" Yixing hissed at Kyungsu, the younger man staring back at him in confused dismay. "Kris is my boyfriend. How could you sleep with him when you knew..."

"What?" Kyungsu replied, baffled and shocked by the accusations Yixing was hurling at him. "I didn't! I don't even know what you're talking about!" He backed away from the irate dancer; he couldn't let Yixing find out the truth, no matter what he said. "I haven't slept with anyone!"

"That's not what I heard," Yixing said quietly, his voice breaking and his eyes narrowed. "Kris admitted it to your little boyfriend, Jongin. He even told him how you like it rough, that you call out another man's name, Jongin's name, when you come. How can I not believe it when my own boyfriend comes out and says it to yours?"

Staring at Yixing, Kyungsu didn't know what to say, his heart sinking. What had Kris done?

"First of all, Jongin is not my boyfriend. You can ask him yourself. Secondly, I would never sleep with anyone, much less someone else's boyfriend or girlfriend, and thirdly, why would he even say such things?" He shook his head. "I have done some things in my life I'm not very proud of, but sleeping with Kris is not one of them."

"The proof is on your face, Kyungsu-yah," Yixing replied, shaking his head and reaching out to jab the younger man in the chest. It was just Kyungsu's luck that he happened to hit one of the many bruises Kris had given him. Yixing's eyes narrowed further at his wince of pain. "And, it seems, on the rest of your body, too. I've seen and heard enough. Stay away from me or I'll make it so you are gone, permanently."

"Yixing-hyung..." Kyungsu began, sadness in his eyes, but it was too late. The dancer had gone, tears in his eyes, leaving Kyungsu to lean against the wall he'd been backed up against, trembling.



Jongin found him there just as the managers were rounding everyone up to get onto their flight home, Kyungsu's face blotchy with the effort of supressing his emotions. He didn't want anyone else to see and ask questions he couldn't answer. It was bad enough that Kris was still nowhere to be found and Yixing was practically radiating pain and anger.

"We have to go, Hyung," Jongin murmured softly, his expression carefully neutral. "Sit with me? We really need to talk."

Kyungsu shook his head, pulling away from Jongin, but it seemed he was being given no real choice in the matter as the younger man grabbed his arm and tugged him along. He refused to let go of Kyungsu until they were both seated and as far as they could get from both Yixing, who sat with a worried-looking Luhan, and Kris, who had been corralled by the furious-looking managers and shoved into a seat beside Junmyeon, the EXO leader sighing as he saw Kris' reddened eyes and stony expression.

Once the flight had taken off, Jongin turned to Kyungsu, sighing softly as he saw the older man with his face turned to the small window, his eyes glassy with tears.

"Hyung," he said softly, barely above a whisper, though the plane was noisy with chatter and laughter from Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Jongdae's antics. "Please, don't shut me out, Kyungsu-hyung. We need to talk..."

Shaking his head, Kyungsu remained resolutely turned away, one hand coming up to wipe at his eyes. "What is there to say?" he murmured bitterly, his voice shaking. "Kris..."

"I want to hear it from you," Jongin interrupted, making Kyungsu stare at him. "He said stuff, yeah, but there's always two sides to every story, and I don't know about you, but I'm not inclined to believe something just because he said it."

His tone was fierce, as was the expression on his face, taking Kyungsu by surprise before he looked away, his eyes bleak.

"I'm especially not going to believe him when he's beating my..." Jongin swallowed heavily and looked down for a moment before continuing. "When he's beating up my best friend, who I care for a lot... and lying about it." When Kyungsu didn't say anything, he sighed. "I know you, Kyungsu-hyung. I know you better than anyone else here. You wouldn't do that. Not to Yixing, or..." Jongin flushed, his eyes on his hands, which were twisting in his lap. "Or to me."

Barely able to breathe around the tears, Kyungsu's head was bowed. "I didn't," he sobbed softly, trying not to alert the others to what was going on. "I don't know what exactly he said to you, but I never slept with him, ever. I have never and would never sleep with anyone I didn't love..." He buried his face in his hands. "Especially not when they belong to someone else."

"But Yixing doesn't believe me, and I couldn't very well tell him what Kris was really doing to me. He wouldn't believe that either. Not with the lies he's obviously heard Kris tell you." Kyungsu looked up, his face wet with tears. "Jongin-ah, I don't expect you to believe me, but I've never slept with anyone. Not Kris, not anyone. I have no experience whatsoever..."

Startled enough to jump when Jongin reached over and took his hands, Kyungsu stared at him, wide-eyed.

"I have enough experience for us both," Jongin murmured, his eyes suspiciously wet, though his expression was still as fierce as ever. "And anyway, I don't care about that. I care about you. You said you didn't do it, and I believe you. To hell with what Kris or Yixing say, I know you didn't do anything wrong, and if anyone dares to repeat this in my hearing..."

He sighed again, patting Kyungsu's knee gently. "Sleep," he murmured, spreading out the blanket on his lap to cover the older man as he leaned back, his swollen eyes closed. "Let me protect you..." This last was said so quietly that he doubted Kyungsu could hear it, even if he'd tried.

Once he was absolutely certain Kyungsu was asleep, Jongin carefully got up and headed towards the bathroom, passing Luhan and Yixing's seats on the way and tapping Luhan on the shoulder to get his attention. Gesturing for Luhan to follow him, he continued on his way and waited patiently for the knock on the door. When it came, he opened it and sighed softly at the expression on the older man's face.

"What's going on?" Luhan demanded, his voice soft as he stood in the doorway of the pathetically small bathroom. "Do you know why Yixing is so angry, and why Duizhang looks like he was told his mother just died? Did they break up or something? Yixing won't tell me anything." His hands fisted in frustration, Luhan looked ready to hit someone if he didn't get any answers.

"I need you to help me," Jongin said, avoiding answering any of Luhan's questions. He wasn't going to say anything unless he absolutely had to; this was between him, Yixing, and Kyungsu. "I need to talk to Yixing, but I don't think he'll talk to me. Can you help me? It's urgent... and private."

Luhan looked away and bit his lip, seeing Yixing head towards the bathroom, his expression cold. Turning back to Jongin, he looked at the younger man impassively.

"Why do you need to talk to him so badly?" he asked, stalling for time. If Yixing was determined to avoid Jongin, then maybe he'd just have to 'overhear' their little conversation instead. "And why do you think he'll avoid you?"

"Hyung, it's between me and him," Jongin replied, looking a bit desperate. "I don't really know for sure, but probably because..."

He looked away, conflicted. He couldn't really say why Yixing had reason to avoid him without giving the whole thing away, but maybe it was better that Luhan knew too, so he could help pick up the pieces when Yixing finally realised his boyfriend was a liar and a complete .

"He upset Kyungsu earlier, and while I totally understand why, he doesn't know the truth," he finally said as Luhan waited patiently, feeling Yixing standing just out of view but within earshot. "Kris... said some things to me while we were in the airport and I happen to know they're complete lies." He sighed when Luhan looked sceptical. "I know they're lies because I know the truth."

"What exactly did Kris say?" Luhan asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He could hear Yixing's breathing hitch at the mention of his boyfriend, which confirmed to him that he could hear everything that was being said. "And what is the truth, if what Kris said was most definitely not?"

"He told me that he'd slept with Kyungsu," Jongin replied, looking resigned. "He made up some about Hyung liking it rough, and that he would scream my name..." He trailed off with another sigh. "And the reason I know it's a lie is because he was just trying to cover up the real reason Kyungsu has bruises that he's been trying to hide. Kris has been using him as his personal punching bag."

"When I called Kyungsu on it, he didn't even try to deny it, but said he was letting Kris hit him so that he wouldn't take out his temper on Yixing. That he's more able to take it than Yixing is, and that he didn't want Yixing to be hurt like he is..."

Unable to stand it anymore, Yixing pushed Luhan aside and stared at Jongin, the younger man shocked to see him.

"I don't understand," he said, his eyes wild. "Why would he do such things? And why Kyungsu?" Yixing's fingers were turning white where he gripped the door frame so tightly, Jongin worried he'd break it. "Why would he lie like that?"

"Hyung said it was because Kris is under a lot of pressure, but I don't know," Jongin replied, looking at Luhan and then at Yixing. "Junmyeon has more to deal with than Kris does, and he doesn't hit anyone." He gave a short and bitter laugh. "Though I'm sure he'd like to sometimes. And he has a shorter fuse than Kris does, so I am not sure I buy that excuse."

Jongin shrugged. "I expect he lied about it to make Kyungsu more isolated, so that I would stop being friends with him, and even more importantly..."

"So that if Kyungsu did eventually say anything about what Duizhang was doing to him," Luhan said, interrupting Jongin, his expression as cold as either man had ever seen. "Nobody would believe him. So they'd accuse him of being a liar and a cheater instead." He turned to Jongin. "Am I right?"

Nodding, Jongin could see the devastation on Yixing's face. "I wonder if he was trying to hurt me too," he added softly, giving Yixing a sad look. "Because he knows I love Kyungsu and want to protect him. Like Kyungsu was trying to protect you, Yixing-hyung. Maybe he was jealous that he can't protect anyone..."

"Does it even matter anymore?" Yixing asked brokenly, looking down at his shoes as his eyes filled with tears. "I would have done anything for him, but not like this." He stumbled slightly as he backed away from the door, Luhan's arm immediately going around his waist to steady him. "He couldn't even be honest with me that he needed more help than I could give him, and instead had to hurt people he was supposed to help look after..."

"I can't be with someone who puts his own interests ahead of anyone else's," he added, choking on the words as he tried not to cry. "It's over. And I don't just mean between us, but what he's doing to Kyungsu. I won't let him hurt him anymore."

"It'll be ok, Yixing," Luhan murmured, giving Jongin an apologetic glance as he began to help Yixing back to their seats. "You'll find someone who is worthy of you someday, someone better than Kris will ever be..."

Waiting until they'd gone, Jongin wiped at his own eyes, then headed back to Kyungsu, giving a wavery smile when he saw the older man, still asleep and looking so adorable it made his chest ache. Sitting down beside him, Jongin smiled softly, burrowing under the blanket and shifting so his head rested on Kyungsu's shoulder.

"I love you, Kyungsu-hyung," he murmured softly into the older man's shoulder, stiffening when Kyungsu blinked at him blearily, then smiled.

"I love you too, Jongin-ah," he murmured, closing his eyes again and drifting back to sleep as the younger man stared at him. "Sleep, brat," he mumbled, making Jongin chuckle.

"Whatever you say, Hyung," he smiled, taking Kyungsu's hand in his and threading their fingers together as he closed his eyes in contentment. "I'll protect you, so don't worry about anything..."



After avoiding Kris as they made their way back to the dorms, Yixing finally cornered the older man as they got ready for bed, his eyes red but determined. It was telling that Kris avoided looking at him directly, not that it would have changed his mind had Kris had the courage to look at him.

"It's over," Yixing said quietly, ignoring Kris' flinch as his words sunk in. "You lied, not just to me, but to Jongin and to Kyungsu. Not just that, but you abused our trust, and worst of all, you deliberately hurt Kyungsu."

He stared at Kris, wondering how he could have ever been in love with him. "You are the worst, and I can't be with someone like you. I don't even want to hear your excuses, because that's all they'll ever be, won't they? If you can even be honest..."

"I'm sorry," Kris murmured, sounding broken. "I..."

"No," Yixing interrupted, holding up a hand. "You aren't. You're not sorry you hurt innocent people. You're just sorry I found out about it. It's still over between us and nothing you can say will change that." He glared at Kris, his eyes hard. "And if you ever touch Kyungsu again, or anyone else, for that matter, I won't hesitate to tell everyone what kind of person you really are. I don't think you'll last very long if that happens, do you?"

Satisfied when he saw Kris shake his head in reply, Yixing went to the door and let himself out without looking back. Kris watched him go, something inside of him breaking as the man he loved left him, knowing it was his own fault. He'd screwed up and was paying the price for it, as he deserved. Kris' heart broke as he screamed his pain into the pillows on his bed, sobbing bitterly. Maybe someday they'd forgive him, but Kris knew they'd never forget.



Yixing leaned against the closed door, his head bowed as Luhan approached warily, worry in his eyes.

"Will you be ok?" he asked softly, reaching out tentatively to pull the younger man into a gentle hug. "He didn't hurt you?" When Yixing shook his head and put his hands over his face, Luhan knew that was his cue to take him back to their shared bedroom. "It'll be ok," he added quietly, conviction in his voice. "I'll protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you like that again..."

He smiled faintly. "I'm going to have to ask for resumés and references or something before I let anyone date you," Luhan chuckled softly, ducking his head to look at Yixing, hoping to see a smile.

"I think I'll wait a bit before I start dating anyone again," Yixing murmured, his voice shaky. "I'm not ready for that yet..." But he already felt more confident that whatever happened, Luhan had his back. And so did the others, even if they didn't fully understand what had happened (apart from Kyungsu and Jongin). "But thank you. For everything."

"Hey, that's what best friends are for, right?" Luhan smiled as he settled Yixing onto his bed. "I know you'd do the same for me, not that I'd ever need it." He shrugged wryly. They both knew Luhan had even worse luck than Yixing did, and it had been a long time since he'd been on a date, much less had a steady girlfriend. "But you know what I mean."

Yeah, I do," Yixing replied quietly, catching the plushie Luhan tossed at him from his bed. "Why are you throwing your toys at me?" He threw his arms over his head protectively when more of the soft toys came at him, his tone turning plaintive. "Is this your idea of protecting me? Cuz it seriously , you know."

Luhan grinned childishly. "Of course it is," he smirked, whacking Yixing in the face with an evil-looking Stitch plushie. "It's helping take your mind off that jerk, isn't it? So I'd say I'm doing a smashing job."

Yixing sighed and gathered the thrown plushies, sitting on the bed and looking resignedly at his best friend. "I appreciate the effort, but it'll take me a while to deal with all this," he murmured, burying his face in the mound of soft toys. "So thanks, but I think right now I just need to be left alone. So I can think..."

Smiling faintly, Luhan got up and headed to the door, turning back once he reached it. "Just so you know, none of us will let you think so much that you end up depressed," he said, the door half open. "So prepare for us to annoy the hell out of you when we feel it's been enough, ok?"

Chuckling softly, Yixing threw one of his toys at him. "I knew it," he mock-pouted. "You just don't want a mess in the bedroom that you have to clean up." He gave a very faint smile. "Thanks..."

"It's all part of 'Operation Protect Yixing'," Luhan smirked, ducking out of the way of the thrown toy. "Which includes protecting you from yourself. Get some sleep. You look as exhausted as I feel..."

"Yes, Baba," Yixing teased, giving Luhan a salute and laying back on the bed, closing his eyes. He had thought it would be a while before he could sleep, but he must have been more tired than he thought, as he fell asleep almost immediately.

Closing the door quietly behind him, Luhan sighed and looked at the door of Kris and Jongdae's bedroom, firmly closed. Yixing would be fine, with time, and hopefully so would Kyungsu. And hopefully Kris had gotten the message that he needed to change his ways, because they would all come together against him to protect each other if necessary, and Luhan had a feeling Kris knew it.

Pushing off the door, Luhan disappeared in search of amusement that would take his mind off the mess. He'd done his bit for now, and that was enough.