Bite | Changlix vampire au

Chapter 12

"What did you do?" Seungmin asked, watching as the older fell face first into the couch, his face buried in a pillow while he kneeled on the floor.

    "I messed up, that's what I did," Felix replied miserably, his voice muffled by the pillow.

    "Do you mind telling me the specifics? I'm not Chan, but I'll help you the best I can."

    The other sighed, less than thrilled to relive the past half hour. "I accidentally confessed to Changbin and he didn't say anything about it. We continued what we were doing before, but later he stopped and almost kissed me. Well, I think that's what he wanted to do at least. Seungmin, I really thought he liked me back but in the end he pulled away at the last second and just left."

    "Ouch," Minho chimed in, sounding less than sympathetic. "Drain some of his blood to teach him a lesson. That's what I would do."

    Felix pulled his face out of the cushiony depths of the pillow, glaring daggers at the older, who raised his hands in an unspoken surrender. He didn't dare bring up Changbin's newfound interest in vampires. If he did, there was no telling what Minho might do. He was no killer and was far from evil, but he would find ways to make sure Changbin forgot.

    He felt someone rub his back and whipped his head around, facing Jeongin who was doing his best to comfort him. It might have worked better if the area around his mouth wasn't smeared with deep crimson blood. Ignoring the blood, he offered a smile, hoping that it would be enough to satisfy him.

    "Ran into some romantic trouble?" Hyunjin asked, sitting down next to him. "Being as old as I am, I can't lie to you and say I haven't fallen in love with my fair share of humans. However, humans and people like us never work out in the end. Why don't you try to take your mind off of him for a while?"

    Hyunjin was trying to help, but he was only making his inner conflict worse. For the first time, he wanted to track down whoever had turned him into a vampire and watch as the light left their eyes. He just wanted to be a normal human again, preparing for the end of his life. Anything would be better than choosing between his personal safety and his feelings for Changbin. That was only made worse by an unwanted thought popping into his head.

    "If I stayed with him, I would have to watch him die sooner or later, wouldn't I?" He sobbed, realization hitting him like a truck. If only it were as easy to fall out of love as it was to fall in love.

    "Don't cry," Minho said, his voice taking on a sympathetic and gentle tone. "We're here to help you get over him. It's in the best interest for the both of you."

~~~

    Even though he had only been following a new schedule for a few days, it had felt natural to him. Falling back into his old schedule of serving drinks to customers and running a business was overwhelming.

    He had to admit that the extra work keeping him busy was doing wonders for preventing his mind from wandering back to Changbin. Occasionally, his handsome features would creep back into his mind again, only to be pushed away once someone called him over. What was harder to ignore, was the constant texts and calls he began to receive after being out of work for a week.

    "What do you want?" Felix asked in a monotone, pacing up and down the street after finally accepting one of his calls. Hopefully it was enough to get him off his case.

    "Can't I be concerned that my coworker had mysteriously gone missing until now?"
Changbin answered, his voice rising an octave or two as he spoke. "I've been worried sick! Work's lonely without you, you know."

    "All you think about is work," Felix spat, wanting the conversation to be over as soon as possible for the sake of his mental stability. "I highly doubt I'm more than a co-worker to you. That's why you decided to toy with my emotions and pretend you wanted to kiss me."

    "Felix-"

    He hung up without allowing the other to tell his side of the story. As much as he longed to hear the answer, it would only make the situation worse if he found out Changbin had even the slightest interest in him, or worse. It would be better if he didn't know what he had to say.

    As he tilted his head to the night sky, letting the cool breeze take his worries along with it, he noticed the full moon illuminating the roof tops. Hyunjin hadn't called yet, but he was sure everything was under control. Remembering what they had to go through every month made him feel less sorry for himself.

    He made his way back to the bar, the mixture of moonlight and light from the streetlamps making the night brighter than usual. He heard footsteps disturbing the seemingly empty sidewalk behind him but he paid it no mind. It could have easily been a human coming home from work. Besides, vampires were much stronger than humans. There was no need for him to be afraid.

    Later, he would wish that he had looked behind him.