#echoing laughs

**

Sehun kicked at the gravel, sending a few tiny rocks skipping through the air. Luckily for all, none went towards his car. Baekhyun was taken aback by the reaction. He would have expected Sehun to give him what he would have done – relentless teasing. That was the uninterrupted pattern by now, established by yours truly. The youngest wolf usually followed along. He was always eager to mischievously poke the older wolves. 

“Is there going to be a new one every week?” Sehun whined. He looked like he did back when he was seventeen when he was told he couldn’t go out with the college-aged members because it was a school night. 

“We knew this was coming,” Minseok said. “We always have.”

“Why does it have to?”

“It’s our nature,” Kyungsoo reminded. 

“Or our curse,” Sehun mumbled before finally getting into his car, the door slamming with alarming force. 

An awkward silence fell on the group. This wasn’t how Baekhyun expected this to go whenever he met his mate. He never would have thought that Sehun would be so upset, an idea that he couldn’t wrap his head around. Baekhyun had prepared himself for the reckoning of his fellow wolves and yet no one was dog piling on him. 

Sehun started the engine with deliberate intensity. It was a warning to those who wanted to hitch a ride. But it was an empty one. He wouldn’t actually take off, not with Ji Yeon still in the backseat. That was probably Minseok’s plan all along. His mate was rising as a force to be reckoned with. Sehun wouldn’t dare. 

“Go for a walk,” Minseok suggested. With that short pep talk, he hopped into the car, mercifully taking the front passenger seat. Kyungsoo waved them off. The rest would walk home. Sehun revved the engine before peeling down the street. 

“The great advice of the first mated wolf is to go for a walk?” Baekhyun looked to the others, hoping that they would have a better alternative for what he should do now. 

Kyungsoo motioned down the sidewalk. “Let’s go.”

Or not, apparently. 

“What is a walk going to do?”

“Keep you from bursting into Ming’s apartment,” Kyungsoo deadpanned. 

Baekhyun held up a finger. “Good point.” This urge to be near you was unparalleled. His favorite foods didn’t even have this strong of a hold on him. It grew as he took a step away from the front door. His feet became heavy, like cement was being poured over them. 

Why couldn’t he just go and tell you everything? What was wrong with being honest and upfront? Wasn’t Junmyeon always going on about how those two things were the most important aspects of maintaining a relationship? And watching the other two struggle made the “keep it a secret” route seem very unappealing. So, he decided, he shouldn’t have to wait to be with his mate. 

Mind made up, he turned around with a determination to get to you. 

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, taking a handful of his shirt and yanking him back. Baekhyun growled and swiped at the one who dared to hold him back. 

Chanyeol laughed at the struggle as he held his friend at arm’s length. 

“Let me go!” Baekhyun meant to sound intimidating. Even he had to admit that it came out more like a whine. 

“Not if you’re going to barge in there.”

Baekhyun pouted, still trying to pry Chanyeol’s fingers off his collar. “Why not?”

“Do you really think springing everything on her all at once is a good idea after she’s known you for two seconds?”

“Yes.”

Kyungsoo sent him one of his signature glares. “You really are an idiot.”

Baekhyun gaped at him. “That was mean.”

“It’s true if you think that telling a woman you just meant all about werewolves and mates and getting thrown into jail for breaking and entering.”

“But–”

“She wasn’t exactly warm to you,” Chanyeol pointed out. 

Baekhyun stopped fighting. “What do you mean?”

Slipping his hands into his pockets, Kyungsoo shrugged. “She was more interested in Chanyeol than your bad attempts at flirting.”

An instinctual growl rippled through Baekhyun’s clenched teeth at the thought of Chanyeol with his mate. It was the same snapped reaction that he’d experienced back in the restaurant. Rationale told him that Chanyeol would never do something like that, but the wolf took every possible threat into consideration. Thankfully, Chanyeol shrugged it off. 

“You can always try again,” he said. 

“Of course I’m going to try again.” Baekhyun crossed his arms with his usual confidence. “And I’ll get my mate, no problem.”

Kyungsoo snorted. “Good luck.” Chanyeol’s forced back smile said that he was in agreement. 

It was insulting, the lack of faith they had in him. Baekhyun was suave, charming. 

Shoulders back and chin held high, he started down the sidewalk towards the outerlimits with a newfound determination. He could win his mate over in no time. What was there possibly not to like about him?

**

It had been fifteen minutes and you were still stuck on the same section of your faux lesson plan. The lackluster weekend poked at your side, refusing to be ignored no matter how much you wanted to let it go. 

Admittedly, it was your own fault. You had hyped it up in your mind to be this worthwhile night that would lead to a one-on-one date on Saturday. Reality merely gave you an okay dinner meeting some very nice people that you wouldn’t mind hanging out with again in a platonic way, but that was it. While Chanyeol had piqued your interest in the beginning, it quickly smothered itself. Something inside simply said no. And you liked to trust your gut, especially in this arena. 

“Hi.”

You looked up from the computer screen that had began to blur in your vision. It took a few seconds for your eyes to adjust. There weren’t many people in this corner of the student union. Which was exactly why you’d parked yourself here. You needed the quiet to concentrate when you were studying by yourself. When you were with Ran, you could tolerate noise. You were prepared for it. But not now during your free period. The random greeting had made you jump. 

What was he doing here?

“Hi,” you said back, confused. 

Baekhyun beamed down at you, one hand gripping the single backpack strap hanging from his shoulder. His aura was relaxed, nonchalant despite how out of place this interaction was. 

“Can I sit?” He pointed towards the empty chair across from you at the small square table. There were plenty of other places to sit around here but you couldn’t find a decent reason to say no. 

“Um, I mean, I guess–”

The chair scraped against the tile floor as he took that answer with enthusiasm. Flopping down, his bag fell to the floor with a heavier thump that you had expected. He didn’t seem like the type of student to be bogged down with classes or to take on a schedule that required a lot of textbooks. 

Neither of you spoke, making you wonder why he walked up in the first place. Shrugging it off, you went back to work, trying to solve the puzzle of whether you would follow writing the alphabet with a reading circle or with counting tables. It was even harder to make a decision now that you felt his eyes on you. He didn’t move to take any books or paper or even a laptop from his bag. So studying was obviously not his main objective here. 

His presence was… distracting. And not even in the normal way when someone was around when you wanted to be alone. It wasn’t the need to remember that you were sharing a table or general leg space – which he had apparently forgotten with his legs currently resting on your side. No, it was just… him. In general. It was frustrating and annoying. 

“What are you working on?”

You glanced at him over the top of your computer. And your heart jumped a beat when your eyes met. What the hell was that about?

Baekhyun was leaning forward on his elbows, wearing the same full-of-himself smirk from last week. 

“A lesson plan,” you answered, going back to work. 

“You teach a class here?”

You shook your head. “No. I’m an education major. It’s an assignment.”

“Oh. So you want to be a teacher?”

“Yup.” You didn’t even bother to look up this time as you replied. 

“That’s cool.” Shockingly, he actually sounded interested. But he didn’t ask another question. He tapped his fingers against the table incessantly. Unable to focus on the words you needed to type out, you snapped out your hand to hold his down and stop the noise. 

The warm electricity you had experienced briefly at dinner was back with a vengeance, lasting longer and strengthening its grip. You snatched your hand back to cut it off. 

The attempt to clear your throat nearly failed. “That was distracting.” Acting as if your hand wasn’t still tingling, you went on with your homework. 

“(Y/n)?”

You decided that a reading circle should follow the handwriting in order to give the five-year-old hands a break. Your own joints ached after an hour of writing, imagine having those tiny little fingers with minimal strength. “Yeah?”

“I think we should go out tomorrow night.”

Your jaw dropped. “Why?”

He blinked. “What?”

You sighed as you closed your laptop and packed up your supplies. Standing, you slung your bag over your shoulder, each movement slow as you tried to come up with something to say.

“Where are you going?” Baekhyun’s cocky expression melted into one of bewilderment. 

“I have to get to class.”

“Oh, okay,” he nodded. “But you didn’t answer my question.” 

“I–” You bit back a groan, not wanting to hurt his feelings but needing to give him an answer. Baekhyun just… he wasn’t your type. “I can’t. I have plans.”

His shoulders – the last remnant of cheer in his body language – fell. “Oh. Okay.”

And now you were the bad guy. “See you around.”

You rushed out of the student union and towards your next class. Being about twenty minutes too early, you were forced to camp outside in the hallway. You leaned back against the wall and slid down to the floor, groaning as you knocked your head back. 

“Ow.” You probably deserved that. 

Baekhyun haunted your thoughts for the rest of the day. You were at a complete loss as to why he asked you out in the first place. He barely stuck around for dinner and you didn’t exactly respond well to his weird attempts at flirting. He was the classic class clown. The very type of guy that had agitated you since high school. From your point of view, there was no connection between the two of you. What was he seeing that you weren’t?

The thought of getting Ran’s advice did cross your mind. She would probably give out a short laugh before scolding you for coming up with a lie. 

Well, technically, it didn’t have to be a lie. You could come with plans that would occupy your evening. Besides, Baekhyun had asked you out and you said no. Somewhat. Surely that had to be the end of it. 

So when you sat cross-legged on Ran’s living room floor, you decided that it wasn’t something worth discussing. 

“How was your day?” Ran asked as she spread out her assignment and flipped through her textbook. 

“Fine,” you lied. Baekhyun’s disappointed face flashed in your mind. “Hey, we should do something tomorrow.”

Ran raised an eyebrow but didn’t pause in her flipping through the pages. “Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” You clicked your tongue as you searched through your memory for anything that could be happening downtown. “Wasn’t there an art fair or art pop up thing going on?”

“Oh, yeah!” Ran put the book down, now very interested in the newly forming plans. “I think there were a couple of local artists participating that I wanted to check out. What time do you want to meet up?”

You beamed, happy that your last minute plan was working. “My last class is at four, so probably six-thirty-ish?”

Ran agreed to the plans and turned the conversation to how her day ended up being one clumsy accident after another. She was in the middle of telling you about how she nearly knocked over several vials of chemicals while reaching across the station, a very big no-no, when Ming came home. 

“Hello!” she greeted cheerfully with a wave. Just as every time she came home after spending time with Yixing, she was beaming. 

The jealousy goblin crawled up your shoulder, but you successfully flicked it away. “Hey!”

The medical student dropped her bag off in her room before coming back out to get a drink from the kitchen. As she reentered the living room, a reddish mark on her neck, only visible due to her large collar slipping down her shoulder, caught your eye. 

“Hey, Ming, are you okay?”

She looked at you strangely. “Yeah, why?”

You motioned to the spot on your own neck. “You’ve got a mark there. It looks really irritated.”

At first, she didn’t seem to realize what you were referring to, but then she gasped, covering the mark with her hand. “Oh! I-It’s nothing. I just had a… bra strap too tight and I think it burned the skin. Nothing to worry about. I’m putting cream on it.” She hastily pulled up on her sweater as she ran back to her room. 

When her door was closed, you leaned closer to Ran and whispered, “That wasn’t in the right place for a bra strap to dig into your shoulder.”

“I know,” Ran agreed. 

“You don’t think–”

Ran cut you off before you could finish. “No, absolutely not. He would never. It was probably just an accident that she’s too embarrassed to talk about.”

You didn’t think that was it for a second, but Ran effectively ended the conversation by going back to her book. The harsh red mark was jagged, the edge that you could see rounded in the opposite direction than Ming’s explanation. Something was up with her, but you didn’t feel like you had the right to push. You would keep an eye on her though. 

**

Nerves tingled under your skin, at the tips of your fingers and the pit of your stomach. You tried to keep it off of your face as you spoke to Yixing’s friend, Kyungsoo. He asked surface level questions as you exited the apartment building. It was mere friendliness, nothing more. Fair enough. 

Then you reached the sidewalk and the group that was waiting for your arrival. And you smiled like the cheshire cat before quickly smoothing out your features. You waved as the five of you stopped in front of the others. 

“Way to take your time,” the tall, blonde male snickered. 

Yixing ignored the comment. “Hey, guys. This is Ran’s friend, (y/n). (Y/n), this is the pac- I mean, these are my roommates.”

You caught the stumbled upon syllable that Yixing tripped over, but couldn;t come up with a satisfactory word to fill in on the end. “It’s nice to meet you all.” Scanning over the group, you waved again in a nonchalant manner. You tried not to linger on the tallest of them all, the one with the soft features and curly brown hair. He smiled brightly, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black jacket. 

The shorter friend next to him didn’t look in your direction. He was almost… refusing to look at you. Okay, rude. You doubted the cars passing by were really that interesting. 

“I reserved a table at the brewery,” said the only female that you didn’t know. 

“Thanks for doing that, Ji Yeon,” Yixing smiled. Ji Yeon smiled at him as the one holding her hand pulled her in closer. 

“Let’s go!” the tall blond urged. Without waiting to see if he would be followed, he hurried down the sidewalk. Beside you, Kyungsoo shook his head. Ming chewed on her bottom lip, a twinge of embarrassment at the blond’s behavior showing on her face. Yixing must have sensed this as well as he squeezed Ming’s hand and gave her a reassuring smile. 

Oh, boy. 

You slapped the green monster away and plastered your charming grin back on. 

This was the most annoying kind of jealousy because there was no focus for it. You weren’t wanting Yixing for yourself, simply the relationship between him and Ming. It was cute and warm and full of comfort. Anyone would logically want something like that. Wouldn’t they? Or were you being greedy?

No. Definitely not. 

You tried to keep focused on the bouncing conversation as you all headed towards downtown. But something felt… off. You kept looking behind you, in case someone was following you. Whenever you came back around to face forward, you noted that the one faceless member still didn’t look at you. In fact, you couldn’t really say what he looked like. 

The brewery was crowded. It was obvious before you even stepped inside. Sitting off an alleyway, the singular dark gray building held its doors open to allow some air to circulate through. Buzzing voices flew out the entrance. But it was nothing compared to the wave that hit once you crossed the door’s threshold. You could already predictably presume that a lot of “huh?”s were going to be said. 

Despite the somewhat narrow space between the entrance and the waiting area in front of the host desk, you managed to snake your way closer to the tallest boy. Ji Yeon went ahead of the group and spoke with the hostess about checking in. 

“I’m Chanyeol, by the way.” The poor guy had to bend and hunch down so you’d be able to hear him over the chatter. He had a nice deep voice. Like caramel syrup. 

You took his warm hand happily. “It's nice to meet you, Chanyeol.”

“Do you go to the university?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Education major. You?”

“Music.”

Music? Intriguing. Unless his instrument was the tuba. Though, it was a giggle inducing picture in your head. “What do you play?”

The blonde on the other side laughed. “Chanyeol hyung plays everything.”

A miniscule amount of pink was blooming on Chanyeol’s cheeks. “Not everything. Just… guitar.”

“And piano.”

“And drums,” Kyungsoo cheekily chimed in. 

Your eyebrows lifted, seriously impressed. “Wow. A one man band. Your girlfriend must be in awe of that.”

Someone coughed. You weren’t entirely sure who the sound came from, but you suspected that it was the one whose face you’d still yet to get a glimpse of. Was he purposefully avoiding you? Maybe you had a class with him and he didn’t want to be recognized for some reason. 

The hostess finally guided all of you to a few tables shoved together in the back corner. It was a little quieter back here, for which you were thankful for. You smoothly took a seat next to Chanyeol, continuing the conversation by asking how long he had been playing each instrument. All chairs were slowly filled until the last spot to be taken was directly across from you. 

Legs scraping against the concrete floor, the mystery boy sat down and you felt your spine straighten involuntarily. His eyes bounced everywhere, refusing to make contact with your own. Somehow, though, this didn’t bother you. It gave you a chance to really take him in. 

Butterscotch brown hair fell over his forehead, highlighting the dark eyes that you were trying to catch. His chin and high cheekbones were sharp, but somehow together, they were softer, egged on by his rounded nose. The sum reminded you of a puppy - a mischievous puppy that was just itching to take off with the table cloth. 

“Baekhyun, are you looking for someone?” Chanyeol asked as he tried to follow his friend’s frantic gaze. 

The one apparently called Baekhyun shook his head. “Nope. Just admiring the patronage and how popular this place is.”

“Do you do that at every establishment you eat at?” you asked sarcastically. 

Baekhyun finally looked at you. “If it helps me get free food.” Then he winked. 

A confused frown pulled at your lips. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“He rarely makes sense,” Kyungsoo cut in on the other side of Chanyeol.

Shrugging it off, you turned to your previous chatting partner. “So, do you write your own music?”

Chanyeol shrunk into his shoulders. “Sometimes. In between school and… other stuff.”

“Other stuff like what?”

“Running,” Baekhyun butted in. 

You tried to keep your face neutral as you turned to him. “You go running?”

The waiter came around, placing baskets of bread along the center of the table and took first round drinks. Baekhyun snatched a piece of the bread and bit off the edge, smirking at you as he said, “Daily. Sometimes twice a day.”

You gave him a once over. “Where do you run at?”

The answer you had expected was one of the nature parks or bike paths around this area. 

“The woods.”

You nearly spat out your water. “The woods? Haven’t people been killed by the wolves out there?”

“The attacks have stopped,” Kyungsoo stated. You didn’t miss the glance he exchanged with a forlorn Yixing.

“We stick together the whole time,” one of the unnamed friends said; the one who held Ji Yeon’s hand on the way here. You really needed to learn their names. 

It still seemed like a terrible idea to go into the home of a killer wolf, but guys typically thought of themselves as invincible. 

The waiter came back for food orders. Realizing you hadn’t even glanced at the menu, you quickly scanned the laminated pages before the roundabout came to you. Once it was your turn, you picked something at random and handed over the menu. 

“Copying me?” Chanyeol teased. 

You looked at him, confused. “Huh?”

“We got the same thing.”

“Oh!” You leaned on your fist, smiling. “Isn’t that funny?”

A sharp clatter made you jump. Water and ice crept across the table and towards your lap threateningly as Baekhyun scrambled to clean it up. Apparently, he had knocked over his glass of water. Standing, you mopped up the water with your own napkins and helped scoop up the ice. As you went for one of the last cubes, your fingers brushed against Baekhyun’s slim hand. An odd electric spark ignited where your skins touched. Though you didn’t look at his face, you could see that he had stilled at the contact. Unsure of what else to do, you sat back down, letting him finish the clean up. 

With the water no longer running wild, Baekhyun sat in his chair. He was avoiding your curious gaze again. Did he know something about the shock? You didn’t feel any electricity in the air that could have caused the static and there was no carpet for him to charge on. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it when the next bizarre event happened. 

Something caught Baekhyun’s eye near the entrance that made his eyes go wide. In a blink, he was under the table and out of sight. Chanyeol looked behind him and then laughed, shaking his head but not commenting on what was going on. Like a cartoon, Baekhyun looked over the edge of the table. His eyes searched the brewery, the bottom half of his face obscured. Clearing his throat, he stood, though he remained hunched. 

“I,um,” he glanced at Chanyeol and then at you. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to go for a walk.” And with no one to stop him, he hurried out the back door that led to an open patio for nicer weather. 

“Is he always like that?” Ran snorted from the far end. 

“Not normally,” Ming replied, obviously concerned. 

You looked out the door that Baekhyun had disappeared through to the benches and wooden chairs. You couldn’t quite think of another person who behaved like this. 

What a weirdo. 

**

Baekhyun kicked at the rocks on the asphalt. The car was cool to the touch, even through the jacket he had snatched out the back of Chanyeol’s jeep. He wasn’t cold - they never got cold - but it was extra cushion while he leaned against the car door. 

He didn’t know what to do. Two hours ago, he had been scheming to get Daisy back. And now - he didn’t care. Daisy was just another person to him now. He really didn’t think he would be next. If anyone, he thought maybe Chanyeol or even Jongin would have been the one. If he were honest, he really hadn’t put much thought into this - into meeting his mate. For his whole life, it was nothing more than a wisp of a specter hanging around his shoulder without a care. And now that specter had swooped in and taken over his body. It controlled his actions and veered his thoughts in a singular direction. 

He had no idea who you were. He had barely been able to catch your name between processing this sudden change in direction and fighting the urge to run as far away from this sidewalk as possible. And the timing of it all. 

Groaning with a hint of a growl, Baekhyun closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the jeep. Now  he had to figure out how to navigate this. 

And not accidentally rip his best friend’s head off in the process. 

Roars of laughter and chatter grew steadily closer. Baekhyun’s eyes snapped open at the sound. At the far end of the road, the pack and the girls were walking this way. Up above, the sky was turning midnight blue. Street lamps flickered on to keep the streets visible. It was a shock how long he had been lost in his thoughts. Immediately, his eyes searched for you among the silhouettes. He gritted his teeth at the sight. 

You were still stuck by Chanyeol’s side, only a few seconds away from hanging on his arm while you laughed as if he’d told the world’s greatest joke. Baekhyun’s jaw jutted out to the side in response. The wolf inside was snarling. His best efforts to be logical went unheard by the beast. Chanyeol caught the expression and frowned. 

“Ya, Baekhyun!” Sehun called out with a laugh. “You missed-”

Baekhyun cut him off with a loud obnoxious cough. The younger wolf was taken aback, but didn’t push. A miracle. 

“Done already?” was Baekhyun’s attempt at changing the direction of everyone’s attention. 

“We were there a few hours,” you said with a raised brow. 

“Ming and I have a test to study for,” Yixing added in.

Baekhyun scrunched his face, confused. “You have all weekend to study.”

Yixing’s face deepend a few shades of red. “We need every minute. It's over several chapters.” He waved goodbye and escorted Ming to his car. Everyone watched as the pre-med couple drove away. Then Baekhyun snorted. 

“We need every minute. It's over several chapters,” he mocked. “Yeah, right. They’re going somewhere for some ‘alone time’.” To emphasize his point, he made a few kissing noises. Yes, this was good. His sweet spot; teasing his members and not thinking about his newly discovered mate that was sending him into a tailspin without even realizing it. 

“Careful,” Minseok warned. “Yixing’s claws are sharper than yours.” Realizing his slip, he quickly glanced at the outsiders still standing amongst them. “Figuratively, I mean.”

You laughed. “Yixing seems like he couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“You would be surprised,” Baekhyun retorted, remembering the time he’d picked a playful fight with Yixing while out on a run. Despite being roughly the same size, Yixing had him pinned in a few seconds and left a bruise on his ribs when he shifted back. “It’s us innocent ones you have to watch out for.”

“I’d hardly count you amongst the innocent ones,” you quipped. 

“How do you know that?” 

“A feeling.”

Baekhyun smiled cheekily. His mate was a feisty one and he liked that. How could life be boring with someone like you? Whoa. Slow down there, Baekhyun. You didn’t even know the big secret yet. He couldn’t even know if you felt the pull yet. Sure, there was the spark back at the restaurant, but that was nothing compared to the yearning that was growing in him as each second passed. “Well, there’s not much fun in innocence.”

Minseok’s gaze flickered from Baekhyun to you and back again. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

There was no way he could know already. Baekhyun wasn’t acting that different from his usual self. 

“I think we’ll call it a night, too,” Ran said out of nowhere. She linked her arm through yours, solidifying the mutual decision. 

Baekhyun’s sense heightened. An odd feeling of desperation rushed over him. He didn’t want you to go yet. He wanted to inch closer. Take in your scent and memorize it. But he did no such thing as you said goodbye and headed inside with Ran. He swallowed back a whine. It was painful to watch you disappear and there was nothing he could do about it. 

Sehun shoved his shoulder teasingly as he passed to get to his car. A few feet away, Minseok leaned in to Ji Yeon, whispered in her ear, and then kissed her cheek. Nodding, she returned the favor before jumping into Sehun’s backseat. Then, the eldest of the pack stalked up to Baekhyun, smirking. 

“Finally.”

Baekhyun looked around in a horrible attempt to act ignorant. “Finally what?”

Minseok’s smirk deepend. “I have never seen you so close to ripping Chanyeol in two since that time in high school when he ate your girlfriend’s valentine’s day chocolate.”

“I- pff - I mean, why- Min, what are you-” He stumbled over every word that left his mouth. There was no saving it. 

Shaking his head, Minseok laughed, “Trust me, Baekhyun, as someone who went through it, you can’t lie about it. I heard you growling a block and a half away.”

“What is he talking about, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked. 

Baekhyun swallowed. Everyone was staring at him - mostly baffled gazes, besides Minseok. There was no way he’d be able to talk his way out of this. With Minseok knowing….

He sighed. “Earlier today - before the restaurant - I discovered something. Something… somewhat important - kind of big-”

“Just spit it out,” Minseok huffed. 

Baekhyun huffed back at him. “Okay!” He swallowed once more. “(Y/n) is my mate.”

**

“What do you think Ming would enjoy doing? And could invite Yixing’s friends to?” You took a big bite of the breakfast sandwich you’d thrown together in a hurry before running out of your apartment. Once again, you’d overslept after having difficulty falling asleep in the first place. There was no irony lost on you in that terrible exchange. 

Ran - as well rested as ever - walked beside you, reading a gossip article on her phone. “Not much,” she admitted without looking up. 

“So, a small thing at your place is out?”

Ran snorted. “With the amount of friends Yixing has, the apartment would max out the fire code.”

Wide eyed, you looked to your friend. “How does he have so many friends?”

The reply was a shrug. 

Ran wasn’t nearly as curious as you were when it came to the Yixing/Ming dynamic, that much was obvious. Although, you couldn’t say exactly what it was that drove that curiosity. It was like an itch in the middle of your back that you couldn’t reach from any angle that you tried. The itch could be ignored, if you actually put any effort into doing so. Annoying, yes, but still sufferable. Only there was this tiny little string poking and pulling at you. And you didn’t want to ignore it. So you were going to yank at it until it snapped. 

“Maybe we should just get dinner,” Ran suggested half-heartedly. 

You mulled over the simplistic idea. Dinner - or drinks - could be a sure fire way of conversation and getting Ming to come along. It shouldn’t be too overwhelming for her or anyone else that came along. Maybe, if the table would allow it, you could even do some seat hopping. 

You finished off the sandwich with a smile. Before Ran turned to head to the mathematics building, she wiggled her phone at you. “I’ll text Ming, see what she says. I’m sure we’ll figure out a way to execute your plan.”

A loving smile spread on your lips. “You’re the best, you know that.”

“I entertain your ideas because it’s fun.”

You blew your best friend a kiss and a wink before heading off to your own class. 

Only half of the seats - old, squeaky, and scribbled on - were filled when you walked through the door. Choosing one at random, you unloaded the required textbook and color-coded matching notebook onto the limited space provided. A few rows over, a group of girls giggled in a volume that was hard to miss. Curiosity got the best of you. Sitting as still as possible, with a quiet breath, you strained to listen. 

“Has he come crawling back, yet?” one whispered excitedly. 

The one with Sleeping Beauty hair - Daisy, you thought her name was - shook her head. “Not a word out of him. But its only been two days. I expect a run-in next week.”

“You’re kind of mean,” said another one of her friends.

Daisy shrugged. “Stagnant relationships are boring. And I could tell he wasn’t as into it anymore, either. So why wait for him to end it?”

Though her methods were disagreeable, you saw her point. But if the spark started to fade, you put it in the water bucket and walk away. Oh, well. To each her own. 

The professor walked in then, settling the class and ending the interesting conversation. 

Class went by with extensive note taking and the occasional asking of a question. Everyone was attentive. No one goofed off or commented obnoxiously. It was something you appreciated about college over high school, especially with the longer you went on with your schooling. 

When it was well into the afternoon, you were practically skipping to the meeting spot with Ran. Unfortunately, she hadn’t heard back from Ming. 

“She hardly looks at her phone during the day,” Ran explained. “Too distracting for her workload.”

That was, regrettably, understandable, given the fact that she was trying to become a doctor. A profession that you couldn’t go into not only because the homework and testing would be overwhelming for you but the idea of working with blood made your stomach queasy. “Come on,” you sighed. “My stomach is rumbling.”

**

Your foot rapidly under the table. In your mouth, the tie string of your jacket laid horizontally between your lips, soaking the cotton strands. Since you and Ran decided to take a late lunch between your class schedules, the local diner was mostly empty. Beads of condensation rolled down the ice-filled plastic cup that previously had held your favorite soda. Almost as soon as it had been placed down on the table, you’d sucked it down so quickly that Ran didn’t even try to not laugh at you. And the food you’d ordered wasn’t even out yet. 

“That hungry?” Ran teased as she sipped through the straw of her own drink. 

You spat out the string, letting it swing down to your chest. “Yeah. I shouldn’t have put eating off this long.” Only a partial lie. You were a bit ravenous, but that wasn’t the true source of the anxiousness. 

The real reason you were so antsy was the text Ran had gotten right before the two of you sat down. 

Ming had said that she already had plans Friday night but Yixing suggested that you and Ran could join them. The offer hadn’t been answered yet. In fact, you hadn’t really talked about a reply. 

“It was nice of Yixing to invite us,” you said, trying to be nonchalant in the sudden subject change. 

“Mhm,” Ran nodded. The look in her eye was cheeky, mischievous. She knew what you were doing. The curse of having been best friends for so long. “So. Should we go?”

You dropped the hopeless pretense. “Might as well, right?” 

The waiter finally brought out your food, light wisps of steam letting you know that it was hot and fresh. Your mouth watered while the greedy rumbling in your stomach grew. You thanked the waiter, advised that you didn’t need anything else and the moment, and then patiently waited for them to walk away before diving in. 

Ran swiped at the keyboard on her phone with her thumb with expertise. She’d barely taken two bites before her notifications beeped. A reply already. “Friday. Six o’clock. Yixing and Ming will be at the apartment and will tell the others to meet us there outside.”

“Excellent.” You smiled through the chewing. Things were falling well into place. “Did she say who all else would be going?” 

“No,” Ran said. “It just says ‘the others’.”

You chewed slowly on your food as you thought this over. It would be better if you had information on who else would be along for the events, even just knowing how many were coming would be helpful. You didn’t like not having all the details. That made it harder to create an exact plan. Not to mention, with no names or descriptions, you couldn’t do… research beforehand. How were you supposed to know who was taken and who was free to be flirted with? You would have to lean on your instincts and the clues given when the time game. 

“You’re making that face again.”

Blinking rapidly, you frowned at Ran. “What face?”

“The face you contort into when you’re thinking really hard. When you’re plotting.”

You raised an eyebrow. “And that’s new since when?”

“Oh, it’s not,” she laughed. “I just wanted you to know that you were making that face. You might want to be careful on Friday.”

You stuck your tongue out on her. “The faces I make are cute. Anyone would be charmed by them.”

“Sure,” Ran sang. “Try it on Friday and we’ll analyze the results.”

“I think that’s an experiment we’ll execute at a later date.” You finished off your lunch and sat back satisfied. 

Ran wiped her lips with a napkin. “Fair enough. Now let’s head back to campus. I have to get with a professor about a few homework problems that are driving me mad.”

While you rifled through your wallet, Ran waived down the water for your tickets. As soon as the meals were paid for, you left the diner to head back to campus to finish the day and ready yourself for Friday's adventure.

**

“What do you think about this one?” Baekhyun asked for what must have been the twelfth time. Rather than getting annoyed, however, Chanyeol merely chuckled from where he was - sprawled out on Baekhyun’s bed, flipping through an old magazine. Some help he was. Baekhyun turned back to the mirror, fixed the collar of his button down, and nodded. “Yeah, this’ll do.”

Without a single knock, Sehun poked his head into the room. “You done yet? The rest of us are ready to go.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “We’ll be down in a second.”

Sehun nodded once and then closed the door again. 

“Do they know that you invited Daisy?” Chanyeol asked as he flipped another page. 

“Nope.” Baekhyun popped his lips on the “p” and smirked. He looked over at Chanyeol. “You know they’d never shut up about it and ruin everything. Besides… invite might not exactly be the word. I more… let it be known where we would be tonight and what time.”

“So, she might not even be there.”

“Oh, she’ll be there, alright.” Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair to add volume to the roots, adjusting the front bits until they fell just so. 

Shaking his head, Chanyeol jumped up from the bed and tossed the magazine aside. “This should be entertaining, at least.” He threw an arm around Baaekhyun’s neck and ruffled his hair. 

“Hey!” Baekhyun growled threateningly in his throat as he pushed his best friend off of him. All Chanyeol did was laugh some more and hightail it out there before Baekhyun could retaliate in true form. Later. He’d get him back later. 

Everyone was gathered in the kitchen when he stomped down the stairs. Well - almost everyone who was going out tonight. Junmyeon was still at the university going over the latest round of papers to grade. Yixing was already in town with Ming and it seemed Kyungsoo was down there with them. 

“Finally ready?” Jongin teased. 

“Finally ready?” Baekhyun mocked. He glanced around the room then furrowed his eyebrows. “Is this everyone?”

As if summoned, Jongdae emerged from the staircase. He didn’t look at anyone as he headed straight for the fridge. He said nothing as he opened the door, took out a green glass bottle, and let the door swing shut with a bit too much force. 

He looked terrible. Dark circles bruised under his eyes and despite the blank expression he constantly wore, there was an echo of pain behind it. His skin was pale from lack of sun. Baekhyun couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone on a run with them. 

No one spoke as Jongdae twisted off the lid and tossed the tiny piece of metal into the trash can. All eyes watched as he disappeared back up into the second floor. Minseok's eyes stayed on the stairs, filled with worry. Ji Yeon gripped his shoulder. 

“He won’t even talk to me,” Minseok whispered. 

“He won’t talk to any of us,” Baekhyun pointed out, although the older member did have a point. He was closest to Jongdae. If the latter wouldn’t even open up to his best friend… it must be bad. But there wasn’t anything they could do at the moment. If he wouldn't open up, there was no point in pausing their own lives. “Let’s go.”

They all piled into a couple cars to make the forty-five-ish journey into town. With Chanyeol and Sehun driving, however, it was more like thirty. As long as Junmyeon wasn’t with them, speed limits could be more of a suggestion. 

Chanyeol pulled his jeep over in front of an apartment complex that Baekhyun hadn’t seen before. It was close to campus but still a few blocks over from downtown. “What are we doing here?”

“Ming invited her roommate, Ran, and her friend to join us tonight,” Minseok explained from the back. “We’re meeting them here. Come on.” He hoped out with Ji Yeon close behind. They all gathered on the sidewalk to wait. 

Baekhyun’s foot was tapping against the concrete after about two minutes. His stomach was growling and he didn’t want to miss Daisy - if she really was going to show up tonight. That uncertainty made him anxious. If they took much longer, he was going to march up and knock on every door until he found the right apartment and forced them all out. For now, though, he simply leaned up against the brick building, hands stuffed in his pockets. 

“We need to figure out what’s going with Jongdae.” Minseok came up next to Baekhyun and leaned his shoulder on the wall. “He’s looking worse.”

Baekhyun frowned. “Has he given you any sort of hint?”

Minseok shook his head. “Not at all.”

“We’ll figure it out. You know Jongdae. He can’t stay silent for long.”

“This is definitely a new record for him.”

“There they are!” Sehun shouted, stealing away their attention. 

Out of the front doors of the apartment building walked five new people - two male, three female. Four of which Baekhyun recognized. Yixing and Ming were talking to Ran, who Baekhyun had met once or twice. Kyungsoo, on the other hand was talking to someone new. And as soon as Baekhyun’s eyes landed on that new female, something snapped into place. His eyes widened. He knew exactly what this was after hearing two of his fellow pack mates describe it in detail. 

**

The days were warming up again. Which was a good thing for Baekhyun since his coat was a bit thinner than the others. He loved rolling around in freshly fallen snow, but his teeth would chatter for an hour after turning back into a human. With the temperature rising and the end of the spring semester coming closer, he was spending more and more time in the forest with his other lucky brothers that weren’t yet bitten and swollen by the mating bug. 

Not that he thought that there was anything wrong with the fact that, as wolves, they had a predestined mate. He was indifferent to it, for the most part. Unlike Junmyeon, however, Baekhyun didn’t feel like simply waiting around for that event to happen. He dated. And he enjoyed it. 

“I think we should see other people.”

Sometimes. 

“What?” Surely Baekhyun misheard and Daisy actually said that she wanted to go on a double date with other people other than his pack mates. 

Daisy tossed several of her wheat colored curls over her shoulder, her chin raising slightly. She held her music theory textbook against her chest with both arms like she was in some kind of high school romantic comedy. As always, she was pretty, even in this scene. Well put together outfit, makeup obvious but expertly applied. Baekhyun had no idea how her eyeliner could be so straight. The black lines brought out the multiple colors that made up her hazel eyes. Baekhyun liked those eyes. 

Liked. Because right now, they stared blankly at him. No hint of the flirtation that normally gleamed in them when they were looking at him.

“I think we should see other people,” Daisy repeated, as if she were stating the date of an upcoming concert. 

“Why’s that?”

She shrugged. “I just think it's best.”

Hardly an answer. But Baekhyun didn’t care. Daisy’s mind was made up. And this wasn’t one of her moments where she wanted Baekhyun to shower her in compliments and pretty words. Besides, Baekhyun wasn’t in the mood to placate. This was not what he had expected when he left the other, rushing away at the sight of Daisy’s urgent text. 

Not bothering to add anything else, Daisy turned on the balls of her brown leather boots and walked down the sidewalk to the music hall for class. 

Shaking his head with a pout, Baekhyun headed in the opposite direction, back through the university courtyard where his friends were waiting. 

Chanyeol, Sehun, Kyungsoo, and Jongin were lounging in the grass, laughing and joking loudly, unaware of Baekhyun’s reappearance. Usually Jongdae was with them as well, but for the past week, he’s been staying home, holing himself up in his room. Junmyeon had tried multiple times to coax him out, but it was no use. These moods weren’t entirely new, especially given Jongdae’s personal history but they had never lasted this long before. 

Baekhyun sat down in the still somewhat dewy grass, the water damping the underside of his jeans. It was ignorable, though. His mind was too preoccupied to really register the clinging fabric. Finally noticing him, Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. “That was short,” he teased. Baekhyun grimaced. 

“You’re normally gone longer,” Sehun added with a snicker k

The muscles in Baekhyun’s lips ached from how tightly he pursed them. “She broke up with me.”

There was a moment of silence. 

Then the laughter broke out.

“What’s so funny?” Minseok approached, hand in hand with his mate, Ji Yeon. She was a nice addition to the pack, often giving them back the teasing they sent her way It was a bit funny that she started off so shy with them and now acted as if she’d known them forever. Maybe mates were as destined for the rest of the pack as they were for their individual wolves. Friendship-wise, that is. 

“Baekhyun’s a lone wolf again,” Jongin managed to say between laughs. 

Ji Yeon frowned as she surveyed the grass, found a dry spot, and sat down. “So you did end up breaking up with Daisy?”

“Try the other way around,” Chanyeol corrected. Minseok snorted in response. 

“Don’t tell me you’re only upset that she’d beaten you to it,” Ji Yeon said in her motherly, judgemental way that was pretty typical. She reminded Baekhyun of Junmyeon sometimes, which was odd because he would have assumed Minseok was destined for a female version of Jongdae. Yet, here they were. 

“I’d changed my mind about breaking up,” Baekhyun huffed. But… she did have a point. He wasn’t sure if it was only his pride that was hurt in this moment. 

“You do that a lot.”

Baekhyun’s instinctual response was to stick his tongue out at her. 

“Look on the bright side,” Chanyeol said, slapping his best friend on the back, “now you can find someone else!”

“If Junmyeon lets him,” Kyungsoo murmured. 

“Junmyeon wouldn’t ever force that order. He only strongly suggests loneliness.” That was something that Baekhyun was one hundred percent sure about. Alpha though he may be, Junmyeon very, very rarely ever used his position to force his orders on any of them. His word was law, but he only touched that power when absolutely necessary. When it came to something as simple as dating? Junmyeon would merely roll his eyes, sigh, and mutter about how someday they would all see what he was talking about. Easy enough to ignore. 

But Baekhyun liked Daisy. Not like… liked her, but a little bit. Enough for this to really suck. 

Checking his phone, Baekhyun sighed. He still had forty-five minutes until he even needed to start thinking about heading for the nice distraction that would be class. Thankfully, though, the conversation moved on to the plans for Friday night. Good. A point in his favor. Baekhyun didn’t want to have to go off on his own if they all kept teasing him. At least, he didn’t want to go off on his own yet. Later, he would need the silence. Later, he would need the time to think about what he needed to do - especially since he had class with Daisy three times a week. 

Chanyeol nudged him in the ribs. “What do you think, Baekhyun?” 

“Huh?” Baekhyun had missed the last portion of the conversation. 

“Pizza or fried chicken?” Jongin explained, his tone revealing exactly which one he would prefer to be picked. 

“Oh, um… pizza,” Baekhyun answered at random. He wasn’t very good at picking out what to eat several days in advance. 

Chanyeol punched the air. “Yes!”

“Do you think Yixing will join us?” Sehun asked. 

Minseok shrugged. “If Ming wants to.”

“Leave that to me,” Ji Yeon smiled. That was a good plan. If Ji Yeon went, Ming would be more comfortable overall. 

A minor sense of excitement started to lift Baekhyun’s mood. Going out with his pack could be a good distraction for the weekend, when he would usually be spending most of his time with Daisy. He was still frustrated at the day’s turn of events, but he’d worry about it later. There was nothing to be done at this moment, anyway. So, for now, he stretched out on the grass, hands interlocking under his head as he stared up at the clear, baby blue sky dotted with thin, almost see-through clouds that drifted slowly down their predetermined paths. It was peaceful, despite the happy voices echoing loudly around him. 

A smile spread wide across his face. Tonight, he would start scheming. With enough time and charm, he could win Daisy back. 

There was no doubt about that. 

**

The clicker of the plastic pen was scratched and dented to the point that it was a miracle it still even worked. 

“That’s bad for your teeth, you know.”

You rolled your eyes at Ran. “Let me have my bad habits.” There were worse things to do in order to keep your concentration and help your brain to think. The pen was right there and in your hand anyway. 

Ran, however, did not see it that way. “I’m more worried for the pen’s sake. I’ve seen the others in your bag. You’re the writing utensils’ public enemy number one.”

You laughed hard at that one. Maybe you could get that made into a sticker for your laptop. Or maybe even a t-shirt: pencil yellow with granite colored lettering. That could be your new favorite thing to wear with the light pink cardigan in your closet that hadn’t been touched in a while. Or maybe it could be a fun treasure hidden under your most worn hoodie. 

“What a wonder example you’ll be for the kids.”

“Those kids will be putting far worse things in their mouths,” you pointed out. Though, hopefully, the little kindergartners that a school would hopefully trust you enough to educate would be mostly grown out of that phase. 

Ran shook her head, the edges of her black bob brushing her bare shoulders. It was finally warm enough for a tank top, though she kept a gray jean jacket tied around her waist in case the temperature dropped out of nowhere. “Which makes me wonder why you want to be their babysitter.”

“Teacher,” you corrected, though it was a pointless one. Ran knew what you wanted to be after graduation. She just liked teasing you about it. “And that’s because some of us can’t make heads or tails of that engineering gibberish that you’re fluent in.”

Tapping a finger on her open textbook, Ran cringed. “Don’t worry. Sometimes I don’t understand it.”

“I doubt those A’s on your tests are due to bullshitting,” you snorted. 

“You’d be surprised as to what you could bullshit in engineering.” Ran sighed as she leaned back in the rickety chair that just barely matched the small table used as both desk and dining area in the apartment she shared with her roommate, Ming. Sweet girl, quiet, didn’t like to go out too often. 

Or, at least, she didn’t used to. Now, you hardly ever saw her when you came over to study with Ran. Though the two of you were in different majors, you found it easier to concentrate and get work done if you weren’t by yourself. 

“Where’s Ming?” you asked, changing the subject to keep up with your ever-bouncing thoughts. 

Ran grinned cheekily. “With Yixing.”

Naturally. You couldn’t blame her, though. Yixing was cute, as well as intelligent and kind. Too bad she met him first. “Wish I had someone like that.” That was meant to be more of a thought bubble. You hadn’t wanted to say that out loud, but it was too late to yank it back now. 

“They are disgustingly cute,” Ran agreed. “And not even in the annoying kind of way. Not so touchy in front of other people. Which honestly may be worse because you can’t hate them for that. They’re just…” she sighed again, “perfect for each other.”

You stuck out your bottom lip far enough for a bird to swoop in and land on it.

It was a bit sad how badly you wanted something like that. As focused as you were on school, you wanted a nice boy to hold your hand and eat dinner with. You wanted to kiss somebody and talk to them at all hours of the night. Those cute, stupid doemstic moments you heard about were your favorite. And it wasn’t like you hadn’t tried. Unfortunately, most of your interactions didn’t go beyond flirtations. The level of annoyance of it all was beyond the chart. 

“He had friends,” Ran said, reading the look on your face as easily as a children’s book. Instead of “See Spot run”, it said “I want boyfriend”. 

You raised an eyebrow. “Really? That are like him?”

Ran shrugged. “No idea. I’ve only heard about them from Ming. But if she likes them, then maybe.”

Tapping the pen against your lips, you  hummed along with your thoughts. If Yixing’s friends were like him, then meeting them could be a good thing.