Work Text:
The pillow was French, made of quality silk. The embroidery on the front was done in gold thread and hours of handiwork were taken to make it. It wasn't filled with any inexpensive stuffing, no, but rather loose down that would sometimes escape from the inside and require a swift plucking.
And now the feathers he once recalled pulling free every few days or so were strewn all over the living room floor, with an excited Chanyeol sitting in the middle of them. He was too caught up in joy to realize what the situation looked like, but he'd know soon enough.
"What did you do?" Junmyeon almost yells, trying to keep his voice level. He drops his bag to the ground and stares as Chanyeol's tail thumps on the carpet heavily, wiggling where he sat because Junmyeon told him last week to stop jumping on him when he got home. His legs were crossed instead.
He sneezes so hard that he almost falls over, and Junmyeon finally reacts.
"Bad Chanyeol! You know better than this!" He scolds and Chanyeol's lifted ears droop down in sudden shame, his tail ceasing to stir up the feathers around him. Junmyeon walks over to pick the empty shell of silk off the ground and place it on the counter while Chanyeol tries to curl up, his biggest puppy eyes on display.
On his hands and knees, Chanyeol weakly begins scooping up the evidence of his temper tantrum. When he gets a good amount he stands up and walks over to Junmyeon by the counter, easily surpassing him in height. When Junmyeon turns around to see him he takes in Chanyeol's sad expression and sighs, taking the feathers from him and setting them aside.
"Alright. I can clean it up later." he states and Chanyeol's tail shoots straight up in hope. When his owner extends his arms he rushes in for a hug, stooping down as if to make himself shorter and almost lifting him off the ground. Chanyeol drops him and pulls back t look his owner in the eye.
"Will you play with me?" he asks hopefully and Junmyeon pats his head.
"Maybe after dinner, Chanyeol. I'm a bit tired today." he replies and Chanyeol energetically nods his head, deciding to run around fixing the mess, even going as far as to vacuum the remains he can't pick up. In his hurry he knocks a painting off the wall and flies backwards to catch it, earning him more scolding for being so careless.
He spasmodically runs around in the kitchen, trying to help and offering his help every five seconds. Junmyeon finally gives him the task of setting the table and he gets it done in under a minute, standing in the middle of the kitchen with his tail wagging. It makes Junmyeon laugh at the hybrid's eagerness and they eat with him reminding Chanyeol to taste his food before he swallows it.
They take a few minutes to pass a ball around outside before bed, where Junmyeon has trouble falling asleep for several reasons, one including a restless hybrid one door down.
Junmyeon decides to get Chanyeol to do something outside of the house while he's gone. When he expressed the situation, the hybrid wasn't interested in any of the services local organizations offered. In the end, Junmyeon buys Chanyeol a guitar and brings him to classes, but they always ended by his lunch break. It was a compromise, but Chanyeol was quick to learn and soon the classes weren't enough for him, so they stopped.
But at least he had something less destructive to do, and now Junmyeon came home to sweet music instead of messes.
It doesn't last long, however, because soon he would come home to both. No matter how many things he told Chanyeol to do there would always be an issue. One day it was three pairs of leather shoes destroyed, and then the carpet was ripped up in the guest room. Thankfully Chanyeol didn't pee on the carpets anymore like he did as a puppy.
It was only getting worse, and it was beginning to worry Junmyeon. Chanyeol used to be so sweet and fluffy. Something was wrong and he needed to get to the bottom of it.
"Hey, Jongdae. Did you ever have any disobedience troubles with Luhan when you first adopted him?" He asks a coworker one day in the break room. He picks up the coffee he just brewed and pours it into a foam cup. Jongdae turns around at his name and pulls a stick of pepero from his front shirt pocket like it was a cigarette.
"Luhan? He was pretty tame. I think the only issues I had with him were when he kept trying to prove he was manly." he explains and bites into his snack. Minseok finishes heating up his ramen and pulls it out of the microwave.
"Wasn't he really restless until you bought Sehun?" He chimes in and Jongdae wiggles a finger when he remembers.
"Ah, right! I can't blame him, really. I'm sure it gets boring home alone. Is Chanyeol being a pest?"
Junmyeon nods his head and takes a sip from his cup, feeling his eye bags already. Chanyeol was up all night.
"I mean, he was before, but now he's just getting more destructive. I've been trying to divert his energy, but I don't think it's working." He explains and Jongdae opens his mouth as Minseok feeds him noodles.
"Why don't you adopt another one? He's lonely." Minseok suggests and Junmyeon makes a face.
"Wouldn't I have two rowdy hybrids then?" He asks and Minseok shakes his head.
"They'd cancel each other out. When you're not home they could play with each other."
"Why do I feel like they'd break everything?" Junmyeon mumbles.
"You own a hybrid - a beagle hybrid, of all things. Why would you even have anything breakable out in the first place?"
Junmyeon lowers his cup and finally feels the burn on his tongue from drinking it too fast, rubbing it against the roof of his mouth.
"I'll think about it."
"Well, I'd also be careful. If you get one of those female-male hybrids you need to watch for attraction." Jongdae reminds him and Junmyeon makes another face.
"A what?" His eyebrows scrunch together.
"You know. There's the males, the females, and the males that can get pregnant. That's why Luhan was so insecure. It's also why I have the hybrid clinic on speed dial. Too many false pregnancies, I tell you." Jongdae shakes his head with the horrible memories and decides to get some coffee for himself.
"You never told me Sehun and Luhan...were..." Junmyeon makes a few gestures and Jongdae laughs.
"It was inevitable, I suppose. Luhan was restless because of the heat periods. Other than that, he was perfectly tame." Jongdae explains and he finds an extra foam cup in the cabinet to pour the coffee into.
"So you're saying Chanyeol can get pregnant?" Junmyeon asks and Jongdae serves himself.
"Did they say anything when you adopted him? I'm sure they would've told you first, but heat is different from whatever Chanyeol's going through. I'm sure he's just lonely." Minseok supplies Jongdae with a spoon and a few sugar packets from a drawer as he speaks.
"So what do I do? I didn't really research anything before I bought Chanyeol, and I guess I didn't think it was going to be this difficult." Junmyeon confesses.
"Getting another male might end up with some territorial issues, but a female might snap at him if he tries anything. You'll need to find an in-between." Minseok offers.
"The second males are usually pretty passive by nature. I just hope you're willing to have puppies." Jongdae comments and he puts his stirring spoon into his mouth to clean it off before setting it in the sink.
"Puppies?" Junmyeon's eyes widen, but, as the idea settles in, he narrows them and tilts his head to the side, "Puppies..."
He smiles and shakes his head, nodding his thanks before heading back to his office to get back to work.
Chanyeol, Junmyeon thinks, is adorable. He promised the hybrid that they'd watch their favorite comedian on the television if he finished all his vegetables. When it came to subjects like that, who was Chanyeol to hesitate?
Now the hybrid was doubling over with laughter that was so loud it almost drowned out the comedian himself as he explained his latest trip to Saudi Arabia, meeting with the prince who offered him a falcon like it was cookie.
With another burst of face-twisting laughter, Junmyeon watches Chanyeol with a soft smile, really thinking about everything. Would Chanyeol be happier with a companion? Now that he thinks about it, they didn't really go out and meet with other people or hybrids. Junmyeon didn't have time for that. Chanyeol didn't have anyone else but himself, honestly. It was always better when the pool was open, but the ice wasn't completely thawed out yet.
With a quiet sigh he laughs at the comedian and ruffles Chanyeol's hair, feeling the ear between his fingers and scratching. Chanyeol leans into the affection and his tail wags with content.
It was set. Tomorrow he'd go to the adoption center and pick him out a friend. Should be bring Chanyeol with? Maybe it'd be better to introduce them first or let him decide so they get along faster.
He thinks of the last time he put Chanyeol in the car and gets flashbacks of their almost-accident, voting against it. He'll make it a surprise, then. He's sure Chanyeol will get along with the new comer. He's always been the friendly type. The last time they had a play date with Luhan and Sehun he always got along.
The next day Chanyeol was ever more energetic, and it broke Junmyeon's heart when the hybrid runs up to him first thing in the morning with his guitar and his ears perked up.
"You said on your day off I could play my song for you!" His tail was wagging behind him and Junmyeon smiles sadly.
"Oh, I'm sorry Chanyeol, but I have to run a few errands. But I promise you that if you get all your chores done and you're a good boy I'll have a super special surprise for you when I get back, alright?" He bargains. Chanyeol's ears began to fall, but then they come back up and he drops his guitar immediately to run for the kitchen. He grabs the chore list from the counter and reads it quickly, stuffing it in his pocket.
"I can rake the leaves! Yes I can! Everything will be done! I promise!" He cries out and bustles out the door when Junmyeon opens it for himself, still wrestling his spring jacket on. Junmyeon starts up his car and sees Chanyeol hectically dragging a rake across the lawn as he pulls out, waving to the hybrid before he puts it in drive and speeds away.
The adoption center was a cement building. Inside it had shelves of toys and products for sensitive ears and special grooming tools. They grouped the hybrids by type and usually gave them rooms that they all could sleep in at once hidden inside the building, but special play rooms for daytime hours.
Junmyeon enters the building and passes a cork board with business cards displayed to push open the second set of double doors. The first play room he looks into is full of Bunny hybrids, and most of them were pretty young still, but he wasn't looking for that kind. Cat hybrids usually were the most aloof kinds, and rabbits the most shy. he got Chanyeol because he wanted a little spice in his life. He got a little too much.
Junmyeon wasn't sure where Jongdae found Luhan, who was a deer hybrid. His antlers had fallen off for late winter, and now only little sprouts were showing through his blonde hair, but it was a miracle him and Sehun, a wolf hybrid, even got along, let alone had an intimate relationship. What would their children even look like? What would they be?
"Can I help you, sir?" A cheerful-looking worker comes over to greet him and he smiles in return, placing his hand on the bottom of a window where a selection of dog hybrids played.
"Actually, yes. I'm looking for a beagle hybrid?"
The worker takes out a square device and holds it up.
"If you're not aware, we have a new way of picking out a hybrid that's best for you! I'll help you out for your first time since it's pretty complicated at times. I'll ask you a few questions and catalog your results by typing them in. Sound okay?"
"Great." Junmyeon leans forward in interest.
"Awesome. We already have breed, so male or female?" The worker asks.
"Male, but I'm also looking for a breeding male." he adds, feeling shameful for asking.
"Ah, specific is good. That would be a submissive male, then. Do you want your pet to be active or calm, sir?"
"Active would be best. My current hybrid needs a friend who can keep up with him." Junmyeon explains and the worker presses a few buttons.
"Any height preference?"
"Taller, but not too tall."
"Alright. It takes a few seconds to sort through them - Oh, here we go. We currently have three beagle hybrids. One of them is a mix. His name is Taemin and he's medium in height, active and submissive."
The worker gestures to the window and points at a male with a white-tipped tail at the far wall. His ears, instead of being droopy, were perched high on his head. Junmyeon shakes his head and the worker scrolls down on the device.
"The second is Taehyung. He's submissive, active and medium in height as well." The worker points to one a bit closer, sitting in a circle with a couple others. One of the other hybrids comes over and lifts his chin up to give him a quick kiss and Junmyeon frowns, "Unfortunately it seems he's established a relationship too strong to separate. I'll have to alert the staff."
"And the third?" Junmyeon asks, wondering if he'll have to drive further out to find what he's looking for.
"Ah, yes. His name is Baekhyun. Unfortunately he's not a very good match, sir." The worker warns, "He's submissive, fairly short and calm in nature. Good news is that he is a purebred."
The worker points to a small male near the other window and they shuffle over to see him better. He was playing carefully with a younger hybrid with black lab features.
"A purebred, you say?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll take him."
"But, sir, Baekhyun doesn't fit a good chunk of your criteria."
Junmyeon gazes at the beagle hybrid sitting on a pillow as the other dog hybrids played around him.
"How much?"
The worker is about to object again, but then he closes his mouth and smiles with a nod, resetting his device and taking Junmyeon over a marked waiting spot. From where he stood he can watch as another worker enters the play room through a door and calls for the beagle, who looks up in surprise. He lifts the younger hybrid from his lap and waves him goodbye, but Junmyeon can see the tremble in his hands as he walks through the others, who were now cheering him on as he approaches the worker and the door.
The door Junmyeon's waiting in front of opens to reveal the hybrid standing with a small bundle in his arms - probably all the things he owned at the center were in his arms. He looks up at Junmyeon with such an apprehensive expression that he can feel himself melt inside. Junmyeon gives him a million watt smile and the hybrid relaxes somewhat, looking at the working escorting him for permission. The woman gestures for him to walk forward and Junmyeon holds out a hand for him to take.
Baekhyun's ears perk up before falling down with relaxation, scurrying forward hesitantly to spare a hand to grab Junmyeon's. Even if his expression wasn't saying anything, Junmyeon could see the beagle's tail wagging behind him in excitement.
They go to the front desk and they offer further services, which Junmyeon buys. he ultimately decides that Baekhyun is the most adorable thing he's ever seen once he sees the beagle surrounded by bubbles and being groomed properly. The hybrid's eyes light up and the smile reaches them when he comes out in new clothes to ride in the car with the window down.
For the first time ever, Baekhyun got to feel what it was like to have the wind blowing through his hair so fast, and he loved it. The sensation of his ears flapping in the wind was double the sensation. He was vaguely aware of his tail whipping Junmyeon in the arm as he leans out the window, but he didn't care and his new owner didn't seem to mind.
They stop in the garage before either of them make a move to get out and Junmyeon smiles at Baekhyun, who shyly smiles back.
"Welcome home, Baekhyun. When we get inside I'll introduce you to your new friend, okay? He's really friendly, so don't worry about him being mean, but you tell me if he is, okay?"
Baekhyun's wiggling tail slows down at this information, but he nods obediently and Junmyeon thinks about just how different he is from Chanyeol. When he first adopted the hybrid he never stopped talking in the car and explaining his gratefulness and enthusiasm.
"He's just like me?" Baekhyun asks and it's the first thing Junmyeon's heard from the hybrid all day. Junmyeon nods.
"He's a beagle hybrid too. He'll be really excited to see you, though, but he's a goofball. I promise." Junmyeon explains and opens his door. He walks over to help Baekhyun out and carries his things, "I'll show you your new room, too. You get one all to yourself."
"C-Can I share with you?" Baekhyun stutters under his breath and Junmyeon pushes the door open to the house. Directly inside, sitting on the nearest carpet to the door, on the edge of the living room and the kitchen, was Chanyeol with his legs crossed like always. His tail was whipping back and forth behind him and he starts hyperventilating as soon as he sees Junmyeon enter.
"I finished all my chores and I didn't break anything I swear! I didn't! I've been here all day and I just," He breaks off for a second when he starts crying suddenly, "I love you so much! I'm so happy you're home!"
He stops everything when his eyes pass over his beloved owner and settle on a small male hiding behind Junmyeon. The new person's eyes peek from around Junmyeon's shoulder and his little beagle ears perk up, and so does Chanyeol's. The tail that had stopped moving from inspection suddenly starts wiggling back and forth again in a slow-building excitement.
He scrambles to his feet and clenches his hands as he fights the urge to tackle and hug, making clear eye contact with the new person. Baekhyun's eyes widen when Chanyeol comes up to his full height and his ears flatten back in intimidation.
No, the nice man never said anything about this. He was a dominant, and now he was on this hybrid's property! He was going to be attacked and he couldn't be attacked again it hurt too much and he just wanted a place to call home. What was he supposed to do now?
With his tail between his legs, Baekhyun tries to hide behind Junmyeon again, except his new owner steps aside to reveal him and places one hand on his shoulder to push him forward. Baekhyun curls his hands against his chest and bends forward slightly to look smaller, beginning to tremble.
"Chanyeol, meet your new housemate, Baekhyun." Junmyeon announces and Chanyeol's tail starts wagging faster as large grin forms on his face. He breaks his control and scampers over to the smaller hybrid, who tenses, and squats down so he was shorter before he wraps his arms around the Baekhyun. Forgetting his attempt at being shorter, Chanyeol straightens out and Baekhyun is lifted off the ground and trapped in a tight, friendly embrace. He cries out and Chanyeol brings him into the living room, setting him down but not fully letting go as he starts vibrating with joy.
"My name is Chanyeol! We will have so much fun together!" Chanyeol exclaims and Baekhyun stares at him in fading fear, beginning to understand that this bigger hybrid wasn't actually a threat.
"Chanyeol, can you show Baekhyun his new room?" Junmyeon asks with a smile and he tosses the small bundle of things over to him. Chanyeol nods and catches the bundle, grabbing Baekhyun's hand and practically sprinting down the hall.
Standing in the doorway, Chanyeol watches as Baekhyun shyly examines his new room, feeling overwhelmed. The bed was queen sized, and everything looked so expensive. he feels ashamed to set his bundle of things down and untie it, revealing his only possessions. There was a toothbrush, a small blue donkey named Peaches, a change of clothes and a small picture of his brother all wrapped in a fleece blanket a few volunteers made for him and the others.
He carefully looks up at Chanyeol, who was walking into the room carefully with his eyes trained on the things on the bed. He boops Peaches on his yellowed nose and smiles up at Baekhyun, and the smaller thinks that maybe his new friend isn't so scary after all.
His first night's sleep in a new bed was far less pleasant than he expected. The dark wasn't very fun, but a small side table lamp solved that issue as long as he wasn't facing it as he slept, since he was used to sleeping with more than just himself in a room to rely on for protection. He's never trusted the dark, but Peaches was there to protect him.
He also didn't like the feel of the comforter, so he struggled to cover himself up with the square yard of fleece blanket as the chilly night air filled his room. He was too nervous to ask for more blankets in the middle of the night, but at least he wasn't hungry like before. The bigger hybrids didn't intimidate him into giving them his food this time, and Chanyeol even tried to give him more.
So, instead of silently weeping, Baekhyun spent most of the night trying to work himself up to finding extra blankets in the dark, instead managing to doze off at one point and wake up to a heavy weight jumping on the bed, telling him to get up so they could buy him more clothes.
He was soon to discover that Junmyeon was as generous as Chanyeol was happy. As much as he wanted to deny them from buying him so many shirts and pants and underthings, they insisted, and the small closet he had for his things became filled.
So many things - such a change from his life before, and Chanyeol was very persistent on playing both of them some songs he'd written, and they were actually pretty good. He even persuaded Baekhyun to learn a few chords when Junmyeon went to work, but the smaller hybrid was too shy to do more than hold them in place while Chanyeol strummed.
And, finally, Junmyeon could come home with ease, knowing that his two hybrids would be sprawled out on their beds or in the living room, playing the guitar or Chanyeol trying to loosen Baekhyun up into speaking.
It was working on a new song that Chanyeol finally heard Baekhyun's voice.
"I've been having issues with this one chord, though. I'm not sure what sound I'm trying to produce." Chanyeol did all the talking, but it seemed that Baekhyun was content to sit with his knees tucked against his chest and listen. The taller hybrid looks up as he strums another chord and tries a few notes out with his voice, but frowns and tries out another. Baekhyun lifts a hand, his soft, nimble fingers stretching out, and touches the fret board delicately as if tracing a pattern he wanted to play.
"Maybe, um..." Baekhyun pauses to hum the part Chanyeol had been repeating, then adds a few experimental notes afterwards. When he stops he takes his hand back and tucks it under his chin with the other, looking up at Chanyeol with his ever-silent puppy eyes.
It was soft and only for a second, but it felt like a summer rain when he spoke, and, my God, even sang! It was such a beautiful sound and Chanyeol can't help but smile at Baekhyun's bashfulness. And the music that came out? Perfect! It sounded wonderful with the guitar, though Chanyeol would admit that it would sound better played on a piano.
"What was that?" Chanyeol asks softly, urging Baekhyun to continue, but the smaller hybrid shakes his head gently in objection. Chanyeol scoots closer playfully and Baekhyun lifts his head off his knees in surprise. When Chanyeol starts strumming the same measure of his music he leans into Baekhyun, "I didn't quite get that."
Baekhyun shakes his head again and places his hands over his face when he starts turning red. His bright eyes shine when they open, though, and Chanyeol's do too as he plays the beginning of the song over.
"Hello, you came to me giving me your shy scent," he sings, but Chanyeol immediately prefers Baekhyun sweet tenor to his rich baritone. Baekhyun lowers his hands when he knows the part he made up was coming along, "In my hazy dream you were shining, dazzling."
Chanyeol had come up with the lyrics and only needed the music, so Baekhyun knew Chanyeol was expecting him to sing the words out. With a small yelp of nervousness, Baekhyun's hands ball up on either side of his knees.
"With a fluttering heart, without knowing, I went to you step by step, and I stayed by your side." Baekhyun's ending vowel rings out and Chanyeol pauses the strumming to stop the smaller when he throws himself backwards in embarrassment.
"Why didn't you tell me you already planned everything out!" Chanyeol exclaims when he tackles Baekhyun, wrapping him in an inescapable hug from the side. The smaller hybrid yelps and laughs, covering his red face. He shakes his head and Chanyeol releases him when he fails to keep the other upright, his hands planted on either side of Baekhyun's head and his torso pinning him down.
Baekhyun only grabs his wrists to contain his sudden laughter, his light brown hair all messed up and his ears flopped backwards. Chanyeol ends up laughing as well, but only after it had died down, because he was too busy taking in the way Baekhyun's eyes smiled with him when he laughed to react fast enough.
"I," Baekhyun clears his throat lightly when his voice comes out a little thick, "I like music. It explains things I can't put into words."
"I never knew you could sing." Chanyeol can't seem to look away from Baekhyun's eyes, which widen from their smile and a swirl of horror fills them instead. He wriggles under Chanyeol's body weight until he's on his stomach, trying to claw his way free.
"No!" He objects and Chanyeol presses himself down harder to keep the wiggling hybrid underneath him, "I'm bad!"
"No! Baekhyun, you must sing my song! It's destiny!"
Right before Baekhyun wiggles free Chanyeol rolls back on top of him and the smaller begins shrieking playfully, which comes out hoarse and flat because of the weight on his rib-cage. Chanyeol decides that he likes this new side to the usually shy Baekhyun just when Junmyeon comes through the door, drops his bag and runs over to push Chanyeol off the poor hybrid he thinks is being attacked.
Baekhyun jumps to his feet but doesn't get far before Chanyeol squeezes out of his Junmyeon barrier and runs after Baekhyun yelling, "What else did you come up with?"
Their owner is at loss for words when his hybrids begin a chase and leaving him in the living room. Baekhyun races around Chanyeol's bed and gets trapped by the far war when the owner of the room stands in the doorway, squatting down into a predatory stance. When he runs around to catch his prey, Baekhyun jumps over the mattress and gets slowed down by the pillows, but dashes back out the door and leaves Chanyeol to make up ground. Junmyeon finally leaves them alone when he hears their laughter, until they come running into the kitchen and circle around the island a few times until he kicks them out.
In the living room, Baekhyun comes across a dead end that Chanyeol takes advantage of by grabbing him in a tight hold around his body, taking them down. Baekhyun collapses out of breath and Chanyeol squirms around until he can lock his legs around the smaller as well, even if he wasn't fighting anymore. With his tail wagging happily, Chanyeol celebrates his victory.
Last time he checked, Junmyeon thinks to himself as he watches, Baekhyun wasn't listed as an active hybrid. Something must've been wrong at the center.
Baekhyun attempts to bite Chanyeol's ear with a few weak lunges and his sharp teeth, but he falls back again to regain his strength, sighing with content. Junmyeon finishes dinner and Baekhyun feels more comfortable now than when he first arrived to ask for things. He wasn't cold any more, not since Chanyeol stormed into his room one night with a pile of extra blankets during a thunderstorm and heard Baekhyun crying.
"Tell me what else you came up with now."
Back on the living room floor, Junmyeon sat on the couch and was about to do some work at home when Chanyeol picked up his guitar and scooted closer to Baekhyun sitting by his owner's feet. The smaller objects with a shy whine, but Chanyeol doesn't have any of it and keeps getting closer.
"You two were writing something together?" Junmyeon asks, ever avid about their bonding in hopes they'll get close like Luhan and Sehun. Chanyeol lights up and looks at his owner in excitement.
"Baekhyun can sing!" He exclaims and Junmyeon smiles.
"Really?" He enthuses but Baekhyun straightens up and waves his hands, his face turning red again.
"No I can't! They told me so!" He objects and both Chanyeol and Junmyeon look at him in confusion.
"Who told you?" Junmyeon asks and Baekhyun suddenly clams up. His ears perk up and his tail stands rigid, his whole body frozen in shock at what just spilled out. When he opens his mouth, the color had drained from his face.
"N-No one!" he claims but it doesn't fool anyone.
"Baekhyun," Junmyeon uses a semi-stern tone that causes his ears to drop backward. He glances at Chanyeol before lowering his eyes like he was guilty, "Don't be afraid to tell us what's wrong. We're here for you."
Baekhyun glances back up periodically, trying to muster the courage he never had and failing when he hears them sneering at him again in his head. Gathering his bearings, he stands up and clenches his fists behind his back, looking at the ground.
"I-I'm going to go to bed." he excuses himself and turns on his heel to go down the hall. Chanyeol starts to go after him until Junmyeon places a hand on his shoulder and gives the hybrid a soft look.
Even with his ear flipped backwards and pressed against the wall, Chanyeol couldn't hear anything beyond is own ocean-sounding heart beat. For the second time, he pulls back and frowns at the blue paint barely illuminated in the dark from the window. His ears lower back and his tail droops slowly as he pouts.
Ever since that one evening, Baekhyun retracted. All his progress was gone, and nothing he's done has even scratched the surface. No amount of hugs, tackling or guitar playing had even made Baekhyun look him in the eye again. Who were these people who had done such horrid things to his Baekhyun? How dare they!
Feeling his rage bubble, touching on his unused energy, Chanyeol grits his teeth together and spins to face his door. With only a couple of steps he touches his doorknob, but he feels it move under his hand without his permission. Pulling back, the soft click of his door opening fills the silence. The door opens just a crack and Chanyeol waits, his ears up and his nose twitching, smelling for an intruder.
Instead, though, it's the soft mild scent of Baekhyun and he relaxes. With one ear perked up and the other down, he can see a sliver of the hybrid's face look through the door, then push it slowly open enough for his entire head to be seen. When he notices that he's been caught he lets the door finish opening on it's own and stands awkwardly in the dismal lighting, one hand grabbing the other elbow.
He looks back at the ground and Chanyeol's ears relax until he speaks softly - almost inaudible.
"The... light bulb went out," He whispers, and Chanyeol can see his visible anxiety, "and I... I don't like the dark."
Chanyeol doesn't know what to do, so they stand in the dark a while longer until an uneasy feeling washes over Baekhyun for standing in the dark hallway for too long. He steps closer to Chanyeol when it feels like a hand was about to snatch him away and Chanyeol's heart suddenly blossoms when he realizes that Baekhyun felt safe around him.
With a faint smile, Chanyeol walks up to Baekhyun and leads him by the shoulder until he's out of the way of the door, then pushes it closed with extended fingers. Baekhyun shivers from the cold Springtime night and Chanyeol grabs his hand to bring him over to the bed. The taller hybrid throws the covers off one side and lets Baekhyun crawl inside before almost running to his own side. When they find each other under the blankets Baekhyun is glad for the warmth and the company, and Chanyeol chases away all the invisible monsters that he can't see, but can see him.
Content, Baekhyun sighs before he speaks, "Do... do you want to hear the rest?"
Chanyeol grunts a reply and looks up from the pillow to see Baekhyun's eyes searching out his own, reflecting the light. Baekhyun swallows extra saliva and his eyes shine with the same curiosity Chanyeol had been missing for the past two days.
"Did you really like my singing?" He asks and Chanyeol gives him the same look, nodding his head, "You won't laugh?"
"I won't." Chanyeol whispers and Baekhyun goes quiet, or at least until he believes his companion. Baekhyun clears his throat out lightly and stares into the comforter bunched up around his face. Seeing his hesitance, Chanyeol remembers Junmyeon's look at finds Baekhyun's hand under the blankets, "You can wait until tomorrow, okay? You don't have to do it right now."
Baekhyun releases a deep breath and his eyes close as he nods his head. Chanyeol smiles and hums, but his smile falls when Baekhyun suddenly makes a small choked noise. When he looks back at the smaller, his face was scrunched up. Baekhyun suddenly buries himself in the blankets and Chanyeol's about to go after him until thin arms curl against his chest, and Baekhyun cries against him.
"They were mean to me." Baekhyun confesses and Chanyeol holds him close as he spills his life at the center to him. The bigger, dominant males picked on him and said he wasn't as good as them. The females liked him, but he was pushed around if he got near them too often by the males. He had been adopted before, but they had another male that was really tall and intimidating and scared him so much that his first owner had to bring him back, but then the taunting only got worse for being a 'return.' After a while he just stayed to himself as much as possible. They didn't like to pick on him if he didn't respond to them anymore.
It takes a while, but Baekhyun's sobs finally die down to soft whimpers and Chanyeol tightens his grip, fighting the anger off by promising to always protect the smaller hybrid for as long as he lived. When he' sure Baekhyun has fallen asleep, Chanyeol places a hand on his soft hair and sighs, never letting go as he falls asleep himself.
"What were the words again?" Baekhyun asks as Junmyeon makes breakfast before work. The owner stops and turns to see a tired Baekhyun stretching his arms and a vibrant Chanyeol in front of him.
"Did I miss something?" He asks and the hybrids look at him, their tails wagging lazily from the early morning.
"Nope! You're doing fine!" Chanyeol enthuses, "I think it was my heart melts at your smile."
Baekhyun nods and yawns, nodding his head and scratching somewhere underneath his messy hair. Chanyeol decides he isn't moving fast enough so he takes one of Baekhyun's droopy ears between his lips and pulls on it until it almost flips up from the height difference. Baekhyun makes a groaning sound and follows where's he's being pulled to. After a while he laughs from the sensation and takes his ear back to feel where Chanyeol latched onto, deciding to retaliate. When he can't reach Chanyeol's height, though, he stops and pouts in defeat.
Chanyeol picks up his guitar with a smile and checks the tuning before he strums the beginning, going through until the end of the part they did a while ago. Baekhyun looks up at Junmyeon, who smiles softly in encouragement. When he hears the new part coming up he finds Chanyeol's lyric paper tucked in the couch cushion and reads it off quickly with his chosen notes.
"My heart melts at your smile. When our eyes meet my heart pounds." He sings but the early morning makes his voice huskier and he almost starts laughing, "Oh, remember my smile in your heart. Think about it several times a day. Oh words I want to say to you-"
"You're beautiful." Chanyeol cuts him off and smiles at Baekhyun as he keeps strumming, then stopping. Junmyeon claps and sips from his tea mug as the microwave dings. Baekhyun looks over the rest of the lyrics quickly and Chanyeol keeps looking at him, the cheeky smile dissolving into something more passionate. When Baekhyun looks back up, Chanyeol looks away at Junmyeon, who was lowering his mug with a suspicious look in his eyes.
It was one of those days.
Baekhyun wakes up in a fit, frequently throwing his blankets off before crawling for them again when he gets too cold, but never finding a middle ground. He's irritated and uncomfortable, but the people at the center never told him why this happens, or why they made all the dominants stay away from him when it did. In truth, he wanted to be closer to them more than ever, but now he wanted to cuddle. The comforter to his bed wasn't very compliant with his need and it was a limp substitute for a real person.
When Chanyeol came in all bright and cheery for the new day, he pouts and moves the blankets aside, hoping the taller would get the message and climb in beside him so he could get some real cuddle action, but, instead, Chanyeol leans forward and presses his hand to Baekhyun's forehead, frowning.
"You're burning up." He exclaims and runs out the door calling Junmyeon's name before he leaves for work. The owner stops and sets his bag down to follow the big hybrid as he latches onto the human and tugs him into Baekhyun's room.
"What is it?" he asks and Chanyeol points at Baekhyun in a panic.
"He's dying!" Chanyeol cries out and Junmyeon huffs at the hybrid's over reaction, leaning over to feel Baekhyun's forehead himself and sighing.
"No, he's not. He's got a fever." He states, but Chanyeol wasn't listening anymore. His tail had gone straight up and, according to his basic beliefs about beagles in general, his ears had turned off. Chanyeol suddenly climbs on the edge of the bed and leans over Baekhyun's weakening form, his nose wriggling slightly as he sniffs the area out. When he brings it over Baekhyun's face the smaller giggles, feeling ticklish with the faint touches to his neck. Chanyeol moves down lower and he traces Baekhyun's entire form uner the blankets, stopping right around his waist and pulling back in utter confusion. He stands up straight and stares at Junmyeon with this expression clearly shown.
"No he doesn't." He objects and Junmyeon furrows his brow, looking back at the smaller hybrid.
"Baekhyun, how are you feeling?" He asks and the said hybrid shifts slightly under the blankets.
"Hot." Is his only response, wishing that Chanyeol would come closer again. With his first owner and the other hybrid pet, he never felt such a strong pull towards a dominant before. Chanyeol was his only.
Junmyeon purses his lips in thought for a few seconds before his eyes widen slightly. he pats Chanyeol's shoulder and hurries to find the home phone, typing in a number and letting it ring.
"Hello?"
"Jongdae, it's Junmyeon. I need your help. You understand the submissives, right?" Junmyeon asks and Jongdae chuckles from the other end.
"Oh yeah, you have that new one. Is he cute?"
"Not the problem right now. He tells me he's hot and he has a temperature. Chanyeol smelt him up and denies that it's sickness." Junmyeon explains and Jongdae goes silent.
"Smelt him up?" Jongdae asks, but there's a playful tone to it.
"Yes."
"Hmm, alright. Was Chanyeol attracted to the scent?"
Junmyeon opens his mouth to answer, but he can't form his thoughts into words, instead holding his hand against the receiver, "Chanyeol!"
There's a loud groan, and then the called hybrid comes into view. He stands before his owner with his ears up, waiting.
"Yes?"
"Uh, why did you smell Baekhyun?"
That was the day Baekhyun finally had a word for the strange event. It was called heat. Submissive and females go into heat when they are most fertile. It's natural, Jongdae explained, and it should happen in a pattern. Sometimes it's once a month, but sometimes it's twice. Baekhyun explains that he usually gets his in the second week of each month when they find him again in his bedroom.
After giving Chanyeol strict rules on non-consensual sex and confusing him out of his mind, Junmyeon leaves for work and gives a late notice, taking the time to sign Chanyeol up for a few health and safe sex courses at the Hybrid center. Chanyeol simply goes back into Baekhyun's room and climbs under the covers, letting the smaller cuddle up against his chest like he asked.
"What did he say?"
Chanyeol holds Baekhyun tightly and sighs.
"'Sex' stuff."
Baekhyun makes a face and looks at at his companion, "What's that?"
Chanyeol shrugs and they remain like that for most of the morning, until both of them get too hungry to remain in bed. Keeping a blanket around his clingy friend, Chanyeol moves to get them food when Baekhyun asks, and he can't deny the smaller. So, with Baekhyun's legs wrapped around his hips and his arms around his neck, they lumber into the kitchen for breakfast.
In the end Chanyeol goes through most of the groceries they had and Baekhyun can't bring himself to eat more than the canned fruit, but Chanyeol is dutiful in feeding him, enjoying the way Baekhyun's delicate lips parted to take in a piece of pear. After every piece the smaller rests his chin in Chanyeol's shoulder to chew and swallow. He can willingly say he's enjoying the attention.
All the energy Chanyeol could've had bubbled away as soon as Baekhyun's temperature ended up being too high. He had to take care of the smaller - it was a need.
When he's finished, Chanyeol stands up and adjusts Baekhyun's hold on him, but the smaller hybrid gasps and buries his face into Chanyeol's neck. Chanyeol holds on tighter, mistaking it as surprise, and they go back to cuddling, and it's the position Junmyeon finds them in when he comes home.
It lasted four days. Four long days of fruit, water, blankets and cuddles. Baekhyun's mental state only got worse as it continued. He trembled when Chanyeol cuddled him appeared to have wet dreams he couldn't recall or, if he did, he didn't want to talk about them. When Junmyeon finally got them both out of the house, it was for a trip to the vet. He didn't quite say the exact reason, but they followed anyway.
It was around the corner of the building before the Hybrid center that Baekhyun got separated from the others by looking inside a nearby bakery. Right before Junmyeon calls for him to catch up Chanyeol bumps into another hybrid, who's stare turns sharp and cold when they make eye contact. This doesn't seem to faze Chanyeol, though, and he beams an apologetic smile.
"Ah, sorry." he chirps and the hybrid, obvious by his dark black cat ears on top, turns to face Chanyeol with a threatening look to his body. Chanyeol tilts his head to the side in confusion, not getting the signals at first, and Baekhyun runs over to take Junmyeon's waiting hand like an obedient puppy. He looks up for his friend and shrinks back.
"K-Kris?" He practically whispers and the panther hybrid looks up at his name. Chanyeol looks back as well and a few loose puzzle pieces click inside his brain. When Baekhyun slowly walks over, though, he blocks the smaller with his body, his jaw locking into place sternly.
"Stay away from him." Chanyeol warns when Kris seems to eye Baekhyun up and the panther narrows his eyes, hearing the call of his owner and silently leaving with his chin tilted upwards. Baekhyun delicately slips his arm through Chanyeol's and keeps close as they continue to the vet.
Inside, they're horrified to hear that Baekhyun's reason for coming to the vet was much more extensive. He goes first and they all enter a room together, talking about fertility testing and making Baekhyun confused. They ask about his heat cycles and want to perform a pelvic exam to make sure everything looked correct.
Being shy, Baekhyun asks everyone to leave and they come back in after he gets dressed again, just to hear that everything looked healthy. They bring him to the lab to take a few blood tests and Baekhyun holds Chanyeol's hand when they poke him with the needles, but he gets a Winnie the Pooh band-aid after, so it was worth it.
When Chanyeol is taken back, Baekhyun is asked to stay in the waiting room. There's staff assigned in the halls to watch an vulnerable submissive and he watches the fish in the tank as Chanyeol meets with a doctor that tells him to ejaculate into a small cylinder. They let him go into a small room and Junmyeon even has to explain what the doctor meant.
"This isn't a topic we've ever spoken about, Chanyeol, but have you masturbated before?" Junmyeon asks and Chanyeol tilts his head.
"I don't know." Is his response and he swings his legs from where he sat on the examination chair in his private room, "What is it?"
"It's when you touch yourself, and make yourself feel good in a sexual way."
"That sounds nice." Chanyeol thinks out loud and Junmyeon almost laughs. He got Chanyeol when he was just a puppy, and now he was an adult, but he still was innocent.
"Well you're going to have to masturbate right now, and your body will ejaculate something called semen when you feel really good. You need to get it in this little container." Junmyeon explains.
"How do you masturbate?" Chanyeol asks and Junmyeon starts getting flustered. Is this how parents felt when talking to their children about sex?
"Um, well...You have something called a penis. You use it to urinate. Have you ever become...hard, Chanyeol? Has it ever gotten stiff, like in the morning or when you've seen someone attractive?"
Chanyeol stops swinging his legs and blinks at Junmyeon with hesitation. Then, he looks down at his feet like what he was about to say was something bad he did.
"With Baekhyun. It was hard when Baekhyun had his heat. Is that normal?" He asks and Junmyeon brightens, so his tail wags with assurance.
"That's good, Chanyeol! Very good! It's perfectly normal. Do you feel anything else with Baekhyun?" He asks and Chanyeol smiles.
"I feel happy with Baekhyun." He enthuses and Junmyeon messes up Chanyeol's hair with affection, "But what does this have to do with masturbating?"
"When you get excited, or when you're...hard, it will feel good to touch yourself. Can you remember what made you hard before?" Junmyeon asks, starting to feel more comfortable with the topic. Chanyeol's tail pauses as he goes through his memories, and then it sinks slowly until it touches the cushioned seat.
Soon, though, the hybrid is suddenly swept away with the memories of the sweet-sour, musky scent Baekhyun gave off during his heat and remembers the way the smaller was sitting on his lap. He flushes and feels his body responding, now understanding that this was normal, and he wishes that he could smell Baekhyun again. Even his natural scent was inviting, and the small whimpers and noises he made when eating or sleeping or while they were cuddling were coming back as well.
"Yes." Chanyeol almost stutters and Junmyeon gets out of the chair by the door.
"I'll let you do the rest, but you can do whatever you want right now. Um, it's healthy to masturbate...so you just - you can figure it out, I suppose. Don't forget the container." Junmyeon mumbles as he waves goodbye and slips out the door.
Chanyeol's ears droop in confusion and he looks down at his pants. He could see the outline of his erection and remembers how it felt nice when Baekhyun rubbed against it, so, with his hand, he presses down and moves his palm across it. Chanyeol grits his teeth and swallows, looking at the door like Junmyeon was going to walk back in. Jumping off the examination chair, he locks the door and stands in the middle of the private room. He decides to sit back on the long examination chair, but lays on it like when the doctors used to feel his tummy for lumps during usual check-ups and tries to relax. This was supposed to just be an experiment, right?
Rubbing his palm across the length of his erection, Chanyeol tries doing it under his pants and finds it better without the fabric, so he unbuttons his jeans and slides them down, feeling weird with his legs dangling off the end of the chair. He remembers that there's a stand that pulls out and he uses it to prop up his legs so he feels less awkward. When he dives down into his underwear to pull his erection out, he gasps at the contact and keeps his hand in place, lowering back down to lie on the sanitary paper beneath him.
At least Junmyeon was right - it did feel good. Chanyeol circles a hand around his penis - he's heard the term dick used before, but Gordon Ramsey liked the word donkey cock and Junmyeon said it was a donkey's penis and a bad word, so there were many names for it - and he pushes it down. He sits back up to watch his hand slide down the length almost in shock, bringing it back up again. He tightens his grip and wonders why Junmyeon asked him what made him hard, so he thinks that maybe he was supposed to keep thinking about them because his mind was already bringing them back up.
Baekhyun trembling in his arms. Baekhyun whimpering as they cuddled in his sleep. Baekhyun's scent. Baekhyun's angelic singing. Baekhyun, Baekhyun, Baekhyun.
Chanyeol's hand speeds up on his erection and he throws his head back as something warm begins coiling somewhere in his abdomen. It felt really good, so he gasps and looks around frantically, grabbing the plastic cylinder on the chair and holding it in front of him when the tension breaks and he comes for the first time, looking down in amazement after his heart rate settles to stare at the white substance that he could create and never knew about. He forgets all about it though when he closes his eyes and pictures Baekhyun's smile - his shining eyes - and he hums in content, but then his eyes open again and he looks back down at his softening dick and slowly realizes what this must mean.
With this sort of permission, how was he supposed to be around Baekhyun now and not get hard? Is this what Junmyeon meant by consensual sex? This...whis white stuff - semen - must be part of sex, right? Junmyeon used to word sexual. Chanyeol stares at it quizzically, feeling the sweat drip from his hair line. Closing the small cylinder with the lid, he uses wet wipes provided to clean up, meeting Junmyeon outside his door with his ears flattened in concern.
"What's wrong?" His owner asks and Chanyeol looks up at him.
"Is it really okay to think of Baekhyun this way?" he asks and Junmyeon smiles in assurance.
"Of course."
"But, if Baekhyun doesn't think of me the same way, then it's not okay."
Junmyeon stops smiling and is about to answer when the doctors steps out and sees them. When they process his semen they get a healthy sperm count that Junmyeon seems to like to hear about.
Then, after a strange day at the vets, they go out for ice cream, and Chanyeol can't stop watching Baekhyun anymore. He can't bring himself to look away. It's like everything's changed, but nothing's changed at all.
And it was weird and confusing, but Baekhyun looked so cute while picking out his flavor with his ears and tail up and active, and he looked so happy while he tasted ice cream for the first time. His spoon wasn't big enough to satisfy him, and it made Chanyeol smile, and his heart flip, and his body feel warm. He had to stop himself from leaning over and tasting the chocolate cream off Baekhyun's lips, but he really just wanted to taste those lips instead.
But Chanyeol promised himself that he'd make Baekhyun see his love for him - was it love? Of course it was. It must be. The passion stirring in his soul was proof enough, and soon Baekhyun would see just how perfect a mate Chanyeol could be and accept him.
Chanyeol puts his thoughts on pause to accept a spoonful of ice cream Baekhyun offers him to try. When closes his lips around it he bites down on the spoon and Baekhyun has to wrestle it from him with a smile in his eyes. It makes Chanyeol's heart flip again and he releases it. Baekhyun laughs and licks the remains off the spoon, and Chanyeol stares at their indirect kiss. It makes warmth fill him up and everything feels hot and Chanyeol looks down at his own ice cream in a panic, not understanding what was happening to his body when it suddenly starts to get excited again.
He coughs and puts on a smile anyway, locking himself in his room when they get home.
"Jongdae, answer your phone!"
It rings three more times before there's a groggy response.
"Hello?"
"I need your help!"
"Junmyeon, it's...four in the morning! Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait two more hours for work."
"It's been going on for days! We can't get Chanyeol out of his room!"
"Are you sure you don't have two submissives?" Jongdae asks and Junmyeon can picture him rubbing his eyes and holding a pillow over his head as he spoke.
"Certain. I'm also thirty percent certain Chanyeol's been jacking off in there. I heard him twice."
"If you've heard him then why is it only thirty per-"
"Not the point! What's going on?" Junmyeon cuts him off, lowering his voice so he doesn't wake his hybrids up. Baekhyun's been a depressed mess, thinking that Chanyeol was mad at him for some reason. He's repeatedly tried to get Chanyeol to come out, even going as far as to almost pick the lock to get inside, but Chanyeol was adamant about keeping him out.
"You have two hybrids and don't even know what to do when something goes wrong? You're a terrible owner." Jongdae mumbles and Junmyeon huffs.
"He hasn't been eating either, and I'm sure he's dying of thirst."
"Seriously, like a first-time parent. How have they stayed alive to this point?"
"Jongdae!"
"Fine!" the voice on the other side of the phone disappears and there's background noise of him sitting up in bed and moving around before it returns, "Jacking off you say? Could anything have triggered this?"
"Well, I had him get a sperm count." Junmyeon admits, feeling almost shameful. Jongdae snickers and Junmyeon holds back a defensive response.
"So?"
"They had to, well...you know, collect it first."
"So he came into a cup. Big deal."
"I'm pretty sure it was his first time doing anything sexual."
"Ding ding ding!" Jongdae chimes, "There's your answer. He's in a rut."
"A rut?" Junmyeon asks, lowering his voice further when he thinks he hears someone moving in another room in the hall.
"Oh my gosh, Junnie. Did you research anything before getting a hybrid?"
"Don't call me Junnie."
"Whatever. The males usually go into ruts like the submissives or whatever go into heat. It's different, though, because it's not like a cycle, just sot of a thing that happens from time to time, like when they want to mate. I'm surprised it hasn't happened before."
"It should've?" Junmyeon asks and Jongdae sighs.
"Well duh. Like when a teenager has a wet dream for the first time, it means that he's ready to be sexually active. Chanyeol must've been so concerned with being alone all the time that he's never considered doing the dirty. Congratulations, by the way. Can I go back to bed now?"
"So he's just horny?" Junmyeon asks and Jongdae groans.
"Uh, yeah."
"How long does it usually last?"
"Until the raging hormones calm down. I wouldn't think it would be a problem unless he's sexually attracted to someone in the household, but I'm going to guess that your newest member caught his eye. Yet again, congratulations."
"What do I do?"
"What do you - How should I know? Make sure he's alive? That sounds like a good plan. Get those two together I suppose. Play some sultry saxophone music and turn the lights down. Add a few candles and rose petals too. I heard dark chocolate was an aphrodisiac or something."
Junmyeon rolls his eyes.
"I'm hanging up now."
"Hey, just remember that you called me."
The line clicks and Junmyeon sets the phone into the charging stand, looking at his bedroom door. Still in his pajamas, Junmyeon gets out of the corner of his room and stands before his door, opening it to find Baekhyun curled up in a little blanket-covered ball by the foot of Chanyeol's door. With a soft expression, Junmyeon rouses him awake and Baekhyun blinks at him with his tired puppy eyes, which were irritated from lack of sleep.
"Come with me." Junmyeon whispers.
"Where are we going?" Baekhyun asks as he rises to his feet and they walk to the kitchen.
"We're making breakfast for Chanyeol, whether he wants to eat or not."
And then they're cracking eggs and playing with flour because it felt really cool in Baekhyun's hand when he held it, then pouring milk and mixing the lumpy batter with a whisk until it was smooth. It gave Baekhyun a smile that Junmyeon hadn't seen for a while and they flip pancakes together, each time hoping they wouldn't burn or miss the pan when they landed.
And then Junmyeon's searching the top ledge of the door frame for a dusty, unused key they've had for years attached to a pushpin until they repainted the hallway. Baekhyun waited with a tray they used mostly when someone got sick and had to eat in bed. A plate in the center had a stack of the least terrible pancakes and a glass of milk. They already applied syrup and butter, and the fork kept sliding around when they walked up to the door. When Junmyeon finds the key, Baekhyun listens for movement on the other side as they slowly turn the lock and slip inside. Chanyeol was passed out, sleeping with his mouth open and the blankets a mess. His nose scrunches up when they enter and they pause, but set the tray on the floor carefully and back out of the room.
The door closes and Baekhyun looks up at Junmyeon with playful, sparkling eyes, and then they knock loudly.
There's the sound of Chanyeol shifting in his bed, groaning over something he doesn't like, and Baekhyun's ears fall back, but then Chanyeol gasps in delight and his landing on the ground it heard. Baekhyun's ears go back up and he grabs Junmyeon's hand, both of them running back to the kitchen to eat.
Then, with a content look Junmyeon hasn't seen for a while, Baekhyun munches on pancakes with syrup happily, his tail wagging. Junmyeon finishes cooking and sets the pan aside for clean up, checking the time.
"Why did Chanyeol smell weird?" Baekhyun asks and Junmyeon pumps soap on his hands to wash them, a pancake hanging from his mouth in an effort to eat quickly. He dries his hands off after rinsing them and pulls the pancake from his mouth to speak.
"How did he smell weird?" He asks in response and Baekhyun drinks from his glass of water. When he sets it down his tail stops moving in thought.
"He usually smells...I don't know, clean? Like a nice person smell. Now it's...manly and strong. Thicker, too." Baekhyun stumbles on an explanation and Junmyeon bites his lip, wondering whether or not he should answer truthfully. He really did feel like a first-time parent explaining sex.
"Chanyeol's...going through some things right now, Baekhyun. I think that's why he wants to be alone - to sort things out." He finally says and Baekhyun looks at his glass of water.
"So he's not mad?" He asks softly and Junmyeon smiles.
"How could he be mad at you? You've done nothing wrong?"
This seems to perk Baekhyun up and he smiles, lifting his eyes from his water to look at his owner, "Then what does he need to sort out?"
Junmyeon clears his throat slightly and leans his elbows on the counter across from Baekhyun, who was about to lift his water up again and stops.
"Do you like Chanyeol's new smell?" He asks carefully and Baekhyun pulls his hand away to hide it under the counter, "I mean, how does it make you feel?"
The question seems to take the hybrid off guard and he stares at Junmyeon with the words on his tongue, but he seemed afraid to say them out loud. His eyes flicker around the room a few times before settling on his empty plate.
"I...yes. I like his smell. I don't really know what I feel, though. It's...nice. I want to keep smelling it." he confesses and Junmyeon smiles.
"That's alright, Baekhyun. You don't need to feel embarrassed about that." He assures and the hybrid looks more confident from this.
Later, when he goes to work, Jongdae throws him a booklet about hybrid sex and tells him to read it during lunch break.
It's a good month before they see him clearly again, and it's enough time for Junmyeon to become very worried, because now he thinks that it's his fault Chanyeol's been so sexually deprived and that his built up hormones were never going to fully settle down. Both Baekhyun and Junmyeon have tried listening in on what Chanyeol has been doing, and they've both heard him come out at night to sneak into the leftovers and take showers, but he locks himself up from them whenever they try to catch him outside of his room.
A few times they've spoken to him through the bathroom door and he tries to explain that he's just working on some personal goal and it wasn't something he wanted to share. Junmyeon even spoke to a hybrid specialist who concluded that this might be a problem, or might be a phase that would end. It did nothing for poor Baekhyun, who's only amusement during the day was to watch TV, practice what little guitar Chanyeol showed him and come up with things to be productive.
Junmyeon decided that Chanyeol 'goal' would be easier to get over with faster if he had the house to himself and signed Baekhyun up for health classes, which he didn't want to speak about when he was picked up around noon, and could barely let go of Junmyeon's hand when he was dropped off. The up-side was that he learned CPR and gave Junmyeon stories about how him and his partner named their practice dummy after famous people because they never had the same one each time and wanted to pretend that they were going to be heroes for saving them.
So each time they come home from their activities they find the dishes done, food in the fridge, and Chanyeol back in his room like a recluse, yet Baekhyun still had the rest of the day to be alone, wishing his only friend would come out.
But today there was no class and Junmyeon was still waking up before leaving for work with a cup of tea while Baekhyun sat on the couch with his knees tucked up to his chest, watching the TV as reporters talked about things happening in the world around them. Chanyeol was in the shower, and they could hear the water going through the walls. When it stops, though, they wait to hear his quick escape to his room after he's done.
They don't expect him to walk into the living room.
Junmyeon looks up from the newspaper displayed on the counter and chokes on his tea, doubling over as he coughs because he can't understand what just happened. Baekhyun looks up and his eyes lock with Chanyeol's, and his ears perk up.
He was completely different. The Chanyeol they once knew was lanky and dorky with his messy hair and bright eyes. The hair was the same, but now what once were thin, stick-like arms had developed into muscles. He still had a vibrant look to him, but there was also a bit of hopefulness in his eyes as he looks at Baekhyun, ignoring the dying human in the kitchen.
"I thought you were just in a rut!" Junmyeon exclaims when he gets a grip on himself. Chanyeol looks back at him - his clothes didn't fit him properly anymore - and smiles.
"What's that?" He asks and Junmyeon places a hand on his forehead with a sigh, still clearing his throat from the burn. Baekhyun jumps up from the couch and runs over, stopping a few feet away from Chanyeol with a sudden shy attitude. Now Chanyeol was even more intimidating. If Junmyeon said he was going through some things, did that mean he had changed?
And, God, was this what those people in his class meant by sexy? They always called other people that, but he's never really understood until now. Looking at how Chanyeol presented himself showed off strength and good genes - made Baekhyun see all sorts of reasons to pass those genes on and how much of an honor it would be to mate with such a magnificent specimen. Now, he thinks to himself, this is what the females in his class meant by 'natural instinct to mate with those compatible for survival.'
It was intimidating. He was scaring himself now, but Chanyeol beams at him and Baekhyun's tail shoots up when he realizes that this is the same Chanyeol that he shared his bad memories with and cuddled during his worst moments. It was the Chanyeol that cured his fear of bigger males and protected him from Kris when he felt threatened.
Baekhyun opens his arms to hug the taller, but Chanyeol suddenly tackles him first and squeezes the air out of his lungs with an embrace, his own tail wagging frantically behind him. Rolling on the ground, Chanyeol stuffs his face into Baekhyun's neck and rubs it there, telling no one that he was really transporting his scent. Baekhyun squeals with happiness and Junmyeon smiles, feeling that maybe everything was finally okay.
It was weird to get used to having Chanyeol around again, especially since his energy seemed to be at an all-time high. He'd clean the dishes after every meal and do chores around the house without even being asked, then slide right into any other task he wanted to do. He was helping out in the kitchen more, gave the best of his food to Baekhyun and made a great effort to prove the skills he had, like playing the guitar or doing sit-ups in the middle of the living room during the day. He'd even ask Baekhyun to sit on his back as he did push-ups and the smaller thought it was funny to go up and down over and over until Chanyeol would finally collapse from strain, and then he'd joke about being smushed. Then he'd flip them over and trap the smaller beneath him, claiming to smush him back as revenge.
The meanings were all so hidden. Each action had something to say, and he desperately looked for any signs in the other, but he didn't know if it was any different than all his previous reactions. Did Baekhyun feel anything? Did Baekhyun see how well he could cook? How well he could supply for him? How well he could take care of him and clean the house and how good he was at guitar and athletics?
Could he see his hidden pleas? It wasn't written in code, but Baekhyun must be able to see that he was acting differently, right? Maybe he needed to try another tactic.
Music. Baekhyun said that music helped give words and explanations when he wasn't able to, or something like that. Maybe he'd understand.
And that's how Baekhyun developed a love for Chanyeol's singing. It was light, it was deep and it was breathtaking and sensual all at the same time. He felt such true emotion locked inside those words and wondered if he should ruin it by singing along or letting Chanyeol sing solo. He decided that it was better to let him sing alone, otherwise he might sound bad in comparison, no matter what Chanyeol said about him sounding good.
That was, until Chanyeol began writing songs for him to sing, and then chasing him around until he sang them for him, hoping that maybe the words coming from his mouth might crawl into his mind and give him an a-ha moment. It never came, but Chanyeol never stopped, and Junmyeon was the first person he came to for relationship advice. The owner felt so proud of his hybrid for coming to him for advice he almost forgot to help. He gave a few wise words on the five love languages and a few tips on how to use them, handing Chanyeol the sex booklet like he needed it before going off to work. Baekhyun slept in.
"Words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Well service didn't help, and neither did words of affirmation." Chanyeol thinks to himself as he sits on the couch, keeping their food warm on the stove until his mate-to-be woke up, "And we always have quality time. He doesn't care for the extra things I give him, and he doesn't seem to mind when we get really close. I don't get it!"
Chanyeol tosses the booklet on the couch and rubs his eyes, feeling frustrated. Junmyeon's words didn't help, and now he was just confused. How was he supposed to make Baekhyun fall in love with him? Did he need to go out and buy flowers? And, oh God, if he didn't like him back!
It's almost noon by the time Chanyeol becomes concerned and goes to check on Baekhyun, but there's a pile of blankets and a smell he's had wet dreams about for weeks now filling the room.
"Baek...?" Chanyeol asks, swallowing thickly when his tail, and something else, stiffen and rise to the occasion.
"Chanyeol," Baekhyun whimpers from under the mass, pushing the blankets aside to reveal his face, breathing in fresher air and exhaling when he can smell Chanyeol's new scent amongst it, "help me."
The taller hybrid is at loss for words, taken off guard by Baekhyun's heat. He stands in the doorway for a second longer until Baekhyun reaches for him above the pillows, and then he pounces on the bed, his pupils dilated.
"W-What's wrong?" Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun blows the hair out of his eyes.
"Hot...it's too hot," He whimpers, "I want - I need you to hold me."
Chanyeol tosses the covers aside and Baekhyun shivers, but he plants himself on top and pulls them back over, but it only covered his legs from where he straddled Baekhyun's hips. The smaller bends into the physical contact and Chanyeol sees how it would be difficult to cuddle him from their difference in height this way, so he shimmies himself downwards and Baekhyun gasps as Chanyeol pulls his legs apart and situates himself between them, leaning forward and reaching the proper cuddling height.
Then, Baekhyun's mind rushes through all those health classes and Chanyeol feels his mind swimming with the strong scent around him - his body settling back down into a rut and he almost gets out of the bed to lock himself away for Baekhyun's safety. He accidentally pushes his hips into Baekhyun's groin and both of them cry out, making eye contact.
"I-I know a way to make it better." Chanyeol offers and Baekhyun finds it hard to breath.
"How?" He asks and the taller hybrid pulls back to suddenly find Baekhyun's pajama pant strings, pulling them out of their knot. Baekhyun's pupils dilate and his hands lay on either side of his head, his cheeks flushing as he feels more vulnerable, but there's no one he'd rather be more vulnerable to than Chanyeol.
When large, warm hands suddenly dip into his underwear and circle around his most private place, Baekhyun flinches and throws his head back, pushing it into the pillow. Chanyeol strokes his raging hard on with a strange type of loving curiosity that both soothes the ache and stokes the fire inside, but Baekhyun's thighs tremble either way. Chanyeol's thumb presses into the head and Baekhyun moans out so suddenly he can't bring himself to be embarrassed, but Chanyeol's other hand travels up his shirt and bunches it up on it's journey, feeling precious milky skin and shuddering. His eyes close and he leans his head back as his senses are overwhelmed by Baekhyun.
The smaller hybrid can't contain his feelings, and Chanyeol wants to hear more of those sounds. He starts out slow and opens his eyes to watch as Baekhyun's face twists in pleasure, and their breathing speeds up in sync with each other. When he speeds up, though, Baekhyun's eyes open and he begins to reaching - searching for something to grip onto and he entire body moves with his heavy breathing, finally holding the wrist of the hand touching his belly for dear life when the other moves fast enough to cause a wet sound smacking sound.
And then he comes, and it's the most beautiful thing Chanyeol's ever seen. It's a mess of clenching muscles and dripping semen on fabric, but, when it's over, he grabs Chanyeol by the back of his head and pulls him in, pressing their lips together and letting the last of his moans get swallowed. When Baekhyun releases him, Chanyeol gives him one last, smoldering look before kissing the side of his jaw, trailing down and on his collar bones to taste the salt on his skin.
Unfortunately, though, the orgasm fades, and the heat returns even worse. Baekhyun cries out in pain and his grip on Chanyeol's hips with his thighs tightens. He lifts his hips off the bed and Chanyeol pulls back, thinking it was something's he's done, but he can feel Baekhyun's dick hardening in his hands again.
"It hurts!" Baekhyun gasps and Chanyeol panics.
"What? Tell me what hurts." He demands and he strokes the hardening cock in his hands a few times, "This?"
Baekhyun shakes his head and looks at Chanyeol with a silent plea in his eyes, feeling so exposed but feeling so safe, "No."
"What hurts, Baekhyun? I'll make it feel good." Chanyeol promises and Baekhyun flushes again.
"It's...lower." He mumbles and Chanyeol moves Baekhyun's legs around so he can discard the pajama pants easily, throwing his soiled underwear aside as well. A fresh wave of intoxicating scent hits him and his own desires coil inside of him like a waiting snake. He cups Baekhyun's fresh erection and the smaller hybrid scrunches up his nose, "Lower."
Chanyeol moves one hand to feel the slick from a twitching entrance, and he traces a finger around it, watching the smaller's expression. Baekhyun's breath hitches when he hits his target, and his hands go back by his head, clenching and unclenching in anxiousness. Their eyes never break contact as Chanyeol remembers what little he read in that stupid booklet, and slowly sinks a finger into the aching heat.
Baekhyun relaxes from the stimulation and feels the utmost comfort from something finally filling him in the most perfect of ways, but, soon it's not enough. Chanyeol pulls it out and Baekhyun's about to whimper for him to put it back in when he pushes it in deep, curling against his walls. Baekhyun sighs, but it's still not enough.
"More."
Chanyeol doesn't hesitate to push in a second finger, his expression getting darker with each thrust of his fingers into Baekhyun slick heat. He was willing to do anything - everything - for him. He just had to say the words. The burn surprises Baekhyun, but it's barely there, and more a response to feeling something so foreign yet so familiar inside of him. There's a few more pumps and Baekhyun relaxes completely around him. He nods and looks up for Chanyeol, almost feeling greedy, but Chanyeol nods back, and then he can feel more stretching him open.
"Oh-" Baekhyun breathes out when Chanyeol's long, dexterous fingers lightly brush something hard to reach and the sensation echoes through his bones.
"What do you want me to do?" Chanyeol whispers, running out of fingers and a bit desperate himself. Baekhyun looks him in the eyes and finds Chanyeol's voice so incredibly sexy and his eyes were sultry and he could see down his shirt just enough to see the muscles underneath and he knows exactly what he wants.
Pulling himself upwards, he grabs Chanyeol's collar and forces it over his head , needing to see everything - needing to touch everything. Chanyeol's ears perk up as he pulls his hand out of Baekhyun's entrance to get the shirt over his head, and Baekhyun feels empty again, but he's quick to grab the taller by the belt and whip it off. Chanyeol stares at him, but the rut doesn't let him stall any longer and aides Baekhyun in his quest to get rid of Chanyeol's pants. Baekhyun pulls his own shirt off his head and tosses it aside, feeling weak from the heat but strong in determination.
And then they're kissing, and Baekhyun can't keep his mouth closed when Chanyeol licks the inside with fervor, needing to taste all of him. Baekhyun's hands roam over strong shoulders and down Chanyeol's back, feeling so incredibly turned on that the pain was returning and he was whining into Chanyeol's mouth. Parting once more, Chanyeol flushes himself and grips his throbbing erection, keeping eye contact with Baekhyun, who's arms were wrapped around his head and his hands in his hair, before pressing the head of his cock against Baekhyun's hole.
It retracts to swallow him, eager to take him in and Chanyeol groans loudly when Baekhyun bucks up at the touch to force him inside. The smaller's eyes close tightly and his mouth gapes open as he fights for air, feeling so incredibly stretched and full that he felt like he was going to burst from it all, but he keeps it contained and Chanyeol's hands crush the pillow under them as he grips it tightly. Another pained groan escapes his mouth and Baekhyun relishes in the sound of his deep voice resonating.
The heat kicks in and Baekhyun curls his hips upward, encouraging Chanyeol, who pulls out before deciding it felt better to be inside. Baekhyun cries out and his entire body shakes when Chanyeol's dick pushes up against that secret spot inside of him so deliciously. The taller hybrid pants and starts a steady rhythm, and Baekhyun soon became frustrated. The pleasure was there, the heat was warm, and everything felt so good, but he needed more. This wasn't enough. Later, maybe, they could try going slow, but he needed it now. He needed it fast; He needed it hard.
Baekhyun places his hand on Chanyeol's rear end and pushes, trying to make him move, and the taller gets the signal. His hands can't stop mapping out every detail of Baekhyun's body, but he grips his hips and thrusts in harder, and it's right in the best place. Baekhyun moans out and Chanyeol growls, feeling the bed rasp against the back wall with every powerful move of hips. Nails bite into his back and Chanyeol loses himself in the wild pounding rhythm, hearing groans and realizing that those were his own.
All he could think about was mating. Baekhyun and mating. They were his only concerns. They were his world right now - his universe and destiny. He feels the intense heat pool in his abdomen muscles as he clenches them to force his cock inside Baekhyun again and again, hears the whimpers and sweet angelic moans of his love, feel the sweat and slick and soft hands pulling and scraping across his skin.
"Baekhyun."
"Chanye - Oh!"
Baekhyun chokes on his own words when Chanyeol suddenly speeds up, and his back arches off the bed, only for an even more intimate angle to be found and he cries out, screaming in his pleasure when it all becomes too much and he spills, twitching violently until Chanyeol has to hold him down for his own completion, but it was taking too long and the heat already had him back up again.
And when a mass pushes against his hole Baekhyun has to open his eyes to see a desperate Chanyeol looking down at him and he nods his head, being forced through a third orgasm too fast when a knot pushes up against his sensitive prostate and flips him over the edge so suddenly he can't breathe properly.
Locked together, they can't speak, but only catch their breath in silence as they stare into each other's eyes. Clear from his heat, Baekhyun doesn't want to let go of Chanyeol's shoulders. He doesn't want everything that happened to be a mistake or fluke. He wants it to be real. He wants everything that just happened to stay between them.
"Chan." Baekhyun whispers and one of Chanyeol's hands had found it's way to stroke his cheek with adoration and sweet relief.
"Baek."
This is how Junmyeon finds them when he gets home from work, thinking their cuddling. Baekhyun turns red and Chanyeol narrows his eyes in sudden defense.
"Can you stop cuddling for a second? I would like to talk to you Chanyeol." Junmyeon comments and Chanyeol looks down at Baekhyun, almost laughing.
"Um, I can't."
"I understand that he needs you right now but it will only be a second." Junmyeon promises and Chanyeol laughs this time.
"I really can't. I'm, uh, stuck." He even turns red as he states this fact, wiggling his hips slightly. Baekhyun bites down a small sound of pain when it pulls on him too much. Junmyeon stares at him in confusion before it clicks, and then he's sputtering in embarrassment.
"Oh! Oh, I mean - never mind - I didn't mean - !" He closes the door to give them privacy and the two hybrids continue to stare at the door until they pick up the sounds of Junmyeon running back to the kitchen, then look at each other. Baekhyun's hands were calmly settled on Chanyeol's arms. They laugh together and Baekhyun yawns half-way through from fatigue.
"Baekhyun, I've been meaning to bring this up with you," Chanyeol starts and Baekhyun nods his head, his heart in his ears, "I wasn't sure if you noticed or not."
"Noticed what?"
"I've just...I really like you, but if you don't really like me then that's okay." Chanyeol forces out and Baekhyun keeps staring at him, swallowing the saliva in his mouth.
"We just had sex, Chanyeol." Baekhyun whispers, feeling a bit nervous himself, and Chanyeol blinks at him.
"Yeah?"
"We made...love."
Chanyeol's heart flutters, "Love?"
"Love."
"Love?" Chanyeol repeats and he leans down slowly, looking at Baekhyun's lips with strong longing.
"Love." Baekhyun whispers and they kiss again, but it's sweeter than before, and they had all the time they needed.
They're soon to discover that Baekhyun doesn't seem to get heats anymore for a while.
Chanyeol's the first to panic when it comes. He picked Baekhyun up bridal style without even waiting for Junmyeon to get home and ran to the hybrid center. The lady at the front desk was more than confused when a flustered, sweating beagle hybrid bursts through the door with his mate and demands service for his babies to be born. It was only when the center called Junmyeon at work for his updated info and permission that he drove to find them, spilling coffee on Jongdae's suit on his way out.
Baekhyun tried to be strong, but the unnatural pains shooting through his body weren't exactly comfortable and he was gripping Chanyeol's hand tightly, but the soon-to-be-father really didn't care. He didn't spend most of the nine months playing guitar near Baekhyun's tummy for nothing. He was ready for all the pain in the world, but Baekhyun wasn't, and he was crying out when the contractions got stronger and closer together.
It's twins; Seoeon and Seojun. They come out as wrinkly potatoes, but Baekhyun can't stop crying when they're presented to him in little blankets. Chanyeol's tail was wagging so hard that the doctors forced him to stand in the corner of the recovery room so he wouldn't hurt anything or knock something over. When his mate began sobbing, though, he was ready to push anyone aside as he runs over and tries to embrace his love, picking up one of the twins and almost crying himself.
Junmyeon's overjoyed to see them. All his planning finally paid off, and now there were two more additions to the family. He felt like a happy grandfather. Now Chanyeol's energy would finally be curbed with taking care of his children. He no longer was lonely.
The twins are taken home completely blind like real puppies, but they open their eyes in the first few days and the happy parents spend every waking second giving them love and affection. Baekhyun sings to them and Chanyeol whines when he wants to be sung to, but then their father serenades them to sleep each night. Chanyeol cooks and Baekhyun changes diapers. The twins learn how to growl and whimper for the correct attention and love to sleep with their parents for warmth and comfort, just as much as Baekhyun and Chanyeol love waking up to puppy eyes and wagging tails.
Chanyeol was happy, and that's all he ever wanted.