I'll follow you (into the dark)  

Tao, unlike most people, doesn't forget.  

He never forgets the looks people give him when they're happy, sad, angry, disappointed, he doesn't forget the way people breathe --- how they eat; Tao never forgets. But that's just the problem, he never forgets even the things he wishes to forget.  

Kris, for example, is one of those sinned things he wishes he could just brush off his shoulders and move on with. He can't, and he never will.  

It's impossible to forget people that give you ing everything then leave.  

And Tao never forgets, anything.  

∞

January 31st, 2011: China, Qingdao.

"You want to eat lunch with me?" Sehun asks in that guarded way he always talks to Luhan with, Tao behind Luhan merely looks off to the side where a group of "cool" Asians are laughing obnoxiously at something that probably isn't really all that funny.  

Luhan arches his right eyebrow, hip cocked out as he asks in his normal fake manly voice, "I can't?"  

"No, no" Sehun says quickly, and Tao finally looks at them both, they're both a bit strange, Tao thinks because Luhan is quite girly and hard to befriend because of his "manly" personality (when it's really just Luhan being unreasonably stubborn, per usual) and Sehun isn't one to wield easily. To anyone. "You can eat lunch with me, it's just, you know how Kris is with new people sometimes..."  

"Don't put the blame on Kris" Luhan huffs loudly, brushing shoulders with Sehun as he stomps by. Tao rolls his eyes before silently following behind Luhan.  

Luhan, as usual, had gotten bored of their old group they ate lunch with (Tao misses them, honestly) and decided him and Tao needed a change of pace. (Even though Tao doesn't want a ing change of pace).  

So now he's stuck here, with a bunch of popular looking kids whom won't stop staring at him. Luhan fits in with them, loud and playful, but Tao isn't loud, and he certainly isn't playful with a bunch of strangers.  

"This is Chanyeol," Luhan introduces pointing to a tall curly haired teens face, said male gives a sheepish smile and waves his large hands. Tao tries to smile.  

"And this is Kris" Luhan finishes, before bouncing back to Sehun's side (and they are such a strange... strange couple). Usually, Tao opens his mouth and speaks, a hello, I'm Huang Zitao but call me Tao falling from his lips; but he's stunted.  

"Oh, Tao" Kris says sheepishly.  

"Hey" Tao laughs, "weren't we in the same..." 

"English class? Yeah."  

"You two know each other?" Chanyeol whines, "that's cheating!"  

"Barely" Tao says, fingers picking at the hem of his shirt. When Kris went to Canada last year during March break Kris had bought Tao a pencil (he won't admit that he still has the pencil, though) and they used to draw pictures of everyone else in the class, silly ones where everyone had big eyes, but it was fun.  

But that makes this more awkward, Kris and him know each other but never succeeded in making stronger bonds than that. Him and Kris are flat out just awkward together.  

"So did you get dragged here by Lulu?" Chanyeol asks, his voice low, a bit too low and unfitting for such a petite pretty face.  

"Yeah," Tao hums out softly, "I don't know why he dragged me here though."  

"It's fine" Chanyeol laughs, and Tao shifts over because Kris' eyes on him are unnerving.  

Tao honestly doesn't like Kris all that much.  

∞

February 6th, 2011: China, Qingdao.

The thing with Kris (and he knows it seems unlikely and weird) but Kris really likes skin-ship.  

However he doesn't really like skin-ship, he's awkward and constantly worried people will feel his fat if they hug him too tightly. But he can't just out-right say that or pull away, so he stays still and learns to accept Kris' warm embraces and touchy-feely-ness.  

"Valentines is soon" Kris sighs out, Chanyeol beside him draping an arm over Kris' shoulders as Tao is squished in Kris' arms.  

"I wish I was dating some pretty girl" Chanyeol whines loudly, pulling away and twirling twice on his heels, "what are you guys going to do for valentines?"  

"I'm going somewhere" Luhan says simply, looking over to Sehun who's taken to looking straight at a wall.  

"And Sehun...?" Kris asks slowly, and Sehun's cheeks go red. 

"I have a date."  

"What!" Chanyeol hollers. "Oh Sehun has a date, this can't be true."  

Tao scoffs, the arms wrapped around his neck tightening (cause you see, Kris is a good 5 inches taller than him), pulling Tao closer into his chest.  

"It is!" Sehun grumbles, Luhan beside him cackling.  

"That's not fair," Kris pouts softly into the top of Tao's head, right in the middle, and Tao refrains from leaning further into his warm embrace.  

I don't think this is right, Tao thinks, fingers lacing their way into Kris', it definitely isn't.  

"Well we can just throw a party or something at my house," Chanyeol suggests with a loud sigh, "as those two go on their dates." 

"A romantic one," Luhan supplies, and Chanyeol skewers him with glares. 

Tao clears his throat (still a bit worried on how they'll react to his voice), "so... practically the three of us watching bad romance movies?"  

"Exactly!" Chanyeol chirps happily, his body twitching along with his eye.  

Kris' arms fall from his shoulders, and Tao finally breathes.  

 ∞

February 14th, 2011: China, Qingdao.

"I am not watching the notebook" Kris says stubbornly, arms (as usual) wrapped around Tao's waist, Tao between his legs as he watches with silent eyes placing popcorn into his mouth endlessly, "Tao what do you think?" 

"I don't care, honestly" placing another handful of popcorn into his mouth to avoid being asked anymore questions, Kris sighs out loudly.  

"Soooo, the notebook?" Chanyeol chirps, "I think you're out numbered, Krissy."  

"I will kill you" Kris says, though doesn't make any attempt to actually detach himself from Tao in attempt to kill Chanyeol.  

Chanyeol barks out a loud laugh, "okay then, so The Notebook it is."  

"Horror movies would be a lot better," 

"So would shopping for Gucci" Tao grumbles softly, not even letting his own mouth flitter the words before they're out.  

"You like Gucci?" Kris asks, crouching over to place his chin onto Tao's shoulder, "that explains your gay looking backpack." 

Puffing out his cheeks, "my gay looking backpack? It so happens that thing costed me a fortune."  

"You can get knock-off's for half the price, Tao."  

"Guys can we watch The Notebook and mourn our being single?" Chanyeol interrupts the little squabble with an irritated roll of his eyes.  

"I don't even mind being single," Tao grumbles, bringing Kris' arm to cover his mouth before sinking into Kris' chest, "how could I even mind?" 

"So willing lately" Chanyeol adds in, "lately you practically just golt that Kris likes to hug you the most." 

"He's the perfect height, for a girl." Kris says, a smug gleam in his eyes as Tao rolls his own.  

"Oh, yes, I'm the perfect girl."  

"Well, he does like Gucci" Chanyeol supplies, snatching the remote off the coffee table, "okay now shush, it's playing."  

 ∞

February 23rd, 2011: China, Qingdao.

"You two are just plain weird" Sehun says in that lisped way that irritates Tao half the time, the other half the time it's endearing and fun to make fun of. Today it seems to be irritating him.  

Draped over Tao's legs as Tao does his Biology homework, "how so?" Kris asks.  

Sehun exaggerates his hand movements as he waves them towards Kris and Tao's flashy display of affection. "You two just seem so... gay."  

"Now that you mention it," Chanyeol says, a wistful tone as he taps his chin with his pencil as he (copies the homework off of Tao) does his homework, "it seems like they've been dating for years or something."  

"Tao squeezed in just right with you guys," Luhan says with a manly laugh. And Tao doesn't point out that he wouldn't have fit in if it wasn't for Kris constantly touching him.  

He's just a bit too used to being touched now.  

"How so?" Kris laughs, "we can't seem that gay. I'm straight, just so you know."  

Tao grunts.  

I'm straight. 

Doesn't fall from his own lips, now that he thinks about it, the thought never even crossed his mind.  

"Guys be quiet, lunch is almost over and Tao isn't done the homework." Chanyeol finally says, finality in his voice as he picks at the side of his lined paper. Tao rolls his eyes.  

"Do your own homework."  

∞

February 26th, 2011: China, Qingdao.

"I'm Byun Baekhyun" a soft-spoken boy says, eyes out-lined with eyeliner, which is quite weird, but Tao doesn’t really care, he does hang out with Chanyeol, after all. Weird is the norm in his little social group.  

"I'm Huang Zitao, please call me Tao." Baekhyun smiles, soft and pretty, and Tao doesn't really blurt out he thinks Baekhyun is pretty and that he likes how he smiles, he merely gives a lopsided smile and thinks of telling him that fact.  

The vibrations in his pocket interrupt him and Baekhyun's strange smiling-eye-to-eye session, "hello?" He answers, voice thick with embarrassment.  

"Tao, can you put Kris on the phone?"  

"Who's this?" Because certainly no woman would be calling him (him and Kris are known as a "couple") asking for Kris. 

"This is his mother," the lady says and Tao whispers a hushed 'one second' before covering the phone and looking over his shoulder, sure enough, Kris is walking towards him with Luhan beside him. 

"Kris!" He says as loud as his voice will go, surprised when Kris really does hear him and looks up, "your mother is calling me."  

"Oh" Kris laughs out, jogging towards him at a quicker speed, Tao hands over his phone before looking back towards Baekhyun.  

"His mom calls you looking for him?" Baekhyun says, laughing.  

"We're always together" Tao mumbles with a shrug of his shoulders, "I practically breathe the same air as him."  

"Weird" he says, and Tao blinks his eyes a few times.  

Weird. It is weird, isn't it? 

"Don't you hear how everyone calls them a couple? It's because Kris is always hugging and kissing Tao!" Luhan laughs out, Kris hanging up the phone the exact same time.  

"Oh yeah, Chanyeol said something about them, saying that they're too-touchy with each other." 

Wrapping his arms around Tao's waist (in the midst of public, per usual) Kris places his chin onto Tao's shoulder, "he's the perfect height and size to hug, can you blame me?" 

Unfazed, "why did your mom call me?" 

"Oh," Kris says laughing (that sweet rumble of a laugh, that shakes his core and sends vibrations down Tao's spine) "my phone is on silent so I didn't hear it ringing, and I gave her your number incase I don't pick up or something."  

"Wah!" Baekhyun exclaims, "they really are like a couple."  

Luhan's eyes twinkle, "I told you so." 

 ∞

March 4th, 2011: China, Qingdao.

Contrary to popular belief, Kris doesn't actually kiss him. (Which is a relief, because Tao is already questioning his uality too much lately).  

That is, until this day.  

He usually eats his lunch, made by his own hands, whereas Kris usually has a lunch made by his mother. He was eating while talking to Luhan about a recent manga (a shounen-ai one, but everyone else doesn't need to know that) and maybe Kris isn't used to Tao not putting 100% of his attention to him, cause next thing he knows, Kris is wrapping an arm around his waist, the other hand tugging his chin backwards as he plants a soft chaste kiss on his lips.  

He blinks a few times, stunned, and the conversation with Luhan seemingly halted as everyone stares at Kris with "what-even" looks.  

"So," Tao coughs out, cheeks red, "as I was saying I don't think the main character is all that convincing, all he does is cry." 

Kris laughs.  

"He just kissed you" Luhan points out with a stunned look, Sehun behind him blinking away the disgust.  

Chanyeol is promptly choking on something.  

"I'm aware of that," Tao says slowly, "I'm not exactly sure why he just kissed me, but it is Kris, I don't like to know what he's thinking half the time. It's easier that way." 

"You were ignoring me" Kris sulks, tone high as he nuzzles the back of Tao's head, Luhan scoffs at them both. 

"Are you sure you aren't dating?" 

"I'm straight" Kris says (it's what he always says) and Tao smiles a sheepish smile, shrugging his sturdy shoulders.  

"And you're going to say Tao is nice to hug, right?" Luhan deadpans whilst cocking out his hip, "why don't you just admit you're totally gay for Tao-zi?"  

Kris just laughs.  

(and for reasons he doesn't know yet; his heart breaks into a million tiny, tiny pieces).  

A/N: People are going to ask why there's dates, and I'll tell you it's because this story is going to be time worped... meaning... ugh, so complicated. Okay, I'll give you a hint to the next chap; the time period for the next chapter is 1939 in England. 

I've always wanted to write a story like this ;AAAAA; Idk why, it's just they're so.... touching. 

This story will have five time periods, 2011, 2016, 1943, 1901, and 1820's. All will have different settings, so 2011 is set in China - High school.