Earlier that day once again…

Kyra couldn’t help the butterflies in her tummy. Today would mark her first official date with D.O and she was reluctant to admit exactly how excited the thought made her.

For whose sake, though, she had no idea, considering she was fast on her way to falling back in love with him. With the return of her memories, any objection she might’ve had to D.O had been curbed long before he came and asked her – so sweetly, she might add – for a second chance.

Honestly, if he hadn’t approached her first, she would’ve gone to him and asked for a new start herself.

As it was, the carnival had provided them the perfect opportunity to get to know each other and this time, without the threat of her imminent death or his claim hanging over their heads.

Sure, the bite still hurt and she was still uncomfortable but he’d managed to keep himself in control in her presence and until she went crazy – again – and pushed him past a limit she could clearly see, there was no reason it would be a problem.

No, the problem was she had no idea what to wear.

Her distress amused Raina to no end, having been the everyone’s jokes about her horrendous fashion sense far too often to not relish the break.

‘Stop laughing…’ Kyra whined, wanting to stamp her feet. Raina ignored her, busy checking out the cute couple shirt Tao had bought her, occasionally snickering as Kyra emptied out her wardrobe. Kyra would ask her for help but she knew better than to risk it.

While Raina had gone through a drastic wardrobe change, it was only and only because of Tao’s fashion sense. The guy knew what he was doing, thank goodness, and he hadn’t done anything that would be so different from Raina’s own – however questionable – style that it would change her completely. No, he’d simply gone and upgraded her and for that she was thankful.

At this moment, she dearly wished she had a stylist of her own like Raina had inadvertently acquired. She wanted to dress to impress – literally slay D.O because this was her first real chance to do so. He’d seen her at her worst, with sketchy patches of hair and so thin, her face looked like a skeleton. He’d seen her when Lay had healed her completely and she’d been glowing with health… but he’d never seen her when she’d really put in the effort to look good.

For her office, she dressed professionally, keeping makeup to occasional and sophisticated shades of brown and rust, giving her a mature look. Nothing flirty or flashy, nothing designed specifically to attract.

Gosh, how she wanted to attract D.O... It had absolutely nothing to do with the bite and her ongoing fever but everything to do with D.O himself. Even before he’d bitten her, she’d been on guard against him because he was exactly her type – hot and cold at the same time – and lord, had she been flustered by his presence.

Everything seemed so damn obvious in retrospect.

Sighing, she dropped the plain white blouse she’d picked. It was pretty, an off-the-shoulder style she absolutely adored but she wasn’t sure flashing her neck and shoulders to him would be a good idea… especially with that bite sitting on her neck.

Although it would speed up the process…

No. She shook her head, ridding herself of the ridiculous thoughts. They’d decided to start anew and she did not want him to regret it and start avoiding her again. No, she simply wanted to look good for him but she had no idea what he liked. 

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. The image of D.O putting flowers in her hair returned and a small smile tugged at her lips. He’d definitely liked that, if his expressions and the possessive grip on her hand afterwards were anything to go by.

She didn’t have any flowers at hand but she was sure one of the girls would have a floral clip or something. Decided, she rifled through her wardrobe again and settled on a pleated skirt that was just this side of small and a cute pastel top that would leave her shoulders bare but would cover up her neck, tying behind her neck. That way, she could show off some skin and hopefully tempt him a little…

Ahem, moving on.

The rest of her attire was pretty standard. Cute boots with enough heel to give her some height, a bracelet and a pair of earrings. Just the barest hint of makeup in shades of , enough to give herself a natural glow and…

Lip gloss. He definitely liked that.

The thought of kissing him made her face flush and the bite in her neck throb uncomfortably, so she hurriedly changed the route and focused on getting just the right amount on. There.

Smacking her lips a few times, she turned, a ‘how do I look?’ on her lips but found the room empty. She had no idea when Raina had left. Pouting to herself, she packed up her supplies and picked her purse, ready to go. All she needed was a flowery pin or clip.

Angel, like her namesake, came to her rescue, lending her a cute pair of daisy hair pins and even helping set them in her hair, making sure they sat perfectly. Once she had given her approval, Kyra was ready to go.

Her heart fluttered, a mixture of nerves and excitement filling her. Truth be told, it would be her first real date. Sure, she’d gotten asked out a time or two but she hadn’t been interested, more concerned with her studies and her visions. Then her disease came in the way and well, the rest was history.

Lost in her thoughts, she did not notice D.O until she bumped right into him.

………………………………………

D.O was regretting asking Chen for advice because his Shadow just wouldn’t leave him alone.

Don’t get him wrong, he loved the guy just as much as the next Legend – maybe more, since they were Shadows – but there were points where D.O drew the line and Chen seemed hell-bent on crossing them.

He’d taken it on himself to dress D.O for the occasion, holding a vaguely threatening styling product in his hand and talking a mile a minute.

‘I’m not saying dark and broody isn’t a good look on you,’ he insisted, grabbing D.O by the shoulders and forcing him to sit in front of the mirror. Chen’s hands immediately began rifling through his hair and D.O cringed, not liking it one bit. ‘I’m just saying that maybe you should lighten up a little. Show off a little bit of what your mama gave you…’

His speech continued without pause. Finally, D.O tried to speak, turning his head but Chen forced him to face forward once again, unwillingly looking at his own reflection. ‘Girls like a guy who smiles, alright? Like me, for instance.’ A flash of pearly whites followed the statement as Chen did who knew what to his hair.

D.O grumbled under his breath about how he didn’t need to dress up for his own mate.

A smack landed on his head, making him wince. Trust Chen to always catch him with his guard down.

‘You should dress up because she is your mate, idiot.’ He wagged a finger at him. ‘Who else deserves it more than her? Why would you dress up to impress anyone else? Hmm?’

D.O let his shoulders slump in defeat. He had no argument against this. Besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t want to… it was just that he’d never had the occasion to and didn’t see why today should be any different. Black had worked for him for so long, why would it fail him now?

Chen sighed, no doubt peeking into his thoughts again. ‘You’re courting her, alright? She’s making so much effort, let her see you’re doing it too for her sake. Give her flowers, buy her candy, take her out for a light dinner. Come on, you’ve seen Suho… he’s married but even he is taking Angel out because today is couples’ day. That’s how these things work.’

‘Fine…’ D.O replied on an exhale, ‘but I’m not wearing pink.’

Chen pouted, having color coordinated his entire get up. ‘It’s salmon.’

‘Whatever. Give me something else.’

Chen grumbled, finally shutting up to focus on D.O’s hair again. After meticulously combing his hair back and instructing him to not move and let the product settle, Chen left his side. D.O followed his reflection in the mirror as he picked through their combined wardrobe, taking out a couple of button ups that were dark but not black. D.O was sure he’d never worn them before.

‘Try one of these,’ Chen said, laying them on the bed. ‘Your hair’s done and I have put out everything you need to wear…’ D.O opened his mouth to protest but Chen ran him over. ‘Even the watch, alright? Watches are y.’

‘Damn right they are!’ As if life wasn’t hard enough for D.O, the door burst open and Baekhyun sauntered in. His eyes landed on D.O’s back, lighting up instantly. ‘Ooh, getting ready? For what?’

‘Get out.’ D.O growled out, in no mood to entertain either Baekhyun or Chanyeol who had just peeked in. ‘Wah, D.O’s getting ready!’

D.O growled again, purposefully emanating the Beast aura to scare the Legends away. Chen was enough, there was no way he was putting up with the rest. Thankfully, his aura seemed to work and the Legends left in a hurry, calling Chen out as they left.

‘Be good,’ Chen had to have the final word. ‘Don’t rush it, okay?’

‘Go away.’ D.O replied, ill mannered.

Chen chuckled but went out anyway. ‘Have fun.’

D.O sighed, looking at himself. Chen hadn’t done much except pushing his hair back and making sure it stayed that way. Kyra had seemed to like it, so he supposed it wasn’t a bad thing.

The thought of dressing himself up for his mate appealed to his beast a lot. It had begun growling and whining at him to get a move on so he could see her sooner. With a resigned sigh, D.O picked up the darkest shirt Chen had laid out – a deep gray color – and started getting dressed.

He was done in five minutes and took a few more, fidgeting with the buttons of his shirt. Chen had given him strict instructions to keep the top one open and to fold the arms three quarters of the way. D.O wasn’t sure why it was important but after an internal debate – in which he tried to convince himself that it was worth it – he left the top button undone and put on the watch as per his Shadow’s instructions.

Finally ready and more than a little self-conscious, he stepped out of his room. His stomach was a bundle of nerves since this entire thing was out of his experience. Even when he’d sought her and brought her back to Oulphesden with him, he hadn’t gone out of his way to charm her. She’d seemed to like him anyway and since she was his mate, there was no question of him liking her.

In fact, it hadn’t even crossed his mind that it was a possibility until recently. As far as he was concerned, he found his mate and claimed her as soon as he had her consent; that was all to the mating game.

With Xiumin and Lily’s breakup though, he’d been reminded that unlike them, the mates were humans and weren’t held down with the same instinct as the Legends. Look at Kai, he could struggle all he wanted but a part of him would always belong to Mei and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Kris could try and move on all he wanted but the beast inside him would always keep him bound to the mate he’d lost. Xiumin could claim he’d broken up with her and not claimed her but even he couldn’t find anyone else.

He hadn’t ever entertained the possibility that Kyra wouldn’t choose him until she’d lost her memories. That had driven the message home unpleasantly.

So, he had to really, truly woo her. For a moment, he wished he had Chen’s bright personality or even Baekhyun’s slick charisma but in the end, it was just him and his dubious social charms. Hopefully that would be enough.

He’d initially planned on taking her out for a quiet movie night. He wouldn’t have to socialize more than strictly necessary and they could fill the silence between them with the sounds from the film. Chen had talked him out of it, advising him not to push himself too hard.

‘I know you wouldn’t deliberately do anything but why risk it? Kyra has no control over her scent, how long do you think you’ll be able to take it? You’ll either jump her or abandon her and neither are acceptable.’

Reluctant as he was to admit it, D.O had concurred that Chen’s advice was reasonable and had accordingly changed plans. Now, he would be joining the rest of the Legends at the carnival, make sure there were enough people around them at all times to diffuse her scent and make him less prone to acting out.

He did, however, intend to take her to lunch before joining them there. That way, they could talk and well… let’s just say his beast felt strongly about feeding its mate with food it had acquired.

He went to the kitchen, taking out things he’d prepared beforehand, setting them out on the counter as he hummed under his breath. There was something relaxing about the kitchen – perhaps its familiarity – and he forgot his nerves as he filled the picnic basket he’d bought for the occasion.

Done packing, he was heading out when he turned a corner and bumped into somebody.

Maybe because his nose was already filled with so many scents from all the food he’d been smelling – he enjoyed the flavors, don’t judge – but it didn’t immediately register with him who he was looking at.

To be fair, it was also probably because he was sure his brain had short circuited.

He blinked as if in a daze, unsure if he was dreaming but the vision in front of him stayed intact.

‘Hi.’ She ducked her head shyly.

D.O opened his mouth in response but no sound emerged. His throat felt parched all of a sudden and he swallowed. ‘Hello.’ His voice came out an octave lower than usual.

Kyra visibly stiffened in response and a delectable flush rose over her neck and face. D.O couldn’t stop staring, his fingers twitching with the urge to just… grab something and crush it between his fingers, just to let out his feelings.

Where was Baekhyun when you needed him to break the tension?

With momentous effort, he looked away, clearing his throat and willing himself to calm down. But truly, even while getting ready, he hadn’t considered that Kyra would be doing the same and had been solely unprepared for the full impact of her beauty.

Her hair, which was usually very kempt, fell in loose, attractive waves, held back from her face by floral pins. He was immediately reminded of the time he’d tucked the flower in her hair and wondered if she’d done it deliberately, feeling warm at the thought. Her shoulders were bare, the skin glimmering enticingly in the sunlight and he was just glad she’d thought to cover up the bite because he wasn’t sure he could take that. Paired with a skirt and small heels, she looked extremely feminine and that stirred up the beast like nothing else.

It took him a moment to realize he was staring again and he cleared his throat again, making her look at him. She had a questioning look her on her face so he replied with the first thing that came to his mind. ‘You look beautiful.’

She blushed again but a pleased smile decorated her face, making him smile as well.

‘Thanks. You look pretty good yourself.’

‘Shall we go?’

She nodded.

…………………………………………

A/N

Hello... been AWOL for a long time, no? Well, I haven't forgotten this story, promise :) I have just been far too busy :/ Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this change of pace but I thought a dose of Kyra/D.O fluff was long overdue :) so prepare your hearts, since the next few chapers will focus on this frustrating couple and hopefully, you'll see a change in their dynamics. 

I'll try to update sooner this time but I'm making no promises. That said, I'm really excited to share how the story goes. 

Also, Kokobop? Who's excited??? Truly looking forward to this comeback, even though my baby won't be with EXO this time T_T I feel like stanning Yixing is so hard, like half the time I'm crying for EXO X Yixing interactions and the rest worrying over his health :/ anybody feel me? On another, note, Jongin's dreads are such a Wolf throwback :) they're never going to let it go, are they? I lowkey love them though, since only Jongin can make it look good :3 that's our visual for you ;) hope this comeback will be great :)