This darling is lost

When your best friend introduced you to her new boyfriend, you weren’t quite expecting to see the chairman of your company on her arm.

Chairman Ao was an enigma, even among your own colleagues. Supposedly that charming redhead held a much more rugged side to him than he let on at work… and that was what MC was telling you too, as you uncomfortably sat across from her over a bag of takeout and some drinks.

You and MC had been very close since grade school. Even after she went into training to be a Hunter and you stayed behind, you maintained contact. You originally went into the field of protocore R&D because of her illness; the last thing you wanted was for her life to be cut short because of something there was no present cure for.

Chairman Ao - or Valko, as she introduced him - was far, far different from the man you’d only caught glimpses of at work. Where before you saw him as charming and ultimately aloof, with MC he was vibrant, smiling bright and making jokes. He always seemed to have a hand somewhere on her, whether it was resting on her waist or having her sitting on his leg. She didn’t seem too bothered about this, and from what she told you in private, it was kind of thrilling.

“He’s a real wolf,” she joked once, chuckling when you looked at her in incredulous confusion.

Sure, he was talkative and a little clingy, but a wolf? You laughed it off with her, although you had to admit that him getting close to you and covertly sniffing the back of your neck whenever you visited was a little… out there. No, you were way past out there. You were practically out somewhere.

Still, despite your initial confusion (and skepticism about his change in demeanor), you found that he was… growing on you. The sniffing thing still had some getting used to, but he was kind enough to you and laughed along with you whenever MC told stories from your childhood. He genuinely seemed like a nice guy, and you could tell easily how he felt about her just from the way he looked at her while she wasn’t looking.

It twisted your guts. At first, you thought it was indigestion. But then you slowly realized that it only started to churn in the sick way it did whenever you were out with MC and Valko.

You were jealous. Of who? You still weren’t quite sure. But you did know one thing. You wanted him. And it terrified you.

He was everything you could’ve wanted. Funny, smart (almost to a fault), kind, daring - not to mention even colleagues had nothing but glowing praise for him. The fact that he also happened to be an Evolver - and one with such a useful Evol - was a plus. You’d seen the jewelry he made for MC. She always showed them off to you with a gleeful “Look at what he made for me! I asked him to make one for you too, so now we match!”

And they truly were beautiful. Rings made of interwoven vines, with intricate metal leaves and inlaid with moonstone - all made for her alone. That man was a certified genius, and it sickened you with how much you found yourself dreaming of having him.

Slowly, you began distancing yourself from them. As much as it killed you inside to ignore one of your oldest friends, it was for your own good, or so you told yourself; the very last thing you wanted was to irrevocably break your friendship over a man, let alone a man who was your superior. MC deserved to be happy, even if it meant you cropped yourself out of the photo.

MC… was confused and hurt by your sudden distance. If she’d done something wrong, she had no idea what it was. You’d seemed so happy for her and so supportive of her relationship, not to mention you and Valko got on great. If it wasn’t her… was it him? And if it wasn’t him… what was it?

It was killing her. She loved him, yes, but she loved you too. She just couldn’t stand the thought of not having you by her side.

And Valko was a little suspicious. You weren’t any enemy of either of them - you smelled like a friend, and he had heard great things about you from your bosses and coworkers. MC had nothing but glowing praise to say about you. So what had changed?

First he assumed you must be blackmailed to stay away from them; both he and MC had a lot of enemies, and it was understandable that you might isolate yourself for your and their safety. But you had no such blackmailers or anyone on your tail, not anyone to be worried about. Then he wondered. Was it them? He honestly hoped it wasn’t - you made each other happy, and he was beginning to warm up to you outside of his relationship with her.

—————

It all came to a head one night after work.

You had gotten home an hour before, exhausted and needing a shower and comfort food. You were barely five minutes into one of your favorite game shows when the doorbell rang.

You frowned. You weren’t expecting anyone. You got up and answered it anyway—

—and just about had a heart attack when MC and Valko stood in your doorway, the former looking worried.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she breathed, pulling you in for a hug, uncaring of the fact that you were in sweats and a tank top. “Can we come in? I know it’s late, but we need to talk.”

“Uh, y- yeah… just… can I change first?” You squeaked.

She looked at you a little strangely, until she realized you weren’t wearing a bra.

“Uh… if you want,” she answered unsurely.

You nodded, let them in, and scurried off to your bedroom to tug on a sweater. By the time you came back, they were both sitting on your couch murmuring about something. The volume on the TV had been turned down, some commercial filling the room with a colorful glow.

MC’s head snapped up the second she heard you enter the living room. “Sit,” she commanded, gesturing to the spot beside her.

You complied slowly. “Is this an intervention…?” You tried to joke. Their expressions told you that it wasn’t much of a joke.

“Alright, spill,” she ordered, folding her arms across her chest. “Why are you avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?”

“Wha— no, no,” you protested, raising your arms in a placating gesture. “MC, no, you know I’d tell you if you made me mad.”

“Then what’s the deal?” Her voice raised. “If it isn’t me that’s the problem, then I can only guess it’s my boyfriend. I thought we agreed boys would never come between us!”

You heaved a sigh. This really wasn’t a conversation you wanted to be stone-cold sober for. “Look— MC, it’s… not what you think.”

You hesitated, but Valko was already looking at you over her head and you swallowed hard, finally getting the nerve to say it. “I… I like him. Your boyfriend. And I’ve been feeling so shitty about it because you deserve to be happy with someone who loves you as much as he does, and the last thing I want to do is ruin our friendship because I’m jealous.”

In the silence that followed, MC blinked almost owlishly at you.

“You… you’re jealous.” She stated more than asked. “Of… me? Of him?”

“I’m jealous that you found someone like him,” you answered, pointing at the redhead. And then you looked down at your feet. “... And I’m jealous that he’s got you.”

“You’re my best friend, MC. You’ve known me longer than anyone else. And I… I got scared. I got scared that you wouldn’t need me anymore.” Your fingers clenched in your sweatpants. “So I… just decided to end things myself. I’m sorry for not telling you, but… I didn’t want you to blame yourself for my feelings.”

You didn’t say anything more, and your words hung heavy in the air with the TV muted.

MC stared at you.

And then she breathed out a disbelieving laugh.

“You… you seriously…” she shook her head. “You were jealous. Because you liked my boyfriend?”

Your face flooded with heat and you glared at her. “It’s not funny, MC.”

“No, it’s not. It’s hilarious.” She corrected, pulling you in for a tight hug.

“I never cared that you liked my boyfriend, dummy. In fact… we’ve been talking lately.” She pulled back to look you in the eyes. “We both want you. And if you’ll have us…”

“Wait. Wait. What?” You interrupted, narrowing your eyes at her. “You know I don’t like pranks, M. What do you mean, ‘we both want you’?”

“What else would that mean?” She exasperatedly demanded. “I’m in love with you, Valko likes you, there you go!”

Now it was your turn to stare at her like a deer caught in headlights. “But… he’s literally perfect…?”

Valko chuckled. “Aw, babe, she thinks I’m perfect?”

“Don’t add to his ego,” she halfheartedly groaned.

Now Valko was moving, pulling you into MC’s lap so that he could nose around your neck with a drawn-out sigh. “You smell good,” he murmured into your skin, tickling you.

“Does… does he always…?”

“Yes,” she finished. “Just let it happen.”

You tried not to squirm as he sniffed around, but soon you began to giggle. And hearing your laugh made him grin and sniff a little harder.

“Already makin’ you laugh. Big ups for me.” He stated, giving MC a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. “She was mine first, wolf-brain. I’m the one who kissed her first.”

You choked on your own saliva.

He snorted. “And? Just means I’ve gotta make my first kiss just as memorable.”

His long fingers grasped your chin, and you swore you could see wolf ears peeking through his hair. His eyes seemed to glow even in the dim light of your living room, and you couldn’t help but squeak in surprise as his lips met yours.

They were surprisingly soft - and they tasted like chocolate? And were those fangs you felt, poking between his lips?

By the time you broke apart, MC had resigned herself to playing with your hair.

“Well?” He breathed. “Was that memorable?”

You nodded frantically, making both of them laugh.

“If you’ll have us, we really want to have you,” MC repeated, giving you a pleading look. “No more running. No more miscommunications.”

You hesitated. But then you felt Valko’s hand rest on your knee, and MC’s hand on your back, and your face burned.

“If… if you’re serious about it,” you capitulated.

MC beamed at you, and the weight in your chest seemed to lift somewhat.

“We’re sleeping over, then.” She decided.

“Whuh- uh, what?” You spluttered. “Does—?does he even have—?”

The two of them shared a look. You decided you didn’t know if you liked it or disliked it.

“Your bed’s big enough for three.” MC reasoned.

From the moment you met, something about you felt - and smelled - like home.

That feisty little hunter, with a quick wit and sharper tongue, an absolute unit of a woman who made his heart race from the first time you pinned him to the ground. The sweat beading at your brow, your heaving chest panting for air, your sure grip on your weapon - Valko had never felt so attracted to a woman as he had in that moment.

Even once the full moon had passed and the two of you began to see each other again, he tried to chase that very first high. Teasing you on purpose, scenting things of yours, even sleeping on your couch after you gave him permission to come over. Though you got annoyed at him, you didn’t come at him with intent to kill like that very first night. Instead, he found himself chasing another high: your body.

It all began innocently enough - a mission where you were paired together to infiltrate what had been described as a “business meeting”, but was rather a covert gathering of top executives to discuss Protocore experimentation. You had been expected to dress smartly, and so you did, pencil skirt and blazer and all.

From the moment you met up with him and he got a good look at you, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Ears popped out of his hairline, wolfy ears that he had to try very hard to hide again. The way your skirt hugged your hips and stomach and legs, the way your button-up accentuated your figure - if his tail had been visible, it would have been thumping very loudly against the side of his car. It took all he had to keep his gaze respectful.

You were shaped like something divine. You smelled even better. If you were aware of how you affected him, you gave no indication. As you became more comfortable around him, naturally your clothing did too. It wasn’t long until seeing you lounge about in shorts and a tank top was more commonplace than seeing your hunter uniform. Your soft arms that carried such strong muscle, the pudge of your stomach, your comfortable thighs and your full cheeks - your bright grin, your merry laugh, your sassy attitude, your bad jokes, your dimples and stretch marks and everything that called itself you - how wouldn’t he have been so unbelievably eager to be by your side? Your implicit ties were only the baseline for his attraction.

Slowly, he became clingier. He became almost obsessed with scenting you, to the point where your friends commented that you smelled more like cologne and some kind of man-smell than your usual perfume. He left you sweaters of his in the hopes that you’d eventually wear them, rotating them out whenever he noticed that they lost his scent. The day he found you watching TV with one of his old university sweaters, he had to restrain himself hard from flopping atop you and acting like a Snuggie.

And you… well, you were more than aware of his long stares and puppy behaviors. While it was annoying to have people tell you that they could easily tell you had a boyfriend just from smelling you (and, well, having such an obvious smell in general), it felt… comforting in a way. Valko was never shy about affection, even in the tentative period of your budding relationship before he asked you out. Always with a hand between your shoulder blades or on your waist, golden gaze dripping with something fond as it occasionally dipped below your own eyeline.

He was a man, after all, you supposed. You pretended not to notice how his tail would start wagging whenever you took off your jacket or when you sat down and your thighs squished even more. It was kind of cute how your wolfy boyfriend was so entranced by your figure. All your life, you had caught strays from (mostly) well-meaning people about how you really ought to lose some weight so you could attract a nice boy (no thanks) or properly do your job (you easily out-benched quite a few of your colleagues), or even just for your own happiness (you were just fine where you were at, thank you).

To have your own boyfriend be the one to encourage you to eat what you wanted - and even who indulged with you - was comforting. He was the one who spotted you at the gym and encouraged you even when your arms shook from trying to reach a new personal best. He was the one who waited for you with a chipper grin and a bag of your favorite takeout when you were done with work. He was the one who stared at you with open awe when you tried on clothes you’d bought while shopping with your friends.

He made you feel seen. He made you feel like you were more than just you. You looked into his eyes and you didn’t recognize yourself; reflected in those molten sunlight irises was a woman who shone like the sun itself.

—————

Upon coming home from work, Valko announced his presence at the door with a call of, “Babe, I’m here! What d’you want for dinner?”

Upon receiving only silence in return, he frowned, looking around the quiet apartment. “… Babe? Red?”

He walked around the living room, the kitchen, before ending up at your bedroom. Cracking it open as quietly as he could, his eyes softened when he found you curled up contentedly in bed, deep into an after-work nap.

Valko crept closer, shedding his jacket and slipping into the covers beside you.

His hand crept along your cheek, and he smiled when you unconsciously nuzzled into his warm touch.

He lay there like that for a long time, watching you sleep and gently rubbing circles into your back. The sun dipped below the horizon by the time you finally roused from sleep, yawning into your pillow as your eyes opened.

Still sleepy, you looked up and smiled at him. “Oh. Hey, babe. When’d you get here…?”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. It hasn’t been that long anyway.” He nuzzled his cheek into yours. “You hungry?”

Your stomach grumbled in response, and you chuckled before adding, “Yeah, kinda. Wanna get pizza?”

“Pizza sounds awesome.” His tail made a thunking noise as it hit the corner of your bedside table.

Neither of you made a move to get up. Valko’s warmth was making you sleepy again.

“We should… really get some pizza,” you mumbled into his shoulder.

“Maybe,” he quietly agreed, yawning widely as he tucked your head under his chin.

"It's gonna be okay cutie. Just let it out."

Sylus wipes the streaks from your face again and again. You're not sure how long the three of you stand like this. It could be minutes. It could be an hour.

"Come on," Xavier tugs your hand and leads you slowly away from the window.

Caleb is poking the logs in the fireplace and Zayne is already sitting on one of the armchairs, when he opens his arms you immediately settle on his lap.

The others sit down around the flame closeby.

"He always made the best steaks," Xavier says quietly and everyone nods along in agreement.

"He gave awesome cuddles too. You know, when he wasn't trying to use me like a dumbell for his stupid jock exercises," Rafayel adds in, his voice nearly cracking with grief.

"He always came with a plate of treats whenever I was stressed from one of my work cases. He could always sense it from the other side of the house," Zayne says quietly, a small barely there sad smile ghosting his lips.

"I'm gonna miss him and Caleb always play fighting," you sniff softly.

"Yeah... But I always won," Caleb chuckles weakly, picking at the rug as the memory plays fresh in his mind.

"That's because you cheated by using your evol," Sylus says, moving closer on the floor to the chair so he can rest his head on Zayne’s knee.

"I did not," Caleb immediately folds his arms defensively.

"Yes you did," you all chime in making him sigh.

"Fine. I cheated all the time. And he totally let me. That big lovable dummy."

"I'm gonna miss his tail wagging excitedly everytime we got into a cuddle pile," a fresh tear forms but Zayne brushes it off with a thumb before it can make its way down your cheek.

"Or how he'd nuzzle everyone to get his scent all over us."

Zayne fell asleep still holding onto you keeping you tucked into him. It's just you and the very sleep deprived and eternally nocturnal Onychinus leader.

The rest of the night you get to exchange stories about him and laugh at some memories. The night progresses and in the early hours, almost everyone is asleep after Caleb came back with pillows and blankets to form a nest. Him, Rafayel and Xavier whose in

the middle are already out cold.

"Sylus, do you think Valko is in a better place?"

He lets out a long exhale, looking out at the window, the rain having cleared up to reveal a partially cloudy pitch black sky and a shiny round white moon in the distance.

"If heaven was real, then I think he would definitely be there. It's the only place suitable for a wolf like him."

"Yeah... me too."