The sun was shining at its brightest today, October twenty seventh, beating down on Changbin's back and illuminating the reddish and brownish leaves surrounding him. The breeze blowing on them was consistent and just right. It wasn't too much, and wasn't too little either.

Changbin was silent as he ascended up the rocky steps, along with his mother by his side, hating the way his cap did nothing to conceal the ray of sun targeted on him.

He couldn't do anything about it though, and soon enough, trying to block out the sunlight wasn't his priority anymore.

As Changbin neared his destination, his grip on the bouquet of orchids tightened, and for a brief moment, his throat closed up, making it hard to swallow. Then, the feeling became replaced with numbness.

As he placed the bouquet on the tombstone that belonged to his father, he stepped back to allow his mother to have her private moment with him, and busied himself with looking at the sky, cursing the way his chest constricted, and the way his heart felt like it was encased in an iron fist.

It'd been five years since Changbin's father died, yet those memories were still fresh in Changbin's mind, as if everything had taken place yesterday.

The images of his father falling in the living room, the sound of his mother calling for an ambulance, the anxiety he experienced as the paramedics put his unresponsive father on the stretcher, and lastly, the shock he felt when he realized that his father wasn't going to come back, replayed in Changbin's mind over and over again like some messed up slideshow, and no matter how hard Changbin tried to stop it, those memories kept on gushing in from where they'd been locked up for so long.

Changbin felt like a bad son for trying to block out memories of his father after the first year and a half of his death. But then he realized that people dealt with grief in different ways, and him trying to distance himself from anything having to do with his father was his way of trying to cope with everything. He had done it to avoid spontaneously breaking into tears and finding it hard to wake up in the morning, as Changbin's mother had frequently done.

Changbin stared at the tombstone again, and saw how sorrowful and forlorn his mother looked. That painful constricting feeling came back, and it only intensified at the realization that if Changbin ended up dying, then his mother would have no one anymore.

That possibilty didn't sit well with Changbin at all, and that only made him all the more determined.

He couldn't die. He didn't want to die.

_______

Changbin sighed as he sat on his bed. His phone had been bombarded with text messages, and he hadn't been able to answer them because of where he went.

Before he answered them, he stared at his door, wondering what his mother was doing right now. She'd been uncharacteristically silent when they came back home from the cemetery, heading to her room soon after. Changbin hadn't said anything, mostly because he didn't want to upset her.

Focusing back at his phone, he started looking through the messages.

Minho is annoying

Chan: goodmorning, changbin
Chan: are you awake?
sent 10:15 am

Seungmin: you've been taking those pills that woojin and minho worked on, right?
Seungmin: are you seeing any differences?
sent 10:23 am

Woojin: it's supposed to keep you okay until the day we're supposed to go to faey
Woojin: i'm sure you knew this already
sent 10:27 am

Minho: he knows
Minho: and i'm not annoying
sent 10:31 am

Chan: where is jeongin anyway
sent 10:31 am

Minho: that brat is out hunting animals or whatever
sent 10:32 am

Changbin: hey guys
Changbin: i'm sorry for not replying earlier
Changbin: i was out

Seungmin: oh, it's okay :)
Seungmin: you're taking the pills, right?

Changbin: yeah. i am

Changbin remembered the small bottle of pills that Minho had given him three days ago after visiting them. The pills were supernatural pills that Minho and Woojin had conjured up with their spells, and were supposed to keep Changbin from experiencing any other episodes of fainting and lessen his chances of falling ill before November the second came.

He looked around his room for the bottle, not finding it on the drawer where he usually placed it. He figured it must've been in his bag or something.

He checked the other messages he got, his heart skipping a beat when his eyes landed on Felix's contact name.

Felix: changbin, are you there?
Felix: are you awake
sent 9:01 am

Felix: i guess not :(
Felix: your window's still closed, and your mother's not home either
sent 9:13 am

Felix: are you...with them?
Felix: you know, chan and the others?
Felix: i would've followed you if you wanted me to
sent 9:21 am

Felix: i want to call you, but i dont want to disrupt anything
Felix: i really miss you
Felix: we havent gone on a date in some time, and i'd really like to make it up to you
sent 9:54 am

Felix: i'm sorry for being so absent lately
sent 10:15 am

Changbin: hey felix :)

Felix: hi

Felix: are you back at home now?

Changbin: yeah

Felix: were you with chan and them?
Felix: it's okay if you were,, i was just asking

Changbin: i wasnt
Changbin: i was out with my mother

Felix: oh
Felix: did you guys shop or something?

Changbin: no
Changbin: we...went to the cemetery to met my dad

Felix: i'm so sorry
Felix: i shouldn't have asked

Changbin: you dont need to
be sorry felix
Changbin: you didn't know,
and i didnt tell you before, anyway

"Changbin!"

Changbin glanced sideways at the door after he heard his mother calling him.

Changbin: i'll talk to you later, felix :)
Changbin: mom's calling me

Felix: sure binnie
Felix: ❤❤

Changbin: dont call me binnie
Changbin: ❤❤

Changbin swore he could hear Felix's barely contained laughter all the way from here, and he chuckled, heading towards the living room to face his mother.

His smile immediately disappeared though when his eyes fell on the object his mother was holding in her hand.

"Changbin..." He looked at his mother, feeling his heart drop at her saddening expression. "What's this?"

Changbin clenched his fists, hating how careless he was for not hiding that bottle of pills better. Now it was in the possession of his mother, and he knew he probably had to come clean about everything now.

"I..." he started, searching for the right words to say, "Those are...pills. To make me feel better."

"Who gave them to you?" Changbin's mother questioned, her tone gentle but firm. "Or did you go to the doctor without me knowing? Are...are you sick?"

"I--I didn't go to the doctor," Changbin said. He reached for the bottle, but his mother wouldn't let him take it. He looked directly at her eyes. "...Where did you find it?"

"I saw it in your room yesterday night, Changbin. But because of... what we had to do today, I couldn't question you about it until now," she explained, her eyebrows knitted in obvious thought. "So, where did you get this from? ...And why didn't you tell me about it earlier?"

Changbin rubbed his face with his hands, really dreading this situation right now. He didn't want to tell his mother what was actually happening to him, but now that she'd found out about the pills, he had to tell her the turth, or lie some more.

Changbin didn't like lying to his mother.

"I...I just need them to be well," he whispered. His words did nothing to shatter the stiffening silence that had came upon them, and Changbin couldn't bear to look his mother in the eye. "They're not...average pills. I...met a couple of guys who aren't human, and they're going to...help me get better."

Changbin's mother stared at the bottle in her hand, and her frown increased in magnitude. She looked sad, and a bit angry, and disappointed too. "...Why didn't you tell me, Changbin? I would've taken you to the hospital, and I'll still take you there. I don't want you to be sick."

Changbin's eyes widened at the possibility of having to go to the hospital. He'd arboured a deep hatred and fear for hospitals ever since his father died, and he wasn't about to change his opinion about them now. "No. I'm not going."

Changbin's mother stared at him incredulously, like she couldn't believe what she's just heard. "What? ...Why? I'm trying to keep you safe and healthy Changbin, and those doctors will figure something out--"

"It's not a normal sickness, mom," Changbin all but exclaimed. He tried to inhale deep breaths to calm himself, but it wasn't working. "I--I can't go there. I've already found a way to cure myself. You just have to trust me."

"Changbin, listen to me," his mother begged, "I want you to be well. I want you to be okay. You think I haven't noticed how weak and tired you've been this past week? You're always telling me not to worry, that everything's going to be fine, and that I should trust you, but how are you so sure that that's going to be the case? I want to bring you to a place that can help you get better, but you're rejecting my offer."

"I don't want to go to the hospital because it'll remind me of how my father died, and how they couldn't prevent him from dying." A loud static rang through Changbin's ears, and a part of his mind told him to stop talking, to just shut up, but he was an idiot, so he kept on talking. "I--I don't want to go there because I don't want to meet the same doctors and surgeons that were responsible for talking care of my dad, but couldn't do their job. You...you said he'd needed a heart surgery, right? Said he could've easily been saved, since everyone in that hospital knew what they were doing. S-So why didn't he live? If the surgeons were all skilled, why didn't he make it out alive?! It was because he was a Demon, and you know it too, mom. I-I don't ever want to go that place again, so if you truly want me to be safe, don't bring me there."

By the time Changbin was done, he was breathless and fuming, relieved that he'd been able to release his pent up frustration, but one look at his mother's face told him that he shouldn't have said anything at all.

He looked at his shoes, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry--"

Changbin's mother shook her head, her expression pained. "No--no, it's okay Changbin. I...I'm gonna head out for a bit, okay?"

Changbin looked up as soon as his mother placed the pill bottle on the table, grabbing a coat from the coat rack. "Mom--"

"There's food that you can microwave in the fridge if I'm not around when dinner comes," his mother cut in, putting on her coat. "But, I think I'll be back before then."

Then she opened the door and left the house in the span of a few seconds, before Changbin could fully process anything.

Changbin's breathing became ragged, and he tried to find his footing before he collapsed on himself. Fuck, he shouldn't have said anything, but he did, and now his mother was sad and possibly angry at him.

If there was one thing that Changbin couldn't handle, it was his mother getting sad or worried because of him, but now he'd managed to make those things happen because of his carelessness and his incapability to know when to shut up.

He grabbed the bottle and ran up the stairs into his room, falling on his bed and biting his lip so hard in order not to cry. He couldn't cry, because it'd only make him more miserable, and it'd solve nothing in the end. His situation wasn't going to change just because he was unhappy, and he had to accept that.

Who knew when Changbin's mother was going to come back? He only hoped that she'd return home safe and happier than she had been when she left, or else he'd never be able to forgive himself.

His phone vibrated at that moment, the sound cutting into the negative thoughts that had started forming around Changbin's head.

Changbin felt like ignoring whoever messaged him, but he couldn't do that. Typing out his password with his left hand, he took notice of his latest message.

Felix: are you done?
Felix: talking with your mother i mean

Changbin decided to call Felix, and he didn't know the reason why.

"Changbin? What's up?" Felix greeted a few seconds later, his tone holding happiness in it.

"I..." Changbin paused, thinking over the words to say, "Can you come over? You...don't have to. I just wanted to ask..."

He could tell that Felix was worried about the way he spoke.

"Of course," Felix replied. "Is your mother home?"

"No. It's just me..."

"I'll be over soon. Just have to tell my parents that I'll be at your place."

"Okay."

Changbin ended the call, and trudged back to the living room in order to open the door for Felix.

Eventually, Felix knocked on the door and Changbin quickly opened it, pulling Felix in as he did so.

"Hey," Felix smiled after Changbin had locked the door.

"Hi." Changbin snaked his arms around Felix and tried to forget all that was bothering him at that moment.

Felix instantly copied Changbin's actions, and leaned in until their foreheads touched. "...Are you okay?"

"I'm not..." Changbin muttered. "I'll tell you everything later, but," he rested a palm on Felix's cheek, "I just want us to hang out first."

Felix leaned into Changbin's touch and grinned. "Okay."

Changbin could hear how Felix's heartbeat instantly sped up when he stepped forward and connected their lips together. Changbin bet his own heart was beating quickly too, but he wasn't concentrated on that right now. No, right now he was thinking about how soft and amazing Felix's lips felt against his, and how every touch that Felix gave never failed to make him feel like he was on fire. And he enjoyed that more than he thought he would.

_______

The night air was freezing, so Changbin made sure to put on the warmest black sweater he could find, and stared at how he looked in his attire in front of a mirror.

He looked mysterious and intimdating at the same time, which was what he'd been aiming for.

Changbin was going to Jisung's party, because the Vampire had invited him, and because he was curious as to what Jisung had up his sleeve.

Felix had expressed his reluctance to attend Jisung's party, but changed his mind last minute because he didn't want Changbin to go there alone.

Felix's dad was going to take them to the venue, and was going to bring them back too.

Changbin stared at his house one more time before he left, knowing that his mother was inside her room. She knew about him going to that party, and told him to be safe.

If it wasn't for the streetlights that brightened up every corner, Changbin would've blended into the darkness due to his black clothes and pair of shoes.

Felix was standing beside the front porch, surveying the area with his eyes for a particular someone.

Changbin's breath got caught in his throat when Felix spotted him and waved him over. The taller male looked incredibly attractive, with his blond hair slicked back to reveal his forehead, and had a black attire similar to Changbin's own.

"How do I look?" Felix asked hopefully, his dark red eyes staring back at Changbin. The half demon knew they were contacts, but they looked really realistic.

Changbin lightly smacked Felix's arm. "I told you not to cosplay as a demon but you still did it anyway."

Felix pouted, rubbing his arm. "I really wanted to do it, okay? Ow, it hurts."

"You look hot," Changbin complimented with a smile, and Felix's pout transformed into a full fledged grin.

The Australian leaned in and stole a kiss before Changbin could react to it. "Thank you, Binnie."

"I already told you I don't like nicknames."

"Baby."

"I hate petnames too," Changbin added, but he didn't sound convincing, especially with how his face burned at what Felix called him.

"Binnie it is then," Felix laughed, and after a few minutes, his father joined them outside.

Changbin placed his mask back on to protect his face from the cold, and to hide his blushing cheeks whenever Felix 'accidentally' brushed his hand against his during the car ride.

_______

Jisung's house was huge, and it didn't look like a house, it looked more like a mansion.

After Felix's father dropped them off, the two males found themselves surrounded by mind-numbing music and unaware students scurrying past them.

By the wide black gates, there were two men who looked like security guards that were very pale, checking the invitations that the students tossed towards them, before letting them in.

The amount of people there slightly frightened Changbin, because how many people did Jisung actually invite to this party of his? Did he invite the whole school?

"This looks good," Felix complimented, looking around the lit up house and at the outdoor pool that a couple of people were jumping around in.

Despite Changbin's nervousness, he had to agree with Felix. Everything looked sophisticated and unreal, even the food people passed around in their different costumes and clothes. The area around the house looked busy and was filled with so much chatter and music. "...Yep."

"Let's go inside," Felix suggested, and Changbin nodded along.

The interior of the house looked even more grand that the outside. The wide floors glistened under the bright fluorescent lights, and there appeared to be many rooms present. The two males followed where some other students were heading to, and they appeared to have entered the main room due to how many people were clustered in there.

The music was even louder than before, and Changbin started spotting more familiar looking people inside that space than he'd found outside.

He saw Jaeha and Hyunjin with a couple of other guys laughing and drinking from plastic red cups, but when he thought they had seen him, he was surprised to see their eyes glossing over him like he wasn't even there. Their cheerful expressions didn't change one bit, and they continued to talk the same way they had done before.

"Changbin!" Felix exclaimed over the loud music. He flashed a wide grin when Changbin turned to look at him. "I'm gonna go and find some drinks, alright? I'll be back soon."

"Okay," Changbin smiled, watching as Felix disappeared into the crowd.

Not even ten seconds after he was gone, Changbin felt another presence next to him. He didn't have to look at the person to know who he was.

"Enjoying the party?" The familiar low voice of Jisung asked, cutting through the loud music.

"I just got here." Changbin didn't know how Jisung found him so quickly, since he'd never seen Jisung since he'd came to the party. He fiddled with his sweater, wary of Jisung's company.

"...Okay," Jisung replied, staring straight at Changbin. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it soon though." With a light chuckle, he walked away and vanished into thin air, just like that.

No one, except for Changbin, noticed this, and he found that observation weird but was quick to dismiss it.

_______

"Let's dance," Felix told Changbin as he playfully dragged the shorter into the crowd, a bit light on his feet.

Hands intertwined and hearts alive with adrenaline, Changbin could almost forget the nagging feeling of dread that had been bugging him all night after he and Jisung had talked, and focus on being with Felix, and being with Felix alone.

Felix's arms were around Changbin, and the grin showcased on his face was nothing short of magnificent. Changbin felt so content with Felix at that moment, so much so that he started to ignore all those worries and uncertainty bringing him down. Only Felix could do that to him, and god did Changbin like Felix so much. He liked Felix so, so much, that his feelings for the Australian felt overwhelming at times.

And the best part of it all was that Felix felt the same, and he always made sure that Changbin knew it. Changbin loved every moment that he and Felix spent together, and he almost couldn't imagine not having the Australian in his life.

"Felix?" His voice was slightly above a whisper, but Felix heard him.

"Yeah?"

"I...I think I love--"

Someone tapped on a mic, distracting more than half of the student body. Heads turned to look at the perpetrator, but their expressions of annoyance turned into ones of joy when they saw Jisung on the floor above them, a spotlight on him.

Changbin realized that Jisung was dressed as what he actually was; a Vampire, and he looked more sinister than he usually looked at school, his skin paler than before and his eyes a striking red.

"Are you guys enjoying the party?" Jisung asked. The grins that followed suit answered his question. "Good. I'm glad. I made sure to save only the best, for the best." He paused, his friendly grin turning into one that looked almost daunting. "Now, I need you guys to do something for me. I'll need the girls on the left, and the guys on the right."

Changbin watched with surprise as Felix stepped away from Changbin, and joined the other guys that were gathering on the right.

Girls were starting to line up on the left side, and Changbin was left in the middle, along with Jaeha, who looked immensely troubled.

"Good," Jisung commended. "Jaeha, come upstairs."

Jaeha's troubled expression turned into one of nonchalance as she simply ascended up the stairs, and Changbin looked up at Jisung, narrowing his eyes.

Jisung shrugged at him. "This is a 'blood bash' afterall, Changbin. My brothers need to feed. You can also get what you want too. Revenge." Jisung focused his eyes back on the rest of the students. "Please be patient, guys. The fun is just about to begin."

Changbin realized that this was Jisung's plan all along. This was why so many people were invited to the party in the first place, because they were going to become food for Jisung's 'brothers'.

Dark figures started forming around the corners of the house, and Changbin's heart stopped when he realized what they were.

Vampires.