There’s no trace of Wonho anywhere in the house. ChangKyun walks to his room the moment he sees that the silver haired vampire is no longer behind him. He knocks and waits for a response, yet there’s none. He knocks again and opens the door just slightly at first, looking at the bench in front of the piano and the bed, as both are empty he steps in. The room is empty, the iridescent man nowhere to be seen.

Just like the first night in the house, Changkyun sits down on the bed and looks around the room. He loses track of time, staring first at the door and then at the dark corner next to it, waiting for a surreal form to merge out of the shadows. Unfortunately he realizes the waiting was in vain when he wakes up the next morning in Wonho’s bed. His sleep was restless and dreamless and he feels like he hasn’t slept at all and in half asleep state he saunters downstairs.

The atmosphere in the kitchen is heavy, but no one asks anything, even Minhyuk holds back from any teasing comments. It’s oddly quiet compared to the usually loud bickering and chatter and ChangKyun excuses himself from the table after he forces down a toast and half a cup of coffee. He makes his way to the library, the golden letters of a book slightly out if it’s place catching his attention. The mocking curved letters of “Dracula” seem eerie and evil and ChangKyun wishes he wouldn’t have touched the book, or better yet - he would have just enjoyed the god like visuals his eyes had witnessed and kept his mouth shut.

His day fades away in check up rounds between his room, Wonho’s room and library. During one of those his bed in the dark, secluded room seems a bit too inviting and Changkyun sinks in another dreamless sleep cycle. The next day goes on by the same scenario - awkward breakfast and wandering around the house in search for the silver haired vampire with no success. The only difference is minor, as ChangKyun forces himself in a shower, but it doesn’t change the weird feeling he has in his chest. The water doesn’t wash it away and settling in his bed doesn’t change it either.

It’s the same feeling he had when he wandered around the streets of a shabby neighborhood across the city. He was hiding in love hotels and cheap cockroach possessed rooms from his past chasing after him and the same feeling of wandering and not knowing where to go and what to do had crept back on him again. Like he was once more kicked out a place he could call home, no matter how weird and even disturbing the place was. Logically thinking, this feeling made no sense right now, but it didn’t keep it away.

ChangKyun’s lids get heavy around 1AM and he doesn’t fight back the slumber attacking him. He accepts it, expecting another dreamless pass-out till the morning, but the very second his eyes fall shut, they open again. The night-light is on, illuminating the room in dim honey-like light and ChangKyun sits up slowly, knowing well enough he had turned the lights off. He turns to the desk and chair on his left and he can swear he hears himself gasp.

Wonho is sitting on the chair next to the desk. He is wearing a simple white t-shirt with a cardigan thrown over it, his legs clad in simple tracksuit pants.His hair is a beautiful silver mess and and his eyes… his eyes seem endless and sad and ChangKyun, despite everything he can’t even explain, want’s to walk over to the man and spark those eyes back to life.

“I can,” the man says out of nowhere and for a second Changkyun is startled by his voice. “I can enter dreams,” he ads and suddenly everything makes sense in ChangKyun’s head - everything the ‘dream’ Wonho has said and done. It all made perfect sense now.

“And I am utmostly sorry for using this ability of mine in abundance.” the vampire continues and ChangKyun wants to stop him, but instead he allows him to continue, giving every single word his full attention.

“This might seem like a cheap excuse, a justification for unjustifiable actions, but, please, hear me out,” the silver hair requests and ChangKyun nods. “When you have lived for a millennium,” the vampire begins, “your soul can’t be spotless. You have seen so much grief, suffering, pain and betrayal by all races, all genders, all ages and social hierarchies, it’s shame you don’t get old and forget it all. It’s almost a curse to always remember it all.” Wonho’s eyes see far and almost empty, yet full with every single emotion at the same time, traveling to all he has lived through.

“At one point, sooner than anything, you see your family passing away one by one. It doesn’t take that long on the scale of a millennium for you to witness the death of someone you love,” there’s a short, sad smile on Wonho’s features before he continues. “At one point you live through madness and hatred so great, your hands have more blood on them from those few years, a decade maybe, than your entire existence together.” His eyes go to his hands and he is silent for a good minute, the room being ominously quiet.

“After that, sleep is just an illusion filled with grotesque and surreal nightmares that could drive a person insane,”he lets out a sarcastic laugh, “doesn’t work if one has seen worse with his very eyes, done worse with his own hands.” he adds, his eyes still on his hands. “So escaping to someone else's dream is always a better option. It’s like a window to the world which allows me to watch without interacting directly,” he finally reaches the main point of his monologue and it seems it’s not a bit easier than the introduction.

“When I scared you the first time we met, I thought I could use the dream to prove I am not that scary, nor am I dangerous to you and in that way know more about you as well. I was used to always being a face in a crowd or one in a group of people when being in a dream, but yours - there I was, just myself right where I am right now,” he smiles softly, light slowly returning to his eyes. “I wasn’t a monster, I wasn’t a stranger, I wasn’t an extra in a mass scene - I was myself.” he lets out another small laugh, this time more heartfelt than the one before and looks at his hands for a second before looking back at ChangKyun.

“So I used it. I used the chance to be myself, to be seen as nothing less and nothing more but who I am. I didn’t alter a thing, I didn’t even think of doing so as the beautiful simplicity of your dreams was a perfect sanctuary. And above all, the pureness of your dream self was all one could wish for and more. You mere presence in the dream or in reality was all one could wish for and more,” his gaze is soft and warm and ChangKyun feels himself leaning closer to the inviting scent of an autumn breeze.

“I have so many things to apologize for. For using you to cure my own night terrors and give me few hours of sleep during the day where I can just remember your dream. For running away when you asked me because I was scared of your reaction and now…” he lets out a sigh “and now for telling this to you in a dream and not face to face.” he ends his explanation and ChangKyun’s hands are twitching, heart beating fast in his chest and breathe getting caught in his lungs.

“Can you wake me up?” ChangKyun finally speaks and Wonho’s eyes go sad again as he nods. “Please, wake me up,” rushing his words Changkyun says and the moment he blinks his eyes he wakes up in the absolute darkness of his room. Instantly, he jumps out of the bed, almost getting tangled in the blanket in the process and flings his doors open. He near runs out it the hallway in nothing more but his pyjama bottoms and a tank-top and makes way to Wonho’s room as fast as he can without running. He’s determined to say something, to do something, even though he wasn’t sure what exactly that something was.

He stops right in front of the door and knocks on the dark wood with no hesitation. The human does get confused and disoriented for a second when the doors open and Wonho is standing in front of him in all his glory, but he snaps out of it quickly. Bravely he takes a step into the room, making the vampire to step back, and places his hands on the pale cheeks before moving a step closer, pressing his lips against Wonho’s and the whole world stops in the right way.