It appears that the one thing Sehun doesn't seem to understand about his job is that he's required to be with him at almost all times, save for private moments. Phone calls are no exception, especially since signals can be intercepted at any times. (Though, the idea was a branch from paranoia; he really didn't believe such a thing would happen.)

In Sehun's confusion, he hadn't noticed or heard Tao's footsteps as he slowly followed him to the bathroom he placed the call in. Tao, however, stayed behind the door, not wanting to interrupt him. Overhearing phone calls would be to make sure nothing happened to him. To make sure he wasn't being threatened or tracked. It's all part of his job. To be with Sehun at all times.

He heard everything.

Even as Sehun's voice had faltered here and there, Tao had known instantly that he was talking to Jongin. It was the way he changed his tone to something more comfortable and familiar. It wasn't like the way he talked to Tao, no. It's the voice he saves for Jongin.

Tao his head to a side to listen more carefully. He'd just heard him say "I have a slight problem." Is Sehun hiding something from him? As his bodyguard, he is supposed to be told of every and all occurrences regarding the young master. The fact that there's something he doesn't know about concerns him. How is he supposed to protect him from a problem if he doesn't know the problem?

Tao bites his lip at that thought. He knows the problem. He knows the problem quite well.

He resumes listening and hears Sehun say "I, um.... I think I...um...."

Is he about to say the "problem"? The fact that he'd started with "I think" clearly said something about this issue at hand though. Maybe it isn't as big as Tao had thought. He relaxes his tense muscles, which he hadn't realized had been tense until that moment, and then he hears -- 

"I think I might like Tao."

It's as if time stops and a horribly loud ringing fills his ears. His heart starts racing and his eyes pop open. Had he heard incorrectly? That must be it. But no, it wasn't possible. He'd been listening acutely, and those were the words he'd heard. His heart pounds on and on and on, a never ending rhythm his brain can't keep up with. There's a fluttering in his stomach, and he raises a hand to his chest. He wants to calm down, but he doesn't know what's wrong. He feels awfully warm. And wobbly.

Without thinking, he turns around and takes his time walking back to the library. 

Huang Zi Tao does not over-think situations. It's not in his blood to do so. There are easy solutions to everything. If someone is choking, perform the Heimlich maneuver. If someone has been stabbed, wrap the wound and take them to the hospital. If someone has been burned, run the wound under cold water for twenty minutes and call the emergency room. If someone isn't breathing, perform CPR. If someone likes him?

Well, it's the first time he doesn't have an answer to his questions. 

Of course, there's always the possibility it hadn't meant anything. "Like" could mean a variety of things, like "am comfortable with" or "enjoy his companionship" or something along those lines. He's over-reacting, right? He wants that to be the case, so badly. He wants to know that it's wrong for him to be so embarrassed, so self-conscious, and so...happy.

Yes, it must be wrong for him to be this happy.

His hot cocoa has gone cold in his absence. He picks up the mug with shaking hands and sits back down where he'd previously been, holding a corner of the blanket around him like before. The cocoa is clumpy and chilling when he takes a sip. 

Tao ought to be cold. Without Sehun beside him, he now feels the lack of presence to his left. An empty space where, he thinks, a certain person should be sitting.

His movements are gawky as he sets the cup down and furiously runs his fingers through his hair. His breathing sounds loud, even to his ears. He must calm down quickly, though. He can already hear Sehun's returning footsteps down the hall. Or maybe it is his imagination.

It is nearly instinct for Jongin to be grinning at the sight of Sehun's name on his phone screen, and he does it unconsciously. Though it is shocking. Sehun should know he's in school now. It's an odd time to be dropping the call. He'd almost dropped his precious lunchbox on the ground from the sudden beeping of his phone; he couldn't be wasting Kyungsoo's glorious home cooked meals. But at the sight of the familiar number, he'd smiled. When answering, he hides his content. A habit. Like telling himself, don't be too excited for a stupid call.

"Sehun?" He lets shock drip into his voice.

"Hey," Sehun replies. He sounds exhausted and weary with a hint of distress. He opens his lunchbox with both hands, wedging his cell between his ear and shoulder. He might as well eat during the call. Kyungsoo gives him a look and mouths, who?

Sehun, Jongin mouths back. Kyungsoo nods to let him know he'd understood.

"I have a slight problem," says Sehun. "And I kind of need your help, like, now."

Emergency call? He glances at Kyungsoo. Some things were between boyfriends, and some things were between best friends. And this is between best friends. "I'll be right back," he promptly mutters into the cell. He puts it down for a second and pushes his chair back.

"Where are yo-" Kyungsoo is about to ask.

"I'll be right back." He gives the confused boy a reassuring smile, signaling to him no worries, it's just Sehun after all.

Kyungsoo nods again. It's times like these these two really understand each other. Jongin doesn't need words to speak to Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo doesn't need to ask to know what's wrong. They fit rather nicely with the other, like two complementary puzzle pieces.

He walks briskly out of the classroom, phone in hand. There are little places to go to. The rooftop is preserved, and he'd only had access when he was with Sehun. There's the bathroom, but you never know who might walk in. There's a janitor's closet down the hall, but that's also a little unpredictable. Jongin thinks of the courtyard, days spent in the blistering summer sun complaining about school with Sehun under the shade of an old tree. It would be barren in this weather, no doubt. He peeks out a window on his way down the hall. Yes, it is guaranteed. Anyone would be crazy to go outside in this snow.

He's never really considered himself sane.

He arrives as hastily as he can and leans against the tree. The time to regret not bringing a jacket with him would be later. "Alright, what is it?" He asks Sehun, putting the phone back to his ear. It hasn't even been five minutes and his fingers are already going numb.

"Where are you now?" Sehun asks. He's a wary fellow, quiet of himself and protective of his secrets.

"I went to the courtyard," Jongin says. He wonders if Sehun remembers those days with him. Never once in their middle school to high school life has Jongin left his side. Surely, surely, he must remember?  "Classroom was too loud. So what's up?"

Sehum mumbles something like, "I...uh...." Jongin strains to hear him. Sehun's hesitation to tell his best friend is making him irked. Doesn't he trust him? Is this "problem" really that worrisome?

He urges him on. "Yes?"

"I think I might," Jongin has to close his eyes and focus on his voice; it just keeps getting softer and softer, "like Tao."

Jongin is shocked into silence. His feet are rooted to the ground. The earth beneath him is slowly swallowing him up and burying him deep below, because that can be the only explanation to this heavy feeling in his heart. There's a hollowness in his chest. His ribcage is empty; where is his heart? It's gone missing and in this moment, he can only feel that heaviness. Without thinking, he bursts out laughing. I've gone mad, he thinks, I've gone absolutely insane. What alternate dimension is this? Not in his wildest dreams would he have ever thought that Sehun would actually open up to someone else. It had all been a joke. 

But he reacts like how "Jongin" would. "Jongin" is a sarcastic jerk who only knows how to smile and joke around. "Jongin" is the Jongin Sehun is used to. "What do you want me to say? I told you so." He lets some of his ego slip into his tone.

Sehun seems to dislike this response. His groan makes it evident that this is not what he wanted to hear. "Jongin," His heart lurches at the sound of his name. "What am I supposed to do?"

A good friend would tell him to go for it. A good friend would say "You can do it! it, you're Oh Sehun, you can make him fall for you. I believe in you." What the hell, a good person in general would be encouraging and supportive, and tell him that he should get his head straight and do his best if he wants it.

"Get with him? I don't know. What the hell happened?" He can barely hear the words coming out of his own mouth. There's a roaring in his head, blocking out all sounds except that of Sehun's voice.

"I... I... We slept together. Just sleeping. Not the you're thinking of right now."

But Jongin isn't thinking of bull. He wasn't thinking they had , or made out, or anything along those lines. He sighs out of pure frustration. "I don't know how to help you there then. You two live together, for god's sake." 

Jongin has never thought himself to be a good person.

He gulps and opens his mouth. "He's your bodyguard. He's temporary, Sehun. Maybe," he takes a deep breath, "you shouldn't go too deep into it. Just let it disappear."

The guilt overtakes him. Not a moment too soon, Sehun says his goodbyes, telling him something like "say hi to Kyungsoo for me" or something. Jongin isn't listening. All he hears are waves crashing against his skull, that ravaging sound of You've done something wrong. Do you feel better about yourself? in his head. 

"Yeah. Bye." He says through gritted teeth. Jongin quickly hangs up, lifts his head, and takes a step towards the direction he'd come from. Then he stops. Weird, he thinks to himself. He had thought he'd seen a shadow flee around the corner of the school building.

Kyungsoo is not a paranoid boy. He is not a jealous boyfriend, and he trusts Jongin very much. But recently, his love has been agitated beyond the line of asking him "what's wrong?" could ever fix. 

Kyungsoo is not the possessive type...but he is a worrier.

After Jongin leaves the class, it takes about five seconds of going back and forth in his head before he decides to follow him. He carefully sets down his chopsticks, shaking, nervous at what he's about to do. If Jongin finds out or catches him in the act, there could be hell to pay. Kyungsoo loves him dearly; to lose him would be to lose life itself. Though he would never admit it, there's nothing in this world Kyungsoo wouldn't do to keep Jongin by his side for as long as he possibly can. He would take the bullet, and he would shoot it if need be.

He peeks his head out the door and sees Jongin taking bustling steps down the hall. He's in a hurry. He knows Jongin better than anyone does. Jongin's every action means something to him; he can interpret his words, his tone, his everything. 

He quietly trails behind him, with at least a ten meter distance between them. He keeps Jongin's silhouette within view and sees him go down the stairwell. He would have to wait until Jongin is at the bottom -- noises echo in the stairwell and he's much too apprehensive about being caught.

Taking deep breaths, he jogs down the stairs lightly, disturbing the existence around him as little as possible. He needs to catch up to him to see where's he going. When he spots Jongin ahead, taking a turn, he realizes where he's headed to. The courtyard by the side of the school. 

He stops at the corner near the courtyard, pressing his back to the wall. This is as far as he can go. He struggles to hear Jongin's voice. The falling snow around him seems to stop time.

Kyungsoo can only hear bits and pieces of the conversation. It's Sehun, he knows, that Jongin is talking to, but he has no idea why Sehun would be so desperate about something as to call Jongin in the middle of the school day. 

"I went to the courtyard," he hears. "Classroom was too loud." That wasn't why he left. "What's up?"

A pause. He takes a risk and takes a glimpse at Jongin. Luckily, Jongin's head is down, in his hands, as he focuses on the call. He doesn't notice Kyungsoo, who feels ever dirtier by the second listening in on him.

"Yes?" Jongin's voice is irritated, rushing for answers. Sehun seems to be hesitating about something.

There's a longer pause. From his angle, he sees Jongin's eyes widen. He starts laughing suddenly, but it is a forced laughter. Not his usual high-pitched, carefree laughter. He's bothered by something. 

"What do you want me to say? I told you so." Jongin's expression is pained, though Kyungsoo knows he might not notice himself. He wonders what it is that he's told him about before.

Is it about Tao?

Kyungsoo's intuition isn't lacking. He is not some oblivious heroine from a silly novel, or a stupid assistant from cartoons. He is not to be underestimated.

"Get with him? I don't know. What...." The rest is too quiet for him to hear. He must be asking what went on, or possibly what the situation is. As the conversation continues, he notices Jongin's voice becoming more and more tense. 

"I don't know how to help you there then. You two live together." Yes, it is definitely about Tao. What did "get with him" mean then? Sehun likes Tao? Or the other way around? 

"You two live together, for god's sake. He's your bodyguard. He's temporary, Sehun." Jongin's voice rises at the word. He's stressing it, trying to convince him that it's a bad idea. Kyungsoo gulps with unease. The more he hears, the longer that crack gets in his heart. It's almost breaking. 

"Maybe you shouldn't go too deep into it. Just let it disappear."

Advising him out of it? Kyungsoo isn't surprised. He's always had his suspicions, but he'd never wanted them to be true. 

"Yeah. Bye."

He's hanging up? Already? Kyungsoo stiffens, then he pushes himself to move. He has to leave. Must get back to the classroom. He moves two steps and falls to his knees in the snow. He can't. Can't find the energy. His eyes feel warm. His head hurts. 

"Kyungsoo?" A familiar voice says, startled. He looks up. Jongin stares down at him with those concerned eyes of his. Concerned as they may be, they also look hurt. And no matter what he does, he can't make himself stand up. His legs had stopped listening to his brain.

"Jongin," his voice breaks, "please...."

Sehun stays in the bathroom a moment longer, his head in between his knees. There's a strange feeling in him, as if he's just created a web of problems. But one phone call couldn't possibly make things even worse, right? 

He looks up at the window, that never ending snowfall outside. The snow is like a shield, he thinks, something that will guard him from the outside world. He puts his head back in between his knees. He sure hopes so. The outside world seems too troublesome right now.

For now, he still has to return to the library. Running out of there suddenly would be something he'd find trouble explaining if he were to not go back at all. He stands, feeling nervous and vulnerable about his sudden confession to Jongin. He'd said something he'd never thought he could say. 

I think I might like Tao. The words float back into his mind. He blushes deeply, his face turning redder than the roses that filled the garden in mid-summers. He stumbles over to the sink and splashes his face with water. The droplets slide down his cheeks to his chin and down his neck, leaving a cold stream in its wake. 

Calm down, he tells himself. It's not like he knows or anything. He should just listen to Jongin. Jongin has more experience than him. He was right; it is temporary. Maybe it's best to simply let it go. 

Sehun opens the door and makes his way down the hall. There's still this churning in his heart that he's not quite positive on its cause. An impression that he'd just caused some sort of trouble. He can't seem to make it stop, but it won't go away. He opens the door to the library. 

Tao sits there under the blanket, his mug on the table. The cocoa's gone cold, no doubt. He feels awkward. Should he settle back down next to him like before?

Without a word, Tao looks up and pats the space next to him. The answer is, apparently, yes. With a nervous fluttering of his heart, he sits down and puts the blanket back around them.

It appears as if things have changed, though he's not sure why.

A/N Hi everyone! This update came fast euheuh because I had a lot of ideas and more free time YAY! I kind of wanted to rush things a little to get to the actual Taohun (especially since those two are having their date in Qingdao EUHEUHEUHEUEHUEHE OuO) Though, in exchange, I will make the next update much more thoughtful and it might take longer to post~

Thank you for reading and voting! <3 I love you for it! And thank you for all the comments and support >w< *mwah* 

if there are any typos, i'll make sure to find them and fix them ASAP! My beta reader is quite trustworthy~ Thank you again, loves!