The whole world was grim, as if someone had taken a dark lampshade and placed it over the sun, blocking out the light that it poured onto Earth. The smell around Ryeowook was acidic, almost as if someone was burning something sulfur based and had at least attempted to bother with trying to get the smell out of the air. It made him queasy, but for some reason his stomach didn't clench and twist in odd ways that would have normally sent him through a dizzy spell, resulting in a trip to the bathroom. And, despite the threatening surroundings, he felt calm, as if he was meant to be here, even if he really couldn't remember getting there.

The world around him seemed frozen in time, something else that would have made his heart quicken. Perhaps it was that all the numbers were frozen, all large and promising long lives to the ones they hovered over. Ryeowook was pleased as he scanned the numbers around him. He couldn't help but feel that this was a pleasant dream, if a bit dreary. However, the mood quickly lifted when he saw one number, sticking out like a sore thumb among the rest. He recognized the script, but the number was something he was unused to, since a different one had been registered in his mind for the face that it hovered over.

oooooooo25

It was frozen like the world around him, but Ryeowook had a feeling that if things were to come back to life, the man hovering close to Yesung would pounce and sink devastating fangs into his neck. Ryeowook was overcome by the urge to save him, and he quickly set himself into motion, legs surging forward. With that motion, the world around him began to move, and quickly Yesung was taken by his predator. The number fell faster, and Ryeowook felt that he could do nothing as he watched Yesung collapse to the ground, being blatantly ignored by the people moving around him.

For some reason, Ryeowook was instantly at his side, holding Yesung's cold body in his arms. The number was beginning to slow now, dropping from oooooooo1o to ooooooooo9 in what seemed like an eternity to Ryeowook. Eventually, the number came to a crashing halt at ooooooooo1 and remained there. The second it stopped, Yesung opened his eyes. There was a thin, red ring around his irises, and when he opened his mouth to smile the incisors were sharp fangs. Ryeowook screamed...

And quickly sat up in a daze. He was no longer in the bathroom, but in a bed, knowing immediately it was not his own. He was quite certain he wasn't even in his room, but his head ached too much for him to figure out exactly where he was. He felt a slight pressure against his forehead, and when he lifted his hand to touch it, his fingers could only feel what seemed to be gauze.

"You hit your head pretty bad."

Ryeowook was started by the voice, and he turned his head to see, really acutally see, Zhou Mi sitting on the couch that Kyuhyun had placed in his room. Ryeowook realized now why Kyuhyun had gone nearly mental with different stones and lessons from a proclaimed seer. It had all been for the sake of this one haven where Zhou Mi could have a solid form. It was amazing to actually see Zhou Mi again, only without a number above his head, now forever stuck at twenty-three. Ryeowook turned his head away quickly, being reminded of Yesung, who probably couldn't have been much older.

"You can tell me, you know."

"Huh?" Ryeowook asked, looking towards Zhou Mi again.

"You said his name," Zhou Mi admitted, smiling. "And then you woke up screaming."

Ryeowook could feel his cheeks flush as he looked away from Zhou Mi, chewing on his bottom lip. He heard Zhou Mi stand up, his footsteps almost muted on the wood due to his black socks. Ryeowook should have expected for Zhou Mi to sit next to him, but when Zhou Mi sat next to him he nearly jumped out of his skin. Zhou Mi laughed and Ryeowook turned to look at him again.

"Ge, there's no one else home."

Ryeowook looked at the door, wide open with the hall light off outside it. Did that mean even Sungmin and Siwon were gone?

"How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours. Heechul went drinking with Eunhyuk, Donghae, and Shindong, and the others left to go find them. Ah... Siwon and Sungmin went... somewhere."

Ryeowook almost snorted, knowing full well that "somewhere" either meant confession or to visit one of Siwon's many church going friends. Really, Ryeowook sometimes wondered what Sungmin was waiting for, since it seemed nothing was going to happen unless Sungmin stepped up and did something. After all, Siwon had clearly stated one night when Sungmin was so drunk out of his mind that they were "just friends".

"Why didn't you go?" Ryeowook questioned, turning away from Zhou Mi and swinging his feet off the bed so he could stand up.

Zhou Mi shrugged, taking up Ryeowook's place on the bed, putting his hands behind his head and stretching out. Ryeowook moved around the room, examining different pieces of decoration on the desk and dressers, also pausing to look in the mirror, smiling when he saw Zhou Mi's reflection in it. He turned around to look at the man on the bed, moving to sit on the couch. He pulled his legs to his chest, clasping his hands and fiddling his thumbs. Zhou Mi still hadn't answered him, so Ryoewook didn't ask again.

---

"Rui, you're awake!"

Ryeowook looked away from the television screen to look at Henry, who was helping Eunhyuk carry a very drunk Donghae through the door. Hankyung was next, with Heechul, who had his arm draped around the Chinese man, head lolling this way and that. His hair kept shifting from a pale blonde to stark black, something Ryeowook hadn't seen him do since his last boyfriend broke up with him on the grounds of Heechul being "ugly". So that was exactly why Ryoewook reached for the remote and turned the television off, standing up and walking over to Heechul.

"What's going on?" he wondered, tilting his head to examine Heechul's changing face.

He couldn't smell anything on his breath, so he had to at least be sober. Hankyung shifted slightly, making Heechul's head roll to the side. His thin lips were stretched into a twisted smile, changing every few seconds so that it seemed he was going through a fast change of before and after pictures.

"Donghae called him ugly."

Ryeowook looked past Heechul and Hankyung at Kangin and Eeteuk, standing in the doorway together. Kangin didn't look happy, and when Ryeowook glanced at Eeteuk he could tell why. Eeteuk's left eye was swollen shut and his bottom lip was cracked with dry blood.

"The others are still out," Kangin explained when finally Eunhyuk and Henry dragged Donghae towards the room he shared with Shindong. "We ran into Sungmin and Siwon on the way home and Shindong went with them."

"And Kyuhyun?" Zhou Mi's voice came from Ryoewook's elbow.

The others were startled, but Ryeowook remained calm, since he had been watching television with Zhou Mi. Kangin and Eeteuk exchanged a glance, said nothing, and went towards the large bathroom next to the kitchen. Ryeowook could hear Zhou Mi sigh beside him and smiled, reaching out a hand so that he could feel the coolness of his presence around it.

"Want to come with me to find him?" he murmured, glancing back at Hankyung and Heechul on the couch.

The older male still continued to change, but it wasn't as frequent as it had been before, and Ryeowook could see Hankyung's lips moving, speaking a language Ryeowook didn't want to bother knowing. Ryeowook felt the coldness around his hand move and the door creaked slightly as it opened.

"Wait, won't one of the stones be better?" Ryeowook told him, not moving.

The door creaked again and a cold presence passed through Ryeowook quickly. He waited silently until Zhou Mi walked back towards him, smiling. Ryeowook smiled back, but it quickly faded when Zhou Mi passed through him and went to the door.

"Wait, how did you-?"

"The stone," Zhou Mi answered, cutting Ryeowook's question off. "I… get a form but it's not that solid. Ah… do me a favor and make sure people don't walk through me? It feels weird when I'm not ready for it."

Ryeowook hesitated then nodded, following Zhou Mi out the door and towards the elevator. For some reason, Ryeowook felt awkward, like he was being watched, but he shrugged it off when the elevator doors opened and he walked in, reaching over and pressing the button for the lobby. When the doors closed, the feeling died down, making Ryeowook feel at ease again.

"Knowing Shindong they probably went out for some snacks," Ryeowook told Zhou Mi as they left the building, heading towards the dining district. "But… maybe they went out for a late dinner or something."

Zhou Mi laughed next to him, and Ryeowook grinned. It felt calm, being out so late that there weren't many people on the streets, walking with someone that didn't have a number. In the darkness Ryeowook couldn't make out the numbers of the people around him unless they stepped into the light, but the street they lived on was barely lit, so it offered a nice reprieve.

"Where should we look first?" Ryeowook questioned, looking over at Zhou Mi.

"How about… there."

He raised his hand and pointed to a café, and when Ryeowook looked towards where he was pointing he felt his stomach twist. It was the café that Yesung worked, and because of what he was, Ryeowook had a feeling he might just be inside. He didn't answer Zhou Mi, so the ghost just walked towards the café and opened the door, but not without making a weird face.

"Zhou Mi…" Ryeowook could hear the whine in his voice. "Why would they be-"

But of course he couldn't finish because he heard Kyuhyun's voice shout from inside the café and saw the younger man stand up from a table rush towards Zhou Mi. He went right through the ghost, but it didn't matter, apparently, since Kyuhyun started laughing. Ryeowook bit his lip and walked into the café slowly, eyes scanning around for Yesung's number. He was relieved when he couldn't find it, so he followed Kyuhyun and Zhou Mi back to the table they were at.

There were already empty dishes on its surface, and Shindong was in the middle of eating a sweet cake. Sungmin was eating a slice of pie, and Siwon was nose deep in a book. Ryeowook took a seat at Sungmin's side, smiled when the members at the table greeted him, and tried desperately to ignore Kyuhyun and Zhou Mi's obvious attempt at displays of affection. It worked for the most part, but since it apparently took a lot of concentration for Zhou Mi to really be solid, Kyuhyun's head would pass through his after a few seconds.

"You'll never guess who's working," Shindong told Ryeowook after finishing his cake.

Ryeowook's mood instantly fell.

"Wh-who?"

"Your vampire."

Shindong obviously meant it to be a good thing, but Ryeowook couldn't help but turning his head to look at the café around him. Still, he couldn't find the number but when his eyes passed the stairs he realized that Yesung could just be upstairs for some reason. He stood, and everyone at the table grew silent, turning to face him.

"Restroom," Ryeowook told them, stepping away from the table.

Zhou Mi frowned at him, as did Sungmin. Siwon immediately went back to his book, perhaps feeling awkward. Ryeowook apologized and left the table, heading towards the bathroom but turning suddenly to head up the stairs. Behind him he heard Kyuhyun shout, and then frowned when he felt his familiar cold presence at his back.

"Zhou Mi," he whispered, stopping at the top of the stairs. "Please go back, I promise I won't do anything. I just want to see."

"See what?" Zhou Mi's voice whispered back, though it was harsh. "Is it because you dreamt about him? What did you see, Rui?"

Ryeowook didn't respond, but kept walking. As expected, Zhou Mi was behind him. That didn't stop Ryeowook, though; he scanned the numbers until he saw the one that was starting to become familiar to him. Yesung was at a table, serving some late night diners, his face unsmiling. When he walked away, Ryeowook followed, closing the distance between them before grabbing the vampire's arm.

"What do you want?" Yesung asked, voice cool, probably thinking Ryeowook was a customer.

When he turned to face Ryeowook his calm expression become a grimace. Ryeowook released his arm immediately, fearing that the vampire would bite him if he continued holding him back. He expected Yesung to leave, but he remained where he was, glaring at him, fangs neatly hidden behind his lips.

"I saw it happen," Ryeowook told him, barely even hearing his own voice.

"Saw what?" Yesung snapped, eyes looking just next to Ryeowook where Zhou Mi was standing.

"In a dream, I saw you…" Ryeowook hesitated, swallowing. "I saw you uh…"

"Die?"

Ryeowook flinched at the word, nodding. The cold grimace turned into a sad smile, as if the vampire felt bad for Ryeowook. That was something he didn't need, he received that smile far too much at the dorm.

"I held you in my arms. It… wasn't pretty."

"If only there had been someone there for me," Yesung murmured, turning away from Ryeowook and Zhou Mi. "Leave now, I have to work."

"When do you get off?"

The words were out of Ryeowook's mouth before he could think them over or take them back. Yesung laughed, a cold sound that made Ryeowook shiver.

"Does this mean you're asking me out?" the vampire questioned, back still to Ryeowook.

"He is," Zhou Mi responded, voice dripping with smugness.

Ryeowook looked at the ground, feeling his face grow red. The coldness next to him left, and he could hear the ghost laughing by the stairs. He jumped when he felt a cool hand against his cheek, biting his lip with the strong fingers lifted his chin up. Yesung was standing in front of him now, smirking.

"Uh…"

The vampire leaned forward, still smirking, and gently kissed Ryeowook on the cheek.

"I get off at nine," the vampire told him, turning and walking away. "In the morning."