Sirens start to howl as the nearby building explodes.

“Hurry up, the police will be here in a minute.”

Wooyoung whispers anxiously as his elbow hits Chansung’s ribs, letting him grunt uncomfortably. Wooyoung’s jittery attitude doesn’t help to calm down, and to make matters worse his hands become sweaty and slippery. And just like that, he hits the wrong button and short after the screen went black and the dreaded ‘GAME OVER’ flickers on it. Chansung sighs disappointedly as Wooyoung snatches away his controller and curses a little.

“You almost did it, if you just wouldn’t have run into the wrong direction!”

“That might have happened because a certain someone was yelling: “Turn left, the other left. YAH! Right!! Not yet, the next you moron! The other right damn it!” into my ear.”

Wooyoung blushes a little but covers it perfectly with a pillow attack.

Chansung just snickers and lets the fox have his will. It has been two weeks already since Wooyoung has tried to kill him and particularly moved in after and ever since his house is lingered in a penetrant garlic scent. At first he thought Wooyoung must have been joking when he started to decorate his house with this terrible smelling tuber. Every entrance in the house including windows and doorframes became garnished with their own garlic garlands and a silver cross. He would have made fun if he hadn’t seen the dead serious look on Wooyoung’s face. In complete silence he has watched the transformation of his house into a garlic market. Of course he worried how he should explain the drastic changes of the inner deco to his father, but then again his father was a pretty weird and extreme being himself. Nonetheless nothing could have prepared him for the reaction his father would have once he has finished his work that day. After he introduced Wooyoung as a common boy with the same endowment as his who was chased by a vampire, his father loved him. They get along so well that Chansung sometimes wonders if he is the guest in his own home. Finally his father found someone to speak about his foolish naive son, who just begged with his ignorant, careless behavior to be eaten alive. Well Wooyoung couldn’t deny that…

Wooyoung drops down on the other side of Chansung’s bed. Of course he has checked on every protecting item in the room before and sealed the door and window with a self-made spell by Chansung’s father, protecting the room from the entrance of evil.

Every now and then Wooyoung could see a man standing in the garden, just a black silhouette, but he knows he stares at him. On days like these Wooyoung wouldn’t be able to catch any sleep at night, and mostly ended up sneaking into Chansung’s bed. It was a natural fear probably every human being has, seeing a face up-close outside of your windows. For Wooyoung this isn’t just a silly instinctive fear from an earlier time but reality. Someday the shadow in the garden would knock on the window to come and get him and it was just a matter of time and patience of the vampire. Chansung frowns a little as he watches every move Wooyoung does in his room.

“Is he there again?”

He whispers but to his relief Wooyoung shakes his head. He felt at ease but also a tiny bit of regret, even though he knew how bad and selfish those feelings were. If the vampire was close Wooyoung became very vulnerable, he gently crawled below Chansung’s sheet and cuddled onto him whenever there was the slightest noise. Being born with the curse rather gift to see things other people couldn’t, Chansung is very aware of how scary windows can be and the fear of something suddenly popping up in front of it. In fact it is probably one of the main reasons why he ‘accidentally’ had wet his bed for quite a long time. It is also one of the reasons why he prefers to sleep upstairs.

Wooyoung can’t point out when it has happened, probably somewhen in between late night snacks and creepy video games, but he starts to like that human being. Despite their bad first meeting they formed a quite nice relationship with a lot of fun and even some skinship. He thought it would be hard for him to depend on a weak human being but to his surprise it is very easy to trust and rely on Chansung. He has a unique charm which not even Wooyoung could resist and that’s just not right because obviously it should be the other way around!

For tonight there is no shadow lingering over him, ready to blow off his life lights. Though Wooyoung knows way too well if it weren’t for Jeonggam he would be a dried out mummy a long while ago. Not the death of his choice and nothing he ever wants to experience alive.

He feels the glance of the cat as if he senses what he has been thinking. Wooyoung watches with a slight jealousy how Chansung’s big yet soft hand carefully fondles the area behind the ear of the purring cat. It glares at him warily, it never lost its caution towards him. But it has accepted him and he probably should feel grateful for that. Because he knows way too well that all the spells and garlic wouldn’t have kept this or should he say his shadow away for that long. It may irritate the vampire and be a little troublesome, but it isn’t enough to keep away the death that lurks for him in every corner, ready to strike.

He has sensed Jeonggam’s power once before when he had attacked Chansung, but it had been nothing compared to the capability it has developed when the cat spotted the wound on Chansung’s neck the day after. The cat almost killed him! Well probably he deserved it, after he almost murdered his owner. As if the cat knew exactly what has happened earlier, if Chansung wouldn’t have stopped it he would have been cat shashlik, though it does sound like the better end than getting your life out ALIVE. At least he wouldn’t look creepy for the person who has the honor to find him. Because he is sure Jeonggam wouldn’t have let a piece of him entirely.

Despite the fact that he still has a grudge towards him, at least it stops defending Chansung whenever Wooyoung has been around. Sitting with them together on the same bed seems to be natural, especially since Chansung quite often has to share his bed with the scared fox anyway. But those nights never passed without some kind of punishment given by the cat, such as cat claws attacking his . Fortunately never in Jeonggam’s demon body.

“About Jeonggam… You know I still don’t get why someone just simply gives away such a dangerous pet.”

Chansung giggles a little as he looks up directly into Wooyoung’s eyes. He has such warm and huge eyes, but despite the beautiful twinkle when he laughs there is nothing really special in them.  Normal human eyes which shouldn’t be able to see the things he does. There were so many secrets about Chansung Wooyoung still couldn’t understand, while he feels like Chansung knows everything about him. As if his eyes could see right through him, into his dark soul.

“He gave him to me, so I am protected while he isn’t here and since then we’ve been waiting for him.”

Chansung explains, his voice thoughtful and Wooyoung couldn’t help but to worry. The topic obviously is still very sensitive and he doesn’t want to ask if Chansung isn’t ready to share it with him yet. He might been not a really social type of person, especially since he has lived alone for quite a long time, but that doesn’t mean that his senses were dull if it comes to human emotions.

“Who is he? And I thought it was a birthday present?”

But as always his noisiness took the best of him and has different plans. The question just slips out, without Wooyoung being able to resist. He instantly regrets it when he sees Chansung’s face darkens and a familiar pain mirrors in his eyes.

“It was, but also a farewell. Until we meet again…”

His voice sounds a lot shakier and he bites his under lip to keep his composure. Wooyoung isn’t sure if he should tell Chansung the truth about his pet, but on the other hand he wants to be honest with him and it’s not like he has any control about his chatting mouth anyway.

“You know Jeonggam isn’t any demon cat, he is one of the twin cats which protect the-“

But Chansung hushes him before he is able to speak any further. Chansung always has been quite odd, but never rude. Foxes weren’t easily dumbfounded but it does irritate him to be silenced when he is about to share something so important. He is used to Chansung laughing at his silliness, he always has an endless patience if it comes to Wooyoung’s rumblings but he never interrupted him.

“Get up, he is here and if we are late we will miss him. Hurry!”

He explains shortly before he gently lifts Jeonggam up to jump off his bed and storm out of the room. Wooyoung doesn’t even have the time to put on his shoes properly since Chansung just jumps into his sneakers, he doesn’t even bother to take a coat or something with him and so Wooyoung grabs one for him before he stumbles after.

It doesn’t take long until the pretty boulevards and the soft lights were replaced by huge houses, loud noises and lots of asphalt. The streets become brighter, busier the deeper Chansung leads him into the jungle of neon signs. They take a small side street, Wooyoung could only guess it might have been because he refuses to pass the group of young teens he spots ahead. He isn’t quite sure why a human feels the need to choose a road that screams to be the witness of plenty of crimes. Usually this would be those kind of places foxes would hunt, he would feel comfortable at. But not if there is someone on his track and back alleys like this were like knocking on the deaths door frame. Nope this street was covered in dust and filth and the only dim light in this dark and narrow place came from the back entrance of some sort of club. A single blue light pipes above the few steps to the door. Just enough light not to trip, but too less to ensure no one could give himself a golden shoot in it. At least they seem to prefer having the addicts in the club instead of having them outside Wooyoung thinks sarcastically as they pass the door. The loud bass from inside not only hearable but also feelable as it softly shakes the ground.

Wooyoung as creature of the night loves the dark, and darkness never scares him. But this kind of place is different the scent of blood lingers around and he can literary smell the death in every corner. It makes him anxious and he feels insecure.

Honestly those kinds of places were risky enough if you aren’t hunted by a vampire.  For Wooyoung being here seems to be comparable to suicide. It is the perfect place for Taecyeon to lurk for him and kill him and it’s the first time since he met Chansung that he actually questioned the younger’s doing. Maybe he sold him out and this is a trap. It’s the perfect place for one, since he could see the dead end. But Chansung doesn’t seem to notice or care and continued walking towards the high building at the end of the road. Wooyoung finds himself scanning every single trashcan he can make out, who knows what might be hidden inside. And then he hears it, a deafening cry and just some seconds later a dumb impact.

But what scares Wooyoung the most is Chansung’s smile, which slowly crept over his face. It looked indescribably creepy, even for Wooyoung.

“Don’t tell me … someone just …died?”

Wooyoung whispers, still on the edge and not at all soothed by the slowly brightening smile Chansung flashes at him. He has known the boy for two weeks, it does feel like ages though, but he has never seen him like this. Scary yes but so indescribably happy.
It’s not the smile he shows the fox when he wins a game or when he laughs about something hilarious Wooyoung says. Even different from the one that washes over his face when, to his assuagement, his father has come home from his work healthily and unharmed.
Not self-evident due to his father’s dangerous work, especially since this man has a knack for finding trouble. If you haven’t got the skills to see through the magic of spirits, you shouldn’t hunt them. Especially when you actually try to protect and keep your son’s talent a secret and safe.

Of course Wooyoung is curious, but don’t they say: ‘curiosity kills the fox.’
And there is something else, a tiny lump that forms somewhere between his throat and his stomach and if Wooyoung wouldn’t know any better, he would guess it is how jealousy must feel like. But that’s ridiculous, why should he be jealous?! Chansung has nothing he desires, except a vampire-free life. But since he can see things he as human isn’t supposed to, he is very certain that there are at least a dozen other things that hunting the boy and at least one of those might even top a vampire. Just like himself before, why else would he need a demon cat as pet and who the gave it to him?