Chapter Twenty-Three:
You Came by Without a Warning, Why Can’t I Just Tell You that I Care?

“Ge, why not?” ZiTao whined as the older stood from his bed and out of the blond’s grasp.

“Because I told you no.”

“But Ge! I said I want it!”

“And I said no,” Yifan argued, ZiTao getting up from the bed and following after him, grabbing onto the front of the other’s shirt.

“But I’ve been so good!”

“You’re really going to try to pull that right now?” Yifan asked, arching an eyebrow at ZiTao, a knock on their room door sounding before they looked to the wide eyed Jongin it revealed.

“A-am I interrupting something?” He asked and Yifan pulled ZiTao’s hands from his shirt.

“No, ZiTao’s just trying to get me to buy him a new piercing,” He explained, tightening his grip when ZiTao tried to pull his hands back.

“Because I passed all of my midterms!” ZiTao exclaimed, looking to Jongin, who’s cheeks were still tinted pink. “That sounds fair, doesn’t it?” He asked, the dark haired male holding his hands up in surrender.

“I just wanted to see if you two wanted to see Sehun embarrass himself in front of LuHan-Hyung. Kyungsoo-Hyung says that they invited him to their midterm Coldstone run and Sehun’s working tonight,” He explained, ZiTao pouting.

“You’re no help,” He mumbled defeated, pulling his hands from Yifan’s and flopping face down on his own bed. Yifan watched him before sighing and shaking his head.

“ZiTao, you’re acting like a child,” He stated before turning his attention back to Jongin. “I think we’ll pass tight, I’m not a fan of taking him out while he’s being like this,” Yifan explained and Jongin nodded, stepping towards the front door as Yifan closed their room door. He looked over at ZiTao who was still face down on his bed and Yifan rolled his eyes. “Are you going to stop pouting any time soon?”

“I’m not talking to you,” Came the muffled response and Yifan found himself pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Fine,” He replied, opening the room door and closing it behind himself. He didn’t seem to be winning with anyone recently, he thought, the memory of Junmyeon backing him up against a locker flashing through his mind.

“I saw the way you were looking at Yixing, you better not try anything!” Yifan stared down at the other with wide eyes, still unsure as to how the younger had managed to so easily induce such power over him that he fell small in comparison.

“I-I don’t-”

“Don’t even try, Wu Yifan. I know your reputation and there’s no way I’m going to let you try and make Yixing one of your targets!” Junmyeon snapped, his index finger just shy of whacking Yifan’s nose. “If I hear anything about you trying to get into Yixing’s pants, I will end you. He doesn’t do any of that, do you understand me?” Yifan hadn’t trusted his voice and he hoped that his nod would be enough to calm Junmyeon down, finally able to breathe when the blond stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Enjoy class. And remember, I’m watching you,” He added lowly, glaring back at the brunet in the doorway of the art classroom they were in when he whistled.

“What’d you do to get him so riled up, Yifan-hyung? I’ve been trying to get him to be that aggressive with me for a couple months,” he called, making his way over to the two.

“I-I…” Yifan flinched at the glare Junmyeon shifted to him. “I wish I knew,” He admitted, feeling the slightest bit of ease when Jongdae wrapped his arms around Junmyeon, pinning the blond’s arms to his sides as he rested his chin on Junmyeon’s shoulder. “I’m still lost on him calling Yixing one of my targets.”

“Ah,” Jongdae mused, rocking Junmyeon in his arms. “I’m sure you know the rumors that travel around about you going to parties and taking several people to the sack,” He said, Yifan frowning in repose.

“I never understood those, they’re not true.”

“Like we would believe you-” Junmyeon started, cut off by Jongdae’s hand over his mouth.

“Junnie here is just worried and trying to look out for Yixing-hyung, because that’s not an interest of that,” Jongdae continued.

“What do you two mean by that?” Yifan asked, looking from one pair of eyes to the other.

“Yixing-hyung is aual,” Jongdae stated, silence falling over them.

“He’s… what?”

“Aual.” Yifan opened his mouth to ask for clarification when Junmyeon managed to get Jongdae’s hand off of his mouth.

“It means you’re going to keep your hands, and anything else you’d try to use on him, far away from him!” Jongdae shook his head, kissing the side of Junmyeon’s head before pulling him away from Yifan and out of the classroom as a few students stated trailing inside. Yifan watched after them until Yixing entered the classroom and pulled his attention mostly away from the event that had just happened.

Yifan reached for his laptop, unlocking it before he started looking up what aual meant, giving up an hour later when all he was able to find out was information on cells being capable of self-reproduction.

“Did you get into a fight with your blow-dryer?” Baekhyun laughed when Jongdae entered the Coldstone after Junmyeon. The brunet rolled his eyes, dropping himself onto Junmyeon’s lap once the other had sat down, twisting one of his frizzy curls around his index finger.

“I got bored waiting for Junnie to finish making sure that Yixing-hyung had everything he could possibly need for two hours,” he replied, the blond frowning.

“He’s sick, I should be at home taking care of him, but he wouldn’t let me cancel coming out to meet you guys.”

“I get the feeling you’ve done plenty lately to make sure Hyung’ll be okay,” Jongdae stated, cupping the other’s cheeks to make Junmyeon look up at him.

“What makes you say that?” Chanyeol asked and Junmyeon got halfway through saying ‘nothing’ before he was cut off by Jongdae’s laughter.

“He decided to go all guard-dog on this guy who’s got it bad for Yixing-hyung,” Jongdae stated, Baekhyun and Chanyeol falling silent for a moment as they exchanged a look.

“Yixing-hyung’s got an admirer?” Baekhyun asked. “Like, not just someone like those girls who fawn over him calling him an angel?” he continued as Chanyeol grinned.

“It’s about time. Last time I talked to him about a date idea I had planned you could tell he was daydreaming about someone asking him on a date of his own after.”

“There’s no way I’m letting that brute have Yixing,” Junmyeon argued and Jongdae rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know, Yixing-hyung seemed like he was swooning over the… brute.”

“Why don’t you like him, Hyung?” Baekhyun asked, eyes flickering to the store door as Kyungsoo entered, one arm around Jongin’s waist. He reached over, grabbing the back of Chanyeol’s shirt before the younger could start to get up and pounce on the dark haired male.

“He’s got some rumors going around about him and Junnie seems keen on believing them.”

“One top of that, he’s already got a partner from the way this blond follows him and is glued to his side… ZiTao I think is his name,” Junmyeon stated, turning to smile at Kyungsoo and Jongin as they made their way to the table.

“Jongdae-Hyung, be careful with that hair. If you start looking any more like a poodle, Jongin might try to adopt you,” Kyungsoo said, Jongin giving him a small nudge to his shoulder as Baekhyun and Chanyeol burst out into laughter. Jongin was the first to look at the door when a light brown haired male made his way in and he gave a small wave, eyes shifting to where Sehun stood behind the counter. A few seconds passed before the blond frowned a little and looked to the door, eyes widening a little as he made eye contact with LuHan who smiled before making his way over though the group.

“This should be everyone, should we go get our orders?” Junmyeon asked, shutting his eyes tightly as Jongdae squirmed in his lap.

“But I’m-” Junmyeon had learned how to knock the other onto the floor and Jongin covered his mouth to stifle a giggle at how offended the brunet looked to learn that fact. Jongin let Kyungsoo pull him to the counter to be first, staying by the check stand even after the older had paid, receiving a curious look.

“I wanna ask Sehun something, I’ll be at the table in a little bit,” He assured the other, watching Kyungsoo face his way to the table and he winced a little when he felt Chanyeol drape an arm around his shoulders, thankful when Baekhyun dragged him away. While Junmyeon and Jongdae were deciding what they wanted Jongin stepped up the register, smiling at Sehun before he pulled out a stack of singles and looked up at Sehun, his smile turning to a grin at the ‘you wouldn’t dare’ look in the younger’s eyes. He pulled out one bill from the stack and dropped it into the jar.

“I hate you so much,” Sehun mumbled before he closed his eyes, trying to pretend LuHan wasn’t in the room as Jongin ran the bell beside the tip jar and Sehun was joking by another employee who was trying to lift his mood and get him into the spirit.

Peel, peel bananas

Slice, slice bananas

Mash, mash bananas

Eat, eat bananas

Go, go bananas~

They chimed in union, the female worker spinning Sehun around at the ‘go, go bananas’ line.

Jongin continued to grin as he dropped another bill into the jar. Ten bills later the girl disappeared and Jongin let Jongdae and Junmyeon pay for their ice cream before he started putting bills in the jar again. Jongin finally ran out of bills as Sehun’s voice as starting to creak and LuHan stood in front of the register. Sehun gave him a pitiful look, swallowing hard in an attempt to get rid of the soreness in his throat.

“Help me,” He begged, a whine escaping him as LuHan pulled out his wallet and placed a bill into the jar. Sehun’s voice had gone out long before LuHan ran out of cash.

“ZiTao,” The blond shivered at the breath that ghosted over the back of his neck and he started to turn around when he felt a pair of hands grip his hips.

“G-Ge? What are-” his breath hitched at the nip Yifan delivered to the base of his neck, one of Yifan’s hands sliding up his chest. He leaned back against the other’s chest as Yifan ran his hand down his best and back up again, this time under his shirt, sending shivers down ZiTao’s spine. Yifan’s fingertips brushed over one of ZiTao’s s as his other hand ed ZiTao’s pants and slid in, pulling a gasp from the younger.

“ZiTao!”

He jumped, eyes shooting open. He was in his bed in their dimly lit room and it took his a few moments to realize he had been dreaming.

“Ge?” He called back once he had found his voice and he pushed himself up off his stomach, feeling his cheeks burn at the thought that he had probably been rolling his hips against the bed.

“You were making a lot of noise, did you have another bad dream?” Yifan asked as ZiTao rubbed his face.

“No.”

“Do you want to come into my bed?”

“No!” ZiTao exclaimed and he saw Yifan sit up in his bed.

“Come on ZiTao, it’s okay. You know I don’t mind.”

“No, I’m going to stay in my own bed.”

“Are you still mad at me for not buying you that piercing you wanted?” Yifan asked.

“No,” ZiTao groand covering his face.

“Fine then, I’m coming over there,” Yifan stated, sliding out of his bed and padding his way across the room.

“Ge, no, go back to your bed, please,” ZiTao whined as the other climbed into his bed, backing the younger up in the corner as he tried to keep as far from Yifan as he could. He pulled his legs up to his chest, hoping it would get the other to leave and hide the tent in his boxers.

“ZiTao come on, just lay down,” Yifan said, the other shaking his head. Yifan reached out pulling ZiTao from his corner and pushing him onto his back, wedging his elbow between ZiTao’s chest and thighs to get him to lay flat- freezing when it brushed against the other’s crotch. ZiTao covered his face as Yifan took what felt like forever to pull back, looking away from the blond.

“I…” Yifan trailed off and ZiTao let out a mix of a whine and a groan, rolling onto his side as he pulled his pillow over his face. “G-good night,” Yifan finally stammered, getting up from ZiTao’s bed and going to back to his own.

((A/N I love this chapter so much, I had so much fun writing it. Poor Taozibaby and Sehunnie x3 ))