Wufan is far from surprised when he hears the door to the room he shares with Jongdae crack open and moments later the patting of feet moving almost soundlessly across the floor. He's not surprised when a brief glance at the clock tells him that it's close to three am either. This has been happening for the past few weeks, every night without fail, which is why he also knows what comes next. "Duizhang?" a soft voice whispers and the leader rolls over to look blearily at Zitao.

The boy is standing by the side of the bed, shifting anxiously from foot to foot and wearing nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms with pandas on them. Cute, Wufan thinks to himself with a small smile, but then he notices all the bare skin and the sight makes his mouth go dry. "Another nightmare?" he asks to distract himself even though he already knows that the other is going to nod. Just as expected that is what he does. With a sigh Wufan scoots over until he has the wall in his back. He holds up his blanket as an invitation for the younger male to slip into bed with him.

Zitao doesn't hesitate to do that, immediately cuddling close and tangling their long legs together until they're as intertwined as they can be with no space at all between them. By now it has become normal for them to spend their nights this way. They've been doing it for weeks. "I thought I told you no more snacks before bed," Wufan mumbles and pokes the younger playfully in the stomach. "You know it makes you have bad dreams."

Zitao's white teeth glisten in the sparse light of the room when he flashes his cat-like grin. "I'm sorry for bothering you like this, duizhang," he says quietly. But Wufan can't be mad at Zitao when the younger nuzzles against his chest the way he does right now, clutching his sleep shirt tightly in his fists, and he can't be mad when his own hand fits so perfectly in the dip of the younger's waist. The skin there is warm and soft under his palm. Zitao at night is always warm and soft.

Wufan clicks his tongue to express his disapproval. "If you keep disobeying me I'm going to have to punish you." He didn't mean for it to come out the way it did. The second the words have left him Zitao's body goes rigid in his hold and right away Wufan realizes how wrong that could be interpreted. "I..." he begins. "I didn't... that was..."

"Wh-what, uh... what kind of punishment di-did you have in m-mind?" Zitao asks.

Wufan gulps. The atmosphere has shifted in a way that he didn't suspect and this is definitely not something they have done before, but here he is with Zitao in his arms, Zitao with the cute smile and the pretty face and the soft demeanor and the great body and Wufan knows he is embarking on dangerous ground here and yet... "I... I'm sure I can think of something. I have some ideas." In the darkness he can't see the younger male's face, but he can feel the labored breath puffing from the lips that hover inches from his collarbone. He waits anxiously for Zitao to say something.

"Duizhang, I-"

He's cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat and of course it can only be one person, the only other person in the room. "Guys," Jongdae mumbles sleepily from his own bed. "This is all really cute and stuff, but do you think you can explore your sadomasochistic tendencies when it's not three am? And preferably at a time where I'm nowhere near you. Thanks."

Zitao lets out a whine of embarrassment, burying his face by the older male's neck. Wufan chuckles awkwardly. "Sorry." He waits until he can hear that Jongdae's breathing has turned steady again, indicating that he has fallen back to sleep. Wufan shakes Zitao gently to make sure he's awake and that he has his attention. "We have to talk about this," he whispers, referring to the conversation they just had and to them in general. The younger nods slowly. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Zitao agrees in a shaky voice. "I... Should I go back to my own room?"

Wufan only has to think it over for a few seconds. Then he wraps his arms tighter around the other, holding him close. "You're not going anywhere."

~*~

A/N: for southard22 who requested taoris sharing a bed.
I'm sorry. this was all I could think of. actually I don't even know what I was thinking when I wrote this. I'm not even sure I was thinking at all. this is kind of just 750 words of word vomit. uh... I don't know. I hope you like it anyway~
it's 4am, I'm going to go away now.