As soon as the team got inside their home, it was like a weight lifted off their shoulders. While there was still plenty weighing them down, they at least temporarily felt at ease. They didn't even take off any of their equipment, everyone going straight to the couches to crash. Yunho being the only one to sit on the floor, since his lower half was in decent enough condition for him to do so, sitting in front of where Mingi sat, resting his back very gently against his lovers legs.
All except for Wooyoung who didn't go for the couches, instead went straight into the kitchen. He didn't hesitate, opening the fridge he never touched before, being met with a plentiful supply of stored blood. Reaching in, he grabbed seven bags worth, ensuring nothing was labeled a specific way. He didn't want to get in trouble for messing something up when he was just trying to help out.
Returning to the living space, Wooyoung distributed the bags without a word. He smiled or nodded when someone thanked him, but that was about it. After handing out everything, he turned back to the kitchen with the intent of taking care of himself. It's been too long since he last ate anything, not to mention he's had his blood taken twice within a twenty-four hour period, so he really needed to get anything in his system. The thing is, anything he looked at didn't seem appealing in the slightest.
Just pick up anything damnit. If not for me, for San. He'd get upset otherwise. Yeah...just enough to appease him.
Oh who am I kidding, he'd probably find a way to scold me regardless.
Realizing he couldn't come to a decision, Wooyoung blindly grabbed a few snackier food items, primarily focusing on water instead for the time being. Looking at the couple of bottles in his arms made him realize he did feel pretty dehydrated, a subtle headache emerging at the back of his head.
He let out a heavy sigh as he exited the kitchen, gaining some of the vampires attention. Most of them though were either lost in their own worlds, or sat with their eyes closed, heads resting on the back of the couch. San watched as Wooyoung approached, frowning at the things his boyfriend had in his hands.
"I can try making you actual—"
"It's okay San." Wooyoung cut off, forcing a smile. He placed his things down on the coffee table, hesitating to sit down.
He felt a tightness in his chest as his mind processed a heavier weight at his sides, when in reality there was no change in the slightest. His eyes trailed across all of the others, then down to his hands still slightly stained red.
With very quick steps Wooyoung rushed over to where the weapons were normally stored. In equally as fast movements, he disarmed himself of the weapons he was carrying, leaving them resting on top of San's crate. His knife and gun no longer looked the same to him, what were just precautionary weapons of defense were now actually stained with the blood of the dead. They became a whole lot more real now.
While it wasn't necessary by any means, Wooyoung patted the air a few times, as if telling the inanimate objects to stay where they were. His hands shook slightly with the action, balling into fists at his side, trying to hide it as he approached the others again.
By no means does he regret what he did.
But that doesn't mean he can just accept it so easily either.
Returning to the seating area, Wooyoung once again trailed his eyes across the people he cares about the most. On the couch facing the direction of the kitchen was San, Jongho, and Yeosang in the rightmost spot. On the other was Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and Mingi, with Yunho sitting in front of him with his legs outstretched to the right, since the coffee table provided limited space for his size.
Wooyoung decided that while he would sit on the ground, he didn't want to necessarily sit on the opposite end of the coffee table, instead he got as comfortable as he could leaning against the corner of the couch closest to San. He rested on the side of his legs, leaning his head against the surface in a way that ensured he could still see the others without having to move much. Unlike Yunho and Mingi, he didn't want to lean against San, afraid he could hurt him in some way by doing so.
"Drink your water please." San said gently, reaching down to run his fingers through Wooyoung's hair.
Wooyoung grumbled in return, reaching out for one of the water bottles, unscrewing the lid, and unknowingly drank half of it in one go. He let out a large huff of air as he pulled it away from his lips, putting the lid back on and setting in down right in front of him. San's fingers still delicately weaved through his hair, watching with concern as Wooyoung lowered his head, pressing further into both the couch and his hand.
"Can I get you to eat something? Or is that out of the question?" San questioned in that same tone, eyes moving from his boyfriend to the minimal amount of snacks piled up on the coffee table.
"I don't want to right now." Wooyoung mumbled, his pout evident enough through his words.
"Okay." San replied softly, running his fingers much more reassuringly through Wooyoung's hair. "Just keep drinking your water."
Wooyoung hummed, but didn't move in the slightest. The exhaustion and weight of everything truly settling in now. Not just on Wooyoung, but on everyone.
The air was tense, trapping them all in a silence that they each knew needed to broken at some point, but how was the question. They needed to recap everything, put all of their findings together and see if they could get to the bottom of what the hell just happened. But their minds and bodies were against each of them in their own ways.
Hongjoong opened his good eye, forcing himself to sit upright and examine every member of his crew. He allowed his gaze to remain for a solid amount of time on each of them, feeling his heart ache and guilt rip at him for each injury he noticed. Even if it wasn't his fault, even if he is also in pain, he's the captain, and he should've never let it get to this point. Even if it was out of his control.
His eye went to the coffee table, noticing an odd rectangular box resting on it. Something he didn't get the chance to notice before, but most certainly peaked his interest.
"What's that?" Hongjoong questioned, breaking the silence. He moved forward in his spot, trying to reach for the box, but felt strain against his entire body.
Yunho noticed, reaching forward to grab the box with his good arm, handing it to Hongjoong instead.
"Oh...San and I got that." Wooyoung looked up and answered, watching intently as Hongjoong examined the rectangular object. "I didn't even realize it was brought inside."
"Yeah, I grabbed it." San explained, like everyone else, watching their captain open the box. "It was meant to be some kind of prize for the game or something. I didn't really get the point of it."
Hongjoong hummed, undoing the latch that held the box closed. Slowly he opened the lid, brows furrowing as he looked at the object that lied within. With a delicate hand, he revealed to the others a very old, very fantasy looking spyglass.
While everyone else looked at the object in curiosity mixed in with confusion, Hongjoong was just plain out baffled by what was in his hands. He didn't believe what he was seeing.
"That must be a new piece of your puzzle then." San mused, head tilted to the side as he noticed the engraved metal that made up the spyglass. He had to say, it fit almost too perfectly in Hongjoong's hand.
"This is insane." Hongjoong let out under his breath, shifting the spyglass in his hand, looking at each possible inch of its surface. It seemed like he was searching for something specific from the way he examined it.
Seonghwa looked from the spyglass so his leader's reactions, now more confused than ever. "It's a beautiful little thing you have there, but I guess I don't understand your reaction Hongjoong. Even the other pirate-like things you've obtained before never earned something like this from you."
Hongjoong shook his head, momentarily leaning back and looking at the ceiling. It was clear he was trying to sort out his thoughts, and just as clear that the others, like Seonghwa, would appreciate a bit of an explanation.
"It just doesn't make sense." Hongjoong said to himself, very quietly, as if the words weren't meant to be said aloud. He looked back down at the spyglass, yet again shifting it in his hand. "This...was mine."
"What?" Jongho questioned almost immediately, eyes remaining on Hongjoong, wanting answers without any kind of funny business. "What do you mean this was yours?"
"Way back when...when Yung was still alive...they gave this to me." Hongjoong spoke slowly, delicately, perhaps afraid of his own words. "I used this." He paused, trailing a few fingers over the fine metal. "I thought it got destroyed when our sorry excuse of a house went up in flames. All of my other belongings were destroyed, and I couldn't find this in the ashes. So...."
"It isn't a replica? Someone trying to play a really sick, really coincidental trick?" Yunho proposed, voice level, trying not to accidentally set anything off. He, like the others, weren't sure what this was doing to Hongjoong's mental state. It was difficult to read what their captain was going through.
"No, this is the real deal." Hongjoong answered, carefully maneuvering the spyglass to show Yunho. "It's exactly as I remember it, and no one would be able to replicate the marks Yung and I made on it. Not to mention that holding this...almost makes me feel the smallest bit of my bond with him. A fake wouldn't do that."
Yunho nodded his head, taking in the small engravings here and there on the surface. Most of them looked to form star patterns, and at one spot was to sets of initials, presumably Hongjoong's and Yung's. From a distance it looked scratched up, but seeing it up close, it was clear every mark was made with a clear intention.
After Yunho was done looking, Hongjoong decided to let the others see up close as well. He carefully leaned over, outstretching his hand to pass it to Yeosang. The younger was taken aback, regardless he reached forward and held the spyglass with his own two hands. The other members of the crew got to see it as well, each holding it carefully, not wanting to make a single mark on it.
When Hongjoong got it back in his possession, he put it back in the box it came in, carefully protected by a velvet lining. Closing the lid, Hongjoong set it on the table, knowing he needed to think clearly without any distractions.
"I found something strange when I went into that building." Hongjoong admitted, allowing himself to look at his crew, his good eye unable to rest on a single place. "Yes, I went in there to help Seonghwa and Yeosang, but...I don't know I felt pulled to look into something further, even if the building was burning around me. I shouldn't have gone in further, but at the time, I got you two out, and that was what mattered."
"That's why you didn't immediately follow." Seonghwa lowered his head, shaking it slightly. "I should've been paying more—"
"Don't blame yourself." Hongjoong stated, not scolding, just very neutral. "You were preoccupied, and it's okay. I'm glad you were able to get Yeosang and yourself out. My choices do not reflect on you."
While they spoke, Wooyoung reached forward to drink more of his water. Finishing the first bottle, he set it aside and grabbed another one that he brought out, and began drinking that one as well. The slightest of upwards tugs happened to his lips, as he received approving pats from San's hand still pressed against his head.
"What I found though...I hope I am recalling the information correct. And if that's the case...I just don't even know what to say. It's almost like this was always targeted against us." Hongjoong shook his head, pausing to clear his throat. "I found some documents on the very top floor that I was quickly able to look through. Most of it was random information...but then there was something unsettling. Apparently, someone there was a direct descendant of one of the hunters I figured out was affiliated with Yung's change, for lack of a better word. There was information about what happened to him...and in some dairies his death was celebrated, but it became the original hunters goal to off me next, since I didn't die like intended. Apparently, that goal has run through the bloodline, to the current generation. If I'm remembering correctly, their name is Lee Sangwook."
Wooyoung spat out his water the second he heard the name. He started choking, San reaching forward to pat his back. That drew in everyone's attention, confusion and concern amidst why the hunter would suddenly react that way.
Composing himself and apologizing for spitting on both San and Jongho, he lifted his head, looking straight at Hongjoong. His eyes were wide, both from a sense of fear, and a burn of anger. He felt San try to keep him calm, but he hardly even processed the cool touch.
"That motherfucker was my ex." Wooyoung spat out, while trying to portray anger, the fear showed just enough as well. His voice wavered slightly, uneven breathing pattern also expressing how he felt both things at once. He hesitated for a moment, eyes flicking downward, then back to his captain, knowing there was no reason hiding what he was about to say. "You don't need to worry about him though. He was there, and I killed him."
The room went deadly quiet.
Wooyoung both hated and appreciated it. The sudden anger left his system, allowing him to lean against the couch again, as if all the energy was just drained from his body. He hid his face as well, turning in a way that ever so slightly pressed him against the side of San's leg.
"What the hell does that mean though?" Wooyoung questioned aloud, the feeling of tears building up in his eyes. "Why of all fucking people was he in some way involved in that?"
And in some way...does that mean that I unintentionally broke San and I from repeating the same cycle? I mean...not saying that it was a cycle to begin with. I should say fate instead. Because if none of that happened...would that fucker of caused the same thing to happen to San and I? Since someone he was related to caused that to Hongjoong and Yung. Maybe this is just crazy talk. But my god, by mind won't stop with all of these thoughts.
It took a bit for the initial shock of what Wooyoung said to settle in amongst the vampires. Yunho looked from him to San, mouthing a few words, trying to make sure Wooyoung was okay. All San could do though was shrug his shoulders. He didn't have an answer, being as unsure as everyone else.
"Someone please talk about anything else." Wooyoung practically begged, now finding the silence completely uncomfortable. He hid further against the couch, taking comfort in the fact that San still held onto him.
Deciding that they would come back to this topic later, Jongho took it upon himself to start explaining what happened with him and Mingi. He kept it pretty simple, only emphasizing what he deemed important here and there, with Mingi chiming in a few times as well. It would be better to get this done as fast as possible, so they could stop dwelling on what happened and move on properly.
"That thing you smelled definitely had to of been that stuff that weakens vampires." San mused, tapping his foot against the ground as he thought more about it. Wooyoung still hadn't moved, so his hand hadn't moved either. "It's too coincidental that they make their move after you smelled it, and then the fact that you and Mingi got overpowered by humans."
"Me too." Yunho reminded, scoffing afterwards at the statement alone. Overpowered by humans? A vampire? That should be impossible. "I don't want to call them humans though. Human eyes can't glow green. Those were something else."
"San and I saw that too." Wooyoung spoke up, turning his head so he could at least look at everyone again, but didn't move otherwise. "And the thing is, I didn't sense anything off about them. They were just like normal humans to me, I only realized something was off when their eyes changed to that unnatural green. I don't know if it was also like that for you guys or not."
"Yeah, now that you say that I didn't sense anything off either." Jongho muttered, brows furrowed as he tried to think back, be in the moment again to get the right details.
"Me neither." Mingi added, looking from Jongho to Yunho, who also confirmed he felt no difference.
"That's really dangerous then." Seonghwa breathed out, shaking his head gently. "If there can be these human-hunters lurking around, with similar abilities as hunters, but we can't tell a difference, that could be devastating in the wrong situations."
"This really is so much bigger than us." Yeosang whispered, slightly curling into himself despite the pain that lingered. "I mean if hunters continue doing whatever that is, then in theory they could turn most humans into hunters, and we don't know if we could drink their blood after that sort of transformation. Not to mention how—"
"It's okay." Seonghwa reached out, putting a hand on Yeosang's closest arm, getting him to stop speaking so fast. "We'll figure it out. Try not to think about all of that right now."
"Too late." Yeosang said in return, wincing a bit. His hand went up to his ear, rubbing the back of it gently while showing a pained expression. He jumped when Jongho grabbed that same hand, forcing him to lower it back to his side. Their eyes found each other, Jongho concerned but trying to show a caring smile.
"Well Yeosang and I didn't really find anything." Seonghwa sighed in defeat, head tilted to the side in a sense of annoyance that wasn't directed at anyone but himself. "Hongjoong found more than we did combined in that time. There was just tons of junk that we went through."
"I think you guys were the reason I was able to find anything anyway." Hongjoong countered, looking between the two sorrowfully. "Not just because I had to go inside, but the area I went into looked like it would've been locked or hidden behind something. One of you had to of moved something to get it to open, at least I think so, since from what I remember there wasn't any sort of lock or area to put a password in nearby."
Seonghwa hummed, nodding his head. He looked over to Yeosang, asking silent permission to speak about what else happened. After letting out a deep breath, Yeosang nodded his head just enough to be noticeable. So Seonghwa explained how as they began hearing gunshots from the others direction, what happened to them from that point.
Once again it was iterated how they were lucky to be alive.
"And I guess that leaves us." San commented after a few seconds of silence, sighing as he leaned back in his spot. He hummed in confusion as he felt Wooyoung move out of his grasp, the hunter standing completely, holding two empty water bottles. "What are you doing?"
"Getting more." Wooyoung answered, motioning to the water bottles. A forced smile emerged on his lips, disappearing the second he turned away. "You can go ahead and explain stuff."
Except the room remained silent until the kitchen door closed with a soft thud.
"Is he really okay?" Jongho questioned, leaning into San, speaking just above a whisper.
"I don't think so." San replied, keeping his voice just as low. "Listen, to keep this as brief as possible, it was Wooyoung and I, some random human, two hunters, and one of those human-hunters there. I didn't realize at first but the one hunter was Wooyoung's ex, and as the game went on he just kept tormenting him. We both tried playing it cool, and it was going decent until we heard the explosion. That was when all hell broke loose. And yeah, to say the least I went after the other hunter, but they had immense backup, I don't even know how many of those hunters and human-hunters there were, but it was a lot. Wooyoung though saved me. He...killed his ex. And...."
San trailed off, a strange look in his eyes. His mouth remained open, wanting to continue speaking, but the words didn't want to come out.
Wooyoung kept his back pressed to the kitchen door, in some sense trying to listen in, but mostly just to have a moment for himself. He swallowed heavily, fighting back tears. In that pause, he also recalled what happened so vividly he swore there was blood currently running down his arms. He remembered that look of fear in San's eyes, how he was the cause of that fear. He never wanted that.
If there was one thing he would regret about that night, it would be that.
"It was like the hunter in Wooyoung came out. Like yeah, he's a hunter, but we don't really know him as one." San tried explaining, his voice wavering just slightly, for the most part staying on the low. "I don't know if he realized, but he killed about a dozen people, not including his ex. His eyes were...not his, they were so much darker than anything I've ever seen."
"It kinda sounds like Wooyoung was always meant to hunt hunters instead of vampires." Yunho commented in a way to try and lighten the mood, but it definitely wasn't the right time for it. He realized this and tried to recover. "I mean...the fact that killing a hunter sparked that. That must mean something, right?"
"It was killing that fucker that sparked that." Wooyoung walked out of the kitchen with three more water bottles, and while speaking directly, his gaze was low. "Then I guess I blacked out after realizing San was in danger. The only way I could save him was by killing the others." He stopped before the group, looking to San, not just to talk, but also to seek reassurance. "And to put the matter straight, no, I don't recall killing an about dozen people. The last thing I remember was watching the light drain from my ex's eyes, then waking up to being on the ground in front of you."
Wooyoung decide to sit down on one of the cushions in front of the coffee table, away from where he sat before. He placed the water bottles down before him, resting his chin on the lid of one. Letting out a long breath from his nose, he closed his eyes for a moment, having a hard time looking at his friends.
"But I guess in some sense, you might be right Yunho." Wooyoung said quietly, unsure of his words. Hell he was unsure of his thoughts. "I don't know. I feel strange, but it's not like I have any impulse against any of you, which is definitely a good thing." He paused to let out a scoff, forcing his eyes open but helping them cased downward. "It's not like I regret a thing I did, but...I mean I tried so hard my whole life to not kill anyone. I guess some things are just unavoidable though. I mean it's in my blood to kill whether I like it or not."
No one really had anything to say. Those that wanted to reassure the hunter weren't sure if it were the right time, if Wooyoung even wanted to hear things like that. Then there was Mingi for instance who in some very stretched sense understood what Wooyoung was going through. He was just a normal human at some point, but when he was introduced to this life, to Yunho, there came a point that taking the life of a threat was unavoidable. To this day he doesn't regret it, but that initial reaction towards what he did plagued him for a long while.
Yet there was nothing Mingi felt like he could say to help Wooyoung feel better. This was a matter Wooyoung had to sort out on his own, on his own terms.
"I don't really think there's much else to share." San spoke up, trying to fill the silence since he could tell it was making Wooyoung uncomfortable. "We didn't really learn anything else."
"What's that box captain?" Yeosang asked gently, changing the topic. Not moving his arm, instead just his hand, he pointed to the much smaller box that Hongjoong had yet to open.
"Oh...I don't know." Hongjoong looked down to his lap, there the little wooden box resided. "I found it in that room as well and felt inclined to grab it."
After getting some prompting words, Hongjoong opened the box, the lid creaking as he did. Mingi and Seonghwa both peered over each of Hongjoong's shoulders, Yunho trying to get a good look as well. Hongjoong let out a questioning sound, picking up a compass from the container. It looked almost exactly like the one depicted on the box that held the spyglass with all of the little details etched into it.
"Guess you felt like taking it cause it was something else to your puzzle." Jongho mused, leaning forward and tilting his head, observing his leader.
"I guess so." Hongjoong mimicked the youngers tone, flipping the tool around in his hand, taking in each aspect of it. Really though, except for the minimal markings, it didn't seem much different from any other compass to him. "I wonder what this means though, how it ties into everything else."
"Wait!" Hongjoong was about to put it away, but Mingi reached out, stopping him. Confused, Hongjoong looked from his hands to the taller. "It's not pointing north."
Mingi tapped on the glass protecting the compass, pointing to a specific part.
"Well it's just cause of our orientation right now." Seonghwa returned, looking from that part to Mingi, voice level.
Mingi shook his head. "No, that part..." he trailed off, looking to Yunho and smiling, "can you go get my compass please?"
Yunho hummed, standing from his spot, wincing a little when he bumped his shoulder into the couch on his way up.
"Where is it?" Yunho asked, rolling his shoulder a few times.
"Uhh, it should be in the nightstand." Mingi answered, features scrunched up as he tried to think about where it really was.
A few minutes passed from Yunho ascending the stairs, and coming back down with the compass in hand. He passed it over to Mingi, sitting on the arm rest instead of getting back down on the floor. Plus he could see what was happening better from this angle.
Mingi then held his compass and the one Hongjoong held side by side. Indeed, Mingi's pointed north like it should, while Hongjoong's pointed in a completely random direction by the looks of it. Seonghwa let out a scoff, but not from bad intent, simply taken aback. He apologized for doubting Mingi, which the taller brushed off.
"How's that possible though?" Yeosang muttered, slightly out of his seat so he could see. "I mean unless if it's broken, which it doesn't seem like it is. There must be an extremely specific magnetic connection it's trying to reach. Which would mean...you're being led somewhere specific with that."
Hongjoong sighed, putting his compass back in the box. He thanked Mingi for thinking of comparing his own compass, and of course Yunho for actually getting it. Then he looked over his crew once more, feeling a strain at his injured eye even though he wasn't using it under those bandages.
"We all need to rest." Hongjoong stated, nodding his head to himself. "We can deal with all of this other stuff another time, but right now, we focus on recovery." He paused, clearing his throat. "Obviously I can't stop any of your thoughts, but I ask that we try to put this behind us for now. We can come back to it when the time is right."
No one disagreed to that. Not only did their bodies need rest, but their minds as well. All of these problems waited to be solved, but they would just have to wait a bit longer.
"I-uh-so would now be an appropriate time to try turning my human half?" Yeosang spoke up tentatively, soft eyes landing on Seonghwa. He seemed nervous and a bit fearful, but the fact he spoke up about it said enough.
Seonghwa nodded his head, looking around as he thought. "We can try. It'd probably be best to do it in the med bay, unless if you'd be more comfortable in your room or something."
"No, uh, that's fine." Yeosang let out those words quickly, nodding numerous times only to stop from his neck hurting. He looked around at the others, swallowing anxiously.
"I figured you wouldn't want anyone else in there, but would you be okay if I'm in there?" Yunho asked, arms loosely crossed across his body. "Since Seonghwa doesn't entirely know how to turn someone, it'd probably run smoother if I'm there."
"Yeah, that's fine." Yeosang repeated in a similar manner as before, smiling and nodding his head again, this time more carefully.
Letting out a heavy breath, Yeosang was the first to stand. He shook his hands out at his side, looking back and forth at Seonghwa and Yunho. Seonghwa stood next, awkwardly stepping to the side, lending Yeosang a hand to walk to their destination. Yeosang, also awkward, accepted the help, but held onto the olders arm rather than hand.
Yunho leaned down, planting a quick kiss on Mingi's cheek, whispering something reassuring about how this shouldn't take long, and he'll be back soon. Then he got up as well, following the others towards the hallway.
Everyone else called out how they hoped for this to go well, and wishes of luck before the three disappeared around the corner. All except for Wooyoung, who while mentally was saying those same things, couldn't get himself to speak.
He didn't know why, but for some reason this hurt. It was another harsh reminder that he'll never be like San.
It was times like this he wished he was a human. He wished he didn't have the fate of killing people running through his veins. He wished he didn't have this path of life chosen for him. He wished he could be turned into a vampire. He wished he could live out eternity at San's side.
But then he remembered, if it weren't for how his life played out to this point, he wouldn't have San. He wouldn't have this family that he cares so deeply about. He wouldn't have the appreciation and love for the small things, for the happy moments in the darkness.
He wouldn't have found the love of his life.
More like the love of my life found me.
"Sunshine." San called out gently, startling Wooyoung since he was crouched on the ground right beside him, a cold hand resting on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Wooyoung picked his head up, realizing that he and San were the only ones left out in the living space. He didn't know where the others went, leaving him to assume they all went to their rooms or something.
"Yeah, you spaced out pretty hard there." San spoke gently, noticing the lost look in the smaller's eyes. He began shifting his weight on his feet, clearly uncomfortable but was putting up with it for Wooyoung's sake. "Honestly, I thought you were sleeping with your eyes open."
Wooyoung let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head. "Sorry, I guess I got lost in thought."
"It's okay." San reassured, removing his hand only to run it through Wooyoung's hair. "Let's go to our room, yeah? We can rest in bed for the rest of the day."
Wooyoung hummed, gathering his things before trying to stand. San offered him a hand, but Wooyoung didn't take it. He didn't want to potentially hurt him. Standing in each others space, Wooyoung showed a small smile, stepping around San to get to the stairs. With a heavy sigh, San followed.
Once in the confinement of their room, Wooyoung let his shoulders drop, leaning heavily against his dresser. San watched him for a moment before going to his own dresser, taking off all of his equipment and resting it on top of the surface. Wooyoung watched San's back, frowning at the visible wounds.
Turning around, Wooyoung pulled open a few drawers, searching for a set of more comfortable clothes to change into. Pausing, he realized how filthy he felt, eyes trailing down to the blood still staining his hands.
A soft thud and squeak caught his attention. Spinning on his heels, he almost scoffed at the fact San sat on the bed, still wearing his tattered, soot covered clothes.
"We should shower." Wooyoung announced, sounding slightly disapproving as he moved over towards his boyfriend.
San pouted, making a sound to go along with it. He reached out for Wooyoung, pulling him closer by the arm. Wooyoung ended up in a position where his legs were on either side of one of San's, the vampires wrapping his arms around his waist, pressing his head against him in a form of a hug.
"I don't want to." San complained, nuzzling further into Wooyoung's stomach.
"You need to though." Wooyoung sighed, running a hand through San's hair, only to then hold it in front of his face, showing the grey particles that decorated it. "You're all dirty."
"We can just shower tomorrow." San still tried to get his way, leaning away and looking up with pleading eyes. "And we can clean all the bedding too."
Wooyoung couldn't help but smile at his boyfriend's behavior, shaking his head softly to show he was still disapproving of the idea.
"I need to shower too, and the faster we both get done the faster we can come back here and cuddle." Wooyoung tried reasoning, finding his hand to go back to San's hair, running through it. There were some points where both he and San visibly winced since Wooyoung's fingers got caught up in some tangles. "Please, San."
But the vampire just wouldn't let up. San fell backwards, still holding onto Wooyoung. The hunter let out a squeak, quickly putting out his hands to catch himself on the bed before he completely crashed into San.
"What was that for?" Wooyoung's voice raised in pitch, wide eyes searching for the answer on San's cheeky features.
"You can rest on me, it won't hurt me." San muttered, trying to press Wooyoung down against him, but the hunter resisted, staying in the same position.
"No. We need to shower." Wooyoung, while sounding annoyed, was internally laughing at this. Deep down, he knew San was putting up this play fight as a way to distract him from his thoughts. And it was working.
San hummed, shaking his head, causing soot to leave a stain behind on the blanket.
"San!" Wooyoung cried out, putting a hand on the side of his head, forcing it to the side so he could see the damage. Really, it could be washed tomorrow and be just fine. "You made a mess."
"See? It's already dirty, let's just cuddle." San replied cheekily, again trying to pull Wooyoung downward to get more physical contact, and yet again failed.
"Let's shower together." Wooyoung offered quickly, wide eyes searching San's shocked ones. After a moment, he was even shocked at what he just said.
But it was that moment that Wooyoung also realized he peaked San's interest, perhaps winning their play fight. San stared up at Wooyoung, an unreadable expression on his features, while Wooyoung stared down, the smallest of smiles present.
"Really?" San questioned, using that tone that showed he cared deeply. That tone that showed he didn't want to push Wooyoung too far, even if Wooyoung was the one to offer it to begin with.
"Yeah, really." Wooyoung breathed out, still sounding slightly uncertain of himself, standing upright again since San's hands seemed to just slip off his waist. "Just no funny business."
San snorted. "Of course not. I promise."
After getting that established, the two gathered the necessary items they needed, then made their way to the bathroom. Thankfully it was available, but somewhere still deep inside San wished someone was using it so they could just go back and cuddle like he initially wanted.
As the door closed them in the small space, Wooyoung suddenly felt all jittery, nervous when there was absolutely no reason to be. He didn't know if San felt the same way or not, especially since the vampire pulled off his shirt with absolutely zero sense of hesitation.
So it's just me then.
I'm making a big deal out of nothing.
"Are you showering in your clothes?" San teased, looking at Wooyoung through the mirror, unbuttoning his pants.
Wooyoung's face reddened, quickly turning the opposite way so his back was to his boyfriend.
"No." Wooyoung spluttered out, laughing nervously. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling it over his head and disregarding it in the pile of dirty clothes San started.
San snorted. "Are you embarrassed then?"
Wooyoung repeated the same word, in the same exact manner. His ears continued to burn as he heard San's lighthearted laugh.
"Well good, there's no reason for you to be embarrassed. I already promised you no funny business, and I also won't look if you don't want me to." San reassured, putting a hand on Wooyoung shoulder as he reached around him to turn the water on, starting to heat it up, knowing that Wooyoung prefers to take hotter showers. "Okay sunshine?"
Wooyoung hummed, afraid to use his voice in that moment.
After a few minutes the both of them were in the shower, standing back to back in a way that allowed the water to hit both of them in some manner. Wooyoung was trying to get over his nerves that for some reason kept bothering him when he didn't even know why. It's not like he isn't confident in his body, because he sure as hell is, not that that was the problem. He just didn't know why he felt this way. This is San he's dealing with here, but maybe...it's because it's San, someone he truly loves and cares for.
"You're quiet. Are you okay?" San asked worriedly, raising his voice just enough to be heard over the water.
"I don't know." Wooyoung laughed, reaching a hand up to wipe away at his face. There weren't any tears, but with his head held low, some water threatened to fall into his eyes. "I'm malfunctioning I guess."
San hummed in a way that made him seem understanding, but also a subtle taunting aspect to it as well. No other sound but the water running filled the bathroom for a solid minute.
"Do you need help washing up?" San asked gently, leaving the option open to deny this and showing he wouldn't be bothered in the slightest.
Wooyoung chuckled, a smile forming on his lips. "No. Do you?"
"Maybe. At least with my back." San admitted, also with a soft chuckle. "I didn't anticipate the energy I'd need. And I'm still healing and all so I'd probably get scolded by someone for not cleaning those wounds."
"Right." Wooyoung let out under his breath, finally deciding to get a move on. "Well let me at least get my hair done, then I can help you."
"Okay." San's smile was evident in his voice. "Take your time, no rush."
"Well there is a bit of a rush." Wooyoung returned, finding that a bit of his sass has returned. "I don't need you collapsing or something."
San snorted. "I won't collapse on you, I'm not that weak. It's my upper body that's mainly bothering me."
Wooyoung didn't say anything quite yet, looking over his shoulder to see San's back. There were countless scratches, bandages, and other wounds that lined the entire surface. Some of the bandages peeled away to show healing bullet hole wounds, and even one nastier looking stab wound that, while it was scaring over, made Wooyoung's knees go weak. It was too close to San's heart. If the blade was longer, or went in deeper, it could've potentially killed him.
Breathe. Do not let anger take over.
That's what'll cause the monster to come back out.
Just breathe.
Facing ahead and looking down, he realized that the water didn't run clear. It was a mixture of red and grey, with some particles mixed into it. Letting out a long breath, he told himself to focus on getting clean, then he could help San. And hopefully, he'd calm down by then.
While adding and rinsing products from his own hair, a soft hum filled the otherwise silent air around them. Wooyoung couldn't tell what song San was humming to, but it was almost like a lullaby, lulling him into a state of calm. He heard a bottle cap pop open then get closed, making him speed up his own actions since he didn't know what exactly San was trying to do.
"I'm done." Wooyoung stated, gaining the courage to turn around completely. He kept his eyes level, not allowing them to look down in the slightest.
San hummed, nodding his head. That was when Wooyoung realized San had put his own shampoo in his hair, trying to lather it up, but even from the back it was clear he was uncomfortable lifting his arms for an extended period of time.
"Let me do it." Wooyoung said softly, reaching up to shoo San's hands away, replacing them with his own.
"You don't have to." San whined, but didn't physically try to resist.
In fact, despite what he said, San titled his head back, allowing for Wooyoung to work a bit easier. The hunter smiled, unable to contain it from what his boyfriend did. He washed out all of the gunk from his hair, repeating the process a few times to ensure that his hair would be in good condition.
Then came the body wash. Wooyoung turned back around, focusing on cleaning himself again while San did what he could for himself. San went back to humming whatever song he was previously humming to, only this time taking much more frequent breaks, even audibly wincing here and there. It hurt Wooyoung, who knew at this moment there wasn't much he could do to help.
"Yeah...I can't even try to get my back." San laughed sadly, leaning to the side, resting his head against the porcelain wall. "Take your time though."
"Alright." Wooyoung responded, finishing up with rinsing himself off completely.
Turning back around, Wooyoung frowned at the state of his boyfriend.
"Want me to take off these bandages?" Wooyoung asked, voice gentle as he didn't want to spook the vampire.
"Yeah, you probably should." San sighed, forcing himself to stand upright again. He turned his head to the side, just enough to get a brief look at Wooyoung's face. "How bad is it?"
"Pretty bad." Wooyoung's frown deepened, wincing along with San as he peeled away each of the bandages. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." San was clearly holding his breath even as he spoke, only releasing it after the final bandage was removed. "I guess I should put other bandages back on when we're done, at least until I can get those wounds to properly heal."
"I agree." Wooyoung replied, now gently running his soap covered hands across San's back. He tried very hard to not press into any of the injures, but it seemed even lightly tracing his hands across some areas got a reaction from the vampire. "Please tell me if it gets to be too much."
"I will." San said with a forcefully light tone, nodding his head for extra assurance. "I don't get why the ones on my back hurt so much more than anywhere else."
"I don't either." Wooyoung breathed out, reminding himself to relax his features since they were stuck in a wince. "I guess I don't understand how you have so many on your back...but I don't know if that's best to talk about right now."
"Yeah." San trailed off, looking up to the ceiling, shifting the weight on his legs. "I was surrounded at one point, but that's all I'll say. I have a feeling that hunters venom was laced on some of the weapons, and that's why it's bothering me so much."
Wooyoung hummed, not knowing what else to say. He had to focus on keeping his emotions in check, luckily that didn't take away from his focus on ensuring he didn't hurt San a whole bunch.
"I'm sorry I pointed my gun at you." Wooyoung muttered, kind of hoping the sound of rushing water would drown out his words. But who was he kidding, he was talking to San, who could hear practically anything.
"Hey, please don't do that." San snapped, but it came from a caring place and not that of ill-intent. He turned his head to the side, trying to glare Wooyoung down, but it didn't really work because from that angle it wasn't as threatening as he wanted it to be. Again, in a lighthearted manner though.
Wooyoung hummed dismissively, letting out a long breath. "I just never expected something like that to happen."
"I thought you didn't want to talk about this?" San tried his best as changing the topic, wishing he could turn around and talk to his boyfriend's face rather than the wall before him. But he would still adhere to his wishes despite what he wanted in that moment.
"I'm just saying what's on my mind." Wooyoung shrugged his shoulders despite the action not being seen.
San sighed, cringing when he felt the hot water directly hitting his back. Wooyoung must've pulled down the shower head again to wash him off properly.
"Well let's call us even then." San knew there was no escaping this topic for now, but he still tried putting it in a different light.
Wooyoung's brows furrowed, his hand pausing for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"I put you through a scare when we first met, and you just put me through an equal scare. So we're even." San explained, hearing the water shut off moments later.
"But—"
"No buts, we're even." San cut off, still facing away as the shower curtain was drawn back, waiting until he heard Wooyoung pick up his towel, planning on moving when he knew the shorter was covered.
Wooyoung couldn't say anything in return, letting his mind absorb what San had just told him. In a sense, it washed some of his guilt away, but there was enough that lingered that still made him wish he could turn back time. Realizing San wasn't moving, Wooyoung quickly searched around for the vampires towel. He kept his gaze towards the ceiling, handing San the towel so they could dry off and get out of here faster.
Minutes went by in silence, but both of them ended up dried and dressed in their comfortable clothes in that time. San currently leaned his back against the counter, a pout on his lips as his head moved back and forth in a rough manner. Wooyoung had thrown another towel over the vampires head, drying off his hair with this method. Meanwhile his own wet hair dripped down onto his maroon hoodie, leaving splotch marks behind.
"Please...stop...now." San's words sounded strange, muffled from the towel, and simply from the movement in general. They weren't said with urgency, regardless Wooyoung listened and lifted the towel away from his face.
"Wait...I didn't put new bandages on you." Wooyoung looked down to his boyfriend's sweatshirt, then back up to his innocent eyes.
"It'll be fine." San brushed off, smirking a bit and waving his hand nonchalantly. "The only thing we're doing in laying in bed, so there's no need for that when I'll probably just heal up by the morning."
Wooyoung nodded his head, slightly bothered by that, but didn't dare say anything. With a quick movement he removed the towel completely from San's head, tossing it to the dirty pile of laundry he'd do at some point. He took in another breath, stepping forward into San's space, gently resting his head on the tallers better shoulder, wrapping his arms delicately around his waist.
San returned the action in less than a heartbeat, wrapping his arms around Wooyoung, nudging his head against Wooyoung's damp hair. He didn't care about that, closing his eyes for a moment, taking in the pleasant smell of the shampoo that lingered around his nose.
"Will you need more blood?" Wooyoung asked quietly, not fearful of the topic and contact happening at once.
"Not from you." San whispered in return, one hand running up and down Wooyoung's back, almost patting him since he hardly moved his wrist. "Thank you though."
Wooyoung hummed, nuzzling closer into San.
San only chuckled, opening his eyes and shaking his head, which caused Wooyoung to back away and look up at him with a slight glare.
"Let's go to bed cuddlebug." San spoke those soft words without even thinking. His eyes widened, realizing he didn't catch himself. While he may think of nicknames for Wooyoung here and there, adding them to his sentences in his mind, he always made sure to never say them out loud.
Except Wooyoung didn't feel any kind of ping to his chest. He didn't feel anything negative for that matter. His sassy glare turned into the biggest of smiles, his eyes practically disappearing. San, while confused, couldn't help but smile after seeing that.
"Take it easy with the nicknames...but I think you can maybe start using more than sunshine with me if you want." Wooyoung hid his face against San's shoulder again as he spoke, reflecting his own words, but there wasn't an ounce of regret. He meant it.
He could finally put the past behind him, and let him enjoy the things he wished to enjoy with San.
San let out a near-silent laugh, planting a kiss on top of Wooyoung's head. He didn't want to comment on it anymore, not wanting to risk somehow triggering Wooyoung, or making him think of the reason nicknames might be okay to use now. This wasn't the time for it.
Huh, maybe my subconscious knew that this would happen, and thats why I slipped up just then.
The couple held onto each other for a few more minutes before detaching themselves from one another. They gathered up all of their belongings, Wooyoung insisting on carrying them, and yet San ended up with all of the dirty clothes and towels in hand. Wooyoung pouted as they walked through the hallway, even after being told numerous times by San that he was okay, and actually preferred to go through certain movements since he believed it helped him heal better.
Wooyoung called bullshit on that, and that was the end of that conversation.
Rounding the corner to get to their bedroom, Wooyoung was taken aback to see Mingi leaning against the wall by the closed door. San seemed equally as taken aback, eyes searching for anyone else, yet it was just Mingi in the hallway.
"Is everything alright?" San called out, steps trying to quicken to get to the taller faster, but Wooyoung reached out and had him walk at the same pace that he had been using.
Mingi perked up, uncrossing his arms as he looked towards the couple.
"Oh, yeah, everything is fine." Mingi answered, smiling for a moment and giving a firm nod.
"Then...what are you doing here?" Wooyoung followed up, stopping at an appropriate space before the taller.
"Oh! Well I was waiting to give you these." Mingi again answered, sounding pretty upbeat considering the injuries that were visible on his body.
Wooyoung looked down to see Mingi handing him a few juices pouches and boxes. Wooyoung's head cocked to the side, reaching out regardless to awkwardly accept the different pouches and boxes from Mingi.
"I used to always drink some kind of fruit juice after Yunho would take my blood, it was what helped me feel better." Mingi explained, eyes lifting from Wooyoung's hands to his eyes, smiling again, this time it remaining on his features. "I didn't know if it'd help you or not...seeing as...well you know. Anyway, we had those in the fridge, I don't know if Yeosang got them or what, but none of it is expired."
"Oh...thank you." Wooyoung looked down to the juice pouches, then back up to Mingi, finding himself showing an appreciative smile.
Mingi hummed, nodding his head. His eyes went to San, which immediately had him putting his hands up in mock surrender and backing away slowly.
"That's it. I'll leave you guys alone now." Mingi spoke as he continued to back away, once at a good distance he put his hands down and turned to walk away.
"Wait, your room is the other way!" San called out, shaking out of his sudden jealously to keep his tone neutral.
Mingi laughed, turning his head to playfully narrow his eyes at San. "And Yunho is downstairs. So I'll be on my way."
Before Mingi turned the corner he waved his hand in an exaggerated manner, disappearing behind the wall. The couple stood there for a moment, looking from the blank space to each other's eyes at the same time. Wooyoung showed a half-smile, again finding himself looking down to the cool pouches and boxes that were pressed against his arm.
Then snapping himself from his thoughts, Wooyoung reached to open the door, holding it open for San to walk inside. The vampire dropped down the dirty laundry near the door, idling near the bed, waiting for Wooyoung to properly enter the room so they could get in bed and cuddle like he wanted to all this time.
Except Wooyoung took his time as he walked inside, closing the door behind him. He put some of his things down on his dresser, then walked past San to put most of the juice pouches on the nightstand. He kept one of the boxes in hand, punching the straw through the hole and began drinking it. He turned, looking at San with innocent eyes, the sound of him drinking filling the room.
San chuckled, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed, his and Wooyoung's eyes remaining locked while he did.
With the straw still in his mouth, Wooyoung made a noise of complaint, features expressing his unhappiness. He put one of his knees on the bed, his free hand picking up the blanket in the area San had rested his head earlier. He made the same noise of complaint, turning back to ensure he had San's attention. He lifted the blanket even more to show why he was upset.
"You're a child." San teased, wrapping an arm around Wooyoung's waist and stood up, gently pulling Wooyoung off the bed.
Wooyoung stood there, watching as San pulled away the blanket to shake it out, explaining how he'll properly clean it tomorrow with everything else. As San laid it back out on the bed, the sound of Wooyoung's straw taking in the very last remaining amount of juice, though mostly air, filled the room.
San cringed a little, rubbing one of his ears against his shoulder, sending Wooyoung a playful glare.
Yet Wooyoung still stood there with that same playfully teasing expression, plus a slight smile, as he continued to make the same noise.
"Stop." San whined, walking over and pulling the juice box out of his lovers hand.
Except the straw remained trapped in Wooyoung's lips, where he now dramatically frowned, his fun being taken away.
San laughed, reaching up to pull the straw away as well, finding zero resistance in the action. Throwing the trash away, San turned back around, only to see open air. Then he realized he heard the mattress groan, causing him to look towards the bed, where Wooyoung was already crawling into his spot on the bed.
After Wooyoung got situated, San also got into bed, habitually putting his arm out around Wooyoung's shoulders.
"Are you okay with me clinging to you?" Wooyoung asked before going any further, his playful act diminishing into seriousness.
"Of course." San reasurred, pulling Wooyoung closer whether he liked it or not. But who was he kidding, they both liked this. "You won't hurt me if you're just resting your head on me."
Wooyoung hummed, scooting closer to San under the covers. While their bodies touched, Wooyoung was now the one to be extremely careful of San's injuries. With a sigh, San moved his other arm, reaching under the blankets to grab Wooyoung's upper arm, forcing it around his own waist.
Taking the hint, Wooyoung hugged San, nuzzling into him closer. He tucked his head against San's shoulder, using his arm as a pillow. They hugged each other close, the true exhaustion kicking in now. Neither could stay awake for long, but that didn't mean that their minds weren't waiting to torment them when they were the most vulnerable.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: Hello readers, I just wanted to thank you all for 8.5k reads, it truly means the world to me to see each and every interaction in this story. And to those that take the extra time out of their day/night to leave comments, just know I always read all of them, and I truly appreciate all of the kind words.