Chapter Text
A violent hum of screeching iron against raw flesh echoes between the dimly lighted underground. It lasts for a long, long time; before everything stops. Then suddenly, there is no sound, except screams and screams and more screams.
(The man in red smiles and swings his sword again.)
Blood is hazy and vivid on his deathlike skin, smothering purple and blue among the darkness. The smell of rot and destruction is thick in his nose, almost solid, and yet he ignores it. Once more, the man raises his bloodstained silver with him and brings another down in one sweep of motion. The sickening crunch of bones breaking is like a death march, before it’s all screams and more screams again.
P-Please don't kill me, they beg.
He spits the blood from his chapped lips and begins to hunt again.
P-Please spare my life, they beg.
“My Lo—" Daniel stops when he catches a shadow from the corner of his eyes. He cocks his head slowly at him, and the hooded man pauses at the threshold when he realizes his mistake. "P-Please forgive my impudence, my Lord." he smiles stiffly. "Everyone is already waiting for you outside.”
"Of course," he smirks, silvery blonde hair falling into his gleaming eyes. "When could I meet them?" he asks, sweetly.
"As fast as possible, of course." The hooded man says pleasantly, clapping his hands. "Now, excuse me, I think they need my assistance. Good day, my Lord."
With that uttered, the man secedes himself, closing the door behind him shut with a loud thud.
Then, there is a clatter on the floor, and second later a bloodcurdling scream pierces the tense air. He picks up his weapon from yet another mass of dust littering beneath him, flicking the vaporizing blood off its tainted surface. He stills for a moment before a smirk stretches wide on his face. Showing his sharp canines, he raises his sword up, the bloodied metal glinting menacingly above his head.
"Just wait for me, Jihoon-ah," he whispers, looking down at his fisted hand. Inside his palm, a lone magnolia lies crumpled between his fingers, its petals wither onto the floor beneath him in a swirl of white and red. He opens his boned fingers one by one, and the flower falls with a resounding thud.
"I'm going to make them suffer." he hisses. “Just like they did to us.”
—[ a e t e r n u m v a l e ]—
}{
{ we do not fear death, but we thought of death, }
remember that i was what you are, and you will be what i am.
because we are supernovas; 01
「kang daniel/park jihoon; vampire au」
}{
c h a p t e r o n e
「hence this tears and sorrow」
}{
It’s been two months since he left Seoul for a mission, and the association is still as busy as ever.
Jihoon watches as people swarm the spacious hall, talking and bickering with each other with a smile on each face and he feels like drowning in the customary lifestyle around him. He had spent a few good hours inside Jonghyun's office, reporting about his latest kill in detail and the man had looked at him for two straight minutes while muttering why and I'm too old for this under his breath.
Unsurprisingly, Jihoon is banned from any mission until he’s fully healed, and it means that the entire team wouldn't get a mission for an extended period of time. So in those long weeks of hectic days, they use the opportunity to train themselves off and perhaps wandering about the town, just fooling around, really. After everything they have been through, the normal everyday life is precisely what they needed to recover.
It’s relieving to see nothing changes in two months he has been gone, except for a few things like the mess hall location or the breakfast menus and such. Jihoon can't help but wonder though if there’s another thing he had missed when he was away.
"Nah, it's the same, y'know." Woojin says when they spend the afternoon training at the combat grounds. "Just a few changes here and there, but overall nothing has changed."
"Is that so?" Jihoon mutters as he blocks another of Woojin’s mean strike with his own. "I’ve been gone for two months, right? You sure nothing has changed? No new recruits or plan to bring down another rogue vampire’s lair?"
"Could you stop thinking about killi—" he pauses to stoop down, evading the strike aimed at his head. "Hey, that was close you idiot," he says as he brings his massive swords closer. "Should've watched your aim better."
"I was aiming for your stupid head." Jihoon chucks a stone at the maroon haired boy, but he easily evades it. "I'm sorry though…" his tone begins to waver as memories of the past days flare up within himself.
"For what?" Woojin stops his attacks when he sees Jihoon drops his fighting stance, his face pinched with remorse. "You idiot, we have been through this, haven't we?" he clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Just how many times I have to say that we’re not mad at you?"
"Lots of time." Jihoon sends him a crooked smile, "Just making sure you haven't changed your mind."
Woojin can only stare at the oddball in front of him, thinking about how annoying he could sometimes be. "You're really an idiot, aren't you?"
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean, huh?" come Jihoon’s biting reply, but it’s not discerning, but rather fond of him. “Remember that I’m still older than you, brat.”
“Whatever.” Woojin shrugs carelessly, but suddenly his posture changes. Jihoon’s smile withers when he feels guilt weaving itself between his teammate’s even breaths. “Hey, you know that you’re not alone, right?”
Jihoon frowns at the change in topic, his heart heavy when he sees the way Woojin avoids any form of eye contact with him. So instead, he chooses to look ahead into the distance. “Yeah, I know.” Jihoon licks his bottom lip. “But why are you asking me that?”
“Jihoon,” the way he calls him is aloof, but Jihoon can hear the guilt loud in his ears, and it makes him uneasy. “There’s something that we didn’t tell you.”
The older male stills then turns his head in time to catch Woojin’s eyes on him. There is something inside those eyes; something he can’t put his finger on. Whatever it means, whatever he’s trying to say, Jihoon decides that he would never like it.
Gulping down the fear, Jihoon forces himself to not look away. “What is it?”
Woojin is still looking at him, but he doesn’t know if he’s really looking at him or something beyond him.
“Kang Daniel is back—”
Jihoon feels his blood run cold.
“—and he’s looking for you.”
They lapse into silence, no one is talking, no one is moving, and Jihoon feels something ugly forming in the pit of his stomach. He lets out a shaky breath. To think that he’s back after all this time, what should he do now?
Why he has to come back now, of all times?
Tap
Jihoon blinks when something cold suddenly touches his nose.
“Ah,” Jihoon looks up, smiling bitterly when he sees snowflakes begin to rain across the horizon. It reminds him of that night from ten years ago. “It’s almost Christmas.”
“Hey,” with a small voice, Woojin tries to catch his attention again. “Are you okay?”
Silence, and then;
“Yeah,” Jihoon smiles, but his heart feels like crying. “I’ll be okay.”
After the snow stops three hours and two minutes later, Jihoon doesn’t talk for the rest of the day.
we are dust and shadow,
born from the cursed womb.
}{
It’s finally Christmas.
(A day of joy, of happiness, of warmth. Of everything good and bright. A happy day, perhaps. They said that heart grows tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, but all he can remember is the dark corner of his void room, sitting in deafening silence, talking to the shadows on the wall.)
All he can remember is neglect; of having to live in solitude, of childhood left behind. All he can remember is his late brother’s melancholy smile and the rushing sound of blood pooling beneath his feet, and it makes him sick in the stomach. It makes him want to shove all the memories down the drain in the hope that he will never see them again.
(A wretched feeling, he knows. But he longs for another; not his, because his is something he wants to forget.)
Jihoon presses his freezing palms together, blinking out the drowsiness from his eyes, and only then he realizes the crossroad is white with blanket of snow. His feet trail over the icy pavement, trying not to slip and hurt himself in the process, but his mind is elsewhere.
Today, he is running again.
He is running away from everything. From the Christmas celebration, from his responsibility, from his teammates, from his unforgettable past—
(And from him; he is running away from Kang Daniel.)
He is slipping away, and no one can pull him out and save him. He thinks it’s too late for that. Not after all these years.
The snowflake touches his face in soft thud.
Jihoon closes his eyes and dreams.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Jihoon can still smell the chocolates and pines in the air, taste the warmth across his stone-cold tongue, and yet his heart remains dead.
It’s been hours since he left. A long, tedious hours of walking in among the darkness and silvery moonlight. He's sure that they must be searching for him right now. They must be worried, but he wrote a note. He hopes that they would understand. He hopes.
(He wants to be alone for today. Just for today.)
“Hyung.”
Ah-ah.
Jihoon cranes his neck backward and immediately catches his eyes.
Not today, he thinks.
It looks like he’s not going to be alone after all. That boy, that stupid boy, is here with him. How he’d found him, Jihoon doesn’t know. But there he is, a meter away from where he’s standing, looking absolutely pathetic yet adorable with his messy hair and crimson cheeks.
"Why did you leave?"
Jihoon doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the unfairness of it’s all.
“Hello to you too, Guanlin-ah.” he begins softly, patting the crystal-like flakes off his coat. “Having a great time wandering, didn’t you?”
“Shut up.” The younger hisses and walks towards him, eyes burning with a plethora of emotions he doesn’t know of. “Just answer my question.”
He blinks innocently at him. “First you told me to shut up, then you told me to answer. Hey, aren’t you being inconsistent?”
There’s no retort, and Jihoon watches Guanlin stop before him, his hands tight into fists, and his eyes—his eyes are glowing bright green.
“You left,” he says, quietly.
“I did.” Jihoon nods, giving him an impish smile. “And?”
“You left, hyung.” he snaps. “You just—you didn’t even—”
“I left a note, you know.” he cuts him over, frowning. “I didn’t go disappearing without a word.”
“But—” Guanlin pauses, “But it’s not—It’s not…. enough.”
Silence washes over them. He is looking at him with this—this look plastered upon his face. A desperate slash helpless kind of look. An angry, frustrated look.
(A look like he is going to cry.)
Jihoon weaves a sigh and put his tiny arms around him.
“There, there.” he pats his head, though it’s kind of difficult remembering their height differences, but this is all he can do right now. “I’m not going to leave you, Guanlin-ah. I was just walking around, nothing bad happened, you hear me? I’m sorry if I made you worry.”
(Guanlin doesn’t answer him, but Jihoon thinks it’s okay. Words aren’t necessary for them, and he knows that he understands. Because Jihoon is not sorry for leaving; he is sorry for the painful memories he’d revoked in him.)
The older smiles when Guanlin moves closer, his grip tightening around his much smaller build. Hugging him like this makes his body throb with slight pain, but Guanlin is warm. Even between this hazard winter, he’s still warm, and Jihoon likes it—the warmth which flutters against his skin through his bones.
“You are warm,” Guanlin mutters against his neck, as though to counter his statement. “Too warm.”
“Huh?” Jihoon blinks his eyes when they suddenly feel heavy. His head is hurting too, hammering continuously just like his heart. He feels dizzy, and his breath comes in short puffs. “I—I’m fine,” he says, laughing it off. He doesn’t want to make him worry than he already is.
Guanlin furrows his eyebrows when he notices his sharp intake of breath. “Hyung, you sure that you’re fine?”
“Y-Yes.” Jihoon breathes out. His lungs are failing him, and it’s hard to keep on talking. “I’m okay. It’s just—the cold. I—the cold is…”
“Jihoonie-hyung?”
The younger breaks their embrace and finally sets his eyes on him. His face is flushed red, his eyes hazy with unshed tears and his eyelids begin to flutter shut.
“H-Hyung! You’re not fine at all!” Guanlin yells and steadies him with his body. “Jihoon-hyung! What’s wrong wi—”
“I….” His vision is getting blurry as seconds pass. “I’m… Guan… lin-ah..." he curls his small digits against his coat. “I’m sorry….”
“HYUNG—!”
Then suddenly, the world fades into black, and all he can hear is silence.
from the moment we are born,
we begin to die.
}{
Woojin lands his eyes on Jihoon’s pale, lithe frame, and thinks that even in deathbed, he still looks beautiful.
Jihoon is beautiful, he always has and always been. His exquisite chestnut strands fan around his head like a halo while honeyed light darts through the gap between the curtains into his still form. The specks of gold create a beautiful sight when it bathes him with a luminous gleam, its shade complimenting his porcelain skin and plump red lips. Honestly, he looks like an exquisite painting, alluring in its own way, graceful, but also momentary and frangible.
The older looks so fragile like he would break the moment his fingers touch him. Biting his lower lip in anger, Woojin thinks that he hates the wretched picture the most. This isn’t the person that he knows. The Jihoon that he knows loves to giggle quietly behind his palms and talks with that baby voice of his. The Jihoon that he knows loves to annoy him in every chance possible and sticks with him everywhere he goes like a baby chick.
(The Jihoon that he knows isn’t like this.)
Taking a calming breath, Woojin drops himself into a chair beside the bed and laces his fingers with Jihoon; waiting, hoping, that he would open his beautiful eyes and smile at him like usual.
Wake up, please.
“Why,” Woojin clenches his teeth. “Why that bastard has to come back now of all times?”
“We all know that he would come back for Jihoon sooner or later, Woojin-ah,” Hyeongseob says, patting his shoulders gently. “Even after everything, Jihoon is still Kang Daniel’s recognized mate.”
No, he thinks. You wouldn’t understand.
“Mate? Hah! You must be kidding me.” he hisses under his breath. “Don’t you see him? He looks like he’s going to drop dead anytime!”
“He’s burning up.” Jonghyun murmurs as his hand brushes across Jihoon’s skin for a second. “I knew that it would affect him, but I didn’t think that it would be this bad.”
“Can’t we do something?” Samuel says from his place on the floor, frowning. “Anything? We should ask the officials for help. I can’t bear watching him like this.”
“Jihoon is not in immediate danger, Muel-ah.” Jonghyun smiles grimly. “He’s just having a hard time because he’s suddenly thrown in the same vicinity with his mate after being separated for a long time. Besides, Guanlin is working on a potion to soothe his fever. Normally his temperature would go down by dawn, but because it’s been two days and there’s no sign of improvement, we need to take drastic measure.”
Woojin unconsciously tightens his grip on Jihoon’s hand. “Brewing a potion must take a long time to finish. Isn’t there any other option?” he asks. “Like a suppressant or something? Maybe the blood pills would help? He always ate them regularly.”
Minki shakes his head. “The suppressant only masks his natural odor. And even though blood pills can satisfy his thirst, they aren’t as effective as his mate’s blood. Now that Daniel is back in town, Jihoon must be craving his blood to the point that it’s driving him crazy.”
“So what should we do?” Jinyoung bites his lower lip. “Jihoonie-hyung looks really bad, hyung.”
“There is a way.” Jonghyun drops himself to the chair opposite Woojin and begins to thread his fingers across Jihoon’s soft hair. “But you won’t be happy with it.”
“Why wouldn’t we?” Samuel asks, flabbergasted. “The last thing I want is to see Jihoon-hyung like this. I’ll do anything to take his pain away!”
Woojin tears his eyes from his bickering teammates to set them on Jihoon again. He is still sleeping soundly, his chest heaving up and down together with his soft breaths. He looks almost peaceful, content, no—that's not the word.
Jihoon looks dead.
Feeling his chest tightens at the thought, Woojin wipes his face roughly. Seeing his state makes him feel helpless, powerless. He wants to see him again, alive and healthy. Samuel is right, they will do anything for him. After what they have been through, there’s no way they would ever let him suffer like this.
“Just tell us, hyung.” says Woojin after a minute of silence, “We’ll do it as long as it means that we can help him.”
“Well,” Jonghyun sighs, “Just don’t yell at m—”
BLAM
They jump in shock when the door behind them suddenly explodes into pieces, splinters of wood flying in every direction. Even though it’s hard to see with dust blocking their sight, Woojin can make out a human-sized shadow from his peripheral vision, but when it moves, he instantly knows that whatever it is, it can’t be human.
No human can move that fast, he thinks.
“You,” Woojin hears Jonghyun hiss beside him, and he unconsciously flinches back from his harsh tone. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Pupils blown, Woojin snaps his head around only to let out a deep growl. Of course it’s him. Baring his pointed canines, Woojin forces himself to keep still and settles with glaring heatedly at the smirking man across him.
No, not a man.
Kang Daniel, pureblood vampire extraordinaire, is standing on the chaos he caused while staring at them with gleaming crimson eyes.
“Give him to me.” he demands with his velvety voice.
“Vampire.” Woojin hisses, body shaking in anger. “What are you doing here? Do you have a death wish?”
Daniel smirks at him, his eyes flirting between crimson and bright amber before it settles with blood red. “If you forgot, I funded this place, Park Woojin-ssi. This building is mine, and I have the right to step my foot here anytime.”
“Bullshit.” This time, it’s Minki’s turn to pin his glare on the blonde-haired vampire. “Get out from here pureblood, you’re making a scene.”
Ignoring the hateful glares being thrown his way, Daniel walks forward until he’s only a meter away from their place. “Give him to me.”
This little shit—
“No fucking way!” holler Woojin. “I better off dead than letting you hurt him again you fucker!”
“I said,” Daniel repeats calmly, his voice as cold as ice. “Give my mate to me, human.”
It’s just a phrase, but its strangely enough to make Woojin stops on his track, his eyes widening into saucers and his shoulders tense. He’s frozen on his toes, his orbs darkening into deep brown and before he can even blink, his body already lurching forward while his mind screaming at him to kill the bastard for once and all.
But before he can even reach the vampire, Jonghyun’s voice stops him.
“Stay back, Woojin.” Jonghyun puts a hand against his chest, warning him to not take a step forward. “—all of you, stay back.” he turns his head. “Daniel, if I were to give him to you, would you help him?”
“Hyung!” protests him. “What are you—”
“Shut it, Woojin-ah.” he commands. “Now, answer my question.”
“Of course.” The cold fire inside Daniel’s eyes diminishes when his sight falls upon his mate’s unconscious form. “What do you think I came here for?”
Jonghyun bristles, schooling his face into that of a sheer blankness. “Fine, you can take him—” he glares, and everyone closes their mouth instantly. “All of you, get out from this room right now.”
“Hyu—”
“Now.” he hisses. “Don’t make me repeat it twice.”
Jonghyun watches them walk away with blank eyes. And when they finally disappear from his sight, silence falls among them. Time seems frozen as their eyes capture each other eyes before Jonghyun breaks the contact to settle Jihoon’s limp body inside his arms.
“Kang Daniel, I may look weak compared to you, but I promised Minhyun that I will protect his little brother with my life so mark this;” Jonghyun takes a step forward. “If you dare to hurt him again, I’ll kill you.”
Saluting, Daniel shows him a smirk.
“Aye, captain.”
under our mother’s quiet cradle,
we pray for a brighter future, brighter days.
}{
“Where’s Daniel?”
Seongwoo drops his body on the leather couch and rests his arms on his face. They are currently hiding in the castle in the middle of nowhere. The old palace is barren and void like a desert, its walls towers high with squeaky windows open wide as gauzy curtains float mystically when the wind blows against the windowsill. The hallways are long and narrow, and it creates an eerie picture when a sliver of sunlight come filtering inside.
Honestly, the place is unnerving. Ordinary people wouldn’t spend their time wasting away in a place like this. But then again, they are no ordinary people, so he guesses it suit them best.
“Ya,” Seongwoo groans when something starts to poke his side. “Answer me you asshole.”
“I dunno.” The man mumbles against his sleeves. “Maybe he’s out hunting again. Or maybe he’s stalking his mate from afar like he has done lately.”
“Stop that.” Jaewhan slaps Seongwoo’s thigh hard. “I can’t even understand what language you’re talking about you moron. So tell me again where is he?”
“I don’t know, alright?” now it’s Seongwoo turns to glare at Jaewhan, his blood red eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness. “He’s a fucking menace. I only looked away for a second!” he stresses out. “A second dammit! And puff, he’s gone to god knows where.”
“Fine.” Jaehwan sighs. “Then what about Daewhi and Seonho? Where the hell are they?”
“The last time I saw them, they’re feeding.” he says. “But I guess they’re out again with those mortals.”
“Why those kids—” Jaehwan groans into his palms. “Daniel is going to kill me.”
Seongwoo snorts. “He won’t, trust me. He may be the most feared vampire across the nation, but we all know he’s nothing but a softie inside.”
“Softie my ass,” snorting, Jaehwan leans into Seongwoo’s taller build to rest his body against him. “Didn’t you see him yesterday? The guy is fucking mad.”
“Nah, he’s still sane.” Seongwoo shrugs nonchalantly. “As long as Jihoon is alive, I doubt that he will let himself fall into that abyss.”
Silence falls. Only the sound of creaking windowsills and flapping curtains can be heard between them.
“Jihoon… huh?” Jaehwan sighs. “I wonder how he is now. Has he grown up yet? The last time we saw him he’s only this tall.” he touches his chest, snorting. “Such a cutie, he was.”
“I don’t think so,” Seongwoo snorts at the picture. “He’s taken the pledge, after all.”
“Ah,” Jaehwan blinks. “You’re right.”
“I miss him.” Seongwoo whispers after a few seconds of silence. “I really want to meet him again.”
“But he hates us now.” Jaehwan chuckles. “Maybe someday.”
“Yeah.” he closes his eyes. “Maybe someday.”
and hope that if there is a god somewhere, t
hey will give them the chance to atone for their sins.
}{
The sound of ticking clock is resonating in his ears. His world is still a void darkness, his head throbbing like crazy, and something, something is holding his hand.
It’s warm.
“Jihoon?” a blurry face enters his field of vision. “Hey, you okay? How do you feel?”
Jihoon flickers his eyes again and catches red swirls looming above him. Something cold settles in his chest. Even after all this time, he can’t forget that voice nor that eyes. He doesn’t remember what happened to him and why he’s here with him of all people, but he knows that he’s in big trouble.
“Y-You—” Jihoon winces when he sees the familiar face of his mate looking at him. His voice sounds no better than cracking glass. “W-Why I’m here?”
“Don’t be like this,” Daniel says, tired lines marring his pale face. “You’re with me, Jihoon. You’re home.”
“Home?” Jihoon suddenly has the urge to laugh at him. “What home?”
Why of all people it has to be him?
A quiet chuckle escapes from his mouth. He doesn’t understand anything. His memories are too blurry for him to recall anything, so he hisses instead, shutting his eyes tight until he sees white spots dancing behind his eyelids. He hates the feeling of being near him; it's suffocating, smothering, and burning and—and it hurts, the longing, because it's too real and solid for him to forget anymore.
Why did you come back?
Jihoon gaps when he realizes that he’s almost bare save for the satin shirt he’s wearing. His battle gears and twin swords are nowhere to be found too. Daniel must have hidden them somewhere to prevent him from doing anything brash. His shaking fingers automatically find themselves between his sleeves to claw on the soft fabric, his sensitive nose crinkles at the smell of rain and wet earth. It smells familiar; it smells like home.
(Like Daniel.)
“Hey, stop daydreaming,” Daniel says as he puts down a tray with a bowl of porridge and water on the bed carefully. He presses his forehead against him, not noticing that Jihoon has gone mute from the intimate gesture, and checks his temperature. A sigh weaves through his lips when he feels his fever lessening. “You’re getting better.” he murmurs. “Now eat before it gets cold.”
“Why?” asks Jihoon, breaking out his trance. “Why are you doing this?” his voice gets smaller as he holds the bowl of lukewarm porridge between his hands. “Don’t act like this.”
Daniel sighs and plants himself on the chair beside him. “We’ll talk later, for now just eat. You may not like it, but you have to eat.”
Gritting his teeth, Jihoon turns away. “Fine.”
Jihoon looks at him for a moment before he brings a spoonful of the mushy food past his dry lips. It tastes good and warm—it makes him warm. He didn’t know that he missed the feeling. After Daniel was gone, he couldn’t feel a thing. It’s a curse of having a mate but unable to be with; everything he touched, everything he tasted feel like sandpaper across his taste buds. Smiling softly, Jihoon takes another spoon into his mouth, and another, until he realizes that he’d gobbled the whole bowl down in a count of minutes.
“That’s fast.” Daniel says, blinking at him. “You must be really hungry. Wait here, I’m going to bring you more.”
Jihoon drops his smile the moment Daniel disappears into another room.
The only comfort he has—and perhaps the only thing closest to relief—is Daniel’s sweet smell which still lingering beside him. Jihoon closes his eyes for a moment before he opens them again, trying to picture his own walls and shadows back in his room in the association.
It’s different.
The walls in his room, the shadows, the dark corners, the ceiling; everything looks almost identical to Jihoon’s, but still, it’s different. His walls don’t have writings hidden beneath the wallpapers. His shadow is not haunting. So does his corners and ceiling. They look oddly normal for him, and even though he knows that Daniel had been through the same thing like him, his world doesn’t seem as broken like his.
(Or perhaps, it’s just him. Perhaps it’s his presence which makes it different.)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“What are you doing?” Jihoon snaps back into reality when a hand touches his tenderly. “You’ve been staring at nothing for minutes. Are you feeling sick again?”
“Ah—” he bites his bottom lip. “Nothing. It’s… nothing.”
Daniel is silent for a moment before he nods at him. “Fine then, but tell me when you’re feeling dizzy.”
Jihoon only nods, too afraid to talk. Because this is Daniel; his mate. The person who he'd loved with everything he had. But he’s also the person who'd left him all alone ten years ago despite his cry for him to stay. So, no—Jihoon doesn’t know how to talk to him anymore. Not after everything that happened in the past.
(Not after he killed his brother in cold blood.)
“Jihoon,” he pauses, “Can I ask you something?”
“Does it matter?” says Jihoon, bitter. “It’s not like you to ask for permission.”
“Then,” Daniel stops to give his hand a squeeze as if he is afraid that Jihoon’s going to run. “Do you still take your suppressants and blood pills like I told you to?”
Jihoon’s smile withers. “You’re still concerned about that?”
“Yeah—I mean,” Daniel licks his lips, “You know how dangerous it is if you lose control—” he stops and looks at Jihoon, his previous sentence remains untold. “I know that you don’t want to risk hurting your teammates when you’re in thirst. When was the last time you took your blood pills? Did Guanlin—”
“Shut up.”
Daniel stills.
“Just shut your mouth.” Jihoon hisses. “Stop talking as if you care about me!”
He is looking at him again, but Jihoon refuses to acknowledge his presence.
“But I care.” he murmurs. “I do care about you, Jihoonie. No matter what happens, you’ll be my first priority.”
Jihoon smiles at the utter helplessness pricking between Daniel’s words. His smile widens as laugh bubbles through his dry throat. Something is wrong with him, he feels so full and empty at the same times.
“Please believe me,” Daniel whispers and cups his face gently, his thumbs brush against his wet cheeks—
Wait, wet?
“I care about you.”
What’s wrong with me?
“I need you to believe in me, Jihoon. I don’t ask for anything else, just believe in me.”
Why I’m crying?
Jihoon breaks.
“Believe in you?” he is laughing—he knows that he’s laughing but why it sounds like he’s crying instead? “A-Aha…ha, what the fuck are you saying…?”
He gulps down a sob, his eyes burning and heart beating miles and miles away. It hurts. Everything hurts.
“Jihoon,” Daniel begins, red eyes staring lovingly at him. “Please.”
The younger turns to look at him, and when he catches the warmth beneath those crimson orbs, he is breaking all over again.
“You killed my brother.” he starts with a bitter smile, voice shaking. “You, my own mate, killed him in front of me in cold blood. I saw everything with my own eyes. When you rammed your sword through his chest, I was there. But you ignored my plea and left me alone in the cold, watching your back to me. Do you know how much it hurt me to watch you walk away? And now you dare to come back and show your face after ten years of silence. Tell me, Kang Daniel, why should I believe you anymore?”
A choked sob runs through his lips. Jihoon shuts his eyes.
“We were so happy, the three of us; my brother, me—” Jihoon opens his eyes, pearly tears falling down his cheeks into his thumbs. “And you, we were so happy so why did you do that, huh? Why did you kill the only family I had left? Why did you kill them all? Why Daniel?”
“I’m sorry.” he whispers.
“I want to die, sometimes,” Jihoon confesses, biting his lips when he sees him grimacing from his harsh words. “I was left alone by the only family I had, and the person I loved the most abandoned me. You were all I had left, without you I am nothing. But even after all of that—I still can’t hate you.” he said. “I can’t.”
“Then don’t,” Daniel says softly. “Please don’t hate me.”
“Why?” Jihoon shakes his head, chuckling wetly. “I should—I should have hated you the moment you disappeared from my life, but I was too stupid,” he wipes his face hard. “T-To weak to understand that you—”
“Everything happens for a reason.” he chides.
“Then what’s yours?” asks Jihoon, frustrated. “What’s the reason for abandoning a family behind?”
Silence greets him.
“To live,” Daniel says after a moment, wiping his tears away. “To protect someone precious. To save them—it’s all the same. But sometimes, we need to do something cruel to save the one we love.”
Jihoon shuts his lips tight at that.
“So you will leave again?” he whispers.
“Not if I can help it.”
“But—”
“If it’s your safety than mine, then you know the answer.”
Jihoon laughs. “You’re really cruel. This is the reason why I don’t want to see you again. It hurts when you leave, and I don’t think I can take it again.”
“I don’t think I can take it too.” Daniel shrugs. “You mean the world to me, you know. If you die—” he falters, voice slightly shaking. “I don’t even want to think about it. But I’m not going to give up. Someday I will make you realize it.”
Jihoon looks at him and sees honesty within his eyes.
“I will never leave you,” he says, as though it’s all that matters. “You’re my mate, my Jihoon. I’d rather die than leave you.”
Jihoon blinks at him. Daniel pulls his hand.
“I’m not the same Daniel from ten years ago.” he smiles softly, and his eyes are honest; relenting. “But I’m here, in the present, with you. And for me, that’s all matters.”
The look he wears is tender, it makes Jihoon’s heart beats like nothing before. “Daniel… why?”
He answers him with a soft peck on his lips. “Because I love you. Always have and always been.”
Blocking Daniel voice from his ears – because he hates his lies, hates his excuses and yet loves him – Jihoon lets himself being pulled into a kiss. He sighs into his mouth, his vision begins to blur into puzzles as Daniel’s lips claim his desperately in one sweep of motion.
And then, his mind is blank.
Daniel kisses him roughly, hungrily, so full of raw emotions while his hands release his and take their claim on his waist. Jihoon gasps, lips part in between, and Daniel doesn’t take his sweet time to sink his tongue inside his warm cavern. The older tastes like blood and heavy rain, and maybe also a little bit of peach he loves so much. Jihoon skin burns, and he’s closing his amber eyes, taking in every fleeting bites and brushes Daniel brings to his lips. And he thinks, he really misses the feeling of Daniel’s lips upon his.
Jihoon pushes his hand against his chest when Daniel cradles him even closer, feeling his warmth as he presses his body flat against his. The heat inside him begins to build up again, and burning, and smoldering, but it doesn't matter anymore because the only thing that Jihoon can feel beside the heat is him; and only him.
He doesn’t know how long had passed when Daniel finally releases his lips and breathes harshly; face inches from Jihoon’s while his hands circle around his petite body.
“Are you thirsty?” Daniel whispers between uneven breaths. “Do you want to—?”
Before Daniel even finishes his sentence, Jihoon already plants his mouth on the junction of his neck. Threading his fingers through Daniel's golden tresses, he pulls his head aside to sank his fangs into the smooth expanse of skin. Moaning at the intoxicating flavor which swarms his mouth and spreads across his taste buds, Jihoon presses himself closer to him; feeling all hot and bothered with the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach.
"J-Jihoon….."
Hearing his name uttered on Daniel’s lips makes his moans get even louder. He buckles helplessly against the older as he sucks, engulfing the red substance which trickles down his collarbone greedily with the sweep of his tongue.
More.
His lips burn because of the hunger inside him which could not be satisfied, making his legs weak and leaving white spots across his vision. Gasping for more, Jihoon’s hearing went out completely, his mind shutting down and the only thing he can focus on is the addicting taste inside of his mouth.
Give me more.
He could hear his name being repeated continuously like a mantra, but it’s unclear like the sound is from far off; only an echo, a stifle. Brushing it off as merely his imagination, Jihoon continues lapping at the skin beneath his mouth. It’s like the whispers of encouragement in his head has increased in frequency and volume, blocking out most of the noise of refusal in his ears.
“Jihoon,” A cold palm touches the skin of his neck. “Enough.”
(Something inside him laughs, encouraging him to keep the game on; to keep tasting him; tasting him until there's nothing left—until he's gone.)
Jihoon-ah, never forget.
He jerks back.
An eye for an eye; you have to avenge me.
Tears begin to gather at the corner of his eyes.
Kill him for me, darling.
“SHUT UP!” Jihoon screams at the top of his lungs, his body shaking badly while bullets of sweat form across his brow. His hands reach his head before they start yanking on the strands forcefully, his body high-strung with the need to kill the person in front of him. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!”
“Jihoon, please—” Daniel’s voice is small, and unsure, just like a child. "Don’t do that, don’t push me away again."
You can hear me, don't you?
“N-No—” he shakes his head, wracking a sob. His pupils are blown wide, but instead of his amber irises, they are glowing bright sapphire. "S-Stay away from me y-you murderer—”
Kill him for me, darling.
“Believe me when I say that everything I’ve done, I’ve done for you,” Daniel says desperately. “I love you, Jihoon. And I will always love you for eternity.”
An eye for an eye, the voice whispers into his eyes. Never forget.
“Why?” he whispers and lets his hands fall on the bed, eyes empty and unseeing. Jihoon is so tired, so, so tired of everything. "Tell me... why now of all times?”
“I’m sorry,” Daniel says instead, brushing a hair from Jihoon’s eyes gently. “I’m so sorry for leaving. Let me make it up to you, alright?”
“Do you really think it’s that easy?” Jihoon smiles bitterly. “It means nothing now. Release me from this place."
Daniel frowns. “Why would I do that?”
“Because I’m a fucking hunter. Return me back to the association.” he spits the words harshly. “And if you forgot, I promised my brother that I will kill you. So please, do me a favor before I kill you right now."
“Jihoon...” Daniel voice wavers. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“Why?” asks Jihoon, a twisted smile tears itself among his lips. “We’re going to kill each other, anyway.”
Daniel looks at him in silence, his red eyes gleaming brightly as if they are trying to burn him whole. “Because you’re mine, Jihoon-ah.” he murmurs. “You’re mine for eternity.”
And just like a mirage, Jihoon feels Daniel’s lips touch him for a fleeting second before he disappears. He’s leaving him again, just like that gruesome night ten years ago. Jihoon feels his heart ruptures beneath his skin, the gaping wound bleeding the words he supposed to say but unable in the end.
A lone tear falls from his eye.
Yours, huh?
“Ah,” Jihoon pulls his feet against his chest and sinks his face between the valley of his knees. “You’re really cruel, Daniel-hyung.”
because they made a monster,
and called it their savior.
tbc—?