Chapter 70

"Alright. I now call this TCA crisis meeting for  open. Subject: Chinese Member, Kris Wu Fan AKA Sweet-Cheeks."  

TCA had gathered at the café because Minseok hadn't been able to get off work. Everyone from the group was there, all except Kris. Instead Joonmyun had taken his spot, God knows why, as he had always been very much against the club name. But there he was, feet tripping up and down while anxiously checking his watch every two seconds. Luckily for Minseok the café was close to empty so he could more or less join the meeting without interruption.

"It has now been two and a half week since the last time any of us have seen or heard from Kris. Guys. I am worried sick. After Kyungsoo's so called 'accident', Kris has been a mess. Showing up late for class, skipping work and then when news came around of Kyungsoo having dropped out of school and quit his job here as well no one has heard from Kris."

It had been Luhan who'd called the meeting and gathered everyone. Minseok was almost proud of his best friend. Even though more times than not the guy was just plain intolerable but Luhan really did care for his friends. And ever since he and Jongdae had become an item, his two friend's had both changed for the better. He was happy for them. Sure they fought a lot but they made up for that with the crazy love they felt for each other.

"Did anyone hear why he dropped out?"

Minseok was curious about that as well.
News of Kyungsoo dropping out of university had spread like wildfire but no one knew the reason to his sudden drop out. When Minseok had called to hear if it was true, no one picked up. He tried Kyungsoo's mother, Baekhyun and Chanyeol but zilch. Either one had heard nothing but much to Minseok's suspicion, neither one of them seemed the least worried about Kyungsoo.

"No. You don't think they have eloped do you?"

"Last time I saw Kris, he was eeerh... Pretty devastated. And then the manager showed up to inform us Kyungsoo had quit. After that... If possible, Kris was even worse off. I even caught him crying out back but he wouldn't tell me why. He just took off, no goodbye or anything. Hasn't been here since."

It had been strange seeing Kris so... depressed. His usual goofy smile had been into a black hole and replaced by a constant frown. No not even that. Not even a frown. There was no expression at all. Almost as if  the man was nowhere to be found in the presence but somewhere entirely else. Far, far away. Or at least that's what Minseok thought. He was certain it was Kyungsoo that haunted him but really, what had happened? The two had seemed so thrilled about announcing their love to the café's customers and staff and not a week later, Kyungsoo is MIA and Kris is at the bottom of fifty layers of crap.

"Can we please hurry this up? I have to be somewhere in 15 minutes."

Joonmyun was still shaking anxiously. Minseok was certain that Luhan was going to flip.

"Why are you even here?!"

Yup. He was right.

"You're not even a member of TCA?! If you want to leave, then leave! Us who actually care about our missing friend do not need you here! So go on! Go practice for your stupid concert. Go!"

Joonmyun's body stopped shaking momentarily as surprise showed on his face but it was quickly replaced by a stern look.

"I am trying to help Kris. And that involves me meeting someone in 15 minutes."

"What do you mean?"

Minseok asked as he put his hand on Luhan's shoulder, pushing him to sit down.

"... I promised Kris I wouldn't tell."

"You talked to him?!"

Minseok hit Luhan on the back of his head for his little outburst.

"Please tell us. We're all worried here. If you know anything, don't keep it to yourself. Tell us. Please."

Joonmyun sighed before driving a hand through his hair.
-

"How is practice going hyung?"

Joonmyun had finally taught Sehun to call him hyung which suited him just fine. In fact, lately things had pretty much gone whatever which way to his sole advantage. It was strange and somehow all too disturbing. He had skipped school every once in a while to focus on the big finishing performance which by now was nothing short of perfect. His parents had got off his back about his musical preference and seemed almost proud of him. Really the only thing off about all of Joonmyun's good fortune... Was Kris.

Where the hell was he?

It had almost been two weeks and nothing. Kris didn't answer his phone, his door and no one had seen the guy at school. Joonmyun was definitely starting to worry about him. He juuuuuust needed to finish practice for the day and then he would go look for him. And if nothing happened then maybe it was time to try Kyungsoo. Joonmyun had a strange feeling that Kris's disappearance had everything to do with Do Kyungsoo.

"Almost done. It's going to be incredible! Of course I expect to see you there."

"You know it."

The two were out buying school equipment for Sehun early in the morning and for the first time, Joonmyun wasn't the one paying. No, it would seem the kid was fixed on seeing what making it on his own was all about. Joonmyun was so proud he might cry.

"By the way... Has Kris been to the café lately?"

"Kris? No why?"

"I haven't seen or heard from him in a long time. It's starting to freak me out a little bit."

"Ah. Well, I haven't seen him... Not since news of Kyungsoo quitting his job came up."

"Kyungsoo quit?"

"Yeah, like a week ago. But he hadn't  been at work since the beginning of February."    

After hearing this, Joonmyun decided that practice had to wait.
Kris was priority no. 1.

It was still early when Joonmyun showed up at Kris's apartment. He'd already been there a few times before but no one had answered. Just about to knock, muffled voices could be heard inside. Curious, Joonmyun leaned against the door to hear better when suddenly it was swung open. Taken aback, Joonmyun fell into the arms of a complete stranger. Female, at that. Joonmyun quickly apologized when he noticed her messy hair and her shirt that was buttoned wrong in two places. From that, Captain Obvious, was able to put two and two together to figure out what had... progressed.  The girl was quick to run off, leaving Joonmyun face to face with a half Kris.

"... Kris?"

The man looked... So ashamed. Without a word, Kris backed away in cowardice.  Hesitating, Joonmyun followed him inside.

"Who is she?"

There was no response except of subtle sobbing as Kris slumped down onto the couch, hiding his face.

"... Where is Kyungsoo?"

The mention of his name seemed to only increase the sobbing as the pitiful man choked out a 'Please. Don't tell anyone.' Joonmyun reached out to pat him on the back but Kris was quick to shy away from the touch.

"Are you sad... Because of Kyungsoo?"

"H-He... He doesn't... I want... I wan Kyungsoo..."

"... You're in love with him. Aren't you?"

Kris hugged himself close, crying a small river. Joonmyun felt incredibly sad for his friend. This was all Kyungsoo's fault but... If it was Kyungsoo Kris wanted then that was exactly what he was going to get.

Leaving the apartment, Joonmyun pulled out his cell.

"Sehun? Who's Kyungsoo's best friend?"
-

"... A few days ago I went back to Kris's apartment to check up on him. He... He was with someone. A girl. And yes, it would seem she had spent the night. He seemed... So broken. Something bad has happened between him and Kyungsoo. What, I don't know but I'm am doing everything I can to make them reconcile. Because Kris... He really is head over heels in love with Do Kyungsoo."  

The group turned silent. Even Luhan kept his mouth shut.
Kris had slept with ... Someone not Kyungsoo? ... and female? None the less?

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No. Everything is already set in motion. What you can do is leave Kris be. You'll see him soon enough."

Joonmyun shared a secretive look with Sehun who was waiting on a nearby table before he left without another word.

"I really hope he knows what he's doing."

Lay stood up, sighing heavily.

"Well.. I guess meeting's adjourned? Luhan?"

"What? Oh.. yeah. Erh... Meeting... Mee.."

"Just go."

A caring boyfriend took Luhan's hand and put a comforting arm around his shouder.

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Guess I'm back in the kitchen."

Before Minseok had the chance to return to his stove, Lay came running back, grabbed hold of Tao's shirt and pulled him behind his back.

"Hyung?! What are you.."

 An elderly man entered the café with hesitant steps. His expression was insecure and very uncomfortable yet somehow full of determination.

"...Dad?"

Everyone from TCA got to their feet, functioning as a shield around Tao. What was Tao's father doing here?

"So this is where you work now? It's nice."

The man stopped a good few meters away from the  human screen, protecting Tao.

"It's good to see you have so many close friends Tao. Good."

"What do you want?"

Minseok stepped in front of the father, arms crossed and ready to put knuckle sandwiches on the menu. How dared he come here? After everything he had put his son through.

"You hate me. I understand. I hate me too... I'm here because I need to have a conversation with Tao. And I would prefer talking to him alone."

"Not gonna hap..."

"Okay."

Tao stepped out from behind Lay looking strangely calm.

"Let's talk. Guys? Could you give us a moment?"

Minseok's mouth fell open in protest but the look on Tao's face convinced him that the kid would be alright. And so Minseok and the others scattered to allow for the family of two to catch up.

"You look well. Tao-yah."

Tao kept quiet.
The shock of seeing his father here at the café had finally passed. Now it was anger which kept him paralyzed.

"...I'm seeing a therapist. And... I'm almost two months sober."

"You want me to be proud of you?"

"No."

"Then what is it you want?"

His fists clenched, nails stabbing into his skin.

"I want you to know that... Your mother... Really hurt me when she left."

The man sounded so pitiful as his chin started to quiver. Tao almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"So you're saying you slapping me around the past few years was solely her fault? Because if that's the case, you can go screw yourself."

"Tao I..."

"If you haven't guessed already, I've been wanting to get away from you for a very long time! I was supposed to go to America last year and you forced me not to go!"

"I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it. You can say you've changed, that you've become a better person. But all I'll ever see... Is the man who I'm supposed to trust unconditionally to take care of me, the man I've looked up to my entire life, is a monster."

Tao hugged himself. He had tried his best not to think of his dad and just when it had become easy to push him aside, the man just had to show up.

"I know saying I'm sorry isn't enough and I'm not here for your forgiveness. It would be silly of me to think that. I'm here because... You're my son. And I am going to do whatever is in my power to deserve to be called dad again... That's all."

The man swallowed once while keeping his eyes plastered on the floor.

"But for what it's worth... I really am... Sorry."

It looked as if he wanted to say some more but decided against it. Instead he gave Tao a deep bow before quickly exiting the café.
A small part of Tao wanted to run after his father but... the fading bruises and the fear of getting beat up, held him back.

"Are you okay?"

It was strange how much Tao once had disliked Lay and his quirky optimism and kindness and now Tao was drawn to him like a panda to a bamboo bush. While the others in the group treated him like a younger brother, Lay treated him like a friend. While Tao leaned on Lay, Lay depended on Tao as well. The two had become closer living together. They had been awkward in the beginning but soon they found that it was nice not being on their own. Even if Lay still sometimes forgot he had a roommate. Apparently Lay liked to... walk around after a shower and then get comfortable on the couch watching television, feet on the table and making a nice, wet print on the cushions. Tao hated it. But what could he do? He'd tried telling him but Lay had a tendency to forget. He had put plastic on the couch once but Lay had yelled at him that it froze his . Tao had even bought him a bathrobe once but he never used it. One day Tao had had enough, deciding to give Lay a taste of his own medicine. Lay had just gotten out of the shower and sat down when Tao hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower as well. Joining Lay on the couch completely , Lay had just given him the elevator look before breaking into a crazy smile, offering him a high-five. Tao had to admit... Sitting while waiting to dry... He could see the appeal.  

"I'm okay."

"What did he say?"

"Just that... Wait, didn't you have to leave?"

"Guess I forgot. But you're okay? You want me to stay? "

"I'm good Lay. I'll see you tonight."

"... Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay. Now go before you're going to get scolded by your class."

"They won't scold me. They love me. See you!"

Tao watched as Lay set into a sprint out the door and disappeared from sight. Sighing, he couldn't help but wonder how things would have turned out had it not been for 'The China Alliance'. Honestly, Tao was too scared to even go there.

"You're late."

Lay came running through the door to the practice room, coming to a complete stop when his face made contact with the wall mirror.
Jongin felt a li~ttle sorry for the guy but seeing as this was the first time Jongin was joining Lay's dance class, the guy could at least have been on time. They had bonded during the Christmas party when they realized they shared a passion of dance. When Jongin was a kid he had acquired a fondness of... Ballet. But as he grew up the teasing became too much and he quit. He still loved dancing though but never thought to take up ballet again. Then he saw Lay dancing on stage, a different kind of dance and the urge to move his body soon became too difficult to ignore. It had still taken quite the convincing from Lay to make Jongin attend his class, mostly because the style was so different from what he was used to. Jongin loved the elegance in dancing. Popping... popping wasn't.

"Sorry. The meeting dragged out."

The man jumped to his feet before addressing the rest of the room.

"Everyone. Sorry I'm late. So why don't we get started, yes?"

Jongin had a hard time keeping up with the strange dance moves but being a quick study, Jongin soon matched Lay's movements perfectly.

"Wow. You're pretty good."

As Jongin turned his head to where the voice came from, he managed to trip over his own feet, making a graceful face plant. 

"Ow."

"Oh my God. Are you alright?"

A girl watched him with worried eyes as she bent over him.
The pain subsided as he looked into her big round eyes and suddenly his hands felt moist, his heart rate increased and speaking became impossible.

"Jongin! Ah, Minji-shi, help me get him to his feet."

For the rest of the class, Jongin sat on the sideline watching the girl dance. It was spell-binding the way she moved so effortlessly and all at once, Jongin recognized this feeling. A feeling he had been missing for a very long time.

'Minji...'

"Kyungsoo honey? Baekhyun's here."

Kyungsoo turned in his old bed, sleep-deprived and just plain way too tired to entertain his friend who once again was visiting him at his mother's place.

'Doesn't that guy have anything better to do?' 

Blinking his eyes he managed to sit up in bed before Baekhyun came busting through the door, arms full of different ointments, snacks and a load of books.

"Kyungsoo!... You're still in bed? Seriously? It's almost noon."

"Hey give me a break. I went to bed at five in the morning."

"You've got to slow down, Kyungsoo."

"I can't. I have a lot of catching up to do."

Kyungsoo gently massaged his left wrist. It still hurt but it didn't matter. He had more important things to worry about.

"Pft. You need to learn how to relax Kyungsoo. Anyway I brought some stuff for your hand and those books you needed. I can't believe you're too lazy to go get a library card and borrow the books yourself."

"Oh please. You practically live there."

Kyungsoo earned a slap on the arm as Baekhyun rubbed his injured wrist with some kind of weird smelling lotion. After their conversation at the hospital, going back to normal had been easier than first expected. Mostly thanks to Chanyeol's threats of going country on them. Baekhyun still denied being gay though. But all at his own time right?

"Why isn't Chanyeol with you?"

"He had some stuff to take care of."

"Really? He's always busy lately. I wonder what he's up to..."

"... I'm sure it's nothing. So what will you be doing today?"

"The same I've been doing the past week?"

"Of course you are... You know. The anniversary concert is on Sunday... You want to go?"

"I'd rather have Kang Hodong sit on my face."

"Yeah I don't think he swings that way. Anyway. It was just a question."

There was a knock on the door before his mother appeared in the doorway with a phone.

"Honey? You got a phone call."

"Who is it?"

"One of your teachers from the university."

Begrudgingly Kyungsoo took the phone. His music teacher had called him on and off to persuade him to come back. He felt kind of sorry for the poor bastard.

"Hello?"

"You owe me a favor."

"... Sehun?"

"I'm calling it in."

"Oh great. Just what I needed. Who do you need me to kill?"

"You know. People have been really worrying about you and you've just been hiding out at your mothers? Shame on you."

"I've had other things to worry about."

"I don't care. In three days I'll come pick you up at your mothers and you better be clean, shaven and dressed to a ten or I will have Joonmyun find you and destroy you."

"Excuse me?"

"17:30 PM. Oh and Kyungsoo? I might not agree with the choices you've made in life but... If anything... Kris deserves and explanation. Don't you think?"

Sehun had hung up before Kyungsoo had the chance to reply.
Kris...

"Who was it?"

"Former colleague. Don't ask."

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes for a while before seemingly brushing it off.
Why would Sehun want him to dress up?
Kyungsoo opened one of the snack bags, silently hoping the favor didn't involve Kris.

Not yet.

-

Krystal was on her way to see her boyfriend.
After the conversation at the hospital, Krystal had left with a lighter heart and her spirit lifted.
At long last, happiness seemed in reach for both of them. Something she hadn't been in an agonizingly long time.
Smiling, she put a finger to graze her lips where Kyungsoo's kiss still lingered.

'No more.' She silently whispered to herself.
A sob got caught in as tears filled her eyes.

"I love you... Krystal."

Kyungsoo lifted his undamaged arm up to sweetly caress her cheek. There was something so sincere in the way he said it, almost... almost like the first time those words had left his lips. Sincere... and bittersweet. Krystal braced her heart for what she knew came next.

"I love you. And I probably always will. You were my first love and I can't tell you how happy I am that it was you who showed me what love is like. That even though it is scary... it is worth it all. You and I... we, us. It really was love... Was. But now... I can't see myself without... He's somehow become a part of me... The only part of me that I can truly say, I can't live without.
"I'm sorry Krystal. I really am. For everything. But also... Thank you. Without you I would still be cold to anything that draws breath. So thank you. And goodbye. You don't need me Krystal. I'm certain you already know this, it's just that letting go... It's unbearable. And equally as scary as falling in love."

It really was scary.
Krystal didn't care about her tears that fell or the public eye that watched her with worried eyes but none stopped to ask why. Not that she'd know what to tell should anyone ask. The obvious answer would be 'I'm sad' but honestly? Krystal wasn't sad. No, really. These were tears of relief. Tears, of closure.
She had always loved Kyungsoo dearly, but now that it was over she could only wonder why they hadn't ended it sooner. For years she had walked in Kyungsoo's shadow in the hope of him to notice her and when he finally did she had thought that would've been enough. But it wasn't. Love is a match of equals and of mutual respect. With her and Kyungsoo it had always been her one step behind while trying to anticipate his next move.
She had been handling their relationship all wrong. She never let herself be an equal to Kyungsoo. That was her mistake. One she regretted but had come to accept. 

Taemin... Taemin on the other hand was so different. And it scared her that he seemed to care more about her than Kyungsoo did or ever had. It scared her to let go of someone she had shared 5 years of her life with and she couldn't help but wonder... Was that the only reason she had sought him out again? Because it was easier than falling in love with someone new? Having to go through all those initial stages again...

But one learns from one's mistakes right?

Krystal was dead-set on not making the same mistake twice. Not with Taemin. She really did care for him a lot, how long she had, she wasn't sure but... She knew he would take good care of her, just as she would take care of him.
A smile graced her lips as she dried her eyes.

'Let's be happy. Kyungsoo.'

Krystal's heart did a small summersault as she noticed her boyfriend,  Lee Taemin, waving at her from a distance. 

A/N 
First of all, I'm sorry if anything seems rushed but writing an ending is so much harder that everything else :s 
Second, It would seem I lie about 'only one chapter left' -.-' But NEXT chapter will be the last one and it's going to be looong. Hey I'm really sorry. (Not)
And third... I love you all :D (Yeah there's no third xD)