“I cannot believe him. How could he?” Tao sobbed sitting in his apartment Jongin and his boyfriend Kyungsoo making cooing noises and rubbing his back trying to calm him down. “Do I mean nothing to him?”

“Tao, calm down,” Jongin demanded more pissed at the fact that Tao was wasting his tears on such an than at Tao himself.

“No,” Tao whined sobbing dryly his tears having stopped falling a few moments before. “I can’t believe this,”

After Baekhyun had dropped the bomb on Tao, he had called his girlfriend at Tao’s insistence, in order to confirm. “Sorry man, they’re dating,” Tao had sat in complete silence and shock until the sound of his classmates moving to leave the lecture hall had snapped him out of his daze.

He had left the hall ignoring Baekhyun’s guilt ridden apologies walking in a daze to his apartment before breaking down. It seemed like all Tao did these days, was cry and it was pissing Jongin off.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo scolded pulling Tao closer into himself and running fingers through the crying male’s hair.

“What? I’m not mad at him. I just don’t think he should be wasting his tears on that guy,” he pouted. Kyungsoo shook his head secretly agreeing, his hate for his long-time friend growing with every minute. This made no sense to anyone who knew Kris. He wasn’t the type of person to do this type of thing. Kris had catered to Tao’s every need for two years, he once had a yelling match with a teacher’s assistant who had it out for Tao risking his own mark in that class in order to stand up for his younger lover. Kris had never once even called Tao a bad name no matter how angry or frustrated he was. Kyungsoo was completely shocked with how Kris was handling this break up.

“Still this is what Tao needs,” Kyungsoo whispered knowing Tao could still hear him but trying to be polite.

“It’s alright.” Tao mumbled straightening out from his fetal position. “Jongin is right. I shouldn’t allow K-Kris to get to me. If he wanted to break up with me and date someone else fine. I won’t let him make me cry again.”

The couple nodded in understanding, handing Tao a tissue to wipe the last of the tears from his face.

“You go wash up and I’ll make you a nice hot dinner okay?” Kyungsoo said helping Tao stand up.

“Okay, thank you Hyung.”

Kyungsoo raised a brow; Tao never called him Hyung, the two having dropped formal language a long time ago.

“It’s alright baby peach,” Jongin said in place of Kyungsoo also shocked.

Tao disappeared into the bathroom leaving Kai and Kyungsoo to themselves.

“I want to kill him,” Jongin sighed.

“I know, but I’m sure there is a reason for all of this,” Kyungsoo responded weakly.

“Don’t defend him,” Jongin warned.

The issue of Kris and Jessica was dropped until the next day when the three of them were sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch. Since Kai was technically on an eating plan they always had lunch in the cafeteria, Tao and Kyungsoo bringing in bagged lunches or takeout.

The problem was that apparently, Kris had also adapted a meal plan and his girlfriend had joined him for lunch in the cafeteria only a few tables away from Kai’s table.

“Tao,” Kyungsoo hesitated as the two of them approached where Kai was obliviously sitting his nose in a book, “We can take our lunch somewhere else if you want.”

“No, I will not allow him to affect my life any more than he already has.”

Kyungsoo shrugged and they joined Kai at their table. “Hi,” he greeted them trying to shovel a spoon of pudding in his mouth while turning the page of his history of art textbook.

“What are you doing?” Tao asked sitting tensely as he watched Jessica feed Kris a grape from her plate. Kris hated grapes, and being hand fed…yet he was okay with her doing it? Tao couldn’t even pretend that didn’t hurt.

“I forgot to do my reading for my class later, I was distracted last night.”

“Oh, sorry,” Tao apologized feeling guilty for taking up so much of his friend’s time.

“Oh no, it’s not your fault. I was distracted by something else,” Kai smirked running his eyes down Kyungsoo’s body suggestively.

“Ew,” Tao flinched. That was a disturbing picture. Kai just laughed as Kyungsoo grabbed his textbook to hit him over the head.

“Sorry Taozi, Jongin is an idiot. Just ignore him.”

“Always do.” Tao quipped automatically pushing rice around his bowl sadly. Kai caught sight of Kris and Jessica sharing Eskimo kisses from the corner of his eye and gagged.

He didn’t even see Jessica as the cheesy type always believing the rumors that she was some type of ice princess, watching her giggle cutely as Kris whispered something in her ear made him rethink those rumours…and inspired homicidal thoughts.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Tao’s phone ring. Tao looked just as surprised (no one he knew ever bothered calling him anymore instead opting to text) before he jolted in realization. He quickly swiped his phone and answered.

“Hello”

“Hi, um is this Huang Zitao?”

“It is,” he hummed.

“Hi um, well I’m looking for a roommate and a friend of mine gave me one of your fliers,” the guy on the other end sounded shy but promising to Zitao. Considering the only other responses he got was a girl who had batted her eyelashes and flirted with him despite him saying he wasn’t interested and a middle aged man (how the hell he had gotten the flier still plagued Tao) pretty much anything sounded promising.

“Okay, I just have some questions before we can arrange a meet up if you don’t mind,” Tao still thought better safe than sorry.

“Okay”

“How old are you?” he started pulling out his mini notebook with questions that he wrote down so he wouldn’t forget anything mouthing ‘potential roommate’ when he saw his friends’ questioning gazes.

“Twenty three, I’m in my last year,” the guy said sounding a little less nervous.

Things were already looking up. Someone older and more mature is always a plus when you are crying because you saw a ghost in the shower. “What’s your major?”

“I major in Business.”

“Awesome, what are your hobbies?”

“I’m a quiet person, I spend most of my time reading and listening to music so I won’t be a bother.”

“You honestly sound awesome so far, I‘d love to meet up as soon as possible to discuss the lease, just one more question….are you a clean person?”

“The cleanest,” the guy laughed. “Trust me I’m border line annoying with my cleaning habits.”

“Thank god,” Tao sighed relieved. He wasn’t the neatest person always letting things get cluttered especially his closet but he could not stand dirt and smell. Dirt and smell attracted bugs and Huang Zitao did not do bugs.

“Wait… what’s your name?” of course he forgot to ask the guy his name in his excitement (the bills were already piling dangerously high could you blame him).