#ziu fluff

"Uh, yeah. You're an exchange student as well?", you reply nervously, returning his smile carefully.

"Yes, I'm from China. You can call me Jacob.", he answers, stretching out his hand for you to shake - which you do, before giving him your name as well. "Well, let's just try to find the room together then, shall we?" 

You nod in confirmation, quickly following him.

After a few more minutes though, Jacob loses his last bit of patience and finally asks a young man with bright pink hair to point you both in the right direction. Thanks to this, you're only a few minutes late to the gathering of all exchange students. Still, everyone in the room turns towards you both, making your cheeks flame bright red. Jacob simply nods curtly at everyone, before pulling you with him towards the last free chairs directly in the front row. You guess those seats are unpopular with students no matter their origin. You sigh silently, before taking the chair beside Jacob. 

"Well, I guess that's everyone then.", a woman in her late forties says, clapping her hands together, "Welcome, new students - and thank you for choosing our redeemed university as part of your exchange experience. We're very happy to have you here. My name is Professor Ateamme and I'm in charge of the exchange program this year." 

"I didn't choose anything.", Jacob murmurs quietly and you raise both eyebrows in a silent question. He shrugs. "Generations of my family have spent at least one year at this university, so I didn't have much of a choice."

You just nod, redirecting your attention back to Prof. Ateamme.

After rattling down information after information, you quickly notice your attention wavering - your thoughts turning towards other things. You almost miss her announcement: "Now it's time to assign everyone here a buddy, who’s going to be in charge of making your stay as pleasant as possible. Please don't hesitate to ask them for help - everyone here is more than eager to make you feel welcomed, that's why they decided to become part of this program."

Students are filtering into the room, most sport a bright smile or are nodding at you foreign students. You gaze at Jacob, who scowls slightly. "I don't need a buddy.", he says lowly so only you're able to hear him. 

You grin at him. "I think it's a great idea - that way we're quickly meeting other people.", you whisper back. 

He just shrugs. "I already know you. Don't you think that's enough?" 

You snort at his awkward attempt at flirting and roll your eyes in a playful manner. 

„Did you hear about the female student who was killed in a car crash not long ago, just around the corner of this campus?“, Jacob suddenly asks. You shake your head, goosebumps rising on your arms while he quickly tells you the story: „My roommate told me about her, apparently she was supposed to be a buddy for this program, too. I just suddenly thought of her… If that drunk idiot hadn’t hit her, she would be here today. It’s just… I don’t know, weird. And sad. Really sad.“ 

You notice he really does look heartbroken about it - apparently he didn’t want to gossip about the death, he really was just thinking about her. It instantly makes you like him even more, but before you can say anything to him, you feel someone's eyes on you. 

When you look up, you see dark eyes boring into yours - the young man is around your age, has bright red hair (definitely dyed, there's no way that's his real hair color) and a blindingly bright smile. 

You stare at him, confused at why your heart suddenly starts hammering against your ribcage. A weird feeling spreads through your whole body, but you try to push it aside and quickly look away from the handsome man.

Thanks to that, you don't even notice that the assigning of buddies has already begun - suddenly, the red-haired student is standing in front of you. "I heard you're in need of a buddy - so here I am!", he says loudly, stretching one hand towards you, "I'm Ziu." 

You gaze up at him, your heart beginning to hammer again. "Uh. Hi." 

A shocking eloquence on your part. 

You clear your throat, already feeling a blush creeping on your cheeks, "I'm Y/N. And yeah, I guess I do need a buddy." Your eyes quickly scan the room, but apparently, everyone else's already taken - even Jacob is talking to a buddy sporting violet hair and round glasses. 

Seriously, what's up with these crazy hair colors today?, you think to yourself, finally looking back at Ziu.  

"Then we're a team now!", he says enthusiastically, when you finally shake his hand. 

You can't help but smile, his enthusiasm infectious. 

"I guess we are.", you answer a bit more reserved, quickly snatching your hand back before you can notice how good him holding it actually feels.

He just grins at you, somehow looking a bit smug.

"So you met your mate. That's... that's a good thing, isn't it?"

Ziu sighs deeply. "In general? Yes. Like this? No."

Ayno and Dawon exchange a confused look. 

"She's an exchange student... So she'll go back to her home country in a few months.", Ziu elaborates further, "That means we'll be apart for who knows how long."

"Oh. I guess werewolves aren't really good at long distance relationships, huh?", Dawon says sympathetically. 

"No! Not at all.", the younger man whines, dramatically flailing himself back onto his bed and pressing his face into one of the pillows, uttering a small scream. He’s glad to have the two young warlocks as his neighbors and close friends, their powers actually often coming in handy (even though he must admit he was quite shocked to find out about them being supernatural creatures as well just a few weeks ago - he’s also still not too sure about the red hair suiting him, but so far Ayno hasn’t found a spell to undo the accidental dyeing-curse he set on the young werewolf without making Ziu go completely bald).

"Life's funny like that sometimes.", Dawon mutters, gently patting his friend's back.

"Not helping.", Ziu's muffled voice retorts. 

"Is there a spell for... I don't know, deactivating the mating bond?", Ayno thinks out loud, which results in Ziu hitting him with a pillow. 

"Don't you dare touch my mating bond! Do you know how special this is?! There aren't many werewolves who actually find their mate, so don't even think about looking for a spell! And I’m not taking any dating advice from someone who does absolutely nothing about the crush he has on his research partner."

Ayno looks a bit perplexed, before throwing the pillow back at Ziu. "Relax, it was just an idea. We won't touch your mating bond."

The red-haired man huffs, crossing both arms over his chest. "Yeah, you better."

Dawon sighs and shakes his head. "I don't think we can be of any help to you right now. Apart from getting drunk with you, obviously."

Ziu raises his head at this. „That actually sounds like a very good idea right now."

As you soon find out, Ziu is a really amazing buddy.

He helps you a lot, actually, especially in the beginning - drawing you adorable little maps to help you find the right buildings (you save every single one of those in a small card box on your desk), showing up to eat with you during lunch hours and helping you find some of your college textbooks for nearly half the price.

Even though his character is quite the opposite of yours (often reminding you of an over-excited puppy with his never-ending enthusiasm and overall loud personality), you still really enjoy being around him.

You quickly become friends, often hanging out together, sometimes together with his neighbors Ayno and Dawon, who's been assigned as Jacob's buddy; but mostly it’s just the two of you. 

It doesn't take long for Jacob to begin teasing you about your close friendship with the redhead, the Chinese exchange student being one of your closest friend by now.

„So, when's your husband coming over tonight?“, Jacob asks while you’re hanging out one evening in early November.

You don't even answer, just retorting to (kind of) gently smack the back of his head.

"Ouch! That hurt!" 

You grin, satisfied with yourself and continue to watch Queer Eye, Jacob pouting beside you. 

"Why are we watching that again?", he asks a few seconds later, making you roll your eyes at him.

You know he secretly loves that show, actually having a soft spot for all of the Fab Five.

„You either shut up or you leave. Don't you have to get ready for your date this evening, too?", you finally say, hitting the pause button. Jacob gasps, whipping his head around and looking at the clock hanging above your desk.

"Ah, damn. I nearly forgot about that... I better should get going now. I definitely have to take a shower before meeting Clara."

You nod, wrinkling your nose. "That's the best idea you’ve had lately - you stink." 

Jacob scowls at you, trying to push you from the sofa. "I do not!"

You giggle, shoving him back. "Yes, you do!", you answer in the same childish voice, jumping up and trying to escape his fingers from tickling you.

"Take that back!", Jacob threatens when he finally catches you, poking your sides and making you laugh - you're definitely way too ticklish. 

"No!", you just manage to gasp out, trying to escape him again and failing. Tears are coming out of your eyes by now and you're gasping for breath. Jacob just laughs at you, continuing his torture with no thought of stopping any time soon.

„Uh… what’s going on?", a perplexed voice coming from your door suddenly asks. You interrupt your quarreling, looking at Ziu standing in the doorway, a six-pack beer and some snacks in his hands. His eyes take in the scene in front of him, face contorting slightly when he sees the way Jacob has his arms around you. 

You quickly shove Jacob away from you, blushing and pushing your hair out of your face. 

„Uh... We were just...", you struggle to come up with a good reply, but Jacob simply answers: "I was just tickling her for saying I stink. Because I do not!" With that, he scowls one last time at you, before grabbing his stuff, "And I'm leaving now. Gotta get ready for my date." 

He gently flicks your forehead, pats Ziu on one shoulder and leaves your room, shutting the door behind him. You smile at Ziu, finally noticing his new hair color. 

"What happened to the red?", you gasp, taking a step towards him and reaching out to touch the now brown strands of hair. 

He shrugs. "I grew tired of it, so I changed it. Do you... do you like it?", he asks a bit shyly, gazing into your eyes. 

You smile softly. "I would like your hair in any color.", you answer truthfully, pulling him with you towards the sofa. He drops the beer and snacks onto your small coffee table, before sitting down and sighing deeply. 

„So, Jacob has a date tonight?", he asks you, when you sit down beside him, placing one arm on the back of the sofa. You nod, unconsciously scooting a bit closer. 

Ziu smiles down at you, beginning to play with your hair. 

It makes you heart flutter, but you quickly push the feeling aside - something you've gotten quite good at these last few weeks. You don't want to have a crush on anyone at the moment, knowing it will only lead to heartbreak on both sides when you have to go back home again. Even though you've felt some kind of pull ever since first laying eyes on Ziu, you don't want to acknowledge your growing feelings in any way. But he's definitely making it harder every day, being the beautiful human inside and out that he simply is.

"You're okay with me finishing the episode?", you finally ask, nodding towards your television. 

Ziu smiles. "Sure, you know how much I love Queer Eye." 

You snuggle deeper into the cushions, hitting play and redirecting your attention towards the Fab Five.

Ziu silently observes you out of the corner of his eye. By now, he's actually contemplating if your mating bond might be broken - normally, the pull between mates is strong enough that only a few weeks pass before it's getting too strong to be ignored. Then, the human mate can either accept or reject the werewolf - which is painful, but at least not deadly (even though there are rumors that some werewolves actually died after being rejected by their mate - Ziu doesn't know if he should believe those stories or not). 

But you act like you don't even notice the pull - and... maybe that might actually be the case? Which is, at least to Ziu's knowledge, unheard of, but that doesn't mean it's impossible, right?

At the moment he's contemplating whether he should contact his pack's alpha and ask for help. But with him being one of the youngest of their pack, he’s already used to getting teased a lot (or more like way too much), so he doesn't think this to be a good idea (at least not yet). No, he wants to try other methods first.

So... Maybe he should just ask you? 

But no, if you really don't notice the pull, this could get awkward real quick.

Maybe you're in love with Jacob and that's why you don't notice the pull?

If that's the case he might just have to snap the neck of your friend, no matter the consequences.

"You know it's rude to stare, right?"

Ziu jumps, his eyes focusing back on you again. 

You sport an amused expression, both eyebrows raised and the corner of your lip curling into a smirk. 

He blushes, scratching his head. 

"Well, it's difficult not to stare when such a beautiful human like yourself sits beside me.", he replies quickly and smoothly; now you’re the one to blush. You avert your eyes, looking back at the tv screen. 

He grins and pokes your cheek. "Hey, are you ignoring me?" 

You swat his hand away, still not looking at him. "I'm not.", you mumble almost inaudible, making him laugh. 

"Are you embarrassed?", he continues to tease you. 

You grab the hand still poking your cheek and glare at him. "I'm not! I just don't like you flirting with me.", you answer fiercely, dropping his hand again and crossing your arms in front of your chest.

Ziu is actually a bit taken aback by your sudden outburst, feeling guilty.

"Sorry.", he murmurs, turning to the tv as well.

He stays silent for a few seconds, before he asks: "Don't... don't you like me?"

He hears your sharp intake of breath, sees how your eyes dart around the room in an attempt to avoid looking at him.

"Y/N. Look at me."

And so you do, Ziu getting lost in your deep eyes. "Don't you like me?", he whispers again, eyes dropping to your lips.

You swallow, heart hammering inside your chest, hands getting clammy. "I- I...", you begin, but then, Ziu is already kissing you.

You startle, eyes widening a bit before you relax into his embrace, his arms pulling you even closer. You close your eyes as well, folding both your hands over his chest and feeling how his heartbeat mirrors your own, beating fast and hard. When his tongue brushes against your lips, you shiver slightly, a tiny moan escaping you. 

You're tired of lying to yourself - you know you've already fallen fast and hard for the handsome man in front of you. 

And even though you might have to go back home in a few months - that doesn't mean you need to push him away during that time.

Right now, you just want to stay in his arms forever, not thinking about your uncertain future.

The next weeks seem to pass in the blink of an eye.

It's almost Christmas, when Ziu confesses to you in the most Ziu-ish way possible: you're out on a date in a small forest not too far away from campus, wanting to pick a tiny Christmas tree for Ziu's flat, which proves difficult thanks to your giant of a boyfriend beginning to chase you through the snow. You're giggling uncontrollably by now, somehow managing to escape him again and again by quickly darting around the trees and finally hiding behind some bushes. 

You're out of breath and feel hot thanks to all the running, so you quickly take off your knitted red bobble hat and stuff it into the pocket of your padded coat. Being distracted like this, even if it's just for a few seconds, Ziu sees his chance and tackles you to the ground, yelling happily: "I'VE GOT YOU!" 

You giggle while he presses tiny kisses on your cheeks, forehead, nose and mouth, his warm body covering yours. 

"You." - he kisses one cheek - "Are" - he kisses your other cheek - "Way" - he kisses your forehead - "Too" - he kisses your nose - "Cute!" 

With that, he finally kisses your lips, tongue brushing yours and making you taste the coffee he just had a few minutes ago, right before beginning to chase you around like a crazy person (you should've known better than to bring a thermos full of caffeine on this date, your boyfriend definitely not needing any more energy). 

You cradle his face between your hands, nuzzling your nose against his when you end the kiss. "So are you.", you answer, quickly pecking his lips. 

He smirks. "Oh, I know. I'm irresistibly cute. So I'm allowed to do this." And with that, he shoves a handful of snow right into your face, making you yell in surprise and push him off your body. 

"Oh you didn't!", you scream at your boyfriend, who's laughing hysterically and already holding some more snow in his hands. You swiftly grab some snow yourself and seconds later, you're engaged into a very serious snowball fight. 

It isn't a surprise that Ziu wins - holding you in a death-grip and shoving some more snow into your face.

"I surrender! I surrender!", you yell, struggling to escape his tight embrace.

"Tell me you love me first!", he demands teasingly and you don’t even think about it, simply blurting out: "I love you, you stupid idiot!"

Before you can register that you actually just confessed to him, Ziu has already turned you around in his arms, kissing you deeply and making your heart flutter. 

He leans his forehead against yours, breathing heavily and sporting a shit-eating grin. "I love you, too.", he says, but you play deaf. "Sorry? What was that?", you tease him back, gazing at him with round, innocent eyes. 

His smile widens, before he yells at the top of his lungs: "I LOVE YOU, Y/N!" 

You jump when some lonely birds flutter out of a tree, scared by the loud noise. You smack his arm, stifling your own grin. "Shh, are you crazy?!", you laugh, hiding your face in his chest. His arms circle you, his chest still rumbling with laughter. 

"What? It's only us out here.", Ziu says, shrugging and kissing the top of your head, "Am I not allowed to tell the world how I feel?" 

You shake your head. "Nope, you're not. You're only allowed to tell me.", you say seriously, trying to hide the mischievous glint in your eyes.

"Too bad, there's already a banner with my confession waiting for you in front of your dorm. Not forgetting the marching band playing 'I will always love you' by Whitney Houston, obviously.", Ziu answers, quickly pressing a kiss on your lips before you're able to retort something. 

You snort, shaking your head. "You're crazy.", you mumble against his lips, heart and heart full of love.

It's New Year's Eve and you and Ziu are invited to a game night hosted by Ayno and Dawon. Jacob is going to be there as well, just like Ayno's girlfriend who just happens to be one of your neighbors. 

But Ziu, who's currently laying on your bed, is not letting you leave his arms, making it impossible for you to follow the invitation of his neighbors. 

"Ziu, I'm serious! We have to leave now or we'll be late.", your voice sounds muffled thanks to your face being pressed against Ziu's chest.

"I don't care. I vote for staying in this night, so it’s just us two celebrating our first New Year as a couple."

You shake your head, freeing yourself a bit of his tight embrace. "Not gonna happen. Jacob's counting on me." 

Ziu rolls his eyes, pouting a bit. He’ll definitely never admit to it, but you know he's jealous of you spending time with Jacob - who, by now, has become something like your best friend. You find Ziu's jealousy ridiculous, simply because everyone can see how head over heels you are for the giant dork, but your boyfriend still scowls every time you even talk about Jacob. 

But if everything works out (like you think it will), this won't be a problem anymore in the very near future - Jacob told you about a new girl he met just yesterday, his eyes sparkling and lips stretching into a loving smile (because even though your friend might look all tough and manly outside, he's actually one of the biggest softies you know). 

"But there's something I need to tell you.", Ziu murmurs into your neck, pressing soft kisses against it and making you shiver.

"Then tell me.", you answer a bit breathless, tilting your head to give him better access. 

"It's better to show you, though.", he continues, pressing a gentle kiss on your lips.

"Well, then show me."

"Not sure about doing this here, though."

At this, you knit your eyebrows together. "Huh?"

Ziu finally lets go of you, sighing deeply. "You trust me, right?", he asks, suddenly serious - something very unusual for your normally over-enthusiastic, silly boyfriend.

You nod carefully, pushing a few strands of hair back behind your ear. "Of course I do."

At this, Ziu jumps up and holds one hand towards you to take. "Come on, then." 

Confused, you grab his hand, letting yourself be pulled with him. "Are we going over to Ayno and Dawon's place?"

"Not yet. Dress warmly, I don't want you catching a cold.", Ziu says gently, already holding your red bobble hat in one of his hands.

You begin to feel a bit nervous thanks to his strange behavior, but begin to nevertheless dress in some of your warmest clothes before following him out of your dorm. 

Ziu takes your hand in his, swinging your arms between you like always, but somehow it feels forced and unnatural this time. You're seriously beginning to panic, trying to push all thoughts of Ziu trying to break up with you or something like that aside.

You mean... Why would he? He only just told you he loved you - a mere few hours ago... 

And such a sudden change of heart wouldn't be like him at all... right?

At least that's what you try to tell yourself. 

You don't even notice reaching the forest where you picked Ziu's Christmas tree just a few weeks earlier, too immersed into your own thoughts. Confused, you lift both eyebrows. "What are we doing here?", you ask timidly, the dark forest not being a place you want to spend time in at this hour. 

„Just trust me, Y/N.", Ziu simply answers, continuing to pull you with him. 

He stops when you finally reach a small clearing, letting go of your hand. He takes a few steps away from you, his back turned towards you.

"Ziu?" Your voice sounds way too small in the darkness of the forest, the only light coming from the stars above you.

"There's something I haven't told you about me yet.", Ziu begins, voice sounding nervous.

"This is some serious Twilight scenario right there.", you try to joke, hugging yourself and beginning to shiver - not only due to the coldness of the winter night though.

Ziu doesn't laugh - which is more than unusual for him.

"You're actually not that far off, Y/N." With that, he turns around.

Are you hallucinating or are his normally dark brown eyes shining yellow? 

Your heart hammers inside your chest and you take a tiny step back.

"Please... just - don't run away." And with that, your boyfriend begins to change in front of you: his nose prolongates - no, his whole face prolongates, while the rest of his body bends in a weird way. 

You blink a few times and almost miss the rest of his change - how fur begins to grow out of his skin, how paws form where seconds ago he still had his human hands...

You're unable to scream, completely shell-shocked.

You simply stare at the big, black wolf in front of you. 

Don't run away, please.

"HOLY FUCK!", you yell, stumbling back a bit and landing butt-first in the snow. 

You simply continue to stare at the Wolf - at... Ziu.

Your boyfriend.

"Did... did you just talk to me? Like, telepathically?“, you whisper, pretty much convinced you have to be dreaming right now.

I am. So... you can really hear me?

"Of course I can hear you! But- how? I... what the hell is even going on?", you finish weakly, not able to stand up again and continuing to gaze at the wolf.

Uh, well... So... I'm a werewolf...

"You're a werewolf."

Yup.

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

Nope.

You laugh a bit hysterical, burying your face in your hands and taking a few deep breaths to keep yourself from hyperventilating.

You feel something soft and warm nuzzling your head and jump a bit, looking up. 

Ziu's brown eyes stare back at you - the eyes you know so well by now.

With a trembling hand you reach out to touch his silky looking fur. 

He nuzzles his snout into your hand, making you smile a bit.

"This is seriously so weird.", you mumble, continuing to gently stroke his fur.

I'm just glad you didn't faint.

"Oh, shut up."

The wolf makes a noise quite similar to a snort and you poke him, extracting a yelp from him.

"Have you always been a werewolf?", you ask softly, while Ziu lays down in front of you, heat radiating from him and stopping your trembling.

Yes - I was born as one. You actually can't be turned into one, that's just a myth.

"Really? Well, that's really some serious Twilight shit right there.“

At this, the wolf growls. Don't compare me to those stupid huskies.

You giggle, before falling silent again. "What... what do we do now?"

What do you mean?

"I mean, why did you tell me? Don't misunderstand - I appreciate your honesty, but... Why?"

Because I love you. Because the wolf is part of me. And because...

"Because?"

You're my mate.

With that, Ziu slowly changes back into his human form.

You simply stare at him, blinking slowly. "I'm your... mate."

He nods shyly, carefully taking your hands in his and beginning to play with your fingers. "Having a mate is actually quite rare nowadays.", he tells you quietly, "So finding you comes pretty close to a miracle."

"Well, aren't you a lucky wolf then.", you murmur, looking down at your interlaced hands. 

"Of course I am. I have you.", he simply states, making your heart flutter.

"Will this... I don’t know, change anything between us?", you ask a bit fearful, not daring to look up - but Ziu gently lifts your chin with his fingers, his eyes soft and full of love.

"No, not at all. It simply means you can be absolutely sure I'll never leave your side. That I'll always look out for you. That you're the only person I'll ever want to be with - that I'll ever love.", he answers, gently tracing your lips with one finger.

You let out a deep breath, beginning to nod slowly and earning a bright grin from your boyfriend - your… mate. 

"You're damn lucky you're such a cute puppy.", you finally say, a small smile pulling on your lips.

Ziu laughs out loud, pulling you close to his chest. 

"First of all - I’m not a puppy, I’m a wolf! And secondly - I'm damn lucky to have such a cute mate.", he answers, kissing the top of your head and holding you tight.

"You sure are.", you say, beginning to smile in earnest now and pressing a soft kiss on his lips.

"I love you.", he murmurs when you pull away again and gaze up at him.

You smile. "I love you, too."