+ Jimseungdol (1/2) [2PM]

[morago]

Title: Jimseungdol
Rating: R (brief gore & sexual situations)
Pairing: Taecyeon/Wooyoung
Word Count: 13,080 words
Notes: Thanks to Kit and Diana and Bek for listening to me complain and offering their support, to my eternal love Michelle for betaing, and to every one of them for their patience-since I actually wrote this for onedaybb and was supposed to post it two months ago. Uh. Yeah. (Also this was written and set when Minjun was still Junsu, so I chose to leave it that way just this one last time.)
Summary: He's been through worse as a simple human. Human. Fully human. Which he's not anymore. Because he's (probably) a werewolf.

+

Taec is almost back at the villa when it happens. He's read about this; he knows that a proportional percentage of accidents occur when the driver is close to home, knows it’s because they tend to let down their guard, but since he's on a bicycle and the article mentioned nothing about giant, furry, terrifying creatures of the night with sharp fangs and glowing red eyes, he'd honestly thought he was safe.

How wrong he was.

He doesn't even see it coming. One second he's stopped at a corner two blocks from his lonely, loyal bed, responding to a drunken and very damning text from Seulong, and the next his hip feels like it's been caught in a mincer and he's being yanked off his bike. It crashes out from underneath him and he nearly gets pinned under it but his attacker pulls again and it's the most acute agony he's ever experienced, sharp and deep and overwhelming, radiating outwards from his hip all throughout his body.

Pain. There's only pain. The scenery is rushing by as he's dragged down an alleyway, across concrete and broken glass, further and further into the dark, and suddenly Taec realises-he might die tonight.

From a dog attack.

He'll be the lamest idol in history.

Reflexes kicking in way too late, he flails his arms out for something, anything, to defend himself with, but there's nothing, just dead space, and all he achieves are more scrapes to his hands and arms. But then, suddenly, there's something solid, and he wraps his right arm around it, holding on for dear life. The sudden stop in motion makes the creature jolt and pitch forwards and fucking hell, he'd thought it hurt before but now he can make out the individual teeth puncturing his flesh, can feel how the grip of the creature's jaw has briefly loosened, can feel its’ tongue. He grits his teeth, forcing back the bile and accompanying wave of dizziness, and only gets a brief look into its eyes (blood red and glittering with a strange sort of… intelligence?) before his hand darts out and he digs his fingers into the creature's eye sockets, curling in, feeling eyeball squelching under his fingernails. The creature howls, immediately letting go of Taec and backing up, shaking its head from side to side, before it slips further into the shadows and all Taec can hear is the receding sounds of little pained whimpers and clacking claws on concrete, until he can't hear anything at all.

+

He has no idea how he gets back to the villa.

Honestly, all he can really process is pain and blood. He must have staggered back to his bike because it's helping to keep him upright when he gets home and he obviously remembered to grab his phone because he's clutching it like a lifeline but he doesn't realise that until he's back, until he has no use for it anymore. He makes it inside as quietly as possible while he's bleeding and limping and trying to hold on a chunk of his own flesh and makes it all the way to the bathroom before he allows himself to rest, flicking down the lid of the toilet and collapsing onto it. The position sends more pain lancing up his side but he just curls his fingers around the bottom of the toilet seat and waits for it to pass, because his legs won't hold up any longer and this is his only choice.

Once the majority of the nausea passes he finally looks down, shaky hands prising the shreds of his favourite Superman t-shirt out of the wound. Each puncture is oozing blood, rivers of red sliding down into the waistband of his jeans every time he moves, and he lets out a grunt as his finger accidentally catches on a flap of skin.

"Fuck," he breathes slowly. What does he even do now? Where does he go from here? He should probably go to the hospital, get stitches and a rabies shot or something, but since he's just had a whole stint in hospital for his arm he's reluctant to go back. It might not even be that deep, maybe it's not even that bad. Taking a breath, he looks down again-it's still oozing.

Oozing probably isn't a good thing.

But even if he did go to the hospital, what would he say? A giant dog attacked him? Then what? The press and the netizens get ahold of it and say he's just trying to gain sympathy to make up for Khun's scandal or something?

No. It's much better for everyone if he just stays home and-

He freezes. There's a thump from the hallway, followed by footsteps and-

The feet pause. "What the hell, man?" he hears a voice say in terrible, accented English.

Wooyoung's home. Taec glances around frantically, trying to find something, anything, to cover up his wounds, but then the feet start up again and the bathroom door flies open and Wooyoung pokes his head inside.

"Hyung, why is there blood…" He trails off as he takes in Taec's appearance and his mouth presses into a thin line. "What happened?"

"Uh," Taec says weakly, "I tripped?"

Wooyoung is not impressed.

+

On Wooyoung's orders, Taec strips down and takes a shower, not using soap and careful to wash out the bite. His other injuries aren't actually anywhere near as bad as they should be-there's only minimal scraping, and his arm has pulled up remarkably well considering he'd been holding on so tightly it felt like it was going to break all over again. Still, he's grateful that there aren't going to be any shirtless photoshoots in his near future. Explaining a bite mark so close to his groin would be a nightmare for everyone involved.

Once he has washed and dried and wrapped a towel delicately around his waist, Wooyoung comes back in with medical supplies and takes up the spot on the toilet. Taec moves over to him and watches as he prepares antiseptic and a bandage, watches the tired slant of his eyes under the stage make-up he hasn't washed off yet, watches the way he fumbles with the gauze. He wonders how long Wooyoung has been awake.

"You should go and get some sleep," Taec says quietly. "I can take care of this."

Wooyoung spares a moment to send him a scathing glare. "If you could then you'd go to the hospital."

"Why do I need a doctor when I've got my Wooyoungie's healing hands?" he coos, reaching down to tug on Wooyoung's tiny ear.

Wooyoung shakes him off and balances everything on his lap, wrapping his hand around Taec's hip and bringing him closer. His fingers are warm and he holds on tightly as he angles Taec's body towards the light. He leans in and inspects the wound, eying it critically, and Taec tries not to react and make things awkward when he feels Wooyoung's breath fanning over his stomach.

"It doesn't seem to go too deep," Wooyoung reports, reaching down for the bandage. He applies the cream to it and presses it gently over the bite, fingertips holding it in place as he adds strips of tape to hold it down. Then he stands and lifts Taec's arm, checking his other abrasions. He reaches again for the antiseptic but Taec beats him to it, grinning and shaking it at him.

"I've got it from here." Wooyoung's eyes narrow, but then he nods and sets about tidying up. Taec's just seeing to the last scrape on his shoulder when he catches Wooyoung's gaze in the mirror. Wooyoung stares steadily at him. Taec relents. "I have a check-up in a few days," he lies. "When they're done with my arm I'll ask about the bite. Okay?"

That seems to satisfy him. "Clean up the blood in the hall," he says, and then he leaves.

"Love you too," Taec calls fondly.

+

When Taec wakes up, he can tell immediately from the harried footsteps in the hall that they're running late. This has happened way too many times since Khun's activities were halted, and Taec doubts that any of them realised how much they'd miss Khun's nagging. He makes a sluggish mental note to check on Khun later and groans as he adjusts to the fact that it's day time. His limbs are slow to respond to his brain's commands to move, and he gropes around for a full thirty seconds before finally finding his glasses. He shoves them on and kicks off the blankets, hauling himself up and staggering out his room with his eyes still mostly closed. He's memorised the trip to the bathroom for this very purpose and the others know to stay out of his way this early in the morning so there are no roadblocks at all, and he manages to finish his business and turn to the sink before he has to open more than half an eye. (Junsu left his razor out once and Taec ended up with a sliced-open finger, so he's not willing to take any chances. There's been enough of his own blood outside his body for a lifetime by now.) He prises open his other eye, trying to adjust to the harsh light, and one hand is halfway up to pick the hardened, crusty sleep out of the corner of his eye when he realises he can't actually see anything.

He blinks. Adjusts his glasses. Blinks again.

But everything is still blurry. It's like that time he forgot he was wearing contacts and put his glasses on over the top, only this time he's definitely not wearing contacts, so...

"What the hell?" he breathes. He steps backwards. It's the same. He leans in. The same again. He takes his glasses off to clean them.

It's perfect.

He frowns. He rubs his eyes. He shakes his head.

It's still perfect.

Taec got bitten by a dog, and woke up with 20/20 vision.

He'd say it was a dream but since Ha Jiwon isn't lounging on the counter next to him in a negligee crooning Gee, he knows it must be real life.

For a moment he's distracted by his new power of sight, staring into the mirror and wondering if the pores on his nose have always been that big, when there's a thumping on the door and Wooyoung's voice drifts through the wood.

"Yah, hyung, hurry up. Junho's doing his hair in the other bathroom and I really need to go."

"Wooyoung," Taec says, and it's like a revelation, because Wooyoung will have a rational explanation for this. He'll tell Taec he's being a dick and explain how in excruciating detail and then they'll both be able to continue on with their lives.

Yes. Wooyoung is the key.

Without wasting another second, Taec dashes to the door, unlocks it and wrenches it open, dragging him inside.

"Yah, what-" Wooyoung gets out before Taec backs him against the door and steps close.

"Wow," he says, "your pores are even bigger than mine."

Wooyoung shoves him away and rubs his hand self-consciously over his chin. "What's wrong with you? Are you finished?"

Taec grabs his BB cream bottle and shoves it at Wooyoung. "Ask me to read this."

Wooyoung blinks. "Are you crazy?"

"Yah, just-" Taec leaves it at arm's length and starts read the tiny writing on the back out loud. He trails off when he gets halfway and looks up to see Wooyoung's reaction.

Wooyoung's arms are folded. Wooyoung's mouth is a thin line. Wooyoung's eyes are decreeing him more and more insane with each passing moment.

"Wooyoung-ah," Taec says meaningfully, "I'm not wearing my contacts."

His judgment face warps into one of confusion. "What-"

"I'm not lying, look!" He shoves his face into Wooyoung's personal space, widening his eyes. "Nothing!"

"Yah," Wooyoung says again, ducking under his arms and stepping away. "What are you trying to do? Is this a hidden camera? Did anything really even happen to you last night?" He grabs at Taec's wifebeater and rucks it up, peeling off the bandage before Taec can stop him. Taec cringes, expecting pain, but after the slight pull of the medical tape against his skin there's... nothing.

Curious, Taec looks down and there's-

Nothing.

There really is nothing.

"What the fuck," he breathes.

Wooyoung flings the bloodied bandage (there is blood there, real blood, his blood, from his body, but his skin is completely untouched or healed or something, what the fuck) and looks up at Taec accusingly. Something must convince him of Taec's innocence though because his expression quickly changes again, this time into one of disbelief.

"So you believe me?" Taec says, trying not to sound as desperate as he feels.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You're not that good an actor," Wooyoung says, tone clipped, hands still pressing into Taec's hip, fingernails digging in a little, like a puppy's teeth. Taec could be offended but he's still in shock, still trying to figure out what the fuck, and Wooyoung's touch is warm and familiar so he leans into it, concentrating on forcing their breathing to match.

Which is how Chansung finds them when he walks in five seconds later. They both look up at him, he looks at them, and everything's still for another moment before Wooyoung clears his throat, removes his hands from under Taec's top, and brushes out of the room with his head held high.

Chansung raises an eyebrow.

Taec shrugs, hoping he manages to seem something approaching normal. "My side hurts, I needed some TLC."

"So you asked Wooyoung?"

Taec shrugs again, but then Junsu (of all people) yells about them being late, which sets them all into action and saves Taec from any further explanation.

+

Taec only half-listens to the conversations in the van. Wooyoung (sitting as far away from him as possible) is talking about internet shopping with Junho, who's next to Taec but leaning dangerously over the back of the seat. Junsu's on his iPad beside Wooyoung, Chansung's in the very front on the phone to Khun, and Taec is trying very hard not to think about how he clearly he can read the number plates of those cars that must be at least a kilometre away. He also has one headphone in, music pumping into his left ear (he's not sure if 2AM's ballads can technically 'pump' but they're his go-to soundtrack when he's feeling melancholy), which is why, when Wooyoung asks Junsu a question about his expenditure and Junsu seemingly responds to him so earnestly, Taec shouldn't immediately know that-

"He's lying." He stops, forcing his mouth shut, because he didn't mean to say anything, didn't even know it was coming, and when he turns to face Junsu in the back seat he's looking about as scandalised as Taec feels.

"Yah!" he shouts, and Junho shoots him a dirty look because Junsu's yelling is always ten times louder than it needs to be. "What are you saying about your hyung, you punk?"

"I don't even know," Taec says, shaking his head. "I wasn't even listening, I just..." How had he been so sure? He glances at Wooyoung, who is looking at him for the first time since the bathroom, and shrugs helplessly.

"Hyung," Wooyoung says suddenly, shaking Junsu's shoulder, "were you really lying?"

Junsu's eyes widen even further. "How could you accuse me of that? I wouldn't lie to my favourite dongsaeng!"

Wooyoung pulls a face. "Even I know you're lying now."

Junsu smacks his arm and continues ranting but Taec tunes out again, not concentrating on his words, trying to feel out the atmosphere...

And there it is. It's faint, but it's there, and it takes him a while longer to figure out exactly what it is but-it's Junsu's heartbeat. Every time he lies the beat changes, skips, and Taec can hear it. If he concentrates enough he can kind of feel the others too-Junho's rising annoyance, Wooyoung's carefully hidden confusion, Chansung's concern for Khun, even Juseob hyung's amusement and tiredness from the driver's seat.

It's overwhelming, this whole thing, these things he shouldn't be able to do, shouldn't know, shouldn't feel, and for a moment he gets lost in it, everything else fading away and then he's panicking, doesn't know what to do or how to stop or even who he is anymore-

"Hyung?"

Taec jolts, his music and Junsu's complaints and Chansung's low murmurs fade back in like nothing happened, and after he blinks a few times he comes to focus on Wooyoung, whose hand is on his shoulder as he leans across Junsu.

"Yah, you're hurting me!" Junsu whines, elbowing Wooyoung, but Wooyoung doesn't move.

"He's lying again," Taec tells him.

"I know," Wooyoung says.

+

It happens all day. Taec's enhanced vision seems permanent but his hearing drops in and out like a badly-tuned radio, and it doesn't take him long to realise that the whole recognising-people's-emotions thing is linked to his sense of smell.

It's fucking strange and really, really inconvenient, because it's so utterly distracting. Thankfully they spend the say doing a photoshoot, so he can afford to zone out a few times, but it's possible the Real 2PM camera caught him doing something weird. (It's just as well he's always strange, really, because anything he did probably won't even seem out of the ordinary.)

Wooyoung keeps trying to talk to him, tries to get him alone all day, assumingly so they can discuss what happened in the van, but it's impossible between the members, managers and coordis. And now, well, now they're finally back at the villa but Taec is exhausted and he heads directly for his room as soon as he kicks his shoes off, dropping his backpack next to his bed and climbing in, eyelids already drooping.

He hears his door open but he pretends to be asleep, and after another moment's hesitation it closes again and then he really is asleep.

+

The next morning, Taec realises that the scar on his arm is gone.

Actually, so are all his souvenirs he attained from his exploits from all throughout his life (including that one on his inner thigh he got when he was six and wanted to find out how fast you could go down a hill on your bike, and made his friend do it but didn't get out of the way at the bottom quickly enough), but the arm one… is a big deal.

It was so public, everyone knows about it, and there's no way people won't notice that it's gone, especially considering the ridiculous investigative power of the netizens. He can wear long-sleeved tops for a while, possibly long enough to claim he had plastic surgery in the interim, but then he'll be That Idol. The one that was vain enough to get (highly improbable, but that's another story altogether) surgery on a scar that has absolutely no bearing on his ability to work. He's had quite enough unnatural alterations made to his body at this point, which is exactly why he's never done anything about his teeth. Or his ears. And how will he even begin to explain it to the other members, to management? Any and all physical alterations have to be approved and signed off on or else, and something like this has the potential to get him into deep shit.

God, he really wishes he knew what the fuck is happening to him right now.

The fact is, though, that he has a schedule today, so, like all personal matters, it has to be swept aside and forgotten about in favour of spending the day filming a CF for Reebok shoes.

At least it takes his mind off things. They film for twenty hours straight and while he's not necessarily needed for the entire time he keeps himself busy, and by the end of it he's not even tired (although constantly mentioning to every person within listening distance how he had his scar covered up with make-up is in itself enough to get him halfway there). He's not sure if these energy levels have something to do with the other… things that have been happening to him, but he's quite happy to just take this one at face value.

He gets back to the villa early in the morning, when Wooyoung and Junsu have already left for a recording and Chansung and Junho are just getting ready for bed, but it doesn't even occur to him that he shouldn't even know those things so instinctively until he gets into his room and is reaching into his mini-fridge for a Monster and suddenly, his hearing kicks it up a notch.

"-asked Ongie-hyung," Junho is saying, in his bedroom on the floor above, although it feels like he's right next to Taec, "and he said we should parody Twilight next."

Chansung giggles in that way that only Chansung can. "Khunnie is Edward," he says gleefully.

"That's what Hyung suggested," Junho agrees, and Taec marvels at how he can hear Junho fish his phone out of his pocket, even swipe his thumb across the screen. "He says Taec-hyung should be the the werewolf and I should be the girl."

He sounds unimpressed but Chansung laughs some more, and Taecyeon somehow manages to tune them out and decides to forgo the Monster-his body does not need to be any more stimulated than it obviously is.

"Sleep," he mutters, because sleep is always the answer.

He's in his sweat pants and all bundled up in his sheet (his usual blanket is suddenly too warm for him, the weather must be changing), his breath evening out and his eyes becoming heavy, before he suddenly bolts upright and realises-

Werewolf.

Werewolf.

He reaches for his laptop.

+

Just as well Taec has always enjoyed wasting time online. It takes hours, but he finds out about the bite, packs, full moons, alphas, abilities and weaknesses, silver, wolfsbane, hunters, the history of lycanthropy, the transformation of werewolves... and by the time his alarm goes off to wake him up from what should have been a deep slumber, his brain is a jumble of conflicting rumours, outlandish fairytales, and ridiculous porn (not his fault. Apparently bestiality is a kink of a lot of people, and just-not his fault).

Forty-four hours without sleep.

He's been through worse as a simple human.

Human. Fully human. Which he's not anymore. Because he's (probably) a werewolf.

He pauses for a moment, shifting his laptop down onto his stomach so he can take a deep breath and wonder… Why isn't he more upset about this? Why isn't he freaking out? Why isn't he thinking this all some sort of long-winded hallucination, that he's being drugged or has a brain tumour? Is it because deep down inside, he knows it's true? Is it because he'd much prefer to be a werewolf than dying of an aggressive, cancerous tumour? Lesser of two evils, maybe. Or something.

He shakes his head, stretching his limbs and rubbing his eyes and just generally trying to get his body to work when there's a short knock on his door.

"Yo," he calls, and Khun pokes his head inside.

"Were you awake all night?" he asks suspiciously.

"Night is a relative term, Khunnie-boy."

Khun frowns. "I don't even know what that means."

"Neither do I," he admits, grinning. He closes his laptop and puts it on the ground, shuffling up the bed and patting the empty space with his foot.

Khun slips in and closes the door behind him, picking his way around the things strewn over Taec's floor to drop down onto the bed, scooting up against the footboard. He stretches his legs out and so does Taec, draping his over Khun's. Khun rolls his eyes but doesn't move.

"I'm going to Africa," Khun tells him. It takes a few seconds for Taec's addled brain to process that he's speaking in English.

"For a program?"

Khun nods slowly. "Yeah. I wasn't… I didn't know if I should. The backlash… I don't know." He looks up at Taec, and it almost seems like Taec can smell his apprehensiveness. Taec feels guilty for a moment, because with all the stuff that's been happening with him lately, he hasn't spent nearly as much time with Khun as he should. He knows Khun understands, knows that really, Khun is okay, but he just wishes this could all be over already. He wants Khun back.

"I think you've punished yourself enough. I think now you need to move on and do what you think is right." He pokes at Khun's thigh with his toes.

"Yeah. I mean I've always wanted to go, and now I can, so I should, right? Something good can come from this. Even if other people won't see it that way."

"Who cares what other people think," Taec says. "I don't. We can't. They don't know you. The only people that matter are the ones that do know you, and you have nothing to prove to them."

Khun's silent for a long, meaningful moment, before he's suddenly wrapping both of his stupidly-long legs around one of Taec's, grabbing his foot and trapping him. "Yah, Ok Taecyeon. Just when I forget why I want to come to you at times like this, you go and say things like that."

"Yah, recently injured person here! Khunnie!" He whines a little, they play fight a little, and then Khun starts laughing, which makes Taec laugh (more from relief than anything else), and they end up side by side on Taec's bed, sharing his pillow. "Maybe I'll come too," Taec blurts. He glances at Khun, who has his 'Ok Taecyeon are you actually thinking about what you're saying' face on. "To Africa."

"Don't get carried away, I know you miss me but there's a lot of people to clear it with first. Not that I would mind if you did, I'm getting sick of my own company." He looks back at the ceiling, concentrating way too hard on it to just be nonchalant, and Taec is hit with a sudden, huge rush of affection and admiration.

They've all been through a lot to get where they are, Khun more than most, and he still hasn't given up. He's here and he's trying to make things work, and no-one has any doubt that he will. It's enough to make Taec feel envious on a good day, but at times like this, when things aren't at their best, he feels inferior for a different reason. Because Khun is strong, he's a fighter, always, he works hard and he's honest and good and Taec likes to think that he is too, but the way he's been reacting to this whole bite thing… It's none of those things. He can't compare himself to Khun right now because Khun is handling this so maturely, and Taec doesn't even have an inch of his virtuousness.

But not any more. This is not who Taec is. He's not going to simply let things happen to him anymore and he's definitely not going to wallow. The 'whys' and 'hows' aren't important, not anymore. If this is his life now, then he's not only going to get used to it, he's going to make the most of it. If Khun can do it, so can he.

"Sometimes this feels so surreal," Khun says finally, breaking into his thoughts.

"I know the feeling," Taec can't help but agree. "I'm glad we have you around though. You're an inspiration to all of us."

He's not even joking, but Khun shoves him off the bed anyway.

+

He decides he's going to test himself, and the perfect opportunity presents itself later that day.

Chansung and Wooyoung are practicing some new acrobatics, and Chansung is hungry and Wooyoung is exhausted so it isn't going very well. Chansung lifts Wooyoung and neither of them are steady and their grip isn't right and Taec can already see it, knows that Wooyoung is going to fall. He’s certain that Wooyoung is going to miss the safety mats and land face-first on the hardwood floor.

He doesn't even think about it. One minute he's watching from across the room and the next Wooyoung is in his arms, blinking as he tries to process the fact that he's tumbled from the sky and hasn't broken something (or everything). Now that Wooyoung is safe Taec allows himself to relax and can suddenly hear the frantic thundering of Wooyoung's heart, the adrenaline-fueled blood rushing through his veins, can smell the fear and shock and relief. Taec presses him against his own body for a brief moment, reassuring him that everything is okay, before gently putting him down. Wooyoung wobbles but straightens up quickly, readjusting his shirt to then glare at Taec.

"What?" Taec says. He knows what Wooyoung's pissed about but Taec's never going to be sorry for helping him, no matter how many other people are around to witness his (probably) superhuman abilities. He turns to Chansung, who hasn't stopped staring open-mouthed since Taec saved the day. "You guys might wanna take a break now, huh." He pats Chansung's cheek and walks away, leaving Wooyoung to answer any of Chansung's questions.

+

"That was really fucking stupid," Wooyoung hisses, letting himself into Taec's room and locking the door behind him. It's been hours since the dance studio but it's the first time they've been alone, and it couldn't have come sooner. Wooyoung hasn't stopped giving him evil looks, and it must be Taec's new werewolf senses or something but it feels like Wooyoung's been burning literal holes in his skull. Taec rubbed his head so often in the van Chansung made him take an aspirin.

"Okay, I'll let you break your neck next time," Taec says agreeably. He'd been experimenting with composing, taking advantage of his better hearing since it decided to kick in again and anything's better than listening to Junsu getting in some rigorous alone time next door. He's grateful for the break though, and he leans right back in his chair, lifting his legs to rest casually on his desk and managing to accidentally kick off his electronic keyboard. It almost goes crashing to the ground but Taec's super awesome reflexes kick in and he saves it in a flash, easily lifting it with one hand and smiling smugly at Wooyoung.

Wooyoung glares even harder. "Stop it," he demands. "Chansung is suspicious."

"Chansungie is the least suspicious person in the world."

"Exactly. So when it does happen, it's serious enough that people will listen." Taec doesn't exactly appreciate Wooyoung's tone, but he knows he has a point, which is why he made sure to complete the rest of his tests in private. (Just so it's clear, yes, it is possible for him to lift their van with his bare hands, but it's okay, because it only takes approximately three minutes of agony for the resulting broken bones and skin to knit themselves back together and heal completely.) Still, he's not going to tell Wooyoung about those, if only because he's pretty sure Wooyoung's going to dislodge a contact with all the glaring he's been doing,

"What are you saying? Our own maknae is going to tell the world that I have super powers?"

Wooyoung's jaw clenches. "What if it hadn't been Chansung?" he persists. "What if it had been someone else, someone more than willing to profit from sharing idol secrets?"

Taecyeon pauses, wondering if there is such a thing as being too candid in this scenario. He says it anyway. "What was I supposed to do? I couldn't let anything happen to you," he says quietly.

Wooyoung blinks, and Taec hears him swallow. His features soften (well, soften for Wooyoung anyway) and he opens his mouth to respond but that's when Taec notices something is off. There's something different in the air, suddenly, something Taec's never smelled before, or perhaps just never been able to sense before. He has no idea what it is but it's Amazing, every scent he loves blended together so exquisitely he can't even begin to pick them apart, it's just-Amazing.

"Can you smell that?" he asks urgently, glancing around the room. "What is that?"

Wooyoung blinks. "What?"

"That scent, that-Amazing Scent, can't you smell it?"

Wooyoung takes a step back. "Is this another weird…" He gestures vaguely at Taec.

"Werewolf thing?" Taec asks distractedly. It's fading, why is it fading, where did it-

But Wooyoung lets out a bark of laughter, drawing his attention back to their conversation, to what Taec just said. Wooyoung's eyes are wide. "What?"

"Oh…" Taec drops his feet from the desk and stands, smiling carefully. "Didn't I tell you? I'm a…" He forms claw shapes with his hands and lets out a snarl.

"You're an idiot," Wooyoung says reflexively, and shakes his head immediately afterwards but doesn't apologise. "I'm supposed to believe that?"

"It explains everything. The enhanced senses, the strength, the speed and healing-"

"Healing?" But the disbelief is replaced with realisation after only a few seconds. "The bite."

"And…" Taec rolls up his left sleeve and shows Wooyoung his perfect, unmarked arm.

He stares for a few moments and then backs away even further. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I, Wooyoung-ah," Taec says. "But this is me now."

Wooyoung shakes his head. "I-" His phone chimes with a message, and they're both kind of relieved that he breaks the tension to check it. "It's Jinyoung-hyung. I have to go." He looks up, seeming torn, but he can't get out the door quickly enough. "Let's talk about this later," he calls.

They don't.

+

It's definitely an oversight, but Taec doesn't really think his enhanced senses in relation to a live performance until they actually have one.

As seems to be the trend these days, the first thing that gets to him is the smell. He's adjusted well enough to the members, has even come to feel comforted by their constant lingering odours (although Wooyoung still definitely smells the best, and Junho still wears too much cologne, mainly because Taec hasn't yet figured out a way of asking him to tone it down that wouldn't be weird), but to be confronted with the stench of so many other idols in the changing rooms backstage, plus the thousands of fans waiting for entrance nearby, that's completely overwhelming. As soon as he steps into the building he's counting down the moments until he can get back outside.

The air around him has turned thick and viscous, seeping into every one of his pores and sinking into his skin, clogging his airways and, shit, now would be a really good time for this selective sense thing to go away again, because there's no way he can perform like this.

He's getting dizzy, he can't breathe, and he barely makes it through Namyong-hyung's pre-performance lecture. Chansung must notice something's wrong, because when the coordi noonas start herding Wooyoung and Junho over to the make-up stations he grabs Taec's hand and pulls him out of the room. He hauls him down the corridor, forces him to bow to some sunbae that Taec doesn't even get the chance to see, and has him out on the roof under the wide, open sky in under two minutes.

Taec doesn't speak, just squeezes his eyes shut and focuses on breathing through his mouth. Slowly, surely, the intensity of the smells fades away, and he's left entirely with smells he recognises, human, immediate smells like pollution and cologne and hair product.

"Thanks," he says, when he eventually feels he can.

"Are you okay now?" Chansung asks worriedly, hovering behind Taec and looking like he wants to come closer but is unsure if he should.

"I think so?" He forces a smile. "Didn't sleep last night."

"Hyung!" Chansung lets out an annoyed sigh and finally moves forward, sliding one hand onto Taec's shoulder and the other onto his forehead. "Aish, you're really hot!"

And the fact that Taec can't even come up with a greasy comeback is perhaps the most concerning of all.

+

Taec is a little loathe to head back inside so soon but they're running out of time, they'll be on soon and he and Chansung still aren't made up. As soon as they enter their dressing room people converge on them, coordis and managers and miscellaneous staff, but thankfully the coordis win out and he has some time to finish calming himself.

He looks so much better after make-up, bags under his eyes completely painted over, and he makes sure to smile widely at Hyesu-noona in thanks. Once they're all ready, they're hauled down another few hallways to an area backstage, and Taec lets himself get dragged along, grateful that Wooyoung has chosen to stick by his side. Chansung keeps giving Taec concerned looks but Junsu is asking him something about the choreography, and once he sees that Wooyoung's looking out for him, Taec can see him relax a little.

As they get closer to the stage the music gets louder, pounding through the floor and walls, and finally they're left somewhere off in the wings, the next group designated to perform. Taec finds somewhere to sit down and rests his head back against the wall. Whatever it was that happened before, the smelling thing, he hopes it never happens again, because that was one of the worst experiences in his life-possibly even worse than getting the bite itself. At least that had been mostly physical, something visceral, something that hadn't taken over his whole brain and felt like it was going to destroy him from the inside.

The music comes to a stop to a stadium full of applause, and that means the group onstage (Secret, is it? Or MBLAQ?) has one song left, which means that he has less than four minutes to pull himself together.

"Don't stop can't stop, 2PM go," he tells himself, and just in the process of standing up when there is one of the most horrific sounds he's ever heard, reverberating in the air and ripping through his head. It's just mic feedback, the tiny intellectual part of his brain reasons, but to the other part, the much bigger part, the part that still hasn't recovered from the smell attack yet, it feels like his brain is skewered. He can feels himself falling, knows that he's caught by someone, but by then all of the other sounds (the fans screaming and cheering and clapping, the music thumping, even the vibrating speakers and the squeaking of shoes on stage) have invaded his head and he can't do much more than let it happen.

Thankfully, this episode is a lot shorter than the last one, and it only takes about thirty seconds for the sounds to fade back down, leaving an uncomfortably empty, echoey sensation in his ears. He tunes back into reality quickly, like someone has flipped a switch, and it's completely disorienting.

"Hyung," Wooyoung is saying urgently, keeping his voice low and shaking his shoulders. "You have to calm down-your eyes, they keep changing colour!"

Well, that's something new. Taec squeezes his eyes shut and feels Wooyoung tug him closer, so that his face is pressed into Wooyoung's chest.

"Can you perform?" Wooyoung asks, his chest vibrating against Taec's cheek, but it's pleasant now, comforting, and all Taec wants to do is nuzzle into it.

This is so not the time.

Taec shakes his head, trying to clear it, but Wooyoung takes it as a no and starts to call over their manager. Taec grabs his shoulder, thumb brushing over his collarbone, relaxing even further at the warmth of Wooyoung's skin against his.

"No, I can-I can do it."

"Are you sure?"

Taec blinks hard, his vision finally clearing, and focuses on Wooyoung's face. He can feel Wooyoung's fluttering pulse under his fingertips, and he shuts everything else out for a few seconds, concentrating on the steady beat.

One. Two. One. Two. One. Two.

He nods once and stands up, only using Wooyoung's shoulder as a lever a little bit. "It'll bring more attention if I don't. Let's just do this." He tucks his earpiece into his ear and nods at the others where they're huddled concernedly around him, just in time for their name to be called, and he leads the way onto the stage.

+

He doesn't remember much about what happens after they finish performing. There are flashes of things, images and sensations and emotions, but he's way too out of it to even begin to process them. When he wakes up he's back in his own bed (he'd know that smell anywhere, even with strictly human senses, and he really needs to remember to get his sheets washed), and when he opens his eyes he sees Wooyoung at his computer, looking up something on Naver.

Taecyeon watches him for a moment, the way his brow furrows and he leans in close to the screen, and then how he exhales slowly and leans back, shifting around in the comfortable seat (thank you, Namyong-hyung) to bring one leg up underneath him. He rubs his eyes, careful of his contacts, and glances over at Taec, doing a double take when he sees that Taec's awake.

"Hello," Taec says softly. "Did you lose Rock Paper Scissors?"

"I volunteered to look after you," Wooyoung responds, not sounding very happy about it. "In case you…" He nods at the computer screen and tilts it towards Taec, showing him a cartoon rendering of a werewolf.

Taec sits up, pushing off his comforter and hauling his legs over the side of the bed. He thinks for a few moments, waiting for the right words to come to him, not wanting to scare Wooyoung off. "So. You… believe me? About the…" He does the snarl-and-claw-hands again, mainly because he likes Wooyoung's scornful eye-rolling when he does.

"I don't know what to believe." He pauses and leans back in his seat, quiet, just as cautious as Taec. "There's a full moon tomorrow," he adds carefully.

"I know."

"Do you know what will happen?"

"More of today?" Taec offers, shrugging. "Worse than today?" Wooyoung frowns, seeming unhappy with Taec's cavalier attitude, but it's not like he can allow himself to act in any other way. To really think about what it means not to be human, to understand all the ways in which he'll never be the same again, is to process the fact that he is now something nightmares are made of. Maybe Chansung could meditate about it, could comprehend and accept and hope much better than he can, and maybe Taec will be able to in the future, but right now he has to survive things one step at a time. Softly softly catchee monkey. "Will you be there to look after me, Wooyoungie?"

"I guess I have to." He turns back to the computer, staring at the image of the werewolf, zooming in and out on various parts of its body-red eyes, bloodied claws, long sharp teeth. He swallows. Taec watches his throat, fascinated by the movement of his adam's apple and the little beads of sweat he can see sliding from his temple, over his cheekbones and jaw to collect at his neck.

It's not hot in Taec's room, but Wooyoung reeks of worry and fear and anxiousness.

Taec hates that Wooyoung is feeling like this because of him.

"No you don't," he says softly, because he deserves a way out and Taec will always make sure he has one.

Wooyoung doesn't even hesitate a second before responding. "Yes I do." He swivels his chair back again, holding Taec's gaze, and there's something else there, something new in the scent he's giving off, and Taec tries not to look too thankful because he knows Wooyoung wouldn't appreciate it. They keep watching each other for a while, neither of them seeming all that inclined to break the moment, but then Wooyoung suddenly kicks a leg out at him and pulls a face. "Shut up and sleep."

"You could sleep with me," Taec offers.

Nothing.

"In case you need it, my porn's in a folder called 'Wooyoung's Secret Girlfriend'."

He manages to deflect the shoe Wooyoung throws at him with his blanket just in time.

+

When Wooyoung wakes him up the next the morning he's awake so immediately it's almost shocking. He can't remember the last time he woke up without needing at least a half hour adjustment period-some time before puberty, surely-but this time, as soon as his eyelids slide open, that's it. Instant consciousness and coherency.

Actually it's more than that-he's jittery and wired, thrumming with energy and untapped power, and he doesn't want to do anything but he also wants to everything at once, like one thing at a time isn't enough anymore. His hands shake as he brushes his teeth and he can't sit still in the van, and he keeps saying things he doesn't mean, snapping out insults and picking fights, and it's like he can't control himself properly, like his brain-to-mouth/hands/everything filter has been taken away overnight. He's never felt like this before, not after any performance, not when he accidentally electrocuted himself trying to DIY his bedroom wiring, not when he halved an E that time with his best friend in America.

He can't remember how he usually acts, can't even spare the time to think about pretending to be normal, which means that Wooyoung is probably having to makes up a lot of excuses for him right now, but he doesn't care.

Things like 'duty' and 'responsibility' aren't weighing very heavily on his mind right now.

It gets a little better when they finally reach the studio to film their CF and he finally has something to channel his energy into, although he's never despised the obscene amount of waiting involved on any film set more than he has now. Junsu's listening to music in the corner and Junho is talking to one of the ever-lurking Real 2PM cameras with Wooyoung and Chansung's bonding with the Husky they're filming with, cooing to it through its too-small cage. It's really hot, and the studio lights and giant puffy jackets they've been forced into don't help, so he decides to slip out for a while.

He passes Chansung on the way out and the dog sniffs at him curiously. He growls and feels his eyes flash (they glow an incandescent amber when he's out of control now, fucking awesome) and the dog whines and tries to roll over and bare its throat, but it loses balance and knocks the whole cage over instead. Taec chuckles as Chansung and the dog's trainer rush to help.

Dogs are so stupid.

+

"I never thought I'd be the one saying this to someone else, but that was really mean," Wooyoung says from behind him.

Taec's found a small room down the hall, empty save for old cleaning equipment shoved in one corner, and he's taking the opportunity to burn off some of his ridiculous energy, alternating between situps and pushups on the floor. He probably shouldn't get too sweaty or the coordis will kick his ass (at least he had the foresight to strip off everything but his pants), but he feels like he's going crazy so he can't really bring himself to care.

"It's just a dog," he huffs. "You don't even like dogs."

"It's still a living thing," Wooyoung insists, although he sounds much more committed to actually arguing with Taec than the argument itself.

"You don't even like living things!"

"Yes but I don't not like them in public! I not like them in the privacy of my own home, like any decent idol should."

Taec sighs and stops, levering himself up and taking the bottle of water Wooyoung hands to him. He does a few basic stretches as he drinks, testing out his muscles, and it feels better, the frenetic electrical current a little less insistent under his skin, but everything is still dissatisfying, he's still hyperaware and buzzed and restless.

"I told Juseob-hyung you weren't feeling well."

Taec grins and hands the drink back. "You're so good to me, Wooyoung-ah."

"Not really, I said you had diarrhea." It's actually a pretty good excuse, because no-one ever wants to know more about it, so Taec lets it go. Wooyoung watches as he reaches down to grab his tank top, using it to wipe the sweat from his body. "It's bad today," he observes.

"Like you said, full moon," Taec says. "Although if it's like this every…" He trails off. He trails off because there it is again-the Amazing Scent. "Okay, tell me you can smell that now."

"If you mean your gross sweaty body odour then yes, I can, please use Chansung's deodorant before you come back to filming."

"No, not that, it's…" He shakes his head as the smell gets stronger, filling the tiny room, seeping into all of his pores. "It must be the," he pulls the werewolf face and steps closer to Wooyoung, and it-gets stronger. "I think it's you," Taec says, leaning in to sniff at him.

"I do not smell!" Wooyoung shoves him away, horrified, but Taec persists, pressing closer, the tip of his nose running down Wooyoung's neck.

"It's not bad," Taec reassures him. "It's Amazing, I told you." He doesn't know why he hasn't linked it to Wooyoung before, but it's even better directly from his skin, Taec can't even begin to describe it, he doesn't even know how. He keeps sniffing, up behind Wooyoung's ear, where not even the stench of his hair product can disguise it, and down again to his collarbone, where he pulls the neck of Wooyoung's t-shirt away to give him a cursory lick.

Wooyoung freezes. "Did you just… you licked me," he says stonily.

Taec blinks, registering his words, because Wooyoung tastes-

"Wow," Taec says, a little dazed, and licks him again, longer this time, right across the bone to end at the point of his shoulder. "Wooyoung-ah."

"Please tell me this is a werewolf thing," Wooyoung grits out, strained and tense but not completely against what's happening, Taec would be able to feel that, and he likes to think that even in this frame of mind, he has enough control over himself to stop-especially when it concerns someone as important as Wooyoung. But it's fine, surely he's used to people (coughChansungcough) licking him by now anyway, so Taec starts rucking up Wooyoung's shirt. He only wants to taste some more, to see if it's just as delicious everywhere else, it's for science really, but that's when Wooyoung finally objects, shaking himself a little in Taec's grip. "Yah, hyung!"

Taec stops, Wooyoung's arm lifted up over their heads, one hand encircling Wooyoung's wrist as the other presses fingertips into his ribs, and shakes his head, considering pleading with him for just a little more but then-

"The photographer is ready," a voice calls from outside, and Taec reluctantly drops Wooyoung's arm. He's not embarrassed, although he knows he will be tomorrow, when this whole stupid thing is over, and Wooyoung's probably feeling weird about it so he steps back, gives him space.

They're quiet for a moment. Wooyoung avoids his eyes, pulling his shirt back down, rubbing the fabric over his skin as if to wipe away Taec's saliva.

Taec quashes the overwhelming (and quite disturbing) urge to dive onto him and lick him all over again. Instead, he props himself against the wall to start putting on his shoes and socks. When he's done he looks up to see Wooyoung watching him, still as far away as possible, frowning like he's the most difficult puzzle in the world.

"Time to smile and look pretty," Taec says, giving a winning grin.

Wooyoung's frown deepens. "Don't try too hard," he bites out, before striding out of the room, leaving Taec to finish getting dressed.

"Everyone, I wish you could smell Wooyoungie," Taec tells the Real 2PM camera conspiratorially (but still loud enough for Wooyoung to hear), snagging it as they get back into the studio. "He smells better than a field of daisies."

Wooyoung steps on his foot a total of seven times during the photoshoot.

+

The rest of the day gets progressively worse. What started as something weird but could be passed off as playful just keeps escalating. He can't focus, everything annoys him, and he has never been more aware of his environment, of time passing, of the moon. It's like he can feel it, deep down in his bones, the pull of the moon as it works towards rising, and he gets antsier and angrier the later it gets.

For once, Wooyoung isn't helping either. Even when he's not doing anything, when he's just standing around talking to the photographer, or going through some choreography with Junho, or stretching his shoulders, the urge to smell him, to taste him and mark him, only intensifies.

Taec is aware, of course he is, that it's the moon, it's the wolf, that everything is screwed up and he can't tell what's real, but that doesn't stop him from imagining himself tackling Wooyoung to the ground and pressing him down, stripping him and touching him and-

He has to go outside for some air.

He signals Chansung that he's going out and ducks away before he gets a response. Earlier he noticed a small alcove outside that some smokers were using, so he hurries down the corridor and ducks out, leaning against the wall and tilting his head back, trying to think of anything but Wooyoung.

Breathe in, breathe out. Focus on analysing the collection of scents in the air: pollution; rotting garbage; cigarette smoke and stale perfume of the two women around the corner. Separate and identify the different sounds: the beating of a bird's wings; the scuttling feet of baby mice; distant traffic; the low tones of conversation from the women-

"-drink driving," the first is saying, and Taec immediately tenses up. She takes a long drag on her cigarette before passing it to the other one. "He should go to jail."

"No-one died," the second points out, "and he's taking time to reflect."

"Just because he's an idol, they let him get away with it," the first says snidely. "He's probably not even sorry."

It undoes everything, and his rage overflows between one second and the next, and he can already feel his body Changing, the wolf inside demanding to get out, circling and howling and thirsty for blood and oh fuck, he should have tuned out earlier, shouldn't have listened in the first place, he can't do this, not ever, but especially not here, not now, he can't. But he can feel it happening, his blunt human nails extending into long pointed claws, his ears twitching and pointing up and out (getting bigger), his teeth elongating. He slams his eyes shut, gripping wall behind him so hard he can feel it cracking under his fingertips, wills himself to concentrate on something else, anything else, anything so that he won't change, and he casts his new senses out, letting him feel everything, and then finally-

A relentless thump...thump...thump drowns out all his other senses and impulses, and he latches onto it, focusing everything on that steady, unwavering heartbeat. He inhales deeply, exhales slowly, matching his rhythm to the soothing beat of Wooyoung's heart, and finally opens his eyes.

This is getting very out of control.

+

It's a relief when they finally finish, but then he has to sit in the van. In the enclosed van, with his smelly, loud members. With Wooyoung, who tries to sit next to him in the van. Who Taec ignores and pushes in front of to ride shotgun.

He can see Wooyoung in the side mirror, just before he finally slides the door home and they peel out of the car park. He's frowning. He looks unsettled. Taec tries not to feel too guilty and pulls out his phone.

I'm sorry, he types, you should probably stay away from me tonight~

He can hear Wooyoung's phone when it vibrates, smell Wooyoung's curiosity when he sees who it's from. There's a few moments of nothing, of the others shifting in their seats, bunking down for the ride back to the dorm. They're actually all quiet for once, reading or listening to music, tired and subdued, and for that Taec is resoundingly grateful.

Fine, Taec receives back.

He puts in headphones, but he listens to Wooyoung's heartbeat the whole way home.

+

When they get home it gets worse. It's late, later, the moon inching its way higher in the sky, close, closer, and Taec heads directly for his bedroom. He locks himself in, moves a heavy box of old fangifts in front of the door, and dives into his bed, rolling himself up tight in his comforter, squeezing his eyes shut-not that it helps. He's hot but he's cold and his head is thumping with clarity. He's shaking with his attempts at stillness and his senses are really warped, and then Junho starts his drum practice upstairs, every thump-boom-crash of the drumsticks feeling like a strike to his own brain, and he's done.

He loses control.

He Changes.

It's a long drop to the ground, but Taec throws himself out of the window with no hesitation.

The moon is calling.

+

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