A/N: So...this is Rang and Ga Eul's 'first time,' BUT there are NO descriptions of actual sex in this chapter, and I think you will understand why once you read it. The final scene of this chapter is something I've had in my head for months, so I really hope you like it even though it's probably not what you would have anticipated.

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, references to vaginal sex and some pain/discomfort from that but nothing graphic

"I think...I think I'm ready to do everything now."

Rang glanced over at Ga Eul, who stood beside him in the elevator. She was wearing her blue teacher cardigan with a dark blue dress underneath, and he was matching with her again in his dark blue suit. They were heading up to his apartment after eating dinner with Shin-joo, Yu Ri, and Soo-oh. Today marked almost five months since they'd started dating—and one month since Soo-oh's field trip—but it was quite an ordinary Friday. They hadn't even gone out for jokbal and soju, as they often did.

"Everything?" he prompted, not understanding.

Ga Eul shifted on her feet; she glanced up at him shyly.

"Everything that comes after kissing," she explained in a small voice.

It took a moment for the phrase to register, for him to realize what it meant, but when the realization hit, a grin slowly spread over Rang's face.

Ah. Well, that was...unexpected. But not unwelcome. Certainly not unwelcome.

A ripple of excitement surged through his body all the way down to his toes. He'd been tired when they'd boarded the elevator, but suddenly his energy returned tenfold.

"Everything?" he repeated, wanting to bounce on his toes. "As in, everything?"

Ga Eul nodded, fiddling with the expensive black satchel he'd gifted her, which she'd much protested at first.

"Everything," she confirmed.

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Why, all of a sudden?" he asked, curious.

"I don't know," Ga Eul said, smiling. He could tell that was a lie—she did know—but she was fidgeting so much that he decided to let it go.

That, and their elevator door had opened.

They both stepped out and walked leisurely to his apartment door. Once they'd gotten inside and had taken their shoes off, Rang asked, "Are you sure?" He squinted at her, trying to temper his excitement with the knowledge that Ga Eul might change her mind. She looked nervous enough.

Ga Eul laughed, twisting her hands together.

"Of course, I'm sure, or I wouldn't have said anything."

Rang sized her up a moment longer; her eyes were earnest. Perhaps she was simply nervous since it would be her first time.

"Okay," he finally said, taking her purse from her hand and dropping it to the floor. He picked her up bridal style and carried her into his—their—bedroom. Then he deposited her on the bed and leaned over her, smiling. "Don't worry, your pet fox knows exactly what to do." Cupping Ga Eul's chin in his hand, he gave her a slow, lingering kiss, rubbing his nose against hers. Then he pulled back and announced, "I just have to get something first. Stay right here."

"Okay." Ga Eul smiled up at him, her eyes wide and trusting, and he kissed her forehead before retreating to the bathroom.

Once there, he rummaged through the cabinet under the sink for the condoms that most definitely should have been there, but were not. Rang frowned, confused. He opened one drawer, then another, then another.

Nothing. Nothing except Ga Eul's makeup remover and Ga Eul's feminine products and Ga Eul's curling iron.

Shit.

So much of his stuff had gotten shuffled around since she started living with him—okay, partially living with him—and he hadn't minded so much in the moment, but now the rearrangement of everything was irritating him.

Where were his damn condoms when he finally, finally needed them?!

He opened the mirror; they weren't in the hidden cabinet either. He slammed the mirror shut.

Well, if they weren't in the bathroom, where in the hell were they?

"Rang?" Ga Eul appeared in the doorway to the bathroom. "Is everything okay?"

"You didn't see a box of condoms anywhere, did you? I mean before, when you were putting your stuff in here."

She shook her head, but Rang didn't know if maybe she'd seen the box and hadn't realized what she was seeing. Either way, he wasn't about to go through every drawer in his apartment. Better to go buy some more. He didn't even know if the other ones were expired at this point. That would be his luck.

"I'll be right back." Rang pointed at her. "Stay here. I'm just going to buy some more."

"Oh, okay. Um...how long will you be gone?"

"Fifteen minutes, at the most," Rang called behind him, rapidly putting on his shoes. He was going to fly to that convenience store and…


Twenty Minutes Later

It had occurred to Rang as he was racing out of the parking lot that he probably needed to get some lube as well, and once he'd remembered that, he began thinking that maybe humans needed different things—other things—that foxes didn't need.

Of course, Rang didn't think so...but he didn't know for certain, did he? His main concern was that he'd injure Ga Eul in some way, not knowing how much force her fragile body could take, and Rang could be very forceful once he got going. It didn't matter with foxes—there wasn't much of a risk of pain or injury because foxes were already so impervious to both. But he'd seen how easily he could bruise Ga Eul and how long the bruises stayed, marring her perfect skin. And he'd seen what humans considered to be 'rough sex,' and it was laughable.

Of course, he was always careful, considering human limitations, but for this specific thing, how gentle would he have to be?!

The bottle of lube and the box of condoms he'd purchased—packaged in a cute wrapping with a cartoon fox that he thought would amuse Ga Eul—sat next to him on the passenger seat of his car, seeming insufficient somehow. To keep them alive and functional, humans needed all sorts of things constantly—herbs, medicines, creams, potions…Ga Eul bled from paper cuts! From paper!

Maybe he should call Yeon. His brother had experience with this sort of thing.

But call Yeon and say what?

My girlfriend just now decided to have sex with me, but I don't know how. Please advise.

Rang dismissed the ridiculous notion. Instead, he took out his phone and called Ga Eul, tapping his fingers on his steering wheel.

"Hello?"

"I bought the condoms and some lube. Do you need...anything else?"

There was silence on Ga Eul's end for a moment, punctuated only by the faint sound of her breathing.

"Um...like what?" she asked, and Rang wanted to sigh in exasperation. He felt lost, and he hated feeling lost. Like he didn't know what the hell he was doing. Shit, seriously, how could he not know? He was six hundred years old, dammit!

Fuck.

"I don't know," Rang blurted defensively. "You tell me. What do humans need?"

Ga Eul laughed nervously.

"I don't know. I've never done this before. But haven't you done this lots of times?"

"Of course! But not with humans."

Another pause.

"Oh."

Another laugh.

"Oh, that's right...Sorry, I don't really know. I mean, I've read stuff, but...I kind of thought you would know...how to do everything."

"Of course, I know." Rang bristled. "But human bodies are...different."

Weaker. More...breakable.

Bruises, he could figure out. He'd spent enough time injuring humans to know how much pressure could be applied to the outside of their bodies before skin was punctured or blood vessels popped or bones broke. But he couldn't really see what he was doing in there, now could he? He couldn't see inside Ga Eul's body.

"If you'd rather not do it tonight, it's okay," Ga Eul said.

"No!" Rang protested. He'd already waited too long. "Let's do it tonight! It'll be fine. I have everything we should need. Let's just do it."

"Ah...okay. Let's do it."

"Yes, let's do it," Rang urged, covering his nervousness with enthusiasm. "I'll see you in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes, okay."

"Okay."

Rang hung up the phone. He stared at the items on the front seat of his car, still feeling that they were inadequate.

Human bodies. If there was one thing he'd always liked about humans, it was the frailness of their bodies, but now even that managed to annoy him.

Humans were so annoying—just completely, totally annoying—through and through.


Ga Eul bit her lip; she was curled into a ball on Rang's bed, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on her left knee. She hadn't expected Rang to be gone quite so long, and now her nerves were overriding her initial excitement.

His strange phone call hadn't helped either. He'd sounded stressed, which worried her. This didn't seem like something Rang should be stressed about. He'd wanted to do it the first night they went to their coffee shop together; technically, they hadn't even been dating yet!

Maybe he was just irritated about having to run out and buy condoms, but...she really hoped he knew what to do because she didn't. Not from experience, at any rate.

Suddenly, the front door to the apartment opened, and not a second later, Rang rushed in, a plastic bag in tow. He produced two items from the bag and set them on his nightstand: one box of condoms and one bottle of lube. The condom box, at least, featured disarming cartoon foxes on the cover, and Ga Eul plucked it up and grinned at the adorable illustration.

"This is cute," she said.

"You're so predictable," Rang announced. "I knew you would like that."

She smiled up at him, feeling a little bit better now that he was standing next to the bed, hovering over her like a dark, tempestuous shadow. A familiar one.

"So...now what?" she gathered the courage to ask, and she expected Rang to make a flippant remark or a flirtatious one or some type of joke.

Instead, he said, with a sincere seriousness she didn't know he could possess regarding such things, "Now we need to get you as wet as humanly possible."


As it turned out, getting 'as wet as humanly possible' was harder than Ga Eul had anticipated. She'd been wet plenty of times before, of course—soaking wet, wet enough to be embarrassed by it—but tonight her body had not been cooperative at all. Rang had helped her with his mouth, and later, he'd lubed her up in no small quantity with his finger—not to mention the amount of lube he'd poured onto his cock over the already pre-lubricated condoms he'd bought. But even with all of that, things hadn't gone too well.

Rang hadn't been able to get all the way inside her, and she was so embarrassed, she wanted to hide in the bathroom for the rest of the night.

Granted, he hadn't really tried after a certain point since she couldn't keep her discomfort off of her face. She knew it was supposed to be uncomfortable the first time, but it had actually hurt, and even though Rang was going slow, the deeper he pushed, the more she'd started whimpering. and then crying. And Rang kept telling her to relax—he'd kept telling her to 'relax, relax'—and she couldn't do it—her muscles wouldn't work correctly—so he'd pulled out, and now he was probably sitting on his bed thinking he was glad he'd never tried to sleep with a human before.

A sob escaped Ga Eul's throat. She tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks, but her arm was wet from the hot shower she was supposed to be taking. Afterwards, Rang had tried to cuddle with her, but she hadn't wanted to be in the same room with him. She'd just wanted to be by herself and cry.

Now Ga Eul stood under the hot spray of water, not washing herself, just trying to breathe normally. Trying to stop the stream of tears spilling from her eyes. Her insides still ached, rubbed raw and uncomfortably stretched. So many emotions were swirling around inside her, she trembled under the weight of them. Her chest felt like it had been filled with rocks.


This was not the way the evening was supposed to have gone.

Despite Rang's best efforts—he had really tried to make Ga Eul comfortable—things had gotten progressively worse as the evening went on. Perhaps Rang had gotten a little frustrated and impatient towards the end. Not so much with Ga Eul but with himself. He didn't like to hear her crying and feel like he couldn't do anything about it. He didn't like to think that he was causing her pain.

There was a time when he could cause a lot of people a lot of pain without feeling anything, but at the tiniest tear on Ga Eul's cheek, he just...he couldn't continue.

Perhaps she was fast becoming his weakness, but he didn't care. Even if he hurt her on accident, it felt like he was cutting himself with a knife. He was her pet fox; he was supposed to keep her safe, and he'd failed. She'd just cried like all of his victims did, and he knew this wasn't the same thing, but it felt like the same thing. He felt like he'd just done something to her that he couldn't come back from.

Was she mad at him? Was that why she wouldn't cuddle with him? Was that why she'd been taking a shower for twenty minutes?

Rang's leg shook nervously as he sat on the edge of his bed. He'd sort of cleaned up, but he'd only put his boxers on, not his pajamas. He didn't know what else to do but wait for her to come out, but he hated waiting. He needed to know if she was okay. He needed to know that she didn't hate him.

Rang listened to the sound of the water running inside the bathroom for a few more minutes; he listened until he heard another sound—a quieter one, yet somehow sharper. It was the sound of Ga Eul crying, her faint voice an undercurrent beneath the pounding water.

He shot up from the bed. That was it. He couldn't stay still anymore.


Suddenly, there was a knock on the bathroom door, and Ga Eul thought that was odd.

Rang didn't knock. He either snuck up on her or burst noisily and unapologetically into the room.

Frowning, Ga Eul pulled the shower curtain back slightly.

"Yes?"

"Can I come in?" Rang asked.

Ga Eul's frown deepened, and her chest tightened even more. She wanted to be alone, and she couldn't imagine why Rang would want to come in. He hated showers so much that he even hated standing in the bathroom while she took one because of the humidity. It was the only foolproof way to have privacy and time to herself when she stayed at his apartment.

Well...he probably wouldn't be in the bathroom long. If she remained behind the shower curtain, he wouldn't be able to see that she was crying. Maybe he just needed to grab something.

"Sure," she answered, attempting to sound normal. She closed the curtain back and busied herself with lathering soap on her loofah as he came in. She scrubbed her arms and chest and waited for him to get what he'd come for and leave, but after a minute, she realized she hadn't heard him open any cabinets or drawers. He seemed to be just standing there.

Right when she was about to ask what he wanted, he repeated, "Can I come in?"

Ga Eul frowned again.

"Aren't you already in?" she asked.

She waited several seconds for a reply.

"No, I mean...in there."

In...in there? Ga Eul glanced around at the walls of the shower and the blue and white shower curtain.

In there? In the shower?

"I thought you don't like showers," she replied.

"Can I come in? Yes or no?" Rang asked, more pointedly.

Ga Eul considered. She wiped her eyes on her arm again, uselessly. She still wasn't sure what he wanted, and she still wanted to be alone, but she didn't want to tell him he couldn't come in. It was such a curious request that she had to say 'yes.'

"If...if you want to," she ventured bravely.

A moment of silence passed. Then she heard Rang moving around the bathroom. Soon part of the shower curtain was thrust aside, and he stepped into the shower with her, naked except for his dark blue boxers; as always, his scar made a striking impression on his abdomen. Standing at the far end of the tub, opposite the shower head, he faced her with a concerned, though hard, look; yet, he didn't say anything at first. He just stared at her—scrutinizing her, she thought, but not in a sexual way, even though she was naked. Somehow, it unnerved her more than if he had been ogling her body. His eyes were on her face, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She was completely at a loss as to why he was in a hot shower with her when he couldn't even stand to be inside a greenhouse. Furthermore, she felt on the verge of tears, and she really didn't want to start crying in front of him. He often complained that she cried about everything.

"Aren't you uncomfortable?" she tried. Condensation was accumulating on Rang's neck and chest and shoulders, and he flinched.

"I've taken hot showers before," Rang answered, screwing his face up with the admission.

"Oh." Ga Eul wrapped her arms around her breasts, oddly shy. There he was again, not answering her question, but she didn't know what else to say. The tension in the shower coiled hot and tight, and not in a sexy way. Rang's chest was heaving, and he'd begun breathing unevenly.

"Are you mad at me?" he blurted out.

"What?" Ga Eul blinked, startled. "No...No, I just...wanted to be alone."

Rang stared at her uneasily; he looked as if he didn't quite believe her.

"You know I can hear you crying, right?"

Ga Eul's eyes widened. She'd known he had excellent hearing, but she'd thought that the running water would cover up any noises she made.

"Don't hide from me," he suddenly commanded, his voice choked with emotion. "Your pet fox is supposed to take care of you. How can I take care of you if you're in here?" Rang snapped.

Were those...tears...in his eyes?

She'd never seen Rang cry, not once. Not even during the saddest movie they'd watched together.

Seeing her own tears reflected back at her made something inside of her snap, though, and all the emotion she'd been holding back since he'd come into the bathroom poured out.

"But it was really bad," Ga Eul's voice broke over the words, sounding high and whiny. "I couldn't even do it," she managed before dissolving into tears and covering her face with her hands. Her body trembled as she sobbed, no longer able to hold back the flood of emotions overwhelming her. She'd been seriously thinking about doing that with him ever since he'd gone on that field trip with her, but it had taken her several weeks to work up her nerve to say something. She'd at least felt comfortable enough with him to want to try, but she'd ended up failing miserably. She couldn't imagine the type of foxes Rang had been with before and what all they could do because of their special powers.

Ga Eul got so worked up she didn't even realize she was starting to hyperventilate until Rang tugged her by her arm and gently shushed her as he pulled her into his chest and wrapped his strong arms around her.

"Shhh, it's okay, little human. Breathe. Don't die. If humans died every time they had bad sex, I imagine you'd all be dead already...Not that I'd mind much, but...you're not allowed to die, okay?" he said, and Ga Eul smiled through her tears and wrapped her arms around his waist. He was always so solid and comforting.

Once she'd calmed down enough to breathe normally, Rang continued, "First off, you didn't do it. That doesn't mean you can't do it. You just haven't practiced enough yet. It's like your taekwondo forms. You have to practice them over and over to get them right. What did I tell you? You have to practice three to four times a week. At least."

Ga Eul sniffled into his chest.

"Don't cry. I don't like it when my little human cries," Rang urged, stroking her wet hair. "Does it still hurt?" he asked.

Ga Eul nodded into his chest, unable to answer. She felt sorry for getting him wet but couldn't bear to separate from the warmth of his body. She watched droplets of water roll down the shower curtain. The humidity in the room continued rising. The falling water roared.

"I'm sorry," he spoke over the shower, kissing the top of her head, and his tenderness made her cry more. "I'll make it better," he noted confidently. "I know what humans like."

Ga Eul frowned, pressing her cheek against his chest. He'd cupped his hand around her head and was holding her there.

She didn't know what he meant, but she soon found out as she felt him lean forward and then felt the loofah brush her skin. Soap streamed down her hips as he began gently soaping her back.

"Humans like to bathe each other, like this," he explained.

"Oh...um...th-thank you, but...a-are you sure you're not uncomfortable?" Ga Eul croaked, though she couldn't lift her head up. He wouldn't let her.

"Why should you worry about it?" he asked lightly. "I made you uncomfortable."

I made you uncomfortable.

Ah, was that what this was about? Did he think this was some sort of penance?

"Oh, but—"

"Foxes like to repay their debts. So just be a cold-hearted witch for a few minutes, and enjoy your revenge."

"But—"

"What did I say? Cold-hearted," he reiterated firmly, trailing the loofah over her hips. "You might as well enjoy this. It's the only time in your life this is going to happen."

Despite her lingering reservations, Ga Eul smiled at the teasing in his voice.

"You mean, in my very short life?"

"Exactly." Rang lifted her hair so he could scrub her neck and shoulders. "In your very, very short life."

As he swept the loofah across her body in gentle circles, Ga Eul's eyes closed of their own accord. She couldn't help but melt into him a little and lean against his muscular body and feel safe. She was still shocked by his appearance, but she supposed Rang didn't do anything he didn't want to do.

"At least let me turn the temperature down," Ga Eul said in concession. She let go of his waist, and he let go of her hair, allowing her to walk over to the opposite end of the shower and twist the metallic knob until the water was a hair above lukewarm. Though he didn't say anything, she thought she heard Rang sigh in relief.

"All right," she said, straightening up. "You can wash me now."

In answer, Rang wrapped his arm around Ga Eul's waist and pulled her back into his chest; his clothed member pressed against her hips, and his hand rested on her abdomen, and Rang pressed his mouth to her ear, so close she could feel his lower lip on her earlobe, and said calmly, in a low voice like crushed velvet, "Don't worry, little human. Your pet fox will take care of you."

Ga Eul pressed her eyes closed and let herself melt into him again. She forgot her awkwardness as he kissed her ear and the side of her neck and curled himself around her protectively—well, as much as he could be curled around her while they were standing up. The water was almost cold by this point, so this wasn't as sexy as it could have been, but Ga Eul smiled nonetheless. She almost laughed. At least Rang's body was warm, and she'd learned not to expect anything to go normally with him anyway.

After a moment, he let go of her and commanded her to turn. Once she faced him, he commenced scrubbing her body in a very serious fashion, starting from her shoulders and working his way rapidly down her breasts and her stomach, all the way down to her toes, which he even knelt down to reach. Still kneeling, he brought the loofah between her thighs, ghosting it over the bruises he'd made with his mouth. At intervals, he told her to do this or that with her limbs so he could reach every bit of her skin.

When he'd finished soaping her down, he quickly rinsed himself off in the cold spray, then leapt out of the tub so she could turn the water temperature back up.

"Ah, seriously, how do you take showers that are so hot?!" he groused as steam began rising in the room again. "Doesn't your fragile human skin peel off?!"

Ga Eul laughed from where she stood behind the curtain, letting the hot water wash all of the soap away.

"Humans are tougher than you think," she commented.

"You're wrong," Rang assured her. "Most humans aren't tough at all," he said. She peeked around the curtain and saw him wrapping a gray towel around his waist. "But you'll be okay," he said, looking straight at her, and she thought that was probably the biggest compliment she could get from him.

Rang stalked out of the bathroom, shaking his wet hair in an irritated fashion, and then Ga Eul was left alone with her thoughts. She gingerly rinsed her hair a final time, tears dripping down her cheeks again as she absorbed what had just happened. She'd always believed Rang to be a good person beneath his rough exterior, but she felt that he often didn't express his real emotions, and he could be highly self-centered at times.

Bathing her was such a thoughtful, selfless act. She didn't know where it had come from, though this wasn't the first time he'd surprised her with attentiveness and affection that seemed totally out-of-character.


Ga Eul didn't sleep much that night; she was wound up from all the new sensations she'd experienced, and still quite sore, but mostly, she was in shock, feeling a strange new awareness of how much Rang cared for her. She stared at Rang's slumbering silhouette in the blackness, tears pricking her eyes, the same thought running through her head over and over again.

My soft, sweet, murderous fox, what sort of monster abandoned you?