(A/N: This is also a mess of perspectives...)

Tao's POV

When I urged time to bring us back forwards, the sharp red of my nightmares jumped in for the attack without mercy. I had braced myself, waiting for it to drag me back into the dark place I never wanted to visit ever again.

But it let me go. Why did it let me go?

No, it hadn't let me go; Kai had stolen it and was taking it back with him.

The image of Kai my brain supplied was screaming in pain, being constricted by searing strips of red lightning when it should have been me. His image fell to the ground, arching his back with his eyes squeezed closed and his teeth clenched tight.

Is this what you felt? This is what you've been keeping to yourself?

His voice reached me with difficulty, but I was glad it was still there. He wasn't completely taken over by pain and I could use this chance to convince him to give it back. It wasn't right for him to suffer my past. I wanted to escape from these scars, but not like this.

This wasn't what I wanted.

“I'm protecting you, Tao. I won't let this hurt you!” This was a real voice. Kai was trying to wake up!

No! You can't-

The image of me dove in to try and pry off the red ropes of electricity as I fought to get those memories back. Kai had a good grip on them, but the memories knew who they belonged to and happily clung to me and wrapped around my arms. Still, Kai never let go of what he had.

I felt him slipping away, taking a good portion of memory with him. His image was fading.

Kai, don't do this, please!

But he was already gone.

***

Kai's POV

I woke up sitting on the floor, my arms and head over the edge of the bed in Lay's room, hands clawing into the blankets because everything had become overrun with pain and fear and this only part of what Tao had felt. How had he kept all this to himself? How had he smiled after this?

My eyes were quickly welling up with tears from the severity of the pain and the knowledge that he had carried this around with him for years, saying nothing. I yelled out when someone touched my back. It felt like cuts were being made under the palm of this person's hand, and they hurt for real even though they were just mere phantoms compared to the real thing.

Tao was so strong. It was incredible, the things he'd endured.

He was incredible.

“Why would you do this?” came Tao's voice through the haze of panicky questions that didn't matter and suddenly one of my hands was no longer clawing fabric, but clasping a steady, warm hand.

***

Kyungsoo's POV

Kai flinched away from me when I tried to comfort him, but when Tao held his hand, he became a pile of happy mush under all the sweat and whatever was hurting him.

This infatuation he had with Tao was toxic. He was in way over his head, going after someone who was already taken. Why did he insist on having Tao? How could he think he loved the guy after only knowing him for a few days? People don't just fall in love at first sight. That was a lie, a fantasy created by lonely people who felt like no one around them was worth taking a chance.

If Kai was just lonely... then I must've not been worth it to him.

He didn't know this, but Kai was my only friend. The others in the group didn't really care for me, no matter how much Baekhyun insisted I'd stolen Chanyeol from him. I hadn't done anything like that. I only watched. I watched Kai go out and meet his other friends and watched him make new relationships and lose them with ease. I let myself become a constant in his life, a friend he could always turn to, but that's all this was and was going to be. Friendship.

Because I wasn't worth taking a chance on.

In truth, I envied the way he looked at Tao. Kai never looked at me quite like that. He saw something in Tao that sparked his interest. Was I not interesting? Was I bland white rice and Tao a spicy kimchi spaghetti?

Every time he asked me for advice, I willingly gave it. I liked it when he sought me out, as if only I could mend the pieces of his broken heart each time it happened. It was like I was special to him, but the harsh reality was that I was his friend out in the sidelines, cheering him forward to another goal far away.

I thought maybe if I only worked harder and really pushed myself to train, he'd see my power and think it was amazing, just half as amazing as he thought Tao's was. Why did I even like Kai? Why did I let myself get pummeled just to impress him? I asked myself these questions so many times. There was no perfect answer. He was simply there for me, I guessed. I noticed things though, things that made my heart beat a little faster.

His comfort was the best, warm and caring whenever I got stressed over harsh school tests or when I got sick. His smile made me smile as if it were a contagion he breathed out naturally that found it's way in my lungs. Maybe he was the one who got me sick... His stories and worries and wild imaginings were entertaining. The thought of his company motivated me to haul myself out to school each morning and improve on anything and everything that could catch his attention. I liked this feeling I got when we hung out and lazily shared our thoughts on homework, school, idiotic friends, idiotic teachers, powers, monsters, and what it was that was waiting for us out in the world.

I liked this feeling. Wasn't this love? Real love where one appreciated the whole person for who they were, faults and all, even after sticking with them for so long that it felt unnatural to let a day go by without seeing their face?

When Kai smiled at Tao as if the pain he felt was nothing at all with him by his side, I left. If anything happened, I'd hear about it later anyways. I always heard Kai's adventures before the end of each day. Always.

***

Tao's POV

In the midst of Lay's panicking over Kai's pain and not knowing how to fix it (since it all seemed to be in his head), I was handed my cellphone and told to call my mom before she brought the police into a search party. Of course she'd be worried. The scene we left behind must've really scared her.

I assured her that I was entirely safe and the scene she came home to was only a small accident, but still my mom insisted I come home immediately. She didn't seem to like my new friends at all and didn't want me spending any more time with them today. But I still wanted to talk to Kai and find out how much he knew about my old scars, Baekhyun hadn't told me why he cried, and for some reason Kris was being extra protective over Lay, who I had yet to tell my story to. How could I just leave everyone like this?

“My mom wants me home...” I admitted after hanging up, feeling like a little kid being called in for curfew. Kai looked particularly distressed and I gave his hand a squeeze.

“I'll take you home... and then sneak you out again?” he asked, a hopeful look taking over as some of the pain dissipated.

“Aren't you exhausted already?” Baekhyun asked accusingly. “You wouldn't even take me with you when you went looking for Chanyeol.”

“This is different. I can really push myself for this-”

“No you can't. Not like this.” said Lay, looking confused as he kept up his search for any open wounds on him. “What happened after I got kicked out of the link? And where did Kyungsoo go? He needs healing.”

“No offense,” said Kai, straightening up with a groan. “but I think it might be better if you didn't heal him.”

“I can do it now.” Lay disagreed. “It won't be like this again. I feel like I can mend broken bones if I had to right now.”

“Maybe you should rest for a day.” I suggested.

“I can't rest. It might get better if I rest.”

“What might get better?” Kai asked before I could, however when Lay looked up, I got the answer for myself. There was something weird about his eyes. They looked faded, as if they had aged since I last saw them. He was still blind, at least part of the way to make him like that. Was his power stronger like this? It was true that he did a lot more today than I thought was possible for him.

My phone interrupted us and buzzed with a text from my mom telling me to hurry up and get home. I'd just have to tell Lay my story some other time and ask Baekhyun what happened later... I gave Lay a hug before getting ready to leave and saying my goodbyes, thanking him as genuinely as I could get across for the healing. By the way he put his hands on my back, gentle and warm, I was sure it got across at least a little.

Kai wanted to come with me to make sure I didn't run into Sehun on my way home. I let him, thinking we would take a bus and I could talk to him on the way there. I hadn't expected him to wrap his arms around me from behind the second we both had our shoes on (and he had his stolen grocery basket). He teleported us before a protest could even form in my head.

A block away from my house now, Kai's arms instantly became limp around me. Instead of hugging me like before, now he just sort of leaned heavily into my back.

“You tired?” I asked with a small smile. He had been so different today. I was grateful to him for so much and didn't think I could ever be so glad to have a friend like him. Where was the boy who wouldn't stop invading my space and selfishly pulled me away from classes and other friends just to invade my space more? I hadn't thought enough about the reasons behind his actions before; it was too hard to believe that someone could like me to the point where they ditched school, stole, and pushed away anyone who got too close.

A lot had happened this week. It had been my biggest dream, to have an exciting life with lots of memories of rebellious teenage years and childish playing with friends. I certainly got my wish and Kai had been a part of that for sure. I had been afraid of my entire childhood passing me by before I ever got a chance to enjoy it and take risks, but if this much could happen in one week, how would the rest of my school year look?

It was almost exciting to think about.

***

Kai's POV

Tao chuckled. I felt it vibrate through his back, which felt smooth and normal through the shirt beneath my forehead and palm that leaned against him. This small, tired chuckle was perhaps the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. Through all the pain and the horrible things he'd gone through, all the unfairness stacked against him, all the drama and confusion I was sure he was experiencing for the first time, he still had it in him to laugh.

Did I help cause this brief moment of happiness? Did my taking away his bad memories for myself help in some way?

“More than tired,” I answered him, pulling back and putting my weight on my feet again. “I'm really hungry.”

“Good thing you thought to take snacks with those bandages.” He said, turning to face me.

“I think you mean 'Good thing you thought to take bandages with those snacks'.” I laughed guiltily.

Tao shrugged, and said with my favorite kind of sly feline smile, “Either way, I'm kind of glad I'm friends with a master thief.”

“Master thief and escape artist.” I would have bowed dramatically, but I figured it'd be best to save my strength for the walk to his house. One block wasn't far away, but my legs disagreed, seeing the distance stretch on and on as I watched.

***

Tao's POV

I'm not sure how we ended up like this.

In a tree just outside the window to my room, me and Kai were stuck on it's lowest branch a good six or seven meters off the ground. Being stuck in a tree like a cat wasn't that big a deal, really. The problem was that we were stuck in an awkward position.

Kai could barely stand on his own, let alone teleport, so it was decided that I would sneak out of my room using the tree outside as a method of escape (the plan coming from Mr. Escape Artist himself) from the second story window and make my way down to meet him, only there was a bit of a mishap: I slipped on the branch and nearly fell down. Kai used the last vestiges of his strength to teleport up and catch me and now we were stuck because he had passed out right after we found our balance. I stood with my back against the trunk, holding him up as best as I could and wondering how to get us both down without falling and giving Yixing the chance to heal a broken bone.

What kind of ridiculous situation was this?

I had to do something soon, because it was really difficult keeping a limp human body upright while standing on something so narrow. Good thing the branch held both our weights without any issues. I shifted and put an arm under his, sliding it around until he was pinned to my chest to free my other arm. Like this, I could use this arm to carefully lower us into a more stable position sitting at the corner where the branch met the trunk. When Kai's feet left the branch, I barely clung to the tree, trying to now hold more weight and awkwardly maneuver us down without that extra support.

Sitting now with my back against the trunk and the sleeping boy breathing slow against my neck, I let myself marvel again at how interesting my life became because of these friends of mine. Who else could say they became friends with arsonists, revenge seekers, ditchers, and thieves - all of whom with growing supernatural powers?

Was there a way to get Kai off my neck though? Just because Sehun went completely crazy once, didn't mean that he wasn't ever going to be forgiven. The day wasn't even over yet. I wasn't about to deny him a second chance when I still thought he was sweet underneath all the times he glared at me and rolled his eyes. This sweetness poked through when it mattered in laughs that showed off his canines, blushes that he tried desperately to hide, and silent bonding using only body language to indicate that he didn't actually hate anyone at all.

But any way I moved, it seemed impossible to get into a better position that was both comfortable and stable. Without any way to get us both off the tree without help, we really were stuck. All I could do was wait. And wonder. And chide myself for letting this get so complicated.

Honestly, what was I going to do with them both? I hated keeping them on the edge like this. It was frustrating for everyone. It felt like I'd frozen our relationships in time because I couldn't decide whether we were moving forward on the right path.

Kai looked so different asleep. No smirks pulled at his lips, leaving them looking soft. His eyebrows relaxed from their twitches of curiosity. I hated that I really liked his sleeping face. I hated that I really liked the way he'd acted today. He was brave and thoughtful. It was making it hard to keep choosing Sehun. And I admit, I used this moment to study the feeling of holding Kai so close. He felt so warm and comfortable in my arms and it just... it felt right to run my hand slowly over the center of his back. I sighed, guilt washing over me again as I pictured how angry Sehun was upon finding me with Kai that morning. I really hated this indecision.

With a start, Kai woke up, nearly knocking us both out of the tree.

“How long was I out?” he asked, calming his racing heart while I begrudgingly let him sit and balance on his own.

“Not long. Maybe twenty minutes or so.” I answered. I hated how much I liked his waking face just as much as his sleeping face.

Kai rubbed his eyes. “Twenty minutes?” he yawned. “How did I manage to have a dream so vivid in twenty minutes? You know, as cool as they are, wolves make a really creepy wake up call.”

“Wolves?” There was a wolf in my dream last night too. Something told me this wasn't a coincidence. “Did they say anything? I mean, you know, since it's a dream and all...”

“Yeah, actually. It was just one wolf in my dream and just before I woke up, it said 'it will consume you'. Totally creepy, right?”

“Creepy.” I agreed, nodding. Very creepy. This couldn't be on accident. Still, I decided that I should wait it out to see if anything more happened before telling anyone my theory. Shaking off nerves, I offered to help him down. We had some talking to do.

***

Kyungsoo's POV

I waited by the phone as the sky turned dark.

And kept waiting and waiting.

Kai never called, never popped into my room like he had so many times before.

I never heard of his adventures. For the first time since we met, Kai hadn't come to me to share his thoughts.

***

Author Note:

Can you tell that I'm a cat person?

It forces it's way into my writing every time, I swear O.o