Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

10 years ago

Baekhyun saw stars dancing in front of his eyes as he was delivered yet another hard blow to his temple, this time to the left side. His head was throbbing, he felt nauseous and he was terrified. The man, easily in his forties, stumbled into an upright standing position to the side of him. He was livid with Baekhyun, but Baekhyun had no clue why.

“You fucking dirty little omega!”

“You lure alphas like me with your scent and you can’t deliver, you filthy bitch”, he screamed, practically falling on top of Baekhyun in his rage. “I swear to the goddess, I will have you, no matter how long I have to keep you here for!”

With that, he spat on the ground next to Baekhyun and hobbled away out of another door to the side of the room Baekhyun was currently in. Baekhyun wanted to be sick. He had no idea how long he had been in this place for…wherever this was. He had been unconscious earlier and when he had come to, he’d noticed his surroundings as well as a gag in his mouth. He’d screamed to no avail, until his voice had gone hoarse. He was exhausted, filthy from the dust off the floor. His wrists were sore from being tied up for so long. He was hungry, thirsty and wasn’t sure how long he could hang on for someone to come find him. His lip was most likely busted, if the stinging whenever he licked his dry, cracked lips had anything to go by. A silent tear fell down his cheek as he realized the hopelessness of the situation. No one even knew where to look for him. His family would be so worried about him. At the thought of his family, he let out a sob, thinking of how worried his mom might be, realizing her son was missing.

He looked around the small room. It looked like a store room of a warehouse. There were no windows and only one door, to the side, where the man had gone to. The floor was made of concrete and the cold was seeping into Baekhyun’s bones. There were a few scattered boxes around the room. Baekhyun was tied to a post in a corner of the room. The rope was strong and despite his efforts, he had been unable to free himself. There was a singular light bulb on a fixture on the ceiling. It wasn’t very bright but afforded enough light for everything to be perfectly visible.

He heard some shuffling to the side and the door opened with force, slamming into the wall behind. The man came back into the room looking murderous. He looked….wrong. His eyes were blood shot, his hair and clothes more disheveled than they were before and he couldn’t walk straight. His scent was awful – somewhere between rotting garbage and sewage and Baekhyun struggled to stop himself from heaving whenever it washed over his nostrils. He had a few days’ worth of stubble on his chin, his belly protruding slightly from the dirty t-shirt he was wearing.

The man was muttering something, but Baekhyun couldn’t hear it, even with his enhanced senses. Maybe it was because of the throbbing headache developing after the repeated blows and lack of food and drink.

“You smell so sweet for such a filthy bitch you know”, the man said with such venom in his voice. “I mean, look at you, you aren’t even pretty enough for me to get it up, but you’re smelling like a bitch in heat. What is it, strawberries and vanilla? Yeh, strawberries and vanilla. What a whore you must be, being so young and getting into heat. You know who smells so strongly at such a young age? Yeh, that’s right, dirty bitches, whores, SLUTS!”

Baekhyun couldn’t look away, he didn’t dare to say anything for fear of what this man might do to him. He didn’t even know why this man was so angry with him. All he remembers is being dragged into this building, being gagged and then tied up. He tried his best to struggle against the man and his bondage of ropes, but he was no match for him. The man was bigger than him, a lot stronger and an alpha at that. The man had tried to remove Baekhyun’s clothes earlier. He’d successfully rip the top part of Baekhyun’s t-shirt and then subsequently struggled with the buttons on his pants. He’d then taken off his own pants, tugged at his dick and had gotten frustrated when he couldn’t get the desired effect.

Baekhyun realised he was high on something, something just was not right. In the time Baekhyun was in the room, the man would get easily agitated for no reason. His pupils were dilated. He had track marks down both arms – likely from injecting himself with various drugs. Whenever he had left the room – not for very long, but he’d come back more disheveled, more agitated and highly strung. Baekhyun remembered back to school a few years ago during a health ed class they had about the dangers of drugs. Every now and again, the man would rub his chest over his heart, as if he was in pain.

Baekhyun’s thoughts were interrupted as the man stumbled up to Baekhyun and angrily grabbed a fistful of his hair, forcing him to look up at him. Baekhyun let out a choked cry, he was sure that the man would take out a chunk of his hair. His entire scalp was throbbing in pain.

“Please sir”, he whimpered, “please let me go……I don’t have…anything you would….want, please…..my family would be so worried for…..me….I….”

“JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!” the man bellowed. “You’ve already given me so much hassle, I won’t let you go until I’ve fucked you on every surface in this room. You won’t be able to walk straight after I’m done with you.”

Baekhyun felt his blood run cold as the man screamed this out. Baekhyun was terrified. It was at that moment that he realized he might not leave this room alive. Baekhyun let out a pained scream as he was manhandled to the floor, the ropes oh his wrists straining, causing the wrists to bend painfully. The man tore at his clothes and all but ripped his t shirt off him. Baekhyun started sobbing, feeling completely helpless.

“I can smell your distress you filthy omega, you think that’s going to stop me? No, it’s making me want to defile you even more, the man sneered, as he pinched one of Baekhyun’s nipples, hard. Baekhyun let out another cry. He was in so much pain. He received another slap to his cheek, whilst being told to shut up. The man was sweating profusely and continued to rub at his chest, yet he did not let up on his assault on Baekhyun. He untied one of Baekhyun’s hands and commanded Baekhyun remove his own trousers, while he removed his. Baekhyun, reluctantly, with trembling hands started to undo his buttons, all whilst sobbing quietly, with tears streaming down his dirt covered face.

The man took off his pants and stood in front of Baekhyun with his dick proudly on display. It was a soft appendage surrounded by coarse, black hair which hadn’t been tended to for quite some time. Baekhyun fought the bile rising up in his throat as his hands stilled on his pants. His eyes widened as he realized with horror that this was actually happening. He was going to be raped. His virginity was going to be snatched away from him and he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

The man suddenly jerked a little and crashed to his knees. He had a look of distress on his face and he was sweating even more than before, if that was even possible. His hand was clutching at his chest and his garbage-like scent increased in intensity until it was stifling in the room. He let out a moan and slumped forward, falling face first just inches away from Baekhyun’s prone body.

Baekhyun stilled. What had just happened? The man wasn’t moving. He was just laying there in half naked.

“Sir…”, Baekhyun tried, then cleared his throat. “Sir….are…..are you ok?”. No response. He tentatively nudged him with the leg closest to him. The man didn’t stir. Baekhyun panicked.

“Oh my god, please, please, is he dead?” he muttered to himself. “How, shit, oh my god, why?”

'I need to get out of here', was his next thought. Baekhyun took a few deeps breathes to calm himself down. He needed to be rational. He was in a lot of trouble right now, but first, he needed a way to get out of this room. His left hand was now free, the man having untied him earlier, and he reached towards his right wrist to begin to untie the ropes. The knot was extremely tight, his fingers ached as he continued to work at it, occasionally using his teeth. When the knot was sufficiently loosened, he was able to slip his wrist out. He rubbed at both wrists, wanting to cry out in relief at being free after so long.

He got up to a standing position on shaky legs, but immediately fell down to his knees as a wave of dizziness came over him. His legs felt like jelly. He had no idea how long he’d been on the cold concrete floor, without food and drink for. He slowly started crawling his way towards the door he had seen earlier. Falling through the doorway, he was once again in a similar room to the previous one, with another door on the other side. He could feel his consciousness slipping from him, but he knew that getting to that door was his only chance of getting out of this situation alive.

He burst out of the second door into a dimly lit alleyway. The only source of light was a flickering streetlight and a crescent, which failed to provide any extra light. There were tiny raindrops falling from the sky and looking up from his position on his hands and knees, Baekhyun could see that it was almost night. He took a deep breath and promptly lost consciousness, his small, exhausted body hitting the paving.

Chapter Text

Present day

Sehun stood in front of the floor to ceiling windows in this office, facing the expanse of the city laid out at his feet. He could see for miles from this position, even seeing the peaks of the mountains, far out into the distance. His hands rested in the pockets of his grey pants and he let out a big sigh. Things were changing. He could feel it, a stirring in the very Earth itself, a restlessness which had been building for many years now.

Fiddling with the grey tie at his neck, he turned back to his desk, ready to start his day. To the business world and media, Sehun was a self-made business tycoon. Starting from the ground at the tender age of 22, Oh Sehun had made a name for himself internationally and with his three business partners, Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongin and Zhang Yixing. He was now the CEO of a multi-billion Won company, SKY LTD. The world saw a handsome 30 year old man, one of the most eligible bachelors in the whole of South Korea.

What the world didn’t see, and didn’t really need to either in Sehun’s opinion were actually four alphas who were at the helm of this company. Older than some of the ‘ancient’ buildings in Seoul itself, Sehun had almost lost track of the long years he had been on this Earth. He’d lost track of the thousands of years he’d known the other three, his oldest and most trusted friends. The world didn’t need to know of their abilities and true nature and honestly, this world full of humans probably wouldn’t be able to deal with the truth anyway.

Along the way, Sehun had gathered Doh Kyungsoo and Kim Minseok. Both a force to be reckoned with and both harbouring immense power between themselves. It was well known within their group that the only two people capable of competing with Sehun in hand to hand combat were Kyungsoo and Minseok, this fact alone making them worthy allies. In the few hundred years, they had become a tight knit group of friends and despite Sehun’s numerous attempts of trying to make them co-owners of the company, Kyungsoo was happy with being the publicity manager, meanwhile Minseok preferred to use his talents elsewhere.

SKY LTD employed thousands of wolves. Yes, humans applied to this company, but humans did not get jobs here. It was important to keep wolves hidden from the knowledge of humans. Mixing in such
close proximity would put both species in danger. Humans craved power and if the old stories were to be believed, then humans were not to be trusted with the same power that wolves held. Hence, it was simply easier to make his company a human free zone, in order to preserve the secret of the wolves and other magical beings. Humans no longer knew that wolves walked among them. The wolves of folklore were a far cry from the real wolves in existence today. Everything one was to read about wolves from a book would probably be outdated, exaggerated and sensationalized.

His office intercom buzzed and broke him out of his pensive thoughts. He pressed the ‘receive’ button.

“Your board meeting is due to start in 15 minutes Sir. Meeting room 1 is set up and ready, just waiting for you now”, came the voice of his personal assistant, Bomi, a Beta. She’d been working with Sehun for the past five years and had become an indispensable part of his team.

“Thanks Bomi, I’ll head down now. Are Chanyeol, Jongin and Yixing in the building?”

“They’ve been informed by their secretaries already Sir.”

“And Kyungsoo?”

“He’s already in the meeting room”, she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice. Everyone had a soft spot for Kyungsoo.

Sehun got up from his desk, reached for his jacket that he’d draped at the back of his office chair and put it on. On his way to the meeting room, he encountered a few of his office workers, all of whom bowed politely and wished him a good morning. The office building hosted a mixture of scents; alpha, beta and omega all combined together and a vast, colourful array of auras, that Sehun knew only he could see. Not many knew that every wolf’s aura changed according to their mood, personality and situation and over the years, Sehun had learned to read them very well.

As he entered the meeting room, he found that the majority of people were already seated and upon seeing him, they rose to bow down to him, a gesture which he reciprocated.

He took his seat at the head of the set of tables and realized that one person was missing. “Jongin, where’s Chanyeol?”

“Oh, he’s run out to do something, said he’ll fill us in after and he told us to start without him.”

So they did. It was a long meeting. Stocks, shares, sales, projects, staff vacancies, staff issues, the list went on.

“Ok, is there any other business today?” Sehun asked, as the meeting drew to a close.

“The ad for the new graphics designer went in last week Sir”, Myungsoo, the HR manager spoke up, “we have two interviews lined up today, in the afternoon.”

“No humans I take it?”

“None Sir.”

“Ok, Chanyeol and Jongin will oversee those, it’s part of their department anyway, they’ll know best what they’re looking for. Any news of Byul?”

Byul was the previous lead graphic designer for the company. He had gone missing four weeks ago with no trace. An extremely hard working beta, had never taken a day off work suddenly disappeared with no news of his whereabouts. His family had been contacted and a missing ‘persons’ report had been filed with the local authority. His job had gone out for recruitment last week when they had realized that he probably wouldn’t be back.

“No Sir”, Myungsoo replied solemnly.

“Hmm.” Sehun replied thoughtfully, finding the entire situation extremely strange. “Ok, everyone, you are dismissed, thank you for your time, have a good day. Yixing, Jongin, Kyungsoo, please stay behind.”

Everyone got up and slowly filed out of the room, leaving the four men behind.

“So, tell me, where’s Chanyeol, he usually loves causing trouble at these kinds of meetings”, Sehun began.

“Yeh, about that”, Jongin started, “We think we’ve found Byul.”

“What do you mean, you’ve found Byul?”

“Meaning, we found found Byul Sehun, it’s not good news.” Jongin replied, looking at Sehun meaningfully, his vivid blue aura dulling slightly behind him.

As if, right on cue, Chanyeol burst through the doors of the meeting room, making an entrance as only Chanyeol could.

From the outside, to a common person, Chanyeol looked every bit the put together owner of a company. But Sehun knew him well, too well. Chanyeol looked troubled, his red aura burning fiercely. He sat down at his chair with a big sigh.

“Chanyeol?” Sehun asked.

“Sehun, you’re not going to like this, none of you are.” Chanyeol replied

“Maybe tell us the details and we can decide whether to like it or not.” Kyungsoo quipped.

“Well,” Chanyeol leaned forward, “we received an anonymous tip of some sorts late yesterday”, he started, nodding towards Jongin. “Someone said they saw a person that looked like Byul in the Northern part of Seoul and that if we wanted more information, we should meet them. So I did. There was no one there when I arrived. No one but Byul. Dead.”

“What the fuck? Why would anyone want to kill Byul?” Sehun asked in disbelief.

“That’s not the most concerning part. He was tinged red.”

Sehun felt his blood run cold. Tinged Red? Had he heard right? No, it can’t be.

“What did you just say Loey”, referring to Chanyeol’s guardian name.

“Exactly what you heard. I saw Byul’s dead body with my own eyes earlier today. Looks like he’d been dead only for a few hours, his scent was still fresh, kinda, but his eyes were tinged red. I could see his chest and the rune was there, red. Just like what we’ve seen before, exactly like what we’ve seen before. It could only be their work Sehun, no one else leaves such a signature.”

Kyungsoo let out a low whistle and reclined back in his chair. “It’s not that no one else leaves such a signature Chanyeol, it’s that no one else is capable of leaving such a signature. That requires some deep, dark and strong magic. It’s not something you can just pull out.”

“It can’t be Chanyeol, you were there when we vanquished the last of the Red Witches 800 years ago.” Sehun argued, not quite ready to believe.

“Yeh I know, and I wish I saw something else, but there really is no room for doubt Sehun, as soon as I touched his body, it started to disintegrate to red ash, just like how the bodies used to, no trace left. You and I both know that there is no one alive on this Earth who can pull off such a great mimic.”

Sehun didn’t want to believe, believing would mean the impossible was happening. He was the one who killed the last of the Red Witches all those years ago. The Red Witches were a class of magical peoples who had been committing atrocities and killing thousands of people for hundreds of years. Humans called it the ‘plague’, Sehun had known different. The Red Witches believed that the sacrifice of a defined number of people would grant them immortality as part of a sacred ritual, performed during the full moon.

For this reason, they had justified the slaughter of thousands of humans and wolves alike. As possessors of magical abilities, all murders were the same. All victims, if you were quick enough to get to a corpse, had the same features. Eyes tinged a deep red and a large red rune burned deep into the chest of each person. All bodies disintegrated upon touch. There were no traces left of all of these people. Those were dark times with so many unexplained disappearances.

Sehun had been called upon by Mother Earth herself all those years back. She needed help. The Red Witches could not succeed under any circumstances otherwise it would have been the end of the world as we knew it.

Sehun, Loey, D.O., Kai, Lay and Xiumin had vanquished each and every Red Witch in existence. The war lasted decades. They called it ‘The Great War’. They nearly didn’t win. It was only because each of them were blessed with abilities that they were able to channel their power into the war to defeat their enemies.

Sehun could still remember the vengeful promise left behind by the last remaining, most powerful Red Witch as he blew her to smithereens. With a look of pure hatred in her eyes, she vowed that she would be back, more powerful and more deadly than ever before to seek her vengeance against him and the guardians. Up until now, Sehun never paid any attention to that moment, storing it away as he had done other facets of his life.

But now? When there was a possibility of the return of the most wicked, powerful threat to this Earth? Now what?

“…..didn’t think”, Sehun caught on to the end of Kyungsoo’s sentence. How long had he zoned out for? He wasn’t aware.

“Listen up all of you, when was the last time any of you practiced?” He asked, changing the subject.

“We’ve not needed to recently.” Jongin answered. “I’ve done it casually like, you guys always need to travel somewhere in a hurry.”

“If what Chanyeol says is true, we need to be prepared.” Sehun said.

“We might need Minseok back Sehun, we can’t do it without him.”

“Yep, I’ll call Minseok later. For now, stay vigilant. Any thing out of place, you report back, this was clearly a message sent for us. Well, we got the message, loud and clear.”

Kyungsoo, Jongin and Chanyeol all nodded their assent. The room was silent. All of them looked in various states of unease, all except one.

Sehun looked over at Yixing. The man had been extremely quiet throughout the entire meeting. It wasn’t in his nature to be overly talkative anyway, but this was unusual even for him.

“Yixing?” Sehun called the man.

“Hmm?” Said man looked over at Sehun, the first glimpse of a dimple showing in his cheek.

“What is it?”

“The energy is not aligned Sehun, it feels wrong. You tell me you’ve not felt it?” Yixing replied.

“I have.”

“What could it mean?”

“I honestly don’t know. I’ve felt it creeping up for years now, but I’ve never been able to put my finger on it.” Sehun replied honestly.

“It makes me feel uneasy though,” Yixing continued, “I’ve taken peace for granted for so long that I feel disturbed when I think it might be coming to an end.”

“I agree. I have to admit I might have slacked. I don’t scout for negative energy as much as I used to,” Sehun admitted, “the best we can do right now is be ready for it, whatever it is.”

“Hmm.” Yixing repeated and then fell silent once again.

Later in his office, Sehun dialled a number. A number of one of the highest ranking officials of the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.

It was picked up on the third ring.

“Boss?”

“Minseok, we need to meet”.

Chapter Text

Baekhyun stopped on the sidewalk and looked up at the monstrous building in front of him. He wasn’t even sure whether he could see the top of the building, it’s sheer size towering over the city.

SKY LTD.

It was a company that he was familiar with as it was constantly in the news for the advances it had made in the technology field. Baekhyun had an interview here today and he’d already researched the company thoroughly in preparation.

Baekhyun had a degree in graphic design. He graduated 3 years ago from Seoul’s top university, achieving honours. After graduating, he landed a part-paid apprenticeship at the prestigious Han & Sons design agency, thanks to a stellar recommendation from his course professor. However he wanted more. The job was great, but it was still only an apprenticeship. It was pretty clear that there was no scope for promotion or self-improvement and the pay wasn’t enough to support Baekhyun for life. Adding to that was that Han & Sons was a human owned company, where Baekhyun had to conceal his wolf origins. His omega habits were even harder to conceal and he hated having to lie to his colleagues when he needed time off for his heats.

When Baekhyun had seen a job advertisement at SKY LTD for a lead graphic designer, it was too good an opportunity to miss. He didn’t exactly have decades of experience, but where he lacked in experience, he made up with his hardworking attitude, fresh ideas and design ability. He hoped this would shine through during his interview today.

Baekhyun stepped forward, the huge sliding double doors with the SKY LTD logo etched into the glass opened as he went up to them. He entered into a huge lobby with a big reception desk to the right, marbled floors and ornate furniture dotted around. There were a few large vases strategically placed with various green plants in them, adding to the aesthetic appeal of the place. Straight ahead of him were some turnstiles which required ID badge access and a burly looking security guard standing next to them, an alpha, if Baekhyun was not mistaken. Beyond that were a set of elevators. The lobby was busy with people in various stages of activity. A large group of people had just come out from the turnstiles and were heading towards the exit. Baekhyun found himself hastily sidestepping to the right to get out of their way.

After catching his breath, adjusting his tie and tucking in his shirt for the hundredth time, he made his way to the reception desk. It was manned by a female omega, who looked like she was in her forties. The badge on her lapel read ‘Min-Jun’. Her dark hair was styled into a stylish chignon. Baekhyun cleared his throat and bowed to her.

“Hello, I am Byun Baekhyun and I am here for a job interview. I’m sorry, I think I’m a little early.” He said, chuckling nervously.

“Hold on a minute Mr Byun, I’ll just check for you.” She replied, while tapping on her computer keyboard with a polite smile on her pretty face. “Ah yes, I’ve got you.”

She handed him a clipboard and pen. “Can you just put your name and sign here for me please, and,” she reached for a visitor badge and lanyard, “if you could just put this on, I’ll have you escorted to the elevators. Your interview will be on the 24^th floor, if you turn left out of the elevators, follow signs for the interview rooms and let reception know your name. I’ll call up in advance to inform them of your arrival. Good luck!”

Baekhyun thanked her, bowed once again, adjusted the strap on his shoulder bag and made his way to the turnstiles, where the burly alpha nodded at him once and scanned his own card to let him through. He then walked him to the elevators where he swiped his badge, pressed the button for the 24^th floor and left Baekhyun to continue.

Baekhyun was relieved he didn’t have much else to do with the alpha. It wasn’t that he was afraid of him, he just had a particular distaste for most alphas, apart from his father and a few of his tutors from college. Largely he kept a safe distance from them. He had no reason to involve alphas in any part of his life. Maybe this is why he was so comfortable at Han & Sons, where no wolves were employed to begin with. He knew this place would be full of alphas and he was anxious about being in such close proximity to so many of them. However, as long as they kept out of his way, he would be ok.

He followed the directions given by the receptionist after alighting from the elevator. This floor was just as elegant looking as the lobby area. Tasteful artwork was hung on the walls, the carpeted floor adding a touch of luxury. As he reached the end of the hallway, he saw another set of doors and clearly marked signage telling him to go straight ahead to the interview rooms. And as he went further, another smaller reception desk came into view, this time with a male beta at the desk. This one was younger than the one in the lobby and had a cute smile when he turned to look at Baekhyun.

“Ah hello Mr Byun, we were expecting you. Please take a seat opposite, you’re quite early, the interviews will start shortly. Help yourself to some water from the fountain if needed and the rest rooms are to the side,” he explained while gesturing to the aforementioned amenities.

Baekhyun nodded and took a seat. He had done well up until this point to keep his nerves in check, but as the minutes ticked by, he felt himself getting increasingly nervous. He really wanted this job, but he was worried that he wouldn’t be taken seriously, especially with his lack of experience in the field. He could feel his hands getting sweaty and he wiped them down on his pants. Giving himself a mini mental pep talk, he scolded himself for thinking so negatively.

“Mr Byun” the receptionist said after a while, whilst putting down the intercom receiver, “they’re ready for you, you can go right in.”

Baekhyun stood up and bowed once again, then walked towards the door to the room where the interview would be held. Taking a deep breath, he knocked once and opened the door when he heard a ‘come in’.

The interview room wasn’t very large. There was a small, circular table in the middle of the room and three people were seated at the table. One was a female wolf, an omega, who was sitting with a note pad, pen and tablet, clearly to take some notes. With her sat two VERY handsome alphas. They both looked quite tall (although they were seated). One had blonde hair with an undercut. He had beautiful almond eyes and very full lips. The other had gorgeous tanned skin, black hair and the most breathtaking smile.

Baekhyun had long since learned that appearances were deceptive. Despite their outward, friendly expressions, Baekhyun felt his self-protective reflexes kick in, these were two alphas after all. He gulped as his mouth suddenly felt dry, wishing he had some water to sip on. They were all watching him expectantly and so he forced one foot in front of the other and began walking to the table, even though his instincts were screaming at him to run and his heart was pounding in his chest, threatening to break free.

He slowly bowed to the three people, took his seat when asked and clasped his hands together under the table, out of sight as he willed himself to calm down. Quick introductions were made and then the interview began. Mr Kim (black haired alpha) seemed to be asking all the professional questions, looking through Baekhyun’s portfolio and asking questions after Baekhyun had presented his prepared presentation. Mr Park (blond alpha) on the other hand, didn’t ask many questions, occasionally nodding along to some of the answers Baekhyun was giving or prompting him for more detailed answers.

All in all, Baekhyun thought the interview had gone fairly well and he received encouraging smiles from all three people once all the questions had been asked.

Unbeknownst to Baekhyun, one of the alphas staring at him throughout the interview, trying to figure out the reason behind a particular peculiar detail.

“Sehun,” Chanyeol insisted over the phone, “I really think you need to meet him.”

“Chanyeol,” Sehun replied patiently, “I don’t need to meet every new employee you know. You and Jongin met him, you’re happy and I’m happy. If you think that he’s the right person for the job, then that’s fine, I trust you.”

“That’s not it,” Chanyeol said as he let out an exhale. “He has no scent.”

“You’re probably mistaken Chanyeol, that’s not possible.”

“No, I am not mistaken, I spent most of the interview trying to catch his scent. I bet I looked like a right creep.”

“We both know it’s not possible Chanyeol, everyone has a scent. He’s probably doused himself in cologne. You know how these rookie types get.”

“But…”

“Ok, listen, I have maybe half an hour this afternoon. Have him do his new employment paperwork in the meantime and send him up at three.”

“Bomi, can you please call in Mr Byun”, Sehun said over the intercom.

“Yes Sir, right away”, she replied, “Mr Byun, you can go on through, Mr Oh is expecting you.” She said to a seated Baekhyun.

Baekhyun thanked her as he stood up and bowed. He was feeling nervous, his palms sweating slightly as a result. He wasn’t really sure why he was seeing the CEO of the company on his interview day. Was this the way things were done in this company? Had he fucked up somehow? Stop panicking, he told himself. You can do this Baekhyun, it’s no problem, it’ll be quick. And with that, he lifted his fist to knock softly on the door.

“Come in”, said a deep, voice on the other end of the door. And he entered.

Sehun was seated at his desk, wondering what Chanyeol found so interesting about the new recruit, so much so, that Sehun needed to see him today. I mean, not all wolves had a very strong scent, maybe Chanyeol didn’t pick it up in that moment in time, right? He looked up precisely as the door opened and Byun Baekhyun himself entered his office.

Well, fuck me, thought Sehun as his eyes scanned the omega from head to toe.  Sehun had never seen someone so utterly gorgeous in his entire life. Baekhyun was petite with brown hair, which looked shiny and probably would have been super soft if Sehun was to run his fingers through it.  Sehun noticed his beautiful eyes, slightly drooping at the outer ends and his full, pink lips with a small freckle just above the upper lip. His body proportions were pure perfection, broad shoulders, slightly widened hips with luscious thighs to top it all off. In conclusion, Byun Baekhyun was a perfect specimen of ………. 

Wait, hang on, of what? There was something missing, and as Sehun looked intently, his eyes narrowed and his eyebrows drew together in confusion. He sat forward in his seat, elbows resting on his table.

There was no fucking way it was possible, was it? Where the fuck was his scent? Maybe Chanyeol was right after all? In all of his thousands of years walking this Earth, Sehun had never come across any creature who did not possess one. Even humans and animals, domestic or wild had one, as weak as it may be. What the hell was this anomaly? Even Sehun himself possessed a scent, not that he could smell his own.  What kind of creature was Baekhyun then? Who the hell exists in this world and yet has no scent? A scent was a signature of every individual and yet here was Byun Baekhyun, possessing nothing.

As Baekhyun came closer, Sehun still picked nothing up, despite his superior senses. Even underneath the fresh smelling cologne Baekhyun was wearing, there was nothing.

“What are you?” Sehun hadn’t realized he had said this out loud.

Baekhyun paused, right in front of his desk. “Excuse me Sir?” He said, in a voice as sweet as honey.

Sehun leaned back in his chair, cocked his head to the side and raised a single eyebrow.

“ What’s your code, wolf?” Sehun asked, voice laced with authority.

Baekhyun stilled, his back straightened. “From Mother Earth we come, to her we shall return,” he answered, the code spilling from his mouth automatically.

An Omega, Sehun thought. So why could he not sense him? He sat forward in his chair, “an Omega”, he pondered. “So why can I not pick this up, Mr Byun?”

Baekhyun bristled, he then looked at Sehun head on, dead in the eyes. “I don’t understand how this is related to the job, my interview or my ability….Sir.”  His tone was as cold as ice.

The silence dragged while Sehun pondered over his choice of words. “You’re right, it’s not,” he conceded, flipping a pen between his thumb and forefinger, “but you are quite the anomaly Mr Byun. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a wolf with no scent.”

Baekhyun didn’t answer for a few moments, his mind a mixture of emotions. He felt so very intimidated in the presence of this alpha and yet he was seething underneath it all. He could feel the power coming off from Sehun in waves, barely concealed strength simmering just under the surface. From his black hair, styled away from his forehead with those defined eyebrows framing his face to a jawline that could cut through glass, Baekhyun found himself staring before he looked away, unable to meet his eyes for much longer.

“There’s a lot you don’t know Mr Oh, some of it is not worth knowing. The knowledge would be of no benefit to you”, he replied eventually, “scent or no scent, it takes nothing away from my ability to do my job.” He took a deep breath before saying the next words, drawing courage from somewhere deep within himself. “I didn’t realise that the CEO of SKY LTD was discriminatory of different people.” He finally looked Sehun square in the face, a look of defiance on his beautiful features.

“You’re wrong Mr Byun, we do not discriminate here. It was a simple observation, which you do not wish to discuss and I respect that. Your abilities for the job are not in question here. Now, Chanyeol tells me you impressed in your interview. The job is yours, if you want it, that is.”

“I do, very much.” Baekhyun replied, “I thank you for this opportunity sir, I shall try my best not to disappoint you.” He took bow, before exiting the room.

Outside, he stood with his back to the wall once his legs were able to carry him further down the corridor. His hand lay against his heart, trying to slow down his wildly beating heart.

In the office, Sehun leaned back in his chair with a troubled look on his face. Reacting like that over being asked about his scent? How would he react when he was questioned over the even bigger mystery?

You see, no single being existed in this universe who did not possess an aura. No one apart from Byun Baekhyun.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Sehun made his way through the restaurant lead by the maître d'hôtel . The meeting had been arranged at ‘Fumo’, the Michelin starred Italian restaurant that had only been open for a few months, but boasted a waiting list of nearly a year. Getting a table was almost impossible but Bomi had pulled quite a few strings to get him booked into their private dining room at such short notice, he must remember to give her a pay rise.

It was coming up to 7pm in the evening and the small restaurant was already busy in the main dining area. Muted conversation could be heard over the soft classical music playing, the clinking of cutlery on expensive crockery which only added to the ambience. Strategically placed small crystal chandeliers hung over every table, casting atmospheric lighting and adding a touch of romance to the scene. The whole placed reeked of money, only the elite being able to get a table here.

He was shown to a large wooden door at the back of the main room, turning heads as he walked past from men and women alike. The door was opened for him and he entered another tastefully decorated room. Again there was a crystal chandelier hung low on the ceiling directly above the round, mahogany table.  The table was covered by a crisp white tablecloth, with lit candles placed artfully in the middle.  Sparkling wine glasses and shiny cutlery completed the setting.

The two individuals who were already sat at the table paused their conversation and turned to look at him as he entered.

“Finally Sehun, we’ve been waiting. Come on and sit down,” exclaimed Minseok, as soon as he saw him.

Sehun greeted them both and took a seat at the table. “I’m sorry, I got caught up in the office with last minute paperwork, how are you Minseok, it’s been a minute since we last met.”

“You don’t make time for me anymore Sehun”, he teased.

Sehun snorted, “Yeh right, you’re too busy for me these days Hyung. Thanks for meeting us at such short notice by the way, I know how busy things can get for you, has Soo brought you up to date?”

“I have with as much as I know, which isn’t a lot, as you know. We’re only going by what Chanyeol told us earlier today,” replied Kyungsoo.

Sehun nodded.

“Where are Chanyeol, Jongin and Yixing?” Minseok asked, “I thought they would be here.”

“Chanyeol and Jongin are out tracking, I sent Yixing to the Shaman.”

“Fuck, it must be bad if you’re sending them out tracking, we’ve not tracked for well over fifty years.”

“We haven’t needed to before now and they are our best trackers. I think something very bad is going to happen and I have a horrible feeling that we aren’t prepared for it.”

“Yeh, that’s what Soo says. A tinged body, right?”

Sehun nodded in affirmation.

“Hmmm,” Minseok continued, “I’m not sure about all this you know? We were all there when the last of the red witches were destroyed. Not a single one was left, so how can they come back? Unless someone is playing copy-cat?”

At that, Kyungsoo shook his head, eyebrows drawn together, pretty heart shaped lips pursed. “I don’t think so Hyung,” he started, “that kind of magic can’t just be copied. Chanyeol was pretty sure of what he saw, he said it had an exact likeness to the sacrifices that were done before.”

“Any photos or anything to go by?” Minseok asked.

“No nothing,”  Sehun replied. “Chanyeol said the body turned to ash as soon as he touched it. There was nothing left.”

“Shit. Well, I can tell you that none of the official human channels have picked it up yet. Considering it’s been only one death, I’m not surprised to be honest. I went by the police headquarters earlier, after your call. Only missing human reports, as always, no missing wolf reports. I cross checked our database too,” Minseok stated, handing Sehun a glass of red wine. He was referring to the wolf database of South Korea that they had officially started keeping 25 years ago.

Sehun took the glass of wine, swilling the deep red liquid slowly in the glass and bringing it up to his nose, taking a sniff of the liquid, closing his eyes and then taking a taste. The fruity taste burst on his tongue and he relaxed marginally for the first time since the morning.

“So far the only casualty that we know of is Byul right? I would be surprised if missing wolves turned up in a human police registry.” He continued. “But it can happen, especially if a human were to come across the bodies. So, I guess I’ll keep looking.”

“Well, if a human were to come across the body, they would get the shock of their lives, especially if it disappears as soon as someone tries to touch it. Can you imagine the headache?” Kyungsoo grimaced.

“There’s that too. We have no idea what we are up against, we have to stop the humans finding out about any of it too. We haven’t trained in ages and I haven’t been able to track any negative energies.” Sehun listed the issues, ticking them off in his fingers one by one.

Minseok and Kyungsoo both nodded.

“We are going to need your help to re-train Minseok Hyung. You have the best facilities at your disposal and we are all out of practice.” Sehun said.

“I thought you’d ask that, I already know a place a few miles south of Seoul, in the middle of nowhere. We won’t be disturbed, there is no civilization nearby. Fireproof, stormproof, waterproof, bulletproof, bombproof, everything proof. The only issue is, I don’t think it’s Soo proof,” he chuckled, glancing over at Kyungsoo.

“I don’t think anything is Soo proof hyung, do you remember that time…”

“That was ONE time,” interrupted Kyungsoo, “and it wasn’t even my….”

He was cut off by the sharp ring tone of Sehun’s phone. Sehun saw the name appearing on the display and answered immediately.

“Hi Chanyeol.”

“Sehun”, came the husky voice over the phone, “I think you’re going to want to see this. We’ve found another one.”

Sehun cursed under his breath. “Another body? Is it a wolf?” He looked meaningfully at the other two.

“Yep,” Chanyeol replied, “Exactly like Byul too I think, but I’ve not touched it this time. We’re at the southern border of Bukhansan National Park, at a children’s playground. Don’t worry, we’ve cleared the area.”

“Shit, ok, we’ll be there as soon as possible. Keep the area secured and don’t touch the body.”

“I’m sending Jongin to you, it’s faster, ok? You’re still at Fumo?”

“Yes we are, and…..”

Before Sehun could finish the sentence, Jongin materialized out of nowhere right next to Sehun with a cheeky smile on his handsome face.

Sehun, Minseok and Kyungsoo were unceremoniously dumped on the ground when Jongin appeared at their destination. Sehun would never get used to travelling this way, it always made him feel queasy and today was no exception. It took him a moment to get his bearings and wait for the dizziness to abate before he got himself into an upright position and dusted himself off, Minseok and Kyungsoo doing the same.

Sehun looked around him. They seemed to be in a playground somewhere in North Seoul. There wasn’t a single soul in sight apart from the five of them. The metallic swings and seesaw were rusty with age and use. The ground had only sparse grass, the rest of it was scattered with rubbish and leaves. A little child’s teddy bear lay abandoned near the swings.  It had rained recently, an earthen scent seeped from the ground, announcing the arrival of the autumn season. Sehun looked around surreptitiously to confirm that there was indeed no one else present.

“This way guys,” Jongin said, looking completely unperturbed from the unique way of travelling, whilst gesturing to the farthest part of the playground, towards a structure resembling a climbing frame, “Chanyeol’s just over there. I didn’t really want to teleport so close to the evidence in case one of you fell on it,” he said cheekily and Minseok chuckled quietly whilst shaking his head, “Didn’t want to destroy it before we got to examine it properly.”

The three of them followed Jongin, his blue aura shining brighter now that he had used his power, dimming down to a pulsating light as he walked away from them. As they rounded the climbing frame, they saw Chanyeol’s back as he was crouched near what was unmistakably a dead body. Sehun noticed the distinct lack of aura, but caught a faint lingering smell, possibly of an alpha.

Chanyeol stood and faced them as he sensed them approaching. His expression was grim and he had a knowing look in his eyes.

“He’s tinged red guys,” he announced.

Minseok hissed next to him and made a move forward, stopped by Sehun’s arm. Minseok looked towards Sehun who shook his head.

“No, we can’t touch it remember? We need to think of another way to expose his chest. Hold on a second.”

He moved closer to the body, concentration solely focussed on the body. A light breeze suddenly kicked up and Sehun knew his aura would be burning brighter than before. He concentrated the breeze around the chest of the corpse, and moved the shirt slightly to the side with a gust of wind, leaving a part of his chest exposed. And there, for everyone to see was a small part of a visible rune, glowing bright red.  However, on closer inspection, Sehun noticed black thread like veins coming out like a spider’s web from this rune, like nothing he had seen before. The dead wolf’s eyes were open and the corneas were red, a glassy veil covering them in death.

“Fucking hell,” Kyungsoo swore under his breath. “Didn’t quite believe it up until now.”

Sehun, Chanyeol, Minseok, Jongin and Kyungsoo all stood looking at each other, no one willing to break the silence, no one knowing exactly what to say. The usual bratty Jongin and Chanyeol duo were unusually quiet.

Kyungsoo knelt on the ground next to the corpse, put his palm flat on the ground and closed his eyes, concentrating deeply. His mossy green aura shining extra bright.

Minseok moved closer, crouching down beside the body. His cat-like eyes were examining every little detail, committing it all to memory. He pointed to the rune, “This is familiar, exactly like the work of the Red Witches, but this,” his finger tracing the air, following the intricate black lines, “this I haven’t seen before. It look like a different kind of magic, a darker one.”

“That’s because it is Hyung,” Kyungsoo slowly opened his eyes, palm keeping contact with the ground. “I can feel a faint signature of magic, but this wolf was not killed here. The magic signature is too weak. It looks like the body was dumped here somehow after he was killed.  But I’m not sure how that’s possible if touching it causes it to turn to dust.” He paused,  “Also, there is something darker that I can feel, but I don’t know what it is. It’s mixed in with the magic of the red witches. I think Yixing would be able to pick it up better.”

Sehun looked at them while he they were talking, then back to the corpse for any other clues. But there were none that he could see from this position. There didn’t seem to be any signs of a struggle. There were no bruising or wounds noticeable – apart from the rune acting like a branding mark.  What he really needed to do was move the body so that it could be properly examined, but touching it would indeed cause it to disintegrate into red dust, leaving no trace.

“Minseok, can you please take some photos of what you think would be most important. We can examine them closely later.” He asked. Frustrated, he sighed. “If only we could move the body. It would be good to look around and not only at the chest.”

“Wait, Sehun, I might have an idea,” Jongin spoke up. “Maybe if Minseok Hyung can freeze the body, we might be able to move it? Maybe then, it can freeze the magic too. It would be like cryopreservation right?”

Not a bad idea, Sehun thought. He turned to Minseok, “That’s not a bad idea, do you think it might work?”

“Well, I can try.” The man replied. With that, Sehun noted his brilliant blue aura shining impossibly bright as the corpse began to freeze. From the feet upward, a thin layer of ice began covering him, winding its way towards the head until it was covered head to toe. The ground upon which he lay was also covered with a thin layer of ice, as if it was in the middle of winter itself.

Sehun held his breath and waited. They all did. Nothing happened. Maybe it had worked after all. He exhaled slowly, until he heard a crack. The ice had started cracking of its own accord, falling off the corpse, like someone was chipping away at it, leaving the body exactly how they had found, now with shards of ice surrounding it like a halo.

And then, slowly, the body began to disintegrate, almost as if it was in slow motion. It started turning into dust from the peripheries, the tiny particles floating away into the air and disappearing out of sight.  All they could do was stand and watch it happen, Sehun thought it looked almost beautiful if the circumstances hadn’t been so grim. Not knowing how to stop it, they all watched as every bit of the dead wolf dissolved to dust and disappeared before their very eyes, leaving nothing but an impression of its former position on the grass and shards of ice glinting like cut glass.

All five of them were crowded into Minseok’s living room later that night. Luckily he had a large house and an equally large sofa. Sehun was sat on one end of the sofa next to Kyungsoo, Jongin and Chanyeol were both on the floor. Minseok was in the kitchen, grabbing them all some much needed beers.

“Yixing Hyung is on his way back,” Jongin began, “I offered to pick him up, but he said he wasn’t too far, probably about ten minutes and that was five minutes ago.”

“I wonder if he found out anything useful from the Shaman? I’m so pissed about earlier. What the fuck was even that? How did the body even get there, if he didn’t die there.” Chanyeol grumbled.

Sehun accepted a beer from Minseok when he came back into the room. He took a few large gulps from the can, allowing the cold, refreshing beverage to wash down his throat. He agreed with Chanyeol. He too was frustrated and annoyed. This was now the second wolf who had died. At least with Byul, they were able to let the family know, no one even know who this wolf was, and now there was no way of finding out. Sehun found himself feeling pretty helpless.

“Well, if the shaman doesn’t tell us anything useful this time, we might be fucked,” Kyungsoo’s voice sounded grim, “We can’t keep having people dying, how many more until we are able to stop whoever is doing this?”

“I can’t sense them.” Sehun said. “Absolutely nothing. Maybe I’m out of practice, maybe my powers are dying, or maybe they are different this time, but it’s like my witch tracker is broken and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“If only we still had white witches, their red witch compass never missed,” Jongin replied.

“The white witches were all wiped out twelve years ago Jongin. The last of the Kim clan were killed in that huge fire at the Kim household. There were no survivors. If there had been, Sehun would have been able to sense them and track them down by now,” Kyungsoo reminded him, to which Sehun nodded in the affirmative.

Just then, the intercom to Minseok’s apartment buzzed, signalling the arrival of Yixing from his visit with the Shaman. When he joined them, they brought him up to speed with everything that had happened with their discovery. In return, he explained his visit to the Shaman.

“Just as usual, I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. Something about the Circle being complete soon and the elements joining up? Aligning maybe? I don’t know, maybe she said discovered, or was it even elements? I’m so confused,” his dimple popped cutely as he pouted. “I swear the old lady is getting senile you know, she’s making less and less sense and didn’t answer any of my questions.”

Even though he was frustrated, his voice held such tenderness for her, “If I didn’t think she was like my grandma, I wouldn’t visit her at all,” he finished with a huff, clearly not properly annoyed. After a pause, he continued quietly, “If I knew my Grandma, I think she would be exactly like her.”

“I’m sorry.” Sehun said quietly after a while, head bowed.

“Why?” Yixing asked.

Sehun looked up to look at Yixing. “If it wasn’t for me, maybe you would have remembered your family. You would have grown old with them and you wouldn’t have to wonder what they would have been like.”

“Sehun….,” Minseok started softly.

“Minseok, hyung, you know you were my first.”

“Yes, I do,” he replied quietly, “and I know I must have begged you to save my life somehow, and the  fact that after everything, I couldn’t remember why I wanted to be saved so badly is not your fault. You didn’t know.”

“But after you, I knew right? So I had no excuse when it came to Kyungsoo and then Yixing, Chanyeol and finally Jongin. What was I thinking?” He said, eyes glassy as he looked at each of them in turn.

“Listen Sehun,” Yixing said, softly. “That’s not on you, we all know that. If you hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t have even survived to grow old and spend my life with my family. You did it, because I asked you to. Wolves biting each other and sharing blood is like a bond, a commitment. The agreement has to be from both individuals before that bond can be formed. You know this. If you had forced it on any of us against our will, we would have died a painful death, not sat here with you for eternity. I certainly don’t regret you giving me this life, which I think is a blessing. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I agree”, Jongin added. “I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for you. I wouldn’t have been able to teleport and help people like I do if it wasn’t for you. It wasn’t only your blood you shared with us Sehun, it was a part of you, your gifts. I owe my life to you,” he said with sincerity.

“Sehun, I think I can speak for everyone when I say this, I am so grateful to you for saving my life. Yes, I don’t know what or who was in my life before you, because I don’t remember, but really, I don’t give a fuck anymore, you guys are my family.” Chanyeol finished.

Sehun sat on the sofa staring at the floor. Most of what they had said was true. A wolf could not share blood or bite another person if both had not agreed to it beforehand. If it was done against their will, then that person would be poisoned and most likely die a horrible, painful death. Before them, Sehun was the first of his kind, the only one of his kind. And now, he had five other people to share his immortality with. His companions, his friends, his family.

He suddenly felt like hugging them all but held himself back knowing he would never live it down if he did.

Chapter Text

‘I’m having a nightmare’, Baekhyun’s subconscious was telling him and yet he couldn’t bring himself out of sleep to stop said nightmare. He could see the inside of his own eyelids, a bright red colour as if his bedroom was lit with the strongest of lights. He was running. Running from something or someone, he had no idea what. He could see well defined eyebrows framing dark, intense eyes, sometimes flashing a vivid, jade green. He saw swirls of the same jade green, sometimes interlaced with black swirls. He felt a strong breeze, one that almost knocked him down, working against him and preventing him from running away from the those eyes. Despite being mystical and abstract, the whole scene was oddly erotic.

He felt incredibly hot and knew his body would be covered with sweat, bedsheets crumpled under him as if he’d been writhing on them all night. Eyes, all he could see were hungry eyes and then a face started coming to focus, just as his mind pushed him fully into consciousness. And Baekhyun woke with a gasp, eyes flying open to find the room basked in almost darkness, with a small slit of light visible just under the blinds. He realized that dawn was about to break. He looked to his bed side table, saw the clock reading 5am and knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. He felt too warm, his skin tingly from the nightmare-like dream.

Baekhyun was turned on, the remnants of the dream hanging on to the edges of his memory, the eroticism of the experience causing him to feel things in his groin. His hand inched down to where he was sporting an erection. His hard-on felt almost painful against the duvet. His fingers ghosted over his abdomen, moving further down ever so slowly, brushing against the neatly trimmed happy trail leading to his dick. He edged his hand into his boxers and softly brushed the tips of his fingers down his length, breath coming out in a soft sigh as tiny waves of pleasure went up his spine. And when he reached the tip, his thumb brushed ever so lightly over the slit, the drops of precum wetting his thumb.

He desperately needed some friction and so he palmed his dick with his whole hand and gave it a light squeeze, knowing more precum would have collected at the tip. And slowly he started moving his hand up and down, tugging slightly with a firmer grip. His breathing was coming out shallower now, his mind fogged with the memory of the intense stare of those dark eyes, almost like they were watching him masturbating, knowing he was thinking of their owner and taking delight in how they were making him feel.

Baekhyun let out a soft moan as he felt his dick getting harder, he needed to cum so badly. And so he kicked off his duvet, lifted his hips and took off his pyjamas and boxers in one swift motion, feeling the cool air hit his sweaty body and hot dick. He bent his knees and spread his legs, cupping his balls with one hand. His other hand travelled further back, tracing the sensitive area between his balls and his asshole, and one finger gently probed his rim. Circling the rim, but not quite entering. He was wet, his natural slick wetting the area between his butt cheeks. He ran his finger around his rim once again, collecting more slick, using that to trail upwards once more towards his dick, coating the entire length and lubricating it enough for him to move his hand up and down faster.

‘This feels so good,' he thought, as his toes curled and his back arched every time he pumped himself. The slapping sounds of a lubed up dick filled the early morning air, the lewdness of the noises making him impossibly hornier. Baekhyun knew he was close, he could feel his orgasm approaching fast, the intense green eyes flashed again in front of his closed eyelids as he gave his balls a squeeze, which was the last straw. Baekhyun shut his eyes tight, bit his bottom lip and came with a moan. ‘Fuck,’ he gasped out loud, as cum shot out of his dick in thin ropes landing on his abdomen. He chest heaved with exertion, like he’d run a marathon, and he waited while he caught his breath.

Suddenly, his throat felt dry, parched almost. He needed a drink and he needed to clean himself up. He swung his legs down the side of the bed and got up on shaky legs. Baekhyun walked to the bathroom and put on the light. As he looked in the mirror, he saw his flushed cheeks and his skin, glowing from the dampness of sweat. Feeling this horny meant one thing. It meant that his heat was coming. Which meant only one thing: He needed to get a top up of his medication.

It was his first day working for SKY LTD today. Baekhyun’s schedule was full of orientation and meetings to get to know the current workload. As the lead graphic designer, he would be meeting with the managers of the department, Jongin and Chanyeol, as well as getting to know his team. He was excited. There was only one part of the day that he wasn’t looking forward to and that was meeting Mr Oh at the end of the day to discuss the most pressing and urgent projects that were commissioned. As his predecessor had apparently left the job suddenly, there were a lot of projects left unfinished, with deadlines looming and therefore needed to be looked into as a matter of urgency. Baekhyun didn’t particularly feel his first meeting with Mr Oh had gone exceptionally well and not wanting to leave a lasting horrible impression of himself, he had promised himself to be at his most professional during the meeting.

Before leaving his apartment in the morning, Baekhyun had made sure to shower and shave properly, putting on his favourite cologne. He was informed at his interview that strictly formal clothing wasn’t necessary unless meeting important clients, so Baekhyun had dressed down into Navy dress pants with a light blue shirt, top button undone. His black framed glasses were perched on his nose and his trusty shoulder bag completed the look. Although it was early autumn and not exactly cold, he had a light jacket which he carried with him in case the weather turned for the worse.

The morning went by uneventfully, but Baekhyun was tired, listening to the HR manager Myungsoo drone on about company values, someone talking about fire safety and a female omega giving an extremely long speech about omega fair treatment and rights in the work place made Baekhyun feel like watching paint dry probably would have been more interesting.

Following on from this was an orientation of his own department on the 24^th floor of the building, one floor below the CEO offices. He was excited to meet his team, and importantly the assistant graphic designer, Ji Hoon, another beta, who introduced him to the IT systems and the various software used at the company. He felt like he was in much more familiar territory. The software used at this company was slightly different to what Baekhyun was used to at Han & Sons, but he got used to it pretty quickly. After spending some time with his team, he went to the meeting scheduled with Chanyeol and Jongin in the seminar room of the same floor. The majority of his team would be there and the purpose of this meeting was to talk about the new projects which would be starting within the next week or so.

As he entered the seminar room whilst chatting with Ji Hoon, he noticed Chanyeol and Jongin were already in the room, seated near the entrance. He walked up to them, bowed and greeted them, and then moved towards a seat further along the room.

“Someone brought cake? I smell cake, don’t be shy, you know how much I love cake,” Chanyeol spoke up, nosing around, looking for said cakes, neck extended like a meerkat.

“Yeol, stop being so greedy, can you see cakes, because I can’t, someone must have had them for lunch.”

Chanyeol visibly slumped in his chair and Baekhyun could only let out a soft chuckle at his antics. Chanyeol was kind of cute, but in a big brother kind of way. Baekhyun felt he would get along well with the young wolf, even if he was an alpha.

You see, Baekhyun had noticed that neither Chanyeol nor Jongin seemed to be the typical alphas that Baekhyun was wary of. None of them had said anything inappropriate, acted inappropriate or made Baekhyun feel uncomfortable in any way, even despite the limited interaction he had had with them.  A stark contrast to many of the other alphas that Baekhyun had encountered in his life.

The meeting was pretty standard. There were two big company collaboration projects that were due to commence in the next couple of weeks. One of which was a global company and the contract alone would make SKY LTD millions of Won. Baekhyun was excited to start on both projects once the projects were discussed and contracts were signed.

Once the meeting was finished, everyone started wrapping things up and packing their notes away. Baekhyun excused himself from Ji Hoon as it was the time for his meeting with Mr Oh, the part he had least been looking forward to.

As he bowed and walked past Chanyeol and Jongin, he heard Chanyeol say, “Hm, maybe it was strawberry cake, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.” But he paid no attention and walked towards his next meeting.

“Oh hi Baekhyun!” Bomi greeted him with a huge smile as he entered the lobby of the top floor. “Let me just let Mr Oh know you’re here, he is expecting you, you can take a seat if you want while you wait?”

“Thank you Bomi,” he replied politely, and took a seat on the plush leather couches placed in the lobby. He only waited a very short time before she said, “Baekhyun, you can go on in,” whilst replacing the receiver.

Baekhyun stood up and swallowed around his suddenly dry throat. He didn’t really want to do this, but he knew that he couldn’t avoid Mr Oh forever, not if he was going to need to establish a working relationship with the man. And if Baekhyun was truly honest with himself, his dislike for the CEO was only because he thought he was a bit abrupt and mildly rude. He didn’t actually say anything offensive. The brutal truth was that Baekhyun was offended simply because he felt guilty. His guilty conscience was clearly trying to shift blame toward others, when in actual fact it was him that might have done something not entirely acceptable. He shrugged his dark thoughts off as he squared his shoulders, ready to face him.

He knocked on Mr Oh’s door once and entered. His boss was sat at his desk, typing away at the keyboard of his computer. He bowed, “Hello Mr Oh. I’m here for our meeting.”

Sehun heard the sugary sweet voice coming and stopped what he was doing. That voice had been playing havoc with his thoughts the entire evening before. After coming back from Minseok’s place, his mind kept drifting to the beautiful omega who was now standing in front of him. If he had a scent, it would surely smell like sugar, sweet and everything nice. Today Baekhyun was wearing navy dress pants and a light blue shirt. He’d gone more casual and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt, leaving milky, unblemished skin on display. Sehun’s mouth watered at the sight. The heavy black rimmed glasses that perched on his nose gave him an air of innocence that Sehun would seriously like to ruin right now…

“Sir?”

Sehun quickly snapped out of his lustful thoughts. He scolded himself internally for allowing himself to get carried away at the mere sight of someone and a tiny bit of skin, like one would imagine a teenage wolf heading towards his first rut. Baekhyun was his employee, he deserved respect, not someone to be ogling him and having dirty thoughts about him. Was he attracted to him. Yes, he would be lying if he said no. Was he the prettiest thing that Sehun had ever clapped his eyes on? Fuck yes.  But would Sehun do anything about his attraction? No. it clearly wasn’t appropriate and Sehun had to stop. Maybe it was time he ended his self-imposed celibacy era and get himself laid because he was seriously fucking losing it if he was thinking like this about an someone who worked for him.

He hastily cleared his throat, mind coming back to the present. “Sorry Baekhyun, I was miles away, please sit, we have a lot to go through.” He said, gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk. “And call me Sehun, we are colleagues now.”

Baekhyun took a seat. At his prior meeting with the man, Baekhyun hadn’t appreciated exactly how handsome Sehun was. He had very dominating features, strong eyebrows, intense eyes and a sharp jawline. The longer Baekhyun looked, the more familiar those eyes became, almost as if he had seen them before somewhere. His subconscious was trying to drag up a memory from deep within but it seemed impossible as if he was trying to grasp at wispy bits of smoke. He came swiftly back to the present once Sehun started speaking.

“So as you know,” Sehun began, “you’ve been appointed as our main graphic designer. Your appointment was slightly unorthodox, if I may say. Really, we were in a difficult situation since our last designer went mis......I mean, since he left suddenly. There are a lot of unfinished projects and some approaching their deadlines that need finishing as a matter of urgency. And that’s why you’re here so quickly Baekhyun. Normally we would run background checks before employment and have a provisional period, but since Chanyeol and Jongin were so impressed with your portfolio, I don’t doubt your technical abilities. We will be contacting your provided references, and if everything checks out, I really see no issue.”

Baekhyun nodded along as Sehun was speaking, enjoying listening to the deep timbre of his voice. He was mesmerized by the movement of his Adam’s apple as he talked. He loved the way the muscles of his jaw moved around certain syllables. He realized he was staring when he noticed that Sehun had stopped speaking and was looking at him expectantly as if waiting for an answer. The problem being, that Baekhyun had no idea what the question was.

“I’m sorry Sir….sorry Sehun, could you please repeat the last bit?” He asked.

“I said, the last two projects need to be completed as soon as possible to make way for the new ones, obviously, we aren’t expecting you to do this all alone, what is your diary looking like right now, the next couple of weeks any good?”

“Erm, I’m going to need my heat leave soon.” He blurted out, feeling his face reddening. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so embarrassed saying this, it was a natural phenomenon after all, but something about being in the same room as Sehun, talking about heat and the possible things associated with it made his face heat up like it had been set on fire.

Sehun stilled and took a gulp. ‘He said heat, right?’ Sehun asked himself, not quite having the courage to ask Baekhyun to repeat himself. His thoughts immediately drifted as he visualized all sorts of things that Baekhyun might be doing during his heat. ‘Fuck I’m in so much trouble,’ he mentally facepalmed himself for being so out of control of his own thoughts.

Out loud, he asked, “Your erm, heat?” He cleared his throat, “And when are you needing the leave, just so I know, for, the projects,” he cleared his throat. Again. Not quite holding Baekhyun’s eyes.

“I think in a couple of days, I’ll be gone for a few days, obviously, I’ll plan work load around it and brief my team fully.” Baekhyun replied.

Sehun nodded his head in affirmation. “Ok sure, just email HR and inform them of your dates, no additional paperwork should be required. Ok erm, Baekhyun, I think we are done here, thanks for your time, you can get back to your own office, I’ll come down with you, I have to see Chanyeol.”

Sehun stood up and Baekhyun noticed for the first time how tall he was. In fact he noticed how absolutely perfect his body proportions were. From his broad shoulders to his wide chest, everything was contributing to Sehun being a perfect alpha specimen. Baekhyun felt hungry just looking at him.

Sehun rounded the desk and began walking towards the door in front of Baekhyun, giving Baekhyun the view of possibly the best ass he had seen ever. Baekhyun’s mouth went dry and he failed to notice that Sehun had stopped walking, leading him to walk straight into his back, face planting right into him. Almost losing his balance, he threw out his arms and gripped the nearest thing what he could reach for purchase. That nearest thing being Sehun’s upper arms, hard and muscled.

The world seemed to stop. Baekhyun was surrounded by the smell of pine trees and cedar wood. Earthy, calming scents. Baekhyun inhaled deeply, grounding himself as he found the centre of his gravity. Sehun on the other hand was losing his shit. He stilled, as he looked down at the slender fingers of Baekhyun’s hands, a small mole was visible on his thumb and he wanted to lick it. Sensing it was probably highly inappropriate to do so, he cleared his throat and turned around, which seemed to bring Baekhyun back into the world.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry Sir, I wasn’t looking where I was going and didn’t realized you’d stopped. Shi…I mean, are you hurt, I’m so sorry.” Baekhyun rambled. He felt out of control. His face was burning from sheer mortification. These feelings were new to him. He had never felt or acted this way in front of another wolf ever before, let alone an alpha. His looming heat was clearly playing havoc on his hormones and he was doing and saying things totally out of character for him. He hated himself in that instance and felt a feeling of disgust wash over him, not for Sehun, but for himself.

He took a step back to put some distance between them. He vaguely heard Sehun tell him that it was ok, but he was barely listening, feeling his walls closing in on him as he distanced himself mentally as well.

“Sir, I’m…I’m just going to go ahead of you, I’ve just remembered that I have to do that….that thing. I’m sorry once again for my lapse in attention, it won’t happen again.”

And without waiting for an answer, Baekhyun bowed quickly and then rushed out of the office and closed the door behind him. With the door closed and Bomi not at her desk, he leaned back onto it, hands clasped tightly against his chest as he once again struggled to control his racing heart and drown the feelings of shame inside himself.

In the office, Sehun leaned his forehead against the door, breathing deeply, controlling his heartbeat and inhaling the sweet smell of cakes that Baekhyun’s cologne had left behind.

Chapter Text

Chapter Six

Sehun composed himself somewhat, pulled himself together and left his office. He was headed towards Chanyeol’s office, which was on the same floor but further down the hall. He had some important business to discuss with him and Jongin. Chanyeol was expecting him and Jongin would be joining them shortly. The thing, whatever the thing that just happened with Baekhyun would just have to be pushed to the side for now.

Chanyeol’s secretary Ji-Hye greeted and bowed to Sehun and he went right in. Chanyeol was at his desk, scribbling something down on a notebook, face scrunched in concentration and Sehun knew there would be problems later as Chanyeol wouldn’t be able to read his own handwriting.

“Chanyeol?” He started as he approached the desk.

Chanyeol looked up, started smiling and then sniffed a little and wrinkled his nose. “What the hell Sehun, why would you come in here smelling like you nutted in your pants?” He looked at Sehun judgingly.

“What the fuck are you on about, I didn’t do anything!”

“Are you sure about that? Because I’m gagging here right now! You gotta warn me you know.”

“I really hate you, you know that Chanyeol? What the hell are you even on about?”

“Well it’s not my fault you walked in here literally after rubbing one out.”

Sehun threw his hands up in the air, exasperated, “I told you, it’s not like that!” He sat into the chair opposite Chanyeol with a dramatic flourish.

Just then, Jongin walked into the room, “Hi guys!” Then he stopped, sniffed the air and made a face, “Errr, I’ll just come back later then…”

“Wait! Where are you going?” Chanyeol asked.

“I don’t wanna interrupt whatever is going on here,” he said, wiggling his fingers between the two of them, a look of mild confusion on his face.

“The fuck? That’s gross Jongin,” Sehun exclaimed, absolutely aghast.

“Well, that’s hurtful Sehun, how long have we known each other, am I not good enough?” Chanyeol asked.

“For Goddess’ sake, no one is in here doing anything with anyone,” Sehun sighed dramatically, wondering why he was even stuck in this conversation with these idiots.

Jongin shrugged, “well, it ain’t me in here reeking like a hormonal teenager though, just saying…”

“Ugh!” Sehun exclaimed and suddenly a small but strong gust of wind blew and knocked off some papers from Chanyeol’s desk.

Jongin shuddered, “Ooh spooky,” and clasped his hands against his chest dramatically.

Chanyeol snickered and all Sehun could do was roll his eyes at the both of them. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a long calming breath. “Goddess give me strength,” he muttered, “if you two fuckwits are done trolling, can I say what I came to say?”

“Trolls?! Fuckwits?!” Jongin spluttered, “Minseok Hyung would never say that to us,” he pouted.

“Yeh, that’s because you never say this shit to Minseok,” Sehun returned. “But seriously, we really need to talk.”

Chanyeol and Jongin both nodded and Jongin took a seat around Chanyeol’s desk. Chanyeol put his papers to the side and rested his arms on the desk.

“The training facility is almost ready, Chanyeol, you will need to go with Yixing and scope the area out please. Minseok has already done it, but Yixing has a better feel for energies. Can you do that?”

“Yeh can do,” Chanyeol nodded, “that was quick though, I thought Minseok Hyung needed some higher level clearance?”

“He IS the higher level clearance,” Sehun replied.

Jongin whistled low, “Wow, Minsoek hyung is so cool. Do you want me to go too Sehun?”

“Yep, your style of travelling is much faster than any other kind of travelling we know and I think this facility is kind of far.”

“Cool ok,” Jongin replied, “When?”

“Minseok will text you guys the details, just let me know when he says.” Sehun replied.

Jongin and Chanyeol both nodded their understanding and Sehun left them to go back into his office to complete his day.

Baekhyun walked around the supermarket idly. His thoughts were a mess. He was disgusted and annoyed with himself for allowing himself to get carried away by the thoughts of Sehun, allowing his hormones to get the better of him and making him forget rational thought. He’d never reacted like that towards an alpha and he couldn’t understand what was happening to him. All the protective measures he’d put around himself seem to be malfunctioning one by one. How much of this could Baekhyun explain away by his impending heat?

He’d come to the market after work. Knowing his heat was literally a couple of days away at most, he wanted to be prepared. Despite the wolf community coming a long way since the earlier times, an omega was still not safe to be out in public during their heat. For their own safety, they were advised to stay indoors with trusted people only. From personal experience, Baekhyun knew you could never tell a predator just from their face.

Female omega heats were different to male omega heats. Females had theirs every month and during this time was when they were the most fertile, even though technically they could conceive at any time. Male omegas had their heat every 3 months and as they were not able to bear children, the nature of their heats were entirely different. Baekhyun was grateful for this, he didn’t know how female omegas put up with the trouble every month. Not only were heats painful, but there was a certain feeling of vulnerability that Baekhyun really didn’t like. His mom used to tell him that the vulnerability went away when an omega was with their alpha, the alpha providing a certain level of security for the omega, but Baekhyun never cared to find out if this was true or not, much rather wanting to stay away from alphas at all costs.

It was for this reason that Baekhyun was still a virgin and he felt no hurry to change this situation.  Obviously, he had touched himself and experimented a little alone and was therefore very familiar with his own body, but he’d never wanted nor allowed anyone else close to him in that capacity. He simply didn’t think he needed the physical intimacy that an alpha afforded, besides, there wasn’t a single alpha out there that he trusted, especially not at his most vulnerable.

There was the added factor that omega’s were generally more compliant during their heat. The innate feeling of wanting intimacy and needing to be loved was present for both male and female omegas. Baekhyun reckoned that this was more of an evolutionary phenomenon than anything else, but omega’s were particularly susceptible to exploitation during their heats, especially since it would be extremely difficult to say ‘no’ if someone were to offer sexual help, mainly because, it was very much needed. The need to orgasm and relieve oneself would be the most important thing in that moment in time. Baekhyun despised this aspect of being an omega, especially being a proud, independent omega. He hated the fact that he would be so needy for someone else, just because of genetics and feelings that were not in his control.

Baekhyun therefore did not like his heats. He didn’t allow any visitors, other than his two closest friends, and even then, that was for bringing over any groceries or pain relief he may need. He never asked for any help, preferring to be alone in this time. As Baekhyun saw it, if he was alone, he wouldn’t need to be worried about being taken advantage of.

He walked around the aisles vaguely aware of the stares he was getting from other alphas and even some humans. This was something Baekhyun was familiar with, stares and sometimes cat calling always followed wherever he went. He’d been physically objectified many times in the past, some complimentary comments, some downright lecherous and vulgar. However, he felt that today, the alpha wolves were looking at him more than usual, some even purposefully coming into his personal space to ‘grab something off the shelves,’ something which he did not appreciate at all. So he made sure to remain extra vigilant and keep his distance from everyone. Maybe he was feeling paranoid because of what happened earlier, but he didn’t really feel like taking any chances. And so he set about doing his shopping faster than he normally would.

He filled his shopping cart with various supplies including water bottles, vitamins, some easy to cook meals, sanitary wipes, deodorant, pain relief and a few other bits from the fresh produce area. As he was walking towards the payment counter, his phone rang.

“Hi yeh, I’m just at the market, just about to pay. You’re at mine already?”

“Yep, just got here, Baekkie, hurry up, I’m bored!” Said the voice down the phone.

“You’re such a big baby,” Baekhyun chuckled. “I won’t be long, do you want anything?”

“Nah, I got some snacks,” came the reply.

“Ok, ok, be useful and put some beer in the fridge while you’re there. Also, did you bring my meds?” He asked.

“Yes, yes, I did, now come on!” Came the impatient voice.

Baekhyun grinned to himself as he put his phone away. He paid for his shopping and left the supermarket with a spring in his step. His suddenly felt a hundred times lighter.

At his apartment, he punched in his code and let himself in. The door shut behind him with a bleep. He took off his shoes and put on his indoor slippers and made his way towards the kitchen to put away his shopping. Baekhyun’s apartment was small, but warm and cosy. It was one of them open plan living concepts, apart from the bedroom and bathroom. The entry way led into the small sitting room and half a wall divided that from the kitchen, so that not the entire kitchen was visible from the room.

“Dae, where are you? I swear to God if you’ve eaten all my food and not bothered to put any beer in the fridge.” He called.

“PLEASE! I’m cooking for us,” came the reply, from somewhere behind the wall separating the kitchen and the sitting room.

“Oh Goddess no, last time you cooked, I got food poisoning. We’re ordering in.”

“Well fuck you too…” Jongdae, Baekhyun’s best friend for twelve years appeared from the kitchen holding a bowl of apple slices in his hands, Jongdae’s idea of ‘cooking’. Jongdae was ever so slightly shorter than Baekhyun, with a slim waist, short black hair and a smile that literally resembled sunshine. Baekhyun considered him as a brother, rather than a best friend and knew the sentiment was returned wholeheartedly.

“Did Hyung not come?” Baekhyun asked, swiping an apple slice from the bowl as he moved to put away his shopping.

“Nah, he’s coming later. He’s in deep shit with Granny and is sorting out some stuff before he gets here. He said not to wait for him for food, he’ll have it later.” Jongdae replied, taking a bag and helping him put away some of the stuff. It was a testament to how often he came to Baekhyun’s apartment that he knew where everything went without even asking.

“Why what happened?”

Jongdae snickered, “he was practising some spells in the basement and got out of control, ended up flooding the basement. Granny is so mad at him.”

Baekhyun actually laughed out loud. This was something so typical of Jun Hyung. Baekhyun had lost count of the amount of times he’d ‘lost control’ during this practices and caused havoc.

Baekhyun had known Jongdae and Junmyeon for twelve years now, when Baekhyun had been thirteen. Whilst Baekhyun and Jongdae were of the same age, Junmyeon was two years older than them. The two Kim brothers had moved next door to Baekhyun and his parents with their Grandma and the three of them became fast friends. Baekhyun had learned their secret after three years of being friends when he’d accidentally seen Jongdae in the basement of his grandma’s house doing something ‘not quite human’.

Jongdae and Junmyeon were both witches, white witches to be exact. In fact, them and their grandma were the last known white witches in existence, after a large fire had wiped out the entire Kim clan and many other witch clans, including their parents at a huge banquet twelve years ago. Granny Kim had managed to get Jongdae and Junmyeon to safety, but had hurt herself in the process, the burn injuries visible on her arms to this day. Apparently she had had a premonition of sorts two days before the event of something terrible happening, and because of the suspicious nature of the fire, she cast the most powerful incantation of her life and shielded the three of them from all other beings after their escape – meaning they couldn’t be traced or sensed by even the most powerful of beings.

And in the last twelve years, Junmyeon and Jongdae had been in training with their grandma, learning from her knowledge and acquiring their own. From her own admission, the two of them were the most powerful witches that the world would have known to this date.  Jongdae was a master at potions and for some unknown reason, had acquired the ability to master the power of lightening. Although he had never used this skill in particular, Baekhyun had seen how destructive it was when as an immature teenager, he’d goaded Jongdae into aiming it toward a street lamp, leaving it to snap in half and fall to the ground. They’d both been grounded for weeks that time.

Junmyeon on the other hand was not only a master at potions, but also at incantations, arguably more powerful than his younger brother. This was a scary concept, given how clumsy he tended to be. Junmyeon had also acquired the special ability to control water. He’d practised more with it as it wasn’t as naturally destructive as Jongdae’s and had found that he could control bodies of water, no matter the size as well as produce water out of thin air. Extremely helpful when one was thirsty, not so helpful when he’d been practising at the Korean Strait and almost caused a tsunami at the South-eastern border. The news was covered as a ‘natural anomaly’ for days by the South Korean News.

“That’s so typical of hyung, can’t say I blame Grandma Kim, I bet she’s so done with the two of you. Can’t believe she’s not kicked you out already.”

“Hey, why am I getting blamed? I’m the better, more well behaved brother.”

“Yeh, right, haha, sure.” Baekhyun laughed at the absurdity of Jongdae’s statement. “Anyways, hand me some beer, I’ve had a long day. Have you looked through the take away brochures? I REALLY want pizza.”

They sat down and drank some beer, caught up some more whilst waiting for their pizzas to arrive. Jongdae had some sort of a meat feast, while Baekhyun had a BBQ chicken pizza. Junmyeon’s ham pizza was left in the kitchen for him to have when he arrived. After eating and clearing up, the both of them sat on the sofa with a random programme playing softly in the background on the television, neither of them paying much attention to it.

“Dae, gimme my meds please, I’m gonna need to take it this evening, my heat is going to be either tomorrow or the day after.”

“As much as it grosses me out, knowing about your heats, I appreciate you telling me Baek.” He deadpanned.

Baekhyun threw a cushion at him, which hit him squarely in the face.

“Hey!” Jondgae complained. But he got up and fetched his backpack. He rummaged around in the main compartment and pulled out a parcel, a small rectangular shape, covered in red velvet with a purple ribbon tied to the top to keep it all together. Jongdae always had a flair for the dramatic. He handed the parcel to Baekhyun, who untied the ribbon at the top.

Inside was a small vial, the size of Baekhyun’s index finger. It contained a thick pearlescent liquid. Baekhyun had been taking this since the age of eighteen, ever since Junmyeon had discovered the potion and Jongdae corrected it so it wouldn’t poison him. He uncapped the cork at the top, but stopped when Jongdae cleared his throat. Looking up, he saw him biting his bottom lip, a look of uncertainty on his face.

“What?” He asked.

“I dunno Baek. Every single time you take that thing, I feel guilty. Even though you’re not dropping dead, I feel like I’m poisoning you from the inside out.”

“What? Dae, please, you know that’s not true.” Baekhyun reasoned.

“Baekkie, you don’t understand, if Granny ever finds out that we used the black book and created this potion, she would kill us with her own hands, blood relations be damned. We are messing with nature here Baek, I don’t even know what the long term effects this will have on you.” Jongdae sounded extremely distressed and Baekhyun felt bad for his friend.

Baekhyun recapped the vial and set it in front of him on the table. He turned and clasped both of Jongdae’s hands in his own.

“Dae, look at me. Please.”

Jongdae looked at Baekhyun, his eyes troubled.

“You aren’t poisoning me, look at me, I am fit, well and happy. If it wasn’t for you, I would have been raped, kidnapped or even killed by any one of those alphas who used to harass me. I won’t even mention what happened ten years ago, but after that? How many people tried to make me feel uncomfortable, get in my personal space and violate me, using my scent as an excuse and blaming it on me? If it wasn’t for you Dae, I would be living in fear at all times.”

“I know Baek,” Jongdae whispered. “But this is the strongest of black magic. Nothing from the black book, handwritten by those black witches themselves has ever brought good to anyone. We’ve made your scent disappear, that’s not normal Baekkie, you know it isn’t.”

Baekhyun was fairly clued up about the history of the witches, as ancient as the history of wolves themselves. Although there hadn’t been any animosity between witches and wolves per se, he had been taught of the great war between the guardian wolves and the red witches. In actual fact, there had been three types of witches, black witches, red witches and white witches. Red witches were powerful, had wanted more power and wanted to achieve immortality. They hadn’t been evil from the offset, but their history of human sacrifices to attain immortality had left them tainted with evil for the rest of eternity. There were apparently no red witches left in existence.

Black witches were the epitome of evil and liked to dabble in black magic. Their magic always aimed to mess with the laws of nature, designed to maim or fatally wound anyone on the receiving end. Black witches were wiped out over five hundred years ago in the witch civil war against the white witches. It had come to light that black witches had been using white witch organs as an ingredient in their potions in the belief that it would make them more potent. To end the atrocities, white witches had declared war and had claimed victory.

Baekhyun snapped out of his thoughts. He stood up, feeling agitated and started pacing the room.

“But what’s the alternative Dae, there isn’t is there? I’m not like you and Jun Hyung. I don’t have magic and I don’t have super impressive powers. I’m just me, I’m useless and I’m broken. I can’t go through it again Dae, it’ll break me, I….I….just can’t.” His voice trailed off at the end.

He felt himself spiralling downwards, as if an invisible force was pushing him through a tunnel which was far too small for him to fit in. He felt himself struggle to breathe and the feeling of tightness closed around him further. He slumped to the floor, back against the wall, tears threatening to fall from his eyes and Jongdae rushed to be beside him.

“Hey, hey, don’t, Baekkie, it’s ok”, he soothed as he smoothed down his hair, caressing his cheeks, ever so gently, “breathe for me Baek, in and out….yeh, that’s it, slowly.” He encouraged as Baekhyun followed his instructions. “I’ve got you, breathe.” His heart broke as a single tear rolled down one of his cheeks.

“I’ll never stop making this for you Baek, never. You will always have me and you’ll always have Hyung. Even if I somehow lose my hands, even if my arms drop off, hyung will make it for you, like he has done before, you’ll always have us, please Baekkie, you will, I promise.”

And Baekhyun broke a little inside. Tears spilled over his eyelids and wound their way freely down his cheeks. He felt himself shake as he struggled to get a hold on himself, forgetting to breathe as instructed. Jongdae cupped his face, his thumbs wiping away his tears before they fell further and kissed his forehead tenderly.

“You Byun Baekhyun are not useless and you are not broken.” He looked Baekhyun straight into the eyes. “You are one of the strongest people I know. You picked yourself up every single time. Every time someone put you down, you made yourself stronger. I mean,” he continued, “there aren’t many people I know who keep a dozen sharp knives under their bed, and you know how to use them! Why do you think I’ve never creeped into your room before, I don’t wanna lose an eye! Imagine!”

Baekhyun laughed despite himself. He felt himself relax a little, the tight feeling that was causing him to lose his breath started to ease up. His vision cleared a little as the tears slowly ceased to fall.

“And besides, how many martial arts do you know? Do you remember when you kicked me in the face with one of your Hapkido kicks? That fucking hurt like a bitch Baekhyun, my left eye still twitches you know.”

Baekhyun left out a hearty laugh this time. It was true, Jongdae truly was magic. He knew exactly what to say to make him feel better him and bring him back to his reality. He loved him so much.

“Fuck Jongdae, I really love you, never leave me ok? I won't allow it. I don’t know what I would do without you, you know.”

“I know, you’d have to go buy your own ice cream after your heats have finished for starters.”  Jongdae pulled him into his embrace with a light chuckle, hugging him tightly, kissing the top of his head.

“Now go and take your medication, I’m not even a wolf and I can smell you, stinky.”

Baekhyun laughed but he did just that.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Baekhyun woke suddenly in the dead of the night with a cramp like pain in his lower abdomen. He turned to his side and brought his knees up to his chest holding them there for a little comfort. He’d bid good night to Jongdae several hours ago as he’d proclaimed he, ‘didn’t really want to stay the night at Baekhyun’s so close to his heat in case he woke up in the middle of the night to find him dry humping his leg, or something’. He’d earned himself a well-deserved smack around the head for that one. Jun Hyung hadn’t made it to Baekhyun’s that evening and so Jongdae had been sent back with his pizza carefully wrapped up with strict instructions not to eat it on the way home.

He didn’t want to get out of bed just yet, nevertheless, he swung his legs out of the side of the bed and sat upright. He felt somewhat uncomfortable, his skin feeling prickly and sensitive. He reached for a box in his bedside drawer, popped two pills and swallowed them down with a few gulps of water. It would take a while for the painkillers to have an effect. He picked up his phone and opened up the mail app, firing off a quick email to the HR department, informing them of his absence over the next few days. They would get the message in the morning, surely.

Baekhyun got himself out of bed and went to the kitchen to get another bottle of water, replenishing the one he had on his night stand. His heat would last approximately four days and he wanted to start off as fresh as possible, so he went into the bathroom, stripped off his pyjamas and top to stand under the hot stream of water, letting it soothe his muscles and calm him down. He took a few deep breathes before he started washing, lathering himself with shower gel, the fruity smell permeating the air. After finishing, he dried himself off but didn’t bother dressing. Clothes probably wouldn’t be needed soon anyway.

He lay back down on his bed, naked, the sheets had become chilly from his absence. Covering himself back up with the duvet, he turned to his side and tried to sleep once more. It would be a few more hours until his heat set in fully. He closed his eyes, sleep came to him quickly.

He was surrounded by the brightest of lights. He knew this was a dream, and yet he felt powerless to stop it. The light was almost blinding and he couldn’t quite make out where it was coming from. Every now and again, he could see swirls of the most brilliant jade green permeating the light. It was a colour he recognized and yet he couldn’t figure out where he had seen it before. He felt a breeze once again and this time it brought with it a scent of cedar wood and pine trees, a scent so calming that Baekhyun felt himself relax into his mattress. But then the scent was gone, replaced by dark eyes. Baekhyun’s pulse picked upon seeing those dark, brooding eyes. Eyes that looked like they were staring into Baekhyun’s soul.

He woke with a gasp. His skin felt like it was on fire and there was a dull ache in his lower belly, intensifying in waves.  Baekhyun felt around in the dark and switched on the lamp on his bed side table. He’d kicked off his duvet at some point and was lying spread eagled on his bed. His semi-erect dick was resting on his abdomen and Baekhyun felt tingles shoot up his spine as he grabbed hold of it, not in the mood to be gentle with himself. He gave himself a few sharp tugs while using his other hand to pinch down on his left nipple, hard. He let out a gasp as his sensitive nipple hardened under his fingers. He put his finger in his mouth, licked it, swirled his tongue around it and did the same with his right nipple, feeling his toes curl as it heightened his pleasure.  He continued to stroke his dick, hard and fast and soon found himself coming with a moan, cum shooting out over his hand and his abdomen.

And still he remained hard and on edge. His dick felt sensitive and almost painful, so he stroked himself gentler this time. Sighing every time he stroked the length in full, languidly. He used the index finger of his other hand to draw lazy circles in the cum on his belly. His cum soaked fingers went up to his mouth as he sucked on them, tasting himself. The wet fingers went back to his nipples as he went back to tugging and pinching both of them in turn until he noticed a coiling sensation deep in his belly, the tell-tale signs of another orgasm approaching hard and fast. Every time his fist went up to the tip of his dick, he used his thumb to tease the slit at the end, feeling how wet he was, feeling the precum building up once again. His breathing sped up and he came again, almost blacking out from the pleasure.

He lay there for some time. Slowing his breathing, not daring to touch himself down there again. He was exquisitely tender but knew this reprieve would last a very short time. He got up and cleaned himself in the bathroom and upon his return, took a few good swigs from his bottle of water. The memory of his dream came back to him slowly and he struggled to think of where he’d seen such a vivid green colour before.  Those dark brooding eyes seemed achingly familiar. He felt too spent to dwell on it any further.

He was tired. He needed more sleep. He knew he would wake up horny and irritable in another couple of hours and so it was better to preserve his strength now in preparation for what was going to be a long few days. He slept soundly this time, a dreamless sleep uninterrupted by familiar yet unfamiliar things.

Baekhyun stirred several hours later. He was in pain. His abdomen was cramping, his dick was painful and he was unsure how long he had been hard for. He felt the sensation of slick coming out of his asshole when he shifted his position to take some more painkillers. His hand came to his dick once more, stroking along the shaft, however, this time it didn’t feel like it was enough, he felt unfulfilled. He needed more. He trailed his free hand behind him, lazily continuing to stroke his dick, spreading his legs as far and as wide as they would go until he could reach his ass with his hand. He found his puckered hole and moaned at how wet he was.  As he circled his rim with his finger, he felt some cum dripping out of his dick and onto his hand.

He dipped his finger into his hole, ever so slightly, he could feel the muscle closing in around the tip and he pushed in a little further, his slick helping him enter without too much trouble. His finger felt extremely snug inside his warmth, his asshole almost welcoming the intrusion. And slowly he brought his finger back out. Finding himself a rhythm, he starting pumping his dick once again and also thrusting his finger in and out of his asshole. When he became accustomed to one, he added a second finger in, scissoring them slightly, to loosen himself up a bit. Soon enough, he realised his fingers weren’t enough. They never seemed enough at these times.

He stopped what he was doing, and shimmied across to the end of the bed, opening up the bottom drawer of his bedside cabinet and reached for the only sex toy he owned, a basic blue coloured dildo that he’d bought on a whim several years ago. The size of this was just enough to satisfy Baekhyun. He brought the dildo to his mouth and licked around the shaft, the rubber feeling cold on his tongue. He then wrapped his lips around it and pushed it slowly into his mouth, making himself moan as his dick twitched.

Baekhyun got onto all fours, ass in the air as he used one of his hands to spread his butt cheeks, feeling the cold air hit his moist hole. He looked to his left and caught his reflection in the mirror of the bedside table. His rosy cheeks and pert ass were clearly visible.  He brought the dildo to his asshole and started working his way in, not daring to move his eyes away from his reflection. Pushing the dildo in wasn’t too hard as he was so wet, horny and had already stretched and loosened himself up. Soon enough, it was in to the hilt and the tips of his fingers were brushing his skin. He took a minute to steady himself, before he started moving, fucking himself hard and steady, eyes watching himself the whole time. His dick was hitting the mattress with every sharp thrust of the toy into his ass. He was overcome with overwhelming pleasure and he buried his head in his pillow as tears sprung up in his eyes from the pleasure every time the dildo hit his prostate. He brought his other hand to his now neglected dick and started pumping himself hard and fast.

Baekhyun was trembling slightly from fucking himself so hard. His forehead had beads of sweat on it, his hair plastered to it. The hand jerking himself off felt sore from the effort, but he was so close and didn’t want to stop. He thrust the dildo in one more time when it hit his prostate and he sobbed through his orgasm, which seemed to last forever. He felt too sensitive and overstimulated. His muscles were all aching and he was impossibly hot.

He collapsed into the mattress face first. His breathing was erratic, the dildo still in his ass. He reached around and pulled it out, throwing in to the side of him on the mattress. The sheets under him were damp, sticky and gross yet he didn’t care to move or clean up. He was exhausted and wanted to sleep to come to him as soon as possible. So he lay there, listening to his pulse thunder in his temples. His eyelids felt heavy and he closed them slowly. Sleep consumed him and he drifted once more.

Sehun felt restless. His entire day went by in a haze as he attended several meetings and worked on several new projects. He was informed that Baekhyun wouldn’t be at work and as he hadn’t had time to start on his projects, they were delegated to the rest of the team as well as Chanyeol and Jongin – after much complaining from the two about the additional work.

His thoughts kept straying to Baekhyun. Baekhyun and his beautiful face, Baekhyun and his sweet voice, Baekhyun and his luscious thighs, Baekhyun and his heat. What was he doing? Who was with him? His felt his fingers curl into fists as he imagined a faceless stranger with Baekhyun, a feeling of irrational anger washed over him for reasons unknown. He purposefully immersed himself in more work as he actively tried to stop thoughts of the omega from entering his mind, praising himself over his own self-control.

It was 8pm by the time he closed his laptop and stretched his arms over his head, his back aching from the slumped position he’d assumed all evening. His thoughts drifted once more to pink lips and small moles. Sehun felt he was going to go crazy if he didn’t distract himself. He picked up his phone.

8.02pm To Loey:

Wanna go for some drinks?

8.03pm From Loey:

Yeh sure, where? Bring Jongin?

8.03pm To Loey:

The usual. Yeh, bring him. Meet you in the lobby, you drive.

He packed up his things, took off his tie and undid his top button. He was starting to feel stuffy with his formal outfit. He picked up his blazer and draped it on his arm and left his office, to meet Chanyeol in the lobby.

The bar they went to was their usual. It was a swanky upmarket place near the office, often frequented by business types like themselves. At this hour the dimmed down lighting, burnt orange painted walls and dark wooden furniture afforded an expensive but intimate environment. The three of them headed towards the bar and were quickly spotted by the bar tender, a young man, human.

Sehun ordered a bottle of their top shelf whiskey and sat at the bar with Jongin and Chanyeol.

“So, how comes you want to get shitfaced today Sehun?” Chanyeol began, “It’s usually Minseok Hyung asking us for drinks.”

“No reason,” Sehun replied thoughtfully, “I just wanted a bit of a wind down, it’s been a long week. A lot has happened.”

The bar tender delivered their drinks and poured equal measures into each glass with a flourish. Jongin tipped him well and he left them to their conversation. Sehun sipped the whiskey, feeling the amber liquid burn as it went down his throat, leaving a warm sensation in its wake. The bar was playing some soft jazz music, adding to the ambience and helping Sehun to relax.

“Well, a lot more is about to happen,” Jongin snickered, “look to your 6 o’clock. Wait! Not right now, fucking hell, that’s not cool Sehun.”

Sehun was stopped forcefully by a displeased Jongin from looking in the direction he had pointed out just now.

“Ha, when is Sehun ever cool, seriously?” Chanyeol quipped.

“Should have just come here by myself.” Sehun muttered to himself as he took another sip of his whiskey, allowing himself to relax further.

“Erm, excuse me, hi,” came a female voice from somewhere behind him and he turned to look in it’s direction, “I don’t usually do this, but I couldn’t help noticing you when you walked in earlier.” She continued, whilst tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The owner of the voice was a pretty woman, maybe somewhere in her twenties, clearly human, not that that bothered Sehun. She bit down on her bottom lip and looked to the floor shyly. She was cute, flirting like an expert.

“OH, AHEM,” Chanyeol said really loudly, startling the woman, “Look Jongin it’s Chae erm, Lee, there look, let’s go say hello, come, yes, Chee Lo,” as he all but dragged Jongin off his bar stool. He patted Sehun on the shoulder once, whispering “Don’t fuck it up,” as he smiled and left him with this woman.

And that is how Sehun found himself, half an hour later, in the bathroom, with this woman, name unknown (or forgotten – he wasn’t sure which), with his tongue down her throat and hands up her skirt. She was pinned against the wall, with her hands up his shirt, tracing along his abs, inching further along towards the belt of his pants. She was letting out soft moans every time he moved his hands under her skirt, closer to the edge of her panties.

She came up for air, panting heavily, lipstick smeared across her lips. She looked at Sehun hungrily as she licked her lips, hair dishevelled as if they’d already had a few rounds of sex. She grabbed him by the upper arms and twisted him around, so that he was now the one with his back against the wall. With a mischievous look in her eyes, she dropped down to her knees so that she was now eye level with his groin. She looked up at him as she palmed the bulge at the front and started working his belt and pants loose.

Sehun leaned his head back against the wall and he felt her hot mouth start kissing his exposed dick. His hand automatically came to rest gently on her head, allowing her to set whatever pace she wished to set. He closed his eyes and saw droopy, chocolate brown eyes. ‘Nope! Not happening!’ He thought to himself and opened them immediately to focus on the woman on her knees in front of him. He watched as she kissed the base of his dick, fingers of one hand trailing up his thigh. She licked her lips as she opened her mouth and licked the head, his hands threading into her hair. As her pretty lips closed around the tip of his dick, his mind immediately pictured pink luscious lips, not belonging to the woman in front of him.

Sehun stilled. ‘The fuck?’  He wondered whether he was going crazy. How was he not able to focus on a pretty girl giving him a literal blow job? How was he still caught up in the thoughts of a certain brunette omega that he didn’t even know that well? Maybe this is what insanity was and he was just beginning to experience it. He held her head more firmly this time, giving the signal for her to stop.

She looked up at him with confusion in her eyes, face hovering over his exposed dick. He bent down and gently lifted her up.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” He said. “It’s totally me, not you.”

Sehun started buckling his pants back up, fixed his shirt and washed his hands at the sink, not making eye contact with the clearly bewildered woman. With a brief nod in her direction, he left the bathroom, signalling to Jongin and Chanyeol that he was going home.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Baekhyun had been at SKY LTD for two weeks now and his work load was pretty intense. He’d hit the ground running after coming back from his heat leave and become a trusted member of his team very fast. He was liked by everyone, got along with almost everyone and thoroughly enjoyed working there. Admittedly, the hours were long but he was compensated well for his time and efforts.

His managers Jongin and Chanyeol were extremely fun to work for, they were comfortable to be around, something Baekhyun experienced very rarely with alphas. They expected good results but people had fun on the journey to those results. Baekhyun didn’t feel the need to avoid them as they’d created a comfortable environment in the design department.

There was only one aspect of his job that Baekhyun struggled with, although admittedly, he didn’t hate it, and that was how often and how much time he needed to spend with the CEO, Sehun. Not that Sehun was a horrible person, quite the contrary. Baekhyun just didn’t trust himself around him. He felt that his thoughts and his body were betraying him every time he was anywhere near him. For some reason, he felt on edge near him and so he tried to keep their meetings brief, although that wasn’t always possible. This week would be different though as Jongin and Chanyeol had been called to another city on an urgent basis and therefore he would be reporting to Sehun directly for this week.

“Hey there Baek.”

‘Baek?’

Baekhyun looked up from his screen where he had been drawing a character for an upcoming commercial to find his co-worker Si-Woon, an outspoken alpha looming over his desk. He cleared his throat and smiled politely up at the man.

“Si-Woon, hi,” he answered, “What’s up?”

“Well Baek, a few of us are going for a few drinks at the bar down the road later, do you wanna come?”

Baekhyun contemplated this for a while, however, he didn’t really feel up to socializing in large groups, much preferring to stick to his closer circle of friends.

“Ah, thanks for the invite Si-Woon, but I’m going to give it a miss this time, you guys have fun though.”

Si-Woon moved a little closer and Baekhyun leaned back in his chair to create some distance, grateful that there was a desk in between the two. He had noticed that Si-Woon tended to be over familiar.

“Aw, come on, don’t be like that Baek. We can ditch the others and have fun, just you and me, if you prefer.”

Baekhyun felt uncomfortable, he didn’t like the attention, much less unwarranted attention and it was making him feel weird.

“No really,” he said with a forced smile on his face. “Maybe next time ok?”

Si-Woon’s face dropped a little and Baekhyun wasn’t sure, but he looked kind of angry at his refusal. Si-Woon was older than Baekhyun, by a few years at Baekhyun’s estimation. He’d been working for the company for a couple of years and largely kept to himself. He was actually a very good design assistant but Baekhyun wanted to keep his relationship with him purely professional. If Baekhyun was honest with himself, he thought Si-Woon was quite an attractive man, with his hair tied up in a ponytail, trendy fashion sense  and good conversational skills. But Baekhyun also felt intimidated by him a little, maybe because he was an alpha or maybe it was a certain vibe he was giving off, he wasn’t sure.

“Oh…oh, well ok, as you wish Baek, let me know if you change your mind ok?”

Baekhyun smiled at him politely, “Yes I will do, thanks Si-Woon.”

He lowered his head and began to work once more. He had a meeting with Sehun in a few hours and needed to complete his drafts so he had something to show him. The morning went by too quickly and Baekhyun had lunch at his desk – a pack of Sushi bought from the staff canteen. The afternoon rolled on swiftly and Baekhyun collected his tablet, ready to head up one floor to meet with Sehun.

He decided to take the stairs this time, his destination being only one floor up. He opened up the fire exit with a push down on the lever and starting to make his way up the flights of stairs. His footsteps echoed throughout the empty stairwell. He heard the door open once more and turned around to find Si-Woon jogging up the stairs to catch up with him.

“Baek, Baek, wait up!” He said as he caught up with him, smiling blindingly up at the omega.

“Oh, Si-Woon, sorry, did you forget something?” He asked, confused as to why the other man was there.

“Well Beak, I just wanted to say, well, what I was meaning to ask earlier, let’s ditch the drinks later, how about we go, you know, just you and me, for some food or something?”

“Oh erm, Si-Woon,” Baekhyun began, not quite sure what to say to him, “I’m sorry, I can’t, I erm, I don’t date.”

“Oh ha, ha ha, this isn’t a date Baek, just a friendly meet up you know, between friends.” Si-woon gestured between the two of them with his hand and then scratched the back of his neck as if he was feeling bashful. He licked his bottom lip discreetly and bit down on it as he appraised Baekhyun slowly, from feet upwards, eyes pausing as he reached his thighs and hips.

Baekhyun shuffled his feet, now feeling very uncomfortable under his gaze. He wanted to escape, but didn’t want to make it too obvious. He hated creating awkward situations.

“Oh ok, well, maybe we can do that at another time then Si-Woon? I don’t feel up to it right now.” He replied, stepping up one step, signalling the end of the conversation.

“Baek wait.” Si-Woon stopped Baekhyun from going further up the steps by tugging on his sleeve lightly. Baekhyun was stunned at the action, looking down at his sleeve in disbelief.  He turned around to face the man.

“Si-Woon…” He began, but was cut off by him moving closer and effectively crowding him on the narrow staircase. Baekhyun took a step back instinctively. Si-Woon’s hand came up to Baekhyun’s right shoulder and flicked off some fluff that Baekhyun didn’t realise was there. Baekhyun tensed, not enjoying the proximity.

“Hmmm, that’s better,” Si-Woon said in a low voice with a smile on his face, looking Baekhyun in the eyes, his face so close to Baekhyun’s that he could feel his breath on his cheeks. The same hand then travelled further up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Baekhyun’s ear, and then lingered close to Baekhyun’s nape, barely touching. “Can’t have you seeing the boss looking messy, can we now Baekkie?” He continued in a sickly, honeyed voice that had Baekhyun wanting to throw up. He felt a cold shiver run up his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up in an unpleasant way.

He was so close that Baekhyun could smell him, a cloying, musky smell that was irritating his nostrils. Baekhyun couldn’t move. He felt himself close up, his throat clogging up as he struggled to breathe, the beginnings of a panic attack bubbling just under the surface and realised that he really needed to get away before he broke down there and then. He stumbled backwards, his back hitting the wall of the stairway, effectively putting some distance between them. His breaths became shallow and rapid. He needed air.

He cleared his throat, desperately wanting some water to soothe the feeling of sandpaper in his mouth. “Erm, thank…thank you….Si-Woon.” He stammered out, “I need…please….I need to go, I’m going to be late.”

Thankfully, and Baekhyun wanted to sob with relief when he saw Si-Woon take a few steps back from him. His knees felt like they were about to give way. He wasn’t quite sure why he was being touched without his permission and he was terrified of being in the same space with Si-Woon any longer. He hated himself for being so weak, for feeling so helpless, despite all his training in self-defence. He wished he was stronger and was able to stop people from invading his personal space or touching him when he hadn’t asked to be touched. But more than his own self-loathing, he hated Si-Woon, right there in that moment. For making him feel uncomfortable, for trying to be too familiar and for making him spiral out of control.

“Ok, well, I’ll see you back down there, ok Baek? Now go knock off Boss Man’s socks.” He smiled at Baekhyun and Baekhyun withered under the attention.

He watched until Si-Woon went back down the stairs and left through the same door he entered. He didn’t dare to turn around until after he saw the door close. And when it did, he let out the breath he didn’t realise he was holding and his knees finally gave way. He sank down to the floor, breathing heavily, tears springing to his eyes. He desperately tried to hold back his tears. He couldn’t break down here, at work, when he had a meeting to attend, that he was now late for. But, his irrational emotions clearly weren’t listening to reason and the first tear trickled down his cheek as Baekhyun sniffled to try to control himself. He laid the tablet down onto the concrete floor with trembling hands. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them tight, seeking comfort from being so small in this position. He rested his forehead on top of his knees and allowed himself to cry.

 I’m ok, it was nothing. It wasn’t him. I’m ok.’ He kept repeating to himself like a mantra. Yet, this wasn’t enough to calm him down. He found himself shutting off, struggling to regulate his breathing. He took deep gulps of air to try to get some oxygen into his lungs, but he felt that oxygen itself suffocating him. He felt like Si-Woon had siphoned the oxygen from the area and Baekhyun tried to loosen the knitted top from around his neck in an attempt to get more air. The tips of his fingers felt like pins and needles and his vision was blurry, whether that was due to panic or tears, Baekhyun wasn’t sure.

He felt like he was in a tunnel, his peripheral vision turning black. He fought the blackness, not wanting to go under. He desperately tried to stay conscious, but fought in vain as the darkness enveloped him and he gave into it.

He was late. Sehun glanced at his watch again for the hundredth time. He hated tardiness with a passion, but it was so unlike Baekhyun to be late.  He had always arrived before time for their previous meetings and so this was highly unusual.

Sehun pressed the intercom buzzer, “Bomi, can you please check what’s keeping Baekhyun, he was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.”

“Of course Sir,” she replied, “I’ll just check for you.”

Sehun leaned back in his chair and rolled his neck to ease the stiffness of having sat in front of a computer screen for the majority of the day. His meeting with Baekhyun was his last schedule for the day after which he fully intended on going home and relaxing for the evening, maybe getting a take out. His tie was long forgotten, left on the couch of the leather sofa in his office. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone and his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows.  He brought up a new document on the screen and began reading while waiting for Bomi to get back to him.

“Sir?” The intercom buzzed. “Apparently he was on his way up about half an hour ago. Some of his colleagues saw him leaving the floor then. They weren’t sure what’s keeping him and I’ve just tried his phone, it’s unreachable.”

Sehun frowned. This was very odd behaviour, if he wasn’t with his team and he wasn’t with Sehun, there where was he?

“Ok thanks Bomi, I’ll probably go down myself.”

“Are you sure Sir? I can have someone get him?”

“Yes, I’m quite sure, thanks Bomi.”

“Ok Sir.” She replied.

Sehun got up from his chair, brows knitted together, a frown on his face. He needed those designs to approve the next steps of the campaign otherwise they would be behind schedule. Maybe Baekhyun had somewhere else to be and had left instructions with someone else? Wanting to find out and wanting to stretch his legs, Sehun left his office and made for the staircase.

He thought how much easier things would be if both Jongin and Chanyeol had been around this week, to oversee these things, but they were still with Minseok at the training facility he had sourced to make sure things were safe and secure enough for them to train. Yixing was also with them being better at scoping out negative energies. Thankfully, no further victims had been found. Although this was a relief for Sehun, it was also causing him to remain constantly alert, waiting for the next attack and the next victim to be found.

Sehun entered the staircase to the floor below through the fire exit. He made his way down two flights of stairs before he saw someone slumped by the wall, causing him to quicken his pace. ‘What the fuck, who is this?’ As he came closer, he noticed the soft, brunette locks and he froze, those could only belong to one person. “Oh my fucking God, Baekhyun??”

He ran the rest of the way to the omega, who was lying on his side, back to the wall, unconscious. Sehun hastily put his finger on his neck and was relieved to find a pulse. His chest movements showed his breathing was steady. For a moment, he had been terrified that Baekhyun was the next victim of the attacks, a thought he hastily shoved down to the recesses of his mind.

Sehun grabbed his shoulder and shook him, “Baekhyun, Baekhyun!” He called, but he did not stir. Sehun fished his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number on his speed dial. It was picked up on the third ring.

“Sehun, I was just….”

“I need you here now, it’s an emergency, bring Yixing. My floor, staircase…,” he looked around to get the exact location, “A.” And before he could even pocket his phone, Jongin appeared at the flight of stairs with a green looking Yixing in tow.

“Sehun, I…wait, is that Baekhyun? What the hell happened to him? Is he, is he alive?” Jongin rushed forward to be by their side, looking extremely concerned.

“Yeh he’s breathing,” Sehun replied, “but I don’t know what happened to him, can you get him into my office, I’ll follow in the normal way, Bomi has seen me leave the room. Yixing, can you check him out?”

Yixing had now recovered from his travels and nodded. Jongin picked Baekhyun up like he weighed nothing more than a feather and disappeared as fast as he had appeared. Sehun and Yixing sprinted up the staircase two steps at a time. Sehun didn’t know why he was feeling so worried. Baekhyun was just an employee, so why did Sehun have a sinking feeling in the pit of his belly? Why did Sehun want to strangle the person who may have done this to him?

He and Yixing rushed into the office, Yixing nodding towards Bomi on his way in. Jongin had placed the still unconscious Baekhyun on the sofa in Sehun’s office. Sehun took his time to take in Baekhyun’s features as Yixing moved towards him. He was ghostly pale, the remnants of tears staining his cheeks. He still looked ethereal, beautiful even like this. ‘He was crying? Who the fuck would make him cry?’ Sehun thought. His fingers tightened into fists as he worked his jaw muscles.

He headed towards his desk and pressed the intercom, “Bomi, I do not wish to be disturbed, please redirect my calls. Also, can you get me an emergency contact from Baekhyun’s employee record please?” He instructed.

“Yes Sir, right away,” came the swift reply.

Yixing was kneeling at Baekhyun’s side, knees on the floor, he placed his hands onto Baekhyun’s chest and closed his eyes in concentration. His aura shone a soft pink, the colour of which intensified as his power concentrated onto Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s body was swathed in a pink glow, not unlike Yixing’s aura. Sehun saw some of the colour returning back to his face. And yet he still remained unconscious.

Yixing opened his eyes and let one of his hands caress Baekhyun’s hair softly. He had a soft smile on his face and Sehun looked at him, confused.

“He’s ok,” he said eventually, “physically.”

“What does that mean?” Sehun asked.

“Well, his vitals are all ok, there is nothing physical for me to heal Sehun,” he replied, “but, his mind is in turmoil and I have no idea what’s caused it. There seems to be darkness everywhere. I can’t heal something that doesn’t want to be healed. But for now, he’s resting, I’ve sedated him a little. I don’t think he needs to be woken just now.”

Sehun looked at Baekhyun again and wondered what on Earth had happened to him. His thoughts were interrupted by Bomi’s voice over the intercom.

“Sir, I have a contact, a Mr Kim Junmyeon. What would you like me to do?”

“Thanks Bomi,” he replied, “can you contact him and have him come as soon as possible please? Also let front reception know, he needs to come straight to my office.”

“Yes of course, is….is everything ok sir?”

“Yep Bomi, don’t worry, thank you.” He finished.

Jongin spoke up, “Sehun, we’re going to need to go if you can handle things here? We were just scouting the last parts of the area of the training facility before you called.”

“Yeh, thanks Jongin, you too Yixing.”

“No worries, Yixing hyung, I’ll meet you in the staircase ok? You’ll need to exit the office so Bomi sees you leaving.” With that, he was gone.

Yixing turned to Sehun with warm eyes. “He’s going to be ok, you know that Sehun yeh? I saw a light there somewhere in all that darkness.”

Sehun cleared his throat, “Yeh I know, I just don’t want an employee getting sick on my premises, you know?”

“Yeh sure, an employee. Yes.”

Yixing smiled a knowing smile, dimple popping ever so slightly. He nodded once, patted Sehun on the shoulder and left the office. Sehun slowly approached the now sleeping Baekhyun, his heart finally calmed down enough to notice the rosy glint to his cheeks, the shadow of long eyelashes on his face and his slightly dishevelled hair. He lifted his hand slowly and gently, without disturbing him, caressed his cheek with the back of his fingers, barely touching, applying little to no pressure. His skin was so soft, exactly how Sehun had imagined. He brought the same hand up to his head and lightly touched his hair, the strands feeling silky and smooth.

He sat for an unknown amount of time, just sitting there staring at Baekhyun, reassuring himself that he was still ok. He was startled to hear his intercom buzz once more.

“Sir, I have a Mr Kim Junmyeon here for you.”

He hastily got up from his position on the floor and went to the intercom. “Thanks Bomi, have him come in right away please. I don’t want any disturbance or interruptions.”

“Sure, right away Sir. It’s near closing time, do you want me for wait for your meeting to be over before I leave?”

“No Bomi, go home, thanks for your help today.”

He heard a knock at the door and it opened slowly. In walked in Kim Junmyeon. Sehun noticed that he was around the same height as Baekhyun, slim but well built. He had dark hair, parted in the middle and a face with a princely charm. He had a nice, woodsy scent, but Sehun couldn’t identify him as a wolf. ‘Baekhyun was close friends with a human? Hmm, interesting.’

“Mr Kim….” He began, but Junmyeon was not looking at him nor paying attention. He had spotted Baekhyun and had practically run to his side, face pale and he fell to his knees in front of the sleeping man.

“Baekhyun! Baek? Baekkie, wake up, Baek are you ok?!” He rambled, hands roaming over his body, clearly looking for injuries or other signs of foul play. “Baek, please.”

Sehun approached him and put his hand on his shoulder, startling him in the process. Junmyeon jumped up, enraged and grabbed Sehun by the collar with a furious look on his face.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO HIM?” He yelled, right in Sehun’s face, “I SWEAR TO THE GODDESS, IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HIM…”

‘Goddess? Ok, definitely not human then.’ Sehun thought, but he wasn’t able to be confused for too long, what with having an infuriated creature in his office threatening him with Goddess knows what. Sehun lifted his hands upward placatingly, meaning to reassure that he meant no harm. He didn’t really want a brawl in his office right now.

“Mr Kim, please, I think you’ve misunderstood…..”

“ALWAYS PEOPLE LIKE YOU, ALWAYS, LEAVE HIM THE FUCK ALONE! I SWEAR, I WILL KILL YOU!”

Junmyeon clearly wasn’t listening to anything Sehun had to say and honestly, It looked like he was about to punch Sehun in the face any minute now. Sehun grabbed hold of the hands holding his collar.

“Mr Kim!” He said firmly, “You need to calm down! I did nothing to Baekhyun, in fact, I found Baekhyun like this. He’s received medical attention and I am told he’s not hurt. He’s just sleeping for now.”

The hands holding Sehun’s collar relaxed a little and did the tension in the man’s face. “He’s…..he’s ok?” Junmyeon asked a little calmer now, eyes flitting between Sehun and Baekhyun.

“Yes he is, and if you would let me go, I can perhaps try to explain to you what’s happened?”

Junmyeon seemed to consider this for some time, looking at Sehun, perhaps searching for some hint of a lie. Apparently convinced of the truthfulness of the alpha, he let his collar go with a cough.

“I’m sorry,” he started sheepishly, “I’m just really protective of him.”

“Yeh, I can understand that, I would be the same if I found my boyfriend….errr husband? In this state.”

Junmyeon side-eyed him. “The fuck?” he pointed to Baekhyun, “that there is my family. He’s like a brother to me.”

Sehun didn’t know why, but that immediately filled him with so much relief. So this Junmyeon wasn’t a significant other then? Both Sehun and Junmyeon abruptly turned when they heard a soft moan and some shuffling. Baekhyun was waking up slowly. Junmyeon rushed to his side while Sehun held back.

“Baek? Baek, It’s me, hyung, are you ok?”

“Hyung?” Baekhyun had his eyes half opened and sounded so very tired. Junmyeon turned to Sehun.

“I’m sorry, I think I’ve got to get him home. My car is downstairs, I….I don’t think I’ll let him come to work tomorrow.”

Sehun nodded in agreement, it was probably for the best. He watched as Junmyeon half carried a very sleepy Baekhyun out, the latter leaning very heavily on him. He watched as the door closed behind them. He stood on the same spot wondering why he had been so worried for the omega.

Yes, he was indeed fucked.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

“Byun Baekhyun, I am DISOWNING you,” a voice, belonging to none other than Kim Jongdae shrieked from the entryway of Baekhyun’s apartment.

Junmyeon stifled a laugh while Baekhyun looked at him worriedly. It was the same evening of the incident at work. Junmyeon had taken a very tired and upset Baekhyun home. He’d been put to bed, given a hot cup of tea, a lot of cuddles and after much persuasion, had told Junmyeon what had happened. And Junmyeon, being the amazing person he was had listened to it all, consoled Baekhyun and offered to drown Si-Woon in his own saliva. Needless to say, he was feeling a lot better.

Baekhyun turned to face Junmyeon. “Hyuuuunng, did you tell him?” He whined.

“Of course I was gonna tell him Baek, can you imagine if I didn’t? The natural disaster would kill us both.” He replied calmly.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes but was interrupted from saying anything further because of Jongdae’s voice ringing through the apartment.

“Well? Where are you?” Jongdae called, he could be heard shuffling around the place, finally his head appeared through the bedroom door, “oh, you’re here, hmmph,” he grumbled, a mildly displeased look on his face.

“Hi Dae,” Baekhyun waved at his best friend weakly.

“Don’t you Hi Dae me, like the audacity to have Hyung as your emergency contact and not me? Byun, I am offended.”

“Aw don’t be offended Dae Dae.”

“I’m over it anyways,” he proclaimed and he shuffled into the room, crawling under the bed covers. Baekhyun silently chuckled, Jondgae’s bark was always worse than his bite, his temper was quicker to cool down than it was to start, at least with Baekhyun.

“So, Si-Woon… do you want me strike his dick with lightening? Say the word Baek, I’ll do it.”

Baekhyun snorted and Junmyeon laughed out loud. “Dae, I’ve already offered to drown him, but as usual, Baek is too nice.”

“Yeh, he definitely is, I would have chopped something off by now,” came the reply.

Jongdae cuddled up to Baekhyun and Baekhyun put his arm around his friend, snuggling into his warmth. Jongdae rested his head on his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh.

“You’re ok though, Baek?” He asked softly.

“Yes Dae, I am. Hyung has looked after me so good.”

“I’m so fucking relieved that Hyung got there Baek, but seriously, if that dickhead tries anything with you, I will hurt him, I promise you. I won’t even wait for you to give me permission.”

“I know that, thank you. I love you Dae, I love you Hyung,” he replied, closing his eyes and sighing. He heard a rustling to his other side and found Junmyeon also crawling under the covers with them.

“We love you too Baek, you’re family.” Junmyeon replied, taking hold of Baekhyun’s hand and kissing the back of it. The three of them sat under the covers in peaceful silence, neither of them needing to say a word. Baekhyun basked in the love surrounding him, feeling the stress of the day evaporate from his over tired body.

“Now, family,” Junmyeon was first to break the silence, “I’m going to order takeout because I am starving. There’s a new ttokbeoki place that I want to try out.” He said, taking out his phone and letting go of Baekhyun’s hand.  Baekhyun’s own phone chimed with an incoming message and he reached out with his free hand to his bedside drawer.

20.59pm From: Unknown

How are you feeling Baekhyun?

Baekhyun looked at his phone screen in confusion, wondering who would text him at this hour, from a number he didn’t have saved. The tips of his fingers went numb as he wondered whether this was Si-Woon who had somehow managed to get his number. Baekhyun hadn’t exchanged numbers with him yet.

Jongdae looked over at him when noticed how rigid Baekhyun had become suddenly.

“Baek, what’s up, whose message is it?”

“I dunno Dae, I don’t have the number saved. What if it’s him?”

“Then I’ll murder him through the screen, here, show me.”

He grabbed Baekhyun’s phone from him and looked at the message. “Well, it seems harmless though Baek. I’m gonna respond ok?”

Baekhyun took hold of Jongdae’s sleeve, reluctance showing clearly on his face. He nodded slowly once and stared at the screen as Jongdae typed.

21.05 To: Unknown

Who is this?

21.07 From: Unknown

It’s Sehun, sorry, I should have said.  I just wanted to make sure you were ok and being looked after.

Baekhyun let out a huge sigh of relief and took the phone from Jongdae, immediately saving Sehun’s number in his address book. A small smile formed on his face as he replied.

21.10 To: Sehun

Oh! I’m sorry Sehun, I didn’t have your number saved on my phone ☹

21.11 To: Sehun

But I’m ok, thanks for asking. And sorry about what happened at work earlier.

21.12 From: Sehun

You don’t need to apologise, I’m glad you’re ok now. Take some rest. Good night.

21.13 To: Sehun

Good night. Thanks again.

“Wait Baek, are you blushing?” Junmyeon asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.

“What! No Hyung, of course I’m not,” he replied, flustered.

“You lying little shit, yes you are!” Jongdae chimed in unhelpfully, poking him in the side with his finger.

“Fuck off Dae, I hate you!” He said defensively, continuing their bickering until Junmyeon intervened and threatened to soak them both with freezing water if they didn’t wash up before dinner.

Sehun stared at his phone for a very long time. ‘No, there’s nothing else I can reply to that.’ He thought, his fingers itching to start up a random conversation with Baekhyun, for no reason other than that he wanted to. He thought back to what happened earlier today and his jaw ticked knowing that someone or something had left Baekhyun in that state.

He’d contacted security after Baekhyun had been taken home only to be informed that there was actually no CCTV in the stairwells, which pissed him off. He’d instructed security to install CCTV and had given them a 48 hour deadline to do so. He did however, manage to procure the footage of Baekhyun’s floor, near the staircase exit and had booted up his computer in his home study to look at the footage.

He downloaded the file, keying in the password for the protected content he was about to watch. He’d started it from half an hour before his meeting with Baekhyun had been scheduled to take place, knowing the omega’s habit for arriving for meetings very early. He looked closer as he saw Baekhyun leaving the floor, heading into the stairwell, tablet in hand. He was alone.

Sehun squinted as he saw that less than one minute later, another person came jogging up to the exit, as if trying to catch him up and then disappeared. He rewound that section, zoomed in to get a clearer look at the man’s features. He recognised the man from the design department but couldn’t quite put a name to his face. He continued to watch and fast forwarded where he saw him enter back on to the design floor ten minutes later. He didn’t seem perturbed in any way, as if he had been in any altercation of sorts.

Sehun paused the recording and sat back in his seat, index fingers of both hands pinching the bridge of his nose. Something had happened in those ten minutes which caused Baekhyun to be like that, he was sure of it. But what? Sehun wanted to question Baekhyun some more but knew that he was in no fit state for questioning right now. It would have to wait until he was back at work.

For now, Sehun had successfully convinced himself that he was taking personal interest in this because a staff member was potentially harmed during working hours on his premises. It had nothing to do with the fact that it was Baekhyun, and that his heart had stopped beating for a minute when he had seen him unconscious in the stairs. It also had nothing to do with the relief he had felt when Yixing told Sehun he would be ok. And of course, it had nothing to do with knowing that that Junmyeon guy was just a close family member of Baekhyun’s and not a partner. No, nothing at all.

Sehun found himself often thinking of Baekhyun, sometimes for no reason at all and other times wondering what he was up to at that moment in time. Right now, he was just content in knowing that Baekhyun was with people who would look after him. He didn’t need to worry about him right now. He powered down his computer and left his office.

The others had returned back from scoping out the training facility and the all clear had been given about the safety of them training there. Training would be beginning in a few days, where they would take turns to train, under the supervision of Minseok. Weekends, they would all assemble together to work out group tactics. Sehun had begun to meditate in the evenings to rein in his powers, drawing in energy from nature, always looking out for signs of foul play or dark energy. So far, apart from the familiar energy signatures of his friends, he had always come back empty handed.

Minseok had called earlier to let him know that he’d set up trusted scouts across Seoul to find and report any attacks.

“We can’t have Chanyeol and Jongin tracking every night Sehun, you know that.” He’d said. “They’ll be exhausted before you know it and they can’t possibly cover the whole of Seoul every night either.”

Sehun had agreed, it was true after all. Sending them out had only been a temporary measure.

“Besides,” Minseok had continued, “my scouts have been sworn to the utmost secrecy and have strict instructions not to touch anything, including the victim at the scene. And yes,” he continued after a pause, “they’re all wolves, I would never send any humans for this kind of task.” He knew that would be Sehun’s biggest worry.

Sehun knew that Minseok was best for this kind of job, given the resources he had at his disposal, so he didn’t interfere in his decision making for this matter. He knew that Chanyeol and Jongin needed to be freed up in order to train, be at the company and save their energy for any incoming issues, so maybe it was for the best after all.

Now all they could do was wait.

‘Was he lying?’

Sehun scrutinised the omega in front of him with narrow eyes.  Baekhyun was fidgeting with his fingers in his lap. His eyebrows drew together as he realised that Baekhyun wasn’t meeting his eyes.

“So,” he began, “you suddenly started feeling ill as you were walking up the steps before your meeting with me. You passed out and don’t remember much else apart from when you got home with Junmyeon? Is that right Baekhyun?”

“Ye…..yes.” Baekhyun cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter, picking off some imaginary lint from his black pants. Sehun hadn’t really paid attention before now to how pretty Baekhyun’s hands were. They looked so soft, just like the rest of him. ‘Focus..’ He mentally slapped himself.

“Erm…I felt funny in the staircase, I’m not really sure what came over me really. The next thing I remember, I’m at home, being handed a cup of tea by Jun hyung.” Baekhyun scratched the back of his neck, feeling warm under the scrutiny.

‘Well, at least some of it was true,’ Baekhyun thought. He looked at Sehun for the first time since he’d come into his office, chocolate eyes imploring him to understand and believe him. Honestly, he felt awful for not telling Sehun the truth, knowing that his boss was only trying to look out for him, but he didn’t want the situation to escalate, especially since it was him that had overreacted to Si-Woon’s teasing. Baekhyun had thought a lot about the incident while he was recovering at home and he’d come to the conclusion that Si-Woon hadn’t done anything wrong. He was the one who had overreacted.

He couldn’t meet Sehun’s eyes for much longer and Baekhyun found himself staring at the pot of graphite drawing pencils on the corner of his desk. He wished he hadn’t reacted like he had. If Si-Woon found out, he’d be hating himself surely. The problem lay with Baekhyun and his non-existant coping mechanisms in such social situations. He was the broken one.  It was this reason that held him back from spilling the full truth in front of Sehun. He was ashamed.

Sehun stared at him a little longer, looking for a crack in his face, any signs of a lie, but there was nothing. If anything, Baekhyun looked a little sad, lost in his own thoughts, staring at an unknown space somewhere in front of him.

“Baekhyun?” he began as the omega shifted his eyes to him once more, “if there is anything, then you can tell me. But for now, I’m happy you’ve made a good recovery. It’s good to have you back.”

Baekhyun stared.

“On the team…” Sehun was quick to clarify, “yes, it’s good to have you back on the team.”

“Oh, oh-kay,” Baekhyun replied, “thanks Sehun, I…I’ll work hard, I promise.”

Baekhyun got up to leave, “Erm, I’ll get back to my department now, if that’s ok?  Thanks for this, I’m grateful you’re looking out for me, erm, I mean us…you know, your employees.”

Sehun nodded his head and watched as Baekhyun bent down to pick up his shoulder bag from the floor and swung it over his shoulder. He also watched as said shoulder bag swung a little too much and crashed into the pot of pencils that Sehun always kept on his desk, causing them to go hurtling onto the floor with a loud clatter.

“Oh sh….shoot!” Baekhyun exclaimed, looking down at the floor in horror, “I’m so sorry! I’ll pick them up, shit, they’re probably broken though, f….!” He dropped his bag and hastily knelt on the floor to pick up them up.

“Ah Baekhyun, don’t worry really, it’s not a big deal, I’ll pick them up,” Sehun said, as he got up himself, rounding his desk and kneeling on the floor also, next to the pencils. The graphite tips had broken on the floor, the loose powder staining the carpet.

Baekhyun put his hand up in alarm to stop Sehun from helping. ‘Fuck, this is my employer, not only am I destroying his property, but I have him on the floor helping me out, fuck my life.’

“Oh my God, please Sehun, I’ll…I’ll do it, it’s my fault anyways.” He stammered out.

“It’s not a problem Baekhyun,” Sehun replied with a small smile as both of them reached inwards, towards the last pencil on the floor.

Sehun’s hand landed a millisecond after Baekhyun’s, his large hand dwarfing Baekhyun’s hand easily. Baekhyun jolted at the contact and managed to bang his forehead into Sehun’s. Hard.

“Ow! FUCK!” He exclaimed loudly as his free hand came to rest on his forehead, the bridge of his nose stinging as the frame of his glasses cut into it. He closed his eyes tightly. Baekhyun did not enjoy pain.

Sehun hastily withdrew his hand as he looked at Baekhyun quickly. That was quite a hard hit and if Sehun hadn’t been so strong, it would have hurt him much more. Baekhyun on the other hand wasn’t faring so well. His eyes widened as he noticed a cut on his nose. Baekhyun had his eyes shut tightly. Sehun resisted the urge to hug him.

“Oh shit, Baekhyun, I’m sorry, are you ok?” He said, before he did anything stupid. “Come on, let’s get you up and get that fixed, fuck.”

He helped Baekhyun get up, his eyes now open and slightly watery.

“I’m….I’m ok, I was just shocked, I’m sure it’s nothing, I’ll….just…I’ll just wash it in the bathroom downstairs.”

Sehun knew that Baekhyun would heal quickly. His wolf genes would allow him to do that. The small cut wouldn’t even leave a mark and his cute little nose would be left unmarked just as it was before. But, he found it hard to admit to himself that he couldn’t bear to see him in pain. He wanted to make him feel better as soon as possible. Sehun took Baekhyun gently by the shoulders and led him to the couch in his office.

“Here, sit here Baekhyun, I’ll just grab the first aid kit.”

“Sehun seriously, there’s no need, you know this, it’ll heal by itself.”

Sehun stopped for a moment. ‘What the fuck am I doing? Of course it’s gonna heal by itself. Calm the fuck down Sehun.’ Seriously, could he be any lamer?

“Ok fine, just sit down and let me have a look at it.” “Please,” he added, “I’ll feel better.”

Baekhyun sat down gingerly on the edge of the couch. Honestly, he felt a bit awkward, not accustomed to having anyone take care of him other than Dae and Jun Hyung. Besides, the initial pain had worn off and he didn’t think he needed help any more. He was hardly bleeding to death. Sehun was probably feeling really guilty, and this made Baekhyun feel more guilty, especially since he’d just damaged his property.

Sehun sat down next to him, his proximity making little tingles of awareness erupt over Baekhyun’s arms. His knees were touching the sides of Baekhyun’s thighs, causing Baekhyun to squeeze his legs together. His senses were washed with Sehun’s scent, the freshness of cedarwood bringing along a calming effect with it.

Sehun turned to Baekhyun slowly and brought his hands up gently to his face, taking his glasses of carefully, revealing the gorgeous colour of his eyes, chocolate brown with little flecks of gold in them. The cut on the bridge of his nose was tiny, already showing evidence of healing. Fast, even for a wolf.

Sehun brought one of his hands up to Baekhyun’s bangs, shifting the silky hair to the side to inspect his forehead, his hand lingering there. There were no other injuries.

Time seemed to have stopped for the both of them. Sehun hand stayed on Baekhyun’s bangs, for reasons unknown even to him, eyes drinking in his face, his features looking extra beautiful up close. From the soft hair to the droopy, pretty eyes, to his cute button nose and the pink lips, with a small beauty mark in the top corner. Sehun was mesmerised.

Baekhyun was frozen. He couldn’t look away from the alpha’s face. Sehun’s eyes had become impossibly darker, trying to convey an emotion he couldn’t quite understand. His eyes roamed down to Sehun’s neck where he saw his prominent Adam’s apple move up and down as Sehun gulped and he didn’t know what came over him, but he wanted nothing more than to lick it right this minute. To stop his train of thought, he bit down on his lower lip as the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Sehun’s nostrils flared. He wanted that lip. The one that Baekhyun had just bitten down on. He wanted it. He wanted that lip to be in his mouth, between his teeth. He found his body reacting, as if it was completely separate from his brain. He leaned forward slowly, eyes focussed solely on Baekhyun’s lips, a scent of vanilla wrapping around him sweetly. He really liked Baekhyun’s cologne. It made him want to devour the omega.

Baekhyun’s eyes dilated as he saw Sehun leaning in towards him. He felt safe, the scent of cedarwood surrounding him, lulling him into a sense of utmost security and he licked his bottom lip as his lips parted…..

“Sehun, your 11 o’clock is here.”

Bomi’s voice rang loud through the intercom. Too loud for the cocoon of silence that both of them were in. Sehun jumped up from the couch as if he had been burned, clearing his throat and adjusting his suit jacket.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck….’ His inner monologue was relentless. He swiped his hand through his hair, causing some strands to flop down onto his forehead.

“Your wound looks good, Baekhyun, erm….yeh, it’s going to heal well.” He offered randomly, at a loss of things to say.

Baekhyun’s could hear his pulse drumming at a thousand beats a minute in his ear. He couldn’t lie to himself, he was aroused. He’d stupidly thought that Sehun was going to kiss him, and he wouldn’t have stopped him. He’d never been kissed before, and he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Why would someone like Sehun want to kiss someone like him anyway? Anyone tainted and dirty like him didn’t deserve that kind of interaction.

He got up on shaky legs and picked up his bag, unable to look at Sehun.

“Thank…thank you. S-Sorry for your pencils.” He managed, and swiftly left the office.

Sehun was left standing in the middle of his office, trying to calm his own wildly beating heart. He adjusted the front of his pants, hoping his semi would disappear quickly, in time for his ‘11 o’clock’.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

The drops fell down his back in rivulets as Sehun stood under the too hot stream of water, the steam coming off his back as he leaned forward, one hand on the tiled wall in front of him, the other stroking his shaft with strong thrusts. His eyes were closed tight as his breathing became more and more ragged, shaky on the exhale, lips parted.

He was drowning in molten chocolate coloured eyes, in cute button noses and full, pink lips. He could see those lips being licked and bitten as clear as daylight behind his closed lids. He let out a soft moan and he pulled on his dick gently, slowing his movements. He opened his eyes to look down at his abs contracting with exertion. His small nipples were erect, a sign of how turned on he was. His hand was wrapped firmly around the base of his dick as tiny droplets of precum formed at the tip. He was so close.

Sehun’s hand moved lazily up and down his length, his grip loosening as he tried prolonging the blissful sensations running through his entire body. He imagined a certain brunette kneeling in front of him, eyes looking up at him, lips parting to swallow his dick whole. He imagined the lips stretched around his girth, moaning around his length, pretty hands squeezing his balls as he sucked his dick dry.

He didn’t realize when he started jerking himself faster and harder, lost in thoughts he knew he shouldn’t be having. He came, unexpectedly, stars dancing in front of his vision as hot cum shot out of his dick, some landing on the wall tiles in front of him. ‘Goddammit, fuck, fuck, fuck me.’ He swore under his breath, carding a hand through his hair to remove the few stray strands strewn across his forehead.

Sehun’s legs were shaking  and he needed both hands on the wall to support himself. He watched as his erection calmed down, finally, his chest heaving as if he’d just run a marathon. His mind was in turmoil as he came down from his high, the feelings of guilt and shame creeping up on him. He shook his head as he laughed bitterly at his own depravity. In truth, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Baekhyun since yesterday, not since he’d almost kissed him in his office. In retrospect, if he was honest with himself, he had wanted to kiss him so badly. He just couldn’t help it. He was so unbelievably attracted towards him, the omega brought about feelings of lust in Sehun that surprised even him.

Sehun had been left frustrated after being interrupted by Bomi but was also grateful for the it, shuddering when he thought about the aftermath if he had gone through with the kiss. He shook his head again, this time trying to clear his thoughts. Droplets of water fell from his soaking wet strands.

He suddenly felt so tired now that the adrenaline had worn off. He’d spent the entire evening before with Minseok, Kyungsoo and Jongin, preparing the training facility. He’d come back late and exhausted, having used his powers most of the evening. After washing up, he had jumped straight into bed hoping to catch a good night’s sleep before the next few days, which he knew would be physically and mentally challenging. However, lady luck hadn’t been on his side and he had twisted and turned all night, with thoughts on what could have happened in his office earlier. Sehun had woken in the morning with an almost painful hard on and despite standing under the cold shower for five minutes, he hadn’t been able to will it down.

He felt like a teenager with a dirty little secret. As appalled as he was at himself for masturbating over someone who didn’t even have a clue about how he was thinking, he felt like he’d finally managed to get Byun Baekhyun out of his system. No more clouding his thoughts, no more lusting after his lips, he was done and finished. Now he could concentrate on more urgent matters at hand, he was sure of it.

He turned off the shower and dried himself quickly with a towel, wrapping it around his waist and walking into his closet to get himself ready. Jongin would be here soon, it was their first day at the training facility and it was Jongin’s responsibility to get everyone there for an early start. He dressed in comfortable clothes, black combats, black combat boots and a green t-shirt, opting to be practical and comfortable. It was going to be a long weekend.

“I see you’re finally ready,” came a voice from behind him, and if Sehun was anyone else, he would have jumped at the intrusion.

“I’m on time,” he replied calmly, looking over his shoulder, seeing Jongin leaning against the doorframe of his room, legs crossed and arms folded, with a cheeky smile on his face.

“I came earlier, you were in the shower….you know….having some ‘me’ time,” he trolled, using finger quotations for the word ‘me’, his cheeky grin only growing wider.

Sehun’s jaw dropped and out of instinct, he threw the nearest object straight at Jongin’s head, which happened to be his indoor slipper. “You’re a sick fuck Jongin, you bitch.”

“OW!” He complained, rubbing his head. Sehun’s aim never missed. “What was that for? I can’t help it you were so loud.” Jongin pouted, and if he wasn’t such a troll, Sehun probably would have felt more sorry for him.

Sehun rolled his eyes at him. There was no denying what was happening in the shower, and was there really any point in trying to convince Jongin of something else?

“Well, if you’re done being disgusting, shall we go?” He asked. And so, Jongin pushed himself off of the doorframe, grabbed his arm and disappeared from the spot.

The training facility was miles out from Seoul in a rather secluded area which was not very easy to get to. Sehun thought that Minseok had found them the perfect spot. Jongin appeared just outside the facility. Sehun was feeling sick to his stomach, grateful that the short journey was over. He swallowed down the nauseous feeling and rubbed his stomach which was protesting against his chosen transport method. He took in his surroundings which were looking very different in comparison to under the cover of darkness like yesterday.

The forest was quite dense where they were, the trees had been chopped back to allow for the building of this facility, allowing the bright autumnal sun to shine down on it in all its glory.  It was a monstrous single story building, which from the outside looked like it was made entirely of corrugated steel sheets. But Sehun knew that the construction was not normal, by any means.

The walls were made of several inch thick concrete, fortified by steel girders and lined with state of the art sound proofing. The inner walls were lined with a special material that blocked outside communication. What looked like a simple square plot was actually built into the ground, with several bunkers sitting under ground level. Minseok had said that this building could easily withstand an earthquake of a magnitude greater than 10 – if that was even possible to achieve without splitting the Earth itself. All building materials were fireproof and waterproof. The roof of the building itself could lift off in one whole go to allow transportation of large objects into and out of the building. The entire building came equipped with a security system to rival the presidential security, which had been overridden temporarily so that it could be used by them, the perks of knowing someone as high up as Minseok.  It was not only powered by conventional electricity, but by several other means of power to generate electricity including solar and wind. Beneath the floor ran several miles of network wires to allow uninterrupted access to power at all times.

“Everyone is already here and inside,” Jongin explained when he caught Sehun looking around. “Just waiting on you now.”

Sehun nodded his head and allowed Jongin to lead the way into the facility.

Sehun, Minseok and Kyungsoo had equipped the inside of the building with all the things that they had needed to train. It wouldn’t be just simple combat training that they were to do, specifically Sehun wished for everyone to focus and strengthen their own powers as well as their team working ability. If the battle with the red witches was anything to go by, Sehun didn’t doubt that everyone would need to be at their best, prepared for whatever it is they were to face.

The challenge had been decided how each one of them were to practice their powers. They couldn’t really practice on each other, the risks were far too high of people being wounded. Alternative had been thought of, even though they wouldn’t be able to put their powers to the test fully. Large boulders had been transported inside for Kyungsoo to test his strength out on. Considering he had accidentally caused a huge natural disaster a few years ago, he would need to keep his power in check throughout their training period. Instead of Kyungsoo testing his strength, this was more of an exercise in controlling his strength, thereby preserving his energy for when it was actually needed. Sehun didn’t want any of them injured because of accidents, but he didn’t want them to exhaust themselves either.

Huge trees and other flammable materials had been brought in for Chanyeol to use his pyrotechnic abilities on. Even less flammable materials had been brought, such as blocks of iron and aluminium. Chanyeol’s fire temperatures could reach impressive levels if he were to unleash his full power on something, he could easily melt metals with a lower melting point. Minseok had procured some blocks of tungsten at an extremely high cost, known for an extremely high melting point, a whopping 3,399oC.

Minseok would be there to cool things down in case Chanyeol went out of control – something that happened more often than all of them liked to admit. In fact, the area where Chanyeol would be practicing, Minseok intended to keep all surfaces under a permafrost – something Sehun knew would be taking up immense amounts of power all in itself. Not only this, but there was a lake not far from the facility with a very tall waterfall that Sehun knew Minseok would love to have a go at freezing and unfreezing.

Sehun would be responsible for keeping the whole building powered. Minseok had disabled all standards means of power, meaning Sehun would need to use his wind power to generate the large amounts of energy needed to keep the building functioning. This would require constant and high output of energy, which is why Sehun could have really done with a good nights sleep. Sehun also wanted to practice his other, less used powers, powers which he felt less confident in using, but could prove useful if needed in battle.

Yixing’s training would be harder to organise, unless they were all severely wounded and he needed to heal every one of them. This was an situation which all of them wanted to avoid at all costs, for obvious reasons. However, any natural element that was damaged could be restored by him. This was true for all living and non- living objects, an ability of his that was only discovered after several hundred years. Yixing liked to limit his powers to living beings only, but as they weren’t aiming to mortally wound each other, the alternative would have to do. Metals that were melted could be restored back to their natural states, trees could be healed back from their charred remains – as long as they hadn’t turned to ash already. Yixing also wanted to hone in on his ability to detect energies and planned to tap into each person’s energy source one by one.

Jongin would be practicing by teleporting in and out of all obstacles with a different number of people at any one time. It was known that when he was transporting more than two people at a time, his travel times were slower and the goal was to improve on those times, as if he was travelling by himself. He would also be learning how to teleport in the ‘altered gravity’ room – an especially hi-tech room that had different air pressures including zero gravity, challenging for anyone to even stand straight, let alone teleport.

In addition to all this, they would be practicing their combat skills in pairs, up against Minseok, Kyungsoo and Sehun, the three of them being the most physically powerful. They had had to draw lots as no one wanted to be against Yixing, nobody in their right mind wanting to inflict any sort of pain on him. In the end, Minseok volunteered, being the one with the most discipline out of them all. Sehun was landed with Jongin and he knew that he was in for a frustrating battle as he liked to cheat by disappearing and appearing all over the place. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol however, would probably end up killing each other. Good job that they had Yixing.

Chanyeol and Yixing were walking around, weaving in and out of different areas and different rooms, whistling under their breath and admiring the set up inside. The altered gravity room was actually in the basement as well as other specialized rooms which they would probably need at some other time. Neither of them had been there the evening before and this was the first time they were both seeing the new additions to the facility.

“Hey Sehun,” Chanyeol called, “this is pretty amazing, I can’t wait to get going.” He cracked his knuckles.

“You’re dead meat when we spar,” Kyungsoo warned, amicably.

“Please!” Chanyeol snorted, “It’s not nice that you’re calling yourself dead meat Soo.”

“Ha, Yeol, don’t be too cocky you know,” Jongin chimed in, sauntering up to Chanyeol. “You remember the time when he….”

“Yes yes, we all remember, no need to go into it,” Kyungsoo immediately cut him off, the tips of his ears turning red.

“Aw don’t be shy Soo, that’s part of your history now, you should embrace it.”

Minseok and Yixing stood by the side watching the whole exchange, amusement written clearly on their faces.

“Who will damage who do you reckon?” Minseok asked.

“My bets are on Chanyeol. Jongin will get away with it because Sehun will go easy on him. I can’t say the same for Kyungsoo.” Yixing answered.

Minseok chuckled. “How are you with healing broken bones then Xing?”

“Bit rusty to be honest, I think I could use some practice.” He replied with a small smile.

Sehun looked on as Kyungsoo took hold of Jongin in a headlock, Chanyeol laughing maniacally on the side of them, Jongin teleporting to just a few metres away, leaving Kyungsoo with a load of air in his arms. Chanyeol fell to the floor in a heap, tears spilling from his eyes as he continued to laugh heartily.

Even Sehun let out a chuckle, but stopped abruptly once he realized that Jongin will be doing the same to him shortly. He shrugged his shoulders and called for his friends. Ready to start what would be an interesting weekend.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

Monday mornings were hard enough, Baekhyun thought, without being hungover as well. He was feeling particularly sorry for himself as he sat at his desk at work, nursing an extremely strong cup of coffee in between his hands. He inhaled the smell of the freshly brewed coffee and felt himself wake up a little. He vowed never to trust Jongdae the next time he claimed it would ‘only be one drink’. Neither of them could handle any amount of alcohol and the evil part of him wished Jongdae was suffering more than him right now.

“I wish you’d pay some other things as much attention as you’re paying that cup of coffee Baek.”

Baekhyun looked up to the source of the voice and instantly stiffened. Si-Woon was standing on the other end of his desk looking down at him intently with half a smile on his face. Baekhyun had to remind himself to calm down. Si-Woon wasn’t a bad person, the problem was with him only, and his overreaction last week.

“Oh morning Si-Woon, are you ok?” He managed to get out eventually.

“Yeh,” he chuckled. “I was just passing by and saw you looking straight into that coffee’s soul, so I decided to pop over and say hello.”

“Ah yes,” Baekhyun laughed lightly, “too much alcohol last night.”

“I would have liked to have seen that.” Si-Woon said, his eyes darkening and his stare intensifying.

Baekhyun ignored the weird creepy feeling he was getting. He had to remind himself of his own fucked up way of thinking and his habit of being suspicious towards anyone who wasn’t Jongdae and Junmyeon. His distrust stretched as far as making someone out to be weird and evil even when they weren’t. He really needed to stop it.

“Ha ha, well, Si-Woon, you really didn’t miss anything, honestly. Well, erm, anyway, I have to make a start and actually get some work done. We are meeting later with your team about the animation right?”

“Yep yep, we are, I’ll leave you to recover Baek, see you later,” he backed away making finger guns at him and he chuckled despite himself, feeling himself relax.

‘See, that wasn’t too bad,’ he thought, ‘stop always being so lame,’ he scolded himself, shaking his head at his own absurdity. Slowly he started up his computer and set to work on his daily tasks. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn’t realise how fast the time had gone. Before he knew it, it was lunchtime and his co-workers were getting up to grab their lunch. He rolled his neck on his now stiff shoulders and noticed the dull headache in between his eyes. So much for a cure for a hangover, he hadn’t even hydrated himself properly.

He made his way to the water machine and poured himself a glassful of water, drinking it down in one go and refilling another one. He felt marginally better and thought he should try lining his stomach with some food and went to pick up some rice from the staff cafeteria, not having the appetite for much else.

His meeting with Si-Woon’s animation team later that afternoon went well, although it created a whole truckload of work, adding to Baekhyun’s ever expanding pile. He really needed to get some of it done today and decided to work later than usual to finish things off.

He watched as his colleagues got up and left one by one at finishing time at 6pm, each of them bidding him goodbye and telling him not to stay too late. The lights around him dimmed, leaving only his desk area illuminated. Baekhyun thought this was probably for the best, there was nothing to distract him now.

The cleaners came around 7pm and he was distracted for a short time while he watched them clean. When they noticed he was distracted, they apologised profusely and worked faster to get out of his way, despite him reassuring them it was fine.

It was coming up to 9pm and Baekhyun was about ready to go home. He’d worked hard this evening and needed to save some energy for the rest of the week. He let out a big yawn and stretched his arms above his head, relieving some of the stiffness. It was then that he heard a soft thump, followed by a shuffling.

Baekhyun froze and held his breath, straining to hear more. There it was again, another shuffle. His heart leapt into his throat as he panicked a little. He had thought he was alone on the floor this whole time. Was there someone else here?

He strained his vision, squinting into the distance, looking for any signs of movement. He didn’t see or hear anything, and he let out the breath that he was holding. Feeling spooked, he made to get up and leave, he didn’t want to stay any longer. Baekhyun shut off his computer, got up and turned around to pick up his jacket and shoulder bag from behind his desk.

“Baekkie, I didn’t realise you were still here!”

Baekhyun jumped almost two feet in the air at the voice. He turned around with his hand clasped over his heart, his heartbeat spiking upwards alarmingly. It was Si-Woon.

“Si-Woon!” He began, “You scared to me to death! What are you doing here, I didn’t realise you were staying late too.”

“Oh, yeh, Baek, I wasn’t….I actually went home, but had to come back because I left something here and needed to get it.”

Baekhyun’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. What could he have left that was so important that he had to come back for it? He didn’t ask.

“Oh ok, well I’m about to leave now Si-Woon, I guess I will see you tomorrow?”

“Ah, wait up Baekkie, I’ll walk with you, I got what I came for.”

Baekhyun nodded, put on his jacket and lifted his shoulder bag. He felt very tired all of a sudden. He began walking, with Si-Woon trailing closely behind him.

“So Baek, I was wondering, now that we’re here, you fancy going for a drink or something?” Si-Woon’s longer strides easily caught up with Baekhyun’s smaller ones.

‘What?’ Baekhyun thought. Out loud he said, “Ah, no thanks Si-Woon, I’ve had a really long day. And besides, after yesterday, I kinda never want to see alcohol ever again, if you get me.” He let out a chuckle. “I don’t think I’ve fully recovered to be honest.”

“It’s not that late Baek, I know a really good place. I’ll get you something less strong, eh?”

“No really, thanks though Si-Woon. I really am tired. I have loads to do tomorrow, so I need to get home and get some sleep.” He explained.

“Ok, let’s skip any alcohol, I don’t want you to feel unwell. How about grabbing a quick bite to eat?”

Baekhyun slowed his steps marginally, “Erm, I really just want to go home Si-Woon. Maybe some other time?”

“Now come on Baekkie, how comes you’re always saying no to me?” Si-Woon teased lightly, but a slight undertone could be heard in his voice.

“Erm, it’s really nothing like that Si-Woon, I’m just tired.”

“Do you have someone? Is that why? Like, is that who you were drinking with last night? I mean, it’s ok if you were, that’s ok with me.”

“What? No, I was just with a friend.”

“Then?” Si-Woon asked, not quite understanding Baekhyun’s reluctance.

“Si-Woon,” Baekhyun sighed, “I don’t really go out with people I don’t know that well, you know? It’s a me thing, it’s not anything about you, honestly.” Baekhyun sighed.

“I dunno Baek, it sure sounds like it. How will you get to know me better if you aren’t even trying? Am I not good enough for you?”

They were nearing the walls with the elevators and Baekhyun wanted to run. This conversation was making him feel really weird and the same feelings came flooding back to him from when he was in the stairwell with Si-Woon last week. He no longer wanted to even  get into the same elevator as him, not wanting to share a small, enclosed space with him.

“No, don’t be silly Si-Woon, I think we could be really good friends one day,” Baekhyun reasoned.

They reached the elevators and Baekhyun pressed the button for the ground floor. The air seemed thick with tension, and not the good kind, especially since the alpha had stopped talking. They stood in tense silence until the elevator pinged and the door slid open. Baekhyun put one foot ahead to step on when he was suddenly stopped by a strong grip on his arm.

He was startled and looked back in time to see Si-Woon pull him away from the elevator and shove him against the wall, none too gently. Baekhyun’s nostrils were overcome by Si-Woon’s musky scent, dominating and exuding power over him. His expression was one of anger and something else that Baekhyun couldn’t quite place.

“Si-Woon….wha….what….” Baekhyun managed to stammer out. He felt like he was going to pass out. He couldn’t believe this was happening, he didn’t know why this was happening.

“Oh sorry, Baekkie, I don’t mean to be rough with you. But how comes you’re making me settle with friendship.” He spat out the word as if it were a curse.

Si-Woon still had a death grip on Baekhyun’s arm and Baekhyun knew it would bruise. He struggled to get himself free but Si-Woon moved closer. Baekhyun could feel his hot breath against his neck. It seemed as if Si-Woon was sniffing him.

“This. Delicious. Scent.” Si-Woon punctuated each word whilst inhaling deeply, licking his lips. “It. Drives. Me. So. Fucking. Crazy.”

Baekhyun panicked. What the fuck was Si-Woon even talking about? What scent? It couldn’t be his scent. There was no way. He made sure not to have any scent lingering anywhere around him, so what the fuck was he smelling? Maybe it was his cologne. It had to be his cologne.

“You smell like a fucking bakery Baekkie, and I just wanna gobble you up. Can I? Please? Pretty please?” Si-Woon nosed at Baekhyun’s neck.

Baekhyun’s insides turned to ice. Scent. Smell. Bakery. How many times had Baekhyun been told he smelled like a cake shop? Like cakes? Like strawberries? How is this happening? What about the potion that Jongdae religiously made for him? Baekhyun’s mind began shutting down as he frantically tried to remember his calendar. A month and a half, it had only been six weeks since his heat. No way could the potion have worn off in such a quick time. There was no way!

“Si-Si-Woon, that’s my…..it’s my….my cologne.” Baekhyun stammered, trying to wriggle his arm free, craning his neck away from Si-Woon, feeling claustrophobic at the unwanted breach of his personal space.

Si-Woon stepped an inch closer, enough that now Baekhyun’s entire back was plastered to the wall behind him and their chests were touching each other.

“I can recognise an omega’s delicious scent when I smell it Baekkie. You don’t have to lie to me. You’ve been tempting me with it since last week. I want a taste of you. It’s not enough just smelling it.”

Baekhyun whimpered. He was so frightened. Nobody knew he was still at work. The only people that knew he was staying late were long gone and at home. How he wished he was at home now, safe and sound.

“Please…..please….Si-Woon……let….let me go, I promise, I swear to the Goddess, I won’t, I won’t tell anyone anything, just please…..,” he managed to sob out, tears now streaming down his face.

“Aww, Baekkie, don’t cry beautiful. There is nothing happening here. We shouldn’t need to be afraid no? I just want to cuddle. You’ll cuddle me, right?”

Baekhyun desperately shook his head, unable to get his words out. No he did not want to cuddle Si-Woon.  Si-Woon grabbed hold of his face with this thumb and forefinger in a bruising grip and forced him to hold his head still. He poked his tongue out and licked at Baekhyun’s face, little kitten licks along his cheeks, lapping up his tears. Baekhyun felt bile rise into his throat as he fought nausea. He needed to get away. He struggled some more against the grip Si-Woon had on him to no avail. Out of desperation, he managed to lift his left knee up to knee him in the balls.

“Umph…” Si-Woon doubled over as Baekhyun’s knee made contact. But unfortunately for Baekhyun, he hadn’t quite hit him hard enough for Si-Woon to relax the death grip he had on him. So now, not only was Baekhyun trapped, but Si-Woon was pissed.

“That was not very nice.” He said, in a dangerously low voice. Baekhyun gulped. He couldn’t seem to stop his tears. He sobbed as Si-Woon roughly grabbed his face yet again.

“Naughty boys like you need to be taught lessons, even if you are beautiful, we can’t let you get away with just anything now, can we?”

“Please…..please….Si-Si-Woon.”

“I like it when you beg. It makes me want to breed you.”

And without warning, he smashed his lips against Baekhyun’s in a harsh kiss, leaving Baekhyun so stunned that he gasped, causing his mouth to open, allowing Si-Woon to shove his tongue inside roughly. Baekhyun could taste Si-Woon and whatever he had just eaten, mixed in with the saltiness of his own tears. He almost gagged with repulsion. He stood as still as he could with his eyes shut tight, trying to ignore whatever was going on in his mouth, pretending like it wasn’t happening, until he heard a groan coming from Si-Woon as he ground his groin into Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun could feel Si-Woon’s dick getting hard as he rubbed their groins together. His eyes flew open as he struggled to get away again, his strength nothing compared to Si-Woon’s alpha strength.

Baekhyun felt violated. He felt disgusted with himself and disgusted with Si-Woon for doing this to him. Si-Woon came up for air and detached his mouth from Baekhyun’s, a tiny string of saliva connected them, as evidence of the sloppy exchange.

“Now, listen to me, Baekkie,” he began, panting, “I want to make you feel good ok? You deserve only the best my beautiful. I need you to undo your pants ok?”

Baekhyun felt his knees give way as he sobbed harder, shaking his head furiously. He would have fallen to the floor had Si-Woon not caged him up against the wall.

“Si-Woon, please, please, I….I don’t want this,” he begged. But it seemed as if his pleas were falling on deaf ears as Si-Woon continued to nose around his neck, hands now wandering to the front of his chest, palming his chest and squeezing his nipples painfully.

Baekhyun continued to struggle, continued to try to get away, but Si-Woon had him locked against the wall, both hands trapped behind his back. In his thrashing, he chinned Si-Woon on the nose, causing the other man to grunt out aloud.

Now Si-Woon was really mad and looked at Baekhyun with a feral look in his eyes. He brought one of his wandering hands up to Baekhyun’s hair and took a fistful and yanked, hard. Baekhyun let out a cry.

“Now listen here bitch, you WILL do as I say. I’m done playing nice with you. I am your alpha, and you WILL obey me.”

Si-Woon’s voice had darkened and dropped a few octaves and Baekhyun recognised it for what it was, an Alpha’s command. An ancient power that alphas had over omegas by which they were forced to do their bidding by any means necessary. The use of the alpha command had become illegal in 1967 when the omegan slave trade had been abolished under the Omega Protection Act – proven use of it now deemed to be a crime, punishable by harsh sentences.

Baekhyun stilled, whimpering meekly, unable to protest against the command. He bared his neck, a sign of surrender, silent tears streamed down his face as he felt utterly helpless and humiliated.

“You should have just listened to me from the beginning gorgeous. Now I want to see what my beautiful cupcake has under all of these layers. Your skin probably tastes like cream too.” Si-Woon licked his lips salaciously as his hungry eyes travelled down the whole of Baekhyun’s body, drinking in his features, from the delicate dip in his collar, to the swell of his hips.

Baekhyun was terrified beyond belief. Si-Woon eyes were dilated to the point where it was mostly just pupils, the lust clearly evident in them. He helplessly struggled as Si-Woon ripped open his shirt to reveal his bare chest, staring hungrily as if he was going to eat Baekhyun up that very second. He leaned down and licked across his exposed skin, biting and growling like an animal in heat.

Leaving his chest exposed, his hand travelled down between their bodies, cupping Baekhyun’s dick as Baekhyun jumped and shivered, as if insects were crawling under his skin. He felt his energy draining from him as he once again tried to fight Si-Woon off of him, pleading with him to let him go.

Si-Woon flicked the button from Baekhyun pants and slowly, agonisingly brought his zipper down, the sound echoing on the empty floor. He shoved his hands into Baekhyun’s pants , roughly grabbing at his dick and Baekhyun bucked under the intrusion. Violated, his entire body drowning in shame, his legs gave way as Si-Woon struggled to hold him up with just one hand.

Twenty past nine in the evening. Sehun wondered what he was still doing in the office. He’d stayed later than usual to have a briefing with Minseok using their encrypted communications service. Minseok’s scouts had yet to find or stumble on anything of concern. Although this was great news because it meant that there were no further casualties, Sehun could practically sense that something was brewing, again. After his briefing session, which had lasted longer than planned, he got caught up in answering emails and messages handed to him by Bomi earlier that day, which admittedly, he should have dealt with hours ago.

Now he only had one thing to do – pick up a USB from Jongin’s office that he had forgotten to hand to Sehun before leaving for the day. If Sehun was meaner, he would have made Jongin come back and give it to him himself, but it was hardly a punishment when the man could achieve that with a snap of his fingers in less than a minute.

Sighing, he picked up his stuff and left his office. He’d neglected decent meals today and could hear his belly rumbling. He decided to order a takeout when he got into his car, it would arrive as he got home. He was feeling tired, so he decided to take the elevator, wanting to get home as quickly as possible.

He pressed the button for the elevator which was stopped on the floor below and waited seconds for it to come to him. He quickly stepped in once the doors opened and pressed the floor for Jongin’s office, leaning briefly against the wall for a couple of seconds. The elevator voiceover signalled the arrival of his destination. The doors pinged open, the floor at this hour was dimmed, not that this was a problem for Sehun in any way. He stepped out and immediately came to a crashing stop.

Sehun struggled to comprehend the scene in front of him for half a second. His eyes were betraying him surely. There was no fucking way that Baekhyun was slumped against the wall, sobbing his eyes out, shirt ripped, pants undone….with an alpha half on top of him, hand in his pants, helping himself. Surely not?

He saw red. He hurried over to the pair with long strides, grabbed the alpha by his collar and yanked him off of Baekhyun forcefully, not giving a shit whether he hurt him or not. Judgement clouded by pure, undiluted anger, Sehun flexed his arm back and punched the man square in the face, causing his neck to snap back.  His nose immediately started bleeding. Good.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing alpha?” He demanded, gearing up for another strike to the man. The man – he now recognised as Si-woon had a look of pure terror on his face and Sehun couldn’t care less how frightening he looked. Serves the fucker right.

“What is your damn code?” He demanded, but was met with silence. He shook Si-Woon violently, who was now flapping about like a ragdoll.

“I said, What. Is. Your. Damn. Code?” He enunciated each word separately, through gritted teeth, barely controlling his rage.

“We….we live to serve and protect….” Si Woon muttered out weakly, not at all sounding like someone who could serve or protect. His face looked like a war had just happened on it, the bleeding from his nose making a huge, gory mess.

Sehun punched him once again, causing a cracking sound in his jaw. He hoped it was broken. “Is this how you serve and protect, you asshole?” He spat out.

He geared up for another punch, but before he could, his attention was drawn to Baekhyun as he let out a whimper. He watched as the omega brought his knees up fully to his chest and curled in on himself, a position meant solely for self-protection.

Sehun immediately let go of the alpha in front of him and rushed to Baekhyun’s side, his peripheral vision registered the man escaping through the fire exit and down the stairwell. He didn’t have the patience to deal with him right now, his main concern was Baekhyun.

He kneeled in front of Baekhyun and slowly brought his hand up to him. The omega was visibly shaking, his face hidden behind his knees and his sobs louder than they were before. Sehun struggled to control his anger and he gently laid a hand on Baekhyun’s knee causing him to jump.

“No! No! No! Get your hands off me, I don’t want it, please Si-Woon, I….I….I….please, Si-Woon, please, I…don’t….”

Baekhyun seemed like he was trying to escape, to disappear into the wall behind him. He was blinded by his terror, not seeing the person in front of him. Sehun needed to stop him before he hurt himself. He caught onto both of his shoulders firmly.

“Baekhyun! Stop, please stop! It’s me, Sehun, you’re safe now, Baekhyun!”

“No! Let go of me! I don’t want it, I told you, please!” Baekhyun struggled harder to get out of his grasp, fists coming up to punch at Sehun.

Sehun shook him gently, not wanting to scare him more than he already was. “Baekhyun, baby, you’ve got to stop. It’s me, Sehun.” And as he was talking, he released his calming pheromones, hoping that they would help the omega calm down enough to listen to him.

Baekhyun stopped thrashing around. His vision was blurred with all the tears, still running uncontrolled. “Se…Sehun?”

“Yes, yes, Baekhyun, it’s me, Sehun, please, you’re safe now, stop struggling against me. I’ve got you.”

“Sehun!” Baekhyun sobbed out, He fisted the front of Sehun’s shirt and threw himself onto him, his cheek smashed against his chest, sobbing and seeking the comfort he desperately needed. Sehun put his hands up to envelop him in a hug, hesitating and balling his hands into fists. ‘Fuck working relationships,’ he thought, and without a second thought, brought his arms around Baekhyun in a protective embrace, cheek resting atop his silky hair.

“He…he…..I…..he….” Baekhyun hiccupped, unable to form a sentence.

“Ssshhh, I know, it’s ok, I’m here now, he can’t hurt you anymore,” Sehun soothed, running a hand in small circles on Baekhyun’s back.

They remained like that for a few minutes until Baekhyun’s sobs had died down to whimpers. His grip on Sehun was still as strong. Sehun lifted his cheek off from Baekhyun’s head and took stock of his appearance. His clothes were ripped, chest bruised from where that fucker had been too rough with him. His tummy was on show, pants undone, revealing the beginnings of a trail of neatly trimmed hair. He disentangled himself from Baekhyun long enough to take his jacket off and cover the omega with it.

“Baekhyun?” There was no response apart from a few sniffles. Baekhyun wasn’t meeting his eyes.

He fished out his phone from the pocket of his jacket and dialled Jongin’s number, his arms coming around Baekhyun protectively once more as he waited for the phone to be answered.

“Hey Jongin, I need you here, it’s an emergency, can you come? Bring Yixing and Chanyeol.” Sehun rattled off his exact location and within minutes, all three of them had arrived.

“Master, you called……” Jongin began, “What the fuck, Baekhyun? Again?”

“I’ll explain in a bit Jongin, Yixing, we need to get him somewhere safe and then, please, can you do something? I need to make sure he isn’t hurt. Chanyeol, I need you to track Si-Woon.”

“Wait, which Si-Woon? Si-Woon from design Si-Woon, or another Si-Woon?”

“Si-Woon from design. He’s the bastard who attacked Baekhyun. You should be able to get his scent from Baekhyun, the fucker was all over him before I arrived.”

Chanyeol moved forward and knelt by Baekhyun’s side taking a sniff of the area around him.

“Fuck that’s sweet.” He exclaimed, unable to help himself as the sweetest, best smell invaded his nostrils, unfortunately ruined by a nastier, muskier scent. He crinkled his nose in distaste. “Si-Woon smells like dog though,” he said, “dead dog once I get my hands on him.” He finished menacingly. His features twisted into rage.

“He’s not long gone, you’ll be able to easily catch him up. You know what to do.”

And with that, Chanyeol was gone, running down the stairs at the speed of lightening.

Yixing and Jongin looked at the scene in front of them. Baekhyun in Sehun’s embrace. Sehun looking like he would fight the world for the omega. Jongin sighed as he came closer.

“Where to Sehun?”

“My place.” Came the reply.

Sehun paced the room as Yixing tended to Baekhyun, taking a lot longer than Sehun would have liked. He’d been asked to leave the room that Baekhyun had been laid down in, apparently he’d managed to piss even Yixing off with his worrying.

Sehun had Baekhyun’s phone in his hand, putting off calling Junmyeon. He couldn’t really not tell him, as his next of kin, it was only right that he be informed. He took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing himself for any backlash. It was picked up almost instantly.

“Byun Baekhyun, you and Jongdae are never allowed to drink together ever again. The fucker vomited into my pot. Vomited, can you believe it? All my hard work, fucking ruined! ….I….”

“Ah, Junmyeon-ssi…” Sehun interrupted the rant.

“Hello?” Came the reply, “who is this?”

“It’s Sehun, erm, Baekhyun’s boss.”

“Sehun? Why do you have Baekhyun’s phone? Where is Baekhyun?” The silence that followed was deafening.

“Baekhyun isn’t very well, I think you should come. I’ll explain when you get here.”

“I’m coming. Where?”

Sehun rattled off his address and resumed his pacing.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

“Well, this is new,” stated Kyungsoo, as 6 pairs of eyes stared down at the freshly tinged corpse in front of them.

They’d received intel mere minutes ago from one of Minseok’s scouts who’d secured the perimeter of the area and made a hasty retreat on Minseok’s orders. They’d all arrived shortly after, courtesy of Jongin.

They had found themselves in the North-Eastern part of Seoul, the residential district  of Nowon-Gu. They were surrounded by average looking houses and were in a back alley way, near a row of shops. This corpse was partially hidden by a large dumpster, the foul smell of rotting garbage lingering in the air and making Sehun scrunch his nose in distaste.

This was indeed new, Sehun thought as he tilted his head to the side, examining all details of this fresh discovery. A female beta this time, couldn’t have been older than twenty by the looks of things. Her mouth was open in shock, as if she had seen her attacker before she was killed. Her eyes were also open, tinged a deep red. Her low cut top afforded a good look at her chest without any one needing to move anything. There it was again, the red branded mark seen on previous victims with the same black, thread-like veins coming off of the centre of it, spreading across her chest. This they’d all seen before.

What they hadn’t seen before was the fact that this body was levitating about six inches off the floor. Suspended in thin air, nothing supporting it apart from some dark magic which neither of them knew the red witches were even capable of pulling off. There were only two entities in the history of magical beings that were capable of such a doing and the red witches were not one of them.

Minseok crouched down by the body and took out a pen from the inner pocket of his jacket, using this to wave underneath the body checking for anything that might be propping it up.

“Yep, definitely levitating.” He concluded, nodding his head in affirmation of this fact.

Sehun pinched the bridge of his nose. What could this mean? Has someone acquired this sort of power and is using them on unsuspecting people? Who could have such power that resembled the power of witches and is remaining untraceable? Was this even possible? He had so many questions and not a single answer to any of them.

“Wait, is this her bag?” Jongin said, a slight distance away from the rest of the group. He was hunched over a small, sequined clutch bag, the strap made of gold chain. He hadn’t touched it yet, afraid that it too would disintegrate just like the corpses had on previous occasions. They all moved closer to the bag. No one did anything, they just stood there, staring at it as if it were a bomb about to denotate any minute.

“Well, Someone’s gotta touch it, we need to know who she is,” Chanyeol started. “Shall I?”

He extended his hand as he made to pick up the bag, before being stopped by Minseok.

“Wait, put these on.”

He handed Chanyeol a pair of white latex examination gloves. Sehun smiled inwardly, ever the professional, Minseok.

Chanyeol put them on with difficulty, the gloves being slightly too small for his large hands. He knelt beside the bag and carefully picked it up. Sehun held his breath, waiting for the disappointing moment that it disappeared into nothingness. Nothing happened. Chanyeol remained sat, still as a stone, one finger used to gingerly hold the metallic strap of the bag.

“Oh my Goddess, open it up already Chanyeol, I’m dying here!” Jongin broke the silence and Sehun let out the breath he was holding.

Chanyeol held the bag with a firmer grip this time and he opened it up to rummage through the sparse contents. A bag this size was unlikely to be able to hold a large amount of stuff anyway. He pulled out items one by one; a lipstick, some loose change, a hair clip, a bank card and finally, an I.D. card.

“Park Ha-Rin, aged….19, from this area. There’s an address.” He read out loud.

“Here, give it to me Chanyeol,” Minseok offered. “I’ll do a search, her family will need to be informed.”

Chanyeol handed the bag and all of it’s contents to Minseok who was now also wearing white examination gloves.

“I sense so much dark energy around this place.” Yixing spoke up, for the first time since they’d arrived in this location.

They all turned to look at him. He was crouched on his knees on the ground, both hands placed flat on the ground, eyes closed in concentration.

“It’s so dark and yet so different from the red witch energy I remember. It’s almost as if it’s mixed in with something more sinister. I can’t quite place it though.” He finishing, drawing his eyebrows together in concentration and confusion.

“Wait, Xing, let me see too.” Kyungsoo moved forward and put his hand on top of one of Yixing’s, the other hand going to the ground also. He closed his eyes to join Yixing, combining their energies, making them more sensitive and more attuned to their surroundings.

Everyone waited while the two tried to make sense of the situation when all of a sudden, both of them lost their balance and found themselves on the floor on their backsides, shocked expressions on both faces as if they had just been electrocuted. They both looked down at their palms and then looked at each other, simultaneously.

“What was that?!” Both of them said in unison.

“Wait, what? What do you mean, what did you sense?” Sehun asked, on high alert.

“We….we sensed two energies, both dark, both really strong. But one, the darker one almost seemed to be coming at us, as if it was attacking us. A big ball of black energy, charging at us at full speed. We had to break contact.” Kyungsoo explained, slightly out of breath.

“I’ve never felt anything like it,” Yixing supplied, “It was like it knew us and wanted to cause as much damage as possible. I could almost sense the desperation behind it.” He paused, “I have no idea what we are up against.”

Silence fell over the group once more. Of course they didn’t know who they were up against, but now they didn’t even know what they were up against.

“I guess we can think about that later. We need to sort out the body first, this is a public place, I can’t have anyone see this.”  Sehun said, head pointing towards the body, somewhat comforted in the fact that they were still very much alone.

“Well, we can’t leave her here, we can’t freeze her, we will just have to touch her and wait for her to disappear.” Kyungsoo said.

“No wait! I think we can move her.” Yixing exclaimed suddenly.

They all looked at him. He was looking directly at Sehun.

“Sehun, I know it’s not a power you use that often, especially not on people, but you can move her. Just like you moved all those objects into the training facility.”

Sehun furrowed his brows as he caught on to what Yixing was eluding to. He really didn’t like this specific skill of his, hence why he used it only very rarely and barely remembered he even had it. It’s links to the dark magic world were what made him feel so uncomfortable. In fact, the very first time he had used it in the battle with the red witches, it was by accident and it had surprised not only himself but all of the guardians as he didn’t actually realise he possessed such an ability. He’d looked on in horror how with one swipe of his arm, he’d thrown the witch from one side of the field to the other. How she’d fallen with such force that the ground had cracked underneath her. How her bones had cracked upon impact. How she’d died instantaneously with the force of the impact.

Sehun possessed the power of levitation. He was able to manipulate objects and people so that they could also levitate and move at his will. That was the one and only time Sehun had ever used this power on a living being, the look of terror on her face as she lost control over her own body was one that he still hadn’t forgotten to this day.

With a sigh, he looked at the body of the young wolf on the ground. Yixing was right, he could move her. It would require no touching. This could possibly work.

He extended both arms outwards, concentrating his energy all the way to the tips of his fingers. He knew his aura would be shining a deep green, interlaced with black wispy smoke. He always believed the blackness of his aura came from the use of this power alone, having never being there prior to the use of it during the war.

Sehun flicked his wrists upwards in a barely discernible movement and watched as the body rose upwards, coming up to his waist height. He held his breath, using his hands to hold her aloft.

Silence fell over the group. A pin drop could probably have been heard with how quiet everybody had become until Jongin broke the silence.

“I would say to be careful and don’t drop her, but I don’t think you can cause any more damage…” but he wasn’t able to say anymore as Kyungsoo landed a hefty blow on his back, causing him to swallow his words and stumble forward.

“Serves you right, I’ll hit you harder next time if you make such shit jokes.” Kyungsoo warned.

“Ok, this is great, but erm….now that we have her successfully moved, we can’t exactly have her levitating across the city can we? Where are we even going to move her to?” Chanyeol asked the question they were all probably thinking of.

He was right. None of them had the power of invisibility. Jongin would need to be in physical contact with the thing he is teleporting with and obviously, touching the body in any way would cause it to disintegrate just like last time. So even though they could now move the body, they were still no closer to doing anything with it. They were in a residential area and even if they could get the body to somewhere, there was nothing they could actually do with it.

With a frustrated sigh, Sehun allowed the body to go back to it’s original position, resting a few inches above the ground and he relaxed his arms.

“Well ok, we are going to have to dispose of this one, unless anyone else wants to check anything?” Minseok asked the group. He looked around at everyone to see them all shaking their heads. “Alright then, I’ll call her family shortly to let them know and try to think of an excuse as to why there is no body. I guess, everyone, let’s go back to training and staying vigilant?” He left the sentence hanging open on a question.

And then, he took out his phone and took a few photos at different angles. Once satisfied, he pointed his finger, and a thin layer of ice started spreading over the body, enough to cover half of it. It was all that was needed as surely enough, the tell-tale signs of it becoming dust occurred a couple of seconds later from the feet upwards. Sehun watched as the last few wisps flew away, carried away by the autumn breeze.

“Why does it always happen at that work place of yours?” Junmyeon demanded whilst pacing around the room in front of a seated Baekhyun and Jongdae, their eyes following him like a tennis ball at a tennis match.

Junmyeon rarely got angry and when he did, it was scary. Not even Jongdae dared to interrupt him on this occasion, partly because he agreed with his brother this time. It was two days after the incident with Si-Woon. Baekhyun’s memory was foggy about what had actually transpired, his main emotions being shame and disgust. He knew Sehun had told Junmyeon what he’d seen and Baekhyun couldn’t help feeling like a filthy piece of trash – a feeling that both Junmyeon and Jongdae had repeatedly told him was wrong.

“First it was Si-Woon making you have an anxiety attack because he couldn’t respect your personal space and then it was him violating you, all at your work place, a place where you should be feeling safe and secure, not where you can be attacked just because someone took a liking to you. What is this behaviour?”

“Jun hyung…” Baekhyun began, but he was cut off.

“No Baek, don’t try to reason. Don’t make any excuses. Haven’t you suffered enough? Do you think we like to see you like this? Two days ago, you were too scared to even let me or Dae touch you. I’ve never seen you shrink away from our touch before, never.”

He was right, of course he was right. Baekhyun’s hazy memory allowed him to remember small fragments of the last few days. Although the details of the actual incident were tucked away in their own special vault, he still knew what happened and because of who. He’d spent the past couple of days wishing he were dead, wishing that he was stronger, wishing he could turn back time. His body no longer felt like it was his, sullied by hands and mouths that didn’t belong to someone he desired.

He had trouble sleeping, often tossing and turning in his own bed. He heard Si-Woon’s laugh in the silence of his room. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the alpha’s crazed eyes in front of him, mocking him and demanding things of him that he didn’t want to do.

Jongdae and Junmyeon had slept in his bed with him once they realized he was having nightmares. On the first night, he’d sobbed and wouldn’t let them touch him, the ghost memory of violent hands still very fresh. He’d scratched at them, but they didn’t stop. They continued to persevere until he’d simply become too exhausted to fight any more. He had felt peace in their embrace and was scared to let go of them throughout the night.

Jongdae reached across and gently held onto Baekhyun’s hand, breaking him out of his dark thoughts. It was cold to the touch.

“Hyung’s right Baek,” he started softly, “they aren’t protecting their employees enough. It’s not safe for you to go back. If that Sehun guy hadn’t turned up when he did, we would have lost you and we can’t afford for that to happen, ever, you get me? Seeing you like that, my heart was breaking Baek. I would have done anything to take the hurt away.”

If Baekhyun was honest with himself, he didn’t want to step foot outside of his apartment ever again. But life had taught him some very valuable lessons. Life didn’t stop just because you were having a shit time. The world continued to revolve, things continued to happen, people kept moving forward. How much was he wanting these things to dictate his life? How he behaved, what he did, how he lived?

Did he even want to live? A couple of days ago, the answer would have been a firm no. But now, when he looked at the two most precious people in the whole world to him, he knew he could never be so selfish. Simply put, Jongdae and Junmyeon were the reasons for him to live, hopefully a full and happy life. They deserved all of his love and more.

His eyes welled with unshed tears when he thought about how much he loved them. Junmyeon rushed over to him and fell down on his knees in front of him, grabbing his hands.

“Hey, it’s ok. I’m not shouting at you Baek, I promise.” He soothed.

Baekhyun sniffled a little and nodded his head. “I know hyung, I just, I’m just, a little overwhelmed. I love you guys so much. I don’t know how I would live if you weren’t here with me right now.”

“We would never leave you Baek. You’re stuck with us.” Junmyeon wiped away a stray tear, causing Baekhyun to smile a little. “Ah! There’s my Baek. Always stay smiling Baekkie, I love you.”

“I love you too hyung.”

“Room for another one?” Jongdae asked from the side, snaking his arm around Baekhyun.

“I don’t need to make space for you Dae, you’re part of me.”

Baekhyun felt surrounded by love at that very minute. So much so that the big, gaping hole in his heart shrunk a little. But still, he felt restless. A niggling feeling in the back of his mind was trying to make itself known. Tiny tendrils of a hazy memory were trying to come to the forefront, he sensed it was something important otherwise he wouldn’t have been trying to remember it so much. He zoned out, trying to chase whatever it was that he missed what Junmyeon was saying, only tuning back in to the last part.

“….your parents?” Junmyeon was looking at him, waiting for an answer.

“Huh?” He replied, confused.

“I said, Baek, maybe you should tell your parents, ask them to come back for a bit.” He repeated, gently.

Baekhyun stood up from the couch suddenly, eyes wide and fearful.

“No….n…no Hyung, I can’t, we can’t! We can’t tell them this. I can’t have them abandon everything in Japan and come back because I’m broken. No, No way!”

“Baek, Baek, listen,” Junmyeon said, placatingly, standing up to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, “first off, you are NOT broken. You are reacting exactly how someone should be if they’ve been through what you’ve been through. Second, your parents, they would be so cross with you, me AND Dae if we kept this from them.”

“No please Hyung, not right now. I can’t have them worry about me. They’re finally happy there. They don’t worry about me so much anymore. They’ve spent enough years worrying about whether I’d be ok or not, please let’s not.”

After the incident when Baekhyun was only fifteen years old, where he was abducted and attacked by a middle aged alpha and held against his will for over two days, Baekhyun had had a mental breakdown. He’d withdrawn somewhere deep inside himself and it took a lot of love from his parents, from Dae and his family and hours of therapy for him to start having a somewhat normal life. His parents had sacrificed years of their life to make sure Baekhyun was ok. Every now and again, he would remember the trauma of that time and struggle. His therapist had called it ‘PTSD’. He had called it ‘the worst moments of his life’. It hadn’t been long that he had come off some heavy medications. He never wanted to regress back to that life again.

There was no way he wanted his parents to do anything like that for him again. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that if they thought Baekhyun was in trouble, they would drop everything and come running back, with no hesitation. They’d convince him to go to therapy again where he would have to relive the moments again and again. The moments he so very desperately wanted to forget.

Junmyeon was staring at him, thinking hard. Sighing loudly, he sat down on an armchair adjacent to the couch and placed his elbows on his knees.

“Baek, I feel really funny about this. I don’t like hiding things, you know this. But I love you and respect you too much to do anything behind your back and without you saying so. Even if I don’t agree with it.”

“I know Hyung, and I feel awful for making you guys a part of this, but I don’t need to ruin more lives along with my own. It stops here. I’ve had enough. I’m just so grateful for having you two here with me, but if you guys ever feel you need a break from my bad luck…”

“Don’t finish that sentence Byun Baekhyun, otherwise I’ll fry your tongue.” Jongdae warned. Squeezing his hand in a way that was supposed to be threatening.

Baekhyun smiled weakly. He should have known that these two would never leave him and he was so grateful. He didn’t know what he would do without them.

“I want to go back to work, eventually.” He said. “Wait…..let me finish.” He said as both brothers opened their mouths to object. “Two days ago, I wanted to scratch my skin off. I hated myself all over again. I felt so dirty, like trash. But, you guys have helped me, once again to realise that I’m not that. I’m worth a lot more. I deserve to live normally and I want to live normally.”

He took a deep breath to steady himself and then continued.

“If I shy away from work, then Si-Woon will win. He will have broken me, just like he wanted. All those filthy things he said to me, they will come true. I won’t let him win. He doesn’t deserve a win, I do.”

Both brothers looked at him and both of them could swear he was shining bright at that very minute. A light so bright that it made him glow like an angel. Jongdae was the first to jump on him, smothering him with kisses, soon joined by Junmyeon until they were a pile on the couch, all limbs tangled, in each other’s embrace.

“I love you guys,” Baekhyun sniffed, “I really really do.”

“Yeh we know.” Jongdae replied.  “Well, we love you too and I swear to the Goddess, if anyone hurts you ever again, they won’t see another sunrise.”

“I’ll be careful, promise Dae. Besides, I’m comfortable with Sehun, Jongin and Chanyeol. They don’t scare me, even though they’re alphas.”

“Well, if they ever hurt you, we will hunt them down and kill them too. No one gets away with hurting you ever again Baek, we mean it.” Junmyeon finished.

Baekhyun nodded, tears springing to his eyes as he realised how loved he was. Nothing could hurt him if he had Jun hyung and Dae in his life.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

10:08 From: Dae

Granny says you should come visit before we leave for Samhain, she says she hasn’t seen the light of her life for too long *pukes*

10:15 To: Dae

LOL, don’t be jealous, :-p  When are you guys leaving?

10:22 From: Dae

Tomorrow. We need to be there for the 31^st. Staying for a week like before.

10:31: To: Dae

Ah ok, I can come tonight? I’ve not seen her for ages ☹ Is 7pm ok?

10:33 From: Dae

Yeh, I’ll tell her. I should be back then too.

10:34 To: Dae

Don't do anything stupid in the meantime! lol....See you later, tell hyung I said hi!  *kissy face* <3

Baekhyun had a huge grin on his face as he set his phone back down on his desk. He’d been back at work for a few days since his absence and managed to get into the flow of things after a few hiccups, which were to be expected. No questions were asked by his team and he was very grateful for that. Apparently an ‘explanation’ had already been given to them for Si-Woon’s absence and until his vacancy could be filled they would all have to work extra hard to make up for the deficit. Baekhyun felt particularly guilty, having had a lot of time off. His work was now stacked in a very long to-do list which he was slowly chipping away at.

Every now and again, Baekhyun jumped at the littlest of noises, his heartbeat sped up and his breathing quickened. He felt like he was constantly looking over his shoulder and he hated himself for it as it made him feel weak and pathetic. He’d quietly berate himself for being so jumpy and stupid, but knew deep down that it was a fear he would carry for a while. Even now, despite having come a long way since the incident, he was unable to walk past the lifts, a stark reminder of events that his memory was trying so hard to suppress. He preferred to take the stairs, even though it meant he was panting and sweating by the time he reached his destination.

Baekhyun had become quite amicable with both Jongin and Chanyeol, the two were very easy to be around and didn’t put out a threatening aura at all or try to exert any undue dominance over him. He hadn’t seen Sehun since his return to work and he wasn’t sure whether this was for the best or not.  Apparently his office required some repair works and the CEO had been working from home while they were done. Apart from a few online meetings, with the rest of the department, Baekhyun didn’t have much else to do with him. For some reason, he’d been feeling particularly nervous about seeing him face to face.

Unfortunately, this reprieve didn’t last too long as Baekhyun he had been summoned for a meeting later with Sehun. He already knew the topic of the conversation and that’s why he was dreading seeing the alpha in the flesh.  Regardless of the feelings of trepidation, Baekhyun knew it was important that they met up. He hadn’t even thanked Sehun properly after he came to his aid. This was entirely unacceptable, he had been raised better than this.

He let out a big sigh. He couldn’t really avoid the inevitable, so he put all of his worries to the back of his head, put his head down and carried on with his work.

Sehun could only see the top of Baekhyun’s pretty head. The omega hadn’t really looked at him since he’d entered his office, choosing instead to look down at his hands on his lap, picking at his cuticles. He was nervous, Sehun didn’t need to study his non-existent aura to figure that out. He was brave enough to admit that he’d missed his warm chocolatey brown eyes. The last time he’d seen him, those eyes were vacant and emotionless. Sehun felt murderous just at the memory.

He was sat in the armchair in his office, with Baekhyun sat at a right angle to him on the couch, the only part of his office that wasn’t either filled with tools, materials or covered by dust sheets. The office roof had been found by Bomi to be collapsed in as she had opened up the office one morning and so maintenance works were underway over the past few days. His office was a mess. There was rope, wiring and debris scattered all over the place and the floor covered with a myriad of plastic sheeting. Just getting to the couch itself was like navigating through an obstacle course. The roof panels were missing in several areas revealing the piping up above. Luckily, the office was largely paperless and so nothing important had been damaged by water, but in was a nuisance to not have a functioning office.

Looking around the room, he realized that in hindsight, he shouldn’t have invited Baekhyun here, but this conversation wasn’t exactly appropriate for public either. It was this or booking out a meeting room in the floors below, which seemed far too formal for Sehun’s liking.

“Baekhyun, look at me, please.” He requested.

Baekhyun’s hands stilled and slowly he brought his head up. He looked Sehun in the eyes and Sehun was relieved upon seeing that the warmth had returned back to those beautiful eyes, however they still looked lost. Baekhyun was chewing away at his bottom lip and he wished he could do or say something to calm him down.

“About the other evening….”

“No wait, Sehun,” Baekhyun interrupted boldly, “I wanted to thank you. I ….I should have thanked you as soon as you came to my rescue and I’m sorry that I didn’t. That was extremely rude of me. Forgive me?” He resumed chewing his lip.

Sehun didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t expecting any thanks, he didn’t think he needed thanking. After all, he had done what any normal person would have done in the same circumstances. In fact, he should be the one apologising to Baekhyun.

“Baekhyun,” he started slowly, “you never need to thank me, or anyone else for that matter for doing the right thing. I should apologise to you. This happened on my property, in MY building. I failed to keep you safe and I’m sorry.”

“Goddess, what? No! Please Sehun, don’t embarrass me by apologising. It’s not anyone’s fault but Si….Si-Woon’s,” he stopped and gulped, as if taking Si-Woon’s name took a lot of courage, “for being a….a…filthy scumbag.”

“Yeh, he is a filthy scumbag.” Sehun agreed, although honestly, he would have chosen stronger words to describe the dirty bastard.

“So….so….erm, can I ask? What’s happened to him? To Si-Woon” Baekhyun asked, once more looking down at his lap, the name alone causing bile to rise up in his throat.

“He’s been dealt with.” Sehun replied.

“What? Did you kill him?!” Baekhyun asked, looking up at Sehun in alarm, eyes wide and fearful.

“No Baekhyun. We aren’t an underground mafia organization you know. He’s been handed to the authorities.” Sehun chuckled at his cuteness.

Baekhyun visibly relaxed. As much as he despised Si-Woon and the thought of being anywhere in the same vicinity as him ever again made him want to scratch his skin off, he didn’t want the man dead. He just wanted him away from any situations where he could harm other people again.

“Oh….oh ok.” Baekhyun replied, scratching the back of his head.

Silence fell in the room. It wasn’t awkward.

Sehun spoke up, “Baekhyun, I know that this is probably a bit late, but I want you to feel safe here, in this place. I’m actively looking to increase security here, not just for you, but for everyone. My employees are important to me.”

Baekhyun glanced back down at his hands. He was grateful. He would probably be eternally grateful. “I….thank you Sehun.” And he meant it. He looked back up hoping that he was able to convey his sincerity in his eyes.

Sehun nodded. “Well, I’d better let you get back to work. Thank you Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun smiled slightly, “thank you once again for your support, I really appreciate it.”

He got himself up from the couch and stepped towards the door, not remembering to watch his step. He’d almost made it past Sehun just as his foot caught itself in the plastic sheeting and rope on the floor, causing his ankle to twist the wrong way painfully and making him lose his balance. In trying to keep himself upright, his whole body twisted awkwardly and he fell almost head first into the armchair that Sehun was sitting on. It probably would have been less embarrassing for Baekhyun if he had just managed to fall to the floor, but perhaps the Goddess didn’t want Baekhyun to keep his dignity, because he ended up falling straight onto the armchair, or rather, straight onto the man on the armchair, Sehun.

Sehun saw it happen. He saw Baekhyun’s foot get stuck, belatedly realizing that he perhaps should have told him to be careful when walking around the office. As he lost his footing, he saw the omega fall towards him and instinctively Sehun put his hands out to help break his fall. His hands landed squarely on his hips. Those shapely, beautiful hips. And because he wasn’t expecting the impact, he too fell backwards, with Baekhyun still held tightly.

Baekhyun’s hands came flying out to stop himself from headbutting Sehun and he grabbed onto Sehun’s shoulders in an attempt to steady himself. Sehun fell backwards further into the chair to absorb Baekhyun’s weight on top of him, his back hitting the backrest of the chair. And that is how they ended up, Baekhyun at a weird angle, foot caught awkwardly in the mess on the floor, both hands on Sehun’s shoulders, legs caught in between Sehun’s spread knees. Sehun on the other hand was practically lying down, hands on Baekhyun’s hips, knees caging Baekhyun’s thighs on either side. They were nose to nose. Sehun could see the little flecks of gold in Baekhyun’s beautiful eyes.

Baekhyun stared into Sehun’s eyes, very aware of the hands digging into his hips, feeling the touch burning through his clothes and setting his skin on fire. He was acutely aware of his own hands on Sehun’s shoulders, feeling the strength of the muscles underneath his fingertips. He was most aware of how close their faces were to each other, so close that he could feel Sehun’s breath faintly against his cheek. He blushed as he realized that he would only need to move an inch forward and their lips would make contact with one another. He would need to question himself later as to why he was even thinking about kissing him.

He held his breath as he stopped himself from doing anything stupid and looked up at Sehun’s eyes, eyes that were intently staring at Baekhyun. As they made eye contact, Sehun’s pupils dilated and Baekhyun once again swore he saw a flash of green in them, but it was so fast that Baekhyun convinced himself that he’d imagined it.

He returned to his senses and his eye popped wide, comically. He started squirming in Sehun’s hold as awareness and embarrassment caught up with him. He flinched a little as Sehun responded to his writhing by squeezing his hips a little.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry, sh….” He stammered as he tried to engage his core to somehow get himself upright from an almost horizontal position. “Ow, God!” He cried out as his foot twisted painfully when he tried to move it out from the tangled mess on the floor.

Sehun’s hands tightened at his hips once more and he stilled, goosebumps erupting down his back. Sehun noticed a look of panic in Baekhyun’s eyes as they started darting wildly side to side, looking for an escape route.

“Baekhyun, hey, calm down. It’s just me,” he soothed, gently, “wait, your foot is caught,” he said, looking down at the floor, “you’ll twist your ankle more like that. Let me just move you downwards, then we can free up your leg ok? We need to get you onto your knees. Just lean into me, alright?”

“What?” Baekhyun almost screeched. “What do you mean lean into you? I….I…..can’t!”

“It’s ok Baekhyun, it’ll just be for a moment, then we can get your foot free ok?”

“No….no, can’t I, wait, I’ll just, ow! Fuck!” Baekhyun squeezed his eyes shut as pain shot up from his ankle.

“Baekhyun, calm down, please. Listen to me ok? Unless you want me to hold you up in this position forever?” Sehun teased, the corner of his lip turning upwards in a half smile.

Baekhyun forced himself to even out his breathing as he reminded himself that this was just Sehun, and Sehun posed no threat to him. Sehun nodded encouragingly at him and he stilled, stopping his squirming. He looked down a little, at the space between them and registered the position they were currently in and the position they would end up in. Sehun almost swallowed his tongue as he watched a pretty pink blush cover Baekhyun’s cheeks and nose. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, composing himself and pushing any inappropriate thoughts down into the depths of his mind, a place where even he couldn’t access them.

He nodded his head reassuringly and opened his eyes.

“I’m going to bend my arms ok?”

Baekhyun nodded, not able to meet Sehun’s eyes any longer. As Sehun started relaxing his arms, bringing Baekhyun’s lower body closer to his own, Baekhyun bent his own arms at the elbow and felt his chest meet Sehun’s chest. His face automatically hit the crevice between Sehun’s left shoulder and his neck. It felt like his head fit perfectly in that crook. Baekhyun closed his eyes and involuntarily sighed, taking in the scent of Sehun’s cologne and underneath it, the scent that was just his.

They both stilled. They were so close. Chest to chest, stomach to stomach, hips to hips. Baekhyun could feel the hardness of Sehun’s body under his and he wanted to mold himself to that body permanently. He didn’t even know where these thoughts were coming from, they were as foreign to him as the proximity to another alpha and yet, he wasn’t frightened. He felt somewhat comforted and hot at the same time. He own body felt like a live wire, ready to explode at any moment.

Sehun on the other hand was faring no better. He cursed himself in his head, wondering what on Earth made him think that this was even a good idea. Baekhyun’s soft hair was tickling his cheek and he could smell the vanilla and strawberry scent of his shampoo. His soft body was resting on his perfectly and Sehun actually hated the existence of clothes in that very minute. What he wouldn’t do to feel Baekhyun’s skin under his fingertips, feel his curves and run his hands all over him.

He realized that things were getting out of control when he felt his pants tightening as his dick started waking to attention. There was no way Sehun was even going to risk Baekhyun finding out what a massive pervert he was and so with all his willpower, he cleared his throat and thought of less attractive things than the beautiful man currently laid out on top of him. Chanyeol, yes, easier – and safer to think of Chanyeol. And Kyungsoo, yep, definitely Kyungsoo, yuck.

With a strained voice he managed to get out, “Baekhyun, you need to get on your knees….please,” he dutifully ignored the imagery that that sentence alone brought with it.

“Oh….oh yeh, wait, hold on, sorry.” Baekhyun got out, and he started to bend his knees, causing him to slide down Sehun’s body, awkwardly. Sehun eyes rolled to the back of his head as he both cursed and thanked all the angels and demons to ever exist for putting him in this position. He waited what seemed like an agonizingly long time for Baekhyun to get further down, knees bent, in between Sehun legs.

Although the position they now found themselves in was extremely compromising, with Baekhyun almost on his knees, in between Sehun’s legs, face almost at crotch level, it also meant that Baekhyun lower half was also lax and therefore less taut in the bundle of ropes and sheets that it was stuck in. Now Sehun could move out from under him and help unravel his ankle.

He was just about to do that when the door to his office swung open and Kyungsoo walked in, “Minseok said we’ll meet…..” he stopped what he was saying and stared at the two of them, “what the fuck is going on here then?”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Soo, come help us.”

Baekhyun and Sehun both said at the same time, then looked at each other. Baekhyun knew his face was probably the colour of an overripe tomato. He was absolutely mortified as he realized what this must look like to Kyungsoo.

“Soo, stop staring and come and help.”

Kyungsoo started backing away slowly, shaking his head. “No, the fuck? I’m not getting involved.”

“Baekhyun’s foot is stuck, come help. Now.” Sehun demanded, looking meaningfully at Kyungsoo, as the alpha’s eyes went from Sehun, to Baekhyun and finally to Baekhyun’s foot, as understanding dawned on him.

“Oh. OH! Well, say that then. Anyone could assume anything.”

Baekhyun was too embarrassed to speak. Sehun gently slid out from under him, leaving Baekhyun leaning against the side of the chair propped onto his elbows. Baekhyun kept his gaze on the floor. He sensed Kyungsoo approaching and tensed, not familiar with the alpha. He felt the ropes at his ankle being worked on and his foot being gently lifted from the tangled mess.

“Baekhyun? Can you move your ankle? Is it hurting?” He faintly heard Sehun’s voice as he gingerly moved his ankle. There was a slight stiffness in the ankle causing a bit of pain, but nothing that would cause any lasting damage.

He shook his head slightly, “No….no….it’s ok. Thank you.”

And with that, he got up, bowed slightly to the two of them and walked as fast as his legs could carry out of Sehun’s office without looking back.

“You don’t visit me nearly enough child,” Granny Kim scolded Baekhyun, fondly. Her thin arms wrapped around Baekhyun and Baekhyun relaxed into her embrace. Granny Kim may not be his blood relative, but Baekhyun always felt like he was coming home whenever he visited her.

Granny Kim was close to her eighties, and the years had not been kind to her. Once the most powerful witch of her time, Granny Kim had the evidence of her battles written all over the wrinkles of her face. The only reminder of her fiery past were her sparkly brown eyes which never dimmed, paying homage to the strength of her spirit. She was a small, thin woman, with a slightly arched spine, thanks to her age. She sometimes needed a stick to walk around, not that she liked to use it. What Granny Kim now lacked in physical strength, she made up with tenacity in equal measures. Granny Kim was not one to be messed with. Even at her age.

Baekhyun hugged her tight, his chin resting on top of her head as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, taking in a smell of cinnamon that was just hers. With his parents in Japan, she was the closest to a parental figure that Baekhyun had.

“I’m sorry Granny, I promise it won’t be this long next time.”

She squeezed him for good measure. “Well good, come on, I’ve made your favourite cakes.”

“My Baekhyunnie, you’ve lost so much weight dear boy,” Grandma Kim scolded as she scrutinised his form as she proceeded to load his plate. “Come on, eat more,” She finished, whilst sipping on her own chamomile tea.

“The favouritism is sickening,” Jongdae said as soon as he entered the kitchen, shaking his head at all the delicacies laid out on the table. He kissed his Grandma on the top of her head and punched Baekhyun in the shoulder as he walked past him to get to the sink.

Granny Kim ignored him, quite used to his whining, as she looked at Baekhyun over the top of her glasses, which were perched precariously on the edge of her nose.

“There’s change coming.”

Baekhyun looked up at her and Jongdae turned from the sink, glass of water in hand to look at his Grandma, recognizing the serious, distinct tone of her voice. Not many people in the witch community, when they were still in existence as covens had known of Granny Kim’s other gift. The gift of foresight. And although she couldn’t turn it on at will, there were moments when events of the future would come to her, either in a dream or a flash memory.

“What do you mean Grandma?” Jongdae asked. But she didn’t look at him. She continued to look at Baekhyun.

“You’re literally the light, my dear Baekhyun. It’s in you. Don’t hide it in the darkness that’s also within you.”

“Granny….” Baekhyun began, but was cut off.

“The elements will align soon. The circle will be complete.”

“Huh?” Jongdae piped up, “What does that mean?”

“What is done, cannot be done.”

“I….I don’t understand.” Baekhyun had a weird feeling in his gut. Why did this not seem like good news at all?

“Granny, sometimes, I really wish you wouldn’t speak in such riddles.” Jongdae sighed, waiting for his grandma to come back to her usual self, not seeming as disturbed about her sighting as Baekhyun.

“That and,” she continued, more like her usual self “my idiot grandsons will set off a chain of  events which cannot be reversed, nor can they be stopped.”

“Wait….” Jongdae tried, realising he was one of the idiot grandsons.

“Now come on, idiot grandson number 2, come help us finish the cakes.”

And just as swiftly Granny Kim changed the conversation to Baekhyun’s new job and Baekhyun spent the rest of the time talking excitedly about his projects and his office colleagues. The evening went by quite swiftly after that. Baekhyun waited until Junmyeon came home before he bid them good bye and safe travels for their Samhain ceremony.

“Hello?” Sehun answered the phone as he saw Chanyeol’s number on his screen.

“The bastard got out.”

“What?”

“Yep, his dad is apparently some rising politician apparently sucking dick of another hot shot policitian. He pulled some strings and got his bitch of a son out of the lock up.”

Sehun cursed under his breath.

“Ok, let’s stay alert. I want that fucker found.”

“Got it.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

“Yep Sehun, I’ll get the file to you tomorrow. Yes…..uh huh……it’s in my drawer at work. Hmmm…..no no, not like that, there aren’t many changes, you’ll see, just a few things. Yes ok, well, you too. Have a nice evening ok?” Baekhyun hung up the phone with a smile as he entered the building where his apartment was located. He’d said his goodbyes to Junmyeon, Jongdae and Granny Kim as they made their annual trip for Samhain. He didn’t really know where they went or what they did, but it was an occasion never missed by the witches, so Baekhyun knew that it was extremely important.

It was quite late in the evening but luckily for Baekhyun, he lived in a nice neighbourhood which was pretty safe at all times. He was on the second floor of this building, which had three floors in total. He had only seen two other families and although his neighbours were cordial and trouble-free, they kept to themselves, only really greeting each other if seen on the stairs or in the corridors. There was one other apartment on his floor, the current occupant being a nurse who worked crazy shifts at the nearby hospital. More often than not, he was on a night shift and Baekhyun rarely saw him. Honestly, Baekhyun wasn’t even sure that all six apartments in the building were occupied.

He jogged up the stairs with a spring in his step, thinking of what he might cook for his dinner, having eaten only snacks and cakes earlier. He’d done a big grocery shop just the other day and his fridge was full of delicious ingredients for him to make a nice meal out of. Baekhyun really enjoyed cooking and inventing new recipes. On reaching his floor, he pushed the handle on the door to the landing, watching as the lights overhead came on automatically. Humming to himself and adjusting the strap of his shoulder bag, he walked to his front door and punched in the four digit code to let himself into his apartment.

With the door still open, he felt around the side wall, looking for the light switch and started toeing off his shoes in favour of his indoor slippers. The lights came on and he stepped inside, turning around to close the door fully, only to be shoved backwards as someone very strong pushed the door open from the corridor side. Baekhyun lost his balance and fell backwards onto his bottom.

“Ow, fuck…..what the hell?” He shouted as he felt the pain from the impact go all the way up his spine. He looked up at who pushed him and saw a tall person with broad shoulders had completely entered his apartment and had his back turned to him. This person was now latching the door closed – an additional safety feature which had attracted Baekhyun towards this apartment. This extra feature was now trapping him inside his apartment with a stranger.

From the back, the stranger’s hair was long and disheveled, greasy as if it hadn’t been washed or brushed for a few days. He was wearing a denim jacket, too light for this time of year with black skinny jeans. Baekhyun would say he was well built and looked strong.

“Hey, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He shouted enraged, as he got himself up and rubbed his sore bottom. His shoulder bag had dropped down onto the floor as he had fallen and its contents spilled out and scattered on the floor. The phone he had held in his hand was somewhere in with his belongings on the floor.

The man slowly turned around to face him and Baekhyun choked on his tongue. Si-Woon. Baekhyun froze in terror, previous rage forgotten, hoping that his eyes were deceiving him. His mind was suddenly clogged with too many questions, why and how being at the forefront.

“Si..Si-Woon?” He stuttered, hating himself for how weak he sounded in front of him.

Si-Woon stood in front of him, his entire body blocking the door. He had a calm expression on his face, a small smile teasing his lips and yet his eyes looked crazed, as if there was a completely different person inside of him.

“Baekkie. Baby. It’s been too long. I’ve missed you.”

Baekhyun instinctively took a small step backwards, wanting to create some distance between himself and Si-Woon, his heart thundering in his chest, knowing full well that this encounter would not go well.

Si-Woon was looking around the entryway to Baekhyun’s apartment, taking in the details that were visible from his current position.

“Hmm nice, pretty, just like you. Smells like you too, sweet. Delicious.” He took a step forward, licking his lips.

“Si-Woon, you shouldn’t be here, wh…..ahem, what are you doing here?” Baekhyun’s throat was suddenly too dry, it felt like sandpaper. He wanted to run, but knew there was no way he would be faster than Si-Woon.

“What am I doing here?” Si-Woon asked as he cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean, what am I doing here? Can’t I come see you Baek?”

“You…..y….you shouldn’t be here Si-Woon.”

Si-Woon’s expression changed before Baekhyun’s very eyes. From the strange calmness that was adorning his features earlier, he saw anger slice through his face as his mood switched.

“See!” He spat out suddenly. “This is exactly, EXACTLY why no one should be trusting omega bitches. They lead you on and when they see you’re interested, they pretend like they’re not fucking interested!”

“I….never…” Baekhyun stammered.

“No? NO? Then, what were all those looks? All those fucking smiles? If you tell me you smile like that at everyone, then you’re a fucking whore Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun recoiled as if he’d been slapped across the face, hearing those words from Si-Woon brought back especially unpleasant memories.

“And the last time?” Si-Woon continued, “why the fuck were you acting like you didn’t want it? Don’t tell me you stayed behind at the office to work? Like you didn’t know I would come back for you. You might as well have had a loudspeaker attached to your fucking face with how loud you were being about it.” He ranted, “you got me in so much shit with that fucking Sehun. All you needed to say was that you were into it as well. But no, that was too much for you wasn’t it?”

“Si-Woon, p…please, I really think you have the wrong end of the stick, I….don’t feel that way about you.” Baekhyun pleaded with his voice and his eyes.

“Oh please!” Si-Woon rolled his eyes and threw out his arms in exasperation, taking a step towards Baekhyun.  “I know for a FACT that you wouldn’t hesitate to spread your legs for me. Well….” Si-Woon pointed at himself, “here I am. In your house. Spread your fucking legs for me, let me see what you’re like.”

“I think you should leave now Si-Woon.” Baekhyun mustered the courage to look him in the eyes with his chin up in determination. Si-Woon took another menacing step forward, almost within reach of Baekhyun, hatred and anger switching up on his features.

“Or what Baek? You’re gonna call Sehun?” He jeered. “Are you? Are you being a filthy slut for him? Is that what this is about?”

“What? He…? What?” Baekhyun was  confused with the sudden switch in topics, afraid to say anything which might cause Si-Woon’s mood to worsen more than it already was.

“Figures,” Si-Woon continued, almost to himself “Omegas are known to be dirty, going from one person to another. Guess you won’t have any problems with jumping into bed with me tonight then? Sehun must already know you do that right? Hop into bed with lots of alphas? Probably still can’t get enough of fucking your loose ass.”

Baekhyun reddened with shame. How was he supposed to tell Si-Woon that he had never let someone touch him like that, let alone in such intimate places? Would Si-Woon even believe him?

Before he could even open his mouth again, Si-Woon stepped another step closer. “Don’t make me ask again Baekhyun.” He said, dangerously. “You know we both want this. I’m going to fuck your brains out tonight. And you’re going to enjoy it.”

“No….please Si-Woon, please.” Baekhyun pleaded, taking a step backwards, away from Si-Woon.

“Fine.”

Baekhyun sighed with relief. Maybe Si-Woon would leave him alone.

“Fine, we either do it where you go willingly, or you know,” he smirked, “I make you.”

Baekhyun blood turned to ice. How could he be so naïve thinking that Si-Woon would simply leave him alone. He was crazed beyond belief and clearly wasn’t able to listen to any reasoning. He felt sick to his stomach thinking that Si-Woon saw him as someone who was weak enough to allow him to do whatever he pleased with him and he wouldn’t put up a fight. But no, he would not give him that satisfaction. He squared his shoulders and once again looked Si-Woon dead in the eyes.

“And what makes you think I will simply let you Si-Woon?” He said, proud of himself when there wasn’t a single stutter or quaver in his voice. “I’m sick of people thinking that I’m some weak person, just because I happen to be an Omega. I have feelings. I have choices. And currently my choice is that you fuck off out of my apartment before I make you.” He finished, chest heaving, hands fisted at his sides.

Si-Woon stared as if stunned and then threw his head back and laughed out loud. A deranged laugh that was completely out of context of the situation they were in.

“Is that meant to scare me away Baekkie? Really?” He asked, expression a mixture of humour and spite. “Ok, I’ll indulge you,” he shivered in an exaggerated way, “ooooh, I’m so scared Baekkie, don’t hurt me, please.” He laughed once more, sounding like a complete psycho.

He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat and suddenly, Baekhyun found himself being roughly pushed against the wall with one of Si-Woon’s hands going around Baekhyun’s neck in a vice-like grip – tight enough to be painful, but not hard enough to be blocking his airflow.

Baekhyun struggled against the hold, hands going up to try and pry Si-Woon’s hands off his neck, his attempts futile as once again Si-Woon proved to be too strong for him.

“Let…..me…..go!” Baekhyun managed, clawing at Si-Woon’s hands.

“You look so pretty when you’re struggling to breath.” Si-Woon whispered darkly as his fingers tightened marginally.

Baekhyun stopped clawing fruitlessly when he realized that would do nothing to move him away. He tried to take a deep breath, gathered his strength and fisted his hand, aiming a strong punch to Si-Woon’s nose. Immediately, he heard a crack and blood started gushing out of his nostrils. Surprised, Si-Woon’s let go of Baekhyun as he covered his nose with both hands, eyes watering.

“WHY, YOU LITTLE FUCKER!” He screamed at him.

Baekhyun knew that Si-Woon would heal extremely quickly, alphas tended to heal much quicker than omegas. They also healed from stronger wounds than omegas could withstand. Before he could recover from the shock of being attacked, Baekhyun changed his position, standing sideways to Si-Woon, legs apart, weight mainly on his back foot. He lifted his front foot and kicked him square in the abdomen – years of training enabled him to kick Si-Woon in the exact position that would cause the most damage.

Si-Woon’s eyes bulged out of his face as he doubled over, hands going straight to his abdomen as he coughed and wheezed. The bleeding from his nose was already slowing down. Baekhyun knew he didn’t have very long before he would recover fully so he charged past him and turned the knob on his door, forgetting that Si-Woon had latched the door shut as well. Cursing the extra safety measure, Baekhyun fiddled with the latch and almost had it open, but he wasn’t fast enough. He felt a hand roughly grabbing his hair from the back, pulling him with such force that he let out a cry. He was man handled so roughly that he fell backwards and landed on the floor, straight onto his back, the back of his head hitting the floor with a dull thud.

Baekhyun’s hands instinctively flew to the back of his head as he saw stars. Struggling to stay focused, he saw Si-Woon lunging at him.

Si-Woon sat on his midriff, his entire weight rendering Baekhyun immobile on the floor. Baekhyun felt slightly winded with the extra pressure on his abdomen.

“You fucking tramp!” Si-Woon spat out as he lifted a hand and delivered a strong slap to Baekhyun’s cheek. “That is not the kind of foreplay that I was talking about. Now, we’re gonna do it my way, whether you like it or not!”

Baekhyun’s cheek was stinging from the slap. There was a metallic taste in his mouth, no doubt from a busted lip. His eyes watered from the pain. Nevertheless, he struggled against Si-Woon, desperate to get away. His legs thrashed underneath him, but he was unable to get enough leverage to push Si-Woon off him, the alpha being far too heavy.

“You made me do this Baekhyun! Can’t you see how crazy you make me, can’t you just let me make you feel good?” Si-Woon screamed at him.

“NO! Never! I don’t want it Si-Woon, not from you, not from anybody!” Baekhyun shouted back.

“LIES!” Si-Woon screamed louder, face closer to Baekhyun, eyes bloodshot, spittle flying out of his mouth. “You would let Sehun or any of those fucking alphas at that fucking company fuck the living daylights out of you! I see the way you look at them, I’m not fucking blind you bitch! I bet you’ve fucked all of them, one by one, or knowing you, probably altogether, like the lying, fucking whore that you are!”

Si-Woon continued to scream filthy accusations at Baekhyun as he struggled underneath him. Si-Woon slapped him another two times and this time Baekhyun’s head began swimming as tears came to his eyes from the force of the blows. He could definitely taste blood in his mouth this time. Si-Woon grabbed either side of Baekhyun’s head in both of his hands and smashed his head into the floor, and Baekhyun almost lost consciousness as his head bounced against the floor a couple of times. He let out a loud cry as a throbbing pain erupted on the back of his head. He’d also inadvertently bitten his tongue and the sharp pain added to the metallic taste already present in his mouth.

He stopped struggling as pain in his mouth, face and head overtook him. He heard himself pleading with Si-Woon to let him go. He felt the weight of Si-Woon lifted from his stomach and he almost wept with relief thinking the attack was over. He was turned onto his side, but his optimism was only short lived. Si-Woon stood up next to him and delivered a very strong kick to Baekhyun’s abdomen, winding him and causing him to cough and splutter. He doubled up, bringing his knees up to his chest.

Si-Woon nudged him with his foot and Baekhyun’s knees were forcefully brought down as So-Woon kicked him another few times in his abdomen. Baekhyun coughed up some blood as he felt himself choking on his own secretions. ‘I’m going to die.’ He thought.

Si-Woon paused his assault and kneeled close to Baekhyun’s head, fisting a handful of his hair and pulling, hard.

“I wouldn’t have needed to do this if you’d just come to me willingly Baekkie, you know I like you, very much. Tut tut, don’t cry,” he said, in what was attempting to be a  reassuring way, as he wiped away Baekhyun’s tears, “you know I have a soft spot for you.” Baekhyun recoiled away as he felt him getting closer.

“Sssshhh, let me love you Baekkie, you and I will be so good together.” Si-Woon simpered, dried blood staining his face.

Paralysed by fear and pain, Baekhyun could only lie there as Si-Woon’s hands roamed all over his body as if it belonged to him. Some parts were caressed gently while others were groped with too much aggression making Baekhyun groan out of pain. One of his eyes were swollen, probably bruised from the numerous times he had been hit in the face and he could barely see out of it, but he couldn’t miss Si-Woon coming closer to his face for a kiss.

Gathering up some strength, Baekhyun got his free hand and lashed out at his face, scratching Si-Woon in the eye and leaving a deep gash on one of his cheeks, spots of blood immediately blooming on the wound.

“Ow! The fuck is wrong with you bitch?” The shock caused Si-Woon to fall backwards onto his bottom. Baekhyun saw his chance and shifted to the side and got himself up onto his hands and knees, his whole body protesting against the movement. Fighting off nausea, he began to crawl towards the spilled contents of his bag, knowing his phone was in the pile on the floor where he had dropped it earlier.

He could barely see what he was doing, tears clouded his swollen eyes. His hands groped around on the floor as he felt the edges of his shoulder bag. A little more feeling around and his hand closed over a familiar object. With shaking fingers, he tried to unlock his phone but before he could dial for the emergency services, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, causing him to clasp a hand around his neck where he’d felt the jab. He was simultaneously pulled back forcefully by a strong grip on his shoulder.

He once more landed on his back as Si-Woon pummelled his stomach and chest with strong punches, a few landing on his face. Baekhyun tried his best to shield his face and protect his head as Si-Woon landed blow after blow.

“I didn’t think you’d be that kinky Baekkie, wanting to live stream me fucking you into oblivion. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.” Si-Woon cackled.

Soon, the beating stopped. Baekhyun was barely conscious and he could feel himself getting more and more drowsy. He could hear some shuffling to the side of him and then he felt strong fingers grip his jaw and open his mouth forcefully. Si-Woon had pulled his pants down and his dick was out, currently forcing its way into Baekhyun’s mouth. Baekhyun tried hard to keep his teeth clamped shut, but his mouth flew open as Si-Woon punched him again in the stomach.

“Take it, take my fucking dick and suck it. It’s what you’re best at, you fucking slut.” Tears were streaming down Baekhyun’s face as he was forced to have Si-Woon’s dick in his mouth, while Si-Woon thrusted carelessly into his mouth, not worrying about hurting him. Baekhyun gagged a few times as Si-Woon thrust too roughly.

“That’s a good bitch, fuck me with your pretty mouth. Yes, yes, that’s it, suck it.” Si-Woon praised, getting off on the act as Baekhyun tasted the first few drops of precum.

Baekhyun felt his vision getting more blurry, not knowing what was wrong with him. Maybe he had been beaten so badly that his body was shutting down, he wasn’t sure. The side of his neck was throbbing and stinging in pain, but all the pain his body was in was mingling into one, and Baekhyun wasn’t sure which limb was which.

Si-Woon removed his dick from Baekhyun’s mouth and leaned in. He licked a fat stripe up his neck, the side which was throbbing in pain.

“Hmmmm, I’m not into dead bodies Baekkie, I like mine warm and pliant. The ketamine in this injection will have you co-operate with me while I fuck your brains out, you’re gonna love it. The poison in here though, will have you cold, dead in about one hour. I can’t have you blabbing to everyone about what happened in here today. It’s a shame really, because, I really liked you. Look what you made me do Baekkie. This is your fault.”

Si-Woon shifted a little to nibble at his neck. “But maybe, maybe if you’re THAT good, I’ll keep fucking you, at least when you’re dead, you won’t be pretending like you never wanted this.”

Baekhyun let out a whimper, frightened beyond belief, feeling his strength leave him quickly. In a final attempt, he once again felt around on the floor, looking for his phone whilst Si-Woon was distracted, hoping against hope that it was still there. He thanked the Goddess above when the tips of his fingers felt the cold edge of his phone. Going by muscle memory alone, he pressed his thumb to the area where he thought the fingerprint sensor was. He pressed the screen a few times not knowing what he was doing or even if he had managed to activate his phone.

He froze as he felt Si-Woon fiddling with the zipper and button of his pants. He groaned as another wave of nausea came crashing over him as his vision dimmed a little. He could no longer feel his legs and he was unable to struggle against Si-Woon any longer, feeling his strength ebb away from him completely. He lifted his hands and tried to move Si-Woon’s fingers away from his pants, only to have Si-Woon grab hold of his hands and push his fingers back forcefully. Baekhyun let out a sharp cry of pain as he felt one, if not more of his fingers break. His pants were being brought down. He felt drowsier. Helpless to stop what was going on, he groaned in pain again.

“Si-Woon,” he began, his tongue feeling like cotton, he was barely able to get his words out, “please stop, I don’t….I don’t want it…..please……someone, stop this…..”

His hips bucked slightly as he felt a hot, wet mouth come around his dick and encase it fully. With a pop, Si-Woon let Baekhyun’s dick out of his mouth as he smirked at the semi-hard member.

“See, you say you don’t want it and you’re getting hard for me Baekkie. Watch how good I make you feel, watch how I fuck you senseless before you die, you slut. How’s it feel, whoring yourself out in your own fucking house?”

Baekhyun could barely hear Si-Woon now, his voice sounding far away, as if he was under water. He felt so tired, heavy limbed and drowsy. He felt his eyes close and he welcomed sleep, knowing pain wouldn’t follow him where he was going.

Si-Woon lowered his mouth once more as he bent Baekhyun’s knees, eyes shining in delight and mouth-watering, as Baekhyun’s tempting hole came in to view.

Sehun and Minseok let out a hearty laugh as Jongin recounted the time during training when Kyungsoo had quite literally kicked Chanyeol’s butt, much to Chanyeol’s chagrin. He was now sitting in the corner of the room sulking. They’d gone to Sehun’s place after work for some much needed time out and were waiting for Yixing and Kyungsoo to join them.

“The best part was when Chanyeol tried to trick Soo, by burning off his eyebrows, but ended up on his ass cos he got caught!” Jongin shouted out, taking a swig from the can of beer he had in his hand.

“Oh please!” Chanyeol piped up, “don’t act like you never had your ass handed to you by Soo either Jongin!”

Sehun heard his phone ringing and he looked around for it, wondering where he’d left it. He glanced at his watch and saw the time, 20.13, wondering who it could be at this hour. Probably Kyungsoo or Yixing. He followed the sound of the ring tone which lead him to the kitchen counter and picked up the phone, reading ‘Baekhyun’ on the screen. He smiled, questioning why Baekhyun was calling him again.

He pressed the answer button, simultaneously walking back to the living room where all of his friends were, Jongin and Chanyeol still bickering.

“Hey Baekhyun, you ok?”

He was met with silence. He took the phone off his ear and looked at the screen. Yep, it was still connected. Slightly confused, he brought the phone back to his ear, “Baekhyun, you there?”

He heard silence fall in the room as the others tuned in to the conversation.

“Everything ok Sehun?” Minseok asked.

Sehun nodded, “Yeh, it was Baekhyun, but I think he pocket-dialled me, he’s not saying anything.”

He was about to hang up when he faintly heard a voice, no, a noise. It sounded like a moan. Sehun felt an irrational spike of anger course through his system at Baekhyun being with anyone at that moment, until he heard a louder sound, a cry, definitely a cry. Not of passion, of pain.

“Baekhyun? The fuck?”

He stilled, his features turning to stone, as he gripped his phone harder, straining his ears to listen for more. Minseok saw the sudden tension in his friend and walked towards, him, putting his hand on his shoulder.

“Sehun, what is it?”

He looked at Minseok, “Baekhyun, he’s in trouble, I think.”

He removed the phone from his ear and set it on the loudspeaker, turning the volume up to the maximum.  The room was deadly silent, a pin drop probably could have been heard. There was some more shuffling, someone whimpering. And then, “Si-Woon,” all four alphas looked at each other, Jongin and Chanyeol now on their feet. Baekhyun’s sounded like he was in pain, his voice quiet and strained, “please stop,” he continued, “I don’t….I don’t want it…..please……someone, stop this…..”

Sehun could feel himself losing control of his mind as pure undiluted anger took over. He needed to get to Baekhyun by any means possible, he was in danger. It was his fault, he should have been more vigilant, knowing that Si-Woon was out of the lock up. He should have stayed with Baekhyun. He shouldn’t have let him out of his sight. This was all his fault.

“We need to find him, wherever he is. Now.” He said with steely resolve, his eyes shining impossibly green. Just as Chanyeol was about to open his mouth to say something, a new voice came over the phone,

“See, you say you don’t want it and you’re getting hard for me Baekkie. Watch how good I make you feel, watch how I fuck you senseless before you die, you slut. How’s it feel, whoring yourself out in your own fucking house?”

That was it, Sehun exploded, his hands balled into fists and he punched the nearest object, which happened to be the wall. A hole the size of his fist was permanently engraved into the wall. Energy radiated from him in waves as a strong gust of wind came out of his being and shattered all light bulbs and glass ornaments in the vicinity. The mirror above the fireplace cracked and shattered into thousands of pieces. The curtains billowed against the window as if it were open, which it wasn’t. The others shielded their eyes to prevent themselves from getting caught in the crossfire. The storm raged around the room as Sehun slowly lost his mind, unable to control himself.

“Sehun? Sehun!” Minseok shouted, approached him slowly, all whilst shading his eyes against gale force winds, “fucking hell, Sehun! STOP! You’ll hurt all of us!” He gripped Sehun’s shoulders hard and shook him. Sehun blinked rapidly, trying to control his breathing as he struggled to take back control, only vaguely registering the damage he’d caused. His eyes emanated pure fury and he bent over, hands gripping the back of the sofa in front of him as he tried to reign in the power.

“I…I have his address, wait! We had the company driver collect him from home for that presentation. Hold on…” Jongin said, thumbing through his phone, “Yep, here it is. Come here guys, I’ve gotta concentrate. Fucking hell Sehun, hold on, we’re going to him.”

“Sehun, you need to keep it together, we are going to him.” Minseok tried to reassure.

Jongin grabbed hold of them all hastily and disappeared on the spot.

Si-Woon was on his stomach, between the legs of a now unconscious Baekhyun. His head was between Baekhyun’s bent legs, nipping and sucking on the inside of his upper thighs. His mouth watered at the sight of Baekhyun’s pink hole, glistening in the light coming from the bulb on the ceiling above. He wanted to take his time and enjoy the omega, savour the moment he’d been waiting for ever since he first laid his eyes on him. He’d dreamt of this very thing for too long now. Shame that Baekhyun wasn’t also participating in the fun.

He shrugged his shoulders as he pushed Baekhyun’s legs apart. He brought out his tongue, ready for his first taste of the sweet smelling nectar Baekhyun was offering, but before he could get closer, he was roughly pulled back from his collar by a strong hand.

“What the…..”

Sehun was furious. Furious beyond belief. It had taken him all but a second to figure out what was happening. He’d registered an unconscious, bloody and bruised Baekhyun on the floor and Si-Woon on top of him. He didn’t need to know anything else. The next second, he ripped him off him and had him by the neck against the wall.

Several things happened all at once, Minseok had brought out a blanket from a nearby room to cover Baekhyun’s naked body. Jongin took one look at Baekhyun and muttered grimly that he would be fetching Yixing as soon as possible and disappeared. Chanyeol too went to check on Baekhyun, making sure he was still breathing.

A storm raged inside the room as Sehun, furious with what he had just seen and heard turned his attention to Si-Woon. He held him tight against the wall, the struggling alpha no match for the strength of Sehun. He looked down at the omega on the floor. The bloodied, bruised, battered and unconscious omega on the floor and another wave of fury hit him. He turned to face Si-Woon and landed a strong punch straight to his solar plexus, holding nothing back. Si-Woon choked and doubled over, wheezing to try to get some air into his lungs.

Sehun grabbed him by his hair and pulled him upright, delivering another punch to his gut, causing the alpha’s eyes to bulge out of their sockets as he hunched himself over once again. His legs threatened to give away, but Sehun grabbed him by the neck and forced him to stand upright.

“How….ho…how?” Si-Woon choked out.

Sehun got up into Si-Woon’s face and muttered, “Never mind how. Just know, you won’t live to see another sunrise again you motherfucker.”

Si-Woon smiled a deranged smile. “And who are you,” he wheezed, “the omega police?”

“No you fucker, I am your worst nightmare.”

He landed a sharp uppercut to Si-Woon’s jaw and his head reared backwards to hit the wall behind him. Si-Woon brought his hands up to grab his head, the pain causing his eyes to roll to the back of his head.

Sehun vaguely registered Jongin appearing again with Yixing and Kyungsoo in tow. Yixing muttering curse words under his breath and immediately rushing to Baekhyun.

Si-Woon’s eyes bulged open in disbelief as he saw the sudden appearance of the three.

“What the fuck, what sort of dark magic are you doing?”

Minseok strode up to Si-Woon, face livid.

“It’s not dark magic you bitch. If you’ve never heard of the guardians, then you’re stupider than I thought.” He spat out.

Si-Woon, with his deranged mind thought that those words were exceptionally funny. “Guardians? Ha, Guardians my ASS. You people are so delusional.”

“We don’t care what you think.” Minseok replied coldly.

“Well, if you don’t care, kindly move, my omega is waiting for me,” Si-Woon had clearly lost his mind.

Minseok was livid. He’d never met anyone as shameless and crazy as Si-Woon, and he had met a lot of people.

“Excuse me a second Sehun.” Minseok grabbed Si-Woon by the collar, causing Sehun to let go of him, “He doesn’t belong to you, bitch face, he is no one’s property.” And before Si-Woon could say anything else, he uppercut him just below the jaw, causing his head to rear back with a sickening crunch. A tooth fell out and landed on the floor. There was blood everywhere. He let go of Si-Woon and the alpha crumpled to the floor, no longer being able to hold up his own weight.

“Sehun, as much as I want to smash his balls and turn them into dust, I think you should finish this now. Baekhyun needs you.”

Sehun walked up to Si-Woon and grabbed him by his collar, forcing him to stand. He wrapped a strong hand around his neck and squeezed.

“You like dominating those not as strong as you, no? You’ve forgotten everything about your own alpha code you piece of shit, assaulting an omega, not once, not twice, but three fucking times. Well, guess what?” He paused, “Now you’re gonna know what it’s like when you can’t fight back. Now you’re gonna know when the air is being sucked out of your lungs against your will and you can’t do fuck all about it. Now you’re gonna know what it’s like when you’re helpless and you want someone to take pity on you, but no one gives a shit.”

Sehun knew his aura would be burning bright. He knew his eyes would be a crazy shade of green. He knew he looked scary as fuck, yet he didn’t care. He didn’t lose eye contact with Si-Woon as he stole the air he was trying to breathe. He didn’t care that he was suffocating and flopping around like a fish out of water in front of him. Life was like a cycle. If you were willing to treat someone badly, you should expect to be treated badly in return. Si-Woon’s hands came up to claw at his own neck, as if he would be able to get more air into his body that way. Sehun watched as Si-Woon turned blue as the air was sucked out of his lungs and replaced with nothing. He didn’t care that this was the most painful way to die. He deserved it. Every last bit of it and more.

He didn’t lose focus even after Si-Woon stopped struggling for air. Not until Kyungsoo put his hand over his shoulder and told him it was enough. His attention was once again drawn to the present and he became aware of his surroundings. The storm that was raging around them died down as he focussed in on the omega on the floor. Baekhyun looked awful.

Jongin and Chanyeol had moved closer to Si-Woon’s body. They knew what to do. No traces would be left, they and Kyungsoo would make sure of that. He nodded to them as Jongin promised to come back asap for the rest of them.

“We need to move Baekhyun Sehun, but I’m afraid we might be too late.” He heard Yixing say, finally.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

Sehun sat on the couch in his living room, elbows on his knees, fingers laced through his hair. His eyes were closed, the echoes of Yixing’s words floating around in his head; ‘socket fracture, cheek fracture, jaw dislocation, scalp haematoma, contusion, fractured ribs, fractured fingers, ligament tears, internal bleeding, splenic rupture, drugged, poisoned….’ His fingers tightened in his hair and he wanted to bring Si-Woon back from hell to kill him all over again. It was a miracle that Baekhyun was still alive after that beating.

He felt a nudge on his foot and he lifted his head to see Minseok holding out a tumbler filled half way with some amber coloured liquid in it. He gratefully accepted, muttered his thanks and took a small sip, savouring the slightly bitter but warming taste on his tongue.

“I see it’s a bourbon kinda day?” He said eventually.

“If I had my way, every day would be a bourbon kinda day,” Minseok replied as he sat next to him on the couch. He sipped at his own drink, the two friends absorbed in their own thoughts.

“I’ve sent the others home.”

“Mmmm.” Sehun replied.

“Are we gonna talk about it?” Minseok asked.

“About?”

“You know about what Sehun.”

“Hyung…..”

“Sehun, we have to at some point. What happened before was dangerous, you know it as well as I do.” Minseok turned to Sehun. “You could have really hurt any one of us, and we wouldn’t have stood a chance against you. We’d be lying in there with Baekhyun right now too.”

“I know Hyung, I know. It’s not like I wanted to. It was completely out of my control. I feel awful.”

“You don’t need to feel bad, we all know that it was completely out of your control. I’m assuming you know why?”

“Yes I do.” Sehun replied, as he stared down at the floor.

“And how do you feel about it?”

Sehun looked up, his eyes were unfocussed as if looking somewhere far away. “Honestly? I feel devastated.”

“That’s not the answer I was expecting.”

“No no, don’t get me wrong. I’m ecstatic and I’m happy and I’m confused and heartbroken. All at the same time.”

“Go on.” Minseok encouraged.

“I….I lost control of my powers today. The first time it’s ever happened. You know and I know why. Fucking hell, everyone knows why.” Sehun’s words tumbled out.

“That’s not a reason to feel like this though.”

“There’s only a handful of reasons why I would lose control like that. One of them was if I was dying, and we know I wasn’t. The other was if my mate was in danger. And, what a way to find out that someone is your mate. He doesn’t even know me. He doesn’t even look at me. He acts like he’s frightened of me most of the time.” Sehun rambled, now unable to stop.

“And you know the worst part Hyung?” Sehun looked at Minseok finally, then leaned over to put his glass down on the side table, eventually leaning back onto the couch, closing his eyes. He sighed.

“The worst part is that he has no idea. None at all. And I can’t be ok with that,” he swallowed hard, his throat feeling like a big lump was stuck in there, “he looks at me, but he doesn’t see me.”

Sehun felt restless as he let it all out, “the thought, the thought of that motherfucker Si-Woon beating down on him like that. To almost kill him, to touch him, to….to violate him like that,” he paused, choking up a little, “it makes me go insane a little. I would kill him a thousand times over if I could, each one being more painful than the last. He would know what pain truly is. I wouldn’t regret a fucking thing.”

“Well,” Minseok said carefully, sipping at his own drink, “your protective instincts kicked in. Mother Nature is a curious creature Sehun, we have no idea what she’s thinking or why she’s thinking it. It’s not the most ideal way to find out about your mate, but I’m glad you did.”

Sehun chuckled, it sounded bitter, “Mother Nature is playing cruel games with me.”

“Mother Nature has her plans. She will reveal them when the time is right. I’m really curious about something though?”

“What about?”

“The great Alpha prime has finally been tamed by someone,” Minseok said, cheekily, “was this sudden for you or….”

Minseok could see Sehun become slightly flustered, “Hyung, I’ve been so fucking attracted to him since I first laid my eyes on him. I can’t even explain it. I know nothing about him, what he likes, doesn’t like, who his friends and family are. Hell, he doesn’t even have a scent. Not even an aura. What kind of wolf is he even?”

“A wolf that you’re hugely attracted to and happens to be your mate. Does his family know what happened?”

Sehun shook his head, “no, I tried to call his emergency contact, his friend, Junmyeon. But the phone is switched off. I’ll keep trying. He’s gonna be so pissed.”

Minseok chuckled, “I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t handle Hun.”

They were interrupted when the door to the guest bedroom opened and Yixing walked out, looking tired, his pink aura trailing behind him, fading at the edges, tired just like it’s owner. Sehun got to his feet at once and walked towards him.

“Xing….?”

Yixing put his hand on one of Sehun’s shoulders and smiled sympathetically. “The broken bones are healing, some with my help, but most of it is him. He heals pretty fast for an omega, I’m actually surprised. The internal bleeding has stopped, but he’s bled, a lot.” He continued to report, “he’s pretty weak and looks like crap. It’s going to take a lot of his energy to heal that many injuries and a lot of time, but it’s not those that I’m worried about….,” he paused, looking over Sehun’s shoulder at Minseok who had also stood up.

Sehun tensed. “What do you mean?”

“It’s looks like Si-Woon injected him with something.” Yixing continued, scratching the side of his neck.

“What the fuck?” Sehun said, as new waves of anger and hatred for the dead alpha crashed over him, “why?”

“Obviously to subdue him. He might have been putting up a fight. I don’t know. Maybe he really came with the intent to kill him.”

“Bastard.” Sehun was fuming.

 “The injection site is on his neck, I think it might be some kind of poison. I…..I can’t fix it.” Yixing explained.

“What do you mean you can’t fix it Xing, you can fix anything.” Sehun asked, confused.

“Not this Sehun, and trust me, I’ve tried. I don’t know what poison it is, but I can’t draw it out of him. I don’t know what it is. It’s like poison laced with black magic. I’m not sure we can remove it.”

Sehun staggered a step back. The alternative to Baekhyun getting better was simply not acceptable to him. Not now. Not when he knew.

“I’ve managed to slow it down, but I think we have an hour, possibly less.”

“No…..”

“There is one other option and it could work.” Yixing continued cautiously, reluctant to give any false hope. He knew the situation. He knew what it meant for Sehun.

“What?” Sehun asked, “name it.”

“You. You could heal him.” Yixing said, simply.

Sehun gave him a funny look, brows knitting together in confusion. “How am I gonna fix him when you couldn’t?”

“You have something I don’t have.” Yixing tried to explain.

“I’m not going to share my blood with him Xing, you know I can’t do that without his consent.”

“For someone so scarily powerful, you can be totally dense sometimes, you know that?” Minseok spoke up, somewhere behind him.

When Sehun still didn’t seem to understand, Minseok sighed exasperatedly. “He means your saliva Hun, remember, your saliva has healing properties? And you’re immune to poisons and dark magic to an extent. You can take it out of him. Remember the attempted poisoning in the year 1500 something? You didn’t even bat an eyelash and carried on like someone fed you spoiled wine.”

Somewhere in his chest, hope bloomed and yet he didn’t allow it to set root in case it didn’t work.

“But Xing, if you couldn’t heal him, then how…?”

“My powers are from you Sehun. That’s the only reason I have them. You forget that you have my powers, just slightly different. It is impossible for your powers to be weaker than mine. You just don’t tap into them as often as I do.”

“Let’s do the therapy session for you later Hun, let’s try what Yixing is saying first hmm?” Minseok encouraged.

Sehun had to try, he just had to. There was possibly no other way. He wouldn’t lose him now. After careful instructions from Yixing, he walked towards the guest room, putting his palm flat against the door. Baekhyun was just beyond that door and he wasn’t ready to see him like this. He looked back at his friends uncertainly, who both nodded encouragingly at him. With a deep sigh, he opened the door to the room and let himself in.

The room itself was bathed in a soft light coming from the bedside table. It was a minimalistic space, just like Sehun, his entire house reflected his personality well. The walls were a soft cream and bright blues offered splashes of colour, from the curtains to the patterned rug on the floor and the bedding. The huge bed was the centrepiece of the room and in that huge bed lay a tiny omega, looking even smaller than usual.

Sehun came closer, breath held as he tried to make as little noise as possible to avoid disturbing the omega, even though it was unlikely he would be disturbed. Baekhyun’s face, neck and upper chest were visible. There were bruises and cuts all over his face. His left eye was swollen and black in colour. Sehun could see finger marks on his neck, clearly visible despite the bruising and as he looked further down, he could make out teeth marks on his shoulder. The fingers on one of his hands were bruised and horribly swollen. His fists tightened in controlled anger.

Yixing had done a good job in cleaning up the blood. The open cuts looked like they were healing well, albeit slowly. He walked closer to the sleeping omega and kneeled at his bedside.

Up close, Baekhyun looked deathly pale. The only sign of life was his chest moving up and down rhythmically. He wasn’t moving a muscle otherwise. Sehun let his eyes roam over Baekhyun’s face, so battered and bruised. His lips were slightly parted and instead of the pink lips he was accustomed to seeing, these lips had a blue-ish tinge to them. Poison. His bottom lip was split, the blood long dried. He brought a hand gently to his cheek and gave it the briefest of caresses, careful not to touch a bruise or cause any pain.

He eyes wandered to Baekhyun’s neck, where he saw a puncture wound to the side. It looked angry, with a red halo surrounding the actual puncture mark. Looking closer, he saw thin black veins protruding from the wound, like spider legs, very similar to the veins seen on the attack victims recently. Some of the veins had extended up to his jaw, a sign that the poison was slowly spreading. Sehun touched the area with his thumb, it was freezing cold to touch, in contrast with its appearance. The black veins blanched under his touch, seemingly withering away upon contact, only to bounce back to life once he took his thumb off.

Sehun brought his face closer to Baekhyun. Eyes closing while he inhaled the scent of his shampoo, vanilla and strawberries. How was it that even after everything, he still smelled like this? Allowing himself a moment, he stayed in this position, partly to gather his courage and partly to focus his energy. Being near him like this gave him some comfort. He felt strengthened knowing that somewhere in this body, his omega was there, waiting for him to bring him back.

He opened his eyes once again, focussing on the one spot of Baekhyun’s neck. He licked it, tentatively, watching as goosebumps erupted on Baekhyun’s neck. He licked it again, applying more pressure with his tongue. He saw the redness fading slightly and a flicker of hope bloomed in his chest.

Sehun gave the wound a few more licks before he latched on with his lips, creating a seal and sucking. He felt a weird energy flow through him as he drew the poison out, creating a tingling sensation on his own lips. He closed his eyes in concentration as he continued to suck, his hand groping around blindly until he found  Baekhyun’s hand. It was icy cold and he interlaced his fingers through Baekhyun’s to hold on to him tightly.

Sehun felt overwhelmed with new sensations taking over his body. The tingling around his lips intensified but still he stayed latched on, sucking the poison out from Baekhyun. The sensation travelled throughout his body, the poison looking for a weak spot within him. In contrast to his, warmth was spreading up his arm and down his back, originating from their intertwined hands. It was a feeling of home, of belonging and it was easily overtaking any effects of the poison that he was currently ingesting. He felt Baekhyun’s hand regain some of its warmth and he held onto it tighter as if it was keeping him afloat.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. He didn’t care. His whole body was alive like never before. He wouldn’t stop until all the poison had been sucked out of Baekhyun’s body, even if it filled his own.

He heard Baekhyun draw a sharp breath in suddenly, which caused him break contact and sit up, lips unlatching from Baekhyun’s neck with a smack. He frantically looked at Baekhyun’s face, looking for any signs of pain or distress. He saw nothing, just laboured breathing causing him to panic and shout for Yixing.

Yixing and Minseok both came into the room, Yixing rushing to Baekhyun immediately, his eyes briefly coasting over Sehun and Baekhyun’s joined hands. He sat down next to him and put one hand on his chest, the other on his forehead and closed his eyes in concentration.  Sehun watched as Baekhyun settled under Yixing’s expert hands and he felt his own heartbeat slow down too once his panic died down. Yixing opened his eyes with a soft smile and looked straight at Sehun.

“Well, whatever you did, you did it well. I can’t sense any poison in his body any more. That breathing was his body waking up and the effect of the poison wearing off.”

“Oh….”

“Are you feeling ok though? That wasn’t just some ordinary poison. Your lips are kinda blue.”

“Me?” Sehun answered, “Yeh, I’m fine, my lips feel a little tingly, but I feel fine.” He touched his lips with his fingertips, feeling the ghost of Baekhyun’s skin still on them.

“Ok good, now get out.”

“What?”

“Yep, get out,” Yixing bossed, “both of you get out now. I’m gonna sedate him, he needs to rest.”

Sehun didn’t want to leave Baekhyun, but nodded in agreement anyway. Yixing was right, Baekhyun would need a lot of rest. He looked down at their joined hands, reluctant to let go. After a few moments, he left the room to join Minseok outside.

Yixing watched them leave and smiled down at Baekhyun. He swiped his hand across Baekhyun’s forehead and moved his bangs out of the way.

“Lucem videre potes, omnia facere sequeris.” He whispered. “Now sleep, little one.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

“I have to get back to Baekhyun,” Sehun said, looking down at the tinged corpse in front of him.

They were in downtown Gangnam, in the night club district. Luckily for them, it was the middle of the day and there were very few people. The area where all the offices were, a couple of blocks away would be teeming with people at this time. Minseok’s scouts had once again sent intel about a new victim. Only Kyungsoo and Sehun had been available to come down to investigate, with of course Jongin being their means for transport. Sehun had left Baekhyun under the care of Yixing, the omega still not having gained consciousness after yesterday’s attack. Sehun had been reluctant to leave his side, but had been convinced that he would be more useful here than at home.

Frustration was written all over the three of their faces. Nameless corpses turning up in random parts of Seoul, none of them were connected to each other. Despite doing thorough background checks on the names they knew so far, Minseok had found no link between them. Sehun was becoming increasingly pissed off at whoever was behind all of this. If they were trying to send a message, why not come out into the open and send a message properly? What was the need for all of this cryptic violence and murder?

Today’s body was no different to the last one. The same markings on the chest, the same black thread-like veins criss-crossing their way up from the chest to the neck, the same red tinged eyeballs and the same levitation off the ground. What was the meaning behind it all? What was the message? When would it end?

“Let’s finish up here,” Kyungsoo replied. “There is nothing else we can do with this.” And with that, he placed his hand on the body and they all watched as it disintegrated in front of their eyes, not a single trace left. No evidence of what had occurred here.

Sehun looked around to make sure that no one had seen or heard anything and when he was satisfied, he gave the nod to Jongin, who got them out of there.

Sehun came home to silence. He’d taken time off the company, entrusting the work to the others, knowing they’d be more than capable of handling things in his absence. Truthfully, he couldn’t bring himself to concentrate on anything other than Baekhyun and him getting better and he knew he’d be useless at work with his mind occupied with thoughts of him. The longer Baekhyun stayed unconscious, the more agitated Sehun got.

He’d tried calling Junmyeon several times since yesterday, always coming up empty handed. The phone had been switched off. Where could he have gone that meant he needed to switch his phone off for this long? It was annoying because then Sehun would get accused of not telling him on time. He very much remembered the verbal lashings the man gave him last time, with a warning of various acts of violence if anything were to happen to Baekhyun. Although he wasn’t afraid of him, Sehun couldn’t stop himself from feeling partly responsible for the state Baekhyun was in right now.

He made his way towards his guest bedroom, looking into the living room and kitchen as he went. Yixing was nowhere to be seen, he must be with Baekhyun. He came to an abrupt stop as he saw the door ajar and soft voices coming from the room.

“Eat some more Baek, you’ll feel better.” That was Yixing.

“It hurts.” Came the hoarse, soft reply.

Sehun knees almost buckled with relief. He hadn’t realized how much his ears had been desperate to hear that voice, regardless of how bad it sounded. Surely it meant that Baekhyun was out of danger now.

“It’s just broth. You need your energy to heal. I want this all finished, we’re almost done.” Yixing’s voice was like a lullaby.

“Are you a doctor Yixing?” Came the quiet reply and Sehun smiled to himself at the innocence.

“Yes, I am a sort of doctor, you can call me that.” Yixing’s voice was equally quiet and Sehun imagined the alpha with his dimpled smile. “Now sip this, I won’t take no for an answer.”

Sehun waited a couple more minutes and then softly knocked on the door, letting himself into the room. Two pairs of eyes turned to look at him. Yixing next to the bed, faint pink aura surrounding him, was sat on a chair, a bowl of broth in his hand, the spoon halfway to Baekhyun’s mouth. Baekhyun was sat up in bed, propped up against the headboard. He was wearing a white t-shirt with the word ‘Supreme’ written on the front in bold red letters. One of Sehun’s own, and it gave Sehun a sense of alpha pride to see him wearing it. He was not going to lie though, Baekhyun looked awful. His face was still swollen and bruised, lip still cut. He could clearly still see the fingerprints and marks in this neck and could make out some bruising near the shoulder where Sehun’s t-shirt was slipping off due to being too big for him. The fingers on one of his hands were swollen and he was holding his shoulder stiff, as if it hurt to move.

Carefully masking his fury, with a neutral expression, he entered the room, only to stop when he saw the panic in Baekhyun’s eyes as his hands grabbed the duvet to bring it closer to his chest, effectively covering himself from the chin down. He brought his knees up to his chest making himself as small as possible. Sehun’s heart sank yet he knew better not to come any closer.

“It’s ok Baekhyun,” Yixing soothed, putting the bowl of broth on a nearby tray, “it’s only Sehun, you’re in his house.” He softly put his hand on Baekhyun’s knees over the duvet in a calming gesture. Baekhyun jumped a little at the contact and looked to Yixing for reassurance.

Baekhyun had panicked when he saw Sehun. He’d only just gotten comfortable with the presence of Yixing, the alpha putting out some very soothing pheromones that made Baekhyun feel a sense of wellbeing. He’d allowed Yixing to help him sit up in bed, despite his nakedness. He hadn’t flinched when Yixing needed to physically help him wear a t-shirt to cover himself up. He was grateful that the soft spoken alpha was being gentle and patient with him, despite him being absolutely terrified as soon as he had woken up.

He’d woken up in a strange bed, in a strange room. He had no clothes on other than underwear. He was sore all over and could barely open his eyes, let alone get himself out of bed. His right arm was next to useless as every time he tried to move it, a sharp pain which came from his shoulder all the way down his arm and up his neck. He couldn’t even use his hands, his fingers were twice their normal size. He had let out a cry when he’d tried to sit up which had caused Yixing to come to him.

“Ah ah, don’t do that Baekhyun,” He’d said, rushing to his side, “your collarbone is fractured in two places. It’s going to take some time to heal.”

Baekhyun had flinched and tried to move away, to escape from this alpha. Even though Yixing was not a stranger, the memory of what had happened with Si-Woon was still too raw. He didn’t trust anyone right now.

Yixing had handled it well, not taking anything personally. He’d calmed Baekhyun down from a distance. He hadn’t crowded him. He’d spoken to him quietly and softly and when he had calmed down enough, he’d gotten him a t-shirt to cover himself with. He’d sat down with Baekhyun and explained his injuries to him and that because there were so many severe injuries, his omega blood was overwhelmed and he would take some time to heal. It had taken Baekhyun a lot of time to temper his instincts to get up and run away from this alpha.

Eventually though, Baekhyun’s defences had crumbled. He needed someone. He missed Jongdae and Junmyeon desperately. Baekhyun had cried. Well, he’d sobbed. He explained how dirty he felt and how he could still feel Si-Woon’s hands all over his body, violating him and then beating him to make sure he couldn’t get away from him. Yixing had listened.

Baekhyun had been desperate to know the answer to so many questions. He remembered up until a point, just before he’d blacked out. He’d remembered Si-Woon’s mouth in his most private places and his own desperate attempts to get away from him. But after that was a complete blank. What more did Si-Woon do? Did he rape him? How did Baekhyun end up here? Where was Si-Woon now? But he couldn’t get himself to ask any of the questions and Yixing didn’t offer the information freely.

Before Yixing got up to get him some broth that he claimed would help him get better more quickly, he’d explained that Baekhyun had seemingly pocket-dialled Sehun whilst he was being attacked and Sehun was able to track him down and bring him here. Unfortunately, he had been too late to stop him from getting seriously injured.

Now, when Sehun walked in through the door, Baekhyun subconsciously moved to protect himself. He could feel himself trembling under the covers and he hated himself for it. Sehun was the person that Baekhyun was most familiar and comfortable with at work, he was the one who he worked with the most. With Sehun, he  had felt safe, secure. And now, he wanted to escape, for some reason, he couldn’t look the alpha in the eye. He was ashamed. He felt embarrassed, scared and vulnerable.

Sehun hadn’t moved an inch since Baekhyun’s reaction, clearly waiting for the go-ahead, not wanting to scare him more. He cleared his throat, “I…..I can come back later if you like?”

Baekhyun’s heart broke at the hesitancy he could hear in Sehun’s voice. A voice that was usually full of confidence. A voice where when a command was uttered, many would fall over themselves to fulfill it. And now he was having to hear him be like this, all because of him. He felt a new wave of guilt overcome him and his self-loathing threatened to overtake him. It was overwhelming and Baekhyun was exhausted, physically and mentally.

Bowing his head, he inhaled deeply, taking in the woodsy scent coming from the t-shirt he was wearing, a scent that was familiar to him and yet he couldn’t place it. He felt a strange calm overtake him, a tranquility that he’d never felt before. He closed his eyes to chase the feeling and cement it in his memory. In that instance, he knew that these two men would never hurt him and he felt himself relax into the mattress.

“N….no….wait,” Baekhyun managed, hoarsely, “please, I’m sorry.”

Sehun cocked an eyebrow up, relieved, “What have I told you about apologizing when it’s not your fault?”

Baekhyun hesitated, “Yeh…..I’m…..I’m sorry.” He bowed his head and bit his lip, saying sorry seemed to come to him so naturally.

Sehun raised both of his eyebrows in amusement, happy to see glimpses of his Baekhyun, rather than the frightened individual that he walked in on.

“Am I ok to take your doctor away from you for a sec? Yixing?”

“Oh….yeh….sure.” Baekhyun replied looking between the two.

Yixing and Sehun left the room and headed towards the kitchen, the place furthest away from the guest bedroom. Sehun couldn’t risk having Baekhyun overhear their conversation.

“So? What did you find?”

“How is he?” They both asked at the same time.

Sehun pinched the bridge of his nose, wanting to get his story out of the way quickly, “The same again Xing, nothing changes. I’m just pissed off you know? If someone is trying to send a message, why not just come out and say it. What’s the need to be all cryptic and mysterious about it?”

Yixing looked thoughtful. “You’re right, what kind of message is someone trying to give us and why?”

“I have no idea. Do you think you can go visit the Shaman again? Maybe she will tell us something of use?”

“Yes, of course, I’ll see if I can go later today if you like, I hope she doesn’t confuse me this time.”

“Thanks, I owe you one. Now tell me, how’s Baekhyun? You can’t believe how relieved I am that he’s finally awake.”

“He’ll recover but….”

“But?”

“The mental trauma is very deep. He’s been through a lot, stuff that we don’t even know. It’s amazing he’s managing to sit in front of us with a smile like that.”

Sehun nodded. He didn’t even know from where Baekhyun was getting his strength from and truthfully, he’d never come across anyone as strong as him. Sehun vowed to himself that Baekhyun would never need to go through anything alone ever again. Not while Sehun was still walking this planet.

“And his wounds?”

“Healing. But as I said last night, it’s going to take a very long time for them to heal fully. I’ve helped him along a lot, and he will speed up his own healing process too, but this isn’t like a simple cut, it’s going to take a lot of his energy. It’ll make him really weak.”

Sehun frowned. “What can I do?”

“Just be there for him. Make sure he eats well. Make sure he doesn’t exert himself. I don’t even think he’s fit enough to get out of bed yet. I’ll come once a day to give him an extra boost.

“Wait, what do you mean, you’ll come once a day? Aren’t you gonna stay?” Sehun asked, panic stricken. What if Baekhyun was to get unwell, how would he know what to do?

“Sehun my friend, you’ve just discovered him. You need time with him. I’ll be here if you need me, don’t worry.” He said reassuringly.

“Time? What do you mean time? He doesn’t have a clue, I’m not going to make any moves on him while he’s sick!” Sehun looked like a rabbit stuck in headlights, Yixing thought it was quite funny actually.

“Stop panicking for goodness sake! Just feed him on time, make him rest, be nice to him. That’s all. I trust you not to make any moves on him.” Yixing was truly trying not to laugh at Sehun. It was fun seeing his usually composed friend being this flustered for a change.

“Any way, I’ll leave now, feed him the broth, I’ll report back if I hear anything from the Shaman.” Yixing patted Sehun on the shoulder as he walked past him to pick up his stuff and leave.

The day passed slowly and Baekhyun was bored and restless. Unwanted thoughts kept swirling around in his head. He was still in pain everywhere and even pressing on his cheekbones caused him to wince in pain. Sehun had left him to himself after helping him with the rest of the broth, giving him some much needed space. He’d been given some more and he’d eaten it very clumsily, not wanting to admit to Sehun that he couldn’t feed himself properly. Consequently, he’d managed to get a healthy amount of it all over himself. So now, not only was he feeling restless and sweaty, but he was actually dirty and smelled like food.

He made up his mind to have a shower, the ensuite bathroom to the guest room wasn’t that far and he was sure he could make the short distance to it. He just desperately needed a wash, even if it meant sitting down at the bottom of the shower tray. He threw the covers back slowly and wriggled his toes to make sure everything was still in working order. He gingerly put his legs to the side of the bed, feet not quite touching the floor. His legs felt as though they hadn’t been used in years as they were so stiff.

Actual movement proved to be a lot more difficult. Taking a deep breath in was near enough impossible without having a sharp pain slice across his chest. He shuffled closer to the edge until his bare feet hit the blue rug on the floor, toes sinking into the plush carpet. He pushed himself into a standing position on shaky legs. He took a sluggish step forward and paused, fighting a wave of dizziness and the nausea that came with it.  Shaking his head, trying to make the feeling wear off, he put another leg forward and felt his legs give away. Dizziness consumed him and he felt onto his knees, hard. He tried to break his fall with his hands outstretched, causing more shooting pains to run like electricity up his injured right arm. He cried out in pain and crumpled to the floor, tears stinging his eyes as he lay there unable to get himself up.

Sehun heard Baekhyun cry out while he was in the kitchen. He immediately turned off the stove where he was cooking some soup and ran in the direction of the guest room, halting in his step when he saw Baekhyun crumpled on the floor, clutching his right shoulder in pain.

“Baekhyun!” He shouted, his heart lurched as he ran to the omega, kneeling down in front of him. “What the hell happened, are you ok?” He asked, while scouting him head to toe looking for any new injuries. Baekhyun had his eyes scrunched with fresh tears dripping from the corners of them.

“Baekhyun, please!” Sehun shouted, louder this time when he got no response from the omega.

Baekhyun opened his eyes and fought back another wave of nausea, his head swimming as he motioned frantically to his arm.

“My arm Sehun. It hurts.” He cried, fresh tears appearing in his eyes, and Sehun wished he could do something to just take the pain away.

“How did you even end up on the floor? Wait,” he put up his hand, “don’t answer that just yet, let me get you off the floor first.”

Sehun put one arm under Baekhyun’s knees and the other under his arms and lifted him up gently as if he weighed nothing more than a feather. Baekhyun’s pain didn’t allow him to assist much other than grabbing Sehun’s shirt with his good hand, to make sure he didn’t fall. Sehun kept him close to his chest as if he was the most precious creature in the world, praying to the Goddess that he couldn’t feel his heartbeat thundering in his chest. He was placed on the bed with utmost care as Sehun made to put the duvet back on him.

Baekhyun grabbed his hand. “No please wait Sehun.”

“What were you doing out of bed Baekhyun, you aren’t strong enough.”

“I’m sorry, I really needed to get to the bathroom. I need a shower, I need to clean myself up, please, I feel disgusting.”

“You can ask me Baekhyun, I’m here to help you.” Sehun gently chastised. He sighed when he saw the crestfallen look on Baekhyun’s face as the latter bowed his head in defeat. “Come on, I’ll help you.” He said eventually.

Baekhyun’s head shot up, eyes as wide as saucers. “No! Erm….No, I can manage!” He insisted, the thought of Sehun assisting him in the shower was an absolutely mortifying one.

“You clearly can’t, come on be serious, you can’t even stand.” Sehun argued, with one eyebrow lifted. “Now, you either accept my help, or you go to sleep feeling dirty, it’s up to you.”

When Baekhyun didn’t respond, Sehun felt guilty for trying to push him. “Look Baek, you can’t really walk. If you fall again, it’ll hurt more. If it helps you, I can keep my eyes closed the whole time?”

And this is how Baekhyun found himself in the bathroom, sitting on a chair brought in by Sehun. He looked around the bathroom, almost the size of the guest bedroom itself. It was dominated by the biggest bathtub Baekhyun had ever seen, in the centre of the room, supported by golden gilded feet. There was a double shower cubicle on one side of the bathroom, the sink and toilet on the other end.  Sehun was running him a bath, having convinced Baekhyun that it would be easier and more relaxing than a shower. Baekhyun could see wisps of steam coming off from the water that was rapidly filling the huge bathtub, Sehun had mixed some sort of soap into there as rich white bubbles were forming on the surface.

“Erm,” Sehun cleared his throat, “err,” he scratched the back of his head, “erm, so, how do you wanna do this?”

“Do…..what?”

“Err, Baekhyun, I can’t get you in the tub with those clothes on….” He gestured in the general vicinity of Baekhyun, “we need to….to…. get them off?” He finished awkwardly, puffing out his cheeks and exhaling.

Baekhyun could feel his face heating up. When he’d agreed to let Sehun help, he’d forgotten about the act of or necessity of the removal of any clothing.

“Oh! Erm, right….well….I….I can do it. But…..please, can you turn around?”

Sehun turned around, feeling fidgety, trying not to picture what was going on behind him. He’d succeeding in thinking of other, less dangerous thoughts, until he heard a soft yelp coming from behind him. Baekhyun. He forcefully stopped himself from turning around, not wanting to break Baekhyun’s trust.

“Baekhyun, are you ok?” He asked instead.

“I can’t get my t-shirt over my head. This is so annoying!” He could hear the frustration in Baekhyun’s voice and could tell the omega was close to tears.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry, I can help. Can I turn around? I promise I’ll keep my eyes closed?”

Baekhyun thought about it for a moment replied a soft “Yes”. Baekhyun didn’t feel like there was anything to be scared of. If Sehun had wanted to force himself onto him, he could have done it at any point, but he remained as respectful as always.

Sehun turned around slowly, eyes closed, and walked forward gingerly, arms outstretched, not able to see a thing. His fingers hit something solid and he realised he’d reached Baekhyun.

“Ok Baek, I really can’t see anything, so you’re going to have to direct me.”

With a lot of fumbling and a healthy dose of swearing under his breath, Sehun managed to get the t-shirt over Baekhyun’s head, without having to move his injured arm. He was desperately trying to ignore the feel of soft skin under his fingertips every time they brushed against Baekhyun’s bare skin.

“Are you wearing anything else.”

“Erm, just my shorts….” Came the slightly breathless reply, “I….I can take them off while I’m in the tub.”

‘I’d rather eat my shorts than have you take them off.’  Baekhyun thought.

‘Thank Goddess for that. I’m sure even the immortal can die from too much stress.’ Sehun thought.

“Ok, let’s get you into the tub then,” he said out loud.

He once again took hold of Baekhyun and carried him bridal style to the now short distance to the bathtub. Baekhyun grabbed onto his upper arm to steady himself as he was lowered gently into the hot water, under his own verbal guidance, Sehun’s movements clumsy with his eyes closed. He let out a long sigh as his body made contact with the water that was just the right temperature, but hissed when the water hit some of his bigger wounds as it stung. He settled himself into the water and felt his muscles start to loosen and he moaned out loud when his shoulders were submerged. Feeling embarrassed, he clamped his hand to his mouth to stop himself from making any more noises.

‘The Goddess is testing me, I’m sure of it’, Sehun thought as he heard sighs and moans of contentment from Baekhyun.

He fumbled around, looking for the shampoo and washcloths not having a clue where anything was. Baekhyun’s heart melted as he saw Sehun stick to his promise of not peeking and a rush of affection shot forward unexpectedly for the man.

With a surge of courage he didn’t know he had, he whispered a quiet, “You can open your eyes.”

Sehun stilled, his hands freezing in mid-air. Not quite sure whether he heard correctly, he asked Baekhyun to repeat himself.

Baekhyun cleared his throat and repeated, in a stronger voice this time, “I said, you can open your eyes Sehun.”

Sehun slowly opened his eyes to possibly the cutest sight he’d ever seen. Baekhyun was almost fully submerged in the bubbles, with only the tops of his shoulders, neck and head visible. Some bubbles had found their way to the tip of his nose and he hadn’t noticed. Sehun reached out and gently wiped the bubbles off from his nose, making Baekhyun go cross-eyed trying to follow his finger.  They stared at each other for a heartbeat until Baekhyun broke eye contact to look around the bathroom.

 Sehun quickly broke out of his trance.

“I’ll shampoo your hair ok?” Sehun said while reaching for the bottle of shampoo.

Baekhyun endured it. The mixed feelings. Of embarrassment, gratefulness and something akin to arousal, each emotion fighting for dominance. He felt amazing as Sehun’s long, strong fingers weaved through his hair, massaging his scalp. He closed his eyes to accentuate the blissful feelings and he felt his mind unwind and relax along with his body. His hair was washed down with fresh water from the handheld shower.

After much insistence, Baekhyun was left alone to clean the rest of himself alone. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle having Sehun’s hands anywhere else. Baekhyun struggled, but managed to clean all the important bits. He needed assistance from Sehun to get out of the bathtub, this time with Sehun having his eyes closed as Baekhyun was no longer wearing any clothes. He was helped with towelling off and given a fresh top and pair of bottoms.

Despite the awkwardness, Baekhyun felt a hundred times better.

Baekhyun was twisting and turning in the sheets, his skin was covered with a thin sheen of sweat as his heart thundered in his chest at an alarming pace. He could feel hands all over him touching him everywhere. His skin felt like millions of insects were crawling all over it as a sinister voice kept whispering in his ears, ‘you dirty fucking omega. Useless piece of shit. Your existence is just to be a hole, a hole for me to enjoy.’ Even in his sleep, Baekhyun could recognise the voice of Si-Woon haunting his nightmares. His hands fisted the sheets and even the shooting pains of his arm couldn’t drag him into the waking world.

Behind his closed eyelids, he was back in his apartment, on the floor, being molested and not able to do anything to stop it. He was crying and that made Si-Woon laugh harder, a maniacal laugh that rang through Baekhyun’s ears. His fingers were roaming in places Baekhyun didn’t want them and his pleading was falling on deaf ears. He seemed to be glued to the floor and couldn’t move an inch, allowing Si-Woon to do as he pleased.

He started sobbing as clothes were removed, as his legs were spread, as dry, calloused fingers started roughly exploring his most intimate places. He let out a scream as they were shoved in none too gently….

Baekhyun woke up to the sounds of his own screaming. His duvet was tangled in his legs, evidence of his thrashing around. The room was pitch black and he was filled with terror when he realised he was alone and couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t recognise where he was, this wasn’t his bedroom. Disorientated, he screamed more, mixed in with sobbing. He took large gulps of air in, but it never seemed to be enough.

His door flew open as the room was bathed in light. He scrambled around in bed trying to get away from the intruder, a faceless person he couldn’t see with his blurry, tear filled eyes.

“No! No! Don’t come any closer, get away from me!” He screamed, tears falling down his cheeks as if a tap had been left turned on. He didn’t care that he was injuring himself more, he didn’t care that he couldn’t run away physically, all he knew was that he didn’t want this person to come any closer to him, otherwise he would lose his mind.

“Fucking hell, Baekhyun it’s me, me Sehun!” Sehun said as he came flying in to the room. Sehun very quickly realised that Baekhyun was having a nightmare as he heard screaming from his own room, however nothing  prepared him for the state he found the omega in. Baekhyun was beside himself, not aware of his surroundings and who he was with right now, screaming himself hoarse and clawing at himself in his distress. Sehun could make out scratch marks, angry red welts against his pale arms.

“Shit, fuck, Baek, stop!” He ignored the screams and the shouts of ‘go away’ and climbed atop the bed, rushing to Baekhyun on his knees. He dragged the omega close to him, holding him tight against his chest, arms enveloping him in a tight hug, preventing him from hurting himself further.

“No! NO! Get away from me, don’t touch me! I don’t want you! Leave me ALONE!” He sobbed, clawing at Sehun, digging his fingernails into anywhere he could find, not caring whether he hurt him. Still Sehun didn’t let go.

“Baekhyun, Baek, stop please. You’ll hurt yourself, it was just a nightmare baby, you’re with me, Sehun. Baek, baby, please. I promise, I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again, they’ll have to go through me first.” He rocked Baekhyun gently, willing for him to calm down.  “Please, I’m here baby.” Sehun kept repeating like a mantra, his heart breaking seeing the omega’s distress.

He had no idea how long Baekhyun struggled against him, but slowly, possibly due to sheer exhaustion, the thrashing around slowed and then stopped completely. Sehun had been consistently releasing calming pheromones, which appeared to be helping. His sobbing quietened to small hiccups as his tears soaked through Sehun’s t-shirt completely.

“Sshhh, baby, I’m here, it’s Sehun, you’re ok. I’m here.” Sehun soothed, as he cupped the back of Baekhyun’s head and held it to his chest, his other arm around him, holding him close to his body. He felt Baekhyun go lax in his arms as his hiccups died down to quiet sniffles.

“Get some sleep Baek. I’m right here ok? It was just a nightmare. No one will hurt you, I promise.”

Minutes passed, possibly hours, Sehun wasn’t sure. He’d adjusted his position slightly so that his back was now against the headboard and he was propped up against it. Baekhyun was half lying and half sitting, leaning against his chest. Sehun’s arms were still tightly wound around his torso and he didn’t dare to let go in fear of disturbing him.

He could hear Baekhyun’s deep inhales and exhales and he was sure that he was asleep. His breathing was interrupted every now and again by soft whimpers, sounding very much like a puppy. If Sehun hadn’t been so worried about him, he would have smiled at the excessive cuteness. He shifted slightly to make sure Baekhyun was in a better position and then leaned his own head back to close his eyes. Sleep came quickly, restful and serene.

Sehun woke first. He’d somehow ended up lying on his back on the bed although he didn’t remember getting into such a position. Baekhyun’s head was on his chest and he could hear his breathing, still in deep sleep. Baekhyun was curled into him, his legs tangled with Sehun’s and one arm draped across Sehun’s stomach. Sehun honestly didn’t want this moment to ever end. However, he didn’t want Baekhyun to wake up and feel embarrassed about this situation and so he carefully extricated himself from the tangle of limbs and got himself off the bed, stretching to ease the stiffness in his muscles from lying in the same position.

He left the room with one last glance, before he made his way to his own bathroom to wash up before making breakfast.

The third night was particularly bad. Yixing had told Sehun that it was a condition called PTSD – where a traumatic event becomes so ingrained into a person’s psyche, it starts affecting them negatively. Sehun felt helpless when Baekhyun was struggling, wanting nothing more than to erase his memories and make everything better instantaneously. He once again found himself holding Baekhyun, calming him down and rocking him to sleep. All whilst whispering words of comfort to him in the dimly lit room, the omega clutching onto him, tears soaking through his top once more. Sehun fell asleep once again, lost in Baekhyun’s embrace.

It was Baekhyun that woke up first this time, enveloped in a heat that was heavy and cosy. Strong arms were wrapped around him and he was snug against a rock hard chest. One of his legs was draped across Sehun’s upper thigh, claiming the spot as if it belonged there. A familiar scent of pinewood and something inherently Sehun surrounded him and he subconsciously burrowed himself to get closer still. He inhaled deeply until his brain caught up, and when it did, he had a mild panic attack.

‘Oh shit, what am I doing here? Did I crawl into his bed? Fuck.’

He lifted his head to look around and found himself in the familiar surroundings of his own temporary bedroom.

‘Wait, this is my room, that means he’s in my bed. Omg, why, why is he here? Shit. Fuck.’

His internal monologue was beginning to annoy him, so he clamped a hand over his free ear. Sehun shifted slightly, his semi-hard dick brushed against the leg that Baekhyun had draped and that caused Baekhyun to freeze, not wanting to be caught in an embarrassing position. He willed his brain to not think about what was going on under the duvet. He racked his brains to try to remember what may have happened last night, but other than going to bed, he couldn’t remember anything else. He went to bed alone.

‘Crap, did I try to seduce him? Shall I kill him so I never have to face him ever again?’

He mentally smacked himself for being so ridiculous and panicked further when Sehun started to stir. He closed his eyes and feigned sleep. Behind his closed eyelids, he waited as he felt Sehun’s arms loosen around him, almost whimpering at the loss. He kept his eyes closed as he felt Sehun move off the bed and heard him move to the door. He heard the door shut softly as Sehun left the room.

It was only after he left that Baekhyun released the breath that he didn’t realise he had been holding.

The week passed by with Baekhyun slowly regaining his strength, being assured by Yixing that his injuries were healing very well. The bones of his shoulder blade had also healed and he’d regained the movement in that arm, even though it was still quite stiff. He was now able to walk around his room and occasionally venture out into the living room to watch the tv. These excursions would take a lot of out of him and he was often found sleeping on the couch, in which case, Sehun simply covered him with a blanket and left him to rest.

They’d spoken briefly about that evening and Baekhyun had opened up about what had happened, even though Sehun had assumed pretty much the same. Having Baekhyun recall the events of that horrific evening just made Sehun all the more angry at Si-Woon. Baekhyun was still plagued by nightmares and Sehun found himself in Baekhyun’s bed, holding him while he slept on most nights. Whether Baekhyun knew of this or not he didn’t know as it wasn’t something they’d acknowledged in waking hours.

Sehun had attempted to call Junmyeon every day, his phone was still switched off. When he’d asked Baekhyun, he was told that they’d gone for important family business and he wasn’t surprised they were uncontactable. He was however expecting the whole family back in two days and Baekhyun promised he would call them himself.

Sehun was milling around in the kitchen, cooking some sort of hot pot recipe he’d been handed over by Kyungsoo. He had his phone to one ear, “Yeh, still having nightmares Xing…..yep……..yep……..I don’t mind……….nope, no idea and I’m not gonna tell him. These things you realise yourself, no one can convince you unless you feel it for yourself…….I know……..hmmm…..yeh……..keep trying the Shaman I guess, wonder where she could have gone?.......Yeh ok. Catch you later, bye.”

He hung up the phone and checked his contacts for a number he now knew practically off by heart.

His heart sped up as it was picked up on the fourth ring.

“Hello?”

“Ah hello, Junmyeon-ssi. Finally!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

“Aish, I’m so hungry!” Chanyeol complained as he alighted from the elevators on the ground floor of the office building, “I could eat a whole cow.” It was late in the afternoon and now was the only time he had stopped for a break.

Things at SKY LTD had been very busy this past week. With Sehun off and Baekhyun still recovering, the work load had increased exponentially. They were key members of the team and handled multiple projects alone. Not only this, but projects required the green light from Sehun, all of which was now being done over the phone and via email. The design department was particularly suffering as several projects had been delayed or put on hold and Jongin and Chanyeol had stepped up to get their hands dirty. Even Kyungsoo, who wasn’t part of the department had stepped in to help most days this week.

“Let’s try that Burrito place down the road. I’ve seen some of their taco bowls, they look AMAZING,” Jongin replied, practically salivating just thinking about the food. It would be a very late, very quick lunch.

“I could eat cardboard right now, but yeh, the burrito place sounds good, as long as they’re quick. What’s it called, Mexicana right?” Kyungsoo asked.

They’d exited from the turnstiles at the front and Chanyeol nodded in acknowledgement to the assistant manning the front desk. The lobby had only a handful of people walking around at this hour, the majority of the employees were in their respective departments. People bowed down to the trio as soon as they were spotted.

“Yeh. I need for Baekhyun and Sehun to come back soon,” he continued, grabbing the back of his neck and massaging it, “I might die from exhaustion otherwise.”

“Well, maybe if you looked after your employees a bit more, you wouldn’t have to overwork your delicate self,” a new voice replied from somewhere to the side.

All three alphas paused and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

“Huh?” Scoffed Chanyeol, “Whoever said that, I don’t think you’d be that brave to our faces.”

Jongdae and Junmyeon stepped forward from the shadows of the alcove they were standing in, their faces were illuminated as the light from the lobby hit their faces.

“Wanna bet?” Junmyeon asked, a warning hidden behind his words.

“Who are you?” Kyungsoo asked, stepping in their direction slightly. His face showed no sign of the recognition of these two newcomers.

“Never you mind who we are.” Jongdae replied harshly, stepping forward aggressively.

“Well that makes no sense. You’re on our property, talking absolute crap and won’t tell us who you are? What sort of rubbish is this?” Chanyeol asked, cocking his head to the side in obvious confusion.

“Coming from people who don’t give a shit about others, no wonder you wouldn’t know what we’re talking about.” Junmyeon snapped. The careful façade of calm that he was wearing was dangerously close to falling.

“So…..are you going to tell us what the fuck it is you’re actually on about? And who the hell you are? Or have you come to pick a fight for no reason?” Kyungsoo asked, eyebrows knitted, clearly losing the battle with keeping his patience, “cos I’m hungry, and needed to eat like yesterday, and you’re being annoying.”

“Baekhyun, you fuckwit.” Jongdae replied, teeth bared.

“Errr, ok psycho, you clearly aren’t Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo mocked.

“Dumb bitch, we are his family and he’s hurt because you morons can’t protect your employees. You’re employing psychos and then can’t keep a leash on them while they’re here.”

Junmyeon had received the phone call from Sehun early this morning. The witches had arrived back to Seoul from their Samhain ceremony late yesterday evening, exhausted, crawling into bed as soon as they arrived home. Junmyeon had forgotten to switch his phone on and when he woke in the morning, he had found over thirty missed calls from the same number, Sehun’s. It looked like he had been trying to contact him for days.

Before he could even call him back, the phone had rung again, the same name popping up on the screen. He’d answered it swiftly.

“Junmyeon-Ssi.”

“Sehun?”

“I’m sorry to call you in such circumstances. I’ve been trying to reach you for a few days actually. The….the thing is, it’s Baekhyun…”

Sehun had turned Junmyeon’s world upside down as he had retold the events from the incident. Junmyeon had gotten more and more angry as Sehun carried on with his explanation. He’d gripped the phone harder as Sehun described Baekhyun’s injuries and the violence that had been used against him. He grew livid as Sehun explained that Baekhyun had been sexually assaulted.

Outside, a literal storm raged as Junmyeon struggled to control his emotions, anger wrecking through his entire being. Concern for Baekhyun was being overshadowed by pure fury at Sehun’s words. He had informed Sehun he would be coming to pick Baekhyun up later and went to find Jongdae.

Both brothers were beyond angry. Both brothers had had enough. Junmyeon distinctly remembered the conversation he had with Sehun after the last incident. He had warned the alpha that nothing should happen to Baekhyun under his employment, especially subjected by other employees. And what pissed Junmyeon off more was that Sehun promised to keep him safe. He took personal responsibility. It was for this reason that Junmyeon felt somewhat secure in leaving Baekhyun for the entire week for Samhain. He had assumed that Baekhyun was in good hands. He was wrong.

They hadn’t thought twice before marching up to the SKY LTD building. Without an appointment, they weren’t allowed in anyway, and Sehun hadn’t been on site, much to their disappointment. But their visit hadn’t been in vain as Baekhyun’s other bosses were there and they knew that confronting them would be worth the wait. They were there driven by their  love for Baekhyun and hatred toward these people putting him in harm’s way time and time again. This is how they found themselves in a stand off with three of Baekhyun’s employers, in the lobby of their own building.

“Who the fuck did you just swear at?” Chanyeol asked, stepping towards the duo.

“Guys, guys, come on, let’s not do this.” Jongin tried placatingly, holding his hands up, whilst looking around furtively. Thankfully, they hadn’t been noticed as yet.

He was ignored as Jongdae replied, “What do you expect me to call a fuckwit?”

“I suggest you stop and leave.” Kyungsoo warned, eyes narrowing, dangerously.

Junmyeon leaned against a nearby wall, and crossed his legs, inspecting his nails. “Or what?” He asked, carelessly, “you’re gonna make us?” He chuckled and shook his head, one eyebrow lifting in question.

“Are you insane?” Chanyeol asked, now even more confused. “You wouldn’t be here picking a fight if you knew who we were. And you sound fucking stupid right now because you don’t even know the full story.”

Junmyeon pushed off from the wall and walked towards Chanyeol, slowly and deliberately. Jongin looked between the two, worried that this was a situation that was about to escalate very quickly and very badly.

“If being worried for your family is called insanity these days, then so be it, we are insane. As we said, Baekhyun is our family. You and your people failed to protect him on YOUR property, at his workplace, not once, not twice, but three fucking times. He’s been through enough, and it stops here.”

Chanyeol stared. Not quite believing that this person was saying these things to him. Of course, if you weren’t from their community, you wouldn’t know not to mess with an alpha as strong as him.  He threw his head back and laughed, mainly in disbelief, but also because he was finding this really funny. A deep, belly laugh that echoed in the expanse of the huge lobby.

Several heads turned to look in their direction, seeing nothing but a group of five men standing and talking. Not interesting enough to interrupt their daily activities, they spared nothing more than a glance and continued with whatever that they were doing.

Chanyeol stopped laughing abruptly. The silence left behind was almost deafening.

“That sounds like a threat,” he said, eerily calm, as if he wasn’t just laughing his head off a few seconds ago.  “Soo, don’t you think that sounds like a threat?”

“Chanyeol, please, no one is threatening anyone….right….random strangers, there’s no threat going on here right? Soo tell him.”

Jongin was desperate to diffuse the escalating situation, knowing full well that both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo’s tempers were like ticking time bombs, their powers volatile and affected easily by their mood. He could not have them creating a scene with defenseless humans in a public area.

He turned to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo when he heard no reply from either of them, “what the hell guys, seriously?” He hissed, “You’re comparing dick sizes with humans? That’s not even a fair comparison. Walk away. Now. How are you gonna let something like this affect you this much?”

“Soo, don’t you think that sounds like a threat?” Jongdae mimicked, patronizingly, “PLEASE! This guy here is shorter than me.” He drawled, pointing at Kyungsoo, “I could flick him on his forehead and he would topple over don’t you think Junmyeon hyung?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t wanna touch such spineless creatures Dae.”

“How. Fucking. Dare. You.” Kyungsoo enunciated each word separately, not used to being spoken to so rudely. Each word of his was laced with anger, danger simmering just under the surface. His hands were fisted at his sides as he struggled to control his notoriously short temper. Usually, Kyungsoo was one of the gentlest and soft spoken of the group, but when he was angry, it was frightening.

Jongin felt the first faint tremors coming from the ground as Kyungsoo spoke. He looked at the alpha and saw that his eyebrows were knitted and a scowl was fixed on his face. No one else had noticed the disruption and Jongin sighed, thinking that maybe it was over.

“Soo….”

“I just dared, didn’t I?” Junmyeon shot back, coming closer still, the four of them now positioned as if they were facing off.

Jongin felt another tremor, stronger, as the lights in the ceiling of the vast lobby flickered a few times, causing silence to fall amongst the people present there.

“Guys….Soo….please…..Chan….” He tried again, more desperate this time.

“Seems like you can’t afford your electric bills. Shame.” Jongdae tutted, looking up at the ceiling.

The Earth shook this time, stronger and more obviously.  Just as it registered with Jongin, he heard a woman scream as she lost her balance. A few others caught on as they heard the rumbles coming from the ground and started shouting, running for cover from what they thought was an earthquake. All except, this wasn’t an earthquake. This was Kyungsoo, losing control of his powers and disrupting the natural balance of the Earth in his anger.

Jongin acted fast, before Kyungsoo brought the whole building down and accidentally hurt people. He forcefully pushed the four of them together, they were standing uncomfortably close to one another anyway so it wasn’t hard. He wrapped his arms around them, making sure he was in contact with all of them and flicked an invisible switch in his mind, disappearing with them on the spot, leaving the chaos behind.

“…OFF ME…” Someone shouted as all four of them tumbled to the ground, giddy and nauseous from their abrupt travels.

“I’m gonna be sick!” Jongdae screamed, heaving into the grass.

“What the fuck Jongin? “ Chanyeol said, clearly pissed off. He stood up, having recovered quicker than Jongdae and Junmyeon, dusting off his pants.

“What was the need?” Kyungsoo was next to ask.

“There was a need, you were gonna cause the whole fucking building to collapse Kyungsoo. Or were you so angry that you didn’t even realise that you were scaring the shit out of everyone?”

“I had it under control.” Kyungsoo was adamant.

“Did you? Did you really? It was a public space. People were scared.”

“Can someone tell us what the fuck just happened?” Junmyeon asked, confused.

Him and Jongdae had finally recovered from the sudden onset of vertigo and were getting themselves up from the ground. They looked around and found themselves in a meadow, possibly the clearing of a forest. The grass was uncut and mid shin height, small purple wildflowers were dotted here and there amongst the green, clearly trying to survive the colder weather. The trees surrounding the meadow were big and quite densely packed. Where they were, they weren’t sure. Why and how they were there was a bigger mystery.

“How on Earth did we get here? What sort of dark magic witchcraft shit is this?” Jongdae asked, looking at Chanyeol, Jongin and Kyungsoo accusingly.

Chanyeol scoffed. “Please, that’s not witchcraft, that’s power. It should teach you not to run your mouth with us. If you know what’s good for you.”

“Jongin,” he turned to face him, “I can understand why you would want to get Soo out of there, the fucker is mad crazy when he’s angry, but why did you need to bring dumb and dumber along?” He gestured towards Junmyeon and Jongdae with his thumb.

“I panicked ok! You guys were arguing. And then Soo looked like he was gonna go crazy and people got scared and I thought the whole building was going to come down and then I just grabbed everyone and came here!” Jongin knew he was rambling.

“No but WAIT!” Jongdae interrupted once again, holding up a hand. “Someone tell me how the fuck we got here. Now. If you don’t want us to hurt you, you’ll tell us.”

“Please, stop being so delusional.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

“Witchcraft is dangerous in unskilled hands, and you ain’t no witches.” Jongdae warned.

“You can’t use your illegal skills to protect Baekhyun from harm, but you can do this kinda shit?” Junmyeon asked, genuinely curious.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “Firstly, these aren’t ‘illegal skills’,” he air quoted with his hands, “Second, why is someone else’s shitty behaviour our responsibility? What happened with Baekhyun was some messed up shit and the fucker has been punished, but you can’t blame us for something we didn’t even do.”

“I can and I will blame you for not acting to stop it. You knew. You all knew. If I could grab that bitch Sehun and tell him to his face, I would.” Junmyeon said.

“Stop talking.” Kyungsoo warned, his anger literally still on the edge, bubbling once again at the rudeness by which Junmyeon was addressing Sehun.

“The funny thing is,” Junmyeon continued, ignoring him, “Baekhyun loves working with you guys. But you can’t even offer an Omega a safe place to work. I thought that sort of discrimination stopped a few hundred years ago? Or are you guys such cowards that you can’t even control your own kind? Fucking alpha animals.” Junmyeon spat out.

“I said,” Kyungsoo gritted out, hands fisted once more at his sides, “stop talking.”

“Hyung, wasn’t it you who said alphas were domesticated enough to live amongst society? It looks like they still think with their dicks. Maybe they forgot to evolve with the omegas.” Jongdae looked the alphas up and down, face twisted with disgust.

“Ok that’s enough!” Chanyeol said, stepping forward, his brows furrowed. “You’ve said enough. We aren’t going to listen to it anymore. I suggest you walk away, or…..”

“Or…..you’re gonna make us?” mocked Junmyeon, an arrogant smirk appearing on his face.

“Yeh, I’m gonna make you.” Chanyeol replied, squaring up.

Jongin noticed the tiny flickers of fire appearing on his knuckles as he realized that Chanyeol was powering up. ‘Shit, this is not good.’

“Chanyeol…” He warned out loud.

“I bet you want me to say I’m scared, but I’m not. Bet that hurts your fragile ego, doesn’t it? Wolf?” Junmyeon goaded, looking for a fight.

“Wolf? You need to show me some respect, midget, I could crush you easily. Don’t test me.” Chanyeol warned, his voice now an octave lower. His hands were completely engulfed in flames and he extended them to let a fireball free from each – both landing precisely at the feet of the witches.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” Jongdae screamed as both he and Junmyeon stepped back in horror, to avoid being hit. “WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU? NO WAIT! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?” he shouted, voice rising to alarming volumes.

“I warned you not to mess with me,” Chanyeol replied, eerily calm, advancing a couple of steps forward.

“Stop it with the witchcraft and tricks. Two can play that game you know.” Junmyeon replied, now even more pissed than he was before. He extended his fingers in front of him and a jet steam of water came forth, hitting Chanyeol square in the face.

“What the fuck?” Chanyeol staggered back, out of surprise rather than pain, spluttering as the water went into his mouth.

Junmyeon smirked, “not nice to be caught by surprise is it?”

“Nice trick there, what did you use? A kid’s water pistol? Maybe try harder though, idiot.”

“Can you guys please stop?” Jongin asked again, his pleas falling on deaf ears.

“No hyung,” Jongdae stepped forward, addressing Junmyeon, “This fucker literally attacked us with black magic fire, you can’t be nice to him. Let me.”

Jongdae stepped forward and raised his hands to the sky, which rumbled menacingly. He swiped both hands quickly in a downward motion, bringing to life a bright bolt of lightening which hit the nearest tree, setting its branches on fire.

“Next one will be on your heads.” He warned.

“What the fuck, where did you get that sort of sorcery from?” Chanyeol asked, both him and Kyungsoo stared at the tree in disbelief.

Kyungsoo turned and stared at the two witches, finally registering what was just said.

“I don’t like your threat.” He said, and without warning, punched the ground where he stood. The sheer force of the punch caused a split in the ground, which travelled in a line right up to Jongdae, causing him to split his legs apart to avoid tripping up.

“I can make that wider for you if you like so you can hopefully fall in?” He said, with a sinister smile.

“That’s not very nice is it?” Junmyeon asked, shooting a power jet of icy cold water out of the palm of his hand, into Kyungsoo’s legs. The force of it caused him to lose his balance, and he fell forward, needing to outstretch his hands to break his fall.

“Soo!” Jongin shouted, rushing to the alpha to help him up.

“You shouldn’t have done that you fucker.” Chanyeol shouted, firing up another fireball and aiming it for Junmyeon’s chest, who only missed it narrowly thanks to Jongdae pushing him to the side.

“Since when did this go from threatening to maiming to attempting to kill?” Jongdae asked, “Guess I can’t expect anything different from you.” He squared his shoulders as he saw Kyungsoo getting himself up fully and dusting himself off, his clothes now caked with mud. “You want to play dirty? Let’s play dirty. We don’t mind.”

He cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck, bracing his feet slightly apart, he straightened his arms fully by his size, fingers outstretched. Jongin could see streaks of lightening dancing around his fingertips and he knew this wouldn’t end well. On the other side, he could see Chanyeol squaring up in a similar stance, eyes laser focused, latched onto his target: Jongdae.

‘Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, what shall I do?’

He made up his mind in a split second. There was only one way to stop this, Sehun. He needed to get him and get him quickly, before any one got hurt. Only he could stop this madness, and with that thought, he disappeared.

Sehun was in his kitchen, he was making a pot of chamomile tea. Apparently according to Yixing, it would not only help Baekhyun feel more relaxed, but also help with his nightmares. He was anxious about him leaving his apartment and staying with Junmyeon. The only thing which seemed to be helping the omega’s night time terrors was Sehun holding him through the night. Baekhyun didn’t hear the whispered promises of keeping him safe forever, neither did they ever acknowledge the happenings at night, even though Sehun knew they were both aware that they had been sharing a bed for almost a week. Sehun had grown accustomed to waking up with a warm body next to him, sometimes with various limbs wrapped around him.

He almost dropped the pot of tea when Jongin appeared out of nowhere, almost landing on top of him.

“Fucking hell Jongin, where’s the fire? Why are you here?”

“Sehun, please, you HAVE to come with me,” Jongin insisted, sounding like he’d run a marathon, tugging on Sehun’s arm.

“What? Where?”

“There’s no fucking time! Chanyeol and Soo, they’re…they’re fighting, with their powers, in the office, it was all shaking, everyone thought it was an earthquake.” His words all jumbled out, one after another and Sehun was struggling to make sense of them.

“I took them, all of them and now they’re fighting. And the other people have witchcraft black magic powers, they’re so strong. Some one is going to get hurt, you HAVE TO COME NOW!” He finished, breathlessly.

“I don’t fucking understand anything. Jongin, who is fighting Chanyeol and Soo, and where? Why?”

“There’s no time Sehun!” He pleaded, “Someone called Hyung and Dae, I think.”

“What about Dae and Hyung?” A new voice interrupted as Baekhyun walked into the kitchen slowly, catching the tail end of the conversation.

“I can’t explain right now sorry Baekhyun. Sehun you have to come now, someone will get hurt!”

“What? What are you saying, Dae and Hyung are in danger? Where? I’m coming too.”

“Not now, please Baekhyun.” Jongin pleaded once again.

“No, I want to know, if it’s about Dae and Hyung, I wanna come and I wanna know.” Baekhyun was adamant.

“No Baekhyun, you need to stay here, you aren’t strong enough.” Sehun disagreed. “Come on Jongin.”

Baekhyun stood in front of the doorway to the kitchen, arms outstretched as if to stop anyone from leaving the room.

“No, that’s my family you are talking about and if they are in trouble, I wanna be there to help. You can’t stop me from going Sehun.”

Sehun sighed and looked between Jongin and Baekhyun.

“SEHUN, THERE IS NO TIME!” Jongin all but shouted.

Sehun knew that Baekhyun would never forgive him if something were to happen to Junmyeon or Dae and so he discreetly nodded his head at Jongin in silent assent to comply.

Jongin sighed with relief at a decision finally being made and rushed forward with Sehun, grabbing hold of Baekhyun and disappearing on the spot.

Baekhyun felt a pinch somewhere near his navel as the world spun around him impossibly fast. His stomach came up to his throat as he struggled to hold down his lunch. It was impossible to gauge how much time had lapsed, but he felt the pull at his navel stop abruptly as he lost his footing and fell to his knees. As he fell, his arms came out instinctually to break his fall and his hands made contact with….grass?

He focused his eyes at the foreign sensation on his palms, grass being the last thing he expected to feel. Sure enough, under his palms, long blade of grass were poking out through his out-spread fingers. Nausea forgotten, his head jerked up as he honed in on the scene in front of him. He was in a grassy meadow somehow, a large, almost circular patch, with overgrown grass and pretty purple flowers dotted around. Surrounding the meadow were huge trees. One was on fire. Alarm bells starting ringing in Baekhyun’s head as his memory brought up similar pictures from the past.

His head swam with questions of ‘how’, ‘where am I?’ and ‘how did I get here?’ But there was no space for these questions as the scene in front of him unfolded like a poorly thought out action movie. What on Earth Jongdae and Junmyeon were doing in this meadow, he didn’t know. Jongdae had dirt on his face and his left sleeve was on fire. Junmyeon was putting out the fire, but also had a gash on his forehead, the hair matted with blood. Both witches looked disheveled but livid.

He looked further into the distance, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. Why the fuck were they there? Why did Chanyeol have half of his shirt burned off? Why was Kyungsoo wet from head to toe? Why did all of them look filthy, as if they had been rolling around in mud? Looking around, he saw large clumps of dirt upturned on the ground, some of it had turned into mud as water had mixed in with the dirt.

He turned around to voice his confusion with the situation to Sehun and Jongin, when he caught a flash of something orange and bright from the corner of his eye. Chanyeol’s hand was on fire! He stood up abruptly, mouth opening to shout for help when he stopped as he realization dawned on him. Chanyeol wasn’t in pain. In fact, his arm was outstretched, palm forward, fire engulfing his whole hand. His expression was a mixture of rage and concentration.

Baekhyun frantically followed the path his palm was facing and it landed on Junmyeon. Junmyeon whose concentration was still on Jongdae. Junmyeon whose back was turned to Chanyeol. Junmyeon who didn’t know he was about to be attacked with fire.

He didn’t think. He ran. His only focus was Junmyeon and getting to him.

“Hyung!” He shouted at the top of his voice, his ears ringing with panic. He was so close. He didn’t know what he was going to do, he just knew he needed to get to Junmyeon. His limbs were on fire as he pushed himself, faster still. He thought he felt a wound splitting open on his tummy as pain sliced through him, but he carried on. His arm and shoulder were screaming for him to stop, but he ploughed on, focus solely on his target. Junmyeon. Somewhere behind him and far in the back of his conscious, he heard someone cry ‘Baekhyun!’, but he paid no heed to the voice as he continued to run.

He looked to the side to see the fireball leaving Chanyeol’s outstretched palm just as he reached Junmyeon who was now turning around to check the commotion. Baekhyun jumped in the same instance.

“No!” He screamed.

“Baek!” Junmyeon shouted.

Several things happened at once.

Several voices were heard shouting out Baekhyun’s name. Baekhyun had jumped the remaining distance to Junmyeon, with nothing on his mind but getting to his hyung.

Suddenly, a brilliant white light shone, seemingly out of Baekhyun’s every pore. A light so bright and powerful that the blast radius was strong enough to knock all individuals in the meadow off their feet onto the ground. The fireball melted upon contact as if it never existed in the first place. Everyone was knocked to the ground, all except one, who felt the Earth rumbling around him. He staggered back a couple of steps as the light erupted from Baekhyun like a supernova charged up to the max. He had to turn his head and close his eyes as the light became too bright even for him, so bright that he saw spots dancing in front of his closed eyelids. His ears were assaulted by white noise, taking over all the other noises nature had to offer.

Baekhyun on the other hand crumpled under the sheer force of power coming out of his very soul. Unable to control it from sucking the life force out of him, he collapsed onto the ground in front of Junmyeon, and as he lost consciousness, the light energy receded and folded in on itself leaving behind a dull glow, surrounding Baekhyun’s body.

Sehun opened his eyes as soon as the white noise died down to see Baekhyun crumpled on the floor. He began to sprint towards the omega who wasn’t moving.

“Baekhyun!” He shouted, to no response. Alarmed, he ran faster.

At the corner of his eyes, he could see the others getting up and moving towards Baekhyun. Sehun was furious. No one was allowed anywhere near Baekhyun. Not right now. No one but him.

“NO!” He bellowed, his voice ringing out in the meadow, echoing off the trees as he crouched down on one knee, head bowed, halfway through his sprint. He lifted his arms to his side, palms facing outwards as a burst of energy reverberated through the air forming an almost invisible shield which cocooned only him and Baekhyun. The invisible power that vibrated the air surrounding the cocoon blasted everyone a few feet into the air and they landed heavily onto the hard ground again.

Sehun got up and hurried to Baekhyun, hand reaching out to pull him onto his back. His eyes were closed and he was deathly pale. His hair was in a disarray. Sehun knelt closer to him as he checked for signs of life and let out a shaky exhale when he felt air movement on the back of his hand. He picked Baekhyun up in his arms, his limp body complying with the action with no resistance.

Sehun turned to walk in the direction he came from, concentrating hard, and vanished on the spot, leaving behind five individuals in varying stages of disbelief.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

Somewhere in a small suburban house in Seoul, Kim Gyeong felt a tug deep in her chest. She dropped the dish that she was drying and it fell to the tiled floor in a clatter, shattering to pieces. She clutched at her chest where she felt the weird sensation, not entirely like pain, more like an elastic band being stretched to its limits.

She closed her eyes as her skin prickled with awareness, small beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and just above her upper lip. She felt the tingles of ancient magic dancing across her skin, the atmosphere suddenly alive with it, as if it were agitated. The particles of magic were almost tangible in the air and she sensed then humming in anticipation as the elastic band in her chest finally snapped, causing the particles of magic to collide with one another, cancelling each other out. She felt the magic ebb away, vanishing as if it never existed in the first place.

Kim Gyeong let out a shaky breath as she opened her eyes. Leaning into the kitchen counter for support. Her spell was broken. She knew it would have only been a matter of time before it did, only she didn’t know when exactly. Only her grandsons could have broken this spell, knowingly or unknowingly, and in doing so, they set forth a chain of events which no one would be able to stop.

She composed herself, took some deep breaths and picked up the broken shards of the dish on the floor, calmly as if nothing had happened. Housework forgotten, she made her way into the cellar of the house. Time was short and there was a lot to do.

They would be coming.

“What do you guys even think you were doing pulling off a stunt like that?” Minseok addressed the four people sat in front of him, his icy glare causing them all to wither in their seats.

“You two,” he stated, gesturing vaguely towards Jongdae and Junmyeon, “I don’t even know where to start with you, but you two,” he pointed towards Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, “should have known better, Goddess knows, you’ve lived bloody long enough.”

Both alphas bowed their heads, they knew that they were partly responsible for the events that unfolded earlier in the day, and with that realisation came the shame.

“They started it though.” Kyungsoo mumbled, almost inaudibly.

“What, I didn’t hear you?” Minseok asked, pissed.

“I said,” he repeated a little louder, “they started it. I just wanted my lunch. Which I’ve still not had by the way.”

“Ya!” Jongdae shouted, getting up from the couch and pointing accusingly at Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. “We started nothing! If you didn’t attack us with your black magic, which is ILLEGAL by the way, then I wouldn’t have attacked you back!”

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo both stood up, hands fisting at their sides as their anger bubbled to the surface once again.

“Pot calling kettle black much? You’re the ones using black magic and you dare to point the finger at us?” Chanyeol spat, incredulous.

“Now just you wait…” Junmyeon was furious, “we’ve got to sit here and listen to this shit, knowing Baekhyun is behind that door..,” he pointed to the door of the guest bedroom Baekhyun had been taken to, “and we have no idea how he is. If you guys hadn’t used your black magic, then Baekhyun wouldn’t be in this state!” His voice rose in volume as his anger grew.

“Fuckwit, he’s being treated, no one can see him right now,” Chanyeol looked at Junmyeon as if he was an idiot.

“I swear, if you call me names once again, I….”

“Will you all just SHUT UP!” Minseok shouted, standing up in the centre of the room, in the middle of the group. He shot another glare at each of them, silently challenging them to defy him. Kyungsoo opened his mouth to say something, but stopped short when Minseok pointed a threatening finger at him. Despite being scared shitless of Minseok’s anger, it didn’t stop them from staring daggers at each other.

Minseok first turned to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. Jongin remained seated on the sofa next to them, not daring to move a muscle. Minseok was scary when he was angry and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of the anger.

“You two. How you are having the nerve to speak up right now is beyond me. You should know better. Hell, you’ve been here for long enough to know better. What you did today was downright fucking dangerous. How many times have you been told to control yourselves? You’ve just exposed yourselves. What explanation are we supposed to give?”

“I…” Kyungsoo tried once again, but was interrupted with Minseok holding his finger up.

“I wasn’t finished.” Kyungsoo shut his mouth.

He then turned to Jongdae and Junmyeon.

“And you two. What the fuck? Who are you? Who are you really? Why do you possess black magic and why do you know about the community of wolves? What were you doing instigating a fight with these two idiots?” He gestured behind him.

“We don’t have ‘black magic’, we never have and never will. But, I could say the same to these two,” Junmyeon accused, looking over at Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. “Why do you guys have black magic?”

“Then? Who are you?” Minseok asked, ignoring their question.

Junmyeon sighed. He would have to offer some sort of an explanation, he didn’t really have a choice, there was no backing out from what had happened earlier. Too many people were involved and Baekhyun was injured. It was sort of his fault.

“I won’t be the only one offering explanations.”

“Feel free to go first though.” Minseok refused to back down.

Junmyeon sighed once again. His tongue felt like cotton as he spoke out about their biggest secret. “You might have heard of the White Witches?” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Hyung…,” Jongdae sounded unsure.

“Yes?”

Junmyeon raised an eyebrow, wondering why the conclusion hadn’t been reached already.

“Well, you’re looking at two of them.”

“Lies!” Kyungsoo shot out. “Hyung, we all know the White Witches were wiped out years ago, we haven’t been able to track any since then.” He looked at Junmyeon and Jongdae suspiciously.

“You weren’t able to track us because our Grandma is stronger than your tracking skills are.” Jongdae shot back.

“Now where did a Grandma come from? Next you’ll be telling us about a whole town full of witches.” Kyungsoo didn’t drop the suspicious tone from his voice.

“If you listen, I will explain.” Junmyeon said, patiently. “Our Grandma, she concealed us really well. You are looking at two out of three of the last surviving White Witches. We are Kim Junmyeon and Kim Jongdae of the Kim Coven.” Junmyeon finished, chest swelling with pride. He suddenly, inexplicably felt lighter. He was met with total silence in the room.

Jongdae cleared his throat, “Now, now that you who we are, we ask you. Where did you get your black magic from? You guys aren’t witches. This is highly illegal.”

“Hang on,” Jongin finally stood up, “We know the Kim clan, they were the strongest coven of witches in history. You’re telling me that you guys are from Kim clan of White Witches and you’ve been under our nose the entire time, and we didn’t know?”

“Yeh.”

“Then how comes we couldn’t track you? And, why do you have powers? Is it magic?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion.

“I’m not telling you anything else about our history,” Junmyeon replied, “before you answer my question. Why are you using black magic? That is punishable by law.”

Minseok was the next to speak up. “We don’t use any magic, let alone black magic. Before I explain further though, everyone should sit down, I feel like I’m at a bloody battlefield.”

He continued once everyone had taken their respective positions on the couches.

“We don’t practice black magic and you’re right, it is illegal, unless of course, you are a black witch, but we all know they aren’t in existence anymore.” He looked around the room. “In answer to your question though, we are known as the guardians. At least, we were, in ancient times.”

There was silence. Everyone was looking at the witches, waiting for the ball to drop.

“Wait,” Jongdae exclaimed as realisation dawned, “THE guardians? Like the GUARDIANS guardians?”

“Yep.”

“Shut up! No way! Granny told us about them, in a lot of detail.”

“I’m sure she did.”

“Hold on, wait a minute! You’re telling me that this lanky idiot here is Loey? The fire wolf?” He imitated Chanyeol’s fireballs with a silent ‘poof’ into the air.

“Hey! Watch your mouth!” Chanyeol was offended.

“And….and…..D.O……Wolf of the Earth?”     

“Yep.”

“And….teleport…..Hyung, teleportation?”

“Kai.” Junmyeon replied, looking at the man himself.

“Yes! Kai! This guy here…,” Jongdae gestured wildly towards Jongin, “Is fucking Kai?”

“Yep.”

“And who are you?” He asked Minseok.

“I have the gift of frost.”

“Goddess, you’re Xiumin?! The Ice Wolf?”

“Yep.”

“Don’t you like have super strength or something? That shit is legendary.”

“We all have.”

“Hang on, there are supposed to be….erm….two or three more?”

“Two.” Minseok replied. “Sehun and Lay.”

“WAIT THE FUCK UP!” Jongdae screeched, “Lay, the Healer Lay? Is that who is with Baekhyun right now?”

“Yep.”

“Well, fuck me. I thought he was an actual doctor.” Jongdae exclaimed sinking back into the couch.

“So Sehun,” Junmyeon began, almost afraid to ask, “what are his gifts, or powers?”

“Erm,” Minseok started, “how do I explain? Sehun is a bit different.”

“How?”

“His primary power is the control of wind. But he has everyone’s power. Our power source is him.”

“Your power source is him? How does that work? Are you telling me that that wolf in there…..” he pointed towards the direction of the spare room, “is THE Alpha Prime?” He finished in a hushed whisper.

“Yep.”

“Oh fuck.” Jongdae exclaimed, more to himself than anyone else. “My head hurts. My brain is going to explode.”

“He didn’t always go by the name of Sehun, did he?” Junmyeon asked, remembering his Grandma’s stories.

“No,” Minseok replied. “He only assumed that name a couple of hundred years ago. History would know him better as Wu Shi Xun.”

Goosebumps erupted along Junmyeon’s arms at the mention of that name, written into all the legends. Stories of Wu Shi Xun had changed so much over the years that no one really knew what was legend and what was the truth anymore. Clearly, it seemed that the majority was truth. The evidence was right in front of his eyes.

“You guys are old!” Jongdae cried from beside him.

“Yeh?” Kyungsoo asked, “We can still kick your ass.”

“You wanna bet?” Jongdae challenged, never one to back down from a fight.

“Not again, can you lot please shut up?” Minseok asked, tired from their bickering. He turned to Junmyeon, “I’ve told you about us, now tell us everything about you.”

“There’s not much else to be told to be honest. You know how powerful our coven was….well still is. There was a fire many years ago where our coven was gathered for a party and we survived thanks to our Grandma. I think she suspected foul play because she hid us. She cast a powerful spell which meant we couldn’t be tracked and our magic couldn’t be traced. That’s why you couldn’t sense us.” Junmyeon explained.

“We moved into the same street as Baekhyun and that’s how we know him. He knew that we were witches. I think he was the only one outside of the three of us that knew.” Jongdae continued the explanation. “You know what gets me though?  I knew Grandma was strong, but I didn’t know she was that strong that even the Alpha Prime couldn’t break through her spell. I’m so impressed.” He mused.

“Your Grandma sounds like a pretty impressive witch.” Minseok stated.

“She is.” Jongdae replied with a fond smile, “scary too.”

“Why did she hide you?”

“We have no idea. She won’t tell us. She said that the time would come, but it wasn’t whenever we asked.” Jongdae explained.

“So now what?” Junmyeon asked.

“What do you mean?” Minseok replied.

“What happens now?”

“Nothing I guess? I don’t know? I just hope you guys stop being such idiots and stop fighting. Baekhyun isn’t doing too well, Yixing and Sehun are still working on him, we wait for updates. Yixing had told us that things were going to be really hard.”

“But what I want to know is what the fuck happened out there,” Jongin spoke up, “what the hell was happening to Baekhyun? What was that? That light was so bright! I’m still half blind!”

“Yeh? And what the hell was Sehun doing? My ass still hurts from being knocked over like that, TWICE!” Jongdae complained.

“Why does he care what happens to Baekhyun so much? Even WE haven’t even been able to see him, I’m worried sick about him.” Junmyeon asked.

The wolves in the room all looked at one another, knowing the answer to that question.

“Errr, well you see, the erm….answer to that is that……they’re mates.” Chanyeol mumbled out the sentence.

“What?”

“Mates. They’re mates.” He said, clearer this time.

“Eh?” Jongdae asked, incredulous. “Our Baek, mates with Sehun? Like, mates mates? Are you for real?”

“Yeh, mates is something wolves take very seriously actually, we don’t joke around with that and it’s not something you can fake.” Chanyeol explained.

“I know what mates are Chanyeol, everyone does. I just can’t believe that Baek has found his. And Sehun out of everyone….that’s just…..wow.” He finished on an exhale.

“Wait!” Junmyeon suddenly gripped Jongdae’s arm, causing Jongdae to startle and whine, “Ouch! Hyuuuung!”

“Shit, what did Granny tell us in our stories, years ago, Dae, do you remember?”

“No, but I think you’ve broken my arm though.” Jongdae whined, rubbing his now sore arm.

“Focus Dae! Remember when Granny used to say, the mate of the Alpha Prime will be the…”

“Omega Prime.” Junmyeon, Jongdae and Kyungsoo all finished at once.

Everyone stared at one another, words no longer necessary as they all understood the true weight of that statement. Sehun was the Alpha Prime and Baekhyun was the Omega Prime, effectively the second most powerful being to exist after the alpha.

“Well blow me.” Chanyeol huffed out, the revelation a bit too much for him. “We’re lucky we’re all still alive after the both of them knocked us on our asses like that.”

“Let’s hope Baekhyun’s strong enough to pull out of whatever is going on in that room, because if I remember correctly, he didn’t look too hot before Sehun took him away.” Kyungsoo added.

Kyungsoo had just voiced out exactly what Junmyeon had been thinking and worrying about ever since they’d arrived at this apartment soon after Sehun had left. His earlier anger had all washed away only to be replaced by concern for Baekhyun. Baekhyun had jumped in front of an attack to protect Junmyeon, putting himself in harms way. The guilt of this was eating away at him. How would he ever forgive himself if anything ever happened to him? The fact that Lay had been in there for so long was causing him to have a bad feeling. A feeling that not everything was ok. His hand fumbled along the couch until he made contact with Jongdae’s and he clasped it tight, their fingers interlocking in silent support of their brother.

Until an idea struck him. He almost smacked his hand against his forehead for not thinking of this an hour earlier.

“I need you to pull yourself together and help me Sehun.” Yixing demanded firmly.

Yixing found himself once again tending to an unconscious and very unwell Baekhyun. He’d been given a brief summary and description of what had happened in the meadow earlier by Sehun and his conclusion was that Baekhyun was dying. Obviously this news was unacceptable to Sehun who was not only distraught, but livid.

Yixing had been pouring energy into Baekhyun for the past hour. Somehow, whatever had happened in the meadow earlier had drained the life force out of him. He had already been weakened from the attack by Si-Woon, enormous amounts of energy had been expended to repair the physical injuries to his body. He hadn’t been strong enough to do whatever he had done and now he was dying. Despite all of Yixing’s efforts, despite lending all of his energy to the omega, he was dying.

Yixing could feel the dull glow of Baekhyun’s life force at the centre of his chest. What was once burning brightly was now a feeble thrum, threatening to extinguish at the lightest of touches.

Yixing removed his concentration from Baekhyun for a brief moment. Sehun was sitting in the corner of the room, on the edge of a cosy looking armchair. His entire body was tensed, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. He’d never seen the alpha like this before and he prayed to the Goddess that this would be the last time.

He kneeled in front of him and put his hands on his legs. Sehun looked up at him, startled out of his thoughts, “I can’t lose him Xing.”

“Well, you will if you don’t help me.”

“What?”

“You heard me, I need you to stop moping here uselessly and lend me your energy. You know that when I tap into your energy, my power is boosted, so give it to me.”

Sehun didn’t need asking twice. He got up from the armchair and followed Yixing back to the bed. His eyes traced the sleeping form of Baekhyun, his face looking ghostly pale. There was a dull white aura surrounding him, something Sehun hadn’t seen before today, but it was so close to fading completely, a sign of his dwindling life form. His silky brown hair was splayed against the pillow. Sehun fought the urge to hold onto him tightly.

He sat down beside him and turned to Yixing. “Ok, what needs doing.”

“Nothing, just lend me your power, I’ll do the rest.”

Sehun clasped one of Baekhyun’s hands and one of Yixing hands, forming a link between the two of them. He closed his eyes and concentrated on opening the floodgates, power rushing out of him endlessly and encasing both Baekhyun and Yixing. He felt the magical swell energy as it saturated the air around them.

He left the gates opened. His energy flowed endlessly through the physical link between them. He saw nothing behind his closed lids. White noise rushing through his ear drums prevented any other noises from breaking his concentration. This was ok, this part was easy. He had unlimited energy and Baekhyun could have it all, as long as he woke up and was ok again.

He opened his eyes as he felt a pull of restraint from Yixing. The alpha looked tired, sweat forming on his forehead in little droplets, energy expended, spent on Baekhyun in huge amounts. Sehun furrowed his brows in concern for his friend as he reached across and broke the contact between Yixing hand’s and Baekhyun’s chest where it was resting lightly.

Yixing looked at Sehun questioningly, the latter only shaking his head and smiling lightly. Sehun grabbed both of Yixing’s hands and allowed more energy to flow from himself to Yixing, giving him a much needed boost.

“I can’t have my friend getting sick.” He explained, with a small smile.

Yixing squeezed his hands, thanking him silently. He reached across to place his hand on Baekhyun’s chest once again. He sighed in disappointment.

“It’s not enough Sehun. I….he….I….I don’t know.” He raked his hand through his hair in frustration. “Can you not exchange your blood?”

Sehun shook his head, “You know I can’t, without his permission, it would kill him faster.”

“What about your mating bond?”

“What mating bond? He doesn’t even know we’re mates, we haven’t even got far enough to mate. That bond is only one sided.”

“Fucking hell!” Yixing rarely swore. “All this ancient magic at our fingertips and none of it can be used to save him.”

Sehun was normally a very strong man. Nothing much was capable of stressing him out. Not until he met Baekhyun that is. He’d never felt helplessness like this before. Now he understood why finding a mate was both a blessing and a curse. While it could make you unimaginably stronger, it could also cripple you in a heartbeat. And this is exactly what Sehun felt. He felt crippled. His mate was lying on the bed in front of him, dying. And even with all the power that he held, all the magic at his disposal, he wasn’t able to save him. Whatever Baekhyun had done in that meadow had destroyed him. And now it was destroying Sehun.

“Sehun, I’m going to go out and explain what’s happening ok? His family is out there too, they should know.”

Sehun barely heard him and barely registered him leaving the room. He was left with a suffocating silence and if Sehun concentrated too hard, he could hear the walls closing in on him. This couldn’t be the end. He wouldn’t allow it to be the end. There was still so much he needed to tell Baekhyun. There was so much they still needed to experience together. He was supposed to live out eternity with him. Then why was he leaving him so soon? Why was his soulmate not fighting to come back to him?

Soulmates. Soulmates was a funny concept he thought. One would be perfectly fine before they found their destined mate, living life normally, none the wiser to anything. Yes, there was an emptiness inside, but it wasn’t all consuming. A wolf would survive if they never found their mate. Soulmates was an ancient magic, born from the creation of the Earth itself. A way the Goddess found to balance the energies of the world. Once a soulmate was found, a wolf would be complete, their life would be in complete balance and there would be no going back. There was no going back for him.

The funny thing was that Sehun didn’t even know his mate, not really. They knew of each other. They worked together. And yet, Baekhyun had wormed his way into Sehun’s life and his every thought. He’d set up home in a place that no one had ever done. He couldn’t even explain it. This one sided feeling that had managed to take root in Sehun.

Sehun leaned over, eyes glazed with unshed tears. His face was barely inches away from Baekhyun’s. He placed the lightest of kisses on his lips, the feather touch barely lasting a second.

“You need to come back to me baby boy.” He whispered. “I don’t care how you do it. I don’t care what you have to do for it to happen, but I need you back. Without you, I can’t survive Baekhyun. Now that I’ve found you, I will never be complete again without you.”

Sehun held his lips to Baekhyun’s forehead as he allowed his eyes to close, a single tear falling from his eyes.

Sehun would gladly exchange all of his powers and his immortal life for Baekhyun to come back and spend a mortal life with him right now. Bitterness at his helplessness overtook him as more tears threatened to fall. He didn’t remember the last time he had cried. Had he ever cried before? What good were his powers, his magic, if he couldn’t bring his own mate back to him?

He opened his eyes and sat up, staring down at Baekhyun, desperate to see some sort of movement, but not entirely surprised when he saw none. His eyes clouded further and he reached out to clasp Baekhyun’s hands when he saw his aura dimming even more, evidence of his life force further draining away from him.

In that moment, he knew. If Baekhyun didn’t survive, then neither would he.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

Sehun rose from the bed slowly, his hand lingering on Baekhyun’s where he had it clasped not moments before. He was reluctant to leave his bedside, not knowing how much longer his weakened body would be able to hold out. He also knew however that he couldn’t be selfish and keep Baekhyun all to himself. He had a family waiting out there. Sehun was sure that they would want to see him too.

With a heavy heart, he turned away and walked out of the room, hearing hushed voices in the not so far distance. It seemed as if everyone was still convened in the living room, where he had left them, hours, even days ago, he didn’t know, he’d lost track of time. He approached the group, noting some absences.

“Where’s Jongin? And Junmyeon? And Jongdae?” He asked, looking around.

All heads turned to look at him. Minseok was first to speak.

“Dunno, Xing came to give an update on Baekhyun and they both grabbed Jongin and insisted that he go with them somewhere as soon as possible. They’ve been gone maybe half an hour I think.”

“Where to?”

“They didn’t say.”

“Anyway, how’s Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked, handing Sehun a glass of water.

Sehun downed the water in one go and slumped down on the couch, suddenly exhausted.

“Dying.”

That one word held so much weight to it, it silenced the entire room. The others already had an idea that things weren’t looking good when they’d had a debriefing with Yixing, but to hear it from Sehun himself suddenly made everything so much more real. No one knew what to say or how to console him, because really, could he be consoled? Losing one’s mate before they could even become mates was a pain none of them ever wanted to experience.

Yixing came to sit next to Sehun and put his hand on Sehun thigh, a gesture of support. The gentle alpha’s presence was a calming mechanism in itself and Sehun felt himself relax despite the circumstances. He leaned his head against the back rest and closed his eyes, not wanting to face the reality of the future that awaited him.

The minutes ticked by. Sehun was aware of the quiet activity behind his closed lids but he didn’t care enough to open his eyes and pay attention. A lead balloon the size of an elephant felt like it was stuck in his chest threatening to suffocate him. His eyes only opened when he heard a commotion in the room.

“Ah fuck, I’m gonna be sick! Can’t we travel gently??” Jongdae cried, bent double over the floor. Junmyeon looked kind of grey in complexion too, but was handling himself somewhat better than Jongdae. He’d been careful not to fall over as Jongin had teleported them back into Sehun’s apartment, not wanting to drop the very precious thing he was holding.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo jumped up from where they were sitting to help Jongdae off the floor, causing Sehun to raise an eyebrow at the sudden turn of events and show of comradery. Were they friends now?

Junmyeon hastily walked towards Sehun. “Sehun, any changes with Baekhyun?”

Sehun shook his head, indicating that there were no changes, good or bad. In response, Junmyeon bent his head to look at something cradled in his arms that none of them had noticed before. A something wrapped in a black velvet cloth.

“I hope this isn’t broken.” He wondered out loud.

“Ah man, it better not be.” Jongdae supplied from somewhere behind him, having successfully gotten himself off the floor.

“What is it?” Sehun asked, curiously.

Junmyeon carefully unwrapped the bundle in his arms, extricating a medium sized vial from the velvet cloth. It contained a liquid in it, a thick pearlescent liquid, twinkling with every colour in the rainbow.

“This is all of mine and Jongdae’s potion making experience and skill bottled in a handy transportable sized vial.” He explained proudly, not very helpfully.

The others crowded around him, curiously peeking at the bottle in his hands.

“Still doesn’t explain what it is.” Kyungsoo said in a confused voice.

Yixing tilted his head, looking at the liquid inside thoughtfully, biting down on his lower lip. His eyebrows shot up as realisation hit him. “Is that….wait, no?”

Junmyeon looked up, a proud smile on his face.

“Yep exactly, it is exactly that. This wolves,” he gestured at the bottle, “is the elixir of life.”

Everyone stared. Nobody was sure that they’d heard correctly.

“The elixir of life is fantasy. I’ve never known it to exist, what are you talking about?” Minseok asked.

“Yeh ok Grandpa, is it not fantasy, it exists and we are holding a bottle of it.” Jongdae fired back.

Sehun pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply.

“Explain.” He said simply.

“There is nothing to explain. Jongdae and I made this. It took us five years to make it. We completed it a few months ago and now it’s ready to be used.”

“Not a good explanation.” Kyungsoo deadpanned.

“Have I missed the story or something? Sehun asked, genuinely confused.

“Well, we don’t have time, but I’ll allow it, because you were otherwise preoccupied,” Jongdae started, “I’ll recap quickly if that’s ok.”

Sehun nodded and Jongdae continued, “Ask questions later though, cos we really don’t have time.”

Jongdae took a deep breath. “So, Junmyeon and I are white witches, with granny, who is a witch elder, the leader of our coven. The entire world thought we all perished in that fire, but actually, Granny kept us hidden with one of her most powerful spells, so you couldn’t track us.”

“I…”

“No, let me finish.” He held his finger up.

“We have these random powers that granny says witches shouldn’t have. But we have them for some reason. Junmyeon hyung is also an expert potion mixer and I am an expert spell caster. But we work best when we are together. We got pissed with you guys cos Baek kept getting attacked at his work place, because of his co-workers and we thought it was kind of all your fault. So we confronted these guys,” he pointed at Jongin, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo and took a breath, “the rest you know.”

“Wait, you guys are white witches? But I could never track you.”

“That’s thanks to Granny, she obviously didn’t want anyone to know of our existence.”

“So white witches still exist?”

“Only us three, there are no others.” Junmyeon explained patiently.

“The elixir of life doesn’t exist though?”

“That’s because the old lore books have lead us all to believe it doesn’t exist.” Junmyeon continued to explain with a twinkle in his eye.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, there have been many who seek the path of eternal life, evil people included, supposedly provided by the elixir of life. The elders, in their wisdom destroyed all documentation and records of it so that it was never misused. There are no recipes or instructions in existence to show someone how to make the elixir.”

“So how do you guys know how to make it?” Chanyeol asked.

“Well,” Junmyeon looked uncertain, “I actually had a premonition, of sorts, many many years ago. But I didn’t take it seriously until weird things started happening to Baek.”

“What do you mean weird?”

“That’s his story to tell, but the premonition came back to me in full force years later and the instructions to make the elixir were stamped permanently on my brain, somehow. It was like something kept telling me to make it. So I did.”

“How does one just get a premonition to make something?” Minseok asked.

“Yeh trust me, I wasn’t sure of it myself at first.” Junmyeon explained.

“How do we know that this is the elixir? I mean, nobody today even knows of its existence.” Chanyeol asked, staring at the swirling liquid inside the bottle.

Junmyeon too looked down at the bottle, thinking hard. “I just….know? Potion makers have an affinity to their potions. Their own essence is in the potion that they make and this makes it all the more potent. I know that this potion is the elixir.”

“We brought it here for Baekhyun.” Jongdae said. “But there are a few things you will need to know about it before we give it to him.”

The group of wolves were all ears, hanging on to his every word.

Jongdae cleared his throat. “This elixir is no ordinary elixir. It can only be consumed by the person it was made for. All those years ago, hyung had a premonition that this was for Baekhyun, and here we are today. Making it has needed all of our expertise and skills. It was nothing like the other potions and things we’ve made. A small part of our own life force has gone into it. This is how the elixir is activated for the person it is intended for.”

“Ok…?” Kyungsoo asked, perplexed.

“….It means, some of our powers are in this elixir. So err, Baekhyun may or may not acquire my lightening and hyung’s water power.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked.

“It’s how it was so misused in the old times.” He explained.  “People of power made it for people who wanted power, at a high price. You had people who couldn’t control power, getting power. Leading to a big mess. Also, there was the false belief that it gave you immortality. But what they didn’t realise is that the elixir’s powers are only as good as the essence imbibed into it.”

“Baekhyun can’t control power.” Minseok argued, “we saw what happened earlier.”

“No he can,” Junmyeon said, “he is capable of having power, just as we all are, but not the uncontrolled crazy shit that he pulled back there. That was insanity at the highest level and knocked us all on our asses. He probably didn’t even know he could do it.”

“And you want to give him more? I kinda wanna live to see another day.” Chanyeol complained.

“Well, it’s the only way to save him.” Junmyeon said dismissively.  “It’s just, we are missing an important thing.” Junmyeon looked pointedly at Sehun.

“Goddess, what now?” Jongin asked, quiet this whole time.

“It’s not complete.”

“It literally took you five years to make! What do you mean it’s not complete?” Jongin asked incredulously.

“The reason why the elixir never granted an extension of life for anyone is because of a key missing ingredient….” He paused…. “often the elixir made the drinker feel supremely powerful, but for a short period of time only. Soon those effects wore off and they were left with nothing but an empty, overused shell of a body, unable to do anything.”

“Why?” Jongin whispered.

“Well, in order to achieve the full potency, it needed the essence of the True Immortal.”

“What does that even mean?” Sehun asked, confused.

Jongdae rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. “Seriously, you wolves are all brawn and no brains! Have you even read up on your own history?”

When he was met with nothing with silence, he lifted his eyebrows, “Ok, clearly not. The True Immortal? You’ve never heard that before?” He looked around the room only to see blank faces.

“Fucking hell Sehun, it’s you!” He pointed at Sehun.

Several voices rose at once, a mixture of surprise and confusion filled the air.

“I have head of The True Immortal,” Yixing spoke up, “I had an idea that it might be Sehun, but I wasn’t sure as I wasn’t aware of history before I….existed.”

“Yeh so,” Jongdae continued, “this elixir has been enriched with mine and Hyung’s essence and this is enough to heal Baek. BUT,” he paused, “these effects will wear off, because Sehun’s essence is needed. It is a myth that it will grant him eternal life, I think.”

“Why not just put Sehun’s essence into it first, did it really need yours?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yes, because without us, the elixir wouldn’t be activated. Sehun can’t activate the elixir because he doesn’t have the magic skills, and is not a witch.”

“So,” Sehun finally spoke up, “shall we give it to him? Because at this point, I’m willing to try anything.”

“We need to do it as soon as possible,” Junmyeon answered, “because if I’m not mistaken, he didn’t have much time left, an hour ago.” He checked his watch and grimaced as he realised the amount of time elapsed.

“Ok, ok, let’s do it, tell me what to do.”

“You redirect your power into this vial of elixir. Similar to what Yixing would be doing with his healing I guess?”

Sehun nodded. “Ok, let’s go.”

He lead the way back into the room where Baekhyun was peacefully sleeping, looking smaller than ever before. He was closely followed by Jongdae and Junmyeon. The others decided to stay away, not wanting to crowd this sensitive moment.

Jongdae took a moment to sit beside Baekhyun, seeking his hand and squeezing it. Silently promising that he would come through for him. Junmyeon knelt on the floor next to them and kissed Baekhyun lightly on the forehead.

“Never, ever come between me and an attack ever again Baek, you stupid, wonderful, beautiful idiot. Wait until you wake up, you’re gonna get your ass kicked so hard.”

Sehun smiled sadly seeing the interaction, knowing full well that these two would be just as devastated if Baekhyun were not to make it out alive.

Junmyeon straightened up and sighed slowly, closing his eyes for a moment. He was ready. It was now or never.

“Ok so Sehun, our powers have activated this elixir as we’ve said, but we need your essence in here to bind everything and make sure it all lasts.” He explained.

“Ok, how can I do that?” Sehun asked.

“A drop of blood will do.”

“No no, he can’t have my blood. Wolf blood consumed without prior mutual agreement will kill him. Otherwise I would have healed him a long time ago.”

“Ok, erm, you could transfer your power into there. You know how to do that right?”

Sehun nodded. Junmyeon uncovered the vial of elixir, still held securely in his arms, the thick liquid glowing a beautiful pearlescent colour. He handled it carefully and passed it along to Sehun as if passing along a new born baby.

“Please be careful with it, we can’t make another one.”

Sehun received the vial with both hands, holding it securely. The importance of this potion was not lost on him. He’d heard of the powers of the elixir, believing that it was a myth this whole time. But now that he held the potion in his hands, he was in awe of it’s supposed power.

He placed the vial carefully on the bedside table, uncorking it with a pop. The viscous liquid inside glowed dimly in anticipation. The top of the vial was big enough for Sehun to put his index finger into it and only just touch the surface of the liquid with the tip. He closed his eyes and concentrated his power.

It was as if a firework had been let off inside the vial itself. Each particle of the elixir had become charged and active and the liquid started swirling around of it’s own accord, as if an invisible spoon were stirring it. A bright glow had taken over the gentle glow it previously had and it looked as though the vial was being shot at with rainbow coloured bullets.

Junmyeon walked up to Sehun and tapped him gently on the shoulder. Sehun opened his eyes and looked up.

“I think it’s enough Sehun.” He said quietly.

“Ok so now what?”

Jongdae scratched the back of his head. “He needs to drink it.”

Sehun raised on eyebrow. Looking between Jongdae and Baekhyun.

“Need I mention that this is going to be a little difficult right now?” He asked.

“Don’t worry, we know what we are doing. Have you ever heard of the kiss of life?” Junmyeon asked him with a smile.

“Yes…?”

“Where do you think that phrase was invented?”

“Oh Goddess, do you always speak in riddles?”

“Aish Sehun! YOU freaking drink the freaking elixir and breathe it back into him.” Junmyeon said, impatiently.

“Why me?”

“Cos neither me nor Dae wanna kiss him. I mean, we love him, but that’s just weird, and anyway, we have you now.”

Sehun knitted his eyebrows together, suddenly more dubious about whether this will work or not. Nevertheless, he felt they were backed into a corner and he needed to give this a shot. The alternative was too terrible to think about.

He sighed and picked up the vial containing the elixir watching as the light caught the liquid to make it shine brighter. “Ok, bottoms up.” He put the vial to his lips and tilted his head back, downing the contents in a couple of gulps.

As the last drop went down his throat he felt a weird feeling overcome him from head to toe, his every nerve ending tingled with energy, right down to the tips of his fingers. He looked down at his hands but didn’t notice anything different about himself, until he heard Jongdae.

“Woah, what the fuck?”

Both brothers were looking at Sehun in awe, not able to remove their eyes from him.

“What?” He asked, confused.

“You’re literally glowing…..” Junmyeon said, “Like fuck, I didn’t think you needed anymore power, you’re already the strongest, what the fuck?”

Sehun cocked his eyebrow and would have laughed if the situation allowed for it. “It’s only transient, remember? I can’t be any more immortal than I already am. Ok, so, now I breathe this into him?”

“Yes.” Junmyeon answered. He cleared his throat, “we’re just gonna step out ok? You do what you have to do.” He grabbed Jongdae and exited the room swiftly.

Sehun stepped up to the bed, his entire body feeling energised with a strange but not unwelcome power. Soon he would be able to transfer it all to Baekhyun and everything would be ok again.

He knelt on the floor beside Baekhyun and softly stroked his hair. He was hesitating a little. Such an intimate act, for the first time, and one of them would never remember it. He inhaled through his nose and leaned forward, face hovering inches over Baekhyun’s.

From this proximity, he could feel the tiny breathes coming from Baekhyun’s slightly open mouth. He could see the sallow and bruised skin on his beautiful face in detail. He could see the shadow created by his eyelashes onto the tops of his cheeks in detail.

Sehun smiled slightly and whispered, “anything for you baby,” as he dipped his head further.

Sehun closed his eyes automatically at the first contact of his lips with Baekhyun’s. His lips were as soft and supple as Sehun had imagined and he took a moment, unmoving, breath held to just feel. He took a shaky breath in through his nose, nervous.

His mind was full of too many what ifs. What if this didn’t work? What if it only worked for a short amount of time? How would he live his life without Baekhyun? Could he live his life without Baekhyun?

Sehun needed to focus. There was too much at stake for him to just let his emotions take over. He once again focussed on the energy newly coursing through his body, he could feel it’s power within him. He channelled it all into his mouth and gently released his breath into Baekhyun’s mouth. He could feel his lips tingling as power surged through the connection, straight into Baekhyun.

He repeated the same thing again, transferring more and more energy into Baekhyun. Somewhere in the exchange, his hand had found Baekhyun’s and he clasped it tightly, fingers interlocked.

‘This has to work.’ Sehun thought desperately, there was no other option. He wouldn’t entertain the idea of the alternative.

Sehun continued to focus on his breathing. Gently taking in breaths and breathing out into Baekhyun’s mouth, transferring every drop of energy possible.

He practically choked as he felt the slightest movement of Baekhyun’s lips against his own. If all of his senses hadn’t been honed onto Baekhyun, he probably would have missed the minute movement. He squeezed Baekhyun’s had and felt another flutter of lips against lips. He wasn’t imagining it after all.

Trying to keep calm, he continued to breath in and out steadily, until he felt a twitch of Baekhyun’s fingers in the hand that he had held in his. This caused him to break contact and lift his head, staring down at the beautiful man in front of him. Some colour had returned to Baekhyun’s cheeks. The bruises that were on his face were no longer visible. He eyelids were fluttering as if he was merely dreaming.

“Baekhyun?” He whispered. “You’re coming back! Come back to me baby. I’m right here.”

He unclasped his hand from Baekhyun’s and stood back to allow a respectable distance. His love was all one sided and he didn’t want to make things weird by being in his personal space when he woke up. Sehun saw Baekhyun’s complexion brighten right in front of his eyes, his aura brightening to an impossible white as it too was driven by the power given by the elixir.

He quickly ran out of the room to let every one know, barely containing his excitement. “Guys! Guys! It’s working, he’s coming back!” He shouted as all faces turned to look at him. They all jumped up from their various seated positions and collectively rushed to Baekhyun’s room.

The sight that greeted them almost made Sehun fall to his knees in prayer. Baekhyun’s eyes were open and he was looking around the room, confused. Those eyes found their way to the group of people that had run into his room out of nowhere. He stared back at the eight pairs of eyes that were looking at him. His gaze roamed over the group to find that one pair that he needed to see. He made eye contact with him.

“Hyung,” he whispered, voice croaky from lack of use, “are you ok, you’re not hurt are you hyung?”

Junmyeon chuckled, tears streaming down his face, “Byun Baekhyun,” he said while stepping forward, “I am going to kill you.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

It had been a couple of weeks since Baekhyun’s near death experience, however his mind had buried it all under a mountain of fog and he still couldn’t recall many events. He vaguely remembered being transported to a grassy area to see Kyungsoo, Chanyeol, Dae and Junmyeon hyung fighting. He sort of remembered jumping in front of Chanyeol’s attack on Jun hyung. He didn’t remember anything after that.

Hyung and Dae had tried to fill in the gaps and he was told about the elixir of life. He’d found it hard to come to terms with such things existing. There were still large chunks of events missing and Baekhyun was struggling to try to piece everything together. He hadn’t had time to process the existence of the guardians, eternity would probably not be long enough. The guardians were stories of legend that he had grown up with, used to both scare and bribe children into doing what their parents wanted them to, ‘if you don’t go to sleep, Yeol guardian will burn your eyebrows off…’ To know that all the legends were actually true was something he hadn’t quite wrapped his brain around. To know that he had been hanging around literal legends was something he probably never get used to.

He was still at Sehun’s house, having been convinced by Dae that this was the best place for him for now, at least while he was recovering. He had been visited by Chanyeol and Jongin many times, but most surprisingly, his most frequent visitor had been Kyungsoo. The quiet yet fiery alpha had kept Baekhyun company on many an occasion, either silently sitting in the house whilst Baekhyun slept or cooking some delicious meals with Baekhyun watching. Little conversation was exchanged during these visits, but Baekhyun never felt uncomfortable in his presence. The unlikely pair had become good friends in a short amount of time.

He was slowly building his strength up. Despite having the power of the elixir coursing through every cell of his body, he still needed to repair himself. He was largely in the house by himself on most days as Sehun had thrown himself back into the office, trying to work his way through mountains of work. His days were filled with sleeping, eating, relaxing and reading. Every day he felt stronger. Every day he felt as if he had more energy, as if parts of his body were hurting less.

Because he was feeling better, he often felt like he was taking advantage of Sehun’s generosity and had offered to move back to his apartment, which Sehun was quick to squash down. He was still figuring out how to behave around Sehun, now knowing who he was. It was like his very presence demanded respect and Baekhyun felt somewhat awkward around him sometimes. Sometimes he was tempted to invite himself over to Jun and Dae’s place to finish recovering, but couldn’t really find a convincing reason for doing so.

Sehun on the other hand still remained the same, exactly like he was before. He didn’t talk much. He was kind, caring and patient. He always asked how Baekhyun was feeling, whether he’d eaten enough and whether he was warm enough. Sometimes Baekhyun didn’t feel like he deserved the care and he felt guilty for taking it and wanting more.

Today however, Baekhyun was feeling under the weather. He hadn’t had any visitors and this was perhaps a good thing because he didn’t feel up to it. He was sure he was running a fever and he felt hot and sweaty since last night. Abrupt movements made his stomach churn and he felt sick. He needed to sit himself down to get rid of the feeling. He ate some leftover cold pizza last night, unable to wait for Sehun who had finished very late from work. Maybe that had upset his stomach?

Around mid-afternoon, he was feeling exceptionally tired. His stomach was in knots and beads of sweat were appearing on his forehead with every cramp. He decided to lie down and take a nap, hopefully sleeping off whatever was wrong with him. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. It was a fitful sleep as he found himself tossing and turning, his feet tangling in the bed sheets.  He felt too hot, too sweaty and too uncomfortable.

With a huff, he opened his eyes and realised the sheets were damp with his sweat. He felt his forehead but didn’t think he was running a fever. He was genuinely confused up until he realised that there was a wetness he hadn’t noticed before. His pyjamas were soaked through. He was drenched in his own slick, the thick substance making him feel sticky.

And then it hit him, he was going into heat. The tell-tale signs of which he’d been feeling all morning, he just hadn’t connected the dots. With everything that had happened over the past few weeks, he hadn’t been keeping track of his calendar and he had completely missed when he was due.

Baekhyun panicked a little. He hadn’t had the potion which Dae made for him every three months. He hadn’t had time to prepare. He couldn’t have his heat in Sehun’s house, absolutely not, that would be a disaster. No unmated omega was safe to have their heat in the presence of an unmated alpha. It was dangerous, it was unheard of. Anything could happen, he was not safe here.

Heart beating at a mile a minute, he sprang out of bed and immediately doubled up as a crushing cramp ripped its way through his abdomen. It was so intense that it brought tears to his eyes. He didn’t remember the pain ever being so severe before. But then again, he hardly had normal heats ever since he’d been having Dae’s potion as a suppressant. Maybe he was going to pay for it now.

Holding back tears, he sat back down on the bed, clutching his stomach. What was he to do? Should he ring someone to come and collect him? He was terrified of being alone with an alpha when his heat hit. What if he was made to do something he didn’t want to do? Would Sehun become overcome with his alpha instincts that he wouldn’t be able to control himself? What if he attacked him? Baekhyun would hardly be in a fit state to defend himself. Baekhyun would let him do exactly as he wanted, he would be powerless against it.

Baekhyun decided to call Jongdae, he would make the witch come and pick him up. With shaking hands, he dialled his number and listened as the phone kept ringing through. Jongdae didn’t pick up. He tried Junmyeon next and the phone went straight to voicemail. Frustrated, he cursed under his breath and threw the phone down on the bed. He fell back onto the bed and groaned as more slick oozed out from behind.

He wouldn’t be able to travel safely by himself, that would be stupid. It would be like leading himself to the slaughterhouse. He may as well hang an ‘omega in heat’ sign around his neck if he was going to do that. No, he would have to deal with his heat here, at least until he could get Jongdae or Junmyeon to come and pick him up.

He started with a quick, cool shower to make himself feel better, albeit temporarily. Next, he took some water bottles from the fridge for use later. Luckily he found some energy bars in a cupboard and so he swiped some of them too. Just a few small tasks made him extremely tired. He stopped for a breather, rubbing his sore tummy, hating the friction that the bathrobe was causing on his nipples.

His room didn’t have a lock. How the hell was he supposed to ensure Sehun would stay out of his room? – not that Sehun went into the room much to begin with anyway. It seemed ridiculous to think that Baekhyun would be trying to ban Sehun from entering a room in a house that belonged to him in the first place, but he was more concerned about his safety than hurting Sehun’s feelings. How he desperately wished that he was in his own home right now. At least then he would only have to be worrying about the pain and the burning lust and not whether he could keep an alpha away from him.

15:02 To Sehun:

Hey Sehun, I’m going to be sleeping when u get back, feeling real tired today. Don’t worry about dinner for me. Hope ur day is good 😊

He pressed the send button and prayed to the Goddess that this would be enough to keep Sehun out of his room for a bit until he thought of something else. His phone pinged with an incoming text almost immediately, and he reached for it as he fought another wave of nausea.

15:30 From Sehun:

You sure? Are you ok? Want me to pick you something up? I can swing by the shop on my way home…

15:04 To Sehun:

No! It’s ok srsly. Thnx tho! I’m just tired. Gonna get some sleep, g2g, bye x

Honestly, he felt rotten for lying to Sehun, someone who had been super generous to him all this time. But he needed to do whatever he could to keep himself safe during his vulnerable time and that was how he was justifying this right now.

He passed the sitting room on the way to bedroom. On the couch, he spotted a sweater, it was Sehun’s. He picked it up and brought it to his nose. He inhaled and was immediately assaulted with the smell of pine and cedar. It brought an indescribable feeling all over his body and mind and he hugged the sweater close to him. He had the strongest urge to take it with him to bed.

Entering his room,  his body was swept up in a fresh hot flush. Feeling faint and nauseous, he untied the belt and took off the gown, trying to cool himself down. Standing in the room naked, he felt his body erupt in goosebumps as the cool air hit his bare skin. He looked down and saw his dick getting harder, the tip slowly pointing upwards, veins engorged and visible along the shaft. He licked his lips as some slick travelled down the back of his thighs in a steady stream.

He palmed his erect dick with his hand, the pleasure shooting straight to his core. His legs felt weak as he leaned his back against the wall and sunk down to the floor. He didn’t like being too gentle with himself when he was feeling as horny as he was feeling right now. He furiously fucked into his closed hand as wave after wave of pleasure filled his lust-filled mind. He bit the skin on the back of his hand to muffle the moans that were spilling past his lips as his breathing sped up.

His other hand tugged at his balls, stroking the skin behind it, dangerously close to his asshole. He teased his fingers near his hole, drenching them with his slick. He used the same hand lubricate his dick, the shaft now slippery. Wet noises mingled with his moans as his pleasure heightened. He dug the tip of his thumb into the slit at the tip of his dick and not long after, thick ropes of cum shot out of his dick as he came with a loud moan. Luckily he was already on the floor as his whole body convulsed with pleasure and he would have been unable to hold himself up. He panted as he came down from his high.

Catching his breath, he made his way to the bed on shaky legs. Suddenly exhausted, he found himself under the covers, eyelids drooping heavily as sleep overtook him.

Sehun finished late from work again that evening. Not realising when the clock had hit 8pm, he clamoured to get his things together and get home. He’d been meaning to check up on Baekhyun, having been worried ever since he received the text message earlier that day. He hadn’t pressed further at the time as he didn’t want to crowd the omega and make him feel uncomfortable.

He punched in the code to enter his house and was hit by a vanilla sweet smell as soon as he stepped foot inside the property. It smelled like Baekhyun had been baking today, something which wasn’t all that unusual. Sehun’s nostrils picked up the sugary smell as he walked further into his apartment, oddly seeing no signs of baking or cooking in his kitchen. Finding it a little off, he decided to go check up on Baekhyun.

He made his way to Baekhyun’s room, but hesitated at the door for some reason. He knocked lightly but didn’t hear anything. He then knocked again, slightly louder this time and listened for any signs of life on the other side. When he didn’t hear anything, he turned to leave, assuming Baekhyun was already asleep. He didn’t want to wake him up. Just as he turned around, he heard a muffled sound in the room. It sounded like Baekhyun was in pain and Sehun was immediately worried. He knocked once more and let himself him, not waiting for a reply.

He wasn’t prepared for what was on the other side of the door. He would never be prepared for it, in hindsight. As soon as he entered, he was assaulted by the strongest, sweetest scent he had ever smelled. More potent than it was in the rest of his apartment, it was so strong in this room that Sehun felt as if he’d taken in a jump into a huge pot of vanilla scented sugar. It was alluring, sensuous even and Sehun took deep breaths so that he could fill his lungs up with the scent.

It took him a moment to adjust, coming back to his senses, his eyes focussed on a moving bundle under the duvet on the bed, Baekhyun. Belatedly, he realised that the scent was coming from there. It was Baekhyun’s scent? When did Baekhyun develop a scent? Since when? As long as Sehun had known him, he had never noticed a scent. How had it missed it? Baekhyun’s scent could only be described as one thing, delicious. Sehun found himself salivating at the mouth as he licked his lips, suddenly dry. The need to devour was at the front of his mind. How was he managing to hold himself back?

“Baekhyun?” He asked, cautiously approaching the bed. The bundle under the duvet stopped it’s movements and he heard no further sounds. He advance a little more, slightly apprehensive. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He stopped in his tracks as he heard a soft moan and something that sounded like a ‘sss’.

“Huh?” He paused, not realising what to do, not detecting any other movements.  That was until he heard it again, a whispered word, ‘fuck’. His eyes widened almost comically as he realised what he had stumbled upon. There was only one explanation for the strong pheromones in the air, the hushed moans, the expletives, Baekhyun may or may not be in heat and was most certainly doing things under that duvet right now.

The air was knocked out of Sehun’s lungs as he stumbled back a little. Baekhyun was in heat. He was doing things under that duvet. No, he was masturbating under the duvet right now. All of Sehun’s blood seemed to travel south as his thoughts ran away from him. He imagined his pretty fingers wrapped around his dick. He imagined a slender finger fucking in and out of his hole. Lustful thoughts flooded his mind and he felt shamed at having them.

He took a few steps back blindly, hands groping behind him for purchase on anything solid. He desperately needed to put distance between himself and the omega, despite his brain screaming at him: ‘Mine. Mine. MINE!’

His back hit the doorframe and he stared at Baekhyun under the duvet almost as if he were terrified of him. He left the room as quietly as he had entered it, shutting the door behind him.

It wasn’t enough! His fingers simply weren’t enough. They weren’t long enough or thick enough to satisfy him fully. Baekhyun worked three fingers into his tight asshole, as tears of frustration threatened to spill from his eyes. He needed something better, something bigger, something that would fill him up completely. Something that would have him splitting in half from pleasure. He fucked himself faster, wishing he had his dildo with him, chasing a high that seemed to be evading him, simultaneously jerking off his dick as precum leaked from the tip, covering his hand.

He pushed his fingers in deeper still, “sss”, he licked his lips as the tips hit the sensitive bundle inside and heightened his pleasure, causing him to pause for a moment. He needed more, so he repeated the action, hitting his prostate again, “fuck,” he whispered, drowning in ecstasy.

From somewhere on the edge of his consciousness, a part of him that wasn’t enveloped in a haze of lust, he sensed a familiar scent. An intoxicating scent of woodlands and pine. A scent stronger than what was on the sweater he had with him under the duvet. It made him want to submit completely, it made him want to go down on his knees. He was close by, Baekhyun could sense him. Did he not know that Baekhyun needed him? Why wasn’t he coming to him? Why wasn’t he the one ramming his thick fingers up Baekhyun’s asshole instead? What was stopping him?

Baekhyun was lost. His senses were overcome. Fingers in his ass, hand wrapped around his dick, the most powerful scent enveloping his being, the most handsome face on his mind. He came with a cry, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. An almost dry orgasm that had him curling his toes. His fingers made the most obscene sounds as they pistoned in and out of his hole, lubricated by copious amounts of slick.

Chest heaving, Baekhyun came to a slow stop. Exhausted. He was absolutely exhausted. Slowly the haze lifted and his head cleared a little. He realised he’d just masturbated to thoughts of Sehun. He’d had filthy thoughts about Sehun. He didn’t really know what to do with this information. But had he imagined him completely, or could he really smell him? Was he really here? Or was it his own wishful thinking?

Gathering some energy, he extricated himself from his duvet, suddenly too hot. He was feeling too many things at once. He physically felt dirty and needed a shower. He felt tired and needed to sleep. He felt vulnerable and wanted a cuddle. He felt horny and needed a fuck. Such conflicting needs. He wanted to cry.

He got up from the bed and into the shower. How was he going to spend another few days like this? He was already sore everywhere. His wrist was already aching. He didn’t remember ever feeling so tired and horny on his previous heats. What was happening to him? Was he broken somehow?

He donned his dressing gown after roughly drying himself off, his skin feeling too sensitive to touch. He needed something to eat. Maybe he needed Sehun? He didn’t know. It was with this in mind that he decided to leave the room to seek out the alpha. He just needed to hear his voice, see his face. That would be enough. He’d feel better. If he was in his right mind, he would have barricaded himself in the room and never left. But he wasn’t in his right mind.

He walked quietly through the house. Sehun’s scent was strong and somehow more potent here. Is this how Sehun always smells? He heard some noise coming from the living room and realised Sehun was watching the television, and so he headed in that general direction.

He found him sitting on his couch with the television on at a low volume. All except he wasn’t watching it. The alpha was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. Baekhyun could see him stiffen as soon as he walked in. He didn’t even look up.

“Sehun….”

Sehun’s head shot up as Baekhyun came into the room slowly. His eyes widened as he saw the dishevelled, just showered state of the omega, hair damp and face flushed. He looked him up and down from head to toe, eyes finally coming to rest on his face.

‘Fuck, he’s so fucking beautiful,’ Sehun’s inner monologue was screaming at him, ‘I want to fuck him so badly.’

“Sehun?” Baekhyun watched as Sehun’s Adam’s apple rose and fell as he gulped.

‘How can an omega be this fucking gorgeous? No, not an omega, MY omega.’ Sehun’s hands tightened into fists as he struggled to restrain himself, his nails digging into his palms.

“Baek…” He replied in a whisper. His voice sounded strained to his own ears.

“Sehun, I…..” Baekhyun came forward slowly, taking in the handsome features of the alpha. Had he noticed how broad Sehun’s shoulders were before? How strong that jawline was? What if he nibbled on it? Would Sehun let him?

He shook his head to clear it of these types of thoughts. No, he had only come to talk to the alpha. He thought it would help to calm the fire burning in the pit of his belly but it was just making it worse. His nostrils were filled with Sehun’s scent. Why did he have such a sexy scent?

Baekhyun came to stand close to him and Sehun made no move to stop him. As he slowly sat down next to him on the couch, the movement caused the dressing gown to come open slightly and reveal some of Baekhyun’s thighs.

Sehun nearly choked on his own saliva. Baekhyun’s legs were right in front of him. Milky skin, supple, juicy thighs. He tried to do the decent thing and move his eyes away from the feast in front of him, until Baekhyun moved a little causing more of his thighs to become visible. He gulped again, mouth dry, nostrils filled with the sweet, sweet scent of vanilla.

Sehun was in trouble. He could feel his pants tightening around his groin as his dick responded to the delicious sight in front of him. His omega was right in front of him, looking like an entire three course meal and smelling like an extra helping of dessert. All he needed to do was reach out to him. He would rip that gown straight off him. He would fuck him all night, make Baekhyun scream his name so loud that the entire neighbourhood would know who was fucking him.

Suddenly, something inside Sehun snapped and he came to his senses. Baekhyun was not in his right mind. No omega was in their right mind when they were in heat. It was such a vulnerable time for them, they would literally fuck anyone off the street if it meant giving them pleasure in that time. He wasn’t a pig, he couldn’t take advantage of him like this. He was stronger than his carnal desires, he wouldn’t give in no matter how tempting it was.

He scrambled off the couch and put some much needed distance between them. He saw Baekhyun pout, his luscious pink lip jutting out, almost making him break his resolve.

“Let me get you some water!” He almost shouted, even though Baekhyun was practically next to him, “You look dehydrated!”

He practically ran into the kitchen where he took a few moments to compose himself. Taking his time, he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured Baekhyun some cold water. The omega would certainly need hydration. After a few minutes, he got the courage to go back into the living room, only to see Baekhyun curled up, sleeping soundly on the couch.

Sehun chuckled to himself, “fucking minx, you’re going to be the death of me.”

He put the glass down on the coffee table, gathered Baekhyun in his arms and took him back to bed, laying him gently down on the bed and covering him with the duvet. He brushed his bangs off his forehead, the skin hot to the touch.

He didn’t dare to stay any longer, not trusting his self-control.

Once back in the safety of his own room, he made two phone calls, swiftly packed an overnight bag and left the house as quickly as he could.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21

Sehun gulped down the entire shot of soju and slammed his glass down on the table.

“So you left, just like that?” Chanyeol asked, for the nth time, mouth hanging open in utter disbelief.

Sehun grunted an indecipherable sound as Minseok poured him yet another shot, which he swallowed down, feeling the burn all the way into his chest.

“How though?” He mused, half to himself, “I mean, how has your dick not dropped off?”

Sehun shot him a scathing look, but couldn’t really say anything in his defense, knowing full well he’d just done the stupidest thing ever.

“Wait!” Jongin ducked his head under the table, “It’s not on the floor,” he resurfaced, “still attached.”

Him and Chanyeol sniggered behind their hands at their own joke as Chanyeol elbowed Jongin in his side. Minseok shook his head at both of them, a small smile on his face, also seeing the funny side. He placed his hand on Sehun’s shoulder to give it a light squeeze.

“Don’t mind them Sehun. I am curious though, how did you even manage to leave? How did it not drive you crazy?”

Sehun rubbed his face with both hands. “It did, it drove me crazy, so fucking crazy, but all I could think about was that I needed to get out of there and I ran like my ass was on fire.”

“I think it was your groin on fire!” Jongin shouted, unsuccessfully holding in a laugh, soon joined by Chanyeol who guffawed loudly and smacked the table in front of him.

“I swear to fuck, I’m not drunk enough for this,” muttered Sehun, regretting every life choice he’d ever made. “What are you two dumbfucks even doing here? This is Minseok hyung’s place.”

“We just came to say hello to Minseok Hyung.” Chanyeol replied.

Sehun scoffed, “Yeh right.”

“He invites us to places unlike you.” Chanyeol shot back.

Just then, Minseok’s doorbell chimed through the apartment.

“Ah!” Minseok stood, “I thought he would get lost, it’s taken a while.” He walked towards the entrance leaving the others looking at each other, wondering who the visitor would be.

“NOT COOL SEHUN!” Someone screeched as soon as they came through the door. All heads turned to see Kim Jongdae walking towards the couch with a shit eating grin on his face, looking pointedly at Sehun.

“Oh for Goddess sake, does everyone know?!”

“Well, not Granny, if that’s what you mean? It would be kinda weird.”

Sehun rolled his eyes, unimpressed.

“But of course Jun Hyung was going to tell me.”

“I should have known.” Sehun mumbled, feeling sorry for himself, “No one can keep any secrets in this place,” he looked accusingly at Minseok who simply shrugged.

“You know, if you weren’t the strongest person on this planet, I would probably smash your face in for leaving him like that. But then again. I’m kinda grateful you didn’t take advantage.” He paused, “Baek’s been through enough, you know? He doesn’t need anything adding to it.”

Sehun was curious, but he didn’t pry. It didn’t seem like Jongdae’s story to tell. Instead, he scoffed again, “what do you take me for? I’m not an animal you know? As hard as it was for me to walk away from him, especially like that, I would never hurt him.”

Jongdae smiled a little and relaxed, nodding his head, seemingly satisfied with the answer. He happily accepted a can of beer that Minseok was offering him.

“So how comes you aren’t with Baekhyun right now then?” Chanyeol asked him.

“Well, I’m kinda grossed out with the whole thing.” He shuddered dramatically, “I do not need first-hand experience of what Baek is like during his heats. No. Thank. You. Jun hyung was always better at doing the dirty work than I was, he’s looked after him before, you know, making sure he’s fed and watered. They’ll be fine.” He waved his hand dismissively, taking a large gulp of beer.

Jongin and Chanyeol were nodding along as Jongdae was speaking, however all Sehun could think about was how much he wished it was him having first-hand experience of Baekhyun during one of his heats. How much he wished he was the one looking after him right now, he was his omega after all.

“There is one thing I’ve been wondering though,” Jongin directed his question to Sehun, “Sehun, you recognised Baekhyun as your soulmate that one time you went crazy and tried to kill us all.” Sehun rolled his eyes, Jongin ignored him, “But what about Baekhyun, how comes he hasn’t recognised you? When will he?”

“I didn’t try to kill you. Not on purpose anyway.”

“Well…..we’ll be the judge of that.” Jongin argued back.

“No but Jongin’s right, why doesn’t he know?” Chanyeol asked, slightly confused.

“Erm,” Jongdae began quietly, “I don’t know much about, you know, wolves and stuff, but maybe he just needs time? I mean maybe it just isn’t obvious to him.” Jongdae scratched the bridge of his nose with his index finger.

“That’s not how it works Jongdae,” Chanyeol explained, “it’s instantaneous, or it’s supposed to be anyway, like properly cliché, exactly like all the romance books describe it, but Sehun and Baekhyun are doing it all wrong. This fucker needed to lose control and almost kill us before he realised…..actually, I think we realised it before him.”

“I…..I don’t know….” Why did Sehun think Jongdae wasn’t telling them the whole truth? What was it that they were missing? “As I said….maybe it’s time. I’m errr….sure he’ll figure it out, soon.”

“Sehun, I feel sorry for your balls, I don’t think they have the luxury of time.” Chanyeol trolled, with Jongin cracking up and smacking him on the back.

“For someone who claims otherwise, you sure are obsessed with his balls Yeol,” Minseok stated, with a small grin on his face.

“That’s just gross Hyung and you know it!” Chanyeol shouted, looking like he was about to be sick.

“So much talk of balls, what have I let myself in for? Minseok, you told me it was just for a beer?” Jongdae asked, looking between the alphas sat in the room. He shrugged his shoulders at Minseok’s chuckle and took another swig of his beer.

Minseok’s  burner phone rang amidst the bickering back and forth and he left the group to go answer it in another room, not wanting to disturb them. It was a second, non-traceable phone that he kept with him at all times. All messages and calls were encrypted and the phone itself was fitted with hi-tech anti-hacking technology. It was from a private number as expected.

He answered the phone, “Minseok.”

“Sir! This is unit 2, covert operations.”

Minseok’s ears perked up. These were the special unit officers that Minseok had deployed to keep track of the murders that had been happening around the city. Although he kept watch and expected his teams to report to him at set times on a daily basis, it always made his heart sink when he was contacted at unexpected times. It meant there was something wrong.

“What’s your code officer?” He asked.

“3541 Alpha, Alpha, sir! May I ask yours?” Minseok smiled inwardly. His troops were trained to always verify identity, even if they were speaking to a higher rank.

“99, Mike, Mike Mike.” Minseok rattled off his code.

“Sir!” The officer acknowledged, satisfied that he was indeed talking to his senior. “I have intel from the Mapo-Gu area Sir. We have positively identified a deceased body. Similar description to what you’ve briefed us on, Sir.”

“Where exactly?”

“Hongik Park Sir! We have cordoned off and cleared the area. I will send you co-ordinates separately.”

“That’s a very public spot.”

“Not right now Sir. There was the occasional teenage couple, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Currently, there is no one allowed to come into the area.”

“Good job officer. Your team can stand down when I get there.”

“Sir.”

He hung up.

In a more sombre mood than he was previously, Minseok made his way back to the main room where everyone was.

“Sorry to break the party guys. We have to go.”

“Hyung?” Sehun asked, facing the man.

“There’s another one, my men have secured the area, Hongik Park.”

“Wait, what’s going on, where are you guys going?” Jongdae asked as he saw everyone put down their drinks and stand up.

“You’re welcome to wait here Jongdae,” Minseok replied, “I wouldn’t think we would be too long.”

“Where are you going though, can I come?”

Minseok looked at Sehun, who just shrugged. Honestly, it didn’t really matter at this point. As long as humans didn’t find the bodies, it didn’t matter that Jongdae knew what was going on.

“Errr, I’m not sure to be honest.”

“Please, we are about to be related as in-laws. I should be able to come.” Jongdae replied.

“Well, I don’t mind either way, it’s just that it’s top secret stuff.”

“Ok, well, now I just HAVE to go. You can’t just tell me that and not let me go.”

“Ok ok, fine, just don’t go fainting when you see what’s there.” Minseok replied.

“I have a very strong stomach.”

“You need to get used to our way of travel first.” Jongin said with a grin on his face.

Jongdae just rolled his eyes, dreading the actual travelling, but curious about what they were to find on the other end of the journey.

And just like that, he found himself grabbing on to Jongin’s arm, feeling a weird pull at his navel as the world spun around him.

‘Wow, parks look really dodgy at night,’ was Sehun’s first thought as he looked around the dark, deserted park. Night was quick to fall in these months, and this area of the park wasn’t particularly well lit. They could have really used Baekhyun’s light right now, he thought.

“Fucking hell, I shouldn’t have eaten that pizza earlier!” Came Jongdae’s voice from somewhere on the ground as he struggled to hold his stomach down, the mode of travel not agreeing with him. Chanyeol let out a chuckle as he helped him up with one hand and patted him on the back once he was upright.

“Chanyeol?”

“Ah yeh, I’m coming.” He clicked his thumb and index fingers together and outstretched his palm upwards. A white flame of fire sprang upwards from his hand affording more light than the usual orange fire. The surrounding area was better lit up helping the wolves take in more details. Luckily, their enhanced ability to see better at night was also helping them.

“Here guys.” Minseok pointed towards an area cordoned off with tape. It was in the far corner of the park, surrounded on three sides by dense bushes a few metres high. If one were not to be paying attention, they wouldn’t even notice anything weird in the first place.

“Aish, anybody can just walk up and see all of this.” Minseok complained, looking around at the empty park. A couple could be spotted walking hand in hand further in the distance. His men had been stood down prior to their arrival. There was no one else around.

“Wait, is…..is that a dead body?” Jongdae pointed at the corpse on the ground, eyes fixated on the body.

“Yeh….”

“Well, fuck me. I haven’t seen a dead body before.”

“Don’t faint princess.” Jongin quipped.

Jongdae shot him a deadly stare, but he clenched his jaw nonetheless, hoping that he did not indeed, faint.

“I guess you would want total privacy then don’t you?” He asked.

“It would be ideal, but….” Minseok looked around, not liking the fact that they were out in the open.

“Seriously? You guys forget very quickly that I am a somewhat decent witch.”

He raised an eyebrow in their direction, planted his feet firmly on the ground and raised his arms above his head. “Ready for fireworks boys?”

He clapped his hands together and brought them down to his sides in a semi-arc.

A single flash of lightening followed by loud thunder could be heard as a light tinkling sound filled the air. Sehun saw the tiniest of white particles fall before his eyes as if someone were drawing a transparent, shimmery curtain in front of him. A weird noise briefly filled his ears and as he cleared his throat, it sounded as if he were in a sound proof booth.

“There you go.” Jongdae dusting his hands off as he looked upwards at his handiwork.

“What was that?” Jongin asked.

“Well, we are now invisible for about 45 minutes. No one can see us or hear us. They will think they are walking past some bushes. You can do what you like now. Just please don’t take off any clothes or anything, my stomach won’t handle it.”

“Har har har, you wish.” Jongin replied, sarcastically, “That’s really cool though.”

“Let’s focus guys.” Minseok reined them back in. “Jongdae, thank you. Chanyeol, we’ll need more light.”

“Gotcha.” The little flame that Chanyeol had in his hand multiplied to produce 10 slightly bigger flames, which all hovered in the air. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them towards the body and they all circled around it, illuminating the corpse allowing them all to see the details.

“A little brighter please.”

“On it.” Chanyeol pointed his finger at each of the little flames, all of which burned brighter, adding to the light they were giving.

“Make sure you don’t burn it dimwit.” Jongin whispered.

“I’ll burn you first fucker.” Chanyeol whispered back.

Now every detail could be seen in better clarity. It wasn’t perfect, but their wolf eyesight was making up the deficit. Jongdae, not having this extra advantage slowly inched forward so he could see the body in more detail.

“Careful you don’t touch it!” Minseok said, remembering that Jongdae wouldn’t know not to. “It disintegrates when you touch it, all the others have too.”

“You mean, there’s been more?” He whispered, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere surrounding them.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

The corpse was pretty much the same as the previous ones. This one was a male. He looked to be in his 20s, he was once handsome. His eyes were tinged red, open and lifeless. He was wearing a white shirt which was ripped open to reveal his chest, almost as if it had been put on display on purpose. The red, angry branding mark was clearly visible. The thin black, thread-like lines coming off the branding mark were tracking up his neck. He was levitating a few inches off the floor, seemingly suspended in time.

Jongdae let out a low whistle as he took in the details.

“It was an alpha.” He heard Chanyeol say, somewhere in the distance, but he wasn’t really paying attention, eyes focussed on the rune on the chest of this alpha. He traced the rune with his finger in the air, careful not to touch, as instructed. His lips forming words that the others couldn’t make out.

“Jongdae?”

He broke his concentration as he heard Sehun call his name.

“Sorry, I think I recognise this rune.”

This caused the other alphas to come closer, suddenly a lot more interested in this newest discovery. They’d gotten accustomed to seeing the same things on the bodies. As horrific as it was that someone was killing people in such a way, there were no additional clues. They’d been left stumped. Jongdae recognising the runes was a huge leap forward.

“It’s an old rune, and if I had paid more attention when Granny was teaching us, I’d tell you from what era. Hyung is better at runes.”

“What does it mean?” Minseok asked him.

“Well, I don’t think it’s just one rune, I think they’ve been put on top of each other. From this angle,” he tilted his head to the left, “this looks like the rune of disruption, but this here,” he tilted his head to the left, “this is the rune of danger, and then lastly, this one,” he straightened his head, “is the rune of darkness, or night.”

“Those all sound fucking ominous.” Jongdae heard Chanyeol say.

“Yeh well, the presence of a dead body is as ominous as it gets.” Minseok replied.

“This isn’t just anybody’s work though,” Jongdae continued, “these runes are not in use anymore, and if I’m not mistaken, they aren’t even from the same civilisations, because look,” he pointed to the one meaning ‘darkness’, “this one is a different style to that one,” he pointed to the ‘danger’ rune.

“We kinda figured that no ordinary person could do this, it would require incredible power.” Jongin explained.

“Well, even I know what a tinged corpse looks like, and I know who is associated with that. But the black threads? This body has been poisoned with black magic. And the levitating? It’s impossible.”

“Why are you saying that?” Sehun asked.

Jongdae looked up at Sehun. “Only two entities in history can make things float randomly. One is standing in front of me. The other is not supposed to exist.”

“Black witches.” Sehun finished.

“They don’t exist.” Jongdae argued.

“That’s not what this corpse is saying.”

"It can't be."

"Then, who is it?"

“We need to tell hyung.” Jongdae gulped, throat suddenly feeling very dry. He didn't know how to answer Sehun's question.

“I agree, this needs to be stopped. We have to find out who is doing this.”

“Let’s finish up here.” Minseok stood up from his crouching position. “Jongdae, call Junmyeon once we get back. If it’s ok to leave Baekhyun, he should meet us at mine. I’ll call Yixing and Kyungsoo.”

Jongdae nodded and watched as Minseok took photos of every aspect of the body, including the rune. He watched as Chanyeol gently touched the body and it disintegrated into red ash, leaving no evidence of it’s existence. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle and stand on end as he sensed the particles of old magic vibrating in the air.

Whoever, or whatever was doing this was a strong enemy. He should be scared. He was scared. There was a war coming. Of that he was certain.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22

Junmyeon sat at the dining table in Minseok’s kitchen poring over the newly developed photos, head tilting in different directions every now and again. His brows knitted together as he tried to form a somewhat plausible conclusion. He pulled a piece of paper in front of him, scribbling some random symbols onto it.

“See this,” he pointed to the paper, “these individually are the runes of disruption, danger and darkness. Dae,” he addressed his brother, “I think you were right.”

“And this,” he continued, now pointing to the photo of the rune on the latest body, “this is all three of them superimposed on top of one another. Like they’ve been stacked one on top of another.”

“Ok, what does it mean?” Kyungsoo asked, one of the many people sat around the table, staring intently between the photos and the witch, not understanding a thing.

Junmyeon held up one hand, “Disruption,” he held up one finger, “danger,” another finger, “darkness,” he paused, holding up the third finger, “these are the elements of chaos.”

“Chaos?” Sehun asked.

“Yes Chaos.”

“I don’t understand. What’s chaos?”

“I’m not surprised you don’t. This is elementary magic, I wouldn’t expect wolves to know, it’s all about the theory of magic. Let me explain.”

“There are two branches of magic,” he began explaining, “true magic, the spells and incantations type of magic; Chaos and Serenity. The components of serenity consist of nature, light and the elements. The elements being earth, air, fire and water. This is the magic that Dae and I practice. White magic.”

“Your water power and thunder powers are white magic?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Not exactly,” Jongdae replied, “we were born like this, witches don’t have these kinds of gifts.”

“Correct, but back to standard magic.” Junmyeon continued. “In direct opposition of serenity, we have chaos, components being disruption, danger and darkness. Otherwise known as black magic.”

Sehun’s shifted his focus on to the runes in front of him. So his suspicions were right all along, this was someone doing some powerful black magic. He glanced over at Minseok who nodded slightly at him. It was a discussion they’d had together a number of times when they’d been trying to figure out the meaning behind all of these attacks.

“So you’re saying this is a symbol for black magic?”

“Yes, but not only the symbols though. These black lines you see coming from the rune, those are poison lines. The black witches were experts with poison. And this levitation thing, solely a trait of black witches……and you.”

“So you’re saying that this is the work of black witches?” Chanyeol asked.

“Not completely? It’s a bit confusing, because while it’s true that the only entity known to practice black magic exclusively are black witches, but this here,” he pointed to the red tinged eyes, “this is red witch work.”

“So you’re saying that the red witches did black magic?” Chanyeol was now thoroughly confused, if his pout was anything to go by.

Junmyeon chuckled, “No that’s not what I’m saying. It’s little known fact that the red witches don’t actually practice magic, per se.”

“Wait, what do you mean,” Minseok asked, now also confused. “We’ve seen then do it, with our own eyes!”

“No, you saw them do illusionary magic. This is not the same thing.” Junmyeon insisted.

“Fucking hell, my brain hurts, now what is illusionary magic?”

“That,” Jongdae piped up, “is the laughing stock of the magic world. What you see here is not magic. Red witches always practiced the art of illusion. When they did all the cliched sacrifices and weak voodoo attempts, and then the war happened, they were doing it not only to attain immortality but they wanted a slice of the magic.”

“Yep.” Junmyeon continued, “it transpires that they got hold of some incomplete spells from the black book and just…tried their best, as ridiculous as it sounds to you and me. This tingeing of bodies and all the flourishing art work that they put on them is actually something that went wrong rather than something they wanted to achieve.”

“You mean they killed people to try to get some sort of magical skills?” Chanyeol asked, incredulous.

“Yeh. Because, I’m sure you remember how every single body found had something wrong with it, tarred by magic, deformed, tinged, there was always something. It wasn’t that they were evolving their skills or anything, it was just that they were trying to adapt the spells to get the right thing and the spells they had were incomplete. Trial and error if you must.”

“What the actual fuck,” Kyungsoo said, disbelieving, “and every single one of them went wrong?”

“Yep, and, it’s not common knowledge, but bodies deformed or tampered with by magic cannot be used in a sacrificial ritual. The person has to be want to be sacrificed. Willingly.”

“This is why witches have such a bad reputation. It’s all about brainwashing and making people believe that being killed on the sacrificial stone is beneficial to them.” Jongdae explained. “And anyway, the stuff in the black book is way too complex for anyone who can’t do magic to understand and then carry out.”

“How do you know all this?” Minseok asked them.

“We know a lot of things.”

This caused Minseok to raise his eyebrow at him.

“Look, don’t judge, but now that we’re sharing info and everything, we should tell you…we kinda have the black book in our possession.” Jongdae admitted, sheepishly, cheeks colouring slightly at his admission.

“What? How!”

“What do you mean?!”

“Do you guys do black magic?”

“I’m confused, isn’t black magic bad?”

“Aren’t you guys white witches?”

“What the fuck?”

Both brothers were bombarded with the sudden outburst of confusion and outrage. Jongdae put his hands up placatingly until the room quietened down to simple murmurs.

“I know what this looks like. But seriously, the book just came to our possession.”

“How does one simply acquire the black book?” Kyungsoo asked, genuinely perplexed.

“Honestly?” Junmyeon replied, “We really don’t know. Our Grandma had it, and then it came to us. It’s ours now. It considers us it’s masters.”

“What?”

“Every magic needs a master. We are masters of both black magic and white magic.” Junmyeon explained.

“I don’t know how to feel.” Kyungsoo admitted.

“You’ll get used to it. We aren’t evil.”

“I know you’re not, kinda, sorta…”

“Hey! I’ll turn you into a toad.”

“Not if I kill you first.”

“Children….” Minseok warned.

“Sounds kinda sexy if you ask me.” Chanyeol said, looking both dumbfounded and in awe.

Jongdae winked at him cheekily.

“Back to all of the dead people, all of this is really suspicious,” Junmyeon continued, “But one thing I will say is this, what you’re dealing with is either a great mimic or more than one force combined. One type of witch won’t have this much power, unless….”

“Unless?” Sehun asked.

“Unless it’s us.” Jongdae answered, pointing to himself and Junmyeon.

“Yes. No one has that kind of magical power. Other than us.”

“See? Sexy.” Chanyeol repeated, only to be punched in the arm by Jongin.

“Ow!” He pouted, rubbing his arm.

Sehun sighed. So many questions were left unanswered, but there wasn’t much else to go by. He very quickly realised that the two Kim brothers were likely to be their best allies in finding whoever or whatever was doing this.

“Listen I have to go and make sure Baek is ok.” Junmyeon stood up finally. There wasn’t much else he could add her for now.

“Sehun, also, can I borrow you for a second?”

Sehun followed Junmyeon into the entryway of the apartment as he watched him put his jacket and shoes on. Junmyeon stood straight and put his hand on Sehun’s shoulder.

“Thank you.”

“Huh? For what?”

“For not taking advantage of him, in that state, you know? He would have said yes to anything.”

“What do you guys take me for? I think I’m physically incapable of hurting Baekhyun.”

“An alpha apparently can’t control themselves once they are near an omega in heat, or so I’ve heard. And Baekhyun is no ordinary omega, I’m sure you’re aware.”

Sehun was aware. He was very much aware. And although he didn’t want to admit it out loud, only he knew how hard it was to walk away from Baekhyun who would have let him fuck him if he had wanted it. Sehun was still fighting against himself, every time he closed his eyes, all he saw were Baekhyun’s gorgeous thighs on display. What he wouldn’t do to get his hands and mouth on those thighs.

His thoughts were interrupted as he realised that Junmyeon was still speaking. He reluctantly tuned back in.

“He was mumbling your name. You know, earlier?”

He was? Sehun chewed on the inside of his cheek, carefully structuring his next choice of words.

“Do you……erm….do you think it would be ok if I went to see him?”

“You don’t have to ask my permission Sehun, Baek is not my child! I trust you enough to know that you won’t hurt him. But erm….just be safe ok?” Junmyeon fidgeted whilst saying the last parts of that sentence, his voice fading away, marking the signs of how uncomfortable he was.

“I….err….thanks?” Sehun replied, understanding exactly what Junmyeon was trying to say, embarrassment creeping up his neck, making his face heat up.

“Ok well, if you’re going to stay with him, I won’t go back to yours, I’d rather not be there if you get what I mean? I have a couple of things I need to sort out anyway, if I can drag Dae out of that room, that is.”

Sehun nodded and made his way back into the lounge and called Yixing away.

“Xing, I want to go back to Baekhyun, but I’m not sure.”

“Well, Sehun, with all my love, for someone who is so powerful, you really are as dense as fuck.”

Sehun stared, speechless.

“Go you idiot! For fuck sake! I don’t know why you came from there in the first place! You know that won’t be good for Baekhyun! He needs you now more than ever, even if he doesn’t even realise it. Goddess help me!” Yixing pulled at his hair in frustration.

“Woah, ok ok, I’m going! Goddess Xing, if you were not our healer and I wasn’t immortal, I would be scared for my life right now.”

Yixing simply rolled his eyes and smiled at Sehun, his trademark dimple showing up, taking the edge off whatever scolding he’d just given Sehun.

“Just go Sehun, he would appreciate it.”

He bid his farewell to Yixing and popped his round to the room where the other guys were sitting in, letting them know he’ll be gone. For the most part he got a simple ‘goodbye’ or ‘see you later’, but he knew it would be too good to last.

“Wear protection Sehun, we don’t want any accidents.” Chanyeol hollered.

“Oi, I don’t want any nephews running around any time soon.” Jongdae chimed in, followed by cackles which could only belong to Chanyeol and Jongin.

Sehun gave them the middle finger, causing them to laugh harder and he decided to leave them to it, shaking his head whilst shrugging on his coat.

To anyone who saw him, he looked calm and collected as he walked to his car parked in the underground car park of Minseok’s apartment complex. Inside, his mind was creating its own havoc, wondering what on Earth he was doing and whether he would be able to control himself once he saw Baekhyun.

His apartment was silent apart from the electronic bleeping of the alarm that set itself automatically as he shut the front door. The absence of noise wasn’t a surprise, but the thick scent in the air was. His nostrils and senses were filled immediately with the sweet scent of vanilla and strawberries as he took in a deep inhale. His mouth watered as if he was setting foot into a bakery, the anticipation of delicious treats tickling his senses.

He'd never been able to find Baekhyun’s scent, but now that he had, he couldn’t imagine Baekhyun smelling like anything else. The omega himself was probably more delicious than anything Sehun would find in a bakery. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all, because how was he going to control himself? But he knew there was no other option, he had to be close to him, for his own sanity.

He toed off his shoes as he first made his way to the kitchen to grab himself a bottle of water. His mouth suddenly felt very dry as he got more and more nervous. He laughed at himself thinking of the absurdity of the situation. Why was he acting like a pre-teen virgin when he clearly wasn’t? He’d never felt so nervous around someone that he was attracted to before, so why now? It’s not like he was going to have sex with Baekhyun, so why was he feeling so anxious?

The answer was simple. It was because it was Baekhyun. Anyone else and Sehun would have already fucked them and moved on. But Baekhyun wasn’t just anybody else. Baekhyun was the most special person. Baekhyun was Sehun’s person.

He took several deep breaths as he made his way to the spare bedroom where he’d left Baekhyun. The door was closed and as he approached, the scent was stronger. His paused as he wrapped his hand around the door handle, knowing that whatever was on the other side would change him forever. He turned the knob and walked inside.

It was quiet. He could see a small lump in the centre of the bed, covered by a duvet. The bed side tables had a few bottles of water and what looked to be a half-eaten fruit salad, clearly Junmyeon had been keeping a close watch on Baekhyun, for which he was grateful.

He approached the bed carefully, trying not to let the scent of the omega take over his entire being. His nostrils flared as he took more of it in. Seriously, it was intoxicating, he would bet that if Baekhyun could bottle the scent, he would make millions. Sehun stood at the side of the bed, staring down at the back of Baekhyun’s head. He had his back turned to him and Sehun could only see the swell of his cheek from his position.

Now what? Sehun didn’t really know what to do beyond this point. He couldn’t just stay standing here like a creep. He didn’t even know where in his heat Baekhyun was. Had the worst already been and gone? Was he now just tired and sleeping it off? He had no idea.

His thoughts were interrupted by Baekhyun stirring in his sleep. Fidgeting, he rolled over onto his back, a frown on his face. His damp hair was stuck to his forehead and yet his face was glowing, flushed a pretty pink colour.

Baekhyun opened his mouth a little and licked his lips. Sehun’s eyes strayed to his mouth and fixated upon those plump lips of his. Baekhyun fidgeted a little more as his hands came up from under the duvet, a small moan leaving his lips.

Sehun’s eyes widened as he realised what was going on. Baekhyun wasn’t in the ‘tired, let’s sleep it off’ phase of his heat at all. Inwardly panicking, he still couldn’t get himself to leave as he stood and stared at the omega getting aroused all over again, his sanity hanging on by a mere thread that was ready to snap.

A sigh and then another moan, the duvet was flung off his body and the name ‘Sehun’ whispered ever so lightly, that even Sehun almost missed it. Sehun’s heart stopped as he forgot how to breathe for a minute.

Slowly, he climbed onto the bed, still fully dressed, mesmerised by the sight in front of him. He shuffled closer to Baekhyun and once he was within reach, he put a gentle hand on his forehead and stroked his hair back lightly. The gesture caused Baekhyun to calm down and quieten down as his fidgeting stopped for a few seconds. Sehun could see tiny goosebumps appear on his exposed collarbones as the sweat evaporated off his overly heated body. He looked down to locate the duvet only to find his eyes catching on Baekhyun’s erection, the outline clearly visible through the thin material of his pyjamas. He watched with widening eyes as his erection grew as his dick became stiffer.

Baekhyun began to move his hips ever so slightly, chasing friction. Feeling like a perverted voyeur, Sehun peeled his eyes off the erotic sight and settled on looking at his face. It was a mistake as Baekhyun had taken his lower lip between his teeth and his eyebrows were drawn into a frown.

‘I should leave.’ Sehun thought, not wanting to intrude on this very private moment. As he shifted to leave, he lifted his hand from Baekhyun’s forehead, ready to get himself off the bed. Until he was stopped by Baekhyun grabbing hold of his hand.

“....S…..Sehun?”

“Baek?”

“Sehun, please, I need….”

Baekhyun was looking straight at Sehun, his face a mixture of emotions that Sehun was struggling to tell apart. His eyes were clouded with lust, but also glassy with unshed tears. His cheeks were rosy and flushed, a sheen of sweat covering his flawless skin. His lips were red and swollen, no doubt from the numerous times they’d been bitten.

Sehun moved closer. “Baby, what do you need? Do you need some water?”

“Sehun, is it really you?” Baekhyun looked confused, as if he wasn’t believing his own eyes.

Baekhyun squeezed Sehun’s hand a little more, and then guided it down, past his stomach, to his groin. Sehun stopped breathing, trying to pull his hand back.

“Baek, I don’t think you know what you’re asking. I should leave.”

“Sehun please!” Baekhyun voice was louder than it was before and slightly hoarse with a hint of desperation. Sehun looked at his face as the first few tears fell from his eyes, falling onto the pillow on either side.

“Baby, don’t cry.” Sehun whispered, wiping the tears gently with his free hand. It calmed Baekhyun down a little, “why are you crying?”

“Everything hurts. I hurt. I need it to stop.” Baekhyun’s broken voice was hurting Sehun. Were heats usually this hard on omegas? He’d helped plenty of omegas before, but none were like Baekhyun. The others had all been crazed by lust with boundless energy. Baekhyun on the other hand seemed to be in genuine pain.

“Please.” Another whispered plea, “why won’t you touch me?” Baekhyun didn’t understand. Sehun smelled like home, a warming a comforting scent that Baekhyun just wanted to bury himself in. He didn’t understand why Sehun was hesitating. Did he not know that Baekhyun needed him so very badly? That he had been haunting his dreams for days now?

“You want this?” Sehun asked, scanning Baekhyun’s eyes, looking for any reservations.

Baekhyun nodded once and Sehun slowly inched towards his groin, looking at his face for any signs that he should stop. before he cupped Baekhyun’s dick with his large hand, the only thing between them being the pyjamas that Baekhyun was wearing.

Baekhyun let out a moan as his eyes fluttered closed at the contact, his body went lax at the relief of finally being touched. Sehun applied a bit more pressure as Baekhyun arched his hips into Sehun’s hand, trying to increase the friction on his hard dick. Sehun squeezed a little as Baekhyun moaned again.

“Take it off. I need it off, now.” Baekhyun became restless as he tried to throw off his pyjama bottoms. Sehun could feel himself getting hard as all blood rushed south at the sight of Baekhyun’s dick, hard with prominent veins along the shaft. The tip was red and leaking with precum. He palmed his own dick through his jeans, uncomfortable in the tight restraints of the denim, trying to rearrange himself more comfortably.

He grabbed hold of Baekhyun’s dick, none too gently and gave it a few thrusts with his hand, Baekhyun’s hips meeting the thrusts. He noticed as Baekhyun’s breathing became more laboured, the tip of his penis leaking some more precum. Sehun stopped his ministrations with his hand for a second as he reached behind his dick to lightly brush against Baekhyun’s balls, causing the omega to shiver and moan once again.

“Hmm, you liked that?” He asked as his fingers brushed against his balls again, travelling upwards once more to the tip of his dick, where he dipped his thumb into the slit at the top, collecting the pre cum there. Baekhyun inhaled sharply as his hands shot out above his head to fist the pillow tightly. Sehun applied more pressure on his own dick, struggling not to explode at the erotic sight in front of him. He moved his hand faster up and down Baekhyun’s shaft which was now coated with cum.

Quiet mewls and moans could be heard from the omega as he spread his legs far apart and bent his knees. Sehun saw a patch of dampness on the sheets below, no doubt Baekhyun’s slick, soaking the bedsheet. He stared, fascinated at how responsive he was to his touch, how every touch would elicit a different sound.

Sehun palmed his own dick, trying hard not to give in to the temptation of jerking himself off. He didn’t let up on his rhythm on Baekhyun’s dick. His eyes widened and breathing sped up when he noticed one of Baekhyun’s hands also reach between his legs , past his balls and to his asshole. Sehun closed his eyes to pray for inner strength when he realised Baekhyun was about to finger himself.

The room was filled with the heady scent of Baekhyun’s scent and the smell of sex as Baekhyun’s pleasured heightened. The obscene squelch of Baekhyun’s fingers fucking his own asshole could be heard along with the sounds of heavy breathing.  Sehun was not being gentle anymore as he stroked his dick furiously, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Baekhyun’s breathing had become erratic and his hip movements uncoordinated, until they suddenly stopped and beads of cum shot out of the end of his dick.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” Baekhyun managed to get out, sounding exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. His breathing was heavy and he swallowed as he tried to control himself, trying to come down from his high. He turned his head towards Sehun and bit into Sehun’s shoulder, causing Sehun to curse as he nearly shot his load inside his own pants.

He stilled his hand, not wanting to overstimulate the omega and waited for his to calm down, noticing that his eyes were already half closed as he succumbed to sleep.

He got up from the bed, heading towards the bathroom, trying to find a washcloth to clean Baekhyun up with. After washing his hands he soaked the cloth under the tap and squeezed it to draw out the excess water. Maybe it’ll help cooling Baekhyun down, he was really warm on touching, a part of being in heat, Sehun realised.

He made his way back to the room, seeing Baekhyun had already curled up and gone to sleep, in his state of undress. As he gently turned him over and wiped over his face, then cleaned him down below, Baekhyun sighed quietly, but did not wake.

Sehun dressed him again and covered him with the duvet. He made sure that Baekhyun was sound asleep before he quietly left the room to go to his own. Once inside, he collapsed against the wall, hastily undoing his pants. His hand wrapped around his own dick this time as he closed his eyes and imagined the scene that unfolded in front of him minute ago. It didn’t take much. He was already so turned on and horny that he came, hard. He groaned, long and deep as he continued to come. He felt calmer now, his head was much clearer.

He made his way back to Baekhyun’s room. He couldn’t himself, but he just needed to be close to him. He needed to hold him.. Without another thought, he got in to bed beside Baekhyun and pulled the sleeping omega towards him, enveloping him in his arms and burying his nose in his hair, taking in as much of his scent as possible. Baekhyun wrapped his arms and his legs around Sehun like a koala and released a contented sigh, falling deeper into sleep.

Sehun didn’t realise when he fell asleep, fully dressed, but it was probably one of the best sleeps he had ever had.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23

“Dae Dae, can I ask you something?” Baekhyun’s eyes were fixed on the bowl of grapes he had in front of him, he picked one juicy green one up and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, thinking hard. “But I’m worried it’s a stupid question and you’re gonna think I’m dumb.”

Jongdae popped a grape into his own mouth, “Baek, you always ask stupid questions, I’ve never once called you dumb.”

Baekhyun threw the grape at Jongdae’s head, which the witch easily managed to dodge with a huge grin on his face. Baekhyun scowled at him, the expression having no real punch behind it.

It was a few days after Baekhyun’s heat had finished. He was sitting at his kitchen counter with Jongdae, who’d come to visit for the afternoon. He’d come back to stay at his own abandoned apartment, no longer seeing any reason for staying at Sehun’s and taking advantage of his hospitality. He had no idea why everyone had insisted in his staying at Sehun’s house in the first place. But he had been grateful of the company the alpha had offered him.

He didn’t actually remember anything from his heat, the whole time felt like a sort of hallucination filled with lust and sexy dreams. Baekhyun’s face coloured a deep red whenever he thought of all the naughty things he had dreamt about. Vivid images of a particular alpha were permanently stamped on the inside of his eyelids and flashed in front of him whenever he closed his eyes. He was still mortified that his heat had hit him in Sehun’s company and he dreaded to think what the alpha would have thought about him. He was finding it hard to forgive his own body for betraying him in the worst way. He felt hot and itchy and deeply embarrassed when he recalled the situation he had found himself in.

After his heat had finished, he had had the guest bedroom cleaned professionally whilst Sehun was at work and he had rushed out of the apartment back to his own as if a fire had been lit under his ass. He’d dropped a thankful, albeit apologetic message to Sehun once he had settled at home, not having the courage to face him in person just yet. Luckily, Sehun had understood Baekhyun’s need for space and hadn’t seemed too put out over him leaving abruptly.

Baekhyun had since tried to settle back into his work, knowing the company was suffering because of him and feeling extremely guilty as a result. He’d taken to working from home, not having the energy to attend in person. It seemed to be a win-win situation though as he was getting a lot of work done without overtiring himself.

“Well?” Jongdae probed when he didn’t get a response from Baekhyun after a while.

Baekhyun pouted as he tried his best to formulate the question in his own head, attempting to clear his mind of all the thoughts clouding it. How was he supposed to voice his feelings when there was so much going on?

“Oh just ask,” Jongdae exclaimed, impatient, “If it’s stupid, it’s stupid.” He lifted a glass of juice to his mouth, ready to take a swig.

“I just….well…what does it mean when you have dirty dreams about someone?” Baekhyun wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground and die.

Jongdae choked as the juice he was drinking went down the wrong way. Coughing, spluttering and eyes watering, he put down the glass and stared at Baekhyun.

“Fucking hell Baek, can you warn me first?” He cleared his throat, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He put his hand up in a stop gesture, “I kinda don’t wanna know, but I also do wanna know, cos I’m a nosy bitch. Who, tell me?”

“It’s not important, I just wanted to know, that’s all,” Baekhyun managed to stammer out, back-peddling and wishing he hadn’t said anything. He was sure his face was burning hot.

“Fuck off Baek, don’t lie. It is important and I wanna know who it is. Tell meeeee,” he whined.

Baekhyun scratched the back of his head, regretting ever mentioning anything.

“Erm, just…..,” he dusted some non-existent crumbs off the kitchen counter, “you know, Sehun?” He dared to look up at Jongdae. If he wasn’t so mortified, he would have laughed at the shock on his face.

“Sehun?!” Jongdae all but shouted, causing Baekhyun to wince at how loud it came out.

“For fuck sake, I’m sure the neighbours downstairs haven’t heard it yet, mind repeating yourself louder?!”

“Like Sehun Sehun?” Jongdae asked again, more normally.

“How many more Sehuns do you know?”

“Like, alpha boss bitch Sehun?”

Baekhyun raised his eyebrow, he would revisit that nickname choice later, “well you know, I just….I dunno? Maybe?” Baekhyun stammered, unsure of his feelings, unsure of what it all meant.

“Well, if you didn’t have dirty dreams about him, then I would worry about you, you know? Because that guy is a hot bitch. Have you seen his ass?” Jongdae rested his cheek on his hand as he stared dreamily into the distance, probably thinking about said ass.

Baekhyun opened his mouth, but no words came out, he didn’t know what to say. He’d never had feelings for anyone in his life, let alone sexual feelings and it terrified him a little. He’d spent his life shying away from contact with others, especially alphas and this made him feel particularly out of control. He felt as if he was free-falling, hurtling into the unknown and he just didn’t know what to do.

“I…..I…..it’s not….I….,” Baekhyun stammered, now flustered, “I….I….just…..”

“Ha! Calm down, I’m only teasing. You have all the time in the world to rough him up.”

“I would never!”

“Yeh yeh, sure.” Jongdae didn’t believe him for a second, “give it some time, you’ll want to jump his bones soon enough.”

Baekhyun sighed deeply, he didn’t want to open up that can of worms right now.. “I’m just so confused, you know? There’s been so much going on recently. Work, me collapsing like that, you guys saving my life, my heat and now….I’m confused because I am feeling all of these new things and I don’t know how to feel. It’s just all so overwhelming.”

Jongdae chewed slowly and swallowed before answering him. “Look, who says you have to know how to feel and act? When have I ever had my shit together? Sometimes you just have to go wherever life is carrying you. Yours is on a wild ride right now, embrace it and see where it leads.”

“Well even my body is betraying me.”

“How so?” Jongdae asked, confused.

“Well, my heat is usually regular like clockwork. Every three months without fail. It’s saved in my calendar. I’m so fixated on it, I’ve never once forgotten to ask you for my medication, it’s never something I’ve missed.”

“And?”

“I was early. My heat cycle is out of sync. No wonder I didn’t know, no wonder I got no warning. I didn’t even take my meds. No wonder it crept up on me, in Sehun’s fucking house of all places!”

“Yeh, about that, I feel sorry for you, imagine being around that hot fucker while your body wanted sex, lots of sex.” Jongdae placed his chin on his hands while looking at Baekhyun, batting his eyelids.

“Dae, I love you, but I hate you.”

Jongdae shrugged and carried on sipping on his juice. “Oh wait, I forgot!”

He got up and rummaged around his bag, which he had carelessly thrown on the floor of the kitchen when he had arrived earlier. Humming a tune under his breath, he pulled out a small package, this time wrapped in a deep green velvet cloth, tied together with a ribbon of the same colour. Did Jongdae just have these things lying around at home? “I finished this for you yesterday, I think you need a top up, don’t you? It’s a bit earlier than last time though.”

Jongdae handed the package to Baekhyun, who untied the ribbon at the top, revealing a thin vial filled three quarters of the way to the top with pearlescent liquid. Baekhyun’s ‘medicine’.

“How did I forget?” Baekhyun asked. “I swear, I don’t know where my brain is these days. How can I forget something so important?”

Jongdae shrugged, “It happens Baek, you’ve had a lot on.”

Baekhyun uncorked the vial with a pop, watching as the liquid inside glimmered whenever it caught the lights from his kitchen ceiling. He had always been fascinated how something so beautiful and pretty could be made from the black book, belonging to those evil black witches. How was he ever supposed to believe that this was black magic?

“Well thanks Dae, bottoms up.” He brought the vial to his lips, tilting his head back and drinking down the contents all in one go. Licking his lips to get the remainder cleaned up, he handed the vial back to Jongdae along with the piece of velvet that it was wrapped in.

“That should have you good for about 3 months now Baek, I’ll make a note in my calendar too, ok? That way, if one of us forgets, the other will remind them ok?”

Baekhyun nodded but didn’t answer. He had his hand pressed flat on to his tummy as a weird, butterfly like feeling passed through him. He’d never felt anything like this before.

“Baek?”

Baekhyun snapped out of the weird feeling and looked up at Jongdae, “Yeh sorry, I think I’m having a bit of gas. I dunno.” He rubbed his tummy again.

“Shall I grab you some milk?”

“No, I’m sure it’ll pass in a sec.” He replied, whilst massaging his right temple with his forefinger and middle finger, feeling an impending headache.

“Ok, just let me know, belly aches can be……..BAEKHYUN!”

Jongdae shot up from his seat as he saw Baekhyun crumple to the ground, landing hard on his knees, holding his head between his hands. His eyes were screwed shut. He let out a yell as fell forwards, landing on his hands, breathing heavily.

“Baek….!” Jongdae rushed to his side as Baekhyun stayed bent over on his hands and knees, breathing heavily.

“Dae, I…..I don’t feel so good, what’s happening?”

“I….I dunno…..is it something you ate?” Jongdae noticed as beads of sweat broke out onto Baekhyun’s forehead and upper lip as the omega continued to hyperventilate, trying to get oxygen into his lungs.

“I dunno, I just….oh fuck, I dunno….” Baekhyun struggled to describe how he was feeling, somewhere between pain and a feeling of impending doom. He could almost hear the blood rush through his veins as he felt his pulse racing away in his head. His stomach felt as though millions of small butterflies had taken resident in there and were battering their wings against his walls. His head on the other hand felt like someone was slicing through it with a sharp razor.

“Errr, Baek…..” Jongdae suddenly sounded somewhat scared as he got up from beside Baekhyun and started moving away slowly.

“Dae?”

“Erm, I don’t want you to panic Baek, but….you’re like glowing?”

“Huh? Dae? What do you mean glowing?” He grimaced as his temples started throbbing.

“Look just take some deep breaths ok Baek.” Jongdae vividly recalled the first time that Baekhyun had exhibited any type of magical power, it had ended up with him being knocked right onto his ass. In fact, they’d all ended up on their asses, bar Sehun.

“Breathe in, breathe out.” He soothed, while maintaining a safe distance, wondering what the fuck to do. He didn’t even know what was happening to him right now.

His breath caught in his lungs as Baekhyun grabbed hold of his head once again, throwing it back and letting out a high pitched scream. Jongdae didn’t get the chance to cover his ears as the purest form of light burst out from the centre of his body in thin shard-like shapes. Jongdae was knocked backwards and unable to control his fall, he ended up hitting the back of his head on the sharp edge of the kitchen counter.

Baekhyun crumpled fully onto the floor, breathing as if he had just run a marathon, a faint halo of white light shining around him. Some bulbs and glasses in the kitchen has shattered with the force of the energy, but Jongdae knew that he could do a lot worse, this was nothing.

Jongdae stood back up with difficulty. His eyes were swimming, he felt dizzy and slightly nauseous. That was some knock to the head. He gingerly felt the back of his head, wincing a little at the sharp sting upon contact. He withdrew his fingers and brought them to the front, noticing a small bit of bright red blood. Great.

Nevertheless, he needed to get to Baekhyun, help him up maybe, see if he was ok. He slowly started making his way back to him, noticing the halo of white light pulsating slightly.

“No….Dae….” Baekhyun said, weakly, his voice sounding shaky and exhausted, “you can’t come closer, it’s not safe…I….I’m not safe. Please.”

“Don’t be stupid Baek, I’m not leaving you. I just, I dunno, let’s get you to your feet first ok?”

Baby steps, Jongdae was walking towards Baekhyun with baby steps as if he were an explosive about to detonate at any minute. He was given a moment’s notice only as the halo of light around Baekhyun expanded rapidly and let forth another burst of unfiltered energy, once again knocking Jongdae to the floor, this time causing him to fall on his ass. The windows of the kitchen rattled dangerously, close to breaking.

Jongdae felt the impact all the way to his teeth. “Fuck, god-fuck-dammit!” Jongdae swore, “Byun Baekhyun, you have got to give me something here! Fuck, I think I broke my ass!”

“Oh fucking hell, make it stop! My head is going to explode!” Baekhyun had kept his eyes scrunched tight, now with tears forming in the corners from the amount of effort it was taking him to stay conscious. He’d never felt so much pain before in his life. Every time the pain came, he felt a new surge of energy leaving his body, leaving him totally drained from the effort. He wasn’t sure how much longer his body would be able to continue like this. He couldn’t control it. It had a mind of his own. Baekhyun was scared.

“Dae, I’m scared.” He wanted to cry.

“Don’t be, I’m here ok Baekhyun? I’m here.” Jongdae didn’t feel even half as confident as he was trying to sound. In fact, it would be accurate to say he was shitting himself, but he wasn’t going to tell Baekhyun that. “Ok well, fuck. I’m gonna take you to your room ok? Keep you there so no one gets hurt. Then I’m gonna go get help. Do you think you can stand?”

Baekhyun nodded his head, the movement rattling his insides. He stood up on weak, shaky legs, almost toppling over from the effort it took for him to stand. He grabbed the closest wall to him, helping to keep himself upright as he put one shaky foot in front of another. A wave of dizziness prevented him from walking too far though as he found himself sagging against the wall, the cold surface supporting his entire weight.

“I’m coming Baek….” Jongdae hobbled over to his friend and took a firm hold of his arm, leading him to the bedroom which was thankfully close-by. “I swear to the Goddess Baek, if you kill me today, my ghost will haunt you for eternity.”

Baekhyun chuckled despite himself, but stopped abruptly when he realised that it caused his head to pound harder. Fighting back nausea, he gritted his teeth and allowed himself to be lead to his room. They were at the threshold of his bedroom door when Baekhyun felt another surge of power. Collecting his remaining strength, he pushed Jongdae out of the way and all but launched himself into his room, slamming the door behind himself. He promptly crumbled to the floor in a foetal position as waves after waves of pain shot through his skull as if his skull were trying to split into two. He could hear in the distance of his conscious that things were being broken, the windows were rattling and the far cry of Jongdae who was shouting for him on the other side of the door.

“Baek! Baek! Wait ok, hold on, I’m going to get help. Fuck! Fuck, who? Shit!” Jongdae forced himself to calm down. He smacked himself once on the cheek. “Get it fucking together Jongdae!” He told himself, sniffling to ward off the impending tears.

Jongdae’s hands shook as he tried to unlock his phone. It took him a lot longer than he wanted to admit to punch in the security code as his phone fired up. He dialled a number, hoping that it would be the right one.

“YOU DID WHAT??”

Yixing stared at the witch for the longest time, mouth held open as he tried to process the words that Jongdae had just uttered.

It was half an hour after Jongdae had made an SOS phone call to the healer in the hopes that he could come and fix whatever was happening to Baekhyun. In the meantime, he had stationed himself out side of Baekhyun’s room, helplessly listening to the omega scream in pain. He’d heard things smashing and light streaking through the slit at the bottom of the door. How the neighbours hadn’t called the authorities on them was a mystery. Jongdae reckoned that most of the people in Baekhyun’s building were currently at work or not home.

Every now and again, he called for Baekhyun, getting only a quiet reply in return. He was worried. How long would Baekhyun be able to hold out for? What the fuck was even happening?

“Look, can we talk about it later please?” Jongdae reasoned, now desperate. “I need you to heal whatever is happening to him, I don’t think he’s gonna be able to take much more.”

This sentence was punctuated by another one of Baekhyun’s shrill shrieks as his bedroom door rattled, seemingly like it was about to break off from the hinges themselves.

“Fuck.” Yixing muttered under his breath. “I don’t know if I can.”

“What do you mean?” Jongdae asked, horrified.

“He’s been poisoned!”

“What the fuck, it’s not poison! I make that potion for him every 3 months and have done for the past few years. It’s never done this before! I wouldn’t give him poison.”

“What potion is it anyway? Why does he need it? Is he sick?”

“I…..I……he just needs it.”

“Fuck, fine! You don’t wanna tell me, fine! But if we are trying to neutralise it, I need to know what it is Jongdae! Help me the fuck out here!” Yixing was usually calm. There was nothing much that could really make him angry, but this was testing even his patience. Did Jongdae not know how serious this was?

“Hehasittogetridofhisscent.” Jongdae mumbled all in one breath, avoiding Yixing’s eyes.

“What?”

“I said…..he has it to get rid of his scent.” Jongdae repeated, still not daring to look at the alpha.

Yixing stared. “What the fuck do you mean?”

“It’s complicated ok?!” Jongdae defended. “But right now, he got sick after having it, this one time and I need you to fix it, PLEASE.”

“Where did you get this type of potion from Jongdae…..I think I already know, but I need to hear it.”

“The black book.” Jongdae all but whispered, now looking down at the floor, all the years of guilt for giving Baekhyun this concoction suddenly catching up with him all in one go.

Yixing closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

“Ok. We will talk later. Right now, we need to get that out of Baekhyun so that he doesn’t die with all the power he’s consuming.”

Yixing stepped towards the door. All was silent and he worried that they might already be too late.

“Baekhyun?”

Silence.

“Baekhyun?” He said a little louder this time.

“Yixing?” Came a quiet voice from within. He sounded exhausted.

“Yeh. Gonna try to fix your trouble making ass again Baek. I’m coming in.”

“No….I….I don’t wanna hurt you. I’ve already hurt Dae.”

Yixing glanced a confused look behind him to where Jongdae was stood. Jongdae mouthed the words ‘I’ll explain later.’

“It’s ok Baek, Jongdae is fine. But he’s worried, we both are. I need to come in to fix it ok?”

“O….ok…..yeh.” Baekhyun conceded after a pause.

Yixing opened the door slightly and peered inside. The omega was lying on the floor in the middle of his room, in the foetal position, looking tinier than he’d ever seen him. His body was surrounded by a pulsating, vivid white light, sparks being sent off here and there in all directions, something Yixing recognised as a power that had gone out of control. He looked like a sparkler.

He took a small step into the room at the same time that Baekhyun opened his eyes. As soon as he did, his pupils dilated, all attention fixed onto Yixing. His mouth opened in warning as pain unlike anything he’s ever felt before sliced through his entire body.

“Yixing no!”

The warning was slightly too late, Baekhyun’s body convulsed on the floor as more energy shot out of him straight towards Yixing. It was no longer random. This beam of light had a purpose, a destination - Yixing.  Yixing was shot straight into the abdomen, winding him and causing him to shoot a few feet into the air. It seemed like he was suspended in the air for an eternity before he came crashing onto the floor, at the threshold of the room.

Yixing lay unmoving for a short amount of time. Somewhere in the back, Jongdae was yelling and rushing towards him. Baekhyun lay sobbing on the floor, staring at the mess he’d made. Hating himself for hurting not only Jongdae but also Yixing.

Jongdae ran forward and pulled Yixing out of the doorway, shutting the bedroom door as quickly has he could. “Baek, I’m sorry!” he cried. He turned around to check on Yixing, worried that he was badly injured, or worse, dead. He nearly passed out from relief when he heard him groan and stir a little.

“Fuck Yixing! Fuck you’re alive. What the fuck? Fuck!”

“Call Sehun Jongdae, call him now.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 24

Sehun walked through the kitchen and straight into Baekhyun’s bedroom. He briefly acknowledged Jongdae and Yixing before he entered the room but didn’t stop to talk. He needed to get to Baekhyun first.

Jongdae had made the phone call to Sehun on Yixing’s advice. Hands shaking and unable to get his words out properly, he’d tried his best to explain what had happened. It took Yixing to gently take the phone from him and explain before Sehun had got the message. The 10 minutes it took for Sehun to get to Baekhyun’s apartment were agonising and the witch was now inconsolable, worried beyond belief for Baekhyun, whose condition he had no idea of. He'd been too afraid to open the bedroom door again. The only thing that could be heard were periodic screams from the room along with flashes of light, but even the screams were getting weaker and weaker.

Sehun found a sobbing Jongdae, eyes puffy and red rimmed and a grim looking Yixing upon his arrival to Baekhyun’s apartment. He knew there was little time, discussions could happen afterwards. He nodded to them once, Yixing telling him he was here and on standby if Sehun needed him. But Sehun knew he would never put Yixing in harm’s way like that. Baekhyun was like a nuclear weapon right now, if what he’d been told on the phone was correct and the only one that had the chance of containing him was Sehun.

Sehun didn’t bother with the formality of knocking on Baekhyun’s door. He was going in regardless. He opened it and let himself in. The sight he saw nearly made his knees buckle. If there was one thing that could make Oh Sehun weak, it would be seeing Baekhyun, his omega in the state that he was now.

Baekhyun was prone on the floor in the middle of the room. The side of his face was squashed into the floor as he lay weeping from pain and exhaustion. His skin was flushed a bright red from the exertion of expending so much power uncontrolled in such a short time. His aura was pulsating around him, bright white and erratic, sparks shooting off in all directions, a bit like a firework. Sehun recognised the signs of power gone rogue, but what he didn’t understand is why the power had gone rogue, especially a power that had remained dormant for so long. All he knew was that Baekhyun had taken a potion – which one, he didn’t know, and then this had happened.

He briefly looked around the room which was in complete disarray. The walls had large chunks of plaster gouged out from them, two mirrors were shattered, the pieces lying on the floor. The window had cracks in it, it was a miracle that it was still intact. There was a crack forming on the ceiling . It looked like the ceiling could collapse in at any time. This would need a lot of repair work. Through all of his worry, Sehun felt a small glimmer of pride, somewhere in the back of this thoughts, for his omega. How powerful he was. If only he could learn to control that power. Yeh, that would be great

“Baekhyun.” He said, approaching the omega slowly, not wanting to scare him.

Baekhyun slowly opened one eye, bloodshot and puffy. Goddess he looked exhausted.

“S….Sehun?” He swallowed, his throat dry and painful. “What are you doing here? P…..please leave, it’s not safe….” His voice trailed off towards the end as his energy ran out. He bent his knees and curled in on himself like he was in a lot of pain. Sehun could see his body shaking with slight tremors. His bangs were plastered onto his sweaty forehead.

“You’ll travel the universe before you find something that isn’t safe for me Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun groaned in acknowledgement, but he wasn’t really taking in anything that was being said to him. Suddenly he opened his eyes again, pupils dilated and blackest of black, a far cry of the warm chocolatey brown eyes that Sehun had grown to love. His mouth contorted into a painful expression as he convulsed, his limbs drawing in on themselves more.

“Sehun! Go! Get out now, please! I can’t control it.”

Energy shot out of Baekhyun’s core as he convulsed some more, his arms and legs going rigid as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The bolt of light was headed straight for Sehun, one blast of it was probably enough to kill anyone on the spot. Sehun was not just anyone though. He lifted his arm and batted the light away as if it were a mere fly. The wall was hit with such force that a crack formed from the point of impact all the way to the floor and then the ceiling.

Baekhyun saw stars as he felt his vision blurring. He wasn’t sure whether he would be able to stay conscious any longer, he could see Sehun, but it looked like a blurry mirage and Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating at this point. His entire body felt as though it was on fire on minute and then another minute it felt like he’d plunged into a bath filled with ice cold water. Somewhere deep inside, he felt an irrational anger for the alpha stood in from of him, like he wanted to kill him. It was such a deep loathing, something primitive. It was such a foreign feeling, almost as if it wasn’t coming from him, but from something alien within him. Was it the potion he drank? What was happening to him?

He saw Sehun approaching him. He wanted to run away. No, he wanted to attack him. Or did he want to cling on and never leave his side? He wasn’t sure of his own feelings anymore and this terrified him. Not being in control of his mind, body or spirit and doing things he never would have otherwise scared the living daylights out of him. He felt waves of revulsion and relief as Sehun continued to walk towards him

“Babe, you sure do pack quite a punch.” Sehun lifted an eyebrow as he knelt beside him. Imploring eyes looked up at him, conveying different emotions that were difficult to pick apart.

“Now, I can understand if it’s too hard for you to speak right now. So nod if you can hear me.”

Baekhyun nodded.

“That potion you’ve had is acting like a poison in your body. I need to neutralise it. If I don’t, it will kill you.”

Baekhyun nodded.

“You can’t die Baekhyun. I need you to stay alive.”

Baekhyun stared.

“Never mind. Now listen carefully. There is only one way to neutralise this poison. You will have to drink my blood.”

“I……” Baekhyun started, licking his dry lips.

“It’s not going to be a lot, just a little lick should do it. Do you understand.”

Baekhyun grimaced as another wave of pain slammed into his head and he scrunched his eyes, but Sehun caught his nod.

“I need you to say yes Baekhyun, you know I can’t give you my blood otherwise.”

“Y….yes.” Baekhyun replied, shakily.

“Ok babe, hold on. It’s going to be over soon. I promise.”

Sehun looked around the room until his eyes landed on a pair of cosmetic scissors on Baekhyun’s dressing table. He got up and grabbed hold of them, using his spare hand to push up his sleeve to expose his wrist. Absentmindedly, he batted away another shot of power that Baekhyun had unleashed on him, this time hitting the dressing table and causing it to shatter, the mirror of it having shattered a long time ago.

“Baby, hold on will ya? Gimme a minute.”

Making his way back to Baekhyun, he helped him into an upright position, using his arm to keep him from falling back to the floor. He used the sharp tip of the scissors to stab himself in the wrist, exactly where the vein was. A small dot of fresh red blood came onto the surface, shimmering as if holding magical properties of its own.

“Baek, I need to you lick this, and then suck some more, ok?”

Baekhyun looked at his wrist as if it was a foreign object that he had never seen before. He looked disgusted at the very thought of ingesting someone’s blood and Sehun understood why. It wasn’t every day that someone asked you to lick blood off their wrists, unless you were into that kind of thing, of course. He could imagine how crazy Baekhyun thought he was right now.

“Quickly baby, I really don’t wanna stab myself again if this blood dries up. Here.” He said, offering his wrist to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun hesitantly brought his mouth to Sehun’s wrist, sniffing at it first and then tentatively flicking out the tip of his tongue to lap at the blood, similar to how a kitten would to milk. Sehun would have cooed if the situation was any different to what it was now. After licking the spot of blood, he latched his lips onto Sehun’s wrist and sucked lightly, eyes closing for a brief moment.

This simple action of his brought goosebumps all over Sehun’s body and he shivered slightly at the tingles he felt down his spine. Sharing blood was a special kind of bond but Sehun didn’t remember feeling like this with the others. He was almost in a pre-orgasmic state, something he was sure he was only going to feel with Baekhyun. Unfortunately for him, the feeling didn’t last very long as Baekhyun detached his lips from the wrist and slumped forward, forehead resting into Sehun’s chest.

Baekhyun’s heart was beating wildly, his thoughts were in utter turmoil. A heady feeling passed through him at the first taste of Sehun’s blood, which didn’t have the coppery taste of blood that he had expected. In fact, the taste was somewhat sweet and kind of addictive. As soon as it entered his system, he felt a peace he’d never known before and another feeling, something that he wasn’t quite able to place, but wasn’t entirely unwelcome. He wondered whether Sehun’s blood had magical properties. They must do, right? How had he managed to stop the pain?

After he’d finished, his entire body and mind felt spent. He could no longer hold himself up and he slumped into Sehun, his forehead hitting Sehun’s firm chest. He felt two arms go around him and he snuggled in closer, taking deep lungfuls of pine and cedarwood scented air, grounding him and making him feel more like himself. Slowly, he felt a refreshing energy take over him, a far cry from the situation he had been in minutes earlier. His mind felt clearer, he felt more energised.

Time passed and no one moved. Sehun had his cheek resting on the top of Baekhyun’s head, purposefully keeping his breathing and heart rate slow and steady to help the omega calm down faster. Baekhyun was no longer screaming in pain, convulsing or trying to attack him with his power. That had to be a good thing, right? The poison in his body had been neutralised.

Slowly Baekhyun opened his eyes. He belatedly registered the position they were in. Sehun was on the floor, on his knees and Baekhyun was straddling his lap, head tucked under Sehun’s chin. Sehun’s arms were around Baekhyun. Baekhyun could feel the steady beat of his heart just under his cheek. He was feeling so good. No pain, no anger, no hatred. He wasn’t scared anymore. His happiness over this fact was quickly replaced by the embarrassment of their position. He didn’t even remember climbing on top of Sehun like that. Or was he placed there? He didn’t know, he didn’t remember.

Heat rose up his neck as he blushed furiously at their slightly compromising position. There wasn’t even space for air to pass at how close they were to each other, however, Baekhyun felt so comfortable, he didn’t even want to move. Nevertheless, the longer he stayed, the more embarrassment he knew he would feel.

He lifted his head, feeling Sehun shift under him. His arms loosened around him and he felt their loss immediately, although the arms weren’t removed fully. He braved looking up at the alpha, who was staring down at him, his eyes full of tenderness. The usually dark eyes were shimmering with green hues, with an emotion that Baekhyun was unable to describe.

They stared at each other for some time, Baekhyun’s eyes scanning both of Sehun’s.

Baekhyun cleared his throat. “I….I should move.”

“Hmm, yes, you should.” Sehun whispered back.

And yet none of them moved. Sehun gulped. Baekhyun’s eyes flew to one of his most favourite features of Sehun’s, his Adam’s apple,  mesmerised by the up and down movement of it when he swallowed. He wanted to lick it, so badly.

Sehun’s lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. Baekhyun’s eyes moved slowly up to his lips, staring blatantly at how pink and luscious they looked. He bit his own bottom lip and in a moment of insanity, before he had the chance to second guess himself, before he could even stop himself, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sehun’s.

Sehun jolted and then froze, surprised at the unexpected contact but tightened his arms around Baekhyun by instinct a moment later. Baekhyun’s lips moved against his and he reciprocated in like, after a second of hesitation. Slowly he opened his mouth to take Baekhyun’s lower lip in between his teeth, where he bit down on it lightly eliciting a moan from him.

He captured Baekhyun’s lips once again, deepening the kiss, taking control. Baekhyun’s lips were as soft as he imagined, like fluffy pink pillows. Tasting him was delicious, as if he was eating his way through a strawberry sundae. His arms squeezed Baekhyun causing him to gasp, allowed Sehun’s tongue access into his mouth where he was met by Baekhyun’s tongue, tangling together.

Baekhyun moaned. He was inexperienced and he was worried that his inexperience was showing but it felt so good. He wanted to be attached to Sehun’s mouth forever. Sehun’s tongue was dominating his mouth and he let him. His hot muscle was exploring all parts of it and the intensity made Baekhyun clutch at Sehun’s shirt with both of his hands.

He came up for air, panting heavily, his heartbeat spiking and drumming along to its own rhythm. Sehun seemed in no better of a state as his bruised lips parted to allow him to catch some much needed air. Sehun cleared his throat and Baekhyun did something he’d been wanting to do this whole time. He inched forward and licked a small stripe at Sehun’s Adam’s apple, his tongue flattening against the bump.

Sehun’s hips thrust forward slightly, as a small exhale of air left between his parted lips. It was an involuntary reaction which caused Baekhyun to gasp as he felt Sehun’s growing hardness in between them. Sehun growled a little as he changed their position, lifting Baekhyun clean into the air, his legs wrapping around Sehun waist a little tighter to prevent him from falling. Sehun rose onto his knees and slowly brought Baekhyun to the floor gently, laying him down onto his back, making sure he didn’t bang his head on the floor. He followed, settling himself in between Baekhyun’s legs, not allowing his full weight onto the omega below him.

Sehun stared into Baekhyun’s eyes, now back to their chocolatey brown loveliness, flecked with bits of gold. He was positively glowing, a beautiful flush made his cheeks a rosy pink colour. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Sehun’s neck, his hands linking behind to pull Sehun towards him.

Their lips locked once again, this time more feverishly and more desperately. Sehun poured weeks of frustration into this one kiss as he kissed him like he was about to devour him. Baekhyun’s hands went to Sehun’s hair as he grabbed hold of a handful and pulled it, causing Sehun’s lips to detach from him.

Sehun looked down at him hungrily as if he wanted Baekhyun to be his last meal. He ground his now hard dick down into Baekhyun’s groin causing the omega to moan breathily and grind his own hips to create more friction. Baekhyun arched his head backwards as he felt waves of pleasure causing goosebumps across his whole body. He shuddered when he felt Sehun nosing around his exposed neck and almost forgot to breath when he took his ear lobe in between his lips and bit down, providing sensations somewhere in between pleasure and pain.

Baekhyun’s eyes rolled back as he whispered a breathy ‘fuck’ under his breath. He raked his nails through Sehun’s scalp as Sehun continued to lick just under his ear at a really sensitive spot on his neck.

The air was filled with their heavy breathing as the two tangled together on the floor of Baekhyun’s bedroom. Baekhyun’s legs were spread wide under Sehun as he drove him crazy attacking his neck with his tongue and the sweetest of kisses. Sehun’s groin was doing small circles, rubbing against Baekhyun’s hard dick. Baekhyun wanted to shut his legs to stop the onslaught of sensations, but also didn’t want anything to stop.

Sehun felt drunk off the heady mixture of scents in the room, his own mingling with Baekhyun’s sweet one, now more potent than ever before. How he’d denied himself this for so long he would never know. He wanted to completely unravel and wreck the omega that lay beneath him, then put him back together, only to wreck him all over again. His lips found Baekhyun’s once again, where he initiated yet another bruising kiss, attempting to swallow him in one piece.

Both of them stilled and held their breaths, lips detaching from one another as they heard a gentle knock on the door. Followed by a, “Sehun, Baekhyun, are you guys ok? It’s been a while.”

Sehun took a deep breath and rested his forehead against Baekhyun’s, attempting to calm himself down and will away his erection.

“Baby, are we ok?” He whispered to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun nodded imperceptibly, not able to meet Sehun’s eyes as the consequences of his rash actions began to wash over him.

“Yeh…..Xing, we’re ok. Coming out in a sec.” He answered, loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door.

“Ok, because I’m having a hard time stopping Jongdae from clawing his way in here. He needs to see Baekhyun before he calms down.”

“Ok, ok, we’re coming.”

Sehun turned his attention to Baekhyun, who had his eyes casted downwards.

“Baekhyun, we good?” He whispered, only for his ears.

Baekhyun nodded once, but didn’t say anything. Sehun tenderly kissed the tip of his nose and got himself off of him. Once standing up, he offered his hand to Baekhyun, who took it. Sehun pulled him and used his other hand to steady him.

“Why don’t you go freshen up, I’ll see to them outside, ok?”

“Ok.” Was Baekhyun’s only reply.

Jongdae was only satisfied once he had clapped his eyes on Baekhyun’s living and breathing form, smothering him with hugs and kisses once he appeared back into the kitchen, the both of them uttering a thousand mutual apologies. Junmyeon had made the largest mug of hot chocolate for Baekhyun, complete with fresh cream and marshmallows, and the omega was now snugly ensconced under a blanket on the couch with the mug held between his hands.

Sehun had no idea when Junmyeon had arrived, in fact, he had no idea when Kyungsoo, Jongin, Minseok or Chanyeol had arrived either, but there they were, all in Baekhyun’s living room.

“Anybody would think you guys didn’t have work to go to.” Sehun said out loud, an eyebrow raised in question.

“Oh stop being such a bore Sehun,” Chanyeol piped up, we’ve just come to see what happened and make sure Baekhyun is ok. Isn’t that right Baekhyun?” He winked towards the omega.

Baekhyun blushed a little, but nodded his head, snuggling under the blanket a little more, not meeting Sehun’s eyes. He wasn’t accustomed to the attention. But this time, it was more embarrassing than frightening. These people meant him no harm.

“What about you guys?” Sehun directed his question to Jongdae and Yixing, “are you hurt?”

“Yes, but fixed already.” Jongdae replied, looking at Yixing gratefully.

“Ok, so now can someone explain what happened?” Sehun said seriously, “Because any one of you could have died, including Baekhyun. And we needed to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“I….I think that it’s my fault.” Jongdae admitted, eyes cast downward, looking every bit as guilty and morose as he felt.

“Ok….?”

“No Dae,” Baekhyun spoke up, for the first time in a while. “It’s not your fault, you make that medication for me. I asked you to do it.”

“I should have known better Baek, the guilt of giving you something like that has been eating me and Hyung up from inside for years,” he paused, “we never should have.”

“Yeh but…. I MADE you give it to me. Even though you told me it wasn’t right to be having it.”

“Wait.” It was Yixing this time, who held his hand up, causing the other two to fall into silence. “Blame aside, it is important we know what this is. Sehun is right, we could have died today. Baekhyun could have died. It needs to not happen again.”

“I’ve been making a potion for Baekhyun for the past few years. He has it every 3 months. It is to help him.” Jongdae confessed.

“Help him with what?” Minseok asked, looking between the witch and Baekhyun.

Jongdae sighed. There was no point keeping secrets anymore. He looked at Baekhyun who seemed to shrink in on himself. He held onto his hand firmly.

“Baekhyun wanted to not have a scent. He wanted to not have strong heats. He wanted to not feel the desires that most adolescent wolves felt. He wanted something to take it all away.”

Sehun’s head snapped up at that as he fixed his eyes onto Jongdae with a frown on his face. He then looked towards Baekhyun. Baekhyun who looked so tiny, so scared and embarrassed. His eyes were glued to the cup of hot chocolate in front of him. Sehun saw him swallow and then take a deep breath.

“Why the fuck would you want something like that? I’m not a witch, but even I know that messing around with nature like that would have dire consequences. What were you thinking?!” Sehun was worried, but he was also pissed. His voice came out sharper than he had intended. He saw Baekhyun flinch under the harsh tone and he regretted his words immediately.

“Sehun.” Minseok put a placating hand onto Sehun’s shoulder as he felt his friend’s anger bubble under the surface. “That’s not really important right now is it?”

Sehun knew that Minseok was right and yet he was struggling to control his anger, despite his regret. The very essence that defines a wolf had been tampered with. No wonder Sehun couldn’t scent him all this time. Would this be the reason for Baekhyun’s missing aura? Was this the reason why Baekhyun couldn’t even identify him as a mate? Was this the reason why Baekhyun’s wolf was essentially broken?

Minseok turned to Jongdae. “Where did you find the recipe for such a potion from? It can’t be legal or advisable, messing around with nature like that.”

“Dae and Baek aren’t the only ones at fault here.” It was Junmyeon’s turn to speak. “I was the one who found the recipe. I was the one who suggested it. Jongdae merely made it and perfected it. I got it from the black book.”

A few audible gasps were heard from everyone in the room, followed by a silence so profound that a pin drop probably could have been heard.

“You’ve been poisoning him.” Jongin whispered.

At this, Baekhyun put his mug of hot chocolate down and stood up on shaky legs. He was angry, with himself, with everyone. He was annoyed that they didn’t understand. That he would have to tell them some very personal things if they ever stood a chance of understanding why he had done what he’d done.

“They have NOT been poisoning me. None of you know what it has been like for me, none of you will ever understand!” His voice rose with each passing word, but he felt unable to control himself. “They did what I needed them to do. They are the reasons that I am alive today. You alphas, with your privileged alpha genes will never, NEVER understand what us omegas have to go through and what we have to endure at the hands of your kind! None of you are allowed to judge, not a single one of you!”

Tears rolled down his face as Baekhyun finished his outburst, his chest heaving from the outpouring of emotions. Jongdae and Junmyeon hurried to stand, both of them throwing their arms around him, Jongdae crying as much as Baekhyun. Junmyeon kissed the side of his head, whispering consoling words to him.

“Maybe you guys should leave.” He offered.

Baekhyun turned his head into the nook of Junmyeon’s neck as he struggled to get a hold of his emotions. What the fuck did he go through? Sehun wondered, automatically wanting to kill anybody who might have hurt him, even though it was in the past.

Yixing spoke up, softly and carefully.

“Baekhyun, I’m sorry, we’re sorry. For whatever you’ve been through and are going through now. You sound like you’ve been through a lot, but no one in this room is judging you, I can promise you that.” He looked around the room and everyone nodded in confirmation. “But there’s no denying that that was some dangerous magic you guys were dabbling in. The long term consequences of it are still a mystery.”

Baekhyun looked at the alpha as he was talking, his crying now reduced to soft sniffles. He was still held by both of the brothers. Sehun wanted nothing more than to embrace him and never let go. But it wasn’t his place.

“As for what happened today,” Yixing continued, “My theory is that you have the elixir of life and Sehun’s essence in you. Both of them can’t exist with that potion you drank earlier. Your body was trying to reject everything and keep hold of everything at the same time. You can’t mix the purity and potency of Sehun’s essence with something as evil as anything from the black book. That potion wasn’t fighting you, it was fighting Sehun, through you. It would have killed you to do it.”

Baekhyun had stopped breathing. Realising the true weight of everything that Yixing had just said. If Sehun hadn’t arrived on time, he would have possibly killed himself, Yixing and Jongdae.

“I….I…..I’m so sorry!” He burst out, tears threatening to spill out once again.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. You weren’t to know.”

“I’m sorry too.” Every one turned to look at Sehun, whose gaze was fixed on the three people standing in an embrace. “I jumped to conclusions. I didn’t mean to.”

The atmosphere in the room was so thick and serious. It had been an eventful day and Baekhyun suddenly felt the weight of exhaustion on his shoulders as he sat back down on the couch.

“So who volunteers to train Baekhyun and his power, before he kills us all?” Chanyeol broke the silence after a few minutes. He earned himself a smack from Kyungsoo, but it finally lightened the mood in the room.

Chapter Text

Chapter 25

It had been understood by everybody that Baekhyun needed some training. It was important to help get his power under control to ensure that past events were not repeated, and no one else got hurt, including Baekhyun himself. It had also been understood that Sehun would be the one to train Baekhyun, given that he was the only one that was likely to not be killed if and when Baekhyun lost control. Naturally, everyone else used this as an invitation to tag along.

They found themselves at the training facility, having been transported there by Jongin in 2 groups of 4. Most of them had adapted well to the form of travel over time. Meanwhile Jongdae was cursing rather loudly, dry heaving into the grass. Junmyeon looked pale and needed some time to adjust and Baekhyun wasn’t faring any better. He was taking large gulps of air to prevent himself from being sick.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “I can’t believe these people are meant to be powerful, come on guys! Chop chop!” He clapped his hands together.

“Fuck off Chanyeol,” Jongdae spat out in between his deep breathing exercises, “my brain is about to explode.”

“Cut them some slack Chanyeol,” Minseok chastised gently, “do you remember fainting when Jongin first teleported with you?”

“HAHAHAHAHA!” Jongdae coughed out, pointing at Chanyeol, “fainted!” He wheezed out with difficulty, earning the middle finger from Chanyeol, the tip of whose ears had started to turn red.

“Hyung, I’m sure you’re my enemy not my friend.” To which Minseok simply shrugged and walked on with a soft smile on his face.

Baekhyun had sat himself on the ground near a chipped tree trunk a little further away from the group. The monstrous training facility loomed in front of him and he stared at it absent mindedly. His fingers gentled swept through the sparse grass on the ground. Sehun approached Baekhyun slowly. His knees were drawn into his chest and his arms circled his knees. He seemed to be in deep thought.

“Care to share?” He asked, sitting beside him on the tree stump.

Baekhyun jerked as his thoughts were interrupted and Sehun wondered what on earth he’d been thinking about.

“Sehun! I didn’t see you.” Baekhyun felt slightly awkward, not having seen or spoken to him since they’d almost devoured each other on the floor of his bedroom earlier in the week. Since then, his hormones had gone haywire and he’d been craving for more of Sehun’s touch. This was a completely foreign feeling to him and he simply didn’t know how to deal with it. His mind was in complete disarray, the two sides of him were arguing with each other. His rational side tried to tell him that it wasn’t safe and he needed to protect himself at all costs. His emotional side told him to go with the flow, follow his feelings and see where it led to. He was torn, stuck in the middle, unsure of which direction to take. He had no experience with these things and he felt so very lost.

In between all this mental turmoil, he’d actively avoided meeting up with Jongdae, even though the witch had text and called him numerous times. He knew that he was hurting Jongdae as he didn’t understand why Baekhyun was keeping his distance, but Baekhyun was feeling guilty and terrified that he would hurt him again. He would never have been able to forgive himself if something had happened to Jongdae because of him that day. He’d made up his own mind that until he knew how to control himself, he wouldn’t put himself in the position to be able to hurt anyone.

“Yeh figures,” Sehun replied, slicing through his thoughts once again. He raised his eyebrow,  “you’re miles away.”

“I…errr…..I…I….”

“It’s ok Baekhyun, I’m just kidding with you. Actually, I just came over to let you know, it’s time to go in. We’ll decide the training strategy once we get inside ok?”

Baekhyun nodded and slowly got himself off the floor, dusting his backside off, an action that Sehun didn’t miss, having a perfect view of it. Feeling like a pervert, he ripped his eyes from his butt and looked straight ahead, getting up himself.

Training teams were decided but not after a load of bickering and disagreements. Sehun and Baekhyun would be training together, that wasn’t up for negotiation. Junmyeon and Minseok were to train together, their powers directly complimented one another. Yixing and Jongin were paired with each other, neither of them being the combative type and much to everyone’s dread, Jongdae, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo insisted on training in a group.

“They’ll kill each other.” Jongin noted.

“Yeh, probably.” Minseok agreed.

“Yixing, you’re on standby, yes?” Junmyeon fretted, to which Yixing nodded, an amused smile on his face. “I swear to the Goddess, Dae, if you get yourself killed, I will kill you. I promise.” He warned.

“Don’t worry Hyung,” Jongdae reassured his brother, “I got this.” He cracked his knuckles, eyeing his soon-to-be-opponents in turn.

“You wish tiny tot.” Chanyeol retorted, stretching his neck muscles, ready for whatever they thought they were doing.

“Wait.” Minseok held up a hand. “No one is to use their powers for combat this morning.”

“What?”

“Hyuuuung!”

“Are you serious?”

A chorus of protests were heard from Jongdae, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol who were all looking forward to attacking each other, uninterrupted and unsupervised.

“You heard me,” Minseok looked at everyone in turn, “this morning is for hand to hand combat, go learn some proper skills. After lunch, we use powers. Can we please not break each other.” He looked pointedly at three people in particular.

“Oh, I get to beat him up instead?” Kyungsoo asked, thumb pointing over at Jongdae who simply scoffed.

“I guess? Do what you like. Just don’t get dead.” Minseok replied, resigned to the fact that someone would probably break something.

“Sehun and Baekhyun, you two are in the proof-room.”

“What’s a proof-room?” Junmyeon asked.

“It’s a room which is pretty much impenetrable. It’s been indestructible in all of our testing – but we’ve never had Sehun or Baekhyun, actually, any of us, go at it. Now would be as good a time as any I guess.”

“That’s so cool!” Jongdae replied, mouth hanging open.

“Yep, the rest of the facility has testing zones for each of us, but when we do group practice, which we haven’t done yet, it’ll be in the proof-room, just to be safe.”

“Sure, sure, that sounds really sensible.” Jongdae replied.

Soon enough, they were split into their respective groups, all heading towards different parts of the facility. Sehun and Baekhyun made their way to the special room, what seemed to Baekhyun to be miles underground.

“We’re a few hundred metres under the Earth’s surface. If that’s what you’re thinking.” Sehun supplied helpfully.

They were in an elevator. Just a simple metallic box, no tinkling elevator music or mirrors to look at oneself. Baekhyun felt his ears pop a couple of times as the elevator made it’s descent, every floor reached was accompanied by a short bleep, of which he heard 3. On the fourth bleep, a robotic sounding voice spoke out, ‘Proof-floor,’ and the doors swung open to reveal a long corridor, extending both ways, with doors leading off from it, all solid white and windowless. The lights were dimmed, the only ones bright were the ones they were standing directly under.

“This way.” Sehun said as he lead Baekhyun towards the right. Baekhyun shivered as unpleasant little goosebumps arose all over his body. Had he been here by himself, he would have surely lost his mind. The clinically white, windowless walls would have driven him insane. Despite the presence of Sehun, there was a feeling of absolute alone-ness that Baekhyun was unable to shake.

The lights to the corridor came on automatically as they walked, adding to the eeriness of the atmosphere. Baekhyun gulped, feeling scared. He felt like he was in a bad dream and wanted to wake up quickly. Involuntarily, he reached out and grasped Sehun’s shirt with his thumb and forefinger, causing the alpha to stop and turn around.

Sehun saw the frightened look on Baekhyun’s face and mentally scolded himself for being so thoughtless. This was his first time down here and here was Sehun, making him walk behind him, leaving him to his own devices. Without a second thought, he stepped up to the omega and wrapped his arms around him, chin resting on top of his head.

“Hey it’s ok. I’m here, right here with you.”

Baekhyun stilled, not expecting the hug, but didn’t move away from the comforting touch. He took a deep breath, finding a calmness overcome him from the scent of pine and cedarwood, a feeling of home. Slowly he brought up his own arms and held Sehun back, tightly. He fisted his shirt at the back, pressing his forehead into Sehun’s chest, breathing deeply. Sehun simply held him, not rushing him, enjoying the proximity.

Baekhyun moved first. Slowly letting go of Sehun and taking a step back. He ran a hand through his brown locks. Sehun watched as the silky strands simply fell in place on his forehead.

“I….I’m …thank you….sorry….” He faltered over his words, looking at the ground.

Sehun put his index finger below Baekhyun’s chin and lifted his head up slowly.

“We’ve gone past thank yous, don’t you think?” He murmured softly, looking into his eyes.

Baekhyun couldn’t look away. The sight of Sehun looking at him so tenderly captured his attention, leaving him unable to break eye contact. He stole his breath away. His heart was singing to him, telling him how right this was, telling him how he should embrace it all. Somewhere in the shadows of his mind, his rational self was screaming at him to step away, protect himself, disengage. He found it hard in this moment to listen to that rational self.

Was this magic? Was he going crazy? Or was this something else? Baekhyun didn’t know, but whatever this was, he felt as though someone had put a spell on him. A beautiful spell that he didn’t want broken. Maybe it was this spellbound craziness that led him to go on his tiptoes. Maybe it was also this craziness that caused him to inch closer to Sehun. It was definitely this craziness that made Baekhyun give Sehun a soft, brief, almost not there kiss to his cheek.

Sehun took a step back, purely out of shock. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect a kiss. His hand flew up to his cheek, where it rested against his cheek, literally where Baekhyun’s lips were a mere few seconds ago. Had he imagined it? Did it really happen?

“Oh…,” Baekhyun stammered, misunderstanding Sehun’s reaction, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean….I didn’t…”

Baekhyun didn’t know what to do with himself, mortified, he felt his face heating up. He wished he could escape, or better still, he wished a hole would open up and suck him inside. Anything so he wouldn’t have to face Sehun in this moment. His eyes darted around, looking anywhere but at Sehun.

Sehun moved forward, slowly, crowding Baekhyun, causing him to step back little by little until his back hit the wall of the corridor. With nowhere else to go, he stopped, allowing Sehun into his space, closer until their chests were almost touching and Sehun’s scent was wrapped around Baekhyun, wrapping around him.

“Are we starting something we can’t finish Baekhyun?” Sehun asked, a flash of green in his eyes as a sign of warning.

Baekhyun gulped. Was he starting something? He wanted to say no, no he wasn’t, but that would have been a lie. The truth was that he wanted to touch Sehun. He wanted to touch him everywhere. He wanted to be touched by Sehun. He wanted more of what he had that day, the addictive feeling of completion, the feeling of being cared for, the feeling of believing he was precious to someone, even for a short time. How much further would he allow himself to go with Sehun? Would Sehun want it too? How was Baekhyun supposed to find out? Should he ask? No, he couldn’t ask….could he? Would Sehun think he was an idiot?

His thoughts and his heart were racing at an alarming speed. How was he putting so much thought into an innocent kiss? But this was the thing, the kiss wasn’t wholly innocent. He couldn’t even pretend it was.

Not getting an answer from him, Sehun leaned forward so that his lips were close to the shell of Baekhyun’s ear, almost touching. He could see goosebumps erupt along Baekhyun’s smooth neck. He fought himself to not lick him, as tempting as it looked.

“I wonder Baekhyun,” he whispered, even though there were only the two of them in that area at the time, “if you taste as good as you smell?”

Baekhyun whimpered. He actually whimpered. His heart fluttered as he saw Sehun’s pupils dilate, the small rim of visible irises flashed a vivid green. Sehun’s nostrils flared as he faced Baekhyun head on, eyes fixated on the gorgeous pink lips of his omega.

“I’m going to kiss you Baekhyun. You can stop me if you don’t want me to.” He warned, before lowering his head, lips meeting lips in a tentative, gentle kiss. Baekhyun gasped and his lips parted, allowing Sehun access to his mouth. Baekhyun’s hands flew to the front of Sehun’s shirt, where he grabbed a hold of it, pulling the alpha closer into him so that their bodies were flush with one another. One of Sehun’s hands wrapped around the back of Baekhyun’s neck as he angled his own head to further deepen the kiss. His tongue entered Baekhyun’s mouth, exploring, tasting, claiming.

Baekhyun moaned as his tongue met with Sehun’s, battling with each other. Sehun tasted like heaven, his scent filled Baekhyun’s every pore, surrounding them in their own bubble, one that no one could have penetrated. His hands grappled along Sehun’s torso, feeling the firmness of his muscles underneath.

Sehun’s hand inched it’s way down Baekhyun’s side, fingertips ghosting over his hips. He reached his groin, hesitating almost a moment, before he lightly brushed his growing erection with his fingertips, causing Baekhyun to buck his hips from surprise. He repeated the action again, with a bit more pressure this time, eliciting yet another moan from Baekhyun.

Baekhyun detached his lips from Sehun’s and leaned his head back on to wall as he felt Sehun cupping his dick, tingles of pleasure shooting down to his toes. Sehun’s mouth was working it’s way along Baekhyun’s jaw, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses in it’s wake. Sehun nuzzled in Baekhyun’s neck whilst his hand squeezed Baekhyun’s dick lightly as the omega cantered his hips forward in an attempt to chase more pressure.

Baekhyun found his hands under Sehun’s shirt, touching the hot flesh of his back, feeling his muscles contract under his fingertips. His dug his nails in slightly as he felt Sehun suck at his neck, his lips detaching with a smack.

“S….Sehun…” he breathed out on a moan.

“Babe, you’re killing me here.” Sehun said, one hand still on the back of his neck, the other cupping his groin, applying gentle pressure.

“No….please, I need it.” Baekhyun didn’t even know where his boldness came from. All he knew was that he needed Sehun to keep doing what he was doing otherwise he would self-combust.

“No? Please? You need to be clear with your words baby.”

Baekhyun drew in a sharp breath as he felt Sehun’s hand squeeze a little, “I need….I need you to….to make me come Sehun.” He knew his face must be bright red and he was a little embarrassed at his own brazenness. But he was too far gone right now, he had needs and he couldn’t deny himself like this.

“Fucking hell baby, you’re gonna be the death of me.” Sehun wasted no more time before he swooped back down to plunder into Baekhyun’s mouth. A hot, dirty and bruising kiss, almost violent in it’s desperation. His other hand had undone the button and fly on Baekhyun’s pants, bringing them down slightly, so that Baekhyun’s dick was peeping out over the top of the waistband.

He grasped it, his palm engulfing the girth of it. Baekhyun keened under the stimulation, his mouth almost detaching from Sehun’s as he took in a deep breath through his nose. His legs felt weak and he leaned back into the wall, his weight being supported only by the wall and Sehun in front of him.

Sehun stopped kissing him to look down at Baekhyun’s dick. Hard, veiny and gorgeous, the tip was glistening, ready for whatever Sehun wanted to do to it. Sehun bit down on his bottom lip as he once again looked at Baekhyun through hooded eyes. Baekhyun’s eyes were glazed over from lust, a whirlwind of emotions hidden behind the chocolatey brown orbs.

“You’re dick is as pretty as you are.” He whispered, leaving Baekhyun to flush a bright pink colour at the compliment.  He maintained eye contact with Baekhyun as his hand started moving up and down his shaft, slowly, painstakingly. Baekhyun didn’t dare to look away, he continued to stare straight into Sehun’s eyes as his breathing became quicker, as all blood rushed south. The air between them was so charged, Baekhyun swore he could feel it all over his skin.

Sehun’s hand moved faster as he jerked Baekhyun off faster, the omega’s breaths now coming out as short, sharp pants. Baekhyun grabbed hold of Sehun’s shoulders for some much needed support as he became close to becoming undone.

He arched his neck backwards as the back of his head hit the wall, “Fuck, Sehun….oh fuck.” He breathed out as he swallowed.

Sehun latched his lips onto Baekhyun’s exposed throat, pulling out yet another moan from him. The pressure he was applying on to Baekhyun’s dick was firmer now, having caught on that the omega liked it slightly harder.

“Look at me Baekhyun.” Baekhyun straightened his head, his thoughts clouded with Sehun, Sehun’s hand, the pleasure that Sehun was currently giving him. He couldn’t think straight, he didn’t want to think straight if it meant having all this taken away.

Baekhyun reached up to Sehun’s cheek and guided Sehun’s mouth to his now bruised lips. Instead of kissing him, he took Sehun’s bottom lip between his teeth and bit down on it gently, an action which lead to Sehun squeezing his dick harder.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come,” he gasped out, scrunching his eyes shut, a look of bliss taking over his features. Sehun was mesmerised, having only seen this look once before when he helped Baekhyun in his heat. But here was Baekhyun, in his arms, in his full senses, knowing that it was Sehun that was doing it to him.

“Next time it’ll be my mouth” Sehun whispered dirtily, and that was all it took before Baekhyun let out a grunt and came all over Sehun’s hand, hot rivets of cum landing on it. Baekhyun’s knees almost buckled as he rode out his high, trying to catch his breath at the same time, as Sehun coaxed out the last few drops of cum from his softening dick.

“And if I say that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, you would have to believe me.” Sehun said quietly, as he pecked a chaste kiss on Baekhyun’s lips, bringing the hand with Baekhyun’s cum on it to his lips and licking it to taste him. He closed his eyes briefly. “Now that I have a taste, I can’t wait until I feast on you properly.”

Baekhyun was desperately trying to compose himself. One hand on his chest, the other on the wall behind him, trying to find some grounding. He felt like he was floating somewhere in the atmosphere. He had never come so hard before in his life. With each carefully measured breath, he was slowly returning back to Earth, slowly taking his surroundings in.

“We’ll need to get you cleaned up babe, there’s a bathroom in one of these doors.” Sehun said, looking around the corridor.

Baekhyun looked at Sehun, speechless, not even bothering to tuck his own dick back in. ‘Is that it?’ He thought, ‘He doesn’t want anything for himself?’ He glanced down at Sehun’s crotch to see a visible tent in his pants.

Baekhyun’s eyes almost became teary as he realised how special Sehun truly was. Any one else probably would have jumped to take advantage, but not Sehun. Sehun was all about Baekhyun and Baekhyun’s pleasure in this moment in time. He blinked his eyes and looked around as if finally remembering they were in a corridor in a training facility. Sehun was still very much standing close to Baekhyun, looking at him with worry, probably seeing unshed tears in his eyes.

Sehun moved to back up a little, until he heard a quiet, “Sehun, wait.”

Unsure he was hearing correctly, he stopped and looked at Baekhyun, who cleared his throat and repeated, louder and more surer this time, “Sehun, wait.”

He hastily tucked his now soft dick into this pants and with a courage and confidence he didn’t even know he had, he put his palm flat against Sehun’s chest and pushed him back, with a gentle, yet forceful pressure. Sehun could have resisted if he wanted, he was strong enough, but he didn’t. He allowed Baekhyun to push him back until his back was against the opposite wall of the corridor.

Sehun watched as a multitude of emotions danced across Baekhyun’s features. There was a keen determination in his eyes, mixed in with insecurity and shyness.  His cheeks were still flushed from his recent orgasm and he looked incredible. He wanted to know where Baekhyun was going with this, so he let him do as he pleased. He didn’t want to stop him, lest his new found confidence vanished as quick as it came.

“I….I just….”

Sehun cocked an eyebrow as Baekhyun struggled to formulate his words, clearly nervous, until he almost choked as he watched Baekhyun drop down onto his knees, right in front of him, face level with his groin. He watched as trembling hands came to the button of his pants, trying to undo it.

“Wait Baekhyun,” Sehun lifted his hands to put them over Baekhyun’s, stilling them, “you don’t have to do this.”

Baekhyun looked up at him, “N…..no, I don’t have to. But I want to. I….I want to give you something back, even if it’s just a fraction of what you’ve given to me.”

Sehun kept a hold of his hands as he stared into Baekhyun’s eyes, looking for any signs of him not being sure.

“I…..I want to know what you taste like.”

Sehun dropped his hands as his mouth fell open. ‘Well fuck me, if you say it like that,’ he thought. He was only a mere alpha, weak, a slave to his hormones. There was always going to be a limit as to what he would be able to deny himself.

Baekhyun had finally managed to undo Sehun’s pants and with a bit of help from Sehun, had coaxed his pants down a little to mid-thigh level. His boxers soon followed so that Baekhyun was faced with the erect dick of Sehun’s; long, thick, veiny, the tip looked angry. Baekhyun licked his lips, suddenly unsure of himself.

He’d never done this before. Why did he think he could do it now? What if Sehun didn’t like it? What if he didn’t like Baekhyun because of how bad he was at giving a blow job? Insecurity swept through him and he hesitated. It was huge anyway, how was it going to fit anywhere? What if he pushed it in too hard and he was sick all over it? Baekhyun worked himself up in a bit of a panic until his monologue was interrupted.

“Baek, you don’t have to.” Sehun had sensed how nervous Baekhyun was. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. He didn’t want to make him do something he didn’t want to or wasn’t sure about doing.

“No, I want to.” He replied, it was the truth. He wasn’t a selfish person. He couldn’t always take and never give back.

“Do….do you want me to help you?” Sehun asked. Maybe his nervousness was due to a lack of experience.

Baekhyun nodded once and Sehun took that as his cue.

“Open your mouth for me baby,” he coaxed, and as Baekhyun opened it, he stroked the top of his head in encouragement, “wider,” he instructed.

He took his slightly softened dick into his hand and stroked it up and down, staring down at Baekhyun, mouth open, peering up at him with his beautiful, trusting brown eyes. If Sehun had less self- control, he would have come there and then, seeing this sight in front of him. There was something about the vulnerability about someone letting him take charge that really did it for him. But luckily for his reputation, he’d grown to control himself quite well.

Sehun gently lead his dick to Baekhyun’s mouth, allowing just the tip to sit there.

“Close your mouth babe.” And Baekhyun did just that, his hot wet lips closing over the bulb of Sehun’s dick, encasing it in it’s warmth.

“Fuck.” Sehun whispered, the erotic sight in front of him resembling his wet dreams of late, all except this was reality. His dick hardened almost immediately. “You’ll know how deep to take me baby, I can’t do that for you. I don’t want to hurt you.” Yes, he absolutely wanted to wreck his mouth, but he wasn’t lying. He didn’t want to hurt him.

Baekhyun nodded as he swirled his tongue around the head experimentally. Sehun willed himself to keep his hips still, not wanting to push the omega too far too soon, but it was taken up all of his self-control. Baekhyun hollowed out his cheeks as he sucked softly, tasting some of Sehun’s precum, a slightly bitter, but not unpleasant taste. He tentatively took more of his dick into his mouth, continuing to swirl his tongue around the shaft, bits of drool leaking out the corners of his mouth. He pulled his head back a little and then took more of it into his mouth.

Sehun put a hand on to the top of Baekhyun’s head, resisting the urge to thrust his hips but desperately wanting to fuck the omega’s mouth until he was gagging on his dick. Baekhyun had now added a hand to the base of Sehun’s dick, his elegant fingers wrapped prettily around the shaft. His pink lips were meeting his hand every time he took his dick in deeper. He alternated stroking his dick and sucking hard, hollowing his cheeks every time, the sloppy, messy sounds coming from his mouth echoing off the empty corridor walls.

Sehun’s head was swimming. The pleasure from what Baekhyun was doing to him was almost too much. He couldn’t believe that Baekhyun, his omega was actually down on his knees in front of him, sucking him off. It was like every fantasy of his had come true. Did Baekhyun even know how he was making him feel right now?

“Fuck, that’s it baby, you’re doing it so good,” Sehun encouraged, stroking the top of his head.

Baekhyun let go of his dick with a pop and bent further between his legs. Keeping one hand pumping his dick, he opened his mouth wide and took in both of his balls and sucked. Sehun thrust his hips as pleasure raced up his spine and precum leaked copiously.

“Oh shit, I won’t last long,” he breathed out.

Baekhyun moved his mouth off of Sehun’s balls and smiled shyly up at the alpha. The praise was making him feel good. He liked that he was making Sehun feel like this. There was something about Sehun, something that made Baekhyun feel good about himself, made him feel pretty. But he didn’t really know what else to do. Was this enough? What else could he do to make Sehun feel good. He tried to think back to the many porn films he’d watched over the years until he got an idea.

“I….Sehun, can you?” He wasn’t sure about this.

“Right now? I’ll just about give you anything baby.” Sehun breathed out, watching as more precum collected on the tip of his dick.

“Can you….please, can you fuck my mouth?” He bit down on his lower lip and blushed furiously. He felt like an idiot. It didn’t sound as stupid in the movies. He wished he could take it back.

“Oh fucking hell, Baekhyun, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

Baekhyun insides warmed as he realised Sehun liked the dirty words coming out of his mouth. “I want you to fuck my mouth. Please Sehun.”

Sehun bent down and placed a kiss on Baekhyun’s lips, tasting himself, plundering his mouth with his tongue, the dirtiness of what they were doing was making him beyond horny.

“Open your mouth gorgeous.”

Baekhyun complied, opening his mouth as wide as it would go. Sehun grabbed hold of a fistful of Baekhyun’s hair, gently tilting his head upwards and fed his dick into his mouth.

“Are you ready?” He asked, to which Baekhyun nodded, unable to talk, mouth stuffed with dick.

Sehun set a pace. Thrusting his dick in and out of Baekhyun’s mouth, not too fast. Baekhyun had grabbed hold of Sehun’s thighs, squeezing them to help steady himself. Sehun could see tears forming on the corners of Baekhyun’s eyes.

“Are you ok?” He managed to grunt out.

Baekhyun nodded his head and with one hand, gently squeezed Sehun’s balls, causing Sehun to thrust a bit more than he had been. This caused Baekhyun to gag and cough, and Sehun immediately withdrew his dick from his mouth.

“No! I can take it.”

“Baekhyun….”

“Do it again. Please.”

Sehun was so close. He knew it wouldn’t take much more before he came. He guided his dick back to Baekhyun’s mouth and continued to fuck it. Baekhyun would suck around it whenever he could and use his tongue to stroke along the shaft. His lips were red, bruised from the assault. Tears were now rolling down his cheeks.

Sehun recognised the tell tales signs of an upcoming orgasm as he felt a familiar sensation deep in his gut. His entire body felt like it was on fire. This feeling uncoiled slowly in the pit of his belly until it was the only thing he could think of.

“Shit, I’m gonna come Baekhyun, you need to move.” He tried to warn. He tried to move Baekhyun’s head away from him so he could come into his own hand, but Baekhyun resisted and he could wait no longer. He came with a deep grunt, straight into Baekhyun’s mouth, straight down his throat. He emptied his balls completely in waves, hot, thick cum filling the omega’s mouth until it was leaking around his lips.

Baekhyun let go of his dick and stared up at Sehun, swallowing the remainder of the cum and then licking his lips tentatively. A sight so erotic that Sehun’s slowly softening dick twitched in protest. He then grabbed hold of Sehun’s dick and licked the cum off with little kitten licks.

“Oh fuck. Baek babe.” Sehun swallowed thickly, trying to recover from what was the most intense orgasm of his life.

Baekhyun stood up, not looking at Sehun, licking the last remnants of cum off his lips. Sehun’s head was still swimming as he struggled to find his composure. He hastily tucked his dick away, making a mental note to clean up soon.

“Come here.” He whispered as he pulled Baekhyun towards him in a giant hug.

“Thank you.” Baekhyun whispered.

“Thank you?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“For?”

How could Baekhyun even start to explain. How could he explain that he was thanking Sehun for simply being Sehun. It sounded ridiculous in his own head. But he was thankful to him. For not taking advantage, for making him feel safe, for making him feel cared for. He inhaled deeply.

“We should start practising Sehun.” He said instead, disentangling himself from the hug.

“What? Practice?” Sehun sounded genuinely confused.

Baekhyun stared at him, waiting for his brain to catch up.

“Oh yeh! Practice….yeh, let’s go, it’s already late.”

This time he let Baekhyun walk forward, remembering that he didn’t like being down here, even though to Baekhyun, the stark white corridor didn’t look quite as scary as it did before. He lead them forward until Sehun asked him to stop as a door at the very end of the corridor.

There was a keypad and a card sensor at this door. Sehun punched in a key code followed by a swipe of a card he’d fished out from the back pocket of his pants. The door swung open with a beep and they walked into the room known as the Proof room.

Chapter Text

Chapter 26

“Ow bitch! That fucking hurt!” Jongdae shouted over Kyungsoo’s cackling after he’d just been released from a particularly nasty headlock.

“Stop crying Princess, we’re only just warming up.”

“Fuckers, you have the wolf advantage over me AND you’re immortal. If you snap my neck, I will be dead. You know, kaput, gone, bye bye, see ya later alligator type of dead!”

“Don’t be a whiny bitch. Anyway, it’s ok,” Chanyeol shrugged, “we have Xing.”

“Wait, Yixing can bring people back to life?”

“No you fucking dimwit. But if we damage you enough, I’m sure he won’t let you die. On purpose anyway.”

“I hate you. I should have just gone with Jun Hyung.”

“What? There’s no fun in that. Jongdae, you need to learn these things. We weren’t born fighters. Yeh, we’re stronger than an average wolf, but our fighting skills are what we learned along the years. It’s taken a lot of hard work.” Kyungsoo said. “I mean, take Yeol, he has two left feet, he couldn’t even kick someone before landing on his face.”

“You’re such a fuck face Soo, that is NOT true.” Chanyeol gave Kyungsoo the stink eye. “Don’t listen to anything this twat says,” he directed at Jongdae.

“I believe him.” Jongdae deadpanned, earning himself the middle finger and a nasty glare.

“So, how are we gonna do this? You wanna go again?” Jongdae asked, ignoring Chanyeol.

“Well, instead of beating the shit out of each other, shall we start with stance and move on to self-defensive moves?”

“Okay?”

“Chanyeol is a 10^th dan in Karate and I know a bit of Judo.”

“Lies. Jongdae, he’s doesn’t just know a bit, he’s got a 10^th degree black belt in Judo, this ninja bitch can kick the majority of asses.”

“Dumb shit, ninjas don’t use Judo.” Kyungsoo shook his head.

“Yeh yeh whatever, it’s all the same to me. Shall we get started?”

And this is how the witch and two wolves spent the rest of their morning. Jongdae learned the basics of attacking stance and defensive stance. He learned how to be lighter on his feet, more nimble in his movements. He learned how to fend off a basic attack from the front, side and back. He knew the other two were going easy on him, but in one morning, he managed to accomplish a lot. Needless to say though, he was exhausted. Breaking things with lightening was his comfort zone. This was hard.

Minseok and Junmyeon were having a blast. The two hit it off straight away, helped by their powers being related to the same element.

He’d learned a fair bit about the witch already in the few hours he’d been with him, the latter having an easy going, chatty personality. Minseok had learned that Junmyeon’s powers could turn sinister if he really wanted them to, not that Junmyeon had ever tried. In fact, he was horrified that he could even do such a thing.

He retold the story of when he was just a young boy, playing out in the garden with Jongdae while his mom was cooking them dinner. Jongdae had found a worm and thought it was hilarious if he dropped in onto Junmyeon’s arm. All except, it had frightened Junmyeon so much, he’d screamed and accidentally caused the worm to shrivel up, draining all the water from it’s body and leaving it a dried pruney, dead little thing on the ground. He’d been horrified and had sobbed his heart out. His mom and grandma had spent the rest of the evening trying to console him. Obviously, he’d never tried it out on a person and he hoped he would never have to.

Minseok had told Junmyeon of the nearby lake with a giant waterfall that he wanted to take him to. He wanted to see how much water Junmyeon could control at any one time, excited over the prospects. Minseok had already frozen and thawed the lake and waterfall countless times. Maybe they could move to bigger bodies of water if the lake turned out to be easy.

Minseok quickly discovered that Junmyeon was no fighter, in fact, he was clumsy and often tripped over his own feet trying to correct his balance or launch an attack. It was funny and Minseok was amused. Junmyeon luckily didn’t take the joking to heart, knowing full well that he couldn’t fight to save his life, nevertheless, he tried hard. Toward the end of the morning, he’s even managed to punch in the same direction that Minseok was moving to, however, never once landing a hit on the alpha.

“Aish, let me breathe, I need water.” Junmyeon panted, looking around.

Minseok lifted an eyebrow, “Well, it’s not like you can just, you know, make water right?”

Junmyeon laughed. “Ok ok, smart ass. Do we have any glasses?”

Minseok shook his head in mock despair, “here, catch.” He threw a cold bottle of water toward Junmyeon who sighed as he placed it on his overheated face. He opened the top and chugged the entire bottle down, closing his eyes as he felt the cool liquid going down his throat.

“Ah, that’s much better. Thanks Minseok.”

“Let’s go again. We will practice some holds, the purpose being to slow down your opponent, in case you can’t use your powers for whatever reason, it buys time.”

“Ok sure,” he hesitated, “erm…do you think Baek is ok?”

“What do you mean?” The alpha looked across at him.

“Like is he ok? I hope he’s not hurt.”

Minseok let out a short laugh and choked a little. “You really think Sehun is capable of hurting him?”

“Well, he is an alpha and he’s pretty strong.”

“Yes and Baekhyun is not just any omega, his omega. Sehun is probably physically incapable of hurting him.”

“How can you be sure?” Junmyeon fretted, biting his lower lip in anxiety.

Minseok moved towards Junmyeon, clearly sensing the worry. He put his hand on Junmyeon’s shoulder and squeezed a little, reassuringly.

“A while back, when Baek got attacked…err…the third time….”

Junmyeon clenched his jaw, he hated being reminded of those times.

Minseok continued, “when he got attacked, Sehun lost control of his powers and nearly killed us.”

“Is this supposed to reassure me?” Junmyeon asked, aghast.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!” Minseok was quick to correct,  “I meant, there is only a handful of reasons why a wolf, well, the guardian wolves can lose control of their powers. One of them is if our mate is in mortal danger. It was the first time Sehun realised who Baekhyun was.”

“So you’re trying to say…” Junmyeon paused, thinking, “that Sehun can’t hurt him because of him being mates with him?”

“Simply put, yeh, but it’s more complicated than that. It’s like Sehun’s inner wolf will rebel at the thought. Also, Sehun is so whipped for him, I don’t even think he knows what’s happening right now.”

Minseok smiled his signature gummy smile and Junmyeon visibly relaxed. This he knew. He knew Sehun was head over heels for Baekhyun. He wouldn’t, no he couldn’t possibly hurt him, right?

Yixing and Jongin did nothing all morning. Nothing at all. Neither of them had any interest in combat and chose to spend the morning ‘preserving their energy’ for practice in the afternoon. Instead, they sat in the corner of their designated practice room and caught up on everything they hadn’t spoken of for a while.

“Who do you think is going to break a bone first then?” Jongin asked.

“Mmmmm, my guess? Chanyeol.”

“How will he do it?”

“He will trip, fall onto his arm and then blame it on Kyungsoo,” laughed Yixing.

Jongin snickered, this game was fun, “I think Jongdae is gonna get blamed though.”

“It’s a possibility, I think they’ll keep me busy all afternoon.”

They fell into comfortable silence, that is until Jongin broke the silence with his next question.

“Hyung, why do you think Baekhyun can’t recognise Sehun as his alpha, you know, his mate?”

Yixing smiled. It was often very easy to forget that Jongin was the youngest of them. He was reminded every time when Jongin addressed him as hyung.

“Baekhyun can’t do many things a wolf should be able to do.” Yixing replied carefully.

“You mean, things like scenting and stuff?”

“Yeh. He just doesn’t seem to have the instincts like you and I.”

“Do you think it’s to do with that potion that Jongdae was making for him,” Jongin replied, almost convincing himself that this was indeed the case. “Maybe it dampened down his wolf instincts you know? And that’s why he can’t recognise his own mate.”

“It could be. That potion was like black magic. Magic like that interferes with the laws of nature. It’s why black magic is so dangerous and so forbidden. Maybe now that it’s been taken out of his system, things can change.”

“He’s got his scent back.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.” Yixing smiled.

“He smells very good,” Jongin admitted.

Yixing glanced sideways and smiled a little at the two innocent child-like eyes peering over at him. “You think?”

“Yep.” Jongin replied, “It’s a smell that I wanna protect, you know? I get a brotherly feeling from him, like he’s my little brother.”

“Are you going to adopt him Jongin-ssi?” Yixing bumped his shoulder lightly into Jongin’s, who pushed back into Yixing. “It’s cute, you wanting to protect him. I’m sure he would appreciate you wanting to look out for him. I don’t think he’s had great experiences with alphas.”

“No I don’t think so either. That Si-Woon fucker was the icing on the cake too.”

“Hmm, yes he was. He got what he deserved.”

“Yixing hyung, I really like Junmyeon and Jongdae.”

“Me too,” Yixing admitted.

“But don’t tell Yeol or Soo, because they’ll think I’ve gone all soft or something,” he pouted.

“Ok, I won’t.”

“Yixing hyung, shall we go find food for lunch? I’m sure everyone will be finishing in about an hour. I’m starving already.”

“Yes sure, you drive.” Yixing grinned at Jongin, at which Jongin simply rolled his eyes. The hyung’s jokes were always the worst.

Baekhyun was a sweaty mess on the mat. His eyes were closed as he panted, trying to catch his breath. His hair was splayed out on the mat, surrounding his head like a halo. He didn’t remember the last time he had had to use his martial arts skills, but sparring with Sehun had made him use all his knowledge and skills, especially since the alpha was both faster and stronger than him.

“Ready to go?” Sehun called from somewhere to his left.

‘No.’ Baekhyun groaned and looked in his direction. Sehun looked like he’d just taken a stroll in the park, he wasn’t even out of breath. He got himself up with a huff and got himself into position once again, right foot in front of the left, arms flexed and in front of him in a defensive stance. In the course of the morning, he had figured out that Sehun liked to attack from the sides, it being easier to catch the opponent off guard rather than face on.

Baekhyun rolled his neck, he wasn’t quite ready, but he wasn’t going to back down without a fight. He was light on his feet and had been using that to his advantage. His default was defence whilst he staked out his opponent, switching to attack mode once he knew their weakness. Sehun was confusing though as he didn’t seem to have any weaknesses or tells from which Baekhyun could predict his next move.

“You don’t look ready.” As Sehun prowled closer the hairs on the back of Baekhyun’s neck stood up in awareness. Sehun was fucking sexy and coming at Baekhyun like this was just not helping. Baekhyun took a small step back, losing his defensive advantage.

Sehun soon crowded him and leaned forward, lips close to the shell of Baekhyun’s ear. Baekhyun could hear his own heart hammering away in his chest, his raised arms slowly dropping to his sides.

“Do I have to remind you not to let your guard down like that?” He whispered.

Baekhyun shivered due to the chills going down his spine. Sehun’s proximity was going to kill him for sure. He seriously need to get his shit together around him. Mustering up all of his strength, he brought both hands up and placed them on Sehun’s chest, pushing the alpha back with all his might. Sehun went easily, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Maybe I won’t, if you learn to play fair.” He pouted.

Sehun simply shrugged, lifting an eyebrow up in challenge. If Baekhyun could melt into a puddle on the floor, he would have.

“Let’s go for another round.”

Baekhyun’s jaw dropped.

“Of sparring Baekhyun, what else?” Sehun asked, now grinning.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes but nodded his head nonetheless.

It was like a dance. The two of them circling each other, taking swipes, jabs, kicks. Sehun never once made contact with Baekhyun, never wanting to hurt him, always keeping a check of how much strength he was using and how fast he was going, knowing the omega wouldn’t be able to keep up. He had to admit though, Baekhyun’s skills were pretty impressive. He was experienced in martial arts and was combining more than one in his routines and sparring techniques. Sehun wasn’t even sure he recognised which ones he was using.

He circled him, like a lion stalking his prey, looking for a way in to break the defence, one eye peeled for any movements which might suggest Baekhyun was going to attack. He was momentarily distracted as Baekhyun licked around the corners of his lips, his tongue swiping across his lower lip. He paused and before he knew it, Baekhyun had him in a hold, not very tight, but an effective one, one he couldn’t simply wriggle out of unless he wanted to dislocate a shoulder or something.

Baekhyun leaned forward a little and echoed Sehun’s words back at him, “Do I have to remind you not to let your guard down like that?”

Sehun laughed, enjoying the banter, before he bent at the waist, lifting Baekhyun clean off the floor onto his back, using the height difference as an advantage. Baekhyun, not expecting this, let out a gasp as his legs dangled a foot off the floor. He loosened his hold around Sehun’s neck, giving the alpha the opportunity to swing him around, grab the back of his legs and wrestle him to the mat, following down after him.

Baekhyun landed with a thud. Out of breath, he let out an involuntary ‘oof’ as he felt Sehun’s heavy weight land on top of him. Slightly winded, he momentarily forgot how to breathe when he saw how close Sehun’s face was to his, a mere few inches away.

“Sorry.” Sehun murmured, not sounding sorry at all.

Baekhyun cleared his throat, vividly aware of Sehun resting between his legs, hyper aware of their chests touching, very aware of Sehun’s breathing, soft and steady against his cheek.

“It….it’s ok,” Baekhyun managed to stammer out.

“Should I move?” Sehun asked him.

“Do you want to move?” Baekhyun asked back.

“Only if you want me to.”

Did Baekhyun want him to? He was reminded again of how different Sehun was, from all the alphas he’d encountered previously. Alphas who didn’t care what Baekhyun wanted, sometimes even forcing themselves onto him.

“No, I don’t want you to.” He replied, after a moment.

Sehun leaned down to close the distance between them, touching their lips together in a chaste kiss.

“I didn’t want to either.” He whispered honestly.

He brought his mouth down once again, licking along Baekhyun’s lower lip, the very lip that constantly drove him crazy. Baekhyun parted his lips and he slowly pushed his tongue in, right into Baekhyun’s mouth. He brought his left hand up and gently caressed Baekhyun hip over his pants, his hands moulding around his perfect curves.

Baekhyun felt like he was falling, every kiss feeling like it was the first one. How Sehun was managing to make him feel every good emotion every single time was a mystery to him, yet here he was drowning in feelings he didn’t realise he could ever have. He brought his hands up to Sehun’s hair, running his fingers through the silken strands, pulling him closer still.

He moaned as Sehun sucked on his lower lip, ending with a light bite, pulling his lip between his teeth. His hips automatically jerked upwards, his groin grinding against Sehun’s, causing Sehun to make a guttural noise deep in his throat.

Sehun let go of the lip that he was sucking on, leaving behind a small trail of saliva. His forehead rested on Baekhyun’s forehead as he stared deep into his eyes. He slowly moved his hips in small circles causing Baekhyun breath to catch and then speed up once he finally remembered how to breath. Sehun could feel the growing hardness of Baekhyun’s dick underneath him.

“You don’t understand how delicious you look right now Baekhyun.”

He watched as the prettiest flush rose up from Baekhyun’s neck and onto his face as the omega chewed on his lips. He opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it and closed it again.

Sehun stopped grinding his hips.  “If you want to say something, say it. You never need to shy away from me baby.” Sehun’s hand came up to caress the side of Baekhyun’s face and he leaned in to the touch. Sehun pecked him on the lips once again, resuming the gentle pressure of his hips, grinding down onto Baekhyun’s crotch.

Baekhyun’s hands grabbed on to Sehun’s broad shoulders as his pleasure began to heighten. He spread his legs further apart and brought one of them up to hook around Sehun’s waist, effectively moving the alpha closer to him, causing the pressure to be firmer, adding to his pleasure.

“Fuck.” He gasped out as Sehun’s lips latched on to his throat, applying a gentle sucking pressure. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt his dick becoming impossibly harder, his erection straining against his pants.

It seemed as if Sehun could read his mind as he used a hand to reach between them, popping the button and fly of Baekhyun’s pants, allowing his dick to spring free once again. He kissed him again, hot, dirty and messy as he undid his own pants, bringing them down slightly.

He settled once more between Baekhyun’s legs, the action causing Baekhyun to take a sharp intake of breath as their dicks made contact with one another.

“Baby, I can’t resist you,” Sehun whispered, lazily grind his hips further. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me,” he admitted, “I feel like I need to be around you all the time.”

Baekhyun flushed deeper as beads of sweat broke out over his forehead. Wanting more of the good feelings, he pushed his hips upwards, pressing firmer into Sehun.

“Sehun…” he breathed out, gulping, trying to catch his breath. He could feel himself getting moist around the back and he flushed deeper, if it was at all possible. His whole body felt alive.

“Fuck babe,” Sehun said, breathing also speeding up, “the things I would do to you if you were in my bed right now.”

“Why can’t we be?” Baekhyun asked, rolling his tongue along the shell of Sehun’s ear, not caring anymore that there was a wet patch under him as slick gathered just under his butt cheeks.

“Why can’t we be what?” Sehun asked, hand snaking up Baekhyun’s top, skimming across his tummy, leaving little goosebumps wherever he touched.

“In your bed.” What was he even saying? His hormones were driving him wild, making him say things he would never be caught dead saying otherwise. Sehun’s scent wrapped around them both and all he knew in that moment of time was a feeling of belonging with Sehun, for reasons he didn’t know. He felt he didn’t need to watch his words, be shy or scared around him.

“Fuck Baek, you can’t say that to me,” Sehun groaned as he ran his nails gently over Baekhyun’s hip. His skin felt so silky and smooth and Sehun wished they were anywhere else but here. He eased his hips off of Baekhyun a little and grabbed both of their dicks in one hand, jerking them off together.

“Oh God Sehun, you’re gonna make me come,” Baekhyun warned, the new sensations making him reach new heights. He panted, struggling to fend off his impending orgasm.

“Not yet baby, wait for me, just a bit longer, can you do that?”

“Ye…..yes,” Baekhyun breathed out through his nose, concentrating on the little sparks flying around in every direction all over his skin, centring on his dick, with Sehun’s hand wrapped firmly around it. He could feel how hard and hot Sehun’s dick was and he looked down between them to see two bulbous head, both leaking precum, glistening in Sehun’s fist.

He shut his eyes tight, it was too much. He would come instantly if he kept looking. In a flash of insanity, he raised his head a little and whispered ever so gently into Sehun’s ear, “maybe I’ll let you fuck me next time.”

Sehun’s pupils dilated impossibly wider as he let out a loud groan, “oh fuck, I’m going to come, baby, are you ready?” He ground hips into Baekhyun’s, as the omega nodded, having been ready a long time ago. Sehun came hard and fast, followed straight after by Baekhyun.

They lay still for a while after. Both panting and both trying to catch their breath. Sehun had his face buried in the crook of Baekhyun’s shoulder, where he had his eyes closed and was drinking in the omega’s intoxicating scent. Their hands were now clasped together above their heads, fingers interlocked.

“I repeat, you’ll be the death of me, Byun Baekhyun.” Sehun complained, light-heartedly, lifting his head to peck at Baekhyun’s lips. He enjoyed the pretty flush on Baekhyun’s face, knowing he put it there.

“I don’t know what you’re doing to me Sehun.” Baekhyun admitted, a slight hint of insecurity showing on his beautiful face.

“I lo….I like you Baekhyun. A lot.” Sehun had almost admitted his true feelings, but caught himself just in time.

Baekhyun bit his lip again and Sehun’s eyes wandered down to watch.

“I…..I…..like you too Sehun,” Baekhyun replied, shyly before hid his face into Sehun’s chest.

That simple admission made Sehun’s heart leap into his throat with joy. Never had he thought that Baekhyun would return even half the sentiment, even though his actions recently had tried to tell him something else. He let go of his hands to embrace the omega, dropping a brief kiss onto his forehead.

This little movement made them both realise that there was a mess between them, in fact, things were a little filthy right now. Sehun simply shrugged and tugged both of their pants up a little to cover up. Cleaning up would just have to wait a few minutes, there was no way he was letting go of Baekhyun right now.

Neither of them heard the key code beeps indicating that someone was coming in to the room. Neither of them heard the door opening. Belatedly they heard someone clearing his throat.

“I really do have the worst timings.”

Baekhyun gasped as Sehun rushed to get off him and cover him with his larger body. He felt himself reddening as mortification crashed into him at the speed of a freight train. He closed his eyes, and slowly sat up behind Sehun, hiding himself from view. He dared to open one eye, only to see Minseok standing at the door, arms folding in front of his chest, a knowing smile on his face.

“Min,” Sehun stammered out, “we were….just….we…..”

“Uh huh….want lunch Sehun? Baekhyun?”

“Errr, yeh, we’ll be right there.” Sehun answered, to which Minseok nodded and exited via the same door.

Baekhyun let out a sigh and rested his forehead against Sehun’s back, at a loss for words.

“Xing, I think my fingers are broken.” Kyungsoo whined, shooting a scathing look at Chanyeol and Jongdae.

Yixing sighed, not surprised. “Show me.”

He examined the little and ring finger on Kyungsoo’s left hand and confirmed that they were indeed broken. He shook his head.

“Chanyeol, do you even know how to not fight rough?”

“Xing hyung, that’s not fair, it wasn’t even me!” Chanyeol complained.

“Yeh, it wasn’t,” Kyungsoo confirmed, “it was that fucker,” he pointed towards Jongdae with his good hand.

Jongdae rolled his eyes. “I didn’t even do it on purpose. I fell and landed on his hand and his finger bent the wrong way. It’s not my fault he isn’t bendy enough.”

Yixing shook his head as he set Kyungsoo’s fingers right, before pulsing some healing energy in to them to allow the bones to fuse.

“It serves Soo right anyway, especially after the last time, remember….”Chanyeol began.

“No one needs to remember,” Kyungsoo interrupted, ears turning red.

“I can’t remember, cos I don’t know!” Jongdae whined, “tell meeeee.”

“You don’t need to know.” Kyungsoo replied with a scowl.

“You shut up,” Jongdae replied, “Chanyeol, tell me.” He batted his eyelids.

“I’ll tell you if you stop doing that with your eyes, it’s really weird.”

“Chanyeol, I swear….” Kyungsoo interrupted.

“Soo, shush. We’re listening to a story.” It was Jongin this time, deciding to join in on the fun.

“Well,” Chanyeol began, “this is about the time Soo decided to take a girl out on a date, sometime around the 1920s? He’d been pining over her for months, literally. He got permission from her father to take her out to this fancy eatery near their town. Apparently the meal went really well and she even indulged in a glass of wine. Poor thing.”

“You’re a fucker.” Kyungsoo interrupted, resigned to his fate. He was ignored. Meanwhile, Jongdae, Baekhyun and Junmyeon were listening with rapt attention.

“Then he decided it was romantic if they took an evening stroll through the park, before her curfew was up. They were walking until she suddenly saw a spider or something….it was a spider right Soo?”

“Worm.” He mumbled in reply.

“Ah yeh worm. And she overreacted, went completely mad and insisted he kill the thing for her, right there and then. I mean, they could have just walked away, it’s not like the worm would have chased after them. Anyway, Kyungsoo here decided to step right up and be her knight in shining armour.”

Jongin sniggered, knowing exactly what was coming next.

“He decided to squish it with his foot. But forgot how strong he was. He stamped his foot, intending to squish the worm, literally with all his strength and the ground just….broke and made a huge hole. The poor woman fell right in and broke her leg in two places!”

Chanyeol finished his story and was met with stunned silence. That is until Jongdae’s brain finally caught up with him.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” He guffawed, pointing at Kyungsoo, “you sent your girlfriend to hospital!” He wiped the tears from his eyes, he was literally laughing that hard. Beside him, both Junmyeon and Baekhyun were laughing, even more looking at the absolutely mortified expression on Kyungsoo.

“So…..like, did she ever go out with you again?” Jongdae wheezed out.

“Hahaha, no, Xing had to alter her memory, so she couldn’t remember what happened to her.” Jongin replied, cackling.

Jongdae had his eyes squeezed tight and his arms wrapped around his stomach trying to hold his laughter in, this being the best story he’d heard in his life.

“And the best bit was…..HE MISSED THE WORM!!!” Jongin shouted, to more laughter.

“Hyung, are you gonna tell them?” Kyungsoo complained to Minseok.

“You give as good as you get Soo,” he smiled fondly, not intervening.

“You may as well be my enemy Hyung,” Kyungsoo pouted, but didn’t complain any further.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27

Mid-afternoon and there hadn’t been a single sighting of Baekhyun’s power as yet, even though Sehun had been gently goading him for the past few hours. It not only left Baekhyun frustrated, but utterly exhausted. He was trying to reach for something within himself that he didn’t know how to reach and wasn’t even sure was there to begin with. How did the rest of them manage to do it at the flick or a wrist or snap of the fingers? To him, it seemed like the hardest thing in the universe.

“I….I think I need a time out.” He said to Sehun, sweating profusely and feeling disgusting.

Sehun nodded and jogged up to him, handing him a cool bottle of water which he gladly accepted.

“Let’s go up to the atrium Baekhyun, I think we need to rethink, this clearly isn’t working. We can ask everyone else to meet us up there.”

Baekhyun allowed himself to be lead away, disappointed in himself for not being able to meet anyone’s expectations. Upstairs, he waited for the others to convene and then went straight to Jongdae for some much needed comfort. Moments later, he found himself sitting with Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. Jongdae lazily put his arm around Baekhyun’s neck to draw him closer, not caring how sweaty he was. He turned his head and planted a kiss right on top of his head.

“Baek, who would win in a fight, me, Chanyeol or Kyungsoo?” He asked.

“Erm…..is this a serious question?” He felt himself relaxing as he went along with the easy banter that they were having.

“Yes. And answer carefully. Your answer determines how much overtime you’ll be working.” Chanyeol replied, not quite managing to keep the smile off his face.

Baekhyun snickered, not at all convinced of the threat. “Then it’s definitely you, Chanyeol Sir, I think this is the only outcome of this incredible fight you guys will be having.”

Chanyeol’s chest swelled with pride, “See, I knew there was a reason why we employed you.” Baekhyun chuckled at how easily Chanyeol was pacified.

“Yah! Byun Baekhyun! Friendship means nothing to you?” Jongdae asked incredulously, removing his arm from around his shoulders.

“Dae, of course no one will be able to match up with you. But Chanyeol seems sensitive, so I said him.”

“Honestly Baekhyun, never play poker, you’d lose so badly.” Chanyeol shook his head.

Over on the other side of the atrium, out of earshot, the rest of the group were huddled together. Chanyeol had mentioned a planning on the fly earlier and Minseok hadn’t been able to get it out of his head. It was insanity, but there was a very real possibility that it could work – as long as they did it right.

“Yes so,” Minseok began, looking around the group, “I think this will work, but we can’t tell Baekhyun the plan, because then it definitely won’t work.”

“So you’re telling me that you’ll have Chanyeol, Kyungsoo and Jongdae try to attack me and then you’ll see if Baekhyun will use his powers to ‘save me’?” Sehun asked, fingers hanging in the air as quotation marks.

“Well, putting it simply, yes.”

“Oh…kay.” Sehun wasn’t so sure, “so, why would they just randomly attack me?”

“Well, not attack, per se,” Minseok explained, “we could pretend you guys are practising together, you know? And we’ll tell him that Jongdae wants to practice his power.”

Could it work? Sehun wasn’t sure really. Baekhyun’s power was too volatile, especially since he was unable to control it. What if someone got hurt? What if Baekhyun got hurt?

Minseok must have seen the look on Sehun’s face as his mind clouded with doubts, “Look, remember when you almost tried to kill us that day?”

“That was not on purpose, mind you.” Sehun clarified.

“Yes….,” it was Jongin this time, “but it still happened right? And that’s because you realised your mate was in danger and that your mate was Baekhyun.”

“The flaw in your plan is that Baekhyun has no clue. I might not even be his mate.”

Minseok held up a finger, “number 1, that never happens. Number 2,” he held up a second finger, “you didn’t know he was your mate before that either.”

“There are other less dangerous matchmaking plans out there.”

Yixing rolled his eyes, “I don’t think you two need any help in the matchmaking department, do you?”

“Wait, Min, you told them?” Sehun asked, incredulous.

“Told us what?” Jongin asked, “You forget, we are wolves, we can all smell it.” He shook his head at Sehun as if he were a mother telling his child off.

“Do I even want to know?” Junmyeon asked, “Or shall I pretend I don’t know what you’re going on about?”

“Probably best to pretend you have no idea really.” Minseok patted his arm.

“I swear people aren’t allowed to keep secrets anymore.” Sehun complained.

“It’s not our fault you were doing extra-curricular activities when you should have been training.” Jongin replied.

Junmyeon put his hands over his head in an attempt to block out the conversations, “I hear nothing, I know nothing, la la la la.”

“Ok ok, enough about my personal life guys, back to your plan, let’s say that this plan works,” Sehun continued, “you know that Chanyeol’s and Kyungsoo’s powers have no effect on me.”

“We know that, Baekhyun doesn’t.” Jongin said.

“Dae might cause damage, but I’ve told him to rein it in a little. He can get a little carried away.” Junmyeon explained.

“It’ll be interesting,” Sehun conceded, “I really want to see what Jongdae is capable of. But how do we stop everyone else from getting hurt? Because, I am capable of controlling my powers, but I lost control and could have hurt you guys. Baekhyun’s power is like a firecracker, are you sure we want him losing control like that?”

“Ah now we are down to finer details.” Minseok rubbed his hands together and scooted closer to the table.

“We ask the witches,” he pointed at Junmyeon and Jongdae on the other table, “to create us a protection shield. Inside the shield will be you guys and outside will be everyone else. Baekhyun too.”

Junmyeon nodded, “we’ll make it a little stronger to compensate for all of you going mad in there and also that I’m not sure what Baekhyun will and won’t do. But it should prevent anyone on either side getting caught in the crossfire and getting themselves hurt. The shield should last as long as we need it it.”

“Ok….It could work.” Sehun admittedly slowly, “I guess. But we will be working with a lot of assumptions here.”

“Well it’s worth a shot.” Yixing replied. “If Baekhyun wants to come to you, or wants to protect you, his instincts will help him find his power. Because technically, he won’t be able to physically cross the shield to come help you.”

“And what’s to stop you guys dying out here? How will he focus and control his power? We know he has no control over it, look what happened to Xing and Jongdae last time.”

“Well, we’ll try our best to help him control it out here,” Junmyeon explained, “we will try to give him the encouragement and stability that he will need. We’ll try to teach him how to tap into that power. Yixing is on standby and Jongin will be on standby to get us the hell out of there if things go wrong.”

“Ok, fine.” Sehun exhaled sharply, “It either works, or it doesn’t.  Let’s do it. There’s no better time than now.”

“Oh I don’t know about this, it seems a bit dangerous.” Baekhyun fretted, biting his lip in worry, not quite understanding why the three people with the most volatile powers were about to train together, right this minute. “I thought we were going off in smaller groups.”

“Ah, don’t worry Baekhyun,” Minseok answered, somewhat reassuringly, “sometimes it’s nice for them to just go at it and see how a bigger group dynamic works. We can’t have their powers working against each other, so they might as well have a practice together, right?”

Baekhyun wasn’t convinced, but he watched as Junmyeon and Jongdae recited incantations under their breath a few metres away from them. He knew they were muttering ancient spells, waving their hands around in practised movements. They were creating a shield, an invisible veil which would separate the sparrers from the audience. He could practically feel the air buzzing with magic and was sure that if he strained his eyes, he could probably see it too.

“What if someone was to get hurt though?” He wondered out aloud, even though no one was paying him any attention. It must be dangerous, because why else would they need a shield in the first place?

Baekhyun watched on helplessly as Jongdae left Junmyeon, presumably on the other side of the shield and jogged into the middle of the room to where Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were stretching and talking amongst themselves. He could see Sehun a slight way away listening in on the conversation and nodding along. Sehun turned his head slowly as he felt eyes on him and nodded reassuringly to Baekhyun. It didn’t help to settle the anxiousness in the pit of his belly.

“We have Yixing on standby, stop worrying Baekhyun, it’s going to be fine. This is not the first time they’ve sparred together.” Minseok tried to reassure and patted Baekhyun on the shoulder. And to further reinforce that, Yixing came to stand right next to Baekhyun, bumping his arm to his.

“They’ve done this loads of times before. They know how each other works. The only new thing will be Jongdae. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” Yixing reiterated Minseok’s words.

“Everyone is telling me not to worry, but how can I not?”

4 people on the inside and 5 people on the outside, watching. Conversation could be heard from inside the shield bubble, but it was muted, probably from the effect of magic. It seemed they were making teams. That would make sense, after all, they couldn’t go one on one for all four of them, that would be very chaotic. Baekhyun frowned in confusion as he saw Jongdae move over to where Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were, leaving Sehun alone on one side.

“Wait….wait….what are they doing?” Baekhyun asked, panicking slightly as he gripped the sleeve of Yixing’s jacket. “They can’t all spar against him, can they? Yixing?”

“Sehun is very strong Baekhyun. Don’t worry.”

“B….but it’s three people, against one.” Baekhyun tried again, chewing his bottom lip again. “How am I not supposed to worry? What if Se…..I mean, what if someone got hurt?”

He refused to acknowledge exactly why he was so worried. Hell, he wasn’t even that worried for Jongdae, knowing that his best friend was currently sparring with The Guardians. He could get very hurt. But it was Sehun who his anxiety was reaching out for. What if Sehun got hurt? No no, Sehun couldn’t get hurt, it wasn’t an option.

Inside, they were warming up. Chanyeol was shooting fire out of his hands, the flames were bouncing off the concrete walls. Jongdae’s electricity could be heard crackling from across the barrier and for the first time in his life, it sent unpleasant chills up Baekhyun’s spine. Kyungsoo was stretching his limbs and Baekhyun felt terrified, knowing that he must possess incredible strength.

And Sehun? Sehun wasn’t doing anything, just standing there calmly, observing the others, not even warming up. What was he thinking? Had he gone mad? Why would he agree to something like this?

Chanyeol started first. A ball of fire was shot towards Sehun, which he easily (by the looks of things) batted away with a flick of his arm. It seemed to distract him slightly thought and Baekhyun could see Kyungsoo and Jongdae advancing towards Sehun slowly. Jongdae’s fists were buzzing with bright lightening. Sehun hadn’t noticed that they were advancing towards him because he was fending off attack after attack from Chanyeol. It just seemed like a rain of fire. How could one person produce so much energy?

Baekhyun’s heart rate spiked upwards as Kyungsoo also leapt into the foray, choosing physical fighting to further distract Sehun. His attention was now divided between two people. Sehun’s movements were so fast and fluid that Baekhyun was unable to keep up. He hadn’t sparred with him like this earlier and it only dawned on Baekhyun how much he had been holding back. Neither Chanyeol nor Kyungsoo had managed to land a hit on him so far. He had somehow deflected all the fire and was managing to fight with Kyungsoo at the same time.

But what about Jongdae? Baekhyun would have smacked his best friend across the back of the head earlier if he knew he was going to do this. He saw Jongdae advancing behind a preoccupied Sehun, the wisps of lightening were now running up his forearms, crackling with dangerous energy.

‘Oh shit.’ Baekhyun knew full well what Jongdae’s lightening was capable of, having seen it multiple times as they were growing up. He hadn’t even seen the full power of it, but knew that it was dangerous. He could feel his palms getting sweaty as Jongdae inched closer still, going unnoticed by Sehun. And the worst thing was, he knew that Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were both holding back. He knew they had more.

“Sehun, turn around. Sehun, please turn around.” He muttered under his breath, his fingernails were digging into his palms, but at this point, he didn’t care whether he drew blood or not.

Unbeknownst to Baekhyun, he was being watched extremely closely by 4 pairs of eyes. Nobody told Baekhyun that Sehun was indeed the strongest. He didn’t know that neither Kyungsoo nor Chanyeol’s power could hurt him. He didn’t know that Sehun was stronger and faster than the two alphas. He also didn’t know that Sehun was underplaying his speed and strength for this display right now. He wasn’t told that Sehun knew that Jongdae would be attacking him from behind, whilst he was ‘distracted’ by the other two.

“I don’t think he will be able to take on all three Hyung.” Jongin was heard saying and Baekhyun’s head snapped towards him.

“He’s putting up a good fight, but I don’t think he’s got space for much more.” Minseok replied untruthfully, “and Jongdae is yet to attack.”

“Dae is loving it, he’s not allowed to practice anywhere else but here, and he hasn’t done it in so long. He’s going to go all out.” Junmyeon said, approaching Baekhyun. His eyes lingered on Baekhyun, seeing the anxiety and how tense the omega was. He frowned, because he really didn’t want Baekhyun hurt in all of this, physically or otherwise. But he had a part to play and he would keep playing it if it meant his friend would find his power.

“Xing hyung, you’re paying attention right? We might need you.” Jongin asked, eyeing Baekhyun.

Baekhyun’s ears perked up. So there was a possibility of Sehun getting hurt in all of this? He knew it! Why else would Yixing be needed? But wasn’t he lead to believe that there was nothing to worry about? That Sehun would manage it? Baekhyun thought he was going to go crazy.

Baekhyun’s hands balled into fists once again as he watched with rapt attention, he felt unable to peel his eyes away from the fight going on in front of him. Jongdae lifted a hand, buzzing with electricity and shot a stream straight into Sehun’s back. It hit Sehun in between the shoulder blades, causing him to stumble forwards. He’d lost focus and Chanyeol’s rain of fire was now falling onto his head, so much so that he ducked his head and covered it with his arms to protect his face.

“Sehun!” Baekhyun involuntarily shouted. “Jongdae-ya, what the fuck are you doing?” He screamed at the witch who was recharging to blast another bolt at Sehun. “Jongdae!” But no matter how hard he shouted, it seemed as if no one could hear him and his voice echoed inside his head.

Baekhyun’s nails drew blood as he finally pierced the skin of his palms. He took a few steps towards the group, his eyes and mind fixated on what was going on. His heart leapt into his throat as Sehun was pushed backwards by Kyungsoo getting an advantage. Why was Sehun not attacking? Surely he could fight? He could fight, Baekhyun had seen it. So why was he allowing this? He hadn’t attacked once, was he crazy?

Baekhyun looked around frantically, “Minseok! Minseok!” He jogged up to alpha, “Please Minseok, we should stop this, someone might get hurt.”

Minseok looked at Baekhyun and raised an eyebrow, “I think Jongdae is faring quite well Baekhyun, you don’t need to worry, he’s getting a good few blows in.”

But it wasn’t even Jongdae he was worried about right now, “I….It’s….yeh…..But SEHUN!”

“What about Sehun?”

“He might get hurt.”

“I doubt it.”

“But look! It’s three against one!”

“Then put a stop to it.”

Baekhyun paused. “What?”

“Put a stop to it. If you’re worried.” Minseok shrugged his shoulders as he looked at a confused Baekhyun.

“I….I……” Baekhyun was at a loss, how can he, someone who isn’t even that special, put a stop to something like this? What was he meant to do? The ball of anxiety in the pit of his belly was now a tornado, making him feel sick. He felt as if he was about to lose his lunch right there and then.

“Although, Baekhyun, I am wondering, why are you so worried? You know, about Sehun?” Minseok cocked his head in question, baiting him. Baekhyun just stared, opening his mouth to speak, but no words came out. How was he supposed to answer that? He didn’t even know the answer himself.

“Worth thinking about, don’t you think?” Minseok asked with a smirk.

Baekhyun turned around just in time to see Kyungsoo land a punch to Sehun’s face, causing his lip to break open. Baekhyun could see the fresh blood.

“No!” He shouted. What if something were to happen to Sehun? How would Yixing even be able to get to him in time, there was a whole barrier in between them.

“Ouch.” Jongin hissed, “that must have hurt, Kyungsoo really doesn’t land light punches.”

“Shit, this is getting nasty.” Minseok warned as another blow was landed on Sehun, this time to his stomach. Baekhyun saw him double over. And still it didn’t stop.

“What the fuck? Are they trying to kill him?” Baekhyun couldn’t believe his eyes. He would never forgive Jongdae if anything were to happen to Sehun. Not his Sehun.

His Sehun. His Sehun. What was he even saying? He had no right to claim something like that. He could simply chalk this up for a worry about his friend, his boss; the man that pays his wages. Yes, that would be the safest and most appropriate right now. Sehun was about to get beaten black and blue, all in the name of training and Baekhyun was standing here, allowing it to happen, powerless to stop it. Powerless to intervene. He just didn’t know how.

But what were they even thinking in there? Is this what training was? Were they trying to hurt him on purpose? He thought they were all lifelong friends. But this was never a fair fight in the first place.

Baekhyun’s inner turmoil heightened to the point that he could feel in insides churning, making him feel nauseous. He felt so angry, so utterly pissed off, he was worried and saddened at the same time. Deep in the pit of his stomach, he felt a burning sensation, one that was growing and taking over him. It overtook the tumultuous feelings of fear and he felt rage and power, emotions bigger than anything he’d ever felt before. He felt like the force of the whirlwind inside him would knock him onto his ass.

In front of him, Sehun fell to his knees, his neck bowed and his chest heaving from exertion. Baekhyun’s eyes flashed white. No pupils visible , just shining white orbs.

All heads outside of the barrier snapped to him when they noticed the change. He was glowing bright like an orb. He was completely still as his hair whipped wildly on his head like he was stood in a storm. Each one of them needed to shield their eyes as the brightness increased to painful levels.

Beside him, Yixing whispered, “You can control it Baekhyun. You just need to focus. Don’t just release it anywhere and everywhere. You need to break down that barrier to get to him. Find the source of the energy and just let it go. Once you find it, nothing can stop you.”

Inside the barrier, Sehun had fallen forward, resting onto his hands. He was dragged up by Kyungsoo and Jongdae was recharging himself. His stretched his arms a couple of times before they lit back up again. Outside the barrier, Baekhyun narrowed his eyes. His arms straightened by his sides and he wiggled his fingers, feeling an unfamiliar sensation running through them.

“Leave him alone!” He shouted, focussed only on Sehun. Sehun with his bleeding lip, Sehun against 3 people by himself. His mind saw no reason. These were not people he knew. He didn’t care about them. The only one he knew was Sehun. Sehun who was in danger now.

“Leave him alone!” He repeated, louder this time. His eyebrows scrunched in concentration and he felt blinded by his rage. “That’s my…..that’s….that’s my m…..” He couldn’t get himself to utter the words. Something was stopping him and yet he knew it. His brain was screaming at him, “mate.”

“Mate.” He muttered under his breath, testing it on his tongue. It felt so right and yet he was terrified. He didn’t know that the people standing on that side of the barrier had heard him. He had no idea of what was going on apart from inside his own head and in front of him, to his mate.

“Break the barrier Baekhyun, all you need to do is concentrate. Go to him.” Yixing whispered next to him. “He needs you.”

White light as pure as anything shone out of Baekhyun, he was glowing. No one could deny that he looked absolutely ethereal in this moment. By now, even those inside the barrier had noticed it. They’d have had to be blind to not notice the blinding light that was lighting up the entire room. They’d stopped to stare but Baekhyun only had eyes for Sehun. He hadn’t even realised that the fight had stopped.

“I….I have to go to him.” Sehun took a step forward, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

“Let him come to you.” Chanyeol said gently.

Baekhyun honed on to the action. He misinterpreted the friendly action as something threatening. Just now, this man was beating his mate. And Baekhyun had let it carry on. He hadn’t done anything to help. Not anymore. This would end. Now.

Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed, his breathing stopped, the burning tornado inside his belly became a bubbling pit of molten lava and he let out a huge blast of energy, visible as just light, straight into the shield, straight at the group of people in the shield. He knew exactly where he wanted it to go and exactly who he wanted to aim it at. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol only just missed it, Jongdae was pulled along by Kyungsoo. They fell to the floor on to their sides, Sehun was left stood by himself.

“Baekhyun!” Jongdae screamed, ears ringing.

The shield between them had stood no chance. It didn’t even put up a fight against the power of Baekhyun. It was as if it wasn’t even there to begin with. The light penetrated without any issues, straight for the people it was meant for.

He concentrated hard, reached inside himself to pull up more of this potent energy. He felt drunk off the power. More, he needed more. The enemy hadn’t been eliminated. Sehun was still in danger. He needed to get to Sehun at all costs. He charged again, shining brighter than ever before, taking a few steps closer to his goal.

“Shit, GUYS! Stop him!” Chanyeol sounded panicked but stayed on the floor, not daring to move.

“This was such a stupid fucking idea Chanyeol, I hate you.” Jongdae shouted next to him, he really didn’t want to die today.

“Baekhyun! Baekhyun, stop it!” Yixing tried to soothe him, to calm him down. But it was as though his voice was falling on deaf ears. Baekhyun was hearing no one.

“Sehun, you have to stop it!” Chanyeol screamed, “He won’t be able to control it. Not if he thinks you’re in danger!”

“Sehun, we are literally all going to die.” Kyungsoo told him.

“Junmyeon, you need to let the shield down, it’s of no use anyway.” Minseok said urgently, to which Junmyeon swiped his hands to remove the defensive shield so that Sehun could come back out.

Sehun practically ran towards Baekhyun, focussed solely on the omega. The omega who was currently enraged on his behalf.

“Hey Baekhyun, you can stop now. I’m ok.”

Baekhyun didn’t even acknowledge him standing there.

“Baby,” Sehun putting both hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders, “I’m ok. I promise, look, I’m right here.” He shook him slowly, sending out calming pheromones.

Baekhyun blinked. Slowly the white orbs of his eyes returned to their normal chocolate colour. He blinked again, as if he was being woken up from a deep sleep and the smell of pine trees and cedar wood reached his senses. The blinding glow around him receded to a pulsating white energy, but not dying down beyond that.

“Sehun?” He blinked a few more times and stared up at the man in front of him.

“Babe, I’m here and I’m ok.”

“Sehun!” Baekhyun threw his arms around the alpha without even thinking and buried his head in his chest. He took a few deep breaths of cedar and pine and felt himself calming down and coming back to Earth. “Sehun.” He murmured, quieter now. And with it, the glow around him dimmed as his energy calmed down.

“I know babe.” Sehun soothed, “I know.” He wrapped his arms around him, cocooning him in warmth.

“Are…..are you hurt?” Baekhyun asked, scanning Sehun’s face and frowning at the blood he could see, the scars and cuts having healed a long time ago.

Sehun smiled, “I’m all better now that you’re in my arms.” He tightened his arms around the omega in a protective way. “I think I should get you home.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 28

They were dropped off right outside Sehun’s apartment. Jongin swiftly disappeared with a simple nod to Baekhyun and a sympathetic pat on Sehun’s shoulder. Baekhyun stood awkwardly in the entryway with his eyes boring into the floor whilst Sehun tapped in the keycode for entry. The door opened with a bleep and he let them both in.

Inside, Baekhyun didn’t know what to do with himself. He was suddenly hyperaware of the Sehun’s presence, even though they weren’t stood close. What the fuck had happened back there? One minute he was worried for Sehun’s safety in that unfairly balanced practice session, the next he’s trying to blast a hole through Chanyeol’s skull and admitting to himself he’s doing it because Sehun was his mate. Where did that even come from? Was Sehun his mate? Was he possessed? He must be, it was the only explanation. Right?

Sehun lead the way to his lounge and he followed. He cleared his throat, causing Baekhyun to jump a little.

“I think that we need to talk Baekhyun, but first, shall I get you a something to drink? A glass of water maybe?” He asked.

“I…..yes, thank you.” He replied, still not able to meet Sehun’s eyes. He was grateful that Sehun would head into the kitchen, maybe give him a moment’s breathing space. But truly, was he surprised that things were how they were? He’d felt incredibly attracted to Sehun, lowering his own defences and crossing his own boundaries. Why was that? Why else did Sehun evoke feelings of safety and security whenever Baekhyun was with him? Why else did Baekhyun not shy away from his touch, in fact, why did Baekhyun never push him away? But then, Baekhyun wondered, why had he not recognised him as his mate straight away? Or why had Sehun not done so? Was he broken? Was there something wrong with him? Maybe his wolf was broken. Or maybe Sehun just wasn’t his mate and he thought it in the heat of the moment, when he was panicking.

“Here.” There was a glass in front of his face, and Baekhyun jumped a little, so lost in his thoughts that he was. He was careful not to touch the hand holding the glass, for fear that the touch alone would cause his skin to sear off. He took a big gulp and immediately choked as it went the wrong way. Eyes watering, he thumped his chest and tried to clear his throat.

“Hey, Baekhyun, slow down.” Sehun gently took the glass away from him and rubbed his back in small circles causing Baekhyun to shrink away from him, cough long forgotten.

“I’m not going to hurt you Baekhyun.” Sehun reassured, taking a seat on the couch opposite him, waiting for the omega to finish clearing his throat. Sehun was surprised, or disappointed maybe, that he seemed to be back to square one with Baekhyun once again. Over the past few weeks, it had seemed like they’d made good progress in their….whatever this was. But it seemed like the events at the training facility had pushed Baekhyun right to the beginning and Sehun was slightly frustrated. Not with Baekhyun, no, he could never be frustrated with him. He just wanted things to be easier, he wanted to be in a position where Baekhyun could trust him implicitly and not hold anything back.

“I….I know.” He stammered out.

“So why are you so tense?”

“I’m not?” Baekhyun felt suddenly defensive.

“You’ve been staring at my floor since you arrived.”

“I don’t really know what to say.”

“You want to start by explaining what happened back there?” Sehun asked. He really didn’t enjoy pushing Baekhyun, not when he already looked so scared. But this was the only way that he felt he could get the answers and outcome he desperately needed. It was very important to him that Baekhyun realise exactly what happened back there. It was important that he realised that losing control over his powers, letting his protective instincts overtake him could only mean one thing. Only the realisation that your mate was in danger would cause this to happen. Baekhyun had to realise this.

“I….how? I don’t even know myself.” Baekhyun looked up finally and Sehun could see the confusion in his eyes, as if he’d been thrown out to sea without explanation or a life boat. But there was a hint of something else hidden behind the confusion. It was as if he was trying to hide something, either from Sehun or from himself. He just wanted him to be honest with him. Nothing else. Sehun wanted to know what was going on in his head.

Baekhyun on the other hand would rather cut his tongue out than tell Baekhyun about the revelations he’d had before at the training facility. Since then, his brain was screaming at him one word only – mate, mate mate. The man sitting in front of him was his mate. Baekhyun had a mate. How? Did Sehun know? What if he got rejected? What if Sehun wouldn’t feel the same? Where would that leave Baekhyun? What happened to omegas whose mate rejected them? Didn’t they die of heartbreak?

“You lost control of your powers because you thought I was in danger.” Sehun struggled to keep his patience. His exterior was calm, but inside, his mind was doing somersaults. He knew that Baekhyun needed time, and a lot of it, judging by how he was behaving right now. But what he didn’t understand was why. He had been through a lot of shit in the past few weeks, but hadn’t Sehun proven that he would never hurt him? That he would try his very best to protect him, or die trying?

Baekhyun flushed, more so when he realised that Sehun knew exactly what happened. How could he have missed it? Baekhyun wasn’t that lucky. He did however send up a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess that Sehun hadn’t heard him mumble the word mate, because then he wouldn’t have been able to sit there and deny everything to his face. He hadn’t even meant to say those words, he didn’t even realise when and how they had left his mouth.

“I….I don’t know why I did that.” He tried to shrink into the couch, make himself as small as possible. He stared down at his hands, picking at his cuticles in his nervousness.

“You’re lying.” Sehun said calmly. “Why are you lying?”

“I’m…I’m NOT!” Baekhyun shouted defensively. “I….I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looked anywhere but at Sehun.

Sehun sighed as he ran both of his hands through his hair, frustrated. He didn’t even know how to fix this situation. What awful luck he had, truly. After centuries of being on this planet, he had finally found his mate, and his mate didn’t even want him. His heart lurched painfully in his chest as he realised the true weight of that. He knew he didn’t have the strength to survive the rejection, despite all his power. This must be the reason why Baekhyun was refusing to acknowledge it. He must not want Sehun. Sehun could hear the blood rushing between his ears and he tried hard to swallow past his heart, currently lodged in his throat.

“Ok. I can’t argue with that.” Sehun sighed, running his hands through his hair again, making it messier. “I can’t make you admit something you don’t want to. I just wish that you would be more honest with yourself and with me Baekhyun.”

Silence fell over the room. There was nothing else left to say really. Baekhyun looked like he wanted to escape and Sehun truly didn’t blame him. It was probably one of the most awkward moments that the two had ever shared.

“I should go home.” Baekhyun still failed to make eye contact.

“Your apartment is not safe, the damage is still not repaired.”

“I’ll……I’ll manage.” Baekhyun insisted.

Sehun sighed, “Yeh, yeh, ok, maybe that would be for the best,” Sehun conceded, “Let me drop you.”

“I can get home myself. Thank you.”

Sehun sighed, feeling a headache coming on. He never got headaches. “Baekhyun, it’s late, I’ll drop you. It’s not safe at this time. Hang on.”

He paused as he grabbed his phone from his pocket. He was surprised to see that Minseok was calling him off a burner phone. This could only mean bad news. They had no other reason to communicate via secure channels.

“Min.” His greeting was short.

“Sehun, I’m sorry to call you, I know it’s really important that you and Baekhyun spend some quality time together after you know, this evening.” Sehun glanced over at Baekhyun.

“No it’s ok. I’m not busy. Go on.”

“There’s been another one.”

Sehun rubbed his eyes. He was tired. He felt a deep boned tiredness that wasn’t exactly physical. He could kill for a shower and maybe some food. Or maybe it would be best if he crawled into bed and tried to forget all about this horrible day.

“Can you handle it?” He asked. He didn’t like not being there for support, but he knew Minseok was better than anyone else to handle these things.

Minseok hesitated, “Under normal circumstances, yeh. But this isn’t a civilian this time.”

Sehun was instantly alert. “What do you mean?”

“Fuck, Sehun, it’s the Chief Commanding Officer of the Korean Intelligence Agency….and this time, it’s….not the same.”

“What the fuck?” Baekhyun’s head snapped up hearing Sehun’s sharp tone. “How did that happen? Where was his security detail? What do you mean it’s not the same?”

“Well, it seems he might have come away for personal business. And I can’t explain over the phone, you’ll just have to come see it.” Minseok sounded rattled and this was a first, setting off immediate alarm bells in Sehun’s head.

“Ok, where are you? I just have to attend to a….a thing, then I’ll be there. Can you send Jongin in like, 30 minutes or so?” He asked, glancing at his watch.

“Yeh sure, we’re at….the Eunpyeong Hanok Village right now. I’ll….I’ll try to do damage control.”

“Damage control?”

“Yeh, a few people have seen the body and are freaking the fuck out, as you would.”

“Fucking hell….” Sehun muttered under his breath, this was precisely the situation that he wanted to avoid at all costs. He ran a hand over his face. The day was just getting worse and worse.

“Yeh exactly, Yixing is working on them now, we’re trying to lessen the damage. Everyone is here. Jongdae’s helping him.

“Really?”

“Yeh, him and Junmyeon are really knowledgeable actually, it’s great to have them on the team.” Minseok replied.

“Ok cool. I’ll text when you should send Jongin, I won’t be long.”

He put the phone down and turned to Baekhyun, “Shall we go?”

“If you have to be somewhere urgently, I don’t mind getting home by myself. Or…or I can ask Dae to pick me up.” Baekhyun offered.

“I’ll drop you. Jongdae and Junmyeon are both where I am going.”

That caught Baekhyun’s attention as his ears perked up, “are they? Oh…” he seemed to be thinking carefully about something, “is….is it ok if I come then? I’ll go home with them after.”

Sehun’s eyebrow cocked up. He didn’t think it was the right place to take Baekhyun. Their discoveries were never pleasant ones and he didn’t want to scare him. Especially since he wasn’t even sure whether Baekhyun had ever even seen a dead body before.

“Erm, I don’t think it’s the right place for you to go right now Baekhyun.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad…unless….it’s official guardian business? But then, Dae and hyung are there.” Baekhyun’s curiosity surely would be the end of him. Current disagreement forgotten, he tried to persuade Sehun to take him along.

“Well, imagine the worst thing and then multiply it a few times.” Sehun tried to dissuade him.

Baekhyun hesitated, “That bad? What is it?”

Baekhyun was essentially part of the group, especially with his powers and him being Sehun’s mate, even though he didn’t want to admit it exactly. Keeping him away from important things such as this was not only mean, but potentially dangerous. How was one meant to protect themselves if they didn’t even know there was a threat in the first place?

He took a deep sigh, “Ok sit down a second.” Baekhyun complied and he followed.

“A few weeks back, we discovered a dead body. It had signs of black magic and witchcraft all over it. Since then, there have been several dead bodies cropping up all with the same signs, dotted around Seoul.”

“Oh.” Baekhyun was speechless.

“So far, we’ve not been very successful in finding out who is doing this and why. But we think there might be a centuries old grudge and someone is seeking revenge for something. Jongdae and Junmyeon helped us decipher some of the clues from the last body we found and we think it might be some seriously pissed off witches.”

“Witches don’t exist anymore,” Baekhyun was quick to refute, “…well other than Dae, Hyung and granny of course.”

“I don’t think that’s true anymore I’m afraid.”

“Well shit.” Baekhyun let out a low whistle, “well, I am here and willing to help in any way that I can. They need to be stopped.”

“They do.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

“Only if you’re sure Baekhyun?”

“I am.”

Sehun considered the man in front of him for a moment. He pursed his lips and he pondered. He couldn’t shelter him forever. It was in Baekhyun’s best interests to know what they were dealing with, just in case he was ever placed in that situation himself. Him being associated with them put him in a spotlight and neither of them could afford for him to be totally clueless and unprepared.

“Very well, let me call Jongin.”

It was quite a busy scene as they approached a cluster of Hanoks, looking like something straight out of the Joseon era. Sehun vividly remembered living in something similar a long time ago. The rural nature of this particular village brought back nostalgic memories and Sehun missed the simpler times.

Jongin had dropped them off in the centre of this cluster of buildings, close to a bronze structure which was in the middle, presumably to commemorate something. It was the only modern looking thing in the immediate vicinity. Whilst Baekhyun tried to catch his breath, Sehun looked around.

There was black and yellow tape surrounding one of the Hanoks to his left and Minseok was seen there tapping something furiously on the screen of his phone. Sehun could tell from his expression alone that he was worried, so unlike him and so concerning for Sehun.

To the side of this building, Yixing and Jongdae were sat on the floor. In front of them were 10 or more people, presumably civilians. They each had what looked a cup of steaming tea in front of them. Yixing was whispering into one person’s ear and Jongdae was encouraging them to drink the tea simultaneously.

Sehun, Jongin and Baekhyun walked up to Minseok who looked extremely relieved to see them.

“Sehun you made it! Hi Baekhyun,” he finished, looking at the omega briefly. “I’m really sorry to drag you out here, I’ve been stalling for as long as possible.”

“What do you mean stalling? How long have you been here for?” Sehun asked.

“Well I got the call as we were leaving the facility earlier, the rest of us have been here since.”

“Why didn’t you call me Min, I would have come.”

Minseok glanced over at Baekhyun, “well….I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Baekhyun felt the tips of his ears turning red as he tried to tune out the rest of the conversation. He looked beyond Minseok where he could briefly see the back of Kyungsoo’s head a little further into the house. He could also see Chanyeol’s side profile as he spoke with Kyungsoo and Junmyeon was on his knees on the floor, leaning over something.

“It’s ok Min, you didn’t interrupt, don’t stress. What are Xing and Jongdae doing over there, who are all those people?” He pointed to the line of civilians sat in the open courtyard.

“Those are the civilians I was telling you about earlier. It seems this building is used as a village meeting hall sort of thing. This afternoon, there was a meeting and these villagers were the first to arrive. Some of them have had a bit of a….mental breakdown.”

“I see.” Sehun nodded, understanding what Minseok was trying to say. They’d clearly seen the dead body and lost their minds.

“The ones who kept their sanity managed to ring the emergency services, which is where we intercepted the call, once they started to describe what they were seeing, it was clear that this was a tinged corpse.”

“Fucking hell. The Goddess has given us some luck tonight it seems.”

“The emergency operator has been told it was a hoax.”

“Sensible.”

“What is Yixing doing whispering into their ears?” Baekhyun asked, looking over at the group of people curiously, “and what’s the tea for?”

“Yixing is altering their minds.”

“He’s WHAT?” Baekhyun was gobsmacked.

“Don’t look so appalled Baekhyun,” Minseok would have laughed at the expression on his face, if the situation wasn’t so bad, “he’s altering their memory to one we’ve just agreed on, something about them having a meeting and agreeing to having a Christmas fair in the village. It’s important they don’t remember anything that they’ve seen tonight, so they can go on to lead normal lives.”

“Oh. I see. What’s Jongdae feeding them?”

“Well Jongdae, our little unexpected genius has made a potion. It’s basically a calming potion as well as one that potentiates the effects of any spell, enchantment or potion that is used. So while Yixing is altering their memories, Jongdae is feeding them that to make sure the memories stick and old ones don’t resurface.”

Baekhyun stared at his best friend with his mouth agape, ‘wow, he can really do that? Jongdae is so fucking cool!’ he thought. He could see Jongdae coaxing each person to drink the potion and then pointing them in the direction of Yixing who was talking to them slowly. He noticed the expression of each person change from one of anxiety, then to mild bemusement and then finally neutral, as if they had simply lived a normal day. They were then shown the way out of the area by Yixing who went back for another person. Now there were only two people left. Baekhyun wondered where the rest of the village were.

“Where is everyone else?” He asked, turning back to Minseok.

“Everyone else?”

“Yeh, the villagers.”

“Oh! They were evacuated out of here before anyone else could suspect anything. Chanyeol started a small fire and blamed it on a gas leak.”

“Ah.”

“Good thinking Minseok,” Sehun commented, grateful that at least something was going right finally. “So, shall we get inside?”

Minseok nodded.

“Ok Min, lead the way. Baekhyun, you’ll be ok?”

“Yes, I think so.” Baekhyun nodded, just to prove that he would, indeed be ok.

“Brace yourself guys. Just….just be careful in there ok?” He said, rather cryptically.

They were lead into through the doorway where they met with Kyungsoo, Chanyeol and Junmyeon who was holding a paper pad and pen in his hand. The walked through the entryway of the Hanok, past what looked like the main meeting area and then into a smaller area, typically known as the Numaru, a raised veranda with numerous mats on the floor. A little off centre and only a short distance away from the doorway lay a dead body, suspended slightly off the floor.

Sehun was trailing behind the rest of the group but stopped abruptly as he almost walked into Baekhyun, who had stopped mid step once he’d seen the body. He let out an audible gasp and took a small step backwards, his back hitting Sehun’s chest. Sehun instinctively wrapped his arm around the middle of Baekhyun’s abdomen without thinking and squeezed lightly. He brought his lips close to the shell of Baekhyun’s ear, “Hey, are we ok?”

Baekhyun gulped, but nodded, his eyes fixated on the sight in front of him. He’d only ever seen a dead body once, 15 years ago, the memory of which he wanted to wipe away from his mind forever. But this, this was something new, more sinister, more wrong.

“Deep breaths Baekhyun, I’m here ok?” Sehun reminded him, all while surrounding him with the now familiar scent of cedar and pine. Baekhyun unconsciously relaxed back into him, allowing himself to mould to the front of Sehun. This was comfortable, this felt like home. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the intoxicating scent. His eyes opened once more.

Not even 10 feet in front of him was a dead body, laid out on a straw mat. This wasn’t just any dead body, Baekhyun had never seen anything like it before in his life. It was of a man, an alpha, he was tall, probably well over 6 feet and athletically built. He looked to be in his mid to late forties, possibly even fifties if the small smattering of salt and pepper hair at his temples was anything to go by. His eyes were wide open and his eyeballs were a deep shade of blood red as if they’d been dipped in paint and put back in. In the middle of his chest, he had a large brand, something which looked like runes. These were bright red too and almost seared into his skin. Coming out from the periphery of these symbols were black, thread like lines, tracking down almost as far as his belly button and up his neck. But most peculiarly, the entire body was fucking levitating off the ground. How the fuck?

“Fucking hell.” Sehun said out loud. “They’re being repetitive with this one.”

“They’re being bold with this one actually.” Chanyeol replied.

“How?”

“Kyungsoo has already tracked for negative and dark energy, but they’re being so obvious, you don’t need to track. Look near the toes. There is dark energy everywhere. The corner of the room seems to be a hot spot. None of us have gone there yet.”

Sehun withdrew his arm from Baekhyun after a small squeeze, ghosting his lips over the top of his head, and moved closer, scrutinising the details we was asked to. As he rounded closer to the body, he noticed little black spots on the top of his left foot, almost like little splatters of ink if one were to shake a quill at somebody. These formed a large stain, which covered most of his toes as if they’d turned gangrenous. His right foot was unaffected.

He could sense a lingering energy, strong, very unlike the other times where the energy wasn’t so palpable. It was making the air buzz in nervous anticipation. He followed the trails of energy, becoming more dense until he walked closer to the corner of the room. There was something in this part of the room, hence why it had been missed when he first walked in. But he could feel it now that he was standing close to it. It was sending out waves of dark energy, dense and absolute. They was an icy chillness to the energy which was seeping into his bones and making him feel all sorts of wrong. He lifted his hand instinctively to touch the energy, wanting to see if it was solid.

“Sehun, wait!” He heard Kyungsoo shout. He looked back and saw Kyungsoo, Junmyeon, Minseok and Jongdae jogging up to him, followed by Baekhyun, who was looking warily behind Sehun.

“You’re not going closer alone. We are going with you.” Kyungsoo said.

“No Soo….”

“Yeh? Talk to the wall, but whatever this wall of energy is, it’s evil. Either we all go or no one goes.”

“You can’t guys.” He held up a finger as more than one person opened their mouths to interrupt him, “If for any reason something happens to me,  I need you guys out here to help out. You’ll be no good if you’re stuck or injured with me.”

“But….”

“Please? Trust me?”

“Ok?” Chanyeol was worried but he had implicit trust in Sehun. If there was anyone that could figure this out, or was strong enough to do it, then it would be Sehun.

“Any hint that there is something wrong, we will be blasting through this and getting you out. I swear Sehun.” Kyungsoo warned.

“I know, I know.”

“Be careful Sehun.” Minseok had a bad feeling about this, but he agreed with Sehun, they were needed out here in case something were to happen.

“We’re just out here.” Junmyeon offered, to which Sehun nodded gratefully.

He then chanced a look across at Baekhyun who looked scared. Sehun nodded at Baekhyun reassuringly, silently trying to convey so many emotions. He wished he could just say what was on his mind, declare his feelings to him, make his heart feel lighter. But now was not the time. Breaking eye contact, he looked to the others and nodded his head, “Ok, let’s do this.”

He turned to the wall of darkness and continued to walk with his hand outstretched. Suddenly he felt energy bounding against his hand, leaving little prickles of sharp cold against his skin. They weren’t painful, but they certainly weren’t pleasant. As he continued to walk a little further into the corner of the room, he felt as if he’d walked through a thick curtain as a cloak of dark energy surrounded him, bearing down on him like a heavy weight. He could now feel the icy cold pricks all around him like sharp shards of ice attacking him from all directions. The noises of the room behind him fell away and all he could hear was air whipping around him, robbing him of his hearing and sight as the energy formed a tornado around him. The darkness was so absolute that he couldn’t see his hand, mere centimetres in front of his face. His entire being was being filled with a dread so deep that only despair was left. He should have been in the corner of the room now, but the darkness seemed to be endless. He turned around 180 degrees only to find that he could no longer see the rest of the room. He seemed to have entered a dark portal, endless in every direction.

His eyes darted around and out of nowhere, his vision was filled with dead bodies, flying through the air, almost luminescent against the black void. They darted in front of his eyes. Dead bodies of his past, dead bodies that would surely haunt his nightmares. All except, Sehun knew every single dead body. He knew how each of them had died by his hands. He knew none of them were innocent and he knew that death was too easy for them. These bodies didn’t haunt him. These bodies were evidence of the justice he’d delivered. This was the purpose for which Mother Nature had sent him. So even though, these images took resident in his darkest nightmares, deep down, he knew he didn’t regret a single thing.

He closed his eyes briefly, trying to open up his other senses to block out the scenes in front of him. But he felt as if he’d been sucked into a vortex, a never ending black hole. There was utter silence now and Sehun could even hear his pulse beating at his temples. He couldn’t hear anything else and he tried to clear his throat, but the sound felt so foreign to him. He was tempted to turn back, until he saw, at the far end of this vortex, a wispy grey outline taking shape. He walked closer to it, curious. He raised his hand to try to touch it as it came into focus. It was an outline of an eye, a singular eye. The eye was closed, but upturned at the outer edge. Sehun moved closer still, almost within touching distance.

He outstretched his hand before he could touch it, the eye opened suddenly and Sehun felt a blast of ice cold air pouring out of it, accompanied by high pitched shrieking, as if numerous souls were being tortured in hell itself. He hastily covered his ears to drown out the sound. The ear was painfully familiar. He would never mistake that chocolate brown with the hazel flecks anywhere else.

With his ears still ringing from the shrill wailing and the icy blast seeping into his bones, he looked around for any signs of anything else, but saw nothing. He turned on the spot and saw nothing else. He took a tentative step forward before he stopped. Thinking his ears were deceiving him, he strained to hear the quietest of whispers…’Sehun, I am coming for you….,’ followed by the same all-encompassing silence. Thinking he’d misheard, he continued to listen for a few more heartbeats, but heard nothing else.

He needed to get out before the darkness swallowed him. He needed to get to the others and get them far away from this. He lifted his hands, closed his eyes and focussed his energy, seemingly harder to do as he couldn’t even find his core. A ball of energy slowly arose from the pit of his belly. He needed all his concentration for the spark to even ignite before it got larger and larger until it formed a ball between his hands, green and sparkling, fizzing in front of him.

His lifted his eyes, about to release it. He paused when he saw a small speck of white light in the distance, getting larger and larger until he realised it was hurtling straight at him. Partly to shield himself and partly to attack, he unleashed the green ball of energy straight at the fast approaching light. The two collided with a thunderous sound, sending white and green sparkles off in all directions.

And then there was nothing but stillness.

Chapter Text

Chapter 29

Baekhyun paced in front of the dark energy force. He could feel an outpouring of black energy radiating from the space, the palpable evilness was almost too much to handle. He was biting down on the tip of his thumb, a sure sign that he was feeling anxious, a bubble of dread was creeping up from his stomach and Baekhyun thought he would surely suffocate from it. Sehun had simply walked into the void and disappeared. Nothing could be seen or heard from within and Baekhyun was scared that something bad would happen.

Should he follow? Should the others follow? No, they shouldn’t. Sehun had expressly stated that no one else other than him should go in and if something were to happen then he would need them on this side of the dark energy, not in it. But how were they supposed to know that something was happening? They could only feel the dark seeping into their bones, they were blind and deaf to the rest of it.

He startled when he heard a faint rumbling coming from the wall, like warped white noise. Suddenly, big swirls of grey clouds became visible, far into the distance, interlaced with the absolute blackness. What on Earth was happening? He frantically looked around at the others and without even realising, had grabbed hold of the person nearest to him – Chanyeol.

Chanyeol looked just as worried as he was, but still had the state of mind to place a comforting hand on top of his where it lay on his arm. “Hey Baek, it’s ok, it’s Sehun, nothing happens to him, remember.”

“It looks like thunder.” Baekhyun whispered, somehow finding it wrong to disturb the eeriness, “what’s happening in there.”

“I don’t know, but I’m this close to trying to get him out of there Baek, I swear. Let’s give it another 5 minutes ok?” Chanyeol tried to keep his voice steady, both for Baekhyun’s sake and his own. He didn’t want to give away how scared he was right now. They’d always done everything together. No man had ever been left behind, but this time, they’d left Sehun to go in by himself. They hadn’t argued enough, they hadn’t put up enough of a fight. The guilt and anger at himself was started to overwhelm him. He took a few deep breaths to try to calm himself and keep the panic at bay.

Mere seconds passed but to Baekhyun, it felt like an eternity. The more he waited on this side of the void, the more anxious he became. If there was nothing going on, then surely Sehun would have been out by now? His nerves were already frayed with what had happened earlier today and he wasn’t sure how much more he was willing to take. Sehun was in there. Anything could be happening, he could be injured and everyone was simply standing around just watching.

His head snapped up when he heard a loud rumble emanating from the crowd and he swore he was going to be sick. He jumped almost three feet into the air when he heard Yixing’s voice just behind him, not expecting him to be there.

“It was silent before, what’s changed.” Yixing asked.

“Not much, just Sehun going in there, alone.” Jongin replied, worriedly glancing between Yixing and the dark wall in front of him.

“What? Why?”

“To investigate.”

“It’s not something he should have done alone! Why didn’t you guys stop him?”

Minseok looked across at Yixing, “I kinda wish we’d been more insistent that he didn’t go in by himself. But you know what Sehun is like.”

“We should have examined it, or gone together.” Yixing stared into the void, thoughtfully. What was it like on the other side? He could only guess and the prospects didn’t seem that great.

“We’re giving him a maximum 5 minutes before we break him out.” Chanyeol offered, which temporarily placated Yixing.

Jongdae moved to stand next to Baekhyun, whose eyes were now fixated on the darkness in front of him. He placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, meaning to comfort. Baekhyun looked at him and smiled slightly, trying to show him that he was ok, when really he wasn’t. This was the second time in a day that Baekhyun was stood on the other side, where Sehun could be in danger. This was the second time that he didn’t know what was happening. This was the second time today that a mini tornado was gathering pace inside his stomach and he felt sick. Sick with trepidation. All for Sehun. Now wasn’t the time to question why or who. He'd ask himself those same questions later.

Everyone took a few startled steps backwards as the veil of darkness started pulsating, stormy clouds were threatening to suck all positive energy inside the room. The air was chillier as if they’d stepped foot inside a freezer and yet the chill was so different to anything that Minseok would have been able to produce.

“Fuck this, we need to get him out.” It had gone on long enough and Kyungsoo had had enough. He bit his lips, contemplating, “I don’t think I can punch my way through a dark void though. Maybe Chanyeol? Or Jongdae? Or you Hyung, he asked Minseok.”

“I’m ready.” Jongdae stepped forward, electricity already buzzing at his hands.

“Me too.” Chanyeol stepped forward.

“Wait!” Baekhyun stopped them, “he….he’s in there, we can’t get rid of this thing?”

“I’m sorry Baekhyun, we have to.” Minseok too had stepped forward, “Sehun will know what to do. But we don’t know how much this can escalate if we just leave it here.”

Baekhyun chewed on his bottom lip frantically. But if they obliterated this thing now, what then? What happens to Sehun who was in there right now? Where would he go? Would he be obliterated too? Surely he wouldn’t be able to withstand whatever was happening in there AND all three of them using their powers like this.

“Any weak spots Yixing?” Minseok asked him.

“Nope, none that I can see. I suggest you all concentrate your energies in one place and try to break it that way.”

“Ok fine,” Minseok raised his hands, “on the count of 3……3……..2……..1…….”

Baekhyun wasn’t sure what he was expecting, maybe a big explosion or something. Certainly not the underwhelming thing that was about to happen. Chanyeol, Jongdae and Minseok all unleashed their powers, combined to hit the dark veil in one spot. All three energies merged just as they touched the barrier in front of them and were simply absorbed into the darkness. There wasn’t even a fizzle or a spark to indicate the anything had been damaged or affected in any way.

“What the fuck just happened?” Kyungsoo stared, dumbfounded.

“Shall we try again?” Jongdae asked, palms already buzzing.

“Let’s double the power.” Chanyeol responded with his palms outstretched, ready to blast again.

“Ok, on the count of three, again.” Minseok timed them in. Again they unleashed their powers and again, there was nothing. Not even a dent.

Kyungsoo stepped forward, palms out towards the wall of darkness. “All I feel is dark energy. There are no breaks.”

It seemed like the darkness was simply absorbing their energy. There was no reduction in the absolute blackness of it, no increase in the sub-zero temperatures that were emanating from it and no signs of Sehun beyond the darkness. Their heads snapped to the blackness in front of them as they heard a high pitched wail coming from deep within. It sounded like numerous voices, all singing a song of agony and turmoil. Baekhyun felt their sorrow deep within his bones as he let out a shudder and covered his ears to drown out the sound. In front of him, the rolling grey clouds became tinged in a deep green and his eyes widened in horror as he realised the clouds were shrinking in on themselves.

If they shrunk and disappeared, how would get Sehun out? Would he be trapped in there forever? No, no, this couldn’t happen. He would never see him again. No, absolutely not. He could hear the wailing, even though his hands were clapped over his ears. If it was this bad out here, how bad was it in there? How was Sehun doing? What was Sehun doing?

Maybe it was desperation, or maybe it was sheer force of will that lead him to his next actions, he didn’t know. He moved closer to the clouds, ignoring the “Baekhyun!” from several people, he didn’t know who. He was careful not to get too close or not to touch anything. He could feel the energy seeping into him, trying to fill him with the same darkness that he was sure Sehun would be feeling, probably a million times more intensely.

He had light energy. Granny once told him he was the light. Light would fight this darkness, where spells and others powers could not penetrate, he was sure of it. Darkness couldn’t take anything from him, he wouldn’t let it. He concentrated on his core, just as he had been instructed to do at the training facility. He felt nothing. He scrunched his eyes shut tightly and pictured the energy inside him and as he did so, a small light flickered deep inside his belly.

He had no idea what he was doing, but he imagined it getting bigger and brighter, stronger. He imagined he had it in his hands and so he held out his hands, palms facing up to the ceiling. A small ball of light appeared, suspended millimetres away from his palms. He looked down at it, surprised that it was there in the first place. Not only were it physically in front of him, but it wasn’t attacking anyone, it was doing what he wanted it to do. He poured more energy into it to make it grow bigger. Small sparks were now flying out of it. It shone brighter, as bright as a supernova, so bright that not just anybody could look at them for too long.

Behind him, Jongdae let out an audible gasp, mesmerised by the sight in front of him. “He’s doing it, he’s finally doing it!” He clasped on to Yixing arm and squeezed it in his excitement, allowing a small bubble of hope to take shape in his chest.

“I believe he is finally letting go of his darkness.” Yixing replied in agreement.

He watched however as he saw that Baekhyun had reached an empasse, and he realised it was because he wasn’t sure how to proceed, how to release the energy he had conjured up. He walked up to Baekhyun, careful not to startle him and break his concentration. He held up his hands behind him, signalling to the others not to disturb or make any loud noises.

“You’re doing so well Baekhyun,” he encouraged in a soft voice, “that’s it, just concentrate on it. Only light can break through this darkness. Concentrate on sending the light forwards, picture where you want it to go.”

Yixing glanced forwards at the stormy clouds, now tinged in a jade green colour, a colour which was achingly familiar and very much welcomed, Sehun. Sehun was in there, doing what Sehun does. It was at this point that he knew Sehun would be able to get out with no problems, and he smiled to himself. But this was not something that he would tell Baekhyun, not when he was finally getting himself under control.

He looked to Baekhyun, who was a huge ball of fiercely bright  light in his palms. It wasn’t going to work, simply because Baekhyun didn’t know what he was doing. It wasn’t the power that was the issue here.

“I’m going to boost you, ok Baekhyun?” He sensed an almost imperceptible nod from Baekhyun, who now had a droplet of sweat running down his temple. He placed a hand on his shoulder, channelled his energy and poured it into Baekhyun freely.

The balls of light flared and lifted from Baekhyun’s palms, increasing in size and frizzing with a barely restrained energy, as if it were impatient to reach it’s destination, like it could sense the darkness in front of it.

He lifted his hands above his head, arms outstretched and he pushed. Not physically, but with his mind, picturing the darkness in his head. He pictured the light finding Sehun and guiding him back out. The ball lurched forward as if it had been smacked by a bat and went hurtling into the void. Baekhyun’s shaky legs finally gave way as he dropped down to his knees, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.

All of them held their breath as for a split second nothing happened. Just as he was about to lose hope, Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he saw his light intermingling with the bright green light inside the void. Large swirls of green and white danced together until that was all he could see. Gone was the black abyss. Gone were the angry grey clouds. The wailing could no longer be heard. The green and white merged together and then burst into a million different stars, almost as if Baekhyun were a spectator to the beginning of the galaxy. The stars were suspended in the air, held by an invisible gravitational force, beautiful to look at.

And then it happened. The beautiful array of stars disappeared as quickly as they appeared, followed by what could only be described as a black hole, the centre of which seemed to be sucking all the energy into it, finally making it all disappear into a pinpoint, a dot in the distant horizon, leaving behind a silhouette of a tall figure, becoming clearer by the second.

Everyone but Baekhyun and Jongdae rushed forward. Jongdae crouched on the floor next to him and wrapped his arms around his shaking shoulders. Baekhyun couldn’t figure out whether he was in shock or whether he was freezing, but he couldn’t get himself to stop shaking uncontrollably.

“Sehun, what the fuck happened in there?” Jongin was the first to get to him.

“Are you hurt?” Minseok scanned his body.

“Was the green you?” Chanyeol asked.

But Sehun wasn’t listening to them. His eyes were focussed on a form on his knees on the floor. He now knew who the white light belonged to. Baekhyun’s eyes met Sehun’s trying to communicate things that he didn’t quite have the guts to say out loud, ‘I’m glad you’re ok’.

Maybe he understood what he was trying to say, Baekhyun didn’t know, but his eyes widened as Sehun came striding over to him with big steps. He promptly got down to his knees, eye level with Baekhyun. Carefully, Jongdae extricated himself away from Baekhyun, stepping back to allow them some space.

Sehun’s hand came up to rest on Baekhyun’s cheek, caressing it slightly with his thumb. He felt a wetness and realised that it was from Baekhyun’s tears. He shook his head as he wiped Baekhyun’s cheek with his thumb, bringing his forehead to Baekhyun’s. “These tears are too precious Baekhyun. Keep them safe in those beautiful eyes of yours,” he whispered, words only meant for the two of them to hear.

Baekhyun didn’t say anything, he stared into Sehun’s eyes, noticing the myriad of emotions on display. How was it that such dark, black eyes could be so expressive? He felt a calmness overtake him as his shaking ceased. His body began to warm up as their breaths mingled together, in their own little cocoon.

Sehun landed a chaste kiss to Baekhyun’s forehead. “I….I know Baekhyun, I know you’re not where I am, just please.” He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, committing the omega’s intoxicating scent in his memory. “I was so scared that I would never see you again.” Sehun whispered and opened his eyes to look into Baekhyun’s again. And for the first time ever, Baekhyun saw a fear in his eyes and he hated it. He hated that he was the reason why Sehun, the invincible alpha was scared.

Baekhyun was caught in Sehun’s eyes, now a kaleidoscope of emotions, black with flecks of green dancing around, a green which he now recognised. “That was you in there, wasn’t it?” He asked breathlessly.

“I would do anything to come back to you Baekhyun.” Sehun admitted.

“Sehun, I….”

“Sehun, I’ll make you pay for my therapy sessions, I swear!” Jongdae could be heard hollering through their little bubble.

They suddenly broke apart, as if they’d realised they were with company for the first time, quick enough to catch Junmyeon punching Jongdae on the arm, hard. Baekhyun was sure his face was the same shade of a tomato, embarrassment filling him to the core.

“I never thought I’d have to see the day where Baek was acting like a sickly sweet teenager in front of me, Hyung, where is your cauldron, I need to expel the contents of my stomach!”

His whining was met by a swift blow to the back of his head to compliment the one on his arm. Junmyeon looked at him meaningfully and he heard ‘cockblocker’ from somewhere behind him. Biting his tongue, he realised belatedly that he’d ruined a cute moment between the two and shot Baekhyun an apologetic look.

Yixing cleared his throat, “So, I’ll kill you afterwards about going in there before we figured out what it was, but tell me, what happened in there?”

Sehun sighed as he stood up and helped Baekhyun up too. They should know what was in there. It was likely going to catch up with them not to far into the future. “Darkness and despair,” he began, “A bone chilling coldness where I saw the nightmares of my past. After a while, all I could see were dead bodies everywhere, people that I’d killed. The wailing was that of tortured souls, souls that I’d condemned to eternal darkness by punishing them for their evil deeds.”

He was met with silence as he looked at all of them. “It took me a while to locate my power.”

“What do you mean?” Yixing asked.

“Well, it’s not like I couldn’t feel my core or use my power, but all the sights and sounds were so overwhelming that it felt like my own body didn’t belong to me. But then I saw the light energy, my power somehow multiplied and then mingled with the light. And then the darkness just disappeared, almost like if it had never been there in the first place. But…

“But?” Yixing asked.

“I can’t be sure if I actually heard it or it was my imagination, or an hallucination, but someone was speaking to me, telling me they were coming for me.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t even tell if it was man or woman. It was not a voice that I recognised.”

Sehun contemplated on all the enemies they may have made through the years and apart from the battle with the witches, they had kept a low profile, never making it obvious who they were and covering their tracks well. So who, or what had recognised him and was coming for him? Why now?

“We’re gonna have to think about who you guys have pissed off.” Junmyeon said.

“Baekhyun.” Baekhyun turned around to look at Yixing. “What you did just now, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was incredible.”

Baekhyun could feel himself growing hot under the attention of everyone.

“To wield that much power was insane, especially considering you’ve never used it before like this. Even I was scared.”

Baekhyun laughed a little at that, “Yixing, you of all people shouldn’t be scared of me.”

“Seriously Baekhyun, only your light could have overcome this darkness. Yours and perhaps Sehun’s power, but we didn’t even know what he was doing in there. I have no idea how you did it, but, if you don’t mind, I’d like to offer to help you refine it further.”

“I’d like that. Thank you.” Baekhyun whispered.

“Shall we sort out the dead body now? We can’t leave it here.” Minseok asked. “Sehun, you’ll be okay?” He added, to which Sehun simply nodded.

It seemed like déjà vu as 9 faces looked down at the dead body. The features were the same as all the others before it, apart from the obvious traces of dark magic at the feet.

“Nam-Gil was a good colleague, a very capable officer.” Minseok said, obviously feeling the loss of the man in front of him.

“We can’t hand him to the intelligence agency like this hyung, how would we even explain this?” Chanyeol replied, shuddering at the thought of anyone other than them seeing this tinged corpse.

“And we can’t just have him evaporate. It’ll set off a national, possibly international search.” Minseok looked stressed, but honestly, who could blame him?

“We need a way that his death can be announced, but also that nobody asks too many questions. Surely we can put it down to natural causes or something?” Jongin asked innocently, very aware of the problems this could cause if leaked as it was.

“I don’t think natural causes can cause something to look like that though.” Jongdae didn’t need to be a doctor to know that no human ailment caused someone to look like this. Even though he’d seen something similar before, it was never easy to look down at a corpse and especially one as mutilated as this one. He didn’t think this would ever get easier.  He looked across at Baekhyun, worried how his friend would be taking it. He smiled inwardly as he saw him, hand clasped around Sehun’s forearm tightly.

“How….how about a shielding spell?” Baekhyun spoke up, somewhat timidly. He felt really out of his comfort zone and suddenly very shy. Everyone else had seen this before, they knew what to do. He on the other hand was still trying to make sure he didn’t vomit up his lunch from earlier.

“A what?” Kyungsoo.

“I….erm saw Jongdae doing one, remember Dae?”

Realisation dawned on Jongdae’s face. “Yeh yeh I remember. Hyung, remember when Baek and I were playing doctors and nurses and we accidentally broke that plant in half because you told us it was a healing plant?”

“Yes.” Junmyeon replied. “You guys got into so much trouble, that was Granny’s prized plant, she wanted to make some potion out of it.”

“Yeh well, before we got into trouble, I casted a shielding spell on it.”

“Still no idea what a shielding spell is.” Kyungsoo replied, now looking extra confused.

“Well,” Jongdae patiently explained, “It’s a spell to shield the external appearance of something. I was too young at the time to fix things, I didn’t know the incantations for it and I got it wrong, but this spell will make it appear as if the body looks normal.”

“Why did you think Granny would fall for something like that?” Junmyeon asked.

“I was shitting myself ok?!” Jongdae replied.

“Why can’t you just ‘un-tinge’ the body?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I can’t reverse the damage that dark magic has done. I probably could have lessened it, if he had still been alive, but like this, I can’t.”

“Yeh, no spell has been invented to turn back the reverse the effects of such dark magic.” Junmyeon agreed.

“Ok. I guess it’s worth a shot, right?” Sehun spoke up, “Minseok, if you agree, shall we try this shielding spell?”

“We have no choice.” Minseok replied, “Jongdae, Junmyeon, please, if you will.”

The two witches nodded and stepped forward as the rest of them took a couple of steps back, giving them space. They seemed to be conferring with one another as they settled on which spell exactly they would be using. Jongdae lifted his hands, both palms facing down, towards Nam-Gil, meanwhile Junmyeon held his palms upwards. It was him who started mumbling something under his breath first, his lips moving only slightly. His hands moved upwards a little, until he rotated them at the wrist until his palms were now facing one another. With a quick movement, he pushed both hands downwards and then both brothers splayed their fingers out and moved their hands further apart.

Baekhyun couldn’t see anything. There were no beams of energy, no flashing lights, no fancy sounds. But he’d seen the witches perform plenty of spells to know that there were no theatrics. This spell was probably a more powerful one though as he could feel the air thrumming with magic.

Someone let out a ‘woah’ behind him and he heard a sharp intake of breath elsewhere as the body started transforming in front of them. The eyes began to close, the rune marks started to fade, the thread-like veins became indistinguishable as the body began to take a much more normal appearance.

There was something deeply unnatural and eerie about the whole thing and Baekhyun found himself moving closer to Sehun to seek some comfort as a shudder ran through him. Sensing his discomfort, Sehun shifted a little to put his arm around him. He turned his head slightly to bury his nose into his hair, releasing a small amount of calming pheromones to help put him at ease.

“It’s done.” Junmyeon stared down at their handiwork, satisfied that they had covered up and normalised as much as they could – with a dead body that is.

“That’s fucking amazing.” Chanyeol gaped down, astonished that such a transformation was even possible.

“It’s not real by the way.” Jongdae reminded them, “It will probably wear off in a couple of days, but both of our strength combined will probably give it four days, tops.”

“Unbelievable,” Kyungsoo remarked, even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, “It’s like a miracle. Can you fix Chanyeol’s face?”

Jongin laughed out loud while Chanyeol gave him the middle finger.

“Children….” Minseok looked at them, as if he wasn’t expecting anything different from them. “We still can’t move anything. We still don’t know what the fuck to tell anyone.”

“Actually,” Sehun began, “I’ve been thinking about this, but I think Yixing might be able to touch the body.”

“How?” Minseok asked.

“Because, Yixing can’t destroy anything, he can only heal and nurture. So maybe he can?”

“There’s only one way to find out I guess.” Minseok commented.

Yixing moved forward and then hesitated, “wait so, If I touch it, and it goes poof, what happens then?”

“I’ll declare a missing persons and indulge everyone in a search for a few weeks I guess,” Minseok said, not liking that prospect any further.

“Ok, and if it doesn’t?”

“Then you’re going to gaslight as a doctor providing an independent medical review for the intelligence service and you will explain how Nam-Gil died of a heart attack. Some mind altering will be involved obviously.”

“So all the illegal stuff then?” Yixing confirmed.

“Yeh, something like that.”

Yixing nodded and moved forward cautiously. Honestly, he didn’t want to be touching this dead body, but the shielding effect on it at least had the effect of not making it look so terrible. He reached slowly for his hand, wrapping his fingers around the corpse’s now cold fingers. Everyone, including Yixing held their breath and stared down at the two on the floor. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. The body lay exactly where it was before he touched it. Yixing let out a slow breath.

“I guess I better read up about heart attacks then.” His relieved voice broke through the silence, “Is Wikipedia any good?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 30

It was well past one in the morning when Jongin dropped Sehun and Baekhyun back outside Sehun’s apartment and Sehun could say that he was well and truly exhausted. Baekhyun had left all of his things at Sehun’s in the rush to leave earlier and so he’d come back to pick them up before Sehun dropped him at home.

Letting them in the apartment, Sehun looked back at Baekhyun, “It’s really late, you can stay in the guest room tonight if you want?”

“I….”

“Or I can drop you off, I don’t mind.”

“I can go home myself.”

“Baekhyun, let’s not do this again, I’m not letting you go home alone at this hour, it’s really not safe. I’ll drop you, but I really need a shower first, I feel disgusting. Is that ok?”

Baekhyun fidgeted with his hands a little before adding, “I really don’t want you to go out of your way, so, if it’s ok with you, I’ll stay here?”

“Yeh, of course you can,” he smiled, “you don’t need to ask. Let me go and shower ok? I’ll get you something to change into and some fresh towels as well. You know where the spare room and bathroom are already.”

“Thank you Sehun.”

“You’re welcome. There’s also some take out brochures in the kitchen, top drawer next to the fridge. Go pick what you like.”

“Ok, thanks.”

Sehun grabbed some things for Baekhyun to use and went to shower himself. Standing under the hot water stream, he felt his tired muscles relax. It had been a long, long day and he was ready for it to end. Lathering himself up, he thought back to what happened earlier with Baekhyun. He’d gotten angry with him for not knowing that they were mates. He’d felt annoyed because his feelings weren’t being reciprocated. And now he felt bad for feeling like that. Because, it wasn’t Baekhyun’s fault, not really. If he truly didn’t know, he didn’t know. These things couldn’t be forced.

Sehun had had many years to perfect his powers and know what each glitch meant. It wasn’t Baekhyun’s fault that he didn’t know what these things meant, he’d only come to know about his powers recently.

The truth was that he’d been attracted to Baekhyun when he first laid his eyes on him. That attraction had only grown over the time he’d known him. At first, there was a physical attraction and then an innate need to protect him at all times. But from then, things had escalated to a visceral attraction, where no matter how much Sehun had tried to hold back, he found himself back at square one with his feelings.

He had told himself that his feelings weren’t reciprocated, but when Baekhyun had allowed him to get closer, to touch him, the things that they had done together, he’d had some hope that things would develop further, that Baekhyun would realise that he was his mate. But it wasn’t the case. Even though the evidence was right there, Baekhyun still had no idea and Sehun wasn’t sure whether he ever would.

Mind occupied by all these thoughts, he finished his shower, dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked back into his room, heading for his closet. He’d wear pyjamas today, not feeling comfortable sleeping naked like he usually did, not with Baekhyun staying over. Dressing quickly, he heard his phone chime from where he left it on his bed, so he walked over to answer it.

Baekhyun had also finished his shower and felt one hundred times better because of it. The t-shirt and pants that Sehun had lent him completely dwarfed him and he felt ridiculous as he folded the waistband of the pants over so that they wouldn’t get caught in his feet and trip him over. The t-shirt went midway to his thighs. He probably wouldn’t need the pants later when he went to bed. He brought the t-shirt up to his nose and took a long inhale. He could smell pine trees and cedar wood, the very essence of Sehun and it made him feel cosy inside. Being in his clothes, in his house again was stirring up something deep in the pit of his belly. The last time he was here was under completely different circumstances and it felt as if he was a completely different person from back then.

Baekhyun looked down at his phone to see that he was almost out of battery. He didn’t carry a spare charger with him. Sehun hadn’t emerged from his room, was he still showering? Was it ok to ask him if he had a spare charger? Not thinking it over too much, he walked the short distance to Sehun’s room and after a slight hesitation, he lifted his fist.

He knocked and walked into the room when he heard a soft ‘come in’. Sehun was stood at the foot of the bed, topless, pyjamas hung low on his lean waist. Baekhyun’s jaw hung to the floor as he took in the sight, his mouth salivating. Sehun was slim but built well, something that Baekhyun hadn’t quite fully appreciated up until now. His shoulders were broad and the collarbones were prominent. Two rosy nipples stood out against well-defined pecs. Baekhyun’s eyes trailed down to his abs, as his silhouette tapered down to an attractive, narrow waist. His eyes continued to trace along the ridges of his abs, down to where they converged to form a triangle. Prominent veins could be seen disappearing beyond the waistline of his pyjamas. Smooth, pale, unblemished and gorgeous skin.

“My eyes are up here Baekhyun.” There was a teasing lilt to Sehun’s voice and Baekhyun flushed, mortified at having been caught staring.

“I…..I’m sorry! I’ll come back later!” He made a move to turn and run out of the room.

“Baekhyun it’s ok, seriously. I sleep in less.” Sehun chuckled.

Baekhyun tried his very best to not visualise images of Sehun wearing any less clothing than he was right now, shaking his head to rid himself of the images. No, that would be super dangerous territory that he didn’t feel like wading into right now. He walked into the room, forgetting entirely what he came in here for in the first place.

He watched as Sehun moved towards a side table to put his phone down, baring his muscled back to him. Along the top part of his back, to the left side, Baekhyun saw a scar, partially healed, but not fully – unusual for a wolf, especially an alpha. A scar left from a weapon should have healed fully, leaving no marks behind. Without even thinking, Baekhyun moved closer and brought his hand up, so that his fingertips were lightly brushing the scar. He felt Sehun tense under him.

“Baekhyun?” Sehun whispered.

“This scar….”

“It was a curse thrown at me by a witch. It left its mark.”

“Does it hurt?” Baekhyun whispered back.

“No. Not anymore.”

Sehun could feel Baekhyun’s feathery touch along the scar which was a remnant of the struggles against their very powerful opponents. He tensed a little as nimble fingers traced along the scar and then started working their way along the skin of his back, slightly lower. He gripped onto the table in front of him as he gulped, tingles shooting out from every inch of skin that Baekhyun was touching.

He closed his eyes to pray to the Goddess for strength as he slowly turned around to face Baekhyun. He opened his eyes to see Baekhyun looking up at him, startled and not expecting the sudden movement.  His eyes were partially obscured by brunette coloured bangs, now almost dry and looking really soft. His hand was suspended in the air as he quickly glanced down at Sehun’s torso in front of him, unsure of himself. Sehun saw him swallow thickly before putting his hand softly onto Sehun’s skin. There was a slight tremor in his hand before it came to rest against his skin.

His abs contracted as soon as Baekhyun’s hand made contact and he felt his skin burning under the touch. Behind him, his knuckles were white with how hard he was gripping onto the night stand.

‘Goddess, please, I am not your strongest soldier.’ He thought desperately as Baekhyun’s fingers ghosted closer to his navel. The omega wasn’t looking up at Sehun, seemingly fascinated by the sight in front of him and so he couldn’t see the struggle in Sehun’s face, the sheer effort of preventing himself from reaching out to grab him.

Out loud he managed, “Baekhyun, what are you doing?” His voice came out strangled and sounding so unlike him.

Baekhyun’s fingers stilled as a light blink blush crept up his neck. Sehun thought he’d never seen anything as pretty as the man in front of him right now. He looked up at him now, bottom lip between his teeth, chewing on it anxiously.

“I’m….I’m sorry, I shouldn’t….”

“You really don’t know the effect you have on me do you?”

Clearly he didn’t because he looked really confused right now.

“You don’t realise how much I’m holding back right now.” Sehun explained.

“Why?” Baekhyun asked, his head titled to the side, in confusion.

“Holding back? Baekhyun, you don’t feel the same way about me as I feel about you…I wouldn’t take advantage of you.”

“You’re waiting for my permission?”

“That’s how it always needs to be.” Sehun clarified, slightly confused now.

“Oh.” Baekhyun replied, his mouth making a pretty O shape.

In this time, Baekhyun’s fingers were idly drawing circles on Sehun’s abdomen. He perhaps didn’t even realising he was doing it. Sehun gently took hold of Baekhyun’s hand and with his other hand, lifted his chin up so that Baekhyun was now looking at him.

“Your body is yours Baekhyun. Yours only. No one should be taking anything from you unless it is something that you wish to freely give. Always remember that, you get me? They should ALWAYS ask for permission.” He continued only once he saw Baekhyun give him a small nod in affirmation, “you can tease me all you like, but know this, if you don’t want me to touch you, I never will.”

“I…..want you to touch me though.” Baekhyun whispered.

“Baekhyun…” Sehun warned.

“I…..want…..I……want……” Baekhyun stammered, unsure of exactly what it was he wanted. Did he want Sehun? Yes. Yes he did. Was he scared? Yes, very much. Would that stop him from wanting Sehun right now? No, probably not. Baekhyun felt ready.

Slowly, Sehun dropped his hand but didn’t move from his place. He remained in the cage that Baekhyun had created for him between himself and the table. Baekhyun wasn’t sure what this meant. Did Sehun want him to move away? Was this an invitation? Silently, he cursed his lack of experience. If he had more exposure to these situations, he would know what to do.

After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and lay both palms flat against Sehun’s stomach, feeling it contract underneath his hands. Sehun let out a quiet hiss, but didn’t move out of the way, encouraging Baekhyun to carry on. He moved his hand upwards, slowly, discovering, fascinated by the smooth expanse of skin in front of him. Almost as if in slow motion, Baekhyun’s hands moved upwards until they came to rest just under his pectorals.

Sehun let out an exhale, “You’re killing me Baekhyun, I think I might die.”

Baekhyun chuckled quietly, “you can’t die, you’re immortal.”

“Let’s not test that theory too much, ok?”

“Do you want me to stop?” Baekhyun asked.

“I didn’t say that.”

“I’m not sure what I’m doing though.”

“I think you’re doing pretty fine.”

“Can I….” Baekhyun cleared his throat, “can I kiss you?” He suddenly felt really shy.

“Baby, I’m not going to stop you from doing anything.” Sehun replied, wondering whether he was truly going to survive this.

Baekhyun hesitated a second before moving in slightly, aiming straight for Sehun’s chest. Soft lips landed in the centre of his chest, the contact almost enough to short circuit Sehun’s brain. Sehun held his breath, not expecting a kiss there, as Baekhyun left a gentle kiss, not daring to breath in case he ruined this moment.

He let out a sharp exhale as he felt the tip of Baekhyun’s tongue lightly lick the skin of his chest. “Fuck.” He muttered under his breath as blood started rushing south. There was a tension in the air, unlike anything Sehun had ever experienced before. The charged atmosphere was making him lose his sanity.

Baekhyun’s head moved a little further down where he pushed his tongue a little harder, lapping at his nipple and swirling it around, watching as the pink bud became erect in front of his eyes. He wrapped his lips around it and sucked a little, causing Sehun to gasp and grab hold of the table harder.

“Baek….”

Baekhyun looked up at him with innocent eyes, his pink lips glistening with saliva, “am I doing it wrong?”

“Babe, you’re doing everything right.”

Baekhyun licked his lips, looking irresistible and Sehun couldn’t hold back any longer.  He closed what little distance there was between them and grabbed hold of the back of Baekhyun’s neck. He wasn’t gentle as he brought his lips to Baekhyun’s in a bruising kiss, meaning to claim him. Baekhyun’s lips readily parted, hungry for more as Sehun shoved his tongue in, not worrying about finesse. His other arm went around Baekhyun, hugging him closer, trying to weld their bodies together.

Sehun started walking Baekhyun backwards, never breaking the kiss. Baekhyun’s arms had come around Sehun’s back as he allowed him to lead him whichever way he wanted to go. He felt the back of his knees hit the edge of Sehun’s bed and he felt a slight push from Sehun.

They disentangled as Baekhyun fell backwards onto the bed softly. He saw Sehun looming over him, completely focussed on him and his heart leapt into his throat. He was so turned on right now, yet slightly intimidated. He felt hot all over, his face felt flushed. Sehun had never looked sexier or scarier.

Sehun looked down at the omega splayed out on the bed in front of him, looking up at him with trusting eyes. He’d never seen such an incredible view before and he couldn’t wait to devour all of him. He placed a knee on the bed and leant down slightly, “is this ok Baekhyun?”

“Yes.”

“I want to see more of you babe, sit up.” He took hold of Baekhyun’s hand and hoisted him up into a sitting position, “Lift your arms up Baek, I’m gonna take this off.”

Obediently Baekhyun lifted his arms as Sehun grabbed hold of the t-shirt and slid it over Baekhyun’s head in one fluid motion. Baekhyun suddenly felt exposed as he moved to shield the top part of his body with his arms.

“Don’t hide from me baby, you look gorgeous.” Sehun complimented as his eyes raked hungrily over Baekhyun’s body.  Sehun bent over some more and captured his lips once again, this time gentler than before, taking his time. Baekhyun let out a soft moan and then a sharp intake of breath as Sehun’s thumb and forefinger came up to play with his nipple. Sehun used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue exploring the inside of Baekhyun’s mouth as he pinched the nipple slightly, feeling it harden under his fingertips.

Coming up for air, he breathed out, “Lie back baby.”

Baekhyun did as he was told and Sehun joined him on the bed, lying down on his side next to him. His fingers continued to play with his nipples, now focussing on the other one. Baekhyun didn’t realise how sensitive his nipples were before this. The erotic sensations were making him more and more turned on, as he felt his dick getting harder, without even being touched there.

Sehun’s mouth travelled to his jaw, kissing and lightly sucking his way down his neck. He hovered around the junction between his neck and collarbone as he took a deep breath in, scenting him. Sehun’s senses were filled with the scent of strawberries and vanilla. He sucked on an area of skin, leaving behind a small bruise, exactly in the place a mating mark would be. Looking down at his handiwork, he licked the area to sooth the skin.

Baekhyun gasped and held onto Sehun as he moved his mouth further down his chest. As he got to his nipple, he flicked it with his tongue. Baekhyun let out a soft moan as his eyes shut in pleasure.

“Move up the bed Baek.” Baekhyun did as he was told, he shuffled up the bed so that his entire body was now on it, a much more comfortable position. “Spread your legs.” As he did so, Sehun lay down on top of him, in between his legs, continuing to lick, suck and flick his nipples with his tongue.

Baekhyun raked his fingers through Sehun’s hair, grabbing a fistful as Sehun bit down gently on one of his nipples, sending waves of pleasure through him.

“Fuck.” He whispered as his hips involuntarily jerked up to rub against Sehun’s groin. Baekhyun could feel Sehun’s hardness through the thin layers of their pyjamas.

Sehun climbed back up Baekhyun’s body and kissed him softly on the lips. “Are we ok?”

Baekhyun nodded, “more than ok.” Because he was, he truly was. He felt safe, cocooned in Sehun’s arms like this. Sehun’s weight on top of him felt more of a comfort than anything frightening. Sehun would be the only one that Baekhyun had ever let touch him like this willingly and instead of being scared, he was enjoying it. More than he thought he would. He wanted more, so much more.

Sehun leaned down to capture his lips once more, grinding his hips against Baekhyun’s softly, feeling them both getting hard. His hands caressed Baekhyun flat tummy before his fingers started playing with the waistband of Baekhyun’s pants. The pants were loose on the tiny omega and his fingers were able to slip in without any trouble.

Suddenly Baekhyun broke the kiss and grasped Sehun’s hand in his own, effectively halting Sehun. He looked at Baekhyun quizzically.

“I….there’s…,” Baekhyun stammered, before gulping, he looked away as a blush crept up his neck, “I….there’s something you need to know.” He looked back at Sehun who moved away from Baekhyun a little, waiting patiently for whatever he needed to say.

“I’m a virgin.” He breathed out, softly.

Sehun processed that information for a few seconds. He wasn’t sure whether he was surprised or not. How could someone as captivating as Baekhyun not have alphas and betas falling at his feet? How had he managed to keep his virginity this whole time? But then again, thinking back, Baekhyun was hesitant and inexperienced, so maybe he wasn’t that surprised after all. The question was, why? He looked down at the omega under him and smiled when he saw the hesitant look on his face.

“We don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with doing Baekhyun.” He stroked his hair softly, “this goes at your pace, ok? If you don’t want to do anything, then you don’t have to.”

“I want to.” Baekhyun admitted. He did. Sehun had ignited feelings of passion and want in him, more than he had ever felt in his life, even during his heats. He’d never wanted something as badly as he wanted to be intimate with Sehun. The alpha respected him, never coerced him into doing anything, respected his boundaries and took care of him. He always checked to make sure Baekhyun was ok before proceeding with something.

More than his thoughts and feelings, Baekhyun was finding it harder to ignore his body. The body that always reacted to Sehun, as if it wasn’t even a part of him. Sehun had somehow managed to embed himself into his very being, where Baekhyun was acutely aware of him whenever he was around. Sometimes the reaction was so intense and instantaneous that Baekhyun wanted to crawl out of his own skin and mold himself to Sehun. Did that mean he wanted to have sex with him? Yes, he wanted to, so badly. He wanted to drop his inhibitions, forget everything from his past and bare himself to Sehun completely. Admitting he was a virgin at his age was hard, but now that he’d done it, he felt relief, especially since Sehun hadn’t laughed or judged him as he had been scared he would.

Sehun pecked Baekhyun on the lips, “tell me if I’m going too fast ok?” He waited for Baekhyun to say yes before he sat up on his knees.

“I’m gonna need you to take these pants off.”

Baekhyun fumbled with the pants, now suddenly nervous. This was more intimate than anything they’d ever done before. Now it was just them, in this room. No distractions, no interruptions.

Sehun took hold of his pants and eased them down in a swift motion. Baekhyun wasn’t wearing any underwear, having just showered and using borrowed clothes. His perfect, semi-erect dick came into view, followed by supple, milky thighs. Sehun’s dick twitched in his pyjamas as he salivated at the thought of claiming the sheer beauty in front of him.

Baekhyun blushed as he moved his hands in front of his dick.

“Uh uh uh.” Sehun gently moved his hands away, “mine to look at Baekhyun.” Baekhyun instead moved his arm to cover his eyes, feeling shy and exposed. “You’re so damned gorgeous baby, I want to touch and kiss everything all at once.”

Sehun adjusted himself so his face was now level with Baekhyun’s crotch. His hand came up to stroke Baekhyun’s thigh, almost letting out a moan at how soft his skin was. He squeezed a little and sucked his breath in as he saw Baekhyun dick twitch a little. “So fucking beautiful.” He murmured.

He kissed the top of his thigh while caressing the other, gently kneading the muscles, allowing the omega to relax a little. It was working as Baekhyun took his arm down and was now looking down at what Sehun was doing.

“You ready babe?” Baekhyun nodded, and in one swift move, Sehun had taken the entire length of Baekhyun’s dick in this mouth. Baekhyun let out one loud moan and he clasped his hands over his mouth to stop himself from making any more embarrassing sounds. Sehun swirled his tongue around the shaft as he felt Baekhyun’s dick harden in his mouth. He gently prised his legs further apart with his hand to get better access. One hand went to his balls, cupping them and squeezing them lightly.

He moved his mouth up and down Baekhyun’s dick, sucking on it firmly, causing his cheeks to hollow out. As his mouth neared the tip, his tongue pressed into the slit at the top and he tasted the first few drops of salty precum.

Baekhyun involuntarily spread his legs more as he bent them at the knees. The sensations running through his body were indescribable. It was like his entire body was an electrical live wire which was about to explode any second now. Sehun’s hand came up to absently flick Baekhyun’s nipple, his mouth continuing to work magic on his dick. Baekhyun hands came to rest on Sehun’s head, grabbing fistfuls of hair.

Sehun released Baekhyun’s dick with a pop, strings of saliva keeping them connected. He blew on his dick, covered in saliva and Baekhyun jerked a little. Sehun grabbed hold of his dick with his hand as his mouth wrapped around his balls and he sucked hard.

“Shit.” Baekhyun muttered as he breathed hard, small droplets of sweat causing his bangs to stick to his forehead.

Sehun looked at Baekhyun’s hole, pink and glistening. The outer muscles quivered a little in anticipation. “Will we need lube?” He wondered out loud.

His finger traced the rim, watching as the hole fluttered and a small amount of slick leaked out, bringing with it the sweet smell of vanilla. “Maybe not.” He muttered as his mouth watered. He tentatively licked the sweet smelling slick and Baekhyun jerked.

“Sehun….fuck….I…..” New sensations. It was all new. He’d never had anyone lick him down there. He didn’t even know it was a thing. But he liked it, he liked it very much.

Sehun licked around the rim with a bit more pressure this time and his mouth filled with more sweet tasting slick, evidence of how turned on Baekhyun was right now. It answered his question of whether he needed to bring any lube or not.

Baekhyun was using Sehun’s head to anchor himself and he desperately tried to hold on for dear life. He eyes were screwed shut as pleasure overwhelmed him, going through him in waves.

“Put….put it in.” He whispered, not thinking that Sehun could hear him. Sehun smiled as his tongue teased the entrance to Baekhyun’s ass, probing a little more until finally the muscles relaxed and he was able to insert the tip in. He withdraw a bit and immediately thrust back in, making sure to keep his tongue stiff.

With his free hand, he encased it around Baekhyun’s dick, slowly moving it up and down the shaft as his tongue continued to enter deeper and deeper into his asshole, until he was fully relaxed and a quivering mess under him. The taste of vanilla burst around his tongue and the scent wrapped around him. He was painfully hard in his pyjamas, but chose to ignore it for now.

He was now tongue fucking Baekhyun as his hand jerked him erratically. Baekhyun was breathing hard, his chest heaving as he came closer and closer to his climax.

“I….I think I’m close, Sehun, I’m gonna come.”

Sehun didn’t answer, his mouth was preoccupied with other things at the moment. With his free hand, he separated Baekhyun’s ass cheeks a little more and he sucked on his hole as his tongue breached him as deep as it goes. He squeezed his dick hard as Baekhyun let go completely. Thick ropes of cum shot out from his dick, landing on his belly. Sehun got a mouthful of slick as it oozed out of his ass. He lapped it up hungrily, watching as the muscle contracted rapidly during his orgasm.

Sehun slid his way up Baekhyun’s body, not caring that he was dirtying himself with Baekhyun’s cum. He captured Baekhyun’s lips with his own, mixing their juices together in a sloppy kiss. Baekhyun could taste himself on Sehun’s mouth but returned the kiss with equal fervour.

Sehun sat up and undid the button on his pyjamas, looking at Baekhyun with his eyebrow raised, in question. Baekhyun nodded and watched as he brought his pyjamas down, revealing his glorious dick, erect and standing proud. It was huge. He didn’t remember it being so huge. Or was he not paying attention last time? He remembered the ache in his jaw as he’d given him head, now many many hours ago. Yes, it was huge then too. How is that going to fit in him? He gulped as he licked his lips, mesmerised.

Sehun got off the bed so he can take off his pyjamas. Baekhyun followed his every movement, speechless. In front of him was an Adonis. Chiselled to perfection, with not a single flaw on his perfect body. Now fully naked, Sehun prowled towards Baekhyun, landing half on top of him. Their lips met in another kiss as Sehun’s fingers stroked lazily around Baekhyun’s stomach, making more of a mess with the cum on there.

“Baekhyun, you’ve played with yourself before haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“With your fingers, in your hole? Or just with your hand?”

“I…” Baekhyun bit down on his lip, “I have a dildo.”

Sehun rested his forehead on Baekhyun’s, “fucking hell.”

“I need it during my heats.”

“Babe, you don’t understand what this is doing to me right now.”

“But erm…..yours is bigger.” Baekhyun looked down at Sehun’s dick worriedly. How would it fit?

“I’ll be gentle with you ok baby? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Ok, I trust you Sehun.” Baekhyun lifted his head off the pillow to peck on Sehun’s lips, circling his arms around Sehun’s neck.

“Spread your legs and bend your knees.” Baekhyun did as instructed.

Breaking the kiss briefly to allow him to see what he was doing, Sehun probed around Baekhyun’s ass with his index finger, slowly circling the rim of muscle, before dipping the tip of his finger in.

“Relax baby.” He coaxed, kissing Baekhyun full on the lips to distract him. The tension left Baekhyun’s thighs as Sehun finger was able to dip in a little more. He pulled it out again and thrust it back in lightly, using Baekhyun’s natural slick to ease the friction. Soon his finger was in half way and Baekhyun was letting out cute little mewls, which turned into moans when Sehun buried his finger in knuckle deep. He experimentally moved it around a little while it was in fully and Baekhyun jerked a little.

“You like that?” He asked, kissing the tip of Baekhyun’s nose. Baekhyun nodded. He looked beautiful. His mouth was open, his face was sweaty and flushed. Small bruises where Sehun had marked him could be seen on his neck and at the front of his chest. His brunette hair was splayed out on the pillow, some of it stuck to his forehead. He looked like he had just been ravished, even though this was just the beginning.

Sehun added a second finger, kissing Baekhyun again to soothe him. He didn’t mind how long it took to prepare him properly, but he didn’t want to be the reason that Baekhyun was hurting. His fingers probed into Baekhyun’s heat as the omega squirmed under him, until he hit an uneven bump inside. Baekhyun moaned into the kiss and grabbed Sehun tighter. Sehun stroked along the bundle of nerves causing Baekhyun to break the kiss and pant in shallow breaths.

“Oh fuck.”

“I’m going to add another finger Baekhyun.” But Baekhyun wasn’t listening, too immersed in pleasure. Sehun added a third finger, quite a tight squeeze into Baekhyun’s hole. Luckily though, Baekhyun was now nice and relaxed, so there wasn’t much resistance apart from the ring of muscle itself. Slick was now oozing freely from Baekhyun’s hole, covering Sehun’s fingers and some of his hand as well.

Sehun removed his fingers to a quiet whine from Baekhyun and when Baekhyun opened his eyes, he saw Sehun sucking on his fingers. The same fingers that he’d just removed from him. It was so fucking hot that Baekhyun nearly came from the sight alone.

Sehun settled himself once again between Baekhyun legs, helping the omega to bend his legs more. “Baek, are you ready?”

“Yes. Yes I am.” He gulped hard.

“I need you to relax baby ok? I’m quite a lot bigger than my fingers.”

Baekhyun nodded and steeled himself, trying to be as ready as he could. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest. His dick was now painfully hard. He needed to come so badly, even after the orgasm he had had not so long ago. He then remembered that Sehun hadn’t come, not even once. He was too fixed on giving Baekhyun pleasure. He suddenly became very nervous. What if he wasn’t good enough? What if Sehun hated having sex with him? What if he never wanted to do it with him ever again?

These thoughts flew out the window as he felt Sehun’s dick at his entrance, being guided by Sehun. He clenched slightly as the tip stretched him more than he was accustomed to.

“We’re ok baby.” Sehun kissed him, sloppy, their tongues colliding in a battle of wills. As Baekhyun relaxed, distracted by the kiss, Sehun withdraw his dick and eased it in a little more than before. Baekhyun hissed and clenched his eyes closed, grabbing hold of Sehun’s back for support.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m nearly in. Take some deep breaths for me.” Sehun continued to encourage as he entered Baekhyun fully, buried inside balls deep. Baekhyun did as he was told, until the sting of being penetrated eased a little. He could feel slick being released to help with the friction. Baekhyun felt so full, fuller than his trusty dildo could ever make him. He could feel himself being stretched around Sehun’s dick. Sehun, who was perfectly still inside him, waiting for Baekhyun to get comfortable before he started moving. He had no idea where he was getting this sort of self-discipline from.

“I’m ok Sehun, you can move.”

And when Sehun moved, he felt it. Every single vein, every ridge of his dick dragging slowly against his walls. Sehun let out a grunt as he thrust in and out, leisurely, not wanting to go too fast and hurt him.

“Fucking hell, you’re so tight.”

He hooked his arm around the back of Baekhyun’s leg, lifting his up slightly allowing him to enter him a little deeper, changing the angle slowly so his dick hit right up to his prostate.

“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck,” Baekhyun managed out as his dug his nails into Sehun’s back and clawed at him helplessly. He would leave marks, he knew it, but he felt like Sehun was claiming every inch of him right now. He was so overwhelmed with sensation. The tip of Sehun’s dick was rubbing against Baekhyun’s prostate with every thrust, milking him, making stars erupt everywhere, even behind his eyes. His toes curled with pleasure as his legs wobbled, overcome.

Sehun buried his nose into the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, breathing in deeply the scent of the omega. He’d never felt so complete, and he was holding himself back from marking him permanently. He nosed at his neck, finally kissing him softly as he pounded into him harder now.

The bed rattled against the wall, every thud timed with Sehun’s powerful thrusts. Their bodies were shiny with perspiration, the sheets were a mess. The sound of Sehun’s balls slapping against skin were mingled in with the obscene wet sounds of Baekhyun’s ass being fucked hard. The heavy breathing and occasional moans and grunts could be heard in between lips smacking against one another and tongues fighting for dominance.

Sehun’s hand found Baekhyun’s dick and he fucked him with his fist. Short, sharp thrusts, followed by long ones, matching the rhythm of his hips. Baekhyun’s breath hitched as his hold became impossibly tighter, clenching around Sehun’s dick like a vice.

“Shit, fuck, Sehun, I’m about to come, I’m going to come.” He moaned, sounding like he was almost in tears. Baekhyun felt too sensitive. His ass was on fire, his dick was on fire, his entire body was on fire. All he could feel, see and smell was Sehun. Sehun on top of him, Sehun in him. It was too much. He came with a cry, soiling Sehun’s hand and his own stomach with his release. He clamped down on Sehun, who thrust in sharply and followed him, coming in him with a grunt. He could feel himself being filled with Sehun’s cum, warm and potent.

Sehun’s moved his hips almost imperceptibly as he milked himself inside of Baekhyun. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled through him, all concentrating on his cock as he released his seed inside Baekhyun. The heat inside became hotter, as if that was even possible. His orgasm seemed never ending and he collapsed on top of Baekhyun, breathing heavily, still inside.

Both of them were breathing heavily, coated in sweat. Neither said a word for many moments as they tried to catch their breath.

Sehun finally slipped out of Baekhyun, allowing for some of his cum to ooze out also, staining the bed sheet and Baekhyun’s thighs with it. He kissed Baekhyun, slowly, lovingly as he brought his hands up to frame the omega’s face gently. Baekhyun’s arms wrapped around Sehun tightly as he returned the kiss. Neither of them cared very much that the bed was a mess and they were lying in various fluids right now.

“Are we ok?” Sehun asked.

“Yes. Thank you Sehun.”

“What are you thanking me for?”

“Just. Everything. Thank you.”

“You’ll thank me more once I get off you and we can clean up, right?” Sehun asked with a smile on his face.

Baekhyun laughed softly, “I’m filthy, I need to shower.”

“I didn’t hurt you did I?” Sehun asked with concern.

“I’m a little sore, you know, down….there,” Baekhyun blushed, embarrassed to be admitting it, “but I’m ok.”

“Ok, let’s run you a bath and I’ll fetch some painkillers ok?”

Baekhyun nodded as Sehun shifted his weight from him. He immediately felt the loss, his overheated body now cooling off and making him shiver. Sehun walked over to his bathroom, not caring to dress himself. Baekhyun got a good view of his perfect ass as he walked away.

Chapter Text

Chapter 31

Yixing and Minseok found themselves following the Kim brothers home rather than going back home. It was very late at night, they weren’t even sure themselves what they were doing.

“Are you sure you guys don’t mind?” Yixing asked, feeling as if they were being a nuisance.

“Not at all, besides I’m starving and could do with a beer,” Junmyeon reassured, which caused Yixing to drop one of his dimpled smiles. They’d asked Jongin to drop them off at a fast food shop not far from their neighbourhood and each of them now carried take away bags full of delicious smelling fried chicken and beer.

“I don’t want to disturb your grandma though.”

“If she’s awake at this time, it’s because she wants to be, not because we disturbed her,” Jongdae added, “besides, the woman sleeps like a log, you’ll be fine!”

Yixing and Minseok chuckled but felt adequately reassured that they weren’t imposing their company on the witches. In reality, ever since Yixing had learned of the existence of them, he had been intrigued about who their grandma was, he had a nagging feeling, a suspicion that his worlds were about to collide. Something seemed off, his brain was working overtime and yet the answer was just beyond his grasp. His suspicions were confirmed as they rounded the corner to the street where Junmyeon and Jongdae lived.

It was a small street, consisting of only a handful of houses, set apart from one another. Each house was two storeyed with a front garden and parking space. It was quiet at this hour, there were almost no lights on in any of the houses as expected. A cat was prowling the front lawn of one of the houses before settling down to curl up and sleep just under the light cast by a streetlight. Picturesque, he thought.

Yixing had been here before. A number of times actually. This street was familiar to him. He paused. His long legs stilled on the sidewalk as he stared at the house he knew they would go into. Junmyeon, Minseok and Jongdae had walked a few steps ahead of him before they realised he was no longer with them. They stopped and looked back at him quizzically.

“Why have you stopped?” Junmyeon asked.

“The Shaman is your grandma?” He looked at them incredulously.

“What shaman?” Junmyeon looked confused.

“The Shaman, the shaman that I see, I’ve been here a few times on errands. She always gives me cryptic clues and I leave more confused than when I arrived. That Shaman.”

“The shaman that you come to visit whenever we need help?” Minseok asked, to which Yixing nodded.

“Grandma is no Shaman,” Junmyeon wrinkled his eyebrows, until it dawned on him, “she is a Seer.”

“A what?”

“Yeh, a seer, she has foresight.”

“She can tell the future.” Yixing murmured. It wasn’t a question, seers were rare, but even he had heard of them.

“Well, kind of but not quite. She has visions. But they aren’t predictable. Then she puts on this odd voice and says stuff. But sometimes, it doesn’t always make sense.” Jongdae explained.

“Yeh….yes, that’s exactly what it’s like.” Yixing mused.

“Well, it’s good you know her already then, we won’t have to make any introductions.” Junmyeon smiled at the confused alphas. He walked up to Yixing who stood rooted to his spot on the sidewalk and softly took hold of his arm. “Come on, let’s go.”

Inside the house was warm and smelled of incense and cinnamon, a very welcoming smell. It was like the inside of a very cosy bakery. Yixing remembered it vividly from his previous visits. It never failed to make him feel relaxed and at ease. There were neatly arranged shoes in the entry way and a place to hang coats. The walls were lined with photos, mainly of Junmyeon and Jongdae, a few of a young looking couple next to them and of course the shaman, now better known as their grandma. Yixing wasn’t sure how he failed to recognise the witches from the photos earlier. Maybe he hadn’t paid much attention to them on his previous visits.

He was led into a kitchen, a room he had never previously visited before. It was a homely room, cluttered and packed full of knick-knacks. A huge oven was in the middle with a chimney leading upwards and through the ceiling, presumably to draw away fumes, with a worktop right next to it. The sides were lined with kitchen counters and gaps were filled with modern appliances, much like every other kitchen.

In a smaller alcove were shelves lined with big, glass jars all full of various dried herbs and powders. None had any labels so Yixing had no clue what anything was. He pointed to them, “Are these potion ingredients?”

“Nope,” Junmyeon replied as he reached up to fetch some glasses from a drawer, “we’re not crazy to display such things. These are for herbal teas and soups and stuff. Really effective.”

“Ah.” Yixing felt a little silly, of course they wouldn’t be displaying such things out in public.

“The real fun is in the basement.” Jongdae winked at him whilst settling the bags on a table in the further end of the kitchen. “Now come and eat.”

The four of them sat down to eat. The conversation was easy and the chicken was indeed delicious. Jongdae was regaling them with hilarious stories of their childhood, the disastrous ones involving spells or powers were the funniest. Every now and again, Minseok and Junmyeon would bicker about whose power was more useful or whose power was the strongest – frost or water. Yixing had very rarely seen his hyung like this and it brought a smile to his face.

They were almost at the end of their meal when Yixing heard a shuffling coming from somewhere outside of the kitchen. He looked towards the house of the sound and soon enough, in the doorway stood an elderly lady, quite short, wearing a house coat and glasses perched on the end of her nose. Her greying hair was stacked neatly in a bun on top of her head.

Yixing and Minseok stood up hastily and bowed deeply, meanwhile Jongdae and Junmyeon took their time. Junmyeon went up to the old lady and threw his arm around her shoulder, placing a light kiss on her temple. “Grandma.” He said affectionately.

She scanned around the room, eyes roving over the two alphas, bowing to her out of respect and finally landing on the table full of chicken and beer.

“I won’t be mad at you for the late hour, but I am upset at you having a party and not inviting me.”

Jongdae laughed and hugged his grandma, “Stop it Granny, you don’t even like fried chicken…..or beer.”

Minseok and Yixing looked at each other, unsure of what to do, feeling intimidated in the her presence. They could feel an ancient power rolling off of her, the air around her felt like it was charged with magic. Finally, she laid her eyes on the two of them.

“The Healer and the Ice Wolf.” She said simply.

Yixing stared, “You knew?”

Kim Gyeong’s lip twitched as if she was privy to an inside joke that neither of them knew of, she would be right, no one actually knew what was going on in her head right this minute.

“Of course I knew.”

“Why did you never say anything?” Yixing cocked his head to the side, confused.

“I had to keep my end of the bargain.”

“What bargain?” Minseok asked.

Kim Gyeong shrugged, “call it a pact, an agreement of sorts.”

“Grandma? I don’t understand.” Junmyeon and Jongdae looked just as confused as the others.

“You will in due time. And that due time is not now. So can I join this party?”

“Yes, yes! Of course.” Minseok scrabbled around making space on the table for the old lady.

“Make sure you bring the others, I would very much like to meet them.” She added, peering over the top of her glasses at the two wolves.

Both Minseok and Yixing nodded enthusiastically, Yixing already taking out his phone to fire off a text message to Sehun.

02:58 From: Xing

Sehun! You would never guess what??

02:59 From: Xing

Hyung and I went to Junmyeon and Jongdae’s house afterwards.

03:01 From: Xing

THEIR GRANDMA IS THE SHAMAN??!?!?!?!?! The Shaman…..Can you BELIEVE IT?!?!

03:02 From: Xing

She wants to see us, all of us. When should I say? Shall we say tomorrow? Well, later today? I dunno, you tell me.

03:10 From: Xing

Errmmmm, I guess you’re asleep. It is late. Didn’t realise the time sorry. We’ll talk tomorrow. Have a good sleep.

The slow rhythmic thumping of the headboard against the wall drowned out any vibrations from Sehun’s phone nearby. Sehun’s whole world currently existed in that room alone, as Baekhyun came undone underneath him once again that night. The omega was on his back, his hands above his head, fingers intertwined with Sehun’s, who was holding on for dear life.

Sehun was balls deep inside Baekhyun as he fucked him open mercilessly. The air was filled with breathless pants , moans, indecipherable words and the slapping of skin against skin. The sheets were a mess as the two sweaty bodies moved against one another, feasting on each other, their closeness never being quite enough. The smell of sex lingered in the air, mingling with vanilla and pine.

“Oh fuck.” Baekhyun moaned, throwing his head back, as Sehun’s dick rammed into his prostate, his most sensitive bundle of nerves. He’d come multiple times throughout the night and didn’t think he had anything left to give, considering the last orgasm had been dry. Sehun was relentless though as he let go of one of his hands in order to hook his arm under Baekhyun’s knee, lifting his leg, driving his dick deeper still.

“Oh shit, I feel like I’m breaking in half.” Baekhyun moaned out, breathless, as his free hand gripped Sehun’s shoulder.

“Baek, you’re so fucking tight.” Sehun managed, capturing his lips in a brief kiss, before biting down on his lower lip. Baekhyun moaned causing slick to ooze out of his asshole, coating Sehun’s already soaked dick.

Sehun rested his forehead onto Baekhyun’s and stared into his eyes, “Baek, I need to ask. It’s driving me fucking crazy.” He stopped as his breath hitched when Baekhyun clamped down on his dick, “Why did you ask me to fuck your mouth earlier?” He asked, never once breaking rhythm, his hips continuing to piston in and out of Baekhyun’s tight heat.

Baekhyun gulped, his fingers dug into Sehun’s back as his legs wound tighter around Sehun’s ass, ankles digging into his buttocks, “I……I wanted to know what it felt like.”

“Where did you learn it from?” Sehun rolled his hips into Baekhyun’s.

“I….do know things…..I watch porn….” Baekhyun flushed harder, it if was even possible.

Sehun gave a sharp thrust, causing Baekhyun to cry out as pleasure shot out from his core. His dick, which was resting on his tummy in between them, red and hard, oozed some precum. He could feel an orgasm building, almost painful in its approach.

“What sort of porn?” Sehun asked, bending his head slightly to suck Baekhyun’s neck.

“All sorts, I…..fuck……ah……anything, anything…..” His nails dug into Sehun’s back as Sehun bit down lightly into his neck.

“That’s so fucking hot, next time you’re watching with me.” Sehun plundered Baekhyun’s mouth again, a filthy, open mouthed kiss. His tongue tangled with Baekhyun’s as it overtook the inside of his mouth, searching and exploring, claiming.

Baekhyun moaned into the kiss, feeling utterly overwhelmed. Sehun’s thumb flicked his nipple and he felt himself squirt. The slick ran freely onto Sehun’s balls, making a mess underneath them. Sehun detached his mouth from Baekhyun’s.

“Get on your hands and knees.” Sehun pulled out and helped the omega onto all fours. He licked a fat stripe from the base of his spine, all the way to between his shoulder blades, causing Baekhyun to keen and arch his back.

He parted Baekhyun’s butt cheeks to take a good look at his hole. It was puffy and gaping open, slick pouring from it, coating the top of his thighs and some of his cheeks. He blew on it lightly and the rim of muscle contracted, causing Baekhyun to shiver as the cold air landed on him.

“So fucking gorgeous.” Sehun bent to lick at the hole, tasting his own cum as well as the vanilla flavour of Baekhyun’s sweet slick. He shoved his dick in again, and set a brutal pace as he used his hand on Baekhyun lower back to keep him steady. Baekhyun’s arms soon gave out as he face planted into the mattress firmly, tears threatening to form at the corner of his eyes. This new angle felt so deep, so intimate and so raw. He could feel Sehun deep inside, hitting his prostate with each thrust. His hands bunched up in the sheets as he struggled to find some purchase, desperately searching for something to hold on to.

Sehun parted his cheeks once more, watching as his dick disappeared inside Baekhyun’s ass, his hole swallowing him up greedily, making obscene noises every time it slid in and out. The sight alone hastened his orgasm and he was dangerously close to creaming Baekhyun’s insides once again, but he refused to come before making sure Baekhyun’s came once again.

His hands snaked over Baekhyun’s hip, reaching around and grabbing his dick.

“Sehun, I….I can’t…..” he moaned, on the verge of tears, overstimulation tearing his body apart. He needed to come so badly, his dick felt like it was going to explode if he didn’t, but knew his body probably couldn’t take it another time.

Sehun leaned over him and kissed him between his shoulder blades. The salty taste of sweat lingered on his lips. “One more time baby, for me, I’m so close.”

It took two more thrusts before Baekhyun’s let out a cry and spasmed under Sehun. The orgasm hit him like a truck, causing the edges of his vision to turn black. It was dry, there was nothing left to milk. Baekhyun’s nostrils flared as he tried to ride out his orgasm, his entire body was engulfed in a searing heat. Sehun rolled his hips, chasing his own release. He thrust his dick in a few more times, stroking up and down the omega’s back to soothe him, knowing he was exhausted. Very soon, he tensed as the orgasm was ripped out of him too, his dick was buried to the hilt into Baekhyun’s body. The euphoria was nothing like Sehun had ever experienced before as pleasure overtook him completely, all the way down to his toes. He emptied himself into Baekhyun and it felt like he was dumping gallons of cum into the omega as some of the milky fluid started leaking around his dick and running down his thighs. Baekhyun jolted a little as his knees gave way, taking Sehun down with him, still joined at the hip.

They struggled to catch their breath, both lying bonelessly, Sehun on top of Baekhyun, his dick still inside him, slowly softening. Baekhyun’s chest was heaving, he was sated but exhausted. Sehun’s weight on top of him felt like a comfort blanket, he closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off to sleep.

Sehun kissed Baekhyun on the cheek and moved off him, his dick sliding out of him, his empty hole now gaping, with cum oozing out in copious amounts. Baekhyun whimpered at the loss, already half asleep, not able to move to make himself more comfortable.

“I’ll be back baby, I just need to clean you up, then we’ll sleep, I promise.”

Sehun returned moments later, with  a warm, damp washcloth. He gently parted Baekhyun cheeks and cleaned between his buttocks gently. Baekhyun twitched when he wiped there, the entire area sensitive to the touch. He didn’t even have the energy to feel embarrassed at the intimate act. He would worry about that tomorrow.

Discarding the cloth, Sehun climbed back into bed, pulling Baekhyun to him and wrapping his arms around him, careful to make sure he wasn’t lying on a damp patch. The entire bed was filthy, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the man in his arms right now. He kissed the top of his head and Baekhyun nuzzled into his side, sighing contentedly. Sehun covered them with the duvet and closed his eyes.

“Good night baby.” He said out loud.

"I love you.”  Words he could never utter out loud.

Chapter Text

Chapter 32

52 years ago.

“Wu Shixun?” Sehun sat up straighter, back fully aligned with the uncomfortable wooden chair he was currently sat on as he raised his head to look at the person who had called his name. Upon seeing who it was, he immediately stood up to offer a small bow as he gestured towards the chair opposite him.

Kim Gyeong sat herself down, looking furtively around the place, before quietly nodding to the man in front of her. The place, a quaint little tea shop found in a quiet alley way in town was her meeting place of choice. Here they wouldn’t find anyone of their kind to listen in to the conversation. There were a few patrons occupying a small number of tables, all human, but other than that, it was quite quiet. No one was paying any attention to them.

Kim Gyeong had been here a number of times in the past and she always appreciated the décor whenever she visited. The photos of bygone eras when the shop was first opened adorned the main feature wall and it was always full of fresh blooming flowers in the centre of every table. Checkered tablecloths added an extra splash of colour. It certainly wasn’t upmarket, but it was very homely, the added bonus being that their home brewed speciality teas were addicting.

She looked across at the man in front of her, pleasantly surprised. She’d expected to see at least a middle aged person with the whole universe of wisdom visible behind his eyes. She was therefore quite startled to see a young – not older than 30 – man, strikingly handsome seated there instead. He had sharp eyes, dark, not giving anything away. His jaw line was sharp, eyebrows defined and hair cut close, in a trendy style. Wu Shixun was what one could define as a visual dream and if Kim Gyeong hadn’t been a happily married woman, she would have easily fallen for his understated charms.

Sehun had received a letter a few days ago, written in neat handwriting, catching his attention immediately when he registered who it had been intended for: Wi Shixun, a name that he was no longer associated with and had shed, along with his other multiple identities, many years back. The letter didn’t contain much apart from a date, time and a place. The nature of the meeting was to be kept secret and Kim Gyeong had specifically asked for Sehun to use stealth, entrusting him to keep this rendezvous private. He’d been hesitant at first to accept such a shady invitation, but a bit of research into the name of the sender had blown away any doubts.

It wasn’t every day that Sehun was asked to meet up with the leader of the most powerful white witch coven. He’d heard many things about this tenacious witch, but this was the first time he had the pleasure of meeting her. She had keen eyes sparkling with intelligence, her dark hair was brushed back into a stylish ponytail.  She wore a pale green dress which almost skimmed her ankles, beneath which was a petite but slim figure. She was pretty and carried herself well. Powerful too, very powerful.

Sehun smiled, handing her a menu, noticing a simple wedding band on her ring finger. Married. Interesting.

“Thank you for coming.” She started.

“You’re most welcome.” He replied.

“I wasn’t expecting someone so…..young.” She laughed nervously, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her head. “I…..I……haven’t told my husband that I would be coming here.”

Sehun raised his eyebrow and sat back in his seat. Exactly what kind of meeting was this? One that she couldn’t tell her husband about, and one that she clearly seemed nervous about. He opened his mouth to say something before being interrupted by the waitress who had come to take their order. Quickly firing off their orders, they resumed the conversation.

“So, what do I owe this pleasure to ma’am?”

She chuckled, “we can cut the formalities, we both know that you are centuries older than me.”

Sehun let out a laugh, “very well. Gyeong, why did you call for me? How did you call for me? There are not many that know we exist anymore.”

“It’s an improbable story, I’m not sure if you would believe me.”

Sehun watched as the waitress came across with a tray laden with their orders, a black americano for Sehun and a Jasmine tea for Gyeong. There was a separate tray for little pastries. Sehun, not having a huge sweet tooth had asked Gyeong to order whatever she pleased. The miniature pastries glistened with their syrup, some of them having colourful fruits. The waitress left as soon as the items were on the table with a quick bow and a sultry smile towards Sehun.

“Well,” Sehun began as he lifted the cup to his mouth, “try me? You obviously thought it was important if you wrote to me.”

“You know I have the abilities of a seer?” It was half a question.

Sehun peered over the edge of his cup. “Interesting. No I didn’t.” He sat back and placed his cup on top of the table. This information had piqued his interest. Seers were incredibly rare, credible seers were even rarer. The last time he had met one was hundreds of years ago, however, her visions had been inaccurate and flawed. “But, do go on,” he gently prodded.

“A couple of years ago I started seeing things. Things involving you.”

Sehun raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. This was indeed interesting. No hoax seer would be having him in their visions. No hoax seer would even know of his existence. He nodded his head, silently encouraging her to go on.

“At first I didn’t understand anything. I didn’t recognise anyone in those visions. Your face kept coming up as well as five other people. And then I saw event of the past replaying in my mind. Events which I’d grown up learning about in the history books. The war between the guardians and the red witches has been stamped onto my brain as if I was there, on the battlefield myself.”

“You saw the war?”

Gyeong nodded, taking a delicate sip of her jasmine tea. There was no way that this witch would have been alive during the war, yet, here she was telling him that she’d seen visions of it. It was an interesting tale, but stories passed over time from generation to generation could have easily fed into anyone’s imagination. Such stories were therefore easy to pass off as ‘visions’. Sehun had walked this Earth for too long to simply believe someone, just because they said it had happened. He thought a little test was due.

“What else did you see?”

“Just little snippets, but it was like a silent movie playing in my thoughts.” Very vague, he thought. Not enough to trust that she was telling the truth.

“Is there anything in particular you saw.” He probed.

“Well….I…..saw you, throwing people around as if they weighed nothing. I saw a spell cast, hitting you just below your shoulder.” She gestured towards Sehun’s back, at the exact area where he knew a spell had hit him, rebounded and had left a permanent mark.

“I heard your name over and over again,” she continued, and Sehun forced himself to pay attention,  “and it took me too long to realise that something was telling me to look for you. It’s taken me a long time to find you, my visions eventually told me your whereabouts.”

“Have you been having these visions for long?”

“Not really, they only really started with the ones about the war. At first I thought I was maybe going mad, but now that I have you in front of me, exactly the same, save for a few details, I realised that perhaps I’m saner than I’m giving myself credit for.”

“Why was it so important you meet me? Those events hardly pertain to the present times. We try to keep a low profile these days.” The obvious hint for a need for secrecy was there but not voiced out. Sehun didn’t want his, or anyone else’s identity out in the open.

“Oh no…no,” she was quick to interject, “I haven’t told anyone what I’ve seen. I didn’t trust anyone. Not even my family.”

Sehun contemplated her a little, “Very well, thank you for your discretion. Please, continue.”

“The visions kept coming, albeit erratically. There’s no timing for them, no semblance of an order. It takes me longer to piece them together than it does for me to have them. I kept getting these little flashbacks which then turned out to be of more people and even things I didn’t recognise, little gadgets, hand held contraptions, flashing objects. I slowly realised that the events being played out in my mind were far into the future. All except, you looked exactly the same. Well, apart from your fashion and your hair. You hadn’t aged one bit.” He eyes raked over his face as she spoke.

“I presume you know why that is?”

“I wouldn’t expect the Alpha Prime to choose an elderly appearance to live his immortal life.”

Sehun lips twitched with amusement but he didn’t interrupt further.

“There was a series of events, bad ones maybe? But monumental nonetheless, which shape the way things end up happening. My…..ahem……my whole family…..,” she lowered her eyes and took a deep breath, her hands bunched up her dress underneath the table. She took a minute to compose herself. “Not many people from the Kim clan survived whatever happened and I haven’t seen what happened to cause this….not yet anyway.” Kim Gyeong bit her lip but continued on anyway,, “I….I think I have sons….or grandsons? They’re handsome and so talented.”

Sehun sat forward in his chair and put his elbows onto the table. “Gyeong, are you trying to tell me about the end of the white witches, or at least a large majority of them?”

“I dunno, I think?”

Sehun pondered over this for a minute or two, filling the silence with small sips of his coffee. He regarded the woman in front of him. Strong. No, stoic would be a good word to describe her. Seers were rare, very rare, but their abilities were temperamental and unpredictable. There was usually never a context, exact times or predictions. What Gyeong had already seen was a lot more precise than any seer he had ever encountered.

The end of the white witches would mean the end of a legacy of history and magic. There were no black witches or red witches left. White witches were the beacon of magical beings, perhaps as old as Sehun himself.

“Is there anything else you’ve seen?” He asked.

“There’ll be an enemy. A common enemy. I don’t know who, they’re hiding from my visions. They’ll be stronger than either you or me have ever encountered.”

“Is it a witch?”

“I don’t know, maybe, possibly?”

“Are they responsible for what happens to your clan?”

“I have no idea.”

“Do you…and your sons, or grandsons, do you survive?”

She hesitated, “yes.”

This was exactly what was so frustrating about seers. They couldn’t see what they needed to or wanted to, because, surely, having this kind of information was really important. But no, this is not what Mother Nature intended – to pique their curiosity, but leave them none the wiser.

“Ok, I get it.” Sehun rubbed his forehead, “Where do I come in to this?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen it yet. But your face keeps coming up. I think you and my clan, whatever would be left of them are connected in some way.”

“What do you need from me?” He finally asked.

“I need some sort of assurance.”

“Assurance for what?”

“I don’t know the details, but I feel that I’ll know soon. I need you to play your part, whatever that may be.”

“You’re asking me to be a part of something that I have no idea about and something that might never be my concern.”

“I know! But my gut tells me you’re to play a really important role.”

“Gyeong, why haven’t you asked me for protection?”

“I….what do you mean?” She stuttered.

“Well, you know who I am, what I’ve done and what I’m capable of. Your entire clan seems to be at risk from what you’ve said. Why haven’t you asked me for any protection?”

Gyeong pondered this question for a while before carefully formulating her answer. “I don’t doubt for one second that you would be able to protect the entire clan if the time ever comes Wu Shixun. But there are some things which Mother Nature never intended for us to meddle with, no matter how powerful we are. Fate. It must play out exactly as it is fated.”

Sehun thought about it for a second. The lady in front of him may as well be talking in riddles, she didn’t have much information and what she did have was very vague. She was telling him that something was going to happen which would lead to her clan being wiped out, yet she didn’t want his help. It was all so confusing and Sehun couldn’t piece it together.

“Ok.” He agreed, “say I agree to play my part, in whatever this is,” he gestured vaguely with his hand, “but in return, I need something from you.”

“What could you need from me?”

“When and if you get more information and more visions, I need to know about them. Especially if they involve me and my companions.”

“Wu Shixun, I feel you’re pivotal to whatever is going to happen, I wouldn’t be able to keep you in the dark even if I tried.”

Present day

How was it that the face of the person staring back at her was the exact face she saw all those years ago?

Kim Gyeong found herself gazing at the too handsome face of Oh Sehun, the alpha she met over 50 years ago when she first started having visions. The visions had scared her senseless and the meeting had literally changed the trajectory of her life. The same defined eyebrows, the same brooding eyes, the same sharp jaw and the same powerful physique. Only the hair and the attire was different from the wolf she remembered from her youth.

With him stood five others. Two of these she had met the night before, Yixing and Minseok, the healer and the ice wolf respectively. The others she assumed were the fire wolf, wolf of the earth and the transporter. Who was who, she didn’t know.

“Wu Shixun.” She said with a smile, knowing full well that this was not the name he went with anymore.

A small smile appeared on his face as he cocked an eyebrow and bowed his head briefly, “Kim Gyeong.”

She stepped forward, a small step to bring her closer to the group and gently grabbed hold of his hand, bringing it to her lips to leave a small, delicate kiss on the back of it.

“It’s been a while.” She replied, stepping back a little and looking at the others, “come in, all of you, come on in.”

All six wolves crossed the threshold of the Kim household and were led to the kitchen by the elderly witch. She walked with a slightly stooped posture, indicating her now advanced age. Gone was the sprightly and determined young lady that Sehun had met all those years ago. However, her demeanor still screamed power and her eyes still had that same intelligent brightness, the only remnant of her past days.

They were brought to another room where there were two couches and a couple of armchairs, presumably a reception room. The décor was modern and completely different from the rest of the house that they had walked through. Everyone settled down. One half of the group didn’t really know why they were in this house to begin with.

Kim Gyeong started first, “I am Kim Gyeong, leader of the Kim clan and grandmother to Kim Junmyeon and Kim Jongdae. I welcome you, Guardians to my home.”

She was met with stunned silence. Kyungsoo opened his mouth to say something but shut it straight away, the situation being slightly beyond his understanding. Chanyeol however wasn’t so subtle, “You’re who?”

He was swiftly pinched on the arm by Kyungsoo, “ow,” he muttered, side eyeing him.

Kim Gyeong chuckled, “I see you played your part very well.” This was directed at Sehun.

“Wasn’t that what you wanted?” He asked.

“Indeed.”

“I wasn’t given a choice.” Sehun complained.

“The time is coming close.” She replied, rather cryptically.

“And do you know any more than you did before?”

Kim Gyeong shook her head. “No, my visions are being blocked. It’s like they’re behind a smoke screen.”

“My offer still stands.”

“Which one?” She asked with a smile.

“I can protect you.”

“I know that.” She replied, her smile now sadder than it was before. “But this is not what the Goddess has intended. The fates have decided something else and not even you can intervene.”

“We can be in charge of our own destiny Gyeong.”

All heads snapped to Sehun upon hearing him speak to the matriarch of the Kim clan in such an informal tone. They had no idea what was happening here. Did Sehun and this lady know each other from before? How were they connected to one another?

“It must play out as I’ve seen it. It absolutely has to. I can’t let the Goddess lose her faith in me again, I’ve already made that mistake once.”

Sehun was a little confused as to what mistake she was talking about. She was the one who messaged to cut all ties about 20 years ago. She was the one who insisted that not even Sehun knew of their whereabouts. She was the one who wanted to go under the radar. Then what had she done wrong that she couldn’t afford to change the future?

“They will be safe as long as they are with me.” Sehun insisted.

“How long has it taken for them to find you though? I had to shield them, even from you. I couldn’t contact you, because that was the way it was written. They had to find you themselves. I made it so.”

“Yes, you made it so. And you still haven’t told me why you chose to do it this way. Everything has been done the way you wanted Gyeong. Why are you playing with their safety now, especially now that we know the threat is real.”

The rest of the people in the room had no idea what was going on, but their heads were turning towards Sehun and Kim Gyeong as if they were spectators at a tennis match.

Gyeong visibly bristled at Sehun’s words, “I would never put my boy’s safety at risk. You know that!”

Sehun laughed bitterly, “and how does Baekhyun come into this Gyeong?”

“What about him?” The old lady was suddenly defensive.

“Imagine my surprise when I found out that Jongdae and Junmyeon are related to you and the three of you coincidentally have a past with him and he just happens to be….”

“Be what?” She asked, eyes twinkling like they were hiding a thousand secrets.

“….powerful. He happens to be powerful.” Sehun finished.

“I didn’t manipulate destiny, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It’s just coincidence that 3 witches in hiding just happened to move right next door to such a powerful lost wolf.”

“I might have helped fate along a little.” Kim Gyeong shrugged her shoulders as she stared down at the ground.

“So you did know about him? If you meddled then, why not do it again this time?” Sehun asked.

“Because that will change the future. I can’t interfere with it that blatantly and neither can you. You know this.”

“But….”

“Do I have your word, Wu Shixun? That you will protect my grandsons and Baekhyun?”

“Gyeong….listen…”

“You promised me!”

“I will keep my promise to you!” Sehun rarely loses his calm, but he was feeling agitated. It wasn’t necessary. Kim Gyeong could change her mind, but she was adamant on letting things play out exactly as intended. Adamant on not interfering, even though it was so easily done.

“I can be at peace now. Thank you Wu Shixun.” Kim Gyeong closed her eyes to exhale a long breath. “Now, who wants some tea?”

“AISH!” Chanyeol had had enough, “would someone care to explain what the actual hell is going on here…..errr……excuse the language…..” He looked at Kim Gyeong apologetically.

Gyeong chuckled, “fiery like your personality, you must be the fire wolf?”

Chanyeol nodded his head and scratched the back of his neck with his index finger, looking quite sheepish, “I apologise,” he mumbled.

“There’s no need.” She chuckled.

“Gyeong, this conversation isn’t over.” Sehun tried again.

“Sure, we can continue, but not before tea, I’m sure these young boys are starving.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 33

“You did what?!” Jongdae screeched, completely forgetting they were sat in a café, in public, with actual people around them.

“I swear to the fucking Goddess Jongdae, shut the fuck up!” Baekhyun hissed under his breath, trying in vain to silence the foghorn sitting in front of him. He looked around in alarm, catching some people glance at them, wondering what the commotion was all about.

“Is this why you were walking kinda funny when you came in?”

Baekhyun turned an alarming colour of red and he was sat questioning his life choices, wishing he could turn back time where he had never told Jongdae what had happened last night. In reality, he needed to tell someone, so desperately. He needed help to sort out the jumble of thoughts racing through his head since he had woken up in the morning.

“Stop it!”

“Does he have a big cock?” Jongdae asked, dreamily, his head resting on his hand.

“Oh fucking hell.” Baekhyun swore, rubbing his forehead. Maybe telling Jongdae wasn’t the best idea after all.

“No but Baek, hear me out. He’s tall, he has big feet and I read somewhere that those type of people are packing. Am I right? Am I right?” Jongdae nudged him with his elbow as if they were sharing some juicy secret.

“Kim Jongdae, please stop talking!”

Jongdae had the audacity to pout, “you just called me by my government name. Next you’ll grass me up to hyung or Granny and try to get me in trouble.”

“You can’t tell hyung!” Baekhyun shouted, alarmed.

“What? That you’ve been deflowered? That your cherry has been popped? That you’ve done the horizontal tango? That the bow was strung and the arrow was fired?”

Baekhyun stared, open mouthed and appalled. “I’m leaving.”

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry,” Jongdae pacified, “I’ve got it out of my system. Now, tell me all about it. How, when, why?”

“I don’t want to anymore.” Now it was Baekhyun’s turn to pout.

“Stop being a spoilsport Baek, tell meeeeee.”

Baekhyun sighed, resigned to his fate, “Ok so last night, I stayed over at his.”

“When Jongin dropped you off? I thought you only went to pick your stuff up?”

“Yeh, so did I, but then he offered me the spare room and because I was so tired, I agreed. One thing lead to another and…..and….”

“And you did it? Which part of sleeping in the spare room wasn’t clear?” He deadpanned, then shook his head, “.....Ok…..who made the first move?”

“I……I…..think it was me?” Baekhyun mumbled, embarrassed, not able to meet Jongdae’s eyes.

Jongdae gasped theatrically, “you sly fox Baek! Who would have thought! So, was he any good?”

“I….don’t know!”

“Fucking hell Baek, how do you not know? Did it feel good?”

“Yes?”

“Then he was good.” Jongdae concluded, sure of himself. “How many times?”

“Two times.”

“Impressive. Sounds like Sehun has some decent stamina. So what happens now?”

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun was confused.

“The aftermath Baek, there are always consequences to actions. Now that you’ve fucked – which by the way, I am happy you finally did, because the sexual tension was insane – now that you’ve fucked, what happens? Do you like him? Do you want to be with him? Do you want him as your fuck buddy?”

Baekhyun choked on his own saliva. Fuck buddy? Him? He hadn’t even entertained the thought. Last night felt so much more different than the term ‘fuck buddies’ implied, and yet he couldn’t find it in himself to tell that to Jongdae in any further detail than he already had. Some things were meant just for the people it involved.

“I….I….don’t know? I just wanna think about it a bit more. I don’t even know what I’m going to say to him when I next see him.” He covered his face with his hands, a mixture of embarrassment and uncertainty washing over him, “what if he thought I was crap? What if he never wants to see me again? Jongdae, what if he finds out?!”

“Woah, woah, woah, hey Baek, calm down, it’s ok.” Jongdae hastily moved closer to Baekhyun, recognising that his friend was spiralling. He put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, “you’re overthinking this. He wouldn’t have had sex with you if he didn’t like you.”

Baekhyun removed his hands from his face and Jongdae could see the unshed tears in his watery eyes.

“But what if he finds out that I’m not as pure as he thought I was? What if he finds out what happened back then?”

Jongdae scoffed, “Baek, the dude has been alive for thousands of years, you slept with a fossil!” He earned himself a smack on the arm, but carried on, “if he expect you to be ‘pure’ then he would be a hypocrite because I doubt he would have been celibate in all those years.”

Baekhyun opened his mouth to speak, but Jongdae held up a finger, “let me finish. What happened back then wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t help it that someone was vile enough to do those things to you. It wasn’t your fault then Baek and it isn’t your fault now. Purity is a construct of your mind and I know you well enough to know that you’re purer in heart than anyone I’ve ever known.”

“Dae….”

“No Baek, I am sick of you doubting yourself. If something bad happens, you immediately think you probably had it coming, that you asked for it. If something good happens, you think you didn’t deserve it and you doubt people’s sincerity over it. It has to stop. You’re the one selling yourself short. Stop it.”

Baekhyun was stunned into silence. Jongdae had been firm with him in the past, but never like this. The only thing grounding him right now was the softness in Jongdae’s eyes as he gazed at his best friend and the gentle way his thumb was still rubbing little circles into his shoulder.

“I love you Baek, I really do, but Goddess help me, I’m not gonna let you sit here doing this to yourself all the time. Sehun is a good man. Has he ever made you feel like he isn’t? Has he ever made you feel scared? Have you ever been intimidated by him or uncomfortable in his presence?”

Baekhyun shook his head. No he never had. If anything, Baekhyun had always felt safe around him. Sehun exuded a protectiveness which Baekhyun had come to appreciate so much.

“Then?” Jongdae continued, “it wouldn’t be fair for you to make all of these assumptions about him without talking to him. That would be very wrong of you. So, will you talk to him?”

Reluctantly Baekhyun nodded, feeling a lot calmer. “I’m sorry Dae.”

“I don’t want your apologies Baek. I want you to love yourself and trust yourself better. Can you do that?” Jongdae squeezed his shoulder.

Baekhyun nodded, more confidently this time, “I’ll try, I promise.”

“Ok, I need you to talk to Sehun to clear up any doubts you might have. Who knows, he’s probably thinking the same things about himself.”

Baekhyun scoffed, “I doubt it, have you seen him?”

“I know right? Fucking hell Baek, you lucky bitch.”

Baekhyun laughed along with Jongdae, his heart feeling a lot calmer than it had been all day. Jongdae was right, he wouldn’t know how Sehun felt about last night unless he asked him and they sat down to talk about it. He didn’t even know how he felt about it, let alone assuming how someone else was feeling.

His cheeks coloured a light pink and his face heated up whenever he thought about last night. Even if he momentarily forgot about it, then the dull pain in his ass reminded him every time he moved. He had been up early in the morning, disentangling himself from the embrace of a very naked Sehun. He’d tiptoed around the room, gathered his clothes and hightailed it out of Sehun’s house after calling for a cab.

He felt a bit guilty for leaving like that, but he knew he couldn’t face Sehun in the morning. He was feeling shy about what happened and needed time to process his own thoughts. Baekhyun had never thought that he could have a normal sex life. He never thought that he would have someone touch him and that he would enjoy it. He recalled the feeling of Sehun’s tongue on him, in him, licking and sucking everywhere. He recalled the way his giant body dwarfed him as he pressed him into the bed. He remembered the delicious sting of being stretched so wide as Sehun’s dick disappeared into his body.

Feeling slightly hot under the collar, he forced himself to snap out of these thoughts as he pressed his legs together underneath the table. He forced himself to tune back into what Jongdae had been rambling on about, something about Minseok and Yixing and fried chicken. He smiled at how excited his friend was at making new friends.

He ordered another couple of drinks and the two sat for a couple more hours before leaving the café.

The house was dark and silent as Junmyeon and Jongdae unlocked the front door and let themselves in. It was unusual for this time of day that their grandma wasn’t welcoming them in. Usually there would be the aroma of dinner coming from the kitchen and the house would be bathed in warm light, inviting the newcomer in. Right now, they sensed none of that, in fact, Junmyeon had an uneasy feeling which made the hairs on his nape stand up.

He'd called Jongdae earlier to find that his younger brother had spent the day with Baekhyun. After closing up the shop, he met them wandering around the shops in a small neighbourhood of Seoul and joined them for a bit before they all separated and went home. Baekhyun had been invited for some dinner, but he’d declined, telling them he would come another time.

Throwing off their shoes and hanging up their coats, Jongdae called for his grandma but was met with empty silence. They looked at one another, “maybe she’s sleeping?” Jongdae suggested.

“It’s early even for her.” Junmyeon countered, because it was in fact too early even for their grandma to be in bed. They wandered further into the house while Junmyeon fished his phone out from his pocket. There was a high possibility that his grandma hadn’t even taken her ancient phone with her, not liking the device one bit.

He dialled her number, listening to it while it rang out. The uneasy feeling he had earlier intensified as an unpleasant sensation crawled all over his body. He tried the number again, only for it to continue ringing out. He removed the phone from his ear to make sure the phone wasn’t ringing in the house, but heard nothing. His grandma didn’t have her voicemail set up and he cursed himself for not insisting that she did.

“Any luck?” Jongdae asked, coming back from another room.

“Nope.” Junmyeon replied, “this is not like her at all.”

Just then, the phone in Junmyeon’s hand rang, loud and shrill in the silent house. It startled him and he jumped almost two feet into the air, but scrambled to swipe when he saw the name of the caller.

“Granny, where are you? Why aren’t you picking up the phone? Where have you gone, it’s late.”

“Junmyeon, stop clucking at me, for goddess sake! I was paying a visit to my friend and she told me to stop for dinner. You boys should order in.”

“You’re ok?” He breathed a sigh of relief as the familiar voice of his grandma came through the phone.

“Yes, yes I’m ok. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Do you need us to come and pick you up when you’re done with dinner?”

“Oh no no, don’t you worry, I’m staying over tonight.”

Junmyeon found this wholly odd. Grandma never stayed out. She never stayed over at a friend’s house, even when she went out for drinks, she was always back at a reasonable hour.

“Are you sure you’re ok granny? Have you run away from home or something.”

He could hear her laughing on the other end of the phone and it was such a welcomed sound that he visibly relaxed upon hearing it. She sounded ok, he was relieved.

“And leave you brats alone? I think not. I’m going to go now, make sure you eat.”

“Ok, let us know if you need picking up tomorrow. I love you granny.”

“I love you too Junnie. Tell my Jongdae I love him too.”

She was ok and yet Junmyeon had a foreboding feeling creeping into his chest as soon as he put the phone down. There was something amiss and he wished he could have put his finger on it.

Had he stayed on the phone even a second longer, he would have heard her wistful sigh before the line was disconnected.

“Baekhyun, you kind of have to say something, otherwise I’ll think you pocket dialled me or something.”

Baekhyun could hear Sehun’s deep chuckle over the end of the phone and he lay there wishing he was with him, in person. To be honest, he didn’t really know why he called him, but he’d finally drummed up enough courage to dial the number after a couple of hours ruminating over whether he should or not.

“I…..”

“It’s ok, I don’t mind listening to you simply breathing, although that sounds really creepy.” He could hear the smile in Sehun’s voice and he relaxed.

“I’m sorry for this morning.” Baekhyun blurted out.