Are You There - Chapter 45: Chapter 45

Hyungwon lets the pair go, understanding Changkyun's broken sobs as explanation enough. Changkyun had done something, and though the older vampire has no clue just what happened, he knows his youngest saw something he will never be able to erase. Jooheon knows it too; he can tell by the way the vampire clings to him during their slow walk towards Changkyun's apartment. The vampire cannot help but keep his hand latched to the blonde's shirt, ensuring that Jooheon will not leave his side even if he tries. Changkyun refuses to watch the near cinematic experience that was Jooheon's death ever again. Never.
"I'll tell you everything," Changkyun murmurs when they reach his apartment building, the scent of Minhyuk stale and telling the vampire that the telepath is gone. Jooheon does not know what everything means per say, but he is intrigued enough to follow the vampire inside. Hyungwon's hold on Jooheon had withered away the moment he died not thirty minutes ago, and it hadn't come back despite Changkyun's ability.
The blonde can feel his own heart race for the first time in days now.
"What happened out on the street today?" Jooheon does not shake Changkyun's hand from his side, even though they are wandering through the apartment building towards 1C, the vampire's own home on the first floor. The stairs leading from the lower lobby to the first level leave the blonde somehow winded, but the vampire is too distracted to notice.
Frowning as they reach the proper door, the vampire wonders still what he should count in this everything. He does not think he should include the mortal's death. He highly doubts Jooheon would like to know about it. Sure, the blonde has taken to the idea of vampires already, and Changkyun is positive that Jooheon is aware of other creatures by now, considering he lives with one, but the vampire is wary of just how much he can tell Jooheon. Just how much he can say without hurting the blonde.
Just how far he can explain without wrecking the blonde's mind any further.
Skipping past today with a few soft blinks, Changkyun settles into his sofa with the blonde beside him, warm and inviting. Warm and alive. In one foul rant, Changkyun expels just about everything he has hidden from the blonde in the past handful of days. He tells him about the last few years they have spent together. How long Changkyun has been in love with him. How he thinks maybe Jooheon was also in love with him. He is almost positive of this, actually, but he does not want to convince Jooheon of as much by using old memories he will never recall. Changkyun feels if he tells the blonde every last detail, it will be like cheating to win him back. Changkyun has no interest in winning anything. He wants to earn everything.
Jooheon listens to each word with care, intent to understand and comprehend. The information, though not all of it makes sense, meld into his mind easily enough. Words he never recalls speaking hit him like a truck when they pass Changkyun's lips. Nights within the last week trickle down his spine and pieces slide into place.
The raw emotion on Changkyun's face pushes everything together, and Jooheon finally puts a name to that connection he has felt so strongly since their first meeting. Or, as Changkyun puts it, their reunion. "Do you think I'm in love with you?"
Changkyun does not know how to answer. His lips, pursed and dry, remain unmoving around words he wishes he could utter. Yes, I love you, and you feel the same. You told me six months ago. You took my breath away and you told me everything I wanted to hear. And then he took those memories away from the blonde, only to regret it today.
"Am I?"
Jooheon does not know why he is asking again. He can feel that this is love. He has been in love before, held in total rapture by another soul. He has felt this, or at least a weaker version of this. He has never felt something quite this intense. Something that makes him want to linger a moment longer in silence.
Something that makes him want to never let Changkyun untangle his fists from his shirt. A force that sways him towards possibly the only thing that can kill him. A vampire, he cannot imagine being in love with one. He cannot imagine how one could ever exist. Yet they do, and he is. He has to be, otherwise his heart would not be pounding in his chest like this, and his cheeks would not burn like this after only a few dangerously quick glances.
This is love. And God does he want to feel just how deeply Changkyun loves him back.
The vampire can sense the shift in Jooheon's demeanor almost immediately, and he lives for the way the blonde's eyes dance with colors too vibrant for this world. Danger, and a sudden eagerness that Changkyun finds surprising both lurch towards the vampire through those two obsidian gems. Jooheon does not know how easily he can lead this encounter, but he is going to try his absolute hardest to let his heart take control.
Changkyun does not move as Jooheon turns himself towards the vampire, shifting a bit awkwardly as he attempts to keep Changkyun calm. The vampire breathes in that familiar caramel scent as it wades over him, a warm delight that he almost bathes in. He cannot read Jooheon's mind, and he is not at all prepared when the older makes a final move to straddle the vampire's lap, perched high on his thighs so their chests are pressed close.
Changkyun's naturally chilled body warms through with the contact, and Jooheon leans into him to keep it that way. "What're you doing?" Changkyun whispers up to the blonde, his hands pressed to his own sides to keep from gripping Jooheon round the middle.
The blonde lets out a nervous chuckle, shrugging as he settles atop the vampire's legs comfortably, finally at eye level with him. "You already know I feel connected to you." Jooheon leans close, heat swarming his gut as he breathes in Changkyun's own nervous breath. "I've been trying to figure it out since we met." Jooheon drops his head impossibly close as he whispers on. "I want to know if everything I feel is real."
Changkyun squirms when the blonde's mouth ghosts over his throat, his pulse point throbbing under those cherry stained lips. "What-" Changkyun no longer has control over his voice, and he is almost surprised at how flustered Jooheon has made him in a matter of seconds. He swears they were just talking about their old friendship and a gentle love. How did Jooheon translate that into this? "What if it's not real?"
Jooheon presses his tongue flat against the thundering pulse at Changkyun's neck, the vampire's eyes fluttering shut at the sudden warmth. Changkyun has never been bitten at the throat, and though as a vampire he should be the one doing any and all biting, he desperately wants to know what that high feels like. Jooheon is not a vampire, and cannot give him the drug that is a draining bite, but even just this has Changkyun pursing his lips and shifting in his seat.
He remembers back to the afternoon in the comic store break room, when Jooheon had straddled his lap just like this. The blonde had whispered too many things to recall each of them now, but Changkyun does not miss the similarities. He loves it more now than he did then. He loves Jooheon more now than he did then, and he never thought that could be possible. The realization that Jooheon just died before his eyes has him stilling beneath the blonde, freezing in place as the older attempts to roll his hips down. It is meant to entice Changkyun, but the vampire is caught up in the fear of losing this man. This man above him, sexy and vibrant and loved.
"I wanna take it slow," Changkyun blurts out before he can stop himself. He peers up at the blonde through his lashes, his eyes wide and his lips parted as he attempts to regulate his breathing. Their shared night just a few days before had been hot, and Changkyun loved every moment of it. But watching everyone around him end and come back in this last week has told him so many things about himself.
Things he never thought he would realize. Though he is here for an eternity, the people he loves most are not. He intends to make each moment with them last.
Jooheon seems to read his mind like a manuscript, his dark eyes softening as he leans back to stare down at the younger. He understands everything with only a glance, his hands on Changkyun's shoulders to keep himself still in the heat of the moment. "Okay," he mutters softly, ducking his head to connect his lips to Changkyun's as gently as he can.
Though this is something Jooheon would usually prefer, it is not something he gets often enough. Slow, languid movements rather than heated and rushed ones. A gentle squeeze of Changkyun's fingers at his waist rather than a dangerous roll of their hips. This is something Jooheon can control endlessly, no fight needed.
Changkyun's lips are softer than they were a few days ago, the taste of something sweet lingering on them each time Jooheon dips his head for another deep kiss. The vampire swallows each breath the blonde lets go between their lips, the heat between them like the low glow of a campfire. It may grow at any moment, but this is precisely what Changkyun wants for now.
He puts up no fight when Jooheon's hands tug at his shirt collar, pulling it to the side so their kiss can break and the blonde's lips can drop lower once again. Jooheon presses soft, feather-like kisses all along the vampire's collarbone, warming the younger through. Changkyun's hands are still slightly chilled when they slide beneath Jooheon's shirt, trailing over the blonde's doughy sides and soft stomach.
Jooheon flexes beneath those cold fingers, his stomach hardening as he pushes his hips down just a little closer to Changkyun's. Jooheon pulls back reluctantly, Changkyun's hands stilling on their exploration as their eyes meet. "I'm not having sex on this loveseat."
Changkyun feels his cheeks flush as he glances down at the admittedly ratty sofa beneath them. Jooheon clambers off the vampire with more difficulty than expected, Changkyun's hands still trying their hardest to hold the blonde to him. Neither had really noticed their erections until now, but it becomes apparent when they both rise from the sofa to meet one another in another long kiss. Jooheon's hands are quick to work at the hem of Changkyun's shirt, tugging it up over his head and breaking the kiss for only a moment before their lips find each other again. Jooheon lets the fabric slip from his fingers, hitting the floor so both his hands can explore the flat planes of Changkyun's stomach freely. The blonde's pale hands ghost over the waistband of Changkyun's jeans and he sighs into the kiss, urging the older man on.
Jooheon abandons the attempt instead, annoyed that Changkyun has barely touched him in return. A rather gentle kiss is great, and a few squeezes warm him up, but maybe this whole take it slow thing is not quite enough for Jooheon. Breaking the kiss, the blonde peers down his nose at Changkyun awkwardly. "Do you think you can carry me? I don't wanna walk into something trying to strip you-"
Changkyun reattaches their lips, his smirk evident upon contact. He already knows he is strong enough to lift Jooheon up, perhaps walk him along for days at a time, so he does not need to hear the entire explanation just to carry the man he would do anything for. Jooheon's hands find themselves tangled in Changkyun's hair as the younger hoists the blonde up by his thighs. The vampire feels rather snug with Jooheon's thick legs wrapped tight round his waist, not bothering to use his speed to get them to the bedroom any quicker.
Changkyun leaves his bedroom door open behind him when they reach the space, Jooheon's lips on his jaw too distracting in the moment. The vampire sits himself down, Jooheon placed right onto his lap as if they had barely moved from their spot in the living room. Changkyun's hands roam up Jooheon's shirt once again, warm now after resting close to the mortal for as long as he has.
Jooheon's lips move all over, a trail of warm breath hitting Changkyun's cheek, his jaw, and down the hollow of his throat. The blonde is thankful to have already removed Changkyun's shirt, giving him free access to the darker man's caramel toned chest and the hardened muscles beneath. Pushing at the vampire's shoulders gently, Jooheon urges the younger to lie down on the bed and let him get to work on his exposed flesh.
Changkyun shifts about a bit, attempting to find his head against his pillows but managing to rut his hips up against Jooheon's in the process. Both men tug in the sharpest of breaths, their jean clad members not quite prepared for the stimulation just yet. "Sorry," the vampire murmurs into the heated air around them, Jooheon already moving right along without much care.
Jooheon stiffens slightly when Changkyun's hands find his waist once again, the intimate setting making the action seem more serious now. Changkyun catches the tension easily and ducks out from beneath Jooheon's searching lips, beckoning the blonde's gaze towards his own. "What's wrong?" He asks carefully, his eyes cloudy with lust and something deeper.
Jooheon chuckles under his breath, the sound edged with every last nerve he is trying his best to fight off. "It's just different," he murmurs, propping his hands against the vampire's shoulders to hold himself away for a breath of fresh air. "I dunno, last week we were like animals, and this is just... I don't know-"
Changkyun cannot control his expressions, and Jooheon has to force himself to silence before he really hurts the younger man's feelings. Nudging Jooheon's side, Changkyun sits himself up without the blonde's weight atop his waist. "I'm sorry," he murmurs, embarrassed over wanting just a few gentle moments in his life. The image of a bloodied and crushed Jooheon flits past his eyes again and he holds back a flinch. "I just wanted to ease into something for once. I've been living at full-speed for six and a half months now, and it's too much sometimes."
Changkyun glances over his shoulder at the sound of rustling fabrics, his eyes widening when he finds a suddenly shirtless Jooheon behind him. Glancing away as if invading the older man's privacy, Changkyun searches for the discarded shirt so he can cover the blonde back up. When the vampire stands from the bed on a mission, Jooheon lurches forward to wrap both his arms around the darker man's waist.
With his cheek pressed between Changkyun's shoulder blades, his knees digging into the ruffled blankets beneath him, Jooheon speaks at just a whisper. "It's a good different. This is what I want." Changkyun shivers as Jooheon's natural warmth floods him, even the smallest of touches sending his nerves on the fritz.
Turning faster than Jooheon can catch, Changkyun pushes the blonde onto the bed beneath him until there are no gaps between their bodies. Changkyun straddles the blonde this time, their chests heaving against one another as they simply stare. Changkyun had only needed the few words of comfort; Jooheon can feel the excitement ignite between them in the few moments they rest frozen like that. Before anyone can say anything else, stiffen up and panic, Jooheon tugs Changkyun down with a pale hand wound around his dark neck.
Their lips collide and all breathing ceases as Jooheon rolls them over once again, claiming his place above the darker man. Though they have agreed to move slow, Jooheon has made no promises to restrain himself any way else. He lets his hands drift down to the waistband of Changkyun's jeans before the vampire can resist, his hot fingers ghosting over the younger's flat stomach as he works at the fastener.
Changkyun, though they have done little more than kiss thus far, is working with a rather aching hard-on already and almost breathes a sigh of relief into Jooheon's mouth the moment his jeans are undone at the top. Jooheon takes his time to break their kiss, trailing his lips down the flat planes of Changkyun's overheated skin as he tugs the darker man's jeans down inch by inch.
The vampire lifts his hips and twists his legs a few times; occasionally to help rid himself of the denim, other times out of natural reaction to Jooheon's lips pressing against him. He squirms almost completely out of the blonde's grip when Jooheon grazes his teeth over Changkyun's hip bone. The vampire's boxers are slung low, dragged lower still from his jeans being taken off. Jooheon relishes in the exposed skin there, just a fraction lighter than the rest of him.
He splays a hand flat out against Changkyun's hip, lifting his lips from the younger's skin to ask, "Is this a tan line from when you were still human?"
Changkyun glances down at his own skin, his head sinking into the pillows a moment later as he sighs. "Becoming a vampire froze everything. It cleared up my acne, took away old scars, yet left the fucking tan line-" Changkyun swallows his words as Jooheon's lips press against his skin once more. The fabric of his boxers is tugged lower and lower still, those cherry lips following the cloth each inch it travels. Changkyun's lower lip is caught between his teeth as he watches the blonde dip further along his body, his own erection springing to life the moment his boxers are tugged down enough. Jooheon avoids giving any attention to where Changkyun needs it most, letting his teeth nip instead at the vampire's inner thigh.
Changkyun lets out a guttural groan, his legs squeezing together to block out the blonde's rather rude assault. Jooheon lifts his head to frown up at the younger, his hands pushing the man's thighs apart again. "You said go slow," Jooheon reminds the vampire with a smirk on those sinful lips. Despite his words, Jooheon dips his mouth low again and licks a stripe up Changkyun's already dripping member
Changkyun's breath gets trapped in his lungs, his hands lifting up to the pillow beneath his head so that he does not grip Jooheon's hair. He has no intention of hurting the blonde man, and would rather go through the torture of a slow everything instead.
Jooheon takes Changkyun fully into his mouth in one flush motion, shooting streaks of color across the vampire's vision without warning. Hollowed cheeks and a rolling tongue trace Changkyun's length, leaving the vampire squirming into his sheets with restrained whines every few moments. The younger allows a sinful moan to pass his lips, his lips quivering as Jooheon's perfect lips form an O meant just for him.
Jooheon's eyes peer up at the darker man as he works, both his hands flat against his hips to keep him in place. Changkyun murmurs the older man's name a few times, weak and prepared to burst after only a few warm pumps of his excruciatingly hard cock. Jooheon hums around him in question, wondering what Changkyun needs and urging him to use his words. The vampire has a hand in his own hair, sweat matting some of it down to his face as his eyes roll about in agonizing pleasure.
Through his clenched teeth, Changkyun can barely grate out a not-so-subtle, "I want you," before holding his breath again. His natural urge to drain Jooheon where he lies is so strong in this moment, the sweet scent of caramel too intoxicating; the vampire has to capture the breath in his lungs just to keep from doing anything he will regret.
Freeing Changkyun's cock with a satisfying pop, Jooheon crawls back up the darker man's body with a tantalizing smirk on his dark lips. His jeans are still fastened high on his hips, and Changkyun lets his hands drop between them to work at the button and zip as Jooheon presses their chests together for another passionate collision of their mouths. Gasps pass between them as denim slides free of Jooheon's pale legs, the vampire shocked to find no boxers in his way today.
Jooheon shivers the moment Changkyun's fingers wrap around the base of his dripping member, giving the blonde a few experimental pumps. As if on command, the vampire's legs lift around the blonde, their lips sliding against one another as Jooheon's hips roll down to rut against Changkyun's dark hand. Everything about this one moment is too slow, yet too fast all at once, and Jooheon is lost in the vampire's intoxicating touch.
Changkyun feels one of Jooheon's hands snaking around him, pressing hard into Changkyun's lower back and pushing his hips up to roll against the blonde's. They both groan at the friction, Changkyun's hand moving quicker against Jooheon's dripping member and slicking it over with pre-cum. "You don't have to prep me," Changkyun murmurs against Jooheon's throat, breathing in that familiar scent as his hips roll again.
Jooheon lifts his head to glance down at the darker man in question, surprised to be given free reign over the vampire like that. "You sure?" He asks carefully, his eyes rolling almost completely back as Changkyun's thumb runs over his slit.
Changkyun hums, rolling his hips twice in quick succession. "My body adjusts to every stimulus. Trust me-" His mouth is wide open, and he can't keep the loud moan from passing his drying lips as Jooheon rolls his own hips low with purpose. The blonde's member slips free of Changkyun's hand, Jooheon pumping himself a few times on his own terms.
Capturing a few curses with his lips hard against Changkyun's, Jooheon lifts himself up at the hips to find a more comfortable position. He considers asking for a condom but douses the thought out as soon as Changkyun's soft gasp hits his parted lips. "Turn over," is all he can think to say, the younger complying with a whimper that echoes through his gaping lips.
The vampire's ass is before him now, all firm skin golden beneath Jooheon's pale hands. Peering down between their damp and heated bodies, Jooheon guides his practically throbbing member as slow as he can past Changkyun's walls. They groan together, Changkyun's fingers digging into the pillow beneath him as a sweet pressure settles at the base of his spine. Jooheon adjusts to the hot feel of Changkyun cradling his cock perfectly, something he has not felt in quite some time.
"Fuck," he grits out into the air above the vampire. He leans down, breathing heavy into the younger's ear when he finally moves his hips to find a slow rhythm. It is agonizing for the both of them, yet exactly what they need after the week they have had. Jooheon's teeth nip at one of Changkyun's shoulder blades, a pale arm slung around the vampire's neck as a grip. Changkyun gasps every few moments. Whether from Jooheon's cock burying itself deep into him, or the tight hold round his throat, Jooheon has no clue. But he fucking loves it.
Changkyun feels attacked and overstimulated and on fire beneath Jooheon's hungry body. He has only had one partner since turning, and they were not nearly gentle enough, their shared vampiric bloodlines leaving the other man comfortable to use his full strength against Changkyun. But this is stunning, warm and gentle and loving.
Changkyun can feel every ounce of adoration seeping from Jooheon when he turns his head to the side and catches the blonde in his peripheral. The vampire's hand lifts awkwardly to tug affectionately at the blonde's hair, grunting when Jooheon rises up to rock into the younger harder. "I love you," Changkyun calls softly just before Jooheon prods at his prostate and sends him reeling. "Fuck I love- love you so much-"
Jooheon captures the words as he thrusts harder than ever, his lungs unable to handle another battle like this. His hips snap forward quick now, a hand pumping Changkyun's cock when the vampire preens upward at the feel of their bodies colliding. This speeding train is going to crash soon, and Jooheon needs to urge the vampire along as quickly as he can before he burns in the wreckage.
With stars in his eyes and the taste of caramel on his lips, Changkyun comes undone and melts into the bed. Fire burns against him as he ducks his head, nipping at the pale skin that still rests beneath his head. He bites hard enough to draw blood, and finds himself moaning even louder as he bursts against the cotton sheets. He cannot help it, and Jooheon makes no move to stop him as he chases his own high against the vampire. The sharp pain in his arm does not last long, Changkyun's tongue replacing his teeth soon enough and leaving them both winded as Jooheon releases in Changkyun's dark ass.
Collapsing with a final groan of pleasure, Jooheon settles halfway on the vampire beneath him. "Shit Kyun-" He chokes on a labored breath, shoving his face into the pillow beside Changkyun's face to hide his flushed cheeks. "You bit me," he murmurs when he rolls himself completely off the vampire's soiled back.
They both glance at Jooheon's pale arm, no mark remaining to prove anything ever happened. Changkyun tugs the sheet beneath them around to his lower back, wiping himself clean with a sigh. "I couldn't help myself," he admits sheepishly, avoiding the blonde's eyes as he rips the sheet out from beneath them to drop onto the floor. "You smell so fucking delicious-"
Jooheon presses a hand to Changkyun's lips, begging him to shut up. "I'm not complaining," he whispers, pressing his naked body closer to Changkyun's in the bright bedroom. The sun seeps in through the shut curtains, warming the already steamy air around them. He tucks his head into the crook of Changkyun's neck, an arm draped over the younger's dark chest protectively. "Just gimme a warning next time, I felt drunk for a second."
Though he is worried about the blonde's health, Changkyun only nods and wraps his own arm around the man's back, cradling him close to his side. He wants to tell Jooheon that he will never bite him again, never with intent or otherwise, but as he thinks of what to say he can hear the blonde's breathing flatten out.
"I love you," Changkyun murmurs instead, pressing a gentle kiss to the blonde's damp temple.
Jooheon nestles closer, a warm smile on his cherry lips as the words sink into his skin. He believes them, and wants to hear them forever. "Love you too," he whispers just as the dancing colors behind his eyes fade to black.