Fire Away, Fire Away *part four*
Pairing: LayHan (side KrisYeol)
Rated: PG13
Length 3.3K
Part Three
“So I’ll see you after class tomorrow for our lab, right?” Yixing played with the straps on his helmet, not wanting to give it back just yet. “We never got to work last night. I know we were supposed to do it today, but since I stayed with you I never got to do my homework or study for our next test and I really need to do that or I won't do well.”
Luhan nodded before realizing his fingers were absentmindedly toying with the hem of Yixing’s shirt and he awkwardly had to draw his hand back. “Sure. And thanks. For keeping Chanyeol company last night. He’s been a little lonely since he moved out to the village. And for helping me.” His ears flushed hot in embarrassment. “I’m a little ashamed you had to see my house like that.”
Yixing laughed, the sound like bells in Luhan’s ears. “Don’t worry about it. I enjoyed talking with Chanyeol. He gave me his number and we’re planning on getting together again soon.” His tongue darted out to wetten his lips and Luhan lost his train of thought as he watched him. “And someone needs to take care of you. Pretty sure you’d be drowning in pizza boxes soon if it wasn’t for me.”
“Yeah…” He meant to say something else in reply, but Yixing’s lips looked slick and glossy now and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from them.
“See you tomorrow then.” The helmet was shoved back into his hands and Yixing hurriedly strolled away without looking back.
Luhan snapped the helmet into place, still able to smell Yixing’s shampoo inside and grinned widely the whole way home. He dropped his motorcycle to the ground in a heap and rushed into his cousin’s home and towards Chanyeol’s waiting arms.
“Thank you, thank you, you’re amazing and I love you so much more than Kris and I will be your slave for the rest of my life and- Ow Kris! Shouldn’t you be happy I’ve accepted your mate? Put me down!”
“Time to leave.” Kris dropped him outside on the front steps and slammed the door in his face.
“Rude!” Luhan shouted over his shoulder. He left his bike on the lawn and walked the down the street towards his own home. He could still smell Yixing as soon as he entered the door and all he could think about was rolling around in his bed and breathing the minty scent in all day.
He shot up in alarm later that afternoon after a long, comfortable nap, wrapped in the same blankets Yixing had held close to his body the night before.
What if he came over again? The laundry hadn’t been done in days and there was no food in the fridge. They’d had to eat cereal out of the boxes that morning and that was no way to treat his mate!
Luhan quickly jumped up and started the washer, throwing the first pile of clothes he came to in it. He ran to the small grocery store a few blocks away while they were washing and bought several bags of food in case Yixing was hungry the next time he was there. He needed to find out what kinds of food and drinks Yixing liked so he’d always have some on hand.
When he got home he threw the clothes into the dryer and started another load washing as he put up the groceries and eyed the state of his yard. The neighbor’s kid mowed the yard every couple of weeks for him, but other than that he didn’t mess with it much. The woods were so much more inviting to him then a boring yard. But what if Yixing liked to sit outside? What if he wanted a chair on the back porch to sit comfortably and read in?
After another visit uptown to the furniture store, Luhan had two identical chairs to sit side by side on, because of course if Yixing was outside then he would be, too.
Kris was going to have to give him a raise. Now that he had a mate to spend money on he was going to go broke pretty soon. He wanted to buy everything Yixing could ever possibly need to be comfortable. It was a given that before too long they would both be living here and Yixing needed to feel at home.
Luhan couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
***
He waited by the classroom door and read through his notes for their test. Of course he was waiting for Yixing, too. And he kinda wanted to see the look on Xiumin’s face when he finally realized Yixing was spoken for.
“Hey.” A soft voice interrupted his studying and he looked up with a grin to see Yixing leaning against the wall next to him, reading the notes over his shoulder. “You worried about the test? You should have said something and I would have helped you.”
“I think I’ll do okay.” He shoved his notes back into his bag and followed Yixing to their table. Their table, Luhan thought smugly to himself. Xiumin’s disgusted glare was just the icing on the cake to him as Yixing scooted his chair closer, so close that his thigh rubbed against Luhan’s with every movement. “I did four loads of laundry yesterday.”
Yixing burst out laughing and looked up at him with twinkling eyes. “I guess my spending the night was a good influence on you then?”
The chair in front of them crashed to the ground and Xiumin spun around with a pained face. “You spent the night with Luhan?” He sputtered, eyes bulging out of his face. “I took you on six dates and you wouldn’t even let me hold your hand!”
The look Yixing gave him was frosty at best. “We went on six study dates, Xiumin. I wasn’t aware that helping you pass your tests meant that I had to open my legs up for you.”
Luhan wanted to kiss the angry expression off of his mate’s face and tell him he didn’t owe anyone anything, well, except for him. But that was a given. “Chanyeol wanted to know if you wanted to come to dinner again tonight. He said to tell you that you have an open invitation every night whether I’m there or not.” Luhan wrinkled his nose up in annoyance. “And then Kris said that he’d prefer if I wasn’t there because everyone secretly hates me.”
Soft fingers were suddenly pressed against the top of his thigh and gently stroking along his jeans. “I’d rather you be there.” Yixing pulled away as soon as the teacher entered and turned back to his last minute studying, completely ignoring the stupefied look on Luhan’s face.
“Test time!” Professor Wang waved the papers in the air and grinned at his class. “Who’s gonna pass, who’s gonna fail, the questions will last all night ladies and gentlemen.”
“I’ll meet you in the lab after class.” Yixing murmured towards him as their teacher made his way up each aisle with the tests. “Good luck, Luhan.”
As always, Yixing the genius was done long before he was. Luhan made average grades on his work, but tests always made him a nervous wreck. Everything he had studied the day before ran right out of his head and into thin air. By the time he had finished (second to last), he was sweaty and his hair was a mess from anxiously running his fingers through it.
Yixing chuckled when he entered the lab and immediately met him at the door, fingers sliding down his blond hair and fixing the strays. “You’re a wreck.” His voice was soft and soothing and when their eyes caught Luhan didn’t think he had enough strength to move away. Being so close to his mate but not able to express his affection was making him weak.
“Why are you nice to me now?” He blurted, unable to control himself when they were next to each other. “You hated me a week ago.”
“Because I can tell you’re trying.” Yixing didn’t seem fazed by the direct question, dark eyes still staring unblinkingly at his. “And watching you eat Xiumin alive every time I left with him wasn’t fun anymore when you started looking more sad than angry.”
Luhan whined softly, his cheek pressing into Yixing’s palm. “You were just trying to make me jealous?” He lowered his head until their foreheads were pressed together and he could count Yixing’s eyelashes, a job he fully intended to do one day. “I’d flail him into pieces if you ever let him touch you.”
With a giggle Yixing stepped back, smirking evilly at him. “Okay then. Glad we got that cleared up. Let’s do our lab and then we can leave.”
Together? Luhan was too nervous to ask, his stomach still in knots from how close Yixing had let him get. He wanted to kiss the smug expression right off his lips until they were swollen and red and slick with s-
“So if you want to get started on the first step I can mix up the chemicals.” Yixing walked away without even noticing that Luhan hadn’t heard a word he said.
He awkwardly fiddled with the test tubes and turned the burners on and off a few times until Yixing rolled his eyes and stormed back, shoving Luhan out of the way. “You could have told me you weren’t paying attention, Luhan.” He set the test tubes off to the side and placed the beakers on the burners, smacking Luhan’s hands away when he tried to help. “I’ve got it. The more you annoy me the longer it takes to get out of here.”
Luhan lowered his head and glared at his feet, the wolf growling in his chest for upsetting his mate. “I’m sorry.” He murmured, not wanting to look into Yixing’s eyes until he was forgiven.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Yixing’s soft voice instantly relaxed his stiff shoulders. “You get so upset when you think I’m angry at you. And to think this whole time I thought you were a stuck up egotistical jerk.”
He didn’t know if Yixing was pleased or horrified at how submissive Luhan became when he was near, but Luhan couldn’t stop if he tried. His wolf may have been one of the strongest physically in the pack, but it was never considered a dominant personality.
“Maybe I didn’t want everyone to know I’m really a messy slob who is co-dependent on his cousin and sleeps with a stuffed Pokémon doll?”
Yixing smiled and squeezed his fingers. “Let’s get this done and then we can go clean some more on your house before supper. I needed a chemical bath after using your bathroom yesterday.”
***
The look of surprise on Yixing’s face was laughable when he pulled up behind Luhan’s motorcycle an hour later.
“You picked up the yard?” He saw the bags of trash piled against the front door that Luhan hadn’t ran to the dumpster yet. “Wow, you really needed a swift kick in the ass, didn’t you?”
He continued to look impressed as they entered the house and he saw the mopped floors and neatly folded laundry covering the table.
“I told you I did laundry.” Luhan scratched his neck and grimaced. “I found clothes I forgot I even had. Apparently I went through quite a Hawaiian shirt stage at one point.”
Yixing stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes. “You need a donate pile in addition to the trash bags.” He threw his backpack onto the couch and rolled the sleeves of his tan knitted sweater up. “I’ll help you carry all of the laundry to your room and then you can put it away while I start on the bathroom.”
The sight of him carrying Luhan’s boxers into his bedroom was enough to make Luhan lose his train of thought again. He wondered if Yixing wore boxers or briefs, what color he liked the best, what he would look like the first time Luhan jerked his pants down and would he blush all the way down his chest?
“Not getting any younger in here, Luhan!”
Cursing at himself, Luhan grabbed another stack off the table and hurried after him towards his bedroom. Those thoughts weren’t welcomed until he had his mate begging him for it. Until then they were just a distraction that made him overly sexually frustrated and prone to sudden space out attacks.
They worked side by side until Chanyeol called to ask if they were coming to eat because Kris was hungry and he didn’t want to have to buy a new table again after he broke it out of hunger.
“Do you want to change?” Luhan looked him over and felt a stab of guilt for making his mate work so hard when he should be relaxing and let Luhan do everything. “You're sweaty and smell like bleach.”
Yixing nodded, pulling the sweater over his head without a second though. Luhan choked on his saliva, eyes glued on the bare shoulders and sharp collarbones visible because of the gray tank top Yixing was wearing. “I can throw this in the washer while we’re gone.” He started to walk out before stopping and looking over his shoulder with innocent eyes. “Do you have something of yours I can borrow?”
Managing a weak nod, Luhan still couldn’t unglue his eyes from more skin on the other by than he’d ever seen. Yixing always wore his neatly pressed sweaters to class and Luhan hadn’t had the nerve to imagine what he looked like under them and here he was just offering himself up on a plate.
When Yixing came back from throwing his sweater into the washer he laughed at Luhan’s dumbfounded expression. “What’s the matter?” His head cocked to the side and he blinked childishly.
Luhan swallowed and shook his head. His wolf was snapping its teeth and begging to be let out to mark all of that delicious milky white flesh. “N-Nothing.” He stammered, turning to dig through his closet for a spare hoodie. He grabbed a plain grey one and threw it at Yixing, staying as far away from his as possible as he left the room. “I’ll be outside.”
He was near to pacing by the time Yixing emerged from the house, face washed and hair neatly brushed, body swimming in Luhan’s oversized hoodie. He always bought them a size bigger than he needed for comfort but now he knew he was just preparing for this moment to be able to see his tiny mate folding the edges of the sleeves up and pushing the collar to cover his exposed shoulder.
“I’m ready.” Yixing smiled brightly and jumped down the last steps. “Are we walking again? It’s nice out.” He grabbed Luhan’s hand and braided their fingers together with no sign of nervousness. “Chanyeol was really nice, I’m glad I get to see him again. Your cousin was nice too, but…” He trailed off and wrinkled his nose.
“But he’s also kind of an asshole?” Luhan chuckled at Yixing’s guilty look. “That’s just the first impression of Kris. Okay and maybe the next dozen impressions. But he’s not a bad guy, I promise. He just has a lot on his mind lately and it makes him overly abrasive.”
Yixing’s lips formed an ‘oh’. “Is he okay? Is it something we can help with?”
Luhan stopped the growl in his throat and pulled Yixing closer to his side. This was his mate. Kris had Chanyeol to take care of him. There was no way he was letting Yixing out of his sight to comfort someone else.
ours.
As much as he loved Kris, his wolf would declare war if it thought Yixing was too close to another member of the pack.
Chanyeol pulled Yixing into the house and started his never-ending stream of sentences, asking him how his day was, if he thought he had done well on their test, if Luhan had been treating him with respect or not.
Kris watched him, fondness lacing his eyes. “Isn’t he a sweetheart?”
“You’re not going to start cooing at him are you? I’m starving, but I will throw up on you.”
“You’re just jealous you haven’t full mated yet.” Kris smirked at his cousin. “I can smell your scent on him but it’s not at full strength yet. You need to get on that.” He snorted. “Literally.”
“Yifan, shut up and help me carry the food to the table.”
Kris jumped away from the wall in an instant. “Coming Yeollie.”
This was the type of meal Luhan always wanted but never had. A family, albeit an odd one, but a family nonetheless. His cousin and their mates sitting contentedly around the kitchen table and talking about their days, smiling and laughing and happy.
He caught Yixing’s eyes and curled his lips up into a grin. This was how it was going to be every night from now on. As soon as he told Yixing the truth then they could start to move forward together, move into his home, have a real relationship.
His smile dropped as he realized he was going to have to think of a way to explain to Yixing what he really was. Surely his mate would accept it, that’s what a mate was for.
“You okay?” Yixing scooted his chair towards him and slid his hand down over the inside of his thigh. “Are you feeling sick, baby?”
“No.” He was so close that his black hair ticked Luhan’s face. With a sigh he dropped his head down and nuzzled closer. Lips mouthed at the lobe of Yixing’s ear and Luhan moaned quietly at the first taste of his skin, the scent drawing him in until he was held captive. Yixing went still from the moment Luhan's tongue touched him and Luhan could smell the arousal coming from his body. Yixing was almost ready to be mated, so close, so close. If he could just build up the final push to tell him the truth, Luhan knew it would be time. “Let’s go home.”
Chanyeol raised a thumb up high in the air when the two shoved their chairs back, hands grabbing wildly at each other’s body as Luhan walked them clumsily towards the door.
“What’s wrong with me?” Yixing asked, his voice dazed. Luhan’s tongue was hot and thick against his neck, making Yixing so dizzy he could barely stand.
“You accepted me.” Luhan smiled proudly and lifted his eyes. “This is the bonding. You won’t be able to think straight when I touch you.” The front door clicked closed behind them and Luhan thanked god they were now hidden from the village eyes so he could yank the giant hoodie off Yixing’s body. “Come here.”
Part Five
Rated: PG13
Length 3.3K
Part Three
“So I’ll see you after class tomorrow for our lab, right?” Yixing played with the straps on his helmet, not wanting to give it back just yet. “We never got to work last night. I know we were supposed to do it today, but since I stayed with you I never got to do my homework or study for our next test and I really need to do that or I won't do well.”
Luhan nodded before realizing his fingers were absentmindedly toying with the hem of Yixing’s shirt and he awkwardly had to draw his hand back. “Sure. And thanks. For keeping Chanyeol company last night. He’s been a little lonely since he moved out to the village. And for helping me.” His ears flushed hot in embarrassment. “I’m a little ashamed you had to see my house like that.”
Yixing laughed, the sound like bells in Luhan’s ears. “Don’t worry about it. I enjoyed talking with Chanyeol. He gave me his number and we’re planning on getting together again soon.” His tongue darted out to wetten his lips and Luhan lost his train of thought as he watched him. “And someone needs to take care of you. Pretty sure you’d be drowning in pizza boxes soon if it wasn’t for me.”
“Yeah…” He meant to say something else in reply, but Yixing’s lips looked slick and glossy now and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from them.
“See you tomorrow then.” The helmet was shoved back into his hands and Yixing hurriedly strolled away without looking back.
Luhan snapped the helmet into place, still able to smell Yixing’s shampoo inside and grinned widely the whole way home. He dropped his motorcycle to the ground in a heap and rushed into his cousin’s home and towards Chanyeol’s waiting arms.
“Thank you, thank you, you’re amazing and I love you so much more than Kris and I will be your slave for the rest of my life and- Ow Kris! Shouldn’t you be happy I’ve accepted your mate? Put me down!”
“Time to leave.” Kris dropped him outside on the front steps and slammed the door in his face.
“Rude!” Luhan shouted over his shoulder. He left his bike on the lawn and walked the down the street towards his own home. He could still smell Yixing as soon as he entered the door and all he could think about was rolling around in his bed and breathing the minty scent in all day.
He shot up in alarm later that afternoon after a long, comfortable nap, wrapped in the same blankets Yixing had held close to his body the night before.
What if he came over again? The laundry hadn’t been done in days and there was no food in the fridge. They’d had to eat cereal out of the boxes that morning and that was no way to treat his mate!
Luhan quickly jumped up and started the washer, throwing the first pile of clothes he came to in it. He ran to the small grocery store a few blocks away while they were washing and bought several bags of food in case Yixing was hungry the next time he was there. He needed to find out what kinds of food and drinks Yixing liked so he’d always have some on hand.
When he got home he threw the clothes into the dryer and started another load washing as he put up the groceries and eyed the state of his yard. The neighbor’s kid mowed the yard every couple of weeks for him, but other than that he didn’t mess with it much. The woods were so much more inviting to him then a boring yard. But what if Yixing liked to sit outside? What if he wanted a chair on the back porch to sit comfortably and read in?
After another visit uptown to the furniture store, Luhan had two identical chairs to sit side by side on, because of course if Yixing was outside then he would be, too.
Kris was going to have to give him a raise. Now that he had a mate to spend money on he was going to go broke pretty soon. He wanted to buy everything Yixing could ever possibly need to be comfortable. It was a given that before too long they would both be living here and Yixing needed to feel at home.
Luhan couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
***
He waited by the classroom door and read through his notes for their test. Of course he was waiting for Yixing, too. And he kinda wanted to see the look on Xiumin’s face when he finally realized Yixing was spoken for.
“Hey.” A soft voice interrupted his studying and he looked up with a grin to see Yixing leaning against the wall next to him, reading the notes over his shoulder. “You worried about the test? You should have said something and I would have helped you.”
“I think I’ll do okay.” He shoved his notes back into his bag and followed Yixing to their table. Their table, Luhan thought smugly to himself. Xiumin’s disgusted glare was just the icing on the cake to him as Yixing scooted his chair closer, so close that his thigh rubbed against Luhan’s with every movement. “I did four loads of laundry yesterday.”
Yixing burst out laughing and looked up at him with twinkling eyes. “I guess my spending the night was a good influence on you then?”
The chair in front of them crashed to the ground and Xiumin spun around with a pained face. “You spent the night with Luhan?” He sputtered, eyes bulging out of his face. “I took you on six dates and you wouldn’t even let me hold your hand!”
The look Yixing gave him was frosty at best. “We went on six study dates, Xiumin. I wasn’t aware that helping you pass your tests meant that I had to open my legs up for you.”
Luhan wanted to kiss the angry expression off of his mate’s face and tell him he didn’t owe anyone anything, well, except for him. But that was a given. “Chanyeol wanted to know if you wanted to come to dinner again tonight. He said to tell you that you have an open invitation every night whether I’m there or not.” Luhan wrinkled his nose up in annoyance. “And then Kris said that he’d prefer if I wasn’t there because everyone secretly hates me.”
Soft fingers were suddenly pressed against the top of his thigh and gently stroking along his jeans. “I’d rather you be there.” Yixing pulled away as soon as the teacher entered and turned back to his last minute studying, completely ignoring the stupefied look on Luhan’s face.
“Test time!” Professor Wang waved the papers in the air and grinned at his class. “Who’s gonna pass, who’s gonna fail, the questions will last all night ladies and gentlemen.”
“I’ll meet you in the lab after class.” Yixing murmured towards him as their teacher made his way up each aisle with the tests. “Good luck, Luhan.”
As always, Yixing the genius was done long before he was. Luhan made average grades on his work, but tests always made him a nervous wreck. Everything he had studied the day before ran right out of his head and into thin air. By the time he had finished (second to last), he was sweaty and his hair was a mess from anxiously running his fingers through it.
Yixing chuckled when he entered the lab and immediately met him at the door, fingers sliding down his blond hair and fixing the strays. “You’re a wreck.” His voice was soft and soothing and when their eyes caught Luhan didn’t think he had enough strength to move away. Being so close to his mate but not able to express his affection was making him weak.
“Why are you nice to me now?” He blurted, unable to control himself when they were next to each other. “You hated me a week ago.”
“Because I can tell you’re trying.” Yixing didn’t seem fazed by the direct question, dark eyes still staring unblinkingly at his. “And watching you eat Xiumin alive every time I left with him wasn’t fun anymore when you started looking more sad than angry.”
Luhan whined softly, his cheek pressing into Yixing’s palm. “You were just trying to make me jealous?” He lowered his head until their foreheads were pressed together and he could count Yixing’s eyelashes, a job he fully intended to do one day. “I’d flail him into pieces if you ever let him touch you.”
With a giggle Yixing stepped back, smirking evilly at him. “Okay then. Glad we got that cleared up. Let’s do our lab and then we can leave.”
Together? Luhan was too nervous to ask, his stomach still in knots from how close Yixing had let him get. He wanted to kiss the smug expression right off his lips until they were swollen and red and slick with s-
“So if you want to get started on the first step I can mix up the chemicals.” Yixing walked away without even noticing that Luhan hadn’t heard a word he said.
He awkwardly fiddled with the test tubes and turned the burners on and off a few times until Yixing rolled his eyes and stormed back, shoving Luhan out of the way. “You could have told me you weren’t paying attention, Luhan.” He set the test tubes off to the side and placed the beakers on the burners, smacking Luhan’s hands away when he tried to help. “I’ve got it. The more you annoy me the longer it takes to get out of here.”
Luhan lowered his head and glared at his feet, the wolf growling in his chest for upsetting his mate. “I’m sorry.” He murmured, not wanting to look into Yixing’s eyes until he was forgiven.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Yixing’s soft voice instantly relaxed his stiff shoulders. “You get so upset when you think I’m angry at you. And to think this whole time I thought you were a stuck up egotistical jerk.”
He didn’t know if Yixing was pleased or horrified at how submissive Luhan became when he was near, but Luhan couldn’t stop if he tried. His wolf may have been one of the strongest physically in the pack, but it was never considered a dominant personality.
“Maybe I didn’t want everyone to know I’m really a messy slob who is co-dependent on his cousin and sleeps with a stuffed Pokémon doll?”
Yixing smiled and squeezed his fingers. “Let’s get this done and then we can go clean some more on your house before supper. I needed a chemical bath after using your bathroom yesterday.”
***
The look of surprise on Yixing’s face was laughable when he pulled up behind Luhan’s motorcycle an hour later.
“You picked up the yard?” He saw the bags of trash piled against the front door that Luhan hadn’t ran to the dumpster yet. “Wow, you really needed a swift kick in the ass, didn’t you?”
He continued to look impressed as they entered the house and he saw the mopped floors and neatly folded laundry covering the table.
“I told you I did laundry.” Luhan scratched his neck and grimaced. “I found clothes I forgot I even had. Apparently I went through quite a Hawaiian shirt stage at one point.”
Yixing stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes. “You need a donate pile in addition to the trash bags.” He threw his backpack onto the couch and rolled the sleeves of his tan knitted sweater up. “I’ll help you carry all of the laundry to your room and then you can put it away while I start on the bathroom.”
The sight of him carrying Luhan’s boxers into his bedroom was enough to make Luhan lose his train of thought again. He wondered if Yixing wore boxers or briefs, what color he liked the best, what he would look like the first time Luhan jerked his pants down and would he blush all the way down his chest?
“Not getting any younger in here, Luhan!”
Cursing at himself, Luhan grabbed another stack off the table and hurried after him towards his bedroom. Those thoughts weren’t welcomed until he had his mate begging him for it. Until then they were just a distraction that made him overly sexually frustrated and prone to sudden space out attacks.
They worked side by side until Chanyeol called to ask if they were coming to eat because Kris was hungry and he didn’t want to have to buy a new table again after he broke it out of hunger.
“Do you want to change?” Luhan looked him over and felt a stab of guilt for making his mate work so hard when he should be relaxing and let Luhan do everything. “You're sweaty and smell like bleach.”
Yixing nodded, pulling the sweater over his head without a second though. Luhan choked on his saliva, eyes glued on the bare shoulders and sharp collarbones visible because of the gray tank top Yixing was wearing. “I can throw this in the washer while we’re gone.” He started to walk out before stopping and looking over his shoulder with innocent eyes. “Do you have something of yours I can borrow?”
Managing a weak nod, Luhan still couldn’t unglue his eyes from more skin on the other by than he’d ever seen. Yixing always wore his neatly pressed sweaters to class and Luhan hadn’t had the nerve to imagine what he looked like under them and here he was just offering himself up on a plate.
When Yixing came back from throwing his sweater into the washer he laughed at Luhan’s dumbfounded expression. “What’s the matter?” His head cocked to the side and he blinked childishly.
Luhan swallowed and shook his head. His wolf was snapping its teeth and begging to be let out to mark all of that delicious milky white flesh. “N-Nothing.” He stammered, turning to dig through his closet for a spare hoodie. He grabbed a plain grey one and threw it at Yixing, staying as far away from his as possible as he left the room. “I’ll be outside.”
He was near to pacing by the time Yixing emerged from the house, face washed and hair neatly brushed, body swimming in Luhan’s oversized hoodie. He always bought them a size bigger than he needed for comfort but now he knew he was just preparing for this moment to be able to see his tiny mate folding the edges of the sleeves up and pushing the collar to cover his exposed shoulder.
“I’m ready.” Yixing smiled brightly and jumped down the last steps. “Are we walking again? It’s nice out.” He grabbed Luhan’s hand and braided their fingers together with no sign of nervousness. “Chanyeol was really nice, I’m glad I get to see him again. Your cousin was nice too, but…” He trailed off and wrinkled his nose.
“But he’s also kind of an asshole?” Luhan chuckled at Yixing’s guilty look. “That’s just the first impression of Kris. Okay and maybe the next dozen impressions. But he’s not a bad guy, I promise. He just has a lot on his mind lately and it makes him overly abrasive.”
Yixing’s lips formed an ‘oh’. “Is he okay? Is it something we can help with?”
Luhan stopped the growl in his throat and pulled Yixing closer to his side. This was his mate. Kris had Chanyeol to take care of him. There was no way he was letting Yixing out of his sight to comfort someone else.
ours.
As much as he loved Kris, his wolf would declare war if it thought Yixing was too close to another member of the pack.
Chanyeol pulled Yixing into the house and started his never-ending stream of sentences, asking him how his day was, if he thought he had done well on their test, if Luhan had been treating him with respect or not.
Kris watched him, fondness lacing his eyes. “Isn’t he a sweetheart?”
“You’re not going to start cooing at him are you? I’m starving, but I will throw up on you.”
“You’re just jealous you haven’t full mated yet.” Kris smirked at his cousin. “I can smell your scent on him but it’s not at full strength yet. You need to get on that.” He snorted. “Literally.”
“Yifan, shut up and help me carry the food to the table.”
Kris jumped away from the wall in an instant. “Coming Yeollie.”
This was the type of meal Luhan always wanted but never had. A family, albeit an odd one, but a family nonetheless. His cousin and their mates sitting contentedly around the kitchen table and talking about their days, smiling and laughing and happy.
He caught Yixing’s eyes and curled his lips up into a grin. This was how it was going to be every night from now on. As soon as he told Yixing the truth then they could start to move forward together, move into his home, have a real relationship.
His smile dropped as he realized he was going to have to think of a way to explain to Yixing what he really was. Surely his mate would accept it, that’s what a mate was for.
“You okay?” Yixing scooted his chair towards him and slid his hand down over the inside of his thigh. “Are you feeling sick, baby?”
“No.” He was so close that his black hair ticked Luhan’s face. With a sigh he dropped his head down and nuzzled closer. Lips mouthed at the lobe of Yixing’s ear and Luhan moaned quietly at the first taste of his skin, the scent drawing him in until he was held captive. Yixing went still from the moment Luhan's tongue touched him and Luhan could smell the arousal coming from his body. Yixing was almost ready to be mated, so close, so close. If he could just build up the final push to tell him the truth, Luhan knew it would be time. “Let’s go home.”
Chanyeol raised a thumb up high in the air when the two shoved their chairs back, hands grabbing wildly at each other’s body as Luhan walked them clumsily towards the door.
“What’s wrong with me?” Yixing asked, his voice dazed. Luhan’s tongue was hot and thick against his neck, making Yixing so dizzy he could barely stand.
“You accepted me.” Luhan smiled proudly and lifted his eyes. “This is the bonding. You won’t be able to think straight when I touch you.” The front door clicked closed behind them and Luhan thanked god they were now hidden from the village eyes so he could yank the giant hoodie off Yixing’s body. “Come here.”
Part Five