I apologize that this took so long that you guys probably forgot what happened in the first part. I experienced some life problems alongside technical difficulties that lead to me loosing inspiration for this story, yet i was determined to finish it for those, who by some miracle, still care. Enjoy.

---<3---

It's been two days since the incident at the market and today was the day they agreed to meet up.

Tao was still a college student and therefore was too embarrassed to invite anyone over to he's apartment, thus it was agreed to meet up at Kris's place instead.

It was a Saturday afternoon when Tao reached a black door in one of the many apartment buildings in the area. He liked being punctual but also knew that arriving too early is considered impolite. He stood behind the door, shifting his bodyweight from one foot to another, trying to muster up the courage to knock.

"Why am I feeling this awkward? I'm only here to play a game, no more no less. It's not that big of a deal." He reassured himself.

Lightly knocking three times, he patiently waited for an answer.

The door swung open and there stood Kris. He was dressed in a plain black T-shirt and dark jeans, not to mention the fact that his hair looked as if he resiliently woke up from a nap.

"Oh, good, you're here. Come in." He said, casually gesturing for Tao to enter. 

The inside of Kris´ apartment looked very modern, with light coloured walls and dark or glass furniture. No sharp edges, only rounded corners which made it seem everything as if everything blended together. There was a lot of free space due to the fact that Kris disliked when things were out of order and thus kept everything minimalistic and simple.

"Did you get here okay? I hope that the directions I gave you yesterday were simple enough and did not give you any trouble." Kris said casually while shutting the door behind Tao.

"It was okay. Not that difficult to find considering how much this building stands out amongst the others." Tao replied with a quiet voice, feeling uneasy in an unfamiliar place. It wasn't usual for him to go to someone else's place.

Kris leaned against the wall opposite of Tao. "Stands out? How come?" he asked, genuinely confused at the statement. Tao shrugged.

"Although this is one of the many apartment buildings in the area it still differs from them quite a bit. You see, this building is protected by a high fence and the only entrance is throe the guarded metal gates. Above all, you have to sign your name on both the way in and out of the building. I noticed security cameras in every hallway. Considering how quiet this neighbourhood is, all of this seems completely unnecessary. It's as if this place is created not to keep the outside world from getting in but the inside world from getting out. In other words, you live in a jail my friend. No, a jail would be the wrong description. This is more of a birdcage. A highly guarded, luxurious, birdcage."

Kris was quiet for a moment, processing Taos words, but finally spoke: "That's a very interesting theory you got there. Enough about that, there's no point for us to continue standing in this hallway. Lets go in. Take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink?"

"Just water please." Tao said while walking to the couch that Kris had pointed at while offering him a seat. In front of the couch was a giant TV and next to it stood a shelf with multiple gaming console. Kris definitely keeps up the date with those.

Kris returned with a glass of water for Tao and a can of beer for himself. "Shall we start?" he asked while sitting down next to Tao.

--- Miniature time skip ---

As Kris and Tao continued playing the puzzle based platform game which told the story of a little girl named Nuna and her arctic fox companion, they got to know each other a little bit better. It's amazing how much a video game that requires teamwork can bring two completely different people together.

Instead of feeling like strangers the atmosphere held the vibe of reunited friends.

Tao learned that Kris used to be quite the Casanova until one of his relationships actually started to mean something to him and he fell in love. As faith would have it, he got his heart broken in the end and hasn't been in a relationship ever since.

"Well you know what they say, if you laugh at love, lave will make you cry." Tao said nonchalantly. (Cookie for the person who gets this anime reference.) Silence filled the room as the two concentrated on the game at hand.

"So, do you still think of this place as a birdcage?" Kris asked, while his eyes still fixated on the screen.

"More so than ever." Tao responded. For a second he looked at Kris from the corner of his eye but returned to the game before the older one could notice.

"Well I don't think of it in that sense." Kris defended.

"That is only because you are used to this. However, be honest, what exactly made you choose an apartment in this particular building? The view from the windows, quiet neighbourhood or the solitude that this place provides?" Tao asked while pausing the game and placing his controller down. Kris kept quiet, his eyes still on the unmoving screen.

"I'm guessing it's the latter." Tao continued. "This, is exactly what makes you and me so different, while seemingly so alike. I let the outside-world in, i filter it through my soul and separate the good from the bad without the fear of getting hurt."

"But what if you do get hurt?" Kris interrupted. 

"In that case i simply embrace the pain and learn from it. Trust me when i tell you this: life doesn't hand out punishments without rewarding one for what he has endured. Think of life as an uneven landscape. The lower the valley the higher the mountain behind it. If you shield yourself from everything your life will turn from that colourful picturesque view into an empty desert, stranded of all lifeforms. Life in such manner is simply no fun." Tao smiled shyly at Kris, who had finally looked his way.

"What do you suggest i start with?" Kris asked.

"Give yourself, as well as the world another chance. Open yourself up to the world and it will start reaching out to  you." he smiled wider.

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"In the past few hours you opened up to me and thanks to that i realised what a wonderful person hides behind that cold exterior."

"But what if..." before Kris could finish his sentence, Tao had closed the gap between them and shut his older companion up with a kiss. Kris's mind went blank. He had forgotten what exactly he was about to say to the younger one, and in that state of confusion he couldn't deicide whether to kiss back. Tao's mind on the other hand, was filled with different type of worry. He understood that trust happened to be a forging topic for Kris and that probably the best decision would have been to wait before making the first move. Yet, there was a gut feeling telling Tao that this was the right action, triggered by the way Kris looked at him. All that in mind, he was still uncertain in his own move and now that he wasn't receiving a response, that feeling deepened. He pulled away and looked the bewildered Kris in the eyes.

"What, too soon?" Tao asked, in order to break the silence. Instead of responding, Kris harshly pulled Tao by the collar of his shirt, in order to once again reconnect their lips. The kiss was passionate yet careful, almost timid.

When they pulled away for air, staring into each others eyes , Kris smirked.

"Not at all." he said.

---<3---

A/N

Per usual, please excuse my grammar, as English is far from being my first language.

Although I scored 95/100 on my national English exam, yeah, i don't believe it either.

I also apologise if this story did not progress the way you expected

and in case you found this type of ending disappointing.

At least this story got some well over due closure.

Thank you for sticking around all this time!

And most of all, Thank You for reading!!! <3.