A/N: This is the second update within 24 hours so please read the previous Chapter if you haven't yet.

“I just don’t get it,” Jongdae muses to himself. Yixing looks away from sweeping to stare at his friend sitting on a random desk in the classroom.

“You know you could help me,” He states.

“No can do,” Jongdae states. “I don’t clean. Anyway how could you possibly live 18 years and just realize you’re gay?”

“You do clean you just don’t want to help me,” Yixing corrects him. “Anyway I guess I kind of had a clue but I didn’t really want to think about it. Being gay is still not considered normal in most parts of the world.”

“If you see a girl and her boyfriend and think she’s cute but would rather do her boyfriend then you’re gay. There’s no changing that, there’s no avoiding it, you’re gay and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“I realize that now,” Yixing tells him, going back to his sweeping. “It’s still weird though.”

“Only because you lived shrouded in a veil of denial for most of your life,” Jongdae states. “Was the closet you lived in one of those millionaire walk-in closets, was it bigger than my bedroom?”

“I wasn’t in the closet,” Yixing huffs. “To me being in the closet means knowing and denying it. I didn’t exactly know it.”

“You weren’t in the closet,” Jongdae agrees. “You were just completely and utterly clueless for 18 years. It’s normal.”

“Thank you,” Yixing says with a laugh. “I knew there was a reason I kept your no-cleaning around.”

“It’s because you love me and a totally platonic bromancey sort of way,” Jongdae tells him. “Zitao tells me you’re living the movie life.”

“I…what?”

“Poor innocent high school student meets ultimate bad boy. He says you’ve been sneaking out to be with him and thinks it’s a sunbae. I don’t.”

“You don’t what,” Yixing asks, giving up cleaning to talk to Jongdae.

“I don’t think it’s a sunbae, you spend too much time with me and Amber during school hours. If you were dating someone, if that person went to our school you’d be sneaking off to supply closets at every chance you got.”

“What if we’re trying to keep it secret? I have self-control y’know.”

“No teenage boy has self-control,” Jongdae tells him. “That just… if we had self-control we wouldn’t randomly get boners in the middle of math class with sweaty toupee wearing Teacher Han.”

Yixing’s look of challenge turns to one of disgust as he pictures the scene, a deep shudder ripping through his spine. “Forgetting that…Don’t you have self-control though? Haven’t you been in a one-sided love since forever?”

“Doesn’t mean that I’ve devoted myself to him eternally I’m not dying a just because I loved someone unattainable. Lucky I don’t have to now.”

“Kim Jongdae you’ve done it,” Yixing asks. “When…with who?”

“Forever ago with a close friend,” Jongdae says. “So you can come to me for advice okay. I know all about it and the last thing we want is you freaking out because your secret boyfriend decides to go pass first place.”

“Why does everyone seem so invested in my love life,” Yixing asks, cheeks a dull shade of pink. “You slept with a close friend. Amber?”

“What,” Jongdae exclaims. “Zhang Yixing, Amber is a girl despite dressing and sometimes behaving otherwise. I am a gay man, and I did not sleep with my best girl friend.”

“But you’re said close friend,” Yixing states. “It’s obviously not me so that leaves Amber and Tao and you didn’t sleep with my younger cousin, did you?”

“I am utterly amazed with how your mind works,” Jongdae states. “I didn’t sleep with your cousin, when I lost it I hadn’t even met Tao so… The guy I lost it to is a friend you probably don’t know of. We met at the hospital.”

“Oh,” Yixing mutters.

 Jongdae’s grandmother had died of cancer, before her death she stayed in Seoul University hospital and Jongdae had spent most of his time taking care of her. That’s how Yixing and him became friends back in middle school. Jongdae and Yixing were seatmates and Yixing being the kind person he was he tended to wake Jongdae up when the teacher was about to call on him and took extra notes for the physically and emotionally tired boy.

When they leave the school, Kris is sitting in his car, and Yixing heads over to the car glancing into it anxiously when he realizes that Zitao isn’t with Kris.

“Kris-ge what are you doing here,” Yixing asks, when Kris rolls down the passanger side’s window and Yixing leans his head in.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Kris states, he looks pass Yixing towards Jongdae and turns back towards the Chinese boy. “Tell Jongdae I’ll drive him home if he wants me too.”

“Yah Jongdae-yah,” Yixing calls out. “Kris is giving you a free ride home, so hurry on.”

Yixing can tell that Kris is there for a serious reason from the way the older male barely talks during the ride and both hands clench the steering wheel. Yixing’s worried, he hopes that whatever is on Kris’ mind doesn’t have to deal with his cousin. Serious news could still be good news right?

When Kris pulls up in front of Jongdae’s apartment, Yixing bids the younger male goodbye before settling back in his seat and turning his eyes towards Kris who had yet to move out of the car park.

“What’s wrong,” Yixing asks, voice low and concerned as he eyes his older friend, worried for what the tall male might tell him.

“You have a boyfriend,” Kris states.

“What,” Yixing says with a laugh. “Did Tao tell you this?”

“Zitao told me you were seeing someone the other day after I asked him. I thought maybe you did when I saw you with some kid.”

“Why would you ask him,” Yixing asks. “You have my number; you came to see me today. Why couldn’t you ask me, and you saw me with someone? When?”

“It was two days ago when you should have been in school, or home sick like Tao said you were. The tall blond kid, he’s your boyfriend right?”

“Sehun,” Yixing says before he can stop himself.

“Sehun,” Kris repeats the name, his eyes narrowing and a frown appearing on his thin lips. “I don’t think you should see him anymore.”

“What,” Yixing asks, shocked at how calm his voice sounds even though he expected to yell. He glares fiercely at Kris waiting for the older male to continue, hoping that he’d heard incorrectly.

“He just seems like a bad influence. Zitao told me you snuck out to be with him, and now you’re skipping school, and Zitao even found a lighter in your desk drawer–“

“What,” Yixing says, the yell he first expected appearing. His fingers clench into a tight fist as he begins to shake with anger. “Zitao found a lighter in my desk drawer,” Yixing repeats slowly as if trying to understand the statement. “Why the hell would he be going through my desk drawer? Can’t I get an ounce of privacy for Christ’s sake?”

“Yixing,” Kris says wth a defeated sigh.

“No,” Yixing says, cutting him off hurriedly. “I’m not seeing Sehun, and he’s not a bad influence, neither is the person I’m actually seeing. I think I’ve lived long enough to make my own decision both good and bad without having to worry about people invading my privacy and gossiping about me behind my back.”

“We’re not gossiping,” Kris tells him. “We’re just worried. How long have you known him, a couple of months, a couple of weeks?” Yixing doesn’t respond instead he presses the button on the power locks and slips out of the car, pulling his schoolbag with him.

He doesn’t get far before he’s stopped by Kris and when he turns to look at the older male his pissed off eyes meet sad ones.

“Where are you going,” Kris asks.

“To my no good boyfriend’s house,” Yixing answers harshly, pulling his arm away from Kris and walking quickly away before Kris could stop him again.

Yixing’s more than glad when the front door of Junmyeon’s house clicks open as he turns the knob. That means someone’s home and as he heads straight towards the stairs he hopes more than anything that Kai is that someone.

He heads to the younger male’s bedroom and sighs when he realizes it’s empty. He lets his bag fall in front of the bed and throws himself on top of the soft mattress burying his face into one of the many pillows and breathing in Kai’s scent hoping that it’ll calm him down in place of Kai.

It helps slightly. The urge to hit things is replaced with thoughts. They hadn’t even been together that long and now their relationship was in danger thanks to Yixing’s carelessness.

“What’s wrong princess,” he hears and opens his eyes, turning his head to look at the boy that had just walked into the room, shirt in his hand and pants hanging dangerously low on his hips to the point that Yixing could read the white writing on the black elastic of his underwear.

He swallows thickly and lets his eyes roam the expansion of lightly tanned torso before finally reaching Kai’s amused eyes. “Did you just call me princess?”

“That’s not good enough for you,” Kai asks throwing his shirt onto his desk chair and settling on the bed beside Yixing. “How about love, or sweetheart, darling, honey, maybe baby? I think I like baby the best, baby, baby, baby.”

“The most overused term of endearment in the world,” Yixing acknowledges. “I like it.”

“Of course you do,” Kai tells him. “So baby, what’s wrong?”

“Why do you think something’s wrong,” Yixing asks him.

“Besides the fact that you ignored everyone and came straight to my room, you didn’t notice me enter and was lying face down on my bed? I can sense it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that you’re either exhausted or you’re frustrated.”

“I like you,” Yixing says suddenly, eyes wide and lips parted just slightly as he stares at Kai like he’d just had an epiphany. He feels like he’s baring his soul to the younger and he’s fine with that.

“Don’t ever stop,” Kai tells him, and even though Yixing can see the familiar quirk of his lips his eyes are completely serious and Yixing can’t stop himself as he pulls Kai down into him wraps his arms around the younger male.

“I won’t,” he mutters smiling gently when Kai pecks his lips gently and rolls them around so that Yixing’s lying on top of him with his face buried in the crook of Kai’s neck. “Let me sleep here tonight.”

“You want to sleep here,” Kai asks and Yixing can hear the humor back in his voice. “Here, in my room, in my bed, with me?”

“No in Chanyeol’s room with him,” Yixing says, laughing when Kai wraps his arms around his waist and holds him tighter mumbling a “too bad you can’t”.

When Yixing wakes up Kai is still sleeping. It’s the first time he’s ever seen Kai sleeping since the younger was nearly always awake before him or wakes with him, and now that he’s the first awake he gets a better look at Kai.

Kai is beautiful, his face, his body, every single thing about him is a work of art. He’s a living, breathing sculpture, and now that Yixing can see him when his guards are completely down he looks even more beautiful.

Kai has long dark eyelashes, and soft kissable lips. When he’s sleeping his face loses all the intensity it normally has and he looks like a child, carefree and happy.

Yixing’s cellphone is dying, with only 5% battery left. The digital alarm clock says it’s half past noon and he’s got tons of missed calls. He doesn’t bother checking to see who called; instead he turns the phone off and climbs out of the bed.

Yixing hadn’t eaten a single thing since Friday afternoon and he was starved. He leaves the confines of Kai’s bedroom and heads to kitchen where he catches sight of a bemused Chanyeol and a miserable Junmyeon.

“I’m hungry,” Yixing tells the boys, and Chanyeol points to a random cabnent grin still on his lips.

“There’s cereal in that cupboard.”

“What’s so funny,” Yixing asks, as he heads to the cupboard, taking out a box of cereal and then moving around to find a bowl.

“There’s a lot funny this morning,” Chanyeol tells him. “Suho-hyung has a hangover and you’re wearing Kai’s clothes.”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve worn Kai’s clothes,” Yixing reminds the younger male as he sits at the table with the other two. “Why does Suho have a hangover?” The person in question lets a small groan escape pass his lips as he lifts his head to take another sip of his coffee.

“This is the first time that I can openly acknowledge you wearing Kai’s clothes without worrying about you running away and never coming back. If you came down stairs last night then you would have realized that we had a very small celebration and Suho-hyung tends to drink a lot when alcohol is present.”

“How is Suho drunk,” Yixing asks, he keeps trying to imagine the older male drunk but nothing comes to mind.

“He’s hilarious,” Chanyeol tells him. “Suho-hyung goes totally crazy when he drinks. He gets really loud and turns into a complete daredevil. I should record it one day.”

“You will not,” Junmyeon states, lifting his head to glare at Chanyeol. “Lay how was your night with Kai.”

“Are you trying to distract us from talking about you,” Lay asks looking up from his cereal. “Where’s Luhan and Sehun?”

“Luhan should have a hangover too,” Chanyeol tells him. “Which means Sehun is taking care of him and complaining because he couldn’t drink.”

“Why can’t Sehun drink,” Yixing asks, he doubts it’s an age thing.

“Sehun becomes really affectionate when he drinks,” Chanyeol explains. “He can already be pretty clingy sober but when he drinks it becomes cuddles and kisses and it’s like being with a big baby. He harasses everyone.”

“What did you and Kai do,” Suho asks, this time. “Neither of you came down at all after you came over. Speaking of which, is everything okay? You stormed in here in such a hurry yesterday.”

“It’s fine, I had a fight with a close friend of mine,” Yixing states. “Kai and I didn’t do anything yesterday.”

“Your lies would be a lot more believable if you didn’t have those dark red hickeys on your skin,” Chanyeol points out. Yixing’s hands instinctively reach up to cover skin on his neck and shoulders that wasn’t hidden underneath Kai’s shirt as he glares at the younger male.

“Shut up,” he mumbles.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed,” Chanyeol tells him with a loud laugh that has Junmyeon glaring at him from his seat. “We’re used to seeing this, we live with Luhan and Sehun, and those two can really be obvious.”

“How long did you know about this,” Yixing asks.

“By this you mean you and Kai,” Chanyeol asks for clarification.

“I mean Kai’s interest in me. You guys knew from the very beginning that Kai was into me right?”

“Of course,” Junmyeon says. “Kai wasn’t secretive about his interest in you. Honestly we were more than glad when you seemed to return his feelings.”

“That’s it,” Yixing asks. “You’re not playing around with me right?” Chanyeol gapes at the question, mouth and eyes open wide in surprise as he gazes at Yixing. Junmyeon frowns at him, all playfulness leaves his face.

“Of course not,” Chanyeol says. “We would never do such a thing.”

“If anything we should be worried about you playing with us,” Junmyeon states drily. “You’ve heard the rumors yet here you are. One can only wonder why.”

Yixing ‘s stomach drops as Junmyeon’s words, and he looks away from the older male down to his bowl of cereal. He feels like a child being scolded and he’s not exactly sure why. Junmyeon’s accusation is so far off base that it makes him feel sick to his stomach.

Yixing goes to defend himself but suddenly he’s distracted as Kai walks into the room, rubbing tiredly at his eyes and heading over to the cupboard with the cereal in it.

“Ah he’s hickey free,” Chanyeol states, and Yixing lifts his gaze to stare at Kai’s back as he makes himself breakfast ignoring the three at the table. He’ wearing gray track pants, and still no shirt.

“Shut up,” Yixing says, playfully glaring at the taller male.

“Hmm,” Chanyeol hums teasingly as Kai makes his way over to the table and sits down, resting his head on his hand.

“Are you going home,” the youngest asks eyes half-open as he twirls his cereal around in the cold milk.

“I don’t want to,” Yixing admits. “Rather I leave now or later it won’t matter.”

“Did something happen at home,” Junmyeon asks, his tone concerned.

“Nothing major,” Yixing says with a shake of his head. “It has to deal with the argument I had with my friend.”

“You had a fight with your friend,” Kai asks suddenly, and Yixing turns away from Junmyeon to look at him. His eyes are still sleepy looking but they’re more alert. “About what? Us?”

“No,” Yixing answers. “It was about my cousin and their lack of respect towards my decisions and my privacy.”

“So it is about us,” Kai asks.

“No,” Yixing repeats. “It’s not about us, it’s about me skipping school the other day and doing other things like that. My cousin is a know-it-all about teenage rebellion because that’s what got him sent here.”

“Then shouldn’t you be on your best behavior so they don’t start keeping you away from us,” Kai asks him.

“You don’t understand them,” Yixing tells him. “They’re really stubborn. This is the only way I’ll be able to visit here without any questions.”

“They don’t seem to be the only ones stubborn,” Junmyeon states, and Yixing makes it a point to loudly bang a empty pot onto the kitchen counter as he makes his way to the sink.

His mother isn’t there when Yixing returns home. He hadn’t expected that, even though she spends most of her Saturdays busy he still expected her to be there waiting to scream and shout at him in Mandarin for staying out all night.

His house is quiet so he takes a shower now that he’s home and settles down on his bed, working on the homework he had for the weekend.

There’s a knock on his bedroom door thirty minutes later and Yixing mumbles a barely audible “come in.” Zitao enters the room and closes the door behind him before taking a seat on Yixing’s empty desk chair.

“I told Auntie that we spent the night at Kris’ place so you wouldn’t get in trouble,” Zitao tells him. He eyes drop from Yixing’s face to stare at a spot on his neck, and Yixing shifts uncomfortable as he suddenly remembers the hickeys on him. “I’m sorry for going through your things gege, and for gossiping about your life.”

“It’s fine,” Yixing tell him. “I overreacted. Is Kris-ge here? He dropped you off right? I want to apologize to him.”

“Text him,” Zitao tells him. “I won’t intrude on your private life again or bring it up to anyone as long as you do one thing for me.”

“Which is,” Yixing asks a small grimace on his lips. Zitao is way too serious for his liken and he can only fear that the younger has put two and two together and has realized that he hangs out with Kai and his friends. Yixing doesn’t want Tao telling him to choose between Kai and everything else.

“Stay away from Kris-ge for a while,” Zitao tells him.

“What,” Yixing asks, eyes widening as he gazes at his cousin. “Huang Zitao are you serious? Just because I had a small fight with him you’re telling me to stay away? Isn’t that too much?”

“No,” Zitao answers. “It’s not too much. Kris-ge doesn’t want you around him either. He’s still hurt and honestly…it’ll just be better for you to stay away from him for a bit. You’re really oblivious ge.”

“Why do you keep saying that,” Yixing says with a huff. “Yes I can be really oblivious but what does that have to do with anything. If I missed something then tell me, isn’t what cousins – isn’t that what friends are for?”

“This is something you have to figure out on you own,” Zitao tells him.

“If I told you everything about the person I’m dating would you still tell me to stay away from Kris,” Yixing asks suddenly. The last thing he wants to do is choose between Kai and Kris. Even though he always complained about the elder, Kris was still one of his best friends and the thought of having to end their friendship or just taking a small break from it was breaking his heart.

“Yes,” Tao tells him. “Even if you promised to break up with him I’d still ask you to stay away from Kris. Gege, I’m not asking you to stay away forever, it’s just that…now it’s a delicate time for him and us, and… Can you just do this for me, please?”

“Fine,’ Yixing mumbles out reluctantly, “because I want you to be happy and I want him to be happy. If you need me to stay away so you can be happy then that’s fine. Just, I’m going out tonight and I won’t be back till tomorrow okay.”

“Okay,” Zitao tells him. “You have to tell auntie though. Isn’t it strange if her nephew tells her the whereabouts of her son all the time? You can use the Kris excuse again if you want.”

Kai tells him to come back over when he feels like it when Yixing calls him. Afterwards Zitao and him huddle together on his bed, and watch a comedy movie. It’s their way of saying everything’s okay between them even though Yixing loses interest halfway through and Zitao barely understands it.

“Next time we need to watch a Chinese movie,” Zitao tells him.

“You need all the Korean help you can get,” Yixing tells him. He grabs his bag with his clothes packed and heads out of the room. Zitao is waiting for him at the front entrance.

“You’re really going to that guy’s house,” Zitao asks him with a frown.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t pry,” Yixing asks back, and then offers a small grin. “I’m going to his house and you don’t have to worry. He’s not like whatever your imagination has conjured up.”

“I’m not worried,” Zitao states, “You’re an adult right? You can make your own decisions and what not. It just feels like there’s a guy stealing my cousin away and it’s not even a fair fight because I don’t even know this guy’s face. Kris feels like that too, like he’s losing you to a stranger.”

“I’m not being stolen, you’re not losing me,” Yixing tells him. “You can’t meet him now, but you will be able to one day. Until then try to be understanding, if I had it my way we would all be good friends.”

“I get it,” Zitao tells him. “I’m not going to pressure you. Do what you want, like I said before you’re still my cousin and I still love you. I’ll support you no matter who you like.”

“Thanks Tao,” Yixing says, giving the younger male a small uneasy grin and leaving, he doesn’t want to be around when Kris comes.

“Zhang Yixing I went around this whole school looking for you,” Jongdae says when he appears inside the empty classroom, a frown on his lips. “How could you force me to eat lunch alone?”

“I didn’t you have Amber,” Yixing reminds him. “Where is she?”

“Doing girl things,” Jongdae shrugs. “What’s wrong, something’s been bugging you all day and I’m here to listen and be your source of sound advice.”

“There’s so much wrong,” Yixing admits, before telling Jongdae his list of problems, starting with the talk after Kris had drove the younger to his apartment.

“So let me get this correct,” Jongdae says slowly. “You spent the weekend at your badass of a boyfriend’s house, because you’re fighting with Tao and Kris-hyung. You and Tao tried to reconcile but you still feel like there’s something holding you back and you don’t know why. Oh and you promised Tao you’d stay away from Kris for a while. Sounds like the typical Friday night drama to me, maybe I should have went to your house this weekend. All I did was visit an aunt in Busan.”

“Kim Jongdae,” Yixing groans out.

“Okay,” Jongdae says, a small smile on his face. “Do you know why things feel awkward? I’m not talking about exact reason, just like what’s influencing it. Is it the Kris thing or your boyfriend?”

“It can’t be both,” Yixing asks with a sigh. “Tao says he and Kris feel like they’re losing me to a stranger.”

“Because your boyfriend is a stranger to them and he’s occupying most of the time you had available for their spur of the moment decisions. If our friendship was already well established I might feel the same.”

“We barely hang out outside of school,” Yixing points out.

“That’s why I’m not jealous. I occupy most of your otherwise boring school life. Anyway, I think the real problem is because Tao’s pushing you away from Kris when he knows he shouldn’t be doing that. You know he shouldn’t be doing too, but you’re letting him.”

“Tao likes Kris,” Yixing states. “If I can give them alone time, or at least make Kris stop asking about me every time it’s just those two then I want to help.”

“Okay who does Kris like then,” Jongdae asks.

“Some random guy,” Yixing states, “I think he goes to Kris’ school, I never met him but Tao knows him. I figure if I get Tao alone time with Kris then he’ll kind of realize that Tao’s always there for him which he is.”

“The best way to get over a one-sided love is through rejection,” Jongdae states. “It doesn’t have to be balatant rejection, just rejection. Anyway, what did your boyfriend say.”

“He said Kris likes me,” Yixing admits. “It doesn’t make sense, Kris treats me like a brother. He’s always has.”

“Did he sound jealous when he told you that,” Jongdae asks.

“No,” Yixing answers, “when K- when he told me that he said it so matter-of-factly that it ended up bugging a lot more than if you or someone else would have said it.”

“Because he’s your boyfriend,” Jongdae states, “You’ve got yourself an apathetic boyfriend and now you’re the one gets irrational even over something he should be getting upset by. You’re going to live a hard life for now on.”

“Kim Jongdae why do I even talk to my problems with you?”

“Because you love me,” Jongdae answers cheekily, “and because you feel a lot better after telling me.”

I thought about splitting this in two but you guys should be used to really long chapters. I wouldn't be me without at least a little bit of drama so here it is. The next chapter is my all time favorite though, it's long and cute so you all will like it.