Discoveries

Salty Lips & Late Night Dips
07: Discoveries


Tao and Kris trailed behind the others, listening to the shuffling of their feet against the sandy sidewalk as they passed beneath the occasional street lamp. Tao glanced up at the moths circling the lights and chewed on his bottom lip. Any distraction was godsend at this point. By now he was so nervous that his palms were starting to sweat. He chanced a look when Kris wasn't looking and noted that the surfer seemed tense as well. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if maybe Kris was nervous too, but that couldn't be right. Tao rubbed his hands together and cracked his knuckles. He looked down at his now sandal clad feet (courtesy of Luhan insisting that he look more the part while working at the surf shop). Bad habits, bad habits, and more bad habits.

 
Apparently, Tao had lost track of time, because Kris was already pulling his keys out of his pocket when Tao finally snapped out of it. His gaze followed the steps of his friends as they walked down a short driveway that ended beneath a small white house perched atop several wooden pillars. It was small, the deck had seen better days, the ocean blue shutters were faded, and the previously white siding had yellowed quite a bit. It was an older home but had a certain level of character that Tao appreciated.
 
His heart rate picked up as they walked up the creaky steps. Kris pushed past the others and jiggled the key into the lock, ramming his shoulder into the door, causing it open with a whine. Jongdae was the first to march in without being invited, then Sehun, and finally Luhan.
 
"Please... do come in," Kris gestured grandly behind his rude guests. Then he turned toward Tao and flashed a reserved smile. "It's not much, but this is home for me."
 
Tao swallowed and kept his eyes trained on his feet as he walked past Kris and through the doorway. The first thing he noticed was the worn, light green carpet. The next thing he noticed was a slightly musty scent. It wasn't unpleasant, but more so the scent you'd expect from an older home. Tao's eyes scanned his environment, taking in the living area to his right and the kitchen to his left. The furniture was new enough, either that or reupholstered, he couldn't tell which. The kitchen was all speckled counter tops, hardwood cabinets, and paneled walls that housed a seasoned refrigerator and gas stove. It all screamed 80's to Tao, and oddly enough, the simplicity of it all suited Kris.
 
"You guys want something to drink?" asked Kris as he dug through the refrigerator for refreshments, shoving several condiments and takeout boxes out of the way.
 
"Sure! Whatcha got?" asked Jongdae as he flopped down onto one of the sofas.
 
"Uh... three cokes, a little bit of orange juice, and a beer."
 
"Sehun will take the orange juice," stated Luhan with a smirk, sliding in next to the younger on the sofa.
 
Sehun frowned. "Who the hell says I have to drink orange juice?"
 
"The baby of the group gets stuck with the juice."
 
"Go to hell."
 
"That's not very nice."
 
"Go to hell, please."
 
"Well you know what I want," supplied Jongdae with a grin.
 
Kris sighed as he pulled everything he had left to drink out of the fridge and placed them on the counter. He looked over the small breakfast bar and asked Tao what he'd like to drink.
 
"Hey! How come he gets first dibs!" complained Jongdae.
 
"Because I actually like Tao. I don't like you three... at all." Kris as he pulled a plastic cup from one of the cabinets.
 
"That's cold man. Reeaaal cold."
 
Kris shrugged indifferently before turning back to Tao. "So what will it be, surfing model?"
 
Tao cleared his throat. "Um, orange juice is fine."
 
That seemed to settle the drink issue. Kris emptied the remaining contents of the orange juice carton (which only warranted half a glass) and placed it on the breakfast bar. Tao snatched it up and took a tentative sip, eyes still busy wandering about Kris' home, taking in the details. They all managed to cram in on the sofas. Tao was settled at the edge of the smaller sofa with Kris to his left, their elbows brushing against each other. He picked at a lose thread dangling from one of the cushions and focused on his friends' usual banter.
 
Suddenly, Kris shifted and whispered into Tao's ear. "Hey, would you like a tour of my humble abode?"
 
Warm breath tickled the hairs on Tao's neck and he shivered. "S-Sure! I mean, I guess." Tao wanted to stab himself for sounding so overly-eager. But he was dying from curiosity.
 
Kris stood from the sofa and Tao followed suit. The other three were too busy arguing to notice the room had become emptier. Kris lead Tao through a doorway and into a short hallway covered in the same wood paneling that'd been found in the kitchen. Surprisingly, there were no framed pictures hanging on the walls, only posters of surfing competitions and famous surfers from years past. As they entered the room at the end, Kris opened the door and pushed aside a layer of overhanging plastic before flipping the light switch. Tao's brow raised at the unexpected sight. In the enter of the room was what looked like a surfboard in progress. It had been sanded down into the proper shape but looked like it still needed some work. Against the wall was an array of hanging tools while beneath it rested a large work station where penciled designs remained scattered across the surface.
 
"This is what you do in your free time?" asked Tao, legitimately stunned.
 
"Yeah," began Kris, long fingers trailing over the sawdust covered surface of his newest creation. "It's something I like to do as a hobby. And it brings in some extra cash, which is nice."
 
"This is..." Tao paused, "Actually really cool."
 
Kris flashed a pearly white grin. "Thanks. Luhan was nice enough to let me sell some of my work at the surf shop. He doesn't charge me much interest for it either."
 
"Sounds like a pretty good deal."
 
"It is. Alright! Next stop!" Kris patted the sawdust off of his hands before leading them to the last two places of the mini-tour.
 
The first one was the outdated bathroom which was rather small. Tao almost snickered at the thought of Kris trying to maneuver inside of it with his gangly limbs. Then Kris stopped outside of the last room and turned to Tao. "This is my room. I don't usually let people in here, so don't tell the others that I showed it to you."
 
Tao swallowed. His throat suddenly felt dry. "O-Okay."
 
Kris leaned in through the door and flicked on the light before moving aside to allow Tao to pass. Tao entered slowly because he knew he was invading Kris' personal sanctuary. He didn't like it when people came into his room. It made him feel exposed and maybe even a little bit vulnerable. Being on the opposite end of that feeling didn't feel any better, yet curiosity pushed him further inside.
 
Much like the rest of the house, Kris' room was small, but enclosed by light grey walls. The bed was too big for the space and was covered by a wrinkled black blanket. A tall dresser rested in the corner. Some of its drawers hadn't been fully closed and a stray article of clothing stuck out here or there. On the nightstand stood a metal lamp and a couple of books with bookmarks poking from between their pages. But those things weren't what captured Tao's attention the most.
 
A myriad of trophies lined one of the walls while a scratched up surfboard hung directly above them. Several pictures and one framed poster rested on the neighboring wall. Tao stepped closer and surveyed them closely. Every one of them was a picture of the same man--all dashing smiles and long, messy blonde hair. It was the same man in the large poster who was riding a gigantic wave, arms splayed and gaze concentrated as sea water spritzed the air around him. He looked so cool and collected.
 
"That's my dad," Kris offered with a sheepish smile as he pointed at the bottom of the poster. Sunset Beach Surfing Competition. August 17th, 1998. First place winner: Kristopher Wu.
 
"Wow! He got first place?" asked Tao in wonder.
 
"He got first place a lot. Look," Kris ushered Tao over to the trophies. Some of them were for third place, some second, but a good portion of them were for first place. "He almost made it to the big time."
 
"Big time?"
 
"Had he been able to complete the last competition that year, he would've gone pro."
 
"Wow..." Tao trailed off as he admired the shiny trophies. There were so many of them. "So what happened? Why didn't he make it?"
 
Kris picked up one of the trophies and held it in his hands, using the bottom of his shirt to rub off some of the dust. "He died." The room was silent all except for the slide of metal against wood as Kris re-shelved the trophy, taking special care to place it in just the right spot. Tao didn't know what to say. Should he apologize? Change the subject? He felt like an for asking such a sensitive question.
 
"He died doing what he loved most," continued Kris. "And he's the reason why I got into surfing."
 
"You mean," Tao hesitated a moment, "You still wanted to surf even after what happened?"
 
"Yep. Never thought twice about it. I know it sounds kind of stupid, but, somehow I don't feel like he'll be able to rest in peace until I finish what he started."
 
Tao felt his heart sink into his stomach. So this was Kris Wu, the guy that always smiled and cracked jokes with his idiot friends. The guy that spent every single day of his life living for surfing. He taught it, worked for it, created it, and breathed it. Everything made so much more sense now.
 
Kris chuckled at Tao's morbid expression and ruffled his bangs. "Hey, don't give me that look. Okay? It happened a long time ago."
 
Tao looked up at Kris with a heavy heart. "I know. It's just, all this time I've been complaining about my dad. I feel like now."
 
Kris smiled, threw an arm around Tao's shoulders, and dug his knuckles into his Tao's scalp. "It's alright. Your dad sounds like a jerk anyway."
 
"Ow! Stop!" Tao scoffed as he playfully punched Kris' chest.
 
Kris didn't release Tao, but instead, stared at him intently. Something had shifted. Tao could sense that their friendship wouldn't be the same after this. That thought both thrilled and terrified him because he didn't know what that meant. Just then the doorbell rang and Kris cursed under his breath.
 
"Great. Here we go," he huffed as he let go of Tao and walked over to turn off the light.
 
"What is it?" asked Tao.
 
"Minseok."
 
"Oh. That bad, huh?"
 
"You have no idea."


 
-


 
Thirty minutes later, Tao found out why Kris didn't want to invite Minseok. Apparently, when you invited him, you invited everyone else on the island too. Now that Tao thought back on it, the same thing must have happened at Lay's house. Close to ten people had already showed up and more kept rolling in by the minute. A once quiet evening soon morphed into a party complete with pizza and alcohol, courtesy of Minseok himself.
 
Tao and Kris stood in the kitchen, eyes taking in the quickly unfolding chaos before them. "I feel like I just stepped into an alternate reality. What in the hell just happened?" asked Tao.
 
"You were right when you said there was something wrong with all of us. Minseok's personality is highly deceptive. He's nice and all but he's an odd version of your stereotypical rich kid," explained Kris as they watched Minseok mingle with the party goers like it was second nature. "His parents are always out of town so he finds ways of entertaining himself. He hops from one clique to the next. You just happened to step into our group on the last day of one of his cycles."
 
"That is really screwed up," replied Tao as he took a sip of the fruity beer Minseok had offered him. "How come he didn't pay for our drinks at the tiki bar before?" Tao knew he sounded shallow but he really had to figure this entire thing out.
 
Kris shrugged. "That's just how he is. He chooses where he goes, what he does, what he pays for, and when he does it. You should've seen Jongdae and Luhan when they found out we had a rich friend in our midst. You think they bet hard now? It was brutal."
 
Well that certainly explained a lot. Minseok had done a lot of grumbling about shifty bets when Tao had first met him. Tao should have known better. The guy was just too demure for something not to be wrong with him. At least now he had his answer.
 
"Jesus Christ, you people are going to be the end of me." Tao took a large sip of his beer.
 
Kris slapped Tao on the shoulder, causing Tao to nearly choke on his drink. "You'll get used to it," said Kris with a defeated sigh.
 
At that moment, someone decided to turn the stereo on full blast. Kris' house thumped with the sound of hip-hop music and the growing crowd revved up. Tao was too irritated for this sort of tonight. He wanted out. When he turned toward Kris, the other wore a knowing expression.
 
"Want to get out of here for a while?" asked the surfer.
 
"Is it that obvious?" replied Tao with a lopsided smirk.
 
The two of them wove around several party-goers and slipped out the front door, passing several more people who'd just arrived on their way out. Then they walked down the deck to beneath the house where Kris' Jeep was parked.
 
"So, where will it be, Taozi?"
 
"Oh, we're back to Taozi now?" Tao tried not to smile but it didn't work. The nickname was growing on him.
 
"Unless you prefer surfing model..."
 
"No, that's alright," Tao laughed as he climbed into the passenger seat. "I think I like Taozi better."
 
Kris gave Tao the brightest smile he'd seen to date. Did it really make Kris that happy to call him that? Tao wasn't sure why he cared, but for some reason, he did. Kris climbed into the driver's seat, cranked up his faithful Jeep, and managed to maneuver it around the cars that littered the driveway.
 
Neither of them discussed a destination as they pulled out onto the main road. Sometimes it didn't matter where you were going or what you planned on doing. Sometimes it just felt nice to ride through time with a friend by our side and a smile on your face. Tao was beginning to discover that he liked smiling, especially when it was caused by a blonde surfer who had talents and dreams stuffed up his sleeves.
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RuinedReverie
8/26/15 - SL&LND is now complete. Extra side stories will be added soon. [RuinedReverie]

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ExoticPandragons
#1
Chapter 22: I’m literally gonna read this up until I die.
ExoticPandragons
#2
Chapter 22: Hhaaaa back again and I still love it and it still makes me scream and emotional and happy and ugh yes perfect
ExoticPandragons
#3
Chapter 22: LORDDDDDD I’m still weak. The power this fic has over me is surreal. I adore it. A whole favorite. I love everything about it
ExoticPandragons
#4
Chapter 22: Oops I read it again. God what the fic does to my heart should be illegal
Galaxyboo_
#5
Chapter 25: This is so good i miss taoris ?
ExoticPandragons
#6
When I tell you it’s been like 5 years since I’ve read this for the first time and I come back to read it again almost twice a year (let’s be real, way more), but this story never fails to grab me by the heart. I will go about my life and suddenly DREAM about this and wake up with the NEED to read it again. One of my favorites, from the bottom of my heart. Bless you.
Kevin_was_here #7
OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH
versaillesmaiden #9
Chapter 22: BEST. TAORIS. FIC. EVER.
MY HEART CANT STOP CRYING AND LAUGHING OMG BLESS U AUTHORNIM