As weeks and even months passed by Luhan got better. He could now laugh and joke around without falling apart at the mere mention of Sehun. Sehun for his share stayed the same, always angry or grumpy for everything, and as for Tao, the only thing that seemed to be growing was his distrust and isolation.

For Tao it had been a huge blow that the only friend that had his blind trust, the one who knew all his fears, all his secrets, who also had been his boyfriend, just walked out on him. So to keep himself safe of any more heartbreaking blows, he had pulled away from his other friends, only interacting with them in public when it was necessary.

Luhan had never actually payed mind to Tao's actions until now. The first days that he started to notice the younger he thought that nothing would change with Tao's new way of acting, but it did. Luhan had started to miss the boys laugh sounding through the room, his whining and pleads for the others to buy him things. He missed how he screamed terrified when they watched scary movies and how he got the cheesiest line you could think of in Christmas or how he would complain at the sun being so hot in summer when it came along. Now it all seemed that it would turn into a slowly erasing memory with time if things didn’t changed.

He once again caught himself staring at Tao when the taller was walking over to the kitchen of the dorm and grabbed a glass of water. He got hypnotized as the boy slowly drank from the glass, a drop of water running down his chin. Luhan just gulped, mouth running incredibly dry at the sight. He broke free from the spell when Tao lowered the glass, Luhan turning to face the tv in fear of getting caught.

All this had started when he bumped to the new Tao in the hallway just a few days ago. He had looked at Tao in the eye, noticing all the sorrow and the lost look the younger had. Tao just stared at him, before walking past him and leaving the dorm for his wushu practice. Since then Luhan had started to grow aware of all the things that Tao used to do and he never actually acknowledge, not that he ignored them of course, he just didn't noticed. But now Luhan wanted to make up for it, he wanted to be the one to bring the old Tao back to life, to let the younger know he cared for him.

He took a quick glimpse to the side, just in time to see Tao giving a quick look at the tv before going back to his room. When Tao closed the door of the room behind him, Luhan heaved a sigh, hands coming to cover his face.

"Crushing much I see" came Xiumin's playful voice. Luhan looked up to see his best friend grinning at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Luhan muttered, flicking through the channels.

"Oh please, you are my best friend, and that's the face of a little deer developing a crush" Xiumin teased, sitting next to him "plus you don't usually watch the animal planet" Xiumin commented, scrunching his nose as a lion devoured a zebra, pulling it's guts out and fighting with other animals for its prey. Luhan did the same and scrunched up his nose, switching the channel to a news channel.

"Maybe I am" said Luhan more to himself.

"Should I guess? Is it our new developed untrusting ice prince" Xiumin said wiggling his eyebrows. Luhan just nudge his friend in the side with his elbow.

"Maybe you should pay him a visit, you are the only one that hasn't entered the room since..." Xiumin said, not really wanting to end the sentence.

It was true. Every member, except for himself, had entered the room at least one time trying to cheer the youngest, but nothing seemed to work.

"I don't think that's such a good idea" Luhan commented, sinking a little in the couch.

"You never know unless you try, plus I think he needs it, two months and a half without human contact isn’t good" Xiumin said shrugging. Luhan just huffed and stood up, stretching his stiff limbs as he walked over to the room.

He hesitated before knocking on the door, no response coming from inside. He wrapped his hand on the door knob and twisted it, the door not being locked. He walked in the room and stepped on something, hissing at the pain from his bare food. He looked down to find an earring, one of the many that Kris had given to Tao. The elder looked up and saw Tao laying in the bed in his usual position, back facing the door and none of the covers and blankets covering the boy and just laying discarded on the floor.

He walked up to the bed side and stared for a moment at the figure in the bed. Tao had lost weight, he wasn't starving himself, but he didn't ate like he used to. The circles under his eyes almost seemed to have grown permanently. He had also hardened to the world to an extent that the sense of physical pain had been numbed away by now.

Luhan jumped lightly when the sudden sound of Tao sighing was heard. Luhan just stared quietly as Tao's lips moved and formed words, the boy in the bed starting to sing along quietly at the song that sounded from the headphones that he had.

"Hello, Hello, anybody out there? 'cause I don't hear a sound

Alone, alone                                       

I don't really know were the world is

but I'm missing out

I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name

like a fool at the top of my lungs"

Tao sang the beginning of the song, a tear slipping out of his eye without his consent. The younger didn't do anything to stop his tears, thinking that he was probably alone right now and carried on with his song.

"Sometimes when I close my eyes

I pretend I'm alright

but it's never enough

'Cause my echo, echo

is the only voice coming back

Shadow shadow

is the only friend that I have…

Listen listen

I would take a whisper if that's all you have to give

But it isn't, isn't

you could come and save me

and try and chase the crazy right out of my head"

Tao continued it being a little louder than a whisper, but not loud enough for it to be heard out of the room. More tears came out accompanied with the occasional sob that slipped out, and at this Luhan's heart started to ache.

"I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name

like a fool at the top of my lungs

Sometimes when I close my eyes

I pretend I'm alright

but it's never enough

'Cause my echo, echo

is the only voice coming back

Shadow, shadow

is the only friend that I have."

"I really like that song" Luhan commented high enough for Tao to hear.

This caused Tao to jolt up at the sound of the extra voice. He quickly dried his tears and turned to glare at the culprit, only to soften his stare at the sight of tears slowly coming out of Luhan's eyes. Tao looked at his hands intertwining together in his lap, not really sure of what to do, tears streaming down of his eyes even though that he tried to dry them away.

Luhan decided to leave the other and turned for the door, only to be stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around his waist.

"Please don't go, don't leave me, not you too" Tao sobbed quietly in Luhan's back. Luhan closed the door that he had opened to leave and turned around, arms circling the younger.

"It's ok, I'm here" Luhan whispered to the other boy, his feelings long forgotten as he comforted the younger. He dragged the tall man to the bed and sat there, allowing him to damp his shirt with tears.

Even when Tao calmed down they stayed there in each other’s arms.

"It's funny you know" Tao started, Luhan humming in response so that the younger could continue.

"I never actually thought that I would get comforted again, less by you" Tao said staring at nothing in particular, head resting in Luhan's shoulder.

"And why is that?" Luhan asked looking at him, Tao just shrugged and kept on staring in silence. At some point, Luhan decided that it was time to leave the other since it was late and they needed sleep. He stood up and headed for the door, Tao's voice reaching him once again.

"You wouldn't leave me, would you?" Tao asked unsure of himself.

"I would never even dream about it" was all Luhan told the young one before he walked out and close the door behind him.

When Luhan was ready to sleep he walked to his room, Lay already sound asleep in the other bed of the room. Luhan chuckled and slipped under the covers of his bed, turning off the lamp that light the room from the night table next to his bed.

At the other room, Tao laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. He reached over to his chest, hand resting over his heart. A loud fast thumping was being emitted by his heart, the feeling not being felt since the day that he left.

"What are this feelings exactly?" Tao whispered to himself, slowly drifting off to sleep at the sound of his own heart, feeling calm and at ease for the first time since a very long time, still a little confused as to what he exactly felt for Luhan or if he was just confused about the feelings. This feeling for the elder… it couldn’t be love… right?

-----

HEY!

Thank you so much for showing your support lovely readers! It means a lot for me!!

I will keep up my hard work so that you guys can keep enjoying this

I apologize if it comes out as a bit fast paced but yeah (not sorry at all XD)

The song that Tao was singing is: Echo by Jason Walker

and I feel that the image  I had for that part was better in my head XD

So anyhow, please enjoy it!

Comment! Subscribe!

And until the next chapter

Peace out! <3