Are You There - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Hoseok sits still, his hand to his chin as he stares down at the mug between his friend and him. "Well what did you do to it?" He asks, glancing up at the darker man before him.
Changkyun only shrugs, unsure of how to explain it. He dips his finger into the cup, speaking quietly. "I just tried to take a sip, but when my lips hit the water it started boiling."
Hoseok reaches his own hand forward, clearly not believing. The water is not hot when his finger breaks the surface, and he looks up at Changkyun in disbelief. "It's fine now," he says, annoyed. "Maybe you're just sensitive."
Minhyuk, who had been busy dragging Jooheon through the apartment to what he assumed was the guest room, clicks his tongue when he appears in the den's doorway. "He's not sensitive," the nurse murmurs as he sits down beside Hoseok, regarding Changkyun carefully.
"Well then what am I?" The younger asks, shuffling himself away from the streaks of sunlight that have stretched across his living room floor towards their bunch. "Besides the obvious, of course."
Minhyuk spares him a gentle smile before lifting the mug to Changkyun's lips. "Try taking another sip."
Changkyun shies away from the man's outstretched hands, his scent reaching the man's nose hard enough to make his chin wrinkle. "You smell like the forest," he blurts before he can stop himself, turning his head away to avoid the stench. His hand comes out to take the mug, and though he's turned away, he doesn't miss the chuckle Hoseok aims at Minhyuk.
"I guess that means you won't have to worry about him after all," Hoseok murmurs, as if it were an insult to Minhyuk.
Changkyun glares at his older friend, his mug almost to his lips as he mutters, "You smell like a stable." It's a blatant lie. Hoseok, while he may not realize, smells damn near identical to Minhyuk, mingled with a field of something pink. Before Hoseok can even react, and before Minhyuk's hands can clap together in absolute glee, Changkyun is hissing at the pain of scalding water gliding over his tongue. He slams the mug down onto the carpet, half the water spilling out dramatically.
The three men watch as steam coils up, twisted shadows on the floor beneath it as it continues to rise. Hoseok lets out a dissatisfied huh, while Minhyuk only sighs. He knew before seeing it what this meant, but he just wanted to confirm. "Your body is rejecting human sustenance." Minhyuk takes the mug and sets it aside, his eyes low as he wonders how to soften the blow for Changkyun. "Over time, you'll be able to eat things like you once did, even drink things safely, but it could take several decades. Until then, you'll have to..."
He makes a motion, hanging two of his fingers from his lips to mimic fangs, a biting action that makes Changkyun's stomach churn. Hoseok shuffles in his place, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden topic at hand. "Don't think you're getting to me again," Hoseok grumbles rather obnoxiously, only hurting Changkyun all over again.
"I said I was sorry," he says softly. His eyes are on the carpet, unsure of where else he can look without seeing Hoseok's frown. "I couldn't control it."
Minhyuk smacks his hand against Hoseok with surprising force, the large man flinching away in pain. He grits his teeth at the thin man, only to be met with wide, pleading eyes. Stop. He forces the word past Hoseok's mental block, something he must have taken years to build up. Minhyuk wonders if it is the fae blood within him that helps him push through Hoseok's skull, or perhaps the fierce glare he fixes the older man with. Either way, it works, and Hoseok silences with a pout.
Changkyun misses the exchange, his head still bowed like a scorned child.
"It's gonna take a long while for you to be able to control it," Minhyuk admits quietly, reaching out to pat Changkyun's knee gently. "Hyungwon once told me when he came of age and had his first hunt, he accidentally killed two people."
Changkyun's gut sinks at the thought, his cheeks burning with a sudden fear as he glances at Hoseok. The large man himself is visibly shaken, wondering who the hell this Hyungwon character could be. Surely, if he had been hanging round Changkyun, Hoseok would have noticed. It was in his nature to protect and guide, after all.
"Are you sure it was an accident?" Hoseok asks, unknowingly hurting the younger man yet again. Though his bones have strengthened, and his muscles have developed, Changkyun's worries are still stronger than his body, and the shame he sits in really digs itself deep into his skin.
"I don't want to kill people," Changkyun says as quietly as possible, the mere thought of it like a curse in the air. Minhyuk and Hoseok both nod in understanding, though neither know the internal struggle Changkyun has gone through even sitting before them here.
He can hear their hearts beating evenly, almost in time with one another. With each beat of that single vessel, pints of blood flows through currents of aqua beneath the skin. Changkyun can hear those beats, telling him just how near his meal rests from him. He can still taste Hoseok's blood on his tongue, and he cannot stop his body's natural reaction at the thought; his mouth waters as if a feast awaits him.
Despite the almost foul scents of the fae before him, Changkyun's body reaches towards them with more strength than his conscience can fight off. He can wrinkle his nose at them all he wants, he knows that if he was hungry enough, his instincts would take over and he would barely hesitate to attack either of them. Maybe even both.
"Are you okay?" All three men glance up from wherever they each have been staring, finding Jooheon's blonde head of ruffled hair standing in the doorway to the den.
Changkyun gets a full whiff of his best friend as the thick man plops himself down to complete the awkward square on the ground. He smells like caramels, Changkyun whines silently, his thoughts loud enough to be heard by Minhyuk across from him. The nurse bites at his lower lip, glancing nervously between Jooheon and Changkyun.
Jooheon eyes Minhyuk in turn, still unsure of who the man is, and how he managed to enter their rather intimate group of friends without him noticing. "It's Minhyuk, right?"
The nurse nods quietly, bowing forward a bit much to Hoseok's amusement. "Yeah, I'm friends with..." Minhyuk blanks, slinging an arm across Hoseok's shoulder hurriedly. His slender thumb presses against Hoseok's exposed nape, just enough contact to read through his panic. "With Hoseok," he blurts out, having found the name in time.
Jooheon notices the stutter, and rules it out as an odd quirk the man must have. His dark eyes land on his best friend now, taking in for the second time the changes Changkyun has taken on. It makes the darker boy ache all over again when Jooheon prods him about his hair color.
"And your zits..." Jooheon leans too close for comfort, and Changkyun squeezes his eyes shut to avoid making eye contact. His breath stops as Jooheon inspects his once scarred cheeks. "I've got a serious case of deja vu," Jooheon mutters, rubbing at his head. "Like, I dunno, someone just hit the rewind and then pressed play again."
Hoseok grits his teeth as he glares over at Minhyuk, silently scolding him for doing a rather shit job at wiping Jooheon to the fullest. Minhyuk shrinks under the fae's gaze, grabbing for Changkyun's forgotten mug and tapping at in anxiously. Changkyun still hasn't released his breath yet. Jooheon sits in the group draped with confusion. Hoseok cannot bring himself to look up from his hands. The only person who makes to move is Minhyuk, his body rising without his mind's consent.
Changkyun rises a moment later, yelping as a line above his heart burns into his skin. Minhyuk hisses as he clutches at his own chest, motioning for the younger to follow him briskly. Minhyuk has grown used to the call after years of answering. Changkyun however stumbles over his own two feet as he attempts to move around Jooheon's sprawled form.
It's your Mark. Minhyuk's voice infiltrates Changkyun's mind, and eyes his stutter over the half fae nervously.
Jooheon tries to rise to help his best friend, startled to see him suddenly in pain, and Hoseok takes the initiative to lean forward and press his fingers to the blonde's temple yet again. Changkyun stares down at his friend as he crumples at his feet, the intoxicating scent of caramels almost burning his nostrils.
"How many times are you gonna knock him out?" Minhyuk demands, growing agitated as his phone rings in his pocket.
"Until he dies," Hoseok admits easily. "Or until Changkyun inevitably bites the poor kid."
The youngest thinks back on the night before, and his strong desire to break into his best friend's room to completely ravage him. He still does not know if his lessened inhibitions can be built back up again, or if they will ever return, but he hopes there is at least a chance. He cannot stand thinking of pressing Jooheon against a wall to do far too many things. Bite him. Kiss him. Drain him. Lick him-
Hoseok and Minhyuk both groan together, Changkyun's thoughts so loud at the worst of times. "Learn to build a fucking wall," Hoseok grumbles, swatting a hand at the young boy. "God damn disgusting."
Changkyun is lost, but the distraction gives both fae a chance to breathe without the image of a naked Jooheon in their heads as well. Changkyun's eyes wander his kitchen, the pain in his chest gone, along with Minhyuk. He can hear him talking down the hall, and he can even hear the voice that must be coming from the nurse's phone.
"It's Hyungwon," Changkyun tells Hoseok when he recognizes his Master.
"Yeah, I kinda grasped that when you two zombies stood up and grabbed at your chests like you'd be stabbed." Hoseok's tone is harsh, something Changkyun really cannot get used to.
"I said I was sorry," he says for what feels like the one hundredth time. "Hoseok, I did try to push you away yesterday. As soon as I saw Hyungwon leading you along last night, I told you to leave." Changkyun kicks his foot out, not aiming for Hoseok, only aiming to threaten the air beside the man. "You cannot keep acting like I'm the devil. Not if you're just so keen on helping me out, 'Mr. Protector and Guide'."
Changkyun uses finger quotes on Hoseok's title, mimicking Hoseok's rather round intonation as best he can. Hoseok sits still on the ground, taking the moment to clear his head. He does understand that it is not Changkyun's fault, whatever it was that happened yesterday. He is not angry with Changkyun for taking advantage of him. He is angry with himself for enjoying it as much as he did. The experience had been disgustingly invigorating. Not necessarily sexual, though it made his body hot as if it were. His body even so soon after being so weak wants to feel that warmth again.
He does not voice his thoughts, and even if he wanted to, he would not have time. Minhyuk has already stumbled into the kitchen to find Changkyun with clenched fists and a jutting chin. "Uh, Hyungwon needs us."
He ushers Changkyun towards the door to his apartment, the younger calling over his shoulder to Hoseok with enough force to make the grown man jump in place. "If you don't have Jooheon out of here by the time I get back, I don't know how long I'll last before I have a taste."
[ x ]
"Do stop speaking," Hyungwon requests, Minhyuk's voice not ceasing until told. "You've both been summoned, I expect you to arrive within the hour." He pauses, letting his cherished telepath take in the information, before adding, "It's time our youngest one meets the rest of our family."
He ends the call, pocketing his phone with a sigh. Hyungwon finds less pleasure these days each time he calls for his favorite pledge. The telepath, once a pet to draw energy from when needed, had become part of Hyungwon's routine. He does not even feel excited knowing that Minhyuk will arrive shortly with his neck readily available for his master.
Hyungwon cannot get excited over Changkyun, either. To drink the blood of his own spawn- He gags at the thought, a bitter taste clouding over his tongue before another thoughts crosses his mind. "The mortal..."
Changkyun's first hunt had been a rather brawny man with a sparkle in his eyes, and a scent unlike any other he'd taken in before. Sweet and soft, Hyungwon thinks to himself, recalling the way the man's muscles had tensed and curved beneath his shirt as he helped Changkyun. After centuries of living, Hyungwon had lost his choosy attitude when it came to drinking. Women. Men. They were all the same. The only thing that lead him forward was the intoxicating scent of their blood.
Hyungwon hopes that he will be given the opportunity to taste from the man Changkyun called Hoseok, his lips dry at the thought. He spends the forty minutes he has left to wait in deep thought, broad features on his mind. The thought of going as far as claiming the floral mortal as a new pledge crossing his mind several times. Then he could have the man whenever he so chose.
"Master, please block your thoughts."
Minhyuk, dragging a nervous Changkyun behind him, enters what remains of an abandoned warehouse. Though Hyungwon is seated three floors beneath the surface, Minhyuk's mind can easily tap into the vampire's mind. He almost does not have to try. He is graced with the rather lewd images of a naked Hoseok, something he really does not want to see after already getting the full mental image of Changkyun's own fantasies from earlier.
Hyungwon guards himself at the request from three stories up, listening as two sets of footsteps echo along concrete, then metal steps, then concrete once more. He listens as Changkyun questions Minhyuk's words, not understanding how one is meant to block their thoughts. Oh how much you've still to learn, Hyungwon coos silently.
When both of his youngest disciples have found themselves in what Hyungwon calls his 'Dungeon', he stands from a cushion on the floor. Changkyun notices not for the first time that all the tall man's movements are completely fluid. It is almost as if his bones can bend beneath his skin, always forming to better help him move gracefully.
"You've called us, Master?" Minhyuk bows in greeting, dragging Changkyun down by the arm, imploring him to follow suit. Changkyun's eyes wander as Minhyuk tugs him down, his head turned when his eyes get caught on what looks like a-
"Coffin?"
Changkyun straightens at the sight, swaying on his feet almost immediately. Braving the weakening forces the sun has on him was an experience he did not want to have so soon into his change has left him dizzy and nauseous. Minhyuk steadies him, both the nurse and his Master laughing at Changkyun's shock.
"It's not for me," Hyungwon says quietly, eyeing the curious box tucked across the large space. This room, for the most part, is empty. A few cushions for sitting are scattered about, and there is a rather tall bookcase pushed to one wall, but beyond that the room is bare. Doors line the Northern-most wall, each shut tight, each with a stream of light pouring out from beneath it.
"Well who's it for then?" Changkyun's eyes comb the long line of doors, the sounds of heartbeats and pulse points loud in his ears. He can tell that each room hides away at least one person each, some with stronger hearts than others.
"For my pledges," Hyungwon answers honestly. Minhyuk shuffles in his place, remotely uncomfortable as his eyes linger on the row of doors. One of them houses his mother, though he can only hope that Hyungwon has not used her for to feed from. It was an addicting euphoria he would never allow his mother to succumb to.
"What's a pledge?" Changkyun whispers up to Minhyuk, forgetting momentarily that Hyungwon can hear him despite his best efforts.
"Men and women like Minhyuk, who serve and answer to me. Either through contracts, or by choice. They serve as my personal meals, always waiting and always ready." Hyungwon's thick lips curve into that familiar grin, all white teeth and mischief.
It puts Changkyun off, almost as much as the thought of holding people against their will to be continuously fed off of. "That's disgusting," he blurts before he can stop himself. This inability to control his mouth is going to become a problem for him soon, he can feel it.
Hyungwon shrugs, nodding despite his own opinions. "It's either feeding their addictions and keeping them alive, or letting them roam among humans and get snatched up by a rogue who will only drain them."
Minhyuk has grown increasingly uncomfortable, his weight endlessly shifting between both feet as Hyungwon's words dig into his chest. He cannot deny that he himself has been itching to be bitten in recent weeks. That bliss of a coma that one sinks into is more addictive than even heroine, and he has been deprived for a rather long time.
He is disgusted by his own thoughts, but he desperately wishes his master would just take from him and send him off for the night.
"So the coffin is for if one dies?"
Hyungwon nods, folding his hands behind his back. "Not by my own hands, of course. I haven't killed a human in a few decades, don't you worry about that."
Changkyun was not worried about that. But now the thought of his own ability to kill is a fresh worry in his head all over again. Minhyuk groans, pressing a hand to his temple as Changkyun's thoughts mingle with the thoughts of Hyungwon's pledges, too many thoughts to block out at once.
"Master, if you can please carry on with introductions? You know I can't be down here too long."
Hyungwon coos, a mocking sound that makes Minhyuk feel rather small before the tall man. "If you weren't such a precious one to me, I'd lock you with your mother for requesting things of me each time we hold dialogue."
Changkyun swallows, glancing Minhyuk's way at the mention of a mother. He does not know much about the man of half fae blood, and half whatever else. His chest suddenly aches for the man he is meant to consider a brother. Changkyun steps forward, bowing slightly to Hyungwon before speaking his own mind. "I agree, we should hurry. I don't feel well."
Hyungwon narrows his eyes on his youngest, knowing the effects of the sun are damaging, but not enough to make Changkyun hurry his Master along. "We'll meet the family at my own pace. Come, you'll meet the man that coffin is intended for first."
Minhyuk trails beside Changkyun, both men providing arms of support. Neither knows which needs the grip more, but they are both thankful.