[00SN15] Nightmare

words: 6,718
rate: PG13
(Phase 15 of the Scarlet Night series.)


Phase Fifteen: Nightmare

Friday; Second week of May 20XX

He wasn’t old.

As he walked down the dark corridor, he kept repeating that to himself like some sort of mantra or prayer. He wasn’t old, and yet, doing what he was doing made him feel old. He was creeping through the dark corridors of the school like a thief in the night, cautious of corners, pressing his back against the walls in shadows and while the adrenaline should have excited him, instead, it made him feel old. The ironic part was that subterfuge was a part of his job with the Council.

What he never realized was that he - the brat, the kid – was also into subterfuge.

He was doing a lecture that morning, walking amongst the desks when he felt the subtle brush of fingers against his hand, which lay limp at his side. When he walked away, he found a small, folded paper tucked into the palm of his hand. As he continued on with his lecture about one of the first books he ever read in Korea, he slipped the paper in his pocket. Little had he known that the note held four words that would keep him on edge for the rest of the day:

My room. Tonight. Midnight.

During lunch, he had sat with his childhood friend at one of the teachers’ tables and couldn’t help but periodically look over at the damn kid. As he spooned rice in his mouth, his friend who sat beside him, couldn’t help but comment.

“Could you be a little less obvious?” Hankyung murmured as he sat back in his chair, bringing a glass of water to his lips,

“The damn brat is up to something,” Zhou Mi replied quietly, disregarding his mouth full of food,

“Hence your total lack of manners,” Hankyung commented when Zhou Mi handed him the note. He read it and then handed it back, “Ah, so he’s a horny one.”

Zhou Mi swallowed hard and then drank some water before he spoke again; “You don’t understand. He’s not… like that. He’s quiet and withdrawn. He’s shy and… innocent.”

Hankyung laughed, “Is that what you think? I’ve been teaching here longer than you, Mi, and I assure you that that kid is no innocent. The way girls used to fawn over him and –”

Zhou Mi gripped his spoon tightly and turned his dark eyes to his friend, “What girls?”

“C’mon, Mi, lunch hour is almost done,” Hankyung said as he stood from the table.

Zhou Mi followed him reluctantly, “What girls, Geng?”

Zhou Mi ducked into an alcove as he heard voices approaching. He watched as two of the monitors walked right past him on the last leg of their rounds. He scowled as he pushed the memory of lunch away from his mind; Hankyung never expanded on those girls. When he heard the monitors disappear around a corner, he quickly continued down the corridor. It was close to midnight and he knew the monitors on duty would soon be returning to that floor where their dorm rooms were located.

He found the door and knocked. Immediately, the door opened, Zhou Mi felt himself strongly pulled into the room and the door slammed close. He opened his mouth to exclaim when suddenly, soft lips pressed against his. Only after Zhou Mi confirmed by sight – and taste – of the identity of the other person, did he soften, pulling the body flush against his own.

One of his hands slowly rose to Kyuhyun’s face, firming against his jaw and stabilizing his face as he pressed harder, slanting his lips to deepen the kiss. He slipped his tongue through the other’s lips when Kyuhyun suddenly pulled back. Zhou Mi said nothing, but raised an eyebrow in silent questioning.

“Sorry,” Kyuhyun murmured, ducking his head to hide the blush creeping on his cheeks.

“It’s fine,” Zhou Mi said evenly, pushing down his rising pride at hearing how breathless the younger man was, “Um… so, Kyuhyun… as much as I appreciate your… enthusiasm… why? You’re not… like this.”

“I don’t know,” Kyuhyun practically growled as he spun around and walked away, “Lately I’ve been feeling… feeling… I don’t know. Rage? Maybe. It’s like when I need blood and… and…” He ran both hands through his thick waves, “Ever since I left the nurse’s office three weeks ago it’s been like this.”

“So… you have blood lust?” Zhou Mi asked as he subtly locked the door and pushed away from it,

“Yes. No. I don’t know,” Kyuhyun sighed as he turned his back to the bed and allowed himself to fall back onto the mattress, his knees hooked over the edge; “It feels like it, but instead of angry, I just… It’s like I have all this energy and I need to…”

Zhou Mi squashed the urge to smile as he approached the younger man, standing before the bed, arms loosely crossed, “Need to what?”

Kyuhyun looked up at him and then draped a forearm over his eyes before mumbling incoherently.

Zhou Mi blinked, noticing the flush slowly spread on the other’s face, “I’m sorry, Kyuhyun, but in my old age my hearing has deteriorated. What did you say?”

“I need to bite you,” Kyuhyun repeated before adding quietly, “But without the fangs.”

Zhou Mi couldn’t help the smirk tugging on his lips. When Kyuhyun had begun to explain his ‘ailment’, Zhou Mi had begun to suspect what it was Kyuhyun was feeling. However, to hear the younger man actually admit his feelings, Zhou Mi couldn’t help but feel great elation.

“What’s stopping you?” Zhou Mi asked casually, struggling hard to not grin foolishly.

Kyuhyun raised his arm from his eyes and looked up at the literature teacher. He scowled, “You’re enjoying this!”

“Of course I am,” Zhou Mi grinned, “It’s nice to know that my boyfriend has the same urges as I do.”

“I do not!” Kyuhyun sat up suddenly, “I’m not as… as… perverted as you.”

Zhou Mi rolled his eyes and not realizing he was pouting slightly as he stated dryly, “Wouldn’t hurt if you were.”

“And… and I’m your boyfriend?” Kyuhyun added tentatively, ignoring the other’s last statement.

“Have you not being paying attention when we’re together?” Zhou Mi asked, the grin gone,

“Well, it’s not like we’ve been alone since I left the hospital,” Kyuhyun replied, “And besides, you’re a –”

“If you say ‘teacher’, I swear I will take it upon myself to remove that word from your vocabulary,” Zhou Mi interrupted edgily, “Kyuhyun, just because we’ve gone back to our normal lives, it doesn’t mean we have to give this up.”

Kyuhyun locked gazes with him, “What exactly is this?”

Zhou Mi’s eyes narrowed on their own accord, “Are you seriously asking me this!?”

Kyuhyun pulled his gaze away immediately, “Well, it’s not like we stopped to talk about… this. You just climbed into my bed that one Friday night and I went with it.”

“You just ‘went with it’?” Zhou Mi could feel his heart seize as he tightened his arms around his own torso, “So you didn’t even want this?”

“No! I mean, no, you’re wrong; yes, I did want this,” Kyuhyun insisted, looking at him again and feeling his cheeks heat up again, “But I don’t know what this is. I… You know I’ve only had Taeyeon and Sungmin in my life… I don’t know any more than that… I’ve…” His eyes dropped to his hands in his lap, “I’ve never wanted anything more than that.” He paused, his hands struggling to keep still in his lap as he inhaled slowly, deeply and added quietly, “Until you.”

Zhou Mi felt the moment his heart began to beat again, accompanied by a sweep of relief over him. Tentatively, he sat on the bed beside the other man, “Well, what do you want this to be, then?” He asked slowly, enunciating each word carefully, knowing that if he took charge then he’d never be certain that Kyuhyun wanted ‘this’ as much as he did.

“A friendship?” Kyuhyun offered, eyes still on his hands. It was a simple answer, his safe answer. He didn’t know anything beyond friendship and was scared of what else there was.

“Geng and I are friends. You and Sungmin are friends. I sure as hell have never even contemplated kissing Geng and I’m sure you’ve never though of kissing Sungmin, so we can’t just be friends,” Zhou Mi stated before belatedly adding, “Have you ever thought of kissing him?”

“No, but we showered together,” Kyuhyun said as he looked up at Zhou Mi. The elder raised his eyebrows before standing up. Kyuhyun grabbed his hand before he could step away and when the older man looked back at him, he smiled up at him, “I’m sorry I misled you. We were kids then and I assure you I have never thought of him like that.”

Zhou Mi looked down at his hand that Kyuhyun was holding. Zhou Mi gripped his hand back, “You can’t call this friendship, Kyuhyun. Even if you’re scared and I know you don’t have a lot of people in your life, but even you must know that this is more than friendship… Has always been more than just mere acquaintanceship since school began.”

Kyuhyun looked away, but Zhou Mi saw that the other’s cheeks were red again, “But… it’s weird calling a teacher my boyfriend.”

Zhou Mi’s face lit up immediately and Kyuhyun momentarily forgot that he was older and he was a teacher. Zhou Mi stepped closer, taking the younger man’s chin between thumb and forefinger. He bent over, brushing his lips against the other, “So long as you acknowledge what we are, then you don’t have to call me anything.” He paused, his face just centimetres from the other, “But don’t you dare call me ‘seonsaeng-nim’ while we’re alone… because that’ll make me really feel perverted.”

“Um… Mi… I…” Kyuhyun turned his head away from the other, “I need…”

Zhou Mi slid back onto the bed, cupping the other’s cheek and making him look back at him, “Yes, Kyuhyun? What do you need?” He asked quietly, his voice like a soft purr,

“I need to feed,” Kyuhyun admitted quietly.

Zhou Mi couldn’t help the feeling of frustration rising in him, but he pushed it down immediately. He knew better than to expect a lot from the other; knew he couldn’t push. He waited until he knew his annoyance was gone before he spoke, “That’s fine. I should’ve asked you earlier.”

He dropped his hand from Kyuhyun’s face and began to unbutton the first two buttons of his shirt to loosen the collar and give Kyuhyun better access to his neck. He had just slipped the second button from its hole when he suddenly felt himself pushed to the mattress. He blinked up at Kyuhyun who was on all fours above him.

Zhou Mi blinked some more, “Um… what are you doing?”

“You were taking too long,” Kyuhyun replied, eyes dark and slightly narrowed, his voice a low growl.

Zhou Mi slipped his arms to his sides, knowing his heart was pounding rapidly from the sudden change in positions. Perhaps his little vampire would surprise him yet. “By all means,” Zhou Mi replied casually, “Have your fill.”

“I intend to,” Kyuhyun muttered, his fingers wrapping around the other’s wrists, pinning them on either side of his head. He bent his head and without warning, bit into the other’s neck.

Zhou Mi barely registered the pain anymore when Kyuhyun bit him. They hadn’t been alone in three weeks. Even though Kyuhyun fed every day, they were often in the nurse’s office with Heechul just on the other side of the curtains. He lay there, eyes lightly closed as he contemplated his current situation. Kyuhyun gripped his wrists tightly, possessively. His words were practically growled, thick, like when he was overcome with blood lust and yet… Kyuhyun had never become so physical during his feedings.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, trying his best to see the top of Kyuhyun’s head as he fed. He fed hungrily, voraciously, his mouth and tongue undulating against his neck. Zhou Mi suppressed the urge to sigh. Of course, it was just blood lust. Here he was, his little vampire starving for blood and all he could think about was getting that little vampire in bed. As Kyuhyun sucked, Zhou Mi felt a moan bubbling in his throat as he pushed away the awareness that they were in a bed.

As Kyuhyun became more engrossed in his feeding, Zhou Mi was horrified to realize the younger man was slowly lowering his body to his own. Kyuhyun continued to feed, hands still manacling Zhou Mi’s as their bodies were flush with one another. Zhou Mi fisted his hands, clenched his eyes shut and prayed for any deity that was listening to give him a break.

Kyuhyun raised his head immediately, his lips tinged a bright red, “Zhou Mi!”

Zhou Mi looked at him with an unwavering gaze as he raised one hand to press against the bite in his neck to stunt the blood, “Well, what do you expect when you’re lying on top of me and we’re in a bed!?”

“I don’t know, some self-control while I feed,” Kyuhyun retorted,

“I have more self-control than a saint!” Zhou Mi defended, “Are you aware that when you feed, your body presses closer, subtly moving the way your mouth does against my neck? It’s almost as if your mouth wasn’t on my neck but on my… Just know that I AM controlling myself!”

Kyuhyun bit down on his thumb until he drew blood. Then he pulled Zhou Mi’s hand from his neck and brushed his blood over the bite, healing the skin immediately. With the same hand, he wiped away any residue and licked his finger clean. He looked at Zhou Mi’s hand which he clasped with his free hand, “Well, it certainly doesn’t feel like you’re controlling yourself.”

“It does NOT help when you’re still sitting on me,” Zhou Mi grounded out, finding it difficult to cross his arms angrily when one wrist was being held by the other man,

“You need to get your head out of the gutter,” Kyuhyun muttered simply as he brought Zhou Mi’s hand to his lips and ran his tongue along the blood-stained grooves of the older man’s palm, “I was just feeding for goodness’ sake.”

“And what are you doing now!?” Zhou Mi choked as Kyuhyun’s tongue traced lines across his palm,

“You have blood on your hand,” Kyuhyun said matter-of-factly as he licked the scarlet off without so much as a second thought, “Shouldn’t let it go to waste.”

“OH MY G- ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!?” Zhou Mi exclaimed, suddenly sitting up with the other still straddling his lap,

“What are you talking about? You were probably just going to wipe off the blood on a towel or something. Might as well let me have it,” Kyuhyun replied, eyes narrowed,

Zhou Mi blinked, “You really have no idea, do you?”

“No idea about what?” Kyuhyun questioned, “Just because your thoughts are perpetually dirty does not mean mine -”

Zhou Mi silenced him with a kiss. His hands anchored Kyuhyun’s hips against his own as his mouth attacked the other’s with his own kind of hunger. He forced his tongue into the other’s mouth, thrusting, stroking and drinking from the kiss. He tasted the slight tangy, coppery taste of his own blood mixed in with the sweet taste that was essentially Kyuhyun. He moved his mouth, his kisses, trailing them along the other’s strong jaw. He could hear the murmur of protests, gasps from the younger man as his kisses continued to journey. He ran his tongue in a line down the column of Kyuhyun’s neck, smugly relishing in the shiver he incited. Then, his lips found purchase on the other’s neck, kissing, biting, his tongue tickling.

“What… what are you doing?” Kyuhyun could barely talk as his head fell back instinctively to offer more of his neck, his eyes sliding shut,

“What you do to me every day,” Zhou Mi murmured against his neck, “To show you why I have the thoughts I have every time you feed, every time your mouth is on me.” He slipped one arm around Kyuhyun’s waist to clamp him there, his free hand dropped to Kyuhyun’s knee, his hand grasping his thigh and slowly sliding his hand up as he explore Kyuhyun’s neck with his mouth, “Do you wear a sweater vest over your shirt to just annoy me?”

“I wore them before you ever came along!” Kyuhyun defended indignantly,

“You should never wear them again,” Zhou Mi said earnestly as he flicked his tongue along the little collarbone he could expose before the edge of the sweater vest restricted the shirt beneath.

“Then just take it off,” Kyuhyun stated.

Zhou Mi looked up at him, his hand stilling on the other’s thigh, “What?”

“I’m… I’m feeling really hot,” Kyuhyun muttered, finding himself unable to look away despite knowing his face was probably as red as blood at that moment, “I… must have too many layers on or something.”

“So… you want me to take off your vest for you?” Zhou Mi asked slowly, carefully,

With a frustrated sigh, Kyuhyun suddenly pulled off his vest and tossed it to the ground. He glared down at the other, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly, “There. Why are you making such a big deal about it? It was just getting hot in here, that’s all… I could have easily just opened a window.” Kyuhyun suddenly looked away, “And… can I move a little further on your lap? Like… closer to your knees?”

Zhou Mi blinked, his arm, instead, holding the other tighter against him, “Why?”

“You know why,” Kyuhyun scowled at him, “You’re having thoughts and your body is… you know why!”

“You say that like it’s not the same for you,” Zhou Mi chuckled,

“It’s not!” Kyuhyun insisted,

Zhou Mi couldn’t help but grin at him, “I know I don’t have telepathy like you do –”

“Not like I can control it –”

“So I don’t know your thoughts… But I can feel and your body is definitely –”

Kyuhyun clapped both of his hands over the other’s mouth, “It is not!” Zhou Mi’s response was to hold Kyuhyun’s hips down with his arm as he grounded his own hips up. The younger man’s eyes widened as his entire body shook gently from the shock that bolted through him. Zhou Mi did it a second time and Kyuhyun had to lower his hands to the other’s shoulders to keep himself upright as he shivered deliciously.

“I think,” Zhou Mi said tentatively, relishing in the other’s bodily responses, “That your body definitely IS.”

“M-maybe,” Kyuhyun managed as he raised his head to look at the other, “I… I can’t have… I don’t think I’m ready for…”

Zhou Mi raised both of his hands to Kyuhyun’s face, cradling it affectionately, gently, “I know and we don’t have to.”

“But you’re… and I’m…” Kyuhyun’s face turned an impossible shade of red, “How else is… this supposed to go away?”

Zhou Mi blinked. He knew Kyuhyun was innocent, he never realized how much. “You mean you’ve never… um… felt this way?”

Kyuhyun shook his head.

“So you’ve never touched yourself?” Zhou Mi asked incredulously,

“Only to… wash… but that’s,” Kyuhyun began to chew on his lip, “But that’s all.”

Zhou Mi silently cursed himself for asking such a question because Kyuhyun’s answer only elicited torturous images in his mind.

“Zhou Mi!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, his telepathy running rampant and several images and thoughts (all of which were not his, he was sure) ran merrily through his mind.

“Well, what do you expect when you mention being in the shower and… touching yourself!?” Zhou Mi defended, his mouth going dry,

“Well, why would I touch myself if it’s never been… like this?” Kyuhyun muttered resentfully,

The vulnerability he saw in the younger man’s face caused Zhou Mi’s heart to constrict painfully. He always knew that Kyuhyun was innocent; he never knew its extent. Still cradling the other’s face, he pulled Kyuhyun’s lips to his own, his lips brushing once, twice before kissing him fully. He was gentle, slow, his lips playing at the other’s. Finally, when he could feel Kyuhyun relax against him again, he pulled back just enough to look Kyuhyun directly in the eye,

“Do you trust me?”

Kyuhyun considered it, but he knew immediately what his answer was. Tentatively, he nodded his head in a silent reply. Zhou Mi picked up Kyuhyun and laid him on the bed as he had done so many times, every time Kyuhyun was sick. He came over Kyuhyun, settling between Kyuhyun’s thighs and bracing himself on his forearms. He looked down at Kyuhyun, saw the uncertainty.

“I’m just going to show you a way we can… relieve… ourselves,” Zhou Mi insisted, “I’ll stop whenever you tell me to, okay?”

Kyuhyun nodded and immediately Zhou Mi kissed him.

…

He was entering the east wing when he saw movement ahead of him. As he drew near, he slowed, knowing his eyes were slowly widening as he stepped through the pale circles of light that the wall lights softly shone, breaking up the corridor’s darkness in perfect intervals.

“Kibum?”

Kibum stopped by the door he had crossed to and turned to face the literature teacher. He crossed his arms loosely, completely unperturbed at being caught, “Yes?”

“What are you doing?” Zhou Mi asked, raising a single eyebrow,

“As if you don’t know what I’m doing,” Kibum replied, his voice completely even and monotonous as always,

“Well… yes,” Zhou Mi sighed, “When you and Kyuri decided to stay on longer so she could learn from Heechul, why didn’t you just request the same room from Eeteuk?”

“Even if I did want to blatantly tell the headmaster my nightly activities, he wouldn’t have approved. We’re both young and we’re not married,” Kibum shrugged, “Besides, Kyuri likes to lie to herself that no one’s aware of where I sleep at night.” His eye’s narrowed ever so slightly, “That most especially extends to her brother.”

“Naturally,” Zhou Mi replied,

“And where have you been?” Kibum asked, his face expressionless, but a single brow rising.

“No where. It’s not like I’m coming back in the morning or anything,” Zhou Mi defended,

Kibum lowered his brow only to narrow both, “But something happened, didn’t it?” His dark eyes swept Zhou Mi despite neither of them standing in light, “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Even if you were –”

“And you left him?” Kibum questioned. At Zhou Mi’s blank look, he reiterated, “You were with that kid and you left him?”

“He’s not that young and of course I left. I’m a teacher, I can’t stay all night –”

Kibum leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, crossing his arms, “Do you remember your first time?”

“We didn’t do anything,” Zhou Mi grounded out, knowing that his cheeks were probably growing red,

“Okay, fine, do you remember you first anything? The first time you held someone’s hand, the first time you were kissed – anything?” Kibum asked,

“Sure,” Zhou Mi replied noncommittally,

“Do you remember what you felt?” Kibum challenged.

“What I felt?”

Before Zhou Mi could say more, the door behind Kibum opened and Kyuri stepped out from the darkness speaking a stream of Japanese, “Kibum? Who are you talking to?” She stood on her toes in an attempt to look over his shoulder. She adjusted her languages accordingly, “Good evening, Zhou Mi.”

“Evening, Kyuri-sshi. I’ll leave you two,” Zhou Mi moved to walk past them,

“Kyuri, Zhou Mi just came back from your brother’s room,” Kibum said, just loud enough for Zhou Mi to hear, “And something happened – no, not that - and he just left him.”

“Is that true?” Kyuri’s soft voice drifted over to Zhou Mi and he stopped, abreast with them, “You left Kyuhyun?”

Zhou Mi sighed heavily as he turned to face them, crossing his arms over his chest, “Yes, okay? I was with your brother and then I left. It’s one in the morning and it’s not like I could have stayed the night, I’m a –”

“When you were going to leave, did my brother try to stop you or did he just let you go?” Kyuri questioned, not minding when Kibum stepped to continue to shield her from Zhou Mi’s sight,

“He just let me go,” Zhou Mi replied before sighing, “After he hugged me.” He glanced at the pair who had just glanced at one another knowingly, “Okay, say it already, what did I do wrong?”

“Is he really asking that? Please tell me that he didn’t just ask that!” Kyuri’s hushed words were increasing in anger,

“Three weeks and suddenly you’re playing the protective sister?” Zhou Mi asked lightly,

“Hey! I didn’t just leave someone vulnerable and alone… and at night!” She hissed at him,

“What does night have to do anything with it? He’s not afraid of the dark,” Zhou Mi replied,

“Taeyeon told me about my brother and thunderstorms… just in case I was around him during one,” Kyuri explained, “And if you haven’t realized yet, it’s raining outside.”

“It’s a drizzle,” Zhou Mi stated,

“Did you not hear me earlier when I said vulnerable and alone?” Kyuri hissed, pushing against Kibum now at an attempt to jump at the teacher,

“Yes, I did but I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Zhou Mi said,

Kyuri sighed heavily as she leaned her forehead against Kibum’s shoulder blade, “I’ve been estranged with my brother all my life and, even now, I have problems starting a conversation with him… but even I know how innocent he is. And I know how socially inefficient he is –”

“Because you’re the same,” Kibum muttered,

Kyuri hit him before continuing, “You and Kyuhyun… did something… were intimate. Being intimate causes a person to open up, opening themselves to another person. Afterwards, it leaves a person vulnerable, exposed. You left him. He wanted you to stay, but you wanted to leave and because he was vulnerable, he let you go. He let you go because if he argued, he was afraid that you might not come back.”

Zhou Mi shifted his gaze to Kibum, silently asking for confirmation. Kibum raised a brow in a single, simple, silent sentence. Zhou Mi cursed under his breath, turned on his heel and stalked away.

“How oblivious can he be?” Kyuri sighed as she turned and retreated into her room.

Kibum, after watching Zhou Mi disappear into the darkness, followed her in, closing the door firmly behind himself. “Oh?”

“Yes,” Kyuri replied as she climbed back into her bed,

“As I recall,” Kibum said quietly as he pulled off his shirt, tossing it to the chair by the desk, “It took you four years before you realized how I felt about you.”

“I was just trying to finish school,” Kyuri argued as Kibum slipped beneath the blankets and joined her in the bed,

“Stop lying,” Kibum said as he settled behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back against him. He nuzzled his cheek against her loose hair,

“How was I supposed to know anything?” Kyuri replied as she struggled to turn in his arms, snuggling against his chest, feeling his lips against her forehead, “Your face has no expressions and your voice has no tones. I couldn’t even tell when you were mad at me.”

“Ah, but you learned in time how to read me,” Kibum said as he held her close,

“Then I suppose that means Zhou Mi will learn in time too?” Kyuri murmured, “Does that mean my brother will have to endure four years, too?”

“Aw, look at you,” Kibum commented in his monotonous voice, “calling him your brother more and more.”

Kyuri murmured a low growl before snuggling even closer to his warm body and falling asleep.

…

Kyuhyun raised his forehead from the cool glass of his darkened bedroom. Had he truly heard a knock? Dressed in just pyjama bottoms, his short hair still slick from his shower, Kyuhyun padded across the room to the door, his hand hovering on the doorknob. Who could it be? Zhou Mi had left and Taeyeon would have already said it was her. He remembered the night he had been attacked and he hesitated, what if they were back? He could fight off three, maybe four guys off. But, that night, there had been five and if more came…

Knock. Knock.

He remembered the sun, the heat and before he realized it, he was stepping away from the door. It couldn’t be them again, could it? Kyuhyun took another step back. He had been back in his room for three weeks and he hadn’t felt scared for one moment. He hadn’t felt scared and yet tonight… tonight he was alone; but hadn’t he been alone before? Tonight he felt weak; but didn’t his vampirism give him extra strength? He had fed, but why did he feel ready to collapse?

Knock. Knock.

Suddenly, Kyuhyun realized he had backed up until he was against a window. He slid down against the wall until he was sitting. He wrapped his arms around his bent knees, leaning his forehead against a knee. He wished he wasn’t alone, he wished Zhou Mi were with him, wished he had stayed.

Knock. Knock.

What if he were attacked again? What if this time no one found him? He remembered the many hands that grabbed him, immobilized him until even his vampiric side couldn’t do any good. He remembered the inescapable heat that wrung him out and dried him to the bone. He remembered the haunting sun that taunted and chased him as he tried to find the smallest bit of shadow on the roof. He felt his body tremble as if his body was heated and weak again, as if he feared the rays of the sun despite knowing it was the middle of the night.

The door burst open and Kyuhyun instinctively shot his head up, plastering his back against the wall beneath the window. There was a single dark form in the doorway. He found it difficult to breathe as the door closed behind the person. He was trapped now. He could probably take on whoever-it-was and yet he had no motivation, no strength to fight.

The form stopped a few feet away, a dark silhouette, just out of the reach of the pale shimmer of the moonlight that streamed through the window.

“Kyuhyun?”

The voice floated over him, washed over him like warm water. Slowly, he straightened to his full height.

“Zhou… Mi?” The words felt dry and light on his lips, as if it took his breath away to just say the name.

“Who else would it be?” Zhou Mi asked softly, tentatively as he stepped into the stream of moonlight.

Immediately, Kyuhyun launched himself against Zhou Mi, his arms wrapping tightly around the older man’s waist, his face buried against the curve between his neck and shoulder. Zhou Mi wrapped an arm around his back, the other around his head, holding him securely against him. He felt the soft tremble in the younger man’s lithe body,

“I came because… because…” Zhou Mi glanced to the window, “Because it’s raining outside.”

Kyuhyun sighed heavily, a calm washing over him as he leaned into the other’s warmth, strength. Kyuhyun moved his head enough so he wasn’t mumbling into the other’s clothes, “Next time we’re… together… don’t you dare leave me.”

Zhou Mi turned his head, pressing his lips against the other’s temple and not helping the smile tugging at his mouth, “Of course.”

…

He was covered in blood.

He looked down at his hands and they trembled with scarlet as they glinted off the moonlight. He took a step back and felt his foot hit something. He spun around immediately, his eyes darting to the floor. It was dark out, but the moon was full like a lantern. It shone down upon the crumpled body at his feet. His entire body was shaking now as he took another step backwards, his eyes taking in the dark pool of blood beneath the body.

Why?

How?

Wildly, he looked down at the body. No… it couldn’t be.

He scrambled closer, falling to his knees and not caring that his knees were immediately soaked through his pants. Shaking, he reached out for the face, wanting to turn it towards him so he could see. His heart was pounding fiercely, but for once, it wasn’t because of the smell of blood; the temptation. Instead, he felt fear. He felt it so greatly, so thickly that it was like a bitter taste in his mouth, a putrid smell in his nostrils.

His eyes swept over the face. It was so pale, the lines so familiar. It couldn’t… no… The moonlight was pale, but it was clear and the face couldn’t be mistaken for any other.

No. No. No.

He fell back onto his bottom and he pushed away with his heels, scrambling away. It was then that he remembered the blood on his hands and his soaked pants. He slowly raised his hands to his eyes again.

How? How? How?

He looked back at the body. How did… how did…

Kyuhyun sat up straight in the bed, the sheets twisting about his waist.

“Kyuhyun?” Zhou Mi pushed himself up on an elbow. With his free hand, he rubbed his hands with the heel of his palm, “What’s going on?’

“Zhou Mi,” Kyuhyun fell against him, his cheek against the other’s chest, his arms embracing him tightly, “I… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry.”

Those wavering, frightened words pierced through Zhou Mi’s haze, awakening him immediately. He cupped the younger man’s face, trying to lift his head, “Kyuhyun, what’s going on? What’s wrong? Why are you sorry?”

“I… I… I killed you,” Kyuhyun was gasping for air now, unable to find any strength to fill his lungs; “I… I killed you… Oh, God, I killed you,” Kyuhyun pulled away from him,

Zhou Mi sat up, reaching for him, “No, you didn’t, Kyuhyun –”

“No, no, stay away! I… I killed you! I was… blood everywhere,” Kyuhyun stammered as he scrambled away to the foot of the bed, “I knew this would happen… I knew… I knew!”

“Kyuhyun – You. Did. Not. Kill. Me!” Zhou Mi replied, getting to his knees and inching closer to him,

“But… But I saw it… I saw you,” he stammered fervently as he tried to escape Zhou Mi’s reach, “My telepathy must extend to the future because… because I saw you and I had… I had…” Kyuhyun crumbled to the mattress in a ball, his hands covering his head as he tried to make himself as small as possible.

Zhou Mi closed the distance between them, sitting down and pulling the younger man into his lap. He held him close, embracing him securely, “I’m right here… I’m not going anywhere and you’re certainly not going to kill me.”

“But Zhou Mi, I know what I saw,” Kyuhyun whispered, fear lacing each word as he clutched to the older man. Never before had he hung onto someone so strongly, so fiercely before in his life. “I know… what I saw.”

Zhou Mi whispered soothing words to him, gently rocked him and could only breathe easily when he heard the shallow, even breathing of sleep. When he finally felt secure in lying Kyuhyun in the bed again, he stretched along his length, propped up on an elbow so he could look down at the sleeping face, brows narrowed cautiously.

Zhou Mi reached over and pushed hair from Kyuhyun’s eyes, “Vampires can’t tell the future… can they?”

…

“If it’s a vampire, can I kill them?” Kibum questioned as he slipped from the bed,

“Even if it isn’t, kill them,” Kyuri murmured as she burrowed further into her blankets at the loss of body heat. “The sun’s not even out yet.”

Kibum chuckled softly as he pulled on his shirt, “Shouldn’t you be answering the door since this is your room?” However, Kyuri didn’t reply, merely turning her face more into her pillow. Kibum shook his head as he went to the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door, “Zhou Mi-sshi? Kyuhyun?”

Zhou Mi stood there in the dark corridor, Kyuhyun asleep in his arms. “Can Kyuhyun stay here?”

Kyuri sat up sleepily, “Why do I keep hearing my brother’s name? What’s going on?”

“Kyuhyun’s been having a bad night and I don’t want to leave him alone in case he wakes up again,” Zhou Mi explained as he stood there as if the younger man weighed nothing in his arms,

“Then don’t leave him,” Kyuri hissed as she pushed her long locks from her face,

“And why don’t you bring him to… Sungmin-sshi or something?” Kibum suggested,

“Because to do so means walking past several teachers’ rooms… and I have to leave,” Zhou Mi swallowed hard; “I was sent a package.”

Kyuri, suddenly very awake, blinked at him through the dimness, “A package? As in a mission package? Do you have a team yet?”

Zhou Mi shook his head, “I got the call just now. The package is ready for me at the Council; I’ll set up the team from there… So… please, let Kyuhyun stay here.”

“After everything you can still go out and hunt vampires?” Kyuri questioned,

“They’re not transformed; apparently it’s a pureblood on a rampage in a small village north of here,” Zhou Mi explained,

Kyuri turned her face to Kibum who, instinctively, looked over at her and said simply, “No.”

“But I haven’t been on a mission in so long!” Kyuri exclaimed, “And it’s a pureblood!”

Kibum allowed the barest of emotions to touch his face, narrowing his brows deeply, “No.” He turned back to the literature teacher, “Kyuhyun will stay with his sister, but I’ll come with you.”

“Thank you,” Zhou Mi sighed just as Kyuri exclaimed, “What!?”

“Someone needs to stay with Kyuhyun and I owe it to Kyuhyun to make sure Zhou Mi comes back alive,” Kibum explained steadily,

“Actually… Kyuhyun mustn’t know why I’m gone,” Zhou Mi said as he laid Kyuhyun on the empty side of the bed.

Kyuri, sitting crossed-legged, looked up at him suspiciously, “Why? Doesn’t he know you’re a Head Hunter?”

“Worse,” Zhou Mi straightened, “I don’t think he even knows I’m a part of the Council at all… Your cousin does, but I don’t think Kyuhyun knows.”

“And why haven’t you told him yet?” Kyuri questioned,

“Because, he doesn’t trust people, and if he finds out I’m a Head Hunter… I can’t lose him. I’ll tell him, but… not now when his trust in me is so finicky,” Zhou Mi insisted as he headed back to the door,

Kyuri glanced down at her brother’s face before looking back at the literature teacher, “Fine… but if he starts hugging me in the night thinking I’m you, I’ll cut him, I swear!”

“She’s kidding,” Kibum said monotonously as Zhou Mi’s jaw dropped.

“I’m not,” Kyuri argued.

Kibum walked around to her side of the bed, dropping a kiss to her crown, “Be nice.” He straightened, “This’ll give you two a chance to bond. You haven’t been able to do that since exams finished two weeks ago.”

“How can I bond when the bastard’s asleep?” Kyuri stated dryly,

“Then go back to sleep,” Kibum replied as he headed to the door, “You like sleep; hate morning.”

“If he tries to steal the blankets from me, I’ll cut him,” Kyuri threatened darkly,

“Kyuri,” Kibum said warningly as he joined Zhou Mi in the doorway. She looked at him expectantly, “Don’t do anything too stressful. Can’t take risks while in your condition.”

Kyuri blinked, “My condition!?”

“You know what I mean,” Kibum said nonchalantly as he subtly pushed the older man out the door, “Common among women after having relations… lasts approximately nine months. A masochistically beautiful ending?”

Kyuri’s jaw literally dropped as Kibum and Zhou Mi left the room.



(Phase 16: My Worth to You)


Some answers for questions about this chapter & the series in general:

Is HanChul one of the pairs in this series?
It's mentioned here & there. It's a ninja!pairing that's for sure. In all honesty, they were never paired to begin with. The innuendos to what they are is simply because Lily asked for it & I'm so mean to her most of the time, I decided to be nice.

Is Kyuri pregnant?
Phase 16 will reveal the answer. & - if she is - why does Kibum know before her? Also answered in Phase 16, but I'll give you this much: Kibum is that awesome.

What is the conclusion to the first scene between Zhou Mi & Kyuhyun?
Zhou Mi has skillful hips... I actually wrote out that scene completely, but I wanted a consistent rating for the chapters in this series, so I cut that part out to lower the chapter's rating.
Thank Lily for convincing me to post this. The ending of that scene.


What are Zhou Mi's 'illegal' thoughts about Kyuhyun?
Anything having to do with the bed. As this chapter revealed, Kyuhyun's quite naive and innocent in the 'intimacy' arena. So, whenever he catches Zhou Mi's thoughts, they're quite scandalous to him.
I never realllly outline what his thoughts are exactly, but if I did, the rating would go up and that's just too much trouble. XD