It's dark. So dark. And he's scared out of his wits, but he doesn't know why. His heart is thumping like mad, and his eyes are wide with the thought that something is very wrong. But a part of him is also exasperated. Can't he go one night without a nightmare?

A dim light flashes from behind him and he swivels around. Tao lies on the ground, facedown, limp and unmoving. There's a puddle of dark liquid around him, and as Sehun steps closer to him, he sees it is blood. He gasps in surprise as the imaginary fear from before suddenly becomes real. Dead? It can't be. He gets on his knees and shakes Tao. Nothing. 

"Tao! Wake up!" All around him, the darkness is closing in. He's dying too, losing light. A slip of paper falls from the sky and lands next to him. He looks up in front of him to see someone smiling. The murderer flings the weapon towards him, a switchblade, and it clatters on the ground a few feet away. Sehun picks up the slip of paper just as the man walks away, leaving him the last person alive. He unfolds the paper.

"For you."

From the space in front of him, he hears a voice. It's neither male nor female, but a strange vibration-like tone that makes him shiver. "For you, he'd end it all."

Sehun's actually glad to see Tao the moment his eyes pop open and he wakes up, and hear his light breathing besides him. He realizes he's still holding onto Tao's hand, but he doesn't want to let go just yet. Tao is warm, and he doesn't want to wake him up. "Thank God you're alive," he whispers to no one. He can't quite think straight right now. Plus, he's in that half-awake-half-not kind of mode, and he's quite satisfied with how things are. 

And then about ten seconds later, he is fully-awake.

All the blood in his body seems to rush to his cheeks. His heart is beating erratically, skipping beats here and there, and then beating an extra time to make up for those. On top of actual skin-to-skin touching, their bodies are also quite close together, though Sehun can't remember that happening. Considering Tao's arm is still on top of him, he finds he is rather trapped. There's nothing he can do except maybe try to go back to sleep. He lets out a breath and struggles to get comfortable, though no amount of effort could get his heart to stop thumping as loud as the fireworks on New Years. He's sure that if he himself didn't wake Tao up, his heart surely would. The thumps echo in his head.

Perhaps he should get this fixed, but being a light sleeper is really taking a toll on his health. Not that his dark circles were from sleep deprivation, or he got cranky or anything. No, he just really wants to have the chance to sleep more.

Though, he wouldn't mind waking up to Sehun's face. Is he blushing? How odd.

Had Yi Fan slipped something into his drink yesterday? He feels bubbly and his thoughts are rather confusing. And "bubbly" and "confused" are not words Huang Zi Tao would associate with himself. 

He can tell Sehun's awake, but just to make sure, he asks him. "Sehun, are you awake?" He whispers.

Sehun gives the tiniest nod. "Tao, I think I may be sick," he groans softly. They both want to stay quiet, as if their loud voices could disturb the peace of waking up simultaneously in the morning.

"Why is that?" A fever? A cold? A flu? The possibilities swim in Tao's head. 

Under the covers, he sees Sehun bring his other hand up to his chest. He makes a face and squirms, as if very uncomfortable. "No. I just feel...weird." He wiggles again. Tao lifts his arm from Sehun's side to put the back of his hand against his forehead.

"Your forehead is hot," he comments.

Sehun nods meekly in response. He can only stare at Tao's hand, which is still held in his, and it all dawns on him. Sick? That was a sorry excuse. He knows what's "wrong" with him, and it's much too frightening for him to admit. Ever.

Tao finally releases his hold on Sehun's fingers, a little too casually, Sehun notes. His hand feels cold and empty, and he bites the inside of his mouth to keep himself from frowning. "You should stay in bed, then," Tao says. 

"No, it's alright." Sehun rises to a sitting position and a freezing blast of air hits him. ". Why is it so cold?"

Tao yawns before standing. "Stay here. I'll go ask." He leaves the room quickly, rubbing his arms as he walks. It really is cold. Unnaturally so. The manor always had the heater on in winter.

He finds Yi Fan in the kitchen downstairs, looking impeccable in his butler uniform. With a scowl, he begrudgingly walks up to him and asks, "What's wrong with the heat?" His bare feet sting with every step he takes on the icy tiled floor.

Yi Fan turns at the sound of his voice. "The heater is broken. I'm afraid it'll be like this for a day or two before we can get it fixed." A corner of his lips turns up. "Cold, dear?" He leans forward on his toes.

"I'll go tell the young master," Tao says indifferently, ignoring the question. He walks away quickly and before leaving the room, he hears Yi Fan say, "Hurry along now."

Sometimes, Tao knows, it is best to ignore him.

When he returns back to Sehun's room, he sees him sitting quietly on the bed wearing a wool sweater with too-long sleeves and dark, skinny jeans. To say it's different seeing him in these clothes would be an understatement. Sehun is short sleeves and shorts, or light pajama pants and tank, except that one time they snuck outside for the day. Sehun looks warm, and gentle, and...fluffy. Tao coughs awkwardly. He never thought that word could fit a person so nicely as it did in this moment. His white sleeves reach up to his fingertips and as he raises his hand to rub his eye, Tao stands there silently watching until Sehun looks up and notices him there.

"What is it?" He asks, eyes staring up at his bodyguard. Tao shakes his head, more for himself than for Sehun.

"The heater is broken." He takes a seat next to Sehun on the bed.

Sehun lets out an aggravated sigh. "," he mumbles under his breath. He stands and begins pacing. It's as if he can feel the temperature in the house steadily declining along with his mood.

"Do you want me to go and make coffee?" It seemed like the typical thing to do. Their morning routine, almost.

"No, today is not a coffee day."

"Excuse me?"

Sehun blinks at him. "Well, look outside." He pulls Tao up and towards the window.

"Wow."

The world outside is a pure white, the ground blanketed in a thin layer of, yes, snow. The first snowfall of the year. Delicate snowflakes sprinkle the air, creating a nearly fog-like illusion. The window glass is covered in the little tendrils of ice that spread across the pane in an intricate pattern. Magical and beautiful, it is. 

"See?" Sehun says softly. "Today isn't a coffee day. Coffee would make today hard and difficult. Today is hot chocolate, or maybe tea."

Tao smiles. He can't help it. He loves seeing this side of Sehun, a side that's little more open with him and glad to have his company. A side of him that is small and childlike, someone who can smile and say what they please. 

Sehun turns to see Tao smiling at him. He's overwhelmed with the sudden thought that, oh goodness, Tao is kind of cute. He gulps. 

"Which would you prefer?" Tao asks.

"I suppose hot chocolate. I'm more fond of sweet things."

Without really thinking it through, Tao reaches over and musses Sehun's hair with that small smile on his face before heading downstairs. "I'll bring it back upstairs for you," he says on his way out.

Sehun touches his head lightly. His hair is a mess and he's a bit touchy about people seeing it when it's un-styled. His cheeks blush a little as he mutters to the empty air, "Don't-- don't do that."

Tao has a faint memory from his childhood. A very, very faint one that barely slips through his mind. His mother, before she'd suddenly disappeared, had taught him how to make hot chocolate without using store-bought powder packets one cold winter. In comparison, it tasted a whole lot better, and had a homemade feel to it. It wasn't hard to decide to make it instead of even opening the cardboard box of mix on top of the fridge.

He did, however, open the refrigerator to check for the simple ingredients needed. Luckily, the manor had more than its share of food stocked. He grabbed the milk, a bag of chocolate chips, and some sugar.

He's about finished making the drink some twenty minutes later when he hears footsteps behind him. He turns to see Sehun making his way towards him with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Is he sensitive to cold? He asks himself. He keeps the thought in mind.

Pouring out enough for two people, he sets the mugs in front of their usual spots on the bar stools. "No," Sehun says before Tao can sit down. "It's too cold. Let's go to the library."

"Sure," he picks up the cups again. Sehun takes one from him and holds the hot mug close to his face. 

The library is a wide space, with floor-to-ceiling shelves overflowing with books. Stacks of them are scattered across the room, mostly up against the walls, creating an open space in the middle of the room. At the very center is a glass coffee table, with two sofas on either side for comfortable sitting, and a love seat in between.

Sehun plops down on the love seat and hugs his knees. The smaller, he thinks, he can make himself, the more heat he can preserve in his body. He looks up at Tao, who's taken a seat on the sofa to his right. "Do you want a blanket too? There's another one upstairs somewhere," he says, already standing. 

"It's fine. Just," he stands and moves to where Sehun is, "do this instead." He falls next to him, motioning for him to sit again, and takes a corner of the blanket, folding one side of it around himself. 

Sehun feels a thudding in his chest. What an awful sickness, he thinks. He takes a sip from his drink. Sharing blankets? It's nothing. Nothing at all.

Tao seems unfazed by the closeness. Is it weird? He certainly doesn't think so, but he notices the young master's sudden aura of discomfort. His eyes drift from one thing to another, obviously avoiding looking anywhere close to Tao, and he's tapping the side of his cup with his pinky rather timidly. "Is there something wrong, Sehun?" He tilts his head towards him.

He's too close. Much too close. Sehun's mind stumbles. "No. Nothing." He continues staring at his mug. "Shouldn't you change? Aren't you cold at all?" He raises an eyebrow at Tao, who's still in a t-shirt and pajama pants. Normal. He must act normal.

"I'm not cold as of now."

Sehun nods, feeling awkward. The silence is interrupted by a ringing. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and checks the screen. Luhan is calling him. He answers quickly.

"Hello?"

"'Morning, Sehun!"

"Good morning, Luhan."

"Listen, I don't think I'll be able to make it today. The snow's causing some traffic." Through the phone static, Sehun hears a car horn sound in the background. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Don't worry about it. Make it safely home, and please be careful."

"Thanks, Sehun-ah. Well, I'll see you soon then!" 

Sehun says his goodbye and hangs up. 

Alone with Tao in the manor, filling silent hours. His day looks empty ahead of him. But it does him no good to over think it. He takes another sip before the drink can go cold.

"Who was it?" Tao asks. His voice slightly echoes in the circular space.

"Luhan. He says he can't come today."

"I see." Tao looks at him curiously. 

They drink slowly. Sehun wants to fidget -- badly -- but Tao's arm is pressed against his and it's as if his body heat is seeping and joining with Sehun's own through his sweater. It's almost hypnotizing. The combination of their dizzying proximity and the warmth from the cocoa is enough to make him sleepy. He can't even find the energy to put his cup down.

His eyelids start to droop. The only thing keeping him awake is his sporadic heartbeat, and soon even that becomes just background music. To make matters worse, he'd woken up not long ago, and fatigue still resides in his system.

He'd closed his eyes for about two seconds before feeling something hit his shoulder. He peeks over at Sehun, fast asleep, his hair tickling Tao's neck. Tao shifts a bit -- the young master had settled onto a painful spot -- and moves Sehun's head to rest on his collarbone instead.

He has a sudden idea. It's no harm if Sehun never notices, right? Tao pets Sehun's hair in two small motions, and immediately feels flustered. Tao doesn't know why he just did that, why he'd wanted to in the first place. Sehun's hair was soft and thick under his fingertips. 

Being stuck in this position leaves him no choice, really. He takes the mug from the boy's hand, sets it down, tilts his head onto Sehun's, and closes his eyes. He needs his hours anyway.

Sehun feels as if it'd been years since he'd had dreamless sleep. He'd closed his eyes and woken up after what seemed to have been seconds later only to feel well rested and wide awake. And there's something on his head. 

It takes some thinking to realize that Tao is asleep too. They're practically piled on top of each other in sorts. 

"Tao?" He whispers, unsure if the older has awoken yet or not.

"Yes?" Tao replies, sitting up straight. Sehun also moves off quickly. His muscles ache from the odd positioning; he ought not to sleep sideways.

Sehun opens his mouth to say something when he is all of a sudden struck with a strange feeling of anxiety. An unsure knot in his stomach, like he might say something wrong. He's nervous, and he desperately wants to talk to someone, anyone, about this. 

It's the sleeping with him. It's the waking up to his face. It's him always being there. It's him always taking care of Sehun. It's him sharing a blanket, letting him sleep on his shoulder, not getting angry when Sehun woke him up. It's balling up inside.

He glances at the clock. If he were at school, it'd be lunch about now. "I'll be right back. I need to make a phone call." 

Tao nods in response. Sehun leaves in a hurry, pulling out his phone as he opens the door. He lets it slam behind him as he half-jogs, half-runs, down the corridor to the bathroom. He locks the door and slides his back down the wall as he slowly comes to see what he's done. He hadn't meant to storm out (he hopes it hadn't seemed that way) but it's really getting to be too much, and he doesn't know how to handle these situations. But he knows someone who hopefully does. Better late than never.

Sehun dials the number purely out of memory and it rings twice before someone picks up on the other end.

"Sehun?" Jongin almost drops his lunchbox. Why is he calling now of all times?

"Hey," Sehun says. He can hear the surprise in Jongin's voice.

"What do you want?"

"I have a slight problem." He doesn't know how to phrase this any better. "And I kind of need your help, like, now."

He hears Jongin say, "I'll be right back" to, he guesses, Kyungsoo. He waits for Jongin to say something. It's a couple minutes before he hears, "Alright, what is it?"

"Where are you now?"

"I went to the courtyard. Classroom was too loud. So what's up?"

"I, um," he has no clue how to go about this subject, "I think I...um...."

"Yes?" Jongin isn't sure what this "slight problem" could possibly be, but he's getting impatient. What if it's about the threat? Is there news? Has it gotten worse?

"I think I might," Sehun's voice is getting softer and softer, "like Tao."

The following silence is unbearably aggravating. And then Jongin bursts out laughing. He'd worried for nothing.

"What do you want me to say? I told you so." 

Sehun groans. He regrets this decision immediately. "Jongin. What am I supposed to do?" He rubs his temples to prevent the incoming headache.

"Get with him? I don't know. What the hell happened?"

"I... I..." his voice is coming out in squeaks. "We slept together. Just sleeping. Not the you're thinking of right now." Because he knows Jongin well. And Jongin would definitely have thought of bull. 

Jongin lets out a sigh. "I don't know how to help you there then. You two live together, for god's sake. He's your bodyguard. He's temporary, Sehun. Maybe you shouldn't go too deep into it. Just let it disappear."

Jongin is advising him out of it? Sehun doesn't know whether to feel shocked or relieved. "Alright, I guess. Now go back to class, I'm sure Kyungsoo is waiting for you. Tell him I said hi or something."

"Yeah. Bye."

"Bye."

He hangs up and the line is dead, leaving him with more questions than answers.

A/N Hi everyone! I first want to say thank you SO MUCH for 100+ subscribers! I really really appreciate all the support for this FF and I promise to work my best to make it super awesome >w< I wish I could update faster for you all T^T I seriously love reading all the comments I get and even though I may not respond to them all, I feel so happy after I read them hahaha

I really like writing about the more cutesy romantic stuff so I figured I'd write a less important chapter and give myself an excuse to write something like this lol I hope you all like it <3 Thank you again everyone!