7llin' in the Dream

Episode Four:  Time Flies, We Fly [P2]

Chapter Eight

-

  Chenle locked the bathroom door.  He looked at the mirror and removed his sunglasses and mask.  It had been too close earlier.  He sniffed and coughed.  His temples throbbed and he rubbed them.  Thankfully it had only happened because of stress.
  His eyes turning red hadn't.
  And he'd been hiding the nosebleeds.  It's why he'd been wearing a mask for the last couple of hours.
  One, because of the cameras, and two, because the vampires could smell blood.  Maybe they were too distracted to notice or their sense of smell hadn't been as strong as he'd feared.  They wouldn't lose control and bite him, but they may try to comfort him. 
 Or say things like, "It gets better."  Again.
  He studied his reflection and sighed.  No more red eyes.  He'd been afraid to see them and now he wouldn't have to.  His nosebleed from early had dried and he used wet toilet paper to clean the remains.  He put it in the toilet and blew his nose.  No more blood there either.
  He swallowed and dropped it into the toilet.  He flushed it and closed his eyes.  He just needed a little more time.  He'd seen realistic vampire movies and he had no illusions that it'd be enjoyable.  They were going to bite him.
  Getting bit a little could hurt and he's sure it's going to hurt more than he'd been imagining.
  And his Hyungs and Jisung would be on his skin - and the blood out of the wound.  His stomach rolled and he leaned on the sink.
  He wouldn't wish it on anyone else, but why him?
  He closed his eyes and inhaled.  He may hate it, but he could do it.
  Unlike people in movies, he wouldn't have a mental breakdown.
  He exhaled, opened his eyes, and stood straight.  He put his mask and sunglasses in his pocket.  He said, "Time for yummy food."
  And he smiled.

-

  Haechan took a piece of meat and Jaemin said, "Be careful.  It's very hot."  He used his tongue to flip the meat into his mouth and chewed.  "Wow," he said.
  He ran his fingers through his hair.  "Wow," he said again.  "Jaemin, I love you."
  Jaemin smiled and said cutely, "Is it good?"
  His gesture said, "Understatement" and he said, "Wow."
  "Is it that good?"
  "Jaemin-ah, do you think you can cook the rest of the meat better than this?"
  "Mm."

-

  "I don't think I got enough rice for everyone," Chenle said.
  "I'll get three more bowls then," Jisung said, holding his fingers out, waiting for confirmation.  They agreed and he went to the kitchen.
  Mark came out of the kitchen and said, "We have Haetban.  It's slightly undercooked.  Are you ok with that?"
  "Aish, seriously," Haechan said, getting up.  He stumbled a few steps and then marched to the kitchen.
  Jaemin noticed Jisung watching him and said, "Is it good?  Eat up."
  "Oh-oh, yeah," he said.  "But we should eat together."  He hovered and watched him grill.

-

  "Jaemin, did you eat yet," Mark asked as he made a plate.
  "Yeah.  Try it," he said.
  "Ok, thank you."
  Renjun ate a piece and moaned.
  Haechan ate another piece and clapped.  He collapsed in his chair and closed his eyes.
  "Who got Isultoktok," Jeno asked with sparkling eyes, knowing very well who's.
  "It's mine," Jaemin said.
  "No, seriously, today," Jisung said.  "I worked out so much.  It was tiring."
  Jeno snorted and teased, "It was so hard?"
  He nodded.  "Exercising so much was hard."
  Mark grinned at Jeno and said, "Exercising so much was hard?"
  Jaemin studied the table and said, "Do we have rice?"
  "You can get your own bowl of rice, but Chenle said he'll get it for you," Haechan said.
  Straight-faced, Chenle said, "Why?"
  "I don't know."

-

  "Anyway, it's the first time for all seven of us to come somewhere like this," Mark said.  He held up his beer can and said, "Let's go, say cheers."
  "Cheers, man," Jaemin said.
  "Cheers," Haechan said.
  Mark said, "Yo Dream."
  Their drinks met in the middle and they all said, "Let's be awesome."
  They took a drink - and gulped it - repeatedly.
  "Mm, I like Isultoktok the best," Jaemin said and put his drink down.

-

  "Jaemin, can you cook us more meat?  Give us some short loin next," Haechan said.
  "Sure," he said.
  "Are you going to eat rice?"  Jisung said, holding up three fingers.  "I'll get three bowls then."  He went to the kitchen.
  "Thank you," Jeno said.
  "I'm so happy," Renjun said.  "Eating in this weather."
  "Wow... so nice," Mark said.  "Hearing that made me realize it's really nice."  The sun had started to set and they'd dressed warmly.
  Pouring a bowl of soup, Haechan said, "The weather is perfect for having barbecue and ramyeon."
  "Haechan, please cook ramyeon for us," Mark said.
  Haechan demanded, "Do you want me to cook you ramyeon that's pretty darn good?"
  "Yes, make it out of this world."
  "Want me to beat you up with it?"
  Mark and Renjun said, "Yes, do that."
  Haechan barred his teeth and said, "Seriously."  He chomped a piece of meat off his spoon.
  "Add like two eggs," Mark said.

-

  "Jaemin, we ran out of meat," Haechan said.  "I can't believe it."
  "Wait a little bit," Jaemin said.
  Making weird noises, Jeno jogged to him and asked him what the meats were.
  Jisung swallowed his rice and said, "On days like this with cold breezes, having something warm like a bowl of soup, is so nice."  He smiled.
  "We need more rice, right," Chenle asked.
  "Why," Jeno said and he wasn't talking to them.  He had abruptly turned around at the sound of a dog barking.  It barked three more times and, Jeno said, "Boe-boe-boe-boe."
  Haechan said, "Jeno even talks to dogs now."
  Renjun laughed.
  "Oh, my goodness."
  "Boe."

-

  Jaemin grilled more meat and Jeno swirled his arms around his head.
  "Are you excited," Jaemin asked.
  Jeno said, "Oh oh oh oh," as a flame rose and pointed at the meat under it.
  Jaemin smile and flipped it over.

-

  Renjun used chopsticks to get a piece of asparagus.
  "Can you get me one," Mark asked.
  "Can you get me one too," Haechan asked.
  Renjun gave Mark his and said to Haechan, "You can get your own piece."  He had the bowl right in front of him.
  "Not fair," he said, pouting.  "Not fair."
  They ignored him.

-

  Haechan had started making the ramyeon he'd threatened to beat them up with.
  Renjun said over his shoulder, "Haechan-ah, we don't need ramyeon."
  He made a noise in acknowledgment.
  They snickered.
  "No no no no," Jisung said.
  "I'm serious," Jeno said.
  Haechan made the same noise.
  They laughed and Renjun said, "Why would he sound so lovely?
  Mark cleared his throat and said, "Speaking of, Renjun-ah, when are you supposed to... um... give Haechan that special meal you make?"  He looked up and Renjun snickered at him.  He meant, "When are you going to feed him?"
  "Special meal," Renjun said.  "Cute.  I don't know.  I'm not sure he deserves it."
  Jaemin delivered the last bit of meat.
  Mark clapped.
  Renjun clasped his hands and sighed like he'd been given the greatest gift in the world.
  "Wow, thank you," Chenle said.
  Haechan had come barring a pot of steaming ramyeon.  He said, "Here comes a work of art."  He put it on the table and said, "Everyone, smell it first."
  Mark said, "One, two, three."  They inhaled.  He said, "Can I eat it?"
  "Yeah."
  "Wow, it smells so good," Renjun said.  "If it tastes as good, I guess I can make you that special meal I make."  He snickered at Mark who grinned, embarrassed.
  Haechan gasped.  "It's a work of art," he said.  "And thank you."
  Renjun only had eyes for the food.
  Mark slurped the noodles and he said, "It's really good."  He made a cute sound.

-

  "Who lost before?  On who's going to clean up after dinner," Haechan said.
  "We didn't decide on that yet," Mark said.
  He gave him a tired look.  "We did.  With the foot volleyball?"
  "No, we didn't decide that yet."
  Jeno said, "The foot volleyball was for breakfast tomorrow."
  "Oh, my," Haechan said.
  Like the fate of the world rested on it, Mark said, "We must play beer pong."
  Renjun said, "Should we play beer pong?"
  Haechan said, "Renjun, Mark, and I are on the same floor."
  "Right," Chenle said.
  "Jisunggie and Jaemin are on the same floor.  And Chenle and Jeno are using the same room?"
  "Yeah," Jeno said.  "Can I go to the second floor?"
  "No," Renjun said.  He meant, "Because I'm going to sneak into that damn doghouse to spend time with you.  Like I've been wanting to all day."  And he knew that.
  "Why why," Jeno asked.  Idiot.
  Looking offended, Chenle said, "You don't want to be with me?"
  Jeno said, "I saw how big it is.  I had a feeling that there would be a lot of mosquitoes in it."
  "Should the three of us sleep together," Renjun asked Haechan.  He huffed in amusement.  "On the floor."
  Haechan said, "Mark on the right, me in the middle, and Jeno on the left, okay?"
  The ever-flustered Mark immediately changed the subject back to beer pong.  "To play beer pong you have to clean up this table," he said.  "So let's play rock, paper, scissors for cleaning this table up."
  Renjun yawned and said, "Thanks to Jaemin and Haechan we had such a good meal."
  "Jaemin cooked meat for ut too so for the game..."  He sighed.  "Since there are seven of us, I wish I could exclude him, but we can't.
  Jaemin smiled helplessly around a noodle that remained halfway in his bowl.
  Everyone went off about how they all cooked something.
  "I cooked something too," Chenle said.
  "Excuse people who went to the grocery store too," Haechan said.  "Raise your hand if you think Jaemin, Renjun, Chenle, and I should be excused.  Haechan, Renjun, and Chenle raised theirs.  Haechan said, "Jaemin, raise your hand."
  Jaemin's noodle had finally come loose.  He looked up a little dazed, smiled, and raised his hand halfway.
  More debating on who should or shouldn't be excluded.
  Jisung raised his hand and said, "I chose to eat everything."  He leaned back, grinning.
  Renjun laughed.  "Cute," he said.
  "Let us all play rock, paper, scissors," Jeno said.
  "Why do I feel so nervous," Mark said.  "I feel like I'm about to perform on stage."  He and Jeno laughed.
  They played - and he got overexcited, multiple times, which they found cute.
  Haechan lost... and as always he wheedled himself a better deal.  He, and two others - unfortunate Jeno and pore Jisung - had to help.  Even after having beat him twice and run around the table in victory.
  "Let's clean up, now," Haechan said.
  "Why are you in such a hurry," Renjun said and Jeno agreed.
  He froze, then threw his head back and yelled in agony.  As he headed for the kitchen, they laughed at him.

-

  As they cleaned...
  Mark played the piano, and he and Renjun sang freestyle:  "Now the day bleeds into nightfall.  I guess I got used to being someone you love..."

>>>Read Chapter 9:  Hope it Never Fades [P1/2]

This is the longest chapter so far :)

They play beer pong. Jeno and Haechan are thoughtful. Mark's a dork and a romantic. Jaemin's an adorable weirdo.

Renjun finally gives Haechan that special meal he makes.

Translation: He finally feeds him and you get to see their softer side.

You also learn a little history of them being young vampires and donors - and how Mark found out what they are. [CH9]

Don't forget to UPVOTE if you enjoyed it :)