#lee minho rape

[2chopsticks2eyes]

Numb

(Part Two)

This is part two of a multiple part series, please be sure to start from part one!

(Part One) | (Part Two)

2chopsticks2eyes - Masterlist

Pairing: Lee Minho/Lee Know x Fem Reader

Themes: Angst, (Smut), (Fluff)

Word Count (all parts): ~21.8k | AO3

Summary: You were penniless and working tirelessly at a seedy club when you were assaulted. As soon as you resigned yourself to your fate, Lee Minho saved you, albeit grudgingly. You received treatment and you didn’t have to pay them a dime under one condition: You must be confined to his home for the remainder of your recovery.

Author’s Note:

***IMPORTANT!!!*** THIS STORY IS FILLED WITH TRIGGER WARNINGS. THIS SECOND PART DOES NOT CONTAIN THOSE TRIGGERS, BUT IT IS IMPLIED AND REFERENCED. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ TAGS AND WARNINGS AT BEGINNING OF PART ONE BEFORE PROCEEDING.

The overall plot line was based off a recommendation from @linoots from Tumblr (I received permission from them to write this type of content)

(I’ve missed you all dearly. So sorry it’s taken so long 🥺)

__________________________________________

You silently watched as the doctor removed the IV that had been pumping fluids into your body for the past 48 hours and you rubbed the uncomfortable bandage he replaced it with.

You refused to make eye contact with him. In fact, you did not look or talk to anybody since you woke up in that same home-hospital room you had grown accustomed to. Not Chris, not Felix, and definitely not Minho.

You were a shell of your former self and you didn’t know if you were upset or relieved that you were revived. You didn’t know what to make of it. But now, there was one emotion you knew that burned brighter than your numbness.

Anger.

You couldn’t quite believe Felix’s words when he said that Minho was the one who came to your rescue… again…

But that was preposterous. The bastard probably told the younger man to say that to make himself look better… Whatever, fuck it all.

You allowed yourself to be led back to your room to get some rest. However, when Felix left and Minho walked in, you fortified your walls even further. You felt your face turn sour with each passing moment without even looking at the man and you rolled over in bed so your back was facing him.

There was a long pause of silence that seemed to drag on for hours.

You finally heard a long sigh and then the sound of him plopping down into the chair by your bed. “You know…” He started, and you squeezed your eyes shut. “There’s a reason I bothered to do all of this...”

You tried your hardest to ignore him, but you couldn’t control the fact that his words piqued your interest, your ears already tuned-in to his velvety voice.

“Not just this time, but… the reason I brought you here in the first place.” After a moment of silence, he realized you weren’t going to respond, so he huffed in frustration. “Forget it.”

You suddenly heard the door open and you peered over your shoulder. Without turning to face you, he blankly said, “You are now required to have 24/7 supervision, congratulations.”

And with that, the man walked out while Felix walked in, a meek smile on his face and hands full with baked goods.

“In the mood for cookies?” You sighed and just returned to your side as you balled up in a mess of frustration and confusion under the covers, mind still tingling with the thought of what Minho was going to say.

__________________________________________

“I don’t need a fucking babysitter, Felix. I’m a grown woman.”

Felix just huffed, obviously sick and tired of your complaints. “You know why it’s this way, sweetie. Don’t blame me for doing my job.”

The topic was a constant now. He was obviously there for your physical therapy, but he was also everywhere else. You loved the man, you did, but there is only so much time you could stand without a little alone time!

You wanted to watch TV? He was there. You wanted to nap? He was there. You couldn’t even go to the bathroom without having to leave the door open so he ‘has access to you at all times’. Thank god he stayed outside while you did your business…

After a week of this bullshit, you decided to do something about it…

Throughout your exploration of the house, you found some rooms with names on them. Evidently the ones that Minho once said were strictly prohibited. A couple of the rooms had names you were completely unfamiliar with, but others, you remembered well. Chan, Felix, Jisung, Seungmin, Jeongin, and finally some large double-doors with the initials L.M.

Lee Minho.

The man had supposedly been ‘out on business’ the entire week, but you knew for sure he had come back today with all of the ruckus of the house staff.

So, when you were positive that Felix had finally passed out on the sofa in your room for the night, you, as quietly as humanly possible, snuck out of the room and tip-toed down the hallway and downstairs to the doors you knew by heart now.

The room was surprisingly extremely secluded and you thanked the heavens because you knew for sure you wouldn’t be able to keep cool once he was in sight. You were fully prepared to bang your fist all the way through Minho’s door to meet the man himself if that’s what it took, but as you raised your fist to knock, the door suddenly opened.

Well… shit…

You really didn’t want to admit it, you really didn’t, but… the sight before you was absolutely, without a doubt, mouth watering. He looked just as surprised as you, but you found yourself focused on something other than his face for once…

The man was completely shirtless, pajama pants riding low on his hips and revealing the prominent V of his abdomen. Speaking of abdomen, the dude was of course ripped. Well, maybe not Dr. Chris (Or Christopher, or Chan, or what the fuck ever you want to call him) kind of ripped, but enough to make your eyes bulge out and glue themselves to every inch of impeccably toned abs and pecs.

And another thing that stood out in particular was the sleeve of tattoos twisting and swirling around the upper half of his right arm. You had only seen him in button-ups thus far and, even if he rolled up his sleeves, you somehow hadn’t ever noticed it. You were usually hyper-focused on his face, but at that moment, all you could see was the vast amount of skin on display.

You swallowed the lump in your throat.

“What are you doing here?” His stern words snapped you back to reality and you had to rapidly blink to regain a semblance of consciousness.

What am I doing? You shivered and grimaced at yourself for your intrusive thoughts before meeting his eyes.

“Uh-uhh I–” You halted your words when you noticed he was clutching something on his side. Curiosity got the better of you and you peered around his towering frame to see a soiled and basically useless bandage dripping with blood. “Holy shit! Are you alright?!” You said stepping towards him instinctively, catching yourself once he tensed and stepped back, correcting his posture as if to defend himself.

Psh, what could you possibly do to him? You couldn’t even defend yourself…

He glanced at the cloth he was currently pressing to his side and made a disgruntled noise. “I’m fine.” He said with a curt and slightly annoyed huff. “Why don’t you have anyone watching you right now?” He grumbled, obviously frustrated as he looked around behind you in search of your babysitter.

You furrowed your brows, still peeved but also worried about the still-bleeding wound on his side. “I had to sneak away because I don’t necessarily appreciate being babysat like a fucking child! Now you need to refresh that bandage before it gets infected!” You borderline shouted.

You could almost feel the daggers he shot at you with his eyes pierce through your flesh. “I said I’m fine! Now go back to be– Hey!”

You cut his sentence off short when you saw a first aid kit that looked like it had been through war and back on a small table behind him before you marched your way in, not giving two flying fucks that you were invading his room. “Get your ass in here, we need to clean you up first.” You demanded, collecting the kit and marching into what looked like the ensuite, completely ignoring his protests.

Jesus, is this much luxury even necessary? You thought as you passed through his behemoth of a room. Gray, white, and covered in smooth marble and chandeliers, it housed all of the amenities to be considered its own wing of the house. The gray material of the sofa and bed looked so soft and luxurious you were tempted to walk over and run your fingers along them. But that would have to wait.

He slammed his bedroom door shut with a huff and turned around. “You can’t just–!” You ignored him as you strolled into the bathroom (Still unnecessarily gorgeous).

“Just get your ass in here and sit!” You shouted from the bathroom. When you saw him stop in the doorway and glare at you, you just proceeded to open the first-aid kit and then pointed at the black and white marble countertop next to the sink. “Sit.”

He rolled his eyes before squeezing them shut and breathing out a slow sigh. “You… You’re a pain in my ass.” He groaned before dragging his feet over to you and hopping up to sit on the counter like you asked. If you hadn’t been right in front of him, you would have almost missed the slight hiss of pain he breathed through clenched teeth.

Why you had felt a pang of sympathy for the man, you had no clue.

He watched you apprehensively as you washed your hands and moved to face him. A brief moment of awkward silence had permeated the air before you tentatively raised your hands to remove the soiled bandage.

Minho visibly stiffened, but he made no move to stop you as your shaky fingers slowly peeled back the gauze.

Holy shit. That was 100% unmistakably a bullet wound.

Your mind was automatically transported back to that first night where you witnessed this guy casually gun down those men, effectively splattering five different brains on the fresh snow without even batting an eyelash. Who the fuck is Lee Minho? And what all was he capable of?

“If you’re going to just stand there and stare, then kindly leave me the fuck alone.” His gruff voice made you jump slightly as you were pulled from your thoughts.

You cleared your throat as you proceeded to throw away the red-stained dressing. You avoided his eyes as you grabbed the saline solution and a towel, still feeling his eyes bore into you with every movement.

However, you froze as you held the saline up to the mangled skin. “U-um… Did you take out—?”

“Yes, I already removed the bullet. Get on with it.”

Your stomach churned at his affirmation of the cause of injury, but you were getting sick and tired of his assholery as you glared up at his blackened eyes. “You know, a little gratitude goes a long way, shithead.”

He seemed stunned for a moment, looking at you as if you had gone crazy before returning to his deadly glower. “Look here, Tinkerbell—“ You bristled at that stupid-ass name again… “YOU’RE the one that barged in here. YOU’RE the one who has been a pain in my ass ever since you got here. So, no, I won’t give ‘gratitude’ where it’s not deserved. Plus, you’re the one to talk…” He murmured the last bit, but you still clearly heard him.

“Then why bother saving me in the first place?!” You basically screamed at him.

Silence and a shocked disposition was all you got in return.

“I had nothing to live for anyway, so why bother?! You could have just as easily ignored what was happening and went on your merry fucking way. Could have left me behind that dumpster to freeze and bleed to death so you wouldn’t have to deal with this ‘pain in the ass’. Could have also left me alone to OD and suffocate on my own vomit the other day. So what gives?” You finished with a seething remark while gesturing to yourself.

His face was stark blank. “You want to know why I saved you?” He said through gritted teeth. You just responded with a curt nod. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before his expression morphed into something more solemn. It seemed like he was having an internal battle before he began to speak. He finally sighed and leaned his head back against the wall mirror with closed eyes. “I once… I had a cousin, one that was very close to me. I would always be overbearing and protective and she would always tell me to stop babying her.”

He chuckled fondly as he reminisced and you found yourself latching onto his every word. You chalked it up to the fact that you were finally learning something about this enigmatic man and this whole fucked up situation.

“Anyway, as we got older and I got busier, I began giving her more space. She was becoming a woman and I accepted the fact that she could begin to take care of herself.” He paused, but considering the faintest waver in his voice and his dry swallow, it didn’t sound like it was because he was waiting for a response… “I thought she was safe… but there were… others… vile pigs that knew how close she was to me…”

Another beat of silence and you watched his face slowly morph from sorrow to unbridled rage.

“I found her in almost the exact way I found you…” His words felt like a punch to the gut and painful images flooded your mind as you swallowed the bile that rose to your chest. “But, in her case, the scum that had… done that to her had already fled and I… I couldn’t save—” He squeezed his eyes tighter and his jaw clenched hard around the emotions before they could spill out.

You both knew he didn’t need to finish that sentence.

You felt the numbness that had taken over your soul begin to crack once again at the feeling of sympathy towards his cousin, and that shit scared you like none other.

“So, yeah. You might be a raging bitch and I might be a pretentious motherfucker. But even so, I couldn’t just leave you… I just couldn’t…” You felt something churn in your gut and you furrowed your brows in frustration as to what it was. You watched him take a deep breath and sit up a bit straighter. “So, with that being said, I can’t just allow you to throw away everything you’ve worked for so far.”

As if indicating that he had enough of the back-and-forth, he attempted to grab the saline bottle from your hand, only to be met with adamant resistance. You gently pushed his hand away (thankfully without any struggle) and brought the saline and towel up to his ever-bleeding wound that was dripping down to the puddle it created, causing a concerning amount of deep crimson to flood the marble countertop.

You silently flushed the deep cavern with the solution until you deemed it was properly cleaned before moving on to the peroxide. “This might sting a bit…” You warned as you watched his jaw clench. He closed his eyes as you disinfected it and you wondered how he could keep so cool after having a bullet plunged into his side.

Once he was properly cleaned and covered in antibiotic ointment, you picked up the gauze and searched for some tape. Your eyes widened as he wordlessly moved to hand you a long compression wrap.

You emitted a noise that sounded somewhat like a sputtering engine and your face flushed as you saw his suppressed smirk. To wrap that thing around him, you would have to run your hands all over his muscled torso… fuck.

“Something the matter?” He lilted in that nonchalant, annoying timbre. Teasing. “If you don–”

“It’s fine!” You cut him off, maybe a bit too loudly as you refused to make eye contact. “It’s just… just… don’t you have any dressing tape?” You said as you coincidentally eyed his well-defined pecs and abs.

He shrugged. “Nope. Not with me anyway. I just have this—“ He said while waving the fabric in front of your face again with a challenging brow lifted.

You nervously chuckled and squeaked out, “O-okay… Stand up…” You instantly felt goosebumps rise all over your flesh as he hopped off the counter, keeping the gauze pressed to his wound, and stepped a bit too close for a man you barely even knew. Deep breaths, you can do this…

“Hey…” You slowly raised your eyes to meet his own at the sound of the softer change in his tone. He took the tiniest step back to make it easier for him to look you in the eyes. “If you're uncomfortable… I mean… I’m not…” You don’t think you had ever seen him struggle so much with his words. He sighed and closed his eyes before sadly looking at you again. “You have nothing to be afraid of with me… I wouldn’t even think of…” He huffed and shook his head in disgust as he seemed to be thinking of the exact same thing that had plagued you day and night since arriving here.

Before he could even drive his point home, you gently laid your hand on his shoulder, causing his gaze to return to you. “I know…” You replied. “You hardly scare me, Lee Minho.” You teased with a wry smile that even surprised you.

His disturbed face was slowly replaced with a pleasantly surprised grin similar to your own. You watched with feigned mockery as he raised the wrapping once again. “Then prove it, Tink.” You just scoffed and rolled your eyes at the shortened version of his unrelenting name for you and snatched the elastic cloth from his hand.

“Fine.” You huffed defiantly before looking at his abdomen once again. You tentatively pressed the end of the wrap against his heated skin that made you blush. You could feel him watching you and you suddenly felt like hiding.

You wrapped the bandage over several times, feeling yourself tense up every time you touched his bare skin, and secured it tightly once you were finished. “O—“ Your voice cracked when you tried to speak and your face heated as you cleared your throat. “Okay, you’re finished…”

You wouldn’t look him in the eyes, how could you after you basically forced him to let you run your hands all over his tan, muscular, and absolutely gorgeous skin?

“W—“ He hesitated and, despite yourself, you found your eyes instinctively seeking his own out to somehow read the words through his dark irises. You found he was searching your eyes as well with pursed lips before he looked away and cleared his throat as well. “Thank you.”

Huh?

“Channie-hyung wasn’t available when I returned home so I tried to take care of it myself. I guess my half-assed effort didn’t do much, huh?” He chuckled and looked back at you with a meek smile.

Who the fuck is this man and where did Lee Minho go?

He nervously chuckled and you realized you’d been staring at the man far too long. You took a deep breath and stepped back. “Well, I kind of owed it to you now, didn’t I?” You said it lightheartedly, but he furrowed his brows.

“You don’t ever have to owe me anything.”

You arched a brow, but he just turned and began packing away the first aid kit again. You watched his back, trying to remember why you came to his room in the first place. “Minho?”

He stilled his movements.

“What do you even do?” He turned and arched a brow at you and you rolled your eyes, stepping forward next to him to lean against the counter. “Like, you are obviously loaded…” You said gesturing to your luxurious surroundings. “You have a full staff with a doctor to patch up nasty bullet holes like this and god knows what else…” You both looked at his bandage. “And not to mention the bullets you cleared through those guys’ heads without even blinking an eye that night…”

He bit his lip and you followed the action with your eyes. You instinctively wet your own lips. After he was done staring at the marble countertop for an unnecessarily lengthy amount of time, he hesitantly turned his body to face you.

“You could say I sort of run something like a… secret organization?” He said tentatively like it was a question unto himself and you furrowed your brows.

You squinted skeptically at him. “So… you're telling me—“ Is that worry on his face? “—that you're a secret agent? Like a spy?” You looked at him in disbelief.

He sputtered a restrained laugh and looked at you with a suppressed smile. “I suppose you could say I’m like a spy.”

“LIKE a spy?”

He looked up like he was deliberating. “Sure. Like a spy.”

“But not actually a spy?”

He groaned at your questioning and ran a hand through his messy hair. Come to think of it, this is the most dressed-down look you’d seen on him. Gone were the button-ups and slacks, now replaced by sweats and a compression wrap over his shirtless body.

He stood straight and crossed his arms, obviously ready for the conversation to be over. “Does it matter? Look, it’s already really late and Yongbok will panic if he realizes you ran off.”

Oh shit, that’s right. That’s the whole reason you were even there. In Minho’s bathroom. Standing closely to him. With the man half naked and you in your flimsy, silk nightwear. Your peaked nipples seemed suddenly way more apparent as you crossed your arms over your chest. You rapidly blinked as if suddenly waking up and quickly stepped back.

“I-I wanted to ask you something…” He arched his brow and you continued. “Can you please call off the reinforcements? I know I made a bad decision and all, but I will honestly go crazy if I have to use the bathroom with the door open one more time.” You found yourself begging rather than demanding like you had initially intended.

Why, though?

He looked hesitant and you quickly added, “I don’t even mean all of the time! Like, I’ll keep my bedroom door open so he can check up on me and he can even watch me secretly while I’m around the house, I just want at least a little sense of privacy!”

You knew you sounded like a pathetic child, but you had resigned yourself to that fate as soon as you had to take a massive, violent shit earlier that day and you knew Felix had heard everything from the other room. Without any doors to create that sweet, sweet sound barrier? Ugh… You were still mortified to look at him.

You silently watched him with imploring eyes as he tiredly rubbed his brow. “You…” You widened your eyes with a hopeful energy pulsing through them, hoping to portray as such as he looked into your pleading eyes. He sighed. “I suppose those terms are fair…” You lit up like a Christmas tree before he raised a finger. “BUT, if you are EVER alone ANYWHERE, you need to let him know where you are and give him regular updates on your whereabouts to let him know if you are okay. Okay?”

You vehemently nodded your head and perked up. “Thank GOD!”

He smirked and crossed his arms again. “I think I like you calling me a god. Have I upgraded from a narcissistic asshole?” He tilted his head with raised brows and you were, once again, reminded how gorgeous this man really was.

You rolled your eyes and went to shove his shoulder, but before you could even touch him, he grabbed your wrist in the blink of an eye. For some reason, you both looked surprised as he froze with your wrist in his hand from less than a foot away. Your heart was racing and you chalked it up to being from fear of someone grabbing you.

But why did that conclusion not feel quite right…?

Before you could ponder it, he dropped your arm and quickly stepped away. “Fuck. I-I’m sorry.” He shook his head and you watched worry swirl in his eyes.

No…

No, you weren’t afraid of this man. You don’t know why, but you knew he wouldn’t hurt you intentionally. Even after everything… “It was just instinct! I swear! I would never intend to—“

“I know, Minho.” You cut off his panicking, but his brows gave away his lingering concern. “I guess I’m just going to have to take your word for it on the whole spy thing, though, because those were super fast reflexes.” You chuckled to ease the tension and his face softened slightly.

It was silent for a moment and he cleared his throat again. “Well, I should walk you back to your room, it’s late and I’ve had… a very long few days.”

You took a large breath and promptly left the bathroom. “I’m perfectly fine on my own, you know?” There’s that twinge of irritation again…

”I know, I know. But if Yongbok is awake, I want to be able to ease his worries and update him on his role in taking care of you.

Taking care of…

Not treating, not monitoring. Taking care of. You supposed that’s what they were doing, huh? Felix was, in fact, doing much more than treating or monitoring. He waited on you hand and foot and you were being a bitch about it. You made a promise to yourself right then and there to let him know as soon as possible how much you appreciated his care and apologize for your behavior.

You nodded, both to yourself and to Minho’s reasoning before making your way back to your room with the mysterious and intriguing man just a few steps behind you.

__________________________________________

Felix was a saint. Not only did he forgive you when you apologized, but he went as far to say it was his fault for being overbearing. Which was obviously preposterous.

With your new parameters in effect, Felix decided to leave the estate shortly, before quickly returning with gifts for you. Among them were several jigsaw puzzles and you perked up at the sight of them. Over time, you had come to really appreciate those puzzles. So much so that you had already finished all of the ones currently at the estate, strangely enough. All kinds of different collections displayed on random tables throughout the mansion.

Felix was true to his word and gave you your space, only briefly giving you regular check-ups as you sat in one of the many living rooms that giant freaking place held and began the therapeutic work of putting together an adorable puzzle of a litter of kittens.

You would love to have cats…

When a sudden ruckus erupted down the hall, you furrowed your brows and looked behind you to the source. Down the corridor you saw the same seven men that you had seen regularly around the house (obviously minus Felix) dressed in what looked like active-wear gathering around the front entryway.

The men never approached you, but that was most likely because you tried to make yourself scarce once you saw one of them. Maybe Dr. Chris, Felix, and Minho you trusted, but you didn’t know those other men and it made you sick to your stomach thinking of being alone with a stranger without one of those three men accompanying you.

”Okay, guys, this is just routine training today, so no fire hazards, alright Hyunjin?” You heard Minho announce to the group.

Training? Like their super-secret-spy type training?

You felt yourself stand and march over to them without even formulating what you were doing. Who needs rational thought anyway?

If you were remembering correctly, the one named Jeongin spotted you first with a look of surprise. “Come. On. Hyuuung. We need to be prepared for anyth—“ Jeongin harshly elbowed the one who you assumed was Hyunjin and quickly spoke up.

’Hy-Mr. Lee, sir. I think someone is here for you…” He nodded a bow to you and you returned it, giving a meek smile to the group before meeting Minho’s gaze.

He looked slightly surprised before giving you… was that a smile? No, surely not…

You cleared your throat as Felix made his way over with hurried steps and a worried expression. You, then, glanced over at the other men who had become quiet as death upon you stepping up next to Minho. You scanned over them before slightly bowing. “Um… Good morning…” You introduced yourself before hearing a small ‘oh’ from the man beside you. You turned your head as he stepped forward and turned to face you again.

”I guess I haven’t really introduced them all to you yet… These are my… This is my inner circle.” He hesitated and turned to gesture to each of them. “Some I’m sure you already know. Like Channie-Hyung, Yongbok, and Jisung.” The three nodded politely with soft smiles. “But to formally introduce you to the others, this is Changbin…” The shorter, muscular man offered a shy smile. “Hyunjin…” Your eyebrows raise at the incredibly handsome man as his full lips formed a smile as well. “Seungmin…”

”Nice to formally meet you.” He said with an amused grin and you nervously chuckled as you informed him likewise.

”Then there’s our maknae, Jeonginnie.” Hyunjin cooed at the youngest when he also gave a shy smile and he received a death-glare in return.

All of the men remained incredibly polite, bowing their heads when introduced and maintaining their distance. Shit, they probably already know everything about you and your situation… especially considering the fact that no one asked you who you were or why you were there.

You guessed you understood and you were actually somewhat grateful. It saved you from having to explain it yourself and relive all of the pain again…

”It’s very nice to meet you all.” You gave the men a polite smile before turning to Minho again. You were on a mission. “Minho, can I please come train with you guys?”

You could hear a pin drop with how silent the room got. “You… you want to train?” You gave a determined nod before slumping your shoulders at his shake of the head. “No. No way.”

“What?! Why?!”

”Um, I think it’s best we head out first. We will meet you there sir.” The youngest quickly relayed before walking out the front door with the other men in tow, Felix quickly retreating to some other corner of the estate.

After watching the mass leave, you fixed your glare on Minho’s resolute expression. “Not only are you not employed by me, but you also have an injured arm—“

”It could be good therapy for me! And I can even raise it horizontally now!” You demonstrated the movement with gritted teeth, trying to hide the pain, and he responded with an unimpressed visage.

“You are already receiving therapy and you would just be a liability. So, no. End of discussion.”

A liability? Ouch.

You felt anger rise up in you and you took a step near him, his features remaining stone-cold. “You… You’re a… ugh!” You couldn’t even muster up the will to call him an asshole anymore. What the fuck was WRONG with you?

With the lack of anything better to say, you furiously stomped away up to your bedroom to fume in private, but not without flipping him off the entire way there.

__________________________________________

“Knock knock, love.” Felix announced before stepping through your open doorway. It hadn’t been long since you petulantly curled up on the plush armchair by your window to angrily watch the rain outside.

Of course it would rain. Apparently fate had decided to mock you as if you were an actress in some sort of sad music video. Surely Felix would agree.

You watched with hesitancy as he held out his hand to you. “Follow me.” He said calmly with a smile. “I want to show you a new room.” You perked up at that notion. You had been running out of places to explore recently and the prospect of seeing something new was like a kid going to a playground.

You took his hand and allowed him to lead you to one of the many locked double-doors on the estate. What you saw made you gasp in awe. Bookshelves upon bookshelves lined the walls of a massive, two-storied library that was stocked to max capacity with what looked like brand new books as well as older than hell pieces of literature. All surrounding a cozy living area with couches, armchairs, and even a fireplace.

”Minho-hyung must really trust you to let me show you this. These books mean a great deal to him and many of them are extremely fragile as well.” He trusts me? You thought as you watched Felix’s eyes widen. “I-I mean Mr. Lee…”

You furrowed your brows and turned to him. “Why do you do that?” You asked and he just blinked at you with worry written on his features.

”D-do what?”

Playing dumb, are we? “That! Those other guys do it too! Why don’t you just call him Hyung? You all are obviously close. Why try to hide it?”

Felix nervously rubbed the side of his neck and looked down. “It’s not like we are trying to hide it, necessarily. We are just trained to remain professional. It’s just much harder when we are all home and much more relaxed.”

You nodded your head in understanding. “But why do you try to hide it with me? I’m not exactly here on business.” You arched your brow and he smiled sweetly.

”It…” He seemed hesitant to speak until he sighed and lowered his head. “If we keep things professional with you, it might be easier when we have to see you go…” You were taken aback. Easier? Is he saying they would miss you? Why? You were a nobody, and you were honestly kind of a bitch. No, that can’t be it.

”What do you mean by easier?”

He seemed confused by your question. “When you spend so much time with someone, it’s easy to get attached. Even the coldest heart can find warmth in someone they find trustworthy and important.”

Trustworthy? Important? You? What in the world did you do to earn those titles?

Felix must have read the disbelief on your face because he continued. “You and I have spent a lot of time together over the past months. I’ve learned a lot about you and your habits.” You blushed. He most definitely knows a lot about you. He’s seen a lot too. “I know you are a good person. I have an eye for these things.”

He winked at you and you huffed a chuckle.

“And Minho-hyung knows you are a good person too. He just has a different way of… expressing his feelings.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “No, it’s true! We discuss you and your progress often and the kind of leniency he gives you in this place is unheard of for anyone other than our circle. Even some of the house staff haven’t been allowed in some of these rooms you’ve seen.”

What on god’s green earth did you say to them to trust you? I mean, of course they can trust you. You bear no ill will toward any of them, not seriously anyway. But why do they think so? Felix could definitely see the confusion on your face when he gently placed a hand on your upper back and guided you two further into the treasure-trove of books.

“Don’t think about it too much, love. Just know that everything we do, we do out of good and pure intentions.”

You definitely thought about it too much.

__________________________________________

You were determined.

You were going to get out of that damned house, even if just for a minute, whether he liked it or not. By exploring the house, you ended up finding a board room, like true business-official type shit. A long table surrounded by office chairs and even a projector screen. And with a small tip from Felix, you knew they all happened to have a meeting that morning.

An actual business meeting. Not the one including half-naked women this time.

So, after gearing up in some serious workout attire, you marched yourself to that exact room, not even bothering to knock. You were on a mission. ”Lee Minho, I demand to be included in your training. I won’t take no for an answer!”

His were the first eyes you seeked out when you entered the room and you willed yourself to not back down.

You, then, remembered the presence of the other seven men in the room and how silent everyone had become. It was as if they thought, if they move even slightly, all hell would break loose. And by looking at Minho’s facial expression, they might have good reason to think as such.

”I. Said. NO. Now please see your way out. As you can see, we are clearly busy.” You were pissed, no, more than pissed, but you squared your shoulders.

However, before you could utter a word, Jisung spoke up. “Hyung. I think we should let her. She is obviously passionate about it.” Minho glared at his friend and then back at you. He was silent for a moment, as if he was deliberating, before speaking again.

”No.”

”FUCKING HELL, MAN! I have been sitting on my ass here for months now for a reason I’m sure everyone here already knows about—!“ You watched guilty expressions color the room. “—and now that I’m getting better, you’re not going to help me defend myself if something like that happens again?” You witnessed his eyes widen as a traitorous tear fell down your cheek. “Fuck. You. Lee Minho!”

Resilience be damned, you were itching to escape that suffocating room and the problem within it. You stormed away once more with a harsh slam of the door and a burning fire inside you fueled by hate and anger.

Fuck this.

__________________________________________

You felt a plop on the couch next to you and you jolted in place with a tiny squeak.

After the meeting room fiasco, you had been spending all of your time in the library. You were so immersed in your book that you didn’t even realize there was another presence in the room.

With a quick whip of the head and an incredulous look on your face, you watched Minho smirk next to you in amusement. “For someone who is super quick with their tongue, you sure are slow with everything else.” He chuckled as you came down from your fright and you placed a hand on your rapidly beating heart.

That motherfucker just about killed you! Well, not literally, but still! You closed your eyes to collect yourself before opening them again to glare at him.

However, instead of that same annoying smirk, his face turned into one of regret. “Shit, I’m sorry… I didn’t even think if that would make you… fuck, I didn’t—“

”It’s fine!” You quickly cut him off, knowing where he was going with that statement. “I-I’m fine… you just startled me a bit.” You calmly placed your bookmark before turning back to him with narrowed eyes. He looked a bit more relieved.

”Still, I need to be more… considerate.” He looked down at his hands, avoiding your eyes. “In more ways than one…” You furrowed your brows in suspicion before he returned your gaze once more. “I’ve thought about it a lot and I realized that I haven’t necessarily been easy on you throughout all of this. I might have played a part in helping you physically, but I didn’t consider how this would all affect you mentally.”

You were speechless. Was this the same man? He’s actually being… remorseful…

“So, yeah. Sorry about all that…” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck while averting his eyes. He clearly wasn’t used to apologizing so much. “I, um… I wanted to ask you if we could, like, start over?”

You had never seen the man fumble so much since meeting him and it was quite a refreshing sight. “Why? Are you about to drop another ridiculous rule on me and you’re just saying this to lessen the blow?” You huffed a bitter chuckle.

You could see his temper start to rise before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m saying this…” There was a slight edge to his voice before he opened his eyes again with a much more gentle demeanor. “—because I am tired of us butting heads.” He slumped into the backrest and you arched a brow. “And also because you were right.”

Okay. Something is seriously wrong.

”I thought it would be dangerous for you to train with professionals and be subjected to a room full of random men.” He limply turned his head your way while remaining melted into the cushions. “And yes, there will be other men there. All of my subordinates use this training center. It’s one of my most used gyms for my… industry.”

You scoffed. “Pft. ‘Industry’” You mocked with finger quotations.

He smirked. “Yes. Industry.” His face gradually returned to a more serious disposition. “There is also the matter of secrecy.” You nodded your head. Yeah, that made sense considering his occupation, but who were you going to tell? “Not saying I don’t trust you—“

”Why do you trust me?” You blurted, the question still buzzing around in your mind like an annoying pest. He furrowed his brows as if he didn’t understand. You continued. “Like, yeah, I get why you saved me now and all, but why do you trust ME?”

His brow slightly softened and he cleared his throat. “Y-you have given me no reason not to trust you. Why? Did you do something?” He said with a smirk.

You rolled your eyes. “No, asshole. It’s obvious to me that you should trust me, but you’re just going to take my word for it? You must be a really shitty spy.” He guffawed loudly, sitting up with a bright grin as he seemed like himself again.

”You haven’t seen what I can do, Tinkerbell.” You rolled your eyes, but you did find the notion intriguing.

”Oh yeah? What can you do?” You could see a spark light up in his eyes as he stared into your own and you had to gulp down the saliva that pooled in your mouth from the sight.

”Well…” He shifted to face you, elbow now propped up on the back of the couch. “You’ll get to see some of it when we train you.”

You felt your heart jolt. “When you train me?” You felt the corners of your mouth slowly lifting and his followed right behind.

”We leave at noon. Unless you’ve changed your mind?” He mused.

”No! No, I want to!” You looked at the clock. 11:30. Shit, he couldn’t have told you a little sooner? You sprang to your feet and he stood as well. “Just let me go change and I’ll meet you in the foyer.”

He just gave you a brief nod before turning on his heel and leaving you giddily buzzing in your skin.

__________________________________________

Somehow, you had plenty of options to choose from, but you opted for a simple T-shirt and joggers. Not the cutest, but who were you trying to impress?

A vision of Minho flashed in your mind and you reeled from the thought. Ugh. Why did my head think of HIM? In fact, why were you thinking so much about him in the first place? You chalked it up to it being from interacting more frequently nowadays. Yes. That must be it. You resolutely threw on a hoodie over your shirt and marched your way to the foyer.

“You ready? It won’t be easy.” He said from where he was leaned up against the staircase banister. You took in the sight of his workout attire, not really taking the time to fully appreciate it until now.

He wore a loose pair of sweatpants and an airy tank top that allowed you to gaze at his intricate sleeve of tattoos once more. He would almost look human if he hadn’t been blessed with his other-worldly beauty.

You blinked away the thoughts and gave a firm nod to him in response. “I don’t want easy. I want effective.”

He smirked and stood up straight when you approached. “We’ll see soon how confident you are in that statement.” You glared and he gestured his head. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Instead of heading out the front, he made his way further into the house. You furrowed your brows. “Where are the other guys? And where are you going?”

”Tsk. So many questions!” He mused and grinned at your responding scowl. “The guys are already there and, as to where we are going…” He stepped up to a large door located in the next room and opened the door for you to enter first, your face surely gawking at the luxury. You heard a chuckle from behind you. “Your reactions are always so adorable.” He smoothly teased.

EXCUSE ME?!

You whipped around and glared at him as he just continued walking past you. “Now…” He turned back to face you again. “Which one do you want to take?” He said plainly as he gestured to the plethora of extremely expensive cars.

The garage definitely looked like it belonged in a spy movie, but you were stumped. He said he was like a spy. Not a spy. Like a spy. You were still racking your brain as to what that meant.

Your eyes grazed over the fancy marble interior of the museum-like garage and the cars on display. How can someone have this much disposable income?

You didn’t know the first thing about cars, why did you have to pick?

When you just pointed to some random car, he raised his brows. “Really? The Rolls Royce?”

“Well, shit I dunno! Why do I need to pick? You obviously know more than I do when it comes to this!”

He cackled and led you closer to your chosen car. “Oh, I know waaay more than you, Tink.” You grumbled and he chuckled as he opened the door for you, letting you slide into the disgustingly luxurious vehicle.

”Why do you even have all of these cars? Don’t you have someone else to drive you?” He donned a cocky half-grin when he slipped into the driver seat.

”Sure, when I’m on business I do. But we are just going to train.”

In the blink of an eye, his face was directly in front of yours as he reached across you, eyes fixed on your seatbelt strap as he grasped the material. As soon as he stretched it across your body, he seemed to notice your surprise.

He froze, blinked at you rapidly, then quickly averted his gaze back down to the strap to buckle you in. He cleared his throat and gulped before starting the car. “Plus…” He added with a slightly strained voice. “It’s not nearly as fun riding as it is driving.”

__________________________________________

“Was the bag seriously necessary? Who would I even tell?!” You seethed as you threw the black, silky fabric at him.

Before you two even left the driveway, he forced you to shove your head in a stupid black hood so you “couldn’t know the location” once you left the estate later. You told him that it was unnecessary and stupid, but the man insisted.

You ripped the damned thing off as soon as he put the car in park.

”Have you forgotten what I told you? About my work? Why are you surprised with the secrecy?” He explained calm and composed as he discarded the bag in the car again.

”Well then blindfold me next time! I could barely breathe!” You were over exaggerating, of course. That material was extremely airy and breathable, you just wanted to feel superior to such treatment.

”Well excuse me, your highness…” He rolled his eyes as he pulled out his keys and walked up to the door of a large, nondescript, concrete building. Unlocking and opening the door for you, he gave you an exaggerated bow.

You narrowed your eyes at him as you passed the threshold, and marched into what looked like a massive gym complex of some sort.

However, the entire building was devoid of life. Of course that’s not including the seven familiar figures you saw fighting on the far end of the room. ”I thought you said all of your employees train here?” You said with an arched brow.

Minho passed you with a shrug. “Not today they don’t.” Well that answered nothing…

”Hey there, girly! Ready to get that blood pumping?”

”Calm down, Changbin. She is still going through therapy, remember?” Dr. Chris told the younger muscle man from where he was doing crazy heavy deadlifts off to the side.

”I know, I know, grandpa.” Changbin smirked at the doctor’s glare. “But just remember: ‘What hurts today makes you stronger tomorrow.’”

The other men groaned in tandem and you found yourself slightly smiling. “That’s a great motivational outlook, Changbin.” You said to the group as you watched Changbin’s face light up.

”Okay, enough, enough.” Minho declared. “Today’s training is obviously a bit different than usual.” He gestured vaguely at you. “We have a base level trainee and she needs to be trained from ground zero.” He gave you a side-eye and a cocky smirk. “Maybe even lower than that…”

”Hey!” You made a move to give him a lighthearted shove, and then was immediately reminded of what happened last time as his hand shot to your wrist to stop the action. You tried to free yourself, but his grip was like stone. “Let me go, asshole!”

”Make me.” He said as he suddenly faced you, pulling you closer. “Come on, show me. What would you do if you wanted to be released?”

You didn’t have an answer for him. Any move you could possibly make would be caught by his cat-like reflexes. You just challenged him with your eyes before his own softened, along with his grip on your wrist.

Just as your wrist was released he gave you a couple pats on the head. “Don’t worry Tinkerbell. I’m sure you will figure it out eventually.” You just about growled at him as he walked over to stand by Chris who was now seated on a bench nearby. “Channie-hyung and I are just here to observe and critique ALL of you, so do your best.” The man made an annoyed expression and waved the back of his hand in front of him. “Well? Get on with it!”

With that, you found yourself surrounded by six (frankly gorgeous) men looming over you.

“Hey! Back off! Don’t all go at her at once! I said ground zero you pabos!” Minho shouted from the sidelines before the others retreated and Changbin stepped in front of you.

”Calm down, Minho. This is what I’m here for.” You breathed in a resolute huff and nodded at Changbin. “I’m ready.”

__________________________________________

“Watch out for her arm!”

…

”Don’t actually try to hurt her, idiot!”

…

”That’s too rough!”

…

The entire training session Minho had shouted at each and every one of the men trying to teach me at least once and it was growing tiresome. “Why even let me train if I can’t even, I dunno, actually train???” You grumbled at the stubborn man as the group was taking a break. “I have legitimately learned nothing with the parameters you have set!”

”For real, hyung. You aren’t letting her show her full potential. She needs—“

Minho instantly cut Changbin off. “I will decide what is needed and I think that it would be better for her to just watch for now. It’s obvious that she is not ready.”

”WHA—?” You squealed with widened eyes and a disbelieving expression.

”Actually, I think she is doing quite well in her recovery…” Dr. Chris stated matter-of-factly where he stood next to the other six men drenched in sweat.

You watched Minho slowly turn his murderous expression to the doctor, but you stepped into his line of sight before he had the chance to retaliate. “Please let me continue… I promise I will take it easy, I just…” You looked down at your restless hands before returning your gaze to his blackened irises. “This is just really important to me…”

You watched as the man’s face minutely softened and glanced at the seven men around you that also awaited his instruction.

”Please?” You implored, not used to such pleading from your end. His eyes darted back to you before he moved to rub his temples with a sigh.

“Fine.” He groaned. “But base-line self defense only. We can move on to more advanced training once you have recovered a bit more.”

You don’t know why you felt such relief come over you. Maybe it was the satisfaction of even marginally getting through to him, but you let a wide grin escape as your body involuntarily moved to hug the man.

What the fuck?

Just as quickly as you embraced the man, you retreated just as fast with furiously heated cheeks. Why in the world did you do that? You were FAR from hugging terms with him! He probably just about shot you in the head from the unexpected touch!

However, you couldn’t help but notice the citrus and sandalwood scent emanating from his solid, warm body. His skin felt like flames against yours and you welcomed the heat. It didn’t last long, but the simple contact with him made your blood boil and quickly reddened your entire face.

When you pulled back and cleared your throat, you witnessed a millisecond of bewilderment on his stone-cold face before it was immediately schooled back into place (but that did nothing to cover up his bright red ears). “Th-thank you.” You mumbled before you escaped to the water fountain that was, blessedly, on the other side of the room. Never mind the fact you had a water bottle already with you by the group…

__________________________________________

By the time you and the rest of the boys finished (which was a very productive start if you do say so yourself), Minho had informed he was called in for an unexpected ‘business meeting’ across town and that training would finish early for the day as he needed to take a couple of his men with him.

You were a bit disappointed, but at least you got to do something. Which was more than you expected honestly.

As you requested, you were blindfolded for the car ride back instead of the stifling bag he donned you with on the way there, but you rode back with only five of his men instead.

You could feel all of their eyes on you as you rode in silence. Jeongin drove the unnecessarily expensive limousine, Changbin, and Hyunjin sat across from you, and Felix and Chan bracketed you on each side.

The silence was even more suffocating than the bag you wore earlier as you felt yourself start to become antsy. “For the love of god, please someone say something! I feel like I’m an exhibit in a museum right now.” You whined and buried your face in your hands (even though you couldn’t see anything anyway).

”And what a lovely piece of art you are, darling~” Hyunjin lilted before you heard a slap of skin and an over dramatic squawk from said man.

”Yah! Don’t be a creep!” You heard Changbin exclaim as the precious Felix giggled next to you.

”It was supposed to be a compliment!” You heard someone click their tongue before Chan decided to speak up.

”It’s interesting isn’t it…” He commanded the whole group’s attention with practiced ease and you quickly realized the hidden influence this man had over the lot of them. Which would make sense due to the fact that the doctor had probably saved most of, if not all of their lives at some point in time. “I haven’t seen or heard of Minho ever taking it easy on a trainee before… Most of them have to come see me even after their first session with him.”

”For real though, the man is ruthless with everyone else! He will even push them through the pain of broken bones!” Hyunjin exclaimed incredulously.

”He wants to make sure they are prepared through anything, even excruciating pain.” Jeongin stated simply from the driver’s seat.

Holy shit, these guys are no joke! “What the fuck? Why can’t he do the same with me?!” The entire car went dead silent in response. You could feel the annoyance creep into your bones. “Is it because I’m a girl? Seriously?!”

You heard Felix scoff next to you. “As if.” He sputtered in amusement. “The female trainees are some of the toughest among all of us.”

Then why?

”Maybe he just has a soft spot for you…” You heard Hyunjin mumble and you outright cackled at that one.

”Are you kidding?! Have you seen the way he treats me??” You question with an incredulous chuckle.

“You never knooow~” Hyunjin stated with a teasing lilt to his voice before you heard another smack.

And before another word could be said, your blindfold was removed and you were ushered into the estate once more.

A soft spot? What a joke.

__________________________________________

I hope you guys are happy with the turn-around. 😏

I’ve missed you all so dearly and I apologize for the wait. 🥺 I would say that the next part will come out sooner, but I don’t want to guarantee that if life decides to fuck with me some more. 🙃

As always, please like, follow, and share!

Thanks baby Stays! Love you and missed you guys! 💋😽💋

And of course my squad and tag list:

@lyramundana

@channieandhisgoonsquad

@moonlightndaydreams

@queenmea604

@sweetracha

@rylea08

@maknaeswrld

2chopsticks2eyes - Masterlist

[leviackermanscleaningbuddy]

SKZ DRABBLE-Minho

Part III of Mafia!Minho, bitches. Saddle up. A/N: I know this isn't SKZ!Pack, but it's been in the works for a looooong time and I wanted you to have it. <3

Tags: SKZ, Stray Kids, Mafia!Minho, Lee Minho, Lee Know, Minho, Y/N, FemReader, SKZ x you, SKZ x reader, Minho x you, Minho x reader, Mafia AU, Part III, Skz imagines, Skz reactions, SKZ scenarios, Fluff, Angst

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Light Smut

Warnings: Mafia Shit-guns, death, illegal dealings, daddy issues and misogyny, allusions to sexual assault and rape, loss of viriginity, blood. Mentions of previous pregnancy loss, miscarriage, current pregnancy. Breeding Kink, kinda? You'll see. Minho's just REALLY in to pregnant reader. 😂

"He's dead."

His blunt, cold words ricochet around the inside of your head, like a round fired too hastily from a gun, sloppy and dangerous, wounding everything they touch.

There's no way. There's no fucking way.

You say as much.

"That can't be true-"

His face contorts in anger, and he leans down to pinch your chin in a vicious grip that makes you wince, yanking your head back to meet his gaze, hot and pinning.

"It is true. Would you like to see the pictures, girl? The reports from Lim? His blood splattered across the wall?"

You sink to the floor.

Not JinYoung. Not your brother. Fuck, it can't be-

He straightens, releasing his iron grip on you and straightening his suit, glaring down at you with little more than cold disdain in his dark, narrowed eyes.

"He's dead, and you're worthless." He growls out, stuffing his hands into his pockets and considering you with something akin to disgust twisting his features.

Hot tears fill your eyes, and your fists clench in your lap, twisting the fabric of your dress.

You bite your bottom lip hard enough to taste blood, and will yourself not to let a tear fall for him to see.

He scoffs, reaching down once more to take your chin in pinching fingers, making you whimper.

His eyes darken at the sound, as if he's a predator that has sensed weakness in his prey.

"You're worthless to me until you're wed." He hisses out, teeth clenched, muscle in his cheek bulging. "Remember that. You are nothing without a man in this world, girl, nothing."

He releases you without another word or look in your direction, whirling on his heel and stalking down the hallway, slamming the door to his office, probably already on the phone yelling at some poor inferior for killing his son.

You let your chin drop to your chest, and squeeze your eyes shut as you take several harsh, shuddering breaths, clenching and unclenching your fists.

It was his fault JinYoung was dead. His fault you were now all alone.

There was nothing you could do about it, not realistically, but you hated him for it all the same.

********************************************************************************

"You're thinking too much again."

You jump slightly at the sound of Minho's voice, still husky with sleep, his fingers finding the warmth of your bare skin beneath the blankets.

You sigh, wanting to be irritated at his perception when it comes to you, but can't quite manage, not when his fingers are tickling your sides.

"How did you know?"

"Mm." Minho hums beneath his breath, pushing himself up behind where you lie propped on your elbow in the big bed, staring out the window at the slowly rising sun.

His fingers trace up the curling lines of the snake that wraps your spine.

"I know everything about you, princess." He replies in a murmur, fingers still slowly ticking their way up your spine. You hear a slight smile enter his voice. "Well, that, and your thoughts are so loud currently that I feel like you're speaking audibly."

You give another sigh, this one conceding, and feel Minho brush a light kiss across the family crest that marks your shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, princess. I promise you."

You feel panic well into your throat at the surety behind his words.

"It wasn't okay before." You blurt out without really considering, hand tracing down beneath the blankets without thought to rest on the small swell of your belly.

It's normal not to feel any movement yet, you know that, and yet-

Minho's soothing, firm voice sounds in your ear, his warm breath brushing across your cheek, grounding you.

"That was before. This is now."

The surety is still there beneath his words-strong and constant-and yet, the acidic taste of panic is still slowly filling your mouth, making it hard to breathe.

"Princess." Minho says in a low tone, taking not of the rapid rise and fall of your chest. "Look at me."

His hand snakes around the front of your throat, and he gently squeezes with his fingers, angling your head back until you're staring up at him, his gaze serious and dark.

You drink him in like you're parched and he's the only water source-the soft curve of his lips, the upper fuller than the lower, the tan sheen of his skin, the sharp angles of his face, the dark wave to his tousled hair, the black ink trailing across his upper chest and arms, teasing at his throat, the pink, fading scars littered across his otherwise flawless flesh.

Minho is the only thing in this moment that's keeping you sane, and you hold onto that thread with a desperate fervency that frightens even yourself.

The corner of his mouth curves slightly as he stares at you, one hand around your throat to keep you in place, the other slipping beneath the blankets to cover your own where it rests on your bare belly.

You glance down, and the sight of his inked fingers covering your own calm the hammering of your heart.

"It's going to be okay." Minho repeats softly, firmly. "Whatever happens, princess, we're going to be okay."

You stare up at him and force a shuddering breath from your lungs, your fingers intertwining with his own.

"Okay." You whisper back with finality, because whatever happens, with Minho here, you're going to be okay.

********************************************************************************

You pause, hand splayed on the cool, carved wood of the door, and glance behind you to where Minho stands, several feet back, lingering in the mouth of the darkened hallway.

"You're not coming in?" You question softly, hesitantly, sudden butterflies swarming in your stomach.

Minho arches a brow, leaning against the wall, his expression unreadable.

"Do you want me to go with you?" He queries back, voice low and neutral.

You hear the quiet chatter of men's voices from beyond the door, the clink of glasses, and a shudder of fear goes down your spine at the thought of facing them alone.

"I don't know-" You stutter out, staring at him, trying to get a read through your suddenly mounting panic. "I just thought I need-"

You.

You don't finish the sentence, the words dying in your throat, and Minho's expression shifts slightly, his eyes darkening, his lips pulling into a serious line.

"Princess." He steps toward you, reaching out, and his fingers creep beneath your chin, tilting your head back to meet his gaze.

His features soften slightly, and he takes in a slow breath.

"I will always stand beside you, I will always be here whenever you want me, but let me make one thing very clear-you do not need me."

You stare up at him, words thick on your tongue, and the corner of his mouth quirks into the hint of an amused curve.

He lets a finger stroke along your chin, his voice dropping slightly even as his eyes grow fiery.

"You do not need me-or any other man-to make you powerful. You are powerful entirely on your own, and it is a beautiful sight to behold."

You take in a shuddering, sharp inhale, his fervent words settling into your bones, and let your fingers slide beneath the cuffs of the expensive suit he wears, tracing the ink you know is hidden there.

Minho smiles. "Who do you think runs the criminal world, darling? It's not the men. We're the face, yes, but behind every great man is an even greater woman."

He tilts your chin once more, and you let your head fall against the door behind you, staring up at him openly now.

He reaches out, and brushes a stray hair from your forehead with gentle fingers.

His skin is warm, and you lean into his touch, as he presses his lips to the flesh just below your ear, brushing a kiss there as he utters beneath his breath, for only you to hear, "Women mask lethality behind femininity, and it is their greatest weapon. You are not powerless, princess, no, far from it. You do not need anyone, because you are the queen."

He presses another kiss against your throat, right above your fluttering pulse, and pulls back.

You stare at him for another moment, and then straighten the gown you wear.

"You're right. I have the power here."

A smirk flickers across Minho's lips, his eyes heating with admiration as he watches you.

He jerks his chin toward the door and the voices beyond.

"Yeah, you fucking do. Remind them who's the queen. Give them hell, princess."

********************************************************************************

"Yeong-ah." Changbin whines, stamping his foot impatiently where he stands beside the island, a dramatic pout on his face. "You're taking too long!"

Yeong-Ja giggles at his antics, glancing up from pulling on her second shoe. "I'm almost done, Uncle Binnie!"

You hide your smile behind a sip of coffee, as Chan appears, tossing the car keys to Changbin-who catches them easily- before crouching down to finish helping Yeong-Ja with her shoe.

"Thanks, Uncle Channie!" Yeong-Ja beams, bouncing to her feet beside him, as Chan grins and straightens, patting her head.

"You're welcome, Yeong-ah." He straightens the bow in her hair, before he glances to Changbin, already standing in the door way, keys in his hand. "Now, let's get going huh? Your mom and dad have a very important appointment today, and we have puppies to see."

"Okay, Uncle Channie!" Your daughter's face lights up at Chan's words, as she slips her hand into his, her tiny fingers curling around his own, dark with black ink, reminiscent to Minho's.

It never ceases to amaze you how gentle and loving all these big mafia men are with your daughter.

"Oh, fuck me." Minho grumbles beneath his breath at Chan's statement, brow furrowed in a sour expression, as he leans against the counter beside you and takes a long gulp of his own coffee.

You hide another grin behind the rim of your cup.

Chan glances up at Minho's muttered curse, ever sharp, ever alert, and gives your husband a crooked grin, brow arched.

"What do you say, boss? What color of puppy do you want? Brown or Black?"

Minho levels the other man with a glare, as Yeong-Ja bounces excitedly beside him.

"I could not care less, Christopher."

Changbin grins broadly from the doorway, enjoying the little goading match from afar.

"Ah, c'mon. Don't you want a matching set?" He motions with a jerk of his head toward Suwon, currently sleeping under the large kitchen table. The black Doberman barely raises his head at the commotion.

Minho takes another drink from his coffee.

"The only matching set I want is you and Chan's heads on sticks."

"Sorry, boss!" Changbin calls, ignoring Minho's dark threat entirely, a grin slipping across his lips as he twirls the jangling keys around his finger, turning toward the door. "Can't hear you. Gotta go."

"Okay, on that note-" Chan clears his throat, coughing over a chuckle, as he herds your daughter toward the door. "-let's get going."

"Bye mommy, bye daddy!" Yeong-Ja calls over her shoulder with a little wave, before she disappears, dwarfed between the two large men.

Changbin throws one last amused, knowing look over his shoulder in Minho's direction, giving a cheeky little wave, before they all leave from sight.

"Fuck." Minho swears vehemently beneath his breath and promptly moves around the counter to dump the rest of his coffee down the sink.

********************************************************************************

"He's going to ask to see her again, you know."

Minho glances up from his phone to meet your gaze from across the backseat of the car, his expression darkening slightly at your words, and the open worry etched across your face.

He tucks his phone back into the pocket of his suit coat, and slides across the seat to sit beside you, hand coming down to rest on your own.

"And my answer will be the same as it always is." He replies back in a hushed, but dangerously serious, tone, his fingers squeezing your own. "When he comes to see her as his granddaughter, and not just as an heir to a massive criminal empire, then he can meet her."

You take in a shaky breath and glance out the window.

The roads are becoming familiar, you're close to your father's estate.

"Princess."

Minho's cool fingers tilt your chin back to him, making you meet his gaze. The corner of his lip curls into the hint of a smile.

"You do not reside on your knees for him any longer. He has no power left to lord over you."

You take in another breath, and will the butterflies to soothe in your belly.

You give Minho a small, shaky smile, and squeeze his hand. The metal of his rings are cold, grounding, against your palm.

"I know."

"If anything-" Minho glances past you as you pull into the long drive, your father's opulent mansion rising quickly in the distance.

He gives you a smirk and an arch of his brow as you turn into the gate.

"-now that you have myself and all my resources at your disposal, he should be absolutely terrified of you."

The car comes to a stop, and Minho slides out, straightening his jacket and offering you his hand.

You take in another steadying breath, holding onto his arm as you walk toward the entrance of your childhood home.

The door swings open as you approach, and your father appears, stepping onto the top step of the staircase, watching the two of you with a penetrating gaze.

You resist the urge to shudder under that look you know so well.

Minho pulls you up the stairs with him, his steps confident, and you try to borrow some of his courage, stiffening your back and shoulders as your father steps to meet you both, a fake, overly large smile sliding into place across his pale, thin lips.

Of course he would greet you personally, no butler was good enough for Lee Minho, not when you were trying to keep up appearances.

"Ah, there he is, my son-in-law, man of the hour." Your father extends a hand, and Minho shakes it, though you can see by the slight tic of the muscle in his jaw that he doesn't enjoy the contact.

To his credit, your husband does a hell of a good job putting on a front, his slight smile in your father's direction much more believable than the man's who raised you.

"Boss Park. A pleasure, as always."

Your father doesn't even glance in your direction, motioning for Minho to follow him into the cooled, dimly lit air of the front entrance hall.

You can hear a record playing from somewhere farther within the mansion, probably your father's office.

"Now." Your father waves away an approaching maid, and she scurries to grab an empty tray, headed for the kitchen. He turns, that same sickly smile on his face, and rubs his hands together gleefully. "Shall we get straight to business then?"

"You know I don't enjoy small talk." Minho inclines his head to your father, who takes that as a yes to his previous question.

"Of course." He motions for Minho to move down the hallway, his arm extended. "I'll have Maria bring us refreshments in the parlor. Shall we?"

Minho's hand moves to the small of your back, warm through the thin material of the dress you wear, coaxing you forward with him as he moves to step past your father.

You're thankful for the support, you worry the trembling of your legs will give you away.

"Ah, ah, ah." Your father holds out his arm, stopping your forward motion, and for the first time since you arrived, his eyes flit to you, the corners of his lips curling up into something akin to a disgusted sneer. "You know the rules of my household, daughter. Women are not allowed in business meetings. You can wait here. Catch up with that little maid and the old household cook you were so fond of growing up."

You swallow, your mouth suddenly dry, and something triumphant flashes across your father's dark gaze.

He knows that the cook you were 'so fond of growing up' was executed-shot in the garden while you were made to watch-on his order.

Can't have your daughter getting too close to the help now, can you? Not when secrets could be spilled, reputations dirtied.

Minho is talking, his voice fuzzy through your panicked memories, and you blink, focusing in on what he's saying, staring your father down with a serious, almost deadly, expression.

"I'm sorry, Boss Park, but when your daughter married me, she became my wife, and where I go, my wife goes. Those are my household rules. You understand."

Your father's lips part as his gaze flicks to you once more, as if he's thinking about disagreeing with Minho, but the flash of threat in Minho's dark eyes must convince him otherwise, because he plasters a strained smile onto his face and laughs, throwing his hands out.

"Of course. My apologies. Right this way then."

Minho glances at you, giving you a small reassuring smile, before he squeezes your hand, and you fall into step behind your father.

********************************************************************************

"Try to relax, (Y/N)."

Your doctor gives you a kind smile, the ultrasound wand posed and ready above your bare belly, the screen tilted toward the bed.

You swallow hard and nod, trying to focus on relaxing the tense muscles of your entire body one by one.

Minho squeezes your fingers where he crouches beside the bed, keeping up the pressure until you glance at him, your bottom lip sucked between your teeth as you worry it incessantly.

He reaches out to free the raw skin from your hold.

"Breathe, baby." He admonishes quietly, inked fingers stroking your knuckles in a reassuring pattern.

"Ready?" Your doctor asks, glancing between the two of you, lowering the wand slowly as she waits for your go ahead.

You stare at the blank, dark screen behind her, and try not to vomit.

"I'm scared." You admit to Minho in a whisper, hand tightening around his own, your breath coming slightly erratically now.

Minho pushes himself to his feet without a word, releasing his hold on your hand, and you almost reach out to grab for him again, before you realize he's sliding behind you on the bed, tugging you back against the warmth of his chest, his arms going around your shoulders protectively as he tucks your head beneath his chin.

"What did I tell you before, princess?"

You swallow again, gaze darting to your waiting doctor, and the screen beyond her shoulder.

"That it's going to be okay."

"Mm. Good girl." Minho hums a sound of approval in his throat, and you feel his lips brush across your forehead. "And it's going to be."

You take in a shuddering breath, and then give a little, jerky nod.

Minho's fingers find your own once more, and you feel him lift his chin from your head, glancing at the doctor.

She must see what she needs to in his gaze, because with a nod of her own, she finally touches the ultrasound wand to your belly.

Your body tenses at the contact as she begins to move the wand around slowly, her gaze laser focused on the screen.

Minho reaches his hand around to the front of your throat, his fingers finding purchase beneath your chin, and you don't resist him as he tips your head back, guiding you to meet his gaze.

"Just look at me, baby. Deep breath."

You force your chest in and out-once, twice-and Minho gives a nod of approval, leaning down to kiss your forehead once more.

"Good girl."

There is quiet, you don't know how long it's been since the doctor started her exam, and you feel your stomach twist, bile burning your throat, the longer the oppressive silence drags on.

Fuck, shouldn't you have heard something by now?

What if-

"Ah, there we go." The doctor murmurs, almost to herself, and suddenly, the sound of a heartbeat-fast and fluttering, like a hummingbirds wings, echoing the frantic pace of your own-fills the room.

Minho grins down at you, and you see the relief flash across his eyes as the heartbeat continues, strong and steady. "See? Nothing to worry about."

Your body sags with relief, and you glance at the screen beyond the doctor's shoulder-no longer dark-a shimmering, spiking line flickering constantly across the monitor in perfect time with the rapid heartbeat.

"Baby sounds perfect." Your doctor continues, smiling up at the two of you, as she moves the wand around and the heartbeat heightens a little. "Right on track."

"Oh my god." You breathe out, putting a trembling hand up to your mouth, sudden hot tears filling your eyes. "Fuck."

Minho laughs a little, leaning over to press a lingering kiss to the crown of your head, his arms squeezing you protectively.

His next exhale comes out more than a little shaky.

"Fuck indeed, baby. Fuck indeed."

************************************************************************

There is blood.

Blood smearing the inside of your legs, blood pounding hard in your ears, blooding staining the disgusting cock of the man looming over you, leering.

You glance to the door where your father had disappeared, giving his men free reign over you, some sort of lesson, and you know, deep down, that there is blood on his hands too.

But unlike the crimson marking you and the man creeping in, it's not the visible kind.

There is blood.

Dripping down between your fingers, coating your palms in slick red, so thick and so ingrained that even the running water is not enough to wash it away, not completely.

You scrub frantically at your hands, but the crimson only seems to multiply, filling the cracks and seeping into the edges of your vision.

You are hyperventilating, your chest heaving, tears streaming down your cheeks, and without your bidding, your gaze slides back to the man on the floor.

Dead.

Lying in a quickly congealing pool of blood and slaughter, your bucket and rag left hastily beside his blown out head.

The rag is already wet and sopping with blood, even after only one quick stroke across the cement.

You lean over the sink and vomit.

There is blood.

You can feel it, pooling beneath your hips, but you're too scared to look beneath the covers, too sure of what you'll find, your heart already shattering in your chest.

You feel sick to your stomach, and the cramping is worsening.

Rolling to your side, you curl your body into the safety of the fetal position, and try to drown out the low murmur of the doctor's voice from the other side of the room.

Screwing your eyes shut, you keep it all inside, and scream with rage where no one will hear.

There is blood.

Flecked across the tawny skin of his cheekbones, spattering the front of his white dress shirt, his prized shoes, congealing and blending with the dark ink that flows across his knuckles until they are almost one.

He steps toward you, and you run to him without a second thought, terrified enough that the breath in your lungs refuses to leave, not until you've got your hands on him and made sure he's all right.

Your bodies collide, and Minho holds you up as a sob tears from between your lips.

You reach up and put your palms on either side of his face, the crimson splatters, sprinkled across his nose like morbid freckles, accentuating the gold flecks that flash in the dark recesses of his eyes.

Minho's lips twist into the hint of a smile.

"It's not mine, princess. Don't worry."

You feel your lungs collapse, your chest caving, and you throw your arms around him violently, never willing to let him leave your grasp again, at least for tonight.

************************************************************************

There is blood.

You step around the puddle on the floor with nothing more than a disinterested glance, your sneakers squeaking on the concrete.

Behind you, Felix makes a muffled sound of disgust in the back of his throat.

"God, they really need to clean up down here."

You glance over your shoulder at him, as he steps around the bloody puddle on the floor with an open look of horror on his face, a grin breaking free from your lips.

You wait for him to catch up to you, and link your arm in his as you continue down the long hallway.

"C'mon, Lixie. I think it's charming."

He gives you an arch of his brow, and you laugh a little.

The interoggation rooms built beneath the mansion serve a purprose-regardless of how dark-and honestly, you're grateful Minho had thought of them.

It's a way to keep the men you hold dear close enough that you know they're not in danger while they do their jobs.

Plus, hearing the screams when you come down here can be therapeutic in a way.

"Besides-" You reach the end of the hall and stop in front of the door there, glancing over at the man beside you as you reach for the knob. "I guarantee, when they come down here, cleaning is the last thing on Changbin and Chan's minds."

Felix rolls his eyes. "Savages."

You grin once more, and roll the door knob in your hand, pushing the door inward easily.

"It's why we love them."

You step into the room, Felix close on your heels, and as the door shuts behind you, your eyes flicker around the small chamber, taking everything in.

Chan is standing against the far wall beside Changbin, muttering something to him rapidly in a low voice.

There's a wall of instruments on the north side, anything from clamps to syringes, all used to get enemies talking.

And in the center of the room, a hunched form of a struggling man, bound to a chair, face covered with a sack.

You can just make out the muffled swears coming from beneath the rough fabric.

You take a step into the light that beams down on the man, encircling him in the gloom, and Chan and Changbin push up from the wall as one, their chatter ceasing immediately.

Changbin grins at you dangerously, as Chan rolls his head from side to side, waiting for your instructions.

Felix, silent as a ghost, leans against the door behind you, watching.

You tilt your head toward the man.

"Show me his face."

"Gladly." Changbin's teeth gleam sharply, as he leans forward and rips the cover roughly off the man's head.

The man looks around, disoriented, his long, gray hair wild, eyes wide and white with fear, the gag held between his teeth stained with spittle.

You feel a spark of fear light in your stomach at the sight of his face-older now, lined, but still recognizable-but force it back down with a long breath, stepping closer calmly, until the man's frantically roving eyes land on you.

"Take off his gag."

Chan steps up silently now, untying the gag at the back of the man's head, and as soon as it's loose enough, the man spits it out, licking his dry, chapped lips, as he glances between you and the men surrounding him with fury in his eyes.

"What the fuck is this? Who do you think you are? I could have you thrown to the bottom of a lake so no one would find your bodies, you know-"

You tsk your tongue in disapproval, and the man halts his tirade, his eyes narrowing, his weaselly features sharp.

"Empty threats." You sigh, stepping toward him, cocking your head as you study him.

He's shrunk after all these years, his skin almost paper thin, his hair greasy.

The eyes are the same though.

Hungry, predatory, evil.

His lips lift into the start of a snarl, revealing yellowing teeth.

"I don't know who you think you are, you bitch, but I assure you-"

Changbin's hand tangles into the man's stringy hair, yanking his head back roughly, shutting him up.

"Shut the fuck up, old man. Watch your tongue." He growls, glaring down at the man, his eyes blurring with tears as Changbin tugs once more on his hair painfully hard. "Or else I'll make sure that what she does to you will feel like mercy when I'm done with you."

He shoves the man's head forward, and he sputters, trying to catch his breath, his chest heaving, spittle flying from his lips.

Chan steps around the chair and holds out a knife toward you, his brow arched.

You take it without hesitation, and play with the razor sharp tip for a moment, ticking it off your fingertips as you study the man, lost in thought.

He glares up at you, his eyes full of hatred.

You almost laugh.

Oh trust me, not as much hatred as I hold toward you, Wu Chen.

You sigh, a long suffering sound, and address the man sitting, still now, before you.

"Do you recognize me, Mr. Wu?"

His dark eyes flash with something full of anger, but no recognition crosses his murderous gaze.

"Why should I?"

You cluck your tongue in annoyance, glancing up from the gleaming knife held in your hands.

"You took something from me once."

A brief flash of confusion swirls with the fury, and then his jaw clenches, his features going hard.

He gives a humorless laugh.

"I've taken things from a lot of people." His eyes glint with the predator, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he lets his gaze fall down the length of your body. "Quite a few of them delicious, mouthy little cunts such as yourself."

He's trying to unnerve you.

It's not working.

You've given him enough fear for one lifetime already.

No more.

You step forward, and lean over him, your hand going on the back of the chair, the knife held alert between the two of you, dangerously close to his jugular.

His eyes flick down to the steel, and you don't miss the way his throat bobs with a swallow.

"You took something. Long ago. Took something from someone who couldn't fight back. Something that was never yours to begin with. Do you remember what that was, Mr. Wu?"

Your voice is quiet, steady, but venomous and deadly as a viper waiting to strike.

His eyes meet yours, and when it's clear he's not going to respond, you sigh, sliding the knife up the column of his throat slowly, watching as the crimson appears in the shallow cut you leave behind.

He flinches, but remains quiet.

"A girl." You continue, voice dropping to nothing more than a deadly murmur.

Something like recognition flashes in the dark of his eyes, and suddenly, the man sitting bound before you looks a hell of a lot more nervous than he did before.

You let a small smirk flick the corner of your lips, as you lean back, taking the knife away from his throat.

"She wasn't strong enough to fight you back then. But she is now."

You lift your chin at Chan, and he steps around in front of your prisoner, leaning over to rip open the closure of his suit pants.

"What, what are you doing?" He splutters, immediately writhing in the chair once more, as Chan proceeds to easily tear his pants open, baring thin, scarred legs to the cold air of the room.

Changbin steps up as Chan finishes and goes around the chair, back to his side, holding the man still with firm hands on his shoulders as you approach once more.

You lean over, and easily shred the boxers he wears with one quick flick of your wrist that holds the knife.

The man before you screams and struggles, as his shrunken, shriveled cock springs free for all to see.

"Mm." You hum in your throat thoughtfully, staring at the man and his member with consideration. "It's a lot smaller than I remembered."

Changbin leans over the man's shoulder to get a look and grins, his eyes glinting.

You glance back to your prisoner, and a smirk curves your lips as he cries out in terror, fighting against his bonds and the hold of Changbin's hands.

You step closer and hold up the knife for him to see, the metal glinting in the overhead light.

"No, no, please-" He flails, begging pathetically, but you ignore him, angling the knife expertly as you close in.

The smirk doesn't leave your lips, as you arch a brow and stare down at the writhing, pathetic excuse of a man before you.

Your voice is steady when you speak, rising above the sound of his pleas.

"You took something precious from me, Mr. Wu. Now it's time for me to take something from you."

************************************************************************

You hear Minho before you see him.

The door to the bedroom sounds, and the room is immediately filled with curses and general angry lamentations as he struggles to get through the crack he's made in the door without letting the dogs on the other side in with him.

You can hear him yelling all the way from the ensuite bathroom.

"Get back, you hairy fuckers!-Jesus-Suwon, don't do that, you damned beast!-fuck-and you! Fucking bane of my existence!-ow-Give me back my fucking shoe and go find a ball, you damned fucking demon hound!"

The door finally slams, and you hear rapid paws head down the hall on the other side, Suwon and the new puppy, probably in search of Yeong-Ja.

Minho appears then in the doorway of the bathroom, looking frazzled, a lone dress shoe held in his hand, his lips smashed into a thin line of rage.

You try to hide your smile, glancing at him over your shoulder, as you continue to ready to get in the already running shower.

"Have a bit of a struggle, Boss Lee?" You query innocently, eyes wide as you regard him, like you haven't just heard everything that occurred.

He swears under his breath and tosses the chewed shoe into the trash, reaching up to swipe a hand through his disheveled hair with an agitated rake of his fingers.

"Fucking dogs. That fucking puppy is even worse than Suwon was."

You grin now, turning toward him, and his eyes trail down your naked body, catching on the prevalent bump that now takes up your midsection.

"Baby, Bohoja will learn, just like Suwon did. You won't be stuck with ruined shoes forever."

"Mmm." Minho hums something like distracted agreement under his breath, his eyes still on you, as if he's lost his train of thought and is no longer thinking about the hellhounds that roam the halls. "He had better. Or I'll have Chan's head on a stick." He takes a step toward you. "But that's not what I came to talk about."

You arch a brow, playing innocent for awhile longer.

"Oh? What did you come to talk about then, husband?"

His eyes darken predatorially at the lilting tease to your voice, a challenge, and he growls, closing the space between you, his hand going up to grip your chin.

Your bare chest brushes his through the material of the dress shirt he wears, and you can already feel his arousal, long and rock hard against your leg.

It makes you want to shiver, even though the steamy bathroom is more than a little warm.

His eyes trace up your body once more, and then flick to your face, catching on your cheekbone, before he reaches up with his free hand to brush something on your skin.

You lean into his touch, brushing your lips over the inked skin of his knuckles.

"You have blood on your face, princess."

You arch a brow. "Does that turn you on?"

Minho's eyes flash dark, dangerous, and his lip curls up to reveal a flash of his teeth, his voice a husky growl in the back of his throat.

"Incredibly."

You smirk, and he stares at you for another moment, hunger clear in his eyes, and you think maybe he'll give in and take you right here, against the bathroom counter, but instead, he sighs, and lets his free hand tangle into your hair, tilting your head back so your gaze meets his.

"You found him then."

It's a statement, not a question.

You nod. "Yes."

Minho's brow arches, and the corner of his mouth lifts into the start of a smirk.

"And?"

You sigh, pulling from his grasp as you step away, turning back when you reach the waiting shower.

Minho hasn't moved, watching your every move.

Eyes locked on his, you step backward into the flowing water, and it immediately coats your skin in hot rivulets, making everything slick.

You arch a brow, watching the predatory look come back into Minho's eyes as the water wets your skin, pooling in streams down between your breasts, your thighs.

You cock your head, as if considering, and then say without preamble, "And I cut off his pathetic excuse for a dick. I gave it to cook. She's going to make a fancy pate out of it and feed it to the dogs."

Minho breathes out, you see it in the way his chest rises and falls and then he's striding to the open air shower, ripping his tie off as he comes, stepping into the stream of water in the rest of his clothing without a second thought.

He takes your chin in a bruising grip with one hand, and snakes his other hand down between your thighs.

Your breath hitches as he touches the wetness there, just for him.

"God, you're so fucking beautiful, princess." He grits out, tilting your head back so that he can look into your eyes while he finger fucks you.

"So you tell me." You try to give him a teasing smile, but the expression is lost as your mouth parts and a gasp escapes your lips when he curls his fingers.

"No, I mean-" He backs you against the wall with his body, the water drenching the shirt he wears, you can see his tan skin and the ink across his chest through the wet material, and lets his gaze travel appreciatively down your length once more. "-you're always fucking beautiful, but god-"

He groans gutturally , leaning into you, mouth open against your own, as he hits a spot that has you gripping onto him, keening audibly.

"-there's something so incredibly fucking sexy about you when you're pregnant."

His words send a thrill of heat straight to your core.

"Take this off." You practically beg, pawing uselessly at his shirt, and he pulls his hand away from you to undo the buttons, tugging it open impatiently, as you reach down to free him of his pants.

You're eager for him to take you, to claim you, but instead of immediately finding purchase inside you, Minho drops to his knees in front of you, and runs his hands reverently over your swollen belly, glancing up at you through the streams of water.

His hair is dark, dripping, and you bury your fingers into it.

"I put this here. You, carrying my kid, princess-" He takes in a deep breath, his fingers still caressing your skin. "Fuck, now everyone knows who you belong to. Everyone knows you're mine."

You stare down at him, this man on his knees for you, this man who has given you everything-and you smile.

"I don't think there was ever any doubt about who I belonged to, Lee Minho. It's always been you."

Minho surges to his feet and covers your mouth with his own, your tongues tangling instantly, your body melting into his, his fingers finding you once again right where he left off, making you jolt against him and gasp in pleasure.

"What do you want?" He asks, voice husky, gravely, against your lips.

"You." You breathe back, hand already trailing down between your two bodies to find him. Your fingers close around him, and Minho shudders. "All of you. Always."

"You have all of me, princess. Always." He repeats in a hoarse voice, before he sheathes himself fully inside of you without warning, making you both cry out.

And you know he means it.

************************************************************************

"Ow." You huff beneath your breath, shifting on the chaise, as Yeong-Ja looks up from playing with the puppy on the floor in front of the fire.

"What's wrong, mommy?"

You give her a smile that's more like a grimace as the baby kicks you strongly again, foot sinking up under your ribs.

"Baby brother is just kicking me, that's all, baby. I'm okay."

Yeong-Ja immediately turns back to Bohoja, teasing him with a rope toy.

"'Baby brother'?" Minho queries, leaving his desk and sliding in beside you on the sofa, his arm going around you as he pulls you close.

You smile, glancing up at him. "Just a feeling."

Another kick, another curse under your breath.

"Fuck. Minho. Tell your son to behave please."

Minho chuckles, burying his nose in your hair and breathing you in, his hand sliding down to rest on the apex of your stomach.

"Sorry, princess. You know how we Lee men are."

The baby kicks again against his palm, and Minho curves his fingers along the curvature of your belly, as if holding the unborn baby close from the outside.

You sigh, and snuggle back into him.

He presses a kiss to your forehead.

"Well-" You acquiesce, stifling a yawn as you lean your head on his shoulder, and watch Yeong-Ja playing happily with the puppy, Suwon dozing near by. "-I'd better get used to it then, because I wouldn't have them any other way."

You feel the warmth of Minho's breath as he buries his face once more in your hair, holding you close.

"I love you, princess. And the murderous little creature currently growing in your womb."

You grin and kiss his chest through the thin material of his dress shirt.

"I love you too, Boss Lee."

Love.

There is so much love.

[lyramundana]

MASTERLIST

The only things I won't write about are:

-Rape/any non-consensual sexual activities where one of the parties is forced and has an horrible time. Either they all enjoy it or nothing happens.

-Explicit use of drugs. If I happen to mention them, it'll be only for recreational uses.

-Obviously, any hint of pedophilia is off the table. I don't want a single suggestion about it in my blog. I'll delete it and block you.

-Age regression/Daddies&Littles play. I don't feel comfortable with it.

-Infidelity (at least not when Skz members are the victims of it)

Outside of that, I'm pretty much open to everything. If the topic in particular makes me uncomfortable, I'll let it know, but mostly it's all in the previous ones.

❗Attention, this post is about to be remodelled and updated into a masterlist, so it'll be changing things progressively. I have no idea how to make a masterlist, but I'm on it❗

POLY MINSUNG STUFF:

My reblogs

My content:

AUs: Masterlist My OC/Violeta's body

Random thoughts: Possesiveness Conflictive emotions Vivi bullying Minho (affectionately) Minho getting princess treatment Territorialism Admiration In the pool/beach Being possessive (again) Oblivious

Imagines: Surrogate mother Minho's gaze Bodyguards Jealousy Pouty Babies Minho's babygirl treatment Jisung being flustered Teasing them Family au Heart vs brain Staring Lucky kiss Matchmaker Jisung with his son vs Minho with his daughter

Hard thought: Lactation kink

Headcanons: Babies's relationship Non-sexual dynamic Sexual dynamic

Drabbles: Heartbeats Scented Jealousy, Jealousy

My asks/requests:

Sweet Kitty(MinSung x Stay! Reader)

Yandere! MinSung x Reader

Alpha! Minho & Reader x Omega! Jisung

Don't Play Dumb (MinSung having a bi awakening with their neighbour)

Crimson Contract au!

Ass and boobs guys

Naughty MinSung Roommates

MinSung using you to relieve stress

Handsome and pretty boys

Boypussy! Jisung

Pushing Minho into subspace

Requests:

Minho's lessons

Headcanons

Protective MinSung

Stay! Reader scenarios

Alpha! MinSung x Omega! Reader

Yandere! MinSung x 9th fem! member

Punishing Han

One night stand and the aftermath

Sucking off Minho together

Toxic! MinSung x 9th fem! member

Perv! MinSung x Innocent! Reader

MinSung being babygirls

Subby! MinSung being spoiled and more

Slighty toxic! MinSung

Skinship headcanons

Shy pervert! Reader

Chubby fem! Reader

Comforting chubby fem! Reader

9th fem! Reader getting close with the members

Who confesses first?

Punishing Jisung out of jealousy

HAN JISUNG

My works

Voyeurism

Jealousy

How he looks at her

Request:

Rockstar! Jisung

Sucking his tongue

Being jealous over him

LEE KNOW/LEE MINHO

My works:

Jealousy

Hypocresy (tied to the poly minsung verse)

My asks:

Fight so dirty (tied to the poly minsung verse)

CHRISTOPHER BANG/BANG CHAN

Request:

Yandere! Chris when his Darling attempts to escape

Yandere! Chris's stalking

Dad! Chris thoughts

OT8

Yandere! Stray Kids when their Darling likes someone else

Yandere! Chan & Minho as secret admirers

Yandere Chan & Jisung

ANTI-DELULU TIME WITH RUBY

DELULU TIME WITH SORSHA:Pt 1 Lady Marmalade inspired Measuring thighs Seeing her twerk Kpop Virus AU Masks Three-way dance

[minhosimthings]

Skz as Mythical creatures

Bang Chan - Werewolf. There's nothing to question here about this. Man literally gives so much wolf vibes that writers on Tumblr use wolf memes for his smaus. But also werewolves have been used throughout history to provide a sense of wisdom combined with misinterpretation. Wisdom, in the form of living and going through so much in their moon drunk lives. And like is that not Chan?

Lee Minho: A warlock. Warlocks are basically wizards who get their magic from evil sources. They conjure magic called 'blue magic' aka evil magic from shady sources and repay that debt with their own blood. They have been known to help people from time to time but only the people who need it the most, like a raped woman who no one believes. Oh also they are known to have cats as their companions! And they live very secluded lives usually in forests and grow mushrooms. My brain is dying thinking about evil warlock Minho cause my standards are so fucked up

Seo Changbin: A dragon. Listen LISTEN TO ME. I chose a dragon for Changbin, because they have many myths of false appearance. When I first got into skz, I really though our Binnie was the most serious person in this group. But then I saw how those hips moved, and I was like 'oh so he's Barbie and Shakira combined and put into one man'. Dragons are known as fierce creatures who protect the gold that they hoard and destroy villages, but how much of that is true? Mostly they do it to protect themselves and the gold which they have rightfully earned. Also they are extremely loyal and friendly once you understand them and don't harm their loved ones (yes even dragons have loved ones)

Hwang Hyunjin: Selkie. Selkies are basically mermaids, who originate from Scotish folk tales (trust me they are VERY popular here). They turn into seals in water and turn back into human if daylight or moonlight touches them, Aka if they come on land. They are very dual creatures, being pretty and kind to most humans, especially women, but they can also be the most savage beasts when it comes to men who have corrupted for their own pleasure. Their siren songs are very captivating and they are known to make art out of conch shells.

Han Jisung: A shapeshifter. Han Jisung is truly a puzzle. Like man could be intense babygirling one moment and then two seconds later literally kill all of us with wavy hair, sweaty face and those fingers playing the guitar finger kink go brr. Jisung is more fitting to the shapeshifter brand when you realise that the humans who used to be good at doing everything and not crack under intense pressure were awarded this shapeshifting power by the Gods. So yeah our fourth gen ace would definetly be a shapeshifter.

Lee Felix: A fairy. Need I explain anything? Need I even write an entire essay about this? (Already wrote it but fine). He would definitely be a healing fairy. Like he would whip up medicines and hide them in his delicious brownies to trick unwilling children into taking them (MY HEART IS TOO WEAK FOR FELIX HANDING OUT BROWNIES). He would def live in the woods in like a tiny cottage, which is decorated with creepers and vines and soft moss, where he rests his pretty wings, excuse me I need to write something on this.

Kim Seungmin: A nymph. Nymphs are actually more powerful than they are portrayed nowadays. Many of them were sons and daughters of river or tree Gods and they used to possess the quality of being able to fic someone in a trance with their voices. LIKE HELLO? MR KIM SEUNGMIN WITH THAT GOLDEN VOICE? Also they were known to be mischievous, always teasing pixies and fairies and taunting beings older than them. (I am not making this up yet legit used to taunt old trees for being so old and wise because nymphs never used to age or they would age VERY slowly)

Yang Jeongin: A vampire. Alexa play Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo please. I mean dude's literally immortal I'm telling you. He looks LIKE THE SAME PERSON EVEN WHEN HE WAS A CHILD LIKE HOW? If y'all look at me, I look like a completely different person from when I was a kid. And also there's something about our baby bread that just screams vampire vibes. Like he would totally live in a castle all alone, drinking blood and having foxes as pets.

[storytowrite]

Love Untold (OT8 x F! Reader)

Chapter 17

Paring: Minho x reader

Genre: angst

Warnings: abusive boyfriend, rape attempt, passing out, blood, fight, swearing

Word Count: 4095

Masterlist

Due to the work of your parents, you are forcet to constantly move. However, this time moving houses let to interesting and unusual events. You met 8 handsome boys at school and somehow you managed to move in with them. How will your fate go?

......................................................................................................................

In the morning you woke up refreshed like never before. You turned to look at Minho's sleepy face, but he was no longer in bed. You strained up on bed and looked around the room, but he was nowhere to be found. You sat naked, not knowing what to do with yourself, after all, you can't leave undressed, as if nothing had happened from Minho's room, because some of the boys must have already got up.

You knew it might be not so well mannered, but you decided to look around the room. Everything was orderly, nicely folded and in its place, which was a great surprise. Lee Know didn't seem like the type to keep everything in order.

You looked closely at the trinkets that were lying on the shelves, until you finally decided to check what was in the wardrobe, from which he took the tie yesterday. You opened it and couldn't believe what you found. Your heart sank the moment you grabbed a small bead bracelet with yellow slightly deformed faces

It was exactly the same bracelet you also had. It was the bracelet you gave L the last time you saw him, so he wouldn't forget about you. And then it all started to come together. Your childhood photos, photos of little L, knowing all your fears and insecurities, and now this bracelet.

Now you were sure Minho was the L of your childhood. Your best friend and your first love. That's probably why you were so drawn to him, your subconscious knew it was him. Only one thing bothered you. Why didn't Minho actually tell you this in the beginning, but lied about his brother? You knew full well that L had no brother.

You stood in front of the wardrobe looking at the bracelet, emotions in you were bubbling. You were furious with L, actually Minho, for not telling you. Suddenly, the door to the room opened and Lino stood there with a tray full of food in his hands. He was so happy that he was glowing all over.

However, seeing you holding the bracelet in your hand, he nearly dropped the tray and his face turned serious. He looked once at you, once at the bracelet.

“Y/n, I can explain everything.” He tried to calm you down by putting the trays on the ground.

He was about to approach you when you stopped him at arm's length. Tears started gathering in your eyes.

"How long have you known?" You asked, holding back the bitter tears that wanted so badly to run down your cheek.

“Y/n, please…” He tried to move closer to you, but you didn't give up and took another step away. But your bare back met the cold wooden wardrobe door.

“Answer the question first.” The first drops ran down your cheeks, but you quickly wiped them away with your hand.

You could see the worry, and guilt on the boy's face.

"Always... I knew perfectly well that you were you. I knew every time you moved and waited patiently for you to come back to me.” He spoke in a calm tone, trying to smooth things over.

"Then why the fuck didn't you say anything? What was all this crap for? Why did you lie to me?" You broke down completely, tears pouring from your eyes and words stuck in your throat.

Minho just walked over to you and hugged you. He rubbed your back in slow, circular motions, trying to calm you down. He knew full well that he screwed up and that he caused you a lot of pain.

“Because I was afraid... I was afraid that you would hate me. I was afraid that you would never want to see me again. I couldn't admit that L was me, not after everything I'd done to you. L was your best friend, always there when you needed him, always protecting you when you needed him, the perfect friend you were meant to remember. And because of my irresistible desire for revenge, I hurt you, I hurt my best friend. I didn't want you to associate this behavior with your best friend. I wanted L to always be on your mind as that perfect boy. I won't be surprised if you hate me now." The words continued to flow from his mouth, but he was still stroking your back.

His words hit you hard. You were angry with him for not telling you the whole time, but on the other hand, you couldn't be mad at him. You knew exactly where his behavior came from, and you probably would have done the same.

You shyly returned his hug, snuggling into him tighter. You were glad that you finally found your friend, actually he found you.

“I won't hate you. You have always been very important to me and now you are too. Even as Minho, whom I recently met. I do not want to lose you." You said, wiping away the last tears that were streaming down your skin.

"Oh Y/n, I'm so glad you're here with me." He lifted your chin and placed a soft kiss on your lips.

After a while, he pulled away from you and opened his wardrobe. He rummaged in it for a while, then pulled out a loose-fitting white T-shirt and black shorts.

“Put it on, so you don't leave naked.” He chuckled as he handed you the clothes.

You immediately started getting dressed, and the boy, after picking up the tray from the floor, disappeared through the door. You had to admit that you looked pretty cute in an oversized T-shirt that reached almost to your knees and shorts were tucked up to the max so they wouldn't slide down your hips.

You timidly left the room and went to the kitchen, where, as you expected, there were already a few people. You sat down at the table and all conversations stopped, all eyes turned to you. You sat there completely confused, also glancing from time to time at the boys looking at you.

For a long time there was this awkward silence in the room that drove you crazy, and your anger was fueled by the constant feeling of being watched.

“What the fuck are you looking at?!” You finally couldn't take it anymore and slammed the fork you were holding on the table.

Han and Hyunjin sitting closest to you flinched at your sudden emotional outburst. Minho, who had been in the kitchen the whole time, walked over to the table and placed a sweet kiss on your forehead.

“How did you enjoy yesterday?” Seungmin asked with a mean smirk on his lips.A boy came up to you from the living room, holding something in his hand. 

You pretended to be stupid, and don't want to admit what happened yesterday. Until the puppy-looking boy pulled out the T-shirt Minho was wearing yesterday and your bra from behind his back.

The air in your lungs evaporated in an instant, and you choked on the food you were chewing. You quickly got up from the table and grabbed your clothes, which Seungmin waved with a smile. You desperately wanted to hide them as fast as you could, but everyone had already seen them.

“Minho aaagh…” You heard Chan's voice coming from the hallway. You quickly turned your head towards him. Your gaze locked on his eyes, which were all laughing and teasing you.

“We all heard what happened last night and these clothes only confirm it.” Hyunjin continued teasing you, enjoying the whole situation.

You knew you were fucked, everyone heard you yesterday, everyone knew you had sex with Minho. You were terribly stupid, and your face slowly began to take on a beet color. You are huddled on the floor, wanting to take up as little space as possible, and it would be best if you sink into the ground.

Suddenly you felt hands wrap around your waist and in one fluid motion you were lifted up. You opened your eyes and saw Changbin, who effortlessly lifted you and sat you on the kitchen counter so that you could see all the boys.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Y/n. We don't mind the whole situation. Each of us has a special feeling for you and we have no problem sharing. Of course, if you don't mind." You heard IN's sweet voice approaching you and placing a hand on your thigh, stroking it, reassuring you.

You were speechless, looking at each of the guys who agreed with what Jeongin said. Each of them was a different story for you, each of them was someone special to you, you felt so good with each of them.

Your head was buzzing with too many emotions, too many questions and unexplained answers. On the one hand, you were a little afraid to enter into such an arrangement, and on the other hand, you were very excited at the thought of it. You didn't want to part with either of them, not after what you'd been through with them. You knew that if you lost even one, your heart would lose a piece of itself.

"I don't want to lose you guys. I would never forgive myself if I didn't agree to this arrangement." You smiled slightly, rubbing your head awkwardly.

Smiles appeared on the boys' faces immediately, which replaced the uncertain expression on their faces, waiting for your answer. Everyone immediately came to hug you, taking a piece of your heart with them. You were all happy and that was the most important thing.

In the end, everyone was happy, you went back to eating. The atmosphere in the house seemed even better and more relaxed than before. You couldn't stop looking at the boys throughout the meal, they were yours and only yours after all.

After you had eaten your meal, that awful moment came when you had to go to school. You couldn't afford another absence, especially with a week left until your school ordeal ended.

You changed into your own clothes and went to the garage where an argument broke out about who you should go to school with today. Each of the boys wanted to have you for a little bit of exclusivity, because after that it will be hard to find a secluded place at school.

However, you chose to go with Han because since moving to your new home, you haven't spent that much time alone with him and you wanted to make up for everything.

Due to the fact that it was nice and warm outside, but not hot, and the pleasant gusts of cool wind encouraged you to go on a trip, you decided to go cycling together. The journey wasn't as long as you thought it would be.

You laughed, you played, you just acted like a couple of teenagers in love who enjoyed their time together. As Han grabbed your hand, a pleasant feeling filled your body. You haven't been this happy in a long time.

Finally when you got to school you strapped your bikes on and Han placed a sweet kiss on your cheek and each of you went to your class. You wished you were in the same class with either of them. But you can't have everything, it's enough that you had them exclusively at home, and you met on the roof during every break.

You sat at your desk next to the window and looked out of it dreamily while waiting for the teacher. A picturesque view unfolded in front of your eyes, and your heart was beating with delight at the thought of how charmingly arranged this educational space was. Although there was not much greenery in Korea, here, on the school grounds, a kind of green oasis was created.

A small park was hidden under the crowns of trees, which, like guardians, raised their branches, protecting from the sun's rays, and creating a place full of shade and charming peace. The air was filled with the scent of freshness and the colorful flowers showed the fullness of colors, beauty and various scents that caressed the nostrils of everyone who was nearby.

You were suddenly snapped out of your reverie by the loud, unexpected bang of a chair. You turned your gaze towards the sound, and there, where Daisy usually sat, was Seonghwa. You felt your heart sink in fear, still causing a slight tremor.

You were still afraid of him after what had happened yesterday, and your fear of him grew with each passing moment. You knew he would do anything to achieve his goal, and his indifference to the results was terrifying.

He moved closer to you, closing the distance between you. Your heart began to beat even faster, and anxiety mixed with uncertainty pulsed in your chest.

However, while internally you struggled with these feelings, externally you tried to maintain a semblance of calm. You quickly turned your head towards the window, pretending not to notice him. Your mind tried to suppress the thrill you were experiencing.

Seonghwa, however, did not give up and again wanted to whisper something into your uncovered ear. However, before he could address his words to you, the classroom door opened and the teacher entered the room.

His presence seemed to free you from the fear that was eating your mind. The stone fell from your heart, and you could finally breathe freely. Seonghwa returned to his seat, and next to you, Daisy finally sat down. Her presence was like a breath of relief to you in a stormy ocean of emotions.

However, you saw Seonghwa keep glancing at you as if he was planning something and you didn't like it at all. You couldn't concentrate on anything else for the rest of the lesson. You wanted to go to the roof as soon as possible to tell the boys everything.

As soon as the bell rang, your heart began to beat faster and your hands trembled slightly. You ran to the roof like it was the only safe place for you. You didn't have to wait long before the boys appeared on the roof. Their presence was like a beacon of hope for you to calm down.

The playful boys sat next to you, continuing their conversations, all the while waiting for the next humorous story from the others' lessons. However, your face was shrouded in seriousness and anxiety, as if carrying a burden you wanted to throw off.

Once everyone had found their seats, you took a deep breath, wanting to gather your courage. You started talking, interrupting the conversation between the boys who looked curiously in your direction.

"Guys, I'm pretty sure my ex-boyfriend is up to something. He has bothered me more than once. Yesterday's situation with him and today's courtship... I'm afraid..." You spoke up, the words pouring out of your mouth as if by themselves they wanted to come out of hiding.

They each looked at each other and then at you, their gazes arousing a mixture of sympathy and disbelief. They didn't take your words at all seriously, and their slight taunt made you a little angry.

"Don't worry about him, he probably wants you to give him another chance." Seungmin spoke up, grabbing your knee to give you support with a gentle touch.

"Exactly, you have nothing to be afraid of. We are always here for you and you are also surrounded by many other people. Seonghwa certainly won't risk revenge in the face of our presence." Hyunjin was reassuring you, propping himself up on his forearms to give his words extra confidence and nonchalance.

Still seeing your uncertainty and slight sadness, Chan joined the conversation. "I suggest something like this. Since we finish classes at different times, let's meet at the coffee shop on the other side of campus. There are always a lot of people there, so you'll feel safe." He offered, taking your hand and stroking it reassuringly. His touch brought you a little warmth and a sense of support.

Everyone agreed to this plan, including you. In the end, it seemed like the only sensible solution to you. There was always at least one person in the coffee shop who could save you from Seonghwa.

After the break, you went back to class, but this time you didn't notice your ex-boyfriend anywhere around. As if he had vanished into thin air. He didn't show up for other classes either, but that didn't ease your anxiety. Your mind was muddling with every worst-case scenario.

With the sound of the bell, you left the classroom and wanted to go to the coffee shop where you should meet with boys, but you were stopped by Daisy and Cameron, asking you to help them look for books for retake in the library.

You couldn't say no to them, they were your friends after all, and you had over an hour until the others showed up at the cafe. You knew their timetables and what they usually do after class. Today, apart from Chan and Changbin, who finished their classes much earlier and probably went to the gym, everyone finishes an hour after you.

The three of you went to the library and tried to get your study materials done as quickly as possible so that the sisters could come home and start studying. You got away faster than you thought and after a few moments, you said goodbye to the two girls.

You went to the parking lot to get your bike and walked towards the agreed place. You didn't want to get on your bike and go there because there were too many people on campus and you didn't want to run into anyone. You'd much rather walk than maneuver through all those students.

There were fewer and fewer people the farther away from the main part of the campus. The hustle and bustle of the school slowly subsided, and you could enjoy the sounds of chirping birds.

Suddenly, you felt a strong tug, and you let go of the bike, which fell to the ground with a clatter. 

“What the fuck!” You screamed as you looked at the person who almost made you fall over and all your air despair from your lungs. You saw Seonghwa. You had absolutely no idea how he knew you were here.

You wanted to scream for someone to help you, but before you could open your mouth, the boy clamped his hand on your lips, not giving you the opportunity to make a sound.

“Shut up, stupid bitch. No one will help you!” He whispers into your ear, almost kissing your neck.

Seonghwa's grip tightened around you as he dragged you into the dimly lit alley between the buildings. You struggled to break free, but his desire seemed to fuel an almost superhuman strength, making it impossible for you to escape. He pushed you against the cold, rough wall, pinning you there with a force that left you paralyzed with fear.

You knew that thrust would leave bruises on your body that would haunt you for a long time. Every time you look at him, you'll see him.

“Seonghwa please, leave me alone.” Your heart pounded in your chest, and tears welled up in your eyes. 

“You're all mine, whore. Now all your boys will find out that you belong only to me, bitch. You'll moan with pleasure as I fuck you." He was touching you all over your body as he slowly began to slide down your pants, exposing your vulnerable self. You wanted to free yourself from his embrace so you could cover your skin. Desperate, you pleaded for help, your voice trembling with terror, but hope of rescue was slipping away with each passing moment.

“Please, no…please.” In your helplessness, you continued to sob, attempting to push Seonghwa away, when suddenly, his hands were no longer on you. You collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down your face. Your breaths came rapidly, shallow, and uneven.

“What the fuck!” Just in the nick of time, Minho intervened, his fist connecting with Seonghwa's face, overpowering him in a fierce rage. Felix, who was accompanying Minho, rushed to your side and enveloped you in his arms. Overwhelmed with anxiety, you struggled to catch your breath, your body trembling uncontrollably. As you faded into panic, your limbs felt like jelly. 

It was getting harder and harder to catch your breath, and each lift of your chest caused you great pain. As if behind the fog, you saw the worried face of Felix, who held you in his hands and tried to calm you down at all costs.

“Y/n, y/n can you hear me? Y/n breathe! Y/n!” He screamed, trying to reach you somehow, but you seemed paralyzed.

After a while, the whole world began to lose color, and your eyes felt heavy as if they were made of lead, until they finally closed completely. You fainted, your limp body slumping in Felix's arms.

As the altercation continued between Minho and Seonghwa, Changbin and IN, returning from the gym, hurriedly approached the scene. Minho was kneeling on the boy's chest, pinning him to the floor. In a frenzy, he pounded him with his fists, and blood spurted from both boys. Changbin and IN had to work together to restrain an enraged Lee from causing further harm. 

"Minho, control yourself, you'll kill him!" IN screamed, wrestling with the pissed off boy.

"Good, let him die. At least he won't touch our Y/n again." Minho seemed to be completely consumed by the desire for revenge and not thinking clearly.

They managed to pull the seething Lee away from Seonghwa, their combined efforts barely keeping his rage in check. Minho's chest heaved with every breath, his knuckles bruised and bloodied from the altercation.

Felix held you, his concern evident in his teary eyes. "Minho, Minho, Y/n isn't breathing!" He cried out desperately.

Minhos’ anger still simmering dangerously, as he was still trying to break free from his friends' embraces. Changbin's grip tightened around Minho's arms, his voice firm as he tried to break through to his friend. "Minho, we need to focus on Y/n right now. Let's get her help."

Those words snapped Minho out of his fury. He turned his attention to you, seeing you unconscious, and rushed to your side, leaving Seonghwa behind.

Felix cradled your limp form in his arms, his heart pounding with fear. Tears cascaded down his cheeks as he whispered soothing words to you, urging you to wake up. Your skin felt clammy against his touch, and he pressed his fingers against your wrist, desperately searching for a pulse.

“Is she dead?” He sobbed, his hands shaking, unable to keep them in one place.

At that moment, the atmosphere shifted. The focus turned from anger and confrontation to the well-being of a fellow human being. With genuine concern, the group surrounded you, and Minho, as the eldest, took charge.

He came over to see if you were alive. A stone fell from his heart as he felt your weak breath. He wrapped his arms around your body and took you from Felix's hands.

“It's okay, she's alive, but let's take her home. She definitely needs to rest." Minho said and got up from the ground.

While the boys were worrying about you, Seonghwa staggered out of the alley, leaving trails of blood dripping from his nose and lips.

The four quickly followed you to the car and headed home. IN wrote about the whole situation in a group chat, which caused a great stir. Minho got home in no time and the boys put you in your bed.

Felix immediately brought a bowl of water and began to wash your body with a handkerchief. Suddenly, the front door burst open and the rest of the boys burst into the house. They immediately flew into your room and noticed you lying motionless in your bed.

"What about her?" Chan asked, panting from exhaustion. He was super worried about the whole situation, but you could see a huge piss on his face.

“She's alive, but must have fainted from the stress. I'm not surprised after the condition we found her in. Let her rest, she should be a little better." Minho replied, tending to his bloody knuckles.

You lay there motionless, as calm as in a dream, and all around you the worried boys bustled about.

<;- Part 16 | Part 18 ->

[ao3feed-ateez]

Parent Swap

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/b5Z6L89 by RosalynnVi This season on Parent swap we will see just how the large families deal with the stress of life. We will see how different incomes, jobs, and priorities affect the family unit and what discipline actions work best. Basically Wife Swap but like with more angst that's not recorded on camera. Words: 19378, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English Fandoms: SEVENTEEN (Band), ATEEZ (Band), Stray Kids (Band) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Wen Junhui | Jun, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Jeon Wonwoo, Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Lee Seokmin | DK, Kim Mingyu (SEVENTEEN), Xu Minghao | The8, Boo Seungkwan, Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Lee Chan | Dino, Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa, Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ), Kang Yeosang, Choi San (ATEEZ), Song Mingi (ATEEZ), Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Choi Jongho (ATEEZ), Bang Chan (Stray Kids), Lee Minho | Lee Know, Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung | Han, Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Kim Seungmin (Stray Kids), Kim Hongjoong's Brother, Choi Yeonjun, Park Jinyoung | JYP, Pi Cheolin - Character Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Bang Chan (Stray Kids)/Original Male Character(s), Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Original Female Character(s) Additional Tags: Reality TV, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Single Parent Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Parents Kim Hongjoong & Park Seonghwa, Single Parent Bang Chan (Stray Kids), Angst, Sexual Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Han Jisung | Han has Anxiety, Song Mingi Has Anxiety, Past Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Model Park Seonghwa, Fashion Designer Kim Hongjoong, Producer Bang Chan (Stray Kids), Depressed Bang Chan (Stray Kids), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Alpha Kim Hongjoong, Omega Park Seonghwa, Omega Bang Chan (Stray Kids), Panic Attacks, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Therapy read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/b5Z6L89

[hyunjinniesgirl]

*+:｡.｡ hyunjinniesgirl's masterlist ｡.｡:+*

hi!! welcome to hyunjinniesgirl's masterlist :3

my ask box is currently closed for requests, open for hard/soft thoughts, or just to chat <3* *please note that i am not always active and am often slow with fulfilling requests. i also reserve the right to ignore requests that i do not feel comfortable writing (rape, incest, bestiality, etc.).

☆.｡.:* bang chan .｡.:*☆

coming soon. . .

☆.｡.:* lee minho .｡.:*☆

coming soon. . .

☆.｡.:* seo changbin .｡.:*☆

binnie fingering you while driving - smut

☆.｡.:* hwang hyunjin .｡.:*☆

bad girl - smut

date day - fluff

behind the bubble - smut

☆.｡.:* han jisung .｡.:*☆

sunday morning - fluff

☆.｡.:* lee yongbok .｡.:*☆

my girl - smut

☆.｡.:* kim seungmin .｡.:*☆

coming soon. . .

☆.｡.:* yang jeongin .｡.:*☆

coming soon. . .

☆.｡.:* ot8 .｡.:*☆

skz as types of couples - fluff

[ao3feed-the100]

Worthless

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/aloje8f

by Eklasr5

It's been 97 years since a nuclear apocalypse killed everyone on earth, leaving the planet simmering in radiation. Fortunately, there were survivors. Twelve nations had operational space stations at the time of the bombs. There is now only the Arc that we know today, one station forged by the many. We were told the earth needs another one hundred years to become survivable again, 4 more space-locked generations, and mankind can go home, back to the ground.

  In which, Felix has to come up with a plan to save his brother and best friend from being executed and ends up as the leader of a group of criminals who get sent down to the ground to test its survivability.

Words: 5094, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of Minsung and Hyunlix

Fandoms: Stray Kids (Band), The 100 (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: all of stray kids, all of itzy, Other K-Pop idols - Character

Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know

Additional Tags: Inspired by The 100 (TV), Lee Felix & Lee Minho | Lee Know are Siblings, Han Jisung | Han & Lee Felix are Best Friends, Science Fiction, Angst, Fluff, Smut, Blood and Violence, Will be adding tags as the story goes

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/aloje8f

[rhonnie23]

Bite Me Introduction!

Bite Me M.List

Chapter One~ Run!

❗🔞MDNI🔞❗

Summary: When 3 girls who don't know their family's past, a terrifying lycan King, a 750 year old sweet & handsome vampire king & a 75 year old newly crowned vampire king, who doesn't give a fuck about no one all meet, what's the worst that could happen ?

‼️ SERIES WARNING~ Will have mentioning of rape abuse violence & death. Nothing too detailed though. I wouldn't know how to even explain situations like that. Mature language as in mentioning of private parts & swearing.‼️

Each Chapter will have its own warnings⚠️ will be updated every or every other Saturday or Sunday❤️

Everyone is very tall but for lycans 7'3 is considered kind of short. Werewolves are tall too but nothing compared to the lycans. Yes these some big mother fuckers😅

€~€~€~€~€~€~€~€~€~€~€~

Characters~ Lycans/Wolves:

*  Bang Chan aka Chris- Pack Alpha & King for all wolves & lycans, Acts cold but really is a big puppy (7'4)

*  Minho aka Lee Know- Beta & second in command to the King, wouldn't trust you as far as he can throw you.(7'5)

*  Changbin- second beta can & will not hesitate to beat you black & blue or completely to death. Can find everything about you within 24 to 48 hours. From the things that happened before you were thought of to the moment you both met. Has alpha tendencies (7'2.5)

*  Hyunjin - third beta has a sick things for knives & torture. Most likely is a sadist not like he's hiding but that don't stop the woman from wanting his crazy ass, the tallest of Stray Kids (7'7.5)

*  Jisung aka Han- the ace & fourth beta. Good in the field with or without a weapon, very sneak. Usually the person set as a spy (7'3.5)

* Felix aka Prince of death- second alpha who's very good at hand & hand combat & loves guns. Also is Minho's half younger brother (different mom's, their will be a chapter about this & how min & lix met).(7'4)

*  Seungmin aka Doc/tec- fifth & finally beta much like Changbin who has alpha tendencies but doesn't likes guns & prefers to be not in the field with others but is a very skilled fighter (7'7)

*  Jeongin aka I.N- the youngest of the group & alpha, Is in charge of the hand & hand advance combat team & basic gun handling, Amazing sniper (7'5)

* Rhonda- she's a victim of trafficking but wasn't been used for it before she ran away. Has had training from an ex professional fighter. Doesn't know that wolves/Lycans/vampires are real. Also doesn't know she a one herself at first (6'0)

* Ryan aka Buttercup- one of Rhonda's younger fraternal twin sisters. Ryan is a beta werewolf. She is the youngest of the 3 sisters, does bite her tongue for no one & dares you to try her. This bitch bites! hints why her nickname is buttercup, has unique abilities thanks to their grandmother, They are 19 (5'10)

* Mrs Kang...- full blooded werewolf. She was an omega.(5'10)

Characters~ Vampires:

*  Kim Taehyung- the vampire king of South Korean. He's old as dirt 750 years old but looks like he's in his mid or late 20's. Full blooded vampire. Owns a large portion of land in Thailand. Sweet as candy but dangerous as Lucifer himself. (5'10)

* Kim Namjoon- Taehyung second elder brother. Rapper doesn't really care of his family bullshit but loves his little brother a lot some may say he's obsessed. Looks like his in his late 20's but is 751 (5'11)

* Kim Seojin aka Jin WWH- the oldest Kim brother, models, sings, dance, & love his video game. Some say he's more terrifying than his baby brother. It's like look at the world's more beautiful demon. Look like he's in his late 20's early 30's but is 753 (5'10)

*  Nishimura Riki aka Ni-Ki - the newly crown king of Japan. Also a full blooded vampire. Niki is 75 but looks about 18 or 19. So he is young reckless & ruthless. Like most humans in their teens. Youngest king in years of Japanese vampires (6'1)

Characters~ Human

* Riley- the oldest of the twins & second oldest. Much like Rhonda the twins are victims of trafficking. Riley is honestly the nice one of all three of the sisters. Very shy but very protective of her twin, often mistaken for being dumb & naive but is the complete opposite. (5'10)

* Mr. Kang Jay- underground mafia leader, many enemies, feared be more, was the CEO of a very successful cellphone company. (6'1)

€~€~€~€~€~€~€~€~€~€~€~

Taglist Open

@whoreforchanin @namjoonandchanswife @itzzyyyyyyydaaaa

©rhonnie23ownallcopyrights

[luckyhyuki]

Two Sides Of A Coin

TWO SIDES OF A COIN BY milmat

SITE: AO3

PAIRING: HWANG HYUNJIN X KIM SEUNGMIN, HAN JISUNG X LEE MINHO

RATING: TEEN AND UP

WORD COUNT: 121.2K

WARNINGS: GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE, RAPE/NON-CON

“A story of desperation, revenge, love and lies. Kim Seungmin is dedicated to his lifestyle. Han Jisung's train derailed on the road to success. Hwang Hyunjin is a kind doctor, who deserved better. Lee Minho lost it all. And lost himself alongside too. Brothers, Seungmin and Jisung, live in horrendous conditions, holding on to every bit of money that comes their way to pay for essentials. They cunningly puppeteer other peoples lives in order to better themselves. After many previous encounters with other naive people, coming across a successful yet dopey doctor certainly is a lightbulb moment for Seungmin as he is more than ready to exploit Hyunjin’s social position and kindness.

Seungmin wasn’t ready for the consequences.

The new resident of the brothers apartment, Minho, catches Jisung’s attention whilst at work. The male is mysterious, sarcastic yet kindhearted, and Jisung seems to happily thrive in their developing connection.

Jisung wasn’t ready for the consequences.

-

It's slow burn, but for good reasons as I aimed to focus not only on the Seungjin and Minsung, but also the brotherly siblingship.”

[smutiestay]

ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕗 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕙𝕠-𝕟𝕠𝕟 𝕔𝕠𝕟 🍒

Minho is your boyfriend , he is possessive , a lot , at first you thought it was cute because it means he don’t wanna loose you or whatever . But the more you spend time with him the more he decides you life choices instead of you , you felt like a doll and Minho was just doing everything you were supposed to do.

4 months of relationship was enough for you , you had no liberties with him and you hated it .

So one night minho wasn’t home with you , and the only friend you had left was at the club , you had nothing to do so why not join her .

You were going to wear a short silk red dress that exposed your cleavage with some simple black high heels . You weren’t going to cheat on minho or whatever you just needed to feel free and to have fun with your friend .

It was 9:28pm right now and you were already ready , your friend is supposed to wait for you at 10:00pm in front of the club .

You called a Uber and you arrived at 9:55pm .

Perfect , your friend should be here soon.

You were happy , you finally got that adrenaline you needed in your boring life with Minho , you feel kind of bad for talking about him like that but it’s just what it is ...

You see your friend coming out of the club and she run to hug you , you haven’t seen each other for like a whole week . « Y/nnnnnnnnn , finallyyy , it’s been a long time ! » , « yeah I know girl , I’m sorry , you know him ... » you said feeling bad , « wait , you went out without him knowing !? » she screamed , « shush ! Everybody is going to know » you said laughing slightly, « but yeah I did got out without him knowing » , she was shook and proud of you at the same time but still scared for you if he find out.

You two finally entered the club , you honestly love going to the club with your friends it‘s such a good feeling you loved having , not caring about anything else but the moment and having fun .

After one hour of catching up and dancing you went out a little having a small headache because of the loud music .

« Already tired baby ? » , you lifted you head up , frightened when you recognised the voice . « I’m sorry » you immediately apologized in panic , you were scared of what he can do to you knowing how possessive he is .  « I forgive you if you come back home with me » he said smiling at you . He was scary .

« Okay... » you were still looking at him with big eyes and your hand in front of your chest so you could defend yourself if he want to hit you . You being paralized he took you by the wrist and put you in his car in the back seat pretty aggressively.

During the ride you texted your friend .

You:

Sorry I’m going home I have a bad headache

Y/f/n :

NooOoOo the fun was starting I even found a guy to buy us drinks !

You:

Good for you then 😂, I gtg bye have fun~ 💕

Y/f/n:

Thanks 🙏 I’ll miss you 😭 💖

After texting her you realised he was not going to go easy on you and you started crying .

« Don’t cry already love , keep your tears for later » , this made you cry and sob even more but you tried to stay quiet or he’ll may get even more angry .

You two arrived home and the second when he closed the door he grabbed you by your hair and dragged you to the bedroom , you were crying and screaming you were scared of what’s gonna happen to you .

« Open your fucking mouth again to scream and I’ll cut it » he said looking at you in the eyes . He threw you on the bed and literally ripped your clothes and underwear off , he went to open his closet and you tried to run and open the bedroom door , but it was locked ...

He stayed calm still searching through a box something you couldn’t see . After he found what he wanted he came to you and slammed you on the door holding you by your throat choking you really hard .

« Try anything like that again and I’m locking you here for a week » , you said nothing , you couldn’t , you struggled breathing how could you talk . He put you on the bed again on you belly , you were completely naked , it was embarrassing. He took both of your hands joined them with handcuffs . He turned you on your back ,  « open your mouth slut » , you opened not wanting to get him furious again . He spitted in your mouth and force you to swallow before placing a silicone ball gag in your mouth and tightening it .

« You look prettier like that , my little whore » ,

He took you , put you on his lap , and started spanking you hard .

He continued for 30 times , he did it with all of his strength every time , and every time you screamed at how much it hurted .

« Did you learned your lesson ? » , you wanted to respond but you couldn’t because of the ball gag and because of how much your body hurt . « Seem like you didn’t... » , no no no fuck , you started to panic and scream inaudible things to try and make him know you did learn you lesson. « Stop trying to talk and get on your knees » , you didn’t and continued crying and trying to talk to him . He took off your ball gag , you thought he finally wanted to know what you wanted to say but he started undressing himself , he took out his long and thick cock slapped your face harshly with it and then forced it into your mouth until it hit the deep part of your throat , he kept his hands in the back of your head pushing your face to go deeper and deeper.

You gagged and struggled breathing ,and was coughing but he doesn’t care , he even went deeper , and moaned loudly , « you really thought I wouldn’t know that you were secretly going to the club » he giggled , laughing at you . « You’re just a fucking whore getting what she deserve » , he started going back and forth with his hips face fucking you . You were a terrible mess .

Minho took his phone and you heard the sound a phone do when you start recording a video , you didn’t wanted to be more humiliated , you put your hands on his thighs and try to make him pull out but it only makes him go harder and faster , so fast . « Look at the camera dumb slut » he said laughing , you didn’t want to and closed your eyes hoping that if he upload it or send it people won’t recognize you , he paused face fucking you for a minute and instead tried to open your eyes , you still forced and didn’t wanted to . He then slapped your face just like he slapped your ass roughly . « Open » he obligated , « okay then » he stoped the recording pulled out and threw his phone somewhere else on the bed to then start slapping you again and again and again with all of his strength , you finally gave up , not caring about anything anymore . « Fucking bitch , making things harder than they should be » , he took his phone again started recording again . He filmed your whole body starting with your face , you had a blank stare eyes being red, your hair was a complete mess , your cheeks were red and your lips were swollen , the camera then went down and filmed your torso and belly , he started touching and massaging your breast hard , and scratched and made marks on your belly. He then filmed your pussy , opening the lips with his free hand exposing you entirely , he then backed up , took your legs and made you hold them . Which you did, struggling because of the handcuffs ...

He is now slapping your pussy , it hurts so much you can’t help but hiss at every slap , « I love hearing you baby keep screaming louder for me » , he slapped your pussy until it was bright red . Minho next didn’t even bothered to prep you or use lube and slammed his dick in you , he didn’t hold back and went hard again , you started crying again and he started slapping you again , he stopped recording and focused on raping you , he was on you , fucking you roughly , one hand on your neck choking you and the other slapping you from time to time . « Please stop , please stop , please stop... » you kept on repeating it hoping he would hear you weak voice .

But he didn’t , he went faster and faster « I’m gonna cum in you so hard » he choked you with his both hands and went rougher you didn’t even thought it was possible . He then finally cum into you moaning loudly . You didn’t took any pleasure and felt too dizzy too actually feel something , you eventually blacked out . He was too lazy to clean you up he thought you didn’t even deserved it . « What a fucking slut » he thought looking at the video he took smirking thinking if he should send it to your relatives but thought it would be better to blackmail you with them

[lovelystay]

My doll 🍒

Non con

(Request)

[Rᴇsᴜᴍᴇ : hard dom Minho , rape , spanking , cum eating , slapping .]

Minho’s grip on your hair was tighter than ever . He had you on your hands and knees in front of him . His hips were repeatedly hitting your ass , red after all the spanks you were forced to take .

Trembling , your face was buried in the pillows , you were too tired to hold yourself and your breathing was trashed , you was probably close to see stars .

He somehow got faster and faster hitting a deep spot in your pussy , his hands were almost glued to your ass slapping it with both hands making it red, smiling seeing it jiggle and moaning while using you.

You already came three times , it just hurts and your stomach is aching . It started for way too long and you wanted it to end . You begged him to stop since the very start but he never really cared .

Minho didn’t even had to manhandle you that much to get you to stay in his bed . You were tired and he’s been working out a lot , leading to you being used like a simple doll .

His hands quickly got to your hair , he gripped them and lifted your head making you get up from the pillows that were drowned in your spit sweat and tears.

Minho smacks your face with his free hand « you look like a fucking slut you know that ? » he said after looking at you , to then insert two of his fingers deep down your throat making you gag and choke, his whole hand getting quickly coated by your drool .

He removed his fingers to wipe them on your boobs making your nipple glisten and the drool slowly dripping on the bed . After literally throwing you back on the bed he put his whole weight on you trapping you between the bed and himself . Minho’s hips thrusts were hard it felt like he was hitting you every single time .

Your head being just beside his due to the position he put you in you could hear very clearly his groans and breathing .

The rapid pace he suddenly set got you screaming , crying and whining in the sheets .

Minho felt his orgasm building up , he gripped your ass as hard as he could which would definitely leave bruises later and came deep in your pussy .

Thankfully he had a condom on , you thought it was the end of all the suffering , finally , you were exhausted and frightened by Minho . But as if you weren’t humiliated enough Minho took the condom in his hands and told you to open your mouth , he slowly started emptying the condom full of his cum in your mouth , making all the sperm slide down your tongue to your throat leaving a weird feeling and taste that you never want to experience again .

« Don’t close your mouth yet » He giggled before taking his phone and taking a picture of you with your mouth wide open containing all of his cum .

[keep-the-kids-stray]

Welcome To: Informational Post

Hello hello, I made a third blog because I have found two blogs who actually write really good fics for Stray Kids x male reader, and more blogs are needed.

My pronouns are he/they, I'm 20 years old, I'm not really sure what else to say, but if you have questions feel free to ask. This is my Stranger Things blog, this is my Harry Potter blog, this is my Tomorrow x Together blog, this is my Ateez blog and this is my Walking Dead blog.

Rules for my blog:

I only write for Stray Kids

Requests are open

Inbox is open

16+ for smut

Any asks/requests that go against my rules and/or make me uncomfortable will be deleted

Only send requests in my asks, do not message me your request

Requests from women or fem aligned will be deleted

Women and Fem Aligned DO NOT INTERACT

Women and fem aligned will be blocked

Female reader blogs will be blocked

Woojin supporters DO NOT INTERACT

Woojin supporters will be blocked

I will write

Smut

Fluff

Angst

Male reader

Gender neutral reader

Dom reader

Top reader

Most kinks

Poly relationships

Trans man reader

Trans masc reader

CNC

Somnophilia

Dacryphilia

Omorashi

Dark fics (yandere, knife play, gun play, etc.)

Age regression (Skz members as littles only)

I won't write

Female reader

Fem aligned reader

Rape

Piss kink

Shit kink

Sub reader

Bottom reader

Ship fics

Insest

Pseudo incest

Smut with afab reader (I don't have a vag so idk how to write smut with afab reader)

Member x member

Masterlists

OT8 - Masterlist

Hyung Line - Masterlist

Maknae Line - Masterlist

Bang Chan - Masterlist

Lee Minho - Masterlist

Seo Changbin - Masterlist

Hwang Hyunjin - Masterlist

Han Jisung - Masterlist

Lee Felix - Masterlist

Kim Seungmin - Masterlist

Yang Jeongin - Masterlist

[ao3feed-ateez]

Case: It's You

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/ViW81aD by Cutiepiedoom Crossposted from Tumblr- Potatomountain As a headstrong detective- forced to transfer to another Precinct after pushing your team, and superiors too far- your new unit is less than pleased by your presence. In fact, they are down right hostile, resulting in more time butting heads than doing your job: taking down the organized crime 'gangs' of your city. Once you finally get your foot in the door, into their circle, you realize you bit off more than you can chew- or maybe it was the perfect place for you. Words: 3479, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: ATEEZ (Band) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/M, Multi Characters: Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa, Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ), Kang Yeosang, Choi San (ATEEZ), Song Mingi (ATEEZ), Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Choi Jongho (ATEEZ), Hwang Hyunjin, Bang Chan (Stray Kids), Han Jisung | Han, Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Seo Changbin, Kim Seungmin (Stray Kids), Yang Jeongin | I.N, Lee Minho | Lee Know Relationships: ATEEZ Ensemble/Reader, Kim Hongjoong/Everyone, Park Seonghwa & Everyone, Kim Hongjoong/Reader, Park Seonghwa/Reader, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ)/Reader, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi (ATEEZ), Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ)/Everyone, Kang Yeosang/Reader, Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Kang Yeosang/Everyone, Choi San (ATEEZ)/Reader, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Choi San (ATEEZ) & Everyone, Song Mingi (ATEEZ)/Reader, Song Mingi (ATEEZ)/Everyone, Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ)/Reader, Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ)/Everyone, Choi Jongho (ATEEZ)/Reader, Choi Jongho (ATEEZ)/Everyone Additional Tags: Polyamorous ATEEZ Ensemble, Detective Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ), Detective Choi Jongho (ATEEZ), Detective Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Detective Choi San (ATEEZ), Detective Kim Hongjoong, Detective Park Seonghwa, Detective Kang Yeosang, Ateez Mafia, deTECTIVE READER, fem reader - Freeform, reader is a badass, This is going to be a long fic, with many tags, and so much messed up stuff, Stray Kids was the old unit, Stray kids detectives, Captain Bang Chan, Captain Kim Hongjoong, I don't know how cop things work, Just Roll With It, Jongho is an asshole, Hwang Hyunjin is a Good Friend, Hwang Hyunjin is a Confident Gay, Lee Felix is a Panicked Gay (Stray Kids), Enemies to Lovers, dark themes, Organized Crime, Crimes & Criminals, mentions of drugs and prostitution, Sad Backstories All Around read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/ViW81aD

[yogodyolive]

I’m. Sick. Of. These. Fucking. Kpop. Stans. BULLSHIT. -A note from Sadie Mercenary

 Ok.

 So we all know about the fucking dumb ass Kim Woojin and the NCT/WayV Lucas Wong controversies, right? How, people went from idolizing them to hating everybody associated to them, right? How, the same people, the people who onced IDOLIZED and WORSHIPPED them, began to burn their fucking merch? Send them fucking DEATH THREATS, Even?

 Do people even realize that the same “Victims” have been known to do some shady ass bullshit WAY back before these rumors?

 First, poor Kim Woojin.  (i’m going to make one about Lucas tommorow or so, whenever I have free time, because, SIR, I have a LOT to Say aboUT THAT, wHy YES INdeED)

 Now, the second Stray Kids debuted, he’s been a target to their hate. There is still evidence to this day of petitions, threats, and so on all about how badly they hate Woojin, Woojin doesn’t deserve to live, Woojin’s too fat, a shitty singer, he has no worth, blah, blah, blah. He has had to deal with this fucking hate for a really long fucking time now.

 Then, all of a sudden, when he’s about to re-debut as a soloist or he was still in Stray Kids, leave me alone i’m raining my wrath on the inconsiderate these fucking shitty ass accusations were started against him. 

 Mind you, these started out as accusations that he had sexually harassed some female’s, while at at bar. That’s how this all started, Right? I USED to have a friend (past tense, thank god) who believed the accusations with all her naive little heart.

 Now, how does this relate to Kim Woojin, you may ask?

 Well if you asked her about Kim Woojin, she would proudly state how he is a rapist, a pedofile can’t spell for SHIT, how he raped some 12 y/o fan, got her pregnant, raped Lee Felix, (and Han Jisung), and is friend with Tony/George Lopez.

 And I did NOT makeup a single. fucking. thing.

 You see, people have this tendicy. Once they hear about something, they themselves feel SO left out, they also have to join in. 

 People who have never even met Woojin have claimed; “Oh, he’s done this,”  “He did this,”  “I know something else that he did,” and have done it so much, that people don’t stop to think, 

 “Is it true?”  “Is their PROOF actually creditable?” “Is there any possible way that this could have happened, or is just another slimy-ass lie to ruin another idols lives for their own entertainment?”   They don’t actually stop to actually check the facts, look at the other side of the argument, to look at what’s really been going on BEHIND the scenes. And these are the people that make me mad.

 There has been several posts my by these “victims” claiming that “Woojin raped me,” “He bullied his members,” so on and so forth. They love taking the clip of Woojin bowing down along with the rest of Skz, and hitting Lee Know with his elbows, but hate adding what happened literally right after: Woojin iddmediantly standing up to apologize to Minho, to make sure he was alright.

 What about the clips of “Oh, WoOjIn HiTtInG fEliX,” but not the corresponding scene, where it shows Woojin getting up at light speed to squish Felix to death, right after making sure he is okay?  “Oh, well, what about him harassing people in the bars? You can’t prove he didn’t do that.”      Actually, I really can.

 You see the very first THE ORIGINAL CLAIM, people talked about how Woojin had harassed her and her female friends in a bar. As her proof, she proceeds to upload a picture with it saying that it is ‘Woojin’s arm in a sweater he was seen wearing in the exact same day’ Your literally accusing someone of attempted rape, plus sexual harassment, so you upload a sweater as proof? Guurrlll...

 Anyways... If you go on Google and do reverse- image search on the said uploaded picture she uses as “proof”, you WILL FIND (people, if you don’t believe me, just do this yourself) that the picture she post was actually stolen from a man who really posted it something like a few years prior.

 Hmmph... a little, SUSPICIOUS, aren’t we now, Sweety Now, the man who posted it was obviously pissed off at the fact that he had hundreds of DM’s from Kpop Stan Twitter,   all asking why he had the picture.

HOW DARE YOU HAVE A PICTURE POSTED A FEW YEARS AGO THAT SOME THIRTEEN Y/O IS USING AS OUR EVIDENCE TO CANCEL WOOJIN?!?!?! YOU UNHOLY PEICE OF SHI-

Obviously, he confirmed that, indeed, this was HIS origianl pic, and to stop harassing him. Because now his entire feed is NCT Johnny from that one clip when he went shirtless and I don’t he can handle it, because omgolly, have you SEEN this man’s abs it should be a sin to be that HOT i mean wait what am I even saying right now like what the fuck  abjskfskfskf Honestly, their only peice of evidence wasn’t even accurate, so like?

Now, my favorite part about this, is how several of the original victims have admitted to these accusations being fake.  One of them has even went on to litteraly saying: paraphrasing people, obviosuly, ain’t got time to accuratly quote these lowlifes “Oh, hey, sorry, but I made it (the allegations) up for clout, and for fun, their not true, I was bored, I never liked Woojin, and saw someone else made one up, so I thought that doing the same would be fun.”

Yeah.... I rest my case.

In the end, people will do what ever they can to harm whoever they feel like, just because they want to, and I literally do not understand these people. Many of the rumors and shit have been proved to be invalid and fabricated. People have even hired literal detectives or whatever and shiz to have even more proof that this is FABRICATED and FALSE.  Could you people please, PLEASE, go get a life?You do know that he is innocent? several of the so-called "victims" have admitted to faking the accusations against him, plus several people have also exposed these liars for fabricating their evidence, plus the "victims faking it. Please, don't be an idiot.

also, please don’t read the tags

[luvjjongtae]

I'm a Monster

Pairing: Choi Minho x Lee Taemin.

AU info: College AU. Vampire / Werewolf AU.

Genre: Fluff and Angst

Other tags and warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Attempted Rape / Non-con, Minor character deaths, Blood and violence, Happy ending, Vampire!Taemin, Werewolf!Minho, the rest you'll find out :D

Summary: Taemin struggles with juggling being a college student and a vampire, all while falling for his roommate, Minho who also has a secret of his own.

Word Count: 18.5k

Author's Note: I wanted to wait to upload this on Halloween but got too excited. This was partly inspired by the Netflix show First Kill, but it's a different made-up world I created. Also please be aware of the warnings and tags and don't read this if any of that makes you uncomfortable!

The room smelled like dog.

Although it was faint, Taemin still caught a good whiff of it in the living area of his new suite-style dorm and scrunched up his nose in annoyance. It didn’t stink that bad – it just mildly bothered him – but Taesun beside him was waving his arms around and protesting loudly with a grimace.

“Oh my God, did the last students here own ten dogs?” Taesun picked up the cardboard box of clothes at his feet and beelined towards Taemin’s new bedroom, pushing the door open with his foot. “Hopefully, your room isn’t so bad, for your own sake.”

Taemin followed him in with his own heavy stack of cardboard boxes piled on his arms as if they were weightless but stopped when he heard the front door of the dorm click open. He craned back to meet who he figured was his new roommate. “Hey, there.”

“Hey!” The guy at the door shuffled his shoes off and looked back at Taemin. He had really big eyes, Taemin noticed. “Are you Taemin?”

“That’s me,” Taemin said. “And you’re Minho hyung?”

“Yup!” he said cheerily, walking now towards Taemin who got another good whiff of that dog smell, lips pursing with slight annoyance. Minho looked between Taemin and his large pile of boxes with some concern and offered, “Do you want me to help? I already moved in.”

“Taemin-ah,” Taesun hissed at him, poking his head out the door to his bedroom. “I don’t have all day.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine,” Taemin responded to Minho sheepishly, heading towards his bedroom. Minho’s brow furrowed in concern and Taemin rushed to explain. “My brother’s here to help me. See you.”

“Yeah, see you,” Minho said with a small wave, watching Taemin as he disappeared into his bedroom and Taesun shut the door behind him.

“That’s your roommate?” Taesun jutted his head at the door, one brow raised suspiciously at Taemin.

“Yeah, why?” Minho seemed friendly enough, and their brief conversations on Instagram lead him to believe that Minho wasn’t a total weirdo.

Taesun shrugged. “Just gave me bad vibes. Be careful around him, okay?” Before Taemin could ask how he had gotten “bad vibes” from a two-second interaction where they didn’t even talk, Taesun breathed in deeply, looking around the room. “It smells a thousand times better here, thank God.” Then he smiled at Taemin and patted him on his shoulder before moving past him to touch the bed frame. “Now. Ready to move into college?”

After a couple of hours of unpacking and organizing and Taemin yelling at Taesun no, this goes here, Taemin dropped down heavily to sit on his just-made bed beside Taesun. He sighed and leaned his side into Taesun’s, searching for the big brother leaning support he always could count on. Taesun gave it to him, of course, staying still while Taemin rested his head on his shoulder.

“Thanks for helping, hyung. It would’ve taken me ages.”

“You would still be unpacking by the second week into classes,” Taesun laughed, Taemin’s head bouncing up with his shoulders. When the sound of his laughter died away, his voice turned gentle. “But are you sure you want to do this?”

Taemin got up from his shoulder, exhaling loudly with an eye roll. “You know my answer to that.”

“You don’t have to go to college. You can be like me, work in the family business. Or just not work at all,” Taesun said to him in a rush. “Think about it,” he wrapped his arm about Taemin’s shoulders. “Private planes every weekend, hm?”

Taemin shrugged him off. “Even you didn’t want to do that. You work. I just–” He huffed before continuing. “I just want to do something for a few years before I end up working for hundreds more.”

“It’s not hundreds of years,” Taesun laughed. “More like ninety, if we’re being honest. Vamps are so lazy these days, retiring so early.”

“You act like you’re five hundred years old and not literally twenty,” Taemin scoffed. “Just let me live a little before I gotta slave away doing paperwork.”

Taesun sighed in resignation. “Fine, that’s your choice. Your diet, however…” He shot him a look.

Taemin knew what was coming. He’d had the same conversation with his parents for years. “Is also my choice,” Taemin finished for him quickly. “Did Mom and Dad set you up to this?”

“Look, all I’m saying is that you’re going to be around a lot of humans and you’re still developing as a vampire.” Taesun stood up, pacing around the room as if he was lecturing him. Taemin just gave him an exhausted look, but Taesun carried on without a care, “Just– if you have to, feed. For real, and not that stupid animal stuff you’re keeping in your mini-fridge.” He gestured lamely at the stainless steel fridge by his nightstand, humming away.

“The ‘stupid animal stuff’ works just fine,” Taemin said.

“It won’t forever,” Taesun said, his voice rising. But he caught himself and lowered it to a hiss. “Just do it before you lose control and fuck up again, okay?” Taemin froze, staring daggers at Taesun who just laughed dryly, his voice ragged and rough in his throat, the kind that said it wasn’t funny.

Taemin had messed up his first time. Okay, sure. He had messed up really fucking bad, but that didn’t mean it would happen again. It couldn’t.

But Taesun kept talking. “Keeping that off the Council’s radar was hard enough, but Mom and Dad too? You’re lucky they don’t know or you would be off this diet by now for sure.”

Taemin clenched his fists on his lap. “It won’t happen again,” he said through gritted teeth. “You know it won’t.”

“I don’t think a double dose of suppressors is going to help.”

“The doctor said it would. So it will,” Taemin said with a sense of finality.

Something cracked in his brother’s expression, and he ran a hand through his hair messily. “Taemin-ah, you know I’m only looking out for you. Just promise me you’ll stay safe. And that means feeding and doing it right.” With a final frustrated exhale, he looked at the door and said, “I’m gonna get going. Got plans tonight.”

Taemin nodded stiffly, watching his brother leave him alone now in his new bedroom. His phone buzzed with his reminder alarm and he pulled out a container of pills from his pocket, popping two of them in his mouth and swallowing with a quick swig of his water bottle. They were meant to lessen his hunger, dull his senses, minimize his strength – all things supposed to keep him safe from being hunted. They were meant to lighten this burden, no matter how much his family told him it was a gift.

But now the container of pills he’d been carrying around his whole life felt like a million pounds when he slid it back into his pocket.

. . .

Minho’s new roommate was weird.

For one, he was a freshman. Or granted, the age of a freshman. Technically speaking, he was a sophomore, though this was his first year in college. When he told Minho over Instagram DM’s that he had gotten enough credits in high school to skip a whole year, Minho realized this kid was no joke. And also probably loaded as fuck to afford the number of tutors he had told him about.

Taemin was also extremely pale. And delicate-looking. Or maybe that was just the finicky dorm lighting, but he looked almost sick when they met, which is why Minho offered to help him with his boxes. Taemin’s brother was straight up just kind of rude, not even saying hello to him through the door. At least he wouldn’t be interacting with him.

The final thing was something Minho noticed as he made his way into their small living space. Passing Taemin’s door, the pungent smell of animal blood hit him all at once, making him stumble back. No, that wasn’t possible. Could Taemin be like him?

Minho sniffed Taemin’s door one more time and caught nothing. He shook the thoughts away and collapsed onto the couch, shutting his eyes tight. It was just his imagination. He had made it up. The chances of Taemin being a werewolf were statistically tiny if the government’s “Monster Census” was anything to go by, which Minho knew was not due to underreporting, but whatever. Was storing animal blood and meats even a thing that werewolves did? Should he be doing that? He made a mental note to ask Jonghyun the next time he saw him.

Or called him. Minho felt his phone start vibrating in his hand and stood up quickly to greet Jonghyun on the other end. “Hey, hyung. Thanks for calling.”

“Finally moved in? How’s the city?” Jonghyun’s voice sounded small and tinny in his ear, and Minho rushed back into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him to respond in private.

“Yeah, today. And it’s okay, different from the farm, you know. Noisy.” He adjusted the phone against his ear and got to the point. “Listen, so this weekend–”

“Seriously, don’t worry about it. You just show up before the moon rises, so check your phone to see when that happens. You have the address, right? Don’t wanna get there late,” Jonghyun laughed.

“Yeah,” Minho said, relaxing his shoulders a bit. But he still hesitated. “I’m just worried, I’ve never…done this before.”

“Yeah, you have. In even more dangerous conditions,” Jonghyun reminded him. “In the sanctuary, you’ll be safe when you turn and you’ll have people keeping an eye on you.” He paused, letting the words sink in. “Plus you get to hang out with me,” he added in a cheerful tone.

“That’s true,” Minho said, still obviously worried. “But can I get there early? Just to make sure?”

Jonghyun chuckled again, the sound vibrating in his ear. “Of course. We always have some food lying around too.”

“Okay, okay,” Minho said, breathing out. “Thanks, hyung. Seriously. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“No problem, Minho-yah. Just tell your parents I say hi when you talk to them and let’s plan to meet up sometime not during the full moon now that you’ve moved here. It’s not only about the sanctuary, it’s about exploring, right?” Minho was just about to cut in with actually, no, it’s only about the sanctuary when Jonghyun spoke again, some yelling audible in the background. “Aish, now I gotta go. They’re fighting over leftovers again. I’ll text you, okay?”

“Okay,” Minho said softly as he hung up, turning his phone down and staring up at the ceiling. His first full moon away from home… He knew he’d be safer at the sanctuary, technically. But a part of him couldn’t help but keep worrying about this entirely new environment, especially since he was so new to the whole thing and his family didn’t know and–

A knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts. “Come in!” he called. Taemin opened the door but hesitated before stepping inside. He seemed relieved for a split second when he took a step in before scrunching his nose and grimacing slightly. He jumped back out of the room quickly. Weird. But Minho let it slide, smiling at him kindly and saying, “What’s up?”

Taemin seemed to remember Minho was there, snapping his head up to look at him. Nervously, he said, “So, I think there’s an event in the common room with the entire floor tonight. If you wanted to come?”

Minho pushed himself off his bed, meeting Taemin at the door to leave together. “Sounds fun! I just can’t stay out too late since I wake up early to run.” Taemin’s eyes flickered down to the rest of this body, before shooting back up to Minho’s face and widening in some form of understanding. Minho pretended not to notice again.

“Do you play any sports?” Taemin asked him after a few moments as they walked down the hall towards the sounds of chatter and music, shoes clicking against the tile floor.

“Yeah, a lot actually,” Minho replied. “It's cross country season now, which is why I’ve gotta stay on top of running.”

Taemin nodded beside him just as they reached the common area of their floor, fellow college students sprawled out on the couches or chatting against the walls. The smell of quesadillas and Coca-Cola filled Minho’s nose, making him suddenly hungry. He scanned the table littered with junk food against the wall for any meat, a smile breaking out on his face when he saw a salami platter. He had to get his hands on that.

“Hey, I’m gonna get some food, okay?” he said to Taemin beside him, who was still looking around the room apprehensively, taking it all in. “Do you want anything?”

Taemin blinked at Minho. “Ah, no. I’m fine, don’t worry. I don’t like…cheese,” he said after a pause.

Minho shrugged. “As long as the salami’s mine.” He turned towards his beloved salami platter when someone blocked him.

“Hi there, nice to meet you!”

Minho bowed quickly to greet the guy standing in front of him, looking just a few years older than him. He was probably Jonghyun’s age, Minho reasoned. He snuck an irritated glance at the table of food blocked by the guy. His stomach would just have to wait a bit longer. “Nice to meet you, too,” Minho said politely. “I’m Minho.”

“Choi Minho, right,” the guy said, nodding in understanding. “The star athlete on this floor, hm?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Minho said apprehensively. Before he could ask how he already knew about him, he felt a tug on the sleeve of his shirt and looked back to see Taemin.

“Hey, where do you wanna sit– Oh, hello,” Taemin said, bowing to greet the guy in front of them.

The guy bowed in response, shooting them both warm smiles. “I’m Lee Jinki. Well, technically Professor Lee but you can just call me Jinki or Professor Jinki while we’re here. I’m the resident professor on this floor, which is how I know all your names, Lee Taemin.” Minho felt Taemin jump slightly in surprise beside him. But Jinki smiled at them widely again, putting him at ease. “Have you tried the quesadillas? I made them myself. It’s a monthly tradition in this hall.”

“But you look so young,” Taemin blurted out. He seemed to catch his mistake and cowered next to Minho, staring down at his shoes. But he was right. Minho didn’t think he looked much older than Jonghyun who was just twenty-one, and even that was stretching it. How could this guy be a professor? “My apologies, I didn’t mean–”

“No, it’s fine,” Jinki said with a lighthearted laugh as if he was used to it. “I get that all the time. Plus, it’s a compliment.” He took one final look at them and said, “If you two need anything during the year, please don’t hesitate to see me or the RA. We’re here to help you, okay? Especially since I know it’s your first year.” He directed that last bit meaningfully at Taemin.

“I– yeah,” Taemin said. He hesitated, searching for the right words before settling on something safe, “Thank you, gyosunim.”

“Thank you,” Minho added quickly as well.

Jinki left them to go talk to some other students and Minho resumed his quest for the salami, eyeing it from across the room. Taemin could make do on his own, his stomach told him. “I’m starving,” he muttered to himself, taking quick strides to the table and leaving Taemin behind him.

The sharp scent of fermented meat made his mouth water as he got closer. He loved meat, even before he was bitten, and this curse of his just seemed to make it stronger. After piling a satisfactory amount of slices onto his small plate, he looked around the crowded room to find Taemin again. But his eyes snagged first on the television, playing a live basketball game. Oh, this he couldn’t miss.

Eyes glued to the game, his legs automatically guided him to the couch, where he numbly sat on the arm. He stuffed his mouth with salami slices, chewing them over as he watched one of the teams score a three-pointer. The students on the couch cheered in excitement, and Minho joined in. Maybe he should befriend some of these guys.

The person sitting closest to him let out a loud scoff. Minho glared at him, catching him in time to see him rolling his eyes.

“If you hate the game so much, why are you even watching?” Minho snapped.

The guy glared back. “There’s not much else to do, is there?” Crossing his arms and settling deeper into the couch, he added, “So I might as well hate-watch.”

Anger flared up inside of Minho. He was taking up a perfectly good couch spot from a perfectly good sports fan - ahem, Minho - just so that he could scoff and roll his eyes the entire time. “Or you could just leave.”

“You’d like that, huh.” Then the guy laughed, amused. He stuck out his hand at Minho, a smile crinkling up the corners of his eyes. “Name’s Kibum.”

“Minho.” He shook his hand, surprised at the sudden mood shift. Kibum then scooched over on the couch and patted the spot next to him, inviting Minho to squish in with him.

“It’ll be interesting to piss you off more as the game goes on.”

His words were harsh but his tone was sarcastic and light. Minho couldn’t help but smile, popping the last slice of salami into his mouth. He and Kibum bantered for the next hour, learning about each other’s majors and hometowns. When Minho let him know that he had transferred this year from a rural school, Kibum let out a low whistle.

“A country boy, hm? I’m from Daegu originally. The transition last year was interesting.” He frowned, remembering his freshman year. “But how’s Seoul treating you?”

“Well, I just moved in today,” Minho said, slightly embarrassed. “I’ve really only met you. Oh, and my roommate.”

“Who’s that?” Kibum asked.

Minho tore his eyes away from the television - it was a commercial break anyway - and searched the room for Taemin’s familiar face. He noticed him making conversation with a group of people, nodding along and laughing at whatever joke they had cracked. Minho gestured towards him for Kibum’s sake. “The youngest-looking one. Lee Taemin.”

Kibum twisted on the couch to look at Taemin, eyes softening. “Aw, he looks so cute. His face is like a baby’s.” Then he paused, remembering something. “Wait, he’s the one that’s eighteen right? Skipped a year?”

Minho nodded but asked, “How do you know?”

Kibum shrugged nonchalantly. “Heard some people talking about it. Wow, he really does look young. Like a delicate flower boy,” he laughed, turning back towards the television. “Better take good care of the kid.”

“He’s not helpless,” Minho said, remembering how he carried that stack of heavy-looking cardboard boxes easily earlier, even though he looked sick. Other than being a little nervous at times, Taemin seemed totally fine.

He smiled as he gazed at Taemin for a few more moments. He really did look dainty and delicate from here, as if he was made of china glass. His careless, gummy smile lit up his face again at another joke and the guy beside him patted him on the back in laughter, making him stumble forward a bit, his face still smiling. It didn’t seem like he needed Minho’s help adjusting - and, hell, Minho wasn’t even sure he was in the position to help anyone with his situation - but he could be a good roommate and friend at least.

When the welcome party died down, Minho left Kibum to find Taemin and let him know he was going to sleep.

“Now?” Taemin looked at him quizzically, his eyes still bright and awake. Minho’s felt like they were drooping.

“Yeah, it’s later than my usual bedtime.” Minho checked the time on his phone with a yawn. “Past midnight. How are you not tired? Unpacking exhausted me.”

“Oh, no, I am tired,” Taemin said quickly. After waving goodbye to the people he was chatting with, he joined Minho on the way back to their dorm. “I guess I just have a later bedtime,” he said after a moment.

“Just don’t wake me up at 2 AM or something crazy,” Minho said lightheartedly, bumping his shoulder into Taemin’s as they walked. “Some of us still have sleep schedules.”

“Right,” Taemin smiled shyly. Minho realized that he hadn’t seen Taemin smile at something he had said until just then and his heart swelled with pride. He liked making Taemin smile.

“Goodnight, Taemin,” Minho said once they were inside their dorm. “I’ll be quiet tomorrow morning so you can sleep in.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I can, uh, sleep through anything.” Minho just smiled, sensing that Taemin was just trying to be accommodating but decided to be as quiet as possible the next morning anyway. “And goodnight. Thanks for coming with me tonight.”

As Minho drifted into blissful sleep, he wondered what Taemin was dreaming about and whether he was sleeping well.

. . .

“Oh, no.”

It was Minho’s voice. Taemin excitedly spun around to greet him, a spoon in his hand from scooping up the remaining bits of rice in the cooker. “You’re back! How was your exam?”

Minho groaned, throwing his backpack down and kicking off his shoes before collapsing onto the couch face first. “It went.”

“I cooked!” Taemin finished off the two bowls of rice, grabbed the steaming mandoo, and placed them on the low table in front of the television. “As congratulations for getting through the test.”

“I could tell.”

Minho’s voice was muffled by the cushions but Taemin could tell that he wasn’t exactly over the moon about Taemin’s gift. Using his whiniest voice, Taemin said, “I made this for you. The least you could do is try it.”

“Last time you tried cooking, you almost burned down the entire hall,” Minho deadpanned. “Not to mention it tasted horrible.”

“Okay, that was an accident and almost a month ago,” Taemin scoffed. “And that’s why I stuck to rice this time. Something even I can’t mess up.” When Minho didn’t move, he added quickly in a quiet tone, “The mandoo was pre-made.”

Minho perked up, moving to sit on the floor with Taemin and finding his chopsticks. “Now that I will gladly eat.” He looked tired but still as handsome as ever, and Taemin’s heart fluttered when their knees touched. He beamed, passing him the plate of mandoo and smiling even bigger when Minho tried the rice and nodded in approval. “Not awful, Taemin-ah.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Taemin said through a mouthful of rice that (Minho was right) didn’t taste awful. It did nothing to calm his stomach or alleviate nausea plaguing him the entire afternoon but he swallowed it anyway, keeping up appearances with Minho. Human food did nothing for him, but he could pretend to eat it. But maybe buying the mandoo was a mistake too. It smelled way too strong. He’d have to take some extra suppressors tonight before he passed out or something.

Or worse, his brain told him. Taemin didn’t want to think about it.

He changed the subject from food. “Hyung, I heard about a party next week. Someone’s house a few blocks away. Do you wanna go?” Minho always agreed to these things. Now that they were roommates, they had also become each other’s de facto “social event friend,” and it brought them even closer with every party or getty they decided to show up at. Or so Taemin hoped.

Minho hesitated, chopsticks halfway up to his mouth. “I can’t. I have a thing.”

“Another party?” Taemin blinked at him, surprised. They both had the same group of friends or at least ran in the same social circles. What event could Minho be talking about that Taemin didn’t know?

“No, it’s a, uh– a family thing.” Minho stuffed his face with some mandoo, avoiding Taemin’s eyes before swallowing and sighing deeply. “I’m sorry, Taemin. I really can’t miss it.” His voice was sincere.

Taemin tried to hide his disappointment and nausea that his rice seemed to stir up even more. He stopped eating it, knowing it would do nothing good for him anyway. “It’s fine, hyung. I’ll go by myself or figure something out. We don’t have to go to every event together.” He tried laughing, but it came out dry and strained.

“I really wish I could go,” Minho said after a pause. “It’s fun going to these things with you. Even if you always want to stay ‘till 3 AM.”

“You just get tired way too quickly.”

“I’m human, Taemin-ah,” Minho scolded playfully. But after saying those words, something in his expression fell and he returned to eating his rice. “We’ll go to the next party,” he said after a few long moments.

“Right.” Taemin didn’t have the energy to press Minho about that strange reaction because his head began pounding and colors started blurring together. He blinked rapidly a few times, trying to clear his vision.

Minho seemed to notice. He looked up and panic flew across his face as he asked, “Taemin? Taemin-ah? Where are your pills?”

Taemin shut his eyes tightly, willing the pounding to stop just for one second. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out the small container, dropping it clumsily onto the table.

“How many?” Minho asked, his voice distant compared to thumping in his ears.

“Two– three,” Taemin corrected himself.

He heard Minho rattling three pills out of the container, pressing them into Taemin’s palm. “Water,” he said, passing him a water bottle as well. Taemin swallowed the pills quickly, waiting for the familiar relief to wash over him.

It took a few seconds, but the pounding finally stopped and nausea let up if only a little at first. He blinked at Minho and exhaled slowly. “Thanks, hyung.”

Minho still looked concerned, his hand pressing down on Taemin’s shoulder comfortingly. But Taemin didn’t have the energy to feel excited like he usually did at these tiny touches. He didn’t even feel nervous when Minho grabbed his chin and forced him to look him in the eyes. That now-familiar dog smell hit Taemin all at once, but after a month of living with him, the smell wasn’t unpleasant. It was kind of…sweet, somehow. Which didn’t make any sense, but whatever. He didn’t have the energy to decipher that either.

And now that sweet smell was just too much all at once for Taemin, who felt weakened and tired. Minho was talking. “Those migraines keep getting worse. I think you should see a doctor,” he said for the millionth time. He didn’t seem to care how much Taemin told him that he couldn’t see a doctor, that his parents were against it and would murder him if they found out. Minho still insisted.

Taemin shrugged Minho’s hands off him and stood up on wobbly legs. “I think I just need to go to my room.”

Hurt flashed in Minho’s eyes for a split second before concern overtook it again. “Taemin-ah.”

“What?” He was exhausted. He just needed some blood from his fridge, but he couldn’t exactly whip that out in the living room with Minho right there. No matter how inconspicuous the labels on the cans of blood tried to be, reading things like Extra Red Punch Energy Drink!, Minho had a strangely good sense of smell and would pick up that it wasn’t a normal soda or energy drink can. “I’m tired.”

Minho’s face softened, probably because Taemin never said he was tired. Minho was so easy to read: If he’s saying it now, it must be really bad. “Call me if you need anything, okay? I’ll clean up here.”

Taemin nodded stiffly and stumbled back into his room, sighing in relief when he downed an entire can of goat’s blood in one breath. He smeared it off his lips, not bothering to wash his hands right now. He just needed to close his eyes for a bit, even if sleep would never reach him, no matter much he tried, for the rest of eternity. But all he needed was a minute. Just a minute…

Which was all he got before his phone started buzzing with a call from his mom. Great, just what he needed. He debated not picking up but gave in, knowing she’d flip out and call the police or something. “Hey, Mom.”

“Taemin-ah,” she said, smiling into his ear. “How have classes gone today?”

“No different from yesterday. Or the day before. Or the day before that, when you also called.” Taemin knew he was being snippy but couldn’t help it. Not when the swimming nauseous feeling still bothered him.

But his mom didn’t get angry. Her voice sounded in his ear, laced with concern, “What’s wrong, Taemin-ah?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly, turning around in his bed and gritting his teeth.

“You get like this when you’re hungry. The animal blood isn’t enough, is it?”

“That’s not it,” he forced out. God, it was so hard to lie to her.

She kept pressing. “How many of those suppressors are you taking?”

“Enough. I’m fine.”

“Taemin, we don’t know how toxic those– those drugs are yet.” Her voice was rising in pitch, a tell that she was getting angry. Taemin swallowed back dread. “You’re poisoning and starving yourself. Do you realize how dangerous that is?”

Taemin had run out of things to say, energy sapped from his body from his episode. “I– I’m doing fine, Mom. Please believe me.”

He heard his mom take a deep breath on the other end of the line. “Taemin, I’m only pressuring you because it’s what’s natural. It’s what’s best for you. If you feel it’s getting too much, just remember what we’ve taught you and you’ll be fine, okay?” She paused and Taemin could tell she was trying to smile on the other end, to ease his worries or her own, he couldn’t tell. “It’s not normal for a vampire to go this long after their first feeding, especially in our family–”

At the stinging reminder of his first time, Taemin snapped back, “How many times do I have to tell you I’m fine, Mom? The human cops aren’t actively persecuting me if that’s what you’re worried about.” He inhaled shakily. “Just let me focus on my classes.”

“Okay.” Her voice sounded small and weak now, and guilt stabbed through him. “Study hard, Taemin-ah.”

“Yeah. Will do, Mom.” He hung up and stared up at the ceiling, wishing not for the first time that he was human. Or at least from a less “established, respected, and old vampire family,” in his family’s words. Even being a regular old vampire would be fine compared to this. He didn’t want the speed or the strength or the glamour or any of it. It all just came with pain.

His mom’s reminder of his first time kept stinging, ever-present in his mind if he thought about it too much. Which is what he was doing now, shit. He shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the memory, but it came anyway. Flashes of bright red, a faceless human…the sounds of agonizing screams, cracking bones…his fangs aching and aching with the need to feed and feed now. A snapped neck. Teeth and razor-sharp nails tearing through flesh, reaching a bloody heart–

Taemin gasped, eyes snapping wide open. He would never let that happen again, especially not now with how many human friends he had made in the dorm. He froze, feeling a chill run up his body as he thought about hurting Minho, feeding on Minho. No, no, no no no–

That wasn’t him. He would never turn into that monster again, least of all to hurt Minho, the boy who quietly got ready to run just in case it would wake him up, or would ruffle up his hair whenever he saw him in between classes or would smile at him from across the room at a party just to make sure he was still okay. No, the very idea of his fangs anywhere near Minho was absurd. The animal blood and suppressors were enough to prevent it and if the price to pay was suffering a few bad headaches and nausea every once in a while, then so be it.

It would be his penance for the monster he had turned into that night.

. . .

“Just fucking admit that you have a crush on him!”

Minho lay sprawled on the bright green grass of the soccer field, the sun setting over the horizon. Practice was over, but Minho had kept playing into the late afternoon, kicking the ball into the goal by himself time and time again until his body gave out and he collapsed onto the ground. Kibum, who preferred studying outside “for inspiration from nature,” sometimes joined him at this time, knowing Minho would either be kicking the ball around aimlessly or panting on the grass.

“I don’t,” Minho was panting on the grass this time, “have a crush on him.”

Kibum t’sked and rolled over onto the grass beside Minho, his papers and textbooks forgotten nearby, pages flipping dangerously in the wind. “Then why’d you bring him up?”

Minho hesitated. He had kind of brought up Taemin randomly. They were just talking about their math classes and Minho had piped up that Taemin always needed help with his math homework, so Minho was getting in some extra practice by tutoring him. It made sense to bring him up. “We were talking about math.”

“That has nothing to do with him.”

“Now it does,” Minho huffed.

Kibum sighed and rolled over to face Minho, propping his head up on his hand, elbow digging into the grass. “Look, Minho. He’s all you fucking talk about.”

“How could you know? You only talk about yourself when we hang out,” Minho said, laughing at the slap he received on his arm.

“If I could notice, then it’s really bad. You can’t go one conversation without ‘Taemin, this’ or ‘Taemin, that,’ or ‘Taeminnie would love this flavor of chips,’ or–”

“Yah,” Minho cut him off, sitting up. “I don’t talk like that.”

Kibum seemed to give up, collapsing back onto the ground with a dramatic sigh. He pulled his sunglasses over his eyes, blocking out his expression. “Idiot,” he muttered. “Don’t come crying when Taemin gets a girlfriend or boyfriend and you get all jealous.”

Minho joined Kibum, laying back onto the ground as well and staring up at the sky. Taemin with a partner? The thought bothered Minho, his lips unwittingly forming a thin line. But it could just be him being overprotective over Taemin, the soft kid Minho went to parties with and helped with math homework. Taemin deserved someone perfect, no less. Minho would make sure of it.

Taemin deserved him.

The thought just popped into his head, and his heart raced at the realization that fuck, maybe Kibum was right about something for once. But before he could begin to understand his feelings and seemingly random thoughts, his phone began ringing, the sound carrying over in the wind from the bleachers. The ringtone sound reserved for Jonghyun.

Minho pushed himself up, telling Kibum, “I gotta take that.” He grabbed his phone and sat down on the first bleacher step, worried about whatever Jonghyun was calling about. The last full moon had gone surprisingly smoothly. Minho hunted in the sanctuary and when he and Jonghyun filled their stomachs with what felt like a lifetime’s worth of food, they lounged around the large forest that made up the sanctuary, enjoying the way the moonlight filtered through the leaves and how the moon seemed to smile down at them. It was peaceful, and afterwards, Minho had said his thank you’s to the centaurs on guard and the fellow werewolves who generously ran the place and returned to his life as a human university student. It was easy. He could get used to this lifestyle, he remembered thinking to himself.

But why was Jonghyun calling now? The next full moon wasn’t for another week. Minho worriedly bit his lip, anticipating Jonghyun’s voice which cheerfully spoke in his ear, “Minho-yah! What’s up with you?”

“Not much. School’s a lot of work but other than that I’m doing well.” He lowered his voice, conscious of Kibum still sun tanning a few feet away on the field. “What’s this about?”

“I can’t call up an old family friend randomly?” Jonghyun laughed. “No, it’s nothing serious. You just forgot some of your stuff here. We only just noticed today as we were cleaning up. Some clothes, I think.”

Minho relaxed. So that’s where his favorite t-shirt had gone. “Can I pick it up next time?”

“Sure, no problem. I’ll keep it safe for you,” Jonghyun said, some shuffling around audible in the background, probably some paperwork or whatever new songs Jonghyun was working on. “Are you excited for next time? Less nervous I hope.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say excited.” Minho had never asked to be bitten, it just happened one night during his freshman year at his old university coming home from some party. He didn’t even remember who it was or how it happened from drinking too much earlier that night, just that when he woke up the next morning, he had bite marks along his bicep and suddenly craved some steak for breakfast. Him showing the marks to Jonghyun who had been visiting was the only reason he didn’t transform the next full moon with no idea of what he even had become. “But definitely not as nervous as before.”

“Good,” Jonghyun smiled into his ear. “I was born like this, and honestly, Minho, it’s not that bad. You’re human all the time until you’re not. You can live a normal life, so stop viewing it as this huge burden you have to deal with alone because you’re not alone either.”

Jonghyun was the only reason Minho knew anything about being a werewolf. He was the only reason he knew that storing animal blood was definitely not a normal thing for werewolves to do. (He had looked at him weirdly when Minho asked, pressing him about the strange habits of his new roommate before Minho snapped at him that he barely knew him.) He was the only reason he had moved to the city, and he was the only person he felt close enough to confide in.

“How’d you know that’s how I felt?”

“Let’s just say you’re not the first werewolf I’ve had to play therapist for,” Jonghyun chuckled. “Alright, so see you next week?”

“I’ll be there.”

. . .

Where the fuck were his pills?

Taemin’s room looked like a hurricane had passed through it, clothes strewn all over the floor and empty drawers open. His reminder alarm had passed now thirty minutes ago and panic was settling. He wasn’t sure if the headache creeping up was his imagination or anxiety or the lack of suppressors. Was he supposed to feel things this quickly after missing a dose? The doctor did say it was important to take them exactly every six hours, fuck fuck fuck–

Taemin aggressively wrenched open the top drawer of his dresser. Too aggressively. It broke off the furniture and dangled helplessly in his hand, clothes spilling onto the floor. Fuck, it was starting. He needed to find them fast. Where could they have gone? He always kept them on his nightstand or in his pockets.

Pockets. He had been wearing Minho’s jacket that morning. It was a particularly chilly spring morning but despite Taemin’s protests that he didn’t get cold, Minho insisted on draping his favorite jean jacket over Taemin’s shoulders, his sweet smell enveloping him and making him sway happily at the door. These little gestures did nothing but fuel his crush on his roommate, a human, but Taemin didn’t care. He could love him from afar and be content. As long as Minho was laughing that high-pitched cackle of his and healthy playing his favorite sports and just happy. Or at least that’s what Taemin told himself.

A loud bang burst through the room when he dropped the drawer on the floor, piercing through his skull. He pressed both hands over his ears, trying to block out the sudden onslaught of sounds. Someone’s Netflix show in the next room over, a couple making out downstairs, a laptop overheating.

He needed those suppressors now.

He fumbled his way to Minho’s bedroom door, remembering how he had accidentally slipped the pill container back into the jacket pocket instead of his pants and returned the jacket that afternoon. But he hesitated. Minho had technically allowed him entry into his room as a vampire that first night, but could he really barge into his room to look through his stuff while he was at that family event?

The pounding at the back of his head told him that he had no choice. He threw open the door, stumbling back at the sudden barrage of smells hitting him all at once. Fuck, his sense of smell was heightened now too. He didn’t have much time. He tried to cover his nose but couldn’t get past the door frame without falling to his knees from how strong and overwhelming Minho’s scent was. It was everywhere, making Taemin’s head spin.

He tried again. Carefully standing on shaky legs, he held his breath which he didn’t even need in the first place. He just breathed out of habit but holding it seemed to dull the smell a little, which was all Taemin needed to super-speed through Minho’s closet and drawers, searching desperately for that jacket. Oh no, his speed was back too.

And he couldn’t find the jacket or the pills. Minho must have taken them with him, Taemin thought despondently. Now that his sense of smell was heightened, he could try tracking him, and he’d probably catch him in time with his speed. But the growing headache made it hard to think straight, that horrible nauseous feeling now catching up to him as well and making him stumble with every step back to his room.

Blood. Animal blood. That’s what he needed right now. He raided his mini-fridge, but he had stupidly forgotten to restock and there was barely anything left. He inhaled two cans of goat’s blood and a gallon of cow’s blood, but it only relieved his nausea, which he knew would come back tenfold if he didn’t do something else about it now.

He knew what he needed to do. He hurried out of his dorm, careful to only use his speed when there was no one around. He consciously ignored the lure of human blood, telling himself that it was just a craving that would pass. He made an effort to stand as far away from fellow students as he could when he passed them down the stairs of his hall, holding the breath he didn’t need so that the smell of blood wouldn’t make his craving even stronger and cause him to lose control.

He felt no relief from his now growing nausea when he burst through the dorm hall’s doors, the crisp night air hitting his face. He shut his eyes tightly and tried to remember where the closest vampire convenience shop was in the city. Two blocks over, Taemin repeated to himself as he trudged through the campus at night to reach the main street. Just two more blocks.

A woman’s shriek shot through the night, freezing him in place. Taemin could tell that the source of the scream wasn’t too far, maybe he should investigate–

He clutched his head in agony from the insistent pounding. No, he had no time to waste and so he forced his feet forward, ignoring the nagging sense that something was deeply wrong with that scream.

Another scream, this one longer and more desperate. Then a cry for help, for anyone nearby to do something. Taemin gritted his teeth and kept walking away from it. He couldn’t do anything, not in this state.

The screams died away, and if Taemin wasn’t desperate for suppressors, that would’ve been the end of it. But his heightened sense of hearing meant he heard the sob coming from the source of the scream. Quiet, insistent sobs that meant the woman had given up hope.

Taemin couldn’t stand it anymore.

He sped towards where he heard the scream, cutting across the entire campus in less than two seconds. It was pitch-black in this secluded part of the campus, with no lights from any streetlamps or neighboring buildings. But now he had night-vision too, great. He pushed the thought about his abilities returning and the desperation for his suppressors away when he saw two men pinning a woman to the ground, a piece of cloth tied tightly around her face that stopped her from screaming. Tears streamed down her face as they roughly manhandled her, cursing and hitting her when she kept trying to resist.

She hadn’t seen Taemin a few feet away. But when one of the men started lifting up the woman’s skirt, Taemin moved quickly, punching the offender hard in the stomach. He stumbled back, coughing and looking up in shock. To them, Taemin was just a shadowy, faceless figure trying to get in their way.

“Get out of here, punk. This isn’t your business,” the other man said. He was kneeling, arms still pressing the woman into the pavement.

“Make me.” Taemin swung and hit the man over the woman with another hard punch, feeling his skull crack against his knuckles. He collapsed onto the ground with a soft thud. Taemin dusted his palms off and reached for the woman, helping her stand. “Get out of here, somewhere well lit with people,” he whispered to her. She nodded quickly and sprinted away as Taemin stared down the remaining man. “You’re next,” he growled.

The man said nothing but moved into a fighting stance, one Taemin recognized from all his martial arts lessons as a kid. But Taemin didn’t have time for a sparring session, not with his head still pounding, his vision reddening, and adrenaline pumping through his veins. This is what happened before his first time, before he–

The man kicked Taemin in the side, clearly hoping to send him sideways and onto the ground. But Taemin barely moved, he barely even felt it. He glanced at the guy’s leg by his side and then smirked at his stupid, shocked expression.

“My turn.”

Taemin struck him across the jaw, some of the man’s teeth spilling onto the floor with a soft clatter that only Taemin could hear. He examined his knuckles casually, not even a bruise on them, while the man before him crumpled over, screaming and clutching his mouth in agony, blood running down his chin.

Blood. The smell rammed into Taemin all at once, nostrils flaring with how good, how delicious, it smelled. He could practically taste it running over his tongue, his teeth, spilling down his chin. Red edged his vision as he approached the man again, smirking heinously at the choked sob he let out. He kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying and skidding back on the pavement. His fangs were aching with want, with need. Taemin stalked towards the man once more, eyes narrowing as any control he had over his body unraveled when he released his fangs with a hiss. The man struggled to get up and coughed up blood, staining the pavement.

Taemin’s pupils dilated, and everything went black when he lunged.

He felt bloated the next morning. No, afternoon, Taemin groaned as he checked his phone on his nightstand that read 3 PM. He squinted, the light pouring in through his window too bright for him, the colors of his clothes strewn across the floor too vibrant. He inhaled deeply and caught a whiff of quesadillas which he somehow knew were being cooked two floors below. His senses were still heightened, but without the insistent pounding at the back of his head, he could focus on each detail flooding his mind, dissecting them and analyzing their value.

Taemin groaned again as he rolled over on his bed, feeling stuffed and full and gross. He had never felt this full in his entire life, not even after his first feeding.

His first feeding. His eyes snapped open in panic, and he frantically ran his tongue over his teeth, dreading the moment they caught on his fangs and sighing in relief when they didn’t. He rubbed his hands down his face, breathing deeply.

But when he pulled them away, he saw faint red rubbed off and stained on them, the clear remnants of dried blood.

. . .

The sanctuary’s lounge was relatively empty today. Minho observed a couple of kids playing video games in one corner and a woman cleaning up the leftovers of some baby back ribs on the table.

“Minho-yah!” Jonghyun enveloped Minho in a tight hug, patting him affectionately on the back. “Early as usual, huh.”

Minho stuffed his backpack into one of the cubbies. “Is that why no one’s here?”

“The sun sets in three hours, of course no one else is here,” Jonghyun laughed. He handed Minho a bag. “And by the way, here are your things from before. Don’t leave stuff again or we’ll confiscate it.”

“Actually?”

“No, silly,” Jonghyun said with a playful slap. “My mom would never enforce such a rule.”

“Where is your mom, by the way? I want to thank her for everything.”

“Sobam noona!” Jonghyun yelled loudly. A kid looked up from the video in curiosity before quickly returning to spamming his remote. “Where’s Mom?”

A young woman peered in through the doorframe. “Talking to Heechul outside. Why?”

“Minho-yah wants to see her,” Jonghyun smiled, pushing Minho forward.

He bowed politely to greet Jonghyun’s older sister, “Hi, Sodam-ssi.”

“Aish, Minho.” She pulled him into a tight hug just like Jonghyun had. “No need to be so formal, I’ve known you since you were in diapers, hm?” She ruffled up his hair kindly. “How are your parents?”

“They’re doing fine. Things are boring without me, is what they keep telling me,” Minho chuckled.

“I’m sure they are without your handsome face brightening things up,” she said, playfully pinching his cheeks and stretching out his face.

“Stop flirting with him, noona,” Jonghyun’s annoyed voice sounded from behind.

“Yah, I’m just stating the facts.” After a moment, she let go and patted his cheek softly. Voice gentle, she asked, “And I take it they don’t know…?”

Minho shook his head. “No one but Jonghyun and the others here know.” He tried to keep his voice level, not betraying how much it hurt to think about the big secret he was keeping from everyone he cared about.

But Sodam noticed anyway. She frowned and pulled Minho in for another tight hug, rubbing her hand along his back comfortingly. “We’re your family here, Minho. Everyone here is, don’t you forget that, okay?”

“Like a pack.”

“Not the time for jokes, Jonghyun-ah,” Sodam scolded. She let Minho go, observing his face. He hoped he didn’t look like he was about to cry. “These nights can be fun too, you know? Me and Jonghyunnie have come up with some games to pass the time. The kids love them.”

“That sounds great,” Minho said, cheering up when one of the kids playing video games rushed over to Sodam and tugged on the fabric of her pants insistently.

“What is it, Yoogeun-ah?” Sodam asked.

“Can we play duck-duck-goose tonight?”

Sodam hummed playfully, leaning down to squish Yoogeun’s face. “I don’t know… I didn’t hear the magic word.”

Jonghyun explained softly behind Minho. “Their parents are human. They drop them off here so that they can turn safely.”

Minho looked at Yoogeun, a kid probably barely six years old, cursed with turning into a beast with every full moon. He couldn’t imagine dealing with that at such a young age. He could barely deal with it now as a twenty-year-old.

“Pretty please?” Yoogeun pleaded with Sodam in a high-pitched voice.

“How can I say no to that?” Sodam booped his nose cutely. “Remind me later and we’ll play, okay?”

Yoogeun nodded and scurried back to the video game in the corner of the room. Sodam sighed, standing up straight now. “I know you wanted to see Mom tonight, but she’s really busy running this place with the inspection stuff and all. The city’s giving us a hard time again.”

“But I thought we passed fine last time?” Jonghyun asked.

“That was last time. They added a bunch of stupid rules and–” She ran a hand through her hair. “I’ll let her know that you were looking for her tonight, Minho. Maybe you’ll see her in the forest. It’s not the same as the family brunches we used to have but…”

“That sounds fine, noona,” Minho assured her, giving her his best smile.

Turns out he did see Jonghyun’s mother later that night in the forest. Granted, it was definitely strange meeting someone he hadn’t seen for a few years while both of them were wolves, but as the night progressed, Minho felt himself naturally embracing his form. They couldn’t speak telepathically – that was reserved for family members and those in an official pack, of which Minho was not still a part – but conversing as a wolf was somehow easy and natural.

He and Jonghyun hunted together for the first part of the night after meeting his mother, making games of their animal prey and feasting hungrily whenever they caught something. Once they were full, Jonghyun grunted to Minho to follow him. Together, they emerged from the forest, meeting the centaurs guarding the edge, their stoic figures illuminated in the moonlight.

Ever since he was a kid and learned about the different monsters that lived in the world in hiding, Minho had always felt bad for centaurs. They couldn’t disguise themselves as human, putting them inevitably at the most risk of all monsters. But only when Minho had turned into one himself, and Jonghyun had confided in him about also being a werewolf, did Jonghyun explain to him that sanctuaries like this around the world were not only for werewolves, but for centaurs and those who had no other option, or else be persecuted by humans. The centaurs provided guard while the werewolves hunted, making sure none of the wolves escaped into the city, and in return, they had a place to live and stay safe.

Minho knew all these things. But he had yet to meet a centaur, and though Minho was a large wolf, the centaur before him towered over him, looking down at him with a stern gaze. If Minho wasn’t a super-powered wolf right now, he would’ve started sweating with nerves.

“Heechul hyung,” Jonghyun grunted, bowing his head, light brown fur catching the moonlight. The first time Minho had transformed in the sanctuary, he was surprised at how the grunts and barks from the other wolves sounded just like words to him. And how he could easily speak as well.

“Jonghyun-ah, have you eaten yet?” Heechul asked in Korean, some worry in his voice.

“Of course I did. I wouldn’t have come to see you otherwise,” Jonghyun said, annoyed.

“You can understand us?” Minho barked out, surprised.

Heechul spared him a glance. “We study thousands of languages.”

Before Minho could ask how barks and howls possibly constituted a language, Jonghyun spoke beside him. “Was Mom really worried about these inspections?”

Heechul sighed, eyes gazing up to the sky, the full moon smiling down at them with her cool light. “The inspectors are nervous about vampires and taking it out on us.”

“Vampires?” Minho asked.

Heechul continued as if he hadn’t heard Minho. “There have been an increase in vampire attacks in the city. They’re obviously vampires by the way the humans have died so I don’t understand why they’re blaming us or you all but,” his front hoof struck the ground with a soft thud, “it’s gonna take some convincing to get them to believe us.”

“Those damned vampires,” Jonghyun cursed. “They only care about themselves.” Looking back up at Heechul, he asked helplessly, “Don’t the inspectors realize that if they close us down, it’s more dangerous for humans?”

“They don’t care about that. They don’t care about us, you know this, Jonghyun-ah.” Heechul’s stoic expression hardened. “It’s just the way the world works, and they’ll always get their way.”

A distant howl cut through the quiet of the night, and Jonghyun sighed and stepped back, looking at Minho. “It’s Sodam noona. She wants us to play with the kids.”

Minho had understood that from the howl. Heechul also seemed to understand, already walking away and leaving them alone in the night. If Minho were born a centaur, he’d also harbor the same hatred for humans, he reasoned.

But as it stood, Minho was not a centaur. He had been human for almost his entire life, and he was still practically human for the majority of it, like Jonghyun had said. You’re human all the time until you’re not.

And Minho was in love with a human. There, he had admitted it to himself, although he would probably never admit it to Kibum. He had completely and utterly fallen for Taemin with his soft, giggly disposition. Taemin, with his adorable gummy smile and hiccupy laugh. Taemin, with his bright eyes that looked up at Minho whenever they stood near each other, if only Minho could lean down and kiss him.

He couldn’t possibly harbor so much hatred towards humans because he was stupidly in love with one and would do everything in his power to protect him.

“Minho-yah,” Jonghyun called, jerking his head in the direction of the forest again. “The kids.”

“Coming.” Minho lept into the forest after Jonghyun, a howl ripping through his throat to let the pack know he was on his way.

Minho trudged up his dorm hall’s steep flight of stairs, cursing the engineer that refused to install an elevator. He always felt exhausted after the full moon, sometimes sleeping through the entire next day, but he had two classes to attend in the morning and barely got through them after rushing back from the sanctuary late, even as he had a smile on his face from how liberating and fun the last night had been after talking to Heechul. He and Jonghyun had played with Sodam and the kids for most of the night, jumping and running around the forest until they were out of breath and panting in a moonlit flower field Jonghyun had discovered years before.

But he hadn’t even been back to his room the entire day, and he could practically hear his bed beckoning him from a few floors up. He threw open the heavy stairwell door, jumping when he heard it thump against someone.

“Yah, watch where you’re going,” Kibum muttered, rubbing his head as he walked away. He didn’t look at Minho, and it seemed like he was in a rush, but Minho couldn’t help it.

“You’ve got eyes too.”

Kibum spun around on his heel, a glare set on his face before he realized it was Minho. His features softened into a knowing smirk and he drawled out, “Hello, Choi Minho. Late night?” He glanced knowingly at the mesh bag of clothes slung around his shoulder. Minho’s face reddened, but before he could say anything, Kibum placed his hands on his hips. “Let me guess, Taemin? Hm, but that doesn’t make any sense, you live together…” he mused teasingly, eyes narrowing at Minho.

“No, that’s not–” Minho started before Kibum waved his hand at him dismissively.

“I don’t have time for your denial,” he said impatiently. He lowered his voice to a whisper and stepped closer to Minho, eyes darting around the hallway. “I was rushing over to tell my roommate, but did you hear about the attack last night?”

“Attack?”

“Yeah, I accidentally overheard Professor Jinki and some cop talking about it. Two guys dead in the north end, pretty brutally killed apparently.”

Minho’s eyes widened. “Killed? How do they know?”

“Pretty sure if they had alcohol poisoning they wouldn’t be so hush-hush about it,” Kibum rolled his eyes. “But no, get this. One guy’s heart was excised.”

Minho gaped. “As in– torn out?”

“Yeah, that’s all I heard before I had to go. Crazy shit, right?” Kibum shook his head, stepping back and glancing down the hall towards his dorm. “I don’t know why they haven’t made an announcement or something, though. If there’s some manic serial killer running around campus who tears out his victims’ hearts in the dead of night, then I’d like to know.”

Minho nodded mutely, murmuring a quick goodbye to Kibum before he rushed off to his dorm, leaving Minho standing in the quiet hallway. An excised heart? Brutally murdered? Was this what Heechul was talking about, the vampire attacks? Minho took a shuddering breath in and headed towards his dorm, trying to block out the mental image of two torn up bodies lying across campus, shimmering with wet blood.

The dorm was a disaster. The cushions on the couch were upturned, the drawers in their tiny kitchen halfway open, and utensils on the floor.

What happened?

Minho carefully stepped into the dorm, clicking the door shut behind him and sliding off his shoes. Was this Taemin’s doing? Was Taemin even home? He hesitantly made his way towards Taemin’s bedroom door, hesitating before knocking.

What if Taemin had thrown some sort of party last night and had gotten so wasted he was still asleep in the afternoon? Or what if he wasn’t asleep? What if he was making out with some guest from the party right this minute?

He was jumping to conclusions. Jealous conclusions. Shaking the thoughts away, he prepared to knock before hearing a soft, choked sob from inside the room. He pressed his ear against the door, worry drawn all over his face as the sobs continued, hiccupy and desperate. He forgot about knocking and burst through Taemin’s door loudly. “Taemin-ah, what’s wrong?”

Taemin sat in a huddled ball on his floor, t-shirts and underwear littered all over the floor. One drawer from his dresser lay detached from the piece of furniture on the floor. There were crushed cans thrown near his mini-fridge, along with a gallon jug. The only normal thing was his bed, which was wrinkled but still made, indicating that someone had just lain on top of it.

“Hyung?”

Minho looked down at Taemin, a shaking pile of limps on the floor, small and delicate and hurt. He was a mess, snot, and tears running down his face from who knows how long he had been crying. When Taemin noticed Minho studying him, he rubbed his hands aggressively over his face, wiping it all off. Then he sat on his hands and stared at the floor, a small whimper escaping from his throat.

“Taemin, what happened?” Minho asked, hoping his voice conveyed all the concern he felt. What could have happened to Taemin to leave him like this? Who had done this to him? Minho’s blood boiled at the thought that someone had hurt Taemin this badly. He navigated his way through the maze of litter in the bedroom, sinking down onto the floor beside Taemin, their backs against his bed frame and knees slightly touching. He ignored the urge to pull Taemin into a tight hug. When Taemin still didn’t speak, Minho carefully said, “Taemin-ah, you can tell me.”

Taemin whimpered again, another tear falling from his chin. Minho couldn’t take it anymore and wrapped Taemin up with his strong arms, patting his back comfortingly as more sobs ripped through Taemin’s throat. They stayed like that for a few minutes, waiting as Taemin’s cries softened to some heavy breathing and finally stopped. Minho rubbed his back through it all, heart hurting with the way he felt the fabric of his shirt getting wet with Taemin’s tears.

His jaw clenched. Whoever did this to Taemin would pay.

When Taemin finally pulled away, he stood up on shaky legs and pulled some tissues out of the box, blowing his nose loudly. They both said nothing as Taemin exhausted his nostrils and cleaned up his face before sitting by Minho on the floor again.

“Are you okay?” Minho asked quietly.

Taemin sniffled and gave him a small nod, eyes trained on the floor. “I’m a little better.”

Minho tried again. “What happened?”

“I…I can’t tell you.”

Minho leaned forward to look Taemin in the eyes. “You can tell me anything, Taemin-ah. Nothing will scare me away.” He meant it.

“No, this is bad,” Taemin said helplessly. “You won’t ever see me the same way again.”

“Trashing the apartment isn’t the end of the world, Taemin,” Minh tried. “You just have to let me know next time you decide to throw a party–”

“No,” Taemin cut him off. “No, it’s not like that. It’s worse.” He let his head hang between his knees. “A thousand times worse.”

Minho took Taemin’s hand in his, sensing him tense with his touch. Was he making it worse? He brushed the thought away, focused on telling Taemin as lovingly as he could, “You can tell me anything. Tell me who did this to you.”

“It was me,” Taemin cried, looking up at Minho with panicked eyes. “Me. I did it.”

“I told you, the mess isn’t that big of a deal, we can just cl–”

Taemin tried pulling his hand away but Minho held on. “You shouldn’t even be near me,” ripped out of Taemin, another choked sob following.

“Taemin, what’s wrong? What are you saying?” Minho turned Taemin’s hand over in his, ready to rub his thumb soothingly over his palm. “What happened to your hands?” His palms were stained slightly red, some dried blood visible underneath his nails.

Taemin snatched his hand away, not looking Minho in the eye. “I can’t tell you.”

“Taemin, if you don’t tell me, I can’t help you,” Minho pleaded.

“You can’t help me either way.”

“Let me try,” Minho cried. “It’s killing me to see you like this, you know? Sobbing on the floor for a reason you won’t tell me.”

Taemin bit back another sob, shutting his eyes tightly. “I can’t do this anymore,” he said through gritted teeth. “I can’t, I can’t.”

“Do what?”

“It’s too much, I can’t,” he repeated like a mantra.

“What’s too much?” Minho pressed.

“I’m a vampire, okay?” Taemin snapped, staring at Minho. He took a shaky breath in. “There, I said it. I…I’m a vampire.”

Minho didn’t speak for a moment, opening and closing his mouth pointlessly as he struggled to say something and Taemin continued staring at him. “A vampire? You?” he finally managed, his voice hoarse. Taemin nodded solemnly.

“So the blood…the attack… That– that was you?”

Taemin tensed but remained silent, confirming Minho’s suspicion. “I didn’t mean it,” he whispered after a few moments. “I didn’t want any of this, I didn’t mean it.”

Minho’s stomach twisted in on itself. He felt betrayed, lied to. Taemin? The sweet kid who cooked bad rice for him and needed math help was a vampire? The most dangerous monster, capable of brutal deaths and mutilations, feeding on human beings and damned for eternity. It just didn’t make any sense.

Taemin had murdered two men.

And now he was sitting cross-legged next to him in his bedroom. Minho shifted so that their knees were no longer touching, burying his face in his hands.

“A vampire,” he said finally.

It wasn’t a question, just a statement. Minho knew Taemin wasn’t joking, and it all started adding up in a rush in his mind: the pungent smell of animal blood from his room that first day, why he was never tired, his paleness, why he barely ate. The realization, the lies, the coverups were all too much for Minho.

“Hyung?”

Minho lifted his head with some difficulty, blinking at Taemin numbly. He still had the same tear-stained, adorable face that Minho had wanted to kiss hundreds of times before and just minutes ago wanted to hug and comfort. But now Minho noticed his teeth and wondered what he would look like with his fangs out, hissing and ravenous for blood. It scared him, and it scared him that he didn’t seem to know this side of Taemin at all. It was like meeting a completely different person he entirely disliked, one he knew was evil, but learning they were one in the same with someone he loved. It was too much all at once.

He stood up rapidly. “I need to go.”

“Hyung, wait–”

“Wait for what?” Minho turned away from Taemin, unable to look him in the eyes. “Wait for you to attack me or something? And what if I had been here last night?” He paused, breathing quickly. He shut his eyes tightly as he forced out, “It would’ve been me, right?”

Taemin pleaded, voice cracking, “No, no, hyung I’d never–”

“Taemin, I can’t do this right now. I need some time,” Minho said bruskly, pushing his way out of his bedroom and into the hall, running down the stairs and across the campus, towards the one place he knew he’d be safe.

“Jonghyun hyung,” Minho panted when he reached the sanctuary after Jonghyun had helped him walk inside. “I found the vampire.”

. . .

Taemin stared at his door, slowly swinging back into place after Minho had roughly pushed it open and stormed out. There was no sound, except the quiet ticking of the clock down the hall Taemin could hear if he focused.

Which he couldn’t because Minho had left him. Minho had left him. Minho had looked at him with pure fear, wide eyes trained on his mouth, no doubt examining his hidden fangs. He had completely shattered whatever idea he had of Taemin, leaving a shell of a person – no, not even a person. A monster.

Minho had reacted the exact way Taemin would have if he were in his place, he couldn’t even blame him.

Taemin blinked back the tears burning behind his eyes. He’d done enough crying already with Minho.

Stop thinking about Minho!

He had lost Minho. And he just had to accept that.

He inhaled deeply, staggering to his feet. He had to think logically now, no matter how much his heart hurt. His life was more at stake with every passing moment, the human cops no doubt putting two and two together pretty soon. Taemin could call his brother since he had been the one to help him last time this happened. Or his parents, Taemin remembered with a cringe.

But one quick glance at the mirror and seeing his disheveled, bloody, and cried-out self staring back at him with a blank expression told him that he was in no position to deal with his overbearing family even if they could help him. At least not right now. He needed to compose himself first, maybe find someone else to talk to. As he cleaned up in the bathroom, looking somewhat presentable again, he ran over his options again. Besides his parents and family friends from out of town, he didn’t know any other vampires.

Which is how he ended up sitting outside the nearest vampire convenience store, sipping on an apple-juice carton that actually contained goat’s blood, the receipt crumpled on the table. He figured he might as well buy his favorite flavor. Maybe he’d feel better.

Once he finished his drink, he leaned back in his chair, people-watching those passing by on the sidewalk. They didn’t spare the convenience store a glance, very easily disguised as a normal human one. But there was a secret back area open only to vampires, making it perfect for those who needed to restock on suppressors or a quick fix of animal blood. Taemin cringed when he remembered how close he was last night to the store, on the brink before losing control.

But he didn’t regret saving the woman, even if he killed two evil men in the process. He just couldn’t find it in himself to feel that sorry.

Until Minho’s shocked face flashed again in his mind.

Taemin ran a frustrated hand through his hair, focusing on calming down his breathing. He was here to find another vampire, that was the whole point. He refocused on the plan, taking note of anyone who walked into the store and if they went into the secret back area. He thought about talking to the cashier but the glare she sent him when he tried to make small talk as he bought his goat’s blood sent a shiver down his spine and scared him off. He’d have to resort to a passerby.

“Taemin?”

Taemin blinked up at the voice and was surprised to see Professor Jinki standing before him, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. “Professor,” Taemin said, hurriedly getting to his feet to greet him with a bow.

Jinki smiled at him warmly. “Will you be here for a while? I’d like to chat.”

Talk with him here? Was he in trouble? “Sure,” Taemin stammered out. “I’m staying for a while.”

“Great.” Jinki glanced towards the convenience store. “I’ll be right back. The stuff I need to buy is in the back,” he said before winking at Taemin and leaving him flabbergasted alone at the table.

Jinki couldn’t be a vampire too, could he? Taemin watched through the window with his heart in his throat as Jinki approached the cashier and she nodded and led him through to the secret vampire section.

Jinki was a vampire.

A vampire who clearly knew about Taemin, what with that wink he gave him earlier. How did he find out? Was Taemin that obvious? He had kept it from Minho for this long, and Minho was the person he had spent the most time with.

But his thoughts were interrupted when Jinki returned, two cans of cow’s blood in his hands. He sat down across from Taemin, sliding one of the cans over to him. Taemin took it hesitantly, eyeing Jinki the entire time, the can cracking open with a soft hiss.

“I didn’t know what flavor you liked, so I went with a classic,” Jinki started casually. “I’m sure you’re feeling full enough as it is.”

Taemin froze, placing the can back onto the table. “What?”

“The two men. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Taemin stared at Jinki incredulously, sputtering out, “Professor, I don’t know–”

Jinki chuckled softly, sipping on his cow’s blood. “Relax, I’m here to help you. I don’t want to see you get hauled in by the Council.”

“What?”

Help him? There had been too many surprises today, and Taemin didn’t know what to believe. His parents had taught him that it was every vampire for themself and that he could trust no one but his family. Who even was this Jinki? How old was he? What family did he come from? Did he even come from one? There was just too much Taemin didn’t know.

“Why? You don’t even know me.”

Jinki sighed, placing the now empty can onto the table. “I know your parents, Taemin. Known them for years actually, which is how I recognized you before.”

“My parents? They’ve never mentioned you,” Taemin thought out loud.

“We had a bit of a falling out,” Jinki frowned at the memory. “Different philosophies.”

They fell silent for a moment, hearing the occasional car woosh by them on the street.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” Taemin asked.

“436.” At Taemin’s surprised expression, Jinki laughed and said, “What? It’s your parents’ ages too.”

“That’s true,” Taemin nodded. “I just can’t get over how young you look.”

Jinki preened, flipping his hair dramatically. “One of our special abilities, as I’m sure you know.”

At the reminder of his abilities, Taemin grimaced and looked down at the table, avoiding Jinki’s eyes. “Yeah, I do.”

“Listen, Taemin-ah.” Jinki leaned forward on his elbows, voice low. “Your family raised you to hunt humans, which is why this happened. I know it was an accident, and I know you don’t want this to keep happening.”

“How do you know? It could’ve been on purpose,” Taemin snapped, looking back at Jinki and hoping he sounded intimidating and not at all terrified by his actions and the consequences he might face in the future.

“For one, you wouldn’t have left such a mess on purpose, I’m sure your parents taught you how to clean up well,” Jinki stated matter-of-factly. Then, eyes not leaving Taemin’s face, he said sincerely, “And you care. You care, or you wouldn’t be in university now.” He leaned back into his seat and added, “You wouldn’t have saved that woman last night.”

“How–”

“Cameras, Taemin-ah.” At Taemin’s panicked expression, Jinki waved his hand dismissively. “They didn’t catch your face in the footage, don’t worry.”

Taemin gave him a small nod, hands playing with the zipper of his jacket nervously. “So no one knows it’s me?”

“Not yet.” Jinki paused, studying Taemin. “I can make sure it stays that way.”

“You’d do that?” A small flicker of hope burned in his chest at the idea of a second – or third, technically – chance.

“Yes, if you agree to train with me.” Taemin squinted at Jinki in confusion and he explained, “Train with me to control your hunger.” At Taemin’s still confused expression, he looked around as if searching for the words to clarify. Finally he settled on, “What do you know about vampire families?”

Taemin furrowed his brow in question but answered anyway, reciting what his parents had told him since he was young. “There are some extremely old and powerful families whose legacies still survive today. They’re different from vampires that are turned as humans, being born from two vampire parents. They require…” Taemin hesitated, and Jinki motioned for Taemin to continue. “They require human blood as opposed to animal blood to maintain control over their superior powers.”

Jinki nodded in satisfaction. “Exactly. Your parents, and by extension you and your brother, are legacies in this way. So am I.”

Taemin’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Jinki nodded again. “When the Council outlawed human hunting centuries ago to protect us from humans and keep us hidden, some legacy families were…not happy, you could say.” Jinki smiled wryly after finding the right words, eyes distant as he recalled the events he was probably there for. “Your family being one of them.”

“And you were fine with it?”

“I was for it. Hence the falling out,” Jinki said. “For years before, I had been developing techniques and practices to stay off human blood and tried to make it more widespread among legacy families. Your parents weren’t happy with that either.” He sighed before leveling Taemin with a look. “But with my methods, you can stay off the suppressors and control your hunger and powers.”

Taemin perked up, curious. “Really? How does that work?”

“I can train you,” Jinki smiled. “It’s not easy, but in my experience, it’s worth it.”

“So,” Taemin gestured at the empty cans scattered on the table, “you only drink animal blood? And you don’t get hungry?”

“Yup,” Jinki said cheerfully. “And without suppressors, you’ll be able to use your powers as well. Wisely, of course,” he added carefully.

“Right, right,” Taemin agreed quickly. He paused, remembering his parents' words and lessons to him as a child, engrained in his mind: Human blood is the only thing that sustains us. Feeding is a matter of survival.

He nervously glanced up at Jinki. “How can I trust you? How do I know this works?”

Jinki sighed deeply again and said, “You don’t. Your parents could handle the Council if you told them what happened with no problem, though they’d probably pull you out of school to keep an eye on you.” Taemin’s stomach twisted at the thought of leaving his new home, but Jinki continued. “This is a leap of faith, and I understand your hesitation. But Taemin-ah.” Jinki leaned forward again, voice strong when he said, “I see myself in you. This life is tearing you apart, like it did to me and I don’t want to see you go down the paths I did. I can help you.”

Taemin swallowed back a lump that had formed in his throat. Voice catching, he said without looking Jinki in the eye, “You don’t know me.”

“I’ve seen how you act around your friends, especially that Choi Minho.” Taemin’s heart jumped at his name, and Jinki smiled warmly at him. “Taemin, you care. You aren’t a monster.”

“But…what I did…” Taemin let out a choked sob, covering his mouth with his hand to keep Jinki from seeing, which of course he did anyway. Jinki rushed over to Taemin’s side, pulling him into a hug. Taemin let the tears fall again.

Shaking in Jinki’s arms, Taemin heard him say softly over his head, “Now, you can make it right.”

Taemin walked back to his dorm alone, the almost-full moon looming over him in the sky. After crying again and later composing himself, Jinki told Taemin to meet him the next morning in his office to start their training. He said it was mostly mental exercises and meditations to start, which Taemin had no clue how that would help, but he was in no position to argue, not when Jinki held the key to the life Taemin wanted in his hand.

Not having to feed on human blood would be a game-changer for Taemin. Jinki had told him that his previous method of brute force and ignoring the symptoms until they became unbearable was avoiding the problem and eventually making it worse. Human blood was like a drug, an addiction. And the more Taemin fed on it, the more the hunger would control him. He needed to break the cycle.

But for now, he was still full, his senses sharp, his strength sizzling at his fingertips. He had bought a few more suppressors at the convenience store for later, which Jinki had agreed was a good back-up as he began his training. They rattled loudly in his pocket as he trudged up the stairs, not looking forward to the mess he’d have to clean up in the dorm.

Taemin pushed open the heavy stairwell door at his floor and was met with a bang and some cussing.

“What the fuck– this is the second time,” Kibum mumbled as he rubbed his head, shooting Taemin a death glare before softening slightly when he recognized him. “Ah, Taemin-ah.” Then it hardened again when he noticed his messy clothes and hair, eyes scanning him up and down. Taemin must’ve not done a good job washing up earlier. “What are you doing out so late?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Taemin was pretty sure it was past 3 AM and it was a Thursday. There had to be a reason Minho’s loud human friend from across the hall was up at this time.

“I asked first.”

Taemin rolled his eyes, brushing past him to get to his dorm. He used his practiced excuse. “Studying.”

“Yeah, sure,” Kibum drawled sarcastically.

Taemin stopped to turn and look at Kibum, who had one brow raised at him suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“If you’re seeing someone else, you should just tell Minho.”

“What?”

Kibum stepped closer to him. “Don’t play dumb. If you’re seeing someone else, then yeah, that’s fine. But don’t play with Minho’s heart and tell it to him straight.”

Taemin gaped at him before stammering out, “I’m not seeing anyone else.”

Kibum scoffed, gesturing at Taemin’s get-up. “Say whatever you want. Just don’t lead Minho on anymore. It’s exhausting to hear about it all the time.”

“How am I leading h–”

“Please, don’t you realize how much he likes you?” At Taemin’s shocked expression, Kibum laughed dryly, the sound echoing in the empty hall. “Even my roommate’s noticed and he never talks to Minho.”

“But Minho…” Taemin remembered how Minho had stormed out earlier, how he had looked at him with pure fear in his eyes. If there was something there before, it was surely extinguished now. “We had a fight,” Taemin said quietly. “If he liked me before, I’m sure he doesn’t like me now.”

“Oh,” Kibum stepped back, voice softening. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” He paused, searching for the right words in the awkward silence that stretched between them. “I’m sure you two will figure it out.”

“If I were him, I wouldn’t even try,” Taemin mumbled, walking towards his dorm and slamming the door behind him.

. . .

“The vampire? Minho-yah, you realize there’s not just one vampire,” Jonghyun said after helping an exhausted Minho into a seat at the lounge dining table, taking the seat beside him for himself. “There are probably dozens in Seoul alone.”

Minho struggled to respond, still catching his breath from running the entire way here. “My…roommate,” he managed to say between breaths.

Jonghyun froze. “Your roommate’s a vampire?” Minho gave him a small nod, surprised when Jonghyun then clapped him cheerily on the back and said, “That’s great! You have another monster you can bond with!”

“What?”

“I mean, vampires aren’t my favorites, it’d be better if he were a merman or fae or even better, another werewolf,” Jonghyun rambled to himself. Then he shook his head with a smile. “But we’ll take what we can get, right?”

“Huh– hyung, he’s a vampire.”.

“So? He has to live in hiding like the rest of us. If you’re worried about yourself, they don’t like werewolf blood. And human hunting was banned internally years ago.” Jonghyun yawned, totally at ease with Minho’s revelation and probably exhausted from the night before. Minho was even starting to feel sleep deprivation settling into his body.

He shook it away and took a deep breath. “This one,” Minho struggled to say, “killed two people.”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened in understanding and he stayed quiet for a moment. Now Minho could notice the prominent bags under his eyes.

“This roommate, he’s the one you’ve talked about before, right?”

Minho tensed, shooting Jonghyun a questioning look. He might have mentioned to Jonghyun some things here and there about Taemin, how cute he looked when focused on his studies or when eating cereal. But all that felt foreign to him now, like the memories of a different person. “Yeah, it’s him.”

“You really care about him.”

“What– no, he’s a murderer,” Minho said immediately, ignoring how his stomach twisted in on itself tighter and tighter, coiling in his body. He spat out as viciously as he could, “He means nothing to me.”

It sounded like a pathetic lie to his own ears.

Jonghyun caught on, sighing deeply. “Minho, he trusted you with a very important part of himself. He clearly cares about you too. Did you even hear him out? Vampires usually don’t attack humans anymore, especially not those in university.”

A pang of guilt stabbed through Minho. He hadn’t heard Taemin’s side of the story, only the scraps from Kibum and what he pulled together with Taemin’s silence and his own imagination. He remembered how small and hurt Taemin had looked in his room, huddled in on himself and sobs racking through him, tears staining Minho’s shirt. He clenched his fists on the table, suddenly angry with himself for how he handled the situation, storming out after Taemin told him he was a vampire.

Minho imagined himself in Taemin’s shoes. If he had told Taemin that he was a werewolf and Taemin stormed out and yelled at him, how would he feel?

Destroyed. That was the only word that came to Minho’s mind at the thought. If Taemin rejected such an integral part of him, a part of himself he had come to enjoy in a strange way, making friends in the sanctuary and escaping every 28 days, he would feel completely and utterly destroyed. He loved Taemin and he had learned to love this part of himself.

But Taemin didn’t seem to love being a vampire, if his crying and hesitation to tell Minho was any indication. And Minho had just made it worse, treating him like an entirely different person and storming out. Where even was Taemin now? Still huddled in his room, by himself in the dark? Or maybe stumbling around aimlessly in the city, looking for someone to talk to? It should’ve been Minho with him.

He buried his face in his hands. “What have I done?” he whispered.

Jonghyun placed a comforting arm around his shoulders. “My advice, Minho-yah, is to have compassion. You’ll come to realize you have more in common than you think in this world.”

Minho stayed quiet, even as Jonghyun sighed and stood up, telling him that they both had to sleep and that he was welcome to stay the night if he wanted. Minho sat at the table, watching all the sanctuary lights shut off one by one down the hall, thinking about Taemin. His hand rested over the phone hidden in his pocket, burning a hole through the fabric. He should just text Taemin, apologize, and tell him that they needed to talk.

He fished his phone out, ready to swipe into Taemin’s contact name, but it was dead. Minho gripped his phone tightly, resisting the urge to smash it into the table. He ran his hands through his hair, knotting his fingers on it and tugging on whatever he found until it hurt. He leaned over the table, blinking back the tears that now threatened to spill out. He had to fix this, he had to.

But exhaustion started overtaking him. The longer Minho stayed at the table with the lights off trying to think of how to make things right, the more the darkness and urge to sleep tempted him, until he fell asleep on the table, dead phone in his open palm.

Minho stood before his hall’s front doors, neck craning upwards as he looked at the floors until his eyes landed on the fifth one: his and Taemin’s. Minho had stayed the entire day at the sanctuary, tidying himself up and helping Jonghyun with spring cleaning chores to get his mind off Taemin, which was impossible. Every time Taemin flashed in his mind, it was the broken and crying one in his room, probably hurt beyond that because of Minho’s actions.

He had cleaned every corner of the sanctuary today.

But after a while, Jonghyun basically kicked him out. You can’t avoid him forever, Minho-yah. And now, the sun recently set and dusk creating a hazy glow around everything, Minho stood before his dorm’s building, hand on the door handle, ready to pull. But he couldn’t. He didn’t even know what he was going to say to Taemin. That he forgave him for murdering two people? That he didn’t care that he was a vampire? That he was also a monster?

That he loved him.

Minho wrenched his hand away from the door, shaking his head and deciding to stroll around campus a bit before figuring it out. He needed to clear his mind.

He walked like that for an hour or so, watching the dusk turn to night and listening to the crickets chirping, until he had looped around and ended up right in the same spot as before, his hall’s building looming before him. He still hadn’t exactly figured out what he was going to say when he saw Taemin but he knew he couldn’t put it off anymore.

Just as he made for the door, a soft whimper from behind caused him to spin around. There was a medium-sized dog hiding underneath the nearby bench, barely noticeable in the soft glow of the streetlight. It whimpered and whined insistently as Minho approached the dog slowly, crouching to his knees in front of it and holding out his palm for the dog to sniff.

“Hey there, buddy,” Minho said quietly to not startle it. “What’s wrong?” The dog just whined again, pushing its snout into Minho’s hand and looking up at him with big eyes. Minho chuckled, somehow knowing what it wanted. “Hungry, hm?”

The dog wagged its tail excitedly as Minho reached into his pocket for the organic granola bar he always carried around, the crinkling sound as he ripped open the packaging making the dog bark happily. Minho broke off part of it and placed it on the floor for the dog to eat. It gobbled it up quickly and looked up at Minho for more. He laughed and broke up the rest of the bar to leave it on the floor for the dog, dusting his hands off when he finished. He watched with satisfaction as the dog munched on the bar hungrily, humming lightly at how relaxed he felt now.

He made up his mind then. He had to tell Taemin the truth – about everything. About how he wanted to hear his side, about how he was a werewolf, and about how he loved him. It was the only way to truly make things right between them. No more secrets.

Determined, Minho pet the dog softly, scratching it behind its ears. “Come back if you’re hungry again, okay?” With that, he stood up and opened the door that he couldn’t before, trudging up the familiar, annoying stairs, to get to his dorm’s front door. He took a deep breath and unlocked it, tentatively stepping inside.

The dorm was spotless. The tiny kitchen counter gleamed at him, the floor sparkled, and everything smelled like cleaning supplies. Minho slipped off his shoes quietly, wondering if he should call for Taemin or knock on his door or just wait for him to approach him.

But just then, Taemin appeared from the bathroom with a bottle of Windex and a rag in his hands, jumping when he noticed Minho standing there. “Hi, hyung,” he said nervously.

“Taemin-ah.” Minho wanted nothing more than to rush up to Taemin and squeeze him into a tight hug, never letting him go ever again. He looked adorable in an oversized sweatshirt, fluffy hair covering his forehead and his eyes. He never listened when Minho had told him to cut it. Minho took a step forward, ready to say something when Taemin cut him off.

“I…I understand if you don’t want to be roommates anymore.”

What?

Minho stepped forward again, confusion drawn on his face, before he froze in place when he noticed Taemin tense, gripping the Windex bottle tighter.

“I understand if you feel unsafe with me as your roommate and…” Taemin hesitated. “And if you don’t even want to be friends anymore.” His voice shook and Minho’s heart cracked.

“Taemin-ah,” Minho started.

But Taemin blindly continued, staring down at the floor, eyes unblinking, “I cleaned up today and I’ll go through all the trouble of changing rooms so you don’t have to do anything and I’ll leave you alo–”

Minho had him wrapped up in a hug, Windex and rag hitting the floor with a soft thud. Taemin’s breath caught in his throat and he felt tense in Minho’s arms for a few moments before he relaxed, melting into the hug and tentatively wrapping his small arms around Minho’s back. Minho squeezed him tighter.

“I still want to be roommates,” Minho assured him, breath whispering into Taemin’s hair. “And your friend.”

“But I’m a monster,” Taemin said quietly into Minho’s chest.

Minho pulled away, searching Taemin’s eyes. In them he found apprehension, worry, guilt, regret swimming around in a confused mess, breaking Taemin from the inside. “I know you’re not actually a monster, even if you’re a vampire.”

“I killed two men.” Taemin blinked up at Minho, eyes watering. “And someone else…before.”

“Tell me the story.”

And so Minho sat beside Taemin on their couch as Taemin explained how he had lost control both times, not meaning to go so far and not meaning to kill anyone either. The only reason he had lost control was that he was so determined to not kill anyone in the first place. He told him about the woman that night, hopefully somewhere safe now. And he told him about how he had found a better way for the future, a way to avoid killing and losing control altogether. The entire time, Minho found himself drawn closer to Taemin, their sides pressed comfortably together.

“I’d never hurt you, hyung,” Taemin said after he finished. He looked up at Minho, eyes pleading. “Not on purpose. The idea of me losing control on you makes me want to die.”

“Don’t say that Taemin-ah,” Minho said quickly, grabbing his hand in his and squeezing it. He barely even realized what he was doing, but it didn’t matter. He held on as he said as sincerely as he could, “I know you don’t want to hurt anyone. And I’m sorry for reacting the way I did.”

“It’s okay, I would’ve reacted the same way to learning my roommate’s a blood-sucking vampire,” Taemin laughed dryly. He paused, looking down at their hands intertwined shyly before saying, “You know, I’d always hated being a vampire. It didn’t matter as a kid growing up because I was never hungry and didn’t go out much so I could super-speed wherever I wanted or use my strength, but now…even if I end up controlling my hunger, I’ll still have to hide.”

“Hiding is the worst part,” Minho nodded in understanding.

“You say that as if you know,” Taemin chuckled. At Minho’s silence, Taemin’s eyes widened. “Wait, do you?”

“Taemin, I have to tell you something now.” Minho still held Taemin’s hand and wasn’t about to let go. He took a deep breath. “I’m actually a werewolf.”

Silence stretched out between them, making Minho’s heart beat faster, unsure what Taemin’s wide eyes and parted mouth meant.

After endless moments, Taemin finally said, “So that’s why you smell like dog.”

Minho laughed, a free, unbridled cackle that shocked Taemin before he cracked a smile in response.

“That’s what you say to that?”

“Sorry,” Taemin blushed, a smile pulling at his lips from Minho’s contagious laugh. “It’s just, you’ve always smelled like dog to me. Your room too.”

Minho laughed again, leaning his head onto Taemin’s shoulder for support. “Oh my God, at least tell me the smell is tolerable.”

“Somewhat.” At Minho’s playful slap, Taemin smiled and said, “It went from kinda annoying to…sweet somehow.”

“Sweet? Okay, I can work with that.” Minho had his head against Taemin’s shoulder, feeling his every shallow breath. They were so close. And they were still holding hands.

“My parents hate werewolves.”

Minho sat up straight, playfully grimacing at Taemin’s words. “This is werewolf-phobic.”

Taemin laughed, bright and hiccupy and perfect. Minho looked at their hands tangled together still, deciding how he would say the next bit. But instead of some long cheesy speech he had imagined in his head, what slipped out was, “You’re so cute.”

Taemin rolled his eyes, used to Minho saying this. “A cute vampire, huh? That’s an interesting combo.”

“No, you’re–” Minho struggled to come up with the words, his plan already ruined in his head. “You’re cute cute.”

“Hyung, you’re making no sense,” he laughed. “I know I’m cute, you tell me all the time–”

“I like you, Taemin-ah,” Minho said in a flustered mess. Taemin’s stopped laughing, looking at Minho intently. But they were still holding hands. That was a good sign, right?

“I like you, too, hyung.”

Minho’s heart lept up to his throat, and he blinked at Taemin stupidly a few times, registering what he just said. “You do?”

Taemin hesitated, and Minho was worried that he’d take it back or say it was a mistake or something, but instead, Taemin leaned forward and kissed Minho on the lips, quick and chaste, just a simple peck, but it sent Minho’s head spinning and his heart pounding.

When Taemin pulled away, Minho couldn’t stop looking at his lips. They moved as he said rather breathlessly, “Yes.”

That was all Minho needed to pull Taemin towards him, kissing him again, more deeply this time. He squeezed his hand as they found a rhythm, and after a few moments, he let go, trailing his hands up Taemin’s sides, one resting on his shoulder and the other on his waist, pulling him closer and closer to him on the couch. Minho went white-hot when Taemin moaned into his mouth after Minho nibbled on his bottom lip, roughly pulling him closer and adjusting so that Taemin was straddling him. Taemin’s hands tangled in his hair, pulling and making Minho dizzy with want.

Minho pulled away breathless. He admired Taemin’s flushed face, beautiful lips parted for him, quick breaths tickling his nose. “Are you sure you want this?” Minho asked, voice hoarse.

“Yes,” Taemin nodded, pulling Minho in by the nape of his neck to kiss him again, body melting into Minho’s. He whispered into the kiss, “I want you.”

That was all Minho needed to kiss Taemin, never letting him go again.

. . .

“Hyung, seriously? The dog too?” Taemin asked with a knowing smile, dragging his suitcase out of the hall, bright afternoon sunlight beaming down on him and making him squint. He basked in its warmth, remembering with satisfaction that he had put on extra sunscreen this morning. He always needed to layer it in the summer.

Minho was crouched on the ground, attaching a bright pink color he had just bought on the stray dog he had befriended (and practically adopted at this rate). He called her Sera, short for Seraphina, which he had told Taemin meant “fiery and ardent.” Taemin had laughed and teased him in between kisses that he just wanted this dog to be stubborn and competitive like him. Minho hadn’t denied it, just blushed and kissed Taemin again.

“You know we can’t leave her,” Minho called back, scratching Sera behind her ears and mumbling baby talk to her. “She’s part of the family. And who would feed her while we’re gone?”

Taemin rolled his eyes, taking Minho’s suitcase for him while he fiddled with the leash on Sera’s collar. “You know perfectly well that she’s capable of handling herself.”

“C’mon,” Minho whined at Taemin, stomping his foot adorably on the ground. “She’d love Yeosu, you know she would.” He reached for Taemin’s arm and pulled him into his body, whispering, “And I’ll make sure she gives us our alone time.”

Taemin went hot and blinked up at Minho. Even though they had been dating for over a month now and had even planned a summer vacation to the countryside together, Minho’s boldness around Taemin still left him flustered. He kissed Minho quickly on the cheek, disentangling his body before muttering, “Of course, she can come, I was just teasing.”

Minho laughed and Taemin smiled as they walked towards the edge of campus where their ride was to pick them up. Taemin’s parents knew that he had a boyfriend and were more than willing to make accommodations for them to stay for a few weeks in their summer home in Yeosu, arranging fancy transportation and meals that, when Taemin told him, had Minho’s eyes bulging out of his head with Yah, Taemin-ah, we don’t need all this bougie stuff. But his parents insisted and Minho caved. Taemin had conveniently left out the fact that Minho was a werewolf, but he’d cross that bridge later.

A few hours later, after falling asleep on Minho’s lap in the car and Sera happily sniffing out the window, they arrived at the medium-sized house. Sera bounced happily behind them as they dragged their suitcases inside, Minho whistling at the sleek, modern decor inside, a view of the ocean sparkling back at them.

“Your parents are no joke,” he said in awe.

“Well, they had centuries to make money,” Taemin stated matter-of-factly. He looked up the stairs and said, “So our bedroom is upstairs, but we can take the stuff up later and–”

“We’re sharing a room?” Minho glanced at Taemin with a smirk.

Taemin went red. “I– I mean, we don’t have to, but I figured–”

“You figured right,” Minho said, closing the distance between them to brush some of Taemin’s hair behind his ear. “I just like seeing you flustered. You’re adorable.”

Taemin turned away, not sure if he could control himself with Minho so close. And they had business tonight anyway. “How are you feeling, by the way? The sun sets soon.”

Minho sighed, pulling away from Taemin and shaking out his limbs. “I don’t know. The same as usual.”

“Have you ever seen what you look like as a wolf?”

“No,” Minho responded sheepishly. “Probably not as pretty as Jonghyun hyung, though.”

“I beg to differ,” Taemin scoffed. “I can take a picture for you tonight if you’d like.” At Minho’s small, grateful smile, Taemin had to resist the urge to kiss him again. Luckily, Sera barked excitedly at their feet, a distraction. “I think she’s hungry,” Taemin laughed.

“She always is,” Minho said, disappearing into the kitchen. Taemin knew he had opened the pantry when he heard Minho exclaim loudly through the walls, “Woah, your parents seriously stocked up here, my God!”

They busied themselves with unpacking and settling in, barely noticing the time pass until Minho’s alarm rang, five minutes before the full moon rose. Together, Taemin and Minho made sure Sera was secure in the house and ventured to the large, enclosed backyard, a few dozens of acres large with a forest complete with natural wildlife inside. This is why Taemin had suggested this summer home (one of many). It was perfect for Minho during the full moon, safe away from the sanctuary.

“Ready?” Taemin asked Minho, observing his face. He seemed at ease, relaxed as he took in the dusk and nature surrounding him. He looked at home.

“As I've ever been.” They waited a few more moments, Taemin’s eyes trained on the edge of the forest so as to not stare at Minho beside him and make him uncomfortable. He was curious about the transformation but didn’t want to prod or make Minho feel weird.

Suddenly, a large force felt like it blew past his side and Taemin looked. Beside him was a large wolf, white paws contrasting the green grass below him, light grey fur darkening over the top of his head and edges of his ears, his face and snout still colored white. He moved his large head to look down at Taemin, and those same dark, big eyes of Minho’s blinked back at him. Taemin was speechless.

Minho the wolf sniffed Taemin’s face and he laughed, feeling his wet nose against his cheeks and forehead. “Want me to take the picture now?” Taemin asked between laughs.

Minho grunted, walking over to the field. He stood up straight, throwing his head back dramatically, as if he was posing. Taemin laughed again, pulling out his phone and taking pictures, forgetting with his night vision that he had to turn on the flash.

“You’re a beautiful wolf, hyung.”

Minho looked at Taemin, an unreadable expression in his eyes. Taemin sighed internally, knowing that his extremely basic werewolf language lessons from the (very reluctant) centaurus in the sanctuary were not enough to help him understand Minho completely tonight. Either way, he was happy to be with him, just them two.

Taemin jumped when a howl ripped through Minho, loud and echoing in the otherwise quiet night. Oh, right. He was probably hungry and Taemin was stalling. Taemin stepped forward to pet Minho, soft fur glistening in the moonlight. “Ready to hunt?” he asked.

They sped off together into the forest, Taemin having no problem keeping up with the wolf thanks to his speed. His training with Professor Jinki had been going well, Jinki letting Taemin know that he was catching on surprisingly quickly and would be able to maintain an animal blood diet sustainably in just a few more months. For now, he thought a summer trip with his werewolf boyfriend was a great idea, as long as he mostly stayed away from humans, drank animal blood regularly, kept up with the exercises Jinki had sent him, and stored some suppressor nearby just in case.

And so with Jinki’s blessing, Taemin had brought up hunting together to Minho. He seemed thrilled about the idea, telling him it would be fun to hunt without Jonghyun for once. Jonghyun had been in the room at the time, now with Taemin spending a lot of time in the sanctuary with Minho and helping out, and had scoffed playfully when he heard Minho say that.

Taemin kept his verbal communication with Minho minimal, relying on hand signals and almost imperceptible nods. They caught plenty of food, and by their third deer, Taemin felt full. He dropped onto the soft forest ground, watching the sky through the flickering leaves above him slowly transition into the morning.

He felt a large weight lay on the ground beside him, big eyes imploring him for something. Taemin sat up, scratching Minho underneath his neck and smiling at how cute he looked when he closed his eyes and let out a satisfied grunt.

“Full?” he asked. Minho grunted again in response, resting his head between his paws before him and shutting his eyes. “Me too,” Taemin sighed, patting his stomach through the clothes and laying back on the leaves.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, hearing the crickets chirp and the leaves rustle overhead with the passing seabreeze. Taemin observed the sky change colors, from a dark, hazy blue to a light grey-blue. He waited for the sun to rise completely, excited to see Minho transform into a human again and be able to properly talk to him.

And in the next moment, he was wrapped up in Minho’s large arms - his human arms. Taemin blinked at Minho squeezing him tightly, face in his hair. “Oh man, I missed it.”

Minho laughed into Taemin’s hair, reaching up with one hand to pet it and ruffle it up. “Am I really a pretty wolf?”

“The prettiest.” Taemin was rewarded with multiple kisses all over his face from a smiling but exhausted Minho.

“Thanks for doing that with me, Taemin-ah. I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too.”

“But…” Minho gave him a tired smile.

“But,” Taemin prodded him to continue.

“I’m afraid today is going to be a cuddling kind of day.”

Taemin pressed his body closer to Minho, leaves crunching underneath his weight. He placed his head against his heart, listening to it beat steadily and enjoying the sound. “How could I be mad about that?”

Minho smiled and held Taemin closer. ��I love you, Taemin.”

Taemin breathed in Minho’s scent, sweet and dizzying but in the best way. He never wanted to leave this. “I love you, too.”

--END--