word count: 2,311
requested by: erykaleigh

“Yah, Kang Daniel, your mate is here!”

Pulling a thin, white material over his mouth, the auburn-haired guy swiftly stood up from his seat on the sagging couch, making his way towards the door. “…him, sis-in-law… sensitive… feeding on… takes time…” Daniel hears bits of words come out from Seongwoo. “What are you telling her, bro? Don’t pollute her mind,” Daniel says half-seriously as he softly grasps Jaerin from the arm. “Come on, Jae, don’t listen to him. He’s been watching rated stuff these days,” he confesses as he leads her out the house.

“Y-yah! You’re such a tattletale! I was just warning my sister-in-law here. What’s so wrong with that?” Seongwoo raises his voice in attempt to relay his thoughts to the couple walking farther and farther away. Jaerin laughs, “He wasn’t saying anything bad, you know.” She smiles as she looks back to wave at Seongwoo for a belated greeting.

“Nothing good comes out from his mouth,” Daniel says, grinning when she laughs again. “Anyway, where do you want to go today?” He softly asks, dropping his hold on her arm to interlace his fingers with hers. Jaerin’s cheeks immediately darken with shades of pink. “Movie!” She blurts out of fluster. “Movie? Okay, I guess it’s been a while since we’ve been there together. Go, go!” He smiles brightly, jogging in front of her with their hands entwined.

A good hour later, the couple are seated comfortably, their backs rested upon the plush seats of the movie theater. “I swear I can fall asleep just sitting here,” Daniel kids, closing his eyes to prove his point. “Hey, don’t sleep! The movie’s going to start any minute now.” Jaerin can’t help but laugh, slapping his arm softly. “No, I’m going to sleep. It’s so comfortable here.” He secretly smiles as he already imagines her pouting. “Ah, I shouldn’t have come with you to watch. I should have accompanied Ong. I’m sure he won’t sleep with me there –”

“I’m awake, I’m awake!” He opens his eyes. “You sure know how to play people, don’t you, Kim Jaerin? Where did you learn such deception?” Daniel feigns disappointment as he shakes his head. Jaerin bursts out of laughing, “From you, babo! You’re the master of ‘deception’.” She quotes with her fingers, laughing more when he pretends to sigh heavily. Unable to continue his pretense any longer, Daniel laughs with her behind his mask, his eyes crinkling in pleasance.

“Ah, I can’t continue acting since you’re so cute,” he confesses out loud, his Busan accent coming out and Jaerin immediately reddens, thankful for the dimness of the theater. “S-see, I told y-you. You’re the master of deception.” She blurts with her cheeks in a deep shade of cherry. “I’m not tricking you! It’s true!” Daniel refutes softly, raising the arm rest between them as he puts an arm around her shoulder. He smiles, holding her flush close against him. “I’m lucky to have you as my mate, you know.” He suddenly admits with his low voice, stating rather than questioning.

Jaerin smiles against his shoulder and looks up. Daniel ruffles her hair, his own smile covered by his mask but revealed by the crinkling of his eyes. Suddenly, he feels a light dizziness and nausea envelop his abdomen, and his muscles rigidly tighten in rashness. He can feel his fangs attempting to protrude, but he clenches his fist in self-control. I drank blood only two hours ago. Why am I feeling like this? He shakes his head in confusion.

Pulling away from Jaerin, he excuses himself, “I… I have to go to the bathroom, Jae.” Without hearing her reply, he swiftly went out of the theater. Leaning against the wall, he breathes in and out deeply. These people are innocent. Don’t attack them. The woman you’re with is your mate. Your human mate. She deserves to be protected. Don’t attack her. Don’t attack anybody. Daniel thinks in restraint. After pulling his mask up in attempt to cover more of his nose and deeply breathing in rounds, he musters up the courage to go inside.

The movie has already started playing, and Jaerin, upon seeing him, quickly ushers him inside with her hand. Yes. Jaerin. My mate. He thinks, his body sagging in relief and remembrance as he walks towards their seat. “What took you so long? Did your stomach hurt?” She immediately searches his body, touching his hand to lift it up. Daniel senses her pulse from her wrist and retreats his hand back in reflex, “I… I’m fine. Sorry.”

Jaerin confusedly looks at him for a second, before remembering what Seongwoo had said to her earlier. Please excuse him, sis-in-law. Daniel’s a little sensitive these days since he’s now feeding on animals. It’s a change so it takes time for him to adjust. Still worried but a lot more reassured, she puts her attention back on the movie.

After the movie, Daniel did his best to avoid Jaerin as much as possible, his fists starting to hurt from clenching too much. It was hard to avoid his mate. Her smell did unimaginable things to his whole being. It drove him almost crazy, but he didn’t want to risk hurting anybody, or his mate, at that. His only focus the whole time was her pulse. Even from a far