PROLOGUE--

Nothing was serious between them, but in all actuality everything about them was. They had loved each other, at least that was what Chan Yeol thought. He believed it with all his heart, but seeing his... Or maybe the ex lover. He never was his, was he? Zi Tao never was his to begin with, he was always Kris' it seems. Seeing them this way, across the street from where he was, men standing in front of the new found couple. It almost looked like they were trying to cover what was happening, but- it wasn't working. It couldn't work when Chan Yeol was craning his neck to get a last glimpse of the love of his life. Even if it wasn't reciprocated, Chan Yeol felt the same way. He just wished he could still say that Zi Tao was his, all his, and not Kris'.

How wonderful that was, being able to say that Tao was his because he had been. Maybe not sincerely, maybe just in Chan Yeol's thought, but it had felt so real, so very real. But his vision couldn't fool him, nobody could look just like Zi Tao, he was so uniquely himself, that boy. Nobody could make his heart vibrate like his ex lover did. Nobody.

So this was a bittersweet moment, looking at his lover from afar... All the while wishing he was older than he was now, wishing he was slightly shorter, wishing he was stronger. Strong enough to go on the other side of the street and ask what the was going on. Instead, Chan Yeol turned around motioning to his friends to follow him, leaving his memories with Zi Tao behind.

Only that was a lie- Chan Yeol couldn't forget Tao even if he wanted to, because nobody could say he didn't try. He had tried and tried from the moment he saw Zi Tao in this man's embrace. The man was older and by older, Chan Yeol estimated the man to be 35 to 40, while Zi Tao was, what, a 20 year old. While cringing at the thought, Chan Yeol looked around his apartment when he arrived there.

Strangely, everything related to Zi Tao, even the picture he had hidden behind a picture of his dog when younger, was gone. Nothing that belonged to Zi Tao remained. Not a gift he had given the younger one, not even a particle that could have belonged to Tao. Nothing. Realization hit him like a punch in the heart- he wasn't being two-timed, he was being abandoned. With a frustrated cry, the young man punched the wall in anger, making a dent. His anger did not diminish after that, not even a tiny bit. So, he pulled his arm to punch the wall yet again, but a body took a hold of his arm and pulled Chan Yeol into a comforting heat. The tallest let himself fall into the other's arms, his knees failing to keep him upright. His friend, Baek Hyun, let him fall into his arms, supporting them both. He knew Chan Yeol was angry, but he was also hurt.

Zi Tao had had a special place in his heart for a long time now. Them coupling was new, but that didn't stop Chan Yeol from loving Zi Tao for a lot longer. The scene everyone in the gang had witnessed-- Baek Hyun knew that his best friend must be hurting inside.

Baek Hyun would never have pegged Zi Tao as the type to go out with older men, well not that type of old anyway. Kris was a known to be over 35, which made Baek Hyun uncomfortable to think that Zi Tao was with him. He didn't know much about Kris, except the rumors circulating around him around town. He was, apparently, richer than rich. He could buy a country if he wanted, was a consensus of thought. People believed it, but Baek Hyun did, too. Maybe that was the reason Zi Tao left them, and Chan Yeol. Maybe he was sick of the poor life they had.

Holding his best friend as tightly as possible, Baek was rubbing his back when the rest of the gang entered. Out of eleven people, ten remained. Ten, wasn't that a better number, anyway? An even number, a beautiful number that could be played with more easily than eleven. They could separate in group of fives or of two- so much easier than with eleven, where one always remained. It was always Zi Tao, because he did not want to interfere into their rituals, into how they did things before his second arrival. He hadn't always been apart of Chan Yeol's friends after all. Maybe he had decided he didn't want to be part of this group any longer? Maybe- there were so many maybes it was driving Baek nuts.

Chan Yeol started to sob into his arms, holding on tight as the shortest pulled them to a rugged sofa. There he let them both fall and tried to sooth his friend's mind. It wasn't helping that some of the other's were cursing that "son of a ". Or on how "ungrateful he was" and just how "stupid", "ugly", "mindless" and above all "heartless" Zi Tao was. Those were the most used words from the gang, and admittedly Baek thought the same.

He remembered once being jealous of their relationship. It had been as healthy as can be, they both screwed up but never let the other completely alone. They were always there for one another, and they backed each other's back. It wasn't perfect, but it had been a lovely relationship. He just didn't know where it all screwed up. He just couldn't get over the fact that, now, his best friend was broken. The seemingly perfect couple was no more.