Warning: This chapter will probably make you cry.

Chapter 2

There’s a rhyme that Kris learned in childhood—April showers bring May flowers. Well, Kris had never been one for flowers and he’s certainly never been one for rain. It’s not even April, it’s March and it’s cold, and it’s only made worse by the rain. Kris dislikes all kinds of precipitation, it’s just gross, all of it, but rain especially. There’s nothing worse than spending an entire day at a desk with wet shoes and wet hair dripping cold water down his back. It’s such a relief to get home and be able to change.

Kris peeks into the boys’ room as he passes—Tao and Joonmyun are curled up on their bed, fast asleep. Joonmyun had been feeling feverish in the morning and Kris insisted he stay home. Kris is glad to see that the two of them are getting some rest, and he tries not to make too much noise as he changes and makes himself some coffee. He’s just poured himself a cup when there’s a knock at the door. They rarely ever get unannounced visitors, and the neighbors in their building tend to keep to themselves, so Kris is a little wary when he opens the door. He’s shocked to find a skinny boy in a dripping, oversized raincoat standing on the other side.

“Can I help you?” Kris asks, wondering if the kid is selling fundraising candy or something.

“Are you Kris Wu?” The kid asks—he sounds congested.

“I am,” Kris answers warily. “Why are you asking?”

The boy stands up straight and takes a deep breath. “I’m a were-fox,” he says quickly, “My name is Oh Sehun and I’m looking for a sponsor.”

Kris heart skips a beat and he bites his lip.

“I’m really sorry to bother you,” Sehun goes on, “It’s just that I’ve been in a halfway house for over a year now and I really want to get out, and I just thought that maybe, if you—or someone you know—if anyone could just give me a chance…” he trails off with a cough. He’s getting progressively more congested and Kris’ heart breaks a little.

“Would you like to come in?”

Sehun looks up in shock. “I-I…you don’t mind?”

Kris steps back and opens the door a little wider. “You look like you could use a warm up.”

Sehun hesitates only for a moment but quickly steps into the apartment. He toes off his shoes—soggy with water, and stands sheepishly in wet socks and a dripping coat. Now that Kris can get a good look at him, he realizes that he didn’t recognize Sehun as a were-creature because his hair was throwing him off. Sehun’s hair is two toned, black on the bottom and almost platinum on top. It’s very interesting, and Kris wonders if he dyed it or if he’s one of the few foxes with a coat mutation.

“Here, come sit in the kitchen,” Kris says, leading Sehun further into  the apartment. “I’ll see if I can find you some slippers. Give me your socks, you’ll get sick walking around like that.”

Sehun flops into a chair and wordlessly pulls off his wet socks, handing them over. Kris hurries off to hang them in the laundry room and pulls from the closet a pair of slippers he’d bought for Tao that were never worn. He grabs a tissue box and a small garbage bin on his way back to the kitchen.

“Put on the slippers and blow your nose,” Kris instructs. He almost asks where Sehun’s umbrella is, but if he’s in a halfway house then he probably doesn’t have one. “Would you like something to drink?” Sehun shakes his head, but Kris presses on. “I have milk, I could warm it up for you.” He almost smiles when Sehun jerks his head up, eyes wide and interested. It’s true what they say, the quickest way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach, especially when that someone is a young were-fox who’s been in a halfway house for over a year—it’s probably been months since he’s last had milk.

Kris decides to do this properly. He measures some milk out in a cup and pours it into a small pan to be warmed up on the stove. He looks over at the table—Sehun quickly looks away.

“I usually add a bit of vanilla, does that sound like something you’d like?”

Sehun shrugs. “Sure, if you don’t mind…”

“I don’t mind.”

Kris sips his coffee while he waits for the milk to heat up. It doesn’t take long, and when it’s done he pours it back into the mug and puts it down in front of Sehun.

“Be careful, it’s probably a little too hot to drink right away.”

Sehun nods and wraps his hands around the mug, drawing it closer. His fingertips are pink, Kris feels yet another pang—he must be freezing.

“Do you want a blanket?”

Sehun shakes his head. “I’m fine, really, thank you.” He won’t meet Kris’ eyes.

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen,” Sehun answers softly.

Kris can’t hold back a gasp. “Oh my gosh, you’re so young! You poor thing. How long were you out in the rain?”

Sehun takes a small sip from the mug. “I don’t remember what time it was when I started out. You’re the eighth person I’ve gone to today.”

Kris is shocked. “You must have been out for so long.”

Sehun shakes his head. “Not really…I didn’t get a chance to say much.”

This kid is killing him. Kris lets him drink a little more before he asks another question. “So, how did you find me?”

He didn’t think Sehun could get much paler, but he does. “I, um…I went onto the computer at the house and…pulled up a list of all the people in Seoul who sponsor foxes.” He seems to be hiding behind his mug. “I know it wasn’t right but I just…” he takes a deep breath. “I just want a home.” He lowers the mug and finally looks up. “I know you’re probably not looking to sponsor another person, but if you can—if you give me a chance, I swear I won’t be any trouble at all. I don’t even have to live with you if you don’t want me to, I can get my own place, I can get a job, I just need a sponsor first—”

“Slow down there,” Kris interrupts, holding up a hand. “Sehun, I have no doubt that you are a very sweet, smart, and well-behaved young man. I know halfway houses are not ideal, I met one of my foxes at such a place and I would really, really hate to send you back there, but sponsoring isn’t a one way thing. What concerns me is how comfortable you would be in this house.”

“I don’t have to—”

“I would want you to live with me,” Kris says. “You’re only seventeen, you shouldn’t be on your own.” He softens his tone, “I have to tell you now, I’m very affectionate with Tao and Joonmyun, my foxes. We’re lovers, but even if we weren’t I’d still spend a lot of time hugging and cuddling with them. I don’t know how you feel about that sort of thing, I don’t know how you feel about polyamory, but these are the things that would need to be worked out. The three of us are very open, I’m sure that we would have no problem welcoming you into our life. What I need to know is how you would handle it.”

Sehun nods. “Honestly, anything is better than where I am. I know it’s not the answer you want to hear but it’s true.” His voice breaks and he takes a second to compose himself. “I just really want a sponsor. And I guess I want a family, but I’m really not expecting much.” He rubs his eyes. “I probably sound pathetic but it’s really all I want.”

“You don’t sound pathetic,” Kris assures. “You sound lonely.”

Sehun sniffles and shrugs. “Maybe I am.”

“Would you like a hug?”

Sehun bites his lip. “I don’t know,” he says in a small voice. “I feel like it’ll just get my hopes up.”

Kris hears rustling in the bedroom and stands up. “How about this,” he says, “I’ll go see how Tao and Joonmyun are feeling, and if all three of you are up for it then you can spend some time with them. Then we’ll see if you still want me to be your sponsor.”

Sehun looks absolutely stunned. “You would let me…and them…what, now?” He stammers.

“I invited you in, didn’t I?” Kris asks with a grin. “Would I do that if I wasn’t willing to give you a chance?”

Sehun doesn’t seem to have an answer for that, but he’s smiling so Kris considers it a good thing. He walks out of the kitchen and down the hall. In the bedroom, Joonmyun and Tao are just sitting up. Kris walks over and presses his lips briefly to Joonmyun’s forehead. He hums thoughtfully when he pulls away. “Your fever seems to have gone down.”

Joonmyun nods. “I feel a lot better—I think it was just a migraine, the medicine and extra rest really helped.”

Kris nods and turns to give Tao a kiss. Tao’s distracted though, wriggling on the bed with excitement.

“I heard you talking to someone,” Tao says, “Who’s out there?”

Kris takes a seat on the bed. “A seventeen year old were-fox named Sehun. He’s looking for a sponsor to break him out of a halfway house.”

They both gasp. “Oh that poor boy,” Joonmyun says.

“I know,” Kris agrees. “I was wondering how you two felt about spending some time with him? Maybe if you all get along…I mean I know we really hadn’t talked about it but…” he glances at Tao. “Honestly, Joonmyun and I don’t like that you’re alone so much. Maybe adding a new member to our family would be a good thing.”

Tao’s practically shaking he’s so excited. “Is he in the kitchen?”

“Yes, do you want to see him?”

“Yes!” Tao and Joonmyun shout.

“Okay,” Kris says, standing up and catching Tao before he can go running off. “Let’s take this nice and easy though, shall we? I’m not sure how he feels about physical contact so try not to be too touchy with him, and go easy on the poor kid, he looks really out of sorts.”

“We’ll be good,” Tao says petulantly, “Honestly, we’re not children, Kris, have some faith!”

But Kris still worries, even though Joonmyun and Tao are perfect angels when they meet Sehun. They speak softly, Tao actually seems a little shy when he talks, and even though things are going well, Kris still worries. He already knows what’s going to happen. They’re going to love Sehun, and Sehun is going to love them too. Not romantically of course (not yet), but the boys will want Sehun to stay, and Sehun will want to stay, and Kris wants Sehun to stay. But there are steps that need to be taken, protocols to follow. That’s what worries him.

Kris suggests the three foxes go sit in the living room for a little while, giving them time to bond without feeling like they’re being monitored and giving Kris time to think. He sits at the kitchen table, mulling over the situation while he drinks some more coffee. Kris doesn’t want to send Sehun back to that place, but he knows that he has to. Before Kris can agree to sponsor him, he has to file paperwork and meet with a counselor. His home needs to be inspected, as well as his financial records—and that’s where they’re going to take a hit. Kris isn’t poor, not by a long shot, but he needs to show that he can afford to care for four people. Part of that reason is because it’s so hard for were-animals to find decent jobs. The fact that they spend at least one day a month in animals form isn’t something that employees necessarily like. Joonmyun is lucky he got a job in sales, but it doesn’t exactly bring in the big bucks. Plus there’s Tao’s college tuition, and now with Sehun there will soon be another tuition to pay. Kris is adding up the numbers in his head and knows that he has to do something.

Even after he’s finished his coffee Kris decides to give the boys some time more alone, so he hovers around the kitchen for a little while. He cleans up, makes sure there’s no expired food in the fridge, makes a shopping list, sneaks into the spare bedroom to strip the sheets from the bed, starts a load of laundry, remakes the bed and retrieves Sehun’s now dry socks before he finally goes into the living room. The boys are sitting around the coffee table, talking in low voices. They all whirl around when Kris clears his throat.

“I was thinking of ordering takeout. Sehun, how do you feel about that?”

Sehun looks at the time. “You don’t have to feed me, it’s okay,” he says quickly, but Tao is quick to protest.

“No, you have to stay for dinner!” He cries, “Please, Sehun-ah!”

Sehun’s powerless—it’s not his fault though, nobody can resist Tao’s whining.

Kris orders and obscene amount of Jjajangmyeon and pineapple chicken, because he, Tao and Joonmyun eat a lot on a normal day, and he can only imagine how hungry Sehun must be. In a way he feels very bad for this—after all if things don’t work out, he’s basically taunting Sehun for the rest of his life with a memory of what he can’t have. But it’s also a good thing, because if it does work out then this will become a precious memory for all of them.

It’s a lot of fun, having someone new eat with them. Joonmyun makes a big fuss about it, getting out nice plates and cups even though they’re just having takeout, and Tao actually digs the good napkins out of the closet. Sehun looks flustered and pleased at the same time, following them around as they get things ready, asking if he can help. When the food comes and Kris tells Sehun to take whatever he wants, he shyly puts moderate amounts on his plate and Joonmyun immediately puts a bit more on, insisting that it’s not a big deal if he doesn’t finish. Sehun eats politely and quietly, but he’s smiling the entire time.

There’s a kind of sadness after dinner is finished, the leftovers are put away and the dishes are washed. Sehun thanks them for the hundredth time and glances at the door.

“I should probably get going,” he says quietly. “Cerfew is ten.”

It’s already nine.

“Let me give you a ride,” Kris says. “It’s still raining, I wouldn’t want you walking all that way.” Sehun looks like he might refuse, but before he can Kris continues, “It will make it easier for me to find you again.”

Sehun looks like he’s trying not to hope, but he can’t quite conceal that he is.

Tao and Joonmyun both insist that they’ll see Sehun soon, gushing about how they had a lot of fun with him and they’ll be praying and wishing for everything to work out. Sehun keeps glancing over his shoulder as he trails Kris out the door and down to the parking garage. It’s a little chilly from the rain, Kris makes sure to turn on the heat in the car.

“You should see if you can take some vitamins when you get home. I should have offered you some,” Kris sighs, of course in hindsight he realizes it should have been the first thing he offered Sehun. “At least make sure you bundle up tonight, you wouldn’t want to catch a cold.”

Sehun hums. “I’ll be okay,” he says softly. Then he clears his throat. “Thank you for inviting me in and…and everything. Just thanks for everything. Even if it doesn’t work out it was nice to have a chance.”

It’s the most heartbreaking thing Kris has ever heard and he grips the steering wheel tightly, reminding himself that Sehun has not given him permission to touch him at all, and he doesn’t want to make the poor thing uncomfortable, even if he wants nothing more than to hug Sehun close and promise him that things will work out.

“I’ve been meaning to ask about your hair,” Kris says in an effort to steer the conversation away from sad things. “It’s such an interesting color combination, do you dye it?”

“No,” Sehun says, running a hand through his hair, “I’m actually a sliver fox.”

“Oh,” Kris gasps, “How interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen one in person.” He grins at Sehun. “You’re already so handsome as a human, you must be beautiful as a fox.”

Sehun blushes furiously and burrows into his coat collar, but Kris can see him grinning. “I don’t know,” Sehun says shyly. “I mean…I’ve never actually seen what I look like. I’m too short to reach a mirror.”

Kris is startled by that—he knows Joonmyun and Tao have seen their fox forms on multiple occasions. Sometimes when he leaves the bathroom door open they jump onto the sink and croon at their reflections, and he can’t tear them away from the mirror.

“Nobody ever showed you a picture, or anything?” Kris presses.

“Well, I have them from when I was a baby,” Sehun says, “But I’m older now and I’ve changed.”

Kris wants nothing more than to ask about Sehun’s family, but that’s a conversation for after Kris has become his sponsor. To ask now would be prying, and in any case Kris needs to pay attention to where he’s driving. Sehun gives him directions and before long they’re at the halfway house. Despite it being called a “house” it’s really just a small apartment. It’s stopped raining, and Sehun asks Kris to pull over half a block away.

“Don’t want to answer any awkward questions,” he mumbles. Kris nods and makes sure to keep some distance. Once he parks the car Sehun starts positively spewing about how thankful he is. He seems confused when Kris gets out of the car with him, but doesn’t pause in his expression of gratitude.

“I really can’t thank you enough,” Sehun is gushing, “You were so kind to me, all of you, I really didn’t get a chance to tell Tao and Joonmyun, can you tell them for me how much this meant to me?”

Kris stands in front of him and raises a finger to his own lips. Sehun quiets at once.

“You can tell them yourself,” Kris says gently. “You have my address, even if things don’t work out I want you to know that you can come to me any time you need something. If you want to talk, or have a friend for a little while, don’t be shy. But,” he goes on as Sehun looks about to interrupt, “I have a feeling that things will work out.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sehun asks.

“Because I am willing to fight for you,” Kris tells him. “Maybe I wasn’t thinking seriously about expanding my family, but I was entertaining the thought. And now here you are, just bursting into my life, well our lives really, and it’s like I’ve been smacked over the head, I realize how stupid I would be to let you just slip away.”

Sehun looks like he might cry. “I’m nothing as special as that,” he whispers.

“That’s not true,” Kris says gently. “You are special, and we may not have had a lot of time together today but I have a feeling that you would be a great addition to our family, and we would be so lucky and so grateful to have you. If you still want to be a part of our family, that is.”

A tear slips down Sehun’s cheek, but he nods. “I would like that,” he chokes.

Kris grins and sighs in relief. “Would you like a hug now?” He asks, noticing that Sehun’s tears have not stopped.

Sehun pauses, looking up at Kris like he expects him to pull away, but he nods. Kris holds out his arms and Sehun collapses into them, buries his head in Kris’ neck and sobs. Kris is alarmed and struggles not to show it.

“Shh, sweetie, it’s okay,” he soothes, holding Sehun gently. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Sehun struggles to breathe. “You’ll…remember me, right?” He asks between sobs. “You really will...come back for me?”

Kris chokes back tears of his own. He gathers Sehun closer, hugs him tighter. He can feel Sehun’s chest heaving and rubs the child’s back slowly, rocking him side to side in an effort to calm him down.

“I will come back,” Kris says. “Trust me, you will see me again.”

Sehun continues to cry, but gradually his sobs trail off into hiccups and his breathing evens out. Kris is left with an awful feeling in his gut, because he knows Joonmyun was never this miserable in the hallway house.

“Sehun-ah,” Kris begins, “Is everything alright? Is someone in that place…hurting you? Because if that’s the case then I won’t make you go back there.”

Sehun pulls back and wipes his face, shaking his head. “No, no,” Then his eyes widen as he catches Kris’ meaning. “Oh, no! No it’s not like that, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…to freak you out like that.”

Kris shakes his head, “It’s alright, you don’t need to apologize,” he says, “I’m just concerned because you seem so miserable, I just want to know if you’re being cared for properly.”

Sehun can’t seem to stop crying. Even though his sobs have subsided, the tears won’t stop. “I mean, they feed me, I have my own bed, I go to school…” his lip quivers and he takes a moment to compose himself. “But it’s not the same,” he whimpers. “I m-miss my family, I miss b-being held and…and loved.” And he breaks down again.

Kris gathers him close once more and holds him, allowing himself to tear up while he knows Sehun can’t see. As much as he would love to keep Sehun with him for hours, for however long Sehun needs to feel okay again, he knows it’s quickly approaching 10 and Sehun can’t afford to break curfew. He pulls back and cradles Sehun’s face in his hands.

“Listen to me Sehun, I know you need to go back to this house but if it were up to me I would take you home with me right now. There are rules we need to follow, but as far as I am concerned you already have a place in my family. I will sponsor you, and you will have a family again, and you will be loved, do you understand me? I just need you to hang in there for a little while, and I will be back for you before you know it, I promise.” Sehun nods and Kris drops his hands to his shoulders. “I know Tao and Joonmyun will be on my case to start the paperwork as soon as I get home, and they’re probably waiting for me to come back and tell them what I’m telling you, that I’m going to do everything possible to make you part of our family.”

Sehun nods again and briefly squeezes Kris’ hand. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this.”

“You won’t have to,” Kris says. “Now hurry along, before you miss curfew.”

Sehun walks away, glancing over his shoulder twice before he makes it to the apartment. Kris waits until Sehun gets inside before he leaves. He struggles not to cry the whole way home.

Just like he predicted, once Kris gets back the boys are all over him.

“Did Sehun get back okay?” Joonmyun asks. “Was he alright?”

“He cried,” Kris says, “When I told him that I would come back for him.”

“And what did you do?” Tao demands.

“I hugged him—well actually I was already hugging him when he started crying. I comforted him as best I could, I tried to assure him that I would come back but I don’t know that he believed me.”

“You will go back though, right?” Tao asks, hanging onto Kris’ arm. “You won’t leave him there, right?”

Kris is shocked. “Of course I’ll go back for him.”

Tao tears up and Kris frantically tries to calm him, hugging him and petting his hair. “Honey, please, I don’t know how many more tears I can handle before I start crying too.”

“Sorry,” Tao whimpers. “It’s just…I feel so bad! He’s so sweet, and he really just wants a family…I wish we could have kept him here,” he blubbers, wiping away tears.

Joonmyun looks ready to cry too. “When we were talking…he asked if we were happy, and when we said yes he just…he looked so hopeful.”

“What else did you talk about?” Kris asks, trying to distract himself.

“He asked about our relationship,” Tao says, his face half squished against Kris’ shoulder. “We answered honestly. He wanted to know if we’d be okay with someone else living with us, and of course we said yes…after that we mostly talked about what we liked.” Tao looks up at Kris. “He wants to be a dancer, but he hasn’t been able to take serious lessons since he went to the halfway house, just whatever the dance club at his school does. He said he’s the best of them.” He sniffles a little. “We better be able to keep him.”

“Now, Tao,” Kris scolds, “He’s not a pet, we wouldn’t be ‘keeping’ him.”

“You know what I mean,” Tao snaps. “He better be able to live with us. And when he comes back we’ll take care of him. We’ll sign him up at a dance school and let him drink all the milk he could ever want, and we’ll hug him all the time and let him sleep in our bed and if he wants more than that—”

“Okay,” Kris cuts in, “One step at a time, Tao. Don’t bring that up until after the poor thing starts acting like he lives here and not like a guest. Remember, it took Joonmyun nearly two months to adjust.”

To be continued!!

I hope you all didn't cry too much.