D.O was mentally cursing a blue streak – but only because he'd been stared at by too many people already and he didn't want to add more to his 'crazy but in a cute way' repute than he already had – and btw, he was not cute. He'd even toned down the beast aura now that he was a regular at the university and Kyra wasn't dying.

But Chanyeol had to go and set fire in the library – what was he even doing there? When had he developed literary interests? And then, when asked for his identity, Baekhyun gave his name. And here he was, being sent to counsellor's office to discuss his 'violent' urges. 

Violent. They hadn't see violent yet.

The rant inside his head came to falter as a familiar scent hit his nostrils, still feet away from the brick building that was his current destination. 

Kyra…

The urge to mark, to claim and make her his was strong as it'd ever been and his steps sped up unconsciously. It had been a while since he'd been in close proximity with her, what with her unexpected reaction to his presence. 

It was baffling, something he still couldn't fully comprehend. Not remembering… he couldn't imagine ever forgetting her and that she'd somehow forgotten all about him – it cut, and it cut deep. He'd been disbelieving at first and had disregarded the scent of fear that rose when he'd cornered her, his crazed mind set only on marking her. 

He still didn't know why he'd stopped, then. A kiss, that's all it'd take – a kiss and she'd be his, to hell with her memories. They could make new ones. 

But the fear in her eyes, the confusion he'd seen in them… 

He sighed. She'd been too scared and he'd disregarded his instincts, instincts that demanded he claim her before his Shadow realized who she was. She'd dashed away the moment he'd backed off and since then, she'd been actively avoiding him. 

Unlike Chen, whom she seemed to quite like. Instead of running away, she willingly sought his company, initiated conversations and most importantly, smiled at him, her pretty lips curving into a prettier smile that set her entire face aglow.

Jealousy reared its head inside him, making shadows seeps out as the Beast aura took over, making his eyes flash red. 

Fortunately, he reached the door before he could become too enraged and he took a few calming breaths, taking in her scent mingled with the spring air. It soothed his nerves even as it aroused him, a calm that came only from being near his pack and now, his mate…to be. Couldn’t forget that, now could he? 

As he lifted his hand to knock, it struck him that he'd be alone with her. For the entirety of the counselling session… a small, fond smile curved his lips at Baekhyun's tactics. Seemed like he owed the idiot one. 

He rapped his knuckles against the door and waited, impatience making him tap his feet on the floor. Barely a minute passed before he knocked again, louder this time. 

'Please come in.' 

He smiled, anticipation already building in his system and he stepped inside.

'Hello Kyra.' 

As before, the scent of her alarm instantly rose around them, a veritable cloud as she visibly swallowed. 

'D-d.O… what are you doing here?' She asked, doing an admirable job of covering her discomfort, though he wasn't fooled. She was terrified and while it aroused the primal part of him, the beast that enjoyed cornering its prey and watching it tremble before it pounced, the rest of him was saddened. He was there to protect her, not be the reason of her terror. 

'I was sent here for a session with the counsellor.' He stated, ignoring the twinge in his heart in favor of looking at her, drinking in her features. 

She swallowed again. 'Why?' 

'I accidentally set fire in the library aisle.' He stepped inside, the door sliding into place with a gentle snick. Her eyes fluttered from his face to the closed door behind him before she took a deep breath and forced herself to step out from behind the desk. 'I see… did you?' 

D.O blinked, surprised by the question. Didn’t she believe he was homicidal, crazed animal? 

'No.'

She nodded, staring somewhere over his shoulder. 'It was Chanyeol, right?' 

Oh. Right. She knew about the Legends and their powers. He'd forgotten that. 

'Yes.' 

Silence fell in between them, uncomfortable. At least, he assumed it was uncomfortable for her – he had no problem standing there, staring at her. Finally, she cleared , gesturing towards the numerous seats in front of her desk. 'Take a seat, please. I guess we can… talk.' 

Talking was the last thing on his mind but his feet followed her suggestion… or not. He stepped forward until he was right in front of her, inhaling her increasingly potent scent, mind slowly shutting down as the beast rose its head inside him, the endless clamor of 'mine' ringing in his head. 
……………………………..

Flooding is a terrible approach.

Her mind sought comfort in the professional jargon, letting her escape in the mental conversation with herself as she tried to ignore her rising heartbeat. 

Yup, flooding was terrible approach, no wonder it was only used in drastic cases. Forcing a person to confront their fear like this, without letting them adjust and prepare… it was a wonder she was still standing and hadn't already passed out from hyperventilation. 

He wasn't even doing anything, just staring at her like she was dessert – and fyi, she resented being objectified… or foodified, if that was even a term – and she wished he'd stop. To distract herself from the anxiety and the headache that was threatening to break out, she spoke, mentally smacking her head for stuttering. 

'D-d.O… what are you doing here?'  

'I was sent here for a session with the counsellor.' The statement was delivered without emotion, though his eyes didn't waver. 

She gulped, getting nervous. 'Why?' 

'I accidentally set fire in the library aisle.' 

He spoke so calmly – like setting fires wasn’t unusual… which, she supposed, it wasn't, given the powers these Legends possessed. Though, from what she remembered, fire wasn’t D.O's power. 

The slight snick of the door sliding shut sounded ominous to her, making her feel like she was trapped. Which she was, because he was in front of the door and there was no other exit, unless she wanted to lock herself in the file room. Her eyes flitted between his face and the closed door before she took a deep breath. 

Snap out of it. She was a professional and it was her job to help whoever came here and D.O was a student, so she couldn't really send him away. Besides, she could keep panicking but she wouldn't know anything about him until she interacted with him… Raina really was smart at times. 

Despite the urge to stay where she was, she stepped out from behind the desk. Standard procedure with psychologists – desks were obstacles in building rapport with the client, so naturally she couldn't do that. She forced herself to think professionally and help him. 

'I see… did you?' 

He blinked like he hadn't expected that question. 'No.'

She nodded, unable to meet his eyes just yet. She focused on his shoulder instead. 'It was Chanyeol, right?' 

'Yes.' 

Uncomfortable silence descended on them as he kept staring at her and she wondered how the hell she would spend the next hour in his presence without passing out or collapsing under the headache – which was eerily reminiscent of her previous, vision related ones. There was nothing to be done, though. The university administration would expect a full report on him if he'd been officially sent, ask her if they should keep him or not and stuff like that. 

'Take a seat, please. I guess we can… talk.'

He nodded absently, gaze still fixed on her as he took one, two, three steps towards her, inhaling deeply. 

She gulped as his eyes flashed red – like they had the last time he'd cornered her – and his teeth bared in a silent snarl. He didn’t stop moving, making her stumble back until she hit the desk. 

Deciding she didn't want to be cornered again – her heart had jumped into at his closeness and was beating hard enough to make her dizzy – she turned to flee.

Only to be yanked back by her wrist, turned around so they were face to face. 

'Kyra…' 

She started at the unexpected thrill that shot down her spine as she stared into his red eyes, suddenly very much aware of their proximity. He crowded in on her until her back touched the wall and she swallowed, held captive by his eyes as he slowly closed the distance between them.

She didn't think her heart could beat any faster but it sped up even more, making her knees weak and her breath short, anticipation uncoiling in her stomach as she waited for his touch. Confusion rang loudly inside her head, the rational part of her asking her what the hell she was doing. 

She didn't know. She didn't know anything except that in this moment, she wanted nothing more than to close the distance between their lips and settle the insane urge rising like a wave inside her and her eyes automatically slid close as she waited his blissful touch… 

The warm breath hitting her face made her shudder but when nothing else happened, she opened her eyes. 

To find him staring at her with that same hungry look and yet, held back by something like concern, eyes asking a question – was she okay? Did she really want this? 

This unexpected consideration was just that – unexpected. She'd expected – and maybe even wanted, though she'd never admit it aloud – to have the choice taken from her hands. If he kissed her, she would have reason to say he did it and it had nothing to do with her – to feign ignorance and force herself to be unaware of the importance he seemed to have for her. 

To be honest, he wasn't what scared her – it was her own reaction to him. That time he'd cornered her – sometime after they'd woken up and made sure everyone was alive, she'd almost caved under the desire to give herself up for him. Let him have his way, mark her, claim her… 

She was no stranger to base instincts but such intensity? That was definitely new – and scary. She didn’t like how out-of-control he made her feel, how off-balance and unlike herself she became in his presence – melting at the primitive display of territorialism, how foolish… and how utterly reasonable in wake of his red eyes mesmerizing her. 

And now this. This stupid concern for her, which wouldn't let her decide he was a barbaric animal she'd be better off avoiding. 

Her turmoil must've shown on her face because he took a shuddering breath and, with obvious effort, pulled back. 

'Get out.' His voice, laden with suppressed desire, was potent like a drug. She was beginning to feel a little high right about now. 

'Kyra…' He growled – he really needed to stop saying her name like that, it kinda, sorta short circuited her rational processes – hands clenching into white-knuckled grip beside her. 'Get out. Now.' 

Why the hell was that hot? How the hell was that hot? She was going crazy… 

Nor was she the only one. A punch landed on the wall beside her, making her flinch and suddenly snap back into reality, thankfully free of whatever hold he had on her. 

She scrambled for the exit, stumbling a little but the moment she was out, she felt a weight lift off her chest. Her breathing leveled off and heart stabilized and the constant, pressing need to just give in to him, the strange emotions he seemed to elicit, bled out of her. 

She slumped into the benches lining the nearest garden – right beside the counselling center and part of her wondered why she hadn't run further away, what unconscious forces were at play here – but she was too worn out to care. The meeting had left her drained and she was still feeling a little weak in the knees. 

The sound of the door slamming and bounding steps told her he'd gone away but she took her time going back. She couldn't be expected to deal with clients when she was still high on some guy's voice and red eyes. 

That would be highly unprofessional. 
……………………………………