Sanghyuk's eyes were blown wide as he gripped Hakyeon's shoulder, trying him to pull him back as the elder wrapped his fingers around Taekwoon's throat. The youngest man had been aroused by the commotion outside his room and found Hakyeon pinning him to the wall, eyes red and fangs bared. Taekwoon was kicking, trying to pry the hands from his neck. He tried to choke out Hakyeon's name, to beg for him to stop but all that escaped his lips were a few broken syllables. One moment he had been walking to his bedroom, and the next he was being cornered by the elder, who usually never laid a violent hand on any of them. Even when he was disciplining his fledglings after their untimely creations, when they were all mad with hunger (which they all had been at some point), he simply preffered to allow the carnage to take place until they calmed down and saw rationality or other punishments such as confinement. But never had he tried to hurt them before.

He was too panicked; his vision too hazy to notice Ravi and Hongbin darting around the corner. The elder of the two clenched his fists at his side as Sanghyuk whipped round, pleading with them both to come and help him before Taekwoon lost consciousness- which was happening rapidly as the vampire's eyelids fluttered closed every few moments, struggles getting weaker. His fingers were trying and failing to claw at Hakyeon's hands and arms; even his face, simply slipping off his as the digits became numb. "Hakyeon, what are you doing?!" Ravi sprung forward, fangs lowered. He raced towards them. Hakyeon hadn't appeared to have heard his cry, too preoccupied with suffocating Taekwoon. Of course, cutting off his air supply wouldn't kill him- it would do a lot of damage though. A crushed trachea never healed and, if it did, his lover would probably become mute from the damage caused when his gullet splintered and damaged his vocal chords. He would also be garunteed lifetime of breathing problems too, similar to severe asthma. 

His hand curled into a fist and he released a feral growl as he slammed it into the apple of Hakyeon's cheek. The elder stumbled to the side, inadvertently releasing Taekwoon and allowing the younger man to fall into a heavy heap on the cold floor, spluttering and gasping for air. Hakyeon whirled round, a deep scowl contorting his handsome features. "Have you gone mad?" Hongbin demanded as he rushed forward to help Taekwoon get to his feet.

"Go back to bed, Hongbin," the elder barked, jumping to his feet "This doesn't concern you!" He made to storm forward once more but Ravi stopped him, getting in his way and raising a warning finger to the elder's chest. "Don't even think about it," he snarled, eyes glowing a fierce gold. He heard Sanghyuk gulp somewhere behind him- nobody talked to their master like that. Not one of them, and he knew it. His gaze snapped to Taekwoon as his lover's breathing began to even out. "Are you alright?"

The dark spots that had been initially invading Taekwoon's vision cleared and he looked up at Hakyeon with bleary eyes, trembling slightly from shock. "Why?" He croaked, voice hoarse from the pressure that had been applied to his neck. But Hakyeon never answered him; instead, he spun round to hiss at Ravi, making the younger man flinch back at the sudden, threatening movement. It was bestial.

"Maybe you can provide an answer since Taekwoon seems so incapable." He took hold of Ravi's wrist in a vice-like grip and lunged forward, grabbing Taekwoon by the collar of his shirt, yanking him closer despite Hongbin's effort to keep him on the floor.

The younger vampire cried out as he was shoved back, falling into Sanghyuk, who tried and failed to catch him before they both hit the ground, skidding along the floorboards before colliding with the opposite wall. "Hakyeon!"

*********************

There was nothing to pad his fall as his back hit the floor; cold, wooden planks. It sent a jolt through his body and he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as a sickening dizziness swept through him. But that was forgotten when he heard Taekwoon moan softly next to him. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly, wincing as he rolled over to link their hands tightly. He looked around and, for a few seconds as he fumbled through his disoriented state, had no idea where they were. Then he realised- Jaehwan's studio. The thick, velvet curtains, the dim light, the fireplace, the stench of the oil paint and the lead pencil shavings... Yes, that's exactly where they were. 

Taekwoon didn't answer, staring off into the space in front of them blankly until Ravi cupped his cheek, turning his face towards him. "Hey," he mumbled "Are you alright?" Taekwoon stared back at him without moving for a second before his hand trailed up to his neck, gingerly thumbing round the light purple marks beginning to form there. "Why would he do that?" He whimpered.His voice was broken, softer...scared. Ravi wasn't used to the elder sounding so vulnerable. He looked so hurt after what Hakyeon had just done. 

Ravi sighed heavily and propped himself up on his elbow, attempting to keep his somewhat keep hisoutward composure despite the chaos ensuing in his mind. Thoughts running wild, crashing into one another like waves. "It..." He gulped hard "It'll be alright." He couldn't say he believed his own words but Leo seemed to at that moment, trying to shuffle closer in need of some sort of proximity. Or maybe the proximity was needed because he didn't believe him. Ravi didn't know. But, still, he repeated "It'll be alright."

The sudden, ominous sound of the door creaking open and another body hitting the floor seemed to contradict his uncertain lie though as their heads snapped up to see Jaehwan curled up in front of them, holding his head as though he had been hit by some force. Hakyeon stood over him, fangs still bared "Good, we're all here." He stalked towards them and Ravi felt Taekwoon tense beside him, slowly sitting up and attempting to put distance between himself and their creator. He kept his grip firm on Ravi’s hand, forcing him to crawl backwards slightly. 

But Hakyeon, as always, noticed. His lips curled upwards into a snarl and he raised his finger, beckoning them back towards him. A sudden force wrapped round them both and squeezed ever so slightly, keeping them frozen in place and preventing them from distancing themselves any more. “Ah, ah,” he chided them gently, his expression soft and passive. Somehow, Ravi found it more terrifying than his display in the corridor. “I’m not done with you yet.” Before either of them could react, they were dragged across the carpet, the force pulling them apart as they were thrown to their knees at Hakyeon’s feet either side of Jaehwan. Despite himself, Taekwoon couldn’t help but shoot the younger vampire a dark glare which, unsurprisingly, caused Jaehwan to wither slightly.

Hakyeon arched an eyebrow, his mouth set in a thin, passive line. Ravi watched him through his eyelashes in an attempt to read his facial expressions- every twitch, every falter; every shift. The elder moved somewhere behind them, disappearing from their sight for a few moments before coming back with a canvas in his hand. He held in up, gazing at the work etched onto the flat side while the hollow face was tilted upwards towards the ceiling. “This is a beautiful piece, Jaehwan.”

"Thank... Thank you."

"How on Earth did you come up with such an... imaginative composition?"

Jaehwan's throat went dry and his eyes visibly widened a fraction. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, gaze darting betweeen Ravi and Taekwoon. But both avoided his eyeline, instead choosing to stare at Hakyeon as though he would strike at them if they were to look away. 

"Hakyeon, is there really any need for this?"

Everybody turned to see Hongbin and Sanghyuk stood in the doorway, cling ing onto one another's hands. Nobody knew how long they had been there- whether they had seen everything or had just arrived- but Hakyeon rolled his eyes. "What do yout think of this, Hongbin? Sanghyukie?" The youngest cringed at the nickname, not hesitating to avert his eyes to the drawing being shown to him. Beside him, Hongbin tensed, and he winced as the grip on his hand tightened. The elder's large eyes were wide with horror as he gazed at the work. "Jaehwan... How could you?"

"Enchanting, isn't it?"

Taekwoon sighed heavily and made to stand up, having finally recovered from his shock. "Hakyeon, it is not what it-"

"Ah, ah, ah, hold on," the older vampire tutted, raising his leg and pushing Taekwoon down with his foot. "None of you are leaving until I get an explanation." His eyes flashed red once more, in clear warning. Then he raised the drawing, showing the three of them the picture for the first time. They each winced. Taekwoon had worked out what it was long before but it didn't stop the sight of the damned thing reminding him of that night. A cold chill ran up his spine and he shuddered. 

Hakyeon shifted his attention to Jaehwan, who bowed his head so low his chin touched his chest. "Do you know what this is, Jaehwannie?" The elder's voice was too silky, too gentle... there was a storm coming. Jaehwan's eyes flickered upward briefly and he his lips, hesitant and unsure of what move to play. He whispered something, barely audible. Hakyeon cleared his throat "I'm sorry?"

"No..."

For some reason, Ravi felt the urge to wrap his arms round the elder. He seemed so small and fearful at that moment. He was sure he saw his limbs trembling, not much but just enough to be noticiable if one looked closely enough. He was still trying to seem brave. "No," Hakyeon clicked his tongue before turning to Hongbin and Sanghyuk with a light laugh. "He said 'no'," he chuckled as he spun back round. However, the laugh was humourless and his eyes were dark. 

"This is a ographic shred of ersion!" He suddenly screamed, launching the cavas across the room, where it flew into the easel, knocking it over. The corner of the drawing grazed the fireplace and small flames began to at the frame. Sanghyuk started forward to put them out quickly but Hongbin held him back- there was no use in risking aggravating Hakyeon further.

Suddenly, there was a loud slapping sound and both looked down to see the elder with his hand raised. Jaehwan was covering his cheek with his palm, eyes wide and watery. "Hey!" Ravi scowled. This wasn't the Hakyeon he knew, this had to be somebody else. Strangling Taekwoon? Striking Jaehwan? Hakyeon didn't know the half of it and, still, he reacted this way... How dare he? Of course, Jaehwan deserved punishment for what he had done but that was his and Taekwoon's responsibility. 

"Do not start with me, Wonshik!" The elder snapped, pointing a finger at him accusingly "You two must be involved too! You deliberately disobeyed me! My only rule!" He was frantic; ballistic. He let out a distressed sob and spun round, flipping the armchair upside down as he began a rampage around the room, throwing paints onto the floor and spilling the contents, launching tables... all while the drawing burned. Almost all of Taekwoon's form had been devoured and now the ruthless flames had moved onto their next victim.

He whipped back round, an insane glint in his eye "I bet you liked it, didn't you? This... This... Sin!" His shoulders heaved as he surged forward, grabbing both Taekwoon and Ravi by the hair and forcing them to turn to one another. They were almost nose to nose with how close they were held together. Taekwoon grimaced as the raven strands at the back of his head were yanked out of his skull and gazed at Ravi with shining eyes. 

Ravi felt his ches tighten as he forced himself to hold eye-contact with his lover, attempting to keep his expression impassive. But the harsh grip Hakyeon had on him made it difficult to keep his composure. In Taekwoon's eyes he saw fear- but it wasn't the selfish kind though. It was the kind that derived from a sense of helplessness, an inability to protect something; of something dear being exposed to the world. 

"Hakyeon, stop!" Sanghyuk once more made an effort to come forward but, again, Hongbin held him in his place.

"Let them go, Hakyeon. They would have broken now, if they were lying," he attempted to reason "Jaehwan is the one at fault here. And besides, it's been destroyed now."

The elder's head snapped up and he snarled at them both, but released Taekwoon and Ravi all the same. He straightened up and swallowed thickly, arching an eyebrow at Jaehwan. All the madness of but a few moments prior seemed to have been forgotten. "I will deal with you later." Jaehwan, who had his back to the display this entire time, stiffened and nodded gingerly. 

"And you two," Ravi and Taekwoon both looked up at him through their eyelashes. But Hakyeon wasn't looking at them. His piercing gaze was on Hongbin and Sanghyuk, who tightened his grip on the elder's hand. 

"I want them separated."

Soooooo.... Hi.

Long chapter, a little intense?

Do you think Hakyeon is justified? I mean, they broke his only rule.

Do you think Jaehwan is sorry for what he did or just sorry he got caught?