Baekhyun was very much annoyed with his right-hand man for running off after claiming his mate instead of taking responsibility and acting like a ninny.

That said, he was not one to abandon his friend in the clutches of said mate's best friends who were hell bent on teaching him a lesson. And if it'd only been Tae, Baekhyun might've considered setting her loose on Chanyeol – watch him quiver under her sharp tongue and what not – but bringing in the thugs was an entirely different matter.

He was the leader of The Beagles and he wasn't going to just give up his wingman simply because a group of wannabe gangsters showed up, no matter how sharp the butcher's knife looked.

It also seemed like Tae hadn't banked on Ken actually calling in the big guns because she looked frankly shocked when one of the gangsters, an otherwise handsome lad with a neck long enough to rival a giraffe, pulled out a gigantic pin, complete with the rounded pinhead and sparkly sharp end.

He'd heard of them, of course. VIXX, with their signature voodoo doll and the huge pins they used instead of knives or other weapons.

'Ken,' Tae muttered, hurrying over to his side, 'What the hell?'

'They're just here to look scary,' Ken muttered back, trying to step forward. 'Come on,' he whined when she refused to budge, 'I wanna scare him!'

'That's stupid, you promised we'd talk properly.'

'Yeah we will but after I've punched him for running off like that.'

Baekhyun leaned on his shoulder right in the mouth of the corridor that led to their gang headquarters, watching their argument and blocking the path to Chanyeol, who was hiding in the back and refusing to surface even though both Chen and Baekhyun had been bugging him for the past hour.

'I can't face her!' He'd muttered, hiding his face behind his hands, palms obviously too hot because his face was reddening and his hair beginning to smoke. 'Not after…'

'After running off like…' Chen began.

'I still don't know what to tell her, okay?' Chanyeol had stalled him, wringing his fingers nervously. 'What if she asks again? And how do I explain everything to her? I don’t speak Nara-speak fluently, we'll need Tae or Ken for translation and…'

'I don't see how any of that is a problem,' Chen muttered, stopping his bugging but running a calming hand over his back. 'Suho gave you permission to reveal as much as you deem fit, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?'

'But…'

That's when Baekhyun's sharp ears had picked the multiple footsteps heading down the stairs, his mobile buzzing moments later with Tae's text, Where's Chanyeol? We want to talk to him.

He'd gone out to intercept and good thing he had because Ken looked pretty pissed off and though he'd not met with VIXX in person, he knew they were an unruly, violent bunch.  Not unlike Bangtan but he'd established a good rep with them. Looked like he'd have to work his charms here as well.

He ended up flirting outrageously with all of them, Tae and Ken included and they all somehow found themselves in the cafeteria, swapping gang stories and what not. It was when N was saying goodbye, quite cordially, that Tae realized they hadn't talked once about Chanyeol or Nara or anything relevant and it seemed like Ken was realizing the same thing.

When the other three members of VIXX – N, Hyuk and a blue-haired punk named Ravi – had left, Baekhyun smiled at them. 'Look, I understand your concern and everything but this… whatever it is, is between Chanyeol and Nara. And I'd appreciate it if you gave him enough time to set things right before trying to corner him.'

Ken didn't look too happy with the turn of events but Tae gave him a warning glare before smiling at Baekhyun. 'Okay, we'll do that. But… please tell him to at least talk to her. Even if he wants to break up, he doesn't have to be such a jerk.'

Baekhyun blinked at 'break up' but nodded, 'Fine, I'll pass it along.'

'Good.'

'Good,' he smiled as Ken muttered curses underneath his breath and pulled out the butcher's knife but after a while, he excused himself, 'Gotta go to work,' and hurried off.

'He's not too happy about this, is he?' Baekhyun muttered, watching him leave.

'Nope, he really wanted to land a hit or something,' Tae shrugged before leaning back. 'So… what now?'

'Hmmm?' Baekhyun blinked before his eyes sharpened, 'Wanna hang out?' he smiled charmingly.

'Uh… yeah, sure.'

He winked. 'It’s a date.'

……………………………………

He stopped in front of the library doors, losing his nerve. Again.

He'd been trying to enter the place for the past half-hour or so – two days after Ken and his gang had gone away and his friends had given him a talking to about his behavior – but it had proved impossible so far.

It wasn't that he was nervous.

Okay, well he was nervous. About what he'd tell her if she asked about his red eyes or smoke again or if he'd be able to explain everything clearly and stuff; not to mention, give her an explanation about why he'd run away after kissing her and taking such a hit to his head.

But more than that, it was just the fact the he'd be seeing her again.

Since his claiming, two days ago, he'd been unable to stop thinking about her, about kissing her again, taking his sweet time building it up and showing her exactly how romantic a kiss could be. She'd taken him by surprise because he'd frankly been going for a peck on the cheek.

However, he'd also found since that taking things slow was the last thing as far as Nara was concerned. She wasn't aware of the mate's link but he could hear her, feel her anxiety when she thought about why he hadn't called her afterwards, wondering if he was badly hurt or if she'd done something wrong – the pangs of guilt were eating him alive – but also, what it would be like to kiss him again.

The thought made his head feel like it was on fire, not in the least because she had a habit of imagining everything in as much detail as possible and well, he'd had to take a few hasty cold showers when her thoughts blind-sided him.

So, yeah he was nervous.

Nervous if he'd be able to live up to her expectations, with his clumsy hands and ungainly limbs and the general lack of grace.

But Chen and Baekhyun were right – he couldn't just leave her like this, without a word of explanation and her mind – vast and always, always busy churning up ideas – conjuring up scenarios that weren't even remotely true. Besides, she seemed to like him, idiocy and all.

Maybe he doesn't like me…

The thought was preceded by a sigh so heartfelt, it made his own heart ache.

And what did she mean, he didn't like her? He liked her so much, he'd actually freaked out, unable to approach her, scared if he'd ever be able to impress her. He hadn't been this nervous even when he'd finally met with his idol, the singer of the popular girl band he avidly followed and he'd damn near puked then.

Though of course, it wasn't her fault. His actions weren't exactly encouraging – like what kind of guy ran off after kissing you and didn't even bother to contact? , maybe Baekhyun should’ve let Ken beat him up, he deserved it.

Taking a deep breath, steeling himself, he put a hand on the door and pushed his way inside.

The first thing that hit him was her scent, intoxicating and so damn pleasant, he wanted to bury himself in it and never emerge. His steps faltered as the beast, who'd been going crazy inside him for being kept away from its mate, suddenly pushed against him, trying to get the upper-hand.

Chanyeol clenched his fists, letting his nails bury in his palms and the pain bring himself under control. He felt his eyes flash momentarily red but forced it back, reassuring his beast that they'd be seeing their mate again.

It whined, then pushed at him to get moving.

The library was quiet as ever, the silence making everything seem more mysterious, more enchanting than it was.

Or maybe it was just her presence that made it all so… poignant.

She was sitting behind the reception desk as usual, hair pulled back in a neat bun and her clothes, reserved as usual. He gulped, feeling his throat dry up as his feet took him to the comics' aisle and he randomly picked a book up, hiding behind it to look at her.

She was frowning at the screen, biting her lip and his heart thundered, wanting to nip the tender flesh with his own teeth. The longing was intense, almost as intense as her desire to feel his voice vibrate against her skin. It made a flash of desire burn through him, making him lightheaded and unaware of his surroundings, of the fact that the covers beneath his fingers were beginning to smolder, fine wisps of smoke rising.

Nara…

She glanced up as if he'd said her name aloud and their eyes met, hers widening in response, his… maybe turning red again but he couldn't help it, not around her.

It was the longing, same as he felt, reflected in her eyes – not reprimand at leaving her like that, not anger or worry or even relief that he'd come back but longing for him – that gave him the courage.

Nodding his head to the side, he made his way to the farthest, quietest end of the library, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she got the hint. She was still behind the desk, looking a bit confused and he hoped Tae had taught her enough about nonverbal communication for this to get through.

He pretended to browse through the books, though for whose sake, he had no idea. It wasn't like there was anyone this far back in the library, not even T-rex who was busy arranging the books somewhere up front, but he was thrumming with nervous energy as he waited to see if she would come and he couldn’t stand still. So he flipped through the covers and pretended to read unseeingly, his entire being focused on his mate.

She was approaching, he could tell by the soft press of her scent against his nostrils, the light click of her heels on the wooden floor. He forced himself not to rush out and drag her here but it was a hard bet. Then, he felt her stop behind him and slowly turned.

Up close, she was even prettier. Or maybe, looking at her face after two whole days of avoiding her was making him admire her anew.

'Nara…' he began, unsure what to say.

'Are you okay?' She asked, looking at him with concern, eyes flickering all over his face as if trying to see if he was hiding something. He couldn’t help the smile that split his lips because Nara, concerned about him?

She doesn't form emotional bonds easily so don’t be disappointed if it seems like she doesn't care…

Her friends could chew on their words, she obviously cared.

'Great,' he muttered, trying not to grin too creepily, 'Absolutely great.'

'Oh… that's nice. Um…' She glanced at him, then away, then back again. He could hear the confusion inside her – did he like her, had she moved too fast, would he still agree to participate in her research? Gosh, he didn't know he had such a soft spot for research lingo but it made his heart melt. Of course, he was going to participate till the very end, until she'd understood the ins and outs of romantic relationship and her curiosity about its different aspects thoroughly satisfied.

But first, he needed to explain himself.

'Listen, I'm sorry for running out on you like that last time…' he began, stepping close and wondering if he could hold her hands, 'I… panicked. It's stupid, I know and it doesn't make up for anything, really but I’m sorry, I swear I'll explain everything and…'

He looked up to find her swallowing, her eyes fixed on his lips and her heart thundering. He faltered. 'Nara…?'

She closed her eyes, seeming to relish the sound and oh, her thoughts were enough to make heat pool inside of him, make his eyes flash red at the sudden spike of interest, his beast coming to the forefront. God, she had no idea what she was doing, provoking at him like that.

Stop it, he reprimanded himself, trying to stay in control, she doesn't really mean it…

A very vivid image of Nara pressing her lips against his throat, her fingers winding into his hair as he wound his arms around her, talking, saying her name over and over flashed into his head, making him shut up, eyes rounded in surprise. Her face was flushed, eyes closed as she whispered, 'Say that again.'

Whatever little control he had left, snapped. 'Nara…' he rumbled low in his throat, taking hold of her hand and pulling it close, up to his throat, placing the dainty fingers around his trachea, 'Nara,' he muttered again, eyes completely red and smoke emerging when he spoke.

She shuddered like she'd touched a live wire before opening her eyes, unabashed desire clearly written on her expressive face. Hesitating a moment, she stepped close, enough that he could feel her softness pressing against him and he gulped, feeling heat, more than just a blush, rise all over his body.

He was literally moments away from combusting and yet, he didn't stop her when she rose on tiptoes and pressed her lips at the base of his throat, limbs weakening so he was leaning back against the book shelf, almost face level with her.

As if everything she'd done so far wasn't enough, she muttered, 'keep talking,' in a quiet, commanding way and he pulled the book in his hand over his crotch because this was getting embarrassing.

Still, he couldn't deny her and started talking. About what, he had no idea, he was just spewing nonsense – at one point, reciting the periodic table – but she hummed against his throat and any desire to resist left him. Staring at the domed ceiling, trying to ignore the burning in the pit of stomach and hoping the smoke rising around them wasn't enough to set off the smoke-detectors, he spoke until he felt her leaving his throat.

She was red in the face, almost as red as his eyes right now but she met them boldly, curiosity even brighter in her eyes than before.

'Chanyeol…,' she began and he straightened, feeling himself twitch in indecent places. Her voice just did things to him. So did her demands, as he found a moment later. 'Kiss me.'

He didn't think he could move this fast or this gracefully but he had her against the shelf a moment later, looming over her, intent on claiming her lips again. She seemed as fascinated with his red eyes as with his voice and held his gaze as he lowered his head slowly…

And hit it on the shelf right above her because she was positively tiny next to him and he had to bend so much. As he backed off with a muttered curse, she giggled and it made his own lips twitch in a smile but he pretended to frown before grabbing her around the waist, his fingers digging into the soft flesh and lifting her until they were face level. Her heel fell off, clacking against the floor and laughter faded as something deeper, more intense, took its place.

And he closed the distance between them, finally kissing her again.

……………………………….

'Ya!' Tae smacked his palm away, trying to peer over the hand clamped over her eyes. 'Let me see, things were just getting good.'

'Leave them be, you ert!' Baekhyun whispered, laughter ringing in his voice.   

'But you're looking too!' She whined, trying to pry his hand off. 'Come on, no fair!'

'Yeah well… oof!' He grunted as something whooshed and his fingers tightened around Tae's forehead.

D.O's voice, monotonous and unamused, echoed, 'Now he can't look either.'

'Ya…' Baekhyun whined, squirming and almost loosening his hold. 'Let go.'

'No peeking,' D.O told them, no doubt busy browsing the book he'd been looking at. She still hadn't figured out exactly why D.O had volunteered to come with them when Chen had excitedly reported that Chanyeol was entering the library. It seemed like his brothers didn't understand either because both Baekhyun and Chen had given him an identical, shocked look before attempting to take his temperature, at which he'd growled and threatened them with broken fingers if they dared to touch him.

Yet, here he was, engaging in such mundane activity as spying on their best friend make up – and then, make out – with his girlfriend.

'Where's Chen?' Baekhyun asked after he quit squirming, realizing D.O wasn't going to let him peek.

Tae shrugged, forgetting he couldn't see her. 'Isn't he with us?' They'd all entered – or rather, sneaked inside – the library together.

'No, he went upstairs,' D.O told them before announcing, 'Okay, you can look.'

'Hey, how come you get to see…' Baekhyun began, rounding on D.O but Tae tuned him out, peering over the side of the shelf. Nara was staring at Chanyeol like he was the most solid, double-blind peer reviewed article she'd ever seen and…

She couldn’t see Chanyeol's face but maybe he was staring at her the same way. Wasn't that awesome? Nara had been worried for no reason, Chanyeol was obviously just shy…

Or not, she giggled to herself when he lowered his head again, fingers resting on the shelf on either side of Nara's head, no doubt to kiss her again. She thought it was her imagination that made the entire thing look so hazy – like, that wasn't really smoke, right?

She flicked her gaze away, a bit embarrassed because that was Nara – it was almost like watching her little sister and it made her feel weirdly teary, like she'd grown up so much and…

What the hell?

She blinked when there was a loud rumble, quite near them and watched in horror as the shelf behind Chanyeol suddenly toppled, the huge thing wobbling precariously on its side, books raining down on the couple and with a loud bang, crashed over them.

'NARA!!!!' She screamed, panicking and would've run across but for someone grabbing her hand.

She whirled around, coming face to chest with Baekhyun. 'Nara… she…'

'We'll go check, you stay here,' he told her calmly, rubbing his thumb over her wrist soothingly, 'She'll be fine, don't worry.'

She opened to say something else but there was another sound, like someone hitting against the wood and she watched with wide eyes as a figure seemed to tear its way out of the fallen shelf, kicking books and wooden shards aside, eyes glowing wildly red – what?? – fire and smoke rising like a tornado behind him.

What is with these guys and superhero movie scenes? Tae blinked in stunned surprise as Chanyeol broke through the wooden shelf, kicking his way out and stood up, slowly straightening his hunched shoulders to reveal Nara gently cradled against his chest, unscathed.

The smoke detectors went off just then, spraying water all over them as he hurried towards them as T-rex yelled at them to exit the library, rushing towards the door. Baekhyun tugged on her hand, pulling her towards the exit as Chanyeol bounded near, his long legs carrying him over the distance easily and they stepped out together.

'Is everyone out?' T-rex yelled, looking panicked as she held the phone, no doubt calling for the firefighters.

They glanced around – as far as they knew, they'd been the only people inside the library at this time – and did a quick head count. Baekhyun was with her, D.O had followed them sedately behind, carrying a bunch of books possibly to save them from the fire, Chanyeol and Nara…

'CHEN!' D.O dumped his books, Baekhyun let go of her hand and they rushed back to the now-profusely-smoking library. Chanyeol set Nara down a bit more gently, whispered something and bounded off after his friends.

Tae hurried over to her side, hugging her tightly. 'Oh my goodness, you scared me!'

Just then, there was another burst of loud laughter and they glanced over to see the boys hugging Chen – sooty-faced and his curly hair looking like a bomb went off there but otherwise fine, laughing brightly as D.O pushed him, looking grumpy and Chanyeol pulled them all in a gigantic hug.

Tae relaxed against Nara, smiling at the scene before glancing at her friend. 'So…?' She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly and Nara looked at her, momentarily confused before catching up, a small smile tugging on her lips.

'I d his abs,' she reported, blushing, 'and his chest is nice.'

'Damn right it is,' Tae laughed, patting her friend.

………………………………….