7llin' in the Dream

Episode Two:  We're the Best Friends [P1]

Chapter Two

-

  Rock, Paper, Scissors had become the way they decided everything.
  In the end, Haechan, Mark, and Jeno were unlucky enough to have to make breakfast.
  "C-Can we make rice," Mark said, holding up a large bag full.
  Washing his hands, Jeno looked around.  "There, there," he said, pointed over his shoulder.  "A rice maker."  He dried his hands and studied.  "I'm not sure how to use it though."
  By this point, Haechan had disappeared.
  Mark turned a circle looking for him.
  Jeno snorted and pouted.  "I bet he knows how to use this thing," he said.
  "I want to make juice," Renjun said, coming up behind Mark from the pool entrance.
  "There's some frozen cherries in the refrigerator," Mark said.  He got the onions Haechan had separated.
  After he'd mixed the cherries and something else in water, Renjun made a glass and handed it to him.
  "Mm," Mark said.  "I thought it'd be sour, but it's good."
  Satisfied, Renjun put the pitcher in the refrigerator and took his glass to the pool.
  Jaemin came in from the house entrance.
  Jeno had a large bowl full of noodles, running cold water over them.  He studied his face and sighed.  Jaemin looked at him and his smile said, "I know I'm pale.  I know you want me to feed.  I'm going to ignore you now."
  He finished the noodles and started adding the sauce.  Mark handed him the cutting board with the sliced onions.
  "No no," Jaemin said.  "Don't put those in raw.  You have to blanch them in water first."
  "You do," Jeno asked.
  "Yeah, or it'll be too spicy."  He watched in disbelief as Jeno took a step toward the refrigerator.  "You need to blanch them in water," he said just because he knew what he'd do next.
  "Bye-bye," Jeno said and put the onions in the refrigerator.
  "You need to put those in a bag first," Jaemin said, smiling.  "They're going to stink up the refrigerator and go bad."
  "Bye-bye," Jeno repeated and went back to the noodles.
  Mark nearly collapsed as he laughed.
  Jaemin sighed.  This is why he usually cooked.
  "Haechan's going to say something about it," Mark said, still laughing.

-

  "How are you doing, Jisunggie," Haechan said, picking up the second ping pong paddle.  What he meant is, "How do you feel?  I know you fed yesterday, but you're the baby vamp, and I really want to pinch your cheeks."
  Jisung held the paddle awkwardly in one hand and had a hand in his back pocket.  The first time he'd fed he'd needed blood too bad to care, but now, touching Renjun's bare skin when he fed made him shy.  Cute.  "I'm fine," he said.

-

  "This would've tasted better with onions," Jisung said.  He ate more noodles.
  "Yeah yeah," Mark said.
  Haechan eyed Mark and Jeno.
  "What what," Jeno demanded.  "You completely disappeared.  I was even afraid of burning the rice."
  "Mm, the rice is good though," Renjun said.  He scooped more into his plate.
  Jaemin remained quiet as he ate and they kept watching him.  He looked even paler than before.
  "Jaeminnie," Haechan said.
  "I'm fine," he said.  He the tip of his chopsticks and ate more noodles.  "I'll be fine.  I just need to eat and I'll feel better."  Obviously, eat meant feed.
  Renjun stuffed food in his mouth to keep from glaring at him.  He couldn't let the cameras pick up on it.  This episode would be titled 'We're the Best of Friends' so they had to appear friendly - fake friendly.  Real friends yelled at their friends to stop being stupid and putting their lives in danger just to...  He blushed.
  Jaemin liked to date, even if he only lit candles in their room and they ate a bowl of simple roman noodles.  Sometimes he wished he'd just be the stereotypical guy and be all handsy all the time.  And then feed like he would with regular meals.  Instead, he wanted to combine the two.
  So, we need to decide who's going shopping for dinner," Mark said.
  Haechan's head whipped around to Jaemin and he stared at him.  Jaemin stared back.  Everyone laughed.
  "I agree," Jisung said, raising an arm.
  "Yeah, we need someone who knows how to grill to go buy the meat," Mark said.
  Jaemin sighed.  "Ok, I'll do it."
  "We can go together," Renjun said, pointing to himself, then Jaemin.  "Haechan knows what else we need."
  "Great, now we decide who'll be washing dishes," Haechan said.  He held up an arm.  "One, two, three."
  They threw variations of paper and rock, then all rock.  Then they cheered because Jaemin lost.  He stared at his rock in despair and the others waved their paper around.  He sat back and stared at the table full of empty bowls, plates, and empty soda cans.
  "Jisunggie," he called.  "Help me carry these.  It's the least you can do."
  Jisung being the cute, little sweety he is did help.  "This isn't washing dishes," he said.  Cute.
  "Right," Jaemin said, handing him a bowl with the used chopsticks in it.
  Thankfully, a camera didn't follow them into the kitchen.
  "Hyung, I'm worried about you," Jisung said, dropping the chopsticks in the garbage can.
  Jaemin sagged on the sink and said, "I wish you'd all stop worrying about me."
  "But, Hyung, you're getting to the point where you can barely stand... and they want to play kick-volley-ball after this."
  "They what?"  He faced him.  "You have got to be kidding me."
  Jisung hopped in place and said, "You have to do something.  You can't look like something's wrong with you.  Do you want me to get Renjun Hyung?"
  "No no.  Bite marks take a minute to heal and he's wearing a white t-shirt."  He waved him off.  "Just let me think for a minute."  He dug the bottom of his palms into his eyes.
  "Have him take it off.  You need to... eat."
  Jaemin snorted.
  "You're just making excuses.  Seriously, what's wrong with you?"
  "I'm just... tired."
  "And hungry."
  The sound of a basketball hitting a rim and a ping pong ball bouncing started.
  "Just go back outside and play, Jisung," Jaemin said.  "I have an idea.  Tell Mark and Renjun I'm going to drink more of their vitamin stuff."

-

  "How's he doing," Renjun said.
  Jisung hesitated.  "He's going to drink the rest of the vitamin stuff," he said.  "It helped a little earlier.  Maybe it'll hold him over for the foot-volley-ball game.  He wasn't happy when I told him we were going to play.  He..."
  The cameras were rolling and he couldn't say anything else.  He'd probably said too much already.  They'd probably edit it out, because this would be a warm, slice-of-life show.  It couldn't let on that anyone had got sick.
  He sure hoped so.  "Yeah," he said.
  Renjun chewed his lip, looking at the kitchen and back.  "I should force him to... eat more," he said.  He leaned closer to Jeno and whispered, "Do you think a camera would follow me if I went upstairs?"
  Jeno's face had tightened like it did when he had to control his anger.  "Probably," he said.  "They always want to get any extra bit of film they can.  It'd be like a bonus moment.  You two separate from the group, having a heart to heart or something."
  "I swear if Jaemin looks worse by the end of the game I'm going to force-feed him," Renjun whispered.  "Even if I have to use a knife on myself."
  Jisung waved a hand frantically.  "No, don't do that," he said.
  Jeno shushed him and Jisung flinched.
  "It's not like he can't heal me right after," Renjun whispered.  "His saliva has healing properties, remember?"
  "Enough," Haechan said.  Anyone else would think he'd been talking about the game, even though he kept playing.

-

  Jaemin took the vial of blood out of Mark's backpack and the two remaining ones out of Renjun's bag.  He took them to the bathroom and locked the door.  The closed toilet seat clanked as he sat down.  He inhaled slowly:  One, two, three.  He exhaled:  One, two, three.
  "Ok, I got this," he said and opened the first vial.  Blood didn't have much of a flavor.  Fresh blood held Life in it and each person felt different.  Usually, Renjun's felt like laying out in the sun on a lazy day with a hint of spice.  When aroused, it had less of a feeling and a thicker consistency.
  It filled him up better.  Like going from water to a full vegetable soup with hot sauce.
  While he'd been visiting his parents he'd fed once from his cousin, which had been weird in itself, but they'd been anemic.  Anemia meant they didn't have enough iron in their blood, so they'd tasted unhealthy.  If he'd taken more than a sip he probably would've passed out.
  These vials weren't that bad.  They gave him no nutrition and just enough energy to not feel like a zombie.
  He drank all three and leaned back to let the blood take effect...

>>>Read Chapter 3 -  We're the Best of Friends [P2/3]

They play a ridiculous and loud foot-volley-ball game and Jaemin gets some devious help so that he can feed. & Pore Jissungie's eyes... or ears... same thing...? [CH3]

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