Are You There - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Changkyun's stomach churns at Hyungwon's suggestion. He cannot just turn someone. The decision to tell Jooheon had been sudden and last minute, but now he cannot even do that without horrifying consequences.
"I can't," he whispers over his shoulder to his Master, the pair both staring at the man huddled on the floor. He looks dizzy sat there, and Changkyun wonders if he will faint before the argument can end.
"You very easily can," Hyungwon argues pointedly. "But you won't." Changkyun nods, his answer definitive. "You don't want him to remember you?"
Changkyun's eyes close for a moment in thought, his head giving a solid shake. "No. I took myself away so I could get myself under control, and I don't wanna give myself back. I wanted this restart, I'm not taking it back-"
"Excuse me, but could someone please find my phone for me? I think I wanna call my mom."
Changkyun is startled by the blonde's voice across the room, suddenly worried that the older man has heard the hushed conversation. The younger vampire glances at his Master, wondering what to do in silence. "Master," he whispers furiously, lifting a hand to his hair in agitation. "Just... Would a glamour work? Could I just convince him that I exist?"
Hyungwon shrugs, leaning back against a wall with a proud smirk. "You can go ahead and try. I've never bothered keeping someone I told alive, so I think I'd like to watch this play out." His tone tugs a grimace onto Changkyun's face, and the younger cannot bite his tongue.
"Listen, Master. I get that you're caught up right now in your own damn issues, but if you're not even going to help me clean up the mess you dragged me into, just get the fuck out of my apartment."
Hyungwon's eyes widen a fraction of an inch, and Changkyun finds satisfaction in the older man's surprise. While the pair enter into a silent match of wills, neither men notice as Jooheon stands from his place and begins to inch towards the window.
He has felt trapped in this room for too long. Since last night when he had fallen near comatose atop the bed, his final question still lingering on his lips even now. What did Changkyun really mean by years? More than that now, he wants to know how the hell he can get out undetected. The apartment is on the ground floor, which he finds odd because he had gone up some stairs after entering the lobby, but without his phone he is not sure if he can navigate the neighboring streets and make it back to his and Kihyun's place.
He scans the floor as he shuffles closer to the tall window, watching for any glint of metal or glass. His pants are still balled up at the foot of the bed, his legs only covered by his boxers, and he wonders if his phone could be resting in one of the pockets. He does not know how silent he can remain moving those six feet forward, but the two men across the room seem distracted enough to take the risk. One long step forward and he is already half way towards the heap of dark denim. Neither of the men look towards him, and he believes he can reach the jeans before they do.
Though both men can surely hear the blonde shifting about, neither decide to pay him much mind. Hyungwon pushes past Changkyun's mental block and communicates silently, urging him to just turn the human and feel the rush of power. Changkyun fights back, trying his hardest to build up his wall again and silence the vampire. He does not work quick enough, and catches a snippet of Hoseok's thoughts from somewhere else, panicked and tense.
It is at that moment that Jooheon finally reaches his jeans, his phone tumbling to the floor followed by something that almost makes him shout out in relief. He snatches up the glint of metal, his phone coming next. Changkyun turns to the blonde, less worried now about what he may have seen earlier, and far more worried about what his fae is doing to Minhyuk.
The young vampire is shocked by the sight of Jooheon holding up a small pocket knife, his last defense that he thanks anyone above listening for. He had grabbed it just in case his date went sour and he needed to protect himself. He has never used the pocket knife for anything more than opening a box, and both vampires can see the shake in Jooheon's hand as he holds it away from him.
"It's far more effective if you actually remove the blade," Hyungwon comments from behind his youngest. "But don't bother with that anyhow. Even if you stab us through, nothing will happen." Hyungwon lifts his hands at his sides, as if beckoning the blade forward.
Jooheon's hand wavers harder, scared to see someone so willfully unafraid. He himself is terrified of knives, and would be quivering if anyone ever threatened him with one like this. But he stays rooted in place and flicks the blade out from its metal handhold, his phone still off at his hip. "Listen, I don't wanna hurt anyone-"
"You won't," Changkyun interrupts, lifting both his hands in surrender when Jooheon swipes the knife through the air threateningly. Changkyun eyes the blade, recalling when he he had bought it for the blonde years ago, his apartment at the time in a rougher side of Seoul.
"Well not if you just explain yourselves!" Jooheon swipes the blade through the air again, the sound sharp and smooth. Neither vampire flinches, and Jooheon grows further nervous as he watches their expressions remain calm. "I wanna know what you meant by years," Jooheon nearly shouts out to Changkyun. He points the knife like an extension of his arm, moving onto Hyungwon next. "And I want to know what you mean by... By turning me!"
"Here's your chance, young one." Hyungwon shoves Changkyun forward between his shoulder blades, sending him stumbling towards Jooheon. The blonde leaps back in a fright, his knife still held out despite the forwarding body. He feels a tug against his hand, and realizes that his eyes are squeezed shut as he huddles backward against the closed window.
He peeks out between his lashes, screaming when he sees that his knife has descended completely into the right side of Changkyun's chest. "Shit!" Jooheon tugs his hand away, the knife staying put in the vampire's skin and sticking out at an odd angle.
Hyungwon laughs in excitement from his corner of the room, his hands clapping together in joy as he watches his youngest poke at the blade. Jooheon lets out a string of curses, his eyes welling with tears as he realizes what he has just done. This guy is gonna die, and he is going to be put into prison. He will never get out, not for murder in someone else's home! He 2ill be trapped!
Sighing, Changkyun figures this is the best chance he will ever get to tell Jooheon the truth and have him believe it. Wrapping his dark hand around the metal grip of the blade, Changkyun pulls it from his chest in one smooth tug. Blood wells up on his shirt for only a few seconds before the wound closes and smooths over. His shirt will remain stained and torn, but no other remnants of what has just happened linger on his skin.
Jooheon stops crying, and Changkyun is given only two seconds to open his mouth and drop the knife before the blonde collapses.
"I think that went rather well," Hyungwon says to nobody in particular, his grin evident through his voice. Changkyun wonders if he should linger here with the blonde or find the fae that's crashed back into his mind once again, and lets out a groan of frustration as he decides.
"Stay here with him for like an hour," Changkyun commands as he turns to face his Master.
"Excuse me?" Hyungwon's hand pushes his hair back from his face in annoyance, his eyes failing to grasp any fault in Changkyun's expression. "You're not in any position to order your own Master. You are the one that begged me to come along today, you're not escaping that easily-"
"Hoseok's energy is draining and he's probably about to kill himself to save your telepath's life. So if you don't fucking mind, I'm leaving."
Changkyun does not head his tone, the pain from Hoseok's body suddenly washing over his own body all at once. He is still weak from his accidental fade only an hour ago, and is not sure just how much help he can be to his fae, but he shoves past Hyungwon anyhow and escapes to the kitchen. He would do better with some fresh blood, but the remaining two cold packs he has stored in his refrigerator will have to do.
"What exactly do you mean Hoseok's energy is draining?"
Changkyun's knees buckles as he attempts to tear the first pack open, and he knows that the fae on the other side of this connection must be far worse off. "I can feel him dying," Changkyun blurts, ripping open his blood pack and paying no mind to the large spot that hits his kitchen floor. "I can feel it," he murmurs quieter, almost whimpering as he drags himself towards his front door.
Hyungwon's mouth parts, words falling onto deaf ears as Changkyun rushes from his apartment barefoot and covered in blood. The elder vampire is at a cross-roads. He could stay here and watch the human, as he was told. Or he can fade out and find his fae and telepath. Though he cannot do much to aid either of them. Cursing under his breath, he listens as his youngest storms out onto the street towards Hoseok, knowing well where the tea shop is.
"So much for not caring," Hyungwon murmurs as he closes the apartment door and heads back into the master bedroom. Jooheon is still slumped against the wall, out cold for surely a long while. Giving up on all forms of life, Hyungwon settles to cleaning up the apartment, starting with the kitchen floor. If he cannot even control his Claims, he may as well take over as maid at this point.
[ x ]
Hoseok's mother presses herself to the wall to avoid the stretch of Hoseok's energy, begging for relief. He is not a specialized healer as both his parents are. In fact, his abilities have never been developed nearly enough for him to specialize in anything particular. He had done well enough as a child when told to manipulate the elements, and had grown fond of protection charms as an adult, but healing is by far his worst ability.
If erasing and controlling could have been specialized in, he would be a leader of his kind. But it is not, and he is just a weak healer struggling to push as much of his own strength into the fading light of the telepath before him. He knows his mental wall has been broken, his mind not having enough strength to hold it up while focusing so much on Minhyuk. He can feel Changkyun's own pain, and eventually can sense when the vampire grows nearer.
Hoseok's knees give out as he presses his hands against Minhyuk's side, shocked at how desperate the telepath's body is for the fae's energy. Hoseok silently curses his father for deciding against helping, and silently curses the laws that prevent his mother from doing this herself. He curses Hyungwon for dragging the telepath through this turmoil.
He blames himself for not being strong enough.
Hoseok can feel Changkyun the moment the vampire enters the tea shop, his fear palpable as he wanders closer to the fae hidden away in the back. "Hoseok!" The fae's ears perk up at the shout, calling back as best he can so Changkyun can find him. Hoseok wonders momentarily if his father will try to stop the vampire from entering the therapy room, but is awarded with the sudden appearance of the younger man soon after the thought crosses his mind.
Hoseok's hands falter against Minhyuk's side as he attempts to stand, startled by the smattering of blood all down Changkyun's shirt front. "What the fu-"
"I ate," Changkyun blurts, hustling forward to offer any help he can. "What are you doing? It hurts."
Hoseok scoffs, running his cheek across his shoulder to wipe away a sheen of sweat. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna throw up," he admits. He can feel every ounce of energy leave his body one at a time. He has never felt this weak, not even on the verge of death when Changkyun nearly drained him of all his blood. Minhyuk is stealing all his resources, and he is not sure how long he will remain standing before his body shuts down.
His heart is not beating fast enough, and shadows have begun dancing at the corners of his vision. His knees, begging to concede under his weight once more buckle, and he prepares to collapse.
"What do I do?" Changkyun shouts, scared as he watches Hoseok grow pale. His mother, with both hands over her mouth in fear, stares at the vampire.
"What are you?" She asks into her palms, begging him to be something, anything dead. She would even work with a pure succubus on her thirtieth life if it meant keeping her son alive. She scolds herself silently as she watches his spark whither to dust before her, her eyes drifting back to the stranger. "What are you?" She repeats.
"Vampire," Changkyun replies as loud as he dares. He taps at his head, his other hand subconsciously reaching up to clutch at his aching chest. "We're bonded," he explains, fighting off the pain that is shredding itself through Hoseok. "Or connected, or whatever you wanna call it. I can help, I swear-"
"Roll up your sleeves," Hyein orders before Changkyun can even finish his plea. Hoseok's father continues pacing in the main parlor of the shop, forcing himself to ignore the sudden groans of pain emanating from the therapy room. He can tell his son is putting himself through hell just to save a half-blood, and it worries him more than it should. No child of his should be so willing to help a low-life like this Minhyuk character, but he bites down his anger and continues walking about anxiously.
Changkyun stands still for a moment, confused by the rather mundane order. Hyein fixes him with a glare, ordering him again silently before turning herself towards a low cabinet. Changkyun picks up on the scent of holy water as he watches the woman closely. He had never noticed as a human, but the blessed substance smells of copper beneath his sensitive nose. He naturally backs away as Hyein rises again with a purified blade, prepared to make the second stab at Changkyun this morning.
He puts both his hands up, genuinely nervous as the overhead light glints off the silver blade threateningly. "Calm down," Hyein rushes out, beckoning the vampire close. "I'm sorry about this love, but you'll scar. Gimme your arm."
She does not wait for him to offer himself up, merely grasping his wrist and pressing the dagger to his skin without any other warning. He hisses against the backs of his teeth, steeling himself and swallowing the pain as best he can so Hoseok does not have to feel it as well. The fae needs not to feel the additional burn of holy water boring into his veins while seeping the last of his life into someone else.
Hyein moves deftly with her blade, turning Changkyun's arm over a glass he had not even realized was beside them. He grimaces as the blood he has only just had seeps from his flesh into the glass. One, two, three seconds pass by, and he grows faint as the pain of what Hoseok is going through truly starts to hit him. He is lightheaded, and the ache in his chest has grown exponentially.
Hyein pushes him towards the wall when she has collected all that she requires, grasping oils from her shelf a moment later. Changkyun reads the labels from across the room, his eyesight crystal clear even from ten feet back. "What's nectar?" He asks carefully, holding his breath as the sudden dire need for blood sweeps through his body. He grips his still bleeding arm, gritting his teeth in pain.
"A fae's soul," she explains in a hurry as she holds her hand over the top of the glass. Changkyun does not understand what she is doing, but he can smell the earth on her and assumes that she is performing some sort of fae healing technique. It does not make any sense to him, but he watches in awe despite it.
She wades through the thickening air, forcing her son's outstretched arm back so he cannot steal any of her energy. "I'm sorry Hoseok, this is going to be quick, I promise."
Hoseok's eyes are dazed, and he can barely hear his mother as he slumps over Minhyuk. The telepath, completely unaware to the scene playing above his sleeping form, has stepped back from death's door and now has a heartbeat stronger than anyone else in the room. Changkyun can single it out easily, and sighs in relief. If Minhyuk is alright, that means Hoseok will be too.
Changkyun loses his faith the moment Hyein tips her glass of his blood and her nectar over Hoseok's head, the concoction seeping into his skin in only a few blinks. Though Changkyun assumes the man will be perfectly fine as soon as the supposed help is dealt, Hoseok instead collapses onto the floor in a heap.
Hyein sighs in relief, dusting her hands of the scene with sagging shoulders and squinted eyes. "Perfect," she mutters under her breath. She waves for Changkyun to stand, and he does so slowly, his eyes drifting to his two sleeping friends every few moments. "They're both fine, don't worry. I'm sure you know your blood and saliva alike have incredible healing components, it will repair him while he rests."
She motions for Changkyun to follow her from the therapy room, but he stands in his place in near terror. The wound on his arm has begun to close thankfully, but his hunger is quick to surface, and he does not know if he can control himself around the practical stranger. "Are we really going to leave them here?"
Hyein's brows find one another, and she folds her arms over her chest as she watches the vampire closely. "Since when are Vampires so careless with their Claims? You should know the laws by now, you've Claimed my son illegally-"
"Wait what?" Changkyun steps forward, too quickly for Hyein however. She makes a grab for her blade, holding it out as if she needs the defense. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play ignorant, please. I should have you sent to the Counsel for Claiming my son-"
"I'm not his Master," Changkyun interrupts. If he had the energy, he would be shouting at her. "I'm just bonded to him. We have the same Master."
Hyein's eyes blink hard as she takes in the vampire's words, the weight of what she has just done settling on her shoulders. "So you're saying I just took the blood of a Claimed creature so that I could heal a different Claimed creature?"
Changkyun shrugs, figuring that makes sense but unsure of why it matters. "I suppose."
Hyein groans, tossing her knife down and kicking out at her therapy table. "Baram!" Hoseok's father, a man that Changkyun has met on several occasions, appears in the doorway with a frown. "Call ahead to the Counsel, I'm reporting myself before they can be alerted to this."
Her husband stands there in confusion, and Changkyun hurries forward to convince her otherwise. "No, don't! I promise you my Master won't send you forward-"
"If any one of you ever step before the Counsel, your mind will be picked as you speak, and every memory you've ever had will be read without you even realizing." Hyein gestures towards the vampire's head, and he flinches back. "You, my son, and my husband are all witnesses, and could easily be the reason I lose my life in a decade. So don't stand in my way, boy."
Changkyun steps back at her condescending tone, startled into submission. "Yes ma'am," he mutters, hunkering back against the wall again. "At least let me wait here until one of them wakes up." He swallows, startled by how strong her heart sounds in the quiet room.
She glances between the vampire and the two men sleeping near the door, nodding after a few moments. "You can call ahead to someone to have blood brought to you, and then you're leaving. Understood?"
Changkyun understands, and he nods quietly just so she will leave the room. He sighs when he is left alone with his two friends, his mind circling over the last wild twenty-four hours. He wants to sort it all out, but he is not sure where to begin. What's more is he has not brought his phone, and that call for blood will not be made anytime soon.
He is going to starve.