Something was wrong. He felt it as soon as he stepped into the school yard, scanning the crowd for his friends and boyfriend. While Kyungsoo, Sehun and Kai were chatting excitedly as usual, his Panda sat alone, shoulders slouched and eyes unfocused. 

Approaching them, Kris went over their conversation from the night before, looking for any clue as to what was wrong with him. Everything had been fine. Perfect, actually. Kris couldn't help the smile that graced his lips every time he thought about Saturday evening. Every time he thought of Tao's lips, touches, moans. His face lost in pleasure. It made something inside him swell. It hadn't been the first time he'd done that, but he wasn't used to it either. Usually, he'd been on the receiving end of those touches, but with Tao was different. He did it because he wanted to. He wanted to see his boyfriend twist in pleasure, he wanted to be close, closer than ever. He wanted to reassure him of their relationship. Let him know he'd wait for him if he wanted to. He wanted to show him how much he liked him. How much he loved him. 

Love. Just the thought of it freaked him out. Because of how it'd ended the last time. But, depressing thoughts aside, it was also thrilling. From liking to loving was a huge breach, and he knew he loved Tao. He had liked him for a long time, but now those feelings had evolved, gotten much stronger, deeper. He liked everything about him. The way he laughed. Talked. Walked. Breathed. The way he'd blush every time Kris said something cheesy. Every time he touched him. He liked Tao desperately much. He loved him desperately much. 

So, despite not knowing what was wrong with him, it hurt. It hurt as if it was happening to himself. The previous night's messages had ended abruptly, and he had only assumed the Panda had fallen asleep in front of his phone, but now he wasn't so sure. He pushed back the doubt that had crept into his mind, finally reaching them. His friends greeted him as usual, but Kyungsoo shook his head when he motioned towards his boyfriend, who remained oblivious to his presence. From the short distance between them, he could clearly see the more pronounced dark circles and the general worn out look of the boy, who was now frowning down at his phone. Kris was only noticed when he shook his hand in front of the device. Tao raised his head, attempting a smile at him. 

"Hey Kris. I didn't see you there." 

"Hi, Panda. Is everything okay?" he questioned, stopping his hand from caressing his cheek when he remembered they were at school. He sighed inwardly. 

Tao, on the other hand, nodded vigorously, "Yeah, everything is fine! Why are you asking?" 

He raised an eyebrow at the obviously fake response, but he dropped the subject, seeing as the other boy obviously didn't want to talk about it.  

"Anyway, here's your shirt," he smirked down at him, "Thanks." 

Tao took said piece of clothing, cheeks coloring slightly before lowering his gaze. "I forgot yours. Sorry."

"Don't worry," he lowered his voice, leaning closer, just for Tao to hear, "There'll be plenty more opportunities for you to return it, right?"

Hearing no response from the distracted boy, he straightened his back, scowling. He couldn't help but to wonder if he had done something wrong, said something wrong. It couldn't be about Saturday, right? Tao had also been happy about it, even comforting him after his embarrassment in front of his mother. The promise he'd made afterwards had had Kris sleepless for a fair share of the night, and the following day they'd texted as usual. He couldn't wrap his head around it. What had happened between their late night texts and that morning?

Lunchtime went by unusually quiet as Tao was still down. Kris tried to interrogate him as soon as he thought nobody was paying attention to them, but he always got the same answer. That he was fine. That nothing was wrong. That no, he wasn't angry with him. He was fine. Only that he wasn't. By early afternoon Kris was straight out worried. Seeing as they'd cancelled their lessons, they'd joined Joonmyeon and Chen in their walk around the city. No matter how much of a pain in the Chen was being, the Panda didn't even bat an eyelid at him, and when Tao ignored the shop displays in favor of his cellphone screen, Kris was sure something was definitely going on. The Panda and Joonmyeon went back for their practice not long after, as the remaining two wandered around for a while longer before also making their way back.

The atmosphere was odd as soon as they entered the gym. Scanning the place, he immediately spotted the problem. Tao was on his side of the field, absent-mindedly explaining a new movement. Most of his team was wearing a frown on their faces as they watched their usually cheerful leader looking so troubled. 

He spent that half of his practice sneaking glances at the other side of the field. It was obvious that by now the whole wushu team had noticed their leader's unusual mood, so they let him be. When he saw the other team about to leave the gym after practice, Kris took a chance to sprint towards his boyfriend, stopping him with a hand on his elbow. 

"Hey, Panda. Can you wait for me?" 

Tao turned around, once again attempting a smile, "Sorry Kris. I can't. Mom got angry when I got home late last Friday." 

Excuses. Kris felt the uneasy feeling stir on his stomach again. Tao took a step backwards, heading towards the locker room. 

"But I'll text you, okay?" he said before turning away from him. 

After a horrible practice in which he was barely able to catch a ball, Kris returned to his place. He the lights as he walked through the empty house, a habit he'd picked when he was younger. Back then, every corner of the dark, lonely house felt dangerous, and that was the only thing that had help him get through it. He was no longer afraid, but the habit had stuck. After a quick shower, he made himself a couple of toasts, munching them quietly as he thought about that day's problem. Pulling his cellphone out, he was gladly surprised to find a message from his boyfriend, despite it only being about some online RPG they'd talked about the previous night. He ignored the text, opting instead for calling the Panda. When he picked up after a few rings, he was more than relieved to hear his voice less upset.

He ended up connecting online himself, feeling the weight lift of his shoulders when Tao's laughter bubbled through the phone. It felt as if he hadn't heard it in way too long, and he hated it. But now his boyfriend seemed to be feeling better, chatting and asking questions about the game. Kris decided that there would be time to ask him about that evening, but there was no point to it now that the boy was happy. After all, it was the only thing that mattered.  

He glanced at his clock, jumping slightly at the time. He hadn't realized they had spent so much time playing, and now it was really late.

"We should really go to sleep," he chuckled lightly, still amazed by the speed time went by when he talked to his boyfriend.

"What? Now? Just a bit longer. Please," he whined. It was really hard to say no to that.

"It's already midnight, and we've been playing since I got home. I'm tired," he tried to reason weakly. If Tao wanted him to stay, he would stay.

"A couple of minutes more! Come on!" he pleaded. Kris could imagine his pouting face, and just the thought of it made him smile. Now there was no way he was going to sleep.

"But aren't you tired?" he questioned. He was surprised Tao hadn't fallen asleep before, as lately he had been sleeping as much as he could.

"No. I don't want to sleep," his tone was back to miserable, and Kris leaned forward on his seat, suddenly alert.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, although he already knew the answer.  

"What? Uhm, sure. Why wouldn't I?"

"You sound weird." A long pause followed his statement, and he had begun to believe the Panda had fallen asleep when he heard a sigh. Needless to say, it didn't exactly stop him from worrying.

"I'm fine. Can you stay for a while?"

Kris nodded, despite knowing the other boy couldn't see him. And he stayed. He'd stay forever if the boy asked him to. 

A small yawn took him out of his thoughts an hour later. 

"Tired, Panda?" he smirked.

"Not at all. But I'm starving. Missed dinner and now there's nothing good at home," he whined. Kris raised an eyebrow, worries hitting him full force again. Missed dinner? Since when did his boyfriend skip the opportunity to eat? 

"Well... What do you want, then?"

Not even a heartbeat later the answer came through the phone, and he couldn't help but to smile.

"Hamburger!" Tao chirped excitedly.

"Now?" One in the morning didn't exactly sound like the time to be craving that sort of food. But, thinking about it, he hadn't really had dinner either, having completely forgotten about it while he talked to Tao. And now a hamburger sounded like a pretty good idea, "Okay. Let’s go get some."

"Now?!"

"Sure. Get ready, I'll pick you up in my bike."

Tao shrieked a quite unmanly shriek, and Kris almost hit himself for finding it so adorable. Was there something his boyfriend could do he didn't find at least endearing? He doubted it. After grabbing a coat and his keys, he made the ten minutes ride towards Tao's home. The boy left the house as soon as Kris texted that he was outside, closing the door behind him slowly and then skipping towards him. He greeted Kris, placing a short kiss on his mouth, and said boy felt relief wash over him. At least now he was completely sure that whatever was making his boyfriend so upset had nothing to do with him. Besides, they hadn't kissed since Saturday evening, and he had been missing his lips way too much. 

Tao begun to get on the motorbike, being extremely careful not to touch it at all. Chuckling, he remembered what he'd told him about scratching it or something. What an idiot. He should have imagined that he wouldn't forget about it. The truth was that, besides the fact that he really liked his bike, he could care less if it was Tao who scratched it. After all, he loved him much more. When they were settled, he passed his boyfriend the only helmet he had, making a mental note to buy another one if these trips were going to be a thing. 

Trying not to dwell on how freaking adorable and kind of y Tao looked with his helmet on, he started the engine. Tao wrapped his arms around him to keep himself from falling. But Kris felt that there was also another reason for it. Like if he needed it. Needed the warmth and the support. Needed Kris to be there, just as he had asked him to. And he would be.

Tao's grip on him got even tighter when he started the bike, making Kris smile at how endearing he found the silly gesture. 

The 24hs McDonald was nearly empty when they finally pulled up at the parking lot. After all, not many people craved greasy food at two in the morning. Kris chucked. His boyfriend was just that special. Hand in hand, they walked into the place, earning suspicious glances from both the guy behind the desk and the couple of elders by the far back table. Two teenagers alone in the middle of the night must have been a pretty unusual sight. The Panda's eyes immediately lit up while he scanned the menu on top of their heads. Kris had to suppress a fit of laughter at the incredulous, and kind of scared, look the employee shot his slim boyfriend when, after not too much consideration, he ordered a whole family meal. He paid for his own cheeseburger and soda, sitting by the counter to wait for the order to be ready. 

Not long after, he sat amusedly in front of his boyfriend, who was already on his second burger, three to go. The first one had practically disappeared right before his eyes. Tao had sighed happily, grabbed a couple of fries and started on the second one. He took a bite and moaned slightly, and it took all of Kris' will power not to kiss him right then. Instead, he took a bite of his much more modest meal. He tried to push back the thought that Tao must have been incredibly hungry, as he had actually skipped dinner that night. What inevitably returned him to the question of why was he so upset he had even stopped eating. 

Soon, Kris finished his meal and leaned on his hand, staring at his boyfriend intently. It was just hard to believe that he was his. Their one month anniversary would be the following day, and it had been his favorite month ever. Tao paused from where he was about to take another bite, returning his gaze. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he questioned, frowning slightly. 

A warm smile spread on Kris' face as he shook his head slightly, "You're just adorable when you eat."

The Panda blushed in return, muttering something about him being way too cheesy, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips while he resumed eating. 

"Are you sure you don't want one of mine?" His frown deepened as he gestured towards his two remaining burgers, eyes still happy and content. 

"I'm fine. I don't actually like fast food that much. It's bad for you and not even that tasty."

Tao gaped at him, a deep pout grazing his face as Kris finished explaining. Kris suppressed a smile at how the younger boy was looking at him as if he had just kicked a puppy. After a minute, though, his face relaxed and he shrugged, taking a sip of his soda.

"Your loss," he took another happy bite, humming contently at the taste. Kris followed his every movement with his eyes, mesmerized with the look of pure joy on his face. Then he was leaning in, taking a bite from a very surprised Tao. He swallowed and smirked.

"But I can eat if it's you feeding me." Tao blushed slightly, smiling nonetheless. Rolling his eyes and muttering a soft "cheesy", he suddenly leaned closer, a hand reaching for his boyfriend's face. Running a finger through the corner of his lips, he cleaned a little bit of salsa that the burger had left there. Kris grinned amusedly, although the boy didn't seem to notice what he had done, as he resumed finishing his remaining burgers.

They'd been sitting around after finishing their meal for a couple of minutes when Tao mentioned that he felt like eating ice cream. Once again, Kris was left to think if the Panda ever got completely full. But, being the faithful servant that he was, they left the place once again, beginning the odyssey of finding an open ice-cream shop at three in the morning. Deeming the task impossible, they settled for some supermarket popsicles, and made their way towards the park.

Despite him being used to wandering around at night, Kris had never actually sat in the deserted park so late. Their bench was peaceful and safe, stars visible through the thin layer of leaves above them. The early morning was warm and damp, dew covering everything around them, making it look weirdly enchanting. 

Laying his head on his boyfriend's shoulder, Tao begun to eat his ice cream, and he followed suit. Without wanting to disturb the peace of their surroundings, they talked in hushed whispers. Kris listened to his Panda ramble about the game they'd played together that afternoon, just enjoying the way he was pressed to his side, his melodic voice lulling him to sleep. He was tired, yes, but Tao didn't seem eager to return home, despite having been awake for almost twenty hours. So, he was kind of relieved when he started to yawn, eyes drooping slightly. 

"Are you tired, Taozi? Want to go back?" 

The boy shook his head, a cute little pout grazing his lips.  

"I'm not tired. I don't want to sleep," he mumbled against his shoulder, and when Kris turned his head around to look at him, the miserable look he had worn the whole day was back on his eyes, making his stomach twist painfully. 

Tao yawned once again, burrowing himself deeper into the elder's side. 

"Why not?" He was obviously worn out, dark circles looking dangerously dark, skin unusually pale. 

"I don't want to dream," he sighed to himself. 

Kris tightened his grip around him, once again repeating the question. He was getting increasingly worried about him. He knew quite a lot about not wanting to sleep, and it made him sick knowing his boyfriend was going through something so distressing he felt like that.

"I'll dream about my dad," was the barely audible response.

Kris wasn't sure of what he had been expecting, but it was definitely not that. 

"Oh," he couldn't seem to find the connection between this and his sudden depression, "And what's wrong with that?"   

"Now, everything," Tao mumbled sadly. 

And then he got it. It was his dad. Although it didn't make a lot of sense. He knew the boy missed him terribly, but lately he had been better, seeing as apparently his father was a lot happier and Tao had settled to his routine of calling him every day.

"Did something happen?"

The Panda nodded slightly, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. "He called me last night," he begun, sleepiness slowly taking over him, "He met someone. He... really likes her. He's serious about her."

His sadness was evident in his tone, and Kris honestly didn't know how to make it go away. Wrapping his arms around him, he pressed a kiss to his warm temple. The boy pushed him back softly, staring right into Kris' eyes, his own watering slightly. 

"Am I being too selfish Kris? I love my dad, I should be happy that he is happy now, right? But I'm not," he rushed out, angrily wiping the few tears that had managed to leave his eyes, "What about my mom? I love her too. I don't want her to be alone. I don't want him dating that woman. Won't they get back together? Why can't everything be like it used to? They were happy before! Maybe," he paused, taking a shuddering breath, "Maybe they can be happy again, right? And then everything will be fine. We can go home or stay here or whatever. I don't care. But this ruins everything and I'm just a horrible son that can't be happy for him. Why is this happening, Kris?" he pressed his eyes together, visibly trying to stop himself from crying.  He lay back on Kris' shoulder, who sat there, feeling utterly useless. Doing the only thing he could to help him, he wrapped his arms around him tightly, running his hands over his back. Tao hid his face on the crook of his neck, and soon an anguished sob ripped through him, his thin frame shaking as Kris felt hot tears dampen his shirt. Knowing words wouldn't be useful, he just stayed there, reassuring him that he wasn't alone. He was there for him. He'd always be. 

After Kris' lips had trailed his neck up and down several times, the sobs subsided and Tao pulled away, eyes swollen and cheeks flushed. Kris wiped away some stray tears, kissing his cheek softly and hugging him one more time before getting up.  It was so late it was already early, and dawn would break soon. Wordlessly, he pulled the boy close to him, guiding him towards his parked bike. He wrapped his boyfriend's arms around himself, as so many emotions had worn him out and now he was barely able to keep his eyes open. 

Nudging him slightly when they got to the front of his house, Kris managed to wake his boyfriend enough for him to get down from the motorbike. His eyes still looked puffy, although he wasn't crying anymore, but it pained him seeing the boy like that, knowing there was nothing he could do to make him feel better.  

"Thanks Kris," he mumbled before attempting to turn away, his utterly broken tone hurting him even more than what seeing him crying had. 

He reached for him, grabbing his sleeve and tugging him closer, until they were flushed together, his face pressed to the Panda's soft, black hair. The boy clung to him, burying his face deeper on his chest. Kris pulled away just enough to capture his lips, the salty taste of tears tingling on his tongue. Tao returned it immediately, needy and fast. They broke apart a few seconds later, and he felt cold run through his spine, bringing his boyfriend close once again. It freaked him out how it physically pained him seeing him suffering like that.  

"You should go to sleep. You'll feel better," he mumbled, detaching himself from the grip they both needed so much. Tao's face fell once again, and it took him every ounce of self-control he had not to wrap him with a blanket and take him home. Forever. "Don't make that face..." he trailed off, mind rushing frenetically in search for something, anything he could do to make him feel better. "You'll dream about me tonight. I promise," he took a step closer once again, attaching his lips to the Panda's forehead. Tao nodded warily, reaching up to catch his lips shortly once again. 

"I will," his sheepish smile was replaced by a pout instantly. "But you have to stop."

Kris raised a brow, confused, although somewhat relieved, as despite his raspy voice the boy's tone was back to its usual playfulness. "What?"

"Being all..." he scrunched his nose, a smile playing on the corner of his lips, "Cute and corny. I don't think I can take it anymore," he pouted, a mischievous glint on his eyes, earning a grin from his boyfriend, who decided to play along. 

Huffing, he scowled, "Then you have to stop acting so adorable. I can't help it."

The Panda rolled his eyes, finally beaming. "There you go. Cheesy again," he turned around. Just before entering the house he stopped, smiling at the clearing sky before looking back at his boyfriend. "Happy monthiversary, FanFan."

He chuckled slightly when Kris scowled. Their anniversary was supposed to be the following day. Then it hit him that it already was the following day and he grinned, before frowning. "Hey, I was supposed to say it first," he whined childishly. 

Tao laughed under his breath, "Too slow. Bye Kris." Once again, he made it towards the door, before stopping and looking at Kris one last time. "You know... I think I like you a little bit more now." And with that, he finally entered the house, leaving his blushing boyfriend behind. Saying that he had trouble sleeping after such a silly comment would be an understatement. 

A/N: Hey guys! Chapter 14 already! This one turned up pretty long, so we decided to split it into three. So expect a bonus update around Tuesday or so. Also wow! 200 subs. Thank you so much to everyone who reads/comments/whatever. We really love hearing from you, so please, feel free to stop by our Tumblr, or comment here. See you soon!