The first time you met Yuta’s dog, you were pretty sure he wanted you dead.

A hulking, sharp-eyed creature—half wolf, if you had to guess—stood between you and Yuta’s apartment door, teeth bared, hackles raised. Yuta had just chuckled, leaning against the frame, watching with amusement as his dog decided whether or not you were worth sparing.

“He doesn’t like people,” Yuta had warned.

You had met the dog’s burning gaze and, against all logic, crouched down with an outstretched hand. “Guess I’ll have to prove I’m worth liking then.”

Yuta had smirked, eyes glittering with something unreadable.

That moment had been the start of something.

Because against all odds, the beast had taken a liking to you. He would still act aloof, still keep his guard up, but you were the only person besides Yuta who could touch him, who could sit beside him without earning a growl of warning.

And, in some ways, the same could be said about Yuta himself.

The night had started like any other.

You and Yuta had been holed up in his apartment, the dim lighting casting shadows across his sharp features as you sat across from him at the small kitchen table. His dog lay curled by your feet, a silent guardian—one you had long since gotten used to.

But something was off with Yuta tonight.

His fingers drummed against the table, his jaw tight, his normally sharp, teasing gaze darkened with something unreadable.

You had learned, over time, that Yuta didn’t let people in easily. He could be cruelly distant, a ghost when he wanted to be. But you had also learned to see through the cracks, to recognize when he was struggling against something too big to name.

“What’s wrong?” you asked softly.

“Nothing,” he bit out, standing abruptly. The chair scraped against the floor, and before you could respond, he slammed his hands against the table.

The reaction was immediate.

The dog shot to its feet, stepping in front of you with a vicious, guttural snarl. Every muscle in its body tensed, ears pinned, teeth bared in warning.

"Down," Yuta snapped, his voice like a whip.

The dog didn’t budge.

The growl deepened, his stance unwavering. For the first time, the dog—the creature Yuta had trained, raised, and trusted with his life—was defying him.

Your breath caught as Yuta took a step forward, then stopped. He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. His expression was unreadable, frustration warring with something else entirely.

"I know I said protect her," he muttered, voice lower, almost pained. "But I never meant from me."

Still, the dog refused to move.

Neither did you.

Not because you were afraid. Never because of that.

But because there was something in Yuta’s voice, something raw, something stripped down to its bare bones, that made your chest ache.

It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t rage.

It was fear.

Fear of himself. Fear of losing control. Fear of becoming something he couldn’t come back from.

And suddenly, you understood.

The room was thick with tension, but you moved first. Slowly, carefully, you rested a hand on the dog’s back, feeling the tension coiled beneath its fur.

"It’s okay," you murmured. "He won’t hurt me."

The dog hesitated. Then, miraculously, it backed down, still watchful but no longer hostile.

You rose to your feet, stepping toward Yuta. He didn't move. He didn’t meet your eyes.

“You really think I need protecting from you?” you asked, voice quieter now.

Yuta let out a hollow laugh, finally looking at you. “I think everyone does.”

Something in your chest twisted.

“You’re an idiot.” The words came out soft, affectionate even. "If your dog trusts me enough to protect me, then maybe you should trust me too."

Yuta blinked, momentarily stunned. Then he let out a breathless laugh, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly.

"You always have to be right, don’t you?" he murmured.

You smiled. "Only when it matters."

A long silence stretched between you, filled with something fragile, something breakable.

And then, Yuta closed the distance.

His fingers brushed your cheek, hesitant, as if afraid you’d pull away. When you didn’t, he let out a shaky breath, his forehead resting against yours.

“I don’t know how to do this,” he admitted.

You reached up, resting your hand over his.

“Then let’s figure it out together.”

Later that night, Yuta’s dog laid between you both on the couch, content but still keeping watch.

Yuta was quieter now, softer in a way he rarely allowed himself to be. His fingers idly traced patterns against your palm, a silent reassurance, a silent promise.

You had always known that loving Yuta wouldn’t be easy. He was sharp edges and wary eyes, a storm that never quite settled.

But that night, as you lay curled against his side, his dog finally allowing the both of you a moment’s peace, you knew one thing for sure:

Even storms had their moments of calm.

You hadn’t slept well, and Jungwoo pointed it out as soon as he saw you.

“I had a bad dream,” you groaned, speed walking with him down the science hall to make it in time to your Bio lecture.

“At least you slept at all, I had to pull an all nighter for this stupid bio exam,” he admitted as you begrudgingly filed into the full lecture hall.

“At least you slept at all, I had to pull an all nighter for this stupid bio exam,” he admitted as you begrudgingly filed into the full lecture hall.

“See- this is why you can’t leave studying until the last minute,” you pointed.

“You’ve known me since the fourth grade, when have I ever not left anything to the last minute?”

“Fair. Kun and I really are the planners of the group,” you sighed, taking your seat.

“Oh, when you see your brother later by the way-,” Jungwoo got caught off guard by the professor silencing the hall, and your exam began shortly thereafter. You had taken up the entire class time to take your exam, even Jungwoo leaving before you did. While you knew most of the answers, your brain was still admittedly fried from waking up only a few hours ago. By the time you finally turned in your exam, it was 5 ‘till 7:30, and you were now late to meet Mark.

“I can’t wait to tell Dad,” he poked, ruffling your hair as you finally met him at your designated pre-night-class spot.

“It’s the first time in like fifteen years that I’m ever late. Plus, I was in an exam!” you countered. Mark was your adoptive older brother, and occasional thorn in your side.

“Jungwoo was in the exam too and left in a timely manner.”

“Ugh, whatever! Let’s just make sure the day students are out and get to class,” you sighed. Mark launched himself up from the bench in the front entrance of Knight’s Cross College, and you began the trek through the math and science wing of the building.

“Whoever’s idea it was to build a college composed of three wings deserves a slap in the face,” Mark noted. The college’s primary building was divided into three total wings: the left hall designated to all things falling in or around Sociology, English, and the arts. The middle wing, the shortest of the grouping, primarily housed all the hospitality and business classes. The hall you and Mark walked down now was the one you had just finished the exam for: Math, science, and pre-health.

“Guess you should slap great-great-great grandpa then, Dad would be happy to help,” you joked, shoving his arm.

“Yeah, maybe then we wouldn’t have to deal with all this,” Mark then opened the door to a lecture hall to see a couple in the corner making out rather ravenously. You groaned, taking the lead as you shouted at the couple.

“Past 7:30 PM no Day students are to be in the main building. Can you provide proof of night student status?” You bellowed as the couple jumped away from each other. Both of the girls looked away bashfully, shaking their heads in response.

“Then please follow my fellow warden as he guides you out of the building and out of the main building's gates,” you instructed, going off the script given to you by your father. The girls quickly grabbed their bags and followed Mark into the hallway as he awkwardly started the trek towards the front double doors with them.

You scanned the restrooms and the last of the science hall as you started heading down now, hoping to meet Mark in the hospitality wing. As one of the two wardens, yours and Mark’s job had a clear description - keep the day students away from the night students as much as possible. This entailed making sure that while the gates for the main building that housed a majority of classes were closed, you and Mark had to make sure no curious college students snuck in and saw what most other humans should not.

Knight’s Cross College was relatively close enough to your high school that you recognized a lot of your peers, and were lucky enough to also go to the same college as your two other best friends- Jungwoo and Kun. While Kun was older than you all and was working his masters at the College, you, Jungwoo and Mark were all in the same grade together.

You were reaching the main threshold of the building when you saw Mark again, shutting the main doors behind him.

“Were they mad?”

“They seemed embarrassed more than anything. Thankfully I didn’t get any of the ‘why’ questions,” he replied, matching your footing as you started checking each of the classrooms again quickly. It was nearing 9:15PM, the time when the night students would begin to enter and 15 minutes before Mark and you had one of your two designated night classes.

“What’s your go-to answer for that?” he breathed out as you rushed through your room checks.

“‘The night students tend to be people of a certain status who need privacy for legal reasons,’” you recited.

“That ones good, I just say that I legally can’t say and any answers for it are in the student handbook,” Mark laughed. You continued the rest of your checks in silence, huffing a bit as you finally reached the room that housed your night class. You glanced at the night students slowly entering and looked away, not wanting to feel more like an intruder than you normally did.

“I’ll see you inside, sis,” Mark padded your shoulder and stepped into the classroom, leaving you outside and leaning against the wall. After a moment, you got up from the wall and started inside, being greeted by the usual rounds of cold shoulders, not a single person turning to look at you. More than likely, they could sense who it was anyways. The night students, while acknowledging that you did offer some help in terms of keeping their identities secret, never hid the fact that they found yours and Mark’s presence annoying at best.

“You’re later than usual,” your deskmate and close friend acknowledged, his small fangs poking out as he whispered. Ten’s mother was not only on the mythic council, but a friend of your father’s, leading him to be one of the few in the night class to speak to you- mainly since he’s known you since your adoption.

“Mark had to escort some people out,” you admitted, taking out your notebook as you spoke.

“We heard,” your other deskmate- Chaein- interjected, her pointed ears twitching. Chaein was one of the few elves left in the world, one of only three in the night class, and was one of the only other people that would speak to you since you both gravitated towards the back of the classroom.

“It pays to have ears like yours, huh,” Ten replied, holding back his giggles.

“You wish you had my hearing range, you goddamn bloodsucker,” Chaein scoffed.

“You’re not letting him off the hook for not giving you the homework answers huh,” you sighed, not even looking at either of them.

“Not at all,” Chaein admitted, leaning back in her chair as the professor began his lecture. During the day, you had your classes pertaining to your major that you shared with some of your closest friends. At night, you had the night class required of you and Mark to take- History of mythics, 1800’s to modern day as well as Modern Mythic Religion.

The mythics were everything your human peers were meant to believe were creatures and beings of pure fiction- but, you and Mark knew better. Your father’s family was one of the only lines of humans who not only knew the truth of the mythic world, but worked closely with them, mainly in an attempt to unite the two worlds eventually. So, in that attempt, at Knight’s Cross College, the main building from 7:30AM to 7:30PM had its gates open and the day students took courses, and between 7:30PM to 7:30 AM is when the night students would enter. The rest of the school grounds were open at all times and ungated, although the night dorms were separated and required additional access. It was an attempt in some way, even if the night students for the most part hid away and didn’t show their true forms when out and about.

It was about a month into the semester (your second year at the university), so you were already in the late 1800s portion of the class. Your professor- a shapeshifter- had put on an exceptionally boring lecture today. For the most part, you and Ten just passed notes to each other, occasionally looking up and actually writing down what the professor had to say about the elvish wars.

Class ended, and after Chaein said bye to you, everyone seemed to hustle out except for you, Mark, and Ten.

“How are you guys feeling about that test next week?” Mark asked you guys as he walked over from his usual spot in the front of the class.

“There’s a test next week?”

“Yeah, he reminded us at the end of class, Ten,” you noted, heading down from the steps and towards the exit.

“Huh, well there’s that. I’ll see you guys later- if I’m late to mastering incantations again the professor will shove a cross down my throat,” Ten waved as he quickly fled the hall, barely leaving the door open for you and Mark to follow.

“It’s your night for patrols?” Mark asked, trying to remember your schedules.

“Unfortunately.”

“Dope, I’m gonna do a bit of studying in one of the empty halls before I go back to my dorm.”

“Okay, see you later,” you waved him goodbye as he headed further down the wing. You bit down on your lip and made your way over to the Office of the President in the business hall, the key to it in your hand. After making the trek, you opened the door and lit up the room, being greeted by the old family portrait he had up on the wall next to the switch and a bookcase. Him, smiling brightly with a few less forehead creases, Mark, who was about twelve in the photo, and you in your pigtails hugging your brother.

Your Dad’s office served as the sort of headquarters for whoever was in charge of monitoring the gates that night. You tossed your backpack in its usual corner and opened the top shelf by his window, grabbing your warden backpack which held your foldable bo staff, holy water, and a silver cross. Technically, your father wanted you to have your supplies on you at all times, but with your exam that day you had forgotten to put it in your normal school backpack. None of your fellow night students had attempted anything, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

You had started the first hour of your walk of the gate that surrounded the large main building, taking note of the fellow day students who visibly avoided you and the area. By your fourth and thankfully final hour (since at that point most of the night students were done with class), you perched yourself on the bench in the meager courtyard inside the main building's gated entrance, eating an apple you had stolen from your Dad’s office. It was about five minutes until your shift was over now. Almost all of the night students by now had left since their classes were up.

You checked your watch again, five past the end of your shift. You tossed the apple core in the trash and headed back into the building. It was a peaceful night. After locking the door of the office behind you, you were in the process of shoving your keys into your backpack when you heard a loud thud on the marble floor of the main entrance. Without thinking, you ran over to the person who fell, helping gather their items and trying to help them up despite whoever it was probably being much stronger than you were- albeit a little clumsy.

“Are you okay?” you asked, not looking up as you organized the items that had fallen from their hands- two notebooks, and an overly used copy of Frankenstein, sticky notes poking out between the pages. You glanced up, and saw him turning his head away and looking around at the vacant building. “No one else saw you fall.”

“Well,” he now turned to face you, your heart leaping to your throat as you finally got to see his face, “it’s still embarrassing that you saw it.” He was one of the most beautiful beings you had ever seen, and he was smiling at you as he laughed at himself. His fangs were visibly much different than Ten’s were- significantly larger and gleaming in the lights of the hall.

“No… no the marble is a bit slippery,” you sputtered out once you realized you were staring. Of course he was a vampire- they were known for being inhumanly beautiful, and whoever this was, he was definitely that. “Oh, here,” you gestured to his stuff in your hands.

“Oh, thanks! Did you finish your shift?” he asked as he took his stuff back.

“My shift?” your brain was still stunned by his appearance, not really understanding anything.

“Watching the grounds… that is why you’re here right?” he scratched the back of his neck, exposing the Night student ID that hung off his jacket. Nakamoto Yuta. You blinked quickly, trying to process what he said.

“Oh, yeah sorry! Yep I’m just heading back to my dorm,” you felt your cheeks redden, looking away from him bashfully so you could get a more coherent sentence out.

“I’ll walk you back, so long as you promise not to tell anyone I ate the 150 year old marble floor,” he smirked at you, now stepping beside you. You could only muster out a small sure, your heart still racing. God he can hear that-heart slow down! you thought to yourself, a blush creeping to your cheeks.

“How were your classes?” you asked. You couldn’t remember ever having spoken with him before. Although, you were sure you would remember any interaction with someone as unabashedly attractive as he was.

“Hm nothing crazy, although Ten did get in late to a class we shared, so it was funny to see the professor yell at him for a bit,” Yuta laughed.

“You’re friends with Ten?” you asked, glad that you had some sort of mutual connection.

“Hm, you could say that. How are your day classes?”

“How do you know I’m taking day classes?”

“Lucky guess, since I heard Mark was taking some,” he admitted.

“They’re okay, only so much fun you can have in a Biology class,” you joked, feeling more comfortable as you spoke with him.

“Biology, huh? Any english classes?”

“Hopefully! Next semester the goal is to take world literature. I loved my English classes in high school. They were really great.”

“I’m taking a human literature course now. It’s… something,” he chuckled to himself, his fangs still shining even in the moonlight.

“Are you a big reader?”

“I would say so, although I am trying to draw more. I haven’t been able to in a while.”

“Are you actually good at drawing? Whenever I try, it looks horrendous,” you admitted, thinking back to the terrible doodles you would make in class for your Dad and how he’d gush over them.

“Hm, I’ll have to see yours for sure.”

“Only if you show me yours, which I’m sure would be far better than mine.”

“Next time I draw again, you’ll be at the top of my list,” he winked, causing your stomach to flip and the heat in your cheeks grew. You turned your head away, hoping to calm the heat on your cheeks. The campus at this time of night was mainly lit by the dim street lamps that lead to the student dorms and the moonlight. There were a couple of students out by the quad, but none that paid the two of you any mind as you neared your building.

“What are your plans for the rest of the night, Yuta?”

“Eh, well around this time is when everyone is awake so it’ll be a mix of studying and making sure no one kills each other,” he chuckled.

“Are there a lot of butting heads in the night dorm?” While you and Mark did do checks outside of the night dorm, neither of you had ever been inside of it.

“Depends on everyone’s hunger levels- the shape shifters are the worst when they’re hungry,” he muttered in the last part, despite no one being close enough to really hear you two.

“Don’t shifters eat normal food?”

“Yeah, but you try finding a good place to eat at 2AM here.”

“I’ll make it my mission,” you half-joked. You looked up at your dorm building, silently cursing how quickly you two had arrived. “Well, this is my stop.”

“All right, well, I’ll see you tomorrow Y/N,” he waved goodbye as you started into the building, the smile you had not leaving until you made it up the stairs and to your floor. You still felt like you were floating on air when you entered your dorm, the only studio there as you were the floor’s resident assistant. Your phone started ringing as you set your bag down, and you checked the caller ID to see Ten’s face pop up.

“Hell-?”

“Please tell me I’m crazy,” Ten was whispering on the other end of the line.

“I’m sure even in the night dorm when you whisper half of them can still hear you,” you laughed as you started opening your cabinets in an attempt to have something to eat. There wasn’t much- you really needed to do groceries.

“No one else has figured it out yet, but that’s because no one else here has known you since you were a kid and hiding behind your father’s legs because you were scared of the monsters,” Ten hissed.

“What are you even talking about?” You had settled on eating on a pudding cup, and were now perched on the edge of your couch, Ten on speaker.

“The freaking heir smells too much like a human!” He hissed, taking you aback.

“Heir? Ten, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“God dammit, open your window,” he sighed, hanging up afterwards. You knew the drill. Ten was prone to random late night fits, and oftentimes, you were the one that had to hear him out. You propped open your window, stood back, and within a few seconds a strong breeze entered the room, knocking a few loose papers over as Ten entered, leaning against your couch for support.

“That was faster than normal,” you remained unphased as you finished your pudding cup.

“Well, normally I’m not here to tell you that you’re screwed,” he sighed, shutting the window.

“You’re right, normally you’re here to avoid the brawls in the dorm.”

“God the shape shifters can be such a bunch of meat heads. Anyways, do you even understand how the government works for the mythics?” you crushed your pudding cup, silently trying to rack your brain as you recalled back to lessons with your father and Mark that centered around mythics.

“I know it functions in a sort of… rotational manner?” It was embarrassing to admit you knew next to nothing about how mythics typically functioned in that matter- your lessons really focused on protecting yourself and other basics of each species. Ten sighed, sitting next to you on your spot on the bed.

“So, there are these eight families- to be honest you’ve probably met most of their heads. It’s the reason my Mom and your Dad have met so much that you and I became friends,” he shoved your arm playfully at this. “Each family represents some sort of major mythic species- two representing vampires, one for the elves- you get the picture.”

“Okay i know that. What does this have to do with me?” you were still trying to piece together Ten’s jumpy mood with his mention of the mythic government system.

“How do I say this… all of these young, rich, mythics that go here gossip. Especially when half of them have connections to royal lineage, like moi-,” he gestured to himself, “- and especially when the soon to be king of the mythics is amongst their classmates.” He let the last sentence hang, hoping you would catch his drift.

“Huh?”

“Yuta’s family is next in line, and he’s designated as next King, making him the heir to the throne… dummy,” he flicked your head then.

“Ow! And, shit okay. How could people even smell me on him? I barely touched him.”

“You touched him?”

“I was helping him up, he tripped and fell.”

“Dude… well, hopefully they don’t figure it out. God forbid… whatever. Just, be careful, okay?” he kicked his legs off the bed then, starting back for the window.

“Is it really that big of a deal if I speak with him? I mean, you and I have been friends for years. Plus, Mark has spoken to almost everyone in the night class!” Ten sighed, opening the window and leaning over the sill, before finally turning back to you.

[6:30am] - there’s a bump that finally wakes you up and you slowly furrow your eyebrows as you become familiar with your surroundings. you turn your head and see yuta. you gasp and shoot up.

[6:30am] - there’s a bump that finally wakes you up and you slowly furrow your eyebrows as you become familiar with your surroundings. you turn your head and see yuta. you gasp and shoot up.

[6:30am] - there’s a bump that finally wakes you up and you slowly furrow your eyebrows as you become familiar with your surroundings. you turn your head and see yuta. you gasp and shoot up.

“yuta” you smile as you finally see your boyfriend after 12 hours. he glances over at you and smiles.

“there’s my beautiful girlfriend” he says and your heart flutters. he still some how manages to make you blush after so many years.

“i’ve been worried sick about you, where were you?” you jump straight into the question.

“i was just taking care of some business, it won’t happen again okay baby?” he grabs your hands with his free one, squeezing it gently.

“okay” you smile lightly at him. “and if you don’t mind me asking where are we going?”

“you’ll see when we get there” he rubs the top of your hand with his thumb.

‘what are doing nakamoto yuta’ you think and just lay back down for the rest of the ride.

we come to a stop and he gets out. you pull the covers off of you and sit up, he opens my door and picks you up, shutting the door after you and finally locking it.

“why are we here?” you ask as you look at the pretty view. (picture above)

“you will soon find out” he walks over to an area that has a blanket laid down with a basket, there was candles and a bag.

“yuta...” you stare at it all in awe as he sets me down gently, sitting himself across from you.

“do you like it?” he says with a smile.

“like it? i love it” you look at him and grab his hands. “i love you”

he doesn’t say anything and pulls his hands away and you furrow your eyebrows. he gets up and goes behind you, standing you up himself. he grabs your hand and walks over to the edge, where the sun now starts to peak out.

“it’s so pretty” he walks behind you and put his arms around your waist.

“it is pretty but why didn’t you say it back?” you caress his hands that are still wrapped around your waist.

he lets out a breath. “i love you and that’s why-“ he removes his arms from your waist and you hear a lot of different movement before deciding to finally turn around.

“y/n y/l/n, i wanna spend the rest of my life with you. will you marry me?” hes on one knee, with an opened box that’s showcasing a beautiful ring. you take a few seconds to figure out what’s happening in this moment.

you immediately smile after you figure it all out and bend down to kiss him, grabbing his face in your hands. he slowly stands up grabbing your face and kissing you softly. he pulls away from you.

“so.. is that a yes?” he has hope in his eyes.

“yes yes yes a thousand times yes” you shout and he smiles widely slipping the ring onto your left ring finger and kissing you again. you guys kiss for a few more seconds before we pull away.

“so that’s what you were doing when you were gone huh?” you ask wrap your arms around his neck looking up at him.

“yes i had to set up everything and it took a while but in the end it was all so worth it” he pecks your lips.

“wait does that mean you didn’t answer me on purpose?” you narrow your eyes at him.

“maybe” he says slowly.

“jerk” you hit his chest playfully and laugh.