JuminZen Week Day 4 - 5 : Alternate Universe - Hurt
Let’s pretend I posted this yesterday. Lololol.
~Nao
Wolf pack AU sidestory 2: Enduring bonds
“Jumin, I’m tired of you endlessly rejecting our bond and then letting me drink from you. Why can’t we just complete the bonding process?“ Zen asked as he watched Jumin knot his tie in front of the mirror.
“I’ve said this many times before, Zen, and I’ll tell you again : the only reason I started the bond was —-“
“…. because it was necessary to save my life when I stupidly ingested that blood without testing for poison. Yes, Jumin, I understand. But don’t you feel the mate pull? Aren’t you attracted to me? Or… is it because you still haven’t gotten over… “
“You’ve gotten your fill of blood for today, Zen. Go back to your coven,“ Jumin cuts off Zen from continuing his sentence, his expression cold as he turned to him.
“Hmph, fine. If that’s how you want it. You’ve always been so stubborn and objective. See you tomorrow… young master,“ Zen says before leaving, stressing the old nickname as he closed the door.
It was the alpha’s role to protect and keep his pack’s best interest in mind, so wasn’t being objective a good thing? And Zen was stubborn as well; he had no place to call him out on it!
The only time Jumin’s stubbornness and objectivity didn’t work out was when he couldn’t keep his best friend from following his mate. It had been one of his regrets, as V and Saeran still hadn’t come back from their search for Rika.
It was rather late when Seven came into the main house, soaked to the bone, while carrying an unconscious woman.
Jumin follows Seven to the infirmary, helping him lay the woman down on one of the stretchers. He then calls for Jaehee who was on the nearby sleeping bay for help.
“I was on patrol when I found her, alpha. Please, we need to help her while there’s still time!“
“Alpha, you must take note that she’s merely human; attacks like these aren’t uncommon and are better left alone. Besides… if the council gets wind of this again…“
“Jaehee, I understand your predicament, but as the Alpha, I believe I decide what I think would be best in emergencies like these. Now, Luciel, why is it so important to save this woman?“
Jumin looks over the horizon as he waited for dawn to come.
Converting a human to a shifter wasn’t exactly impossible, but it was hard work, and the survival ratio was low. The initial change would cause the human body to convulse, and the following changes inside of them during the process would usually cause most converts to die. However, Seven’s mate was able to push through, even with all the violent thrashing at first.
He heard soft footsteps approaching him from behind, but he wasn’t alarmed; the only person he knew who smelled like bergamot and sandalwood was Zen —- there was no mistaking it.
“You look like hell swallowed you and spat you back up, young master.“
“How many times will I have to tell you to stop calling me that? I have a name, Zen. It’s Jumin Han.“
“I know, but it’s my special nickname for you. Kidding aside, I just heard from Seven about what happened earlier. Are you okay?“ Zen joins him on the patio, looking at the mountains as the first rays of sunlight started to show between them. He was a 250 year-old, living vampire, and so sunlight had little to no effect on him.
“You already described how I looked to you. That woman put up quite a fight earlier, but yes, I’m fine, considering.“
“Considering that I have to feed you.“
“…. Yes, yes, of course,“ A twinge of guilt pulls at the back of Zen’s mind. He was one of the old vampires; he didn’t really need to feed everyday, but he used it as an excuse to see his beloved daily. He had a suspicion that the alpha knew of this as well, but he feared that if he confirmed it, Jumin would limit the times that he allowed him to get close.
“Very well then, let’s get it started with so I can rest,“ Jumin goes inside, removing his pyjama shirt as he approaches the bed, revealing lean, muscular arms, and an equally muscular back full of scars from all the alpha challenges that he had faced.
Zen watched as Jumin sat on the furniture, his back supported by the headboard, and his legs laid flat on the bed. He followed the pack leader without any invitation, automatically straddling his legs and looping his arms around the other man’s neck.
“Do we really have to assume this position every time you have to feed from me?“
“We do, since you keep on falling over whenever I drink from you while sitting on a chair. And, it’s easier to feed this way.“
“Then you better start,“ Jumin exposes his throat to the handsome vampire, something an alpha like him would never do unless it were a mate or a more dominant alpha.
Aside from the monthly pack runs, his wolf had always looked forward to the times whenever it’s mate would arrive, urging him to take the other man and complete the mating bond. It would whine at the back of his mind whenever he refused to act on his instincts, like he always had for the past fifty years. But it understood that Jumin had to do so because of his status, and would sadly watch as it parted with it’s mate daily.
Jumin closes his eyes as the familiar sting of Zen’s fangs pierces his neck, trying to clear his thoughts, afraid that the feelings that he held for the other man that had developed and been repressed over time would be revealed through his blood.
“Is there nothing you can do to help him?“ Haejung, Zen’s second-in-command asked, desperation written on his face.
“I’ve been doing every trick in the book that I know of, but I can only
keep the poison from killing him right away… unless… unless we find his mate and have him drink from them, then that’s all I can help you with,“ Jaehee responded, distress clearly etched on her face.
Jumin and V observed from the sidelines as Zen’s coven mates continued to plead with Jaehee even after she explained to them that she could only help their coven master to an extent.
It had been a couple of hours since Zen’s subordinates had brought him to the pack house, after he allegedly drank bottled blood, not knowing that it was zombie blood.
Zen was in such a weakened state, and even after Jaehee tried to flush most of the poison out of his body, Jumin doubted he’d last a week unless he intervened.
“Why did he stupidly drink that bottled blood without testing for poison anyway?“ Jumin had been so annoyed with the situation, that he hadn’t noticed that he had been thinking aloud.
The conversation stopped, and all eyes were on him. Suddenly being the focus of attention, Jumin loosened his necktie for a bit and nervously fiddled with his sleeve cuffs. Should he just tell them?
“What I meant was… I may… have a way to help your master“
“Alpha, unless you know where his mate is…“
“I AM his mate, Jaehee,“ Jumin declared, removing his tie and partially unbuttoning his shirt as he approached Zen.
V reached out to touch his shoulder, and Jumin turned to look at him.
“Jumin, by doing this, you do understand that it would start the mate bond, right?“
“Weren’t you listening to Jaehee earlier, Jihyun? The only way to save Zen is by having him drink from me,“ Jumin sat beside Zen and helped him sit up and face him. V looked like he wanted to say something else, but probably decided it best to stay silent.
“Jumin, you don’t have to do this…“ Zen tried to weakly push the alpha away from him to no avail. He didn’t want to appear weak in front of Jumin, but his body wasn’t having any of it.
“You fool, you’ve just been promoted as coven master, you can’t just up and leave them,“ pulling the other man close to him, he tilts his neck just enough for Zen to bite, but not enough to show submission. “Now, drink.“
“I didn’t want to start our bond like this, you know,“ Zen uttered, before he sank his fangs just above the junction between his neck and shoulder. This causes Jumin’s fangs to descend as well, and he instinctively bites back.
Memories of each other fill both men’s minds, the last memory being the kiss they shared prior to Zen leaving the pack to join the local coven, before something inside of them clicks in place.
Please don’t leave me the same as my father and Jihyun did, Zen.
Zen retracts his fangs and absently licks the wound, sealing it shut. He hadn’t realized that he had been crying until he noticed that Jumin’s hair near the area that he bit had been damp.
It had been the first time that he had seen that particular memory in Jumin’s perspective. Whenever he fed from him, Jumin had his shields up, and he was either shown mundane scenes from his childhood, or the times he spent with V and the others.
Converting Seven’s mate must’ve made a pretty strong impression on him to shake those memories loose, Zen thought as he covered the sleeping alpha with a blanket.
Gone was the serious, and guarded mask that he always wore during the day, and was replaced by a relaxed and carefree expression, accompanied by light snores, and his mouth slightly hanging open.
Brushing away some hair from Jumin’s face, Zen pressed some light kisses on his forehead and lips, smiling sadly as he finally understood why his beloved refused to complete their bond — he was afraid that Zen would leave him, afraid that he would be alone again.
“I’ll never leave you, Jumin. And I hope you realize that one day… beloved,“ Zen whispered into the silent room before he left, unaware that his mate had awoken a while ago but had been feinting sleep.
Jumin opens his eyes not long after, covering his face with crossed arms, trying to suppress the tears that had been threatening to escape since earlier.
“Don’t make promises that you won’t be able to keep, Zen.“
