[ At least one moon has passed since he was taken from his pack, and he knows that something bad is going to happen if he keeps missing the rise and fall of it in the sky. He understands that down in his bones, the same way that he misses the rush of fur and muscle and the unity of pack, of his family. But he also knows it in the same way that he knows his name here is Minho, that it'll have been two months after this upcoming moon, and that he's rewarded for at least wearing pants.
He doesn't really like pants all that much, but he's gotten used to wearing them to at least appease Thomas. At this point, he's really the only thing he can say he actually likes-- sure, the food isn't all that bad, but he'd prefer the chance to hunt again-- but it's not hard to like Thomas. Thomas is nice, more than nice, and actually sits down to give him explanations. The fact that he keeps at it until Minho understands is something he appreciates greatly. Contrary to what the rest of the humans containing him think, he's smart, he can understand things if he's given the time to assess and work through it, like pieces to a puzzle.
But they don't understand why he's been aggravated for the past week, despite his best attempts to explain it. Maybe if he shifted he could show them, but some ingrained part of him says that shifting in front of others that aren't his pack is a dangerous thing. An old memory from before it was just him and the wolves. So he just paces around the room they hold him in, back and forth, exactly like the caged animal he is. The moon is coming and he can feel it, but he's not going to be able to see it, to be under it, and it makes him more agitated than being here normally does.
Maybe he'll bite someone again and it'll get his point across. ]
[ this may be thomas' stupidest idea ever, or his greatest one.
it's been a couple of months now since subject A5--minho--has been taken in for analysis. it's WICKED's job, to be tracking unique specimens like him. not a lot of people know about the underside of the world that WICKED does, the supernatural, the superpowered, the strange. thomas came on originally as a biologist, but was put in the creatures ward when he was the one to track down the den of wolves, and more particularly, the human among them.
he hadn't ever had human contact before this, which made him an interesting subject indeed.
it took most of thomas' wit and strength to keep his directors from barging in every few days. he had to stress that minho was angry and displaced, and trying to overwhelm his system with a lot of different scents and sounds was going to only make him angrier. thomas had to gain his trust, and it was a long, slow process. but, nowadays, minho seemed to like him a lot more. after all, thomas had, in fact, successfully gotten him into pants. that had to mean something, right? and thomas liked minho. he was a fast learner, having come in here literally unable to speak outside of growls and vocalizations and now able to make rudimentary sentences.
and he had so much personality. thomas could only imagine what he was like when he'd been fully reintroduced.
but, anyway, bad plans. so, thomas thinks he might be the only researcher who has any idea of what's wrong with minho. it's getting to be mid evening and the lights have been turned out for the day, systems shut down, but there's a quiet "access approved" from one of the mechanical doors, which clicks open to reveal thomas striding into the room, sans his labcoat and holding a key. this is going to go so badly. it really is.
but he's got trust in minho that he'll come back.
stepping into the enclosure, he holds his hands up. ] Hey, Min, hey. I think I get it. It's the moon, right? You can't get to it in here at all.
[ he reaches forward with both hands, as if to ask him to give him his, heart pounding, but only a little out of fright. he trusts minho, he trusts him. he just has to keep thinking that. ] I'm going to take you outside, but we have to be quiet until we get far enough away. Can you do that for me?
[ Senses as heightened as they are tonight, Minho hears the automated voice before the doors open, so stops in his pacing and perks the slightest bit. Very rarely does he get anyone coming into the room at this time of night, and usually it's only one person in particular. The fact that he isn't disappointed is heartening, and if he were shifted-- well, he'd definitely be wagging his tail. As is, he perks and gravitates forward a little by a few steps, detecting that trace of fear but hardly fazed by it. Most people carry it with them when they're around him, regardless of how they act.
It's always the most satisfying, when those higher than Thomas come in and try to act like they aren't afraid of what he might do. They find themselves frequently having to deal with him getting upset, because they just don't seem to understand things the way that Thomas does. Everything here is different, for as sterile as it is, and it's overwhelming to go from the blank scent of the place to all these people just bringing in questions and information he doesn't get and can't keep up with on top of the foreign smells.
But by this point, Thomas is a welcome difference to the bland enclosure that hurts his senses. Everything is muted here, sounds dampened along with the dull scents. So it's like a bright spot in everything, and he doesn't hesitate as his hands reach forward. He knows what the gesture means now, has figured it out with very little trouble, so he calmly comes forward on silent feet and brings his own hands up to take them. Human gestures are, honestly, fascinating, but he likes this one. ] Right. It's gone.
[ Speaking, strange as it is, gets easier every day. There's still a guttural undertone to everything, and he still prefers the vocalizations over words, but it's not as if he's a simpleton. He's got a minor mastery of the language that these people speak, and he'll continue to figure it out for as long as he's stuck here. Maybe then he'll be able to get them to release him.
Fingers squeezing around Thomas' he perks a little at the promise of being taken outside. But being asked to remain quiet-- ] I can do it.
[ he knows minho can do it, and the only thing he's really afraid of is losing him for good. after all, getting through the security locks is only possible with thomas next to him, but after that, minho's free. no one will try to take him back if he runs, simply because no one's here, and tommy isn't kidding himself; he's fast, but he's no minho. he'll be gone, and that's terrifying, and not just on a subject to researcher level.
tommy really loves working with his project. he likes minho. the more time they've spent together since minho stopped trying to attack him every time he came in the room, the more he's grown on him, to the point of where he looks forward to coming into work every day simply to spend time with him. they read books while minho's hooked up to a brain scanner, and thomas curls up beside him and reads to him from books, starting with picture books and escalating to their current favorite, 1984. he can sit with him and scratch his scalp and read to him for hours, taking notes on his brain activity, and the days just seem to fly by.
he'll miss that something fierce if he leaves.
the worry knotted in his chest releases a little and he offers him a tiny smile, threading both of their hands together for a second and giving a tight, affirmative squeeze, the gesture nothing but warm. they're gonna be okay. they have to be, right?
slowly releasing one hand, he murmurs ] Walk with me, and stay close. You can keep holding my hand, if you want.
[ and carefully, he heads through the scanner, with another soft "access granted!" as they pass through. it's three doors and then outside, and thomas leads the way in silence as they go through the different doors. WICKED is dead quiet, eerily so, but Thomas makes his way through the last door and pauses with his hand on the handle of the back door.
he looks back at minho and hopes, something tiny and violent within him, that he'll come back if he lets him go. with a deep breath, he pulls open to the door, into the warm august night, the full moon shining wide and bright overhead. ]
[ After all the time that he's spent here, there isn't anyone that he trusts like he does Thomas. It doesn't occur to him that he could be taking him somewhere unpleasant in the slightest, because he's always been honest with him when he's needed to take him to get shots (he still doesn't get why he needed to get them, considering he's been out in the wild and survived perfectly fine without them), or for the vastly unpleasant sanitation room which is absurdly cold and wet. The others that work on the project tell him lies constantly, as if they expect him to not know when they do.
This is not a lie, because Thomas wouldn't lie to him, regardless of whether he'd hear it in his heart or not. He hasn't heard a lie once. Not when he's done his tests, not when he's taken him somewhere, not when he's read to him.
Maybe that's why it doesn't occur to him that he could escape. For as much as Minho wants to leave this place, be with his pack again, he enjoys Thomas' company more than anything. Sometimes he thinks about taking him out of this place-- which he figures should be funny because he's the one that's trapped here, but sometimes he thinks maybe that the scientist is stuck here just as much as he is. It wouldn't shock him, with the way that he acts sometimes, like he loves the idea of his work but doesn't love the way it's done.
Really, he only seems happy when it's just the two of them and there are no other subjects or tests or people.
So he goes along with him silently, bristled and alert but holding onto his hand, and waits with a small measure of patience for the doors to be opened. Which he should be praised for, because patience isn't really his greatest virtue in the least, especially not in a place so quiet as WICKED.
But the moment the door opens, and he actually feels the moon on his skin in the light that's let in from the doorway, a smile splits his face. An actual smile, not a baring of teeth or a small quirk at either corner of his mouth. All teeth and excitement. ]
[ watching minho smile like that is...honestly kind of magical. thomas almost can't help the warm feeling in his chest; a part of him is proud, another just completely overcome with affection for minho. he looks absolutely thrilled to be out of the building, and thomas doesn't blame him--he's been trying to get his supervisors to let him take minho out on "walks", but they've been less than cooperative. so, really, this is his first time outside since they'd originally taken him into the facility.
the rest of thomas is the part that turns his own smile a little sad, a little bittersweet. he knows minho deserves to be free for as much as anyone else does--he can't imagine that he enjoys this life, considering he can't even get him to properly enjoy pants. he's a wild thing, and thomas can see it in his motions, in the light of his eyes, the way the moon falls across his face.
honestly, if he ran? thomas would let him go. he'd take the heat, because if it meant that minho was this pleased every day, he could be satisfied with it.
carefully, he unlaces his fingers from minho's, but doesn't take a step away. thomas leans in a little, rather, and places one hand between his shoulder blades, his voice soft. ] Go. Run as much as you want. I'm not going to follow you, okay?
[ he shouldn't have to swallow a lump in his throat--but he does, because this just feels like goodbye. ]
[ Despite the exhilaration that comes with fresh air-- actual air, none of that filtered klunk that they bring into the facility-- and the moon, especially after missing the last one, Minho can't ignore that sad weight that's suddenly in the air. He looks to Thomas when he lets go of his hand, settles his own between his shoulders, smile fading slowly until his brow furrows the slightest bit. He doesn't need to sniff at the air or blatantly scent, not when it's right there.
Thomas is upset. He doesn't know why, but he's upset.
Angling his head in towards him a little, and completely disregarding the personal space that people try to tell him exists, he reaches for him. His fingers curl into the bottom of his shirt, just this small gesture that he's picked up doing ever since he started to become attached to the only human that's really shown him sincere kindness. It's how he follows him around, and how he frequently gets his attention if he's not outright butting his head up against him, nipping at his shoulder, things they've been trying to discourage. ]
You should come, too. [ He says it simply, blunt and to the point as always when he decides to speak. He gives a little tug to his shirt, a little rumble in the back of his throat that's almost questioning. For as much as he itches to get out of his skin, he doesn't want to go anywhere without Thomas.
[ that one thomas was not expecting. he pauses, not even really bothered by the way minho is up in his space--honestly, thomas is used to that, it'd be weird if he wasn't basically breathing the same air as him all the time--and just looks at him for a second, eyes a little wide in wonder.
minho is amazing, he really is. he continues to show himself as amazing every single day. there's a reason why thomas has been so fiercely defensive of this project, if only because he saw a potential in minho that so few of his coworkers did. he was a lot more than just their little project, a wolf they were trying to turn into a man. he was his own person, human and wolf all at once, fascinating and maddening and perfect, and thomas sometimes felt like he could get lost in teaching him, in watching him learn for hours on end.
so he does have to swallow a lump in his throat, then, his hand still resting on his back, fingers spreading wide as he leans forward and bumps his forehead into his, a gesture he himself had learned from minho. ] I can't. Not like you.
I'll go slow. [ His tone is almost teasing, and Minho nuzzles up against his face with blatant affection in every movement. But a part of him knows that he means more than that, and it's the part that's saddened that Thomas won't be able to experience things the same way he does. It's a real shame, but all the same he'll do what he can to share it with him. After all, Thomas has shared this humanity that he'd never known before with him, so why can't he return the favor somehow?
He doesn't even realize that what he's doing is some great wonder to anyone here. Every time, his behavior has simply been him being... well, him. There's no other concept in his head but to be who he is, regardless of how different he is. Of course he's a wolf, but at this point he's learned that yes, he's also a man. It's a simultaneous state of being, even if being a man apparently involves clothing.
Still not too fond of that part, but he'll keep the pants on for Thomas since he worked so hard to convince him to wear them. ]
Won't go far. [ Bumping his nose into the upturn of Thomas', he gives a small tug to his shirt. ] Just far enough.
[ he hopes--god, he hopes--that minho's telling the truth. he doesn't really have any reason to lie to him, but he also knows that he could get caught up in being free again, and he's...well, shuck it, he's scared. he's really, really scared that he's going to lose the person who has basically become his best friend, even in the most roundabout way, to the call of the wild that sings through his veins.
he doesn't fight the affection at all, fingers even curling a little at his bare skin, and it makes a little bit of a smile break out onto his face, a crooked thing as he tries to look back just a little and take him in, just in case. just in case this is goodbye. ]
I know. [ and he says it with conviction; thomas lifts his hand again, but this time it finds minho's cheek, thumbing gently at the bone there and looking him in the eyes. ] I trust you.
[ and he does. he really does, he trusts minho big time. but he just can't help being afraid. ]
[ Some of that twist to Thomas' scent leaves him, and that relieves Minho. After the time he's spent here, he's started to think of Thomas as pack, against all odds. The rest of them? Not so much-- Rat Man, as he's taken to call him much to the man's chagrin, is the recipient of most of the hate he has in his body. Which is, actually, a lot.
Letting him pull back, he regards him in return, quiet and thoughtful but a little bit fond, too. For as much as he's learned so far from the books that they've been reading, there's one particular thing that's stood out to him the most. And it's been the bond that's there, now.
Maybe that means he'll remember it, when he shifts. ]
Good. [ Leaning into his touch, he smiles a bit again, eyes crinkling before he starts to draw away, reaching up to take his hand again as he does. ] So c'mon.
[ some of the human gestures minho picks up on from him are definitely not lost on thomas, and he can't help the little smile that curves up his mouth as minho takes his hand. it's not really conducive to him full shifting, but he won't complain. (although he'll certainly urge it--give it a little while.) for now, he just makes a noise that's just barely a chuckle and slides his hand into his, threading their fingers together.
vaguely recalling an old fairytale--just to see if you'll get chased, I think I ought to walk with you for a ways--thomas nods. thomas isn't aware of his thoughts, what he means about pack (and about jansen--although thomas had taken up calling him "rat man" in his head, too) all he knows is that he's bonded with "subject A5" a lot more than anyone may have originally planned.
some of his fears silenced, he makes a gesture at the forest ahead of them.] Lead the way.
[ yeah he fully expects to start running. minho is energetic normally, let alone in a boundless space. ]
[ Promptly leading Thomas away from the door, away from the sterile brightness that is the depths of the facility, Minho does in fact speed up the moment he starts to move. It's not an outright run, at least not right away, but he gets to get away from there. He needs to get Thomas away from there. It's not a place for someone like him, who cares more about the individual than the project.
Leading him along, he turns around partway as he moves, feet bare but sure as he faces him a little more. He doesn't know the landscape, but he wants to get a good look at him before he shifts, to just... make sure that he doesn't forget him with it. It's happened before, he's forgotten himself between one form and the next.
From what he's gathered of the tests and the people here, he's sure they'd find that interesting. But he doesn't. Not really. And it's a threat to Thomas, if he does forget him. Minho could very well attack him, and it's not something he wants-- he'd never want to hurt him.
[ there's just something so wild about the way minho lets go like that, dashing off with the WICKED labs behind them, and thomas can't help the laugh that escapes him when he stumbles forward, still connected to him by the hand and trying to keep up. he's inhumanly fast, tommy already knew that, and he hates to think what minho'd be like if he was running full speed. (thomas'd probably be in the dust, honestly, and he's not a slow dude.)
the labs get further and further behind them as they fly out into the woods--everything smells fresh out here, compared to the sterile interior of the complex, and it's. he gets it. he knows why he would have wanted to get out now, because thomas, somewhere underneath it all, feels the same way. about his job, his bosses, everything but minho, and the studies he does on him. ]
Min--where are we going? [ he doesn't really care, but it's important to ask, and when he meets his gaze when minho looks at him, thomas flashes him a real, genuine smile. ]
[ A part of Minho, one that frequents the forefront of everything, wonders if his pack is somewhere out here. If they're still looking for him, or if they've moved on since he was left unfound. He'd understand if they'd left, to be perfectly honest, but his heart breaks a little at the idea of it. That's his family out there, somewhere. The only one he's ever known.
He tries not to think about it, and instead focuses on making sure not to rush too far ahead. Thomas is fast, they've played before, but he's not going to just let go and run when he could lose him or trip him up. This is for Thomas, as much as it is him.
But when he looks back at him, perking at the nickname, he almost trips over his own feet at the smile on his face. It causes something to burst in his chest, bright and warm, and he twists around until he starts to slow, only coming to a stop after a moment of consideration. ] Here. Here is good, I think.
[ thomas can't help but look down when minho twists around to look at him, if only to make sure that he won't trip--he knows he won't, but at the same time, thomas'd sprint forward to catch him if he did. he's laughing and breathless and when they finally slow to a stop, he raises his eyebrows for a second, panting a little.
time to shift, he must mean.
it's a litlte exciting--this is the first time he's gotten to see it, hell, the first time anyone's gotten to see it--and thomas steps back a respectable distance and pauses for a second, cocking his head. ] Should I cover my eyes?
[ Eyes catching in the light of the moon, there's a flash of gold that comes and goes as he looks around, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet. It's different out here than it is in the facility, alive and breathing and natural. There's none of that sterile scent, and he feels more free and alive than he has in a while.
Letting Thomas recover, it takes him a second to turn back towards him. Instinct tells him he should bolt, go find his pack and get away. But his heart stays here.
Nudity is a new concept to Minho, but he still catches the joke that Thomas makes. He grins at him, sharp but not quite feral, and moves to start taking off the sweats that have been forced on him repeatedly until he's kept them on. ] You've seen me naked more'n clothed.
[ Teasing right on back, he tosses the pants at him before stretching his arms above his head, spine cracking both from the movement and something more. ]
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I need an open post for a lot of people.
He doesn't really like pants all that much, but he's gotten used to wearing them to at least appease Thomas. At this point, he's really the only thing he can say he actually likes-- sure, the food isn't all that bad, but he'd prefer the chance to hunt again-- but it's not hard to like Thomas. Thomas is nice, more than nice, and actually sits down to give him explanations. The fact that he keeps at it until Minho understands is something he appreciates greatly. Contrary to what the rest of the humans containing him think, he's smart, he can understand things if he's given the time to assess and work through it, like pieces to a puzzle.
But they don't understand why he's been aggravated for the past week, despite his best attempts to explain it. Maybe if he shifted he could show them, but some ingrained part of him says that shifting in front of others that aren't his pack is a dangerous thing. An old memory from before it was just him and the wolves. So he just paces around the room they hold him in, back and forth, exactly like the caged animal he is. The moon is coming and he can feel it, but he's not going to be able to see it, to be under it, and it makes him more agitated than being here normally does.
Maybe he'll bite someone again and it'll get his point across. ]
get on that gosh tend to my needs
it's been a couple of months now since subject A5--minho--has been taken in for analysis. it's WICKED's job, to be tracking unique specimens like him. not a lot of people know about the underside of the world that WICKED does, the supernatural, the superpowered, the strange. thomas came on originally as a biologist, but was put in the creatures ward when he was the one to track down the den of wolves, and more particularly, the human among them.
he hadn't ever had human contact before this, which made him an interesting subject indeed.
it took most of thomas' wit and strength to keep his directors from barging in every few days. he had to stress that minho was angry and displaced, and trying to overwhelm his system with a lot of different scents and sounds was going to only make him angrier. thomas had to gain his trust, and it was a long, slow process. but, nowadays, minho seemed to like him a lot more. after all, thomas had, in fact, successfully gotten him into pants. that had to mean something, right? and thomas liked minho. he was a fast learner, having come in here literally unable to speak outside of growls and vocalizations and now able to make rudimentary sentences.
and he had so much personality. thomas could only imagine what he was like when he'd been fully reintroduced.
but, anyway, bad plans. so, thomas thinks he might be the only researcher who has any idea of what's wrong with minho. it's getting to be mid evening and the lights have been turned out for the day, systems shut down, but there's a quiet "access approved" from one of the mechanical doors, which clicks open to reveal thomas striding into the room, sans his labcoat and holding a key. this is going to go so badly. it really is.
but he's got trust in minho that he'll come back.
stepping into the enclosure, he holds his hands up. ] Hey, Min, hey. I think I get it. It's the moon, right? You can't get to it in here at all.
[ he reaches forward with both hands, as if to ask him to give him his, heart pounding, but only a little out of fright. he trusts minho, he trusts him. he just has to keep thinking that. ] I'm going to take you outside, but we have to be quiet until we get far enough away. Can you do that for me?
You dominate my open posts idk how I'm *not*
It's always the most satisfying, when those higher than Thomas come in and try to act like they aren't afraid of what he might do. They find themselves frequently having to deal with him getting upset, because they just don't seem to understand things the way that Thomas does. Everything here is different, for as sterile as it is, and it's overwhelming to go from the blank scent of the place to all these people just bringing in questions and information he doesn't get and can't keep up with on top of the foreign smells.
But by this point, Thomas is a welcome difference to the bland enclosure that hurts his senses. Everything is muted here, sounds dampened along with the dull scents. So it's like a bright spot in everything, and he doesn't hesitate as his hands reach forward. He knows what the gesture means now, has figured it out with very little trouble, so he calmly comes forward on silent feet and brings his own hands up to take them. Human gestures are, honestly, fascinating, but he likes this one. ] Right. It's gone.
[ Speaking, strange as it is, gets easier every day. There's still a guttural undertone to everything, and he still prefers the vocalizations over words, but it's not as if he's a simpleton. He's got a minor mastery of the language that these people speak, and he'll continue to figure it out for as long as he's stuck here. Maybe then he'll be able to get them to release him.
Fingers squeezing around Thomas' he perks a little at the promise of being taken outside. But being asked to remain quiet-- ] I can do it.
UvU and you dominate mine.
tommy really loves working with his project. he likes minho. the more time they've spent together since minho stopped trying to attack him every time he came in the room, the more he's grown on him, to the point of where he looks forward to coming into work every day simply to spend time with him. they read books while minho's hooked up to a brain scanner, and thomas curls up beside him and reads to him from books, starting with picture books and escalating to their current favorite, 1984. he can sit with him and scratch his scalp and read to him for hours, taking notes on his brain activity, and the days just seem to fly by.
he'll miss that something fierce if he leaves.
the worry knotted in his chest releases a little and he offers him a tiny smile, threading both of their hands together for a second and giving a tight, affirmative squeeze, the gesture nothing but warm. they're gonna be okay. they have to be, right?
slowly releasing one hand, he murmurs ] Walk with me, and stay close. You can keep holding my hand, if you want.
[ and carefully, he heads through the scanner, with another soft "access granted!" as they pass through. it's three doors and then outside, and thomas leads the way in silence as they go through the different doors. WICKED is dead quiet, eerily so, but Thomas makes his way through the last door and pauses with his hand on the handle of the back door.
he looks back at minho and hopes, something tiny and violent within him, that he'll come back if he lets him go. with a deep breath, he pulls open to the door, into the warm august night, the full moon shining wide and bright overhead. ]
Damn right.
This is not a lie, because Thomas wouldn't lie to him, regardless of whether he'd hear it in his heart or not. He hasn't heard a lie once. Not when he's done his tests, not when he's taken him somewhere, not when he's read to him.
Maybe that's why it doesn't occur to him that he could escape. For as much as Minho wants to leave this place, be with his pack again, he enjoys Thomas' company more than anything. Sometimes he thinks about taking him out of this place-- which he figures should be funny because he's the one that's trapped here, but sometimes he thinks maybe that the scientist is stuck here just as much as he is. It wouldn't shock him, with the way that he acts sometimes, like he loves the idea of his work but doesn't love the way it's done.
Really, he only seems happy when it's just the two of them and there are no other subjects or tests or people.
So he goes along with him silently, bristled and alert but holding onto his hand, and waits with a small measure of patience for the doors to be opened. Which he should be praised for, because patience isn't really his greatest virtue in the least, especially not in a place so quiet as WICKED.
But the moment the door opens, and he actually feels the moon on his skin in the light that's let in from the doorway, a smile splits his face. An actual smile, not a baring of teeth or a small quirk at either corner of his mouth. All teeth and excitement. ]
puts a gold star on your head
the rest of thomas is the part that turns his own smile a little sad, a little bittersweet. he knows minho deserves to be free for as much as anyone else does--he can't imagine that he enjoys this life, considering he can't even get him to properly enjoy pants. he's a wild thing, and thomas can see it in his motions, in the light of his eyes, the way the moon falls across his face.
honestly, if he ran? thomas would let him go. he'd take the heat, because if it meant that minho was this pleased every day, he could be satisfied with it.
carefully, he unlaces his fingers from minho's, but doesn't take a step away. thomas leans in a little, rather, and places one hand between his shoulder blades, his voice soft. ] Go. Run as much as you want. I'm not going to follow you, okay?
[ he shouldn't have to swallow a lump in his throat--but he does, because this just feels like goodbye. ]
bears proudly
Thomas is upset. He doesn't know why, but he's upset.
Angling his head in towards him a little, and completely disregarding the personal space that people try to tell him exists, he reaches for him. His fingers curl into the bottom of his shirt, just this small gesture that he's picked up doing ever since he started to become attached to the only human that's really shown him sincere kindness. It's how he follows him around, and how he frequently gets his attention if he's not outright butting his head up against him, nipping at his shoulder, things they've been trying to discourage. ]
You should come, too. [ He says it simply, blunt and to the point as always when he decides to speak. He gives a little tug to his shirt, a little rumble in the back of his throat that's almost questioning. For as much as he itches to get out of his skin, he doesn't want to go anywhere without Thomas.
Funny how things change like that. ]
no subject
minho is amazing, he really is. he continues to show himself as amazing every single day. there's a reason why thomas has been so fiercely defensive of this project, if only because he saw a potential in minho that so few of his coworkers did. he was a lot more than just their little project, a wolf they were trying to turn into a man. he was his own person, human and wolf all at once, fascinating and maddening and perfect, and thomas sometimes felt like he could get lost in teaching him, in watching him learn for hours on end.
so he does have to swallow a lump in his throat, then, his hand still resting on his back, fingers spreading wide as he leans forward and bumps his forehead into his, a gesture he himself had learned from minho. ] I can't. Not like you.
[ even if he could keep up, he's no wolf. ]
no subject
He doesn't even realize that what he's doing is some great wonder to anyone here. Every time, his behavior has simply been him being... well, him. There's no other concept in his head but to be who he is, regardless of how different he is. Of course he's a wolf, but at this point he's learned that yes, he's also a man. It's a simultaneous state of being, even if being a man apparently involves clothing.
Still not too fond of that part, but he'll keep the pants on for Thomas since he worked so hard to convince him to wear them. ]
Won't go far. [ Bumping his nose into the upturn of Thomas', he gives a small tug to his shirt. ] Just far enough.
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he doesn't fight the affection at all, fingers even curling a little at his bare skin, and it makes a little bit of a smile break out onto his face, a crooked thing as he tries to look back just a little and take him in, just in case. just in case this is goodbye. ]
I know. [ and he says it with conviction; thomas lifts his hand again, but this time it finds minho's cheek, thumbing gently at the bone there and looking him in the eyes. ] I trust you.
[ and he does. he really does, he trusts minho big time. but he just can't help being afraid. ]
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Letting him pull back, he regards him in return, quiet and thoughtful but a little bit fond, too. For as much as he's learned so far from the books that they've been reading, there's one particular thing that's stood out to him the most. And it's been the bond that's there, now.
Maybe that means he'll remember it, when he shifts. ]
Good. [ Leaning into his touch, he smiles a bit again, eyes crinkling before he starts to draw away, reaching up to take his hand again as he does. ] So c'mon.
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vaguely recalling an old fairytale--just to see if you'll get chased, I think I ought to walk with you for a ways--thomas nods. thomas isn't aware of his thoughts, what he means about pack (and about jansen--although thomas had taken up calling him "rat man" in his head, too) all he knows is that he's bonded with "subject A5" a lot more than anyone may have originally planned.
some of his fears silenced, he makes a gesture at the forest ahead of them.] Lead the way.
[ yeah he fully expects to start running. minho is energetic normally, let alone in a boundless space. ]
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Leading him along, he turns around partway as he moves, feet bare but sure as he faces him a little more. He doesn't know the landscape, but he wants to get a good look at him before he shifts, to just... make sure that he doesn't forget him with it. It's happened before, he's forgotten himself between one form and the next.
From what he's gathered of the tests and the people here, he's sure they'd find that interesting. But he doesn't. Not really. And it's a threat to Thomas, if he does forget him. Minho could very well attack him, and it's not something he wants-- he'd never want to hurt him.
So, he can only hope. ]
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the labs get further and further behind them as they fly out into the woods--everything smells fresh out here, compared to the sterile interior of the complex, and it's. he gets it. he knows why he would have wanted to get out now, because thomas, somewhere underneath it all, feels the same way. about his job, his bosses, everything but minho, and the studies he does on him. ]
Min--where are we going? [ he doesn't really care, but it's important to ask, and when he meets his gaze when minho looks at him, thomas flashes him a real, genuine smile. ]
god just 7 more to go.
He tries not to think about it, and instead focuses on making sure not to rush too far ahead. Thomas is fast, they've played before, but he's not going to just let go and run when he could lose him or trip him up. This is for Thomas, as much as it is him.
But when he looks back at him, perking at the nickname, he almost trips over his own feet at the smile on his face. It causes something to burst in his chest, bright and warm, and he twists around until he starts to slow, only coming to a stop after a moment of consideration. ] Here. Here is good, I think.
sprinkles with tags vuv
time to shift, he must mean.
it's a litlte exciting--this is the first time he's gotten to see it, hell, the first time anyone's gotten to see it--and thomas steps back a respectable distance and pauses for a second, cocking his head. ] Should I cover my eyes?
[ thomas made a funny. be proud. ]
returns favor uwu
Letting Thomas recover, it takes him a second to turn back towards him. Instinct tells him he should bolt, go find his pack and get away. But his heart stays here.
Nudity is a new concept to Minho, but he still catches the joke that Thomas makes. He grins at him, sharp but not quite feral, and moves to start taking off the sweats that have been forced on him repeatedly until he's kept them on. ] You've seen me naked more'n clothed.
[ Teasing right on back, he tosses the pants at him before stretching his arms above his head, spine cracking both from the movement and something more. ]