Five o'clock rolls around inside the House of KaiLay (as dubbed by Kai despite Lay's reminders that it was not a house, it was an apartment) to reveal three panting boys, all glistening with the residue of their previous activities.

 

"We really need to do this more often," Kai breathes, rolling onto his side and propping his head up on one hand to let his eyes run over his other two companions.

 

The black haired boy lying next to him hums in agreement, his chest still rising and falling quickly as he catches his breath.

 

"Yeah, we should," Lay says breathlessly, eyes closed under damp bangs. He gives a slight shiver as the cool air comes into contact with his bare skin, a stark contrast with how hot he'd been feeling just a few moments ago.

 

"Especially like this," Kai continues, now relishing in the coolness of the ground against him as he lays on his stomach. "There's so much more to do when there's three of us, not that it's not fun with just you, Lay," he adds after Lay makes a sound from the other side of the black haired boy in between them.

 

The black haired boy chuckles and then sits up with a groan, stretching out his sore muscles before running his hands through his mussed up hair.

 

"Anyone know what time it is?" he questions, and Lay rolls over to the side to grab his phone.

 

"It is around 5:10ish" he answers, and Kai whistles.

 

"Wow, we all lasted a lot longer this time guys," he comments with a grin. "That's like, three hours".

 

"Pssh, three hours is a piece of cake," the black haired boy says with a wave of his hand as he looks back at Kai with a matching grin.

 

"Oh really?" Kai responds with a quirk of his eyebrow. "Then I guess we'll just have to find out how long you can really take the burn," he continues with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

 

The black haired boy chuckles again and then places his hands on the legs of the two boys sprawled out beside him.

 

"Well, we're gonna have to figure that out at our next session, because I've gotta go now," he says with a sigh, standing up despite the other two boys' groans. 

 

"But before I go, there is one important fact we've all learned from today," he says as he looks down at the two boys.

 

Lay's eyes light up in understanding.

 

"And that is?" Kai questions.

 

The black haired boy shoots a look at Lay and they both grin.

 

"Do he got da booty?" he nearly shouts.

 

"He dooo!" Lay calls back just as loud.

 

And then the two dissolve into laughter that's only disrupted with a loud high-five.

 

Kai scowls.

 

"Yeah, don't expect to get anymore of this booty anytime soon you two, that was a one-time thing," he grumbles over the others' cackling, mumbling an "I can't believe I let you two convince me to do that" under his breath.

 

"My is still sore from that," he continues, rubbing his backside with a pout.

 

Which only makes the other two laugh harder.

 

"Hur hur hur," Kai mimics with a glare before standing up to join the shorter guy.

 

And then he's leaping at him with a strangled cry, his target giving a yelp of surprise before sprinting off in the other direction with a still-red-haired Kai hot on his heels.

 

"Uh oh," Lay mutters, still breathing hard from laughing and now fearing for the safety of their apartment judging off the screams coming the two boys running through it.

 

After tearing a maniacally laughing Kai off of the smaller guy who's body was wracked by giggles, the three head to the front door.

 

"Thanks for everything you two, I'll see you guys the next time we have another one of these little dates," the shorter male says as he picks up the random articles of clothing that had been thrown haphazardly on the ground earlier.

 

"Yeah, hopefully soon," Kai responds with a wink before turning to head back into the apartment, leaving Lay alone to see their friend off.

 

"Well, I guess we'll see you around," Lay says with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Yeah, see you around, Lay," the shorter responds with a small wave, turning to head out the door.

 

"Oh, don't forget your...camera?" Lay calls out quickly, lifting the oddly shaped object off the floor by it's long strap.

 

"That's what we needed today! A camera!" Kai's voice echoes from the depths of their apartment.

 

"Oh!" the black haired male says with surprise. "My mom would have killed me if I’d lost another Polaroid, thanks Lay!".

 

And then he's strapping the Polaroid around his waist, giving Lay another small wave, and setting off down the hallway.

 

Lay closes the door with a sigh and runs a hand through his hair, wrinkling his nose after because it's still damp with sweat.

 

"Kai? Where'd you go?" he calls out as he walks back towards their room. "You better not be in the shower, I called it first!" he shouts to the still hidden Kai as he walks, straightening random items in their apartment along the way.

 

"I'm in the kitchen," Kai's voice floats through the apartment in a singsongy tone, and Lay drags himself in that direction.

 

"Why would we want a camera during these, by the way?" Lay questions on his slow trek to the kitchen. He smirks and then laughs to himself as he turns the corner to the kitchen. "So that we could capture all of the different positions you were-" his question is cut off, however, by the sight in front of him.

 

"Oh my," Lay says as he crosses his arms over his chest. "Now we really do need a camera".

 

"I wasn't kidding when I said my was sore," Kai says from his position, resting his chin on a hand to gaze lazily over at Lay.

 

'Evidently,' Lay thinks.

 

Apparently, having a sore , in the case of a certain Kim Kai, is reason enough to need serious treatment.

 

And what does one do when one has a sore ?

 

They ice it.

 

But one does not simply ask a Kim Kai to ice his with a simple ice pack like most people would use.

 

Oh no.

 

This particular Kim Kai would much rather use an ice bath for his .

 

Which is why Lay walks into the kitchen to see his red-haired friend perched on top of the sink, which appears to be full of ice water, with his legs dangling over the side and his injured disappearing into the sink's icy depths.

 

"And no, I do not want a camera to capture my own gorgeous body," Kai scoffs at his friend. "I want one to capture all of the positions you're gonna be in tonight" he finishes with a smirk.

 

Lay makes a face.

 

"Ok, first off, that wording just sounded wrong, and second off, I am not twerking for you just because we convinced you to twerk for us earlier and you injured your precious little derrière," Lay counters.

 

"I do not twerk for others, my dear Lay, I twerk for myself," Kai says as he puts his hands on his hips with his eyebrows raised.

 

"Of course," Lay says, trying to repress the smile that's tugging at his mouth because of his friend's actions. "Now, why don't you get out of there before you strain yourself more?" he moves toward the red haired boy in the sink.

 

"If you say so," Kai grins in that singsongy tone. "But you'd better be ready to feast your eyes if I'm coming out".

 

Lay freezes.

 

"Good god, please tell me you didn't stick your. . . in. our. sink?" he grits out, shocked, flustered, and horrified all a once.

 

Kai giggles, his arms on either side of the sink now as if to lift himself out at any moment.

 

"I guess you'll find out," he singsongs again with a manic grin, right before lifting his lower half out of the sink.

 

Lay screams.

 

Kai shakes with laughter as he remains suspended above the sink, nearly falling back in when he sees Lay peek through his fingers at Kai's boxer covered lower half and then sag with relief.

 

Kai nearly slips on the kitchen floor once he lowers himself down to the ground, but he catches himself on the nearest counter and stands up to smirk at Lay triumphantly.

 

"You didn't really think I would stick my in our sink, did you?" Kai asks with a scandalized look on his face. "I mean, I use that sink too, and as much as I know other people would enjoy eating my-".

 

"Wording!" Lay nearly shouts.

 

Kai grimaces.

 

"Never mind, it made sense in my head," he says.

 

"Right," Lay raises his eyebrows. "How about you go change into something dry now, and I'll bring you an ice pack".

 

Kai shoots him a thumbs up before squelching his way past, slipping and nearly bowling Lay over in the process.

 

Kai's slipping through the main area of their apartment, focusing on not falling, when he hears someone clear their throat.

 

"Lay?" Kai asks, turning slowly to face the direction the sound came from.

 

Even though Kai knows he just saw Lay in the kitchen a few minutes ago.

 

Which can only mean...

 

"You're looking very...wet today," Tao remarks in amusement from where he's sprawled across the couch in the middle of their living room.

 

Kai chokes on air.

 

Because somehow Tao is in their apartment and he himself is clad in nothing but dripping wet boxers.

 

So naturally, Kai tries to run.

 

And instead disappears behind the couch across from Tao as he faceplants on the floor.

 

***

 

Lay grabs a hand towel from the counter to wipe up Kai’s mess, grumbling under his breath as he does so.

 

He hears a faint thud from the other room but brushes it off as Kai probably falling on the wet floor, and then snickers.

 

“Serves him right, dripping water everywhere,” he mutters in satisfaction, before standing from wiping the floor up and proceeding to drain the sink.

 

***

 

Tao hears a faint "I'm ok" from behind the couch a few moments later and he peels himself from his seat to check on his clumsy friend.

 

"No!" Kai shouts from the floor, hearing Tao's movements. "Stay where you are!". 

 

‘I can’t let him see me, I’m practically !’ Kai panics, hearing Tao continue to move.

 

It’s not like they’ve never seen each other in their boxers or less, they all practically grew up together anyways, it’s just that, with Kai’s current crush predicament...

 

"Kai, seriously, what are you talking abo-" Tao starts to say.

 

"Lay! Help me!" Kai screams from the floor.

 

"Hold on," Lay's voice floats calmly from the kitchen.

 

***

 

“So impatient,” Lay tsks from the kitchen, leaning against the countertop as he watches the hot pack in the microwave rotate around and around and around.

 

It’s kind of mesmerizing, to be honest.

 

*** 

 

Kai's crawling on his hands and knees now, trying to move around the couch to keep Tao from seeing him.

 

"What the-" Tao starts to say again, moving towards Kai's end of the couch.

 

Kai grabs a pillow and chucks it at the taller with a cry of "Really! I'm ok!" and then screams in terror when Tao catches the pillow and jumps on top of the couch.

 

"You're not ok! You were limping before you fell so let me help you!" Tao yells back.

 

"LAY!" Kai screams.

 

"One minute," comes Lay's singsongy voice.

 

Grabbing the small blanket they keep thrown over the couch, Kai twirls it around himself like a cape before stumbling onto his feet and taking off towards his room.

 

And then he falls again.

 

***

 

Lay wanders out of the kitchen with an ice pack in one hand and a heat pack in the other, humming to himself softly. 

 

Turning the corner, he nearly trips over the bundle of blanket and Kai that's lying on the ground.

 

"Save me," Kai whispers from the ground, lifting a single hand off the ground toward Lay.

 

Confused, Lay turns to face the rest of the living room area and promptly drops his packs with a surprised shout when he sees Tao, still perched on top of the couch.

 

Tao throws his pillow down with a huff.

 

"Really? What is wrong with you two, I'm over here all the time!" he asks with a flail of his arms in the air.

 

"But how'd you get in?" Lay questions, still looking confused.

 

"Well," Tao starts as he crosses his arms over his chest. "I crawled down your chimney but your guys' gifts and my Santa outfit got caught along the way".

 

The other two just stare at Tao for a moment.

 

"But we don't have a chimney," Kai says slowly, looking up at Lay as if in confirmation.

 

Lay nods.

 

Tao slaps a hand across his face and mumbles something about "friends" and "idiots" before reaching into his pocket to grab his set of keys and dangle a specific one in the air.

 

"The way I usually come in, the front door?" he says in exasperation. "You guys do realize that you gave me a key?".

 

"Oh yeah," Lay responds, now looking more aware.

 

"Thank the lord," Tao says in relief. "Now, Kai, are you ok?".

 

"Fantastic!" Kai chirps as he continues to roll across the floor towards his room. "Imma go change now".

 

And with that, Kai rolls into the darkness that leads to his bedroom.

 

Tao sprawls back across the couch with a sigh, soon followed by Lay, along with his ice and heat packs.

 

"So, what have you guys been doing?" Tao questions, taking in the other's disheveled appearance and straightening out the younger's wrinkled sweatpants when Lay tosses his legs across Tao's lap.

 

"Dance practice," Lay answers with an arm thrown across his eyes. "A very, very long dance practice".

 

Tao gives a little coo of sympathy and takes the hot pack away from Lay to place it on top of the legs in his lap, a small sigh of relief soon following from his friend.

 

"But it had it's perks," Lay continues with a grin. "We convinced Kai to wall twerk for us at one point, which was hilarious until he fell over and injured his ".

 

Tao raises his eyebrows and they both pause.

 

"Actually that just made it even more hilarious," Lay finishes, and they both shake with giggles.

 

"You guys are evil." a voice comes from over the couch, and Lay and Tao's giggles cut off as they exchange wide-eyed looks.

 

Kai, now swathed in a hoodie, sweatpants, and socks, glowers at the two on the couch, his red hair sticking out in random directions and making him look like an angry gnome. 

 

"And once again," Kai says with a hand in the air. "I twerk for myself, not others." he finishes, both Tao and Lay chiming in to quote Kai's line.

 

Kai reaches down and snatches the hot pack off of Lay's legs, ignoring the grumble that follows, and then pauses for a moment before snatching the ice pack out of his hand as well.

 

"Mine." Kai says possessively, clutching both of his packs close to his chest and shuffling towards the other couch with narrowed eyes.

 

Lay relaxes back into the couch with a snort, wiggling his legs a bit as if to coax Tao into giving him a massage. When no response comes, Lay lifts his head to look at the other, only to see his blue-haired friend tilting forward with his eyes closed.

 

Right towards the coffee table situated in front of them.

 

"Woah there Tao!" Lay exclaims, sitting up to grab ahold of the nearest part of his friend to keep him from smashing into the table. 

 

That nearest place just so happens to be Tao's blue hair, which Lay grabs a large handful of.

 

Tao snaps awake instantly and instinctively slaps Lay's hand from his hair with a small shriek, groaning and rubbing a hand across his eyes when he relaxes again.

 

"Ow," Lay says with a pout, rubbing his hand. "A bed would probably be more comfortable than the coffee table, you know".

 

"I can't help it," Tao moans. He drops his hands to look at Lay with blood-shot eyes. "I'm just. so. tired".

 

Kai, on the opposite couch, bites back the "You can sleep in my bed anytime" that creeps up his throat, instead schooling his expression into a look of obsessive sympathy.

 

"I'll go make some tea," Kai stands from his seat, leaving both packs behind on the couch and ignoring Lay's mumbles concerning just how uninjured his really is.

 

"You're tired?" Lay asks slowly, not really sure how to comfort his friend when the other is looking at him like a crazed man. And Tao almost never seems this worn out usually.

 

"You don't even understand," Tao says, staring blankly at the coffee table. He turns and grabs a fistful of Lay's shirt suddenly.

 

"I'm exhausted." he says shakily.

 

Lay places a hand over the one his shirt with wide eyes.

 

"Kai? Almost done with that tea?" he calls over his shoulder, keeping his gaze trained on Tao's stressed out one. "How about you lay down and tell me why you're stressed?" Lay suggests, prying Tao's fingers from his shirt.

 

Kai comes striding in with a steaming mug in hand, handing it over to a grateful Tao before joining Lay on the edge of the couch with overly large, sympathetic eyes.

 

"New employee." Tao states solemnly. "I'm searching for a new employee at the salon because we're lacking stylists to keep up with the increasing amount of customers".

 

Lay and Kai both "ahh" at the same time, patting Tao's legs sympathetically.

 

Tao gulps sips his tea and stares into the swirling liquid with narrowed eyes.

 

"So I'm going through applications, but there are so many options," he says, and the other two notice his grip on the tea mug tightening. 

 

Tao gives a mirthless grin into the mug and chuckles.

 

"But I need to choose the perfect one." he whispers into the mug, the manic grin still plastered on his face.

 

"Ok!" Kai claps his hands, standing suddenly. "You need sleep, lots of it." he says firmly, chuckling nervously when Tao looks up at him with a wild expression.

 

"And give me that" Lay coaxes, gingerly removing the mug from Tao's death grip.

 

And then Kai's helping Tao off of the couch, his concern for his friend overriding his other feelings even though his pulse seems to quicken. While Lay takes the still full mug of tea off to the kitchen, Kai practically drags his exhausted friend to his one of the bedrooms, simply pulling the taller (and heavier) guy near the bed before Tao collapses on top of it in a pile of disheveled blue hair, jewelry, and black clothes.

 

'He's. in. my. bed' Kai fangirls, watching Tao snooze away instantly despite his horizontal position. He swats away the 'now I really need a camera' thought that crosses his mind next and scurries out of the room before he does something weird.

 

The first thing to meet Kai on the other side of his bedroom is Lay, sporting a suspicious expression and a bath towel slung  around his neck.

 

"I get shower first," Lay says instantly, slapping Kai on the with his towel after the red head steps past. 

 

Kai simply yelps and jumps past, slinking into the living room once again to snuggle with his hot pack and close his eyes for a little bit.

 

***

 

Lay's halfway through his shower with shampoo suds still in his hair when a rapid knocking interrupts him.

 

"Lay?!" a panicking voice sounds through the door.

 

The knocking continues.

 

"What is it?!" Lay shouts back, cursing when some shampoo drips into his eyes.

 

"Lay I need your help right now!" Kai shouts, jiggling the door knob rapidly. "They called!".

 

"Just answer it!" Lay yells, already stepping out of the shower, soap or no soap.

 

He's just laid his hand on a towel when the door flies open, Kai soon following. 

 

Luckily, Lay had managed to wrap the towel around his waist a second before, but he screams anyway.

 

Not so luckily, Kai's momentum bowls into Lay, and they end up in a heap on the bathroom floor with only a towel covering Lay's dignity.

 

"I can't answer it, you know how I am on the phone!" Kai whispers in a rush, oblivious to his position on top of Lay and said person's current state of undress.

 

Lay just tries to even his breathing as he snatches the ringing phone out of Kai's shaking hand and answers it.

 

"Hello?" he says breathlessly calmly into the phone.

 

Kai gasps.

 

Lay holds a finger to Kai's mouth to keep him quiet, because he doesn't need his and Kai's breathless voices being heard on the other side of this phone call.

 

Kai's thighs keep tightening unconsciously around Lay's waist, and the pressure he's applying on Lay's chest with his hands as he leans forward coupled with, well, his weight, is slightly suffocating, so Lay slaps Kai's thigh a couple times to gesture a quick "get off me so I don't die please".

 

Kai pouts and sits up heavily, unable to eavesdrop on the conversation now, but that only puts his entire weight on Lay's groin area.

 

It's a pretty uncomfortable feeling.

 

Like the sensation you get when free falling on a roller coaster.

 

Except in this case, it's like Lay's got a brick strapped to his crotch while free falling on his roller coaster.

 

Lay winces and his breath catches in his throat involuntarily.

 

Kai, still oblivious to Lay's predicament, hears a voice speak on the other side of the phone, their tone sounding like a question.

 

"Hm?" Lay manages out, glaring at Kai. "Oh! No Ma'am, you called at a completely appropriate time, I assure you, I'm fine".

 

After the voice on the other side resumes talking, Lay narrows his eyes at the red-head still sitting on top of him and mouths a firm "Out" in his direction.

 

Kai pouts again and then plants both hands flat on Lay's stomach to push off of as he stands. Lay wheezes silently and then aims a kick at the cackling boy in front of him, missing and then scrambling to keep the towel around his waist before standing as well.

 

Kai seems to want to keep listening to the conversation, but Lay simply walks into his own room, phone propped between head and shoulder and both hands firmly on his towel, and kicks the door shut in Kai's face before sitting directly in front of it to keep the intruder actually out this time.

 

'I should have answered it' Kai thinks with determination, glaring at the closed door in front of him.

 

Deep inside, though, he's glad he didn't.

 

He just doesn't like talking to strangers over the phone.

 

He'd much rather prefer face to face conversation, because of the obvious of course.

 

They'd be happier just from looking at him, and he'd be happier from being comfortable.

 

In his element, you know.

 

It makes sense in Kai's head.

 

And so, with nothing left to do besides the sleeping boy on his bed, Kai heads towards the shower Lay just ever so kindly left free for him. 

 

But not before stopping by his room again.

 

 

****

 

 

Chanyeol lays on his bed with his guitar across his stomach while Kris watches in amusement concern from his desk.

 

The amber haired boy plucks a chord and opens his mouth.

 

Kris braces himself.

 

"She's gone," Chanyeol wails to the ceiling, and Kris winces.

 

"I've lost my one true love," he continues, plucking random strings.

 

"She's still here," Kris mutters under his breath.

 

"She flew away like a dove," Chanyeol continues, eyes closed.

 

"Ah, rhymed that one, Channie, nice," Kris comments, bouncing a pen on the desk now as he reclines with an ankle propped on his knee.

 

"And now. I'm done. forever." Chanyeol cries loudly, bringing his hand down on the strings violently.

 

"Nope!" Kris stands quickly as Chanyeol continues abusing his hand and his guitar. Grabbing the instrument out of Chanyeol's death grip, he places it on his bed gently before turning back to his distraught friend.

 

Chanyeol, not having anything else to vent on, moves his hands towards his own disheveled hair instead, but Kris catches both of his hands and holds on firmly.

 

Keeping both of Chanyeol's wrists held tight in one of his hands, Kris reaches past Chanyeol's head to grab one of his friend's favorite stuffed animals, releasing the whining boy's wrists to give the animal to him.

 

Kris watches cautiously as Chanyeol eyes the animal, hoping that it won't become the next victim, but Chanyeol just gives a whimper and then rolls onto his side, crushing the plushie to his chest.

 

Kris sighs internally and then moves to sit against the headboard of Chanyeol's bed, his friend's tangled hair when Chanyeol scoots closer and plants his head on Kris' lap.

 

Kris wasn't really sure why Chanyeol was quite so distraught, he hadn't actually broken up with someone (not that Kris said that to Chanyeol). All Kris knew was that Chanyeol had told him to go on to their dorm room after their BioChem class, saying that he was going to "try something out". So Kris had gone back to the dorm room, thinking proudly that Chanyeol was going to muster up the balls to say something to his crush of however many years it was.

 

Kris should've stayed.

 

Because it had been nearly ten minutes since Kris had first entered their dorm room when the door went flying open again, a heavily breathing Chanyeol standing in the doorway.

 

Kris had just watched, wide-eyed, as Chanyeol had calmed his breathing, put his bag down on the ground, and closed their door very softly.

 

He'd paused for a moment, still faced towards the door, before opening it again and slamming it shut so hard that Kris had to put a hand on one of the frames on his desk to keep it from falling over.

 

And then Chanyeol had turned, lower lip trembling, to face Kris who simply scooted his chair away from the desk and opened his arms with a silent question in his eyes.

 

And Chanyeol had simply nodded and then squeezed his way onto Kris' lap, allowing the darker haired to engulf him in his lanky arms while Chanyeol just tried to make himself smaller.

 

That part was kind of impossible, since Chanyeol was nearly as big as Kris, but they made it work anyways.

 

Chanyeol had made a hiccup-like noise against Kris' chest, and Kris had just tightening his arms around his friend knowingly.

 

Because Chanyeol always hiccups before he cries.

 

"I thought-it-would work-" Chanyeol had sobbed into Kris shirt.

 

Kris had just nodded and rubbed circles on Chanyeol's back despite the other's bony knees digging into his ribs on one side and his collar biting into his skin from Chanyeol his shirt.

 

"She-was just walking--" Chanyeol's voice had hitched from double hiccups, but he just coughed mid-cry and continued. "Alone-because her friend-left-so I-waved at--her" he broke off to catch his breath for a second.

 

Kris had already known where this was going.

 

"I-waved at her--and-she LOOKED-at me--" Chanyeol had given a particularly loud sob and pressed his face harder into Kris' chest. "And-then--I walked-into-a w-wall" he'd sobbed.

 

Kris had hummed sympathetically in response despite his initial reaction to laugh, but that was completely inappropriate and just held his crying friend until his legs had gone numb and the front of his shirt was soaked.

 

Chanyeol had eventually straightened up in Kris' lap, looked him in the eyes with his own bloodshot gaze, and had given a small "thank you" before climbing off of his friend to head to their bathroom.

 

Kris had heard several thumps and a possible scream of frustration after Chanyeol had turned the shower on through the walls of their dorm room, but when Chanyeol had returned he'd looked more...collected.

 

That was, until his guitar had come out.

 

Which lead them to the current situation.

 

Kris gives a start when a knock sounds at their door, and he gently gets up from the bed to answer while Chanyeol simply curls around his plushie some more.

 

Kris doesn't bother looking through the peephole before he swings the door open, hoping it's who he thinks it is.

 

Once he opens the door, it reveals...

 

'My saviour,' Kris thinks in relief.

 

"Xiumin!" he says in relief.

 

The smaller framed guy gives a large smile and a wave before Kris smothers him in a hug, his "Hi Kris" muffled into the giant's shirt.

 

"How was first day?" Xiumin asks after Kris releases him, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

 

"Decent...for me," Kris answers hesitantly. "Yeol got it bad though," he finishes, and Xiumin's eyes widen.

 

"What happened? He's not hurt, is he?" the smaller asks in concern, his brow furrowed cutely.

 

"Physically, no," Kris sighs, before grabbing the suitcase Xiumin has beside him and hauling it into their room, motioning for Xiumin to follow next.

 

Xiumin walks into the room quickly, an eyebrow raised in question after Kris' answer.

 

Chanyeol cracks an eye open when he hears the door click shut, visibly brightening a bit when he sees the newcomer.

 

"Minnie," he croaks, holding a hand out in the air.

 

"Aww," Xiumin instantly coos, making his way to Chanyeol's side. "Channie, what happened?".

 

Chanyeol makes a small noise and then Xiumin's kicking off his shoes to resume Kris' place on the bed, running his fingers through Chanyeol's hair while the younger practically curls around Xiumin.

 

Kris visibly relaxes as the other two's murmuring fills the room, slumping into his chair again.

 

It's not that he's uncomfortable when it comes to comforting another person, it's just that Xiumin's better at it.

 

Kris is there for a strong shoulder to cry on.

 

Xiumin is there for the words to piece you back together.

 

Kris can hold you for however long it has to be.

 

Xiumin can talk to you about whatever happened until you feel better.

 

Come to think about it, Xiumin's kind of like the mom for the two of them. 

 

Kris looks back at the two after this realization to see Chanyeol's eyes drooping further shut with each of Xiumin's small hands through his hair, and soon enough Chanyeol's asleep.

 

"Thanks," Kris sighs. "I didn't even know he liked this girl that much".

 

"He's liked Luhanna for the past couple years," Xiumin says, and Kris facepalms for not catching onto this earlier.

 

‘Some friend you are,’ he scolds himself mentally.

 

"Hopefully he'll feel better when he wakes up," Kris continues, and Xiumin nods and pats Chanyeol's head softly.

 

"So how's it been going?" Kris asks, not having seen his friend for a while.

 

Xiumin gives a groan and then chuckles.

 

"Ok, I guess, it's just that school crept up so fast and now I have make up work to do for classes," he starts, running a hand through his hair.

 

"We have nothing for BioChem, by the way, plus we're in the same class even though you're doing research," Kris pipes in, and Xiumin sighs in relief.

 

"Why'd you miss today?" Kris asks, since Xiumin doesn't exactly appear to be sick.

 

"Oh, well, my little sister wanted to pull an all-nighter last night and then she didn't want me to leave this morning, so I stayed," Xiumin explains with a smile. "Plus my mom had so much food set out this morning, so I...indulged before limiting myself to this food," he finishes sheepishly, and Kris grins in response. 

 

“Pickin’ up whatcha layin’ down, brotha,” Kris says in agreement, but that seems to be more of something he’d say to Chanyeol since Xiumin gives him a startled expression.

 

“Sorry,” Kris mumbles, giving a small sniff, but Xiumin just suppresses the grin creeping onto his face and waves him off.

 

"Sorry I got here kind of late, I know we were gonna head out for an early dinner," Xiumin says, and now it’s Kris’ turn to wave him off.

 

"That's fine, we can do it some other time, maybe when Chanyeol feels better," he says, and then pouts when Xiumin stands up.

 

"Leaving already?" Kris questions, widening his eyes at his friend.

 

Xiumin just laughs and punches Kris lightly on the shoulder.

 

"Yeah, I've gotta go meet my roommate, some sophomore I think, and get all my stuff moved in," he answers with a yawn. "And I'm gonna see if Suho's here, he wasn't in his dorm room when I checked last," he adds.

 

"Gotcha," Kris says as he stands as well.

 

He opens his arms with a pout.

 

"Don't I get a hug? Chanyeol got a ton of cuddling," he asks, and Xiumin rolls his eyes before giving the taller a big hug, his smaller arms going over, of course. because Kris is a big baby

 

"You guys make me feel like a mom," Xiumin mutters into Kris' chest, and Kris chuckles at the smaller guy.

 

"Have fun meeting your roommate," Kris says as he releases Xiumin, and they walk back out in the hallway.

 

"Oh yeah," Xiumin replies sarcastically. "I just hope he's not already taken over the whole room".

 

Kris just chuckles and ruffles the shorter's hair, watching as Xiumin takes off down the hallway. 

 

Kris wrinkles his nose before wiping his hand on his pants.

 

"Ew, please tell me you just took a shower," he calls out to Xiumin, who just laughs as he continues down the hallway.

 

"Nope, that is all hard-earned perspiration, my friend," he says, turning around to wink at Kris.

 

"Ugh, what were you doing?" Kris asks, wiping his hand again.

 

"I just had dance practice!" Xiumin practically shouts back at him, before waving and turning the corner in the hallway, disappearing from sight. 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

Another big thanks to everyone who’s commented, subscribed, upvoted, I LOVE YOU ALL<3

Feel free to ask questions about anything (although the answers may be a bit vague;) and if you have an idea about who’s who or any connections, please comment about them because that’s just fun:)

Character’s list and another “surprise” coming soon...;)

~LateNightBubbleTea