Someone is saying Tao's name.   At first, it's only a gentle insistence, but it grows with time until the sound draws Tao out of sleep. He lays there for a moment, blinking in the pure darkness, breathing slowly as he fades in and out of consciousness. The sound comes again and Tao sits up, rubbing his head, tensed slightly as he waits.   Only silence greets his ears and he slowly relaxes, falling back onto his pillow with a soft sigh as he lets his eyes fall closed, his heartbeat slowing as he falls back asleep. Well, almost asleep. The voice has stopped, but now a soft choked whimpering sound reaches Tao's ears. Someone is crying. He sits up again, this time fully awake, the hair on the back of his neck standing up as he tilts his head to listen.   The cries are coming from the hallway and they're so soft that Tao wonders briefly if he's imaging them. The sound is cut off by choked gasping as if whoever it may be is trying to speak. There's a soft murmur that doesn't quite reach Tao's ears, but the next words are stronger, filled with desperation and pain, words that make the blood in Tao's veins turn to ice,   'Tao....Tao, please. Help me...'   Tao slides off his bunk as quietly as he can, careful not to disturb Kris as he tiptoes across the room and presses his ear to the door as the voice calls him again,   'Tao. I need your help. I don't know what to do....'   Tao freezes as he recognizes the voice and opens the door quietly, slipping out into the hall and shutting it behind him. Standing in front of him is a tattered looking Baekhyun. His hair is messy, his eyes red, and there are tears streaking his cheeks.   He has a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and though Tao can see his black shorts, he realizes he's lost his shirt somewhere along the way. As soon as he sees Tao, he breaks down, throwing both arms around the dark haired boy, his grip tight, his sobs choked as he struggles to not wake anyone else up. Tao hugs him back hesitantly, his voice soft,   "Baekhyun? It's the middle of the night, what happened?"   Tao recalls the previous night at the beach, how they'd arrived home, how Kris had been angry at him and how they'd all gone to bed. Baekhyun had seemed fine then, a little drunk maybe, but fine. He definitely wasn't fine now. He twists out of Tao's grip, backing up against the opposite wall and slumping to the floor, his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking, the hall echoing with his soft cries.   Tao looks at him helplessly, taking a seat next to him and putting an arm around his shoulders, his voice gentle and placating, as if talking to a scared animal,   "Baekhyun....what's wrong? Hm? What happened?"   Baekhyun shakes his head, biting his lip to contain his cries, his eyes bright with tears. When he speaks, his voice is ragged, uneven and rough,   'I hate myself. I hate him. I hate him....'   Tao's eyes widen slightly, his voice barely a whisper,   "What? Baekhyun, who do you hate? Chanyeol?"   Baekhyun flinches visibly at his boyfriend's name, indescribable pain flashing across his eyes, sounding even more pathetic than before,   'No, no, no. Not Chanyeol. Never. I-I love him t-too much. No.'   Tao is now watching him intently, bringing up a hand to brush stray tears off his cheeks, trying to ignore the way he flinches.   "Who is it then? You can tell me..."   Baekhyun nods, trying to reassure himself as he turns his gaze to Tao's, his voice even,   'Kai.'   Tao arches an eyebrow, his gaze darkening,   "Baekhyun. What did Kai do to you?"   Baekhyun seems to crumble, his face in his hands as he sobs, not able to contain it anymore, his cries permanently etched in Tao's mind.   'I-I can't tell you....you'll just h-hate me...'   Tao shakes his head, his mouth half open as he takes Baekhyun's face in his hands, his palms slipping slightly on Baekhyun's tear-stained cheeks,   "Hey, listen to me, I could never hate you. You came to me because you trusted me, right? You can tell me, Baekhyun. Please. I want to help you...."   Baekhyun seems to tense, his eyes widening slightly as he looks down, avoiding Tao's gaze, his voice so low that Tao nearly has to stop breathing so he can hear it,   'I got way too drunk last night. Like waaaay too drunk. I was feeling sick, so I got up to get a drink from the kitchen-'   He swallows, wiping tears from his eyes as he continues,   'Kai must have heard me because he got up to see if I was an intruder or something. He asked me if I needed help so I asked him if he could get me some water-'   He sniffs, brushing hair out of his eyes,   'He brought me the water and I think I hugged him because I was still pretty drunk. But he...he...'   He struggles to get the words out and Tao pats him on the back reassuringly as he continues,   'He kissed me. And I was drunk, so I kissed him back. One thing led to another and about half an hour ago I woke up on the kitchen floor...'   He continues hastily, ignoring the look of shock on Tao's face,   'Kai was there eating or something so I asked him what happened. He told me that I slept with him and was more than happy to indulge me on the details-'   He chokes, a sob building in his throat as he shakes his head,   'It wasn't fair! I would never have done that. I was drunk and h-he took advantage of me....'   Baekhyun turns his eyes to Tao's, self-loathing and pain reflected there,   'How am I going to tell Chanyeol?'   He pauses, choking down a cry, his eyes blurry as he continues,   'That's not even the worst part. Once he talked about it, I remembered. I remember now how he kissed me, how he touched me, how I let him, how I aksed for it-'   He dissolves into tears again, half gasping for air as he bows his head,    'I hate him! I hate myself. I can't believe that I did that with him. I promised myself I'd only ever love Chanyeol because he's the only one that I care about that way. Kai means nothing to me, but I gave him everything, I gave him what he wanted-'   He breaks off, putting his hand to his mouth to stifle his cries as he leans against Tao, his body shaking with sobs. Tao sighs softly, putting his arm around Baekhyun's shoulders and kissing the top of his head, his voice soft,   "Baekkie, it's going to be okay. Kai isn't going to get away with this, trust me. I'll make him pay-"   Tao cuts off as he hears a soft shuffling of feet down the hall and a figure appears at the end of the corridor, walking towards them.   'Tao? Baekhyun? Are you two okay?'   Lay comes into view, his pajama pants too long, whispering against the wood. He's rubbing his eyes, his thick blonde-pink hair parted back from his forehead. He pauses in front of them, the pale moonlight from the window in the roof shining on his skin, making him look like a ghost. He smiles softly, taking a seat next to Baekhyun and patting his arm reassuringly,   'Baekhyun, what happened?'   Baekhyun shakes his head, still crying into Tao's shirt, leaving tear-stains on his black sweater. Tao turns his eyes to Lay,    "Baekhyun got drunk last night and Kai found him in the kitchen and....took advantage of him..."   Lay looks confused, his eyebrows drawn together,   'Took advantage of him? How much money did he steal from you, Baek?!'   Tao shakes his head, his lips curving up slightly despite the severity of the situation,   "Lay, no, not like that. He-"   Realization crosses Lay's face and his mouth falls open as he turns to Baekhyun,   'He did what?! Baekhyun! What did Chanyeol say??'   Baekhyun bites his lip, his voice soft,   'I haven't told him. I can't. He's really serious about us. He's told me he loves me, told me that after college, he wants us to get an apartment in the city. I love him. I can't do this to him.'   Lay is silent for a moment, a sad faraway look coming over his face,   'I'm so sorry, Baekhyun. We're here for you, I'll always be here for you if you need me.'   Baekhyun nods and turns back to Tao, curling against his chest like Tao had seen him do with Chanyeol countless times.   'Don't leave me. Please Tao.'   Tao sighs softly, tightening his arms around the small sandy-haired boy,   "Never. Baekhyun, if there's anything I can do..."   The small boy shakes his head, his voice sad enough that Tao feels something twist in his chest,   'There's nothing you can do. I just don't want to hurt him.....I don't want us to break up....we've been friends for so long; I know he's the one I'm meant to fall in love with.....'   Lay looks up, his eyes still bleary with sleep,   'I'll tell him for you, Baekhyun. Maybe if he hears it from someone else, he won't be as angry....'   Baekhyun shakes his head, his voice thick, fresh tears on his cheeks,   'No. I have to tell him. He won't believe you...'   They all fall into silence and the darkness suddenly seems menacing, the small spot of moonlight they're sitting in seeming to grow dull. Baekhyun is shaking again and though Tao can't hear him, he knows he's crying.   Tao adjusts his grip and is struck by how small Baekhyun is, how fragile he feels, almost breakable. Kai was going to pay for this, Tao would make sure of that. Baekhyun didn't deserve this; he didn't deserve to be used, to feel like trash, like nothing. Oh yes, Kai would pay dearly. He deserved to suffer like Baekhyun was, to feel pain like this. Friend or not, Tao would never trust Kai again.     Tao's not sure of how much time passes as he sits there, cradling Baekyhun gently until he falls asleep, his grip on Tao's sweater going slack. He's snoring softly, his chest rising and falling slowly as he curls closer to Tao until the dark haired boy can feel his pulse thudding slowly against his chest.   Tao glances up at Lay and finds the other boy asleep as well, his head leaned back, his smooth skin shining in the early morning light. For a moment, Tao wants to tell him, to tell him about Suho, to tell him what the older blonde boy couldn't bear to do himself. But he can't. No matter how much he wants to, it's not his secret to tell.   Tao is sure that at least two hours have passed and it must be nearing six o'clock by now. Soon the others would be waking up. Tao couldn't let them find the three of them here, he had to protect Baekhyun as well as he could. Tao tilts his head to the side, swallowing with difficulty, his voice soft so as not to wake Baekhyun,   "Lay? Lay, you need to wake up. We have to get out of here before everyone wakes up..."   Lay stirs slightly, a smile curving his lips, his voice only a whisper,   'Suho. But I don't wanna wake up...'   Tao almost smiles as he raises his voice slightly,   "Lay, it's Tao. You have to get up..."   Lay's eyes snap open and he straightens, his eyes dulled with sleep.   'Ah, mianhae Tao. I'll go back to my room...let me know if Baekhyun needs anything...'   Tao nods and offers the gentle boy a small smile as Lay gets to his feet, shuffling back down the hall the way he came, closing his door with a gentle click. Tao pulls Baekhyun tighter against his chest as he gets to his feet, pushing open his door with his hip and setting Baekhyun gently in his bunk.   Tao reaches across him, pulling a blanket over the petite boy and brushing his hair off his forehead before stepping away softly. He glances down at Kris who's still asleep, his breathing soft. Tao kneels in front of him, his gaze affectionate as he draws a finger down his cheek, across his lips, down his chin. Kris seems to smile almost, whispering softly,   'Tao....Tao....Tao....'   Tao smiles softly, feeling his eyes burn slightly as he gets to his feet, walking quietly across the room and pulling on his boots before closing the door behind him. It's way early for Tao to be awake, but he has something to do and he knows he won't be able to rest until he does it.   He walks downstairs quietly but purposefully, not hesitating once as he turns right at the bottom of the stairs and heads down the hall to Kai and Sehun's room. He lifts his hand and knocks on the door. It opens rather quickly, an exhausted looking Luhan standing there in a large blue tee shirt and red shorts, rubbing his eyes.   'Tao? Is everything okay?'   Tao manages a small smile at him,   "I need to talk to Kai-"   He has barely finished his sentence when the tan boy appears. He's dressed in a white turtleneck sweater and black shorts and is looking incredibly smug. Tao's face is nearly murderous as he closes the space between him and Kai, curling his fingers around his neck and slamming the younger boy against the wall, ignoring the sickening cracking sound it makes. He bares his teeth at Kai, barely containing his anger,   "How dare you. How. Frickin. Dare. You. We let you live here, we gave our trust, and this is how you repay us? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't crush your airway right now. Just give me a reason, Jongin..."   Kai has the decency to look afraid for a second, but quickly recovers, a throaty laugh escaping his lips as Tao tightens his grip,   'It's not really any of your business, Tao. He wanted me to, I didn't do anything wrong.'   Tao presses him harder to the wall, his voice rough,   "You knew he was drunk, you let him drink last night, you know how he gets when he's drunk. You took advantage of him and you know it."   Kai raises his eyes to Tao's, the deep color unreadable. His lips curve up into a smirk, his voice deadly soft,   'You can't prove anything. And besides, it'll be worth it to see the look on Chanyeol's face when he hears what I did to his precious Baekhyun-ah-'   Tao brings his fist back, cracking it across Kai's cheek as he jerks out of Tao's grip, bent over on the floor, blood dripping from his mouth. Tao shakes his head, quivering with rage,   "You deserve this-"   He brings his boot up, kicking Kai in the face as the tan boy rolls onto his back on the floor, his face bloody, streaks of the deep red liquid running from the corners of his mouth. He's gasping for air and Tao steps towards him, seeing fear flash in his eyes as Sehun jumps to his feet, his voice strained. He's afraid. Afraid for Kai. Afraid of Tao.   'Tao! Please, don't hurt him. You don't want to do this...'   Tao looks up at him, some of the anger sliding off his face, leaving behind only pain. Tao pauses for a moment and bites his lip before turning away and walking back down the hall, leaving behind the shocked looks of the other boys and Kai's gasping breath. He deserved this and so much more.   But somehow, when Tao closes the door to the bathroom behind him, he's crying, his shoulders shaking as he slumps against the wall, sinking to the tile. A sob builds in his throat and he tips his head back, his breath ragged, feeling more sad than anything. There's blood on his hands, Kai's blood.   No matter how much he hated Kai, he hadn't intended to hurt him like that. For a moment, he'd wanted to kill him, and he could have. He struggles to his feet, tears running down his chin as he leans over the sink, washing the blood off his hands, from under his fingernails. After a few minutes, the blood is gone, but the stain is still there.   No matter how Tao hated Kai for what he'd done, no matter how hurt he was, he knew he'd never get that blood off his hands.     Somehow, Tao manages to regain composure enough to walk to the kitchen and sit down at the table. Even still, he's barely keeping it together, the dark shadows under his eyes deeper, his eyes burning as if he's about to cry. He couldn't believe what Kai had done, what he'd done.   He'd meant to talk to him, to scare him a little, but not to hurt him. He remembers the pool of blood on the floor, Kai's blood. He remembers kicking him in the face, feeling the fragile bones in his cheek crack under the force. He remembers the look on Sehun's face, one of horror and fear. He'd done that.   Tao shivers involuntarily and for a moment he wants to steal Suho's keys, take his Audi and drive, drive and forget. But he can't. He hears a soft shuffling of feet and Suho appears, wearing a white tee shirt and red flannel, his dark eyes bright, a smile curving his lips as he nods to Tao and walks past him to the kitchen. Tao can hear Xiumin and Chen bickering and almost smiles,   'Chennnn! Please?'   Chen's laughing, his voice amused,   'Minseok-ah, I said no! There's no way we're going skydiving for our anniversary. You know I'm afraid of heights!'   Both boys come into view, Xiumin pouting as Chen smiles, pinching his cheeks,   'If I said I'd think about it, would that make you happy?'   Xiumin grins, his face lighting up as he nods, Chen laughing as he takes a seat, Xiumin next to him. The pink-haired boy looks up, smiling at Tao. Tao doesn't return the g