Enzy

The full moon. The one night of the month when werewolves struggled to keep their instincts in check, vampires found themselves particularly restless, and vampire-werewolf hybrids had the unfortunate privilege of dealing with both.

And, apparently, the one night Solon decided to make himself scarce.

It had been months since Enzy discovered Solon's little secret. Months since that rather interesting conversation in the courtyard, when he'd discovered that the seemingly ordinary Decelis Academy student was, in fact, a vampire-werewolf hybrid.

Enzy still remembered it quite fondly.

Especially the part where Solon looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

Honestly, Enzy hadn't understood what all the fuss was about. So Solon was a hybrid. Big deal. Enzy was a werewolf himself. It wasn't as though he was in any position to judge.

Unfortunately, Solon seemed to have a rather difficult time understanding that.

His brothers knew now, of course. Heli, Jaan, Jino, Shion, Jakah, and Noa had known for months. And despite Solon's apparent conviction that revealing his wolf side would somehow change everything between them, absolutely nothing had changed.

Well, except for the fact that his brothers were understandably a little offended that Enzy had found out before they did.

But that was hardly Enzy's problem.

Tonight, however, Solon had apparently decided that being seen half-shifted by his brothers was a fate worse than death. So, naturally, he'd disappeared.

And Enzy? Well, he wasn't exactly with Khan, Najak, and Tahel either. He didn't have to spend every waking moment with his brothers, did he? Besides, he'd had other things to do.

Like finding a certain blue-haired idiot hiding in a courtyard.

The courtyard was bathed in pale moonlight, the surrounding trees casting long shadows across the stone pathways. Enzy adjusted his glasses, his green hair shifting slightly in the night breeze.

And there he was.

Solon.

Dark blue hair fading into turquoise, his usual immaculate appearance looking a little less composed tonight. Blue fur had begun spreading across his hands and neck, his black claws extending beneath the moonlight. His mismatched eyes glowed brightly, one blue and the other yellow.

He looked... rather adorable, actually.

Not that Enzy would ever say that aloud.

He leaned casually against one of the stone pillars, looking the other boy up and down.

"Well, well. Hiding again?"

Solon's head snapped toward him.

"Enzy?!"

Enzy raised an eyebrow.

"Ah. So you do remember my name. I was beginning to worry."

"What are you doing here?"

"Lovely to see you too, Solon."

"I asked what you're doing here."

"And I heard you. I simply chose not to answer."

Solon let out a quiet sigh, glancing toward the courtyard entrance.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Interesting. I was under the impression that courtyards were public spaces."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then perhaps you should work on your communication skills."

Solon looked away, his expression tightening. He instinctively pulled his partially furred hands closer to his body, attempting to conceal his claws.

Enzy noticed.

Of course he noticed.

He always noticed.

"You're doing that thing again."

"What thing?"

"That."

"Enzy."

"Solon."

There was a moment of silence.

"I don't want them seeing me like this."

Ah. There it was.

Enzy's expression softened ever so slightly, although his voice remained as dry as ever.

"Your brothers?"

Solon didn't answer immediately.

"Yes."

"Right. Your brothers. The same brothers who already know you're a hybrid?"

"That's beside the point."

"Is it?"

"They don't need to see me like this."

"Solon, they've known for months."

"I know."

"And they haven't disowned you, abandoned you, or attempted to stake you through the heart."

"That's not funny."

"I thought it was rather amusing."

Solon shot him a displeased look.

"You're impossible."

"And you're dramatic."

"I'm not dramatic."

"You're hiding in a courtyard under a full moon because you're afraid your brothers might see the claws they already know you have."

Solon opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Then looked away.

"...I hate you."

"Yes, I'm sure."

Enzy pushed himself away from the pillar and approached him. His footsteps were unhurried, his expression as serenely unimpressed as ever.

"Besides, you do realize they're probably looking for you, don't you?"

"They won't find me."

"You're terrible at hiding."

"I've been hiding perfectly well for the past hour."

"Congratulations. You've managed to hide from six people who know you better than anyone else for sixty whole minutes."

Solon gave him a look, although the faintest hint of amusement threatened to appear at the corner of his mouth.

Enzy stopped in front of him, tilting his head slightly as he examined the blue fur along his neck.

"You know, I still find it rather interesting."

"What?"

"Your appearance. The blue fur, the claws, the glowing eyes. Quite a striking combination."

"You're staring."

"Observant as ever."

"Enzy."

"What? Am I supposed to pretend I don't notice?"

Solon looked down at his hands.

"I just don't like people seeing me differently."

For once, Enzy didn't immediately respond with a sarcastic remark.

He understood that feeling more than he cared to admit. And although Solon had a habit of treating his own existence like something that needed to be concealed, Enzy wasn't particularly interested in letting him get away with it.

"Then they're fools if they do."

Solon looked up.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Enzy adjusted his glasses, his green eyes meeting Solon's mismatched ones.

"You're still Solon. Whether you have fangs, claws, fur, or whatever else happens to emerge when the moon is out. I don't see why that should be so difficult to understand."

"..."

"And for the record, I knew before your brothers and I still haven't run away screaming. You're welcome."

Solon stared at him.

"You're really not going to let that go, are you?"

"Absolutely not."

For a moment, the courtyard was quiet.

Then Solon glanced toward the entrance again.

"I should go."

"Why?"

"Because they'll find me eventually."

"Probably."

"And I don't want them to see—"

"Solon."

Enzy interrupted him, his tone perfectly calm.

"You're aware that running away from your brothers every full moon is going to make them worry more, aren't you?"

"They worry too much."

"Apparently, it runs in the family."

Solon gave him a flat look.

"You're one to talk."

"Excuse me?"

"You disappeared from your own brothers tonight, too."

Enzy blinked.

Oh.

Well, that was inconvenient.

"That's entirely different."

"How?"

"I don't have to justify my whereabouts to you."

"Neither do I."

Enzy stared at him for a second before letting out a quiet, incredulous laugh.

"Look at that. He's learning."

Solon's expression remained stoic, but his ears had taken on a faint pink tint.

Enzy noticed that, too.

Unfortunately for Solon, Enzy was beginning to find the whole situation rather entertaining.

"Come on."

"Where?"

"Somewhere you can stop hiding behind a pillar like a particularly suspicious stray cat."

"I'm not a cat."

"Could've fooled me."

"Enzy."

"Solon."

Enzy turned and began walking, only glancing over his shoulder when he noticed Solon hadn't moved.

"Well? Are you coming, or should I go fetch your brothers?"

Solon's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare."

Enzy smiled.

"Then I suggest you keep up."

And just like that, the werewolf started walking away beneath the full moon, leaving the vampire-werewolf hybrid with two options: continue hiding from his perfectly accepting brothers, or follow the one person who had somehow managed to discover his biggest secret and treat it like the most ordinary thing in the world.

Honestly, Solon was beginning to suspect that Enzy enjoyed making his life difficult.

He was probably right.