Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/6128503. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M Fandom: EXO_(Band) Relationship: Do_Kyungsoo_|_D.O/Huang_Zi_Tao_|_Z.Tao Character: Do_Kyungsoo_|_D.O, Huang_Zi_Tao_|_Z.Tao, Park_Chanyeol, Byun_Baekhyun, Kim_Jongdae_|_Chen Additional Tags: with_brief_appearances_of_Junmyeon_Sehun_Yifan_Luhan_and_Yixing, also Mrs._Huang_and_Mrs._Do, Smut, Eventual_Smut, High_School, fair_warning these_two_are_high_schools_students_when_they_have_their_consensual intercourse_so, i'm_not_really_sure_what_this_fic_is_lol, i_just_needed an_excuse_to_write_taosoo, taosoo, Top_Kyungsoo, Bottom_Zitao Stats: Published: 2016-02-28 Words: 6942 ****** The Act ****** by luckyeolie_(exoccult) Summary Kyungsoo is good at pretending. He pretends that he's not secretly jealous of Chanyeol’s and Jongin’s relationship, he pretends that Jongdae and Baekhyun aren't constantly shit disturbers and he pretends that he’s not extremely, undeniably gay. He also pretends that he and Zitao are still best friends. Zitao is getting tired of the act. Notes Warnings: top!soo, bottom!tao, high school sex, angst(?), fluff, lots of fluff at the end, language Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, just the story. A/N: Bless '93 line. unedited & unbeta'd Kyungsoo’s mother means well. She’s a loving and doting person and he really doesn’t mean to lie to her at all, but it’s hard to truly be yourself in front of your parents. Especially when your parents have a set expectation for you and your life. It’s even harder when his mother asks when Kyungsoo is going to get a girlfriend and Kyungsoo has to cringe and shy away from the question, always claiming he’s too busy for relationships. The term ‘relationships,’ Kyungsoo will always argue, excludes the relationships he has with his family and, of course, his friendships - if he can call them that. Baekhyun and Chanyeol and Jongdae are all very questionable choices for friends, but he’d rather them than the alternative. Being alone that is. Kyungsoo knows that he’s really just avoiding the truth, or avoiding admitting it, anyway. He doesn’t want his mother or his friends finding out that he’s absolutely, completely and totally gay. It’s not because that he’s afraid that they won’t accept it. In fact, Chanyeol is gay. And he’s dating a really sweet guy named Jongin, someone that Kyungsoo thinks he could easily get along with as well. The problem is that he doesn’t want Zitao to know. Who’s Zitao? Zitao is only the son of one Mrs. Huang. Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Do are best friends and they go way back to their college days. And so when they found out that they were pregnant with Kyungsoo and Zitao around the same time, that meant that their children would ultimately be the best of friends too. Kyungsoo couldn’t even begin to explain to his mother that she could’ve been any more wrong. Kyungsoo and Zitao are not best friends. Sure, they may have started out close when they were babies, but that was because they didn’t know anyone else. They were two small human beings who could barely speak or crawl that were thrust onto the same baby mat so finding each other to poke at was merely easy for them. They didn’t have much of a choice. When they were toddlers, they helped each other walk and they cried shamelessly in front of each other. They held hands at the playground and they shared their toys nicely. It really wasn’t until they hit junior high that things got weird between them. It was when Zitao came out to Kyungsoo, confiding in him with his pimple covered face and awful braces, that he was interested in boys. Kyungsoo was, at first, weirded out by this fact, because he was into girls and just assumed that Zitao would be too. He didn’t really believe his friend either, because Zitao was always going through weird phases and Kyungsoo was there for all of them. This wasn’t a phase, Kyungsoo quickly learned. He still didn’t fully believe it, until the day he saw Zitao going through his gucci phase, boldly wearing Kohl dabbed around his eyes, more makeup than his own mother owned and looking like he’d just walked out of a fashion magazine with his braces finally removed. (He later learned that this would also not be a phase). That day, Kyungsoo saw Zitao on a date with another boy who sat across from Zitao at a small bubble tea shop, laughing at everything Zitao said. And then they kissed. There was a weird coil in Kyungsoo’s stomach that made him want to vomit. He sought the nearest trashcan beside a coffee shop and that was how he met Park Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol who had taken up a part time job as a busboy and offered Kyungsoo a napkin to wipe his mouth with after Kyungsoo had successfully lost half of his lunch just outside the window Chanyeol found himself standing in at the time. The story goes that Chanyeol thought Kyungsoo was too cute to pass up as a friend and hugged him immediately, terrifying Kyungsoo, because this tall freak was a stranger to him. They’re almost inseparable now - Chanyeol is Kyungsoo’s real best friend. So, what’s the problem? The problem is that ever since then, Kyungsoo has shied away from Zitao. He stays away and he avoids and Zitao thinks it’s because he’s gay. Kyungsoo’s aware that how he acted after that point was offensive to Zitao and he knows that he hurt his friends feelings, because it took confidence to come out like that to someone you’ve known and trusted for years. And for that trust to go down the drain, because Kyungsoo was too young and naive to even begin to understand what sexual orientation meant to a person. It was all before he realized that he, too, is gay. They grew apart and it’s awkward between them now, because their mothers believe that they’re still the best of friends. Which they are not. They act like it in front of their parents, sure, but outside of that social circle, they run in different cliques. Kyungsoo with his geeky group of people he likes to call friends and Zitao with the popular crowd, always the center of attention and exuding confidence, style and grace. Huang Zitao - if people don’t want to be him, then they want to be with him. Either way, he has no time for someone like Kyungsoo now. Not that Kyungsoo would return his attention either, because they both have no time for each other. Thus, the moral dilemma that the two face. They are stuck acting like they enjoy each other’s company when they would much rather prefer either choking each other or being elsewhere. The latter option seems the most viable and so they stick with sitting in the same room for a little over an hour and complaining about it to each other. That or they tune each other out and Zitao takes over the bed while tweeting selfies and hashtags that make no sense while Kyungsoo sits at his desk, headphones stuck in his ears, and diligently studying like that good student he is. It usually ends in silence and pretend farewells that include empty promises of ‘we should do this again sometime,’ and ‘I’ll see you at school!’ Kyungsoo figures that his mother means well when she invites Mrs. Huang over for their customary tea and gossip and decides that she hasn’t seen Zitao in a while. And what Mrs. Do means by that, is that she hasn’t seen Zitao and Kyungsoo together in a while, because Kyungsoo distinctly remembers his mother telling him about how she saw Zitao when and Mrs. Huang and the rest of the neighbourhood ladies had their monthly book club meeting in the Huang household nearly two weeks ago. So, of course, she invites him to come over too. When Mrs. Huang arrives with her hair all curled prettily, a gift bag hanging on one arm and Zitao towering behind her, Kyungsoo does his best to smile. He smiles politely and bows in greeting so that Mrs. Huang actually chuckles behind her hand before telling him to stand properly. She takes him by the shoulders and examines him all over to see how tall he’s grown since her last visit to the Do family house. Which was last week. Kyungsoo does his best not to mind the compliments about how big he’s getting from Mrs. Huang, but the smirk crawling it’s way across Zitao’s thin lips doesn’t help. As soon as Mrs. Huang lets him go and tells the boys to ‘play nice’ with a laugh, Zitao slings an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder and promises that they’ll be good. She giggles and scurries to the kitchen to sit with Mrs. Do for her weekly cup of tea and ‘girl news,’ as the two women call it. Once they’re out of sight, Kyungsoo audibly sighs and pushes Zitao’s arm off of his shoulder. He turns around to glare up at Zitao with his arms crossed over his chest. Despite being the older one, Kyungsoo is much shorter than Zitao and definitely not as lean as Zitao is. That doesn’t stop Kyungsoo from being more intimidating than the younger with the icy look in his eyes, one that startles people who are expecting someone so tiny to be just as cute as his soft, squishy body. Zitao snorts, “Oh come on, it was for the act.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, “Let’s go,” he huffs as he heads up the stairs to his bedroom, “At least we can act like we’re friends.” Zitao laughs loud enough for their mothers to hear in the other room, “Oh, Soo, you’re so funny!” he chuckles so that they can hear - it’s all for the act. Everything is an act. Whenever Huang Zitao is forced into situations where it’s just him and Kyungsoo, he becomes extremely uncomfortable. He remembers the look that had spread on Kyungsoo’s face when he confided in him, told him his deepest secret, because he had trusted him. Zitao was hurt, still is, but he would be willing to push away all of those hurtful emotions just to be Kyungsoo’s friend again. But Kyungsoo hates him and Zitao thinks it’s because he’s gay. So, he plays the role of hating Kyungsoo back just as much rather well, although he sometimes finds himself faltering and laughing like they used to when they wore their middle school uniforms and dreamt of the impossible all night long under the covers at silly, adolescent sleepovers. He wonders where they went wrong. A small chuckle rings through the air drawing Zitao far away from his thoughts so that his attention is focused on the back of Kyungsoo’s head. Kyungsoo whose shoulders are rumbling from suppressed laughter and whose teeth are sunk into the sleeve of his hoodie, Zitao notes as he cranes his head to the side from his perch on the bed. He watches as Kyungsoo lets his fingers suddenly move quickly over the top of his laptop’s keyboard, pressing buttons furiously and doing a terrible job trying to stop himself from laughing too loudly. Zitao, in his annoyance and slight curiosity, slips off the bed and pulls down the set of chunky headphones covering Kyungsoo’s ears until they’re around Kyungsoo’s neck. The elder startles and looks up at Zitao incredulously before frowning and slamming his laptop closed so that Zitao can’t see what’s on his screen. There really is no reason for him to do so, he just would rather that Zitao didn’t see the bizarre conversation that he’s currently having with his friends in some group chat. He doesn’t need any more of a reason for Zitao to think that he’s weird - and he’s certain Zitao couldn’t think Kyungsoo any weirder than he already is. He can’t risk it. “What’s so funny?” Zitao asks, pointing at the laptop. “Nothing,” Kyungsoo responds in a heartbeat and his phone vibrates against the top of his desk, flashing a new message from the group chat on the screen from the app. Zitao raises an eyebrow and reaches his long fingers out to grab that phone, but Kyungsoo is quicker and shoves the phone down his pants before the younger has a chance to grab it. Kyungsoo squirms when his phone vibrates again - another message - and his face flushes suddenly. It’s only made worse when Zitao smirks. “You know,” Zitao says, “I’m not afraid of putting my hands down another guy’s pants.” “You wouldn’t!” Kyungsoo gasps, more so from the feeling of his phone vibrating for a third time against his thigh than from Zitao’s statement. “You’re right,” Zitao laughs almost cruelly, “It’s more fun to watch you squirm anyway.” he says as he points to Kyungsoo’s crotch and Kyungsoo instinctively covers himself with his hands. “What are you talking about with those friends of yours that you don’t want me to see?” he asks then suddenly with a quirk of his eyebrow. Zitao doesn’t mean to pry, but the speed with which Kyungsoo slammed down the cover of his macbook and grabbed his phone to hide it is of concern to him. He’s got this thought in his head that maybe Kyungsoo is talking about him behind his back and laughing at him with his friends. And part of Zitao hurts to know that Kyungsoo would talk shit about him at all, let alone while he’s in the same room. “None of your business.” Kyungsoo retorts. “What are you hiding from me?” Zitao questions and Kyungsoo’s phone vibrates again. “N-Nothing,” Kyungsoo manages to get out. Kyungsoo is ready to kick himself in the ass, because he really shouldn’t have put his phone down his fucking pants so close to his dick. The vibrations are doing things to him in this situation the he’d prefer they weren’t. Things like sending tingles up his spine and sending heat straight to his crotch. He can feel himself starting to harden briefly in his boxers and he doesn’t really like that this is happening right now while Zitao is standing over him so closely. “You regret putting that in there yet?” Zitao asks in a whisper way too close to Kyungsoo’s ear so that Kyungsoo yelps and pushes Zitao away. Kyungsoo can’t respond, instead he slams his head down against his desk and bites back the moan that’s stuck in the back of his throat as his phone vibrates a few times in a row. “Fuck.” Kyungsoo groans and Zitao feels all warm inside all of a sudden, because he sure as hell has never heard the perfect Do Kyungsoo curse before and the way that Kyungsoo’s chest is starting to rise and fall faster as his breathing picks up is stirring Zitao in a weird sort of way. It’s not like Zitao hasn’t felt this way for Kyungsoo before. He has, on many an occasion, even before he came out to Kyungsoo. He had hoped that Kyungsoo might have been a bit more encouraging at the time and that maybe, just maybe, Kyungsoo might have some inkling of feelings for him as well. He doesn’t remember when those feeling started exactly, but he remembers the day that he realized it. Not that he lusts after Kyungsoo, but that he’s deeply in love. He remembers the exact moment that it hit him hard in the gut. He was watching Kyungsoo sing in some school talent show at the time and Kyungsoo’s voice was heavenly to his ears. He remembers the way that Kyungsoo looked at the song that he played on the piano, the way his fingers stuttered just a little bit on the first few notes, because he had been so very nervous. He remembers the way that Kyungsoo had torn his eyes away from the sheet music for barely a second and looked around the crowd in almost a panic before he spotted Zitao in the front row with a smile on his face. He remembers that Kyungsoo executed that song flawlessly and that the crowd was stunned into silence before they had all broke out into an enormous applause. Zitao remembers that way that the tears rolled down his cheeks at the end of the song, because it was beautiful and Kyungsoo is beautiful. He remembers that very moment, because that was the moment he realized that he was fucked. And later that evening, Zitao stood in the shower trying so desperately to calm himself down from thoughts of Kyungsoo, but, instead, he coated the tiles of the bathroom in white. A soft ‘I’m so sorry, Kyungsoo.’ left his lips at that point, but he pushes that guilty feeling into the back of his mind as he stands now over Kyungsoo who looks almost debauched. Zitao shifts uncomfortably and moves away from Kyungsoo, “Look, take the phone out of your pants before you cream yourself.” he mutters and walks out of the room in frustration. He hears Kyungsoo sigh in relief as he closes the door shut. “Oh!” Mrs. Huang smiles as her son enters the kitchen slowly, “How are you two boys doing?” he asks. “Fine.” Zitao shrugs, “Do you mind if I leave?” he asks sheepishly, “I’m not feeling so well.” “Oh dear!” Mrs. Do exclaims worriedly, “Why don’t you take him home?” “That’s alright,” Zitao shakes his head, “I should be fine. Besides, I wouldn’t want to ruin your afternoon.” “Are you sure dear?” Mrs. Huang frowns, “We can always meet whenever we’d like to.” “No, no,” Zitao insists, “Stay and enjoy your time together.” he says before bowing low and saying goodbye politely. For the first time, Zitao leaves the Do family house feeling worse than he did before he had arrived. And, for the first time, Kyungsoo watches as Zitao slumps away down the driveway and away from his house feeling inexplicably empty. Zitao stops coming over to the Do house. Mrs. Huang arrives every week still, but Zitao is not heard from. Sure, Kyungsoo sees him at school and in passing in various places around the city, but he hasn’t been forced into uncomfortable situations with him in a while. Mrs. Huang always apologizes when her son can’t come with her and pats Kyungsoo’s shoulder telling him that Zitao sends his regards. Kyungsoo is almost impressed by how far Zitao is willing to go to keep up their act. “Hey,” Baekhyun whispers and kicks Kyungsoo’s foot under the table to grab his attention, “Are you actually staring at Huang Zitao right now?” Kyungsoo startles and snaps his eyes away from a curiously tall blonde boy and glowers at Baekhyun, “Shush.” he hushes, because they’re in the library and voices tend to travel around this place the same way that rumors do in the girls’ lockerroom. Chanyeol follows Kyungsoo’s previous line of vision and he nods, “He was definitely staring at Huang Zitao.” he confirms and Kyungsoo nudges him roughly with his shoulder. “Don’t be mean to our small friend,” Jongdae sighs quietly, “You’d be surprised by how much anger can be pent up in someone his size.” Kyungsoo frowns and aggressively tries to stretch his legs out to kick Jongdae in the shins, but he can’t reach him from the angle that he’s on. Baekhyun snickers and Chanyeol clamps a hand over his mouth to keep himself from howling in laughter. Jongdae just smirks and shrugs, a playful little grin visible even in his eyes until senior student Kim Junmyeon walks by and promptly tells the group to be mindful of the others in the library. “Damn,” Jongdae sighs, “He’s so cute.” he says, pointedly looking over Junmyeon’s ass as he walks away, “I’d do him in a heartbeat.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, “I know you would.” “Enough about Jongdae and his crush,” Baekhyun waves his hand in Jongdae’s face, “What’s going on between you and Zitao? You haven’t taken your eyes off of him since we got here.” “Nothing is going on between us.” Kyungsoo huffs. “There lies the problem.” Jongdae points out and Kyungsoo snaps the pencil in his hand from frustration. “What are you implying?” Kyungsoo asks sharply and Chanyeol rubs a soothing circle into his back. “He doesn’t have to imply anything,” Chanyeol says calmingly, “He’s saying that you have feelings for Zitao.” “Zitao,” Kyungsoo scoffs, perhaps a little too loudly, because said boy turns around looking confused as he searches for the source of the sound of his name until his eyes land on Kyungsoo. And Kyungsoo swears that Zitao looks hurt for a brief second before he rolls his eyes and rejoins the discussion amongst his friends. Kyungsoo’s heart skips a beat and he worries his bottom lip between his teeth, “I don’t like him.” he offers as an argument, but it comes out flat. “That’s because you love him.” Baekhyun mutters and Chanyeol silences him by throwing a crumpled sheet of paper at his head. Love is a strong word, but so is hate . Kyungsoo never considers that what he feels for Zitao is hatred. The thought never passed his mind once, but when he lies in bed that evening thinking of the look of pain in Zitao’s eyes back at the library, he realizes that maybe Zitao might feel as though he hates him. He doesn’t. He’s never hated Zitao, not once. He doesn’t know what he feels anymore for Zitao, but he starts to think that Baekhyun might have been on the right track someway, somehow. Three months pass before Mrs. Huang invites Kyungsoo to accompany his mother to their home. Kyungsoo makes a point of denying this invitation, because he claims that he has work to do, but his mother is hearing none of that. She’s noticed the way that Kyungsoo and Zitao no longer seem to talk and she’s worried that they may have had a fight. Mrs. Huang and his mother are holding a sort of intervention to make their sons work out the problem. What they don’t realize is that their problem transcends years and might take more than just an afternoon of forced company to fix. At least, that’s what Kyungsoo thinks when he shows up on the doorstep of the Huang household just behind his mother who offers up a bouquet of flowers to Mrs. Huang as a gift. Mrs. Huang accepts them and then calls out for Zitao to come greet his surprise visitor. And, oh, Kyungsoo didn’t realize that Zitao wasn’t expecting him and he feels suddenly uninvited, because Zitao hasn’t had any time to brace himself for Kyungsoo’s presence. “Who is it?” Zitao asks, beaming a large smile as he comes up from the basement and, upon seeing Kyungsoo’s face, he’s taken aback before forcing that smile on his face again. “It’s your best friend.” Mrs. Huang giggles and Mrs. Do nudges her son forwards. Kyungsoo waves sheepishly, “Hi.” Something in Zitao snaps, Kyungsoo can see it in his eyes when it does, and he heaves out a sigh, “Kyungsoo isn’t my best friend, mother.” he says sharply, the fake, plastic smile finally fading from his lips. A part of Kyungsoo aches at the words and the tone of voice Zitao uses. “Whatever this fight is,” Mrs. Do says, “I want it to end between the two of you.” “You were both so close before!” Mrs. Huang says and Zitao shakes his head, anger clearly written on his sleeve. “Kyungsoo and I haven’t been friends for years.” He snaps, “Open your eyes, mom!” he bawls his hands into fists and glares daggers at Kyungsoo, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Kyungsoo and I haven’t been friends since junior high! But you keep pushing us together! We don’t want to be near each other, why can’t you understand that? How have you not noticed?!” “Do not raise your voice at me, Zitao!” Mrs. Huang gasps. “How could you not see that Kyungsoo hates me as much as I hate him!?” Zitao yells and Kyungsoo can see tears forming in the corners of his eyes before he storms back to the basement where Kyungsoo knows his bedroom is located. The stunned silence between both Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Do is so thick that Kyungsoo is sure he could cut the atmosphere with a knife if he wanted to. He bows deeply, quickly, as an apology, before he scurries after Zitao. He decides that maybe there are a few things that he’d like to clear up with his ex-best friend. Starting, certainly, with the fact that he does not hate him. Not even a little bit. Because, the moment that Zitao looked at him with hurt, Kyungsoo realized why it is he’s always so angry with Zitao. Kyungsoo slips into Zitao’s bedroom and spots Zitao sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly and clears his throat to grab Zitao’s attention. Zitao’s head snaps up so fast and Kyungsoo can immediately see the tears, but the sadness and shock of the sudden intrusion morphs into anger just as fast as the flick of a lightswitch. “Get the hell out, Kyungsoo.” Zitao seethes. “I don’t hate you.” Kyungsoo blurts, “I’ve never hated you.” Zitao sniffles and flips Kyungsoo his middle finger. “Zitao, look at me.” Kyungsoo demands. Zitao doesn’t so Kyungsoo takes a few steps towards the bed until he’s standing in front of Zitao, towering over him as much as he can even though Zitao’s still pretty tall even sitting down. “Go away.” Zitao snaps. “Look at me, Tao!” Kyungsoo shouts and takes Zitao’s chin between two fingers, tilting the younger’s face up so he can finally see those beautiful, glossy eyes up close. Kyungsoo is instantly reminded of nights spent this close to each other, while they laid in bed together at sleepovers. He’s reminded of the way that Zitao always took care of him and the way that he always took care of Zitao. He’s reminded of the reason why he got sick when he saw Zitao kiss that other boy in the bubble tea shop. He’s reminded of the reason why he was always so angry whenever Zitao came around. He searches Zitao’s eyes desperately, wondering how it was that Kyungsoo spent every single day of his childhood next to this boy and didn’t realize sooner how he felt. Zitao inclines his head slightly, blinking the tears away in his eyes and licks his bottom lip feeling as though his heart might burst, because Kyungsoo is looking at him so intently and he feels small under the stare. Kyungsoo’s brain turns to mush when Zitao looks at him like that and he can’t stop himself when he presses his lips against Zitao’s so hard that he’s sure he’s bruised them both. The way that Zitao’s eyes widen in shock would have been adorable to Kyungsoo, but he currently has his eyes closed as he lets his tongue swipe over Zitao’s lips. Zitao is so overcome with the press of their lips that he’s dreamt of for so long, that he doesn’t fight it. He can’t fight it, not when he wants this. His mind goes hazy and he kisses back with a need he didn’t realize that he had within him. Kyungsoo is surprised at the way that Zitao whimpers against his mouth before digging those pretty, long fingers of his into Kyungsoo’s soft hair. Kyungsoo gasps when Zitao whines and pulls him closer and closer until Kyungsoo is practically on top of Zitao and they’re both laying on the bed. Kyungsoo quite likes the way that his lips fit over Zitao’s soft mouth as they kiss hard and rough, teeth clashing and tongues fighting each other. The slide of their tongues is absolutely delicious and Zitao shivers in pleasure as Kyungsoo forces his way into his mouth, licking with fervor. Kyungsoo traces the back of Zitao’s teeth and Zitao whines breathless at the sensation before he’s fighting back against Kyungsoo, wrapping those soft lips around Kyungsoo’s tongue and sucking at the tip. Kyungsoo gasps and Zitao moans for the first time, breaking Kyungsoo’s concentration of kissing entirely so that he’s back in reality and wondering how the hell they got this far in the past ten minutes or so. He pulls away from Zitao, realization hitting him that perhaps they’re moving way too fucking fast for people who supposedly hated each other mere minutes ago. “Fuck.” Zitao gasps, breathless as the elder’s lips separate from his own, “I’ve wanted to do that for so fucking long…” “How long?” Kyungsoo asks, voice hoarse and deeper than usual as he takes in the sight of Zitao’s hair sticking up in random directions, because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself and forced his fingers to tangle into the silky blonde strands of Zitao’s hair. “Junior high.” Zitao admits shyly, propping himself up on his elbows. Kyungsoo sits back on Zitao’s thighs and feels the way that they flex under his own, “Junior high…” he repeats in a mild daze. Zitao swallows thickly, “I cannot believe this, fuck,” he  starts to shift and tries to push Kyungsoo off of himself, “This is some sick joke. You’re not even gay . What the fuck Kyungsoo?” he asks angrily, but Kyungsoo stills him with a firm hand to the chest. “I never said I wasn’t.” Kyungsoo breathes, “Fuck, Zitao, I never once said that I wasn’t gay. Don’t tell me that I’m not.” “What?” Zitao blinks stupidly and Kyungsoo can feel the way that his heart rate picks up just a little beneath his fingertips still pressed to Zitao’s chest, “You’re… Into boys ?” Kyungsoo shakes his head, “Sort of. I like boys. Hell, I really like boys. But there’s only one boy that I’m really into, Huang. Zi. Tao. And that’s you.” he says so without a single hitch and with so much confidence that he’s not really sure what happened between his arrival and now that made him this way. “Fuck,” Zitao sighs, “You can’t just say shit like that Kyungsoo. Someone might actually believe you.” he bites his lip nervously and tentatively brushes his knuckles over the pale skin of Kyungsoo’s cheek, “Kyungsoo…” “Believe me, Taozi,” Kyungsoo says softly, “I know I was stupid. I didn't know what it meant to be gay, I was young and inconsiderate. When I saw you with your first boyfriend, that Oh Sehun kid, I was so fucking angry. But not at you, at him . I know that now. I was jealous, because I wanted to be the one with you, Zitao. It took me a long time to figure this all out, but I finally know what I want. You. I want you.” Zitao’s face flushes red, “This is so surreal. This can't be actually happening right now…” Kyungsoo swallows the lump in his throat, “I'm sorry.” He whispers, and moves to get off of Zitao, but the younger grabs his hips. “Do you mean it, Do Kyungsoo?” Zitao asks shyly. “Yes,” he nods firmly, “Every single word.” “Soo,” Zitao sobs and pulls the elder in for a long hug. Kyungsoo wraps his arms around Zitao tight and revels in the feeling of Zitao going pliant in his arms, “Tao,” he sighs and kisses the top of his head, “Tao, I’m so sorry.” Zitao nuzzles his face into the crook of Kyungsoo’s neck, “Soo,” he mumbles, “Is this really happening?” “Yes,” Kyungsoo nods and threads his fingers through Zitao’s hair, “If you want it to.” “I want it to,” Zitao sighs and kisses the skin of Kyungsoo’s neck just to feel the elder shiver under the soft touch, “Can I kiss you again?” There’s a rumble in Kyungsoo’s chest and he tilts Zitao’s chin upwards again so he can let their lips slide together and Zitao sighs in content. He’s not really sure if he’s awake right now, but kissing Kyungsoo is a dream he never wants to wake up from. Kyungsoo isn’t really sure either, but even so, he’s finally realized how he feels and his whole world seems to have opened up for him. So they lay back in Zitao’s bed and kiss for what feels like hours before Zitao finally breaks and slips his fingers up under Kyungsoo’s shirt. If this is real, if this is honestly happening right now, then he wants to go all the way with Kyungsoo. “Tao,” Kyungsoo sighs when Zitao’s fingers brush over the hem of his jeans. “Soo,” Zitao whimpers and presses his hips against Kyungsoo’s, “Soo, please, please.” Kyungsoo swallows hard, “Tao?” Zitao lifts his hips and humps dryly against Kyungsoo’s, “In my bag. Side pocket.” he whimpers and Kyungsoo is confused for a few seconds before he scrambles off of Zitao and grabs his book bag in his hands. His fingers shake as he slips them into the side pocket and pulls out the small bottle of lube and a one of the few condoms. And it suddenly hits Kyungsoo that this is really happening right now, he’s about to do something with Zitao that he never thought possible. “Zitao,” Kyungsoo says seriously when he climbs back onto the bed, “Are you sure?” Zitao nods, “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. Please, Kyungsoo.” he whispers before kissing Kyungsoo softly. “Okay,” Kyungsoo nods and cups Zitao’s cheek so that they can look into each other’s eyes. They don’t say anything, they just stare at each other for a moment and it feels like an eternity has passed between them. Zitao’s heart flutters from the gaze and Kyungsoo’s heart nearly stops when Zitao smiles at him. They kiss again, less teeth and tongue this time, more lip on lip contact causing strings of bumps to break out over their skin as they remove layer after layer of clothing. It’s Zitao who manages to get Kyungsoo out of his shirt first, letting his thin fingers touch every part of that soft skin. It’s Zitao who whines with Kyungsoo takes his time with the button of his jeans and Zitao who desperately pushes his jeans off. “Fuck,” Kyungsoo’s breath hitches when he realizes that Zitao hasn’t been wearing any underwear and his cock twitches against his boxers. He wants out of his own clothes fast, because the faster he can get out of the restricting fabric, the faster he can sink into Zitao. Kyungsoo pants for air when he pulls away and Zitao makes grabby hands after him, trying to grope every inch of Kyungsoo’s skin as if his life depends on it. Kyungsoo wriggles out of his jeans and boxers, but before he settles back in between Zitao’s open thighs, he takes a long hazed glance over Zitao’s beautiful body. The caramel coloured skin, the sharp hipbones, supple curves of his frame and Kyungsoo wants so badly to wreck the pure image of Huang Zitao. He feels a surge of power when he notices that Zitao is bucking his hips forward to press against his and looking absolutely out of control of his own body as he begs for Kyungsoo to kiss him again with lips parted and eyes fluttering closed. Kyungsoo all too easily complies and Zitao cries out loudly when his cock slides against Kyungsoo’s. Zitao whines and ruts up against Kyungsoo loving the way that it feels while Kyungsoo fumbles with the bottle of lube as Zitao begins to hump him. Kyungsoo manages to drip lube everywhere, successfully coating his fingers and rolling the condom over himself before Zitao spreads his legs wider to allow room for Kyungsoo fingers. Kyungsoo gapes at the pretty puckered hole that he sees and his mouth waters at the thought of being inside there, connected with Zitao. It’s not until Zitao cries out that Kyungsoo finally slips a finger past the rim of muscles and Zitao wastes no time in thrusting on Kyungsoo’s fingers until there’s two, three of them inside of Zitao who keens and moans. Kyungsoo presses the pads of his fingers on the inner walls until he finds the place that makes Zitao’s back arch of the bed and he knows that he’s found it. The bundle of nerves that makes Zitao nearly scream out Kyungsoo’s name. He’s so lost, completely lost in the sensation that is Kyungsoo’s fingers inside of him, but it’s not enough. He needs so much more than that and he whines out Kyungsoo’s name, begging please, please, I need you into the thick warmth of the room. Kyungsoo can’t say no to that, not that he would, he wants this just as bad as Zitao does so he reaches over Zitao’s body and leaves a trail of wet kisses along his throat while he pushes himself inside of Zitao’s tight heat. And it’s almost too much for them both, but it’s still not enough. Kyungsoo rocks in and out a few times and watches himself disappear and reappear inside of Zitao. It’s an amazing feeling and he watches in awe at the way Zitao has stretched perfectly to fit him inside and it’s beautiful. Zitao really is so beautiful and he wants to worship him suddenly, because Zitao is perfection in human figure. Kyungsoo snaps out of his thoughts when Zitao starts meeting the little thrusts, crying out muffled into the crook of his elbow waiting for Kyungsoo to fill him up. So Kyungsoo does, pulling out just enough so that the head of his cock catches on the rim and then he’s slamming back inside with a snap of his hips. Zitao moans loudly and to muffle it, Kyungsoo presses their lips together as he continuously thrusts inside of Zitao, making sure to hit his prostate in every push. “Harder,” Zitao gasps and Kyungsoo complies, snapping harder into Zitao while he laps his tongue over one of Zitao’s pert, pink nipples. Zitao wants to scream, there are tears streaming down his face and his nails are digging hard into Kyungsoo’s back, leaving red welts in their wake as he drags them down Kyungsoo’s pale skin and back up again. It’s driving Kyungsoo crazy to feel the scratches that Zitao is leaving in his skin and he wants to mark Zitao too, feeling an animalistic drive to show everyone that Zitao is his and his alone. So he leans up, snapping his hips in time with Zitao’s desperate bucking, and sucks on Zitao’s neck right on the sensitive part beneath his ear causing Zitao’s body to convulse into his orgasm. His entire body shakes with the pleasure as he coats himself and Kyungsoo’s stomach in cum and Kyungsoo loses it when he feels the warmth of it between their bodies. He cums hard inside of the condom and rides it out, fucking into the tightness of Huang Zitao. Huang Zitao, Kyungsoo’s first friend, his first kiss and his first love. Zitao whimpers when Kyungsoo pulls out and discards the condom in the trashcan by Zitao’s desk. That’s when Kyungsoo sees the picture frames of old photographs that he remembers taking from their infancy into their early teenage years before they fell away from one another. His heart constricts inside of his chest, because Zitao has all of these memories out on display in his bedroom, an intimate space. And Kyungsoo begins to cry softly, sniffling and scaring Zitao. “What’s wrong Soo?” Zitao asks carefully as he wraps his arms around Kyungsoo from behind, pressing a kiss to the top of the shorter’s shoulder. Despite the pain in his ass, he would rather be holding Kyungsoo than watching him cry from the bed. “Nothing,” Kyungsoo whispers and turns in Zitao’s arms to look up at him, “You kept everything.” he gestures behind himself and Zitao nods. “I was in love.” Zitao admits, “Still am.” “Oh, Taozi,” Kyungsoo sighs, “How could I have never noticed?” “We were young and stupid.” Zitao smiles weakly and cups Kyungsoo’s face between his hands. “We’re still young and stupid.” Kyungsoo sighs. “We are,” Zitao confirms, “But I’d rather be young and stupid with you than anyone else.” “I love you,” Kyungsoo blurts, “I love you, Tao.” Zitao blinks a few times before a smile flourishes on his lips, “I was hoping you’d say that.” he giggles then finally and breaks out into that grin that Kyungsoo knows and loves, “I love you too.” “What now?” Kyungsoo asks, resting his head against Zitao’s chest, “What do we do now?” “Now?” Zitao shrugs, “Now I kiss you and call you my boyfriend.” “Boyfriend?” “If you’d like.” “I would like that.” Kyungsoo smiles and kisses the corner of Zitao’s mouth, “I would love that.” On Friday night, Kyungsoo and Zitao start dating. They hold hands and they laugh under the covers of Zitao's bed before Kyungsoo sneaks away in the night. Zitao calls Kyungsoo right away to make sure that Kyungsoo got home safely and they spend the entire night on the phone until the dark becomes light. Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Do never ask what happened that day, but they no longer invite their sons into their business. On Saturday, Chanyeol makes a big deal out of it and Jongin gives Kyungsoo a small smile to show that’s happy for him. Baekhyun gives him a thumbs up and then a second one which he claims is from Jongdae who is out getting himself laid with the senior student Junmyeon. Zitao laughs at Kyungsoo’s friends and they’re all surprised at how easily Zitao molds into their routine. On Sunday, Kyungsoo is introduced to Zitao’s pretty friends from China - Luhan, Yifan and Yixing. They all think that Kyungsoo is cute and they adopt him into their oddly weird circle of popular kids that turn out to be just as nerdy and dorky as Kyungsoo’s own friends. Kyungsoo and Zitao make a mental note to introduce Baekhyun to Yixing at some point, because they feel like the two would be close. A month later, Kyungsoo finally comes out to his mother and introduces his boyfriend. Huang Zitao formally. Mrs. Do is slow to process the news, especially since a month ago Zitao and Kyungsoo had declared their hatred for each other. However, when she finally understands that Kyungsoo and Zitao are serious about this, she smiles warmly and welcomes them both into her arms. Mrs. Huang is a little less accepting of their relationship, but upon seeing the way that Zitao lights up when Kyungsoo walks into the room, she lets all old conflicts dissolve. And, years later, when Kyungsoo and Zitao graduate from university with their diplomas and promising futures ahead of them, Kyungsoo gets down on one knee and sets the last piece of his future life by asking Huang Zitao to be his husband. Zitao says yes. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!