A fortnight later

Kris blinked at the suppressed sound, unsure what he was hearing. It came again, a small muffled ‘choo’.

He looked around, then down at the girl beside him, noticing the way her nose scrunched before she put up her hand to cover it, followed by the softest little sneeze he’d ever heard.

Despite himself, he felt a smile break his face.

‘Cold?’ he asked.

Tae shook her head even as her eyes scrunched at the incoming sneeze and  then, she let out another soft sound that was nothing like the roaring sneezes he was accustomed to.

He would offer her a jacket but sadly, he wasn’t wearing one since neither of them were dressed for the sudden onslaught of off-season snow.

He noticed her rubbing her bare arms, goosebumps raising as a shiver wracked her frame and sighed.

He glanced around, looking for cover as snow began falling in earnest, the slight breeze becoming frigid in seconds. The nearest place was a small alcove in the side of the building they were walking past.

He took her hand. ‘Come on.’

She followed easily, quick steps to keep up with his long strides. He glanced back, noticing the white accumulating in her hair and another scrunch of her nose, indicating another incoming sneeze. He pulled her in the rest of the way, almost lifting her off her feet as she whooped and he caught her around  the waist, turning them so that they were both inside the alcove, Kris looming over her.

They stared at each other for a quiet moment, breathing heavily, before she let out another sneeze, blushing cutely immediately afterwards. He smiled, lifting a hand to ruffle her hair. She closed her eyes, looking very much like a kitten as she leaned into his touch.

‘There,’ he whispered, still smiling. ‘Done.’

She opened one eye to look at him. ‘Hm?’

‘The snow’s out of your hair now.’

‘Oh.’ The blush on her face intensified and she ducked her head. ‘Thanks.’

He shrugged, smiling and pulling his hand away, turning. He missed the look of disappointment crossing her face before she rallied, stepping beside him.

‘So much for a walk,’ she muttered, hugging herself for warmth.

Kris didn’t reply, quietly observing the snow falling… or he would have but for the chattering teeth beside him. He glanced at her again before sighing and throwing an arm around her shoulders.

His long arm draped all the way over her shoulders and covered half her arm. He used his grip to pull her into his side.

‘K-kris?’ she stuttered nervously.

‘You’ll catch a cold at this rate,’ he explained, not looking at her.

‘I won’t,’ she said, immediately sneezing again. He tutted, rubbing her arm briskly. Of all the days to go sleeveless, he thought.

‘Heh,’ Tae chuckled haltingly, sounding a little breathless, ‘you should just hug me and share body heat.’

He blinked. It had crossed his mind but he’d figured it might make her uncomfortable.

‘You sure?’ he asked, just in case.

‘Hm…’ she hummed. He nodded. ‘Okay.’

She looked surprised when Kris used his grip around her shoulders to maneuver her in front of him.

‘What…?’ Her question trailed off as he pulled her into a back hug, his arm draping easily around her as he pulled her in, back to chest, and rested his chin on top of her head, glad that her heels lent her enough height that he didn’t have to bend too much.

‘Good?’ he asked.

‘Eeep,’ she squeaked, making him grin. Tae was weird, like Baekhyun. Also, like with Baekhyun, Kris found himself endlessly entertained.

……………………………..

Tae felt like her heart would jump out of with the way it was beating. Pounding really, seemingly bent on jumping right out of her chest. It was difficult to draw a breath. Partly because of the arm wrapped casually around her neck. Mostly, though, it was just the man attached to it.  

After squeaking embarrassingly at him, she’d decided to keep shut and simply savor the moment. She must have done something really good in her previous life because that was the only explanation for her current predicament, when she hadn’t really done anything to warrant it.

In her experience – and it was vast, if she did say so herself – in order to get the things one wanted, one had to work their off. And if they fell into one’s lap without any personal initiative, that was just the universe’s way of saying thank you.

She wanted to thank the universe back for blessing her with such a beautiful moment, seemingly drawn straight out of her dreams. Without even trying, she was able to feel the muscular chest pressing into her back, feel the hard abs and damn, his arms were so nice. She wanted to bite into the forearm pressed oh so invitingly against her neck, practically begging to be gnawed on.

If she hadn’t just pinched herself – and probably bruised herself in the process – she would believe she was dreaming.

But no, this was her reality and she was so, so thankful for it.

She pressed her lips, looking up at the sky to thank whatever deity was in-charge of her fate. This had to be the best not-date ever.

She let out a soft sigh, observing the snow fall rapidly, accumulating on the ground like a soft white carpet. The wind, mild as it was, had turned chilly and it made her extra glad to be sharing body heat with Kris.

Kris. The man. The mystery.

It was surprisingly difficult to get him alone, as she’d discovered after asking him out. After their plans getting cancelled due to Chanyeol, she’d asked him to the movies. And he’d agreed. And then cancelled because of something coming up in his Legend duties.

She’d decided to get him when he was at the university. So she’d asked him out for lunch, away from their usual group. And he’d agreed, seemingly amicable to whatever she wanted. They’d ended up at his office and she’d been rather excited. But so many students had interrupted their time that she’d ended up leaving early, excusing herself for a nonexistent class.

He didn’t seem to mind that she was making a move on him and she took heart in that, asking him out again for a nice walk in the park along the river’s edge, suggesting they grab a coffee on their way back. He’d agreed again and thankfully, nothing had come up. No Legend duties, no medical emergencies, no students.

The weather had been pleasantly balmy the past few days, so she’d decided to risk going sleeveless, showing off a little bit of skin. Just enough to make her interest clear.

To her slight disappointment, he didn’t seem to care much about her appearance. But the walk had been nice; he was mostly quiet, letting her lead the conversation as he usually did. It had been going well, until the snow.

Although, now that she thought about it, the snow was a blessing in disguise. Sure, she was cold and she would probably be sick later because she caught colds easily. But here she was, getting back-hugged by her hot date and that, in her book, was worth it.

……………………………………..

Soon after they’d first met, Raina had gotten Kyra to promise to go out on a double date with her and Hugh Jackman when they finally got hitched. And of course, Kyra had promised, knowing that particular ship was never going to sail.

She had forgotten all about it, until Raina started bugging her.

‘You promised!’ she accused, pointing her finger threateningly.

‘But you’re not hitched with Hugh Jackman…’ Kyra countered weakly.

Raina stamped her foot, immediately slipping because was it really Raina if she didn’t? She winced, ignoring her twisted foot to glare at Kyra. ‘And you knew that! But you agreed to a double date when we both found the loves of our lives. Don’t try to deny it.’

Kyra had to admit that her friend was right. Because she hadn’t wanted to break Raina’s heart by telling her off the bat that Hugh Jackman was out of question, she’d restated the promise and adjusted it to ‘loves of our lives’ as Raina had pointed out.

‘Fine,’ she sighed, giving in. ‘So?’

‘So, we’ve both found them! Now it’s time!’ Raina had been thrumming with excitement and Kyra didn’t have the heart to say no to her. So she’d agreed.

D.O had been surprisingly amenable to the idea, agreeing easily. And so, both couples had decided to go karaoke; apparently, Tao loved Raina’s singing. Kyra didn’t mind as long as she got to hear D.O sing.   

She had banked on it being just the four of them. But apparently, a double date meant an all-out party with most of the mansion’s residents in Raina’s book.

She was shocked by the amount of noise coming out of the karaoke bar; beside her, D.O stiffened, looking ready to bolt. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. He squeezed back, still looing apprehensive. He gently opened the door, wincing a little at the noise before stepping in.

Everyone fell silent and Kyra had the chance to observe everyone gathered in the room. There was Suho and Angel in a corner by themselves, snuggling. Sehun and Tiffany sitting beside Mei and Luhan, Kai somehow squeezed in between both couples. Nara and Chanyeol were also there, an entire sofa to themselves, with everyone’s unspoken agreement to give the couple a wide berth because one never knew when Chanyeol would burst into flames. Chen was there with Rose, keeping her company since it was his day to supervise her. Rose was blushing crazily, thought it could entirely be because of suppressed laughter as Baekhyun joked about something, Lay smiling at his antics.

The only ones missing were Tae and Lily, Kris, Xiumin and Ken.

Tao, who’d apparently been singing a duet with Raina, turned around at the silence, breaking out into a huge smile. ‘D.O, you came!’

Raina rushed to hug Kyra amongst the chorus of welcomes. Raina let go just as quickly so as not to discomfort Kyra, pulling her in. ‘Come on, you’re just in time!’

‘You know, when you said double date, I thought it’d be just us two.’ Kyra commented lightly, following Raina to the seats.

‘It was but when Angel heard that we were planning something like this, she said she’d always wanted to do something like a group date and…’ Raina looked at her with wide eyes.

‘And you couldn’t say no.’ Kyra completed, smiling. So typical of Raina. She poked her friend’s head. ‘Air head!’

Raina pouted. ‘Mud stick.’ Kyra grinned, leaning back. ‘Hey I’m not complaining. This will be fun.’

Raina smiled, looking extremely happy and proud of herself. D.O came over just then to slip in beside her, draping an arm behind her and Raina’s smile turned smug, seeing the blush on Kyra’s face. She jumped up and grabbed the mic.

‘I would like to dedicate this song to my best friend,’ she announced, grinning at Kyra’s shocked face. ‘Kyra, babe, this one’s for you!’

There were loud hoots and whistles as Raina began singing, off-key but passionate and dancing around, obviously having fun. Tao joined in and they danced and sang together, the rest of the group joining in.

Kyra smiled, feeling thoroughly blessed and content in that moment.

…………………………………

‘I’m really sorry,’ Ken apologized, looking contrite.

Lily shook her head, pulling her hair out of the way and tying it in a knot. ‘Ken, this is hardly something to apologize about. You should get Lay to check it.’

Ken made a face at that. ‘No offense but I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet. I’ll just stick to toothpaste for now.’

Lily eyed him critically. ‘This,’ she said, pointing at his arm, ‘is going to need a lot more than just toothpaste.’ 

Ken didn’t look convinced, so she cajoled. ‘At least get it checked by a doctor. The burns looked nasty and I don’t want you getting sick.’

Ken made a face, pouting. ‘Fine, I’ll get it checked.’

‘Now,’ Lily asserted, making him deflate.

‘But it’s fine now,’ he muttered, holding up his bandaged arms.

‘That’s temporary. First aid.’ Ken still seemed reluctant, so Lily peered at him closely.

‘Are you… afraid of hospitals?’ she asked kindly. He glanced at her, ducking his head. ‘Is it that obvious?’

‘Ken, you literally have second degree, possibly third degree burns on both your arms and hands… and you’re telling me you’re going to put toothpaste on it. I think it’s pretty obvious.’

Ken didn’t say anything. Lily sighed. ‘What do you normally do if you get sick?’

‘I don’t get sick,’ Ken replied. Lily rolled her eyes. It was probably some macho bull, the kind Leo sometimes spouted.

‘Well, you’re indisposed now. Should I call someone? Tae?’

He shook his head. ‘No, not her. She’ll kill me if I interrupt her date.’

‘What about that kid… Hyuk?’

Ken pouted. ‘I don’t want him seeing me like this.’

Lily sighed. ‘Okay, let me grab my things, and I’ll let Xiumin know we’re going to the hospital.’

Ken didn’t look too happy about it but he sat quietly, hissing a little as pain shot through his arms.

Lily made sure that the machine responsible for this accident was completely turned off, even unplugged, before she headed towards the office.

She had to take a moment to compose herself, bracing herself for the onslaught of pheromones that seemed to be coming off of Xiumin these days, before she entered the room.

‘Xiumin?’ she called, lightly stepping in.

‘Lily?’ Xiumin’s face emerged from behind the stack of papers, looking harried. Lily suppressed a grin, finding his disheveled state adorable. There was something supremely attractive about the way his hair seemed to stand on end, as if he’d run his hand through it frustratedly;  he probably had, he always hated working on the books, leaving the job to her or delaying it as long as possible.

Also, his gaze held this edge these days that sharpened when his eyes landed on her, red tinging his irises. It made him infinitely more attractive to her starved self. She bit her lip, noticing how his eyes zeroed in on them, nostrils flaring.

She swallowed. Best do what she came to before she got completely side-tracked. ‘One of our machines is leaking. Ken burned himself, so I’m taking him to the hospital. Will you-‘

‘I’ll check it out,’ Xiumin replied, getting up immediately. She stepped back to let him pass. He stopped in front of her instead.

‘Why are you taking Ken to the hospital?’ he asked, sounding – and looking – extremely jealous.

Lily smirked. ‘Because I want to.’

He pursed his lips, looking unhappy and she took pity on him. Really, she was letting him off too easy. ‘He’s afraid of hospitals, and he’s seriously hurt. I don’t want him getting sick.’

Xiumin grumbled. ‘Have Lay look at him.’

‘He doesn’t want to, doesn’t trust his healing.’

Xiumin frowned. ‘That’s stupid, Lay can heal him in no time.’

‘I know that,’ she countered, ‘Ken just doesn’t want it.’

The frown didn’t leave him, now coupled with a pout that made her want to pinch his cheeks. She resisted, walking ahead and leading Xiumin to where Ken was seated. Xiumin’s gaze turned icy as it landed on Ken’s bandaged hands and arms.

‘Did you do that?’ he asked through gritted teeth.

Lily tried not to feel guilty as she nodded. He looked so betrayed that it made her feel just a little bit sorry.

‘It was just first aid,’ she said weakly.

Xiumin turned, agitatedly running hand through his hair, gripping it tightly before letting go. A couple of strands remained standing and Lily clenched her fingers, wanting to straighten them herself and feel their silken texture. Ugh, he was becoming too much for her.

She was too busy ogling to pay attention to what Xiumin was saying. She only came to at Ken’s squeaked agreement. ‘Sure thing boss man,’ he said, giving a thumbs up and wincing at the movement.

‘I’ll call him,’ Xiumin said, a steely note in his voice.

‘O-okay!’

Xiumin stalked off, pulling out his phone. Ken pouted at his back, turning to eye Lily pathetically. ‘Guess I don’t have a choice now,’ he mumbled.

Lily was about to ask but Xiumin talking into the phone made the matters clear. He came to stand next to her, crossing his arms. ‘Kai is bringing Lay over, he will heal you.’

‘Yes boss,’ Ken muttered, sounding chastised. Xiumin eyed him irritably before turning to Lily. ‘Which one is it?’ he asked, not meeting her eyes.

Lily pointed at the said machine, going over to show him where the leak was occurring. She winced as he gripped the steel pipe to test, steam coming off as she realized he was freezing it. She turned, leaving him to it when there was zipping sound and distinctive smoke as Kai appeared, Lay in tow.

Lay tutted, hurrying towards Ken. ‘Xiumin told me what happened, let me take a look.’

Ken eyed the healer apprehensively but didn’t protest. Probably because of the glare Xiumin had fixed on him. He winced as Lay peeled off the bandages, humming sympathetically.

‘This might feel a little strange but I promise, you’ll feel better.’ Lay explained, lifting his hand.

Ken didn’t look too happy but nodded. ‘Whatever. Just get it over with.’

‘You can close your eyes,’ Lay offered, picking on Ken’s discomfort.

Ken shook his head. ‘It’s okay.’

Nodding, Lay touched a glowing hand to Ken’s wound. Ken’s eyebrows furrowed before raising, eyes widened in awe as the burns healed themselves, skin turning a rather glowy pink but otherwise unharmed.

Lay looked happy with the results. ‘Hmm… can you move your fingers?’

Ken demonstrated the movement, significantly less freaked out and more awed.

‘Woah…’ he exclaimed, moving his hands, ‘it’s like nothing even happened! That is so cool!’

Lay smiled, looking at Lily and winking. Lily wrinkled her nose, looking away with a smile. Her eyes landed on Xiumin, who had gone back to the machine. He still looked irritated, eyes red and a prominent frown on his face.

‘Xiumin,’ Lay called, going towards the obviously tense Legend.

Xiumin snarled. ‘Don’t!’

Lay raised his hands in surrender. ‘It’s just a suggestion.’

‘I said, don’t!’ Xiumin rumbled, looking seconds away from ripping the machine out and throwing it away. Lily shook her head at Lay, wanting the healer to quit already. It seemed, however, that Lay was bent on pushing Xiumin’s buttons.

‘I’m just gonna…’ he muttered, extending a finger.

The moment it landed, Xiumin’s restraint snapped. He twisted the healer’s hand, putting him in a painful armlock before pushing him away with enough force that he banged into the wall.

‘Don’t f***ing touch me!’ he growled, the air around him condensing into sharp icicles, all of them directed towards Lay. Kai teleported the healer out of the way just in time, the icicles burying into the wall.

Xiumin snarled, looking thoroughly deranged, anger pouring out of him in waves and before Lily could even think, he’d launched himself at the duo. Kai teleported away quickly but Xiumin managed to grab Lay before he could vanish, throwing him to the ground.

Lay landed on his back, breath whooshing out at the impact. He barely had time to reorient before Xiumin was on him, hand turning blue as he aimed for the throat.

Lily recalled how he’d accidentally grabbed during one of his nightmares and literally choked her as ice froze her trachea. Lay was too winded to even attempt to protect himself.

She moved before she could process what she was doing, wrapping her arms around him in a bear hug and pulling. The move only worked because Xiumin was probably unprepared for it, otherwise he could’ve easily regained his balance.

As it was, they both tumbled to the side, allowing Lay enough time to sit up. Xiumin snarled, turning on her. For the first time since she’d known him, Lily felt the stirrings of fear inside her but she pushed it aside in favor of grabbing his face. ‘Xiumin, snap out of it!’

He growled, eyes flashing red and she realized this was probably a bad decision. He moved, using her grip to yank her into his body, hard, and rolled so that she was underneath him. Her back hit the ground hard and she wheezed, winded.

She tried to buck up, throw him off but he was strong. Not that she hadn’t known before but he’d never used that kind of force with her. In a single move, he’d pinned her wrists over her head, thighs placed solidly on the ground, making it impossible for her to move.

She stilled, watching him warily as he leaned down. His eyes were still glowing, more brightly red than she’d ever seen and there was no recognition in there. His free hand was raised, still blue, and Lily swallowed. In saving Lay, she’d gotten herself trapped.

There was momentary silence as they both stared at each other, breathing heavily. Then he surged and Lily closed her eyes instinctively, unsure of what to expect, turning her head to the side. Xiumin would never hurt her but was this even Xiumin anymore?

Nothing happened though and after another moment, she opened one eye.

Xiumin seemed transfixed, staring at her neck. With a jolt, she realized her mark was showing, the scarf around her neck dislocated due to their movement. She watched with bated breath as he leaned closer, and closer still until she could feel his breath on her skin.

Then he ducked his head and sniffed.

Tension seemed to drain out of him at her scent, shoulders visibly relaxing and his grasp on her wrists loosening. She didn’t dare move lest he attack again but he seemed preoccupied, now leaning over properly and burying his nose in her neck.

She moved her arms experimentally, carefully observing him. When he didn’t react, she slowly brought her arms down, gently wrapping them around his shoulders. He growled but it was muted and sounded more like displeasure than anything else. Gently, she shifted so she could sit up and he went easily with her. Still careful, she carded a hand through his hair.

He leaned into it,  both of his arms coming to wrap around her and pulling her closer. Which was nearly impossible given he was practically hugging her already but she tried to move with him, until they were both entwined. One of her hands scratched his scalp, the other rubbed over his back in a soothing manner and before long, she felt him relax completely. His nose was still buried in her neck though, and his arms tightened the moment she tried to shift away, a whine escaping him.

They stayed like that for who knew how long – her arms were tired and her legs numb, shoulders beginning to ache – before Xiumin stirred.

Lily loosened her hold immediately as he pulled back, just moving back enough to put them face to face. His eyes were still glowing brightly and he was observing her intently. When she moved, his eyes immediately flitted to her arms before coming back to her face, seemingly fascinated. She swallowed and watched him follow the movement of with sharp eyes.

‘Xiumin?’ she tried.

He hummed, though she wasn’t sure if it was in response to her. It was confirmed when he leaned forward again, aiming for her neck, apparently to sniff her again. She braced herself because his breath was extremely ticklish on her sensitive neck. She held still for as long as she could while he took his time exploring the mark on her neck, first sniffing and then, tracing his lips over it. The soft touch was in sharp contrast the way his fingers dug into her arms, restraining her thoroughly.

There was a shuffle, so slight, that she thought she’d imagined it. But Xiumin responded like they were under attack, immediately rolling her to the side and pushing her behind him as he crouched in front of her, growling, eyes flashing. Lliy had time to observe that Kai had brought the other Legends, probably to help.

But that was all she got to see because Xiumin suddenly threw something on the floor that exploded, sending a cloud of snow in all directions and freezing everything it touched. Xiumin moved swiftly, swooping her up and throwing her over his shoulder before taking off in a run.

She caught Lay’s eye as they disappeared upstairs and the healer winked, mouthing ‘You’re welcome!’.

…………………………………..

A/N

*Peeks from my hiding place* Hehe hello... yes, I'm not dead and I haven't forgotten this story hehe. Honestly, I'm quite sorry for not updating in so long but life has gotten hectic and I didn't get the time to even look at this story for a while. But I'm making time now, so hopefully you'll get quicker updates. I hope the length of this chapter somehow compensates for it. '

Anyway, don't know if any of you noticed but there's some timing issue that doesn't quite add up. I was reviewing it earlier and it stood out to me really, so I want to clarify it. From the chapters, it sounds like Angel got pregnant right after their first time; meanwhile, the party also sounds like its happening immeidately after the attack and it doesn't really add up to what follows. So I just want to clarify - in my mind, around two weeks had passed between the Evil incident and whatever else comes afterwards. I'll go back to edit that whenever I can but in the meantime, please assume that this is how it happened. Hope that's not too confusing. 

Also, is Xiumin finally gonna claim Lily? O_O

Do leave your comments, I will love to hear from you guys. Thank you for reading and subscribing. Bye ~