Hyunjin's mother had a lot of mixed emotions dancing in her head once she walked inside the wooden cabin - many of which were not so peaceful and nice but one overruled them all - confusion. Because one couldn't help but be confused upon finding their son asleep while curled up against a giant wolf she's never seen before.
The woman walked to the pair, debating whether or not to disturb them but opted for the first option since she demanded answers. She poked Hyunjin's cheek and caressed it softly, making the boy scrunch up his nose and slowly open his eyes
"Hi honey" she whispered and smiled. The boy returned the expression momentarily though the more he stirred awake the more he seemed to realize what situation his mother witnessed
He quickly sat up, with the sudden contact causing the wolf to let out a distant grunt and also stirr a bit.
"Oh uh.. Hi mom" Hyunjin said, trying to compose himself "Sorry about that I uh- ... Forgot you were dropping by today"
"I can see that" his mother cocked a brow and eyed the animal "Who's that?"
The boy shifted nervously as he saw his companion slowly waking up "That's my friend - Changbin" he smiled awkwardly and put a hand on the wolf's side.
The older seemed to have realized something was off, even half asleep, since he bolted up, startling the two as his wary eyes scanned his surroundings. He quickly relaxed and fixed his gaze on the older woman.
'My apologies Mrs. Hwang' his tone was soft and confident, causing Hyunjin's mom to smile 'My pleasure to finally meet you, though sorry, since this isn't really an ideal situation'
Hyunjin was taken aback by his friend's sudden shift in tone and choice of words since he wasn't aware Changbin could even speak this eloquently. He was pretty used to the scratchy, loose and careless wording of the older.
"Oh don't worry about it, this is rather interesting. Though I would like to meet you face to face instead of... Face to muzzle I suppose" the woman spoke.
Changbin nodded, jumping off the couch and walking to the nearest room, brushing past Hyunjin and earning an annoyed yelp and a set of rosy cheeks from him.
"I didn't know you were this close with your friends?" Hyunjin's mom started as the other boy transformed and got dressed behind the closed doors.
"Well I spend most of my time with them now so I guess that's a given?" Hyunjin shrugged "Though I seem to be getting along with Changbin-hyung the most these days" he smiled involuntarily.
"I can see that" his mother said and walked slightly away to get her bag "I've got the medication your doctor prescribed you" she took three small boxes out and put them on the coffee table they were standing in front of "Though you know I'd advise you to stay away from those as long as possible. You can keep your living bed if you want to even" she chuckled and as if on cue Changbin exited the room and joined the pair "So you're a hybrid" she stated while looking at the boy, eyeing his ears that were slightly down.
"Yes Ma'am" it was the first time Changbin got a good glance at the woman without his desaturated, wolf eyesight.
She was a slim, tall woman with long black hair - heels on her feet making her tower above the short boy. Her stance was confident which went well with her wide shoulder and hips. Her face was frightenedly similar to Hyunjin's, though much more mature and stoic as her piercing eyes seemed to be reading right through the stranger boy. She had a black suit on with pants loosely tangling next to her ankles. She stood straight and oozed respect.
"That's quite fascinating. See, none of our family members have had any sort of mixture in DNA for a while now. Well, as you can see that's to change" she gestured at her son who looked a little lost but blushed "Let's take a seat and talk a bit since we've got a chance" she smiled.
They moved to the kitchen where they sat by the table. Hyunjin began making tea as his mother and friend chatted. To say he was afraid for his older companion was an understatement because he knew how terrifying and strict his mother seemed at first even though she was one of the sweetest women he knew. He just hoped she wouldn't scare his friend away or judge him too fast.
Changbin on the other hand was shitting himself but kept it cool. He immediately knew his friend's mother meant an interrogation kind of talk and he was bothered a bit by that but didn't let it be shown. He trusted himself though, so he let his confident side shine a bit to test the waters but kept everything eloquent in a gentlemanly way.
He knew he wasn't exactly the greatest kid to be around - his grades sucked, he had an addiction and could be sometimes seen with not so friendly crews, his hobbies were circling around music which didn't seem stable at all. His friends knew he was a kind-hearted guy but for the outsiders quick to judge - he was an everyday weird loser.
"So you know each other from school I suppose?" Hyunjin's mother said and briefly thanked her son for the cup of tea he put in front of her.
"Yes but we attend different classes. We met on Hyunjin's and Felix's field trip" Changbin answered calmly.
"I see. What about your family? Are you all hybrids?" she asked but was rather gentle with her tone.
"My mother is, my father is a mage. My brother took after my father and I - after my mother as you can see" the boy wiggled his ears and smiled slightly.
The woman returned the expression "Lovely and why were you sleeping here as a wolf with my son?" she kept asking though this one came out a bit more harsh. She seemed to have realized it and was quick to cover it with another smile.
"Well... Hyunjin's back hurt so I just thought that maybe if he relaxed against something soft and warm it'd be better I guess... I suppose that worked?" Changbin looked to the side at his friend whose cheeks grew pink.
"Yeah" the taller said shyly and sent his friend a smile "Thanks"
"No problem"
Hyunjin's mother seemed satisfied with the answer and relaxed in her chair. The chat from then on was a lot more light hearted as she got to know the stranger hybrid more.
When she was leaving she kissed her son goodbye and offered Changbin a firm handshake with a smile, then disappeared behind the door. As soon as her car left, the shorter slid to the floor.
"That was the most stressful talk I have ever had!" he yelled while laying fully on the floor "ho- ly- shit!"
"Sorry about that!" Hyunjin tried pulling the shorter up but failed.
"If that's how job interviews go I'm going homeless man. I don't care" Changbin scrambled to his feet and exhaled "I killed it though, right?"
"I didn't even know you could speak like that? Did you unlock some ancient dialect or something? What was that" Hyunjin laughed as they both crashed on the couch.
"I have this weird aunt - totally obsessed with words. Speak casually next to her and she'll throw you out of her house. So I guess that's why my mind switched like that because your mom emanated boss vibes bro" he sighed.
"I know, everyone says that" Hyunjin rolled his eyes "But she's really nice after you get to know her I swear!"
"Kinda like Minho"
"Kinda"
"Though he's a snake after you get to know him too"
"Was gonna say"
Changbin sighed contently and smiled then scanned the room for his phone with his gaze "I gotta go you know" he said, not really sounding urgent at all.
Hyunjin frowned "Are you sure? It's Saturday tomorrow couldn't you..." he gulped barely visibly "Maybe stay for the night, hm?" looked his friend in the eyes. He didn't know why he felt the need to be around the older longer but he blamed it on being alone for most of the time in the cabin.
Changbin hummed while thinking for a moment "Let me make a call" he stood up and grabbed his phone, immediately dialing a number "Hi mom" he looked at Hyunjin occasionally as he talked with his mother. The taller couldn't help but chuckled at his older friend whining and begging his mom like a five year old. But when he emerged victorious with the phone in hand and a joyful smile on his face, Hyunjin still sent him a happy, reassuring look.
Changbin's mother was supposed to drop by the house to give Changbin some fresh clothes and needed things but until then the boys decided to head into the forest to relax a bit.
Hyunjin's already made a few trips through the woods though none were too deep inside or too long since the boy was a bit scared of walking around alone. He did enjoy the peace they provided though.
As they became surrounded with trees of various kinds, all stretching far, far into the sky, the boys seemed to have lost themselves in thought for a good ten minutes before any of them spoke.
"So why'd you get so angsty with the wings?" Changbin finally hummed out, his eyes scanning the scenery as his ears stood straight up on his head. His tone wasn't pushy - rather curious and calm.
Hyunjin shot him a confused stare but lowered his gaze to the ground while he let out a low 'tsk' "I wanted to be a dancer you know" he hummed out, sounding somewhat distant "And you know with all that happening... That's kind of out of the picture" he swallowed hard, feeling a lump in his throat building up as his tone became quiet.
The older stayed silent for a moment, waiting to see if his friend will continue though Hyunjin stayed silent.
"You know" Changbin started, his voice calm and soft which suddenly got the taller thinking about how his friend only reserved this tone for when they're alone "Remember how I told you Jeongin sings?" Hyunjin hummed in response "Well Chan, Jisung and I often make tracks for him. But we also just make music for ourselves since we all like to rap"
The taller finally looked at his companion "I didn't know you rapped"
Changbin avoided his stare but smiled softly "Well... I like to think I'm quite good at it but it's not like I can show off. Plus Jisung only recently thought about making some of our tracks public. Before that he always said he was too embarrassed to show his voice to anyone" his expression softened as he mentioned his younger companion. Han could be quite introverted and self conscious about his rapping even though his friends would constantly remind him how great he was at it.
Hyunjin raised his eyebrow "Well I guess that's a little surprising. Maybe you could show me your music some time? If the others agree obviously" he fiddled with his fingers.
Changbin smiled "Exactly about that. Since your dance career is hanging by threads on the edge of a waterfall I wanted to give you a proposition of some sort... If you maybe wanted to drop by our studio some time and see if you dig music?"
Hyunjin's eyes widened. For some reason the older inviting him to explore his passion in an attempt to help him find his own seemed so intimate and special he felt a sudden urge to hug him and never let go. He didn't do that but his eyes did light up as he vigorously shook his head - 'yes'.
Changbin smiled widely at his friend's reaction and unconsciously began bouncing a bit as they walked "You'll love it I can feel it. Chan is a master with tunes, same for Jisung though their styles differ a bit. I have my fair share in making beats though I'm most confident with writing lyrics" and so the older rambled on and on and his friend listened carefully because each word spoken by the soft, raspy voice was giving him a bit more hope and filled him with weird giddiness. Their walk, accompanied by happy strings of words, continued until Changbin's mom called saying that she's nearly at the cabin and so they hurried back home.
×××
"Hello there!" Hyunjin whipped his head in the direction of the woman. She was quite short, with medium length black hair with bangs that dressed her round, happy face. Her dark eyes held an unspeakable amount of warmth and joy. Her tiny posture was nothing of resemblance to the amount of energy she was holding which was showing in every gesture she did and so Hyunjin realized it the moment she began walking towards him. She went straight to the stranger boy and gave him a tight, long hug until she let go and looked up at his surprised face "I'm Seo Soojin, nice to meet you honey" she smiled brightly.
Hyunjin, visibly taken aback, stared at her blankly momentarily until he smiled back and bowed down "Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Soe! I'm Hwang Hyunjin" he stood straight back as the woman stared at him in awe.
"See Changbin if only you were this polite! Why can't you be like that when Mrs. Kim comes over!" she looked at her son with a strict yet somewhat playful glare.
Changbin, who's up until that point stood next to the two in front of the house patiently, rolled his eyes while groaning lowly "Mom, you know I don't like her and she doesn't like me either! Maybe I would be nice if she hadn't brought these burnt down cookies!" he spoke loudly to ground his point at which it was his mom's turn to roll her eyes but smirk slightly.
"I do agree that wasn't very nice of her. Still- you could at least pretend to be polite" she shook his head but brought her gaze back to the newly met boy "I can't stay for long but could you maybe show me around the house you got here?"
Hyunjin quickly nodded and went inside. He made a quick tour, showing each room to which the woman usually hummed or complemented the little decorations. Finally they stood in the living room and she looked at the boys standing beside each other. She smiled.
"Okay, have fun there boys but Changbin-ah please text me in the morning so I know everything is okay, right?" the older hummed and nodded "Great! It was lovely meeting you Hyunjin, I hope it wasn't the last time seeing you around" she hugged the taller who still didn't seem to get used to the sudden show of affection from the woman. She then turned to her son and squeezed him tightly while kissing his forehead "And you behave! I love you" she turned on her heel and walked out while saying one last goodbye.
"That was..." Hyunjin stood with raised eyebrows "-Quite something. I didn't know your mom was this energetic"
"It's a phenomenon among this family and can be quite concerning but she's great" Changbin smiled.
"I don't doubt that" the taller returns the expression but flinched when a warning sting went down his spine "I think I'll go take a bath if you don't mind? My back's acting up again" a slight bit of worry flashed in the older's face as he nodded and smiled softly.
"Whatever will make you feel better" he said.
×××
Hyunjin let his body get wrapped around by the warm water as he closed his eyes.
'Whatever will make you feel better'
The older really shouldn't have said that because what would make Hyunjin better at that moment would be Changbin's arms wrapped around him and he really did not like the thought. Not because it was giving him a weird sensation at the pit of his stomach mixed with his cheeks heating up - no matter how embarrassing that was, this part was actually quite pleasant. The problem lay at the bottom of Hyunjin's mind where he's been growing more and more fond of the older boy and his presence to the point when he's been quite often missing him and that hadn't happened before. The name of the feeling has been walking more and more out of the fog of obliviousy in his brain and it made him somewhat anxious. He knew what the growing attraction was and he was both terrified and curious.
Also the thought of him being attracted to a man after declining it so many times was hurting his pride and that's not a nice feeling to someone who's full of it.
"This is so bad" Hyunjin groaned quietly while sliding deeper into the bath and thinking about how nice the older's hands would feel around him right now.
×××
Once they were both out of the bathroom, they began playing on Hyunjin's (ish) console when Changbin got painfully reminded that his friend's been having a lot more free time than him recently and was absolutely destroying his ass in Mario Kart. And the older wasn't really bad at the game since when Felix would come over, all three of them (Seungmin included) would play the game till their eyes got sore.
After he's lost another race, Changbin growled lowly and put the controller on the ground, resisting the urge to throw it. The room was completely dark with the only light being the jarring, colorful glow of the tv.
"Okay, let's end here" the shorter sighed after losing count of his failures.
"Sorry hyung" Hyunjin said but his tone wasn't really apologetic though the smile on his face was enough for the other to not care for the rest.
"Whatever, we should go to sleep. It's late and you should rest more" the shorter got up and stretched then moved to make the couch so that they could sleep together. He didn't really consider asking his host for permission so when he realized what he was doing he stiffened and looked at his friend awkwardly as his lips became a thin line.
Hyunjin, getting the point that Changbin wanted him to say whether he wanted to still rest together or not, blinked and gulped slightly as he fiddled with his fingers "I actually wanted to ask you if you could cuddle with me again... You don't need to transform or anything" 'I just want to feel you near me' - he didn't add the last part but it lingered on his mind longer than he'd like.
Changbin's face went pale for a brief second until he exhaled and only nodded his head. The reaction itself was quite impressive seeing his insides were trying to make a new Guiness Record in doing flips as his mind literally felt like an egg being fried. He walked to the bed and after finishing making it he hopped on it, inviting his friend closer.
'Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, HOLY SHIT-"
Hyunjin walked over and lay down, only scooting closer upon seeing the shorter's soft look. He pressed his back against Changbin's torso and if the other's heartbeat was anything to go by, he felt just as nervous as the taller was. They stayed uncomfortably still for a while, none daring to move until Changbin eventually wrapped his arms around the younger's chest and left a soft breath on his neck. Hyunjin suddenly remembered the first time he fell asleep like that in the shorter boy's arms and the thought, while embarrassing, was also weirdly comforting and nostalgic. He nuzzled his back into Changbin's chest and smiled softly as his eyelids became heavy and the feeling of warm darkness surrounded him once again.