i'll be your beggar your fool || Tao

The Beginning || Introduction

The keys jingled against the mailbox as I pushed the key into my mailboxes door. The door swung open, revealing scant mail and bills unaddressed to me. I sighed as I closed and locked the little door, turning away from the row of mailboxes walking back to my apartment silently.

I shoved my hands in my windbreakers pockets, pressing the mail between my arm and my side. I shivered in the brash chill that swept over the hardly lit road, it was well after midnight and I should have been in my bed asleep but here I am aimlessly checking the mail. I shouldn't be here for several reasons sleeping is just one, frostbite it's another, and probably more, but who cares? I don't.

With the senses of a rabbit, I momentarily saw a figure moving in the distance. I was still making my way back to my house fearing the worst. the figured staggered as I approached a community dumpster 100 yards from my building, so close. The figure was no more than 10 feet away, staggering clearly evident from severe intoxication.

I stopped, unafraid of the figures potential.

"Wah, when did you get there?" he hiccuped swaying in front of me.

"I-I don't know a few seconds before you."

"wǒ shí Zi Tao (I am Zi Tao)" what? "let's be friends~" he stumbled forward again, I caught him

"Well Zi Tao I think you should be heading home, you seem a little under the weather." He whined then sighed

"I can't they don't want me" I could practically feel the pain in his words. The cold was nipping harshly at my soon to be frostbitten fingers. Tao still clung to me hot breath fanning my neck as he slouched over on me, sobs becoming prevalent. My mail had long fallen on the icy ground. I leaned tao against the trashcan so I could grab it.

He whined curling into the side of the trashcan as I bent over to attempt to grab mail with numb fingers. After many tries, I succeeded after many numbless attempts.

"Tao, come on buddy," I grabbed his arms wrapping him around me so I could carry him back to my place. Good thing my mom is on a business trip. Again. I could see the light to my stairwell leading to my apartment, finally.

We stumbled and attempted to walk up the stairs needing to stop several times, perks of living on the top floor.

I fumbled for my keys with my blue-tinged fingers, the key slipping in and easily swinging open the door where a gush of warm air greeted us.

I sat Tao down on my couch after closing and locking the door, slipping his shoes and coat off. I searched all the rooms for as many blankets as I could find gently wrapping them around the two of us, just trying to return our bodies to a reasonable temperature.

Minutes maybe hours since I wasn't aware of the time Tao had stretched out his body onto the L part of the couch taking some of the many blankets with him. I had rearranged myself to resting my head on his chest with my body stretched out in the opposite direction.

We were both cocooned in a state of warmth drifting off to sleep.

Tao's P.O.V.

I rubbed my eyes completely unaware of where I was.

A head was curled into the crook of my neck sound asleep. I slowly reached down into my pants pocket reaching for my phone. With the battery remaining, I checked what I had missed.

Day: 2018年2月1日星期四 (Thursday, February 1, 2018)

Time: 14:45

It was January 30 when I went to the bar, what did I do?

The body started to stir, waking up...