It didn’t hurt anymore. That was what he told himself at least. Sometimes Seokjin left, that was normal. It was normal and healthy to take breaks from time to time, spending so much time with one person had to be exhausting for someone as young as Seokjin. He’d only been 21 when they’d met, Namjoon had a millennium on him; he couldn’t expect the same things. 

Even with three hundred years under his belt that didn’t mean he would be nearly as mature as Namjoon was; it wasn’t as though they would ever be close to the same age but one day the excitement about being immortal would wear down and he’d be ready to settle down with Namjoon. It was something he had to wait for, he’d been the one to fall for a mortal and he had to be patient.

Three years wasn’t even a long time. It was practically the blink of an eye compared to how long Namjoon had lived. He knew that. Perhaps that was what was making things even more painful for him. Seokjin hadn’t been gone for very long, but three years wasn’t enough to heal or to forget the image of him walking out of the door. The appropriate length of time for him to forget how warm the younger male’s body felt on the mat next to his hadn’t passed, one day though, one day he would wake up and not automatically roll over to press a gentle kiss to the lips of a lover who was no longer there. Three years, though, wasn’t enough time to get over 300 years of love.

Perhaps this was his punishment for all of his past actions though. He’d done a lot of bad. Then he’d kidnapped a prince and essentially killed him. There was probably only so much good that the world would let happen to one soul. He’d obviously used all of that up just by meeting Seokjin, keeping him for 300 years had been a fluke.

Losing the younger man hadn’t been enough punishment, though. The universe made that very clear, made it clear that it wanted Namjoon to understand what true misery was and it clearly knew Seokjin was the way to do that. He’d given up hope of ever catching sight of his former lover again in the beginning of the second year of their separation, and had done his best to live his life naturally as though a massive bit of his soul wasn’t missing. Once he’d finally accepted that Seokjin wouldn’t be returning and had actually started moving on was when he managed to find the person he still considered the love of his life.

In three years he’d never strayed from the strict diet that Seokjin had implemented for him. No human, nothing living, if he couldn’t buy it at the market then it wasn’t food. For a while he’d convinced himself that if he stuck with it then he’d be able to get his lover back, but even once he was sure that would never happen the idea of actually killing someone again couldn’t have been less appealing. Seokjin had fixed that part of him, returned a bit of his humanity that he had long since thought lost.

Everything was different though, his perspective and desires when he saw the younger male on the arm of an unknown being. The smell was unfamiliar, likely tainted by the smells of the market and the people around him, and the face wasn’t that of anyone he ever remembered seeing around him before. Apparently it was someone his lover had known though, someone that he’d known well enough to leave Namjoon for. Even though it was the last thing he wanted to see, Namjoon kept his vision on the strange male and Seokjin as they shopped together. Food suddenly was the least desirable thing he could think of and he dropped his purchases back onto the table. He needed to get out of the market, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the scene taking place in front of him.

Seokjin leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against the lips of his suitor and Namjoon saw red. It wasn’t a show, he knew that. There was no way Seokjin could sense him through everything in the air, but it still felt as though the younger male was rubbing it in Namjoon’s face. Letting him know that he’d found someone better, someone that he loved more than he could have ever loved Namjoon.

He turned to look away from the image, unable to block it from his vision as it became the only thing he could see or think about. Seokjin had found someone else. In a desperate attempt to escape from it he ran in the opposite direction, not caring if he was seen by any human around him. What did they matter?

What did any of it matter?

By the time Namjoon had managed to calm down there were two very clear indicators that he’d made horrible decisions in whatever time had passed since he had seen Seokjin with his new lover. The most obvious was the male lying on the mat next to him. The second one was the blood on the male’s chest. He gently shoved the male, frowning a bit as he tried to find any signs of life.

“Don’t ing push me…” The strange male mumbled, clearly indicating that he was in fact alive. This new information led to the discovery of his third terrible mistake. In his loneliness he had created a Seokjin replacement. Someone no where near as wonderful as his lost love, but something about him had clearly reminded him about Seokjin. He wouldn’t have been chosen as a suitable replacement otherwise. Now that he was thinking clearly though, he couldn’t see it. Their faces weren’t similar, his body wasn’t as pleasant to look at as Seokjin’s was; there had to be something.

He forced the younger male onto his back, holding his wrists down against the mat as he straddled him. With a sleepy grin the man looked up at him, clearly appreciating this setup more than Namjoon did. “What’s your name?” He questioned, doing his best not to show how furious he was that he’d done this. He didn’t want a pup. He didn’t want anyone.

It didn’t even appear to phase the younger male that he’d slept with someone who didn’t even know his name. His body was probably still adjusting to the change. Everything still felt new and every touch sent pleasure through his veins. “Hoseok.” He mumbled, rolling his hips up against Namjoon’s. ing pups. Namjoon glared down at the other but it didn’t seem to affect the man underneath him at all. “Jung Hoseok.”

For a split second he debated whether or not he should just end the pup’s life, but quickly decided against it. He’d been alone for over three years and a lone wolf was generally a dead wolf. If nothing else he could use the pup as a sacrifice if his life ever actually came into risk. He stared down at the male, attempting to discern any information that he could without actually having to speak to him. He didn’t care to speak him or to get to know him. For now he would stay for the and deal with the rest of it later.

“You attacked me.” He mumbled, closing his eyes again as he attempted to roll over to go back to sleep or something. Lazy creature. “Bit me in the forest.” He hadn’t asked, but apparently the younger male thought that was something he needed to know. He really didn’t care though. “Said I’m yours now.” Namjoon released the wolf, sliding off of him. He had better things to do than listen to a pup mumble on about things that didn’t matter. “Said I would replace Seokjin. Whoever tha-“

Before the other could finish his sentence Namjoon reached over and pressed his hand against the younger male’s mouth, tightly enough that his skull would have fractured if he hadn’t made the horrible mistake of biting him. “Don’t.” He threatened, eyes flashing red as he stared at the pup’s horrified eyes. “Do not say that name.” He spat before releasing the other and forcing himself up out of the bed.