Everybody makes mistakes, but not everybody makes mistakes that alter their day-to-day life, and for Zitao, one mistake proves to be one too many, for he finally learns just what it means to be careful what you wish for. Foreword“Tao, do you believe in fate?”Wiping the pricks of the needles at the tip of his gun with a vinyl-gloved hand and a microfiber cloth, he pops the tube free before removing the grip, and thereafter places both pieces into the autoclave. “Not really,” he mumbles out as he procures a fibrous hand towel to wipe the exposed liquid pigment and the beads of freshly-produced blood from his friend’s forearm. “I’m not really a fan of any of that whole true love, destiny, everything-happens-for-a-reason mumbo-jumbo propaganda. Shit could happen any moment like someone could die in a car crash, or something, so what happens if fate said you were supposed to end up together? It’s all a bunch of lovelorn tenderhearted bullshit.”As the soothing touch of topical cream swipes over his irritated skin, the man sighs and relaxes back into the headrest, nodding to himself. “So, what about second chances?”An eyebrow cocking, his friend’s lips curl as he debates it for a moment. “Depends on the offense,” he says cockily. “You beat the shit out of your relationship partner? That shit doesn’t deserve a second chance, you deserve to rot in hell for that. You accidentally upset one of your friends because you made a joke about how ugly their shoes are and you didn’t think they’d actually be offended by it? That deserves a second chance. Why do you ask?” “Just…” his friend begins to say, before his upper chest balloons and consecutively deflates with a sigh. “You know Sehun’s big brother, Jongin? He’s got this new girlfriend, I don’t remember her name off of the top of my head, but they have so much in common and you would think they would get along so well and be so head over heels for each other, you know? But Sehun told me that the other day, they had a fight and that she had tossed one of the new sweaters he had bought for her over her balcony and into a rainwater puddle from that morning. He’s really heartbroken right now, because he really believed that she was the one for him, and that fate had good things in store for the two of them.”“Ah,” Zitao nods with an unimpressed expression as he takes hold of his friend’s wrist and lifts the appendage to wrap his afflicted skin up in a plastic wrap. “And this is why I don’t believe in any of that shit. See what happens? That shit fuckin’ lies to you. Gets you all hyped up and wrapped around somebody’s little finger, but how do you even know what you believe to be fate has anything to do with what they believe to be fate? I don’t have the time for any of that.”“I mean, you still could try to date somebody just to see if maybe you feel like they could be the one for you,” his friend smiles at him as he sits up on the bed and presses curiously on his tender skin from over top the smooth plastic wrapping. “‘Cause what happens if you have a soulmate, too, but you just don’t realize it because you don’t believe in that kind of thing?”Then, his friend shrugs. “I’ll fall in love when I’m ready to. It’s my heart, I can dictate how I use it by myself.”   ____________________  hi its me, always making new fuckin stories for no reasonjust a psa: this is NOT going to be updated until Dress Me concludes (why am i posting this? honestly idk lmao im bored)^^^read it, and then read it again so u dont beg me to post the first chapter before i finish my other story lmao idk if anyone will like this but i like this a lot yeet Pairing: Tao/KrisPrompt: mystery!au, time travel, established families (originally: babysitter!au)Length: (hopefully) 10-20 chaptersWarnings: time travel, cartomancy/clairvoyancy, the butterfly effect/the reverse butterfly effect, tattoo artists/body modification artists, emotional trauma, slight! & past!self harm, huge!hurt/comfort, very slight!paranormal ​​​​​activity, moderate-to-severe mental illnesses/conditionsconditions mentioned (for trigger warning purposes regarding the symptoms and behaviors) : ​​​​​ intermittent explosive disorderasocial personality disorder/agoraphobiaborderline personality disorder (bpd)high-functioning insomnia **keep in mind, this is the kind of story where nothing is a coincidence, and you must pay attention.**if you struggle when paying attention to small details, i would recommend you dont read.  anyway dont ask lmaoi always write things nobody wantsok i have class now bYE