The basement was bright as Yoongi looked down on Jungkook’s sleeping face. Flickering wall sconces danced and washed his pale skin in their gentle warmth. With his acquired vampire status, the new hue was a stark contrast to the deep red carpet under them. It was nice in a way.

               “Kookie,” he whispered, reaching over to brush the backs of his fingers against the nearest cheek. He always seemed so peaceful in sleep that it was almost a shame to wake him.

                Jungkook’s face crinkled in quiet protest. He made a small groaning sound in the back of his throat and turned away to hide his closed eyes from the light.

                “Are you going to sleep the whole day away?” Yoongi asked, settling his hand on the other man’s shoulder and shaking gently this time.

                “Yoongi,” Jungkook complained, curling up into a tighter ball as he fought to stay asleep.

                “Childish,” Yoongi tsked, shaking his head. “Fine. If I have to eat alone, I will.”

                “Bring me back a blood pack,” the other vampire mumbled through barely parted lips, his voice nearly lost in the carpet.

                “You’re lucky I like you,” the elder vampire snorted. Despite his intentions though, he lingered a little longer, drawing soothing down Jungkook’s arm. He knew he should go, he was hungry after all, but the thought of leaving his side made Yoongi’s gut start to twist uncomfortably. Looking up, he saw the fire in the fireplace burning low and figured he should probably add some more wood. But something seemed… off.

                Despite the warmth, Yoongi suddenly felt a chill. “Kookie,” he whispered, leaning close and shaking harder this time. “Get up,” he encouraged, the playful tone in his voice gone.

                “Huh?” Jungkook chirped, hearing the shift. “What’s wrong?” he wondered, blinking forcefully as he tried to focus.

                “I don’t know,” Yoongi admitted as he felt… fuzzy. Like the edges of his body were not as solid as they should be. He stood up to look around and his vision blurred when he blinked. One second, he was in the middle of the large room. The next, he was standing in the doorway, looking at himself and Jungkook from a distance.

                Yoongi’s face hardened with narrowed eyes, one hand stretched out like he could sense something nearby. Jungkook edged closer, moving back-to-back with a more uncertain look on his face. “What is it?” he asked, obviously aware something was wrong.

                The Yoongi in the doorway made a sound. He was sure of it. But he didn’t know what he said. His other self and Jungkook looked at him in wide-eyed alarm. “Stay there!” his other self commanded, one hand reaching out like it was casting a spell.

                It might as well have been. Yoongi couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. But he watched what was happening. All the lights dimmed and went out, casting the room into darkness. Yoongi could still see in the dark though, where a shadow moved. It was fast and quiet with burning brimstone eyes. Another shadow followed. Humanoid but amorphous. Shifting. Dangerous.

                No, he thought, wishing the word would escape his lips. Even though he knew Yoongi and Jungkook could see them too, he needed to give some kind of warning! No! The thought echoed in his mind as the shadows moved, convening on the two in the middle of the room.

                His other self moved first, faster than either of them. He grabbed Jungkook and pushed him back before extending both hands at the shadows. Power flared like a cresting wave and they stalled in the air before he called out, “Jungkook. Light!”

                Jungkook flicked a lighter to give them a source. Small though it was, in the darkness of the room, it created living shadows that started to writhe from the ground, reaching towards the two creatures.

                Demon. Yoongi knew the one by its eyes. Brimstone and shadow. It shrieked and thrashed, forcing the other Yoongi to focus on it more. The shadows slowed and the second creature started to shift, something that shouldn’t have been possible. His other self shouted something but the word was strange, muffled. Yoongi thought he should know it. He didn’t. Instead, he just felt fuzzy. Itchy. His skin crawled and fear s around his chest, tightening like a constrictor.

                “Watch out!” Jungkook lunged, dropping the lighter while his cloak emerged. Desperately, he interposed himself between Yoongi and the other creature as it broke from the invisible hold. His cloak pulled tight and folded around him like a shield.

                “NO!” Yoongi shouted, shoving the demon away with a frantic motion. It crashed into the wall with a loud thud, crumbling plaster raining down around the creature.

                Jungkook’s shield cracked as monstrous claws ripped into it and pulled. He screamed.

                Yoongi wanted to. The constrictor tightened and his vision went fuzzy.

                The other Yoongi jumped over Jungkook and slammed into the second creature, his cloak emerging in an array of impaling tentacles. They both fell down and he pinned the being to the ground with a snarled, “STAY!” It stopped moving completely. Whatever it was, Yoongi was stronger than it.

                Yoongi saw it was down but his eyes were on Jungkook. The demon was still free and Jungkook was dazed. Overwhelmed and off guard… Fear clawed at his throat like it was trying to escape. Behind you… He couldn’t warn him. The demon. No… NO!

                “Yoongi!” Jungkook choked before looking down at the clawed hand jutting from his chest. He reached to grab at the head biting his neck.

                Wide eyed, the other vampire turned to look, face a portrait of horror and fear. “NO!” Yoongi keened, his form losing shape as he moved like fog. Cloak spines pulled away from the other creature, leaving it unbound.

                Yoongi’s vision grayed and his stomach lurched when he heard bone crunch with a strangled cry. “Not again,” he whispered, clutching at his chest with his hand. Sobbing echoed in his ears, an agonizing sound of denial and pain. His edges blurred and he clenched his eyes tight. “Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up,” he commanded himself. “Not again. Please not again,” he begged, convulsing as he felt himself coming undone. “Wake up!” he screamed, digging his claws into his chest…

                …

                …

                …

               Yoongi opened his eyes with a sharp inhale. Dark hair greeted his sight and he swallowed hard, fighting the gut reaction of the similarity from the dream. If he was truly awake, Jungkook was still sleeping. Wary, Yoongi looked up with slow care, scanning the bare walls of the basement to make sure he was free from the nightmare. Same boring stone walls and pillars. Same dim electric wall lights. No fireplace. No carpet. No creatures. Just him and a blissfully unaware Jungkook.

                Swallowing again, he closed his eyes and leaned forward, taking a deep breath of Jungkook’s scent. There was no scent like this in the dream space and it helped ground him once more. When he was younger, Jonghyun used to eat that nightmare. As he got older, he stopped having it. Much. It was always a similar version, though he was usually standing in the doorway. The room remained the same but the people and the situation changed. Usually, they were people he knew… those he might call friends. Often, they were simply talking and the dream ended before he got to the rest. But with no Baku present, they tended to run their course, leaving him… unsettled at the end. This was the second time he’d started in the middle though, and the first being that close to someone. It physically hurt that it had been Jungkook. He took another deep breath and held the other man tighter. This had been the worst one and he hated it.

                One more breath helped the tension start to bleed out of him and Yoongi exhaled quietly. Jungkook stirred and laughed once when it tickled the back of his neck. Yoongi froze, half-afraid he’d wake up. After a moment, Jungkook stilled once more and Yoongi closed his eyes in uncertain relief. When he opened them again, he lifted himself enough to look down at Jungkook’s profile. It was an appealing sight but too much like his first vision from the nightmare. A chill ran up his spine.

                Carefully, he pulled his arm out from under Jungkook’s head and then turned his attention to their clasped hands. Yoongi’s stomach twisted while his heart thumped as he saw their fingers were intertwined now. He rubbed at his slightly itchy chest and didn’t know whether to be happy, confused or frustrated about it. “So stupid,” he whispered as the itch turned into a dull ache. The backs of his eyes burned and he muffled a scowl of disgust while he looked away. It was then he saw Namjoon sitting on the stairs in the stairwell, hands folded together loosely while he watched him.

                Neither of them said a word. Yoongi could almost imagine he was just keeping a watchful eye on them, but there was something about the way Namjoon’s gaze lingered that said his presence was something more. It made Yoongi a little nervous. He hadn’t been here like that for any of the other turnings. The younger vampire met his eyes though, expression impassive despite the turmoil he felt from the nightmare. At last, the Coven Leader nodded once before silently standing and heading up. Yoongi made a face and then turned his attention to freeing his other hand as carefully as he could.

                It wasn’t half as easy as it should have been. Jungkook kept making small noises in his sleep and shifting as if he was trying to hold on. Each time, Yoongi had to pause to make sure he wasn’t going to wake up and it felt like it took forever to escape. Once free, he… fled. There was no point in denying it and Namjoon would only press him harder if he did. As it was, the elder vampire was waiting for him just outside the basement door.

                Yoongi paused as he saw the snow haired vampire leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed as he waited patiently. “Take care of him when he wakes up,” he mumbled, ducking his head as he tried to walk past.

                “Yoongi,” Namjoon called, his voice low but serious.

                When Yoongi didn’t pause, he was forced to. He looked down and shivered at the very real shadows holding him in place. Fear nipped at him quickly and he had to tamp it down with pain. His pointed nails dug into his palms, breaking the skin. “Namjoon,” he whispered, his voice emerging with the barest of quivers. The shadows fell away as quickly as they’d appeared and he had to fight not to slump with the relief it brought.

                “It’s your job to take care of him, you know,” Namjoon reminded the younger vampire, his voice a normal conversation tone.

                Yoongi his lips and nodded once, but he didn’t look back. Instead, he said, “I need to see Yejin.” Self-consciously, he rubbed at his chest again. It wasn’t itching but the phantom sensation he’d experienced in the nightmare remained. It made him nervous and uncomfortable.

                Namjoon’s sigh was loud in his ears. “Alright. But Jungsu will go with you.”

                “Joonie,” he groaned, tempted to look back. He didn’t but his head tilted showing he wanted to.

                “That’s an order,” he stated simply, leaving no room for discussion.

                Yoongi’s shoulders slumped and he nodded once, forcing his hands to relax. “Fine.” Without another word, he started walking, assured that Jungsu would be along soon enough. At least with the other vampire in tow, he’d have something else to focus on besides his guilt at leaving Jungkook and his personal frustration with the whole situation.

                Waking as a vampire was both familiar and new. The sensation of coming back to consciousness felt the same but as soon as Jungkook opened his eyes, the differences started to sink in. First, the room was brighter than he remembered and he squinted against the light. At the same time, it smelled quite different. Like shadow if it had a smell. And fire. Though both were very faint. And something else that gently tickled his nose. He scrunched his face while trying to identify it and turned to ask, “Yoongi-” The other vampire wasn’t there. An unwelcome pang of sadness and disappointment shot through him.

                “Something came up,” a different voice announced, stepping into Jungkook’s vision.

                “Namjoon,” he whispered, focusing on the Coven Leader as he tried to hide his hurt. For his part, Namjoon seemed apologetic in his approach, hands stuffed into his jeans and shoulders slightly hunched.

                “Vampire,” he added as he drew closer, pausing a few steps away to look down at him.

                “Huh?” Jungkook blinked, sitting up in an effort to gather his senses as everything felt strangely off-kilter.

                “What you’re probably smelling right now,” Namjoon clarified. “Shadow, fire, and magic,” he explained, ticking the three distinct scents off on one hand.

                “Oh,” the new vampire hummed, ducking his head with his hands clasped in his lap. He knew that. Yoongi had explained as much. Vampires were born of shadow and fire and, like all magical creatures, touched by magic. Which meant he had as much in him now too. The realization was enough to make him open his hands to inspect them, turning them over so he could see both sides. His skin was paler than he remembered. And it felt… strange.

                “How do you feel?” Namjoon asked as he moved to carefully take a seat beside him.

                “Different,” Jungkook answered slowly. Everything was different but it was hard to put his finger on. Not the least of which was partly because he was having a hard enough time focusing. His gaze dropped to where Yoongi had been with him last night and he couldn’t help the twist of uncertainty that lodged in his belly. He might have dwelled on hit longer, but Namjoon grabbed his wrist gently and turned it over.

                “Your wound has healed nicely,” he explained, tracing a line down his arm where the skin looked untouched.

                Blinking in curious surprise, Jungkook inspected the patch of skin as he pulled his forearm closer. Fingertips traced over the smooth surface before he looked up at the Coven Leader. “You cut me here?”

                Namjoon nodded in mute agreement. “It’s a good sign the scar is completely gone. You really were ready,” he smiled in quiet satisfaction.

                Jungkook ducked his head in a familiar embarrassed motion but was surprised when he didn’t feel the usual heat that accompanied it. “Huh?” he chirped, raising his hands to touch his cheeks curiously. Namjoon’s chuckle made him look over with his hands remaining where they were.

                “Your blood flow works a little different now,” he reminded the younger vampire. He moved his hand to tap on his own chest. “Go on. Feel your heartbeat.”

                When he did as he was told, albeit reluctantly, Jungkook flinched in surprise. He knew what the change was supposed to be but it was still a startling thing to feel his heart beat at a nearly nonexistent pace. “Wow,” he blinked, eyes widening while his mouth quirked to the side.

                “You haven’t been breathing much either,” the elder vampire chuckled with an honest smile.

                Jungkook frowned as he focused on the sensation of breathing. He was right. There was no ‘natural’ inhale and exhale. Unless he actively took a breath, like he did when he wanted to speak, he didn’t feel the need to breathe. It wasn’t exactly like holding his breath, but it did instill a vague sense of panic in him. His next inhale was a reactive gasp and he flinched.

                “Easy,” Namjoon soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him. “You’re not a human anymore so those fears will take some time to get over.”

                It was the reactive fear that made him clench his fists and look around, genuinely upset that Yoongi wasn’t there in that moment. He opened his mouth as if to say something but was interrupted again.

                “Your fangs are showing.”

                “What?” he gasped, hands flying to cover his mouth before his fingers prodded at sharper than usual points. “Eh?”

                “You’re probably hungry,” Namjoon explained with a meaningful gesture towards the stairs. “Why don’t we get you something to eat?”

                Jungkook covered his mouth with his hand again and nodded slowly. As he stood up to shadow Namjoon, he couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Yoongi?”

                The Coven Leader paused with a quiet sigh. He might not have heard it if he’d still been a human. “He’ll be back later. Don’t worry. He’s fine,” he promised with a reassuring nod.

                “But why…” he trailed off, not wanting to sound whiny or clingy.

                Namjoon’s smile was sad but understanding. “You’ll have to ask him when he gets back.”

                It was not the answer he wanted to hear, but Jungkook knew it was the only one he was going to get right now. Probably. Besides that, he really was hungry though. And unsettled. And unsure about anything now that he was something new. “Why does it feel like I weigh less?” he wondered distractedly.

                “You’re stronger than you were before. And faster,” the elder vampire answered. He held up a hand to stall him before he could try something. “You can test it out later. First, you need food. And your mentor.”

                His brief euphoria faded quickly and Jungkook sighed. “Right.”

                “Come on, youngling. One thing at a time,” Namjoon soothed, slinging an arm around his shoulder and guiding him up the stairs.

(a/n: Hey guys. I know my updates have been pretty spotty lately and for that I apologize. I've been trying to get ready to change jobs and move countries and yeah... it's been busy and distracting. haha With the move coming up, I may or may not have much chance to write in the near future but I hope I'll find some time to make it happen. Please bear with me if I can't. I will do my best regardless. I do hope that you're all still enjoying the story and if you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them. Otherwise, thank you for taking the time to check out my story and happy reading with whatever strikes your fancy. Thank you!)