Little King (Seoksoo)

Seokmin

Seokmin was...alarmed.

He was sitting at Joshua's kitchen table with Jeonghan at his side, the both of them watching his mate rifle through the cabinets, mumbling something about needing alcohol.

It was barely past noon.

The boy had been vibrating with nervous energy since he'd met them in the hospital hallway, his brown eyes hard and his expression uncharacteristically unreadable. The only thing he'd said about his visit with Seungcheol was, "I told him everything." He'd been silent ever since, other than his current mutterings.

Seokmin had offered to make him something to eat when they got back to the house, but Joshua had refused with a firm, "No. Sit. Both of you." Despite his demon's anger at being refused the opportunity to care for their mate, Seokmin had obeyed, and Jeonghan, to Seokmin's surprise, had only raised an eyebrow before following suit. Another sign that Seokmin's friend was not himself—compliance wasn't usually his strong suit.

Seokmin raised his own eyebrow at what Joshua finally pulled out when he found the right cabinet. "Whiskey?"

"Five o'clock somewhere, am I right?" Joshua's voice was flat.

Something was definitely off with Seokmin's mate. Something other than the obvious fact of his injured brother.

"Let me make you—" Seokmin was cut off immediately, Joshua shaking his head as he approached the table.

"No. No making. No cooking. No taking care of me right now. I don't need pampering. I need answers." He placed three shot glasses on the table and sat down across from the two vampires.

"Whiskey is mandatory for me but optional for you two." Joshua downed his shot, swiveling his head to glare at Jeonghan. "You. Have you been stalking my brother?"

Jeonghan sighed and threw back his own whiskey, wincing. "Define 'stalking.'"

"Jesus Christ." Joshua rubbed a hand over his face. "Is this like some genetic thing, then? Some Choi family trait that makes us vampire catnip?"

Seokmin broke in, unwilling to let whatever was going on with Jeonghan make Joshua second-guess their own connection. "I don't think you can compare what Jeonghan has been—"

"Mingyu told me you promised him forever," Joshua cut him off, fixing him with a look.

Seokmin was out of his chair in an instant. "What? When did you see Mingyu again? How?"

"He was at the hospital. We had a...chat."

Jeonghan swore. "I told you he might be luring the boy in."

Seokmin didn't need reminding. He had the brief urge to snap his friend's neck. "How did you not realize he was already there?" he ground out through gritted teeth.

"I was distracted."

"Doesn't matter." Joshua waved a hand at both of them dismissively, taking another shot of whiskey. "Didn't hurt me. But he told me to tell you, mate"—Seokmin didn't like the bite with which Joshua said that word—"that he expects you to keep your promises. And that was your promise, right? You and him by each other's sides? Forever?"

Fuck Mingyu and his big goddamn mouth. "I told you: it was never romantic between him and myself. We were brothers."

Joshua laughed bitterly. It sounded wrong coming from Seokmin's sweet mate. "You think that's what I'm upset about? Seokmintic, platonic, I don't care. You promised to be by his side. Just like—like you've promised to stay by mine."

Seokmin tensed at the unspoken accusation: You don't keep your promises. He suppressed the urge to shout in frustration, keeping his voice as calm as he could manage. "There were—how should I put this?—extenuating circumstances. As you well know."