Are You There - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Though Changkyun would like to live in his little sliver of the world with Jooheon forever, his mind cracks open at just the worst time, and he cannot avoid the call his Master sends for him. Just like the first, it does not feel like something he can ignore. It feels as if a piece of his soul could collapse inward if he does not listen.
Pretending he takes no notice of the dejected look in Jooheon's eyes when Changkyun suddenly rises from the break room sofa, the younger apologizes and rushes out into the store. "Hyunwoo," he calls out to his coworker in a blaze, praying not to be fired already. "I'm sorry but my father just called saying-"
"Just get the hell out," Hyunwoo mutters, not even bothering to glance up from his comic. He has become quickly accustomed to working long shifts alone. Despite that, there is a small emptiness that he cannot seem to shake, and he believes it has to do with Kihyun's sudden absence. "I'll tell the boss it's a family emergency. Whatever."
Changkyun rushes out with a shouted thanks, almost shrinking back into the store the moment the autumn sun hits him outside. It does not burn, per say, but it is a definite sensation that leaves him feeling uncomfortable in his own skin. Grumbling as he surprisingly heads back to his apartment, he tries to put on a brave face for passerby. Some still give him odd looks when he flinches back from the sun's reflections across passing cars. He almost hisses when the glint of a cellphone screen nicks his eyes as he crosses the street. Almost.
Changkyun feels bad for leaving his best friend back at the comic store, probably anxious and even hurt by the younger's sudden dismissal; but Changkyun knows he cannot avoid this call. He wonders as he walks if Hoseok is still at his apartment. Or if Minhyuk will be arriving shortly after him. He wonders if he will have to encounter others considered part of the family. Changkyun's stomach twists at the thought.
He makes it to his apartment quickly, the short trip still seeming too long under the heat of the autumn sunlight. He trudges into the building complex, the door to his home already standing open when he gets up the stairs to it. "Get outta the way," he grumbles when he recognizes Minhyuk's thin frame from behind.
The blonde, startled by his voice, moves into Changkyun's apartment in a hurry. "Sorry!" He calls over his shoulder in fright. "The door was already opened, I got here a minute ago."
Changkyun does not need an explanation, already comfortable having the nurse around him after but a few days of knowing the pale man. "Who else is here?" Changkyun asks him, glancing up to see his face clearer. He is surprised to see that the pale man is flushed through, pink tinged cheeks and ears the only greeting he gets. "Minhyuk-"
"Hoseok is here," he mutters quietly, jutting his chin out to indicate where the broad man still sleeps. Changkyun glances over, snickering when he spots Hoseok lying halfway off the couch, his shirt falling low at his collar, and his lips wide open to let a steady stream of drool hit his chin.
"If you're actually swooning over that," Changkyun mutters as he claps the nurse on the shoulder, "then you've got some low expectations."
"I wasn't swooning," Minhyuk replies quietly. "I was looking at his Mark." Minhyuk gestures towards the Mark that also stains his own chest, the two circles pulled together by a thin cord. "How the hell did that happen?"
Changkyun listens intently, suddenly on edge as he turns to shut his apartment door. He hears no signs of Hyungwon around, but he must be here. Changkyun and Minhyuk both were summoned here. "Where's Master?" Changkyun rushes out in a whisper, though the elder vampire can hear him at any volume if he is near enough.
"Didn't see him," Minhyuk mutters back, the pair shuffling towards Hoseok together. They do not want the Mark to be real. Though Changkyun has only had his for a blink of his life, he does not want his friend to endure it as well. Not after he fought so hard to keep himself out of it all.
"It's fake, right? It's a total fake."
"I'm afraid to say it's real." Both men jump, Minhyuk going as far as to shout out in fright. Hyungwon, appearing behind the men as if from the dust around the room, holds a small cat to his chest lovingly. "I was testing something out, and it went so terribly wrong."
Minhyuk groans, touching a palm to his head in visible pain. "Master, you're giving me a migraine." Hyungwon waves a hand at the nurse, clearly disinterested. The tall man coddles the kitten closer to his chest, cooing down at it before speaking again.
"I wanted to know if I could Claim an animal."
Changkyun scoffs, his lips curling back in a tight grimace. "You've been around since the seventeen-hundreds, and you're just now trying to claim an animal?"
Minhyuk, more level-headed than his younger friend, steps forward. "How did you manage to claim Hoseok instead? Master, that doesn't even make sense."
"Well he was holding the kitten," Hyungwon murmurs, stroking the dark object of fluff in his arms.
Falling to his knees dramatically, Changkyun lets out a long groan of frustration. He is beyond words right now. Every insult he would like to throw at the imbecile before him has to be bitten back. He knows he could be easily killed for the words he may use. So he only punches at his coffee table, chipping the wood and splintering it onto the floor. The kitten hisses in his owner's arms, clearly displeased with the room's energy.
Hoseok jars at the sound of the table, inhaling sharply before tumbling sideways over the edge of the couch. He groans as he sits up from the floor, a hand to his head as he squints around the living room. "Where the hell am I?" He mutters, yawning a moment later. He finds Changkyun first, then nods as he recalls just where he has fallen asleep.
Still half-asleep, Hoseok's mind is open to Changkyun. The younger's own is nearly an unlocked vault to Hoseok as well; Kihyun's creeping truly broke his wall earlier and he has no clue how to fix it. The men stare at one another for a collection of four seconds before Hoseok's head snaps up, having read through Changkyun's memories until this point. A pale hand slaps against his chest in shock, the air rushing from his lungs before gasping inward a moment later.
"WHAT!" He peels the collar of his shirt back to check his broad chest, the Mark there dark and plain, easy enough to see from any angle. "What the hell is this-"
"You held my kitten!" Hyungwon blurts, clearly upset with himself just as much as everyone else is. If not more so.
Hoseok gasps, taking the words horribly wrong. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?"
Hyungwon grips his creature by its scruff, holding it out towards Hoseok as proof. "My kitten! You held her!"
Changkyun, filing through Hoseok's memories, can see it clearly. "He's not lying," the youngest mumbles as he glares at the brown kitten held in the air for all to see. "You did hold the cat."
Hoseok scoffs, smacking at his chest in terror. "Bullshit! I don't even remember any of it! I only remember kissing Jooheon-" Hoseok stops, scraping a hand down the side of his face in confusion. "Why do I remember that?" He wonders aloud, glancing towards Changkyun.
The younger averts his gaze, staring hard at the floor. His shoe scuffs against the carpet nervously, Hoseok's eyes still on him. Minhyuk does not particularly care about whatever is happening within their silent exchange, his eyes still on his Master in shock. "Sir," Minhyuk mutters as he steps closer. "You know better than this. The Counsel won't stand for a Claim on a fae. A pledge, they'll forgive. But you cannot Claim him-"
"I claimed you, and nobody has given a damn since." Hyungwon glares down his round nose at Minhyuk, who backs down in an instant.
Hoseok stands from his spot in a rush, not having heard the exchange. "Changkyun, gimme back my memories."
The younger splutters, blinking a few times as the older rushes at him. "I didn't take them!" Changkyun feels wrongly accused, confused over what to do and how to do it. "I can't actually take them-" He pauses before glancing at Hyungwon for clarity. "Can I?"
"Of course you can," Hoseok hisses as he makes a grab for Changkyun. "Now give 'em back! You don't think I deserve to see whether or not I let him Claim me- Ugh!"
Changkyun sidesteps Hoseok's reach, the broad man's feet tripping beneath him after a too heavy sleep. Changkyun desperately wants to disappear. He does not want to argue or fight with Hoseok over something neither of them truly understand. He wants to evaporate into nothingness like his Master does so well. He wants to hide.
When Hoseok finally collects himself, standing with the aid of a startled Minhyuk, the broad man turns to face Changkyun with a determined glare. Surely the younger can return his memories. Even if it was accidental thievery, surely they can be returned with enough effort. Hoseok needs proof that he was not coerced into this sick tradition of vampiric claims.
But when he looks to the youngest of the bunch, he is surprised to find nobody there. Hyungwon, still stood in the doorway to the den, applauds around the grip of his kitten. He is clearly excited about something, but neither of the fae can determine what has just happened. The kitten mewls in Hyungwon's arms, clearly startled by the jostling of its owner.
"Did he jump out the window?" Minhyuk wonders aloud, though the only window in the den is sealed shut, the curtains drawn.
Hyungwon, practically buzzing in his place, lets out a shriek of excitement. "'Attaboy!" Bending to drop his cat onto the carpet, Hyungwon keeps his eyes on the dust that settles around the space Changkyun had once occupied. "Finally, you've figured out something useful!"
Changkyun, nod understanding what has just happened, opens his mouth to speak. Not a single sound escapes, and he makes an attempt to reach a hand towards the men around him. He realizes after a long moment that nobody can see him, and he believes he has gone invisible. He realizes a moment later that he cannot feel his body beneath him. It is as if the particles that once held him whole are scattered; he has become nothing but air and old cells. He can see everything, around him, beneath him, above him. He can move about, yet it feels as if he is stomping through a vivid dream.
His body, settling still somewhere in the dust on the floor, gives him no aid as he attempts to turn and face his Master. He feels as if he is trudging through the ocean; everything is heavy, and he cannot escape it. "Master," he calls blindly, the sound vacant and reaching not even the keen ears of the aged vampire in the den.
Hyungwon, recalling the first time he had accidentally caved into dust, smiles to himself as he steps lightly towards where he assumes his youngest is. "Changkyun, try not to panic."
Hoseok and Minhyuk shuffle back as a team, startled by the sight of the tall man speaking to the dim air before him. "What's happening?" Minhyuk whispers, silencing a moment later with only a glance from his Master. Hoseok remains silent during the whole exchange, nervous more now than he was after just waking up and discovering half his mind had been blurred out of existence.
"It's a very easy fix." Holding his hands in the air, Hyungwon breathes steadily, hoping that Changkyun will follow his actions. "Just like building your wall, pay clear attention to where you rest and the emptiness that surrounds you. You must place all your focus into gathering yourself back into place."
"How?" Changkyun still cannot be heard, and his worry is beginning to become insurmountable. He will surely go into shock at this rate. He cannot take this stress. He wishes he had chosen to just die when given the option days ago. Dying would have been quick and easy, albeit painful. Now he is only suffering, and making those around him suffer worse. "I can't do it."
Hoseok, gathering what has happened, makes an attempt to find Changkyun's muddled thoughts. Though his body has been scattered like ashes in the sea, his mind is broken and flowing a steady IV drip of fear and anguish. Hey, Hoseok calls out in his mind.
Minhyuk startles beside him, the thoughts louder than Hoseok had expected. The nurse realizes he is still gripping the broad man's arm, once there to steady him, and releases his hold quickly. Whatever is happening, he does not particularly want to hear it.
Hey, Hoseok calls again when he gets no reply from his younger friend.
Changkyun cannot hear the broad man over the torrential storm his mind has become. His thoughts blur as they pass him by, sinking through the open space beneath him as if in a whirlpool. Hoseok cannot get a shout in edgewise.
"He's blocked me out," Hoseok whispers over to Hyungwon, who nods in understanding.
"Not on purpose," the vampire murmurs as he takes another small step forward. "I'm sure he is terrified." Hoseok nods. He can feel that much from the youngest, wherever he may have disappeared to. "Young one, I have no intention of repeating myself. So listen closely."
Changkyun, who feels as if he is fading deeper into a trench, tries his hardest to let his vision latch onto his Master. The silver-haired man before him is staring directly through Changkyun, not at him, but through the space he occupies. It is unsettling, and Changkyun wants to disappear even further, perhaps into the wall this time.
"Control your breathing. You will not die in this state, and you will not be trapped." Hyungwon lifts a hand as he inhales, pushing that same hand down as he exhales. "Follow this," he instructs, breathing in a slow rhythm. The fae in the corner of the room follow as well, knowing nothing else of what they can do.
Changkyun breathes. Or does what feels close enough to pulling oxygen in and pushing it out. He cannot tell if he even has lungs anymore.
"It will be a bit painful when your body finds itself again. Unfortunately, it is much harder to organize your cells than it is to tear them apart, but it's quick, I guarantee that." Hyungwon's voice is surprisingly low as he speaks directly to his youngest, his face void of any usual smirk or grin.
It is a sight Changkyun wishes he could see more often. His Master is naturally quite alluring, and when he speaks so gently, he almost seems like someone Changkyun could follow along behind.
"Imagine everything reforming," Hyungwon adds quietly. "The image of you should be clear in your own mind. Pull it together."
"It hurts," he whimpers, though nothing but dust shifts in the air. Surely he will never grow used to this kind of torture. He does want to, however. He should not have to.
Slowly, a faded replica of Changkyun forms and takes shape on the ground. Minhyuk is the first to catch the shift of light against the man's dark skin, hitting the ground quickly to reach out for the youngest. His natural urge to help takes over, but Hyungwon catches the nurse's hand from the air before it can touch Changkyun.
"Unless you want him to solidify with your hand shoved through his ribs, I'd let the process finish."
Minhyuk pulls his hand away from his Master, frowning pitifully as he watches alongside the others. Changkyun is a shuddering mess on the carpet, fading in and out of a solid figure. He resembles a glitch on a television screen, and Minhyuk wonders just how badly it must hurt to wink into existence before winking out once again. Terrible, he thinks in answer.
Changkyun is weak when he finally sags completely against the floor, his shirt stuck fast to his back from a heavy sweat that dampens his skin. His breathing is ragged, and his shoulders shake as he attempts to take in enough oxygen. His mouth is dry, and his tongue feels like sandpaper when it darts out to wet his lips.
The wall in his mind has officially crumbled, his weakened state leaving him open and vulnerable. And lethal. Minhyuk can only catch one thought before the nurse is suddenly flattened against the carpet, the youngest straddling him in an instant.
Changkyun is starving.