Chanyeol’s fingers trembled as he reached out and grabbed the wine glass, he tapped a nail against the glass and enjoyed the soft ring. The liquid splashed near the side as Chanyeol clinked his glass against Kris’s before they both raised it to their mouths, he hesitated but then thought ‘’ it and downed it in one go. He held back a groan as first the revolting flavor hit, but then his insides clenched painfully, like someone was stirring his intestines. A series of sharp pinches traveled inside him as the drink settled and seeped into him. He shuddered and bit down on his tongue, waiting for the pain to pass.

“Jesus,” He gasped, the pain was slowly fading, but Chanyeol didn’t think he would ever forget what it felt like to drink that nasty substitute for blood. “Warn me next time!”

Kris chuckled before taking another sip of his own drink. “You get used to after a while, just don’t drink it all at once, you’ll definitely regret it.”

“Really now?” It was a little too late for that.

Chanyeol could hardly believe that he was here in the club right now drinking this horrendous excuse for blood, all because he didn't have the heart to eat the snack he’d been looking forward to all along. Baekhyun had somehow managed to crawl his way into Chanyeol's head, corrupting every thought and tainting it with human-like ways. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing, thinking like a human, it gave Chanyeol a sense of calm paired with the warmth of nostalgia.

He sighed as he gave Kris a glance before cupping the glass in his hands.

“How often...do I have to drink this?” Chanyeol says, a shiver crawling up his spine. The thought of ever drinking this repugnant liquid again was revolting, but the little human voice in him that had grown louder since meeting Baekhyun tells Chanyeol to do it. A part of him wants to be blood free because reflecting on it now, he thinks the person he's become is one that he never wants to know. This careless person who doesn't even consider a life precious was one he does not want to be. Maybe with the drink, Chanyeol could become the silly human he had once been because regaining the happiness young Chanyeol had was a price worth paying for a gross drink.

Kris didn't speak, instead running his finger around the rim of his glass. “You could probably last a month without blood if you have a glass a day,” Kris says softly, almost uncertainty, there was doubt laced into his voice, but Chanyeol wasn't going to listen to it.

“Okay, well, I'll be back for another, tomorrow then,” Chanyeol stood with a lopsided grin, one he hadn't shown in a long time. Kris was looking at him like he was about to say something more, but he shook his head and tugged up one side of his lips.

“Good luck,” Kris says sadly, and if Chanyeol would've turned back to see Kris say it, then he would've noticed the elder’s trembling fingers or his dilated pupils or the slight lisp from his fangs, but Chanyeol was blinded by the thought that maybe, just maybe he could be human again.

If it was for Baekhyun, he could.

--

Chanyeol hurries home, for once ignoring everyone on the streets in favor of thinking about Baekhyun, curled up on his couch as he flips through the tv channels, bored and hungry as he waits for Chanyeol’s return. There's a pep in his step as he eagerly climbs into the elevator and patiently waits for the climb before almost skipping down the halls and opening his apartment door. He closes the door and walks in, a little surprised that Baekhyun isn't up, but he quickly pushes the thought away as his feet carry him to his bedroom, half expecting to see the smaller rolled up in the comforter and whining like Chanyeol had learned was normal for Baekhyun to do as he slept.

He blinks at the white sheets that are neatly pulled up, the bed is neatly made with Baekhyun nowhere to be seen. There was a weird feeling crawling between his ribs and finally resting in his heart, it was...empty. With blank eyes, Chanyeol looks around again, not quite believing that Baekhyun had left because this wasn't something he had considered. Baekhyun was supposed to stay and let Chanyeol use him as he wished, he wasn't supposed to just leave like this.

Chanyeol sits on the empty love seat, faintly remembering how Baekhyun had sat across from him the day before, feet perched on top of the glass coffee table as he lounged back, laughing at the tv as the contestants on the cooking show scrambled around and tried to complete their mission. His laugh still rang in Chanyeol's ears, even though all he could hear was silence, overwhelming silence. It was driving him insane, Chanyeol decided after sitting for who knows how long with his thoughts plunged into the past. The setting sun had been replaced by the soft moonlight now, barely illuminating the empty living space.

So much time had passed, and yet Chanyeol couldn't help but dwell on how little he had actually had. Even though Baekhyun had stayed for less than a week, Chanyeol already felt like Baekhyun was a piece of a puzzle that he hadn't known was missing, because even if he smelled heavenly and tasted godly, something in him recognized him for more than that, and that's what was making him feel again. It feels like Chanyeol's been trapped in a freezer and left for dead, but just when he was close a hand timidly reached out and pulled him into a hug, a gentle hug then slowly warmed him back up, just enough so he can see the reality of it all. Now he's been stripped of the little warmth left, almost like it was never there.

He wonders if maybe the warmth he had felt was just his imagination, maybe his last bit of hope had been conveyed into something that wasn't there, and now he was realizing that it's all fake. Chanyeol now realizes that maybe everything he thinks about Baekhyun is silly, but he feels it, and it's real, even if Baekhyun never comes back to fully warm Chanyeol, he still made a difference, he still warmed a little piece of Chanyeol that is now melting, and if Baekhyun's here to experience it, then Chanyeol thinks that maybe he'll be able to forget that freezer he was locked in, instead remembering the warm little sun that decided to show its rays when Chanyeol was beginning to lose hope.

im sorry this chapter is so short, ive been really busy this week and i havent have much time to write :/// 

but ill try to have the next chapter up by sunday since things shouldnt be as busy anymore

anyways thanks for reading and ill see yall next chapter 

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