Ryeowook blinked once, twice, then he shook his head, trying and failing to recall properly what had happened. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yes, I don’t know. Can’t we talk tomorrow?”

Kyuhyun looked hesitant, uneasy even, but he still nodded, finally letting go of Ryeowook’s hand. The hand immediately felt empty, but Ryeowook instead focused on opening the sash on his robe, fumbling with the strings for a good while before he could finally take it off, followed by the robe. He was surprised to find Kyuhyun take it over, hanging it on the wall, right next to his black robe.

“You’re going to sleep, too?”

Kyuhyun nodded, gently ushering him to the bed. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

“Total transparency,” Ryeowook warned, though he didn’t think it came over as a threat because he had to yawn in between, greatly diminishing the planned effect.

“Of course.”

They got onto the bed and Kyuhyun’s arms once again wrapped around him securely, pulling him in for a goodnight kiss.

☆ ☆ ☆

When Ryeowook woke up, he knew that Kyuhyun was already awake before he opened his eyes. Kyuhyun’s body was too tense for him to be asleep, so Ryeowook didn’t even try to pretend still being asleep. He opened his eyes slowly, worried when he saw Kyuhyun’s pensive expression and he had an immediate feeling that this was still connected to the day before.

“Hey,” he called out softly, smiling a little when Kyuhyun blinked, seeming to return to reality.

“Good morning,” he greeted back and pressed a brief, absent-minded kiss on Ryeowook’s lips, somehow making the younger one worry even more.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Turning to the important questions right away, huh?”

“You look like you’ve been thinking about that none-stop, so how can I not ask about it?”

“You just woke up.”

“I’m a prince, I was raised with the duty to take care of important decisions at any time of the day, and if the people are dear to me, I won’t mind making such decisions even before getting up.”

Relief flushed through him when he saw Kyuhyun actually smile at that argument, but his expression turned serious just a moment later. “Then let me ask you again: did you tell them my name?”

“Wait, them?” When Kyuhyun nodded, Ryeowook vaguely remembered the man in black and red having said something while facing away from Ryeowook. How could he not have noticed that there had apparently been two or more people? Slightly distraught, he shook his head, though. “I don’t remember. I was so shocked and just so…” He searched his brain for a nice word, but when he couldn’t come up with anything, he dropped the pretense, “I panicked and I felt completely frozen. I don’t think I said anything, but it’s probably just as likely that I was reciting the classics or mumbling your name or something else… Why do you ask?”

“Because they knew my name.”

Ryeowook’s eyes widened. “What?”

Kyuhyun nodded, looking as uneasy as Ryeowook felt. “They knew my name and even seemed to know exactly who they were looking for. But that’s not the only thing that seemed strange to me. I was certain to have an eye on you, I knew that there was someone coming to a stand between us, but in the short time that I needed to end the conversation, you disappeared and that black and white clothed man came up to me. But the strangest thing about it? He immediately talked to me in Korean.”

Ryeowook’s heart skipped a beat and his hug tightened, his hands clutching the fabric of Kyuhyun’s undershirt. How could that be? How could someone instantly link them together and know that they were from Korea and even know their names? Had the guards found them already? How was that possible? Even he and Kyuhyun had just reached the town recently and there had never been a sign of the guards following them through the woods, but could it be them nevertheless? Yet if they were guards, they certainly wouldn’t have let him and Kyuhyun leave just like that, would they?

“Who are they?” he whispered and to his complete surprise, Kyuhyun actually had an answer.

“They are the two vampires who live nearby.”

“What? They..?” But how could they know? Had they been keeping an eye on them? And did that mean that at least one of them was from Korea or that they had travelled to Korea sometime not too long ago? If that was the case, did they know who he was? And did they know that he had run away?

“The one who was dressed similar to me said that we could seek them out if we need anything from them, and since he didn’t specify where to meet them, I’m certain they either know that I’ve been asking around, or they know that we already paid a brief visit to their place. And I’m not sure which version I prefer.”

“Why don’t we go find out today?”

“Today?”

Ryeowook nodded. “Why drag out the inevitable? We can’t stay here much longer, and since it doesn’t seem like we have any other options, let’s learn about them quickly so we can also make a decision on whether we’ll stay or move on.”

Kyuhyun hesitated, but then he didn’t seem to have any other ideas either, so he agreed with a nod, the uneasiness never leaving.

☆ ☆ ☆

They decided to go near dawn, arriving at the mansion much faster than they had the first time, since this time they knew where to go. Ryeowook was surprised at how calm he was at the prospect of meeting those two strangers, especially compared to Kyuhyun, but at the same time, he kept on thinking about how the other two had helped him. Yes, there were a lot of questions about their methods and about why others were unwilling to stay with them, but Ryeowook still wasn’t afraid.

He nevertheless left it up to Kyuhyun to lead them, not rushing him even when they came to a stand at the edge of the clearing. Ryeowook only kept on holding Kyuhyun’s hand, hoping to transfer some of the safety and optimism that he himself usually received from Kyuhyun.

Eventually, Kyuhyun moved and they walked over to the main door, but before they arrived, the door was already opened by a man in black clothes with white patterns and a white sash. Something about him gave off an authoritative aura, making Ryeowook shrink behind Kyuhyun and frown just a moment later. Wasn’t he used to such an aura? Then why was he shrinking away?

Squaring his shoulders, he put on a shy smile instead and nodded at the man, then thought better about it and bowed along with Kyuhyun.

Just as he straightened again, the man with the black and red clothes whom Ryeowook had already met came from somewhere inside the house, smiling at them. “Welcome, welcome! Please come on in.”

Ryeowook shrank back a little again, unable to suppress the thought that the last time they had met, he had been too panic-stricken to do anything, not even respond. What a shameful image he had most likely left! He looked down, too embarrassed to meet the other’s eyes and followed Kyuhyun inside.

They were brought into the main room and Ryeowook couldn’t help but glance around. The sitting area was big and looked comfortable, but only two spots seemed to be used frequently. A small fire was burning in a pit designed for it and behind it were some counters and cupboards with various kitchen utensils. He spotted some spices and even a few dried herbs before he was pulled into a sitting position, bringing his attention back immediately. He looked down again sheepishly, embarrassed because he had so obviously checked out the area.

“Would you two like to drink anything?” the one with the red patterns asked.

“No, thank you,” Kyuhyun answered immediately, making Ryeowook frown. Wasn’t that too impolite?

“If you have some tea at the ready, that would be amazing,” he replied with a new smile, only realizing a moment too late that he hadn’t even had any tea yet since he had been turned. Drinking water had turned out to be fine a few days earlier, but what experience would tea give him? The water-experience or rather the fruit-experience? His expression didn’t falter, though, not even when he noticed Kyuhyun glance at him.

The man in front of him nodded and turned towards the other man, but he didn’t even need to say anything before the one with the white patterns already got to work, so the first man sat down across from Kyuhyun and Ryeowook, showing a pleasant smile.

“Please allow me to start the introduction: My name is Kim Heechul, that is Hangeng. We have travelled together for a long time already and temporarily settled here.”

Temporarily? From the sound of it, their definition of ‘temporary’ was very different from his, Ryeowook thought, realizing once again that it wasn’t only Kyuhyun who was much older than him and thus had a very different feeling for time.

Unsure how to make his own introduction, Ryeowook glanced at Kyuhyun, surprised to find the other frown. “My name is Cho Kyuhyun and I am a fire artist since fire is my element.”

Powers. Kyuhyun casually revealed his power while Heechul hadn’t done so. Did that mean that there really was something off about their powers? Or was he just jumping to conclusions?

“I’m…” Could he really say his real name? But wasn’t it also too late to make up something else? He looked down as fear manifested inside him again, yet he couldn’t make up something on the spot. “I’m Kim Ryeowook. I don’t know yet what my power is.” His voice became more and more quiet as he spoke and the same doubt returned to him once again—what if he didn’t have a power?

“We heard that you were looking for a place to stay.”

Ryeowook glanced up at Kyuhyun, watching him obviously try to work out what was going on, but he left the conversation to Kyuhyun, unsure how these things were usually handled.

“More precisely speaking, we heard of someone trying to find a place to stay at long-term that’s outside the town and I’m assuming that’s you?”

“Yes.”

Heechul inclined his head, not seeming to take the short answer as an offense. “You two certainly guessed by now that there are a few things that we’d like to mention first, things that might make living together inconvenient. One is that Hangeng and I have a rather… unique relationship.”

“We might not be the only ones here,” Hangeng remarked, his voice gentle and his articulation softer than the Korean Ryeowook normally heard. But no matter how pleasant the sound was, the message strongly surprised Ryeowook, sending a chill through him at the same time, and when he glanced at Heechul, he didn’t seem to be the only one who hadn’t expected to hear such words. Kyuhyun’s expression on the other hand darkened. Had Hangeng just accurately guessed what relationship the two of them had?

“Anyway,” Heechul returned to his original train of thought, “the other thing is that our powers are often labelled… invasive.”

Ryeowook glanced at Kyuhyun who looked even more wary than before, if that was possible. Invasive? He had heard of passive and active powers, but what were invasive powers supposed to be?

“The more traditional label is ‘passive’,” Heechul continued and Ryeowook looked back at him. “Hangeng can read feelings—I can read minds.”

Next to him, Kyuhyun instantly stiffened and Ryeowook knew what Kyuhyun had to be thinking—his sire!

“No, no, no, don’t get me wrong. Please. Hangeng and I can only read, we can’t control anything. Even so, it’s already bad enough, I guess.”

Suddenly, something else clicked in Ryeowook’s mind. He indeed might not have uttered a single word the day before, yet it had been Heechul taking him away, Heechul ordering Hangeng to find Kyuhyun, and of course he had known who to look for—the part of Ryeowook’s mind that hadn’t been busy panicking had thought of Kyuhyun as his main solution. And of course Heechul had known to speak Korean with them.

He glanced at Kyuhyun, but the other’s face didn’t reveal whether he had already come to the same conclusions or not, but even if he hadn’t, Heechul nodded towards Ryeowook, proving his assumption correct. “It’s true, you yourself basically told me to find Kyuhyun, you told me what he looks like, and you revealed that it would be best to use Korean—all of that without uttering a single word.”

“As they’re passive powers… you can’t choose when to use them.”

It wasn’t a question, but Heechul still nodded, his eyes moving to Kyuhyun who had just spoken. “Correct. The more people are around, the more I can choose who to focus on, but I can’t shut out thoughts if I don’t want to hear them.”

Ryeowook glanced at Kyuhyun and the worry that Heechul might immediately figure out who he was flashed through his mind before he could hold it back. Great, if that wasn’t suspicious!

But reading thoughts and feelings… no wonder many people had decided against staying, most likely not wanting their innermost selves exposed like that, especially since they themselves wouldn’t be able to control what the other person heard or felt. And on the other hand, wasn’t it somewhat of a burden for Hangeng and Heechul, too? Having noise and restlessness constantly surround them, wasn’t it overwhelming?

The same torn feeling from before overcame him, and he still couldn’t make up his mind between understanding those who had turned away and deeply feeling for Hangeng and Heechul, paired with a craving for more company. He watched Kyuhyun for a long time, but the other seemed to be just as torn about the situation, though Ryeowook wasn’t sure if that was also what Kyuhyun was thinking. They’d have a lot to talk about later…

A new scent filled the air, pulling Ryeowook out of his thoughts, and he realized that Hangeng had finished preparing the tea and came over with a small tray that held the teapot and four cups. He sat down next to Heechul and filled all four cups with some tea, handing them out to each of them.

Not wanting the awkwardness to fully settle in the room, Ryeowook used this moment and turned to Hangeng, once again smiling to ease the mood. “We heard that one of you works for the city council. That person is you, isn’t it?”

“You figured it out?”

Ryeowook’s smile deepened at the other’s surprised expression and he nodded. “There’s just… a certain air around you.”

“I told you so,” Heechul agreed from the side, nudging Hangeng gently, before he turned back to Ryeowook, seemingly just having waited for the chance to speak. “By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, how long has it been since you were turned?”

Ryeowook pushed away instant waves of fear that such a question might easily lead to his family background, or that the other two might judge him for still not knowing his power, making sure that at least his expression was clear of those thoughts and emotions, even though it wouldn’t fool anyone present. “It hasn’t been too long yet, still in early to mid spring.”

“I see. Then a lot of things must still be new or unfamiliar to you.”

When their eyes met, Heechul’s smile was warm and so encouraging that Ryeowook couldn’t help but respond to it earnestly, grateful that the other neither judged him nor held anything, not even his panic attack, against him. But thinking about that… “There’s one thing I was wondering about: How did you know to step in yesterday? Was that also because of your powers?”

The other two nodded and this time, it was Hangeng who responded, “I could tell that someone nearby was getting overwhelmed and when Heechul and I searched together, it didn’t take long before we could identify you as that person.”

“I apologize for just pulling you to the side, it took me a moment of listening to your thoughts to figure out what to do to help you. But I assumed that taking you away from the masses would be a good start, especially since you’re also a vampire,” Heechul finished the explanation while Hangeng drank some of his tea.

Ryeowook’s eyes widened a little. “You already figured it out yesterday?”

Heechul nodded, his expression calm. “Your thoughts were racing so fast that it seemed unnatural to me, and seeing how quickly you reacted to my touch, this was the most obvious explanation to me.”

Had he really instinctively moved too fast for a human? But did that mean that the vendor might have noticed something? No, she had been chatting with that other customer, so she certainly hadn’t paid too much attention to him, had she? If she had, for a woman her age wouldn’t the natural reaction have been to worry about him? But would he have noticed if she had worried?

“I think we should get going for today.”

“Eh?” Ryeowook was once again pulled out of his thoughts and looked at Kyuhyun in surprise, then at his still untouched tea, and lastly at the other two sitting across from them, not looking quite as surprised as he himself was. He quickly raised the cup with tea and drank it in one go, feeling Kyuhyun’s eyes dart towards him, yet he acted like nothing had happened as he put the cup back down and smiled at Heechul and Hangeng. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Kyuhyun got up, so the other three followed suit, walking towards the door where the two visitors bowed once again. Kyuhyun already turned around, but Ryeowook hesitated and spoke up once more, “Also, thank you for yesterday.” With one more smile, he gave in to Kyuhyun’s obvious urge to leave and turned away as well.

The walk back was silent, but as Ryeowook glanced over, initially wanting to hold the other’s hand in hopes to give some reassurance to Kyuhyun, he found the other looking furious, making Ryeowook quickly hide his hand in his sleeve. He kept on stealing glances, but if anything, Kyuhyun became angrier the further they walked. What had happened? Hadn’t things gone well? Hadn’t the other two seemed nice and friendly? Sure, he could understand if the other two’s powers were too similar to his sire’s, but was that enough to evoke such a strong reaction?

“What’s wrong?” Ryeowook asked carefully when they got close to the hut where they stayed, unable to suppress his worries any longer.

“What’s wrong?” Kyuhyun repeated, his tone hostile. “How could you!?”

Ryeowook flinched and took a step to the side, not having expected the other to raise his voice at him. “What?”

“How could you drink that? Do you have any idea what they might have put in there?”

“Wait, that’s what this is about?”

Kyuhyun came to an abrupt halt, spinning to face him so fast that Ryeowook felt uncomfortable, his eyes searching in Kyuhyun’s, looking for the other’s usual calmness but finding none. “We just went to the house of two total strangers, one of whom came from Korea. Who knows how much they might already know about you, and what do I know how much you might have given away already without realizing! And all you think to do is to happily accept the offer to have a drink and indeed drink what they offer you! Weren’t you taught any kind of carefulness at court? I thought you were raised as a prince and not a blind fool who would trust everyone blindly!”

“Woah, hold on!” Ryeowook straightened his back, frowning at those accusations. “I was never raised that way, you should already know that. And who says that I trusted them blindly? Yes, I did accept the invitation because that’s the polite thing to do—after all, I was raised with manners. I’m not done yet.” He held his hand up when Kyuhyun started to object. “Also, I kept an eye on that cup and there was nothing else in there at any point.”

“And what if the tea was poisoned?”

“Then this Hangeng certainly wouldn’t have drunk it first.”

“Who knows if he’s already used to it?”

“Would you stop accusing them? They didn’t do anything to harm you, why are you so hostile towards them? Is it because of their powers?”

Kyuhyun laughed dryly. “This isn’t about their powers. This is about you being reckless.”

“Me being reckless? Which part exactly do you mean? The part where I drank tea after one of them drank some? The part where I’m polite towards people who saved me first and offer for us to stay at their place so we can settle down for a little while? The part where I will answer their questions honestly and make conversation with them? I don’t see anything reckless about that. The most reckless thing I’ve done was to trust a certain someone blindly, literally getting myself kidnapped and even turned into a vampire.”

Kyuhyun flinched, but his gaze hardened. “You chose to do that on your own.”

“So? How is that less reckless than visiting two strangers who already saved me once while I’m in the company of someone who could easily protect me against anything and anyone?”

“Well, did you have to give them your real name?”

Ryeowook looked at the other, a little dumbfounded, but also growing angry. “It’s not like you didn’t do the same? Or like you didn’t tell me to just use my real name and called me by my real name in front of them yesterday? Now, if you want to go back on everything you said, go ahead and do that, the sun has already started rising, so I’m going to sleep.”

He turned away briskly, ignoring Kyuhyun who tried to get his attention. Inside his sleeves, his hands were shaking, and he wasn’t sure whether it was from anger, frustration, or the sudden urge to cry that welled up inside him.

He didn’t look back, but even so, he knew that Kyuhyun didn’t follow him.

When Ryeowook arrived at the hut not much later, he closed the door behind himself, going through the motions while willing himself not to cry, not to show weakness, not to focus on how much his heart was hurting from the next argument that seemed so unnecessary to him. Why were they fighting about such a thing? Why couldn’t they just talk it out normally? There was more talking that they’d have to do the following day anyway, so why start the whole topic and end the day with a fight?

He took off his outer robes and got into bed, but even though the sun was making his body feel leaden, his mind was wide awake. Where was Kyuhyun? What was he doing? Just how angry was he that he hadn’t followed? How long would he stay away? Would he return to the city to keep on searching for another option? Would he vent his anger out somewhere? Hadn’t he even said at one point that his temper had used to be as dangerous as his element? But Ryeowook had only ever seen him calm and patient, so how did the normal Kyuhyun fit together with the side he had shown on that particular day?

He turned to lie on his side, but immediately missed the feeling of Kyuhyun’s arms around him as he curled up into a ball, staring at the wall in front of him. Kyuhyun wouldn’t do anything reckless, would he? Would he feed? Or would he stroll through the woods, maybe even run, in order to release that anger? How could he have just called Ryeowook reckless? The last reckless thing he had done had been when he thought he was alright leaving Kyuhyun’s side on the market place. Kyuhyun had seen him nearly panic once, and had been there shortly after a real panic attack had hit him on that market place, so he should understand that Ryeowook wouldn’t just run around doing reckless things. And hadn’t Hangeng and Heechul shown then that they wouldn’t harm them? They could have easily harmed him on that exact day, kidnapped him, anything—but they had instead pulled him away from the masses, assuming that less stimulation would help, and gotten Kyuhyun.

Ryeowook tossed and turned, his body more difficult to move the more time passed, but his mind wouldn’t be at ease until he finally picked up a familiar scent from somewhere within the forest, quickly coming closer, then halting. He faced the wall once again and, not wanting to give away the fact that he was still awake, he did his best at breathing evenly and merely listened as the door was opened quietly and closed a moment later. He closed his eyes, not wanting Kyuhyun to know that he hadn’t been able to fall asleep for once.

Quiet rustling revealed that Kyuhyun also took off his outer robe, then seemed to hesitate before he eventually got into bed as well. An eternity passed with Kyuhyun just sitting there and the urge to just turn around and say ‘Hey, I’m awake, by the way’ became almost overwhelming, yet Ryeowook kept up his act, unsure if Kyuhyun was still upset with him. Was he still so angry that he didn’t want to lie down next to Ryeowook?

Finally, there was some more movement and Kyuhyun lay down, yet Ryeowook’s heart sank when nothing else happened, yearning for the other’s embrace, yearning to know that things were okay, no matter how much they’d have to talk about the next day. How much was left to be resolved between them?

An arm found its way around his waist hesitantly and Ryeowook could have cried from the relief that immediately flooded him. They were doing okay! With things left to resolve, but okay!

Kyuhyun moved closer until their bodies were touching along their full lengths and Ryeowook could feel the other’s breath ghost over his hair, so calming that his mind finally found peace. “I’m sorry,” Kyuhyun whispered and pressed a brief kiss on Ryeowook’s hair, tensing a moment later. “You’re awake?”

He had reacted? Ryeowook hadn’t noticed it, but obviously Kyuhyun had, so he dropped his pretense and turned around in the hug, flashing Kyuhyun an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I wasn’t sure if you were still so angry with me… and I should be asleep, after all…” He looked away, realizing that both reasons sounded hollow, fake, and mistrusting. “I’m also sorry. I hadn’t meant to make you worry.”

Kyuhyun shook his head lightly. “It was me who reacted wrongly. Let’s talk about this tomorrow, okay?”

Ryeowook nodded immediately and it seemed like the sun exerted more force after those words, making him hide a yawn behind his hand. “Can I get a goodnight kiss?” he asked, feeling like a little child asking for candy before lunch, but hoping it was a good first step towards making up.

Kyuhyun looked hesitant at first, but then he still leaned in to grant this wish. Ryeowook placed his hand on the side of the other’s head, holding him close as he responded to the kiss, drawing it out for as long as Kyuhyun and the sun allowed him, then he finally hugged Kyuhyun back, snuggling into him. The other’s hug tightened a little and Ryeowook drifted off to dreamland before the hug loosened again.