seriously what the hell is this?
———

WHO would've thought? Definitely not Wooyoung. He didn't think he'd be running for his life at the end of his shift, or witness bodily desecration with his own eyes, but there he was, still wrapped up in this stranger's hold, and still flipping the hell out.

"Let me go-" he yelped, his voice getting cut off by the stranger's hand on his mouth. Wooyoung could barely hear the sound of his own breathing since the pound of his heart rang loud in his ears. His eyes darted everywhere, searching for a way to get out of the stranger's hold, but to no avail...

He couldn't escape.

The man looked down at him with a narrowed gaze, seeming to be listening for something as he held his hand over Wooyoung's face. "Quiet, or you'll let them find us," the man whispered, his eyes searching for something, most likely the disfigured coworker, beyond Wooyoung's head.

There's something else here?! Wooyoung worried inwardly, his heartbeat picking up as his breath came out in choppy tufts as he listened for whatever the man was. Where the hell did I go wrong? he wondered, tears sliding down his flushed, swollen cheeks.

He was wrong to think that he hated his job and hated his life; his life was so much better than it was right now. All he wanted to do was lay on his beloved, blown to shit, bed, but no. There he was in the middle of the grocery store with two dead bodies laying there and no one else around but him and this strange man.

How did it get this bad?

"C'mon, Youngah," the strange man quipped, his change in demeanor scaring Wooyoung even further as one of his hands gripped Wooyoung's forearm tight, dragging his reluctant body along, his hand dropping from Wooyoung's mouth.

Taking in huge gulps of air, he desperately looked around the dark lot. "Where are we going?!" Wooyoung questioned, blinking past the tears as he tried to get a grip on his surroundings. As hard as he might, the only things that filled his vision were stocked shelves, flickering fluorescent lights, and shoe-scuffed floor tiles.

Was this the part in, whatever horror, movie he was in where he was dragged away to his death?

Was this the part where he was viciously torn to shreds like his coworkers and left dead in an aisle?

Oh, he would be damned if he died in this shit-stain of a store.

"L-Let me go," the words dangled lifeless lyrics in the air as the stranger kept tugging at his arm. Wooyoung frowned, clearing his throat as he tried his damndest to plant his Van-clad feet onto the dirty floor. "Let me go!" he growled, a glimmer of anger flickering to life in his chest, but one look at the stranger's face snuffed that glimmer out.

"Youngah, if you wanna live, I'd advise you to keep quiet," the strange man warned, his voice clipped as he glanced over his shoulder, cat-like eyes narrowed into slits as they silently reprimanded the scared boy.

But Wooyoung didn't want to listen to the man, all he cared about was how he was going to escape. Even if it was the last thing he does; he was gonna get out of that grocery store.

He was gonna get away from that man.

And he was just gonna run the hell away...

Or, at least that's what he wanted to do.

The grip the strange man had on his arm was damn strong and didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

Again, how did it come to this?

"Wooyoung, I'm not going to tell you again," the strange man snapped, stopping completely and causing Wooyoung to bump into his shoulder, "stop it, or you'll die."

Wooyoung gulped.

He was too young to die.

A bit too hot and sexy to die, but the stranger didn't need to know all that.

"Wait!" a shrill, ragged voice cried out, sounding almost demon-like, making their heads snap to the direction the awful cry came from.

Wooyoung's eyes flickered from surface to surface, searching for who the owner of the horrid voice was, eyes wide and body alert as he laid his eyes upon- what he could only imagine as -an unholy creature. And to make things worse, the creature had the exact features of one of his coworkers.

His face was as pale as a porcelain doll's, features twisted in a sickened delight as it breathed in ragged breaths, darkened drops of blood spilling from its lips as it stared at Wooyoung and the stranger holding him still.

"Woo-Wooyoung...where are you going?!" it slurred out, a sinister grin on its bloodied lips. It took a few, slow, jagged steps before coming to a complete stop, glazed eyes looking past Wooyoung at the slightly taller man with interest.

And, to Wooyoung's horror, the damn thing came charging at them.

Then, without missing a beat, Wooyoung screamed, "Holy fuck, we're gonna die!" struggling to rip his hands from the stranger's grasp as, what's left of, his coworker bounded towards them.

The dark-haired stranger sighed, letting go of Wooyoung's hands and walking in front of him, his back shielding Wooyoung's front. "You might want to cover your ears and close your eyes for what I'm about to do," was all the stranger said before shrugging off the black hoodie from his torso and dropping it onto the ground.

If it weren't for the mere fact that his life is quite literally in danger right now, he would've taken the time to appreciate the taut outline of the stranger's back muscles in the black t-shirt, yet here he was. Wooyoung watched with tear-stained eyes and a trembling body as the creature ran at an even faster speed until it stood just out of the stranger's reach.

"Give him over to us, San," the creature wheezed out, black blood dripping onto the floor, "you've had him for too long now. He needs to come ho-home," the creature coughed out a laugh. It's body seemed to be straining as it panted, looking up at the stranger with glossed over eyes.

"Who the hell is San..?" Wooyoung wondered, aloud. His heart felt restricted within his chest as the familiar name rolled off of his tongue, and yet...

He didn't know anyone named San, at least he thought so.

The stranger chuckled, glancing at Wooyoung over his shoulder, "I'm San."

But before Wooyoung could even open his mouth to ask the billions of questions that rested on the tip of his tongue, the creature attacked. Lunging forward, its gnarled soot-colored nails sank into the San's shoulders, eliciting a hiss from the man's lips as the creature snapped its jaws at his chin. San clamped his hands down on the creature's shoulders trying his damndest to keep the bloodied teeth from ripping his throat out as he struggled.

In this very moment, this one right here, Wooyoung's life flashed just before his eyes, all the color flushing away from his once honey-toned skin, his body trembling, and his eyes widened as wide as saucers as one prevalent thought rose in the midst of this travesty:

Run.

Spinning on his heels as quickly as he could, he flung his body forward, his feet pressing into the dirtied tile of the store's floor. His legs pumping as fast as they could, his heart thrashing against his spine like it would rip through his rib cage at any second.

God, he was so scared. He couldn't think of a time where he was ever scared so shitless.

He wasn't ready to die, to cross over to the other side? Insane, that's the only word that came close to describing this.

What the hell was over there?

Was he going to hell for being a lazy piece of shit that did nothing for anyone else other than himself (and the few friends he had)? Probably, but that didn't even matter right now. Right now, he was heading straight for the door, hands slamming on the push part of the door and his body stumbling through.

He didn't think twice about the stranger, who he found out was named San, he just kept running... Well, he would've liked to if there wasn't an incessant nagging in the back of his brain to turn around just to check on San.

He stopped in his tracks, eyes darting all around just in case another weird, creature version of one of his coworkers decided to try to eat him. What the fuck was going on, and why was he in the middle of it? Like, what the hell did Wooyoung do to deserve this? If he'd known it would be this bad he would've stayed in the womb.

"Why me?" he whined, stomping his feet against the dampened blacktop of the parking lot. Huffing out a breath, he tried, really tried, to calm down yet his rushing pulse thudded in his veins as his eyes landed on the entrance of the store.

With one last huff, he took a step towards the store. His legs were so weakened, shaky, and seemingly unreliable as he inched closer to the store. God, he felt so off. It was like everything in his being screamed to go back for that stranger, but at the same time screamed at him to get the hell out of dodge.

Snap!

"San..?" Wooyoung whispered, lips trembling along with the rest of his body as his widened eyes looked around the dark parking lot. His senses felt so much more heightened in the quiet, the loudest noise being his pulse in his ears.

Snap!

Whipping his head to the right, Wooyoung's heart plummeted to the bottom of his chest, his feet stumbling back as the sounds of labored breathing reached his ears.

How it could've gotten any worse for him? Well, let's see:

Wooyoung was no longer alone in the parking lot.

San was nowhere to be found.

And last, but definitely not least, the strange creature San was attacked by was now right there in front of him...with blood all over its face and clothes.

"S-San..?" Wooyoung sputtered, his heartbeat pulsing loud in his ears, the hairs on the nape of his neck standing on end as a chilled breeze flitted over the parking lot. There wasn't an answer back. He gulped, the swig of saliva lumping in his throat, his body trembling as he waited.

Waited for what?

Who knows, to get ripped apart?

Wooyoung, letting his eyes close, took a nice, deep breath. His diaphragm expanded and collapsed as oxygen tried its best to renter his terrified being.

"He probably just left," he tried to reason, snapping at the nagging part of his brain that made him wanna skedaddle back home to his roommates, but damn was his body reluctant to move. Like, how could someone who's in mortal danger be so hesitant to leave when his life is quite literally being threatened? Well, Wooyoung would like an answer to that as well, seeing as the confusion rested on his face as clear as day.

"So you're just going to stand there?" a voice whispered, their breath lingering on the shell of Wooyoung's ear, making his shoulders jut up.

Whipping his body around, he looked up, coming face to face with the stranger, San. Eyes wide as they searched his now bruised and bloody face.

"Wha-What the hell happened in there?!" he panicked, looking everywhere in the parking lot for that creature to pounce on them again only to feel hands settle on his shoulders, making him look back at San.

"I killed it," San shrugged, sniffling up the blood running from his nose, "took a while longer than I wanted it to, but it's done. For now, at least." He looked down into Wooyoung's eyes, the darkness of his irises swallowed him up, at least, that's what it felt like. Like black flames engulfing his being, sucking him up without giving him a chance to find a way out.

It made him itch, itch to free himself from the man's grasp and just leave.

But it hit Wooyoung, "What do you mean, 'for now'? How many more of those things are there!?" he gestured towards the store, a quiver in his voice as he looked up. His eyes catching the cut in San's eyebrow, a shadow of blood trickled down onto his eyelid.

San scoffed, taking his hands away from Wooyoung's shoulders, letting them drop at his shoulders. "Who knows? They know where you are again, but luckily I found you in time, huh, Youngah?" he gave a dimpled grin that made Wooyoung feel something familiar?

He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was just something about San that just felt familiar.

He'd deal with it later.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Wooyoung questioned, his heart calming down a bit. He stared up at San, eyes searching San's for any kind of sign, any indication of whatever he thinks he'll find.

"You'll find out soon," was all that San said before looking around, the prominent chiseled features of his face now shown in the moonlight and the distant light from the store.

It made Wooyoung gulp.

"Can we please get the hell out of here?" Wooyoung asked as he too looked around, feeling the need to leave the solar system if one of those things came after him again. He doesn't think he'll be able to take anymore chaos tonight.

San let out a breath, his shoulders drooping as he exhaled. "How far do you live from here?" he asked, stepping closer into Wooyoung's personal bubble, making the shorter take a step back.

"I live about fifteen minutes from here," he sighed, his hand waving toward the road, exasperated.

San smiled, "I know."

Taken aback, Wooyoung raised a brow. "The hell do you mean?" he questioned, his mind racing with every question he could possibly think of. "How long have you been watching me?"

He waited for an answer as a timid smile stretched across San's face, his pierced dimples deepening. "Let's just say, for about a while now," he chuckled, his eyes lingering on Wooyoung's disgusted expression.

"What the fuck?! Seriously, dude, what in the fuck?!" Wooyoung cried, his fingers dipping into his hair and tugging at his roots, and his breath quickening.

San sighed, his smile dropping a bit as he stepped a tad closer to Wooyoung, placing his silver-ringed fingers on the other's shoulders, licking his lips, he leaned forward. His lips a centimeter from Wooyoung's ear, hot air on the sensitive area. "Calm down, will you? Once we get you back to your apartment, I can see what's been keeping you from remembering," he bargained, pulling back a bit as Wooyoung's shoulders lost stiffness in his hands, "okay?"

What was he to do? It's not like Wooyoung had ever been in any instances like this one before; having almost been killed by a warped version of his coworker and being protected by some slightly-taller-thsn-him emo. But, he wasn't sure what else he could do other than try to hear the guy out, something deep inside him, he didn't know what, but something told him that he could trust San.

Even for a little while.

Licking his lips, his tongue resting in between his teeth, Wooyoung nodded. "Okay," he took in a deep breath, trying his hardest not to inch out of San's overwhelmingly warm grasp, "let's go."

Staring up at San's face, Wooyoung watched as a Cheshire-like grin eased across San's lips as he stared right back at him. "Alright, Youngah, let's go," he smiled as he spun Wooyoung around, pushing him to his car that sat at the edge of the parking lot.

Wooyoung stumbled on his own feet as he struggled to walk the same pace as San, his eyes looking left, right, and all around as if some ungodly creature would just snatch him up.

Well, that thought didn't seem too far-fetched now seeing as though he was hunted down a few moments ago by one of those said creatures.

Shoving his trembling hand into his pocket, he pulled his keys out, holding them firmly in his grip as they made it to the driver's side of the car. As he reached for the handle, San stopped him.

"Other side, Youngah," San directed, his hand resting lightly on Wooyoung's wrist. Wooyoung, whipped his head around, mouth agape as his features screwed in confusion. "You're too shaken up to drive, get on the other side before something else decides to come out," San sighed, giving Wooyoung a somewhat look of reprimand.

Wooyoung rolled his eyes, "whatever," he grumbled, briskly making his way to the other side of the car, jumping in as soon as he heard the low click of the doors unlocking. upon taking a deep breath, his nose scrunched in distaste as the awful smell of takeout and unwashed laundry in the back seat met his nose. Looking to his left, he noticed San was making the same face, confusion on his features as he looked over to Wooyoung for some kind of explanation. "I haven't cleaned the car out in a while," he quietly muttered, lowering his eyes to his twiddling hands in his lap.

"It's fine, Youngah," San assured, his warm, calloused hand taking hold of Wooyoung's.

If this were any other situation, Wooyoung might have let himself enjoy the little flutter in his veins when San touched him, but right now? He flashed him a tiny, awkward smile and turned his attention (and flushed cheeks) to the window.

With a gross, rattling rev, the engine turned over, San whipping the car from its parked position, he stepped on the gas, hurling them away from the store.

Sucking in a ragged breath, Wooyoung flickered his eyes to their surroundings, tired, itchy eyes landing on any object they saw. Good golly, he was so tired. He knew he should've just called in tonight, if he did, he wouldn't be having to be pushed into the passenger seat of his car by this slightly-taller-than-him emo.

"Hey," San called out, snapping Wooyoung out of his sleepy stupor.

Blinking, Wooyoung snapped his eyes in San's direction, "what?" he whispered in confusion as San shifted gears, pulling out of the parking spot. "Where are we going?" he asked, his voice small as he tucked his hands in his lap.

Wooyoung nodded, pointing his trembling finger to their right, "that way," he croaked as his heavy lids shut once more. He just wanted to curl up in bed at this point, just wanting to get away from whatever the hell those weird creatures are, and San.

Most importantly, San.

Hell, he'd welcome the sharp springs in his mattress with open arms if it meant having temporary safety from the lunatic driving his car.

"Do you still live in that apartment with Yeosang?" San yipped over the rumbling, creaking engine.

Wooyoung's eyes snapped open and went wide, his head spun in San's direction. "How the fuck do you know Yeosang?"

"I've been watching you for a while now, Youngah," San confessed, a bashful smile on his pierced lips.

Wooyoung couldn't fathom how that little inkling in the back of his mind kept tingling at the thought of San's peculiar familiarity. In fact, it blew his mind seeing as though he's never met San before tonight.

Not in this lifetime, he thought.

And just like that, something in his brain popped. It hurt like a bitch.

"Fuck!" Wooyoung yelped, pressing his hand onto the side of his head. Stabbing, white-hot, pain shot through his head at the thought.

The mere idea of CHOI SAN.

San?

"Choi San," he whispered, the pain instantly vanishing. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, his body being lulled around as San pressed harder into the gas pedal.

"Youngah?" San gasped, his eyes flickering to his right to see Wooyoung's head bent back against the head rest, eyes rolled to the back of his skull.

Completely glazed over.

Now this wasn't any kind of glaze, and San knew exactly what it was; the spell.

"Damnit, Youngah," San shook his head, biting the twitch of a smile on his lips.

Wooyoung's mouth drooped open, a line of saliva falling from his mouth. He felt numb, paralyzed in his seat as a split ripped between the left and right side of his brains.

Who the fuck is Choi San?

Definitely not some random emo he met at his grocery store, right?

Broken images of hot, glistening skin on his.

A jolt of electricity rolled down his spine, a warmth making its way across his cheeks and ears.

'Sannie...' A soft moan left his mouth as more images flooded his mind. Tiny movies of his life, or many lives spent with the man sitting next to him plowed his head.

Laid up in a giant, circular mattress slipping between vintage silk sheets. Laughing together on the grass as odd-shaped clouds passed over their heads, their bodies clad in clothes not of this century.

"God..." Wooyoung groaned, his eyes still glazed over as many more memories filled him up, making him wonder, "how old am I?"

San sighed from beside him, trying to contain the smile itching to spread across his lips. "Old as shit," he chuckled, tickled at the revelation his lover was experiencing.

Wooyoung's glazed eyes snapped over to San. "We," he gestured to himself then San, gulping before asking, "have we been together before?" The fog in his mind was thick and dense as he tried so hard to fully remember.

He closed his eyes as the pain began to slowly, but surely, subside. He attempted to open his eyes, but the weight of the oncoming slumber tugged them back closed, lulling him to a much needed sleep.

San looked over, eyes trailing down the slope of Wooyoung's throat, his own going dry the longer he stared.

It's been the long while since he'd seen Wooyoung, an even longer while since they'd spoken.

An eternity since they were ever a thing, but that didn't matter now, he had him sitting in the right next to him. Granted that the last time they spoke, they were yelling, cursing each other through tears and blood.

He never wanted to relive that break up. Just recalling those memories sank his heart into the deepest pits of himself. Shaking his head, San turned a corner, making his way to Wooyoung's side of town. Glancing over again, San let out a tired breath, relief on his features.

"Do you think you could ever forgive me?" he asked, a sharp pang slicing through his heart at the thought of the worst day of his life.

Wooyoung sleepily grunted, turning to his window and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'll take that as a no then," San muttered, pursing his lips and rolling his eyes. It took a minute, but the demon swallowed down the bile-tasting ball of shame that threatened to come up his throat.

Coming to park as the familiar apartment building came into view, San turned the car off. With a long exhale, he ran his hands through his hair, eyes looking around the streetlight illuminated road. Just as San was able to slightly relax, a fist punched his window, a hand grabbing his hoodie, slamming his forehead on the edge of the broken window.

"What in the fuck are you doing here?" an angry Yeosang demanded, his eyes pitch black as bloodlust spilled from every part of him.

"Hey, Yeosang," San wheezed, a trail of fresh blood leaking from his forehead.

Nice, just what he needed.