Are You There - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

i don't want jeon wonwoo sauce. sweet like chocolate, wanna be like Willy¯\_(ツ)_/¯
"You're telling me that if I can't figure something out, something nobody else can do, you're gonna die?"
Hyungwon, standing before his youngest with the smallest of frowns, can only nod.
Changkyun scoffs, throwing his hands up with little care for the pack of chilled blood still held in his left. His eyes, left to roam in confusion, cannot focus and instead shut tightly to hide away from the reality around him. He does not want to deal with this. He has only just survived death again, and he does not want to think about his Master dying. It cannot happen.
"Excuse me but is anyone going to explain to me why Changkyun is drinking blood-"
"He's a cursed vampire you twit!" Hyungwon, at his breaking point, cannot hold back the shout that slips past his lips. Like gasoline to a fire, Jooheon's ignorance is flaring right beneath his mood. He cannot handle it. "He said he's told you," he adds, quieter now.
Changkyun's eyes are still closed, his right hand pressed to his temple in distress. "Don't yell at him," he murmurs, only half-caring now. He had been at that point of strangling the blonde earlier, just for simply not understanding, but he is left unsettled when Hyungwon loses his temper. Peeling his eyes apart, the left and then the right, Changkyun's eyes focus in on a swaying Jooheon. The blonde's hands brace himself in the doorway, and he looks rather sickly stood like that. Changkyun surmises that the twist his stomach took during their fade was more than enough to leave him dazed. He will surely leave the store with a fever.
For the first time since his change, for reasons other than hunger, Changkyun feels lightheaded. Vampiric abilities, things he has learned about in the months following his change, do not just appear out of sheer will. A glamour, something most if not all creatures can handle, is not anything noteworthy. Neither is his slowly developing ability to fade, as all vampires will do this after a long enough practice.
His ability to gauge emotions, and if focused hard enough manipulate them, is interesting indeed but alike any typical incubus stalking the streets. He has nothing else to offer, and he does not think he can scrounge up something false for the Counsel within seven days.
"Things can develop in an instant," Hyungwon says softly, controlling his temper as best he can. The insurmountable stress has piled against him in the last week; he wonders if he will survive the next few days with this kind of pressure on him. Maybe he will not have to worry about the Counsel at all next week. "In the moment when you need it most, something can come along to save you."
"Yet I almost died yesterday."
Hyungwon, with his eyes on the floor, purses his lips in thought. He nods to himself, wondering why exactly Changkyun's body had not fought harder to save him. A blessed blade, if left in his body the way it was, would have taken hours to kill him. His body would still have attempted to heal around the metal as best it could.
Even with the blade removed, the cold flesh around the wound burned; his body should have reacted. "Why didn't you feed?" Hyungwon wonders, peering up through his silvery hair at his youngest. He is acutely aware of the blonde behind him at the door, his breathing staggered as if his lungs are preparing to give out.
Changkyun shrugs, standing from his seat slowly. "Jooheon was there," he says plainly, gesturing towards the blonde. The man in question feels his stomach churn, ready to reveal the second round of his most recent meal.
Jooheon is suddenly more than aware of what feeding means to the men before him. His body is wracked with a shake that he cannot rid himself of, a painful fear that tugs a cold sweat onto his brow. He shuffles back from the doorway, hoping neither man will look towards him. He wants his escape to be silent, but their acute hearing will not let him slither out easily.
"Human, stay put." Hyungwon, with a hand held up to grasp Jooheon's energy, keeps his eyes on Changkyun. Jooheon is frozen in place, his fists clenched at his sides as his feet turn heavy and press hard into the ground beneath him. He wonders if he should look down to see if they are even touching the ground anymore. They feel as if they are sinking into the carpeting below.
"Just let him go." Changkyun's eyes flit between Jooheon and his Master, wondering why the blonde cannot just flee. "He's scared." Focusing in on Jooheon, Changkyun calls a bit louder so the man knows he is being spoken to. "You won't go telling anybody will you?"
Jooheon's mind is weak after the fade, and it is easy for Changkyun to slip in and influence just what Jooheon will do if he leaves. The blonde shakes his head furiously, undoubtedly loyal to the younger man before him. "I won't tell anyone," he mumbles, his lips pouting as Hyungwon keeps his mental hold on him.
"I want to keep him here," Hyungwon says slowly, still thinking over a few things. Mumbling in an old language that Changkyun does not know, he sits himself down on the edge of his small desk.
Changkyun's protection over the human could be the biggest step towards developing an ability. If this Jooheon character were in enough danger, Changkyun could put his own safety at risk to help him. His body would react. "Just as it refused to do yesterday," he mutters aloud, finally understood by the pair stood on either side of him.
Changkyun clears his throat, lifting a hand to scratch at his nape nervously. "What're you talking to yourself about? I feel like it has to do with me."
Hyungwon releases his mental hold on Jooheon, letting the blonde slump against the door's frame in relief. "How comfortable would you be if I said I want to use your human to help your abilities rise."
Changkyun's eyes glance past his Master, the blonde beyond already staring his way. Their gazes lock, one wide and another narrowed. One scared and another terrified. Changkyun shakes his head once, finding Hyungwon's glittering eyes again beneath that fountain of silver. "No. I don't even want to hear your idea. I'm not dragging him into anything."
Hyungwon's lips tug into a tight smile, his shoulders lifting in a deep inhale. "Well, it is just too bad I wasn't asking for your permission." To Changkyun's dismay, his Master turns to speak to Jooheon exclusively. "Go home now. Sleep all night. Return here in the morning."
Changkyun does not even have time to stop the glamour that falls across Jooheon's vision, only reacting quick enough to chase after Jooheon's already departing form. Glaring up at Hyungwon, Changkyun's fist shakes at his side. "He needs to eat, he won't bother now. He'll come back half dead tomorrow-"
"I don't have the time to play games with your pet, Changkyun." Hyungwon lifts a hand, motioning for his youngest to step away. His gentle demeanor has been completely shucked away, his old shell of anger and strength suddenly in place again. Changkyun misses the emotional mess. "We have a week, no more. If you're so concerned for him, follow him home and force something down his throat."
Hyungwon turns before he can see the fierce blush that overtakes Changkyun's cheeks. He does not expect the thoughts that flood his mind, yet here he stands before his Master nearly choking on his own tongue. "You still haven't told me just how the Counsel intends to protect me if I can prove I'm good enough."
Hyungwon, with his hands flat against his small desk, the grain of the wood thin beneath his fingers. He found it at a garage sale two decades ago, once the work desk for a student only a few years younger than his resting age. It is smooth to the touch, and Hyungwon keeps it hidden here in his office so it cannot be damaged by unruly patrons.
Staring hard at a stain that had been along the top when he purchased it, he lets his lips form the words he is most concerned about. "A full-blood will complete your change, and you won't be a half-blood anymore."
Hyungwon can hear his youngest's gulp, a cannon launching in the silent store. "Why would you ever promise that?"
Hyungwon's eyes pinch shut, his lips pursing together as he thinks up an answer. For your safety, he replies into the silence, the words far from Changkyun's waiting ears. Hyungwon remains still until Changkyun lets himself out with a sigh, no words spared for his Master in reply. He has yet to decide if he will return tomorrow with Jooheon.
[ x ]
Ending his shift is easier today than it ever has been for Minhyuk. He is still high off of Hoseok's energy from thirty-six hours, and though it is late already, he's wide awake as he bids goodbye to his coworkers. He is caught up in the afterglow of his own renewed soul, so much so that he does not catch onto the following shadow behind him as he begins his walk home. It is a heavy kind of warm out for so late at night, usually any time after ten chilled even during the blossoming springs. He sheds his jacket as he walks along, the stripping of fabric masking the drag of feet only three meters back. Home is not far, but he takes an odd route so he can glide through a nearby park.
With the dangers that have been lurking about those close to him lately, he knows that taking the scenic route is not particularly safe. But he cannot pass up the chance to wander past the wildlife that slowly awakens with the season. He has been cooped for far too long in the hospital; the damp air of the trees around him are too refreshing to pass quickly by.
The man that lingers not far away finds that the darkness is not only comforting, but rather inviting. Especially with the bright trail of pure energy that his prey leaves behind him. It is like a streak of gold dripping along the path, loitering in each spot his feet land against the rough and well-worn ground.
When Minhyuk pauses to breathe deep near a small path of blossoms. Momentarily hidden from the moonlight, the man takes his chance to approach as quick as he can. Minhyuk turns at the sound of a heavy foot scuff against the dirt, his eyes catching sight of a shadow just in time to feel equally heavy hands wrap around his middle. Shouting, the telepath reaches out for a mind to grasp onto, finding a wall stronger than most he has seen in recent weeks. A hand comes up to muffle his startled calls, thick fingers collapsing over his mouth and freezing against his skin. His chest heaves as his back is held flush against a chest, breath against his neck too hot in the already warm night air. Minhyuk mumbles against the hand, his eyes wide and looking for any signs of others along the path. Anyone to help him.
His hands uselessly flail, his feet moving quick to kick out at his captor as best he can. He lands a hit to the man's shin, an elbow to his ribs soon after; the hands release Minhyuk's frail frame, his hair whipping back as he launches himself away from the coughing form. He is quick to dash up the path, but halts himself when he recognizes a childish giggle come from the way he has just come.
Turning with a huff, Minhyuk glares through the shadows at the hunched form of the familiar fae down the path. "Are you fucking kidding me!" It's a straight shout, no hint of a question in his words as Minhyuk stomps back towards the fallen man, pale and shaking with laughter in the damp night soil. "God, I hate you so much."
Hoseok, tilting his head back to grin up at the telepath, only laughs harder at Minhyuk's expression. Sighing, the telepath crouches down to meet Hoseok's eyes easier, waiting for him to cease his seemingly endless fit of giggles. "I'm sorry," Hoseok mutters when he has finally controlled his breathing. Wiping away a few stray tears of both pain and joy, he continues. "I was waiting for you to get off work, but you walked right past me in the lobby. I figured I'd have some fun with it."
Pursing his lips, Minhyuk is not seeing the joke here. "So you thought abducting me in the middle of the night would be a funny conversation starter?" He sinks into the dirt beside the fae, ignoring how cold it is through his jeans. Hoseok rises up on his knees, his shoulders still shaking slightly with thinly restrained laughter. "It wasn't very funny," the telepath informs his older friend, pouting to himself.
Hoseok hums, mocking the childish man before him around another small grin. "I wanted to take you out for a bite to eat," Hoseok admits with a great sigh, as if it has cost him half his life to utter the words.
"I ate on my break." Minhyuk pushes his hair back from his face, tucking what he can behind his ears and leaving the rest up to fate. If it falls back into place, so be it.
Hoseok watches the motion as always, wondering if Minhyuk does it for the attention, or just out of habit. "Well I dragged myself all the way out here to get something to eat so, you might as well tag along." Standing, the fae holds out a hand for the younger cautiously. Hoseok had worked hard on placing this new block in his mind; he does not want Minhyuk to read through him at the touch of a hand.
Minhyuk takes the offer, pulling himself up with the fae's help. "Are you inviting me out because you're still upset about today?"
After Hoseok had apologized for a multitude of things, including some he cannot even recall, he and Minhyuk had been found tearful and red-faced by another nurse. Minhyuk had been scolded, and Hoseok had been forcefully removed from the building. He did not think his curses saved just for the rather rude nurse had been so bad, but security had other ideas. Scuffing his sneaker in the dirt, Hoseok shrugs. "Maybe." He smiles as he looks past Minhyuk's dark hair and into his darker eyes. "Maybe I'm just hungry and don't wanna eat alone."
Unable to get a read on Hoseok's thoughts, Minhyuk is left in the dark to the fae's true intentions. "What are you hungry for then?"
"You, specifically." By the surprise that swipes across Minhyuk's pale face, Hoseok knows that his block is working. Letting his grin slip back into place, he lets out a low, bubbling chuckle. "Kidding, don't worry."
Minhyuk sputters over a reply, flustered and thankful for the darkness to mask his red cheeks. "D-don't make jokes like that!" Smacking a hand out at Hoseok's arm, Minhyuk does not even get to land a hit. Hoseok catches it before Minhyuk can strike him, holding it there midair for too long. Minhyuk still cannot get a read on the fae's thoughts, and it is beginning to anger him. "Hoseok, what's with the wall? You're usually an open book."
"You're the one who told me today to put a block up." Releasing Minhyuk's hand, Hoseok jabs a thick finger against his own temple. "You're not getting through this one, so stop trying."
Minhyuk's lips purse again, his left hand grasping at his right wrist, right around where Hoseok had clamped his own hand round it a moment ago. The skin there burns, or maybe it is just the flush of his cheeks making the rest of him feel hot. After the odd apology earlier today, Minhyuk is not sure how he is meant to act with Hoseok. The few moments of past have been dredged up, and Minhyuk does not know if he is meant to consider them while going forward.
Consider who they were months ago. Weeks ago. Days ago even. All versions of themselves differ drastically, and he knows little of how far back to look so he can better address today. Tonight. Right now.
Hoseok, with that same bold smile, shakes his head at the younger. "Stop worrying like that, I can read right through you." Minhyuk knows Hoseok cannot hear his thoughts, their skin is not touching, but he flushes harder despite himself. "Let's just say that today was a reset, and right now is just two friends going out for a late night snack while the world is falling apart."
Nodding, Minhyuk knows he would not describe it in any other way. "Lead the way then."
Looking relieved, Hoseok takes Minhyuk's arm in his so they can walk beside one another. "I'm glad you said yes, because I've come to this same ramyeon place alone about twenty times, and I think they'll kick me out soon for looking as pitiful as I do."
Reclaiming his own smile, brighter than the moon above in Hoseok's opinion, Minhyuk titters out a chiming laugh. "I'll protect you from anyone who gets in your way of eating your fill of MSG."
Keep saying things like that and I won't be able to restrain myself, Hoseok thinks, smiling despite himself. Keep acting like I deserve that, and this wall will come tumbling down.