06: Affection

"Chanyeol...he's not human?"

Baekhyun was at a loss. He wanted to laugh, but the looks on his friends' faces told him to not to. Jaehyo looked so angry that Baekhyun found himself cuddling closer to Chanyeol, who gladly hugged him tighter. Beside Jaehyo, Zico was groaning in frustration, and Yukwon seemed like he wanted to break something. In the middle of it all, Lu Han just sighed, sitting down on the ground as he retained an equal distance between the two groups.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag now, or in this case, should I say the dog is out of the bag?" Lu Han drawled, leaning back his weight on his hands, his gaze flitting back and forth lazily between each of their faces.

"Damn it, Jaehyo, there's a mortal here! We're not supposed to—ugh, you know what, fine. Fine! Do it your way. See if we care!" Zico snapped, throwing his hands out into air in defeat.

"Zico, we can't just leave Jaehyo to decide on things! He doesn't think, this idiot!" Yukwon was panicking, and Zico clicked his tongue at him.

Throughout all this, Baekhyun just watched them, his question still unanswered. He was getting irritated as each second passed with nothing happening that he finally snapped. He pulled away from Chanyeol and stomped towards Zico, planting a solid punch on his arm. Zico turned to him in surprise.

"Woo Jiho, Kim Yukwon, Ahn Jaehyo! Will you stop bickering and answer my question?!"

For once, Jaehyo wasn't focusing on Chanyeol anymore. His startled gaze stayed on the smaller guy, and Zico and Yukwon we're also staring at him. Baekhyun huffed indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What the hell are you talking about, anyway? What kind of stupid non-sense is all this? Chanyeol's not human? It's not even April Fool's yet, you airheads."

"Uhm...well, it's true, though. He really isn't human...and so are we." Zico started, and Baekhyun frowned at him.

"Excuse me?"

"We're the same as Chanyeol, but that...really isn't supposed to happen. It's taboo now." Jaehyo added, and Baekhyun took a step back to look at them incredulously.

"It's the reason why Jaehyo got so furious. Chanyeol's not supposed to be here." Yukwon said softly, his gaze flitting back towards Chanyeol.

Baekhyun followed his gaze, and he looked at Chanyeol helplessly. Chanyeol just watched them, never moving an inch. Baekhyun laughed nervously, directing his gaze at Lu Han who was now lying on the floor quite comfortably. Baekhyun strode up to him, and Lu Han smiled at him.

"W-what they're saying..it's not true, is it? I don't know what happened or what they ate or drank, but they're just kidding, right? They're human, right, Lu?"

"Ask the little guy over there." He gestured towards Chanyeol, who only smiled at him.

"Little guy? He's taller than you. Why are you calling him little guy? Guys, will you all just please stop being so vague and mysterious?"

"Lu Han likes calling me little guy. It's a habit of his ever since he saved me from some hunters."

Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol. He really wasn't being vague and mysterious, but he still couldn't understand what Chanyeol was saying. Hunters?

"He's a wolf, Baek. Or was a wolf, but he went to the mountain goddess so that he would become human." Lu Han sat up, and Baekhyun wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but...was Lu Han growing leaves and berries on his hair? Was he floating on the ground?

"But there was a treaty, Lu Han. Why did Lady Taeyeon agree to this?" Jaehyo asked, sounding really annoyed and desperate.

"Beats me, Jaehyo. I'm not Lady Taeyeon. She has her reasons, I'm sure of it, but what's done is done. Chanyeol's here now, and all we can do is stick together and hope that maybe they won't find out about him." Lu Han floated towards Chanyeol, patting his head.

Baekhyun wanted to faint. "Lu Han, what the , you're floating?! And what are you all saying?! Treaty? Wolf? Lady Taeyeon? What?!"

Lu Han lightly stepped down beside Chanyeol, and Zico and the others promptly stepped closer, too. Baekhyun just watched them with a frown, and Lu Han smiled at him.

"Okay, okay. Let me explain again from the start. Basically, Byun Baekhyun, Chanyeol here is—was—a wolf. You two have met already, and you're the reason why he wanted to become human. I'm a forest sprite, and I take care of all things nature. I saw him getting chased by hunters before, and I saved him. Ever since then, he stuck to me like glue when he found me, and I became his only friend, until you came along. He went to the mountain goddess, Lady Taeyeon, to tell her of his wish. In the meantime, I stepped down the mountain to keep watch over you. Years passed, and now he's here, with you. Are you still with me, though?" Lu Han asked.

Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. All of those times when he thought that Chanyeol was acting strange came back to him, and he was starting to believe all this wolf non-sense. At the back of his mind, though he can't really remember the details well, was an image of a tiny black wolf eating the sandwiches that his mom made. He nodded his head, and Lu Han sighed in relief.

"Now, the reason why Jaehyo is really furious is because of Chanyeol's transformation. There was a treaty before, and breaking the treaty might result in something bad...I'm not very familiar with the details, but bottom line is, Pyo Jihoon was supposed to be the last wolf to transform. Nobody was supposed to transform again after him, but Lady Taeyeon must have had some other things in mind. We don't know."

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Back up a little. Did you say, Pyo Jihoon? The other public relations officer of the SC?"

"Yup."

"...he's a werewolf, too?"

"Now that's a common misconception. We're not werewolves. Werewolves change during full moons and stuff like that, but we don't. We're not human, but we can't transform back to our wolf selves, either. We can, on the price of our...sanity and life, you might say. If we lose control and turn back to wolves, well...let's just hope that doesn't ever happen. The only difference we have from humans is that we have super sensory systems, I guess. The sensory systems we had when we were wolves remained even when we became human." Yukwon interjected, and Baekhyun just stared at him blankly.

"...this is all very hard to believe but..." He started, and as he locked gazes with Chanyeol, he felt his heart skip a beat.

"It's true. We're not lying." He said softly, and Baekhyun nodded.

Baekhyun could feel Lu Han's knowing gaze on him. "...I believe you, guys...so who else is—was—a wolf?"

"The rest of the SC. They all ran for those positions so they could stick together and keep watch over each other." Lu Han shrugged his shoulders, and Baekhyun rolled his eyes. He guessed as much.

"Alright, Jaehyo, stop glaring at the poor kid. It seems he doesn't know anything about the treaty." Zico cut in, and Jaehyo finally relented.

"Sorry, man, I just got scared..." Jaehyo mumbled, and Chanyeol grinned at him.

"It's okay, hyung!"

"Well, now that that's settled, let's all go back to class and try to live normally for the rest of the day. Sounds good?" Luhan suggested, and though Baekhyun really wanted to ask more questions, Chanyeol had quietly taken his hand, pulling him along gently and smiling at him.

"Let's go back, Baekhyun."

It was very awkward for Baekhyun as soon as they got home. Chanyeol wasn't his usually chatty and curious self, and when Baekhyun tried to distract himself from his thoughts by watching television, Chanyeol decided to sit down beside him and stare at him. Finally, Baekhyun couldn't bear it anymore after two shows. He switched the television off and turned to Chanyeol.

"D-do you have something to say to me?" Baekhyun asked, and Chanyeol pouted, seemingly disappointed.

"I-I was just wondering if you remembered me or not..."

"...oh. W-well, uhm...I don't know...maybe? I'm not sure."

"I remember you, though. You still smell and feel the same."

Baekhyun could feel his face growing hot. He was probably blushing to his roots because really, couldn't Chanyeol have worded his statement better than that? Baekhyun was so busy in his thoughts that he didn't notice Chanyeol moving closer. Baekhyun was only pulled back from his inner thoughts when large hands suddenly cupped his face. His eyes widened as Chanyeol just gazed at him, his large hands gently cupping his face. Baekhyun couldn't move away.

"U-uhm...Ch-Chanyeol...?"

"Wolves show affection by snuggling, nibbling or , you know? But Taeyeon-noona told me that that isn't always the case for humans...how do humans show affection, Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun's brain was short-circuiting. He was not ready for this.

"U-uh...b-b-by hugging, I guess...?"

"I suppose...but my affection for you isn't that...shallow. I always see people hugging, but the feelings I sense from them are not as deep as my feelings for you..."

"L-look, it's okay. I mean, I get it. I-I kinda get how you feel so..."

"...maybe..." Chanyeol muttered, as if he was wondering about something.

"...maybe?"

Chanyeol just looked at him, and when Baekhyun was finally starting to gather the courage to pull away, Chanyeol leaned in, pressing his lips against Baekhyun's. Baekhyun's eyes widened, and he could feel his heart hammering inside his chest, threatening to jump out. Chanyeol's lips were so warm. They made him feel happy, really, and safe. They were a little chapped and dry from the cold weather, but Baekhyun still thought that they felt perfect, along with Chanyeol's hands around his face.

Chanyeol pulled away after a while, and his eyes twinkled as he smiled at Baekhyun. Even without looking, Baekhyun could feel how red his face was and how stupid he must have looked.

"Y-you...kissed...uh..."

"I see people doing that all the time, and that was the only think I could think of that would justify how I feel for you."

"...d-do you even know what you're implying, Chanyeol...?" Baekhyun whispered in exasperation, because it seemed that Chanyeol didn't know what he was talking about.

"I suppose not, but maybe you could tell me what it is I'm feeling."

"H-how would I know how you feel, anyway?" Baekhyun gently pried his face away from Chanyeol's hands, looking away to try and calm his heart down.

"...please tell me, Baekhyun. What is love?"

All that Baekhyun wanted was to hide, or maybe go to a doctor. Having that much blood rush up to his face might not be a good thing at all.

Somewhere in the university dorm, a tall kid with a blond mop of hair knocked hurriedly on a door. An irritated voice wafted from inside, and the door clicked open. The tall kid hurried in, a panicked look on his face.

"Himchan-hyung, they broke the treaty."

"...I know, Junhong, calm down."

"But—

"Just calm down. It's too early for this."

"...you are going to do something about this, aren't you?"

The man called Himchan turned to Junhong, smiling as he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe."

_{A/N: I am alive, yes. I keep taking hiatuses from my fics so....yeah, sorry. OTL}

_{Huehue hello BAP}