“There’s something I need to tell you.” 

In a coffee shop close to the academy, Yixing sat across from Kris in a booth in the far back corner of the shop. Yixing looked very nervous, fiddling with his hands, while Kris was aloof as usual. “What’s up?” he inquired. 

Yixing took a deep breath. “Umm, well, remember when Baekhyun got locked into the cold storage?” He glanced at Kris, who wasn’t really listening. Instead, he was staring a couple of girls sitting at a table a few meters away. 

“Hey!” Yixing waved a hand in front of Kris’s face. “Are you listening to me?” 

Kris turned back to Yixing and blinked. “Did you say something?” 

Yixing sighed in exasperation. “I did. Remember when Baekhyun got locked into the cold storage?” He repeated. 

“Yeah,” Kris nodded. “That was like a month ago.” 

The shorter boy looked down, fiddling with his hands again. “Well, I was actually there when it happened…” The scene played over in Yixing’s head, and his heart filled with dread. Is it really a good idea to tell him?

Kris’s eyes widened. “Really? You know what happened?” 

Yixing took another breath and placed his hands flat on the table. “That day after school, I was in the library studying. I happened to start going home right when the incident occurred. I saw someone come out of cold storage, and he locked the door behind him.” Yixing paused, glancing at Kris. His expression had not changed, but his full attention was directed towards his friend.

“Then I heard banging on the door, but I wasn’t able to open it,” he continued. “Yixing started losing his resolve, and his nervousness was starting to surface again. He had to do this. Kris deserved to know. 

Kris leaned forward. “Who did you see?” 

Yixing ignored his question and continued with the story. If he was going to tell Kris, he may as well tell everything. "I was about to run to the office to grab a key, but Chanyeol showed up and was staring at the door. I'm not sure where he came from, but he was able to pick the lock in about a minute. He went in a came back out with Baekhyun and starting running home I assume."

The taller boy's eyes widened. "So you mean Chanyeol locked Baekhyun in?" 

Yixing wanted to facepalm, but instead he just shook his head. "No, Chanyeol was the one who got Baekhyun out of the cold storage. The person who I saw would most likely be the person locked Baekhyun in. That person was..." He trailed off, suddenly not too sure if he should tell Kris. The four of them were best friends, did he want to jeopardize that bond? But if they were friends, he should tell Kris, right? 

Kris leaned forward. "Well, come on. Spill the beans, who did you see?" 

Yixing took a deep breath.

"Tao." 

Kris flinched visibly at the sound of his best friend's name. His mouth dropped open and his eyes were wide. "A-are you telling me Tao is the one who tried to freeze Baekhyun to death?" 

Yixing immediately regretted his decision, wanting nothing more than to dig a hole and bury himself. However, the damage had already been done. "I-I'm not saying it was actually Tao, but it's most likely that it is him," he blurted. "He been awfully watchful of your attention towards Baekhyun-----" 

He wished he hadn't continued speaking, because what happened afterwards as completely uncalled for. Kris stood up, causing the table to rattle. "I'm going to talk to Tao." His irises swirled with turmoil, and his fingers were curled into tight fists. 

"Kris wait-----" Yixing stood up to stop his friend, but Kris was too far away. The shorter boy hastily slapped a $10 bill on the table and followed his friend. He watched as Kris's figure disappeared down the street and turn the corner. Yixing sighed, hoping that Kris would be okay, and nothing would happen to their friendship.

They were best friends after all. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was beginning to set, yet it was only 5:30pm. The air was frigid, and each of Tao's breaths became a small puff that hung in the air before disappearing. He was walking home with Kris after a long day at school, but he could tell there was something up with his best friend. However, Tao was not one to ask anyone how they were feeling, so he did not think anything of it. For all Tao knew, Kris could have been practicing his mysterious model face. 

"Hey Tao," Kris said suddenly, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "We're friends right?" 

Oh no, Tao thought to himself. Usually this is when Kris would ask to borrow money, or copy his homework. Every time he told himself he would say no to Kris, but he could never bring himself to do so. The question that came next was something Tao would never have expected. 

"Did you... Did you lock Baekhyun in the cold storage?" Kris turned around and stared at Tao, his eyes pleading for Tao to tell him that he was wrong. 

Tao blinked at Kris, tilting his head to the side. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything." 

Kris balled his fists. "You really don't know? Yixing told me... He saw you lock Baekhyun in." 

Tao's eyes widened a quarter of a millimetre and the left corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. Normal people would be unable to notice these slight movements, but Kris, being his best friend for over 10 years, was able to notice. His brows raised in surprise. He wasn't angry, more shocked. "Why?" 

The black haired boy's expression returned to an emotionless state. From a young age, he was taught not to show emotion around anyone. It was also burned into his mind from a very young age, thanks to his martial arts background. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied in a monotone voice. 

"Don't lie to me!" Kris's voice rang with anger, his eyes swirling with turmoil. "Tell me the truth, please." 

Tao hated seeing Kris upset. Having to see Kris hurt in any way was more painful than any injury, any time his dad beat him. Tao wanted to reach out Kris so badly, but he didn't know how. He was always unable to communicate properly with others. The other children around him was always afraid, because of his father and because he never smiled. Kris was the only one who wasn't afraid, and didn't mind playing with him, even if that meant the other kids found him a little strange. 

But Tao was adamant. There was no way he could reveal to Kris his secret. At the same time, if Kris already knew, shouldn't he own up to his crime? There was no use playing dumb; Kris was able to read Tao like an open book. "I'm not lying," Tao answered, fighting to keep a straight face. 

Kris watched Tao for a moment, hoping that he would admit what he did, but when no answer came, he let his head drop. "I knew it. I didn't want to believe Yixing." Kris raised his head and looked at Tao with a mix of disappointment and sadness. There was no anger in his voice or gaze. "Why? Why would you do that? You know I like Baekhyun. I told you he meant something to me, more than any other girl or guy I've been with. Why would you try to take that away from me?" 

The black haired boy fought to find something to say, but when nothing came Kris's sad gaze turned into a suspicious glare. "It's because you were jealous, wasn't it?" 

At that moment, the glass cage holding all his secrets shattered. All at once his emotions flew free from their constraints, bouncing within the walls of his heart, stabbing him each time they reverberated through his mind. He let out a guttural scream, something that had been slowly eating him alive and feeding off his soul for his entire life. 

Kris stepped back in surprise. "Tao?" He was more worried and too scared to be angry anymore. 

"I was jealous okay?" He screamed, the tears he held back all these years threatening to fall from his eyes. "How could you expect me not to be jealous? I've had to watch you go through so many relationships, listen to you talk about how much you like him and her, and help you through every single break up. Have you ever considered how I must feel?" He spat his words, anger and pain echoing through every syllable. 

The orange haired boy's eyes were wide, and mouth slack. "But... We're friends right? I... I'm sorry if I was annoying... I don't understand why you're so angry?" Kris was genuinely confused, and that hurt Tao even more. However, the damage was already done, and Tao intended to reveal everything at this moment. 

"I like you, Kris." 

A huge weight had been lifted off Tao's shoulders, yet he still felt burdened, because he knew there was no way Kris would accept him as he is now. Tao knew, that today would be the end. 

"I've liked you since we were kids. You were the only one who reached out to me. You helped me through my mom's death, every time my father beat me. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. Every time... Every time you said you liked someone else it hurt me so much but I had to be supportive because that's what you did for me. I swallowed my own feelings and put yours first." Tao almost choked on his own words, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. "I love you, Kris. I'm so sorry for everything." 

"I'm sorry? That's all you're going to say?" Kris's voice steadily grew angrier, yet there was also a hint of pain. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Don't you trust me?" 

Tao wanted to throw himself off a bridge. "I do trust you! I just wasn't able to tell you how I felt until now. You should know how hard it is for me to say how I feel." Tao wiped his cheeks. "I-----"

"We're done." 

The black haired boy looked up to see his best friend with his back turned. "We're done," Kris repeated. His voice was shook, and though Tao couldn't see, there were tears in Kris's eyes. "Goodbye, Tao." 

Tao watched the blonde boy walk away, his figure becoming smaller and smaller in the darkness until it was nothing more than another shadow in the night. His knees buckled and he fell onto the empty sidewalk, tears flowing freely. His chest was tight, like he was suffocating. It was unlike any pain he had ever felt, like his heart was being stabbed by a million glass fragments. 

It was over.

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A/N: Hello all! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I think it sounds a little different than my usual writing, I actually wrote this chapter and the next chapter I will be posting later while I was on a cruise haha didn't have much to do on that huge boat lol 

Anyways thanks to those who keep subscribing and reading my fanfiction, as well as all those lovely comments I enjoy reading them :) From now on I will try my best to reply to all of them haha 

I will post the next chapter soon, so stay tuned!! :D