Taemin was curiously looking through the kitchen looking for food. Meat specifically. Cooked, raw it didn’t matter to him. He knew it would be a bad idea, but he felt bad for the poor wolf chained out in the yard that didn’t get to finish eating. He didn’t know how long it had been since he last ate and didn’t want him to die of starvation or anything.  He managed to find a Ziploc bag filled to the brim with cubed chunks of raw meat and he shoved the bag beneath his shirt, trembling at the coldness of it before shutting the fridge door. 

When he was sure nobody was looking, the copper haired vampire quickly made his way through the halls, keeping his hands linked together in front of him to keep the bag from slipping. His friends and the wolves were thankfully nowhere near the door to the yard when he made his way back to where they had been, and quickly snuck out without being seen. Minho’s head shot up at the sound of the yard door shutting and he growled lowly at the boy that stood at the top of the concrete snow covered stairs. Taemin stood frozen in a bit of fear; now that he was actually in the same area as the werewolf, his ‘bravery’ wavered, but he had already gotten this far, may as well go for broke. Slowly and cautiously he made his way down the steps and towards the grumpy werewolf, whose growl grew louder and more intimidating with each step. Taemin gulped hard at the knot forming in his throat and when he was standing at what he felt was a safe distance, he spoke to Minho.

“Uh…umm… I know you didn’t get to eat earlier because of everything, and I feel really bad about the entre situation so I…” He paused reaching under his shirt to pull out the bag of meat and showed it to Minho, stopping the growling almost immediately. “I brought you some food.” His stomach growled at the sight of the bright red contents in the bag, but Minho was too prideful to simply let himself accept the offer of food. Minho huffed and turned away from the vampire. Who did the idiot think he was? Coming out here unsupervised when he could end up the same way as before?

Oh, that’s right.Minho thought to himself as he remembered the muzzle. A lot of good that was going to do him in chasing the pest away.

Taemin puffed out his cheeks and huffed. “Come on Minho, I don’t want you to starve. I know you’re hungry. And I’m doing it as an apology for earlier not out of pity if that’s why you won’t accept it. When the wolf didn’t react he sighed and got up, walking up and crouching in front of him all while nervously opening the bag.  Minho growled and backed up some, stopping only when the scent of the meat hit him, causing his stomach to roar to life, loud enough so that even Taemin heard it. The boy smiled and giggled. “I knew you were hungry. Let me feed you Minho.” He grabbed a cube of meat and reached over to Minho you clicked his teeth together in an attempt to snap. Taemin’s hand withdrew quickly, even if he knew the muzzle prevented him from opening his mouth wide enough to hurt him. “Why don’t you like me?” He asked with a hurt expression. “What did I ever really do to you to make you so violent towards me? Am I approaching you wrong? is that it?” Taemin sat on the snow, ignoring the cold feeling it gave him as the flakes melted through and wet the material of his jeans. “Please come here Minho.” He pleaded softly, and when the wolf just gave him an unwavering gray eyed stare, making no attempt to approach him, Taemin began to get upset. “Everyone else has a wolf that doesn’t mind being around them for the most part, so why won’t you come to me?” Minho sat down.

Why the hell are you so annoying and weird? Just go away already, your presence really pisses me off bloodsucker.The wolf was bothered by the demeanor and questions Taemin was asking and wanted to be left alone regardless of how hungry he realized he was. His annoyance dissipated when he saw the boy plop down onto his back in a submissive position, causing confusion to take its place. What the hell are you doing?

“I-is this b-better? S-see I’m n-n-not questioning your authority or anything.” Taemin chattered in a high pitch tone as his back pressed against the cold blanket of snow. “Please come over here so I can feed you.” He shivered.

Have you no dignity whatsoever vampire?Minho thought with a tilt of his head. Part of him felt embarrassed for the boy, simply because he was acting this way without caring how it made him look. It was as bad as if Minho had submitted to Yunho earlier when they were fighting over who got to eat first. Part of him actually wanted to go up to him so he would stop doing what he was, but the stubborn part of him outweighed that part so he instead walked away, towards the steel beam and laid looking away from him.

That hurt Taemin’s feelings. He hated feeling like he was doing something wrong and couldn’t fix it. So much in fact that he almost started tearing, but stopped himself. “What am I doing wrong?” he asked himself, muttering so the wolf wouldn’t really hear him, which he did.

‘You won’t leave me alone. That’s what you’re doing wrong stupid. Just leave me alone. I don’t want food from you so you can feel better about how pathetic you are.’ He responded, knowing the vampire wouldn’t understand him.

‘But aren’t you the pathetic one?’  A voice responded to him.

His head shot up, startling the young fledgling. He looked around, but saw no one.

‘Who said that?’ He growled lowly.

‘Look at you Minho. Absolutely pathetic. Chained and muzzled in the yard like a bad dog. Always letting your pride get the best of you. Don’t you know that’s what got you here in the first place?’ a pair of red eyespeeked at him through the snow. Minho growled vehemently at them, baring his fangs and raising his hackles but as soon as he did that, they disappeared into the snowfall. He got up to investigate, but nothing was there. No tracks, no trace that anything ever was. I must be hallucinating from the hunger. He thought with a sigh and figured to make sure he didn’t lose his sanity that he had better play nice with the stupid vampire and let him feed him just this once. Taemin watched scared and confused at Minho growling at the snow as if it did something wrong to him.

What? Did the snow fall too much in one place? Jeeze you hate everything don’t you?His thoughts stopped the minute Minho walked towards him and sat in front of him. Waiting.

It took Taemin a moment for his thought process to kick in, but when it did, he suddenly became very elated. “Are you… will you let me feed you then?” He asked with a smile on his face and hope in his eyes. Minho snorted in response and Taemin took that as a yes, feeding him the way Jinki showed him how. At least at first. He began to feel bad that he had to be fed this way even if he was willing to actually eat, and moved his hands to the muzzle, which startled the wolf some, causing him to growl. Taemin quickly drew his hands back. “I- I’m sorry, I just want to take your muzzle off so you can eat on your own. Is that okay with you?” He asked, cringing slightly. He got his response when Minho pushed his head into Taemin’s hands, waiting for him to take it off. Slowly and clumsily he did, disregarding the fact that if he wanted to, Minho could and would attack him at any moment. Taemin took a handful of meat in his hand that wasn’t bandaged and held it out to Minho, realizing belatedly that if he wanted to he could bite his hand off and snack on it instead, and there wasn’t much Taemin could do about it if that’s what the wolf decided on doing.

Minho considered it, but felt that he would spare the brat this one time for taking that stupid muzzle off and for bringing him something to eat. But that was the only favor he was going to do for him.

“Taemin! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Get away from him.”

Taemin jumped at the sudden shout that came from Kibum, who was by his side in an instant. Minho jumped back and snarled at the vampire. He may have had a heavy dislike for Taemin, but this vampire he hated. Kibum yanked Taemin far away from the werewolf so that he was safe.

“K-key what are you doing?”

“The better question is what are you doing next to that thing?”

“I was feeding him.” Taemin admitted shyly, a blush accentuating his already rosy cheeks.

“Why the hell would you be doing that?”

“Because Key!” He said with a frown looking up at Kibum before looking back down at the snow covered ground with a sigh. “He was hungry and didn’t get to eat. I didn’t think it was fair that he had to be out in the cold and on an empty stomach. That’s just mean.”

Kibum’s expression softened and he sighed. “As sweet as that was, you need to understand you can’t be doing that. What if something would have happened to you?”

“But nothing did.” Taemin protested.

“But that doesn’t mean nothing wouldn’t  have. This wolf has already proved thoroughly that he cannot be trusted to behave himself and act civil. And he’s already bitten you once. Luckily it was only a nip. Who knows how bad it could have been if he decided he wanted a new chew toy?”

Sighing in defeat Taemin responded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking…But he let me feed him! That’s got to count for something right?” Taemin added quickly, a hopeful look in his dark eyes.

“Yes, it means he gave in to his hunger and since you were the food source he would allow you to provide him that’s all.” The taller vampire said flatly immediately deflating Taemin’s mood.

“But it’s not…forget it. Can I at least finish feeding him? Even if he is just using me for that much? You all have had a chance to interact with your wolves and I can’t even be within fifty feet of mine.”

Key rolled his eyes at Taemin’s pleading one and knew he couldn’t flat out say no. “Alright fine. But make it quick. I don’t want you around him any longer than you have to be. And don’t get any stupid ideas mutt. That last kick was simply a warning.”

Minho bared his teeth at Key, suddenly losing his appetite entirely and walked off, Ignoring Taemin and his stomach when both called for his attention. At least he got an acceptable amount of food in his system.

“Come on Tae, it’s obvious he wants nothing to do with any of us, food included so let’s get back in the house.

Taemin sighed and nodded, dragging his feet as he made his way inside, leaving Minho alone once again.

‘Your pride is going to be the reason you won’t survive. Your time is limited Minho, soon you will join your brother.’Red eyes peeked at him again from the  blanket of snow.

He snarled, startled at what he was seeing. ‘Who are you? And what are you yammering on about? My brother is fine. I took his place.’

‘And yet the fool let himself get captured and brought up here nine days later. But he was an idiot. That meat that you were eating? The meat that the others finished eating? That’s your brother Minho. How does he taste?’

The voice cackled and the sound infuriated Minho. ‘Shut up! Who the hell are you and how the hell do you know anything about my brother and I? Show yourself.’ He snarled.

Instead the eyes disappeared again, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the snowfall.

What the hell just happened?

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Posted: 5/25/2012