“I’d rather make a breakfast,” he mumbled. But he just couldn’t take his eyes off.

The guy who was known as Kevin Li Jiaheng or Kris, beholding over Tao who was serenely sleeping by his side. Holding the gaze for a while, Kris could feel the pain. Imagining what was happening while he was away before; he always knew that Tao missed him so much. He knew that Tao was such a person who would lock himself for hours in the bathroom, crying with the shower falling on his bare body as he would always do that before. Knowing that the splashing water would mute his snuffles when it met the wet floor, he was wishing that Kris would not know that he was crying as he would scold him being such a baby, crying even over small things. But Kris knew it all.

Kris couldn’t believe or understand why he would leave such a baby, Tao, who needed him more than everything in his life. Tao would always look up to him like a small kid would look up to his big brother, a small brother who would always showed-off his goodness while wanting a pat on the head and an utter of ‘Good job’ out between his lips. Always a brother who always wanted a hug when he was afraid of bugs and darkness, who would always lean his head on his shoulder, crying whenever problems came barging into his life. But, Kris would always chase him off, because he didn’t really like being touched. Kris reminiscing that all, the hugs and leans that he had refused to take; he regret them all. Still gazing on Tao’s face, despite of the tranquil aura that he was absorbing from the sleeping figure, Kris broke into tears.

He tried to reach out his hand onto Tao’s head, but he was afraid that it will wake him up from his sleep. Pulling back his hand while beaming a smile, he was glad that Tao was a better person, getting stronger while facing all his problems by his own, alone since he was not around anymore.

Then the memories started to invade his mind again. Everything was perfect before until he had diagnosed with a heart sickness. Heart cancer. He realized that Tao would be very solemn after that if he knew about it, and he couldn’t help himself seeing Tao hurt, so he decided to hide everything from Tao. While struggling between his basketball schedules and surreptitiously undergone treatments, he tried not to spill everything, not even to anyone; his fans, his rivals, everyone. There was only one person who kept all his secrets, Luhan. Luhan was the only person who made everything easy for him. Those conversations keep on playing on his mind again and again.

“Where is the promise that we keep on holding? We have promised not to leave each other, even though the world turned its back to us, don’t you remember?”

Kris huffed, “Wasn't it just a babble? You know, that someday somehow we will forget all those things. So, stop dreaming and accept the truth,”

“… that we are not meant to be friends, ever.”

They have promised too much, but he was the one who broke it all. But then it was never willful. Tears fall onto his cheeks again, he couldn’t stop himself from crying but at the same time he didn’t want to make it discernible so he cupped his face, never wanting his sobs that fell off his nose went into Tao’s earlobes.

So Kris walked towards the kitchen and cried over the sink. After he had finished releasing out all his feelings, realizing that it was already late, Kris opened the fridge and took some sausages and eggs from it. He unpacked the sausages and laid them on a hot pan, and after that relayed the turn to the eggs. Done all the frying, he put some bread into the toaster and while waiting for it to be done, he placed his hands on his waist and rested the left side of his body against the fridge. At that time abruptly a pair of arms wrapped his torso with a jaw propped on his shoulder. Electricity jolted in his veins directly, he glanced over his shoulder to found Tao sleeping on it, making him startled and he quickly unclasped the grip that was around him.

“What are you doing?” Kris moved away, feeling awkward. The bread that popped out of the toaster had made him startled. He looked at Tao who was standing up fronting him, with his heavy-lidded eyes looking back to Kris.

“Sorry, I thought that you’re okay with it. Since last night you kept on hugging me while I was sleeping. Thanks, it felt really good. I like people hugging me while I was sleeping. I feel… secured,” Tao uttered, still with his eyes lidded and a faint voice. Kris delivered a smile.

“Yeah I’m okay with that, hug me whenever you feel like you want to hug someone. I don’t care if you want to lean on my shoulder either,” he said, beaming a more radiant smile, making it seemed like it was never sarcastic. Tao smiled until his eyes sunken into his heavy lidded eyes and deep dark eyebags, that’s why people keep on calling him a panda. After that, he slouched against the fridge, keeping his eyes closed because he still felt like sleeping. Kris made his work pending when he had the conversation with the latter so he continued it by placing the toasts on a flat round plate and put it on the dining table with the rest of the meal.

“Chaa… breakfast is done. Let’s eat!” Kris exclaimed excitedly to exhilarate Tao. He knew that Tao was extremely hungry for he had spewed everything in his tummy in a toilet bowl less an hour ago. Kris was the first one who sat at the table, propping his chin using his hand on the table, it seemed like he’s proud of what he had prepared.

“Yehet! I’m hungry!” Tao said, rushing to take his place at the table.

“Yeap, I know,” Kris said while grabbing an empty plate. He put four sausages, three scoopful of scrambled egg, two slices of wholemeal bread and two toasts on the plate and put it in front of Tao.

“Woah, that’s a lot for a breakfast! I need to maintain my diet since I’ve consumed a lot of alcohol last night,” Tao said, gaping his mouth opened.

“Oh really? Okay, I’ll put some of it off then,” Kris uttered, grabbed the plate and put back a slice of wholemeal bread and a toast, and placed it back in front of him. He then put a marmalade can beside the plate, a few packets of butter and chili sauce, and then it ended that the whole meal laid near Tao’s plate because Kris kept on putting them there, leaving none on his side.

“Thanks Kevin, but still, it’s too much,” Tao giggled, delighted by the special treat by his guest, or he could called him his personal assistant slash his security guard. Nay, he was better called a lover despite all of the careers mentioned because Kris was the one who brought him back home when he was drunk, hugged him to sleep, cooked him breakfast, and now, basically shoving everything into his mouth though it wasn't literally. Tao put back some items from his plate, leaving a sausage, a scoop of scrambled egg and a slice of wholemeal bread.

“Oh, that’s too little, are you sure you are not eating more of those…?” Kris asked, wondering as that was not the old Tao that he used to know. The old Tao was once called a big garbage bag by Kris because he wolfed down anything and everything that went onto his plate. Tao shook his head and started to shove a spoonful of scrambled egg into his mouth.

“Damn, I swear this is frigging delicious!” he said while digging two more scoops into the plateful of scrambled egg and shove it into his mouth. Kris giggled, he almost believed that Tao really changed in every way, but yeah, he was obviously cheated. Surprisingly, most of the meals prepared were devoured by Tao. He might be excited as it’s not often to have homemade meals made by a person other than himself, especially that guy because he resembled his Kris hyung a lot. Duhh, because he’s indeed Kris, that’s why.

They have done eating their breakfast and together they cleaned up their mess. They didn’t bother to have lunch anymore because it’s already noon and they were extremely gorged. Kris crawled onto the bed again to sleep, since the bed and Kris were two close best friends since he was ever born to the world. While at the other side, Tao was having fun playing games on his tab.

Hours passed and Kris was deeply sunken into the sea of dreams, in the bed sheets, literally. And after that he woke up saying “Tao, my lips are bleeding,” in front of Tao who was still on the couch playing games on the tab. Tao giggled after he was slightly startled when the guy he called ‘Kevin’ abruptly went out of the bedroom to utter those words, he shook his head while giggling, realizing that the latter wasn’t sleepwalk at all.

“Tao, I’m hungry. Let’s eat something,” Kris uttered, while Tao still kept his head on the game.

“Urmm, you can just cook anything in the fridge or in the cabinet, for sure there are plenty of food inside that,” Tao said while he’s still playing.

“So, that means that you’re not gonna have dinner with me?”

“Nope, I’ll make a sandwich later, don’t worry.”

“Are you… sure?” Kris said teasingly glaring on Tao, with his deep voice while propping his chest on his crossed arm, on the shoulder of the couch.

“Yeee-ap,” Tao responded without looking back at Kris. Kris then left him at the living room and began to cook anything that he found in the kitchen. He then cooked bulgogi on the stove while steaming rice, making Tao sniffing while he approached the kitchen.

“What are you making?” Tao asked, still sniffing.

“Duhh, don’t you see it? Bulgogi of course.”

“Wow, looks really delicious,” Tao said grinning while he gazed to his hyung.

“What? Yah, you didn’t say that you want it. I was making this just for myself,” Kris smirked, obviously lying. He had himself blended to Tao’s nature since they have been living for two years before; he knew that Tao would reacted that way. It’s all because he was really hooked to the game, not because he wasn’t hungry.

“This? You sure can eat this all alone? Yah, do you have a second stomach or something?” Tao said.

“Nah, I’m just kidding, kid. Now step aside, I’m gonna lift this hot thingy,” Kris directed. Tao directly stepped aside when he was commanded, because all of his attention centered to the bulgogi which the aroma was ading into the air, when the repast was being shifted from the pan into the bowl. Adorably, Tao took two empty-clean rice bowls from the rack, filled it with hot steamed rice and served it on the table. Both of them seated at the table acting like they were never be awkward towards themselves. Well, two strangers who just met won’t be acted as good as this, isn’t it?

The meal was over, and it was all filled with a good conversation, with laughs and happiness. Tao felt that it was never as good as this since 4 years ago. Kris felt the same too. Feeling not enough, they continued; telling jokes and poked each other on the couch while waiting for the food to be perfectly digested.

“Ah, I wanna take a bath,” Kris said, gasped because he had so many laughs before he uttered the sentence. He felt really uncomfortable for being unclean, since he haven’t take any shower before the dinner with the rest of his fellows last night. “Can I use your towel? And maybe borrow your clothes?” Kris uttered, he was certain that Tao wasn’t care at all since he knew that Tao wasn’t a guy who couldn’t share his things.

“Yeah, Kevin hyung, why not? Make this your own home please,” Tao uttered, gazing to the latter. Suddenly, he felt like a swept of nostalgia, brushing his mind, distracting and lagged his mind when he suddenly realized that he had unconsciously friendly to a new guy that really looked like his hyung. But his name wasn’t strange to his mouth, had never mistaken his name even once, as Kris. And that made them never in an awkward stage, everything was fine.

“Yah, Tao! Where did you put your towel?” Kris snapped his finger because Tao was obviously stunned, that made Kris smiled slightly. He thought that Tao would ever stunned to see his face because he’s handsome.

“Ah, there, inside the cabinet there is a fresh clean white towel, you can use that,” Tao pointed his finger towards the room. Kris followed the direction and took the towel out of the cabinet, and went off to the bathroom. He closed the door and switched the bathroom’s lights off after done taking his wash.

“Done bathing? That’s been a long time…” Tao mumbled. Kris cringed his eyebrow and gazed at the clock. It was past 10 minutes. Saying nothing, because he always knew that Tao would take his bath around 2 minutes to finish.

Tao then grabbed his towel that was hanging at the room and took along his laptop before he went into the bathroom. Kris cried heartily to see that, while the towel still wrapped on his body because he was switching on the television while sitting on the couch, and yeah, his upper body was still .

“What?” Tao asked, feeling annoyed.

“Are you seriously gonna bath with that?” Kris laughed. Before, it was always him who took shower with him, every night, since Tao had experienced seeing a water ghost when he was a child, he would never go for a shower alone.

“Yeah,” Tao said. Kris covered his mouth while still laughing, trying to swallow them all up. He couldn’t believe that it was the method to overcome his fears being alone in the shower, since Kris was gone. It must have been hard for him, Kris thought. Poor baby Tao.

“Okay, put that computer down, I’m going with you in the shower,” Kris suddenly said that. Tao widened his eyes. “Is it okay? Uh, I mean, you’re having the second now,” Tao said, while the reason why he uttered that was not the exact thing why he asked that question. He was obviously feeling awkward of sharing the bathroom with the stranger.

“Yeah, not a problem dude. Uh, I mean, I used to have showers with my dorm-mates during high school so I’m used to it,” Kris lied, delivering a smile, awkward exactly. So they went into the bathroom together, when suddenly they heard the doorbell. Kris volunteered to see who’s coming, so he went out of the shower to see who was coming. However, for Tao couldn’t stand being alone in the shower for a while, he sneaked out of the bathroom.

“Hyung what takes you so long?” the door of the bathroom suddenly opened. Tao poked his head and a half right side of his torso out from the door, dripping with water from the shower.

“Y-y-you gguys showered together? ?” Minseok asked, trembling. Luhan gaped his mouth until his fist can actually fit into it, looked like he was a kid who just accidentally watched a film.

“Hyung, this is clearly not !” Tao said while immediately stepping out of the bathroom, still wearing his red briefs.

“Yaaaa!!! You don’t have to show that please! It’s embarrassing! Don’t you know that???” Luhan said on top of his lungs while covering his face with a pillow, acting like an innocent kid. Kris giggled. “Aigoo enough both of you ppali get out from the shower and I think we should do something now since we’re here,” Luhan said again. Hearing that, Kris immediately ran into the shower grabbing Tao into the shower too. Luhan and Minseok gazed at each other’s face, unbelieving and feeling quite regretful of being there at the same time.

* * *

“Alright then, I think we have to play a game.”

Luhan finally said something since the movie was really boring to watch. Everyone was looking at him, paying attention to the next line.

“Let’s play a truth or dare game.”

* * *

Okay, okay, alright guys, this is seriously a super boring chapter, I'm sorry. 

but then, dundundun~~~ the next chapter will be a truth or dare game (lol obviously)

So, alright guys, since it's really really late now, it's now 1.15 am in Malaysia, istg I need to sleep immediately because I need to wake up early for tomorrow. Again, so sorrry guys for the late update and for those who have subscribed, upvoted, commented and read the story, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Bye for now folks. Good night. Saranghaja buing buing! haha ;)