[00SN27] Siren's Call

words: 8193
rate: PG13
(Phase 27 of the Scarlet Night series.)


Phase Twenty-Seven: Siren's Call

Monday; Third week of December 20XX

“You wanted to talk after class?”

Sungmin looked up from the binder he was writing in. He smiled and waved Kyuhyun to pull up a chair, “No, I thought maybe you wanted a break or something. Do you have a class next?”

“I don’t have to go,” Kyuhyun answered as he sat down in a chair, propping an elbow on Sungmin’s desk, “A break from what?”

“All that female attention,” Sungmin laughed, “It’s hard to teach a class when half of the population is eyeing a single student sitting in the back corner.”

Kyuhyun sighed, “You saw that, huh? I don’t understand. They spent four years ignoring me and suddenly, after a weekend, they’re all scouting me like they’re hungry and I’m a piece of meat.”

Sungmin sat back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest, “Not just any weekend, the senior ball. You probably made all of them fall in love with you.”

“How? I was dancing with Taeyeon all night!” Kyuhyun stated disgruntled, “We acted like we always do.”

Sungmin slanted him a look, “I can imagine. But, considering you two are close to begin with, all the girls are probably fantasizing that they could replace Taeyeon by your side.”

“Hey, I shouldn’t be getting any attitude from you! You owe me one,” Kyuhyun reminded, “You don’t even know how many guys I save Taeyeon from.”

Sungmin’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “I knew I should have argued against that dress.”

Kyuhyun cocked his head and smirked, “I bet you saw her in it and lost your tongue.”

Sungmin said nothing, merely leaned forward and continued his note taking in his binder as the bell signalling the next period rang.

Kyuhyun laughed as he leaned back in his chair, raising his arms to link his fingers behind his head. “That was a good night… all in all, that is.”

“I’m guessing you met with Zhou Mi-sshi after,” Sungmin inquired lightly.

“We were caught,” Kyuhyun said simply, tilting his head to the ceiling as he closed his eyes.

“Caught!? By who? No wait, doing what? Oh dear God, don’t tell me you two were caught doing that!?” Sungmin exclaimed, sitting straighter in his chair, his pencil dropping to the desktop,

Kyuhyun straightened, “No!” Slowly, he slunk back to his previous position in the chair, “No, but I was feeding and two of those damn Hunters caught us together.”

Sungmin’s hands fisted on the desktop, “Tell me what I have to do to help.”

Kyuhyun lowered his hands from his head and looked at Sungmin, “What are you? A mob boss? You don’t have to do anything, Mi covered for us when we were caught. They think we were just being… over-amorous.”

“One of the upsides of you taking blood from the neck,” Sungmin murmured, folding his arms over his chest again. Silence fell between them before Sungmin sat back in his chair, regarding the younger man seriously, “Your bloodlust… how was it yesterday? This morning?”

Kyuhyun stilled as his gaze floated to the windows near Sungmin’s desk. “There. Different. I don’t know how else to explain it.” He stood from the chair and went to sit on a nearby desk, still untouched by the sun’s rays as it moved across the morning sky. “I… I literally feel as if I’m constantly getting ready to run away or fight. My heart feels like it’s constantly racing a marathon. My muscles are so tense that when I was feeding yesterday, Mi had a hand on my shoulder and I had to move away because it hurt.”

Sungmin’s eyes had slowly widened as he listened. Now, with arms crossed still, he was leaning forward, elbows propped on the table, “Kyuhyun –”

“I haven’t fallen into the depths of my bloodlust that sends me into the rage, but…” Kyuhyun ran both hands through his hair, “Okay, it’s like… let’s say hypothetically my bloodlust has three stages. In the first stage, my heart begins to race even when I’m standing still, but I’m suddenly aware of everything and everyone. It’s like my body’s looking for blood even when I’m not.”

He raised two fingers in the air, “Stage two, I start reacting to people around me. I’m ready to attack them, or I’m on such a short fuse that I could get into a fight with just getting a wrong look. Sometimes, people don’t even have to touch me or be near me for me to react to them.” Kyuhyun wanted to look away, wanted to break the eye contact, but he wanted to remain strong, to show Sungmin he trusted him completely. “There was one time when I was in my room at night. I saw one of the security guards doing a round of the campus and… and all I could think about was what his blood might taste like.”

Kyuhyun subtly shook his head, as if breaking free of a trance. Slowly, he raised a third finger, “The third stage is when I can’t run away anymore – I have to attack or fight. It’s weird but, it’s like all I can think about is blood and having to feed. I can’t control myself anymore and…” Kyuhyun dropped his hand to his lap, his gaze following it.

“It’s like a stoplight. Once you reach red, you have to stop, there’s no breaking the rules, you can’t keep going through,” Sungmin said quietly, tentatively. “But like some stoplights, you can always turn right even when you can’t go straight.”

Kyuhyun looked up at him in silent askance.

“I’ll help you through this, Kyu… We’ll figure out what’s going on and we’ll get through this,” Sungmin promised, “What are best friends for?”

Kyuhyun slowly smiled, gratefulness lighting his eyes. Slowly, he smirked, “To take the other friend’s girlfriend to a dance because the first friend can’t?”

Sungmin laughed leaning back in his chair, grinning, “Yeah, that too. Although, if you ask me to take Zhou Mi-sshi to a dance, I’m going to run away from you.”

Kyuhyun smiled back, chuckling softly to himself.

…

After last period

“Do you like your ring?” Kyuhyun inquired.

Still dressed in his school uniform, he sat on the ground, his back against the door. He had his knees raised, his hands clasped atop of them. The room was dim, only the lamp on the bedside table lighting the isolation room in the nurse’s office.

“I do. Did Kibum show it to you?” Kyuri asked.

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to ask… what… what colours is the ring?” Kyuhyun asked as he looked at his hands.

Kyuri looked down at the ring, “The centre is a sapphire and it’s a very… dark, royal blue. Beside it are just diamonds and the band is silver. Do you want to see it again? I can slide it underneath the door.”

Kyuhyun paused before replying with an affirmative. He looked down and saw the edge of the ring in the space beneath the door. Clad in black dress pants and a short-sleeved blouse that flared below her bust to compensate for her pregnant state, Kyuri sat on the other side of the door, back against it as well with her legs crossed, her hands on her protruding stomach. He picked up the ring eyeing the stones, his fingers running along the smooth edges.

“I’m guessing you like the colour blue?” Kyuhyun asked,

“Dark blue, yes,” Kyuri replied. When she heard him laugh softly, she prompted, “Why?”

“I guess we really are twins. That’s my favourite colour, too… when I could see it.” Kyuhyun smiled sadly in the dimness. He slowly tilted the ring, causing the gems to twinkle in the weak light, “What do Hunters get paid?” Kyuhyun asked as he slid the ring back to her.

“I wondered that myself when he gave it to me,” Kyuri laughed as she slipped the ring back on her finger, “But he said he’s been saving up for awhile.” She smiled as she looked at her ring and then at her stomach beneath her hands, “You know, you might have to come out of that room to help me get up. I’m pretty sure my stomach weighs more than the rest of my body.”

“Stop exaggerating,” Kyuhyun chuckled.

Silence fell between them and for a brief moment, Kyuri was worried for her brother, especially since she was unable to see him or know what he was doing. All she could tell was his distance from the door because of his voice. When the silence stretched too long, she tentatively prompted,

“Kyuhyun?”

“Thank you,” Kyuhyun said quietly and she could tell he was still by the door. “For staying with me all this time.”

“Anything I can do to help,” Kyuri answered automatically, surprised at how easily the words flowed from her lips and straight from a place in her chest, “I’m sorry I couldn’t find you pencil and paper… there are chart papers but I think Heechul would get angry.”

“It’s fine,” Kyuhyun insisted, “Drawing only helps in the beginning stages of my bloodlust.”

“That’s what you wanted them for? To draw?” At Kyuhyun’s silence, she prompted, “Are you any good?”

“So I’ve been told…” Kyuhyun replied hesitantly, “I need to figure out what to do in the later stages, though.”

“Have any of the Hunters suspected?” Kyuri questioned,

“I was caught by two Hunters, but they think Mi and I were just making out,” Kyuhyun explained, “Other than that, no, I don’t think they suspect.”

“That’s good,” Kyuri replied. Her gaze slowly rose from her stomach, staring straight ahead but not focusing, not concentrating on what was before her. “Hey, Kyuhyun.”

“Yeah?”

“Um… A…A… Auntie called me this morning,” Kyuri stammered,

“And? You sound scared. She’s hardly scary… well… unless she was angry. Was she angry?” Kyuhyun inquired,

“I don’t think so? I don’t know… I don’t know how to act around family,” Kyuri explained as she twisted her fingers, needing to fidget to find her words, “It’s… weird. No, not weird… just, different.”

“I’m family and you don’t seem to have any problems with that,” Kyuhyun pointed out,

“You don’t count,” Kyuri laughed softly before adding, “I’m kidding… I do have problems when I talk to you.”

“You do?”

“Of course, I do,” Kyuri paused before admitting, “In the beginning, it was hard for me to… to stop hating you… sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. If I were in your position, I’d be the same way. Actually, I’d probably still be hating my guts,” Kyuhyun insisted, “You know… If I were in your position, I don’t know how I could be so understanding so fast.”

“I wasn’t, Kyuhyun… not for a long time,” Kyuri confessed quietly, just loud enough for him to hear through the door between them; “You confused me so much. So, so much. Even when I was talking to you and… and accepting your vampirism, I still hated you. Even… even when I was giving you my blood I… on some level, I still hated you. In the beginning there was only one moment when I didn’t hate you… when I forgot to hate you.”

“When Father was here,” Kyuhyun guessed, lightly touching the back of his head to the door.

“Yes,” Kyuri affirmed as she unknowingly mirrored her brother’s gesture; “At that moment all I knew was that we had both suffered by the hand of this man… this man who was half of both of us… and even though you were worth more to him than me, in the end, we were both pawns to him. I forgot to hate you because I remembered what it was like to hate our father.”

“I’m hoping you still don’t hate me?” Kyuhyun said lightly, staring up at the dark ceiling,

Kyuri laughed softly, “No… not anymore.”

“When?” Kyuhyun prompted, “When did you stop hating me?”

“The weekend when it was just you and me,” Kyuri answered almost instinctively, the point in time coming to her mind immediately. As she stared up at the ceiling, she idly played with the engagement ring on her hand with her thumb, turning and turning as she thought back to the weekend that past summer. “It was just you and me and all we did was talk.”

“And that made you stop hating me?” Kyuhyun asked before laughing, “I would have talked circles around you if I knew that was all it took for you to stop hating me.”

“It was… hard talking but at the same time… I was comfortable,” Kyuri explained. She paused before telling him, “In all honesty… if I still hated you, I wouldn’t have told you that I was pregnant.”

Kyuhyun turned as he sat, one palm against the wood as he stared at the door as if he could see his sister on the other side, “But… you told me that at the beginning of the weekend. We barely did any talking at that point.”

“We did some talking and before you even woke up, I…” Kyuri slowly turned until she was still sitting cross legged but, now, facing the door. She raised a hand to the door as if by touching it, she could touch her brother; “Zhou Mi-sshi brought you and he was so worried about you… so worried. When I realized that I was also worried for you… I realized that Taeyeon was right. You still meant something to me even though I hated you.” She sighed as she slowly leaned forward, touching her forehead to the door, “As cheesy as this sounds but that thin line between love and hate… well, I guess it was really thin in reference to what you mean to me.”

“Does that mean you love me?” Kyuhyun asked lightly, smirking at the door as he arched forward, leaning his forehead against the wood,

Kyuri leaned back as she knocked on the door, “Sometimes.”

Kyuhyun laughed as he rubbed his forehead, “I was leaning my head on the door when you did that.”

Kyuri smiled before straightening her lips, “I thought mayhap you were. Can you open the door now so you can help me up?”

Kyuhyun slowly stood up and looked down at his hands, “Yeah… I… I think I’m okay now.” He opened the door and looked down at his sister, holding out a hand for her.

Kyuri took his hand and he easily pulled her to her feet. She looked at him up and down before locking gazes with him, “Are you sure you’re okay? No more bloodlust?”

“Well, not no more… it’s still there,” Kyuhyun stuffed his hands into his uniform pants’ pockets as he walked along side her, “I mean… that is… it doesn’t go completely away anymore.”

Kyuri stopped, grabbing his arm to stop him as well, “What? You never told me that.”

“I haven’t exactly been telling people. I’ve only told Sungmin,” Kyuhyun confessed as he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck wearily, “Um… when you were training or whatever it is you do to be a Hunter, did they explain anything about bloodlust?”

“We learned about what a vampire experiences during blood lust,” Kyuri answered. She crossed her arms, her hands rubbing her arms as if cold, “I… I never thought about it before but I have no idea how the Council learned all these things they taught us.”

Kyuhyun repressed the urge to shiver at the thought. He pushed away the images her words brought, “The… the initial um, symptoms, do you know them?”

“Elevated vitals,” Kyuri answered, “After that is sensitivity to the nearness of people.”

Kyuhyun shook his head, “No, there’s more… there’s a heightened sense of, well, senses. Anyway… that’s what I feel all the time. My heart feels like it’s ready to burst out of my chest, I can hear and smell everything around me… The senses are dangerous for a hungry vampire.” He looked away, “Sometimes it feels like I’m having a heart attack.”

“Kyuhyun, that’s not good!” Kyuri exclaimed,

“You think I don’t know that!?” Kyuhyun defended, turning his gaze back to his sister. “I… I know it’s not good and I honestly don’t know what’s going on with me but… maybe I can get some answers tonight.”

“Tonight? What’s going on tonight?” Kyuri inquired, her eyes narrowing,

“He’s going to meet a vampire.”

Kyuri and Kyuhyun looked over to find Zhou Mi entering the nurse’s office. Kyuhyun momentarily ignored the dark look in Zhou Mi’s eyes to concentrate on his sister’s reaction. Pure shock etched itself into Kyuri’s face, her brows raised, dark eyes wide and her jaw literally had dropped.

“I know we’ve only begun to trust one another, but I do believe association with a,” she glanced over her shoulder at the door, assuring herself no one else was around before whispering harshly, “vampire is something that should have been shared!” She ran her hands through her hair, pulling out the tie in the process, “Is that what you were doing in September when I found you in the forest!? And you told me it was because of your anniversary.”

“It WAS because of my anniversary! I was scared of something happening to me because it had been a year and I didn’t know what to expect… scared of not knowing,” Kyuhyun inhaled deeply, steadying himself, calming himself; “It’s been six months since I first met him… I think I’m safe,” Kyuhyun insisted. When Kyuri’s face just softened, eyes narrowed, he offered a smile, “It’s okay, I promise.”

Kyuri chewed on her bottom lip, crossing her arms over her stomach, “Fine, just… just take care of yourself. I may have lived eighteen years without you but I don’t want to lose you now that I have you.” Kyuri threw a warning look at Zhou Mi, “Take care of him,” before heading to Heechul’s desk, grabbing a textbook that was lying atop it and then leaving them alone.

“After fourth period ended a certain nurse came into my classroom informing me that you were here. I would’ve been here sooner but I had to talk to some students first,” Zhou Mi said. His gaze swept over Kyuhyun, taking everything in, noting everything and registering what he saw. “It wasn’t a bad one?”

“Considering all it took to calm me was talking to my sister… no, I don’t think it was,” Kyuhyun answered, “If it was bad, no one would have been able to calm me. Except maybe…” He glanced up at Zhou Mi.

“About the vampire…”

Kyuhyun considered him a moment, then turned and retreated to the isolation room. Zhou Mi, confused and curious, followed him, instinctively closing the door behind him. “If we’re going to argue, we might as well get as much privacy as possible,” Kyuhyun explained as he stood in the middle of the room, facing him.

“Who says we were going to argue?” Zhou Mi raised a brow. He leaned back against the door, arms crossed over his chest.

Kyuhyun raised his own brow, “You mean we’re not?”

Zhou Mi shook his head, “I can say and do all I want but, short of tying you up – which I will do one day, but for a different reason – I won’t be able to stop you from meeting this vampire.”

Kyuhyun sighed as he closed the distance between them, running his fingers through his hair, “I don’t do it to spite you or anything like that. It’s because I need to explore all my options afforded to me… gather as much information as possible.”

“I know,” Zhou Mi shrugged simply, “I’ve realized that I need to stop being selfish.”

“Just selfish?” Kyuhyun smirked, raising a brow,

Zhou Mi grabbed Kyuhyun, turned them until he had the younger man caged against the door, “Fine, jealous, too.” He ran a finger from Kyuhyun’s temple, down his cheek, along his jaw until he held Kyuhyun’s chin between thumb and forefinger, “But I know you’re not meeting this vampire to test my jealousy… that is one thing you never want to do.” He leaned his face forward, lips brushing against the other’s, “Understand?”

In answer, Kyuhyun pressed himself against Zhou Mi, his lips practically devouring the older man’s. His hands clasped the base of Zhou Mi’s skull, holding his head still, prey to his hunger as his lips moved over the other’s. Without asking, he pushed his tongue between Zhou Mi’s lips, running his tongue along his teeth, sweeping across the inside of his cheek, tickling the roof of his mouth before caressing his tongue.

With his own answer, Zhou Mi pressed himself firmly against Kyuhyun, sandwiching the younger man securely against the door, forearms propped against the door. He kissed Kyuhyun back, matched him fire for fire, hunger for hunger. He pushed his body completely against the other’s like a rough caress, a promise of all that could be between them if they allowed themselves to go that far.

Zhou Mi pulled his lips away for a moment, managing to speak, “If you’re hungry, feed.”

Kyuhyun kissed him again before pulling away, his breathing shallow and ragged, “Sometimes it’s not about blood.”

Zhou Mi kissed him and broke the kiss again, his lips brushing back and forth against the other’s between words, “I know. But if you go meet that vampire while having not fed… so help me, Kyuhyun, if you’re tempted while you’re with him –”

Kyuhyun stopped his words, interrupted him by plunging his fangs into the other’s neck. He bit deep and hard. Blood burst into his mouth like the sweetest nectar, feeding from him greedily as if he’d never get to feed again. When he felt Zhou Mi’s body lighten up against him just a fraction, he withdrew his mouth, sealing the puncture wounds.

Before he could lick the blood running down Zhou Mi’s neck, before he could lick his lips clean, Zhou Mi kissed him. The coppery twang of blood mingled with the taste of their kiss, adding a different facet to their kiss, teasing their senses, heightening the hunger between them. Suddenly, Kyuhyun broke the kiss, his breathing laboured as he tilted his head back, leaning it against the door.

Zhou Mi touched his head to Kyuhyun’s shoulder, slowly regaining his wits and strength, “Can I come with you tonight?”

“He wants privacy… anonymity,” Kyuhyun managed, slowly running his hands up between them until his arms wrapped around Zhou Mi’s shoulders, holding the older man to him.

Zhou Mi sighed as he tried to pull away from Kyuhyun’s embrace, “I have a test to create for tomorrow.”

“Zhou Mi, please –”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Zhou Mi said as he none-too-gently pulled Kyuhyun away from the door. He opened it and slipped out.

Kyuhyun stood in the doorway, silently watching as Zhou Mi left him alone.

…

That evening

Kyuhyun approached the usual meeting place, his shoes falling to dulled crunches as the thin layer of snow beneath his feet cushioned each step. The trees were bare save for a fine dusting of white and the sky was clear, the night unusually bright because of the stars and full moon above. Silvery, pure light shone down, reflecting off the crystalline surfaces and perfectly lighting the figure who awaited him, leaning back against the trunk of a tall tree.

Dressed in dark jeans and a simple hooded sweatshirt, the vampire slowly turned his gaze from the night sky to Kyuhyun, “How’ve you been, kid?”

“Bad… I guess I could say worse, but bad is what tonight feels like,” Kyuhyun shrugged as he walked over to the tree, leaning against it beside the other vampire.

“Had more bouts of bloodlust I’m guessing?” The vampire asked as he tilted his head back to gaze up at the moon once more,

“It… doesn’t go away anymore,” Kyuhyun admitted hesitantly. He leaned his head back against the tree, closing his eyes as they were embraced by a crisp wind. He crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to hold more warmth against his body. “I feel like I’m at stage one all the time.”

The vampire lowered his head, turning it just enough to glimpse the younger man, “Using my vampiric terms now, huh? Just remember it’s not a scientific term or anything. And I suppose it’s better to be at stage one compared to the other stages.” He paused before adding, “Then again, being in any stage permanently isn’t a good sign.” He turned, leaning a shoulder against the tree as he faced Kyuhyun completely, “Sorry for being so blunt.”

Kyuhyun shook his head, “No, I appreciate it. So… you really don’t know what it feels like? This has never happened to you?”

“Never,” the vampire replied, “Since I’ve transformed, the longest I’ve gone without feeding was… a week, maybe more? No more than two weeks, I’m sure of that much. But even during those times, I’ve never felt such rages as you’ve described before.”

Kyuhyun sighed heavily as he looked down, kicking at the snow by his feet, “I wish I could figure this all out. I wish I could remember what it felt like to go a day without feeling all of this.”

“Now that it doesn’t go away… does it feel any different? The bloodlust I mean,” the vampire inquired,

“Yes and no. Yes because it’s the same as always, the same signs and symptoms… no because the quality has changed… the lust itself has… has a different side to it,” Kyuhyun answered, slowly straightening his head to look out into the surrounding, dark forestry; “It’s almost as if… as if my bloodlust is doing more than making me feel. It’s as if I’m being called to blood, as if it’s calling me to take more blood, to want more, to seek more. It’s like the blood calls to me instead of my body seeking it.”

The vampire narrowed his gaze as he slowly swung back to press his back against the tree. He looked up at the sky before pushing away and turning to look at the younger man, “I don’t know what’s happening to you, I really don’t, but I’ll try to find out what I can. Until then, I want you to not leave the school anymore – not just SJA’s campus, but the building itself.”

“What?”

“I’d tell you to not leave your room, to isolate yourself away from people as best as possible but you have classes and whatnot and you’re stupid to think I’m giving you a reason to cut classes,” the vampire stated firmly.

“Trust me, the last thing I want is to skip class. I skip enough as it is because of my bloodlust… I don’t want to redo third year a third time,” Kyuhyun stated with a slight shake of his head,

“I’m being serious,” the vampire said sternly, crossing his arms over his chest in an authoritative gesture; “You won’t be able to contact me for the next few days because I’ll be gathering information and I can’t be interrupted if I’m going to do this right. So don’t leave SJA, even if the school is burning to the ground around you – you stay in SJA, understand?”

“But –”

“I don’t ask a lot of you, so just do as I say this one time. You’ll be the safest at SJA,” the vampire promised. “I don’t like how you’ve described your bloodlust and until I find out more I want the most people protected as possible, yourself amongst the protected… understand?”

Kyuhyun swallowed hard, for the first time feeling threatened in the presence of the other vampire. He had his own strength and was rarely scared of anything let alone anyone. However, the other vampire was older, more experienced and probably even stronger in both human and vampiric ways. He found it hard to verbally reply. Hating himself, his weakness, he merely nodded his silent agreement.

The vampire turned to leave before turning back. He stepped closer to Kyuhyun, reached out to him but froze when he saw the barely concealed wince in the younger man’s face. Slowly, he lowered his hand to Kyuhyun’s shoulder,

“Take care, Jo Kyuhyun. I’ve seen what losing a loved one can do to a person,” the vampire stated quietly, loathingly. With that, he turned and ran off, disappearing into the darkness of the surrounding forest.

Kyuhyun watched him for a moment before remembering the vow he had just made. Before he could even think about the darkness and shadows surrounding him, before he could even remember the dream that had plagued him night after night, he took off towards the campus, running at breakneck speed for the east gates.
…

Kyuhyun slipped into his own bedroom, closing the door firmly behind him, locking it securely. He sighed heavily as he practically collapsed back against the door. He tilted his head back against the door before slowly lowering his head, straightening his gaze. The room was dark since he rarely opened his curtains, but considering he had just spent the past twenty minutes running through the school’s dark corridors, it didn’t take long for him to make out the shadowy shapes in his bedroom.

With his hand tightly gripping the doorknob behind him, his heart pounding rapidly, his incisors growing of their own accord, he practically growled his words, “Who’s there?”

Movement so slight he barely heard the ruffle of sheets, barely sensed the slight movement of air, a rippling effect from the silhouette moving on his bed. That was all it took for his nose to smell, for his body to completely seize with desire.

“Zhou Mi,” he practically breathed as his body both relaxed in relief and tensed in awareness. He approached the bed, stopping at the side, “Why are you here? You know because of the Hunters you shouldn’t be–”

“On any other occasion I would agree, wholeheartedly even… however, it seems we haven’t been as… vigilant as we’ve hoped to be,” Zhou Mi sat leaning against the headboard, arms crossed over his chest; “I don’t know what it is with my Hunters wanting to break their route formations, but I came across two of them when I left the nurse’s office earlier.”

“What happened?” Kyuhyun asked as he turned on his bedside lamp.

Zhou Mi took his hand, pulling him to the bed. Kyuhyun landed in his lap, straddling his thighs. Zhou Mi idly unzipped the other’s jacket, tossing it to the ground and pulled off his sweater vest before continuing. “Remember how we got distracted earlier after you fed?”

“Yes,” Kyuhyun answered, “So – oh my God… I never cleaned your neck after.”

“Exactly. While I was talking to them, one of them noticed it and…” Zhou Mi sighed as he pulled Kyuhyun’s tie loose before slipping it off and tossing it towards the ground. “Well, I guess you can imagine the questions that arose.”

Kyuhyun watched him a moment, long, strong fingers slipping the buttons of his school uniform from their holes one by one. He shook his head as if to pull himself from his daze. He slapped Zhou Mi’s hands away, causing the older man to look up at him,

“This is serious if your Hunters know about me!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, “The one time I need you to be serious and all you can think about is – no, this isn’t the time to tie me up!”

“You read that thought, did you?” Zhou Mi sighed as he leaned back against the headboard, “I was hoping you missed it.”

“Mi! Zhou Mi!” He exclaimed, slapping away his hands again, “I’m trying to be serious!”

“But I’m trying to tell you not to worry,” Zhou Mi argued as he attempted to finish unbuttoning Kyuhyun’s shirt, “I’ve already convinced them not to tell anyone.”

“Really? Hunters? And they believed you?” Kyuhyun questioned,

Zhou Mi stared at him through the dim light, raising a brow, “I sure hope so. Not all vampires are bad, don’t you know?”

“Of course, I know, I’m one of the – oh for goodness’ sake, I’ll take it off myself,” Kyuhyun practically growled in exasperation. He undid the last of his buttons and flung off his shirt, leaving him clad in his uniform slacks and a white sleeveless shirt. “There, are you happy? Can we continue this discussion as adults seriously?”

“I’m content, I suppose. I still think you’re far too dressed, but we can rectify that problem since you’re being a cold prude until we have this serious discussion of yours,” Zhou Mi sighed as he folded his arms loosely about his torso, “Ask your questions and I’ll answer them.”

“How did you convince them not to tell? And are you sure they won’t tell anyone?” Kyuhyun inquired,

“A little greedy asking two questions at once, but I’ll answer them,” Zhou Mi teased lightly, “I convinced them not to tell the best way I know how: I threatened them. Am I sure they won’t tell? Absolutely. I can be pretty… convincing when I want to be.”

“I still don’t trust the odds in this,” Kyuhyun muttered,

“Oh, neither do I. At this point, I believe they’ll keep silent until given reason to no longer be silent,” Zhou Mi stated seriously, “So, basically, we must prevent you from attacking anyone –”

“Which is what we’ve been doing all year –”

“And we must keep you from their radar from now on –”

“Also, another thing we’ve been doing since they arrived –”

“And we have to safeguard your volatile, unstable bloodlust with absolute caution,” Zhou Mi concluded,

“Again, we’ve already been doing that.” Kyuhyun paused before sighing exasperatedly, “Mi, we’ve been doing that already!”

“Exactly, which is why I haven’t been as serious as you’ve wanted me to be,” Zhou Mi rolled his eyes as he planted his hands on Kyuhyun’s waist, loosely clasping him there.

Kyuhyun sighed as he fell against Zhou Mi’s chest, arms still folded between them. He turned his head so his cheek lay against the other’s shoulder, “We keep making these mistakes and… what if one day we run into a situation where we can’t escape so easily unscathed? How do we truly know one of those Hunters isn’t writing a letter to the Council as we speak?” Kyuhyun paused a moment before asking quietly, “What if come tomorrow… I’m on some vampire hit list and –”

Kyuhyun’s words were cut off by the sudden embrace of two lanky but strong arms. Zhou Mi held him tightly, “I will protect you, Kyuhyun. With everything I have, I will make sure no harm will come to you.”

“But how can you be so sure?” Kyuhyun inquired as he struggled to sit up in Zhou Mi’s lap, causing the latter’s arms to fall from their embrace.

Zhou Mi placed his hands on Kyuhyun’s waist, “I can’t be so sure… and that scares the hell out of me but, at the same time, I can’t be pessimistic. I need to keep some hope that I can do everything to protect you.”

Kyuhyun raised his hands to cradle Zhou Mi’s head, his thumbs soothingly stroking along the older man’s jaw, “Okay… let’s just get through this week, then. We’ll take it one day at a time. We’ll get this week over and done with and then it’ll be Christmas break.”

“Just four more days and you can have a reprieve from the Hunters,” Zhou Mi stated,

“Not all of them, I hope,” Kyuhyun said. Then, he tentatively added, “Can I see you this Christmas? I know that we’ve stayed away from one another during school breaks but… but it’s Christmas. Even if it’s just a few hours, if you come over for dinner… Sungmin will definitely be there and I think I can convince Kyuri to stay in the country for Christmas, so, she and Kibum will be there…”

Zhou Mi ran his palms up Kyuhyun’s sides, around to his back and slowly pulled the younger man flush against his chest. His lips pressed kisses up Kyuhyun’s neck, along his jaw to his mouth, “Yes, I’ll spend Christmas with you.”

Without having been asked, Kyuhyun dropped his hands from Zhou Mi’s head to slip between them and tugged his sleeveless shirt off, tossing it in the direction Zhou Mi had been tossing his clothes earlier. Torso bare, he slipped his arms around Zhou Mi’s neck and pressed closer, his lips covering the older man’s. He tasted Zhou Mi’s lips, the inside of his mouth and heat spread throughout his body at the flavour he instinctively knew to be Zhou Mi’s. His heart was beating like a jackhammer and he could smell and feel everything around him.

He broke the kiss, moving his head beside Zhou Mi’s as he clung to the older man, “I… I know what you want because… because I do, too.”

“Are you hungry?” Zhou Mi asked knowingly, his lean, strong fingers caressing soothingly up and down the younger man’s naked back, “You can feed now… If you feed now then we’ll have more time together after.”

“I should feed now,” Kyuhyun murmured as he slowly sat up in Zhou Mi’s lap, “You’re planning to actually tie me up.”

“Ah, there are times when I dislike your telepathy,” Zhou Mi sighed in mock-annoyance, “I can never surprise you.”

Kyuhyun leaned to him, briefly pressing his lips to the other’s, “You surprise me everyday.” He sat back on Zhou Mi’s thighs and tilted his head to the side, regarding the other. “I… I’m scared of taking too much from you,” he explained quietly, his incisors lengthening at the though of another meal.

Slowly, Kyuhyun swung off Zhou Mi’s lap and crawled off the bed. He pulled Zhou Mi to the edge until the older man’s legs hung over the side, sitting before him. Kyuhyun nudged Zhou Mi’s thighs apart and knelt between them.

“I thought you were hungry,” Zhou Mi stated teasingly,

Kyuhyun scowled at him through the dim light of the room, “I am. Stop thinking those… thoughts.” He turned so he faced Zhou Mi’s right thigh, placed the other man’s forearm on the thigh in a supinated position. With one hand clasped over Zhou Mi’s, his thumb lightly stroking the pulse he could practically hear, “There’s less flow in the wrist, so it’ll be harder for me to get greedy,” he murmured even as he leaned over Zhou Mi’s wrist, the tip of his tongue running over the sharp points of his fangs. He paused and looked up at Zhou Mi, “Did you really just think that?”

Zhou Mi swallowed hard, “I never though it could be so but… yeah, seeing you like that is…” He inhaled slowly, deeply, trying to centre himself as a heat wave passed through his body, “Just… can you move your arm before you feed? Your… your hand’s okay on my thigh but your elbow… it keeps brushing against my… and with you like that…” He cleared his throat forcibly, “Just… just move it, okay?”

Kyuhyun smirked in the dimness as he did no such thing. He bent over Zhou Mi’s wrist again, his tongue sweeping over the pulse before his fangs plunged through the delicate skin. His hand on Zhou Mi’s, he slowly slid his hand to cup beneath the other’s, his fingers wrapping around Zhou Mi’s. As he began to feed, he slowly slid his other hand higher up Zhou Mi’s thigh, stopping when his forearm was flush with Zhou Mi’s torso. He could feel Zhou Mi’s distress at his elbow and gently pressed his arm against Zhou Mi, his elbow slowly moving up and down.

Unable to pull away, to drop back against the mattress with Kyuhyun feeding from his arm, Zhou Mi arched over the younger man, his forehead coming to rest between Kyuhyun’s shoulder blades. He could feel Kyuhyun’s ministrations at his right wrist and between his thighs. He gritted his teeth as the vampire continued to feed. Kyuhyun began to suck at the pulse point, drawing more blood to him as his elbow slowly increased in pressure.

Zhou Mi found it difficult to breathe as he grounded out, “Damn tease.”

Kyuhyun smirked against his skin. He closed the bite, lapping up the remnants of his feeding. His tongue did a quick swipe of his lips before his hands released Zhou Mi’s hand and thigh. He pressed kisses up the older man’s arm, slowly turning until he was facing him.

Zhou Mi cradled his face, “Are you sure you’re done feeding?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because you won’t be able to move for a few hours,” Zhou Mi practically growled before he leaned forward, his lips practically devouring Kyuhyun’s.

Kyuhyun could do nothing more than close his eyes and allow himself to be swept into the firestorm building between and around them.

…

Midnight

Kyuhyun lay on his side, Zhou Mi behind him, an arm wrapped around his waist. His own arm was draped over Zhou Mi’s while his other arm was stretched towards the headboard, one wrist still tied to the bedpost there. He had been sleeping, peacefully, deeply, the first time in weeks. It had been dreamless, memory-less; it had been bliss. His muscles felt worn, used, and deliciously sore. As he slowly came awake, his eyes adjusted to the darkness once more, slowly seeing outlines of furniture in his room as he could hear the soft, shallow breathing of the sleeping man behind him.

After what he had just been through, he felt thirsty, hungry. His tongue went to lick his dry lips when they encountered twin points; why were his incisors bared? Slowly, he slipped out from beneath Zhou Mi’s lax arm and gingerly climbed out of the bed. In the darkness, he stood beside the bed, his wrist still restrained as he looked around the room; for what, he still wasn’t sure.

Without a thought, he began to walk towards the door before his arm was jerked back because of his tie wrapped around his wrist and the bed post. He looked back and then desperately swung his gaze back to the door. He yanked at his wrist but the tie held still. He stepped back towards the headboard, his fingers pulling at the knots, but they wouldn’t give.

Frustrated, he felt around the ground for his boxers and pants. Finding them and slipping them on, he found himself walking towards the door once more. Once again, he was jarred as his wrist prevented him from moving more than a few steps away from the bed. He had to go, however. Why, he wasn’t sure, but he needed to go.

A feral growl rose from his throat as, glaring at the restraint, he violently pulled at it, slowly, slowly until he finally jerked powerfully away. The tie ripped in two, freeing him. As he managed to grab his school button-up from the ground, he pulled it on, stepped into his shoes and left the room. Not once did he question the strength it took to tear the tie in half.

He walked through the dark corridors, never missing a step as his senses were swamped and his teeth practically ached with need. He paused at the door separating him from the back courtyard. He looked over both his shoulders, a familiar scent filling his nostrils. However, his heart was practically fighting its way out of his chest cavity and his feet were itching to run away to the night.

He turned towards the doors, pushing aside the thick curtains that hid the view to the courtyard and opened the doors, slipping through. He walked through the courtyard, empty for days since the senior ball ended. Without hesitation, he opened the glass doors and stepped into the winter night, the wind hitting him, embracing him, but still he trudged on in just slacks and a button-up.

The snow crunched beneath his feet, the thick layer building up around his ankles as he crossed the campus, his mind completely blank as his body had one purpose. He was in the middle of the field when he stopped, his feet stopping even when he still didn’t know why he had been moving in the first place. Slowly, he looked up at the dark clouds hovering above. They passed over the bright moon, momentarily blocking the silvery, haunting light from the earth. When the clouds continued on and everything was lit up once more, Kyuhyun found himself face to face with another man.

A few feet separated them in the snow and, by the moonlight, Kyuhyun could see him clearly. Dressed in a long, dark coat, hands shoved in his pockets, the other man had long, black hair, slicked back from his forehead, the ends brushing his collar. He stared unwaveringly at Kyuhyun across the distance, his expression unreadable, his eyes dark.

“Who are you?” Kyuhyun asked through the night despite taking a step closer.

“You know who I am,” the other man’s voice was barely above a rumble and yet, Kyuhyun heard every word.

“No, I…” Kyuhyun had taken another step forward when he paused. His eyes widened slightly as the other man’s eyes slowly began to glow a soft red. “It… it was you… that night last year. It was you.”

The other man slowly smiled, his lips parting so that his long fangs glinted in the moonlight. “It’s good to see you, son.”

“I’m not your son,” Kyuhyun practically growled, his hands fisted at his sides,

“I made you what you are… you are my son,” the vampire’s words became a rumbling hiss. His eyes shone like rubies in the night, “It’s a pity you’re a half-breed. Had you been pureblood, I wouldn’t have to kill you.” His tongue whipped out to run over each fang as he snarled hungrily, “I’ve waited long enough to drink you dry. Now is the time for me to finish feasting.”

Kyuhyun moved to lunge at the pureblood, to attack before he was attacked. However, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, holding him back. He sniffed the air like an animal, the familiar scent finally registering,

“Sungmin,” he hissed, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Kyuri asked me to watch over you…” Sungmin explained as he struggled against the other’s vampiric strength, “I was on my way to your room when I saw you slip into the stairwell. I followed you here.”

“You brought a present,” the pureblood murmured, slowly approaching, “Good… I’m hungry.”

Sungmin tugged at Kyuhyun, trying to pull him back, “We have to go… we have to get back to the school.”

“You won’t get that far,” the pureblood stated, suddenly appearing right before him. His speed was blinding, his sudden grip on Kyuhyun’s neck was like steel.

Kyuhyun pulled Sungmin’s arms away from him, pushing the older man back, distancing his friend as much as possible from the other vampire. “Leave him out of this. It’s me you want.”

The vampire laughed, “You think to order me? You think to control me?” His fingers tightened fractionally, causing enough pain without completely blocking Kyuhyun’s windpipe. “No… I will drink from you until you can no longer move. Then I will drink from your friend… and kill him before you.” He stepped closer, his breath cold against Kyuhyun’s cheek, “You’re lucky I’m even considering keeping you alive a little longer.”

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” A voice cried through the night.

The vampire straightened his head, his gaze over Kyuhyun’s shoulder. He smiled, “Hunters, huh? It seems I will have a feast indeed tonight.”

Kyuhyun managed to look back just enough to catch sight of the two Hunters who had approached, just a few feet away from where Sungmin sat in the snow, slowly getting up. One was Hunter Lee Donghae that he had met before in the nurse’s office. The other was the Hunter who had forced a kiss on Zhou Mi. Kyuhyun’s attention, however, was ripped away, forced back to the pureblood when pain stabbed in his neck and coursed through his body.

Strength seeped from his body, his fingers and toes tingling at the loss of sensation and strength. Before he could scramble his thoughts together, to begin fighting back, he was thrown to the ground, the snow like a cold blanket as he felt his neck wet with blood. He heard more screaming and then the sounds of fighting. Weakly, he moved his thumb to his lips and bit as hard as he could until he tasted his own blood on his teeth. He swiped his blood across the aching points in his neck, sealing the punctures.

Struggling to sit up, his vision was blurred, shadows, objects moving just metres from him. His hands, propped behind him were trembling, his elbows buckling from his weight. Before he could fall back to the hard earth and cold, thick snow, warm arms wrapped behind him, holding him securely. He felt a warm, solid presence beside him, his cheek and ear tickled by small puffs of air as he heard the quiet, urgent command:

“Run!”


(Phase 28: Unwanted Finality)



A/N: For all you readers who are curious as to what happened after Kyuhyun fed with Zhou Mi in his room... YES! There will be a cutscene. I anticipated this and have begun writing it. It's not complete yet, so it'll be 2-3 days before I post it up. (Here)