---

 

1 hour before

 

Jonghyun checked his watch, noting how late into the evening it was getting. Well, it wasn’t that late for him, but he knew that Jinki would be getting off of work soon, and it would be nice to finally be home for once when Jinki arrived.

 

Besides distracting Kibum from doing work, Jonghyun spent a good part of his day at the bar still thinking over Jinki’s words to him. As much as his pride didn’t want to admit, Jinki was right. Jonghyun hadn’t made much of an effort to ‘play nice’ with their new roommates, and Jonghyun knew that.

 

He’d been so used to only having Jinki around, that the sudden change in people around him really made him uncomfortable. As much of a sociable person as Jonghyun could be, he really valued his personal space.

 

However, he was indebted to Jinki. The older vampire sacrificed so much for him that Jonghyun knew he had to at least try — for Jinki.

 

The first step to him was being home on time. It seemed like such a tiny gesture, but he remembered how bothered Jinki was that he was never there. In Jonghyun’s mind, hopefully being home when Jinki arrived would show Jinki that he cared about him and that he would make an effort to be around more, even if he’d most likely be annoyed by Taemin.

 

It’d be in his best interest to get on everyone’s good side anyway, now that he thought about it. He was outnumbered against Taemin, Minho, and Jongin (Jonghyun struggled to remember the other ghost’s name). He wanted to live his life stress-free, and part of that involved his living situation.

 

He sighed as he slowly stood up from his seat. He caught Kibum’s questioning eye as the bartender came back from serving a drink. “I should head out,” said Jonghyun.

 

“Leaving so soon? This is new for you.”

 

Jonghyun shrugged. “Yeah, I gotta be home before my roommate. He lost his key.” Ok, so his lie was partially true.

 

“Oh, ok,” Kibum answered with a dejected look that wasn’t hard to miss.

 

“But I’ll be around,” Jonghyun piped. He was so concerned about Jinki that he didn’t think of how him leaving early could affect Kibum.

 

Wait. Did it affect Kibum? He wondered.

 

The young bartender was so used to having Jonghyun around now. Even during the times where they didn’t even talk or spare a glance at each other, just knowing that Jonghyun was there was so comforting to Kibum. He’d finally made a friend, and he really cherished that.

 

However, he wasn’t a baby, and he didn’t want to be treated like one. He didn’t want Jonghyun feeling like he needed to keep visiting the bar for his sake. Still, Kibum couldn’t help the dark cloud that was forming over him as Jonghyun slowly made his way towards the door.

 

“See you around,” said Jonghyun as he gave a slight wave and gentle smile.

 

“See ya,” said Kibum, barely audible. But of course, Jonghyun heard it.

 

Jonghyun rounded the corner of the bar, opting to take a shortcut through the alleyway. People rarely walked that direction, which was perfect for him because he wanted to be alone. He needed time to himself, this walk being the perfect time, to think of what he’ll do when he gets home.

 

Would it be awkward talking to Minho with him being a werewolf and all? Should he wait to go home after Jinki arrives to avoid the awkward tension with Taemin? Or would it be better to squash everything with Taemin first before Jinki got home? Would he even be able to handle Taemin’s bratty, as he referred to it, attitude without Jinki there?

 

Should he stop by the store and bring some food and beer for Minho? He had heard humans like to bond over drinks. At least, that was something he faintly remembered doing as a human himself. What do humans even eat these days, he wondered. He hoped it would be seen as a kind gesture.

 

However, he also contemplated not going through with that plan because he didn’t want Minho to be offended thinking he was trying to butter him up. To be honest, he had no idea what the wolf’s personality was like. Maybe he was easygoing. Or maybe he was a total . Who knew?

 

What would satisfy a ghost, he wondered as he paused his steps. Two ghosts at that. It’s not like any physical gift would work. Oh, maybe he could buy a CD of one of Taemin’s favorite musical artists and play it for him — oh wait, he didn’t know anything about Taemin either. Did he even like music? He thought he remembered the ghost saying something about being a dancer. Then again, he could be wrong.

 

Jonghyun sighed and shook his head to himself. He couldn’t be annoyed at anyone, but himself for being stumped. It’s not like he made an effort to get to know them anyway.

 

He opted to just go home. He’d figure out something when he got there.

 

As soon as he made the step to continue walking, he stopped in his tracks when he noticed a scent. It smelled too familiar, yet he couldn’t put a finger on it. However, something just didn’t seem right.

 

Soon enough, his questions were answered when two vampires, who he knew very well, came into his view. What now, thought Jonghyun — not ready to deal with The Order’s bull.

 

“Well, look who we have here,” said a figure making his way out from behind a dumpster, a smaller figure soon following. Jonghyun quickly recognized them as being two of the newer Order members he came across before he left. “Keun-Suk’s favorite boy.”

 

Jonghyun rolled his eyes out of annoyance as he sighed. Of course. When would his former ‘leader’ ever leave him the hell alone?

 

He answered calmly, “Chanyeol, Baekhyun. I see you two are still a thing.” He almost smirked as he remembered those two vampires being a part of some of the many rumors that flew around the large vampire estate.

 

Baekhyun, the shy timid vampire who was too soft for this lifestyle. Then there’s Chanyeol, the insecure overcompensating vampire that had more bark than bite. Jonghyun didn’t have too many run-ins with them, but he distinctly remembered trying to avoid them because they were so damn annoying, along with many of the other new recruits in The Order.

 

Too flustered for a comeback, Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol for help.

 

“Still following after Chanyeol, I see,” said Jonghyun. “After being gone for so long, I thought you would’ve found your backbone by now-”

 

“Hey!” Chanyeol cut him off as the two of them walked closer to Jonghyun, “We didn’t come here for that.”

 

Jonghyun quirked an eyebrow. “And what did you come for?”

 

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun in encouragement before Baekhyun responded, “We came to deliver a message from our leader.”

 

Jonghyun leaned his head back toward the sky in irritation before whispering to himself, “What part of leave me the hell alone doesn’t Keun-Suk understand?”

 

Baekhyun piped, “What part of being loyal to The Order don’t you understand? Keun-Suk gave us all a gift, a gift you still possess while you and Jinki run off into the sunset, basically telling The Order to go off. You’re so selfish.”

 

Jonghyun grimaced. “Loyalty, huh? You two have only been in The Order, for what, two years now? Well, I’d been there for ing centuries. I’d been in that well before you guys were even born. So, what the do you think you can tell me about loyalty when you two are still low-level members taking orders from a man who doesn’t give two s about you?”

 

Baekhyun’s voice quivered as he answered, “That’s not true-”

 

“Yes it is. I’d been there long enough to know how it works. If you two are still being sent out on missions like this, you mean nothing more to him than the next victim he wants to drain-”

 

“Enough,” said Chanyeol as he pushed Baekhyun behind him. “We didn’t come here for this and we’re already wasting time. Like Baekhyun said before, we came to deliver a message.”

 

Jonghyun shrugged. “Ok? Being what?” If it had been anything like the previous attempts, Jonghyun already knew. Keun-Suk wanted him back, and the answered would be no.

 

Instead of giving a straight answer, both Chanyeol and Baekhyun reached around their backs, both pulling out what looked like a short metal pipe with razor-like shards sticking out the end.

 

Jonghyun really didn’t have time for this .

 

Chanyeol commented, “A few Order members seem to be thinking that you and Jinki have been a little..... out of line lately. Siwon already paid Jinki a visit, and now it’s your turn.”

 

Before Jonghyun could answer, Chanyeol made a sprint towards him. Swiftly, Jonghyun lunged forward and grabbed the younger vampire by the neck, sinking his elongated nails into the skin, before slamming him on the concrete. Without missing a beat, one of his legs kicked Baekhyun, who was coming up behind him, into the wall.

 

This was too easy, thought Jonghyun. “If you’re going to attack me, you could at least do some training first!” Another reason why Jonghyun knew Keun-Suk didn’t give a about these two vampires.

 

He backed away from Chanyeol as he said, “You still wanna go? I got somewhere to be.”

 

Chanyeol groaned from frustration as he stood up holding his neck, which was healing on its own by then. He glanced over to Baekhyun who was shaking off being throwing into a brick wall.

 

Upon seeing Baekhyun in such a state, Chanyeol was livid. He sprinted toward Jonghyun again, only to be picked up and dropped into the concrete again.

 

“Have you got it in your mind yet?! I don’t wanna have to hurt you,” said Jonghyun.

 

He was really holding back. Why? He wasn’t even sure himself. Maybe because the two vampires reminded him of himself when he first joined The Order. You have to try so hard to prove yourself, to even be noticed by Keun-Suk who made it quite clear who his favorites were. These types of missions usually put one’s rank at risk and being demoted was never an acceptable outcome.

 

Jonghyun backed off again, and from his peripheral, he saw Baekhyun running full speed towards him with the pipe above his head. Baekhyun swung, but missed as Jonghyun dodged his attacked. More swings came as Baekhyun refused to give up, Jonghyun dodging every single one before hastily grabbing Baekhyun’s wrist. He twisted it at the speed of light causing the young vampire to drop the pipe, letting out a painful scream.

 

Before Jonghyun could register it, Chanyeol came flying towards him, sending a kick to his ribs. Jonghyun was forced to let go off Baekhyun’s wrist as flew to the ground, grabbing at his side.

 

Chanyeol didn’t let up, immediately going for another attack, but missing as Jonghyun dodged his oncoming fists and wrapped a tight arm around Chanyeol’s neck forcing him onto the ground. Jonghyun let go, quickly getting on top of him and punching him relentlessly in the face.

 

Now, he was pissed.

 

His attacks on Chanyeol’s face didn’t stop until he caught a whiff of something familiar. His fist stopped mid-punch as he sniffed the air at the familiar scent, a scent he wanted nowhere near the scene.

 

Unfortunately, Jonghyun was so enamored with the familiar smell, that he was too distracted to notice Baekhyun running up beside him with the metal pipe, fully lodging it into the side of Jonghyun’s stomach.

 

The only feeling he could register was pain.

 

—

 

“Hey, Kibum! Take out the trash will ya!”

 

Kibum rolled his eyes extra hard at his boss’s order. Here I am, thought Kibum, busting my making drinks and cleaning up the place while you stay in your office counting money. Can’t even take out the damn trash yourself.

 

Admittedly, Kibum was a little irritable, to say the least. It had been a slow evening, and since he wasn’t working the night shift that night, he was really hoping to have a decent number of customers that evening for a decent pay. At this rate, it would take forever to finally move out of his parents’ house. Just the thought alone was so depressing.

 

He took a deep breath before leaving the bar stand to head to the back exit door where the black trash bag awaited him. He picked up the bag, trying his best to hold his breath because whatever was in there stank badly.

 

He kicked open the back door and made the short walk to the dumpster, aggressively throwing the trash bag inside. He groaned to himself as he noticed some of the ‘trash juice’ spill on his shoes.

 

“I hate my life” he muttered to himself as he made his way back towards the bar.

 

As soon as he reached the door, he halted his steps as he heard what sounded like a tussle happening. Was someone fighting? Did someone need help? Usually in situations like these, Kibum would mind his own business. However, he was curious.

 

He rounded the dumpster, peeking out into the alley until he saw what looked to be a fight between one guy and two others. He rolled his eyes to himself, thinking it was just some drunk idiots again.

 

His disdain soon turned to concern when he saw one of the men run towards the other man with a metal pipe. He was shocked to see the man lunge the metal pipe into the side of the other.

 

Kibum’s blood quickly drained from his face, and before he knew it, he was running toward the men screaming “Hey! What are you doing?! Hey! Get off of him!”

 

And at that, the two men, being Baekhyun and Chanyeol, ran off quicker than Kibum could register. Kibum was absolutely floored. What the hell just happened?!

 

However, he didn’t have time to ponder. Especially when he caught a glimpse of who it was screaming on the ground in pain.

 

“J-Jonghyun?” His voice shook and eyes glistened as soon as he saw his face.

 

He quickly ran towards him in a panic, kneeling down before him as he took in the sight. There Jonghyun was with a metal pipe stuck in the side of his stomach, and blood pooling out the side of his mouth. Kibum felt like fainting.

 

“Jonghyun! What happened?! Can you hear me?!” His cries went unanswered as Jonghyun continued to scream in pain. Kibum grabbed his face hoping to get him to focus on him. “Look at me, look at me, shh.”

 

It was at that moment that Jonghyun wished the myths about vampires not feeling pain were true. Yeah they had super strength, could heal quickly, and it took a lot to hurt them, but anything as traumatic as getting metal lodged inside of your stomach was going to be painful regardless.

 

He was in so much pain, that he couldn’t even understand what was going on. With the metal being stuck inside of him, his body wasn’t being allowed to heal itself properly. Even in his frantic state, one thing he knew was that the metal would need to be removed.

 

He groaned, “K-Kibum-”

 

Kibum quickly shooshed, “No, it’s ok. I’m here. Save your energy, Jonghyun. I’m gonna get you some help,” he said frantically.

 

Jonghyun choked out a barely audible, “T-Take..it..out.”

 

Kibum looked on in horror as fresh tears began running down his face. He was panicking and nothing was making sense to him. “Jonghyun, I think we need to call the cops-”

 

“No! Just take it out!” Jonghyun said with a sense of urgency.

 

“But... It’ll hurt you! Let me at least get an ambulance-”

 

Before Kibum could finish the sentence, Jonghyun’s hands reached up and slowly, painfully pulled out the lodged metal from his stomach. “AHHH!” The metal flew out of his body and onto the concrete.

 

As horrifying and bizarre as the scene was, Kibum couldn’t find it in himself to turn away. His voice quivered, “I think I’m gonna throw up.”

 

With the metal out of his body, Jonghyun should have been able to heal himself. However, due to the sheer trauma his body went through, he was losing more blood than his body could regenerate, causing it to be nearly impossible to self-heal.

 

Kibum reached into his pocket, shakily retrieving his phone. “J-Jonghyun, I have to call the cops-”

 

With the little strength that Jonghyun could muster, he quickly rose up to knock the phone out of Kibum’s hands before reiterating, “No, cops!”

 

Call him paranoid, but Jonghyun had a gut feeling that this was all part of Keun-Suk’s plan. With Keun-Suk being so connected, who’s to say that the cops who would show up wouldn’t be Order members ready to wisp him away back to The Order’s estate? Jonghyun didn’t want to take his chances.

 

Kibum tried to argue back with Jonghyun about how not getting the cops involved made absolutely no sense, but when he saw Jonghyun coughing up more blood, he decided against it. They were losing time.

 

Kibum quickly nodded his head, “Ok. No cops. But Jonghyun, I’m trying to help you. At least let me get you to a hospital. I.....I can’t lose you,” his voice cracked near the end.

 

Call him selfish, but just the thought of his only friend leaving him to be all alone again really upset him. He was finally starting to enjoy life a little more with Jonghyun’s company. As pathetic as it sounded, if Jonghyun left him, who would he have left to turn to?

 

Jonghyun’s vision began to blur, a sign that he needed blood — fast. Kibum was right. He did need to get to the hospital. Not because he needed to have his wound stitched, but because he needed blood, and he knew Jinki was there and would know what to do. He always knew what to do. He just hoped they’d get there in time. He had no choice.

 

He slowly nodded his head signaling that he agreed with Kibum.

 

Kibum cautiously placed one of Jonghyun’s arms over his shoulders. Meanwhile, he hooked an arm around the side of Jonghyun that was not injured. “This may hurt, ok? I’m sorry.”

 

At that, Kibum slowly stood up, clutching to Jonghyun so he wouldn’t fall. Jonghyun screamed and groaned the whole time he made his way up to his feet. His gaping wound ripped a little as he moved.

 

As hastily as they could, they made their way to Kibum’s car that was parked conveniently at the back of the bar. As he was walking Jonghyun to the passenger side, the back door to the bar flew open with his boss walking out in confusion.

 

“Kibum, what’s taking so long-” He halted his words taking in the appearance of Kibum with a bloodied shirt hoisting up an equally bloodied man. “What the hell happened to him?”

 

Kibum quickly explained as he placed a miserable Jonghyun in the passenger seat. “I found my friend like this when I was taking out the trash. He’s hurt so I’m taking him to the hospital. I’m sorry, but I have to leave early.”

 

He didn’t wait to hear a response, quickly running over to the driver’s side of the car. He quickly got in, slamming the door shut, and hightailing it to the hospital. He called the hospital on his way there to let them know to be ready to receive a patient at the ER.

 

 

 

——

 

Present Time

 

Upon seeing Jonghyun laying on that stretcher motionless and covered in blood, so many possibilities popped up in Jinki’s mind. Did Jonghyun get into a fight? Did The Order do this? Did Jonghyun harm a human?

 

Jinki was really confused with the amount of blood Jonghyun was covered in. They could usually heal by themselves, which led him to believe that Jonghyun must have gotten into some trouble if he’s actually losing blood.

 

There were so many questions, but so little time to wonder as the commotion in the ER developed. One thing Jinki knew was that Jonghyun needed blood, and fast.

 

Jinki quickly ordered, “Wheel this patient to ER room 2! Get nurse Choi Minho and tell him to prepare the room for a blood transfusion! I only need one nurse for this operation!” The staff worked quickly to follow Jinki’s orders.

 

Before Jinki could take off, the image of a crying man in a bloodied shirt trailing behind the nurses got his attention. The man was hysterical, and the blood on his shirt, arms, and hands had Jonghyun’s scent all over it. Maybe he could be able to provide some answers he needed. However, there was no time for questioning. He needed to calm the man down before he forced his way down the ER hall.

 

The crying man came up to him, tearfully choking out, “Please save him. Please! He can’t leave me. Is he going to be ok?”

 

The tearful plea caught Jinki by surprise. ‘He can’t leave me.’ Who was this man to Jonghyun?

 

“Could you quickly explain what happened so I can better assess his wound?” Jinki asked, but the man only cried more, not able to give an answer.

 

With no choice or time, Jinki used his ability of persuasion to calm the man down and get him to quickly explain what happened.”

 

He sniffed before saying, “I’m a bartender at the bar Jonghyun likes to visit. I was taking the trash out when I found him getting jumped by two guys. One guy stuck this pipe-looking thing into him and they ran when I came. Jonghyun didn’t want the cops involved so I drove him here.”

 

Didn’t want the cops involved? Jinki pondered. If Jonghyun didn’t want cops, it must’ve been something related to The Order. This was beginning to be a pattern.

 

Using his abilities again, Jinki persuaded the man to relax and find a nurse to get himself cleaned up.

 

Not wanting to waste any more time, Jinki made a sprint to his ER room to find everything in place like he asked. The only nurse in the room was Minho, who looked on in confusion at an unconscious Jonghyun.

 

“Isn’t this your friend,” asked Minho as he wheeled over the blood bags.

 

Jinki nodded and answered as he set up, “Yes, and apparently he’s ran into some trouble.”

 

“Yeah I see. His wound’s massive. What should we do? I mean, how do we help him?”

 

Jinki sighed, “Well, seeing as his wound isn’t healing on its own, he needs blood. He’s unconscious, so we won’t be able to directly feed him blood. We’ll need to give it to him in an IV. That way, it’ll go straight to his blood stream.”

 

“Are you sure this will work,” asked Minho as he handed Jinki the tube and needle connected to the blood bag.

 

“I’m hoping. It’ll take more than one bag though. He’ll need at least four dripping into his blood stream for a quick recovery. I also need some extra bags for when he wakes up because he’ll be very hungry.”

 

“Wait, he’ll be hungry even after giving him so much blood?”

 

Jinki nodded as he injected the first needle into Jonghyun’s arm with more force than normal. “The blood we’re giving him now is acting as nourishment to help him gain consciousness. It doesn’t feed his hunger, and with him losing so much blood, he’ll need food.”

 

Minho nodded as he handed Jinki another tube and needle. “Are you worried?”

 

Jinki gave a slight smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He injected the second needle into Jonghyun’s leg before answering. “I’m always worried about Jonghyun.

 

—

 

Taemin whined in annoyance as he sat in the living room staring out the window. “What’s taking them so long? Jinki and Minho should’ve been home by now. Are they out doing something fun without me?”

 

Jongin chuckled in amusement from his spot on the living room floor, flipping through an old book Jinki had laying around. “It’s no big deal. Maybe they’re stuck in traffic.”

 

Taemin scoffed. “No big deal? The last time they were this late, they came back with another ghost,” he looked pointedly at Jongin. “And that was a very big deal.”

 

Jongin snickered as he flipped another page. Taemin narrowed his eyes as he watched before saying, “How come you can flip through a book so easily, but it tires me out?”

 

“It comes with practice, I guess.” Practice. The word that wouldn’t leave Taemin alone. “I’ve been a ghost for a long time though, so don’t feel discouraged.”

 

Taemin nodded as he looked back out the window. “I’m starting to worry though. I really hope they’re ok.” He looked at Jongin before asking, “Can you go to the hospital for me?”

 

Jongin looked away from the book in confusion, focusing his attention on Taemin. “Go to the hospital?”

 

Taemin nodded. “To check on Jinki and Minho. Maybe they’re still there and will be getting off late. I don’t know. I just need to know they’re ok.”

 

To be honest, Taemin knew he was probably being silly and worrying for nothing, but Jinki and Minho were people he was beginning to cherish now. And even in his former life, he always worried about those he cherished, having a huge fear of losing them. He wouldn’t be able to stop worrying until he knew they were ok.

 

“But,” said Jongin, “I don’t want to leave you alone.”

 

Taemin gave a soft smile. “It’s ok, Jongin. I’m a big boy.”

 

“I know, but I promised to Jinki that I would watch after you. He wouldn’t like the idea of me leaving you alone.”

 

Taemin rolled his eyes. “I’m not some damsel in distress. I’ll be fine. Besides, it shouldn’t take long, right? Just pop into the hospital, search for Jinki and Minho, and if you find them at least we’ll know where they are. Then you can pop right back in here. Simple as that.”

 

Jongin looked at Taemin in amazement. He really knew what to say to have his way. “Ok, but-”

 

“Look, if I could leave the house and do it myself, I would. But I can’t. You’re the only person that can do this for me. Please, Jongin. I really don’t want to have to worry all night.”

 

“What if I don’t find them at the hospital?”

 

“Then I’ll just hope that means they’re on their way home.”

 

Jongin sighed in defeat. Jinki was going to kill him, but he couldn’t say no to Taemin. Not when he looked at him like that — like his life depends on it. “Ok, I’ll do it.”

 

Taemin piped, “Really?”

 

“But if I don’t find them within ten minutes of searching the hospital, I’m coming back. I don’t want to leave you alone for too long.”

 

Taemin groaned, but he guessed he could compromise. He bid Jongin a goodbye before the older spirit disappeared, leaving Taemin alone to a quiet house.

 

He curled up into himself on the couch as he stared longingly out the living room window. He wished so badly that he could go outside. Even in a time of need and urgency, he wasn’t allowed to leave because of the house. It frustrated him so much.

 

As the time passed by, his thoughts turned dark as he thought about how pathetic he was for a ghost. He couldn’t even leave to go to the hospital. What would happen if there were an emergency? He would be stuck in the house helplessly.

 

Soon, the wallpaper in the living room began to rip as the first tear rolled down Taemin’s cheeks.

 

—

 

Jinki paced the room as he impatiently waited for Jonghyun to become conscious. Although it’d been a long wait, Jonghyun was showing improvement. Color was coming back to his skin, his bleeding had stopped, and his would was slowly healing. Instead of a large gaping hole, the wound was now smaller — about the size of a quarter.

 

All that was left now was for Jonghyun to wake up.

 

“I’m sorry about this,” said Minho, his voice bringing Jinki out of his thoughts.

 

“Why are you apologizing?”

 

Minho shrugged as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I don’t know. I just know that it bothers you. So, the only thing I can say is sorry. I can’t imagine what it feels like to have to operate on your friend.”

 

Jinki nodded and gave a smile that wasn’t forced. “Thank you.” He sighed before continuing, “Jonghyun’s always been the troublemaker between the two of us. It’s the same pattern. He gets into a mess and I’m always there to clean it up. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s the closest thing I have to a brother, to family. Even though we fight at times, I still love him and want the best for him.”

 

Minho nodded. “I completely understand. I can relate. Me and my sister were the same way, minus all the supernatural paranormal stuff,” he ended hoping to get a smile on Jinki’s face. He succeeded.

 

Before Jinki could respond, he and Minho nearly jumped upon seeing Jongin appear into the room with a relieved look on his face.

 

“Finally, I found you guys.”

 

Minho and Jinki looked at each other confused before Jinki asked. “What are you doing here? Where’s Taemin?”

 

“Well, I came here because Taemin sent me to see what was taking so long.”

 

Jinki raises his brows in alarm. “You left him alone?”

 

“Not willingly. I’m sure you know how Taemin gets when he’s determined about something.”

 

Jinki knew all too well. However, he didn’t want Taemin alone at all. As bubbly as the younger ghost was, he knew how depressing things could get when Taemin got into one of his moods. It worried Jinki immensely, which was one of the reasons he was so happy they found Jongin. Being alone was not a good idea for Taemin at this moment.

 

“We’re good. Everything is fine. Jonghyun got hurt and we’re taking care of it. You can leave now, and head straight back home.”

 

Jongin nodded before disappearing.

 

Minho watched on in amusement as Jinki rubbed his temples in frustration. It was funny to him how fatherly Jinki could be at times, especially when it came to Taemin. The more they spent time together, Minho was starting to see that Jinki was a natural-born leader. He deserved way more credit than he got with the amount of he had to deal with.

 

At that moment, noises from Jonghyun got the attention of both Minho and Jinki. Jonghyun was finally gaining consciousness, slowly opening his eyes as he coughed hysterically.

 

“Minho, quickly. Get two blood bags for me, please.” Minho made his way to the cart to retrieve the bags and hurried over to hand them to Jinki.

 

“Jonghyun, can you hear me? Nod if you can.” Jonghyun nodded as he looked up at Jinki so relieved that everything worked out. He tried to speak, but his voice was so hoarse and dry.

 

“Don’t speak yet,” said Jinki as he handed the first blood bag to Jonghyun. “Here, drink this first.

 

Jonghyun wasted no time as he punctured the bag with his fangs, quickly gulping down the dark liquid. He usually hated the taste of blood bags, but he was desperate at the moment. Seeing how quickly Jonghyun downed the first bag, Jinki handed Jonghyun the second back to do the same thing.

 

As he finished the second bag, Jonghyun looked down at his stomach, thankful to see that the wound was completely healed. He looked up at Jinki with a grateful expression. “Thanks, Jinki — you too, Minho,” he said as he gave the werewolf a quick glance.

 

Minho eyes widened in shock. Did Jonghyun just thank him? Was he hallucinating? Didn’t the vampire hate him? He was too shocked to come up with a coherent response, “Uh, you’re, uh. No problem,” he ended.

 

“How are you feeling, Jonghyun?” Jinki asked as he handed Jonghyun some wipes for his face and hands.

 

Jonghyun groaned. “I’m sore. My throat hurts like a . I’m still hungry, but I guess I’m alright at the moment. I’m also extremely thankful for my doctor friend’s help,” he ended with a bashful smile.

 

Jinki returned his smile, but it soon left his face as he asked, “What the hell happened to you?”

 

Jonghyun adverted eye contact as he recalled the events that happened just hours before.

 

“It was Keun-Suk. Well, not him literally. He sent Baekhyun and Chanyeol for me.”

 

Jinki quirked a brow. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol? Why?”

 

“To send a message. I’m guessing the message is that Keun-Suk wants me back. I’m thinking they were sent to rough me up, but with Baekhyun being inexperienced, he panicked and nearly killed me. Dumb .”

 

Minho didn’t know any of these people but cringed at the venom in Jonghyun’s voice. It must’ve been pretty serious, and judging by the look on Jinki’s face, the situation was worse than what he and Jinki previously dealt with in their previous vampire attack.

 

“So Baekhyun’s still in The Order,” Jinki said more to himself in disappointment.

 

He hadn’t run into the young vampire much in their large estate, but he did remember talking to him briefly toward the end of Jinki and Jonghyun’s stay there. When the rumors went around about his and Jonghyun’s departure, Baekhyun had privately asked to speak with him. He voiced his concerns about being in The Order, and how he’d only stayed in it because of Chanyeol.

 

Jinki, being the nice person he was, gave him as much advice as he could. He encouraged Baekhyun to find his voice, and unknown to Jonghyun, even offered to help him escape if he needed it. Unfortunately, Baekhyun never accepted the offer, too scared to leave Chanyeol.

 

So, it was disappointing, to say the least, for Jinki to hear that Baekhyun was still involved with The Order.

 

Jonghyun nodded, “Yeah, and so is his boyfriend, or whatever he is to him. Honestly, if Keun-Suk really wanted to send a message, he would’ve sent someone up to my skill level. I could’ve killed both of them easily if I wanted to, but I held back.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you did. Knowing how cunning Keun-Suk is, he probably wanted you to kill them, so he’d have a reason to come after you.”

 

“Sorry to interrupt,” said Minho, “but why would they come after you? If you killed them, then it would’ve been because of protection, right?”

 

Jinki answered, “In normal circumstances, yes. However, Order members are protected under Order Law. They’re very different from other vampire covens and have the highest rank. If anyone attack or killed an Order member, The Order has a right to summon you to trial and either kill you or enslave you. It’s really complicated.”

 

“And you’re saying this Keun-Suk person purposely sent someone weaker than Jonghyun so he could easily kill them?”

 

Jinki nodded. “Yeah, it’s a theory. If he killed them, Keun-Suk would have the right to summon Jonghyun to trial. Knowing him, it wouldn’t be a trial. He would probably give Jonghyun an ultimatum to rejoin The Order.”

 

“No offense, but why are the two of you so special to him that he won’t leave you alone?”

 

“Well, it’s more Jonghyun that’s the special one. They’re bothering me because I’m attached to him. Also, because I was a doctor for The Order and the humans at the hospital I previously worked at. So, I was a huge supplier of our blood stock. As for Jonghyun....”

 

Jonghyun piped, “As for me, even I don’t understand what makes me so damn special. I guess it’s because I’m one of the original few he turned. He feels like he raised me and acts like he owns me. It’s sick. I despise everything about him-” he stopped as his throat became dry and again and he coughed endlessly.

 

“Minho, could you get a few more blood bags. We’ll need some extra ones for home as well. We may run out with the amount we already have.” Minho nodded before leaving the ER room to wheel more blood bags.

 

Jinki turned his attention back to Jonghyun. He slit his wrist as he said, “Here. I know it won’t do much, but it’ll help subside you.” Jonghyun almost declined but Jinki cut him off saying, “I’m not taking no for an answer.”

 

Sighing, Jonghyun grabbed Jinki’s arm and sank his teeth into his wrist. No blood would ever be as good as drinking live from a human, but Jonghyun was thankful to Jinki for offering himself. He didn’t drink from him much, only in emergencies, and it did help subside his hunger.

 

When he was done, he retracted him fangs and wiped his mouth saying, “Thanks.”

 

While waiting for Minho’s return, Jonghyun asked, “Is Kibum still here?”

 

“Who?”

 

“The guy who brought me here. Kibum. I want to thank him.” Without Kibum’s help, Jonghyun didn’t even want to think where he would be right now.

 

“The bartender?”

 

Jonghyun nodded. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

 

“I saw some guy covered in blood and crying. I think he was the one who brought you in. He said he was a bartender and found you in a fight with two guys.”

 

“Yeah, that’s him.” Hearing that Kibum was so hysterical really bothered Jonghyun. He’s put the young bartender through so much in the past couple of hours. He probably scarred him for life.

 

“Is it the same bar that you and Taeyeon went to?”

 

Jonghyun groaned, “Why do you have to bring that up-”

 

“Jonghyun, why are you still going back there? Back to the place where everything happened? Keun-Suk may have cleared your name, but the case isn’t closed. Do you think it’s wise to keep going back there?”

 

Jonghyun knew Jinki was right. It wasn’t smart to keep going to the bar, especially since that’s the last place Taeyeon was seen. However, he couldn’t help it. He was just drawn to it, out of guilt maybe. But also, he couldn’t lie and say he didn’t look forward to seeing Kibum too.

 

“And who is that guy to you?” Asked Jinki.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, for him to say to me ‘He can’t leave’ you must mean something to him.”

 

He really said that, thought Jonghyun. It came as a surprise to him. Yes, he and Kibum had established that they were friends, but he didn’t think he was that important for him to say that. Then again, he did leave his job and drive him to the hospital covered in blood.

 

But of course, he didn’t want Jinki to know too much about their friendship. After what happened with Taeyeon, Jinki was on edge whenever it came to Jonghyun and humans, and for good reason. So Jonghyun had to downplay the situation.

 

He answered, “He’s no one special. Just someone I met recently. Since I go to the bar a lot and he works there, I see him often. That’s all.” Well, it wasn’t a complete lie.

 

Jinki narrowed his eyes, not believing anything Jonghyun was saying. Jonghyun whined, “Jinki, I don’t have the energy to argue, ok? I just want to see him and thank him for bringing me here. If it weren’t for him, I would probably be dead by now.”

 

At that, Jinki sighed in defeat. “Ok, but I’ll be standing right outside the door. I can’t risk anything.”

 

“Ok, that’s fine.”

 

“We gotta get you to look the part though. You can’t just walk out of here. That wouldn’t seem realistic with the type of wound you came in with. You need to change into a hospital gown, and I’ll wheel you to a room. And remember, when you talk to him, you have to sound weak and tired, not full of energy. He would be very confused.”

 

Jonghyun nodded at everything Jinki was saying, just happy that he agreed to let him see his friend.

 

Minho came back in with blood bags as Jinki was detaching the four needles from Jonghyun’s body. Jinki grabbed one bag and handed it over to Jonghyun.

 

“Here, one more should last you. Minho, could you hand me a hospital gown and wheel over a new stretcher bed. We’re taking him to a patient room. I also need to new IV drip.” They really had to make it look like he’d just come out of surgery to avoid questions.

 

Minho came back with the gown and stretcher. Jonghyun quickly changed and handed his clothes to Minho for him to put in a bag. Jinki helped Jonghyun get on the stretcher, setting up the IV drip and taping it to Jonghyun’s arm with medical wrap, pretending that the needle was actually in his arm.

 

After making sure everything looked believable, they finally wheeled Jonghyun out to a new room. The nurses passing by looked relieved the see the patient in stable condition.

 

They finally got to the room and set Jonghyun against the wall in the middle of the room.

 

Jinki spoke, “Jonghyun, you’ll need to at least stay overnight and get discharged in the morning. I will come get you in the morning, ok?”

 

Jinki turned to Minho saying, “Let the front desk know that patient Kim Jonghyun is ready for visitors. I’ll meet you in the locker rooms.” Minho nodded before leaving.

 

Jinki continued. “I know I said I’d stay after to guard you talking to your friend, but it’s getting pretty late, and even though Minho doesn’t want to admit it, he’s tired. I can tell he’s trying his best to stay up at this point.”

 

Jonghyun chuckled. “Yeah, even though he’s a werewolf, he’s still human I guess. Gotta get his rest.”

 

“And so should you. We’re vampires and don’t have to sleep, but sometimes sleep does some good. You could use it after a day like this.”

 

Jonghyun nodded, “Yeah, you’re right.” He wasn’t sure if he’d actually sleep, but he did appreciate Jinki’s concern.

 

There was a knock at the door before it open to reveal a puffy-eyed, red-nosed Kibum. Jonghyun’s smile dropped at the sight indicating Kibum had been crying. He probably cried the whole time.

 

Jinki, like the true pro he is, his best ‘Dr. voice’ and gave Kibum a gentle smile before saying, “Ah, nice to see you again. Thank you so much for bringing in Jonghyun. His wound was pretty serious, but because of how soon you got him to us, he shall make a speedy recovery.”

 

Kibum smiled, “Really?” His flashback of Jonghyun’s wound made him unsure of the statement.

 

Jinki chuckled warmly. “Yes, really. You probably didn’t know this, but Jonghyun here is a good friend of mine. He really means a lot to me, so I’m very grateful that you were able to get him here.” And Jinki really meant it. If anything were to happen to Jonghyun, something irreversible, Jinki would lose it.

 

“Um,” said Kibum, not knowing what to say. “No problem.”

 

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I’ve got to get home since it’s getting late. Jonghyun, remember. I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, bye,” said Jonghyun as he shooed the elder vampire away.

 

Once he was finally gone, the silence engulfed both Kibum and Jonghyun, neither knowing what to say.

 

Kibum pulled up a chair and sat next to Jonghyun as he mused, “He’s picking you up tomorrow?”

 

“Ahh, yes. He’s my roommate. Well, one of my roommates.”

 

Kibum raised a brow. “Your roommate’s a doctor? Wow, that’s interesting.”

 

Jonghyun nodded and it was quiet again. Kibum was extremely grateful that Jonghyun seemed to be ok. The doctor said he’d make a speedy recovery, and he’d even get discharged in the morning. However, something about the whole situation bothered him. Just what exactly was that back there?

 

“Are you on the run or something? Or like in a gang?” Kibum asked the question that caught Jonghyun completely off guard.

 

“Huh?”

 

“I mean, you were pretty adamant about not getting the cops involved. Jonghyun, you were punctured with a metal pipe for Christ sake, and you didn’t want to get the police involved. Those guys that did this to you should be arrested. People like that shouldn’t be out in the streets. Who were those guys, Jonghyun?”

 

Kibum’s questions came like rapid fire, and Jonghyun was not prepared to answer them. How was he supposed to tell him that he didn’t want the cops involved because some were connected to a secret vampire society that lived to make his life a living hell?

 

He also couldn’t explain that Baekhyun and Chanyeol were vampires sent by the guy trying to make his life a living hell.

 

“Kibum, it’s nothing-”

 

“Don’t lie to me,” Kibum’s quivering voice caught Jonghyun by surprise. He had no idea why the human was getting emotional.

 

“Kibum-”

 

“I saw you laying there screaming in pain, covered in blood. I saw you rip out a ing pipe from your stomach. You lost so much damn blood and you yelled at me not to get the cops involved. I saw you pass out in my car on the way to the hospital. So please, Jonghyun. Don’t tell me this is nothing.” Tears began to fall relentlessly down Kibum’s face. “,” he said to himself in frustration as he tilted his head back, hating being emotional.

 

Jonghyun was not expecting so much emotion from Kibum. It kept hitting him like a wave washing over him. The stress of the situation finally hit Kibum like a ton of bricks. He’d tried his best to keep himself together, but having Jonghyun act like the situation wasn’t the scariest moment in his life really threw Kibum in for a loop.

 

“I’m sorry,” said Jonghyun. “I’m so sorry, Kibum. I’m sorry you had to be put through this. I really owe my life to you. Thank you so much for saving me.”

 

Kibum put his head down and stared at his lap as he sniffed, trying to get his emotions together. It was embarrassing for him to lose himself like that. It’s not like he and Jonghyun had been friends long. However, seeing anyone on the brink of death really put things into perspective.

 

Seeing that he didn’t get a response, Jonghyun reached out, groaning as he moved from soreness, to grab one of Kibum’s hands. Kibum lifted his head to look at both of their hands together.

 

Jonghyun noted how warm his hand felt, and how sweet Kibum’s blood scent smelled in the room. He silently thanked Jinki for feeding him because he didn’t know how long he would’ve been able to last in a room alone with Kibum’s loud smell. It was so inviting, but thankfully, his urges were under control for the moment.

 

He reiterated as Kibum finally looked him in the eyes. “Thank you. I really appreciate you and what you did for me. I’ll spend forever trying to repay you.”

 

Kibum have a fragile smile, warmed that Jonghyun appreciated what he did for him. “You’re welcome. But... what the hell was that, Jonghyun? What happened?”

 

Jonghyun sighed. “I guess I do owe you the truth, especially after everything you went through today.” Or at least his version of the truth. “I used to be involved with some really bad people. I recently left them, and those guys are still trying to ruin my life. Revenge I suppose. So those two guys you saw were sent to rough me up.”

 

Kibum used his other hand to cover his mouth in shock. “Omg, Jonghyun. You’ve got to tell someone able this. The cops-”

 

“Won’t do anything. That was another reason why I didn’t want you to call. They have connections, that’s all I’ll say.”

 

“But-”

 

“Kibum,” Jonghyun have a reassuring smile, “It’s ok. I’m ok. You saved me, that’s all that matters.”

 

Kibum dropped his head again as silent tears came again. He whispered, “I can’t help, but to worry about you. You’re my only friend. I don’t want you to leave me.”

 

Jonghyun’s brows scrunched in worry. “I’ll never leave you-”

 

“Don’t you ever do this again,” Kibum snapped with a tear-stained face looking up at Jonghyun. “You’re not allowed to ever do this again, ok?”

 

Jonghyun nodded, “Ok. I’ll never do this again. And I’ll never leave you. Best friends forever, right?” He said with a cute expression to cheer Kibum up.

 

Kibum smiled some before nodding. “Yes, BFFs. But seriously, Jonghyun. That was scary. I never want to be put through that again. If you’re in trouble with people, let me help you. Don’t go through this alone, ok?”

 

Jonghyun nodded before he saw Kibum standing up and detach their hands. “Where are you going?”

 

“Nowhere,” said Kibum as he went to retrieve a blanket. “I’m sleeping over.”

 

“You can’t be serious. It’s getting late. You should be heading home.”

 

Kibum scoffed as he came back to sit in the chair with his blanket wrapped around him. “I’m not leaving you here alone. Your doctor friend said he’ll get you in the morning, so it’s only one night.”

 

“Kibum, I’ll be fine. You should really get home. Your dad-”

 

“I don’t care about my dad right now. I care about my friend getting better, and I’m not going to leave you alone.”

 

Jonghyun was flattered, but he did worry about the younger’s family. From what he gathered, they’re a lot to deal with.

 

“There’s not even a place for you to sleep.”

 

“I’ll sleep in this chair. No problem.”

 

Jonghyun looked at Kibum like he’d gone insane. “That chair doesn’t look too comfortable. Your back will definitely be hurting in the morning.”

 

“Nothing you say will change my mind, Jonghyun.” So, Kibum was a little stubborn, Jonghyun was getting to see. But it only intrigued him.

 

“Well, you could at least sleep up here. There’s room,” he said as he gestured to the space left on the bed he was laying on.

 

Kibum froze as he said, “But there’s not much room.”

 

“There is, see?” Jonghyun scooted over closer to the edge of the bed to make room. Even with the extra room, they would still be cramped up together on the bed.

 

Kibum gulped at the thought. “But I’ll hurt you.”

 

“Not if you lay on my right side. The injury is on the left.”

 

To be honest, as selfish as Jonghyun wanted to be to use this as an excuse to get closer to the attractive bartender, he really was worried about Kibum. The only other place in the room to sleep in was the chair the younger was sitting in. It wasn’t that big and looked like it was a sore back waiting to happen.

 

Although the bed wasn’t that big, it was a better option than the chair. And if Kibum insisted on sleeping over, Jonghyun was not going to allow him to sleep in the chair. He could be stubborn too if he had to.

 

Kibum eventually agreed, tired of putting up a fight. He really didn’t want to hurt Jonghyun anymore than he already was. However, he could see from Jonghyun’s point of view how he wouldn’t want Kibum sleeping in the chair all night.

 

Kibum carefully made his way onto the bed, being extra careful not to hit any of the wires connected to the machines. Jonghyun shifted so Kibum could have the majority of the pillow.

 

As soon as Kibum settled next to him, Jonghyun got a strong whiff of Kibum’s sweet scent, so strong it made his eyes roll. He let out a low groan to get himself together.

 

“Did I hurt you,” Kibum whispered, mistaking the groan for pain.

 

Jonghyun whispered, “No, you’re fine. Are you comfortable?”

 

Kibum nodded. He was a bit awkward, not knowing what to do with his hands, so he folded them into himself. Jonghyun was in the same predicament, putting both of his hands behind his head. Then he became self-conscious about having his armpits near Kibum’s face, so he settled with folding his hands on top of his chest.

 

It was quiet for a while before Kibum spoke. “I’m sorry for crying so much. I can be a bit dramatic at times.”

 

Jonghyun chuckled. “It’s ok. Don’t apologize. Emotion is good.” Sometimes he wished he was a little more emotional than he was.

 

“It’s embarrassing,” Kibum whined cutely into the pillow.

 

“It’s admirable,” said Jonghyun as he stared at the ceiling lost in thought.

 

“Admirable?” Asked Kibum as he looked up to see Jonghyun. Jonghyun turned to lock eyes with him, noting how close they were.

 

Blood rush to Kibum’s face in embarrassment as he blushed, sending a wave of the sweet scent directly to Jonghyun’s nose. He shifted his legs uncomfortable as he noticed a slight problem growing between his legs.

 

The last time this happened was with Taeyeon, and before that, was when he was with The Order in the blood dens. It was hard to explain, but the smell of blood could easily confuse hunger with arousal. He never had a problem with it before because whenever this happened, he was usually in the situation where he was getting his arousal ‘taken care of.’

 

However, at the moment, he and Kibum weren’t expected to take care of anything. They were just lying in the bed next to each other. Completely innocent, right?

 

Before Jonghyun could contemplate over it any longer, Kibum said, “I’m getting sleepy,” as he snuggled more into Jonghyun’s side.

 

Jonghyun closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he tried desperately not to think of the problem between his legs. It was kind of hard not to with Kibum snuggling his scent into him.

 

“You should go to sleep, Kibum. Today was a lot.”

 

“But I don’t want you up alone,” he ended in a yawn.

 

“It’s ok. I’m sleepy too. So, I won’t be too long behind you.” He really wasn’t sleepy, but he didn’t want Kibum staying up all night waiting for him to sleep, which probably wouldn’t happen.

 

“Are you sure,” Kibum asked as his breathing already evened out into a slow steady breath of slumber.

 

“I’m sure, Kibum. Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight, Jonghyun.”

 

And like that, Kibum was out. Jonghyun was left to his thoughts and his still growing problem between his legs.

 

 

—

 

After getting booted from the hospital, Jongin quickly popped back into the house, eager to share the news with Taemin. For a new ghost, Taemin sure did worry a lot and Jongin wanted to change that.

 

Upon reaching the living room, Jongin found Taemin in a distressed state. There he was crying on the couch folded into his knees as the wallpaper ripped and the lights flickered. What happened?

 

“Taemin?” He called out his name but didn’t get a response as Taemin continued to weep.

 

Jongin walked over to the couch and sat on it. Against his better judgement, he slowly wrapped his arms around Taemin before bringing him into a tight warm hug. Taemin jumped in surprise, but immediately melted into Jongin’s arms upon realizing who it was.

 

He could never get used to the feeling of skinship in the afterlife, but it was something he welcomed.

 

“I saw Jinki and Minho. Everything is fine. Jonghyun got hurt and they’re helping him out. Everything is ok.”

 

Taemin sniffed before rubbing his eyes. “That’s good. I hope Jonghyun is ok.”

 

“Was that why you were crying?” Taemin shook his head no. “Then why?”

 

Taemin whispered, “Just forget it. It’s stupid.” He made an attempt to move out of Jongin’s arms, but Jongin held him in place.

 

“It’s not stupid if you’re crying. What’s wrong?”

 

Taemin became worked up again as he explained, “I just feel so pathetic and useless. I can’t even leave the house to help my friends. I’m still stuck in this house because I’m too stupid to understand what happened with my death. I’m just over it, Jongin.” He broke down again into his knees, wanting to disappear forever.

 

Seeing Taemin like this made Jongin understand more why Jinki didn’t want the younger ghost alone. Taemin’s so full of energy and life, but as soon as he’s left alone, his thoughts seem to turn dark and it really affected him.

 

“You’re not pathetic, Taemin. You’re definitely not useless. Just because it’s taking you a little longer than you want to figure out things, that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. Look, there’s no rule book to the afterlife. Everyone’s journey is different. But that’s why I’m here. To help you through your journey. I’m going to make you a promise. I promise to never leave you alone, and that we’ll get through this together. Everything is going to be alright. Ok?”

 

Taemin nodded into his knees as he sniffed. “Why are you so nice?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

He really didn’t know why. If anyone had met Jongin in his previous life, him and the word nice would not even be associated in the same sentence. He was never like this in his former life, especially with other males — him being raised in a homophobic environment. Any ounce of sympathy shown towards another male would have you with a target on our back.

 

The only person he was like this with was his baby niece, and that’s only because she was tiny and adorable. But what about Taemin? What made him so special? He wasn’t tiny, but was it because he was also adorable?

 

He didn’t know. A part of him didn’t care to find out. He just knew that whenever the younger cried or doubted himself, he wanted to make him feel better.

 

And that’s what he would do. He’ll continue to be there to Taemin whenever he’s needed.

 

---

Back with another update! Way sooner than I expected lol. Hope you guys enjoyed! Please comment :)