It wasn’t supposed to be this shabby. The first sight of a cockroach had Sehun screaming like a little girl, jumping up on the threadbare couch that had come with the apartment. His screams were loud enough to wake the dead – probably loud enough for Tao to hear. The thought shut him up. Chocking down his terror he threw a book at the creature, hoping the projectile took care of the pest.

It was hard being a stalker. Really hard. Like cockroach infested apartment hard. Sehun had made sure to spend as much time as he could at the place he rented – besides actually sleeping there of course (because that would just be ewwwwww) – and so far his dedication had born fruit. He knew Tao left early in the morning, he knew Tao had a newspaper delivered daily. He knew Tao left his lights on late. Okay, so maybe there wasn’t that much to learn.

Thankfully Tao had not realized that his new neighbor was his ex-fiancée boss, because Sehun was not exactly sure how he would deal with the situation if Tao found out. Well, when Tao found out, because Sehun was sure it would happen at some point- hopefully after Sehun had a plan.

Sehun heard a dainty knock on Tao’s apartment door and rushed to his own peephole. Unfortunately he couldn’t make out a thing. He decided to be brave, cracking his door open ever so slightly so he could see who dared to visit his neighbor. He barely contained a gasp when he spotted the offender- a tall, very pretty young woman. And then Tao opened the door, letting her in.

Sehun didn’t know who she was, what her name was, or why she was visiting Tao. But Sehun knew he already hated her.

***

The office building was wholly normal. Another sky scraper among sky scrapers, another building jutting out of the Seoul skyline. Minseok, Chanyeol, and Suho had arrived at the place a little past one in the afternoon. They had a client whose corporate headquarters were in the structure.

The afternoon meeting had gone on far longer than expected. The client was running late, the purpose of the meeting was not as clear cut as Minseok had originally thought, and the entire room kept getting sidetracked (with Suho constantly trying to reign everyone in). By the time the three men of Monday Enterprises were ready to leave the clock was flashing well past five o’clock.

“We are never going to make it back to the office in this traffic.” Chanyeol complained “I am so hungry- I can’t wait two hours to eat!”

“So go eat.” Minseok rolled his eyes at Chanyeol.

“Yeah, we can go eat then make our way back a little later, traffic should have thinned out by then.” Suho agreed, checking his phone idly to make sure he had no other pressing business.

With an impromptu dinner date decided upon, Suho and Chanyeol were gone. Minseok wasn’t really hungry, his stomach had been bothering him all day. He wasn’t sure if he caught a bug or if it was simply a horrible case of indigestion, but he wasn’t ready to chance mowing down a greasy meal (Chanyeol’s favorite) or sitting in a place that reeked of fatty foods (the smell alone would probably make him nauseous).

“I’ll just hang around here, use the Wi-Fi and get some work done.” Minseok had told his younger brother and friend, assuring them all was well if they let him be. He wasn’t a child after all. Minseok knew that the thirty seventh floor of the building had free Wi-Fi and a business area, at this time of day the place would probably be nearly deserted as other workers headed home or finished things up in their offices.

Pushing the up button Minseok began to pull up his emails on his phone, ignoring everything around him. He heard the ding and the door open – it was habit to step onto the elevator without really paying much attention. The doors closed as Minseok reached over to hit the 37^th floor.

“Minseok?”

Minseok turned to see that there was another occupant in the small elevator.

“Luhan?”

The elevator started its ascent as both men simply stared, not sure what to do next. And then a jolt, the lights flickered, and the elevator came to a sudden halt. Luhan screamed in a very unmanly way, grabbing at the walls in terror.

Minseok remembered – Luhan was afraid of heights.

***

“I have a problem”

Jongdae looked over his shoulder to see Baekhyun, a rare sight at the Monday Enterprise offices. Ever since Baekhyun had requested a transfer some years back he didn’t really have reason to be hanging around the place any more. His friend was pale, eyes wide – a look that was very unlike the usually confident and cocky Baekhyun. “Are you okay?!” Jongdae was worried.

“Shhhh!” Baekhyun pulled Jongdae to his feet and pushed him towards the stairwell, slamming the door behind him and holding it so no one could enter.

“Are you pregnant?” Jongdae teased.

“Yah!” Baekhyun’s sighed heavily “It is Kyungsoo. I –“

When Baekhyun didn’t continue Jongdae blurted out “Is he back with that Jongin kid?”

“No! It is just…” Baekhyun blushed “We made out.”

“Good for you” Jongdae clapped his friend on the back, but his gesture was apparently not what Baekhyun was looking for.

“It’s bad though. I mean, what we have been doing….”

Jongdae raised an eyebrow “You guys are into some , aren’t you?”

“No! I mean – maybe – I mean” Baekhyun was still blushing as he remembered what had happened an hour ago.

Baekhyun had decided to drop by the offices to see Chanyeol, using a completely bull excuse because he really just wanted to see Kyungsoo. When he ran into the wide eyed marketing director it wasn’t more than a minute before he was being pushed into the stairwell for an intense make out session, full of insults and the same type of desperate, angry kisses that the both of them craved.

“We might be, but what is important is my parents don’t even know I am gay. What if they find out- my Dad will kill me. They know the Kang’s and if rumors start…” Baekhyun looked genuinely afraid. This was a new side to him, a side Jongdae was not used to seeing. If anything his friend was one of the most confident people he had ever met.

“So that’s it. You are worried about your Dad, now that you have a boyfriend that is.”

“He isn’t my boyfriend, not yet any way. What do I do?” Baekhyun whined.

“Uh, you could tell your Dad you’re gay.” Jongdae answered matter-of-factly.

“But he will disown me!”

“Hmmm. Well, then you live your life in fear I guess.”

“You are not helping.” Baekhyun hit Jongdae’s shoulder.

“Well, apparently neither are you because as far as I can tell that is the only way you can solve your problem. And didn’t you kiss Kyungsoo in the middle of a restaurant or something? How is that hiding your orientation?”

“Shut up Jongdae.”

“Come talk to me when you are not being a stupid .” Jongdae reached for the door handle, Baekhyun let his friend leave. He stayed in the stairwell for a couple of minutes thinking hard about his options. He knew Jongdae was right and he hated the fact. Because if there was anything in this world he feared more than not ending up with Kyungsoo it was telling his Dad he was going to end up with Kyungsoo.

***

The elevator was not moving and it had already been five minutes. There was no cell reception in the elevator, cutting off all contact. Minseok was starting to think Luhan was going to hyperventilate.

“Lu, calm down. I am sure they will have this working in no time.” Minseok tried to comfort the panicked man, but it wasn’t helping. Luhan had plastered himself to the side of the elevator, holding onto the hand rails tightly as he muttered “It’s going to fall, we are going to die” over and over again.

Minseok wasn’t sure what to do next and he was genuinely worried. He had tried pushing the alarm button but nothing had happened.

“We are going to die here, oh god.” Luhan started crying.

Minseok stepped forward, reaching out he patted Luhan’s shoulder not unlike how a Mom would comfort a crying baby “it’s okay. Lu, we won’t die.”

“We will die!”

“No, we won’t” When Luhan didn’t stop crying Minseok moved closer. Luhan didn’t move away, so Minseok grew brave. He gently turned the crying man around until they were face to face.

“Lu, look at me.”

Luhan managed to open his eyes ever so slightly, taking a deep breath as he did so. Minseok moved his hand to Luhan’s face, caressing his cheeks gently he repeated soothing words. Luhan started to breath normally, but he had shut his eyes tightly once again.

Minseok pulled Luhan closer, tightly encircling his waist. He was surprised that Luhan wasn’t trying to pull away, cursing Minseok and his family for what had happened before. He was surprised but grateful – and maybe feeling a bit guilty that it took something like this to make a hug possible.

Luhan burrowed his face into Minseok’s neck, bending down ever so slightly to fit his body with the shorter man. His mind was racing, his heart was racing. They stood that way in silence, Luhan focusing on how Minseok smelled, how he breathed, focusing only on Minseok until he started to calm down.

“I am sorry….I never got to tell you I was sorry.” Minseok whispered. It had been three years of thinking of all of the things he should have said and done. “But I loved you, it wasn’t a lie.”

Luhan didn’t answer. Minseok owed him an apology, because no matter what happened later on the fact remained that Minseok had used him. He had brought him to Seoul not because he truly wanted to date him, not because he loved him, but because he wanted to win a contest. What happened later, any real feelings did not negate the origin of their relationship.

Over the last three years Luhan had thought a lot about Minseok. He missed him terribly, which made him angry. Missing someone who used you was stupid. Luhan was thankful his Mother had been able to see through Minseok and the Kang’s motivations, bringing him back to Beijing where he belonged. Back to his family and their company – away from his foolish years of chasing after social justice and being naïve enough to end up the pawn in Minseok’s game. Yet the feelings still lingered- along with at least some doubt. Doubt that everything was on Minseok, because Luhan had been eager to move in with him so quickly, to love him so quickly. Luhan sometimes considered that maybe they both bore the guilt of their past.

The elevator jolted as the lights flickered back on. The lift moved upwards, bringing the two men back to reality. Luhan moved away, out of the reach of Minseok he began wiping his tears on his jacket sleeve. Minseok let him go reluctantly, looking at the man who had never left his thoughts since the day they met on a tiny backwater runway.

The door opened at the 37^th floor.

“Will you be okay?” Minseok asked, reluctant to leave Luhan alone.

“Yeah.”

Minseok stepped off the elevator. He watched as the door began to close, certain he heard Luhan whisper a few quiet words before he was out of sight. “Thank you” He was pretty sure that is what the Chinese man had said.

***

“So you are a stalker now?”

“No!” Sehun huffed “I am NOT a stalker!”

“Sure buddy, whatever you want to believe.” Chanyeol patted the youngest Kang brother on the head. “It just sounds like you may be a stalker – you know – with all of the listening and watching and looking at other people’s mail and-“

“Are you going to help me or not?” Sehun didn’t have time for Chanyeol’s insults. He needed to act and to act fast.

“Sure, there is nothing I like better than going along with you or your hyung’s harebrained schemes. So what do I do again?” Chanyeol asked in between bites of an ice cream cone.

“I need you to drop by when that girl is there and see what is going on.” Sehun crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Ummm, won’t Tao ask how I found out where he lives Einstein?”

Chanyeol did have a point. Damnit, Sehun thought, he never was all that great at scheming. “Tell him you got his address from a fashion photographer or something. I don’t know, make some up.”

“Right. So what if she is his girlfriend?”

“Then tell her Tao has an STD or something, get her to leave.”

“You know you really have a sick and twisted mind little one.”

“Whatever, just do it yoda.”

Luckily Sehun didn’t have to wait too long for the mystery woman to show up at Tao’s apartment. Later that night he heard the familiar dainty knock on Tao’s apartment door. He grabbed his phone and called Chanyeol. No answer.

Sehun tried to listen, his ear pressed against the wall that separated his apartment from Tao’s. He had tried this before and he never could really hear anything, only muffled music when Tao was blasting trot songs. This wouldn’t do. If Chanyeol wasn’t going to help him he needed to act fast- what if that female creature was all over Tao at the moment? The thought made him sick.

Pulling on a coat he opened his door slowly, looking down the hallway he found it deserted. Inching out of his apartment slowly he hugged the wall. It was important he didn’t make any loud noises or he would tip off Tao or that she devil that he was hanging out with. Once he was in front of Tao’s apartment he pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear what was going on.

He heard giggling. That witch. She was giggling at Tao, wasn’t she? The nerve of that woman. Then Tao was laughing too. Sick, just sick. How could he laugh with such a harlot- late at night in his apartment and-

Sehun’s inner monologue was interrupted by his phone ringing loudly. He froze. Oh , oh – it must be Chanyeol calling back. Before Sehun could rush back to his apartment he was faced with a surprised Tao, who threw the door open within a few seconds of his ringtone sounding.

“Hun-ah?” Tao looked surprised.

“Tao? Wow, fancy seeing you here.” Sehun was certain his face had turned bright red. And then the evil witch made a move. She peeked her head out from behind Tao- and her shoulder was . She was a harlot!

“Can I come in?” Sehun was bold, he didn’t really have anything else to loose, not now that his snooping had been discovered.

“Um, sure.” Tao didn’t have a chance to answer before Sehun was pushing his way inside the apartment, stopping in front of his guest.

“Who is this?” Sehun cocked an eyebrow at the woman.

“No- tell me first, who is this?” She practically purred, eyeing Sehun up and down. “I didn’t know you had such y friends.”

Tao cleared his throat, trying to cut through the heavy tension in the room “Sehun this is Nana, a model friend of mine. Sehun is an old friend.”

Sehun eyed the woman “So are you two dating?”

Nana burst out laughing “Us?!”

Tao seemed to take her laughter in stride, adding “Nana drops by to try on my latest creations, so I can fit them properly.” Only then did Sehun bother to notice the clothes scattered about the place and the fact Nana was wearing a highwaisted off the shoulder evening gown, with pins stuck in the side. He also noticed Tao’s apartment was a lot less shabby then his own. Figures he would rent the dump in the place.

“Oh.” Sehun felt extremely awkward suddenly.

“Are you dating anyone, y?” Nana was not trying to hide the fact she was eying Sehun up like he was a piece of fresh meat.

“No and I’m gay so unless you are actually a dude it won’t work.”

“Why are all the hot ones gay?! You, Tao –“Nana sighed, reaching down to collect a pile of clothes from the floor.

So Tao was identifying as gay now? Sehun considered the fact as carefully as he could, which given his small attention span and impulsiveness was not for long. Three years ago Tao hadn’t been anything, he had never dated. So did that mean Tao had dated someone in this time?

Tao seemed to sense Sehun’s confusion. As Nana sauntered towards the bathroom to change he faced Sehun, “I, um, had a boyfriend. We broke up a year ago.”

“Oh” Sehun really needed to expand his vocabulary.

“So how did you find out I lived here?”

“You know, word gets out.”

“I see. And why are you here?”

Answering with a “Well, I am actually obsessed with you, stalker obsessed, so I rented the dump next door so I could spy on you” didn’t seem like a good answer so Sehun replied “I thought maybe we could be friends. I know we didn’t exactly get off to a good start back then but I really like your company and thought maybe we could start over. As friends that is.”

Tao was surprised. In fact he wasn’t sure how to answer so he nodded stupidly.

“Great! Can I, um, have your phone number?” Sehun whipped out his phone, ignoring the text message from Chanyeol asking if the stalking mission was still on.

Tao pulled out his own phone, handing it to Sehun they swapped and entered their numbers into each other’s phones. A few awkward sentences of small talk later and Sehun was leaving. When he got back into his stalker headquarters AKA the apartment next door he pulled out his phone. Tao had saved his name as T.A.O. <3

The heart meant everything.