Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A sigh leaves his lips as he leans back in his chair. The chair makes a noise as the broad shouldered male is hunched over a little bit. He soon rests against the palm of his hand as his elbow is propped up against the arm of the chair. His eyes hold such raw emotions, the majority of it sadness and longing as he holds an old photo so preciously.

A photo that Jinyoung knows he keeps in his wallet at all times. Where matching dog tags hang around his neck underneath his clothing as a constant reminder.

Jinyoung feels for the alpha as he watches from his desk. Where he knows his partner reminisces quite often about the person in the photo. Jinyoung’s never gotten to meet said person as it was before he became partners with Lim Jaebeom and though he’s asked around, no one else knows this person either. Yugyeom told him that it had to have been someone either from his personal life or someone he met on the line of duty. Jinyoung has tried to get Yugyeom to dig deeper but Yugyeom nor him can get close enough to see the dog tags properly and get a name.

Lim Jaebeom is a mystery in himself really. He keeps all things in his personal life private but really Jinyoung doesn’t see the alpha having much of one. When he’s not with the team or working, he’s either working out, nose deep in a book or loving on a stray cat somewhere. Occasionally, he’ll be out and about with nature and taking photos as a way of relaxation and even then, Jaebum tends to go by himself to clear his head.

Youngjae swears it’s a lover that neither of them can confirm or deny that Jaebum is straight, gay or bisexual. Hell, maybe he doesn’t care about the gender and goes for those he feels a connection with. Now that sounds a lot like Jaebum. But all three of them know that Jaebum has not once dated or had a single fling since knowing this man and a lot of people have tried. A lot have flirted, asked him out, coworkers throwing themselves his way and Jaebum won’t even notice or turns them down gently.

Yugyeom likes to joke sometimes on why Jaebum doesn’t get with anyone but really, they all have a sneaking suspicion it is because of the male in the photo.

And what a beautiful male too! From the times that Jinyoung has been able to sneak a glance, that smaller, skinnier male was breathtaking. He had soft looking blonde hair that made his bright blue eyes pop and those masculine, feminine features blended perfectly.

He had to have been an omega, especially if the collar around his neck was anything to go by.

If only Jaebum would open up and talk about his past because Jinyoung would be there for him. Jaebum was not only a great alpha, but a great leader who has led this team for some years now. But Jaebum tends to be hard headed and takes the world onto his shoulders as he’s passionate about helping and supporting others but will turn down help in return.

Jinyoung is ready to just beat some sense into the man because all this lonely pained emotions are making Jinyoung sad---

The door bursts open as Yugyeom comes in,

“I got a lead!”

Youngjae shoots up from his desk, drool making a piece of paper stick to his face as his eyes are wide from being jerked out of his sleep,

“Who--what---the guy we’ve been after?!”

“Yes!” Yugyeom exclaims as Jaebum is hurrying yet carefully putting the photo back into his wallet before standing next to Jinyoung.

“Where?” Jaebum demands gently and Yugyeom shows his phone where the red dot is moving.

Jinyoung takes it and holds it in his hand,

“That bastard is trying to dip and hide in America.”

Jaebum starts moving, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair,

“Let’s go! If we have to, we’ll meet him in America and follow him there!”

Youngjae scrambles to get things moving as he needs to get cleared for airplane tickets,

“Yugyeom find out which flight he’s trying to get on.”

“On it!” Yugyeom says as he takes his phone back and slides in behind his desk as Jinyoung and Jaebum take off out the door…

Talk about torture here. Jaebum and Jinyoung had managed to get to the airport in record time but it was too late as the male’s flight came early and he was already on route to America. Youngjae was able to get tickets after Yugyeom pinpointed the location being L.A. and the two had embarked on their own destination there. But lord, the waiting period for the flight from Korea to L.A. was not a fast one. Though, they should be arriving only a few minutes later than their target so this should be worth it. But having to sit still, up in the air, with nothing to do but think…

Jaebum’s been doing too much of that lately. It’s why he likes his job, for normally he’s focused on his work. His job is fast paced where he’s constantly moving, catching bad guys, avoiding death and going into the next dangerous mission as possible. The only time he has to think is of how to catch the bad guy or his next course of action. But this…

He’s already figured out their plan. Him and Jinyoung had discussed it on the way racing to the airport and briefly on the plane since they missed their chance. But that was over an hour ago and they still have like nine hours to go.

Not to mention where they’re heading to. Just hearing and seeing the name L.A. has him reacting in all sorts of ways. Ways that Jinyoung was definitely picking up on as he notices Jaebum’s leg bouncing out of anxiety. As he can see Jaebum’s fingers twitching before gripping the arms of his seat. As he can see Jaebum keeps getting lost in his head over something.

Jinyoung pulls out his phone to text in the group chat,

Jinyoung: Was there a case Jaebum did in America prior to becoming our leader?

Youngjae: Where is this coming from?

Yugyeom: I can check, hold on…

Jinyoung: He’s acting weird. Normally our leader is calm and collected but ever since hearing our flight being called and boarding the plane, he’s turning into a mess.

Youngjae: Strange, he’s never had fear of flying before. He’s been in both planes, jets as well as hopping out of moving vehicles in the air during our missions.

Yugyeom: From what I can tell, the one and only case he had in America was when he was called in from L.A. forces to help on a certain case that required Korean translation and undercover. Apparently since his father was well known in Korea, Jaebum got picked despite being a rookie on such a veteran highly classified case. He passed with flying colors, got an honorary reward and that’s what kick started him to lead a team and he met us.

Youngjae: Well what do you know…

Jinyoung glances over to see Jaebum rubbing at his face before staring out the small window to the clouds in the sky. Did Jaebum have some type of PTSD from that case? A bad memory? Something from the case that stuck with him even to this day? It’s not like Jaebum hasn’t been traveling around the world but then again, this would be the first time since that case that he’s been back to America. Some years…

Could it be that…

Jinyoung: Did anyone die on that case?

Youngjae: Oh?! Are you thinking what I’m thinking?!

Yugyeom: Unfortunately, our side signed a secrecy disclosure with America so any vital information like that would be in L.A.’s database and I don’t think we want to chance America coming after our ass.

Youngjae: Damn! The secret of the mystery guy continues!

It looks that way…

The moment the plane is landing, the two are moving into action. They don’t even wait for the plane to properly stop as Jaebum rushes forth toward the exit opening while Jinyoung flashes his badge,

“Seoul Korean police force.”

The flight attendants don’t stop them as they move out of the way and watch the two men booking it down the terminal. It’s not long before the two enter the chaos of the airport with people all about. You have a lady over the intercom, people entering and exiting terminals left and right.

“Where is he?” Jinyoung asks out loud as they slipped on their coms before getting off the plane.

‘From the tracker we put on him, he’s moving west toward the entrance!’ Yugyeom’s voice rings out.

‘This guy has to know where he’s going, meaning we were right about him having men in another country,’ Youngjae’s voice is heard next as the two take off in that direction.

‘Well he is a well known smuggler so it wouldn’t surprise me that his supply was coming from America. But he’s an idiot for he’s gonna lead us right to them,’ Yugyeom replies.

‘Man, and we’re gonna miss out on all the action!’ Youngjae whines into the ear piece as the two are racing the clock here.

Jaebum and Jinyoung weave in and out of the crowds, people exclaiming about being touched while they apologize the best they can in English before moving forward. They can’t waste much time and luckily, they spot their target exiting the airport.

“There!” Jinyoung calls out to Jaebum in their language as the alpha follows where he’s pointing.

Jaebum catches the moment the target walks out and toward the parking lot. Shit, they’re gonna have to catch a ride---

The alpha notices a taxi with a woman about to get in. Jaebum pulls on Jinyoung’s arm and leads him over as Jaebum stops the lady and brings her attention up to him. Right away, the lady is in awe of how handsome the male is and not even noticing Jaebum stuttering out English as fast as humanly possible. Meanwhile, Jinyoung is standing by and watching as their target is about to hop into a black vehicle---

Jinyoung takes over, ready to swoon this lady off of her feet,

“Can we please take the taxi first, my beautiful lady?”

Jaebum is shocked by how quickly Jinyoung switched into the role and even added in a flirty wink. It brings Jaebum to awe as they both stare at his handsomeness before the lady can only nod as her knees are turning into jelly.

Jinyoung thanks her before shoving Jaebum into the car first and follows. The two leaving the lady standing there in a daze as Jinyoung starts barking out orders,

“Follow that black Suv right there!”

“What?” Man, this ain’t no car chase here---” The taxi driver starts before turning to find Jinyoung flashing his badge while Jaebum is holding out a wad of cash.

“Now you’re talking!” The taxi driver exclaims with glee as he takes the wad of cash and floors it.

Jinyoung looks at Jaebum with an expression as the alpha can’t help but smile at,

“Trust me, America is not like Korea.”

“I can’t believe you just bribed him with money!” Jinyoung seethes under his breath in their native tongue.

But there’s no time to argue now as they had a target to catch,

“Stay close but not too close,” Jaebum tells the man who hums from hearing him.

They wanted to be able to get out at a certain distance once they see where he goes…

Now this is where things should’ve continued to go smoothly. Where they would’ve gotten out of the taxi, kept hidden and then made their way inside the building to nab the bad guy before calling the authorities and getting things taken care of. Unfortunately, things didn’t go that way because the moment they went to sneak inside, they accidentally tripped a wire and well---

“Hands in the air now!”

Jaebum and Jinyoung both follow the command, raising their hands as they share a look between each other.

“Yin, you said you had no followers!” Another man yells out in English towards their target who is wide eyed.

“I swear I was in the clear! I left before they could trail me, I don’t know how---”

“They’re the feds, Boss. From Korea too,” A guy voices as he checks Jinyoung’s pockets and sees the badge shining in the inner coat side.

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious,” Jinyoung sasses his own language while Jaebum gives him a look to cut it out.

It’s not like they haven’t been in worse situations before but this attitude surely won’t make it any better.

What they assume is the leader starts to growl in anger before another voice comes forth. A tone that’s softer yet still deep…one that has Jaebum reacting to as his head jerks in that direction and takes in someone coming in from the back,

“Calm down Kyle, we can use this to our advantage.”

At first, Jinyoung is like great, another person to add to the situation but then his eyes land on them and the moment he sees them entering the room, he too goes into shock---

It’s the fucking person from the photo! He’s not dead?!

At least Jinyoung is a bit more subtle with his shock but Jaebum on the other hand, is looking like a lost puppy that just found his owner---

“You plan on torturing them?” Kyle replies as he turns to face the male moving forth.

The others part ways to let the omega through until he’s stopping to hang off of Kyle’s side with a wicked grin,

“Even better than that, I plan on putting them to good use, sweetie.”

The male giggles before he keeps moving and comes to stand before the two. Jinyoung raises an eyebrow as the male looks at him up and down with a little distaste for some reason. Why? What does he have against him because Jinyoung thinks it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s part of the police force. But then the male is looking away and right at Jaebum. The two locking eyes for only a brief second before the male turns around to face Kyle and the others,

“Good use, indeed…”

Jinyoung frowns, not sure how he feels about this person before noticing something happening below the waist. Where Jaebum’s eyes glance down briefly as well as sees the male lift the bottom of his shirt to reveal a gun before his hand is moving back up toward his face---

Jaebum moves at the exact same time the male does in grabbing a weapon. The male stops halfway toward his face and pulls another gun out of his vest while Jaebum grabs the one tucked in the back of the omega’s pants.

Jinyoung moves at the same time, ducking as Jaebum and the omega both fire at the ones closest before rolling forth as the others react and start shooting.

“Mark!” Jaebum calls out as the omega moves forth into the chaos while the alpha only manages to make it behind a makeshift barrier.

“Are you both insane?!” Jinyoung hollers out at him.

Jaebum just looks at him with passion and determination shining in his eyes, “Maybe,” Before he’s going right into the fray.

Jinyoung curses but follows suit, hopping up and over a table before round housing a guy down. Jaebum dodges bullets and fires at those farther away to take them down while Mark is taking on those closest melee style.

Jinyoung manages to get his gun as well as Jaebum’s back during the chaos and starts to fire back. Watching impressed how well Mark maneuvers with ease.

Mark knees one guy, while throwing him onto another before quickly taking out his knife and stabbing one in the arm before they can raise their weapon. He then kicks the guy back and keeps going. It’s three against what seems like an endless battle but soon Jinyoung is taking down their target while Mark gets a hold of the leader, Kyle.

Mark puts a gun to Kyle’s throat, his eyes fierce as he turns to the rest of the men,

“Drop your weapons now. This is the LA police force and we have the area surrounded!”

Jinyoung’s eyes went wide as things were starting to click together. As he looks to Jaebum who has his own weapon pointed and ready to stand his ground and protect Mark with his life.

Kyle is seething but his eyes tell his members to do it and they do. Weapons drop as they raise their hands in surrender. Sirens can be heard outside as police cars are surrounding the building within seconds and the blood bath left behind a clear indicator of their fate if they did anything stupid…

The bad guys were handcuffed and are currently being taken away while the rest deal with the clean up. Mark is talking to one of the men before Jaebum can’t take it anymore and moves forth,

“Jaebum, hey wait---” Jinyoung tries to warn but it’s too late.

“Mark--” Jaebum calls out with such emotion in his voice as he approaches Mark and the omega turns---

And hits the alpha straight in the face. Jinyoung winces as he saw that one coming a mile away just from Mark’s aura alone.

“You stupid idiot!” Mark lets out in a feisty tone.

He grabs a hold of Jaebum’s front the next and slams him up against the police car before officers are moving forth to try and break them up,

“Hey hey, Yien, come on now, let’s remain calm,” One officer tries to reason while Jinyoung manages to get in between to help keep distance.

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed, your partner killed and the whole operation ruined by your foolish actions today!” Mark exclaims.

“How was I supposed to know you were on it? How was I supposed to know that my target would go to America? I’ve been trailing him for months trying to solve this case and not once did the higher ups alert us that an American agent was involved!”

Mark clenches his teeth together with fire in his eyes, “Why don’t you just go back where you came from, Jaebeom. You don’t belong here. You never did and you never will.”

Mark starts to walk away, brushing off the guy’s touch so he can go cool off and do his own thing. But oh, Jaebum doesn’t know when to give up---

“Why? Because you have my brother? What we had meant nothing to you? Did you just sleep with me so you could get with him?”

Jaebum’s emotions were rising as well and the juicy details were coming out in front of everyone today apparently as Jinyoung is in for quite the ride.

Mark stops in his tracks, his shoulders tensing and fists clenching before he’s rounding on Jaebum with a killer look in his eyes,

“What did you just say to me?”

Everyone steps back, even Jinyoung as nope, he’s not getting in between an ex lover’s spat as this was all on Jaebum, yes sir.

“You heard me. The entire time during that case and that night where we both confessed and you hesitated---”

“I hesitated…I---oh Lim Jaebeom! How you infuriate me! What you asked of me was so sudden and uncalled for! You asked me to leave everything behind and go with you to another country! Of course I’d hesitate! My whole life has been here! Everything I worked so hard for to get where I’m at along with loved ones and you expected me to drop it all in the sake of love?!”

“Yes!” Jaebum exclaims as Mark is back in his face again.

Both of Mark’s eyebrows raised at this and his tongue pushes into his inner cheek before he growls out,

“You’re unbelievable. We spent months together before that night and I’m sorry that you expected me to take a leap of fate with a man I didn’t even know for a year! You didn’t even give me enough time to think about it as you fucking left that next morning! After all the shit we went through, I was tired and needed sleep but the moment I opened my eyes, you’re across the country, number blocked and disappeared from my life!”

“You already made your decision when you hesitated. I knew you were gonna say no.”

Mark pushes Jaebum back against the car, “You didn’t know shit!”

“Well obviously you didn’t prove me wrong when you ended up with my brother.”

Mark lets out a noise of frustration as he is ready to strangle this man before him,

“What are you even talking about?! I’m tired of you assuming things!”

“But it’s the truth!” Jaebum exclaims back as he’s just as frustrated.

Mark goes to say something before he shakes his head and waves his hand off,

“Nope, I’m not dealing with this. Whatever you want to say, it’s too late, Jaebum. It’s been years, so move on, get the fuck out of my face and I don’t ever want to see you again,” Mark spats before turning on his heel this time and not stopping.

The others thankfully mind their own business and go back to their duties while Jinyoung sighs and looks at how defeated Jaebum looks on top of pissed off. Man, Jinyoung hasn’t seen Jaebum get that riled up before.

“Come, let's go somewhere to cool off,” Jinyoung says and gives no room to argue.

Jaebum follows, remaining quiet as his chin juts out and he sticks his hands into his pockets like some kid throwing a tantrum.

From Jinyoung’s point of view, there was no rekindling the fire between those two and if it were him, he’d leave and go back to attend to his duties. But sadly, fate had other plans because the higher ups requested Jaebum and Jinyoung go to Mark’s base and get all the classified information from the case as well as their target and oh, you guessed it, to talk to Jaebum’s brother who is the Boss of Mark’s base and can give clearance to hand over the target to their possession to be prosecuted in Korea.

Jaebum’s in for a whole new ass whooping as his cheek is already bruised from Mark alone. Just wait till he goes through the main entrance and his whole life changes in a blink of an eye…

Chapter Text

Lightly brushing against his bruised cheek, Jaebum winces as Mark really got him good.

“This is turning out to be the worst day of my life part two,” He mumbles under his breath.

“Care to explain what else happened back then?” Jinyoung offers Jaebum to talk with him but the alpha shakes his head.

Dropping his hand from his face, the two walk down the busy streets to get to their destination. They could’ve just had the taxi bring them right in front of the building but Jaebum made the guy stop a few blocks down and Jinyoung understands why.

“You might want to start talking about it cause you’re about to go head first in a couple of minutes,” Jinyoung voices as he can see Jaebum is going through it.

Can see it written all over his face along with the bruised cheek that his past was coming back to whoop his ass. Because to make matters worse, Jaebum has to go to Mark’s workplace and go talk to his older brother in order to get clearance to take their target back to Korea. Why his own workplace is torturing him like this, he doesn’t know. Oh wait, it’s due to his father and also being the little brother of the head of L.A. police force.

Gotta love being a Lim sometimes.

“When was the last time you even spoke to your brother?” Jinyoung tries a different approach as he gauges Jaebum’s reaction.

The moment Jaebum frowns and has a grumpy face says all,

“Not since I left America the last time.”

Wow, that’s a mighty grudge Jaebum was holding onto.

“Because he stole your lover?” Jinyoung asks and Jaebum sighs out in frustration.

“The love of my life, Jinyoung. There was never a chance from the very beginning but like the sappy fool that I am, I still tried anyway. Though at first, we hated each other. There was so much miscommunication because of the language barrier so we were always butting heads. I swear it felt like I was dealing with the enemy but god he was so beautiful…still so breathtaking to this day. He’s so smart and feisty with such a sweet soft center and a big heart. He’s not afraid to go head on no matter if you’re an alpha or not but also would step back and blend in so he could observe and care for you on the sidelines. Watching so he can calculate his next move and when he’s on the battlefield in action, it’s such a turn on. It was the first time I was so distracted that I could’ve gotten myself killed because I couldn’t look away from him. There’s just something about him that kept drawing me back and the more time we spent together, the more things we had in common. He was perfect, Jinyoung. But my brother was after him since before I met him. I tried hard to not overstep that boundary but my feelings kept growing and then on the mission when we ended up side by side and going through one situation after the next, finally taking down the enemy…he kissed me…”

You can see all the emotions on Jaebum's face. Can see him reliving each moment all the way up to the moment of the kiss where his expression goes so soft and passionate. His eyes showing off such warmth and love---

“I couldn’t resist then. I couldn’t control myself and kissed him back. We made out in the middle of the aftermath with everyone around, sirens, other police officers, it didn’t matter. Everything became a blur as all I could see was Mark that the first chance I got, I took him away. I didn’t care if I got in trouble and I made love to him in a random hotel. It was the best night of my life…or it was until I told him that I loved him and asked him to come with me back to Korea.”

This is where the pain and sadness can be seen on his face as well as heard in the tone of his voice,

“I could see the moment it all changed and reality hit me as his expression turned into hesitance as well as blocking me out. Where he wouldn’t answer me and just told me we should go to sleep. My heart both came together and broke apart that night. Especially when my brother called Mark’s phone before leaving messages but he was fast asleep…I knew what his answer was gonna be and it hurt…so I ran. I had to leave or I would’ve done something stupid. If I would’ve stayed, I would’ve tried to fight my brother and just make things worse for everyone because I can’t turn my emotions off. It’s my downfall as once I love something, god I can be quite stubborn and passionate as I’ll never let go. So I left before the sun rose and came back to Korea where I buried myself in my work and accepted being a leader to you guys.”

Jinyoung feels for the alpha as he reaches out touch his upper back and walks closer beside him in comfort,

“He never tried to get in contact?”

Jaebum breathes out slowly, trying to calm the emotions that keep rising within him,

“From the bruise on my cheek it’s pretty clear that he tried but since I blocked his number so I wouldn’t be tempted…”

Jaebum leaves the rest unsaid as it’s pretty clear now.

“Damn, but the fact that he’s still this mad after so many years could mean something right?” Jinyoung offers to try and make things a little bit better.

This has Jaebum smiling sadly, his eyes shining with emotions,

“You have no idea how feisty and stubborn Mark can be.”

Jinyoung gives him a look, “Oh I think I’ve seen enough to know.”

The building is soon in their sights and Jaebum tries to rein everything back in,

“Well you might get to see more of it.”

Boy was it weird to walk back into this place. The place where he met Mark for the first time. Where their first argument took place as well as many more memories that Jaebum hasn’t forgotten. The building still looked the same and it made his heart ache even more…

“Please still don’t be---”

A loud gasp is heard as a magazine is seen hitting the desk the next second. Bright red nails along with red lipstick is seen before blond curls come into view and a loud,

“NO FUCKING WAY!”

Jinyoung raises an eyebrow as the two walk closer to the main desk where a woman is eyeballing Jaebum as if she’s seeing a ghost.

“I never thought I’d see the day!”

Jaebum sighs, while rolling his eyes a bit before looking at the woman,

“Still as dramatic as ever, Shannon.”

Shannon snorts, leaning back in the chair as she points her manicured finger right at the alpha,

“Me? After the shit you’ve pulled and damage you’ve done while being here…” Shannon tisks and shakes her finger in the air, “I’m surprised you have the balls to step in here, Mister.”

“Tell me more,” Jinyoung says as he’s genuinely curious to know more about Jaebum’s past.

“Hey,” Jaebum says before Shannon can open her mouth any further while he gives a warning look to Jinyoung,

“I’m only here on business as my Boss needs me to see your Boss to get clearance to take our target back to Korea,”

“Where you belong according to Mark,” Jinyoung adds and Shannon lets out a noise,

“So you have run into him! I knew that bruised cheek wasn’t from the enemy!”

Jaebum goes all grumpy gill as Jinyoung couldn’t help himself,

“I’m sorry, I’ll behave,” The alpha tells him but those growing eye whiskers might be a hint of what could occur later.

“Please,” Jaebum deflates as he looks up to the sky as if it’ll end his misery.

Shannon sighs, “Fine, I can’t believe after all these years and you’re already trying to run off again.”

She pops the gum in her mouth while looking on that monitor and types away on the keys,

“You’re in luck, he’ll be coming back from his lunch break soon. I’ll give you the go ahead to go up to his office where you can wait for him there. You do remember the way to his office don’t you? Or would you like me to personally escort--”

“Got it, thanks!” Jaebum says and he’s already walking away.

She says something else but Jaebum ignores it as he passes through security and heads further inside with Jinyoung.

“Do you know a Jackson?” Jinyoung asks as they get to the elevators where Jaebum is already pressing the button.

“Jackson? No, why?”

Jinyoung shrugs as the elevator doors ding and they step inside.

“She said something about being on the lookout for Jackson, I don’t know. I’ve never been here before. You also know English better than me apparently.”

“There’s a reason I don’t talk about it,” Jaebum tells him and Jinyoung can tell that from just looking at him.

“Well don’t worry, you just have to talk to your brother, get the clearance and we can be on our merry way where I’m sure we’ll be hopping back on a plane in no time for you to never return here again.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jaebum gives him a look and Jinyoung plays innocent,

“I’m just going off of what you said before coming here.”

Which is true, because after Jaebum got the phone call, that is what he said was gonna happen. That this would be kept strictly business and that he would be getting in and out at top speed, the sooner the better.

“Whose side are you on?” Jaebum questions and Jinyoung smiles playfully,

“The one that leads to more amusement.”

The elevator doors ding and open before Jaebum is pushing Jinyoung lightly out and the alpha laughs in response to Jaebum.

“I’m only kidding,” Jinyoung tells him as he hangs close to Jaebum’s side.

“Mhmm,” Jaebum replies back, though a small smile forms at Jinyoung trying to keep him in good spirits.

It’s really gonna be needed as the closer they get to Neil’s office, the more his stomach is turning into knots. Would Mark be back already? What would be the chances of running into him again? But it would be better if he didn’t. It’s clear that Mark wants nothing to do with him---

“Um? Hello?”

The two stop and notice a door open revealing another office on this floor. Oh, well this was new because Jaebum doesn’t remember there being another office on this floor other than Neil’s.

Jaebum is in the middle of the doorway with Jinyoung blocked from view until the man comes out of the room to greet them,

“Can I help y---oh my!” The male stops before exclaiming as his eyes land on Jinyoung,

“What a handsome, breathtaking man you are,” The male moves, bowing gracefully and making Jinyoung raise an eyebrow at that, “My name is Jackson, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

So this was Jackson that Shannon was trying to warn him about?

“Park Jinyoung,” Jinyoung replies before moving his hand away and out of Jackson’s grasp.

Jackson pouts but doesn’t let it bother him as he stands back upright,

“Do you flirt like this to everyone?” Jinyoung can’t help but ask the handsome male back.

Because Jinyoung won’t lie, this alpha was smoking hot with those light brown eyes, reddish brown hair and dorky grin. Not to mention the muscles he can clearly see even through this man’s attire as you guessed it, Jinyoung was checking him out in plain view, right in front of the male with Jackson watching him.

But it seems Jackson’s attention gets sidetracked as Jaebum spoke next,

“We’re here to speak to your Boss---”

Jackson now looks to Jaebum because it’s the polite thing to do when one is speaking and can now see the alpha better close up---

“Yoh! You look just like Neil!” Jackson interrupts as he points a finger at Jaebum.

Jaebum seems offended at being interrupted and having a finger rudely pointed in his face but Jinyoung can’t help but smirk at this. He helps by gently moving Jackson’s finger down and away as he says,

“That’s because they’re brothers. This is Lim Jaebeom and we’re here to see Neil about important business.”

Jackson’s friendly smile and aura suddenly starts to change as the alpha struggles for a moment before coughing out,

“Excuse me for a moment…”

The two stand there in shock as Jackson starts to turn away like he’s gonna go back inside the office room before turning on his heel fast and launching himself at Jaebum.

“Uh---” Jinyoung can only get out as Jackson takes Jaebum to the ground so fast and lands a punch before anyone can react properly.

Someone soon comes around the corner, their whistling coming to an abrupt halt as they also drop the snacks they were carrying,

“Bro! What the hell?!”

The male runs forth at the same time as Jinyoung is trying to intervene and get him off. Where Jaebum is struggling and fighting back when Jackson looks up past Jinyoung and toward the male, all while still trying to land more punches,

“Don’t what me, Bam! This is that piece of shit that knocked Mark up and then took off!”

Bam stops running and slowly comes to stand by all the action,

“Oh, then please continue.”

Jinyoung manages to grab Jackson’s one hand to stop him from landing punches as Jaebum suddenly goes still and in shock,

Knocked up?! Mark was pregnant?!

Jackson goes to try and land another strike but Jaebum thinks fast, using his head to headbutt against Jackson’s face to get the alpha off of him. Jackson stands up, groaning as he now has a bloody nose with Jaebum having a cut above his eyebrow and more bruising starting to form. Jackson tries to walk off the pain when Jaebum needs to know,

“What do you mean by that?” Jaebum demands to know as Jinyoung helps him up onto his feet.

Jackson growls, his anger still boiling as he starts to come at Jaebum again with Jinyoung trying to intervene. All before they can hear someone running and shouting,

“Jiaer, that’s enough!”

Mark appears and is soon standing in front of Jackson to keep him from getting any closer. Jackson points over Mark’s shoulder and spats out,

“How dare you show your face here now after all these years! Mark fucking needed you the most back then and you abandoned him!”

Jaebum stands there in shock as the words settle in,

“He almost died and not once when we tried contacting you, did you answer! Fucking---oooo---let me at him---” Jackson is raring to go, his eyes flashing and fangs showing as he’s close to losing control.

“Gaga, no, look at me,” Mark says as he redirects his attention to him.

As he firmly cups Jackson’s face so the alpha will look at him, “You’re not about to lose control in this building and run rampage, now cool it, you hear me?”

Mark’s eyes are fierce but also pleading with Jackson to not do this. It’s just gonna make things worse and you can see the pain in Mark’s eyes enough already.

Jackson finds himself calming down some but only because he doesn’t want to upset Mark further. Jackson nods, still breathing heavily through his mouth as he tries to calm down more.

“Thank you, now Bam, please help Jackson with his nose while I handle this.”

“Got it,” Bam says as he’s already moving forward to try and take Jackson into the office.

“No, I’m not leaving you alone with this prick,” Jackson protests.

Jaebum is also breathing heavily from all the adrenaline and the fight that just took place. As his own emotions are going haywire and he can’t take his eyes off of Mark. Of Jackson’s words going around and around in his head. He can’t hear what they’re saying to each other as all he can think about is that Mark was pregnant. That years ago, after that night, he got Mark pregnant and left without knowing. That he never got any word--Nothing! That Mark had been pregnant or trying to reach out to him about it. And he almost died? Was their complications with the pregnancy? Did he lose the baby? Was that his fault? Why didn’t Neil tell him anything?!

Jaebum feels like he can’t breathe, his eyes losing focus and his vision starting to blur a bit.

“Jaebum?” Jinyoung calls out as the alpha starts to lean heavily against him, his legs trying to give out.

Everything was stopping, the world stilling until something pierces through Jaebum’s thoughts, through the pain of his heart as he hears not one, but two little voices---

“Mommy!”

Where it makes his head jerk away from looking at Mark to down the hallway where two kids round the corner and come into view before Neil does. Where Jaebum zeros right in to how they looked so much like Mark with those same colored eyes. And though Mark’s hair wasn’t blonde anymore, the two didn’t have his natural hair color of dark brown. It was raven black just like his, smooth and straight with both of them having matching moles underneath their one eye. The same birthmark that Jaebum has.

And as the two come to a stop in front of Mark, both clinging to him before eyeing him, Jaebum can see how much they are alike. How much there was no denying it.

Twins…Mark gave birth to twins…this whole time…

“Mommy, who is that?” The little girl asks while the little boy hides behind his mother’s leg and is peeking out to get a closer look.

He was a father and didn’t even know it. A father to twins that were already growing up so fast and he missed out on so much…

Oh he needs to sit down for a moment, in fact, he thinks he’s gonna pass out----

And this is where Jaebum finds himself a while later as he wakes up and he’s in his brother’s office…

Eyes opening to find Mark is above him and doctoring him up despite the level of anger he held toward him earlier…

Tell him it was all a dream. Tell him that he never left and he was still with Mark. Tell him that he didn’t make the worst mistake of his life in leaving when he should’ve stayed…

Tell him that he still has a chance to make things right and be a part of their lives…

Chapter Text

Jaebum groans a bit as he’s starting to come to. His face hurts like a bitch and something stings---

“You still react the same way when you get hurt I see,” A soft voice lets out.

Jaebum stills, eyelashes fluttering open and the alpha finds an office waiting for him along with the most beautiful creature hovering above,

“Did I die and go to heaven?” He mumbles out and Mark can’t help but snort at that one,

“Nope, haven’t changed at all.”

Jaebum gives a small smile as it’s been a long time since he’s seen Mark in good spirits even if it's just for a moment,

“Mark I-” But Jaebum can’t help but change the mood as things are coming back to him.

As the alpha leans up before Mark tries to stop him,

“Hey now, let me finish first,” Mark’s expression falls back into one that builds their walls up and tries to keep emotions blocked out.

“I’m fine,” Jaebum protests but Mark continues to patch him up.

Jaebum’s expression falls into one that’s pained as he winces when Mark applies the ointment to the cut above his eyebrow.

“I have to make sure it doesn’t get infected. Jackson got you good,” Mark’s voice is gentle as one hand touches his face to keep him from jerking while his other hand works to apply the ointment.

Jaebum gets lost in Mark from him being so close for a moment. Where memories keep resurfacing along with all those feelings. Where it’s making his heart skip a beat before pounding so surely as he recalls all the times Mark has been sweet and caring like this. Where sometimes he had to be stern and scolding in his voice and yet his touch would be firm and gentle as he took care in making sure he’d be ok and heal properly. Jaebum hasn’t always been one to show when he’s hurt physically and would brush people off just to unveil the pain when he’s alone. But Mark got fed up with that one day and followed him before getting all feisty and telling him to sit his ass down and let him take care of him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Mark’s voice cuts through his memories and Jaebum stops looking like a dork,

“Hmm? What look?” Jaebum asks in confusion and Mark leans back some and just stares at the alpha for a moment before shaking his head.

“Forget it,” He mumbles under his breath as he turns away to start cleaning up the mess.

Jaebum feels the warmth leaving him along with Mark’s scent he grew to love so much---

“Mark wait---” Jaebum reaches out to try and stop Mark from moving away from him but the omega stops him with his voice,

“Look, Jaebum, I’ll apologize for my brother attacking you but that’s it I’m not--”

“Your brother?” Jaebum frowns in confusion and Mark sighs.

The omega throws the bloody tissues and empty bandaid wrappers in the trash can before standing up to put the trash can back where it belonged,

“Yes, my brother. I was adopted as a kid after my father died on active duty…”

Jaebum looks at him in shocked awe, “I-I didn’t know that, I’m sorry--”

Mark waves him off though, “There’s a lot about me that you don’t know.”

Silence falls and it’s deafening as it just shows how much time has passed and how grown apart they’ve become. How he can tell Mark is trying to keep his distance and it stabs him right in the chest---

“Was he not in the police force before then?” Jaebum still tries desperately to cling onto a line or something.

Afraid if he lets the conversation fall completely then he won’t have a chance again.

Mark gives him an unsure look, probably trying to figure out why Jaebum is being like this before leaning back against the desk and answering,

“Jackson was in China at the time on a different case. They said I wasn’t qualified or skilled enough to go with him so I had to stay and then that one case opened up…”

Mark’s expression shows the trials he’s been through to get to where he is today. Showing Jaebum more and more things that he didn’t know about the omega.

“I pleaded to be put on that case but kept getting denied until Neil transferred after the original Boss retired. Neil was the only one who saw potential in me and gave me a chance.”

Just like how Neil helped him get on that case as well…

Jaebum feels like shit, head hanging low in his hands as he’s seeing more things he missed. That he’s seen years he missed. Years he should’ve tried to hold onto. Should’ve fought harder for. Shouldn’t have let his brother intimidate him and take Mark away---

“Jackson said that you almost died…” Jaebum starts but can’t finish it as he was overthinking.

Just imagining what Mark had gone through all alone. From finding out he was pregnant and then if there were any complications, all the way down to the labor and then taking care of the twins…

Fuck he missed so much.

“Jaebum please, just drop it. What’s done is done, it’s not gonna change anything now,” Mark tells him with defeat in his voice.

“But I can’t!” Jaebum exclaims as he lifts his hands and looks at Mark with such raw emotions.

You can hear it in his voice! You can see how much this upsets him and how it’s frustrating him.

“I should’ve been there! I should’ve been helping you, protecting you, taking over when you needed me too but I didn’t---”

“But you weren't,” Mark cuts him off and the alpha takes in the omega done with this.

Can see in his eyes how much he hurt Mark by his own actions and that appearing back in his life wasn’t doing anything but making things worse.

“You left before morning, Jaebum. You made your descion and not only blocked your number, you changed it completely. I think that’s more than loud enough of how together we weren't anymore. You think I was gonna try any harder than that when you left across the country to forget I even existed? You think I was gonna try and hunt you down and tell you I was pregnant when I didn’t even know I was until it was too late?”

Mark is moving closer and closer as more and more emotions rise. As his eyes shine with tears ready to fall as this has been something he’s been carrying for many years now and it still affects him; Jaebum still affects him.

“You don’t know jackshit about my past, Lim Jaebeom! You don’t know what I went through as a kid and how hard it was to let it sink in that I was gonna bring kids into this world without a father. With only one parent like my father did with me. And you don’t know how heartbreaking it was when your children ask where there father was and how I had to lie because I didn’t have the heart to tell them that you left me and didn’t look back once!”

Jaebum can feel his own emotions rising as he can’t help but shout back,

“But I didn’t know! If I had known I would’ve stayed!”

Mark growls, shoving Jaebum but this time the alpha wasn’t budging. Standing his ground as the omega gets all in his face,

“So you would’ve stayed because of that and not because of me?! Because you would’ve felt obligated to do the responsible thing?! FUCK YOU! I don’t want that! I don’t want the pity, petty ass obligation that I knew you would’ve fucking done if I actually got a hold of you…the stupid thing I knew you would’ve said to me if you hadn’t of blocked me or changed your number…if you would’ve actually answered while I was falling apart…”

Mark’s voice rose high with anger but fell down with such pain and sadness. Where Jaebum can see the two tears falling before Mark takes a step back and turns as he didn’t want the alpha to see how much he hurt him. How his words are hurting him now.

Mark shakes his head, hand raising to wipe at the tears as he lets out a shaky breath,

“I don’t want to do this Jaebum, just go back home. Whatever you came here for that has to deal with work, just take it and go.”

Those words hurt to hear and Jaebum’s expression falls from anger and frustration to something raw and unreadable. More silence falls and where it used to be something comfortable and warm, it’s long since grown cold and tense.

Jaebum clenches his hands into fists before they fall against his side in defeat,

“What are their names?”

He can’t help but ask just like how he can’t help but continue pushing. Even though Mark is telling him to give up and move on, he can’t help himself. It’s kind of ironic when he should’ve been like this in the past toward Mark. Should’ve said fuck it to his brother and kept pushing. Should’ve been selfish and thrown everything he ever worked hard for and stayed because it don’t mean jack shit now. Not when he knows he has children here in America. Not when the love of his life has been suffering due to his actions for so long…

He feels like a piece of shit like Jackson called him earlier---

“Lilly and Kyo,” Mark answers in a whisper and Jaebum has to close his eyes.

His hands rise to cover his face for a moment as another blow is dealt to him. Where Mark even used the names Jaebum would’ve given his son and daughter if he ever had them down the line.

“Mark you can’t…you can’t just do that…” Jaebum lets out as he’s on the verge of crying himself.

Mark shows a pathetic smile toward the wall, “I know it was stupid but…but I…I don’t know…it felt right…unlike you I didn’t have a future planned that far ahead. I didn’t even think about having a family, especially so soon…”

‘Or even falling for someone like I did you…’

Something pulls inside of Jaebum and he’s moving forth, reaching out as he wants to pull the omega into his arms,

“Let me make things right. Let me be their father---”

But Mark turns so fast before shaking their head, “No, it’s fine. You don’t have to, I don’t want you to. They have plenty of father figures in their lives and they’ve been doing fine so far. You’ve got a team now, you’re in Korea, I don’t want you to drop everything because of this. This pregnancy was not planned by either of us and I don’t want to put them through this, Jaebum. If you want to do things right, then you’ll continue going on with your life like we don’t exist.”

The words sting and Jaebum wants to say so much. Wants to tell him how not a day went by where he didn’t think of Mark. Where his feelings never faded and how he longed to see the omega day in and day out. How he wished he could’ve been the one for him---

But the chance doesn’t come as the door soon opens and just like that time before, here comes Neil again.

“Time’s up,” Neil states as he strolls in to intervene.

“Neil, I’m fine,” Mark protests even though his eyes are still shiny with tears.

“You can’t lie to me, Yien and you know it.”

Neil and Jaebum lock eyes as the older alpha comes to stand before Mark for a few seconds before he feels his younger brother looking at him.

“Was there something you needed?”

The way his tone was so cold and closed off had Jaebum glaring and his anger ready to come forth.

“Yeah, I need clearance to take back the target we were after.”

Neil clicks his tongue at that,

“Father and his ways…” He mutters under his breath,

“If that’s what it takes to get you out of here, so be it. I can have everything cleared by tomorrow morning with your flight ticket ready to go.”

“Neil,” Mark warns as he knows he’s being too harsh.

“Forgive me. It’s hard to forget that day when you were in the hospital,” Neil says as he reaches up to touch Mark’s face but the omega moves away,

“Not now,” Mark tells him and Jaebum isn’t sure if he’s talking about Neil showing affection or talking about that day.

Either way it doesn’t settle right with Jaebum and it’s like the knife is twisting and stabbing him further. Making the wound deeper and deeper in his heart.

“You should go rest, you look like shit,” Neil tells his brother.

Jaebum feels like it too.

“The twins---” Jaebum starts but Neil cuts him off fast and harshly,

“I’m telling you in a direct order or do I need to personally escort you out?”

Neil’s eyes flash in warning as he’s not messing around and wants Jaebum to leave now.

Jaebum grits his teeth, “Fine, I get it,” He growls out under his breath before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

He slams the door behind him before stomping off and heading further down the hall where he passes by the other office that had people talking,

“Korea, huh? I’ve been to quite a few places so far but I’m from Thailand myself,” Bam’s voice is heard before he stops and notices Jaebum walking past,

“Oh, isn’t that your partner?”

Jinyoung turns to see Jaebum moving by in anger and sighs,

“Not my partner. He’s my leader though we do have duo missions together from time to time just the two of us. There’s actually four of us all together.”

Bam perks up at this, “Ah, me too! There’s Mark, Jackson, Danny and me,” Bam lets out as he follows Jinyoung leaving the room.

Bam unfortunately can’t say any more as Jinyoung excuses himself to jog after Jaebum to catch up though.

“Hey!” Jinyoung calls out as Jaebum just keeps going.

They reach the elevator where Jinyoung hops on before the doors can close,

“I take it things didn’t go well?” Jinyoung asks and Jaebum levels him with a look,

“You tell me,” He says and Jinyoung frowns,

“You don’t have to take it out on me, you know. I’ve been worried about you. The moment you passed out, you should’ve seen how Jackson freaked out thinking he actually killed you. Not to mention Mark demanded you be brought into Neil’s office before telling everyone to back off and let him handle you.”

Jaebum is being all grumpy gill in the corner as the elevator is going down but he’s listening to Jinyoung. In fact, when Jinyoung mentions Mark’s name, he’s zoning in to every word after that,

“For someone who is holding a lot of anger and resentment toward you, he sure acts like he cares a lot to fight to get to you and tend to your wounds.”

Jaebum perks up at this as Jinyoung was right. If Mark completely wanted to cut things off with him or held only hate toward him, he wouldn’t give two shits if he passed out. He wouldn’t have taken him somewhere he could be safe and come to, much less tend to his wounds at the same time as watching over him.

It meant Mark still cared. It meant Mark might still feel something toward him even if it’s a tiny sliver.

It’s most likely why Mark is so feisty and holds such emotions strongly because he stills cares. That maybe he too couldn’t stop thinking about him. That he couldn’t forget all those memories that he cherishes still to this day. That maybe he wished for fate to bring them together again. That maybe it wasn’t too late---

“Where did the twins go?” Jaebum asks as he suddenly hits the emergency stop button on the elevator.

Jinyoung is quick to hold the railing as the elevator jerks to a stop before looking at Jaebum and taking in his determined look.

“Jackson took them as the twins wanted to help him clean up, why?”

Jaebum is thinking before he hits the button again to start the elevator back up. He doesn’t say anything but Jinyoung can already tell where this is going.

“You’re not gonna do what I think you’re gonna do, are you?” Jinyoung asks before Jaebum looks at him with that damn look.

The Lim Jaebeom look where his eyes are full of passion and heat mixed in with a strong powerful aura that’s not gonna stop no matter what the cost.

Oh boy, here they go again…

“Am I?” Jaebum replies as the elevator stops on the bottom floor before the doors open.

“Jaebum,” Jinyoung calls out as the alpha is already jogging out and heading toward god knows where to do something stupid and dorky for sure.

And sure enough, Jinyoung follows and finds the alpha at the front desk as he talks to Shannon,

“Tell me where Jackson went so I can find the twins.”

Yep, something stupid indeed…

And this is where Jinyoung ends up helping Jaebum by distracting Jackson by flirting with him so that the alpha can properly meet the twins…

Chapter Text

Jinyoung has done many things in his life. He’s done missions that seemed impossible. He’s done endless training with blood, sweat and tears. Name it and he’s probably been through it or done it. But this, now this…

He hasn’t done this per say. Flirting, yes. There’s been times when he’s had to play the part and he’s a very good actor. But what he’s about to do turns from acting into full blown himself and well…

Now that is scary, especially with another man that is highly attractive and someone he shouldn’t be feeling a certain way towards.

How the hell did he let Jaebum talk him into this?!

Ah yes, that’s right, because of the twins. Because Jaebum wanted to meet his children and Jinyoung didn’t have the heart to tell him no. He told him he was doing something stupid but stopping him was a different matter. One that he really shouldn’t be helping with but yet here he is after Jaebum actually pleaded with him.

Man, Jaebum better remember this…

“Jackson, right?” Jinyoung brings up as he smoothly walks into the restroom he saw Jackson head into.

Jackson was busy cleaning off the rest of the dried blood from his hands and face as kiddy band aids rested on his face.

“Yeah, Jackson Wang,” Jackson clarifies as he was still splashing water over his face so he wasn’t looking but going off their voice.

Jinyoung watches as Jackson stands back up straight and takes paper towels to dab at his face,

“We met briefly earlier before my leader’s past actions caused quite the emotion from you.”

Jackson opens his eyes now and their gazes meet through the mirror. Jinyoung can’t help that tiny shiver that ran up his spine from how fiery those eyes went at the mention of Jaebum. But then the alpha throws the paper towels away and turns toward him. His expression is more relaxed as he gives him a friendly smile,

“Jinyoung, right?” He throws back at him gently and Jinyoung nods with a friendly smile of his own.

“Yes, you actually remembered during all of that.”

“Like I could forget the name that went to a handsome and fine ass man,” Jackson rolls off his tongue with confidence.

Too much confidence as Jinyoung finds this man has no filter whatsoever. That Jackson was not afraid to say whatever came to his mind without any embarrassment or nervousness.

“You pack some powerful lines to flirt with but it’s hard to take you seriously with cat and dog band-aids,” Jinyoung cracks up a bit.

Jackson touches where one of the band-aids are before smiling warmly,

“The twins helped patch me up. My nose wasn’t broken and yet they insisted a band-aid would stop the bleeding,”

Why does he have to be cute all of a sudden? Focus, Jinyoung, don’t just stand there, woo this man off his feet!

Jinyoung seems to snap out of it after a moment of just staring and takes a step closer,

“Maybe I could be of some assistance?”

He makes sure his voice is sultry and sweet. That when Jackson meets his gaze he can see the seductive posture along with a look that tells the alpha, ‘Come and get it’.

Jackson perks right up and the moment Jinyoung is within arm’s reach, the alpha is brushing their fingers together,

“I do know of something that you could help me with.”

The way his voice went so deep and smooth. The way his expression softens with a, ‘Come hither’ look and that one hundred watt grin. Oh, this wolf might just devour him whole and he’d let him---

“Yeah?” Jinyoung replies back as he takes another step forward.

As Jackson backs up but Jinyoung follows and gets all up in his space. Their gazes remained locked, breaths mixing as the atmosphere was definitely heating up.

“And what would that be exactly?” Jinyoung whispers against his ear, noticing the way Jackson’s eyes flash in response.

It makes him have a cocky grin on his face from knowing he could affect the alpha so but soon he finds himself with the tables turning as the next second he’s being moved---

It all happens so fast and smoothly too. The way Jackson uses a move before Jinyoung finds his back against the wall between the sinks and a palm resting beside his face as the alpha was right in his face now. As that flirty grin showed off and eyes sparked with fire as chests brushed, his other hand on Jinyoung’s hip to put him flush against him. Jinyoung’s never been handled like this before with such suspense, surprise and confidence. It seems Jackson Wang was the whole package and an experience all on its own as Jinyoung finds himself holding his breath and waiting for the next move. Finds himself submitting instinctively as the alpha says,

“If you wanted a kiss, babe, all you had to do was ask. And if you wanted more…” Jackson eyes Jinyoung’s body in the most alluring way.

Those eyes express how much he’s into this and how much he wants Jinyoung; like damn man. All before he lifts his eyes back up to lock with his---

Fuck him---

Jinyoung does it before he can fully register it. Where he cups Jackson’s face and swoops down and crashes their lips together like some desperate whore here. Both gasping, Jinyoung realizes what he just did but Jackson isn’t backing down. He pushes harder, melding their lips together to get more of his taste. Jinyoung whimpering out of response as he’s never kissed someone like this before. Never felt tingles running through his body or an alpha’s scent surrounding him with such fire and desire fueling inside. His mind short circuits and he’s kissing back just the same. Wanting another taste, wanting to breathe in more of him. The kiss growing rough and passionate as a heavy make out session was beginning to take place---

The fuck is he doing right now?! He was supposed to distract Jackson and keep him occupied, not full on make out---

Jinyoung’s brain suddenly comes back online, his hands moving down to Jackson’s chest before shoving him back. Their lips become unlocked, both heavily panting as Jinyoung looks like he’s gay panicking because he is! He’s never actually kissed another guy before and liked it! If it’s to get a mission done then no biggie but this?!

His lips still tingle, his body lighting up in want as his mind is freaking the fuck out here. And what does Jinyoung do that’s so unlike him?

He runs. The fox takes off in fear as nope, he needs to get as far away from the wolf as possible…

Previously,

Did Jaebum have to act all cute in front of Shannon just so he could get the information he wanted? Yes. Did he have to get down on his knees and plead for Jinyoung to help him? Why yes he did. And you want to know why? Because Jaebum will do anything for his loved ones. He can set aside his pride and is not afraid to admit when he’s in the wrong or ask for help when needed. And he needs this. He can’t just turn away and run this time. He’s got kids he didn’t know about. He’s got Mark that might still care a tiny bit too. But it’s the fact that he might that Jaebum is doing something stupid like this instead of just leaving like he was told. Because he doesn’t want to make things worse for Mark and cause more harm and damage that he unintentionally caused already. So if Mark truly hated him, Jaebum would’ve left and done things more differently. Probably would still try to find some way to help Mark like paying for things they needed or something. But since Jinyoung made him see past his anger and being upset, he realized that Mark still cared so it should be fine in meeting the twins, right?

Does any of this logic make sense?

He’s just gonna meet them, that’s all. Nothing drastic here as Jaebum would never put them in any danger. Maybe he can learn more about Mark this way too. Can learn more about what he missed out on and see the kids he never knew he had until today…

So with Jinyoung heading into the bathroom with Jackson, Jaebum booked it past and straight to the room the twins were currently in. Where he stops in the doorway as he takes in the scene of them playing.

It’s surreal really, like some kind of dream. Something he’s thought about for the future. Something he’s wanted to have one day with the love of his life. A little family to call his own and here he is now…

“They’re perfect…” He breathes out in awe.

Out of everything he could’ve imagined, they were better than that. Two little mini me’s of him and Mark put together. So freaking adorable too---

“Are you crying?” Lilly asks and Jaebum snaps out of his haze before using his sleeve to wipe at his eyes,

“No,” Jaebum is quick to say before Kyo speaks,

“It’s not nice to lie. Mommy says lying is bad.”

“Unless it’s to a stranger,” Lilly reminds her brother.

“But he’s not a stranger,” Kyo protests with a cute pout.

“Hmmm…” Lilly voices as she comes closer with Kyo.

Just like her brother, she does feel something instinctively. Where looking at Jaebum feels familiar. Where being around him isn’t weird or scary.

Jaebum continues to watch in awe as the twins are right in front of him now and eyeing him back. Their little hands reach out to touch at his leg like he’s suddenly gonna turn into something mean and scary.

“He seems nice,” Lilly says and Kyo nods in agreement,

“Mommy knew his name.”

Ah, that’s right. The twins were there when he passed out earlier.

The two twins look at each other before smiling up at Jaebum,

“Bummie!”

Jaebum’s eyes go wide at this, wait, he said that when he passed out?! He called him by his nickname the omega gave him all those years ago?!

The alpha can’t believe it. A simple nickname that Mark gave him at first just to piss him off and see how far he could push. Something to tease him with before it turned into something endearing and what he loved to hear came from Mark.

He still calls him that? Or was it done out of reflex?

“Did you hear that name before?” Jaebum asks as he leans forward to get more on their level.

They both nod and say,

“When Mommy sleeps.”

This intrigues Jaebum more, smiling from hearing that. It continues to grow as the twins get off topic and start to talk about how much they love Mark.

“We miss, Mommy. Can you take us to Mommy?” Lilly asks.

Kyo clings to his leg as he talks, “We didn’t give Mommy our daily kiss and hug yet.”

Lilly now comes forth and clings too as Jaebum stands back up straight and finds them both looking up at him cutely,

“Do you miss Mommy too?”

Jaebum nods, his expression softening and showing sadness,

“I do. Every day.”

“That’s a lot,” Kyo lets out in a loud gasp.

“That’s this much!” Lilly exclaims as she tries to hold her hands out wide before going back to leaning against Jaebum.

“Not as much as we love Mommy,” Kyo tells her with a fierce look.

This makes Jaebum melt and smile like a dork because they definitely have Mark in them right there.

“We love Mommy the mostest,” Lilly states and points a finger into the air.

“Don’t ever stop loving him,” Jaebum tells them as he reaches a hand down to run through their hair.

The two smile as they lean into the touch, “Never ever,” They both say at the same time.

These two were so sweet as Jaebum already feels himself growing attached to them. Mark raised them well already and it makes him proud of the omega more of how he’s taken care of them. It’s also bittersweet as he wished he could’ve been there and that he wishes he could be a part of their lives now.

Jaebum kneels down, smiling as the two look right at him before touching his face,

“You got boo boos too like Gaga,” Lilly says.

“I do, but your mother helped to patch me up.”

“With love,” Kyo adds, “Love heals all things.”

Oh for the---Jaebum’s heart can’t take much more of this because it’s a saying he would say back then. For Mark to keep telling him to go back to Korea and throw all that anger and ‘hate’ his way, things like this keep showing that Mark still cares about him more and more. That he even took parts and pieces of him and showed them to their kids both unintentionally and with intention. And it was making Jaebum want to try even harder, growing more determined.

But before Jaebum can say or do anything else, Jinyoung was running into the room.

“We gotta go, NOW!” Jinyoung says as he’s already pulling on Jaebum to stand back up.

Jaebum almost trips with the rushing and force but manages to catch his footing before facing him,

“What, why?” Jaebum asks but Jinyoung is practically dragging the alpha out of the room.

“We don’t have time!”

As if on cue, Jackson can be heard coming from around the corner as he calls out Jinyoung’s name with all sorts of emotion. Jaebum goes wide eyed as they’ve been caught and doesn’t put on the brakes now with Jinyoung pulling on him to keep moving…

The two keep running, booking it the fuck out of there and down a few blocks before coming to a panting stop. Jaebum is hunched over as he tries to take in air while Jinyoung crouches down and holds his head in his hands and does the same.

“Can you…tell me now what happened? What went wrong?” Jaebum asks after catching his breath for the most part.

Jaebum lifts his head at the same time Jinyoung shows his face and boy is he flustered.

“Nothing went wrong…in fact, it went too well…” Jinyoung says as he looks like he’s having a mid life crisis of some sort.

His hands were even shaking as his eyes were round in shock still that Jaebum simply blinks before he’s busting out into his dinosaur laughter.

“It’s not funny!” Jinyoung exclaim as he’s ready to murder.

He approaches Jaebum with hands ready to wring his neck when the two suddenly hear little giggles.

They freeze, Jaebum’s laughter dying out fast before both their heads look down to find two pairs of blue eyes looking up at them,

“Your laugh is funny, Bummie,” Lilly says while Kyo giggles some more.

“Look at your faces.”

The two look like they’ve seen a ghost with the sudden gasping and wide eyed expression. They look seconds from completely freaking out as Jinyoung grabs a hold of Jaebum’s front while they still look at the twins,

“Jaebum…why did you bring them with you?”

“Me?! I didn’t! You were the one dragging me to run so I did!”

Jinyoung now looks up at Jaebum as he exclaims, “They’re gonna think you kidnapped them!”

Hell, they’re gonna think that Jinyoung was and accomplice and take him to jail while Jaebum is killed!

“Come, let’s get you to Momma,” Jaebum lets out as he’s already trying to get them back toward the building.

Of course the twins have other plans though as they notice kids eating ice cream at the playground,

“Ooooo!” The two exclaim as they take off before Jaebum can properly stop them.

Jinyoung and Jaebum both panic more and race after them as damn, these two are mighty fast. The twins make it to the ice cream truck while holding hands even and start to say what they want,

“That one,” Kyo points to the colorful looking ice cream while Lilly knows what she wants,

“Cone and sprinkles pwease.”

The ice cream man goes to work and hands over their order by the time Jaebum and Jinyoung get to them,

“Ah, that’ll be eight fifty,” The man tells Jaebum as he’s waiting on the money.

“I…but…wait…ok,” Jaebum goes through a series of motions before he’s taking out his wallet and handing over his card.

Jinyoung can’t help but smirk at the twins for being innocently naughty, “You two are spoiled.”

The twins just giggle and show big smiles at the two males while eating their yummy treats,

“Thanks Bummie!” They say sweetly as Jaebum comes towards them once he’s done paying.

Jinyoung managed to get them to sit down on the bench to eat their treats and not make too much of a mess. It was adorable watching them and when they thanked Jaebum, it melted both their hearts.

“You’re welcome,” Jaebum tells them while Jinyoung snorts,

“Bummie?” He starts to tease but Jaebum gives him a look,

“Don’t start with me right now.”

“Did you want a name too like Bummie?” Lilly asks while swinging her legs back and forth.

Kyo remained still and curled up by his sister’s side. Jaebum luckily thought to grab extra napkins and helped to keep Kyo from getting the sticky liquid onto his clothing and hands while Jinyoung helped to hold Lilly’s hair out of the way to keep from getting into her ice cream cone.

“My name is Jinyoung,” He tells her and Kyo hums while happily releasing feline noises over the ice cream.

Lilly wiggles in her seat from the yummy treat before pointing at Jinyoung,

“Jinyoungie.”

Jinyoung won’t lie. The way it sounds when a kid says it makes it ok and has his eye whiskers showing,

“Jinyoungie it is.”

This makes Lilly beam and yep, these two alphas were already becoming wrapped around their fingers.

Kyo finishes his treat first as he’s done eating it halfway through and gives it to Jaebum,

“No more.”

Jaebum takes it and throws it in the nearby trash as he wipes off Kyo’s hands next,

“I wanna see the photo again.”

Photo?

Jaebum perks up at this as he looks to Kyo who is already clinging to his side,

“One in your wallet,” Kyo tells him and Jaebum is in awe that the little boy was paying that close attention.

“You noticed that?” He lets out as he sits down next to him and takes out his wallet.

“It had Mommy in it,” Kyo says like it’s that simple.

Sure enough, when Jaebum took out the photo, it was of him and Mark. Lilly gasps before tossing her cone to the side without care. Forget yummy treats, this was her mother here! Jinyoung stumbles to catch the cone before tossing it into the trash can while all three oogled the photo.

“Can I have it?” She asks and oh god, she’s giving him that perfected look of Mark’s.

How can he say no to that?! Jinyoung, save him!

But Jinyoung is currently laughing his ass off at the turmoil Jaebum is going through at deciding to give up something this precious to his daughter.

“You have to promise me that you’ll never get rid of it…that you’ll keep it somewhere safe. It’s very important to me now. I kept this for years,” Jaebum caves and tells her.

Lilly nods, carefully taking the photo after Jaebum helps to clean her hands. The little girl smiles so happily as she holds it close before unzipping the pocket on her skirt and puts it in there and zips it back up. She even pats it for added effect as she makes sure it won’t come out,

“There, all safe and sound.”

Ugh, his heart!

“Mommy!” Kyo exclaims and at first the two don’t think anything of it, but then Lilly looks where Kyo is looking and exclaims it too,

“Mommy!”

Now, the two turn and see a car has stopped before the passenger’s door is left open and the omega is seen running toward them.

“Kyo! Lilly!” Mark calls out, relief in his voice as the twins get up from the bench and race to meet him halfway.

Mark goes down on his knees as he takes the two into his arms and curls around them in such relief and joy,

“I’m so glad you two are safe,” He breathes out, hands in their hair before pulling back some and a stern expression shows,

“Gaga said he saw you two taking off. You two know better than to take off like that,” Mark says and the twins frown as they know they upset their mother.

“We’re sorry Mommy, but Bummie was leaving,” Lilly starts and Kyo nods,

“We like Bummie and knew you missed him so we followed.”

Lilly is nodding now too, “He’s very nice and even bought us ice cream!”

Mark is left stunned as he listens to the twins go on and on about Bummie this and Bummie that. Even talking about Jinyoungie while the two slowly come up to Mark. Lilly and Kyo then both turn to cling to Jaebum,

“Can he come eat dinner with us, Mommy? Please! Pretty pwease!”

It’s at this moment that both Jaebum and Mark are in awe and share a look. Where both seem to get lost in such a moment before Jinyoung notices someone getting out of the driver’s side. His breath hitching as Jackson Wang himself was walking toward them.

Oh god, please say no. Please for the love of god, Jaebum, tell him we have a hotel. We’re good, let’s just run---

“As thanks for keeping them safe, please, it’s the least I can do,” Mark says as he stands back up, “My brother and I would appreciate it if you two both ate dinner with us.”

And this is how Jaebum and Jinyoung end up at Mark and Jackson’s house eating dinner. Boy, is the atmosphere silent and tense. Good thing the twins are there to make it all better…

Chapter Text

Will Mark regret this…maybe. Why is he doing this? Because he’s listening to his stupid heart and not his logical brain that is telling him that this was not the smartest idea. Years, Mark, literal years! Since you’ve seen one another. Since you’ve even spoken but Mark still invited his ex lover, does he even call him that? To dinner at his home.

All because of the twins.

It just…he didn’t want to be that parent that cuts off the other one for no reason. I mean, he has a very good, solid reason to do it to Jaebum but then again, the alpha didn’t know about the twins. Not to mention, the twins already met Jaebum and trying to stop it now would be cruel. Though Mark won’t lie, he had hoped Jaebum wouldn’t have known about them. Not that he thinks Jaebum will do it, but the alpha could take him to court for custody or legal battles over the twins if he wanted to. And with Mark being a male omega and Jaebum an alpha, well, things wouldn’t be pretty nor work in his favor. It would also cause more drama and Jackson would no doubt get involved and then his parents, Neil, and Bam…and then Danny…Shannon…

Mark wants to keep things civil between them at this point even if his heart is aching and totally wanting to latch onto the past memories like it’s gonna change anything. He’s gonna go against his better judgment and let these moments happen just in case the twins do realize that this was their father. That they may not get any future interaction with him or know what the future could hold. He definitely didn’t want them to grow up and find out that their father came to America and get upset with him on why he denied them to see him. Mark only wants what’s best for them and that they’re always happy and healthy.

But god is this torture. Pure fucking torture from the car ride to here. Where the silence between them was so loud and proving how much distance had grown between them. How Jaebum kept staring at him but not saying anything. It made an itch grow underneath his skin that he couldn’t ignore. A burning sensation that kept spreading the more Jaebum stared that at one point, Mark almost missed his own street while driving.

The twins were excited though and would voice it through feline noises and saying their names. Asking what they were having for dinner and if anyone else would be there. They would then take turns asking Jaebum random questions like if he liked vegetables and why. What his favorite snack was, etc. Honestly, his twins helped make the car trip more bearable but the moment they made it home and getting inside the house, oh, things were getting worse.

And by worse, Mark means by Jaebum being his damn self and the gentleman that he is. Where the moment he put the car in park, Jaebum got out to help him with the kids. Didn’t ask, just did it as he was already undoing the car seats.

Fuck, he needs to block this from memory now…

“Bummie!” Kyo claps as Jaebum picks him up out of his car seat while Lilly climbs over hers to attach to his arms.

The alpha had no problem lifting nor carrying the two even with Kyo wiggling a lot.

“Ah, there’s Gaga and Jinyoungie!” Lilly points out over Jaebum’s broad shoulder as Jackson pulls up.

Jinyoung hopped out fast, maybe slamming the door with a little too much power but he needed to escape after that one. Breathe in fresh air, oh almighty planet earth, how good it feels to not be breathing in sin that makes him want to do very naughty things---

“Is your friend ok?” Mark can’t help but ask as Jinyoung is squatting down and smelling the flowers in the flower bed.

Jaebum lifts one eyebrow as he watches before seeing Jackson get out of the car and snorts.

“What?” Jackson is curious to know but Jaebum is quick to turn away to try and hide his growing smirk.

With Mark unlocking the door, they enter inside where the twins demand to be put down right away. Jaebum does so and helps to take off their shoes as Mark has to leave the room and goes into the kitchen to distract himself.

Definitely not gonna watch that scene that would’ve continued to pull at his heart strings.

“Care for anything to drink while you two wait for dinner?” Jackson offers politely while they can hear Mark rummaging through the kitchen very loudly.

Pots and pans clink that even Jackson winces but the twins giggle and run toward the kitchen to help.

“Mommy, I want to make noise too!” Kyo exclaims as Lilly voices the same.

“We’re good,” Jinyoung answers for the both of them before Jaebum can even open his mouth.

“Don’t mind us, really. Please do whatever you need to, we’ll be fine,” Jinyoung is quick to add more as Jaebum is eyeing him with such a shit eating grin.

“Alright, I’m gonna get out of these clothes. If you need anything, don’t be afraid. You’re our guests and we really appreciate looking out for the twins.”

Jackson throws in a squirtle smile before looking at Jaebum, “And um…not sorry about earlier but I’m willing to look past it for Mark’s sake. So we good?”

Jaebum waves him off, expression falling into one of understanding, “I would’ve done the same if I were in your shoes.”

Jackson nods, his squirtle expression coming back before the alpha bows politely and excusing himself to head upstairs.

The moment Jackson is out of view and hearing, Jinyoung finds his muscles relaxing before he rounds on Jaebum,

“You! This is all your fault!”

“Me? I didn’t tell you to start falling for the guy,” Jaebum teases before Jinyoung is smacking his chest,

“I will end you right where you’re standing, you hear me? Tell me you at least suffered on the ride here like I did. And I’m not falling for Mark’s brother, ok?! He’s just a highly attractive man that any male could see.”

“Mhmm…” Jaebum replies before they hear Mark talking with the twins.

Jaebum’s good spirits go down a bit as he wishes he could be in there conversing away with them like a happy family. Where instead of this awkward, thick barrier built between them, they didn’t have to act like strangers and fall back into the way they were before.

Jinyoung fold his arms in front of his chest and currently holds a duck face while pouting,

“I can’t believe since arriving here, I’m being punished by your past actions. That man never stopped talking and he loves to touch. I kept getting lost in that voice and the way he kept giving me this puppy eyed look. He must want to eat me…but the way his touch still feels like he’s touching me---hey, I’m talking here,” Jinyoung’s thoughts are interrupted as he sees Jaebum leaving and heading into the kitchen.

No, don’t leave him alone with his thoughts now!

But Jaebum can’t take it anymore as the need to get closer thrums through his body. Every nerve in his body itching to connect with the omega again. In wanting to not miss another moment with the twins…

“Let me help--oh damn,” Jaebum starts off determined before he finds himself walking in with Mark bent over inside the fridge and his mind short circuits the moment his ass is on display.

Instantly, all three gasp, the twins pointing fingers at Jaebum while Mark jerks and about drops what he was holding.

“Ooo, you said a bad word!” The twins exclaim while Jaebum realizes his mistake and winces.

It doesn’t help that Mark is fast to stand back up straight and turn to glare at Jaebum fiercely,

“Out.”

Jaebum starts to whine and pout as he didn’t mean to upset him,

“But I wanted to help!”

“Your filthy paws aren’t needed here. Now be a guest and wait patiently in the living room. I know you must be tired from your flight here,” Mark says and his word is final.

Jaebum leaves the kitchen like a child being put in time out and Jinyoung stops his conversation on the phone just to laugh at the alpha,

“Karma’s a bitch ain’t it?” Jinyoung teases before he finds one of the couch pillows being thrown at him.

Jaebum plops his ass down on the couch across from Jinyoung who continues on with his conversation,

“Yeah, we’re stuck here until the morning for clearance. We should be on our way no later than tomorrow afternoon unless something comes up.”

Jaebum realizes Jinyoung must be talking to either Yugyeom or Youngjae, maybe even both to keep them updated.

“About Mark?” Jinyoung questions back, his eyes meeting Jaebum’s with mischief in his eyes.

But then Jaebum mouths one word that instantly has Jinyoung freezing up before changing his mind,

“Afraid that’s classified information but I’ll keep you updated if anything changes. Try not to have too much fun over there and keep our office clean you two.”

Jaebum smiles a bit as he can already imagine their reply before the call ends and the two are left alone. And boy does it not do any good as both the people they’re trying not to think about are right there for them to think about.

Hopefully dinner won’t take too much longer…

Just when Mark thought that he could breathe, Jaebum tried to sneak back into the kitchen. That alpha just couldn’t help himself and had to do something. Of course Mark knew the moment he came in because of that damn mint chocolate scent that’s become his favorite ever since Lim Jaebeom came into his life.

“What are you doing? Dinner is almost done,” Mark asks with no bite in his voice this time.

He’s genuinely curious about what Jaebum had planned and turns to see the alpha rummaging through his cabinets.

“Let me at least help in setting the table,” Jaebum insisted as he ended up in the wrong cabinet.

The twins hop down from their stools they were using to help Mark cook and come to help Jaebum,

“This one, this one!” Kyo instructs.

“The plates and bowls are in that one, the cups in this one,” Lilly helps direct as well.

Mark watches as Jaebum interacts with the twins like it’s second born nature.

“This one?” Jaebum becomes playful as he purposely goes to the wrong cabinet.

“No! That one!” The two exclaim as they begin to giggle at Jaebum being silly.

“Ah, this one…but wait…”

“Bummie!” The two can’t hold back as their giggles become more and more.

Fuck, it’s got Mark smiling too, quick distract yourself! So Mark tries to busy himself with making sure everything is good to go and adding the final touches. But it doesn’t help when Jaebum appears behind him to look at what he’s making,

“It smells delicious,” The alpha breathes in deeply, his mouth watering already.

Mark is tense, trying very hard to not lean back against Jaebum’s chest as the alpha towers over him. Easily enclosing Mark around him with that scent that was becoming intoxicating---

“Do you want a taste?” Mark says it before he realizes.

Like what?! He’s betraying himself here as he becomes flustered for saying it in that tone of voice too, like god. But he can’t back out now as he’s already offered and seeing the shocked look on Jaebum’s face makes him want to stir him up more. Yeah, if he has to suffer then so do you!

Jaebum clears his throat to collect himself and nods while Mark takes a spoon and scoops up a good amount. He makes sure it’s not gonna drip and blows on it to cool it off some and then holds it up for the alpha to taste.

Talk about close and intimate here, especially as their faces are super close and Mark is eyeing Jaebum’s lips that part before accepting the spoon into his mouth. Mark is still staring at his lips long after the spoon is gone and only snaps his attention away when Jaebum lets out a pleased noise.

The two move back at this, the trance broken as Mark has to look away when he asks,

“It’s good?” While stirring the pot one more time and turning the heat off.

Jaebum nods, humming and of course Mark has to turn right as the alpha decides to let his tongue come out to lick at his lips in what seems like a slow motion…

“Very, your cooking skills have improved greatly,” Jaebum tells him.

“Y-yeah,” Mark coughs to clear his voice that shows he was affected.

He moves his eyes back up to see Jaebum was still looking at him before turning to start bringing the food over to the table,

“Cooking for a family now will do that,” The omega says quietly with a bit of shyness as he hopes Jaebum can’t see that he’s red all the way up to the tips of his ears.

Oh he can…

Dinner was served and it wasn’t long before tense silence came forth. Jinyoung had hoped for something light to be happening to take his mind off of a certain alpha in the room but it appears whatever took place in the kitchen is boiling slowly before an explosion is surely gonna happen later. But it is progress that the two are sitting next to each other with the twins on the other side eating away near Jinyoung. And Jinyoung thought sitting on the other end of the table across from Jackson would be better but no. This man is walking sex as he just had to come down the stairs with freshly washed hair and his shirt left unbuttoned. So here Jinyoung was staring at all those muscles. The way he’s cutting into the meat is even attractive, like what the hell?! Is he reverting back to his teenage years or something? Is he becoming like those horny girls that craved dick twenty four seven?

Why can’t he look away?!

“Anyone care for something to drink?” Mark offers and Jinyoung nods right away because he’s a thirsty bitch right now.

“Wine?” Mark asks to be more specific.

“Anything you got, I’ll take it,” Jinyoung about pleads for his suffering to be over.

And Mark was just using this as an excuse to get away from Jaebum for a second. To breathe in something not mint chocolate and to fight the urge to lean in closer. Oh, it’s been years and Mark thought he’d be over this. Thought he’d moved on, but it’s clear that he hasn’t…

But denial is one hell of a drug…

Coming back, Mark brings wine glasses and the bottle but Jinyoung just takes the bottle and chugs half of it in one go. All of them watch before Jinyoung sets the bottle down and inhales some air.

“Um, maybe we shouldn’t---” Jaebum starts but Jinyoung’s lethal glare stops him,

“Don’t even think about it.”

Alright, it seems like someone has had a bad day. Mark sits back down, scooting his chair in as Jackson says,

“Was the mission that bad?”

Mark stabs into the meat a little harder than he meant to and not because of thinking of the mission that happened earlier either. It was due to Jaebum suddenly reaching his hand out underneath the table and brushing against his leg.

“Touchy subject, got it,” Jackson voices out, not noticing how Mark shivers under Jaebum’s touch.

How he’s biting his lip to hold back the sound that wants to escape.

Mark takes his free hand and tries to move his chair away but Jaebum’s foot is fast to block the leg of the chair from budging. His hand coming back and trailing over Mark’s hand, fingers ghosting over gently on the omega’s wrist and down all the way to his fingertips. It’s not sexual, it’s sensual. Something still intimate as Jaebum wants to touch and connect. As he used to do this all the time once they started getting closer and closer. Half the time, he’d do it subconsciously when Mark was near and other times on purpose as he wanted to convey his feelings to the omega. Especially any time Mark might be upset with him; as if an apology in its own way. Telling Mark he’s still there, that he’s sorry. That he doesn’t want him to block him out or push him away.

How could Mark forget how romantic and sappy this man was? How passionate he could be…

“Mommy, does eating with Bummie make you happy?” Lilly asks.

Mark is pulled out of a daze as he looks at his children who have been watching the whole time.

“Yeah, your scent is so sweet,” Kyo adds while he wiggles in his seat.

Oh no! He’s been releasing his scent too?! How embarrassing!

Mark blushes, especially as the twins keep going.

“You must’ve missed him so much!” Lilly exclaims.

“It’s ok, Mommy, he likes strawberries too, he told us in the car, remember?” Kyo adds next.

Did he? Mark was too hyper focused on Jaebum’s heated gaze during the ride to the home.

“Now now, let’s not get carried away here,” Jackson comes in to help rescue his brother.

Mark looks ready to crawl under the table at any moment while Jaebum is a grinning fool and ready to keep pushing his luck when Jinyoung suddenly exclaims,

“Oh no…”

This has all of them stopping to look and with Jaebum being right next to him, well, he ends up being the victim as Jinyoung pales before yep, you guessed it, throws up all over him and himself…

Seems he tried to down the rest of the bottle in one go but that backfired…

Well this was very un-Jinyoung like but due to this, they’re now both stuck here for the night.

“Jackson’s shirt might be a little tight due to your broad shoulders but it should work,” Mark calls out from outside the bathroom.

Jaebum just got done with his shower after helping to clean Jinyoung and himself up. Jackson and him then took Jinyoung to bed which, due to not having a spare room anymore since the twins were born, Jinyoung ended up in Jackson’s bed. That man was gonna be in for a surprise when he woke up with a hangover the next day…

But now Jaebum was facing a dilemma as he’s gonna be staying the night with Mark closeby.

“When did you move in with your brother?” Jaebum asks as he takes the shirt through the partially opened door.

“Since we all found out I was pregnant. Jackson didn’t take no for an answer,” Mark says the last part with a little sigh but he was smiling fondly at how caring his brother was of him.

“Ah, so you sold your old place?” Jaebum replies with a hint of sadness in his voice.

He had some really good memories there with Mark.

“Yeah, I would’ve had to regardless since it was only a one bedroom apartment.”

True, the twins would’ve needed more room to grow.

Jaebum finishes putting on his clothes, rolling the shirt down over his body that was a little tight due to his broad shoulders indeed. But hey, it’s the best they can do so Jaebum keeps moving, turning off the bathroom light as he steps out and takes a towel to his hair.

Mark stands outside the bathroom propped up against the wall with a look like he’s reminiscing about the past as well. Their eyes soon meet though as Mark realizes his presence,

“Man, we really did a number on you,” Mark says as he reaches out to touch Jaebum’s face.

The alpha winces but remains still as the omega gets close to inspect further.

“I deserved it. In fact, if you would like to lay more punches, let me know.”

Mark shakes his head, sighing as he moves back,

“I’d rather move forward and stop thinking about the past.”

“You and me both,” Jaebum sighs out with him as he knows he fucked up to go back to those days.

He takes the towel one last time to his hair, Mark watching the display until he hears something jingle,

“What’s that?” Mark questions with a frown.

“Hmm? Oh,” Jaebum lets out as he drops his one arm while lifting the other to pull on the chain underneath his shirt a little,

“It’s my dog tags. My team calls me an old man for wearing them still to this day.”

Mark moves closer, hand reaching out, “You only had one though, who is the other one--”

But Jaebum stops Mark from finding out by gently grabbing his wrist. He lets his fingers wrap around his hand, both feeling the fire burning underneath,

“I thought we were moving forward from the past?”

Mark moves his arm back, dropping his hand down by his side,

“Fair enough,” Mark lets out before turning,

“Let me show you to the room---”

“I’ll just sleep on the couch,” Jaebum cuts him off gently.

Mark stops walking and looks over his shoulder,

“You don’t have to be modest here, Jaebum and sleep on the couch. Even if we’re not together, I trust you still.”

Jaebum is reminded of when they first met again when Jinyoung and him were chasing their target. How even though Mark was upset and pissed off with him, he still trusted him and showed him the weapon to take before they all moved into action. He still trusted Jaebum with his life despite the heartbreak.

“You and I both know that’s not a smart idea, Mark. I may be a gentleman but if what I feel for you still hasn’t gone away after all these years, holding back now that you’re in front of me again would be impossible.”

He says it truthfully and bluntly. Not holding back his thoughts and feelings like he always does and with such a heated, passionate expression.

“Jaebum…” Mark calls out his name with such emotion, his eyes filling with pain and sadness,

“Don’t do this to me…”

Not again…

Don’t say things that’ll fill his heart. Don’t do things that’ll make him feel and those thoughts and feelings that he’s been trying to get rid of to hold on.

Don’t give him that damn hope again.

“Can I put the kids to bed at least?” Jaebum asks as Mark was closing himself off once more.

Mark gives him a sad smile, “I would say yes but Jackson did it while you were showering and I was throwing things into the laundry.”

Silence falls between them and Jaebum looks as pained and sad as Mark. Where Jaebum wants to move closer but he can feel the shield the omega is putting up. Knowing if he tried anything at this moment that it was only gonna make things worse.

So he nods,

“Got it, I’ll um…”

“Get some sleep, Jaebum. You’ll be on your flight back to your home country in no time.”

There Mark goes, cutting him off just like Jaebum had him. But unlike Jaebum, Mark used his words and told him where Jaebum was a coward and left without saying a word. Here, Mark is letting him know that nothing is gonna happen again between them. That Jaebum can go back and continue on with his life like Mark has been doing over here.

And to make matters worse, a phone starts to ring. Where Jaebum sees Mark take it out and catches Neil’s name. A hit in the face that hurt far worse than what Mark and Jackson dealt him.

A clear sign that he’s definitely not needed in Mark’s life like Jaebum had wanted…

“Let me,” Mark starts as he wants to answer the call and Jaebum already starts moving to head back down the stairs,

“Don’t mind me, I’ll be out of your hair by morning.”

Jaebum can’t see how those words hurt Mark as he keeps his back turned to him but it’s for the best right? He left so it’s not like he has the right to come back. Just because he wants to do things right, doesn’t mean he should be given the chance. And even if he begs and pleads for another chance, it’s not like he can hold Mark’s heart again like he had all those years ago.

Jaebum tried to sleep on the couch that night, but couldn’t.

And when Mark wakes up the next morning, he finds Jaebum is gone just like all those years ago…

But it seems fate has other plans as Mark tries to keep moving forward and heads into work like usual. But he finds Jaebum was still there waiting on clearance and well, things start to get a bit crazy…

And it makes one wonder, if you’re the right person but at the wrong time, do they ever get a second chance to be the right person at the right time?

Chapter Text

When Jaebum left the first time, it wasn’t as easy as everyone thought. It was hard, it was so damn hard. Sitting there as it went round and round in his head. Where his mind and heart battled on a choice that would change everything. Where just one look at Mark and he found himself reaching out and wanting to convince Mark to go with him. But those messages from his brother, just knowing he didn’t stand a chance. Just knowing he shouldn’t have even gotten this close…he had to do it. Mark hesitated and it showed right there what that meant. So when he left, he left with the intention of never seeing Mark again because he knew that the moment he laid eyes on the omega once more…his resolve would shatter. He wouldn’t be able to leave twice.

Now look at him, standing in the doorway of the twin’s room and looking at children he didn’t even know existed until just recently. Watching them sleeping peacefully and knowing he has to force himself to leave again.

It’s so damn hard, ten times more than the last as he can’t even go look at Mark right now. Knowing he’ll drop to his knees and beg like a fool. Knowing he’ll go right into that office and drag Neil over the desk if that’s what it took---

But Mark doesn’t want that. He can’t do that to him…not after making him suffer this much already. He doesn’t want to cause a scene in front of his kids or make them think he’s some crazy man. He’s afraid of them thinking badly of him, of hating him if they ever knew the truth. It’d be better this way. To just go now while they’re this young. To get back on another plane and this time never step foot in L.A. again.

He’s crying…

Everything is telling him to stay. His heart pulling and aching with the need…but his head already knows the outcome. He doesn’t belong here, he made that choice long ago…sometimes the damage done can’t be fixed with time…

He’s only spent a few hours with them but they already hold a piece of his heart. Just like how Mark will forever be his one and only---

Meanwhile,

Jinyoung finds himself stirring awake. His lips smacking, eyelashes fluttering before his head starts to pound and he groans.

What even happened last night? Where was he---

Jinyoung moves his limbs a bit and feels something silky and smooth. Hmm? Bed sheets? Did they go to a hotel for the night?

The alpha holds his head as he slowly sits up and blinks his eyes open. It takes a second to focus and when he looks down he finds he’s not in the same clothing either.

The fuck?

Duck face in place, Jinyoung doesn’t want to think right now as his head keeps reminding him that he’s hungover from last night. But oh?! There seems to be some water and medicine already waiting on him at the bedside table. How thoughtful. Jaebum does know how to take care of his team members and it brings a small smile to his face.

Reaching over, Jinyoung follows the instinctive movements and downs the medicine with the water before setting the glass back down. He really could just go back to sleep but he has this feeling that they don’t have much time left and need to get moving.

Ah right, they have a job to do. The whole reason they were stuck in America in the first place as they were waiting for clearance to take their target back with them. Did he drink because of that? No, he’s not one to get wasted like so unless they’re celebrating something. Maybe he drank to help Jaebum drown his own sorrows because man, did he get himself into some shit.

Or maybe…

Jinyoung moves back the covers and starts to get out when he notices he’s not alone in the bed. Not only that, but he’s clad in boxers while the person next to him is shirtless.

As Jackson Wang is sleeping next to him in all his beautiful and handsome glory!!!!

Jinyoung sucks in air, his body freezing as he tries to remember last night---

Think Jinyoung, THINK! Argh! All he can recall is bits and pieces of the car ride and then Jackson coming down after his shower. Even some parts during dinner like how stupidly handsome he was while eating and the many thoughts of wanting to kiss the man again.

Oh…tell him he didn’t pull a Jaebum and slept with this man!

His ass isn’t sore though and there’s no markings…

Jinyoung is lifting his shirt just to be sure, unless---

Did he fuck Jackson?! And not remember it?! Only drunk Jinyoung would have enough confidence to kiss that man again and take him to bed because sober Jinyoung is gay panicking once more.

Luckily, someone comes to save him and it’s Jaebum as he appears in the doorway with his clothing. He gestures with his head for them to get going and Jinyoung takes it as he needs to get as far away from this man as possible.

Please tell him the clearance has been given already…

“I’m sorry guys but we still don’t have the clearance on our end yet,” Yugyeom sighs out and the two males groan.

They’re sitting in the back of the taxi cab on their way to the main building when Jaebum called to find out the news.

“They’re sure taking their sweet time,” Youngjae’s voice can be heard in the background.

Jaebum tilts his head back and stares out the window, “I swear it’s my brother doing it on purpose.”

He probably wants him to suffer for as long as possible while he’s here.

“I’m not waiting another day,” Jinyoung sasses as he’s gonna go in there and kick Neil’s ass into gear himself if he has to.

“Someone’s got their panties in a knot this morning, did you not sleep well?” Yugyeom teases lightly and Jinyoung glares.

“I’m not even there and I can feel those eyes he’s giving right now,” Youngjae adds before laughing up a storm.

Jaebum sighs as he runs a hand over his face for he can’t take much more of this either.

“We’ll go check out what’s happening and call when we got things figured out.”

“Hear from you guys soon!” Yugyeom exclaims before the call ends and the two go quiet in pout…

It’s fine, everything is fine. He’s not crying, he’s not biting his lip to hold back the sounds. And he’s definitely not getting into his feelings about the whole situation at all…

Shouldn’t he be over this by now?

Anger and frustration come forth and Mark welcomes it. Yes, let it take over the pain and sadness so he can continue on with his day and not listen to the aching of his heart at the fact that Jaebum has left again and is most likely long gone by now.

It’s what he asked for though. It’s what he told Jaebum to do. It’s for the best as he’s already made it this far since Jaebum first left so he can do it again. All over again…

“Mommy, where’s Bummie?” Lilly asks.

Welp, there goes his heart clenching painfully so.

“He had to go to work, honey. He’s always been a very busy man.”

“But we didn’t get to say goodbye,” Kyo adds as he grows sad.

It’s because it’s Monday isn’t it? The world has decided to pelt him with as much pain and suffering because it’s Monday morning…

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry---

“Did Jinyoung leave?” Jackson’s voice is heard as he comes walking into the kitchen with a hand in his hair and his other scratching at his happy trail.

Mark nods, holding a tight lipped expression as he tries to hold everything together. He attempts to busy himself in getting the twins fed but they keep going on about Jaebum.

“But Bummie didn’t stay for long, he just got here!” Lilly protests as she stabs into her cereal with a spoon.

Kyo watches as Mark cuts up some strawberries to add to his next,

“Couldn’t he have gone in with you?”

Jackson opens the fridge to bring out some orange juice before closing the door and propping up against it,

“He works in a different place than us. He’s only visiting here from far away for business.”

The two take in the words before sulking down toward their cereal. Kyo doesn’t even take a bite and just twirls his spoon around,

“Just like Daddy…” Kyo says.

Mark was luckily facing the kitchen sink when those words were said and it takes everything in Mark not to break down right there. He ends up gripping the kitchen sink to try and get his bearings---

“Daddy isn’t coming back though,” Lilly corrects him.

Oh, Mark’s words have come back to bite him in the ass.

“Daddy is in heaven,” She says in an even sadder tone.

“But it’s still far away from here. Somewhere we can’t go!” Kyo replies as he’s starting to get cranky.

Mark can literally count it down before he knows what’s happening next.

Three…two…one---

Lilly shoves the bowl away, “M’not hungry!”

Kyo starts crying as Lilly gets down from the chair and stomps her feet away from the kitchen. Jackson comes forth to squeeze Mark’s shoulder to let him know he’s here for him. The omega takes another moment to just breathe before turning and finding Jackson has already picked Kyo up in his arms and is getting him to calm down. Watching as the alpha is gentle and trying to still the falling tears as Kyo clings and rubs at his tired eyes,

“Why did Daddy have to leave us?” Kyo cries out, his face showing his emotions and Mark finds himself blinking back tears.

This was gonna be ten times harder than last time…

“Lilly,” Mark calls out softly as he goes to check up on her while Jackson is taking care of Kyo.

He sees her bedroom door is cracked open from her entering a few moments ago. Pushing it open a bit more, Mark peeks in and can see Lilly is curled up on the bed while holding something. Moving closer, Mark is able to see it’s an old photo as the ends are wrinkled and one side bent before he’s able to see what it is.

It’s of him and Jaebum years ago.

“Where did you get that?” Mark asks as he can’t believe it.

He comes to sit on the edge of the bed as his eyes won’t leave the photo. Lilly ends up moving to face her mother before showing it to him more properly,

“Bummie had it in his wallet. He let me have it even though it was something important to him. Told me I had to keep it safe so I stuck it under my pillow.”

Mark carefully takes the photo from her, his hands shaking as he finds all sorts of emotions coming forth. Of his heart longing to be near the alpha once more. His heart aching with feelings he can’t seem to get rid of no matter how hard he tries.

“I miss him, Mommy,” Lilly says as she leans against his side.

Mark doesn’t hesitate to hold her close, pulling her into his lap as he buries his nose into her hair and the two stare at the photo together,

“I miss him too…”

Pulling himself together, Jackson helped in getting the kids ready for the day before dropping them off with their grandmother. Mark had Jackson drive as his mind was just not in it today and he stares out at the scenery passing by.

“I’m sorry, Yien,” Jackson’s voice interrupts his thoughts as the alpha is pained that Mark is going through so much.

The alpha grips the steering wheel with one hand while the other reaches out to squeeze Mark’s knee,

“I’m here though, whatever you need, whatever comes next, I’m here. I’m always here.”

Mark nods, his throat constricting so he can’t get words out. As he can’t help but think back to Jaebum’s promise about always being there for him. How they used to be by each other’s side twenty four seven during the case---

The phone starts to ring and Jackson hits the talk button the dash to answer Bam’s call,

“Skkrt! Skrrt! Are you guys on the way?” Bam’s cheerful voice comes through.

It helps right now as a nice distraction,

“Yeah, sorry about that. The twins were a bit cranky this morning,” Mark apologies.

“No worries, man! Just checking in. We got everything set up so the moment you two arrive, we can get this show on the road and interrogation can begin.”

Ah, that’s right. Neil called last night about that. Telling him the questioning could begin and though there’s enough proof against those there, we needed to check to make sure there was no one else. No other third party or hidden places full of illegal weapons and drugs. Though getting that information out of everyone can be a feat in itself but some lessening sentences or putting them against each other could help if it comes down to it.

“Understood,” Jackson says before he can’t help himself and ask,

“Hey, can Danny check to see if that clearance went through yet?”

Mark perks up at this and turns to look at his brother. He can see Jackson has an unreadable expression on his face as his eyes aren’t fully focused on the road but something in his head. Where the alpha bites at the end of his thumb as he waits for Bam’s reply.

“I’ll have him check on it as soon as he comes in. He’s running a little late himself as he said there’s an accident down where he’s at and had to take a different route to work.”

“See you in a few then,” Jackson replies before the call ends…

“We’ve been waiting up here for him forever,” Jinyoung states in frustration.

It’s starting to feel like a fool’s game as Neil has yet to show up.

“Shannon said he’d be heading to the office once he got here from a business meeting,” Jaebum reminds him but he’s thinking the same thing.

With that clock on the wall and the watch on his wrist shows they’ve been here for far too long, Jaebum knows his brother is taking his sweet ass time now.

“That’s it,” Jaebum lets out and Jinyoung lifts his head at seeing the alpha already on the move.

Jinyoung jogs to catch up and meets his pace as they walk past the office Jackson had been in yesterday and heading toward the elevator,

“What do you plan on doing?” Jinyoung asks him.

“I’m gonna go straight to Shannon and find Neil myself or I’m gonna find someone who can get the clearance done for me.”

No wonder their father has such a hard time getting into contact with Neil. He hasn’t even been home to Korea since transferring over here in America. It’s like he’s a whole different person then the brother he remembers growing up with…

“I knew you’d be coming back to me, you always come back to me,” Shannon says while leaning back in her chair with a nail filer.

“Where is my brother?” Jaebum demands and Shannon sighs as she’s fed up with this herself,

“I relayed the message to him while he was out and even when he stepped inside the building. But it seems to be a Lim thing as you’re both hard headed and he took off in fiery determination in another direction. So, not my problem as there’s no getting through your guys’ thick skulls at that point.”

She shrugs her shoulders and shows her expression of not giving any fucks right now.

“Which direction?” Jinyoung asks in a calmer, gentler tone.

She takes her nail filer and points towards the back rooms behind her a good ways that holds the cells and interrogation rooms,

“He’s most likely listening in on the interrogation taking place right now---”

The phone at the front desk rings and cuts Shannon off. She stops and reaches out to answer,

“Yeah?”

She looks up at the two as she answers, “Yes, they’re right here in fact. I’m assuming the clearance is good now?”

She starts to twirl her finger around the cord as she hums in response,

“Mhmm, I got it. I’ll send them on back to pick up their target.”

With that, she hangs up the phone and pops her bubble gum,

“Looks like you came at the perfect time, boys. Let’s get you on back so you can leave with what you came for.”

Jaebum thanks her, calming down a bit as he follows behind her toward the back areas…

Previously,

“Any luck?” Danny asks as he enters the invisible room.

“Nah man, all of them are claiming they don’t know jack shit and only followed direct orders from Kyle,” Bam replies as he’s propped up against the desk facing the reverse window.

Danny looks in and can see Jackson is getting nowhere with Kyle himself.

Jackson remains relaxed despite not getting anywhere as he tries to be buddy buddy with Kyle.

“Mark trying with the others still?” Danny was curious as he looked away and toward Bam again.

“I tried for a bit with Mark on several of the men but after getting nowhere, Mark asked Neil to talk with the target the Koreans wanted to take back.”

“Ah, you think that’s why Jackson asked if the clearance had gone through yet?”

Bam shrugs his shoulders as his hands were still crossed over his chest,

“Possibly. I mean, it’s a good start when Korea seems really adamant on getting their hands on the guy.”

Danny agrees, “I was wondering why Mark asked me to delay the clearance for a bit.”

“Then why are you asking if you already knew?” Bam snorts a bit as he meets Danny’s gaze and sees he’s been thinking about something.

“I…I thought maybe it had to do with something more personal.”

Bam’s expression falters as he knows exactly what Danny was hinting at. His expression grows serious as his posture relaxes some and he leans back on the desk with the others in the room still listening in on the conversation taking place in the adjacent room.

“I’m just as lost as you are my friend. All I know is that he’s the baby daddy and that’s it.”

Danny winces at that, “Do you have to say it like that?”

“What? It’s true. He knocked Mark up and then left like it was nothing. I know the lingo here.”

Danny goes to say something when the others in the room shush them,

“Quiet and listen.”

The two both look and notice Jackson getting defensive,

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I want to talk to Mark or I won’t say jack shit.”

“We need Mark, where is he?” One of the men in the room asks before Danny is moving to go find out.

He exits the room and doesn’t have to look far to find Neil talking with Mark,

“Mark,” Danny calls out and the two lift their heads toward his direction.

“What is it?” Neil asks at being interrupted.

Mark puts a hand against Neil’s arm before listening to what Danny has to say,

“It’s Kyle, he’s demanding to speak with you.”

Neil and Mark both share a look before the omega is already heading toward the room.

“Yien,” Neil calls out his name as he already doesn’t like this.

“I’ll be fine, Neil. We’ve gotten nowhere all morning and I know there’s more that we’re missing here.”

“Just because their target was kept on the down low doesn’t mean the others were too,” Neil defends while trying to block Mark from proceeding further.

“He was given that exact address to come to when you and I both know that any rational weapon, drug dealer would’ve been smarter than that and told him to lay low. Not only that, but they wouldn’t give them their address to come to if they knew people were on his ass.”

It felt like a set up.

Mark’s eyes shine fiercely and passionately,

“I was undercover with Kyle. I was closest to him, let me speak with him.”

Neil finds himself starting to cave, “And if I directly order you not to?”

Mark doesn’t even hesitate nor backs down, “Looks like I’ll be dealing with repercussions later then.”

Danny can feel the intense gaze between them before Neil ends up moving to the side,

“Keep distance, we’ll be watching on the other side if anything happens---”

“I know,” Mark voices as he moves past.

His hand soon grips the door knob and flashing his badge at the door, it beeps and lets him have access to the room Jackson is in.

“Yien,” Jackson voices as he didn’t want this.

But Kyle is pleased as he looks up at Mark with a smirk,

“I knew you would come.”

“Don’t get too comfortable, Kyle,” Mark sasses back and Kyle takes no offense.

“Tell me why you wanted me,” Mark demands to know but Kyle isn’t budging.

“I said I wanted to speak to you alone, meaning,” Kyle then looks to Jackson, “Alone.”

“Not happening---” Jackson points his finger down against the table but then Mark lays a hand on his shoulder,

“I got this, Jacks.”

Jackson turns to look at Mark and they share a look as they speak silently through their eyes.

Oh, Jackson doesn’t like this at all.

He gets up though, hand squeezing Mark’s before he leaves the room to hurry to the one next door. The door closes behind him and he comes to stand near the others as their eyes are all glued to Mark sitting down before Kyle.

“You got me, so what do you want?”

Kyle has yet to stop smirking, his handcuffed hands intertwined as the chains pull lightly from where they’re chained to the table before him.

“The reason you’re here with me now is because you know I have the information you need.”

Mark raises an eyebrow at this, “If you only wanted to get under my skin, I’m afraid I’m not into that type of foreplay.”

Mark acts like he’s ready to get up but then Kyle speaks,

“You never could get a hold of my Boss.”

Mark sits back down, eyes never leaving Kyle’s, “If there even was one. I never once heard their voice or seen their face.”

“But I’ve mentioned him from time to time while we fucked around in bed.”

Mark doesn’t say anything to this but it seems Kyle wasn’t done talking. He starts to laugh a bit, leaning back in his seat,

“I had never disagreed on anything with him except for one thing, that all omegas were the same. I thought you were different but I was a fool. Hypnotizing me with your body and ways till I almost pulled away completely from my leader. But he saw through you right from the start…”

Kyle’s smirk became wicked, eyes shining with pure evil,

“D’uan Yien, you know your father was one hell of a son of a bitch---”

Mark’s eyes go wide, his heart thumping faster as the others in the room start to panic,

“Get him out now!” Neil orders but Mark holds up his hand, signaling them to stop.

“You knew my father?” Mark wants to know.

Kyle moves slightly forward, the chains jingling and his shoulders hiding what he’s doing. What he’s sliding out of his sleeve. His eyes flash in warning, fangs showing as he breathes out,

“No, but my Boss send his regards of knowing that bastard personally---”

The next second, handcuffs are coming loose and Kyle is launching himself over the table. Mark goes down with Kyle on top of him as a knife tries to cut into the collar wrapped around his neck.

“MARK!” The others call out and are moving now to get to him.

Mark is struggling to get Kyle off of him, the alpha acting completely feral with ungodly strength. Did he inject himself with something? How did he get a hold of a weapon?

Claws dig into his arm, making him wince as he’s trying with all his might to keep the alpha from cutting off the collar. He can feel the knife trying to dig in, slicing a bit into his neck as Kyle seethes above him,

“All omegas are the same! Like Devils walking this planet in disguises of angels! If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me, bitch!”

Jaebum and Jinyoung are walking with Shannon towards the exit along with their target and a few other officers. Jaebum can’t help this feeling in his gut telling him to go find Mark that he ends up stopping and turning to look behind him. Showing how further away he was getting from Mark and how once he walked out these doors, that would be it. He’d be getting on that plane…

“Jaebum?” Jinyoung asks but before anything else can happen, they start to hear a commotion.

They hear an alarm going off and Shannon starts to worry,

“Something’s wrong, something’s happened!”

Jaebum takes off, no longer ignoring his gut feeling and leaves the others there as he books it. He heads towards the commotion and finds Bam using his badge to gain access toward a room before Jackson and Neil are rushing inside. Jaebum moves forth, hearing snarling and growling coming from inside---

Thump

Thump

Thump

“He’s trying to get my collar off!” Mark cries out as fangs are so close to his neck.

Jaebum snaps, running at top speed and into the chaos of the room as both Jackson and Neil struggle to get the man off of Mark underneath. Where Jaebum can see the feral male trying to bite through the collar---

Jaebum barrels forward, using momentum and the other two alphas to get the male off of Mark. Mark backs up, terrified with his chest heaving as Bam and Danny rush in to try and get Mark up and out of the room. Jaebum rolls the guy, not caring that he’s getting scratched and claws dug in as he holds him down while Jackson has to land a few punches. Nothing is working as this guy had to be on something with his super human strength and partially shifted.

“Do what you have to!” Neil orders and Jaebum and Jackson both partially shift themselves while Neil tries to inject something to knock the guy out.

It doesn’t go well as Kyle ends up digging claws into Jackson’s shoulder, tearing into him before throwing him. Jaebum can’t keep the guy down by himself and sees Kyle going for Neil and blocks him, which ends up with his arm and side getting shredded into before Kyle runs out like a mad man.

“Oh shit, oh shit---” Bam exclaims as they see Kyle tossing people aside like rag dolls and heading straight their way.

Gunshots are heard, two going right into Kyle and slowing him down a bit so Danny can grab both Bam and Mark and shoves them into another room that Kyle can’t get into without access. Banging on the door is heard along with more gunshots but the three have no idea what’s taking place outside anymore.

As for the one firing, it was Jinyoung and damn was Kyle not going down despite multiple gunshot wounds. The alpha manages to gain his attention and Jinyoung braces himself to go into melee but to his surprise, Kyle launches himself up and over him and keeps going.

What?! Wait!

Jinyoung takes off, trying to go after Kyle but the feral alpha is so fast that by the time Jinyoung rounds the corner he sees Kyle taking down their target to the ground and tearing into him like some mad beast. You can hear the target crying out defenseless as the other officers were tossed aside before Shannon moves into action and stabs into him with one of her knives right into the back of Kyle’s neck, severing his neck from his spine.

Kyle flops over dead, the target underneath no longer alive as blood spills out in the aftermath…

Chapter Text

“Mark…Mark…hey, it’s ok…hey,” Bam’s soothing voice is finally heard as the beta comes into focus.

Mark’s breathing is harsh, eyes still wide in fear as the omega is curled up in the corner with his back against the wall and hands shaking in front of him.

“He didn’t bite you…you’re not claimed,” Bam says slowly and easily.

He even throws in a small smile as he reaches out carefully, showing Mark he’s about to touch him before his fingers brush along his arm. It’s like the moment he does, Mark latches onto his wrist, his fingers trembling badly.

“It felt…like he did…” Mark manages to get out as he tries to calm his breathing.

Bam’s expression shows pain as he feels for Mark,

“Shh, I know but he didn’t. You’re safe with us. The threat is over.”

Danny kneels down next to them as he comes into view next,

“Mark, I need to check your collar,”

But the moment he reaches for his neck, Mark is jerking back, his breathing escalating again while his grip on Bam tightens.

“Ok, ok, we got it. We won’t touch,” Bam lets out as he gestures for Danny to back off.

“We need to check though,” Danny whispers to him and Bam nods,

“Jackson will most likely be our best bet,” Bam replies and Danny agrees as he gets up to go check on the situation.

It’s long since been quiet from the banging and gunshots but Danny is careful as he exits the room. Looking down both ways and sees the officers taking it easy after being thrown around like rag dolls. Seems like they too were trying to assess the situation. It isn’t long before Danny can hear quite the commotion inside the room Mark had been in prior.

“Why didn’t you shoot him instead of trying to sedate him?!” Jaebum lets out in frustration before cursing under his breath.

Danny peeks his head in and finds Neil trying to look at Jaebum’s wounds along his back and shoulder.

“Because it would’ve been stupid to fire in such a small space with him acting so sporadic! I could’ve shot you, Jackson or Mark! It was better to try and sedate him so we could figure out more vital information as well but instead your partner had to go and fire at him!” Neil fires back and is a little rough that he ends up rubbing Jaebum’s clothing against the wounds and has the alpha cursing more,

“Jinyoung did what he should’ve and kept your men alive so I don’t want to hear it!” He gets out through gritted teeth.

“Just like how I don’t want to hear you bitching over throwing yourself over me when I could’ve handled myself just fine!” Neil bears fangs.

Jackson groans in the corner as he’s hurting from being thrown against the table and his shoulder torn into,

“Oh this is gonna hurt for a while,” He voices his pain before feeling hands steady him,

“I got you,” Danny says and he rushed forth to help while the two brothers continued to argue.

Jackson sucks in air as he sits up, “Ow, ow, ow.”

“Man he got you pretty good,” Danny looks to be in pain for him from his expression alone.

“How bad?” Jackson asks before hissing as Danny starts to move his clothing,

“It’s more than a scratch but not too deep. I’d say you got pretty lucky he decided to throw you and not stick around to tear any deeper.”

“Good to know,” Jackson winces.

“Hold still,” Neil orders Jaebum to do but the alpha is trying to get up,

“I don’t care about me, where’s Mark?”

Hearing Mark’s name, Jackson is now worrying too as he looks around,

“Yien--”

“He’s ok, he’s in the other room. It’s why I came over here, we need to check around his neck and collar but he’s shaken up to let anyone close---” Danny starts but Jaebum is already up and moving out the door as Neil growls,

“You can never sit still can you?” He voices as he’s up and follows as well, “Don’t you think you’ve caused enough trouble already?”

But Jaebum ignores him and makes it into the room before Neil can properly stop him and their eyes land on Mark.

“You gotta breathe for me, Mark,” Bam is trying to keep the omega calm.

“Mark,” Jaebum lets out as he goes to Mark’s side.

Jaebum kneels down, Bam moving out of the way before seeing the alpha’s wounds and going wide eyed. Like damn, did that guy get him good! And yet here he is trying to console Mark and make sure he’s ok.

“Stop, you’re only gonna make it wo-” Neil counters as he’s ready to yank Jaebum back but stops as Mark reacts.

“B-Bummie?” Mark answers back at the sound of his voice.

Whimpering when Jaebum touches him before leaning in closer for safety.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Jaebum says, his voice going soft as his expression shows such emotion at hearing Mark call him that,

“I got you,” Jaebum reassures him as his hand reaches up to touch Mark’s face.

Mark closes his eyes as he collapses forth against Jaebum’s chest and clings. Jaebum moves his hand to run through the back of Mark’s hair as the omega cries silently against him. The alpha can feel it and it pains him that Mark had gotten so scared. That they let someone get that close to him.

“I thought…that was it…I thought my life…would be ruined…the twins…everything…” Mark whispers out to him, his voice quiet that only he can hear but packing a powerful punch.

Jaebum’s heart pulls as he leans down closer to whisper back to him,

“But he didn’t. Your team had you, I had you. We wouldn’t and didn’t let it happen.”

Mark clings tighter, his breathing coming out shaky but it’s much better than before.

“Let us look at the collar,” Neil insists as he moves closer himself.

He doesn’t tell Jaebum to get out of the way because he’s actually doing something useful for once.

“C-can’t…stop…shaking…” Mark replies as he can’t help it.

He’s normally not like this. He’s been on countless missions and many just as dangerous and impossible. But for some reason, the feeling of himself being claimed and the collar almost coming off, it has his omega instincts going haywire and his body acting on its own. With fear still running up his spine and making his legs like jelly.

It makes him feel stupid and useless.

“It’s a natural response after something like this happened to you,” Bam tells him as he remains nearby with Danny.

Jaebum is able to help move Mark up and back some but when Neil brushes near his neck, the omega jerks,

“Don’t touch, no, I can’t!”

“Shh, listen to me, Mark,” Jaebum is quick to start whispering sweet things into his ear,

“It’ll be quick, baby I promise.”

The pet name slipped out from reflex but either Mark didn’t hear it or it worked wonders because the omega leans more in his hold and moves his hand up,

“You do it…I trust you, Bummie.”

Jaebum is affected by those words because something like this was beyond intimate. It was beyond trust as this was something special of an omega. This was something that affected their entire being, their world, their way of life. And telling him that he could touch meant a lot when it came from an omega. Doing something so sacred, even just being near it or touching…

Mark really has no clue…

“Ok, just for a moment,” Jaebum keeps reassuring him before fingers brush along Mark’s collarbone.

Out of instinct, Mark starts to tilt his neck in response and more of the worn collar is shown. You can see drying blood along with some rips and tears but for the most part, the collar held. The others can notice the teeth marks that are indented but try to hold that back from their expressions so Mark doesn’t get more worked up than he already is.

“You’re doing great,” Jaebum praises him as he feels around the collar.

Nothing has pierced through that he can feel or see but it’s hard to be completely sure when there’s dried blood. It could really just be from the knife or claws nicking him during the whole chaos but just to be sure,

“Breathe for me, ok?” Jaebum asks and Mark nods as he squeezes his eyes shut.

He can feel Jaebum moving to the back of his neck, his hands clutching the alpha’s arms to brace himself.

“Breathe in…breathe out,” Jaebum continues to instruct as Mark follows it instinctively.

It takes a moment for Jaebum to unlock the collar with Neil’s instructions as it’s a product of the police force while in this line of duty.

A clicking sound is heard and the collar detaches before Jaebum slides it into Neil’s hand and then moves his hand back up. All of them breathe out in relief as there’s only a few scratches and where the knife dug in a bit but no bite.

No claim

“Oh thank god,” Jackson breathes out from the doorway.

“Come, let's get you cleaned up,” Jaebum insists as he’s already trying to lift Mark up in his arms.

“Bummie wait,” Mark voices as he finally notices that Jaebum was injured himself.

His fingers slipped in blood from his one broad shoulder but Jaebum keeps going, pushing himself as he wants to take care of Mark.

Mark is careful to not touch his wounds as he hugs his front and not struggle in case he’ll make things worse.

“Here, I’ll show you guys to a more private area,” Bam moves forth, “The office should be good.”

“But Gaga,” Mark notices he’s injured too but the alpha just waves at him,

“Don’t worry about me, Yien, ol Danny boy will take good care of me.”

“To the best of my abilities but you should really see a medic,” Danny replies as he’s already back at Jackson’s side to make him sit down.

Neil watches the two disappear with Bam before his expression becomes more serious and professional. A switch is flipped and he takes over doing what he needs to do. And that is being the Boss of this building.

“Status report,” Neil voices as he leaves the room and heads down the hall toward where the other officers have gone.

“Two casualties, Sir,” One officer answers as Neil keeps his eyes forward as he can smell the strong scent of blood up ahead.

This was gonna be quite the mess to clean up and report. Korean authorities are not gonna be happy about this either.

Neil approaches and finds Jinyoung there with Shannon.

“What killed them?” Neil asks as he keeps things moving while the officers look over the bodies carefully.

“The feral one tore into our target, tearing into an artery and he bled out in seconds,” Jinyoung answered before anyone else could.

Neil meets Jinyoung’s gaze as if prompting the alpha to step out of line any further,

“And the feral one?” He lets out sarcastically with a bit of bite.

Jinyoung just raises an eyebrow in response, his own eyes challenging as he’s not afraid to go head to head with Jaebum’s brother.

“It was me, Neil. Jinyoung’s bullets didn’t slow him down any. When I saw the opportunity I used one of my poisoned blades to sever his neck just in case he didn’t go down,” Shannon speaks up.

With the way the guy was acting, it’s almost surprising that he did die.

“Though he was vital in getting any more leads to this case, we’re lucky there weren't any more casualties,” Neil says.

“Are you insinuating that I was being reckless?” Jinyoung pops off because if Neil wants to be put in his place, the alpha is all for it.

“You and Jaebum have both broken many rules since yesterday and if my brother would have minded his business and left like he was supposed to, your target would’ve still been alive.”

Jinyoung just lets out a small huff with a shake of his head,

“I think you’re more upset over the fact that you have to talk to your own father than anything,” Jinyoung throws back with sass.

The glare he gets from Neil is predatory at its max as he definitely hit a nerve there.

Neil ignores Jinyoung and turns to the officers,

“I want an autopsy report ran as soon as possible to figure out if anything was in his system. I also want to know when and how he got a weapon on him when he was securely in his cell. If you find anything, let me know, I don’t care how small.”

The officers nod as they get back to work while Neil looks to Shannon,

“Cancel the rest of my schedule for today and be on standby when I call.”

She nods before she’s already tugging on Jinyoung to follow her,

“I’ll handle the rest, Sir, don’t worry,” Shannon says before Neil can bore holes into Jinyoung.

Jinyoung allows himself to be moved and the two head back toward the front area. When they’re out of ear shot, Jinyoung scowls,

“What crawled up his ass?”

Shannon sighs, “Only two people I know can get Neil riled up like that.”

Jinyoung doesn’t have to be told to know who.

Shannon’s expression shows sincerity as they walk, “Believe it or not but when a loved one gets hurt, he gets in that mood because he couldn’t prevent it and feels responsible.”

Jinyoung finds himself deflating as he knows how much Jaebum will beat himself down if one of them gets hurt during a mission.

And knowing his luck, Jaebum most likely got hurt. Jinyoung didn’t get to see much as he was focused on shooting Kyle and taking him down.

“Looks like you guys won’t be going anywhere any time soon now that your target has been killed.”

Jinyoung runs a hand through his hair at that one as he’s gonna have to call Yugyeom and Youngjae to tell him the news.

“I suggest finding Jaebum and then staying out of Neil’s hair for a bit until he cools off.”

Don’t have to tell him twice---

Jinyoung notices the area where he had been in when he fired at Kyle. There’s officers taping off as well as trying to collect as much evidence as possible. But what catches Jinyoung’s eyes is Jackson leaving one of the rooms with Danny.

Shannon notices how Jinyoung picks up pace and leaves her behind to head to the two.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jinyoung calls out.

The two stop, Danny perking up at seeing the sassy alpha coming forth.

“Oh,Jinyoung!” Jackson gets all happy despite the pain he’s in.

Jinyoung doesn’t even ask, he’s already touching carefully to look at Jackson’s wounds,

“Ow, ok, well this is totally different than yesterday,” Jackson voices as the alpha was all over him.

Not in the way that he had hoped for but hey, it’s something.

“This isn’t the time to flirt you fool, you need stitches.”

Jackson whines, “No, just slap a few bandages on, I’ll be fine.”

Jinyoung looks at Danny, “You guys have a small medical center in here, no?”

Danny nods, “It’s where I planned to take him to, come, I’ll show you.”

Jinyoung nods, gesturing with his head for Danny to lead the way,

“Don’t ignore me, Jinyoung!” Jackson pouts but soon the alpha is looking at him,

“You’re gonna be a good boy and let me stitch you up, no ifs, ands or buts.”

The way Jackson perks up at being called a good boy has Danny trying to hold back a snort.

“Yes Sir, do I get a reward for being good?” Jackson goes right back to flirting and pushing his luck.

“Maybe, we’ll see,” Jinyoung plays a long and just like that, Jackson is like a little kid ready to get a shot or something…

“I changed my mind, I don’t want to do this anymore,” Jackson winces as Jinyoung holds up a needle in front of him.

“I know what I’m doing, Jackson. I’ve been trained in the medical field and have learned things from Youngjae, who is highly trained and authorized to do this.”

“Are you authorized though?” Danny asks and Jinyoung just smiles,

“I said I was trained, didn't I?” Jinyoung teases and Jackson is now tensing as he grips the table he’s sitting on.

He’s shirtless, hunched forward a bit and bracing himself for the pain. But then he feels Jinyoung touching him and his body relaxes instinctively. He can breathe in Jinyoung’s scent and it’s calming as well as grounding him. And then Jinyoung’s voice actually goes soft and sincere,

“Trust me, ok? You’re gonna feel the needle, but it’ll help numb around the wound so I can clean and stitch you up.”

Jackson breathes out with Jinyoung’s instruction and true to the alpha’s word, he does feel the needle but the moment the needle goes back out, Jackson feels little tingles and then it going numb around his shoulder and arm.

“Wow, and Jackson doesn’t do needles,” Danny lets out impressed.

Don’t even get Danny started about Jackson and I.V. 's cause this man becomes a baby when those get involved.

“Are you still touching me?” Jackson asks as he pouts when he can’t feel Jinyoung touching his arm anymore.

“Yes, I’m actually already about to stitch you.”

“Oh, really?” Jackson is in awe as he didn’t feel any of the cleaning product touch his skin.

“Stop moving,” Jinyoung orders and Jackson fights to remain still.

“Now good luck with that one because Jackson is always moving,” Danny sighs out fondly.

“I can’t help it, ok!” Jackson exclaims and there he goes moving again.

This wasn’t gonna do at all as Jinyoung is gonna end up stabbing the alpha in the neck if he keeps flailing like this.

Wait…

Jinyoung moves to stand in front of Jackson and the alpha stills immediately as he has his full attention.

“What are you doing?” Jackson wonders and Jinyoung doesn’t hesitate to take the alpha’s hands and put them on his body.

Don’t ask why or how Jinyoung knows to do this, but he feels like if Jackson has something to touch and distract him, then he’ll be still as he focuses on it. Sure enough, the moment Jackson’s hands touch his body, the alpha is in a daze.

“Are you giving me permission to touch you?”

Now stopping his mouth from moving on the other hand…that’s a different matter.

“For right now, yes,” Jinyoung replies as he gets back to work on stitching Jackson up.

Jackson is like an excited child at the candy store as he feels away but does so with careful precision. As if mapping Jinyoung’s body to memory and really, this might’ve been a bad idea altogether because Jinyoung is really feeling it. Can feel every place he touches, every inch of skin lighting up and reacting to his touch. Where a shiver even comes forth as a fire coiled in the pit of his stomach.

One man should not be affecting him so.

“You got some nice abs, Jinyoung, do you workout regularly?”

Danny snorts now as Jackson doesn’t hesitate to just lift up Jinyoung’s shirt so he can have a closer look.

“I didn’t give you permission to undress me,” Jinyoung sasses and Jackson is quick to put his shirt back down and patting the area like it never happened.

“Whoops, my bad. Got a little carried away there.”

“This is the most action I’ve seen you get in a while here,” Danny decides to tease and Jackson’s face can be seen pouting,

“Was it that even supposed to mean?”

“I’m only kidding,” Danny says as he lifts a hand up, “It’s just been awhile since Jessica.”

“I knew you were straight,” Jinyoung can’t help but voice but then both Danny and Jackson speaks,

“Oh no, he’s bi,”

“I’m into both.”

Jinyoung stops for a moment and looks at Danny, completely ignoring Jackson like his words can’t be trusted,

“You’re lying.”

Danny shakes his head, “Nope,” while popping the p, “He’ll get all over a guy in seconds but is very polite and respectful with a lady through and through. He’s hit on me at least one hundred times now.”

“I was pumping you up, bro! There’s a difference!” Jackson complains.

“Let me suck your dick bro, no homo is pumping up my confidence?” Danny says as he cracks a smile.

“We were both single at the time and I was drunk.”

Danny lifts his eyebrows,

“Ok, it was before I got drunk but still. The offer is still on the table---Ow! Hey! I thought you said I couldn’t feel it!”

“My bad, my hand slipped and got part of your back,” Jinyoung says with no ounce of remorse.

Danny starts busting out laughing,

“This is Jackson Wang. He has a lot of love to give where Bam just loves dick too much. Those two can be quite the trouble when in the same room together.”

“Don’t tell me you two slept together,” Jinyoung deadpans and this idiot answers,

“Yep! You want to guess how many times?”

Jinyoung stops, hand coming to tilt Jackson’s chin up so they can meet eye to eye,

“Where is the off button?”

Jinyoung is looking pissed by the second, those eyes flashing in warning or was it jealousy? A hint of possessiveness maybe? Jackson wants to keep pushing to find out, that one hundred watt smile coming forth,

“Want to find out?”

Just when he thinks he’s getting closer, to where Jinyoung is already so close, their breaths mixing, the alpha takes him by surprise and pulls back. He moves to continue to finish up stitching the male as if unaffected by it all.

“No,” Jinyoung tells him, shutting Jackson down once again.

The alpha pouts, deflating in defeat though his hands are now running soothing patterns along Jinyoung’s side in apology. And what Jackson doesn’t know is that Jinyoung is having another gay panic freakout in his head. That he had been so close in just kissing the male and telling him that he’s better than all the others. That he can make him forget about them or even think about sleeping with anyone else.

Like that confidence was usually toward women because hello, he’s straight! Or was…is he still? Why is he having a mid-life crisis right now?! He needs to focus on what just took place. On their target being killed and what that means now…

You know what, let’s just hurry and call the others and distract himself from the elephant in the room, or more specifically, Jackson…

“Bummie, put me down, I can walk, I’m fine, it’s you that needs taking care of…Jaebum! I’m serious here, why are you always like this?” Mark protests as the alpha has yet to put him down.

Bam finds all of this amusing as Mark is turning into a flustered mess and though he says he can walk, his legs are still like jello.

“Might as well enjoy the ride since we’re almost there,” Bam insists as the office was coming into view.

“I swear if you made your wounds worse, Lim Jaebeom---”

Jaebum can’t help but smile as this reminds him of old times. How caring Mark was and would get feisty if you pushed yourself too hard. How his words may carry a lot of bite but his touch would be so gentle and kind. He’d be worrying over you constantly and making sure you sat your ass down and rested if need be.

“Your spirit makes me feel better already,” Jaebum grins like a fool.

Mark is quiet for a moment, his face turning red all the way up to his ears as Jaebum quoted something he said years ago. The omega tries to bury his face against Jaebum’s neck as he lets out an embarrassed noise,

“Bummie, how dare you remember that day!”

Jaebum chuckles as he walks into the office and sets Mark down on one of the desks,

“Like I could forget the day I made you blush so beautifully---”

“No, don’t say any more!” Mark pleads as he leans back and starts squishing Jaebum’s cheeks together to get him to stop talking.

“Oh? But I want to hear more,” Bam says as he’s definitely soaking up all of this information right now.

“It never happened, that day doesn’t exist anymore, see, poof! Gone from memory!” Mark tries to convince before Jaebum takes his hands and pulls them away from his face,

“I’ll have that day saved in my memory forever.”

Why does he have to be all romantic and sappy again?!

Bam starts laughing as Mark just decides to cover his face and pretend to not exist.

“Alright, alright, let's get you another collar and cleaned up,” Bam helps to keep things moving for Mark’s sake.

Though it's surprising to Bam of Jaebum. This alpha really left Mark like that? The way he’s talking and acting now would prove otherwise but well, the facts are with Jaebum not being here all those years. It’s weird…

They seem to get along really well too. And to be able to still affect Mark like this…

The collar, Bam! Stop staring and grab another spare collar!

Bam moves into action, jerking himself out of his daze and goes to Mark’s desk where he pulls out a spare collar.

“Here, there’s some alcohol to clean the scratches and cuts and some bandages. I’m gonna go survey the damage and see what intel I can find out.”

Mark is giving Bam a look to not leave him alone but Bam just smiles and waves as he closes the door behind him.

He did it on purpose!

Hands come to touch his shoulders and Mark shivers in response. Biting back a noise as the omega tilts his neck instinctively,

“I thought you were trying to forget about the past?” Mark asks as he needs to talk about something or he’ll go insane.

He’ll fall right back into Jaebum’s arms as it’s dangerous enough with him being this close and touching intimately. So why not dig where it hurts and block him back out like he should---

“I could say the same about you,” Jaebum replies before the alcohol stings a bit.

Mark doesn’t flinch in Jaebum’s hold though, his body relaxing fully under his touch as his heart beats sound,

“I tried…I tried for so long…” Mark admits as his hands cling tighter against Jaebum’s front attire.

Mark’s expression shows raw pain while Jaebum applies the bandages,

“But just like you…” Mark starts as he recalls the photo Lilly had.

Mark reaches up the moment Jaebum moves his hands away to throw away the cotton swabs and bandage wrappers. He stops Jaebum from moving as he takes a hold of his hand and brings it back up to touch his face.

Jaebum’s breath hitches, his eyes searching into those bright blue as Mark smiles at him sadly,

“I couldn’t…”

The alpha’s fingers brush against Mark’s cheek, reminding him that this was real. That this wasn’t one of his dreams or fantasy of still being with Mark. That the omega was right in front of him again after so long. Jaebum is overwhelmed by all the emotions rising that the words aren’t coming out fast enough. But soon Mark’s expression is changing, pulling away from Jaebum’s touch as his smile deflates a bit,

“Thank you for today. If it wasn’t for you and the others I…”

“Don’t think about it,” Jaebum encourages before he clears his throat and swallows back down the words he wants to say.

Instead he takes the collar and helps to put it back on properly. It’s silent but it’s not unbearable. It’s quiet but it’s a huge step from the beginning when they met yesterday. And by the time the collar is nice and snug, the atmosphere is a lot calmer and comforting.

“Let me,” Mark drops his hand from his collar before he reaches out to look at Jaebum’s wounds closer.

The two remain close as Jaebum’s nose along Mark’s collar. As the alpha’s hands find Mark’s sides to run soothingly along,

“This is just like old times,” Jaebum breathes out.

“Back when you were a pain in my ass?” Mark teases playfully, the corner of his lips turning up.

Jaebum’s breath is felt against his face as he chuckles and it warms his heart.

“I think Shannon called it being glued to your ass.”

This has Mark giggling as they recall more good memories.

“Come on, take your shirt off,” Mark says as he tugs on the ends of the material.

Jaebum pulls back so he can do so, going slowly as the movement tugs on his wounds. Mark helps him and soon the alpha stands there shirtless with Mark sitting on the desk in front of him still.

“Damn, if I only had a jar ready for every time you’ve said that to me and not meaning it sexually---”

“Bummie! Don’t act like you’d be rich from that,” Mark laughs some more, his grin matching Jaebum’s as the alpha is horrible at flirting.

Especially as Jaebum gives him a flirty look with his lips that keep curling up into a smile while his eyes shine passionately.

“You would think I'd better pick up lines since the last time I tried.”

Mark’s hands move over Jaebum’s body warmly with a gentleness,

“I think they’ve only gotten worse,” Mark plays along and the alpha pouts,

“Not like I’ve tried it on anyone else since you.”

It goes quiet again as that information sinks in. That Jaebum hasn’t gotten with anyone since Mark. At least from what he says, though Mark has never known Jaebum to lie about things. He’s always been so blunt and straightforward since day one of knowing him.

And more proof is the dog tags as Mark’s eyes go up his body to lock on it, his fingers tangling along the chain,

“I wondered where mine went, you thief,” Mark breathes out.

You can see the expression on his face is vulnerable and so full of emotion and Jaebum truly has no idea how much he’s always affected him.

“I think it’s only fair since you stole my heart,” Jaebum says with such emotion.

His hand laying over Mark’s and the omega lifting his head to lock gazes. Seeing that the alpha held the same emotions as Mark. That the fire never completely went out and was burning strongly for the omega before him.

Mark’s lips part the moment Jaebum’s eyes dart down to them before going back up and without any words needed, he’s leaning in, their lips barely brushing and already they’re both reacting. Already, Mark is left breathless, his lips ready to meld with the alpha’s, eyes closing---

The door opens, Bam sputtering as he’s trying to stop Jinyoung,

“Wait, wait, it was getting to the best part!”

“There’s more important things here than--oh…” Jinyoung stills as he finds he interrupted something important.

The two pull back, Mark blushing at being caught before Jinyoung’s eyes land on Jaebum’s back,

“You two?! What the hell is wrong with you guys and not taking care of yourselves properly?!”

Jinyoung stalks forth as Jaebum protests but it’s futile as Jinyoung demands to take care of this right now.

“But I was having Mark take care of me!” Jaebum whines.

He’s pouting now as not only is Mark no longer touching him now, but Mark has moved away so Jinyoung could take over. He’s so far away now even though he’s just a desk over.

“Mhmm,” Jinyoung voices before Jaebum is cursing at his wounds pulling,

“Ow! Don’t you have something to numb me first before you just start stitching?!”

“Nope,” Jinyoung says like it’s final even though he had used a numbing injection for Jackson.

Danny and Jackson both aren’t getting into that though as Jaebum is being tortured enough with the alcohol just being poured onto his wounds. The alpha’s claws come out on reflex and grip into the desk before him as he hisses.

“Man, he’s feisty like Mark, I like him,” Bam exclaims with hands on his hips as he watches amused.

“How is everything?” Mark asks as he looks at the others.

“We’re all good, no worries,” Danny reassures and Jackson gives a thumbs up as he’s moving around too.

“Other than Kyle being dead and their target, there’s no other casualties or major damage,” Jackson says.

“Jinyoung did call his other team members earlier and it appears their Boss has already gotten word.”

That’s right!

“That’s why I came looking for you,” Jinyoung says and he continues to stitch up Jaebum,

“Youngjae and Yugyeom are coming to America to help us on this case.”

Jaebum perks up at this as does Mark,

“Wait, but the case is ours not--” The omega starts before Jinyoung looks up and nods in agreement,

“Was just yours but with our target dead and the mystery of how Kyle got like that even with being feral, Korea is moving in and demanding to be a part of this case until it’s solved.”

Jaebum groans but not from pain,

“Oh no, please don’t tell me…”

“Afraid so,” Jinyoung says as he pats Jaebum’s unhurt arm in comfort.

Lim Vector has found out what took place. Not only that, but Jinyoung might’ve said something to Yugyeom and Youngjae without knowing that Jaebum and Neil’s father happened to be in the same room.

So now Vector knows about Mark and the twins…

Guess who's gonna be arriving in America with Yugyeom and Youngjae…

But uh, Jinyoung isn’t gonna be the one to tell him that part. He’s just gonna let that one be a surprise…

Chapter Text

Jaebum doesn’t have to ask as he can tell right away that Mark is trying to keep some distance between them. After they had a moment that brought them together, it was like taking one step forward before two leaps back.

It pained Jaebum but he understood why. He deserves it too but it doesn’t make it any easier to go through.

Mark on the other hand is just as tortured as he forces himself to keep a certain amount of feet away from the alpha. It took the guys coming in for Mark to be brought back to reality and popped the bubble of the past that held good memories.

He almost let Jaebum kiss him!

What is he thinking?! He can’t just be flinging himself back into Jaebum’s arms. See, this is why he wanted Jaebum to go back to Korea because he knows he won’t be able to resist for much longer. Especially if Jaebum keeps being the alpha he fell in love with where it all first started.

Oh his heart can’t take much more of this! And to make matters worse, they’re now gonna be on a case together. Meaning, closer proximity, constantly around one another and yep, he’s gonna be in America for who knows how long. The twins are gonna wanna see him again too and just---

Breathe Mark, breathe…don’t look his way. Ignore that heated gaze directed toward you since the last ten minutes and just think of something that’ll make you hate him.

Like how he abandoned you all those years ago…yes, there we go---

Mark still ends up looking though and their eyes meet. Where he can see Jaebum’s passionate gaze and his eyes speaking volumes. How he misses him. How he still longs for him. He still cares. Feeling remorse for leaving…oh no, Mark is gonna cave if this keeps up. He can already feel his anger deflating.

“Can we go over the case so far?” Jinyoung brings up.

He’s finished stitching Jaebum up and the alpha and Jackson have already gotten a new shirt thanks to keeping extra clothes in the office.

“Guess we could get you up to date from our side,” Danny replies as he’s chilling in his desk chair.

Jackson is propped up in front of the desk next to Mark while Jaebum and Jinyoung are on the other side with Bam standing in the middle,

“It's pretty much the same as your target. We knew weapons were being smuggled out of the country so we had Mark go undercover and work his way through to the leader, Kyle.”

“The one that went feral and attacked,” Jinyoung says to make sure.

Jackson nods, “When we got intel that the leader had a thing for omegas, we sent Mark in.”

Jaebum tenses at this, his eyes going sharp, “Did you sleep with him?” His tone holds a bit of a bite as he looks toward Mark.

Mark holds his ground, not backing down even if Jaebum would become upset,

“I did what I had to and messed around with him. It was for the mission, nothing more. People have done a lot worse to get what they need in order to take the bad guys down so there’s nothing wrong in what I did.”

“You know how I feel about that,” Jaebum growls out.

He understands why it’s done but he doesn’t like going that route. Flirting, sure. Pretending to get close without actually going all the way, no problem. But actually doing the deed or anything close to it, he hated that. It felt wrong to him but maybe that’s because he believes intimate things like that should be done with the person you love.

“You’re not my father. I can do whatever I please. I’m not even with anyone.”

It’s Jaebum’s fault anyway that he went that route. When you get your heart ripped into pieces, you really don’t care how you treat yourself. If he can use his body to take down the bad guys, he’ll do it. Might as well put himself to good use to help others since the alpha he fell in love with fucked him and left.

The others can feel the tension rising as Mark becomes feisty and Jaebum’s eyes flash in response.

Danny coughs to try and clear the air,

“It really was the only way for us to get remotely close without being detected. Kyle frequented bars and clubs in his spare time and that’s how Mark got in. Thanks to that, we were able to capture all these men and confiscated over two hundred weapons along with several drugs and thousands of dollars.”

Jaebum looks away from Mark and starts sulking cause really it’s his own damn fault. They’re not together and he ended it years ago so he can’t be getting upset like this. But still! This is his baby here! The love of his life! And just imaging some random ass man, a fucking bad guy at that touching him intimately---

He growls loudly before Jinyoung can smack his one hurt shoulder lightly to have the alpha wince and calm down.

This is just as bad as Mark being with Neil---wait, did he say he’s not with anyone?!

His growl cut off with the pain but also from the words settling in that Mark was not dating anyone.

Did they break up too? Or was it an unofficial thing? Open relationship? Nah, you would still technically be dating right? Or is Mark just telling him that so he’ll drop it? Neil could’ve been fine with Mark doing what he needed to in order to get the job done…

Now he’s overthinking it again…

“We only assumed there was one leader though,” Jinyoung keeps things moving, “Our target never gave off anything about being multiple or anyone other than Kyle and his men. Though we didn’t know everything else until we got here.”

Jackson sighs as he scratches at the side of his head, “It appears we didn’t either, though we thought we had everything. Yien would disclose with us that Kyle did mention a higher up but even the other men seemed confused by that.”

“I couldn’t find anything. But the conversations he held with me and how he would talk to himself at times…” Mark starts before trailing off in thought.

“I mean he did go feral here. It was probably the start if not, what already progressed,” Bam reminds them.

Danny nods, “True. it could’ve all been made up in his head.”

“But my father…he mentioned my father,” Mark brings up, his expression showing raw emotions.

“I never once told him anything about my personal life.”

“We all have that protocol of giving out made up information during missions that are already calculated so things can stay on point,” Jinyoung adds, “It would’ve been foolish to give out real information.”

“But he could’ve just stated he knew your father and went with it,” Bam voices.

Jackson shakes his head, “It didn’t explain how he knew his full Chinese name.”

Mark looks down to the ground with his arms holding himself in comfort. As Jackson and his parents are the only ones that know it. The name he was given when he was born. The name his father gave him.

“He said his Boss knew my father personally…my father used to be in the police force. The whole reason I’m here is to follow in his footsteps…”

Jaebum stills at this for he never knew this. He didn’t know much about Mark’s personal life before. Didn’t even know he was adopted or had a brother until he came back to America. Just showing how there’s so much more he could’ve learned if he had stayed. If he hadn't become a coward and ran away.

Maybe then he would’ve understood why Mark actually hesitated to answer right away…

“Ah, Jackson’s father was in the police force too. Is that how you two met?” Danny asks and Jackson reaches over to squeeze Mark’s side,

“They were partners on the field. He stepped out of the line of duty though after that tragic day…”

Mark’s own hand reaches down to latch onto Jackson’s arm for comfort and ground him from those days.

“Oh…” Bam lets out as he can put it together.

Especially since they know Mark is adopted and that’s how Jackson and him have been brothers since they were little.

So his father died while on the job.

“I came back to this very company to keep going for my father. To take over for him on his behalf,” Mark tells them with such emotion in his voice.

A promise he mad to his father who loved his job and gave it his all. Where his father loved helping others and wanted nothing but peace and a world for his child to grow up in without worry. A passionate man that had so much love to give and adored his son till his very last breath…

Jaebum hangs his head in his hands as he feels like absolute garbage now. No wonder Mark didn’t want to leave to go to Korea. No wonder he hesitated and didn’t want to come right out and say it. Was it even about Neil? About someone else?

Fuck, if it really was about his father this whole time…

The alpha wants to talk to Mark now and get things right so badly but the moment he lifts his head to call out to him, the door opens and Shannon steps in,

“You’re gonna wanna see this…”

Neil stands before the body of Kyle lying on the medical table. They got experts to come in and run some tests to help speed up the process and it didn’t disappoint.

As Neil reads off the file, he’s surprised at what he finds,

“And these tests were run twice just to be sure?”

“Yes, Sir,” The medical expert confirms.

Neil’s eyes go from the file to Kyle as the man was covered from the waist down, his eyes closed respectfully.

A knock on the door alerts Neil of the others as Shannon appears first,

“I brought them like you asked.”

She steps aside and the others pile in. Neil’s eyes land on Mark as he notices the omega tense a bit when seeing Kyle there.

He reaches out, gently tugging Mark closer to his side for comfort as he hands over the file as a distraction.

“Man, he did a number on your guy,” Bam whistles out as he takes in the Korean target on the other table.

“Positive for venom?” Jackson questions as he peeks over Mark’s shoulder to see.

Bam perks up at this and moves closer to them, “It wasn’t from me.”

“Shannon used a poisoned blade,” Jinyoung says and Jaebum acknowledges it,

“Ah, she’s a snake hybrid.”

“So am I,” Bam says, “Though hers is more lethal than mine. You can mix mine and make it lethal but I’m more of a friendly snake that can counteract other venom.”

“But it states two,” Danny points out.

“Death confirmed by severing of neck from spinal cord. Unknown substance found in system along with two types of venom,” Mark reads off.

“So he did have drugs in his system?” Jackson is trying to figure out.

“Yeah but none that matched known substances,” Jinyoung answers.

“The two venom could be making it hard to process,” Jaebum suggests, which is true.

“But that doesn’t explain where the second venom came from, the unknown substance and how it made him feral yet act like some power weapon here,” Bam reminds them.

“The first venom we can confirm is Shannon’s but the second one is a venom that they haven’t seen before either,” Neil informs.

All of them raise their heads from the file to look at Neil.

“What? Impossible. Out of all the species of hybrids in the world, it’s in a system somewhere in documentation. True, that it took many long years in civilization that some could’ve bypassed the system but they’d be old or long gone by now. Their children would more than likely be put in the system as their listed species,” Danny fires back.

Hybrids and humans have learned how to coexist for many years now. Following rules, adapting and making sure their human traits are equal or outweigh their animal species. Where one can’t shift out in public under no circumstances unless of the government work force and it's to protect someone if no other means necessary can do it. You’re supposed to remain as ‘human’ as possible and save the animal side of you in the comfort of your own home.

“You tell me, it could be possible that Shannon's venom mixed with the other to make it misread but the tests indicate that the venom was a part of his DNA,” Neil answers.

Which means, the venom has been in his system long enough to mutate with it. Could’ve taken days, months, who knows but venom typically enters your bloodstream and takes seconds to impact your body and either shut it down or like Bam’s case, counteract the venom and eventually it gets flushed out of your system. But this…they’ve never heard of a venom that stuck to your DNA and started mutating your body like so and remaining in your system without killing you.

“So you’re telling me that the venom is part of the reason Kyle acted like he did?” Bam is left in awe as Neil nods,

“It’s fact as he was just a dog hybrid. With the venom, his body was ten times stronger than any other dog breed, healed faster along with other heightened senses. Unfortunately since he’s not alive, we can’t see how much it could’ve impacted his brain or other functions.”

“That’s one hell of a venom,” Jackson breathes out.

“Like a hidden weapon…the whole time?” Mark tries to figure it out in his head.

Was Kyle like this before they met? During? Or right before he got into the same cell with him?

“This doesn’t explain how he was able to get a hold of the weapon but it does explain how he managed to break the handcuffs and took on several bullets,” Jaebum admits.

Not to mention the fact that he threw Jaebum and Jackson off of him, other officers around like rag dolls and still had a partial function of sanity all while doing it.

“He was feral but he wasn’t,” Jinyoung puts it together.

“So he attacked your target on purpose then,” Danny is shocked.

“Why though?” Bam wants to know.

“Because that bastard probably knew something he shouldn’t and it got him killed for it,” Mark sighs as this leads them nowhere.

It gave them more questions and some answers but it didn’t help bring them any closer to who might be behind all of this. Or if there was actually another person.

“Go home and get some rest. We’ll start at it again tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll have tests run on the other body,” Neil orders as the alpha looks at Mark specifically.

“Neil,” Mark calls out to tell him he’s fine but Neil isn’t budging,

“I don’t want to see any of you out on the field until orders have been given.”

Neil doesn’t leave any room for arguing as he walks out the door with his long coat fluttering softly with his movement.

God he can be just as hard headed and stubborn like Jaebum. Must be a Lim thing…

And now here Jinyoung finds himself again as he’s entering Jackson and Mark’s home. The one place he needs to be far away from. At least he managed to ride with Mark this time around as the omega went and picked up the kids. The twins had been ecstatic to see Jinyoung again before asking right away if Bummie was around.

If only Jaebum knew how much the twins loved him already.

If that wasn’t enough, he finds out he’s gonna have to share the bed with Jackson again as Jaebum was taking the couch. Fuck that!

So now Jaebum was being kicked off the couch and told to go sleep somewhere else. Jaebum groans, tired and still healing from his previous wounds. Like come on man, cut him some slack here as he’s already been given the silent treatment by Mark all afternoon. Though Jackson tried to keep things light and seems to be showing him more respect as well as opening up more since the incident that took place today.

Not having the energy to fight with Jinyoung on why he must have the uncomfortable couch in the first place, Jaebum decides to go check up on the twins. He did get to spend the majority of the afternoon with them as they glued themselves to his side and talked about their day. They also took them into their bedroom to show them their room and pulled out each and every toy so that Jaebum could meet them and know their names. It was a good distraction from how his relationship was going with Mark but the moment he heads up stairs…

He finds Mark is inside the twin’s room curled up in the mountain of stuffed animals and looking at a photo that Jaebum knows every detail by heart…

Chapter Text

Jaebum feels the pull and doesn’t stop it as he walks inside the twin’s room. The twins are sound asleep and the alpha’s foot steps careful to not make any sound. Mark feels his presence and lifts his eyes from the photo to take in Jaebum giving him such a raw expression.

“Hey,” Jaebum whispers in a gentle tone.

He comes to sit in the pile of stuffed animals next to Mark, their sides brushing and the omega doesn’t pull away this time.

“Can’t sleep either?” Mark whispers back as he goes to set the photo down but Jaebum catches his hand,

“No. Ever since that day, I kept having someone on my mind.”

Jaebum’s hand curls around Mark’s as they both hold the photo now. Mark’s expression becomes raw, his eyes searching the alpha’s for more answers.

“Why did you leave then?”

Mark sounded so pained and heartbroken. Like these words were something Mark has been keeping inside of him all these years and had wanted to ask Jaebum. Wanted to know why they went through all of that just for the alpha to leave without saying anything, without even a goodbye or that this was the end.

It strikes Jaebum right in the heart that he can’t speak right away. His throat constricting at knowing how much pain he caused Mark and it being his fault. Especially as Mark tears up and he keeps talking,

“Just like my father, he too disappeared from my life before I woke up the next day.”

“Mark…” Jaebum finds himself tearing up with him, his face contorting in sadness before he curls around the omega more.

Mark clings to Jaebum’s front, the tears soaking his shirt as he tries to get the word’s out,

“I wanted you to stay…I wanted to be with you…it scared me how I even considered leaving just to be with you…”

Showing how much Mark truly loved Jaebum. That Jaebum was something special.

Jaebum doesn’t hesitate to pull Mark into his arms and holds the crying omega. That the alpha himself buries his face down to nuzzle close to Mark as his own tears can be felt,

“I didn’t want to go…I didn’t know…The whole reason I wanted you to come back to Korea with me was to get you away from my brother. I didn’t know how much your workplace meant to you. I didn’t know about Jackson or your father…I shouldn’t have rushed it but I was so scared…because I loved you so deeply…so strongly…and feared my brother would take you away from me…that already our love was forbidden because you had him and I…I was a coward…”

Mark pulls back some so their faces are mere inches apart. So Mark can look the alpha in the eyes and can see how sorry he is and how much this pains him from finding out the truth.

“You thought Neil and I were together?”

They’re both holding onto the other as hearts are open and words keep coming out,

“He was after you since before I got there. He even told me the moment I stepped into his office that I couldn’t have you. That you were already taken---”

Mark is shaking his head though, “No, you have it all wrong I’m not--I never was,” Mark breathes out as it was all making sense now,

“Neil has tried and admitted his feelings to me but I turned him down in the beginning and even after you left.”

Mark keeps his gaze locked with Jaebum so that he understands every word that he’s saying,

“He probably said that because he knew I didn’t want any relationships. I was against them since how my mother did my father. I didn’t want to fall in love, I refused it but then you…”

Mark’s expression shows everything he’s feeling as its written all over his face,

“You showed up and changed everything. Changed how I felt about love, changed how I viewed relationships and partnership…”

Jaebum’s hands move up from Mark’s side to cup the omega’s face as Mark pleads with his expression for the alpha to fully get him. Those blue eyes shining with so much passion and love that hasn’t died out no matter the years that passed,

“I closed my heart off and yet I still fell for you. I fell for you so hard, Lim Jaebeom…I still am---”

Jaebum can’t take it anymore and dives in, lips melding against Mark’s as the omega reacts with a needy sound and hands latching on to keep him close. Bodies become flush together, hands refusing to let go as lips part just to meld again. As those sparks that were felt years ago, are stronger now and spreading. Where ever fiber of their being tells them how right this is. How much they’ve missed this, missed each other. Telling them why they never saw interest in anyone else, why it wouldn’t work out with anyone else.

Where one word keeps coming to mind like it had before…

Mates

The two part for air but remain close as they’re afraid of letting go now. Afraid this is all but a dream, especially as Jaebum is talking now,

“I’ve never stopped loving you…thinking of you…I had to cut off everything or I knew just one word, one text, one mention of your name and I’d be running back…I thought I was doing the right thing…I thought I was getting in the way of your happiness…fuck I’m sorry…please forgive m---”

But Mark is pulling him back in, crashing their lips together and cutting off Jaebum’s pleading. Hands moving up to run through Jaebum’s hair and thread through the hairs on the back of his nape. The two kiss passionately yet slowly as they want to savor this moment. As they’re feeling it deeply of each other’s emotions and love.

Jaebum whines when they have to part for air again. He can feel the tears falling at being able to be this close with Mark again. He rests their foreheads together, just breathing in Mark as he holds him close, never wanting to let go again,

“I chose you, Bummie. Not anyone else, not Neil…even when the doctor told me I should mate with Neil in order to survive through my pregnancy, I told them no. I didn’t care that he was a match, I didn’t care what anyone else told me…I wanted you. I fully understood my father then when he said he still loved my mother despite everything and I kept going, kept pushing myself because the twins are pieces of you. I was proud to carry them as I’m proud to be their mother and I made it…because I kept thinking about you and the love you gave me…of the love I wanted to show my children.”

Jaebum can’t even get out any more words as he lets out a sob of emotion and Mark curls him up more in his embrace. Both of them crying as they clung as the truth was all out now. As everything they held in for years was being lifted from their shoulders and now the two are healing with each other. And when Jaebum can lift his head again, they’re kissing once more. The kiss dying down to sweet little pecks as they cuddle and the photo having long since fluttered down to the carpet near the beds. Where the twins are smiling as they see the two kissing sweetly before falling back asleep again…

A ringing phone is what wakes Jinyoung the next day after a shitty night’s rest. He’s so out of it that he goes to roll over to shut the noise up and almost falls off the couch if it wasn’t for someone catching him,

“Wow there, careful.”

Jinyoung is wide awake now as he’s met with a just got done working out, Jackson Wang above him!

“No, it’s too early for this,” Jinyoung duck faces into a pout before flinging the blanket over himself to hide.

Jackson thinks Jinyoung is too cute before deciding to help him out and answer the phone,

“Hello, Youngjae, right?”

Jinyoung gasps as hell no is Jackson gonna talk with Youngjae---

“Nice to meet you, I’m Jackson Wa--” Jackson manages to get out before Jinyoung can snatch the phone from him and holds it up to his ear,

“Tell me you’re calling because you guys have arrived.”

Jackson frowns as he didn’t get to properly introduce himself but oh well. He’ll get that chance later. He decides to leave Jinyoung alone for some privacy and heads up the stairs to check on the twins where he finds a pleasant surprise…

Mark and Jaebum are asleep in the mountain of stuffed animals with limbs tangled. Like how are they even asleep like that?! It had to be uncomfortable but Jaebum has his mouth slightly open and snoring away while Mark has his head resting on Jaebum’s chest and drooling.

All with the twins sitting nearby and watching while giggling.

“You think it’s funny too, don’t you?” Jackson asks them and the twins jerk their heads toward the door at Jackson.

They both hold a finger to their lips for Jackson to be quiet so he won’t wake them.

Man, these two must’ve not had any decent sleep these past few days.

The twins decide to get up, Lilly making sure the photo is back underneath her pillow before heading toward Jackson and her brother,

“Bummie and Mommy made up last night,” Lilly tells him.

Jackson is in awe of this, “They did? How do you know?” He asks as he hunches over to rest his hands on his knees and get more on their level.

“They kissed and hugged like we do,” Kyo says and Jackson begins to smile,

“Oh really. That makes me happy to hear.”

“Me too!” They both exclaim and even clap loudly with giggles followed.

This of course has Mark stirring awake as the three go,

“Whoops.”

Mark blinks open his eyes, stretching a bit before seeing the three by the doorway.

“Morning,” The omega yawns out and the twins are already running over.

“No Mommy, go back to sleep,” Lilly protests.

“Yeah, not time yet,” Kyo insists as they try and ‘tuck’ him back in.

Mark smiles more, his eyes shining with love,

“Not time yet? Usually you guys are climbing into my bed by now and want me to get up.”

Speaking of his bed…

Jackson watches as Mark takes in the stuffed animals before his hand lands on a warm body. His eyes go wide, a blush already starting to form as his hand goes up, up and an alpha is heard growling playfully before nipping at Mark’s fingers,

“I’m up, I’m up,” Jaebum tells him before wrapping arms around Mark as the omega is thinking of bolting.

“Bummie!” Mark lets out as he’s trapped now and the twins giggle.

“He’s going back to sleep,” Lilly points out as sure enough, the alpha’s eyes are closing and he’s drifting off---

“Oof,” Jaebum releases the sound as Kyo decides to hop onto his back where his healing wounds are.

“Ah, Kyo wait, Bummie is injured,” Mark gasps out and lifts the wiggly boy off of the alpha.

“Boo-boo?” Kyo asks and Mark nods as Jaebum is fully awake now.

“It’s just a few scratches,” Jaebum tells them as he doesn’t want to worry them.

“We still have to kiss it to make it better!” Lilly demands as she’s determined to find the area so she can heal it with her love.

It makes Jaebum smile as Jackson snorts at the cuteness.

“It’s right here, baby,” Mark directs her to Jaebum’s one shoulder and to the back area.

The two hold onto the adults as they carefully press a kiss over the bandages hidden underneath Jaebum’s shirt.

“Ah, there’s also a boo boo here, and here,” Jaebum points to both his cheeks and the twins zone in to kiss each side of him at the same time.

Jaebum melts in happiness as he goes all eye smile and the twins giggle when Mark says,

“You liar!”

“But I feel their love and it’s doing wonders for me. Now all I need is a kiss from you and I can get through the day.”

There Jaebum goes being a romantic sap again and it shows how much it affects Mark because the omega is blushing. Jackson smiles at the sight as he enjoys seeing his brother happy.

“Just look at you two,” Jackson coos as Mark still ends up pecking Jaebum’s lips.

“Gaga, don’t you need to shower?” Mark lets out in their native tongue as he tosses a stuffed animal his way.

Jackson laughs as he catches the animal with ease before racing off to the bathroom. Mark then gasps as Jaebum pulls him back into his arms and starts layering him with kisses wherever he can reach. The two become playful as the twins join in with loud squeals and climb all over them…

Jinyoung doesn’t have the heart to interrupt that moment as he can hear them all the way downstairs. So he waits to tell them the news…

“They’re here?” Jaebum asks as Jinyoung finally tells them as they’re getting ready to head out the door.

The twins are glued to Mark’s side as the omega puts Lilly’s hair up in a ponytail while Kyo demands to be held at the same time. Lilly reaches out to hold Jaebum’s hand while they talk.

“Youngjae called to tell me that they’ll be at the office waiting on us to arrive.”

“How long ago was this?”

“Oh, an hour ago maybe,” Jinyoung replies nonchalantly before Jaebum’s eyes go wide,

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

“Like I was gonna interrupt cereal time,” Jinyoung sasses back and Jackson agrees,

“No one interrupts cereal time,” The alpha voices as he helps to grab the twin’s bags to take.

“Bummie, can you help me with my shoe?” Lilly asks and Jaebum goes right into father mode to fix his daughter’s shoe.

Mark melts on the spot, his eyes watching the scene fondly as Jinyoung and Jackson both notice.

Kyo even wiggles as he gets jealous and comes over to tug on Jaebum’s sleeve,

“Me too,” He says even though he’s wearing sandals and doesn’t have any shoe laces to tie.

Jaebum still pretends to fix up his shoe anyway as he undoes the velcro and redoes it so Kyo can smile.

“Thank you,” They both say before reaching for Mark and Jaebum’s hands to leave the house,

“Together, together!” They both cheer and Jinyoung and Jackson let them go first.

It was sweet to see it and brighten their day as the twins were so happy and silly. The conversation remained light as Jinyoung told Jaebum to just enjoy this and meet them at the office with the rest of them.

And Jaebum did. He enjoyed riding with Mark to drop the kids off with the grandmother. Especially enjoyed the waves and hugs from the twins and watching Mark interacting with them as he hugs Jackson’s mother on departure. That he couldn’t resist in reaching over and intertwining their fingers and smiling like a dork toward him.

The best part was when Mark smiled back at him and they drove with that warmth and happiness settling deep in their soul. Making Jaebum feel like the future was bright. That they can overcome this and move forward together. That things can be made right and second chances can be given…

But that didn’t mean things in between would be just dandy because before they could pull up to the office, they get a call from Jackson,

“Yien, you’re not gonna believe this…”

It appears the trials have just begun…

Chapter Text

“Mrs. Lim I know this is upsetting,” Jinyoung tries to calm the situation but boy is she furious.

Vivian is downright infuriated as Vector is handling his son,

“You should’ve told me the second that you knew, Neil. That very moment! Not once did you try and contact me to let me get in touch with Jaebeom so we could solve this years ago!”

“Wait but…we did try,” Bam voices but it’s going unheard as he stands next to Danny and watches the chaos unfold.

It’s a sight to see too as Neil is getting his ass chewed out and he looks like a little kid right now with his parents standing before him. Neil is even taller than his mother and known as being cold and heartless but damn does he look tiny compared to angry momma panther right now.

“Mark tried---” Danny tries too but it’s pointless really.

Something goes flying past them and the two go wide eyed as Vivian did not come to play.

Meanwhile, Jackson had managed to sneak off so he could alert Mark of the situation.

“I’m telling you Yien, you do not want to come here right now,” Jackson voices as he’s tucked down underneath a random desk….

Jaebum looks at Mark in worry as the omega drives the car closer to the office,

“What do you think is happening?”

Mark looks just as lost himself, “Gaga, you’re gonna have to be more specific then that. Is this like a life or death situation?”

There’s a pause and the two don’t know that Jackson is currently taking a moment to peek from under the desk and back toward the center hall where the chaos is unfolding. He quickly ducks back underneath when he sees claws are out---

“Yes. Big yes! In fact, why don’t you just take off for a day or two…maybe a few weeks.”

Now both of them are frowning,

“Is it just me in danger or all of us?” Mark is not any closer into understanding what’s taking place.

He ends up pulling into the parking lot and putting the car into park as he looks at the dash like he can see what Jackson is trying to tell him.

“I don’t think this whole building is safe at this point.”

“Why is your brother so dramatic yet so vague at the same time?” Jaebum whispers to Mark and the omega shrugs,

“He usually goes into great detail about things but for some reason he’s being hush hush about what’s going on” The omega replies before turning the car off and holding his phone up as he switches it to speaker phone,

“Jackson, I’m gonna need you to tell me right now why I shouldn’t get out of this car right now and come inside. Cause from the outside point of view, everything is normal and no alarms or nothing are going off like an immediate threat is taking place.”

Jackson goes to reply when he suddenly squeals loudly before there’s rustling with the phone. Jaebum and Mark are both highly concerned now before they hear a woman’s voice on the other end,

“Why don’t you step inside this building right now so I can meet you face to face,” She growls out.

Mark does a double blink cause excuse me? Who is this? But Jaebum on the other hand---

“Mom?”

On second thought, maybe he should take off for a few days…

Jaebum and Mark enter through the front of the building where the alpha thought he’d be seeing two familiar faces of Youngjae and Yugyeom. But they’re not even around at the moment as they probably knew better to stay clear as the Lim parents glare right at Mark. Like why did nobody tell him they were coming?! Why are they even here?!

“Where are they? Where are you keeping them?” Vivian strides forth some before Neil tries to intervene,

“Mom,” Neil starts but Vivian is not waiting any longer.

Seems the cat is out of the bag now as it’s becoming obvious on why they’re here and so heated.

Years of not knowing! Years! She’s missed out on such vital moments of her grand babies lives and she’s been wanting grandchildren for so long now. The audacity here!

Mark becomes defensive right off the rip too because no one comes at him about his children. Those are his babies and he’ll fight anybody over them. Anybody---

Jaebum is smart to step between them like Neil is doing and holding his hands out to stop Mark from advancing any further toward his mother,

“Please, let’s just take a moment to--” Jaebum tries but Mark can be just as feisty with his mouth,

“No, let’s talk about it. Why are you coming at me when I tried to get into contact with your son? I even tried to contact you two personally but got nothing in response. It’s not my fault neither of you wanted anything to do with them.”

“Contact? What contact?” Vector throws back as his eyes are lethal, “None of us received anything. No call, text, email, nothing.”

Vector stands there with authority too. He stands tall and proud and ready to go head to head with Mark on his lies.

“Tell him, Jaebeom. Or did you know?” Vivian looks at him.

“I didn’t but look, you can’t be jumping on Mark like this. He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s been a great mother to our kids and we’ve been working on things---”

“You had every right to know just like we did,” Vivian cuts him off.

That this doesn’t excuse the years they missed out on. That they know their son would have stepped in and done what was right and be responsible here.

“But I did! When I found out I was pregnant, I tried to reach out with someone else’s phone because Jaebum blocked my number and found out he changed his number completely. After that attempt, I’ll admit, I got pretty upset and pregnancy hormones didn’t help so I didn’t try again until a few days after that but I did! I went straight to Neil to get into contact with Jaebum personally.”

They all listen as Mark swears up and down that he’s telling the truth. That Bam, Danny and Jackson are all nodding and even adding their own words as they were there as witnesses.

“But Neil said Jaebum was busy with his missions and didn’t want any contact during that time,” Mark’s expression falls from anger a bit and goes to old wounds being opened once more.

Jaebum winces as it was true that he did drown himself into work that they were constantly at the field and less at the office for a good while.

“By the time I even found out I was pregnant, I was months along and soon after finding out, I started declining in health really bad,” Mark voices as he rubs at his own arm as he doesn’t like recalling such events.

As he remembers feeling so weak and in pain. Barely being able to keep anything down or move. Barely able to function…

Vivian and Vector’s anger was deflating as they continued to listen,

“It was taking everything out of me just to keep them and me alive to a point I ended up in a hospital on an I.V. and round the clock watch. The doctor said I wouldn’t make it, that my only two options were to terminate the pregnancy or get the father.”

Mark’s eyes shine with raw pain and the suffering he had gone through,

“Apparently it’s ten times harder for an omega to go through a pregnancy without the alpha that not only imprinted on them, but one’s body claims them to be their mate. Add on twins and well, they said it would be a miracle if all three of us survived.”

Mark wasn’t even supposed to get pregnant. He was on birth control and suppressants because of his line of work but that didn’t do shit to stop it with Lim Jaebeom. Mark’s body overridded it when getting intimate with his mate and thus kickstarted his heat and thanks to being on antibiotics during the case, bye bye birth control during that time.

“Yien…” Jackson calls out as he gets closer to his brother to hug him from the side.

He keeps him close as that time was hard on all of them, many fearing Mark wasn’t gonna make it. Even Bam and Danny move forth to comfort him as Mark tries to continue,

“My last attempt was to go to you guys when they said I needed to find Jaebum so Neil helped me and did it for me since I was bed ridden in the hospital. Again, I got nothing like you guys didn’t give two shits what happened to us. I couldn’t get in touch with Jaebum and by that point it just kept getting worse and worse that the doctor said I needed to mate with Neil since he was a match and I didn’t want to terminate the pregnancy.”

Mark looks away from Vivian and Vector and right to Jaebum as he had unshed tears in his eyes,

“But I couldn’t do it because I still loved your son. It was selfish, maybe even stupid but I would’ve regretted it for the rest of my life. And I told myself that even if it would just end up being me and the twins, then so be it. I’ll do it. Just like my father, I’ll be there for them and raise them myself and love them with every fiber of my being. And that’s what I did. And that’s what I’m still doing no matter what anyone has to say or tries to do something about it. You weren't there. You weren't in my shoes. You guys had your chance. And they’re doing fine, thanks for asking,” Mark lets out the last part with a bit of a bite for all the times they could’ve contacted him.

Of all the times they could’ve tried reaching back and giving something instead of just Mark doing it all. Where they had plenty of time and years to do something and yet here they are acting like they didn’t know shit---

“Lim Neil Shane!” Vivian calls out as she growls out his name before rounding on him.

Vector and Jaebum are both just as pissed as they look at Neil. Hell, Jaebum is trying to advance forward as his eyes flash but Jinyoung is rushing forth,

“No, no, let’s not lose control here,” Jinyoung urges as Jaebum bares fangs,

“This is all your fault! You kept any of us from knowing!”

Mark’s eyes go wide in shock because that’s impossible…it couldn’t…

But the fact that Mark tried to reach them with Neil’s help and nothing came through. The fact that Jaebum even said that he had gotten nothing all those years and that even Vector, the head of Korea’s one government police force didn’t either…would Vector even lie about that?

But that would mean that Neil lied. That would mean that Neil never once actually attempted to contact them. That would mean that this entire time, Neil kept his family from knowing anything.

Neil doesn’t even look remorseful in the slightest but when he hears his name being called from Mark, their eyes lock and it pains him greatly,

“You promised me all those times…I trusted you…I confided in you…tell me you didn’t---”

“I did,” Neil admits as he doesn’t want his parents to hate Mark because of this.

Mark is completely innocent.

Oh, Jackson is pissed now too, “Are you serious right now?!”

“Was this because I turned you down? Because of your feelings for me?” Mark demands to know, his voice trembling with emotion as he’s trying to hold it together.

“It’s because I love you that I did what I did. Jaebum ran away and buried himself in work. Took on being a leader for a team just to get away from his own thoughts that telling him about the pregnancy would’ve only made things worse. He would’ve came back, it wouldn’t have solved anything but make it worse as he would’ve felt obligated to be with you because of your health and the kids. It wouldn’t have been out of love and it would’ve torn you apart, if not killed you. And if you would’ve survived and you two ended up hating each other, you’d be tied to him and your whole life changed. You would’ve had to go back with him to Korea. Would’ve lost everything you worked so hard for. Everything your father did…”

Neil’s expression shows raw pain now as no matter what he did, it didn’t go the way he had hoped or planned.

“That’s why I hoped you would have accepted the offer and mated with me. When you declined it and asked me to contact my parents, that too would’ve just caused more pain and suffering for you. Being countries apart from the grandparents and Jaebum, the court wouldn’t have liked that, and again, we’d end right back up with what I said prior. I felt it was best to go this way. I felt it was needed as it wasn’t the right time. That if it was truly meant to be, fate would make it happen. And not only did my choice of not contacting them lead you to push forward and get better, the twins are both alive and healthy, you and my brother have grown significantly and now look where we are…”

Call him a bad guy. Put all the blame on him. He had his reasons and he doesn’t regret it though he wished Mark never had to go through such pain and heartache. He had wished and hoped that maybe someday he could win Mark’s heart over but time proved that it still beat only for Jaebum. Time told him that there would be a day that would come that even if he didn’t intervene, those two would’ve come back together one way or another.

They were mates after all. Soul mates that was like one in a million. A rare occurrence to happen in a lifetime.

He still recalls those times in the hospital. He still can hear Mark calling out for Jaebum in his sleep. Where he knows Mark made it because of Jaebum even if he was the one that put Mark in that situation to start with.

It’s just meant to be between those two…

A loud slap is heard as it was felt across Neil’s face from Vivian.

“Office, now!” Vivian seethes and Neil does as he’s told and starts walking with his parents.

The others remain silent as Shannon is in the background by the front. She’s so glad that she had the area cleared and blocked off because they just witnessed their boss getting put in his place!

And as those three are nearing the elevator you can still hear Vivian letting him have it,

“I raised you better than this, Neil! Putting your younger brother through that and poor Mark here! Don’t think I don’t know about how you’re just like your father with your unique ways of loving. All of you are possessive too around your loved ones and would stoop to ungodly levels. Going above and beyond and beating around the bush and making things way more complicated and dorky than they need to be instead of being like any other person---”

The elevator doors close and the ranting stops there but they all know Neil is not getting out of that any time soon.

“Well I think that went well,” Bam tries to joke to ease the situation but even his laugh isn’t sure.

Mark wipes at his eyes and pouts cutely as he really didn’t want to get all personal like that but he couldn’t help it. Soon he had a sulky alpha in front of him before being pulled into his arms.

“I wanna murder my brother,” Jaebum whispers into his ear as they hug one another.

“Thank you for not doing that,” Mark tells him and Jaebum lets out a big huff,

“It’s the only reason I’m holding back.”

Mark can feel Jaebum is still wound up. That he has every right to be this upset, especially since he could’ve been here from the start. That he could’ve helped Mark through his pregnancy and then he never would’ve had to go through any of that. But no, his brother had to go and be him.

“Um, bro, your tail is out,” Jackson points out as Jaebum’s tail is in fact out and flicking back and forth angrily.

“I think he knows,” Danny clarifies but it seems Jaebum is focused on Mark right now to hear or see anything else.

“I’m here now,” Jaebum tells Mark and he means it.

He squeezes Mark tighter, wanting the omega to fully understand him.

“You won’t ever have to go through that again, I promise.”

Mark tries to make the situation lighter by saying, “Through pregnancy? You’re not knocking me up this time, big guy,” He lets out as he pats Jaebum’s back.

Jaebum whines before nuzzling close and then lightly butting their foreheads together,

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying the first time. I just really wanted to make love to you.”

God, here he goes being the romantic sap that he is.

“I couldn’t hold back my emotions and I needed to show you how I felt that I apparently loved you too passionately,” Jaebum pouts and Mark finds it so adorable.

It makes him smile, especially when Jaebum continues and says,

“But now I want to do it to make up for all the lost time and override those memories with my love.”

“Did he just ask to have sex with my brother?” Jackson lets out as he looks at Jinyoung.

Jinyoung snorts fondly as he’s cheesing from how much of a dork Jaebum truly is.

“Man that must be some mind blowing sex to be able to make Mark forget about the past,” Bam teases and Danny laughs at that.

“There’s no way he just means sex,” Danny voices.

Jaebum’s tail starts moving with determination and passion just like it shows on his face,

“There’s so much I want and need to do. So many kisses, hugs, talks. Fuck, please tell me you’ll let me take you out on a date tonight. In fact, we’ll need to go out on a date every night to make up for the ones I couldn’t take you on before,” Jaebum starts going on and on before Mark gently puts a finger to the alpha’s lips.

Jaebum goes silent, his eyes staring into Mark’s with such love and warmth. It really helps Mark just from this. From knowing that Jaebum had his back earlier and was ready to go against his parents and defend him. That he was ready to fight his own brother for him. And that Jaebum can make him smile in seconds and his heart to swell with love from him just being himself.

“I could go for a date,” Mark says as his expression becomes flirty and his eyes shine playfully.

The way Jaebum beams with a full on eye smile as his hands run over Mark soothingly was such a sight to see. It makes Mark unable to resist and removes his finger so he can peck him on the lips. Of course Jaebum follows, wanting nothing more than to get more of his love and to shower him in his.

“Bummie, no, we’re at work remember?” Mark giggles out as Jaebum looks ready to pounce right now.

“Is this gonna be the daily thing now because I’m starting to want to see the moping alpha back in his office chair,” Jinyoung teases before Jaebum gives him a look.

Mark perks up at this though, “Hmm? He did what?”

Jinyoung is smirking away as Jaebum is shaking his head, pleading with the fox to not keep going,

“Yes, that photo he gave Lilly is the photo he carried around in his wallet and looked at every day. The way he would stare at it made us think you were a lover that died.”

“Jinyoung!” Jaebum whines.

“Stop, that’s cute,” Bam coos as Danny and Jackson are smiling away.

“I can just imagine it too. With his big stature all hunched over and holding a tiny photo,” Jackson teases along with the others.

All while Jaebum becomes flustered because that’s exactly what he did.

“I’m not cute, I’m sexy.”

“Right,” Danny agrees.

“Just wait till the others find out everything,” Jinyoung says and Jaebum actually perks up at this,

“Where are the others? I thought they were the ones coming, not my parents.”

“They’re here. They arrived before with your parents and decided to get caught up on the case so they’re looking at the file and the dead bodies in the temporary morgue.”

“Ah! They’ve already arrived and I missed them!” Bam whines as he’s been wanting to meet them.

“Oh, we should go meet them,” Jackson insists.

“Let’s go then,” Mark agrees as this would help keep things moving forward.

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re getting excited here for the big moment of Yugbam meeting. Where you must be thinking of all these different scenarios of how it’s all gonna go down. But let me tell you, that you did not see this one coming. Nope,

In fact, no one did. Because the moment they reach the floor of the morgue, you would think they were entering into some horror film as they can hear screaming, animalistic sounds along with loud noises and drum roll please…

Bam gets so scared that he ends up punching someone and that someone just happens to be Yugyeom…

Broke his nose too…

But don’t worry, we all know Bam is gonna make up for it one way or another…

Chapter Text

You would think this was an opening act for a horror, action movie. Where they get off the elevator or enter from the stairwell and down a long white fluorescent hallway, lies a door leading to the morgue. Bam hated, absolutely hated coming down here and would rather be in the safety of his office or even out on the field. But surely he can handle it with the others around. Yeah…nice and easy---

Bam tries to play it off too. Tries to act all bad ass with his goofy self as he leads the way because he ain’t scared of no ghost! Not like dead bodies can come back to life anyway and Bam knows this, and yet he still can’t help that thought in the back of his head of what if?

Telling another joke, Bam attempts to laugh away his nervousness and keep the mood light and airy as they approach the door leading into the morgue. Jackson even plays along while Danny is laughing and Jinyoung rolls his eyes fondly. Mark and Jaebum are totally not getting lost in each other’s eyes with fingers brushing against each other either---

All of a sudden they hear screaming from the other side of the door the exact moment Bam goes to open it. They all freeze, eyes going wide as they hear some feral, animalistic type sounds that send chills right up Bam’s spine. Already his adrenaline is pumping and everything in him is telling him fuck this! Loud noises are heard next before the door knob is rattling and then flinging open and---

Bam! Like literally, Bam’s reaction is to immediately fight and he punches the first thing that comes through that door.

And it just happens to be Yugyeom as the alpha hisses the moment of impact right into his nose.

“Ah, fuck, I think you broke it!” Yugyeom groans out in pain as he hunches forward and holds his nose.

You can see Youngjae right behind Yugyeom still freaking out and trying to get out.

“Oh shit, bro, I’m sorry!” Bam exclaims as he realizes his mistake and moves Yugyeom to the side.

Youngjae comes running out but Jinyoung is grabbing him toward his side as they hear feral sounds from inside the morgue still. Sure enough, the guys are in for a surprise as the Korean target is trying to come at them when they all know that guy was long since dead.

“What the---” Danny exclaims in shock as he backs up.

The target is so pale and blue from being in the morgue’s cold temperatures and surely shouldn’t be able to move, much less function!

“How is this possible?” Mark voices as they zero in onto his neck where the gaping wound he had prior is covered up by these black vein like vines.

In fact, you can see them moving just underneath the skin through the veins of the target.

Was that the venom?

Jaebum is quick to move Mark behind him as the target locked eyes on the omega before screeching. It now goes from slow, unsteady movements to pissed off and ready to launch itself before they hear Jackson say,

“Out of the way now!”

All of them respond, clearing the way for Jackson as you see him standing there while holding a gun aimed at the target. The moment the victim goes to launch himself, Jackson fires and the bullet goes right between the eyes and into the brain.

The target goes down, dropping like a fly as Youngjae points at it,

“No one told me we’d be dealing with zombies here!”

He’s clung to Jinyoung’s side, screaming into his ear still but Jinyoung was too distracted by how hot Jackson looked a second ago to hear it.

“Is it dead dead?” Danny asks as he approaches slowly and boops it with his shoe.

“Careful now,” Jaebum warns but the target doesn’t come back to life a third time.

“Ow, ow,” Yugyeom voices as he’s hunched in a corner, his nose bleeding and Bam trying to make it better but might be making it worse.

“Oh, why did I have to punch a fine ass man?” Bam mumbles under his breath as he winces at the damage he’s done.

“Can I help? How can I make it better? A blow job will fix everything, I guarantee it,” Bam offers while Yugyeom is groaning in pain and cradling his nose.

“Bam,” Jackson gets onto him because a blow job can’t fix everything.

This snaps Jinyoung out of his haze and he’s soon moving Youngjae,

“The guy isn’t moving, now go help Yugyeom please.”

Youngjae stops squealing and looks and finds the target is still on the ground and sighs in relief. He then notices Yugyeom and rushes over to help,

“Let me see,” Youngjae voices before Yugyeom protests,

“No, no, don’t--” Yugyeom curses as Youngjae doesn’t hesitate to rebreak his nose to set it back into its original place.

“There, all better now,” Youngjae throws in a sunshine smile as he hands Yugyeom a random cloth he keeps in one of his pouches, “Tilt forward slightly, there, yep, good and pinch your nose with the cloth for a few minutes.”

Yugyeom lets out a noise of appreciation as he leans against the wall while Bam keeps apologizing profusely,

“I’m really sorry man, I thought you were the enemy or a ghost or something---but I-I’m totally not like this on the regular nor was I trying hurt you on purpose and I really think if you let me nurse you back to health that we can let bygones be bygones and---”

Yugyeom glares at Bam before stating with his voice sounding plugged,

“I’m straight bro.”

Bam whines before shaking his head, “Don’t knock it till you try it man!”

Yugyeom rolls his eyes, “Definitely not trying it with you,” The alpha lets out as he’s a bit pissed at Bam for getting into this situation.

Totally not a good first impression either.

“Mhmm, challenge accepted,” Bam counters as he remains defiant and Yugyeom looks at him like he’s crazy.

Just who is this beta?

Meanwhile,

“Are you ok?” Danny asks Youngjae.

Youngjae turns from the two to look at the one behind the voice and finds himself instantly flushing when locking eyes with Danny,

“I’m more than fine,” Youngjae replies as this man looked like he came right from the T.V.

“You sure? You’re not blinking,” Danny voices in concern as he moves closer and Youngjae starts to let out embarrassing sounds.

“Heh, uh, not too close, your stunning looks are hurting my eyes,” Youngjae ends up blurting out.

Was Youngjae subconsciously flirting or insulting the man?

Danny thinks it's adorable as Youngjae is flailing now and stumbling to get himself together. All while the others are actually trying to get some work done here.

“No blood came out,” Jinyoung voices as they turn the body over to see from the gunshot wound.

“The black vein like vines aren’t moving anymore either,” Mark adds as it looks like they're slowly evaporating, “I think it’s the venom.”

Jaebum furrows his eyebrows as a serious expression lays on his face,

“Could he have gotten venom transferred to him when Kyle tore into him?”

“It’s possible,” Jackson voices as he stands back up next to them, “I don’t know how else since he’s literally been in that one room and then the morgue.”

“What kind of venom does this though? Acting like blood itself and functioning even a dead body?” Jinyoung is astonished.

There’s no such thing. It’s impossible.

“It’s almost like a virus of some sorts that takes over a body as its own vessel,” Youngjae joins in as he rushes close and hugs Jaebum’s arm in distraction.

He can still feel Danny’s eyes on him and is blushing in response,

“When Yugyeom and I came down here, the bodies were both in body bags and inside their marked spots. We looked at the other one first but didn’t see any black veins or venom on him.”

“That’s most likely due to his neck severing and keeping the brain from giving signals to the rest of the body. The venom can’t function the body without the brain apparently,” Danny brings up.

“Wow, that’s really like a zombie,” Jackson lets out in awe while Jaebum shakes his head at this,

“But it spread so rapidly with this one and not Kyle? Or was it lying dormant? I don’t understand why we couldn’t notice Kyle was affected before.”

“So many factors can contribute to this, Boss,” Youngjae says as he raises a finger and rests his chin on Jaebum’s shoulder,

“It could be due to the fact that the target was already dead so the venom was able to take over quick and easy. There’s really no telling unless we can take a sample and test it but as you can see, the venom is already evaporating.”

Meaning it can’t function outside on its own without a host. Like needing a compound or substance much like with chemicals reacting to things. Without a body and brain function, it’s just venom.

But it’s not alive…so how is it controlling them like so? Does it just make one go feral and yet still be able to function somewhat properly until it’s fully taken over? Even after?

This was something none of them had encountered before.

“Bam, hello, you’re a snake hybrid, help us here,” Jackson calls out to him.

It interrupts Bam still trying to get with Yugyeom,

“What about now?” Bam asks Yugyeom who looks annoyed right now,

“If you asked five seconds ago, what makes you think the answer will be different?”

“Because--” Bam starts but then he hears Jackson calling out to him and whines,

“I’m busy here--” Bam lets out as he looks over to Jackson and sees Jaebum and Jinyoung both giving him a look over the alpha’s shoulder.

“Oop, coming!” Bam changes his mind and comes closer.

“Can venom act like a virus?” Danny questions him.

“Uh…idk, man. Venom latches on and attacks whatever it lands on or touches. It’s a substance, a poison. What more do you need to know to understand that it can cause damage? Mix it with enough acidy and you can melt shit with it. It shuts down vital organs, eats through skin, etc. so I guess in a way it can act like a virus.”

Bam shrugs as he has no idea where this is going.

“Well that got us nowhere,” Jinyoung deadpans.

“Hey, I know it can’t make dead people come back to life! Nor can it cover gaping wounds with a vine like structure. Healing on the other hand is possible but acting like it’s own blood, meh.”

“Should we continue looking inside?” Yugyeom offers as he moves forth.

He sniffs from his nose and makes a face while tasting blood but it appears his nose has stopped bleeding. Sadly it doesn’t help all the blood that got onto the floor or Yugyeom’s clothing.

“You good?” Jaebum wants to make sure and Yugyeom nods,

“Been hit with worse,” He jokes lightly as the two fist bump before they head inside.

“Are we sure the other one isn’t gonna suddenly come to life?” Bam starts to get scared again that he’s clung to Jackson’s back.

“Why don’t you stick with me,” Jinyoung tells him instead of asking as he pulls Bam his way.

“I still have the heebie jeebies from standing in here and hearing something before seeing the bag start to move,” Youngjae breathes out as he keeps a hand to his chest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Danny reassures Youngjae and the two lock eyes again before Youngjae ducks his head shyly with a big sunshine grin.

“Thank you.”

Jaebum pulls on the latch that has the door still partially open and slides out Kyle’s body bag,

“He’s still in the bag,” He confirms as the others start looking around the room.

“Everything is the same as it ever was,” Jackson voices as it’s all neat and tidy other than the bag the target had been in.

You can tell it was ripping open from the guy trying to get out---

“Wait,” Mark lets out as he stops Jackson from tossing the bag to the side, “What is that?”

“Uhh…” Jackson scrunches his face as he sees what Mark is pointing to and tries to bring it closer to see.

It’s so dark inside the bag that it takes Mark helping him to hold it up toward the light for them to make out dried blood---

“That’s Korean,” Jinyoung notices right away as the others move closer.

“Something…something me…I know that one means me,” Jackson says with excitement while Bam snorts in the background,

“Like that’s gonna help us.”

“Keep your…eyes…on…” Yugyeom squinted to see the hard writing, “Keep your eyes on me?”

“Is that really what it says?” Danny is shocked.

“Bro, were we supposed to see this before the guy came at us?” Youngjae lets out in horror.

“I definitely don’t like the sound of that,” Jinyoung sasses and Jaebum nods in agreement, rubbing at his chin while he gets lost in deep thought.

His eyes are not looking away from the writing. His gut feeling telling him this had something to do with the conversation Kyle had with Mark. About this leader that no one knows if they actually exist or if it was all in Kyle’s head. But now…it's starting to look like it wasn’t just in his head.

But how? Why?

“The question lies on where we go from here,” Mark says and Jaebum’s eyes land on his profile.

Where his mind recalls how the target reacted the moment it spotted Mark…

Oh he didn’t like how his stomach turned at that. He didn’t like how everything was telling him to not let Mark out of his sight…

Tell him this wouldn’t be what his mind is leading too…

It appears Jaebum’s nightmare might come true for the moment it strikes three in the morning, they’re getting a phone call that a murder just took place…

Chapter Text

You would think with a bunch of professionals and having time in this field of work that meetings and debriefings would be, you know, taken seriously. And for the most part it was but it was not quiet at any time and was overly chaotic.

From having Bam throwing winks and trying to play footsies with Yugyeom under the table. To Yugyeom reacting with weird looks, trying to ignore and then kicking back at Bam who thinks he’s playing footsies back. Then you had Youngjae and Danny who were totally flirting with shy smiles, longing looks and laughter at all the wrong times that Neil was ready to throw the table out of the window. Like is this team actually sane or has this line of work made them all crazy from seeing the norm of death, chaos, blood, etc that if they didn’t then they would start to go mad?

Jinyoung and Jackson on the other hand were actually paying attention for once as Jinyoung knows when it’s play time and when it’s not. And Jackson, well Jackson was paying super close attention because he was waiting for when it would be his turn to tell his part. Where the cute wolf turned into a puppy at this point with all the wiggling, touching of whoever is closest to him and things all before he excitedly jumped in and started telling his dramatic badass story of saving the days and the lives of his team members. Waiting to be praised as he kept looking at Neil for approval, Jinyoung to make sure he was looking at him and even over to Jaebum as he’s been bonding more with him. Bam was too busy trying to get dick that Jackson knew better and of course he knows that his brother is watching fondly to everything he has to say.

Neil was ready to murder and they were only halfway through the debriefing. He was barely keeping it together professionally as no one would listen when he said to behave and it honestly looking a lot more like he’s babysitting a bunch of kids than holding a debriefing with adults.

All until Jaebum went right into leader mode after being lovey dovey with Mark. The moment he hears Neil growling under his breath, Jaebum switches from giant softie to demanding authority as his tone alone stops everything. His aura adds onto it and the look he throws at them has them all sitting up straight, eyes looking forward at Neil and it goes quiet.

It was amazing really, especially since Bam and Jackson aren’t even under Jaebum.

Mark smiles warmly as Jaebum turns to him and smirks in approval, his eyes shining proudly and now Neil is ready to murder his own brother as he gets lost in the omega.

For the love of---

Sweet Mark helps to keep things going though and calms Neil down. After what felt like forever the debriefing is over and Neil will discuss it with his father later. Just because his parents were able to fly all the way over here, didn’t mean everything else could stay on hold forever so his father was trying to still handle business.

“Stop touching me,” Yugyeom whines out as he’s getting sick and tired of Bam being so clingy.

But Bam isn’t bothered and clings on even as Yugyeom is trying to get him off like two siblings fighting. Bam ends up latching onto his leg and Yugyeom is now dragging him slowly across the tiled floor.

“Please save me from this demon!”

“Afraid we can’t because there’s not enough room in our home so you’ll have to room with Bam during the case,” Mark tells him softly.

“What?! Why?! What about Youngjae? I can room with Danny inst--” Yugyeom starts to protest but when he goes to look at the two he already knows the answer.

I mean the two are giving off, ‘Let me kiss you’ vibes with hearts floating in the air above their heads.

“Jaebum please--” Yugyeom starts to beg all cutely but the alpha immediately clings to Mark,

“Mine, plus our children,” Jaebum reminds Yugyeom.

Oh yeah, how could Yugyeom forget all the shit that’s happened in a span of a few days?!

Yugyeom pouts as he can’t argue with that one but there is one person left---

“Don’t even think about it. Jackson’s bed is mine,” Jinyoung says as if he’s been sleeping on it and claims it as his own.

Jackson perks up at this, “You’re finally gonna sleep with me again?!”

Jinyoung’s sass and fierceness starts to turn into a flustered mess at Jackson’s words. At seeing the alpha excited to sleep with him again as he moves closer with fingers already finding his skin.

Oh god, he really did sleep with Jackson that first night didn’t he?! Why can’t he remember it?! It had to be enjoyable right? Otherwise Jackson would be upset with him or not this excited for it to happen again.

Maybe they haven't gone all the way yet. Maybe they made out and jacked off together…fuck, why does that sound very appeasing right now?

Jinyoung bites his lips to keep any embarrassing sounds from coming out as he remains defiant toward Yugyeom in his stance but is seconds from showing the shy mess he’s becoming,

“See? Spot’s taken.”

Yugyeom sulks big time as this was gonna be the worst night of his life…

He suddenly feels someone patting his head and turns to find Mark is the one doing it. Where he gives the alpha a soft look,

“It’s gonna be ok, Yuggie. He’s a friendly snake who doesn’t bite---”

As if on cue, Bam leans over and bites Mark’s ankle, making the omega gasp as he pierces his skin. Mark moans too before Bam is exclaiming,

“Stop before you make him fall in love with you, he’s my man.”

Jaebum growls as he pulls Mark away from Bam, “You can’t be making my baby moan like that!”

Mark flushes as he hides his face into Jaebum’s chest because now everyone is gonna know that he’s into biting.

Bam isn’t phased by Jaebum and his possessiveness while Yugyeom exclaims,

“For the last time, I’m not gay.”

Youngjae and Jinyoung both share a knowing look that Yugyeom is not as innocent and sweet as he proclaims to be. That man is a freak in the sheets whose done threesomes and much kinkier shit with both men and women involved.

So why is he so hellbent on denying it? Jinyoung has no place to judge though with his own situation so he doesn’t even bother to tease.

“Keep denying it, it’ll only turn me on more,” Bam purrs out seductively as he tries to bite Yugyeom next.

Yugyeom manages to get the snake off his leg while Jaebum is fretting over Mark,

“He made you bleed.”

“Bummie, it’s fine, it’s two tiny holes and Bam’s venom is safe,” Mark tries to tell him but Jaebum isn’t having it.

Where one second Mark is standing on two feet and the next, Jaebum is picking him up to carry him.

“Bummie no,” Mark protests as he starts to get red all the way up to his ears.

“I’m taking you to the medical bay before we leave to get it looked at.”

“Youngjae is literally a medic,” Jinyoung reminds the love struck fool as he redirects him to Youngjae.

“Youngjae, hurry and help my baby,” Jaebum pleads while Mark is dying from embarrassment.

Jackson thinks this is hilarious as Jinyoung face palms in second hand embarrassment for Mark. Especially as Jaebum refused to leave Mark’s side the entire time and asked all these questions like a father would caring for their child.

“Is he gonna make it? Will it stop bleeding? What type of bandage should I use and should I put a new one on every so often?”

Even though Jaebum is trained in basic first aid for when he’s on the field, it appears his mind will cloud over when love is involved as he worries over his mate. It’s sweet really and makes Jaebum a huge dork that has Mark cooing over his cuteness. Where he’s just smiling away and looking at the alpha with all the love in the world.

“I think he’s gonna be just fine,” Youngjae takes it easy on him as he wants to keep seeing more of Jaebum being a dork.

Unfortunately with how everything went today, the date had to get postponed until tomorrow, especially with how Lilly was cranky today as she couldn’t sleep during nighttime so they’re spending a nice night in. They ordered pizza, Yugyeom calling the others to face time to save himself from being completely alone with Bam. Bam of course did not care if there was an audience or not and was his wild, free self in the background. One of his cats even came to snuggle with the wolf too.

There was such a precious moment though as usually when Lilly wasn’t feeling well or had a bad day, she would go to one of her Uncles to hold her. Where it’s completely natural for her to want an alpha to lean on while she’s in this vulnerable state. But surprisingly, instead of going to Jackson this time, she went straight to Jaebum.

“Bummie, hold me,” She begs sweetly as she tugs on his arm and wipes at her tear soaked cheeks.

Jaebum felt his heart constrict right away and wasted no time in holding her in his lap as him and the others all played a card game around the big dinner table. Where Mark watches the two interact with Jaebum whispering into her ear about something. Whatever it is, it makes Lilly smile and start to brighten up before she’s giggling and curling up in his hold.

It made Mark so happy to see her interacting with her father. To see how good Jaebum was with children and knowing if Kyo wasn’t distracted by pizza right now, he’d be trying to get all over Jaebum’s lap too.

“Bingo!” Jackson exclaims before Jinyoung gives him a look,

“Bingo? We’re playing Uno.”

Jackson scrambles to correct himself, “Uno! I mean Uno!”

Mark and Jaebum start busting out in laughter that has the twins following suit before Kyo points,

“You gotta draw two now.”

“Do I have too?” Jackson asks with his puppy eyes.

Jinyoung was gonna say hell yes right away but the moment he looks at that expression---

“Fine, we’ll overlook it this time,” Jinyoung is quick to look away and draws a card to distract himself from that cute expression.

Jaebum smiles knowingly as Jinyoung normally would’ve told him rules are rules.

“Mommy, why haven’t you used the blue one yet?” Kyo points out and Mark makes a face before snorting,

“Baby, you can’t be telling them what color I have.”

Kyo makes a shocked face before wiggling to get down. Mark lets him down and wonders what he’s gonna do before his head pops up between Jackson and Jinyoung,

“But they have blues too!”

“Kyo! That’s cheating!” Lilly tells him while everyone else is laughing at the adorableness.

“Bummie, do you have a blue?” Kyo asks instead and now Jackson is beating on the table in laughter as Jinyoung can’t hold back even with his hand covering his mouth.

Lilly is giggling at her silly brother as Jaebum goes all eye smile and leans over and runs fingers through Kyo’s hair when the boy comes closer,

“Since you asked so nicely, no, I do not have any blue.”

“See? Not cheating now,” Kyo beams and Mark’s heart warms greatly.

“Man, we need to do this with the whole gang,” Jackson says as he wipes at the tears caused by laughing so much.

They really did, maybe tomorrow they could all get together and do something…

It was time for bed and it was a pleasant surprise when Jackson entered his room from the bathroom and found Jinyoung already in his bed. Jackson lets out a squeal and comes running while Jinyoung is already having second thoughts here---

“Wait, no no, Jackson!”

It’s too late though as Jackson lands on the bed, bouncing them both a few times before he ducks under the covers and snuggles right up to Jinyoung’s back.

“Hey Jinyoungie,” He greets happily into his ear.

Right away, Jinyoung is blushing and hyper aware of everything Jackson is doing as their bodies are flushed together.

“I said I’d be sleeping in the same bed as you, not snuggling like lovers!” Jinyoung manages to get out as his brain is going all over the place.

“Oh? But friends snuggle like this all the time. Should I show you how lovers snuggle?”

I mean…he won’t lie, him and Jaebum have ended up in situations of them snuggling that meant nothing other than two bros snuggling. But with Jackson…

“Ok, hot shot, show me how lovers get more intimate than this.”

The moment the words leave his mouth, Jinyoung wishes he could take it back cause one second he’s on his side and the next, he’s facing the alpha, their limbs intertwined and cocks brushing. Jackson’s one hundred watt smile is bright as day with those soft brown eyes staring deeply into his,

“Like this,” He lets out seductively with a cute wiggle of his eyebrows.

And Jackson just being clad in a loose robe with part of his chest showing and his hair still styled a bit from the day, well, talk about a walking fantasy here. A wet, dreamy fantasy as Jinyoung can’t even form words as he openly stares and licks at his chapped lips.

Jackson’s one hand comes to lay on Jinyoung’s hip, feeling the alpha so tense before his fingers massage to help loosen him up. It takes a moment but soon Jinyoung is relaxing before the alpha talks,

“No touching,” He tells him and right away Jackson lifts his hand and starts to pull back until Jinyoung is quickly mumbling, “No, touch.”

Jackson lifts one eyebrow in question as Jinyoung is giving all sorts of mixed signals here,

“Yes? Or No?” Jackson asks just to be sure as he doesn’t want to push Jinyoung too far.

Jinyoung doesn’t answer though as he’s confused himself so Jackson reaches out to brush his fingers underneath the alpha’s chin so he’ll look at him. Where their faces are mere inches apart and Jinyoung is falling more and more under Jackson’s charms,

“Do you want this?” Jackson asks as he puts his one hand back onto Jinyoung’s hips while his eyes search deeply into Jinyoung’s,

“Or do you want this?’ Jackson asks again as he leans down, their lips barely brushing and Jinyoung gasps.

His lips part automatically, his body shivering out of reaction of Jackson himself. He doesn’t pull away because he’s not repulsed by it but he’s not diving in because he’s still scared. He’s scared of these thoughts and feelings. He knows this isn’t him being curious about another male or he swore he was solely straight but there’s just something about Jackson. From his scent, to his aura, his personality, just everything about him. It continues to draw Jinyoung in and continues to pull deeply at his soul to connect. He’s never imagined himself with another man before but with Jackson it just felt right, like a possibility.

What does it even matter who he’s into? They’re not him. They’re not living his life. He’s not against gays or he’d be a huge dick for being best friends with Jaebum. He believes love is love and if that love so happened to land on Jackson Wang one day well…

Fuck everyone else, right? His motto has always been to be true to oneself and follow his heart. He went against society anyway as he didn’t believe in a lot of the things society would throw onto you. Like how they treat women, etc. He grew up in a household full of women and always strived for a better world.

Jackson is waiting, just teasing poor Jinyoung as he’s having this moment that it’s frustrating the male. What happened to coming all over him and ready to take him when he’s pausing like this?!

“Kiss me, you fool,” Jinyoung tells him as he reaches up to grip the back of Jackson’s nape and crashes their lips together.

Jackson reacts strongly, whimpering in response as Jinyoung holds a firm grip and dominates the kiss. It makes Jackson submit right away, letting Jinyoung do all the exploring as he parts his lips with ease to give the alpha access.

And Jinyoung likes that. He thought at first he would be going head to head. Be fighting on who would take the lead, etc. But Jackson doesn’t mind giving him the reins if he wants it and is just as eager to take the role of the bottom if Jinyoung so wants it.

And Jackson can feel Jinyoung growing hard so he definitely wants something…

But as soon as things are growing heated, it stops and not because Jinyoung is chickening out this time, but because both their phones start to ring---

Previously,

“Are you pouting over there?” Mark whispers out as amusement laces his voice.

“No…” Jaebum whispers back though he definitely is.

“Does this have to do with the fact that it’s the first time sharing a bed in years?”

Mark’s eyes are shining with warmth even in the dark as the moonlight peeks in from the window nearby.

“Maybe…” Jaebum pouts even more as he’s facing Mark from his side of the bed.

Where there’s way too much distance between them due to the fact that they’re not alone.

Mark giggles and it’s so adorable to hear,

“Welcome to parenthood, Bummie,” Mark teases playfully and Jaebum smiles back,

“Hey, I’m happy that they want to spend time with us.”

The twins are sound asleep between them as they’re curled against each other while Mark and Jaebum couldn’t fall asleep quite yet. It could be due to what took place today or it might be the fact that the two have been craving to get closer if you know what I mean.

Already the need to touch and love on one another is like a steady itch underneath their skin that’s only spreading.

“I know you are. I always had a feeling that you’d make a great dad like you are with leading.”

Jaebum’s expression goes soft at that, meaning a lot as it came from Mark.

“This is only making me want to hold you more, you know.”

Mark smiles bigger, “Oh I know.”

Jaebum whines lowly, “Baby, please don’t tease me!”

Mark giggles some more before it dies off as he can feel the alpha brushing his foot against him,

“I swear it’s like everything is still trying to keep us apart and it’s not my dumb self anymore,” Jaebum lets out as he’s trying with all his might to get closer but the twins aren’t budging.

His one arm is even trapped underneath the twins too so can’t go with that approach either. Not to mention that the bed is really only big enough for two people so Jaebum is literally lying on the edge so Mark and the twins can have more room.

“Hmm, I think it’s also due to the fact that you want to be an overly romantic sap when you can still have me, Bummie. It’s just not gonna be in this bed like you had hoped for.”

Jaebum still pouts, “But you deserve the best and I want to show you the right way this time! Only the best for my mate, not against the wall or over the bathroom sink or---”

Mark’s scent starts to become sweeter at the mention of those things that it short circuits Jaebum’s brain and his eyes zero back in on Mark. Where he can make out Mark giving him that look from his eyes alone,

“I don’t care where you take me, Lim Jaebeom, just take me already.”

Oh…

It goes silent for a couple of seconds before Jaebum looks to the bathroom and then back at Mark. Mark is already nodding while getting out from underneath the covers. Jaebum is raring to go now, ready to just rush out of bed before remembering the twins are still on his arm. Cursing mentally, Jaebum slows it down as he oh so carefully and manages to get out without waking up the twins. Fist bumping the air in triumph, Jaebum takes off all giddy along with Mark. Where you can hear Mark trying to stifle his giggles as he goes right into the bathroom. Jaebum is hot on his heels, sliding into the room before shutting and locking the door behind him. He’s got Mark right up against the counter, caging him in as they’re flush together. Mark’s hands trail up Jaebum’s back, lightly clawing along the way as he tilts his head in an enticing way. The alpha growls in arousal, eyes locked on Mark and it makes the omega shiver in delight.

Both their hearts are pumping full of arousal and love as Jaebum’s hands massage into Mark’s hips, the two nuzzling against each other with breaths mixing.

“Baby…” Jaebum breathes out as he knows Mark can feel how hard he is.

That he knows his scent is strong as Mark’s is going so so sweet. It’s making him go crazy along with Mark’s touch, wanting more of it. Wanting to get impossible closer. To feel more of his love and warmth----

“You always lose control when it comes to me,” Mark breathes out as Jaebum’s tail is wrapping around him.

As his ears flick and fangs can be felt brushing along his jawline.

“I can’t help it when it comes to you, Mark. You both ground me and can rile me up in seconds without doing anything.”

Mark’s own tail and ears come out in response, hands going up to touch faces, fingers trailing along cheeks and back into the hairline while teasing each other with the brush of lips. It makes Jaebum groan and Mark plead. Makes the air thicken with need and the heat coil in their bellies.

“Bummie…” Mark calls out with need and Jaebum can’t resist as he melds their mouths together.

The kiss going from slow to heated fast as it’s been far too long. Where he can feel Mark is just as hard and riled up as he is. Hands latching on and becoming needier. Sounds releasing from Mark as he can’t help it and Jaebum keeps diving back in for more to eat it all up. Groans being brought out as it felt just like that time all those years ago and Jaebum knows he’s not gonna be able to hold back again. Hell, two rounds aren’t gonna be enough. He’s gonna need all night, if not more---

The sound of their phones ringing brings everything to a halt. Mark pulls back and Jaebum looks up at the ceiling like he can ask the sky why it continues to torture him so. The ringing isn’t stopping and the twins are now waking up and crying.

The two deflate but still smile as they look at each other,

“Next time, big guy,” Mark promises and Jaebum nods before pecking him on the lips.

He opens the door after a moment of them calming down and lets Mark out first so they can tend to the twins.

“Shh, it’s ok,” Mark voices as he lures them to lay back down.

The ringing stopped and Mark talked to them sweetly as the twins rubbed their eyes sleepily. Jaebum starts humming and their sobs slowly turn into quiet hiccups while Mark fluffs the pillows around them. Jaebum continues to hum while he adjusts the blankets and tucks them around them in a warm embrace.

Mark is amazed how Jaebum’s soothing deep voice works wonders as the twins can barely keep their eyes open and fuss. Soon, their eyes close completely and they drift off back to sleep while Mark watches with a loving smile and runs hands through their hairs for a moment longer.

When they don’t budge, Jaebum stops his humming softly before the two grab their phones and start to gather clothes to get dressed.

By the time they’re heading down the stairs, they see Jackson and Jinyoung in the kitchen. Their eyes meet theirs,

“You get the call too?” Jinyoung asks and the two nod.

“Gotta love the sound of that ringtone to alert you that your job never ends,” Jaebum says and Jackson nods in agreement,

“I hate to bother Mom at three in the morning but we can’t leave the twins here alone,” Jackson says as he pulls out his phone.

“We didn’t answer the phone in time, what did the call say?” Mark asks Jinyoung as they’re heading toward the front door.

“There’s been a body found and Neil telling us to get our asses down there now.”

“Yep, sounds like my brother alright,” Jaebum sighs out before opening the front door while Jackson is about to hit call---

All four jump as Vivian stands there on the other side ready to go,

“Right on time I see, you guys hurry on ahead, I got things taken care of here.”

Jackson moves the phone away and looks at Mark.

“Um…”

Jaebum takes Mark’s hand in his and squeezes, “I trust her,” He tells Mark and the omega nods.

“Ok, if anything comes up, let me know. They’re sleeping in our bed at the moment.”

Jaebum perks up at hearing, ‘Our’ and not his. Vivian picks up on it too and nods with a small smile as she urges them to hurry.

Jaebum thanks his mother, hugging her briefly before rushing out the door to hop into the car with Mark.

Just wait until they meet up with the others…

Chapter Text

The guys are all pulling up at the same time as they stop a bit before the crime scene tape. They park all around the police cars lighting up the night sky and other official vehicles as authorities are moving about.

“Let go!” Yugyeom complains as he’s barely got the driver’s side door open and Bam is trying to get into his lap once again.

“But I’m cold and sleepy and you’re so warm!” Bam exclaims back as he clings.

“Ugh, you should’ve just drove if you could give me directions just fine!” Yugyeom bickers as he swears Bam only wanted him to drive so he could touch him nonstop.

Which is what he has been doing since he went home with him last night.

“Just hold me dammit!” Bam bickers back as he refuses to give up and the two almost go down to the ground as Yugyeom attempts to get out of the car.

Youngjae and Danny are nearby and get out as they should like any normal person. Only thing is, you can definitely tell something went down back at Danny’s apartment from the tousled hair, exchanged clothing and hickeys here and there.

“Bam, you should really just drop it at this point,” Danny tells him as he helps to detach the snake.

Bam instantly clings onto Danny for warmth as the snake is so sleepy,

“But I just want him to forgive me for punching him,” Bam whines with a cute pout.

“I’m afraid not every man falls in love from using his dick,” Danny says while Youngjae claims,

“But man it can make you fall even harder.”

Danny blushes while Youngjae shows off his sunshine smile.

Yugyeom brushes himself off, his eyes still watching Bam despite how he wanted the beta to leave him alone.

The other four approach as they arrive shortly after and they can get this show on the road. Switching into professional mode, the team moves forth and ducks under the crime scene tape,

“My father is here too?” Jaebum notices as he sees Vector and Neil standing together.

The two notice them as Jackson calls out to Neil,

“What do you know?” Jinyoung voices.

“From what we can gather, it’s a female omega, age thirty three. Her license listed her as Gale Hyett,” Vector informs.

“She appeared to be walking home from her place of work as her attire is that of a server so my guess is one of the bars or nightclubs,” Neil adds.

Youngjae and Danny move forth as they go to look at the body while Yugyeom and Bam survey the area.

“The motive could’ve been for her money then,” Jaebum announces but the two alphas shake their heads,

“Negative. Her money was intact and covered all in blood,” Neil replies.

“We already know the motive,” Vector cuts everything off as his eyes land on Mark.

Mark frowns, not understanding why Vector is looking at him like that.

“Now that I look at you in a calmer manner, you look just like your father.”

“You knew Yien’s father?” Jackson is shocked by this.

“After doing some research, it appears Mark’s father is quite famous and well known around the world of the police force,” Jinyoung informs him.

“You dug to find out information about him?” Jaebum rounds on his best friend.

Jinyoung’s expression remains serious, “Hey I was just making sure you weren't being blinded by love here. Not that I think Mark would be lying, I also thought it would be useful in case you couldn’t get your act together and might need guidance in fixing your situation.”

“So you’re telling me that you, Yugyeom and Youngjae knew more about Mark before I knew.”

“Give and take, yeah,” Jinyoung shrugs his shoulders, “We’ve been trying to solve the mystery of who Mark was since seeing the photo you kept carrying around! So once we had a name we went from there. But hey, we both found out you had twins together.”

Sometimes Jinyoung can be scary because this man was a high class hunter even before he was put on his team.

“But what does that have to do with me?” Mark asks Vector while Neil doesn’t look happy about this at all.

“Uh guys…” Danny’s voice is heard that draws their attention and they move forth.

They near the body of the woman who was brutally murdered as Youngjae was still crouched down next to her. People are moving about carefully as they gather evidence and they can find Danny not too far away as he stands by a brick wall. A brick wall that has blood spelling out words,

‘You wanted to follow in your Daddy’s footsteps, so come find me. Think you can catch me?’

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Jackson breathes out as he continues to stare at the writing.

Jinyoung cursed as he knew what this meant. That this guy was after Mark and playing games right now. That the thing with Kyle was only the beginning. That there really was another person that they have no clue about but he knows a lot about Mark.

Jaebum’s heart skipped a beat from reading those words. His stomach dropping and that gut feeling settling in and ready to make him throw up.

Mark was in danger. His mate probably being in harm’s way since he took on that mission. What would’ve happened if he hadn’t showed up? How would things have changed? And what about now? What was even gonna happen next?

“Do you have any idea about who the killer is?” Vector disrupts their thoughts.

Mark’s hands tremble slightly from the shock but he’s shaking his head,

“No. Kyle had mentioned another person but I never once saw him, heard him or knew of any evidence other than what Kyle brought up.”

“Kyle asked to speak to you specifically and said something to you about your father, correct?” Vector keeps pushing as Jaebum comes forth,

“Dad, this isn’t an interrogation---”

“He’s directly linked to this son and we not only have two people dead, we now have a third person added to the mix and this one just happened to be a passerby.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Jackson tries to counter but Neil’s expression says it all,

“Like Mark mentioned before to me about how it felt like a set up with Kyle and finding his team…It feels like this was solely a set up to let Mark know his message.”

“Sick bastard probably gets off on shit like this,” Jinyoung voices with his built up emotions showing.

“He said something about his Boss knowing Mark’s father personally,” Danny brings up as he recalls the situation.

“He’s done so many cases in his lifetime,” Mark says.

He remembers his father would have files and evidence laying out at home and in his office. Would sit out on the porch in a rocking chair and just talk out loud on random things to try and connect the dots. Or he’ll be behind his desk in silence as his thoughts try to put pieces together.

But this could be anyone. It could even be someone that wasn’t a part of a mission, who knows.

“My father might be able to help,” Jackson says.

“He was partnered with your father, no?” Vector brings forth and Jackson nods.

The two get to talking while Mark looks visibly upset. He ends up moving more towards the body before the two Lim’s try and stop him,

“Mark,”

“Baby,”

They know Mark is gonna blame himself for this. They know he’s already beating himself up over this.

“I can do this,” Mark tells them.

“We know you can,” Neil reassures.

“It’s not about that. I don’t want you to torture yourself over this and have it haunt you. You’re not at fault for this, ok? Mark, look at me,” Jaebum insists as he blocks the omega’s view of the body behind him.

Where he gently cups Mark’s face as has the omega look at him and sees into his steady and passionate gaze,

“Repeat it back to me please.”

Mark hesitates and Jaebum knows that meant he was right in the omega blaming himself.

“Remember during the case where Stan and I butted heads and it almost got him killed?”

Mark nods, remembering that day clearly as Jaebum had holed himself up in the office that ended up a trashed mess. Where the alpha eventually went back to the desk and hung his head with hands shaking and tears in his eyes. It was one of those moments that brought them closer and to understand each other more. Showed Mark how compassionate Jaebum was. How he put his all into his work and genuinely cared about those around him. How he strived to want to be better and be a good leader that someone would be proud to follow one day. Where they wouldn’t question if they could trust in him and lean on.

“You blamed yourself even though it was Stan’s own fault as he wouldn’t let his pride down and listen to a rookie.”

“Exactly. It wasn’t my fault like you told me. So hear me when I’m telling you that this isn’t your fault either. Believe me, lean on me.”

“Its…it’s not my fault,” Mark manages to get out and it makes Jaebum smile a little despite the situation behind them.

“Thank you,” He breathes out while Neil watches from the sidelines and keeps his distance.

After another moment, the two keep moving and Mark takes in the victim lying on the ground. Her eyes are still open in what appears to be shock more so than fear. Meaning that the victim might’ve not known she was about to be attacked or followed.

“There’s multiple stab wounds from behind,” Youngjae voices as the pool of blood surrounding her body shows she bled out.

“These scratch marks,” Mark speaks up as he can’t help but keep looking at her face.

How young she still was and just an innocent soul caught in the middle of chaos.

Jaebum reaches over and intertwines their hands to provide comfort,

“Since she was attacked from behind, the attacker most likely knew she would scream or make loud noise so they probably held their hand over her mouth to silence the sounds as they stabbed her repeatedly,” Youngjae answers.

“We might find DNA then and can trace it in the system,” Jaebum perks up at that.

“Already got several samples.”

“Do we know the main cause of death?” Mark wants to know.

Did she die slowly? Painfully? Fast?

“I can’t be completely sure at the moment but I’m betting it was the stab through her heart that did it. The blade was long like a machete and went right through her chest. If that’s the case, she would’ve died in seconds,” Youngjae explains as he finishes up examining the body.

“Oh, but her neck…” Jaebum mentions as he notices it’s at a weird angle that’s not normal at all.

“Either the attacker did it or she fell forward like that and hit the trash compactor like so,” Youngjae replies as he points to the drying blood on the trash compactor.

But her neck was broken and from the looks of it, severed from the spine.

“The attacker probably wanted it done fast and easy so he could write the words with her blood and dip before anyone else came their way,” Jaebum says as his eyebrows furrow in thought.

So that’s it? They killed an innocent just to leave a message?!

Mark can’t help but think back to the Korean target that had written in the bag of, ‘Keep your eyes on me’. Did he miss something? Did the killer think he was moving too slow so he killed to regain his attention? To let him know he’s serious?

But he’s got no clues into getting closer to whoever this person is!

“Yoh, Boss!” Yugyeom calls out as him and Bam come jogging up.

“We might have a lead to something!” Bam exclaims that it grabs the other’s attention.

“Spill it out then,” Jinyoung urges as Jackson is nodding in agreement.

“There might be video surveillance as surveying the area, there are several shots we could look from,” Yugyeom starts and Bam finishes,

“But there’s a guy at the convenience store that says he noticed the lady walking by earlier. That she always comes this way when getting off of work from the nightclub, FADED as she would come into the store from time to time. He said she didn’t stop by tonight but he watched her from the window and saw that a tall figure in dark suited attire was walking with her.”

“You found all that out that fast?” Danny is astonished and Bam beams,

“I know how to play my cards right,” Bam says as he throws in a wink.

Yugyeom sighs but he can’t help but boast, “He literally sweet talked the guy and in a matter of seconds, the male was just giving out information.”

“Hey, who doesn’t like money?” Bam snickers at the end.

Jaebum and Jinyoung share a look, “Told you, money talks here in America.”

Jinyoung rolls his eyes as he gently pushes for Jaebum to continue forward,

“Well where I come from, torture is the best policy to get one to talk.”

“Ooo yes, torture me please,” Jackson swoons as he follows like a puppy.

Danny helps Youngjae back to a standing position and to take off his contaminated gloves,

“Is there a lab I can personally check this in?” Youngjae asks Neil who nods as he comes forth to give him more information while the others head back toward their vehicles.

“Yugyeom, Bam, get the video surveillance for the cameras facing toward this alleyway…the legal way if you can,” Jaebum is sure to add as he starts directing orders.

“Jackson, Jinyoung, why don’t you head to the convenience store Bam was talking about and get more answers while Mark and I head down to the nightclub to see if we can figure out if she met this tall figure at the club.”

They all nod while Jackson can’t help but ask, “What about Danny and Youngjae?”

Jaebum just smirks as he opens the passenger’s door, “Youngjae already knows what to do.”

With that, he hops into the car as Mark revs it up.

The hunt begins but will they get one step closer or will this just lead to nowhere and get them further behind?

Oh and…seems like Yugyeom and Bam might just be getting along…

Chapter Text

Yugyeom is trying so hard to ignore him right now. Literally trying anything to distract him from this weird, silly, loud and prince-handsome creature. And yet here Bam is smiling away and waiting for some form of approval. Not even saying anything, just staring at him and Yugyeom can feel it deep in his soul.

He’s gonna cave. He’s not gonna be able to keep up this front for long. There’s just something about Bam. Ok, so there’s a lot about Bam like for one, his scent. The amazing thing about wolves is that they have a special sense that allows them to be able to smell their mate from the very moment they pick up on it. Where one whiff and every fiber of their being lights up with mate, mate, mate!

And it should be a joyous thing to be able to know from scent alone but well…their first meeting didn’t go well. From getting punched in the face to offering a blow job the next, it kind of put a halt right there. So no hallelujah moment or excitement like with Jackson. No locking eyes and instantly being ready to die for this creature like with Danny. No love at first sight or punch in Yugyeom’s case.

All because Bam offered him a blow job.

He couldn’t be mad at being punched because it was purely accidental and understandable because Yugyeom would be throwing punches too if he thought the corpse was coming at him. But it’s the fact that Bam was so quick to offer sex on the table like he was just another lay. Talking like he’s given plenty and knows how to make things better. Oozing, ‘I slept with many many men!’

His mate was a ho.

And not saying he isn’t one himself but that’s because none of them were his mate. He doesn’t want to be just some random fuck for Bam. He doesn’t want to be tossed aside and he move onto the next guy after him. For he knows the moment he gives in and they have sex, there’d be no going back. He’d go absolutely feral trying to keep Bam’s attention and get his love. Even becoming possessive outside of bed if it comes to it.

So it’s better to keep as much distance as possible. It’s better to tell him he’s straight to try and nip it in the butt right there. To keep giving the cold shoulder to him so he won’t slip up and reveal that he’s already becoming wrapped around Bam’s finger.

But why does he have to look at him like that?!

He looks adorable and it makes Yugyeom want to keep him closer and nuzzle against him---

No, no scent marking. Bad, Yugyeom. Resist…resist…

Bam starts to smile more, wiggling his eyebrows as he lets out silly sounds and Yugyeom can’t help but snort.

“Aha! I knew it! You’re falling for my charms already!” Bam beams at and Yugyeom is quick to change his expression,

“Whatever. I’m laughing because I can’t believe you gave that guy money just to talk.”

Their shoulders brush as they walk and Yugyeom shivers upon contact. Bam thinks nothing of it as it’s the middle of the night and he’s cold himself. Instead, Bam just smirks as a twinkle forms in his eye,

“I did give him money but you see, all I did was give him back the money I took from his wallet.”

Yugyeom looks at him in awe as he recalls Bam asking to see his wallet to check his license. Neither of them thought anything of it as it is a typical procedure to verify who someone is and if they might be hiding something if they don’t want to show you.

“I didn’t even notice…”

Bam did it so smoothly while making it seem so casual that no one picked up on it.

“It’s even funnier that the guy didn’t realize how much cash he had on him,” Bam snickers triumphantly.

“That’s some skill there,” Yugyeom praises and Bam jerks his head back up to look at him in awe,

“That’s exactly what Mark said when they found me in Thailand. He was the first one to tell me that it wasn’t a bad skill nor tried to punish me for it,” Bam’s expression goes soft as they continue to walk under the moonlight.

“You came from Thailand?” Yugyeom lets out in interest and Bam nods.

“When my Dad died, we lost everything. My Mom kept working so hard to try and take care of me and my siblings and being the oldest, I wanted to help. I was still too young though and not many would offer someone as poor and young as me a good job so I admit, I went down a dark path. I did what I needed to so my Mom wouldn’t work herself to death and so my siblings could be fed.”

He stole whatever he could. From food to money, even clothing off of racks. Bam became a professional and perfected the skill.

“I learned how to pickpocket, bargain, play the part and even slept for money. It wasn’t something I was proud of back then. It wasn’t something I could tell my Mom either…” His expression saddens.

To this day, his mother doesn’t know that he was a whore and a thief.

“But it was something I had to keep doing in order to survive. To keep my family going…”

Yugyeom lets the words sink in and it was really shedding a light to how Bam is today. That maybe he had it all wrong…

Bam then smiles again as he stuffs his hands into his pockets and eyes shine brightly,

“I never truly knew what the future would hold or how long I might live. But then I ran into Mark and Jackson while they were out on a mission. And all because I took Jackson’s wallet, I was able to change my destiny and became someone of the work force and can use my skill for good!”

Bam looks up at him as he says the next part, “And the best part is that I can still take care of my family back home. They’re all living comfortably and my Mom doesn’t even have to work another day in her life.”

Bam was proud of who he finally came to be. That the long journey he took to get here was well worth it and he’d do it all over again if he had to.

Yugyeom finds himself untensing, his shoulders dropping more and brushing against Bam again. This time, Yugyeom moves closer so they keep brushing on purpose until he lifts his one arm to drape over Bam’s tinier shoulders and squeezes his arm,

“You did good.”

Bam goes into awe at the praise and from Yugyeom not only touching him, but smiling at him.

Oh, he must’ve died and went to heaven!

“So you do like me,” Bam ends up saying with a knowing smile and Yugyeom is quick to move his arm away before blushing,

“I didn’t go that far---”

“If you think what I did back there was good, I can be even naughtier, just you wait.”

There he goes again…

Well at least they were getting along for the moment…

“My hunch was correct. There was venom from the scratch,” Youngjae says as he holds up the testing tube.

Him and Danny are currently inside a lab that Neil directed them to and gave him access to use however he wanted.

“Oh? I didn’t know you were looking for that,” Danny replies as he’s intrigued by Youngjae’s mind.

Youngjae nods, setting the tube back down in place as you can see the red liquid mixing with black little strands.

“Well from the other files and after the debriefing, I had a feeling venom would be a key factor at this point.”

Danny stands nearby while Youngjae moves about the lab, “To link us to the killer?”

“Yep,” Youngjae pops the p, “And just like with the target that came back to life, the venom can’t function outside of the body.”

Danny watches with Youngjae as the venom evaporates into the air once released from the blood onto the table.

“This is why it was crucial to get the sample to the lab as soon as possible just in case.”

Danny agrees with him before frowning, “But we still don’t know what type of hybrid this venom belongs to.”

Youngjae sighs at this one, “Correct. It’s unknown in the database and I haven’t been studying reptiles as my major. It’s definitely more like a poison though but functions in a unique way compared to regular poisons. Almost like one can control it…”

Danny hums before saying, “Bam did say he can control his venom. Like how much he puts out or if he means harm or not. And if you add different things to it, it can change entirely as well into something else.”

But is it possible to…

Youngjae shakes his head as it was just making things more complicated. He’s sure the venom has something to do with the killer but as of now, it wasn’t leading them anywhere.

“I hope the others were able to find out something,” He ends up voicing…

There’s loud obnoxious knocking heard pounding at the door---

“Can you not get the hint that we’re closed---oh…” The owner of the nightclub stops as he notices Jaebum and Mark standing there.

Rather, Mark flashing his badge with Jaebum giving him a look that dared him to continue.

“Can I help you?” The owner changes tone right away as he politely lets them in.

“Yes, we have questions to ask you about an employee that works here. Her name is Gale,” Mark starts off as Jaebum sticks close to the omega.

The owner walks them through the building into the more main area as you can see people cleaning up and other employees getting ready to leave,

“Ah yes, a wonderful gal. I’ve never had any issues with her. She left quite a bit ago though so I’m afraid she’s not here---”

“She’s dead,” Jaebum gets right to the point and the owner stops walking abruptly and turns around to face them in shock,

“Excuse me?”

“She’s been killed a few blocks from here and we’re trying to find the killer,” Mark provides a bit more information, “We got word that she might’ve left this club with someone who could be a possible suspect.”

The man struggles to get over his shock as he clears his throat after a moment to speak again,

“W-well this is a nightclub not some fancy reservation one. Anyone can come and go as long as you’re of age and pay.”

“You may not be able to provide us with names but maybe some faces---” Mark continues to be polite and sweet.

“It’s dark in here and I’m busy doing rounds. I can’t be keeping track of everyone---” The owner cuts him off just to be cut off by Jaebum and his stern look,

“How about you lead us to your surveillance area,” He says as a demand and not a question.

The owner swallows hard before hurrying to follow the order…

I can bring up her section for the night as well as around the time she left the club if that helps,” The owner says and Mark nods,

“Thank you.”

The owner finds himself calming around Mark’s natural aura but then he looks at Jaebum’s resting face and how his aura screams power and attention. It’s a bit intimidating and instantly the owner tenses back up and avoids eye contact.

“Should I leave you two alone?”

“No,”

“Yes,” Jaebum says at the same time as Mark.

“I-I’ll just go check on the others and be right back,” The owner gets out before taking off like someone is chasing him.

Mark leans back in the chair to look up at the alpha, “Bummie, doesn’t he know you’re a giant cuddle bear?”

Jaebum snorts with his arms still crossed as he looks down at those beautiful blue eyes,

“What do you think scared him off? I get this a lot you know.”

It must be a Lim thing cause the whole family just gives off that vibe and Mark has seen so many misunderstand Neil by his looks alone.

“There there,” Mark pats his tummy before leaning back forward to look at the security footage,

“He wasn’t lying when he said it was dark. You can barely see in the bar area with all the neon flashing lights,” Jaebum huffs out.

“No doubt this guy is making it where if shit goes down, cops won’t be able to pin it to him,” Mark voices as he leans into his hand.

Jaebum gestures to head in agreement as he tries to zero in on their victim.

“Ah, there she is,” He leans over to point her out.

“Her section must be these tables but it's too hard to tell anything to the people,” Mark adds.

“Not to mention looking at these all night. Might need to just switch to when she was leaving,” Jaebum voices his thoughts.

“Good idea,” Mark lets out as he switches the footage to the outside at the time she would be leaving.

The parking lot was still crowded so she must’ve been leaving right before close or near it.

“The question is, will she walk out with the attacker or is the attacker already lurking in the parking lot?” Jaebum mutters out loud.

Sure enough, they can see her leaving the nightclub alone. Meaning the attacker was never inside unless they left to wait on her when she got off. Either way, the two were starting to think she didn’t meet the attacker here as she was almost off the camera feed when they notice something out the corner of their eye;

Something moving from the shadows from the side of the building that’s too dark to make out anything. It was like they were a shadow themselves before appearing in the moonlight and some of the parking lot lights. Even so, they were in a dark attire, with the hood up over their head, hands in their pockets where you can’t even make out the color of their skin.

“That’s a male stature,” Jaebum notes.

Mark’s heart is thumping, his eyes not leaving this figure. Was this the guy behind all of this? The one that met his father?

The footage doesn’t give anything else away and soon they’re both leaving from the camera’s view.

Jaebum stops the footage, keeping his hand over Mark’s,

“We’ll stop him, baby,” Jaebum promises as he leaned forward to cage the omega in safely and whisper into his ear,

“I won’t let him hurt you.”

Mark smiles, feeling safe and warm in Jaebum’s embrace before leaning back to kiss him sweetly on the lips, “I know you will, Bummie.”

Jaebum smiles back at him before giving him a kiss of his own and the two part as the owner can be heard arriving back.

There’s really nothing else here for them but just to be sure, they’re gonna be through…

Yugyeom and Bam aren’t having much luck either as one security camera after the next shows this black attired figure with the victim but no matter the angle or direction, you can’t get anything off of this man. No sound either but from looking closely, she’s not acting weird like she’s in danger. She’s not panicky as her movements are slow and steady. Her expression is normal and she seems to be conversing with the attacker like they’re an old friend or something. Her boyfriend maybe? But that would be weird…

It just leads to more questions than answers along with a dead end…until…

Bam receives a phone call for the group chat coming from Jackson. Oh?! Did Jackson and Jinyoung find something else from that guy at the convenience store?!

Bam taps Yugyeom’s side to gain his attention and the alpha leans in close so he can see over the beta’s shoulder when Bam hits accept. Right away, the two can see Mark and Jaebum, along with Danny and Youngjae have joined the call. Before anyone can even voice what’s going on, Jackson looks like blood splatter is covering parts of his face as he exclaims,

“Jinyoung killed the convenience guy!”

Of course Jackson had to be overly dramatic as he says it and it sends shock through everyone before Jinyoung is seen grabbing the phone,

“Jiaer, give me that. You gotta tell them the whole part first!”

“But it’s true! You were torturing him and then you killed him!”

“Because he was---” Jinyoung starts before he notices something behind Jackson.

Suddenly the phone is being moved back into Jackson’s hand and during the chaos, you can see the convenience store, blood, a mess of the store and then the guy about to attack them again before Jackson is shouting,

“Oh shit, he’s still alive?!”

Chapter Text

“Are we gonna play good cop, bad cop? Cause I would love to show you how good of a cop I can be,” Jackson flirts away as he drives to the convenience store Bam and Yugyeom had gone to.

Jinyoung raises an eyebrow at him in question without saying anything.

“Or maybe you want me to be the bad cop so I can handcuff you to me and be stuck together for the next twenty four hours,” Jackson wiggles his eyebrows and throws in that bright smile.

Jinyoung snorts at Jackson’s antics and can’t help the smile that graces his face,

“You finally smiled during my flirting!” Jackson beams and Jinyoung helps to redirect his attention to the road while driving,

“First of all, focus. Second of all, why don’t you just handcuff me to the bed and have your way with me?” Jinyoung replies and Jackson just smirks,

“I never thought you’d ask.”

Jinyoung realizes he fell so easily into his trap before finding himself cheesing at Jackson being such a dork.

“Alright, I admit, you got me there,” Jinyoung ends up laughing.

God, when did he start letting his guard down so much around Jackson? Where he feels so relaxed and comfortable that he’s able to show more sides of him toward the alpha. Something real and not a mask he likes to put up.

“Has anyone ever told you how breathtaking you look when you smile? And that your laugh makes their heart go thump thump?” Jackson breathes out as he pulls into the empty parking lot of the convenience store.

Jinyoung is taken off guard by this before giving him a confused look, “Thump thump?”

Jackson nods, turning off the car as he puts a hand over his chest,

“It’s still beating like that for you, wanna hear?”

Jinyoung starts to become flustered as he’s not used to Jackson being well, Jackson. The alpha then reaches over and has Jinyoung feel over his one pec.

“See? I’m not lying. You make my heart sing. Watch, I can make yours sing back as well like a lullaby.”

Jinyoung has no time to react as one never knows what Jackson Wang is gonna do next. Hell, Jackson probably doesn’t know what he’s gonna do next but he’s gonna do it. And so with his hand still wrapped around Jinyoung’s wrist, he lightly lifts his hand before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the inside of Jinyoung’s wrist.

It was so light and feather-like and yet still left a warm burning sensation that sent pleasant tingles through Jinyoung’s body. It has Jinyoung gasping and Jackson smirks because he can hear how fast the alpha’s pulse picks up after skipping a beat.

“I bet I can make it go even faster---” Jackson continues but Jinyoung is quick to pull his hand back.

Jackson whines, already reaching over to try and keep touching Jinyoung,

“No come back,” Jackson urges but Jinyoung is already opening the door and getting out,

“We have an investigation here, Jackson,” Jinyoung tells him as he’s shutting the door.

Jackson is fast in getting out so he can remain by the alpha’s side,

“You can call me by my native name if you’d like. It’s Jiaer.”

Jackson seems really hopeful that Jinyoung will say his name and there he goes making those puppy eyes again!

It distracts Jinyoung that he isn’t paying attention to where he’s going and walks into the door--

Clang!

Talk about embarrassing here…

Jinyoung just wants to crawl into a hole now especially as Jackson is still looking at him. He’s even being sweet and asking if he’s ok and touching him and it’s overloading Jinyoung---

So the alpha lifts his head and silences the man with a kiss. It works wonders as Jackson malfunctions and Jinyoung can go inside with the incident of him hitting the door all forgotten about. Oh look, even the guy working didn’t see it as he just came out from the backroom when Jinyoung entered…

Jackson enters after finally coming back down to Earth and finds Jinyoung already talking to the guy at the counter. Jackson would love to join but it seems the urge to pee has taken place so he heads towards the back looking for the restroom.

“Another one of you? Can’t you see I’m trying to do my job here? I already told the other two everything they wanted to know.”

“Ok, but what about the cameras? You said you see her walking by all the time so can I look at the cameras around that time to see the guy you mentioned walking with her?” Jinyoung sasses right back as he’s clearly not budging.

“Fine, come with me, the camera feed is back here behind the counter in this room.”

Jinyoung follows the guy behind the counter and into the room…

Meanwhile Jackson is doing the pee dance by now as he remembers he never did use the restroom after being woken up this morning. It seems his bladder has reminded him and that he better go now or he’s gonna pee on himself. But what do you know, the men’s room is out of order and the women’s room is locked.

This was a dire emergency here! He can’t make a fool out of himself in front of Jinyoung!

Think! Think…think…Ah! Just break into the women’s restroom!

The urge to pee is so bad that Jackson only has to grip the handle and maybe use his super strength illegally as he breaks the door knob and inside he goes. You can hear him expressing himself from outside the closed door and rustling of pants before an audible ahhh sound followed by peeing.

Looks like Jackson made it just in time…

Jackson flings open the door in a much more relaxed state with freshly cleaned hands and ready to continue on with this investigation---

Um, where did everyone go?

Jackson takes a step forward before catching a whiff of something that he was too distracted from having to pee earlier to notice.

Blood…

His head whips back towards the men’s restroom. It was hard to pinpoint exactly with all the other smells but wolves have a sharp sense of smell and once locked on like a canine would, he can tell it’s coming from inside the restroom.

Tilting his head back to see the store is still empty with no one at the counter, Jackson looks back to the door.

I mean, he already broke one door handle. Why not two?

Making it quick, he breaks the door handle and opens the door. Flicking on the light, it takes a second for them to adjust to a good level of brightness. The restroom definitely reeks like how a convenience store would and Jackson can feel his nose burning from it. But he moves forward and checks around the sink. There’s no clear sign of blood to the naked eye but you can see water all over the counter and sink like someone hastily washed their hands. If he recalls, the door knob was wet too.

But where is he smelling the blood from?

There’s only a urinal in here along with a small stall and a toilet. He didn't notice anything else as the trash can was just full of paper towels and toilet paper…

Jackson looks back at the mirror when he notices something off about it. Now to most normal people, they wouldn’t pick up on it but with the alpha working in the police force he’s able to. Because like with their job, their interrogation room allows them to be able to watch what’s going on with the other side of the wall. And the way the mirror is on the wall…

Jackson feels around it, sliding his fingers behind until he feels a small little latch. Undoing it, he finds the mirror actually comes off the wall and inside you can see into the women’s restroom. And by seeing, meaning you can see not only the one toilet with no stall but when a lady will stand directly in front of the mirror.

God, that was creepy. It upset Jackson that some peeping tom was watching poor innocent women who think they’re alone and have some privacy.

Feeling disgusted, Jackson puts the mirror back as his mind starts going. Was the store owner behind all of this? Or was it one of the employees?

His gut feeling was trying to tell him something and the faint smell of blood captured his attention once more. A small noise has him looking up to see the air vent that’s circulating and blowing air through.

Could it…

Jackson uses the counter to get up higher and finds one of the screws is loose when trying to undo the air vent. Being careful, he undoes the screw and slowly lets down the vent. He then reaches a hand in and sure enough, feels a material of some sort like clothing. Bringing it out, Jackson has hit the jackpot as a soaked hoodie, pants and mask are bunched up together that was described as dark attire from the convenience store guy. Not only that but they most likely tried to wash all the blood out and though they ‘succeeded’ Jackson can still smell faint traces---

Holy shit! That meant that the convenience store guy---

A loud bang is heard followed by loud scuffling noises. Jackson drops the attire and rushes out to find Jinyoung fighting with the guy. Cigarettes and tobacco fall off the shelves as the guy is trying to stab Jinyoung with the big knife.

“Jinyoung!” Jackson exclaims in horror as he’s ready to jump in and save his mate.

But it seems Jinyoung didn’t need any saving as he swiftly uses his hunter’s skills to twist the guy’s arm, snapping it so the guy drops the knife to the ground. He then gets enough distance between them that he can use his leg to kick the guy back and he ends up falling backwards and slamming his head against the cash register and down he goes.

Blood starts pooling out everywhere from the head injury as Jackson appears from the other side and sees the dead body. Jinyoung adjusts himself after the scuffle while Jackson wastes no time in doing a group call with the others,

“Jinyoung killed the convenience guy!”

Jinyoung rolls his eyes as Jackson is making him look like the bad guy here.

Of course Jackson had to be overly dramatic as he says it and it sends shock through everyone before Jinyoung is seen grabbing the phone,

“Jiaer, give me that. You gotta tell them the whole part first!”

“But it’s true! You were torturing him and then you killed him!”

“Because he was---” Jinyoung starts before he notices something behind Jackson.

Suddenly the phone is being moved back into Jackson’s hand and during the chaos, you can see the convenience store, blood, a mess of the store and then the guy about to attack them again before Jackson is shouting,

“Oh shit, he’s still alive?!”

The two look at where the guy’s head wound was and how black vein like vines are covering it.

“Dude, it’s just like the other guy! The venom!” Jackson is shocked before this guy growls, fangs bared and very feral.

His eyes are set on Jackson as he launches himself forward and the alpha forgets he’s even holding the phone in the first place. It captures everything and the exact moment of the guy coming at Jackson before Jinyoung is taking action by grabbing the machete and stabbing it into the guy’s leg high enough that he starts to go down. Jinyoung then removes the machete and on the way down jams in through the guy's neck, severing his spinal cord and lets go. The guy falls forward and plops onto the ground, the venom no longer spreading and falling off slowly like dead skin on the outside…

“My hero!” As he makes kissy faces for Jinyoung to provide one.

Jinyoung gives him a look after what just took place.

“You were so bad ass! Like mmm, ten out of ten, such a turn on, please do it again soon.”

Jinyoung can’t win against this man who seems unphased by everything. So ending the call with the group chat, he kisses Jackson speechless before pulling back with a smirk,

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Jinyoung moves away as he gets back to business but Jackson is beyond happy,

“Did you just flirt back with me too?!”

He’s really just like a giant puppy…

“What in the hell just happened?!” Jaebum lets out as he bursts through the front doors.

The officers from down the road where the victim were are now here along with Neil,

“Not even an hour in and you’re already causing more trouble,” Neil tells Jaebum.

Jaebum cuts his eyes at him, “Don’t even start with me on that.”

Mark moves forward, taking in everything that’s happening as he hears his brother nearby.

“I’m telling you, it was so cool!” Jackson exclaims as he’s telling the others.

“The way Jinyoung walked into this store meaning business and already torturing the man by demanding answers…”

Jinyoung has found that Jackson can be very overly dramatic but in this case, he’s not upset because Jackson didn’t rat out that he ran into the door. Secondly, he’s been hyping him up and boosting his ego by complimenting him every other second.

“Man, I had to pee though so I missed out on a bunch but I know Jinyoung didn’t let up one bit and while I found the clothing stuffed into the air vent of the men’s restroom along with the mirror that can see into the ladies room…”

Bam, Yugyeom and Danny are all nodding as they listen intently until Jackson says some vital information there and was just gonna keep on going,

“Wait, what?” Yugyeom does a double take as Bam grabs Jackson’s shoulders,

“Hold up, you found what?”

Jackson seems upset at being interrupted but repeats himself.

“Really?” Danny voices as he’s already moving toward the restroom area with some other officers.

Mark moves closer to where Youngjae and Jinyoung are with the body,

“So you were getting the camera feed of when the victim would walk by and he suddenly attacked you?” Youngjae voices in shock as he crouches down next to the body.

Jinyoung nods, “Caught it out of the reflection of the monitor with the machete raised in his hand. I didn’t even hear him moving.”

It was pretty impressive as Jinyoung normally picks up on things like that.

“Nothing hinted at him being suspicious either?” Youngjae questions and Jinyoung shakes his head.

“It was weird for someone who just killed. He didn’t act any differently and what’s more is that it was like he didn’t even know he killed her. He kept talking like the guy wasn’t him. That he was still in the store just doing his job and had no idea about anything.”

Jinyoung frowns in confusion at this cause the guy didn’t act like one who got caught would act. Wasn’t even nervous when they came back to question him again. Seemed chill even after news that she was dead. Like he was blanking it all out.

But it was clear that he was the killer. From Jackson finding the clothing, the faint blood and the damn murder weapon trying to be used on him, this guy was the killer. It would also explain why the victim felt comfortable around her attacker as she frequented this store often. And if their hunch is correct, the guy was a creepy stalker preying on a poor female omega. She probably either had a boyfriend or maybe she turned him down and friend zoned him, who knows. Either way, it shouldn’t have lead to murder.

But the venom…

Jinyoung notices Mark is quiet but is still looking at the body of the killer. Where his eyes are focused on the venom decaying…

Just what was happening here?

They go home as it was well off into the morning after being questioned and searching the area for more clues. It turned out their hunch was right as the guy had secret footage of the victim for months. Even had pictures that he took from when she would go to the bathroom. He was obsessed with her. It didn’t explain the venom though or what this had to do with the main killer. How did this guy know about Mark? How did it connect with Kyle and the others? It didn’t…it couldn't. This was just some random guy; a whole nother story in itself. So how?

Neil sent them home to get some sleep before coming back later in the day.

Mark was happy to go check on his babies and finds Vivian is sitting on the couch with the twins who had just woken up and were snuggling close as they look at their baby pictures.

“I should’ve known you’d locate that,” Jaebum snorts and his mother smirks at him.

“I need something to make up for time lost,” She replies as Jaebum was rushing over to see for himself.

Mark watches fondly as the two coo over the twins and the twins giggle happily. Kyo even tells them that they’re right there with Lilly stating that they’re cuter now. Jinyoung tries to take a shower so he can get the blood off but of course Jackson tries to join. It ends up with Jinyoung manhandling Jackson in the shower with the alpha exclaiming in delight of how much he likes that. Jinyoung may have scrubbed him a little too hard to clean him off as punishment, but he did go soft and easy over the prior wound that was healing up. Soon, it’ll be like it never existed as you gotta love that part of being a hybrid.

And this is where Mark and Jaebum end up, as the alpha came to check up on the omega when he noticed he slipped out of the room earlier. Where he finds Mark lost in his thoughts as he stared into the bathroom mirror. Jaebum comes up behind him, arms wrapping around him in a safe embrace that breaks Mark free from the darkness.

The alpha places a kiss to the back of his neck softly,

“Why’d you leave?”

Mark leans back against Jaebum in response, his body relaxing,

“Figured I’d give you two more time with the twins.”

Jaebum places another kiss to the back of his neck before nuzzling close,

“My Mom isn’t mad at you, you know. Now that she understands it was my brother’s fault, she really wants to talk with you and apologize.”

Mark nods, remaining quiet as he doesn’t know what to say. They remain quiet together as they just hold each other. Mark clasping their hands together over his front and just basked in one another.

“We…we eventually need to talk about them…about us…” Mark slowly voices as he’s afraid of the outcome.

They both have separate lives. Jaebum in Korea and him in America. He’s worried about the twin’s future and how everything is gonna work out.

“Shh, we will but for now, let’s try and get some rest. This case is enough to worry about. So we should enjoy the moments we can…I promise that this time, I won’t run once it’s over. Whatever the outcome may be, I will face it with you.”

Mark really appreciates Jaebum and has seen how much he’s grown. How much a few years' time can change everything.

Mark bites his lip as so many emotions come forth but the omega doesn’t hesitate to be vulnerable in front of Jaebum again. Where he lifts his one hand and trails along Jaebum’s jawline as he leans up on his tippie toes,

“Bummie…kiss me…”

He pleads softly and the alpha is already leaning in to do just that. The two kissing slowly as they fall apart in each other’s arms so the other can hold them together. Keeping them from completely shattering as they leave pieces of them to sink into the other and sew together.

It was a loving and warm moment that brought smiles to both of their faces before they heard two little giggles.

Pulling apart some but not completely, the two turn to look at the doorway where the door is cracked and two pairs of eyes stare at them.

Their smiles soon grow as they caught the twins watching,

“And what is so funny?” Mark asks as he comes forth and opens the door more to reveal the smiling twins,

“Not funny, happy,” Kyo corrects and Lilly nods,

“Yes, happy. We’re happy Mommy is smiling so much.”

Mark gets hit right in the feels, especially when Kyo adds,

“Mommy seems happier. We want you happy.”

Oh, he’s gonna cry and actually starts to tear up on the spot.

“Mommy, no cry!” They both exclaim as they rush forth to hug Mark as the omega tries to stop the tears but can’t.

Jaebum continues to hold him as he goes all eye smile at the three people he loves with all his heart while Mark explains to the kids that he’s crying out happiness.

Thinking that maybe things would really be alright this time around no matter what might be going on outside these walls. That this time he doesn’t have to be afraid to let Jaebum have his heart and keep it for good…

Chapter Text

One thing my father taught me from an early age is that there is a time and place for work and for loved ones. That unless they’re working with you, keep work at work so you can cherish your loved ones more.

Leave it at the door…

Mark fully understood it since having kids. Where he made sure before he walked through the front door that he’d leave it there for when he’d leave and get back at it again. Because if not, it would ruin such innocence. He never wants to take out what happens at work on his kids nor have them see how cruel the world can be. He wants to keep them safe and make a world where it’s not as evil and cruel as it is now.

Exactly why his father worked so hard and did what he did.

It also helps one’s sanity because if you keep yourself wrapped up in all the chaos and darkness, it’ll eat away at you until you’re nothing. Seeing and going through so much trauma from death, blood, betrayal and nonstop case after case. Not one case was full of rainbows and butterflies. Not one case had a happy ending where everyone lived and survived without their lives being changed forever. This wasn’t a job for the faint hearted. It could easily take away your own happiness and suck the life out of you. So it was always important to take breaks. Even if outsiders deem that wrong and have an opinion about it. Do it. Even if it's just getting a coffee. Even if it’s just looking at happy memories. Talk with your loved ones. Take time out to see them. Take a shower even if your body is so tired you can barely move. Even if you’d rather lay in bed all day. Just do it. And when you walk through the front door of your home, turn the outside world off. Make this home you sleep in your safe haven and surround yourself with loved ones.

Don’t lose yourself. Don’t forget the reason you do this job. Don’t let your heart grow cold. And whatever you do, wherever you go, keep showing compassion. Keep that light alive inside even if it’s about to go out. Don’t give up.

‘I love you son, remember that, ok?’

Mark never doubted his father’s love for him once…Not even after their last phone call conversation where his father must’ve realized he wasn’t gonna be coming back home…

“Boo boo,” Kyo points to Jaebum’s back.

Jaebum had taken his shirt off since the twins decided to fling water everywhere so there was no point in wearing a soaked shirt.

“Do they still hurt?” Lilly asks as she moves closer to touch over the bandages.

Mark currently has her wrapped up in a big fluffy towel as he’s drying her hair properly. Kyo is still in the bath holding the rubber duckie as he waits his turn.

“Nah, they itch a bit but that just lets me know it’s healing,” Jaebum replies as he turns to show her his broad shoulders and back.

Her touch is very careful and gentle as she doesn’t want to hurt him and relaxes when she’s able to touch and the alpha doesn’t flinch or make noise.

“It really does work, Mommy. Like magic,” She says as she leans back to look up at her mother.

“Hmm?” Mark asks as he stops to look at her and wait for her reply.

“Love. It heals all things! Daddy was right.”

Jaebum finds himself melting on the spot, his heart filling with so many emotions.

“Daddy loved Mommy so much that we came to be!” Kyo adds as he accidentally throws the rubber duckie that Mark catches with ease.

“They know about that?” Jaebum asks in shock that they would be told such information.

Mark’s expression shows it wasn’t by choice and the twins reply for him,

“Gaga told us!”

“Well, his big mouth let it slip,” Mark clarifies before his expression grows fond as he loves his brother to death, “The twins had asked how they came to be in my tummy and he panicked and blurted out love.”

“But it’s true! Daddy’s love saved us!” Kyo says and Lilly agrees.

“His love is so strong that even heaven can’t stop it!”

Mark looks so guilty as he was the one who told them that and is now flushing and trying to avoid Jaebum’s gaze. He’s quick to turn and busy himself with getting Kyo out of the tub as Lilly moves into Jaebum’s arms to cuddle while she waits,

“Oh really? Tell me more,” Jaebum urges as he’s smiling from ear to ear, “And who told you that?”

“Mommy!” They both exclaim and Mark is totally red up to his ears now.

“Every day Mommy will tell us about Daddy.”

“Bed time stories!” Kyo doesn’t hesitate to add.

He even claps as Mark folds him up into a towel burrito and sets him in his lap so he can dry his hair next.

“Yeah! Mommy will tell us every night of how he fell in love with Daddy! And how he broke his promise to his father because he loved another alpha.”

“Shhh! You said you would keep that secret!” Mark gushes out and the twins giggle before apologizing cutely,

“Whoopsies! Sorry Mommy!”

Mark is so shy right now as it’s like Jaebum is reading his journal but instead the twins are voicing it for him to hear. And he never thought the twins would talk about how when he was a kid, his father made him promise to never love another alpha more than him. He was like four when he made that promise and it was obviously just an overprotective father not ready for Mark to grow up and become an adult one day.

“We can trust Bummie though,” They both agree.

“You guys trust him that much?” Mark is in awe as he knows how wary they are with strangers.

They both nod as Lilly latches onto Jaebum’s one hand with her tiny fingers,

“Feels safe.”

“And you trust him,” Kyo says as he leans back to hug his mother backwards.

Both the adults melt as Jaebum leans down to press a kiss to the side of Lilly’s face while Mark leans down to press a kiss to Kyo’s nose. Both giggle and smile before pressing a kiss back,

“Bummie’s special,” Lilly voices and it makes Jaebum go all eye smile to hear that from his daughter.

“What about handsome?” Jaebum pushes and Lilly nods,

“Cute too.”

Jaebum whines and is quick to pout, “No, I’m sexy! Not cute!”

The twins giggle before shaking their heads, “Sorry Bummie but only Daddy is sexy,” Lilly says.

“Mommy says so,” Kyo clarifies.

Jaebum lifts his head to lock eyes with Mark who has to look away and cover himself with the towel as he’s gonna explode from shyness. The alpha is smirking away, heart soaring and on cloud nine as he can’t help himself. Lilly finds herself being moved forward while still in Jaebum’s arms as the alpha takes the towel away from Mark’s face. The omega is breathtakingly beautiful and Kyo watches in awe as Jaebum’s smirk softens into a loving smile before he’s diving in to kiss Mark sweetly. Lilly moves a bit to cling to Jaebum’s side so she can watch too. Both twins smile happily when they pick up on how sweet their mother’s scent gets. Not only that but Mark can’t help the smile forming on his face and how his eyes shine with so much love for the alpha before him.

“Nnn, Bummie, no,” Mark tries to protest but his mind keeps short circuiting with each kiss.

How he can’t resist Jaebum’s love and wants more of it.

“It’s just a kiss, baby. I know the kids are watching,” Jaebum voices in between kisses before pulling back to smile at his mate.

“My parents were super lovey dovey around my brother and I growing up. You’d be surprised at what they didn’t hold back around us.”

“It’s not fair though…” Mark says in Jaebum’s native tongue so only he would know what is being said.

As Mark is giving him that look, “It makes me need you even more.”

Jaebum lets out an aroused growl in response before tiny hands are coming up to clamp over his mouth,

“No Bummie. No growling allowed,” Kyo says.

It was so damn cute too with the way he did it and said it that Mark is bursting out into a fit of giggles. Especially as Kyo looked at him sternly like he was ready to teach Jaebum a lesson about growling at his mother.

“Now you must go to time out,” Lilly insists and Jaebum starts to sulk,

“Do I have to?” He asks all cutely and the two nod sternly,

“It’s the rules!” They both say and Mark has to bite his lip to try and stop his laughter.

“Mark, help me!” Jaebum looks to him for help but Mark’s eyes are sparkling playfully,

“I’m afraid rules are rules, Bummie.”

“But it wasn’t a mean growl!” Jaebum whines cutely but the twins are already getting up and trying to lead him to the corner.

Jaebum follows reluctantly even though he’s more than capable of not moving as the twins’ pull felt like nothing. But Jaebum was a good sport and goes to sit in the corner as the twins pat his head before going with Mark to finish getting dressed…

When Mark comes back alone, he finds Jaebum is still in the corner and actually dozing off while sitting with his legs crossed and leaning against the wall. It was adorable that Mark smiled softly before coming forth.

He moves quietly, Jaebum stirring gently as he feels Mark’s hands roaming over his back,

“Hmm? Am I good now?” He replies sleepily as he sits up more properly.

“Yeah. Your Mom offered to keep watching them so we can get some sleep.”

Well, Mark might’ve wanted to get more than just some ‘sleep’ but finding Jaebum barely keeping his eyes open as he starts to doze off to his touch…it could wait.

“Just let me check over your wounds and then we can hop in bed,” Mark tells him softly.

“N-sleepy,” Jaebum mumbles out as Mark’s touch is working wonders man.

Like it doesn’t matter what hell he’s been through. The moment Mark touches him, his body relaxes and warmth seeps in to replace the bad.

Mark giggles lightly as he undoes the bandages to check underneath. The wounds are already closed up and just scabbing over now before they’d be like it never happened. Mark sighs happily at this because it meant no infection or pain.

He puts the bandages back on nice and tug before leaning forward to layer kisses as he shows his appreciation and thankfulness of Jaebum coming to help him. Of how great of an alpha he is. And how wonderful of a father he’s been showing.

“Thank you for playing along earlier,” Mark breathes out as his expression is raw and full of emotion.

Jaebum could’ve easily just said he was the father. He could’ve just said whatever he wanted and yet he played along because it was something that needed to be discussed first. It was something that would be life changing for the twins and it proved how great of a man Jaebum was by waiting for them to talk about it first before going forth on his own decision.

Jaebum reaches back, taking Mark’s hands and having the omega’s arms wrap around him in a hug from behind,

“I want to do it together, Mark. Parenting isn’t one sided if both people are involved regardless if they’re together or not. And though I wasn’t a part of it before I am now and I’m not about to just barge in and disrupt everything. I’m here to help. I’m here to take on half and make it easier. I’m working with you, not against you. So what we decide to do, we do it together. If you’ll let me, I really want to be a part of their lives. Even if they never find out that I’m the actual father.”

“Bummie, they’re literally mini me’s of you in appearance. They’d figure it out once they reached a certain age right away,” Mark tells him softly.

Their hands are intertwined, Jaebum leaning back against Mark’s chest as the omega’s fingers slide soothing along the alpha’s one side.

“I mean, they met me with a swollen cheek and all beat up, who’s to know if I don’t get multiple ass whoopings along the way that my face permanently stays like that,” Jaebum jokes and it makes Mark smile which was the whole purpose.

“I won’t let them take away your sexiness,” Mark says back and Jaebum beams at that before resting his head on Mark’s shoulder and looking up at him.

He just stares for a moment as Mark looks back before the omega asks, “What?” softly.

Jaebum just shrugs a bit before saying, “Would you still think I’m sexy when we’re old and gray?”

Mark can’t hold back his expression as he smiles with his eyes lighting up, “Bummie! Really? You still want to be sexy when you’re in your eighties?”

Jaebum nods, “Just to you though. Can’t be having women of all ages trying to flock to me.”

Mark playfully smacks Jaebum’s arms and the alpha laughs. It goes quiet after their laughter dies down and they continue to hold one another until Mark speaks,

“You’ll always be sexy to me. Incredibly handsome too. I hope we can make it that far…I hope both of us can still be there for our kids and be able to watch them grow up and have their own families…”

Just a few words and yet the ones he chose were so powerful. Where they meant so much in many different ways. Not only telling Jaebum that he wants him to be in the twin’s lives but that he wants to still be alive and do it with the alpha. He wants to parent together. He wants to surpass his father who died when he was a little boy.

Jaebum turns in his hold and can see Mark tearing up. The alpha lifts his hand to brush along Mark’s cheek and the omega leans into his touch as a tear falls. His bottom lip trembles as he tries to take in air and those blue eyes shine so beautifully even in this moment,

“How old were you when your father died?”

“I was seven and a half, twenty eight days, nine minutes and three seconds…after the clock hit four in the morning on my end in America…”

People might think, ‘Oh why would he go that far and down to the last second?’ Why wouldn’t he have just said his age was seven? Because it haunts him. That moment he missed because he was asleep when it happened. That moment was the last moment that his father took his last breath but he wasn’t told until he had woken up hours later. The moment that he now looks at as a goal to surpass for his kids as he doesn’t want them to go through what he did.

“Oh baby…” Jaebum lets out as he feels for the omega.

As his heart aches painfully while he pulls Mark into his arms. Holding him as the omega clings onto him to be grounded.

“You’ll surpass him, Mark. We’ll both grow old and gray along with the others. I know we will,” Jaebum reassures him and Mark nods through the tears.

“I just wish…he could’ve gotten a chance to see them…to see how far I’ve come…if I made him proud…”

Jaebum finds himself tearing up with those words as he cradles Mark in his arms, ducking his head down to whisper sweetly into his ear,

“He’s beyond proud. He couldn’t had asked for a better son, better grand kids. I bet he’s been smiling down from heaven this whole time. Been laughing along every time the twin’s laugh because it sounds similar to yours.”

Mark laughs through the tears, “I got my laugh from him…”

Jaebum smiles against the collar wrapped around Mark’s neck,

“See, one family tradition already down.”

It goes quiet as Jaebum continues to hold Mark until he stops crying. Placing kisses where he can reach before he’s lifting the omega up into his arms to carry to the bed,

“Let’s get some rest, baby.”

Mark sniffles but doesn’t argue as he lets himself be put onto the bed. Their limbs end up tangled and intertwined as they face one another with no space in between,

“You don’t have to keep fighting it, I can watch over while you sleep,” Jaebum smiles at how cute Mark was right now.

“M’not fighting it,” Mark tells him softly before sniffling again, “I just…do you want to see a photo of him?”

“I would love to,” Jaebum doesn’t miss a beat as he replies and it makes Mark happy to hear.

He gets a bit shy before he’s lifting his head and moving back some for the moment as he digs underneath his pillow.

No way, don’t tell him this is why Lilly has the one photo under her pillow like this---

Sure enough, Mark pulls the photo out from under the pillow and lays back down as he hands it over to Jaebum.

The alpha coos as Mark was such an adorable kid back then. He could completely understand why Mark’s father was overprotective and couldn’t resist spoiling the omega rotten. And just like how the twins look like Jaebum, Mark looks just like his father.

“You’re a splitting image of him,” Jaebum says and Mark breathes out fondly,

“I know. Those that they knew personally said I’m just as feisty and passionate as well,” Mark says and Jaebum laughs fondly.

Mark snuggles into the pillow more, his smile still there as he looks at Jaebum,

“He would’ve given you hell if he was still alive.”

“Oh I bet,” Jaebum agrees, “I would’ve fought tooth and nail to remain by your side though. I would’ve shown him that I was worthy to be with his son.”

Mark’s eyes start to close though the omega tries to fight it. His body is relaxing, his fingers slowing as he’s about to fall asleep.

“You already have…you have a second home here, Bummie…always…”

With that Mark drifts off to sleep with Jaebum staring at him in awe. With Mark forgiving him of the past and wanting to create a future together…

Jaebum’s cat ears and tail are out as he’s overwhelmed with warm and loving emotions. He hugs the omega tightly, whispering how much he loves him before eventually drifting off to sleep as he breathes in his favorite scent of strawberries and cream…

Chapter Text

Jinyoung lets out a puff of air, his eyelashes fluttering as he’s feeling nice and warm. The covers are surrounding him and the bed is soft too for his aching bones. This is probably the first proper sleep he’s gotten since coming here and had clonked out not long after laying on the bed. He doesn’t think he even put on his clothes other than a pair of boxers and away to dreamland he went. But now that time has passed, the warm sensation is becoming hotter with tingles of pleasure running up his spine.

A light groan escapes, his hips rising slightly as he chases after that feeling.

His mind tries to wake up while his body is so onboard with this as heat coils in the pit of his stomach.

His one hand lifts while still under the covers and brushes into hair that he soon grips as the pleasure rises---

“Ah…fuck…” He breathes out as he’s finally waking up.

His mouth opens more, his eyes going half lidded in bliss as a warm mouth bobs back down---

Jinyoung takes his other hand and grips onto the covers before yanking them up to peek underneath. Immediately Jackson bobs his head one last time, their eyes connecting before he’s popping off the alpha’s cock and greeting him with a shiny lipped grin,

“Morning babe!”

Babe? Jinyoung doesn’t remember a conversation of them dating, nor does he remember giving permission for Jackson to wake him up with a blow job…

But…

It has been a long time since he’s gotten intimate with anyone else and his cock is already standing tall and proudly. Plus, Jackson was actually pretty good at this---

Jinyoung takes three seconds to think about it before saying fuck it and lightly guiding Jackson’s head back down to this cock,

“Finish what you started first and then we’ll talk.”

Jackson chuckles, his smirk being felt against the head of his cock before Jackson moans in time with Jinyoung,

“With pleasure,” Before he’s going back down and Jinyoung’s toes curl the next second…

I think Jackson is easily persuading Jinyoung to show more of himself, especially at one point when the alpha grips Jackson’s head gently before he starts thrusting up to blow his load down his throat…

When Mark and Jaebum wake up now, Jaebum has latched onto Mark in a big hug and won’t let go. Mark’s head pops up from Jaebum’s chest as the omega whines to sleep more. But their alarm is going off and telling them that they need to get going soon so they can all head back to the office.

“Five more minutes,” Jaebum mumbles as he turns off the alarm before rolling back onto the bed with Mark trapped underneath.

Mark giggles as Jaebum was pretending to be asleep and now his naughty hands are wandering. Fingers dipping in below the waistband to knead at the flesh of Mark’s hips---

“Bummie, your Mom is still here you know.”

Jaebum mumbles against Mark’s collar, “Hmmm…don’t know what you’re talking about,” He breathes out like he’s innocent.

His fingers start to tease, sliding down to brush past intimate areas and down the sensitive parts of his thighs. Mark’s hips jerk in response, his breath hitching as his body was definitely waking up.

“Nnn, this isn’t gonna be fair again,” Mark whines lightly as he knows they’re gonna get interrupted for sure.

“I’ll go lock the door,” Jaebum says with way too much excitement.

When he pulls back some, Mark can see such happiness and giddyness before the alpha is rushing toward the door.

It makes Mark giggle again, a big smile adoring his face as Jaebum’s ears and tail are out. It's cute, especially as he’s letting out these little feline sounds from deep within his chest,

“Gonna finally get to love on my baby!” He exclaims with glee as he reaches for the door knob to lock---

“Mommy! Mommy!” Two little voices exclaim as they scratch at the door to be open.

You can see the moment Jaebum’s ears and tail deflate as he rests his head against the door in a big sulk. No love making at this moment…

Mark tries to hold back from all the cuteness Jaebum is displaying before finding his heart melting as the alpha opens the door a second later and greets the twins happily,

“Boo!”

The twins jump before bursting out into giggles as they rush to latch onto his legs,

“Bummie!” They exclaim as they start to climb.

Their tiny claws dig in but Jaebum doesn’t even bat an eyelash as he walks with ease back toward the bed.

“Mommy!” They both shout at the same time when they see Mark is still curled up under the covers.

The two let go of Bummie and try to hop onto the bed before Jaebum helps them up. The twins waste no time in getting under the covers to snuggle closer to their mother,

“Morning!” Kyo says as Lilly presses a kiss to Mark’s cheek.

“Morning,” Mark beams back as he ruffles Kyo’s hair and pulls Lilly closer so he can plant kisses all over her face.

She giggles as Kyo wiggles and wants kisses too.

“What about me?” Jaebum pouts as the twins stop and look at the alpha before Lilly states bluntly,

“Mommy’s kisses are the best.”

Mark can’t hold back the laughter as he takes in Jaebum’s facial expression along with how Lilly said those words. Lilly was definitely Jaebum’s daughter.

“I won’t disagree with that,” Jaebum ends up chuckling himself as his eyes shine happily.

They ask for one more kiss and when that’s done, the two start to pull on Mark to get up,

“Come, come,” They both say.

“Uncle is here!” Kyo says as Mark pretends to be stubborn in getting up.

This has Mark raising an eyebrow before Jaebum goes all grumpy,

“Uncle?” he repeats just to make sure and the twins nod at Jaebum,

“Uncle Neil!” Lilly explains.

Jaebum frowns at this while Mark sighs fondly. He can practically feel the jealousy radiating from here---

“Bummie,” Mark calls out his name as the alpha is already stalking off.

The omega hurries to get up and follow,

“Jaebum,” Mark calls out his name as he’s rushing to catch up.

The alpha makes it to the stairs before Mark grabs his arm and stops him,

“Look at me,” Mark demands and Jaebum really wants to keep going.

Wants to head right to Neil and give him a piece of his mind but Mark’s grip remains firm,

“Bummie,” Mark calls out to him and Jaebum turns to meet his gaze.

Mark can see many emotions on Jaebum’s face and looking deeply into his eyes.

“We never got together. Despite him confessing and what took place after you left. Not once did I have feelings towards him.”

Jaebum’s breathing is a little harsh as he’s trying to keep calm but hearing Mark’s words really does help. Seeing how his expression remains firm and true helps to quell the emotions that have built up over the years. Of the emotions from when Neil confessed to keeping the twins a secret from him.

“I believe you,” Jaebum manages to get out as his expression shows more rawness than just anger and jealousy,

“I just…I missed out on years…on so much and yet he got to be here and spend time with them. It just feels like he was trying to move in, trying to take them from me…to take you--” Jaebum shakes his head as he swallows down the lump of emotions forming in the back of his throat,

“It pisses me off so much.”

Mark understands and reaches out with his free hand to hug Jaebum close while his other hand moves lower to intertwine their fingers together,

“It’s ok to feel this way. You have every right to feel this way. I’m really sorry that things ended up like this but I reassure you Neil didn’t try and take your place. I think he honestly felt guilty that he tried his best to make sure the twins were taken care of. Just like with my brother, they’ve been a great part of their lives and making sure they’re safe. Neil does have a spare key but if I’m ever alone, he makes sure to ask before just coming in. He’s never tried to force me or convince me nor has he told the twins anything that would be against their father.”

Jaebum is having a hard time believing that about Neil since they’ve become so distant over the years. But Mark pulls back some to cup Jaebum’s face and get him to lock gazes with him once more,

“I know you two have your differences but you should really try talking with him again. Brother to brother. You’d be surprised at how much he still talks about you. How he still loves his family with all his heart. He just has a different way of showing it.”

Jaebum relaxes under Mark’s touch and listens to his soft tone. Mark soon gives him a reassuring smile as his eyes shine brightly,

“I chose you, Lim Jaebeom…don’t ever forget that.”

Mark rests their foreheads together and Jaebum takes a moment to bask in the omega. Closing his eyes and just breathing in his scent and holding him close---

“Are you done sulking yet?” Neil’s voice rings through and Jaebum growls before glaring at his older brother hanging out at the bottom of the stairs.

The two have a glaring contest as Neil is also sulking where he stands before Vivian gets onto Neil,

“Play nice, Neil. I was quite enjoying the scene myself,” Vivian coos at the end because the two were just adorable together.

Vivian has been paying close attention to how Mark is around Jaebum and the twins and she had nothing to worry about from the very beginning. Mark is such a sweet, passionate omega who is also feisty and not afraid to go head to head with her son.

He was perfect for Jaebum.

“That’s why I’m down here, Mother,” Neil whines as he sulks more with his arms crossed over his chest.

He could’ve followed the twins upstairs like he originally wanted to but was being respectful and stayed down stairs like a good boy.

“Outside would be be---” Jaebum starts but then the twins arrive at his side,

“You did it again, Bummie!” Kyo points out as Lilly is already tugging at his hand,

“Time out! Time out!”

What?! Why?!

“You keep growling!” Kyo tells him as he helps to push against his butt to try and move him forward.

“Wait, no, that’s not fair!” Jaebum whines as he lets the twins ‘manhandle’ him to the corner railing nearby, “Here?”

Jaebum finds this punishment to be pure torture as the twins nod before patting his head when he sat down and take off. Jaebum watches as Mark waves and heads down the stairs with the twins racing right to Neil to launch themselves into his arms. Ugh! Just look at how happy they are! Look how Neil is playing with them and making them laugh and having a good time! Mark is even talking with his mother and both of them are smiling!

What about him?! Come back!

“Look what Uncle Neil brought us, Mommy!” Kyo says as they’re heading down the hallway to the kitchen.

“Candy!” Lilly adds in excitement.

He’s spoiling them too?!

Jinyoung decides to exit the bedroom and comes down the mini hallway to the living room where he notices Jaebum right away. How could you not when he lets out the sounds of his people as his face is squished against the railing and he’s looking miserable. Like he was put behind bars as he grips the stairwell and complains to be let free.

“Should I even ask why you don’t just get up and come down the stairs like a normal person?” Jinyoung sasses with a raised eyebrow.

Jaebum pouts further, “I’m in time out.”

“I see,” Jinyoung replies with a growing smile as he finds this amusing.

Jackson now appears and notices Jaebum before letting forth an expression of understanding,

“Awe man, did you get in trouble for growling too?”

Jaebum nods and Jackson feels for him, “Time outs are the worst! I don’t know how anyone can do it! I hate sitting still!”

“There’s just something about seeing a grown ass man in time out,” Jinyoung can’t help but laugh as this was just adding onto the great day he’s having.

“I feel for you, man! Hope you get out soon,” Jackson voices as he’s already walking away.

“Don’t leave me here alone,” Jaebum pleads but Jinyoung has that sly fox look on his face and finds it more amusing as he starts to walk away.

“You’re supposed to be my best friend! My team mate! We made a promise that we would get buried next to each other when we die!”

Something clatters in the kitchen before Mark can be seen coming to the living room, eyes fierce as he looks at Jaebum,

“Repeat that last sentence for me, please,” The omega says politely even though his tone was anything but.

“That Jinyoung and I are gonna get buried beside each other’s graves?” Jaebum repeats bluntly.

All while Jinyoung is shaking his head and mouthing behind Mark toward Jaebum to not open his mouth and repeat those words or---

Mark hisses. He legit hisses in jealousy before turning to look at Jinyoung,

“That’s not happening! He’s mine!”

Jinyoung is quick to hold up his hands and try and wave off the situation. He’s even more than capable of telling Mark that he’s no way interested in Jaebum but before he can open his mouth, Jackson comes back and does it for him,

“Wow, wow, Yien, Jinyoung is mine. I even sucked his dick and scent marked him thoroughly this morning!”

Jinyoung goes wide-eyed before he starts to become a flustered mess. Not only did Jaebum hear this, but Mark and let’s not forget Neil, the boss of L.A. department and oh yes, Mrs. Lim, who I’m sure loved to hear about that.

Mark calms down as his expression turns into awe before congratulating his brother. The two hug like this was some mission accomplished or something here. Like hello?! He’s so embarrassed now like where can he hide?!

Jaebum flings his head back in loud laughter as Jinyoung was so ready to murder,

“Quit it right now!”

It just makes the alpha laugh more before he smirks and zeros in on Mark. Mark is too busy distracted by his brother to notice as Jaebum pops his head up like a cat, those eyes taking on a predatory gaze.

Neil, Vivian and the twins come back out to see all the commotion take place when they take in Jaebum shifting into his giant panther form. Where he’s soon wiggling his butt and yep, there he goes---

Jackson is trying to go into explicit detail when he notices something above Mark and his eyes go wide as he gasps,

“Oh sh---” He can’t even finish his sentence as Mark lets out a, ‘Hmm?’ noise and looks to find the black shadow is coming in fast.

“Oof!” Jackson lets out as Mark lands on top of him along with a giant panther that is letting out happy feline noises and nuzzling against the omega.

“Get your furry ass off my brother!” Jackson complains as he can’t get up either.

Mark is giggling away as the alpha nuzzles close and starts to groom him, playing nipping at his ears as he’s happy to see Mark getting jealous over him. That Mark staked his claim so now the alpha was staking his.

“Ride?” The twins instantly want to be a part of this and run forth.

Jackson is being overly dramatic as now the twins are climbing on top of Jaebum and squishing him into the ground more,

“H-help me…” Jackson says to Jinyoung who has to think about it.

Cause I mean, he could solve all his problems now…just kidding. This alpha was already becoming something special in Jinyoung’s heart even if the alpha is denying it right now.

So moving forth, Jinyoung helps to get Jackson free while Jaebum continues to play with the twins and Mark. Neil’s goodies he brought the kids were long forgotten as moments such as this were worth far more than Jaebum even realizes. Especially as the room filled with such high pitched laughter and seeing such bright smiles. To the twins keep calling out his name as they chase and be chased around the house. As Mark plays back and isn’t afraid of his massive size. All while Vivian went to make breakfast for everyone and Neil watched fondly from the side. As Jackson and Jinyoung joined in.

It was starting to feel like a big family…but it was still missing some pieces…

And as it’s all slowly coming together, evil doesn’t wait as the moment they make it back to work, they’re being stopped by Shannon as another murder has just taken place…

Chapter Text

“Jinyoung and I are a couple now!” Jackson exclaims before Yugyeom can even get out of his car.

This causes Yugyeom to bang his head on the door frame as he reacts in shock before hissing in pain.

“Excuse me?!” Bam basically says what he was gonna say.

“Really now,” Youngjae voices as he shuts Danny’s car door and comes forth.

“Jiaer, I never agreed to such a thing!” Jinyoung lets out as he becomes flustered.

He’s already blushing and torn from murdering Jackson to save himself or kissing him so he’ll shut up. The kissing sounds more pleasing but his teammates will just make fun of him more.

“You didn’t have to babe, the way you were moaning this morning spoke volumes,” Jackson says with such confidence and a sparkle in his eye.

“Ho ho!” Youngjae starts to get this look on his face as he eyes Jinyoung.

Oh no the teasing was coming---

“Someone’s come to the dark side I see,” Bam jokes as he adds in a wink for added effect.

“I didn’t know you were gay,” Yugyeom gives him a confused look that really he shouldn’t have let slip out.

Because Jinyoung is always full of sass and does not miss a beat,

“I didn’t know you were either until I walked in on you fucking that one girl while making out with the guy getting his dick sucked.”

Bam’s laughter gets sucked back into his throat, eyes wide as he lets that information soak in.

“I think you broke him,” Danny lets out as Bam doesn’t even look like he’s breathing at this point.

Youngjae on the other hand is having a hard time breathing himself as he’s doubling over in laughter as Yugyeom is becoming flustered too and giving Jinyoung this look of, ‘Why would you do this to me, bro?!’.

“Youngjae don’t get me started on you,” Jinyoung points out and this shuts Youngjae up right away.

Danny raises an eyebrow at this as now he’s quite curious, “Should I be aware---”

“No,” Youngjae is quick to say before coming to Danny’s side and hugging him, “Jinyoung is just trying to tear us apart.”

Jinyoung rolls his eyes, “Like anything could tear the ends of a rainbow apart. I was just indicating that you’re not as innocent as you seem.”

Youngjae smirks at that before biting on Danny’s shoulder all of a sudden. Danny reacts with a shiver and a flash of his eyes before Youngjae laughs seductively,

“He already knows. I don’t try and hide things like you two.”

Both Jinyoung and Yugyeom frown at this, “I do not,” They both say at the same time.

Jackson moves forth in the parking garage and pokes Bam’s side as he’s worried the beta had died on the spot. The moment of touch brings Bam back to life as he now touches his face in awe,

“That’s so hot…”

Jackson snorts as he pats the top of Bam’s head softly, “You just jizzed in your pants didn’t you?”

Bam gets this dreamy look in his eye as he nods with a dorky smile and Jackson’s laugh becomes louder. It grabs both Yugyeom and Jinyoung’s attention and the two are moving instantly,

“Jackson and I are in a relationship,” Jinyoung states right into Bam’s face.

Bam gives him a confused look in return as Jackson perks up excitedly before the beta feels an arm wrap around him and pull him back against something solid. Bam looks up and finds it’s Yugyeom and well, this is different---

“Where are Mark and Jaebum?” Yugyeom asks to change the subject.

“Ah, they’re coming. Neil stopped by earlier along with Jaebum getting scolded by his mother for losing control and shifting like that,” Jackson replies.

“Jaebum rarely has ever shifted in front of me so it was nice to see it again,” Jinyoung admits.

“No fair! I still haven’t gotten to see it yet!” Yugyeom pouts as Youngjae boasts,

“I remember waking up one time with Jaebum having shifted into his panther form. He was a giant softie.”

“I’ll let you shift on me anytime you want, bae,” Bam goes right back to flirting with Yugyeom as the alpha actually malfunctions during this because he imagines it.

“Oh, I think you broke Yugyeom now,” Danny voices as Yugyeom’s fingers twitch but he’s not moving either.

“Ugh, I’m surrounded by perverts!” Jinyoung sasses as he turns around to head toward the building when he finds another car pulling up.

A really fancy car at that---

“Boss has arrived,” Danny says and Yugyeom seems to be able to function again as he moves his head to watch the car park.

The passenger door opens and out comes Mark as Neil exits the driver’s side.

“Where’s Jaebum?” Jinyoung wonders for a second before the back door opens and out comes a pouting Jaebum,

“If you just had to drive you could’ve at least let Mark be in the back with me.”

Neil gives him a look, “And risk you trying to make love in the back seat of my car? I think not.”

Mark lightly smacks both their arms, “Behave you two. And I would’ve only let it go as far as making out, nothing more,” The omega says as he keeps walking and leaving the two alpha’s stunned by his statement.

“We could’ve made out the entire ride?!” Jaebum whines as he missed out while Neil can’t help but love Mark’s fiestyness.

“Good morning Boss, leader and Mark!” Danny greets them while Jackson is already hugging his brother again.

“I missed you so!”

Mark giggles as he hugs the alpha back, “We only parted for like ten minutes.”

“It was too long!”

“Lord if you’re like this now I hate to see what months apart will do to you,” Jinyoung says and Mark looks up while Jackson hugs him tightly from the side,

“It’s actually because of that one mission apart that he became like this.”

“The one where he was in China right and I was on the case with you here in America?” Jaebum brings up and Mark nods.

“Jackson has refused any solo missions since then so he can be near Mark at all times,” Bam points out.

“I’m never leaving your side again. Where you go I go, so even if you move out, I’m moving in,” Jackson says like it’s final.

Jinyoung smiles at this, “I admit I wouldn’t be able to leave Jaebum alone for too long myself since he tends to always get himself into trouble.”

Jaebum lifts an eyebrow at this while the others join in,

“Yah, I think we should be closer during this case. Even if it gets cramped, being far apart across town isn’t good if we need to make it somewhere fast like last time,” Youngjae voices first.

“He’s got a valid point. We got lucky the last time because one of us was close with the rest not too far off. But if we had to go on the other side of town, it would’ve taken forever and we could’ve missed the attacker even being at the convenience store,” Yugyeom adds.

Bam nods, “This calls for an indefinite sleep over!!”

“We can bring mattresses and make a fort in the living room with the couches and furniture,” Danny suggests.

“I don’t see any problem in that,” Jaebum says.

“Be my guest, ain’t my place,” Jinyoung adds onto the conversation.

“The more the merrier!” Jackson cheers.

Mark smiles softly as it really felt like the team was becoming closer and bonding more.

Neil on the other hand, makes a face at the team growing all excited over this,

“Like a bunch of chaotic teenagers.”

With that, he’s already leaving as there's too much loudness and happiness around when he prefers it to be quiet around him. But he doesn’t get far as Shannon appears in the parking garage,

“Neil! We got another one!”

Everyone stops and becomes alert as Neil switches right into professional mode,

“Just now or the body was just found?” Neil asks as he picks up his step to meet her half way.

She comes to a stop in front of him and starts laying down the details, “Just now in broad daylight. Witnesses said they noticed a guy in dark attire, hoodie up attacking a female like some feral beast before taking off into the crowd. The killer is still at large--”

“Neil,” Mark starts when Neil is already tossing his keys to him.

Mark catches them with ease as Neil looks him right in the eye,

“Coms on, Shannon will be giving you the location of where the murder took place,” Neil directs.

“On it,” Shannon says as she’s already pulling her phone out to send it to the group chat.

The others are hooking up the coms into their ears as they rush back to their vehicles to get things going. By the time the car doors slam shut and vehicles are back on, Jaebum is speaking into their ears,

‘Yugyeom, while Bam is driving I need you to be hacking into any surveillance systems that might’ve seen the attack happen. Youngjae, you drive and let Danny look up the surrounding area around where the attack happened. Any locations where one can lay low or blend in I want to know. But I want you to personally go to where the body was found. Everyone else, you’re with me as we need to find this attacker and stop him before he gets away.’

‘Understood!’ They all reply as Mark takes off first the moment he gets the address and locks it into the gps.

Neil’s car revs up before tires spin and away they go…

“Is it close by?” Jaebum asks and Mark nods as he looks away from the gps and back to the road.

“It’s toward the downtown area, not far from here. The fact that the attacker did it in broad daylight too with so many people around…”

“I want sirens on, run the red lights, we can’t waste any time here!” Jaebum stresses as their undercover cars now alert others that they’re of the law enforcement.

People are quick to move out of the way, stopping traffic to let them through as they hurry to the scene.

“Danny, how is it looking?” Mark asks as he must have something by now.

‘I managed to get footage from a bank on the corner. It happened on a sidewalk crossing. You can see the man standing behind her as the woman was on the phone talking to someone when she starts to cross. About halfway through the crossing with cars stopped and people walking all around her, the guy just suddenly tackles her to the ground he…’ Danny has to stop for a moment as he takes it in, ‘He takes her own phone and bashes her in the face with it before tearing into her like a hybrid gone mad. It’s hard to get a clear view of exactly what he’s doing to her as people are screaming and running around them but when the way is cleared, she’s lying in a bloody puddle and the man is running away. The whole time I can’t get a clear view of his face or what he is either---’

‘What direction?’ Jinyoung cuts in as he tries to steer the conversation.

‘West side of Glorington Drive.’

“Gaga,” Mark calls out and looks in the rear view mirror at Jackson sticking right behind him.

‘Got it,’ Jackson replies back as Mark suddenly takes a left away from where the gps wants them to go.

Jackson follows as Bam turns right along with Youngjae.

‘Are you taking a back route?’ Bam asks and Mark clarifies,

“Yes, just stay on your course with Youngjae. If he’s taking Glorington Drive, there’s a back way that leads off toward the riverside and a park. If he makes it there, he could easily hide or make way toward a bunch of kids.”

Jaebum’s gaze lands on Mark as he can see the omega is worrying about the safety of the innocent.

‘Can you send me the video, Danny?’ Jinyoung asks, ‘I want to track his movements. If he was feral, this might make things simpler.’

‘Give me a sec, sending it…’

‘Mark’s right. Going that way leads to many possible routes of escape. He could take a boat, hide out underneath the bridge. If he takes the park way, he can hide in the vast forestry there as well as public restrooms, bath houses, or blend right back in to the busy downtown area,’ Yugyeom voices.

‘All he needs to do is ditch the clothes and no one will know,’ Bam expresses, ‘Well unless he’s actually feral but I have a feeling…’

‘His movements are too calculated for him to just be a feral hybrid or one to just become feral. He’s completely calm and collected before attacking and even afterwards, he thinks about where to go instead of just taking off in a random direction. When in a feral state, you go off your primal instincts, not looking at street name signs and knowing where you’re heading. The fact that he kept himself covered the entire time is another indicator as well as similar dark attire as the other attacker,’ Jinyoung expresses.

“It’s connected to the case,” Jaebum breathes out as he runs a hand through his hair.

But how? Why? When? So many questions are being left unanswered and it’s costing lives here. Toying with their emotions as this is like some game of cat and mouse---

“Yugyeom, have you marked all possible areas?”

‘I did! I tagged them under red dots for major spots. Green would be safe zones at the moment because they’re too far out for him to have gotten to by foot as of now and blue are possible zones. Danny, think you can tap into some surveillance on the east side of the park area while I do the west?’

‘Roger!’

Jaebum keeps himself calm as he focuses on the task at hand. He likes how well the team is coming together and using each other's strengths to help move things forward.

‘Yien, I’ll cruise the park side, you do the river,’ Jackson’s voice rings through the com,

“On it,” Mark replies as the omega takes the one turn while Jackson remains straight.

Mark turns off his sirens by now and lights as he wants to blend in and not alert the attacker of his presence if he’s nearby. Both him and Jaebum keep an eye out as they move with traffic and see people going about their day as they have yet to know of the attack.

Stopping at the light, Mark feels uneasy as he feels like this is timed. Like the clock is ticking---

‘Guys! We’re nearing the crime scene,’ Bam voices and Jaebum responds,

‘Lay back somewhere you’re still in view of the crime scene but like a bystander. Let Youngjae and Danny get close.’

You can hear Yugyeom directing to park at this one spot while Youngjae hops out of the car as Danny stays back for a moment looking through his laptop he has with him.

‘I can’t find anything with the footage I’ve gotten so far. Like Bam said he could’ve ditched his clothes by now.’

Youngjae rushes forth to where the whole lane is blocked off and police are redirecting traffic and putting up caution tape.

“I’m with the police force,” Youngjae says as he flashes his badge before they let him through.

He’s already pulling out gloves as he sees police and medics around the body,

“Status,” He speaks and the one officer responds,

“Multiple wounds from claw marks, fangs and her phone being bashed into her face. She slammed her head on the concrete going down before clawing into her chest seems to be what killed her.”

Youngjae scrunches up his nose as it is a gruesome sight of her chest being opened like it was in a gaping wound. He feels bad for her as her expression shows fear and pain with her wide eyes of being attacked out of nowhere without a chance of being able to fight back.

“She was human…” One of the medics voices when Youngjae crouches down to examine the body more.

Youngjae nods in acknowledgement as he double checks for any black veins but finds none. Not even the blood was mutating over the wounds nor trying to heal like the others attacked tried to.

Could it not affect humans? Or was she killed too fast for venom to even take effect?

He takes samples just in case after asking one of the crime scene investigators if he could borrow some testing tubes. He slides them into his vest and is about to head back to the car when he notices something in her hand. Where at first you would think she just still had her hand curled like she was trying to keep a grip on the phone in her hand when she was attacked, but when you make her hand relax, a small piece of paper is stuck to her hand. Gently getting it, Youngjae brings the piece of paper closer to him and unfolds it.

Right away, his heart beats faster, his fingers trembling as he reads,

‘You were still slow last time, better be quick this time or else’

Fuck, fuck fuck---

“Guys! Th-there was a note! It’s written in blood just like the last one! It’s the guy we’re after! The main killer--he…he said we better hurry this time or else!”

Cursing can be heard over the coms as Jinyoung voices,

‘He’s playing mind games with us!’

‘We need to look harder!’ Bam exclaims.

The others keep voicing their thoughts and opinions on what to do as Mark stops at a light that just turned red. He grips the steering wheel as his mind tries to race. They have limited time. Just like the last one, they took too long. They can’t do that again but how can they find this guy? How are they gonna know where he’s going---

Mark’s gaze lands on what’s to his left. Something big that can’t be missed that overlooks the water. Why go to the park when you could go onto a bridge and do far more damage than imagined?

The light turns green, and Mark turns his sirens back on as he does a U turn in the middle of the intersection to head to the bridge,

“Neil, I need them to block off the bridge right now!”

“Baby, what is it?” Jaebum asks in response as Mark is rushing to get to the busy bridge.

“Gaga, just in case, evacuate the park and have them send everyone home but I need people off the bridge---dammit!”

Mark slams on brakes, Jaebum using the door and seat belt to keep him from flying forward. The traffic is already to a stop.

“Mark!” Jaebum calls out as Mark doesn’t waste any time and throws the car in park before getting out and starts running up the side of the bridge.

‘What’s happening?!’ Jackson demands to know as Jaebum hops out to follow suite,

“Mark’s running along the bridge. Cars at a stop. Is there an accident?”

Jaebum curses as he pushes himself to catch up to Mark as the omega is still running…

And what Jaebum comes to find not only makes his heart skip a beat…

But it makes him fear that they might not get out of this alive…

Chapter Text

When Jaebum first started to undergo training, his father told him some advice. One was to never underestimate the enemy. That not everyone is just born evil or ready to cause damage to the world. A lot of times, it’s good people turning bad because of how cruel the world has been to them. And though it might not mean much to others or even seem plausible to look into, sometimes it’s making that small connection with someone that can change the whole outcome of where it was previously heading.

‘Always look the enemy in the eye, not out of respect, but to acknowledge them. Let them know that they’re still someone, even if they’ve already succumbed to the monster within themselves.’

So many cars are stopped on the bridge as they have nowhere to go. People are honking as they’re upset, others are just trying to wait patiently as it’s the middle of lunch rush and they just want to make it to their destination. You got cranky kids in the back of a few and a sleeping grandma in the other. About a hundred cars are stuck on this bridge if you count each side and every lane and if you count the people in each car, well, that makes the number go higher.

Now think about what would happen if this bridge suddenly collapsed and all that’s waiting below is water?

It would do far more damage than being in a park where people are already moving about. It would do far more damage as rebuilding a bridge would not be an easy task. It would cost millions and the rescue team trying to get to the many cars that would be falling down below? Just imagine the chaos and horror it would cause as so many would be trapped in their vehicles if they survived the fall---

“Mark!” Jaebum calls out as he wants to know what’s going through his head.

Why did he choose the bridge? Why is he running like his life depended on it? Does he think the attacker is on here? Is that why traffic has come to a complete stop?

Jaebum doesn’t have to wait long to get his answers as the moment they make it to the middle of the bridge, they find the reason…

Not only are there cars that have crashed into each other, some crashed into the bridge and already damaged it. All of them had tried to avoid one person and it caused a huge pile up collision as there’s not much room for error on this bridge to start with. You even got people standing around watching in horror and not helping the injured as one person in the center of an unharmed circle kept them frozen.

The attacker…

Mark comes to a stop before Jaebum does. The dark attired, hooded figure slowly lifts its head and reveals their face. Where fangs are peeking out, eyes blood red of the alpha inside him. Claws showing off at his side as the heart he tore out stained his hands red. Fangs dripping with the red liquid like some feral beast. But the best part was seeing the inside of his jacket attire. Seeing it unzipped and showing off that he’s armed like a bomb ready to go off at any moment. And what he’s equipped with can cause quite the damage with all these fuel tanks. Not to mention, the gas leaking onto the ground from the car wrecks surrounding him.

Oh this was bad…

“You found me,” The attacker says as he looks right at Mark, “You didn’t disappoint me…”

“Sorry to burst your bubble but I didn’t exactly do it for you,” Mark replies as he’s more worried about all these people around them.

All these innocent people caught up in whatever sick game is taking place.

The attacker smiles at this, “You’re really just like your father.”

Mark reacts to this, ready to take a step closer but Jaebum grabs his arm to stop him.

The attacker frowns now and glares at Jaebum, “Must you always intervene? You were not part of this. This is between me and him.”

Jaebum keeps his eyes locked with the male’s, “Afraid we’re a packaged deal.”

“Who are you?” Mark demands to know.

“Does it matter?” The male replies.

His lifts his hands up to take down the hood to reveal horns of a ram. Black veins can be seen moving underneath the skin as one heads to his left eye and makes the pupil go pitch black. People are freaking out now, some panicking and backing up into the vehicles behind as there’s really nowhere to go. The people that were standing there are now moving back as they continue to watch in horror.

“We’re all the same aren’t we? We bleed the same despite one being a hybrid and the other human. And yet we get treated like shit. Outcasted and feared…tormented…”

Jaebum and Mark share a look as they’re not sure where this is going.

“Why are you doing this?” Jaebum asks and the male throws back a question of his own,

“I could ask the same of you. Why are you protecting these people? The moment you show your true self, they’ll quickly change all opinions of you. I mean just look at you. Acting human, adapting, hiding, pretending to be something you’re not and for what? To blend in? To survive? Why do we fear humans when we’re superior to them? Why do we care about living in harmony when we could surpass them and have them serve us? They don’t give a shit about us. Just like this poor soul. All he did was fall in love with a human but she hates hybrids. Expressed it around her friends one day when the man was going to confess to her. You think you can feel his pain? His anger? His hatred for humans growing? I could hear it, calling out to me like a beacon.”

This was starting to sound like some weird freaky shit now. What does he mean, he could hear it? Does he feed off these emotions or something? What kind of hybrid does that?

“Not everyone is the same. I believe in humanity like I believe in myself and those around me,” Mark states in confidence, his eyes fierce,

“Yes we adapt as we also follow some rules, but we’ve come a long way from how things used to be and if we keep moving forward, we can change the future and pave the way on how it should be. As long as we don’t give up, humans and hybrids can come together and live peacefully one day without fear or hatred.”

“And you’re doing that for yourself?” The male questions and Mark shakes his head,

“No, not for me. For my loved ones, for future generations.”

The male goes quiet as he looks deeply into Mark’s eyes before saying,

“How do you still have a heart so pure and bright? I don’t understand. The light that comes off of you every time I look at you…the beauty is indescribable…”

The male seems fascinated by Mark, even taking a step closer. Jaebum becomes defensive,

“What is it that you want? Why are you playing these games?!”

The male tilts his head to the side in confusion,

“Did I say this was a game?”

Jaebum has had enough of this, “Tell us what you want so we can end this.”

The male growls at Jaebum, “Don’t get in my way. I want him. I’ve been searching for him for so long now. Finding salvation in this world I was brought into. Calculating, waiting…hunting to connect with him. Things were going so well but then you and Kyle got in my way. And then those damn people with the others--”

Jaebum moves in front of Mark even though the omega tries to protest by grabbing onto his arm,

“Bummie--”

“You can’t have him,” Jaebum tells the male with eyes full of a lethal gaze.

Eyes passionate and holding promise as he’s gonna do everything possible to keep this guy away from his mate.

The male smirks, eyes shining with a burning fire matching Jaebum’s,

“Are you willing to go that route then? Willing to sacrifice the lives of others in order to keep him alive and safe?”

The guy expresses the bomb rigged up to himself and all these people around. Jaebum’s expression doesn’t waver, his eyes still locked with the male’s as he doesn’t skip a heart beat,

“I am.”

“Jaebum, you can’t be serious, stop this---” Mark protests as his life is not worth all these people.

“He’s my mate. The love of my life. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect him.”

Something of recognition is seen in the male’s eyes, a connection of some kind as Jaebum acknowledges him back.

The male seems happy with this or maybe amused before nodding,

“You and I have something in common, it seems…maybe I underestimated you.”

Jaebum stands his ground, tone serious, “Love is the most powerful weapon.”

“Love? I’ve heard that word before…” The male says in awe, “I wish to feel it.”

The male takes another step closer to them as if a curious animal just wanting to connect to someone. Jaebum keeps moving Mark back, the two getting near the bridge wall as the male follows.

Mark is nervous, his heart beating fast as this can go wrong so fast but he trusts Jaebum. He trusts his team that the male can’t hear through the coms like they can. But he still can’t help that ounce of fear that this might be it, where his fingers are writing the syllables out along the palm of Jaebum’s hand to let him know his feelings. In case something happens at this moment, Mark wants him to know the truth that has not gone away despite the years and what they’ve been through…

‘I love you’

It’s written in Chinese though Mark had it first done to him in Korean years ago. Those were the first words he was taught by Jaebum to write as he could only speak some Korean back then. It’s cute and sappy and full on romantic because Jaebum had been teaching Mark to write those words for months. Mark didn’t even realize that the alpha had been confessing this whole time. Not until the end a little while after Jaebum left when Neil caught him writing those words subconsciously on paper.

Jaebum feels it and knows right away what Mark is trying to tell him. That even though he can’t write in Chinese nor had the chance to understand the language, he knows Mark is doing this because of what he did back then. That he’s expressing their love language and it makes his heart swell with emotions before intertwining their fingers and squeezing back---

The male suddenly rushes at them and before Mark can fully react, Jaebum is pushing him away to the side. Mark lands on his butt, his eyes going wide as he watches in horror of Jaebum then grabbing the guy before he can go to him and they roll off the side of the bridge.

“Bummie!” Mark cries out before he’s rushing to get onto his feet and gripping the edge of the bridge to look down.

But then there’s an explosion along with heat and water that keeps Mark from being able to look. It makes him duck and cover his head and face with his arm as his breathing picks up. As his heart pounds in his chest---

‘Please don’t, please…please…I can’t…’

Mark prepares himself, not even focusing on the people freaking out on the bridge or covering themselves. His only thought is of Jaebum and how he’s not gonna be able to handle it if he’s gone…

All he can hear is static as he’s on the verge of a panic attack, his hands shaking as they grip the railing once more. His breathing is barely there as he swallows hard to not throw up and forces himself to look down below…

The sob comes forth as the water stains red with black like substance, his legs giving out as he goes down to his knees and leans against the wall…his heart…

Oh it swells with so many emotions.

He saw him. Just underneath the bridge on the side, Jinyoung had a grappling hook and was dangling there with Jaebum before helping him up onto part of the bridge.

‘That was so insane! Like straight out of an action movie!’ Bam exclaims as the others had raced over the moment Mark started running along the bridge and made it to the riverside overlooking the bridge.

You can hear Danny and Yugyeom cheering in the background as they agree and are so happy that everyone was safe.

‘You did so good, babe,’ Jackson voices from his spot at the bottom of the bridge before he’s moving to catch up to his brother.

All while Jinyoung is scolding Jaebum,

‘You’re a fucking idiot! Talking to someone rigged with a bomb like that! Are you out of your mind?! And I knew you were gonna pull some stunt like this like some hero as you can’t help yourself when it comes to Mark! You’re so lucky you have me, you hear me?! You’re gonna be the death of me one day, I just know it!’ He lets out in sass though he truly cares about the alpha.

And then he hears him. He can hear Jaebum in his ear and he’s laughing in good spirit,

‘I knew you had my back. You always do.’

Just like that, Jinyoung’s scolding ends as you can hear in his voice how much he’s happy to be a part of this,

‘You’re damn right I do. I may save your ass from time to time but I’m also not afraid to kick your ass so let’s not pull that again anytime soon, ok? Good to see you alive, bro.’

The two clap each other on the shoulder and hug for a moment while the others cheer. By the time Jackson gets to Mark, he can see the omega still leaned against the side of the bridge with his shoulders heaving.

Jackson smiles warmly before crouching down and wrapping his arms around Mark’s middle. When he pulls him back gently, Mark is crying as he can’t help it. He tried to keep quiet but when his brother surrounds him, his cries voice themselves and the others coo instantly in his ear. But it’s when he hears Jaebum talk to him directly that the tears keep coming,

‘I’m here, baby…I’m still here.’

Jackson kisses the side of Mark’s face as the omega whimpers before his tone is fierce yet so full of love,

“Just wait till I get to you, Lim Jaebeom! For I swear I don’t know if I want to hit you or kiss you more!”

‘Well your kisses do pack a punch already,’ Jaebum flirts back with a warm chuckle and it goes straight to Mark’s heart.

It's such a Jaebum thing to be a romantic sap even after escaping death…

With things getting back on track with authorities showing up to help the car wrecks and get traffic moving again, it was clear another crisis was averted for now. Even with the ambulances there, Youngjae made sure to thoroughly check over Jaebum and Jinyoung himself while the others answered questions and helped get things moving along.

“But Mark,” Jaebum protests as he swears he’s fine.

Even during the struggle and tumble over the bridge, a few scraps and scratches was nothing. Not even the heat burned him as he got lucky the bomb went off right on impact of hitting the water so he was enough away. Jinyoung was completely unharmed though he does have a sore arm and shoulder from catching Jaebum’s heavy ass.

“Mark is coming,” Youngjae tells him before he whines again,

“You could’ve at least let me continue to talk to him through the coms,” He sulks like a two year old.

“And listen to you wax poetry into our ears the entire time? No thank you,” Jinyoung sasses as he was the one to take away Jaebum’s ear piece to keep that from proceeding.

“Babe!” Jackson exclaims as they all lift their heads to see the alpha and Mark finally off the bridge and heading this way.

The moment the two lock eyes, Mark starts running. Jaebum tries to get up and follow but both Youngjae and Jinyoung keep him from getting up as they’re not done yet---

“Baby---” Jaebum voices as he opens his arms ready to take his mate into his embrace---

And yet Mark sikes all of them out by going to hug Jinyoung at the last second.

Um…

Jinyoung freezes, not knowing what’s going on until Mark speaks,

“Thank you for saving him…I’m sorry if I came off a certain way before.”

Oh…well how sweet.

Jinyoung melts on the spot as his eye whiskers come forth when he smiles warmly. His hands come down and he hugs the sweet omega,

“Trust me, that alpha is all yours. I’m just here to keep him in line.”

The two laugh at this, sharing a bonding moment while Jaebum is seen making grabby hands from the side,

“Baby, baby, baby, Mark, hey, come here…Ba-by!”

Youngjae laughs as Jaebum is making a complete fool out of himself and it’s adorable. It’s not even a few seconds later that Jackson is trying to join in on the hug by hugging them both at the same time.

“Oh lord, here we go,” Bam voices as him, Yugyeom and Danny arrive to see the chaotic scene before them.

Danny comes forth to help and ends up with Jackson getting attached to him and the two go down to the ground. Both Yugyeom and Bam point at the same time and laugh. You would think Yugyeom and Bam were two peas in a pod with how they react similarly, especially as Jackson grabs a hold of Bam’s leg and pulls him down with him. Thus causing Bam to grab Yugyeom and down he goes too into the hug fest that soon turns into a wrestling match. Jinyoung stands there with a fond sigh as he’s getting used to such chaos before realizing Mark was gone.

Uh---

Jinyoung snorts as he should’ve known and finds Mark is already in Jaebum’s arms with the two kissing sweetly. Youngjae thinks it’s adorable too until Jaebum’s hands start to wander. And then Mark begins to straddle Jaebum’s lap as the kiss is becoming heated fast---

“You two are not about to make love in the back of this ambulance!” Jinyoung gets onto them, “For crying out loud, at least close the door, there’s people watching!”

Jaebum tries to do just that and now Youngjae is curling over in laughter at Jinyoung’s expression that is like icing on the cake…

Too bad Neil shows up and stops the fun…

At least until they get back to base and have the debriefing and well…let’s say there was no more holding back then…

Chapter Text

“No no, like this,” Bam instructs as he shows off the handshake again to Yugyeom.

The alpha watches amused as Bam demonstrates with him on what to do before they start over and this time Yugyeom nails it,

“Yes, bro! Just like that!” Bam cheers as the two smile from ear to ear while laughing.

“I got one too, watch,” Yugyeom says as he shows off his own secret handshake he came up with.

Bam watches carefully with a smile still on his face as he’s been bonding more and more with Yugyeom. Since they’re little talk before looking into the surveillance cameras that night, Yugyeom has been opening up more to him and they’ve learned they have much in common. From joking around, doing silly things or just chilling, these two are becoming close fast.

“I like it, I like it! Skrrt! Skrrt!” Bam praises before letting out his signature noises.

Yugyeom finds it endearing as Bam can be so cute and isn’t afraid of being himself. Bam loves to make others laugh and goes the extra mile by showing off his weird self or hopping into a dance move like it’s nothing. And what makes it adorable is that Bam will have such confidence but the moment he finishes he turns into a shy bean that laughs and makes cute expressions that really get Yugyeom going. Like this alpha has yet to keep his eyes off of Bam as he’s so obviously staring and grinning like a damn fool.

It makes Yugyeom let out his dorky self and do a silly dance move just to keep Bam laughing and loves when the beta will lean into him.

“Yugyeom finally found his match,” Youngjae voices to Jinyoung as they watch the two at the end of the big long table.

The two smile as they watch the scene of Bam and Yugyeom continuing to interact.

“It’s good to see Yugyeom like this. It took a while for him to come out of his shell with us,” Jinyoung replies and Youngjae agrees,

“It took Jaebum to get Yugyeom to start opening up before Jaebum started to be a bad influence on him,” Youngjae starts laughing and Danny raises an eyebrow at this,

“What? But Jaebum’s a great leader. Seems like a passionate, laid back dude in my opinion,” Danny joins in on the conversation.

He leans forward to rest on the meeting table to look at Youngjae while Jinyoung sits across next to Jaebum who isn’t even paying attention to the conversation at hand.

“He is, but we’re talking about how Jaebum dresses and will claim he’s all sexy and bad ass. Once Yugyeom started hanging out like one on one with Jaebum, his confidence went through the roof. He wouldn’t be afraid to throw moves on someone and does that signature wink and smirk he perfected from watching Jaebum do it all the time.”

“Yugyeom looks up to Jaebum so much and was so young when he first joined that he really soaked up all he could like a sponge. So we blame his wild bad behavior on Jaebum,” Youngjae says before he starts laughing, “And what’s even funnier is that Jaebum can be just like that but when it comes to someone he actually likes, he turns into a dork and romantic sap as you can tell,” He gestures to Jaebum who is currently making a fool out of himself.

Where Jaebum has yet to take his eyes off of Mark who is sitting across the table from him and next to Jackson. And man does Jaebum have heart eyes for the omega. Just smiling and going all eye smile while gazing at him all sappily. Perking up when Mark starts to smile and cooing when Mark does something cute. And you can tell that Jaebum wants to pounce so bad. That he wants Mark’s attention as he wiggles in his seat and thinking of how he can join in on Jackson and Mark’s conversation.

Jinyoung shakes his head fondly as he watches from right beside Jaebum. The alpha is literally about to topple over in his chair if he leans any farther, but Jaebum wants to keep looking at Mark when the omega gets up to go grab something.

“Why didn’t he just sit next to him?” Danny is curious to know since those two were so handsy back at the riverside.

“Because Jaebum doesn’t know how to behave or control himself around Mark,” Jinyoung says as once again, Jaebum is oblivious that he’s being talked about.

“It’s why Jinyoung is sitting next to him and Jackson next to Mark,” Youngjae voices as he finds all of this amusing.

“Can you blame him though after everything they’ve been through?” Bam butts in all of a sudden.

The three turn to look at the two grinning naughtily,

“They have lots of years to make up for, not to mention a near death experience,” Yugyeom adds.

“If I was Mark, I would’ve hopped on Jaebum’s dick the moment I got into the car with him, fuck waiting till later,” Bam says dramatically.

“And if I was Jaebum, I would’ve taken Mark the moment he climbed into my lap in the ambulance, fuck anyone who is watching.”

Bam and Yugyeom then share a look that’s a very hard intense stare. The three can even feel an aura that’s heading into sexual tension mighty fast---

“Well I’m sorry for interrupting that but I had to make sure the attacker didn’t try and infect him or anything,” Youngjae says as he voices his worries.

“Ah, that’s right. All the victims that were attacked had venom in them like the killers did,” Danny remembers.

Jinyoung grows serious as he focuses back on the two and leans back in his seat,

“What about the third victim? Did she?”

Youngjae shakes his head, “Even though she was bitten, clawed into, etc, she didn’t have a trace of the venom in her that I had sent personally to the lab to be tested. She had no clear evidence on her body either of black veins or mutation like the prior victims.”

“I wonder why,” Jinyoung frowns in curiosity.

“My guess is because she was human. All the other victims were hybrids. Now as to why that is, I’m not sure. It could be because the human body can’t fight off infections or diseases like hybrids can. It could be because the human body can’t heal or adapt as fast as hybrids can so the body can’t survive long enough for the venom to take hold maybe. Without testing on people, I can’t give an accurate response and I don’t want to be the mad scientist to torture people to find out. Unless…” Youngjae starts to think about testing it out on bad people that deserve to be tortured for everything they’ve done.

“Honey,” Danny stops his thought process right there as he reaches out to put his hand over his.

“Fine…” Youngjae sighs out as he doesn’t want to upset Danny so he drops it.

Jinyoung sighs right along with him but for another reason,

“Now we’re back at another standstill. Even with this killer talking to us, it doesn’t bring us any closer to the main killer at all.”

“Not to mention how every killer is connected even though they don’t know each other at all,” Jackson joins in as he heard Jinyoung sigh.

“It’s the venom, right?” Mark joins in as well and now Jaebum switches right into professional mode.

Looks like the meeting was gonna start without Neil after all.

Youngjae nods, “It’s the only thing that’s connecting them all together. But how they’re getting infected remains a mystery.”

“Well the guy mentioned that he could hear and feel their hatred and anger like a beacon calling out to him,” Yugyeom joins back in.

“So could this be a snake we’re dealing with then because reptiles can pick up on emotions and people really well with a sort of radar like quality,” Jackson says.

“I mean yeah but in my snake form I can’t hear most things. I can smell it way before I can see anything,” Bam informs, “So the fact that he can hear it like a beacon wouldn’t be right. Now feeling it, I can see because when we pick up on the chemicals and such in the air, we get that sensation of what is nearby us and what they’re going through. But I’m thinking when he talks about feeling it, I think he means by actually being in their body with the venom.”

“Dude, that would be insane,” Danny reacts to what Bam says.

“I agree with Bam,” Youngjae voices and the others all react to that.

“Like controlling?” Jaebum furrows his eyebrows as he tries to piece it together.

“It’s the only plausible cause since they all have venom in them that not only makes them act feral but still have a somewhat functioning mind. Like mind control.”

“Well I’ll be damned…” Jackson is speechless as Jinyoung glares at the table,

“It’s not out of the question as many have tried to accomplish such a thing. I’ve even heard of hunters trying to come up with ways to be able to use mind control on hybrids so they can use them to hunt down other hybrids for them.”

“Like a personal weapon,” Yugyeom breathes out in awe.

“It hasn’t been done though…right?” Bam asks in worry as he looks around at everyone.

“That we know of,” Mark says what they’re all thinking.

“Great, so some experiment gone wrong is behind this?” Danny can already feel a headache trying to form from thinking way to into this.

“Or…aliens,” Jackson states dramatically and Jinyoung rolls his eyes fondly,

“Babe, no,” Jinyoung says and Jackson whines before perking up,

“But---wait! You just called me babe!”

Jackson looks ready to climb over the table to go love on Jinyoung but Youngjae keeps the alpha in place by placing his hand on his shoulder,

“Whatever or whoever this person is, they’ve been around since Mark’s father has been alive, if not longer.”

The air changes in the room as they gauge Mark’s reaction to talking about his father.

“He keeps mentioning him like he knew him on a personal level,” Mark admits as his expression shows how lost he is on everything.

Jackson growls lowly, “I definitely don’t like how he keeps trying to get close to you.”

Jaebum starts to get heated to, “He was talking like Mark was some love interest.”

Mark shakes his head while looking at Jaebum, “No, I think it’s just because I remind him of my father. You know we look similar from the picture I showed you.”

Jaebum disagrees, “You look similar in the facial features in ways that would directly link you to being his son but your body structure and other features differ from that. And looks aren’t everything. You have your father in you but you’re still you and no one can compare to that. He even mentioned your light like it was beautiful.”

“Maybe he means like aura or personality?” Yugyeom suggests as he lightly taps his fingers against the table.

But it seems Mark wasn’t done with this conversation as his eyes start to show fierceness towards Jaebum,

“Is that why you were being all hot headed and possessive? Because you think he was making moves on me?”

Jaebum doesn’t even hesitate as he bluntly says, “Not think, I know he was. He’s been after you since the beginning. He even said that he wants you and I need to personally stay out of it. He was challenging me and wanted to take you away from me.”

Oh this peeves Mark as he’s not afraid to go head to head with Jaebum. Of course while this is going on, no one noticed Neil step inside the room.

“Who said you were even my alpha? In fact, I don’t remember ever telling you to act all macho and mighty like I’m some damsel in distress or one’s property.”

The others grow quiet as they could feel his aura to back off and let him get what he has to say out. Jaebum listens and bites right back,

“I didn’t say I was nor was I trying to insinuate that you were anyone’s property. I was simply defending you as I wasn’t about to let some feral thing take you away.”

“Oh, so letting jealousy and your hot headedness get in the way and not even listening to me and deciding things on your own is the way to go? He had a bomb strapped to him and you acted all reckless!”

The two were out of their seats at this point as things kept heating up. Their eyes were so passionate and burning with a fire that could never go out even as the years passed. As their eyes remain locked and neither back down as they feel strongly.

“So what if I was jealous?! Did you not see the way he kept looking at you?! With everything he’s done, it’s obviously not anything good if he tried to get his hands on you! I wasn’t about to just stand by and let that happen! So forgive me for getting hot headed and acting irrational of my own life cause one tends to do that when the love of their life is caught up with some feral male strapped with a bomb and in danger! My alpha instincts were going crazy and all I could think about was keeping you safe and doing whatever it took! Ever since coming back, I don’t even want to leave your side or blink and miss out on a single moment. I worry constantly about making a wrong move because I love you more than anything and not one day has fucking gone by where you weren't on my mind and how I wished more than anything to see you again and make things right so I can be that alpha for you! I messed up the first time but not now, never again as I’m gonna fight with everything in me so that you know I’m all in for this. I’m not letting anyone try and come between us. I’m not gonna run away nor am I gonna bow down to anyone that tries to come at my mate. And I’ll fight for you because you’re my everything, because you are my other half, my equal. You’re a part of me that is my heart and holds my soul and can use and take this body whenever you please cause no one else has since we parted and no one else will.”

Jaebum says this with such passion in not only his voice but in his eyes and expression. His aura radiating the love he has for Mark and how strongly he feels for this omega alone. And Mark can feel it. He can hear every word and how it makes him react back just as passionately and strongly.

“But I won’t ever apologize for my feelings for you and how they continue to grow each day. I’ll continue to show how I feel and express myself as I refuse to hold back anymore. Call me crazy, call me mad, a feral beast, I don’t care. I love you, Mark.”

This has to be a Lim thing for how they express their love but this was such a Jaebum thing to turn an argument into a romantic, sappy, heated love confession. And boy does Mark react right back, not even hesitating to show how much it affects him. His expression doing a come hither look as he lets out an aroused feline sound,

“You have five seconds to come kiss me or I swear when I get my hands on you---” Mark lets out as he’s already climbing on top of the table to get to Jaebum.

The alpha growls back, moving to meet Mark halfway before the omega is gripping a hold of Jaebum’s clothing and yanking him forward to crush their lips together at the same time. The others are quite in awe, impressed and some enjoying the show while Neil stands at the end unamused by it all before mumbling under his breath,

“And just like how they argued in the past during their first ever meeting, this is how I knew they were perfect for each other.”

With that Neil turns on his heel and just exits the room for nothing was gonna get done until this was over. Neil knew back then that it really was only a matter of time before those two got together. Though he was surprised it hadn’t been sooner and actually waited till the end of the one case for anything more sexual to happen. Because boy could the rest of the group feel that sexual tension the whole damn case.

The moment Jaebum is shoved back onto the table with Mark straddling his lap, Jackson and Jinyoung know to get up and leave right away.

“Wow!” Youngjae exclaims as the two are making out right in front of his face while voicing moans and pleased feline sounds.

Mark even does this weird feline gruttal sound that’s possessive and a turn on to hear as he bites at Jaebum’s lips to rile the alpha up further. All while Jaebum’s hands roam to grope, knead and keep Mark close as claws dig in lightly when the omega grinds down against him.

Youngjae was stunned and was gonna keep watching but luckily Danny is pulling him out of the chair and toward the door. Now Yugyeom and Bam on the other hand are openly watching as they’re all for this. Watching as the felines show off their ears and tail. As Mark is ripping into Jaebum’s shirt so he can feel more of his skin while the alpha dips hands up underneath and is raising the omega’s shirt up, up and nipples are soon coming into view---

Bam is drooling, eyes glued to the sexy scene of Jaebum leaning up to latch his mouth onto skin to mark and lay claim. Mark moaning, eyes going half lidded, lashes fluttering with his mouth parted and just begging to be kissed again---

Yugyeom is not even blinking as he takes in Mark digging in claws to rake down Jaebum’s bare muscled chest before threading into his happy trail before going back up and clinging to those broad shoulders. His back is soon arching, Jaebum’s hands still roaming his skin as Mark keeps teasing the alpha by grinding his ass against his cock, moaning out for Jaebum as the two only see each other.

Was it just him or was it smelling mighty sweet in here? Cause lord was it like these two were in heat and rut with the way they can’t get enough of the other. I mean papers and files are falling to the ground. Pens and highlighters clattering as they go back into a heated make out session as hands are trying to take off more clothing---

The two suddenly feel yanking on the back of their collars. It makes Yugyeom yelp where Bam whines and tries to cling to the table but it’s no use as Jinyoung and Jackson come back in to get the last to out of the room before making sure the door is locked and shut on their way out.

Mark and Jaebum don’t even notice as the omega is too busy undoing Jaebum’s pants while the alpha groans and tangles tongues with Mark.

Man is Mark taking charge and showing what he wants and that he needs it now. It was so fucking hot too as Mark practically yanks Jaebum out of his pants to have his cock spring up and slap his stomach.

“Mmm, baby wait,” Jaebum protests slightly as Mark breaks the kiss as the alpha tries to follow and get more.

“No, no more waiting,” Mark tells him as he distracts Jaebum by starting to take off his own pants.

Jaebum’s mind short circuits at the breathtaking sight of Mark’s cock springing free and hole dripping with slick. Mark even strokes himself as he keeps the top on as he can’t be bothered to stop now.

“I want this. I want you,” Mark breathes out, moaning with need as precum beads at the tip of his cock and he’s already straddling over Jaebum again.

“Been wanting you for so long, I’m not waiting anymore.”

Mark grinds back down, making Jaebum growl in arousal at feeling how wet the omega is against his cock. Soaking the head as slick drips down his shaft to his balls. His scent was intoxicating and clouding Jaebum’s mind more as the need to get inside was growing---

“Need to prep you first, baby, don’t want to hurt you,” Jaebum tries to lead it down a notch but Mark is not having that right now.

So he kisses Jaebum, the kiss fierce and passionate as lips smack together and moans are muffled as hands can’t stop touching the other.

“Don’t care right now. Give it to me,” Mark lets out in between kisses.

He’s so fucking wet right now for the alpha that he knows he can take it. That even if there was a bit of pain it would only add to the pleasure of finally having Jaebum inside of him after so long.

Both groan, breaking the kiss to gasp when Mark rolls his hips and the head tries to pop inside his wet cunt.

“Nnn, fuck, Bummie…” Mark mewls out as he does it again.

Jaebum is malfunctioning at the beautiful creature taking such control and showing how much he wants him. Like god damn is it hard to try and control himself right now as the last small rational part of his brain is like wait a minute, we’re forgetting something here.

“Mmm, baby…condom…”

Shit, he doesn’t have a condom on him and they all know what happened the last time he got carried away and they had sex multiple times in the same night.

Mark entices the alpha by licking at his lips before teasing with lightly pressing against his lips. The omega sounded so out of breath too from how far gone he is in his head space right now,

“Fuck that condom, just take me, alpha. Make love to me. I know you’re gonna end up knotting me anyway.”

Mark remembers how fast Jaebum’s switch flipped the moment he was inside of him. How Jaebum couldn’t help himself and got lost in Mark, drilling his cock deep inside with the need to fill him to the brim. Jaebum knotted him on the first round, shocking even himself as he never knotted anyone prior to that moment.

Jaebum groans, kissing Mark more heatedly as his hands lead to the omega’s hips to help direct him. Mark becomes eager, positioning himself as Jaebum puts the palms of his feet flat on the table and the moment Mark starts to go down on him, the alpha lifts his hips up and---

A loud pop is heard, Mark shivering as his face contorts into bliss at Jaebum shoving his cock inside. It makes Mark gasp, hands latching onto Jaebum’s broad shoulders as he slides down to the hilt with his ass nestled on top of Jaebum’s pelvic bone.

It burned but it felt so good as he’s being stretched and filled so deeply. Mark doesn’t want to wait though and starts to bounce, going slow at first just to tease the alpha before he picks up speed. Jaebum groans in time with Mark’s needy sounds being pulled out. Watching as the omega was so beautiful and perfect. Growling as he wants to see more of him but Mark still has his top attire on---

“Stop talking and fuck me, alpha,” Mark moans out as Jaebum is voicing all of this out loud.

He can’t help it as Mark is perfect for him. As his mate is right here and they’re making love once again after so long. God, he never thought he’d have this moment again. That he’d have Mark in his arms---

Mark gasps in surprise as he’s suddenly manhandled. Just like Mark said, a switch is flipped the moment Jaebum gets inside of him. Where his alpha instincts go crazy and the alpha finds himself on his back, legs bent toward his chest and cock shoved back inside as the alpha cages him in and starts pounding away.

“Fuck…Bummie…fuck…fuck…yeah…been…too…long…fuccckkkk…” Mark moans out as the alpha’s cock is felt so deep.

Each thrust making the head of his cock kiss his cervix and make his eyelashes flutter and back arch. Jaebum groans and growls in his ear, voicing everything that he loves about Mark as he drills inside of him. Unable to stop as hips continue to slap against Mark’s ass and his cunt squelches from how wet he is.

“Oooo…shit…ah…ah…yeah…yeah…fuck…Bummie…like that…don’t stop..please don’t…”

Mark is crying from feeling so good. From his omega instincts purring in delight by having the alpha close again. By feeling his mate surrounding him after so long. Mark clings to his shoulders, crying out his name constantly as his cock slaps his own tummy. As he feels Jaebum so deeply inside and out. Can feel his love. Can hear the chains of their dog tags as each thrust shows them off and tangles them together like the two are connected. All while Jaebum continues to tell him how perfect he is. How happy he is that he’s his mate. And how he can’t stop telling him how much he loves him that it affects Mark more. It makes him wetter, more emotional as he feels Jaebum’s knot growing.

“I love you…Yien…I love you…I love you…Yien…Baby…Mark…”

The way he’s saying it too as his voice is filled with so much emotion and love. As you can tell he’s been dreaming of doing this again with Mark for so long.

Mark wraps his arms around Jaebum’s neck, his body trembling in pleasure as he hiccups from everything becoming overwhelming,

“Bummie…kiss me…please…need you…love you…alpha…my alpha…”

Jaebum crashes their mouths together, melding their lips into one as the two release sounds and kiss fervently with each thrust. The table creaks, starting to slide little by little as Jaebum was determined to shove his growing knot inside. Growls and grunts are heard. Whimpers and needy moans mixed in as their scents intertwined.

Mark can feel it too. Just like how his heartbeat was going so fast, each thump was like a thrust of Jaebum’s cock. Each pulse like the warm pulsing of Jaebum’s cock as he’s close. And when Jaebum finally shoves his knot inside, Mark is keening as the head of Jaebum’s cock is pressing firmly against his cervix over and over and---

“There! Right there! Gonna cum…fuck…gonna cum…Bummie!”

Mark spasms, his body shaking before convulsing as his eyes roll back into his head and he’s blacking out from an intense orgasm. He clamps down on Jaebum, the alpha groaning before Mark’s name spills from his lips and he feels himself cumming deep inside. It’s like it’s torn out of him, Mark milking him of each rope of cum that continues to fill him and sends tingles of pleasure throughout his entire body.

Jaebum barely can breathe from how good it feels, dazing in and out as he rides out his orgasm until every last drop is released and he keeps Mark covered as they slowly come back down together. And boy did Mark cum multiple times during that as the evidence left between them spoke volumes.

A giggle is heard as well as fingers lightly threading through his hair as Jaebum comes back down to earth. As he lifts his head slightly to see Mark beaming up at him with such a loving expression,

“I told you so.”

Jaebum ends up snorting before Mark’s laughter grows and the two have matching expressions. Jaebum leans their foreheads together as the two bask in one another. The alpha whispering his love to Mark as the omega whispers it back. Where their gazes keep locking and telling a thousand words without saying them out loud. And soon their lips are meeting again and again. Even as Jaebum’s knot finally goes down, well, that doesn't mean the fun had to stop there…

Almost two hours later after the guys took a late lunch, they found that the two love birds were still going at it and decided to just cancel the rest of the day. This is where Yugyeom and Bam find themselves heading to the bank as Yugyeom wants to have some American cash since they’re gonna be staying here a while.

And what do you know…seems like they’re not out of danger just yet…

The funny part is, this wasn’t even related to their case but something else entirely…

Or was it?

Chapter Text

“How long do you think the love making fest is gonna last?” Bam wonders as they’re chilling in the office bored.

You would think after all the excitement and chaos that’s been going on lately that the two would be thankful for some down time.

Nope

Bam is leaned back fully in his chair, his arms flailed out and legs propped up on the desk. The position had to be uncomfortable but then again, Bammie was a snake after all.

“You’re asking like I know his sex schedule,” Yugyeom snorts from somewhere in the room as the alpha is busy looking around their office space.

Youngjae and Danny took this chance to have some alone time together as well on a cute date somewhere. Jinyoung and Jackson on the other hand, decided to go pick things needed for the home so the others can enjoy their stay better. Jinyoung is even going the extra mile to pick up clothing for Jaebum because at this rate, the alpha is just gonna be naked if Mark and the chaos keep tearing apart his clothes.

“Well I know Mark’s and it’s zero since I’ve known him,” Bam offers and Yugyeom raises an eyebrow slightly from his spot behind Danny’s computer.

“I thought he said he slept around during missions?”

“He’ll get down and dirty, yeah, but he won’t have actual intercourse. He’s smart, you know. Either he’ll get the guy off or he’ll get the guy drunk or high as fuck and then the dude will pass out before the actual fucking can take place.”

Yugyeom perks up at this, “Oh, so he was basically riling Jaebum up before since the alpha was already getting jealous.”

“Bingo,” Bam exclaims as he raises a finger into the air and continues to watch Yugyeom from upside down.

The sound of a chair can be heard rolling before Yugyeom appears as he’s twirling around to entertain himself,

“From what I know, Jaebum didn’t sleep around at all though many and I mean many women tried. Didn’t matter if they were in our company or just out on the street or even during missions. Jaebum turned them all down. We used to joke that Jaebum was just some crazy old cat lady stuck in his body and that the only ‘loving’ he did was pet stray cats.”

Bam starts laughing, especially since the guys back then had no clue about Mark. That the reason Jaebum loved to pet stray cats and coo at them was because Mark is a tiny black stray furball.

“Turns out the photo he longingly looked at day after day and why he’s so obsessed with tiny felines is because of Mark,” Yugyeom laughs himself as he thinks about it more.

Man did it really make sense now.

“God, they’re gonna be fucking for hours,” Bam realizes as there’s a lot of years built up to this moment.

Yugyeom furrows his eyebrows together the more he thinks about this too,

“Has Mark been going through regular heats?”

Bam shrugs though he answers, “Not since I met him, which he was pregnant at the time though we didn’t know that at first. And then after that whole ordeal in the hospital and then the labor…it took a while for things to try and regulate after having the twins. I believe he was put back on suppressants and birth control before he was let back out onto the field.”

“Ah,” Yugyeom replies with as he finally rolls to a stop in front of Bam and he taps the ends of the arms as things quiet down a bit,

“Wouldn’t it be ironic if this triggered his heat somehow?”

“Bro, are you hoping he’ll get pregnant or something?” Bam lets out as he reaches up to lightly smack Yugyeom’s thigh.

“No, I’m just saying. His scent was really sweet but then again I haven’t been around him long enough to tell how sweet his scent normally gets around Jaebum. They could just be fucking like teenagers would.”

Bam lets out a noise, “Mmm, if only someone would fuck me like that again. I love when a man can go multiple rounds and won’t stop because he can’t resist me.”

Bam gets this dazed look in his eyes as he thinks about it dreamily while looking directly at Yugyeom. The alpha starts to blush before Yugyeom suddenly pulls the lever and up the beta goes. Bam lets out a loud squeal as he’s now back to sitting upright and the alpha hunches over in laughter.

“You should’ve seen your face!”

Bam doesn’t waste time in getting up and pushing Yugyeom’s chair away. The alpha is still laughing even as the chair runs into the desk and jerks him.

“Bro! Why’d you do that?” Bam whines, though he can’t help but start to laugh himself since Yugyeom’s laughter was contagious,

“Come on, man. Just for that, you owe me dinner.”

Yugyeom nods, “Deal, but I want to stop by a bank somewhere and pull out some cash. I have some cash on me now but it’s not the right currency and I know it's pretty handy to have cash when in America.”

Bam helps Yugyeom to his feet as the two do their silly handshake as the beta smiles from ear to ear,

“I got you. I’ll take you to the bank I go to.”

Yugyeom smiles at Bam being so sweet and kind and follows him out the door…

Yugyeom won’t lie, hanging out with Bam is fun. There’s never a dull moment and the more time they spend together, the more they find out how much they have in common. Like right now as Bam blasts girly songs and Yugyeom jumps right in as he knows all the lyrics. It gets Bam pumped up and they become loud and belt out the songs as well as try and do some of the dance moves while sitting down. The car is full of laughter and good spirit as the two just click and head right into best friend territory.

Yugyeom’s relaxed around Bam now too. He’s not on guard and is just himself, though he is still trying to hold back on anything sexual. Anytime Bam flirts, he brushes it off or changes the topic around. Bam actually isn’t trying to shove ‘Let’s fuck’ down his throat anymore as he’s more laid back and relaxed as he probably thinks he’s been friend zoned by this point. Bam seems to be ok with that as he genuinely just wants to hang around him and get to know him more and not just the dick that’s in his pants. It keeps showing Yugyeom that Bam isn’t what he thought he was and finds himself liking Bam more and more.

“Is there something on my face?” Bam asks during a stoplight as he notices Yugyeom is openly staring again.

Yugyeom sputters, realizing he’s been caught as he fakes it and reaches over to brush stray hairs from Bam’s face,

“Sorry, it was bothering me.”

Bam just laughs before facing forward again and driving when the light turns green,

“It’s all good. I gotta look fashionable at all times anyways so thanks. And really, don’t be afraid to tell me if I got something on my face or I chipped a nail. And if I ever get a stain on my clothing and no one tells me, hoo boy do I get heated because I’m a classy man here.”

Yugyeom smiles softly as he listens to Bam talk more about himself. Bam isn’t afraid to tell you about himself or to have such confidence. But Yugyeom has noticed that when it comes to feelings, Bam tends to keep that to himself and the alpha wishes to know why. Is he afraid to show that vulnerable side to him? Or does he think he’s not allowed or would be a bother?

“Have you ever fallen in love before?” Yugyeom asks and it shocks him that it just came out like it shocks Bam who was in the middle of singing.

Bam’s voice cracks as he goes wide eyed with a shocked look,

“Like with a person or a thing? Cause I’ve fallen in love with some dicks before,” Bam jokes as he laughs nervously near the end.

See? Now he’s making a joke like he’s trying to cover it up---

“It was Jackson wasn’t it? You were in love with him or still are.”

Yugyeom had heard Bam’s heart waver when he answered so he knows something is up.

“WHAT?! Why would you think of him?!” Bam exclaims as he’s thrown for a loop.

He even swerves a bit into the other lane he’s so shocked.

“Because Jinyoung told me that Jackson admitted to you two getting together back in the day,” Yugyeom says defensively.

“No--I mean yeah I tried but not for the reason you think. I was still living off the streets back then and was gonna do whatever it took to help my family. So yeah I offered to sleep with him to get out of being caught stealing his wallet. But he turned me down! Instead him and Mark took me out to eat and then offered me a job after spending more time with them. We never fucked once or did anything sexual together, bro! I wasn’t about to jeopardize the opportunity I was being given for some dick!”

Bam’s heartbeat remained true and steady as he expressed himself and Yugyeom finds his jealousy dying down some,

“So why would Jackson lie like that to Jinyoung?”

Bam snorts as he leans forward and runs a hand through his hair,

“He was probably trying to see if it would bother Jinyoung and tell if he liked him. I know you wolves have your ways of finding out things, so don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here, mister!” Bam points a finger at him while throwing a look into his direction,

“If you like me, just say it, bro.”

Yugyeom tries to think of what to say but luckily Bam is pulling up to the bank already. The beta parks the car and Yugyeom hops out first so he doesn’t have to reply. Bam doesn’t seem bothered by it as he exits the car after turning it off and the two walk side by side toward the front entrance.

Man, was it busy today. There were people waiting in the long line for the drive thru as well as a huge line inside the lobby. Yugyeom and Bam weren't bothered though as they kept each other company as they slowly moved up in the line. Of course things can’t just remain calm as the moment they get into the middle of the line, they notice more people walking in.

Without making it obvious, Bam notices through his sunglasses as Danny created these to not only look fashionable, but to have a tiny camera that points behind him. It allows him at any time to gently tap the side in a certain area and instead of seeing upfront, he can view the camera and see behind him.

And the group of shifty men that come in, well, that’s mighty suspicious.

Yugyeom can sense the aura changing as the hair on the back of his neck stands up. He keeps his hands tucked in his pockets as his fingers twitch to prepare to grab for the gun hidden on his person.

The alpha shifts closer to Bam in a silent warning as Bam leans back in acknowledgement. Yugyeom starts looking at his surroundings in front of him. Taking in all exits, windows, tellers and where the cameras are located. He even counts the amount of people inside that are in view as the guys seem to disperse. One walking toward the area where you grab your slips so you can write on them. Another heading to one of the desks behind them to ask some questions while another acts like he forgot something. And then there’s two that get in line like the rest of them.

“There’s more outside,” Bam whispers as another walks past the bushes.

They’re gonna try and rob the place…

It’s not an if, it’s a when and the two are trying to calculate their next moves as they have to be careful or they can bring serious harm to others.

“I’m alerting the others,” Yugyeom whispers as his one hand works his phone to send an emergency code to the others in situations such as this while not looking.

Yugyeom has it set up to where instead of holding two buttons down and sending 911 his way, it’ll go right to Jinyoung, Jaebum and Youngjae.

Bam nods like he’s moving his head to a song before everything seems to unfold so fast. And really, it was nothing like a normal robbery you would think would happen.

A gunshot goes off outside the building, alerting everyone inside in fear, but before anyone else could move, the one guy shoots and kills the lady at the desk. Blood splatters and her body goes back to lie limp in the chair before more guns are revealed by the others.

“Nobody move!” One of the men shouts and people stop in mid panic and just stare at the multiple men heading inside and blocking their exits.

“Shut up!” Another man announces as one lady keeps screaming and he fires and kills her in one go.

The moment her body hits the floor, silence echoes through as people struggle to hold back any sound.

Yugyeom and Bam curse mentally as this was getting out of hand fast and any sudden movement would just signal death for many more. Did the robbers not care about their actions here?

Some men move forth that weren't blocking the exits as they gather those from the back to the others,

“Arm the windows and exits like you do in emergencies,” The one guy tells the people behind the counter.

“Do it, now!” The guy shouts as he aims the gun right at the one male’s head.

The male nods slowly, his hand shaking as he reaches down to hit the button. Right away, metal guards slide down to cover the windows and doors. An alarm system going off indicating a lock down.

“Down on your knees!” One demands and fires up at the ceiling.

People immediately drop to their knees as Bam and Yugyeom slowly follow suit calmly.

“Hands behind your heads!” Another instructs and the two do it while keeping their eyes on them.

Watching as they move about slowly and trying to get a good look at them. Bam doesn’t have to smell it like Yugyeom can to know they’re hybrids as their tones alone have an animal guttural sound. Their aura alone gives off that they’re not human and one gets close to them, eyes flashing toward them as a mask covers the rest of their face.

Yugyeom is starting to believe that this wasn’t a robbery at all. They’re not even trying to get out any money so why---

One grabs a hold of Bam’s shoulder why another roughly yanks his sunglasses off and shatters them in the palm of their hands,

“He reeks of wolf,” One says before they notice Yugyeom glaring at them.

“What? You got a problem?” The guy glares back at Yugyeom as the alpha wants more than anything to get these men away from his mate.

Yugyeom doesn’t say anything but his eyes are lethal and hold promise that if they do anything to Bam, it’s gonna be the end for them.

“Quit it, he’s not our target,” One is quick to say to get the other to back off.

“He’s just itching for trouble,” The guy voices as he doesn’t want to back off.

“We don’t have much time! Figure out if he’s a snake or not and let’s get things rolling!” The men are now arguing.

They seem antsy like they’re running out of time here. Always looking over their shoulder like something is gonna get them. Bam and Yugyeom both go wide-eyed at hearing the word snake. Why are they looking for a snake hybrid? Just what is going on here?

“Like he’s gonna tell us, just get him to bite you and see if it works, hurry!” Another shouts from across the room.

“Are you or are you not?” One asks Bam.

“Why do you want to know?” Bam spits back and it’s the wrong move as a guy doesn’t hesitate to fire and kill an innocent next to them.

Bam eyes the person’s body now lying on the ground and bleeding out as his breath hitches a bit.

“We’re the one asking the questions here, so unless you want your friend to die next, I suggest you get to talking,” One growls out as guns are pointed at Yugyeom who still has his hands behind his back.

Bam locks eyes with Yugyeom as the alpha is silently communicating with him to not reveal what he is. But Bam doesn’t want to get anymore people killed. How did they even know to come find him? How did such information leak?

Bam is taking too long to answer that the angry one grows impatient and yanks the beta’s hair back to regain his attention. With this free hand he yanks the mask down and reveals parts of his skin that shows off the black veins crawling up his neck to his jawline,

“Do not make me repeat myself!”

“You’re infected with the venom…” Bam voices in awe as Yugyeom’s breathing starts to pick up.

This was bad. This was so bad. Not only were these men hybrids, but they’re infected hybrids that can go apeshit at any second now.

“You know about the venom?” The male asks back and Bam swallows,

“Not much but I do know what it can do to someone. Can even bring back the dead apparently.”

The guy laughs pathetically before letting go of Bam’s hair so he can pull up his sleeve and to show off more skin covered in black veins underneath,

“You have no fucking idea what this shit does to our kind, kid. What lengths people went to get a hold of it and how they’ll turn against their own people that fought to protect it.”

Uh…

Just who are these people?

“That doesn’t give you a right to just go killing people like them,” Bam retorts with and the guy growls, his eyes flashing more of his hybrid.

Claws are coming forth, fangs showing as his frustration grows,

“Either they die now or later! What point does it make when this world will soon go to shit?! If we don’t stop this now then nothing will survive you hear me?! So are you or are you not of a snake species?!”

“Bammie,” Yugyeom calls out his name as he can tell Bam is gonna cave.

Pleading with him not to but Bam is too kind to protect himself when so many need his protecting,

“I am.”

Bam flashes his eyes to show off proof and the men seem to become joyful.

“Bite me,” The man in front of him says as he holds out his wrist.

Bam hesitates, worried that this wasn’t a good idea.

“What if you infect him back?” Yugyeom brings forth, “Don’t do it, Bam. We don’t even know if it’ll work!”

“Shut up!” The guy growls and Bam can see the veins moving underneath the male’s skin.

Can see them crawling up further to the male’s cheek.

“We don’t know who you are, how you got infected or what you’re trying to accomplish here!” Yugyeom refuses to be quiet.

The guy doesn’t hesitate to fire and kills another, Yugyeom’s expression growing pissed as his own fangs come forth,

“Is that how you think you’re gonna get your way? By killing an innocent? For what? Your own life? You’d stoop that low just to save your own ass?”

“Johnny, stop! This isn’t who we are!” A guy comes forth to try and stop Johnny from getting near Yugyeom.

“We swore to protect this world, not become the monster the venom is trying to make us!”

“Humans could care less about us and what we do for them. They could care less about their own kind unless it involves them personally. They abandoned us and infected us on purpose to try and cover up their own mistakes. So I’m done playing by their rules. Fuck the human race!”

“Johnny no, this isn’t you. Stop, you’re letting it in. You need to fight it, you need to---”

Right in front of Bam, Johnny suddenly fires his gun and shoots his own comrade in the face. Blood splatters onto Bam, his eyes wide and chest heaving as the body of the guy drops to the floor right beside him. It doesn’t stop there as Johnny starts growling, the sounds distorting as the black veins crawl up further and further until the guy is screaming in agony. Dropping the weapon as he grips his head as the other guys start to freak out,

“Shit, oh shit, it's too late! It’s got Johnny!”

“We need to get out of here!”

“Hurry! Undo the emergency switch now!” The men plead but Johnny starts to mutate.

His body distorts before things start to sprout from it. Long horns protruding from the front of his head as his eyes go pitch black. Demonic-like wings are shooting out from his back as he roars in some monstrous tone---

People are freaking out now and moving along with the men as they struggle to get away from the beast. Bam doesn’t even move as he watches in horror before Yugyeom is moving himself and pulling the beta up to his feet.

The monster doesn’t like that Bam is moving away, eyes locking in on him as he roars before launching into mid air right toward them. The two manage to hop over a desk as the beast topples into it, flipping the desk and it acts like a shield as the creature tries to snap its fangs to sink into Bam. Yugyeom and Bam both use their hands and feet to push the desk against the creature to keep him from getting any closer.

“I changed my mind, I want to go back to the office!” Bam cries out as the beast is acting irrationally.

Claws starting to shred into the table as Yugyeom has had enough of this. Knowing he shouldn’t but this was his mate here and it was an emergency, so he partially shifts. Howling as his uses his super strength to push the desk back and over on top of the creature. Bam scurried back, chest heaving as the creature flailed to get up from the desk.

Bam is terrified as this was like from a horror film but Yugyeom is struggling to keep the creature down. Gathering courage, Bam hurries forward to help Yugyeom as the desk is bucking,

“What are you doing?” Yugyeom lets out as Bam needs to figure out a way out of here, not this.

But Bam just throws him a smirk even though his eyes are scared shitless,

“Consider this me payment for accidentally punching you back there.”

Yugyeom is speechless for a second before the sounds of the alarm system go off and the metal walls are retreating back up. Light starts pouring in and the creature cries out as it feels like their skin is burning. The bucking stops as the creature starts to retract back to get away from the light. Yugyeom and Bam move, sticking to the wall as the creature is freaking out before something comes through the glass window and straight into the center of its head. The creature cries out one last time before dropping down to the ground. Meanwhile, the men that tried to escape didn’t get too far as more gunshots rang out like it was some drive by going on. They noticed vehicles driving away then in a hurry as other people crowded down behind vehicles and people were still trapped inside shielding themselves.

Yugyeom and Bam both look at the dead creature that looked neither hybrid nor human before sharing a look with each other. Bam reaches out a shaky hand to brush against Yugyeom’s and the alpha latches on, intertwining their fingers as they wait for the others to show up a few moments later…

Chapter Text

Too many innocent people were killed during this event and though it’ll all be covered up and the survivors will be given proper procedures to make them forget like it was all a bad dream…

Yugyeom and Bam will remember.

They remember every word, what those men looked like. The people that were killed and definitely that creature that came from Johnny.

Bam is still shaken up even as they’re back at base. Yugyeom has yet to let go of him and has been keeping him in his lap the entire time as this was some traumatizing shit here. Like this was not in the training manual nor has Bam encountered anything like this.

That hybrid literally mutated in front of him. Turned into what demons are made out of! You couldn’t even tell what species he was from before. Who he used to be and the fact that they had been so close to death or even getting infected themselves…

“Is this even real anymore?” Bam voices with his tone cracking in fear, “Maybe I’m the one stuck in a nightmare that fabricated from what took place at the bridge.”

Bam’s out of focus and the others didn’t want to pressure him and ask questions at this time. Not like Bam and Yugyeom could answer most of them as they’re just as lost as they are. They’re just glad that they’re safe.

“We’re alive and safe,” Yugyeom breathes out though he can’t believe it himself.

His hands cling to Bam as if the moment he lets go, Bam will cease to exist along with everything else around him.

Bam nods, leaning back and curling up in Yugyeom’s hold. His head tucks under Yugyeom’s chin as the two sit there in Neil’s office while the others are playing catch up on what took place…

The others stand in the autopsy room with several body bags and Neil jumping right into action,

“Let’s go over what we found at the scene.”

Jinyoung stands at attention, hands behind his back as he speaks,

“Chaos is the only way to describe it. Screaming, crying, bloodbath, bullets and death. The usual.”

He doesn’t mean to sound sarcastic but he’s upset that things got so out of hand so fast and that Yugyeom and Bam were caught up in it. Those two were literally going to exchange money, not even out on the field for the case they’re working on and they couldn’t catch a break.

“I know this is upsetting but did we really think things could just go back to normal after what took place at the bridge?” Neil replies back as he looks at all of them.

Each and every one felt for Yugyeom and Bam and when Neil’s words settled in, their expressions became somber.

“Are these two related though?” Danny brings up.

“The guy we’re after was only controlling one body at a time. At least, if he actually is controlling them through venom,” Youngjae adds before Jackson gestures to the several body bags,

“This would state otherwise.”

“But the creature…” Mark starts and stops as he recalls the one he saw on the bridge.

The horns were similar in a way but his body did not mutate like this. He still just had black veins showing underneath his skin whereas this creature he saw briefly changed entirely.

“All the attackers we’ve dealt with were still showing human traits as well as their hybrid traits. What’s in that body bag isn’t anything we’ve seen before,” Jaebum clarifies.

“Not to mention that people described a drive-by taking place that took out the men that had originally held the bank hostage. Even taking out this creature before leaving as one guy hopped into the vehicle while the rest never got out,” Jinyoung informs.

“They were waiting,” Jackson voices his own thoughts, “For them to have left as they did, they weren't no rookies. They were staking out the area, knew their targets were inside and when the moment came, they finished their job and took off.”

“Yeah but who,” Danny wants to know.

“I unfortunately can’t provide the answer to that one but I can provide the answer to who these men were,” Neil redirects their attention to him.

He’s standing in the center of the room with the body bags on each table around him,

“Even if they didn’t still have dog tags, using their fingerprints and facial recognition on some, they used to be a group in the workforce belonging to another state nearby.”

This has all of them perking up and zeroing in to the bodies as Neil unveils the heads of the ones that didn’t get messed up in the drive-by or other circumstances,

“When put into the system, their names immediately popped up along with a code red as it was stated they had gone rogue for some reason. They had bounties out on their heads as they took weapons, vehicles, etc. and had been on the run for some time and were considered highly dangerous. Now as to why that wasn’t given but I’m thinking it wasn’t because they were trained professionals,” Neil says as he indicates he’s talking about the venom.

“Did we get in contact with the state about this?” Jaebum questions as he looks at his brother,

“They actually contacted us,” Neil replies and Mark frowns,

“They hunted down their own men?”

How else would they have known so fast that their men was dead unless tipped off by someone.

“No further information can be provided at this time. They sounded like a damn recording machine. They told me that by nightfall, they should be here to pick up the bodies so I suggest if we want to look at them now, we get it done.”

Neil was giving them full permission to do what they needed to so they can find out the information themselves.

“But they know about the venom! They have to!” Jackson gets heated about this.

“And they can’t give us anything when their own men come into our territory and could've infected who knows how many by now?” Danny is astonished by this.

“Do I need to say highly classified and out of our jurisdiction or does the sounding like the recording machine not get through to you?” Neil throws in a little bit.

One thing Neil hates the most is when they pull that bullshit like he doesn’t have ways of finding things out for himself. It may be illegal but when you have threats such as this, all rules can be thrown out the window for all he cares.

Jaebum smirks at this, “You got your own men looking into this right now.”

“You’re damn right I do,” Neil replies without missing a beat.

Mark nods in appreciation to Neil as he’s always been a great leader and Boss as well.

“There’s many things I learned when getting to the position I am in today and it’s not from hard work and dedication. Just like our father, we had to play our cards right and get our hands dirty.”

“Where is father right now?”

Neil walks back towards them, “He had to go back to Korea and run things there but don’t worry, he’s doing his own thing as well. Mom is still here, isn’t she?”

Ah, so Vivian is gonna be his undercover and that woman does not take no for an answer. She won’t stop at nothing until she gets what she came for.

“So hold on, even though we’re working for the government, they’re keeping information about the venom from us? But didn’t we conclude that when we put the venom in the system that it came back unknown? That means it was never in the system before or documented so how does the government know about it then?” Danny lets out as he tries to wrap his head around it.

“There’s some shady shit going on,” Jackson mumbles under his breath.

“Welcome to my world,” Jinyoung adds since he came from a family of hunters, “You’ll find a whole bunch of secrets and lies if you look close enough.”

“But not us,” Mark says, “We remain true no matter who turns against us or what comes our way.”

“Mark’s right. No matter what happens, we have each other’s back. We tell each other everything,” Jaebum looks at each and every one of them.

He wants them to know that no matter how far they venture into this or what may come their way because of this mission, they’re gonna remain strong and hold firm. If no one else will be there, they’ll be there for one another.

Jinyoung smiles at this, “Why do you think I joined the team and still let you lead?” He teases with his eye whiskers showing.

“I love you guys way too much to ever betray any of you all,” Jackson says.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be and if I die, I hope it’s beside you all,” Youngjae adds with a sunshine smile.

“This is my life and I’ll forever remain faithful to my loved ones,” Danny says as he means it from the bottom of his heart.

“It’s all of us or nothing,” Mark says like it's a fact as he holds his arm out in front of him.

Jaebum instantly follows and places his hand over Mark’s,

“As your leader, even if it seems impossible or we’re in our last moments, I’ll hold us steady till the very end. I’ll get us through and will believe in us even if you have moments that you stray from the path. I won’t ever give up on us.”

Jinyoung goes next as he places his hand over Jaebum’s, “With my hunter skills, I swear loyalty and will not hesitate to kill to keep my comrades safe.”

Jackson places his hand over Jinyoung’s, “With my sniper skills, no one will get close to hurting you guys.”

Youngjae places his hand over Jackson’s, “With my medical skills, I’ll be sure to heal everyone back to health in no time.”

Danny quickly puts his hand over Youngjae’s, “Either from constructing something to using technology, I got you covered and can lead the way back home.”

And this is where the others notice another hand come forth along with a second one that lays on top of the first. The guys look and find Yugyeom and Bam are there and had heard everything,

“I can get you somewhere fast and hack into anything to get you the intel you need,” Yugyeom voices.

“And I can not only play the part but steal what we need to get the job done,” Bam says as his hands aren’t as shaky anymore.

“Together,” Mark says as they all smile and can feel each other’s aura, “More than family, more than blood. A pack that I’d do anything for. I got seven of you guys and each one plays an important role in this group. It’d fall apart if even one of us left.”

“Got7…hmm, it has a nice ring to it,” Jackson says as the others agree.

“Throws in a surprise too when they realize there’s an eighth person,” Jinyoung likes the sound of this.

“Dude! Can this be our team name?!” Youngjae grows excited.

“Let’s make it official,” Danny nods in agreement.

Jaebum smirks as Bam and Yugyeom are growing excited as well as it feels like they’re all finally coming together,

“Let’s get it then. We’re Got7.”

The guys all beam while Neil stands in the back actually smiling away for once. He doesn’t disrupt the energy or the moment as the guys do a little chant and throw their hands up in the air. They looked like dorks in Neil’s opinion but he felt it was a much needed bonded moment.

Especially as shit was only gonna continue to grow chaotic from here on out.

“Alright, how about we get this show rolling before the others get here, yeah?” Neil finally interrupts to get things back on track.

The guys nod and Neil locks eyes with his younger brother. When he goes to pass them, he doesn’t hesitate to ruffle Jaebum’s hair and throw a fond smile his way before exiting the room. Jaebum remains standing there flustered as Neil hasn’t done that in years. Not since they were children growing up and Neil did that to show his love for his brother in a fond way.

Neil really does still care about him…

“You good?” Mark asks as he wants to make sure Bam and Yugyeom are ok with this.

That they’re not pushing themselves just for the team. But the two nod, their hands coming forth to intertwine with each other’s for support,

“Yeah, I need to do this,” Bam says as he thinks about the people killed, “I don’t want those that died to be for nothing. I want to know why and take down the bastards behind all of this.”

Yugyeom nods in agreement, “I also want to know why they were after Bam. They said they were running out of time and were looking for a snake hybrid to see if it’ll work.”

The others perk up at this, “Oh, like an antidote?” Youngjae voices.

“That would be my guess. The one guy that mutated wanted me to hurry up and bite him to find out,” Bam replies after taking a moment to swallow down the bile trying to rise.

The memories were still fresh in his mind and probably would be for some time. Mark reaches over to place a hand onto his shoulder and gives a comforting squeeze as he completely understands. Mark went through some traumatic events as well back on the bridge so it was much appreciated coming from him.

“It’s because it’s venom right?” Danny voices so he can make sure he’s getting this right.

Jinyoung crosses his arms over his chest as they stand in front of the one body bag they have yet to look at.

“But is it venom that came from another snake hybrid or is it something else entirely?”

“Whatever it is, they said they had been protecting it before their own people turned against them,” Yugyeom replies.

“So the government does know about,” Jackson scowls at this, “Fuckers are probably the ones experimenting on this shit and it backfired.”

“They did mention to cover up their own mistakes,” Bam adds as he recalls the conversation.

“Great. So they’re the ones that got it to leak out and it’s now infecting hybrids somehow?” Jaebum does not like the sound of this.

“By the sounds of it,” Mark sighs out as this was turning into a bigger mess by the second.

“Who's to say that they won’t come to take us out now that we’ve seen this?” Jinyoung speaks his thoughts as it’s highly plausible.

“Or that they’re not coming to take Bam from us,” Yugyeom adds.

Bam laughs nervously though it sounds more pitiful than anything, “I mean they had to ask if I was…and what about Shannon? She’s a snake too.”

Jaebum meets Bam’s eyes, “Don’t worry. They’re not gonna do any of that. Not with me or Neil around. It wouldn’t be a smart move on their part either.”

“I have a feeling whoever has been experimenting or doing this, it’s going under even those within the government,” Mark says.

“There’s always evil wherever you go,” Jackson nods to his words.

“Just like that thing,” Yugyeom sounds off as his eyes land back on the body bag.

Bam swallows again as the atmosphere changes and everyone’s eyes land on the bag,

“Have you guys seen it yet?”

“Briefly, but not close up as authorities were in a hurry to cover up the body,” Danny informs.

“I’m surprised it could fit in a body bag,” Yugyeom lets out in confusion as the creature was bigger than this.

“The body started to decay rapidly,” Youngjae answers.

“It looked like beef jerky texture almost,” Jackson says and Jinyoung lightly smacks his arm, “What? It did!”

“Only one way to find out now,” Jaebum insists as he gestures for Danny to unzip the bag.

Danny goes to do so but Bam suddenly stops him,

“Wait! The light. It reacted to the light like it was burning him.”

“Ah, that’s right. It cried out in pain and was trying to shield itself from the sunlight the moment the metal guards released and went back up,” Yugyeom recalls.

The others all share a look, “Like a vampire?” Jinyoung questions and Jackson goes,

“Oh, so you can say that but I can’t say beef jerky?”

“But the light didn’t bother the one on the bridge,” Mark recalls from his experience.

“I know, it’s why I didn’t understand it when he started mutating like he did,” Yugyeom says while running a hand through his hair, “You and Jaebum both described the black veins, the ram horns and how his one eye went pitch black. It was similar to our experience but ours ended up being more.”

“Yeah, like gross black looking skin that hardened like some weird coating. His horns were pointy and sticking straight from his forehead and he even sprouted wings that you see out of horror films!” Bam exclaims dramatically.

“Wings?” Danny repeats as he didn’t recall seeing any wings.

“Did they fall off or disappear before we came in?” Jaebum wonders as Youngjae did say the body was decaying fast.

“Just to be safe, close the windows in here,” Mark suggests as Jackson and Jinyoung move to do that.

“It’s possible that the venom reacts to the sunlight as it does when the host dies,” Youngjae informs as he thinks about it more, “Like a weakness.”

“Wait, are you suggesting that the reason why it can’t thrive on its own and needs a host is because of sunlight?” Jaebum throws back in question.

Youngjae nods, “Could be one of the main factors as we still don’t know why it only affects hybrids but it’s definitely possible it's using our bodies to compact against the sunlight. And since the guy started to mutate during the lock down with no sunlight, the venom was able to completely thrive into its full form or almost full form.”

“Ew no, I don’t like this,” Jackson shakes his head as he expresses himself.

No way does he want to hear that the venom only gets worse!

“Careful,” Mark says as Danny goes to unzip the bag now.

Jaebum has Mark step back as Yugyeom does to Bam. The two remain clung to one another as all their eyes are glued to the creature being revealed underneath.

Bam’s heart is thumping so fast as he still can’t believe what the guy used to look like before what he sees now. To where the creature’s skin does look like it shriveled up and is decaying. The creature’s long fingers are curled together like he was mummified almost as his mouth is still open in agony and eyes aren’t even in their sockets anymore.

“His horns fell off too,” Yugyeom notices as it looks like one snapped right off while the other might’ve turned into ashes and crumbled away.

You can definitely tell it was the venom though as the dark color was the same and how it wrapped around the body to form a type of skin. Youngjae takes a utensil and you can easily scrape it off into flakes like he could with the other bodies.

“There’s burn marks in some areas as well as the bullet hole,” Youngjae announces as they do look right at the gaping hole that managed to go right into the back of the creature’s head.

“This is some freaky shit,” Danny won’t lie as he can’t stop staring.

“This feels different somehow…like it’s not the same,” Mark says.

Could the killer they’re after have done this?

“You’re right, it feels off,” Jaebum agrees as he bites on the edge of his thumbnail,

“Our guy was only controlling one person at a time. We aren’t sure if he can control multiple,” Jackson agrees and Yugyeom adds into the conversation,

“And they were after Bam and not Mark this time.”

That’s right. The guy is after Mark so it’s weird that he would just suddenly go after Bam, especially when Mark wasn’t even around.

“Unless he felt he needed to get rid of Bam since he might be the antidote to all of this,” Jinyoung also makes sure to add.

“There’s no way I can stop something like this with just my venom alone!” Bam exclaims as he gestures to this creature.

“We don’t even know where this came from or if it’s man made or not,” Danny says.

“A man made hybrid…” Jaebum finds that interesting as this plausible theory is brought up again.

With the government involved now, there’s no telling what their original plan was for this. What secret organization was experimenting to get.

“This is too much. My father couldn’t have dealt with all of this,” Mark is in disbelief but Jackson reply makes this uncertain,

“My Dad retired immediately after your father’s death. Refused to talk about anything that went down even to my Mother. After seeing this, I wouldn’t blame him.”

“But my father died in China.”

“It could have originated from there or it could have had another secret location there or even moved there, we wouldn’t know,” Jinyoung puts in his thoughts.

“The only ones that seem to know are the people in the body bags, the ones that killed them and the guy that’s after Mark,” Danny says.

“And we have no clue yet on where and who this guy is,” Yugyeom sighs in defeat.

“Our only options are to wait for the guy to kill again or go talk to Mr. Wang,” Bam says.

And as much as he hates it, they might have a third option but he’s not sure if even attempting that one would be smart.

“Don’t mention the third one,” Jaebum says as he can see the look in Bam’s eyes, “I’m not gonna put my team in danger of jumping into that one blind. It’s best to let my brother handle whoever is coming here to pick up the bodies.”

“So we should go see Mr. Wang then,” Danny agrees as Mark and Jackson both are torn about this.

“I’m afraid it’s our best bet right now,” Jinyoung says lightly.

“But first,” Youngjae says as he’s gotten the samples he needed and tucks them safely away before just chopping off the creature’s hand.

“Uh…” Bam sounds off as Youngjae just holds the hand in his gloved one while zipping the bag back up.

“If you’ll do the honors,” Youngjae says to Danny who nods and goes over to one of the windows,

“Let’s test our theory and prove if venom can survive the sunlight or not.”

Everyone watches as Danny pulls back the curtains and lifts the blinds before Youngjae turns to face the window and holds up the hand to the sunlight. Right on cue, you can see the venom decaying faster, heating up with smoke even coming off until the hand literally falls to pieces like ash and becomes nothing.

“Wow,” Is all Yugyeom can say and he says it for all of them.

Just what kind of venom is this? Why is it acting like some evil substance that can’t handle the light?

“Light…” Mark mumbles under his breath as he recalls the conversation on the bridge.

Mark needs to find this guy and talk to him face to face…

“We can’t all bombard him at once,” Jackson says as they’re standing outside his parents house.

“The twins are also inside,” Jinyoung reminds them.

“I got the twins,” Jaebum says, “You two should be the only ones in there.”

The others agree,

“We’ll keep Mrs. Wang and the twins preoccupied in the meantime!” Bam says.

“Is this why Neil gave us candy?” Yugyeom lets out as he holds up the goodie bags.

“He snuck those to you?” Jaebum growls out as Neil is no doubt trying to spoil his kids again.

“Awe, Neil seems more and more like a giant softie like Jaebum,” Youngjae coos.

“He really is,” Mark says and this has Jaebum growling more,

“No, I can love you better.”

“Here we go again,” Danny lets out in good spirits as he chuckles at Jaebum getting jealous of his brother.

“Bummie,” Mark smiles at him as the alpha is close and scent marks him.

“Mine,” Jaebum tells him and Mark kisses him sweetly.

It calms the alpha down right away and the omega beams back at him when they pull apart,

“All yours, big guy.”

“Mark is like an alpha tamer,” Yugyeom lets out impressed and Bam nods in agreement,

“He can calm Neil down in seconds as well as stop Jackson.”

“Hey,” Jackson lets out and Bam laughs,

“It’s the truth.”

“I can’t help it. There’s just something about Markiepooh and not his cuteness,” Jackson coos as he hugs his brother from the side.

“Let’s go ahead before something else happens,” Jinyoung reminds them and the others nod.

They really had no idea how much time they had before something else chaotic took place.

With that, Jackson and Mark go inside first as they move away from their parked cars and the others start to follow inside. And this is where Youngjae says,

“Um, shouldn’t we have covered up your love markings that are littered all over Mark first?”

“Oh yeah, he does reek of you too, bro,” Yugyeom says.

And this is where Jaebum starts to have a mini freak out because holy shit! This was technically his first time being around Mark’s stepfather and properly around his stepmother. Yet, here they are just walking in with Mark reeking of Jaebum just done loving on him!

Maybe they won’t skin him alive…

“Mommy! Gaga!” The twins exclaim in surprise before racing forth.

Jackson picks up the twins and twirls them as their laughter fills the room. Mrs. Wang comes in from the living room with a bright smile on her face as she hugs Mark first before going to Jackson when he sets the twins down. The twins are already trying to climb Mark’s legs until they notice the others coming in,

“Bummie! Jinyoungie! Bammie! Danny!”

They come clinging and are all excited until they notice Yugyeom and Youngjae. Right away, they get nervous and hide behind Jaebum’s legs.

“It’s ok you two, they’re part of the team. Meet Yugyeom and Youngjae,” Jaebum says as he smiles at how cute his kids are.

“He looks like an otter,” Lilly points out before Kyo looks to Yugyeom,

“He’s so long.”

This has Bam snorting as Kyo means Yugyeom has long legs and is tall and lanky. Jinyoung looks to see that Mark and Jackson are already in another room so at least they’re easily distracting the twins.

“Oh but look, they have goodies,” Mrs. Wang notices as Yugyeom and Youngjae are holding the goodie bags.

The twins perk up at this, peeking out more as they’re now eyeballing the goodie bags,

“Sus,” Lilly says and Kyo repeats the word.

Now the others are all laughing, even Jaebum as he lets out his dinosaur laughter.

“My, that’s the same thing you said when Neil first presented you two with goodie bags such as these,” Mrs. Wang continues and this has Jaebum perking up,

“Wait…were they hesitant around my brother at first?”

Mrs. Wang nods with a fond expression on her face, “Even when they were just newborns, they cried anytime Neil would try and hold them. Neil tried everything to be able to get closer but even as the twins started walking and talking, they didn’t want him near them or Mark. Not until he came over one day with goodie bags. Like the panther he is, he hid behind a door and watched them get all happy and excited over the goodies. You should’ve seen the way Neil lit up and slowly over time, Neil was able to get closer as the twins realized he wasn’t a scary man at all and actually has a big heart.”

“I’m telling you, he has a R.B.F.” Bam says as they’re all laughing at imagining Neil being so soft and cute around kids.

“You guys do have that intimidating and powerful aura as well,” Danny adds.

The twins laugh along before Jaebum encourages them to get closer,

“You can trust me, these two are my pack like the others. They won’t hurt you.”

With Jaebum’s words, it’s like a switch is flipped and the twins run over to reach out for the goodies. The twins soon relax around the two and the atmosphere is back to being joyful until…

“Bammie, what is R.B.F.?” Lilly asks and now the beta has two curious little kids waiting to be told.

Oh, he might’ve set himself up for that one…

But the humor and warmth is not being felt in the other room as Jackson and Mark are sitting in front of Mr. Wang.

“Please, I need to know about what happened to my Father. Anything that might help us now. Do you know anything about a venom?”

And like a switch, Mr. Wang goes white as a ghost before he says,

“I’ve failed Li Jie…”

Chapter Text

Previously before what took place at the bank,

A loud purring is heard filling the shower room as Jaebum wipes down Mark’s body with a towel.

“You may never say it, but I know you love being pampered by me,” Jaebum chuckles as Mark is on cloud nine.

His expression is happily sedated as his tail flicks about and he leans into Jaebum’s arms.

“Baby, I’m not done drying you off yet,” Jaebum is grinning like a dork at Mark’s cuteness.

“But I need you,” Mark says as he nuzzles close and starts layering kitten kisses along Jaebum’s bare board shoulders.

Jaebum ends up using the towel to dry off Mark’s hair now as the omega is flush against him.

Mark’s cat ears twitch as the omega continues to trail kisses up to Jaebum’s jawline.

“Baby,” Jaebum is laughing in amusement now as Mark is just too precious!

“Let me love you, Bummie,” Mark says softly as his purring gets louder.

“I can feel it. In fact I can see it as I’m covered in it,” Jaebum says and Mark giggles,

“Me too,” Mark lets out and soon bites his lips as he gets this playful look in his eyes,

“Bet there’s still plenty inside of me to prove it.”

Jaebum bursts out into his dinosaur laughter as he finishes drying up Mark’s hair. Mark continues to giggle with him as he takes the towel and then floofs up Jaebum’s hair in the process.

“Now what are you doing?” Jaebum asks as his eyes shine happily.

He can’t stop himself from smiling at this point as his tail intertwines with Mark’s.

“Loving you some more. I can’t help it…I just…I feel like I’m gonna overflow with how much I love you. How strongly I feel for you…” Mark’s eyes grow passionate and loving as he says this.

Jaebum leans their foreheads together, hands coming to run soothingly along Mark’s sides as the omega massages into his back and shoulders.

“I know what you mean, baby. You make me so happy and complete. No one could ever make me feel the way that you do.”

The two sway back and forth like the two love birds that they are,

“I’m so glad you came back into my life. I know I tried to deny it and kept pushing myself for the twins but I…I missed you so much. Even though you left back then, I couldn’t stop loving you. And when the twins would ask about you…it was like falling back in love with you over and over again. Every time I would tell them stories about us. Every time I would describe you and my heart would beat faster. When I would talk about your love and you as a person in general. Every time I would close my eyes and fall asleep…it was you I dreamed of seeing again. And now look where we are…” Mark beams at the end as his two little fangs peek out as he takes Jaebum in.

The omega reaches one hand up to start trailing along Jaebum’s face as the alpha leans into his touch, their eyes gazing into one another’s,

“If things were meant to truly go this way or if they were different but still ended up back to you, I’d do it all over again. As many times as needed until I was with you again…”

Mark begins to tear up and Jaebum’s expression softens with so much love and desire for Mark,

“Baby…” Jaebum reaches up to cup Mark’s face as the omega can’t help but cry.

“Stay…I know it’s selfish, especially after you asked me all those years ago to go with you…but I want you to stay here with me and the twins…I want to be in a relationship with you…I want to raise our children together…To have their father in their lives…to grow old with you…even after death…I want you…I need you…always…”

Jaebum finds himself tearing up right along with him. As the more each word settles in and his soul connects with Mark’s, the tears just start falling down his face in happiness and warmth. His smile grows as his eyes shine with all the love in the world for Mark. He gets this overwhelming urge and doesn’t fight it as he leans down to capture Mark’s lips with his own. Mark lets out a shaky breath during it, more tears falling as he can feel Jaebum’s love for him. Can feel his passion and alpha scent surrounding him that makes him cling and cry harder. Leaving him breathless as Jaebum kisses him with everything in him. Lightly stroking his cheek when they have to pull back for air as he keeps close,

“I won’t let you go again, baby, never ever. I’m gonna be with you forever.”

Mark beams at this, smiling through the tears as he leans in to capture Jaebum’s lips this time. The two kiss passionately, getting lost for a few moments before needing air and even then Mark whines as he doesn’t want to part,

“So you’ll stay?”

Jaebum looks right at him and bluntly says, “Wherever you go, I’ll go. But my team also goes with us.”

Mark smiles warmly, a loving look in his eyes, “Same with mine. Looks like we’re just gonna have to become one big team and go from there.”

Jaebum chuckles a bit as he loves the idea, “I have a feeling that won’t be an issue.”

Especially with how their team mates are all falling in love with each other. How they’re instinctively leaning on each other and trusting them as well as their skills without doubt. They all get along well together too and finding the connection and bond between them that they have…that’s something rare indeed.

The two grow quiet for a second before they both say,

“We’re gonna need a bigger house.”

The two laugh, holding each other close before Jaebum has to press a sweet kiss to Mark’s lips,

“And if you end up pregnant,” Jaebum throws in there as his expression is really hoping so along with how his hand goes down to rest on Mark’s bloated tummy.

“Bummie!” Mark exclaims as he lightly smacks his arm, “Don’t be getting any ideas here. I’ve taken the shot, I’m on suppressants and I have not taken any antibiotics so it’s not happening this time!”

Jaebum gets this look in his eyes as he says, “Baby,”

Mark whines as he tries to deny it, “I did not go into heat!”

Jaebum is now growing cocky, “So you begging for my knot as well as taking charge was all you?”

Mark becomes flustered, blushing all the way up to his ears as his tail goes nuts behind him,

“I said I missed you!” Is all Mark can say as he’s becoming shy.

Ok, so he might’ve acted like a whore but can you blame him? He needed his alpha and his omega instincts might’ve gotten a little out of hand. Or a lot.

“But I’d still be in heat if that’s the case and though you acted like an animal, you didn’t go into rut so there,” Mark says like it’s final as he pulls away and tries to busy himself by getting dressed.

Jaebum is still smiling as he follows Mark into the locker room area to put on his clothes too.

“I could be wrong because you are right because it’s been a few years since the last time, but then again…” Jaebum gets his pants on as Mark groans from across from him and buttons his own pants,

“No, don’t say it!”

“Heats can end as soon as they begin for several reasons and a big indicator is when the seed takes. It can also cut a rut off before it truly begins for an alpha if he’s able to get the person pregnant as well. Just like how it happened the first---”

Jaebum doesn’t get to finish as Mark comes over and silences him with a kiss, or several.

“Shush, Lim Jaebeom!”

Jaebum is grinning like a fool, his arm coming to wrap around Mark’s middle before the omega can get away and pulls his back flush against his front,

“You’re telling me one thing but your scent is telling me that you want that.”

Mark gasps, wiggling in Jaebum’s hold as he grows shy, “Bummie that’s cheating! And not right now. We got this case to solve and who knows what the future holds so…at a later time, yes…but right now, I would like to go see the twins with you and get some food.” Mark is quick to get out as he manages to slip out of Jaebum’s hold and hurries to finish getting dressed.

He can feel the alpha’s heated gaze the whole time and it does not help his heart beat nor does it stop his body as he swears it wants to heat up again with need.

The alpha doesn’t say anything for a moment though and Mark is able to finish getting ready and shut the locker. But the second he does, Jaebum is right there leaning against the lockers, grinning like a damn fool before he throws in that sexy smirk and a look,

“I’m gonna get you pregnant again.”

“Bummie!” Mark has to close his eyes and not fall prey to that damn sexiness before him.

He even puts his hands out in front of his face to press against Jaebum’s as the alpha is now laughing away at Mark being so damn cute again.

“No! Back you beast! I’m gonna ban you from touching me until you buy condoms this time! No, scratch that! You’re too damn potent. We need to take desperate measures and cut off your balls!”

Jaebum manages to take a hold of Mark’s wrists to move his hands away but the moment he goes to say something playful back, Jaebum gets an alert on his phone. An alarm going off of something important.

Things grow serious again as Jaebum takes out his phone and the moment he knows it’s from Yugyeom and his location, things like this are gonna have to wait until a later time to discuss…

Back to present,

“I’ve failed Li Jie…” Mr. Wang voices in their native tongue.

“Dad…” Jackson voices in Chinese as he can see how much this was affecting his father.

His father shakes his head, dismissing Jackson’s attempt to get him to stop.

“No, this needs to be said. There’s no time to waste now. But to think…after everything…there really is no escaping it…”

Mark and Jackson share a look, the alpha reaching over to clasp his brother’s knee where the omega doesn’t hesitate to place his hand over the alpha’s.

“What do you mean?” Mark takes a moment before asking.

His heart is picking up, his mind wanting to race as this could go in any direction. As this seems to really be connected to his father and now he’s about to learn more about what happened back then.

Mr. Wang grips the arms of the chair he’s sitting in, his eyes looking off as he’s recalling the past. As you can tell this wasn’t easy to talk about,

“It was a mission way out of our league. Something that was stumping those of the elite.”

Mr. Wang attempts to smile but it’s cut off before his lips can even go up and soon he’s shaking his head in disbelief. The memories flowing back at how fast things got out of control,

“We were sent to China to help with what we assumed was a serial killer of some kind. No matter what Chinese officials tried to do, they couldn’t capture this one man. It was like he could be in several places at once. Like he could change build, shape, personality. This guy they were trying to catch was a huge mystery. Though he’d be right there in broad daylight or attacking late into the night with witnesses, not one could identify the man. No one saw his face, knew his race, nothing. Couldn’t even get a DNA trace or anything that would lead us to who this person was. All we knew is that people were being killed at random. Men, women, young, older, with no trace of them even knowing each other. And none in the same place either.”

“No way…that sounds similar to the guy we’re trying to catch now,” Jackson lets out in awe and Mr. Wang locks eyes with him,

“It was a game to him while to the Chinese, this was a huge terroristic threat that they didn’t want to get out to the public. No matter what we did, we couldn’t get there fast enough and more people kept dying. But your father never gave up, Yien. Your father kept pushing, working through countless nights to take down this bastard…”

Mr. Wang pauses as he has to take a moment to just breathe. Recalling the moments of when Li Jie used to be alive. When he would be talking to him about the case or just asking how he was in general. Asking about Jackson and his wife. Talking about Mark and being able to smile still despite all the chaos and blood surrounding them.

Li Jie was a strong, passionate man like no other.

“It wasn’t until we managed to make it in time to one of them, thanks to Li Jie. Because of him, we were able to talk to what we assumed was the killer. We were able to stop the murder but it was only the beginning of the chaos. The attacker had black veins, acting feral but yet he started talking to Li Jie like one with a mind still intact…”

It was like out of a nightmare. The black veins, the venom literally moving underneath the skin and the sounds coming forth from this person. Where broken bones didn’t even stop him and it would heal in a blink of an eye. Black veins moving outside the body like vines to cover wounds and hold the creature together. God, it’s one eye too that was completely pitch black. Whatever that was, that thing was on the verge of snapping but Li Jie kept him talking.

“This is just like what’s been happening…like history was repeating itself…” Mark mumbles under his breath as he tries to let this sink in.

“The conversation was simple minded, not something that would mean much but for some reason it connected with whatever we were dealing with. The killer became interested in Li Jie and the next nightfall…Li Jie woke me up and told me that he met him personally. That he came to him in his room and he knew where to go. That he could explain the weird occurrences, the venom, the deaths, something about an Underworld, all of it…but time was running out and it wasn’t safe…We were already going against protocol and working on our own on the side when we were called over to China to work with this secluded team…”

Mr. Wang seems to be in disbelief even though he was there at that moment. Even though it was right before his eyes--

“I told him let’s go, he knew I would follow him anywhere. We’ve been in the field together for years and even before that, much longer. He wasn’t just my partner, he was an older brother to me, someone that’s been by my side since we were teenagers…but I couldn’t follow him this time…I couldn’t go where he ended up…”

Mr. Wang was becoming distressed, his eyes watering at it pained him to think about it. As he relives this moment when he lies down at night.

Mark squeezes Jackson’s hand tightly, the alpha moving closer to provide comfort as he holds the omega from the side.

“He made me stay behind, told me he had to do this alone. That I needed to stay. I didn’t understand it at first but now I know that he knew his time was limited. That whatever he found out was a death sentence and he didn’t want to take me down with him. I tried to protest till I was blue in the face but the moment he showed me his arm and the black veins underneath I…”

No…no, no don’t say it.

Mark closes his eyes, turning his head like he can block himself from this.

“Shh, it’s ok, Yien, it’s ok,” Jackson whispers to him as Mark didn’t realize he was letting out noises of distress.

“I’m sorry, Yien,” Mr. Wang voices with such a pained voice.

Mark ends up opening his eyes and meeting his stepfather. His eyes showing off emotions as he’s carried this with him for a very long time and will continue to carry it to his grave,

“If it wasn’t for the dangers now, I wouldn’t be able to tell you any of this but I…I promised your father that I’d keep you safe. I promised him that I’d be the best father I could in his steed and keep you out of trouble. He even laughed at that part because even without knowing, he knew you’d follow in his footsteps when you grew up…”

Mark can’t stop the flow of tears as imagines his father talking about him for the last time. That even when he knew death was coming, he still held his head high and smiled despite the pain. Despite the fact that he knew he was never gonna see his son again.

“But stay away from this case, Yien. Do not let the darkness in. Whoever, whatever that killer was and still is, let it be. Just like how he latched onto your father, he took a liking to you too. Li Jie told me I needed to keep what happened to him a secret so that you’d never try and find out and go after the killer himself---”

The one that killed his father was the main killer…the one that’s causing all this chaos…

Mark starts to shake his head as his eyes grow fierce,

“He killed him, you can’t---”

“Your father sacrificed himself in order to protect you! He gave his life in order to keep yours!”

“No! It’s not fair! I didn’t ask for that! I never would’ve asked that of him!” Mark cries out and it’s louder than he means to.

He didn’t mean to raise his voice but the emotions are overwhelming at finding out how his father died. How it made sense now that the casket was closed during his funeral---

“Was there even a body?!”

“Yien,” Jackson stands up to try and calm Mark down.

Mr. Wang looks torn as he knows this is hurting Mark to have kept this from him for so long,

“There was no coming back---”

“So we don’t even know if he actually died! He could still be out there! He could be anywhere!”

By now, the others are entering the room as the twins were growing upset at hearing their mother sounding so distraught.

“It’s been years, Yien. If he was, he would’ve come home or something,” Jackson tries to break it down easy but Mark isn’t hearing it, refusing to believe it.

“You left him---”

Mr. Wang’s eyes flash in a fiery blaze, “He left us! He went to the Underworld, Yien! Wherever, however, I don’t know, but one second he was there…and the next, he vanished in his room. He never left the house, never went through the window, he was just gone! Not even a trace of his phone was left behind! I thought I had gone crazy! I thought I just had a bad nightmare but there was no waking up from that! He never came back! He’s gone, Yien! And if I have to accept it then so do you!”

He left him…abandoned him…

Mark looks lost, confused…his chest is heaving, his eyes losing focus as the words are settling in. Sounds are turning into static, his body going numb as suddenly his legs turn into jelly.

“MARK!” The others are calling out as Mark starts to drop but Jackson catches him.

He helps to get Mark to sit on the couch but the omega is shaking, his breathing harsh like he can’t take in air properly.

“Mommy!” The twins cry out as they try to get closer but Mrs. Wang gets a hold of them as Jaebum rushes forth.

He kneels down in front of Mark as Mr. Wang watches with a pained expression,

“Baby, baby look at me, hey, focus on me,” Jaebum encourages as he’s trying to stay calm himself.

The others are close, reaching out to touch a part of him as they want him to know they’re there.

It takes a moment, but Mark finally meets Jaebum’s eyes, his fingers latching on as he tries to take in air,

Jaebum leads Mark’s one hand to his chest so he can feel his heart beat,

“In…out…slowly…just like that baby…you’re doing great…” Jaebum tries to smile for him but his expression still shows how worried he is for his mate.

“Father…” Mark tries to talk but it comes out stuttered, a whimper coming forth.

“Just focus on me for now, it’ll be ok,” Jaebum reassures as he presses their foreheads together.

It takes several moments but Mark is able to calm down from his panic attack, tears falling in silence as the pain is heavy. The others remain firm, not moving from their spot as they surround Mark and give him strength. And Mark can feel it. Can feel their touch and their auras as no words are needed to be said. He knows they’re here for him. He knows they’re in this together…

“How is he doing now?” Mr. Wang asks as Jackson comes back into the room.

His parents have given space and waited out in the living room since Jaebum took Mark to lay down with him and the twins in Mark’s old room.

“He’s much better. The twins are all over him and giving him lots of hugs and kisses.”

It makes him smile at recalling the sight of the twins glued to their mother and showering him in love and affection.

Mr. Wang nods, happy that Mark is doing better then earlier.

“I’m sorry…” He voices and Jackson hurries to come over to his father’s side,

“Father, no, this is not your fault. Yien knows this. We all know this--”

“He had a right to know years ago. I mean look at what’s happening now. You said the same thing was repeating! The killer is still at large and now targeting him!”

Mr. Wang looks so scared as he looks his son in the eyes. He reaches out, taking a hold of Jackson’s shoulders,

“The world is full of terrifying things, my son. Things we have yet to be able to comprehend. What I got a glimpse of years ago is nothing to what’s on the other side. On what’s trying to come through…they should’ve never tempted fate…”

He knows more---

“What else didn’t you tell us?” Jackson asks.

“You won’t be able to go back if you keep venturing forward. I mean it, the moment your eyes are opened, you’ll start to notice what everyone else has been blinded to. And then I’m afraid…”

He stops, his eyes looking over his son’s shoulder to something behind him. Jackson notices, turning his head to look and finds a mirror along the wall. He doesn’t see anything strange about it though other than their own reflections before he turns back to meet his father’s eyes,

“You’re the only one that can make Yien stop now before it’s too late. Before more loved ones are lost.”

Jackson is speechless as Mrs. Wang speaks up,

“Honey, that’s asking too much.”

“Dad…” Jackson calls out and his parents turn their attention back to him.

Seeing that this is paining Jackson greatly as he’s torn himself,

“Do we even have a choice at this point? What Mark’s father tried to keep away, what you tried to keep safe…it found him.”

“He can’t let him in! The moment he lets his guard down, it’ll be too late. Just like with Li Jie…he can’t…”

“How do we stop it?”

“I don’t know!” Mr. Wang exclaims, “I’ve tried to run everything over in my head for years now and have yet to begin to understand. All I know is that the second the venom is inside you, that’s it. You can kiss your ass goodbye. There is no cure. There is no stopping it. It literally changes you from the inside out until every last drop of your soul and light is gone and you become like the darkness itself. Pure evil…”

“There’s more that you’re not telling us---”

“And I’m telling you that I couldn’t begin to describe it for you to know what I even went through! But it should’ve stopped. Li Jie said it would stop so how…why?”

Did he fail in the end? Was it just a deal with the devil itself? All a lie?

“Is this why the government kept it hush?” Jinyoung’s voice cuts through and they all lift their heads to see him making his presence known.

Jinyoung isn’t hiding how all of this pisses him off,

“They knew about the venom and yet it’s nowhere in the database or documented in China’s government system.”

“There are things that must remain highly classified for the good of the people and to keep balance---”

“The good of the people?! People are dying left and right now because you guys are obviously covering up some fuck up here!”

“Li Jie and I were only told about the case. Anything and everything I saw afterwards was nothing they prepared me for! I wasn’t about to open my mouth and risk losing my family over it. Especially not after Li Jie made me promise to take Yien in as my son. After he told me to let it go. I kept this secret with me as I know I’d too be having the same fate as Li Jie if not. What the government did or was covering up, I didn’t try to dig too deep. I got out, I resigned and did my part. I doubt I would’ve found anything in time before they came after me anyway.”

“Coward,” Jinyoung says and Jackson immediately speaks,

“Hey, that’s too far,” He lets out as he stands between them and gives Jinyoung a look.

Jinyoung comes forth though, Jackson holding him back as the alpha expresses himself,

“He was part of your pack! You don’t abandon pack. No matter what, you stick together through thick and thin. Even if that means death,” Jinyoung isn’t afraid to say what’s in his heart.

He’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes in as he completely understands why Mark got so upset with Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang stands there in awe as Jackson manages to get Jinyoung to look at him,

“Babe, I know…trust me, I know.”

The two share a moment, Jinyoung’s breathing harsh as he calms down with Jackson’s touch.

“We’re not stopping. If Mark wants to learn more of the truth, we’re gonna be there. No matter what this thing wants with him,” Jinyoung says to Jackson and the alpha agrees.

He clamps a hand on the back of Jinyoung’s nape as he looks Jinyoung in the eye,

“Together. All or nothing.”

Jinyoung nods, leaning against Jackson while the alpha presses a kiss to Jinyoung’s cheek.

“Oh my…how come we never heard of this?” Mrs. Wang announces as the two realize his parents are watching their interaction.

Jinyoung backs up a bit, his expression flustered as of course the first time meeting Jackson’s parents and he blew up on the father.

Jackson clears his throat as he turns back to face his parents properly before gesturing to Jinyoung,

“Mom, Dad, I guess now is as good of a time as any. I want you two to meet Jinyoung…my mate.”

While the others are taking a moment to rest after all the chaos that’s taken place today, they’re outside chilling near the cars while they wait for pizza they ordered. And while that’s taking place, Mark is having a quiet moment with the twins and Jaebum.

Where the light and breeze is flowing through the window softly and down onto the small bed of Mark’s. This room was from back when he was a little boy growing up alongside Jackson.

“You slept on this bed, Mommy?” Kyo asks and Mark nods.

The twins are snuggled close to his front while Jaebum is against his back. It’s cramped on the bed but Mark appreciates the love he’s receiving. It’s almost like a safety blanket.

“I did, though I was a bit older than you are now,” Mark replies quietly, his fingers moving through their hair.

“This old?” Lilly asks as she holds up all of her fingers.

This makes Mark smile at her cuteness, “Too far.”

Lilly keeps taking away fingers until Mark tells her she’s correct.

“That’s so old!” Kyo exclaims and the two giggle.

Jaebum snorts from behind as he places his head onto Mark’s shoulder so he can see the twins better,

“You won’t believe how old we are now then.”

“Ancient,” the twins voice and Jaebum lets out his dinosaur laughter while Mark bites his lip to try and hold back his laughter,

“Bam has taught you guys too much.”

“He taught us, Dude!” Lilly says.

“And Bro!”

“Skrrt! Skrrt!” Lilly tries to mimic and it’s really brightening Mark’s day to hear it.

“Otter’s laugh is funny though!” Kyo says as he tries to mimic it too.

“And loud!” Lilly says with a big grin.

“But Yuggie showed silly moves,” Kyo adds.

“Ah, yeah, I like him too!” Lilly nods in agreement.

“I like all of them,” Kyo says right after her.

“Pack,” Lilly says.

“Family,” Kyo finishes.

Man do these two really know how to warm someone’s heart.

“Mommy, is that grandpa?” Kyo asks as he suddenly points to the corner.

“What?” Mark lets out as his heart pulls and he lifts his head to look with Jaebum.

At first, they see nothing but shadows playing against the walls before finally taking notice of where he’s actually pointing and see a picture frame on the dresser.

Mark’s eyes soften, Jaebum wrapping his arms tighter around the omega as he whispers into his ear that he’s here for him. Mark takes a moment just staring at the photo before he can gather himself to speak,

“That is your grandfather.”

“He’s in heaven with Daddy, right?” Lilly asks to clarify before Mark places his hand over Jaebum’s and intertwines their fingers together.

“No…your father actually is…”

Mark looks away from the photo to the twins as he notices the two are staring at Jaebum hard.

“Is there something on my face?” Jaebum asks as he stares back with raised eyebrows.

The twins just giggle, Lilly shaking her head while Kyo gives a fangy smile.

“Then what?” Jaebum asks as he’s highly amused now.

“You know,” Lilly says before winking as she learned that from Jackson.

“Do I?” Jaebum is genuinely curious to know but Kyo just pats his arm,

“It’s ok.”

Jaebum is now cracking up more as he looks to Mark,

“Do you know?”

Mark is speechless though as he thinks he does but he isn’t sure yet. Could it be possible that they knew from the very beginning---

Oh my god, if they did then it would make so much sense with the way they acted that day---

“Mommy, can you tell us the story again on how you fell in love with Daddy?”

The way Lilly is grinning from ear to ear too as she says it. This girl was setting him up! Oh, what a clever girl she was.

Meanwhile, Jaebum perks up at this as Kyo grows excited himself and claps for his mother to do so.

“Yeah, I want to hear,” Jaebum agrees as he’s already looking at Mark with all his attention.

Mark flushes shyly but the twins are looking at him patiently and he can’t disappoint them. He’s totally ignoring how Jaebum’s ego was growing and that damn sexy smirk was coming forth as Mark begins his story like he always does. And maybe he might get a little more dramatic than usual as he likes to see Jaebum’s expressions and reactions. It’s also very heart warming as Jaebum sits intently like the twins and eating up every word. It was like watching the splitting image of Jaebum in the twins as they’re all for Mark and it makes the omega truly happy to be surrounded by them. It also takes his mind off of things for a moment, being able to calm down and relax. Being able to remember what he’s doing all of this for. Why he keeps going every day. To always find light in the darkness and hold onto that so he doesn’t get lost or let the light go completely out.

So when he ends up falling asleep and napping in Jaebum’s arms with the twins, it’s peaceful for a while…

That is until he hears Kyo crying and jolts awake. It’s nighttime out, Mark’s mind trying to function as he finds Kyo sitting up in bed scared as the others wake up with him.

“Hey, baby, I’m here,” Mark quickly goes into mother mode as he brings Kyo close and back into his arms,

“Did you have a bad dream?”

Kyo wipes at his eyes with one hand as the other clings to his mother,

“Monster! Monster!”

Lilly pats her brother’s back as she tries to fully wake up.

“It’s ok, baby, there’s no monster,” Mark reassures but Kyo points to the mirror on the back of the door.

Mark focuses on it in the dark with a bit of moonlight shining in, but he just sees their reflections. Especially as Jaebum is getting up to turn on the light and now everything is much clearer,

“See? No monster,” Jaebum helps to reassure their son.

He even walks over to the mirror, checking behind it just to make sure,

“You’re good buddy.”

Kyo slowly stops crying, though his eyes are still focused on the mirror as he swears his little eyes saw something.

“Tried to get you, Mommy. Was watching you,” Kyo says as he turns to hug his mother more.

Kyo’s head is resting in the crook of Mark’s neck so he doesn’t see the looks Mark and Jaebum give in reaction to that. Lilly luckily doesn’t either as she was busy rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“Kyo, can you describe what the monster looked like?” Jaebum asks as he comes closer to the bed.

His heart thumping fast with adrenaline as the urge to stay close is making his alpha instincts go crazy.

Kyo lifts his head, scent marking his mother in the process by nuzzling against him,

“Had golden yellow eyes, dark scales…it was hovering over Bummie,” Kyo whimpers in the end as recalling it makes him scared all over again.

“Shh, it’s ok,” Mark is quick to soothe him as he reaches out to pull Lilly into his arms as well.

The two bury their faces into Mark’s neck on each side as the omega meets Jaebum’s gaze…

The two are both scared, worried that this might be something especially after all the shit they’ve been through recently.

But was it really something or could it just be a nightmare Kyo had?

Chapter Text

It just runs cold after that.

Where the guys anticipated something to happen within the next few hours, a whole night goes well into the morning and still nothing.

“There’s no way that the killer stopped when the bomb went off,” Danny announces as they’re all gathered in the office.

Danny is propped up against Youngjae’s chair as the beta is sitting in front of his desk,

“It’s just so weird that everything has gone silent,” Youngjae says in confusion.

“It really does make you wonder if what went down at the bank is even connected,” Yugyeom ponders as he keeps thinking back to what happened yesterday.

Bam comes to lean against his back while Yugyeom sits in one of the office chairs,

“I don’t know about you but I couldn’t sleep a wink because of this chaos that keeps happening. It’s almost unnerving now that nothing else has gone down,” Bam lets out sleepily as he looks ready to fall asleep against Yugyeom’s back.

Speaking of sleepiness, Mark is currently curled up in Jaebum’s arms as him and the alpha got zero sleep last night since the nap they took.

“He’s trying so hard to stay awake,” Jackson coos at his brother who is having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

I mean, can you blame him when he’s all nice and toasty in Jaebum’s arms with that mint chocolate scent surrounding him like a warm embrace?

“Meanwhile, Jaebum looks like the dead,” Jinyoung teases as the alpha is zoning out.

“Hmm?” Jaebum blinks slowly as he seems to come back to life.

Youngjae cackles as he tries to keep good spirits, “Did you guys stay up all night making love or something?”

Mark rubs at his eyes as he wiggles to keep himself awake. Jaebum wraps him up tighter, legs propped up on the desk as the omega looks so tiny in his arms,

“No, Kyo had a bad dream and refused to sleep,” He mumbles quietly.

The others all get concerned now,

“Oh damn. You think it’s because of everything that’s been going on?” Yugyeom asks.

“He hasn’t seen what we’ve seen though,” Jackson replies as they try and keep work life away from the twins if they can help it.

“He did see Mark have a panic attack though,” Jinyoung says as it could explain his bad dream.

“He said there was a monster watching me through the mirror,” Mark informs as Jaebum is zoning back out again.

Jinyoung was propped up against the desk as Jackson was propped up next to him before the one alpha seems to jerk in reaction,

“Wait, what?” Jackson lets out in shock.

“Dude, kids have wild imaginations,” Bam laughs nervously as surely there’s not monsters living in mirrors.

He’s definitely more awake now as he clings to Yugyeom.

“Golden eyes, dark scales is what he described,” Mark continues as the others are share similar looks,

“The things we’ve been seeing had either pitch black eyes, red from the alpha inside of them or black veins or vine-like skin,” Youngjae lists off as he recalls on the top of his head.

“He could be imagining a monster. It was getting dark out so light could’ve reflected from outside. Not to mention that the longer someone stares at a mirror, things can distort and make the mind think they’re seeing something,” Danny says.

“Yeah but my father…” Jackson starts before stopping as Mark meets his gaze,

“Gaga,” Mark calls out his name, his eyes pleading for him to say it.

“It happened during nap time?” Jackson asks to clarify and Mark nods.

That would’ve been still at the house…

“It’s probably nothing but during the conversation after you had gone upstairs…” Jackson lets out as he’s worried he might be overreacting, “Father had mentioned something about an Underworld again before staring at the mirror behind me.”

“Underworld…” Jaebum mumbles under his breath as he seems to be coming back down to Earth again and focuses on them.

“He kept talking like it was a place of some kind,” Jinyoung adds as he leans back on the palms of his hands.”

“Where my father went to,” Mark says as he’s more awake now.

“But what does that have to do with a mirror?” Bam questions as he’s getting scared.

This isn’t gonna be like some Ring movie is it? Or the grudge or something?

Yugyeom smiles at Bam being so cute when he’s scared and pulls the beta to sit in his lap. Bam practically climbs over him to do so.

“He said my father disappeared into thin air, just vanished in his room,” Mark adds more to the story.

“Oh, so maybe he thinks he went into the mirror?” Youngjae voices as it makes sense, then again--- “But the mirror?”

“Unless he could magically teleport, the mirror sounds more plausible if he vanished into thin air. I mean, people out there would comment through legends of mirrors being like a portal to the other side,” Danny says.

“What legends have you been reading?” Yugyeom is curious to know as he hasn’t heard of this before.

“I’ve seen it in paranormal books as well as in demonology.”

“Bro, those are two things that I never suspected someone like you to be reading,” Bam admits as Danny is too much of sunshine to be near stuff like that.

“I can’t help but be fascinated by what the world has to offer,” Danny beams back.

“Have you not been paying attention to the stuff we’ve seen? They’re looking a lot like demons to me,” Youngjae says and Bam whines,

“No, don’t speak it into existence!” Bam buries his face against Yugyeom to try and hide.

Yugyeom rubs his back soothingly as he leans down to nuzzle along his collarbone.

“It’s a strange coincidence though,” Jinyoung trails off as he thinks about it more.

The simple fact that Kyo said he saw a monster in the mirror all within hours apart of the conversation that went down in the same household. And Kyo was nowhere near any of it until Mark had his panic attack. Even then…could it be possible he heard bits and pieces somehow and thus his mind formed this? But it just doesn’t make sense.

An Underworld? Using mirrors? Light? Darkness? And this venom…how does it all come together?

The door to the office opens and Shannon is standing there looking worried,

“Guys…Neil’s pissed.”

They all lift their heads to look her direction as Mark gets up and Jaebum follows suite,

“What’s wrong? Was it those guys that came to pick up the bodies?” Mark asks as the others are all moving closer.

“Didn’t they come yesterday?” Jackson recalls.

“That’s not even the best part because they did come yesterday. Came right in, few words were exchanged and the men loaded them up like garbage men on trash day. But the thing is, they’re back again today and this time, they brought in different people.”

“Different people? Don’t tell me…” Jaebum starts and Shannon nods because you guessed it---

“I don’t give a damn what jurisdiction was given. This should’ve been discussed with me and my father before anyone thinks they should just add more people onto this case,” Neil’s voice is heard all the way from his office.

Oh, Shannon wasn’t lying when she said Neil was pissed.

Mark is already out the door and down the hallways with the others hot on his tail. The door to Neil’s office is open as he refuses to conversate about this and has better things to do.

“All due respect, Neil, we’re not trying to take over things.”

“We’re here to help, that’s all,” Another voice says.

And man do those two voices sound mighty familiar to Mark and Jaebum---

“Barging into my office first thing this morning like you own the place tells otherwise. You two used to work under my jurisdiction and now it’s like you’re trying to overthrow it by telling me how things are gonna go. Your Boss is gonna hear directly from me---” Neil says before the two step out of the office as the alpha approaches and with that, Neil slams the door in their face.

“Neil,” Mark calls out as he goes to go in when he suddenly hears the two familiar voices call out to him,

“Mark…”

Mark stops, stilling at the door and looking up to see the two men looking right at him. Mark blinks, taking several seconds as he can’t believe what he’s seeing right now,

“No way…Jaehyun? Wonho?”

The two smirk, Jaehyun even throwing in a wink,

“That’s us.”

“Look how much you’ve guys changed,” Jaebum voices as he gets closer and Wonho laughs,

“I might’ve gained a few pounds here and there.”

A few?! This alpha was macho now! Even Jaehyun wasn’t the scrawny boy he used to be.

“Same to you,” Jaehyun says as him and Jaebum bro hug while Wonho hugs Mark like the giant teddy bear that he is.

“You guys know each other?” Jinyoung asks as he doesn’t recall ever meeting these two.

Jaebum pulls back and turns to his team, “We worked together back when I first came to America and met Mark.”

“Ah, this explains why I don’t know them either,” Bam says before greeting the two properly.

“Same,” Danny voices as he stands there awkwardly.

“Long time no see, man,” Jackson greets the two with handshakes and a bro hug before pulling back, “Good to know you guys are still chasing your dreams.”

Wonho ducks his head in a modest motion while Jaehyun smiles a bit,

“Something like that, yeah.”

“No?” Youngjae is curious to know before Jaehyun explains further,

“We both branched out to our teams after we all went our separate ways but um, things didn’t exactly turn out as planned.”

“So you two are partners now?” Jackson gestures between the two and Wonho nods,

“In more ways than one---” Wonho beams at that before Jaehyun lightly smacks his arm,

“Don’t even start with that bullshit again.”

“I was only teasing,” Wonho pouts before noticing that Mark and Shannon have gone inside the office already.

“Still Neil’s favorite I see,” Wonho pouts some more as the alpha has always had a soft spot for Mark too.

“But hey, I thought you left back to Korea yourself? What brings you back here?” Jaehyun asks and Jaebum gives him an expression of, ‘Where should I start?’.

“It’s a long story but I bet you can guess,” Jaebum ends up saying as things grow serious once more.

“About that,” Wonho starts, “Think you can tell us everything you know so far?”

“Depends,” Jinyoung says as he’s still not sure about this.

Yeah, they may be old pals of Mark and Jaebum but they did go separate ways in the end. Not to mention, it seems these two are part of those men that held the bank hostage.

“I think you should explain first what you know,” Yugyeom agrees as he comes to stand beside Jinyoung, “What were your men after?”

“I wouldn’t say our men,” Jaehyun says in defense as he rests a hand on his hip with a raised eyebrow.

“We worked at the same base, but we weren't close acquaintances,” Wonho clarifies.

“So in other words, you have no clue?” Bam throws out there with a little bit of a bite.

“What their mission was is none of my business. We stuck to our own thing and went directly to the Boss with what we found out before moving on to the next. All I know is that the team suddenly went rogue after not coming back from a mission,” Jaehyun sasses.

“We honestly thought they were dead at first until one of our members tracked one down.”

“You’re the ones that killed them?” Jinyoung throws a lethal glare their way.

“Fast to accuse aren’t you?” Jaehyun sasses right back.

Jaebum stands between them, holding up his hand,

“We’re not accusing anyone. They’re not the enemy here,” Jaebum says but Jinyoung disagrees,

“He dodged my question too fast.”

“I like your gun, it’s a Red9 model ain’t it?” Jackson suddenly changes the subject as he gestures to Jaehyun’s gun in his one holster.

Jaehyun nods and Jackson whistles, “That’s pretty sweet man. I tried to get one but Neil said they were off the market right now.”

“I got lucky with this one, we go way back.”

The door opens and Mark walks out with Shannon and Neil,

“Anything you want to know is in the handwritten files we got in the archives. You won’t find much though as I’m sure you guys know more than we do,” Neil says.

Whatever they’re here for or looking for is pretty pointless. This seems more like a cover up than anything as if the two are here to make sure nothing has gotten out that they don’t want uncovered.

“Handwritten?” Wonho voices in amusement as Shannon isn’t afraid to throw in some bite of her own,

“You guys have nothing in the system either so it’s only fair, don’t you think?”

Wonho can’t argue with that.

“Just doing our jobs, Ma’am,” Jaehyun sighs out before nodding toward Mark and Jaebum,

“Guess we got some catching up to do.”

“I’m sorry we can’t be of more help. We’ve reached a dead end ourselves,” Mark remains passive and friendly.

“Ah, no more sightings of anything?” Wonho perks up at this.

Jaebum shakes his head, “It’s gone cold.”

“Well looks like you guys got yourselves a day off then,” Jaehyun teases lightly.

“We’ll find you if we need anything else,” Wonho says as the two decide to make their leave as Shannon shows them to the archives.

Neil and Shannon share a look as Mark knows Neil is giving Shannon full permission to do what’s needed if she has to.

Neil really has a bad feeling about this and Mark agrees. Something is being kept secret from them or like they’re being put on watch.

“Go home for today,” Neil says and Mark frowns,

“Neil we’re not---”

“It’s a direct order,” Neil cuts Mark off gently as he meets his gaze.

Neil doesn’t want them around Jaehyun and Wonho. He’s protecting them.

Neil reaches out, hand brushing against Mark’s face, “Go get some rest, I’ll talk to you later.”

Mark nods, Neil’s hand dropping before his eyes go to Jaebum as the omega moves back to his side. Neil continues to watch Jaebum as the team is talking all at once, Neil not looking away even as the alpha turns his back to him. Watching as Jaebum puts his arm around Mark’s shoulders and soon disappears down the hallway…

“You had nothing to say to that?” Jinyoung asks Jaebum as they approach the parking garage.

“Say to what?” Jaebum throws back as he’s stopped from getting into the driver’s seat of Mark’s car.

“Really?” Jinyoung gives him a confused look.

“Are you still going on about Jaehyun and Wonho? They’re old comrades,” Jaebum shrugs it off.

Jinyoung goes to say something but they hear Bam and Yugyeom hooting and hollering,

“Pack time!”

Youngjae and Danny smile and laugh at the two being silly as they can’t get into the car like normal people. Nope, they got to be dorks and do it like some parkour is taking place. So when Yugyeom ends up failing cause of his long legs and hits the door instead of going through the window, the two are now hysterically laughing. Bam is even heard from inside the car as he managed to make it before popping his head on the side of Yugyeom’s window and looking down at him with a bright smile,

“You ok?”

Yugyeom holds up his arm and a thumb’s up before Danny comes to help him stand while Youngjae brushes him off.

By the time Jinyoung looks back to Jaebum, he finds him in the car and starts it up.

Rude---

Jinyoung hops into the passenger side, shutting the door as his jaw is hinged a bit with emotions. Jackson gets into the driver’s side after exchanging a few words with Mark. The door shuts and silence falls other than the car turning on. It’s not until Jaebum has already left with the others following suite that Jackson grips the gear shift and turns to look at Jinyoung,

“Jaehyun’s the one that shot the creature, Johnny.”

Jinyoung meets Jackson’s serious expression, “I fucking knew it!”

Jackson nods, “The bullet that went through the creature’s skull…I saw the casing at the scene near Bam and Yugyeom before the crime scene was blocked off. It was from a Red9 model and those aren’t something you just pick up on the side of the road.”

“They’re government weapons but they were discontinued many years ago for manufacturing reasons,” Jinyoung says as he knows quite a bit about weapons as well.

Jackson perks up at this, “Oh? I should’ve known since you were a hunter that you were an expert on weapons.”

“You’ve gotten with one of the best hunters Korea has to offer,” Jinyoung states with confidence.

Jackson reaches over and intertwines their fingers, squeezing them,

“I know. A sniper and a hunter has a nice ring to it, don’t it?”

There Jackson goes flirting again. This time, Jinyoung doesn’t hold back the smile as his eyes shine with warmth and passion,

“Just like your dick inside of me does too.”

Jackson about shifts the gear into neutral instead of reverse as Jinyoung’s words throw him for a loop,

“Babe! You can’t tease me like that!”

Jinyoung just smirks with eyes shining with a, ‘Watch me’ aura going and Jackson fumbles to get the car functioning properly before hurrying to catch up with the others.

Silence falls around them again for a moment and in that split second, Jinyoung’s smile falters as his mind goes to something before Jackson is talking again. Jinyoung focuses on his voice, looking at him to ground him as his chest aches.

What are Jaehyun and Wonho planning to do? Who are they working for exactly? And what will this mean for them?

No wonder Neil is upset…

And what the fuck is Jaebum’s problem?

Meanwhile,

“Lilly! Did you hear me, honey? It’s lunch time. Your brother is already in the kitchen eating---” Mrs. Wang lets out as she heads to the play room.

She expects to find Lilly still playing with the toys in there but to her surprise, she’s not here.

“Lilly?” Mrs. Wang grows worried.

Maybe she went to the bathroom? Turning, she goes to check when she notices the door to Mark’s old bedroom is cracked open. Oh? Wasn’t that closed since last night?

Moving closer, Mrs. Wang takes a peek inside and finds Lilly is in there smiling away at something as she’s looking up---

“Lilly?” Mrs. Wang calls for her again as she opens the door wider and reveals herself.

Lilly jumps, turning from where she was looking by the corner near the dresser and picture frame,

“Nana?! You scared me!”

Mrs. Wang sighs in relief as Lilly comes to her and starts tugging on her side,

“I’m sorry, you didn’t answer me so I got scared myself. Now, let’s go back downstairs before your brother eats all the strawberries.”

Lilly gasps, taking off without her grandmother as she shouts, “Strawbebbies!”

Mrs. Wang moves forth, hesitating for only a second as she looks back to where Lilly was looking. To where she swore the light on the dresser had been on…right? Shaking her head, it must’ve been her imagination after the night they all had. She keeps moving forward, shutting the door behind her and goes to tend to the kids…

Chapter Text

‘Jiaer and I believe those two might not be the same comrades you used to know.’

Jinyoung sends it to Mark without hesitation. He’s not about to keep something from him, especially vital information that could be life changing. Even if they end up being wrong in the end, he wants to be on the same page with his pack.

His phone vibrates in his hand as Jinyoung looks away from the scenery outside to his phone,

‘Neil said the same thing. That something is off. Gaga noticed something with the gun. He thinks Jaehyun was there during the bank heist?’

Mark and Jackson really have a great bond and connection for the omega to already put things together from his brother’s actions and words alone.

‘It’s the same weapon that took out Johnny. He had to have been part of the drive by that killed those men.’

“Mark’s been trying to figure it out too,” Jackson smiles as he knows his brother is on his side.

Jackson continues to drive, one hand on the wheel as he keeps an eye on the other vehicles.

“Yeah but what about Jaebum?” Jinyoung brings up as he waits for Mark’s reply.

He looks away from his phone to Jackson as Jinyoung is still a little upset with Jaebum,

“He’s brushing this off like it’s nothing. This isn’t like him. The Jaebum I know would be demanding answers and going head on until he knew the truth. Hell, even get hot headed like Neil did.”

“True, I don’t know what was up with that but you know him better than I do. I just figured he’s tired since they didn’t get any sleep last night. Really, since arriving in America, you guys haven’t been able to get the best of sleep since the chaos hasn’t stopped,” Jackson replies as he glances Jinyoung’s way from time to time.

Jinyoung’s expression softens a bit at that, because it is true. So much has happened since arriving here in America and Jaebum now has to juggle his job to being a new parent so fast. It can be hard to adjust for anyone, so Jaebum being tired and not fully focused would happen even to him.

The alpha’s phone vibrates and Jinyoung looks back down to see,

‘I texted the others to let them know. I also asked Yugyeom and Danny to see what they might be able to dig up. See where Jaehyun and Wonho have ended up, how they got there, etc. I told Neil we’re gonna be doing this and he gave the go ahead and that he’ll pull strings if he has to. I do like Jaehyun and Wonho. They were great comrades back in the day, but my pack comes first always. If my team is in danger I won’t hesitate to do what it takes to keep them safe. Even if that means going against others.’

Especially now after Bam and Yugyeom were attacked. Those men went after Bam with purpose so they’re already being targeted. It wouldn’t surprise Jinyoung if they’re not keeping more things up their sleeves. Maybe even trying to backtrack and cover up their mistakes because their men fucked up.

‘I’d keep Bam close to us at all times right now. Who knows if they might try something else’

Jinyoung sends that text and Mark must’ve expected it because his reply comes fast,

‘The pack is to stay together until we figure this out. If not Bam it could be any or all of us. I made sure to tell them that too.’

Jinyoung smiles at this as he thought he was the only mother hen of the group. It appears he’s mistaken as Mark is truly the center and watching out for them on the sidelines. Making sure they don’t stray too far and taking care of them in quiet ways. Taking action when it’s needed and making his presence known to the enemy to back off.

So Mark’s just playing passive right now as he observes everything around him. Ready to strike if the enemy presents itself.

Him and Mark really have more in common than he realized,

“Mark is not just Jaebum’s mate, he’s the leader’s mate and a damn good one at that,” Jinyoung voices out loud and Jackson beams,

“You can’t let his quietness or cuteness fool you. He’s just as strong as the leader. Hell, he’s taken down many alphas, even Neil on the battlefield.”

Jinyoung is impressed by this, “No way. I wish I could’ve seen that.”

Jackson laughs as he recalls, “If only I could’ve recorded Neil’s face of shock. Ah, it would’ve become such a great meme!”

Jinyoung rolls his eyes at that one, though he’s smiling, “You’ve been hanging around Bam too long. Yugyeom will talk about the same thing.”

“Well those two are the same age with Youngjae and Danny only a year older,” Jackson voices as his laughter dies down.

“No, don’t say I’m getting old,” Jinyoung pouts as he remembers his age.

“Babe, don’t worry. No matter how old we become, you’re still gonna be breathtaking to me.”

Oh this sly fucker---

Jinyoung is beaming at this though, finding Jackson’s flirting to be endearing as the alpha grows on him more and more…

The Wang’s house comes into view and soon Youngjae lets go of Danny’s hand so the beta can park the car in the driveway. The others park around them as Mark and Jaebum have already parked and the twins were coming to greet them. The two smile at the sight as they get out and watch Mark run to meet them halfway in excitement.

When Jackson and Jinyoung get out, you can hear the twins giggling along with Mark as the twins cling right away. It was adorable to see and of course Jackson wants in on it as he comes over excitedly to join.

Bam laughs inside the car as he becomes distracted by the scene. He finds it hilarious when the twins deny him due to it being love mommy time. Yugyeom had been watching the scene too but the moment Bam starts laughing, the alpha can’t help but look and see how adorable and handsome his mate is. That Bam is literally radiating while smiling like that with his eyes glistening with happiness---

It shocks both Bam and Yugyeom himself as the alpha couldn’t resist anymore and just suddenly leaned over. Bam had stilled, his laugh catching in his throat as Yugyeom dives down to capture his lips with his own.

The beta gasps, those plump lips parting slightly as his body tingles in reaction. The air knocked out of him as Bam short circuits before he can fully process it. But just like that, Yugyeom gasps too, pulling away fast and fumbling his way out the door. All before Bam can properly turn the car off and call out for the alpha.

Bam ends up sitting there, his lips still tingling that he lifts his fingers to brush against his mouth.

Damn…he’s never been affected by such a kiss before…

It takes Youngjae to appear and drag him out before Bam remembers he has limbs he can use…

“Bummie,” Lilly and Kyo let out as they go to Jaebum immediately after Mark.

Literally move right past Jackson’s open arms and cling to Jaebum’s legs while Jackson becomes dramatic and goes down to the floor in defeat.

“They hate me now! I’m no longer the favorite Uncle!” Jackson wails.

“Jackson…” Jinyoung calls out fondly as the alpha was acting like a dork.

But it was so cute, Jackson even trying hard to fake cry but can’t---

“There there,” Danny pats the alpha’s back in comfort.

“Thank you,” Jackson lets out with a sad pout, big round puppy eyes and making his voice crack with emotion.

While this is happening, Yugyeom has already run past, exclaiming something about needing to use the restroom. And that when Youngjae comes in with Bam, Bam is moving forth to go after him. The two going unnoticed as the scene continues to unfold in front of them.

Jaebum smiles down at the twins, his hands already reaching to shower them in affection by running through their hair,

“Were you two good today?”

The twins nod as Mrs. Wang agreed,

“They’re always sweethearts. They were playing all morning.”

The twins grow excited at this, “We played with Grandpa!” Both say at the same time.

“What did you and my father do today?” Jackson is perking right back up as he wants to know about their day.

But the twins shake their heads,

“No, our other grandpa!” Kyo says for them both.

Mark stills at this, his heart clenching with emotion as he looks at the twins,

“With my father?” Mark asks and the twins nod, Lilly coming to Mark’s side again,

“We played hide and seek and green light, red light.”

Mrs. Wang smiles sadly, her eyes taking in Mark’s fingers that are shaking while the omega runs fingers through Lilly’s hair,

“I did catch them in your bedroom a few times,” She admits, “Lilly has been carrying that one photo around with her too.”

They must’ve been using the photo as a way to bond with Li Jie.

“You climbed up on the dresser to get it?” Jaebum asks impressed.

The two are quick to shake their heads though, making you wonder if they’re lying because they don’t want to get into trouble.

“You two aren’t lying are you?” Mark asks but the twins shake their heads.

Kyo starts to pull on Mark’s arm to lead him somewhere,

“Come, show you,” He urges and Mark finds Lilly joining in as they lead him away.

Jinyoung notices that Jaebum’s eyes follow Mark and before he can even leave the room, the alpha was following after him.

“Oh Mark…” Youngjae feels for the omega as the kid’s harmless innocence can pull at your heartstrings sometimes.

“You think it’s because they napped in Mark’s room yesterday?” Danny wonders.

“Lilly has always had an obsession with photos and objects. She feels a connection with them,” Jackson says as he smiles sadly.

“Kids will be kids. I think it’s good that they’re using this way to feel connected to Li Jie. He was a great man and would’ve loved his grand babies so much,” Mrs. Wang adds onto the conversation.

“They’ve really been talking about him nonstop since this morning?” Jinyoung asks and Mrs. Wang nods.

“We talked a bit about him during lunch where they said Li Jie was an angel watching over them from above. I’m not sure how much Mark has told them but I do know that they know he’s in heaven.”

Oh their hearts!

“Now I’m really gonna cry,” Jackson says as he actually tears up.

“Your father has already cried,” Mrs. Wang says, “He’s probably up there still.”

He was. The moment the twins push open the cracked door, you can see Mr. Wang was sitting on the edge of the bed with the frame still in his hands.

Mark stills at the sight, the twins not pulling anymore as they just stand there holding the omega’s hand,

“Dad…”

Mr. Wang lifts his head, his eyes taking in Mark looking emotional as he can’t help but tear up,

“I didn’t think you’d still call me that after everything,” Mr. Wang says as hearing those words clearly affected him.

It makes him wipe at his eyes, setting the frame down on the bed while Mark comes forth,

“You’ve been a great StepDad regardless of that night. You treated me like your son even before taking me in…and you took care of me afterwards without hesitation,” Mark says as he comes to sit on the bed with him.

Kyo and Lilly move closer, their eyes going to the corner near the dresser where the lamp is on before noticing Jaebum is by the door. The two turn, staring at him as the alpha doesn’t make any moves to come closer. Maybe he’s just watching without trying to interrupt? Trying to give Mark a moment with his StepDad?

“I still kept things from you and it hurt you. Hell, it didn’t even protect you like I hoped it would by carrying it deep inside me,” Mr. Wang continues but Mark reaches out to touch his arm,

“You did what was needed, what you felt was right. I’m sorry for my outburst yesterday as I let my emotions get the best of me. You and Mom have done nothing but love and support me. Wanting what was best for me and Gaga and treating me like your own. It’s all I could’ve asked for as a child and even after being an adult, you’re still taking care of me and loving my kids…” Mark sheds some tears as he feels strongly for these two people.

Mrs. Wang became a mom he never had and Mr. Wang stepped up as a father even when he didn’t have to. He didn’t have to go above and beyond or even treat him the same as Jackson, but he did. He really got lucky.

“Even if Li Jie didn’t ask me to, I would’ve. Just like how I fought to get rights over you and adopt you as my own, you are my son regardless of paper. And I admit, you look so much like your father and have similar traits…but you two are so different.”

Mark smiles at this as he takes a jab at a light joke, “That’s because I got you and Jackson in me.”

Mr. Wang smiles, his eyes shining brightly at hearing this from him,

“I suppose I did raise you right.”

“You did a great job,” Mark reassures him.

The moment is heartfelt but the twins feel something. Lilly keeps staring at Jaebum as the alpha hasn’t taken his eyes off of Mark for a second now. Kyo on the other hand has moved to the dresser where the lamp is still on and is staring up at the corner.

Suddenly, Jaebum looks from Mark to the same corner, Lilly seeing this before the light bulb in the lamp explodes, the lights flickering the next second. The twins cry out, Mark and Mr. Wang jerked as the door slams shut at the same time. Mark looks toward his kids crying out and in that brief moment, he swears he saw part of a figure moving from the corner of the dresser in the mirror. Like pant leg, to suited attire torso--

Mark immediately looks but finds nothing there. He can’t wrap his mind around it and the kids are hugging each other as they cry from being scared. Mark moves, going to the twins and taking them into his arms,

“Shh, it’s ok,” Mark tries to calm them even though he has no idea what happened.

Mr. Wang remains silent, shaken up himself before knocking is heard against the door,

“Baby, open up!”

It’s Jaebum and he sounds desperate as he tries to the door handle but it won’t budge.

“Unlock the door, Mark. Let me in!” Jaebum pleads in worry.

Mark goes to the door, the twins clinging to him as the omega realizes the door isn’t locked though…

The twins continue to cry out, crying hysterically that Mark opens the door before Mr. Wang could say anything. The door coming open and Jaebum pulling Mark and the twins out of the room and into his arms---

“I’m here, I’m here,” Jaebum reassures as he can feel Mark shaking in his hold.

As he hears the twins crying out and even clinging onto him for safety and comfort.

The others come racing up the stairs, even Yugyeom and Bam with messed up hair and clothing as they worried for them,

“What’s wrong?” Jackson asks as the twins won’t stop crying.

“What happened?!” Jinyoung demands to know as he had heard Jaebum’s panicked voice and banging on the door.

“I don’t know…the moment I got here the door suddenly shut in my face and it sounded like glass shattering…the door was locked too,” Jaebum tried to get out as he’s not sure himself.

“Not safe!” Kyo screams, “Not safe!”

The others move closer, surrounding them as they want to make sure they’re ok and provide comfort.

“Are you hurt? Let me check,” Youngjae urges as him and Danny try to move Mark to look at him better.

“I’m fine…I was on the bed when the light bulb in the lamp shattered. It must’ve been because of the lights that flickered.”

Jackson is able to take a hold of Lilly as Kyo refuses to let go of Mark. Lilly is quieting down some, tears still falling as she curls into Jackson’s neck and side,

“I got you, sweet girl, you’re ok.”

“This house is old. I’ve told your father we need to get it inspected,” Mrs. Wang says in trying to offer an explanation.

Yugyeom and Bam check inside the bedroom and find the shattered light bulb that even left burn marks on the wall and the lamp shade.

“Mr. Wang, you good?” Bam asks as he goes to his side.

Mr. Wang looks shaken up still but he nods before his eyes go back to Jaebum…

Where Jinyoung is trying to wrap his head around this because something isn’t right here. Jaebum had gone with Mark the moment he left the room. Wouldn’t he had been in the room with him? If not, wouldn’t this have happened minutes prior and not after?

“Your brother and Mommy are ok,” Jackson keeps reassuring as he notices Lilly hasn’t taken her eyes off them once.

But when Jinyoung looks, he notices that Lilly isn’t staring at them, she’s staring at Jaebum next to them…

Chapter Text

“Oh no you don’t!” Bam exclaims as Yugyeom is seconds from closing the bathroom door---

This took place previously before things started to become spooky…

Bam’s hand stops it, his body slithering through before the door can close and now Yugyeom has trapped himself. That’s right, the tables have turned as Bam shuts and locks the door behind him with Yugyeom standing near the shower area.

“That’s not fair,” Yugyeom whines as he’s still recovering from kissing Bam.

I mean, it’s his own fault for not being able to resist and sinning with Bam’s pillowy lips.

And yes, they’re as soft as they look.

“I’m not fair, it’s you who is not fair!” Bam exclaims as he gestures with his hands.

“You can’t just kiss me like that and then run! Do you know how long I’ve been laying moves on you just for you to turn me down every time?!”

Bam is advancing and Yugyeom is struggling to keep control. He whines again, moving back to keep a certain distance but Bam’s scent is filling up the room. Hearing his heartbeat going so strongly with his emotions wasn’t helping either. And the way Bam isn’t backing down and reaching out to get closer---

“It was a mistake,” Yugyeom fumbles to get out in hopes that Bam will leave right now.

Cause he’s seconds from never going back. Fuck, it’s already too late as he’s had a taste. He’s not gonna be able to let Bam go now. He’s not gonna let him get close to anyone else intimately.

“A mistake?” Bam’s one eyebrow raises so fast. “You…kissed…me! There was no falling and lips smacking. There was no dare or someone holding a gun to your head, which hello, we went through that yesterday. You said you were straight and yet you kissed me! So stop lying and admit that you like me!”

Bam is all up in Yugyeom’s space. Those eyes drawing the alpha in. His warmth right there as the alpha can easily touch him and it was like a fucking tease. And then Bam calling him out on his lies as he refuses to leave until he hears the whole truth. His lips moving and fuck he’s looking at them again---

“Aha! You keep doing it! You want to kiss me again!” Bam is elated by his while Yugyeom whines,

“N-no, I’m not…you don’t understand,” Yugyeom tries to explain.

But how does one explain to their mate that he can’t kiss you even though he wants to? That he has feelings for him but he’s denying it because it’s dangerous. Yugyeom knows he’s gonna get possessive, he already is. His alpha instincts can only be fought off for so long before Yugyeom is gonna want to mark, and lay multiple claims daily. To keep Bam close and do very, very naughty things to him. Already he wants to shower Bam in gifts and affection too. To get him to smell like him more as the men at the bank could already pick up on that clearly.

Bam makes this face but then all of a sudden he deflates like he’s giving up.

Um…

“Fine, if that’s how you feel and I’m misunderstanding all of this,” Bam gestures with his hands as Yugyeom finds himself untensing.

“Then let me kiss you as payback and we’ll call this no homo, just be bros and move on from this.”

Yugyeom finds himself relaxing more as he’s not being backed into the corner anymore. But letting Bam kiss him? I don’t know, Yugyeom might not be able to handle it. Then again, Bam will give up and stop flirting with him and it’ll make things a little bit easier to resist…maybe---

Ah fuck it, his mind is a jumbled mess from the first kiss so why not do another…

Yugyeom nods, standing still as Bam shrugs his shoulders before stepping in closer and reaching up to rest his hands on the alpha’s shoulders. Yugyeom’s breath hitches, eyes automatically closing already as he feels the beta’s breath against his face. Bam can’t help but smile as he notices Yugyeom licking his lips subconsciously before he closes the distance between them and kisses him.

It’s short and sweet, teasing really as one second their lips are together and then the next, Bam is pulling back---

“No, a real kiss,” Yugyeom growls out as his arms wrap around Bam’s middle and he dives
back in.

He captures Bam’s lips and the beta gasps at how dominant Yugyeom is getting before moaning into the kiss. Bam’s own arms go up to drape around Yugyeom’s neck as Bam puts more umph into the kiss. Yugyeom groans, lips moving on their own accord as he keeps melding them with Bam’s. Both their minds short circuiting as warmth and tingles spread out through their body.

Bam’s tiny peck did the trick as now they’re fully making out with Yugyeom walking him backwards without breaking the kiss. Bam’s back hits the back of the bathroom door as moans and sloppy kisses fill the room. Yugyeom’s scent is getting heady, his cock hard and pressing against Bam’s as their bodies are flush together. Hands are wandering, going through hair and up clothing as the beta is having the time of his life.

“Ah…fuck…” Bam gasps before whimpering in need when Yugyeom breaks the kiss just to bite and kiss at his neck.

Bam’s body shivers as it grows hot and needy for the alpha before him,

“Straight my ass, god you better fuck me,” Bam breathes out before begging the next second.

Even taking matters into his own hands literally as he tries to undo Yugyeom’s belt---

Yugyeom growls, partially shifting and Bam is all for this as he feels claws lightly scratch along his skin before manhandling him over the sink,

“Ah fuck yes…you can have me, totally giving permission to Ah…ooooh…” Bam moans out as he feels Yugyeom grinding against his ass and can see him through the mirror.

Yugyeom’s eyes keep flashing, his control slipping as the alpha needs his mate. Hell, claws are almost tearing his pants off if Bam didn’t help him in the process.

“Lube,” Yugyeom speaks as he doesn’t want to hurt his mate.

“Just do it raw, I can take it. Done it before---”

Yugyeom growls at that, hand going up to wrap around Bam’s neck before leaning him back so he can kiss at his lips. Bam grips the counter, loving how possessive Yugyeom was getting and showing how much he wanted the beta.

Bam gets worked up, his cock dripping precum as he stands there with pants pooling at his feet and Yugyeom’s other hand trailing down his body just to run over his ass---

A loud smack is heard before Yugyeom breaks the kiss and says it again,

“Lube.”

Yugyeom may be a kinky fucker and roughly passionate but he never neglects his partner. And Bam is his mate that he’ll forever take proper love and care of.

“Shit…I don’t have lube…uh…” Bam starts to look around until his eyes land on things inside the shower.

Like the twin’s strawberry conditioner that totally reminds them of Mark. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures as Bam was not gonna lose out on Yugyeom fucking him. So he waddles over to the shower and grabs the bottle without a second thought and just starts prepping himself. He’s not wasting anymore time after waiting this long and it makes Yugyeom groan at the sight of how needy and desperate Bam was. How Bam was not shy when it came to sex and plunged two fingers right into his hole to stretch himself.

Of course Bam knows Yugyeom is watching. Hell, that man has yet to take his eyes off the prize now with Bam bent over and presenting himself to the man.

The moment Bam hears the sound of the zipper and pants hitting the floor, the beta moans, taking out his fingers and looking over his shoulders in time to find Yugyeom already positioning himself---

“Ah!” Bam exclaims in a high pitched tone as his hands reach out to grip the edge of the tub.

His one hand slips a bit as it’s still covered in the strawberry scented goo but Bam is on cloud nine the moment he feels Yugyeom sliding in one go.

The burn felt wonderful as Yugyeom’s cock was nice and long, reaching in all the right places---

“Oh…fuck..fuck..fuck…Yuggie!” Bam lets out as the alpha only gives seconds for Bam to adjust before he snaps and is literally snapping his hips away.

Talk about powerful thrusts here, was Yugyeom a dancer in his past life? Cause hot damn, does Yugyeom know how to use his hips and is fucking Bam like no tomorrow.

Bam is hiccuping from the pleasure, barely able to get out sound as his ass is up in the air, hands gripping the tub till his knuckles are white and here comes Bam’s first orgasm---

Cum hits the bottom of the tub, Bam’s cock spurting as Yugyeom is still thrusting away from behind. Hands are possessive, gripping Bam’s hips as the alpha groans and grunts while watching himself fucking Bam.

The strawberry scent might’ve been a bad idea too because it’s so damn strong and they both can smell it. How it ties them together and the sound of it squelching inside of Bam with each thrust is gonna be a constant reminder of this every time they smell the scent now.

But god does it feel so good, so perfect. Bam is rolling very sexual things and dirty talk off his tongue like no tomorrow as the alpha is doing everything right.

“You gonna cum, Yugyeom? AH….ah…Can feel it…you’re pulsing…inside…mmm…knew you…fuck…wanted me…ah…shit…wanted you…nnn…too…never…ah…felt like this…ngh…before…”

Bam’s felt a lot of things and has had a lot of dicks inside him. But one thing he hasn’t felt, were these strong emotions and the way his heart would react to Yugyeom. That Bam wanted more than just his dick and body. The beta wanted everything else that came with it as well.

Yugyeom suddenly stops and pulls out, making Bam ready to cry and beg before he finds himself being manhandled again. Seconds go by before Bam’s back is against the back of the door and Yugyeom is sliding back inside as the two now face one another. As Yugyeom shows off how strong he is by holding Bam up, draping his legs over his arms as he holds the beta by the hips and fucks into him.

“Kiss me…” Yugyeom begs and is looking at Bam with emotions one does when this is more than just some simple fuck.

And Bam does just that, hands threading through the back of Yugyeom’s head as the beta closes the distance between them.

The kiss is dirty and hot, tongues tangling, teeth pulling and biting as moans and needy sounds fill the bathroom. As skin slapping against skin is heard and they’re both reaching the end mighty fast that soon Yugyeom whimpers during the kiss as it's ripped out of him. Slamming his cock in as deep as it can go before releasing inside against Bam’s prostate. Bam moans loudly, feeling himself being filled with the warm seed as it makes him cum again, spurting between them as the kiss becomes slower and sweet.

Panting is heard as they start to come down and Bam smiles against Yugyeom’s shoulder, laughing a bit as he feels elated,

“I think I finally found my match.”

Bam has no idea how much Yugyeom reacts to those words as the alpha’s heart swells inside. Bam winces a bit when Yugyeom pulls out, his cum following soon after but the alpha is so sweet in helping to clean him up.

Bam’s body is covered in bites and love markings from claw marks too. His body has that nice soreness too that Bam misses as he usually has sex more often but since meeting Yugyeom, he hasn’t.

“Tell me we’re gonna do this again cause no one’s dick is gonna get the job done anymore,” Bam lets out in hopes that Yugyeom won’t say this was a one time thing.

Yugyeom smirks at this, eyes shining brightly before he’s leaning in to press a kiss to Bam’s lips,

“Every day,” Yugyeom promises and Bam perks up,

“Multiple times?”

Yugyeom nods, laughing as Bam reacts like a kid being told he’s going to Disney,

“Oh, you really are the other half of me! I can’t wait to try out all our kinks together and blow your mind with the tricks that I know.”

Yugyeom finishes cleaning Bam up and starts to clean himself as the beta continues,

“One thing though. Relationship or not, I don’t share. That dick is on lockdown and mine,” Bam gets suddenly possessive.

It makes Yugyeom get this look in his eyes as he beams. Moving back closer, he leans over from where Bam is resting on the toilet and lets out in a seductive tone,

“And you’re mine, Bam and everyone is gonna know it. Any hybrid nearby is gonna be able to smell me inside of you for miles already.”

The alpha has already laid a claim on him!

Soon Yugyeom’s fingers lightly wrap around Bam’s neck and the beta moans and goes submissive right away,

“And when the timing is right, I’m gonna give you the bite,” Yugyeom finishes saying against Bam’s ear.

Bam almost fucks up and tells him to give it to him now but their moment is interrupted as they can hear the twins screaming----

Present,

“It’s ok, little buddy, I just want to check to make sure the glass didn’t get you,” Youngjae’s voice is soothing as he’s knelt in front of the couch.

Mark is currently sitting with Kyo still glued in his arms as the little boy is starting to calm down now.

“Scary,” Kyo lets out in an upset tone and it pulls at their hearts.

“We’re safe now,” Mark reassures as he continues to run fingers through his hair and keep him close.

The others are right there surrounding Mark and Kyo as Jaebum sits across since the others all wanted to provide comfort and help in some way. Jackson and Jinyoung were beside Mark as Lilly stayed in Jackson’s lap and was reaching over to touch her brother,

“Ts’k,” She repeats softly as the omega boy wipes at his eyes and sniffles.

“Such a great sister you are,” Bam coos from behind the couch as Yugyeom and him come back down from investigating upstairs.

“Here look, I was told this one was your favorite,” Yugyeom says as he holds out a stuffed animal of a black panther.

Instantly, Kyo reaches out for it and pulls it close to his chest, “Tank you,” He says quietly and it pulls at their heartstrings.

With the stuffed animal and the others being soothing, Youngjae is able to get Kyo to uncurl enough so he can inspect him closer for any wounds.

“Did it get you too?” Danny asks as he had come back down with Yugyeom and Bam from helping to clean up the glass.

“No,” Mark shakes his head, “Kyo was the closest one to the lamp as I was on the bed with Dad.”

Speaking of which---

“He’s ok,” Jackson reassures as he sees Mark looking to see where he went,

“Mom is checking on him in their room. He’s shaken up like we all are.”

Mark’s expression falls into one of wonder and confusion. Why did the lamp suddenly combust like that? And what about the door? Was Lilly trying to shut it or open it when it happened and thus caused it to slam? He admits he was focused on his stepfather to be paying attention to what might’ve been going on in the room.

“That bedroom hasn’t changed since you left though, right?” Jinyoung asks and Mark nods as Youngjae continues being sweet and talking with Kyo.

“My parents kept both our rooms the same and we’ve never had issues before that I can remember,” Jackson answers for Mark.

“But your Mom mentioned they needed to have an inspection of the house as things like this might be going on since you left,” Danny recalls.

“True, she has mentioned lights flickering from time to time to small things but this house is old. It’s from the seventies really,” Jackson says as there could be a very logical explanation to all of this.

Houses do need a lot of upkeep,” Yugyeom agrees.

“You’re doing so good, Kyo,” Youngjae encourages as the little boy sniffles again.

Mark looks back down to Kyo who is hugging the panther tight and removes some stray hairs from his face,

“I’m glad you and Lilly weren't hurt,” Mark says as his voice fills with emotion.

Mark then looks to Lilly and leans in to press a kiss to her cheek,

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you two were.”

“Don’t cry, Mommy,” Lilly urges as she kisses his cheek back, “I’ll protect Kyo,” She reassures as her alpha traits are already taking effect.

This makes Mark smile as he pulls back some to look at her,

“I’ll keep Mommy safe too,” She promises and it melts Mark’s heart.

“Me too,” Kyo says as he sniffles and pouts, “Even if scary, I’ll protect Mommy.”

Mark’s heart continues to melt as he leans back to hug Kyo, “You two are so brave,” He praises.

The others all coo and smile at how adorable the twins are until Jinyoung notices Lilly looking Jaebum’s way. The others are all distracted by what Kyo is saying and doing at the moment but Jinyoung notices how Lilly’s smile suddenly goes away as she just stares at Jaebum.

And it’s unnerving because the way Jaebum is just sitting there and staring at Mark…it’s creepy. It’s not the loving, warm expression that Jaebum normally has when watching a loved one. Especially not the eye smile he gives when it's Mark doing something or the twins as this…this was like a completely different person who was just sitting there void of any other emotion…just staring at Mark and not blinking---

Jinyoung reaches over subtly and places his hand over Jackson’s and tugs. Jackson reacts, smiling brightly as he turns his head to Jinyoung’s direction before noticing the alpha’s expression,

“Babe?” Jackson calls out quietly as something must be going on and follows Jinyoung’s line of sight to see the same thing him and Lilly are seeing.

Bro, what the fuck?

Why isn’t he reacting to the twins at all? Or to the others? Not even joining in on the conversation or voicing his concern like Jaebum normally would. Like hell, by now, Jaebum wouldn’t have let anyone near Mark, would’ve carried him downstairs and checked over the omega himself as well as the twins. Fretting the whole time before showering Mark in love and affection.

“Bummie…” Lilly calls out but Jaebum doesn’t even react to it.

Now this was really bothering the two when Jinyoung calls out his name,

“Jaebum.”

The way Jaebum turns his head to look at him has his heart beating faster. It was like he was looking at someone else, a stranger or something before Jaebum blinks and his expression changes.

“Yeah?” Jaebum replies as if nothing happened.

As Jaebum starts looking at the others before landing on Mark and Kyo to see that they’re ok before getting up and checking on Lilly as he breathes out in relief.

Jackson and Jinyoung don’t know how to react to this as it’s very weird,

“You good, man?” Jackson asks as he pulls Lilly closer to him out of protection.

“I’m fine,” Jaebum nods, not sure why Jackson is giving him that look.

Jaebum holds his arms out for Lilly but the little girl curls further into Jackson’s side and the alpha frowns but doesn’t push.

“Maybe you should get some rest,” Jinyoung offered as all of these events were mentally taxing.

I mean Jaebum has had his whole life turned upside down and changed in a matter of days so lack of sleep is not helping.

“I’m not tired,” Jaebum replies and the two frown even more.

Didn’t Mark and him talk about how they got no sleep cause Kyo couldn’t sleep last night? And weren't they both acting like they couldn’t stay awake earlier?

“Ok…” Jackson says as he’s at a complete loss at what is going on.

“Mark and the twins need rest though. We should go back home,” Jaebum says as he gets Mark’s attention.

“Now? I don’t know if I want to leave my parents here---”

“We’ll be fine, honey,” Mrs. Wang says as she comes down the stairs, “I’ve already called to have someone come over and look at the home. We also unplugged the lamp and turned off power to that bedroom for now. You guys go home and get some rest. I’m sure the twins want the comfort of their home right now.”

“It didn’t look like an electrical fire was trying to happen either,” Bam says.

“Could’ve been a faulty bulb or just an old one,” Yugyeom adds.

“I think we can all use this time to make the living room our resting space and try and relax,” Danny agrees.

Youngjae nods as he stands back up, “It’s the best medicine really and we should take what we can get before anything else happens.”

Jinyoung and Jackson don’t say anything against it as they just nod in agreement. They do keep a close watch on Jaebum though as the alpha helps Mark up and showers Kyo and him in affection. The others start to load up outside as they follow behind and while they’re heading out the door, the two can hear Lilly whisper,

“He upset Grandpa…”

“Phew! I’m tired now,” Bam groans as he plops down on the mattresses they brought into the living room.

The living room was now a more comfy bedroom for the pack as Yugyeom laid curled by his side next to him and Youngjae on the other side with Danny,

“I wonder why,” Youngjae teases as Danny has already told him that these two had sex.

It was obvious by the way their clothes and hair were, not to mention marks, but Danny did clarify for further proof.

“Don’t get me started on you two,” Yugyeom smirks back as Danny has laid a claim on Youngjae since the beginning.

Youngjae laughs as Danny starts blushing and finds it adorable before rolling into Danny’s side to snuggle more. Bam sits up to try and tease the two betas but finds Mark is on the other side of Danny and currently asleep against Jinyoung.

“Dude, he’s passed out,” Bam coos as Mark isn’t waking for no one.

“He looked pale earlier too,” Yugyeom worries as he hopes this doesn’t affect Mark’s health.

“He’s been through a lot,” Youngjae says, “He needs to rest.”

“He said he didn’t feel good to Jackson and Jaebum a few moments ago,” Jinyoung admits as he doesn’t move from his spot in case Mark might wake up.

“Oh, is that why Jaebum took the twins into the kitchen to make food?” Yugyeom asks as he notices the alpha taking care of the twins.

‘And why Jackson followed,’ Jinyoung thinks but doesn’t voice that part out loud. Both of them have a silent agreement to stay near Mark and the twins while they figure out what’s going on.

Seems like they’re not the only ones as a certain someone decides to drop by with their spare house key and appear in the living room before anyone can stop him---

Lim Neil…

And his eyes go right to Mark before he’s looking for the twins…

“Well hello to you too,” Youngjae snorts at Neil’s weird behavior.

Something's not right...

Chapter Text

Previously when Jaehyun and Wonho showed up;

The door slams shut and Neil paces.

He’s pissed, like really fucking pissed.

He’s been in this corporation too long to know that people start showing up like this without his knowledge that he’s no longer in control.

‘Are they gonna try and move him out? What is their purpose here?’

Something shady is going on and Neil needs to figure things out before more casualties take place and he starts losing loved ones. But not even his father has heard anything about this!

He’s learned from the best and has always been ahead on things, making sure that nothing slips by him.

Stopping in front of his desk, he tries to let out air through his nose as he’s getting worked up and he needs to be calm and collected. He can send his men out, see what they can dig up, hell even have Yugyeom or Danny do some dirty work for him.

Breaking rules is more than welcome in Neil’s books in cases such as this. Whatever it takes to survive and keep things together. To save lives and keep his loved ones safe---

Neil is standing in front of his desk, head down and palms flat against the wood before him when it sounds like the door is opening as he can hear the door knob turning. Neil doesn’t have to look up to know who it is, he knows Mark too well---

“Yien---” Neil lets out as he knows Mark has come to check up on him.

He’s always had a special connection with Mark and even if he’s with his brother, that connection will never sever nor will his feelings for him either.

But when he hears the footsteps approaching, his head snaps up as it’s not the omega’s footsteps. In fact, it’s not even his scent and that has the alpha on guard that when he whips his head up, his eyes go wide…

“No way…” Neil lets out in shock, his body standing up straighter as he’s not sure if he should be on the defense or not.

This can’t be possible, it shouldn’t be! But the more he stares at them, the more nothing is making sense.

Neil continues to stare, the back of their head can be seen from our point of view as the person stands in a nice fitted attire that suits them. And when they go to speak, Neil doesn’t know what to say,

“Save him before it’s too late…Don’t let him get closer.”

Who? Mark? His brother? Who?!

The person reaches out, their fingers near Neil as the alpha feels this strong aura. It’s weird to explain but it feels light and airy. It feels strangely warm too as it tries to wrap around him.

“You were ready to sacrifice yourself for him. Always ready to give him your all. Watching over him wherever you go…he needs you. Now more than ever and for what’s to come…please…in my place…I can’t get close…Just like you I too sacrificed myself multiple times to keep him safe…back then, back when he was in the hospital…but now, now that things are awakening within…there’s not enough time…quickly…he needs guidance and protection…the twins too…they’re not ready…far from it…”

He sounds so pained, his expression unclear to us but Neil can see everything. Can see his face, can hear it in his voice of how hard this man has been trying.

“A whole new world is about to come to life…a new beginning as the door opens…in my stead I beg you to go through with your sacrifice for the greater good and save my son. To follow him no matter how far into the darkness things lead.”

Mark’s in danger? What is actually happening? Why does he sound like he’s running out of time? His words sound almost distorted as if he can’t stay long and he’s breaking up through a phone conversation.

Neil eyes the man’s pleading look before seeing the male’s outstretched arm. His hand reaches out instinctively as his mind immediately goes to Mark and the twins. How he’d do anything for them in a heartbeat. How he meant every word back in the hospital when he begged Mark to let him claim him so he could live. He’d do it all over again too. Whatever it took. Whatever was needed. He’d give his life for Mark to keep his.

And with those strong emotions and feelings, he brushes the man’s fingers with his own---

The male throws him a smile, those eyes shining with emotions that only Neil can see before the male clasps his hand with Neil’s. His grip is tight and it knocks the breath out of Neil as a huge gust of air comes his way. Where it runs right through him, surrounding, wrapping around him. It’s a strange sensation, so many things happening at once that when he feels like he can actually move or breathe, it’s like he’s coming back to.

His eyes darting around the office as it felt like he blacked out for a few seconds…

Neil finally tries to speak but when he does that’s when the door actually opens and Shannon and Mark are revealed.

“Yien,” Neil calls out, his eyes going to him before darting back to the person---

They’re gone. Like they just vanished into thin air. The person is gone and Neil is seen looking back to the two who just think he’s upset over this whole ordeal.

Was he hallucinating? If so, why would he hallucinate that though? Why does he feel like this? Is he getting sick maybe?

Clearing his throat, Neil tries to not think about it for the time being as they have too much on their hands. They have Jaehyun and Wonho to deal with and the two get him back focused on the task at hand.

The moment they leave the room though, Neil is starting to grow more worried because either he’s really coming down with something…or there’s like a black shadowy outline around Jaebum.

Even weirder is Wonho has one too but not the others…

Neil even looks to Mark where he’s pleasantly surprised to find a light blue aura surrounding him.

Um…

Ok, keep focused, don’t show any signs of what appears to be him going crazy.

He did manage to keep things normal but when Jaebum is leaving, he can’t help but look at him as an uneasy feeling was settling in…

Present,

Scratch that, the uneasy feeling is literally sending red flags through him. Because the moment Mark walked away, he’s been going nuts. Little bells sounding off that he shouldn’t be leaving him alone but he’s safe with his brother. It shouldn’t be like this, especially while he’s trying to handle important business and get to the bottom of things himself---

He needs to check on Mark. Needs to do something or this is gonna eat him alive like an itch he can’t scratch.

And it’s only growing stronger…

He tried calling. He tried texting. No answer. Nothing

Freaking out? Understandment. He’s pretty much having a moment that Jaebum has when he’s beyond worried for his mate and needs to see him now.

So that’s exactly what Neil is doing as he breaks every rule possible to get to Jackson’s home. Not caring about honking horns or getting caught as something had to be going on for him to be feeling like this! He’s literally about to go freaking insane if he doesn’t do this and he’s blaming it on what might’ve taken place in his office a while ago.

Slamming on brakes and parking the car, Neil hops out, not caring to turn off his car as he runs up the steps and uses his spare key to get inside.

Not even stepping inside the home and picking up on the pack’s scents are calming him as he needs to see for himself to know. And when he runs into the living room after picking up on Mark’s scent, he finds the omega sleeping peacefully---

Ok, so what the hell is going on then?! Why does he feel worse now that he’s here like everything in him screamed to be?!

Wait, the twins! Where are the twins?!

The other’s gave him weird looks but he has no time to explain even though he doesn’t know how to explain in the first place.

Rushing into the kitchen he finds the twins helping to make dinner with Jaebum and Jackson.

“You ok, man?” Jackson asks as he notices Neil is out of breath and looking around like something was happening.

This was unlike Neil.

“Uncle!” The twins exclaim as they wave with floury hands.

Neil tries to smile but it doesn’t reach all the way as he feels like he’s going mad. The feeling is growing stronger. Shouting at him that something is wrong but he can’t find the source.

This is when Jaebum seems to acknowledge him and as he turns to face him, it catches Neil’s attention and he can see it again. Can see the shadowy outline like an aura around his younger brother as Jaebum seems to give him a glare. Neil doesn’t notice it at first because before anything else can happen, they can hear the other’s starting to fret in the other room. Calling out Mark’s name in a panic---

Mark feels weird like he’s dreaming but he feels like he’s awake.

He knows his eyes are closed and that he fell asleep on the makeshift bed but it’s like he’s having an out of body experience. Like he’s seeing himself lying on the bed surrounded by the others.

What is this? What is happening?

And he’s getting closer to himself, a hand reaching out and beginning to trail up his ankle. He can feel it as it’s cold, claws lightly scraping…

It’s not human, almost like the hand itself is wrapped in pure darkness, like a shadow itself but he knows he can feel claws. That he can feel the touch of a hand and it’s still going higher as it reaches his calf now.

It looks like darkness is wrapping around his one leg, covering it, the presence of something that’s strong and growing stronger. He feels tired, so tired and drained and the further the touch goes, the weaker he feels.

He can hear himself let out a whimper, his body moving as if trying to wake up but can’t. Where he can see the others noticing and looking down at him with concern.

But he can’t wake up. He can’t talk, scream…he wants to wake up. He’s struggling right now but it’s not doing anything. He wants Bummie, his entire being screaming for the alpha but he can’t hear him.

The darkness is wrapping around him further and Mark is panicking. He can hear his breathing picking up, his fingers twitching as he’s trying to wake up. As he’s trying to reach out for help in hopes that someone can wake him.

He doesn’t feel safe. It feels like something is breathing down his neck. Something is close to his collar, driving his omega instincts insane to get away.

Bummie…Bummie…Bummie…

Meanwhile the others were just chilling and enjoying the moment of peace before they started to notice Mark was acting weird. That he was tossing and turning before the whimper came out. That you can tell that he must be having a bad dream.

“Mark?” Yugyeom voices in concern as Mark’s breathing was also picking up.

“He’s having a bad dream,” Youngjae voices as he can tell from his body language.

Jinyoung moves to give Mark some space as the others surround him more. Bam is about to reach over to try and wake him but to their surprise, both Neil and Jaebum come running from the kitchen---

“Bro, what’s going on?” Jackson is heard from the kitchen as he noticed the two brothers booking it like they knew something was up.

The next second, the two are in the living room and the others move out of the way to let them get closer,

“Mark,” Neil calls out his name.

“Baby,” Jaebum says at the same time but Neil reaches him first.

He tries to gently shake him but Mark is still struggling to wake up while Jaebum grows upset,

“Let me,” He demands but Neil isn’t budging, focusing on Mark to keep trying.

“And do what?” Neil throws back like Jaebum can do it better.

Neil wasn’t even trying to argue but Jaebum takes this as aggressive and a threat before baring fangs,

“You’re making it worse now move,” He practically growls out and the others are shocked by Jaebum acting like this.

Not only was his tone dark and authoritative but his eyes flash dangerously.

Neil stops and turns to look at his younger brother, ready to bare his fangs back but something stops him---

“Bum…mie…” Mark lets out and Jaebum is already moving forth.

It’s like the moment he touches Mark, the omega reacts, finding he can move more. Finding he can breathe as if the darkness is being sucked away as he inhales air into his lungs. Just disappearing underneath Jaebum’s hand as the alpha touches right over the spot that was covered in darkness like he knew.

Neil stares where Jaebum’s hand was before he moves it as Mark jerks awake. The others are all concerned over Mark, focused on him but didn’t they see it? The alpha wasn’t seeing things right? Was he the only one who can see this?

Oh, things have been weird since that visit earlier…

“Shh, it’s ok, I got you,” Jaebum is saying to Mark as he pulls the omega into his arms.

Neil lifts his eyes to see Mark trying to calm his breathing as he clings to Jaebum and looks around like he’s not sure if he’s actually awake.

“Bummie…” Mark can only get out as he’s scared.

He’s never dreamed like that before. Not something that felt so real and weird like that. Like it was life threatening with red flags going off like a siren.

His hands are shaking, breathing still a bit harsh as he tries to calm down. Jaebum continues to hold him, whispering sweet things into his ear as the omega’s eyes keep darting around to make sure he’s actually awake.

And this is where his eyes find Neil’s as the alpha seems to be sharing the same look. Where Mark moves his hand along Jaebum’s shoulder before he feels something weird. The omega stills, breath hitching as he can feel it moving underneath Jaebum’s skin through the material of his clothing.

Mark must be imagining things right? He just woke up from a bad dream---

But Neil is eyeing that same area before their eyes lock again,

“Yien…” Neil calls out in concern and warning.

Already moving forward as Mark attempts to back up some but the alpha wraps his arms around the omega’s waist tighter,

“No…don’t go…” Jaebum says, his voice strained and not sounding entirely like him.

The others notice it too and this is when Mark keeps his eyes locked with Neil’s as the alpha is already giving silent orders to the others.

Danny sneaks off, heading to the kitchen to tell Jackson to get the twins to a safer place as Mark swallows before taking a deep breath,

“I’m not going anywhere, Bummie.”

He keeps his voice steady, his hands moving down slowly. He runs his fingers over Jaebum’s sleeves of his hoodie before dipping down to the alpha’s side.

“Promise me,” Jaebum says, practically pleading as he doesn’t sound too good.

Mark sucks in air, eyes welling with tears as it’s like Jaebum already knows. But it can’t be…it’s not…

“I promise,” Mark tells him without missing a heart beat.

His voice fills with emotion as the others are ready, breaths being held as Mark slowly raises his one hand that’s underneath the hoodie. Rising it up, up, taking the shirt underneath with him as he reveals the alpha’s skin---

“Oh man…” Bam lets out and Mark has to close his eyes as he continues.

As the others are speechless with Jinyoung clenching his teeth, eyes showing how much this pains him as they can all see it…

The black veins that are running through Jaebum’s body…

“He’s infected,” Youngjae lets out in a shocked, sad tone…

Mark's father didn't expect him to kill his brother, did he?

Chapter Text

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck…” Bam is muttering under his breath as he’s been around enough infected to know that shit hits the fan so fast and at any given time.

“Stop, we need to stay calm,” Jinyoung urges and Bam immediately bites his lips to cut off his distressed sounds.

“He’s right, the calmer we are, the better chances we can figure this out,” Youngjae voices as he tries to move closer.

“Don’t,” Jaebum growls out before his expression becomes sad, “I don’t want to chance it.”

His voice is strained, breathing a little harsh as he’s not feeling too good. You can tell he’s starting to look a little pale too. He’s also sweaty as Mark lifts his hand to remove the stray hair that’s sticking to his face,

“Bummie,” Mark calls out his name as he tries to fight back the tears that keep coming.

Jaebum looks at him, a sad smile trying to form as his eyes show so much love and passion despite the mess he’s in,

“I’m sorry baby…”

Mark shakes his head, a tear falling as Jaebum reaches his hand up to brush it away with his thumb,

“Guess I got too reckless back on the bridge after all,” He tries to joke but instead of making Mark laugh, it turns into a hiccup as more tears come.

Mark leans into Jaebum’s touch, fearing the worst as everyone they’ve experienced that was infected didn’t make it and lost themselves to the venom.

“So that guy that was strapped to the bomb?” Yugyeom brings up as it would be the only logical explanation.

Jaebum wasn’t around during the bank heist with the others that were infected so it had to be.

“But didn’t you check him over?” Bam looks to Youngjae who is just as lost as he was.

“I did. He had some cuts and such from the scuffle and falling off the bridge but there were no signs of infection. I even tested his blood to be extra safe.”

Neil keeps looking at his brother who is zoning in and out and struggling to remain himself. He couldn’t be falling apart here. He needed to be the alpha in this situation. He needed to take over and do something in order to help his brother.

To try and save him…

“The creature said he was attracted to such emotions and found them that way…maybe it attached itself to Jaebum during the scuffle and before they went over the bridge,” Neil says and everyone looks at him like he’s crazy.

“Like a possession?!” Bam lets out in horror.

“Bro, that’s a far stretch now,” Yugyeom says as even to him that seems insane.

But Neil isn’t backing down, “I know, believe me I know, but you’re not seeing what I’m seeing.”

Neil looks back to his brother and can still see the darkness surrounding Jaebum. Can see it getting stronger,

“The way Mark was having a nightmare too, I could also see this darkness like a shadow trying to latch onto him.”

It sounds crazy as he says it but he means it. His expression not only shows it but this is Neil we’re talking about here. He’s not one to just make up random bullshit or to mess around like this.

“My father mentioned those words,” Jackson’s voice is heard as he appears in the living room.

“Gaga, the twins---” Mark starts but Jackson reassures him.

“Danny is with them. He’s taking them to a safe place, don’t worry.”

Jackson just has to look at him and Mark knows that Jackson came back for him. That he would never leave him in a situation like this to do alone.

“But how can you see this and we can’t?” Jinyoung redirects their attention as he doesn’t understand why he can’t see it too.

Neil’s expression becomes torn as his eyes go to Mark and is unsure if he should say it or not.

“Neil, if you know something, tell me. If we can save Bummie we need to not waste anymore time.”

“There’s no saving me,” Jaebum says and the others all look to the alpha.

Staring at their leader who seems to have already accepted his fate,

“No,” Mark cuts him off from saying anything else.

His eyes are fierce even though his voice trembles with emotion,

“Lim Jaebeom, you’re gonna keep fighting and we’re gonna get through this together you hear me?”

Mark’s words are filled with passion and determination. His eyes telling Jaebum that he’s gonna be strong for the both of them. That he needs him…

“I don’t want to hurt you or the others…we’ve seen what those infected do…”

“We’ll find a cure,” Jackson says.

“Yeah, those men that came after Bam must’ve known something about a cure or an antidote or they wouldn’t have gone through all that for nothing,” Yugyeom says and Bam nods.

“My venom, maybe we can figure out what they were trying to do and we can use it to stop the venom from spreading further at least,” Bam suggests as he’s willing to do what it takes to save his leader.

“We’ll need a lab,” Youngjae says as the others are all getting up and ready to go.

Mark helps Jaebum to stand, the alpha being steadied by Jinyoung as the two lock eyes,

“Jinyoung our vows to each other---,” He gets out as they’re face to face.

Jinyoung clasps his hand over Jaebum’s as his expression remains true and doesn’t waver,

“The moment it comes to that, I’ll do it. So until then, you better not give up till the very last second.”

Jaebum nods, finding himself emotional as words catch in his throat. He knows he can count on Jinyoung. That Jinyoung has been through many things with him. Where he’s kicked his ass back into gear and saved it multiple times. He even mentioned to Jinyoung that it would be an honor to die beside him and he means that. And if the day ever came where it was his time to go, he told Jinyoung he gave him permission to end his life. That if they were ever in the situation where it was life or death, he wanted Jinyoung to choose himself. And though neither ever thought a situation like this could occur, it would apply here if Jaebum were to lose himself completely to the virus.

“We can use the lab at the base,” Bam says but then Yugyeom starts to protest,

“But isn’t Jaehyun and Wonho still there?”

Shit, that’s right, they can’t go there and have them see Jaebum like this. Even if they planned on sneaking him through the backway, if they happen to run into those two---

“I’ll take care of them. Shannon has been watching their every move, now let’s go. No matter what happens or what it takes, we’re doing this,” Neil says.

The others agree, Jackson coming to help as Jaebum is a little weak to walk himself to the car.

They keep his hoodie up, covering his face and his body as they help him into the backseat of Neil’s car.

“Yien,” Neil starts to protest but he knows better.

He knows Mark isn’t gonna leave Jaebum’s side and watches as the omega gets into the backseat with him.

It makes him anxious as it does the others but they have to keep things moving. They have to not think the worst and keep pushing forward or Jaebum isn’t gonna make it. He has a chance right now, though slim…he still has a chance…

“Are you able to find out anything?” Bam asks as he’s driving way over the speed limit to keep up with the others as they rush to the base.

Yugyeom is biting his one thumb as he stares at the laptop in front of him,

“No…it’s not…this isn’t making any sense,” Yugyeom says as he’s growing frustrated.

He ends up running a hand through his messy hair before letting out a frustrated noise.

“I know I didn’t get a chance prior to look but could they have deleted everything in case we went to look?” Yugyeom voices as Bam glances his way briefly.

“What do you mean?” Bam wonders as he has to keep looking at the road just in case.

Yugyeom tries something else but when it pops up on his screen the outcome, the alpha clenches his fist as he breathes out harshly,

“Dammit!”

Bam stops at a light, taking a moment to fall behind a few seconds so he can look over and see it say it bright red letters,

‘No Data’

“How is this possible? They should be in the system somehow. They literally worked at this base before. They literally work where those men work right now!”

Yugyeom lets out another breath before locking his eyes with Bam’s,

“This says they don’t exist. That they never existed to start with.”

So even since the beginning? What does that mean? Are they even from the government?

Or was what they’re dealing with so top secret that things are being hush hush? Wouldn’t those men have not existed either then?

A car honking brings Bam back to the situation at hand as he floors it to hurry and catch up,

“We gotta tell the others,” Bam says as Yugyeom is already taking his phone out to send it into the group chat,

“Already on it.”

They’re gonna also have to watch their backs as shit was getting real…

“Guy by the name of Kyle Banks was being interrogated when he suddenly showed signs of being feral and attacked Mark Tuan, an employee at the base. Kyle Banks showed ungodly strength that not even three alpha’s could hold down or bullets could stop,” Jaehyun reads out loud as they’re looking at the files.

The files that Shannon did not help in handing over as she told the two to find themselves or go elsewhere. Shannon has in fact, been making the process even longer as she kept taking them in circles before they even got to the archives inside the base.

“He didn’t look so buff to be doing that,” Wonho jokes nonchalantly as he looks over Jaehyun’s shoulder to see the photos.

“Really? Not everyone can be as massive as you,” Jaehyun replied sarcastically as he keeps reading.

Shannon stands by the doorway looking unpleasant and bored by everything. She’s actually been keeping a close eye on them the entire time though.

“You guys done yet?” She speaks as she pops her gum and continues to tap her nails along her folded arms.

The two stop and give her a look of, ‘Things would’ve been going faster if it wasn’t for you’.

This makes Shannon crack a smirk with a shine in her eyes at causing them a form of torture,

“Anything I can help you with?”

“No,” Wonho says as he hopes this woman stays where she’s at.

Of course she doesn’t as she moves forward to come interrupt them for the millionth time already,

“This kind of work doesn’t seem like your guy’s style,” She purrs out before taking the file Jaehyun was reading and flips through it with a bored look on her face.

Jaehyun is ready to rip his hair out at this point as Shannon is being a total bitch and she knows it.

“Can you not?”

“Not what?” Shannon replies like she has every idea of what she’s doing.

“Stalling isn’t gonna get you anywhere. It’s only gonna make us stay longer,” Wonho says as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“So? I got all day boys,” Shannon replies happily as she pops a squat in the seat across from them and relaxes.

“You’re obviously hiding something or you wouldn’t be doing this,” Jaehyun states with sass and Shannon raises an eyebrow at this,

“We all carry secrets, don’t we? Like you two,” She points one of her manicured fingers at them, “Don’t you think it’s weird that you two just so happen to appear during all this happening? Not only that, but you two used to work here and know Jaebum and Mark personally. Seems mighty fishy if you ask me.”

Jaehyun and Wonho share a look before the omega shrugs and takes the file back from her before continuing with what they were doing.

“Oh, so ignoring me now is what we’re doing, huh?” Shannon snorts as she’s not bothered by this at all.

“I know you two haven’t forgotten how quiet Neil can be.”

“Trust me, we haven’t forgotten about you either,” Jaehyun says.

Shannon lifts her one hand as she’s still in her laid back position,

“Then cut the bullshit and tell us why you’re really here.”

Wonho takes the file from Jaehyun before throwing it down in front of her,

“Because of what’s written right there,” Wonho states.

Shannon looks down and sees the section where Youngjae was talking about the strange substance that all of them are trying to understand.

The venom…

“Shouldn’t we be working together then? Obviously your people let this venom get out since you know more about us than we do. It infected several of your men on top of that and now you’re here to do what? Keep it covered up?”

“To stop it from spreading,” Jaehyun says.

“Sure, I’ll believe that when pigs can fly,” Shannon rolls her eyes,

“Careful what you wish for,” Wonho tells her.

“There must be a cure then, right?” Shannon throws it out there.

Jaehyun shakes his head while Wonho’s expression doesn’t waver,

“There is none.”

Shannon grows a little frustrated, “But someone created it right? A man made hybrid, no?”

She’s not dumb here.

Jaehyun gives her a look, “Did you come up with this conclusion yourself? There is no man made hybrid.”

“The venom is like a virus, a disease that attacks and affects hybrids of all species,” Wonho clarifies.

“Then how did the venom come to be? How did it get this far?” Shannon demands to know.

“Choices and actions people make always come with a consequence. Whereas curiosity can lead to devastating results,” Wonho talks in a sort of riddle.

“Cut the bullshit here,” Shannon says as she’s not happy with this play around, “Why would the men be searching for another snake if they didn’t have a sort of idea or a way for a cure? If this wasn’t from another hybrid with venom?”

Jaehyun sighs as he leans back in his chair, throwing an arm over it nonchalantly,

“Look, we’re obviously not getting anywhere if I have to keep telling you there is no hybrid that created this venom.”

Shannon hits the palms of her hands on the table in front of her as she leans forward,

“Then explain it to me! I have people I care about that are dealing with this dangerous substance!”

Wonho moves from side to side to get more comfortable before he says,

“That ‘cure’ was a theory someone suggested as many have tried to find an antidote or something that can neutralize the effects of the venom or maybe even prolong life before the venom takes over. But it’s inevitable. Once inside your body, that’s it. There’s only a matter of time before it fully takes over. And each one reacts differently to it, the results varying. Based on your species, your second gender, your age, weight, etc. Everything can make it speed up the process or maybe slow it down a little too. One thing we’ve found is that anger, hatred, distress, fear and emotion similar to these speed up the process of the venom spreading faster.”

“Like it feeds off of it,” Jaehyun mutters and Shannon reacts to that.

Because that’s what the creature said on the bridge through the guy that was infected. That he could hear it, attracted to it, latches on---

“They most likely went after a snake hybrid in hopes that they could find a venom that could neutralize the effects but it’s not proven, nor has any tests been run. But the venom isn’t a poison like when a snake bites you so it’s pretty much pointless in trying,” Jaehyun says with no emotion in his voice.

Just straight facts that don't settle right with Shannon.

“So you’re telling me it’s like a cancer,” Shannon voices and Wonho replies with,

“It’s an incurable disease that has plagued this world after someone stumbled upon it.”

“You guys sure seem unaffected when you’re hybrids yourself,” Shannon voices as she’s a bit shaken up over this.

Hybrids have surpassed humans and not being able to get such diseases like cancer and such. But to know now that there was one out there that targeted hybrids and couldn’t be cured…it puts things in a whole new perspective. Makes you compare yourself more to a human in ways.

Shannon looks down as she worries about the others being so involved with this case. Where if one got infected there was no hope. They’d lose their minds and go feral. They’d become aggressive and turn into something that completely takes away what they are. Turning them into a monster---

A vibration is felt in her pocket before she’s reaching in to pull it out and see she’s gotten a text from Neil,

‘Don’t let them leave that room at any cost.’

What? Why? Did they find something?

Shannon replies back,

‘Will do, but can I ask why?’

She might need to know such information in case something goes wrong. But when she receives the reply, she finds her heart stalling and eyes going wide in shock,

‘Jaebum’s infected’

“Is something wrong?” Jaehyun asks as he can see Shannon’s hand shake while holding the phone.

Shannon is quick to control herself, locking her phone and pocketing it back as her face is neutral,

“What ever gave you that idea?”

Wonho’s gaze becomes lethal, “It’s not smart to show fear to a wolf you know.”

Shit---

“What was sent to you?” Jaehyun demands to know, standing up next to Wonho.

Shannon stands her ground though, not moving in the slightest. She is a snake after all and she’s not afraid to become cold in order to save those she cares about.

Her eyes flash in warning and Wonho immediately moves in front of Jaehyun---

“Come on, just a little bit more,” Mark urges as he helps Jaebum out of the car.

The others are pulling up, racing to hop out of their cars and Youngjae is there to help Mark keep Jaebum steady. They’re parked in the underground garage but there is a back way exclusively only for Neil that they’re gonna take to get to the lab faster.

Neil leads the way, though he keeps looking back to check on his brother and Mark.

Things weren't looking good at all. His condition was worsening and Neil has a feeling it has to do with what was trying to latch onto Mark. He could tell as the moment they got him into the car, Jaebum was zoning in and out badly. His hands kept twitching, body jerking weirdly and his eyes kept going to the mirrors. From the rearview to the side ones and even the car window next to him. Just staring at his reflection, hand reaching out to touch against the glass.

And Mark, he kept looking at the omega. Was he trying to ingrain him to memory in what he thinks are gonna be his last moments? Or was he trying to ground himself? Trying to listen to what Mark was saying. Trying to take in his touch and scent…

‘Don’t give up…don’t you dare give up now’

“Hurry,” Neil urges as the others surround Jaebum, Mark and Youngjae.

Creating a barrier in case something goes wrong. Shielding Jaebum from prying eyes as they hurry to get him to one of the labs this base had.

“We’re almost there,” Jackson encourages Jaebum as he briefly touches Mark’s shoulder in comfort.

“We’re gonna figure this out,” Jinyoung also encourages as he keeps his eyes open for Jaehyun and Wonho.

“Are they still with Shannon?” Yugyeom asks Neil as they move about the back way.

“I texted her and she said she’d take care of it,” Neil replies while looking ahead.

“Yeah but what if she has to fight them? She might need backup,” Bam voices his concern but Neil doesn’t miss a beat,

“I trust her like I trust my other men. She’s got this.”

Bam doesn’t push as he understands this. It’s like with him and the pack. He trusts each and every one of them. But still…

“Did Danny reply?” Jackson asks Youngjae and the beta nods,

“The twins are at the safe place and he’s routing back to us. He said he’ll meet us in the lab shortly.”

“Good, we need to all stick together,” Jinyoung says while Mark keeps whispering to Jaebum as they walk.

Encouraging him, pushing him to keep going. Telling him how much he loves him, how much he needs him. Telling him random moments of the twins and random moments they spent together back in the day. Reminding him that he has so much to live for. So much to fight for. A team that needs their leader. A pack that would be nothing without them all together…

Mark is struggling so hard to not break down at seeing Jaebum like this. At seeing him so pale and hurting. Seeing him so weak and sluggish.

Is this what his father went through? Did he suffer like this too?

Yugyeom and Bam open the door to the lab after Neil enters the code and slides his badge through the slot. Jinyoung and Jackson help to clear off a table so Youngjae and Mark can get Jaebum to sit down.

The alpha can barely stay upright, having to lean on Mark with his head drooping against his shoulder.

“We don’t have much time,” Yugyeom says as he sees this.

“What can I do? You need my venom right?” Bam is hurrying out his words as he panics in not knowing if he should sit, stand, hold out his arm or what.

“We need to take a sample of his blood,” Youngjae says as he’s moving to grab the necessary things to do so.

Jinyoung helps by rolling up Jaebum’s sleeve, wincing as he sees the veins are appearing more and more.

“That’s got to be painful,” Jackson says under his breath as he watches Youngjae come forth with a needle to stick into his arm.

“Sh…very,” Jaebum manages to breathe out harshly, his head lifting a bit as he’s panting now,

“Can feel it moving under my skin---” Jaebum suddenly leans forward and heaves, throwing up blood mixed with bile and the dark substance.

The others move back, watching in horror while Mark and Youngjae keep Jaebum from falling forward.

“Its spreading too fast,” Neil says as the dark aura around Jaebum is getting stronger by the minute now.

“Guys---” Danny’s voice is heard as he enters the room to find the chaos already unfolding,

“Oh, this is not good…” Danny trails off while reaching up to touch his face, “Maybe Jaebum needs an angel like the twins have been seeing to save him.”

“What?” Neil asks in shock as he rounds on Danny.

He blocks Danny from seeing what’s going on in the background as Youngjae is pushing forward to continue to find a cure to this.

“Um…I mean they’re kids. While I was driving them, Kyo said it’s not safe anymore. And Lilly said it’s because the monster scared away the angel watching over them.”

Angel…no…

“Did you ask them who? What they looked like?” Neil needs to know as he rests his hands on Danny’s shoulders.

Danny has no clue and looks confused as to why Neil seems adamant on knowing,

“Th-they said it was their grandpa.”

Jackson and Jinyoung both react to this as do Mark.

“Lilly said something about her grandpa earlier too,” Jinyoung says as he shares a look with Jackson,

“And my Mom talked about it too.”

Could that mean something?

“Then in the bedroom when I thought I saw something---” Mark starts as he recalls seeing something in the mirror briefly.

To Mr. Wang looking at the mirrors too and talking about light and darkness like that creature did. Saying something about the Underworld---

Youngjae had moved away from Jaebum as he was looking at the blood sample inside the tube when a very animalistic growl was heard coming from the alpha.

“Mark,” Neil calls out his name as he moves forth.

He pulls Mark away even though the omega protests and Jaebum grips the edges of the table. Fangs are bared, breathing harsh as Jaebum is getting worse,

“Now…kill me now…” Jaebum urges, his voice sounding inhuman as he begs.

The others are worried it might be too late but Jinyoung isn’t giving up yet,

“Not yet, there’s still time.”

“No…now…can feel it…feel I’m slipping…” Jaebum struggles to get out, his head lifting as he looks right at Mark,

“Can feel…he’s inside me…”

Dread settles in as Mark shakes his head,

“He can’t have you…he’s already taken my father…dammit, you can’t have him!” Mark exclaims with tears in his eyes.

He goes to move forth but Neil holds him back.

“He’s my mate! Take me instead!”

“Mark no,” Neil struggles to keep Mark in his arms as the omega is getting worked up,

“You want me so take me! But leave him alone! I just got him back…please…I can’t lose him again…I love him---No! Stop! Bummie!” Mark pleads as Jaebum is giving him such a sad pitiful expression as if already getting ready to mentally say goodbye.

Neil doesn’t hesitate to pick Mark up to remove him from the room when all hell suddenly breaks loose. The windows in the lab shatter as well as little devices being rolled in. Right away, Jinyoung knows they’re smoke bombs along with flash bangs before they go off.

Men in suited attire are coming in, weapons raised as darts are felt going into their necks. Jinyoung manages to dodge the one dart as he knew it was coming but seeing his members dropping like flies didn’t help. His heart was beating faster, his adrenaline kicking in as this was a life or death situation here. Smoke surrounded them as men were coming through the fog. He can hear Mark crying out for Jaebum as Jaebum called out for him. There’s loud growling too, sounding feral as someone says,

“He’s infected alright, let's take him in boys along with the omega. Our luck, he’s already pregnant with a baby carrying the venom.”

Wait…what?!

This news hits Jinyoung hard, especially when hearing Jaebum releasing noises of pain and agony as he continued to cry out to Mark. Jinyoung fights hard, pushing himself and managing to take down a few men but then Wonho appears out of nowhere from the fog and the next second he’s being hit in the back of the head with Jaehyun’s gun.

His body slumps to the ground, things blurring, the chaos continuing as sounds are coming from far away now. His vision going dark as the last thing he sees is that he ended up near Jackson…

Jinyoung reaches out his hand, barely brushing along Jackson’s fingers before his body gives out as another hit to his head has him out cold…

By the time the fog clears, the damage has already been done. The lab is destroyed, the alarms going off while Mark and Jaebum are missing…
The best part though is that the others aren’t even in the building anymore either. For when they wake up, they find they’re in a whole nother place entirely.

And let me tell you, Jinyoung is not happy that the first thing he sees is Jaehyun and Wonho…

Fists may fly

Chapter Text

Beep

Beep

Beep

“His vitals are still good,” Someone says as they appear in a long white lab coat.

They’re looking at a clipboard that says ‘Mark Tuan’ on the top while he walks inside the room.

“The lab results are incredible Sir. He’s completely venom free despite all the chances of getting infected,” A nurse lets out in awe.

The doctor puts down the clipboard as they stand in front of the bed Mark is in. The omega is hooked up to several machines, I.V. you name it. All to run several tests and keep Mark under at the moment as they watch his vitals.

“He should’ve been infected the moment the alpha’s sperm entered his system. Instead, only the baby supposedly has the venom inside of them.”

The nurse becomes even more ecstatic,

“This is it, Sir. We’re finally able to bring in the first ever born creature with the venom found deep underground.”

The doctor doesn’t seem excited as she is though,

“Yes, this is years worth of break through but we can’t celebrate yet. Just because the omega is pregnant with an alpha that is infected, doesn’t mean this child is a prodigy of such a result. Like I said, the omega should’ve been infected by now through all the intimacy they had together.”

The nurse’s excitement dies off a little but she is still happy,

“This is promising though, Sir. After many failed attempts at creating a creature with the venom this could still be something. Maybe even one step closer to what we’ve all been trying to achieve. It has to mean something since Subject 000 has taken an interest in the omega.”

The doctor sees her valid point,

“True. Subject 000 has been in our possession for years now and not once have we been able to control him or get him to do what we want. Containing him is all we’ve been able to do and that’s only because he can’t leave into the light in his current state.”

“Bringing him out of his state of comatose didn’t go to waste and we’ve been able to study the venom more that runs through him.”

The doctor grows angry, “If only those greedy bastards didn’t get so carried away. They’re all about money when I told them of the dangers of this and got careless anyway and let the venom get loose out into the world. We still don’t know where it exactly originated from. Could be from the very Earth itself but whatever this dark substance is, it’s not something that should continue to be handled carelessly.”

“I agree, Sir,” The nurse says as she straightens up under his anger,

“Should I go check on the alpha? Last I checked, he’s surprisingly still fighting against it. No other hybrid so far has been able to do so.”

The doctor looks over to the sleeping omega, “Well we did come and take his mate so I’m sure his alpha instincts are going off the charts right now. But that should’ve been more than enough to push him over with the venom running through his veins and him to start mutating…”

Could one’s willpower and love for someone truly go this far? It can’t possibly be enough…

“Go check on the alpha. I’m gonna stay here and get things set up for we won’t be able to tell if the baby is what we’re looking for until they’re farther along. This is merely the beginning,” The doctor says before the nurse excuses herself.

Mark can be seen just lying there as he has no clue what’s happening around him…

Jinyoung’s eyelashes start to flutter as the alpha finds himself waking up. The others around him meet a similar fate as some groan and move as they start to come to.

“Where am I?” Bam asks before he even opens his eyes and finds Yugyeom already sitting up.

The alpha looks like he was doped up with some good shit too as he blinks slowly and tries to make sense of why the others are all waking up around him. Like Youngjae for instance as the beta grips his head,

“Ugh, why do I have a headache? I feel like I hit my head on something…”

That might be because he did as the moment the dart hit him and the chaos was unfolding, well, the first thing he hit on his way down from getting weak was the table.

“Let me see,” Danny says as he’s nearby and already reaching over to check over his mate.

Youngjae leans into his touch, thanking him as Danny helps to lightly massage the area that’s sore,

“There’s some dried blood but the wound is healed,” Danny says though he’s still worried over his mate.

“Why am I shirtless?” Jackson asks as he realizes his shirt is gone.

Did he not have it on before? Oh wait, where did these bandages come from---

The moment Jackson runs over them it’s like the memories of the event prior hit him like a freight train and he gasps loudly.

“YIEN!” Jackson exclaims as his head jerks up and worry takes over him.

He’s looking around, not even recognizing the place they’re in and not seeing Mark or Jaebum---

A hand touches his shoulder and the alpha finds himself being grounded as he turns to face his mate. As he sees Jinyoung’s sad expression,

“They must’ve been taken during the ambush.”

“Those bastards, they were waiting the whole time,” Yugyeom grits out as he immediately knows Jaehyun and Wonho were behind this.

“It really was those two,” Bam trails off as everything was settling in.

“Wonho had stopped me in the fog before Jaehyun attacked me from behind…” Jinyoung’s expression shows pain as he recalls what he remembers, “I could hear Mark crying out before hearing Jaebum going ballistic in the background.”

“I did too,” Danny says as his expression is strained with so many emotions.

“I couldn’t see shit and everything happened so fast that before I knew it I was down,” Bam said.

“They must’ve known information about us. Hell, that one team knew about Bam being a snake so it wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve been watching us from the beginning,” Yugyeom says out in frustration.

Bam reaches over and squeezes his knee in comfort with Yugyeom pulling the beta closer against him in response.

“I tried…” Jackson attempts to get out as he can still hear his brother crying out and Jaebum trying everything in his power to get to Mark.

His hands are clenched into fists, expression raw and open,

“He was right there within grasp but those men surrounded Yien so fast and Neil…he was on the ground severely wounded. Jaebum had launched over us and I rushed to help Neil as he was still caught in the fray. I was supposed to be helping him and instead he was saving my life before I blacked out.”

Even being severely wounded, Neil didn’t hesitate to risk his life further.

Man it must be a Lim thing…

Jinyoung is already up and standing, ready to go into action and not caring that his weapons and such were taken. Fuck that, he doesn’t need them. He’ll fight his way through with just his hands if he has to.

“Uh, Jinyoung?” Youngjae voices as he notices the alpha striding forth toward the door.

“We’re wasting too much time. They took Mark and Jaebum and we need to find them before god knows what is being done to them,” Jinyoung sasses.

He goes right to the door, finding it opening at the same time automatically before someone appears on the other side---

Jinyoung is already throwing a punch and almost makes contact if the person on the other side wasn’t expecting it,

“Had a feeling this was coming,” Jaehyun’s voice is heard as he catches Jinyoung’s fist in the palm of his hand.

Jinyoung snarls, eyes fierce as he’s moving more but Wonho steps in and grabs the alpha. Jinyoung is slammed up against the wall and Jackson growls as he’s baring fangs---

“How about we all calm down for one second so we can explain ourselves, no?” Jaehyun insists as the others are seconds from attacking as well.

“What is there to explain?!” Jinyoung seethes before finding himself being set back down on his feet but shoved a way a bit to keep distance.

Jinyoung stumbles a bit backwards but catches himself with ease. Jackson is already by his side, steadying him while the others get closer.

“You have a reason behind kidnapping all of us?” Jackson questions with a bit of a bite behind his tone.

“Not kidnapping, we saved your asses,” Wonho states.

“Saved? You really want us to believe that? You killed those men at the bank,” Jackson fires back.

“You guys aren’t in the government at all, are you?” Yugyeom also throws in there.

“Yeah, we know you guys don’t even exist in the system!” Bam exclaims.

“You better start speaking the truth,” Danny warns as this wasn’t looking good on their part.

Jaehyun and Wonho stand there unaffected as if they’re used to all of this. Jaehyun even sighs as he runs a hand through his hair!

“Stuff like this is one of the reasons I don’t like what I do,” Jaehyun says to Wonho before looking at the others with a chill expression,

“Believe what you want but you’ll find out that you guys didn’t get killed by those men that planned on doing just that.”

Oh?

“During the chaos, Jaehyun and I along with a few others of our corporation jumped in and saved you guys while they focused on extracting Mark and Jaebum from the site,” Wonho fills in.

“But you knocked me out,” Jinyoung frowns.

“Time was limited and if you were still running around trying to play hero you could either foil our rescue or get yourself killed so I apologize but I had to do what was needed,” Jaehyun clarifies.

“Why save us? What are you even doing? I thought you were after the venom and keeping it hush hush,” Youngjae lets out as he’s getting tired of this beating around the bush.

Jaehyun and Wonho share a look before relaxing their posture more and throwing a warm expression,

“We wanted to help our old comrades of course,” Wonho emphasizes.

“Mark and Jaebum will always be our comrades regardless of what we do or the original intent back then. We grew fond of them and when we found out the danger they were in, we wanted to try and get in before things got out of hand. Sadly, thanks to Shannon’s involvement, we weren't fast enough to stop Mark and Jaebum from getting taken,” Jaehyun says.

“Shannon? Is she ok?” Danny worries before Bam is freaking out,

“Tell me you didn’t kill her!” He lets out as he starts to march forth to give them a piece of his mind if it wasn’t for Yugyeom in holding him back.

“She’s fine. We had a little fight but neither was seriously injured,” Wonho reassures, “If you’d like, we can take you to her as she’s tending to Neil right now.

Jackson perks up at this, taking a step forward,

“He was hurt badly during all of this,” You can hear the concern in his voice.

“Don’t worry kid, he’ll pull through too,” Jaehyun replies with a small smile.

“Kid?” Jackson says in confusion as he’s no kid but Wonho is already moving things forward,

“We got the best staff to treat his wounds and he’s resting right now. Our old Boss has always been admirable and never afraid to jump right into battle in the time of need. I honestly don’t think anything will bring that man down.”

Jaehyun and Wonho start walking toward the doors and the others follow instinctively. I mean, this can’t be a trap within a trap, right?

“Come, you guys want answers and we can give them. Maybe we’ll be able to locate the others by then,” Jaehyun gestures with his head for them to keep following.

“You’ll tell us about the venom?” Youngjae asks as he’s moving forward first.

“Youngjae,” Danny calls out in worry but the beta isn’t scared and proceeds forward.

“The venom isn’t from this world,” Wonho starts off as the guys follow them through this big fancy facility.

There’s people walking all around but for the most part in very similar attire like hunters wear.

“Are you guys hunters?” Jinyoung can’t help but ask right away as he feels like he’d fit right in with the similar attire.

Jaehyun laughs at that, “In a way I guess you could say that.”

“Hold up, go back to the venom. You said not of this world?” Bam keeps them on track for once as this was some hella big information.

“It’s from the Underworld,” Wonho answers as he looks over his shoulder at them.

“Ah! My father mentioned that too! Especially when talking about Mark’s father!” Jackson points out in awe.

“And that’s the original reason of why we got on that case with Mark…well, let me rephrase that, we weren't partners during then yet. But we had the same goal which was to find out what happened to Li Jie,” Jaehyun says.

“Because he went to the Underworld?” Jackson throws back in question and Wonho nods,

“Precisely why. Someone was able to get him through to the other side and just dropped off the face of the planet. Not even I could find him as someone or something was hiding him in the shadows,” Wonho replies as he holds his hands behind his back while he walks.

“And trust me, those from the Underworld are not friendly,” Jaehyun says and Wonho raises an eyebrow at him.

“Mostly,” Jaehyun corrects and Wonho can’t argue with that.

“We never could find anything nor did Mark know what even happened to his father in the first place,” Wonho sighs as he recalls those times.

“We had hoped his father would resurface during then but he hadn’t…not until the twins were born.”

“Oh my god, the twins really were talking about him,” Danny lets out in awe as he clamps his face with his hands.

Jaehyun shows a sad smile, “He had already given his life to protect his son and he ended up ‘dying’ again just to help awaken his son.”
“Awaken?” Yugyeom is unsure of what he means here.

Jackson stops walking for a second, his expression full of raw emotion,

“Mark…he wasn’t supposed to make it through his pregnancy, much less through labor. There were so many complications and he refused to mate with Neil…but not once did he give up on having the twins. He was so weak before he went into labor and at one point…he flat-lined before he could give birth…” You could see on his face that this was extremely hard to talk about.

Bam and Danny even showed how hard it was to recall those days.

“The doctors were about to rush into an emergency C section to try and save the twins as they got ready to revive him…and though it was only seconds it felt like forever until I heard the sound of his heartbeat with my own ears…but he did it…He came back like some miracle and gave birth to the twins soon after.”

Jackson always tears up when he recalls those days and right now was no exception.

“He was ‘reborn’ in that moment,” Wonho explains, “His father helped him through it though I’m sure Mark doesn’t remember that moment. He wasn’t supposed to come back to start with anyway…neither were the twins.”

The others all gasp, looks of shock written all over their faces.

“Li Jie broke all the rules in what he’d done and changed fate along with it,” Jaehyun says though he can’t blame him.

“But it wasn’t just Li Jie that helped Mark pull through as something was needed that was powerful in itself to do something like that. Something that kept Mark going like it pushed Li Jie to do what he had done.”

“Love,” The others all reply and Wonho nods slowly,

“Mark’s love for the alpha and the twins, all the way down to his loved ones helped him to pull through and recover.”

“Jaebum always said love was the most powerful weapon,” Youngjae says.

“You’ll be surprised at what it can truly accomplish,” Jaehyun says as they keep moving.

Jinyoung reaches out, brushing his fingers along Jackson’s as the alpha instantly intertwines their hands together.

“But just like love, hate and anger along with other emotions can be just as powerful. Like good and evil, light and darkness, they go hand in hand. Feeding off each other, balancing each other out,” Wonho says, “Until it doesn’t and then chaos reigns, the darkness tries to feed and take over where it doesn’t belong and light struggles to hold it back.”

“The venom?” Danny brings up.

“Bingo,” Jaehyun sasses, “The humans of this world and the government you work for decided to play God with it and now look where we are. Fighting to prevent the Underworld from fully unleashing into ours and taking over the world of Light.”

“Why does this sound like some fantasy novel?” Yugyeom is putting out there as this all sounds crazy.

“Next you’re gonna say angels and demons are real,” Bam laughs out nervously before gulping as both Jaehyun and Wonho give him a look.

“Oh my god, you’re not serious!”

“That thing that’s been after Mark, it’s not a hybrid nor is it of this world,” Wonho states.

“It’s been going through the infected as it doesn’t have a stable form of its own to walk this world. For as a beast that size needs a special kind of vessel to take hold of in order to survive in the light. Though no one has been able to find where its original form is located, my guess is it’s somewhere underground or a cave where the humans found the venom,” Jaehyun informs.

“Why do you say that?” Jinyoung wants to know more.

“Because the creature itself is made of the venom. All creatures of the Underworld have the venom running through them and are the only ones that can survive with it,” Jaehyun says without looking back at them.

“How do you know though?” Youngjae is next to ask a question, “Have you guys been experimenting too?”

Jaehyun gets this sad look on his face that he notices before he hears Wonho reply,

“I’m living proof as I too had been infected but got lucky in my circumstances.”

The others perk up at this,

“Wait, that means there is a way to save Jaebum!” Bam grows excited as he shakes Yugyeom’s shoulder.

“Not so fast, hotshot. I’m afraid life doesn’t work that way. Wonho had to become a demon hybrid and it’s not something just anyone can do, nor is it something you just want to go and find a random demon to try and let take over you. Cause nine times out of ten, that’s it and you’ll be gone in a blink of an eye and the demon will take full control,” Jaehyun is quick to rain on their parade,

“Like I said, I got lucky.”

But what about Jaebum then? What’s gonna happen to him?

The others don’t get to ask that question as they’re soon entering a room where they find it's a medical bay. Where they see Shannon sitting on the edge of the bed as she’s leaning over and gently waking Neil who is all bandaged up in bed…

Speaking of Jaebum, he’s not doing too good. The moment he was knocked out and thought he had woken up…well…

He finds he hasn’t or at least not where he’s supposed to be…

Unless this place is dark, old and is this a cave?

His legs move him forward and it’s kind of weird because he remembers he was infected but right now as he looks at himself he appears to be fine---

“Lim Jaebeom is your name…”

It’s said in a way of knowing and it grabs Jaebum’s attention as he lifts his head and finds he’s no longer alone in this cave. In fact, the ground trembles as heavy footsteps can be heard from deeper within. It sends the hair on the back of Jaebum’s neck up as he continues to stare into pitch darkness but knows something is looking directly back at him. And at first he can’t see it, but the moment he does, he recalls exactly what Kyo had said…

Yellow, golden eyes with dark scales…

He’s staring at the monster Kyo had seen in the mirror. The one he can feel inside him…

Chapter Text

“And your name?” Jaebum asks as he keeps direct eye contact with this giant beast.

The creature seems amused as he peeks his head out from the darkness and reveals its head and long snout. Those yellow, golden eyes similar to that of a reptile as the head makes you think of dragons that legends speak of.

“I was never given a proper name. I just existed.”

The black dragon’s mouth wasn’t moving but Jaebum could hear him loud and clear.

“What are you?” Jaebum asks instead and the creature moves forth more, showing off his long scaly wings and thick body.

His tail curled out as ragged pointy scales resided on his back,

“I was a guardian of the Underworld once upon a time until I found myself here on the other side.”

“Guardian?” Jaebum is confused and the creature looks bored now,

“You sure ask a lot of questions. Do you not know what a guardian is? I was a gatekeeper. I kept balance between the worlds and made sure nothing big like me got out. My kind was going extinct though so I guess it was only a matter of time before our downfall.”

“Things full of the venom…” Jaebum breathes out and the dragon perks up,

“I knew you were smart. Yes, the creatures of the Underworld are made of the venom you speak of. It’s literally the Underworld itself and because it’s within us, we can’t survive in this world like you can unless we have a suitable vessel. It’s why demons try to possess or hide within the shadows or even move through other objects.”

“You were moving through those infected,” Jaebum points out and the dragon lowers his head closer to the alpha,

“The humans of your world trapped me in this cave deep underground. How I ended up here in the first place, I don’t know. But I know I can’t leave this place. Humans tried to test on me and get close but I killed all of them. I don’t like them but for some reason you guys try and protect them. The same people that have me here are the same people that ended up getting Li Jie killed.”

Jaebum’s eyes go wide at that, “No, that was you. Weren't you infecting them?”

“Me? Didn’t I tell you I can’t leave this place physically? I moved through those infected by the venom but I did not infect them. I took over their bodies briefly but none could sustain me for long so there would be no point in me infecting them. I admit I used them to my own advantage but the venom was already getting out from other sources.”

“But you wanted Mark. You were the one inside Kyle when this all started.”

“Correction. I tried to take over Kyle but in the end it didn’t work out and when I was pushed out, he went feral and attacked Mark. I did lead Kyle into meeting with Mark though, yes because I wanted to get closer to him. I’ve always been fascinated with Mark since meeting Li Jie.”

“That’s why you killed him,” Jaebum is sure of this but the dragon suddenly bares fangs and gets all up in the alpha’s face,

“I did no such thing! I protected him and brought him to me where it was safe! But he couldn’t stay. He refused to bond with me and took his own life in sacrifice of protecting everyone around him. In doing so, it awakened him and he came back as a different entity. Time is different between worlds as it is stuck in between like I am…so what could be minutes here could be years for your people…The next second he had to go as he said Mark needed him. He never came back.”

The dragon’s anger calms as it turns into what appears to be sadness and the creature backs up some,

“I’ve been waiting all this time until I decided to try and find Mark myself. Li Jie always spoke of him and I could feel that word Mark spoke of…love…and I wanted to see it for myself. To experience it. And when I finally found Mark, I was taken over with so many urges. Seeing such a beautiful light like his…I’ve never seen it before. I won’t lie, I got carried away, wanting to get closer, doing whatever it took. Like your alpha instincts, I have my own and the urge to mate with Mark is very high---”

It’s Jaebum’s turn to bare his own fangs as he’s not afraid to go head to head with this giant beast,

“Mark is my mate! You can’t have him!”

The dragon smirks, his fangs showing off, “We already bred him, Jaebum. He’s pregnant with our seed growing inside of him.”

We?!

Jaebum’s eyes went wide in panic, “You were already inside me…”

“Ah, now you’re getting it.”

Jaebum’s mind starts racing as he’s putting pieces together, “It had to be since the bridge like they said but I wasn’t…”

“You were. Long before the bridge you were infected by Kyle, you just weren't showing signs yet. It wasn’t until the bridge and I latched onto you that I was slowing down the effects. When I got careless and tried to possess you myself though, I ended up speeding up the process. I almost succeeded but I…I stopped.”

‘That means Jackson---wait, did he just say he tried to possess me?!’

The incident upstairs was now making more sense.

“Don’t give me that look, do you not remember what I am? I’m a creature of the Underworld and I’m not afraid to take what I want. And we all know I want Mark.”

“Then why did you stop? Because of Li Jie appearing in the bedroom?”

“Though that came as a shock to me, no. It was Mark.”

The dragon eyes Jaebum with such strong emotions of hate and anger,

“Mark wants you. The way he wanted you to mate with him, the emotions, feelings he has towards you, I felt them. I felt that strong emotion you guys call love and how it's all for you. Even with me feeding off you during the breeding session---”

“We were making love,” Jaebum corrects him with a low growl coming forth.

The dragon looks ready to kill him but doesn’t as he continues, “The whole time I was attached to you, I saw how important you were to him. Especially when he called out for you during the attack of another demon trying to latch onto him. When he fought so hard to cure you and keep you beside him. Speaking of the memories between you too and the kids you have together. Those tears falling as he pleaded for me to take him instead of you just so you’d remain alive…I couldn’t do it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The me back then wouldn’t have cared. I would’ve just taken him. I would’ve killed you right from the start without a second thought. But now here I am trying to save your ass because I can’t bear the thought of him crying again. I don’t want to see him sad.”

This dragon can care? This weird demon creature can have feelings other than hate, anger and just pure evil?

The dragon narrows his eyes at him, “We must bond together and become one.”

Excuse me?!

“No,” Jaebum flat out says as there’s no way he’s gonna agree to that.

The dragon grows mad, roaring loudly that it shakes the entire cave and hurts Jaebum’s ears,

“You talk like you have a choice! You’re infected! You won’t survive the moment I let go. You’re only choice is with me!”

Jaebum doesn’t bow down, “And what? Let you take me over like you originally wanted? I’ll take my chances.”

“You honestly think you can fight this? There is no cure for your kind in this world. The venom was never meant to come to this side so what makes you think you can fend it off for however long a ‘cure’ might come to be? You’ll be gone the moment you wake up. You’re lucky I’m keeping you in this state, now let me in.”

“You just want Mark---”

“I do! But Mark wants you. If not, I would’ve already just taken you over and let you die but it’s not this body Mark wants. He wants your heart and soul that comes with it. Something I don’t have. I want to obtain his love like you can but I can’t do that without you. So we’ll share one body together and you get to continue living and being with Mark and I’ll get more of his love in return.”

The way the dragon says it and gets all happy like it’s something worth more than money or yummy food combined.

Jaebum finds himself calming down a bit, “Can you feed off love?”

He thought he could only feed off negative emotions.

“I didn’t think so at first because we also feed off of light but what do you know, love produces a lot of light and energy and it feels very nice feeding from,” The dragon says merrily.

You’ve got to be kidding me…

“And sex…what I wouldn’t give to get my hands on him like that again---” The dragon continues dreamily before Jaebum growls.

The dragon stops, his tone growing serious as he locks eyes with Jaebum once more,

“Mark is in danger. Those humans are gonna test on him if we don’t do something now. They want the child that’s inside him and that could lead to his death. So what’s it gonna be?”

Jaebum may not be able to trust this dragon but he knows one thing for certain, the dragon’s obsession with Mark. That the dragon would go to such lengths to get close to him and take down others around him to do it. And right now, he needs that. Right now, they were taken to some facility where they’re gonna test on Mark and he needs to save him. In doing so would mean bonding with the dragon. It’ll mean sharing one body, forging their consciences together and becoming one.

He can’t say no. There was no time, no cure. There was no telling if there’d ever be one and Mark needed him now. Even if he loses himself, even if he has to suffer, he’ll do it.

He’ll always choose Mark…

The dragon can tell before Jaebum even says anything, the dragon voicing his thoughts,

“We are similar, the same.”

Both wanting to do this for Mark, to remain by his side and keep him safe, happy and healthy.

“Let’s do it,” Jaebum says with determination and passion blazing in his eyes.

The dragon nods his head, both keeping their eyes locked as the dragon approaches him---

The nurse enters the room right as Jaebum’s heart monitor starts to go insanely fast. The people in the room took notice as many were busy writing things down or running tests. They all stop as they look at the alpha suddenly convulsing on the bed.

Growls, snarls and inhuman sounds are heard as they can see the black veins moving underneath his skin. The monitor is going crazy, his vital signs rising fast as the people move back.

“The sedatives must be wearing off, he’s gonna mutate!” One exclaims in horror as she thinks they should leave.

But the nurse continues to watch stopping the others as Jaebum’s body suddenly stops,

“Wait!”

They all watch, letting out gasps as Jaebum’s back arches and he lets out a loud pained cry. The black veins seem to move fast under his skin, all of them heading toward his face and into his eyes where they go completely pitch black. You can hear bones cracking and breaking, Jaebum’s pained cries continuing to be voiced but they don’t see any physical mutation. All they see is Jaebum collapsing back down on the bed and the monitor stabilizing.

“The veins disappeared…” One says in complete awe as the color in his complexion was coming back as well.

“But that’s impossible,” Another lets out as they approach the table.

“It all got sucked in somehow, I don’t know, you saw it!” One exclaims as she gestures to the proof before her.

The nurse goes right up to him to get a closer look as she’s beaming in happiness,

“This could be revolutionary! Quick, send out an alert for---” The nurse says as she looks away for a moment toward the others.

It’s at this moment where Jaebum’s eyes open, shining of a yellow, golden as he reaches out fast and grabs the nurse by the throat.

The nurse gasps for air, struggling to breathe as claws shred in with ease and blood is pooling.

Jaebum stands up, holding the nurse above him as he smirks wickedly.

The nurse gurgles her last breath, Jaebum dropping her like a rag doll before locking eyes with the others. The people scream, one hitting the emergency button and an alarm is sounding off while others are scrambling to get out of the room before the doors are barricaded.

Jaebum takes his time, smirk still there as he’s gonna have fun with this…

Meanwhile, Neil is starting to come to when someone rushes into the room,

“We have a hit!”

Jaehyun and Wonho turn to see Jungkook standing there as he’s panting to catch his breath.

“A hit?” Yugyeom voices as he has no idea what they’re talking about.

“Right now? In this world?” Jaehyun is moving forth as he asks Jungkook.

Jungkook nods, “And it’s a big one, like super big!”

“But that should be impossible,” Wonho says.

“I know, but that’s not all,” Jungkook says before smiling to show off his bunny teeth.

“It picked up on a facility in China. A facility that was shut down many years ago due to radiation exposure.”

Jaehyun and Wonho both share a look.

Could it be?!

“We need to hurry,” Jaehyun says before turning to look at the others,

“Lets go, Jungkook, grab Jackson some clothes, in fact, grab them all attire and get us transportation set up.”

“Roger!” Jungkook lets out as he starts to take off, “Suga hyung is gonna love this!”

“Um what is happening?” Bam voices as they all stand there lost,

“You want to know the truth don’t you?” Wonho questions as him and Jaehyun turn to face them.

“You’re about to see what we do and what we deal with on a daily basis. Not to mention, hopefully finding the others as well.”

They perk up at hearing about Mark and Jaebum and are all on board with this. Not even hesitating to rush out the door with the two as they’re ready to follow the ends of the Earth if it means getting back their pack members…

“Wow,” Danny lets out as they approach the area.

So much has happened in such a short span of time that he can’t even possibly comprehend into words right now. And then right before him, well---

“Their were still people inside here?” Jackson can’t believe it as the facility looks heavily damaged with parts of it collapsed.

“No, this damage was new, look at the debris and soil,” Jinyoung announces as they start to inspect the damage.

“I can smell a fire or what used to be one too,” Yugyeom says as he sniffs the air.

“Are we too late? Where is everyone?” Youngjae lets out in worry as he starts to head toward the entrance---

They all stop the moment Wonho says,

“Hold it.”

Their hearts start to thump faster, hands ready to reach for weapons as Wonho must sense something they can’t. Suddenly they can hear footsteps walking over debris and they hold their breaths. Jinyoung is ready to make a move first if he has to but what they see has them all staring in shock…

Jaebum is walking out, Mark still unconscious in his arms…

The alpha is unharmed, no black veins showing either as the others had no idea what that means. But they’re happy, racing forth to surround the two as they’re reunited with each other. Jaebum smiling and hugging back. Touching each of his pack as they cry and cheer and start to check over them. All of them are happy that they’re all alive and made it…

But this was truly only the beginning of what was to come…