Sungmin sighed and was still staring at the small river, had lost all sense of time.

"Hey...", a soft voice let him look up and a small, sad smile appeared on Sungmin's face, when he saw Ryeowook next to him in the grass. "Are you okay?"

The other nodded slightly and closed his eyes, leaned his head at Ryeowook's shoulder.

"Did he hit you again?", the smaller male asked quietly and rans his fingers gently through Sungmin's hair, got a small nod in response. "My poor hyung... if I only knew how I could help you."

"It is okay, Ryeowook-ah.", Sungmin whispered und shook his head. "Thank you for your help, but we know both that, even if your mother likes me, she can not give shelter to a further person..."

"I know... but how can I help you then, hyung?", Ryeowook asked meekly and leaned his head on top of Sungmin's head. "And dare you to say that you are fine! You are definitely not!"

"But I am fine, Wookie!", Sungmin lifted his head and showed the other an encouraging smile. "And now, you should go home and help your mother and your little brothers! Be a good hyung for them and help your mother to raise them."

"And... what about you?", Ryeowook asked with a small voice, eyed Sungmin's swollen cheek. "I am sure mother would not be mad, if I ask her for you to sleep in our barn."

Sungmin sighed, smiling. "Maybe, okay?", he finally nodded and a broad smile appeared on the younger's face. "Let me know, when you are there! Then I will sneak out the house and join!"

"I will.", Sungmin nodded again and looked after Ryeowook, when the latter ran up the small hill and back to their village, sighing. He knew that Ryeowook and his family were always there for him, but since Ryeowook's father died the winter before, his mother had to take care alone of Ryeowook and his three little brother's; because nobody in their little village wanted to have a woman with her four children as his wife.

Sungmin glanced up at the sky and realized that the day was almost over and that the night was coming, when he saw that the red of the sunset already turns into the dark blue of the night and could see the first stars too.

Cluelessly what he should do, Sungmin stood up and walked slowely up the hill and stopped, looked down at the small houses and the smoke coming from the chimneys. Should he take Ryeowook's offer to sleep in their barn, or should he go home and try to speak with his parents?

Twenty minutes later, Sungmin carefully slipped into his bedroom and closed the door quietly, sighed in relief. But it quickly faded, when he suddenly heard the heavy steps of his father at the stairs. As fast as he could, Sungmin tried to hide himself under his bed, as in the next moment, his door jerked open and his father stood in the doorframe.

"Come out you brat!", he growled darkly and tried to find his son. "I know you are here! I saw you! You and this damn vampire!"

Sungmin squeaked fearful, when his father stopped right in front of his bed. He could smell the alcohol and sweat of the man and covered his nose, when there were suddenly two hands and flung his bed.

Scared to death, Sungmin looked up at his father and skidded backwards, but got caught by his father who grabbed him at his hair and pulled him up to his feet.

"No. Please... let go!", Sungmin begged and tried desperately to lose his father's grip. "I- I am sorry!" Tears of fear and pain were already rolling down his cheeks.

"I know you are! ", Sungmin's father said with a smug grin, right in Sungmin's face. The latter almost choked as he could smell the alcohol and tabacco in the in the breath of his father. "And I am sure you know that you have to pay for what this... creature did to me, because you ran into this damn forest..."

Sungmin's eyes widened, when he saw the whip in his father's hand. "No. Father, please! I will do everything, but- but arg! not the whip!", Sungmin pleaded, tugged at the man's arm again and hoped he would let him go.

But he was wrong. In the moment he heard his father laugh, the latter's fist met the cheek of his struggling son.

Hot tears were flowing down Sungmin's face and he was pretty sure the his jaw was broken. "I am sorry...", he whimpered and slumped on the floor, held his held his aching cheek and could taste some blood.

"Take your shirt and your-", his father stopped mid-sentence, the whip raised high above his head, when he eyed the jacket of his son suspicious and turned pale, as the image of a smirking Kyuhyun appeared in his mind.

Sungmin stared at his father and remembered again that, after all, he was still wearing Kyuhyun's jacket. Within a moment, Sungmin was back on his feet and pushed his father to the side, ran downstairs and rushed out of the house.

He could hear the angry shouting of his father, as the man awoke from his shock and tried to catch Sungmin, but he stumbled and fell down the stairs, could only see how Sungmin disappeared around the corner of the next house.


Heavily panting, Sungmin pushed the door of the barn open and slipped in the huge building, leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"Oh god...", he wheezed and looked around in familiar place. A small smile crept up Sungmin's face, when he remembered the time, when Ryeowook, Kibum, Donghae and he had played in here.

Tired and exhausted, Sungmin pushed himself off the wooden gate and searched for the ladder to climb on the hayloft. He found it in a corner of the barn, brought it in place and a few moments later, Sungmin dropped into the warm hay.

"Ouch..." whimpering, Sungmin curled into a ball and cried his heart out, when suddenly all pain hit his body.


Kyuhyun, meanwhile, was sitting on the oak tree again and was curious, if Sungmin would come again. But with every further hour which passed by, his hope dropped and when it lastly began to rain, the vampire stood up and climbed down the tree and stopped.

On the one side, he could go to the village and search for the human, but one side of his mind told him that it was absolutely feeble-minded to take care about this human.

"But he is...", Kyuhyun mumbled, but stopped mid-sentence. What was Sungmin for him? He was just a human. He actually should not be more than someone, whose blood he longed for.

Kyuhyun sighed, when he suddenly felt some fine raindrops on his skin and could hear a faint rumble of thunder high above him. His feelings told him that the morning was already coming and that Sungmin would not come.

The vampire climbed down the tree and listened into the darkness of the forest. He had hoped to find another human who would satisfy his hunger, but there was no single soul.


Startled, Sungmin lifted his head and looked out of the large barn window, when a bright flash, followed by a loud thunder tore him from his slumber. The morning was already coming, he could feel it, but the sky was as dark as in the middle of the night due to the dark storm clouds.

He hated thunderstorms, especially when he was alone. Sungmin wrapped his arms instinctively around his upper body and looked around his sleeping place. A small smile crept up his face when he remembered how they had always hide in the hay and had cuddled with each other to take the fear of each other.

Without a further thought, Sungmin took the hay and hide himself under it, could feel how it warmed him immediately. He sighed and closed his eyes, and even if he could still hear the storm outside, he felt a little bit safer under the hay, enveloped in Kyuhyun's jacket.

"I should thank him for it...", Sungmin mumbled to himself and was fast asleep a few moments later.


When Sungmin woke up again, the sky was tainted in the shades of gold, red, pink and blue, the sky of the setting sun. He blinked sleepy and looked clueless around the barn, when he heard a quiet giggle right next to him.

"You look really cute, Sungmin-shii.", Ryeowook grinned and tugged some hay out of Sungmin's hair. "Are you hungry?"

The older nodded slowly and yawned. "What time is it?"

"Already evening.", Ryeowook said with a smile and handed Sungmin some bread with cheese and some soup. "You have slept for a whole day and it seems that you really needed it."

Sungmin just nodded and ate slowly. "Thanks that I could sleep here...", he said and looked up, when Ryeowook suddenly hugged him.

"It is okay.", the younger whispered and stood up. "Uhm... but I- I must go now... it seems my mother is looking after me."

Carefully, Ryeowook climbed down the ladder and looked up at Sungmin. "Feel free to stay here if you want.", he offered and his heels. "Sleep well Sungmin-shii!"

"Good Night, Ryeowook!", Sungmin shouted after him and looked out of the window, could see the younger, who was like a brother for him, and his mother and could not help but to grin.

Sungmin finished his little dinner and lay back down in the hay, sighing. He missed a place which he could call his home and where someone was waiting for him.

"Are you not freezing?", suddenly a familiar voice rang out and Sungmin looked up, startled.

It took a moment for him to locate the place the voice was coming from, since he was fallen asleep again, but when his gaze landed at the window his heart skipped a beat.

There he was crouching and looking at him, the light of the full moon illuminated his form and he had tilted his head to the side, rested his chin on one hand.

"W- what are you doing here?", Sungmin asked with a sore voice, tried to clear his throat while he sat up.

"I was bored... and since you did not come last night...", Kyuhyun said with a shrug and stepped down from the windowsill.

Sighing, the vampire eyed Sungmin's face. "Was it your father again?", he asked carefully and sat down in front of the other.

Sungmin looked down at his finger. "Do not... do not get it wrong... I know that he loves me and my mother...", he murmured and flinched when he all of a sudden felt some cold fingers at his hurting cheek and it seemed as if the pain faded a little bit.

"Oh yeah... beat his own son and wife is a very good way to show his love.", Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and scooted a little bit closer, could smell the addicting scent of Sungmin's blood and moaned quietly. But he shook his head and cleared his throat, when he gently lifted Sungmin's chin and looked at the dark purple bruise on the latters cheek.

"Does is hurt?", the vampire asked curious and was surprised, when Sungmin shook his head.

"No... not really...", he mumbled and avoided Kyuhyun's gaze. "Your hand feels good..."

Kyuhyun sighed. "Wait a moment, I will get you something to warm you.", he said, stood up and disappeared in the darkness of the barn.

Sungmin looked around the barn and tried to find Kyuhyun, but since it was already in the middle of the night and the moon was hiding behind some thick clouds, he could not see very well.

"Here...", suddenly, Kyuhyun was back at his side and wrapped a blanket around his freezing form. "Better?"

But Sungmin gave no response, just looked out of the window.

"Why are you helping me?", he suddenly asked out of the blue and Kyuhyun looked mystified at him.

"I do not know.", Kyuhyun answered with a shrug. "I... just have the urge to..." He lapsed into silence und followed Sungmin's gaze out of the window, stared at the cloudy sky.

It was a comfortable silence between them and it was Kyuhyun, who broke them. "So you prefer to sleep in the bran instead of your bed... I am sure you have a really nice family!", he said with a sarcastic voice when he heard Sungmin's steady breathing.

"It is currently... the only place where I can really sleep.", Sungmin answered after a short moment and glanced over his shoulder at Kyuhyun. "And I have a good family! It is just a little bit... complicated."

The vampire just nodded and pulled the blanket over Sungmin's legs. "You should try to sleep a little bit."

"Will you be here, when I wake up in the morning?", Sungmin asked and his other side, looked questioningly at Kyuhyun.

The latter smiled, but shook his head. "No."