Are You There - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

"That's no kind of answer-"
Jooheon glares up at the ceiling as he flops onto the sofa's pullout, Changkyun's voice painfully loud as he speaks to someone on the phone. At first, he was just whispering, then he was almost shouting, clearly having forgotten that he had sent Jooheon into his room to try and sleep again.
Jooheon can hear the entire conversation, and was seconds away from storming into Changkyun's room to tell him to shut the hell up, when something made him stutter. "I know I died."
Jooheon could only lie still and listen closer after that, scared to know what that had meant, but more scared to never understand at all. If Changkyun had indeed died in the hospital, then the memories he had begun piecing together were not in fact wrong. Like waking up in the hospital when Changkyun's heart monitor started blaring a flat line in the emergency room. The memory that feels like a dream could have been real-
Jooheon sits straight up at the sound of Changkyun's voice outside the guest room window, startling him to no end. His dark eyes glare at the window to see Changkyun talking to himself as he wanders down the sidewalk, loud as if calling out to someone that is not there. Standing, Jooheon rushes to the window to get a better view of his best friend as he hurries down the path.
Pressing his face to the glass, Jooheon watches as Changkyun continues speaking to someone that appears to be beside him, though the space around him is completely empty. "What the fuck," Jooheon mutters under his breath, watching until Changkyun turns at the end of the street and wanders out of sight.
Half-considering a little stalking for the night, Jooheon shakes his head at himself. His best friend, though clearly psychotic, probably needs his space. Jooheon's own words from twenty minutes ago play back in his head and he blanches. When you feel like helping me out with whatever's going on in my life, I'll be lying awake.
What an asinine thing to say. How could he have let something so selfish pass his lips? Being honest with himself, he was so beyond frustrated with whatever the hell had happened to his head, that he was not even bothered to care enough about his best friend. The guy who had apparently been stabbed. Who had apparently died.
Going back to the guest bed, Jooheon pulls his phone from under his pillow and ponders over who to text this late at night. Surely Hoseok would at least be awake, Kihyun as well, but he is not mentally prepared to send that message.
Hovering over Hoseok's contact photo, Jooheon falters and wonders just how he will even start the conversation. He cannot go so deep into it with the first text. Hey old bud, it would seem that I've got brain trauma of some sort, and I can't remember much of anything past your party yesterday. Mind helping me out?
Jooheon shakes his head at that, clicking Hoseok's photo and deciding to keep it simple.
To Hoesuck: Hey, you up for a late night bite?
The message is read after only a minute, and Jooheon stares at the three floating dots, nervously awaiting his friend's reply. Truthfully, Jooheon does not have many people he is close with. In the years that he has had Changkyun beside him, he has found that they as a pair have matured, while everyone around them have remained children. Hoseok, thankfully, has always been level-headed and responsible, the parental elder of the group.
From Hoesuck: yeah whatever. i don't open the store tomorrow so i'm up
Jooheon smiles before sending the name of a twenty-four hour cafe, a place Changkyun and he would usually have a rest at before work. Leaving the guest room and entering Changkyun's quietly, Jooheon snags one of his best friend's baggy sweatshirts before abandoning the apartment. He makes sure to lock the front door before letting it shut behind him, not planning to return tonight.
He keeps his eye out for Changkyun as he steps out of the apartment building, none too eager to run into his possibly manic best friend in the middle of the night. "God, please don't pop out of the dark and kill me," he whispers into the stale October air. "I swear, I'll tell your mother, you dumb ass."
[ x ]
Hyungwon can surprisingly walk for more than a minute at a time. Changkyun is glad to see that the tall man does not pop out of sight at the first chance he gets, instead leading the younger along through the silent streets of the city. Changkyun catches the time on a building's sign after a long distance, now officially Saturday morning according to the flashing 12:14 AM.
Hyungwon does not talk much as he trudges along, though Changkyun prods at him every few moments with a new question. "Aren't you gonna explain anything? Like why me, or why not someone else, or why I'm not dead?"
Changkyun stands on tip-toe to see Hyungwon's face in the dark, the silver-haired man glaring in the younger's direction every few moments. "If you cannot learn to keep to the silence, you'll never learn to break mine."
Changkyun sighs, his shoulders sagging dramatically as his head tilts back. He stares up at the bleak sky as they walk along, beyond annoyed at Hyungwon's increasingly cryptic dialogue. "What the hell are you anyway? Some kinda wizard? You sound like you're writing a potions book."
Changkyun snickers at Hyungwon's bewildered glare, his eyes wide as his lips go agape. "Don't ever make that disgusting comparison again." Changkyun goes silent at the edge in Hyungwon's voice, startled enough to slow for a few steps. "I am not some imbecile huddled over a dead plant and calling it magic, and I'm not some baboon lighting things on fire just to call myself divine."
"Well what are you then?" Changkyun knows the answer, but he just cannot seem to bite his tongue.
"The same as you," he says quietly, ducking into an alleyway Changkyun had not noticed a moment before. "Dead," Hyungwon adds from the darkness.
Changkyun swallows down his sudden nervousness before following Hyungwon into the dark space; he realizes upon stepping into the shadows that the sliver between two buildings may not even be considered an alley. This is a rat's pathway if anything. He can barely squeeze through it sideways, yet ahead of him he can see the outline of Hyungwon, who walks forward as if miles of space have been made for him. "You never told me where we were going!"
Hyungwon stops at the lip of the alley, glancing back over his shoulder with that menacing smirk. "I've yet to figure it out myself. I'll know when we arrive."
Changkyun huffs in annoyance, scraping his elbow against the brick wall behind him. It is the first time he has brought himself pain since his change, and he is surprised to find that it actually hurts. He does no feel any blood however, so he ignores the familiar sting of a scratch and continues on until he reaches Hyungwon's side once more. Glancing around the street they have let out onto, Changkyun is surprised to find that he recognizes the businesses around him.
"You walked us to my work," he points out, his hand lifting to indicate the comic shop he is hopefully still employed at. "There's a coffee shop not too far from here, they're open all night-" He cuts himself off when Hyungwon starts across the street, headed straight for the dark comic store. "Hey, the store's closed and I don't have my keys!"
He attempts to keep his voice down, a few people stumbling about as bars close early for the night. Changkyun chases after the silver-haired man, hot on his heels until suddenly there are no heels to traipse behind. He cannot help but gasp when in just an instant Hyungwon winks out of thin air. If this were a silly drama, there would have been a finite poof to announce his departure. Changkyun only hears the rustle of leaves over the ground as he stares at where Hyungwon was just stood.
"Oh that's not fair," he mutters under his breath, peering in through the store's front window to see Hyungwon shuffling between aisles of comics. Tapping on the glass, Changkyun can only glare when Hyungwon glances his way. "What're you doing?" He hisses, knowing full well that Hyungwon can hear him.
"Browsing," comes the older man's reply, so simple that it almost gives Changkyun an anxiety attack. "Come in soon before you draw eyes."
Changkyun does a full turn, his gaze training on several drunkards bumbling into one another before he deems it safe to lurk at the storefront. "I can't get in, the door's locked."
He can practically hear Hyungwon's eye roll, watching as the older man approaches the glass and merely watches Changkyun. They stare at one another like that for a long while, neither speaking, and neither moving. Changkyun does not know if he should break the eye contact first, if this is some kind of challenge, but he holds steady anyhow.
"I can't go inside," he repeats after his bones begin to stiffen beneath his muscles. The cold air is suddenly biting at him, wearing down at his skin like an icy shower. His insides burn as his body tries to warm him up again, and Hyungwon watches as the boy before him begins to sway in place.
He hums in thought as Changkyun ultimately collapses in a heap, shaking in pain as the suddenly freezing temperatures tear him apart from the outside in. "What are you doing down there?" Hyungwon asks curiously as he shifts through the air again, kneeling down beside his disciple in an instant.
Changkyun groans in pain as Hyungwon merely watches him struggle, knowing exactly what the issue is. "You said there wasn't any more pain," he mutters between clenched teeth, feeling the all too familiar burn at the top of his throat. His mouth fills with saliva as if preparing to vomit, and he rolls onto his side to keep from drowning himself in it.
"You must be hungry," Hyungwon comments in glee, patting Changkyun's head as if petting a dog. "Newborns feed far more often than their elders. That is precisely why I sent you home with that mortal fellow," he adds before standing.
Changkyun shakes his head as he forces himself onto his knees, begging not to go through another painful war of either feeding on something, or starving to death. "I'm not hungry," he insists, making every attempt to stand on his own two feet. He merely topples over onto his side, lying hopelessly on the pavement. It is almost amazing how quickly his strengthened body goes weak and unresponsive to his demands at even the slightest hint of hunger.
"Oh don't you worry, young one. There are plenty of lowlifes on the streets tonight. You've only had the taste of stale blood from the floor, I'm sure your body is starved already for something fresh."
Changkyun gags at the word 'blood', spitting out the fiery liquid now coating his tongue. "No!" He waves his hand at Hyungwon, smacking it into his leg to try and stop him, but the tall man is stalking away without a second glance.
Changkyun watches helplessly as Hyungwon leaves him behind, rounding a corner with little aim. Please don't bring me a person, Changkyun begs silently, his stomach churning at the thought. Though he understands that it is what his body needs, he is not prepared to face it yet. He would rather suffer here with his rising venom than sink his teeth into a living person. Bring me a damn rat for all I care. Just don't bring me a human.
[ x ]
Hoseok parks his car in the street, spotting Jooheon already sat in the cafe. The blonde man, looking close to exhaustion, stares hard into a mug that seems to hold the answers to the world. Hoseok steps out of his car, locking it quickly as he rounds the front to set up his parking meter. "You better not make me sit here longer than thirty minutes," he mutters to himself, paying for exactly half an hour.
He tugs his receipt from the small machine just as someone rounds the corner beside the cafe, Hoseok stuttering as his first step misses the lift from the curb to the sidewalk. "Don't be a murderer." He continues speaking to himself, muttering all the way to the door of the cafe.
The tall figure approaches him just as Hoseok reaches for the cafe door, his smooth voice enticing to the broad man without the slightest of glamour added. "I'm sorry to bother you this late, but my friend just collapsed around the corner, and I could really use some help with him."
The startling image Hoseok had of this man only moments ago has disappeared. Suddenly, the thin, handsome man is just another late-night adventurer in need of some help. Hyungwon smiles as Hoseok nods, knowing that his dear disciple will eat well for the first time since turning.
"What's wrong with your friend?" Hoseok wonders quietly, following Hyungwon blindly. Under normal circumstances, Hoseok would never stroll with a stranger, whether the sun were up or not. But that gentle voice is so pure that Hoseok cannot help but follow it along. So goes the trap of vampiric beauty, awe worthy as the angels themselves.
"I think he's exhausted," Hyungwon says quietly, feigning worry. He pulls a small frown onto his lips as he glances Hoseok's way, piling on his best pout when he speaks again. "I really worry about him sometimes. He works so much these days, I don't think he even sleeps."
In the back of his mind, Hoseok wishes that he had a close friend to worry over him like this. Sure he has plenty of people who consider him closer than family, but none of them ever bother to check in on how he is, or how he feels. Hoseok pushes his dark thoughts back as the pair round the corner together. There is a time and place for everything, and this moment is not about him.
Hoseok accidentally gasps when he spots someone crumpled on the path up ahead, clearly struggling to sit himself up along a wall. Hoseok curses as he rushes forward, recognizing the young man as he gets closer. "Changkyun?"
The boy in question squints up at his older friend, groaning at the sight of him. "Go away," he spits out through clenched teeth, quite literally spitting a moment later. "You gotta go-"
Hoseok ignores him, kneeling down beside Changkyun to help him lean up against the wall of the comic store behind him. Hyungwon stands a few meters away, watching the events unfold like a film at the theater. He has a sudden craving for something sweet as he watches the muscles in Hoseok's back tense when he attempts to lift Changkyun.
Changkyun groans again, turning his head away from his friend and holding his breath, begging his body to forgive him for letting it starve. "Hoseok, you have to go."
Hoseok continues ignoring the boy, wrapping an arm beneath his back and hefting him up into a standing position. "Shut up, Changkyun. Come with me real quick, I was just about to meet Jooheon. We'll get some food in you and take you home."
At the mention of food, Changkyun's mouth completely floods over with his burning venom, pain striping itself across his tongue. His lips part as he doubles over, letting it drip from his mouth like hot water onto the pavement. He groans in pain, the spiteful sound of Hoseok's heartbeat far too loud on the quiet street to handle. You can fight it, Changkyun tells himself. You can.
Hoseok straightens Changkyun up again, propping his head of freshly groomed hair on his broad shoulder. So close to Hoseok's pulse point, Changkyun can only stare, his breath still held fast within his lungs. Gripping Hoseok's shirt hem for stability, Changkyun takes two steps beside his friend before watching that pulse point becomes painful.
He cannot control himself, and he knows it. He makes one final attempt to save his friend, twisting in Hoseok's grip to stumble away. He is only dragged back by the back of his shirt, knocking into Hoseok's side, closer than before. Changkyun has only time to curse at himself before shoving against his friend's side and pushing his older until he hits the comic store wall. "Changkyun, what the hell-" The man cuts himself off with a gasp, a sharp pain blossoming at the juncture between his neck and shoulder.
Hyungwon grins at the sight of his young one's first attack, something he has been eager to witness since first deciding to turn Changkyun a few days earlier. He watches as Hoseok's eyes drift shut, Changkyun's hands on the broad man's shoulders for stability as his lips hold fast against his throat.
The tall man watching considers just letting Changkyun kill the broad man, but he does not particularly want his new pet to be killed later for breaking laws he is not yet aware of. So he approaches slowly, grasping Changkyun's waist gently and pulling him away from Hoseok before he can drain him of all his blood. Heaving, Changkyun fights against his master's hands, his lips stained a deep crimson as Hoseok sags against the wall before hitting the ground. Two halves of Changkyun's mind argue between themselves; one side begs to continue feeding, just kill Hoseok and worry later. The other side wants to hurl Changkyun off the nearest bridge, completely ashamed of him and what he has done.
Hyungwon leans down to whisper in Changkyun's ear, beyond proud of the younger. "He'll heal up within the next few hours, don't you worry about him." Hyungwon can smell the blood that courses through the man's veins, even though much of it has been taken- it smells divine, as if he weren't only human. Squeezing Changkyun's shoulders, Hyungwon cannot even try to fight his grin. "How did he taste?"
Changkyun comes down from his high quickly, disgusted with himself in an instant. "Like MSG," he admits at a whisper, glaring down at the fallen form of his friend. He cannot believe what he has just done. He cannot even begin to try and fix this. "And sugar," he adds without thinking, his eyes squeezing shut in horror.
Hyungwon makes a mental note to find this broad man in the future, his physique surely good enough to keep him around as a servant. "Good," he says gently as he leads Changkyun back the way they came. The younger looks back every few seconds, worried over his fallen friend to no end.
"I don't want to leave him there," he whispers in fear, glancing up at his Master with a pout. "Are we really going to? Won't he get hurt? Or mugged?"
Hyungwon shrugs, glancing back at Hoseok for just a moment before leading them forward again. "He's merely a mortal. One less of them does not mean anything. There's still seven billion more to replace him."
Changkyun really does not like the sound of that.