Jeongguk couldn't sleep.
No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't. He's been tossing and turning for almost thirty minutes now, and he's counted about fifty sheep now and was still wide awake.
Jeongguk couldn't stop thinking about Taehyung, and it was scaring him. Only two days had passed since their short talk, and yet Jeongguk hasn't been able to sleep since then. The older's words lingered in his brain, repeating themselves over and over again.
It sounded as if he really cared for him.
That mere possibility excited yet scared Jeongguk all at the same time. Of course, he wanted Taehyung to be the person he grew to know back when they were friends, but at the same time, he didn't know if he should trust him or not.
Taehyung made Jeongguk weak, and the younger hated that more than anything. He wanted to be able to be logical and distance himself from the older, but his sad gray eyes and mesmerizing low voice made him want to run into his arms and stay in his cool embrace for eternity.
So, here Jeongguk was, staring at the ceiling for the hundredth time this week.
Deep down, Jeongguk knew Taehyung was a good person and that he was telling the truth. But for some reason, there was a voice in the back of his mind that kept telling him not to trust him and run far far away.
It was the same voice that told him not to let himself fall for Taehyung any further, but Jeongguk always ignored that message.
Deciding that he couldn't stay still for any longer, Jeongguk got up and put on some sweats and a jacket. It was one-thirty in the morning when he put on his shoes and left his house.
Though the younger had no idea where he was going, he let his feet guide him and his mind run wild. When he breathed, air came out of his mind that looked alike to cigarette smoke, which made him realize how cold it truly was.
Jeongguk walked until he found himself in the woods, and though in the back of his mind he knew it was the cursed woods, he kept walking anyway. He was too tired to care, really he didn't care about anything anymore after learning that vampires were real.
He still couldn't believe it, to be honest, he didn't think he would ever. Just thinking about it for no more than five seconds made his head hurt, and he deeply wished that this all was just some long nightmare that he was going to soon wake up from.
To his disappointment, it wasn't.
As Jeongguk walked through the dark woods and listened to the night owls, he thought he spotted a silhouette run past him.
The younger let out a small gasp, turning towards the right. "Hello?"
Another silhouette darted past him, only it came from the left side.
Jeongguk turned the other way, beginning to grow nervous "is anyone there?"
Silence.
Jeongguk's heart sped up, and before he could even blink a single eyelid something - or someone - attacked him.
Jeongguk felt the breath get knocked out of him as he felt himself being pushed to the ground, seeing nothing but long black hair. He assumed that it was a woman on top of him, but he didn't know for sure.
Out of instinct, the younger tried hitting the creature, but it was no use. They were too strong.
Eventually, Jeongguk got a clear view of the creature, and it was indeed a girl. She was pretty, with pale skin and dark brown eyes, but her face then changed to make her eyes pitch black and her mouth to form fangs, Jeongguk then felt his stomach drop.
She was a vampire.
Using all of his strength, Jeongguk tried fighting her off. It was insanely difficult since she was firmly holding him down, eventually, he hit her so hard that she practically flew off of him, losing her balance.
Jeongguk took it as an opportunity to run, though he knew he probably wasn't going to get very far. But the young boy tried, even though he felt excruciating pain in his fist.
It wasn't long before she regained her strength, and she began looking for the young boy, who was currently hiding.
Jeongguk hid behind a random tree not too far from the vampire, and he tried his hardest to hold his breath, though he felt his heartbeat increasing by each passing second.
"Where you, little human?" She shrieked. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard - unsettling. "I can't play long tonight. I'm hungry, you know."
He was scared, really scared. Even though Jeongguk knew everything about vampires he was still terrified of them, and he knew that potentially (and most likely) he was going to die tonight.
Jeongguk heard her itch closer and closer, and though he knew he should've, he bolted. Jeongguk ran as fast as he could, and before he could continue he felt something hit the back of his neck.
It was sharp and painful, and it also took the young boy by surprise, which was what made him fall. Jeongguk looked beside him to see some sort of rock, and he closed his eyes, knowing that that girl was going t catch up t him and that he was also about to die.
But he felt nothing.
Jeongguk opened his eyes, realizing that he could hear noise coming from behind him. The young boy sat up, seeing the vampire girl in a fight with someone else. He couldn't see very well due to the darkness, but he could still tell that the guy was a vampire.
Eventually, the girl ran away, and the boy stepped closer to Jeongguk, which made his heartbeat quicken. His vampire face disappeared, and once Jeongguk saw who he was, he gasped.
It was Taehyung.
The older knelt down, looking worried "are you okay? Did she hurt you at-"
Before Taehyung could even finish his sentence Jeongguk found himself wrapping his arms around the older, hugging him tightly. Taehyung was tense at first, but then eventually wrapped his arms around him in return.
Jeongguk buried his head into his shoulder, realizing how good this truly felt "Thank god you're here"
"Yeah, thank god" Taehyung replied, softly.
And, the two boys stood like that for a while, wrapped in each others' embrace while listening to the owls in the trees.
-------------------------------------------------
"Are you sure nothing hurts?" Taehyung asked, walking towards Jeongguk, with worry never leaving his gaze.
"I already told you, I'm fine" Jeongguk replied. He was sitting on the couch in Taehyung's house, which was somewhere he never would've guessed he would be tonight. Surprisingly, his wrist didn't hurt anymore and he really wasn't hurt from earlier.
Taehyung sat beside him, a sigh escaping from his lips as he sat down beside the younger. He ran his hand along his face "god, I'm so sorry."
"It isn't your fault" Jeongguk reassured him.
"It is" the older replied "this was exactly why I didn't want to tell you about me - about what I am. I was scared you would get hurt."
"But I'm not," Jeongguk told him.
"But you could've been-"
"But I'm not" he repeated "See? I'm fine."
Taehyung turned towards him, looking at his face. He wasn't sure what to say - none of them did.
"I'm sorry" Taehyung whispered, "for everything."
Jeongguk sighed, breaking eye contact with the older. "These past few days, I think I've been beginning to understand why you started avoiding me in the first place. That night I almost drowned, I got super vulnerable with you, and I think that scared you too. I think that you were scared because I started getting attached, and you didn't think you would ever have to tell me what you really were."
"You're exactly right" Taehyung replied "I was scared that you would think of me as a monster since that's what's I've always been. But, it's too late for that now, right?"
"I don't think you're a monster," Jeongguk told him "yeah, I was scared and afraid that you were going to kill me, but I never thought you were evil."
Taehyung didn't fully believe him, but he still settled with his answer nonetheless.
"And you really cared about me?" Jeongguk asked, "like you said the other day, everything between us was real?"
"Yeah, I do" Taehyung answered, "and everything was."
Jeongguk let out a small gasp, and he scooted a little closer to the older in order to see him a bit better. As Jeongguk looked into his eyes, he saw nothing but genuine good and also some concern; at that moment, Jeongguk knew that Taehyung's always been the person he thought he was.
"I'm sorry too" Jeongguk found his lips speaking "I was really cruel to you when I didn't even know the full story."
"No, no you had every right to be upset and scared," Taehyung told him "I would have been too if I were you."
Jeongguk grinned, and Taehyung looked to the floor, though Jeongguk's eyes stayed on him.
"Can we be friends again?" The younger spoke, which made Taehyung's head shoot up.
"Jeongguk as much as I want too, what if something bad like this happens again-"
"I already told you, I'm not hurt!"
"I know that, but what if you actually get hurt next time?!" Taehyung exclaimed, "And what if I'm not able to protect you?"
"I don't need protection" Jeongguk snapped, and Taehyung bit back a smile. Then, a brilliant idea formed inside of his head.
"I know, I can train you to be able to fight other vampires" Taehyung suggested.
"I don't need training," Jeongguk said a little too confidently.
"Do you want to be friends again or not?" Taehyung said.
Jeongguk sighed "fine, I'll do it."
"Great" Taehyung smiled, feeling accomplished.
Jeongguk found himself smiling too, and he laid his head on Taehyung's shoulder, happy to have not died tonight.
"Thank you, though" Jeongguk whispered, "for saving me."
"It was nothing" Taehyung replied, and again, he felt that strange feeling in his stomach. He tends to always feel it around Jeongguk, and the older still doesn't know what it means.
Only, he didn't know that Jeongguk felt that feeling as well, and he too didn't know what it meant.
Though really, it meant something that is way more powerful than friendship; it was also something that would truly change their bond, forever.