"San you are truly just diabolical." Yunho complained, looking annoyed simply from how he stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Hey, I got permission to dye their hair." San rolled his eyes in return, but stood further away from the taller just in case. "Now we all have new looks, a fresh start if you will."
"Yeah, but did you have to dye Mingi's hair red?" Yunho muttered, looking to his lover who was still sleeping on a makeshift hospital bed.
"I think it suits him." San shrugged his shoulders, pouting a bit. "What? You don't like it."
"I think he looks great." Yunho quickly changed his tone to defensive. "Our shower is just going to be stained red now thanks to you."
"As if you didn't stain it blue and green." San retorted jokingly, sticking out his tongue before quickly dodging a balled towel that was thrown in his direction.
"If you two are only going to make a ruckus you can leave." Seonghwa commented, busy changing bandages on Yeosang, who was asleep.
"He started it!" Yunho and San said at the same time, pointing to one another.
Wooyoung snorted, gaining the bickering duo's attention. He only made a quick teasing face towards them before he went back to his task at hand. He was busy copying Seonghwa and changing Hongjoong's bandages, somehow picking up the skill to do it properly after watching the older a few times.
It had been a few days since the three returned from Sector 1, and those few days were spent caring for those three, and trying to keep everyone else's spirits uplifted. They were doing well, but just needed proper time to heal, so keeping them in the infirmary was just the best option, no matter how uncomfortable it may have been having so many people in a smaller room. There's been constant medication in each of their systems as well, causing them to sleep most of the days and nights away. Hence why none of them stirred despite those that were being louder than they should've.
While those that didn't go were glad the three were healing and getting rest, it only made them restless since they still didn't know the full story to what caused their injuries to begin with.
"I will say though, you did do a good job this time San." Seonghwa commented with a sigh, shaking his head as he cut another bandage to a proper length. "I don't think I've ever seen Hongjoong even get anyone's hair this white, and it looks really nice on him."
"Thank you." San crossed his arms victoriously, bloating at the compliment he received.
"That being said, you can now get out." Seonghwa added cheekily, smirking evilly.
San's mouth hung open, earning an immediate squeaky laugh from Wooyoung. All eyes went onto the hunter after hearing that sound.
"He seems extra bubbly." Seonghwa said in a whisper, kind of hesitant, kind of not.
"I think wearing the brace for so long finally made him go insane." Yunho responded in the same manner, more joking than the older.
"Hey!" San raised his voice, pointing a finger at the two. "Watch it."
Wooyoung's features already dropped back to his usual look, glaring at the same two.
"Scary." Yunho muttered, smirking playfully.
"Not as scary as you were a few days ago." Seonghwa sighed, shaking his head as he recalled the looks he received.
"Since we were talking about it, did you even dye dobermans hair?" Wooyoung completely changed the topic, looking from Yeosang to San.
"Oh, well I mean technically yes, but I kept it essentially the same color, its just a tad bit different." San explained happily, glad that the topic was changed.
"Which reminds me, that purple color looks nice Wooyoung." Yunho complimented, earning a hum from the mentioned.
"I'm back." The door suddenly opened, revealing Jongho with a backpack over his shoulders, and large duffel bag in his hands.
"Great, it looks like you were successful." Seonghwa immediately turned his attention to the younger, moving to help him with the bags.
"Yeah, I didn't have any problems, thankfully." Jongho emphasized that last word, taking off the backpack and unzipping it in the process. "I'm glad we could call in that favor to get this stuff and they actually stuck to their word."
"Me too." Seonghwa responded, pulling out many different medical related things from the duffel bag. "This stuff will last us a while. Hopefully."
"I hope so too." Jongho sighed, looking over at the others, eyes lingering longer on those that were injured. "What are we going to do about Yeosang?"
"I don't know." Seonghwa replied in the same manner, looking over at the brunette as well.
Yunho, San, and Wooyoung all looked to one another with a frown. Wooyoung had kind of picked up on the details along the way, but still wasn't entirely sure of the correct story. All he knew was that Yeosang's sense of hearing was rapidly decreasing, and while it could be savaged, the vampire didn't accept that treatment. Wooyoung assumed it would be too risky to go to an actual hospital to receive it. But because of the manner of this last battle, Yeosang's hit an all time low, and the others weren't sure if his lost hearing was even recoverable at this point.
"I'd hate for him to lose his hearing." Yunho commented, frown deepening as he looked at his friend. "I mean, he's strong and resourceful as hell, I'm sure he'd manage just fine. But things would be a lot different, that's for sure."
"I don't understand why we can't just take him to go get help." San muttered, shaking his head as he thought about it more. "We could make sure the place is clear and safe during the entirety of whatever procedure needs to happen. I mean Hongjoong's mentioned before that he has tons of people in the medical business that owe him, so it wouldn't be difficult to find a hearing doctor either."
"I think he's just concerned cause he's quite literally the line between human and vampire." Seonghwa spoke in a solemn manner, turning to look through the bags again. "People don't know how to react knowing that kind of stuff."
"I mean I kinda get it, but he has to know we'd never let him get taken away from us in any kind of way." San continued stubbornly, more concerned about his friend than before now that they were talking about it.
"You can stop talking about me now." Yeosang groaned, sitting up to tiredly look between all of the others.
"We'll leave now." Yunho said in Seonghwa's direction, grabbing San and motioning for Wooyoung to follow him.
In the hallway, Yunho immediately let go of San, giving him a narrowed look.
"Don't you dare listen in." Yunho pointed a finger as he scolded San, who sulked in return.
The door was about to be closed by Wooyoung, but it was stopped by Jongho, who ended up following the others out as well. Together the four made it out to the living space, the vampires talking about Jongho's outing and whatnot, while Wooyoung was lost in thought.
Then his stomach growled, immediately gaining the vampires attention.
Wooyoung made a noise of complain.
"Do you all seriously have to look the second that happens?" Wooyoung screeched, putting a hand over his stomach as his ears burned red. "It's embarrassing."
In their own way, each of the three apologized.
"Let's go get you something to eat." San stepped back towards Wooyoung, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Have you even eaten today?"
"Earlier, but—"
"What have I told you about eating?" San scolded, bringing Wooyoung even closer to him by closing his arm more around his shoulders.
Wooyoung scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I was kinda busy for most of the day."
"No excuse." San returned, leaning his head lower teasingly.
"I think they completely forgot we're here." Yunho commented with an awkward laugh.
"Agreed." Jongho stifled his own laugh before facing the taller. "Like you can say anything though. You tend to do the same thing when you're with Mingi."
"Get out of my face!" Wooyoung complained, pushing San away when the vampire tried to move even closer. San simply was teasing Wooyoung, but at the same time there was a look in his eyes that showed he might've gone further if Wooyoung was okay and didn't push him away.
"We'll be in the kitchen if you need us." San called out to the others, grabbing Wooyoung's arm to lead him into the desired room.
The others laughed and said their farewell right as San closed the door, leaning against it momentarily when Wooyoung didn't make any attempt to move further.
"Go do your thing." San motioned towards the kitchen with a smile, pushing himself off the door to follow Wooyoung when he did move.
"You're annoying." Wooyoung muttered, turning on the sink faucet to wash his hands.
"You love me though." San teased, leaning over the counter to watch the hunter with heart eyes.
Wooyoung paused his movements, biting his tongue.
"Too far?" San spoke quieter, now filled with worry.
"Just a bit." Wooyoung said even quieter, turning off the water.
"Sorry." San continued to watch Wooyoung, who kept his head turned away no matter where he worked.
Wooyoung merely hummed, becoming surrounded by silence.
It wasn't until Wooyoung finished preparing a decent snack that the vampire spoke up again.
"Hey, when you're done, can I show you something?" San asked timidly, showing the smallest of smiles that lured Wooyoung in.
"Sure." Wooyoung agreed with a tired nod.
San's smile grew bigger upon hearing that response. Looking up to see that, Wooyoung didn't know if he should feel concerned or excited. Maybe a mixture of both.
Neither of them really wanted to talk about serious things, but they didn't know what else to talk about instead. It trapped them in that silence. Wooyoung never knew silence like this to be comfortable, so it was definitely different. A good kind of different.
Wooyoung got up to clean up the mess, washing the few dishes he used and throwing away the trash. He was almost ready for whatever it was San wanted to do, he just needed to wash his hands first.
"Blondie." Wooyoung called out, causing San to hum in return. He turned around after turning of the water, shaking out his hands to dry. "Show me your eyes."
Without hesitation San's eyes glowed a bright red. Wooyoung smiled reassuringly, nodding his head in a quick movement. That caused San to wipe away his confusion and smile as well.
"Alright, lead the way." Wooyoung sighed, stretching his arms over his head.
When he lowered his arms he had to readjust his hoodie, pulling at it downwards so it'd stop choking him. Something caught San's eye which made him smirk a little before turning away. Around Wooyoung's neck was the necklace he had given him, it was nice seeing the smaller actually wear it. Even if Wooyoung never took it off, seeing it made him feel all bubbly inside.
San ended up walking out into the main part of the warehouse, which was empty before their entry. Wooyoung didn't know where the other vampires went, but he didn't entirely care either. He was simply confused when San led him over to the crates that everyone used to store weapons and whatnot in.
Showing a brief smile, San turned his attention to the crate that had a small mountain drawn on each side of it. Propping the lid open, he motioned Wooyoung to come closer to his side. Skeptically, Wooyoung took those few steps closer, leaning against the wall since he had the opportunity to.
Reaching inside, San pulled out what looked to be a black briefcase. He set it on top of the crate lid, turning to Wooyoung again.
"So you remember everything I told you about myself and my use of knives and daggers, correct?" San asked with a tone of anticipation. Still confused, Wooyoung nodded his head. "Well, I collect them too. This crate holds most of my collection, but I have others stored in other places as well."
As San spoke he unlocked both locks to the briefcase. When he finished speaking, he opened it to reveal four daggers stored within, each with a different pattern on its handle. Wooyoung stopped breathing for a moment because he had to admit, the deadly weapons were quite beautiful.
"I was going through and cleaning them the other day, and I decided that I wanted to show you if you were interested." It was clear how passionate San was about this, the look on his face said it all. It made Wooyoung feel something he wasn't quite sure about. "I also...wanted to give you one."
Wooyoung's eyes widened, moving from the weapons to the vampire. San seemed just a little smug because of Wooyoung's reaction.
"I can't accept that with how much they obviously mean to you." Wooyoung immediately denied, shaking his head while his eyes remained widened.
"Well you mean a lot to me, and you were talking about how you wanted something that would better fit you." San shrugged his shoulders, looking the happiest he's been in a while. "I have a lot you could look through and try out. I feel pretty confident you'd find something you'd like."
"I don't know how to feel." Wooyoung admitted with a huff that sounded like a laugh. "I can't believe you'd even offer that."
San rolled his eyes dramatically. It was pretty clear he was done with Wooyoung's denial, yet he seemed so carefree and happy that it was hard to be annoyed.
"Just come here and look." San reached out and pulled Wooyoung towards him, closing their space a bit too much.
Time stopped as they came face to face with one another. They both became red as they stared into the others wide eyes. Wooyoung was highly aware of the gentle hold San still had on his arm, how the tallers thumb trailed up and down so delicately. For a few moments they breathed the same air, but it felt like an eternity.
Wooyoung backed away first, clearing his throat. Nothing could stop his heart from hammering in his chest, or the redness that plagued his ears. All he could do was put his full interest on the crate before him, looking at the countless black briefcases stacked on top of one another within. Looking at the contents from this view though, Wooyoung was quick to spot other gear as well, but he didn't pay any attention to it.
San on the other hand couldn't tear his gaze from Wooyoung. He was infatuated with the smaller in every way.
"Funny how it went from me being banned from touching knives to you wanting me to pick one out from your collection." Wooyoung tried to distract himself by laughing, feeling San's intense gaze on him.
"Yeah, it is kinda funny." San finally snapped himself from his thoughts, awkwardly laughing along.
Wooyoung let out a near silent breath of relief.
"Did you pull those out for a reason?" Wooyoung asked, pointing to the still opened knife case.
"Ah, no not really. It was just the one on the top." San explained, reaching for one of the knives to pull it from the case. It was totally safe since it was still sheathed, which is why Wooyoung felt a bit more comfortable taking it from his hand.
It only took a few seconds for Wooyoung to bite his inner lip before reaching forward to put the knife back into its case. He took a glance at San, who sensed his discomfort.
"Is there...one you'd rather just give me?" Wooyoung asked, throat feeling tight. He took another glance at San, who seemed to read his thoughts.
"Umm...yeah, give me a minute. I think there's one you'd like." San leaned over the edge of the crate, going onto his tippy toes as his entire upper body disappeared into the crate. He moved many things around, searching for something specific.
Wooyoung watched as an internal dialogue played in his head. He hoped he didn't offend San by his words and actions, he just didn't know how to feel holding a weapon San might've used to kill before. A weapon that would technically become his, already tainted with the blood of the dead. But perhaps that would've been a better option, so if things came to that point, Wooyoung wouldn't feel as guilty spilling blood onto the weapon. Despite his inner thoughts, he knew San was understanding and somehow read his mind, which is why he was on this new search for something.
"Here, I think this one would suit you." San hoisted himself back up over the edge, face kind of red. He had a smaller black casing in his hand, fit to hold a single dagger or knife. "It's brand new."
Taking a breath, Wooyoung took the holder from San's hand, unlocking it in swift movements. Opening it, he immediately felt more content looking at this weapon. San was right, it definitely looked to suit him. A smaller, black handle with grey like veins coursing through it, and a sleek dark metal that created the actual dagger. Despite it's frail and small appearance, it was actually pretty heavy, likely due to the materials it was made of.
Not only did it look nice, Wooyoung liked the way it fit in his hand. He felt comfortable with it, like he had control over this weapon, and not the weapon over him.
"Sunshine, how many times do I have to tell you how to properly hold a knife?" San snickered, and no sooner did he finish speaking did his hand overlay Wooyoung's.
In delicate movements San was able to readjust Wooyoung's grip so that it matched his own. Now, Wooyoung held it in a proper defensive manner, which wasn't sloppy and would allow him to move properly.
"Like this, remember?" San's quiet voice fell straight onto Wooyoung's ear, which caused goosebumps to shoot up his back.
"Yup, I remember." Wooyoung was quick to respond in a higher pitch, trying to move the vampire's hand off of his own and for that matter create some distance between them.
San got the hint, letting go of Wooyoung's hand and took a few steps back. He leaned against the side of the crate, watching Wooyoung still look at the knife, then put it back into the case.
"That one doesn't have a sheath, so I'll have to make one that fits it for you." San explained with a smile, yet his tone was serious. "And for that matter I'll probably make some other attachments that would work for your body. I'd uh...just need some measurements."
Wooyoung turned bright red.
"Sure." Wooyoung tired to play off by sounding nonchalant. "Are you seriously okay with me having that one?"
"Yeah, of course." San reassured, nodding his head in the direction of his collection. "It's not like I really need it, I have plenty of others to choose from."
"Right." Wooyoung nodded, looking off to another part of the room, away from San.
"I'm just glad you'd have some form of protection on you." San sighed, sounding like a verbal face-palm. "It's about time."
"It's only good if I know and remember how to use it." Wooyoung muttered almost to himself.
"Well if I'm by your side hopefully it won't come to that at all." San commented, though he sounded disheartened. "It's not like we have a great track record though."
"No kidding." Wooyoung shook his head, leaning back against the wall again.
"Well on that note—" San began, only to cut himself off, turning his attention towards the main part of the room.
Wooyoung's eyes instinctually followed, noticing Yeosang walking from the hallway leading to the infirmary. The brunettes head was held low, and he almost had a limp to his step. Regardless he was trying to speed his way through the main part of the warehouse towards the stairs, only he was stopped when San suddenly disappeared and reappeared a few paces in front him.
"Yeosang, are you alright?" San was highly concerned from the sound of it, trying to lean his head low to get a look at the olders face.
"I'm fine." Yeosang snapped, stiffening up as soon as he said those words. "Sorry."
"It's okay." San reassured softly, still unmoving from his place. "Are you sure you should be out of the med bay?"
"Yes, I just wanted to go to my room." Yeosang looked up, explaining himself with that same, tired, kind of snippy, tone. Except his voice broke on that last word, and San was the one to witness the tears in his eyes.
Nothing was said as San acted. In a swift but gentle movement, he took Yeosang into a firm hug, avoiding areas he assumed Yeosang was hurt the most in. Instantaneously Yeosang's head leaned forward and hardly rested against San's shoulder. A quiet sob emitted from the brunette.
Wooyoung felt worried at the sound, feeling his eyes widen without really realizing. He almost wanted to take a step away from the wall until he felt a brutal pang to his chest and gut. A completely internal feeling that wiped away the worry. It made Wooyoung feel sick to his stomach, a scowl forming on his lips.
"Shh, it's okay, let it out." San soothed, gently running a hand up and down Yeosang's back. That seemed to make the brunette only cry harder.
"I don't think you all understand how scared I am." Yeosang's voice cracked a few times, but it was pretty clear he was trying to fight through the tears. "But I don't need all of you talking down to me like I—"
"We're just worried about you Yeosang, that's all." San cut off, still in a soothing manner. "We all trust the decisions you make. If you don't want to do anything we suggest we completely understand. Like I said, we're just worried. We don't want you to lose something you so deeply rely on."
Yeosang got quiet. Looking closely Wooyoung could see the brunette nodding his head. That feeling still hadn't diminished, in fact it only worsened after listening to the way San spoke to Yeosang.
"How is your hearing?" San asked, glancing over at Wooyoung to send a brief smile before returning his attention to the vampire in his arms.
Wooyoung couldn't decipher if that look made him feel better or worse.
"As of right now its fine. I guess...." Yeosang muttered, stepping out of San's hold only to lean against the stair railing. "Everything is kind of muffled in my left ear, but it's been like that for a while now. And I can tell my right is ringing still, but I don't know if that's cause of what happened at Sector 1, or if this is just natural."
San still kept close, keeping a watchful eye on the brunette to ensure he was still physically fine. Wooyoung's jaw clenched up, and finally he pushed himself off the wall to approach. The vampires didn't pay him any mind, so Wooyoung decided to just stand closer to San in a way that kept him out of the conversation bubble but in sight.
"Well let's hope it doesn't get worse then." San tried to uplift the spirits with his voice, but it didn't have much effect.
"I don't know, something just doesn't feel right." Yeosang looked down again, shaking his head. Subtly he brought one hand up to rub the back of his right ear, wincing just a bit from the sensation.
"Yeosang!" Everyone's attention turned to the person calling out the brunette. It was Seonghwa, jogging from the hallway Yeosang came from minutes before. "Cheap move escaping when I was caught in a conversation with Hongjoong."
The taller appeared to be joking from his tone, complete worry painted on his features as he got closer to everyone.
"I was done talking about it." Yeosang muttered, sounding annoyed with his lowered voice.
"Okay, well why—"
"Seonghwa, please, I truly appreciate your worry, I really do. This is so much harder on me than I think you realize, and no offense but you make it harder sometimes." Yeosang admitted rashly, looking up at the taller with tears once again pouring down his cheeks. He got his tone under control again and glanced down. "Just give me some more time to think things over. Please."
Seonghwa was visibly taken aback and even hurt by the last out again him, but he understood and respected the place it came from.
"Right. I'm sorry." Seonghwa lowered his voice, nodding his head as he looked off. "Just...you don't have all the time in the world to make your final decision, please remember that. I will support you no matter what it may be, but I don't want you to live with regrets."
Yeosang nodded his head in acknowledgment.
Seonghwa let out a long breath, tearing his gaze from Yeosang to look to San and glance at Wooyoung as well. There was nothing left for him to say, so he dismissed himself and walked back to the infirmary, claiming he probably needed to help Mingi right about now. Before he completely left he asked San to find Yunho so he wouldn't gripe at him for not being there for Mingi.
"So you're going to your room?" San asked for clarification, showing a small smile.
Yeosang hummed questioningly.
"Wooyoung, can I ask you a favor?" Yeosang suddenly turned to the mentioned, making his eyes widen.
"Yeah?" Wooyoung responded, not meaning to sound like he asked his own question, but he was confused where this was going.
"Do you think you could cook something for me?" Yeosang asked rather sheepishly. "I don't know if I necessarily have the strength to do that right now, but I can tell I need some kind of sustenance, and blood won't cut it."
"Oh, yeah, sure. That's not a problem." Wooyoung tried his best to push away all the negative things he was feeling. He wanted to be the bigger person and help out in a time of need.
A look of relief went across the brunettes features. He muttered something Wooyoung couldn't pick up on, but he believe Yeosang was dismissing himself since he turned and started walking towards the kitchen. Wooyoung wasn't quite sure why, since he could've easily made food and brought it to him in his room, but he didn't question it much further.
Taking a breath, Wooyoung took a few steps to follow Yeosang, but was stopped when a strong hand caught his arm. He looked up at San who's aura changed compared to before. His head tilted slightly to the side, eyes giving Wooyoung a look that nearly made his knees weak.
"We need to talk later." San stated in a low voice, slow enough so his words were clear.
Wooyoung felt his heart skip a beat. That look, the manner he spoke in, and the way San was holding his arm, all felt so dominating. He couldn't deny that he was also kinda confused, and kinda scared in a way, as to what that would be about. Silently, Wooyoung nodded his head in acknowledgement, not wanting to use his voice.
"Alright, you know how to get my attention if you need me." San smirked a little as he released Wooyoung's arm, in a way that showed he knew the affect he had on the younger in that instance.
Wooyoung hummed, turning to rush into the kitchen, needing to hide away from whatever the hell just happened.
I haven't felt that way in...well forever. Goddamn. My heart won't settle down.
Composing himself again, Wooyoung looked over to see Yeosang already sitting at the counter space. The brunette was fully hunched over, his arms folding over themselves to use as a pillow for his head, only he didn't rest his head on them, instead straight on the counter. Wooyoung didn't question it.
"Did you want anything specific?" Wooyoung asked as he made his way over to the main part of the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves in the process.
"No, not really." Yeosang almost sounded like he was pouting, but that could've just been because have of his face was smooshed up against the counter.
Wooyoung hummed, trying to think of some quick ideas. Without saying anything he grabbed the ingredients he needed to make a quick but satisfactory meal for Yeosang. Other than the sounds that Wooyoung was making, the room was filled with silence. Granted it wasn't tense, it wasn't quite comfortable either. Wooyoung could feel the vampires gaze on him, but didn't look in his direction.
"How's your knee?" Yeosang spoke up, voice quiet but cut through the cold air regardless.
Wooyoung perked up hearing that. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Yeosang still hunched over, but now resting his chin on his crossed arms.
"Oh, uh, it's fine." Wooyoung answered, for some reason feeling guilty but he couldn't quite pinpoint why. "The brace is annoying but I've gotten used to it I guess."
"You could probably take it off." Yeosang mused, noticing the way that Wooyoung wasn't really favoring his leg anymore. "You healed a lot faster than I anticipated."
"Yeah?" Wooyoung couldn't really hide his smile so he was glad his back was to the vampire.
"Yeah, but just keep the brace. If it starts acting up or whatever you can put it back on." Yeosang explained, becoming more hungry at the smell of the food being prepared. In turn that just made him feel more tired from his lack of energy.
"Okay." Wooyoung trailed off, nodding his head as well. He took in a long breath, biting his lip. "How are you?"
"I'll be fine." Yeosang muttered as his reply.
That doesn't really answer my question.
"Okay. Well just let me know if you need anything." Wooyoung replied, showing a small smile as he turned around to prepare something else as the main dish finished cooking. "I don't mind doing stuff like this."
Yeosang simply stared up at Wooyoung for a moment, an undefined look behind his eyes. Wooyoung returned the look, only more confused.
"What?" Wooyoung questioned when the silence dragged on for too long.
"Oh. Sorry." Yeosang snapped himself from his thoughts, looking away with reddened ears. "I appreciate your kindness."
Wooyoung gave him a questioning look, but didn't push anything any further.
"I just...I thought you'd of asked more questions or something by now." Yeosang trailed off, trying to make his thoughts make sense as he said them aloud. "Especially cause of the things you had to of overheard or learned."
Wooyoung shrugged his shoulders. "You obviously don't want to talk about it, so why make you feel even worse by pushing your buttons? But I mean by all means if you wanna talk, I'm here to listen. If you don't then I respect that."
Again, Yeosang just kinda stared at Wooyoung.
"It's hard to believe you're a hunter sometimes." Yeosang said just loud enough for Wooyoung to hear.
"Yeah." Wooyoung replied lowly, sighing heavily.
"Sorry, I didn't mean that as—"
"You're fine." Wooyoung cut off swiftly, finishing his preparations and presented Yeosang a completed meal. "Here. I hope it's fine."
"O-oh, thank you." Yeosang looked down at the bowl and plate before him, being much more then he expected to receive.
"Yeah. I'll leave then. I can clean everything up when you're done, so don't worry about it." Wooyoung was already in the process of walking away as he spoke.
"Hey Wooyoung." Yeosang called out, uplifting himself and turning in his chair. The mentioned stopped by the door, looking over his shoulder. "I'm glad you're on our side."
Wooyoung smirked a little. "Yeah, me too."
Not leaving anymore room for conversation, Wooyoung left the kitchen. Alone for just a moment, he was allowed a breath of relief. Before he remembered that San wanted to talk to him about something, and images from earlier played in his mind.
Goddamn it stop.
What have I told you about falling?
Sighing, Wooyoung made his way up to his and San's room. He didn't know where the vampire currently was, but he didn't entirely care. He wanted to take the brace off his knee and finally wear something other than baggy sweats. He couldn't help but wonder if Yeosang was truly okay, but he reminded himself that he did the best thing he could, offer help and to be someone to talk to. That's all he would want in a demoralizing situation, so he wouldn't push any further.
I really care about the seven of them, don't I? I can't deny I'm attached, but shouldn't I be keeping my barriers up better? I've lowered them so much, they're hardly existent.
God stop thinking about it like they'll betray me. They won't. They couldn't.
They're family to one another, they couldn't betray family.
Can I really call myself apart of their family though? Especially since I can't get myself to say any of their names.
Well...I mean I said Hongjoong's...but does that really count? He wasn't even conscious when I said it.
For fucks sake shut up.
And what the hell am I thinking about family bonds? I'm the last person that should see family as a safe place.
They aren't blood related family though, this is a different kind of family. One closer than any I've experienced. They aren't just coworkers or members of a gang built on rickety foundations. This is way more than that.
I'm happy here. I want to work with them more than anyone I've worked with in the past. Protect them...even though I'm not really good at that. Help them, prove my worth, experience ups and downs.
What the hell am I even thinking about at this point?
Being in the confinement of the bedroom, Wooyoung finally got his mind to be quiet. He focused himself on taking off the brace, finally feeling completely free without it trapping his leg. There was admittedly some hesitance when he stood up again, testing out his balance and ensuring he didn't feel any pain. Everything was back to normal though, like nothing ever happened.
To that Wooyoung couldn't hold back his smile and silent cheer.
Quickly he put on a different pair of pants, feeling way more comfortable now that he didn't have the brace. Now he didn't know what to do, sure he could message San, but he didn't really want to. His body told him to just lie down for a bit, and he was close to plopping down on the bed before he was stopped by the door suddenly opening.
"For fucks sake blondie! A warning please!" Wooyoung raised his voice, feeling his heart race at the sudden disturbance. "What if I was changing?"
San shrugged his shoulders cockily, closing the door behind himself and leaned against it. "Would that really of been a problem?"
Wooyoung's features hardened into a cold look. San rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Oh please, I knew you were done changing from what I could hear, I wouldn't walk in on you half or fully naked." San explained with a playful edge, some seriousness underlying it.
"Whatever. What did you want?" Wooyoung crossed his arms over his chest as he asked the question.
"I wanna know why the hell you were giving me and Yeosang that extremely dirty look earlier." San stated bluntly, playfulness gone for the most part, replaced with that same dominating aura from before. "Cause I don't care if you looked at me like that, but Yeosang did absolutely nothing wrong. And that was even more uncalled for in his moment of weakness."
Wooyoung's eyes widened, to the point they looked like they could pop out of his head. San's expression didn't change as he looked Wooyoung up and down.
In a flash San moved away from the door, and directly in front of Wooyoung. His head tilted to the side as an almost arrogant type of look came to his features.
"What's wrong Wooyoung?" San asked lowly, taking a step forward, which caused Wooyoung to take one back. The cycle continued until Wooyoung's back hit the wall with a thud, and San placed his hand on either side of his head. His smirk only grew as Wooyoung's face and ears reddened even more.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Wooyoung finally found his voice, though it was meekly.
"I know you do sunshine." San continued in that same low voice, his head lowering just a little so they were on the same exact level. "Were you perhaps jealous?"
"No I was not jealous." Wooyoung answered too fast, but at least he sounded more like himself this time.
San hummed teasingly, tilting his head again. "You sure?"
"Yes I'm sure." Wooyoung kept up his defense, glaring San straight in the eye.
"What was it then?" San replied, moving just the smallest bit closer. Wooyoung noticed though the space between them closing.
The hunter couldn't come up with an answer fast enough.
"I-I don't know." Wooyoung exasperated, leaning the back of his head into the wall to gain more space. "It was cause of the stupid bond."
"Oh really?" San totally sounded like he was playing dumb, the smirk growing once more. "Do you know what our bond can cause?" San asked even lower, a whisper at that. Wooyoung's breath got caught in his throat, even more-so when San leaned his head beside his. "Jealousy."
"Fine! You win! You want a fucking gold star or something?" Wooyoung raised his voice out of pure embarrassment, bringing his hands up to put on both of San's shoulders. With a slight push the taller got the idea to move away, but not completely. They were just in the position they were in before San got impossibly closer.
"Nope." San was teasing Wooyoung, from the way he looked at him to the way his voice sounded. "I just wanted to hear you admit it."
"Fuck you." Wooyoung growled, looking away.
"You're so cute when you're mad." San chuckled, removing one hand from the wall so he could boop Wooyoung's nose.
Wooyoung only glared at San, which the vampire just found even more endearing.
"Don't boop my nose." Wooyoung scolded, this new look in his eyes telling San that it was a line he crossed, and this wasn't just playful anymore.
"Okay, noted." San smiled, trying to keep the air lighthearted. "Sorry."
"It's fine." Wooyoung muttered, looking off again.
"I think you like this position." San teased, changing the topic to stop Wooyoung's mind from wandering to dangerous places. "You haven't told me to move."
Wooyoung scoffed in return, his own smirk growing. "Maybe I do. What're you gonna do about that?"
That comment totally caught San off guard. He didn't expect the smaller to admit it just like that.
Taking advantage of that moment of shock, Wooyoung acted on a thought he didn't completely think through. In a swift movement Wooyoung was able to grab San's arm and manipulate the vampires weight so he was flipped around, now being the one against the wall. Wooyoung was noticeably proud of himself, now being the one trapping San with his hands on either side of his head.
"But I might like this position better." Wooyoung's tone was low like San's was before. It was like their roles had completely flipped around with their bodies, because in that moment San was too shy to speak.
Though that was only a moment.
The roles reversed once more.
"Do you really think that puts you in control?" San smirked as he asked in an alluring whisper.
Wooyoung sucked in a breath, feeling a hand wrap around his waist, another hand reaching up to put over his shoulder, hand delicately tracing over the back of his neck. San pulled Wooyoung closer by his waist, their lower bodies colliding. With wide eyes Wooyoung looked into San's, who didn't seem phased in the slightest.
"There's a reason I never pin your arms to the wall." San chuckled a little to himself, still speaking in that temptingly low voice. "It's cause I know you'll stay." There was a pause as he showed a challenging look, leaning in just slightly. "I on the other hand, need a bit more restraining."
Mind completely on overdrive, Wooyoung didn't know how to respond. He could hardly process this close proximity and the way his heart hammered in his chest. Not to mention how the things he was purely feeling.
He was trapped in San's essence.
"You know how to get me to stop." San muttered, not breaking eye contact. "Two simple words and I'll let you go."
Wooyoung said nothing.
"But maybe you do like this more than I anticipated." San smirked, but it wasn't as lustful-looking as it was before, this time, it was heart struck. "Or maybe I just broke you."
"Can I try something?" Wooyoung breathed, hardly believing the words he just spoke.
"Go ahead." San didn't even hesitate to say those words.
Fuck what am I doing?
Despite the thought, Wooyoung found himself leaning in further, and further, and further, until there was no more space between his and San's lips.
Wooyoung didn't realize he could melt so fast, but feeling the cool, delicate sensation of San's lips moving against his own did something to him.
And that was dangerous to some part of his mind.
They kissed slowly and gently for only a few moments before Wooyoung pulled away. His hands were shaking against the wall, and he immediately tilted his head downwards to hide his face. He opened his eyes once more since they fluttered close before, now widened in fear as he realized what he just allowed himself to do.
San leaned his head back against the wall, concernedly watching Wooyoung, but trying to recompose himself as well. That was better than anything he imagined, even if it only lasted a few seconds. But he was worried Wooyoung pushed himself too far because of the atmosphere he created. He didn't intend for that to happen, not that he was against it in any way, and it was technically the hunters decision that he went with.
Gently San trailed his hand on the back of Wooyoung's neck up to his hair, playing with it just a little.
"I'm sorry." Wooyoung breathed out, leaning even further to rest his head against San's shoulder. No matter how much a part of him was beating himself up, he didn't want to separate from the vampire.
"For what?" San didn't expect to hear that so he obviously sounded taken aback.
"Kissing you." Wooyoung answered in the same manner he spoke in before. Closing his eyes tight, he fought back tears. He didn't even know what they were from. He felt so overwhelmed with the things he was feeling, all of the back and forth, the pointless war in his mind.
"Don't be." San replied simply, moving his hand from the smallers waist up to his back, rubbing gently to try and soothe him. "Honestly? I enjoyed it, but I don't know if that's what you want to hear."
"I don't know what's wrong with me." Wooyoung nearly sobbed but did his best at holding himself back.
San frowned, feeling his heart break at the state the of person he's bonded to. He wished he could help, but he faced the truth, he knew Wooyoung was the only one that could sort out what he's facing himself. He didn't want to provide guidance that would potentially make it worse.
"There's nothing wrong with you." San whispered soothingly, continuing to run his hand up and down Wooyoung's back. "There's just some things you need to work to overcome in whatever way works for you. And I'll be there every step of the way."