Kris didn’t want to give up. He really didn’t. But there wasn’t much to be done. He knew Tao wasn’t into guys. He’d known that since the beginning. But of course it didn’t register to him until it was too late. He’d ruined everything already.

            He’d taken to avoiding Tao, even though there were some times when he didn’t mean to avoid him at all.

            Without realizing it, he passed the next English quiz. Aerin congratulated him on having studied well as he contemplated whether or not it was a good thing that he wouldn’t be having tutoring with Tao anymore. Lay, on the other hand, slipped just below the passing mark.

            “Kris, I have to start going to tutoring. Want me to talk to Tao or something?” Lay asked him.

            “No. I’ve given up anyway. I was stupid to think he’d like me,” Kris sighed. Lay pouted.

            “You’re being too hard on yourself. But fine,” Lay replied. “So, are you coming to the thing tomorrow?”

            “What thing?” Kris asked, and Lay slapped his hand to his forehead in exasperation.

            “Oh, only the thing that everyone’s been talking about all week at dinner. You must be really gone not to have heard anything about this.”

            “Shut up. Seriously, what thing?”

            “The trip to the mall? The really big one out in the city? Ring a bell?”

            “Is Tao going?”

            “Everyone’s going.”

            “Then I guess I have no choice but to tag along.”

            “I was hoping you’d say that. It’ll be good for you. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone else there.” Kris made a face and Lay laughed. “You just thought to yourself that you didn’t want anyone but Tao, didn’t you?”

            “You know me too well,” Kris said, a small smile appearing on his face. “I don’t think I’ve ever liked anyone as much as I like him,” he sighed resignedly. “I keep telling myself to get over him, but I just can’t get him out of my head.”

            “Cute,” Lay smirked. “Anyway, we’re meeting at the bus stop tomorrow afternoon at four thirty. Aerin is letting us skip our first new tutoring session tomorrow since it’s Friday.”

            Kris nodded, thinking of all the things that could go wrong on this outing. And it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that he also fantasized a little bit about what could go right.

            Chen was the first to notice him.

            “Kris! You came!” he grinned, tapping Suho’s shoulder to point out that Kris had arrived. Most of the rest of the boys were waiting at the bus stop already.

            “I bet Kai that you’d come. He said you wouldn’t. Now that he lost our bet, he had to treat me to ice cream,” Kyungsoo said, glancing at Kai, who looked extremely happy even though he lost the bet. Kris couldn’t help but feel a little jealous that things were working out for Kai.

            But the thing that made him the most jealous was the fact that Sehun and Luhan were holding hands, their fingers intertwined. He envied them. The way they looked at each other, the way their steps were perfectly synchronized, the way Luhan would say Sehun’s name and the way Sehun would smile at Luhan even when he wasn’t looking. It wasn’t fair. If things had gone right, Kris could have been in that position with Tao.

            “Cheer up,” Lay said as he appeared next to Kris, elbowing him in the ribs. “Tao and Xiumin are going to be here any minute and it’s best if you’re not pouty around Tao.”

            “He’s with Xiumin?” Kris asked gruffly.

            “Calm down; we came from school and I went ahead to come tell you they were coming. You’re welcome.”

            “He’s with Xiumin though.”

            “Kris. Calm down.”

            “You’re right, I’m being—”

            “We have arrived!” a voice cried from behind the group, and they all turned to see Tao and Xiumin led by Chanyeol, who was carrying Baekhyun on his back. “We’re here!” Chanyeol continued as Baekhyun pretended to cheer.

            “Well, they’re looking chipper,” Chen said. “Is that everyone then?”

            “That’s everyone,” Suho replied. “Ah, and there’s the bus! Perfect timing, guys!”

            “Yay, let’s go!” Baekhyun said, jumping off of Chanyeol’s back and running onto the bus, Chanyeol following him closely. The rest of the boys filed on and Kris found himself next to Chen. To his utter dismay, Tao was next to Xiumin.

            “Kris, you seem really out of it,” Chen said. “Are you feeling okay?”

            “I’m…fine,” Kris said, considering his words. He wasn’t fine. He was definitely not fine. What if Tao did like guys, but just not Kris? What if he liked Xiumin?

            “So, do you know your way around the mall?” Chen asked.

            “Why?”

            “Nobody else in our group knows their way around.”

            “Our group?” Kris wondered. “We have groups?”

            “Oh, right, you were in your room when we talked about this. Yeah. Sehun and Luhan are making it a date, so they’re going together. Chanyeol and Baekhyun said something about a giant candy store, so they’re going there, and Lay said that he and Xiumin are going to go look at video games. Oh, and I guess since Kai lost the bet he has to go with Kyungsoo to get ice cream. So that leaves you, me, Suho, and Tao to go around together.”

            “You, me, Suho…and Tao?” Kris asked.

            “Yeah. Lay and Xiumin were going to come with us originally but Lay insisted that he and Xiumin go look at video games.”

            Kris couldn’t decide whether he wanted to thank Lay or to kill him.

            “So? Do you know your way around?” Chen asked again.

            “Uh, no. I guess we’ll have to find a map,” Kris said, but all that was really on his mind wasn’t Chen’s chattering about who knows what. It was that he was going to spend the entire evening with Tao.

            He was dreading it and looking forward to it all at the same time.

            Kris had forgotten that Tao had said he liked shopping. Evidently, he really liked shopping. And he really liked spending money.

            Kris knew he shouldn’t have been, but by the third store they got to, he was falling more and more in love with Tao.

            “Are these jeans better or did the first ones look better?” Tao asked Suho for the millionth time.

            “They look the same to me,” Suho sighed. Tao pouted and looked at Chen for his approval.

            “Both looked fine,” Chen said tiredly. Tao wasn’t satisfied with these answers, but he obviously didn’t dare ask Kris for his opinion.

            Kris’s opinion, whether or not Tao asked for it, was that Tao looked stunning. He found himself staring at Tao’s long, wushu-toned legs fitting snugly into a pair of black skinny jeans. His hips were lither than even the prettiest girl’s, his slender waist evident underneath the white wife-beater he wore.

            “You know,” Suho said suddenly, standing up, “I think I heard Chanyeol and Baekhyun out there.”

            “What?” Tao asked.

            “Yeah, I did too,” Chen said.

            “I didn’t hear anything,” Kris said, but Suho shook his head.

            “I think I’ll go see if they’re out there,” Chen continued.

            “So will I,” Suho agreed as they made their escape.

            “Wait! But I’m still trying stuff on!” Tao cried, but Suho and Chen were gone. Kris peered out of the store, where Chanyeol and Baekhyun were nowhere to be found. Suho and Chen looked relieved as they walked away from the store, having successfully escaped Tao’s intense shopping trip.

            Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), this left Kris alone with Tao.

            “They’re gone,” Kris said stupidly.

            “I know,” Tao replied. He turned around and went back into the changing booth, and came out half a minute later in the clothes he’d been wearing earlier.

            “Are you getting anything?” Kris asked. Tao looked like he was debating whether or not to tell Kris.

            “I want to get them both,” Tao said, “but I don’t have enough money. Do you think they’ll save this pair for me?” He held up a pair of jeans.

            “They probably will,” Kris said. “They…they looked nice…”

            “Thank you,” Tao replied.

            Kris could have sworn he saw a blush appear on Tao’s cheeks. 

THIS IS GLORIOUS. EVEN THOUGH IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS CHAPTER. I CAN'T NOT SHARE.

A/N: I REALLY WANT TO WRITE WHAT HAPPENS TO KAISOO AS A SEPARATE STORY. SHOULD I? ALSO I JUST HIT 300 SUBSCRIBERS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH <3

@white_snowy: Nope, no Xiuchen. I do like them though! But it's too much for this story. 

@karinav915: You'll see what happens~

@exotica: I like how you think.

@Lala1901: Tao's free game right now~ Although Kris might come get youuuuuu D:

@Galdy42: Lol Lay has to deal with all this.

@silverphoenix: But but but Kris knew it would happen...

@Mulkogi: THANK YOU <3 I'm happy you like it and I will prolong it as long as is reasonable :D It'll be 15 chapters at least. 

@SadisticRainbows: But rainbows and unicorns and fluffiness are for Lay hahahaha. Nah I don't like all fluff in multichaps. It gets boring imo~

@kitten83: SEDUCE HIM. I like this idea.

@angelsmiles: YES TAORIS IS A SHIP THAT SAILS THROUGH THE STARS.

@JangDaeByul: I love Layyyyyyy. 

@kitty_kat: Kris is so irresistible.

@aznmusiklife: Awkward yes :D

@AlwaysMe-: Perhaaaaaaaps~

@13aholic: Kris should have known better hehehehe.

@pripri: Too soon too soon!

@IrisButterfly: I loved confused Kris :)

@sumomoyuki: Quite quite :D

@BalancedCuppycake: Actually even though I'm known to be like...captain of SS Taoris...I actually kind of also ship Kris/Lay. DON'T KILL ME I can't help it D: But yeah they're cute :)

@LingView: Duizhang is a strong boy though~

@missmacyy: My Taoris heart is not aching as much as yours and for good reason ;)

@efeline: YOU WANT KAISOO? I WANT KAISOO TOO :D Should I write it?

@chigire: I chose that pic for that reason :)

@aktf13: A magical place called tumblr, my dear. 

@asiangirlme: Unrequited love builds character.

@vanndee13: But Kris is tough! He doesn't cry. He's a NAMJA.

@ShaZam: Timing is key! And Duizhang does not have timing~

@heegdtop2min: MAYBE I WILL :D

@clarene: Every fangirl's nightmare = just friends D:

@TaoBHee: Lolololol "be GAY please." I find myself thinking that all the time.

@Yuki_Hime: Yup everything about that confession was wrong :(

@HepHapBBC: FRIENDZONED HAHAHAHAHA <3

@mj_a_lover: I LOVE LAYYYYYYY.

@UndergroundMemories: Me too.

@s7herry: Ah, but Kris is a good guy.

@shesback: I surprise myself sometimes with the wisdom that comes out of my brain.

@sorrowlicher: Maybe...maybe not. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA :D

@Nakonoshi: OOoooooh you might have something there~

@Lee_HyunJae: Suffering may be a little bit strong of a word, but he is sad~

@VitaminBuns: Ah don't cry! This story isn't meant to be sad!

@AlteaAuroraRia: Tao just accepting him would have been far too easy ;)

@MeiXiah: Voilaaaaaa!

@Nikolaiklaas: I'm happy you think my words are wise :) I kind of spew them out and then realize that they're actually not bad.

@kawaiikimbap: You know the power of the tags. It's tagged Taoris and not angst or tragedy :) That's on purpose. 

@TaoMie: THE BEST?!?!?!?! THANK YOU <3

@CloudFu: Yixing is like...my favorite character. 

@MsChocoChan: It's kind of ironic how complicated all this is considering the fic is called Simple...

@VIPgal: I know right? Who can resist y duizhang?

@Kahlem: New reader <3 Ooooh I like the idea of it being like a movie. Thank you!

@JulietteShawol1: AS D.O. WOULD SAY O_O. CAN I LOVE YOU.

@cute_lulu: Here's an update for youuuuuu~

@BlueStarLover: I have watched Twinkle! I watched it the day it came out and I was fangirling over my Exo boys and my boyfriend (who is now my ex-boyfriend mwahahaha) did not approve of my fangirling.

@phoenix_taemints: I love replying to comments :)

@dark_heart: Chill Lay = awesome.

@AsianDrama: Kris IS a y beast :)

@FeliciaT: Taoris!!

@fyrefox233: Can't make it too easy~

@tarp_walls: I approve of Lay bromance. I WONDER IF YOUR SS KRISPY LAYS CAN WITHSTAND THIS CANNONBALL FROM SS TAORIS HUH? HUH? YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT. <3 Study hard~

@PikaKyuLove: Maybe, maybe not~

@K-PopDream: Voila!

♥ Exie

Bonus pictures because why the hell not. Tao's glasses, Kris's hair, and of course Taoris are just too y to keep away from y'all.