Some distance away, in the new coffee shop, Black Pearl, the people present were facing a unique set of circumstances.

It involved one very Legend who'd already been through the fever and was still unmated. It made him particularly hard to control, especially since he could teleport around. Not that he needed to do that, not with the close proximity to so many unclaimed, available people around him.

It also involved one very much in love with the same Legend yet unaware of his dire condition girl who didn't think it was such a big deal if her boyfriend wanted to kiss her or take her, it really didn’t matter which, long as he didn't run away as he was prone to.

It further involved another, very much unaware of the claim he'd made on said girl earlier this day, newly matured Legend who couldn't understand why his beast was suddenly acting up and trying to take control of his body.

And it involved the said Legend's decidedly un-mature Shadow who unfortunately had everything, including his Shadow's powers and physiological reactions, into him because said Legend was an idiot who pushed everything away.

Tao was fluently cursing Sehun under his breath because whatever his beast wanted, Tao felt it and right now, all it wanted to do was to save its mate from the clutches of the stronger – since he was mature – Kai and since Sehun was an oblivious, escapist little , it decided it needed to use Tao instead.

Which was how he found himself, pressed between Sehun – who'd moved to get Tiffany out of the way – and Kai, who really didn't care who was in front of him as long as they were willing to be taken.

Which Tao totally wasn't – hell, he wasn't even sure he understood what this entire deal was about – and that made the whole kissing thing a lot more awkward than it strictly had to be.

Like, should he open his mouth and let Kai have his way or would turning his head be a better option? Also, what should he do about the thing poking against his thighs? And could Sehun please turn so his elbows would stop poking into his side?

'Geez, let me go!' Tiffany's voice was retreating in the distance as Sehun moved, mercifully removing his painfully sharp elbows from Tao's side. Sadly, having Sehun back away meant that he stumbled backward because Kai was constantly pushing on him and his breath whooshed out of him when he hit the table, the corner banging sharply into the small of his back and making his mouth open on a painful gasp.

A state Kai took full advantage of, deepening the kiss as his hand slipped into Tao's hair and pulled him closer. Tao wasn't sure he liked the sensation – it felt gross, to be quite honest – but Sehun's beast had abandoned him the moment Tiffany was out of the way and he was in no way able to deal with the stronger, mature elder when he was just a helpless little cub.

He closed his eyes and hoped Kai would back off.

His hopes were cruelly shattered when he felt Kai's fingers travelling underneath his shirt. He yelped and tried to free himself – no way in hell was he going through this ­– when someone, thankfully, pulled Kai off him.

He collapsed on the floor, gasping and trembling, and for some reason, tearing up. What? You try getting harassed, it was no fun!!! The arms that slipped around him pulled him into a comforting embrace and he let go, whimpering a little, more shocked than anything else.

'It's okay, he's gone now!' Baekhyun muttered soothingly, rubbing his back. A second later, Chanyeol engulfed them both in a gigantic hug, dropping a kiss on Tao's head. 'Yeah, Xiumin's taking care of him, don't worry.'

Tao nodded, feeling very protected. Baekhyun clucked his tongue, annoyed. 'I'm calling Suho – we need to get this thing sorted out before things get any more messed up.'

…………………………

Tiffany was really annoyed and not because she was being dragged away from Kai but because she was glad it was so.

What the hell was wrong with her? First she went and made out with his brother and now she was getting happy at losing a perfectly good opportunity of kissing him. There were butterflies in her tummy and not the nervous-because-she-wanted-it kind but nervous-because-she-didn't ones and it made her feel like the most horrible person on the face of earth.

She didn't know why Kai suddenly turned like that, just that he did, and she'd often fantasized about the day he'd throw caution the winds and decide not to run away anymore. And yet, here she was, not even putting up a fight as Sehun all but carried her away.

She didn't notice where he was carrying her until he put her down and closed the door behind, putting her in very close proximity with him. Her eyes widened in surprise and she opened to ask what the hell he thought he was doing but he put a hand on , silencing her.

'Shh, don't let him hear you!' He whispered, making her blink. What did he think Kai was, an animal? Geez. She smacked his hand away. 'What…?' she began only to shut up when his hand found again.

'Please!' he pleaded. She shut up – things had to be serious if he was resorting to pleading in front of her.

'You're so going to explain this…' she whispered against his palm.

'Shut up.' He whispered back and she huffed but didn't say anything else.

Not for too long, though. The silence felt too heavy and she was becoming exceedingly conscious of how close he was standing and for some reason, that stupid kiss wasn't leaving her alone – it kept flashing behind her eyes, adding more detail with every repetition. By now, she'd lived through the entire experience so many times, it was unnerving.

No wonder she was feeling awkward – how could she kiss her boyfriend when her mind kept thinking of someone else? She kept thinking about it because it was still in her system – she was sure she'd be alright once she got it out, clarified the situation. Gah, she should've told him the moment she'd seen him. But no, she had to think rescuing Mei was more important. Her own niceness was biting her in the right now.

'Stupid…' she mumbled to herself.

'Ya, what did I do now?' Sehun sounded annoyed and she giggled despite herself. They called each other so many names, they naturally assumed one was referring the other when an insult came up.

So messed up.

'I'm not talking to you, idiot.' She snapped on a whisper, then yelped when someone banged the door. 'Okay, you can come out now!'

Sehun heaved a huge sigh and she realized he'd been holding his breath – they were in such close quarters, she could hear even his eyes blink… okay, maybe not that but she could hear his breath and he hadn't been inhaling for the past whatever minutes they'd spent in here.

Does he hate me so much that he won't even breathe the same air as me? She wondered, a bit saddened. Am I so detestable to him?

Apparently, she was. Because the moment the door swung open, he rushed outside, not even stopping to see if she was following. Biting her lip at the unnecessary upset – he was a creep, why should his opinion matter, right? – she came out of the supply closet. Tao was standing in front of the door, sporting a strange look in his exotic eyes and a very well-kissed pair of lips.

'He got you instead, huh?' She muttered sardonically. First Sehun, now Tao. Seemed like his brothers were always coming in between them when Kai got into that kind of mood. Guess they didn't approve of her as his girlfriend.

'It's not that! Tao told her sincerely, grabbing her hand and patting it. 'It's just that Kai gets a little… enthusiastic and it's often hard to handle.'

'How hard?' she cracked, laughing at the blush on Tao's cheeks. 'I'm sorry… but seriously. He goes away anytime he's like that around me, I think his control is pretty good. And it's not like he'd be forcing me, if that's what you guys are worried about.'

Tao blushed even harder. 'No, I know that… it's… difficult to explain.'

She opened to say 'Try me' but Baekhyun came up just then and grabbed Tao. 'Come on, we're leaving.'

Tao nodded, then smiled at her. 'I'll see you around. Take care.'

Muttering a half-hearted goodbye, she headed back towards the shop, thinking about Kai's 'condition'.

Was it some sort of tumor? She remembered this episode from a medical drama she watched where a patient had a brain tumor that gave her spontaneous s. Did Kai have a medical condition too which made him and unable to control his actions? Or was it a psychological problem? What did they call it, impulse-control issues? addiction??? That would explain his and his brother's over-the-top reactions.

What it didn't explain what she should do in this situation. She wasn’t going to refuse him if that's what he wanted but maybe they should talk first, get things out in the open so he wouldn’t feel like he had to run away or hide things from her.

And maybe you should repay the favor, her mind spoke up. She bit her lip. Yeah, she had to get everything out in the open as well – he deserved to know why she hadn't put up a fight to stay with him. Hopefully, he'd forgive her mistake – Sehun was right, though it bothered her to admit it; Kai was the nicest person she knew and she was being foolish if she thought he wouldn't understand.

She had nothing to worry about.

………………………

Sehun was feeling weird.

There was that same roiling feeling in his tummy and he felt a lot like blowing everything away if only to push Kai away from Tiffany and keep him there. Though why should he feel like that, he couldn't fathom. It wasn't like she was his mate or anything, right?

The beast, that idiot who'd decided to wake up, snorted, amusement heavy in its thoughts. Sehun couldn't help but think the beast was playing him and he cursed the creature. Why, out of all the Legends, did he end up with a creature that liked pranking its own Legend?

Whatever the case, he didn't think it was a good idea to stay here, not when Kai was getting that look in his eyes. Why he decided to get Tiffany along, he really didn't understand. After all, he'd been the one to suggest Kai get a girlfriend for this exact purpose – that way, he could have some fun whenever Luhan's amorous feelings leaked into his Shadow.

 Luhan had mastered how to control his power but there was nothing he could do about his emotions and whenever he got in the mood, his feeling invariably travelled over to Kai. Having a girlfriend should've solved the problem but Kai had to be the nice guy and decide to actually fall for the girl instead of just keeping it physical. Idiot.

And why in the world was this making him feel like he was swallowing snakes again? Sehun was hating the maturing thing so far – all it did was make him a stranger to his own body – he couldn't understand a lot of things his body was doing anymore and it bugged him.

Like why was Tiffany suddenly turning into a flowering pot? Not literally but she definitely smelled like one, sweet and a bit overwhelming and it was getting on his nerves, making him want to attack or do something. He shook his head, mentally apologizing to Tao for leaving him in Kai's clutches as he carried her down the corridor and turned into the first door that came up. It was a small supply closet and they barely fit inside, especially when he closed the door.

She opened , probably to demand what he was doing but he silenced her, putting a palm to his mouth and ignoring the strange, almost arousing feeling it elicited.

'Shh, don’t let him hear you!' She blinked, her indignation clear even though she didn't say anything.

What do you think Kai is, an animal???  He really had a lot of insight, he could tell this was exactly what she was thinking. 'What..?' She began, probably to put the thought in words but he shut her up again, trying not to enjoy the contact too much.

'Please.' He pleaded, knowing this was the only way he could get her agreement.

'You're so going to explain this…' she muttered against his palm and his eyes closed at the vibrations. , his body really was weird. Whatever. Good thing they were far away from Kai and his ual harassment – he'd been there before and even though he'd kissed Kai more than once, there was no way he was going anywhere near the guy in his present state.

He just hoped his Shadow was alright – poor Tao, he was even less experienced in carnal matters than himself and a cub to boot. He was probably scared – he'd been terrified of the he'd gotten because Lay had healed him once and his libido had acted up – and Sehun could feel the sheer confusion and terror his Shadow was feeling through their link. He wanted to send a comforting feeling through their link, reassure him that everything would be okay but he couldn't concentrate.

For one thing, it was a tight fit in the small closet and that, in itself, was awkward enough. But also because, for some silly reason, their accidental kiss had decided to pop back in his head. He'd been trying his best not to think about it – it made him feel a bit like throwing up.

Imagining what Kai would do to him if he found out was horrifying but the more horrifying part was the fact that Tiffany was hell-bent on telling Kai. Not because she wanted to see him get beaten up – although he wouldn't put that past her – but because she felt guilty for kissing him and had decided to ask for Kai's forgiveness at her betrayal. Stupid woman.

And the other disadvantage of being in a closed space with her? Her scent – which he hadn't noticed until this morning, by the way – was overpowering in the small place and it was doing strange things to him, making him feel like his nerves were stretched too taut, his skin too tight over the muscles, his nails and teeth wanting to scratch, claw… mark…

He swallowed a huge gulp of air and tried not to inhale as they waited. He was beginning to turn a bit blue in the face – he was sure he looked like sick balloon – when she muttered, 'Stupid…'

'Ya, what did I do now?' He demanded, annoyed. Here he was holding his breath and going through this entire torture because of her and she was calling him stupid. She muffled a laugh, then snapped at him. 'I'm not talking about you, idiot.'

He was going to snap right back – who else was she talking about, huh? – when someone banged on the door. 'Okay, you can come out now!'

Sehun heaved a huge sigh of relief and yanked the door, rushing away. Air, he needed unscented, clean air that didn’t feel like it was burying into the very corners of his brain and churning it inside out.

Once outside, he leaned against the wall and inhaled the blissfully pure air that took the tension away from his body, relaxing him but leaving him confused. Why was this happening? What was going on?? Damn if he knew…

Something bugged him, tried to rise to the forefront of his brain. For once, he was willing to see, to know and understand but the door opened up behind him just then and Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Tao and Lay stepped out, breaking his concentration.

'Let's go.' Baekhyun told them and they started walking back home.

……………………….

A/N

Okay, I thought we might get on with the crack. Sehun though... Phew, he almost figured it out XD

Oh and if you haven't figured it out already from the sheer number of pictures spammed yesterday... that was Mei's doing XD yup, I told her to spam Luhan and she went... a little overboard :) She's still complaining I didn't let her post enough :P

Well, look forward to further developments. Do comment, okay? Its nice to hear from my readers every once in a while. 

Okay, then - peace out! \m/