#anyway. i never understood the attachment to the kiss animation i feel kind of embarrassed doing it

[kirkwallguy]

being a dai hater AND a dav hater is so hard because i just can't agree with half the times people say something in dav was done better in dai. dai is like the root of half its problems. likeeee i definitely get people saying dav romances are boring and lacking because they kind of are, but to say dai romances are better because you can see a kiss animation on demand is just not something i can sign off on. choosing between davrin and emmrich is one of the few things that made me want to play a new game, while choosing between bull and dorian makes me sigh and accept none of my inquisitors are going to be gay men

[mdelpin]

A Gratsu Valentine - Chapter 2 (Final)

AO3 | Tumblr: Ch 1

A few of you requested this, I hope you enjoy it. Happy Valentine’s Day!

The bear proved to be a problem. It was too big to be checked in the restaurant’s coat closet, which was already overflowing with outerwear. It was probably a good thing too, as Natsu had immediately gone into a long rant at the suggestion, claiming he had carried that bear all the way across town, and there was no way in hell they were putting it in some smoky closet. So the waiter had been kind enough to find an extra chair and attach it to their small table where it now sat smiling at everyone who walked by like some kind of deranged Valentine’s Day ambassador. Its arms were still laden with Gray’s favorite chocolates and the biggest bouquet of roses Gray had ever seen.

He took a deep breath, trying not to let the extra attention they were receiving from strangers bother him. He reminded himself he had bigger things to worry about, and besides, it was kind of cute in a teenage girl kind of way. He just hoped Natsu didn’t insist on having them sleep with it at night.

Natsu might have gone all out with his present, but this was one time where Gray knew he had him beat.

He grinned in anticipation, wondering how Natsu would react to his surprise proposal. There was no way he could be expecting it. They hadn’t been together for very long, but even so, Gray had never been so sure of anything in his life. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man, bickering and laughing together and loving each other.

Gray was already looking forward to the wild night they were sure to have to celebrate their engagement. He wished he hadn’t run so late at the jeweler’s though, Natsu seemed kinda drunk, which hadn’t really been part of the plan, but at least he hadn’t gotten loud drunk.

Their waiter seemed to have forgotten about them after he had brought the chair over and filled their water glasses. Gray was hungry, and he could see from how Natsu was starting to get fidgety that he was hungry as well.

“Why were you late anyway?” Natsu asked suddenly, looking at him with curiosity.

“I had to go pick up your present,” Gray answered smoothly, realizing too late that it had been the wrong answer as Natsu’s eyes burned with unbridled curiosity.

“What did you get me?” Natsu’s eyes lit up with anticipation, and he made gimme gestures with his hands.

“It’s a surprise,” Gray winked, “Besides, I’m not quite sure it’s been long enough since you broke up with the bear.”

Natsu laughed, “Alright, you’ve got me there.” He looked around the restaurant, which was suffering from a severe lack of waitstaff. “When are they going to get here? I’m starving.”

As if to prove his point, Natsu’s stomach began to rumble loudly, and Gray knew this was a bad sign. “Here, why don’t you have some of my chocolates, they’re delicious!”

He removed the ribbon that Natsu had tied to the bear’s arm to keep the box in place, opening it without paying much attention, quickly recognizing the packaging of his favorite chocolates and handing a few to his boyfriend.

“Mhmm, these are really good,” Natsu moaned wantonly as he shoved them into his mouth, causing even more people to stare their way.

Gray felt that moan in parts of his body that shouldn’t really be awake in public places, especially not when he could feel Natsu’s foot playing with his leg.

“What are you doing?” Gray hissed, already feeling self-conscious by all the people that staring at them as they walked past.

“Trying to show you that you’re the one I love,” Natsu’s face was flushed, reminding Gray of other times he’d seen that expression, which was seriously not helping his rapidly rising problem. Especially as Natsu’s foot continued its ascent. He could feel his cheeks heating up from Natsu’s attention.

“Wow, these are to die for,” a female voice commented next to him, making him jump. Somehow, the woman that Natsu had befriended at the bar had grabbed a chair and sat at their table without either of them noticing. She grinned at them knowingly.

“Cana!” Natsu greeted her with a happy smile.

“Do you mind?” Gray snapped, embarrassed to be caught in such a compromising position, even though Natsu’s foot had immediately retreated at her intrusion.

“Not at all!” Cana replied cheerfully, as she took a sip from her tumbler and stared at them unabashedly.

“Don’t you have a date of your own to be getting back to?” Gray asked gruffly, wanting her to leave so he could get on with his plan.

“Yep, got him right here,” Cana winked cheekily, lifting her tumbler and taking another sip.

“So this is Mr. Perfect, huh?” she asked Natsu, ignoring Gray’s obvious displeasure and peering at him with mischief filled eyes, “He doesn’t look like much Natsu, maybe you were better off with the bear.”

“Hey! I’m right here!” Gray protested as Natsu snorted at her comment.

“Nah, he’s amazing,” Natsu purred and damn him that noise was sexy too!

Gray found himself forgetting all about Cana as Natsu gazed at him in the way Gray loved, with sparkling eyes and that smile that promised exciting adventures. He found himself responding to it, grabbing Natsu’s hands in his and staring into his eyes until he felt intoxicated.

He couldn’t believe it, in just a few short minutes he was going to ask Natsu to marry him. It was so unlike him, this impulsiveness, but that’s what Natsu did to him. Made him want to try new things and step outside of his comfort zone. It had been hard at first, but he’d soon realized even when he didn’t like the results having Natsu by his side made it worthwhile.

He was startled out of his daze by the clicking sound of a phone camera promptly followed by Cana squealing, “Oh my God, you two are so frigging cute!”

Gray’s face was burning, and he couldn’t tell how much of it was embarrassment at being caught in such a vulnerable moment and how much was just fury at her continued presence. He wanted her to leave before she managed to ruin everything, but he could tell by the way she’d made herself comfortable that she had no plans to do so.

Rather than make yet another scene, he decided to go ask for help from the restaurant’s staff. He excused himself and headed for the reception desk, which was being manned by a blonde woman.

“Can I help you, sir?” the greeter asked him, taking in his agitated state.

“A woman has sat at our table and refuses to leave,” he explained as calmly as he could, “I was hoping someone could help me with that.”

“Oh, right away, Sir!” she responded, immediately gesturing to a waiter and explaining the situation.

“Which is your table?” the waiter asked.

“Uhm, the one with the pink-haired gentleman and the enormous stuffed animal. You can’t miss it.”

The waiter walked away with an air of purpose while the greeter apologized, “I am so sorry this happened, we will send a complimentary bottle of champagne to your table. Is there anything we can do to make your evening more enjoyable?”

Gray had been about to say that was all he wanted when he was struck by a thought. Natsu loved grand gestures, and he hadn’t really given much thought as to how he was going to present the ring. Maybe…

Gray took the velvet box out of his pocket and showed it to her, “Actually, our waiter hasn’t been by for our order yet, do you think you could help me with something?”

The greeter squealed in excitement, “Oh my God, oh my God! Leave it to me, I’ve always wanted to do this!”

She handed him a menu and had him pick out their order, and after he pointed out which one was Natsu’s meal, she assured him, “I’ll put this right in for you!” right before literally skipping into the kitchen.

The woman’s excitement proved contagious, and soon he felt all his irritation melt away as he thought of Natsu’s face when he found the ring. He walked back to their table to see the waiter escorting Cana back to the bar. She waved at him as she passed him, utterly unfazed by her escort.

He sat back down, searching Natsu’s face for any sign of annoyance but finding none, only amusement.

“If you wanted me all to yourself, all you had to do was say so,” Natsu chuckled, knowing Gray well enough to realize how aggravated he must have been at Cana’s intrusion.

“Whatever,” Gray grumbled, “I went ahead and ordered for us,” he announced, smiling as Natsu cheered in response.

“Thank God, you have no idea how close I was to eating all your chocolates,” Natsu admitted, and it was his turn to startle as a loud pop erupted next to him, and he was handed a champagne flute filled with the bubbly drink.

“You’re really going all out today, aren’t you? Fancy restaurant, champagne,” he eyed him suspiciously, “Are you up to something?”

“Not at all, you make me happy, and I just wanted to treat you a little,” Gray replied, smirking internally at what was still to come.

Natsu’s eyes moistened at his words, his hand extending out until he could caress Gray’s cheek with this thumb. “I - you, you make me happy too. I’ve never had anyone care about me the way you do.”

Gray lifted his champagne flute and challenged, “Wanna try something?”

Natsu nodded, watching with interest as Gray gestured for him to lift his flute, leaning forward as he understood what Gray wanted. They drank from their flutes, arms entwined, and eyes never leaving the other, laughing when they managed it without incident.

“You are such a dork,” Natsu teased, “but I love you so much.”

He beckoned Gray to lean forward again, meeting him halfway and kissing him sweetly, quite unlike their usual heated kisses. Gray followed his example, enjoying the simple gesture.

Gray was about to tell Natsu he loved him too when their food arrived. Everything looked amazing, and he immediately dug in. After taking a few bites, it suddenly dawned on him that he had no idea where they were going to hide the ring, and he had a moment of apprehension, but he shrugged it off, thinking that this place must do stuff like that all the time.

Noticing Natsu had yet to eat anything, engaged as he was in a glaring match with the cutlery, he decided to put him out of his misery, “It doesn’t matter, just pick one and eat.”

Relieved, Natsu began to wolf down his food, and conversation ceased until they were finished.

“This was really good, Gray!” Natsu commented, but Gray barely heard him.

As the time for dessert neared, he was feeling more and more nervous. He poured the remainder of the champagne bottle into their flutes and tried to slow down his racing heart.

“Huh? Oh, that’s great, just wait until you try the dessert!”

He could see the waiter coming towards them as well as the greeter standing behind him, offering him a massive grin along with a thumbs up, her signal that everything was in place.

“Are you okay?” Natsu was looking at him with concern, and he couldn’t understand why.

“Huh?”

“You’re sweating, do you feel ill or something? We can go home if that’s the case, this was more than enough.”

“NO! You have to eat your dessert!” Gray shouted, “Uhm, I mean, I’m fine, it must be the champagne,” he chuckled nervously even as he downed the rest of it, looking for courage wherever he could find it.

“Okay,” Natsu shrugged, although he still looked concerned, “if you’re sure.”

“Yep, oh, here it is now!” Gray said, much too loudly, once again attracting Natsu’s attention.

“You’re up to something,” Natsu stated matter-of-factly.

“Maybe I am,” Gray shrugged, not giving the matter any importance but also giving Natsu a cryptic smile.

“Is it my present?” Natsu all but bounced in his chair, hopped up on booze and anticipation, and Gray couldn’t help but chuckle. His boyfriend was such a child when it came to gifts.

The waiter set Natsu’s dessert in front of him, and Gray could make out the vague outline of the ring hiding in the custard of the salted caramel creme brulee he had ordered Natsu. He worried that Natsu would catch on too soon, but he needn’t have worried. His boyfriend was too fascinated by the cooking blowtorch the waiter used to caramelize his dessert to notice anything else.

Gray couldn’t even look at his ice cream, his stomach was tying itself up into knots. It was stupid really, he was pretty sure Natsu was going to say yes, but it was still a huge step.

“Did you see that, Gray?!” Natsu’s whole face had lit up at the spectacle, “He used a blowtorch to cook my dessert!”

“I thought you might like that,” Gray snorted, “There’s another dessert where they set the whole thing on fire right in front of you, I forget what it’s called, crepes something or other. I’ll take you to get that another time.”

“Man, and here I thought roasting marshmallows was cool,” Natsu replied, his voice filled with awe.

“Well, it still is!” Gray pointed out, “But it’s good to try other things too!”

Gray wondered whether he should go down on one knee, or if that was something you only did when you proposed to a woman. Not sure and not wanting to insult Natsu, he decided to remain sitting, opting to grab one of Natsu’s hands and peer into his eyes instead.

“I want to explore all sorts of new things with you, and I want you to keep showing me things that you like.” Gray’s nerves were starting to settle now that he had begun, even managing an earnest smile before resuming.

“Before I met you, I was so closed off and set in my ways. Everything had to be just so, but being with you, I’ve learned how much I was missing out on, and I don’t ever want to go back to that.

“I want to wake up next to you every morning, and have every day be an adventure, you know?” Gray was skirting ever closer to his question, and he could see Natsu was trying to figure out what he was going on about, his eyes boring into him even as he scooped his spoon into his dessert and lifted it to his mouth.

“Natsu, I don’t know if I have ever been in love before, but I am now, and I can’t imagine sharing the rest of my life with anyone else but you. Will you marry me?”

Natsu gulped down the spoonful of dessert that was in his mouth, trying to swallow quickly so he could answer, and that’s when things got decidedly weird. His face turned incredibly red, and he started coughing.

“Are you okay?” Gray asked, worriedly looking around for help when Natsu wasn’t able to answer.

Oh my God! Gray panicked as he realized he couldn’t see the outline of the ring in the dessert anymore.

“Help, he’s choking!” Gray yelled, standing up and hurrying over to the other side of the table. People surrounded them, but no one stepped in to help, “Please, I don’t know what to do,” he begged tearfully.

“Get out of the way,” Gray heard before feeling a hard shove. He recognized the voice immediately. It was Cana.

She stood behind Natsu, bending him at the waist and slapping him between his shoulder blades as he continued to cough. Then she pulled him up and performed what Gray recognized as the Heimlich maneuver, repeating this over and over while Gray ended up kneeling on one knee, after all, grabbing one of Natsu’s hands in his and looking up at him with concern. He was freaking out, about two seconds from calling an ambulance when the ring came flying out of Natsu’s mouth, hitting Gray square on the nose before falling to the ground next to him.

“Natsu, Natsu!” Gray called out urgently, “Say something.”

“A ring? Were you trying to fucking kill him, Gray?” Cana yelled at him, looking Natsu over with concern.

“How was I supposed to know he would swallow it?” Gray protested, “I didn’t even know where they were gonna put it.”

“Are you stupid? It was in his food, what else was he supposed to do?”

“Guys, I’m fine,” Natsu finally spoke, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper as he tried to defuse their bickering. He looked incredibly tired.

Once Natsu had begun to speak the crowd that had surrounded them dispersed, returning to their own celebrations.

Gray grabbed Natsu in his arms, hugging him tightly, “I was so scared, don’t ever do anything like that again!”

Natsu tried to laugh but only managed to cough, “Yeah, I don’t want to do that again anytime soon. The answer is yes, by the way.”

“Huh?” Gray stared at him blankly, still too wired to understand the meaning behind Natsu’s words.

Natsu peered at the ground, bending to pick up the ring that had been lodged in his throat and showing it to Gray, who immediately felt like an even bigger idiot than he already did. He grabbed it from Natsu and tried to clean it with his dinner napkin, his hand trembling as he did so.

“Ugh, just give it here,” Cana grumbled, “I’ll go clean it up.” She grabbed it and took it with her to the bathroom

“Gray, I’m fine,” Natsu assured him, grabbing his trembling hands and kissing the knuckles.

“I just wanted to have a special night to show you how much I love you, and I almost killed you.”

“Well, I mean, it’s memorable, right?” Natsu teased, continuing to hold his hands and squeezing them gently.

“I guess.”

Cana finally returned from the bathroom with the ring and handed it to Gray. “Do it right this time!” she glared as she tapped her foot.

Gray didn’t have the heart to send her away, not after she had saved Natsu, so he went ahead and got down on one knee. “Natsu Dragneel, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Natsu responded almost before Gray could finish getting the words out, pulling him up and into a kiss.

He admired his ring, smiling happily at Gray. Then he did something unexpected once again, he began to laugh. “I guess I should confess something.”

“What?”

“We sort of had the same idea, so I guess now it’s time for you to find your ring.”

“What?!” Gray sputtered as Natsu dissolved into giggles.

“I’ll give you a hint, it’s somewhere in the bear.”

A/N: Moral of the story - Don’t hide objects in food, it is seriously dangerous...

@ao3feed-gratsu​

[fixxofvixx]

TEACHING VIXX - CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Hello dears! I hope everyone is having a lovely week~~

I’m so excited for LR’s comeback!!! I hope Monday gets here soon! Its going to be a good day! We get the Whisper MV, the showcase, and a new episode of School 2017 (yes, I’m addicted) !!!!

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter. I’m slowly working on Demon Leo so the first chapter should be out soon.

As always, comments are welcomed. Or just come say hi!

Have a good weekend!! 💕💕

———————————-

The hairs on the back of your neck stood up. You leaned back to search his eyes for any sign of green, but the irises were completely black. Your heart picked up speed. You didn’t know if you should run or just hold on for dear life.

“Now, now, no reason to fear, my love. I’m still me. Just a bit more…..”

“Animal?”

He chuckled low into your ear and you shuddered. He nuzzled his nose against the skin below your ear while you struggled to maintain coherent thoughts.

“Hmm, yes. But I’m still me.”

“Um….why don’t you tell me what JooHyung said first?”

“I don’t want to talk about him right now.” His statement was said through gritted teeth. You decided that it was probably safer just to drop the subject. Not for fear of Taekwoon, but to keep him from going back to the apartment and killing the wolf.

“Well, just the same. I don’t think it would be wise to test the panther’s……abilities while I have a head injury.”

“Hmm….well….you don’t have to do anything. You can just…” He ran his hands over your thighs and placed a light kiss on your neck. “lay back and enjoy.”

Nervous laughter erupted from your mouth and his hands stilled. He raised his head to look at you.

“I-I don’t think that would work.” You watched as his lips turned up into the most devilish grin you’d ever seen. His fingers walked themselves along the skin of your thighs until they reached your hips.

“Yeah? Why not?” His hands pulled at the hem of your shirt. “Just because I’m letting the panther take over, doesn’t mean it has to be rough. We can go slow. Very slow.”

His eyes seemed to go even darker and goosebumps rose on your skin. You had to admit that you had been curious about his more animalistic side. And he did seem to be more in control now. You understood that he had left-over energy from “talking” to JooHyung. He needed to send that energy somewhere. You certainly were not complaining. However, you were still unsure.

You were still immersed in your thoughts when Taekwoon’s hands gently cradled your face and brought your lips to his. True to his word, he was not rough. If it weren’t for the fact that his eyes were black, you would have thought that the panther was at bay again. You kissed him back as his hands began to wander again. Fingers caressed your spine and travelled lower. His hands once again found your legs and his thumbs began to trace circles along your inner thighs. A sigh of pleasure released from your throat as his lips found your tattoo. Your skin was heated and you ached for him to put his hands elsewhere. You decided to hell with the consequences and rolled your hips down on his, giving him silent permission to continue. A growl erupted from his chest and he abruptly stood up with you, stalking towards the bedroom. Your legs wrapped around his waist and you smiled. He had half of your clothes removed by the time you reached your bed. You knew you would be exhausted and sore in the morning but you didn’t care. Perhaps, you needed this as much as he did.

——————————————

“How do we not know anything about this?! When I think about where she could have ended up I-I….”

“I know, Taekwoon-ah. Maybe some of the other hybrids we know will have some knowledge about it. We need to keep a close eye on them. Especially if there is a market for their abilities. (Y/N) is a bit safer because she’s attached to you but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t take her.”

You woke up slowly to Taekwoon and Hakyeon’s conversation. It was a bit confusing so you gave up and decided to ask Taekwoon later. Right now, you were too sore to care. Taekwoon’s…..stamina was apparently enhanced when the panther side of him is in control. Your legs felt like jello and your heartbeat was echoing in your head.

Your last thought made you stop and lie very still. It took a few minutes to realize what was happening. It wasn’t your heartbeat.

It was Taekwoon’s.

Now that your head was clearing, you could make out the two different beats. Yours was more dominant, of course. But, you could still hear his, loud and clear.

You wanted to get up and jump for joy but when you tried to sit up, you were unable. No matter how you tried, your body did not have the strength to move. You could move your arms sightly but not enough to matter. This was more than just being sore. You felt almost paralyzed.

“Taekwoon?”

You listened for him and heard Hakyeon say his goodbyes, promising to talk later. Not three seconds later, Taekwoon was at the door, a concerned look on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t move.” Panic was setting in and you hated the feeling of helplessness.

“Its okay. Its normal.” He walked over quickly and sat on the bed next to you.

“I wouldn’t really call this normal, Taekwoon. What happened?” You tried to sit up again but failed. Taewoon reached forward and pulled you up to a sitting position and leaned you back against the headboard.

“You had a bit of an overload to your system. I didn’t mean for it to happen but somewhere in the midst of our…adventures last night, the panther took over completely. Its hard to explain. I was still me and I could control my body but it was more….enhanced. To put it in simpler terms, its like the purest form of mating for hybrids.”

“More so than the tattoo? I could at least move after that.”

“Yeah, I know. Its a little different. Its usually reserved for making babies, but that obviously wasn’t the goal last night. Unless you want it to be. If thats the case, I may need to call into work.” He chuckled a bit but you could only blush.

“I think we can wait to experiment with that a few more years down the road.”

“Hmm, pity.” You simply rolled your eyes at his response. Taekwoon was the type of man who wanted a house full of kids. You didn’t mind at all but you also didn’t think it was the right time.

He scooted closer to you and placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

“I can hear your heartbeat.”

He leaned back and smiled down at you.

“I was wondering if you would. Its usually a side-effect. Is that….okay?”

“Of course its okay! You told me it would take practice so I thought I was doing something wrong. I’ve always been jealous that you could hear mine.”

“Well….that part was true. I just didn’t mention was KIND of practice.” His eyes slid over your body and you could hear the rhythm pick up. If it was possible, your cheeks would have turned an even darker shade of red. He noticed your embarrassment and laughed. He reached forward and pulled you into his arms.

“Do you feel okay, though? How’s your head?”

“Other than the fact that I can’t move? Sure. I think I’m okay. My head feels strangely…okay. What about you? You look tired.”

“Letting the panther take over so much yesterday kind of took all of my energy. I was planning on waking up next to you this morning but Hakyeon came over.”

“Yes, I heard you both talking earlier. What was it about? JooHyung?”

“You know, I really don’t like his name coming from your lips.” He sighed and played with your fingers. You giggled at his obvious jealousy.

“Sorry.” You cleared your throat and started again. “Was it about the short, idiotic wolf-hybrid who is definitely going to need help walking around for a while?”

He grinned at your description and looked back down at your hands.

“He’ll need help writing, too.” You looked at him, confused, and he continued. “I may have also broken his fingers.”

“What?!”

“He was bragging about how he had gotten to touch you first and what he was gonna do when he got his hands on you again! It was his own fault. He knew what would happen.” He sounded like a kid trying to justify why he had stolen the last piece of cake.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t have. Its just a little surprising. You seem to be more upset with him than you did HaeJeong.”

“Oh, believe me, if you would have left me alone with HaeJeong, he wouldn’t be in prison now. He’d be six-feet under.”

Taekwoon placed you back against the headboard and rose to his feet. You thought he was leaving but he stopped at your closet. He rummaged around until he had a full outfit for you to wear, complete with underwear. He walked back over and snatched the blanket from you, leaving you completely exposed.

“Taekwoon!”

“The guys will be over here soon and I rather not have to kill my bandmates. It was difficult enough for me to let Hakyeon in earlier.”

“But they wouldn’t come in here. All of you are complete gentlemen.” You tried to reach for the blanket at the edge of the bed since you could move your arms but it was too far.

“I know that. But it’s instinct, you know? I can’t help it. Its fine if your dressed and all but in the back of my mind, your naked and helpless.” He shrugged as if he was silently apologizing. You could do nothing but laugh.

“Yes, I am aware of that. But how am I supposed to shower and get dressed? Are you forgetting that its your fault that I’m naked and helpless?”

“Well it just so happens that I need a shower too. So…”

It took only a couple of seconds to realize what he was suggesting. Your eyes went wide and you shook your head violently.

“Nope. Absolutely not.”

“Aw, come on. You never let me in there with you. Why not?”

“How much longer will I be paralyzed?”

“At least a few more hours.”

You groaned in frusration and collapsed onto the mattress. You reached over, grabbed your pillow and covered yourself with it. Your actions earned a slight growl from the other side of the room. He was miffed that his view was blocked.

“Oh, be quiet.”

You felt the bed dip and you were surprised that he didn’t try to remove the pillow.

“Why not? Its perfectly natural for couples to want to shower together.”

“I-I know. I just…..”

“I’ll be on my best behavior. I’ll just help you and then I’ll take my own shower. Deal?”

You wanted to say no but you also really wanted a shower.

“Fine.”

——————————-

Apparently, Taekwoon’s ‘best behavior’ meant kissing every newly washed patch of skin for “good luck”. You were a mess of giggles by the time you were finished. But, he did as promised and took his own shower separately after he helped you get dressed.

Now, you were sitting on the couch avoiding eye contact with Hakyeon and Jaehwan. The others had yet to arrive.

“Noona, are you sick or something? You’ve barely moved.” You silently cursed Hakyeon for being his usual observant self.

“I’m fine. Just a little wore out from everything that happened yesterday.” It wasn’t a lie. You just didn’t specify WHICH part of the day that had worn you out.

Finally, Taekwoon emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered, and sat down next to you.

“Taekwoon hyung, are you not taking proper care of your wifey?! She looks exhausted. Don’t you know she went through a lot yesterday?” Jaehwan huffed at his elder and winked at you.

“What do you mean? I’ve taken extra-special care of her.” Your eyes widened at Taekwoon’s change in heart rhythm and you knew exactly what he was thinking about. You prayed that they wouldn’t notice your blushing.

“We’re not here to question their personal lives. We need to talk about what we learned from JooHyung.” Hakyeon gave Jaehwan a look and the raven quieted immediately. You had a horrible suspicion that Hakyeon knew everything. He was just too much of a gentleman to say it.

“True. But where are the others?”

As if on cue, Hyuk and Hongbin burst through the front door, full of giggles.

“Wonshikkie hyung isn’t coming.” Hyuk was trying to explain through his laughter.

“Why not?”

“He texted me earlier and told me in not so many nice words that if anyone came near his room today, they would be singing soprano for the rest of their lives.” Hongbin struggled just as much as Hyuk with his words.

“So, we decided to help him out.”

Hakyeon smacked his own forehead in frustration and turned to the maknae.

“What did you do?”

“Well….we kind of tied one end of a rope to his doorknob and the other to Hongbin’s doorknob. So unless someone unties it, they aren’t getting out at all.” After Hyuk finished explaining, he fell into a fit of laughter on the floor.

You couldn’t help but laugh with them. Sometimes, you really loved how childish they could be.

“Well, we’ll just have to deal with that later. Taekwoon? Why don’t you fill everyone in on what JooHyung said?”

“Yeah, sure. To put it simply. He was planning on selling (y/n) and JiYoon. There is apparently a hybrid underground market that deals with these kinds of things. With JiYoon being a healer and (y/n) a handler, he would have been very rich. I was going to ask Jimin’s uncle when he came to get the wolf but I was over here.”

Your mind reeled at what Taekwoon was saying. You mourned for the friendship you thought you’d had with JooHyung. You couldn’t believe what had almost happened.

“So, we would have been sold to other hybrids?” Taekwoon’s hands sought out yours to still their shaking. “This happens a lot?”

“Apparently. But we’ve never even heard of something like that.” Hakyeon shrugged.

“I have.” Hyuk had his head down and spoke softly. “A girl, a rabbit hybrid, went missing from my school in ninth grade. Everyone thought she had just ran away. But, I heard my parents talking about her parents suspecting that it was the underground market. They said they had seen some hybrids in town that were known to be connected to the market. They trade the weaker species to predator species for different…..things. Her parents never heard from her again.”

“We definitely need to talk to Jimin’s uncle.” Taekwoon looked at Hyuk sorrowfully. You suspected that the rabbit hybrid may have been his friend. He looked as if he would never be happy again.

“I’m so sorry, Hyukkie. Maybe if we find out more about this, we might be able to find her.”

“I doubt it. But we do need to find out more.”

Your heart broke for Hyuk.

“Did you get any names out of JooHyung?” You turned to Taekwoon but he only growled. You remembered what he’d said earlier about you saying JooHyung’s name. You sighed. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“I think Taekwoonie hyung is still a little on edge from last night. I haven’t seen you that angry in a while.” Hongbin smiled a bit. You realized that he was trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah. Thank goodness we had Noona there.”

“He controlled himself rather well without me. He even resisted me calling out his stage name for a bit.”

“He did?!” JaeHwan looked over at Taekwoon, surprised.

“Mmhmm. Usually he just goes all limp-noodle. He should have been on the floor but he just stood there.” You shrugged as you recalled his reaction from the previous night.

“I do not go "limp-noodle”!“

The others laughed at his obvious frustration at being center of attention.

"It’s okay, hyung. It happens to guys sometimes. It doesn’t mean you’re any less of a man.” Hyuk’s face showed a mock concern that only resulted in Taekwoon’s anger.

Taekwoon started off towards the maknae and you felt compelled to stop laughing and save him.

“Leo!”

Your eyes widened when he didn’t stop. He looked as if he was struggling but he was still moving. He turned to you with red eyes and a confused expression. The entire room gasped as they realized what was happening.

“Shit.”