Tao knows he's being ridiculous.   After all, it's only for three days.   But it feels like it's going to be three years and Tao doesn't want to cry because he knows that's stupid, but somehow, he can't help but feel like this is only the beginning.   First it's only a few days then a few weeks and then the letters will stop coming and the calls will slowly dwindle until the time they shared, the memories of their love, will fade like so many others already had.   But no, he couldn't think like that. If he gave away his hope, then he'd have nothing left.   And besides, it wasn't all bad. Tao had a good life, a nice house, great friends at an amazing school. But more than any of that, he had people he genuinely loved. Kris. Baekhyun. All of them.    Tao had a good life. It wasn't always easy to see that, but he had to remember that what was coming was only better than what had been.    There was no other way.   But even still, as Tao stands in the driveway at six thirty in the morning, shivering beneath his layers, watching as Kai and Kris load the trunk of his BMW, it doesn't feel like better things are coming.   But it's only three days, Tao has to remember that. He could do this. He could be okay for a few days. He had to be.    It wasn't as if Kris was doing this by choice. The dance team had a major competition in Hong Kong and he had to go. After an ultra-long plane ride, he'd have to work hard pretty much non-stop for two days.   If he could do that, then Tao could occupy himself for a few days.   And it wasn't even as if he was alone, he had the other boys. He'd be fine. Yeah. Fine. Maybe if he just kept thinking that, it would somehow be true.   Tao is so lost in thought that he doesn't realize that Kris is walking towards him until they're eye-to-eye, his dark golden gaze making Tao feel slightly feint as he crosses his arms behind Kris's neck,   "Are you sure you have to go?"   Kris laughs softly, nodding as he pulls Tao closer, rubbing the tips of their noses together, a sad smile curving his lips,   'I'm sure. You'll be okay, Tao....I'll text you from the airport and call when we land, I promise. I'm going to be busy, but I'll try to keep in touch.....it's only three days...'   Tao sighs in soft annoyance, pressing a gentle kiss to Kris's lips, sounding almost amused,   "I know. But I love you and it's going to be weird not having you around when we're always together...."   Kris pulls Tao closer to him, making the younger boy feel a bit warmer than before. Kris is showering his face with kisses now, against his cheekbones, ears, the bridge of his nose, his eyelids, murmuring softly to him,   'I love you......I love you.......I love you....'   Tao feels a familiar warm shiver run across his skin as he tightens his grip on Kris's shirt collar, a smile curving his lips,   "I love you too.....now go win for Yonsei, okay?"   Kris pulls back, taking Tao's face in his hands, his touch soft as he brushes his fingers across Tao's cheeks,   'I won't win for Yonsei, I'll win for you....'   He backs up slightly, taking Tao's hand and bending to press a soft kiss to the skin just above his wrist,   'I'll come back soon, I promise....'   Tao wants to just stay here together, the soft touch of his lips, the warmth of his skin, the sweet spicy smell of his hair still clinging to Tao's clothes.    This was everything. Right here. His world.    Kris smiles softly, pulling Tao in for one final kiss, their lips fitting together effortlessly. For a moment, Tao remembers their first kiss, how nervous he'd been but how wonderful it had felt, how right.    Kris breaks the kiss far too soon for Tao's liking, pulling back with a nearly apologetic look as he drops his hands, taking a step back,   'It'll be okay. Spend some time with Baekhyun, okay?'   As if that would be much better. Baekhyun seemed to grow more beautiful every day and Tao knew more than a few people, guys and girls, who were interested in him. That just made Tao jealous. But their relationship had gotten steadily better, and perhaps spending a day with his best friend would be a good thing after all.   It'd take his mind off Kris being gone, anyway. Maybe.   The dark haired boy flashes a smile at him and waves as he closes the door to Kai's car behind him, the tan-skinned boy grinning at Tao as he backs the car out of the driveway and disappears down the street.   Well this is weird.   This is the first time Tao has been separated from Kris since they started dating. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He could spend time with Baekhyun, try to reconnect.   Things had been good between them lately and Baekhyun often ambushed Tao for long hugs. Now he had a spot, fitting his chin against Tao's collarbone, crossing his arms behind his neck. Tao was happy things seemed back to normal, but part of him still felt guilty.   He shouldn't. Baekhyun was just his friend. But he knew that whenever he acted sweet with Baekhyun, it gave him false hope. But he couldn't force himself to alienate the petite dark-haired boy. Tao loved Baekhyun. That would always be true.   Tao stands in the driveway for a few more moments, the earliest signs of sun peeking over the rooftops, the gentle warmth making him smile. He heads back inside, leaving his shoes and coat by the door and letting the warm air from the heater bring his body back to normal temperature.   Suho and a few of the others are clustered around the table drinking tea, looking sleepy. But Baekhyun is not among them. Tao pauses near the table, letting his lips curve up in a small smile,   "Suho, where's Baekhyun?"   The blonde haired boy glances up, swallowing his tea as he smiles, looking amused,   'He's still asleep, why?'   Tao nearly blushes at the look they're all giving him, a swell of indignation making his words come out a bit sharper than he intended,   "Like it's any of your business...."   Suho just shrugs, turning back to his food as Tao inches away from the table and heads upstairs.   It's quiet in Baekhyun's room, sun shining in the window and falling across his sleeping form which was currently curled in the center of a pile of blankets.   Tao walks over to his bed slowly, careful not to make any sound as he sits on the edge, watching the gentle rise and fall of Baekhyun's chest, his pale cheeks flushed slightly from all the blankets.   He looks so different when he's asleep, younger or gentler or something like that.    Baekhyun makes a soft sound, rolling over to face Tao, sighing contentedly as he curls his hand into his sheets, still oblivious to Tao's presence.   Tao almost wants it to stay that way. He looks so peaceful and beautiful and Tao feels bad that he came to wake him up.    Baekhyun yawns, his eyes still closed, hair falling onto his face as he shifts slightly. Tao involuntarily reaches towards him, brushing his fingers softly across Baekhyun's forehead, combing his hair back.   Baekhyun's lips curve into a soft smile, but still his eyes don't open, his voice thick,   'Mmm.....Tao......'   Tao freezes, his eyes widening slightly as he pulls his hand back, clearing his throat and forcing his voice to be bright and amused,   "Baekhyun? Are you ever going to get up?"   Baekhyun opens one eye, looking slightly confused, his voice almost annoyed,   'Why are you here?'   Tao sticks out his bottom lip slightly, shoving Baekhyun by the shoulder, nearly whining,   "Baekhyun....Kris is gone and I wanted us to have some fun together today....."   Baekhyun arches an eyebrow at him, looking almost suspicious,   'Really? Why would you want to do that?'   Tao smiles softly, tilting his head and rolling his eyes at the dark haired boy laying next to him,   "Because you're my best friend.....and besides, I miss this. I miss us. What do you say?"   Baekhyun doesn't say anything at first, yawning as he tips his head back, his voice soft,   'You know......I was beginning to wonder if you meant it that day when you promised to be my best friend.....'   Tao laughs, hitting the side of Baekhyun's head as he gets to his feet, doing his best to sound shocked,   "Never! I always keep my promises, Baek...."   Baekhyun smiles softly, sitting up and looking at Tao expectantly.    He's so pretty and he actually looks genuinely happy and Tao just wants to watch him forever. Baekhyun is the kind of person you're never sure is actually real because he seems too perfect to not be a figment of your imagination.    It takes Tao a moment to realize Baekhyun is waiting for him to say something and has to fight a blush as he explains,    "I was thinking maybe we could get some tea, stop by that bookstore I like. And I've always wanted to take you ice skating...."   Baekhyun is grinning now, a subtle glow seeming to emanate from him as he gets to his feet and walks over to Tao.    Suddenly they're so close that Tao can see each of Baekhyun's eyelashes, the slightly lighter color of his irises compared with the deep black of his pupils. He looks so pretty when he's happy, a dark red flush on his cheeks, his eyes sparkling. Beautiful.   Baekhyun's voice pulls Tao out of his thoughts, trying to act as if he'd been paying attention the entire time,   'That sounds like a lot of fun.....you don't have to work?'   Tao had recently taken a job at a local restaurant. The hours were long and the money poor, but Tao knew that he should at least be trying to save. He had a future after all. But he'd specifically asked for this day off, one of only three days off a year he was allowed, so that he could spend it with his best friend.    Tao grins back at him, feeling his excitement build as he goes over his plan again. How wonderful it would be to take Baekhyun all the places he loved, to be able to share in the happiness with him.    Honestly, Tao couldn't think of a better day off, or any day really.    Tao realizes he's staring and blinks a few times, glancing down as he speaks, his voice soft,   "I got the day off....and Suho already said we could borrow his car.....so....once you're dressed and ready, we'll go..."   Baekhyun's soft laughter fills Tao's ears and it's a nearly magical sound, like birdsong and the clinking of glasses together, high and clear.    Tao feels Baekhyun tilt his chin up, his eyes shining as he grins,   'I'm so lucky, you know that?'   Tao arches an eyebrow at him, sounding amused,   "Lucky? Lucky for what?"   Baekhyun's gaze softens, the affection clear in his eyes, tender and innocent,   'Lucky to have you.....to have you in my life.....as my friend.....'   Tao feels something warm blossom in his chest, like hot cocoa, smooth and sweet. He'd missed this, more than he knew, he'd missed Baekhyun. Because as much as he needed Kris, he needed Baekhyun too.   Tao breaks their gaze with a sad smile, pulling away from Baekhyun, his voice nearly chastising,   "I'll be waiting, okay? Don't be too long...."   He winks at Baekhyun and crosses over to the doorway, stopping short as Baekhyun's voice makes him freeze.   'I love you, Tao......'   Tao stands there for a moment, his back to Baekhyun, a sort of struggle playing out on his face as he lays his hand gently on the doorframe, glancing over his shoulder at Baekhyun,   "No more than half an hour, okay?"   Tao turns and walks back down the hallway, trying to pretend he didn't see the hurt on Baekhyun's face.    And it's not even as if Tao doesn't love him. He does. But he can't bear to say it, not when he knew that Baekhyun didn't mean it in the same way he did.    He couldn't break Baekhyun's heart again.   It would be better to never mend it in the first place. Let him think that the thought of a relationship with him was the last thing on Tao's mind.    And maybe it was.   But then again, maybe it wasn't.   Tao stops at the bottom of the stairs, shaking his head to dispel the thoughts. Instead of speculating, he should think of the facts he knew were true.   Fact 1: Tao loved Kris.    They'd been together for almost five months now and Tao knew that his feelings for Kris were real, that what they had was something special, something that didn't come around every day.   Fact 2: Tao loved Baekhyun.   But love in a totally non-romantic way. He loved Baekhyun because they were best friends, because they'd been through things together, because they shared a bond unlike any Tao shared with the other boys.   Fact 3: Tao was attracted to Baekhyun.   If he loved him in a totally non-romantic way, then this fact was the complete opposite. Baekhyun was beautiful and smart and sweet and loyal. What's not to love? But even still, Tao didn't feel the same way about Baekhyun that he did about Kris.   Fact 4: Tao wouldn't break up with Kris to be with Baekhyun.   Maybe if he'd never met Kris, Tao could have been happy with Baekhyun. But that was impossible now and Tao could never hurt Kris like that. And besides, he was happy. He loved Kris and Kris loved him and that was enough.   Somehow, this doesn't make Tao feel much better.   He pauses for a moment, making sure he has his phone and wallet as he grabs Suho's keys and waves to the other boys, stopping in the hallway to retrieve his coat and boots before walking outside to wait for Baekhyun.   It's colder than he thought and the longer Tao stands there, the more numb he feels. He's starting to wonder if Baekhyun is angry at him when the dark haired boy suddenly appears in the doorway.   He's dressed in a black tee shirt and tan leather jacket, his jeans a deep blue indigo that made his white shoes stand out even more. His eyeliner is perfect as always, curving around his almond shape eyes and smudged slightly at the edges to make him look a bit more threatening than he actually does.   But Tao isn't looking at his eyeliner or his outfit or the phone perpetually glued to his hand, he's looking at the smile on his face, how excited he looked.   Obviously he was trying to hide that Tao had hurt him.    Baekhyun hurriedly makes his way over to Tao, his eyes shining as he pauses in front of the taller blonde haired boy,   'I'm ready!'   Tao can't suppress a grin, doing his best not to reach up and pinch Baekhyun's cheeks for how excited he looked. But he does. Oftentimes, Tao didn't get to do what he wanted around Baekhyun,   "Alright then, first stop, matcha lattes and breakfast...."   Baekhyun glances over at the car parked in the driveway and back to Tao, sticking out his bottom lip slightly,   'Any chance you'll let me drive?'   Tao is about to say no, but Baekhyun looks so cute.    The blonde boy looks between Baekhyun and the car a few times, feeling his resolve weaken as he caves and drops the keys into Baekhyun outstretched hand.    The small dark haired boy grins, closing his fingers around the keys and turning his eyes to Tao's, shining with pure adoration,   'You're right, today is going to be fun...'   Baekhyun is a lot more fun to drive with than Tao thought. Fun in the way that Tao is gripping the armrests for dear life, his eyes snapping shut every time Baekhyun presses on the gas.    Somehow they make it to the café without any collisions and Tao is about to suggest Baekhyun gives him back the keys when the dark haired boy looks over at him, a soft smile curving his lips,   'Thank you for letting me drive.....I know that means you trust me a lot......'   Tao sighs, looking down as he runs a hand through his hair, nodding,   "Sure it does. Now, let's eat before I starve to death....."   Baekhyun laughs and steps out of the car, Tao following after him as they walk up a small rock path lined with trees to Baekhyun's favorite café.   Baekhyun pauses halfway to the door, admiring the cherry blossoms that were already blooming on the trees despite the unusually cold spring. After a moment, he reaches in his pocket and whips out his phone, a grin curving his lips,   'We should take a picture.....'   Tao laughs but agrees, standing obediently next to Baekhyun as he attempts to get both him and Tao and the trees in the picture.   One of the café's employees is out front wiping tables and glances up at their predicament.    She smiles warmly, her voice thickly accented,   'Would you like me to take a picture of you two?'   Baekhyun seems to have a hard time understanding what she's saying, but Tao replies to her in Chinese, the words feeling foreign in his mouth now that he rarely spoke it anymore,   "That would be great! Thank you!"   He takes Baekhyun's phone from his grasp and hands it to the girl, glancing over at Baekhyun in slight amusement,   "How should we stand?"   Baekhyun doesn't reply, only glances over at the girl, an odd string of words Tao doesn't understand coming from his mouth as the girl replies in the same dialect.   Tao is about to ask Baekhyun what he said when the dark haired boy stands on his tiptoes, pressing a gentle kiss to Tao's cheek, both hands on his shoulders.    He returns to standing flat on his feet, glancing over at the girl who nods and smiles as she hands him his phone, gesturing between them and speaking in the same way that Tao didn't understand.    She returns to wiping tables and Tao looks at Baekhyun in confusion, arching an eyebrow at the petite boy,   "Baekhyun, what-"   Baekhyun holds up his phone to Tao's face and the blonde haired boy falls silent.   So she had taken a picture after all.   The trees themselves are beautiful, but Tao's eyes go directly to him and Baekhyun. In the picture, Tao's smiling, his eyes closed, arms around Baekhyun's waist, Baekhyun kissing him. Funny. He didn't remember doing that.    They look so happy.   Tao drops his gaze, sending Baekhyun a stern look,   "What language was that you were speaking with her?"   Baekhyun puts his phone back in his pocket, looking amused,   'English. I know you don't know any, and I wanted the picture to capture your reaction....'