My "Boyfriend" Is A Gumiho. [Neo] Chapter 1
andom: VIXX (AU)
Pairing: Neo
Word Count: 5690
Rating: PG-13. (Mention of blood, a little gore, dead body)
Summary: Hakyeon is a gumiho. A fox eared, nine-tailed, heart eating, thousand year old creature most people believed only existed in myths who decides that a certain graduate student will be his wife.
“For the thousandth time, I’m not your ‘husband’ or ‘mate’ or your ‘boyfriend’ or whatever the hell it is you think I am!”
One thousand wouldn’t be an exaggeration for the number of times that Taekwoon had told this to Hakyeon; arguing about this had become one of their daily routines. Though it was less arguing and more Taekwoon exerting precious energy on the unshakeable gumiho that had all but chained himself to him.
Yes, Hakyeon was a gumiho. A fox eared, nine-tailed, heart eating, thousand year old creature most people believed only existed in myths.
He followed just about every cliche of all the stories Taekwoon had heard growing up as well too, except that Hakyeon was a male. And instead of trying to find himself a wife, Hakyeon had decided to attach himself to the graduate student.
Their “argument” carried on as it usually did: Hakyeon simply responded with one of his grunts and as usual Taekwoon had no idea what the fuck it meant.
Hakyeon had a whole assortment of these animalistic sounds and even two and a half months later, after being forced to spend almost every waking hour with Hakyeon, Taekwoon still had no idea what most of them were.
It frustrated him to no end, as did just about everything about the damn fox.
“Why are you here anyways? No one invited you in!” It was pointless to ask, Taekwoon knew, but he was so worked up that making sense wasn’t high on his list of priorities right now.
“I told you last time, your landlord was nice enough to give me your door code.” Came the simple, relaxed answer.
Taekwoon lived alone. The first time he actually heard the quiet beeps of someone punching in his door code he had been waiting, baseball bat in hand, to defend what little valuables he had in his apartment. Hakyeon had merely burst into a fit of laughter at the sight, not at all threatened; he had no reason to be, he was leagues stronger than Taekwoon.
So now every time Taekwoon heard the beeping of the touchpad he became tense, having become far too familiar with these unscheduled and unannounced visits, “And I told you last time I don’t want you coming here!”
From where he was currently stretched along the couch, laying on his side with his head perched in his hand, Hakyeon just gazed lovingly at Taekwoon, “Oh you say that, but I know deep down how you really feel, Woonie.”
His ears twitched atop a silver head of hair as an almost cat-like smile stretched along his lips, a few of his many tails flicking at Taekwoon.
Ever since Taekwoon had discovered Hakyeon’s secret, Hakyeon didn’t even bother concealing his fox appendages, deeming it “a waste of energy” when Taekwoon knew about them anyways.
“What I really feel is-!” Taekwoon’s chest rose and fell as he gave an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his unkempt hair, the result of a long night of studying, as he just turned and stormed into the kitchen to make coffee.
It had been a hard couple of days, couple of months actually, starting from when he had met Hakyeon for the first time. Taekwoon still wasn’t really sure which encounter should be logged as their first meeting.
~*~*~
The first first time he had crossed paths with Hakyeon had been a troubling night. Taekwoon had accompanied his best friend Jaehwan to a bar, and that’s how all terrible stories started.
Jaehwan had just broken up with his girlfriend of four months. In Taekwoon’s book four months wasn’t long at all but to Jaehwan, anything past 100 days was a miracle.
He distinctly remembered listening to Jaehwan ramble on about how he was going to find someone better than her, who would appreciate all of his corny jokes and intellectual conversations about the existence of the fifth dimension and corgis.
That’s when Taekwoon reached up to pat his friend on the shoulder in modest comfort, only to be interrupted by a body between them. Catching Taekwoon off guard, he shot the brazen male a glowering stare.
Most people cowered under Taekwoon’s infamous death glare, but this man just continued to order his drink, even having the audacity to shoot him a wink. Before Taekwoon could protest though, the stranger was gone with a cold drink in hand and disappearing back into the darkness of the bar.
From there, Taekwoon couldn’t shake off the feeling of a pair of eyes on him. Each time he scanned the crowd though, he saw nothing but mingling couples and single people waiting to be approached.
As Jaehwan excused himself with a wobbly stumble to the bathroom, Taekwoon was left alone and uncomfortable at the bar, staring straight ahead and sipping idly at his drink. Of course it was then that someone came sliding up next to him in Jaehwan’s previously occupied stool.
“This seat is taken,” Taekwoon flatly shared. When the person didn’t leave, he sighed and turned in his stool, “I’m not interest--”
It was the man from before.
“Save your breath, it’s not you I’m interested in.”
In just the couple hours that Hakyeon had been observing Taekwoon he was able to deduce just what kind of guy he was.
It was obvious to Hakyeon that Taekwoon was only here for his grieving friend, paying no attention to the numerous women, and even men, who had tried to approach him; many didn’t even make it to speaking to him before his sharp eyes sent them running.
It was all so amusing to Hakyeon, this little game of cat, or rather fox, and mouse. Though the more he watched Taekwoon it seemed this would be a game of fox and cat, Taekwoon’s temperament strangely reminiscent of the feral creature.
Hakyeon’s usual charms weren’t going to work, most of his targets falling easily to his slightly feminine face, pairing his natural unaging good looks with sugar-coated words and subtle touches.
Takewoon would be harder to impress and Hakyeon knew hitting on him so blunt and straight forward was exactly what Taekwoon was expecting; he had to play even more coy than usual.
“Your friend, he just broke up with someone?” Hakyeon sat with his body facing the bar, unthreatening, long legs tucked under the counter, sipping idly on his vibrantly blue drink, “My guess is they weren’t together long but for him it’s like the world is ending?”
Breaking his expectations immediately, Taekwoon narrowed his eyes in less of a threatening manner and more towards an inquisitive stare. Always guarded, Taekwoon wasn’t one to ease up easily, the strains of suspicion still evaluating Hakyeon.
There had to be a reason behind why Hakyeon had sat in this particular stool when there was an empty one a few seats down; also choosing to engage in conversation didn’t seem harmless to Taekwoon.
“Mm,” Taekwoon submitted one nod, refusing to take his eyes off of Hakyeon.
He had this unearthing intuition that Hakyeon was more than what met the eye. Maybe it was the strategically undone button-up shirt showing off the collar bones at the base of a long neck, or possibly the black jeans tightly framing along those long legs.
Either way, Hakyeon’s appearance didn’t convey a ‘just here for casual, philosophical conversation’ message.
“He won’t be gone long,” Taekwoon added, implying that the seat Hakyeon currently occupied would need to be freed up for Jaehwan.
“That’s alright, I’m not planning on staying long.” Hakyeon didn’t need to be looking at Taekwoon to feel the dark gaze tracing over every dip, curve and exposed part of his body; even if Taekwoon wasn’t “interested” in him he was still intrigued and that caught Hakyeon’s attention.
But his attention was on the bartender at the moment, the corners of his lips curled up mischievously (though not because of the bartender) as the bartender became a bit flustered when Hakyeon put in another order for a drink.
Taekwoon’s eyes flitted to the man behind the bar, clearly dressed and groomed to draw in more customers. The way a charismatic-looking man appeared to shrink shyly to Hakyeon’s order caused Taekwoon to direct his gaze back to Hakyeon, his caution increasing tenfold.
“If you’re going to stare at me like that the least you could do is ask for my name first.”
Setting his empty glass on the bar, Hakyeon turned so he was facing Taekwoon now, crossing one leg over the other as he displayed a more warm and inviting smile than the one that had just been tugging at his mouth.
The scoff that seethed past his lips was already out before he could trap it. Taekwoon didn’t bother asking for his name, such information not important to someone he intended to never see again.
Jaehwan had been Hakyeon’s initial target, Jaehwan was easy. But he had spent a thousand years hunting easy targets. Taekwoon on the other hand…Taekwoon was a challenge.
Hakyeon decided he could use a challenge.
“You strike me as the type who knows you are very handsome, probably used to being told you are quite frequently, but you just brush it off, yes? Why is that? Do you really not think you’re handsome, which you are, or do you think people are just trying to kiss your ass to get a piece of it, which I’m not, just for the record.”
Ok, so Hakyeon could be a bit crude but he didn’t see any point in flitting around when he could just get straight to the point. He prided himself on, among a large amount of things, being open and honest with his thoughts and intentions.
This was going to be a slow game and his nerves tingled delightedly at the thought.
Hakyeon’s brighter gaze met Taekwoon’s, breaking only for a second when he received another drink from the bartender to replace his finished one. It didn’t matter he was having another so quickly after, alcohol had no effect on him. He only drank to keep up an appearance, and he did like how the fruity flavors mixed with the tart liquor tickled his tastebuds.
He flashed a heavenly white smile when the bartender said it was ‘on the house’, attention immediately back on Taekwoon as he leisurely sipped his drink and waited for an answer.
It was hard for Taekwoon not to roll his eyes at the looks exchanged between the bartender and Hakyeon. If he hadn’t already been rolling them over and over in his imagination at Hakyeon’s little speech, he would’ve actually done it.
What confused him wasn’t the approach Hakyeon came at him with, it was the end goal. If Hakyeon supposedly wasn’t looking to seek out a date or anything more raunchy than that, then what was the point of engaging in a conversation with Taekwoon and calling him handsome?
“I never let the conversations reach that point,” Taekwoon clarified in case Hakyeon misread his interest. Just because he continued to sit here didn’t mean he wanted Hakyeon to further progress this small talk.
Of course he didn’t, Hakyeon thought to himself, not the least bit surprised. Taekwoon was certainly not one for one-night stands, or even flirting.
Fortunately at this moment, Taekwoon spotted Jaehwan stumbling out from the bathroom hall. Instead of waiting for Jaehwan to come over to the bar for Hakyeon to potentially clear out, Taekwoon slipped off the stool, his knee knocking into Hakyeon’s.
He apologized briefly, his hand politely brushing at Hakyeon’s pants as he bowed his head in added apology.
A strange occurrence happened that Taekwoon knew he would never forget. As he gave Hakyeon one last glance after his hand hastily drew away, he thought he saw Hakyeon’s eyes burn a golden blaze of color, before quickly sinking back into a normal brown.
It stirred this unrest in Taekwoon’s chest as he fell into the crowd, grabbing Jaehwan by the arm and ushering him out. Out of this disturbed curiosity, when Taekwoon looked back at the bar as they were leaving, the nameless stranger was no longer there.
He hadn’t learned of Hakyeon’s name until their second first meeting. That was also when he discovered Hakyeon’s secret.
~*~*~*~
“Alright babe, I’m all finished here.”
Hakyeon had stayed at the bar until well after closing a few weeks later, the bartender having become his new target after Taekwoon had so amusingly rushed off.
If he recalled the incident that night, he could still feel the light, apologetic brush of Taekwoon’s fingers over his knee, “How strange a creature…” He mused to himself, wondering why Taekwoon would go through all those lengths to avoid any sort of conversation yet initiate physical contact, even if just in apology.
His new challenge was pushed aside for now, spinning on the barstool where he was perched to flash that charming smile of his again; it was almost sad how simple it was to make the other man blush and lose his composure.
“Well let’s take this back to your place then, hmm?”
This routine had become so boring to Hakyeon, only have to repeat it weekly out of necessity for keeping himself alive.
Once he was draped against the bartender's side, whispering sweet nothings into his ear, it was too easy to convince him to take a detour through a dark alleyway, one littered with faded graffiti and discarded waste along the edges; Hakyeon had learned long ago how to detect alleyways that were no longer frequented even by the homeless.
The bartender never saw it coming, too caught up in the sparkling aura emanating from Hakyeon as he pressed him back against the rough brick of the building. He rolled his lithe body against the bartender’s larger one, crashing their lips together in the head of passion, fingers pressing along his jaw before Hakyeon gave one quick flick of his wrists and snapped the man’s neck as if it were a thin twig.
“Nothing personal, mom just always said I shouldn’t play with my food.” The body crumpled to the ground with a light thud, Hakyeon crouching down and tilting up the deceased bartender’s chin with two fingers, “Such a shame, he was cute.”
After a nonchalant shrug, he repositioned the body flat against the ground with a quick tug of its ankle, shifting it as though it weighed nothing. His nails then extended, dark hair fading into glistening silver, keen ears transpiring on his skull, nine long tails uncurling behind him.
Hakyeon drug a claw up the man’s shirt, ripping through the fabric as cleanly as if he was using a pair of scissors. The same precision carved a line into the man’s now exposed chest between his collarbones before his hand disappeared inside to receive his meal.
Taekwoon had been walking home. He always had to pass this block of bars on his way from the university’s library. Although it was past midnight, this area was typical of any nightlife spot in Seoul and was still crawling with women and men.
As he passed this particular alleyway, Taekwoon blamed it on his rotten luck that he just happened to be drawn to something about of the corner of his eye. Rationale told him to keep walking and ignore it--it could be two people fooling around.
However, his curiosity and instinct led him to pause in his stride.
The moon’s silver glow was not the cause of the silver illumination glinting in the dark alleyway. There was no moon at all that night.
Taekwoon only saw it in pieces, broken fragments of silver hairs arching together in the air, silver tips of claws coated in deep red and finally eyes that were a raw, golden color, piercing in the black shadows.
There was no sound as Hakyeon moved, effortlessly dragging Taekwoon into the shadows he had been secluded in and pinning him against the wall by the throat all within a matter of seconds, “Well well, if it isn’t the handsome stranger.”
The sudden wind knocked out of his chest left him dazed for an extended second. With the hard press of brick into his back, digging into his sharp shoulder blades, he barely had time to calculate how exactly he ended up so deep into the alley. Then again, he still was trying to piece together what exactly he was staring at.
Hakyeon wasn’t upset about being caught, quite the opposite actually: he was amused, “It must be destiny that we’re meeting again so soon, hmm?” The question purred from the back of Hakyeon’s throat, his long, blood-soaked fingers unrelenting around Taekwoon’s neck but still allowing him to breath.
The words didn’t make sense to Taekwoon, the inner edges of his eyebrows pushing together so hard he swore that was the reason his head pounded. Despite how warm and wet he felt the fingers were planting their prints into the flesh of his neck, he prided himself on how calm he responded to everything unfolding. Only his heart raced incessantly in his ribcage, his limbs mildly stiffening as he tried to keep his head clear.
As Hakyeon’s lips curled back to express his utter amusement his sharp canines were exposed, stained red, the color having dyed the corners of his mouth with a few spattered drops along his chin as well, “Again I must insist if you’re going to stare at me that you at least ask my name.”
Hakyeon’s voice remained as calm and silky smooth as it had been during their first encounter, as if there wasn’t a mutilated body inches from where they were standing, the open chest cavity void of the most vital organ.
The way Taekwoon’s chest thrashed about and his stomach coiled were all normal human reactions to what he was witnessing. It’s unsettling to be staring into eyes blazing gold; where he expected to see circles of irises, he only saw brilliant gold with endless, black pupils. Taekwoon’s eyes flitted to the twin teeth, like small daggers ready to strike.
Past him there was a fan of silver tails, framing Hakyeon’s overall dangerous gleam with an ethereal, almost enchanting one. If he were to will himself to look away, he would only be met with the mangled body abandoned at the side. He’d rather keep his stare on Hakyeon.
When Taekwoon finally dragged in the remaining of his nerves and condensed them into something resemblant of speech, he breathed out in realization as everything clicked into place, “You’re from the bar.”
There was still no intention of asking his name.
“Well aren’t you a clever little thing,” Hakyeon chimed, stretching his lips to smile wider. “So you do remember me, I must have left some impact on you then.”
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it,” and finally Taekwoon’s body started operating, hands clenching up at Hakyeon’s on his neck. He wasn’t trying to pry Hakyeon’s claws off him, and instead doing the extreme opposite, pressing his nails harder into his skin until he could barely breathe at all. Taekwoon would rather this end quickly than to suffer slowly into his death.
The intensity of his golden eyes faltered for a moment as Hakyeon blinked rapidly a few times, puzzled when he felt Taekwoon trying to make him actually suffocate him, a futile effort as Hakyeon easily loosened his grip just enough to let him keep breathing again.
The bewilderment was quickly replaced with a large outburst of laughter, the sound high and airy, almost pleasant sounding despite the rather morbid situation, “Why so quick to want to die, hmm? What makes you think I’m going to kill you? I’ve already eaten.”
His tongue slid along his blood-stained lips, licking up the drops lingering around the corners of his mouth, “Besides…” Hakyeon started, voice low as he moved his hand down the column of Taekwoon’s neck just enough to give him access to the pale skin, “It would be a shame to kill someone as pretty as you.”
This had to be worse than dying--to be berated in such a way of being called pretty while he felt those fingers pulling back the material of his collar. He felt vulnerable and exposed, like he was being toyed with while Hakyeon so explicitly tasted the remains on his lips. Taekwoon hardened his stare to make up for the belittlement.
There was a soft purr to Hakyeon’s words as he dipped in, nuzzling his nose beneath Taekwoon’s jaw and inhaling, finding the scent of the man absolutely intoxicating. His tongue flicked out again to glide along Taekwoon’s neck, letting the faint, salty taste of nervous sweatdrops tantalize his taste buds, “Mmm...I’m not going to kill you. I think I’m going to keep you.”
Taekwoon’s breath hitched at the swipe of tongue, his shoulder trembling as it wanted to curl up and push the creature away. Goosebumps spread over his skin and he refrained from showing the insubordinate shiver that ran down his spine. “You’re not keeping any part of me. I’m not yours.”
Taekwoon’s hands also attempted to shove Hakyeon off of him, but it was like a metric ton of weight was on him. Even as his fingers curled into Hakyeon’s shoulders, his arms straining to push, the tries were futile as Hakyeon didn’t budge.
“Let me go,” he seethed in escalating anger.
Taekwoon’s words fell on deaf ears, Hakyeon pressing his body flush against Taekwoon’s now, his free hand ghosting up Taekwoon’s side as he shifted his head to position his mouth at the junction of Taekwoon’s shoulder where it connected to his neck, nosing the fabric of Taekwoon’s sweater aside.
Once there he let his fangs prick the soft flesh as he bit down, not hard enough to draw blood but applying just enough pressure that within a few hours there would be a visible bruise.
The pain was real and Taekwoon almost thought this was the moment his life was going to end. His eyes had fluttered close as his whole body tensed, his lungs locking up as he held his breath.
Satisfied, Hakyeon leaned back but made no motion of removing his hands or stepping away, his intense gaze unwavering, the one hand settling now on Taekwoon’s waist as he drummed his fingers against his hip, “I’ll let you go, on one condition.”
The breath he had been holding escaped into the dense, night air. Taekwoon didn’t ask what the condition was and instead cracked his lids open, challenging Hakyeon to voice his words. He was already worn out by the rampant flux of emotions and energy.
Seeing the male beneath him spent of both energy and emotion in just this short amount of time was quite adorable, Hakyeon’s head tilting in a curious cat manner for just a moment, “You can’t tell anyone about me.”
The serious tone of his voice was almost contrasting to his currently amused expression and head position but soon Hakyeon’s head was back straight and his lips drawn in a tight line, “Because if you do I will find out, and I will kill you.”
Hakyeon’s eyes flashed as his sharpened nails pressed into the flesh of Taekwoon’s neck, enough to add a physical sting to his threatening words. And as if he had never been there, Hakyeon was suddenly gone, the space in front of Taekwoon only empty there.
The only evidence remaining was the heartless, dead body next to Taekwoon.
~*~*~*~
Taekwoon went to sleep that night with only the aide of a sleeping pill. He only used them in emergencies; he figured encountering a near-death experience with a mythical creature counted as an ‘emergency’.
The eerie silence of his dark apartment was the last thing he remembered before the pill went into effect.
Late into the next day, he was warm and snugly wrapped in his blankets. As he started to rouse awake, nothing from the previous night entered his thoughts. He was only conscious of how groggy he felt, the last remains of drowsiness weighing down on him.
The brightness of the sunlight pouring through his bedroom window told him it must’ve been past noon. He couldn’t recall what time he’d fallen asleep.
As Taekwoon rolled over to check his phone for the actual time and any missed messages, he realized there was something blocking him from moving all the way. Confusion slipping through his heavy mind, he slowly sat up and with puffy eyes that refused to open all the way, he slowly, slowly dragged his eyes over--
No fucking way.
Curled up in his blankets was a bewildering sight of silver hair, dark skin and not to mention the flash of glistening, silver fur poking out from the edge of his bed.
Taekwoon’s hand slapped over his mouth for he realized the startled gasp that filled the room came from him.
The white ears peeking beyond the top of the covers flicked at the sound, a disgruntled face emerging from the confines of the warm blankets, “Do you have any idea how late I went to sleep last night? Why must you cause such a raucous and disturb my beauty sleep?”
Hakyeon’s golden eyes narrowed before his head disappeared back beneath the safety of the blankets again, twisting a few of his tails up around his head to act as an additional pillow for himself as his body curled inwards, much like a cat would do once it had made itself comfortable.
The scream that wanted to jump out of him when the creature moved and spoke thankfully didn’t make it past the base of his throat. Acting on instinct, it took Taekwoon a few scoots and one turn, but with how much his head pounded in sync with his heart, this seemed like the only logical response to finding a gumiho in his bed.
His bare toes found the side of Hakyeon’s frame and he pushed hard, kicking Hakyeon right off the bed.
Normally Hakyeon wouldn’t have been so easy to just shove around, but normally he wasn’t casually dozing in some human’s bed after having ventured in in the middle of the night--and he was caught off guard.
“Ouch! Damnit!” The curt curse immediately followed the rather loud thud of his body hitting the floor, still tangled in the thick sheets.
Hakyeon wasn’t angry though, mildly annoyed as he took out the brunt of his annoyance on the sheets, tearing through them like butter with his sharp claws as he freed himself, “You really should think twice about doing that to someone who could so easily rip your throat out.”
His tone was eerily pleasant, speaking as if this was some sort of regular morning conversation happening between the two of them. Hakyeon’s hair was a bit tousled, his ears twisted back to match his sour mood as he glared up at Taekwoon, “That’s no way to treat your mate.”
Taekwoon didn't know what to be upset about more: the bedding his mother bought him or the horrifying term of endearment; the death threat paled in comparison to the other two.
"Get out," he firmly said, voice surprisingly steady. Taekwoon would not be surprised if he had reached a new height of crazy and was imagining all of this. Midterms were coming up after all.
Hakyeon rose gracefully to his feet, the ripped pieces of fabric falling around his ankles, revealing an outfit much less form fitting and much more familiar to Taekwoon’s eyes.
He was dressed in a gray oversized sweater and a pair of black sweatpants that were a bit too big, hanging low on his narrow hips, and pooling at his feet. It had been a bit of a struggle to find a pair that would accommodate his tails, wondering why in the world Taekwoon needed so many pair of skin-tight spandex, “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve decided I can’t trust you, Jung Taekwoon.”
Hakyeon might have also snuck a peek at Taekwoon’s school ID from his wallet while he had been searching in the closet and drawers for pajamas the night before.
Taekwoon's narrowed eyes did light up at his name leaving those lips. He shouldn't be too surprised the fox would find that out since it already snuck into his apartment.
"How'd you get in here?" He distinctly remembered entering alone and was confident, even if drunk, he would notice something as large as Hakyeon slipping in.
“I followed your scent here and your landlord gave me your keypad code," Hakyeon answered coolly, crossing his arms as his hands were swallowed up by the large sleeves. "He was drunk and it was easy enough to sweet talk him that I was your boyfriend. He was very surprised you landed a catch like me.”
Hakyeon’s left eye flickered in a wink as his lips curled up, flashing a fangy grin to Taekwoon; he wasn’t at all bothered by having to deal with his less than pleasant attitude so early in the morning.
Taekwoon looked appalled and flushed in embarrassment. The last thing he needed on his already heavy plate was his landlord, nosy Mr Kim, to wiggle his eyebrows every time Taekwoon gave him the rent money.
"I need to make sure you never get in here again. I won't tell anyone about your secret. I didn't even want to know your secret myself!" Taekwoon said all of this in several exasperated breaths. He didn't like speaking this much but he was so furious he couldn't leave anything unsaid.
A set of shorts ‘tsks’ followed, Hakyeon clicking his tongue against his teeth, as he strode over to the bed in a one fluid step, uncurling his arms to lean over and tap Taekwoon on the nose with a clawed finger, “Well then you shouldn’t have stopped in front of the alley, should you? You should have just kept moving that pretty little self of yours along and minded your own business.”
Shaking his head to Hakyeon’s nonsensical answer, he slowly started making his way off the bed. This would be a much easier argument to have standing up, giving him an upper hand if he had his whole body on guard.
"And why are you wearing my clothes?!" He raised his voice as he stood at the end of his bed, thinking about how convenient it would be if he had his own set of claws to rip into Hakyeon.
Hakyeon’s brow rose in response to the inquisition about his choice of clothing, “My clothes had blood on them. Would you rather I had slept in your bed naked?” Hakyeon offered his own question in return, speaking as if the idea had actually crossed his mind...which it had.
“You know, you’re really sexy when you’re angry.” Hakyeon added as an afterthought.
The naked inquiry was already the last straw so by the time he emitted the sexy comment, Taekwoon was well under way to stalking towards Hakyeon, arms out. His hands prodded at Hakyeon’s shoulders before clenching into his own sweater, nudging him and pushing him towards his bedroom door. “Out. I’m kicking you out.”
The minute he felt the larger hands pressing against him a snort of laughter burst forth from Hakyeon, “You really think you can just kick me out, or even move me so easily?”
As if it were the alleyway all over again, Hakyeon snatched Taekwoon’s wrist in his hand and pressed the other to Taekwoon’s chest, pushing him backwards until his legs hit the edge of the bed and Hakyeon forced him onto his back, the mattress dipping from their weight.
To assure neither of Taekwoon’s hands would be a nuisance, Hakyeon pinned them above Takwoon’s head, held in place by one of his own while he kneeled with a leg on either side of Taekwoon’s hips, settling his weight on the larger man’s lap so he couldn’t move. “I’ll leave after I hear you say my name.”
Hakyeon dipped in close, eyes gleaming as that cheshire-like grin had reappeared on his face, crinkling up the corners of his eyes.
As expected of any male graduate student who was used to overpowering anyone who got in his way, Taekwoon found his disoriented senses sending him for a surprised loop. His breath caught in his throat for several reasons and he immediately tried to free himself from Hakyeon’s hold.
Reminiscent of the night before, he quickly stopped when he knew it was useless to struggle. Instead he glowered up at Hakyeon. "I don't want to know your name."
“Fine, then I’ll just make myself comfortable.” Hakyeon stated assertively, sitting back up and doing just that.
Taekwoon sighed, his eyes closing as he pumped himself up for the most humiliating moment in his life. Chewing on his bottom lip as even his mouth tried to stop him from doing so, he sucked in a deep breath and in the tiniest, tiniest voice ever, he asked, "What's your name?"
If there was something Hakyeon loved more than anything else, it was getting in his way; he had perfected doing so in the thousand years he had been alive; had it not been for his incredibly inept hearing he would have missed the softest voice he had ever heard. How cute.
“Well, I’m not so mean as to insist you call me ‘love’ or anything like that…” Hakyeon started, ears twitching happily, “My name is Hakyeon.”
One of his tails stretched around his body to stroke Taekwoon’s face, the soft fur ghosting ever so gently against his cheek as Hakyeon curled his body forward to whisper into Taekwoon’s ear, “And I’m not going anywhere.”
Once seated back upright, Hakyeon giggled in anticipation for the mortified look that was sure to manifest on Taekwoon’s face, “You’re my mate, I just can’t leave you so suddenly after finding you!”
As Taekwoon stared wide-eyed (as wide as his small eyes would go), he ignored the ticklish wisp of silver hair crossing over his cheek. With his lips agape and skin heating with betrayal and embarrassment at how he fell for that, he realized then in this very second--he was stuck with a gumiho.
a/n: So this is what happened after someone in my Korean class gave a presentation on gumihos.J wasn't really feeling the idea but I made her give it a shot and now it's even beat out The Nanny for her favorite story we're working on (mine too shh). ~C
Pairing: Neo
Word Count: 5690
Rating: PG-13. (Mention of blood, a little gore, dead body)
Summary: Hakyeon is a gumiho. A fox eared, nine-tailed, heart eating, thousand year old creature most people believed only existed in myths who decides that a certain graduate student will be his wife.
“For the thousandth time, I’m not your ‘husband’ or ‘mate’ or your ‘boyfriend’ or whatever the hell it is you think I am!”
One thousand wouldn’t be an exaggeration for the number of times that Taekwoon had told this to Hakyeon; arguing about this had become one of their daily routines. Though it was less arguing and more Taekwoon exerting precious energy on the unshakeable gumiho that had all but chained himself to him.
Yes, Hakyeon was a gumiho. A fox eared, nine-tailed, heart eating, thousand year old creature most people believed only existed in myths.
He followed just about every cliche of all the stories Taekwoon had heard growing up as well too, except that Hakyeon was a male. And instead of trying to find himself a wife, Hakyeon had decided to attach himself to the graduate student.
Their “argument” carried on as it usually did: Hakyeon simply responded with one of his grunts and as usual Taekwoon had no idea what the fuck it meant.
Hakyeon had a whole assortment of these animalistic sounds and even two and a half months later, after being forced to spend almost every waking hour with Hakyeon, Taekwoon still had no idea what most of them were.
It frustrated him to no end, as did just about everything about the damn fox.
“Why are you here anyways? No one invited you in!” It was pointless to ask, Taekwoon knew, but he was so worked up that making sense wasn’t high on his list of priorities right now.
“I told you last time, your landlord was nice enough to give me your door code.” Came the simple, relaxed answer.
Taekwoon lived alone. The first time he actually heard the quiet beeps of someone punching in his door code he had been waiting, baseball bat in hand, to defend what little valuables he had in his apartment. Hakyeon had merely burst into a fit of laughter at the sight, not at all threatened; he had no reason to be, he was leagues stronger than Taekwoon.
So now every time Taekwoon heard the beeping of the touchpad he became tense, having become far too familiar with these unscheduled and unannounced visits, “And I told you last time I don’t want you coming here!”
From where he was currently stretched along the couch, laying on his side with his head perched in his hand, Hakyeon just gazed lovingly at Taekwoon, “Oh you say that, but I know deep down how you really feel, Woonie.”
His ears twitched atop a silver head of hair as an almost cat-like smile stretched along his lips, a few of his many tails flicking at Taekwoon.
Ever since Taekwoon had discovered Hakyeon’s secret, Hakyeon didn’t even bother concealing his fox appendages, deeming it “a waste of energy” when Taekwoon knew about them anyways.
“What I really feel is-!” Taekwoon’s chest rose and fell as he gave an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his unkempt hair, the result of a long night of studying, as he just turned and stormed into the kitchen to make coffee.
It had been a hard couple of days, couple of months actually, starting from when he had met Hakyeon for the first time. Taekwoon still wasn’t really sure which encounter should be logged as their first meeting.
~*~*~
The first first time he had crossed paths with Hakyeon had been a troubling night. Taekwoon had accompanied his best friend Jaehwan to a bar, and that’s how all terrible stories started.
Jaehwan had just broken up with his girlfriend of four months. In Taekwoon’s book four months wasn’t long at all but to Jaehwan, anything past 100 days was a miracle.
He distinctly remembered listening to Jaehwan ramble on about how he was going to find someone better than her, who would appreciate all of his corny jokes and intellectual conversations about the existence of the fifth dimension and corgis.
That’s when Taekwoon reached up to pat his friend on the shoulder in modest comfort, only to be interrupted by a body between them. Catching Taekwoon off guard, he shot the brazen male a glowering stare.
Most people cowered under Taekwoon’s infamous death glare, but this man just continued to order his drink, even having the audacity to shoot him a wink. Before Taekwoon could protest though, the stranger was gone with a cold drink in hand and disappearing back into the darkness of the bar.
From there, Taekwoon couldn’t shake off the feeling of a pair of eyes on him. Each time he scanned the crowd though, he saw nothing but mingling couples and single people waiting to be approached.
As Jaehwan excused himself with a wobbly stumble to the bathroom, Taekwoon was left alone and uncomfortable at the bar, staring straight ahead and sipping idly at his drink. Of course it was then that someone came sliding up next to him in Jaehwan’s previously occupied stool.
“This seat is taken,” Taekwoon flatly shared. When the person didn’t leave, he sighed and turned in his stool, “I’m not interest--”
It was the man from before.
“Save your breath, it’s not you I’m interested in.”
In just the couple hours that Hakyeon had been observing Taekwoon he was able to deduce just what kind of guy he was.
It was obvious to Hakyeon that Taekwoon was only here for his grieving friend, paying no attention to the numerous women, and even men, who had tried to approach him; many didn’t even make it to speaking to him before his sharp eyes sent them running.
It was all so amusing to Hakyeon, this little game of cat, or rather fox, and mouse. Though the more he watched Taekwoon it seemed this would be a game of fox and cat, Taekwoon’s temperament strangely reminiscent of the feral creature.
Hakyeon’s usual charms weren’t going to work, most of his targets falling easily to his slightly feminine face, pairing his natural unaging good looks with sugar-coated words and subtle touches.
Takewoon would be harder to impress and Hakyeon knew hitting on him so blunt and straight forward was exactly what Taekwoon was expecting; he had to play even more coy than usual.
“Your friend, he just broke up with someone?” Hakyeon sat with his body facing the bar, unthreatening, long legs tucked under the counter, sipping idly on his vibrantly blue drink, “My guess is they weren’t together long but for him it’s like the world is ending?”
Breaking his expectations immediately, Taekwoon narrowed his eyes in less of a threatening manner and more towards an inquisitive stare. Always guarded, Taekwoon wasn’t one to ease up easily, the strains of suspicion still evaluating Hakyeon.
There had to be a reason behind why Hakyeon had sat in this particular stool when there was an empty one a few seats down; also choosing to engage in conversation didn’t seem harmless to Taekwoon.
“Mm,” Taekwoon submitted one nod, refusing to take his eyes off of Hakyeon.
He had this unearthing intuition that Hakyeon was more than what met the eye. Maybe it was the strategically undone button-up shirt showing off the collar bones at the base of a long neck, or possibly the black jeans tightly framing along those long legs.
Either way, Hakyeon’s appearance didn’t convey a ‘just here for casual, philosophical conversation’ message.
“He won’t be gone long,” Taekwoon added, implying that the seat Hakyeon currently occupied would need to be freed up for Jaehwan.
“That’s alright, I’m not planning on staying long.” Hakyeon didn’t need to be looking at Taekwoon to feel the dark gaze tracing over every dip, curve and exposed part of his body; even if Taekwoon wasn’t “interested” in him he was still intrigued and that caught Hakyeon’s attention.
But his attention was on the bartender at the moment, the corners of his lips curled up mischievously (though not because of the bartender) as the bartender became a bit flustered when Hakyeon put in another order for a drink.
Taekwoon’s eyes flitted to the man behind the bar, clearly dressed and groomed to draw in more customers. The way a charismatic-looking man appeared to shrink shyly to Hakyeon’s order caused Taekwoon to direct his gaze back to Hakyeon, his caution increasing tenfold.
“If you’re going to stare at me like that the least you could do is ask for my name first.”
Setting his empty glass on the bar, Hakyeon turned so he was facing Taekwoon now, crossing one leg over the other as he displayed a more warm and inviting smile than the one that had just been tugging at his mouth.
The scoff that seethed past his lips was already out before he could trap it. Taekwoon didn’t bother asking for his name, such information not important to someone he intended to never see again.
Jaehwan had been Hakyeon’s initial target, Jaehwan was easy. But he had spent a thousand years hunting easy targets. Taekwoon on the other hand…Taekwoon was a challenge.
Hakyeon decided he could use a challenge.
“You strike me as the type who knows you are very handsome, probably used to being told you are quite frequently, but you just brush it off, yes? Why is that? Do you really not think you’re handsome, which you are, or do you think people are just trying to kiss your ass to get a piece of it, which I’m not, just for the record.”
Ok, so Hakyeon could be a bit crude but he didn’t see any point in flitting around when he could just get straight to the point. He prided himself on, among a large amount of things, being open and honest with his thoughts and intentions.
This was going to be a slow game and his nerves tingled delightedly at the thought.
Hakyeon’s brighter gaze met Taekwoon’s, breaking only for a second when he received another drink from the bartender to replace his finished one. It didn’t matter he was having another so quickly after, alcohol had no effect on him. He only drank to keep up an appearance, and he did like how the fruity flavors mixed with the tart liquor tickled his tastebuds.
He flashed a heavenly white smile when the bartender said it was ‘on the house’, attention immediately back on Taekwoon as he leisurely sipped his drink and waited for an answer.
It was hard for Taekwoon not to roll his eyes at the looks exchanged between the bartender and Hakyeon. If he hadn’t already been rolling them over and over in his imagination at Hakyeon’s little speech, he would’ve actually done it.
What confused him wasn’t the approach Hakyeon came at him with, it was the end goal. If Hakyeon supposedly wasn’t looking to seek out a date or anything more raunchy than that, then what was the point of engaging in a conversation with Taekwoon and calling him handsome?
“I never let the conversations reach that point,” Taekwoon clarified in case Hakyeon misread his interest. Just because he continued to sit here didn’t mean he wanted Hakyeon to further progress this small talk.
Of course he didn’t, Hakyeon thought to himself, not the least bit surprised. Taekwoon was certainly not one for one-night stands, or even flirting.
Fortunately at this moment, Taekwoon spotted Jaehwan stumbling out from the bathroom hall. Instead of waiting for Jaehwan to come over to the bar for Hakyeon to potentially clear out, Taekwoon slipped off the stool, his knee knocking into Hakyeon’s.
He apologized briefly, his hand politely brushing at Hakyeon’s pants as he bowed his head in added apology.
A strange occurrence happened that Taekwoon knew he would never forget. As he gave Hakyeon one last glance after his hand hastily drew away, he thought he saw Hakyeon’s eyes burn a golden blaze of color, before quickly sinking back into a normal brown.
It stirred this unrest in Taekwoon’s chest as he fell into the crowd, grabbing Jaehwan by the arm and ushering him out. Out of this disturbed curiosity, when Taekwoon looked back at the bar as they were leaving, the nameless stranger was no longer there.
He hadn’t learned of Hakyeon’s name until their second first meeting. That was also when he discovered Hakyeon’s secret.
~*~*~*~
“Alright babe, I’m all finished here.”
Hakyeon had stayed at the bar until well after closing a few weeks later, the bartender having become his new target after Taekwoon had so amusingly rushed off.
If he recalled the incident that night, he could still feel the light, apologetic brush of Taekwoon’s fingers over his knee, “How strange a creature…” He mused to himself, wondering why Taekwoon would go through all those lengths to avoid any sort of conversation yet initiate physical contact, even if just in apology.
His new challenge was pushed aside for now, spinning on the barstool where he was perched to flash that charming smile of his again; it was almost sad how simple it was to make the other man blush and lose his composure.
“Well let’s take this back to your place then, hmm?”
This routine had become so boring to Hakyeon, only have to repeat it weekly out of necessity for keeping himself alive.
Once he was draped against the bartender's side, whispering sweet nothings into his ear, it was too easy to convince him to take a detour through a dark alleyway, one littered with faded graffiti and discarded waste along the edges; Hakyeon had learned long ago how to detect alleyways that were no longer frequented even by the homeless.
The bartender never saw it coming, too caught up in the sparkling aura emanating from Hakyeon as he pressed him back against the rough brick of the building. He rolled his lithe body against the bartender’s larger one, crashing their lips together in the head of passion, fingers pressing along his jaw before Hakyeon gave one quick flick of his wrists and snapped the man’s neck as if it were a thin twig.
“Nothing personal, mom just always said I shouldn’t play with my food.” The body crumpled to the ground with a light thud, Hakyeon crouching down and tilting up the deceased bartender’s chin with two fingers, “Such a shame, he was cute.”
After a nonchalant shrug, he repositioned the body flat against the ground with a quick tug of its ankle, shifting it as though it weighed nothing. His nails then extended, dark hair fading into glistening silver, keen ears transpiring on his skull, nine long tails uncurling behind him.
Hakyeon drug a claw up the man’s shirt, ripping through the fabric as cleanly as if he was using a pair of scissors. The same precision carved a line into the man’s now exposed chest between his collarbones before his hand disappeared inside to receive his meal.
Taekwoon had been walking home. He always had to pass this block of bars on his way from the university’s library. Although it was past midnight, this area was typical of any nightlife spot in Seoul and was still crawling with women and men.
As he passed this particular alleyway, Taekwoon blamed it on his rotten luck that he just happened to be drawn to something about of the corner of his eye. Rationale told him to keep walking and ignore it--it could be two people fooling around.
However, his curiosity and instinct led him to pause in his stride.
The moon’s silver glow was not the cause of the silver illumination glinting in the dark alleyway. There was no moon at all that night.
Taekwoon only saw it in pieces, broken fragments of silver hairs arching together in the air, silver tips of claws coated in deep red and finally eyes that were a raw, golden color, piercing in the black shadows.
There was no sound as Hakyeon moved, effortlessly dragging Taekwoon into the shadows he had been secluded in and pinning him against the wall by the throat all within a matter of seconds, “Well well, if it isn’t the handsome stranger.”
The sudden wind knocked out of his chest left him dazed for an extended second. With the hard press of brick into his back, digging into his sharp shoulder blades, he barely had time to calculate how exactly he ended up so deep into the alley. Then again, he still was trying to piece together what exactly he was staring at.
Hakyeon wasn’t upset about being caught, quite the opposite actually: he was amused, “It must be destiny that we’re meeting again so soon, hmm?” The question purred from the back of Hakyeon’s throat, his long, blood-soaked fingers unrelenting around Taekwoon’s neck but still allowing him to breath.
The words didn’t make sense to Taekwoon, the inner edges of his eyebrows pushing together so hard he swore that was the reason his head pounded. Despite how warm and wet he felt the fingers were planting their prints into the flesh of his neck, he prided himself on how calm he responded to everything unfolding. Only his heart raced incessantly in his ribcage, his limbs mildly stiffening as he tried to keep his head clear.
As Hakyeon’s lips curled back to express his utter amusement his sharp canines were exposed, stained red, the color having dyed the corners of his mouth with a few spattered drops along his chin as well, “Again I must insist if you’re going to stare at me that you at least ask my name.”
Hakyeon’s voice remained as calm and silky smooth as it had been during their first encounter, as if there wasn’t a mutilated body inches from where they were standing, the open chest cavity void of the most vital organ.
The way Taekwoon’s chest thrashed about and his stomach coiled were all normal human reactions to what he was witnessing. It’s unsettling to be staring into eyes blazing gold; where he expected to see circles of irises, he only saw brilliant gold with endless, black pupils. Taekwoon’s eyes flitted to the twin teeth, like small daggers ready to strike.
Past him there was a fan of silver tails, framing Hakyeon’s overall dangerous gleam with an ethereal, almost enchanting one. If he were to will himself to look away, he would only be met with the mangled body abandoned at the side. He’d rather keep his stare on Hakyeon.
When Taekwoon finally dragged in the remaining of his nerves and condensed them into something resemblant of speech, he breathed out in realization as everything clicked into place, “You’re from the bar.”
There was still no intention of asking his name.
“Well aren’t you a clever little thing,” Hakyeon chimed, stretching his lips to smile wider. “So you do remember me, I must have left some impact on you then.”
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it,” and finally Taekwoon’s body started operating, hands clenching up at Hakyeon’s on his neck. He wasn’t trying to pry Hakyeon’s claws off him, and instead doing the extreme opposite, pressing his nails harder into his skin until he could barely breathe at all. Taekwoon would rather this end quickly than to suffer slowly into his death.
The intensity of his golden eyes faltered for a moment as Hakyeon blinked rapidly a few times, puzzled when he felt Taekwoon trying to make him actually suffocate him, a futile effort as Hakyeon easily loosened his grip just enough to let him keep breathing again.
The bewilderment was quickly replaced with a large outburst of laughter, the sound high and airy, almost pleasant sounding despite the rather morbid situation, “Why so quick to want to die, hmm? What makes you think I’m going to kill you? I’ve already eaten.”
His tongue slid along his blood-stained lips, licking up the drops lingering around the corners of his mouth, “Besides…” Hakyeon started, voice low as he moved his hand down the column of Taekwoon’s neck just enough to give him access to the pale skin, “It would be a shame to kill someone as pretty as you.”
This had to be worse than dying--to be berated in such a way of being called pretty while he felt those fingers pulling back the material of his collar. He felt vulnerable and exposed, like he was being toyed with while Hakyeon so explicitly tasted the remains on his lips. Taekwoon hardened his stare to make up for the belittlement.
There was a soft purr to Hakyeon’s words as he dipped in, nuzzling his nose beneath Taekwoon’s jaw and inhaling, finding the scent of the man absolutely intoxicating. His tongue flicked out again to glide along Taekwoon’s neck, letting the faint, salty taste of nervous sweatdrops tantalize his taste buds, “Mmm...I’m not going to kill you. I think I’m going to keep you.”
Taekwoon’s breath hitched at the swipe of tongue, his shoulder trembling as it wanted to curl up and push the creature away. Goosebumps spread over his skin and he refrained from showing the insubordinate shiver that ran down his spine. “You’re not keeping any part of me. I’m not yours.”
Taekwoon’s hands also attempted to shove Hakyeon off of him, but it was like a metric ton of weight was on him. Even as his fingers curled into Hakyeon’s shoulders, his arms straining to push, the tries were futile as Hakyeon didn’t budge.
“Let me go,” he seethed in escalating anger.
Taekwoon’s words fell on deaf ears, Hakyeon pressing his body flush against Taekwoon’s now, his free hand ghosting up Taekwoon’s side as he shifted his head to position his mouth at the junction of Taekwoon’s shoulder where it connected to his neck, nosing the fabric of Taekwoon’s sweater aside.
Once there he let his fangs prick the soft flesh as he bit down, not hard enough to draw blood but applying just enough pressure that within a few hours there would be a visible bruise.
The pain was real and Taekwoon almost thought this was the moment his life was going to end. His eyes had fluttered close as his whole body tensed, his lungs locking up as he held his breath.
Satisfied, Hakyeon leaned back but made no motion of removing his hands or stepping away, his intense gaze unwavering, the one hand settling now on Taekwoon’s waist as he drummed his fingers against his hip, “I’ll let you go, on one condition.”
The breath he had been holding escaped into the dense, night air. Taekwoon didn’t ask what the condition was and instead cracked his lids open, challenging Hakyeon to voice his words. He was already worn out by the rampant flux of emotions and energy.
Seeing the male beneath him spent of both energy and emotion in just this short amount of time was quite adorable, Hakyeon’s head tilting in a curious cat manner for just a moment, “You can’t tell anyone about me.”
The serious tone of his voice was almost contrasting to his currently amused expression and head position but soon Hakyeon’s head was back straight and his lips drawn in a tight line, “Because if you do I will find out, and I will kill you.”
Hakyeon’s eyes flashed as his sharpened nails pressed into the flesh of Taekwoon’s neck, enough to add a physical sting to his threatening words. And as if he had never been there, Hakyeon was suddenly gone, the space in front of Taekwoon only empty there.
The only evidence remaining was the heartless, dead body next to Taekwoon.
~*~*~*~
Taekwoon went to sleep that night with only the aide of a sleeping pill. He only used them in emergencies; he figured encountering a near-death experience with a mythical creature counted as an ‘emergency’.
The eerie silence of his dark apartment was the last thing he remembered before the pill went into effect.
Late into the next day, he was warm and snugly wrapped in his blankets. As he started to rouse awake, nothing from the previous night entered his thoughts. He was only conscious of how groggy he felt, the last remains of drowsiness weighing down on him.
The brightness of the sunlight pouring through his bedroom window told him it must’ve been past noon. He couldn’t recall what time he’d fallen asleep.
As Taekwoon rolled over to check his phone for the actual time and any missed messages, he realized there was something blocking him from moving all the way. Confusion slipping through his heavy mind, he slowly sat up and with puffy eyes that refused to open all the way, he slowly, slowly dragged his eyes over--
No fucking way.
Curled up in his blankets was a bewildering sight of silver hair, dark skin and not to mention the flash of glistening, silver fur poking out from the edge of his bed.
Taekwoon’s hand slapped over his mouth for he realized the startled gasp that filled the room came from him.
The white ears peeking beyond the top of the covers flicked at the sound, a disgruntled face emerging from the confines of the warm blankets, “Do you have any idea how late I went to sleep last night? Why must you cause such a raucous and disturb my beauty sleep?”
Hakyeon’s golden eyes narrowed before his head disappeared back beneath the safety of the blankets again, twisting a few of his tails up around his head to act as an additional pillow for himself as his body curled inwards, much like a cat would do once it had made itself comfortable.
The scream that wanted to jump out of him when the creature moved and spoke thankfully didn’t make it past the base of his throat. Acting on instinct, it took Taekwoon a few scoots and one turn, but with how much his head pounded in sync with his heart, this seemed like the only logical response to finding a gumiho in his bed.
His bare toes found the side of Hakyeon’s frame and he pushed hard, kicking Hakyeon right off the bed.
Normally Hakyeon wouldn’t have been so easy to just shove around, but normally he wasn’t casually dozing in some human’s bed after having ventured in in the middle of the night--and he was caught off guard.
“Ouch! Damnit!” The curt curse immediately followed the rather loud thud of his body hitting the floor, still tangled in the thick sheets.
Hakyeon wasn’t angry though, mildly annoyed as he took out the brunt of his annoyance on the sheets, tearing through them like butter with his sharp claws as he freed himself, “You really should think twice about doing that to someone who could so easily rip your throat out.”
His tone was eerily pleasant, speaking as if this was some sort of regular morning conversation happening between the two of them. Hakyeon’s hair was a bit tousled, his ears twisted back to match his sour mood as he glared up at Taekwoon, “That’s no way to treat your mate.”
Taekwoon didn't know what to be upset about more: the bedding his mother bought him or the horrifying term of endearment; the death threat paled in comparison to the other two.
"Get out," he firmly said, voice surprisingly steady. Taekwoon would not be surprised if he had reached a new height of crazy and was imagining all of this. Midterms were coming up after all.
Hakyeon rose gracefully to his feet, the ripped pieces of fabric falling around his ankles, revealing an outfit much less form fitting and much more familiar to Taekwoon’s eyes.
He was dressed in a gray oversized sweater and a pair of black sweatpants that were a bit too big, hanging low on his narrow hips, and pooling at his feet. It had been a bit of a struggle to find a pair that would accommodate his tails, wondering why in the world Taekwoon needed so many pair of skin-tight spandex, “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve decided I can’t trust you, Jung Taekwoon.”
Hakyeon might have also snuck a peek at Taekwoon’s school ID from his wallet while he had been searching in the closet and drawers for pajamas the night before.
Taekwoon's narrowed eyes did light up at his name leaving those lips. He shouldn't be too surprised the fox would find that out since it already snuck into his apartment.
"How'd you get in here?" He distinctly remembered entering alone and was confident, even if drunk, he would notice something as large as Hakyeon slipping in.
“I followed your scent here and your landlord gave me your keypad code," Hakyeon answered coolly, crossing his arms as his hands were swallowed up by the large sleeves. "He was drunk and it was easy enough to sweet talk him that I was your boyfriend. He was very surprised you landed a catch like me.”
Hakyeon’s left eye flickered in a wink as his lips curled up, flashing a fangy grin to Taekwoon; he wasn’t at all bothered by having to deal with his less than pleasant attitude so early in the morning.
Taekwoon looked appalled and flushed in embarrassment. The last thing he needed on his already heavy plate was his landlord, nosy Mr Kim, to wiggle his eyebrows every time Taekwoon gave him the rent money.
"I need to make sure you never get in here again. I won't tell anyone about your secret. I didn't even want to know your secret myself!" Taekwoon said all of this in several exasperated breaths. He didn't like speaking this much but he was so furious he couldn't leave anything unsaid.
A set of shorts ‘tsks’ followed, Hakyeon clicking his tongue against his teeth, as he strode over to the bed in a one fluid step, uncurling his arms to lean over and tap Taekwoon on the nose with a clawed finger, “Well then you shouldn’t have stopped in front of the alley, should you? You should have just kept moving that pretty little self of yours along and minded your own business.”
Shaking his head to Hakyeon’s nonsensical answer, he slowly started making his way off the bed. This would be a much easier argument to have standing up, giving him an upper hand if he had his whole body on guard.
"And why are you wearing my clothes?!" He raised his voice as he stood at the end of his bed, thinking about how convenient it would be if he had his own set of claws to rip into Hakyeon.
Hakyeon’s brow rose in response to the inquisition about his choice of clothing, “My clothes had blood on them. Would you rather I had slept in your bed naked?” Hakyeon offered his own question in return, speaking as if the idea had actually crossed his mind...which it had.
“You know, you’re really sexy when you’re angry.” Hakyeon added as an afterthought.
The naked inquiry was already the last straw so by the time he emitted the sexy comment, Taekwoon was well under way to stalking towards Hakyeon, arms out. His hands prodded at Hakyeon’s shoulders before clenching into his own sweater, nudging him and pushing him towards his bedroom door. “Out. I’m kicking you out.”
The minute he felt the larger hands pressing against him a snort of laughter burst forth from Hakyeon, “You really think you can just kick me out, or even move me so easily?”
As if it were the alleyway all over again, Hakyeon snatched Taekwoon’s wrist in his hand and pressed the other to Taekwoon’s chest, pushing him backwards until his legs hit the edge of the bed and Hakyeon forced him onto his back, the mattress dipping from their weight.
To assure neither of Taekwoon’s hands would be a nuisance, Hakyeon pinned them above Takwoon’s head, held in place by one of his own while he kneeled with a leg on either side of Taekwoon’s hips, settling his weight on the larger man’s lap so he couldn’t move. “I’ll leave after I hear you say my name.”
Hakyeon dipped in close, eyes gleaming as that cheshire-like grin had reappeared on his face, crinkling up the corners of his eyes.
As expected of any male graduate student who was used to overpowering anyone who got in his way, Taekwoon found his disoriented senses sending him for a surprised loop. His breath caught in his throat for several reasons and he immediately tried to free himself from Hakyeon’s hold.
Reminiscent of the night before, he quickly stopped when he knew it was useless to struggle. Instead he glowered up at Hakyeon. "I don't want to know your name."
“Fine, then I’ll just make myself comfortable.” Hakyeon stated assertively, sitting back up and doing just that.
Taekwoon sighed, his eyes closing as he pumped himself up for the most humiliating moment in his life. Chewing on his bottom lip as even his mouth tried to stop him from doing so, he sucked in a deep breath and in the tiniest, tiniest voice ever, he asked, "What's your name?"
If there was something Hakyeon loved more than anything else, it was getting in his way; he had perfected doing so in the thousand years he had been alive; had it not been for his incredibly inept hearing he would have missed the softest voice he had ever heard. How cute.
“Well, I’m not so mean as to insist you call me ‘love’ or anything like that…” Hakyeon started, ears twitching happily, “My name is Hakyeon.”
One of his tails stretched around his body to stroke Taekwoon’s face, the soft fur ghosting ever so gently against his cheek as Hakyeon curled his body forward to whisper into Taekwoon’s ear, “And I’m not going anywhere.”
Once seated back upright, Hakyeon giggled in anticipation for the mortified look that was sure to manifest on Taekwoon’s face, “You’re my mate, I just can’t leave you so suddenly after finding you!”
As Taekwoon stared wide-eyed (as wide as his small eyes would go), he ignored the ticklish wisp of silver hair crossing over his cheek. With his lips agape and skin heating with betrayal and embarrassment at how he fell for that, he realized then in this very second--he was stuck with a gumiho.
a/n: So this is what happened after someone in my Korean class gave a presentation on gumihos.J wasn't really feeling the idea but I made her give it a shot and now it's even beat out The Nanny for her favorite story we're working on (mine too shh). ~C