Being in the safety of the vehicle, but more importantly in the safety of San's arms, Wooyoung completely broke down. They sat in the backseat together, Wooyoung completely curling in on San, their seatbelts long forgotten about. Seonghwa was silently driving, ensuring their safety, but also trying to give them both much needed space. He knew he would never understand what they just went through as a bonded pair, even if he has felt immense fear and heartache before.
Painstaking sobs emitted from Wooyoung, and all San could do was hold him tight in his arms and whisper small phrases of reassurance. He was careful on where to touch and how tight, but Wooyoung didn't seem to really care. He had his arms around San's middle, face pressed into his chest. To play it safe San kept an arm around his waist, to prevent from from flying forward if there were to be a sudden stop, and the other resting on the back of his head, fingers running through his purple hair.
That continued for some time until Wooyoung had no more tears left to cry. At that point he just breathed heavily, closing his eyes tight as he clung to San even tighter. San listened to his heartbeat and breathing pattern, hoping it would even out enough for the smaller to calm down and perhaps just get some sleep.
Of course there were hundreds of questions waiting to be asked from everyone. When those could be answered wasn't clear.
"I'm going to call Hongjoong to let him know we're coming back with Wooyoung." Seonghwa announced softly, hand already messing with his phone while the other was on the wheel. "Okay?"
"Yeah." San replied with a sigh, glancing at the older for just a moment. He retuned his vision to the smaller, feeling himself frown even more. Wooyoung had moved away just slightly, enough to allow him to look up into San's eyes.
They just stared at one another, listening to Seonghwa in the background making the brief phone call. They weren't really paying attention to that, just caught up in one another's world. Something seemed to snap in Wooyoung, he perked up and backed away just a little more, looking down at San's body.
"Are you okay? How were you even walking?" Wooyoung quickly let out the words in a panicked whisper, fearful that clinging to the vampire the way he was only hurt him somehow.
There was a look on San's face, an expression that showed numerous things. He was heartbroken Wooyoung cared more about him than himself, yet at the same time appreciative of the idea. Saddened that things got to this point, but so glad that they were with each other once more.
"I'm okay, trust me." San reassured, reaching a hand up again to cup Wooyoung's face delicately. "There was some kind of venom or whatever in the bullets, but when it wore off I was fine and managed to call for help. Yeosang patched me up pretty well and I drank some blood that it helped me heal completely."
"Are you telling me the whole truth?" Wooyoung narrowed his eyes slightly, pouting.
San visibly hesitated.
"I think he'll tell you everything later." Seonghwa interjected, looking at them through the rear view mirror. "Nothing against you Wooyoung, but it'd probably just be better when everyone's emotions aren't so high."
The hunter sighed, leaning his head onto San's shoulder. He winced at the pain in his neck, moving his hand to rub it. He felt the indentation of the bite mark against his skin, which made him feel uncomfortable all over again.
"I'm sorry." Wooyoung apologized, looking up at San once more.
"Sorry? What are you sorry for?" San kind of snapped, his voice still gentle, but that definitely wasn't something he wanted to hear.
"For being such a baby." Wooyoung stated with a dry laugh, lowering his eyes. "For being a burden."
"Hey, no." San said sternly, turning a bit to his side so he and Wooyoung could face one another. Despite his voice, his hands were gentle when they held Wooyoung's face, thumbs trailing over the dried tear streaks on his cheeks. "You do not get to apologize for something like that, because there is no reason to. You're allowed to cry and you are in no way a burden." He paused taking in a deep breath. "If anyone should be apologizing it should be me. I didn't protect you, and there's no excuse. I didn't even know we were in danger, and I let you get taken from me. So I am more than sorry that I let that happen to you."
It seemed like Wooyoung didn't quite cry all of his tears, as he teared up once again hearing those words.
San lightly shushed him, restating whispers of reassurance. He held so much love in his eyes, something Wooyoung's noticed before, but not in this manner. Red alerts and sirens blasted in his head, telling him he was putting himself in danger, when he didn't even believe them. But he couldn't accept what his heart melted into quite yet either.
"San, do you think you can text Yeosang? Now that I think about it you could give him a heads up of Wooyoung's injuries." Seonghwa budded in, not meaning to take away from the moment, but he was responsible for their wellbeing at this point.
"Sure." San replied without tearing his gaze away from Wooyoung. He lowered his voice to a whisper for his next words. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong, or just type it out yourself."
Wooyoung was thinking for a moment, letting out a heavy breath in the process. "I'll just type it out." He paused, moving out of San's direct hold to rest completely against the chair. "I'm so fucking stupid for leaving my phone on the nightstand."
"No you're not. It happens and we had another way to find you, so it's okay. Stop being so hard on yourself." San quickly reassured sternly, pulling out his own phone and narrowed his vision playfully at the smaller. "Your phone is broken anyways, isn't it?"
"I mean the screen is ruined but whatever, I don't want to think about it." Wooyoung shook his head, feeling a sense of tiredness wash over him. San noticed as well with how Wooyoung's eyes began drooping.
The vampire handed over his phone after he typed out the first part of the message he wanted to send. Wooyoung read it over because he was nosy, then leaned his head on San's shoulder as he typed out the information he needed to. He was keeping it basic, just saying he think he injured his knee again, and his entire body was just really sore. He had a few scrapes here and there, and possible rope burn on his ankles. There was a sense of hesitation before he typed out how he didn't know how to go about treating the bite wound on his neck, since it hurt like hell and he knew the maniac that took his blood didn't make any attempt at closing the wound. Thinking about it, he added how the bite was actually reopened by that maniacs nails later.
Wooyoung hit the send button, handing the phone back to San without saying anything. San though read everything as Wooyoung was typing it out, and he was doing everything in his power to keep himself from jumping out of the car to go back to that gangs base and kill the guy that did this to the one he's bonded to.
"Wooyoung, can I see your neck?" San asked delicately, though it seemed a bit forced.
The smaller looked up at him, noticing the anger behind his eyes. With a hum Wooyoung sat forward, facing his back to San so he could see the bite mark for himself. He reached back and pulled down the top of his jacket to show the top of the mark. From there San pulled down the rest of the jacket, letting out a deep, angered sigh.
"Is it as bad as it feels?" Wooyoung questioned, feeling uncomfortable so he backed away, pulling his jacket back to how it was supposed to be.
"Probably. It looks pretty nasty." San couldn't even hide his emotions anymore. Wooyoung turned around to see his jaw clenched and features just burning with anger.
Seonghwa frowned, looking back at the two when he got the chance.
"I'll be okay." Wooyoung tried to reassure both himself and San with his words, but it didn't work for either of them.
Growing tired, Wooyoung leaned his head back against San's shoulder. He ignored the pain and soreness in his body as he closed his eyes, letting out a long, heavy breath. There was a pressure around his body from San putting his arm around him, but it was more comforting than anything.
"Get some rest sunshine." San whispered as Wooyoung quickly fell into a much needed rest.
"San, you realize the only way that bite is going to heal is if you...you know...." Seonghwa trailed off, knowing what he was implying was clear enough without him saying it.
"Yeah, I know." San replied with a bit of distaste. He slammed his head against the back of the car seat, turning his attention to the environment that flashed by outside. "But it's Wooyoung's choice on what happens. As much as I hate it, I can't get myself to come close to potentially...taking his blood...even if I wouldn't actually do it. It's a risk."
Seonghwa looked at San through the repair view mirror for a good few seconds. There was the smallest feeling of assurance in him. He's matured a lot.
"How are you doing?" Seonghwa asked, keeping his eyes on the road from there.
"I'm hurting." San laughed dryly, turning his vision back to Wooyoung. Cautiously, he leaned his head against the top of Wooyoung's. It didn't stir the hunter in the slightest which made him feel a bit better. "I'll be fine though, probably won't even feel it in a few days."
Seonghwa hummed in return. "Can I ask something else?"
"Uh-oh, you sound serious." San's eyes widened, looking at the olders side profile. From the looks of it, this wasn't a time to try to play around. "Uh, sure."
"Why do you think you haven't been sensing danger?" Seonghwa stated bluntly, voice lowered slightly. "I mean, this is the third time you guys have been attacked, this time by a vampire, and you still didn't realize someone was around. I don't personally understand how you aren't picking up on it, especially given your sense of hearing."
"Seonghwa, I don't know." San sounded defeated as he spoke. "I hate to blame it on the bond, but I don't know, ever since around that time that it formed I haven't been able to sense anyone the same. It's different with all of you and Wooyoung of course, but I don't know, even out in public I can't sense humans the same anymore. It's like there's something blocking me from being able to, even if I am tapping into my vampiric energy."
Seonghwa hummed questioningly, as if lost in thought looking for any kind of answer. "I wonder if Yunho—"
"What? Yunho? I don't need Yunho's help." San was quick to cut off, sounding pretty defensive.
The older narrowed his eyes, looking in the mirror to give San a stern look.
"If you let me finish, I was going to say you could maybe talk to Yunho, and see if he went through something similar. You know, cause of his bond." Seonghwa sounded skeptical as he spoke, really confused on why San reacted the way he did.
"Ah, right." The younger sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, my mind is kinda running a mile a minute. I don't know, I guess I could ask, but I don't recall him ever talking about stuff like this. So it'll probably be pointless."
It was clear San was playing off something, what that was exactly Seonghwa couldn't figure out. He was acting strange.
"It would still be worth a shot." Seonghwa sounded dismissive, sighing as he kept his eyes on the road. "If anything you could as Hongjoong. He might have an answer since—"
Seonghwa swiftly cut himself off, biting his lip as he checked all of his mirrors. Now it was San's turn to be skeptical.
"Since what?" San pushed, not removing his eyes from the olders side profile.
"Nothing." Seonghwa said sternly, feeling the youngers unmoving eyes on him.
"You're hiding something from me." San stated, remembering to keep his voice in check when Wooyoung slightly moved beside him.
"And you're hiding something from me." Seonghwa returned with a tight lipped smirk. He sighed, reminding himself to take it easier on San in that moment. "Listen, the thing I was going to say isn't my story to tell. If you're that desperate then talk to Hongjoong about it. I'm not saying anything more. You on the other hand—"
"Well I don't want to talk about it either." San kind of pouted, tearing his gaze away to the window. "Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask but I might not answer depending on the question." Seonghwa answered honestly, picking up on the fact that their previous conversation was over.
"What do you know about vampires having orange eyes? Or like, an orange-red kinda color." San questioned, feeling kind of tense as he recalled vivid memories.
"Orange eyes?" Seonghwa repeated, humming for a moment as he thought. "I mean, nothing much. To put it simply from what I know, for a vampires eyes to turn from red to essentially orange, that means they drink other vampires blood the way that we drink human blood. But they're also probably taking in a lot of vampire blood too if its a sudden change, like double or hell even triple the amount we normal drink of human blood. I'm not sure how it affects the body though, I want to guess that it can be dangerous, but I can be totally wrong. Why are you asking?"
"Huh, okay then." San trailed off, biting his tongue as he breathed out. "That guy that attacked Wooyoung and I, he had orange eyes. And there were quite a few vampire corpses around, completely drained. That's why I was asking, just to see if you knew anything about that."
"I'll have to talk to Hongjoong about it more, and probably have to do some side research as well." Seonghwa replied after a few nods of his head. "I don't like the sound of that though, for that matter, I don't like any of what happened. I know we need to give Wooyoung some time, but it's important he tells us about what happened at that place. If he got names and descriptions of people too. I don't recognize that place and didn't immediately recognize anyone around, so I have no idea who we're dealing with, but I do know it won't be good if they try to come after any one of us again."
"Yeah I agree." San sighed, making the smallest of movements to readjust his sore body without bothering Wooyoung.
Seonghwa noticed that through the mirror and frowned.
"You know, you can have him completely lay down so you can make yourself comfortable." Seonghwa suggested sounding a lot more on his caring side again. "You're still recovering, and I can tell the pain medicine is wearing off."
"I'm fine." San returned with a bit of a struggle, he was supporting Wooyoung with his arm, trying to sit in a different position, but he found himself stuck when he noticed the hunters eyes move under his closed lids.
"I can pull over to help you." Seonghwa offered, lowering his voice after noticing San's hesitancy.
"Nope, it's fine." San again rejected, finally being able to settle back into the seat again, feeling better. He readjusted Wooyoung's weight onto his shoulder, leaning his head against his. "Thanks though."
Seonghwa hummed. "You should sleep too then. Get your rest so you can help out back at the base."
"Are you sure?" San asked delicately, watching the olders every movement. "I can stay up so—"
"I'm sure San." Seonghwa reassured with a small smile, one that was hard to tell if it was forced or not.
No other words were exchanged from that point. San still felt worried, but he pushed that to the side for now. He was tired and knew that some sleep could help him. He just hoped he wouldn't go into too deep of a sleep so he could be alert if anything were to happen.
Wooyoung felt oddly warm. Not like the hot air emitting from the cars air conditioner, like being bundled in the safety of a bed. It took a lot of effort for Wooyoung to open his eyes, but when he did he was admittedly happy to see the familiar dark room that he stays in with San.
He groaned, moving to stretch out his limbs, but found himself being held in place. For a few moments he freaked out, until he realized that he wasn't laying in his usual spot on the bed, he was laying where San usually lays. Clearing up his mind a little, he strained his neck, wincing at the pain, looking over his shoulder to see San sleeping behind him, knocked out cold.
It took a moment for Wooyoung to realize that despite the warmth he was feeling, San actually had a very protective hold on him. One arm wrapped around his waist, while the other wrapped up from underneath his upper body, hand resting over Wooyoung's heart. Straining himself to look over his shoulder again, Wooyoung couldn't help the frown on his lips. This was the first time that he's actually seen San sleeping. Usually Wooyoung is the first to fall asleep, or at the very least his head is tucked against San in some way, meaning he doesn't ever get to see the vampire sleep. And San is always awake whenever Wooyoung wakes up, so the hunter couldn't deny that he was a bit worried about the vampire in this state.
Taking a deep breath, Wooyoung laid his head back down on the pillow, relieving his neck from the constant soreness and slight pain. He couldn't fall back asleep, his mind was far too awake at this point. He didn't want to wake San either, it was clear he needed the rest. It just made him begin to think about what happened while he was asleep earlier, how long it's been and how did he not wake up, especially if he was moved.
Sighing, Wooyoung realized that his upper arm was free. So to pass the time, he reached for his phone on the nightstand and meaninglessly scrolled through the device. The brightness was on the lowest it could go, but Wooyoung felt like it still might've been too bright. Yet he didn't turn it off despite the concern that it might wake San.
It was like that for quite a while. To the point that Wooyoung lost track of time.
Out of nowhere Wooyoung let out a squeak when the arms around him suddenly tightened. He heard a low groan pass over his ear, followed by a deep chuckle.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." San said quietly, voice raspy from just waking up.
"It's fine." Wooyoung breathed out, reaching to set his phone down on the nightstand again. When his arm returned to his side, he felt San once again tighten his protective hold.
His back felt colder, and with the growing pressure against him, Wooyoung realize San pulled himself forward and was now pressed up against him completely. He wanted to turn his head, to see the vampire, but he was stuck in place because of the pain.
"Blondie what all happened?" Wooyoung asked, sounding concerned. He gave up on moving, completely relaxing his body into the bed.
San hummed, internally feeling a bit disappointed to hear the nickname again. He pushed his feelings aside though, focusing instead on Wooyoung's even heartbeat and breathing pattern. The warmth that the smaller radiated battling the coldness of his own skin.
"You slept the rest of the car ride back here, and when we got back Yeosang immediately got to work taking care of your injuries." San explained with his still low, raspy voice. The hand around Wooyoung's waist moved gently, his thumb rubbing back and forth against his clothed skin in a soothing way. "You were kinda fading in and out, so Yeosang gave you some pain medicine, and something to just help you sleep. He treated your knee again and had to put the brace back on, put some stuff on your ankles and wrists to help the rope burns, and made sure that everything else was fine. I think he put some ointment on some bruises you had, some bandages on areas that were kinda scratched up. And uh....well he cleaned up the bite wound, but that was about all he could do there."
San seemed hesitant as he said that last sentence, which Wooyoung picked up pretty quickly. His brows furrowed and again he wished he could just roll over so he could face the vampire while were having this conversation.
"Okay, well thanks for the update." Wooyoung muttered, letting out a heavy breath. "And why couldn't he do anything else for the bite?"
"Well umm, to say it bluntly, a vampires saliva is the only thing that can properly heal a bite wound." San said still with some hesitancy, like he was afraid how the hunter would react. "I didn't know if you knew that or not, I guess not, but yeah. Obviously that fucker didn't put any attempt into...."
San trailed off, realizing his anger and bringing that up might not be the best thing right now. He was quiet, listening for any kind of indication to what Wooyoung was feeling.
"I didn't know that." Wooyoung sighed, feeling his jaw clench up. "Insane the selective teaching of vampires I went through. I guess I thought medicine would just make it feel better or whatever."
"Yeah." San sounded tense, yet his hold on Wooyoung remained the same, so gentle and caring. "I know you probably don't want—well I don't know. I don't know." He paused to let out a heavy sigh, it was clear he was having a hard time forming his thoughts into words. "It's your choice, if you want me to uh...yeah. It will heal on its own over time, but it'll leave a pretty nasty scar, and probably hurt for a while too. I'm just saying, it'll probably leave some kind of mark anyways since it's been a while since the initial bite. But if you let me help, I can hopefully make it better."
Wooyoung closed his eyes tight. There really was no thinking about this, he knew what he wanted to happen, especially given the outcome of both options. But there was still something in him that felt unsure about it. A part of him wanted to cry, another part wanted outright refusal.
"Will you be okay doing it?" Wooyoung asked quietly, his voice softer than a whisper. His eyes bounced around the dark room before as he heard a questioning hum from San. "I mean...there must be temptation, with your mouth on my neck. I'm saying will you be okay?" He paused again, voice becoming even quieter. "You won't bite me, right?"
"Of course not!" San raised his voice just a little out of the shock of hearing Wooyoung's last sentence. "I'll be fine Wooyoung, I promise. I would never do anything you aren't okay with."
The smaller hummed in a way that showed there was still something he was unsure about. After hearing that, San made his eyes glow red, which illuminated the nearby area enough to show that his eyes were a bright red, meaning he wasn't low on blood.
"Does that make you feel better?" San asked delicately, patting Wooyoung's chest a few times.
"Yeah." Wooyoung breathed out, closing his eyes tight again. "Just do it please."
"Okay." San trailed off, trying to sound as soothing as possible. "I'll make it as fast as possible, okay?"
"Just do it blondie. Stop stalling." Wooyoung snapped, readjusting just slightly so that the bite mark on his neck would be more visible.
An unconscious state of panic washed over Wooyoung once he felt San's mouth latch onto his neck. He stiffened completely, and the arm under the blanket immediately shot up to hold onto San's hand which rested on his waist. He held onto him with a death grip, scared and reliving memories he didn't think would be affecting him to this degree. But who was he kidding, there was always a fear in the back of his mind about having his blood drained by a vampire, and it almost came true in such a terrifying situation. There were of course repercussions and senses of trauma that would follow him.
Wooyoung couldn't focus on San licking at his neck, he just couldn't. It was too much, and if the other signs weren't clear enough, his accelerating heartbeat definitely made it clear to San. In a swift movement San freed his hand from Wooyoung's grip, only to interlock their fingers together. He gave the hunter a reassuring squeeze, and felt one returned right after.
It was only a minute, but it felt like an hour to the both of them. San lifted himself away from Wooyoung completely, showing a frown as he looked at the bite wound. Of course things wouldn't happen immediately, but it still made him upset on so many degrees to see it. At least it was coated in his saliva, and no one else would ever get to lay their hands on Wooyoung in such a way again.
Wooyoung frowned when he felt San completely detach from him, especially knowing that them holding each others hands really calmed him down. Then the weight on the bed shifted once more, and as Wooyoung opened his eyes he flinched seeing an arm being placed right in front of him. He looked upwards, noticing San reaching for something on the nightstand. Once he got whatever it is he was looking for he looked down, smiling reassuringly, then disappeared back behind Wooyoung once more. He heard a brief tearing sound, then winced when he felt something being placed over the bite wound.
"You did good Wooyoung, I'm sorry if I did anything wrong." San whispered gently, focused on his task at hand. "I was told to put a band aid over the bite if you wanted me to do that, so I'm just following orders. It should hopefully protect it and maybe even help it heal a bit better."
Letting out a tense breath, Wooyoung relaxed into the bed once again. "No it's okay. Thank you."
"Yeah." San said with a hint of guilt behind his voice. "Wooyoung, I'm so sorry you got involved in—"
"Save it." Wooyoung snapped, and after finally being released from San's hold he mustered the strength to roll onto his back. He stayed like that, not wanting to put pressure on the side of his injured leg or bite wound, so he simply turned his head to look into San's eyes. "I appreciate the apology, but what did I tell you about apologizing for stuff like this? You saved me in the end, and that's what matters. I'm sorry that I was no help, that you got hurt because—"
"I did not get hurt because of you." San didn't necessarily snap, but his voice showed that he didn't want to hear the rest of the smallers sentence. "Wooyoung if anything you prevented me from getting hurt any worse, it was at your cost, but well...that's more than likely the truth." He paused to take in a deep breath, reaching up to gently caress Wooyoung's face. "It's clear we both have an equal sense about protecting one another, so it's probably better to just call it even, yeah?"
Wooyoung hummed, nodding his head just enough to be noticeable.
They stared into each others eyes for some time, feeling the tense atmosphere diminish around them.
"Are you going to be okay telling everyone what happened?" San asked softly, obviously worried about bringing the topic up, but it needed to be talked about. "I briefly told the others my side of the story, but...yeah, there's so much we need to know from you."
Wooyoung sighed heavily, looking defeated. "I'll be fine."
San wasn't happy with that answer, it was clear on his face. But before he got the chance to speak Wooyoung cut him off.
"Seriously, I'll be okay." Wooyoung said gently, but in a stern manner. "It'll be better to talk about it now anyway since it's still fresh on my mind."
"Okay." San trailed off, feeling a bit better, but not entirely.
"Hey, and why am I on your side of the bed?" Wooyoung changed the topic, trying to sound playful.
The vampire couldn't stop the smile from cracking through on his lips.
"It was just easier to put you down there." San answered with a shrug. "I figured it'd also be easier for you to get up from there too, but I guess that doesn't really matter cause you were sleeping just fine on your side." He kinda slowed his words down towards the latter half of his sentence, the thought process connecting. "I don't know, that's just what I did."
Wooyoung chuckled a little. "Okay. And how are you doing? Like with your injuries."
San showed a tighter smile then. "I'm alright, just hurting a bit and am a bit weak. I'll be okay though, don't worry."
Wooyoung clearly wasn't buying it. "Seriously blondie?"
San sighed heavily. "Yes seriously. Those bullets left a pretty bad effect on me but I'm already doing better. It's just going to take me a little to get completely better. I don't have any problem with moving around or lifting things or whatever, especially cause I drank more blood when we got back here. So like I said, I'll be okay."
That time Wooyoung understood that San was telling the truth. He still wasn't sure if it was the whole truth, but it made him feel a bit better regardless. In the silence they looked into each others eyes, trying to figure out what the other was thinking in that moment.
"I have a question for you." San stated softly, an uncertain look growing behind his eyes. "It might be a bit of a weird one though."
Wooyoung furrowed his brows, humming to give the vampire the go ahead to ask his question.
"Well...I don't know, when we were in the car and you were asleep, Seonghwa and I were talking, and...well I think he was insinuating that Hongjoong is bonded to someone. Just from the way we were talking about Yunho's bond with Mingi and...." San trailed off, stopping himself as he noticed how Wooyoung's demeanor changed. Not thinking too deep into it quite yet he continued. "I wanted to ask if you think that's the case. Cause I have no idea who the hell Hongjoong would be bonded to, since we've never seen anyone else around here, and he certainly doesn't just disappear on us. I thought that maybe him and Seonghwa are bonded, but that just doesn't seem right, they don't act like a bonded pair." Again he paused, confused why Wooyoung no longer looked at him, and refused to hold eye contact entirely. "Do you know something I don't?"
"Yes. I do know something." Wooyoung breathed out, keeping his head turned away. "I'm not telling you about it though. It's not my place."
San huffed and pouted. He scooted closer to Wooyoung, nudging his upper leg playfully, and very gently, with his knee. When the hunter seemed to ignore him, he pouted again.
"You do know something about Hongjoong though. He must be bonded to someone." San muttered, trying to see if he could get any kind of reaction out of Wooyoung, but failed. "Wait, how do you know and not me?"
"I don't know why he told me what he did." Wooyoung sighed, keeping his eyes trailed on the opposite, dark corner of the room which was hardly illuminated by the moonlight seeping through the window. "I mean, I do, but at the same time it's still confusing."
San's face scrunched up. He playfully nudged Wooyoung again, being met with a sudden glare.
"Stop." Wooyoung said sternly, but he almost cracked upon seeing the way San smiled at him. He shook his head, looking away again. "I don't get it, aren't you hurt or something by the fact that your captain is hiding things from you?"
"Hey, I hide things from him too, so it's not a big deal." San laughed off, scooting closer yet again to lay impossibly close to the smaller. "I'm sure whatever it is he'll tell me soon enough. And don't forget he's your captain too."
Wooyoung hummed, lowering his eyes. With the topic being brought up again, his mind became flooded with Hongjoong's story, about how he was bonded to a hunter, and how their fate was sealed. It brought a minor sense of panic to him, and seemed to cause something to snap in him. The war that he thought would end in his mind just resumed, now at battle again with determining if his feelings were right or not. If he was safe enough or not.
Sucking in a breath, Wooyoung's eyes widened when his vision was suddenly obstructed. A weight pressed at either side of his head and beside both of his legs, though at a safer distance. San smiled down at Wooyoung, some part sweet while the other part mischievous. Behind his eyes though were two other stories.
"What's wrong?" San whispered with complete sincerity, worry filled words. "You look like you're thinking, and not good thoughts."
"It's just my mind being complicated." Wooyoung admitted vaguely, allowing himself to look into San's eyes and feel his heart melt. "Please be careful."
"I am being careful." San retorted in a pout, feeling his smile grow a bit more at the fact that he wasn't being pushed away. "Can I ask you to elaborate, or is that too far?"
Wooyoung looked down, his eyes becoming lidded. Though they shot in another direction after a few seconds when Wooyoung processed that he was literally able to see San's toned chest from the way the blanket was lifted and his loose tank top fell around his body. He was glad it was dark, otherwise he knew his red stained cheeks would get him caught.
Little did he know he was already caught. San suppressed a snort, finding it adorable the way Wooyoung was acting.
"That's...that's too far." Wooyoung finally muttered his answer, begging his heart to slow down.
Fuck my mind, one minute you're telling me to hate him, then the next second you're fucking—no I will not admit to that, even in my own mind. What the hell is wrong with me?
San hummed, allowing his arms to bend so he could hover lower above Wooyoung. Their chests were inches apart, and Wooyoung knew in that moment that San was messing with him. He knew his heartbeat could be heard as clear as day, and it almost made him angry. He looked up at San again, wincing a little at the sting of his neck.
"Why do you do this?" Wooyoung questioned, voice lowered as he started to let himself play into the vibe San was creating.
San shrugged his shoulders. "Cause you let me."
Wooyoung let out a huff of air, trying to look away again but found the side of his face to gently be cupped, forcing his gaze to be left where it was. In that moment, his heart, mind, and body were all at complete and utter war with one another, and that was to put it simply.
"Can I ask you something else?" San's voice was just as low as Wooyoung's was a moment ago, that borderline between becoming tempting for the hunter.
"You sure have a lot of questions." Wooyoung tired to laugh, to change the way the aura was surrounding them, but didn't feel like he did the trick. "But sure, shoot."
"It might be sensitive still, but...." San trailed off, now sounding more hesitant and fragile than anything, "did you mean to say my name when you did? Like...I don't know, was it a conscious decision? Or...."
Wooyoung noticed the potential hurt behind San's demeanor. He tried to come up with the words to say in a short amount of time, leaving a breathable amount of silence between them.
"You're trying to ask if I said it with meaning, instead of out of fear or whatever." Wooyoung reiterated, hoping he was on the right track, and found it to be the case when San weakly nodded his head. "In that case, yes I did mean to say it. I made the choice to say your name, and in no way was it some kind of unconscious freaky bond thing."
His last few words drew a small laugh from San. He looked relived, in turn making Wooyoung feel even more complicated with himself.
"But that doesn't mean you're comfortable saying it all the time." San said the final conclusion, lighthearted words showing he didn't take any offense to what he gathered. "I mean you've already said my nickname again, and that's completely fine. I just wanted to know what saying my name meant to you in that moment."
"Yeah." Wooyoung trailed off with a slightly forced voice. "You read me a bit too well."
"I guess so." San replied with a little smirk. He cupped Wooyoung's face again and held just a little tighter when the smaller tired to look away again. "Why do you keep looking away from me? Am I making you nervous?"
"Yes." Wooyoung said without any kind of hesitation. So much so that it actually took San aback. Realizing his reaction Wooyoung sighed. "Not in a necessarily bad way. It's just...I don't know I can't really talk about it."
It dawned on Wooyoung how close he was to talking about things he swore to never tell anyone. And yet, he felt safe enough to maybe open up. The war in his mind prevented it though.
It dawned on Wooyoung how despite the time they've spent together, he's felt the closest and safest with San out of anyone he's known in his entire life. Him, a hunter, feeling so strongly towards San, a vampire. He felt a strong desire to be with him in every way, and he was the only one holding himself back.
"Blondie." Wooyoung called out with a quiet voice, fighting back tears that threatened to brim his eyes.
San hushed him gently, moving his thumb to rub underneath the smallers eye. "It's okay. Whatever it is that's on your mind. You don't have to tell me, but I'm here for you."
Wooyoung let out a heavy breath, closing his eyes tight for a moment. "I've come to a realization, that I can't admit out loud." He paused, his mind trying to form his weak words. "The past keeps haunting me, and I don't know if telling you about it would help or just make it worse."
The weight around Wooyoung disappeared, prompting him to open his eyes again. When he did he saw San sitting beside him again, fully upright, and looking down at him in worry.
"Can you sit up?" San asked gently, arms motioning Wooyoung as well.
It wasn't difficult but it did make him feel sore all over when Wooyoung did as asked despite his confusion. It wiped away when San took him into a strong, comforting, proper hug. After a few seconds Wooyoung returned the hug, his hold not nearly as tight in fear of hurting the vampire.
"As I've always told you, I will listen to anything you have to say and respect whatever you keep to yourself." San whispered, words falling directly over Wooyoung's ear. "Personally, if you want to share things now then by all means do so, but I think you should hold off until after you tell us all what happened when you were taken. But do whatever feels the best right now."
There was that weird sensation across Wooyoung again, that feeling of San's cold touch making him feel warm. The pitter-patter of his heart only began settling down now that they were sitting like this in each others embrace. Yet his mind continued to race on and on about numerous unlikely scenarios that came from the fear of the past.
He couldn't keep it to himself anymore.
Yet he couldn't get himself to speak.
"I need to tell you at some point." Wooyoung finalized his thoughts, moving away from San just enough so he could stay in his hold, but look at his face while he spoke. "It's important that I tell you. I just can't right now."
San raised a hand and cupped Wooyoung's face again. He nodded his head understandingly, ensuring that Wooyoung knew that too. In a slow movement, San picked himself up a little, leaning forwards, and pressed his lips to Wooyoung's forehead. The hunter was frozen, the slow movement too fast for him to stop. Moving his hand to the back of Wooyoung's head, careful of any movement to avoid accidentally hurting the smaller, San pressed their foreheads together, where they breathed the same cold air.
"Take all the time you need." San smiled a little, the action extending to his eyes. "I'm always gonna be by your side. And I know that may be hard for you to conceptualize for whatever reason, so let's take it one day at a time."
Closing his eyes, Wooyoung allowed himself to nod his head. He allowed himself to feel the safety of San's hold. He allowed his heart to continue on whatever path it found itself on. He did not allow the war in his mind to continue to corrupt him, so while the battle continued on, he knew he would have to put it to an end soon enough. And he knew he could do it so long as San was by his side.