Huang Zi Tao, a young man who works at a small boutique, looked up at his manager for help. Being new to the shop, he often needs advice for what direction he should take next. A new shipment of clothes had arrived earlier that morning, and he didn't know where to put a thing. His expression is a sheepish one, with an apologetic smile. His manager, Wu Fan, also known as just "Kris", catches his expression and sighs.
"Tao, put them over there for now." He points to a corner of the store behind the cash register. Tao, feeling a little ashamed at having to ask for help so often diligently carries the boxes to the corner. But when he isn't looking, Kris smiles and laughs in his head at Tao's behavior. He secretly thinks Tao is adorable, like a little child, often more kiddish than he means to be.
Tao doesn't notice his chuckle, but instead resolves to work harder at the store. He thinks to himself, I can't ask for any more help, I don't want to bother Kris-gege anymore.
Tao hasn't worked at the store for long. Only a month or two. He's become pretty close to Kris, who also happens to be his neighbor at the apartment building he lives in. His co-worker, Zhang Yi Xing, nicknamed "Lay", is one of his few friends ever since he moved to this city. He had met Lay at a grocery store, and they had connected instantly. Lay had recommended him to Kris, and had said that Tao was a hardworking man who needed a job. Kris had readily hired him; the boutique needed more workers.
Tao is thinking back to these memories when he suddenly drops one of the boxes on his foot. He never really realized how heavy they are until now when he screams out in pain as the cover flies open and he sees that the contents are not clothes, in fact, but some metal objects. "Aish!" He yells, dropping to the floor and clutching his foot. Kris suddenly freezes, looks over at Tao, and quickly runs to him.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Kris's expression is one of serious concern. He looks Tao up and down to make sure there are no other injuries as well. Then he takes the box that's just a few inches away from Tao's foot, and moves it.
Thinking about his resolve from earlier, Tao only replies with, "Gege, it's fine. I'm okay. It doesn't hurt." It's a bold lie, and he bites his lip to deal with the pain. He stands up, not looking at Kris so that he can't see his inner struggle. But when he stands up and puts weight on his right foot -- the one he injured -- he gasps loudly, and falls on his hands. Kris watches the whole thing, and without a word he walks over to Tao...and picks him up. He throws him over his shoulders.
"Yah! What the heck? Kris-ge, this is really embarrassing!" Tao hits Kris's back with the palm of his hand.
"Shush. You sound like a girl and it only makes it even more embarrassing." Lay sees them, and opens his mouth, about to ask something. Kris just gives him a look, then a meaningful nod. Lay, understanding the situation, nods back, and goes back to work silently. When they aren't looking, though, Lay smiles and chuckles to himself.
"Put me down! I can walk by myself. I've been training wushu for ages, I know how to deal with pain."
"Well then you're not doing a very good job." Kris doesn't say anything more, and carries Tao out of the store. He only lets him down when they're in front of his car, and he urges Tao to sit shotgun. Tao doesn't say a word, unsure of how to deal with this situation. He wants to complain, but part of him wonders if his foot is seriously injured or not.
Kris starts driving. After a while, Tao notices something peculiar. "Kris, my house is that way." He points out the window in the opposite direction of which they're driving in.
"We're not going to your house. We're going to a doctor."
"What? It's not that bad, really!" Kris doesn't respond. He makes Tao get out once they arrive at the doctor's office, and Tao gets his foot examined. Turns out, he broke his foot. The doctor, strangely enough, tells him that he really shouldn't put any weight on it for at least a week. He tells him that it's best if he stayed home and got someone to help take care of him. The foot is covered in a cast now, and Kris is once again driving Tao back. This time, they arrive at Tao's house.
"Shouldn't you go back to work?" Tao asks as he sees that Kris is following him to his apartment. He takes Tao's key from him and unlocks the door. He holds it open, and helps Tao inside. Tao's still waiting for the answer to his question when he suddenly trips on a chair leg by the door. He holds out his hands, expecting to hit the cold, hard ground. Instead, an arm is wrapped around his waist and he is nowhere near the ground.
"Who the hell do you think is going to take care of you for a week?" Kris asks, sternly, almost irritatedly.
"But Lay--" Tao looks up at Kris, but is interrupted.
"Can fend for himself." He finishes his sentence. Kris looks at Tao, carries him to his room, and lies him down. Tao blushes furiously, feeling very embarrassed as he looks up at his attractive boss. Kris sits down on the bed beside him. "And I'll stay here with you."
He plants a delicate kiss on Tao's forehead, then puts his hand over his eyes.
"Go to bed. I'll be here when you wake up."
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THE BOOK OF EXO SHIPS
FanfictionA collection of short fanfics for the infamous ships in EXO. Hunhan, Taoris, Kaisoo, etc etc etc. I, myself, am not a shipper. But I decided to write this for the enjoyment of others. So I hope you like it ;) Each story is individually written one b...