chapter 27

Silence – the voices have stopped. His heart seems to rest slightly and he feels relief. The creeping feeling of evil vanishes with the smashed Key and Sunggyu lifts his foot to see thousands of clear glass pieces scattered on the white ground. The rainbow light leaves the glass like dust being carried by the wind and the light goes up and up until it disappears into the void above. Time seems to stop and Sungjae and Woohyun separate, looking at the used-to-be Key. Sunggyu takes a step back and squats, picking up a shard in between his thumb and index finger. He examines it closely and it’s just a piece of colourless glass. The glass doesn’t chatter at him anymore or give him shivers. It’s just glass.

He stands and looks at the mess. The void is speechless and Sunggyu looks at Woohyun to see his reaction. Is he angry? He should be – Sunggyu just smashed one of the most precious things in the supernatural world. It’s gone forever (he presumes) and everything up until this point was a waste. Everything they did for this was a waste. Sunggyu would understand if Woohyun didn’t want to see him again, although he isn’t sure that could work, but he doesn’t regret his decision to smash it. Perhaps it was reckless and maybe he should have thought it through but he doesn’t think that would change his decision.

Where he expects to see a look of anger he sees a look of disbelief. Makes sense. Sunggyu did just kind of smash the Key without warning. His shock is understandable. Sunggyu is hesitant to see Sungjae’s expression and for good reason because when he does look over he sees something he’s never seen before. It’s terrifying and he would be mad at how weak he is to Sungjae if he wasn’t so frightened. He holds his breath as he takes a step back.

Suddenly the ground beneath them caves and they fall through the void into nothing but a dark cave. Sunggyu lands painfully on the ground, the glass shards of the shattered Key stabbing into his palms and fingers. He winces at the sharp pain but he’s preoccupied by the look of confusion and horror on the vampires’ faces. He expects Woohyun to be angry, yes, and he expects the worst from Sungjae but that doesn’t save him from being taken aback either way. Woohyun seems more confused than anything as he jumps back from Sungjae who is scarily angry. His face is dark and Sunggyu doesn’t think he’s ever seen something so sinister, not even in a cheesy horror movie.

Sunggyu doesn’t see what happens next, Sungjae moves far faster than he’s ever seen any vampire move, but Woohyun does and all Sunggyu catches is two blurs colliding and then Sungjae is crashing against the wall. It’s almost cartoonish the way his body hits the wall so hard it carves a hole into it and Sungjae rips himself away. “Do you realize what you’ve done?” His voice is low and menacing and it sends a shiver through Sunggyu. His entire body trembles under Sungjae’s gaze and he doesn’t think he’s ever been this scared of him.

Woohyun is in front of Sunggyu in the blink of an eye and Sunggyu panics when he sees how injured Woohyun really is. He’s barely standing. Sungjae cracks his neck and he walks towards them like a lion stalking a gazelle and Sunggyu takes a brave step in front of Woohyun. Woohyun pulls him back, though, and Sunggyu gives him a look that Woohyun doesn’t see because he’s glaring defiantly at Sungjae.

Sungjae ignores Woohyun, looking directly at Sunggyu, and he growls, “All my work and you destroy it? You imbecile, you have just crushed the most powerful piece of magic in this world! And now,” Sungjae breathes, “I am going to kill you. You are of no use to me anymore.”

Woohyun takes a step forward, blocking Sunggyu fully, and Sungjae looks at him. “And you will protect him but he’s useless to you as well. Useless, pointless. He really should not have done that. All the work I put in was wasted and all the work you put into stopping me, wasted.”

Woohyun doesn’t answer, instead baring his fangs because angry, so angry, and Sungjae just stops, laughing hysterically. Sunggyu is taken back by the sudden change in emotion and he gasps, breathing deeply. Sungjae bends over in laughter, high pitched and insane. Sunggyu just continues breathing in and out, waiting for the laughter to subside, and when it does, it ends as suddenly as it had started. Sungjae straightens, face looking bored, and he gazes at Woohyun and then Sunggyu. “You are just as ignorant as he is, protecting him blindly. Is that really what love is? Giving up everything for someone else even though they are of no convenience to you?”

Woohyun takes one human-speed step forward before he pounces, tackling Sungjae to the ground. Sungjae looks bored still and Woohyun wraps his fingers around Sungjae’s throat. “Kill me. I have nothing to live for. And it’s what you want, isn’t it? To kill me. You want to rip out my throat, and then my guts, and then my heart. Do you want to hear me scream, too? But can you kill me without going mad with rage? Because you know what will very likely happen if you do, right? Once you kill me out of pure hatred and rage then it will be easier to lose yourself again and again until you’re a lunatic who doesn’t even know their own name. Then you’ll just know the instinct to kill and that’s all you will do. And your precious angel will be first.”

From here, Sunggyu can feel Woohyun’s anger rising. It’s like the tension is a physical thing pressing against him and he is petrified to his spot, unmoving, watching. He can’t see how Woohyun’s eyes darken or how he tightens his grip on Sungjae’s throat, but he can see how Sungjae gasps when Woohyun drives his knee so hard into Sungjae’s chest he breaks his ribs. The cracking sound makes Sunggyu flinch and he realizes he’s just been standing there watching like an idiot. He knows Woohyun will kill him, the chance is here and Woohyun has been wanting to kill Sungjae ever since the soiree, but Sunggyu doesn’t think he should let him.

“Woohyun,” Sunggyu says and his voice shakes so he tries again. “Woohyun,” louder this time.

Woohyun breathes out and looks up at Sunggyu. Sungjae smirks despite the pain underneath him. “Don’t kill him.”

Woohyun just looks at him, kind of like he’s lost, and Sunggyu walks forward until he’s standing just above them. He places one hand on Woohyun’s back, rubbing soothing circles, and he uses the other to grip Woohyun’s arm, tugging. “Don’t kill him,” he repeats, stronger and firmer this time. “I… if I let you kill him then who really wins? I know that you are still far from falling into madness but I don’t want to let you get any closer and killing him will only bring you closer. I don’t want you to become someone I don’t know anymore. I don’t want you to pull away from me.”

Sunggyu realizes that at some point he begins to sound more desperate than convincing but he is desperate. Woohyun releases Sungjae after hesitation but he keeps a hand holding onto his collar – not that Sungjae can really get up right now. Woohyun stands, pulling Sungjae to his feet as well, and Sungjae returns to that bored expression. “Boring,” he manages to get out and they ignore him.

Sunggyu’s fingers ghost over Woohyun’s cheeks and he smiles. “Let’s go back.”

//

Sunggyu manages to lead them back to where they started, every piece of magic weak after the Key had been shattered, and Sunggyu gasps in horror when they return. Dead bodies, specifically the ones of Sungjae’s men, lie scattered around the floor. Hoya and Myungsoo are still, not breathing, looking at the bodies strewn across the floor. Dongwoo is plastered against the wall, tears in his eyes but they don’t fall and he looks like he’s trying very hard not to remember what he’d just seen. Sungjae starts to laugh when he sees the mess and Sunggyu hides behind his hands. “Of course,” Sungjae says, hysterical.

It smells of blood and death and Sunggyu vomits beside him. “They attacked us, we had no choice,” Hoya begins to explain but Sunggyu isn’t listening. He just needs to get out of here.

Woohyun sighs and he throws Sungjae towards Myungsoo who catches him easily, holding him by the hair. “Let’s just go.”

Woohyun is beside Sunggyu and he pulls him into a tight hug, knotting his fingers through his hair and rubbing his back comfortingly. “I’m sorry,” but Sunggyu doesn’t want his apology. He understands, he does, but seeing so much death at once makes him feel sick.

Woohyun kisses his temple, takes his hand, and he begins leading Sunggyu back the way they came. When they get to a fork in the cave, Sunggyu looks up and points. Conveniently, he knows the way out.

When the smell of blood starts to disappear, Dongwoo looks at Sunggyu. Sungjae is uncharacteristically quiet but Sunggyu doesn’t think he’s in his right mind at all. “What happened to the Key? No divine magic has taken place, but it feels like the cave has been ripped of any magic it had before,” Dongwoo asks.

“It’s gone,” Woohyun answers.

“I destroyed it,” Sunggyu continues because what Woohyun said isn’t enough. “I destroyed it because nothing good would come out of it.”

No one says anything more, maybe because Sunggyu says it so surely, maybe because Sunggyu, too, isn’t really in his right mind, but whatever the reason Sunggyu is thankful. He doesn’t think he could explain it any better other than he just had to do it because it was wrong. That thing was just so wrong.

Right now Sunggyu doesn’t want to think about what they’ll have to deal with when they’re back to reality so he doesn’t, for the time being, and he just thinks about the fact that right now Woohyun is still Woohyun and right now Sungjae isn’t Sungjae and he’s quiet, and the Key is gone. For the time being.

//

They don’t go to the Council, they go back home. Hoya and Myungsoo have sustained severe injuries but as vampires they begin to heal. Woohyun is worse off, but they haven’t been alone yet so he won’t feed off Sunggyu. Understandable. It’s such an intimate act, Sunggyu doesn’t like being around people. Doing it with Sungjae watching was just because Woohyun could barely stay conscious. Sunggyu chooses to forget that happened.

The moment they open the door, Sungyeol is there. He frowns at Myungsoo, at the blood dried on his clothes and skin, and he pulls him into a hug. Myungsoo hugs him back, desperately. “I wasn’t gone that long,” he says into Sungyeol’s shoulder but it doesn’t really matter how long he was gone.

When they pull away, Suzy comes to the door, ushering everyone in. She looks at Dongwoo and then smiles, welcoming him as well. Hoya has an iron grip on Sungjae still but Sungjae is barely alive right now and doesn't put up a fight. Woohyun pulls Sunggyu in, Suzy closes the door behind them, and he grips Sunggyu’s hand tightly. Woohyun whispers something to Suzy and she nods before grabbing Sungjae forcefully by his arm and dragging him away. Sunggyu guesses he'll be locked up in the basement for the time being.

The exhaustion is starting to get to Sunggyu and he sighs as Woohyun says, “I think we should all rest before we deal with the Council, yeah? We’ll head over the day after tomorrow.”

Approval rings through the room and everyone moves to their respective areas of the house, Myungsoo and Sungyeol to their bedroom, Hoya and Dongwoo to the backyard, and Sunggyu and Woohyun head up to their own bedroom. Once they’re up and Woohyun has shut the door, Sunggyu collapses onto the bed gracelessly, curling into the bed sheets. They’re cool and comforting and Sunggyu hadn’t realized how much he missed this bed, this room, this house.

“Don’t you want to wash up first?” Woohyun asks, chuckling as he picks around the dresser for some clothes. His are bloodied and torn and might as well just be thrown out. He picks out some comfy clothes for Sunggyu, too, and tosses them at him. Sunggyu just kind of wants to sleep but taking a shower also sounds nice so he gets up, holding the clothes to his chest. He heads for the bathroom connected to their bedroom and Woohyun tells him he’s going to clean up in the bathroom down the hall.

The water is hot as it travels down his skin and he leans against the tiled wall for a few moments before washing his body and his hair and turning off the water. His skin is pink from the scalding water and he smells obnoxiously of strawberries (how manly of him). He dresses languidly into some warm underwear, a pair of sweats and a loose long sleeve shirt. The collar hangs low, enough that his collarbones are exposed, and its comfortable.

Woohyun’s already sitting on the bed, waiting for him, when he comes out, dressed in a similar pair of sweats and a simple white t-shirt. He beckons Sunggyu over and Sunggyu goes quickly, bare feet padding against the carpet. He hopes his pink and tender skin hides his blush as he curls into Woohyun’s lap.

Sunggyu places his hands on Woohyun’s shoulders, timidly pressing closer. He kisses Woohyun once, twice, thrice, and then he is panting slightly as Woohyun spins them around and lays him against the mattress. Sunggyu’s shirt rides up, showing his pale midriff, and he watches as Woohyun glances at the skin. “You should feed,” Sunggyu whispers.

“Mm,” Woohyun hums and he shifts down Sunggyu’s body, settling between his legs, peppering soft kisses along his collarbone and then his hips as he moves down. Sunggyu gasps when Woohyun drags sweats down and down until they’re completely off, settling back between his legs. His movements are lazy, agonizingly slow. “What are you doing–”

Sunggyu cuts off when he feels Woohyun press a kiss to his inner thigh. He had never thought of this, didn’t know Woohyun could even do it this way, but now Woohyun is and he is in no place to stop it or question it. Woohyun bites down and it stings, more than usual, but the feeling is soon replaced as Woohyun swallows, spreading warmth throughout his body. It takes several seconds for Sunggyu to realize he’s stopped and he scoots back up to gaze into Sunggyu’s eyes, the last of his blood off his lips. Sunggyu feels tired still and he decides that it’s time to sleep so he pulls Woohyun down to lay beside him, curling into his side, and buries his face in Woohyun’s neck. Woohyun holds him close, bringing the blanket up to cover them.

IT ISNT OVER YET MWA HAHA

yes sungjae is being locked up in the basement because he is a bad guy but they dont want to deal with the council just yet