Wonshik was silent as he sat beside the bed in the upstairs room of the chalet. He’d been here since he got back around sunset, bringing blood for when Hongbin woke, as he surely would soon enough. The room was dark except for what little moonlight drifted in through the window, and the only sounds were the faint ones coming from downstairs. He didn’t pay attention to any of it.

He’d heard the commotion downstairs, but he didn’t dare leave Hongbin’s side to go see what was going on. He was glad when Taekwoon came to tell him what had happened, alerting him of the presence of another slayer. In very few words, he told Wonshik the new slayer’s name was Tao, and he knew where Jaejoong was. As soon as he recovered from exhaustion, he would lead them to Yunho’s lair. Though Wonshik was relieved they would be able to rescue Jaejoong after all, he still wondered about Hongbin. Would he be awake to finish the journey to Yunho? More than that, would he be sane enough to travel with humans? Wonshik had sworn to take care of him when he woke up, and he intended to keep that promise. Even if it meant sitting out Jaejoong’s rescue, he would stay with Hongbin and make sure he would be okay.

Time wore on, but Wonshik never lost his patience. Though it was gradual, Hongbin’s scent had changed from that of a sweet mortal to a powerful vampire, and on top of that, his appearance was strikingly different. Wonshik found it difficult to look away from him, even though he was only sleeping. He couldn’t help but silently think Hongbin was his. He’d bitten Hongbin. He’d created him. Yunho might’ve started the process, but it was Wonshik’s venom that had completed the change. It was an unusual feeling, and Wonshik found he didn’t hate it at all.

The slightest twitch of a finger announced Hongbin’s awakening. Wonshik quickly gripped a bottle of blood, waiting for that moment when the newborn would open his eyes. He swallowed nervously, hoping with everything he had Hongbin had taken the change well.

With a groan and a shaky gasp, Hongbin’s eyes fluttered open. He grimaced, finding Wonshik by his side almost immediately with a gaze so stunning, Wonshik felt the breath slide from his lungs. Lilac eyes peered in his direction, seeking and full of worry and awe. Wonshik offered him a smile, hoping it would be enough to ease whatever fears Hongbin had.

“Wonshik,” the newborn rasped, his voice like a deep flute, warm and rich.

“I’m here,” Wonshik responded. “How do you feel?”

“I...don’t know,” he closed his eyes again, turning his head so he faced the ceiling. “Everything’s...”

“Everywhere?” Wonshik offered, smiling faintly.

Hongbin nodded. “So much...How do you deal with it?”

“You get used to it,” Wonshik replied.

“Tell me what’s happening,” Hongbin mumbled, keeping his eyes closed. “What happened while I was asleep?”

Unsure of where to start, Wonshik took a moment to mentally recount everything that had happened.

When he spoke, he told Hongbin everything that had happened to the best of his knowledge, including what had happened to Changmin. Hongbin was silent for most of the story, only interjecting to ask a question or further understand the gist of what was being said. By the time he’d finished, Hongbin was sitting up, grimacing as he rubbed his forehead.

“I want to bite you,” he mumbled, his tone half shameless, half shy.

“You’re thirsty,” Wonshik said, not even flinching at Hongbin’s bold statement, holding the bottle of blood out to him. “Here, drink,”

Hongbin’s lilac eyes zeroed in on the red liquid and almost immediately, he was yanking the cap off and downing it rapidly. Wonshik watched calmly, not wanting to offer the other two bottles he managed to collect out of fear it would spark more thirst in the newborn. He knew if Hongbin wanted more, he would show signs of it.

Hongbin drained the bottle, the last of it off his lips. “God,” he groaned. “That is...both disgusting and amazing,”

“I know,” Wonshik chuckled. “You get used to it,”

“It’s like...eating a really good meal or something...” he ran a hand through his hair. “Except I know it’s blood and before I died I wouldn’t have enjoyed that at all,”

“Don’t drink too much, alright?”

“You smell good too,”

Wonshik swallowed. “Do I...?”

Hongbin nodded. “It’s like...winter, I think. Do you know what I mean?”

“I think, yeah,”

“Like that...cold smell. Like you can smell the snow on the wind,”

Wonshik nodded, feeling a surge of affection for Hongbin as he described the scent to him. Taekwoon had told him a long time ago that vampires smelled different to each other depending on their bonds. The stronger the scent was, the stronger the bond. Did this mean he and Hongbin had a strong bond? Or was it simply the basic bond of a newborn to the one who had turned them?

Deciding not to dwell on it too hard, Wonshik smiled at Hongbin, glad he seemed to be holding together well. “Let me know when you think you’re ready to see everyone, okay?”

Hongbin nodded. “I think...I want to wait a little longer. I don’t think I’m ready,”

“I can call Taekwoon and Jaehwan so you can talk to them if you want. I’m sure you have lots of questions and both of them are older than me, so they’ll be able to answer them,”

Hongbin shook his head. “No. I think I’d just like to learn from you,”

“I’ll make mistakes,” Wonshik mumbled. “I’d rather have Taekwoon help me. He taught me everything I know,”

“Then I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” Hongbin was smiling, his dazzling lilac eyes glinting in the moonlight filtering through the window.

Wonshik smiled back, hoping he was right.

...

Tao had fallen asleep on the couch, his sword resting in his lap, propped against his shoulder as he held it between loose fingers. Taekwoon had a feeling he hadn’t intended to fall asleep. Taekwoon didn’t know how long he’d been a prisoner of Yunho, but by the emaciated scent of his blood, it had been a very, very long time. His pale skin made him think the slayer hadn’t seen sunlight in perhaps a year. Maybe more.

Turning away from the couch, Taekwoon tried to put his thoughts in order to pursue a series of more daunting thoughts. With Hongbin impossible to save, would the slayers continue to assist them in their rescue of Jaejoong? Or would they have to finish the journey alone?

To his surprise, an arm hooked around his. He jumped, seeing the smiling face of Jaehwan and relaxing almost immediately. He allowed himself to be tugged from the room and back onto the porch. The silver eyed vampire enveloped him in a hug, offering him comfort for the distress he’d obviously seen in Taekwoon.

“What should we do?” Taekwoon couldn’t help but ask, the scent of spring making him feel much more at ease.

“About what?” Jaehwan questioned. “I thought we knew. Tao will lead us to Yunho, and we can rescue Jaejoong,”

“But the slayers,” Taekwoon sighed, pulling away from Jaehwan’s embrace. “Will they help us?”

The smile faded from Jaehwan’s face so fast, Taekwoon almost wished he’d said nothing. At the very least, now the younger vampire understood why he was so concerned.

Sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, Taekwoon resigned himself to his fate. Without the slayers, their numbers would be greatly diminished. Without them, could they even fight Yunho and rescue Jaejoong without being killed or turned into a pet? No doubt they were strong as a coven, but in their own way, the slayers had made them stronger.

“We need them, Jaehwan,” Taekwoon said, staring out at the moonlit grass. “We need their help,”

“I know,” Jaehwan replied, leaning against the wall of the cottage. “But we also can’t expect them to help us. We’d be asking them to walk into Yunho’s lair. We don’t know what’s in there, and who knows how many vampires he has enthralled. They might not want to take that risk,”

“They were willing to do it for Hongbin,” Taekwoon mumbled. “But will they do it for us?”

“All we can do is ask,” Jaehwan said, shrugging lightly. “If you do, just be nice. Don’t expect them to say yes. Let them choose,”

Taekwoon nodded, taking a breath. It was now or never. If he was going to ask for the assistance of the slayers, he’d have to do it right away.

He stepped back into the chalet, Jaehwan following behind him but saying nothing. He wondered who he should talk to. Hakyeon was the leader of his own group of slayers, but Doojoon was the leader of the other. Diplomacy wasn’t his strong point, but he’d have to do his best in this situation.

“Be patient,” Jaehwan whispered to him as they stood in the living room doorway.

Taekwoon only nodded, swallowing.

Yoochun’s eyes were on him, not making him feel any better. The young slayer was the first to notice him there, and Taekwoon wasn’t entirely sure whether that was a good or bad thing. The vampire was tongue-tied, knowing what he wanted to say but not knowing how to say it. He wanted to simply ask the all-important question, but what if that made him seem too forward? He felt embarrassed, and Yoochun’s burning gaze wasn’t helping in the slightest.

Taekwoon was about to turn around and just walk away when Jaehwan spoke for him.

“Hey,” he said casually. “Do you mind if we ask you something?”

Taekwoon stiffened as heads turned in their direction. He tried not to cower beneath the gazes of the slayers, knowing right now, he was in the vulnerable position. He didn’t like being vulnerable, but for Jaejoong’s sake, he needed to swallow his pride. For the first time in his life, Taekwoon had to ask for help. Taking a breath and letting it out, he steeled himself to address the party of slayers in front of him.

“I want to ask...if you’ll be joining us from this point onward,” Taekwoon said.

Around the room, the slayers stiffened, casting glances at each other. Taekwoon began to wonder if they’d thought about this as well, or if they just assumed they were still coming anyway.

“I know a lot of you were only coming to help Hongbin, but he can’t be helped anymore,” Taekwoon went on, seeing Hakyeon and Sanghyuk stiffen on the couch. Tao was still fast asleep. “I just want to know if you’ll help us get Jaejoong back,”

“I will,” Yoochun said almost immediately. Junsu nodded with him, not surprising Taekwoon in the slightest. The others would need more convincing.

“I want to kill Yunho,” Hyunseung said stiffly, sitting up slightly. “For what he did to Hongbin, and for everything else. Who knows how many more people he’s going to take like that?”

Doojoon laid a hand on Hyunseung’s shoulder, giving him a sharp stare. “Listen, I know you’re angry, but don’t let it consume you,”

“Angry? Doojoon, come on, be real, okay?” Hyunseung pushed the hand off his shoulder and stood up. “I swear if there’s one chance we have to take out probably the worst vampire on the face of this earth, it’s this one. Sure, maybe I’m not too fond of working with vampires, but it’s better than going in blindly. Look what happened to Yoochun and Junsu’s clan, and if we’re assuming right, Yunho killed Tao’s clan too,”

Doojoon stood up as well, getting on eye level with Hyunseung. “You don’t understand that as a leader, I’m here to make sure my family stays safe. Yunho is a powerful vampire, and god knows what he’ll do. He tried to bite you, Hyunseung. Then Changmin bit you. You’re only alive right now because a legend proved to be real. Keep that in mind,”

Hyunseung ran his fingers over the two spots on his neck. There would be a scar there, a final reminder of what had almost happened. “Then obviously some higher power wants me here. I know I can’t rest with the thoughts of Yunho out there, killing people like Hongbin and doing god knows what with them. I can’t do it, and I won’t do it. Even if it kills me, I want to take Yunho out. I will go with them if that’s what it takes to rid the world of him,”

Taekwoon tried not to let his jaw drop at Hyunseung’s impassioned speech. He was the last person the golden eyed vampire expected to come along.

“I agree,” Gikwang piped up from the couch. “I don’t like the idea either. Besides, Tao needs a translator,”

“Like hell I’m letting you go alone, Gikwang,” Dongwoon said with a scoff. “You need someone to cover your , and I’m not trusting Hyunseung to do it,”

Hyunseung let out a scoff and a slight laugh, but he didn’t protest the harsh words.

“God damn it, you’re not making this easier!” Doojoon half shouted.

“I get it,” Hyunseung said sharply, crossing his arms. “You’re our leader. You want to take care of us. But isn’t it our duty to kill vampires or die trying?”

“I could do without the ‘dying’ thank you very much,” Doojoon growled. “I almost lost you. Don’t make me lose anyone else,”

“You keep fighting,” Junsu’s voice cut through the tense air, abruptly silencing anything more that was about to be said. Taekwoon turned towards him, seeing everyone else doing the same out of the corner of his eye.

“Yoochun and I lost our clan. Tao, it seems, did too. The grief comes, and the grief stays, but no matter what, it’s a slayer’s duty to keep fighting. We made an oath,” Junsu gestured to every slayer in the room. “We all did. The moment we took up our stakes, we swore we would protect the world from vampires with everything we had. At every funeral I was at, we spoke the same oaths; we keep them in our memories, and we keep fighting.”

Taekwoon swallowed, taking in Junsu’s words along with the rest of the room. He knew slayers were loyal to each other, and their strength came from their bonds and their ability to work together as a team. The most powerful groups of slayers weren’t the ones with the numbers – it was the ones that were bonded in ways even vampires couldn’t understand. He saw such bonds in Doojoon’s group, and he’d seen them in Hakyeon’s group as well.

Jaejoong and Yoochun too, Taekwoon thought silently. The two of them were able to trust each other the moment they first reunited, though they were completely different beings.

“It’s hard to lose your brothers and sisters,” Junsu said softly. “I know. Hell, I’ll bet Tao does too. I met Tao’s clan when they were still alive. There were twelve of them, but I’ve never seen bonds as strong as theirs were, and look at Tao. He’s here, right now, finishing the job I have no doubt he and his brothers must’ve started. As for me? I want my brother back. I want Jaejoong away from Yunho. Just as much, I want that damned vampire dead for everything he did, and I never want anyone else to fall into his hands,”

There was a silence so complete, it enveloped the entire room. Junsu’s words seemed to have struck chords in most of the slayers, something Taekwoon half wished he could understand. He felt Jaehwan slide his hand into his, holding it firmly, as though it was a simple reminder that he was still here.

“I’ll help...” Sanghyuk rasped, sitting up from Hakyeon’s arms, pushing them away lightly.

Hyunseung gaped at the young slayer, watching him wipe the dried tears off his eyes.

“Junsu...he’s right...I just...Hongbin—“

“He’s here,” Hakyeon said softly, his hair. “He’ll wake up soon. He won’t be like us anymore, but he’s still here, and I guess that counts for something,”

Sanghyuk nodded slowly. “Yeah...I suppose he is,”

“But why are you going to help?” Hyunseung asked. “I don’t get it,”

“Because it’s what Hongbin would do,” Sanghyuk just said.

Hakyeon smiled, pulling the young slayer into a tight hug. “And I’ll be right beside you, fighting for Hongbin too,”

Taekwoon turned to look at the three slayers who were undecided. Junhyung was holding his chin as he sat in a chair, his eyes distant as he pondered over what was being said. Yoseob looked hesitant, glancing towards Doojoon for guidance. The leader ran a hand through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh.

“You know I can’t let any of you go alone...you’re my responsibility,” Doojoon said softly.

“You don’t have to come,” Taekwoon spoke up, meeting Doojoon’s eyes. “I’ll take care of them for you if you would rather stay here, and I’m sure Hakyeon will do the same,”

“They’re my responsibility, not yours and not Hakyeons,” Doojoon said sharply. “If Hyunseung, Gikwang and Dongwoon are all going, then I have no choice but to follow myself,”

“And I’ll be there to back you up,” Junhyung said, smiling. “That’s all I needed to hear from you,”

Yoseob nodded in agreement. “We work best when we’re all together anyway, don’t we?”

Jaehwan flashed Taekwoon a brilliant grin. The golden eyed vampire couldn’t help but smile back. The slayers were staying with them, some of them for their own reasons, others simply determined to protect the ones they loved. Taekwoon felt a surge of respect for them, thinking they were much the same as vampires. Though the bonds were different, he and his coven still did everything in their power to take care of each other.

An unfamiliar scent mixed with a familiar one suddenly curled around him, making him turn. His eyes widened at the sight of Wonshik stepping down the hall, tailed by the newborn Hongbin. The young vampire’s lilac eyes burned with brilliant enthusiasm, and though he was newborn, Taekwoon could already sense the power locked away inside him. Hongbin had a special power like he did, though it was impossible to know what it was until it finally revealed itself.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Wonshik said casually, pushing past Taekwoon and Jaehwan. “But I wanted to introduce you to someone,”

There was a collective intake of breath the moment Hongbin stepped into the room, and no wonder too. Though he’d been handsome as a human, the transformation had turned the soft, flower boy features into something far more lovely. He looked like a painting of a god, his lilac eyes twinkling like stars. Taekwoon silently thought his beauty might just have been comparable to Jaejoong’s, though he wasn’t quite ready to call it just yet.

“Hakyeon, Sanghyuk,” Hongbin said softly, smiling at them. “I will be okay,”

A fresh wave of tears ran down Sanghyuk’s face, these ones silent. He covered his eyes with his hands, allowing Hakyeon to pull him back into his arms.

“And when Tao wakes up,” Wonshik said, a determined expression on his face, “both of us will help you get Jaejoong back,”

“And you?” Taekwoon questioned. “What are your instincts saying?”

“They’re saying we’ve got this,” Wonshik said, his confidence apparent for all to see. “With Hongbin and all of the slayers on our side, Yunho will get a run for his money,”

.

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A/N: *trumpet fanfare*

Thanks for reading you lovelies <3

~starlitskies