too easy (my thoughts you can’t decode)

by yvesvrse

Summary:

bora’s acting weird.

siyeon first notices on monday.

Notes:

hellooooo
i give u vampire suayeon ;)

hope u all luv it pls kudos and comment !

Chapter 1

siyeon first notices on monday.

everyone’s gathered in the hotel room she’s sharing with bora and minji—thanks to a rock paper scissors match gone terribly wrong upon finding out the room had only two beds, they had to decide who would get a bed to themself (news flash, minji won)—playing a pitiful game of uno of which gahyeon is, unsurprisingly, absolutely dominating.

the only one not playing, bora, sits anxiously beside siyeon, her knee bouncing. siyeon lays one of her hands in bora’s lap, offering her hand for bora to play with as she often likes to do when feeling anxious, only for the girl to gently brush it off.

siyeon turns to look at her, eyes curious. she mouths, “you okay?” to which bora responds with a smile that’s meant to be reassuring, but it has the opposite affect as it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. bora must notice siyeon knows somethings up because she stands up rather hurriedly and announces, “i’m stepping outside for a second,”

minji shifts on her bed to face bora, careful not to startle yoohyeon who’s head is laying on her thighs. “isn’t it too chilly out at this hour?”

“not sure,” siyeon watches as bora shrugs and takes one of the keycard’s from the table under the tv. she turns on her heels and goes over to the door. “i won’t be long.”

a blur of pink hair swishes through the doorway as she exits.

“what’s with her?” gahyeon asks from the floor, shuffling the deck strategically.

“she’s just moping because dongie wouldn’t let her take a picture of her with that old guy on the pier,” minji says dismissively, the memory playing fondly in her mind as her fingers play with yoohyeon’s hair in her lap.

siyeon hopes she’s right.

-

bora couldn’t have gotten out of there any faster.

she can only take the itch under her skin for so long before it’s insufferable. she sighs, relieved, the moment the fresh air hits her.

she really doesn’t know what’s wrong with her.

bora knows she’s been acting weird. she knows her friends are getting worried about her. she wants to act like everything’s okay but it’s just getting worse and she doesn’t know how to make it all stop; the way her heart constantly pounds in her ears, the fizzling energy coursing through her veins and keeping her on edge like a ticking bomb.

it’s dark outside; a streetlamp at the corner buzzes, flickering and just barely illuminating the street. she walks over to it and turns the corner into an alleyway, walking down just far enough from the hotel that she’d be out of sight if one of her friends decided to check on her but close enough for her to find her way back.

minji was right, it is chilly out. bora tucks her hands in the sleeves of her favorite sweatshirt that she stole from siyeon’s luggage the night before.

the wind blows past and she shivers. she pulls the hood over her head and hugs her arms tightly around herself. the fabric still smells like siyeon—her perfume, her shampoo, her—and bora finds that as the scent fills her senses, it ignites the uncomfortable feeling within her once again.

wonderful.

she might go crazy if this doesn’t let up soon.

all she wants to do is lay down and sleep this off but she already tried that and she woke up feeling shittier than she already did, so her best bet is to just go back inside and stick it out for the sake of not letting whatever this is ruin the rest of the trip.

the walk back inside is quick, her body shivering as the temperature seems to have dropped in the thirty minutes she was outside.

when she gets to her floor, she passes yubin in the hallway. the girl yawns and regards her with a tired smile as she enters her own room, muttering a “goodnight,” before disappearing through the door.

she returns the smile and turns next door to her room. she taps the keycard over the sensor and turns the doorknob when she hears the beep.

the room is dark when she enters, the only light that’s on in the room being the one on the bedside small table between the two beds. from the looks of it, both minji and siyeon are fast asleep. they left the light on for her, she assumes.

she slips into the bathroom and shuts the door behind her. she frowns at herself in the mirror. the dark circles around her eyes, her skin paler than usual. no wonder everyone keeps asking if she’s okay.

bora splashes water on her face and brushes her teeth before returning to her room. she feels a wave of exhaustion hit her as she approaches the bed, not bothering to change out of her sweats.

a hand touches her and she stiffens, turning to see siyeon, eyes fluttering open. the girl props herself up on her elbow and pulls back the duvet for bora to slide in, which she does with no question. the younger wraps her arms around bora’s shoulders instinctually.

“you’re cold,” she whispers, voice groggy with sleep. bora frowns and leans into her more. “are you okay?”

“yeah,” bora replies, the pounding in her head already beginning to numb to a dull ache.

siyeon doesn’t need to know, she decides.

Chapter 2

Notes:

hiii hope u luvvv it !

bora wakes up to a painful throbbing in her ears and a metallic taste in her mouth. it’s like something awakened inside her. like the ticking bomb has finally reached its breaking point.

she recognizes the taste as blood in her mouth. she’s about to stand up and walk to the bathroom to check what’s bleeding but she doesn’t quite make it there before an uncontrollable shock of pain hits her mouth.

something’s forcing her lips open.

she reaches up uncertainly and yelps when her finger tips graze across them. there are fangs where her teeth should be. sharp, pointy, long fangs.

bora feels a wave a nausea wash over her. what the hell is happening?

a laugh from the balcony echoes through the sliding glass door and bora looks up, startled. siyeon and gahyeon are sat at the small table, laughing loudly over siyeon clumsily knocking her coffee over and onto her white shirt.

siyeon.

the thought of the girl sends bora into a panic.

siyeon cannot know about this.

bora has never been more certain about anything in her life except that she needs to leave.

she stumbles out of the room and breaks into a clumsy version of a speedwalk, down the hall, skipping the elevator and straight down the stairs out the lobby doors and into the street.

the roads blur behind her as she runs at a speed she didn’t know was even possible.

she just grew fangs from her mouth. what is she, some kind of vampire now?

suddenly, her senses are filled once again and she feels her mind go fuzzy. she keeps running, something inside her guiding her, like a gps.

her legs bring her to a dump and she scrunches up her face. what the hell.

that’s when she sees it. the dead rat lying just below her feet. bora’s smart enough to know what her body’s telling her to do.

she needs to drink.

she crouches down. the rat’s eyes are glossed over. she swallows heavily.

she can’t do this.

she can’t just… suck the blood out of this poor little rat. she stares down at it, grimacing as it’s dead eyes stare back.

okay. on three, she tells herself.

one.

she reaches down, using her sleeves as gloves and taking the rat in her hands.

two.

bora opens her lips. the inside of her mouth aches, full of cuts from the fangs coming in contact. the taste of the blood coats her tongue and a sudden wave of craving washes over her, stronger than she’s ever felt before.

one.

she closes her eyes and brings the rat to her mouth, sinking her fangs in the flesh.

with each mouthful of blood down her throat, bora hates herself more.

she watches the rat fall from her hands and hit the concrete. her fangs retract and her teeth reappear as if nothing happened. bora wipes the remaining droplets of blood from her chin with her sleeve.

her headache seems to disappear and she feels a burst of energy run through her body.

hm.

-

when bora makes her way down the hall to where their rooms are, handong is in the hall filling up a pitcher at the ice machine.

“good morning,” the red head says to her, tilting her head a bit when she sees bora’s tired eyes. “you okay?”

“yeah,” bora replies, a bit breathier than she’d like, but handong seems to believe it because she nods in response.

“okay,” she turns away from the machine and starts walking towards her own room. “siyeon’s waiting for you, we’re gonna go on some hike minji’s dragging us on.”

of course, siyeon’s waiting for her.

bora tries to hide her dread. she wants to talk to siyeon, but she’s terrified to face her because she knows she can’t lie to her.

she can’t know about anything.

-

siyeon thinks she knows her friends well. she could even argue she knows them better than she knows herself.

which is why it’s so apparent to her that bora’s acting weird.

gahyeon and handong left to go get ready for the hike minji wants them all to go on, siyeon assured them she’d stay back and wait for bora to come back and they’ll meet everyone in the lobby.

it isn’t a total lie, considering that is exactly what she’s going to do, but she’s also looking forward to getting some alone time with bora to see what’s really going on.

the door creaks open and siyeon peeks out from the bathroom, smiling around her toothbrush when she sees bora’s pink hair.

“hey,” she greets before leaning to the sink to rinse her mouth. “did you want to come on the hike with us? i’ll stay back with you if you’re too tired.”

“it’s fine, i’ll come,” bora says, her voice quiet as she walks right past the bathroom and into the main room, to which siyeon follows right behind her.

bora feels siyeon’s presence behind her.

“so,” siyeon plops down on the bed, leaning back on her arms. “can we talk about something?”

“uhh… sure,” bora sits down on the bed next to siyeon. she avoids the girl’s eyes, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

“don’t do that,” siyeon hooks her finger around bora’s chin, tilting it upwards. she swipes the pad of her thumb across bora’s bottom lip until it springs free of her teeth. “you have blood on your lips.“

she should’ve looked in the mirror.

bora reaches up and wipes at her mouth with her sleeve. “there. gone.”

“are you okay?”

bora’s mind clouds. she’d been somewhat prepared for an interrogation but not this soon. and not like this.

siyeon sounds too kind. too caring. too safe.

bora doesn’t know what to do with that.

“i’m fine.” she lies, unconvincingly.

“you just can’t be honest with me, can you?” siyeon lets out a raspy laugh, leaning her head on bora’s shoulder.

she sounds tired and bora thinks, at first, that it’s because it’s 8 am but she’s known siyeon for years. they’ve been together for countless sleepovers, movie nights, and all nighters and she’s never heard siyeon sound like that.

siyeon whispers, her voice serious and worried. bora‘s so used to looking up at siyeon, but now she just looks… small. “why are you lying to me?”

bora feels like an asshole.

she jerks away. “i’m not.”

“bora,” siyeon whispers. bora hates the way her voice sounds. “whatever it is, i promise you i won’t tell anyone.”

bora forgets how to breathe.

siyeon’s hand rests on her thigh and she stares down at it. the blood must’ve rushed to her cheeks in a violent blush, if she even has the ability to anymore.

“bora,” siyeon says. bora wants—needs—siyeon to stop saying her name. she begs herself to just stop listening. “look at me, bora.”

she listens.

“what’s going on?”

bora opens her mouth. she means to deny, to refuse, to say she’s okay, but she can’t even lie when siyeon’s looking at her like that.

“i-i’m… i had to…” she didn’t even realize she was crying until now.

“breathe,” siyeon reassures her, rubbing circles onto the cold skin of her thigh.

“ever since the flight i just- i feel-“ bora admits, the most honest she thinks she’s ever been. siyeon’s eyes are caring, worried, warm. “i think i’m a… vampire.”

“oh,”

bora’s head drops in disappointment when siyeon’s hand retracts from her thigh.

this is it, she thinks, that one word just ruined her friendship. she’d expected this. siyeon’s gonna tell everyone and be cut out of the group forever…

what she didn’t expect was being enveloped in warmth, siyeon’s arms wrapping around her tightly.

bora let’s herself fall into her, burying her face in siyeon’s shoulder, whimpering out heartbreaking sobs that leave her gasping for breath.

“it’s okay,” siyeon whispers into her hair, rubbing soothing circles into her heaving back. “we can figure this out together. everything’s gonna be okay, i promise.”

Chapter 3

Notes:

sorry this took so long !!!

bora takes siyeon out with her the next night.

siyeon’s soft humming to herself, paired with the soft hand in hers, swinging between the two of them, calms her nerves tenfold. she’s just thankful to not have to do this alone anymore.

“so, you just…” siyeon begins, so many questions filling her head when bora brings them to a stop, a bit down the street by some dumpsters. “…drink from animals?”

“dead ones,” bora clarifies. “i’m not doing any harm if i’m just utilizing what natures giving me, you know?”

“but i thought vampires drink from humans too? or is that one of those, like, offensive movie stereotypes or something because if it is, then i am so sorry…”

(bora cracks a smile at her rambling; to everyone else, siyeon’s like this intimidating wolf with tattoos and dark eye makeup but standing in front of her was just a cute, awkward little puppy.)

the words catch up to her soon enough and she chews her bottom lip. there were a few things about this whole situation that bora just didn’t want to have to think about: one being drinking human blood.

bora doesn’t answer, just steps toward where a bird lays on the concrete. she can tell it’s been dead for at least a few hours. she looks down at it momentarily, before looking to siyeon, who’s leaning against the brick wall behind her. she swallows, her stomach turning and a wave of light nausea crashing over her.

“oh, sorry, do you want me to, like, look away?” siyeon says, courteous as always.

“no, no,” bora reassures her, an uneasy smile on her lips. “i just don’t want you to think i’m some kind of freak, you know,”

siyeon frowns. “i’d never.”

something inside her doesn’t believe siyeon’s words, but the genuine smile on her face is enough to put her nerves at ease.

“okay,”

bora inhales as she feels the slight pinch of her fangs extending through her gums. it doesn’t feel as weird as before.

she kneels before the bird, holding it in her hands as she drinks. it’s almost silent in the alley, completely vacant barring the two of them.

bora turns to siyeon, who watches her with a curious eye. “sorry,” she mutters quietly, eyes fixed to the floor.

“what for?” siyeon asks.

“it’s weird,”

“i think it’s cool.”

bora looks up at this. “really?”

“yeah,” siyeon shrugs.

bora makes her way over and leans against the wall beside her. “i’m cold.”

siyeon instinctually brings her arms up to wrap around the shorter girl’s shoulders. “wanna go back?”

“in a little,” bora sighs, leaning her head onto siyeon’s flannel clad shoulder, smiling contentedly.

-

minji’s voice startles the pair in their attempt to quietly sneak into the room. “did you have a nice walk?”

“we did,” siyeon grins, sliding her flannel off her arms and folding it over the chair in the corner while bora digs through her suitcase for her pajamas and slips into the bathroom. “you’re up late.”

“it’s only eleven thirty, siyeon,” bora replies, voice echoed from the bathroom. both minji and siyeon share a laugh. “she’s not that old.”

“hey!” minji shouts, hand over her chest in feign offense. “you’re born in the same year as me, bora, let’s not forget!”

siyeon toppled over in laughter, lying on her back clutching her sides. minji reaches forward and slaps the younger on the leg. “stop laughing, you bitch!”

siyeon just shakes her head, laughter subsiding to a soft chuckle as she rises from the bed to change into her sweats.

twenty minutes of comfortable quiet and low television pass before bora’s fuzzy slipper clad feet pad against the floor and into the room. fresh out of the shower, her hair in braids over her shoulders and dampening her shirt.

siyeon scoots over to let bora join her on their bed, lowering the volume as minji, lacking in subtlety, starts to doze off on the other bed.

“you alright?” siyeon asks quietly, loud enough for bora to hear her even with the slight space between them but quiet enough for minji not to hear.

bora let’s the corners of her lips inch up to a smile and she nods, stray wet strands of hair falling into her face. her breath catches in her throat when siyeon reaches forward to brush one behind her ear.

“tired?”

“a little,”

siyeon pulls back the blanket and slips underneath, holding the other corner for bora to join her.

she really hates her heightened senses in times like these, because her head falls to rest on siyeon’s shoulder and all traces of exhaustion start to fade as the other girl’s scent fills her head.

and there it is, just as she’d been dreading, the dull ache in her head signaling that solely feeding from some little dead rats once a day isn’t enough.

shit.

she shifts away from siyeon ever so slightly, just so her nose wasn’t nuzzled against her anymore, and she feels siyeon stir beside her.

“hi,” siyeon turns to face her.

bora chews the inside of her cheek. “hi,”

“you okay?”

“you ask me that a lot…” bora avoids her eyes.

“sorry,” siyeon looks at her with a pondering look for a moment. “do you want me to stop?”

siyeon brings her hand to bora’s forearm, warm thumb lazily drawing shapes on cold skin.

“you can be honest with me, bora, i mean it,”

bora sighs. “i know.”

“i want to help you,” the other girl’s voice is soft and sincere. bora’s heart lurches. “what are you thinking about?”

“i just…” she doesn’t know how to say this. “i don’t think it’s enough. the animals.”

“what do you mean?”

“they’re too small, sing. the blood, its- it’s not enough.”

siyeon’s lips part as the words hit her brain. “oh,”

“yeah.”

“what do you need?” bora thinks she could cry at the worry swirling in the brown eyes staring back at her.

when she shrugs, siyeon looks away to think. an idea comes to mind a moment later. “what if you… drink from me?”

“siyeon…”

“i’m serious!”

“no, i can’t-“

siyeon grabs her hand, intertwining their fingers and squeezing, making bora look at her. “i trust you.”

those three words make bora’s heart sink to her stomach as her brain fills with an unrecognizable feeling.

“you shouldn’t.”

“but i do.”

she knows siyeon means it; which is equally as reassuring as it is fucking terrifying.

bora didn’t even know her fangs had appeared until she felt the sharp ends prick her lips.

siyeon leans up on her elbow and brushes her hair over her shoulder, the pale skin on her neck exposed and practically begging for bora to sink her fangs into it.

she scoots closer, her breath warming the skin in the crook between siyeon’s neck and shoulder, and she fishes for the girl’s hand beneath the covers.

“i’m gonna do it now, is that okay?” this time bora is the one to ask and siyeon grins at her and nods.

taking the confirmation, bora inhales before bringing her mouth closer. she hears a gasp as her fangs pierce the skin.

siyeon’s blood doesn’t exactly taste good, but it’s more pleasant than the bitter metallic taste she’s used to from the dead animals.

the feeling is euphoric enough for her to get lost in it and ignore siyeon’s hand squeezing her own, but she’s still conscious enough to notice and she pulls away.

“i’m sorry, are you okay? did i hurt you?”

“i’m okay. it actually felt kind of… good,” siyeon sounds a little out of breath as she runs her fingers over the broken skin. “are you feeling better now?”

bora nods, leaning forward to press a kiss below the open wound and nuzzle into her shoulder. “thank you for trusting me.”

“of course. i love you. that’s what friends are for.”

bora doesn’t respond. she just tries to pretend that last part didn’t sting more than it should.

Chapter 4

Notes:

i didn’t proofread or edit this sorry if u see any mistakes just look away !!!!!!

bora thinks it all feels too easy.

sneaking off with siyeon late at night to feed while everyone’s asleep, sharing an intimate silence and warmth in the growing cold outside their hotel.

they’re going home in a few days, a thought that fills bora with an unease she refuses to acknowledge for the time being. she doesn’t wanna think about being without siyeon, who’s been acting as her lifeline the past few days.

she knows she hasn’t been as close with the others, but doesn’t even realize just how much she’s been neglecting them until thursday when she feels yubin’s eyes on her while they’re in the van minji rented to haul the seven of them around.

yubin’s sitting beside her, and bora looks up to meet her eyes, raising her brows in a silent question. yubin gestures downward and she notices her leg bouncing a mile a minute. she moves to tuck her leg beneath her and turns away to look out the window.

later when she catches yubin whispering something to handong on the ride home, both girls eyes drifting her way, she pretends not to notice.

-

“hey,” siyeon whispers to her, leaning an inch closer. they’re in a restaurant, packed into a booth.

“hi,” bora whispers back.

“it’s almost 9,“ siyeon tells her. “you wanna go out or are you okay?”

bora glances briefly at the table. at her barely touched plate, at her hand unconsciously moving the food around to make it look eaten, at her friends, smiling and laughing with each other. she looks up to siyeon, meets her eyes, and nods.

“hey, me and bora are gonna step out for some fresh air if that’s alright.” siyeon announces to the group and is met with a few nods in response. yoohyeon slides out of the booth to let the two of them out, and bora links her arm in siyeon’s as they walk towards the door.

she feels eyes on her, behind her back, burning through her as she walks away, but doesn’t falter.

once the cold air hits her, a shiver runs up her spine and she catches herself leaning closer into siyeon. “how are you always so warm?” she mumbles, not fully intending for the other girl to hear her.

“i don’t know,” siyeon hears her anyway. she she shrugs. “maybe i’m some kind of witch and i’m developing super powers to shoot fire from my hands or something.”

bora giggles, “maybe.” leaves crunch under her feet as the two fall into a comfortable silence, making their way to a bench on the sidewalk just outside the restaurant.

they sit for a moment, bora curled ever so slightly into the younger’s side, stealing her warmth. siyeon leans into her as well and bora glances up briefly towards her, momentarily awestruck at the sight that meets her eyes.

siyeon’s in her own little world, staring off towards what looks to be a cute little souvenir shop a few stores down from the restaurant. the light from the street lamp beside them shines down, beautifully illuminating her side profile in a way that has bora’s heart beating faster than it should.

she thinks it might be the prettiest thing she’s ever seen and the thought fills her with nerves so strong, she snaps out of her staring and looks down at her hands in her lap.

“siyeon,” she begins. “do you think i could, uh, you know…”

a smile breaks out across siyeon’s lips. “you make it sound like you’re doing something weird.”

bora lowers her voice ever so slightly when a couple passes them by.

“i’m sucking your blood.”

“i’m letting you.” siyeon states and bora can’t really argue with that. she cracks a smile when siyeon nudges her playfully.

the street is beginning to clear as the night settles in and it dawns on bora that the rest of the gang will probably be heading out soon, so they should hurry up.

she makes eye contact with siyeon, who seems to read her mind with an ease that worries bora a little bit, the younger girl unzips her sweatshirt halfway and slides it down her shoulder.

bora leans into her, siyeon wrapping an arm around her torso and lacing the fingers of her free arm with bora’s, settling into a somewhat awkward position that she just hopes looks enough like a hug. if anyone gives them a look, they can blame it on the chill of the night breeze.

her fangs go straight for the now familiar space of siyeon’s jugular, piercing the skin and drawing a small sigh from her lips. siyeon’s head lolls back involuntarily, her eyes fluttering closed as bora swallows against her, warm blood sliding down her throat.

she pulls away after a moment, squeezing siyeon’s hand gently as she does so. two fresh wounds stand out against siyeon’s pale neck, blood dripping ever so slightly from the punctured skin. it takes everything in bora to resist the urge to run her tongue over it.

instead, she runs her fingertip just below the marks to clear the blood off before leaning down to press gentle kisses to the area. she hears siyeon hum beneath her.

it isn’t until a gasp cuts through the air that they’re sucked out of their little bubble, bora pulling her lips away from siyeon’s neck, both girls eyes darting up to where the sound had come from.

just barely three feet away, eyes wide and questioning, stands an all too familiar figure that has both girl’s hearts stopping all together.

gahyeon.

how long had she been there? neither of them had a clue, but judging by the look on her face, quite some time.

at least long enough for her to catch sight of bora’s lips on siyeon’s neck.

bora scrambles to sit up and wipes her mouth frantically on her sleeve, running her tongue over her lips for good measure. siyeon busies herself zipping her sweatshirt and patting down her hair.

“uh,” gahyeon looks awkward, now staring down at her feet, grinding the bottoms of her shoes against the concrete. “i just, um, they told me to ask if you wanted dessert…”

bora looked to siyeon, who seemed all the more composed. “i’ll come take a look at the menu,” she then looked to bora, silent question in her expression.

bora shook her head, pulling her hood over her head. “im gonna stay out here, if that’s okay.”

“yeah,” siyeon stood, shy smile directed to the older girl before making her way back into the restaurant with gahyeon.

once they’d both disappeared into the restaurant, she let out an exhale and buried her face in her hands, pure embarrassment washing over her.

Chapter 5

Notes:

hey omg it’s been years since i updated SORRY i started this while intensely hyperfixated on deukae and that kinda subsided after a couple months but it’s BACK and so am i 😋

like usual this is not proofread so if u see any mistakes, no u didn’t!!

gahyeon doesn’t say anything about what she saw as they’re finishing up their dessert and packing up their leftovers into boxes, much to siyeon’s relief.

she had ordered an extra slice of double chocolate cake to go for bora because they’d heard from a tour guide that this city (and restaurant in particular) is known for their chocolate cake and siyeon would hate for bora to miss out.

they all agree to split the bill six ways, with siyeon covering bora’s portion. she misses gahyeon’s curious stare at the offer. exiting the restaurant, minji bids goodnight to the hostess, who pretends to turn a blind eye as yoohyeon digs into the bowl on the counter and stuffs a handful of mints into her pocket.

minji sends a scolding smack to yoohyeon’s shoulder but even she can’t hide her laughter.

bora’s still on the bench when they return, eyes lighting up and rising to her feet as her friends approach her. gahyeon has an unreadable look on her face from where she’s standing beside siyeon as she asks, “are you feeling better?”

“much,” bora narrowly avoids gahyeon’s eyes, stepping past her and instead walks next to yoohyeon instead.

gahyeon then looks to siyeon whose gaze is fixed in front of her. her eyes linger for a moment before she, too, looks ahead. “i have to ask you something later,” she whispers, nudging siyeon in the arm. she briefly catches something flash in the older girl's expression before it disappears, replaced by a tiny smile and a nod.

“okay,” siyeon responds. she chews on her lip, dragging her feet as one of them—handong, it seems—calls a taxi and they all head towards it.

the ride back to the hotel is quiet, uncomfortably so. siyeon sits in the window, tears her eyes away from the blurring city lights, looks across yoohyeon who’s seated between them to bora, whose left leg bounces and fingers fidgeting in her lap.

she frowns. ignores the way she can feel gahyeon’s eyes burning into the back of her head.

-

the taxi driver drops them off at the front of the hotel, not without a generous tip from dongie, and the seven of them make their way into the lobby. bora decides to hold the door for everyone, its the least she could do, really, what with her missing seventy percent of dinner. she thinks she notices gahyeon whispering something to yubin as they pass through the door and crosses her fingers behind her back.

the last thing she needs is for gahyeon to spill about what she thinks she saw to everyone else and she really doesn’t think she can handle the inevitable questions and concerns that are bound to be thrown at her if word gets out.

siyeon stands with gahyeon as minji, yubin, handong, and yoohyeon enter the elevator. bora’s about to follow them in when she looks over to the two girls. she meets siyeon’s eyes and the other girl nods, a wordless exchange between the two of them.

once they’re alone, gahyeon gently nudges siyeon’s side to get her to drag her eyes away from bora’s retreating figure.

they lock eyes and siyeon is quick to speak up. “gahyeon, i don’t know what you think you saw but it’s not-“

“i’m not gonna tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“oh,” siyeon’s shoulders visibly drop from the tense position they’d been in.

gahyeon smiles a little, which is reassuring. “can i ask one thing, though?” there’s a pause before she adds, “and you can’t get mad or freak out on me.”

“uh, sure,” siyeon puts her hands in her pockets and leans against the wall. “shoot.”

“are you and bora…” gahyeon looks away for a second. siyeon braces herself. “dating?”

siyeon’s breath catches in her throat. a million different excuses pass through her brain but not a single one manages to make it to her lips. “no, it’s not- we’re not-“

“you don’t have to tell me,” gahyeon says, realizing the shift in siyeon’s demeanor. “but it’s okay if you are, just so you know.”

siyeon doesn’t respond, doesn’t know what she would even say to that. instead, she just nods. like an idiot. they stand there for a moment longer in silence before it starts to get awkward and gahyeon reaches up to pat siyeon’s shoulder.

“like i said, i won’t tell anyone.” gahyeon says before slipping away with a gentle smile.

-

siyeon gets back to the room after a few passing moments, taking her time and trying to wrap her mind around what the hell just happened with gahyeon.

yubin exits the bathroom at the same time siyeon enters the room, nearly colliding with each other in the small space between the doors. yubin looks at her for a moment, calculating eyes narrowing at the sight of her.

“is everything okay? you look… lost,” yubin says and siyeon doesn’t really know what that means or how to even respond.

she decides on “yeah, i’m good,” knowing the longer she takes to formulate a response, the more suspicion she’ll raise.

“okay,” yubin looks at her for a painful second longer, an unreadable look in her eyes that makes siyeon nervous.

yubin seems to believe her, though, and decides to drop it, walking back into the main area of the room and joining handong on minji’s bed.

as much as siyeon would like to just lay down in her own bed and relax, she places the take out container on the table between the beds and sits down on the floor beside yoohyeon, accepting the deck of uno cards she holds out to her.

-

bora’s perceptive enough to catch the energy shift in the room upon siyeon’s entrance. no one says anything, but she does notice the way minji looks on with a mixture of curiousity and slight worry, the way gahyeon gives her a look she doesn’t really understand.

siyeon is quieter than usual for the remainder of the night aside for her small exclamations of defeat when gahyeon and handong team up and destroy the rest of them in another totally unbalanced uno game—bora makes a mental note not to let the youngest choose the games for a while.

long after the game finishes, while handong and dami take control of the tv remote to find a movie and yoohyeon dials the number to order some room service, bora feels a sense of ease she hasn’t felt since the trip began.

she feels calm. feeding from siyeon, as awkward as it is, has really been helping her. the cravings have seriously subsided, the withdrawal side effects are practically gone, and she just feels a whole lot lighter.

Notes:

i have some plans for DRAMA in the coming chapters so wait for me… pleek

Chapter 6

Notes:

this chapter sucks ass but i felt like i needed to put something out so here u guys go !!!

vampires never die.

it takes a while to really hit her, but when it does, the realization plagues bora with something akin to an existential crisis.

bora had never really thought about the reality of her situation, as to avoid pushing herself into a panic attack. obviously, she’s doing a great job at that.

being turned against her will, and then being forced to live like this forever is not how bora imagined her life going.

yoohyeon woke up with a headache, so they decided to order room service and have breakfast in bed. yubin and handong laid across the foot of bora and siyeon’s bed while yoohyeon sat beside minji on her bed, and gahyeon sat cross legged on the floor.

bora watches her friends and feels a sense of sadness creep up on her. she watches them smile and laugh with each other at one of minji’s cheesy jokes that bora must’ve missed.

the thought of immortality lingers in her mind. her friends are going to grow old, and she’ll be forced to watch. stuck in her young body as her friends age and disappear.

bora stares at gahyeon, who’s face still glows in innocence and youth. she’s always been bora’s baby. having grown up living in the same neighborhood, she got to watch gahyeon grow from a cute, clumsy, child to a beautiful, slightly less clumsy, young woman. the idea of being forced to witness gahyeon grow to be older than her burns the pit of her stomach.

she looks to minji. her mature features still beam with a light of purity that bora can only admire. one day, that light is going to go out. the thought makes bora nauseous. she doesn’t even want to look to her left, where she can hear siyeon’s raspy laugh, filling her ears and echoing inside her head.

her stomach churns, her mouth waters, and bora can barely squeak out the words to excuse herself before she’s rushing to the bathroom. she frantically manages to lock the door behind her and presses her back to it.

bora breathes heavily, fighting off the urge to throw up until she can’t fight anymore. her head is spinning. on wobbly legs, she brings herself to the toilet and kneels before it, holding her own hair back with her hand as she empties the contents of her stomach into the bowl.

with a shaky exhale, bora brings her knees to her chest and rests her forehead against them. she lets go of her hair and reaches with the same hand to flush the toilet.

she sits in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of her breathing, and the low hum of the tv in the other room.

bora hears another eruption of laughter that does little to quell the gnawing feeling looming in her stomach. her skin feels hot. sweat forms in a thin sheen on her skin and makes her feel sticky all over. it’s been a while since she’s felt anything other than cold and numb, and it brings her a small feeling of humanity, albeit just a pinch, overpowered by her throbbing headache.

there’s a knock at the door, followed by a voice. “bora? you okay?”

it’s yubin.

“yeah, i’m fine,” bora cringes as her voice sounds a little too watery to be believable. “i’ll be out in a second.”

“okay, take your time.” yubin says in that indecipherable voice that bora has grown to dislike. she doesn’t respond, instead rising to her feet and standing in front of the sink, staring into the mirror.

how long has she been looking like this? with gaunt cheeks, unusually pale skin, and dark circles, bora looked like she died and came back to life—which, technically, she did.

she takes some water in her hands and splashes it on her face, letting it cool her skin. she peels off her hoodie; the feeling of the thick material against her skin wasn’t helping relieve her discomfort.

bora leaves the bathroom in only a thin tank top and shorts, the hair around her face damp from the sink water.

“oh, good, you’re back. we were just about to start a movie but i wanted to wait for you.” minji grins as bora enters the room.

“you didn’t have to,” bora says, throwing her hoodie on top of her suitcase in the corner and taking a seat on the lounge chair rather than either of the beds.

yoohyeon speaks up. “we’re torn between two. your vote will be the tie breaker.”

“what are my options?” she asks, tucking her legs beneath her.

“dongie wants to watch that new movie about vampires or whatever, but me and-“

the word vampire twists in her stomach and she can’t help but completely miss the rest of the sentence. her eyes briefly flicker to siyeon, who meets her eyes for a fraction of a second.

bora clenches her teeth and plasters on her fakest smile, her eyes returning to yoohyeon who looks at her expectantly.

“the second option,” she says, trying her hardest to mask the fact that she has zero idea what the second option even was.

that seems to please yoohyeon, who smiles and claps her hands, turning to stick her tongue out at handong. “i told you she’d say that! vampires are boring.”

“yeah,” bora agrees through gritted teeth. “totally boring.” she settles herself against the pillows behind her and focuses her eyes on the tv, on the wall, anywhere but siyeon, who’s gaze she can feel burning into the side of her face.

-

when the movie finished and the girls begin a discussion about the plot, and how annoying the main female character was throughout the entire film, siyeon doesn’t chime in. her eyes are narrowed in on bora, who sits silently to the side.

if the way bora avoids her gaze means anything, it’s that she knows siyeon is staring at her. something is wrong, she can feel it. even when she was somewhat distant earlier in the week, she still engaged in conversations, she still laughed with them.

bora’s never been more detached than she is at this moment. her eyes are puffy, her stare is blank.

it’s worrying.

siyeon can’t help but let her mind wander to what could be the reason why.

has gahyeon said something? what if bora found out that siyeon lied about them being together and she’s freaked out? disgusted by even the idea of being romantically involved with siyeon?

she wants nothing more than to walk over there and confront her. to ask why. but she can’t, not right now. instead, she takes out her phone and opens her messages, knowing bora doesn’t go anywhere without hers.

what’s wrong

she presses send and watches as bora’s phone vibrates against the cushions. watches as she stares down at the screen. watches with furrowed brows as conflict washes over her features and bora types back.

nothing

bora

cmon

u can tell me

 

bora pulls her bottom lip between her teeth.

 

i said it’s nothing okay??

it’s not nothing, bora, there’s obviously something bothering you

just drop it

 

bora silences her phone and stuffs it in her pocket.

Chapter 7

Notes:

longish chapter to make up for my terrible consistency so i hope u all enjoy! sorry about the angst lolol

the next day, siyeon’s not surprised to realize that bora is still being distant. they’d slept facing opposite ways for the first time this entire vacation. she doesn’t even try to pretend she’s not hurt by it.

she still does things with bora—like right now, they're shopping with yoohyeon and minji at a cute little tourist shop in the mall; but they are separated by the two girls standing as a barrier between them. siyeon doesn't know what's going on.

“you coming out or what?” yoohyeon says impatiently. bora pops her head out from behind the curtain, but she disappears back into the changing room the second she meets siyeon’s eyes.

everything had been normal up until the other night. they’d been close—closer than they probably ever had been. bora hadn’t even drank from her last night. the thought twists uncomfortably in siyeon’s stomach. her whole world feels off. when bora was distant before, at least siyeon had come to understand the reason why.

bora keeping her at arm's length feels like a thorn in her side. she really thought they’d come to some kind of mutual agreement that bora was going to talk to her, instead of bottling it up and shutting her out further.

siyeon misses the curious furrow of minji’s eyebrows.

-

minji and siyeon decide to go grab a snack at this little smoothie place and invite bora along, but she declines and heads back to the hotel with yoohyeon instead.

she returns to her room and changes her shirt, avoids her reflection in the mirror on the wall. she had intended to just lay down and spend some time by herself, but her feet move before her brain has time to catch up, and she finds herself in the hall, knocking at a different door. there’s a shout of “i’ll get it!” from inside before the door swings open, yubin staring back at her.

“oh, hey, bora,” yubin squints her eyes and bora suddenly feels like she’s being analyzed, overcome by the urge to turn around.

bora scuffles her shoe right where the carpet of the hall ends, hovering uncertainly in the doorway. “hi,” she says quietly. “is it okay if i come in?”

“let her in!”

yubin spins around at yoohyeon’s voice. bora spots her friend sitting on one of the beds, furiously smashing buttons on her controller. she doesn’t look up, but she lifts a leg up in the air and wiggles her ankle in imitation of a wave.

“is it okay if bora comes in?” yubin echoes to handong and gahyeon who are seated on the other bed. a second later, handong’s voice filters through.

“yes, it’s okay!”

without a single word, yubin steps aside. bora sees the shoes flung around the room—she sees a pair of handong’s heels balanced on the back of the lounge chair, but she decides not to question it too much. she came in here for a distraction, anyway—and bora loses every time she plays mario kart against yoohyeon, no matter how hard she tries.

“no offense,” gahyeon says, just as bora yoohyeon hits bora with another shell. “but you kind of suck.”

“you guys have been playing all week!” bora rolls her eyes, kicking a foot at her. “i haven’t touched this game in months.”

bora ends up staying for a few more hours, squished on the lounge chairs between a sleeping yoohyeon and handong playing on her phone. she lets her fingers play with yoohyeon’s hair, right as the girl lets out a tiny snore.

she frowns. she doesn’t spend as much time with yoohyeon anymore.

the thought is enough to remind bora of all the fun they used to have together. they first met in an art class, were even roommates at summer camp when they were twelve, and they remained close ever since, at least until the past few days, anyway.

she never really had a real best friend before she met yoohyeon. sure she always had a group of friends around her, but she often questioned if they considered her as a best friend the way she did them. at least, until she met siyeon.

she loves yoohyeon, and the playful nature they have in common. she loves minji and her kindness, how she was just so open and welcoming to bora when she started middle school. she loves gahyeon and her jokes, the reactions she has to bora’s teasing. she loves yubin and her calm nature, how wise she is and how easy it is to be comfortable around her. she loves handong and her style, how she’s so effortlessly elegant.

her mind drifts to siyeon, then, and she stops herself.

that line of thought is dangerous, a slippery slope. instead, bora forces herself to stare at the glow of moonlight streaming in from the curtains and listen to the good energy she gets from her friends. and she thinks that maybe she’ll be okay. it’ll hurt to watch them grow while she’s stuck here, cursed to be forever twenty two, but she looks forward to seeing where their lives take them.

when minji opens that bakery she’s always wanted, when gahyeon goes off to college; for the first time, she feels grateful for her immortality. grateful she’ll be around to see all of it.

the only thing she’s not okay with is siyeon. she can’t think about her, can barely even look at her without getting upset. getting angry at the very idea that siyeon is going to grow without her, that her life is going to go by without bora being right by her side.

-

siyeon clenches her fists, hidden inside the sleeves of her jacket when bora starts walking ahead of her to the restaurant without even glancing over her shoulder. (she isn't picky about bora, honestly. if anything, she’s desperate for any sort of attention, any acknowledgement at all).

it’s fine.

siyeon can deal with this just fine. she can brush it off.

except, halfway through the meal, yoohyeon’s showing her a terrible meme on her phone. siyeon turns to bora to make a joke and realises that the girl isn’t sitting next to her. she scans the table for bora and sees her on the opposite side.

siyeon scoffs down at the spaghetti on her plate, appetite suddenly gone. her meatballs have gone cold, anyway.

the sudden wave of emotion that crashes down inside her isn’t something siyeon’s familiar with.

it’s not anger, not really, but it’s enough to make something deep in her stomach twist with discomfort because a voice inside her head is telling her to make a scene and make bora notice her. she wants to grab her by the shoulders and shake her.

theres a bitter taste in her mouth.

she can’t really find the word for it.

she doesn’t know how much time passes, but sometime later, she feels something nudge her leg under the table. she looks up, and bora’s looking at her.

bora is looking at her.

she isn’t staring, just gazing; neutral, passive. siyeon doesn’t really know what it means. she thinks she would much rather be glared at by her because at least that’s a look that she can understand.

she arches an eyebrow, to which bora shoots her an half-hearted smile. bathroom, she mouths, and siyeon’s heart twists at how bora doesn’t really seem to act the same towards her anymore. she bites her lip, darts a quick look to the back of the restaurant where the bathrooms are.

of course, bora only acknowledges her because it’s been two days since she last drank from her. it’s better than nothing, but siyeon finds herself wishing it was something more.

another kick to her shin has her flicking her eyes back towards bora.

please, she mouths.

the word repeats in siyeon’s head like a mantra and she gives in. of course she does. there wasn’t a chance that she was going to deny bora of something that’s practically keeping her alive.

bora stands from her seat and siyeon watches her as she leaves, counts down the minutes and excuses herself after five have passed.

gahyeon sends her an amused quirk of her brows, but siyeon doesn’t give anything back.

it’s quiet, no words are exchanged as siyeon brushes her hair off her shoulder, pulling her shirt down, and revealing her neck. bora leans in, caution and apprehension radiating off of her. siyeon stands still as the familiar pinch of bora’s fangs penetrate her skin.

bora doesn’t take a lot of blood, just enough to sustain her for the time being. she didn’t even want to do this in the first place, but she’d gotten so used to siyeon’s blood that having to live on rats again, even if just for two days, brought back those nasty headaches she thought she had gotten rid of for good.

as she pulls away, she doesn’t think before pressing her lips to the wound. she freezes after she does so, her eyes briefly flickering up to siyeon’s face, who’s eyes flutter open at just the right time.

“thanks for the—” she says, nodding towards siyeon’s neck. the mark is already starting to fade—it’s shallow enough that there won’t be any evidence of today in the morning. bora can’t decide if she likes it or not.

“no problem,” siyeon mutters. “anything for you.” she says it like she’s trying to remind her of something, trying to push a little. it makes bora uncomfortable, and she turns to leave but not before siyeon’s fingers are wrapping around her wrist.

“wait,” siyeon says. “can we talk, please?”

bora’s teeth peek bout to gnaw at her lip, but she stays put.

“did i- did i do something wrong?” there’s hurt in siyeon’s eyes. “did gahyeon say something?”

bora blinks. “gahyeon?”

“just.. are we okay? are you, like, mad at me or something?”

“no, siyeon. i could never be mad at you.” bora shakes her head.

“then why, bora. why won’t you talk to me?” the desperation in siyeon’s voice nearly brings tears to bora’s eyes. she’s barely come to terms with her own feelings regarding siyeon, she doesn’t even know where to begin to explain it to her.

on an impulse, bora reaches out and links siyeon’s fingers with her own. her hands are shaking. siyeon can probably feel it too, from the way she grasps back at bora, loose and needy all at the same time.

the second bora tries to meet siyeon’s eyes, the words die down in her throat. “i’m scared,” she starts, and it feels strange and coming out of her mouth. “of losing you.”

siyeon squeezes her hand, and then lets it drop down. the gaps between siyeon’s fingers feel so empty, all of a sudden.

“you’d never lose me, bora. you know that right?”

the silence between them drags on. out of the corner of her eye, siyeon sees bora scrunch up her face, a thing she does only when she’s holding something back.

“i don’t know what else to do,” bora admits, ducking her head. “what am I supposed to do? i’m gonna stay this age forever. i’m immortal, siyeon. you’re leave me behind eventually. i couldn’t be near you without… thinking about it.”

a deep frown ghosts over siyeon’s lips and it looks a little like she’s about to cry. bora twitches forward, desperate to make it disappear. “me turning into a vampire didn’t come with a guidebook, you know,” she blabbers, the words spilling over each other.

“i said we’d figure it out together, but that’s hard to do when you keep blowing hot and cold like this.”
siyeon’s aware that she sounds like a whining child right now, but she can’t really control the way her bottom lip trembles.

“i- i’m just going through a lot right now,”

“so talk to me about it.”

bora shakes her head. “you don’t want to know.”

siyeon scoffs at her. “thats not fair, is it. you said all this shit about you finally letting me in, but you go right back to square one.

bora nostrils flare. ”you don’t know what I’m going through.”

“exactly,” siyeon says, flinging bora’s words back in her face. “i don’t know. because you won’t tell me. i thought we said we were figuring this out together.”

bora is forced to remember how siyeon looked that day, sitting beside bora in her moment of vulnerability. the memory is still pleasant, still tinted rose, and bora’s begins to regret; both that moment and everything after.

siyeon presses her lips together. something painful flashes behind her eyes. “you’re an asshole, kim bora.”

“i just think it’s not fair for you to—“

“fair?” siyeon scoffs. “you wanna talk about things being fair?”

she’s holding back. bora has only seen siyeon mad a handful of times, but she knows she’s stronger than this. all the hurt, all the times she had to watch bora ignore her, it’s building up inside her.

bora crosses her arms.

“if we can’t get on the same page, maybe you should learn to communicate, bora. then maybe i would care a little more.” it comes out harsh, bitter. siyeon can see the moment the words hit. bora’s eyes widen, then she’s turning her head away from her, blinking her eyes closed.

she wants to apologize, but she can’t. she shouldn’t. she’s not the one in the wrong here.

she takes another deep breath before talking again, regaining her composure. “i don’t know what your problem is, but i can't do this back and forth anymore. i can't sit around and wait for you to talk to me. if you're ready to talk, i'm ready to listen but if not, then don’t waste my time.”

“okay,” bora says, quietly. deep inside, she’s screaming out in pain. she needs to go back. she hates fighting, she hates this, she hates—

no she doesn’t.

when siyeon turns away, bora lets her. watches with hot tears dripping down and burning her cheeks as siyeon exits the bathroom, leaving her alone.

Chapter 8

Summary:

siyeon and bora come clean, but not to each other.

there’s always someone around siyeon. apart from the few minutes when bora feeds on her, she barely gets to be alone with her. since their conversation at the restaurant, siyeon seems to be seeking out yoohyeon more and more. 

 

at least it’s not awkward between the two of them anymore. mostly because bora forces herself to act normal to siyeon like nothing has happened, in order to not alert their friends that somethings wrong, and god knows they’re both good enough at playing pretend.

 

it is at times like this that bora hates herself. she desperately wants to be the person that she used to be, to have siyeon at her side like she used to, but she can’t, and there’s no one else to blame but herself.

 

bora sinks into her seat, crossing her arms tightly. she’s grateful for the slight comfort it gives her, even though it doesn’t feel right. 

 

(it’s not siyeon’s arms around her.)

 

yoohyeon laughs, loud and boisterous. faintly, bora hears siyeon imitate the noise, and yoohyeon whines a “siyeonnn!” that travels from the veranda and into the hotel room. 

 

the sound turns bora’s stomach. once upon a time, that was her laugh that siyeon would imitate. she ducks her head and scowls at her phone, trying her best to block out their hushed conversation, but bora has forgotten that her wallpaper is a still picture of her and siyeon. 

 

“i can’t believe yoohyeon is ignoring me, just like that.”

 

bora looks up to see minji standing above her, hands on her hips. 

 

the smile makes its way to bora’s face by itself. she’s grateful for the interruption, because bora would have spent the rest of the day brooding if not for minji.

 

minji snatches bora’s phone out of her hands and puts it on the nightstand next to the bed. bora’s too lazy to get up, so she just watches as minji flops down next to her.

 

“i’m bored,” minji says. “entertain me. say something. anything.”

 

something about this feels like high school all over again. bora remembers sitting in her childhood bedroom with minji, giggling about boys and love and stuff—except right now, what is on bora’s mind isn’t exactly a boy. 

 

“um—” bora says, hesitant. 

 

“i don’t care if you sound stupid,” minji reaches over and pats her knee affectionately. 

 

her conversation with siyeon yesterday comes back into her mind. siyeon was right about everything. bora hasn’t been honest. about anything. and maybe it’s because she’s feeling particularly vulnerable today, but she thinks this might be a good time to start. 

 

“i, actually—” she says. “minji.”

 

“hm?”

 

“do you think you can… kiss someone and still be friends?”

 

the look on minji’s face makes bora regret her words instantly, because it's a sudden sharp turn from boredom to curiosity, in a way that bora doesn’t exactly want to fulfill. “what? who?” 

 

bora scrambles to correct herself. “i mean—“ she inhales. “i didn’t actually kiss anyone but…”

 

minji furrows her eyebrows. “but you want to?”

 

bora sighs and lets her head drop onto minji’s shoulder. “it’s a girl thing, right? like, friends can kiss, right? without it meaning anything?”

 

minji seems to sense her hesitation, because she cups bora’s chin with one hand, lifting her head back up. “i mean, sure. unless you want it to mean something?” 

 

“i don’t know,” bora admits.

 

minji’s expression remains soft, her tone delicate. “do you like this person?”

 

“of course i do,” answers bora, the words coming to her easily. “she’s my best friend.”

 

“that’s not what I mean,” minji says. “do you love her?”

 

love. 

 

she’s never really considered it before, but bora supposes her first thought when she thinks about the word love would’ve been siyeon, even if minji wasn’t asking bora about her specifically.

 

“if it’s okay for me to ask, who is it?” minji asks. “it’s someone i know, right?”

 

bora looks down, biting her lip, twisting her fingers together, just enough so they hurt. she opens her mouth to deny it, but then all of a sudden, yoohyeon shrieks out siyeon’s name again, intertwined with a cackle, from out on the veranda. 

 

without meaning to, bora’s jaw clenches. 

 

“you know,” minji says, her eyes so careful that bora feels a little pang of irritation at how everyone seems to be treating her with kid gloves these days. “it’s okay to be jealous. you and siyeon?”

 

what?

 

bora’s mind is spinning. 

 

jealous?

 

“of siyeon?” she asks dumbly.

 

minji gives her a look that makes bora feel like she’s a child being caught doing something she should be. “of the people around her, bora. like yoohyeon.”

 

yoohyeon.

 

bora loves yoohyeon. she’s close to everyone else, but why does she only mind when she gets too close to siyeon? bora thinks back on the bitterness she feels towards siyeon, towards everyone, and— 

 

she’s jealous. that’s what it is.

 

“are you in love with her?” minji asks, gently this time, but the words send pure, unadulterated fear down bora’s veins.

 

suddenly, the room feels a little too hot. it doesn’t spin, but bora feels dizzy. she can barely hear anything over the roar of blood in her ears, the adrenaline making her hands shake.

minji’s words loop around bora’s head — siyeon and love and siyeon and suddenly, all bora can think about is siyeon. her gentle eyes when she looks at bora, the pain and hurt behind them last night in the bathroom. the taste of her blood on bora’s tongue. her selflessness when it comes to bora, over and over and over.

 

and bora misses siyeon so much that it hurts. 

 

she wants to sob.

 

minji must have known, because her arms wrap around bora, pulling her into a hug that she resists at first, but sinks into after a moment. 

 

“hey,” minji murmurs, running her fingers through bora’s hair, soft and comforting. “i won’t say anything. thank you for trusting me. sorry i asked, it’s not my business.”

 

bora’s voice is small and absolutely pitiful. “i miss siyeon. i miss her so much but i fucked it up. she’s mad at me and it’s all my fault.”

 

“it’s okay,” minji answers, hugging her tighter, and bora’s thankful that she doesn’t push for any more. she always knows where the lines are and when not to cross them. “we’ll figure it out.”

 

-

 

bora wishes she could go back to being oblivious of her feelings. siyeon spent her entire day with yoohyeon. the only time bora gets to see her is  after dinner, when they find themselves in their usual spot, outside the hotel. 

 

she finds herself making excuses to feed, just so she can have siyeon for a few more moments. 

 

(she’s careful, of course, she doesn’t really drink that much. the last thing she wants to do is to hurt siyeon more than she already has.)

 

bora can’t lose what’s left of her and siyeon anymore. this is all she has. she’s just so grateful to have little doses of siyeon like this; that siyeon still cares enough to offer her blood, even though bora knows she doesn’t deserve it. 

 

-

 

siyeon turns away from bora once she’s finished feeding and walks inside the hotel without waiting for her. she doesn’t want to be alone right now, but she just can’t be around bora anymore. it hurts too much. 

 

she pushes the door of the other hotel room open. yubin is sprawled on the double bed, eyes intent on the book in her hands. siyeon can feel the tension seep out of her shoulders at the familiar sight of the younger girl.

 

yubin is—just there . she doesn’t give advice, she doesn’t judge, but she listens, and there’s something kind and comforting in that. whatever siyeon says to her, she trusts it’s not going to come back out. she can work with that. so she plops down beside yubin and waits, watching as she flips another page.

 

“trouble in paradise?” yubin asks, without looking up. 

 

“what?” 

 

“you’re not with the others,” yubin says, as if she knows something siyeon doesn’t. 

 

“you’re not either.”

 

“yeah,” says yubin. “i wanted some quiet to read. i thought you were with bora.”

 

her words hit right where it hurts. siyeon can’t think of an answer that won’t give everything away, so she just stays quiet.

 

yubin sneaks a quick look at siyeon, then reaches for her bookmark— and siyeon reels a little, because yubin usually just listens.  “you okay, siyeon?”

 

the self-pity must be showing on her face. 

 

yubin scoots closer. 

 

siyeon leans her head on yubin’s shoulder; closes her eyes, grateful for the silent support.

 

“your girlfriend ignoring you?” yubin muses, closing her book and putting it to the side.

 

siyeon jolts up in surprise. she spins to face yubin. “i don’t know what you mean!” she says shrilly, before she remembers what she’s said to gahyeon before and mentally flicks herself on the forehead. but there’s no real issue, because yubin is already nodding to herself, pleased.

 

“so i’m right? you and bora, huh?”

 

there’s not really an us anymore. 

 

too depressing. 

 

yes.

 

too honest. she wouldn’t be able to say this and look yubin in the eye even if it was true, so she settles for something entirely different.

 

“gahyeon?”

 

“i figured it out by myself,” she gives bora a pat on the arm, and she isn’t sure if yubin means it to be friendly or something else. “you make it pretty damn obvious with the heart eyes.” 

 

siyeon deflates.

 

is she that transparent? or maybe yubin is observant in a way siyeon isn’t—it would come in handy, she thinks, if she’s dealing with bora. nothing is clear when it comes to her. not their boundaries, not their relationship, not the future— and the last time siyeon had felt like this was when she was a teenager and didn’t know if she would ever make something of her life. she doesn’t know what she’s doing. 

 

“i didn’t know that you knew.”

 

yubin sighs. “the two of you are so confusing,” she complains, flopping sideways against siyeon’s arm. “i talk with gahyeon but like, it’s not anything special—we talk about everyone else too, you know. like that person that handong is texting and denying that she’s texting.”

 

siyeon has seen it too. she wonders if she’s that obvious with bora—the thought of her feelings laid bare like that makes her uncomfortable. she’s a mess when it comes to bora.

 

she misses when things were simple. but bora seems determined to keep things between them perfunctory, and siyeon is starting to grow a little desperate. 

 

“i like her so much,” she admits, rubbing at her face with a tired hand. “and she— we both keep messing things up.”

 

“then fix it?”

 

she still doesn’t know what made bora go from her best friend to something less soft, less sweet; what made her stop talking to her. it has to be something that she did. or said.

 

“i don’t think she wants to talk to me right now.”

 

“try,” yubin answers. she pulls back and places her hands on siyeon’s shoulders so there’s nowhere for her to look but at her. “what’s the worst that can happen?”

 

yubin is scary when she’s serious. siyeon tries to turn away, but her grip is too strong. there’s a moment where they have a mini stare-off, but finally, siyeon gives in. she nods.

 

yubin nods back at her, an unspoken show of solidarity, and she lets go. 

 

“you deserve it,” yubin says, picking her book back up. “i am a little offended that you told gahyeon before me, though.”

Chapter 9

Summary:

bora and siyeon talk (to each other this time)

Notes:

i read this one vampire book in like 6th grade probably and i (very loosely) took inspiration from that in this chapter lolll hope it’s not moving Too fast and i hope it’s what u all have been waiting for hehe

they’re on the bus, driving to some fucking museum, and bora can see minji giving her little side glances when she thinks that bora is turned away. but sorry as she is, she doesn’t know what to do but hide. she doesn’t trust herself to talk about it any than she already has because she can’t think of a way to ask for help without everything spilling out—and the last time someone learned about her being a vampire, it ruined the best thing in her life.

think about something else. anything else.

anything but siyeon.

her head is spinning. she’s starving. her urge to feed had increased to twice a day in the past few days, but bora feels nothing but guilt every time she sinks her fangs into siyeon’s skin.

she feeds after everyone else eats dinner, and it’s only enough to sustain her through the night. by the morning, she’s hungry again.

she feels sick. the itch under her skin is starting to crawl again.

all bora can do is wait. she can’t push siyeon again, one thing’s for certain. she can’t deal with the consequences if she hurts siyeon and loses her for real.

-

bora barely makes it out of the bus without completely collapsing. a museum is the last place she wants to be right now—too much, too bright.

the craving rushes through her and bora can’t do anything but wait it out because they’re in a public place. she can’t go off on her own now—it’ll only raise questions, and bora can’t do this right now. her self control can only last for so long.

theres the sound of shoes scuffling on the ground behind her as they walk through the parking lot, and gahyeon’s voice breaks through the haze bora is surrounded by. “hey, bora!”

bora catches minji’s voice afterwards. “she’s tired, leave her be.”

but gahyeon doesn’t listen. “you hurt siyeon, didn’t you.”

bora doesn’t know what brought this on. gahyeon is confronting her out of the blue, in the middle of a museum parking lot—but it’s the truth. there’s nothing bora can say to defend herself.

from the corner of her eye, bora sees minji step in. “gahyeon—“

gahyeon turns around, facing minji mow. “they need to sort their shit out! i’m tired of walking on eggshells.”

bora stares at the two of them. she doesn’t know what’s going on, but minji and gahyeon are already glaring at each other, as if they’re communicating with their eyes.

“can we stop shouting, at least? we’re in a public place,” says minji pleadingly.

gahyeon sighs, lowering her voice. she looks at bora, staring at her deep in her eyes. “i know , bora.”

bora’s eyes widen in horror. there’s no real reason for siyeon to help her hide things anymore, is there? she deserves this. completely.

“you can’t just keep messing with her feelings like that,” gahyeon continues, and it’s nothing bora doesn’t already know. this is all her fault. she hurt siyeon, and she wishes that they could just blow up at each other instead of involving everyone else.

“she cares about you so much—”

“siyeon’s hurting too!” now yubin chimes in, sounding frustrated, and bora flinches.

everyone is shouting, people are beginning to stare.

too much.

she feels a sudden burst of adrenaline, and she’s quick enough to cover her mouth with her hand just in time. she can feel the tip of her fangs starting to poke out. she is stretched too thin. she can’t snap. she can’t take any more of this.

siyeon is pushing forward, past their friends, past the crowd that began to form around their altercation.

she is wrapping her arms around bora, and bora feels the stress leave her body. she closes her eyes and buries her face in siyeon’s shoulder.

she’s shaking.

“i got it,” siyeon is saying, and bora isn’t really focused on anything but siyeon. “go ahead inside guys, we’ll just be a second.”

she can sense siyeon leading her away from everyone, far enough away from for bora to drink.

“bora.”

bora keeps her eyes closed.

“please—hey, look at me.”

begrudgingly, bora forced her eyes open. something about the intensity of siyeon’s eyes as they meet hers pushes her over the edge, and she pounces.

siyeon gasps, almost falling backwards.

“bora,” she murmurs, trying to push her away. “hey, that’s enough.”

bora barely hears her. she’s in despair at the thought of siyeon leaving again. she can’t handle it.

“bora.”

it’s the slight panic in siyeon’s voice that makes bora snap back into reality. she jumps back, panting, and wipes the blood off her mouth.

guilt washes over her. she knows what siyeon would sound like; knows that she wouldn’t be angry, that she wouldn’t blame her. she always puts bora first.

she deserves siyeon’s anger. she was cruel.

“i should go.”

the words fall from bora’s lips in a frantic ramble. she can’t bear to watch siyeon’s reaction, so she doesn’t. she turns around and starts walking away, towards the museum entrance.

“no,” says siyeon, so quietly that bora wouldn’t have heard if she didn’t have enhanced hearing. “bora, hey, wait!”

bora keeps walking. she has to.

“you can’t just go like this!”

bora spins around. “i’m trying to protect you!” she shoots back, voice shattering on the last word. “can’t you see? i’m a monster.”

siyeon takes a step towards her. “so?”

“i could have hurt you.”

“but you didn’t. you didn’t hurt me or gahyeon or anyone else. you kept it under control.”

“i’m just trying to protect because i care about you, siyeon!”

siyeon wrings her hands together, her voice becoming watery. “right. did you even bother trying to make things right between us?”

bora bares her fangs at her. “what about you though? whatever you told gahyeon, was that you trying to make things right?”

“i wouldn’t ever betray your trust, bora.” siyeon’s words are intense. layered with so much emotion that it's terrifying. “all i said to her was that we weren’t talking. she knows nothing more. how could you even think that i would tell her about… this?”

bora doesn’t answer. her eyes fill up with tears and her chest burns.

“you are so infuriating!” siyeon continues. “you just—you keep pulling away from me to ‘protect me,’ and i don’t want that!”

“i don’t want to push you into doing something you don’t want,” bora answers softly. “or hurt you.”

“but i do want it,” siyeon breathes out shakily. “i told you to ask me for help. then you go and shut me out like none of it even mattered to you. every single time you ignore me, it feels like my heart is being ripped out of my chest again and again, and then you just use me to drink without even talking to me?”

her face is completely washed out and her breathing comes out ragged. something inside bora aches seeing siyeon like this; so vulnerable, so exhausted.

bora is shaking too hard to speak. instead, she reaches up to cup siyeon’s cheeks with her hands, wiping at her tears with her thumbs.

and she kisses her.

Chapter 10

Notes:

y’all i am SORRY this took me thirty five years to write but i’m HERE! i just finished writing this like five seconds ago and i didn’t proofread it, but what’s new

also i added a little bit to the title because i wanted to change it but its kinda too late for that so i compromised 😭

bora, suddenly, feels very small and unsure, and she just wants to fill up the silence between them. “i’m sorry.” 

 

the apology lingers in the air between them. bora doesn’t know what siyeon’s thinking, and she’s not sure that she wants to. siyeon’s frowning, again, and bora doesn’t ever feel self-conscious around siyeon, except this past week is turning out to be an exception. 

 

“are we—“ bora begins, and regrets it immediately, because it seems to snap siyeon out of her trance. “are we okay?”

 

siyeon still so close to her that bora can see every emotion swirling through her eyes. and suddenly, all she can think of is that she’s close enough to kiss her again.

 

the thought is crazy enough that bora snorts. the laughter surges up and she’s cackling, loud and unabashed.

 

(she has a weird coping mechanism when it comes to siyeon.)

 

“what—” siyeon mutters distractedly. “bora!”

 

bora wheezes, letting her head fall onto siyeon’s shoulder. “sorry, i just—” she tries, but the words are pushed aside by her laughter. 

 

siyeon smacks bora’s shoulder gently. “what do you mean by that?” she says, unable to hide a small chuckle of her own. “why are you laughing?” 

 

bora rushes out. “it’s just— it’s so weird. i mean— i’ve never thought about kissing you until recently and—”

 

“never?”

 

bora stops laughing.

 

siyeon’s looking at her again, with that stupidly endearing half smile and watery eyes. bora shifts uncomfortably. 

 

“uh—“ bora says, and before she can dig her own grave any deeper, siyeon interrupts with a shake of her head.

 

“sorry, ignore that.”

 

but she can’t. the question reverberates in bora’s mind. she doesn’t know what siyeon meant, and she doesn’t know what answer she wants to hear. she just trying to tread as carefully as she can. 

 

“are you really okay?” bora says, swallows because she feels like siyeon could just reach out and flip her inside out if she wanted to, that’s how vulnerable she feels. 

 

“i’m not… you know, homophobic, if that’s what you’re asking,” siyeon replies, watching bora intently. it’s really not at all what she’s asking, but bora’s still relieved to hear it. "and you— why did you do that?”

 

“i just— i don’t know,” she sighs. 

 

bora can’t explain it to siyeon—she’s just not ready for things to change. she likes the trust and familiarity and friendship between her and siyeon and everyone else, and if all it takes to keep it going is a little acting like everything’s perfectly platonic with a capital P, then that’s what she’ll do. how hard can it really be? 

 

okay… maybe she bit off more than she could chew.

 

so she isn't as good at acting as she thought, big deal. 

 

when they all regroup at the museum’s café and siyeon gives her a small grin before taking the seat directly next to her, bora’s heart leaps into her throat. 

 

what if siyeon was just too overwhelmed in the moment to say no?

 

what if siyeon’s just being nice?

 

siyeon drapes her arm over the back of bora’s chair and she tenses up without realising it.

 

“hey,” whispers siyeon.

 

“hey yourself,” answers bora, but it comes up strangled. she’s the one who kissed siyeon in the first place, but now she’s thinking of siyeon as maybe not just a friend , and everything feels different. charged. 

 

there’s something on both of their minds, but neither of them say a word. it’s like walking on eggshells. like their relationship is a house of cards and with every exhale, they run the risk of knocking it all down. 

 

and it’s a shame because bora can’t think of anyone else that she trusts more — with keeping the whole vampire thing a secret, but also to know her well enough to be aware of when to push and when to step back. siyeon waits for bora to catch up even if the others don’t, and sometimes holds her things for her, and tilts the umbrella to bora’s side like they’re in some kind of cheesy romcom. 

 

she focuses on the salad in front of her. not that she even needs to eat it, but she’s still has to pretend that she’s normal. the lettuce is too wet, too bland, and bora can’t chew on it without nausea churning in her stomach. 

 

she must be making some kind of face, because yubin looks at her with a troubled expression before asking the three words that bora’s so sick of hearing.

 

“are you okay?” 

 

she nods. “can you pass me the cheese?”

 

“uh, siyeon is closer.” 

 

when bora doesn’t react, yubin nudges her in the shoulder. “hey. i’m talking to you.”

 

“what’s up?” gahyeon chimes in, looking between the two of them curiously. it’s not rare that bora butts heads with someone, but usually, yubin keeps to herself. 

 

minji stops mid-conversation with yoohyeon and the two of them turn towards bora, so synchronized that it’s almost frightening. dong pauses chewing for a moment, attention piqued. 

 

bora grimaces. “it’s nothing, gahyeon.”

 

yubin continues looking at her strangely. gahyeon just rolls her eyes, glancing between yubin and bora again, over to siyeon, then back to bora.  

 

all of their friends are watching them now. bora can feel the apprehension in the air—but all she can see is siyeon, beside her. siyeon, wearing the flannel that they share and her gaze furiously on the table and the hair falling into her eyes that bora just wants to brush away.

 

bora clears her throat. “it’s fine, actually. i don’t need it.”

 

gahyeon suddenly picks up bora’s fork and drops it down onto her plate with a clatter. bora jumps. 

it’s silent. bora hadn’t realized how loud they tend to get until right now. everyone seems to have picked up on the tension, even people at the surrounding tables. the atmosphere can’t be described as anything but awkward. minji looks slightly panicked as she glances between everyone, trying to judge the situation and how best to approach it. 

 

bora stands up abruptly, her chair screeching against the ground. “i have to use the bathroom.”

 

she makes eye contact with siyeon, who raises her eyebrows at her. bora ignores the worry in her features and simply shakes her head, walking towards the restroom. 

 

 

---

 

 

bora spends too long in the shower. minji, to her surprise, is still up when she finally steps out. 

 

“oh, hey.”

 

minji yawns. bora softens, sitting down beside her on the bed. 

 

“why aren’t you in bed?”

 

“i wanted,” minji mumbles. “to make sure you were okay.” 

 

bora darts a quick look behind her. the blankets are drawn over siyeon’s head. 

 

“why wouldn’t i be?”

 

minji yawns again. “cause you, siyeon… you know?” she leans over and lays her head down on bora’s lap. “you can sleep in the other room if you want. i want you guys to talk, but if it would help you get some sleep—“

 

“i’ll be fine,” bora says. “we’re fine.”

 

minji looks at her for a passing beat. just stares. 

 

“are you sure?” she asks, and bora almost laughs.

 

bora watches as minji’s eyes flutter, struggling to keep them open, and she strokes her hair. “you can go to sleep, minji.”

 

“mkay,” minji mumbles, pushing up on her hands. bora sits up from the bed to let minji lay down. the moment the oldest’s head hits the pillow, she’s out.

 

bora goes over to her own bed and hesitates before pulling the blanket back to get in. once siyeon’s head is free, she looks over to bora, her eyes wide open and phone in her hands. 

 

“oh!” bora startles. “i thought you were asleep.”

 

“nope,” siyeon draws out the word, extra emphasis on the ‘p’.

 

that means siyeon was awake for that entire conversation. heard all of it. bora swallows and decided not to bring it up. she’s tired and would rather not talk about that right now. 

 

siyeon scoots over for bora to slip under the covers beside her, immediately leaning her head on bora’s shoulder once she’s comfy.

 

bora finds herself smiling, pleased that they’re back to some semblance of normalcy. she feels her eyes begin to close, but they don’t get the chance because she feels siyeon shifting against her shoulder.

 

“can i ask you something?”

 

the question hits bora like a bucket of ice being dumped on her head. there’s about a thousand questions siyeon could have, and the uncertainty fills bora with dread. 

 

“um,” she lips her lips. “sure.”

 

“what happened at lunch? with yubin,” siyeon’s eyes are still on her screen as she taps away at whatever racing game she’s playing. 

 

“i was just really in my head,” bora shrugs. “overthinking.”

 

“you’re starting to sound like me,” siyeon jokes. “do you want to talk about it?”

 

bora sighs. 

 

honestly, she doesn’t really want to, but she’s trying to make up for the time they’ve lost. for the conversations they could’ve had, should’ve had.

 

“i kissed you,” she says with an exhale.

 

“yeah,” siyeon responds, distantly. 

 

“and i thought… i don’t really know what i thought,” everything starts catching up to her. the lack of space between them, the intensity of her emotions—it’s overwhelming. bora rests her head on top of siyeon’s. “i’m sorry,” she admits, sniffling.

 

siyeon sits up, then. puts her phone down and faces bora, really looks at her. she just stares for a moment before leaning forward, strong arms wrapping around bora’s frame.

 

“i’m sorry if i made things weird, or if you hate me now,”

 

siyeon pulls away slightly, her face mere inches from bora’s. “it’s okay,” she mumbles, “i don’t think i could hate you even if i wanted to.”

 

on an impulse, siyeon feels her way downwards for bora’s hand, lifts it up to her lips, and kisses her knuckles.

 

bora’s heart beats madly in her chest. she hesitates for a moment before resting her forehead against siyeon’s. she’s always been a touchy, affectionate person, but somehow she feels that this simple action is a hundred times more intense. 

 

the moment is so sweet, so real that she’s almost afraid to speak, for fear that it’ll break their little bubble. but siyeon is in front of her, looking so cute, and she can’t help the way her eyes drift down to her soft, kissable lips.

 

they’re only a breath apart. siyeon’s staring at her with her eyes wide and full of stars. bora can’t help herself, and it seems as though siyeon feels the same, because they’re inching closer to each other without fully realizing it until their lips meet once again. 

Notes:

also guys what are we thinking about the myco!!! i have a whole notebook page with theories that i’m pulling out of my ass but i love how complex it is.

im begging and pleading for a vampire concept. i have no evidence to prove that it could happen but i personally Need that in my life.

i wanna know ur theories so comment them if u have any!!!!! i’m thinking that one picture of the hands on the bars is yoohyeon… i just know for sure it can’t be minji because her sexy veiny monstrosities would be too obvious lmfaoooo 😭😭😭😭

Chapter 11

Notes:

i wrote this in my notes app in study hall

the moon casts an eerie glow over the desolate landscape and bora’s heightened senses pick up on the faintest rustle of leaves in the distance. she can feel someone’s eyes on her, piercing through the darkness with a predatory anticipation that sends shivers down her spine. exhaustion claws at her, but determination propels her forward.

 

every step forward feels like a treacherous dance with death. she knows it’s a trap. bora’s undead heart pounds in sync with the agonized pleas for mercy that pierce her ears, the haunting melody of heart wrenching cries, and it’s enough to keep her moving.

 

finally after what feels like hours and hours of aimless running through the dark woods, bora finds herself closing in on the source of the sounds; a little house buried deep in the woods, hidden behind the trees. she rushes to the door, pounding on it with all her strength. 

 

“siyeon!” she shouts, her throat raw. she can’t sit and wait for a response. her fangs piercing her bottom lip as she rattles the doorknob, kicks at the door, slams her body into it, anything to force it open. 

 

the door refuses to budge. she grunts in frustration. 

 

“stay put, sing, okay? i’m coming!” she says, her tears dampening her cheeks.

 

as bora moves from the door to a window, fist clenched, preparing herself to break through it, a vampire hunter emerges from the shadows, her face twisted with a perverse satisfaction. 

 

“where do you think you’re going?” 

 

“where is she?” bora demands.

 

“see for yourself,” the hunter grins at her, and it’s chilling. 

 

bora’s eyes follow closely as the hunter saunters over to the door, pushing it open with ease. bora braces herself for whatever’s behind it.

 

siyeon, pale and fragile, bound and vulnerable, locks eyes with bora, and all the vampire sees is red. she turns around towards the hunter, the air crackles with tension, and bora bares her fangs in a snarl.

 

the ensuing struggle is a blur of chaos—flashes of movement, the clash of fist against fist. bora fights with every ounce of strength she possesses, driven by a primal instinct to protect siyeon. the hunter, however, is relentless, fighting her back with the same passion and determination.

 

in the midst of it all, bora’s immortal existence teeters on the edge, her undead strength clashing against the onslaught of the hunter, each moment pushing her closer to the brink of defeat.

 

bora dodges a fist and instead reaches up to grab it, looking into the eyes of her attacker. she gasps. she knows those eyes, could recognize them anywhere. 

 

“yoohyeon?”

 

“you’re a monster,” yoohyeon whispers. then she’s reaching up and grabbing the back of bora’s head, guiding her forward. bora knows it’s a trap. 

 

yoohyeon is bleeding from the fight, and bora feels the familiar tingling in her mouth, hears the blood moving beneath yoohyeon’s skin. 

 

“bora?”

 

yoohyeon pulls bora’s face closer, to where the blood drips from the side of her face. her fangs press into her lower lip, inhaling the metallic scent of her blood. 

 

“go on. show everyone the truth.”

 

suddenly, four figures appear behind yoohyeon. bora recognizes them easily; minji, gahyeon, yubin, and handong, all watching with horror in their eyes.

 

it’s like bora loses all control over her body, and she lowers her teeth into yoohyeon’s neck, feeling the skin tear beneath her fangs and blood filling her mouth. it’s like nothing she’s felt before. as yoohyeon starts swaying, struggling to keep upright, bora’s hands come up to hold her steady. 

 

yoohyeon slumps into her, heavier and heavier, and bora, unprepared, drops her. there’s a gasp from one of her spectators as yoohyeon hits the ground. bora stares down at her, blood flowing from her neck onto the gravel, staining it red. 

 

it’s silent. behind her, bora can hear siyeon’s cries, muffled by the tape over her mouth. nobody moves, nobody says a word, until—

 

“bora, hey, wake up,”

 

bora’s eyes shoot open. suddenly, everything’s too bright, and for a moment, bora thinks she died. until her eyes adjust, and she's not in the house in the woods anymore.

 

she’s on an airplane. 

 

there’s a hand tapping her thigh and bora turns to see siyeon seated beside her, safe , eyes shifting from bora’s mouth down to her own arm. only then does bora also see the bare arm in her clenched fist. she relaxes her grip, gasping as she sees the damage she caused. red indents from her nails blemish siyeon’s soft skin. 

 

the markings fill with blood but bora forces herself to ignore it. 

 

“hey,” siyeon whispers, and then she’s reaching forward with her bloodied arm to wipe at bora’s face, at her lips and cheeks. “you were having a nightmare. are you okay?”

 

“i…” bora watches how red drips down to siyeon’s elbow. tenses up as a hunger scratches at her insides, begs and pleads to do something about it. she feels her discipline slipping through her fingers. she can hardly even control her breathing right now and she doesn’t want to hurt siyeon more than she already has. 

 

i have to go.

 

she’s unsure if the words leave her mouth or if it’s only a thought, but she’s pushing up from her seat , trying to get distance between herself and siyeon. she climbs over siyeon and makes a beeline towards the bathroom. she prays that there’s nobody inside.

 

she knocks at the door, almost punches it in frustration at the realization that it’s locked. thankfully, she only has to wait a minute for the door to swing open, but the person who exits the bathroom is the last person bora wants to see right now. 

 

“oh, hey,” yoohyeon smiles at her, then her expression shifts to something that looks like worry. bora holds her breath. “is your mouth… bleeding?”

 

pictures flash in bora’s mind—too many, too fast. the blood stained gravel. the blood dripping out of siyeon’s arm. 

 

“uh, yeah,” bora plays it off with a laugh. “just bit my tongue, you know.”

 

yoohyeon eyes her for a moment. “are you sure?”

 

“yeah, i’m good, don’t worry,” bora crosses her fingers behind her back. her fangs dig into her bottom lip, wounds healing and piercing again and again, but the taste of her own blood does nothing to calm her.

 

yoohyeon opens her mouth to say something but is stopped by a yawn. bora takes a hesitant step forward and pats yoohyeon on the head. 

 

“go back to sleep, yooh,”

 

and then she’s slipping into the tiny bathroom, locking the door behind her, and clutching the edge of the sink. her head spins as she struggles to catch her breath. 

 

---

 

siyeon watches the bathroom door. she wants to give bora her space, but she was pretty shaken up and siyeon can’t help but itch to go check on her. 

 

five minutes pass and siyeon’s intuition leads her up out of her seat and down the narrow aisle of the airplane, a subtle urgency pulling her towards the bathroom. 

 

with a gentle knock, siyeon calls out, "bora, it's me. can i come in?"

 

bora unlocks the door without a word and siyeon pushes it open cautiously. the soft hum of the engines provide a backdrop as siyeon approaches.

 

"hey," she murmurs, her voice a soothing balm in the midst of bora’s storm. she approaches with deliberate care and extends a warm hand, the touch grounding and reassuring. "do you want to talk about it?"

 

bora’s eyes, still clouded with the remnants of fear, meet siyeon’s gaze. 

 

“you don’t have to,” siyeon’s eyes, filled with compassion, meet bora’s, conveying a silent understanding. she takes bora’s chilly hands in her own.

 

"it was the vampire hunters again,” bora whispers. siyeon listens silently, her thumb stroking the back of bora’s hand. “they found us, attacked me, and took you hostage. i… i felt so helpless," she admits, her voice carrying a raw edge.

 

bora swallows before continuing. her eyes burn with tears. “the hunter… it was yoohyeon. she was so… dark and scary. she made me drink her blood in front of the others to show them how much of a monster i am, and—“ her voice breaks. she doesn’t get to finish the thought, but it’s clear in siyeon’s face that she has an idea of what else happened from there.

 

her expression softens, immediately moving to wrap her arms around bora’s trembling frame.  

 

“it felt so real, siyeon,” 

 

“it’s okay. we’re safe, and i’m right here with you, okay?” the rhythmic cadence of siyeon’s assurances echo in the small space, drowning out the remnants of the nightmare still reverberating in bora’s mind. 

 

bora nods, sniffling. “i’m afraid of what i am. i can't bear the thought of anything happening to you guys because of me," she confesses, a hint of guilt lacing her words. 

 

“remember what i said. we’ll face this together,” siyeon murmurs, her fingers gently running through bora’s raven-black hair. “okay? you’re not alone.”

 

bora nods against her shoulder. “okay.”

Notes:

OOTD THIS MY FASHION SHUT UP NO MORE QUESTIONS