Are You There - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

"Where did this come from?"
Changkyun takes the bag of chilled blood from Minhyuk, glad to see the man walking about and breathing on his own. The vampire is not sure when he fell unconscious, but he can tell by the fresh heat in the air that high noon has barely passed.
"I have a few friends at the hospital," Minhyuk replies softly, kneeling before his friend. "You don't think I steal those packs for our fridge myself, do you?"
Changkyun shrugs, gripping the near clear pack of plastic, the corner cut off so he can drink easily. "Thank you," he mutters, turning away to drink without feeling repulsive. He does not like drinking in front of mortals, whether they know about him or not. Even Kihyun, when their interactions are forced, he cannot bring himself to even have a hidden glass of blood. The fact that Kihyun can smell the iron in the air puts Changkyun off, and he prefers closing in on starvation to drinking in front of company.
But this is true starvation. Worse than he has felt before. "She took my blood," Changkyun mutters when he has taken in half of the pack, making sure to swipe his arm across his mouth to keep any blood from his lips. He catches a glimpse of the new scar pressed into his left arm and wonders how many humans will question it throughout his life.
Minhyuk nods, sitting himself down completely on the cold marble floor, shivering when the chill seeps in through his pants. "Hoseok told me when he woke up," he replies softly.
"Is he okay?" Changkyun had been worried more for the fae than anything as he sat in the therapy room, his body curled in on itself and his venom burning at the back of his throat. He finishes the rest of his pack, sighing in relief as he waits for Minhyuk to speak.
"He's a bit upset," Minhyuk admits, pushing a hand through his darkening hair. "You know how he is about vampire stuff. It's a learned thing among the fae."
Changkyun knows all too well now. After six months of dealing with Hoseok's near racist remarks, off putting attitude, and genuine dislike for the vampire, Changkyun can safely say that he understands the fae's view of his bloodline. But even so, after living beneath Hyungwon for this long, and being friends with Changkyun for years, the young vampire still hurts to think that Hoseok cannot accept him like he used to.
"But is he okay?" Changkyun sets the drained pack down, not a single drop left within the plastic sleeve. The sight leaves Minhyuk unsettled, but he keeps his expression even to ease the younger's agitated state.
"He's still kinda weak." Minhyuk sighs, drawing his knees to his chest as the weight of what he has done settles on his shoulders. "I haven't told you much about fae powers, and how they specialize, but there are the essential three sects." Minhyuk holds up three fingers, counting off and trying his best to keep this impromptu lesson simple.
"You can be specialized in healing, protection, or elemental. There are smaller specializations that we don't see often these days, like the spiritual sort." Minhyuk ponders how to explain, snapping his fingers a moment later. "Like a soul-shaman almost, but with real powers."
"So what's all that mean for Hoseok?" Changkyun is not sure why the lesson has begun, but he supposes he should know more about his fellow bloodlines. He has not put much effort into learning about the vampiric history, nor their abilities, but he can at least pay attention now while intellect is offered.
"Hoseok never specialized," Minhyuk puts simply. "Healing isn't his strong suit, like his parents, but because of certain laws, his parents aren't allowed to heal a Claim. Not without their Master's consent or... Well, since Hoseok is under the same Claim as us, he is considered the next best thing." Minhyuk brushes his hair back again, blinking slowly as he tilts his head back. "But because he can't heal well, he used nearly all his energy to try and fix me, but my body was taking more than he could give, hence why you were called out to him."
"But you're both okay now?"
Minhyuk nods, more to himself than Changkyun. "He healed like you would have. And I'm probably strong enough to punch a hole through a horse." Changkyun's lips turn up in a blessed grin, Minhyuk's joke more than welcome in his time of stress. "I ran home while you were sleeping," Minhyuk says quietly, unsure if sleep is the best word to describe the near coma the vampire had entered. "Hyungwon was scrubbing our floor."
Changkyun cannot fight the laugh this time, imagining the angry vampire on his knees scrubbing at a blood stain. He is reminded however of the blonde lying cold on his bedroom floor who is hopefully still alive. "Did you see Jooheon?"
The telepath nods, gesturing offhandedly over his shoulder. "He was passed out on your bedroom floor. I just locked his mind so he'll stay asleep." Minhyuk says it as if it is no big deal, but to him it is nearly unheard of. His fae abilities of coercion and implants have not been able to venture out this far in a long time, and he wonders just how much of Hoseok's energy he has taken for himself. More so, he wonders how Hoseok is faring after the drain.
Even sitting here, he feels energized, despite the grip he has on Jooheon's mind from over a kilometer away. Changkyun eyes the telepath curiously, wondering if it is just his tired eyes, or if the man before him really does appear as vibrant as he seems. "Are you okay?"
"You already asked that," Minhyuk scolds the younger, pushing his hair back from his face casually. "I feel great, don't worry. Fit and ready to stab Hyungwon through."
Changkyun does not question the statement, understanding the telepath's thoughts. "You're gonna contact your dad today then?" Minhyuk had told the younger man about his plans weeks prior, but work had been surmounting and building up onto the nurse, and had interrupted his abilities.
Minhyuk nods, tapping a hand to his chest where his heart beats stronger than he feels it ever has. "I've got all this sudden power, I have to do it now or I'll never do it. And I just really want to slice Hyungwon for being such a dick recently-"
"It's time to go."
Both young men turn towards the door of the small therapy room, Hoseok stood in the open space with a frown and a hood pulled low over his face. Even beneath the shadows, Changkyun can see the sickly pallor to Hoseok's face and wonders if the fae is as healthy as he should be. "Are your parents kicking us out?"
Hoseok shakes his head, tugging his phone from his pocket. "Hyungwon texted me saying if Minhyuk doesn't meet him at his dungeon in thirty minutes, he'll kill himself."
Changkyun startles in place, and while Hoseok also seems shaken, Minhyuk only stands with a sigh. "Can a vampire kill himself?" Changkyun asks curiously, nervous to think about it.
Minhyuk shrugs, not caring much. He has received the empty threat before, and does not mind hearing that Hyungwon has found someone new to toy with emotionally. Suddenly, after nearly dying of a pure energy drainage, Minhyuk has awoken within himself. His body has become stronger, and his mind has cleared. Worries seem small at this moment, and he can only smile as he glances between Hoseok and Changkyun.
Hoseok takes the liberty of answering the youngest, despite his earlier decision to not speak with him at all. "He could slice his skin open and pour blessed water into the wounds until he bleeds out, but if any human wandered close enough for him to smell, his body would probably react and he would feed."
Gross, Changkyun thinks, his own unsettled stomach rolling at the idea. He does not want to admit it, but his exhausted body had been close to attacking his telepath the moment the man entered the therapy room. The restraint had been near impossible, but Changkyun had managed. "He won't actually, will he?"
Minhyuk shakes his hair from his face, smiling still despite the heavy conversation. "Never. He gets high off this power he thinks he has, don't even worry about him." The nurse waves a hand through the air, casting an accidental strike against the wall Changkyun has been working to build since feeding. The vampire staggers back as if he has been hit by a brunt force, but Minhyuk does not seem to notice and only turns to motion the pair out with him. "Come on then, we shouldn't keep him waiting, no matter what."
Changkyun sulks behind the telepath, Hoseok further behind the vampire. Neither speak as Minhyuk doddles along, chirping about things they pass on the walk, smiling and waving his hands about as if enamored by the force he suddenly has within his mind.
"Should we worry about him?" Hoseok whispers, knowing Changkyun can hear his thoughts but choosing to speak anyhow.
Changkyun shrugs ahead of the fae, concerned, but unsure of what is actually the matter. "He smells different," he points out instead, giving the air an exaggerated sniff in case Hoseok has not heard him. "More like you."
Hoseok remains silent, keeping to himself for now what he believes has happened. Within the thickest block he has ever built, he hides from Changkyun the startling truth of what he has done. He cannot confirm everything he believes, but he knows exactly one thing for sure.
Hoseok has just specialized.
[ x ]
Minhyuk arrives at Hyungwon's warehouse alone, as ordered. He allows Changkyun to part for their shared apartment, while Hoseok calls a taxi to take him to his own home. Minhyuk misses the glances each man give him in parting, terror mingled with a curiosity to learn of the telepath. Hyungwon listens attentively as the telepath crosses over the ground floor, descending the flights of stairs to where he rests in his den. Though the vampire does not like to have the lamps that Minhyuk had dragged from each lodging room into the main space alight, he has left them on to wait for the nurse's arrival. "Minhyuk," the vampire states rather plainly when the man appears in the doorway to the den.
Nodding his head before bowing it low, Minhyuk steps into the open space with that same broad grin on his thin lips. He cannot seem to shake it, no matter how many times he makes the attempt. He grinned on his entire walk, despite the sweat that dropped low on his brow and the glares he got from less-than-enthused passerby. Even now, under the heavy gaze of his Master, Minhyuk smiles. Though he would like nothing more than to walk out of the warehouse and beg the Counsel to rip his Claim from his chest, he grins.
"Master," the telepath calls with glee, clasping his hands behind his back as he crosses the space to take a seat before the vampire. "I want to perform the ritual now. I hope that's why you called me forth."
Hyungwon sighs, but nods. He has not any other reason to drag Minhyuk away from the others, not one he wants to give aloud. Truthfully, he has been nervous over the telepath and the fae under his Claim. But seeing the young man before him now, he feels like he has just been struck by a bus. The stark differences between Minhyuk early this morning and Minhyuk in this early afternoon are all wrong.
The man before Hyungwon glows with the life of a man who has lived nothing but a joyous and healthy life; everything has been given to him under his best efforts. But Hyungwon knows better than to believe the facade. Minhyuk has had an impossibly difficult life, from the start until now. The vampire wonders what this new level of difficulty may bring.
"You smell disgusting," Hyungwon points out as Minhyuk hops back up, not even settling into his place on the floor comfortably. "Like dirt and sugar," he adds to try and appear natural. In truth, Minhyuk smells like absolute heaven; a mix of his old earthy scent mingles with something sweet and vibrant, like sugared green tea. The telepath only shrugs, almost lifting the collar of his shirt to take a whiff before realizing he will not be able to smell his own pheromones.
"Sorry," he says instead. He leaves his Master on the floor, crossing the large space to his mother's old lodging where he has once again left the leather-bound charm book. He finds the knife he had early that morning as well, and moves back to the main basement room to find Hyungwon still sat in his place at the center.
With the lamps on, obscure shadows slope Hyungwon's features and make him appear younger under their unearthly glow. "What do I have to do?" The vampire asks quietly, knowing that after this moment, he will not be able to pretend he is in charge. The idea had lasted only a few hours, and he can acknowledge now that the fae across town and the half-blood before him hold constant pieces of him in their grips. While he has made the Claim, they have clearly taken charge of their own lives. Hyungwon feels as if his own grasp is slipping with each moment that he stares up at Minhyuk.
"The knife isn't blessed, so you'll just bleed for a moment. I don't need a lot of blood." Minhyuk holds up the small, almost kitchen knife. In his other hand rests the Magic of the Dead binding, heavy and dark in his pale fingers.
"What do I have to do?" Hyungwon repeats as Minhyuk takes small shuffling steps across the basement floor, his shoes scuffing the concrete just to fill the silence.
"I really only need a few drops, and then I can create the charm against Mom's old room door because the wood has the most fae energy pressed into it." Minhyuk's smile has dropped, and the weight of what he is asking of Hyungwon becomes more apparent. Taking a vampire's blood is not a feat one can often brag about, not unless it is offered up.
Changkyun had offered his blood earlier this day to save his blood bond's life, and quite possibly save himself from a reeling depression. A large piece of his soul would have crumbled if Hoseok had died, and his blood was a slim price to pay for the fae's survival.
But this is different. This is an offer to make Minhyuk happy. This is a ritual that takes the blood of one dead man so that the soul of another can awaken for the wink of a lifetime's length. Hyungwon's old contractual pledge over Minhyuk's father is still a bond that runs through the vampire's soul. His body will never lose the memory of those he has held under protection and Claim. With the telepath long since gone, Hyungwon's blood is the only chance Minhyuk has to see his father and ask the single question he has for the man.
"What do I have to do?" Hyungwon hates to repeat himself. In his life of power and abilities, he has never enjoyed feeling out of control or under someone else's will. Yet here he is almost begging to know what it is he has to do to help his own Claim.
"Just gimme your hand and take the block off your mind."
Hyungwon does not want to let any of his thoughts be read by Minhyuk; he wants the exact opposite, and almost shakes his head as the telepath kneels down before him. But this is all he can give to the telepath, after taking nearly all his freedoms and his family, Hyungwon can only give him a glimpse of what he is missing. A clear head is not something the vampire has ever had, but he tries his hardest now to ease his thoughts as he breaks his own walls down.
Minhyuk is flooded with worries and fears, all ranging from simple to stunning, but the telepath sifts through them to find memories and glimpses of the man his father had been before passing. Tall and square-faced, with thick-framed glasses pushed high on his nose and hair never longer than an inch away from his scalp.
Grasping out for his Master's hand before he can scare himself away, Minhyuk pushes his mind against Hyungwon's in an attempt to grip as many memories of his father as he can. The knife in his hand presses against the vampire's palm in one quick motion, the metal cutting across his pale skin as if through paper. Minhyuk does not watch as the blood pools against the blade, tugging the metal away from the vampire's cold skin quickly and grabbing his book from the floor beside him.
He holds the blade away from him as he hurries to his mother's old door, memories and thoughts of both his own and his Master's tracing the outskirts of his mind. He does not really need the book any longer, having memorized the shape of the charm long ago when he had first read through the rituals. One small ring within several more; three long tendrils slope out from there, one to the left to claim the past, one right to claim the present, and one pointed towards the heavens to claim the soul. That is, if his father's soul had been given the right to move along from whatever realm lies between rest and Earth.
Minhyuk does not realize he has kept his eyes closed until he has finished carving the charm into the wood of the door, his sudden surge in his fae abilities helping him perfect the image at eye-level. He still keeps them squeezed shut, scared that if he turns, he will not see anything more than his Master. Hyungwon's eyes flit about the room, his hand's wound already sealed and stained with blood that was barely given the chance to hit the air and turn crimson. The vampire cannot hear anything beyond Minhyuk's soft breathing and the distant bustling of afternoon traffic. He sees nothing but the slope of Minhyuk's shoulders as they rise and fall, waiting for something to happen.
Both men are waiting for anything to happen.
Although Hyungwon cannot see anything shift, he knows the moment it does. Minhyuk's entire body stiffens, and his sharp inhale is enough to have the vampire straightening in his place on the floor. Minhyuk's eyes are still closed, and perhaps that is why he can so easily see the image of his father before him, older than he was when he passed though that does not seem to make sense. The telepath does not know if a soul can age after death, but the effort it takes to hold this image is not worth wasting his time on silly questions now.
He only has one thing he needs to ask of his father. Though he is not sure if speaking aloud will elicit a response, or if words will be offered up from a simple grasp of a soul so long after death, he knows that he has just enough energy to get out the one thought before losing his grip.
He had originally decided that he would call upon his father's soul to ask of their Master, and if the trust in the vampire he holds still is worth his life. He had wanted clarity on how close he can allow Hyungwon, or perhaps how to distance himself from the vampire. Perhaps even a reason not to view Hyungwon as his brother, and someone he could love in return for all the years he had read the feelings of longing off the vampire's mind.
But suddenly, though he had had many thoughts of his Master on his mind when drawing his charm, he cannot recall even a single one now. Somehow, the fae that had risked his life for Minhyuk had crawled himself across the telepath's mind, and steals the single instance Minhyuk has with his father's soul.  Hoseok flickers beside Minhyuk's father's slowly depleting image, begging for attention before everything collapses.
Father, he calls out into the abyss of his own mind. His voice, though not spoken aloud, echoes back into his own ears as if he had shouted. His father's image, though silent and still, appears heavier and sharper for a moment.
Did Mother ever share her soul with you?