Kris sat on his sofa this early morning, his thumb was pushing the remote’s button, changing the TV channel, but his mind wasn’t on his head anymore. He was thinking about Lay a whole night that he couldn’t even sleep well.

Kris wanted to meet that pale-faced boy so much. He wanted to see his beautiful face. He wanted to touch his fragile-looked body. He wanted to feel his heart beat faster when he was with him. Kris wanted Lay so bad.

The tall boy couldn’t hold his feeling anymore. He quickly took his black sweater and blue muffler before rushing out of the house.

It wasn’t that far from Kris’ place when he saw Xiu Min walked with head ducked down, not realizing that Kris was walking in front of him. Kris frowned. It wasn’t like Xiu Min for wandering this early.

“Xiu Min?” he called the boy.

Xiu Min raised his head. He looked startled seeing Kris, not expecting he would go out in this cold morning. “K-Kris…” he said, mostly like a whispered.

A silence came between them. Xiu Min threw his gaze at anywhere but Kris. Honestly, Xiu Min didn’t want to see Kris after what he’d done last night.

“Isn’t it too early to go out?” Suddenly Kris broke the silence with his low tone.

“Yeah… maybe…” Xiu Min said with his head ducked. His voice was shaking somehow.

“Where are you going?”

“Uhh… home…”

Kris raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t come home last night?” he asked.

Xiu Min shook his head hesitantly.

“Where did you go?”

The shorter guy took a little time of silence before answering, “I… went to Tao’s place…”

Kris snorted with a contempt smile. “Ah. That little brat. He forced you to come, huh?”

“N-No!” Xiu Min said hastily. “Don’t be mad at Tao, Kris! It was my decision to come to his place!”

“Why? Why his place? Why didn’t you just go back home?!”

“Because I didn’t want to be alone!”

Another death silence before Kris let a laugh came through his firm lips. “So, you didn’t admit me, huh?!”

“It’s not like that! I… you…”

“Shut up! Now, go home.”

“B-But, Kris…”

“I said NOW!”

With no mercy, Kris pulled Xiu Min’s hand forcefully.

“K-Kris, you hurt me!” Xiu Min tried to pull his hand, but Kris grabbed it too hard. He couldn’t do anything but following Kris.

***

They arrived soon at Xiu Min’s house. Kris pushed Xiu Min into his room, not caring that Xiu Min was already sobbing loudly. “What did you do with him last night?” he asked with his cold tone.

“I didn’t do anything…” Xiu Min answered with a voice shaking with tears.

“Lie!” Kris snapped at him, making Xiu Min cried even louder.

“No! I did not do anything with him! We’re just friends!”

“Stop lying!”

“I am not lying!”

“Liar!”

“Am not! Why won’t you believe me?! I do love you! Why won’t you understand my feeling?!”

Kris looked at Xiu Min with his sharp eyes. He then spoke with his low, deep voice. “Does that Tao boy understand your feeling…?”

“He… he does…”

“So…” Kris leaned down, whispering on Xiu Min’s ear, “Why don’t you go out with him…?”

“W-what?!”

“Well… I can see that he cares about you, so why don’t you…?”

Xiu Min couldn’t say any single word hearing Kris’ phrase. His mouth was half opened, the eyes grew widen in shock.

Kris didn’t care about Xiu Min’s reaction. With an anger grin, he pushed Xiu Min down to his bed and bent on him.

“K-Kris, what are you doing?!” Xiu Min shouted in panic, but Kris still didn’t care.

“Shut up.” Kris whispered on Xiu Min’s ear, making the boy below him shivered slightly.

“N-No, Kris, stop it!” Xiu Min tried to push Kris away, but Kris was just too strong to handle.

“I said shut the up!” Kris hissed before moving down and Xiu Min’s neck harshly.

Xiu Min moaned in pain. There was no pleasure at all. He was just too scared. Kris made him scared as hell. It was just lust on Kris’ eyes, not love. The fact made tears stream down his cheeks even more.

“Stop! Kris, please stop, you hurt me!” Xiu Min cried out loud and pushed the man above him with all of his might. He then rushed into the corner of his room, sitting there and crying like he’d never been crying before. Kris torn his heart into a pieces Xiu Min couldn’t stand it.

The panting Kris just stared at Xiu Min. Without saying any single words, he took his step out of the place, leaving Xiu Min crying alone.

***

Lay rolled back and forth on his bed lazily. His father didn’t let him to go out again today, and it made him really bored. As he rolled over, he could hear someone hit his window with a pebble. Lay got up from his bed, opening the window’s curtain. He was so surprised that he found Kris was standing below his window, waving his hand at him.

The pale-faced boy opened the window wider when Kris started climbing the tree near his window and jumped in.

“How could you enter the gate? The guards will never let you in!” Lay asked once Kris landed on his room.

Kris grinned. “Sneaked in.” he answered.

“My father will kill you if he finds you’re here with me…”

“Don’t let you father or anybody else know, then.” Kris chuckled and patted Lay’s head, giving him a soft smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better now,” Lay answered.

“Is it because I’m here with you now?”

Lay let a soft chuckle came through his lips. “Are you trying to tease me?”

Kris answered it with a chuckle too. “You still look pale, you know?” he said, sitting on the edge of Lay’s bed.

“But it’s better than yesterday,” Lay said. He made a move towards Kris and sat beside him.

The older guy ruffled Lay’s hair gently with a smile on his lips. “You have to rest properly or you’ll get sick again.”

Hearing Kris’ words, Lay made a cute pout on his beautiful face. “You’re really fussy, just like my father…” he mumbled.

“It means he cares about you. So do I.”

“Why so?”

“Why so what?”

“Why do you care about me? You don’t even know me,”

Kris looked at Lay’s eyes with a gentle gaze. He pulled his hand up, caressing Lay’s pale cheek, softly. “Because you’re so fragile I can’t resist keeping you safe…” he said with his soft voice, making the younger’s cheek turned red.

“Umm…”

Suddenly they heard a row of knocks on Lay’s door. Kris jumped of shocked, making a space between them.

“Lay, are you awake?” It was Lay’s father’s voice. Thank God Lay locked the door back before.

“Get out of here!” Lay whispered, pushing Kris towards the window.

“I’ll be back right here to see you tonight. Wait for me,” Kris said before jumping to the tree and left Lay alone.

***

Xiu Min was crying on the corner of his room when Tao came bringing him a dinner. Finding his best friend in such a condition, Tao’s anger rose. He pulled Xiu Min’s hand so that the older stood in front of him. Tao looked at Xiu Min’s eyes sharply.

“Look what he has done to you! And do you still want to be with him?” Tao snapped, grabbing Xiu Min’s hand tightly.

Xiu Min sobbed even more. He pulled his hand from Tao’s and sat on the edge of his bed. “S-Sorry, Tao…”

“And what’s that?! A hickey?! He forced you to do… that thing?!”

“H-He… I…”

“What the is in your head, Xiu Min?!”

“I’m sorry, Tao…”

Tao sighed heavily. He felt his heart broke inside looking at the crying Xiu Min. “Xiu Min…” he called the older guy with low, weak voice. He cupped Xiu Min’s cheeks with his hands softly, sweeping the tears on it. “I don’t want you to be this weak… to be this… lonely…”

Hearing that, Xiu Min rushed into Tao’s embrace, he cried even louder on Tao’s chest. “I love him… so much… b-but he’s so cold I don’t even know why…”

Tao hugged Xiu Min back tightly, trying to comfort him. “Stop being like this, Ge… I beg you…” he whispered.

“I can’t… I really can’t…”

Xiu Min cried even louder Tao couldn’t do anything more. He just moved his hand to Xiu Min’s hair over and over, softly kissing the boy in his embrace’s head. He couldn’t see Xiu Min to be like this, it was tearing his heart apart.

The older guy buried his face on his beloved best friend’s chest, crying louder and louder. But even so, he felt so comfort in Tao’s embrace, he felt safe he didn’t want to let this comfort arms go. Just for now, he wanted to forget about his and Kris’ problem. He cried on Tao’s chest until his eyes felt so heavy.

Tao found there was no more sound of crying or even a sob from Xiu Min. He looked down to find that Xiu Min had fallen asleep already. He smiled seeing the peaceful face of his friend.

Carefully, Tao carried Xiu Min’s body, laying him on the bed before laying his own body beside him. “Good night, Baozi…” he whispered. Leaning down, he brushed his lips onto Xiu Min’s forehead before falling asleep with Xiu Min in his warm arms.

***

It was a late night when Kris sneaked into Lay’s room. Lay felt a bit sleepy since it was his usual time to sleep, but once he saw Kris jumped through the window, he didn’t feel sleepy at all anymore.

“Are you going to bed this early?” Kris asked, making the thinner one pouted cutely.

“It’s almost midnight.”

Kris laughed and patted Lay’s head. “You really are like a kid, Lay…”

Lay blushed hearing Kris’ words. “I’m not!” he muttered, going up to his bed and pulling his warm blanket to his chest.

Kris sat on Lay’s bed, looking at the boy. “You’re going to sleep now? I’ll be going, then,” he said. He was about to stand up but Lay touched his hand hesitantly, making him stop moving.

“Can’t… can’t you just stay here…?”

“Stay here?”

Kris could see that Lay’s cheek grew red as their hands touched. Suddenly Kris felt his heart beat even faster because of that little touch. And, what was that, Lay wanted him to stay? Kris could say it was what he wanted; to stay with the thin guy any longer.

“You can leave once I fall asleep. But it’s up to you. I’m fine if you don’t want to stay…”

“It’s fine for me too, but is it really okay? I mean, maybe somebody will come and find me here…”

“The door is locked. Nobody will come, at least for tonight,”

Kris smiled hearing the boy’s words. He then Lay’s hair softly. “I’ll stay until you fall asleep, then.” Kris said still with his soft smile. “Have a nice dream, Lay,”

Lay smiled. He held Kris’ hand tightly, taking it onto his chest before falling asleep.