Informative Note:

Mentioned possible violence, and minor confrontation

Chapter Five

Research

    AFTER the conversation with Minseok, I took my laptop to my room. I pulled up the bookmarked pages on vampires and went through them. Some of them mentioned territory being a thing, but not territorial behavior. I searched until I found one: Affectionate, skin-to-skin contact, nurturing, can get aggressive when territory is threatened, dominate in territory. I connected my printer and crossed my arms as I waited. Page still warm, I took it to Minseok.

    I found him outside and waving it around, I said, "Skin-to-skin contact, dominate in territory?"

    Amused, he said, "We'd all be aggressive if our "territory" were threatened. Especially, Luhan. Think about it."

    I could feel my lips pouting. "True."

    "It will help if you talk to her."

    "What about the skin-to-skin thing? She's not going to like-"

    "-Oh for the love of- She not going to rip your clothes off and snuggle."

    Snuggle? I snorted. He always knew what to say to break an awkward situation. I hated it.

    That night I came from the shower to the living-room. I froze in the door way. Chen had turned sideways on the couch and he typed as the vampire combed his fuzzy tail. The fur looked shiny and healthy, unlike the usual semi-rats nest. "Nurturing," I remembered.

    I couldn't deny appreciating the trait, especially if it were pointed towards them. I've always liked to see my friends and family comfortable and taken care of. This time when she looked at me I smiled, I felt affectionately warm. Her green eyes lightened and she said, "We're not watching any thing... if you want to watch a movie."

    They were a color I'd never seen before and I stared. When I realized she wasn't going to look away my face warmed. "Bold," I thought. I smiled awkwardly, and then nodded. She looked away as I went to the tv. I grit my teeth feeling stupid as I turned the tv at an angle.

    The back couch was more comfortable to me - move cushion. I rolled the silver ball on the round remote and the tv silently came on. I pressed the profile button and my name came up, then I scrolled to Favorites. A list of my favorite channels filled the screen. I chose a food channel for insect hybrids.

    Cesoue and nectar oil were delicious, but I kept an eye out for any thing new.

Change In Dynamic

    Our dynamic improved a little after that. I couldn't help but panic when I saw her move at a blur though. Two months after her arrival things changed. Chanyeol, knowing I bounced from sleeping too less to too much, came over with a light breakfast: Be'-2z [pronounce: Bay-touz-ah] (an oval purple fruit from a farmers market - it grew in fields fertilized in pollen and shined in nectar oil - and it increased endorphins, so it made me more productive - like chocolate for humans), and Jhou [pronounced: Shoo] (a blended with cream, green tea - it just tasted good). He prepared the fruit in large slices, put them on a plate, and carried it to the regular couch - where he'd forced me to sleepily sit.

    At eight a.m. I remained passive. He ruffled my hair and put the meal on the coffee table. I slid to the carpet and sat crosslegged. The room temperature fruit tasted rich and my eyes felt less heavy as I continued to eat. He sat across from me and I hadn't realized he'd brought his own breakfast until I heard a package crinkle.

    He bent a bubbly glowing tube and it crackled. It didn't break, but made the concealed juice enter the liquid. He shook it and it went from clear with glowing bubbles to thick and dark blue. I'd seen him do this many times, but modern food-knowledgy (my own word) impressed me. He twisted the dark gray top off, downed it and prepared another one.

    I watched it rock back and on the table as he unwrapped a toasted sandwich. The liquid kept him hydrated on this warm planet, and the sandwich had little eggs of something and pulled pork. I took a sip of tea to push back my upchuck reflex. I flinched when the kitchen door abruptly opened. A hiss I recognized as Minseok's and a growl I didn't recognize. Chanyeol got up and peeked around the half wall - we really were too much alike.

    The way he said, "What happened," before he went in to the kitchen had me struggling. My energy betrayed me as I stood and I had to balance on the table, then shuffle to the half wall. I went around it and stopped. The vampire held an unconscious Luhan and Minseok looked furious. His claws were out and his pupils were slits.

    "Give him to me," Minseok said.

    She brought him closer to her chest.

    Minseok growled and so did she. It's the first time I'd seen her fangs.

    "What the hell happened," I said, and my heart jolted as I realized what I'd done. They both glared at me and I took a step back.

    Chanyeol, always the brave - nice - one said, "I can take him."

    Minseok said, "She won't hand him over. She's gone feral."

    "I am not feral," she said and growled again. "He's-"

    "He's not yours."

    She made a noise in warning and headed to her room. Minseok followed and I heard a door slam. Then I heard banging and claw scratching on it. I held on to Chanyeol's arm.

    What the hell had just happened?