A/N- I'm back once again, after a long break, and months of lack of motivation. I hope all of you had a great New Years' Eve and started the year out fresh. I think this year is gonna bring a lot of things for our characters, well at least the party will. How would Tao react if he had known what happened while he was gone? Enjoy!

The night had been perfect and fun. They’d enjoyed themselves so why, why did he leave? The game had been fun and Tao had enjoyed himself and hung by his side, though the usual messing around with Johnny still came, but hey, they are friends, nothing to do there. It was still Kris’ arm he hugged when Seulgi was dared to kiss Irene, it was him he leaned into as he laughed when Johnny had to drunk call Taeyong to confess his undying love to him. 

But then that question had left one their mouths and Tao had left and never came back to play. He had left without a word to him, and Kris’ was boiling over, why was he hiding everything from him? 

"So Tao” Seulgi started out with a smug look on her face “Truth or dare?” She said and leaned closer towards Tao who was facing her. 

"Seulgi~” Tao slurs, one hand around Kris’ arm and the other on Johnny’s “Dare?” 

"No~~” 

"Truth?” someone asks and the rest starts to complain about truth being boring, and Tao didn’t even try to stop them, because he knew it was boring, but it was somehow safer.

"Guys stop, truth is not boring” Seulgi reasoned and elbowed Joy, who kept complaining “But it is!” she complained, “No, watch” Seulgi augmented, and just then did Johnny look over at Tao, and fear whatever Seulgi was about to ask, and perhaps he accidentally took his hand and placed it on Tao’s thigh, and give it a squeeze, and maybe, maybe Kris saw this and decided to move closer because of what Johnny did, and yes, maybe he felt that pit in his stomach that told him to do more, and maybe that bit of alcohol that he had drunk until now is telling him to act on it, but he won’t, but maybe he missed how his expression changed as he stared at Johnny who was looking at Tao in a way Kris didn’t like, but would he admit it? Never. 

But who could have known this would change Seulgi’s question? No one but her. 

The others hadn’t noticed it, too absorbed in their own things, or too drunk to care.

So as she spoke, and Tao froze, Kris stopped breathing, and waited for an answer, while the rest seemed to laugh, and take it as a joke, though Kris could sense that Mark’s laugh was forced and Baekhyun glanced worriedly at Tao for a short moment.

“I’ve gotta go pee sorry!” Tao spoke up, a bit slurred too. The group started complaining again, while Johnny’s hand kept itself on Tao’s thigh, he was clearly frozen

"No way guys, I’m not answering that, okay? I’m gonna go to the bathroom now, and when I come back, you’ve forgotten about that” Tao bargained and it seemed like Johnny wok up by Tao’s voice, and Kris saw worry written all over his face, he looked just as panicked as Tao

"That’s not how the game works Tao” Seulgi speaks up “Well it is now,” He said with a grin and left. 

Silence engulfed the four soccer players who had been part of the recent drama, and Kris noticed how Baekhyun and Johnny exchanged looks and how Mark whispered to Baekhyun his face plastered with confusion “Hey” Seulgi’s voice sounded and pulled Kris back to reality. He looked at her, she was drunk and her eyes held a playful look and her lips were tilted into a half-smirk 

“What’s up?” he let out, he pretended to be interested, because maybe that’d help him relax and forget about what just happened. So he decided to play along with her and the group “Wanna keep playing?” She asked, inching closer to him “Yeah, of course,” should I’ve said no? She leaned back again, but still held that playful look in her eyes, so Kris took a sip of his beer and leaned a bit back too “Then-” 

"Hey!” A voice sounded, accompanied by a hand being placed on his shoulder. He turned his head and came face to face with Ten “Hey!” He exclaimed with a smile for his friend, god he had missed him. Kris never exaggerates, but if there’s someone else other than Tao that Kris talks to about problems it’s him. 

"Ten!” The other 3 players greet, with Johnny throwing a “Shouldn’t you be with Taeyong?” And Ten giving him a “Haha” and a middle finger.

Maybe Kris is quite the hypocrite, being mad at Tao for talking to others about his problems, and keeping him in the dark, when he himself keeps Tao in the dark but hey, Kris can’t talk to Tao about Ta- 

He’s not sure if it was the realization that shocked him back into reality or if it was Ten asking about Tao’s whereabouts “He left for the bathroom” Johnny managed to answer while Kris was still trying to gather his thoughts.

"He’s probably not coming back” Seulgi chirped  and took a sip of her beer “Why?” Ten asked and looked at Kris, who couldn’t answer “Seulgi asked him a ty question” Johnny answered in his stead “Oh you’re playing truth or dare?” 

"Yeah” Kris finally managed to croak out, which made Ten give him a worried look “You okay buddy?” 

"Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, just come sit down,” He said and motioned for Ten to sit down in Tao’s spot. 

They managed to play for a while until Johnny suddenly left “Johnny’s acting off” Ten whispered to Kris after he had left “tell me about it” Kris threw back and took another sip “Probably because of Tao” he added 

"What do you mean?” 

"He’s taken quite a liking to Tao it seems” Kris answered and emptied his can “What?!” Ten yelled “Ten!” 

"Sorry sorry” he let out “What?” he whispered 

"Hey, guys you’re ruining the game! Come on! Spill the tea or let’s play!” Jungwoo wailed 

"Wait a minute!” Ten yelled at the drunk boy

"Yep, seems like it” 

"Damn..” Ten let out and Kris noticed how sad Ten looked “Oh yeah!” Seulgi suddenly exclaimed, making Kris change his attention to her “What?” 

"You and Tao are friends, right? Best friends right?” 

Best friends my  

"Yeah, what about it?” 

"You see” she started out and moved closer to Kris once again “I didn’t really get an answer to my question and I wondered..” 

"You wondered if I knew?” Kris ended her sentence, what’s up with him tonight? He’s so furious! He was supposed to relax tonight! Relax, forget and have fun, but instead, he’s constantly reminded of one thing! One single thing! That he doesn’t know his “friend” 

"yeah?” She let out, obviously, a bit intimidated by him “I’m sorry” He said and got up from the couch, and opening a new can “Kris what are you doing?” Ten questioned 

"But I think the only guy who might actually know that answer just left” he glanced over at Baekhyun as he took a sip of the can, and he saw how the other crumbled under his stare. He knew that he knew. He knew he was keeping things from him, and he wanted him and the rest of them to feel guilty. Wow, really what’s up with him today? He tried to find a reason while leaving the room with a Ten who was calling out his name.

He’s really pissy tonight without any reason, no, there must be a reason, and it’s obviously Johnny or Tao. Probably both “Ah !” he exclaims and runs a hand over his face. He doesn’t notice how people start to stare at him; How they grow worried and scared as he stands there, angry, drunk and with a look in his eyes that could kill. 

What caught his eye was Johnny walking in the midst of everyone, walking towards the stairs. 

Ten had stopped following him, god knows where he went, leaving him alone. He had to find Tao, and he had learned that if you find Johnny, you find Tao.

He just wasn’t prepared for what he would eventually see.

He stumbled through the kitchen, greeting Kun on his way, then he ran into Yukhei, or Lucas as he wants to be called, who tried to pull him back into the party room, but seeing as the younger was drunk as in out of his mind drunk, Kris slipped away easily. He just wasn’t prepared for the scene he arrived just in time to see. 

As he tried to walk quietly up the small staircase he saw them. Saw how Johnny was close, way too close to Tao, almost, almost-NO he screamed in his head, and turned his sight away from them. Johnny was not about to- but what if he was? He looked back up and saw Johnny admiring Tao’s team jacket, and that’s all he needed to see, all he needed to know, to piece it all together, and so he left the scene and walked back to the party.

Because he figured it out.

Johnny liked Tao, and Tao liked Johnny too, and that’s okay, it’s okay. So why did it hurt? Why was the pit in his stomach getting bigger and darker? 

He pretended he didn’t notice the tears gathering in his eyes, and instead looked around and found some alcohol. He was going to drown himself in it, to forget that pit, but that scene, that scene he won’t ever forget it. It would be as clear as day for the next decades.

He opened the bottle and was about to take a sip when a voice suddenly cut through his thoughts 

“Hey Kris, I wouldn’t drink that if I were you” Kun’s voice sounded, or was it someone else? Kris just stared at him and drank from the bottle. He closed his eyes and ignored the voice that yelled at him to stop, and let the liquid burn all the way down his throat but then the bottle was ripped from his hands, and he came face to face with Baekhyun, who held the bottle close to his body, and wore a confused and terrified expression. Behind him stood Kun and some other people Kris had trouble remembering “What the hell are you thinking?!” Baekhyun yelled at him “What?!” Kris spat back “What’s the ing problem!?” He yelled again, and the others stepped back “Are you crazy?!” baekhyun yelled again “It’s ing strong! Are you trying to kill yourself?!” 

"So what if I am?! It’s got nothing to do with you!” He yelled and stepped closer to Baekhyun “What does it matter to you?!” Kris yelled, and suddenly Taeyong and a few other students were there trying to pull him away “Kris stop!” Taeyong yelled, but Kris ignored him and continued “YOU WON’T EVEN TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON WITH TAO!” He yelled at him “AREN’T WE FRIENDS?! ARE NONE OF US FRIENDS?!” He yelled, targeting both Baekhyun and Taeyong, even Mark who was in the far back. No one answered, and Kris ended up calming down “I just want to know what the is going on!” he said, his voice shaky. Then he quietly fell down and sat against the cupboards in the kitchen, with 3 of his friends trying to comfort him, but eventually, he out, as Baekhyun rubbed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

It felt like only a minute, but it must have been longer, because he woke up on the couch, still at the party, and was still going, but people were distracted. 

Some stood looming around the windows, and others said it was no big deal.

"But look at it, it’s so fancy! What is it doing here?” One girl yelled and pointed out of the window “Who cares!” a boy answered her, he probably just wanted her to forget about whatever was out there so he could get laid.

 Kris’ head was pounding, and he had a hard time focusing on what was going on, barely being able to feel his body and move it as he desired.

But the interest the others had in whatever was out there, got him curious. 

"It’s so cool” Another spoke 

"Hey! Come look at the car!” one yelled to her friend and motioned for her to come to the windows. 

From where he laid, Kris couldn’t see what was going on, so he tried to sit up, but felt his stomach churn.

Come on! Get up

He managed to sit up, but still couldn’t see clearly what was happening, and his eyes were threatening to close. 

He only caught a few sentences here and there as he was falling down on the couch again, unable to calm down

“Whose car is it?” 

“Who is in it?”

“Is it here to pick someone up” 

“Hey, ain’t that Tao?” One spoke, and Kris managed to just barely catch it before his eyes fell shut again, one thing on his mind Tao, find Tao 

What he did from that point on, he doesn’t remember clearly.

The pit in his stomach, that grew bigger and stronger, took over and he lost control over himself. 

He couldn't hear anything, only barely catching his own voice screaming "Where is he?!" at the boy he had cornered. He didn't catch the other's answer, maybe he didn't even answer maybe the other was too tired, maybe he was too drunk, or maybe it was because he had been slammed into the wall for everyone to see. It might have been that. He was losing consciousness but he still threw him a sad look. His lips were moving, but he didn't catch what he was saying, only caught his broken expression, and then he let go of the cornered boy and let him fall to the ground.