"Tao..." a soft voice called, waking him up from his sleep. Oh, I've slept again... He let seconds pass before his eyes finally adjust. He stood up and saw Baekhyun, happily smiling at him. He couldn't help but admire him so he unconsciously stared at him, forgetting the paper he was holding.

"Who told you to sneak into my room and sleep on the floor, huh? You could sleep on my bed, you know. It's more comfortable," he said, messing Tao's hair. "Oh, what are you holding?"

Tao's face became pale and he immediately hid the paper on his back, avoiding eye contact. He shouldn't know that he had read his confession for Chanyeol! "N-nothing! Err, it's just a---"

His words were interrupted when Baekhyun suddenly snatched the paper away from him, leaving him speechless when he started reading. Baekhyun's face flushed upon reading his own handwriting.

"I-I'm sorry. I was actually arranging your books when that fell and... and don't worry, I won't tell that to Chanyeol..." he stutteringly said as he started to walk away, leaving Baekhyun frozen in his place.

Tao used all his energy to control himself from crying in front of Baekhyun. And when he was finally away from him, his tears freely flowed down like a dam. He locked himself on his room and stared at the starry sky, trying to find the brightest star to wish that the pain he was feeling would just vanish.

Two hours already passed and Tao wasn't hearing any noise, so he thought that Baekhyun was finally sleeping. He caredully walked out of his room, afraid to make any noise that will wake Baekhyun up. When he finally reached the door, he immediately ran oit of the house and headed to the nearby grocery. He would buy beer to forget his problem for a while.

After buying cans of beer, he found himself going to the direction of Kris' backyard where he can freely enter. He placed the foods he bought on the floor and grabbed the picnic cloth hanging on the tree. When the cloth was already settled, he started cracking the shells of the boiled peanuts he bought. He accidentally took a glimpse on Kris' room and saw that his lights were still on. He texted him to come and soon after, he finally came.

"Kris hyung! What took you so long?" Tao tried to make his voice lively. He saw sadness in Kris' face that made him think that maybe, they were just feeling the same: hurt and devastated. He tapped the space beside him and Kris immediately sat down.

"Don't tell me you're having a picnic at this time of the day?" Kris joked. "Why are there beers?"

Tao took a glance of the beers he was talking about, and it was just then that he realized he almost forgot about them. He enjoyed cracking peanuts too much to almost forget his ultimate goal: get drunk to forget the pain. Even for a while. "I want to forget the pain for a while, hyung..."

He looked at Kris to see his reaction, and he was right to see a hint of surprise on his face. Then he continued, staring at the dark, starry sky. "I-it hurts, hyung, to see the one you love loving someone else... To not be able to say how you feel..." He grabbed two cans of beers and gave Kris one. He immediately open the can as if he was on a marathon, in a rush to get drunk. 

"Who is it?" he heard Kris ask. 

Oh, how could he forget that Kris will surely ask questions... Maybe Kris was too overwhelmed by the fact that he was in love with someone that he won't stop bugging him if he won't tell. He took a deep breath and turned his gaze back at the sky. Somehow, he felt at peace looking at it. "Baekhyun... Byun Baekhyun." he finally said.

Tao heard a loud gasp and saw Kris in his shocked state. "W-who?" he asked after he recovered from shock. He wanted to laugh right away, only if he wasn't afraid of what Kris will do. To conceal what he really wanted to do, he pretended to be pissed. 

"Aishh hyung! I said Byun Baekhyun, the guy that Chanyeol dates..." he said in an irritated way, eyeing Kris from his side. He was shocked when he saw him smile, a smile of... defeat?

"If they're happy then let them be. Let's not interfere..." Kris calmly said as he tapped Tao's shoulder. 

"Hyung?! How could you? You won't even try to..."

"What's the use of trying when you already know you'll just lose in the end?" Kris cut Tao's words. "Just be happy for them. Don't be selfish..." Kris added, more likely convincing himself. Tao sighed in disbelief. He didn't expect that his normally courageous hyung had some hidden cowardice inside his body.

"W-what if they were just waiting for someone to confess to them?" Tao insisted, not wanting to give up. Kris' eyebrows furrowed. "That's crazy." Was all he could answer.

"I know you love Chanyeol..." Tao said, his brows furrowed together. Hyung, sorry for using you...

Seconds passed before Kris could answer. He smiled and drank his beer before he spoke. "Was I that obvious?"

Tao stretched his arms upward, letting out a deep, long breath. "Yeah. Pretty obvious."

"Then why would Chanyeol not notice it? He should be the first one to notice it." 

Tao was taken aback. He didn't know what to answer. He slumped himself in deep thoughts, putting the right words to say. When he finally completed his thoughts, he blurted them out. 

"Maybe he's afraid, or maybe, you didn't make it clear enough for him to understand..."

"N-not clear enough?"

Tao wanted to hit his friend's head with a stone, only if he didn't know that Kris, too, was already in pain. Why can't he just go and confess to the one he loved before it's too late? Before Chanyeol will be gone from him... and Baekhyun... from him, too?

"Uh-huh. Maybe you're giving him some mixed-signals.. You know..." he answered, hoping that Kris would realize what he was trying to say and do. 

After a few seconds of fighting from himself, Kris excused himself and bowed. "I.. I'll go in first. Goodnight, Tao."

Chicken, he thought as he watched his friend walk away in hurry. He could just wish that Kris would wake up from his cowardice and confess right away.

A chicken like you? a mocking voice inside his head said, making him groan in frustration.

Tao woke up with a heavy feeling. He felt like his whole world was spinning. He glanced at the clock beside his bed. 

1pm.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

But it was not the time that shocked him. It was Baekhyun who was glaring at him, with his arms crossed and eyebrow raised. If not for the heavy feeling he was in, he probably would have laughed of the way he looked. He looked like a mom who was about to nag her son, minus the long hair and the feminine looks.

"Who told you to get drunk and pass out on someone's backyard?" he said. Tao bowed his head, trying to remember what happened last night......

Tao looked at the empty cans of beers. "Five down, three to go..." he groggily said while opening another one and immediately drank it. He felt so light, so light that he wanted to lie down on his bed and sleep. His eyelids felt so heavy as if they would shut down in no time.

Was he drunk already?

No. Maybe not yet, because he could still feel the pain. The pain of knowing that Baekhyun is in love with Chanyeol. Don't they say that when you're drunk, you'll forget your problems for a while? So in his case, 5 cans of beers weren't still enough. He needed more. But how much more? Even if he drink tons of beer, he knew it wouldn't be enough to ease the pain he was feeling. 

Minutes passed and all that could be heard was the soft sound of the night wind that brought chills to his body. "Baek...Baekhyun..babo..." those words escaped from his mouth. His mind was already blank, and his actions were just automatic. "Oh.. One beer to..t-to go," then he grabbed the remaining can. He tried to open it, but he seemed too weak he had a hard time opening it. He was laughing crazily as he put all his effort in opening the can when a hand harshly grabbed the beer away from his hand. With a blurry vision, he tried to figure out who it was.

"O-oh! Baek.. Hmm... Bacon-ah!" he exclaimed as he added a laughter. His vision was already spinning, but he would care less. He wanted to laugh and laugh and laugh until he feels okay, even if he didn't onow why. He seemed like he was a different person that time.

"You're drunk," Baekhyun stated, kneeling down to match their heights.

"I-I am?" he foolishly asked, then chuckled. He stared at Baekhyun's face, like he was memorizing each and every part of it. "My heart... is just broken.. by... by someone I love. I need to... forget..." he said, then all he could see was Baekhyun's figure slowly eaten up by darkness...

Tao's naturally small eyes grew big upon remembering his actions. He was drunk! And God knows what he did or said after he passed out... Did he unintentionally confessed? He unconsciously stared at Baekhyun. His face blushed upon looking his mocking face. 

Did he really...?

"So, what does it feel like to get drunk, huh? Does it feel good?" he sarcastically asked.

Tao bowed his head down, unable to meet Baekhyun's eyes.

"W-what... what did I do or say after I... after I passed out?" he asked in a small voice. He interlaced his fingers together while waiting for his response. He knew he'll be deemed for the rest of his life if he found out about his secret.

No. Not not. It's not the right time. And there would be no right time. Baekhyun loves Chanyeol. And who knows? Chanyeol might love him back. If Baekhyun learns about his feelings for him, he'll surely pity him and he would surely force himself to love him back as a sign of his gratitude towards him.

He didn't like that idea. Both of them would just end up hurting each other. And who knows... Baekhyun might even hate him from stealing away his happiness.

He closed his eyes while he patiently waited for his answer. He felt him sat on his bed. He eyed Baekhyun from his side and saw him staring at the floor, like he was debating himself whether to say something or not. He felt his heart stopped beating. He unconsciously held his breath as he realized something: he really did say something!

"Tao..." Baekhyun spoke in a soft voice. "You said something last night... But I don't know whether to believe it or not since you're too drunk and out of yourself." then he stared at Tao, trying to catch his eyes. And he didn't fail. Tao stared at him back, eyes showing no expression. Tao saw him gulp, and beads of sweat slowly formed on his forehead.

Wait, shouldn't he be the one to act that way?

Tao felt his body being dragged in his bed. He felt that someone was releasing his shoes from his feet, then followed by someone undressing his shirt. 

"Panda-boo, get up. We need to remove your shirt," a gentle voice spoke. His eyes remained close as he obediently did what he said. He was already shirtless when he realized something.

"Y-yah!" his drunken voice echoed through the corners of the room. "Who gave you permission to call me 'panda-boo'?!" he exclaimed as he tried to open his eyes and weakly grabbed the person in his collar. The guy didn't bulge, not even complaining even when he was nearly choked with Tao's clutch. "Only one person could call me that. Baek... Baekhyun... Only him because he gave me that nickname!" 

"But I'm Baekhyun." he heard him say.

He gave him a sharp glare and stared at his face even when his vision was failing him to get a good glance of his face. "Don't lie to me! Though... Though you kinda look like him... But still! He won't care about me since he only cares about his... his Chanyeol," then he added a bitter laugh. He let go of his collar and tiringly laid his back down to his bed.

"You know... I love that playboy," he found himself saying. He felt like he wanted to tell this stranger all that he felt because if he won't, his heart would surely explode. He heard a loud gasp coming from the starnger but he just ignored it. "He didn't know because... because I'm a good actor. I don't want him to know because I don't want our friendship to end..." he added as he found himself lurked into the darkness...

Tao took a deep breath and stared outside the window, trying to find the courage that had been taken away from him this past five months. He already knew, he just needed to explain.

"It's true. I think of you more than a friend..." he started, trying to avoid looking at his face. He didn't want to see his reaction, not now that he already gained enough courage. "I don't know when it started. Was it the time I first saw you on your prince costume? Or was it the time that we got closer? I don't know. What I know is that my heart beats for you."

He felt tears running down his cheeks, but he would care less. What was important now was to let him know about his feelings for him. He was too tired to hide his feelings, too tired to pretend he didn't matter.

"Please don't pity me, or say that you love me too because you feel the same because I clearly know you don't. I only have my pride left with me, you know..."

"Tao, I have to---"

"Wait!" he cut his words. He didn't want to hear him reject his feelings. Not now. Not now that he feels too weak. "D-don't answer, please. Somehow, I already expect what your answer would be like. Don't worry, maybe I'll just be sad for a while... and then I'll gradually be okay. You know? I might even forget those feelings..." he said as he added a lifeless laugh. 

"But I don't want you to forget those! Dammit!" Baekhyun angrily bolted out as he harshly grabbed one of Tao's arms and envelope his body with his embrace. Tao froze in his place, unable to comprehend Baekhyun's actions.

"B-Baekhyun---"

"Sshh... Let me talk first," he said in a gentle tone, opposite of what he used a while ago. Then he slightly let go of him, but not completely freeing him from his embrace. Then he stared at his eyes... They were like... they were hiding a secret. A secret that he didn't know if he wanted to hear right then, later, or maybe next time. He's confused, and his confusion was making him more curious. 

"I love you." he heard him say. He bit his lip and controlled the urge to punch him. Just as he thought, he would definitely say that. Some gratitude he treasured...

"How could you say that when it is clearly seen that you love Chanyeol? You even wrote that letter for him," he snorted.

Baekhyun's face lit up and he cupped Tao's face and hit his forehead. "Aww! Yah!"

"Babo panda... It was for you, that letter is intended for you."

Tao furrowed his brows. How could that be? "Don't fool me. I saw the letter C on it. It's for Chanyeol. And besides, you two are dating. Baekhyun, it's really okay if you don't feel the same. Just be honest with me and I---" his words were cut when Baekhyun claimed his lips, a good way to shut him up.

Baekhyun already ended the kiss but he was still frozen on his place, unable to even blink an eye. What did he just do? He woke up from his thoughts when he heard Baekhyun chuckling.

"Oh, that C..." Baekhyun said as he covered his mouth to control his laughter. Tao, who was confused with his actions, couldn't help but to listen to his hearty laugh as it gave him a peaceful feeling. Hearing him laugh makes him at peace. "It's a smiley, idiot."

It took him several seconds for his mind to absorb what he said. A smiley? He tried to remember what the paper looked like...

"Maybe you didn't see the dots because it was crumpled, hmm?" Baekhyun said in a teasing tone. But it didn't make Tao feel any better.

"Then tell me why you and Chanyeol are dating." he demanded, his voce turned serious.

Baekhyun's face turned into a serious one as he started talking. "Do you remember the first time we met? When I woke up, I thought heck, did I just find my angel? And I was right, I found my angel in you. You make me smile with those innocent actions, with those witty remarks, with those simple things you say..." he paused, then continued. "I noticed you also have that feelings for me, but you're trying to suppress it with reasons I don't know. I was like, man, what's wrong with loving me? So I thought I should use Chanyeol to make you jealous.

Ever since the first time I met Chanyeol, I already knew whom he loves, and that is Kris. So I thought it'll be safe to kind of use him since I knew from the start that he'll just reject me. And I tried to observe you, trying to see if you'll loosen up a bit. 

But instead of confronting me, you avoided me and just went to Kris' backyard and drowned yourself with alcohol. You didn't know but I was watching you from the window of my room... And when I saw you almost passing out, I decided to fetch you already. And you just don't know how happy I was to hear that you love me."

Tao tried to absorb all of Baekhyun's confessions. He felt so happy he suddenly felt afraid they were just a dream. He pinched his arm to know if he was just dreaming. He felt pain so obviously, he wasn't. He let out a relieved laugh, softly until he started crying while laughing. He might look crazy, but who cares? He felt so happy.

"I'm normally a courageous person, but with you, I feel like l gained all the cowardice in the world. I'm a coward when it comes to you so I even pretended to like someone else... I'm so sorry, panda-boo... I'm sorry if I hurt you. I just feel insecure that I wanted an assurance that you also feel the same towards me." Baekhyun emotionally said, eyes starting to moisten but he managed not to cry. He dried Tao's cheeks using his fingers, wiping them with so much love and gentleness, like he was the most precious gem in the world. Well, literally, Tao's his most precious someone.

Tao couldn't help but to cry more, too much happiness was overtaking him. He smiled lovingly as he cupped Baekhyun's face and gave him a kiss that will make him know how much he loves him. A kiss that will seal their new relationship.

A/N: NO! Don't request some TaoRis and BaekYeol fics from me...

That OTPs are banned on my stories! Hahaha XD KrisYeol.

Just KrisYeol, the rolling buffaloes/Twin Towers couple <3

SPOILER ALERT #1: The part where Chanyeol will reject Baekhyun will be included on the hidden chapters.

Hidden chapters will include either the past and/or future of the couples :)

SPOILER ALERT #2: preview to the next sub-story...

Pairing: Suho/Lay

Summary: Because taming the playboy could never be that easy...