Minseok only has a brief moment to be annoyed when he finds a familiar hand slapping itself against the glass of his window.

 

Surprisingly, it's Tao, who is usually very considerate of Minseok and his studies. When he'd told his friends that he would be swamped with homework for the night, Tao would have been the last person he expected to see. So, finding the younger man hanging off of his window sill in the dead of the night was troubling and sent a wave of concern rushing through him.

 

"Tao!" he hissed, hurrying to the window to pry it open. A gust of icy wind swept into the room but Minseok, dressed in a pair of shorts and a thin T-shirt, didn't even flinch. The chill of winter had never bothered him before, though his parents and sister caught cold with even the slightest breeze.

 

The same immunity Minseok possessed, did not belong to Tao, who had bundled himself into a pair of thick sweaters and what looked like three pairs of socks. He would have been a sight to chuckle at, if his eyes were not red-rimmed and swollen.

 

"Minseokie-hyung," Tao croaked, letting his older packmate drag him inside. "Can I stay here? I had a bad dream."

 

Minseok paused a moment to take in the situation.

 

Only Tao would sneak over to his house in the middle of the night because he had a bad dream.

 

The essay on his desk demanded that he return and finish it. The little voice in the back of his head urged him to allow Tao to stay, undeniably flattered that Tao had come to him over the others in their pack.

 

He would usually go to one of their leaders or the other maknaes across town for comfort when he was frightened or upset, even though he lived next door to Minseok. For a werewolf like them, the distance between their homes was no hard trip, so Tao coming to him rather than one of his usual 'teddy bears' was a bit odd.

 

"You don't think your parents will notice that you're gone?" Minseok asked, a bit in denial that Tao came to him first. (There was no way that Joonmyeon had turned him away.)

 

"I'll go back in the morning before they wake up." the younger said dismissively, clutching at Minseok's shirt somewhat desperately. "Please, hyung. I won't be able to go back to sleep if you're not with me."

 

Well, the essay wasn't due until Friday and Tao was upset...

 

"What was your dream about?" Minseok asked, wondering if the dream had been about him and that was why Tao was being so clingy.

 

"You," Tao admitted after a moment of hesitation. "You were... hurt. It was awful."

 

Minseok frowned, knowing that Tao was withholding the details, but a yip from outside the window cut him off before he could press any further.

 

He peered through the window over Tao's shoulder to find a slender, sandy blond wolf standing in his back yard. Once it was sure it had his attention, it yipped again before shuddering, its form pulling together and fur receding until the wolf became a young man with bed hair and a Manchester United T-shirt.

 

Luhan shivered a moment, grinning at his packmates, and launched himself at the window, latching onto the window sill with ease, much like Tao had, and pulling himself into the room when Minseok and Tao moved out of the way.

 

"Looks like I'm in time for the sleepover." the blond said brightly, tugging Tao away from Minseok to tuck him into a hug. Tao, for all his height and wiry muscle, folded easily to fit in Luhan's grip like a child. "I heard you cry, Taozi. It scared me."

 

"You're staying too?" Minseok sighed, not really needing an answer.

 

"Yep!" Luhan grinned, popping the 'p' and ushering Tao over to the bed. "Come on you two. It's snowing outside and I'm wearing shorts. I'm cold dammit."

 

"It's not that cold," Minseok protested, but stepped out into the hall for a moment to turn the heat up another notch anyway. His parents wouldn't mind.

 

Tao and Luhan were already tucked in when he returned and Minseok sighed helplessly, putting away his school things and switching off the lights before joining them. His bed wasn't terribly large and they had to squish a bit to fit, but somehow Tao took up even less space than Luhan, who tended to sprawl out like an octopus.

 

The youngest boy was out like a light within minutes. Minseok pressed against his side and the two eldest wolves peered over him at each other, feeling like parents with a small child. Well, a young one at least.

 

"Was it bad?" Minseok asked in a hushed tone, pulling Tao against him more snugly.

 

"It woke me up." Luhan confirmed, bright disposition now faded. "He was screaming like he was being murdered. It was terrifying."

 

"His parents didn't notice?"

 

"Surprisingly no."

 

Minseok frowned.

 

Tao was extremely close to both of his parents and they doted on him to say the least. To think that they wouldn't hear their son screaming in the night was troubling.

 

"Are they okay?"

 

Luhan bobbed his head. "I checked the house out. There weren't any scents except for his family's so it must have just been a nightmare. His parents just... didn't notice."

 

The boys were silent for a moment.

 

"He usually wouldn't come here." Minseok said finally, carding a hand through Tao's wine colored hair.

 

"Don't sound so surprised, Seok." Luhan chuckled, draping himself over Tao until his nose bumped against Minseok's.

 

The older boy stared at him, unimpressed and cross eyed.

 

"Han."

 

"Taozi knows that you're not as tough on him as you are on some of the other kids. Face it - you're comforting."

 

"No, I'm intimidating." Minseok whined, shoving Luhan's face away and onto the pillow next to Tao's. "Weakness is not an option. Baekhyun and Sehun would run over me if they find an opening."

 

"Teddy-Seok~" the blond teased, eyes glittering wickedly.

 

Minseok merely groaned, shoving his face into the pillow and forcing the subject to drop.

 

The room was thankfully quiet for a beat.

 

".... Luhan."

 

"Yes?"

 

"Get your hand off my ."

 

"But it's such a nice ~"

 

"This is not the time to play."

 

"Don't worry, Tao won't mind what we do."

 

"That's what I'm afraid of."

 

"Afraid you can't take on a youngster... gramps?"

 

"I hate you."

 

"Love you too, dear!"