Weekly Challenge 1
Title: without you
Pairing: Baekhyun/Tao
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff, romance
Length: ~2.9k
Summary/Warnings: It doesn't take much to fall in love.
I don't have least fav members, only members I don't talk/have feelings about as much. I still love you a lot, Baek ;u;
I'm not crazy about this but I finished it. It could be way better but I was seriously having troubles writing this challenge - and I probably made my best friend go insane as well as he was trying to help.
Zitao doesn’t know how it happened. He remembers how he met the older boy; they had become trainees more or less at the same time and, despite having a different language and totally different roles in the group, they almost immediately became friends.
They weren’t like Yifan and Chanyeol who would rap together and practice dance together, even when everyone was already gone - because they wanted to keep up with the group. They weren’t like Jongin and Yixing, the introvert dancers of the group, which got along even if they were the shyest members because they had the dance in common. They weren’t like Minseok and Lu Han, the older members of the group, which made sure to take care of the younger boys. They didn’t have much in common besides training under the same company and for the same group but they managed to build a friendship.
Zitao doesn’t know when he started to spend more time with the older than with his Chinese band mates, their support in the beginning; he doesn’t know when he started to enjoy his voice even more than when he heard it the first time - and the first time he had heard Byun Baekhyun sing, he had been more impressed than with any other idol (not that he has an idol yet but he knew he could be the next great thing); he didn’t know when he started to touch and hug him more than what he would do with other members (or any other friend) - and he was an extremely touchy person by nature. He didn’t know when he started to feel different; when he started to feel nervous around the older, when his heart started to beat faster than the usual when he was too close to him. Zitao doesn’t know when he fell in love with Baekhyun.
It didn’t make him happy when they were put into separated subunits. They were trained to be one group of twelve members - Baekhyun was meant to be with him - , not two groups of six. Not two groups of six where Minseok and Jongdae can barely speak Mandarin and they’ll have to promote in China and leave home; where Jongin will have to dance with Sehun instead of sharing the spotlight with Yixing; where Baekhyun stays with Chanyeol and he stays with Kris. It wasn’t right.
After months promoting separately, they had finally the chance to promote together again. Zitao was happy - even if it had been hard to control himself after months of seeing Baekhyun interacting with Chanyeol (even if it was just for the sake of fanservice). He knew he had no reasons to be jealous: from what he knew, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were straight and, even if they weren’t, Baekhyun didn’t have any compromise with him and he could do whatever he wanted. However, Zitao would still feel betrayed - and Lu Han and Jongdae could or not make fun of his little completely obvious crush.
When they arrived in Korea, the managers were already waiting for them to get back to the dorm. The six members or EXO-M were tired but they were happy about seeing their Korean counterpart - which shared their enthusiasm (Chanyeol had been so happy he had almost broke his laptop while on Skype with the other members, the night before).
The trip was relatively short - only 25 minutes from the airport to the dorm - but the members still had time to catch some sleep (except for Yifan, who was too busy checking on everyone out of habit and Zitao, that hadn’t sleep the night before as well). As soon as they got to their place, they got out of the car like if they had had hours of a good sleep and got inside the flat quickly, where the other members were patiently waiting for them.
“We’re back, guys,” the manager said loudly, as soon as he opened the door, making six other males running towards the door.
What followed it were endless hugs and a mixture of languages while talking to each other about the months they had been separated - even if they had been talking on the internet or on their phones. It just wasn’t the same.
Zitao quickly hugged everyone - even if Sehun wanted to monopolize him for some maknae bonding time - , leaving Baekhyun for last. He seemed to be waiting for him as well, as he had hugged everyone equally quickly and stood on the side, looking at him with a smile on his face. The younger smiled back and hugged him tightly, closing his eyes and feeling his perfume. It had been way too much time and he missed the older.
“I missed you, Baek-hyung,” he confessed, not letting go of the vocalist, making him laugh. “Did you miss me too?” He asked, breaking the hug and looking at him cutely. His aegyo was a win with any hyung and Baekhyun wasn’t an exception.
“I missed you and your cute face a lot, Zitao,” he replied, patting the younger’s head, that had purposely lowered himself slightly, a habit he had even predebut. “You didn’t seem to miss me much, anyway. You were always around Yifan, right?” He joked, pouting slightly and making the younger pout too, genuinely concerned.
“The company wants us to be together, you know? The fans enjoy it. It’s exactly like you and Chanyeol-hyung,” he explained slowly, to make sure he wouldn’t get any words wrong and to avoid problems between them. “I truly missed you, hyung!” He exclaimed which ended up on a Baekhyun laughing at the cuteness of the younger. “Don’t laugh, I’m being serious here,” he said, still pouting.
“I know you are but I wasn’t upset, Zitao, You know it takes a lot for me to get upset - especially at you. But you were being adorable,” he clarified, easing the younger’s expression. “I know you missed me; we all missed each other, I guess - I’m sure Joonmyun-hyung is not very happy to take care of more children during this round of promotions.”
“He’ll have Yifan-hyung’s help.”
“Are you sure? It seems to me like Yifan is becoming one of the kids as soon as we start promoting as twelve,” both laughed - it was probably true since the older wasn’t exactly the respectable leader the fans used to think he was. He took good care of the group but he really liked to play with them as well and he enjoyed not having as many responsibilities as he had as a leader. “But I don’t want to talk about that. Tell me how you were during these few months. Lu Han said something about a crush and I was kind of upset that you didn’t tell me anything about it. Is she pretty?”
Zitao didn’t like to use his abilities to fight with anyone but he was pretty sure he’d use some of his wushu moves on Lu Han next time no one was around to save him.
“I don’t believe Lu Han told you about that,” the younger sighed, annoyed. “It’s nothing important, okay? And… it’s not a she,” he added, reluctantly, making the older frown. “Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I have a crush on anyone around here. You don’t need to worry about it, hyung,” he cracked a smile, trying to tranquilize Baekhyun - and himself. “And, yes, he is the most handsome person I’ve ever laid my eyes on. He is perfect.”
“Well, just make sure he won’t make you suffer. Does he know you like him?” Baekhyun asked, feeling somewhat protective of the maknae. He didn’t like the fact the younger had a crush and he hadn’t talk to him about it and he liked even less the fact that it was a guy. He had nothing against it - he was completely supportative of it - but the fact that Zitao had feelings for someone made him feel uneasy.
“He doesn’t. And I don’t think I’ll ever tell him because I don’t think he likes me the same way. I’m pretty sure he’s straight,” the younger replied, making Baekhyun loosen up slightly. “You actually know him very well, hyung,” he knew it was dangerous to talk to him about that subject like that but he wasn’t directly saying who it was - and Baekhyun was very popular at the company (and outside of the company too).
“Is he one of my friends?” The vocalist asked, slightly confused and curious. If it was someone he knew, it was highly probable it was someone from the entertainment industry - or even the company.
“I wouldn’t say you are friends, but you are pretty close,” it was true. Baekhyun wasn’t exactly his friend but he should know himself well. “It’s hard to explain. Just, don’t ask me about it. Not even Lu Han should know - even if it’s really obvious, apparently,” he added, rolling his eyes, once again annoyed, thinking about Lu Han. “It’s okay; nothing between us is going to happen, anyway.”
“Well, if you want to tell me who he is one day, you know I’m here. Maybe I could talk to him for you? Maybe I can tell you if he’s really straight,” Baekhyun suggested, still upset at the fact that his best friend wouldn’t talk to him about such an important matter. “I don’t want to see you sighing and crying around over him or else I’ll punch him.”
“I’m not a thirteen-year-old teenager, hyung. I won’t do that,” Zitao said, smiling. “I’m not a kid anymore, do you know? Could you be jealous?” He asked, half-joking, half-serious. Even if it was a small possibility, it could happen.
“Maybe I am, Zitao,” Baekhyun replied, apparently serious and Zitao’s heart stopped for a few seconds. “Or maybe I just can’t let my little maknae grow up,” he added, with a smile appearing on his face. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, especially if it’s suffering over something like a crush. You’ll find someone else, if he’s not the right one for you,” he finished his speech and Zitao smiled back, even if it didn’t make him happy, hearing that. He knew it was a very small possibility but he couldn’t help but be disappointed. “Now, let’s go eat something and then rest. I’m pretty sure you are hungry and tired from travelling.”
After a very enthusiastic dinner with twelve starving kids that not even the managers could control, the atmosphere started to get a little bit calmer. Most of the members left the kitchen and went to their rooms to sleep, leaving the four oldest members cleaning their mess and talking about their future activities. As EXO-M were finally back home, the rooming was all up to them, which made Baekhyun and Zitao room together.
Zitao wasn’t totally upset at it but he wasn’t exactly happy. It was hard to sleep in the same room as his crush without having the need to sneak into his bed and kiss him for the rest of the night - and maybe do more. He couldn’t really control his thoughts, as he and the older were getting ready to sleep. Baekhyun would sleep with nothing but his boxers on and it was quite a turn on for the rapper. If he could barely control his mind while in China, away from him, sleeping just a few meters away from him would make his work even harder - and he could already hear Lu Han making fun of him in the morning.
“Are you okay, Tao?” The vocalist asked, making the younger wake up from his thoughts. “You’ve been kind of distracted since dinner. Something happened?” He sounded concerned and Tao felt guilty for making the older worry about him.
“Everything’s okay, hyung. I’m just tired.” It wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t the complete truth either. Baekhyun didn’t need to know he has having trouble controlling his hormones because of him. “Can we talk tomorrow? I really need to sleep now and tomorrow we need to wake up early.”
“Okay, Zitao. But if you need anything, you can ask me” the older said and Zitao’s mind almost made him beg for a kiss but he controlled the urge to do it. “Good night,” he added before turning of the lights.
“Good night, hyung,” the younger said, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep - which ended up being easier than what he thought (even if his dreams didn’t let him sleep properly).
Surprisingly - or not so surprisingly - he wasn’t the only member that seemed sleepy the following morning. Baekhyun looked like he hadn’t slept at all and it worried Zitao. Was he upset because he knew the younger wasn’t telling him the whole truth or was if he was just nervous from finally getting ready for their comeback as twelve? The rapper didn’t know and the vocalist didn’t seem very interested in letting him find out, since he hadn’t said a word to him since last night and decided to be around Yifan and Chanyeol - especially Chanyeol, which was making the younger upset.
“So, what’s going on between you and our main vocalist?” Lu Han asked, sitting next to him, while resting after some hours of training a new choreography. “Did you finally tell him about his crush and he rejected you?”
“No. I have no idea what happened; I just hope it’s nothing serious,” the younger sighed. “And you shouldn’t have told him anything about it.”
“I was trying to help, Zitao. I thought that you could, do you know, have more courage if someone started the whole thing for you,” Lu Han said, sounding serious and truthful. “I think you could be surprised at the results,” he finished, before getting up to start a few more hours of training, leaving the rapper thinking about what it could mean.
The hours went by quickly. By the end of the day, the boys were back to the dorm, exhausted and in need of a bath and a good night of sleep. The hyungs were the first ones to bath, saying that they were older and they needed it more, leaving the maknaes for the end - even if Sehun managed to convince Lu Han to let him bath with him and Jongin was taken my Yifan because he looked like he was about to break at any time.
However, Baekhyun didn’t go when it was his turn. He let the younger members go ahead of him and waited until it was Zitao’s turn.
“Can I go in there with you?” He asked the younger, getting nothing but silence as an answer. He decided to go with him; he didn’t say no - and if he wanted, he could always tell him to go away. However, that didn’t happen. Zitao seemed too tired to think of anything and he just let Baekhyun enter the shower with him.
“I’m tired, hyung,” he said, hugging him and resting his head on his shoulder. “Can I just go to sleep?”
“No you can’t, Zitao. Let’s take a bath and then I’ll take you to your bed, is that okay?” The older was worried. He knew the practices could be tiring for everyone but Zitao seemed completely deprived of energy. “C’mon, I’ll help you,” supporting the younger as well as he could, he carefully and slowly helped him wash. “Can you stand on your own for a bit? I need to wash too.” Zitao didn’t answer. He got away from the older and he watched him bath. Baekhyun shouldn’t feel as intimidated as he was but there was something about Zitao’s gaze that made him nervous. He quickly washed up and he turned off the water, wanting to put the younger to sleep as soon as he could.
After dressing up, they slowly walked to the room in total silence. Everyone else - except for Joonmyun, who smiled worriedly after whispering a “good night” as he saw them - was already asleep and the dorm was totally quiet, unlike the day before. As they got to the room, Baekhyun helped the younger to lie down and he was about to do the same when he felt someone holding his wrist.
“Sleep with me tonight, hyung,” Zitao whispered, looking adorable, despite being tired and Baekhyun couldn’t find a way to say no. He lay down next to him and he felt the younger snuggling against him, closing his eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Zitao.” He placed a kiss on the younger’s forehead, seeing him smile. “Now, sleep.”
“Are you still upset?” The rapper asked.
“I was never upset. Not at you. Not even if you find a boyfriend that’s not me,” he answered, more straightforward than what he wanted - probably because he was sleepy and he tended to do stupid things when sleepy.
“What if I tell you that I want you to be that boyfriend?” the other questioned, making Baekhyun surprised. He would never expect to be his secret crush.
“I wouldn’t mind at all. But I think we need to talk about this tomorrow,” he replied, making Zitao smile even more. “Sleep well… should I say boyfriend or will you regret in the morning?!
“I won’t regret, you don’t have to worry,” Zitao laughed. “Sleep well, hyung,” he said, not seeing the huge smile on the vocalist’s face, as he closed his eyes, ready for a good night of sleep next to his boyfriend.
Pairing: Baekhyun/Tao
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff, romance
Length: ~2.9k
Summary/Warnings: It doesn't take much to fall in love.
I don't have least fav members, only members I don't talk/have feelings about as much. I still love you a lot, Baek ;u;
I'm not crazy about this but I finished it. It could be way better but I was seriously having troubles writing this challenge - and I probably made my best friend go insane as well as he was trying to help.
Zitao doesn’t know how it happened. He remembers how he met the older boy; they had become trainees more or less at the same time and, despite having a different language and totally different roles in the group, they almost immediately became friends.
They weren’t like Yifan and Chanyeol who would rap together and practice dance together, even when everyone was already gone - because they wanted to keep up with the group. They weren’t like Jongin and Yixing, the introvert dancers of the group, which got along even if they were the shyest members because they had the dance in common. They weren’t like Minseok and Lu Han, the older members of the group, which made sure to take care of the younger boys. They didn’t have much in common besides training under the same company and for the same group but they managed to build a friendship.
Zitao doesn’t know when he started to spend more time with the older than with his Chinese band mates, their support in the beginning; he doesn’t know when he started to enjoy his voice even more than when he heard it the first time - and the first time he had heard Byun Baekhyun sing, he had been more impressed than with any other idol (not that he has an idol yet but he knew he could be the next great thing); he didn’t know when he started to touch and hug him more than what he would do with other members (or any other friend) - and he was an extremely touchy person by nature. He didn’t know when he started to feel different; when he started to feel nervous around the older, when his heart started to beat faster than the usual when he was too close to him. Zitao doesn’t know when he fell in love with Baekhyun.
It didn’t make him happy when they were put into separated subunits. They were trained to be one group of twelve members - Baekhyun was meant to be with him - , not two groups of six. Not two groups of six where Minseok and Jongdae can barely speak Mandarin and they’ll have to promote in China and leave home; where Jongin will have to dance with Sehun instead of sharing the spotlight with Yixing; where Baekhyun stays with Chanyeol and he stays with Kris. It wasn’t right.
After months promoting separately, they had finally the chance to promote together again. Zitao was happy - even if it had been hard to control himself after months of seeing Baekhyun interacting with Chanyeol (even if it was just for the sake of fanservice). He knew he had no reasons to be jealous: from what he knew, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were straight and, even if they weren’t, Baekhyun didn’t have any compromise with him and he could do whatever he wanted. However, Zitao would still feel betrayed - and Lu Han and Jongdae could or not make fun of his little completely obvious crush.
When they arrived in Korea, the managers were already waiting for them to get back to the dorm. The six members or EXO-M were tired but they were happy about seeing their Korean counterpart - which shared their enthusiasm (Chanyeol had been so happy he had almost broke his laptop while on Skype with the other members, the night before).
The trip was relatively short - only 25 minutes from the airport to the dorm - but the members still had time to catch some sleep (except for Yifan, who was too busy checking on everyone out of habit and Zitao, that hadn’t sleep the night before as well). As soon as they got to their place, they got out of the car like if they had had hours of a good sleep and got inside the flat quickly, where the other members were patiently waiting for them.
“We’re back, guys,” the manager said loudly, as soon as he opened the door, making six other males running towards the door.
What followed it were endless hugs and a mixture of languages while talking to each other about the months they had been separated - even if they had been talking on the internet or on their phones. It just wasn’t the same.
Zitao quickly hugged everyone - even if Sehun wanted to monopolize him for some maknae bonding time - , leaving Baekhyun for last. He seemed to be waiting for him as well, as he had hugged everyone equally quickly and stood on the side, looking at him with a smile on his face. The younger smiled back and hugged him tightly, closing his eyes and feeling his perfume. It had been way too much time and he missed the older.
“I missed you, Baek-hyung,” he confessed, not letting go of the vocalist, making him laugh. “Did you miss me too?” He asked, breaking the hug and looking at him cutely. His aegyo was a win with any hyung and Baekhyun wasn’t an exception.
“I missed you and your cute face a lot, Zitao,” he replied, patting the younger’s head, that had purposely lowered himself slightly, a habit he had even predebut. “You didn’t seem to miss me much, anyway. You were always around Yifan, right?” He joked, pouting slightly and making the younger pout too, genuinely concerned.
“The company wants us to be together, you know? The fans enjoy it. It’s exactly like you and Chanyeol-hyung,” he explained slowly, to make sure he wouldn’t get any words wrong and to avoid problems between them. “I truly missed you, hyung!” He exclaimed which ended up on a Baekhyun laughing at the cuteness of the younger. “Don’t laugh, I’m being serious here,” he said, still pouting.
“I know you are but I wasn’t upset, Zitao, You know it takes a lot for me to get upset - especially at you. But you were being adorable,” he clarified, easing the younger’s expression. “I know you missed me; we all missed each other, I guess - I’m sure Joonmyun-hyung is not very happy to take care of more children during this round of promotions.”
“He’ll have Yifan-hyung’s help.”
“Are you sure? It seems to me like Yifan is becoming one of the kids as soon as we start promoting as twelve,” both laughed - it was probably true since the older wasn’t exactly the respectable leader the fans used to think he was. He took good care of the group but he really liked to play with them as well and he enjoyed not having as many responsibilities as he had as a leader. “But I don’t want to talk about that. Tell me how you were during these few months. Lu Han said something about a crush and I was kind of upset that you didn’t tell me anything about it. Is she pretty?”
Zitao didn’t like to use his abilities to fight with anyone but he was pretty sure he’d use some of his wushu moves on Lu Han next time no one was around to save him.
“I don’t believe Lu Han told you about that,” the younger sighed, annoyed. “It’s nothing important, okay? And… it’s not a she,” he added, reluctantly, making the older frown. “Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I have a crush on anyone around here. You don’t need to worry about it, hyung,” he cracked a smile, trying to tranquilize Baekhyun - and himself. “And, yes, he is the most handsome person I’ve ever laid my eyes on. He is perfect.”
“Well, just make sure he won’t make you suffer. Does he know you like him?” Baekhyun asked, feeling somewhat protective of the maknae. He didn’t like the fact the younger had a crush and he hadn’t talk to him about it and he liked even less the fact that it was a guy. He had nothing against it - he was completely supportative of it - but the fact that Zitao had feelings for someone made him feel uneasy.
“He doesn’t. And I don’t think I’ll ever tell him because I don’t think he likes me the same way. I’m pretty sure he’s straight,” the younger replied, making Baekhyun loosen up slightly. “You actually know him very well, hyung,” he knew it was dangerous to talk to him about that subject like that but he wasn’t directly saying who it was - and Baekhyun was very popular at the company (and outside of the company too).
“Is he one of my friends?” The vocalist asked, slightly confused and curious. If it was someone he knew, it was highly probable it was someone from the entertainment industry - or even the company.
“I wouldn’t say you are friends, but you are pretty close,” it was true. Baekhyun wasn’t exactly his friend but he should know himself well. “It’s hard to explain. Just, don’t ask me about it. Not even Lu Han should know - even if it’s really obvious, apparently,” he added, rolling his eyes, once again annoyed, thinking about Lu Han. “It’s okay; nothing between us is going to happen, anyway.”
“Well, if you want to tell me who he is one day, you know I’m here. Maybe I could talk to him for you? Maybe I can tell you if he’s really straight,” Baekhyun suggested, still upset at the fact that his best friend wouldn’t talk to him about such an important matter. “I don’t want to see you sighing and crying around over him or else I’ll punch him.”
“I’m not a thirteen-year-old teenager, hyung. I won’t do that,” Zitao said, smiling. “I’m not a kid anymore, do you know? Could you be jealous?” He asked, half-joking, half-serious. Even if it was a small possibility, it could happen.
“Maybe I am, Zitao,” Baekhyun replied, apparently serious and Zitao’s heart stopped for a few seconds. “Or maybe I just can’t let my little maknae grow up,” he added, with a smile appearing on his face. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, especially if it’s suffering over something like a crush. You’ll find someone else, if he’s not the right one for you,” he finished his speech and Zitao smiled back, even if it didn’t make him happy, hearing that. He knew it was a very small possibility but he couldn’t help but be disappointed. “Now, let’s go eat something and then rest. I’m pretty sure you are hungry and tired from travelling.”
After a very enthusiastic dinner with twelve starving kids that not even the managers could control, the atmosphere started to get a little bit calmer. Most of the members left the kitchen and went to their rooms to sleep, leaving the four oldest members cleaning their mess and talking about their future activities. As EXO-M were finally back home, the rooming was all up to them, which made Baekhyun and Zitao room together.
Zitao wasn’t totally upset at it but he wasn’t exactly happy. It was hard to sleep in the same room as his crush without having the need to sneak into his bed and kiss him for the rest of the night - and maybe do more. He couldn’t really control his thoughts, as he and the older were getting ready to sleep. Baekhyun would sleep with nothing but his boxers on and it was quite a turn on for the rapper. If he could barely control his mind while in China, away from him, sleeping just a few meters away from him would make his work even harder - and he could already hear Lu Han making fun of him in the morning.
“Are you okay, Tao?” The vocalist asked, making the younger wake up from his thoughts. “You’ve been kind of distracted since dinner. Something happened?” He sounded concerned and Tao felt guilty for making the older worry about him.
“Everything’s okay, hyung. I’m just tired.” It wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t the complete truth either. Baekhyun didn’t need to know he has having trouble controlling his hormones because of him. “Can we talk tomorrow? I really need to sleep now and tomorrow we need to wake up early.”
“Okay, Zitao. But if you need anything, you can ask me” the older said and Zitao’s mind almost made him beg for a kiss but he controlled the urge to do it. “Good night,” he added before turning of the lights.
“Good night, hyung,” the younger said, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep - which ended up being easier than what he thought (even if his dreams didn’t let him sleep properly).
Surprisingly - or not so surprisingly - he wasn’t the only member that seemed sleepy the following morning. Baekhyun looked like he hadn’t slept at all and it worried Zitao. Was he upset because he knew the younger wasn’t telling him the whole truth or was if he was just nervous from finally getting ready for their comeback as twelve? The rapper didn’t know and the vocalist didn’t seem very interested in letting him find out, since he hadn’t said a word to him since last night and decided to be around Yifan and Chanyeol - especially Chanyeol, which was making the younger upset.
“So, what’s going on between you and our main vocalist?” Lu Han asked, sitting next to him, while resting after some hours of training a new choreography. “Did you finally tell him about his crush and he rejected you?”
“No. I have no idea what happened; I just hope it’s nothing serious,” the younger sighed. “And you shouldn’t have told him anything about it.”
“I was trying to help, Zitao. I thought that you could, do you know, have more courage if someone started the whole thing for you,” Lu Han said, sounding serious and truthful. “I think you could be surprised at the results,” he finished, before getting up to start a few more hours of training, leaving the rapper thinking about what it could mean.
The hours went by quickly. By the end of the day, the boys were back to the dorm, exhausted and in need of a bath and a good night of sleep. The hyungs were the first ones to bath, saying that they were older and they needed it more, leaving the maknaes for the end - even if Sehun managed to convince Lu Han to let him bath with him and Jongin was taken my Yifan because he looked like he was about to break at any time.
However, Baekhyun didn’t go when it was his turn. He let the younger members go ahead of him and waited until it was Zitao’s turn.
“Can I go in there with you?” He asked the younger, getting nothing but silence as an answer. He decided to go with him; he didn’t say no - and if he wanted, he could always tell him to go away. However, that didn’t happen. Zitao seemed too tired to think of anything and he just let Baekhyun enter the shower with him.
“I’m tired, hyung,” he said, hugging him and resting his head on his shoulder. “Can I just go to sleep?”
“No you can’t, Zitao. Let’s take a bath and then I’ll take you to your bed, is that okay?” The older was worried. He knew the practices could be tiring for everyone but Zitao seemed completely deprived of energy. “C’mon, I’ll help you,” supporting the younger as well as he could, he carefully and slowly helped him wash. “Can you stand on your own for a bit? I need to wash too.” Zitao didn’t answer. He got away from the older and he watched him bath. Baekhyun shouldn’t feel as intimidated as he was but there was something about Zitao’s gaze that made him nervous. He quickly washed up and he turned off the water, wanting to put the younger to sleep as soon as he could.
After dressing up, they slowly walked to the room in total silence. Everyone else - except for Joonmyun, who smiled worriedly after whispering a “good night” as he saw them - was already asleep and the dorm was totally quiet, unlike the day before. As they got to the room, Baekhyun helped the younger to lie down and he was about to do the same when he felt someone holding his wrist.
“Sleep with me tonight, hyung,” Zitao whispered, looking adorable, despite being tired and Baekhyun couldn’t find a way to say no. He lay down next to him and he felt the younger snuggling against him, closing his eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Zitao.” He placed a kiss on the younger’s forehead, seeing him smile. “Now, sleep.”
“Are you still upset?” The rapper asked.
“I was never upset. Not at you. Not even if you find a boyfriend that’s not me,” he answered, more straightforward than what he wanted - probably because he was sleepy and he tended to do stupid things when sleepy.
“What if I tell you that I want you to be that boyfriend?” the other questioned, making Baekhyun surprised. He would never expect to be his secret crush.
“I wouldn’t mind at all. But I think we need to talk about this tomorrow,” he replied, making Zitao smile even more. “Sleep well… should I say boyfriend or will you regret in the morning?!
“I won’t regret, you don’t have to worry,” Zitao laughed. “Sleep well, hyung,” he said, not seeing the huge smile on the vocalist’s face, as he closed his eyes, ready for a good night of sleep next to his boyfriend.