Donghae!” Hyukjae screamed, clenching his eyes shut when the mysterious creature lunged towards him. He had no idea that he was going to die in a tragic way; being eaten by a strange dog that came out of nowhere.

“Disappear, servant of hell.”

He heard Donghae’s voice all of a sudden, followed by the sound of something exploding, and then everything went back to normal. Still shaking in fear, Hyukjae hesitantly opened his eyes and looked around, afraid that he might get attacked by the dog again.

But no, he was completely wrong. There was nothing around him except for the tall trees, the smell of soil, the cold breeze, and the darkness. Bewildered, he forced himself to stand and took a look at his surrounding, only to gasp in panic when he realized he was no longer in his house. He didn’t have the slightest idea where this place was.

“D-donghae?” With his trembling voice, he called for the latter, but no one answered. He stumbled backward; the fear that was beginning to disappear just a while ago came back to him, haunting his mind. “Donghae!”

His voice echoed in the silent night, making him even more scared. He tried to take a step forward, but his injured leg seemed to be restraining his move. Gritting his teeth as hard as he could, he slowly moved forward, though the darkness surrounding the area made it harder for him to see what was ahead of him.

He kept tripping over something, and he could only bit his lip, trying to endure the pain in his ankle. Just when he thought things couldn’t get worse than this, he was startled by the sound of wolves howling.

“Oh God…” Hyukjae clamped his hand over his mouth as he turned his head around, trying to make sure that he wasn’t just imagining things.

And as soon as he saw a few pairs of shining red eyes approaching him from the distance, he ran as fast as he could, ignoring the pain he was feeling.  The howling sound was getting nearer, but he couldn’t give up now. He’d never want to die in a strange place alone.

He couldn’t tell how glad he was to see a small house right ahead of him, surrounded by wild shrubs. It seemed a bit old and abandoned, but it was the only choice he had right now. Gathering all the strength he still had, he ran faster, but before he could even reach the house, he bumped into something – or rather, someone – causing him to fall on the ground with a loud thud.

“D-don’t touch me!” Hyukjae screamed and struggled when he felt a pair of hands holding him. “Don’t!”

“Hyukjae!”

“Let me go! Let me go, please!”

“Hyukjae, calm down, it’s me!”

As if he had just woken up from a dream, Hyukjae instantly stopped struggling and looked up. Upon seeing Donghae’s face in front of him, he broke into tears right away and flung himself at him, hugging him tightly. “Donghae…”

“Shh…it’s alright. It’s fine now, I’m here,” Donghae coaxed the blonde, rubbing his back gently.

“I was so scared, I thought I was going to die,” Hyukjae said as he pulled away, with tears still flowing down his pale face. “Where is this place, Donghae? How did I end up here?”

Donghae sighed. “This is Eosforos.”

“H-how can that be? We…we were at my house and-“

“I know. Don’t think too much about it. I’ll bring you to my place and have a rest, okay?” Donghae smiled, though he wasn’t even sure if it was safe enough for them to be out here. He was lucky enough that he could be able to trace Hyukjae’s smell before something bad could happen to him.

He sighed once again as he pulled the blonde into the house, before closing the door behind him tightly. Despite its hideous outside appearance, it was clean and tidy inside the house, complete with a fireplace in the middle of the cramped living room. But it was more than enough to keep them warm.

“Wandering devils usually use this place to rest,” Donghae explained when he noticed the questioning look in Hyukjae’s eyes.

“What about the wolves that were chasing me just now?” Hyukjae asked worriedly. He didn’t want to die yet, not when he was still unmarried.

“It’s alright, Hyukjae. As long as you’re with me, those things will never come near you.”

“What happened exactly, Donghae? I don’t get this at all. What was the thing that attacked me at my house before? It really freaked me out.”

“It was a hellhound,” Donghae said as he sat down on a worn out couch, pulling the blonde with him. “You must’ve heard about hellhounds in mythologies. Devils normally use them as servants.”

“You’re kidding me…” Hyukjae rubbed his face, trying to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. All of this seemed so unreal, but after knowing Donghae, he knew nothing could be impossible. He was a devil’s ‘lover’ after all.

“Don’t ever leave my side from now on. Hyukjae,” Donghae looked into the blonde’s puffy eyes, while wiping his tear-stained cheeks with his thumb. “Things will get dangerous, and I need you to stay within my sight so that I can protect you.”

“When are you going to tell me everything, Donghae?”

Donghae fell silent at the blonde’s question, unable to think of the right answer he could come out with. He didn’t even know what he should do to keep the blonde safe. The fact that Hyukjae was brought here all of a sudden clearly told him that they had started making a move. They were probably the ones who summoned him, by sending a hellhound to the human world.

“Donghae…” Hyukjae poked the latter’s cheek with his index finger, pulling him out of his thoughts. “What are you thinking about? You look troubled.”

“I’m going to take you to my place now,” Donghae said, his voice sounded worried as he looked down at the blonde’s injured ankle. “But you might get dizzy, so just close your eyes and hold on to me, okay?”

“Can’t we just ride a car or something?”

“We don’t use vehicles here, Hyukjae. Do you want to walk instead?”

Hyukjae reluctantly circled his arms around the latter’s neck as he was told, his face reddened when he felt Donghae’s hand holding his waist. He wasn’t sure if it was his fear that made him nervous, or it was because of a certain devil that he was starting to like now. He quickly averted his eyes away when their gazes met, trying to stay as calm as he could.

“What are you being shy about? It’s not like this is the first time you’ve touched me,” Donghae teased, only to receive a smack in the head from the blonde. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“Just be quick, I’m tired and I need to rest right now.”

“You’re so not cute.”

“Shut up.”

_________________________________

Hyukjae.

In the midst of the darkness, Hyukjae could hear a faint voice calling out to him. But he couldn’t tell who it was. He couldn’t even move, and the only thing that he could see was the darkness. Where was he? He was sure that he was with Donghae on their way to his place, but he was nowhere to be found.

Hyukjae, come to me.

There was that voice again. It sounded clearer this time, and he felt like it was somewhat familiar, like he had heard of it before. But for some odd reason, he found himself being afraid of that calm voice. It sounded intimidating; it was as if he’d be facing danger if he were to go after it.

“Hyukjae…”

Hyukjae frowned. This voice sounded different somehow. Who was it? Unlike the previous one, it seemed soothing and calming, making him feel at ease. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting as he was trying to look around him clearly.

“You’re finally awake.”

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