The next morning, Baekhyun wakes up to the sound of Zitao rummaging around in the bathroom. He hears a few curses and sighs to himself before rolling out of bed and shuffling over to the closed bathroom door, knocking a few times to get the other’s attention.

            “You okay in there?” he asks, scratching his head sleepily.

            “Yeah. I’m fine.” There are a few suspicious clanks and Baekhyun’s not convinced.

            “Are you sure?” He yawns and leans against the doorframe still half asleep. “It sounds like you’re destroying the bathroom.”

            A few more suspicious noises later and the door swings open revealing a disheveled Zitao. He’s shirtless and sporting a very haphazardly wrapped bandage around his abdomen. Baekhyun takes it in, shaking his head before he pushes Zitao back into the bathroom.

            “You should have just asked me to help you in the first place.”

            “It’s fine,” Zitao argues trying to back away from Baekhyun’s outstretched hands.

            Baekhyun scoffs, already in the process of undoing the bandage, leaning close as he unravels it from Zitao’s waist. He’s not an expert at this but he knows the whole point of wearing one of these it to create support for whatever injury a person has and he’s sure he can do a better job at wrapping it than this.

           It only takes a minute for Baekhyun to rewrap Zitao’s injury and unknown to Baekhyun it’s a very tough minute for Zitao. It was this hard to be around Baekhyun the other night but he was weak, needed help and Baekhyun was willing to help. But right now he thinks the boy is far too close and unguarded. It makes Zitao nervous being this close to someone, not just in the physical sense, because he’s starting to let his guard down and that’s definitely not something he should be doing. He’s not used to people willingly getting close to him, only used to people shying away, following those instincts that tell them Zitao is dangerous. He thought Baekhyun would figure it out too, that he should stay away from Zitao, that he should fear him like everyone else, but so far Baekhyun hasn’t done anything Zitao expects out of the people around him. It’s a bit unnerving really because he has no idea how he’s supposed to act around Baekhyun. He’s never had to practice his social skills, only knows what it’s like to be alone apart from the people he was forced to be around growing up, so having someone like Baekhyun around is making Zitao enter uncharted territory and he’s still not sure he wants to map it out just yet.

           Then again, Baekhyun isn’t giving him much choice anyways.

           Baekhyun convinces Zitao to stop by the cafeteria before class, even if they don’t have time to sit and eat, he still wants to put something on his stomach because he doesn’t think he’ll be able to make it through their first set of classes without it. During their trek across campus, it’s obvious to Zitao that people are avoiding them, but he isn’t sure Baekhyun notices or that he even cares because the only thing on his mind this early in the morning is food. He thinks it’s endearing the way Baekhyun doesn’t seem to care about these kinds of things.

           The longer Zitao is with Baekhyun the more he notices; like the fact that Baekhyun is a bit bossy and as he said previously, he’s not really a morning person. The bossy bit comes out when Baekhyun pushes their take out cups into Zitao’s hands and tell him to fill it up with juice while he fixes them some bagels. He doesn’t even ask Zitao if he wants a bagel or if he even likes cream cheese; he just decides that’s what they’re going to eat. The fact that Baekhyun’s not a morning person comes out when Zitao says he would have preferred jam on his bagel and Baekhyun glares back practically shoving the bagel in Zitao’s face saying, “Eat it or starve. I don’t care.”

           Zitao later thinks he should add mood swings to the list of things he’s learned about Baekhyun because as soon as they sit down in the back of their classroom, Baekhyun asks, “Are you sure you’re feeling well enough for class today?” This amuses Zitao because Baekhyun was definitely just expressing how unconcerned he was about whether or not Zitao starves.

           “You’re asking me that now?” Zitao gulps down more of his juice trying to finish it off before class starts because they’re technically not supposed to have food or drink during class. He also knows that he could probably drink in class and the teacher would be too afraid to say anything to him, but he’d rather not push his limits.

           “I’m finally awake now.” Baekhyun shrugs, pulling out his notebook in preparation for class. “I didn’t really think about it earlier. I work on autopilot when I wake up.”

           Zitao shakes his head adding this to the list of things to remember about Baekhyun; he thinks it might come in handy later on. Before he can say anything, Yixing walks up, greeting Baekhyun while side-eyeing Zitao. They share small talk. All the while, Yixing tries his best to ignore Zitao’s presence.

           Eventually Zitao interrupts their banter by asking to borrow Baekhyun’s notes from the previous day so he can look over them before class starts. Yixing visibly stiffens at the sound of Zitao’s voice, probably hearing it for the first time. Baekhyun doesn’t notice as he passes his notebook over, never skipping a beat as he discusses something from yesterday’s language class. Zitao is only half paying attention to the conversation but it’s obvious that Yixing is relieved to return to his seat when the teacher calls the class to order. Yixing doesn’t visit Baekhyun during class breaks and neither does anyone else, not that Baekhyun minds much because he seems completely content with talking to Zitao about what he’s missed in the curriculum so far in the semester and whether or not he can borrow the rest of Zitao’s notes when they get back to the room.

           Classes go by relatively quickly and Baekhyun stays glued to Zitao’s side during the day while their peers watch from a distance. This is new for Zitao, makes classes a little easier to get through now that he has someone to help break up the monotony of his every day life.

           Baekhyun doesn’t even realize he’s been ignoring Yixing and Kyungsoo during the day. He went to lunch with Zitao and passed through breaks by chatting with Zitao about school, sometimes whispering concerns for Zitao’s health, telling him he should be careful because he’s still weak. It isn’t until their afterschool study hall ends, that Baekhyun notices something is a little off. It isn’t until he bumps into Yixing as he exits the class that Baekhyun realizes he hasn’t spoken with Yixing much during the day, so he asks if they can have dinner together which Yixing agrees to without much thought of the concept that Baekhyun might bring Zitao along.

           He does bring Zitao. They find a table at the side of the cafeteria, near the ice cream machine and wait for Yixing and Kyungsoo to find them. When the two walk up, they freeze a few feet away from the table, staring at Zitao unsure of whether to sit or run. Baekhyun’s too busy sawing into a piece of steak to notice they have arrived, but Zitao sees them and with a nod he gestures to the seats on the other side of the table asking them to sit; it’s practically an order and the boys find themselves sitting immediately.

           Baekhyun looks up, smiling as he chews a chunk of steak. “Hey,” he says after swallowing. “You guys should definitely try the steak. It’s delicious.” He shoves another piece in his mouth and Yixing and Kyungsoo can’t help smiling, relaxing a bit as they dig into their plates of food.

           Zitao sits back, only watching as the others talk. Kyungsoo and Yixing are going on and on about a school production and how much of their free time rehearsals is taking up. Yixing’s been cast as the lead so his practices will run longer than Kyungsoo’s.  Baekhyun asks about the plot because he’s curious of how an all boys’ school is going to perform a play that’s a love story involving female characters. The guys laughs because they think it’s obvious, but they go into an explanation about guys dressing as girls and how Yixing’s not fond of the guy cast as the female lead because he’s a diva and likes to take over during school productions. Yixing can’t complain because the guy in question is a senior and the drama club president so Yixing should consider himself lucky to share lead roles with him.

           Zitao watches Baekhyun, fascinated with his enthusiasm to understand the inner-workings of drama club productions even though he still refuses to join when Yixing asks if he wants to participate. After some time, he catches Kyungsoo staring at him and as their eyes meet, Kyungsoo turns to play with his food suddenly interested in his green beans. He shakes his head, smiling to himself. Noticing that his and Baekhyun drinks are low, Zitao uses it as an excuse to leave the table. He grabs their cups, gesturing to Baekhyun silently asking what he wants.

           “Coke, thanks,” Baekhyun says smiling up at Zitao before continuing his conversation with Yixing.

           As soon as he think Zitao’s out of earshot, Yixing abruptly shifts the topic. “How can you stand it? He makes me so nervous.”

           “I can hardly eat,” Kyungsoo says, sighing as he finally releases the tension in his shoulders.

           “What are you talking about?”

           “Zitao, I feel like his presence is looming over us, like something’s going to happen at any moment,” Yixing explains, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure Zitao is still at a safe distance.

           “He scares me,” Kyungsoo whispers. “I’ve never been so anxious in my life.”

           “You guys are being ridiculous. Zitao isn’t scary at all. I don’t see what everyone’s problem is.” Baekhyun spears a miniature potato with his chopsticks.

           “Are you blind?” Yixing leans forward. “Until you got here, I’ve never seen him hang out with anyone. Actually, I’ve never even heard him speak until this morning. He doesn’t associate with anyone and the way he looks at people, it’s like he’s telling us to all stay away from him.”

           “Except you,” Kyungsoo adds. “He looks at you a little differently. I don’t know why, but it’s weird.”

           Baekhyun shakes his head and shoves the potato in his mouth. Zitao comes back causing them to shift uncomfortably, acting suspicious as they all suddenly focus on their plates. Baekhyun accepts his drink happily, needing something to wash down the dry potato. Zitao also sets a small saucer containing a slice of chocolate on chocolate cake. Baekhyun eyes the cake as Zitao slides the plate towards him. He points to himself in question, receiving a small nod before he grins and digs into the sweet without pause.

           Kyungsoo and Yixing stare across the table perplexed with Zitao’s kindness towards Baekhyun. It’s as if he’s a little softer, less harsh in his demeanor when he’s with Baekhyun. Zitao still exudes a sense of wanting to be left alone. A slight, dangerous edge surrounds his persona with only Baekhyun being able to surpass it. They don’t know why, but they can’t help watching as Baekhyun and Zitao interact with one another, not really saying anything, as they speak with looks and gestures somehow understanding one another as if they had known each other for a while. It’s strange because they seem like complete opposites and yet Baekhyun looks completely at home next to Zitao and vice versa.

           After dinner, they split ways heading to different sides of the campus. They don’t say much as they make their way to the dorm and when they finally arrive, Baekhyun doesn’t waste a moment before he’s throwing off his coat and shoes before collapsing on his bed with a sigh of relief.

           “It feels nice to finally be back in the room. I’m exhausted.” He lies on his back, cradling his head in his hands staring up at the ceiling. “School is so tiring.”

           Zitao silently laughs as he removes his coat and hangs it on the back of his chair, sliding off his shoes in the process. He loosens his tie as he sits on the side of his bed, watching Baekhyun get comfortable.

           After a while, Zitao says, “You probably shouldn’t sleep. You have homework.”

           “But I’m tired and my tummy’s full.” He rolls to his side facing his roommate, yawning. “A little nap won’t hurt. Just wake me up in an hour or so.” He snuggles into his pillow, curling up on his side getting comfortable.

           Baekhyun’s body goes lax right before Zitao’s eyes. He thinks this is another thing to add to his list of things to know about Baekhyu: he’s easily sated by food.

           While Baekhyun sleeps, Zitao rushes through his homework easily, never having had much problem with school related issues. It’s the least of his problems at the moment anyways and once he’s finished, he decides to shower early. He takes the time alone to assess his wounds better because Baekhyun had interrupted him in the morning.

           As he unwraps the bandage and peels back the gauze, Zitao inspects the rapidly healing wound. The skin is already reconnecting, forming a thin scar. It’s still sensitive, more so than his usual wounds considering the style of knife used, but he should be able to remove the stitches in another day or so. Knowing Baekhyun’s curious, overly concerned nature, Zitao decides he needs to practice caution so that Baekhyun doesn’t find out about this. It would raise too many questions that Zitao can’t answer and Baekhyun shouldn’t know the answers anyways, shouldn’t even be given the opportunity to ask the questions. If he finds out that Zitao has completely recovered from such a devastating wound in three days, there’s no way he wouldn’t ask questions because it’s physically impossible for a normal person to recover so quickly.

           Of course, Zitao isn’t normal, never has been, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to be. He’s tired of trying to live up to family expectations and legacies. He doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps, hates the amount of pressure that’s been placed on him since birth. He refuses to follow the status quo and ever since he publicly rejected his family, he’s only met with one troublesome situation after another. If it isn’t someone trying to get him to return home, it’s another trying to kill him.

           That’s what happened the day Baekhyun moved in. Zitao received a call from a friend, asking him to meet up so they could talk because they hadn’t seen each other since Zitao declared himself a rogue over a year ago. No one was supposed to associate with him, but his friend insisted they meet and at least talk about what’s happened in the past year. He said he was worried for Zitao’s safety that he didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him.

           It was a setup though. Zitao was basically led into a trap; one that consisted of three highly skilled trackers, wielding specially crafted knives meant to kill his kind. Luckily Zitao’s blood is strong and he was quick to notice his friend’s awkward attitude when they met up. It’s a pathetic move for someone to hire outside hunters and give them information about how to track down a member of his own kind. If the rest of the pack finds out, he’ll be considered a traitor and even if he succeeded in his mission to kill Zitao, he wouldn’t last long using such underhanded methods. Trackers are the enemy, always have been and to even consider working with them is a death wish.

           During the confrontation, Zitao was able to kill two of the trackers, ripping their throats out easily. The third caught him in the act of killing the others and blindly his knife into Zitao’s stomach by hooking his arm as he stood behind him. The tracker ran away cowardly, thinking the stab would be enough to infect Zitao and kill him. Except, the tainted knife only kept him from healing on the spot like he usually would, causing him to bleed profusely all the way back to the dorm. Baekhyun’s efforts to clean him up helped more than he thought it would and the medicine he received from his friend easily counteracted the knife’s poisonous affects on his body.

           Now, because of his old friend’s lust for power, Zitao has a tracker seeking him, which means anyone around him isn’t safe, especially Baekhyun. He knew it was only a matter of time before something else happened, but he didn’t expect to drag someone else into his world. His previous roommates had always been hurt when Zitao wasn’t around simply because his scent lingered on them and the people tracking Zitao thought they were sending messages by injuring these people, thinking they were friends of Zitao’s, that they actually meant something to him. None of the incidents with his other roommates bothered him much. He had chosen to keep his distance from the people around him, to keep himself emotionally unattached, but this time is different. Baekhyun isn’t giving him the chance to keep his distance and Zitao finds he doesn’t want to distance himself.

           There’s something incredibly different about Baekhyun, something that topples over Zitao’s guard making Baekhyun desirable, making Zitao want to stay close, want to get to know him, want to protect him more than any of the others and it scares Zitao how much he’s affected by this helpless child. This power of attraction worries him because it’s so strong. He’s only known Baekhyun for two days and he’s already at the point that he would be willing to do anything to protect him. He’s trying to pretend he doesn’t care, that Baekhyun doesn’t have this power over him, but even now, Zitao is on high alert; his senses are attuned to Baekhyun, to his scent, to his calmly beating heart and soft breathing. Even though Zitao knows he is sleeping just on the other side of the wall, the fact that he can’t see Baekhyun right now irritates him, makes him anxious, so he speeds through his shower to get back to the room and have Baekhyun back in his sights again.

           He’s amazed at the relief that washes over him as he sets his eyes on Baekhyun’s sleeping form. He’s also annoyed with himself for letting this happen, for letting his defenses down around Baekhyun. He could blame it all on the fact that he needed help that first night, but that’s not really it. There’s something greater pulling them together, Zitao just isn’t sure what exactly it is.

           As he drifts into a deep thought, Baekhyun shifts in his sleep, groaning as he finally wakes up.

           “Whatcha staring at?” he grumbles, drawing Zitao’s attention.

           He shakes his head coming back to reality, saying the first thing that comes to mind. “I was wondering how someone could be so ugly while they’re sleeping.”

           Baekhyun gapes, slightly offended, slightly amused. “You’re one to talk,” he says pushing himself up with some effort. “At least I don’t drool.”

           “And you’re saying I do?”

           Baekhyun nods his head eagerly. “Yeah, I wasn’t going to say anything because it’s rude to comment on things like this but your tongue even hangs out a bit. It makes you look like an overgrown puppy.”

           Zitao thinks Baekhyun has no idea how close to being right he is, finds it laughable. “Actually, you do this sort of whining thing when you sleep, so you kind of sound like a puppy.”

           “I do not.” Baekhyun laughs, launching his pillow across the room. Zitao catches it easily, throwing it back without much force.

           “So, what kind of puppy do I look like?” Zitao jokes, catching Baekhyun off guard with the question.

           There’s a pause as Baekhyun stares at Zitao, biting his lip and cocking his head in deep concentration. “Maybe a Labrador or even a Rottweiler,” he replies after a while. “Oh, I know, a German Shepherd!”

           Zitao considers it for a moment, somewhat liking the comparison.

           “What about me?” Baekhyun asks, hugging his pillow waiting eagerly for the answer.

           “That’s tough.” Zitao leans back, resting on his arms as he comes up with the right breed of puppy to describe Baekhyun. He smiles deviously before answering, “You’re a Teacup Yorkie.”

           “What! I’m not a Teacup Yorkie,” he exclaims chunking his pillow back at Zitao, who lets it hit him this time, watching as it rolls to the floor.

           “But you’re so small and feisty. It’s a perfect fit for you.”

           “I’m not that small,” Baekhyun huffs. “I’m almost as tall as you and you don’t weigh much more than me.”

           “You’re still smaller than me,” Zitao teases. “Besides, Yorkies are cute and everyone thinks that about you. Just admit it; it suits you.”

           “Never,” Baekhyun says, standing from the bed and slowly stalking towards Zitao. “Take it back.”

           “Or what?” Zitao smirks. “Are you going to bite me?”

           “I just might.” Baekhyun grins. “This is your last chance. Take it back.”

           Zitao shakes his head only once and very slowly. “Nope.”

           “Fine. You asked for it.” Baekhyun crouches before jumping forward, pushing Zitao back on the bed. He sits on him while playfully hitting Zitao in the chest, using hardly any force. “I told you to take it back. I’m not a Teacup Yorkie,” he says between punches.

           Zitao laughs, grabbing Baekhyun’s hands to stop the attack. Suddenly, realization crosses Baekhyun’s face and he’s rolling off of Zitao in a rush. “I’m sorry. I forgot. Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you did I? Please tell me you’re not hurt.” His hands hover over Zitao’s covered waist, unsure of what to do as he panics about Zitao’s condition.

           Zitao remains laying on his back, closing his eyes, and placing a hand on his side while making a noise between a laugh and a groan. He only really feels a dull pain, but he plays it up for Baekhyun’s sake. “I’ll be fine,” he says, wincing to add to his ruse. He thinks for a moment before grinning. “But you have to admit you’re a Teacup Yorkie.”

           Baekhyun rears back ready to hit Zitao but he decides against. “I’m not,” he whines.

           Zitao rolls to his side, curling into himself as he yelps in fake pain. “How could you hurt an injured man? You’re so cruel.”

           Baekhyun watches, somewhat concerned, hands still reaching out to touch, to comfort. “What do you want? What can I do?” he asks.

           Zitao buries his face in his comforter, still groaning. “Admit you’re a Yorkie and I’ll feel a little better.”

           “No. I’m not going to.” Baekhyun frowns in annoyance.

           “I think you opened my stitches.” Zitao gasps, adding a little pressure to his side, as if trying to assess his wound through his shirt and bandages.

           “What? Let me check.” Baekhyun covers Zitao’s hand in an attempt to move it.

           “No.” Zitao struggles to stand, while clutching his side. “You’ll just end up injuring me further. I’ll check it myself.” He stumbles to the bathroom, quickly closing the door in Baekhyun’s face.

           “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need help?” Baekhyun shuffles back and forth in front of the closed door, more worried now than before because he can’t see what’s happening.

           Zitao makes a bit of noise by banging things against the counter, pretending to struggle. He finds he really enjoys teasing Baekhyun.

           “Please let me in so I can make sure you’re okay?” Baekhyun practically whines as he rests against the bathroom door.

           “Only if you admit it,” Zitao calls back. “I’ll let you in if you say you’re a Yorkie.”

           “No.” Baekhyun hits the door his fist. “You’ll bleed to death first.”

           Zitao leans against the counter, remaining silent for a moment before saying, “! I really am bleeding.” He opens and closes the cabinets loudly, pretending to panic.

           “Really?” Baekhyun perks up. “Let me in! Let me see!”

           Zitao quiets down, but doesn’t respond.

           “Open up!”

           It’s silent.

           He beats on the door.

           Still nothing.

           “Fine,” Baekhyun huffs. “I’m a Yorkie! You happy? Now open the door.”

           Zitao smiles to himself in the mirror, basking in his success for a moment before opening the door to a rather disheveled Baekhyun. “Just kidding,” he says. “I’m fine.”

           Baekhyun’s look of concern turns into a frown accompanied by a glare and then a punch to Zitao’s left arm. “You’re cruel,” he says, pushing past Zitao and into the bathroom. “Get out! I’m taking a shower to cool off before I really maim you.”

           Zitao laughs loudly, ruffling Baekhyun’s hair as he passes. “Sure thing Yorkie.”

           Baekhyun snaps his teeth before slamming the door.

           Zitao thinks he can get used to this, but the little voice at the back of his mind is whispering warnings, telling him not to get too close that this could end badly. He tries to ignore it thinking what does it matter, he’s already in too deep.

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhh....I don't know what to say....

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<3 Jae