Baekhyun's P.O.V

Kyungsoo silently enters the room while holding a tray with tea and cookies in his hands. He only needs to take one look at Kyungsoo to make him understand that he's definitely not in the mood for some tea or cookies. He looks back at the book he was reading while Kyungsoo puts the tray to the side and joins him on the bed. The other short man studies the book he's holding before he finally opens his mouth with a smile on his lips.

“Baekhyun-ah, what are you reading? Is it anything interesting?”
“It's a great book. To be honest, I love it.”
“Really? What is it about? Let's see the title is... H-How to kill a vampire, lesson 101...”
“It's really useful you know.”
“Uhm... I'm not sure if you really should be reading that book...”
“Oh, why not? There is so much fun in this book!”
“You know, that is just a comedy book written by a vampire to fool people how to actually harm vampires. Nothing in that book is even true.”
“Of course I know that already, I'm just reading it to feel better.”

He puts the book away and looks over at Kyungsoo who is smiling. At least someone seems to be in a good mood today – unlike himself. When was the last time he was in a good mood now again...? A month ago? Yeah, something like that...

“Baekhyun... Listen, I know a lot of things are going on with you right now-”
“If you're going to give me that Chen speech about listening to everyone and opening up again, then save it. I told you, I'm not ready for anything like that.”
“Well... I wasn't only going to say that... Anyway, how is your school coming along?”
“I haven't even started yet, and you should know that.”
“Wait, I thought you were supposed to start today. Did I misunderstand something?”
“No, I was supposed to start today, but I refused to leave my room and the teacher haven't even showed up. I bet that Chanyeol is in a distress at the moment.”
“Oh please, like something like this would make him distressed. I may not have worked very long under master Chanyeol's care, but one thing is for sure: that man can actually handle a lot of stress and troubles. I'm rather amazed that-”
“Oh stop it! I don't want to hear you praising that head!”
“Language Baekhyun... Please... Watch your language...”

Kyungsoo can only sigh while listening to his harsh words. Well, he has to admit that his language has become worse lately: he wasn't even talking like this back at home. A sigh accidentally leaves his mouth as he turns to Kyungsoo and looks him right into his eyes.

“Hey Kyungsoo... Have...? Have someone in my family tried to call to the mansion lately?”
“No... Now when I think about it, your family have been awfully calm and silent the past month. I thought they would force Chanyeol to let you come home and visit them for a weekend at least now when you're married, but they haven't even left a message nor called.”
“I see... I guess they know about me knowing the truth...”
“Uhm... You still haven't told me what your fight with Chanyeol is about... I-I mean, I know that you obviously have no trust towards anyone in this household at the moment... But that isn't what I want to know, I want to hear what is going on-”
“I'm surprised that you haven't heard anything about it... It's something I'm not very comfortable to talk about, not yet at least. Just thinking about it wants me to go and punch that ugly vampire's face as hard as I can...”

Kyungsoo only stares at him in silence for a while and studies him. He himself thinks about what he just said and mentally curses himself for cursing out loud. This isn't like him... What is wrong with him lately, he's not near himself! He's always irritated and never hungry and... depressed. Maybe it's not weird after everything that has happened...?

“Uhm Baekhyun, I think-”

Before Kyungsoo can finish his sentence, they both hear quick footsteps from outside the room and within two seconds the door flies open. In the door opening stands Chen smiling slightly as he clears his throat in a hurry.

“Good morning gentlemen! Baekhyun-ah, your teacher is here. Come on, it's time for your classes. Isn't it exciting? You can finish what you started and-”
“Not interested... Tell that giant he can take the classes himself, maybe then he will become smarter or maybe a little wiser...”
“Baekhyun-ah~ Don't be like that, please~ He came all the way from Busan. He's here to help you rewind everything you have studied before you left so it will become easier for you to continue later on. It's only for three days, so please bear with it.”

Chen gives him a rather pleading look while Kyungsoo gives him a stricter mother-like look. He wants to sigh so badly, but he only ends up nodding slowly to an answer. If it will make everyone shut up and stop nagging him, then he will do it. Besides, if he has an education later on, it will be easier for him to try to live on his own without that idiot giant... They may be married, but that doesn't mean that he will have to spend the rest of his life with him!

“Whatever, I guess it might be good for me to start using my brain again...”
“That's how we like it! Or wait, I didn't mean to sound like you haven't used your brain for a while. I meant more like-”
“Chen, it's alright, I understood you. Don't worry, my brain isn't that retarded yet.”

He tries to give Chen a smile and slowly gets up of his bed. For now, he will try to not be too rude, after all they have a guest in the house. If a rumor about him being a pure spread, then things would become complicated. Kyungsoo gives him a happy smile as he gets up of the bed as well.

“Well, I will go back to cleaning the kitchen while you study. If you need anything, you can just call. I will assume you will be in the small library downstairs.”
“Yes, the teacher is waiting there for you Baekhyun-ah. If you have any questions, you can find me in Xiumin's mini office. We both will be here the whole day and work separately from sir Chanyeol.”
“Okay, then I know.”

He keeps it short with both Chen and Kyungsoo before he exits the room and heads towards the stairs. He can hear how Kyungsoo, and Chen are still in his bedroom, talking about something with his clothes, but he stops listening to their conversation when he reaches the stairs. Instead, his eyes focus on a door further down the corridor and he nearly stops by the stairs while staring at it. The door looks newer compared to the other doors, probably because it was once smashed like the rest of the room by mysterious men who had come and gone without being detected.

Yes, he's staring at Chanyeol's office. He remembers how many times he was dragged in there, scared to get scolded and how he would find himself staring down onto the floor in shame when he hadn't done anything wrong. He also remembers the time when Chanyeol was so furious at him that he nearly struggled him on the spot because someone had smashed the whole office and he thought it was him. A lot has happened in that office, but... But most of the things have never been something good.

He snaps back to the reality and realizes that he has actually stopped right in front of the stairs. He quickly turns to the stairs and is about to walk down when he notices that he's not alone. There is no one in the stairs, there is no one in the corridor, but he can feel someone staring at him. His instincts are literally screaming that someone is watching him and the gaze he's feeling isn't very pleasant: the more he thinks about it, the more unpleasant it is becoming. Could it be... Chanyeol?

“Baekhyun, what are you still doing here? I thought I told you to go downstairs to your teacher. Is there a problem?”
“I-I was just on my way down...”
“Is everything alright? You look... startled.”
“I'm... I'm not sure... I-It's nothing...”

He mostly mumbles to himself as he hurries downstairs and tries to not look back at the confused Chen. He doesn't spare any time and gets right to the small library beside the living room on the first floor. He walks in among the bookshelves until he reaches the small table, he has spent a lot of time while studying to become a noble. Though, he can't see his teacher...

“Are you perhaps the young man named Baekhyun?”
“A-Ah, yes, I'm Baekhyun.”

He quickly turns around and finds a rather young-looking man stand by a bookshelf while studying a book. He quickly puts away the book and walks over to him with a wide smile.

“It's nice to meet you Baekhyun, I'm Lee Minhyun. You can call me Professor Lee or just Minhyun hyung. I'm here to help you refresh your memory and fill you in on what you're going to study from now and on.”
“I-I see... It's nice to meet you Minhyun... hyung...”

Honestly, he's not sure what he thinks about this Minhyun. He looks rather young, and he doesn't seem to be a professor, but it's not the first time he has met a young teacher either. Besides, Chanyeol wouldn't hire just anyone to be his teacher since it's Chanyeol we're talking about. Instead of questioning the man, he decides to give him an honest chance. For now, he will at least try to study since Minhyun has come all the way out here and all...

***

“He seems nice... Your new teacher I mean.”
“Minhyun hyung? Yes, he is. Actually, he's really nice! I like him already to be honest. He's a good teacher and I honestly didn't dislike studying for once. Of course, the homework he gave me , but I'm not disappointed.”
“Yeah... Uhm... Remember, you're married now.”
“W-What are you implying here?”

Kyungsoo gives him a playful smirk, but something in his eyes is telling him that he wasn't fully joking either. He doesn't honestly think that he has a crush on that Minhyun guy? Of course, he was kind of cute and smart, but... He's his teacher and he himself is married! That's right, he wouldn't even be able to flirt with Minhyun without Chanyeol slashing someone's throat because that would dishonor him and give him a bad reputation.

“Don't even think about it Kyungsoo, it wasn't like that...”

He mostly mumbles in annoyance, but something within him doesn't feel right. He can't explain his feelings too clearly, but he feels somehow uncomfortable or disappointed or a combination of both. Before he can get lost in his thoughts, he pushes all those feelings to the side and concentrates on Kyungsoo who is sitting in front of him on his bed.

“So, you're here to just hang out with me or...?”
“Well, I thought we could talk a little. We never got to finish our conversation before Chen showed up and-”
“I'm not in the mood to talk about stuff like that...”
“Okay, then... Let's do something fun! You can choose anything you like to do!”
“Uhm... Sleep and skip dinner?”
“No. Definitely not. No. Why would you even suggest that?”

Kyungsoo sighs tired and even massages his forehead in annoyance. He guesses he will have to eat dinner tonight after all... Oh well, at least he tried. Which suddenly reminds him: isn't it supposed to be dinner time around now or soon? He looks at Kyungsoo who seems to know exactly what he's thinking.

“Don't worry, the dinner is already prepared: plain salad with chicken . I think you will like it: it's Caesar salad! It's healthy and-”
“I want to go on a walk... Can we go for a walk? I could need fresh air...”
“Don't worry, I'm not trying to force you to only eat healthy food. I will give you some tasty dishes from time to time too. And yes, we can go for a walk – after the dinner.”
“Geez, why are you so demanding today...”
“Yah, it's my job. Don't make me even more demanding and get your up off the bed.”

He silently follows Kyungsoo towards the stairs, but he doesn't manage to avoid looking towards Chanyeol's office. Once again, he gets lost in his thoughts and he catches himself wondering what Chanyeol might be doing at the moment. He's probably working, but he still wonders if he might be doing something else. Is he only working...? Day and night...?

“Baekhyun? Is everything alright? Hello? Earth to Baekhyun, can you hear me?”
“A-Ah, yes. I can hear you.”
“Wow, you must have spaced out pretty badly. You just suddenly stopped and stared into the thin air. Are you sure that everything is alright?”
“Y-Yeah, I just... got lost in my thoughts...”

He quickly snaps out of his own world and hurries to walk down the stairs. Kyungsoo silently follows him as they make their way down to the dining room. He tries his best to not get lost in his thoughts while heading towards the dining room and he listens to Kyungsoo's footsteps that are right behind him. Suddenly, he can hear heavier footsteps and it sounds like they're getting closer. He pretends to not notice the footsteps and walks into the dining room and spots a familiar person standing by the table: it's Chen. He's dressed nicely in his usual waiter clothes and besides him stands Lay with a small smile on his lips.

“Welcome to the dinner Mr. and Mr. Park.”

He nearly stops when they greet him and is about to ask them what is going on, but then he notices that the person walking behind him has stopped besides him. He glances to the side and spots no other than master of the house – Park Chanyeol.

“Is the dinner ready for us yet?”
“Of course it is. Please have a seat while I fetch it.”

Lay hurries into the kitchen and Chen walks over to the other side of the table to prepare the wine. He takes a look at the table that is properly set and the lighted candles in the middle. If this had happened a two months ago, he would be overjoyed and grateful for their hard work – but not today. He quickly turns on his heel to leave before they will drag him into the room, but he doesn't get too far. A strong grip around his wrist stops him from moving as he glances up and meets two deep brown eyes staring right back at him.

“Don't leave. Don't even think about it. Come on, let's have a seat.”
“I don't-”
“Show me some manner and get to your seat.”
“Or what? You will chain me up?”

Chanyeol suddenly gives him a funny smirk as he leans closer. He wants to pull away from him, but Chanyeol's firm grip around his wrist stops him from moving. He desperately looks over at Chen who is suddenly not in the room anymore: when did he leave them alone? He looks back at Chanyeol who is suddenly only some few inches away from his face with that stupid smirk still on his lips.

“Don't give me any silly ideas. If you disobey me, I will force you to always be in the same room as me. I will lock you into my room and I will make sure that you never leave my side. Either you behave and pull yourself together on your own or I will force some sense into your mind. Now, shall we have a seat or not?”

He's speechless, he can't answer Chanyeol properly. The giant only smiles and stands up straight before he begins to walk forward and pulls him along with him. They stop by the table as he watches Chanyeol let go of him and pull out his chair instead. Hesitation fills him and for a moment, he's still considering running out of the room. Though, he doesn't want to see if Chanyeol will really lock him up in the same room as him. A sigh escapes his mouth as he sits down on the chair and allows Chanyeol to play his gentleman game.

Chanyeol pushes the chair in and suddenly leans down besides his head. He can feel the taller man's soft breath against his ear and makes him shiver slightly: but it's not out of fear. Is he... doing that on purpose?

“Good boy, you still know how to behave... If you keep this up, I will reward you with something I know you will like...”

He looks over at Chanyeol who is still having this strange smirk on his lips, but he doesn't feel the slightest comfortable. He doesn't know what to say to an answer and what Chanyeol is saying sounds like some kind of... ert act. Yes, he sounds like a freaking ert. If he could, he would have gotten up and left the room in this instant. But he doesn't want to risk getting locked up in the same room as that stupid giant...

“Tonight's dinner is simple, but we hope you will enjoy it. Caesar salad and some nice red wine to combine the soft flavors. Please enjoy the meal to the fullest.”

Chen quickly serves them with some help from Lay. Which suddenly reminds him: isn't Lay supposed to be on a vacation? Didn't he have personal business to take care of? Then why is he here so early? It's not like he hates having Lay back, but him suddenly being here is also suspicious. Which suddenly reminds him: what happened to Kyungsoo? He was right behind him when he was walking down the stairs and then Chanyeol appeared beside him instead of Kyungsoo.

“Is there are problem Baekhyun-ah? Does the food not please you?”

The deep voice echoing in the room snaps him out of his thoughts as he realizes that Chanyeol is staring at him from across the room. The food is already placed in front of him with his wine glass filled and Chen and Lay are gone. How long was he spacing out?

“It's... fine...”

He silently looks down on his plate and picks up a fork. Honestly, he's too uncomfortable to eat at the moment. He would rather be forced to eat by Kyungsoo than having that giant stare at him from across the table. Before he would hate eating alone in the big silent room, but right now he would rather be alone.

“I heard that Minhyun left you a good impression. Was he really that good of a teacher?”
“He was...”
“I see... That's good I guess... I hope you will take care of your studies from now and on.”
“I'm not a child...”
“Then stop acting like one.”

Annoyance washes over him as he glances up at the giant who is calmly drinking his wine like he didn't say anything rude. He feels how he puts down his fork on the table while glaring at the tall giant on the other side. Why is he always looking down on him? Why can't he just leave him alone?

“Is something wrong Baekhyun-ah? Did I hit a soft spot? It's not like I'm lying, and you know it. You're getting upset because you know it's true.”

His body moves on its own: he quickly gets up of his chair and gets ready to leave. He's just about to leave when Chanyeol suddenly puts down his glass and gives him a daring gaze.

“Please, go ahead and leave the room and see what is going to happen. Go up to your room, lock yourself in and act like the child you seem to be. Prove me right and go straight out of the room. Lock yourself into your room and be as upset as you wish, but it will only prove me right.”
 

The anger is boiling within him and he's about to explode when Lay steps into the room. He carries a small tray with a bowl on it and in the bowl floats a single white candle. He walks silently over to the table and places it in the middle before he leaves without saying a single word. He stares confused at the bowl and Chanyeol seems to be as surprised as him. Wait, this isn't his doing?

“Don't look at me, I didn't order it...”

Chanyeol mostly mumbles as he clears his throat and grabs his wine glass. He slowly sits down on his chair again and studies the candle that is strangely calming. What... is that? He knows that it isn't a normal candle because he would never be able to calm down this quickly again. Chanyeol also seems to be confused and doesn't speak any further at the moment.

The room falls silent as he forces some food into his mouth. He doesn't touch his wine, he's not in a drinking mood and he doesn't know how alcohol will affect him when he's in a bad mood. He finishes his food and when he's done, he gets up of his chair and watches Chanyeol stare over at him in silence. He takes one last look on the candle before he turns on his heel and walks towards the exit.

“At least excuse yourself from the table when you're done-”
“You don't deserve my respect... Not yet at least...”

Chanyeol falls silent as he leaves the room, and he can feel the strange calmness he felt leave his body. Though, the anger he felt earlier seems to not resurface which is good, but he's still confused. Why is Lay back and why did Chanyeol decide to dine with him again? What happened to Kyungsoo? Was he a part of their plan or did the others fool him? No, Kyungsoo would have followed him into the dining room if he wasn't aware of what was going to happen. And what was that candle doing in there?

Chanyeol's P.O.V

“So... Are you going to tell me why you brought one of those cleansing candles into the room or are you just going to stare down on the floor?”
“Well... It was actually Xiumin's idea.”
“Lay... Why did you bring that in here? I clearly told you to not interfere-”
“I was the one who forced him to do it.”

He looks from Lay to Xiumin who has suddenly entered the room. It wasn't long ago Baekhyun left and Lay came out along with Chen from the kitchen. By now Kyungsoo should be watching over Baekhyun who might be pissed at him since he forced him to dine with him. He sighs out loud while giving Xiumin a tired look.

“I told you to not interfere in my plan. I-”
“I'm sorry, but I had to test something, and it seemed to work.”
“And what exactly did you test?”
“I don't want to be rude, but that will have to wait till tomorrow. For now, I have urgent news. It sounds like Mr. Kim Jongin is trying to get in contact with you again.”
“Again...? What could be wrong this time...?”

A tired sigh leaves his mouth as he gets up and heads out of the room. He didn't even bother to try to touch his food today, he was too busy with drinking wine and watching Baekhyun eat in silence. He didn't finish his own food either... No, he shouldn't be worrying about Baekhyun at the moment. For now, he will stick to his plan and hope that Kyungsoo will play his part well, just like he has told him.

“Sir Jongin is on the phone and is waiting for you.”
“I will be in my office if anything else happens...”

He hurries upstairs and heads straight towards his office. Though, before he enters it, he feels how his eyes gets pulled over to a door across the corridor. He nearly stops by his door while staring over at the wood door and listens to the silence. He's not sure if he likes the silence or if he should be worried or not... Baekhyun never used to be this silent, not even when he was reading a book downstairs...

“Sir? Your phone call is still waiting.”
“Ah, right, sorry. I just remembered something important.”

He hadn't noticed Xiumin who had followed him upstairs. Before Xiumin can question what he's doing, he hurries into the office and picks up the phone. Just like Xiumin said, Jongin was waiting on the phone, and he sounded rather impatient when he finally picked up.

“Park Chanyeol here-”
“Finally! I have been calling for two hours!”
“Calm down a little and let's not scream into each other's ears here. What is so urgent?”
“Are you guys alright?! No one is hurt, right? Not a single one of you, right?”
“Of course not, everyone here is just fine. Why are you wondering?”
“Good... That's really good...”
“Jongin...? What is going on? Has something happened?”
“They... They came here... They tried to kill my fiancée... She's alright, but... I'm not the only one who got targeted tonight.”
“I see... That is certainly worrying. Don't worry, we haven't noticed anything around here yet and we will keep both eyes and ears open. Are you... unharmed?”
“I'm alright, they weren't going after me. It makes more sense for them to target the werewolves since they're easier to harm.”
“I see... Please be careful, those people might want to try to harm you too. I promise I will keep my eyes open and if anything happens, I will let you know.”
“Keep everyone safe – every single one of them.”
“This might be sudden, but may I ask you something? Is there someone in my household you're especially worried about? You have been calling rather often lately-”
“Just promise me to keep them all safe. That is all you need to know. I have to go, let's talk another time. Remember, they are everywhere. Be on your watch. Goodbye.”

Before he can ask Jongin about what is going on, he hears him hang-up and another sigh leaves his mouth. So, someone is targeting the peacemakers now? Why must they keep trying to ruin this peace when things finally are going smoothly? Well, he has to admit that there are a couple of things that aren't going too smoothly for him right now, but still. He glances over at Xiumin who is silently waiting by the door with a slight anxious expression on his face.

“So... Did he say anything important?”
“Tell Lay and Chen to keep a close watch tonight, it appears that those rebels are finally making a move on the peacemakers again.”

Xiumin nods as he leaves the room and closes the door behind him. He's left alone in the silence as he stares over at the wall in front of his desk. He thinks about his dinner with Baekhyun, about the few words they uttered and how he couldn't help but to wonder why it's so hard for him to talk normally to his husband. He knows that Baekhyun is still holding a strong grudge against him, but shouldn't he at least pretend to not hate him...? Will it always remain like this...?

A strange pain is suddenly spreading in his chest, but it doesn't hurt like someone has hit it. The silence in the room is slowly swallowing him and he gets lost in his own thoughts. He knows very well that he pissed Baekhyun off earlier by calling him a child, but something within him couldn't resist to mock his husband. He does try to not be rude because things are bad as they are, but still, he couldn't hold himself back. On top of his private problems with Baekhyun, the rebels are suddenly acting out of nowhere.

“If the rebels have begun to move around... Then we have to move too...”

He mostly mumbles as he picks up his phone. He will have to change a couple of arrangements, but it should work out just fine. For now, he can't be selfish and think about himself only – he needs to think about Baekhyun's safety as much as the others. Whatever or whoever Jongin is so worried about, he will have to figure that out later and protect everyone he cares about. After all, he wouldn't be able to face Baekhyun and tell him he's sorry if someone in the household would get hurt. For now, that is the best he can do.