Aegyo Bites Back / Chapter 5 / Minwook

Ryeowook knocked on his door, and it creaked open a bit.

"Yeeeesss?~" Sungmin purred.

"Room service."

"Mm, no thanks. I specifically ordered my dumplings WITH sauce."

"Its either this or you get nothing!" Ryeowook hissed.

"BUT I can let the sauce slide. Thanks Wookie."

"Ill be back in a minute, I have a few questions. Will you be sleeping?"

"Ooh, I've always wanted to be interviewed!" Sungmin hissed sarcastically. Ryeowook just sighed and shut the door, walking away. Sungmin listened to him walk and heard the conversation downstairs he was having with his brother as he ate the food, sitting Indian style on the floor and enjoying the layout of the room. He admired how clean Ryeowook kept his room and how neatly all of his clothes were kept in his closet. When Ryeowook had made the bed Sungmin wasn't sure, but now it was so perfec and Sungmin almost felt bad for the way he plunged down into the covers.

Almost.

Ryeowook entered not long after Sungmin was settled into the bed, sighing as he gazed upon his once neat bed reduced to a pile of disarrayed blankets. Sungmin's head popped out from the middle, grinning at him as if nothing was wrong.

"Hey, Wookie-ah! Dinner was yummy, thank you!"

"I'm happy to see you've made yourself at home, Sungmin." Ryeowook teased as he sat down in a huge armchair across from him. Sungmin flipped over on his back, looking at him with bright eyes. "That place right there is good for naps, too! That's where I slept mostly today."

"How much do you need to sleep!?"

"Is that one of the interview questions? If so that's pretty personal don't you think?"

Ryeowook took a deep breath and tried to ignore Sungmin's antagonizing. Instead he began questioning him. At first Sungmin was nonchalant but after a while he became more and more cynical as the endless questions bored him.

"So how long do kumihos usually last?"

"There's an expiration date on my ass if you wish to look."

"Come on, Sungmin! I'm trying to help you here."

"Well then, shouldn't you be asking that question!?"

"Fine. HOW. CAN I. HELP. YOU?"

"I have no idea..."

Ryeowook finally had enough. He was so frustrated he could almost cry, and he clenched his fists together in anger. He was silent for some time, and Sungmin realized he really was trying to help him. Feeling a bit guilty he slid out of the covers and crawled over to where Ryeowook was sitting with his face in one hand, whimpering like a small puppy and rubbing his head against Ryeowook's arm.

"Wookie-ah...I'm sorry. I'm just scared, that's all. I'm scared of what my family and my friends will think of me..."

Ryeowook managed to calm down enough to see how sincere Sungmin was being. He was still skeptical but his curiousity got the best of him.  "You have friends and family? Like people do?"

"Oh yes! We live together in a big colony, hunting and grooming and sleeping together. I have a sister, and a friend that's like a brother to me. I...I don't know where my parents are."

Ryeowook managed to smile a bit. "Then I guess we have one thing in common; I don't know where my parents are either. I was raised by my grandmother, and my brother says our parents were sickly people. That's why my grandmother worried about me getting sick all the time when I was little because she didnt want to lose me, too."

"Wow...your grandma sounds really nice. I wish I knew what that was like."

Ryeowook moved from being in the chair to the floor, sitting on his knees across from Sungmin to speak with him properly. Sungmin didnt seem to mind, continuing to groom out his many tails with a hand. Despite how much he distrusted Sungmin he was beginning to grow a certain fondness for the fox-man. He was kind of cute and definitely charming, and now knowing the root of why he was so mischievous he came to understand his feelings more. Now, he was more interested in helping him than ever before.

"So you really want me to help you become human? Are you sure?"

"Yes. I heard from my leader that we can become human after not eating meat for a thousand days. I wanted to see what it would be like being human for a while, and then if I decide I don't want to be I can just eat and change back."

"A-Any kind of meat right?"

"Yeah, any kind. Like a cat or something. "

"Okay good..."

Sungmin looked at Ryeowook with a hurt look in his eyes. "You...YOU'RE worried that I'll eat you! Wow, Ryeowook you really are trusting..."

"I didnt mean it that way! I was just..."

Sungmin grinned maliciously, exposing his pointy fangs again. "You were just incinuating that I'd dispose of you once I was done; that'd I'm not above eating my friend. Well...you're right!"

Sungmin pounced on Ryeowook, wrapping his feet around his waist and using his hands to tickle him. Ryeowook squirmed, laughing uncontrollably, while Sungmin bit at his hair gently. Tears were streaming from Ryeowook's eyes the tickling was too much. Sungmin had extended all nine of his tails to Ryeowook's sensitive area, his neck, and was using them like deadly feather dusters. The sensation was such a shock to him he couldn't breathe or stand it, but instantly he calmed down when Sungmin released him suddenly and backed away whimpering. Ryeowook sat up, sucking in air and still giggling, but he tried to be serious as Sungmin sat looking guilty. Ryeowook crawled over and sat beside him.

"What's the matter, Sungmin? I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No. But you didnt want me to touch you, and I forgot. I'm sorry..."

Ryeowook smiled shyly, extending a hand to Sungmin's head and rubbing it vigorously. "Its okay, Sungmin-ah, I...I trust you."

Sungmin's eyes lit up, his nine tails drawing arcs on the floor as they wagged. "R-really?!? Yay! Thank you, Wookie!" Sungmin pecked Ryeowook's cheek happily, causing him to blush hotly and Sungmin to giggle. They didnt say anything for a while until finally Sungmin yawned.

"Tired, yeou~sonyeon?"

"Mhmm..." Sungmin mumbled, surpressing another yawn. Ryeowook stood up to turn off the light before crawling underneath the messy blankets. He wouldn't admit it but he felt sort of at home among the mess. It was like curling up in a big nest.
  
He looked around for Sungmin, who had curled into a human ball on the armchair. His nine tails covered him and he had his eyes closed tightly while his face was snuggled amongst the fluff. Cute as it was, Ryeowook was lonely.

"Sungmin..."

"Yah?" Sungmin raised his head to stare at Ryeowook. His eyes glowed a honey orange in the soft moonlight that filtered through the window.

"You...you can sleep here if you want, you know..." Ryeowook patted the spot near his feet. Sungmin's sleepy face perked up happily while he hopped from the armchair and into the bed. Instead of burrowing under the covers with Ryeowook he nestled into the crook of his knees with his head on them, happily curled at the foot of the bed like a small puppy. Ryeowook smiled and pulled a sheet out from under him to throw over Sungmin.

"Thanks, Ryeowook."

"No problem, Sungmin. Night."

"Goodnight, Wookie-ah."

As Sungmin burrowed deeper into Ryeowook's knees, Ryeowook touched the place on his cheek that still tingled from where he had kissed him. With a huge smile on his face Ryeowook fell asleep, letting his thoughts succumb to the happy dreams that followed the feeling.

--------

That very same night,as Ryeowook was having sweet dreams, Sungmin was having anything but. Slowly his memory of that night came back to him, faint at first but becoming for vivid as more and more bloody images leaked into his subconscious.

There was blood, lots of it, and pain all over him. A monster the size of a grizzly was pursuing him through the barren streets, Sungmin fleeing as fast as his four paws would carry him. But that was no grizzly; it was far more fierce and more bloodthristy, a neugdae-agma. After being jumped in that alleyway by the creature Sungmin was entirely too afraid to fight back, and too worried for his friends and family to run back to The Leash. Images of his injured sister were still too vivid and he didnt want anything to happen to her again. So he ran, ran for his life as well as other lives, away from them.

When he felt like he couldn't run any longer he stopped, panting, and found that the monster wolf was gone. Nothing but rain surrounded him, pouring and dripping down his muzzle while washing the blood away. Under his paws was cold asphalt so he knew he should watch out for any cars as he trudged the lonely path. He was freezing and in pain, his wounds unable to heal from the constant pounding of cold drops on them. Head down he didnt hear the thunder of paws until it was too late. Suddenly he was flying through the air as a huge wolf head slammed into his side, knocking him further along the road and causing him to come to a crashing halt skidding across the pavement. Overcome by pain and exhaustion Sungmin let himself be tossed like a rag doll, hearing the oncoming truck in the distance and knowing the wolf would be back to pick up what remained...

"Sungmin-ah! Sungmin, wake up!"

Sungmin's eyes flickered open, realizing his body was drenched with sweat and that he was shaking uncontrollably while still nestled in Ryeowook's legs. Ryeowook was staring at him, a concerned look on his face.

"Sungmin, are you okay? You were whimpering in your sleep!"

"Yah...yah, Wookie I'm okay...I'm..." Sungmin was suddenly hit by the fear, by how close he had come to being either road kill or wolf food and dead either way. He stopped shaking but he broke down suddenly, sitting up and pulling his nine tails around himself for comfort as he sobbed. Ryeowook slid a comforting arm around his shoulders and hugged him to his little frame, shushing him and thumbing away the tears that ran freely. Sungmin choked out what he had seen and felt that night as much as the tears would allow, and after a while the tears stopped. Sungmin whimpered.

"Ryeowook, I know this is kind of personal but...can I sleep with you tonight? Please?"

"Shouldn't you at least take me to dinner first?"

"Aish, Wookie!" Sungmin chuckled, feeling better as he joked with Ryeowook. Falling victim once again to his cute aegyo Ryeowook pulled up the covers to let Sungmin in, snuggling up beside him with his back to his chest.

"Comfy?"

"Mhmm! Much better..."

"If you breathe a WORD of this to ANYONE, I'll turn you into a hat. Understand?"

Sungmin laughed but nodded. As he was drifting off he whispered to Ryeowook. "Wookie-ah...can I ask one more favor of you?"

"Sure."

"Will you...will you sing that song that you sang last night? It really helped me sleep..."

"...Yah, Sungmin-ah.I will."

Sungmin fell into a deep sleep to the sweet sound of Ryeowook's comforting voice.