no one is born to be lonely [2/2]

[paradisist]

Two

Baekhyun spends the summer with Chanyeol, taking the initiative to move past the one-sided awkwardness. He hangs out with his roommate as well, but there's always this silence that he can't seem to break when he leaves through the front door and Jongin's still awake somewhere in the residence. Baekhyun and Jongdae aren't the only stubborn ones.

Classes start up sooner than he anticipates. Before they start, Baekhyun sits down with Chanyeol and helps him sign up for a couple of courses he'll be taking with him. There's uncertainty about what his friends will say once they meet him - it won't be too difficult to piece together the clues about who he's been sneaking off to in the middle of the night - but Baekhyun doesn't want to feel like he's hiding anything from his friends anymore. Of course, it isn't like they're going to find out that he's a werewolf-shapeshifter-thing, or that they're lovers, because they're definitely not.

One person's reaction he doesn't prepare for is Yifan's.

"What are you-"

Baekhyun and Chanyeol are walking back from their first class together when Yifan approaches them. He looks angry. Chanyeol stops dead in his tracks and Baekhyun doesn't blame him, because Yifan is taller than even Chanyeol and is several times more imposing. The slightly shorter boy whimpers quietly and Baekhyun stops in confusion as he withdraws, trying to hide behind him, which would be laughable if not for how pathetic the attempt appears.

"Hyung?" Baekhyun wants to take his friend's hand to try and reassure him, because Yifan wouldn't hurt a fly, and definitely not Park Chanyeol, who has done absolutely nothing wrong-

"Duizhang." The calm yet somewhat stern voice of one of Yifan's followers reaches his ears, and he rests his hand firmly on his forearm, restraining him. Yifan had looked about ready to charge. Baekhyun feels relieved, but only a little, because the other two boys are coming up alongside Yifan but making no move to restrict his actions. Mostly, he's just perplexed.

He's starting to feel like he's confused all the time. This is ridiculous.

"What's going on?"

"You should leave," Luhan says, his voice clipped, as he drapes himself over Yifan. He eyes Chanyeol, who hasn't left Baekhyun's backside. "Run along, little doggy."

At his words, the hairs on the nape of Baekhyun's neck stand on end.

"Yifan," the smaller pleads, growing irritated at the standoff. Why can't they just tell him what the problem is? Yifan's little group is really starting to piss him off.

"Let's go, Baekhyun," Chanyeol says to him in a low voice, the sound of defeat palpable.

"You shouldn't," Yifan cautions, "go with him."

"I'm so done with all of you right now," cries Baekhyun, exasperated. Regardless, he drags Chanyeol away by the wrist; he yelps in surprise but allows himself to be pulled to a more secluded location.

"What the hell was that about?" Baekhyun hisses once they're behind the chemistry building, out of sight.

"Let's not talk about it here," Chanyeol begs, eyes flickering uneasily.

"Why not?" The anthropology major puts his foot down, only half-accidentally on Chanyeol's. His lanky friend yowls in complaint.

"Not safe. C'mon, let's go," he whispers, taking Baekhyun's hand this time and leading him to his house.

Chanyeol lives in a small cabin in the woods that's more cute and innocuous like Snow White's cottage than Joss Whedon creepy and ominous. It's nestled far enough into the trees so that it's decently cut off from civilization (and phone service). Baekhyun plops down on the couch and folds his arms, lower lip jutting out and brows knitted. He gives Chanyeol the most accusatory, piercing gaze he can muster and waits for an explanation.

"Spill."

His companion heaves a sigh, sitting down next to him and letting his arms hang off over his legs. Baekhyun eyes him evenly, feeling a twinge of regret. He doesn't think he's ever seen Chanyeol so crestfallen. What he also realizes is that this is the first time he's seen him wearing a shirt, if you can even call it that: a blank tank top with a minimalist design hangs off his bones, revealing his well-muscled arms, the sides cut so low that his ribs are exposed.

Baekhyun is hyperaware of his closeness to Chanyeol, and he scoots his bum a few inches to the right, hoping he doesn't take much offense or even notice. After that one night, he's avoided getting too near his friend, in fear of those old feelings flaring up again.

"All right. You know I'm alone, right?"

"Yeah, like a lone wolf?" He raises his eyebrows, not exactly sure of just what that entails.

"Yeah . . . I told you that there aren't many wolves around here, but I didn't say that there aren't any."

He pauses. "Then, is Yifan . . ?"

"They all are. Back there was his pack. He's their alpha."

And then it suddenly makes sense, what had happened back at the bar.

"That's why they're always together? I thought it was because they're all Chinese!" He's this close to smacking himself in the face. Granted, the signs hadn't been all that obvious. It's perfectly normal behavior for people to stick close to those that speak the same language.

"Baekhyun . . ." Chanyeol groans, letting his head fall back on the couch's cushions.

Baekhyun sits in silence for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Why are they mad at you?"

Chanyeol laughs. The sound is staccato, grating, and devoid of humor. "I'm too close to their territory, that's why."

"They think you're a threat?"

"No, they're just a bunch of assholes." He smiles at him crookedly. "Not really. That's just how wolves are."

"Why don't you join their pack?" Baekhyun licks his lips when Chanyeol blinks at him. "Is it because you can't speak Mandarin?"

"No, Baekhyun. It's . . . more complicated than that."

He plays with the hem of his shirt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only told you what I was because I didn't think anything bad would come of it. At worst, you wouldn't see me again." He shrugs. "I couldn't tell you because it's not my place to. Exposing others' identities, especially a pack like Yifan's . . ." Chanyeol hesitates, biting his lower lip. He flexes his fingers almost unconsciously. "Besides, I didn't even know you knew each other."

"If I had known, I wouldn't have let you sign up for those classes," he says, but then immediately regrets it when he sees Chanyeol's pitiful look. He sighs. "Ah well, I guess you really didn't know, then."

"I sometimes smelled Yifan's scent on you, but I thought it was just in passing," he admits. "His scent is everywhere. He's claimed most of the forest, everything north of the stream. The city is technically fair game, but it's still in bad form for me to be on campus."

So that's why they never crossed the brook.

"One time when I was at a bar, Yifan . . . smelled me . . . I think he smelled you on me," Baekhyun says quietly. "I didn't know what was going on. He looked worried." He looks down at his thumbs as a diversion. "Are they afraid you'll hurt me or something?"

Chanyeol regards him with weary eyes. "They're distrustful. It's more of a territorial thing, again."

"They think I'm part of their territory, too?" He feels a rising annoyance.

"Kind of."

"I don't belong to anyone," Baekhyun announces indignantly, sinking back into the couch with a huff.

His friend smiles faintly. "I know you don't. I don't, either. But Yifan seems to like you."

"He's just-protective," he falters, suddenly feeling nervous. "But seriously, why don't you just join their pack? Is it because you don't like them? Or they won't let you?"

The wolf appears to stare at the crackling fireplace intently, but the look in his eyes is distant and far away. The flames are reflected in his pupils and dark brown irises, dancing and shimmering. "Oh, they'd let me. Yifan has offered before." The corners of his mouth crease into a frown. "It wouldn't really be my choice, though. It's more . . . forced."

"Are they gonna let you stick around then, at least? I mean, you've been here for a while, right?" He reaches out and places his hand on the crook of Chanyeol's arm, feeling how heated his skin is. There's a fleeting thought that makes him want to take it back, but he lets it stay there. "My being friends with you isn't going to change anything, is it?"

"His wolves are restless. They're all extremely strong and incredibly bored. His beta, Yixing, is the calm one, but the other two are more excitable. Luhan's a wire, ready to snap any moment. The youngest, Zitao, is reckless. They're itching for some kind of confrontation. But it's not like they'll get a fight out of me." He chuckles darkly. "I'm not the type."

"You're strong," Baekhyun says, poking his bicep. It's hard as a rock despite the soft skin and it nearly hurts his finger. In fact, Chanyeol appears to be more well-built than all of them, but Baekhyun hasn't exactly been paying attention (like he has been for Chanyeol). And he's never seen any of them shirtless.

"They're stronger. It's more about hierarchy than physical human strength," the wolf clarifies, but Baekhyun doesn't really get it.

"It must get lonely, being a lone wolf," he says softly, running his hand down the curved length of Chanyeol's arm. His friend shivers lightly, but Baekhyun doesn't understand the implication.

"I'm used to it. It's better than my other options." He shifts slightly toward Baekhyun, and the boy feels his throat grow tight, like he needs to swallow the feeling down. "Besides, I have you," he says quietly, looking down at him through lidded eyes. Wriggling in his spot uneasily, he puts some more space between them. But he's right. It's not like Baekhyun's going to leave him. He'll never leave him. He just keeps coming back for more.

And he hates it, really. That want. And it feels like a need.

"They could claim me, easily," Chanyeol continues, tapping the seat of the couch with his fingertips agitatedly. "But I don't want them to. I'm not going to let them. Do you know what they'll do to me once I'm in their little pack? I'll be the omega. They'll beat me into submission, even though they don't need to. It won't be pretty, or ideal, at all."

". . I see." But he probably doesn't - not fully - yet he isn't totally clueless as to what Chanyeol's indicating.

Chanyeol reaches over and strokes his hair briefly. "But I won't let anything happen to you." A shiver runs down Baekhyun's spine before he continues speaking.

"So, can we stop talking about this, please?" Swinging his arm over the side of the couch, Chanyeol picks up his acoustic guitar from its place leaning against the back of the furniture. Whenever his friend doesn't want to talk anymore - which isn't often - he grabs his guitar and starts to strum it incessantly. He isn't a bad player. Baekhyun finds it calming, and it evidently calms the wolf down, too.

Chanyeol begins with a chord and then lapses into a folk song, his deep, somewhat raspy voice soothing Baekhyun's nerves and doubts. He still has questions, but for now, he listens contentedly to the soft sound of his friend's singing. After a couple more songs he begins to feel his eyelids grow heavy - damn this cozy cabin and the alluring, velvet tone of Chanyeol's crooning - and he slowly starts to gravitate toward the warm body adjacent to him.

Chanyeol's shoulder is sturdy but it makes a fine pillow, and Baekhyun doesn't even have to ask his friend to phase for him. He'd probably break the couch, anyway. Waves of drowsiness wash over him and he closes his eyes, slipping into a semi-conscious state of near-sleep. The sounds of Chanyeol's plucking and rich vocals begin to fade, and he thinks he can hear him put his guitar down quietly right before he drifts off. Baekhyun feels impossibly warm arms encircle him as he's pulled to his chest, and he inhales, breathing Chanyeol in.

He realizes then that he's been waiting to feel Chanyeol's arms around him, just like this, for a long time.

÷

"Dogs are pack animals, right?"

Baekhyun is brushing the knots out of a Great Pyrenees' matted white coat, a stray they had taken in a few days before, when he asks the question. He and Jongin have jobs at the local veterinarian, masquerading as vet techs, and work at the attached no-kill shelter. The massive canine pants happily, dark eyes darting to and fro, watching as the other dogs play in the outdoor pen. Baekhyun keeps a firm hold on him, an arm around his thick neck to keep him from bolting. The muscles beneath his pelt twitch, anxiously yearning to run with the others.

A young black lab mix suddenly leaps to the ground and nips at his heels, and Baekhyun half-yells, half-laughs in surprise. Jongin grabs the yearling around its torso, smiling as it wiggles around in his arms and licks his face animatedly.

"Yeah. They like being around other dogs and people."

"Is that why you have so many damn poodles?" Baekhyun releases the Pyrenees, watching him bound up to a German Shepherd mutt. He gathers up the pile of fur before a wandering Shih Tzu has the chance to start munching on it. It spills over his arms, overflowing, and the small white-and-tan dog snaps a clump up. Damn.

"No, I just like dogs." His friend laughs a little, placing the lab aside and helping him wrestle the ball of fur out of the Shih Tzu's small mouth.

Baekhyun has always wanted a dog. His parents weren't too keen on the idea, and so his request fell upon deaf ears. Jongin suggested smuggling one of his mini poodles into the apartment, as the landlady doesn't allow dogs on the premises, but decided it would be too much trouble. Baekhyun had fallen back on his job at the veterinarian and the shelter, cherishing the contact with all the dogs, even though he had to perform dissatisfying tasks such as picking up their poop. "Since you're an anthropology major, shouldn't you be working with people, not animals?" Jongin had asked, and Baekhyun had mused it over before replying. "I'm more about the interaction between animals and people than just working with animals, I guess."

"They're really territorial though," Baekhyun remarks when he sees the German Shepherd hybrid growl at a Weimaraner over a bone. His tail is lifted and curved up toward his arched back, baring his fangs.

"They're protective over what's theirs. Like if they see their master getting hurt, or someone posing as a threat, they'll defend them."

The Weimaraner takes its chances and jumps forward, snatching up the bone. The other dog emits a deafening bark, followed by a snarl, and snaps at it. Deciding it's better off not getting hurt, the Weimaraner immediately drops the coveted item and bows low to the ground with a whimper. Nipping at its throat as a show of dominance, the mongrel takes back what's rightfully his.

"But why? Why are they like that?" The boy picks up a rubber toy beside him and tosses it for a waiting Corgi/Dachshund mix. Its stunted legs carry its elongated body with little difficulty, dashing to fetch the object.

"Must have gotten it from their ancestors," Jongin says off-handedly.

"Wolves?"

"Yeah."

The smaller dog isn't that great at the game and returns without the ball. Baekhyun frowns at it.

"Aren't we like that too, though? I mean, we want to protect the ones we love. People fight over other people all the time. Entire nations will start wars because of some land they want to take."

"Sure. Hey, don't forget to tell Junmyeon about the Boxer's limp when we go in. He's favouring his right hind leg," the younger replies, referring to the head veterinarian. When they were first employed, Baekhyun and Jongin would compete for Dr. Kim's attention, but their crushes slowly dissolved as Jongin became interested in Sehun and Baekhyun found that it wasn't fun anymore. Sometimes it's true that wanting something you can't have, or fighting for something that's difficult to attain, is more alluring. Other times, pining after someone brings feelings of hopelessness and a loneliness that's hard to swallow.

Almost all of the dogs in the play yard are interacting in some way: they're scrabbling for dominance, establishing a temporary hierarchy, or playing with one another and sneaking affectionate licks. One canine that resembles a Mastiff is resting in the shade, ignoring the others. Either they're intimidated by it or it just prefers to be alone.

"What happens to a lone wolf?"

"They join a pack, I guess. Or, if they were kicked out of their old one or whatever, they find a mate and start their own pack." Jongin lifts his eyes, regarding him skeptically. "Why are you so interested?"

"No reason," Baekhyun replies hastily, dodging a Siberian Husky that runs past. "Just curious. I have a research assignment about pack dynamics and wolves and stuff."

"What class is that for?"

"Uh . . . humanities. It's like, comparing established human hierarchies and caste systems to another type of non-human system." Bullshit, he has no such assignment, but he has to cover his ass.

"You might want to use the Internet for that one, then. And books. Those exist." Jongin sighs and rises to his feet, brushing the dirt off his pants. A swarm of dogs are drawn to the movement and start crowding around him, begging for pets and treats. An Akita sniffs his backside curiously.

"Yah!" His friend pushes the enthusiastic ass-sniffer away. It's infamous for smelling the other dogs and getting up in their personal space, and it's even been bitten for it several times before. Baekhyun chuckles with faint amusement and begins to head toward the compound.

"C'mon, kids! It's dinner time!"

The sound of dozens of pairs of paws thudding on the earth fills his ears as they scramble back to their indoor enclosure, ears lifted and tails wagging. Jongin herds them into their respective pens, and Baekhyun hangs back with an elderly Pekingese that toddles about, taking its time.

"Come on, old boy. You want your food, right?"

The dog's bulging eyes look up at him, clouded with cataracts. Its long fur drags on the ground, gathering dirt. Baekhyun leans over to pat its head and picks it up gingerly, careful not to harm the old dog. He carries it back to its cage as it snuffles quietly.

"So, that Chanyeol guy . . ." Jongin begins, and Baekhyun freezes.

"What?" Baekhyun turns around to face his friend after putting up the dog.

"You weren't going to introduce him to us?"

"Can we talk about this later, please?" He lathers his hands with sanitizer, shutting his work locker.

"Is he the one you've been-"

"Hanging out with," Baekhyun speaks plainly. "I'm going to go talk to Junmyeon. I'll catch up with you later."

"Whatever." Jongin closes the door behind him and Baekhyun understands that he's still fucking things up with his roommate.

÷

"Let's just run today. Please."

He feels like time's running out.

Baekhyun clutches fistfuls of fur, saddled on the large wolf's back. He presses his small body close to his spine, which goes on for miles, and buries his face into the fur of his nape. His thighs squeeze the canine's sides tightly, taking root. He wants to melt into him. He focuses on the wind combing through his hair and the galloping of Chanyeol's massive paws hitting home on the forest floor.

He opens his eyes and sees that the evening sky is bleeding red, purple streaking the horizon. A howl rips through the clearing they've just broken into and Chanyeol slows to an abrupt halt. Baekhyun's head collides with the back of his neck at the ungraceful stop, apprehension rippling through his form. Chanyeol is still beneath him.

Four beasts stalk toward the wolf and the boy, forming a V-shape that's effectively intimidating and limiting escape. The largest is at the front of the pack, his pelt scintillating gold in the dying sun's light. A beige-and-cream wolf is at his right, a grey one creeping up on his left, and a svelte black one flanking him. Their yellows eyes are alight with fire.

"Chanyeol . . ." He whispers, slender fingers tightening around handfuls of chestnut fur.

The leader snarls, eyes darting to the boy. Baekhyun feels Chanyeol's entire frame tense, feels the growl rise in his throat before he chokes it down for the sake of respect.

"You're overstepping your boundaries," comes Yifan's voice as he phases, taking a few steps toward the pair. Baekhyun's eyes shut out the image of his older friend, naked but still imposing as ever. He feels Chanyeol lower himself to the earth and he blindly slides off his back, feet landing on solid ground.

"The river's over there," Chanyeol replies in his human guise, jerking his head to the right.

"The boy. Stay away from him," Yifan demands gruffly, his voice like gravel.

"He's my friend," the shorter explains, looking back at Baekhyun with large, sad eyes. Baekhyun shivers, suddenly cold despite it being early autumn.

The grey wolf snorts.

"I'm not allowing this to go on any longer. You aren't welcome here. You never were." Yifan informs him. "Leave immediately, or your throat is theirs." The wolves' eyes behind him flash savagely.

Baekhyun steps in front of Chanyeol, outraged.

"Yifan," he begins, addressing him by name for the first time, "he hasn't done anything wrong. I want him to stay. He'll stay out of your way if you stay out of ours."

The Chinese man is taken aback by his boldness, wearing an expression of incredulity.

"You like him?"

The words run through his mind and he doesn't have time to think them over. "Yes. So stop."

"Baekhyun . . ." The two taller men say in unison, their eyes on him.

"Chanyeol isn't going anywhere. He's staying with me." Baekhyun grabs his arm, yanking him close to his side. Chanyeol's breath is coming out fast and heavy and he stiffens at the contact, but his shoulders fall as he instantaneously tries to relax.

"I can't believe this." Yifan shakes his head and cards fingers through his hair. "The two of you are impossible."

"I think we're done here. We're going now," Baekhyun notifies them, backing up and pulling Chanyeol along with him. Chanyeol's eyes are still blown immensely, both bewildered and hesitant, and he looks at Yifan one last time before transforming. Baekhyun mounts his steed unceremoniously, tugging on the fur of his nape to alert him of their departure. The wolf swings his head around once more, sparing the alpha another glance, and then dives back into the woods, leaving the pack behind.

÷

"This isn't going to change anything," Chanyeol frets, restlessly pacing through the minimal space provided in his cottage.

Baekhyun sighs for probably the tenth time since their arrival, leaning back on the sofa. Chanyeol's alternated between sitting down and then immediately standing up again, walking around in tireless circles.

"You're right. It isn't. You already said it won't. Remember?"

"That was before they directly told me to leave."

His friend walks past him then and Baekhyun grabs his wrist, bringing him down to sit next to him on the couch. Chanyeol hides his face in his hands, hunched forward.

"It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. All right?" Baekhyun removes the hands from his face and replaces them with one of his own, brushing his thumb against the wolf boy's cheekbone in what he hopes is a soothing gesture. "Nothing's going to happen."

Chanyeol takes a shuddering breath. "You don't understand, Baekhyun. The alpha told me to get lost," he explains helplessly, resting his hand over Baekhyun's. His hand is so much bigger.

"He's not your alpha. He's just an alpha." No, this is better: "He's just Wu Yifan, who's good at basketball but isn't the goddamn boss of you."

"I don't know," Chanyeol says miserably, brown irises shimmering. "I just don't know."

Baekhyun kisses him then, maybe to shut him up because he's tired of hearing him complain, or maybe to try and reassure him with the feeling of lips rather than the sounds that come out of them. Or maybe it's just because he's wanted to kiss him for a while now.

There's an internal conflict brewing within Chanyeol and he doesn't know how to deal with it, but he's used to the struggle, just in a different way. He's scared, too, deep down, but he doesn't show it. He doesn't want to freak Chanyeol out any more than he already is with his insecurities, and he doesn't want to lose him, so he seals their lips together and holds on.

Chanyeol kisses him back, tentatively at first, the slide of their lips together smooth and electric. It's a gentle caress and it causes Baekhyun to sink back further into the couch even when he wants to press nearer. Chanyeol's lips are warm and soft and feel so nice covering his.

The taller boy slips his arms around Baekhyun's waist, pulling him close to his chest in an embrace. He props his chin on the crown of his head and breathes in deeply.

"Your hair smells like strawberries."

Baekhyun could choke. He chooses instead to meld their lips together again, saving himself from embarrassment.

Their leisurely, shy kissing rapidly escalates into something akin to desperation when Chanyeol begins gasping and hiccupping into his mouth, which he's parted slightly for easier access. The smaller boy runs his tongue along the other's full lips, tasting him. Something in Chanyeol shifts and he covers him with his lean body, slipping his tongue into his waiting mouth. He explores the velvet softness with the tip of his tongue, moaning as his eyelids flutter closed. Baekhyun wraps his arms around his neck, twining his fingers together, and bucks up greedily against the boy's sharp hipbones.

Chanyeol gasps and breaks away, half to breathe and half to evaluate Baekhyun's eagerness. Baekhyun's already getting hard, he's fucking wanted this for so long, and he whimpers with desire as he brushes his clothed erection against Chanyeol's hand. His friend watches him, senses his frantic need as he methodically pumps his hips for the friction he craves, rocking against him. He lets Chanyeol's lips find his own again, swallowing his whines and groans as he slips his hand down the front of Baekhyun's shorts. Baekhyun is already shimmying out of them, unbuttoning Chanyeol's when he's blessedly relieved of his clothing. Chanyeol pulls his shirt up over his head and kneads a nipple between his two fingers, and Baekhyun arches his back, keening.

The wolf leans forward and lets his tongue smooth over the bud and Baekhyun's breathing becomes quicker, shallower.

"I know," he says in between pants, "how much you liked this." He's undeniably referring to the heated tongue bath from before, Baekhyun reminisces with a shiver of pleasure.

"God, yes, more," Baekhyun agrees with him, unashamed. Chanyeol continues his ministrations, letting the flat of his tongue swipe across his chest. He noses back up to his neck, kissing and sucking marks onto his pale skin. His hips dip down and forward, brushing the length of his naked cock against Baekhyun's. Chanyeol doesn't have much use for underwear, but Baekhyun's still trapped in his, and the friction of the thin fabric rubbing against his cock and the warmth from Chanyeol's is both delicious and maddening.

Chanyeol catches Baekhyun's earlobe between his teeth and he inhales sharply, which breaks into a long, drawn-out moan as Chanyeol pulls down his underwear and frees his cock. He takes it in his hand, which is so disproportionately large that it practically dwarfs his length, and circles the head with the pad of his thumb, spreading precum around the tip. Digging his blunt nail into the slit makes Baekhyun cry out, hips jerking up violently. Chanyeol covers his mouth in another kiss, muffling his whimpers and turning them into squeaks, and takes his cock into his hand as well, letting the undersides slide together.

He starts up a gradual rhythm, slicking their cocks with precum, wrist flicking and twisting and pulling. The way Baekhyun's smaller cock insistently presses up against Chanyeol's would make him laugh on any other occasion, because Chanyeol is hung. He's never seen him hard before, despite his penchant for nakedness, so this revelation is both really hot and slightly intimidating. He's still anticipating it, however, almost itching for it, and his mouth is watering for the sensation of being stuffed full of Chanyeol's cock.

Baekhyun inches closer, slipping further beneath the wolf boy and lifting his hips up, searching for more pressure on and around his cock. Chanyeol slows down the pace, his brows lightly knitted in concentration, and Baekhyun groans as his wishes are instantly shot down. He wants Chanyeol to touch him everywhere and run his large, warm hands all over his body, leaving love bites that'll last for days on his tender skin. He doesn't know how to tell him this, too overwhelmed by the hundreds of nerve-endings firing off every split second, and normally he's very vocal and demanding during sex but it's never felt like this: it's never been this personal, this intimate. He's never wanted someone so badly.

Chanyeol lifts his hand - the one that isn't wrapped loosely around their cocks - to his own mouth and sticks two fingers in, knuckle-deep. Baekhyun thinks he wouldn't mind Chanyeol's fingers inside his mouth and inside other places, too, and moans at the sight when he pulls them out, dripping. He thinks he knows what's coming but isn't prepared when he feels those two fingers circling his entrance, making the sensitive skin there tingle. His hole clenches in anticipation and his dick twitches with want, but there are butterflies rolling around in the pit of his stomach despite his groin being on fire.

"Relax," Chanyeol says, his deep voice sounding so wrecked already, and Baekhyun moans and nods. He releases their erections and kisses down his flat stomach, licking a stripe up the underside of his cock, curved and flushed against his belly. Sucking at the head for a few long seconds, bobbing his head up and down, he lets go with a string of saliva and precum connecting his lower lip and the tip. Baekhyun watches as he moves lower, spreading his thighs, and his legs fall open for him effortlessly and obediently, like he belongs there, between his legs. Chanyeol marvels at the view and Baekhyun feels heat cross over his chest, which is red and blotchy and heaving with arousal, and squirms slightly. Too slowly, Chanyeol dips his head and flicks his tongue against his entrance, and Baekhyun sucks in a breath through his teeth, arching his back.

"Chanyeol . . ." He draws his name out, bringing his fist up to his mouth and biting back a moan. Chanyeol gathers up all the moisture in his mouth and spits, letting the saliva fall on his puckered hole, and Baekhyun is reminded of those gay pornos where they just use a bit of spit for lube and it looks so cheap and god he doesn't really want this to hurt, because Chanyeol is so big, but when Chanyeol does it, it's so damn hot and it sends a flare of arousal up his spine.

Without warning, one of his fingers is pushing past the tight ring of muscle and the glide is so smooth that Baekhyun squeaks in surprise as he thinks, Holy shit, wolf saliva doesn't just heal wounds, it acts as a lubricant, too, and he wants to laugh because Chanyeol is so fucking amazing but he's also kind of finger-fucking him right now and he can only make strangled noises of contentment.

Chanyeol's fingers match his hands in length and girth (and his dick, too), and Baekhyun already feels full with just one of them inside of him, but he pushes back, wanting more. Chanyeol slides in another and Baekhyun wraps his arms around his broad back, dragging his nails down. The wolf boy grunts and kisses him wetly, scissoring him open. The stretch burns somewhat but Baekhyun likes it, and Chanyeol adds a third finger when he's ready, thrusting in and pulling out to the tips and then sliding them all the way back to the last knuckle. With a gasp of much-needed air, Chanyeol leaves his lips, which he'd been biting and sucking on, and returns to his rear. He holds him open and sticks his tongue in between his fingers, re-wetting his insides and the rim of his hole. Baekhyun's eyes roll back, staring at the ceiling, which is blurring in and out of focus as waves of pleasure course through his body.

The sound of Chanyeol spitting again reaches his ears, probably on his cock, and Baekhyun inclines his head and watches as he smears the substance over his length. He wraps his legs around his waist, pulling him close, and holds his breath when the fat head of his cock presses against his entrance. Chanyeol's breaths play through his brain as he pushes in, gently, but Baekhyun still groans at the feeling of being stuffed to the brim. He stops when he's buried to the hilt, arms on either side of Baekhyun and looking down at him, breathing heavily. Baekhyun bends at the waist and pecks his lips, giving him the okay to start moving.

Chanyeol's hips rock into him and the room is filled with the chorus of their moans, harmonizing together, and the thick, heady scent of sex. Picking up the rhythm of his thrusts, Baekhyun focuses on the feeling of his long cock inside him, sliding against his walls, and clenches around him intermittently, earning appreciative groans and gasps from Chanyeol. His balls slap against his asscheeks, which are glowing pink, and after a while, Chanyeol's hips begin to stutter. Baekhyun knows he's close, whining when Chanyeol scrambles to gather him up in his arms, pulling him into his lap. He rides him, lifting himself up and then sinking back down, when Chanyeol's hands suddenly grasp his hips and his fingers dig into bone, where bruises will later form. He holds him in place, impaled all the way on his cock, and takes a few gasping breaths.

Baekhyun begins to panic. He feels himself being stretched even more, impossibly so, as if Chanyeol's growing inside of him. He wriggles the upper-half of his body as though he could get away, twisting on his rapidly expanding cock, and Chanyeol squeezes him tighter in his arms, pulling him closer.

"Shh, it's okay," Chanyeol says in his ear, attempting to pacify him.

"Chanyeol, what-" He sinks even lower and lets out a strangled cry of discomfort, pressing his fingertips into the skin on Chanyeol's back.

"I'm - we're - knotting-" His brow creases with effort, his face glimmering with a sheen of sweat.

Baekhyun has experienced knotting before - not first-handedly, of course - at the animal shelter. Jongin had accidentally let a bitch in heat out into the yard with the unfixed males and one of them had mounted her when they weren't looking. Baekhyun had tried to separate them, not wanting to deal with the consequences (puppies meant more work for them), but Jongin had waved him off. "It's too late now," he had said. "He isn't physically able to get off for a while." He was definitely physically able to get off in the other sense, and for a long while: they had mated for thirty minutes. The anthropology major had waited for them to finish, twiddling his thumbs and idly wondering just how much cum he was pumping into her, and how many damn puppies that would bring.

Puppies isn't an issue for them, though, so Baekhyun builds up his patience and courage and hopes they don't have to stay like this for half an hour. He feels it when he comes, his cock throbbing inside him, bursts of heat coating his interior. Chanyeol rests his forehead on his shoulder, panting, and Baekhyun waits to get off. At this angle, however, he quickly realizes that Chanyeol's enlarged cock is pressing delightfully against his prostate, and he starts to move his hips in circles, stimulating the sensitive gland. Jolts of pleasure climb up his spine when Chanyeol pulls himself together and wraps his hand around his cock, jerking him off to completion. He throws his head back in bliss as white spurts on the taller boy's chest and spills over his fist.

When they're both still in each other's arms, listening to the sound of their breathing, Chanyeol speaks.

"I wish I could make you mine," he mutters into his neck, lips brushing over the marks he's left.

"What?" Baekhyun can feel his heartbeat all of a sudden. Or maybe it's Chanyeol's.

"Nothing," he says dismissively, turning his cheek.

It doesn't take too long for Chanyeol to finish and return to his normal size, and he carefully slides out of the boy, laying him back on the couch. Baekhyun feels spent and completely satisfied, but he has half the mind to think about the clean-up that will be needed, and Chanyeol probably doesn't want cum stains on his upholstery. He can sense it beginning to slip out of his hole and mewls in surprise when Chanyeol lifts his ass up with his hands cradling either cheek, lowering his head and dragging the flat of his tongue up his crack. He laps up the substance, sucking occasionally to tease more of his cum out of Baekhyun's hole. If he hadn't already just gotten off, he probably would now, because Chanyeol's giving him a tongue bath down there, cleaning him up, and he nearly reaches for his cock to stroke himself for another round. But he knows his limits and is merely content to feel Chanyeol's tongue on him, also pleasantly dulling the burn.

When he's done (which isn't for a while, because Chanyeol filled him up quite generously), Chanyeol unfolds his slim form and lets him rest back on the cushions. He appears to hesitate, lips hovering over Baekhyun's, and Baekhyun slings his arm around his neck and pulls him in for a kiss. He tastes Chanyeol's cum and himself and there's a rush of excitement, but he forces himself to relax because he's so tired. He snuggles into the wolf, closing his eyes. He's aware of Chanyeol watching him, and he cracks open an eye. Chanyeol sighs.

"Come on, let's move to the bed," he offers, picking him up carefully. Baekhyun doesn't let go of his hold around Chanyeol's neck as he carries him to his bed, not when he kisses his eyelids good night and not when he kisses his mouth, so softly and sweetly. They fall asleep curled around each other, and Baekhyun extinguishes the flame of potency the words he'd heard earlier that day hold, nagging at his mind like a parasite.

"The two of you are impossible."

÷

Baekhyun wakes up in the morning and Chanyeol is gone.

He isn't in the living room, the kitchen, or the bathroom. He isn't in the cabin at all.

Baekhyun stumbles outside into sunlight and trees, feeling lost. The world is suddenly so big and he's so small.

He checks all of the usual spots: the fields they'd crossed and the rocks they'd rested upon, the fallen trees they'd hurdled over and the inclines they'd scaled. When he enters the clearing dappled with wildflowers, a blinding, dizzying myriad of colour, he stops, looks, falls to the ground. The tall grass swallows him up and he presses his cheek to the cool earth, listening for the familiar pulse of pawfalls reverberating through the soil but only hears the lonely beating of his heart.

The undisputed alpha's declaration hammers away in his head.

"The two of you are impossible."

When he was making love with Chanyeol he had thought they'd proven him wrong.

He's been jilted.

I can't believe this.

He's lying to himself. He can. He can believe that this is happening right now, in this very moment: that Chanyeol couldn't fight the primal instinct to submit and obey, and that he'd abandoned him to save his own ass.

Yifan had won his petty conquest for dominance. His scope of influence was greater than Baekhyun had initially comprehended.

He rolls listlessly onto his side.

"You like him?"

Baekhyun does. He feels a certain attachment to the wolf boy, one that he can no longer deny. He had filled an emptiness inside of him that he hadn't known existed before, only during the dark nights when he lied in bed, alone. And now that bond has been ripped away from him, leaving him feeling broken. Being with Chanyeol had felt like a breath of air after being trapped in a room full of smoke.

The sun's brilliance hurts his eyes. And it stings, and it burns, and there are tears on his face that he can't wipe away and a scar on his heart that won't disappear.

With heavy limbs he sits up, sniffing. He hasn't checked the campus but he knows Chanyeol won't be there. He won't be at his apartment, either. The city is irrelevant without Chanyeol's presence.

He notices then that he's bleeding. Baekhyun lifts his arm up to eye-level, evaluating his wrist, which is smeared with crimson and torn, uneven flesh. His gaze drops to the cause: a jagged rock he must have come in contact with when he'd fallen.

"Baekhyun."

As if the scent of blood and weakness had attracted him, Yifan appears.

The boy curls in on himself, cradling his injured hand.

Yifan's eyes flash.

"You're bleeding."

"Chanyeol . . ." It's all he can say, the only name he can breathe. It hurts too much.

"I don't sense him anymore." The alpha kneels down in front of him. He takes his wrist in his hand. It's bigger than Chanyeol's. Baekhyun's wrist is bird bones in his grasp.

"Here, let me."

He brings it to his lips, his tongue gliding over the wound. Baekhyun jerks away violently.

"No!"

Yifan frowns, but makes no move to touch him again.

"You smell like him," Yifan says.

His eyes land on the love bites covering his neck, the dip of his exposed collarbone. Baekhyun turns his head and tugs at his collar, pulling it up uselessly. He feels ashamed. And angry.

"I want you to go."

The wolf is silent.

"Leave."

He takes a shaky breath.

"Please."

Yifan does not move. After several long seconds, he places his hands on his knees and pushes himself to his feet.

"It wouldn't have lasted, anyway."

Baekhyun closes his eyes.

÷

A week passes without Chanyeol. Baekhyun continues attending classes as usual. There's an empty seat next to him in every class.

His friends are concerned. He's acting strange but he's trying not to. His façade is cracking.

One afternoon, sitting at a table in the cafeteria with Jongdae and Jongin, Baekhyun overhears Yifan in the corner talking to his packmates.

"His scent isn't around here any longer," he says in Korean, so that Baekhyun will hear him.

The boys try dragging him to bars or out for a night of bowling to distract him. Baekhyun's smile always grows smaller and smaller. He doesn't laugh as much. When he does it's forced, hollow.

In Jongin's room, after making love with Sehun, he hears the couple arguing about him through the wall. He tunes them out, putting his ear buds in and letting the sound of Maroon 5's "Sad" envelope him.

The days blend together. He thinks another week goes by. He's not sure.

Time moves slowly.

÷

The doorbell rings. Sehun never uses the doorbell. Jongdae has a signature knock, three quick raps followed by two pounds.

He lets Jongin get it. It won't be for him, anyway. He remains in bed, counting imaginary stars on the ceiling.

"Baekhyun? Someone's at the door for you."

Feeling like he's walking through molasses, only not as sweet, he enters the living room. Jongin steps aside and reveals a lanky boy standing in the doorway, hands stuffed in his pockets. He grins, sadly. Baekhyun feels the force of a thousand trains slam into him.

"Hey."

Baekhyun has lost all ability to speak.

"We need to talk."

"I think you do," Jongin agrees, eyeing Baekhyun carefully, cautiously. Measuring his condition, his situation.

Baekhyun follows Chanyeol to the edge of the woods not far from his apartment. He feels as though he's in a dream. He's fallen asleep and his unconscious mind is playing cruel tricks on him.

It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.

Without a strength that's almost inhuman, Chanyeol grabs his wrist and pulls him close. His lips are just as warm as he remembered.

After breaking away from the kiss, Chanyeol stands back, gauging his reaction. Baekhyun merely blinks.

"You said you wanted to talk, so talk."

Chanyeol looks at him guiltily before he speaks.

"Baekhyun, I'm so . . . I'm so sorry. I couldn't stay away. I couldn't stop thinking about you, how good you feel in my arms, and how right it felt when we were together." He shakes slightly, like he's debating whether he should embrace him once more or run away again and stay gone. He laughs humorlessly. "I felt so lonely."

"How do you think I felt?" Baekhyun asks, his voice echoing. "How do you think I felt?"

Chanyeol sighs. "I know. God . . . I know, and I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you." He bites his lip. "Hurting you hurt me. It hurt a lot."

"You're so fucking selfish." But so are you. Chanyeol isn't really selfish. In fact, he thinks, he's probably one of the most selfless people he knows.

So he sucks in a breath. "Please stay. I . . . I want you to stay. With me. I want to be with you. No one is born to be lonely. Not even you, Chanyeol." Chanyeol, the wolf that's been alone all his life. "Not even us."

Chanyeol takes his hands in his and leans in, pressing their foreheads together. He closes his eyes.

"Thank you, Baekhyun." Thank you.

I missed you so much.

Chanyeol molds their lips together and Baekhyun agrees: they go well with one another.

His tapered fingers curl around the fabric of his shirt and he doesn't let go for a long time.

÷

The group of friends concludes that the bars aren't suited for any more gatherings. Jongdae's apartment quickly becomes the preferred place to meet.

Baekhyun is perched on Chanyeol's lap, cherishing the weight of his arms around his waist. The taller nuzzles into his neck, brushing his nose along the line of his jaw. Baekhyun giggles, already a little light-headed from the beer, and turns his head to kiss him chastely on the lips. He then takes a swig of his drink when Jongin pipes up from couch across from them.

"When are you two getting married?"

Baekhyun nearly spits the liquid out of his mouth.

Chanyeol quakes with laughter behind him.

"I think we should be asking you that question," he says, glancing at Sehun. The light-haired boy's eyes flick up with slight annoyance, his legs stretched over Jongin's thighs.

"What."

Jongdae groans, grabbing another bottle from the stash on the coffee table. "Come on, guys. I didn't invite you all over to remind me how woefully single I am."

"What about that one guy, Minseok?" Baekhyun chirps before coughing delicately into his hand, trying to avoid the question that was previously asked of him.

"Min-who?" Chanyeol inquires, curious.

"This adorable redhead that I sometimes see Jongdae staring at," Jongin replies. He smirks devilishly. "He has a nice ass."

Jongdae flushes deeply. "I do not. Stare at him, anyway."

"No, you just stare at his cute butt." Sehun speaks plainly.

Baekhyun muses over what his roommate suggested while they continue teasing Jongdae about the soccer player. He doesn't know if "getting married" is the right term, or if it's "becoming mates;" but the thought gnaws at the back of his mind, taunting him. Chanyeol threads their fingers together as if to reassure him, squeezing lightly.

All Baekhyun knows is that neither of them has to be lonely anymore.

A/N:
Thank you so much, M, for being my beta. Thank you P for your hand-holding and encouragement (AKA yelling at me to shut up and go write).
To my recipient: Thanks for the prompt and for participating! I'm pretty sure this wasn't exactly what you wanted or even what you were expecting, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless!
To The Baekfest Mods: Thank for you the experience and all your hard work organizing this event~
To whoever has made it to this point: Thank you for reading. :)

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