The first thing Luhan felt was Tao's fist smacking his face with full force and his nose making a distinct crack sound. With eyes tearing up, he wobbled backwards, trying to get away from the tall man with the bleached hair since the pain he felt was too strong to fight back.

In an effort to regain his balance he put his hand on the wall behind him but he was too slow; before he had the chance to even glance at Tao another punch landed this time on the short boy's stomach, making him cough violently as he was falling on his knees.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion after that; Tao kicking him again and again, knocking him on the ground whenever the boy would dare to lift his head and Sehun desperately grabbing Tao and pulling him back with all his force.

"Tao, STOP!", Sehun yelled and wrapped his arms around the other's chest, trying his best to hold him back. "You're going to kill him!".

"You. ing. BASTARD". Sehun's words didn't affect Tao, not even a little bit. "How. DARE. you?!". He spat out every word with a kick and Luhan was sure he wasn't going to stop unless he stopped breathing.

So he was surprised to feel Tao's footsteps moving away from his body. He wanted to look up and see what's going on but he was afraid that if he moved even a little Tao would return and beat the out of him. He had to rely on his hearing.

"Did you him?". Tao wasn't shouting anymore but the way he coated every word with poison was even more intimidating. Luhan decided it was time to lift his head; he couldn't tell if the question was for him or not.

He had to blink several times to fix his blurry vision and thankfully, Tao was no longer facing towards his direction. The question was obviously addressed to Sehun who seemed to be at a loss of words.

"I-... W-what-...". The boy's mouth opened and closed several times without making a sound until Tao hit the door to Luhan's apartment with his fist.

"Did you him?". His piercing gaze made Sehun sweat nervously and shallow.

"I-... I don't know", he finally said and Luhan wanted to get up and tell the truth but he couldn't.

"Did you or didn't you?!", Tao shouted and for a second, it was clear even to Luhan that Sehun was scared. He was scared that the furious man was going to hit him as well.

But that wasn't the case. Maybe it was Sehun's suffocating silence, maybe the guilt in his eyes; whatever it was, it made Tao look away in order to hide his sudden tears. They both remained silent for a few seconds and when Sehun took a deep breath, ready to speak, the other held up his hand and while still avoiding his eyes, he whispered the three little words that brought Sehun to his knees.

"We are over".

                                                                                         ___________________

Xiumin's shift was finally over but he couldn't leave unless Chanyeol arrived to take his place.

"Stupid ing giant", the short man growled while dialing Chanyeol's number. He had a weird, tiring day and all he wanted was to go back to his apartment, make a cup of delicious hot coffee and fall asleep in front of the TV with a blanket but that gigantic elf was clearly trying to ruin his plans.

"Hey, listen to me, you punk", Xiumin shouted as soon as Chanyeol picked up. "I don't care if Sehun is lying dead in an alley or something, I am NOT covering your shift again so get your over here NOW".

"Oh, shut up, I'm here already".

Just then, Chanyeol walked into the restaurant looking pretty skeptical which was weird because Chanyeol never thought about anything seriously. Ignoring Xiumin's surprise, he walked right past him without greeting him, heading to the back of the kitchen in order to change his clothes.

"Hey, what's wrong?". Chanyeol didn't respond which made Xiumin angry and worried at the same time; the man with the pointy ears was never this rude. Feeling like he had no choice, Xiumin followed him to the back room, eager to find out whatever was Chanyeol's mind.

"Hey, Chanyeol, are you okay?". The tall man looked at him slightly surprised before removing his shirt. Xiumin never called him anything else other than "stupid giant" and he was certainly never worried about him. And maybe it was that sudden interest that made him talk.

"We found Sehun", he mumbled.

"Oh my god, don't tell me he was actually-..."

"No, he wasn't dead". Chanyeol's awkward laugh sounded more like a cough. "It's a long story". After putting on his work clothes he glanced at Xiumin who was obviously waiting for him to continue. "Look", he said and took a deep breath, "I appreciate your concern but I don't really want to talk about it. It's-... It's not a happy story".

Xiumin remained silent for a few seconds. "You know", he finally mumbled, trying to put his thoughts into words, "You don't always have to be so-... cheerful. I mean", he rushed to add when he noticed Chanyeol's confusion, "You don't have to pretend. I'm sure the world will be fine even if you're in a bad mood". Xiumin wasn't sure what he was trying to say anymore. "Just-... You know-... Next time you have a story that is not happy, it's okay not to smile. And it's also okay to talk about it. I promise I won't make fun of you".

Chanyeol's smile seemed tired but honest. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. And thanks for helping with the search, I owe you one".

It looked like their awkward conversation was over but suddenly, Xiumin had an idea.

"Hey, I think I know how you can pay me back".

"Really?", the tall man widened his eyes, not knowing what to expect anymore. "What is it?"

"Give me Luhan's address".

                                                                               _______________

Tao was lying on their apartment's floor, unable to move or think or do anything in general. He just couldn't believe that they were over. He had said the words himself, the moment he saw Sehun's pleading eyes he knew this time it was really the end but he just couldn't believe it.

They had been through so much together but they always survived, they always found a way to be together. Even when his dad found out he was living with a man, they survived. Even when Sehun's parents tried to force him to move out, they survived.

But that's different, he thought, we faced all that together. Yes, that was exactly why they survived; they were together.

And now-... Really, what were they now? Sehun betrayed him, he cheated on him. Only because you were so cruel to him, a little voice in his head kept repeating. It's your fault, you made him do it.

Tao wanted to scream, cry, show any form of emotion to express how desperate he felt but it seemed like beating up Luhan took away all of his energy. His body was now an empty pile of meat and bones, useless and lifeless. At least that's what he thought until his phone buzzed, letting him know someone texted him.

When the screen lit up he wished Sehun's name would be on it and then he hated himself for feeling disappointed.

Chanyeol: Yo, man, sorry to disturb you. I need Luhan's address.

Tao had to blink several times to make sure he read the text correctly.

Why?

The reply that arrived a few seconds later was even more confusing.

Chanyeol: I don't know either. It's not for me.

Tao ruffled his bleached hair and heaved a sigh. If he didn't have the strength to move then he certainly didn't have the strength to deal with Chanyeol's mysterious requests. That's why he decided to simply text the address without asking any more questions; besides, knowing Chanyeol, his answers would only confuse him more.

Heaving another sigh, he let his arm fall on his side only to jolt back up when his phone started ringing. As soon he answered the call a loud, husky voice landed him back on reality.

"YO, TAOZI, GET YOUR OVER HERE!"

"Amber, please, I'm going through an emotional breakdown".

"Oh, that ". A few seconds of silence. "Hey, you know how some people deal with that? WORK, YOU , I AIN'T COVERING FOR YOU".

"Oh, come on, I just broke up". But Tao's attempts to earn some sympathy miserably failed.

"Oh, you poor baby! And I have a useless coworker who still owes me for saving his disastrous hair. Life is tough, get over it. Be here in ten minutes or I'll come to you and trust me, you don't want that".

Tao remained silent, staring at his phone. Amber could be a real sometimes but he knew he had no choice; he had to go to work. He let out a small shout that resembled a "" which gave him the strength to stand up and pay attention to his looks for the first time that day.

He was depressed and tired but he was sure as hell he wasn't going to work looking like an absolute mess.

"At least you're not going to betray me", he whispered at his BB cream.

                                                                                       ____________________

Sehun was swaying back and forth with a blank stare. Instead of running after Tao he had decided to sit at the park that was only a few blocks away from their apartment. The day was almost over and darkness was slowly embracing the city but Sehun didn't want to leave the swings, as if kicking his legs in the air over and over again would help him escape reality.

So he kept going higher and higher until he suddenly jumped off the swing, leaving a small shout. During those few seconds he was on the air, he made a silent promise to himself; if I land on my feet, I'll check my phone. If I fall down, I'll sleep on that bench.

He wasn't sure if he was happy or disappointed to land on his feet; nonetheless, he sat back on his swing and his phone. Luhan must have turned it off at some point last night so no one could contact him. As soon as the screen lit up, tons of messages and missed calls started popping up. The latest ones were from Baekhyun.

Bacon: 3 missed calls

Bacon: Tao is an

Bacon: 1 missed call

Bacon: Okay now you're the , pick up

Bacon: 4 missed calls

Bacon: Oh Sehun, if you really are a cheater, I will

Sehun couldn't possibly imagine how Baekhyun intended to finish his sentence and in a way, he was glad he didn't have to find out. The second name that popped up was Kyungsoo's.

Detective Owl: 2 missed calls

Detective Owl: Ignore the others and call me as soon as you see this

Detective Owl: 1 missed call

Detective Owl: Is Tao telling the truth? Did you sleep with him?

Detective Owl: You're still my friend Sehun. I'm still worried.

Detective Owl: Where are you?

The last text was sent just half an hour ago and Sehun felt like he wanted to cry but he had to keep reading, he had to check all of them and Jongin's were next.

Dog Nerd: where are you

Dog Nerd: reply, will you?

Dog Nerd: that's just rude

Dog Nerd: 1 missed call

Dog Nerd: are you serious? is this happening?

Sehun wasn't sure what Jongin meant by "this". Did he mean "this ed up situation where you and Tao are over because you cheated"?. Probably.

Legolas: 9 missed calls

Legolas: not cool, man. not cool.

Chanyeol's text was sent about an hour ago and Sehun couldn't agree more; it was certainly not cool. And it was finally time for the hardest part; opening Tao's texts.

Kung Fu Panda: 13 missed calls

Kung Fu Panda: I'm sorry, please talk to me.

Kung Fu Panda: Sehunah, please.

Kung Fu Panda: I love you.

Kung Fu Panda: Goodnight.

Kung Fu Panda: 8 missed calls

Kung Fu Panda: I told everyone about our fight, we're looking for you

Kung Fu Panda: I've been running for more than 20 min, my love is real

Kung Fu Panda: Sorry, terrible joke

Kung Fu Panda: I love you. Please come home.

Sehun checked the time the last text was sent, unable to hold back his tears. Three hours ago. Just a few minutes before everything went wrong.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the tears slowly roll down his cheeks as the sudden realization of what had happened started to sink in.

He was alone. He no longer had a home to return to.

And it was all his fault.

________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Note: I think I made this chapter way too sad, sorry for that. But no worries, fluff is on the way!

Btw, Xiumin will be less of an starting now because who could hate that cute baozi. Yep, more drama will come and let's face it, TaoHun never has enough drama but I promise, things will get better in the next chapter~

And no, this story is not even close to an end, lol (I'll die writing this ing fanfic, I swear)

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