Are You There - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Jooheon is surprisingly alone when Hoseok wanders from the bathroom, an address and a request still fresh in his mind as he searches the cafe for Kihyun. "Where'd the creep go?" He asks the blonde when he reclaims his spot in their booth.
Jooheon shrugs, waving a hand dismissively. "Not a clue." He pulls a cup of iced tea towards himself, having ordered while Hoseok was indisposed of. "He just made up some excuse about his mom and ran out."
Hoseok cares more than Jooheon, it would seem. He wants to know where the rat has fled to. He wants to know if the red-head understands what Hoseok does. If he realizes that his identity has already been discovered-
"I didn't order you anything, I figured you'd be out quick too." At Hoseok's glance, Jooheon explains further. "You just looked worried on the phone, and then you ran off to hide. Whatever it is, I just kinda thought you'd have to leave."
The blonde stirs his straw around his sweating glass, keeping his expression soft as he watches his ice cubes bounce against one another. Hoseok watches the action, wondering just how safe Jooheon could be alone. He is not a child, of course, but he is still missing several days worth of life, and could run into just about anything.
"I don't have to go," he reasons quietly, knowing that to be a lie. The message Minhyuk sent him after Hyungwon had so rudely ended their call was concise enough. If he did not come around eventually, he would simply be fetched. Minhyuk had assured Hoseok that the retrieval process could become incredibly ugly, and the fae is not looking for trouble from anyone outside of his bloodline.
"It sounded serious, whatever it was. I'll be fine, don't worry about it." Jooheon continues stirring his tea, but his dark eyes finally lift to Hoseok's. They narrow and pinch as he attempts to smile at his older friend, and he is glad when Hoseok sighs in understanding. The older cannot tell that the smile is fake, and he cannot read what hides beneath it.
Hoseok reaches forward to pat Jooheon's hand, but the blonde flinches back and only smiles. "Go on, I'm headed home soon. Before it gets too dark out."
Hoseok pretends he is not hurt by the dismissal, sliding back out of the booth with a gruff, "Fine then." When he stands before his friend, he offers only a nod before muttering, "Get back safe. Lock your doors."
Hoseok wanders slowly towards the main door to the cafe, his eyes lingering on the blonde. The younger watches the broad man go, their eyes meeting several times. Each time, they fake a smile, or nod in parting. It is not normal, and Hoseok can feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise when he finally faces the door to pull it open. Stepping into the cold air of a rushing afternoon, Hoseok turns to watch the blonde man just once more, his eyes lingering longer than they have during the entire encounter. I see you, Kihyun, he thinks to himself. I don't know what you're playing at, but I see you.
Just as he turns to walk away, the blonde man within the cafe shudders and shakes away the mask he has pulled over himself, revealing his vivid red hair and thin cheeks to the bright interior. The original Jooheon appears a few moments later, walking from the hall of bathrooms with a frown.
"That jerk locked the men's room. I had to sneak into the lady's room." Jooheon looks up to find Kihyun still sat alone, a glass of iced tea in front of him.
"I ordered this for you," he informs the blonde, pushing it towards him across the table. "And Hoseok left, by the way. He said that call was important and he had to go."
Though Kihyun's words make sense, they are far from the truth. What the red-head does not realize is that Hoseok still remains just outside the cafe, stood in the shadows of a looming storefront sign and a bus stop. He has seen the entire show Kihyun put on just for him. As he watches the pair inside the cafe, both chatting awkwardly, Hoseok shifts in place with dread dripping down his spine.
He wants to go inside and confront the snake of a man before Jooheon. He wants to ask him how they could have been friends for years before he decided to turn and latch his claws into Jooheon's skin. But he has been summoned, and Hoseok knows he cannot simply ignore it.
So throwing caution to the wind just this once, Hoseok prays that Jooheon can protect himself against the incubus sitting just across the table from him. It is all Hoseok can do for now.
[ x ]
"What're we doing here?" Changkyun's throat feels raw after groaning in pain for ten straight minutes. Tilting his head back to see the top of the looming building, spotting a few steeples at the sides, he can only sigh. "Aren't vampires supposed to like, burn alive if they go into a church?"
Hyungwon's wide eyes roll, his large hand guiding Changkyun along at his elbow. "And how in the world do you expect to burn alive, when you're dead?"
Changkyun's nerves do not settle, but he does nod at the quip his Master makes. While the church may be safe, he is losing faith fast thinking that Hyungwon may be the one unsafe for him. Minhyuk on his other side remains quiet, having come to the chapel with Hyungwon many times before. It is not anything new to any bloodline; it is something vampires have practiced for centuries in fact. Hallowed ground is the only safe place to meet with other creatures of the night.
Killing one another, or causing any disrupt between the species on sacred lands, would immediately create a conflict or even bring about war. Meeting Hoseok here is the safest move Hyungwon can make, especially now that he is being trailed by a fresh half-blood vampire.
"Okay but you haven't answered why we're here." Changkyun, still new to Hyungwon's inability to deliver straightforward answers, has grown impatient. "Are we going to confess?"
"It's a neutral space to meet other bloodlines," Minhyuk says quietly as they cross the threshold at the main entrance. In the middle of the city, there are not many churches to be found, yet Changkyun figures this must be the only Catholic one he has seen this far into Seoul. Or perhaps he has never ventured too deeply into the neighborhoods.
"So who're we meeting?"
Hyungwon, with another roll of his eyes, leads his two disciples up an eastern staircase just beyond the entrance. It leads up to the second level, opening to a small space with a few pews, and a small dais. Changkyun remembers from his childhood of attending church that this is where a choir would reside during the sermon.
"We're meeting your fae friend," Hyungwon informs Changkyun. Peering down at the young man, Hyungwon fights his annoyance as he continues on. "Are you a bit ignorant? Should I have chosen that lumbering friend of yours that works in the daytime at your little book store?"
Changkyun scoffs, feeling insulted despite his hatred of the new life he was taken into. Putting aside Hyungwon's comment, Changkyun wonders aloud, "Do you think he and I are going to be in each other's heads like this forever?"
Even now, Changkyun can feel each sensation Hoseok feels; each thought that sweeps the broad man strikes down the dark man; each revelation simultaneously dawns on Changkyun. Before Hyungwon or Minhyuk can provide him with an answer, he asks another sudden question. "You said that an incubus was bad, right? Because I think Hoseok just met one."
Changkyun scratches at the back of his head, the thoughts unclear as they reach the back of his mind and fizzle out.
Minhyuk bristles beside the dark boy, his eyes going wide as he looks to their Master. "Sir-"
"Let's not dwell on it," Hyungwon says quickly, waving a dismissive hand. He ushers the pair to sit with him in the front pew of the quire. "I'm sure he's met plenty of energy-sucking derelicts before, and he will surely meet plenty more in his lifetime. If he's recognized one, then he'll surely be safe."
Minhyuk and Changkyun both nod, the nurse still anxious as he is pressed into the arm of the small pew. Changkyun, between his Master and his new brother, stares off to his left where an altar rests at the head of the church. He wonders whether a man with a tall cap and gown stands there on Sundays; or perhaps just a man in a black cloak and white collar. The ring of a cellphone interrupts the gentle silence of the church, two pairs of eyes landing on the dark boy between them. Changkyun flinches as he tugs his phone from his sweatshirt pocket, surprised to even hear it. He feels as if he has not touched it in days.
Hoseok's contact photo and name flash up at the dark boy, and he swipes his finger across the screen to speak. "Hey," he mutters, his shoulders scrunching forward as if to hide his conversation from the two within ear shot.
"First off, stop thinking about tall priest hats, it's really annoying." Hoseok's tone makes Changkyun's cheeks flush with embarrassment, having forgotten that their connection worked both ways. "Second, do you think it would be a bad idea to kill Yoo Kihyun?"
The word incubus flashes in Changkyun's mind again, and he stands in realization. "What?" Turning to lean against the lacquered banister of the quire, Changkyun lets his mouth fall open in surprise. "It's Kihyun? That damn leech-"
"Before you start proclaiming your love for your best friend, you mind answering me?" Hoseok is beyond annoyed, though his underlying worry for Jooheon helps him to soften his tone a moment later. "Ask your Master if it'd like, be detrimental if you just kinda broke Kihyun's neck."
Changkyun looks to Hyungwon, who can very clearly hear the man on the other end of the call. Hyungwon pretends to ponder over his answer, his wide eyes blinking several times as he breaks into a smile. "You'd be taken before the Counsel and lanced with silver-coated blades."
Changkyun swallows, thinking back to all the silly supernatural stories he loves so dearly. In most novels and comics, silver is harmful to werewolves and their blood-sucking enemies. "That's bad, yeah?"
Minhyuk snorts, lifting a hand to cover his gaping grin as he turns away. Hyungwon also smirks, finding the youngest's naivety impossibly endearing. Despite his ignorance, Changkyun creates quite the show at most any opportunity.
Relaying back to Hoseok what Hyungwon has said, he sighs. "It sounds bad," he says when he glances back to find both men still hiding their smiles. "I don't know what a Counsel is, or why killing just one thing would make me get stabbed over and over but-"
"Okay okay, forget I asked." Hoseok lets out one long sigh, growing tired with having Changkyun voice the thoughts he can already hear. "I'm like five minutes away from this address, my cab got caught in traffic so I'm a little late."
"You're in a cab, but you're talking about murdering someone?" Changkyun cannot help but shake his head at the older man, pushing off from the banister and settling back into his pew. "Never mind. Just hurry and get here. I wanna figure this whole thing out."
"Yeah sure. I'm hanging up now." Hoseok ends the call for the both of them, settling into his seat in the back of the cab, a heavy weight settling onto his chest. He cannot understand why he never caught onto Kihyun before. The whole group of friends knew that the fake red-head was completely possessive over Jooheon, but Hoseok never suspected him to be anything more than a jealous kid.
He never even let you shake his hand, Hoseok reminds himself. Like vampires, the incubi and succubi have more demonic blood within them than the fae. Given abilities meant to entrap and hold rather than heal and protect, it is harder for them to be spotted. They are more cunning than they ought to be, and have the same keen nose as a vampire, surely the reason Kihyun would never let Hoseok touch him.
The bastard knew I was fae immediately-
Dude, shut up.
Hoseok blinks at the direct words, clearly having come straight from Changkyun. Sorry, he thinks having also forgotten of the connection. Both men now know that this ill not be anything to simply get used to. He can only hope that walls strong enough to keep one another out can be built.
He arrives shortly, paying his cab driver and staring up at the hulking church. He certainly was not expecting this, even after Changkyun's thoughts of a church filtered into his own mind. Though it makes sense to meet on hallowed ground, Hoseok is remotely uncomfortable as he pushes the front doors open to enter, the silence a shock when the door closes behind him. After living for so long in Seoul, he's grown accustomed to the sounds of the city. The church must be made of brimstone and mortar to be able to block out even the rush hour traffic of the approaching evening.
"Hello?" He calls out, his echo coming back to him thrice.
He flinches back when a reply comes from above him, his feet carrying him forward as his eyes lift to his left. He spots Changkyun leaning over a railing, two men sat behind him with rather reserved expressions. It is not hard to recognize Minhyuk, only being apart from him for a few hours. Hoseok guesses that the other is the infamous Hyungwon. He recalls him from the night before; he is the man that dragged Hoseok over to Changkyun and caused this whole mess. The broad man's lips turn downward with a nasty frown, his feet turning to take him back to the staircase Changkyun gestures to.
Stalking up the steps, Hoseok has to bite his tongue when he meets the three figures in the small space he has entered. He wants desperately to call Hyungwon a piece of garbage, a bastard, a soulless freak that probably kills for sport. But when the tall man stands with Minhyuk to greet the newcomer, all his thoughts freeze. Just like the night before, he is struck by the beauty lain out across Hyungwon's features. Changkyun, with a hand at his throat, gags at Hoseok's thoughts.
Of course, Changkyun can recognize that his Master is indeed handsome, he knows that he will not be fawning over him anytime soon. Not after the hell Hyungwon has dragged him into. "Excuse me!" Changkyun stomps a foot, growing annoyed as Hoseok continues gawking. "This is a church, at least keep your head clean while you're in here."
Hoseok's dark eyes flicker towards his friend, cringing as his cheeks flush. "Whatever," he mumbles defiantly. "At least I wasn't bumming someone in my head," he comments darkly.
Minhyuk, who has already reclaimed his spot on the pew, guffaws loudly. "That really was too much," he tells Changkyun snidely, hiding his grin behind his hand again.
Hyungwon glances between all three men, two blushing furiously while the other's veins stand at attention, his laughter causing him physical pain. "What have I missed?" The tallest man asks, his eyes still flitting from face to face as he receives no answer. "What is bumming?"
Changkyun drops his face into a dark hand, hiding himself away and falling into the pew beside Minhyuk once again. "Can't we drop this, holy shit-"
Minhyuk smacks at the dark man's leg, hushing him. "We're in a church," he reminds the youngest.
"Well I'm a walking dead body, so I think I cancel out the church's rules." Changkyun's words make sense, but Minhyuk sits back with a pout, unconvinced. Leaning himself forward, Changkyun peers up at his Master. "Are we going to talk about this connection now, or what? I feel like this is the worst thing you could have done to me, if I'm honest."
Hoseok scoffs, crossing his thick arms over his chest defensively. "Not like I wanna go dicking around your head either, kid-"
"That's not what I meant." Changkyun groans, running a hand through his hair before dropping his eyes to the ground. His shoes are scuffed around the edges, probably from running around the last few nights, and he makes the mental note to have them buffed out later. Peering up at Hoseok through his fringe, he continues. "I just meant that having to see and hear everything someone else does while I'm living my own life is gonna make it a little hard to... Y'know-"
Hoseok holds a hand up, stopping Changkyun in his tracks. "Don't even talk to me about your private life. I'm the one who actually gets laid on a regular basis. You think I wanna get some dick knowing you can see everything?"
Blushing, Changkyun ducks his head again. "I wasn't even gonna talk about sex, pervert." Minhyuk's hand comes down to pat the youngest's shoulder, trying to calm down his rising tension. It does not help, and Changkyun actually flinches at the contact. "I was gonna mention everything. Literally anything becomes ten times harder because I've got you in my head doing something completely different-"
"Everyone, silence yourselves." Hyungwon, with a hand to his temple, practically pleads this of the insolent men surrounding him. Glancing between Hoseok and Changkyun, the tall man lets out a small sigh. "I do apologize for putting you both together like this. It is my fault, therefore it will be my responsibility to help build a divide between the two of you."
Hoseok taps at the side of his head, shrugging one shoulder halfheartedly. "I've already got a block up. Your little half-blood couldn't even crack it earlier."
Hyungwon glances at Minhyuk, who nods in shame. "I had to make contact with him to read him at one point," the nurse admits.
"Then we'll have to build a wall in Changkyun's mind," Hyungwon states firmly. He takes two long strides before kneeling before his pair of disciples. "Young one, while this is the very least of my worries, I will put my life aside to help you past this small hurdle."
Though he says it with a small smile, Changkyun can see through the thinly veiled insult. Hyungwon does not actually want to help anybody, he just knows that he must. "Great," Changkyun mutters, forcing his lips to remain sealed after. "What do I have to do?"
Hyungwon nods to Minhyuk, who kneels down beside his master to clasp onto Changkyun's hands. Just like earlier, Minhyuk is nervous to try to close off the space in the youngest's mind. He is not incredible at it on other people, and he has never had to build a rift between people with a natural connection like he and Hoseok now have. It worries him, and his hands begin to sweat atop Changkyun's.
"First, I want you to focus on each thought that belongs to Hoseok. Pin each down. Find them and hold them still."
[ x ]
It is already late in the evening when Changkyun is finally given clearance to leave the church. Hoseok is partially erased from his mind, only a small filter of thoughts making it into his mind when Hoseok has a particularly strong feeling. Jooheon sits outside of Changkyun's apartment when the young man finally wanders home, his stomach beginning to ache after going nearly twenty-four full hours without feeding. Hyungwon had assured the dark boy that his body would not need fresh blood for quite a while after he had nearly drained his friend, but Changkyun can already feel the rush of dizziness that comes with exhaustion.
"What're you doing here?" Kicking his foot towards Jooheon, Changkyun can barely control his words. His hunger brings a bite into his attitude, and he can barely feel sorry when Jooheon seems taken aback at his tone.
"I had a run-in with Kihyun earlier, and I didn't really wanna head back to my place. I think he's following me." The blonde stands from his space on the apartment hall's floor, rubbing at his backside as pins and needles sink into his muscles. "I'm sorry," he blurts out quickly. "It was stupid to come out here and bother you."
Jooheon shakes his head at himself, and Changkyun almost finds himself nodding along. But somewhere deep inside, he is glad to see his best friend. In the last few days of mess and havoc, Changkyun has barely been able to even share a smile with the blonde, and that hurts more than the hunger rumbling deep in his gut.
Pulling his keys from his pocket, Changkyun asks casually, "Why didn't you let yourself in?"
Jooheon shrugs, kicking his foot against the carpet beneath him. "I just feel like we've been at a weird place since the other day," he admits. Perhaps he can barely remember the last two days or so, but he can recall the cafe on Tuesday afternoon, when Changkyun walked out on him. "It's making me nervous," he adds quietly.
Changkyun sighs, unlocking his door and holding it open for Jooheon. He still is not confident that he can restrict his hunger, or his thoughts, while Jooheon is around. But Changkyun knows that he can at least flee if need be. "What happened with Kihyun?" He asks casually, pretending as if he does not know everything already.
Hoseok's thoughts were quite vivid in person, and during the three hours it took to place the block in Changkyun's mind, the two had shared everything they had missed when apart. It was like watching a film in black and white, and then suddenly one in technicolor. Everything was as if the other had lived through the memory themselves. It was off-putting to say the least.
"Like I said, I think he's following me. He showed up out of absolutely nowhere while Hoseok and I were headed to our usual cafe." Raking a hand through his bleached hair, Jooheon sighs. He steps out of his shoes, ignoring the pair of slippers beside them and walking into the apartment with just his socks.
Changkyun follows suit, their steps nearly silent on the plastic tiles of the kitchen. "What happened at the cafe?"
Jooheon shrugs, moving towards the fridge hesitantly. He glances at his best friend questioningly, wondering if it is even okay for him to just open the appliance now. Changkyun nods to him, waving for him to just take what he pleases. None of it is appealing to the younger any longer, someone may as well eat it all.
"Well, Hoseok got called away for something important I guess." Disappearing into the fridge for a moment, Changkyun gets a rather perfect view of the blonde's figure as he bends forward to rummage about.
Dark eyes fall over the curve of Jooheon's ass, slipping down his thighs, and back up again. He looks particularly muscular while tucked into a pair of black skinnies, and Changkyun cannot help but smirk to himself before Jooheon can stand back up with a can of Milkis in his hand.
"Once Hoseok left," Jooheon continues, popping the can open and taking a quick sip. "Kihyun got all kinds of clingy. He kept asking when we'd get back together. He tried stripping me in the damn booth!"
Changkyun's stomach churns at the thought, his eyes hitting the floor as he imagines Jooheon getting physical with anyone else. Maybe a few days ago, he would have just stuffed his feelings down and ignored the ache in his chest. But now, with this new mindset and his inability to control his needs any longer, Changkyun cannot stuff a single thought down.
Swallowing his hunger, Changkyun steps as close to Jooheon as he dares. The blonde watches Changkyun's approach, staring down at his nose when the dark man is practically breathing his own air. "Can I make a small request?"
Setting his can down on the counter behind him, Jooheon can only nod. The look in Changkyun's eyes is nearly enough to make him turn towards the door and flee. Something raw behind those black embers scares Jooheon, though he does not know why. "Fire away," he mutters.
Lifting a hand to drop it onto Jooheon's shoulder gently, Changkyun speaks with the grace of a ballerina on her center stage. "I'd really like it if you only let me see you like that from now on."
Changkyun is not fully conscious of his words, but he does not stutter as he continues. "Don't go around letting other men touch you, okay?" He steps away before Jooheon's intoxicating scent can overpower his senses. Forcing a dimpled smile onto his dark lips, Changkyun stares deep into Jooheon's sparkling eyes. "Understand?"
The blonde only nods, confused, but not strong enough to argue.
Both men part and go their separate ways in the small apartment. Changkyun's hunger grows the longer Jooheon remains in his home, but he feels content knowing that he has at least let himself speak his mind. Whether he regrets it in the morning, or when his stomach has been filled; he is not sure of any of that. He only knows that he rests above his covers easily knowing that at least his affections have finally been addressed.