He couldn't possibly do it.

"What?"

"Did you just..."

What the was he thinking?

"No!"

Was there even something which made sense in this case? Kris knew that he should be bullting his way out right then, but ultimately, there was nothing he could say to cover the fact that he did call out some other name. The worst part? The name that they had been bickering over the day before.

"Are you making fun of me?" Zi Tao asks, eyes widened incredulously.

"N-No! Please, listen to me. I can totally explain what happened!" Kris raised his voice, left hand already reached out to grab onto Zi Tao's arm right before he could leave.

"Tao—"

"Do not call me that. How dare you make fun of me!" Zi Tao fumed while he tried to pry Kris's fingers off his arms.

In a flurry, the flustered exchange student grips onto both of Zi Tao's shoulders. He pushed the younger boy into the nearest wall, and leaned in for another kiss. The second kiss they shared was a little more emotional than the first; Zi Tao reacted by struggling but reciprocating it at the end. Their lips were gliding against each other, exchanging of eye contact as they broke the open mouth kiss for the short intakes of breath. No one takes a final break from the kiss till Kris bites onto Zi Tao's swollen lower lip, and they hadn't noticed that their fingers had intertwined in the midst of their short rendezvous.

Kris lets his lips hover a little above Zi Tao's, eyes looking back and forth between the younger boy's flushed cheeks. "Please listen to me." he whispers painfully, letting out a smile when Zi Tao nods.

"I..." he starts breathlessly, "I don't know what went through me, but I swear — when we kissed, there was this... weird movie scene which made a sudden appearance in my mind." Kris steps back a little, only to be pulled back by the other boy with a light peck on the side of his lips.

Go on, Zi Tao seemed to say.

"It was as though... I was in ancient times, and I was the Emperor? Then this lady said something like 'Zi Yu now belongs to Your Majesty, Zi Yu will do anything for the Emperor.'. I know you're being skeptical, but trust me. I really — I really don't know what came over me." he rambles, stammering over a couple of words.

"It sounds like a load of nonsense, but Tao, I swear. I wasn't trying to make fun of you or anything." Kris continues, eyes staring into the other's pleadingly.

The point is, Kris wouldn't even blame Zi Tao if he pushed him and ran away, probably never wanting to see him again. It not only sounds ridiculous, if someone had told Kris that, he would have laughed and punched him in the face. How was it possible that Kris could've let something so trivial cause a reaction within him?

He lets out a relieved sigh when Zi Tao stands on his toes and slid his arms around his neck. "It's okay. You don't have to explain it to me anymore." the younger boy mumbles.

"You know," Tao breathes out.

"I was told that destiny plays a funny game. That a lifetime after people have met, the red strings of fate are pulled and they will once again meet as strangers."

Kris brushes his lips against Zi Tao's.

"It's so weird… but I think that I believe it now." he fists the hem of Kris's shirt, uncurling only when the latter tucks the stray threads of hair behind his ear.

They stay close to the other and only part unwillingly when the first bell goes off, signaling for them to get back to classes. Kris ends up getting lost, arriving in class with his head constantly bowed low while apologizing. He steps back into the corner of the class, taking his seat next to Lu Han as Amber looks over worriedly. Waving her off dismissively, Kris couldn't help but remember how imperfect everything had been just moments ago. He barely processes the fact that it had been his real first kiss with anyone at all, when he silently yelps at the pinch Lu Han had given him. It probably wasn't the best time to retaliate since they were still in class, moreover, Lu Han seemed livid. Like, really, really, mad.

"Something unpleasant travelled to my ears during lunch today. I want a proper explanation later after Math." he seethes.

Kris only nods acquiescently, eyes turning to look back down at the dull piece of paper.





Throughout the lesson, Kris finds himself throwing Zi Tao onto the front line of his thoughts; everything he did reminded him of the younger boy. Kris realizes that he has probably taken a lot more notice of Tao — more than he thought he knew of. The way Zi Tao would cover his mouth with the side of his loosely clenched fist when he giggled, or when his eyes would look to the side when he's talking about something interesting. All-in-all, Kris still doesn't understand why the mere thought of Zi Tao sends him straight into a state of confusion. He is still going to insist on the fact that they barely knew each other, and that he was probably going to die in Lu Han's hands after class… Didn't Tao say something relating to destiny and stuff earlier on? Was that it? Were they destined to be? Well, if so…

They were having some kind of ty destiny, weren't they?

Twelve days of knowing each other as friends isn't going to cut for the lifetime, alright? Then again, if the legend about whatever red strings of fate is true, then the vision he had would totally make sense. So would their heirloom stuff and all. Kris understands that it should all be coming off as creepy, and he should be distancing himself from the other boy, but it was almost impossible. Ever since he'd saw Zi Tao, a second away from him made his life less worth living. Also, can you believe it? Kris was the freaking Emperor of China (he supposes since they were speaking in mandarin with their clothes and all)! So what if it sounds really retarded when he says it — he'd always known that he was some sort of royalty in his past life or something, when his parents had brought him to this fortune teller.

Then again, the school bell just went off and Kris was getting ready to get his kicked by Lu Han.





The word livid was an understatement of how apoplectically furious Lu Han was. Every word that escaped through his mouth were through gritted teeth and in a sneering tone.

"Yi Xing told me you were making out with Tao behind the library. Is that true?" Lu Han asks, voice soft in case anyone else was eavesdropping.

Kris doesn't say a thing other than to nod his head — what more does he have to say? After a day with them, Kris had noticed that Lu Han was the popular kid in school. There was absolutely no way someone as popular as him wouldn't catch wind of something as big as this. The fact that Zi Tao and him are basically BFFs doesn't make things any easier.

"Are you trying to go against me on purpose? Even though I have warned you so many times to stay away from him? Do you understand the reason why you are here in the first place?" Lu Han crushed a piece of paper, throwing it right into the bin three tables down and scowled at him. "Listen up. You are nothing but an exchange student who is only going to be here for two weeks. Did you honestly think I don't know what you're trying to do?"

Kris wasn't sure if he'd wanted to laugh, or to get angry at what Lu Han said next. It was nothing near the truth, and he himself knew it best. How could someone put such words across so easily, when it wasn't even true?

"Stop trying to get into Zi Tao's bed. He is only fifteen, and does not need you to take his innocence away. I am fully aware that people from where you are do not take such things in importance, and I am unsure if the years you have lived there has changed you, but we are in China now and we do not appreciate undisciplined actions like this. Once again, let me remind you that he is only fifteen, and he is still a confused teenager who is unable to make choices by himself. You had better back off, otherwise I will not be letting you off the hook."

Something was off.

"Lu Han…" Kris utters under his breath.

"Do you…"

"Do you happen to like Tao as well?"




--
I am so sorry for the short chapter. It is also extremely overdue. I have been caught up in the lack of TaoRis interaction......... but no, seriously, I have not been able to focus on writing these days (anyone senses a hypocritical here? I just wrote a TaoRis fic the other day. Welp.) I'll try to wrap this up over the next few chapters, since I guess that there's not much use on trying to drag it out either... I understand that it's getting draggy. To be honest, i don't know how this will go along as well, but I do have a rough idea on it ends. I'm still in the midst of my writers' block, so.

Comments/critics and subscriptions are very much appreciated.

Why does AFF keep eating my updates??