Tao you can't pick on Baek hyung.  He don't take your LOL 

            Contrary to popular belief, all covert meeting places were held in open or public areas.  This mission wasn’t any different.  Baekhyun was to meet the guy in a hotel dining area.  Baekhyun looked at his watch as he entered the hotel lobby and made his way to the dining area.  He was supposed to find someone sitting at a table with a bright yellow flower. 

            It wasn’t hard to find the table when he entered the room.  It was practically empty at 3PM in the afternoon.  The triad member’s back was to him but he could tell the guy was wearing a suit.  Baekhyun internally cursed the guy.  If it was a meeting between friends he shouldn’t be wearing something so formal.  But then again what did he expect. Triad members were despicable scum and maybe it was better that they didn’t have the same mindset.  He threw his hood up as he neared the table with his luggage dragging behind him.  He was under the cover that he just checked in and went straight to meet his friend without bringing his luggage to his room. 

            He sat down in the seat opposite the man and lowered his hood and gasped. 

            In all his life for the last 5 years, Baekhyun never lost his cover during a mission.  He never faltered.  He never let any emotion pass through; it was a weakness.  When he was on missions, he was someone else.  He was Byung Nam. 

            But when he looked into the Triad member’s eyes, he fell back in his chair.  He was speechless because the cold eyes staring back at him belonged to his childhood best friend and first love, Huang Zitao. 

Tao didn’t look a bit surprised at seeing Baekhyun.  On the contrary he moved forward to lay his elbows on the table, “I was wondering when I’d be seeing you, Baek.” 

            Baekhyun’s eyes moved around the room.  It must have been a mistake.  The Chinese Triad member he was supposed to meet couldn’t be Tao.  It had to be someone else.  He looked back into Tao’s eyes and then moved his head around to look at the other tables.  All of the other occupied tables had pink flowers on them.  This was the only one with a yellow one. 

            “What are you doing here?” Baekhyun turned back to Tao.  It’d been years since he saw Tao.  It’d been 7 years since Tao just left one day without saying anything. 

            “So what about this?” Tao put his arms around the smaller brunette and pulled the shorter towards him, “I’ll go back to our room after I say goodbye to some people and then we can pack together.”

            They just graduated college together.  The two had been best friends since elementary school, fallen in love in high school, practically became a domesticated married couple in college where they were roommates, and now they just graduated college.  For the next step, they were going to move in together, into a real house.  The down payment was already paid.  They were going to move their things right from the dorm to their new home. 

            “Remember we have to be out of the dorms by six so hurry back,” Baekhyun tugged at Tao’s collar to pull him down for a kiss.  The guy was so much taller than him.    

            “I can’t stay away from you for that long anyway,” Tao winked at Baekhyun as he jogged backwards so he was still facing Baekhyun, “I love you Bacon!”

            Baekhyun laughed.  His boyfriend was so childish, “Just go already.”

            Tao continued to throw hearts before turning around to jog properly. 

            Baekhyun turned around and headed to the dorms to get ready to pack. 

            Once he reached their room, he collapsed onto the bed.  Tao wouldn’t be long so he decided to take a short nap.

          He woke up to someone yelling in his ear, “It’s past six! You should be out of the dorms by now!  Pack! Now!”

            Baekhyun looked at his watch and exclaimed in surprise.  It was six thirty.  He scanned the room and his eyes widened at Tao’s side of the room.  It was completely empty.  Everything remaining in the room was his.  He was absolutely confused.  Why the hell would Tao move his stuff out without telling him? 

Baekhyun was a bit angry.  They were supposed to move out together.  But maybe Tao was preparing something special in their new house? He quickly packed his things and took a taxi to their new house right beside the playground where they first met.  He remembered the awkward first meeting where he spoke in Korean and Tao replied in Mandarin. 

            He opened the door and was even more confused when the lights were turned off.  When he the lights, he was met with an empty house.  There was no taller Chinese man to welcome Baekhyun with open arms.  And this fact utterly confused Baekhyun.  Because Tao had never done something like this; he’d never disappointed Baekhyun in his life.  They’d known each other their whole lives; for the first time in his life, Baekhyun was scared. 

            5 days later the house was still empty.  Baekhyun’s things were still unpacked.  He tried calling Tao’s phone but the phone number was out of service. 

            Baekhyun lay on the couch of the new house; he took out the small square box that was in his jean pocket and angrily threw it against the front door. 

            But almost immediately after, he got up from the couch to pick it up again.  The box had opened and the ring was lying in front of the door next to a broken picture frame of them together.  Tao had packed his things and walked out of Baekhyun’s life without a word. 

            “Look, I’d like to stay and catch up but I need that suitcase,” Tao nodded his head at the luggage that Baekhyun was holding onto.  Baekhyun’s hands were gripping the handle so tightly that his knuckles were white from no circulation. 

            “What are you doing here, Tao?” Baekhyun whispered.

            “Actually you should be calling me Mengyao,” Tao pointed out. 

            Baekhyun eyed Tao.  Tao’s face was a bit sharper and thinner; and he was definitely fitter than he was in college.  He kept the same hairstyle however.  His hair wasn’t raven black anymore but a golden blond.  Tao still had those black eye bags that he used to endlessly tease the younger about.  But he wasn’t the Tao that Baekhyun used to know.  There was no recognition or warmth in those dark eyes. 

            Baekhyun remembered staring into those eyes for more than half his life.  He used to find dependability, familiarity, reliability and love in those eyes.  But not anymore.  Instead, they looked somewhat amused.  Baekhyun couldn’t look into them anymore and his eyes drifted upward.  There was a scar on Tao’s forehead.  Obviously, the younger tried covering it up with some sort of makeup and Baekhyun wouldn’t have noticed it, if he wasn’t trying so hard to avoid those black eyes. 

            Baekhyun gripped the suitcase.  He remembered what he had to do.  Torture and then execute.  He’d done it hundreds of times to people who were just like Tao.  But how would he be able to do those things to Tao?  His best friend, his first love? 

            “What happened to you?” Baekhyun put his hands through his hair.  It was something he did when nervous.  Tao immediately caught on to it, but didn’t say anything.  Baekhyun was starting to sweat.  Tao was the enemy.  But he was able to read Baekhyun like an open book; his cover was basically blown.  Tao would find out sooner or later that they weren’t going to make the trade.    

            “This isn’t personal, Byung Nam.  Don’t make it personal.”

            Baekhyun felt like a knife struck him when he heard Tao calling him by his undercover name.      

            He finally found his boyfriend after all these years.  He’d known this guy for the first 21 years of his life.  Better than he’d known anyone.  He’d wanted to spend his whole life with this guy sitting across from him.  But it was just so awkward and strange now. Baekhyun, in his hoodie and Tao in his suit.  They looked so different.  Not at all compatible.  Strangers. 

            They were both under the cover of old friends meeting up.  It was ironic how true the cover had become.  But instead of acting like old friends, there was just a thick fog of awkwardness.  Baekhyun was still in shock, he didn’t know how to act.  And he was back to staring into Tao’s eyes, trying to find traces of the person he once knew.

            “You disappeared without saying a word,” Baekhyun whispered through clenched teeth.  His brain was telling him to shut up because he wasn’t supposed to let his emotions get the best of him.  He wasn’t supposed to ask questions, just commit actions.  But right now he was Byun Baekhyun and he just wanted to know why they were both here at this moment, “You disappeared,” Baekhyun struck the table and moved forward, his voice lower, “And joined the Chinese Triad?  Are you crazy?”

            “Well aren’t you crazy as well?” Tao moved forward also and lifted an eyebrow, “Aren’t you the rogue spy who’s going to give me a nuclear weapon?  Unless this is all a lie?” Tao moved backwards and crossed his arms.  He noticed Baekhyun’s face flash in panic for a second before reverting back to a cold expression. 

            Tao pushed back his chair and Baekhyun looked up in alarm.  For a moment Tao could see fear in Baekhyun’s eyes, but not of him.  Baekhyun’s hand that was gripping his luggage struck out and grabbed Tao’s. 

Tao looked at the hand that was on his.  It was a familiar sight.  He gently squeezed Baekhyun’s hand and pulled his old friend out of his seat.  And surprisingly he brought Baekhyun into a hug.  Baekhyun’s arms on reflex wound themselves around Tao’s torso and he inhaled Tao’s scent.  It was still the same.  Tao’s hand faltered on his back for a second as if he too was remembering some things.

            “I have a room reserved. We can make the switch there,” Tao whispered into Baekhyun’s ear.  He immediately withdrew from the shorter, “It’s nice seeing you again, old friend.” Tao said it loudly enough for the tables next to them to hear.  His eyes crinkled as he smiled; Baekhyun knew Tao was saying this just because of their cover, but he also knew that Tao was speaking honestly. 

            They entered the elevator and Tao pressed number 5.  The elevator ride was short and silent.  Baekhyun debating on his next move while getting flashes of past memories with Tao.  He remembered the first day they moved into their dorm and the elevator stopped.  And all the other times they would make out on elevator rides, Tao pressing him up against the button panel. 

            “It’s this way.”

            Baekhyun shook his head as the doors slid open and Tao walked ahead.  He took the key card out of his back pocket and whistled as he walked to the door. 

            Baekhyun panicked.  Suho mentioned earlier that there was a room in the basement he had to take Tao to for the interrogation.  He had to get Tao down there.  Usually, Baekhyun would already have his target confessing by now. 

            “Byung,” Tao’s voice called him and Baekhyun looked down the hall.  Tao’s head was popping out of the door just a few rooms down the hall. 

            “Coming,” Baekhyun tightened the hold he had on his knife handle that was secured in the knife belt he had around his waist. 

            When he entered, it was dark.  He heard movement a few steps beside him and called out in desperation, “Tao?”

            The steps faltered for a second.  Baekhyun knew what was happening; this had happened a lot of times.  He reached for the light switch and turned the light on just in time to dodge a punch that was aimed at his head.  He fell to the ground and kicked Tao’s feet, making the taller fall. 

            Baekhyun was about to kick Tao again but the Chinese man got up and grabbed Baekhyun by the throat. 

            “You’re too easy to read, Baekhyun.”  Tao’s hold on his neck tightened and Baekhyun saw small black dots swarming in front of him as his air was slowly being taken away from him.  He grabbed the knife that was holstered in his back and stabbed Tao on the shoulder making the blond let him go and grab his shoulder in pain. 

            “Why are you doing this?” Baekhyun yelled as he threw a punch at Tao who dodged.  Tao grabbed Baekhyun with his uninjured arm and slammed him down on the table, making the wooden structure collapse.  Baekhyun fell to the floor with Tao on top of him.  They both stayed frozen for a moment as they stared at each other but then…

            Baekhyun dug his fingers into Tao’s shoulder wound, making the younger roll off of him immediately.

            “Don’t take it personally,” Baekhyun glared at Tao, but he faltered when Tao didn’t get up. 

            All of a sudden Tao got up and flung himself into Baekhyun making them both crash against the wall.  He grabbed Baekhyun’s hands and pinned them above his head.  For a moment Tao looked at him and Baekhyun held his breath, not sure if the younger would hit or kiss him. 

            He grunted when Tao punched him in his stomach, making him fall to the ground. 

            “I’ll just be taking this and be on my way,” Tao went over to the luggage and opened it.  He grabbed the suitcase and stopped when he felt something cold against the back of his neck.  He held up both hands, dropping the suitcase and slowly turned around.

            “You won’t kill me,” Tao began as he looked at the gun being pointed at him.

            “You don’t know me anymore, Tao,” Baekhyun said sadly.  He stepped forward and grabbed the suitcase from beside the blond. 

            “I don’t think you’ve changed one bit,” Tao explained as he watched Baekhyun back away from him, the gun still aimed at him.  In a flash, Tao pulled out the gun that was hidden under his clothes. 

            Baekhyun’s eyes widened and his grip on the gun tightened. 

            “Put it down.”

            “Put yours down first,” Tao eyed Baekhyun’s gun. 

            “I’ll shoot you!” Baekhyun yelled at him.  He wouldn’t. 

            “Would you really shoot your best friend?” 

            “Would you really shoot me, Tao?” Baekhyun looked into Tao’s eyes, “After all we’ve been through?”

            “There’s a first for everything,” Tao smirked. 

            Baekhyun looked at him with an earnest expression, “You’ve already hurt me enough.”

            They stared at each other for a long time, both still pointing their guns at each other.  Baekhyun could see regret in Tao’s eyes. 

            Baekhyun lowered his gun, “No.  I can’t.”

            Tao threw his gun to the floor, “Give me the suitcase, Baek.”

            “If you leave now, we can forget this ever happened.  I’m not making the exchange,” Baekhyun said firmly.  He wouldn’t be able to forget this ever happened. 

Tao frowned before lunging himself at Baekhyun again.  He straddled Baekhyun and his uninjured hand gripped harshly at Baekhyun’s throat again. 

            “You let your emotions get the best of you,” Tao gripped Baekhyun’s throat with his uninjured arm, “I told you not to. I have orders to kill you; I’m sorry this had to happen.”

            Baekhyun wrapped his hands around the one on his throat.  Honestly he was better than this.  He escaped this kind of chokehold on a daily basis.  But having Tao attack him like this weakened him to the core so he couldn’t fight back.  He stared up at Tao’s face.  Their eyes locked and Tao hesitated for a moment; his hand loosened around Baekhyun’s throat. 

Baekhyun reached out a hand and pulled Tao’s bang out of his face, “I will die loving you.”

            Baekhyun closed his eyes.  He felt Tao’s grip on his throat slacken.  It was enough for Baekhyun to grab the hand and smash it against the ground.  Tao gasped in surprise and then in pain as Baekhyun took his hand.  The older grabbed the younger’s fingers and slowly pushed them backwards.  There was a snap as all fingers became dislocated.

            Tao screamed in pain and Baekhyun quickly got up and hit Tao in the back of the head, knocking him out.