It was official. This Halloween would go down as the worst one in the history of his life.

Ryeowook knew he shouldn’t have agreed to the variety show request. The premise was already questionable, but then add in his apparent bad luck, and things had taken a turn for the worst. The production team had assured them that although they were in the wilderness, no one had ever reported an animal attack. Clearly, they hadn’t done their research well enough, because Ryeowook was currently gaping at a gash in his arm that stretched from wrist to elbow. Just looking at it made him want to puke, while the shock of the injury was spiking his heart rate beyond the safe range.

People were rushing around him, making calls and shouting for disinfectant. A part of Ryeowook wanted to spit at them that an entire bottle of disinfectant wouldn’t be saving him from anything. What could only be considered a wolf had burst through the trees and gone directly for him, driving claws and teeth into his arm.

Between his own deafening screams and the whirlwind of people around him, he had barely understood the course of events. One second, his body was on fire and the next, his arm was spewing blood while he tried to gain his bearings. Whatever had attacked him was long gone and the staff weren’t planning on pursuing it as far as Ryeowook could tell.

He didn’t blame them. A human, armed or not, would probably be killed if they went toe-to-toe with that beast.

The burning of the disinfectant barely registered through the rest of the pain. Ryeowook was both glad and queasy at the thought. He took deep breaths, trying not to focus on the thick gauze wrapping tightly around his mangled forearm. Everything felt like it was spinning and he was sure that couldn’t be normal.

“Hey, hey, stay with us.”

you. Ryeowook glared at the blurry figure hovering over him. He had done well enough thus far, and he believed it was time for some rest. Why did they even need him to be awake? Ryeowook’s eyes fluttered shut to muffled cries.

When he next awoke, it was to the beeping of a heart monitor—his own heart monitor—and concerned, familiar eyes. Blinking back the sleepiness, Ryeowook his dry lips and tried to focus on the lovely set of eyes watching him. “Hey,” he greeted hoarsely, voice sounding somewhere between broken glass and radio static.

Kyuhyun let out a sigh, shoulder slumping as he threw both arms around the bedridden man. His fingers tangled in Ryeowook’s short hair, other arm gripping his shoulders firmly. “You scared all of us,” he scolded, frowning.

“I was scared too,” he assured, coughing lightly. Looking down, he saw that his wound had been redressed.

“They had to stitch it up,” Kyuhyun explained, reluctantly releasing his bandmate. “It was still bleeding badly when you arrived at the hospital. They gave you a transfusion to be safe.” He fussed with Ryeowook’s pillows before reaching over to the bedside table and picking up a glass of lukewarm water. Holding it up, he tilted it against Ryeowook’s lips. “Drink.”

Obediently, he sipped the liquid life, immediately feeling better already. He pushed the cup away after a moment and returned to examining his arm. “Did they tell you any details? I’m honestly not sure what happened. There was just this huge…wolf, I think, that came out of nowhere and jumped me.” Ryeowook shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t even know there were wolves in this part of the country.”

“There shouldn’t be,” Kyuhyun agreed, sitting down at the foot of his friend’s bed. “Maybe it was illegally traded here? Or maybe it escaped from an exotic animal exhibit?” He pressed a hand against Ryeowook’ blanket covered thigh, massaging it absently. “Don’t worry about it anymore. You’re not going anywhere near that variety show or those woods ever again. I can’t believe any of us agreed to you going.”

Ryeowook grimaced. “It wasn’t any of your choices. I wanted to do it and I regret my actions. Don’t get hung up thinking you somehow hurt me.” He winced as his injury throbbed. “I’ll get better. Things like this heal in no time.”

***

Three weeks had passed, and the wound still hadn’t healed at all.

Ryeowook couldn’t hide it, nor could he explain it. The throbbing got worse at night, but during the day, it was practically nonexistent. He couldn’t even recall a painful experience within the past week or so that went beyond the late-night aching. However, when he would change the gauze, angry red skin and dark stitches would stare back at him.

“You…really don’t know anything, doctor?” Leeteuk repeated, dumbstruck.

Ryeowook bit back the urge to say that this was the same thing he had been told every visit. Usually, Kyuhyun would accompany him to these appointments, but Leeteuk had been too worried and demanded that he go this time.

The doctor rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortably. “I’m sorry. I’ve really never seen such a strange phenomenon. I can only recommend that we run some blood tests and perhaps find you a doctor who specializes in animal bites.”

“Haven’t you already run plenty of blood tests?” Leeteuk demanded. “Something should be coming up.”

“It’s actually very…strange,” the doctor hedged, shifting in his stool. “His blood results are somehow better than before the attack. His iron levels are more stable, his blood pressure is leveling out, and there are no signs of a lingering infection. For all intents and purposes, that wound should’ve been mostly closed up by this week. At the very least, the stitches could be taken out.” He pursed his lips. “However, you have seen the state of his arm.”

Ryeowook only half-listened, having already heard these things too many times. Chances were, they would continue talking in circles until Leeteuk or the doctor broke down from a lack of answers.

Bzzt…bzzt…

Discreetly, he tugged his phone out, checking the message. Kyuhyun’s photo popped up beside the chat alert. How is the appointment?

Ryeowook rolled his eyes. Same as last time.

A rather unhappy looking emoticon was his only response.

On the way back to the dorm, Leeteuk was much quieter than Ryeowook had expected. With the way he had parted with the doctor (note: not pleasantly), it wouldn’t have been surprising to hear Leeteuk complaining non-stop. Instead, the older man was intensively reading something on his phone. Ryeowook glanced over from the corner of his eyes, surprised to find that he didn’t have to strain his vision.

Supernatural Happenings: Understanding wolf bites

Ryeowook snatched the phone away, heart pounding wildly. “What are you even reading?” he demanded, closing the internet tab swiftly. “This is not the answer.”

“How would you know?” Leeteuk retorted, going for his phone. Ryeowook yanked it away, holding it just out of reach. “We’ve been to the doctor. We’ve checked the tests. We’ve monitored you. Nothing is wrong but the wound won’t heal. Shouldn’t we start looking at…alternative possibilities?”

The younger man grimaced. “Is that what you call it? This is superstitious crap. I wasn’t attacked by a supernatural being. It was just a really mean wolf and considering where I was, it’s not surprising that a wild animal would get to me.”

“And how do you explain that it won’t heal?” he crossed his arms, cocking a brow.

“It’s better than the first day,” Ryeowook muttered, looking away.

Leeteuk took the chance to snatch his phone back. “I think you’re being a little too narrow-minded and optimistic about this situation. If we don’t solve it soon, it’ll affect your work.”

“It’s already entering winter. I don’t have to show my arms,” he argued. “It won’t affect anything.”

“But you haven’t been on a show since that one, right?”

Ryeowook shut his mouth, frowning. He didn’t want to say the truth. Of course, Leeteuk already knew, so the silence only felt stifling. But who wouldn’t fear going back on a variety show after what happened? He knew that the studio recorded shows were mostly safe, but even then, maybe another freak accident would get him somehow. What if the ceiling fixtures came loose and flattened him? What if another stray animal jumped him while arriving or departing from a recording?

“Point made,” Leeteuk interrupted his thoughts, turning back to the occult page.

***

Things were getting weird.

A little over a week had passed since the doctor’s visit with Leeteuk, and Ryeowook could tell his body wasn’t getting better. During the nights, the pain in his arm would feel like fire scorching his flesh. It would travel up through his shoulder and boil in his chest as if trying to tear out of his body. He woke up exhausted at dawn each day, and trudged through the daylight hours with little more than his head on straight.

To make matters worse for everyone, little things were aggravating Ryeowook. Small mistakes or delays in a schedule found the man snapping and barking complaints. If someone slighted him with a prank or taunt, they would have to prepare for a barrage of insults and sometimes a physical shove.

Ryeowook, in short, was losing his mind and in turn, the rest of Super Junior was too.

“It’s up to you.”

Kyuhyun looked up from his computer game, confused. “What?”

Shindong clapped him on the shoulder, a stern but pleading expression on his face. “Ryeowook. He’s out of control. We can’t stand it anymore. We had a team meeting and decided that you’ll talk to him.”

“What team meeting?” Kyuhyun demanded. “I wasn’t there.”

“That was the point. We figured you’d be against it and spill the beans to Ryeowook in the meantime too,” Shindong nodded severely.

Kyuhyun shook off the older man’s hand. “No way am I talking for you. If you all are bothered, then talk to him yourselves. I’m not doing it.” He tried to turn back to his paused game, but then a hand was closing over the power button on his laptop.

“I’m not playing around, Kyu,” Shindong threatened, one finger already pressing down.

Panic spiked through his heart before his mind could catch up. “Okay! Okay! Calm down!” he scrambled to his feet, trying to rip Shindong’s hand away from the power button. “I’ll do it, just don’t touch my computer!”

Nodding with satisfaction, Shindong headed for the door. “Thanks. I knew you’d be a big help.” And then he was gone.

Kyuhyun hated everyone.

When Ryeowook came out of the shower, he was surprised to see Kyuhyun sitting on his bed. Frowning at his friend, he slowly walked to the laundry hamper and tossed out his dirty clothes. “Is something wrong?” Ryeowook asked, patting his wet hair with a towel.

He his lips, clearly uncomfortable with what he had to say. “Do you think maybe…you’ve been acting a little funny recently?” Kyuhyun hedged, hugging the pillow in his lap a bit tighter.

“Funny how?”

“You know,” he shrugged, “losing your temper and stuff, a little bit too easily.”

Ryeowook frowned, thinking. “I don’t know. I thought that I was pretty normal. All of us are always arguing with each other, anyway, so what do you mean?”

“You shoved Sungmin off the couch yesterday night.”

“He deserved it.”

“He wanted you to pass him the popcorn.”

Ryeowook huffed, turning away to rummage through his desk drawer. “Whatever. What are you getting at?”

Shifting somewhat uneasily, Kyuhyun watched his best friend grow increasingly frustrated as he dug around in the drawer. “What are you looking for?”

“The ing gauze,” he snapped, “to wrap up this stupid arm. What else?” He waved the unbandaged limb to emphasize the point before practically throwing random items out of the drawer. 

“…it’s in the medicine cabinet. In the bathroom.” Kyuhyun explained slowly, holding the pillow up as if to shield himself against a potential physical attack. “We moved it in there so you could more easily wrap your arm after showering.”

“Oh.”

Kyuhyun made a small noise in the back of his throat as Ryeowook blushed to the tips of his ears. Feeling somewhat bad, he got up, heading to the bathroom and getting the bandages. When he returned, Ryeowook was slumped over on his bed, towel slung over both shoulders.

Approaching him cautiously, Kyuhyun waited until Ryeowook looked up at him, acknowledged him, and allowed him to come closer. Kneeling down, Kyuhyun took the injured arm and carefully applied the ointment first before beginning the wrapping process. In the beginning, he had mainly been in charge of helping Ryeowook with the task, but the longer the wound lasted, the more Ryeowook practiced just doing it himself.

“Sorry.”

Kyuhyun didn’t take his eyes off the gauze. “You don’t have to say that to me. You haven’t wronged me since this wolf bite situation started.”

“Then why are you the one talking to me about it?” Ryeowook sighed. “I know it’s the team who’s concerned. So you’re representing them. Why?”

He frowned. “As if I wanted this job. They threatened me.” Team meeting, my . Kyuhyun finished wrapping the arm, carefully securing the end before looking up at Ryeowook. “Is it tight enough?”

The seated man nodded softly, almost absently. “Are they really that worried about me?” he mumbled.

Kyuhyun took a seat next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist gently. “I think they’re worried about the team getting beat up by you,” he responded, half-teasingly. He rubbed soothing circles into Ryeowook’s side with his thumb, resting his head atop the shorter man’s.

Ryeowook grunted at the jab, but otherwise didn’t reject the touch or words. Closing his eyes tiredly, he leaned into Kyuhyun, wrapping his own arm around the man. “I don’t know what’s going,” he admitted quietly, “I just…I’m so angry at everything. I feel frustrated and exhausted and I…I don’t know. The nights are the worst.”

“You’re not sleeping well?” he questioned, lips brushing against Ryeowook’s hair.

“If you didn’t sleep like the dead, you’d notice that I’m usually up half the night,” he grouched. “You breathe so heavily.”

Kyuhyun had never heard that before. In fact, most people thought he was a quiet sleeper, and given their long-term roommate status, why hadn’t Ryeowook complained before? “I see,” he finally settled on saying. It was better than arguing. “Do you want to share a bed tonight? Maybe sleeping with someone will help.”

Shrugging helplessly, Ryeowook nodded his assent. “Okay.”

The night passed rather harmlessly, meaning no one was shoved out of bed. However, Kyuhyun could no longer claim that he was unaware of Ryeowook’s trouble sleeping. The man’s skin felt hot to the touch a few hours after they had settled into bed. Kyuhyun had woken up sweating because of the other’s body heat.

When he checked on the unconscious Ryeowook, he found that he was actually half-awake, eyes bleary and glassy. His breaths were coming out short and quick. The veins in his neck and arms were quivering, as if trying to fight back against something. Kyuhyun had checked his pulse next, finding it rapidly beating despite his state of rest. Unsure what else to do, he had climbed out of bed and rummaged around for a bottle of fever reducers. Grabbing two, he pushed them passed Ryeowook’s lips, ordering him to swallow.

After that, the restlessness had eased only minimally, while the feverish state went on relentlessly. Kyuhyun sat watching his friend’s struggle throughout the night. There was no way he could sleep after seeing that.

Around daybreak, Ryeowook had finally calmed down completely, his heated flesh cooling down and body growing slack. Consequently, Kyuhyun was the first one awake because he had never gone back to bed. After urging Ryeowook to rest more, he ventured out into the kitchen for breakfast.

Despite the fact that most everyone had already moved out of the dorm, it was pretty common for members to crash for the night. Usually, they complained that their schedules kept them out too late and returning to their respective apartments was too much effort. As a result, it was still noisy. Kyuhyun and Ryeowook had originally been worried about how lonely the dorm would be when everyone left, but clearly, they had been overthinking it.

“You’re up early.” Leeteuk shuffled into the kitchen, already dressed for the day. His eyes were still tired, though.

“So are you,” Kyuhyun returned. “Got a schedule?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, fastening his watch, “I have a magazine photoshoot outside of Seoul. It’ll be a long drive.” He stifled a yawn, opening the fridge to find food. “Did you manage to talk with Ryeowook last night?”

The very topic sent Kyuhyun into a dark mood. “There’s something seriously wrong with him. We need him to see another doctor.”

Leeteuk immediately became alert. With a heavy sigh, Kyuhyun proceeded to explain what had happened the previous evening. The more he said, the more concerned Leeteuk looked. By the time he finished the story, the leader was ashen. Kyuhyun pursed his lips, unsure if he was supposed to say something or if Leeteuk was going to explain what had upset him so much in that story. Of course, none of it was good, but the older man’s reaction was a bit extreme.

“I think he’s been cursed.”

“Cursed?” Kyuhyun repeated, skeptically.

Leeteuk nodded fervently, lowering his voice and coming closer as if to whisper something conspiratorial. “Y’know, like supernatural.”

“I actually don’t think I understand,” he responded slowly, wondering if Leeteuk needed more sleep.

Rolling his eyes, the older man explained, “I was reading about it online. There’s a superstition that you will turn into a werewolf if you’re injured by one. Ryeowook was bitten pretty badly by a wolf and the wound won’t heal. That’s a fact talked about on the web too. It isn’t healing because that’s where the curse originates and so long as the curse is in effect, he’ll have that wound.”

“Let’s say you’re not crazy,” Kyuhyun offered, taking a bite of his breakfast, “then what is the effect of the curse? Ryeowook is gonna become some howling and growling fiend who’s half man-half wolf?”

“Exactly!”

“I think you need more sleep.”

***

Two days later, the inevitable happened.

The dorm was dark when Kyuhyun returned. It was already past midnight and he hadn’t been home in nearly 18 hours. Needless to say, he was ready for a relaxing shower before bed. Rolling the kinks out of his neck, he kicked off his shoes and trudged through the dark halls. From the lack of sounds, no one had slept over.

Thank . Kyuhyun sighed loudly, peeling off his clothes as he walked toward the bathroom. Slinging his shirt on the door handle, he was just beginning to unbuckle his belt when the strangest sound struck his ears. Was that…growling? Ever so slowly, Kyuhyun released his belt and turned toward the open bathroom door.

Standing just beyond the threshold with gleaming yellow eyes and large, pointed teeth was an honest to god wolf. Surveying the creature, Kyuhyun tried to calm his erratic heartbeat while searching for an explanation. Anything. A collar? A sign? A tattoo? An injury? And then his eyes caught on a very familiar wound on his front leg.

“Don’t tell me…,” Kyuhyun trailed off, unable to believe it. He looked into the creature’s face, but found that there was barely any resemblance to his friend. Aside from the somewhat petite stature, the wolf was nothing like it’s human counterpart. “Ryeowook?”

The wolf snarled, taking a step forward.

Kyuhyun held his ground, scrambling to remember how to assert dominance over dogs. He knew that showing weakness was not the right choice, even if his knees felt like jelly. Taking a steadying breath, he kept his eyes locked on those menacingly yellow ones. “Are you in there, Ryeowook?” he asked again.

Nothing.

Suddenly highly aware of his bare chest, Kyuhyun internally cursed himself. Even if a shirt couldn’t protect him against those claws and teeth, he would have the illusion of at least something standing between him and a very real threat.

Without warning, heavy paws slammed against his chest, hurling him backwards into the bathroom. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him and his back cracked against the tile. Wheezing for air, Kyuhyun struggled to push the wolf off of him. Its teeth snapped viciously, drool sliding down from the corner of its mouth.

Kyuhyun heaved hard, groaning with the effort to roll the creature over. It swung its limbs wildly, but Kyuhyun dodged each time, coughing harshly as he swung his entire body weight over the wolf. Straddling its rippling backside, he slammed both hands down on the back of its neck. The beast writhed angrily, nearly throwing Kyuhyun off multiple times. However, the man held fast, adrenaline giving him strength.

Forcefully, he dug his nails into the thick fur of the wolf’s neck, dragging its head up slightly before shoving it back into the bathroom tile. “Stay,” Kyuhyun snapped, not releasing the pressure on the animal.

Several moments passed before the beast reluctantly stopped fighting. It’s tensed muscles carefully uncoiled, claws retracting from their extended state. His bared teeth were slowly pulled back as well, until half-lidded yellow eyes were the last menacing thing about the wolf. Kyuhyun watched the creature for a long time, refusing to believe that everything would be okay if he let him up. It seemed too risky and he wasn’t in the mood for risks after being nearly killed by his best-friend-turned-werewolf.

After what must have been an hour, Kyuhyun’s arms and legs ached from keeping such a rigid position. Underneath him, the wolf seemed to be…sleeping. Blinking a few times, Kyuhyun tried to recall when exactly the beast had fallen asleep. Shouldn’t he have noticed something like that? More so, how was he able to sleep in that position? It couldn’t have been comfortable to have someone pinning you down and digging their nails into your fur.

Kyuhyun carefully rose to his feet, backing slowly out of the bedroom. He silently grabbed the bathroom door, shutting it behind him without a sound. Turning on the lights in the hallway, he shuffled to the living room and quickly slid the coffee table out. He pushed it flush against the closed bathroom door. Going for the dining room chairs next, he stacked two of those atop the table, hooking one of them under the door knob. Just as he went to look for more items, the carefully barricaded door burst open. Cracked wood and groaning hinges sent visions of death through Kyuhyun’s mind.

He flinched as the chairs and tables were shoved out of the way, toppling over. Planning to just make a run for it, Kyuhyun hurried out of the hallway, but only made it to the living room before he was once again being tackled to the ground. This time, however, the wolf merely nuzzled his throat, lightly at his flesh before settling down on top of him.

Kyuhyun swallowed hard, unsure what to do. His body ached with the weight of the creature, but pushing him off seemed like a seriously bad idea. Looking around for what was within reach, he grabbed a pillow off the couch, stuffing it underneath his own head for some support. This is going to be another long night…

With that, he closed his eyes and tried to think happy thoughts—things that didn’t involve his best friend becoming a full-fledged werewolf.

To be expected, that tactic was rather unsuccessful.

When he awoke the next morning, it was to extreme exhaustion and a feverish awareness of the previous night. Bolting upright, he looked around wildly for any sign of the wolf. The only things that made him believe it hadn’t been just a terrible dream were the copious amounts of fur stuck to his pants and the broken bathroom door hanging off it’s hinges.

Rising slowly, Kyuhyun groaned at the ache in his joints and back. He was too damn old to be sleeping on the floor all night. A sneeze worked it’s way up his throat and nose, sending him reeling. . Hugging his bare chest, he rubbed either arm to try and warm himself up. Sleeping on the floor shirtless in November was a recipe for disaster.

Trudging toward the bathroom, he peered inside and breathed a small sigh of relief. Empty. He turned warily toward his and Ryeowook’s bedroom. For a second, he considered putting it off a bit longer and going to take a shower to warm up. Shaking away the fear, Kyuhyun grabbed the doorknob, twisting and pushing it open.

Immediately, he was bumping into a slight form. Ryeowook made a surprised noise, stumbling backwards. Frowning up at Kyuhyun, he said, “What are you rushing into the room for?”

“You…,” he looked his friend up and down. Human. Kyuhyun suddenly grabbed Ryeowook by both shoulders, searching his face for any signs of that creature from last night. Pretty brown eyes and delicate facial features glared back at him. Fluffy hair curled around his fair face, looking freshly washed. A large sweater swallowed Ryeowook’s body up. Kyuhyun snatched his arm, yanking the sleeve up and inspecting the newly wrapped bandages. “You’re...normal.”

“Is there any reason I wouldn’t be?”

Kyuhyun wanted to scream. Instead, he calmly tugged Ryeowook’s sleeve back into place. “When you woke up this morning, where were you?”

His face flushed bright red. Looking away, he said, “Look, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t mean to do that to you. Or whatever it is we did, let’s just forget--”

“What?” Kyuhyun interrupted.

Ryeowook shot him a guilty look. “It was a mistake! I wouldn’t have done that if I was in my right mind!”

Neither of them heard the front door clicking open, too absorbed in their argument.

Indignantly, Kyuhyun snatched his friend by the collar. “What do you mean a mistake? You’re just going to dismiss what you did to me last night as a simple mistake? God, I could barely fight back. It looked like you were going to eat me.”

Ryeowook’s entire face paled before bursting bright red with mortification. “I would never! And you could totally fight back! You’re bigger than me,” he muttered the last part, clearly unhappy with the admission.

“Not when you tackle me to the ground,” Kyuhyun snapped back, “I couldn’t get you off of me the entire night. You sat on my hips all ing night--”

“--Uh, guys, before this gets any more graphic, please acknowledge that we’re here.”

They froze.

Kyuhyun in a sharp breath between clenched teeth. Turning around reluctantly, he eyes the rest of Super Junior who were crowded in the hallway with them. Several looked queasy, while Heechul looked particularly interested in hearing the rest. None of those reactions were what he wanted to see.

Rubbing his face tiredly, he let go of Ryeowook, pushing inside their room to look for a sweater. He tugged one on quickly and returned to the hallway where no one had moved an inch. Clearing his throat, Kyuhyun nodded to the living room. “I think we all need to sit down.”

“Agreed,” Leeteuk muttered, ushering the rest into the main room.

Ryeowook stopped Kyuhyun before he could get very far. “I don’t want to talk to them about this! It’s private!”

“Well, they’ve already seen too much. We can’t just not talk about it.” The ing bathroom door is falling off. We can’t let that go.

As the pair shuffled into the room, they warily eyed their expectant bandmates. Kyuhyun started talking first, saying, “You might not believe this, but last night I came home and was going to take a shower. Suddenly, I saw a wolf staring at me from the hallway--”

“--What?” Shindong. Eunhyuk. Siwon. Heechul. Kangin. Donghae. Yesung.

“--I WAS RIGHT!” Leeteuk. Damn him.

Kyuhyun huffed an annoyed sigh. “Yes, a wolf--”

“--So you and Ryeo-ah aren’t having ?” Heechul cut in, crestfallen.

“Wait, what?” Kyuhyun did a double take, noticing only then that everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing as Heechul. Turning to Ryeowook, he saw a similar expression. “Is that what you thought we did?” he hissed, embarrassed.

“I woke up on top of you!” Ryeowook whisper-yelled back, flushed to the tips of his ears. “What else was I going to guess happened?”

Kyuhyun sank to the floor. “I need a drink.”

***

“So, you’re telling us that Ryeowook has been cursed and turns into a wolf when the moon is full?” Shindong repeated, looking increasingly skeptical.

Leeteuk nodded firmly, turning to Kyuhyun for confirmation. “We have solid proof now that one of us has been attacked.”

“I didn’t purposefully attack him,” Ryeowook mumbled, legs pulled up to his chest. “I don’t even remember anything.”

A part of Kyuhyun wanted to comfort his friend, but the other part was still trying to wrap its head around everything that had happened. Their managers had kindly cancelled their morning schedules, giving them until noon to get their together. It was a big enough emergency, apparently. Kyuhyun hardly wanted to argue. He felt like he could sleep for an eternity after what occurred.

“And to clarify, no happened,” Heechul added.

“Correct,” Kyuhyun ground out.

“Well then, when is the next full moon?” Siwon prompted.

Immediately, Leeteuk was responding, “December 3rd.”

“Are we locking Ryeowook up on that day?” Eunhyuk.

“Well, let’s ask Kyuhyun,” Leeteuk offered, turning to the youngest member, “do you think we have to lock him up? And speaking of which, how did you get him to calm down? I can’t imagine that he just let you live out of goodwill.”

Kyuhyun blinked. “Oh.” He hesitated then, glancing at Ryeowook who was watching him curiously. Somewhat awkwardly, Kyuhyun peered around at the others to see if they really were interested, or if they’d let him off.

Expectant eyes met his.

Okay. Guess we’re doing this. “I can show you.” Kyuhyun stood, walking over to stand in front of Ryeowook. The latter watched him, body tensing automatically. Locking eyes with the man on the couch, Kyuhyun slowly reached out, fingers brushing his cheek before curling around the back of his neck.

Ryeowook was rigid.

Without further warning, Kyuhyun tightened his grip and shoved Ryeowook face first into the couch. When he was met with resistance, Kyuhyun leaned down, pressing more forcefully. “Stay.”

Abruptly, Ryeowook slumped, body losing all its strength.

Kyuhyun let go, looking up. “That’s it.”

“So...you asserted dominance over Ryeowook? Like a dog?” Eunhyuk recapped, emphasizing each word.

“Or,” Heechul began, “like a really hot dom making his partner submit.”

Ryeowook chucked a pillow at Heechul.

“No, no, I think both of them have good points,” Leeteuk stated, thoughtfully, “we don’t know how to break this curse, nor do we know if it’ll fade on its own. It’s good if we have someone who can keep Ryeowook’s wolf side under control. Kyuhyun, we’ll be trusting you with this.”

“Oh no, no, no, not again--”

“--this is for the sake of everyone’s safety,” Leeteuk retorted, jaw firm.

Kyuhyun glared. He hated when he used his ‘leader voice’. “I was the one who was almost killed! Someone else can just assert dominance.”

“Oh, sweet Kyu,” Heechul laughed, “you can’t just tell a sub to change masters all of a sudden. If they’ve already claimed you, then that’s that.”

“Why do you know so much about this?” Kyuhyun sighed.

The older man just smirked.

Kyuhyun shuddered. Nevermind. I never want to know. Glancing down at Ryeowook, his expression softened. He was gazing blankly down at the couch, still half curled against the cushions. “Hey, are you alright?” Kyuhyun asked quietly, crouching down in front of Ryeowook. Brushing the back of his hand against the man’s cheek, he tried to coax a response.

Ryeowook just grimaced, eyes growing hard despite the gentle treatment.

“Sorry,” Kyuhyun murmured, thumb gliding across the smooth skin of his jaw.

Subconsciously, Ryeowook nuzzled into the touch.

“Perfect! That’s how you do it!” Heechul clapped.

I’m gonna kill someone. Kyuhyun pulled back, glowering at his friends. “Are we done now? I barely slept a wink last night and I have a full recording session this afternoon.”

Reluctantly, the members got up, shuffling around and gathering what things they had brought with them. Kyuhyun paused as they were heading toward the door, suddenly being struck with an obvious question. “Wait. Why were you all here this morning?”

“Oh! Right!” Shindong exchanged glances with the others. “The company is planning our next world tour. We just came to tell you guys the news as soon as possible. But...given what we know now, it’s not gonna be such a simple discussion.”

“Yeah,” Kyuhyun agreed, looking even more exhausted than before. Now he was responsible for preparing for a world tour while also taming his best friend?

Ryeowook was still quiet as everyone made their way out of the dorm. It wasn’t until the door had shut that he spoke up. “I’m sorry. About everything. I wish it wasn’t like this.” The words were stilted but quickly blurted, as if he struggled between an urge to snap and an urge to express his sorrow.

“You didn’t ask for this,” Kyuhyun shook his head, “and I’m not blaming you. It’s a hard situation for all of us. Especially you, though.” He didn’t know exactly what got to Ryeowook in that moment, but tears were suddenly pricking the latter’s eyes.

Wiping at the tears fiercely, Ryeowook tried to calm himself down, shoulders shaking. “I’m so scared. What if I hurt someone again?”

“Hey, you didn’t hurt anyone,” Kyuhyun was immediately wrapping the smaller man in his arms, cooing into his hair, “I wasn’t injured at all. You were just sleeping on top of me all night. My body aches because I’m old and slept on the floor.”

Ryeowook hiccuped, burrowing his face into the man’s chest. “Okay.”

“Do you believe me?” Kyuhyun tilted his face up, making their eyes meet.

“I do,” Ryeowook mumbled, body calming down the longer he was held.

Tucking him back under his chin, Kyuhyun rubbed his back. On the bright side of everything, Ryeowook had never been more docile and a part of Kyuhyun thought he could get used to this.

***

Kyuhyun took it back. He couldn’t get used to this.

Each week that passed only put more and more of Super Junior on edge. The pressure from their world tour practices were building up and were only further aggravated by the knowledge that Ryeowook was getting closer to another transformation. Despite Leeteuk’s apparent unending interest, the man had made it clear he wanted to be nowhere near the dorm when Ryeowook turned again. Furthermore, the members had yet to figure out a game plan for dealing with these monthly transformations when they were overseas.

If their schedule seemed erratic right now, it would be unbearable with the late night practice sessions at stadiums and even later meal times. Soon, they would be together almost all hours of the day and doing tour prep until 1 or 2am each night. Without a doubt, it would overlap with at least one full moon.

On a better note though, Ryeowook’s moodiness and aggression had lessened significantly since they figured out Kyuhyun could tame their bandmate. Or, as Heechul liked to say, “Make him submit, Kyu!”

The rest of Super Junior had quickly jumped on the teasing. Kyuhyun was not amused.

December 3rd finally came. Everyone in the dorm had cleared out and left the two of them alone together. They had been pretending nothing was wrong for the past hour and now they were sitting facing each other as the clock struck midnight.

It was almost instantaneous.

He watched as Ryeowook collapsed, body convulsing as thick hair covered his body and tense muscles tore apart his clothing. In a matter of minutes, his best friend was a four legged beast once more, tail whipping back and forth as if preparing for something.

Kyuhyun had only a moment to brace himself as the wolf leaped at him, pushing him back against the couch. Grunting at the force, he caught the animal, barely able to keep his bearings as a wet tongue all over his face and neck. Was this how werewolves were supposed to act? Or was it purely a Ryeowook-wolf thing?

Sighing, he calmed the excited wolf—puppy?—and rubbed its furry head. A happy little noise worked its way up his throat as he pressed harder against Kyuhyun’s hand. “I really don’t know what my life has become,” he muttered, wryly.

The wolf laid its head down on Kyuhyun’s lap, bright yellow eyes closing slowly.

Kyuhyun closed his hand around the back of the creature’s neck, rubbing firmly and smoothly. It howled with pleasure, sinking deeper into Kyuhyun’s lap. He shook his head in astonishment. Seriously...what is going on?

Making himself as comfortable as possible, he settled in for the night. Chances were, he wasn’t going to be getting anywhere near his bed. Looking around for something to support his neck, he grabbed a very familiar throw pillow and wedged it underneath his head. Kyuhyun leaned back with a sigh and laid one hand in the wolf’s fur. At least he wouldn’t be cold.

This isn’t terrible, I guess...

With that, the second full moon passed peacefully.

And then the morning came.

Kyuhyun awoke first, a crick in his neck and a weight over his body. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he surveyed the area and found a very , very asleep Ryeowook on top of him. Their limbs were clumsily tangled together, both of Ryeowook’s hands underneath Kyuhyun’s shirt, their hips flush.

On one hand, who wouldn’t be happy to see a beautiful, person on top of them? On the other, this was his best friend whose clothes were in shreds from turning into a wolf some six hours prior.

Extracting himself, Kyuhyun grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over Ryeowook. He immediately burrowed into it, body shaking slightly from the cold. Going back to their room, Kyuhyun busied himself with pulling on some thicker sweats, a jacket, and hat. A minute later, he was ready to brave the December chill.

Walking a few blocks down the street, he stopped at a local bakery and ordered both of their favorites. No one else would be coming near the dorm with a fifty foot pole, so he didn’t bother considering if there would be more breakfast guests. Kyuhyun watched the shop owner carefully place each of his orders into a pink cardboard box, trying to reconcile the normalcy with his recent lifestyle changes.

“You know, I’m surprised to see you here.”

He blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts long enough to register that the shop owner was speaking to him. The auntie was smiling with amusement. “What do you mean?” Kyuhyun frowned.

“Well, usually at this hour, it would be Ryeowook doing a food run. I rarely see you this early in the morning,” she chuckled. “Is he very tired?”

“Something like that,” Kyuhyun responded vaguely, looking away.

The shop owner taped the box shut and passed it over the counter. “Ah, I see. Young love is such a good thing. I’m happy that you two have been together for so long.”

“What?”

She laughed heartily. “You don’t have to hide it from me. Ryeowook is always talking about you. He sounds just like a housewife, sometimes,” her voice fell to a hushed whisper, as if revealing a juicy bit of gossip. “At first, I was a bit shocked, but now I see that it’s a very healthy relationship between you two. Make sure you cherish him properly.”

“We aren’t--that’s not--y’know, okay. Fine. Thanks. I’ll cherish him. Have a good day.” Kyuhyun placed exact change on the counter and grabbed the box of pastries. With a wave, he left the shop as fast as possible. Walking briskly down the road, he tried to ignore the growing awareness that just maybe everyone thought he was in love with his best friend.

Scratch that. Everyone thought they were mutually in love.