An article of clothing on a hanger was pushed up against Tao's body, the poor boy almost getting hit in the face by the hanger. "Umm... no."

The clothing was soon pulled back into the rack, and another different style one was pushed up against Tao. "Not this either."

Tao opened his mouth, just to get another clothing pushed up against him, his head jerking back to avoid the hook of the devious hanger. "This either."

The sound of the hangers hitting the metal pole of the rack continued, as continuous arrangements were shoved against Tao's body.

"Um." The younger spoke up, gaining the attention of the elder who were sorting out the clothes. "I'm fine with anything. Really."

Yifan simply gave Tao a look and went back to searching for the perfect attire. Tao gave up with a sigh, and sat down at the circular couch in front of the mirror.

He looked around him, he never gone shopping for clothes before, what with his life being in secrecy and 'jobs'. But he could not pay attention to what the elder was doing, because he had another matter to deal with.

Tao viewed himself in the mirror, looking at the pile of clothes in his hands that Yifan chose for him. He tilted his head, before catching a glimpse of one of the men with black blazers in the mirror’s reflection, heading to the store they were in. He snapped his head at Yifan. '.'

"Tao." A waving hand appeared in his eye vision. He looked at Yifan. 'What the hell am I supposed to do?'

"Let's go get you fitting those out." Yifan suggested, pointing at the pile on Tao's hands. 'Fitting?'

The latter's eyes went wide. "A-ah! Yes. Let's go." He dragged Yifan to the fitting rooms, as soon as he saw the doors of the store opening for a man in a black blazer.

"W-wait." Yifan stuttered, dragged helplessly like a rag doll. "What are you-" Before he could finish his sentence, Tao pushed him into one of the fitting rooms. "Me?!" And he went inside after him. "Wait. You?!" The lock was secured at the door, Tao breathing out a sigh.

The room inside the fitting room was... let's say, very fitting. The elder's body was pushed up against the mirror, with the younger leaning against the door, and only a pile of clothes between them.

"Uhm." Yifan started, when Tao heard a footstep coming their way. The latter hushed the former, pressing a lean finger to his lips, leaning in until their foreheads were barely touching. "Shhh..."

Yifan was stunned by the movement. Tao, on the other hand, put out a serious expression as he listens to the footsteps. It stopped at their door, making the younger's breath hitch, before moving on.

As the footsteps completely disappeared, Tao let out a breath of relief. An awkward cough broke the awkward silence in attempts of catching the younger one's attention to the awkward one who was awkwardly pressed up against an awkward mirror. Yes. It was that awkward. Even the mirror. Just cause.

Tao blinked once, staring into the eyes of Yifan. Then he blinked again, catching Yifan's eyes twitch in confusion. And the third time he blinked, he jerked himself backwards, finally realizing what went down just now.

"O-oh, s-sorry. I...uh..." Tao stuttered as he let go of the pile of clothes he was holding, finally putting space between the two.

Yifan snapped out of his trance, shaking his head vehemently. "No... its okay."

Tao gave a simple nod, his face facing to the side. Yifan noticed a tint of pink spreading at the younger's cheek, as he felt himself give a smirk. "Why are you facing that side?"

Tao didn't give out a reply, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Yifan watched as his adam's apple bob up and down. "Come on, look at me." He took a step closer to Tao, what with the restricted space, he was already trapping the younger against the door.

Oh how the tables have turned.

Tao's cheeks began to heat up even more, hinted in red. The elder simply gave a lopsided grin, closing in to the poor boy.

"You surprisingly blush easily, don't you?" Tao finally looked at Yifan after he heard the statement. The former was about to defend himself, when he found that he was staring right into the latter's eyes filled with mischief, the good kind.

"N-no." He let out a small whimper.

"Hmm?" Yifan inched closer, his arm bent at the elbow and rested against the door next to Tao's head.

"I d-dont..." His eyes running everywhere, always looking away every time he made eye contact with the other. "b-blush easi-sily, silly."

Yifan let out a hearty laughter, before pulling away, gathering the clothes that laid idly on the carpeted floor. "I'll believe you when you can say that without stuttering." That earned him a pout from the younger. "Now go and change to these."

The sound of a door slamming made Tap jump slightly, making him remember the situation he was in. He thought about it, about how to escape without a lot of ruckus. He had a hand blade stashed in his back pocket, so he could easily assassinate them, but Yifan was there.

'Why does all the stupid goes to me??' Tao inwardly whined, looking over at the elder pushing the clothing at him.

"Uhm, why don't we... go?" The shorter of the two suggested. "You know, to another store?" He grabbed the clothes from Yifan's hand and went out. "I don't like these styles anyways."

With that, he placed the pile on the counter, bowed an apology, and dashed out with Yifan in his grasps.

Tao was well aware of the men in black this time, always avoiding the places where he even saw the slightest decorative leaf moves. He bumped into them several times, without them noticing him, so he deducted that these guys were not pro.

~~~

"This fits you well." Yifan nodded, turning around Tao with his newly fitted murky blue long sleeved tee rolled up to his elbow and a mahogany brown vest with black linings. The boy replied with a shrug, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his jeans, not wanting to change into the pants Yifan gave him.

Tao scooted over, giving the elder space to check himself with a cashmere cardigan hugging his body. He twisted and turned a few angles, seeing how the clothing fits him. “Tao.” His head turned. “What do you think about this?”

The younger simply shrugged, busying himself with the rack of clothing, mirroring Yifan’s actions before and moving the hangers one by one. Admiring the fashion and designs of each clothing, he stopped on one and took it out of the rack. “This would look better on you.”

Tao handed stripped brown and navy blue cardigan to Yifan, who took it by surprise. Nevertheless, he quickly changed out of the cashmere he was wearing, and slipped on the one the younger gave him. While the elder was busy checking himself out in the mirror, Tao played with the clothes in the rack. He looked outside, which was coincidentally the bubble teashop he promised to take Sehun to. Then his thought flew to Baekhyun.

‘Wonder what they’re doing now?’  He tilted his head, and was about to face Yifan, who called him over. But he snapped his head back to the window and found two familiar figures haunting the said shop.

Tao’s eyes widened as the men with the black blazers faced him before abruptly turning his head the other way so they won’t recognize him.

“You have a pretty good sense in fashion,” Yifan commented, giving a pleased look at his own reflection in the mirror.

Tao was preoccupied with thoughts of hiding Yifan from the men in black’s views. His eyes travelled down to the rack of cloth. He did not think about it much, but hey, he had to do something.

A flurry article of clothing was thrown directly to Yifan’s face the moment he looked at Tao.

What? He had to do something.

Tao kept throwing fashion pieces from the hangers of the racks like a madman, aware that he was making a human pile of clothing behind him. The men in black scurried to the shop he was in. He knew he had to hide. But how?

Yifan couldn’t process what was going on what with all the fabric in his face. Not being able to see, he slipped on a hot neon pink leopard striped muscle tee on the floor, and landed on his bottom. Tao saw a chance in Yifan’s fall, taking it, and hurried over to the latter. He held the elder’s shoulder while pushing him backwards behind a tall rack of floor-length dresses.

Tao peeked over the soft blue silk dress, spotting the guys searching through nooks and crannies of the store. He grunted out before hearing a static buzzing in his ears. He frowned, touching his ears. He heard the noise again, and he was about to lightly punch his ears with his palms just when he was able to make out a word of the static.

“T-T…Ta….Tao?”

Tao’s eyes widened.

“Tao? Tao. Can you hear me?”

His hands reached up the earing stabbing through his ears. ‘Right,’ he thought. ‘The earing.’

“Yes.” He whispered.

“Good. There you are. So… What’s up?”

A straight expression graced Tao’s face as he rolled his eyes. “What’s up?!” He harshly whispered. “Oh, nothing you know, just shopping with some assassins. Just waiting to get caught.”

A chuckle was heard through the mini transmitter placed on the stud of the earing. “Sounds like fun.”

“Oh, it’s a blast.” Tao’s voice dripping with sarcasm, to which another chuckle was heard.

“What’s a blast?”

Tao quickly turned to look at Yifan. “Uhm… nothing just… shopping with you.”

Yifan raised an eyebrow, and Tao heard a roar of laughter from his ear. “Don’t laugh.” He whispered to his side.

“Laugh?” Apparently Yifan heard it.

Queue the burst of laughter blasting through Tao’s ears please. “Oh… My stomach… OuchOuchOuch.” A voice said between laughter. “Anyways, get Yifan away for a second will you?”

Tao asked Yifan to go and pay for his attire he had on, and for the blue cardigan the latter was wearing. Yifan left with a nod.  “So tell me, why do you need to activate this gadget again?” His tongue went to one of his molars at the top right corner of his mouth, feeling the tiny cold surface of the metal implanted on it. This metal has a transmitter for his voice to reach the other’s earing.

“Duty calls, Tao, duty calls.” Baekhyun answered, the blood away from his bleeding bottom lip. “But seriously, why does it require a contact of blood to be activated?”

“Get to the point please.” Tao frowned, crouching on his knees, still behind the rack. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the cinema?”

“Took a break to the potty, went to do business.” The elder swivelled in his chair, facing the many monitors hung on the wall. “I’m in the surveillance room by the way. There are only two guys in your shop.” He pressed a combination of key numbers to swift through the channels of footage. “And the other three is at the third floor.”

“How did you?”

“Knock-out gas, Tao.” His gaze landed on the unconscious figures around the room. “Does wonders.”

Tao rolled his eyes. He saw the figures heading to the changing room, and quickly dragged Yifan out. “Where to?” He whispered softly, while he paid no attention to the latter’s rambling on the new dance routine.

“Go down the first floor.”

The two reached the elevators before abruptly stopping when Tao caught one of the black men on the elevator going down to his floor.

“Whoops. Nevermind, retreat. Retreat.”

“Ya think?!” The younger grunted in response, running away from the elevator.

“Tao?” Yifan caught up with the younger, surprised by his sudden run.

“Wrong exit.”

“Well, uh.” Baekhyun flipped through the mall’s directory and building layout, he scrunched his eyebrows. “There should be another elevator when you take a left.” He swiftly checked the monitors. “And no agents are there. Hurry.”

Tao took the initiative and ran to the directions his brother gave him, and Yifan followed without a complaint. He managed to escape all the encounters with the men in black. He was safely in the first floor, waiting in front of the men’s toilet due to Yifan.

“Tao, they’re almost done with the second floor search. Pick up your pace.” Baekhyun fumbled around, detaching all the bugs in that room and the ones overlaying the system, which he turned off prior before entering the surveillance room via his phone. Just give him any device, and he’ll find a way to hack anything.

“Hyung, I have a blade stashed in my pocket.” Tao pretended to cough, so his hands could come up to his mouth without looking suspicious. “I could annihilate them easily.”

A sigh was heard through the transmitter, Baekhyun chewed on his lips that Tao could hear because of the proximity between his lips and the metal voice transmitter in the former’s molars. “I know you can, but we best not cause unwanted trouble.”

An urge of defiance filled Tao, but he decided against it. He knew his brother was right. They needed him, but he needed them more. And in this industry, you can’t make it with a strike. Clean and anonymous, was what they have been thought to be. “I understand.”

A series of rustling and keyboards tapping was heard, and swift steady movements around the place was made, as Baekhyun tidied up the room so that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. “Hurry and go, I’m going to have to go back to the cinema.” He struggled with carrying the unconscious men to their respectful places. “I’ll see you in a bit.” Baekhyun his thumb with saliva and pressed it to the earing. And the connection was cut off.

“What’s wrong?” Yifan asked him, appearing from the men’s rest room. Tao gave him a shrug, looking back in aware of the men in black, before rushing out the front door.

“Nothing.” He slipped his hands into the pocket of his jeans. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” 

HEY GUISE. I KNOW SUCH A LONG TIME. I AM NOT ABLE TO KEEP MY PROMISES WITH THE SPEED OF LIGHT I MENTIONED IN THE OTHER CHAPTER.

ANYWAYS. I HAVE NO GOOD REASON WHY IM SO LATE. BUT HEY, IM WORKING ON A NEW FANFIC. I KNOW, I CANT BARELY EVEN HANDLE TO UPDATE TWO CONSTANTLY, AND IM ADDING ANOTHER ONE. SMART MOVE.

IM A ING GENIUS. YES. QUEUE THE APPLAUD.

WHY AM I CAPSLOCKING.

WELL, SEE YOU NEXT CHAPPIE, AND COMMENT PLEASSEE.

WHOSE UP FOR SOME CHANBAEEEK~~~~