Training, training and more training.  That was all the boys ever seemed to do outside of performances and shows and such.  Or at least that was what it felt like for Luhan at any rate.  Down time was a rare commodity and they all hoarded it greedily when they were able.  Unfortunately, EXO-M had a performance coming up and while the rest of the members were given a brief respite and allowances to not have to practice, Luhan was entrapped with the rest of s in perfecting their routines.

                In the front dancing with the focused and reddish haired Yixing, he had to watch everyone else in the mirror, including the taller, somewhat ungainly Kris with his usually styled short dark brown hair plastered against his forehead.  He maintained his slightly awkward position in the back, despite being the leader of their group, but in dance segments he simply didn’t take the forefront.  He learned the steps well enough but had never really learned any grace unlike the rest of the group.

                Even Jongdae, sporting medium length dark brown hair, wasn’t as fluid in dance but he didn’t have the problem of extra lengthy limbs either.  The nimble and still smiling Minseok with remarkably well kept spiky brunette hair kept up admirably and the only concern Luhan had in particular was a more withdrawn than usual Tao who seemed to be having a hard time focusing.

                Granted, they’d been practicing for a while and it had already been a long day but the lanky young man didn’t need any help in shutting down.  He was quiet often enough and in the company of friends, he livened up considerably but of late… he’d seemed a bit unresponsive.

                Breathing hard, the number came to a close and the group stuttered to a halt, tired muscles responding with a noticeable delay as they tried to keep in form.  Their manager noticed it too and since they’d already gone longer than originally intended, he waved them off for a short break to give them a chance to collect themselves.

                Luhan had every intention of going to speak to Tao before they drifted apart but then he saw that Kris was already there, speaking with the shorter male and Jongdae tapped him on the shoulder for something else.  Distracted, he turned to focus on his band mate who needed assistance with one of the steps and couldn’t ask Yixing who was already occupied with Minseok, tweaking another step.

                “Neh!  Step, step and hop!” Luhan nodded in approval, eyeing Jongdae’s feet critically.  “Just like that,” he grinned broadly, clapping the shorter male on the shoulder with enthusiasm.

                “Is that all there was to it?” the vocalist asked with a perplexed smile, briefly confused why he hadn’t been able to grasp it before.  Luhan laughed and positioned himself beside him, showing what he’d been doing wrong the first time.  “Oh,” Jongdae nodded in sudden understanding, holding his hand to his mouth in mild embarrassment.  “Aish.  Thanks Lu,” he nodded with a lopsided smile before he wandered over for a quick sip of water, plopping down on the hard wood floor limply.

                Task finished, the platinum blonde looked around to see who else was left, frowning when he didn’t see Tao nearby.  Kris was sitting on the floor near Minseok and Yixing, a bottle of water resting in their hands or near them but Tao seemed to be missing…  With a glance at the clock, he saw that not a great deal of time had passed but it was still somewhat worrisome; especially with how he’d been acting lately.

                “I’ll be right back,” Luhan waved, already on his way out the door.

                “Better hurry,” Jongdae reminded him with a glance at the clock in turn.

                “Yeah, yeah,” Luhan waved with a smile, pushing through the door and breezing out without another glance back.  It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been cutting things close and it probably wouldn’t be the last either but he had a peculiar feeling about this though…  Tao hadn’t seemed particularly upset but it had looked like he’d had a fair bit on his mind so he’d likely be in search of some sort of privacy.  That left only a few places.

                The other practice rooms were generally full so he investigated the restrooms.  While the ones on their current level were empty of Tao, his investigation into the ones on a floor below revealed something interesting…  He paused with a hand resting on the door as he heard the soft sound of voices speaking in Korean drifting through the barrier; not loud enough to carry but still understandable if he listened hard enough.

                “So what do you think black eyes did to get in so quick?” one voice asked, a sneer evident in his tone.

                “Eh.  He’s Chinese so who knows,” another shrugged with obvious irritation.

                “Damn foreigners.  As if it isn’t hard enough to debut already, someone like you has to come in and catch someone’s eye.”  That from a third male and Luhan winced.  They weren’t talking about Tao were they?  Really…?

                “Hey!  Isn’t he the one that’s supposed to know the crazy martial arts stuff?” a third asked derisively.  “Waaahh!” he imitated the sound from a Chinese Kung Fu movie as the rest of the group laughed.

                “Come on panda!  Do something,” the first male snorted, his retort followed what sounded like someone being pushed against a wall.

                “P-please stop.”

                Ah crap.  That was Tao’s broken Korean…  It was probable none of them were by the door so Luhan took a breath and shoved it open harshly, watching with satisfaction as the four young men gathered around a cornered and frightened looking Tao jumped and stared at the resultant bang with huge eyes.  “Hey!” he snarled in Korean, raking angry eyes over the four confirmed trainees.  He didn’t know their names for sure and it wasn’t really important as they all knew their turnover rate was ridiculous but there was Tao, looking up from under the dark red fall of his bangs, staring at Luhan as if he was the only thing in the world that could help him.  In Chinese, he focused on the teary eyed Tao and asked, “Are you alright?”

                Shrunk against the wall as far as he could go, Tao shook his head slightly, looking incredibly small even though he was taller than the other four.  “Yah!  What did you say to him?” the one in the front demanded in Korean.  He sounded like the one who was complaining about foreigners.

                Luhan snorted and focused on the young man with black hair and hard eyes, his frame and style screaming trainee and on his way out.  “I told him wannabes like you have better things to do than to sit on your asses and harass an actual idol.”

                All four of them bristled at the comment and Tao tried to shrink even further into the wall, face disappearing as he bowed his head, waiting for the hammer to fall.  “Not like you’re much better,” the fourth one spat, hands balled into fists at his side.

                The first speaker scowled between the two, shoving Tao against the wall so that he moved slightly though he had nowhere else to go, whimpering quietly at the push.  “You both probably got in on your hands and knees didn’t you?” he suggested lewdly.

                “You should try it sometime and find out for yourself,” Luhan smirked, not letting himself be drawn into their game.

                “You little-” the third male growled, taking a step towards the blonde male angrily.

                “Lay a hand on me,” the blonde dared, stepping to meet him as he stared him straight in the eyes.  He didn’t have Tao’s advantage of height but that didn’t stop him in the slightest.  Nostrils flaring, the younger male stopped with an audible huff and Luhan looked at the other three from his vantage point directly in front of his immediate antagonist.  “Go on.  Because the first one of you bastards that touches me gets to explain the bruises,” he threatened darkly, angelic countenance particularly menacing at just that moment.

                Silence descended except for the soft sound of Tao sniffing in the back, trying to be as discreet as possible.  With disgusted snarls, the four trainees finally relented.  The three in the back all shoved Tao further against the wall, jostling the taller male just shy of bruising before all of them skirted around Luhan who made no effort to get out of their way.  The first and the last brushed by him roughly but the other two made every attempt to avoid touching him completely, backs pressed against the wall as they slid around his shoulders.

                He cringed when they managed to pull the door shut behind them in the best possible slamming gesture they could pull off and winced apologetically when he saw how it startled Tao.  “Zizi,” he sighed in Chinese with a shake of his head while he stepped closer to the still curled up Tao.  “Are you okay?” he asked, rubbing his left hand against Tao’s arm while he used his right to pick the younger male’s chin up so he’d actually look him in the eyes.

                “I’m sorry,” Tao apologized immediately as he looked down into Luhan’s concerned gaze, hands still wrapped around his frame defensively, obviously shaken by the encounter.

                “You don’t have to apologize,” Luhan defended him immediately.  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he explained with a confident nod, beaming at the younger male.

                “But-”

                “No,” Luhan chided with a warm smile, grabbing hold of both upper arms and giving them a firm squeeze.  “You are exactly where you’re supposed to be, Zizi.  And they’re just jealous,” he promised, reaching up to cup Tao’s cheek with a warm hand tenderly.

                “Lulu,” Tao whimpered, finally peeling himself off the wall to throw himself into Luhan’s arms, clinging to the back of his sweaty shirt as he buried his face in the slightly shorter shoulder, crying softly as he did so.  He wasn’t entirely sure what Luhan had told them, but he’d understood enough to figure that it may have been a bit of a close call for both of them.

                “It’s okay, little Panda,” Luhan soothed, hugging the shaking form with his left arm as his right up and down the slender spine in a comforting gesture, fingers carding through the back of his hair at intervals.  “Lulu’s here,” he promised, simply holding him until he was alright enough to pull away.  When another trainee made an appearance with the sound of the door opening, Luhan turned his head enough to glare at said person mutely.

                The even younger boy blinked in surprise and visibly cringed under Luhan’s nigh on murderous expression, spine stiffening as he pivoted in place and walked back out again without saying a single word.  Interruption dealt with, Luhan nodded to himself and tightened his hold on Tao even as the younger male clung to him like a limpet.  It looked like they were going to be a bit late getting back.  Oh well…

                Breezing back into the practice room, Luhan beamed with a blinding smile and announced in Korean, “I found a Panda!”  He winced when his manager just looked at him with a perturbed expression, eyes glancing over his shoulder to a particularly crestfallen Tao.

                “You’re late,” he stated dryly with a glance at the other four who had to quickly wipe the smiles off their faces.

                “Sorry Manager hyung!” they both apologized and bowed at the same time.  “Won’t happen again,” Luhan assured him, taking charge of the response.  “I ran into a bit of trouble in the restroom, sir,” he explained with a hand resting over his abdomen and an appropriately aggrieved expression.

                Their manager ignored the stifled laughter behind him, not entirely sure which one it was coming from anyway and narrowed his eyes slightly at Luhan.  “Is this true Zitao?” he asked at the taller young man with a speculative glance.

                Nervous, Tao nodded his head as convincingly as possible.  “Neh, Manager hyung.”

                The elder male pursed his lips and sighed with a roll of his eyes.  “Are you well enough to continue practicing, Luhan?” he asked, returning his focus to the blonde young man.

                “Neh, Manager hyung,” Luhan smiled assuredly, his hand still lingering in place to keep up the act.

                “Alright,” he shook his head and threw his hands up, gesturing at them to rejoin the other four without another word.  It wasn’t even that he had anything against them, but they were late, the others couldn’t continue without them, and they still had practice to finish.  “Let’s get a couple more runs in and we’ll call it,” he promised them, leaning against the mirrored wall as the music clicked back on and they took their places, falling into synch with little trouble.

                The rest of practice finished fairly uneventfully and if the rest kept throwing Luhan and Tao curious glances, it didn’t bother the former one bit.  He smiled and laughed along with the rest of them but attached himself almost possessively to Tao who didn’t seem to mind when he grabbed his hand and held him close as they headed out, fingers threaded together while they conversed with the rest of their group rather like normal.

                When it became obvious neither was going to say anything in the presence of their manager, they all gave up on it and played along, discussing the upcoming show and what else they still needed to work on.  The mention of dinner popped up and no one could agree but they argued good-naturedly about it almost the entire ride back.  Again, Luhan claimed the spot next to Tao with a gleeful, “I’m sitting next to Zizi!” before he practically threw himself onto the younger male in a controlled glom, grinning all the while before he promptly settled in to pester him with playful pokes and gentle swats, which were returned in kind.

                “Geez!  Get a room!” Jongdae teased from the back with a laughing grin as he flailed when Kris nudged him in the arm, eliciting delighted smiles from Yixing and Minseok both in the seats ahead of Tao and Luhan.

                “You’re just jealous!” Luhan made a face back at the vocalist, clinging to Tao’s arm.

                “Am not!”

                “Lulu,” Tao sighed and laughed despite himself with a shake of his head, somewhat torn but pleased all the same.

                It wasn’t until they got back to the dorms and reconvened after showers and food that anyone tried to broach the subject again.  Sitting on the couch with a bag of potato chips in hand, Luhan was flanked by Yixing and Minseok who were watching television with him when Kris wandered in and threw himself into the recliner nearby, eyeing him intently.  “Yes?” he finally asked when the taller male continued to regard him speculatively without Tao present.

                “Mind telling me what actually happened today?” he asked in a deep voice, fingers drumming on the arm of his seat.

                “Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Luhan grinned cheekily, popping another chip into his mouth before he turned his focus to the television again.  Idly, he fed Minseok and Yixing both a chip and pretended that settled it.

                “Luhan…” Kris sighed with a furrowed brow.

                “What?” he grumbled with a raised brow.  “Ugh!” he groaned, leaning back further with his eyes trained on the screen.  “Just a couple snotty trainees being a pain in the .”

                “Eh?!” the three present gasped at the same time, focusing on the blonde in their midst.

                “Guys!  Give me some credit here,” Luhan motioned with one hand holding the bag of chips and the other pinching a single crisp between his fingers.  “I got it.”  Without batting an eye, he popped the single chip into his mouth and chewed contentedly.

                Kris jumped to his feet and glared at Luhan in his role as an overprotective leader, “Which ones?!”  While he wasn’t as bad as Joonmyeon, he had to protect his band mates too…

                Yixing grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Kris so that it smacked him lightly in the face with an indignant squawk, offsetting him enough to send him back a step, “Down boy.”

                “Yixing!”

                “Nice one, Xing,” Luhan chuckled with a nudge to the dancer’s ribs.

                The voice of reason, Minseok leaned forward and gestured for Kris to have a seat, “It looked like Tao was okay earlier and if Luhan said he handled it…”  His voice trailed off with a meaningful glance at the young man beside him.

                “Kris!” Jongdae grumbled from behind the taller male holding a bowl of popcorn in his hands, followed by a sleepy but clean looking Tao.  “You are too tall to be standing in front of the TV,” he reminded the still muttering male.  “Sit down already,” he urged, smacking him on the arm as he passed by searching for a seat before he snagged the pillow that had hit Kris in the face and threw it down on the floor next to Minseok so that he could plop onto it and lean against him.

                “Tao,” Kris called as the slender Chinese man passed by him.

                Tao looked up at him curiously, but was immediately distracted when Luhan cried out even louder, “Zizi!”

                Giggling, Tao turned and ducked his head in shy embarrassment when he saw that Luhan was holding a chip out for him temptingly.  “Yes, Lulu?” he laughed, bending at the waist to accept the chip carefully.  “Thank you,” he nodded, chirping in surprise when Luhan grabbed his nearest wrist and yanked him closer.

                “You’re welcome,” he grinned, pulling the taller male onto his lap as he handed the chips off to Yixing, never mind he couldn’t actually see around Tao very well.

                “I can just sit on the floor,” Tao explained tentatively as he tried to figure out what to do with his hands, a slight flush creeping into his cheeks since no one else was sitting on an open lap.

                “Nope,” he denied, sliding his arms around the slender waist as he sat up so he could rest his chin on the back of Tao’s shoulder, the position slightly comical since it was a bit of a stretch.

                “That doesn’t look very comfortable,” Yixing commented from his vantage, having the best view of Luhan’s position.

                “Here,” Tao urged, wriggling over so that he could slide his between Luhan and Minseok, squishing all four of them together on the couch with mixed cries of amusement.  “Better!” he beamed, grabbing to Luhan’s arm as he snuggled closer and rested his head on the nearest shoulder.

                “So my lap’s not good enough for you?” Luhan teased with a light smack on Tao’s arm.

                “Not enough cushion,” Tao returned with a cheeky grin as he poked Luhan in the ribs, prompting laughter from those on the couch and finally an amused smile from Kris in his seat.

                “Hey!” he grumbled, shifting just enough to consider the motion a nudge, but not so much that he’d dislodge Tao’s head from his shoulder.  Curled up against him cutely the way he was, it wasn’t even like he could be remotely annoyed with him; not genuinely anyway.

                “Thank you,” Tao murmured after a moment had passed, letting the show on the television make the majority of the noise in the room.

                Luhan just smiled and reached up with his free hand to comb through Tao’s damp bangs.  “Of course.”  His hand drifted down to claim one of Tao’s threading their fingers together in a comforting, friendly gesture.  “No one messes with our Zizi,” he chuckled, tilting his head to rest it against Tao’s.  “No one.”  Tao didn’t respond verbally but the fingers tightening around Luhan’s was answer enough that he’d heard.