002

“How do I navigate these feelings?  The ones, which I cannot have, yet have began to swallow me whole every time I think of you, over and over again.”

“Are you sure about this?  I thought you hated taking this and that it gave you reactions the next day.” 

Hoseok is hesitant because he just knew this was definitely not going to end well.

“I’m sure.  Do it quick before I chicken out and change my mind.”

Yoongi swallows as his only vampire friend (only friend in fact), Hoseok lends him one of his sun protection serums and he begins hesitantly injecting it into Yoongi.  Yoongi’s eyes instantly glow red as the needle enters his blood stream.  With the serum, it means that Yoongi can be the sunlight for a grand 36 hours before burning to death.

Yoongi had no parents or anyone to defend him when he was growing up.  He was what other vampires referred to as an Invalid.  He had lived in the slumps, unregistered on the Vampire Protection Agency’s list (VPA) and treated like a slave by the gang of vampires he had been kidnapped by to work for.  It is a dull and cruel life that Yoongi has long accepted.

Yoongi never had the luxury of the sun protection serum, which is provided to all vampires who were registered by the VPA and abided by their rules.  The VPA were kind of like the government and police for all vampires.  If any vampire broke any rules, they would be the ones to lock them up.  Yoongi never cared much for rules so although being an Invalid had its restrictions, at least he wasn’t forced into living a life chosen by the VPA.

And maybe because he wasn’t too accustomed to using the serum growing up, the once in a while rare chance where he was able to obtain some, he had tried to use it, only to find himself getting rashes and his whole body swollen the next day.  It was unusual, considering vampires were meant to be fast at self-healing.

“You’re crazy.  Don’t come complaining to me afterwards.”  Hoseok notes that Yoongi can be twice as grumpy if he ends up covered in rashes so he finds it strange that Yoongi wants to go through this. 

“Just living life Hoseok.  We all need some fun sometimes.”  But he says it more to convince himself than Hoseok. 

He thinks back with a frown to when Sooyoung had called him ‘no fun’.  Yoongi is usually laidback and isn’t a competitive person but something stirred in him when Sooyoung said those words to him.  It was as if she was a dangling a carrot in front of him to see if he would take the bait. 

It is just that Sooyoung’s invite was so tempting.  And for some reason, he could not bring himself to say no.  This was really starting to become a bad habit of his, saying ‘yes’ to everything that Sooyoung asks him. 

- - -

The summer is sizzling, which is probably no different from any other summer. But this time it is sizzling on Yoongi, who hasn’t been in the summer sun for as long as he remembers.  But here is, armed with the sunglasses he stole from Hoseok, an old black cap he found in the bottom of his drawer and dressed in long-sleeves and black jeans.

He is glad for the sunglasses and silently thanks Hoseok.  He forgets how bright the sun is, since Yoongi is more accustomed to working and living in the nighttime. He realizes he doesn’t enjoy the glaring sun beaming relentlessly over him.

Sooyoung had told him that she would be sitting near the beach café and he spots her pretty fast, in her oversized white t-shirt and shorts, already sitting on the beach, facing the ocean.

Sooyoung smiles at him the moment she realizes that it is Yoongi walking towards her.  And with her smile that reached all the way to her eyes, curving into half-moons, all the regret he had for coming into the sunlight had melted instantly. 

Yoongi doesn’t know if Sooyoung’s in a better mood because she is the beach, but he notices that she is a tad more cheerful than usual, humming as she takes out her old sketchbook.  And