“Which way?” Yixing asks, holding Kris tightly. They’re back ‘outside’, walking along the scribble path. It seems to have gotten colder, and the music that resounds around them is getting a lower and lower pitch. Yixing doesn’t like it.

“I say we go that way,” Kris says, pointing to a path heading off to the east.

“OK.”

They follow the path, discovering yet another building they haven’t attempted to enter just yet. Yixing fiddles with the door knob, and lets out a sigh.

“Try the key?”

Kris nods, stepping forward. There’s a click, and the door opens. The room is almost completely empty, the walls white and clean. A large, blue box sits in the middle of the room, its lid heavy.

“What do you think it is?” Yixing asks. Kris runs his fingers across the top, fiddling with a clasp that locks it on the side.

“It’s a toy box,” he responds.

“Should we look inside?” Yixing asks.

“Probably. There might be another key,” Kris answers, opening the lid. All he can see is darkness. Like everything else in this stretch of the gallery, it is like a child has drawn it; there is only a thin blue line around a thick black scrawl.

“I can say I see the bottom,” Kris says.

“Do you think there could be a key?” Yixing breathes.

“What are you looking for?”

Yixing shrieks as he tries to turn, to face that voice. It’s Tao, but everything goes dark; he cannot see! The scenery changes. Yixing is lying by himself on a dark floor, one lined with horrifying, childlike drawings of skeletons and corpses. There’s blood on the floor around him, but Yixing mustn’t be too injured. He can still move.

“Where am I?” he mutters.

“Kris?”

Upon a lack of response, Yixing examines his surroundings. There’s creepy looking dolls, the heads of statues, odd clowns made of cloth sewed together around stuffing, a broken toy train. They’re all bigger than Yixing.

“Kris?” Yixing repeats.

He feels around the ground. Where is the red rose? Yixing picks himself up, walking to the edge of the strange room. He does a circuit of it, but there is no exit that he can see, aside from a small gap that is blocked off by two dolls that tower over him.

He can’t find his rose.

“Kris?” Yixing calls, worry evident in his tone.

“Xing?” a voice calls back. Yixing breathes a sigh of relief, trying to find the direction of the voice.

“Kris?” he repeats.

“Xing? Where are you?” Kris shouts. Yixing runs forward, meeting familiar limbs.

“Kris!” The taller teen looks injured, holding his head in his hands.

“I think I hit my head,” he whispers. Yixing removes his hand carefully, running his fingers along Kris’ forehead. There’s a small bruise, but little else.

“It doesn’t look too bad,” he tells him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

“I… I thought I’d lost you!” Yixing cries. Kris gives Yixing a comforting rub on the shoulder, holding him close.

“Shh, it’s OK. Are you OK? Are you hurt?”

Yixing shakes his head.

“Do you know where we are?” Kris asks. Yixing shuffles closer.

“I have an idea… but you’re not going to like it,” he says.

“What is it?”

“I think we’re in the toy box. Tao pushed us in.” Kris lets out a strangled cry.

“So it wasn’t just my imagination, that I heard his voice…” Yixing nods.

“How do we get out?” he breathes.

“I don’t know…” Yixing responds slowly.

Kris checks Yixing over, letting out an uneasy sigh.

“Xing, you’re really pale…”

“I…” Yixing collapses into Kris’ arms before he can complete his sentence.

“Xing?”

Kris looks for his lover’s rose, but he cannot find it, he cannot feel the familiar texture of the roses’ stalk, or any of its petals.

“Xing? Where’s your rose?” Yixing shrugs.

“You had it before, so it must be in the toy box somewhere! We have to find it!” Kris shouts, picking up the teen. Yixing shakes his head.

“No, Kris. I don’t think I lost it… We need to find a key. If we find a key here, we’ll be able to get out…”

“Xing…” Kris says warily.

“Don’t worry about me…”

Kris places the boy on his shoulder, making his way along the walls of the toy box. He tries his best not to look at any of the dolls, for their beady eyes stare out at him hungrily.

“Here!” Kris shouts, leaning down. He picks up a pink key from the floor, twirling it in his hands. Now, to find a door.

“What’s this? A present for me?” a familiar voice chides behind them.

“Tao?” Kris yells. Yixing points reluctantly into the darkness.

“He’s there.”

All Kris can see of Tao is his pale face and darkened eyes. Tao steps forward, twirling a red rose between his fingertips. Yixing’s red rose.

“My, it’s such a beautiful flower, don’t you think?” Tao says cordially.

“Such a beautiful gift, Yixing. I will cherish it forever.” 

Kris growls, stepping forward.

“Tao,” he says threateningly.

“Oh, Kris. Yixing. My, what a pleasant surprise,” he says cheerily.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

Tao smirks.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” he whispers.

Kris lowers Yixing to the floor, careful not to bump his head. He presses his fingers to Yixing’s wrist, gasping as he feels how weak the smaller teen’s pulse is.

“Tao… that rose…” Kris splutters.

“Huh? What about it?” Tao asks innocently.

“Please, give that back to Yixing!”

“You want it back?” Tao asks, directing his question to Yixing. Yixing lets out a groan of pain.

“I suppose I could give it back…” he says thoughtfully.

“If I can trade for Kris’s rose!”

Yixing’s eyes widen.

“Kris’s rose is a beautiful blue. I like red, but I like the colour blue even more,” Tao explains.

“So, will we trade?”

Yixing stifles his pain, dragging himself into a sitting position. He pulls on Kris’ arm, making the taller fall to his knees. Yixing pushes his hand to Kris’ neck, wrapping his arm around him.

“Don’t,” he whispers.

“You’re… you’re dying, Xing,” Kris whispers. Yixing stares at Kris longingly, his warm eyes searching the blonde’s feverishly.

“Don’t!” Yixing repeats. Kris pulls away from him.

“I have to," he breathes.

Kris gingerly places his hand in his pocket, pulling out his rose for Tao.

“I… understand your wishes,” Kris begins, “Please… give me Yixing’s rose in exchange for mine.”

“No!” Yixing screams.

“What a beautiful rose,” Tao says, snatching at it.

“Much better than this worthless one…”

Tao throws Yixing’s rose to the ground and runs off. Kris quickly scoops up the red rose, running over to Yixing. He places the rose in Yixing’s hand, and whispers sweet nothings lovingly in his ear. Yixing feels better the second the rose hits his skin, but he feels sickened to think that Kris has given up the only thing keeping alive. 

“I’m so sorry!” Yixing cries, running his hands through Kris’ hair. Kris shakes his head, burying his nose in the crook of Yixing’s shoulder.

“Why are you apologizing?” he laughs.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Xing. Alright?” Yixing touches his cheek, wiping away a tear. Kris takes his hand, removing it.

“Don’t look so down,” Kris says.

“But-”

“Come, Xing. My rose… we’ll just have to catch Tao and get it back, won’t we?” he says happily.

“I have a feeling we’re almost there, Xing. Let’s go our best!”

Yixing isn’t entirely convinced. He takes Kris’ hand as the taller teen leads him towards the exit of the toy box.

“Oh God…” Yixing whispers.

The toys have started to move. The dolls are tilting their heads to the side, following his every move. The toy train comes hurdling towards them, its front lights flickering.

“Watch out!” Yixing shouts.

They only have mere seconds, and Yixing does the only thing he knows he can to protect Kris. He pushes him out of the way.

“Xing!” Kris shrieks.

The train rams into the younger teen, and he’s left on the floor, limbs splayed at awkward angles. Two rose petals hit the floor. Yixing groans, hauling himself off the ground. He’s hurt, badly. But the dolls still move, and the train is rounding a bend for a second flight.

“Get to the door!” Yixing screams.

But Kris is frozen, staring down a clown.

“Kris?”

Snapped out of his reverie, Kris runs towards him, lungs heaving. Kris has become weaker, and Yixing must hold the teen in his arms in order for them to progress to the door.

“The key?” Yixing asks. Kris presses his hand into his pocket, pulling it out. He hands the key to the two dolls on guard, and they let them pass.

“Ah!” Kris screams.

Yixing looks around, but nothing has followed them. They’re in a new kind of hallway, the ground looks like a ladder of some sort; a ladder leading into the sky. Yixing can’t understand his surroundings.

“Kris, are you OK?”

Kris clutches his stomach, doubling over in pain. Yixing’s eyes widen. It looks like someone has stabbed him. There’s a large, gaping hole in his side, and blood freely cascades down his torso.

“Kris!”

Yixing holds him tightly, too scared to let go. Kris lets out another grunt, and a newly formed cut slices its way down his left arm. More blood. Too much blood.

“Stay with me!” Yixing screams. He carries Kris as fast as he can down the corridor, almost tripping over his own feet. He has to catch Tao.

“He loves me…”

There’s a chuckle from somewhere down the corridor, and Tao shivers. Kris lets out a gasp.

“He loves me not…”

A screech, and Kris falls, crumpled over. His legs are bleeding hideously, and Yixing wants to throw up. There are blue petals scattered on the ground.

“Tao!” Yixing shouts. Another creepy, eerie laugh.

“He loves me…”

Yixing gasps. Kris falls out of his grip, lying on the floor in pain. He holds his chest, and Yixing finds an incision across his heart. Kris rolls on the floor until he stills, his breathing raspy.

“Go… go on without me, Xing,” he breathes. Yixing shakes his head, tears stinging his eyes.

“I can’t,” he whispers, running a hand over Kris’ forehead.

“I’m sorry,” Kris chokes out.

“I’m so sorry Xing… I don’t think… I can’t be with you…” Kris closes his eyes, scrunching them up in pain. He’s far too pale now.

“Kris, I-”

“Go! If… I’ll try, Xing. If I can… if you’re in trouble… I’ll always run to you…”

Yixing lets out a painful sob as he scrunches his fists up, his fingernails digging into his skin. He blinks his tears away as he runs forward, cursing at his short legs that he’s not faster. Yixing will retrieve that blue rose.

“Tao!” Yixing shrieks down the corridor.

“Oh, Yixing!”

The voice is behind him, and Yixing lets out a scream of surprise. Tao runs the palette knife along his neck, drawing a thin line of blood. Yixing gasps, trying to get away, but somehow Tao has looped his hands around Yixing’s, holding him in place.

“What are you looking for?” he breathes into Yixing’s ear, plunging the knife deeper. Yixing howls.

“Looking for this?” He holds the rose in front of Yixing’s face. There’s only one petal left; the rest the dark-haired boy has torn away.

“Give it back!” Yixing shouts at him.

“Or what?” Tao breathes, tightening his grip on Yixing’s arms.

“You’re not in a position to threaten me…”

Tao drops the rose to the floor, digging his nails into Yixing’s arm. He pushes Yixing further down the pathway, moving him through a door and into a small room. There’s a lone portrait on the wall beyond the door, of Tao.

“What are you going to do, now there’s no Kris to save you?” Tao says with a smirk. He throws Yixing to the floor, climbing up above him.

Yixing lets out a cry as Tao s his foot forward, catching Yixing in the stomach. Yixing writhes around, trying to get away, but he soon finds his back pressed to the wall. Tao crouches down before him, running his tongue over the knife, lapping up Yixing’s blood. He presses it to Yixing’s cheek right below his eye. He runs his tongue along Yixing’s jawline, ending with his earlobe. Yixing shivers, and the knife presses deeper, earning Tao a groan of discomfort.

“You’re not going to make it out of this gallery alive,” Tao whispers threateningly into his ear.

“You’re going to keep me company, you’re going to be my friend…” he says excitedly.

“For all eternity.”

Tao presses his lips to Yixing’s kissing them softly. Yixing tries to push him away, but Tao drags the knife downwards until it is resting on Yixing’s collarbone, a trail of blood following in its wake. Tao curls his fingers around Yixing’s rose, ripping off a petal. As he does so, he s the knife into Yixing’s shoulder blade, leaving the teen howling.

“Tao… stop!” Yixing shrieks. Tao shakes his head.

“Not until you say you’ll be with me forever!”

Yixing bites his tongue as Tao trails the knife down his chest, resting it on his stomach. Yixing will not give in.

“Pity…” Tao says, running a hand down Yixing’s cheek.

“We could have been very close friends.”

Tao lets his hand trail lower, until it is resting on Yixing’s crotch. Yixing inhales sharply as Tao begins to press his fingers forward.

“Don’t!” Yixing cries.

“Tao!”

Yixing's eyes widen. He quickly turns, catching the sight of a very angry looking Kris. Kris hurdles towards Tao, ramming into him and pushing him off of Yixing. Yixing hears a thud nearby as Tao hits the floor, watching in horror as the two taller teens roll around on the floor.

“You should be dead!” he screams, knife in hand. Yixing sits staring at the events unfolding before him. Kris is hunched over. He’s got his lighter in one hand, his blue rose in the other.

“Tao, leave Yixing alone!” he says with authority. Tao smirks.

“How are you going to fight me?” he asks. It is Kris’ turn to smirk.

“Fight fire with fire,” he breathes.

Kris runs forward, throwing a punch at Tao’s jaw. Tao doubles over, and Kris takes this opportunity to step forward, standing right beneath the portrait of Tao.

“You wouldn’t!” Tao shouts at him, horrified. He pushes himself up off the ground, making a lunge for Kris.

“Oh, I would!” Kris yells.

He holds the lighter up, flicking the clasp. Tao screeches as a red and yellow flame the air.

“Say goodbye!” Kris shouts.

He holds the lighter higher still, until the flame touches the edge of the portrait. The flames rise hungrily, engulfing the portrait in burning embers.

“Stop!” Tao shrieks.

Yixing watches on in fascination, as Tao’s fingers seem to catch alight. He stands back, looking up to the sky, tears falling from his eyes. Yixing feels sorry for Tao. He thinks Tao must be desperate; so lonely in such a strange place, all by himself. Yixing pushes this feeling aside. Tao’s hurt him and Kris. He’s insane.

“Make it stop!” Tao shrieks, holding his hands out.

The fire soon engulfs him, dancing up his skin. Yixing watches as Tao seems to turn to ashes, his being scattering all over the floor. His eyes seem to melt out of their sockets, like plastic melting in the sun on a hot day. It’s painful to watch. Tao howls and howls as the fire dances over his skin, burning him apart. Yixing presses his hands to his ears, trying to make the sounds stop. It hurts. It hurts so much.

“Xing!” Kris shouts, doubling over.

“Kris!” Yixing pushes himself up off the floor, crawling across the room to Kris. He helps the blonde up, letting Kris sling his arm over his shoulder.

“I… I think it’s over now,” Yixing tells him softly.

“Good…”

Kris is weak. Kris is so weak, but he pushed himself to save Yixing. He must have heard him screaming, Yixing thinks.

“Take this…” Yixing tells him, handing him his handkerchief. Kris cannot formulate words, so Yixing gives him a small smile. He presses the handkerchief to Kris’ forehead, wiping away the blood. Kris tries to push him away.

“Don’t, you’ll ruin it,” Kris explains, his voice like sandpaper.

“It’s OK, Kris,” Yixing responds, placing it in his pocket.

“Think of it as a gift…” Yixing lifts Kris, looking around. Behind the former portrait of Tao, there is a hole just big enough for the pair to fit through.

“This way…” Yixing begins. He has a good feeling.

The pair follows the path along, finding themselves at the front door of the art gallery. There are no lights, just the eerie glow cast from the street lamps outside.

“This place looks familiar…”

A vase sits at the reception desk, and Yixing is quick to place both his and Kris’ roses into it. Yixing smiles are relief floods over him. Kris sighs, holding Yixing close.

“Where to next?” he asks, pressing his lips to Yixing’s forehead.

“I don’t know…”

The pair walk along the lower level. They find themselves in front of the same portrait that led them into this strange gallery.

“??? World,” Yixing says loudly.

“Do you think…?” Kris nods, reading below it.

“Fabricated World. Once you go in, there’s no going back. All your time here will be lost. Will you jump in?”

Yixing throws Kris a quick sideward glance, questioningly. Does that mean…?

“We try it,” Kris says. It breaks his heart to say it, but it’s the only way they can get back to reality.

“Even if it means losing…” Yixing nods, tears in his eyes.

“I don’t know if I can…” he lets out a strangled sob. Kris draws him close, letting his fingers trace their way down Yixing’s spine, tingling at the sensation of Yixing in his arms.

“It’s the only way,” Kris breathes.

“I’ll go in first.”

Kris steps forward, agonizingly slow. He presses his palm against the canvas, gasping as it falls through. He takes a step forward, leaping into the canvas. He pokes his head out, staring back at Yixing.

“Are you coming?” he asks, holding his hand out.

“Yixing?”

Yixing gapes.

“What’s going on?” Kris shouts out of the portrait.

“Yixing, baby. Are you going to come to me?” Yixing whirls around, his eyes falling on a familiar figure.

“Mother?” he calls. She’s standing there, in the same clothes she was wearing when she left the house that morning. Her hair is suspended neatly in a bun.

“Yixing, I finally found you! Don’t go running off in a gallery by yourself…”

There’s a strange edge to her voice, and Yixing shivers.

“Where’s father?” he asks, looking around wildly.

“Your father’s waiting for you by the front door. Don’t you see, Yixing? Let’s go home…” Her voice… it sends shivers up and down Yixing’s spine.

“Xing? Xing?” Kris calls from the painting, “Come on, let’s get out of here!” Yixing looks back and forth, calculating. His mother, or his lover? There’s something off, but he doesn’t know what. He met Kris in this weird gallery. What if Kris has been lying to him all this time? What if Kris is like Tao?

Yixing shakes his head, watching Kris with thoughtful eyes. 

No. Kris is real.

“What are you waiting for?” Kris shouts.

“It’s my mother,” Yixing says, pointing. Kris looks at him in confusion.

“Xing. There’s no one there…” But Yixing’s mother steps forward, arm outstretched.

“Zhang Yixing! How many times have I told you? Don’t go following strangers!” Yixing takes a step closer to her.

“Listen to your mother. Do you want to never see your mother and father again?”

“Xing!” Kris hollers.

“Come on, Xing! Stop messing about, you’re scaring me!” Kris says with hurt filled eyes.

“Take my hand, Yixing!” his mother chides.

“Xing, I’ll pull you in!” Kris shouts.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Yixing steps back, closer to the painting. He looks on with horror as his mother’s eyes start tearing up. Blood. Her clothes become dyed a deep crimson as she holds her hands out, her fingernails elongating into red-dyed claws. She cannot be his mother.

“Xing!”

Yixing screams, taking Kris’ hand as he steps into the painting. He lets out a shriek as the woman claws at his behind, trying to drag him back out with her.

“Go!” Yixing yells at Kris, who pulls him in. Soon, the portrait closes behind them, and all Yixing can see is white.