settle - part 1
Title: Settle
Pairing: Yunho/Yoochun
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Swearing
Genre: Fantasy, romance
A/N: I have no idea what I am doing, posting this. This idea came to me, I wrote an outline, I wrote the first part, and now I am posting it. I've got no idea where this is going, so your comments might determine the outcome of this ficlet. I had loads of fun writing this first part though.
Summary: The first integrated school has opened and Yoochun is a full-time student. This is the story of what could happen to a guy like him in a school mostly full of werewolves and a world enduring a never-ending war.
+dedicated to villainxatxhert +
I think I’m already regretting my decision of applying to this school.
Two werewolves have deemed themselves Alphas of the Hallway, and have successfully trampled over four shifters from one end of the hall to the other. Five of the human female cheerleaders have begun stalking said-werewolves, and the trampled shifters have huddled together beside the water fountain, whining because of the scratches and bruises forming on their skin. I think I can see a retaliation plan forming in their eyes. Wasted effort though. This was werewolf territory. Those wolves can probably get away with anything in this school.
I should add that to my list of reasons why I regret applying to said-school in the first place. I continue to observe hesitantly from behind my locker door as yet another shifter, in the form of a white rabbit, got their tail stepped on by the menacing teen-wolf-person. I don’t know what to call them other than werewolves, but these two were definitely teen-wolf-people. They had the attitude of a boy teenager, the looks of a predator, and the body of a young male human. Bullies in the form of claws and fangs. I can’t help but shiver at the thought of crossing their path, so I hide my head inside my locker, pretend I’m looking for some paper, and wait until the two pass by with their personal human fanclub skipping behind them. When the group turned a corner, I sighed in relief and shut my locker door.
“Yoochunnie!”
I instantly slam my body back into my locker and grit my teeth to keep from screaming in surprise, but mostly in fear. After desperately calming by racing heart, I turn around and glare at my best friend, practically snarling, “What the fuck Jae?”
The blonde in front of me smirked. “Aw, you’re always so tense Yoochun. Lighten up will you? It’s only the first day of school.”
“Correction,” I say. “It is the first day of hell. Have you taken a good look around lately? I think the environment is definitely hell on earth. What do you think?”
“I think its going to be fun,” Jaejoong replies, the smirk never leaving his face. “Humans, shapeshifters, and werewolves all receiving education under one roof? I think someone upstairs has a great sense of humor.”
“Haha,” I snort, finding his answer not amusing. I can still feel the fury from his earlier action pooling in my gut. He is so not getting away with it. Hell, he’s not getting away with anything this year. I still have to get him back for pouring red punch over some men’s underwear, taking a picture of it and posting it on my Facebook page with the description: Yoochun has heavy periods! The guy even went so far as to hack into my account and change the password, so I couldn’t delete the picture from my Wall and save myself from some serious embarrassment. I still have yet to save myself, and all that happened a year ago. Apparently, that picture is still posted and is being used as my profile picture. Totally sucks.
Why do I continue to keep this human as my best friend? The answer escapes me all the time.
“So,” says Jaejoong as we begin to walk down the hallway. “Since we have the same homeroom, do you want to bet on how long it will take a werewolf to rip some poor creature’s throat out? I give it two days.”
“I give it two months. The wolves know the reason behind the creation of this school. Their so high on honor that they wouldn’t dare shame it or themselves.”
I hear Jaejoong scoff and I can’t help but do it too. Werewolves are the most stuck-up creatures on the planet. They are all about “fighting for the pack” and “obeying the Alpha.” They have their own laws, rules, and history they follow. Anyone else’s world means nothing to them unless they believe they are being threatened by it. They live in such a way that no other creature could live it. What the hell is that suppose to mean anyway? All the wolves I’ve encountered are cold, disrespectful, downright dicks; they only care about themselves and how loud they can bark.
I feel Jaejoong lean closer to me and whisper in my ear, “They’re just big puppies, afraid of upsetting Papa Bear.” I laugh at that before Jaejoong pulls back and his voice returns to a normal tone. “That’s why I can only see them lasting, at maximum, a week. Someone is bound to step into their personal boundaries and piss them off. I’m just curious if it will be a dumb blonde or a cute kitty.”
“If I had to bet, I would pick the blonde.”
The two of us laugh loudly. I didn’t realize we were already at our classroom door until Jaejoong was gripping the handle and staring at me, mischievous eyes gleaming. “Let the fun begin,” he coos. I roll my eyes as he opens the door. I follow Jaejoong inside and can’t help but survey the room. I think my heart is racing again because suddenly I’m nervous and standing a little closer to Jaejoong than I was when we were walking in the hallway. He must have realized that since he is practically shepparding me away from the door. I glance at his face, his playful smirk doing nothing to quell my nerves, then back at the classroom before us.
Most of the seats were filled with a creature of some sort. I sensed seven shifters seated mostly in the front of the classroom. Behind them were probably, ten to twelve humans, and, huddled way back in the corner of the room, sat four werewolves with glowing eyes each a different color. Instantly, I felt my heart speed up and fear shoot through my veins. Everyone’s eyes were trained on Jaejoong and I, including the wolves. As I glance nervously from face to face, I look lastly upon the werewolf seated in between the three other wolves, almost as if the three were his entourage or guard squad.
This one’s eyes were gold. He had well-tanned skin, a handsome face and dark hair. I’m staring at him, I know, but I can’t help it. He must’ve realized this too because his golden eyes narrowed and I saw his lip curl upwards, revealing a long, sharp, pointed fang.
I think my blood ran cold and my body froze. My heart is the only thing functioning at the moment, and its beating so fast I’m shocked it hasn’t exploded yet. I barely hear Jaejoong call my name, but barely is enough and I quickly look away from the werewolf in the back of the room and follow Jaejoong to the two empty seats beside the window. I drop my books onto my desk and fall into my seat, staring at something on Jaejoong’s plaid shirt instead of looking behind me and at those golden eyes. My heart is racing.
Holy shit.
“Yoochun, what the hell?” I hear Jaejoong say as he turns around in his seat. He must be glaring at me nervously because his voice is slightly shaky, and his voice gets shaky only when he is nervous. Lots of people must be looking at him right now. Or maybe they are looking at me. I don’t know. I can’t really care.
Something familiar and powerful begins to flare inside my gut. I can feel heat begin to gather underneath every inch of my pale skin. My eyes are growing heavy. I think I’m going to sneeze.
Fuck, I think I’m going to shift.
This cannot be happening. Shit, shit, fuck, this cannot be happening. Not on my first day at an integrated school, not in the presence of people I do not know, and most definitely not in front of those golden eyes I can practically feel burning into my back.
The flaring in my gut began to swirl and gather. My left ear is now burning. I squeeze my eyes shut and slam my head into my arms crossed upon my desk, desperately trying to calm the chaos going on inside me.
I hear voices all around me, and a familiar hand on the back of my neck. Jaejoong. The blonde must have figured out what was happening. Relief floods through the burning underneath my skin, and I begin to focus all my energy onto the cool hand resting upon my neck. My heart slows, and the burning begins to ebb away. The swirling flares disappear, and my ear starts to throb.
That is when I sneeze.
Fuck.
“Ew, gross Yoochun!” Jaejoong exclaims above me. “A little warning next time.”
I lift my head the moment his hand left my skin. “Sorry,” I murmur, taking the tissue he offered and wiping my nose with it. I stuff the now-used tissue into my pocket, ignoring the whispers now shooting throughout the classroom, and shudder. Now I feel icky.
“Feel like shit?” Jaejoong asks me. I nod and rub my left ear hidden underneath my bandana. At that moment, the bell rang and our teacher walked into the classroom. Jaejoong smiled at me before turning back around in his seat. I saw the concern in my eyes. I felt touched.
Surprisingly, as class began and continued, I cared little for what everyone already thought of me. My head was beginning to ache and my ear still throbbed. Once again, I regret ever signing up for a school like this.
I figure I’m stuck now, and there isn’t much I could do to change that. I’ll have to suffer through each day with Jaejoong for company. Oh, the horrors!
I didn’t realize class ended until Jaejoong pulled me up from my seat. I wince as my headache increased with the sudden height change.
“Do you need to see the nurse?” he asks me.
“No,” I say without shaking my head. “How much longer until today is over?”
“Five hours.”
“Fuck,” I groan. “That is so not cool.”
I hear Jaejoong chuckle and I wonder how my “being in pain” is amusing. Wondering causes my headache to throb harder though, so I decide to quit wondering and let Jaejoong lead me to my next class. That’s where he leaves me too, after making sure I was okay. I most definitely did not feel okay, but I told him the opposite and he left, promising me a tasty meal once school was over.
At least I had something to look forward to at the end of the day.
I had no idea what happened during my second class, but by fourth period my headache was a dull thud and my ear felt fine. The “icky” feeling was gone and I was back to being nervous and lonely. Jaejoong was in none of my classes except for homeroom. That fact made my day even worse, but I push the thought away and replace it in favor of…well, nothing. God, this school sucks.
I barely jump out of the way of the Hallway Alphas as they trampled onwards toward the cafeteria. I glare at them until they disappear amongst the sea of students, their fanclub right on their heels.
I feel an arm settle across my shoulders. “Feeling better?” Jaejoong asks me.
“Yeah,” I say. “Sorry about this morning. I wasn’t planning on shifting before class even started. It caught me off guard.”
“You were a nervous wreck. I’m surprised you didn’t shift into a bunny and scamper off into some hole.”
I shrug off his arm and pinch his side. “Screw you.”
“Don’t make an offer unless you back it up.”
I pinch his side again before stepping into the lunch line. Jaejoong chuckled behind me. “You’re so cute, Yoochunnie. So easy to pick on.”
I scoff despite knowing the latter is true. “I thought I told you to stop calling me that. It depletes the value of my manliness.”
“Your Facebook page depletes the value of your manliness, Yoochunnie.”
“And your hair depletes the value of yours.”
Jaejoong gasps and punches my shoulder. “That is not true!”
I smirk, choosing to not look at the shocked expression I’m positive is on his face. Jaejoong’s hair is everything to him, so if you want to insult him, insult his hair. He’ll be paranoid for the rest of the day. “What are you eating today?” I ask him, knowing the question would annoy him further. “Dry oats or grass?”
“Screw you Yoochun.”
“Don’t make an offer unless you can back it up!”
I feel another punch to my shoulder. This one was much harder as was the laugh that escaped my throat. I continue to annoy him more as we gather and pay for our lunches - Jaejoong bought two hamburgers and an extra side of mashed potatoes as if to prove some point - and made our way outside. Too many bodies in one area disturbed Jaejoong and I. We prefer much cleaner air.
There was this issue though: the door leading outside was in the back of the cafeteria. We had to walk by the tables in the back which were all full of werewolves.
And most of them were glaring at us.
I glance at Jaejoong to see his reaction and was scared to see my best friend glaring right back at the wolves. I shudder at the intensity they were giving off, and suddenly my heart was beating a lot faster than usual.
Shit, we’ve got to get away from them.
Jaejoong shared the same idea because he suddenly grabbed my arm and dragged me around each table. Eventually, we were outside where we both took in large gulps of air and walked shakily up the first staircase we spotted, letting it lead us to a place where we could eat.
We found a small sub-roof. The moment we sat down, Jaejoong began to rant. “What ass holes,” he snarled as he ripped one of his hamburgers from the aluminum foil packaging and took a vicious, meaty bite. “Who do they think they are? Fucking kings? They look at everyone as if they’re scum and roam the halls as if they own them.”
“Technically,” I can’t help but interrupt. “They do.”
Jaejoong scowled in my direction. “Their daddies do, Yoochun. They’re just the rich princes who get to experience the spoiled life to an educational extent.”
“Jae, they have reasons to be uptight dicks.”
“Yeah,” Jaejoong huffs. “The War.”
I open my bag of barbecue chips and plop a few into my mouth, chewing slowly. The War. The only recorded war in history is the war my generation is experiencing. It is the only recorded war since the first written Bible was published. It is the only war between the creatures of the night that has lasted for centuries.
But now other creatures have been brought into their mess. Innocent creatures have been killed in both werewolf and vampryes’ stead. Everything is chaos nowadays. I can’t help but feel angry for my kind to be brought into it all. I know Jaejoong feels the same way.
Damn war.
I chew on more chips, savoring the taste of barbecue in my mouth. Delicious. “Want one?” I offer Jaejoong. The blonde shook his head and took another bite of his hamburger. I ate more chips.
“Why make a school like this in the first place…” I hear Jaejoong murmur in between mouthfuls of meat and bread. “Hell, why did I even sign up?”
“How funny, I’ve been asking myself that question all day,” I tell my friend. He looks at me with this helpless, lost look, but I merely shrug and continue eating my chips and enjoying the taste. Soon, the talk about werewolves left us and we were once again teasing each other about stupid stuff. I could never tire of this kind of talk though, it’s the best part of my day and I always have something new to tease Jaejoong about.
“We’ll go out for some ramen after school gets out,” Jaejoong promises again. “Meet me at my car, okay?”
I nod. We then gather our trash and head back downstairs. The cafeteria is busy with everyone getting ready to leave for sixth period. I spotted a couple of familiar faces amongst the crowd, one of them being Kyuhyun, Jaejoong’s younger brother and also my younger brother’s best friend. How weird - fated, Jaejoong would say - is that.
I part ways with Jaejoong eventually. I had P.E next. Definitely not one of my favorite classes, but not one of my hated classes either. I don’t mind working out, but I am a naturally lazy person. Effort barely exists in my vocabulary. It doesn’t exist in Jaejoong’s at all.
The boy’s lockerroom isn’t segregated, not really surprising considering this is a integrated school. I walk inside, hoping to find my fellow male classmates there but discover they aren‘t. I hear the bell ring and I’m suddenly nervous again. I rush out of the lockerroom, heading for the gym. Please don’t let me be late -
“Park, you’re late! You can stay after class and clean up.”
Yeah, of course I would get stuck with the worst P.E coach ever created. A human male with a mind still stuck in the year 1970. He dressed like he was still part of that era.
Just great. I walk over to the group of students standing before the coach, bow my head to the man and apologize. He ignores me and begins to explain the rules and objectives of the class.
I’m too busy trying to quell my nerves to listen to what the coach is talking about. I reach up and scratch the skin underneath my left ear. That helped a little. I sigh before taking a look at my classmates, those who will have to suffer alongside me for an entire year. I probably looked at two faces before my eyes landed on him.
Heat began to burn underneath every layer of my skin. He was looking right at me, the golden-eyed werewolf from my homeroom class. He was standing far from the rest of the group, but his eyes were trained solely on me. I began to shake and quiver. This guy’s stare was terrifying me and I can’t understand why. Why do I suddenly feel like I’m going to shift again?
Son of a -
My ear began to burn and I reach up and place my hand over the thin layer of cloth covering it. I’m still looking at this guy, this werewolf person. His golden eyes were still staring at me though now they were narrowed and calculating. I felt the familiar twist and swirl of fire in my gut, and I knew I was in trouble. Shit, shit, shit, I need to get out of here. Now!
“Park, are you paying attention?”
I think I heard the coach but I can’t understand much at this point. I think I mumble out an excuse before turning and stumbling away from my classmates. I hear someone say something, but I don’t register who or what. All I know is that I am going to shift in less than ten seconds and I need to be alone. My skin is burning, my ear is throbbing, that stupid headache is back, and my heart feels like it is about to explode.
I stumble back into the boy’s lockerroom with barely a second to spare. I feel my entire body burn with energy, and suddenly, I feel very small. I’m also laying on my stomach. I open my eyes and peer around.
Dammit, I recognize this height. I must’ve shifted into a squirrel or something. I look down at my hands - scratch that - claws and correct my previous assessment. I am a raccoon.
Not like that is much better.
I’m stuck in the boy’s lockerroom of the only integrated school in the world. And I am a raccoon.
I am so putting this on fmylife.com tonight.
The situation now though did not go in my favor. What the hell am I suppose to do? Does the school’s management have some written guidance facts or rules I’m suppose to follow if this were to happen? Because this sure as hell happened and I am clueless as to what I am to do now. I could be in this form for hours, possibly the rest of the day.
As I’m mentally freaking out, I hear the door to the lockerroom open.
Fuck.
Heavy footsteps echo off the floor. The sound tingles my newly formed ears and I shiver. What should I do? Should I hide? What would Jaejoong do?
I quickly scamper across the floor and hide.
Not long after I found my hiding spot, I smell something alive standing right in front of the barrier keeping me from being spotted. The scent tingled my nose the same way the sounds tingled my ears. It puzzled me, but I sorted the scent out to two smells: earth and honey.
It actually smelt really good.
“I know your there,” says an unfamiliar voice. “You can come out now.”
I scoff silently. Why the hell would I do that?
“Coach sent me here to get you. He could tell that you were about to shift, so don’t worry, you won’t get into any trouble.”
Well that’s good news. I’m still not coming out.
“…if you don’t show yourself within five seconds, I will personally drag you to the nurse’s office with my own claws.”
Holy shit, this guy is serious. I hear him begin to count.
“Five.”
What the - that wasn’t five seconds! Fear shot through me. To avoid getting caught, I crawl out from my hiding place and scamper away from whoever I just left behind. Running on four legs was not a foreign experience to me, but I haven’t shifted in awhile so, as of right now, I’m on shaky legs. This tiled floor wasn’t helping much. Where is the damn door anyway?
I let out a loud squeak the moment I felt something grip my tail and lift me into the air. I immediately tried twisting away but whoever held me had a strong grip. Infuriated, I turned to glare at my captor only to be met with a pair of familiar golden eyes.
Fuck.
Golden eyes, handsome face, tan skin, dark hair. It all screamed - werewolf!
How many times have I said “fuck” today, because seriously, fuck. What.The.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
If Jaejoong could see me now, he would be laughing his ass off.
Pairing: Yunho/Yoochun
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Swearing
Genre: Fantasy, romance
A/N: I have no idea what I am doing, posting this. This idea came to me, I wrote an outline, I wrote the first part, and now I am posting it. I've got no idea where this is going, so your comments might determine the outcome of this ficlet. I had loads of fun writing this first part though.
Summary: The first integrated school has opened and Yoochun is a full-time student. This is the story of what could happen to a guy like him in a school mostly full of werewolves and a world enduring a never-ending war.
+dedicated to villainxatxhert +
I think I’m already regretting my decision of applying to this school.
Two werewolves have deemed themselves Alphas of the Hallway, and have successfully trampled over four shifters from one end of the hall to the other. Five of the human female cheerleaders have begun stalking said-werewolves, and the trampled shifters have huddled together beside the water fountain, whining because of the scratches and bruises forming on their skin. I think I can see a retaliation plan forming in their eyes. Wasted effort though. This was werewolf territory. Those wolves can probably get away with anything in this school.
I should add that to my list of reasons why I regret applying to said-school in the first place. I continue to observe hesitantly from behind my locker door as yet another shifter, in the form of a white rabbit, got their tail stepped on by the menacing teen-wolf-person. I don’t know what to call them other than werewolves, but these two were definitely teen-wolf-people. They had the attitude of a boy teenager, the looks of a predator, and the body of a young male human. Bullies in the form of claws and fangs. I can’t help but shiver at the thought of crossing their path, so I hide my head inside my locker, pretend I’m looking for some paper, and wait until the two pass by with their personal human fanclub skipping behind them. When the group turned a corner, I sighed in relief and shut my locker door.
“Yoochunnie!”
I instantly slam my body back into my locker and grit my teeth to keep from screaming in surprise, but mostly in fear. After desperately calming by racing heart, I turn around and glare at my best friend, practically snarling, “What the fuck Jae?”
The blonde in front of me smirked. “Aw, you’re always so tense Yoochun. Lighten up will you? It’s only the first day of school.”
“Correction,” I say. “It is the first day of hell. Have you taken a good look around lately? I think the environment is definitely hell on earth. What do you think?”
“I think its going to be fun,” Jaejoong replies, the smirk never leaving his face. “Humans, shapeshifters, and werewolves all receiving education under one roof? I think someone upstairs has a great sense of humor.”
“Haha,” I snort, finding his answer not amusing. I can still feel the fury from his earlier action pooling in my gut. He is so not getting away with it. Hell, he’s not getting away with anything this year. I still have to get him back for pouring red punch over some men’s underwear, taking a picture of it and posting it on my Facebook page with the description: Yoochun has heavy periods! The guy even went so far as to hack into my account and change the password, so I couldn’t delete the picture from my Wall and save myself from some serious embarrassment. I still have yet to save myself, and all that happened a year ago. Apparently, that picture is still posted and is being used as my profile picture. Totally sucks.
Why do I continue to keep this human as my best friend? The answer escapes me all the time.
“So,” says Jaejoong as we begin to walk down the hallway. “Since we have the same homeroom, do you want to bet on how long it will take a werewolf to rip some poor creature’s throat out? I give it two days.”
“I give it two months. The wolves know the reason behind the creation of this school. Their so high on honor that they wouldn’t dare shame it or themselves.”
I hear Jaejoong scoff and I can’t help but do it too. Werewolves are the most stuck-up creatures on the planet. They are all about “fighting for the pack” and “obeying the Alpha.” They have their own laws, rules, and history they follow. Anyone else’s world means nothing to them unless they believe they are being threatened by it. They live in such a way that no other creature could live it. What the hell is that suppose to mean anyway? All the wolves I’ve encountered are cold, disrespectful, downright dicks; they only care about themselves and how loud they can bark.
I feel Jaejoong lean closer to me and whisper in my ear, “They’re just big puppies, afraid of upsetting Papa Bear.” I laugh at that before Jaejoong pulls back and his voice returns to a normal tone. “That’s why I can only see them lasting, at maximum, a week. Someone is bound to step into their personal boundaries and piss them off. I’m just curious if it will be a dumb blonde or a cute kitty.”
“If I had to bet, I would pick the blonde.”
The two of us laugh loudly. I didn’t realize we were already at our classroom door until Jaejoong was gripping the handle and staring at me, mischievous eyes gleaming. “Let the fun begin,” he coos. I roll my eyes as he opens the door. I follow Jaejoong inside and can’t help but survey the room. I think my heart is racing again because suddenly I’m nervous and standing a little closer to Jaejoong than I was when we were walking in the hallway. He must have realized that since he is practically shepparding me away from the door. I glance at his face, his playful smirk doing nothing to quell my nerves, then back at the classroom before us.
Most of the seats were filled with a creature of some sort. I sensed seven shifters seated mostly in the front of the classroom. Behind them were probably, ten to twelve humans, and, huddled way back in the corner of the room, sat four werewolves with glowing eyes each a different color. Instantly, I felt my heart speed up and fear shoot through my veins. Everyone’s eyes were trained on Jaejoong and I, including the wolves. As I glance nervously from face to face, I look lastly upon the werewolf seated in between the three other wolves, almost as if the three were his entourage or guard squad.
This one’s eyes were gold. He had well-tanned skin, a handsome face and dark hair. I’m staring at him, I know, but I can’t help it. He must’ve realized this too because his golden eyes narrowed and I saw his lip curl upwards, revealing a long, sharp, pointed fang.
I think my blood ran cold and my body froze. My heart is the only thing functioning at the moment, and its beating so fast I’m shocked it hasn’t exploded yet. I barely hear Jaejoong call my name, but barely is enough and I quickly look away from the werewolf in the back of the room and follow Jaejoong to the two empty seats beside the window. I drop my books onto my desk and fall into my seat, staring at something on Jaejoong’s plaid shirt instead of looking behind me and at those golden eyes. My heart is racing.
Holy shit.
“Yoochun, what the hell?” I hear Jaejoong say as he turns around in his seat. He must be glaring at me nervously because his voice is slightly shaky, and his voice gets shaky only when he is nervous. Lots of people must be looking at him right now. Or maybe they are looking at me. I don’t know. I can’t really care.
Something familiar and powerful begins to flare inside my gut. I can feel heat begin to gather underneath every inch of my pale skin. My eyes are growing heavy. I think I’m going to sneeze.
Fuck, I think I’m going to shift.
This cannot be happening. Shit, shit, fuck, this cannot be happening. Not on my first day at an integrated school, not in the presence of people I do not know, and most definitely not in front of those golden eyes I can practically feel burning into my back.
The flaring in my gut began to swirl and gather. My left ear is now burning. I squeeze my eyes shut and slam my head into my arms crossed upon my desk, desperately trying to calm the chaos going on inside me.
I hear voices all around me, and a familiar hand on the back of my neck. Jaejoong. The blonde must have figured out what was happening. Relief floods through the burning underneath my skin, and I begin to focus all my energy onto the cool hand resting upon my neck. My heart slows, and the burning begins to ebb away. The swirling flares disappear, and my ear starts to throb.
That is when I sneeze.
Fuck.
“Ew, gross Yoochun!” Jaejoong exclaims above me. “A little warning next time.”
I lift my head the moment his hand left my skin. “Sorry,” I murmur, taking the tissue he offered and wiping my nose with it. I stuff the now-used tissue into my pocket, ignoring the whispers now shooting throughout the classroom, and shudder. Now I feel icky.
“Feel like shit?” Jaejoong asks me. I nod and rub my left ear hidden underneath my bandana. At that moment, the bell rang and our teacher walked into the classroom. Jaejoong smiled at me before turning back around in his seat. I saw the concern in my eyes. I felt touched.
Surprisingly, as class began and continued, I cared little for what everyone already thought of me. My head was beginning to ache and my ear still throbbed. Once again, I regret ever signing up for a school like this.
I figure I’m stuck now, and there isn’t much I could do to change that. I’ll have to suffer through each day with Jaejoong for company. Oh, the horrors!
I didn’t realize class ended until Jaejoong pulled me up from my seat. I wince as my headache increased with the sudden height change.
“Do you need to see the nurse?” he asks me.
“No,” I say without shaking my head. “How much longer until today is over?”
“Five hours.”
“Fuck,” I groan. “That is so not cool.”
I hear Jaejoong chuckle and I wonder how my “being in pain” is amusing. Wondering causes my headache to throb harder though, so I decide to quit wondering and let Jaejoong lead me to my next class. That’s where he leaves me too, after making sure I was okay. I most definitely did not feel okay, but I told him the opposite and he left, promising me a tasty meal once school was over.
At least I had something to look forward to at the end of the day.
I had no idea what happened during my second class, but by fourth period my headache was a dull thud and my ear felt fine. The “icky” feeling was gone and I was back to being nervous and lonely. Jaejoong was in none of my classes except for homeroom. That fact made my day even worse, but I push the thought away and replace it in favor of…well, nothing. God, this school sucks.
I barely jump out of the way of the Hallway Alphas as they trampled onwards toward the cafeteria. I glare at them until they disappear amongst the sea of students, their fanclub right on their heels.
I feel an arm settle across my shoulders. “Feeling better?” Jaejoong asks me.
“Yeah,” I say. “Sorry about this morning. I wasn’t planning on shifting before class even started. It caught me off guard.”
“You were a nervous wreck. I’m surprised you didn’t shift into a bunny and scamper off into some hole.”
I shrug off his arm and pinch his side. “Screw you.”
“Don’t make an offer unless you back it up.”
I pinch his side again before stepping into the lunch line. Jaejoong chuckled behind me. “You’re so cute, Yoochunnie. So easy to pick on.”
I scoff despite knowing the latter is true. “I thought I told you to stop calling me that. It depletes the value of my manliness.”
“Your Facebook page depletes the value of your manliness, Yoochunnie.”
“And your hair depletes the value of yours.”
Jaejoong gasps and punches my shoulder. “That is not true!”
I smirk, choosing to not look at the shocked expression I’m positive is on his face. Jaejoong’s hair is everything to him, so if you want to insult him, insult his hair. He’ll be paranoid for the rest of the day. “What are you eating today?” I ask him, knowing the question would annoy him further. “Dry oats or grass?”
“Screw you Yoochun.”
“Don’t make an offer unless you can back it up!”
I feel another punch to my shoulder. This one was much harder as was the laugh that escaped my throat. I continue to annoy him more as we gather and pay for our lunches - Jaejoong bought two hamburgers and an extra side of mashed potatoes as if to prove some point - and made our way outside. Too many bodies in one area disturbed Jaejoong and I. We prefer much cleaner air.
There was this issue though: the door leading outside was in the back of the cafeteria. We had to walk by the tables in the back which were all full of werewolves.
And most of them were glaring at us.
I glance at Jaejoong to see his reaction and was scared to see my best friend glaring right back at the wolves. I shudder at the intensity they were giving off, and suddenly my heart was beating a lot faster than usual.
Shit, we’ve got to get away from them.
Jaejoong shared the same idea because he suddenly grabbed my arm and dragged me around each table. Eventually, we were outside where we both took in large gulps of air and walked shakily up the first staircase we spotted, letting it lead us to a place where we could eat.
We found a small sub-roof. The moment we sat down, Jaejoong began to rant. “What ass holes,” he snarled as he ripped one of his hamburgers from the aluminum foil packaging and took a vicious, meaty bite. “Who do they think they are? Fucking kings? They look at everyone as if they’re scum and roam the halls as if they own them.”
“Technically,” I can’t help but interrupt. “They do.”
Jaejoong scowled in my direction. “Their daddies do, Yoochun. They’re just the rich princes who get to experience the spoiled life to an educational extent.”
“Jae, they have reasons to be uptight dicks.”
“Yeah,” Jaejoong huffs. “The War.”
I open my bag of barbecue chips and plop a few into my mouth, chewing slowly. The War. The only recorded war in history is the war my generation is experiencing. It is the only recorded war since the first written Bible was published. It is the only war between the creatures of the night that has lasted for centuries.
But now other creatures have been brought into their mess. Innocent creatures have been killed in both werewolf and vampryes’ stead. Everything is chaos nowadays. I can’t help but feel angry for my kind to be brought into it all. I know Jaejoong feels the same way.
Damn war.
I chew on more chips, savoring the taste of barbecue in my mouth. Delicious. “Want one?” I offer Jaejoong. The blonde shook his head and took another bite of his hamburger. I ate more chips.
“Why make a school like this in the first place…” I hear Jaejoong murmur in between mouthfuls of meat and bread. “Hell, why did I even sign up?”
“How funny, I’ve been asking myself that question all day,” I tell my friend. He looks at me with this helpless, lost look, but I merely shrug and continue eating my chips and enjoying the taste. Soon, the talk about werewolves left us and we were once again teasing each other about stupid stuff. I could never tire of this kind of talk though, it’s the best part of my day and I always have something new to tease Jaejoong about.
“We’ll go out for some ramen after school gets out,” Jaejoong promises again. “Meet me at my car, okay?”
I nod. We then gather our trash and head back downstairs. The cafeteria is busy with everyone getting ready to leave for sixth period. I spotted a couple of familiar faces amongst the crowd, one of them being Kyuhyun, Jaejoong’s younger brother and also my younger brother’s best friend. How weird - fated, Jaejoong would say - is that.
I part ways with Jaejoong eventually. I had P.E next. Definitely not one of my favorite classes, but not one of my hated classes either. I don’t mind working out, but I am a naturally lazy person. Effort barely exists in my vocabulary. It doesn’t exist in Jaejoong’s at all.
The boy’s lockerroom isn’t segregated, not really surprising considering this is a integrated school. I walk inside, hoping to find my fellow male classmates there but discover they aren‘t. I hear the bell ring and I’m suddenly nervous again. I rush out of the lockerroom, heading for the gym. Please don’t let me be late -
“Park, you’re late! You can stay after class and clean up.”
Yeah, of course I would get stuck with the worst P.E coach ever created. A human male with a mind still stuck in the year 1970. He dressed like he was still part of that era.
Just great. I walk over to the group of students standing before the coach, bow my head to the man and apologize. He ignores me and begins to explain the rules and objectives of the class.
I’m too busy trying to quell my nerves to listen to what the coach is talking about. I reach up and scratch the skin underneath my left ear. That helped a little. I sigh before taking a look at my classmates, those who will have to suffer alongside me for an entire year. I probably looked at two faces before my eyes landed on him.
Heat began to burn underneath every layer of my skin. He was looking right at me, the golden-eyed werewolf from my homeroom class. He was standing far from the rest of the group, but his eyes were trained solely on me. I began to shake and quiver. This guy’s stare was terrifying me and I can’t understand why. Why do I suddenly feel like I’m going to shift again?
Son of a -
My ear began to burn and I reach up and place my hand over the thin layer of cloth covering it. I’m still looking at this guy, this werewolf person. His golden eyes were still staring at me though now they were narrowed and calculating. I felt the familiar twist and swirl of fire in my gut, and I knew I was in trouble. Shit, shit, shit, I need to get out of here. Now!
“Park, are you paying attention?”
I think I heard the coach but I can’t understand much at this point. I think I mumble out an excuse before turning and stumbling away from my classmates. I hear someone say something, but I don’t register who or what. All I know is that I am going to shift in less than ten seconds and I need to be alone. My skin is burning, my ear is throbbing, that stupid headache is back, and my heart feels like it is about to explode.
I stumble back into the boy’s lockerroom with barely a second to spare. I feel my entire body burn with energy, and suddenly, I feel very small. I’m also laying on my stomach. I open my eyes and peer around.
Dammit, I recognize this height. I must’ve shifted into a squirrel or something. I look down at my hands - scratch that - claws and correct my previous assessment. I am a raccoon.
Not like that is much better.
I’m stuck in the boy’s lockerroom of the only integrated school in the world. And I am a raccoon.
I am so putting this on fmylife.com tonight.
The situation now though did not go in my favor. What the hell am I suppose to do? Does the school’s management have some written guidance facts or rules I’m suppose to follow if this were to happen? Because this sure as hell happened and I am clueless as to what I am to do now. I could be in this form for hours, possibly the rest of the day.
As I’m mentally freaking out, I hear the door to the lockerroom open.
Fuck.
Heavy footsteps echo off the floor. The sound tingles my newly formed ears and I shiver. What should I do? Should I hide? What would Jaejoong do?
I quickly scamper across the floor and hide.
Not long after I found my hiding spot, I smell something alive standing right in front of the barrier keeping me from being spotted. The scent tingled my nose the same way the sounds tingled my ears. It puzzled me, but I sorted the scent out to two smells: earth and honey.
It actually smelt really good.
“I know your there,” says an unfamiliar voice. “You can come out now.”
I scoff silently. Why the hell would I do that?
“Coach sent me here to get you. He could tell that you were about to shift, so don’t worry, you won’t get into any trouble.”
Well that’s good news. I’m still not coming out.
“…if you don’t show yourself within five seconds, I will personally drag you to the nurse’s office with my own claws.”
Holy shit, this guy is serious. I hear him begin to count.
“Five.”
What the - that wasn’t five seconds! Fear shot through me. To avoid getting caught, I crawl out from my hiding place and scamper away from whoever I just left behind. Running on four legs was not a foreign experience to me, but I haven’t shifted in awhile so, as of right now, I’m on shaky legs. This tiled floor wasn’t helping much. Where is the damn door anyway?
I let out a loud squeak the moment I felt something grip my tail and lift me into the air. I immediately tried twisting away but whoever held me had a strong grip. Infuriated, I turned to glare at my captor only to be met with a pair of familiar golden eyes.
Fuck.
Golden eyes, handsome face, tan skin, dark hair. It all screamed - werewolf!
How many times have I said “fuck” today, because seriously, fuck. What.The.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
If Jaejoong could see me now, he would be laughing his ass off.