Unleashed, Chapter 4
Title: The Time Has Come
Fandom(s): TVXQ
Characters: Yunho,Changmin, Jaejoong, Junsu, Yoochun, and pretty much all of Suju. cuz I can.
Pairing(s): HoMin (Yunho/Changmin)
Rating: PG-13 this chap
Summary: It's about to go down...
Genre: Werewolf AU, Smut, Romance
Warnings: a bit of violence, but nothing too cray
Word count: ~4800
The next day seems to roll by in a haze for Yunho. He's not even entirely certain how he managed to get through the work day, every little thing just set his nerves on edge. He watches over Changmin again, not letting his pregnant lover out of his sight for even a second, not giving a damn who thinks it strange. Yunho knows that come tomorrow, the plan springs into action, and he can't help but let thoughts of what all could possibly go wrong plague his mind. It's a unique form of torture, one he earnestly hopes he doesn't have to deal with again for a very, very long time.
Changmin, on the other hand, seems amazingly unaffected. He carries himself just as always, and Yunho finds himself filled with a sense of pride. His mate is a strong one, braver than he could have dreamed, and Yunho feels grateful to have him by his side. Part of him thinks that Changmin might even be stronger than he is, and a very small part of him knows it. It's Changmin's strength that gives him hope; that gets him through the day, makes him think that perchance yes, just maybe everything will be ok.
When close of business rolls around, Yunho flocks immediately to Changmin's side, as is slowly becoming tradition, walking him out to the car and making sure he gets inside of it untouched. He drives back to Jaejoong's place in relative silence, Changmin's hand wrapped around his thigh encouragingly, squeezing in reassurance. Changmin knows the turmoil rolling around inside Yunho's mind; he doesn't need to ask. He shares some of that same turmoil himself. The only difference is, he's able to keep it all inside, for Yunho's sake. That is his duty, and he refuses to add more stress onto his lover, and so he remains quiet and steadfast, although he's just as terrified as Yunho is.
When they arrive back at the apartment, something seems....off. First of all, Yunho notices immediately that there a quite a few more cars than usual parked around his spot. Once they actually get into the building and up to the room, the ruckus that can be heard through the door also gives Yunho pause, as that sounds like a hell of a lot more than three people moving about in there. When he opens the door, the scent hits him like a Mack truck, and he relizes instantly that yes, there are indeeda hell of a lot more than three people in here, in fact it looks like a house party with not enough room, and smells a bit more like a zoo. There's the distinct odor of fellow alphas, the rather sickeningly sweet scent of omega, and a whole array of in-between. When Yunho enters, all eyes are on him, and he feels more than a little bit on edge.
He waves, not sure what else to do. "Hello there. What's the party for and why wasn't I invited?"
There's a moment of silence, and suddenly, (thank all the heavens) Jaejoong appears from somewhere in the kitchen area. "Oh, hey Yunho, Changmin." He nods to each in turn, smiling. "Sorry, it's a bit of a madhouse in here." He gestures at the room at large, a bit grandiosely, but in a very 'Jaejoong' fashion. "These.....are your reinforcements. Not bad, eh?"
Yunho nods, and suddenly the situation makes a hell of a lot more sense. Although, he didn't realize that all of their small 'army' was going to be crashing at the apartment. Needless to say, this is going to get really interesting, really quickly. He forces a smile, looking around and trying to greet everyone at large. "Yes, fantastic. Thank all of you for being here, we really appreciate your help. Seriously." The room grumbles various forms of acknowledgement, some just nodding, some bowing in respect, others ignoring him flat-out. One steps up, looking rather kind, and giving off an aura of wisdom. The man speaks, and Yunho feels instantly comfortable around him. "Hey, I'm Jeong-su. I'm the alpha of most of these clowns." He gestures to the group at large. "We're from a bit farther north, close to the border. We patrol, make sure the Northern packs don't try to cross over." He pauses, continuing, "We're familiar with Siwon's pack, well I guess it's Minho's now..." he gives a little shrug, "but anyway..they're usually nothing but trouble."
Yunho smiles, but allows Jeong-su to continue. "And when Junsu called," he gestures towards said man, who, Yunho now notices, is sitting on the couch, getting rather cozy with Yoochun. There's an unknown person on his other side, eyeing Junsu like he's a piece of meat, and it's pretty clear that Junsu is doing everything in his power to look as off the market as humanly possible. It's kind of adorable, but Yunho quickly realizes that Jeong-su is still speaking, and so he forces himself to listen. "-told us your story, and well, we've been dying to take those idiots out for ages. So I grabbed a few of my own, got some friends on board, and here we are, at your service."
Yunho gives a little bow, showing his respect and appreciation. "And I thank you for it. We're forever indebted to you for your assistance, truly." Jeong-su waves him away casually, shaking his head. "Nah. It's perfectly fine. Like I said, we've been looking for a reason to knock that crew down a few pegs. And besides, never hurts to have more allies. I scratch your back, you scratch mine, right?" Yunho nods. "Of course. We're not really much of a...pack....but I believe I speak for all five of us in saying that we'd be happy to return the favor any time." Jeong-su smiles, "Perfect. All is well then." Yunho tilts his head curiously, something nagging at his mind. "Might I ask a question, though? What do you mean when you say you've been looking for a reason. Did Siwon's pack do something to yours? I'm sorry to pry, I'm just curious."
Jeong-su waves his hand dismissively, "Not prying at all." He sighs, beginning a brief explanation. "Long story short, Siwon was a greedy bastard. And we have no doubt that Minho is the same. Siwon was always trying to expand his pack, putting his nose in other packs' business, plotting to take over several of them..." gestures in a rolling motion, "so on and so forth. He'd have probably taken over all of Korea if he could." Changmin speaks up for the first time since they entered the apartment, agreeing. "It's true." All eyes in the room now settle on him, and he gulps, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the scrutiny. "Siwon was always picking fights with other packs. It's likely what got so many of us killed the night we were raided."
Jeong-su's eyes widen at that. "Ah, yes, I remember hearing about that. Bad news travels fast in our world. You're Changmin, I assume?" Changmin nods, holding onto Yunho's arm tightly. "I am." Jeong-su smiles, nodding. "Pleasure to meet you. Aishh...I'm an asshole. Totally forgot to introduce the rest of us." He points to the man currently making Junsu a nervous mess, "that's my second-hand man, Heechul." The addressed gives a little salute, smiling. "That'd be me. Nice to meet ya." Jeong-su points to the man on Heechul's other side, who seems rather uninterested in all the goings-on, "That's Kyuhyun." The man nods, giving a small smile and a wave.
Jeong-Su indicates three others, all sitting in a circle on the floor. "That's Hyukjae, Ryeowook, and Henry." They all give curt little nods, quickly turning back to their conversations. He then points to two standing against the wall. "That's Young-woon and Jong-woon." Jeong-su adds, "That's all of my crew. Those two," indicates two men that are rather separated from the others, leaning against the far wall on the opposite side of the living area. "are Jinki and Jonghyun." Those two turn at the mention of their names, giving little waves. They seem friendly enough, and it's fairly obvious that they're not with the others. Jeong-su explains, "They're from a neighboring pack that patrols with us on occasion. And that's everyone." He smiles, and Yunho finds that he likes him, and is very much grateful for his presence.
Yunho smiles, trying his best to address everyone, "Great. It really is wonderful to meet you all, and I can't tell you what it means to me that you're assisting us. It won't go forgotten, I assure you." He wraps an arm around Changmin's waist, pulling him close. The guy creeping on Junsu, Heechul, if Yunho remembers correctly, speaks up, cooing playfully. "Aww, you two are adorable. We can't let anything happen to such a cute lil preggo like him," gestures to Changmin, "now can we?" Jeong-su sits back down, laughing. "Don't mind this one," he jerks a thumb in Heechul's direction, "he's a piece of work. Fantastic fighter, but crazy as all get out, aren't ya, Hee?" Heechul rolls his eyes, jabbing his alpha in the side. "It's a good thing you're cute, you know. Otherwise I'd never put up with your shit."
Jeong-su just laughs, and a few of the others echo him. Just then, Jaejoong pipes up, saying the words that will undoubtedly get any weres' attention. "Alright you bunch of jackasses, I've got fresh meat over here! Get your stinky butts in here if you plan on eating!" The entire room seems to get up at once, the mention of 'food' having all of them crowding into the kitchen at once. "Ay, ay, ay!" Jaejoong bellows, "this ain't a fuckin' buffet, single file line, please! Can we get some kind of order around here? Damn!" The crowd mutters their agreement, beginning to get a bit more organized, slowly. Yunho nudges Changmin forward. "Go eat, baby. I know you're hungry. I can wait."
Changmin cocks a brow, uncertain. "Are you sure? I don't want you to miss out.." Yunho places a finger to his lips gently, silencing him. "It's Jaejoong, you know he makes enough to feed twelve armies. There'll be plenty. Go." Changmin nods, heading towards the kitchen as Yunho hangs back, deciding to wait until the line goes down a little. Jeong-su notices Changmin approach, and immediately stops, issuing a command to his fellows. "Yah, everyone back up, let him get some. He's eating for more than one, don't be rude." The others obey without dissent, and one of the outsiders, Jonghyun, actually grabs a plate, loads it full of meat, and hands it to Changmin. "Here you go, is this enough?" He asks with a gentle smile. Changmin nods, giving a small bow. "Wow, yes. Thank you. You're very kind." Jonghyun smiles. "I have a pregnant mate myself, at home. I know all about feeding growing were babies." He gives a wink, and Changmin chuckles, thanking him again before walking into the living area and dropping onto one of the couches.
Everyone eats heartily, knowing that they will very much need their energy for the next day. They all talk and get to know each other a bit better as the night wears on, sharing food and drink and a few laughs, too. It's a bit insane, what with literally wall to wall people crammed into the small apartment, but Yunho and Changmin both grow to appreciate each of them, and all in all, the night is a fun one. When it comes time to go to sleep, many of them crash on the floor, Jaejoong delving out blankets and pillows while some of them lay out on the couch and recliners. Yunho and Changmin wish everyone a fond goodnight, heading back to their current bedroom, curling up in each other's arms, ready to get some very much needed shut-eye.
Changmin passes out damn near immediately, while Yunho is still a bit restless. He watches his lover as he sleeps, taking time to notice just how stunningly beautiful he truly is, how passive and angelic he looks while he sleeps. All he can think of is how he hopes with all his might that this isn't the last time he gets to see Changmin like this.
After an hour or so, Yunho finally falls into a fitful sleep, holding Changmin close as the nightmares wrack his brain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Changmin is the first to wake up the next morning, feeling fair well rested despite all that's happened, and more importantly, about to happen. He feels arms draped around him, possessively so, and the intoxicating scent of his lover, his alpha, invades his senses. Both sides of him; the predominant wolf, and the secondary human, feel an overwhelming sense of home, and it makes him feel safe, makes him feel like he can overcome anything, as long as he has this man by his side. He watches Yunho sleep for a few moments, studies the furrow of his brow and the slant of his jaw, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek, unable to resist. His lover's eyes flutter open at the gentle touch, eyes immediately looking at Changmin's, a small smile forming on his lips before he can stop it. "Morning, gorgeous." He says, voice a bit groggy with sleep.
Changmin smiles back, eyes bright. "Morning, handsome." He lets out a little sigh, but retains his smile. "You ready to kick some ass today?" Yunho chuckles, giving his head a small shake. "Is that what we're going to do? God I hope so." Changmin nods. "Yes. Only positive thoughts right now. I won't allow anything else." Yunho nuzzles his neck, the gesture slightly wolf-like, inhaling his scent and trying to stay calm. "Anything you want, baby. I'll do my best. We're gonna get through this...we have to..."
Changmin kisses the corner of his lips, a sign of reassurance. They lie together side by side for a few moments, silent, just enjoying the simple intimacy of being so close to one another. All too soon, the time comes for them to put their plan into action. The details are a bit vague, which is what scares Yunho the most, but there really was no time to perfect it, and maybe that's for the best. Yunho makes a call to his boss, feigning illness and apologizing profusely, clearing the way for Changmin to show up solo. The 'troops' rally, and they all cram into two vehicles, neither of which would be recognizable to the enemy, and they head for the office building, tailing Changmin from afar as he takes a car of his own, so as to not rouse too much suspicion.
Yunho's eternally grateful that Jaejoong volunteered to drive, as he fears he'd wreck the car due to the current state of his anxiety. Once they arrive, they park on the same level of the garage as Changmin, but each car picks a different row. Jeong-su and some of his crew park closest to Changmin, and five of them pile out of the car, all dressed in suits, like they're employees about to walk in to start the work day, just like anyone else. They walk several feet behind Changmin, and Yunho has to admit, he's impressed with how casual they seem, how well they blend in. He watches from afar for a few moments before getting out of his car, Jaejoong, Yoochun, Junsu, and a few others exiting as well, staying well behind, but staying vigilant. Changmin's life is in the hands of Jeong-su and his pack at this point, as they are the only ones that Minho and his crew might not readily recognize. Yunho doesn't like it, but he's left without much choice.
A few others of the northern pack begin to make their appearance, filtering out from their spot a few lanes down, making their way towards the others a bit more slowly, waiting to see if they're needed.
Everything seems perfectly fine until Changmin reaches the elevator, and then suddenly, Jeong-su's head darts up, and he appears to be sniffing the air.
And then it all goes to hell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One hour earlier.....
Minho is outside the office building again, Zhoumi at his side. They had successfully located the place where Changmin and Yunho were staying the previous night, but didn't dare act, as the moment they arrived outside the door, the stench of multiple weres hit them like a ton of bricks, and they did not come prepared to deal with that amount of enemies.
They're prepared now, however. Fully.
Minho had been able to scrounge up quite a few reinforcements of his own, leaving their total ranks at around twenty. All of whom are getting ready to descend on the office building as they speak. Minho's not really certain if they'll even show up today, or if they have some other plan up their sleeve, but either way, he's going to be ready. If they show up at the office, they're going down. If they don't, they'll go to the apartment and take them down there. Easy enough.
After about thirty minutes, the rest of their recruits arrive, spreading themselves out strategically around the building, most of them heading to the parking garage, because if the enemy does in fact show up, that's the place they'll have to go first. They lie in wait, Minho and Zhoumi ready to issue silent commands in wolf form should anything need to be communicated to the others. It's only about another thirty minutes before Minho sees Changmin pull up and park. Only when he steps out of the car does Minho realize that Changmin is alone.
"God, they're stupid. I can't believe they'd actually let him come here by himself." Zhoumi speaks to Minho through the pack mind. Minho shakes his head, the words echoing in all the others' heads. "I don't trust it. They're all here, I guarantee it. They're trying to set a trap for us. Little do they know, we have the upper hand."
Minho sees a group of other men walking toward the building not too far behind Changmin, silently cursing their luck. They can't exactly attack their target when there's unsuspecting humans about. However, when one of the men stops short, sniffing the air, Minho immediately realizes that it's not a human at all. Only a were acts in such a manner.
Minho issues the command, completely convinced and not wanting to waste any more time. "They're all weres. Flank them, kill them all. Bring Changmin to me alive. Do it. Now."
They don't need to be told twice.
Zhoumi darts out from behind an SUV, charging directly at Changmin, making to tackle him, several others behind him, surrounding the enemy weres with swift efficiency. The enemies shift down to their full wolf form immediately, and the sound of growls echo off the walls in the large, open space. More enemy wolves appear, and the rest of Minho's men fall in as well, having heard the call moments ago.
It's a showdown, and who will come out the victor is yet to be seen....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yunho sees everything change almost as if it's happening in slow motion. He registers the sight of Zhoumi running at Changmin and his heart nearly stops. Not caring about anything else, he issues a command to the others. "Move! Now! Protect Changmin at all costs, move, move, move!!"
He shifts into wolf form immediately, and the others follow suit. Soon, the sound of paws hitting concrete is all Yunho can register beyond the blood rushing in his ears. His eyes are trained on Changmin, who has also shifted, bless him and his instincts. Zhoumi has pounced on him, taking him to the floor, Changmin twisting his body so that he lands on his back, protection instincts taking over. Yunho is nearly there, but Jeong-su, who is quickly becoming one of Yunho's new favorite people, is on Zhoumi so quickly that it's nearly a blur. A smaller, reddish-haired wolf is assisting, whom Yunho assumes must be Heechul, and between the two of them they manage to get Zhoumi off of Changmin and immobilized, pinned to the floor. It doesn't hold, unfortunately, as apparently Zhoumi is a slippery one and he manages to wriggle out from under Jeong-su's hold, running back towards his packmates. Yunho finally arrives, speaking to the two from the northern pack.
"I've got Changmin, go assist the others."
Heechul and Jeong-su nod, moving away to get involved in the fray. Yunho hovers protectively over his mate, looking down at him with concern evident in his deep, canine eyes.
"Baby, are you alright? Please tell me you're alright."
Changmin nods, a rather strange gesture to see a wolf perform, but it's fitting nonetheless.
"I'm fine, Yunho. Back hurts a little but our babies are just fine. Breathe. I'm ok, love."
Yunho makes to reply, but Changmin's voice is suddenly in his head again, filled with anxiety and fear. "Oh my god, Yunho, look..."
Yunho follows the path of his lover's eyes, and turns his attention to the melee for the first time, as up until then his sights were set on Changmin and Changmin alone. What he sees nearly makes his heart stop.
They're outnumbered. It doesn't appear to be by alot, but just enough to make a difference. There's weres scattered all over the parking garage, and Yunho is very, very glad that almost everyone in his office works the same shift, because if any humans were to walk in here right now, it would be extremely difficult to explain away, and undoubtedly they'd wind up dead.
Every were on his team has an enemy wolf on them, and several even have two, including Jaejoong and Yoochun. It seems that Minho has taken a particular interest in his dear friends, particularly Jaejoong. Yunho's heart drops into his stomach when he realizes that the two flanking him are not just Minho, but Zhoumi as well, which means that the two most well-trained fighters in the enemy pack are both on the person who might just be his closest friend on this earth.
After all Jaejoong has done for him, it kills Yunho to see him struggle like this, but there's nothing he can do. He understands precisely why Minho targeted him, it's a lure. But Yunho can't leave Changmin unprotected. The minute he does, it's all over.
Unfortunately, he's no longer able to focus on Jaejoong right this moment, as a movement in his peripheral alerts him to an outside presence. There are two enemy wolves creeping toward him, teeth bared, growling, obviously set on getting his attention away from Changmin. Or taking him out altogether. He curses his luck, adrenaline beginning to flow heavily through his veins, fueling him, powering his inner alpha and giving him strength. He'll die protecting Changmin, happily, and he'll be damn sure to take these bastards down with him.
"Baby, get up. We have to move."
He speaks to his mate, stepping off of him and allowing him to stand, immediately pressing himself against his front, pushing him backwards into the nearest corner, the two enemies following slowly, slinking towards them. Once Changmin is tucked into the corner behind him, just a few feet from the elevator, Yunho gets into a predatory defensive stance, paws firmly planted, ready to pounce.
"Lay down and curl up, Changmin. Protect the babies. Whatever you do, don't move."
Changmin says nothing, knowing better than to deny his alpha right now. He's frustrated, because he wants to help. He's not a bad fighter himself, and he feels absolutely horrible allowing others to fight in his stead, he feels useless and cowardly. But he knows he has no other choice. His main priorities are those precious unborn pups inside him, and his nurturing instincts demand him to protect them at all costs. Yunho shifts forward a bit so that Changmin can lie down, out of the melee, and he curls into a fetal position, flattening his paws against his belly, nose tucked in, the top of his head pressed against the concrete wall, just taking deep breaths and waiting.
The two make their move, both coming at him with a flurry of claws and teeth. He focuses on the larger one, a dusty white wolf with jet black eyes, and he lunges at him, digging his teeth into his neck. He feels claws digging into his back, knowing that the other wolf has decided to join, but he can't concentrate on two things at once. Better to get rid of one and take a bit of a hit, and then focus on the other.
That's easier said then done, as the one below him is a fighter, nipping and clawing at everything he has access to, and all to soon, Yunho is starting to wear down. It doesn't take long before he's covered in bites and scratches, some of the gashes deep. His regenerative abilities are working overtime, but the injuries are coming so fast that it's hard to keep up, and he's beginning to wear down. He's frustrated, he's tired, and most of all, he's scared. Scared for his life, scared for the lives of his friends, and scared for the life of the one he loves most of all.
A shrieking howl cuts through the parking garage, echoing in the large space and cutting through Yunho like a knife. That's not a howl of fear or anger. That's a howl of pain.
And judging by the sound, a great deal of it.
Yunho chances a look towards the howl, only to see Jaejoong hit the concrete floor, seemingly unconcious, blood pouring out of a gaping wound in his chest.
Yunho's blood runs cold, terror and anger filtering through every pore of his body.
He has no idea what kind of shape Jaejoong was in when he took the hit, how fast he can heal. More importantly, he has no idea how close the hit was to his friend's heart, and that is the one thing that a werewolf's regenerative abilities cannot heal.
Jaejoong still lies there, unmoving, and something within Yunho snaps.
It was a slow build; the panic over his mate's safety, the attack from the two wolves, his friends' safety in jeopardy, and the final straw coming when Jaejoong's body hit the floor. A surge of adrenaline and outright power runs through Yunho, so intense that he can barely control it. He feels his body twitch, the warm, tingling feeling rushing over him that typically indicates that he's about to shift from form to form. But this...this is not the usual, it's far more intense, and he feels his muscles stretch a bit, bones shifting inside his body as he changes into something else.
He howls loudly, a scared, desperate sound, and all were eyes in the place are instantly on him. Not to mention, the two wolves that were fighting him both give a little frightened yelp, backing away in haste. When the shift is complete, Yunho looks down at this paws, noticing they are far, far larger than they should be. It takes about a split second for him to realize that's he's standing on only two feet as well, this new form seeming to be something that's more of an even mix between the human and the wolf. With one very, very big difference.
Yunho is huge.
There's a thrumming of strength running just under his skin, and as he looks out at the wolves that are currently staring at him, he realizes that they are noticeably smaller than they were moments ago. Yunho has no idea what's happened or why...if this is somehow related to his supposed royal bloodline, if he's a freak of nature, he has no idea. But one thing's for certain, he's not about to let this new advantage go to waste.
Giving a final look behind to make sure that Changmin is still comfortably curled against the wall, safe and sound, which he is, Yunho takes a few steps towards the enemy wolves, the bloodlust in his veins commanding him to kill, kill, kill, in a way that's far more intense than he's ever experienced before. His body is out of control, the only thought in his mind that of taking as many of these bastards out as humanly possible.
Yunho's rationale mind goes back, and he knows nothing but the frenzy, the insatiable urge to spill blood.
And then, he lets go....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~