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slightlymore · 4 years

Text

cute~

- a pride spin-off -

pairing: haechan x mark

other characters: doyoung, jaemin, jungwoo, onew (??? only bc I needed a name 😔)

genre: angst!! smut! fluff!!! one-shot, company!au (you can read this without reading "pride" first but make sure to read at least the little synopsis below, just to have some kind of context for the first part)

warnings: 18+, language, sexual activities, alcohol, drunk characters

words: 14K (oops)

for those who didn’t read pride and don't want to: doyoung and y/n are in love with each other but because of a series of unfortunate events (them being stupid) they can’t be together. doyoung leaves her after college and starts working at haechan’s company while being miserable; the two boys become enemies/friends. everything goes relatively well until one day y/n makes an appearance and starts working there as well. doyoung and y/n finally get (their shit) together and become a couple. haechan is the happy friend witnessing all of that and this is his story

(the photo was meant to be a shitpost but now I kinda like it lmaooo)

The phone rang for the millionth time that morning, a piercing and resounding noise, making Haechan unable to hear his own thoughts. The boy groaned. It was only 10 am yet everyone suddenly needed to speak with him. Haechan would have loved to spend his workday gossiping on the phone. Maybe chit-chatting about everyone. Listening to his colleagues talk about George's new too-expensive-for-his pockets-but-he's-an-idiot car, or the scandalous hairstyle Alex tried out to impress his already-married-and-twenty-years-older flame, or to hear how someone heard from someone else that somebody had sex with someone somewhere. But not that day. Haechan was exhausted, physically, and mentally, head buried between his arms, the white noises of the office almost putting him to sleep. The infernal device stopped ringing for a second and the young man sighed relieved before it rang again soon after. Haechan whined, almost sobbing, while lightly hitting his forehead on the desk. A soft 'what the fuck' made him raise his face with pained eyes squinting from the sudden too much light. "Are you alright?", the same voice asked, his desk neighbour inquiring. "Mind your own business, Owen", Haechan mumbled and finally put one hand on the phone while massaging the base of his nose with the other. "... my name is Onew", the dude whispered offended, but Haechan's little attention was already drifting away. A female voice said something that Haechan couldn't catch but to which he replied with a short "yeah, thanks", having figured out the words "intern" and "acceptance" through her quick mumbling. When he first heard the news during the beginning of the year reunion, Haechan was ecstatic, to say the least. They said he was responsible and could handle taking care of an intern making Haechan's shoulders widen at the compliments. Also, having an innocent soul to bother for a few months? It meant some company and less work for himself. Paradise. But Haechan had already forgotten about the joy he felt before. He had been feeling weird for a while now and he hated it. The previous night he didn't go home after Doyoung and Y/N left the company building. He listened to them talk for an excruciating period while pretending to sleep. It was beautiful, choked voices and raw confessions, and he felt like the third wheel in his own life. When Haechan walked out of his office one day, months before that, with the intention of "grabbing something important from somewhere" (or taking a break while making it pass as work) and heard the loud bang of the neighbour office door, he didn’t think that his life would go spiralling down from that moment on. It took him days. No, it took him weeks, maybe months, before the uncomfortable feeling creeping on him, making his spine shiver and palms sweat could be classified as something real by his brain. As a feeling. Sitting down on his chair, tired fingers tapping away at the keyboard for hours, he would suddenly feel this ungodly urge to get up and go to that office again as if an obscure force possessed him. To do what? To see a pair of angry eyes. Angry and full of pain. They were beautiful: round but also angled, dark but also light, absent as if looking at anything but their surroundings. Looking at something only they could see. That thing, sadly, was never Haechan. The boy tried everything to be seen by them. Being friendly, being funny, being helpful. Then he tried being rude. To his immense joy, the latter worked better, as if those eyes hatched such an enormous amount of anger that they had to spill some onto someone. And Haechan didn’t mind being that someone if it also meant being the object of those eyes’ attention at the same time. Then he realized that he didn’t want to see only the eyes. Something else was fighting for Haechan’s regard. Pink and soft looking, often stretched in a line, sometimes forming a pout. God, Haechan would have done everything to be able to touch those lips even once, even for a second. And he did it during his most feverish dreams. The first time, he woke up panting, ashamed, shaken to the core, the feeling of that soft skin still ghosting his own lips. The second time Haechan raised a trembling hand and touched the place where his subconsciousness created such a realistic scenario. He caressed it slowly, laying in that obscure slumber, silently, afraid to wake up his rational side. The third time he didn’t need to dream. He just imagined, shamelessly. His lips got kissed and his name was pronounced with such lust and desire to leave Haechan panting. So real, as if Doyoung whispered that while being beside Haechan in his room. It took Doyoung a few good weeks to call Haechan by his name in real life. When he finally did it, he wasn't even scolding him. No. From weird conjunction of stars, Haechan didn’t need to do something to gain Doyoung’s attention that day. He was in the photocopying room. One hand was mindlessly using the machines, the other was warmly hugging a mug of coffee. His slowly descending glasses were being pushed back by one of his fingers when a fluttering shadow appeared behind him. Haechan’s hands stopped as if his crawling skin could physically predict the future. “Haechan”, Doyoung said. Just like that, sweet and soft. And the boy with that name let his coffee mug fall to the ground. Oh. “Haechan!” Doyoung repeated. “What the hell?” Yes. Yes. Haechan. That’s me. That’s my name on your lips. Say it again. “Haechan! You’re doing this on purpose now”. Doyoung stood tall with hands on his hips, looking at the way Haechan was failing to grab his mug, letting it comically slip from his hands, again and again, new coffee stains covering the carpet. I just love how my name sounds in your mouth. I don't want you to stop. Please. “Oops”, Haechan chuckled, the mask he carefully crafted for Doyoung easily slipping on his face, and despite everything, Doyoung rolled his eyes with a little smile himself. “You’re such an idiot”. Oh fuck. That. Haechan almost forgot. The boy could drown in the light that Doyoung’s face emitted when he was smiling. It would dissipate for a split second the darkness lingering around him and it was Haechan’s doing. Haechan did that. It made his little heart buzz every time and soon enough he started to fantasize about a day in which Doyoung would not have that expression line between his eyebrows anymore. And it arrived eventually. Haechan realized everything would go downhill for himself when he got blinded by Doyoung’s soul. He could see it before as well but not this way. Not while the older man's cheeks got red and his pupils were trembling. And Haechan understood soon what that was because a sick person recognizes another sick person easily. Was Haechan like that as well? Were his cheeks flushed and eyes glossy every time he looked at Doyoung? Ah, Doyoung’s soul. He took it out so suddenly and poured it into that girl’s hands. Haechan felt like dying. No. No, wait. It's supposed to go like this. I should be there. I worked so hard. I endured so much. It can’t end like this. This is my story. Isn’t it? And it was, but not the type of story Haechan imagined. In this universe it ended in him being alone, bones cold and empty, looking at Doyoung’s back as he carried his love in his arms. Haechan stayed back there, motionless, no arms holding him. He bit his lips for a little while, looking around the office as if not knowing on which planet he was. Then he crouched down and cried. He was tired. Yeah, he was just tired. It has been a long week and a long day. He was exhausted. That was the reason. Haechan, you're good. Just get a good night sleep. You’ll be fine. Now get up and go home. And he did that. Like a robot. He was alone inside the 4 am metro, blinding, fluorescent lights burning his fatigued eyes. His feet dragged him towards his apartment although he found himself knocking on Jaemin's door instead. Jaemin was a weird guy and Haechan loved him dearly. He just never slept. Every time Haechan called him, he somehow was wide awake doing some random shit. Haechan hoped that he didn't suddenly change his habits because he desperately needed some arms to crash into. And Jaemin opened the door as expected, a popsicle between his lips, eyes wide and bright. Haechan stepped inside and took the snack away, putting his lips on Jaemin's instead, pushing him against the wall, letting the coldness of Jaemin's tongue numb his thoughts. And he let the popsicle fall from his fingers when Jaemin wrapped him between his arms, guiding him towards the bedroom, no questions asked, no romance. I need a distraction right now, Haechan's whole being was screaming and Jaemin was good at reading people. Quickly and effortless, clothes sliding down, Haechan's mind finally lingered in a grey bliss as the only thing he could think of was the way Jaemin rolled his hips into him, sending shots of pleasure through his whole body. But then Haechan's slipped. "Doyoung-", he whimpered then gasped, eyes wide with horror and cheeks reddening. Jaemin didn't care if Haechan called other guys’ names but when Haechan put his palms on his face, chest rising and falling quickly, sobbing desperately, Jaemin stopped and sighed. He let Haechan go and rolled over, wrapping his shaking frame with his arms. "Do you want to talk?" he asked softly. Haechan shook his head, burying it into the other's chest. Jaemin stayed quiet, the only sound in the dark room being Haechan's irregular breaths, his fingers delicately drawing patterns on the other’s skin. "It's going to get better", Jaemin whispered after a while. "You're going to be seen by someone one day, just like you see everyone else”. It was weird how Jaemin always had the perfect thing to say. Though Haechan didn’t believe that, he had no force to argue. He stayed like that for the next hour, in silence, until the sun came out. Then he got up and let Jaemin prepare his breakfast that he barely touched. Haechan then borrowed the other's clothes and said it was fine for him to go to work that morning. You have to be sick to be able to call in sick, Haechan said. Because you’re someone that follows rules and does an honest job, Jaemin commented sarcasting with a raise of the brow. I just need to be busy, Haechan added and left.

Now, heading towards the acceptance, he regretted not staying home, maybe sleeping the whole day. Sleeping would be good but dreaming? He was afraid of that. The squeaking sound of Haechan’s shoes on the main floor tiles was so distressing that Haechan felt like taking them off and throw a tantrum in the middle of all those white collars. Blinking fast he sighed when he saw the new guy, an anonymous-looking young man looking around as if uncomfortable and slightly afraid. Haechan introduced himself in a monotone voice, letting the intern shake his hand then he turned around with a short 'follow me', not giving the other time to do anything else besides tailing his supervisor. Haechan has been babbling about the company for a good five minutes now, walking quickly through the corridors, showing rooms and people. He wasn't doing a very good job because he didn't care. The new guy, weirdly enough, didn't seem disoriented at all and Haechan shrugged internally. "And this is the terrace", the boy finally finished his monologue as they both stepped outside. It was a sunny day but the wind was quite strong, making Haechan close his eyes as his fluffy hair danced around his forehead. "Cute," the guy commented with a soft chuckle. Haechan looked around. Cute? It was kinda cute, he guessed. Too many ugly buildings around though and it wasn't the best-kept terrace. He turned his head to face the intern. "What's cute?" Haechan asked. It was the first word that guy said and Haechan wanted to hear him speak. The intern was looking at him already instead of the surroundings and Haechan could have sworn that the dude's cheeks were flushed with a pink hue. "You are", he said shyly, eyes big and twinkling. Haechan could only blink back. Wait. What? Did this guy just call him cute? Cute? "Listen, thanks, but you have to pay me respect. I'm your supervisor", Haechan replied trying hard to keep his voice stable. He wasn't annoyed but he couldn't just giggle, could he? Also, who calls strangers cute? On the workplace? What a weirdo. The guy’s expression shifted at Haechan’s words as if in slow motion. "Oh God, sorry, I don't know what just happened. I apologize. It was inappropriate", the intern babbled and stuttered, cheeks going from pink to red, eyes darting around, not knowing where to look. Haechan has never seen someone that transparent with his feelings before and he could tell that he was very honest. Looking so naive, Haechan fought the urge to roll his eyes at him just to make him feel even more embarrassed. "I can't fire you personally or anything and I'm not your boss, but I can tell people to fire you", Haechan tried to sound cold even if the situation was rather funny. The look the guy gave to Haechan was of pure terror a for a split second Haechan felt almost sorry. But then the dude’s eyes darted to Haechan’s hair, still flying around his forehead. Haechan puffed annoyed and put one hand on top of his head as to stop the motion. The intern’s expression relaxed. "And what are you going to say? That it's because I called you cute?" he asked. His lips were back into a timid smile. Haechan was baffled. "What is so cute about me?", he sniffled, sure that he caught a cold already and switched the hand from his hair to his ear as the wind got even stronger. The intern took the question seriously. "You have curly purple hair-", he started then stopped as if that was enough to explain his comment, "-and well, your cheeks are full and now they're uhm red and it's... very cute. Also, your eyes are big and round and it's very cute-"

Haechan groaned incredulously.

"Oh my God! Stop saying cute", he spoke up to make his voice heard over the loud rumble of the wind, before turning on his heels and walking towards the terrace door. The intern’s cheeks turned pink again as he tried hard to not add whatever he wanted to say.

_______

Mark was told that he was somewhat of a dense guy. He disapproved. He just paid attention to what he wanted and disregarded the rest. So, if you asked him to show off the company to you, what tasks he had to do or where the bathroom was, he wouldn't know where to start. But if you asked him to tell you how many moles Haechan Lee the Supervisor had, he could answer in a second. It was weird and Mark wasn't a romantic person at all. But when he saw the guy walking out the elevator, eyebrows furrowed and dark circles underneath a pair of tired and red eyes, Mark felt a tingle in his stomach that he could only describe as love at first sight. Okay. Maybe not love. Crush at first sight? Attraction? Mark didn't know what that was and it made him so confused that he could only look at the guy's back when walking around the company as if it could give him some answers. Haechan, he said while letting Mark shake his hand. Of course. It fit him perfectly. Mark could see it - the sun - underneath his skin. Their fingers parted ways too quickly after shaking hands and Mark felt so paralyzed by the sudden tingle on his skin that he couldn’t fully pay attention. Was he also warm to the touch? Mark desperately wanted to find out. Was it weird? He was being weird. But God, he was so cute. Cute. Very cute. Cute. Cute. So fucking cute.

This is all Mark’s mind was thinking about and when Mark thought about something he would just say it. Just like that. Cute. Don’t say it now though. Cute. I swear, Mark, shut up, for once. So cute. Please, not now. “Cute”, his tongue slipped.

Goddammit.

“What’s cute?” Haechan asked. The view. The view is cute. The view, Mark. Mark, say it. Mark, are you listening? The view. “You are”, Mark said instead and Haechan suddenly turned even cuter. Mark gasped, firstly because of the way Haechan’s cheeks turned red and his eyes round and big, then after a good full second that felt like an eternity, because of embarrassment. Oh shit. Fired. He was about to get fired. "God, sorry, I don't know what just happened. I apologize. It was inappropriate", Mark felt like running away. He woke up that morning with the intent of finally living the life he worked so hard for and there he was instead, calling strangers cute and making everyone uncomfortable for the sole reason of not being able to shut his mouth for once. Haechan looked embarrassed as he was though and that little detail made Mark hope that it wasn’t all over. Then Haechan shut some cold blinds on his own face and Mark knew that Haechan thought he was safe, that Mark wasn’t able to see his feelings underneath all that. It wasn’t an efficient job and Mark wondered if other people needed just that little act to not see Haechan anymore.

_______

"Good morning". Haechan saw the intern’s feet first before hearing his voice, but he didn't raise his face as suddenly something very important and urgent was being shown on the computer screen and he couldn't physically let his eyes fall on the way the guy wore his suit.

It was terrible. Long legs and strong thighs on display right in front of his desk? Terrible, and he didn’t need any more distractions in the workplace. After the intern left for the day with a soft “see you on Monday”, both tired having spent most of the time walking around the company and explaining boring paperwork, Haechan had not been able to stop thinking about him the whole weekend. No. No, it wasn’t a crush or anything. Haechan was just, what’s the word? baffled, s h o c k e d, appalled. Some random guy called him cute and Haechan acted that way? Blushing timidly? Was he feeling that bad? Was he that sick? Unacceptable. He was Haechan, for fuck’s sake. And Haechan didn’t just blush. He could not slip anymore. "Yeah, hi Mike", he replied lazily, fingers typing something he didn’t really need to write. "It's Mark", the intern replied in a neutral tone. Haechan knew it was Mark. In fact, he also knew his full name. Mark Lee. Born on August 2nd, 1999. Toronto. Moved to Vancouver. Graduated from university a few years ago. Great grades. Interested in music and sports. Plays the guitar. Good boy. Loves animals. Does charity work regularly. Has a normal amount of friends. Doesn't know how to take selfies. No, he was not being weird. He just read his CV.

Obviously.

He was his supervisor. He needed to read that. The other info? He Googled him only to make sure that he wasn't a criminal. And the social media research? It was just to check on his personality.

Obviously.

What if he posted about illegal shit? He had to check every photo and tagged person. It was part of his job. He was single, even if Haechan didn't search for that in particular. Haechan loved his work a lot and he didn't care that he worked on that until 3 am, scrolling through his phone, drifting to sleep with Mark's selfies impregnated on his lids. It's just that he took his job seriously.

Okay. Okay.

It wasn’t the whole truth. Haechan was curious. Who calls you cute all of a sudden? Haechan had to know more.

"Okay, Matt. What about you go and bring me a coff-", Haechan started but got interrupted by a hand, delicately placing a cup of steamy coffee in front of him. Haechan stared at it as if not understanding what that was then finally raised his eyes to meet Mark's gentle ones. He was smiling. "I stalked your Instagram. Full of food and coffee", Mark explained honestly with a shrug while walking around the desk and sitting down on his chair. They had to share a desk and Mark was as close as to touch elbows. Haechan hated having people so close to him when he didn't want them; especially at that moment, as Mark rested his head on his hand and just stared.

Yeah, he stared. His eyes were piercing, looking at Haechan as if that’s what normal people do. Scanning him from head to toe, then looking into his eyes as if able to see something there.

Haechan ignored him and looked away. "Stalking my social media is problematic, Mike". Mark chuckled lightly. "You did the same". Haechan's head snapped. "And why would I do that?”. Mark shrugged. "Close the tabs if you didn't want me to find out," he smiled staring at Haechan's laptop.

The younger’s eyes suddenly widened and with a quick hand, he closed it in a second, cheeks hot with shame. He opened his mouth to say something to get himself out of that embarrassing situation but Mark thankfully didn't give him any time.

"What are we doing today, sir?" he asked instead with a sly smile. "We write codes", Haechan replied quietly. "Fun", was Mark's comment.

And they did that the whole morning, ignoring each other's knees as they sometimes brushed against each other. And they ignored the way their knuckles touched when both reached for their own cup of coffee. And Haechan ignored Mark's cologne while Mark ignored the way the computer lights made Haechan's skin glow. Mark loved programming, he always did, but that morning he thought that it would be nice to not be a programmer, just for a minute, just to be in a well-lit office and see how different Haechan would look under the sun instead.

_______

Haechan stared down at his sandwich, sitting still wrapped and untouched in his lap. Then he looked up at the blue sky and let the white fluffy clouds calm him.

It happened close to the lunch break.

"Spaghetti", Mark said suddenly. Onew had left already and in front of their office, everyone was walking the corridor heading out. Haechan was finally getting into the flow of working when Mark's hoarse voice startled him. "It's your favourite food, isn't it?" Mark asked, explaining himself. "Soup. I don't put things I love on my Instagram", Haechan replied. Mark looked pensive. "This is why there's no girlfriend photo there?" he wondered with a timid smile. Huh? What was that? So this is what was happening? This is the reason for the cute?

Haechan had no force to being hit on, as much as Mark intrigued him. He had zero force and suddenly all the thoughts that Haechan buried away for a few days, came back like a bulldozer.

Haechan bit his tongue before talking too much. "Maybe the girlfriend doesn't exist", he mumbled before getting up and grabbing his wallet.

"Wait, are you going away?" Mark got up as well, surprised. "I thought we were going to eat together. I don't know other people-". "Well, I don't want to. Make some new friends", he replied and just walked away. No, he ran away and the first place he thought about was the terrace. It was the only uncontaminated place in the whole company. Doyoung has never been there before.

And Haechan loved the clouds. He loved the wind moving them around fast. It was mesmerizing and in moments like those, he was able to not think about anything, until he was not Haechan anymore, until he was a cloud himself, floating in the blue sky.

"Sorry, I didn't know this was your favourite place", a voice startled him for the second time that day.

Haechan looked at his right where Mark was standing with a plate of food in his hands. He looked like a scared deer, turning around to leave Haechan alone, probably wondering what he did wrong but too anxious to confront Haechan about it.

"It's alright. You can stay", Haechan spoke softly and resumed his cloud gazing.

Mark stopped uncertain, standing still for a little while but then he walked towards Haechan and slowly sat down, resting his back on the wall as Haechan did, raising his eyes to watch the sky.

"Pretty", Mark commented and this time he was actually talking about the view.

Haechan hummed, then after a moment of silence, he apologized.

Mark began eating his food. "For what?" he asked with his mouth full. They both knew the reason but Haechan still appreciated Mark’s effort to showcase that he wasn’t mad at him. "For telling you that I don't want to eat together. I was being an ass for no reason", Haechan explained. Mark shook his head. "It's alright. I'm sorry if I came off clingy". Haechan huffed. "Funny. Usually, I'm the clingy one".

Mark swallowed and Haechan looked at him. "I haven't been myself lately. But I promise I'm not an asshole". Mark smiled back kindly. "I know. I can see that".

Haechan's expression flattered.

Mark took another bite. "You look very warm. Your name is very appropriate for your personality. You're just… very cute", he added with a shy smile.

Haechan continued staring at the other, unable to make a single sound.

The other had a few other bites as if not noticing the way his words made Haechan feel then he finally raised his gaze.

"Why are you not eating? Are you sick?" Mark inquired eyeing Haechan's sandwich. The boy finally sighed and looked up at the sky again. "Maybe". "Well, you'll get worse if you don't eat", Mark commented and grabbed the sandwich, unwrapping it and putting it into Haechan's hand with force. "I can't believe you're treating your supervisor like this. Calling him cute and forcing him to eat", Haechan stared at the food in his hand before taking a small bite, mostly to make Mark happy. The other shrugged. "You act like no one calls you cute every minute. Also, I am older than you. I can do that”. Haechan rolled his eyes. "I'm still your senior. You don't want to see me get mad. I can guarantee you that". Mark opened his mouth to say something dangerously similar to “cute” but then smiled instead, shaking his head. Haechan forced himself to keep a straight face. "If you say it again…", he warned the other. Mark cleaned his already clean fingers on a napkin then suddenly grabbed Haechan's cheek with two fingers. The boy's eyes got wide and he almost dropped his food, his mouth open in a surprised o.

Mark smiled even more at his reaction, gulping his last piece of food while gently pinching Haechan's face as if he were a child. Then he let him go and got up, dusting his pants. "I didn't say anything this time", Mark explained innocently.

Haechan looked up at him, still shocked.

"I'll see you in the office. Finish your food", Mark told him and left. Haechan could distinctly hear Mark comment "so fucking cute" while he was descending the stairs.

_______

That night Haechan fell into his usual decadent slumber. He was almost fully unconscious, the twilight sleep making space for a depraved and troubled dream. Fingers twitching and muscles quivering, Haechan’s mind transformed his day yearning in darkness. Images of eyes and lips tormented him again. It has always been the same pattern, yet something new derailed the boy’s focus that night. Little details. The roundness of the eyes, the form of the lips, the touch of the fingers, the voice. That voice sounded different and it whispered something Haechan has never dreamt about before. A single word, soft but sensual, repeated again and again in Haechan’s ear.

That morning, after a very long time, the boy woke up with a new name on his lips.

_______

Mark sometimes thought that everyone was just stupid besides himself.

Not because of an unhealthy superiority complex or something, but because he couldn’t understand how everyone could be that blind.

“Oh, Lara, I love your new blazer”, Haechan would say while walking around the company with Mark following suit. Poor Lara would blush and be genuinely happy about the compliment. But Mark could see that Haechan thought it was atrocious. And Adam’s stuttering speech a well. Oh, and Joseph’s wrinkly newborn.

However, it wasn’t this fake persona Haechan had that made Mark uneasy. It was the one he would wear when talking about himself. Oh, I slept very well last night. No, I don’t need any help. Yes, everything is fine, what do you mean? Smiles and laughs and sarcastic comments.

Mark wanted to know. He wanted to get closer and dust off the misty layer on Haechan’s eyes.

Maybe Mark thought too highly of himself. Maybe it was his ego talking.

I’m going to be the one to help Haechan, that’s the only thing he could think about.

And lately, during sleepless nights, Mark would beat himself up about it.

It’s not your business, Mark. You want this to feel a good person.

Except, he would then frown and hug his pillow tighter, getting annoyed at himself.

No, I would want it even it wasn’t me to help Haechan out. I just want to see him happy.

Yeah. This sounds good.

So he would drift away to sleep, peaceful, knowing that he was selfless.

Alas, it took very little to Mark to realize that he wasn’t that selfless as he thought.

Mark raised his eyes when Haechan’s abrupt manners opened the office door with a kick. “Haechan, you look good today”. The other smirked. “I always look good. What do you mean?” As if the literal sun entered the room. Mark was blinded. “Did something good happen?”, he watched Haechan’s hair bounce at his every step, like a little seedling gently moved by the breeze. Haechan’s smile widened as he sat down, rolling around in his seat, pure energy sprinkling from every pore. “So I guess the answer is yes,” Mark found himself smiling as well, although a bitter taste pasted his tongue on the palate as he spoke. “I just remembered how much serotonin a good fuck gives you,” Haechan opened his computer and started working on his tasks, not paying attention to Mark’s face.

Oh.

Mark hated it. Oh, he hated it so much. God, he hated it.

The boy tried hard to not think about Haechan that day, resulting in him thinking about Haechan all day. Don't think about Haechan. Don't think about Haechan. Don't think about his body touched by somebody else.

It was almost lunchtime when Mark finally broke the silence. “So, now you’re dating someone?” Haechan raised an eyebrow, eyes still too focused on his computer to give his full attention to Mark. “What? No. Why?”, he mumbled distractedly. Mark blinked for a few seconds. Haechan finally processed and laughed. “You’re kinda sweet Mark. I just got dicked down, that’s all”, he got up and stretched his arms up with a whiny yawn. “Come on,” he lightly hit the other’s shoulder, “I think today’s menu is soup”.

______

Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark.

It was as if Haechan was going crazy.

It was just a dream. A single dream.

When did this happen? How was it possible?

“Fuck, Haechan, you’re-”, Jaemin gulped, his adam apple going up and down inside his stretched out throat just like Haechan’s body moved on top of him. “Yeah?” the directly concerned boy smiled. “-crazy today”, Jaemin concluded. “Who made you this horny?” Haechan bit his lower lip, hating his mind for not leaving that thought out, even if for a single second. “Call me--”, he ignore the other’s question, cheeks violently turning red. Jaemin groaned at the way Haechan sunk deeper on him in the process. “Call you what?”, he asked breathless, fingers tightening around Haechan’s painfully hard length. “Cute”, the boy finally whispered. And Jaemin said it, again and again until that word replaced Mark’s name from Haechan’s head.

_______

That day’s menu was indeed soup which only added to Haechan’s general euphoria. Mark walked one step behind him, troubled by the double sword his feelings formed inside his heart. His eyes were only on the younger’s face and Mark could only sigh every few seconds.

Oh, I’m falling in love. I’m falling in love.

Lost in his melodramatic thoughts, Mark didn’t notice when Haechan suddenly stopped. “Hey, boys. Haechan,” a dude greeted generally before locking eyes with the younger one. Haechan rolled his eyes and made a step back from where that guy was. The dude’s smile flattered as if annoyed at that obvious showcase of hatred towards him but kept his fake expression on as he looked at Mark instead. “So, I’m organizing this party downtown at the Garages. Do you want to come?”, he asked.

Mark furrowed his eyebrows and eyed Haechan to see what the deal was about.

Haechan huffed. “Mark doesn’t like parties and neither do I, Jungwoo. Thank you”, he replied snarkily while making a step to continue walking.

Jungwoo smirked. “Says the party animal. You never mentioned it to me while I had you on my-”, but Haechan interrupted him, hitting his chest with the back of his hand.

Jungwoo chuckled with satisfaction.

“Oh, so the boy doesn’t have to know?” he asked indicating to Mark, faking innocence.”

Mark felt his jaw muscle flinch and a sudden urge to punch that dude in the face made his fists almost tremble.

“The boy doesn’t like the way you’re making his friend uncomfortable right now”, he spoke with a cold voice not breaking eye contact. “Whatever happened between you before, now Haechan doesn’t want to see you again and certainly he doesn’t want to come to your party”.

Haechan opened his mouth to say something but Jungwoo's laugh interrupted him.

“Oh, but he does want to see me again and come to my party. Don’t you, Haechan?” the dude asked.

“Of course I don’t, Jungwoo. Get fucked”, Haechan replied quickly, eyes rolling in their sockets, feet turning direction and walking away.

“I bet I will”, Jungwoo shrugged with a little smile, throwing one finger gun at Mark. “By Haechan”, he whispered with a wink while leaving him alone in the corridor.

To Mark’s horror, despite those two’s abrasive conversation, he could definitely see that as a silent promise.

So Mark went there as well.

Why? He didn’t know. He liked to think that he was concerned about Haechan’s safety.

That Jungwoo guy had some rancid vibes and Mark hated the idea of the two together. Because he was concerned for his safety.

Not because he was jealous or anything.

Haechan could do whatever he wanted and sleep with whoever he wanted to, but what if, just what if, Haechan changed his mind and chose Mark over the Jungwoo dude?

Mark could do that.

Mark wasn’t self-centred but he still realized that Haechan deserved better and he could provide that.

If that was Haechan needed to soothe the darkness in his eyes, Mark could do that.

But Haechan wasn’t there and neither was Jungwoo and the thought of that man’s hands on Haechan’s skin made Mark’s guts twirl on themselves.

He looked around, frantically, breathing the sweat-impregnated air, trying to avoid being hit by people’s sticky shoulders. Until he started to feel sick, not only because of the loud music and blinding lights but also for some obscure reason, grabbing his throat and choking him.

He had to drown that down.

_______

When Haechan arrived Mark was surrounded by people, eyes closed, face up exposing his neck, laughing and screaming, jumping and moving his body as Haechan has never seen someone do before.

His legs were nicely on display in a pair of severely ripped black jeans that Haechan had no idea Mark liked to wear.

The younger boy was so concentrated on the way a plain white T-shirt could look so good on a person that he noticed too late the way Mark directed his eyes towards him.

He was far away and Haechan couldn’t decipher the other's expression but it didn’t matter as Mark quickly made his way to where the younger boy nervously stood.

Mark was drunk. A lot.

But he still somewhat fluidly avoided the crowd as if dancing until getting as close as hovering above Haechan. The boy had never noticed that Mark was taller until he had to raise his face to look up, his back and palms pressed against the wall. He didn’t notice when he walked backwards either.

“Haechan”, Mark said his name with such worry to make the other’s heart beat like crazy. “Are you okay? Where have you been?”, or that's what Haechan deciphered from his lips since the music was so loud that his ribcage felt about to be ripped apart. “Home. I’ve just arrived”, Haechan yelled and Mark got even closer, giving his ear to the boy’s lips to hear better.

Haechan couldn’t do anything else besides inhaling his odour. Mark was a little sweaty and his breath smelled of alcohol, but Haechan has never found someone sexier than him at that moment.

His eyes were dark under his black curls and his lips looked swollen as if someone sucked on them. Haechan felt like prey and unconsciously pressed his body against the wall even harder.

“And where’s Jungwoo?”, Mark’s voice tingled Haechan’s earbuds. “I have no idea. Why would I know?”, Haechan replied, acting as if he didn’t realize why Mark was behaving like that.

It made Haechan’s palms sweat.

He thought about that a lot, at the way Mark got defensive of him in front of Jungwoo, at the way Mark’s expression darkened even after Haechan told them that he had no intention to go to the party, at the way Mark has been looking at Haechan a lot, at the way Haechan couldn’t just stop thinking about Mark for a single second either.

He came to the party because of that. Haechan’s mind was running again and he wanted to stop it. And also because he played with his phone all day, looking at Mark’s number for a long time.

Mark would have replied but did Haechan really want it? He was such a sweet person and Haechan didn’t dare to contaminate him with his presence. Mark didn’t deserve to be used as Haechan needed.

So he went to the party, ready to contaminate somebody else instead. Who knew that Mark was there waiting for him?

“I’ve been thinking about you the whole night”, Mark talked again after staring at Haechan as if trying to understand the younger one’s thoughts. Just like he has been for the past few months, making Haechan feel small and naked. "Yeah, I bet. While letting those people grind on you?" Haechan replied sarcastic trying hard to conceal his shaking voice.

Mark got closer, bold and cocky, putting his hands on the wall, caging Haechan between his arms, leaning in and whispering into his ear. "Yeah, I was imagining you grinding on me", his confession tickled Haechan’s ear and the boy tried to move his head away on the side, afraid to do something he would regret, but Mark's hand was there and his head had nowhere to go. It wasn't right.

Haechan was sober while Mark was drunk and had no idea what he was talking about. He had to go away, push him back, but his limbs weren't cooperating. Mark's hand though was working just fine and it gently grabbed Haechan's face, turning it into his direction.

"Haechan, please, let me kiss you", he begged, his breath caressing Haechan’s lips.

The boy gulped down surprised, shivering with desire, fighting with himself. He put his hands on Mark's chest, with the intent of lightly pushing him away, but he was made of iron. No, Mark, no, please. You’re too precious to me for this.

"You don't know what you're talking about", Haechan mumbled.

Mark breathed heavily. His jaw muscles tightened. Then he put his head down as if trying to gain forces.

"Yeah, sorry, okay okay, I'm leaving", he retrieved his arms and let them fall to his sides like dead flesh.

Haechan looked at them with some relief, suddenly feeling exposed and cold, even if the club's air was so hot that it was hard to breathe. Or maybe it was just him having breathing difficulties. Haechan had no idea.

"No, wait", his lips betrayed him. "Just-", Haechan interrupted himself, eyes squeezed together as if already regretting what he was about to say, unsure, holding Mark's wrist with both hands. Then he opened his eyes again.

Mark was looking at him his heavy lids. His gaze wandered from his face to his exposed neck, then to his collarbones and chest. Mark was undressing him without touching anything and Haechan felt like going crazy.

"-just a kiss. Okay? It's going to be a short kiss", Haechan continued, unable to believe he was actually saying that.

But there was no harm in that. A little kiss. Just a harmless little kiss. Like the ones you'd have in college during stupid games. No one thought about those in the mornings.

But when Mark's lips curved in a little smirk and his body got as close as to press on Haechan's one again, the younger boy knew that it wasn't going to be just a kiss. Not for him at least. And not only he would think about it in the morning. He probably would think about it for a long time. And he was right. It was indeed memorable. Slow and careful but not timid. Mark cupped the other’s face, palm pressed on his jaw, fingers as far as touching his neck and ear, the other grabbing his hips, pulling them against his. Haechan’s head felt light and he couldn't fathom how Mark managed to have so much control when he was about to lose it all. And then it became even worse as Mark slipped his tongue inside of Haechan’s mouth and the younger boy had to tighten his grip around Mark’s torso. He whined into Mark's mouth, making the other hum back, picking up the pace, biting his lower lip and sucking on it, letting his hand fall from Haechan's face to his neck, then chest, then to his stomach, grazing the skin separated by Mark's fingers only by his thin button-down.

Haechan had to stop him. It was going too far. That was a mistake. They still had to work together. There’s a reason why Haechan avoided talking to the coworkers he fucked before. Mark wasn't realizing that but Haechan did. He had to be responsible.

Stop him, Haechan. Stop him.

"Mark, wait", he broke off the kiss when Mark's hands reached his jeans button. The boy looked down at him, panting, eyes half-closed: he was begging Haechan to let him continue.

Haechan grabbed his shirt and dragged him around the corner, into the shadows.

"Tomorrow we forget about this, okay?", he warned him, shutting his brain off. "Okay", Mark replied quickly putting his mouth on Haechan's again as if unable to be away from it for too long. And he put his hands on Haechan's jeans again as well, opening the button, letting the zip fall slowly, tucking his hand underneath Haechan's boxers, feeling his soft and hot skin, wrapping his fingers around him tightly, not letting the struggling Haechan to break off the kiss to moan. And he didn't even last too long. The boy came shuddering all over Mark's fist after a few good strokes and the older finally let him press his face into his chest.

Shit, he had never lasted this little. What the hell.

Haechan was fucking embarrassed and if Mark wouldn't have been too drunk to remember anyway, he would have just run away to hide in that exact moment.

"Fuck", Mark cursed under his breath, feeling Haechan’s hot release on his skin, nudging at Haechan's temple with his lips while the other came down from his high. "Oh, fuck, you're so hot like this, Haechan. And cute. Shit, you're so cute, I'm going crazy", he babbled before letting Haechan's cock go and trying to bring his fingers to his lips. "Oh no", Haechan gulped trying to stop him. "Mark, don't. You touched all sort of things in the club with that hand", and Mark stopped for a second as if processing the information before dropping to his knees and tasting Haechan directly.

The boy opened his mouth in a silent gasp and he was still so aroused that feeling Mark's tongue made him hard again in a second.

"Fuck", Haechan swore loudly, pressing his fingers into the wall behind him, letting his head fall back, feeling himself grow harder inside Mark's mouth.

He didn't expect it. He didn't expect any of this. Innocent and soft Mark Lee sucking him off like no one has done before in the dark corner of a club? Haechan the slut coming in two seconds and getting hard again soon after? Past Haechan would have laughed, yet there he was, moaning Mark's name like a mantra, coming for the second time in minutes like a little virgin.

It was no dream. It was a reality.

Mark didn't let him go and Haechan felt like flying as his cum descended inside Mark's throat. And then he looked down right in time to catch a glimpse of Mark's eyes, looking up at him, letting his cock out with a lewd plop. "Mark, where did you learn that?", Haechan asked suddenly exhausted. The boy licked his lips and held onto Haechan to get up, shakily. "Was that good? It was my first time doing it", he mumbled with a smile before resting his head on Haechan's shoulder, the cocktail he had right before adding to his brain fog.

_______

Mark woke up to the sound of a heartbeat. It was a comforting sound. Deep and regular.

He groaned softly as his lids realized they were getting hit by bright and irritating sunlight. Then he opened his eyes slowly, focusing on the windows first, vision blurry, then on the plant underneath it, then on the young man underneath him.

Mark's muscles got a spasm and woke up completely as his brain finally made sense of what was going on. Meaning that his face was resting on Haechan's chest. Bare chest. And his own torso, bare torso, was wrapped by the boy's arms.

Oh fuck, he thought. Oh shit.

"It's too late in the morning to run away", Haechan mumbled, waking up softly as well.

Mark froze as he was trying to get up. He was propped up on an elbow when Haechan opened his eyes and Mark felt his breath hitch.

Haechan was there, pillow adorned with his luscious locks lying all around his head like a halo, chocolate eyes warmed by the sun shining through the windows and his skin, God, he looked like an angel.

"I'm not going away", Mark lied, surprising himself by how deep and hoarse his voice sounded like. "Fuck, you're so cute right now", he whispered soon after, unable to control himself.

Haechan's eyes got wider at Mark's words. He expected Mark to freak out, and Mark was freaking out inside a lot, but having Haechan like that, underneath him, vulnerable and beautiful as never before, made Mark feel peaceful at the same time.

This is all he wanted in life.

The older managed to keep it together for a few other seconds, trying to look confident, but when Haechan's cheeks reddened with blush, Mark lost it and blushed as well, rolling away, grabbing a pillow to hide his face in with a scream.

"I can't believe it", his voice came out muffled. "Oh my God", he yelled quietly.

Haechan started to chuckle embarrassed. "What an idiot".

"How-", Mark removed the pillow enough for one eye to poke out. "How far-", he stuttered.

Haechan rolled his eyes, faking nonchalance.

"Just oral", he whispered while getting up and putting his feet on the ground, turning his back to Mark, unable to look at him in the face either.

"Oh", the other sounded weirdly disappointed. Haechan pinched the base of his nose. That man was sending such mixed messages. "You did dry hump my ass if that makes things better", Haechan spoke through his teeth, embarrassed out of his mind, grabbing the bottle of water he kept on his nightstand. "I'm sorry. You deserve to get fucked properly", Mark replied quietly as if thinking at loud, making Haechan choke on his water and spit it all around the room.

Mark sat up quickly and placed a hand on Haechan's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

The choking boy turned around to face him.

"I thought you'd be all embarrassed about this", he commented while drying his wet lips with the back of his hand.

"I am!" Mark's eyes got wide and his red ears confirmed it, but it was still not what Haechan expected.

"I mean", Haechan hesitated, unsure of what words to use, "I thought you'd regret it in the morning. You were really drunk last night and you had no idea what you were doing”.

Mark's face visibly darkened.

"Do you regret it?", he asked.

Haechan went on with his phrase ignoring Mark’s question. "-like I was sober and I was worried that maybe I should have-".

"Haechan".

Mark's voice was so deep and serious that Haechan's heart started to beat faster upon hearing him calling his name like that. "Answer me. Do you regret it? Did I- fuck - did I do something wrong?", Mark asked ruffling his hair with one hand. He looked so worried and distressed that Haechan for a second didn't know what to say.

"No", the younger finally shook his head. "No", he repeated. "I was aware of everything and I made my choice consciously but you-", Haechan hesitated again. "Me too", Mark spoke up, nodding. "I remember everything until you helped me to get out of the club. After I sucked y-".

"Don't say it", Haechan stopped him with a raised palm.

Mark chuckled embarrassedly.

If only Haechan knew how cute he was being in that moment, faking his serious face and steading his voice. Mark would have wanted to see Haechan confess just how weak he was.

"So you, like, you wanted it? Not because you were just drunk and I happened to be there?", Haechan asked timidly. Haechan couldn't believe he was so shy to talk about sex with someone. It has never happened before. Nothing he did with Mark happened before.

Mark gulped down. "I wanted it, yeah. I didn't do it because I was drunk. I did it thanks to that. I don't think I would have had the courage otherwise", he explained. "But I'm also sorry. It mustn't be nice to- like--uh, you know, with a drunk person", he stuttered, eyes closing and opening as he thought about the words to use.

Haechan looked down, shyly. "You were very hot actually", he whispered back, scratching the back of his head.

"Haechan," Mark finally found his voice after a moment of shocked silence. "I swear to God, I would take you-", but interrupted himself abruptly.

Haechan looked at him flustered.

Mark cleared his voice.

Then he shook his head.

"No", he chuckled at himself. "Nothing, never mind", he added suddenly getting up, the covers sliding down his naked body.

Haechan looked at it. He had looked at it the whole night. That night he kissed every inch of that skin and listened to Mark's soft moans. And Haechan realized that it wasn't a hookup. At all. Not for him. But Mark didn't remember that part and Haechan didn't want to tell him. If Haechan had to think about it for the next month, so be it. It was all on him. He let himself go too far and he wasn't talking about the physical aspect. It was all his fault if his heart was aching to see Mark get dressed instead of lying beside him, cuddling, or better, doing what Mark didn't dare to tell him.

_______

"Tomorrow we forget about this, okay?".

Forgetting.

Mark wanted to forget but he couldn't do it. Not the day after and not on Monday morning, seeing Haechan's pretty lips so close to him and not being able to kiss them.

Mark lied when Haechan asked him what he remembered.

Well, not entirely, because he did forget some parts.

But he was definitely lucid when Haechan went down on him, slowly, after kissing his lips, then his neck, sucking on his skin, then his chest and stomach as Mark wrapped Haechan's hair around his fingers. The boy asked multiple times if Mark was okay with that until Mark had to basically beg to just suck him off already. And God, he was so cute doing it. He would never forget how that felt. Divine. His head was so light as if zero oxygen got to it, every drop of blood concentrated inside of Haechan's warm and wet mouth instead.

And he was staring at that mouth now, as Haechan explained the work to do for the day. Mark wasn't even that horny. No. He just wanted to hold him again and softly press his lips on Haechan's plump ones.

"Tomorrow we forget about this".

Haechan was sober when he said that. He meant it. He wouldn't have said that if he didn't mean it. Right? Should he ask? Haechan, did you forget? Do you want to forget? Because I don't.

And I can't.

"Mark", Haechan snapped his fingers in front of him making the boy jolt. "Focus", he ordered. "What are you thinking about?".

You. I'm thinking about you. You. You. I've been thinking about you for days, Haechan.

"Lunch", Mark shrugged. Haechan rolled his eyes. "What an idiot".

_______

That afternoon Haechan was in a relatively good mood.

He should have known that the most peaceful days could bring the most terrible storms though.

So he jolted at the sound of a voice he almost forgot how it sounded like.

"Haechan, I thought you died or something".

The boy in question looked up from his computer to see a pair of feline eyes.

They were bright and amused. Then he saw the lips. Soft and pink stretched in a sweet smile.

Doyoung was still like a house with all the lights on, but now it wasn’t empty anymore. Now everyone was home. This house was full of people, all happy and content.

Haechan was so glad. He truly was. This is what he has always wanted to see since first locking eyes with that man. But he also felt suddenly miserable. Miserable and confused.

His heart shouldn't have skipped a beat like that. Not anymore.

"I did die and I just got back from hell", he replied, trying to sound as snarky as possible. It wasn't entirely a lie.

"What about you? You also went missing". Doyoung blushed subtly at the innuendo and Haechan felt the urge to punch the table. Or himself. "I've been busy", Doyoung replied softly. "So you went to paradise instead, I see", Haechan commented with a smile hoping that no one noticed how fake it was.

_______

"A man can't have his alone time in peace. What do you want?", Haechan rolled his eyes while Mark sat down beside him, resting his back on the rooftop wall, looking in front of him at the blue sky.

It was a sunny day with a slight breeze, enough for Haechan's fringe to wave gently.

Mark loved it when the wind ruffled Haechan's hair but he couldn't bring himself to look at the younger boy. Not at that moment.

"I didn't know", Mark whispered. "What?", Haechan's voice came out irritated but he didn't care.

"That you were in love", Mark added.

Haechan choked on his breath.

"I'm not", he crossed his arms on his chest and closed his eyes as if sunbathing. Conversation over, it meant. An angry bronzing session.

Mark finally looked at him then, feeling safe as he wasn't seen back. He watched the way Haechan’s skin glowed under the warm rays. Mark thought about how it would feel under his fingertips but he wasn’t sure. He touched it before but now he couldn’t remember it. Mark wanted to raise one hand and touch his cheek again, this time fully concentrating on the feeling. He wanted to let it slide down the boy’s jawline, feeling the sharp bone, then on his neck where the angry pulsating artery pumped blood at a crazy speed. Then he wanted to hear Haechan’s soft breath as his hand unbuttoned his shirt, this time feeling his heartbeat. Mark wanted it to be fast and only for him. For Mark.

It all made sense now. But why does it have to be like that? What should Mark do? What do people do in this scenario?

Was he thinking about this Doyoung guy? Has Haechan been thinking about other men? The whole time? While Mark was thinking about him?

Was he imagining kissing that man's lips while Mark's mind was full of Haechan and Haechan only?

Of course, he would.

What was Mark thinking? Isn’t this what he accepted? Isn’t this what he decided to adventure in? Why was Mark suddenly so hurt about Haechan behaving as he anticipated him to do?

We forget about this in the morning and Mark was certain now that Haechan actually did forget.

"Does he know?", Mark asked after a while. Haechan snorted. "Of course he doesn't". "He doesn't know what?".

The other boy sighed at the trap.

"Just leave me alone", he ordered. And Mark actually got up and left.

Haechan's cheeks got wet right when it started to rain.

_______

"Mark, if you have something to say, just say it".

It's been a few days of Mark not talking but still looking at Haechan as if about to burst in a monologue anytime soon.

Haechan had been brusque with him before, but it never came to Mark not talking to him.

The younger boy wasn’t stupid. It was obvious what was going on with Mark but Haechan didn’t have the force to deal with it sooner.

"I don't have anything to say", Mark replied. "Do you have anything to say?".

Haechan rested his back on the chair and looked at Mark, irritated.

"Okay, we need to sort this thing out. We can't work like this". "Like this how? We're working just fine", Mark didn't raise his eyes from the computer. "Mark, you've been writing and deleting the same line for a while now", Haechan indicated the screen with his chin. "Well, maybe something is going on with me but it doesn't have anything to do with you, so we don't need to talk about anything", Mark replied finally starting a new line.

So Mark was able to lie as well, huh?

"Mark", Haechan lowered his voice. "Do you perhaps have feelings for me?", he whispered.

"What?!" Mark yelled.

Onew jolted on his seat.

"Keep your voice down, you dumbass", Haechan put one hand on his thigh. Mark looked down at it then at Haechan's face.

Haechan retrieved his hand back.

Mark breathed heavily before talking.

"It's just--”, he rested his back on the chair as well, “I've never been with someone like that before and I'm so confused right now, like, I don't know if I have feelings for you or just--like, I need closure?", he questioned as if talking to himself.

Haechan was surprised that Mark told him all that.

"You mean that you're a virgin?", the younger asked incredulously. "Uhm, I can hear you", Onew said. "Then get your ass up and take a stroll, Owen", Haechan spoke up.

Mark flinched at his sudden and loud voice.

Their colleague shook his head as if not believing he was dealing with some weirdos and got out of the office mumbling something about gen z people.

"I am not a virgin. I meant hookups", Mark explained after a little pause while his cheeks acted like a virgin's. "You said you've never sucked someone before", Haechan raised one eyebrow. "It's alright if you're a virgin, Mark. You just have to tell me and-”, he interrupted himself as if realizing what they actually did, “-fuck, you had to tell me before as well. God, I acted recklessly, I should hav-".

"I am not a virgin! Stop saying that. I've never sucked before because I've been eating pussy, okay?", Mark raised his voice.

Haechan blinked at him. "So you're confused about your sexuality?"

Mark rolled his eyes defeated. "I know what I like! I'm not confused. Just hear me out!" "You said you were confused just a minute ago", Haechan said. "But not about my sexuality. Because of the hookup!" "Why are you yelling?", Haechan yelled. "I'm not yelling!", Mark yelled back. "You're arguing with me right now". "Because you're not listening! I don't know how I'm feeling about you because I've never slept around before. I-- just--don't like it", Mark stuttered. "Then why did you sleep with me?", Haechan was exasperated. Mark whined. "Because I liked you already”. "So you do like me. You have feelings for me", Haechan raised his hands as if talking with a fool.

The other shifted in his seat as if uncomfortable.

"Don't all people like their hookup partners though? Like, would you sleep with someone if they were ugly as fuck? I don't think so. You still need to be attracted to them a little".

Haechan sighed while massaging his temples. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation. Didn't you have crushes before? Don't you know what it feels like to be in love?".

Mark groaned tiredly. "I did. And I know. But this is different", he spoke with a softer tone.

Haechan sighed. "So what? Am I supposed to help you figure that out? If you like me or not?".

Mark straightened his tie and focused on his computer again as if the conversation was over.

"Listen, you wanted to hear me talk, so I did".

The younger boy stared at the other’s fingers as they started to type something, probably useless.

"Do you even want to like me? Like what's your expectation?".

Mark’s fingers stopped and he remained silent for a little while. "Well, you like somebody else, so it wouldn't be nice if I had feelings for you, would it?".

Haechan prolonged the silence a bit. "I'm getting out of it".

Mark turned his head to him.

That was a lie, Mark could see it. A blatant lie.

"Do you want me to like you?", he asked. His voice was soft and low.

Haechan thought about it for a second. He didn’t know what to say.

Mark sighed, unable to wait like that, and closed his eyes, reclining back on his seat again.

"I like you, Haechan. Okay? I like you, fuck. I don't care if you like somebody else".

Haechan’s heart started to beat even faster than before.

“Was this the problem, then? You were jealous?”, Haechan’s voice came out quieter than he intended.

Mark opened his eyes and looked down at his hands clasped together.

He shrugged.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I just needed to say it. I’m not asking for anything from you”, Mark directed his gaze towards Haechan.

He looked so serious that it made Haechan’s cheeks get pink again.

Mark’s eyes trembled imperceptibly at that reaction but he didn’t dare to say anything about it.

He cleared his voice as Haechan couldn’t bring himself to add anything either and got back to work.

_______

It was very late at night.

Haechan had no idea what time it was but it was not a time normal people would be awake at.

He fidgeted under the covers, restless and irritated. He felt hot and his mind wouldn’t let him sleep.

His hands found his phone after a while, ready to click on Jaemin’s name. But then his thumb slid down and it stopped over Mark instead.

Haechan stared at the bright screen until he felt his eyes tear up from lack of blinking then just pressed it with a huff.

Bad person Haechan. You’re a bad person. You’re such a bad person. A mistake. You did a mistake a now you were about to make another one.

“Yes”, Mark’s rough voice interrupted Haechan’s train of thoughts.

The younger boy opened his mouth to breathe better and he let that monosyllable caress his ears even after the sound already died.

“Hey”, Haechan whispered, closing his eyes, helping his other senses to get sharper.

Mark groaned softly and shifted in his bed, probably turning in a more comfortable position. “Haechan”, he said in the same sleepy and deep voice and Haechan had to make an effort to not whimper into the phone.

Why was Haechan so affected by this boy but at the same time so afraid of him? He shouldn’t have let Mark get so involved. Haechan should have put a wall between them the first time his lips said that first “cute”, then another one when he blatantly saw the way Mark’s eyes couldn’t leave him, then another one that night in the club, and another one when Mark asked him if Haechan wanted to be liked. And now as well. Just end the call.

But he couldn’t.

His walls were not strong enough for Mark and Haechan was a bad person.

He liked it. He liked a lot. Haechan wanted more and more even if he could give back only darkness.

“I’m sorry I woke you up”, Haechan said after waiting a few seconds to recollect himself.

Mark hummed as if telling him that it was alright. “Is everything okay?” he asked and Haechan noticed the way Mark was slowly waking up by the growing concern in his voice. “Yeah, yeah, everything is good. I just…”, Haechan hesitated.

Why did he even call Mark in the first place? Did he need company? Rude. Did he miss him? Gross. He was a bad person, using people when he needed, disregarding their feelings? Yeah.

“I wanted to speak to someone”, he decided to be honest.

Mark’s breath got louder for a second as if he laughed lightly. “I’m glad you thought of me, then. Unless you called other people first and no one replied”.

Haechan smiled, feeling like a teenager talking to his first crush, then stopped, starting to hate himself. “No. You’re the only one I called”, he confessed.

What was he doing? Bad. Bad Haechan. Bad.

Mark went silent and Haechan listened to his breath for a while.

“You confuse me so much, Haechan”, Mark’s voice was a whisper and Haechan swallowed nothing, feeling his throat suddenly dry.

Yeah. It was not fair. Not when Mark told him how he was feeling and Haechan couldn’t do the same.

“But I’m not complaining”, Mark added before Haechan could apologize and end the call, finally getting to his senses. “I don’t care, Haechan. I like you so much. You can do whatever you want to me”.

Haechan bit his lower lip. God, he hated himself.

“Mark-”. “Would you do something for me?”, the boy interrupted him. “Mm? What?”. “Would you-”, Mark stopped, breath suddenly quicker, “-would you-uhm-- shit”, he repeated softly before chuckling, slightly embarrassed.

Haechan’s skin got goosebumps, wondering if he understood what Mark wanted. His heartbeat started to pump blood at a crazy speed at it all went in a single place.

So he did what Mark asked, even if he would end up being wrong, only because he wanted it too. He slid a hand under his t-shirt, slowly, until reaching his nipples, and whined into the phone.

Mark went completely silent for a second.

Haechan whined again a little louder.

“Fuck, Haechan”, Mark’s voice trembled. "Are you-- are you touching yourself?”.

Haechan hummed. “My nipples”, he simply replied as he pinched them, playing with himself, feeling his boxers get tighter at every stroke. “Oh fuck”, Mark’s rough voice made Haechan squeeze his eyes together and open his mouth in a silent moan.

They were both panting. Haechan couldn’t tell if Mark was just lying there and imagining or if he started to shyly let his hand slide south as well.

“How does it feel?”, Mark inquired with a shaken voice and Haechan realized he still had too much control to be rubbing one out as well. “It feels so good, Mark”, the younger one replied, adding soft swears as his fingers got under the fabric of his boxers, letting the elastic hit his abdomen once, loudly, making sure Mark heard it as well. “Hmm -a-ah”, he wrapped his cock with his hand, pumping it slowly a few times, pressing his thumb on the slit.

He didn’t need to exaggerate any sound. Knowing that Mark was listening could make Haechan go over the edge alone.

“Haechan, you make me go so fucking crazy”, Mark’s shaking voice made Haechan bite his lower lip. “You too, Mark”, he confessed in the cloud of sensations.

Then listened to the way the other boy’s bed sheets irrefutably shifted and the bed creaked and his breath hitched as he started to pleasure himself to the sound of Haechan’s whimpers and the image he had of him.

They didn’t talk anymore. There was no need to and they weren’t able to either. Not having Mark near him, made Haechan last longer but it was still too quickly than usual so he stopped right before cumming, edging himself until the other whined into his pillow, cursing and calling Haechan’s name.

_______

Haechan avoided Mark the whole day. He told Mark that he had some other work and barely came into the office.

The older boy would sigh every five minutes, mind racing, making the poor Onew groan.

“He’s feeling awkward. You guys fucked, it’s normal”.

Mark turned his head towards him as if awoken from a dream, cheeks blushing violently as soon as he made sense of the other’s words.

“Also, you’re in love with him. I would avoid someone in love with me as well if I only wanted to fuck them,” Onew added as if talking about the weather. Mark was unable to speak. “He’s afraid to hurt you now”.

“I told him it was alright, though”, Mark finally whispered, trying hard to suppress the hysterical little chuckle he would get when nervous or talking about embarrassing stuff.

Onew got up with his empty coffee mug in his hand.

“Show it. Do something that can make him realize that it’s okay for you to be in this type of relationship”, he added before walking out whistling with not one single worry in the world.

Mark would have wanted to whistle as well but couldn’t.

That advice was breaking his heart.

It was true. Mark said that he was okay, but he was lying.

Of course, he was not alright.

He wanted to, oh he wanted so bad to be alright but it was so late. It was already late from the beginning. Mark didn’t want that kind of relationship. He wanted more.

But Onew was also right. Mark had to do something. If being able to have Haechan like that meant breaking his own heart, Mark was ready to do it.

And when that night he went to Jungwoo’s monthly party again, he forced his beating heart to stop upon seeing Haechan’s back.

The young men’s slender figure was curved in a laugh, the pretty sound almost audible to Mark’s far away ears. Then Haechan sipped from the drink in front of him, still amused by the handsome bartender’s joke, and spun around in his chair right in time to see Mark being hit on by a woman.

Haechan’s lips stopped on the edge of the glass, eyes unable to blink, staring emotionless at the way Mark’s lips curved in a timid smile while his hands weren’t timid at all, firmly grabbing that girl’s hips as she wiggled her ass against Mark’s crotch.

Haechan turned around, placing the drink on the counter with a slightly shaking hand.

“Everything alright?”, the bartender asked.

Haechan didn’t reply and threw his head back, finished his cocktail in one gulp.

_______

It was quite early when the boy left the party. Haechan felt like suffocating in the middle of all those people breathing heavily, clouding his mind.

Waiting for his taxi outside, ignoring the stares of horny people smoking and grinding against each other by the entrance of the Garages, he got reasonable startled when two hands suddenly wrapped his torso.

But those were some delicate fingers and Haechan could recognize that cologne in a thousand others.

Mark rested his face on Haechan’s shoulder and no one said anything for a little while, listening to the deep bass coming out of the club, the yelling and the traffic on the main road just a few blocks away.

“Sorry if I startled you”, Mark mumbled.

Haechan bit his lower lip and turned around, expecting a drunk and horny Mark yet again. But the boy’s eyes were wide and awake, his usual staring-as-if-reading-your-soul eyes met Haechan’s ones.

The younger looked at them for a second then he eyed the bright red hickeys on the other’s neck as well as the slightly unbuttoned shirt.

“I see you’ve had some fun tonight”, Haechan commented unable to hide his bitter tone. Not that Mark wouldn’t have been able to see through his fake face anyway.

Mark licked his lips and tugged Haechan’s hips towards him.

"Is this alright?", his voice was low and sultry, ignoring Haechan’s little jab, caressing his lower back instead.

Haechan started to pant softly, unsuccessfully trying to take a step back then he gulped down staring at the other’s lips getting each second closer.

"We can pretend it didn't happen", Mark went on, "just like we've always done, isn’t that right?", and Haechan could have sworn that Mark was a little pissed off. “Fucking at night then pretending we don’t know each other during the day, huh? Isn’t this what you want? I can do that”.

Mark's fingers reached the hem of Haechan's t-shirt by now, hiking it up slowly, dragging his fingertips on his skin. It was warm, just like Mark had always imagined. A loud cheer mixed with glass shattering made Haechan flinch but Mark shushed him, every second closer until they were breathing each other's air.

"I really want to take you right now, just like this".

Mark's whisper made both of their hearts beat like crazy. The first, not believing he was talking like that, the second, not believing that Mark was telling him that.

And when Haechan finally closed his eyes, ready to melt into the kiss, Mark's lips ghosted his cheek and neck instead, fingers still drawing little circles on the younger's chest, resting his palm on the beating heart. Then he pulled away.

“It’s a shame that you’re pushing me away like this”, Mark straightened his back and walked away.

_______

Mark was a weird guy.

And when Haechan bumped into him inside the local supermarket near his apartment, a large sweatshirt on his frame, boyfriend jeans, ruffled hair, a little stubble, concerned expression behind his golden round glasses, the tip of his tongue out, licking his lips mindlessly, deciding what brand of cereal he wanted, Haechan felt the urge to go there and yell at him that he's in love.

Haechan never liked the "what are we" question.

Everyone around him asked that. What are we? Friends. Friends with benefits. Nothing, we're just fucking. Haechan has never adventured there. But now, looking at Mark's profile, his hand finally picking up the cereal pack, Haechan wanted to ask him that question.

What are we, Mark?

Because I want us to be something.

I want to claim you in ways that give other people no place to do the same.

Not a friend, not a colleague, not a friend with benefits.

An etiquette that only Haechan could claim.

Even if Haechan didn’t deserve that.

Mine. My boyfriend. Mine. Mine. All mine.

Was that wrong? Probably.

But Haechan felt no remorse.

Was that love? Haechan was unsure but he wanted to find out.

So he walked over. Was Mark there because he hoped to see Haechan? "Oh, Haechan", Mark seemed genuinely surprised when the younger called his name. "What are you doing here?", the boy asked.

Mark looked around briefly as if suddenly not knowing where he was. "The meat here is higher quality than the supermarket near my apartment", he explained and Haechan could see the way Mark's expression screamed honesty.

He wasn’t there because of Haechan. Mark might have had a crush on the other but he was slipping away now.

Come back, Mark. Come back to me. Call me cute again. Touch my skin. Don’t do this. Don’t play with me like this.

"Haechan", Mark's voice wavered as the boy got suddenly closer. "We're in public".

Haechan didn’t look away. “You didn’t care about the public last night. You let that slut fuck you in front of everyone then you dared to flirt with me and leave me on the edge like that?”, he confronted him.

Mark’s little stunt made the younger so mad the day before that he felt like bursting in his pants during the drive home. Cheeks flushed and trembling hand, he didn’t even bother to walk to the bedroom. He closed his eyes and threw his head back to rest against the entrance door as soon as he stepped into his empty apartment. He came and came, again and again, until he felt too sensitive to touch himself anymore. God, he was so mad.

“Haechan, are you jealous?”, Mark’s eyes relaxed, the cereal pack still between them, the gaze of some elderly ladies not leaving their backs.

Haechan’s jaw muscles flexed. “Yeah. I am. I am jealous. I am fucking jealous. Okay? I hate it. I hate that you sleep with other people. You’re mine and mine only”, Haechan spat out quickly before he could regret saying it.

He was panting and he didn’t even have to look at himself to know that he was all red.

Mark’s breath hitched in a startled laugh.

“And I hate that you have all of this control over me. I was done, okay? I was done with feelings and here you are, doing all of this bullshit to me. Your little game worked. Are you happy?”.

Getting out of the apartment that late morning, Mark didn’t anticipate getting a confession from Haechan in the cereal aisle while said person looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows, doe eyes and a trembling lower lip.

God, he was so cute, Mark wanted to grab his face and kiss him.

“You saw my game and played by my rules?”, Mark asked impressed.

“You didn’t even give me time to play at all! I got defeated before starting”, the other admitted frustrated.

Mark chuckled. “Why are you getting mad at me, Haechan? You ignored me in the first place, sleeping with other people.”

The boy huffed exasperated and walked away, bumping Mark in the shoulder, making the other pirouette and grab him by the forearm.

“I was joking. Come on”, he cooed. “This is what I’ve always wanted”.

Haechan put his tongue inside his cheek, annoyed. “What? Me making a fool out of myself?”

“Showing yourself to me”, Mark replied kindly.

Haechan rolled his eyes, still using his faking-nonchalance-to-not-show-his-feelings technique, but Mark was already immune to that. In fact, he has been immune to that from the start.

Haechan loved it.

Haechan loved it so much that he got scared. It was too good to be true.

________

It was pouring heavily when they got out of the supermarket. Haechan had his apartment windows open and they could smell the scent of rain, clean and refreshing.

It was cold but Mark's body heated the boy in a second, groceries fallen on the floor, wrapping his arms around the other’s frame.

They did not kiss and Haechan was quite surprised but he didn't say anything, hiding his face the crook of Mark's neck instead, inhaling all of his favourite scents at the same time.

"I called you upstairs for a different reason," Haechan mumbled, surprised at the sudden softness, the sound of his voice muffled by the other's slightly damp sweatshirt.

"I know," Mark whispered against his temple.

He placed a delicate kiss there, then another one slightly below, then another one, drawing a line until reaching the jaw. Haechan raised his face and Mark kissed the corner of his lips, then the other cheek, and jaw again, and the other temple.

Haechan closed his eyes with a little smile as if giving up.

Mark, what are you doing?".

"I want you to think", the other replied, lips still busy. Haechan scoffed. "I want to stop thinking". "I want you to think about me".

His lips reached Haechan's forehead and stayed there for a little.

The only sound was the rain and Haechan's quick heart.

"I already think about you a lot", Haechan confessed, face close to Mark's collarbones.

"And why do you want to stop?" the other murmured.

His voice was so relaxing and calming that Haechan for a second forgot why was he trying to not think about Mark in the first place. Why was he pushing him away? Why has he been pushing him away all of that time?

Then he remembered when Mark's hands slid down Haechan's back.

"Because I'm a bad person". Mark sighed as if he expected that but still wanted to hear the other say it. "You're not a good judge". Haechan tsk-ed. "Well, thanks, I guess." "I am the one who has to decide if you're a bad person or not, and I say that you're not." "You're blinded by love”.

Mark hugged Haechan even tighter.

"Yeah, I am, so Haechan, please, let me love you", his tone darkened suddenly. "Stop pushing me away. I can handle anything".

"I'm going to fuck up", Haechan shook his head.

"You won't and if you do, I still want to take my chances. What if I fuck up before you do?"

Haechan laughed, resting his chin on Mark's chest, rising his face to look at the boy in the eyes. "Mark, you're a saint".

The saint’s eyes were those of a sinner though when he pressed his thumb on Haechan’s plump, lower lip.

"Have you ever made love to someone before?", he asked with a deep voice.

Haechan's eyes widened with amusement. "Are you joking? I’m a hoe.”

Mark hummed. "No. I said, love. Have you? Because I haven't either and I desperately want to make love to you right now".

And Mark was right.

Haechan had never made love with someone before and he realized it as soon as the other's hands cupped his cheeks, kissing his lips softly, pushing him back towards the bed, making him sit on it, letting Haechan watch as Mark elegantly took away his sweatshirt first then the shirt underneath it.

Haechan blinked, emotions he has never felt before invading his whole body as Mark pushed him down with a gentle touch, kissing his stomach and going up, taking Haechan's top with him, letting the cold air caress his skin making it all shiver. It would have shivered anyways, goosebumps forming at every feathery touch of Mark's lips. They took away all of the remaining clothes, touching each other slowly, curiously, exploring everything, with fingertips and lips and tongues. Attentive, remembering which stroke made the other whine louder, what kind of whisper pleased the ears more, what pet name made the other blush.

It was still raining hard, but they weren't cold, tightly wrapped in each other arms, the heavy covers to hide their secret whispers from the world. They were hidden in giggles and heavy breaths, "here?", "yeah", "like this?", "hmm", and Haechan felt so present. He was there, at that moment and he was seen. Mark was looking at him, really looking and Haechan didn't have to do anything to make it happen. There was no reason to put on an act. He just had to be himself. Vulnerable and- "cute," Mark whispered, chests rising, short breaths, his thumb caressing Haechan's red cheeks.

"Say it again", Haechan smiled.

Mark imitated him, his lips murmuring the word until they didn't have to, the feeling of it lingering in the air by itself.

#here she is #mark smut #haechan smut #mark angst #haechan angst #markhyuk smut #markhyuk angst #nct smut #nct angst #markhyuk fluff #nct fluff #jaemin smut #jungwoo #jaemin

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keichanz · 5 years

Text

Another Day in Hell || Ch. 3

I am so freaking inspired for this story you don’t even understand I had to break down this chapter into 3 separate chapters because it ended up being 32 pages long lmaooo

So I know I’ve said it before, but I’m gonna say it again: this is not based on the show The Walking Dead. Obviously there will be some elements from it, and some ideas that I liked enough that I’m probably going to borrow, but it’s definitely not going to be as plot-heavy as that series. I’m going for a more humorous feel for this story and while yeah, there will be some drama and death, it won’t be any of the main characters - c’mon, you know me; like i could ever kill one of them off lol - and it definitely won’t be as angsty. GOD that show has made me cry so much already and i’m only on season 7 a;sfjailfhf

Oh and I guess i should mention that supplies in this story aren't as scarce as they are in TWD. It’s not about surviving with minimal resources anyway; it’s about sticking together in hard times, finding happiness in a place riddled with hate and death, and keeping hope alive long enough to last Another Day in Hell. lololol see what i did there a;djfiaofj *gets bricked*

Anyway, a big thanks to those of you sticking around for this story! It’s not as popular as some of my others but I’m still having a blast writing it and I’m glad there are others who are enjoying it just as much! :D

Read on AO3.

Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3

When Kagome opened her eyes from what was probably the deepest sleep she’d had in over a month, her body’s reaction was instantaneous: her breathing quickened, her pulse skyrocketed, and she started shaking, full body tremors that made her extremely aware of the throbbing, burning agony in her left shoulder that was arcs of stinging pain down her arm.

Her eyes darted around frantically but all she could see was dark, shadows closing in around her; there was no light, crushing, cold blackness that burrowed beneath her skin and took chilling residence in her bones. Her mouth opened on a scream, but no sound came out; her throat was dry, tight with panic with chapped lips and a heavy tongue. Her ears buzzed, so loud, head pounding, she couldn’t hear, couldn’t see, she was alone, isolated, not safe.

It was cold; so cold, consuming, ice replacing the blood in her veins and taking root in her heart, deadening the issue, her flesh, killing her from the inside. She was bit; her shoulder was on fire, throbbing and pulling and rotting and it was her fault, she shouldn’t have fallen asleep, oh god, why did she sleep, where was she, it wasn’t safe, she was going to die, no no no it wasn’t fair, she’d tried so hard to survive, why—

Hands, burning hot, sharp points pricking into her skin, seized her arms and Kagome thrashed, she struggled, she screamed. No, it was one of them, it was going to tear into her flesh, finish what the other had started at her shoulder.

“—ome!”

It hurt; her shoulder, her throat, her chest, she couldn’t breathe, it was so hard, why couldn’t she breathe? Her fingers clawed, scratched, dug into the flesh that sought to rip into her, tear her apart, kill her—

“—sha! It’s me! You’re safe!”

She heard a hissing sound, heard a growled curse and she gasped when her hands were suddenly restrained, warm shackles circling her wrists and she sobbed, cried, no please, she didn’t want to die, hadn’t she suffered enough already, it was her fault, Houjo didn’t deserve—

“Kagome! It’s me! Dammit, Kagome, open your eyes!”

With a deep, shuttering gasp, Kagome’s eyes flew open and she found herself staring into twin pools of glowing amber. Her body jerked and her mouth opened on another hoarse scream, the tears hot on her cold skin—

“You’re safe,” a voice told her, low, urgent, and Kagome stilled. “You’re safe Kagome, it’s okay, calm down. Hey, c’mon, look at me. Look at me Kagome, you’re safe.”

A whimper escaped her and her vision blurred with more tears as finally, finally her heart calmed in her chest, the buzzing in her ears stopped, and she could breathe.

She was...she was safe. Inuyasha. Inuyasha had saved her, he was here, and he’d treated her shoulder—gunshot wound. She’d been shot, not bitten, she wasn’t going to die.

She was safe. She was safe. She was safe.

“Inu—” she choked out, her throat tight, dry. “I—”

“Hey, hey, you’re okay,” he rumbled and released her hands, reaching out to tuck a damp strand of ebony hair behind her ear. “You’re alright. You’re safe.”

Dragging in deep breaths of air, eyes wide and staring into concerned honeyed eyes, Kagome swallowed thickly and finally managed to jerky nod, closing her eyes briefly as she attempted to steady her breathing. Her hands found the solid strength of his arms and hung on, the reassuring warmth of his skin helping to ground her, remind her where she was, that she was safe, she didn’t have to be afraid anymore.

When she opened her eyes again Inuyasha was still staring down at her, the concern writ large on his face, and Kagome took a moment to take everything in, belatedly realizing it wasn’t dark anymore. He must have turned on the light at some point when he realized she couldn’t see anything. He was kneeling above her, shirtless, jeans unfastened and hanging low on his hips, and idly she wondered if he’d been in the middle of dressing when she’d started panicking.

Kagome blinked. “Hi.” Her voice was rough, wispy, and she winced when it scratched her throat.

His frown didn’t lessen any, but he looked relieved. “Hey,” Inuyasha rumbled back and brushed her bangs away from her eyes. “You alright? You started screaming and scared the shit outta me.”

She managed a trembling smile and gave another shaky nod. “Yes,” she breathed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It...was dark and it took me a minute to remember where I was and what happened.” Her shoulder twinged and she grimaced. “And for a moment I thought the pain in my shoulder meant that...”

She couldn’t finish, dropping her gaze to stare at his chest, riddled with scars and old wounds. With a guilty flush she spotted three red scratches on his left pectoral, remembering his the sound of his pained hiss.

He must have noticed where she was looking and quickly shook his head.

“S’okay,” he muttered and brushed her cheek with a finger before drawing back. “Don’t worry about it.”

Inuyasha studied her quietly for another minute, making sure she was truly okay before leaning back and offering a hand. Sucking in a breath, Kagome placed her smaller hand in his and allowed him to carefully pull her up, grateful when he reached around with his arm to catch her around the waist in an attempt to stabilize her shoulder. It throbbed with the movement and she gritted her teeth as pain lanced down her arm to the very tips of her fingers.

Inuyasha made sure she was steady before abruptly shifting around with a soft grunt until he was settled behind her. With one leg hanging off the bed and the other stretched out beside her, he snagged her around the waist and carefully dragged her between his legs so he could take a look at her shoulder.

“Can you lift your arm?”

Claws lightly grazed the small of her back as he started pushing up her shirt with the intent to inspect her shoulder and an involuntary shudder crawled along the length of her spine. Flushing darkly and praying he hadn’t noticed, Kagome gave a jerky nod and sucked in a breath, holding it as she slowly raised her arm.

She bit down hard on her lip to stifle the whimper of pain that threatened to escape. She was grateful when Inuyasha acted quickly, stretching the wide sleeve over enough to pull off her arm before lifting the shirt up and over, exposing the red-stained bandage covering the back of her shoulder.

“You good?” Inuyasha asked as she lowered her arm back down the second she was able to, ears flicking when her breath left her lungs in a heavy whoosh of air.

“Fine,” she replied a little breathlessly, gritting her teeth.

He paused at the strain in her voice and stared at the back of her head, listening as she attempted to breathe through the pain. She was tense and he could hear the rapid beat of her heart.

“You don’t sound fine,” he stated conversationally and started carefully cutting off the bandage wrapped around her torso with a single talon.

“What, should I be laughing?” Kagome muttered bitterly, tensing as another twinge of pain stabbed at her shoulder.

Inuyasha frowned that time and bit back a retort that was sure to sour her mood more than it already was. He didn’t know if it was because she’d just woken up or if it was something else on her mind, but he figured that his lack of tact would not help the situation, either.

The bandage fell around her waist and carefully he peeled away the red-stained gauze pad covering the injury. Puffy, discolored, and the sutures predictably an angry red, at least it looked like he’d managed to treat it before the infection really set it and he was relieve that was one less thing they had to worry about.

“Looks good,” he told her and brushed his thumb across his handiwork in a feather light touch. “A little swollen and you got a nasty bruise going on, but looks like we caught the infection before it had a chance to set in. Another two weeks or so and you’ll have a wicked battle scar to tell your grandkids about.”

Moving from behind her, being careful not to jostle her shoulder too much, Inuyasha stood up to retrieve fresh bandages, antibacterial ointment, painkillers, and a bottle of water. Kagome grunted and still didn’t look too pleased, a slight pout of her face as she glared at the floor, and Inuyasha shot her a look as he offered the water and Ibuprofen.

“It could be worse,” he reminded and settled behind her again. “Shot could’ve nicked an artery and you woulda bled out before finding help. The asshole coulda aimed at your head and you’d be dead. Lotta possibilities and you lucked out with a non life-threatening one.”

Inuyasha paused and his brows dipped down into a slight frown. Come to think it of, Kagome actually had been extremely lucky she’d only gotten hit in her shoulder and not anywhere else, and suddenly he was wondering if the shot to the shoulder had been intentional. The wound was small and neat, suggesting the gun had been held by a steady hand. Inuyasha was beginning to suspect the gunman had wanted to slow her down, not kill her, and the ball of dread that landed in his stomach, leaden and uncomfortable, chilled him to the bone.

Kagome made an inarticulate noise, grumbled, and then released a sigh and closed her eyes.

“Sorry,” she muttered, feeling guilty for snapping at him and a little foolish for acting like a child. “You’re right. I just...I guess I’m just not made for this kind of thing.”

Warm fingers spread something oily and cold across her shoulder and she hissed, tensing slightly before relaxing.

To her surprise Inuyasha snorted and wiped the excess ointment off on his jeans before grabbing a fresh gauze pad and carefully pressing it to her shoulder.

“I don’t think anybody is made for this kind of thing,” he remarked and started wrapping up her shoulder again. “Out of anything we could have gotten stuck with, it had to be motherfucking zombies. Christ.”

Kagome had to smile at his less than pleased tone. “You seem like you’re doing alright for yourself,” she opined, sweeping her eyes over her surroundings.

He grunted. “That’s mostly because I’m a stubborn asshole and I refuse to let a fucking corpse get the best of me.”

He eyed her shoulder and gave a satisfied nod before tugging the shirt back down and helping her slip her arm through the sleeve again.

Kagome actually laughed softly that time and feeling accomplished, Inuyasha stood to put away the medical supplies and toss the bloodied bandages. After that he finally took the opportunity to finish dressing, fastening his jeans and digging around for a clean t-shirt.

His ear flicked at the whisper soft sound of disappointment that came from behind him and he had to fight the smirk that threatened to spread across his face as he pulled it over his head.

“Thank you,” she murmured and he glanced over to find her staring at him with a soft smile on her face, a becoming shade of light pink coloring her cheeks. “I know I said it already, but...really. You didn’t have to help me, but you did, especially since it’s not uncommon for someone to only be concerned with number one and be reluctant to share their resources.”

Inuyasha crossed his arms and studied her for a moment, amber gold searching chocolate brown, before he tipped her a fangy grin.

“Well, lookie that,” he murmured, cocking a brow. “You’re on a roll with this luck thing you got going for you. If the world hadn’t gone to hell I’d ask you for the winning lotto numbers.”

“Five, twelve, twenty, twenty-one, forty-seven, and one.”

He stared at her. “Cute.”

Kagome grinned.

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Inuyasha turned to rifle through the “pantry” for some breakfast and found some Poptarts stashed behind a box of no doubt stale Frosted Flakes. He had no idea how old it was, but grabbed it anyway. There were only two food items that were predicted to last through the end of the fucking world, and those were Poptarts and Twinkies.

He gave one to Kagome, snagged the other one for himself, and tossed the empty box toward the trash bin. He missed, heard Kagome’s badly stifled snort, and tossed a mock glare her way. She blinked and smiled innocently at him before tearing open her breakfast and taking a tentative bite, no doubt having the same concerns as himself.

Plopping down in his comfy armchair with a grunt, Inuyasha sliced open his Poptart and they lapsed into silence as they indulged in the dry and slightly chewy breakfast pastry. Unsurprisingly Inuyasha finished his first, however when Kagome discovered that her stomach was not going to rebel she wasn’t far behind. Despite it only being the run of the mill Poptart that had probably passed its expiration date a while ago, for being the first substantial thing she’d eaten in days, it was the most delicious thing in the world right then.

Still, even though she wanted to cram the rest of it in her mouth, she forced herself to slow down and eat the second part a little slower. Knowing her luck, her weakened body would reject the sudden abundance of nourishment and she’d end up embarrassing herself by getting sick everywhere. She definitely wanted to avoid that and not waste the food Inuyasha was generously sharing with her.

She knew what the world had been subjected to now. It was kill or be killed, look out for number one, and it was rare to find someone willing to help a perfect stranger. Inuyasha had more than likely saved her life, and Kagome would be forever grateful for that.

Swallowing her last bit of Poptart, Kagome started down at the foil wrapper in her hands, worrying her bottom lip as she mulled over her thoughts. She flicked a glance to her half-demon host and wasn’t very surprised to find him already staring at her, head propped in his hand with his foot resting on his opposite knee, looking utterly at ease.

She blinked and offered smile. Inuyasha’s brows dipped into a small frown and she sighed, looking back down at her lap.

“Listen, Inuyasha...” she began, brow wrinkling as she attempted to put thoughts into words. When she looked back up again Inuyasha had both booted feet on the ground and he was leaning forward, giving her his full attention with elbows propped on his knees and golden stare directed at her.

Her expression gentled into another small smile and she continued, the words suddenly coming so easily to her now, “If it hadn’t been for you...if you hadn’t followed me, killed off those rotters, and brought me here, I’d probably be—” Her voice cracked and she swallowed thickly, brown eyes huge and earnest as she gazed at him.

“You saved my life, Inuyasha,” she said roughly. “And I don’t know how I’ll ever begin to repay you for that. So if there’s something...anything I can do repay you, please tell me. I mean, I admit I...I can’t do much, especially in my current condition.” She looked a mite sheepish as she shrugged apologetically. “But I promise I’ll do my best. If you let me stick around, I’ll do whatever it takes to earn my keep. I can learn, I can—I can adapt, just please...”

Sucking in a shaky breath, Kagome briefly closed her eyes, steeled herself, and then looked directly into amber eyes regarding her intensely.

“Please don’t send me back out there. “

Staring into those gorgeous pools of dark brown, so open and pleading and impossibly wide, something in Inuyasha’s chest tightened and his hands clenched into tight fists. The urge to protect surged within him so strongly his entire body tensed, as if preparing for a fight, ready to defend this vulnerable woman with his life if he needed to. Which was absolutely fucking bizarre since he’d just met her, but at the same time, he supposed it made sense.

The others always liked to tease and badger that he had a soft spot for those smaller and weaker than him and looking at her now, heart on her sleeve and practically begging him to not feed her to the wolves – or in this case the undead – Inuyasha had known from the second he’d seen her, curled up, bloody, and terrified, that he’d never be able to send her off on her own again.

She was under his protection now, and he’d be damned if she was going to get hurt again under his watch.

Kagome was starting to get anxious from his continued silence, squirming on her seat and biting down on her lip in uncertainty as she dropped her gaze. He could smell her trepidation as she feared for the worst, hear her heart speed up a bit in her chest, and Inuyasha acted quickly, hating the smell of her fear.

“I’m not gonna send you back out there, Kagome,” he assured her, his voice firm, and was gratified when she snapped her gaze back to his, twin pools of dark brown glinting with barely concealed hope. “And there might be something you can do for me, but first I need you to tell me something.”

Her brow furrowed slightly in confusion but she nodded, curious.

Inuyasha studied her for a moment, golden eyes assessing, revealing nothing, before entreating quietly, “Tell me what happened. Where were you before I found you? Do you a place to get back to? Your family? Friends?”

For just a split second, and something he probably wouldn’t have even noticed had he not been paying such close attention, a deep, soul-crushing sorrow flashed across Kagome’s face and eyes but it was gone as quick as it had arrived before she averted her gaze.

For just that second a hidden agony had been so palpable Inuyasha had felt it like a physical blow to his gut and the shocked breath he sucked in was completely involuntary. Jesus...what had this woman been through to portray such deep pain, even for just an instant? Inuyasha opened his mouth to tell her she didn’t have to tell him, that he would still take her in anyway, but her quiet voice quickly shut him up and his ears strained forward to hear her soft words.

“We got separated,” she began, an audible strain in her voice and still avoiding his gaze. “M-my family and I, just moments after the outbreak started. We were all inside our house, minding our own business, when someone who had been praying at the shrine suddenly came crashing through the door, bleeding from the neck and screaming about the dead coming back to life, before falling to the floor, dead. He’d...he’d been bitten.”

Kagome took a calming breath and closed her eyes, recalling with clarity what had happened next. Her voice was cracked and unsteady as she continued, “We...we didn’t know what to do. We were all standing around, stunned as the man bled all over the floor, when more of them came through the windows and door. Hungry, starved for human flesh, they came after us and we did what any normal person would do.

“We ran. Gramps tried to stay and fend them off, but Mama managed to drag him away and toward the basement where we could go downstairs and out the cellar door. I remember hearing Souta screaming – he was crying...scared – and Mama trying to tell him it was going to be okay as I ran after them, scared out of my mind. But something caught my leg, and I fell. The man on the floor, the one that’d been bitten, had turned and grabbed my leg. I managed to shake him off and go downstairs after them. Mama was waiting for me and she grabbed my hand and when we got outside to the street...”

Her voice caught and she shuddered, wrapping her good arm around herself as if to preserve heat. Inuyasha dug his claws into his palms, resisting the urge to go over and protect her even from the chill of the basement. He’d suspected her story was something like this, but still, hearing it first hand was tougher than he’d thought it would be. Fuck, he hated the thought of Kagome going through this, being subjected to such terror and horror.

“It was...it was chaos,” Kagome went on, voice rough, and he brought his attention back to her. “People dead everywhere, b-blood...everywhere...groups of undead feasting on dead bodies, hordes of them chasing after fleeing people. Screaming, cries for help, children sobbing for their parents...g-god, it was—”

She put a hand over her mouth as her eyes fluttered close, holding back a sob.

“Kagome, you don’t have to—”

Hastily she shook her head. “It’s okay,” she rasped. “I’m okay. Just...give me a minute.”

Frowning deeply and looking like he wanted to disagree, Inuyasha nonetheless clenched his jaw and nodded, waiting for her to continue.

Taking several deep breaths, Kagome managed to compose herself after another minute and went on, her voice a bit steadier.

“We ran. Gramps found a still running car and herded us toward it. I was holding Souta’s hand, half-dragging him and Mama was in front of me. One of them caught Souta’s arm and jerked him back. I...I screamed and just started punching and kicking it, yanking him back to me, and when it finally let go I shoved him toward Mama who got him into the car then herself. I was going to follow but escaping people ran in front of me and cut me off, knocking me over in their haste to get away. I heard Mama screaming my name, Souta crying, and then I heard nothing but gunshots and the sound of a car driving away.”

Inuyasha’s stomach plummeted to somewhere the same region as his feet. His expression was a mix of pain and outrage while the hard lump in his throat was making it hard to breathe. Did her family just leave her there to die?!

Kagome stoke a peek at him and accurately guessed what he was thinking. Her smile was wan and trembling.

“They didn’t leave me,” she told him and Inuyasha’s growl abruptly cut off—he hadn’t even been aware he was making it. “The people who knocked me over got into the car with my family and drove away, forcing them to leave me behind. I don’t fault them for that.”

Grimacing, Inuyasha dragged a hand down his face and nodded, feeling slightly ill. “What happened next?” he asked, his voice rough and he cleared his throat.

Sighing, Kagome wiped at her eyes, at the unshed tears brimming them, and explained, “I escaped from the rotters trying to eat me and started running. I didn’t have a destination in mind, just...anywhere safe, I guess. Somebody must have been looking out for me because my friend H-Houjo—” Her voice cracked again and she sucked in a breath.

“Houjo found me and took me to his family’s house. They had a bomb shelter with food and water and that’s where I’ve been staying since it all started. Well...until recently.”

The look Inuyasha gave her was equal parts skeptical and incredulous. “Your friend has a bomb shelter in this day and age?”

Her answer smile was small but genuine and something eased in his chest. “Houjo’s father was a bit eccentric, but it turned out to be a good thing. The shelter was underground and fortified with layers of thick sheet metal, cement, and brick. It saved our lives, along with a few others Houjo’s family took in. They were good people, generous and kind, and Houjo...he was among one of the most kindest, genuine people I knew.”

Inuyasha stiffened and his jaw tightened as he sat up a little straighter. Ice entered his veins, chilling him to the bone, and he swallowed once, twice. His voice was thick when he could speak again.

“Kagome...what happened to Houjo.”

She’d used was. Past tense.

Kagome’s eyes connected with his and those deep pools were haunted as she breathed, “We were running out of food. I volunteered to go on a run to find some because I wanted to do something to repay them for taking me in, but Houjo wouldn’t let me ago alone. He had a gun—it didn’t have a full round and he didn’t know how to use it, but it was better than nothing and he wanted to make sure I was protected. So together we left and managed to evade the roamers long enough to get inside his house to see if anything was left. It was a mess inside, of course, full of dead...uh, undead, and not much was salvageable, but we looked anyway.

“I was in the kitchen looking through the pantry and didn’t notice the one coming up behind me. Houjo did.”

Inuyasha paled. Oh...shit.

“He shot it at and missed. He drew its attention so I was able to get away and he just kept...shooting at it until he was firing blanks. I grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed it in the neck, trying to slice the head off, but all I did was get its attention back on me, and I was frozen, terrified, unable to move and Houjo, he...”

Kagome stopped to let out a sob and cover her mouth again, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she forced out through gritted teeth, “He shoved me away and took the bite meant for me. He—I remember his scream as he took the knife lodged in its neck, yanked it upward, and tore the head off until the only thing connecting it was skin. By then the noise we were making drew more of them inside and suddenly we were surrounded. Houjo, he—he told me to run. He sacrificed himself so I could get away and I—I—”

Unable to bear it any longer, Kagome broke down, hiding her face in her hands as she emitted gut-wrenching sobs and Inuyasha reacted without thinking.

Standing up with a curse, he crossed the distance between them and sank down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and tugging her into his side. Kagome gasped and clung to him, hands fisting in the back of his shirt as she buried her face in his neck and cried. Her arm protested the movement but the pain in her heart trumped the pain in her shoulder so it was easily ignored as she wept for her friend, wept for the kind-hearted boy she’d known since child-hood and his untimely, grisly death.

Ears pinned flat against his head, Inuyasha closed his eyes and sought to comfort her in any way he could, running his hand through her hair while the other massaged her back, rumbling in his chest as he let her cry against him for however long she needed. He wanted to apologize, tell her everything was going to be okay, but he couldn’t find the words. His throat was tight, his chest hurt, and he gave his silent commendations to the boy that had sacrificed himself to save her.

He wanted to do more for her – he wanted to track down every undead, rotting son of a bitch responsible for her agony, wanted to bring her friend back to life, find her family, introduce the assholes that had separated her from them to Tessaiga. But he couldn’t, so he did the only thing he could do: he held her tight and bore her pain with her, every sob cutting him to the quick, every whimper driving the knife deeper into his heart. And as the warmth of her tears soaked his neck and dampened the collar of his shirt, Inuyasha cradled the back of her head and vowed she would never have to go through something like that ever again.

Maybe it was a foolish vow, especially when death was unavoidable during these trying times, but that didn’t matter. He was going to do his damnedest to protect her, physically and emotionally, no matter what it took.

He didn’t know how long they sat there but Inuyasha didn’t care, content to let her lean against him as her sobs gradually died down to sniffles and shaky sighs. When she finally leaned away from him, rubbing at her eyes and nose, she was much more composed and the smile she tipped him, though wavering, suggested she’d needed that release badly. It wouldn’t have surprised him if she hadn’t had the time to mourn properly before now. Running for your life tended to take up your full concentration, no matter the circumstances of your inner turmoil.

Inuyasha tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before retrieving her water bottle that had fallen to the floor and handing it over. She mumbled her thanks and uncapped it, taking a few delicate sips and then a few mouthfuls.

“Okay?” he murmured and unthinkingly put a hand on her back, massaging the muscles in an absentminded gesture of comfort. Kagome sighed and relaxed into his touch.

“Yes,” she breathed in a voice slightly hoarse. “Thank you. For...letting me do that.” She aimed another smile at him, dark eyes shining with her gratitude. It felt good to tell somebody and let it all go.

His ear flicked as a slight frown marred his features. “You didn’t tell his family?”

Kagome winced and immediately he regretted it. “Shit, sorry, I—”

“No, it’s fine,” she insisted, shaking her head, and he was glad to find she wasn’t about to start crying again. “After...it happened, I did what he told me to do and ran. I thought about going back to the shelter, but I...I couldn’t. It’s my fault he’s dead. I couldn’t bring myself to face them. The guilt was too much and like a damned coward I fled. It’s my fault, if I hadn’t insisted on going—”

“No,” Inuyasha interrupted her and gabbed her chin, turning her face and locking gazes with her. Kagome’s eyes widened and a soft gasp escaped her lips at the intensity in his eyes.

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” he said firmly. “It’s not your fault, Kagome. Your friend died protecting you. He knew what he was doing when he shoved you away. Hell, I’m sure he knew what was going to happen, but he did it anyway. You can’t blame yourself for the actions of others, Kagome. You can’t. It’s too much to carry and the guilt would crush you.”

He clenched his jaw, swallowed thickly, and with Kagome’s wide eyes gazing up at him, dark and brimming with more tears, he said gruffly, “Trust me. I’ve tried. So instead of burdening yourself with fault that’s not yours, honor your friend’s sacrifice, be grateful, and keep moving. He died so you could live, Kagome, and you need to honor that. And if you let me, I can help you do that.”

Bottom lip trembling, Kagome took a shaky breath and let it out slowly, digesting his words and mulling them over. She would always feel a small measure of guilt, but she couldn’t let it amount to more than that. He was right; Houjo had died saving her, died so she could continuing living, and she would do her best to honor his sacrifice because what other choice did she have? She didn’t want to die and since she didn’t want to die...well.

She’d just have to keep living, wouldn’t she? If not out of spite or fear of the monsters wreaking havoc on the earth, then for Houjo, and for her family that she refused to believe was dead as well.

With a hardened resolve, and feeling better than she had since this whole shitshow started, Kagome stared into his eyes and nodded.

“How?” she whispered and Inuyasha knew what she was asking.

Gratified to see resolve in her eyes, the spark of life bringing color back to her cheeks, Inuyasha had to refrain from grinning as he said, “I can teach you how to survive. Show you how to fire a gun, take it apart, clean it, put it back together and reload it. I can teach you how to fight and how to defend yourself. I can do all of that, but you have to want it, Kagome. You have to want to become stronger and be willing to put your life at risk sometimes. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it; you’re gonna have to kill if you wanna survive, Kagome, and I’m not just talking about the undead fuckers out there. There are gonna be people who wanna kill you because you have what they don’t, assholes that wanna kill you just for the hell of it, but you already knew that. And it’s gonna be hard; I won’t lie about that. But I swear to you now that I’ll do my best to prepare you for this world gone to shit and I’ll teach you everything I know to survive.”

Inuyasha watched some of the color leech from her face and she winced, looking like she was about to taste that Poptart she’d eaten for a second time in a not so pleasant way. He didn’t take it back though, didn’t tell her he’d protect her from that if he could. Because she would have to kill if she wanted to survive. It was the way of the world now and nobody could avoid it. It was either that, or be killed yourself, and he hoped to God she realized that, because he wouldn’t sway her. Kagome had to make this decision for herself, she had to choose to fight, no matter how hard it was going to be.

She had to choose to survive for herself, to keep fighting, no matter how bad Inuyasha wanted to protect her from it.

Kagome took in Inuyasha’s features with wide brown eyes, the set jaw, lips tightening into a thin line, and eyes the color of whiskey burning into her own with an intensity that made her breath catch. His words resounded in her head, loud, serious, laced with an urgency that had every hair on her body standing on end. But there was something else, something that he wasn’t telling her, but Kagome picked up on it nonetheless. She saw it in his eyes, felt in the way his hand gripped her arm, firm, but not enough to hurt.

Inuyasha was asking her to trust him far more than what she already had, because if she said yes, if she agreed, she had so much more to lose than her health. He was essentially asking her to put her life in his hands so he could teach her how to protect it and that should have given her pause, should have made her take a proverbial step back and seriously consider what he was offering.

But she didn't because Kagome already instinctively knew she could trust him. He’d already patched up her shoulder, given her food, water, a place to sleep and regain her strength. Hell, he’d trusted her first, bringing her into his shelter and putting at risk his own health and safety. Granted, he was much stronger than she and he probably hadn’t been at all worried about her trying to overtake him, but it was the principle of the matter.

So of course Kagome already knew what her answer was because she did want to be stronger. She didn’t want to be a burden on him or anybody, she didn’t want to have to rely on other people to take care of her and get her food or whatever. She wanted to be able to take care of herself, defend herself and protect others who were in the same predicament as she’d been.

And when she finally saw her family again, she wanted to protect them as well and make sure nothing ever happened to them. She swore what happened to Houjo would never happen to any of them. Not while she was alive.

“Yes,” Kagome finally answered, staring directly into his eyes, and the relief that swept through him was powerful. She smiled, no doubt seeing it reflected on his face, and she nodded. “I want you to teach me, Inuyasha. I want to become stronger and defend myself so when I find my family, and I protect them, too.”

A corner of his lips quirked up into a half-grin. He had to admire her determination; it was definitely a good trait to have, especially for what she was about to endure in the coming weeks.

“Good,” he rumbled, giving a nod himself as he squeezed her arm. “I’m glad you don’t wanna die just yet. I’d be pissed if I wasted my medical supplies and food on a lost cause.”

Kagome had to laugh. He was right, so she wasn’t offended.

“I do have one question, though,” she admitted and he cocked a brow. “You said that you might have something I can do for you before I explained what happened to me. What is it?”

He shrugged. “You just agreed to it.”

Kagome blinked. “What?”

“You agreed to let me teach you how to fight and protect yourself,” he answered as he stood up and wandered over to the table to belt on his holster and gun. “So you already did it.”

She shook her head, confused. “But how would you teaching me how to fight benefit you in any way? You already know how to fight and all that stuff. I’m more of a liability than an asset.”

Inuyasha glanced at her as he clipped the radio to his belt. Then to her surprise he grinned and crossed his arms as he turned to face her.

“There are others back at the dojo I own. Twelve altogether, including me, and now it’s thirteen since you’re officially part of it now. Me teaching you benefits us all because it means there’s another person defending our shelter and the people who live in it. It’s another person looking for food, supplies, water, weapons, anything that would help us better survive. There are strength in numbers, Kagome, and while others think that too many people means more mouths to feed and clothe and protect, we see it as an opportunity to save more lives, kill more monsters, and make the world just the smallest bit safer. So basically, the glass is half full, not empty.”

Kagome stared at him with wide eyes, mouth parted slightly in astonishment. She liked that theory and liked even more that there were others like Inuyasha. She wouldn’t have to be alone again and it was all because of this magnificent, strong man who she’d been fortunate enough to find. Or rather, fortunate enough for him to find her.

Ridiculously feeling like crying again, Kagome gave him a trembling but genuine smile as she sniffled and dashed a hand over her eyes. At his panicked look a watery laugh bubbled up and she shook her head, managing to stave off the tears and taking a calming breath.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m okay. It’s just...I’m relieved and...glad I don’t have to be alone again.” Kagome lifted her face and her next smile was truly brilliant, dark eyes glittering with her gratitude, and absurdly Inuyasha’s heart skipped a beat in his chest.

“Thank you, Inuyasha. You’ve already done so much for me in such a short amount of time, and I just...” She sighed and nodded determinedly, eye flashing with resolve. “I won’t let you down.”

Inuyasha watched her silently for a moment, golden eyes searching her face, her eyes, before a smirk spread across his face and he nodded once.

“Good. I’m counting on it.”

Ch. 4

buy me a coffee? :)

#another day in hell #ch 3 #inuyasha #kagome #inukag #zombie apocolypse au #keizfanfiction #fanfiction #ZOMBIEEESSSSSSSS

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