Keep Me From Falling

A/N - Here's another chapter that focuses on a side pairing instead of KaiLu. Please continue to read so you stay with the story. This one is Tao centered.

Keep Me From Falling
8100+ words
TaoRis Side Pairing

Tao wakes up and stretches his tired body. His muscles ache and he looks below him to realize that has slept on nothing more than a glorified mat. Tao raises his gaze up to take in his confined setting. He doesn’t really know where he is, but he supposes he has been here for a while. There’s light coming in from the plane of glass in front of him, but it’s not quite lighting up all of his surroundings. He can see out through the glass from the bars in front of him, so at least there’s something interesting to see. There are people walking around outside, and Tao takes great interest in them. He yawns from not quite getting the rest that he needs but still keeps his eyes open in favor to falling back asleep. He can always take a nap later if he wants to.

Tao continues to watch people pass by. Every once in awhile someone stops and glances through the window back at him. Tao tilts his head and stares back with curiosity, but eventually the person keeps walking.

That is, until a tall sandy-brown haired man stops and turns towards the hybrid. His eyes are warm and he looks happily at Tao through the window.

“Wow, you’re pretty.”

Tao’s heart feels light from the compliment. His eyes widen and he stares back at the other.

“Very pretty. I wish I could take you home with me,” the man states with a grin.

Tao wonders why he can’t. Is there something preventing the other from doing so?

“Maybe next time,” the man sighs before walking away.

Tao panics. He moves to the bars in front of him and tries to reach through them as though there isn’t still the barrier of the glass to get through as well. He wants the handsome stranger to come back. But, the other is gone way too quickly.

Tao pulls his hand back to his side and moves to sit further away from the bars and on the less than plush mat.

No matter who happens to stop by, no one is as alluring as the man Tao had seen earlier. Tao takes the nap he promised himself and tries to forget about him.

Tao opens his eyes to experience the same tired muscles and fatigue from bad sleep. This time, he doesn’t bother getting up to stretch but stretches out against the mat. He closes his eyes against the bright sunlight and moves to lie on his side.

“Such a gorgeous cat,” Tao hears. His eyes flash open and he sees the man on the other side of the window again. Tao moves quickly to his feet and gets as close to the bars as he can while looking up at the other.

“Aww. I’d really love to take you home. Sorry, buddy. Maybe next time.”

Tao slouches in defeat and barely peeks at the man as he walks away, again.

Tao’s eyes open suddenly to see the man tapping at the glass.

“There you are, gorgeous. Are you doing well today?”

Tao’s heart beats wildly in his chest as he looks expectantly at the man who’s woken him from his sleep.

He hears the male chuckle lightly before backing away from the glass.

“Maybe next time.”

Tao is curled in the back of what he has now realized is a cage. He doesn’t want to face the window.

“Hey kitty, are you sleeping again? So lazy, but still pretty. I’m glad no one else has taken you home yet. I can’t still, but maybe next time.”

Tao cringes and keeps himself from moving should the other realize he is awake.

This time, Tao is staring at the glass with rejection expected. Sure enough, the sandy-brown haired male waves at him as he walks to the window. “Maybe next time,” Tao hears again.

And again.

Tao thinks he’s losing his mind as days blur into moments of constant rejection. He will never belong to the other. Only in his own heart, and he thinks it might kill him.

“Tao.”

“Tao!”

Tao’s eyes fly open, expecting to see Kris looking at him again, but he is staring at a mass of cotton candy pink and his confusion, paired with the apparent nightmare, causes him to panic.

“Hey, shhh…. I’ve got you. Calm down,” the owner of the pink hair coos.

It takes Tao a few minutes to remember that he was sleeping off a drunken stupor at Sehun’s place. The server had been gracious to offer Tao a place to sleep other than that of the office where Tao has been for a couple years now. On the heels of that realization, Tao becomes aware that not only is he sleeping in a very comfortable bed and not on a mat, but that for the first time Tao has woken up from a nightmare in someone’s arms and not alone.

Still, the hybrid sits up quickly and tries to calm down.

“Are you alright?” Sehun asks.

“I think so,” Tao nods.

Sehun rises and disappears through the bedroom door. He comes back a minute later with a glass of water. When Tao accepts the glass, Sehun moves to open the bedroom window.

“Thanks,” Tao mutters. The room was unbearably stuffy, probably adding to Tao’s level of discomfort. And he is definitely more than a little thirsty after all of the consumed alcohol.

“You should get more sleep. Do you think you can?” the pink-haired cat asks. Tao nods, because no matter what, he’s going to try.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m fine, but thank you.”

“Okay, get some more sleep Tao. You’ll feel better if you do.”

Tao moves to lie back down as Sehun moves back to the bedroom door. He leaves and comes back with a refill of water and leaves the glass on a small nightstand. Once Sehun is out of the room, Tao tries to get comfortable and fill his head with any thoughts other than those of his nightmare or the stress from the day before.

Sehun’s place is surprisingly nice, Tao thinks. For a hybrid living on his own, the place doesn’t look very old and Sehun’s choice of furniture is nice. Tao woke up a little bit ago and has allowed himself to move to the edge of the bed and slowly come to terms with his situation.

If he goes to work now, he will be late. There isn’t anything he can do about that fact and he doesn’t really feel the pressure to deal with the lecture that will accompany his late arrival. It’s the first time he has screwed up since Kris had started the company and Tao knows that whatever reason he had for going out with Kai the night before can’t justify his not showing up to work. But, it isn’t like he hasn't shown his devotion towards working at Kris’ production company at all.

Tao had grown up in another city with a considerably smaller population of hybrids. It caused him to be considered as not only a freak but an exotic one at that. Tao’s body was always slender and agile. His cat eyes are elegantly shaped and when he’d discovered eyeliner in his adolescence, it had only added to his exotic appeal. Tao had spent his teenage years constantly dealing with people failing to understand that he still deserved the respect of personal space. He was often petted without being asked. People took pictures of him and constantly bothered him for attention. When he had learned that a higher concentration of hybrids lived a few hours away in another city, he had taken his first chance, at age eighteen, to leave.

This time, he was met with a different version of hybrid discrimination. No one would rent to him or hire him. He was gawked at but no one actually gave him his or her time or respect. Tao was quickly floundering. He had found an apartment, but his rent was high and he was scrambling to keep on top of it without a consistent job.

It was by chance that Tao had run into Kris only six months after having moved. He had heard of small single job opportunities always at the ready at one of the local colleges, and while he couldn’t afford to enroll as a student, he checked the job board posting for everything and anything. Tao tried for small task labor jobs the most. When he couldn’t find those to be available, he took to accepting being a model for the arts department for both photographers as well as drawing courses. Sometimes, when they found out he wasn’t a student, he would be declined the job. Other times, there were departments desperate enough to not care.

It was upon leaving one of the classrooms that Tao had first seen Kris. He was handsome and had a warm smile, but most of all he was somewhat awkward. He talked too quickly about certain things and was dumbfounded over others. He had an endearing quirk of a smile, but with sharp dark eyebrows and perfectly structured face, the man was arresting. Tao found himself eyeing Kris on campus several times until the day when the man finally looked back at him. Tao had more than a little crush on the other, and it seemed to be mutual when Kris approached him only moments after establishing eye contact.

While Kris made mention that he thought Tao was beautiful, it was the way in which Kris talked to Tao that cemented the hybrid’s feelings. Kris talked to Tao as if he was just another person. He wasn’t a freak or a sideshow attraction in Kris’ eyes. Tao was someone Kris could talk excitedly with for hours about his future plans and goals. Tao was delighted to find someone so driven and not at all fixated on just Tao’s physical appearance. The two became inseparable quickly and Tao never had a reason to look back.

Tao is pulled from his memories as the bedroom door opens. “Hungry?” Sehun asks. “I made some breakfast. You should probably eat something, if you can.”

Tao nods excitedly at the plate of food in Sehun’s hands. The other smiles happily and hands it to him.

Tao stays all day in the front room of Sehun’s apartment while the other sleeps in the bedroom. When Tao had learned that Sehun usually sleeps after the sun rises so that he is rested for his nightly shift, Tao moves out of the bedroom and thanks the other over and over again for sparing his bed last night. Tao supposes he should leave all together, but he can’t find it in himself to do so. He isn’t ready to face Kris. He isn’t ready to confront missing almost the entire workday.

Tao remembers just how excited Kris was over the idea of his production company. It had been something he had been scheming up for a while. He watched other companies as their clients rose in fame and had developed opinions on how he could do it better or do it differently. He had majored in performing arts, but had taken a very specific interest in taking business courses and throwing himself into backstage production to learn everything he could. His dream was already in motion when Tao came into his world. Instead of making Tao feel like an outsider, Kris swept him right up into it.

If Tao couldn’t take classes, then Kris taught him by himself. “Soon, Tao. I’m just waiting to see if I get the space I want and we can get this started. You’ll work there too won’t you? We’ll both be set in no time and have nothing else to worry about. You believe me right?”

Tao had never believed in anything so concretely as he did in Kris’ plans. Maybe the only thing he believed in more was just how he felt about the other. He had even taken the chance at being the first to suggest living together. “We can find a place close to the office,” Tao suggested.

“The rent is always so high downtown, though. It’s probably best if we stick to how things are right now. Plus, we want to make sure we succeed before we make any big changes, right?”

“Oh, okay,” Tao relented. Maybe it had been too soon in their relationship to ask. Instead, Tao put the idea behind him in favor of helping Kris in whatever ways he could.

Suddenly, the bedroom door in the apartment opens. Tao looks up as Sehun ambles out of the room wearing nothing more than a low riding pair of sweatpants and nothing else. He makes his way to the kitchen while ruffling his own hair and walking with half-lidded sleepy eyes. Tao can’t really complain. At least Sehun is wearing something.

“You alright?” Sehun sleepily asks Tao as he grips to open the refrigerator.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, I should have left,” Tao admits quietly. He can’t believe he’s still just sitting around Sehun’s apartment. Not even after justifying himself through the decision a few times.

“Only if you need to. I don’t mind. It’s nice having someone else in the place,” Sehun states with a slightly lopsided grin. He yawns and moves to stretch and scratch behind one of his blonde ears before taking a sip of water. “I’m still tired though. Sorry for being a bad host.”

“Not at all!” Tao reassures. Sehun has been more than generous and Tao has never been more thankful for the day of breathing room he’s been given.

“Hey, I have to get going to work soon. Sorry. You can stay again if you want. You can have the bedroom while I'm gone if you need to get more sleep,” Sehun offers while pulling on a shirt and looking for his shoes.

Tao is too used to his daytime existence having been up all day throughout the week. He's not tired yet, but he will be.

“You can always come to the club again if you'd like,” Sehun offers as an alternative.

“Thanks. Maybe. I mean, I think I may stay one more night, but I'm not too sure I want to drink tonight, again."

Sehun nods and leaves within another few minutes. While Tao had been alone with his thoughts for most of the day, this is the first time he's actually alone in Sehun’s apartment and he feels just a bit uneasy.

But Tao, in all these years, has never seen the inside of Kris’ apartment. When they were dating, they'd meet at Tao’s. It was where dinners and movie nights took place. It was where Kris had easily adapted to Tao’s natural nocturnal instincts and talked with him for hours into the night while doing nothing much more than sprawling on the floor. It's where Tao had lost his ity and the first time Kris had told him he loved him. But Tao had come close to losing the apartment so many times.

“I’m a little behind on my rent, sorry,” Tao mutters while they're looking through a small minimart for some midnight snacks.

“I got this, it’s fine,” Kris states.

“Thanks.” Tao replies. “You know, I was thinking. If we split the rent on a place, we could both have more money to put towards going out and such. My place is kind of run down. Maybe I could move in with you?”

“My place is pretty small,” Kris declines. “Plus, we save a lot of money by staying in. I love just being around you Tao.”

“Maybe we could still look for a bigger place, though. With both of us contributing, we could still save and probably afford something comfortable?”

He can see Kris trying to think of something else to say to get out of it.

“Never mind,” Tao whispers.

“No, I have an idea! Once I get the office set up, we’ll decide on a room for you. You can stay there since the whole building will be leased out anyway. Then you won’t have to worry about rent at all,” Kris suddenly states with enthusiasm.

Tao understands what Kris is trying to offer, but what he really wants is to be with the older. Tao follows behind as Kris pays for the snacks and walks out of the shop.

“It's cold, Tao. Keep your beanie on, okay?” Kris says with a smile.

Back then, Tao thought Kris was worried about his well-being.

Now, Tao wonders if it was so that his ears would remain hidden for the duration of the walk back to Tao’s apartment.

Tao stands up and decides that he doesn't want to be alone in his thoughts. It's probably a bit presumptuous, but Sehun and him are about the same height making Sehun’s closet Tao’s best bet for a change of clothes before he heads to the club.

“Hey Beautiful. Come sit over here,” Sehun ushers when Tao approaches the counter. “And damn, I'm not opposed to you borrowing my clothes at all. I won't admit that you look hotter in them, but I'll admit that you look good.”

Tao blushes but listens, sitting at the counter where Sehun sets up a drink order. He gives Tao one to start and delivers the order to the waiting customers. Tao knocks back the drink and looks at Sehun like it’s no big thing when the younger pours him another. Tao drinks a total of three before things are starting to blur in his mind. He thinks back to the way Kris always combats his accusations of ignoring him, but how his actions really seemed to say otherwise.

“You have too much on your mind, so spill. It’s my job, you know, to listen to people. Well, it’s my job to serve food and drinks, but I can listen too.” Sehun smiles.

Tao thinks they aren't quite friends yet, but then talking with Kai started to feel relieving so maybe it would be the same with Sehun.

“My boyfriend keeps our relationship hidden. He’s ashamed or maybe embarrassed of me. I don’t know.”

“Then why are you with him?”

“I love him. He’s a dork but he’s smart and handsome. Really, really handsome.” Tao slurs slightly.

“First of all, he isn’t very smart if he’s ashamed of you. Second, he can’t be that handsome. Third, if he loved you back he wouldn’t be hiding you.”

“He does love me. He hasn’t been with anyone else the whole time we’ve been together. Society still looks at us as weird, Sehun. I used to think he was protecting me. Maybe he was protecting himself.”

“I don’t get what anyone sees in humans. They’re so afraid by anyone slightly different from them.”

Tao nods, but he can’t convince himself that he doesn’t love Kris or that Kris doesn’t love him, even if it’s imperfect.

Tao looks at the counter, for no reason other than the fact that it's in his line of sight.

“Here, you need this,” Sehun states while placing a shot glass in front of Tao. Tao knocks it back with a grimace and hisses at the burning sensation.

“What the was that?” Tao growls.

Sehun shrugs while his fluffy tail sways behind him in barely contained mischief. “Consider it medication. Maybe it will cure you.”

“Of what?” Tao cringes as his body shudders from the alcohol that's slowly crawling through his veins.

“Everything,” Sehun smiles.

Tao thinks the sunlight is especially nice today as he walks along in the middle of the afternoon. Everything feels light and carefree. He's admiring the natural scene before him when he spies someone overlooking the landscape as well. The person’s hair is reflecting the light in a fascinating shimmer, almost like it's made of gold. Tao is attracted immediately and advances on the other quietly.

Up close, the other looks like some sort of deity. Tao keeps a few feet of distance from the other and observes. He’s possibly more spectacular than the landscape and the warm sunlight together. Tao can’t remember feeling this happy being around anyone else.

When the man moves, so does Tao. He doesn’t think it’s wise to let the other out of his sight. He can’t risk the idea of the other not existing. But Tao doesn’t have anything more pressing to do, so he happily keeps up with the other in silent adoration.

Suddenly, the man turns around. Tao stops and looks up at the other.

“Stop following me.”

Tao frowns. He wasn’t expecting that.

“Shoo!”

Shoo? Really?

Tao his head to the side and stares at the man in utter confusion. The other turns back in the direction he had been walking and continues on his way. Tao lets only a few added steps separate them before he starts to follow the other again.

The man quickly spins around and pins Tao in his place with his glare. “Stop following me! Go away. Shoo!”

Tao’s heart clenches as he looks at the other in shock. He can’t believe he’s being shooed away like a pest.

The man turns again, but Tao is determined to keep up with him. They are walking along the path that lines a coastal cliffside. The view is amazing, but the man is far more arresting in Tao’s opinion.

“Seriously. Why are you following me? I can’t keep you and I don’t want to either. Go find someone else to bother!” the man suddenly spats.

Tao shakes his head and hurries up to the other. Maybe if he just introduces himself or says something, he won’t be thought of as a bother.

As soon as he’s within the man’s direct proximity, he smiles. If possible, the man is more breathtaking than he’d originally thought.

“Why don’t you understand me!?” the man yells.

Suddenly, he’s pushing Tao’s shoulders to get him to back away. Tao takes a step back and finds that there isn’t anything solid beneath his feet. He turns his head to the side and finds that he has been pushed off the side of the cliff. Tao whips his gaze back to the man in shock and question. The man has already turned away without an ounce of care for Tao’s predicament.

Tao is falling.

His eyes open to darkness before he hits the watery rocks below him. His eyes adjust quickly despite the shock of it all. It only takes a second before he feels Sehun’s hands on his shoulders, shaking him slightly.

“Tao, hey… are you awake? Tao.”

Tao nods and moves to sit up.

Sehun shakes head and smiles sympathetically. “You can’t drink for ,” he jokes.

“Noted.” Tao sighs and rubs his temples. He is glad he’s never concretely turned towards alcohol. Apparently, the stuff will ruin him.

“Can you tell me about it this time?” Sehun asks. “It might help you relax.”

Tao thinks he agrees and works on breathing steadily before offering to retell his dream to the other.

“I don’t know where I was, but I saw Kris walking somewhere. I started to follow him, but he kept turning around and telling me to stop following him. He actually shooed me away. Still, I ran to catch up with him, but when I did - he pushed me. He pushed me off the side of a cliff and walked away as if it was no big deal. I was falling.”

“I hate to say this, but you really need to talk to him. He needs to respect you or let you go,” Sehun states.

Tao nods. Though, the prospect of Kris letting him go scares Tao more than being pushed off the side of a cliff.

Tao ventures back to the office that morning despite the hangover headache he is suffering from. He isn’t sure what he’s going to do, but he can’t keep hiding at Sehun’s. He has to deal with his life, in one way or another. Tao quietly goes to his room. He opens the door and steps in to find Kris sleeping uncomfortably with his head resting on the top of the desk.

Just seeing the other causes all of Tao’s jumbled emotions to bubble to the surface. He tells himself to stay calm as he approaches Kris’ sleeping form. Seeing the other there makes Tao wonder if the past couple days have been just as hard on him as they have been for Tao. He doesn’t want the other to hurt, but he needs to feel missed.

Tao reaches out and barely touches Kris’ shoulder. He snatches back his hand and takes a deep breath. He isn’t sure he’s ready for anything, but he gathers what courage he has left and moves to touch the other’s shoulder again and wake him.

Kris groans in his sleep and starts to open his eyes. He lifts his head and blinks as if he can’t quite remove the sleepiness from his gaze. Kris’ brow furrows in confusion as he finally can see and moves to look for the reason why he has woken up. When his eyes settle on Tao, he blinks again as if he can’t believe the other is standing there.

Tao smiles weakly.

“Tao? Oh God, Tao! Oh God... I thought... I don’t know what I thought. You’re never not here! I’ve never not been able to find you!” Kris says in a panic while rising from the chair and moving to catch the black haired hybrid in his arms.

Tao feels like he hasn’t felt the others embrace for an eternity. He wants nothing more than to melt into it. Tao tentatively moves his arms around Kris to hug him back. Kris is practically breaking him with how tight his hold is, but Tao doesn’t mind in the least.

Kris pulls back and stares into the gold of Tao’s natural hybrid eyes. Tao looks back at Kris’ features and doesn’t know what to say to the other. He is vaguely aware that they need to talk, but right now just feeling welcomed into Kris’ personal space is more than Tao can ask for after the horrible week.

Tao is even further swept away as Kris leans in and captures Tao’s lips beneath his own. It resuscitates Tao’s heart into beating the way it used to. It revives all of Tao’s broken emotions and self-doubt. Tao feels like he’s back where he belongs. He tightens his hold on the other and gives into the kiss completely. He parts his lips and welcomes Kris’ need to claim him and taste him as though the older could only sustain existence through Tao. This was the need that kept Tao tethered to Kris. This feeling of belonging to the other was unbreakable in Tao’s eyes.

It took moments, but Kris backs away to give them both a chance to breathe. The elder’s eyes never break from Tao’s as though he still can't believe that the other is back in his arms.

“Where were you?” Kris breathes.

Tao feels a little more than overwhelmed, but he owes the other an explanation. “I went to a hybrid club with Kai. I drank too much and stayed with a friend.” Tao smiles at Kris. He is glad he had stayed somewhere safe in the least. Kris didn’t need to worry that Tao was just aimlessly wandering the streets or something equally dangerous. Tao wonders if Kris had ever come to that sort of assumption.

Kris loosens his hold and pulls back a little more. “What friend?”

Tao looks up at Kris in slight disbelief. The tone that the other uses implies that Kris doesn’t think Tao has any friends. Was it so hard to believe that the other would have someone to talk to other than Kris himself? He knows he’s made Kris his world, but the other really shouldn’t expect him to be so solitary.

“Sehun. He’s a hybrid,” Tao explains.

Tao is further confused as Kris’ expression morphs from worry and disbelief to anger. “Did… did you cheat on me?” Kris asks while dropping his hands back to his own side and stepping away from Tao.

“No! Never! I would never…” Tao sputters and steps forward towards Kris.

Kris takes another step back and glares at the hybrid. “How am I supposed to believe you? You were gone for a couple days!”

Tao can feel the heat behind his eyes and the tears that are threatening to build. “Because you’re supposed to trust me, Kris. That’s what people do when they love each other!”

“No wonder you’ve been acting so weird lately. You’ve probably been wishing that I would get tired of your attitude and break up with you first so you wouldn’t have to be the one to do it.”

Tao looks at Kris in hurt bewilderment. His anger rises at the unfairness of it all.

“After everything? After how I’ve waited and listened to everything you’ve ever said? How I supported your every decision no matter how much it hurt and this is what you honestly believe?”

“You don’t give me a lot of options Tao!”

“I gave you everything!”

Tao feels like he can’t bring oxygen back into his lungs. His body is working to keep his lungs going, but his mind is giving up. Tao narrows his eyes at Kris in shocked anger. He can hear all of Sehun’s words as well as his own doubts quickly whirl in his mind when something snaps.

Tao’s body tenses to fight back all of the betrayal.

“I quit,” he growls.

Tao turns away his shaky gaze and takes to removing himself from the room. He doesn’t bother taking any of his belongings. They’ll only make him think of Kris later on. He has to be strong now. He has to walk away. There’s nothing else left for him to do.

Sehun is pulled from his sleep by strong repetitive knocks against his front door. He can’t fathom who it is, but the knocking doesn’t stop despite how much he tries to ignore it. He isn’t expecting a delivery and there’s no one he’s expecting to visit, so the interruption irritates him greatly.

“!” Sehun exclaims to himself as he rolls out of his bed. He pulls on a shirt and slowly walks to the door, hoping that the time he takes will deter the person knocking and see them leave.

When Sehun gets within a few steps from the door, his ears pick up the sound of hysterical crying over the repetitive pounding against the door. His irritation fades as he pulls open the door quickly. The slender black-haired hybrid is still moving his fist against open air while choking on his own tears.

“Tao? What… God, beautiful, what happened?” Sehun asks while grabbing the other’s fist and pulling it down to his side. He pulls Tao into his arms and hugs him tightly.

Other than as a result of nightmares, Tao can’t remember the last time he cried. He can’t breathe and the emotions have been choking him his entire way here. He had no one else to run to and the desperation has swallowed him up with every minute it took for Sehun to answer the door.

Sehun pulls him inside and shuts the door. He moves Tao to the couch and keeps a hold of him while he continues to cry. Sehun isn’t sure what to say or what else to asks. He doesn’t move or speak again, choosing to wait until Tao can collect himself.

It takes Tao a painstakingly long time to calm down so that he’s no longer hiccuping in air and sniffling away the tears. When he’s breathing somewhat normally, Sehun pushes Tao into a straighter sitting position and away from him so he can look in the other’s eyes. Tao may have always had natural dark circles under his eyes, but now they are puffy and causing his normally gorgeous cat eyes to look swollen.

Sehun smiles tightly for the other and waits.

“I thought he missed me when he was sitting there,” Tao starts. “He was asleep at my desk. When I woke him up, he kissed me and it was like this glimmer of hope. Like nothing over the past few days mattered. But when he found out that I’d stayed here, he accused me of cheating. He said he couldn’t believe me. After everything I’ve done, all of the waiting and now I’m the bad guy. He just blurted the accusation. He didn’t give me the smallest chance.”

Sehun doesn’t offer any words. He’s too angry to not say something stupid. In addition, Tao’s tears have come back. Sehun cages back all of his rage for the broken hybrid in front of him. He tries to comfort and even distract Tao, but nothing works.

It goes well into the evening when Tao declines all offers of food. Given the past few nights, he doesn’t want to drink either. He doesn’t want to go to the club when the day moves into the evening and Sehun reminds him of his work shift.

Sehun can do little more than offer his bed for another night while he goes to work.

This is exactly why he hates humans.

Kai, Luhan, Suho, Chen and Baekhyun are seated comfortably together inside of a booth at the club when Sehun walks in that Saturday night. He doesn’t want to serve them. In less than a week his world has been turned upside down. He blames humans. He blames Kai for dumping Tao into his life. He’s angry at practically everything. If it weren’t for Kris, Sehun would be doing his best to date the Siamese instead of console him.

But, Sehun has always served the group of friends and it would be awkward if he didn’t.

Sehun takes their drink order quickly and returns faster than ever to fill it. He doesn’t have any flashy comments, nor does he try to tease any of them, which is expected of the sassy pink-haired server. Sehun is about to walk away and take care of his other customers when Baekhyun speaks up.

“Cat got your tongue?” Baekhyun asks.

“God, you’re always so ing clever aren’t you?” Sehun quips. He knows he shouldn’t snap, but all he wanted to do was get to work.

“Damn Sehun,” Baekhyun takes the opportunity. “Loosen up. Go get laid or something.” The shorter hybrid laughs to himself at his retort.

“Hey , I would if your best friend hadn’t dumped his emotionally abused coworker on my front door to take care of all week,” Sehun spats.

The entire table is rendered completely quiet as everyone stares at Sehun in blatant disbelief.

“Tao is still with you!?” Kai asks in shock.

“Yeah. His ing human ex-boyfriend broke him today,” Sehun says while glaring at Luhan.

Luhan’s eyes widen at the hostility. He grasps at Kai’s hand underneath the table. Kai is torn between the shock at knowing Tao’s state as well as how terrified Luhan feels next to him. He’s about to say something when Suho speaks up instead.

“Hey, calm down Sehun. Stop glaring at Luhan. He has nothing to do with the situation,” Suho advises.

“ing judgmental humans. Stick to your own kind so that we can take care of our own and prevent these stupid things from happening,” Sehun seethes.

“That’s enough!” Suho shouts, standing even though Chen is trying to hold him down. “Get someone else to serve us, Sehun.”

“Gladly.”

Sehun walks off.

He barely contains his frustration while taking other orders and talking to other customers. His entire mood is ruined, yet in the back of his mind he’s thinking of nothing other than Tao and whether he’s okay while alone in his apartment.

Sehun spends the rest of the night watching the group of friends from afar and trying not to vomit over the way Kai and Luhan revolve around each other. He knows he’s acting inappropriately, but he’s done with trying to give an entire species the freedom to continue to hurt them.

Sehun walks into his apartment at nearly three in the morning to find Tao in the midst of another nightmare. Sehun is exhausted, but he has nothing but patience for the other. Sehun pulls the other up and wakes him gently. “Tao, you’re okay. I promise,” he comforts.

“Nothing is okay. I should have stayed. I should have proven myself,” Tao cries after waking up completely and realizing that he’s once again in Sehun’s apartment after running away from Kris.

“No, Tao. You deserve more than this.” Sehun pets the other to help him calm down. He runs his fingers through Tao’s hair and rubs the back of his neck. He does this repeatedly until Tao looks at him.

“I like you Tao. I like you a lot. I am attracted to you and I think you deserve so much more than what you’ve been dealing with,” Sehun confesses. He’s just so tired of all of it. He wants to fix it, but the only way he thinks he can is by offering himself as an alternative.

Tao’s heart leaps in nervousness. Sehun has been terrific. He is flattered, but he hasn’t thought of Sehun that way. Tao has only ever loved Kris. He can’t completely grasp that another being could like him in that way. Even forgetting the way that Sehun had tried to hit on him the first time they met, Tao hadn’t realized that Sehun could be developing these feelings towards him. Tao keeps pondering over the other’s words until he notices Sehun leaning closer to him.

“No, please. I can’t! I don’t… I don’t have feelings like that Sehun. I … you’ve been so wonderful. But.. I… I still love Kris.” Tao stutters and backs away quickly and nervously.

Sehun’s stomach churns. He hates the situation, but he can’t bring himself to make things more upsetting for the other. If Tao can’t accept him, then there’s only one other thing Sehun can attempt to do: make the idiot human understand.

“Alright Tao,” Sehun starts, while swallowing back the disgust at what he’s about to offer. “Then let me help you. Get some sleep and first thing in the morning, I’ll take you back to Kris and explain everything.”

“You’d do that?” Tao asks incredulously.

“If it will make you happy, yes.”

Tao pulls Sehun in for a hug, forgetting for a moment that physical contact might the wrong move to make after rejecting the other’s advances.

Sehun closes his eyes in defeat.

Tao brings Sehun to the office for the first time. Sehun walks in, determined, while Tao is far more nervous standing just behind the other. Before they can even make it to Tao’s room, he sees Kris walking into the front lobby. Tao stops walking and Sehun does the same, wondering if the male in front of him is the detestable human that Sehun assumes him to be. It’s an awkward silence as everyone makes eye contact.

“Tao?” Kris asks, as if he’s seeing a ghost.

“I um… this is Sehun. He wants to talk to you,” Tao mutters.

“You brought your new boyfriend to meet me?” Kris asks, voice breaking despite the accusing assumption.

“Hey, jerk! How about you and I have a private conversation for a moment?” Sehun yells. He really wants to punch the other in the face, but he won’t because it will hurt Tao as well.

Kris huffs in annoyance but leads the way to his office. Tao wants to follow, but he respects what Sehun says he’s going to do and stays put as the two disappear into the room, closing the door behind them.

Inside, Kris keeps his distance as he can feel the hostility radiating from the pink-haired hybrid. The catboy honestly looks anything but intimidating in most respects. It’s his intense eyes and stature that keeps Kris from speaking out of turn.

“Look. I’m going to get right to the point. Tao didn’t cheat on you. He’s spent this week either drunk, having nightmares, or crying over you. He was a friend of Kai’s so I loaned him my place for some space. I hate humans. I dislike you a great deal even though we just met. If I thought I had a chance at Tao, I’d take it because he is so completely devoted to you. I’d kill for that. He has sacrificed his self-worth to wait for the day where you show him that he has some. You either need to let him go or learn to love him properly because the second he’s truly over you, he’s mine.”

Sehun doesn’t wait for a response. He storms out of the room to find Tao. He wants Kris to digest what he’s just said, but he wants the other to also feel the reality of the threat. Sehun approaches Tao and waits until he can sense that Kris has followed and can see them.

“My place is always open for you should you need me. Please take care of yourself.”

Sehun doesn’t touch Tao or do anything else. He simply walks out and takes to finding his own way back to his apartment.

Tao looks at Kris and all he sees is exhaustion. They have stood there in pregnant silence for possibly more than a couple minutes after Sehun left. Tao doesn’t know what Sehun has said, and he’s curious, but he’s more worried about how Kris looks like he needs to sit down.

“Are you okay?” Tao breathes.

“No. I’m not.”

“Are you sick?”

“No, Tao.”

“Then…?”

“I thought you really left me.”

“Oh…”

“I was so confused when you left.”

Tao can feel his anxiousness swimming in his chest. He’s not sure what’s coming next, and he’s afraid that he’s going to have to make a run for it again. If he does, it’ll be the last time. He won’t come back. He won’t give Kris any more chances and he won’t continue to do this to himself either.

“I’m an idiot, Tao.” Kris’ words pull Tao from his thoughts entirely.

“I didn’t want to believe that I’d hurt you that bad. I just… I’m so stupid, of course I hurt you. You’ve always been so strong and supportive and when that stopped, I assumed the worst.”

“I only ever wanted you, Kris. I just wanted to feel like you loved me back,” Tao explains.

“I know. I’m sorry. I was so focused on this project…”

“That’s not a good enough excuse,” Tao interrupts. He wants to believe in Kris’ sincerity, but his faith in the other is barely tentative at this point.

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to hear that.”

Kris flounders at what to do. He looks around him and back at the hybrid. “Tao, just... follow me please?” It’s the weekend and there’s no one around, but Kris still leads the way to Tao’s room and opens the door.

Tao steps inside to find it completely empty. “Why is everything gone? It’s only been a day.” Tao’s heart races and his eyes scour the room for anything that might have personally belonged to him.

“Tao,” Kris stops him before he can panic. “Tao, this isn’t how I wanted to do this. I should have done it sooner. Not under these circumstances. I know you’ve tried and like an idiot, I’ve turned you down. I promise I will do whatever I can to make it up to you. I took your things to my place. Tao, please, move in with me?”

Tao looks confused. It’s all he’s ever wanted, but under the current circumstances he’s far beyond confused. “I don’t… I…”

“Wait! I have one more thing!” Kris fumbles with his pant pocket before bringing out his hand, which is clenched into a fist that is obviously holding something inside. “I wanted to give you yours a while ago. I really was so busy with this project and you started acting differently. I was scared. I was stupid to push you away again and again instead of making it up to you. You’ve always been behind me. I’m so sorry that I never put you in front of everything like I should have.”

Tao can hear him, but there’s a giant wall in his mind, or perhaps around his heart that is keeping him from taking in what Kris is saying.

Kris opens his palm to reveal two platinum bands. They are identical with the exception that each are engraved with the other’s name. They aren’t engraved on the inside of the band, but on the outside.

“I want to wear it. I want people to see and ask and allow me to confirm that I belong to the most amazing person that I’ve ever met. Someone I admittedly took for granted, but haven’t so much as slept properly or eaten since I thought I’d lost him. Someone who makes everything worth trying for because I know he will be proud of me. And I’m so, so proud of him too. Not as my assistant, and never so demeaning as a mere pet. Tao - you’re my everything. Please stay with me.”

Tao can feel himself pushing against the wall. He wants to move to Kris, accept him and everything he’s saying. He has waited for years to hear these words and they hurt just as much as they soothe.

“You were right about everything. I can’t be the person I want to be if I fail in this with you. Tao, you’re so patient and strong. You’re accepting and self-sacrificing. You’ve given me more chances than I deserve. I really do love you. That’s one thing I haven’t made a mistake in doing. I may have loved you incorrectly, but choosing to love you instead of anyone else? That was the one thing I did right. Please Tao.”

Kris walks up to the other and holds out his empty hand, palm up. All he wants is for Tao to reach out to him just one last time. He knows if the other does this, he will have the strength to make up for everything he may have done to cause the other pain.

Tao looks at the hand of the man that he loves. Kris doesn’t look as though he actually expects Tao to reach out to him. If anything, Kris looks at him as though he’s the one falling from the cliff this time. He’s giving Tao the ability to shove him away or save him. He’ll take whatever outcome Tao bestows on him, even if it means falling.

Tao reaches out while tears fall from the corners of his eyes. His fingertips come in contact with Kris’ and he knows that he has sealed his fate.

Kris’ larger hand wraps around Tao’s and pulls gently at him until the hybrid moves forward and walks into Kris’ arms. “I love you, so much,” Kris states while holding Tao tightly.

“Can we go home now?” Tao whispers.

Kris pulls back and looks at Tao, not bothering to hide that he’s a little surprised. “Home?”

“I hate this place, Kris. Home is with you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Please take me with you.”

Kris nods in agreement. “Let’s go home.”

Kris kisses Tao quickly and laces their fingers together as he leads the hybrid out of the empty office and out to the lobby. Kris makes a quick detour to his office to get his keys and phone. He doesn’t let go until they’re at Kris’ car. Tao settles inside and gladly accepts Kris’ hold on his hand after the other puts the car in gear and begins to drive.

It’s the first time Tao has even been to Kris’ apartment building. He follows the older inside and waits patiently as Kris unlocks the door. Tao steps inside and is shocked to find that not only are his belongings inside Kris’ apartment, but they’re throughout Kris’ apartment as if the hybrid has lived there as long as the other has. Tao’s things aren’t in boxes sitting just inside the front door. His items are on the coffee table and on a few of the shelves. Kris leads Tao to the bedroom and Tao’s clothes are in the closet and some in the dresser. Tao even turns to the bed and sees his favorite pillow lying right next to Kris’.

“Welcome home, baby,” Kris breathes.

Tao hates the other for taking this long, but he’s finally here and that’s what matters.

Tao throws himself into Kris’s open arms and kisses the other soundly. It will take a while to not feel the hurt and to see if Kris’ words are sincere, but he's willing to take that chance. He's willing to because he chose to love Kris; and that's a choice to love not only his best but his imperfections as well.

A/N

Sorry to those of you who found yourselves on team TaoHun. :D

please remember to comment, this story is largely worked on based on your suggestions.