It was snowing when Tao woke up.   This wasn't unusual, but all the same unsettling. Tao makes a face as his alarm clock goes off, shattering the beautiful silence into a thousand invisible shards; he groans, reaching over to turn it off, silence falling again for a moment. It was so nice like this, wrapped up in warm blankets, protected from the cold. Tao moans in protest as he sits up, running a hand through his hair as he hears Kris roll over beneath him, muttering something about being cold and school making them get up early.   Tao nearly laughs as he slips off the edge of his bunk, his feet hitting the floor with a soft thud. He walks across the floor as quietly as possible, the smooth wood cold under his feet, making him feel nearly numb as he reaches the door and closes it softly behind him. He can hear voices from downstairs but heads for the bathroom to take a shower.   The warm water feels amazing and Tao leans against the wall of the shower, tilting his head back and letting himself relax for a moment. Something was bothering him. There was a knot of apprehension in his stomach, but he couldn't remember what it was that had upset him. Memories from the night before flood his mind and block out everything else, making him gasp as it all becomes painstakingly clear. Kris. Kris has a crush on someone. At least, that's what Chanyeol had said. But why would that bother him?   Tao remembers when Kris had kissed him, how warm his coat had felt, how he'd put his arm around his shoulders last night at dinner. It's not like he hadn't enjoyed all of those things. He makes a face, twisting the water off abruptly. What was wrong with him? He shouldn't think of Kris that way, probably better if he doesn't think of him at all. He dries off and walks back to their room, dressing quickly and running his hands through his hair half in exasperation as his own thoughts.   He's about to go downstairs for breakfast when he hears Kris's voice. He's still dreaming, his eyelids fluttering as he rolls over so that he's facing Tao, his lips moving, his words too soft to hear from where Tao is standing. Tao moves closer hesitantly, closer and closer until if he breathed, Kris would hear him. Kris is silent now and Tao is about to give up and go eat when Kris sighs contentedly, his voice nearly affectionate,    'Tao...'   Tao freezes as he hears Kris say his name, that combined with the peaceful look on his face is enough to make Tao stand up hastily, causing him to trip and run into Kris's desk, making a loud crash. Kris is awake in a second, his blonde hair falling into his eyes as he quickly gets to his feet. Upon spotting Tao, he visibly relaxes, the tension going out of his shoulders. He crosses his arms over his bare chest, smiling bemusedly as Tao blushes and straightens.   'Are you okay? I'm sorry for that, I didn't realize my desk was in your way.'   His voice is deep and rough like always but something about it makes Tao want to shiver. He looks down and shakes his head.   "I'm fine, it's okay really. I just wasn't being careful."   Kris smiles but his expression shifts to concerned as he closes the space between them, taking Tao's hand and turning it over so his palm is facing up. There's a long straight cut running the length of his palm, blood welling dark scarlet against his pale skin. Kris raises his gaze to Tao's, his eyes looking almost disapproving,   'You should have been more careful.'   Tao rips his hand from Kris's grip, anger flaring brightly in his eyes, his voice nearly a growl,   "Thanks for your opinion, not like it's any of your business anyway. I said it was an accident. I'll be more careful next time, wouldn't want to disappoint you..."   He steps around Kris, pulling his jacket tighter against his body as he walks down the stairs and makes his way to the kitchen. He's not sure why he's angry at Kris, only that it made him easier to deal with. He pauses just outside the kitchen and sighs. It smells delicious and he smiles as he takes in the scene before him.   Xiumin is sitting on Chen's lap and Chen has both arms looped around him, resting his chin on Xiumin's shoulder. Suho is sitting next to Lay and has his arm around the back of the other boy's chair, a wide smile on his face. Baekhyun has his head on the table, snoring softly. Tao watches as Chanyeol laughs and sits down next to the sleeping boy, ruffling his sandy blonde hair to wake him up. Tao takes a seat at the end of the table and nods to each of the boys in turn, his lips curved into a rare smile. Suho pauses in telling Lay about the book he just finished reading and turns his attention to Tao, his dark eyes shining,   'Good morning, Tao. You probably already know, but today is the last day of school before break so all of us are going to celebrate with dinner and drinks tonight. Care to join us?'   Tao smiles and nods, hurrying to swallow a bite of toast as he speaks,   "I'd love to. This is my first holiday in Korea, so I'm really excited to see how it goes."   Suho grins and is about to speak when Tao hears Kris come downstairs and Suho turns his attention to Tao's surly roommate,   'You're awake already, I'm surprised. I was just telling Tao about our plans for tonight...'   Kris takes a seat to Tao's right and nods to Suho without replying, pouring himself a bowl of cereal and beginning to eat. Silence falls but not for long. Chen clears his throat, a cheeky smile on his face as he speaks,    'So, I hear you're in love, Kris.'   Kris chokes on his cereal and coughs for a few moments before taking a drink of water. His eyes are wide as he lifts them to Chen's gaze,   'What?!'   Chanyeol sends Chen a warning look but Chen just smirks, his eyebrows raised slightly,   'You heard me. I said I heard you're in love. So, who is it?'   Tao turns his eyes to Kris's face, waiting for him to snap at Chen. But he doesn't. He looks down, a flush creeping along his cheekbones. Apparently Tao wasn't the only one who saw. Chen breaks out laughing, his eyes crinkling as he struggles to speak,   'It's true then!!'   Kris looks up, his eyes bright with anger, his voice raised,   'Why don't you shut your filthy mouth, Jongdae, and stop worrying about gossiping and more about the fact that you're failing half your classes.'    He gets to his feet quickly, rattling the table,   'And for your information, I'm not in love nor do I ever intend to be.'    He turns away and after a brief shuffling of feet in the hallway, the door slams and the whole house goes quiet. Chanyeol clears his throat uncomfortably,