7llin' in the Dream

Episode Six:  Dear my DREAM, I'll be there for you [P5/6]

Chapter Fifteen

-

  Haechan snickered.  He said, "Your hair looks like a bird's nest."
  Mark grinned and tried to smooth it down.  "I'll have to take your word for it.  It's so dark in here," he said.  He blew out a breath.  "It's all sweaty.  I should get a shower."
  "No, stay here with me," he said, throwing a leg over him.
  His chest jumped as he tried not to laugh too loud.  "I need to change the sheets."
  "We can sleep in my bed.  Fresh sheets, cushy blanket, nice pillows, a giant stuffed animal to cuddle up to.  You can have that.  I'll cuddle up to your back.  You'll be the little spoon, ok?"
  Mark smacked him, being this close to bursting out laughing.  "S-Stop it, Hae-chan.  Everyone's asleep."
  "No, they're not.  I've heard aggressive whispering and people sneaking around in the dark.  I hear everything."
  "You do not.  What've they been saying?"
  He rocked a few times, jolting him each time.
  "You haven't heard anything they've said, have you," he asked with a laugh.
  "In my defense, I've been really distracted."  He squeaked when he kissed him, then hummed and leaned into it.  "You smell good, Mark."  He let him smell his neck, which he quickly .  "Mm, you taste good too."
  "Haechan, I'm not a buffet," Mark said.  He gritted his teeth when he on his earlobe.
  "Mm, I beg to differ."
  "Do you want to bite me?"
  Haechan froze.
  "Not that I want you to bite me, but..."  He shrugged.  "I'm just curious."
  "Mark-"
  "Ugh, every time you call me that it freaks me out."
  He snickered and kissed his neck.  His next words were laced with a little fear.  "I always want to bite you.  I'm a vampire.  Vampires like , but it's all about the blood for us."
  "It doesn't mean I expect it.  Even if you never want me to taste your blood again, I'll be happy.  But... I'll always want it."
  Mark swallowed.  "Can I tell you something without you getting upset?"
  "Unless you tell me that you hate my guts and never want to see me again ... and mean it... you can't make me upset."
  He huffed.  "You're so cute.  No, I don't think I could ever hate you."  He jumped when he kissed him, but quickly returned it.  "Stop trying to distract me."
  "I need to say this."  He groaned when he kissed him again and again and-  "Okay, enough," he said pushing his face away.
  He laid on his chest and said, "Fine.  Party-pooper."
  "Honestly..."  He scratched his head.  "I'm exhausted.  This human is exhausted.  I don't think I can keep up with you."  He jumped when he bit his .  "Stop that."  He tried to turn away, but he couldn't move.
  Haechan giggled and said, "Stay here.  Tell me what you need to say.  I'll be good."  He enjoyed being the only one able to see in the dark.  Mark glared.  "I'm waiting."
  "Aish, you're so annoying sometimes.  Fine."  He blew out a breath.  "I was going to say that...  Well, I've always had this irrational fear of being attacked by a vampire."  He paused like he feared he'd get upset.
  "Keep going.  It's ok," Haechan said.
  "Um...  Well, I didn't use to know vampires were real... and then I saw you two feeding on Renjun that day.  It... really scared me.  At first, I thought it was a prank.  Ever since that day, that fear-  Well, you know how you watch movies and vampires do bad things-?"
  "Ah, I hate vampire movies.  They give us such a bad name," Haechan said.
  Mark snickered.  "Well, it's just a thing that you never really think about, because it's a movie.  But... then-"
  "It turned out not to be a movie?"
  He fidgeted and said, "Yeah."
  "I'm... sorry?"
  "You have nothing to be sorry for," he said, grinning.  "It's just a thing.  I got used to vampires being real... but this fear... it's still there."
  Haechan waited for him to say more, but he didn't.  "Ok, it's still there.  What else?  You can say it, whatever it is," he said.
  He remained quiet a little longer, then he took in a deep breath and blew it out.  He said, "I think...  I think I actually want you to bite me.  No, let me correct.  I need you to bite me.  Maybe if you do, if I can...?"
  "I don't know.  If I can replace the fear with a good memory, maybe it'll take the fear away?"
  "Mark-"
  "Ah, you said my name again."
  Haechan smiled.  "I was just going to say that movies lie.  Being bit hurts.  That's why where ever you see a vampire, you'll see at least one donor.  Most humans that get fed from either have it happen because it's against their will, they're in the mindset for it to happen, pre-ic, or during the afterglow-"
  Mark snorted.
  "Or they just like pain.  Not that there's anything wrong with either.  I'm just saying, a full-on bite will hurt.  I could make a small cut and drink from that though.  But then I'll need to heal you."
  He failed to find his eyes in the dark.  "Why does-"  He let out a little laugh.  "Why did you say it like that?  Like the...  But... I'll need to heal you?"
  "Will it pain you to heal me after or something?  Speak of, I've been meaning to ask.  Does your saliva work on humans like it does a donor?"
  He shook his head and remembered he couldn't see him.  "No, it only works for them, because vampire blood can't move through their system.  Their white blood cells fight it off like a common cold."
  "Oh, really?  That's... kind of cool."
  "It is.  For you though..."  He seethed.  "You're not going to like this part.  It's... for you... going to be kind of gross."
  Mark sniffed and said, "Is it weird that I'm even more curious now?"
  Haechan smiled.  "I'm serious.  You're not going to like it, but here it goes.  You'll have to drink a little of my blood to heal."
  Silence.
  "Seriously," Mark asked.  "You're not joking with me right now?  How do people become vampires?"
  "You won't become a vampire.  It's a little more complicated than that," he said.  "Like with Jeno, Jaemin drank from him.  Yes, as a human.  He's such a masochist, slash sadist."
  "Then Jaemin fed him his blood on multiple occasions and mix that with Jeno's magic...  And mix that with them being sick in love and never wanting to live without each other, then you got a new vampire.  It's something like that."
  Mark grimaced and said, "Ok, first, I didn't need to know that about Jeno.  Second, what about pore Jisunggie?"
  "Ah, let's stay on track," Haechan said and he snorted.  "Anyway, no you won't become a vampire from a few drops of blood.  It will heal you fast though.  Besides, I think Jisung's Jeno's fault too.  He's not good at letting people go."
  He smacked the bed, trying not to laugh.  "Do-Do you r-really think that's what happened?  That his magic made them all have to... what... stay together?"
  "Let's stay on track," Haechan said again.  "And yes.  I do.  Something like that.  Now, about this biting thing."
  "I can make a small incision on you and drink a little, then give you a few drops of my blood.  If you're sure."
  Mark gulped.

-

  Chenle let Renjun lead him to his bed and he sat beside him.  "So, what do we do," he asked.
  Jeno sat on the floor and took a deep breath.  Letting it out, he looked at Renjun.
  Renjun huffed, a little embarrassed.  "Oh-Okay, so... I've never been in a situation like this, but... if there's one thing I know about donors, it's that when we're bitten we get euphoria.  Always."
  Jeno nodded but didn't seem to grasp the full weight of the situation.
  "So what you're saying is that Jeno needs to bite me to see whether I get euphoria or not.  If I don't then it's just going to hurt like hell.  That's nice.  Sounds real lovely, just how I want to start my day," Chenle said.
  "Wait," Jeno said.  "If he doesn't-  If he's just human-  I've never bitten a human before.  I heard it hurts a lot."
  "Like..."  His widened eyes flickered over the carpet.  He looked at Renjun and said, "I don't think I can do that.  I don't want to hurt him."
  Renjun sighed sadly, "Besides that, our only option is to let his transition play out.  I don't know what's going to happen next.  What if-?  What if-?"  He shook his head.
  "What if I cough up blood or I start bleeding out from my pores in front of the staff," Chenle said, ending his misery.
He nodded.
  Chenle sighed and looked at Jeno.  "He's right," he said.  "It's too dangerous not to try this out.  If I get euphoria you can just finish feeding and if not...?"  He shrugged.
  Jeno looked down and said, "If not... then I'll just be hurting you."  He let out a shaky breath.
  Renjun took a calming breath and let it out.  He tipped his head and gave a little smile.  "I've thought of that too," he said.  "He only has to give you a few drops of his blood to heal you."
  Jeno made a funny questioning noise.
  "Ew," Chenle said.  "I thought their saliva healed.  That's disgusting.  I mean they're both disgusting, but... ew."
  "I didn't know you could do that-  I mean I didn't know I could do that," Jeno said, reminding him of a puppy who'd just found a sock to chew on, only to get in trouble later.
  Renjun grimaced, but he looked amused.  He said, "If this happens, then it's the only way to heal you.  Unless you don't want it to heal."
  Chenle held a pointer finger up and said, "I'll take the drops of disgusting blood for five hundred dollars.  Thank you."
  Jeno snickered.  He said, "So, what do I do... just... bite... a little... or...?"
  "You can... a little," Renjun said, gesturing "little" with his fingers.  "And you can't bite his arm or shoulder.  That's too much in the beginning."
  "Then where's he supposed to bite me," Chenle asked.
  "Well, he could bite your palm.  It's not overly sensitive and it's meaty, so... yeah."
  "My hand?  You want him to bite my hand?  Ow."  He rubbed them at the same time.
  Renjun shrugged.  "I mean, you can choose anywhere, but that's an option.  Trust me, if you're a donor and a vampire bites you, it doesn't take long for the euphoria to kick in.  It doesn't even have to be a full bite."
  "I don't think I want my hand bit though," Chenle said.  "What about the inside of my arm?"  He patted it.  "I think that'll be ok."  His jaw started aching and he realized he'd been grinding his teeth.
  He could do this.  He could.  He had to.  He...  They... couldn't risk something happening in front of staff.  If it didn't work then-"
  He shook his head.  "Yeah, I want it here."  Jeno tensed when he opened his arm for him.  "Just do it.  I'm tired of this."
  "All of it.  The waiting, the coughing, the nose bleeds.  Just do it.  Please?"
  Renjun said, "The nosebleeds?  When did you-?"
  "Can we please just do this," Chenle begged.  "I want to get it over with, then I'll tell you later."
  Jeno looked at him and then at Renjun.  Renjun nodded.  "Ok, Chenle, if it hurts just tell me to stop.  Okay?"  He took his arms and gulped.
  Chenle had been confident before.  Scared, but confident.  Now, with Jeno holding onto his arm, he tensed.  His jaw ached even more and he wanted to hide under his blanket.  When Jeno got on his knees he nearly yanked his arm away.
  Jeno could crush him like a bug.  He could rip chunks out of him like a wild animal.  He imagined his eyes pure black and his pale face covered in his blood.  Jeno's teeth made that sickening sound as they strained against his gums to get longer.  The moment he'd been dreading would happen and he couldn't look away.
  Hot breath heated his skin before his lips touched his arm.  Sharp edges touched his skin and he nearly screamed.  The pressure of the bite made him fear for his bones and then the sharp edges went through his skin.  Chenle growled and his fingers straightened.  Blood ran down his arm and... ugh... into Jeno's mouth. 
  "So gross," he whispered.  His veins throbbed and it felt like a bruise had formed under his skin... then his entire arm throbbed like when you hit your finger with a hammer.  "Ow ow.  Stop.  Stop, it hurts," he yelled.
  Renjun reached for him at the same time that Jeno jerked away.  He fell onto his and stared in horror at him.  His lips had blood on them and it had dripped down one side.  "Chenle, I'm sorry," he whispered.
  He held his arm and leaned away from Renjun.  "Just shut up," he said.  His eyes were stinging and it wouldn't be long before he cried again.  Twice in one day.  "I really hate you.  You and your stupid magic."
  Jeno's eyes glistened and he blinked a few times.  He looked away.
  "Okay, enough of that," Renjun said.  He leaned over him to see his arm.  "You need to drink a few drops of his blood."
  "No, I don't want to.  I'm tired of having to do things I don't want to.  Leave me alone.  Jeno, get out.  I don't want to see you."
  He shrugged Renjun off and holding his arm, curled into a ball.  The sound of footsteps leaving the room made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  He'd hurt Jeno's feelings.  Chenle cried.

-

  "Mel, are you sure, you're heart is beating really fast," Haechan said.  "As much as I want to taste your blood and it off your y v-line, I don't want you to sound like a frightened animal."
  Mark had a hand on his head like it'd help ground him.  He swallowed.  "It-It's what I want," he whispered.  "Please?"
  Haechan shivered.  This seemed wrong.  Mark wanted it, but-  "This makes me feel like a monster.  I don't know if I want to."
  He in a breath and sat up.  "It's ok Haechan," he said quickly.  "I'm nervous, but... it's ok.  I'm not going to force you to bite me if it makes you feel uncomfortable.  I just... think it'll help.  I just have to get past the nerves."
  "It's... my first time."  His eyes widened.  "Getting bit.  My first time getting bit."
  Haechan grinned.  "Cute," he said.  He straddled him and said, "Hug me.  I need one really bad."  He did and he buried his face in his neck.  "You smell salty and it makes my mouth water."
  "Gross," Mark said with a laugh.  He squeezed him when he started him like a puppy.  "St-Stop it.  Stop it," he said and fell into a fit of giggles.  He failed to get out of his arms.
  "I'm sorry," Haechan said.  "I-"
  "Why don't you bite me there," Mark said.
  He blinked a lot, then he inhaled slowly.
  "I mean... you don't have to.  Just a small... incision... like before?  I can hug you like this... and honestly, it makes me feel better too."
  Leaning his chin on his shoulder, he said, "That's actually not a bad idea."
  "Not... actually?"  He snorted.  "What's that supposed to mean?  I have good ideas all the time."
  He kissed his neck.  "I'm going to do it now.  Just a little one.  Stay still."
  "Ok," he said, immediately going still.
  His teeth lengthened and Mark gulped as he closed his lips over his shoulder.  Just as he applied pressure someone yelled.  He sat up.  "Did you hear that?"
  Mark looked up at him, but couldn't find his eyes.  "Hear what," he asked.
  Oh.  So it'd only sounded loud to him.  He tilted his head and listened.
  "-eave me alone.  Jeno, get out.  I don't want to see you."
  "I think it's Chenle," he whispered.  "Something about Jeno."  He tensed, which made Mark flinch.  "Chenle's crying."
  "What?  We need to go down there," he said, already trying to get out from under him.
  He moved over and said, "We need to get dressed first."
  "Oh, crap.  I can't see anything."
  "Just stay still.  I'll get our clothes."  He looked around, back, around, back.  "And you might want to smooth your hair down a little harder, because... wow."
  "Agh, Haechan.  Agh, it's all your fault."  His fingers moved so fast he'd probably have a sensitive scalp later.
  Giggling, he started throwing clothes at him.

-

  They found Jeno sitting outside his room.  He used toilet paper from the roll beside him to clean blood from his mouth.  He paused when he saw them, then he looked at his hands.
  Haechan sniffed.  "You fed from Chenle," he said.
  He shook his head.  "Just a bite," he said, sounding like he'd been crying.  "His transition..."  He shook his head again.
  "Oh, Jeno," he said, kneeling in front of him.  "He's just upset."
  "I know," he said immediately.  He sniffed.  "I know," he said, sounding resigned.  "He let me heal him though.  Thankfully."
  Haechan's fingers tried to curl and he stopped them.  He took a deep breath and asked, "How much did you give him?"
  "Renjun said to just give him a few drops, so I did."
  Nodding, he said, "Oh, ok.  Good choice.  It may even make him feel better.  You did good."
  The corners of his lips raised and his sad eyes twinkled a little.  He nodded and looked back down.
  "Do you want to sleep upstairs tonight," Mark asked, pointing to the stairs.
  His nose wrinkled.  "I'd rather sleep on the floor than go back to that room right now," he said.
  Mark blushed and ran his fingers through his hair.  He huffed a laugh and looked down.  "I totally forgot.  Please tell me you didn't hear anything?"
  "No, not hear.  But..."  He looked away.  "I can smell it all over the two of you."  He whispered, "It's kind of embarrassing, now that I think about it."
  He almost covered his cheeks, but Haechan stopped him.  "You got the bloody tissue," he said.  "I'll throw it away for you."  He took it with two fingers.  He giggled as Mark covered his face and started backing towards the stairs.
  "Thanks, Haechan-ah," Jeno said.
  "No problem," he said, tossing the tissue in the toilet.  He flushed it.  "Do you need me to do anything?"
  "No.  I'm allowed to sleep in the room.  I just figured I'd wait until he fell asleep first."
  He smiled sadly.  "Ok, then.  I...  I guess I'll see you in the morning then."
  "Yeah."  He smiled and it nearly creased his eyes.
  Haechan went upstairs and Mark had a lamp on.  He'd changed the sheets and now had a fresh blanket half unfolded.  He snorted.  "I liked that smell," he complained.
  "Please don't start with me right now," Mark whined.  "I'm so embarrassed.  I can't believe I just-  I keep forgetting that you guys can smell things like that so strongly."
  "You're so cute."  He fell onto his bed and dug around for his phone.  He found it wedged under the giant stuffed animal.  Chenle, Jeno and he assumed Renjun, were upset and he hadn't wanted to make it worse.  So, he'd kept to himself that their decisions tonight had a consequence.

  To: Jaemin
  From: Haechan

We have a problem.  Jeno bit Chenle to see if his transition has finished.  It hasn't.  And...

Jeno fed him a few drops of his blood.  I'm going to stay up tonight and make sure Chenle's okay.

I just need someone besides me to know what's going on.

  He sent it and hugged the stuffed animal.

>>>Read Chapter 16:  Dear my DREAM, I'll be there for you [6/6]

The filming day comes to a seemingly happy end for the fans. Now, they get to spend another day and night - without cameras.

Jaemin and Haechan have to tell everyone about Chenle's transition issue, but he's so happy they can't do it.

So, they need to come up with a Plan B. [CH16]