Just outside their open kitchen window, a cricket orchestra was playing accompaniment to some oldies hit spilling from the burnt plastic cracks of Kris’ old radio.

// tonight you’re mine completely

you give your love so sweetly //

“...I don’t know.  I just don’t feel like I fit in.”

That was an odd thing for Tao to say, especially considering the fact that he and Kris were currently standing side by side in front of the kitchen sink, quietly washing the food debris off of Spongebob plates and tiny purple sippy cups.

Tao was wearing one of his ragged wifebeaters as usual, Kris dressed down in a faded black v-neck and pyjama pants - and to be honest, Kris didn’t see how it couldn’t get any more comfortable than this.

“What are you talking about?”  He voiced his disagreement.  “Kiara loves you.”

“Well I know she does, I just -”

There was a shuffling noise and the two of them parted naturally, letting small hands come up between them to slide another dirty plate carefully up onto the countertop.  Kris beamed down proudly at his daughter before Tao playfully flicked soapy bubbles in her direction, making her skitter away with loud giggles.

It took a minute of warm, wry smiles before they came back together again, this time with their shoulders pressed comfortably together, their hips brushing and arms touching.

Tao picked up where he had left off.

“...I didn’t mean here here.  I meant...”

Tao trailed off and shook his head, rinsing off another brightly colored plastic plate and quietly handing it over to Kris to dry.

“I meant that when I moved down here, I hadn’t exactly planned on being the ‘chef de cuisine’ of some fancy restaurant, you know?”

Kris turned around, resting against the counter as he wiped the plate down with a white dish rag.

“Besides your occasional off days, you’ve been the best head chef we’ve seen in years.  Chef Kyungsoo was good, but Minzy didn’t look up to him like she does you.  Not to mention the shocking fact that Sehun actually listens to you, or that Luna wants to be you.  Even Nana tolerates you.  ...at least, for the most part, but I think that’s more than can be said about her relationship with any of us men.”

Tao cracked a smile at last, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a cat’s grin.

“Man, I’ll never get used to hearing compliments coming out of your mouth.”

He got a soft chuff of laughter in response, a gentle pat on his before Kris shifted past him to put the plate away.  Letting the water wash away the lemon scented soap bubbles off of the bright rubber gloves, Tao turned, watching Kris open the cabinet door to put the dry dishes away.

“...you know, the whole thing was kind of a joke.  To be honest, I half-assed it.  Literally walked in on a whim wearing a t-shirt and jeans, no resume or nothing.  Thought he’d start asking me about my previous work experience or some , but boss just did what boss always does - just took me back to the kitchen, sat down and told me to cook whatever I wanted.  He ate what I put down in front of him, was quiet the whole time, even wiped his lips on one of those fancy ing napkins… and then he pretty much hired me on the spot.  Weird, isn’t it?  ...hey, are you even listening?”

And then it was as if Tao hadn’t spoken at all.  Kris drew close.  So close now that Tao could feel his warmth seeping into the skin of his back.  Kris settled an arm across his waist as he reached out past him to turn the faucet off.  While the water still dripped, a child’s off-key hum still somewhere distantly behind them, Tao let Kris slowly pull the rubber gloves from his hands, splaying them on top of his own.

Kris had taken passing glances at Tao’s hands countless times before, but now, holding them within his own, Kris took his time to admire each of Tao’s beautiful scars - here, from where knives had dug in too deep - here, where the fingertips were smooth and featureless from the heat of a pan that had burned too hot.  His own, though big, seemed so pale and delicate in comparison.

There was something so perfect about it though  - the way their hands fit together.

Standing in the warmly lit kitchen of Kris’ small suburban home, listening to the sounds of the summer outside, they both had the same revelation - that perhaps they would never feel this content ever again - because something like this - was so rare and so fleeting.

As if to prove their point, seconds later, there was a crash and a clatter, Kiara’s tiny voice swearing up and down with foul words that only Tao could have taught her.

So they let each other go.

Kris pressed a soft kiss against Tao’s cheek before moving away to check on his daughter.  Tao remained frozen, slipping his fingers up his cheek to touch the patch of skin that still tingled on his face.

It hadn’t been ual at all - completely chaste - but maybe that made all the difference.

Because all the same, there had been something there, and Tao could feel it, in the way his stuttering heart was left in shambles.

-

In a month or two, it became so natural, so normal to start to think of his family as not just Kris and Kiara - but Kris, Kiara and Tao.

He was so used to seeing two sets of clothing in his drawer and his closet, so used to buying groceries for three, purposefully choosing the ingredients and brands that he knew Tao enjoyed.

What a change it had been.

Kris hadn’t ever even considered dating, before.  It just hadn’t ever been in the plan, what with working full time and struggling to be a single father.

It’s not that he thought himself unattractive (in fact, he was particularly proud of how well put together he knew he looked) - it was just that Kris knew all too well how slim the odds would be of finding someone who would be willing to date a single parent.  Or of finding someone who would still want to be with him despite it, let alone someone who would want him for it.

Add to the mix the fact that Kiara had never seen him bring anyone home before Tao.  Kris had actually been preparing himself for some resistance on her end, and had genuinely never anticipated how quickly she became glued to Tao’s side.  Because if she wasn’t clinging onto her father’s leg, she was climbing up Tao’s like a monkey, clinging to his neck and hopping onto his back whenever she had the chance to.

Tao would never complain.  He’d just bend over, wrap his arms around the back of knees and gallop around the house in the goodnatured, carefree way he would always be with her.

And with Tao, everything became so easy.  He never had to think twice about leaving Kiara with Tao, because he sincerely trusted the chef with his daughter.

And perhaps it was a good thing that the two of them were so different.  Because although Kris had always considered himself a good father (or at least, the best that he could have been, considering the circumstances), he had never been much in the way of showing affection.  It seemed so awkward, so stilted for him.

Tao, on the other hand, wore his emotions on his sleeve and was always affectionate to a fault, providing for Kiara what Kris could not.

A warmth that was - as Kris had come to expect - completely genuine.

-

Kris was a good man, if not a bit ...clingy.

Tao had dated plenty of other men before, had gone in knowing what the experience was going to be like.  But with Kris, he’d experienced a first.

He was being pampered.

Treated like a woman would be in a ‘normal’, heteroual relationship.

Sure, he knew the somm meant well - that he was probably just trying his best to be a gentleman - but what was the point of that if both of them were ‘gentlemen’?!

He could deal with all the insistent hand holding.  Didn’t even mind when his lover would grab at him, pulling him closer with those big mitts of his.  And yeah, so maybe Tao thought it was a little cute how his tall and stoic slenderman always crowded into his space whenever he felt that Tao wasn’t paying enough attention to him (as if trying to say - ‘Look at me! Look at me now!’).

But when it came down to the fact that they both made considerable amounts of money, Tao did not understand, did not need and certainly did not want to be treated out to… well, just about everything.

He could appreciate the good food, the good and the good booze - but the froufrou bouquets of pink and red roses that were delivered to his work station every single Monday of every single week were a bit much.  (...was he supposed to swoon or something?)

He could only mutter an embarrassed “uh...thanks?” each time Kris strutted in with a new bouquet in his hands, and wow, was he was getting ever closer to wanting to strangle that knowing smirk on Sehun’s face every time he ‘just happened to walk by’ when Kris’ bouquets arrived.

Stupid kid.

He wasn’t the type to turn down a gift when it had already been given, though.

Especially not when said gift came in the form of a deep fried strawberry and cream cheese crepe, straight out of a state fair fryer and topped with frosted sugar, a dollop of whipped cream, and a single maraschino cherry.

No takebacks on that.  For sure.

“Mmmm - okay - so here’s an idea -”  He groaned, listening to the crunch of the deep fried batter between his teeth, the feeling of creamy-sweet-smooth sliding down his throat.

“I’m thinking non-traditional crepes - maybe a splash of purple color with some taro ice cream and - and -”

He swirled the food around his mouth, eyes rolling upward and hands drawing circles in the air as he attempted to find his words.

“- and some caramelized bananas?  Yeah!  We could wrap it like a waffle cone, top it with some powdered sugar - what do you think?”

“I think it sounds awesome!”

Voice was too high pitched to have come from Kris.  Small fingers tugged at the bottom of his pant legs and Tao looked down to see big, shining eyes practically begging for a shared taste of that syrupy sweet treat.

He smiled broadly, digging in his spoon obligingly into the crackling fried dough before leaning over with a spoonful extended.

“That’s my girl!”

Kiara opened wide with a dimpled, baby-tooth smile - but like always, before she could, her almighty protector came swooping in like ing Batman in the night, waving the spoon away with a stern look as if the two of them had been on the verge of committing some kind of crime.

“Kiara’s only saying that because she loves sweets and wants a taste.  And hey.  I bought that crepe for you because you’re a lost cause - but don’t go giving her any wrong ideas.”

Tao rolled his eyes, leaving Kris the opportunity to address his daughter who was still smiling crookedly, holding her hands behind her back and swaying side to side in barely contained mischief.

“And you.  Don’t think you’re getting out of this either.  You’re becoming more and more like your Uncle Lay every day, I swear.  His sweet tooth must be rubbing off on you.”

Tao nudged Kris’ shoulder, breaking him from the mock lecture he had been giving Kiara.

“Oh come on, she’s just a kid.  Let her have her sweets!  In fact, tell you what -”  Leaning a little bit closer, bold but with half-lidded eyes - ”...if you’re good, I’ll even let you have something … sweet.”

The same spoon was now offered toward Kris with a drawn out, slow “ahhh” breathed softly onto his cheek.  The sommelier froze like a statue, cheeks flushing more and more with each breathy exhale against them, eyes focused with a laser-like intensity on Tao’s pink tongue as it slipped out from his mouth to the top of his lips.

Finally, Kris broke from the hypnosis, yanking his head away before the spoon could touch his lips, turning away with a noise of dismissal, trying his best to look unaffected.

“No, thank you.  I have a very particular - “ “- you mean picky -” “- taste for food, and I do not appreciate anything that is overly-processed, overly-seasoned, overly-sweet or overly-fried.”

Tao leaned in close with a -eating grin.

“You didn’t say that the other day when you ate my -”

His nose was suddenly gripped hard between Kris’ unyielding fingers.  Tao responded with a sharp and nasal “ow”, yanking back in order to wriggle his nose in discomfort as Kris spoke loftily over him.

“Your food is different and you know exactly how I feel about it, do not go fishing for compliments.  You will get none from me.”

“Aw come on, I just -”

“No.”

“But you -”

“No.”

“Daddy.  Don’t be mean.”

They both glanced down to see Kiara clinging onto Tao’s leg, staring out disapprovingly with eyebrows knit together.

“...yeah, you heard her!  Don’t be mean!”

When a frosty death glare turned in his direction, Tao flashed Kris a lazy grin.

Before Kris could launch a response back, a stranger’s voice cut in first.  Making her way through the crowd toward them was a middle aged woman who Kris could only describe as ‘incredibly normal’ - both completely nondescript and yet also completely motherly in a cheery, warm way.  She looked toward Kiara with adoration in her eyes.

“Oh, it’s so nice to see a young father out with his kid for a change.  Your daughter is just so cute - how old is she this year?”

Almost automatically, Tao turned to Kris, fully expecting the somm to answer - only to do a double take when he realized that the sommelier was staring right back at him with raised brows.

Turning back, he found that the woman was looking at him.  Expectantly.

Tao blinked, slowly pointing at himself, gulping when the woman smiled.

“M-me?”

“Oh yes - she looks so adorable in her little pink polka dot dress -” And then she directed the next few words to Kiara herself, bending down with her hands on her knees.  “Oh honey you look so pretty - did your daddy pick your dress for you?“

The tables had turned now and it was Tao’s turn to become a statue, robotically shaking his head repeatedly and forming an ‘x’ with his hands.

“Uhhh- nononono - you’ve got this all wrong, I -”

“Yes, ma’am, he did.”

He paused, feeling Kiara’s warmth leave him.  He looked to watch her curtsy politely, patting off the fake dust from her dress before returning to clutch onto his leg.

It wasn’t exactly a lie, so for a few seconds, Tao didn’t really pick up on it.

When the little girl looked back up at him with a mirrored version of his own cheeky smile on her face though, he realized with dread that she was much more keen on the situation than he had anticipated.  And she was doing it all on purpose.

When the woman’s shining eyes turned back up toward him, obviously waiting to hear more, Tao could feel the cold sweat begin to build up at the back of his neck.

Kris, damn him, stood just beyond her shoulder, betraying the awkward silence that followed with shoulders shaking with barely repressed laughter.

Karma was a .

-

For that, before the night was over, Tao purposefully won the smug somm the most ridiculous looking fluffy stuffed kitten he could find.

“Here,” He said in teasing spite, shoving the puffy monster into the taller man’s arms, “A kitten for my kitten.”

Kris’ expression dropped in half a second.  ...Worth it.

At least, for a few minutes, until they eventually both agreed to give the stuffed animal to Kiara.

She clutched it tight, and they walked back toward the car that way - with the little girl wedged between the two of them, waddling between two sets of tall leg and broad smiles.

(She ends up naming him Max, and insists on sleeping with him every night from then on.)

-

Lay was good with kids because it was so much easier for him to think in their terms - to make things all about games of pretend and play.

It was even easier, still, to get along with Kiara.

She was a little treasure, really - so very unlike her moody and taciturn father in her shy, dimpled smiles and her bright laughter.

But there was something similar there, in the way she drew into herself sometimes - not unhappy - just content in the quiet and the security it provided.

Like now, the way she was clutching tight at his hand, taking in the sights and smells silently.

Lay knew he didn’t have to worry about her.

It was with the adults that he had the most trouble with - because he never really knew what to say.  It was so difficult and so awkward for him to switch out of his teacher mode.  He always had to control the urge to lean down with his hands on his knees, to say things in a slow and over exaggerated voice.

So, in a place like this, where the steam was piling on thick and the sound of loud metal clatters and raised voices ran all around - Lay was just a liiiittle stressed.

He only just barely missed running into the tall, modelesque woman with the icy cold eyes who was carrying a tray on her shoulder balanced precariously high with white plates - but to his relief, before she could step into his path, a lazy voice called her back, making her spin abruptly on her heel.

Oh, thank goodness.

Lay wiped the sweat accumulating on his forehead, standing back up straight and tightening his grip on the hand within his own.

He felt those little fingers twitch back and automatically plastered on a comforting smile, half expecting that perhaps Kiara was worried for him - but when he turned to look, he could see her eyes weren’t even on him, instead looking past him with a toothy smile that grew wider as someone began to speak.

“Nana - not yet, bring that back over here.  Luna, look, there’s still some extra sauce all over the edge of the plate.  We can’t send it out looking like this.”

“Oh!  I’m sorry, I was distracted with…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.  Just next time take a good look at everything and tidy the up before you call for service, alright?”

“Yes, chef!”

The chef in question came striding across the kitchen on long legs, wiping his hands on a towel and only coming to a stop when he was directly in front of them.

Lay blinked and stood up straight, taking in full the sight of a man who he’d only seen glimpses of before.  Sure, he’d heard enough from Kris about how the other man looked, but nothing beat seeing the man in person.  Besides, Kris had an interesting way of describing things - talking about everything and everyone like they were notes of flavor in his deep glasses of wine.

Still - he thought he could finally see what Kris meant by wild and bold.

An acquired taste, indeed.

“Erm, is Kris here?”  Lay spoke up, just a little timidly, finally drawing attention to himself.  The chef - Tao? - turned toward him, noticing him for the first time and rubbing the back of his head.  He squinted in a way that was maybe a little intimidating.  Lay gulped.

“I, uh, I suppose you don’t know me and that this is all really sudden, but - “  Lay suddenly hissed, smacking his forehead before shuffling forward with a hand extended toward him.

“Oh, I’m Lay, by the way, I teach Kris’ daughter -”

The chef made to grab for his hand, but before he could even grip it, he grabbed only air as Lay suddenly retracted his hand, swiveling his head nervously around the kitchen as if trying to find Kris in the shadows.

The chef blinked slowly.

“That’s strange, he should be here, I told him I’d drop her off early today -”  The silence was biting, and Lay stumbled over himself trying to fill it.  “I- I’m going on a field trip - er, I mean a weekend trip - I mean - a date!  I told Kris that - well I didn’t tell him it was a date, did I - that I was busy and I couldn’t watch Kiara today and I’d have to drop her off here if-that’s-okay?”

He rushed the last few words in a single breath, in air as soon as he was finished.

...Nana smacked her lips noisily after a moment of eyebrow-raised silence, shooting Tao a look of humor (maybe - it was always hard to tell with her) before setting the plate back down on her tray and striding away, Luna following after her with a soft snort.

The noise seemed to stir Tao into action, because his lips quickly quirked upward into a delighted smile.

He turned, clapping his hands together to rid himself of the white flour that came off in puffs, pulling out a few bar stools nearby and gesturing down toward them.

“Kris popped out to make a call to a wine distributor - actually, he had already told me you’d be coming though, and wanted me to tell you that he’d be right back.  Here, pop a squat - just make yourselves comfortable while you wait!”

Lay shook his head, waving his arms in the beginning of a polite decline - but Kiara broke loose as soon as he let go, running forward with open and grasping arms.

“Tao!”

“Heeeey, kiddo!”

The chef bent down, scooping up and swinging the six year old briefly in his arms before setting her down safely on the bar stool.

“Think you can keep an eye on the pot for me?  I’ve set it to boil, so you gotta let me know when it starts to bubble, alright?”

With an enthusiastic nod, Kiara leapt up onto the rungs of the stool, watching over the pot with her complete attention.  Tao made sure to keep a steadying hand on the back of her chair in case it tipped and fell, but otherwise turned his attention back to Lay, jerking his head toward the remaining stool with a questioning noise.

Lay shook his head again, making an indistinct noise while looking down at his watch.

“Oh, no, I really can’t, I should get back, I need to pick my date up soon -”

Without letting go of Kiara’s chair, Tao reached out with a long arm, dragging him forcibly closer and stuffing him down into the seat.

“I insist.  Any friend of Kris’ is a friend of mine.”

Lay didn’t look convinced though.  Nor did he look entirely comfortable.  He looked nervous even - something which Tao found ridiculous.  Seriously.  It’s not like he was gonna bite.

...there just had to be a way to make Lay loosen up.

Tao wracked his brain for a solution, scratching at his chin for a second before it finally hit him.

He snapped his fingers suddenly, startling Lay in his seat.

“How about I make you something to eat while you wait?  It’ll be real fast - just a couple minutes, I promise.”

“Oh, no, no, I can’t ask that, I -”

“...something sweet, maybe?”

Something sweet.

Okay, now Lay found it difficult to refuse.

He couldn’t help it.  He’d always loved sweets - and besides - it didn’t help that he’d heard nothing from Kris for months except how “good” how “amazing” and ohmygodonandon about how wonderful Tao’s food was.  And Kris was a notorious critic.  He never gave praise unless it was well deserved.

So Lay had to admit - he was curious.

...and salivating.  Maybe just a little.

“Well - “ Lay started nervously, scratching at his head.

“I guess I have a little time.  What… did you say you were going to make?”

Tao’s grin grew as he leaned slowly across the counter.

“Ever had a taro crepe before?”

-

There she sat in her little red dress, so high up on the deep mahogany chair that her feet swung inches above the ground.

Spread in front of her like a banquet, were bowls of shelled madeleines, tiny cups of bite-sized strawberry parfaits, soft and colorful macarons that smelled and tasted just like warm brown sugar oozing rainbow trails into .  She dug in and dug in some more, reaching out each time and digging greedy fingers into each bowl - cracking and crunching, biting through the shells of hardened, chewy dough.

Crumbles of sweet bread and filling fell back to the table, contrasting with the perfect white of her tiny china plate.

It was so easy to imagine for a moment that she was a princess - the infant queen of a kingdom made of pastry puffs and fluffy, whipped frosting.

Lost in her fantasies of candy cane music boxes and merry go round horses, she lay her head down upon her hands, still nibbling slowly on the last macaron as sleep made her eyelids grow heavy.

She fell asleep to the bleary sight of colorful plates, and the smell of something that would, in later years, always remind her of home.

-

“I told you we shouldn’t have left all of Minseok’s extra pastries out on the table.  She has no concept of moderation at her age.”

“Shut up already.  You’re gonna wake her up if you keep up your yapping.”  Tao muttered, shifting his grip on the slumbering child in his arms.

Kris’ face soured for just a moment, but he crossed across the hallway without another word, opening the door to Kiara’s room and allowing the chef to slip in first before sliding in behind him.

It took a combined effort to pull away the thick, patterned covers, to settle Kiara in without waking her up and tucking Max into her outstretched arms, but thankfully, they’d both had nights of practice to get it just right.

She snuggled in immediately, digging her nose into the fluffy white fur and making soft snuffling noises of sleep as they pulled the covers back over her shoulders.

Tiptoeing back out of the room and closing it quietly shut, Tao allowed Kris to loop an arm around his shoulders, letting the somm pull him into the master bedroom.

Allowing the man undress him slowly in their nightly routine, Tao ran his hands through the other’s thick strands of hair, allowing Kris’ content hum to travel between their bodies.

Kris was always like this - always wanting to touch.  He never asked, but Tao knew that if he ever gave the smallest sign of non-consent, if he ever began to pull away - Kris would have let go immediately.

But Tao never did that.

He wasn’t a girl with soft curves and a slender waist, but with the way Kris looked at him as if he were something precious to be treasured, he would have thought he was.

So he let Kris have this, the soft, adoring affection that was out of sight of everyone else, reserved for him and him alone.

It was sweet anyway, especially when he was so used to being treated rough by everyone else.  He was content to know that here, he could sit back and relax.  Rely on someone else, for once.

Still, it always made him curious.  Made him want to ask questions.

So he did sometimes, this time while they were still lying in a pool of their own collective and cooling sweat, eyes heavy with post-coital bliss.

“Man,” He mumbled tiredly, when a hand lifted up the back of his head and gently settled it against a warm shoulder.

“...were you always like this?”

The hand stilled, still resting on the back of his neck when he opened his tired eyes.

“What do you mean by ‘like this’?”

The look in Kris’ eyes was unreadable.  A little closed off.  Tao blinked, shifting a bit closer to press a warm kiss to the creased corner of Kris’ perpetually downturned lips.

“Like when you kiss me.  You kiss me like every kiss is going to be our last.”

It was a sappy way to put it, but it was the most honest way Tao could.

Kris stared, and Tao met his gaze unafraid, refusing to break it until the hard look had finally faded into something more - something vulnerable and human.

And when the somm curled into him, pulling the chef closer with a firm grip around his waist, suddenly, Tao thought he understood.

Why Kris was always searching for him whenever he entered the kitchen, why he always seemed so relieved just to see him there.  Why he gripped him so tight that Tao could hardly breathe, why he pulled him so close at whenever they were alone.

He understood now, just why he would occasionally woke up to a crushing sensation across his chest and back, hot lips mouthing frantic words against his neck.

Don’t... please don’t…

“Are you afraid I will leave you, too?”

They’d talked about it before - briefly - barely.

Kris had been hard pressed to reveal any details then - something about it still seemed so painful - so Tao hadn’t pushed it any further.

Now though, rather than upset, Kris just seemed resigned to the truth.  The bags under his eyes were heavier than before, the few white streaks in his hair that usually made him seem hollywood handsome now suddenly adding to how tired he looked.

The somm trailed his hand between their bodies, trying to find Tao’s hand within the sheets.  Tao met him halfway, twining their fingers together.

Kris needed time to gather his thoughts, and Tao had all the time in the world to wait, drumming his fingers against the back of Kris’ hand lightly until the other finally began to spoke.

“...becoming a master sommelier is not unlike becoming a chef, you know.  At least, not really.  Because it’s all about nostalgia, isn’t it?  You’re trying to create something out of your memories.  I’m trying to find mine in what I taste.”

Kris paused, closing his eyes and pressing his nose into the top of Tao’s hair.  The chef pressed closer, for once staying silent in the knowledge that whatever Kris was saying was important.

“...so I spend a lot of time thinking, most of the time.  About my memories.  We experience so much in our lives - every day, every minute, every second, thousands and millions in our individual lifetime.  So, I play what I remember over and over in my head, trying to recall just what it was about them that made them stick around for so many years.”

“...and why do you think you do that?”

Fingers trailed down Tao’s tattoos, following each line of swirling black, each flick of engraved ink, committing them to memory.

“Because sometimes, something lingers in there.  Something beautiful.  Nostalgic.  And maybe I’m afraid that if I forget… that I’ll never be able to feel that way again.”

Tao could understand that.

his lips, the chef shifted and pressed their foreheads together, trying his best to convey through his eyes what was so hard to put into words - to someone who was so afraid to trust.

“Kris...  Kris, I...”

Before he could even finish, he found himself without breath.

The sommelier’s hair tickled his cheek as Kris leaned over him, tilting his head slowly and leaning forward until their lips touched gently.

It was the realization that what he held in his hands - so fragile and yet so heavy, the weight of Kris’ heart - that made Tao feel suddenly so sad, and weary.

Because for as strong as the other pretended to be - perhaps he was just as lost as Tao was himself.