• • •

Wooyoung

It's hard to concentrate. Hard to think and focus when everything around you's just pure and utter chaos.

I'm lying back first over Hongjoong's bed, some comic book leisurely pressed against my face - I don't even know the name of it, just needed something tangible to distract myself with.

I can hear Hongjoong at the corner, his voice easily overpowering San's as he continues to ask him a series of questions regarding his stay at his grandmother's and if he was feeling okay again. And, while I know Hongjoong only means well, I can't help but want him to dial it down with all the questioning. But I know I can't really say anything about it, since San's answering most of what Hongjoong's asking, and I don't want to be deemed as strange for my behaviour. I also don't want any assumptions being made about me, especially concerning San.

A video plays loudly from Yeosang's phone, and I groan, about to slide the comic book off my face and call him out when my phone vibrates inside my jean pockets.

Leisurely grabbing the phone, I turn it on and almost -- quite embarrassingly, might I add -- fall off the bed when I see San's contact name flashing across the screen.

My eyes dart over to San only to see that he isn't even looking in my direction. His eyes are focused on his own phone, only staring casually at Hongjoong's animated self from time to time.

san:
hey :)
delivered 8:16 pm

Before I can control it, a slow smile blooms across my face. I lay over Hongjoong's bed and stare at him again, grinning because I have an inkling he's purposefully avoiding my gaze.

wooyoung:
sup
delivered 8:19 pm

wooyoung:
no offense, but why are you
texting me though?
delivered 8:19 pm

wooyoung:
i mean, we're right inside the
same room :p
delivered 8:19 pm

san:
i just feel like texting you
delivered 8:20 pm

wooyoung:
lmao
delivered 8:20 pm

wooyoung:
really?
delivered 8:20 pm

wooyoung:
and how am i as a texter? i won't get offended if you say i'm
boring. i'm quite a dry texter
delivered 8:20 pm

san:
you're not, trust me
delivered 8:21 pm

wooyoung:
and why is that?
delivered 8:21 pm

san:
look up
delivered 8:21 pm

I do, and there San is, still avoiding my gaze but an unmistakeable smile on lips. It's just an average sight, but why does my heart feel like its being squeezed by a flurry of fuzzy emotions right this second?

wooyoung:
look up as well
delivered 8:22 pm

San obeys and we maintain eye contact, and for some weird reason we hold it. And it doesn't feel strange.

San's pretty eyes are alight with recognizable mirth when he smiles at me, his dimples on display, and that squeezing feeling inside my chest only multiplies.

I can only attempt a slight wave when a comic book's slapped over my arm, a grumpy Yeosang pushing me away due to me 'breathing too hard on his private space' or something. Anyway, I can't help but laugh though, especially when my friend's actions bring about some amusement to San's face.

• • •

A week later I'm on my bed at night, feeling a bit strange. The air's cold. Too cold on my skin, so cold I feel like I'm freezing, about to break into tiny shards of literal ice. The icy feeling gradually grows, engulfing the upper parts of my body until I fear that I'm drowning, submerging deeper and deeper into the disasterous waves of a body of water I'm not even familiar with.

I feel like I'm dreaming, but at the same time I feel like I'm not. I can't see anything, only a darkness that seems neverending, and sharp chills that grip me down to my core and leave me unable to move.

It's scary; this whole experience is. It's foreign and eerie in that way that's forbidden and twisted. The sensation amplifies until I struggle in my sleep to break through it, but the fear in me stops me from acting accordingly.

In Ambience classes during my last year of highschool, I'd only been taught a handful of times about bright and dark auras and how to sustain or cleanse them when needed, but now I'm regretting ever dozing off whenever Sir Han talked about them. Especially because it's a known fact that magical beings get the most affected by drastic changes in auras, so much so that it can be dangerous to their health.

Shit, I think, forcing my eyes open to take in my surroundings. I blink when I'm met with nothing but darkness, tendril-like and menacing, and push myself off my bed so hard my knees hit the floor.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, I curse repeatedly, choosing to ignore my beloved fuzzy slippers in favour of heading to San's room as quick as possible. I just know this type of aura doesn't belong to me, but that doesn't stop me from feeling apprehensive and worried.

Grabbing a flashlight from my dresser to guide my way, as well as my wand, I dash outside and into the hall. From what I knew during my highschool classes, turning on artificial lights when one's aura has turned dark and askew is just asking for trouble. The only thing someone can do in this situation is to cast the infamous lighting spell that's supposed to dissipate all forms of internal darkness from the victim.

I've never done it on someone before, and that makes me insanely nervous. My hands tremble the closer I get to San's room, almost causing me to drop my flashlight more than once. I tell myself to calm down whilst reaching for the door knob, but I can't control the erratic thumping of my heart.

The knob's colder than death on my skin, and goosebumps decorate the entirety of my fingers. As the door slowly opens I immediately turn off the flashlight, stepping in even though every part of my intuition's telling me not to.

San's room is darker than I've ever seen it to be. Peculiar darkness swims around him like a veil and flies above him like flocks of birds at sunset. The floor's chilling temperature isn't good for my feet, and my legs feel like giving up.

I ignore my body's numerous pleas to get out of there and head over to the edge of San's bed instead, and the sight that greets me is one I don't think I'd ever forget.

"S-San, oh my god," my voice fails me as a writhing San curls over his bed, obsidian veins interwoven and throbbing underneath his skin and stretching closer and closer into his eyeballs. An ominous shadow's casted over his features, and his eyes are this dull shade of copper that looks empty.

In half a second, I'm chanting the lighting spell, but it seems as if it's only doing more harm than good.

San's dry heaving, his pale fingers fisting the air as the colour in his eyes grow more and more faint. His blond locks have now turned a lifeless grey as he continues to hyperventilate.

I'm scared, so, so scared. My heart feels as if it's about to leap out of my damn throat. I drop my wand and, despite my mind screaming at me to stop what I'm about to do, hug San, repeating the spell over and over again to his ear. It's downright terrifying how pale and cold he is, and how his darkening eyes stare right into mine without actually looking at me.

"San, please -- please wake up," I beg like I've never begged before. I can feel my energy dwindling, can see the darkness surrounding us rising, but I still don't want to let go. I stroke my fingers through his locks as I mumble more and more of the spell, but it doesn't seem to be making much of a change.

I watch in fright as San's lips part -- revealing a set of prolonged canines that glint under the weak light forming around us -- and say something I can't catch at first.

I start to panic, holding him closer. "W-What -- what did you say? San, p-please... Please talk to me."

"...Blood... I...need..."

Before I can even think twice about it, I offer him my wrist, lightly pressing it against his lips. My heartbeat is the only thing I can hear now, my nerves going haywire at the fact that San's nearly about to take my blood.

I convince myself I don't mind, especially due to the fact that the magic in my veins can possibly help him. I don't want anything horrible happening to him, so I'm willing to do anything to get him back to normal.

His bite is painful, but the piercing feeling doesn't last for long. He doesn't spend much time on my wrist, and by the time he's done I'm feeling lightheaded and weak due to the blood loss. He falls into my arms and I leave him there for a while, not knowing what to feel as his palms hang on to my shirt like he doesn't want to let me go. Thoughts consume my mind, and I promise myself I'll get the school's infirmary involved in this once I regain my strength.

• • •

A U R A S (Everthing you need to know)

I read through the pages of this book until my eyes hurt and my fingers ache, and it doesn't help that I'm at the library which has one of the most uncomfortable chairs ever known to mankind.

It's past twelve in the afternoon and I haven't even eaten lunch yet as my head is too occupied with worry about San to care about my own well being. I don't think I can forget the shared looks the nurses gave each other once they had to treat him, don't think I can erase the image of him being unresponsive a couple minutes after I fed him out of my mind.

That term itself still makes me feel a bit wary, but I will myself to stop thinking about it so much. San is now in good hands and getting the proper treatment he needs, so I have no reason to worry.

But, it's easier said than done, especially after reading about dark coloured auras and what they signify.

Pain and inner turmoil, that's the kind of aura San had this morning.

All of a sudden, the crispy smell of junk food wafts into the library, momentarily distracting me. I wince as the book in front of me's suddenly shut and someone new takes the seat directly in front of me.

"You look like death," Yeosang tells me, as charming as ever. He waves the bag of food before my face as if he's trying to tempt me some more, and I just roll my eyes in response.

"Yeosang, put that away," I begin, "you're not supposed to bring food into the library anyways."

Despite the pointed glares the librarian's shooting my blond friend -- her lazer-like red eyes not really helping the situation -- Yeosang only grabs my hands and forces me to look directly at him. It's then I can see it -- that subtly growing look of worry that catches me off-guard.

"Wooyoung," Yeosang's voice is soft, but still holds that stern edge to it. "I've been looking around for you. The rest of our friends have been looking around for you as well. You just...disappeared and didn't tell us what happened. I got so anxious."

I sigh, biting on my lip. "Something... something happened to San earlier today. I was so fucking scared that he'd -- he'd die."

At this, Yeosang's features harden with shock. His words are laced with curiosity as he questions me about the incident.

I force myself to my feet and he mirrors me. "We should probably go talk about it someplace else. I don't feel comfortable enough in here..."

Luckily, Yeosang listens.

We end up inside his dorm, and while eating I tell him about everything. He's as shocked as I'd felt back then when I tell him about how San had looked in those frightening moments.

"And the weird thing is -- " Yeosang chimes in when I'm done talking, "Don't vampires usually have a lack of aura due to them being part of the undead?"

At this, I'm speechless, since he's right. Hongjoong never had much auras to date, and never really had issues with them either. So, why did San get so negatively affected by his?

"I know I'm gonna sound like a Mom right now, but calm down, Wooyoung. You've got the 'I'm scared for San' look on your face and I don't want you to get sick from worrying," Yeosang cautions me. "You'll be able to see him soon, okay? And when that happens just let him breathe for a second, alright? When he's better you can question him all you want."

I realize he made a lot of sense. And hell, that's nothing I want to do more than making sure San's comfortable and okay. So I nod. "I will..."

• • •

It's later that evening that I'm allowed to see San. Hongjoong, Mingi and Yunho by now have known about what took place earlier, but don't follow me to the infirmary since the staff only permit one person at a time to see the patients.

"We'll see him later anyways," Hongjoong tells me before I leave. It's obvious he's affected immensely by what had happened to San. "Just...go make sure he's okay, alright?"

I remember his words as soon as I'm let into San's room, hating the way the light bulbs sting against my tired eyes.

San's front is facing me when I carefully enter, limp strands of faded grey shielding his eyes from view.

I bite my lip so hard I swear it'll draw blood, and my breath hitches when his eyes meet mine. They're dark and daunting, but I force myself to keep staring.

"San..." I whisper as I grab the chair closest to him. "Are you well?"

San's eyes never leave my face, and without warning his hand reaches out to touch my right wrist. My heart skips a beat when his thumb runs over the faint bite mark on it, while his jaw clenches.

"Wooyoung...I — " he gulps, looking into my eyes. "Please, did I...did I hurt you?"

I immediately shake my head. "No, I'm -- I'm fine. What about you?" What happened back there? I want to ask as well but drop it in fear of seeming overbearing, but the look in San's eyes tells me he already knows what I'm thinking.

"...I'm okay." He sits up and on impulse I stretch out my arms to steady him, and now he's watching me with this stare that all of a sudden makes blood rush into my ears.

In a second my hands are off of him. I clear my throat, eyes shifting elsewhere other than his face. "I'm glad you're feeling better now. I got so scared."

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way," San replies. His eyes linger on my wrist. "And I'm sorry for taking blood from you."

I just shake my head. "God, you shouldn't be apologizing. I'm fine, trust me."

A comfortable, albeit slightly awkward silence washes over us for some time until San breaks it by saying, "I bet you're wondering what the heck happened to my hair?"

I chuckle, my chest tightening when I catch sight of those dimples of his. "I guess, yeah."

He laughs, subdued and brief, and shifts his fingers down his hair to allow me a clear shot of his roots —which are now pitch black. He must see the questions in my gaze because he follows up with, "My grandmother dabbles a bit in magic from time to time. I was unwell and she cleansed my aura, which also affected the colour of my hair. And for a while, I was okay again. Until last night."

He sighs. "I'm sorry I troubled you, Wooyoung. I never meant to do such a thing..."

I hold his hand, smiling when he looks up at me wide-eyed and apologetic. "San, it's okay, really. I didn't mind. And you're my friend, I care about you. Nothing you do will ever be an inconvenience to me, ever. And, I want you to know that you can always come to me whenever something's bothering you. I'll always do my best to help."

And that's when I spot it; that pale shade of pink that spreads across the entirety of San's cheeks and ears. I'm unable to form words, because the boy in front of me is clearly blushing and it's as unusual as it is surprising.

San looks away and rubs his face in an attempt to hide it all, and I clear my throat, not really knowing how to act. I wipe my hands over my trousers, realizing just how clammy they've gotten now.

"Thanks," San's soft voice alerts my attention. "For everything you've done thus far. You've been such a good friend to me, and I'm really grateful for that." His ears seem to turn a darker shade of pink. "And...I'll tell what's going on soon, I promise..."

• • •

a/n: thoughts?