7llin' in the Dream

Episode Five:  Hope it Never Fades Out [P2]

Chapter Ten

-

  Chenle brought up music notes on his phone and put them where he could read them as he played the piano.
  Jeno and Haechan were being loud in the kitchen behind him.
  "Whoa whoa whoa," Jeno said, and there had been the sound of a trash bag.
  "Who put eggshells in it," Haechan yelled.
  He sighed and put his wireless headphones on.  They worked beautifully.
  The piano keys were cool and smooth.  The notes were ones he'd played many times, but he liked reading them as he progressed.  Sweet music filled the air and he became lost in it.
  His fingers had been stiff, to begin with, but now he could barely move them.  He rubbed them.  Then he popped two of them and hissed.  He rolled his shoulders and winced.
  What part of him that didn't ache felt tight.
  He touched his cheeks.  They felt puffy.
  Time had closed in on him.  He could only hope that his transition didn't finish on camera.

-

  Mark had put the potatoes in a bowl when the bathroom door opened.  Haechan helped Renjun into a chair.
  "Are you ok," Mark asked Renjun.  He looked relaxed in that zen-like way he only got after being fed from.
  "Mm, I feel nice.  Very nice," he said, and he smiled as Haechan adjusted his beany.
  Grinning, Haechan said, "He feels very nice," and then he snickered.  After he'd fed, he always had this... glow.  "Milk," he said.
  Mark smiled, embarrassed to have been caught staring.  "You don't look pale anymore," he said.
  "Yeah," he said coming towards him.  "Do you want to kiss me?"
  Renjun snickered.
  He pushed him, but he didn't budge.  He came closer and his arms strained against strength he couldn't beat.  "Agh, cut it out," he said and started laughing.
  "Milk, I love you.  I brushed my teeth.  Kissy face."  He kissed the air.
  "You two are so funny," Renjun said.
  Haechan abruptly stopped and looked at him.  He said, "It's like he's high and drunk at the same time."
  Renjun snickered and Mark shook his head.
  "Remember that time he wanted to go grocery shopping while he was like this," Haechan asked.
  Mark laughed.  "Yeah.  He crawled through the living room and ended up like a vegetable in front of the door."
  "Jisung helped me get on the couch," Renjun said.  "It was so funny."
  "Wasn't he the one that fed from you right before that?" Mark asked.
  "Yeah.  It was like the...  He'd been a vampire for like a month then... I think.  He... was so surprised to see me act like that.  Pore little baby vamp."
  "I love him.  I want to snuggle him.  I hate that he's taller than me now.  He used to be a snuggly baby that fit in my arms."
  Hugging him, Haechan said, "I love him like this.  Can I keep him in my pocket?"
  "Yah, I don't want your pocket lint," Renjun yelled.
  "And... he's back," Mark said.
  Renjun pushed at him and Haechan said, "And... he's about as dangerous as a kitten right now."
  Mark's giggle box kicked in and Haechan looked proud to have made it happen.

-

  They'd gathered in chairs outside.  Jeno had put small wood chunks in a metal firepit.  Jaemin had a small blowtorch, enjoying watching the wood heat up.  Jeno used tongs to add more wood.
  "I want potatoes," Haechan said.  "Ah, I forgot to buy green onion kimchi."
  "It's finally started," Jaemin said.  He put the blow torch down and stared into the fire.
  

-

  Renjun wore a thick jacket with a hat over his beany.
  A tiny bit of euphoria still lingered.
  What Jaemin had done had blown his mind and left him a willing victim of euphoria and... well getting blown, which blasted him into space and back.  And then the lovely aftercare and thoughtfulness.
  With Haechan, it had been the euphoria and kind aftercare, followed by his usual irritating personality.
  Closing his eyes, he sighed.
  As an eight-year-old kid who'd suddenly started bleeding from all of his pores and choking on his own blood, he'd never have imagined he'd be here and happy.
  "I don't know you," Jeno sang.  "You don't know me."
  He opened his eyes and chuckled.  Jeno's head vibrated as he sang and he'd been staring wide-eyed at Haechan.
  Haechan had a throw blanket over him and joined immediately.
  Together they sang, "I don't know you.  But I want to."
  Haechan said, "Together.  Five, six, seven, eight."
  Mark played the guitar.
  None of them knew the beginning, so it sounded like this, "Da-da Duh-nuh Ah-ah Uh-uh Da-duh."  Then a long, sweet, "Aaaaaah."
  "I don't know the lyrics," Mark said and Jeno snickered.
  Then suddenly they all did.  "Raise your hopeful voice.  You had a choice.  You've made it now."
  Jisung looked at the stars as he sang.  Such a content expression on his face, like he'd been exactly where he wanted to be in that moment.
  "Mel?  Mel?"  Haechan said to Mark.  "Should we sing Walk You Home live?"
  Mark clutched his heart and said, "I almost cried a little."
  "Already," Renjun said and snickered.
  The rest just stared at him.  "I'm sorry.  It's not the right mood."  He started the guitar.
  "Five, six, seven, eight," Haechan said.

-

  The next song started with Haechan using just vocals.  "Oh.  Oh, yeah yeah yeah."  Then he made a Micheal Jackson sound.
  Still staring into the fire, Jaemin said, "It's started now."
  This time they all knew the lyrics.
  Chenle came out of his blanket cave, excited, and said, "We should sing it all the way through."
  Jaemin... still looking into the fire, and a little dazed smiled.
  Chenle sang his heart out, looking more energetic than he had since the pool.
  "Applause everyone," Haechan said and they clapped.  "This is the first time we went camping.  How did everyone like it?"
  "I loved it," Chenle said from his blanket cave.
  "I loved it," Jeno said.
  "Let's stare into the fire," Mark said.
  Silence descended and the fire crackled.
  Renjun sang something.
  "Renjun-ah," Haechan said.
  He continued.
  "Renjun-ah."
  He smiled.

-

  "...And I didn't want to write a song, because I didn't want anyone thinking I still care.  I don't, but you still hit up my phone.  My mama don't like you and she likes everyone," they sang.
  Jaemin, still staring at the fire, said something... probably to the fire, "It's nice."
  They sang, "I'll admit that I was wrong.  And I've been so caught up in my job.  Didn't see what's going on and now I know.  I'm better sleeping on my own."
  Renjun sang, "If you like-"
  "Let's seriously just stare at the fire for two minutes, get ready," Haechan said.  "Guys, let stare at it.  Ready.  One, two, three."
  Silence descended.  The fire crackled.
  "It's funny if we try to do it on purpose though," Jaemin said.
  Haechan played with a small wooden instrument with metal prongs.  "Ting ting."
  Jisung made a toneless "Eaaay" sound
  Jeno said, "Mwaha."
  "It's burning nicely," Jaemin said.
  "Why is it moving so much," Jisung asked.
  "It's because of the wind."
  Haechan said, "It dances really well."
  "It's got such a flexible body," Jaemin said.
  "Super flexible."
  

-

  Chenle's nose burned so much that his eyes started watering.  It's what it'd done before he'd had the nose bleed.  He held his jacket collar over his face and clasped his hands together.
  Jeno laughed and said, "Chenle, what did you do wrong?"
  "He's asking for forgiveness," Haechan said.
  He didn't want to think about what they'd do if they knew the truth.
  Still staring into the fire, Jaemin said, "This is so cool.  I really wanted to do this, but you can't just do this anywhere.  It's burning really well."  To Jeno, he said, "Before putting the firewood, shouldn't we have put sweet potatoes underneath?"
  "Until the sweet potato skin burns, and peel it off to eat?"
  Haechan got excited.  "Jeno, please hold that and push it all the way in."  He and Renjun laughed.  "Got it?  Put it very far into the fire."
  "Yeah yeah.  Ok," Jeno said, kneeling down.
  "Hey," Haechan said, still laughing.  "Don't really do it though."
  Chenle felt like Dracula with his cape covering half his face.  How ironic.  The burning had eased off and he didn't feel wetness.  He slipped a finger under the collar and touched his nose.  He sneaked a peek and yes, no blood.  He sniffed and uncovered his face.

-

  "We have regular potatoes," Jaemin asked, surprised.  He'd only helped wrap a few sweet potatoes.
  "Yeah," Mark and Haechan said at the same time.
  Potato, potato, king potato," Jisung sang.
  Jaemin said, "Haechannie, there's a mystery that remains unsolved."
  "What is it," he asked.
  "You need sugar with potatoes."
  "Pfft... that makes no sense."  He looked away, holding his chin in thought.
  "You need sugar."
  "You need salt."
  Jisung said, "Why salt though?"
  "Do you need kimchi for sweet potatoes?" Jaemin said.
  Haechan said, "You don't know how to make it good."
  "Potatoes are already salty," Jisung said.
  Jeno said, "No.  Potatoes are already sweet."
  "You need green onion kimchi with sweet potatoes," Haechan said.
  "Oh, really," Mark said.
  "I thought you must eat sugar with it no matter what," Jisung said.
  "Right, kimchi is good with sweet potatoes," Haechan said.
  "What," Mark said, adjusting the guitar in his lap.  Sweet potato with kimchi?"
  "He says that because he's never tried it."
  "Pumpkin sweet potatoes, no, just sweet potatoes with freshly made kimchi is really good," Jisung said.
  Pumpkin sweet potato," Haechan mocked.
  Renjun played along.  "Pumpkin... wait a minute."
  "Hoguma... Hoguma... Hoguma."
  They laughed.

-

  They teased Jeno for continuing to mess with fire.  They talked about how they felt about having come here.
  "It's our first time traveling together like this," Chenle said.  "It was so relaxing."  Besides the nose bleeds and his eyes turning red... and knowing he'd eventually start being fed on by vampires.  "It doesn't feel like it's for a video."
  Jisung snickered and said, "I agree."
  "So... that was the best part of it.  It didn't feel like work.  We really came to just play."
  Mark said, "I actually forgot that there is a camera.  That's how comfortable I felt here.  But Beer Pong made me realize that we can finally play that game since Jisung isn't underage anymore."
  Jaemin focused on him and said, "But honestly, alcohol really tastes so bad."
  Jisung laughed and said, "It really is bad."
  "I agree."
  "There's only one thing Jaemin likes," Jeno said, smiling.  "KGB."
  He snickered and said, "It's fine as long as I don't taste the alcohol."

-

  Mark smiled.  Haechan had got caught up in playing the little wooden instrument.
  "Ding ding ding, ding ding ding..."  A Christmas song.  He looked up, amazed, and said, "I'm really good at this."
  He laughed.  "Cute," he said.
  He still looked amazed.  And he still had that glow.  It only took him a few seconds to realize he'd been staring again.  He smiled and it promised... things... later.
  They may have felt like there were no cameras, but there were.
  Later.

>>>Read Chapter 11:  Dear my DREAM, I'll be there for you.

They choose an anonymous member of the Dreamies and say a good thing about them or propose a question - and the other members have to guess who they're talking about. [CH11]

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