Cuddles Are the Answer

So it’s taken me way too long to get back to this but I’m happy to have had the inclination to write something! I saw a post on Twitter the other day that had wolves and they mentioned aggressive cuddling and it sparked something in me. lol Yes, it’s fan fiction because of the characters I’ve used but it’s also fantasy / supernatural because werewolves and pack dynamics. No A/B/O here. Just cuddles. Also, yay me for doing something after recovering from Covid! It’s been a rough week. lol

Warm sunlight streamed in to coat his hands in golden rays as Kibum finished cutting up the vegetables over the sink. The massive bowl of meat was resting off to the side and all he needed to do now was put everything together for their dinner. A glance at the delicate watch on his wrist showed that it was almost time for them to be getting home.

“Hmm. Am I missing anything?” he wondered to himself, tapping his bottom lip and frowning at the collection of uncooked foods. With a quick shake of his head, he confirmed it was ready. All except for the cooking part. Brushing his hands together in satisfaction, he slid over to the fridge to pull out the other condiments and seasonings he would need. But then he paused when he heard the door open and close with too much energy.

“Ugh…” The low groan from the front door spoke volumes.

Kibum gently shut the fridge door and looked towards the front of the house to see a very tense Taekwoon stalk into the living room. Pursing his lips, he took a breath and called out, “You hungry, Woonie?”

“No.” The answer was flat and devoid of emotion. Just tired.

“Oof. One of those days, I see,” he nodded slowly, turning his attention to the foodstuffs on the counter. Dish by dish, he meticulously put them in containers and placed them in the fridge. He removed the pink apron with deft fingers and hung it up before striding into the living room to look upon the other were collapsed on the couch. “Tough day at work?” he wondered, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Mm.” Another short and otherwise wordless answer.

“At least turn the TV on or something,” Kibum snorted, pushing off to grab the remote from the table, bringing the screen to life. He muted it when Taekwoon waved at the screen and huffed though. Must have been a bad day. “Wanna talk about it?”

A long, drawn-out groan was the only response he got. Kibum had expected as much. He knew that Taekwoon loved his job but teaching drama and dance to all ages, especially the young ones, could really take it out of him some days.

Without another word, he made his way over to the couch and promptly wormed his way under and into Taekwoon’s embrace, hugging him tightly with his whole body. He didn’t speak. He simply carded his fingers through silky black locks and rubbed up and down Taekwoon’s back in soothing strokes. Eventually, the other were shifted enough to hug him back, exhaling deeply into Kibum’s mahogany strands.

The front door opened and closed again not long after. “I’m home!” There was an obvious note of curiosity in Changmin’s tone when no one was in immediate view.

“In here!” Kibum called out quickly, voice slightly muffled against Taekwoon’s chest.

“Uh oh,” Changmin sighed as he padded into the room. “One of those days, aye?” he asked, walking around to the front of the couch carrying the scent of nature, the sun, and wildlife.

“Apparently,” Kibum answered as Taekwoon had yet to say a word.

“Incoming!” Changmin grinned, the expression obvious in his voice as he collapsed on top of both of them. Taekwoon groaned as if in complaint, but they all knew it was just for show. “It’ll be okay, Woonie,” he encouraged, long arms wrapping around the other two as he rubbed his head against theirs warmly.

“How was work?” Kibum asked, wriggling just enough to make himself more comfortable, butting his head under Taekwoon’s chin.

“Same as usual,” Changmin answered, taking a deep breath before sighing in contentment. “Caught a poacher today though,” he added after a brief pause, the predatory smirk coloring his voice with a certain amount of satisfied pride.

Kibum sniffed and frowned. “I don’t smell him.” Usually there would be a blood scent.

“Eh. Yunho took him down but I found him,” he corrected, humming in contentment and shifting again.

“Ah.” That explained it. Kibum nodded in understanding and listened to Taekwoon’s heartbeat for a moment. Faster than normal so he was upset about something. Tilting his head up, he nosed at the vulnerable throat and whined curiously.

Taekwoon gave a low growl and simply clung to Kibum harder. Clearly he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

They all paused when the door opened and closed once more. “We’re in the living room!” Kibum called out preemptively.

“Oh? Did you finish already? I brought the dessert you wanted,” Jinki explained, obviously walking into the kitchen to deliver it. “Ah,” they heard him say, the faint sound of the fridge door opening and closing. Quiet feet made their way into the occupied space and he sighed softly. “I see.”

A gentle warmth settled over the group as Jinki laid a blanket over the trio. Then he moved to the edge of the couch and carefully lifted Taekwoon and Kibum’s heads so he could shift his legs under to serve as a pillow. “What are we watching?” he asked, one hand quietly patting on the top of the pile and the other scratching at Taekwoon’s scalp.

“No idea,” Changmin chuckled, reaching one arm out to encircle Jinki too.

They sat in relative silence for a few more moments, just listening to the sounds of each other breathe and the steady heartbeats pulsing within. Eventually, Jinki asked, “Need any help with dinner?”

“Just needs to be cooked now,” Kibum answered, the pile shifting as he wriggled free, much to Taekwoon’s quiet complaint. “Wanna help?” he asked, peering down at the still silent were.

“I’ll come with you,” Jinki smiled, giving Taekwoon another final pet before sliding free as well.

Changmin took over cuddle duty from there and slid behind Taekwoon to spoon him from behind, chin resting on the top of the shorter were’s head so he could watch whatever was on the TV.

It didn’t take long for Jinki and Kibum to finish making dinner. They brought the food in in large bowls and handed them out carefully before lounging on and around each other haphazardly, taking up the entirety of the couch together. Between bites, they each took turns reaching out to pet and paw at each other, but especially Taekwoon.

When finished and with all the bowls resting on the living room table, Taekwoon finally made a plaintive sound. “Two of my favorite students had to quit today.”

“Oh no!” Kibum reacted first, hand rising to cover his mouth.

“Anything you could do about it?” Changmin asked, grabbing Taekwoon’s shoulder firmly in one large hand.

Taekwoon shook his head. “They’re moving.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Woonie,” Jinki consoled, patting the other were’s nearest thigh comfortingly.

Taekwoon shrugged and sniffed. “We’re not supposed to have favorites but they really were mine,” he admitted in sad guilt.

“Well, this just gives you a chance to find a new favorite,” Kibum promised, leaning close to hug the were around the waist with both arms. Taekwoon wrinkled his nose in response but didn’t argue.

“At least they quit before the next performance got too close,” Jinki reasoned, petting Taekwoon’s head in soothing strokes.

“Still…” he whined, clearly pouting.

Changmin exhaled once and reached his arms out to pull the other three into his embrace. “It’ll be better tomorrow. You’ll see.”

“I don’t want it to be better tomorrow. I want them to be there,” he grumbled irritably even as he leaned harder into the embrace.

“There, there,” Kibum murmured, patting him on the back gently.

Jinki laughed through his nose once and then asked, “How did the writing go?”

“Huh?” Kibum chirped in brief confusion. Then he blinked and smiled. “Pretty good actually. Got a bit more done today than I thought I might.”

“Congrats,” Changmin grinned, nudging Kibum’s head with his nose.

“Eh. Not where I should be yet, but after the slump I’ve had, I’ll take it,” he laughed with a bright nod.

“At least someone had something good happen,” Taekwoon mumbled in response.

“Hey. There’s always tomorrow for you too, you know,” Kibum shot back, wrinkling his nose at the other were playfully.

“Yeah, yeah.”