Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yoo Kihyun was a normal, everyday human, but his life wasn’t so normal. He had a boyfriend named Hyunwoo, who he loved dearly. However, Hyunwoo wasn’t a normal human, he was a werewolf. Werewolves, fairies, sorcerers, witches, even sometimes angels, and just about every other supernatural creature roamed the earth, just not overly common. Hyunwoo, although he was a werewolf due to genetics, didn’t have a werewolf pack, he wanted to live with Kihyun as normally as possible. He did still have family that was werewolves but he decided to live with Kihyun instead. His family always welcomed them though if they were ever in need. Kihyun loved and admired how much Hyunwoo tried to live with Kihyun so they could have a normal life, even if things did get a little hectic during full moons. 

It was late afternoon on a cool autumn day and Kihyun and Hyunwoo were walking through the local woodlands across from their apartment. They were walking hand in hand through the middle of the woodlands where the trees looked prettiest, their brown, yellow and orange leaves falling softly through the air. Kihyun shuffled closer to Hyunwoo when the wind picked up, Hyunwoo chuckling in response and pulling Kihyun closer.

Kihyun sighed, “You know...I’m so glad I met you.”

Hyunwoo smiled down at Kihyun. “Even if it was because I saved you from being a wolf pack’s dinner?”

Kihyun laughed. “Yeah...traumatic but hey, I guess I can’t complain that much when I was saved by a hot guy.”

Hyunwoo laughed too. “Yeah…”

The pair continued walking and made it to the very middle of the woodlands, where three other paths met in the middle. Hyunwoo could sense something bad, a low growl escaping his throat.

“Hyunwoo what’s wrong? Is something bad out there?” Kihyun asked worriedly.

“I think so...we should go, come on.” Hyunwoo turned around, Kihyun following close behind, but as soon as they started walking back the way they came, three werewolves jumped out from the bushes on either side of the path. 

Kihyun gasped and Hyunwoo pushed him behind, shielding him. Kihyun recognised the werewolves as the ones that almost attacked him the night he met Hyunwoo eight months prior.

“What are you doing here?” Hyunwoo growled.

The biggest werewolf of the three stepped forward, its dark brown fur shining as the setting sun hit it. “My pack owns these woodlands now, and you’re trespassing.”

“What? But my family’s pack owned it for years…” Hyunwoo trailed off, fearing the worst.

“Don’t worry, your family is fine, just outnumbered so they gave up in order to protect the pack blah blah blah. And I can’t believe you still hang around that human. He would’ve been our dinner if you weren’t so protective over him.” The biggest werewolf chuckled.

Hyunwoo growled and Kihyun made a scared noise. Hyunwoo held Kihyun’s hand tighter and broadened his stance, signaling for the other werewolves to not try hurting Kihyun.

“Fine, we’ll leave and we won’t come back, just don’t hurt him.” Hyunwoo said and started walking back with Kihyun.

The largest werewolf growled and stepped forward. “Uh uh uh, no. No, you’re not getting away. One of my brothers died from the injuries you gave him while protecting that stupid human.” 

Kihyun squirmed nervously behind Hyunwoo who rubbed his hand gently, trying to calm him. “You shouldn’t have tried to attack a human, he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“ARGH I DON’T CARE! YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! YOU MURDERER!” The biggest werewolf charged toward Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo shoved Kihyun out of the way and morphed into his werewolf form, auburn fur engulfing his body.

“HYUNWOO!” Kihyun shrieked as the other two werewolves surrounded Kihyun.

“KIHYUN!” Hyunwoo yelled. He growled and braced himself as the large wolf crashed into him, sending them both tumbling.

Hyunwoo had a brief two-second break to check on Kihyun, seeing him being guarded by the other wolves before he began fighting the leader.

“Please! Please stop just let us go!” Kihyun pleaded and tried standing up, but one of the wolves knocked him back down, Kihyun whimpered as he fell.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Hyunwoo growled as he charged at the leader.

Kihyun felt so helpless not being able to do anything. He wanted to cry, he was scared and worried for Hyunwoo.

When it looked like Hyunwoo had the upper hand, the other two wolves charged and started attacking him too.

Kihyun screamed and stood up, running towards the fight. One of the smaller wolves flicked its tail, hitting Kihyun with such force it sent him tumbling into a nearby tree. Kihyun groaned as he slid down the tree trunk, holding his now aching head.

“KIHYUN!” Kihyun looked up slowly and made eye contact with Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo’s eyes glistened with tears and Kihyun’s breath got caught in his throat.

The leader of the wolf pack pounced and landed harshly on Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo growled in pain and Kihyun cried, his head spinning. 

Kihyun breathed heavily as black crawled across his vision. “Hyunwoo…” The last thing he saw was the wolf leader raising his paw above Hyunwoo’s neck, ready to attack when he finally gave in to the dizziness and pain in his head.

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Kihyun slowly opened his eyes, greeted by stars dancing in the black night sky.

“Sir are you alright?” He heard a woman say.

Kihyun slowly sat up and was met with a young woman, maybe early thirties, staring down at him worriedly. He was now lying on a bench at one of the entries of the woodlands.

“Sir?”

Kihyun looked at the woman worriedly. “W-wait...my boyfriend...the wolves…is he- ouch.” Kihyun held his head, feeling a bad headache coming on.

“Yeah, we know...people walking nearby could hear screaming and growling and called the police...when the police got there they saw you lying on the ground unconscious, a werewolf extremely injured lying a few metres away from you and three other werewolves just managed to escape.”

“What colour was the werewolf lying near me?” Kihyun asked hurriedly.

“Redish brown?” The woman replied.

“Oh my god…” Kihyun covered his mouth in shock. 

“What’s wrong?” The woman asked, rubbing Kihyun’s back as she noticed him start crying.

“That werewolf...he...he’s my boyfriend...is he-” Kihyun hiccupped. “Is he still alive?”

“Oh sweetie I’m so sorry...when the police got to him he wasn’t breathing...there wasn’t anything anyone could do they said, he was too badly injured. The police called for an ambulance for you though, you might be a bit concussed.”

“No...NO! Please...he can’t...he can’t be dead!” Kihyun burst out crying, his body shaking and trembling with each sob.

“I’m so sorry…” The woman rubbed Kihyun’s back as he cried and cried.

A few minutes later the ambulance arrived and some paramedics walked over to Kihyun and the woman.

One of the paramedics, a young woman, kneeled in front of Kihyun as the other woman moved out of the way. 

“Hello, I’m paramedic Anne, this is paramedic Jay.” Anne motioned to Jay who was preparing a few medical devices to check Kihyun’s vitals. “Can you tell us your name and age?”

Kihyun sniffled and cleared his throat. “My name is Kihyun...I’m twenty-four.” 

“Okay thank you Kihyun. Do you know what year it is?”

“It’s 2021.”

“Yes, okay. Thank you for answering, just asking these questions to see how badly concussed you are. Do you remember what happened.?”

Kihyun nodded and looked down as tears filled his eyes again. “My boyfriend and I were walking through the woodlands like we do every now and then. My boyfriend was a werewolf and he wasn’t part of any pack but had his family who are also werewolves on his side. We got to the middle of the woodlands when three werewolves from a rival pack jumped out from the bushes and attacked. They were the same three wolves that almost attacked me about eight months ago but my boyfriend saved me, and that’s how we met. The werewolves said they own the woodlands now as my boyfriend’s family’s pack gave it up in order to protect the pack.”

Kihyun inhaled deeply as his head throbbed. He rubbed his temples and sighed. “I was thrown against a tree when they were all fighting and passed out not long after. Then I woke up here and my boyfriend-” Kihyun immediately started sobbing again.

“I’m so sorry.” Jay said sadly, measuring Kihyun’s blood pressure. 

“Kihyun, can you look up for a moment? I’m just going to shine this small light into your eyes.” Anne asked softly.

Kihyun looked up and sat still as Anne shone a light into his eyes. Kihyun winced in response.

“I’m sorry.” Anne said quietly. “Does it bother you?”

Kihyun nodded slowly. “Yeah...and I feel dizzy and tired.”

“Okay, we’ll get you off to the hospital soon.” Anne stood up and walked over to Jay, the two of them discussing Kihyun’s results.

Kihyun sat back and sighed. He felt so empty now. Hyunwoo was really gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Kihyun?” Anne asked softly.

“Oh..yes? Sorry…” Kihyun snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Anne and Jay.

“Don’t be sorry it’s alright. We’re just going to get you off to the hospital now okay? When we get there we will need to call one of your emergency contacts just to let them know what’s happened.”

Kihyun nodded slowly and stood up. The dizziness in his head worsened and he nearly fell forward. Anne and Jay caught him before he could fall, the woman from earlier rushing forward to help as well.

“Are you alright Kihyun?” Jay asked.

Kihyun nodded slowly. “Just dizzy and tired.”

Anne and Jay gently threw each of Kihyun’s arms over their shoulders and helped him walk to the ambulance a few metres away.

Just as Kihyun stepped into the ambulance he turned around and smiled softly at the lady that had helped him. “Thank you for your help.” He turned back around and walked into the ambulance, Anne following behind as Jay got into the driver’s seat.

Anne closed the door and helped Kihyun settle onto the gurney as Jay drove them to the hospital.

Chapter Text

Kihyun wasn’t concentrating on anything anymore. He let the doctors poke him and prod him with their tools, answered whatever questions they asked him, and recounted the events a few times. At the end of it all, he just felt numb and exhausted.

He was lying on a hospital bed now in a ward with no one else in it. One of the nurses said they had called his best friend Minhyuk, who was the second emergency contact on his phone after Hyunwoo. Minhyuk was due to arrive in a few minutes, so the nurses left Kihyun alone.

Minhyuk did indeed arrive a few minutes later, walking into the ward Kihyun was staying in.

“Hey Kih...how you feeling?” Minhyuk asked softly as he walked over and sat in a chair next to Kihyun’s bed.

“Terrible.” Kihyun replied, sighing.

Minhyuk smiled sadly. “They told me everything. I’m so sorry Kih.” Minhyuk reached forward and hugged Kihyun, the younger hugging back tightly. Kihyun started crying and Minhyuk rubbed circles into his back to calm him down.

“It’ll be okay Kih. Things will get better.”

---------------

Kihyun was allowed to leave the next day. Minhyuk picked him up from the hospital and drove him home to his apartment that he used to share with Hyunwoo.

“Remember Kih, I’m always a phone call away, and you know where I live.” Minhyuk said as he hugged Kihyun before getting back into his car.

“I know, thank you for everything Min.” Kihyun smiled sadly.

“Of course, see you soon Kih.” Minhyuk said as he drove off.

Kihyun sighed and walked into his apartment complex. He took the elevator to his floor and walked to his apartment. He unlocked the door, closed it behind him, and lazily kicked off his shoes, throwing his coat onto a cabinet near the entryway, his bag following after.

He walked to what used to be his and Hyunwoo’s room and looked around, his heart aching. He walked over to the bed and lay down, the smell of Hyunwoo’s cologne still present. Kihyun let out more sobs as he curled into the bed covers, his heart breaking more and more.

---------------

Kihyun spent the next few weeks miserably. He went to work at his office job, got home, made dinner, showered, and went to bed. He would sometimes see Minhyuk when the elder visited him to make sure he was at least eating. 

Apart from that, he did nothing, he was depressed, to say the least, but he kept going to work and eating because he knew that’s what Hyunwoo would have wanted him to do.

It was late Saturday afternoon and the sun was still up, but slowly setting, shades of orange shining through the windows.

Kihyun’s phone rang and he looked over at it to see who was calling. It was Minhyuk so he picked up the call.

“Hey Min what’s up?” Kihyun asked tiredly.

“Hey Kih, how are you feeling?” Minhyuk asked.

“Same as usual.” Kihyun replied.

“Ah…” Minhyuk trailed off. “Well, I finished work early today and I know you were off today...come to the club with Wonnie and I!”

“I don’t know Min...I don’t feel like doing much…”

“You haven’t felt like doing much for the last few weeks Kih...please come out tonight, you need to have fun again.”

“Min…”

“Please Kih!” Minhyuk pleaded.

Kihyun rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, but don’t expect me to be happy as larry.”

“I know Kih...I just want you to get out for a while, and feel some kind of happiness even if it’s only for a little while.”

Kihyun smiled. “I love you Min.”

“Love you too Kih, Hyungwon and I will pick you up at seven okay?”

“That’s fine, see you then!” Kihyun said and ended the call.

Kihyun sighed and looked up at the clock on the wall. He had an hour and a half to eat a quick meal and get ready.

Kihyun ate some instant pasta and showered. Then he rummaged through his wardrobe for an outfit to wear. He decided on a red suit jacket with black patterns splashed on it, a black tee underneath, leather pants that showed off his figure nicely, and black boots. He added some gold glittery eyeshadow to his eyes, a red tint to his lips, and had his brown hair styled up, exposing his forehead.

Kihyun was just grabbing his wallet, keys, and phone when he heard a knock at his door. He opened the door and saw Minhyuk standing in the doorway. He wore a black low-cut v-neck shirt, tight black ripped skinny jeans, and black boots as well. His blonde hair was styled messily, he had a subtle smokey eye with light red lips and a black choker sat prettily on his neck and Kihyun cursed for not having one of his own.

“Hey looking good Kih!” Minhyuk said as he hugged Kihyun.

Kihyun smiled. “Thanks Min you look great too!”

“Thanks Kih! Let’s get going.”

Kihyun nodded and switched off all the lights before closing and locking his door. He and Minhyuk went downstairs to where Minhyuk’s car was and got in. Hyungwon was on the passenger side. He turned around and smiled at Kihyun.

“Hey Kihyunnie how are you doing?” Hyungwon asked. Hyungwon was wearing a black tee, a white dress shirt over the top that had some black floral patterns on one side, black skinny jeans, and black dress shoes. He had minimal red eyeshadow on, a light pink tint on his lips, and his red hair was slightly styled but his bangs were still hanging just above his eyes.

Kihyun smiled back. “I’m alright.” He replied.

Hyungwon nodded and turned back around as Minhyuk drove them into the city.

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They arrived at a club after a short five-minute walk from the parking lot and lined up to go inside. They paid and entered the club, music abusing their ears the second they walked in.

“Let’s go get some drinks first!” Minhyuk yelled to Hyungwon and Kihyun.

The other two nodded and followed Minhyuk to the bar. They all ordered their drinks and found a vacant booth to sit at. They downed their drinks while talking about work and life, Kihyun choosing to just talk about work.

After some twenty minutes they all got up and returned their empty glasses to the bar before making their way to the dance floor. The song changed to an upbeat dance-worthy song, so the three of them found an empty space and started to dance.

Minhyuk danced wildly as he always did and Hyungwon did his classic seaweed dance. Kihyun just swayed along, laughing at his friends. He felt a sudden burst of happiness he hadn’t felt in weeks and he smiled a big bright smile. Minhyuk saw and beamed at him. 

“I’m so happy to see you smiling like that Kih!” Minhyuk yelled. “Now come on, loosen up and dance more freely, I know you got some killer moves! Even Hyungwon is loosening up already!”

Hyungwon laughed and shimmied before going back to his seaweed dance. Kihyun laughed and joined along, half doing Hyungwon’s dance, half swaying and swinging his hips in his own way.

Minhyuk laughed and bumped hips with Kihyun, the younger laughing as well. Kihyun felt genuinely happy and it felt so nice after such a long time.

The three kept dancing for a few more songs before they decided they needed more drinks. They walked to an empty part of the bar and waited. The bar staff were busy at the other end for a little while but they didn’t mind waiting, they needed to rest anyways.

They stood a little away from the bar to give other people some room to put their empty glasses. Kihyun was facing the back of the club, Minhyuk to his right facing the bar, and Hyungwon sitting on a bar stool with his back to the bar.

The three were chatting for a couple of minutes when Kihyun looked up and saw someone in the darkness walking towards them. The figure was tall and had broad shoulders. Minhyuk followed his line of sight when he noticed Kihyun zoning out, Hyungwon looking over as well.

The figure emerged from the darker area of the club and Kihyun felt everything slow down, his heart thumping in his ears.

Hyunwoo locked eyes with Kihyun and smiled. “Hello Kihyun.”

Kihyun had to remember how to form words again, his body and mind going into shock.

“You-”

“Me.”

“But-how…you can’t be here!”

“But I am.” Hyunwoo said matter of factly.

“You died in front of me!” Kihyun said in a panic.

“I did.”

“How are you here?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Oh my god…” Kihyun whipped his hands over his mouth in shock. He didn’t know what to think or feel. His mind was racing at a million miles an hour.

“Kih are you okay?” Minhyuk asked worriedly.

But before Kihyun could answer he felt everything around him stop. His legs gave out and he started falling to the ground, his eyes closing.

“Kihyun!” Hyunwoo, Minhyuk, and Hyungwon all said in unison.

Minhyuk caught Kihyun in his arms before he could fully hit the ground. Hyunwoo kneeled beside them and brushed the hair out of Kihyun’s face. He smiled.

“Let’s get him outside, I have a lot of things I need to explain…” Hyunwoo said, scooping Kihyun into his arms.

“Hyung...that’s Kihyun?” A young man asked. He was standing behind Hyunwoo next to two other men.

Hyunwoo nodded and walked to the back exit of the club, the rest of the group following behind.