Taemin bit into a blood cake and Jonghyun watched a droplet of crimson splatter onto the corner of his mouth, "I told you not to lead him on and what do you go and do? You go and pin him to your bed where you proceeded to make out for what? An hour? Jonghyun you're taking the wrong approach you know."

 

"Yes, yes I know! He's just really damn confusing alright? Sometimes it seems like he likes me and sometimes it doesn't. How am I supposed to interpret that?!"

 

"He asked to kiss you idiot. Of course he likes you."

 

"No it's the benefits thing he doesn't like me!" Jonghyun groaned, driving the heel of his palm into his forehead. 

 

Taemin rolled his eyes, it was no use. Jonghyun just needed to figure it out on his own since he wasn't listening to anyone. 

 

"So what exactly happened after that?" Taemin pressed on.

 

Jonghyun shrugged sheepishly, "We kind of laughed it off and went to bed. It was a little awkward but we got over it."

 

"That's it?"

 

"Yup..."

 

"You guys are literally dancing around each other and it's really frustrating." The vampire finished off the rest of his blood cake and wiped away the corners of his lips with a napkin. 

 

"Well, I don't think he would want to date a pack reject with such low marks. I'm way below his standards. It wouldn't work."

 

"He has standards? Jonghyun, you're being ridiculous. I doubt he even knows how werewolf packs even work. Reminder: he was living in a human society before. He doesn't know how we all work just yet."

 

"And when he does? He'll probably want to go for Woohyun instead. He's upcoming pack omega and way bigger than me..." Jonghyun slumped and whined, his tail drooping. 

 

All the odds were against him. He was a mutt, an outcast. The runt in the litter who was still having trouble shifting while the others are shifting like pros. Not to mention he was a little puppy compared to his brothers. He wasn't smart and he wasn't big. 

 

Then again, Taemin had a point. Kibum didn't know how werewolf society worked. How we would he know all those details? 

 

The werewolf shifted in his seat unsurely, "Okay, even with all that I don't even like him."

 

Taemin laughed, "Really? We're you not listening to yourself talk? Dude, you're whipped. You even proved it to yourself when you pinned him down to your bed!"

 

"That doesn't count."

 

"Yeah because I casually make out with Jinki when I'm bored all the time. Yeah, totally."

 

Just then Kai decided to sit down at their lunch table only catching the last bit of it.

 

Kai looked at Taemin with confusion, "You made out with Jinki?"

 

"No! Of course not! I was just trying to make a point with Jonghyun-- Aw Cmon Kai! Don't be like that!" Kai turned his head from the other vampire as he begged. 

 

"Uh...I think I'll leave you two alone to sort your problems..." Jonghyun got up and picked up his backpack, scurrying away from the situation and headed out of the cafeteria.

 

•••

 

Jinki sat on his bed replacing his stitches as Kibum watched in awe and slight disgust. It was kind of gross but fascinating at the same time. 

 

Jinki piped up as he worked on his left wrist, "So you kissed him and he tackled you to his bed? Dunno...sounds like he likes you to me. But what do I know...I'm having love troubles myself!"

 

Kibum sighed, they were two hopeless boys in love with people they had no chance with. What a cruel world.

 

"But you were brave, hyung! You told him flat out without hesitation! I can't even look Jonghyun in the eyes anymore. I just...I just wish I knew what he was thinking. Things would be so much easier." Kibum slumped his shoulders in dismay.

 

"I thought you could read minds though?" Jinki asked with his teeth holding down on the thick thread as he snapped off the excess off the knot. 

 

 

"That's the only problem. I can't. It's like there's a barrier in his mind that won't let me in. It's never happened before so I don't know why I couldn't." Jinki hums in acknowledgement and moves on to his other wrist. 

 

"Well then you're just gonna have to do it the old fashioned way, aren't you? If there's anything I know about werewolves is that when they choose their mate, male or female, they choose who they think fits their needs best yet looks good standing next to them. Simply put, they're show offs-"

 

Kibum cut in, "But Jonghyun isn't anything like that!"

 

Jinki puts his hand up and nods,"Let me finish. They are show offs because of their instinct to assert dominance. Now, because Jonghyun is a bit of a late bloomer, he hasn't developed these qualities. He's still a little naive child in comparison to his brothers. He's more likely to choose someone for love like human being than for the sheer reason of gaining approval from his pack. Oh, that's also another thing. They don't normally mate outside their species so I'd be more worried about half the population of the school than Jonghyun's judgement if he so does fall in love with you." 

 

"So that's why most of them don't like me..." Kibum murmured softly. 

 

"If they don't like you then you've won half the battle already. They have some weird telepathy thing. They can sense when one another are eyeing a possible mate."

 

"Wow...werewolves are weird..."

 

"Tell me about it." 

 

After a comfortable silence and the snapping noises of Jinki's threads Kibum decided to badger him about his love life.

 

"Any luck with Minho?"

 

"Nope" he popped the P while continuing the replace his stitches. Kibum twisted his lips in an unconvinced frown and pressed on.

 

"Like at all?"

 

"Nope."

 

"Jinki..."

 

Jinki sighed and blinked slowly, "Okay fine. I ran into him after a student council meeting yesterday and I babbled like a total idiot. He just listened and smiled at me like the perfect little shît he was and after I finished talking he started patronizing me." 

 

"And this is bad because...?"

 

"Because he probably thinks I'm weird! He's just too nice to say anything about it! Aish, why can't things in work out like in Coffee Prince where he chases me and not the other way around?" the red haired boy stiffly snapped off the excess to another knot as he agonized. 

 

"Aw, Jinki it seems to me like he likes you too. You're just over thinking it. If you'd like I could tap into his mind for you?"

 

"You would do that?"

 

"I don't see why not." 

 

•••

 

Homecoming was looming over the school like a shadow only a week and three days away. Just about half of the population had their dates ready wether they were from the school or the sister school. The party planning committee were getting shipments upon shipments of decorations per day to decorate the massive ballroom for the event. For others it would be seen as something exciting and something to look forward to, but for Kibum it was only a grim reminder of how little time he had. 

 

He absently drifted into the locker room to change for P.E. with the thought of Jonghyun in mind. The question stuck inside his throat like a piece of gum, it would just stick and there and refuse to come out. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kibum lifted his head after he opened his locker. He could hear voices, but he thought nobody shared a section with him? He shrugged it off and pulled out his gym clothes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kibum stopped and looked around. Who's thoughts were those? It was scaring him. Whoever it was didn't sound happy at all. He rushed to get dressed and put on his sneakers. The voice kept assaulting the back of his mind as more voices joined the chorus to create a buzz of incoherent yelling. Kibum clutched his head and started to breathe heavily. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was when a specific group walked in, oozing menace. They were a group of boys Kibum had seen Jonghyun with on several occasions. If he remembered correctly three of the six where his brothers, but lived in a different form building for last years. They all narrowed their eyes unmistakably at Kibum, dissecting him with their gazes. 

 

 

"Kibum!" A voice came off from his right breaking the four's mental state down. 

 

 

"Jinki? What are you doing here, this isn't your gym period?" Kibum mentally sighed that the elder decided to show up at that very moment. 

 

 

"Nevermind that, I have really amazing news!"

 

 

"Which is?"

 

 

"Well for one, I asked Minho out on a date and he said yes!"

 

 

Kibum gasped and gripped Jinki's shoulders, "Jinki that's great news! What's the other thing?"

 

 

"You're coming with us for a double date with Jonghyun!"

 

"Say what."

 

 

•••

 

 

Kibum's idea of date was not standing awkwardly in front of the statue of Dracula in the town square with Jonghyun. Jinki and Minho were supposed to be here already, but it was already half an hour past the meet up time. 

 

Kibum huffed, the only reason he agreed was because he wouldn't be alone for the date. Now it was clear it was all a ploy to get him alone with Jonghyun. 

 

He was beyond angry, but at least he looked good. He had dressed in a comfortable sweater and nice jeans that hugged him in all the right places. He glanced at Jonghyun in his red flannel, loose fitting jeans, and bright red sneakers. Gosh he was handsome, it wasn't fair. 

 

 

"Fûcking Jinki..." Jonghyun heard Kibum mutter.

 

 

"Something tells me this was a set up wasn't it?" Kibum nods at the elders words and massaged his temples.

 

 

"Listen, I'm so sorry. I know you didn't even want to come along on this double date bull so why don't we just head back and forget this ever happened?" 

 

 

"And if I don't want to?"

 

 

Kibum blinked slowly, "Excuse me?"

 

 

Jonghyun repeated,"What if I don't want to? What if I want to go on this date with or without Jinki and Minho?" 

 

 

"Okay, I think you need some sleep or something. MoonBall practice is getting to your head--" Jonghyun cut him off by grabbing onto his hand with a small smile. 

 

 

"No, it isn't. Let's go okay? No harm in two friends hanging out right?" 

 

 

Kibum eyed Jonghyun carefully, "Who are you and what have you done to my roommate." 

 

 

Jonghyun just barked out a laugh and dragged him along the strip of small little stores away from the town square. He couldn't believe it. They were holding hands and it wasn't a life or death situation either. 

 

 

"I know this really cool restaurant place that they have in the human world too. I think it's called fondue? You dip stuff in chocolate and I heard it's really good." Jonghyun mused to himself as his ears pivoted in the cute way they always did.

 

 

 

"I wanna dip you in chocolate."

 

 

"What was that?"

 

 

"Nothing."