You woke up sweating. It wasn’t the kind that soaked your pillowcase, but it was enough to dot your forehead and upper lip, making you slightly uncomfortable. A weight laid across your hips. It held you in place so you couldn’t move from the spot you were curled up in. Letting out a groan, you pressed your face into the pillow. You didn’t want to get up no matter how overheated you were getting.

A light pressure drifted across your face, tickling your skin and making you smile.

Finally, you opened your eyes, just by the smallest of fractions. Tao was beaming at you, his features the softest you’d ever witnessed them. And that was saying a lot since his whole face seemed to melt whenever he looked at you. It was odd and not something that you were used to. You didn’t even realize that it was possible, for someone’s face to conform like that. It made your heart flutter.

It was only then that you realized part of the reason you felt like you were in a sauna was because you and Tao were under the thick comforter. Warmth radiated off of Tao like a human space heater and you couldn’t take it anymore. You threw the comforter off both of you, giving you some fresh air to breathe.

“What’s wrong,” Tao frowned as you both sat up.

You pointed to your perspiring face. “I was dying under there.” Curious, you reached out and place the back of your hand against his forehead. It was warm to the point of concern. “Are you sick?”

Playfully laughing, Tao lowered your hand. “No. I just run warmer than most.”

“Why do people say that like its normal?” No one “runs a little warm”. Every human body ran at exactly ninety-eight-point-six degrees. If your internal temp was higher or lower than that, something was severely wrong.

“Well, if I’m sick, then you should take care of me.” Tackling you, Tao took you both back down onto the bed, trapping you in his arms and holding you close to him so you had no escape.

You were happy for his playful spirit to be back in full swing, but dwelling on that took your mind to the reason he was here in the first place. “Tao?”

“Hm?” He was barely paying attention to your voice, focusing more on burying his face in the crook of your neck.

“Are you better now? You know, with what happened to your brother?”

You felt the way every muscle in him stiffened in a second. He didn’t open his eyes too look at you, instead keeping them closed as he rested his forehead against your shoulder.

“It still hurts,” he whispered. His voice was so low you could almost sworn you were making it up in your head if you didn’t feel the wisps of his breath against your arm.

There was a long pause, the silence weighing down the air in the room. It was moments like this that you truly didn’t know what to do. You wanted to comfort him, but you weren’t sure of the best way to do that. Slowly, you began to reach out towards him to maybe pat his head or his cheek, you weren’t really sure. But as soon as his eyes opened up, you dropped your hand back down, your heart leaping from the startle.

“I feel better with you, though,” Tao confessed. He lifted his head so his chin was now poking into your shoulder, but you didn’t dare move to a more comfortable position. “I always feel better with you.”

You were just stunned at the heartfelt admission. None of his words were sugar-coated or flourished. You’d heard enough from him by now to be able to tell the difference when he was being truly sincere.

What did you ever do to have this person drop into your life like this? In the beginning, you thought you were being punished, but the more you were able to get to know Tao, the more your viewpoint changed from punishment to gift that you didn’t feel like you deserved. It didn’t matter how much you snapped at him or tried to push him away, he came back to you like a boomerang you tried to throw away. And even when he got upset or acted in a way that normally would make you sever ties completely, you still accepted him back with open arms.

There was some sort of pull he had over you that couldn’t be explained. It grew stronger every time you saw him and you didn’t even bother to fight it anymore. Perhaps it was a little crazy, but you felt like Tao was the missing piece you’d been absentmindedly searching for your whole life. It was always there in the back of your mind, the longing for someone… not to complete you, but to be there. To be there when you were upset or had good news to share. To be your anchor when you felt like the world around you was falling apart. If you’d been allowed to pick this person out of a line up on your own, you would have skipped right over him. Funny how the universe could be, wasn’t it?

“Come on,” you patted his arm as you sat up. “Why don’t I make you some breakfast?” That was how you knew how to comfort. Make him something to eat. What was that popular phrase? The quickest way to a man’s heart was through his stomach? A very outdated term and one you would never speak out loud – not to mention you were no five-star chef – but food was a comfort, no matter who you were.

Tao’s face morphed into an expression of fear. He gulped. “What about your parents?”

You laughed. “They’re gone for the weekend. It’s their anniversary so they went away for a short vacation. They won’t be back until Tuesday night.”

Something shined in Tao’s eyes, making your stomach summersault. You ignored it, though, pretending to remain unaware as you slipped out of bed. You said nothing else as you left your bedroom. Behind you, you could hear Tao scrambling to untangle himself from the sheets and follow you down the stairs.

You paid him no attention as you took out the eggs from the fridge and heated up the pan, slicking it up with butter to make clean up a little easier. All the focus was on preparing the food. The only words you spoke to Tao were to ask him to put bread in the toaster and pour a couple glasses of juice to wash breakfast down with. After you’d plated the finished product and sat down at the table, the two of you ate in silence, just enjoying the unrushed quality time together. Your parents definitely wouldn’t be thrilled if they knew about Tao spending the night, but you figured that was a bridge you would cross if you ever actually came to it.

When the plates were clear of food once again, you took the dishes over to the sink and began rinsing the off. Tao came up behind you and encased his arms around your waist.

“I feel like I should be doing that,” he chuckled in your ear.

Deciding the dishes could wait, you put down the sponge in your hand, drying your fingers before turning around to face him. “It’s fine. You’re a guest here anyway. It wouldn’t be right for you to clean up my mess.”

“Guest or not, you shouldn’t have to do everything yourself.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m a perfectly capable human being, Tao.”

He brought his hand up to your face to your cheek with his thumb. “Yes, you are.”

Rolling your eyes, you wiggled out of his embrace and headed for the living room. You sat down on the couch, going about your normal Saturday morning routine. But before you could turn the TV on, Tao fell down beside you and shuffled you over into his lap. He didn’t respond to your weak protest, just going back to gently your face as he stared down at you.

If there was ever a more perfect moment to finally kiss him, this was it. So, you waited, thinking that he would lean in first, like he had in the past. But he didn’t move. He just kept staring at you with those dark brown eyes as if trying to study your features for a future drawing. Your patience was wearing thin the longer the two of you just sat there. Why wasn’t he kissing you? Your eyes kept flickering down to his lips and your breathing was becoming shallower as your heart sped up. Were you not giving off the right signals? Was something being lost in translation?

Taking initiative was not your usual strong suit, but in this case, a strange determination egged on by a newfound bravery was building up inside. You were going to have to take what you wanted.

With slightly shaking fingers, you reached up and took ahold of the collar of Tao’s shirt. He looked startled at your sudden move, but you didn’t give him time to process it fully before you pressed your lips to his. The bravery you’d gathered quickly dissipated and you pulled back, your face feeling as warm as Tao’s had earlier. Clearing your throat, you released his shirt and even tried to lean back, but Tao’s arms prevented you from doing so. His shocked face didn’t do anything to help your nerves. Should you not have done that?

That worry soon melted away, however, as that signature smirk grew on his lips once more. Taking you by surprise, Tao pushed you down all the way into the couch cushions, leaving you no room for escape. Then he dived in for more.

By instinct, you followed his every move, wrapping your legs around his waist while your arms did the same around his neck to bring him as close to you as possible. With his variating pressure and little nips at your bottom lip here and there, this boy knew exactly what he was doing. And in the past that might have bothered you – in fact, his many escapades had indeed made you very insecure, but no thoughts of that nature came to you now. Because he was yours. From now on, he would only kiss you like this, hold you like this. Why you had ever resisted this connection, you’ll never know, but you were going to cling to him with a fierceness that no one could match.

One of Tao’s hands slid down from your hip to your thigh, squeezing it gently before pulling you in even closer. You didn’t even know how that was possible, the two of you were already molding into one.

You pulled by only the tiniest of fractions to get a fresh, lung-filling breath before continuing the kiss, but Tao apparently decided that was enough.

“(y/n)?”

Your lungs were working so hard to catch up and restore the lost oxygen supply that it took you a few breaths to answer. “Yes?”

Tao swallowed visibly. You’d never seen him so timid, so unsure before. “Can I- can I stay with you again tonight?”

The laugh that came out of you couldn’t be helped. You definitely hadn’t thought that far ahead and if you had, you figured he’d want to go check on his brother. “If that’s what you want,” you told him.

“No,” he tapped the end of your nose with a giggle of his own. “Only if you want me to.”

You chewed on the bottom of your lip, weighing your options. Not that there too many cons to this situation. More uninterrupted time with Tao sounded like heaven. You could get to know him more without worrying about a certain someone catching you. Right now was definitely not the time to accidentally reveal your relationship to your best friend yet. You weren’t sure when or how that conversation would take place, but you knew - now that things were getting even more serious - you would need to have it soon.

But you’d push that aside once again. That didn’t need to be immediately addressed. It could be put off another day.  

“I would like you to stay.”

Tao loved that answer, pulling you back in to continue the kiss, deeper this time and much more heated. You weren’t even sure how long the kiss lasted. You just wanted to keep going. Your heart was racing the whole time and you could feel Tao’s own beating through his shirt. They were in perfect sync and that just solidified your resolve even more.

**

Tao didn’t want to move from this spot. You were still fast asleep in the bed next to him, face smooth and content, while he was wide awake, enjoying every second he was able to just take in your features.

The weekend had simultaneously been one of the worst and the best of his life. Having a brother attacked by a faceless hunter to the point where he almost died was enough to cause him physical agony. But you let him stay with you, here in your bed where you comforted him and reassured him that it would be alright, even though you didn’t have the slightest clue as to what had happened. He never wanted to leave your side. The wolf egged him on, rambling about how easy it would be to steal you away to the farmhouse. You’d love it out there, surrounded by trees and nature, far from the noise and crowdedness of the city.

Sighing, Tao sat up, letting the sheet fall down into his lap as he ran a hand over his face. No, he couldn’t just snatch you up and run for the hills. It had to be your choice. And he wouldn’t be surprised if you took the same route as a majority of the mates, preferring to stay within the city limits, close to your family and the school. Besides, he still shared a room with Sehun and there was nowhere else for the youngest wolf to go. At least until the second house was finished and they weren’t supposed to break ground on that for another week or so.

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Scratch that. He was getting ahead of himself. You didn’t even know about wolves and mates yet. And he didn’t quite know how to go about telling you. That wasn’t something you just casually slipped into a conversation. Maybe he should ask Kris for some advice.

Tao snorted, a little too loudly. He watched you for a second to make sure he didn’t wake you up. The sun was just barely beginning to peek over the horizon outside and the two of you had stayed up talking much later into the night than he had intended; you needed your sleep.

Once he confirmed that you were still drifting away in dreamland, Tao turned back to his thoughts.

He really probably shouldn’t ask Kris for advice. His own situation with his mate had been a rollercoaster nightmare. Tao hadn’t liked Evie at first, because of it. But all he’d known was that she’d rejected Kris and that Kris was at risk of dying. Once he got the whole story, however, he was quick to apologize. This whole mate thing was much more complicated than he’d ever imagined. The fact that most of them grew up thinking that werewolves and monsters were just scary stories didn’t help.

There was one person, however, that Tao felt comfortable and confident enough to ask, though. He just hoped they were up for the talk.

Laying back down, Tao pretended to get a little more sleep until you were ready to get up for the day. He tried to act normal as you made breakfast for him once again down in the kitchen.

Never did he think he would actually enjoy the little domestic moments like this. He’d always scoffed at their simplicity, but now he understood the magic in these kinds of scenes. Whenever the others tried to explain it to him, he just couldn’t grasp how they could be in awe of such mundane events. But now he understood. Now he truly appreciated the finer moments in life like this. Spending time together in the kitchen wasn’t complicated or heated. He could just watch you without worry, take in your smile and memorize your laugh. The way the sun shined around you, creating this angelic glow just made you even more beautiful in his eyes. He was so lost in his thoughts that – while he could see that you were moving closer to him – his brain didn’t register that you were done cooking and were putting the plates down on the kitchen island for the two of you to enjoy.

“Tao?” You waved a hand in front of his face, making him jump back into the present.

Blinking several times, Tao looked up at you. “Yeah?”

You laughed at him, making smile. “What were you thinking about so hard?”

“You,” he answered honestly.

Pink dust exploded across your cheeks. You said nothing as you sat down, keeping your face hidden as you started on your meal.

This time when you were done, he helped you with the cleanup, drying the dishes and putting them away (with lots of direction from you since he had no clue what went where). After putting away the now shining pan, Tao leaned up against the counter, arms folded over his chest, and kept his gaze steady on you.

“What?” You looked down, inspecting yourself to try and find what he was staring at.

He motioned to you. “Come here.” You obliged, slowly making your way towards him until you were close enough for him to pull you in the rest of the way. He kissed you softly, drinking you in like his life depended on it. When he finally gave you back your breath, he whispered, “Thank you.”

You tilted your head to the side, confused. “For what?”

“For letting me do that whenever I want now,” he replied cheekily. You gave him a playful punch to the shoulder, just making him laugh harder.

For a while, he just held you as you laid your head against his chest. He rested his own cheek against your hair, the strands tickling at his nose. Your scent was now his favorite; a mix of a floral shampoo, pencil lead, and something else that was just undeniably unique to you alone. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t stay in this moment forever.

“I have to get back home,” he told you softly, immediately wishing he’d given himself a few more minutes before making that statement. In response, you buried your face in his chest, your own little form of protest. He patted your head, his heart aching from the thought of leaving you. He’d been able to spend over twenty-four hours straight with you and he hated the fact that he was the one ending it. “I need to go check on my brother.”

The excuse was more to get him moving than for you. Minseok had ten other wolves to look after him, not to mention Jiyeon and the other mates. The farmhouse would probably be much gloomier than here, but he still had to go.  

You blew a raspberry out of your lips before taking a step back. “Okay,” you sighed. “I understand. But I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

You nodded and headed out of the kitchen to the laundry room where you’d washed his clothes the night before. Tao was feeling a bit uncomfortable considering all he was wearing was a pair of your father’s sweatpants, but you insisted he’d never know. Still, a sense of relief washed over him when you came back with his familiar shirt and jeans. He kissed your cheek before heading off to change privately, for your sake. The image of your embarrassed face when he’d taken his shirt off in front of you before bed last night would forever be burned into his memory.

You saw Tao to the door, a pout sported clearly on your lips. Unable to resist, Tao kissed it away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he promised.

“Okay.” You placed your hand on the doorknob, but couldn’t bring yourself to turn it. This wasn’t goodbye forever and yet it felt like it for both of you. With sparkling eyes you looked up at him and smiled. “You know, I used to think that you were no good. But now… I know that’s exactly what you are: good.”

Tao let out a short, unbelieving laugh. Good? Could he really be described in that light? Sure, while he hadn’t killed anyone, he wasn’t an angel, either. But if you saw him that way, then there must be some redeeming qualities about him.

“You made me this way,” he confessed.

You shook your head. “I don’t think I’m that special.”

“You are the most special person in my life.”

All these words that were leaving your mouths felt so heavy and intimate, especially in a moment like this, but they needed to be said. You needed to know what you were to him.

“Alright there, tiger,” you chuckled, opening the door for him. “You should probably get going before you start spewing more nonsense.”

“You started it,” he reminded you. Stealing one last kiss, Tao made himself walk out that front door before he changed his mind. He heard the click the door behind him. Don’t look back, he ordered to himself. If he did, he’d be climbing up in your window again.

There was a spring in his step as he made his way down the driveway and to his car that was parked right outside your house. He hadn’t bothered to park down the block this time, his only thought that night being to get to you as quickly as possible. Twirling his keys in his hand, he jumped behind the driver’s seat and took off down the road.

Back at the farmhouse, most his brothers and his mates seemed to be around, discussing mundane things to occupy their time. Kun’s pack was there as well, stuffing the already full house even more. He caught a glimpse of Lyn sitting on the couch with Lanie. The two of them seemed to be getting along given the friendly nature of their body language. Tao only spared them one glance before heading up the stairs.

Just as he reached the second floor, Junmyeon, Kris, and Kun came out of Junmyeon’s bedroom.

“Is he okay?” Tao asked as soon as they realized he was there. When he’d called Jongdae last night, he’d been told that Minseok was on the mend and just needed more rest. He wasn’t even in as much pain as they’d predicted, probably due to the wolf’s tolerance being even higher than most.  

“He’s doing just fine,” Junmyeon reassured him with a smile. The expressions on all their faces told him that they’d just been discussing something serious.

Tao frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Kris ordered. “You’ll know in time, along with everyone else.”

That answer made Tao want growl at him, but he wasn’t in the elite alpha club and therefore had to wait for answers like the others. As much as he hated to admit it, Tao actually missed the days when it was just the three of them. Kris, Luhan, and him. At least then, Kris just told them everything outright instead of this “due time” bull. But being back here meant more than that so he’d just have to learn to deal with it.

Junmyeon motioned to Minseok’s door with his head. “You can go see him. Just a warning though: Jiyeon’s in there with him.”

Oh, goody. Tao doubted the oldest mate was going to be her normal chipper self right now.

The three alphas passed by and headed down the stairs, leaving Tao alone in the hallway. At first, he was excited to see Minseok, but now… well, he kind of wished you were here for him to cower behind while entering the bedroom.

As soon as the door was open and Tao began to stick his head inside, a pillow came flying at his face. Barely in time to avoid being hit, Tao ducked back out into the hallway.

“Jiyeon, did you really have to do that?”

At least Minseok was awake. And not the one who threw the pillow at him.

“Yes. It made me feel better.”

“But I didn’t do anything!” Tao whined as he risked entering the room a second time.

Jiyeon’s scowl eased slightly when she caught sight of him. “Oh, sorry, Tao. I thought maybe you were Junmyeon or Kris again.”

“I think you’ve gotten your point across with them,” Minseok mumbled. He was sitting up in the bed, leaning back against the headboard with a mountain of pillows behind him, which was a good sign. There was still a slight pained-look in his eye, but he was doing his best to cover it up. Turning to Tao, he managed a smile. “Where have you been? I think you’re the only one who hasn’t come to see me yet.”

“I, uh,” Tao scratched the back of his head, feeling just a tad bit guilty. “I was with (y/n).”

“Ah.” Minseok nodded in understanding.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.” Tao’s eyes flickered to Jiyeon for a second in a subtle attempt to ask for privacy.

Minseok seemed to get the message. “Jiyeon, can you get me a glass of water?”

His mate frowned. “You have one right there on the nightstand.” Minseok stared at her pointedly until she got the message. Rolling her eyes, Jiyeon headed for the hallway. “You know, you can just ask to talk to him alone. It’s not that hard.”

Minseok just laughed as she shut the door behind her. “So, what’s going on?”

Tao took the now empty seat by the bed, leaning forward on his elbows as he tried to articulate his worries. “I just… need some advice.”

“And you came to me? Wow.” Minseok grinned widely, truly appreciative to be thought of in that way. “Don’t you usually go to Kris for this sort of thing?”

“I do, but I didn’t think he’d have the best advice for what I need,” Tao admitted.

Minseok snickered until he winced in pain. “Ow. I should probably not do that.” After adjusting his position to something a little more comfortable, he said, “Okay. What’s going on?”

“I don’t….” Tao cleared his throat. He didn’t even know how to voice what he needed help with. It was a simple question, but he felt ridiculous asking it, because he was sure he already knew the answer. “I don’t know how to tell her everything.”

“You mean about us and being your mate?”

Tao nodded. “I mean, how do you even start that conversation? When do you start it?”

“There is no right answer,” Minseok shrugged. “We’ve all kind of done it a different way, some were forced into it, others had really crappy timing. Just make sure the two of you are alone and explain everything slowly, giving her one thing at a time.”

Leaning back in his chair, Tao gave out a huff. “That’s not exactly the magical answer I was hoping for.”

“Nothing about having a mate is easy.”

Yeah. That was a phrase Tao had heard a lot around here lately. Even after the truth came out and the couple was living happily ever after, it still didn’t get any easier. The mate’s instincts were still human based, still needing their space and independence while the wolf struggled to fight being by their side twenty-four-seven.

“When do you think I should tell her?” Tao asked, wanting to keep his mind on the present and not your possible future.

“That’s up to you,” Minseok replied annoyingly. “But if you’re already asking about telling her, than that might be a good sign.”

Well, at least that was somewhat of an answer. And Tao agreed with it. If he was beginning to agonize over it, then that was clear sign of where the two of you were in your relationship and it was only fair for him to tell you before going any further. You needed to know the truth, reason you were so special to him. And he had the perfect opportunity in front of him. Your parents weren’t supposed to be back until Tuesday, giving Tao time to tonight to prepare and then he could come over tomorrow and talk to you. His stomach was already churning with nervousness, but this was something he had to do. And who knows? Maybe he’d get lucky and you’d take him being a wolf fairly well.

He could hope, anyway.

“By the way,” Minseok smirked. “How’s Kris’ eye?”

Tao cocked his head to the side. “Kris’ eye? What are you talking about?” Then it dawned on him. “Please tell me Jiyeon punched him in the face.” Served him right for not telling her about Minseok getting hurt right away. Nothing was scarier than an angry mate.

Minseok shook his head. “No.”

“Oh.” Tao slumped in his chair, disappointed.

“She threw her cell phone at him and told him to see if it worked.”

Tao fell out of his chair, unable to control the laughter erupting from his lungs.

**

Tao waited anxiously in the courtyard for you. He’d made sure to get to the university early enough to not miss your arrival. Leaned up against a tree near the water fountain in the middle, he checked his watch every five seconds. Typically, you were at school a good half hour before class to give yourself time to go over your homework. Such a responsible student. But as the time ticked past that half hour mark and you still were nowhere to be seen, he began to worry.

Had you gotten sick again?

“Tao!”

He perked up at the sound of his name, but immediately deflated when he saw that it was Kendall stomping towards him. Pushing off the tree, he raised an eyebrow at the girl who hadn’t spoken to him since their date. He thought at first that maybe she was passing a message on to him for you, but then Tao remembered that you’d told him over the weekend that Kendall didn’t know about the two of you quite yet and you were worried about telling her. Tao had reassured you that if she was your friend, everything would be fine, but you insisted you weren’t ready yet.

“What’s up?” Tao asked.

Kendall scoffed. “You are such an , you know that?”

What the hell? Tao looked around as if evidence of him being pranked would jump out at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Listen,” she hissed. “I knew what you were in the beginning. But my best friend? Are you insane?”

“Kendall,” Tao groaned. “Can you actually explain what you’re talking about, please?” He was simultaneously trying to be nice and keep an eye out for you.

“Don’t play dumb!” she snapped. “I saw you leave (y/n)’s house early yesterday morning! And don’t give me some lame excuse like homework, I saw you kiss her.”

Tao’s jaw dropped. The two of you were so busted.