.

 

 

 

Tao woke up to a pair of unfamiliar big round, bug-eyes staring at him from above, just hovering.

 

"AHHH!" Tao screamed, and threw a fist out reflexively, which hit the owner of said the big bug-eyes, well, in the eye.

 

In all the excitement Tao jumped up on the bed, only to slip on some sheets and blankets, lose balance, falling face first on the floor. 

 

"OWW!" both Tao and the intruder cried in unison.

 

 

 

"He tackled me and punched me in the eye," claimed the bug-eyed person with ramyun-noodle-like hair. It's light brown, lengthy, curly, and not a very pleasing look (in Tao's opinion). Oh, and he was holding a pack of ice to his eye which Baekhyun had got him, who was prepare something at the wide open kitchen that flowed into the dining area and living room. (FYI: The place looked big and expensive)

 

"I thought you were trying to attack me. And I didn't even tackle you," Tao wanted to made clear.

 

"I was checking to see how you were," said the noodle-haired person, who was wiping water off on his pants which was melting from the ice pack.

 

"So close? And why was I !?" Tao exclaimed. Though, he's clothe now, but not his own clothes. They belonged to 'Bug-Eyes', since his are apparently being washed and Baekhyun's clothes are too small for him.

 

"We dragged your drunken in the guest room and you just started doing a striptease. And you flung your underwear in my face," said Bug-Eyes, frankly.

 

Tao grimaced. "I what?"

 

"You barfed on yourself so I helped you out of your clothes. I'm not sure how your underwear came off."

 Baekhyun finally joined in the conversation, instead of just listening to the ridiculousness.

 

"Oh. Eww." Tao dropped his head, a bit embarrassed. Then he frowned. "Wait, where am I? Why am I here? Who are you?" He pointed a finger at the Bug-Eyes.

 

"He's Chanyeol. This is his place." Baekhyun walked over to them, where they were seated in the dining area with a bowl of something in his hands and placed it on the dining table. "You had a bit too much to drink with your patron last night. You passed out and we didn't know where you lived so I agreed to take you home. Well... his home. I'm just staying for a while."

 

Chanyeol took Baekhyun's hand in his, while still seated, and looked up at the latter with a pout. "Why can't you just admit I'm your boyfriend to everyone and just move in with me already?"

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, shaking the other off, before looking back at Tao. "He's a pathological liar. Don't listen to him. Here, have some haejangguk?" He pushed the bowl he had brought out towards Tao.

 

"What's haejangguk?" Tao moved in with his chair to examine this orangy-red soup with veggies and other stuff inside.

 

Chanyeol randomly began hugging Baekhyun around the waist and nuzzling the latter with his noodley head of hair while seated (the other was still standing). "Baekhyunnie, my bacon to my egg. My Piglet to my Pooh. My Jerry to my Tom. My..."

 

"Get off me, you crazy." Beakhyun pushed the other away via the palm to face method. "It's hangover soup," he told Tao.

 

"But I don't have a hango-" Tao was saying before...

 

A glass cup magically appeared in Chanyeol's hand and began clicking it with a fork, what else?

 

"Oww, ow, ow. Stop it!" Tao covered his ears in agony. The sound of clinking glass was amplified like a 100 times and his head was aching like crazy.

 

Chanyeol seemed to he enjoying Tao's misery until Baekhyun smacked in the back of the head. "Ow, hey! He punched me in the eye first." 

 

After Chanyeol was done whining and pouting to Baekhyun, and even tried for a kiss but just got a palm-to-face push away, he left for his afternoon classes. Apparently, he was younger than Baekhyun.

 

"So what happen?" Baekhyun asked, now that he and Tao were alone.

 

"What do you mean?" Tao tried the hangover soup which was pretty good (but only when you have a hangover, if you're sober stay away).

 

"You usually don't go overboard on the alcohol with the patrons and we're not suppose to. But it seems last night you actually did want to get drunk. And I heard from the others that Kris guy came again and told people he was your fiance. Is that true?"

 

Tao laughed bitterly and began telling Baekhyun everything from the 'first date' Namsoon Tower to his meeting with Kris' mother as Kris' 'fiance' to their latest kiss. 

 

"I thought... to think I actually..." Tao struggled with himself. "...No. It's not real."

 

"You felt something, didn't you?" Baekhyun summed it up.

 

"Maybe? I don't know." Tao dropped, faced down on the dining table. "But it doesn't matter anymore. It's all a lie." He continued on as he muffled into the table. "I was only his scapegoat to fool her mother. And I was a fool to believe anything he ever said to me was sincere. I'm such a fool."

 

Tao sniffed, trying to keep the lump in his throat from rising. Baekhyun tried to comfort the boy by patting his shoulder and rubbing his back, all the while Tao was still faced down on the table.

 

 

 

Tao took the subway train home (Kris' place). He absentmindedly took his phone out, and turned it on, remembering he had turned it off before work started. When the main screen came on there were countless messages, from Kris:

 

"I'll pick you up after work."

 

"Where are you?"

 

"I'm still waiting."

 

"I'm coming in."

 

"They said you left. Are you going home yourself? I'm driving back now."

 

"I'm home, but I don't see you. Where are you?"

 

"Why are you not answering your phone? Are you out of batteries?"

 

"I'm going to find you."

 

"I don't know where you are. I'm going home."

 

"I'm home, and you're still not..."

 

"Have you finally decided to runaway from me?"

 

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. See you tomorrow."

 

"I can't sleep. Are you coming back yet? ...Are you coming back?"

 

Tao was confused. He didn't know what to take this as. 'Does he actually care... about me?' Tao wondered.

 

 

 

Tao got back to Kris' place and what he saw was Kris curled up on the the couch with cushions between his legs and wrapped in his arms. It was an unexpected sight. He looked totally harmless, flawless, perfect, Tao thought.

 

It was as though he was a entranced, and he was lured towards Kris. Kneeling down in front of Kris, Tao poked the other's cheek (I know, odd). He didn't remember them being so squishy. He poked them again, and then it happened. A large hand grabbed Tao by the forearm and the next thing he knew he was flipped over on his back on the couch.

 

Kris got on top, arm propping his body up over Tao and staring down at him. "Where have you been?"

 

Tao gulped at first but after a moment a sudden courage came over him. "Why do you care?" Tao turned his gaze to the side to avoid Kris'.

 

The other sighed, and somehow softened. "Of course, I care."

 

"You only care 'cuz you might lose your scapegoat."

 

"My what?" Kris loosen his grip.

 

Tao took the chance, pushing Kris away and got up. "Your scapegoat. That's what I am right? So you don't have to be stuck in some arrange marriage by your mother, or family, or whatever."

 

"..." Kris faltered.

 

"I knew it!" Tao burst.

 

"No! It's not true. It just happened that way. It was..." Kris ruffled his own hair a bit to think of a word. "...convenient." Ok, that was kinda bad. "But I really do like you."

 

Tao shook his head. "I don't believe you. I can't believe anything you say anymore. Once I find a place I'm moving out."

 

Kris had a pained look on his face. Then the next second he rushed in front of Tao and cornered him. "You can't move out. And you have to stop working at that Black Panther place."

 

Kris looked serious and Tao hesitated, especially now being so close, again. "W-why should I?"

 

"Because..." Kris paused and started sniffing Tao. "You smell like alcohol. If I have to guess, last night you got drunk with one of those women there, and you left with her, and something happen. Am I right?" he asked, looking at the other intensely.

 

"No, you're wrong. I wouldn't do that kinda thing. I drank too much and one the hosts, no, a friend brought me back to his place, and I just slept there. That's it," Tao explained.

 

Kris face relaxed. "I see. Still, I don't think that a place for you to work at."

 

Tao glowered and pushed Kris away. "Like I care what you think." He ran off to the stair and slammed the door to his room.

 

'I have to get out of here, fast.' Tao thought.

 

 

 

 

 

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Authors Note

*sighs* Finally, new chapter yes! It's getting a bit more intense now. And it gets hotter in the next chapter to make up for trolling you all with those dream sequences XD

 

How you all think of Chanyeol? I think I might have made him too child-like though...

 

OHHH! And THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the subbies. I never thought this story for reach over 300. This was totally an experimental story I didn't think I would even continue after the first two chapters. So thanks for continuing to read this story even with all my slooooow updates. ^.^'

 

Just for random fun, if Tao were turned into a cat what type of cat would he be?

 

 

 

 

 

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