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"So… you're a carrot? A zombie carrot?"
Jongdae looks up from his bloody mary. The human smiling at him through a painted-on Glasgow grin is one he doesn't know well, the roommate of the guy hosting tonight's Halloween party. Junmyeon, Jongdae thinks his name is. He looks handsomely deranged, his purple suit and up-styled green hair giving class despite his chaotic makeup.
Always happy to make a new friend, Jongdae smiles back. "Not a zombie. A partially-drained carrot. Victim of veggie-vampirism." He gestures at the pale patches that mottle the foam of his costume, complete with authentic bunny toothmarks and orangey 'blood' around the wounds.
"Ah." Junmyeon sips at his own drink—a neon-green concoction with gummy eyeballs floating in it—but though the glass covers his mouth, it fails to hide his smile. "I didn't know that was something vegetables had to worry about."
"They do when hyung is around." He nods toward his beloved boyfriend, looking more dapper than spooky in his fancy suit and high-collared vampire cape. Minseok has done his best with red contact lenses and corpse-pale makeup sculpting hollows beneath his plush cheeks, but he's a supermodel. He doesn't know how to be anything except attractive.
He wields his charm like a weapon, and it's having the usual effect. He's surrounded by men and women both, eager for one of his bloody orange smiles. There's some sort of charades type game happening over there, and he's got one arm around the corseted waist of an Elvira look-alike, the two gorgeous vamps shouting guesses at the pair of green-faced zombies attempting to illustrate some movie title with their bodies without losing various velcroed-on pieces of them.
Taking another sip of glowing green, Junmyeon turns to follow Jongdae’s gaze. "So it's a couple costume?"
Somehow sensing their attention, Minseok turns to give Jongdae a wink. He slides his hand from his companion's waist to her ass, earning a startled look from that companion. It melts into a knowing grin as she finds the target of Minseok’s smirk, and she arches her spine to thrust her bouncy cheeks against his cupping hand.
Everyone loves to torment Jongdae, it seems.
Jongdae grins. "Yeah. It's kind of our thing, I mean, it's how we met."
Junmyeon tilts his head, a lock of green hair falling rakishly into his face. "Really?"
Jongdae nods. "It was Baekhyun’s fault, as usual."
"Baekhyun is the one with the bat?"
"Yep." It's not the usual type of bat one might expect to see on Halloween. Baek's got a foam baseball bat, wrapped in strands of spikey-looking tinsel he'd pilfered from the Christmas box, a safe alternative to the barbed wire he's trying to represent. It goes well with the cropped leather jacket he's wearing, giving a delinquent flavor to his otherwise clownish styling, hair and bushy squirrel tail spray-dyed half red, half blue.
"Is it a fun story? Or a cheesy one?"
Jongdae laughs. "Well. Probably both? I'll tell you if you like."
"Please do."
"Okay. It involves Baekhyun, and also our friends Jongin—" Jongdae points to the ring-tailed hybrid in blue overalls and a red slouchy cap, fake black mustache sacrificed in the quest to devour some fried chicken. "—and Chanyeol, your roommate's boyfriend." He waves the celery from his drink at the wolf hybrid, skin painted a dull gray beneath his mop of black hair and decorated haphazardly with lines of eyeliner 'stitches.' His water deer hybrid boyfriend, in a white labcoat and with his brown hair looking like he stuck his finger in an electric socket, is reaching up to re-attach a chromed-plastic stud that had apparently come off of Chanyeol's neck.
Junmyeon laughs. "That guy is. Well, he's never boring, that's for sure."
Jongdae smiles. "Exactly. And actually, the whole thing is just as much his fault. Nini and I were dragged into their shenanigans more or less against our will..."
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It all started because Baekhyun had been reading a Halloween website four years ago. It said that originally, people had dressed as demons or evil spirits, things they were scared of, in order to frighten such things away.
"I'm going to dress like a cucumber this year," he declared. "Keep those disgusting things away from me."
A week later, Chanyeol, who, back then, had a painfully obvious one-sided crush on Baek, triumphantly showed up with an eggplant costume.
"We'll match!" he said, smile wide, eyes adoring.
Baekhyun, not wanting to hurt his good friend's feelings but also very uninterested in romance with the guy, immediately panicked.
"What a great idea!" he said, his quick little squirrel brain scrambling to save him. "We can all match. A terrifying horde of vegetables."
He zipped online to order costumes for Jongdae and Jongin. Within moments he found a twinset, one carrot, one celery.
"You can't get a twinset," Jongdae complained. "We aren't the same size."
Baekhyun waved an imperious hand. "We'll get the larger size, of course, so Nini's giant tanuki balls won't be all pinched. We can safety-pin your suit where it's too big."
Jongin patiently recited for the thousandth time that he was a neoguri and his balls were a perfectly normal size. Jongdae pouted, because he didn't see how a foam costume could be pinned to be any shorter. And he was right. The spandex bodystockings could be pinned around the waist, but the vegetable-shaped oversuits weren't so easily modified. As the celery stalk was longer and more ungainly than the tapered bottom of the carrot, it was the orange suit Jongdae was zipped into.
"This is good though, Dae," Baekhyun said. "You can feel properly orange, as I know your heart yearns to be."
Jongdae patiently explained for the thousandth time that he was a marbled red fox, so his fur was supposed to be russet and white.
Baekhyun responded, as always, that Eddy the Clever Fox from Pororo is the epitome of foxes, and he is very much orange, and therefore Jongdae must yearn to be the same.
It's an argument almost as old as they are, happening often enough to be automatic. Chanyeol had once recorded a video of the pair of them having it in their sleep. It's almost comforting at this point, though the initial scenario had been a bit traumatic for both of them.
At four years old, red-squirrel Baekhyun had seen Jongdae's bushy, red-and-white tail and taken him for a piebald member of his own subtype; one rather rare in Korea especially. He'd been thrilled, until an indignant Jongdae had insisted he was a fox, and Baekhyun had said no, Eddy on TV was a fox and Jongdae didn't look anything like him, so therefore he wasn't a fox. There had been shoving, biting, and tears on both sides, and the pair had ended up in the nursery-school naughty corner together. They'd spent the entirety of their time-out muttering increasingly-inventive insults for the teacher that had dragged them there, and had emerged giggling and inseparable.
Which they still are, so Jongdae didn't complain too much about the costume he'd had no say in the choice or fit of. He knew why Baek had insisted they dress as a coordinated group. The party they were going to was hosted by a group of elegant noonas on the periphery of their friend group, one of whom Baekhyun currently had a crush on. There was no way he was gonna show up at her place with what looked like a couple costume.
So the four veggies strolled (or in Jongdae's case, waddled) into the party together, bros out for a good time. And almost immediately, they found it. Three steps inside the door, Baekhyun grabbed Jongdae's arm.
"Holy shit, Dae, look."
Jongdae looked. His jaw dropped.
Standing on the low coffee table in front of the big screen TV was a rabbit hybrid. His outfit was obviously designed to play on the Peter-rabbit story, perhaps in the same way as Baek's cucumber. He was wearing a set of denim overalls. Only a set of denim overalls, from what Jongdae could see, strong arms on full display and muscular chest only flirtily obscured, especially with one denim strap sliding off his shoulder. He also had on a broad-brimmed straw hat, currently obscuring his face as he used a giant plush carrot as a karaoke microphone.
The guy singing with him was a tall, handsome guy with black-furred feline appendages, who seemed to be using those natural appendages as his costume, if the black whiskers drawn on his cheeks were any clue. He was staring at Jongdae's group of friends with as much amusement as Baekhyun was grinning at the farmer rabbit. He nudged the bunny, who lifted his face, and suddenly Jongdae couldn't breathe.
The man was gorgeous. Heart-shaped face, large eyes lined skillfully to make them even more striking. Angled brows, broad cheekbones, and full lips that were surely made for kissing. He smiled as he took in the group of veggies, immediately beckoning them over.
"My garden has come to join me, I see," he said with a voice like velvet. "I hope one of you likes rapping, this next song is full of it, and Sehunie's too sloshed." He gestured at another feline hybrid slumped on a sofa.
Grinning, Chanyeol stepped forward. The rabbit hybrid elbowed his friend, who handed him a mic. Then the bunny gestured at the rest of them with his carrot plush, a smiley-faced thing almost as long as his own modest height.
"What about the rest of my crunchy little snacks? Vocal line?" He held out another mic his feline friend passed to him.
"Dance line for me, actually," Nini said. "But you definitely want these hyungs to sing."
The bunny tilted his head, small white ears bouncing cutely. "Which of you is the oldest?"
Baekhyun lifted a hand.
"Birth year?"
Baekhyun told him.
The rabbit grinned. "Not hyungs to me, then. Come up here, my sweet dongsaeng salad, and help us kick Hakyeonnie's ass."
"You can't just add random people to your team because your maknae can't hold his soju," a lanky human protested. He was wearing a close-fitting black cassock and holding a wooden broom. The red bow in his hair matched the one around the tall feline hybrid's neck, giving Jongdae Kiki's Delivery Service vibes.
"They're not random. They're clearly part of my crew. Mr. Carrot's dear family." He held the plush to his face, pinning the human with a lethal aegyo pout.
The human held up a hand to block the sight. He looked at the woman beside him, whom Jongdae recognized as Baek's crush despite her elaborate glittery white kumiho makeup. She shrugged, and so did the dog hybrid on the human's other side. "Fine," he said, "since we're sure to beat you anyway, we'll let you break all the rules."
The bunny gave a pair of happy hops, then beckoned all the veggies onto the 'stage' with a triumphant grin. It was a tight fit, so Chanyeol and the tall feline stood on the floor on either side of the table, and Nini claimed the open space between the table and the TV. That left Baekhyun and Jongdae with enough space to flank their 'farmer' on the coffee table. Nini and Yeol had to hoist Jongdae up, as his too-big carrot costume hung too low on his thighs for him to lift his knees very high. It was undignified, but the gorgeous rabbit grinned when Jongdae was set beside him.
The song, an upbeat, energetic track associated with a video game franchise Baekhyun loves, seemed to have been chosen by their opponents in an attempt to take advantage of the team's incapacitated rapper. Unfortunately for them, Baekhyun’s affection for the game meant the veggies had all been roped into the song at karaoke before. And also, Baek was about to sing in front of his crush, so he was already doing quiet vocal warm-ups as the karaoke program loaded up the track.
Chanyeol launched right into the opening rap verse, baritone voice pitched low to match the song's original key. The rhymes flowed smoothly from his tongue, Jongin leaning in between graceful flourishes to double up certain words for extra punch. The farmer hopped again in obvious delight at this timely substitution. The feline hybrid lifted the mic to his mouth for the prechorus, but Jongdae leaned over to set a hand on his arm, lifting his chin towards Baek. Head tilted, the feline turned, just as Baekhyun opened his mouth and sang.
His strong tenor enhanced the way the song built towards the hook, pulling everyone in the room to the karaoke contest. There were cheers from the onlookers as the whole group launched into the chorus, Jongdae and Chanyeol taking the lower harmonies as usual.
The rabbit hybrid took the second, more melodic rap verse, mugging it up for the hoots of the crowd. His feline friend proved a capable tenor himself on the second prechorus, and then they all belted out the hook again together. Everyone turned to Jongdae for the bridge, his friends because that's his usual part, and the other two because he was the only one yet to have his little show-off moment.
Smiling, Jongdae delivered, crooning the soulful melody like he feasted on tears. There was another roar from the crowd as they launched into the final double chorus, many of the onlookers joining in. The karaoke program blessed them with a score of 98, which triggered more cheering from the crowd.
"Yeah, so, we've had a team meeting over here," their opponents said, "and we've decided you definitely cheated."
"You mean we killed it," the rabbit sassed back. At some point he'd slipped his arm around Jongdae, and even though the thick foam of the suit made it impossible, Jongdae would've sworn he could feel the heat of that muscular limb.
"Oh, nobody's saying your sudden veggie brigade can't sing," the tall witchy human said. "It just wasn't fair for them not to disclose the fact that they were ringers beforehand."
"Ahri-noona should've known, though," Nini said. "She's heard hyungs sing before."
Ahri blushes under everyone's sudden scrutiny. "I forgot!" she protested. "I mean, who'd have expected the Bushy-tail Brats to grow up to be so good at anything?" She swished her own tail in annoyance.
The rabbit hybrid turned back to the veggies. "Bushy-tail Brats?"
"That's us," Baekhyun said. All four of them turned to present their tails for the crowd, performing their signature wag-wag-flick-swish.
The drunken feline on the sofa opened one eye. "But I'm the brat," he mumbled. "'Sides, a wolf's tail isn't that bushy."
"We're inclusive," Jongdae said. His ears were already back, because Baekhyun’s scent revealed that Ahri's dismissive attitude despite his stellar performance had bruised his bestie's ego. He didn't need Chanyeol upset, too.
"Also, we didn't come up with the name," Nini added, tail puffed a bit more than usual. "Noona's friends did."
The human frowned at his teammate.
"They like it, though!" Ahri says. "They call themselves that! It's on their social media and everything."
The rabbit's eyes locked on Jongdae. "Really? My garden is full of self-described brats?"
"Dae's the brattiest," Baekhyun said, voice glib in a way Jongdae knows is dangerous. "So whiny and super stubborn."
Jongdae tried not to cringe, but the rabbit just tilted his head. He was still holding on to Jongdae, and from that close it looked like the 'eyeliner' might be pigmentation of the skin itself. Whatever it was, it made the guy's gaze really intense.
"Dae, is it?" he asked.
Jongdae nodded, supplying his full name as if he'd been stopped by the police.
"Well, Jongdae, I'm Minseok, but I'd prefer you call me hyung." He lifted his gaze to encompass Jongdae's friends. "All of you. I'm very proud of my bushy bushel of veggies, even if some people are sore losers."
He stuck his tongue out at the witchy human, who stuck his out right back. The pair of them laughed at each other's childish faces, and Jongdae's ears lifted a tiny bit at this sign that these two weren't the ones flooding the air with the scent of unease. In fact, the two seemed set on breaking it.
"Your veggies are all so cute," the human said. "Let's get a picture of you with all of them, to celebrate the Garden Boys debut."
Minseok's eyes lit up. "Veggies, assemble!" He held out his arms, then laughed and shoved away their feline teammate when he tried to cuddle in. "Go back to your master," he huffed, shoving the guy at the tall human, confirming Jongdae's suspicion the two were a couple.
"Excuse you, I'm his master," the feline huffed.
"Ah, so it was you that chose that pretty bow?" Minseok snickered as the feline's boyfriend flicked the glossy red ribbon.
"Shut up and take the picture," the feline grumbled.
The human obliged, encouraging silly poses. Minseok turned, mouth wide and sharp bunny teeth on display as if he were about to chomp Baekhyun. Baekhyun cowered obligingly, eyes wide, face a comic imitation of terror. Then Minseok turned to Jongdae, evidently aiming for the same joke. But Jongdae could only stare as that lovely mouth came closer to him, lips parted, teeth white. How would it feel if the bunny put those teeth on him for real?
The feline hybrid burst out laughing. "Minseokkie, your carrot is the wrong color."
Minseok frowned. "What?" He looked at the plush in his arms, then at his friend.
"Not that one," the feline scoffed, much to Jongdae’s dismay.
All eyes turned to him. Jongdae could feel how hot his cheeks were so he knew what everyone must see. Sure enough, Baekhyun joined in the guffaws, and Minseok’s smile went absolutely wicked.
"Oh, does this carrot like to be nibbled on?"
"I," Jongdae said, fully intending to defend himself. "I'm a red fox," is all he could come up with.
"You certainly are," Minseok cooed. He hopped off the coffee table, turning to lift Jongdae down like it wasnothing. "Let's get you some water. Veggies need to stay hydrated!"
Seizing the excuse, Jongdae waddled for the kitchen as fast as his restricted legs could carry him. Minseok cackled, but didn't chase him. And maybe Jongdae was slightly disappointed about that, and maybe his first cup of "water" was really soju.
Baek interfered before he could pour himself a second. "Have some actual water. Don't drink too much alcohol, or you'll have bathroom-related regrets."
He wasn't wrong. The suit did have a slit in it, cleverly hidden in one of the carrot's horizontal divots, but it was too low on Jongdae’s body to be very useful to him. If only carrots had vertical grooves like celery.
"He wanted to come check on you, you know," Baekhyun sighed. "I stopped him, because I'm an asshole. If I'm not getting laid, nobody is."
Jongdae snorted. "You're doing me a favor. I'm done with flirty guys like that, remember? I'm only open to quiet, shy boys that are grateful to have me around."
"Sucks to be you, 'cause I don't see any of those around here." He gazed wistfully at Ahri, now simpering against the dog hybrid from her team. "Sucks to be both of us, I guess."
The elbow Jongdae gave Baekhyun made him hiss. "You could always fuck Chanyeol."
"I'm not that desperate."
"Yet."
"Yet," Baekhyun agreed. He clinked the rim of his glass with Jongdae's, now both containing water. "Here's to tugging our own Hallo-weiners."
But of course that wasn't how it turned out. Minseok kept calling Jongdae over to tease and flirt, and Jongdae, being a weak, red-blooded man, went every time. How could he stand making such a hot guy pout at him, when it was so easy to make him smile? "Bring your hyung some soju, Dae." "Come hold Mr. Carrot while I dance, he likes the company of his own kind." And if watching the farmer perform very urban, very sinful dances wasn't torture enough, "Come play the Pepero game with hyung, we can't let Taekwoonie and Hakyeonnie win!"
Jongdae died quietly to himself, eyes closed in a surely scarlet face, holding his lips back from his teeth as the rabbit's mouth got closer and closer to his own.
"I think your carrot is actually a beet," Kiki/Hakyeon laughed, but he and the tall cat hybrid had to acknowledge their defeat.
"He's such a perfect carrot," Minseok cooed, ruffling the plastic fronds strapped to Jongdae’s head. "Being so good for his hyung."
It was all so much. Jongdae was almost grateful when he inevitably had to pee.
"I hate him so much," Jongdae whined to Nini in the bathroom, not built for two adult men and their semi-rigid costumes, but even less built for one man to try to get such a costume off by himself.
"Right. Which is why we're waiting for your semi to go down enough that you can pee."
"Shut up, that's exactly why I hate him. Who does he think he is with those alluring ears and that flirty tail and those big come-hither eyes and those lips, Nini, shouldn't it be illegal for him to talk to poor innocent guys with lips like that?"
Nini sighed from the corner he was jammed in, using the squashed bulk of the orange exoskeleton to shield his eyes from Jongdae's efforts to empty his poor bladder. "I know you swore off dating sassy guys but you're allowed to just shag him once or twice."
"That's not really how I work," Jongdae mourned.
Then he groaned in relief as his system finally let go. And then he laughed as a scandalized Nini complained about having to hear his 'sex noises' when none of the Brats seemed about to get any action aside from helping each other pee. By the time both their bladders were empty, their hands were washed, and their costumes were back in place, Jongdae was in a much better mood.
Baekhyun was not, however. He had not followed his own advice about restricting soju intake, and when Jongdae and Jongin found him next, he was scowling into yet another glass.
"I'm gonna tell her off," he informed them, eyes dark.
Jongin sighed like a man who had spent much of the evening wrangling various troublesome hyungs, which, fair. "Baek, you can't be mad at someone for not wanting to date you."
"Of course not, I'm not mad at her for that. But she can't just. Infantilize me. She needs to treat me like a grown man."
"She's gonna treat you like a drunk man if you talk to her now," Jongdae warned. "Which, in fairness, is a lot like a toddler. Clumsy, hard to understand, prone to just grabbing at whatever they want and throwing fits when they're denied."
"I'm not gonna grab her," Baekhyun slurred. "I don't even want her anymore. She's too... ugly."
Trading a look, Jongin and Jongdae elected to let that comment slide. Mostly because they knew Baekhyun didn't mean physically, nor was it a statement he'd only make about a woman, but also because he really was quite drunk so saying much of anything to him at the moment was basically pointless.
"I'll take him home," Jongin decides. "We'll watch the Emperor's New Groove, he loves those squirrel scouts. And cartoon villains getting their comeuppances."
"There's still one of those hangover tonics in the fridge from Yeollie's sister," Jongdae reminded him. "I'd offer to help you but. I'm not really capable of manhandling anyone in this getup."
Jongin waved him off. He was plenty strong enough to manage on his own. And Jongdae wouldn't have liked to leave Chanyeol all alone, and they hadn't seen him as they'd passed through the living room into the corner of the kitchen Baek had claimed.
So Jongdae turned away to look for him. It shouldn't be that hard to spot a 185-cm eggplant in a room full of various costumed partiers, but Jongdae hadn't managed to do so before he himself was spotted.
Minseok hopped up from the sofa he'd been sprawled on with his friends, beckoning for Jongdae to follow him out onto the quieter balcony. It wasn't empty—there was a guy smoking at the railing, and a couple of girls making out by the rack of planters full of what might be kitchen herbs. Minseok nodded at the smoker, then pulled Jongdae toward the unoccupied corner.
"Tell me, Jongdae," Minseok murmured, both hands to himself for once. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Jongdae was surely blushing again. "No," he said to his pointy carrot shoes.
"Would you like one?"
Jongdae's head snapped up. That was not the follow-up question he was expecting. "Um. Well, that depends on who it is, I guess?" He wet his lips, offering the answer to the question he was expecting. "I'm. Prone to picking bad boys, and then the sex is hot but the price for that is being treated like shit, so, I'm. Trying not to do that anymore." His eyes drop back to his orange feet.
"How do they treat you like shit?"
Jongdae shrugged. "The usual ways. Making me jealous, then making fun of me or getting mad that I don't trust them, and then ultimately cheating on me and rarely even bothering to hide it well." He lifted his gaze again, glaring across at yet another hot, surely promiscuous asshole that he was definitely not going to get involved with. "I know I look like a dope, but I'm smarter than that. I do always find out, and usually pretty quickly."
Minseok held his hands up. "I believe you. And I'm sorry your exes are all such shitbags. Except that's a lie, because if they weren't, you wouldn't be here, single and aching for someone to cherish you."
Jongdae lifted a brow. "And I suppose that's you? All this making everyone in the room horny for you and loving it, that's all part of your flirty farmer persona, you're not really like that?"
"Oh, no, I am really like that." Minseok's smile was all the more charming for being lopsided. "I do enjoy making a lover jealous, because as you said, the sex can be quite hot that way. But," he added in response to Jongdae’s scowl, "I'm not a complete prick, and I don't want to date one, either. I want to date someone that I can build an understanding with."
"The understanding that you're gonna fuck whoever you like, and they just have to deal?"
Minseok shook his head, smile going soft. "No. I don't want to gut a partner. I just really like to tease. And command, and control. But only in ways and within limits that we both have agreed to beforehand."
Ah. "You want a sub," Jongdae realized. Chanyeol had a boyfriend for a while that had liked him in harnesses and covered in caning welts. But Chanyeol liked being needy. Jongdae... did not. So he shook his head. "Sorry, but, I'm pretty headstrong. And loud about it."
Minseok grinned. "Which is why I think you'll be lots of fun. I like push and pull." He tilted his head, ears bouncing. "Still, you did listen well to hyung. You wanted me to be pleased with you."
Jongdae's face went hot again. "Of course I wanted attention from the hottest guy in the room!"
"And you have it." Minseok reached for Jongdae's hand. "Come home with me. Instead of imagining me calling you a good boy while you jerk off, let me do it while I fuck you silly."
"This is a terrible idea."
Minseok's smile all but disappeared in favor of big, earnest eyes. "I can see how it could look that way, especially to someone who's been played before. So I'll lay it all out for you up front, while we're still with people you can fact-check me against."
There was no hint of teasing on his face when he said, "I do not cheat. I like to bite, I'll wanna leave marks, maybe even scars all over you, but you can't bite me at all, since I need to keep all my skin nice for my job. Wherever we go, I will do my best to make everyone want me—which is also part of my day job—but nobody will get to have me but you. And of course, I demand the same loyalty in return."
Jongdae chewed a lip, looking Minseok up and down. Was he really standing here with Jongdae of all people, trying to get him to give him a chance? Maybe he was desperate because he was the nasty kind of freak.
"What kind of subby stuff are you gonna want?"
"Nothing truly mean," Minseok said. "It'll feel mean, in the moment. I want you frustrated, jealous, angry, desperate. I want to test you, push you, but I do not want to break you."
"You're gonna, like, tie me up and hit me with stuff, though, right?"
Minseok shrugged. "If that turns out to be something that does it for you. You've never tried impact play or restraints before, have you?"
Jongdae shook his head. Minseok laughed at whatever expression he was making.
"We'll try things, then, and see. But not tonight. Tonight I'm gonna edge us both until you're ready to cry, and then when I finally let you come, it'll be with my dick and my teeth buried in you."
Jongdae's own dick twitched a little at the thought. His tail lifted slightly as Minseok chuckled, low and wicked, obviously able to scent Jongdae's interest in the still night hair despite the lingering cigarette smoke. He made to pull Jongdae in, but Jongdae lifted his free hand.
"Hold that thought," he said.
He extricated his fingers and stepped out into the main room. This time he doesn't have to look far. Chanyeol was leaning against the wall near the bathroom, chatting with the cat hybrid that had been part of their karaoke group.
"Yeol," Jongdae greeted. "Nini already took Baek home."
Chanyeol smiled. "That's what Taekwoon just said. That Baek got sloshed and was all but carried out, and that you had been nabbed by a hungry bunny. A guy misses everything when the drinking game forfeits involve being shoved in a closet."
Cheeks warm, Jongdae nodded, grateful for the reminder of the feline's name. He didn't ask about the drinking game. From Chanyeol's poorly-zipped costume (and his poorly disguised scent) he already knows that this 'forfeit' involved more than simply standing in a closet. He tries not to wrinkle his nose.
"I see. So. Would I be a terrible friend for leaving you here alone?"
"Oh, I wouldn't be alone." Chanyeol gestures to the bathroom. "The guy I lost that game with... uh. He's. Still cleaning up."
Jongdae would normally judge anyone who got off with someone and left the resulting mess to be their problem alone, except he knew exactly how cramped that bathroom was. Poor guy was probably happy to be the only one trying to maneuver in there.
"Congrats, I guess. And in that case..." Jongdae turned to Taekwoon. "How much will I regret going home with Minseok?"
Taekwoon gave him a very feline grin. "Not nearly as much as you'll regret not going home with him." He looked over Jongdae's shoulder, surely able to see Minseok through the glass balcony doors. "It's about time he pounced on someone. Even if you don't seem like his usual type."
"What's his usual type?"
"You know." Taekwoon gestured to himself and Yeol. "Tall. Stacked. Typical big-spoon material."
Jongdae tilted his head. "Really? His last boyfriend was like that?" If Jongdae was so far from Minseok’s type, was there any chance of keeping his attention? Especially since the guy himself said he craved it.
Taekwoon frowned. "Well, not really. He was taller than Minseok, and fit, but slim. A human."
Well, most guys were gonna be taller than Minseok. Jongdae himself would be, if the farmer weren't wearing thick-soled boots. And Jongdae himself could also qualify as 'fit but slim' or, more accurately, 'slim but fit.' Maybe Minseok was running true to type; the type he actually wanted to date as opposed to just flirt with and leave wanting him.
Maybe it was possible for a guy to like attention without being a sleaze.
Jongdae's tail lifted a little. "What happened to this slim ex?"
"Parents insisted he come back to China and marry a nice human woman. He resisted for a while, but they knew exactly how to manipulate him."
"Parents can be like that," Jongdae agreed. "So, since then, Minseok has been playing the field?"
Taekwoon shook his head. "He's tested the waters here and there, had a few dates I think? But he always goes home alone. Until you, apparently." His tail swishes behind him. "You're really gonna date him?"
Jongdae shrugged. "I might. What's his job, anyway?"
Taekwoon's eyes go wide. "Oh, he's a model. Haven't you seen him in magazines and stuff?"
"I doubt I read the sorts of magazines he's in."
The feline grin returned. "You will now, though. You're gonna look him up on your phone. His model name's Xiumin, just to help you out."
Jongdae rolled his eyes. Why would he look at pics of the guy, when the real thing was offering to be naked in front of him? He turned on his heel to the sounds of Chanyeol's laughter, returning to the balcony.
Minseok hopped up when he came out, ears up and eyes hopeful. "Well?"
"You have to wear my jewelry," Jongdae said firmly, "and let me come on you. I get why I can't leave marks, but I'll still want to stake my claim. Especially if we're gonna play jealousy games."
Minseok's smile was bright. "I usually have to take off my own jewelry for work. And when we're playing jealousy games, as you put it, me looking and smelling unattached may be part of it. But outside of that I'll happily wear whatever couple things you like. You can give me hickeys sometimes, too, in certain places, depending on my work schedule. And where you come is gonna depend on what position you're in at the time, but I'm not opposed to having it on or even in me." His smile went wicked. "Since you like that, I can use it as one of your rewards."
"I'm glad you're fine with it in you, because I also want to top sometimes."
"Good. Another way I can reward you." He slipped an arm around Jongdae's padded orange waist. "I want to reward you well, you know. So you'll let me make you suffer again and again, not reluctantly, but hungrily, knowing that the payoff, when it comes, is gonna be so worth it."
Jongdae shivered. "Yeah, okay. I mean, I still have reservations about the specifics, but that general concept sounds all right."
Minseok gave another little hop, half taking Jongdae with him. "We'll talk about everything. Later. For now I want to kiss you until we're both uncomfortably aroused, then I want to parade you past all our friends, knowing they'll see and smell exactly what sort of state we're in. They'll all know why we're leaving, and what we're going to do."
Jongdae shivered again, tail swishing. He tilted his head, parted his lips, and closed his eyes, hoping the invitation was clear.
It was, because Minseok cursed softly, and then soft lips were caressing Jongdae's own. Soft warm pressure surrounded his face—Minseok was holding it, tilting gently, coaxing a better angle. A bit controlling, even in this, it seemed.
But Jongdae decided he was okay with that, because the new angle was indeed more intense. He let Minseok’s tongue slide deep, tickling against his own. If this was the reward for compliance, Jongdae could be very good indeed.
A moan slipped out, and Minseok chuckled against his mouth. Jongdae felt his cheeks heat for what must be the hundredth time that night.
"Such a sweet carrot. You smell amazing. Hyung is gonna devour you." This statement was accompanied by a fresh flood of Minseok’s own aroused scent.
Jongdae's dick twitched against the front of the carrot suit. "Yeah? What if I don't want to be food?"
"Then you have two choices," Minseok said between kisses. "First, you could use a safeword. I'll stop immediately."
"What's the other choice?"
Minseok pulled back enough to smirk at him. "You could try to escape. Squirm and wiggle and make hyung work for it."
Jongdae's dick twitched harder. His face got hotter. What a change from always worrying about keeping a partner's attention. How hot would it be, to have a partner so excited for him that he insisted on having him? Super hot, because he wouldn't actually be forcing himself on Jongdae. Jongdae did believe him when he said he'd stop if asked. But Jongdae wouldn't want him to stop.
Jongdae would want this gorgeous man to make him explode.
"Hyung," he said, in an unsteady, undignified voice. He was sure his face was once again more suited to a beet.
Minseok grinned, wide and wicked. "Oh, you are going to be fun, aren't you?"
"There's a lot I'm willing to be right now," Jongdae said.
"Mine?" Minseok asked. "You'll be mine?"
"Yeah," Jongdae decided. "Hyung. Take me home."
Luckily, the foam of the carrot outfit concealed just how affected he'd been by the kissing. He still turned scarlet from neck to scalp at all the hooting from their friends as they made their obvious escape.
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"So he's dating Jongin, then?"
Jongdae frowns down at his empty glass. He'd been the one talking, so who'd finished all his veggie juice? "Jongin? He's dating a guy from work. Jaemin or Taemin or something, we've only met him once so far. It's still pretty new."
"Good for him." Junmyeon hands Jongdae a fresh bloody mary. "But I meant Baekhyun. Is he dating anyone? Does he only like girls, or?"
"Oh." Jongdae looks at his friend, now playing playful tug with a succubus's braided fabric whip. His two-tone hair is in tiny pigtails, his short fluffy locks not allowing more than that. But it's still enough to evoke the image of a feisty movie character, and—
Jongdae laughs, turning back to the Joker beside him. "Nah, you're good. Go get your man. Make your own meet-cute you can bore people with at parties."
Junmyeon grins, an expression made all the more exaggerated by his makeup. "It wasn't boring. It was inspiring." He salutes Jongdae and saunters away.
It's just as well, because Jongdae has to pee. Thankfully, instead of being a cheap ready-made costume from the internet, this carrot suit was made to measure by two of Minseok’s wardrobe team who have a weakness for rabbit-made vegetable kimchi. They'd happily done a little extra work for Minseok in return for a generous supply that his mother was flattered to be asked to provide. Which means Jongdae has a properly convenient and artfully hidden slit in the front of his suit.
Visiting the restroom is only slightly more hassle than usual, and he grins at himself in the mirror as he washes his hands. His costumes, always dictated by his Dom, only get more artful each year. This one, in particular, makes excellent use of the natural coloring of his hair: the white patches have been daubed with orange 'blood' to imply they were also drained of color by his toothy predator.
The predator that pounces on him as soon as he exits the restroom, pressing hot lips and firm teeth against his neck.
"My sweet snack," Minseok coos (in what he thinks is a Transylvanian accent). "I have stalked you—like a celery! Even though you're a tasty little carrot." He nuzzles closer. "Are you ready to be devoured?"
Jongdae's suit is once again effective at concealing how much his hyung affects him. But as always, his betraying scent fuels Minseok’s grin.
There's no reason to deny it anyway. Jongdae’s madly in love with his flirty, loyal boyfriend, loves being worked up and kept on edge until Minseok sees fit to satisfy him. Because as promised, it is very, very satisfying.
But first, it's often infuriating.
Minseok fakes a frown. "You didn't need to take it out while you were in there, did you?"
Jongdae shakes his head.
"Good. My good boy." Minseok is all smiles again, bunny teeth framed by fake vampire ones, as he taps at an app on his phone.
Jongdae flinches. He tries to breathe into it, but lets out a hint of a whine.
Minseok hands him a mouth guard. Sighing, Jongdae fits it over his teeth. It's gonna be a long trip home.
Nothing too intolerable happens until they're on the train. Then Minseok taps at the app on his phone again, making Jongdae's belly clench.
Then he adds fuel to the fire, leaving Jongdae standing awkardly by himself at one end of the carriage and skipping up to a big burly human dressed as a very convincing werewolf. Their cheesy, movie-stereotype-based dis battle escalates to a physical play-fight, much to the amusement of their fellow passengers. They all gasp when the wolf captures the tricky little vampire, then applaud when he uses his red-eyed 'mesmerizing powers' to command the much larger guy to let him go free.
In reality, Minseok could likely have reversed the hold and had the werewolf howling. And Jongdae has gotten better about seeing his former special-forces boyfriend potentially being in danger. Oh, it still makes him see red to watch another guy, a stranger, wrap his arms around Jongdae's beloved. But the racing of his heart has much more to do with arousal than fear.
Nothing is gonna happen to Minseok in the middle of a public place, surrounded by witnesses, that he can't handle. And it's his delight to give Jongdae more jealousy than he can handle.
So Minseok is laughing at Jongdae after they've traded bows with the smiling werewolf and exited the train.
"This is why you have to wear a mouth guard," he tsks, even as he taps at that damn app again.
Jongdae just growls around the device, grinding his teeth against it. He hates it, because it's uncomfortable and he can't talk well with it in, much less eat or drink. But he also loves it, because it's yet another green flag. A guy who just wanted to use him, abuse his jealousy for hot sex, and bounce when he got bored, wouldn't bother to look after Jongdae's tooth enamel. Minseok looks after Jongdae's everything, all the time, even when—especially when—he's making him suffer.
So Jongdae's tail is wagging as he's led to the apartment they share. He tries to control it, both for dignity's sake and the comfort of passersby, but honestly he can't claim much dignity as a partially-gnawed carrot, and the people around them have their various spooky or comedic props so one enthusiastic tail is hardly adding to the pavement pandemonium.
Minseok keeps smiling at him, because he knows. Especially once they're alone in the elevator, the only two going up instead of pouring out of the building, ready to party.
They're about to have their own party. And Jongdae's scent is broadcasting just how ready he is.
Of course, that knowledge just makes him pull out his phone as soon as the elevator doors slide closed, tapping to further increase Jongdae's torment. And then the sadistic little rabbit laughs at Jongdae’s agonized whine.
"This is the best anniversary present," Minseok purrs, kissing at Jongdae’s frustrated tears. "Thank you, Dae."
"It was a terrible idea," Jongdae grumbles around the mouthguard. "Damn targeted insta ads."
"If you didn't watch those saucy reels, the app wouldn't suggest such things to you," Minseok sings. "Personally, I think the algorithm has you pegged. Which is rude! Fucking that ass is my job."
He laughs at his own wordplay. Jongdae can only growl. But of course Minseok is right—he is entirely responsible for his own doom. What else could he expect, giving his wicked little Dom a Bluetooth controlled vibrating buttplug? He ought to have known how much he'd suffer.
(He absolutely did know. His dick got so hard as he placed the order, just knowing how his bunny-hyung would make him howl. He had to stroke himself off, and then confess to Minseok he'd climaxed without permission, and then have his ass paddled so raw he couldn't sit for days without wincing. He gleefully, knowingly put himself in this exact situation, and is struggling not to defile the inside of the all-concealing carrot suit as a result).
Jongdae's steps are unsteady as he's led down the hall to their home. Minseok is laughing continuously, truly enjoying Jongdae's struggle. He staggers to their door, keys in the code, and considers shutting it again before the mirth-collapsed rabbit can enter the apartment himself.
Instead, he takes out the mouthguard. "Since you don't have to prep me, we can get right to it," he suggests.
"Nice try." Minseok gestures for him to turn around so he can unzip the carrot suit. "This is just the beginning, my sweet orange love."
Jongdae knew that. He's even happy about it. And yet he had to ask, because the buzzing against his prostate has his dick leaking already.
When he's down to the spandex undersuit, he reaches for his saucy little vampire, pulling their bodies tight together, gratified to feel he isn't the only one affected by their games. But Minseok only allows him a few teasing kisses before he pulls away. "Shower time," he sings. "Get the water ready for hyung."
Groaning, Jongdae obeys. Minseok likes his showers at exactly 42 degrees, which he measures with a special thermometer that Jongdae isn't allowed to use when he's setting things up. He does it by feel, placing the foam kneeling pad on the shower floor and setting out their toiletries in a tidy line as the water heats. Minseok slips into the bathroom just as Jongdae's finished, already nude, finally looking a bit creepy with that undead makeup contrasting with so much visible healthy skin.
"Ready?"
Jongdae nods.
Minseok checks the shower temperature, humming to acknowledge the accuracy. "You're getting too good at this," he says. "I'll have to find something else to test you with."
Jongdae hides a smile. There have been many such testing criteria over the years, and Jongdae eventually masters all of them. He's either proud of the fact he's conquered every challenge his boyfriend gives him, or a bit embarrassed at how very well his boyfriend has trained him—perfect showers, perfect coffee, perfect laundry, and everything else Jongdae has learned to do to his exact specifications.
"Shall I start by getting rid of that makeup?"
Minseok glances in the mirror, then laughs. He shakes his head as he helps Jongdae into the shower. "I think I'll keep it for now. Make you watch your hyung come with this face." He laughs harder at whatever expression Jongdae makes. "Come on now. On your knees for hyung."
Jongdae obeys, wincing as the motion shifts the vibrator inside him. He watches his own cock drool out more pre-come before lifting his face and opening his mouth for his lover.
"Good boy," Minseok sighs, feeding his cock between Jongdae’s eager lips. "Take it all."
Jongdae does, relaxing his throat and curling a firm tongue against the underside of his boyfriend's thick cock. It's yet another thing Minseok has trained him to be good at, one more way he has customized his boyfriend to be so good and perfect for him, specifically. But it's not a mechanical act, specific motions in a specific order. It's that Minseok has trained Jongdae to all his signals, his little sighs, the way he shifts his weight, the way his fingers tighten as he shampoos orange 'blood' out of Jongdae's hair.
Once he's applied conditioner to Jongdae’s clean hair, Minseok taps his shoulder. Without stopping his steady head bobs, Jongdae lifts a hand to have his fingers coated in thick silicone lube.
Minseok spreads his legs enough for Jongdae to snake an arm between them, lifting his tail out of the way. He sighs when Jongdae sinks two fingers into him.
"Ah, Dae," he moans as Jongdae curls those fingers, applying pressure right where he wants it. "Gonna come down your gorgeous throat." He shields Jongdae's face from the water falling around them. "Watch me, Dae. See how good you are for hyung."
He takes over the action, thrusting into Jongdae’s accommodating mouth, grunting softly when he curls those fingers and his tongue at the same time. "Yes. Good. Here it comes, Dae, just for you."
The vampire curved over Jongdae groans as he orgasms, long and low in a tone that echoes deliciously off the tiles. Jongdae swallows every drop, tail wagging in appreciation of his own efforts.
Languid, Minseok finally allows Jongdae to wash his face. He drowses against his shoulder as Jongdae shampoos and conditions his hair, soaps them both up and rinses them clean.
Jongdae isn't fooled. His hyung is a rabbit. He could go again almost immediately if he wanted. But what he wants right now is Jongdae's attention, like this.
He straightens up again once they're clean and mostly dry, smile back to wicked. He bounces into their room, tail flicking, ears wiggling playfully.
"Has your ass gone numb?"
"I only wish," Jongdae sighs. The vibrator had prodded him at new and punishing angles every time he shifted his weight to reach a shampoo bottle or a face cloth. His poor cock is purple at this point, and only years of conditioning have allowed him to be able to fight back his own climax for this long.
"You do not wish. You can't wait to have hyung's cock prodding that tender ass."
Jongdae moans a little, because it's true. Nothing beats the feeling of his hyung's incredible cock.
Minseok’s gaze is heavy-lidded as he strokes himself back to full hardness. "On your back for hyung, pup."
Jongdae can't obey fast enough. He bites back a sob as Minseok slides the plug out, the vibrations intense on his sensitive rim.
But then Minseok’s pushing in, changing that sob into a long, happy moan. It hiccups as the thick head slides past his abused prostate, which makes his sadistic lover chuckle low.
"You're gonna spurt so much."
"I think it's all leaked out ahead of time already," Jongdae babbles. "You battered it to goo."
"Oh, I'm gonna give it the goo." Minseok starts to thrust, stealing any more words Jongdae might try to give him.
Minseok is beyond words himself. He's reduced to growly little bunny-grunts, sounds which would be adorable if they didn't accompany such sinful hip movements. He rounds Jongdae's back even more, leaning down with lips parted, and Jongdae braces for the first of what he's sure will be many toothy chomps.
This one's fairly mild, as bunny-nibbles go. Jongdae moans at the sensation of teeth, but they don't sink in far enough to even leave much of a mark. It's a teasing, testing bite, and Minseok laughs against Jongdae's skin.
"How much will you bleed for me tonight, little carrot?" The cheesy vampire accent is back.
"However much you like," Jongdae gasps, "just please—just let me come."
"Not yet, my sweet treat." He closes his teeth harder against Jongdae's neck. "But don't worry. Hyung will drain his prey well."
"Please," Jongdae moans.
He moans again as Minseok's thrusts increase. By the time those sharp bunny teeth punch through his skin, he's moaning continuously, every breath punched out of him by that thick, relentless cock. He hardly registers the first stinging nibbles, but then Minseok changes angles, reaches for the crest of Jongdae’s shoulder, and really bites.
Jongdae yells.
He yells as he spurts all over both of them. His orgasm is all the more intense for the fact it's a complete surprise, his overstimulated body offering no warning he was so close to the edge. He yells and he spurts and he spasms beneath his growling hyung, who sinks teeth and cock in deeper.
"Naughty, naughty," he tsks when Jongdae's finally done.
"I'd apologize, but it was an entirely uncontrollable event," Jongdae pants. "I was just along for the ride."
Plus he's not very sorry. He's humming with endorphins, and he can tell by the little bounce in Minseok’s continuing thrusts that he's smugly pleased with himself. For breaking Jongdae's increasingly tight control over himself, and for giving himself a reason to punish him thoroughly later.
He's punishing Jongdae now, too, but only a little. He's having no mercy on Jongdae’s oversensitive body, hammering into him in fierce pursuit of his own climax. Jongdae's shoulder is already bleeding, but that doesn't stop Minseok from puncturing his skin a second time, growling as he empties himself deep inside.
The lingering adrenaline makes it hurt less, but it still hurts plenty. Jongdae can't keep an edge of accusation from his whine.
"Sorry, baby," Minseok says when he can. "Got too into the vampire role."
"My bitey bunny."
"That's bunny-hyung to you."
Jongdae's chuckle becomes a wince as Minseok pulls out. He's really gonna feel his prostate in the morning, he's sure.
Minseok hums happily, tail flicking merrily above his bare ass as he cleans them both up. He really is pleased with himself, which bodes poorly (or perhaps very well) for Jongdae's ass in the future.
He's yawning through his hums as he disinfects and bandages Jongdae's wounds. He'd prudently left one shoulder with the skin intact, so he can snuggle up close when they're ready for sleep.
"Pet me," Minseok murmurs into Jongdae’s neck.
Jongdae obliges, running a gentle but firm hand over Minseok’s ears and behind them, through cotton-soft hair that turns absolutely downy at the nape of his neck. He repeats the stroke, this time rubbing at the base of an ear, next time lingering at the back of his head, but always smoothing, never ruffling hair or fur.
Minseok hums, nibbling softly at Jongdae’s collarbone. He loves this, and Jongdae is the one that gets to provide. Anyone who thinks it's soft or submissive of Minseok to want to be sweetly stroked doesn't know rabbits, and certainly doesn't know Minseok (or Jongdae) in particular.
Of course they're mutually devoted, take care of each other, and take care of their own hygiene just as thoroughly (or moreso) than a human would. Minseok brushes his own hair and fur, and often Jongdae's, too, his fashion standards as a model generally being higher. But for rabbits, grooming isn't just about hygiene. It can also be about dominance. And unlike some other subtypes, it's the one being groomed most often, the one whose request (demand) for a little personal attention is immediately honored, that’s demonstrating dominance.
It's why Minseok loves sharing showers with Jongdae. It's one reason why Minseok loves his career—he gets a whole team of people attending to his styling on the job, and even if his higher mind understands it's their job and he's super respectful of his team, his innermost bunny is preening already before he gets anywhere near a camera or a runway. He loves being brushed and buffed and polished.
But only Jongdae gets to pet him, run hands over his ears for purely pleasurable purposes. Because Jongdae knows, this is one more way his hyung declares Jongdae is his. And because Jongdae has no real urge to fight against any of the ways Minseok enforces his claim.
Yeah, they wrestle around sometimes, one or the other pretending to resist for the thrill of a scene, and Jongdae is no silent sub who'll take, uncomplaining, whatever his Dom dictates. But for the two of them, it's fun because there's no real fight in their push-and-pull. Jongdae's not petting his hyung, secretly gloating at how the dumb bunny is feeding Jongdae's dominance urges while thinking he's satisfying his own. They both know he has no such urges when it comes to his hyung. Minseok is in charge because they both want him to be.
But it can be more tiring for him, to be constantly alert and aware. He's naturally good at it, given his subtype, but it’s still an effort, to plan and execute a safe, satisfying scene. This is one way Jongdae thanks him, by 'grooming' him at his every whim.
"More," Minseok murmurs.
The cue Jongdae has been waiting for. Gently, he folds down the ear nearest his face, running his fingers along the soft, velvety warmth to catch hold of the softer, more velvety tip. He presses it to his lips, kissing and nibbling lightly at it. Of course there's no dirt to worry away, no knotted fur to work free. He's doing it for the pleasurable sensations, and to demonstrate his devotion.
Minseok turns his head to improve the angle, releasing a soft sigh. "So good," he murmurs. "Good pup."
Jongdae's tail wags a bit at these words, as it always does, as if it has ears of its own. Minseok can feel it, and Jongdae can feel him smile in response, his cheek bunching against Jongdae's shoulder.
Jongdae feels his own cheeks bunch as well. How lucky is he that his best friend hates cucumbers? Who'd have thought that silly phobia would've lined Jongdae up with the love of his life?
He hopes Baekhyun’s evening ended as well as his did. All his friends deserve the utmost happiness.
Anything else would really bite.
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