"So there was nothing in your initial exam to suggest that Jeno is supernatural?" Chanyeol wondered, allowing himself the opportunity to take a sip of his tepid coffee. He gagged at the chillness and groaned at the taste, but it had been sitting on his office desk for hours, and it seemed like such a waste to get rid of it.

"His pupils reacted like a normal human being when I performed the light exam," the Medic explains, shifting to try and get comfortable in the decorative chair. "there was no evidence of a reflective glow to indicate werewolf, and the sclera didn't indicate any red hue so he's definitely not a vampire. If he is supernatural, he's not anything we know of."

Chanyeol remains silent for a moment, the taste of bitterness attacking his tongue. The denial of being a supernatural creature came from Jeno's own mouth, but even the boy seemed uncertain. Chanyeol had seen the picture of Caleb's fractured skull, a mere human could not have done such damage, even with such a heavy weapon. Clearly, whatever Jeno is, hasn't made itself known to him yet.

"Is there any way he's being blocked from showing signs?"

Yixing considered it, going silent as his mind pondered. Chanyeol took another sip of his coffee before deeming it completely unsavable, the mug gets placed right back on his desk and his arms come to rest against his chest.

"It is likely," Yixing announces, pulling Chanyeol's attention. "especially is someone thought it absolutely necessary to shield him. But," he pauses, looking up. "Chanyeol... if this is the case and he has been blocked, we have to figure it out before something triggers it to break through."

"So it's possible?"

"Absolutely."

Yixing agrees with a nod.

"What do you suggest we do in the meantime?"

The medic grumbles, shifting again in the seat. Chanyeol regrets the day he even bought the chairs in front of his desk, they were a waste of space and obviously extremely uncomfortable.

"I can conduct daily updates with him to try and catalogue any symptoms." Yixing offers, clasping his hands on his lap in an attempt to hold himself back from shifting again. "I only hesitate because my constant involvement might not be of any benefit if he's not actually blocked. My main suggestion would be to involve Skylar and see if she can help us determine what he is."

"Baekhyun seems to think that he's worth something." Chanyeol speaks his mind like an afterthought, forgetting for a moment that he's even speaking the words aloud.

Yixing's face contracts at the mention of the latter, but he manages to school his expression before it can rest on hate. Chanyeol almost feels grateful for the adamant change, but unlike before the words go unsaid.

"I don't know why I'm believing him so easily," he begins again, knowing their history. "We both know how much of a manipulator he is... but-"

"There's a kid on the line." Yixing finishes the sentence for him. Chanyeol feels his shoulders slump and a weight be lifted from his core. Yixing knew exactly what he meant and why this was so important to him. "You keep seeing yourself in every rogue werewolf out there Chanyeol. You take them in and give them a home, like Leetuck did for you. But Jeno didn't just stumble upon you like the rest of us did, he was guided. The last time that happened, we met Jaemin."

"And we both know what he is." Chanyeol's expression darkens. "We know what he went through, what he's still going through. If there is a way that I can help Jeno, I need to find it."

He can still vividly remember that night when Baekhyun showed up on his doorstep, with a teenager clinging to his side. Chanyeol was initially overwhelmed with frustration that Baekhyun had broken their rule of no-contact, but then he introduced Jaemin. His hair had been a lighter brown at the time, but his eyes would forever haunt Chanyeol's memories.

"Skylar is our best chance," Yixing sighs, dragging Chanyeol back from his memories. "How long did she say that she would be gone this time?"

"She's due back after the next full moon." Chanyeol heaves, taking a glance down at his calendar.

28 days until the next one. 28 days to get Mark under control. 28 days until Jeno could finally get some answers.

This was horrible.

"Hey!" Yixing called for him, dragging him back from the edge. He was standing now, looking slightly relieved to be away from the awful seat. Chanyeol could feel his hands on his shoulders, keeping him straight and upright. "Let's just focus on our primary concern right now, which is getting Mark ready for his first full moon. When that's over and he's a little more experienced, we can turn our attention to Jeno and his situation."

"I'm getting really pissed off with all of this waiting around!" Chanyeol hissed, gently prying himself from his friend's hold. He goes stumbling backwards, gathering his wits and trying not to rip his own windpipe from his throat. "First, it was waiting to see if Chase would make a move during the full moon, then, it was waiting to see if Jaemin would finally access his wolf again, now, this? A brand new baby werewolf and a best friend I can't help!" He throws his hands up in the air. "What the hell is our life right now?"

It's quiet for a second before Yixing breaks it with a simple "Complicated".

Chanyeol couldn't help but laugh at the situation. His laughter was hollow, but at least it seemed to cool his brain long enough for the rage to bubble away.

"Look," Yixing starts for him again, and this time Chanyeol lets him come. "We can stay here all morning and debate about what Jeno could or might not be. But we both know that we won't get any answers until Skylar returns. Even then we don't know for sure that she'll be able to help us. So, let's just do what we agreed, okay? Just focus on one thing at a time, first; preparing Mark."

"Jeno doesn't want me to shield him from any of this." Chanyeol explains, watching as Yixing's shoulders tense. "We made an agreement and I plan on sticking to my word. I'm keeping him in the loop on this Yixing. I'm not going to let him drive himself mad with all of the possibilities. He already knows that we don't know what he is, the least we can do is tell him that there might be someone who could help him."

"Do you really want him to be stewing in that information for an entire month?" Yixing's word cut, but his voice is genuine. "Don't you think that he will be driven mad with the possibilities anyway?"

"He'll have a month of distractions," Chanyeol claims. It was his turn to place his hands on his friend's shoulders. "He'll be so focused on making sure that Mark's alright, that he won't even notice the time pass by."

Yixing's lips curl up into a gentle smile as he nods his head. "I believe that he will be preoccupied with protecting his best friend from Renjun. From what I've gathered the two of them ended on quite bitter terms."

Chanyeol couldn't stop the smirk from taking control of his lips. He lets his hands fall from either side of his friend's head back to his own hips. His eyes twinkle as Yixing turns his gaze downward.

"Am I hearing you correctly?" Chanyeol teases. "I thought Yixing, my medic, wasn't all that interested in teenage gossip?"

"They're young adults!" Yixing defends himself, but his cheeks burn brightly. "You heard Jeno and Renjun's conversation yesterday! We knew nothing about his relationship with Mark and we live here!"

"Well that conversation did reveal that there are a lot of unresolved emotions, for all three of them."

"Which won't be a good thing for a budding werewolf." Yixing groans, throwing his head back between his shoulders. Chanyeol winces at the position and gently massages his own neck. Yixing pulls himself back up, only now his dark circles are far more evident than before. "We should get Kyungsoo to teach him how to control his emotions, it will help ground him into finding a suitable anchor for the transition. Maybe I could ask Suho to act as their couple's therapist? I'll give you access to all the good gossip!"

"That's a breach of privacy," Chanyeol commented, gently turning his friend around so they were back-to-chest. Yixing leaned against him as Chanyeol began maneuvering them both towards his bedroom door. "Besides, I think Mark and Renjun need to sort things out themselves. The only good thing about this is that it will give Jeno something else to focus on throughout the course of the month. Though I do suspect that since Jeno is loyal, if Mark decides to forgive Renjun, Jeno may follow suit."

"He does seem quite protective doesn't he?" Yixing chuckles, his shoulders shaking in Chanyeol's grasp. "Very loyal too. Not every best friend would risk their own lives fighting against a werewolf."

"Especially one like Caleb." Chanyeol confirms, though he notices Yixing's lips twitch in a downward motion. "What?" He questions, halting their steps. "You're holding back, tell me."

"I only have concerns." The medic explains, his gaze falling to the floor beneath his feet. "Mark and Jeno..." he begins, turning around so that they're now face-to-face. "They're just kids. Heck, all of them in this house are kids, but... they're so new. They haven't been involved in our world, they've been thrusted into it against their wills. Everyone here has a reason to fight against the incoming war, but they don't. Their lives weren't affected, not really... Not to the same extent as the rest of us. How do we even explain this to them?"

Chanyeol could see the effect that this was having on his friend. Yixing always had such a good composure, it's how he made such a good doctor. But even the most level-headed person had their breaking point and for Yixing it was the people he held dear to his heart. He still had skeletons in his clost, ghosts lingering from his past. They would always remain with him but with time their voices would grow silent. For the moment he could ignore them, but there were times when they broke through and right now was one of them.

"We tell them the truth." Chanyeol offers his longest friend a small but sure smile. "We tell them everything, our history, our way of life, what it is we're fighting for. We explain everything. It will be up to them if they want to stick it out with the rest of us. It's their decision. We can't blame them if they decide to turn heel and run. We aren't going to ask them to fight alongside us, this isn't their war. They didn't ask for this."

"I know." Yixing dips his head. When he raises it again, the sorrow in his eyes has disappeared and his face no longer looks frail. Instead, he has schooled his expression back into his everyday look and peered up at Chanyeol with hardened eyes. "I know."

"I was planning to begin telling them today," Chanyeol explains, pulling himself away to give his friend some room. "I was thinking of focusing on pack dynamics. Jisung has roped them into a football match so it gives me some time to think about what to address."

"It might be a good idea to allow him to join." Yixing offers with a small sly smile. "I know Jongdae will be happy to have a chance to annoy Minseok without prying eyes and I'm sure Ji will be happy to spend more time with them."

"Are you sure that Jongdae won't miss his Mini-Me too much?" Chanyeol chuckles, watching with amusement as Yixing shrugs his shoulders.

"It will stop Minseok from coming into the clinic to talk my ears off."

"Hyung?" A delicate voice speaks up from behind them. They both turn to find Jisung hesitant in the doorway.

"Ji!" Chanyeol greeted, encouraging the boy in with a wide grin. The youngest of the house enters the room with pink cheeks, excitement practically oozing from his frame. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't get much," Jisung explains upon reaching them. "I've been too excited to sleep! I've been up all night thinking about football formations to play with the new hyungs later!"

"Have either of our guests woken up yet?" Chanyeol wonders, gently ruffling Jisung's hair. The youngest nuzzles into the touch, smiling widely.

"Not yet!" His lower lips dips in a pout. "Haechan-hyung did say that he would take it upon himself to wake Mark up, since they haven't been formally introduced yet."

"And Jeno?" Yixing questions.

"As far as we can tell, he's still in bed. Jaemin-hyung did offer to be the one to wake him, but I think Kyungsoo cuffed him to the table leg just in case."

"I don't think something as simple as that will stop Jaemin," Yixing laughs, gently pulling Jisung towards him. Together they begin to walk towards the bedroom door. "He seems to be quite taken by Jeno, doesn't he?"

"It's just a shame that the guy who overpowered him is also his ideal type." Jisung grumbles, crossing his arms against his chest. "He was asking Renjun-hyung this morning about Jeno's sexual preferences - claiming that it was for science when Kyungsoo-hyung glared at him."

"Jeno has no idea what he's up against, does he?" Chanyeol couldn't help but feel a tad bit apologetic to the human. His best friend had just become a werewolf and now he seemed to have gathered the overwhelming attention of Jaemin who was known in the house for his overdramatic displays of affection.

"I feel bad for him," Jisung suddenly announces, halting the two elders in their steps towards the door. "I know that it was Mark who got bitten, but it's always the best friend who suffers the most. I don't know Jeno-hyung very well yet, but he's been nothing but kind to me... even after I tried to kill him! Jaemin-hyung is already so interested in him that I'm afraid I won't have enough time to spend with him myself!"

"You and me both dude." Mark grumbles, walking into the room with a hand gently rubbing against his eyelid. He comes inside with a smile, gently placing a hand on Jisung's shoulder in an attempt to soothe him. "The only good thing about this situation is that Jeno is a complete idiot when it comes to displays of outward affection. It completely freaks him out!"

It wasn't every day that Jeno enjoyed the pleasure that came with sleep. For the past few months, his dreams had been plagued with stressful elements that portrayed his eventful college life. Usually, it was about a random professor failing him for a ridiculous reason, his coach lecturing him about the importance of social events, or the standard nightmare of showing up to class butt-naked.

Jeno was pretty confident in his body, after all he had spent quite a lot of time working out academic frustrations in the campus gym. So, it wasn't necessarily the nudity part that freaked him out, it was just the other people seeing him naked that was the problem.

Jeno was a very private person. He didn't showcase his emotions, and he rarely talked when it was someone he didn't feel comfortable with or unless it was absolutely necessary.

Just a little over a month ago, Jeno started to have pleasant dreams. They were no longer plagued with the disturbing images or scenes he had grown used to. While he couldn't recall them when he woke up, his body reminded him of the blissful feelings he encountered leading him to conclude that his dreams were imaginary paradise.

The only downside was that Jeno's body had been programmed to wake up early in the mornings, a feat he probably developed by from the numerous alarm clocks he had broken throughout the course of his degree. Today, despite knowing that he wasn't expected at lectures, his body betrayed him and decided that it was time to wake up.

Groaning, Jeno didn't want to give in so easily. He pulled the covers of his bed up and over his head, fluffed his pillow and slammed his head back down. His entire body practically melted into the mattress at the chill his pillow now possessed.

A delicate giggle tickled his ears, making him gently swat at the air next to him. He could feel his forehead crinkle in annoyance of being disturbed, but his tired limb fell back on the mattress and the sound thankfully stopped.

Next he feels a finger poke at his cheek, and again, he finds himself raising his hand to swat at the air. The touch is gone and he can rest a little longer.

"At least you don't drool in your sleep." A familiar voice whispers over the silence, except it's magnified in Jeno's ears due to their unexpected closeness.

Fed up with the disruptions, Jeno forces his eyelids to pull themselves backward. His vision is a little foggier than usual this morning, indicating his well rested night sleep. He blinks the mirth from his gaze and almost suffers from a heart attack at the sight of someone else occupying his bed.

Jeno holds back a groan.

The pink hair is falling around him like a pretty pink halo. His brown eyes are filled with mischief, and his pink lips are pulled right back to reveal a dazzling smile.

Jaemin is in his bed, hiding beneath the covers with him.

Jeno lets the groan slip past his lips.

He tosses himself onto his back, pulls himself from beneath the blankets and glares at the ceiling.

Apparently this is his life now.

His best friend is a werewolf, he's miles away from his favourite comfort-zone, and now, he has an unidentified supernatural being in his bed... Why me?

"Not much of a morning person, are you?" Jaemin giggles, coming up from the blankets to join Jeno back in the real world. He props an elbow up on Jeno's pillow and makes himself comfortable. "A handsome face and no weird sleeping habits, are you sure you're this perfect?"

Jeno merely closes his eyes, hoping that when he reopens them, this nightmare will end. Sadly, Jaemin's gentle giggle breaks the illusion and Jeno, unfortunately, had to pull them back open.

"Aren't you going to ask why I'm in your bed?" Jaemin wonders, moving closer but not too close to breach Jeno's personal space.

Jeno allows himself to turn his head, glaring up at Jaemin who simply looks back down at him with a mischievous smile. Jaemin gently tilts his head, anticipation bubbling through his veins. Jeno can feel it, but he's in no mood to play whatever game Jaemin is teasing him with. At least not right now, when he's still trying to wake up.

"Not much of a talker this morning, are you?" Jaemin continues, unaffected by Jeno's silence. He lifts his elbow and falls gracefully to the pillow. Now, they're eye-to-eye. "That's okay," he reassures Jeno with a teasing smile. "I'm more of a night owl myself."

Their gazes linger on one another, though Jeno can't say for certain what Jaemin's purpose was. He, himself, was taking note of Jaemin's general appearance.

His dark honey eyes were a few shades darker than the glowing gold shade Jisung's eyes had been when he semi-morphed into his wolf. But they weren't exactly brown... maybe a honey-brown? Was that the correct term?

Jaemin's lips were a deeper shade of pink than his hair. His locks had to be the same shade of bubblegum that Renjun had gotten a couple of weeks into dating Mark. The boy was known for his ever changing hair colours, and since Jaemin had evidently been his housemate since that time, there was a possibility that they shared the same dye. Both of his lips were plump, but the bottom one jutted out just a centimeter further than his upper lip. Like he was in a constant gentle pout. It was cute.

His face was oddly symmetrical with a sharp jawline separating his head from his neck. His skin was pale but not milky white. He didn't have any baby fat left in his face so there wasn't any plushness when he lay his cheek on Jeno's pillow. His chin was delicately covered by Jeno's blanket. His long eyelashes fluttering above the covers.

"Please stop looking at me like that..." His voice was deep, but lighter than Jeno's and smoother than Mark's. "I won't be held responsible for the consequences if you keep it up."

Jeno had half a mind to take him up on that threat, especially since it tickled his curiosity so much. Instead, he refrained himself from falling into the trap and turned his attention to the pillow-sized gap between them.

"I'm pretty stumped by you." Jaemin admitted so quietly that Jeno knew he wasn't supposed to hear it. Jaemin didn't move to correct himself, or tell him to forget he ever said such a thing. Instead, he just continues like nothing happened, adding to his statement. "Yesterday you were so talkative, speaking back to me was as easy as breathing... Now, you don't say anything... Why?"

Jeno shrugs his shoulders, watching as Jaemin's lips tremble through a laugh. His movement shakes the bed but neither of them seem too worried about the implications it might have to those who may be listening in.

"Mark's awake." Jaemin explains, his fingers gently crawling along the space between them. Jeno doesn't bother to move his own. "Haechan woke him up in time for breakfast. Yixing looked him over at the table and he's pleased with his progress, he's a healthy wolf."

Jeno can't help but cringe at the new term his best friend was now associated with. He had already processed that Mark was different, but he hadn't exactly taken into account just how different. Maybe, he wasn't as chill about this as he had acted yesterday.

Everything is different now, and yet nothing feels out of place.

Jeno had spent most of his life trying to get accustomed to his surroundings, trying to find a place safe enough to calm his raging anxiety. It took months for him to settle into their dorm room. But now, he had managed to sleep an entire night without any problems. His body hadn't been fighting him here, instead it was relaxing, making him feel at home.

And it was scaring the hell out of him.

"Hey..." Jaemin's hand is warm against his cheek, the sudden skin-to-skin contact making them both snap back into reality.

Jeno nearly falls out of the bed in his movement to get away, and Jaemin pulls his hand back so fast that he almost gets whiplash.

"Sorry" he rushes to apologize, fumbling with the blankets on top of him. "You weren't paying attention anymore... I-" Jeno feels his heart stop at the serenity in Jaemin's gaze. "I thought you were having a panic attack."

"Sorry." Jeno finally speaks, his voice still riddled with sleep. He hears Jaemin's intake of air, but dismisses it. "I got lost in my own head for a minute."

He couldn't bring himself to pull his gaze up from the blankets. He didn't want Jaemin to see him like this. He doesn't let anyone see him being vulnerable. Mark had only got a glimpse one time and that was enough for him. Jeno wasn't going to let that side of him be seen by anyone else. Ever.

Jaemin shifts along the mattress, head ducked just enough so their gazes lock above the blankets. "Sorry that I'm in your bed."

It's enough to draw a small smile to Jeno's mouth. "You don't look sorry."

"Okay," Jaemin relents, his lower lip pulling back beneath his teeth to stop himself from laughing. "I saw the opportunity to get into bed with you, and I took it."

"I was serious about that Google search, you know?" Jeno tosses the blanket aside and momentarily forgets that he doesn't wear a shirt to bed. He doesn't let it bother him as he approaches his desk, the chair in front of it held onto a new shirt from his bag.

Jaemin snickers from the bed, though he hungrily watches every inch of skin before the shirt slips in front and Jeno is turning back in his direction. Jaemin forgot that it was his turn to say something.

"Whatever you find won't work," he teases, waving his hand to physically dismiss the topic of conversation. "Aren't you going to shower before we get breakfast?"

"And let you get a free show? Fat chance." Jeno can't help but scoff. "I showered last night after Jisung gave me a tour."

"Bummer." Jaemin huffs, pulling himself up from the bed. The blankets slip back into the centre and for a moment it looks like a scene from a romance movie.

Jeno doesn't allow himself the opportunity to funnel anymore fire into that thought process. Jaemin sneaks up on him when he's distracted and comes to rest an inch away from his face.

"I figured that since I did get a sneak peek of the game," he winks, smirk enlarging. "you'd be willing to let me try out the controls." His hungry eyes slip from Jeno's orbs and slide all the way down his body before finally bringing his gaze back up to face him.

"Nice try," Jeno humors him, sidestepping their little staring match and heading towards his bedroom door. "This game" he stresses the same word, feeling the burn of Jaemin's gaze on his back. "is only for premium players, better luck next time!"

Jeno quite literally gets the air knocked out of him when Jaemin suddenly appears in front of him and he's thrown back-first against his door. Jaemin's entire body is pressed right back against him again.

Jeno kind of wants to strange him for his efforts.

"Fancy meeting you like this, again." Jaemin smirks and for a moment, Jeno swears that he can see the tip of fangs beneath his upper lip.

He lifts his leg up and attempts to ram it back where the sun doesn't shine, but Jaemin has learned since their previous encounter. Though, clearly, not a lot. Jeno forgoes his initial plan and brings his foot back down on Jaemin's, hard. He grits out a painful groan and his body's reaction is exactly what Jeno was counting on.

Jaemin slumps forward and Jeno's opened fist gently collides against his chest, sending him stumbling backwards a few steps. His hands flay for a few seconds seeking balance, but Jeno clamps his own fingertips around his wrists. Jaemin looks like he's about to say something but Jeno easily uses the distraction to switch their position, Jaemin is slammed yet again against a vertical surface.

"You should really stop trying to top me." Jeno can't help but grin, watching as Jaemin huffs back at him. "It's almost like you want this to keep happening."

The pink blush that spreads against Jaemin's cheeks is a small victory that Jeno will admit he was secretly beginning to like. Twice now, he has brought that pale pink glow to Jaemin's cheeks and both times made Jeno's ego inflate just a little.

Jaemin tries to wriggle out of Jeno's grip, but it becomes apparent fairly quickly that he can't. For Jeno it wasn't all that surprising. Mark had always joked that Jeno possesses Superman's strength, so Jeno had grown rather accustomed to it. Though, granted, he never had to physically restrict someone else before.

This was new for him.

Jaemin on the other hand, seemed to find the situation a mixture of horrific and astonished. "Jeno, let me go."

"Why? So you can try and overpower me and throw me up against another wall? I wasn't born yesterday-"

"Please." Jaemin's voice was different now, it sounded wet and filled with... sorrow? Immediately Jeno drops his hold on Jaemin's wrists and pulls himself a few steps back.

When he's out of Jaemin's immediate space, he's floored to see the latter's eyes swimming with tears. Jeno's heart rate starts to pick up in his chest. He fucked up. He doesn't know exactly what he did, but clearly his actions had consequences that he didn't expect.

Jaemin tries to take a few calming breaths, his hand molded to Jeno's door handle, the other resting over his heart.

"Jaemin-"

"It's not your fault." He interrupts, gulping air into his lungs. "This isn't-.. It's not... Isn't you." He keeps chanting, holding Jeno's gaze as he tries to calm himself down.

Jeno knows panic attacks. He's dealt with enough of his own to know the signs. He has experience handling Mark's as well. But this... this was different.

Jaemin's breathing is laboured, and there are tears in his eyes. But he's still trying to reassure Jeno that this reaction wasn't his fault.

Jeno defies all logic and goes against his better judgement. He breaches the space between them, gently pulling Jaemin from the door by his sips since his hands were very much out of the question. Jaemin goes willingly, the hand on the door handle falling to his side before continuing up to twist into Jeno's shirt.

"Listen to my heartbeat," he whispers between them, tucking Jaemin's head beneath his chin and maneuvering him just enough so he's in the correct position. "You can hear it right?" Jaemin nods, still struggling to breathe. "You're okay," Jeno continues, petting the pink hair tickling his nose. "You're safe," Jaemin sobs, his body wrecked by the process of struggling to breathe. His grip on Jeno gets tighter. Jeno holds onto him just as tight, heart thundering in his chest. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The reaction to his few words is almost instantaneous. Jaemin takes in a much needed gulp of air. His legs give out and Jeno easily brings them both to the ground.

It's amazing how quickly Jaemin is capable of bringing himself back from the brink after that.

He pulls away a few minutes later, eyes wide and cheeks stained with tears. He's looking up at Jeno like it's the very first time they have ever met, his pretty pink lips are now red and parted as if he wanted to say something.

Jeno tries to ask him if he's alright, but he swears that he just blinks his eyes and Jaemin is gone. His bedroom door is open and all that lingers of Jaemin's presence is the faint smell of cookie dough and the tear marks on Jeno's shirt.