Journey's End (Chapter 5)
Title: Journey’s End
Pairings: Yunjae as a main, but there will also be: JaeChun, HoMin, Minsu and maybe some Yoosu.
Rating: PG to NC-17
Genre: Adventure, angst, romance, drama
WARNINGS: This story will contain adult themes such as sex between two men as well as violence, gore and nonconsensual sex.
=----------------------------=
He jerks awake with a gasp of air, eyes large in the darkness, as if that will help him see through the inky black of the night around him.
It takes him a moment to regain his equanimity, his breathing soon falling into a more regular pattern as he wipes the sweat from his brow.
He glances off to his left to see Junsu sitting in the corner of the tent, legs folded beneath him and eyes shut as if he were simply sleeping.
Yunho notices that the other boy’s not breathing. It causes him a moment of slight panic before his memories begin to return to him and he recalls that breathing isn’t such an important thing for Junsu.
He brings his knees up, resting his elbows on his folded legs as he fights to keep his composure. Sleep seems to elude him, dancing out of his grasp the moment that he thinks he’s got it.
He clenches his fists, scrunching his eyes shut as if to force himself to sleep.
When his attempt fails, he opens his eyes and catches sight of his clothes folded in a neat pile by his blanket.
He looks back at Junsu and offers the boy a soft smile, “Thank you.” He whispers into the darkness, his eyebrows quirking when Junsu’s lips pull up in a gentle smile.
He’s about to lay back down on his blanket, when a sound from outside catches his ear. A moan.
He sits frozen for a moment, ears prickling as he waits to see if the sound comes again.
“Jaejoong.” The words are let out in a breathy whisper, just making it to Yunho’s ears.
He doesn’t know why he does it--maybe to torture himself--but he hastily slides on his pants and peaks his head through the tent flap.
He can’t see anything at first, just the dull outlines of trees against the black forest.
It’s on his third sweep of the area that he catches sight of them. The two lanky figures stumbling their way into the forest, hands gripping and hips grinding. Their lips are pressed together in a kiss and Yunho can just make out the soft sighs and moans fleeing from Yoochun’s mouth.
Yunho simply sits frozen, his stomach knotting as he watches the way Jaejoong’s hands gently run through Yoochun’s hair, eliciting a purr from the other male. It’s not exactly the kind of affection he’s looking for, but Yunho longs for the acceptance that those touches signify.
The two only stay in his sight for a moment longer before they’ve disappeared into the dark, leaving Yunho to stare into the darkness.
Yunho sinks back into the tent feeling completely empty and alone.
He glances back and Junsu’s still figure, his lips pursing as he crawls over and gently lets his head rest in the older male’s lap.
The chill from Junsu’s body makes him shiver slightly, but the feeling of having another body close to his is enough to make him overlook the lack of warmth.
It takes him only a few minutes to drift off to sleep, body and mind finally finding rest.
---
It seems but seconds later when Yunho feels something icy cold brushing against his jaw. The feeling’s not all together unpleasant and he wants to keep his eyes closed and just enjoy what’s happening.
He probably would have done just that had a low growl not caused him to jerk awake.
His eyes snap open to be greeted by the sight of Junsu’s red eyes staring down at him. He’s seen that look before, on the day when Changmin had nearly attacked him.
Yunho jerks forward in an attempt to escape, only to find his hands effectively pinned above his head.
His breathing hitches instantly, his chest tightening with heavy panic as the reality of his situation begins to sink in.
“Junsu…s-stop.” Yunho stammers, just managing to get the words past the huge knot of fear in his throat.
The plea does nothing to stop Junsu, the kind and caring boy seemingly overcome by the face of a hungry animal.
He dips his head, resting it in the crook on Yunho’s neck. He lets his cold tongue drift over the spot where Yunho’s pulse pounds strongest.
“Junsu stop it. Please!” Yunho panics convulsing slightly as Junsu moves to straddle his hips. He scrunches up his shoulders, as if that will somehow keep him safe from the stronger male.
Yunho feels teeth rake lightly over his skin and that’s all it takes to have him screaming.
“Help me! Jaejoong! Get him off of me!” He yells as loud as his panic-constricted lungs will allow him.
He’s about to go into another round of yelling when he finds a cloth being shoved into his mouth, forcing his tongue backwards in order to accommodate the fabric.
His cries become strangled groans of panic that echo in the back of his throat, probably no even being heard outside the tent.
He gags on his own tongue, tears stinging his eyes as he watches Junsu slowly lower his mouth. This is it. This is the end of his life and what does he have to show for it? Sure he’s got money and respect, but his life is a shamble. It’s a mockery of the stereotypical man. At least, it was.
Just as he feels the light pressure of teeth against his neck, Junsu’s weight suddenly vanishes and a loud snarl fills the clearing.
Yunho sits with his eyes screwed shut, drawing in heaving breath after heaving breath, as if he’s been trapped underwater for days.
The shock and reality slowly begin to set in, forcing him to realize that his “friend” had been about to suck the blood from his body. Junsu had been about to kill him.
His breath suddenly becomes choppy and the tears quickly fill his eyes and drop down his cheek. Before he even has time to realize it, his shoulders are heaving as he lets out harsh sobs.
He curls his knees up to his chest, as if that small action will offer him some sort of protection from the evil that surrounds him.
“Did he bite you?”
Yunho lets out a startled yell and tumbles backwards, watery eyes large as he meets Jaejoong’s steady gaze.
“G-get away f-from me.” He growls through his fearful tears, his body scrunching back up as he turns his back on Jaejoong’s lithe body.
He can’t take it anymore. He can’t stand to be around these cold and malicious people. He wishes that they had never taken him out of that cage.
“Did he bite you, Yunho?” Jaejoong growls, voice slightly angry as he jerks Yunho back around, forcing the younger male to look at him.
His grip on Yunho’s chin keeps the other male from moving as Jaejoong tilts his chin upwards to examine the smooth skin of his neck. He visibly relaxes when he sees the skin there is smooth and unbitten.
“What happened?” He asked in a slightly softer voice, his hand dropping back to his side.
Yunho sniffs slightly and has to bite back the urge to tell Jaejoong to leave. He knows that he won’t get anywhere by trying to boss around the other male. Jaejoong is the lord and master, no one goes against his will.
“I fell asleep and when I woke up he was holding me down.” Yunho mutters towards the ground, leaving out the part about waking up and spying on him and Yoochun. The thought of what he’d seen the other night brings a harsh blush crawling up his neck.
“Did you touch him?” Jaejoong’s voice seems suddenly tighter and it appears as if he’s making a great effort not to look at Yunho’s reddened cheeks.
Yunho’s blush grows stronger at the question, his eyes flickering towards the tent floor as he mutters a quick “yes.”
“Never touch a mediating vampire. Never.” Jaejoong growls, his chest stilling as his breathing comes to a halt.
When Yunho glances back up, his finds burgundy eyes staring back at him, the lusty look of hunger seeming to overtake Jaejoong rather quickly.
He feels the panic begin to wash over him again as he moves towards the corner of the tent, eyes slightly wider as he watches Jaejoong.
The older male shifts forward slightly before quickly jerking around and fleeing form the tent, leaving Yunho alone and confused.
It takes about three minutes before a sound stirs outside the tent. It comes in the form of a low chuckle that’s soon followed by the sound of hands clapping together.
“You can come out of your tent, Yunho. Jaejoong and the other two are off hunting.” Yoochun’s voice floats into the tent, just as cocky and self-pleased as it had been the other day.
Yunho wants to tell him to go away, but he can’t quite get the childish words past his lips
In the end he finds himself crawling out of the tent, his butt falling to rest on the compacted dirt just outside the flap.
Yoochun’s sitting in front of a low-burning fire, his lips pulled into a half-smirk as he takes in Yunho’s disheveled appearance.
“You’ll have to forgive Jaejoong, he wasn’t able to meditate much last night. I kept him occupied.” The words are just dripping with triumph, those eyes glowing with a look of victory.
Yunho feels himself tense up, guilt settling in his stomach as he remembers the peep-show he’d indulged in. If he’d just stayed in his tent, he wouldn’t have gone to sleep on Junsu’s lap and would have never caused the entire debacle in the first place. In the end, it’s all his fault.
He hangs his head slightly before he stands on shaky legs and makes his way over to the stream.
His mouth is dry and sticky and his throat stings slightly from the force of his yelling.
“You really are stupid. What kind of idiot touches a vampire while they’re meditating?” Yoochun’s sneer grates against Yunho ears as he leans down and scoops some of the water into his hands.
“Must have been quite the touch to make Junsu lose control like that. Next to Jaejoong, he’s got the most control out of the whole group.” Yoochun prods further, causing Yunho’s entire body to tense as he tires to keep his anger in check. He knows that he’s weaker that the lithe male and it will do no good if he lost his temper now.
Yunho splashes his face with the cool water before he straightens and turns back to sit at the fire. As much as he hates being with Yoochun, he can’t bring himself to crawl back into the tent like some kind of beaten animal.
“So, how’d you sleep last night?” Yoochun questions casually, arms crossing over is chest as he lifts his eyebrows slightly.
Yunho feels his stomach tighten slightly as he gauges the look in Yoochun’s eyes. Did the other male somehow see him peeking out of the tent in the middle of the night?
“I slept fine.” Yunho lies, turning his gaze towards the flickering flames.
“I’m sure.” Yoochun chuckles in a slightly disbelieving manner.
A tree ruffles softly and by the time Yunho lifts his gaze, Junsu, Jaejoong and Changmin are standing near the fire looking much more placated then they had earlier.
“Yunho,” Junsu began, taking a small step towards the seated male, “I’m so sorry for what happened!” He breathes as takes a seat near him.
Yunho feels himself tense slightly, his effort going towards keeping himself from panicking. He neck tingles slightly as he remembers the feel of teeth scraping against his skin. He’d been so close to death.
“It’s fine, Junsu.” He breathes, voice laden with a tense edge.
Junsu seems to notice the tone, his face falling as Yunho glances away. “I would never…” He trails off and bites at his lower-lip, as if he realized the fallacy of what he’d been about to say.
“I didn’t want to hurt you.” He tries again, reaching out to rest his hand over Yunho’s knee.
“It’s aright, Junsu. Don’t worry about it.”
“Yunho sleeps alone from now on. No one is to be alone with him unless they’ve had a full meditation before. Is that understood?” Jaejoong barks into the clearing, eyes flickering between Junsu and Changmin.
“Yes sir.” The two chorus together, Junsu’s head dipping slightly as he draws away from Yunho in order to stand next to Changmin.
Yunho feels as if he’s leprous, as if touching him will somehow make everyone else dirty.
It’s almost as if he has some kind of invisible shield around him with the way everyone gives him so much space.
“Yunho.”
Yunho lifts his gaze as soon as Jaejoong calls his name, his heart fluttering at the attention.
“Never touch us when we’re meditating.” He states in a firm voice, his eyes growing slightly softer as he holds Yunho’s gaze.
“When we meditate, we absorb the energy around us and if we absorb human energy it breaks our control completely.” His tone is, as always, firm; however, there seems to be a slightly more concerned not to his voice now, like a parent who has just avoided a crisis with his child.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Yunho looks to the ground, not wanting to see the faces of the people around him. He feels like a child blundering around amongst the adults. He has no clue what’s allowed and what’s not and it’s beginning to cause trouble for him.
“Now you know.” Jaejoong sighs as he falls onto the ground next to Yoochun, their shoulders pressed together.
“I’ve never seen Junsu lose control like that.” Changmin adds as he sinks to the ground and pulls a morose Junsu down next to him. “You must have touched him a lot to have gotten that kind of reaction.” He turns his gaze towards Yunho, eyebrows wiggling with his clear implication.
“Shut the hell up, Changmin!” Junsu snaps, shoving the younger male’s shoulder. “He just had his head resting on my lap. You need to stop being such a brainless fuck!” Junsu swiftly stands from the ground and stomps off to his tent, never glancing back at the slightly shocked group.
Jaejoong pulls in a long breath and closes his eyes, head shaking back and forth slightly before he stands from the ground and looks down at the three faces before him. “Pack up camp, we’re leaving.” He calls, ignoring the groan that drifts from Junsu’s tent.
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It took them all of five minutes to have the camp totally packed up and to get back on the main path again.
Yunho finds himself lagging behind the rest of the group, the searing sun seeming to tie heavy weights around his legs and shoulders. All he wants to do was lay down and sleep. He’s already shed his shirt to keep the fabric from sticking to his body. He’d taken off his shoes as well when the blisters on his feet began to bleed noticeably. He isn’t sure which is worse, bleeding blisters or sharp rocks that are being baked by the sun.
“Do you wanna talk?” Junsu questions as he falls back to walk with Yunho.
“When are we going to stop?” He questions, slinging his shirt to rest over his right shoulder.
“We’re almost there. I want to apologize again.” Junsu’s breathes, taking a slight step closer to Yunho as if to show the truth to his words.
“I’m not angry at you, Junsu.” Yunho sighs, turning his head to glance at the saddened face of the smaller male, “I had no idea that would happen if I touched you.” He can feel how awkward the words sound as they leave his lips, but Junsu doesn’t seem to notice it.
“I’m just glad Jaejoong got there in time to save you.”
Yunho’s gaze flickers towards Jaejoong’s back, his mouth twisting to the left slightly as his brow wrinkles. “Yeah.” He responds in English, his gaze flickering towards the lining of trees along the road.
“What was that thing you just said?” Junsu questions, head cocking to the side as he regard Yunho with a quizzical stare.
Yunho matches Junsu’s questioning look, his brow pulling down to show his confusion. “All I said was yeah.”
“What language is that?”
“It’s English…” Yunho trails off, giving Junsu an even more puzzled look. “You don’t know what English is?”
“No. How do you know it? We only have one language in Pullus.” Junsu’s face is bright with a kind of childish excitement, as if the promise of a puzzle pleases him greatly.
“I’m…not from around here.” Yunho finishes lamely, not sure how to fully explain what happened. Hell, he doesn’t even know what happened.
“Where are you from?”
“New York.” Yunho responds simply. Something about saying that name brings back memories of his upscale home, of his wife and of his two children. He feels his gut twist badly when he tries to imagine his wife’s face and it gets blurred with the image of large, cold eyes and dark hair.
“New York?” Junsu’s nose crinkles as he says the name, his tone edged with slight disbelief. “There’s no such place!” He laughs slightly, as if he thinks Yunho is toying with him.
“Yeah, well I used to think there was no such place as Pullus.” Yunho fires back with a shrug of his shoulders.
His conversation with Junsu is brought to a sudden halt when the group rounds a corner and is faced with the sight of a literal castle towering above them.
“We’re home!” Junsu lets out a happy sigh, hands clapping together slightly.
“This is where you live?” Yunho breathes, body on autopilot as he gapes up at the fortress of grey stone looming in the distance. He feels like an ant in comparison to the magnificent structure.
“Yeah. We don’t get to hang out much because Jaejoong likes to be on the move. But it’s the place we call home.” Junsu turns a fond smile on the building, his head tilting to the side as if that angle somehow adds more to the picture.
Yunho’s attention is dragged away from the castle when he sees Yoochun break off from the group, his long legs carrying him towards the forest edge.
“Where’s he going?” Yunho question, motioning towards Yoochun’s retreating form.
“Oh, he’s not allowed in the castle because he’s a werewolf.” Junsu states with a nod of his head, as if it’s obvious.
“So…there’s more vampires in there?” Yunho questions weakly, gesturing towards the castle.
“Yeah, but don’t worry, no one will touch you if Jaejoong has you under his wing.”
“Does Jaejoong have me under his wing?” Yunho questions in a weak voice, finding his throat very dry at the thought of stranding himself with more vampires.
“Of course he does. He’s not always the most friendly guy, but he has a lot of love and concern for everyone that’s under his command.” Junsu shrugs his shoulders and kicks lightly at a stone, eyes following as it goes skittering across the ground.
“Is he some kind of military…vampire?”
“Well, he served in the Cruentus war and the Turpis war against the werewolves, but he kind of retired after those two. He went through a lot during those three hundred years, so it’s untreatable.”
“Three hundred years for two wars?” Yunho splutters, eyes opening larger as he tries to wrap his mind around the thought of being at war for three hundred years.
“Well, when nobody dies easily, it’s kind of hard to end things.” Junsu shrugs his shoulders again, suddenly seeming very keen on not talking much.
“You’ll finally have a nice bed.” He changes the subject swiftly, eyes flickering to Jaejoong’s tense form.
“That’ll be nice.” Yunho mutters, not really interested in having a bed that’s surrounded by vampires. His nights don’t promise to be very restful.
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It doesn’t take them much longer to get into the castle and Yunho’s slightly surprised to find it totally empty.
He catches hide-nor-hair of any other form of life, be it vampire, werewolf or human.
“Where is everyone?” He whispers, his voice refusing to raise into a pitch that would allow others to hear.
“Meditating.” Junsu states, his voice echoing beautifully against the high ceilings and marble floors.
“At the same time?”
“Why not?”
Yunho blinks and then shrugs his shoulders, not able to find a plausible reason as to why they shouldn’t meditate at the same time.
“What are we going to do?” He questions the smaller boy again, picking up his pace in order to stay with the group.
“Jaejoong wants to explain everything to you and then you’re going to eat and go to bed.” Junsu states with a slight nod of his head, a small smile tilting his lips upwards. “I get to hunt for the dinner tonight.” He looks fairly proud of the fact.
“Congratulations…?” Yunho responds in an uncertain voice, left eyebrow hitching upwards slightly.
“Thank you!” Junsu beams at him as he hangs a left and follows Jaejoong and Changmin into a momentous library.
“Everyone take a seat.” Jaejoong commands, bringing an end to all conversation as he motions to the circle of seven leather chairs set up in the middle of the book-covered walls.
Yunho sinks into the nearest chair with a grateful sigh, his feet throbbing lightly as they rest against the cool, black marble of the floor.
After the other two have been seated, Jaejoong stands before them, eyes pinned on Yunho’s haggard form.
“The reason we showed up at the market was to get you.” He begins slowly, arms crossing over his chest as he leans against an oak table sat at the head of the seven chairs.
“We need you because you are the one who will fulfill the prophecy written in the book of Veritas.”
Yunho sits in confused silence for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around what Jaejoong is telling him.
“There was a prophecy about…me?” He questions in a clearly incredulous voice. He almost wants to laugh from the hilarity of it all.
Jaejoong’s face tightens at Yunho’s tone, but he says nothing and only nods his head. “The prophecy speaks of a man who would be brought forth the day after the Labores Solis . That’s you. There’s more and it all fits.” Jaejoong’s eyes were aglow, more alive then anytime Yunho had every seen them.
“You’re serious?” He felt himself drawing back slightly, his head resting against the high back of the chair. “What good would I do anyone here?” Yunho questions after a small pause, mind going back to earlier in the day when he couldn’t even push Junsu away.
“The prophecy said that the chosen one would arise from the enemy but strike them down from the hatred of his own heart.”
“The enemy?”
“The werewolves! The filthy mutts who dirty the vampire lands.” Jaejoong snaps, fists clenching at his side as he takes a slight step towards Yunho. “Don’t you see it? We took you from the werewolves. If it hadn’t been for them, we would have never known about you. You arose from the werewolves and now you will strike them down!”
Yunho can feel his heart thundering madly in his chest as he watches Jaejoong becoming more and more agitated.
“Alright.” Yunho calls, hoping to placate the older male. “What am I supposed to do? I’m nothing but a human.” He points out his obvious weakness, earning himself a dark look from Jaejoong.
“You become a vampire.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I never agreed to this!” He holds up his hands as if that would do anything to stop Jaejoong if he decided to attack.
“It has to happen. It’s the only way that the prophecy can be fulfilled!” Jaejoong insists, his face looking slightly more angry that Yunho was comfortable with.
“Okay, I need proof first. Concrete proof that what you’re saying is true.” Yunho doesn’t believe it for a second, but he figures he can buy himself more time by asking for further details.
“I don’t have the Book of Veritas. The only one who has a remaining copy is the Sage who lives in the mountains of Lepos. The only way we could confirm it is to go and see him.” Jaejoong looks further agitated, now pacing in front of Yunho like a caged panther.
Yunho bites his bottom lip, wondering how he’s going to extend his life as a human. He sees only one option that proves to offer him more time to think.
“Alright, I’ll go with you to see the Sage and if he can prove that what you’re saying is true…then I’ll become a vampire.” Yunho lets the last words out reluctantly, his entire body tense as he watches the look of relief of Jaejoong’s face.
His stomach churns badly at the thought of what he’s gotten himself into.
“We leave in two days.” Jaejoong snaps with a dark glint sitting in his pupil. He doesn’t wait for the others to say anything before he’s gone from the room, leaving a stifling silence behind him.
And the journey was just beginning.
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A/N: Wow, I really did not think that I was going to get that done. Thankfully I did. I came so close to leaving out the explanation as to why Jaejoong wanted Yunho. I’m sure you can tell it was a bit rushed, but it will be explained more throughout the story, so no worries about that!
Ah, I also made a trailer for this story! It’s really short and not very good because I couldn’t find clips that would fit the time period. So do forgive me for that.
Pairings: Yunjae as a main, but there will also be: JaeChun, HoMin, Minsu and maybe some Yoosu.
Rating: PG to NC-17
Genre: Adventure, angst, romance, drama
WARNINGS: This story will contain adult themes such as sex between two men as well as violence, gore and nonconsensual sex.
=----------------------------=
He jerks awake with a gasp of air, eyes large in the darkness, as if that will help him see through the inky black of the night around him.
It takes him a moment to regain his equanimity, his breathing soon falling into a more regular pattern as he wipes the sweat from his brow.
He glances off to his left to see Junsu sitting in the corner of the tent, legs folded beneath him and eyes shut as if he were simply sleeping.
Yunho notices that the other boy’s not breathing. It causes him a moment of slight panic before his memories begin to return to him and he recalls that breathing isn’t such an important thing for Junsu.
He brings his knees up, resting his elbows on his folded legs as he fights to keep his composure. Sleep seems to elude him, dancing out of his grasp the moment that he thinks he’s got it.
He clenches his fists, scrunching his eyes shut as if to force himself to sleep.
When his attempt fails, he opens his eyes and catches sight of his clothes folded in a neat pile by his blanket.
He looks back at Junsu and offers the boy a soft smile, “Thank you.” He whispers into the darkness, his eyebrows quirking when Junsu’s lips pull up in a gentle smile.
He’s about to lay back down on his blanket, when a sound from outside catches his ear. A moan.
He sits frozen for a moment, ears prickling as he waits to see if the sound comes again.
“Jaejoong.” The words are let out in a breathy whisper, just making it to Yunho’s ears.
He doesn’t know why he does it--maybe to torture himself--but he hastily slides on his pants and peaks his head through the tent flap.
He can’t see anything at first, just the dull outlines of trees against the black forest.
It’s on his third sweep of the area that he catches sight of them. The two lanky figures stumbling their way into the forest, hands gripping and hips grinding. Their lips are pressed together in a kiss and Yunho can just make out the soft sighs and moans fleeing from Yoochun’s mouth.
Yunho simply sits frozen, his stomach knotting as he watches the way Jaejoong’s hands gently run through Yoochun’s hair, eliciting a purr from the other male. It’s not exactly the kind of affection he’s looking for, but Yunho longs for the acceptance that those touches signify.
The two only stay in his sight for a moment longer before they’ve disappeared into the dark, leaving Yunho to stare into the darkness.
Yunho sinks back into the tent feeling completely empty and alone.
He glances back and Junsu’s still figure, his lips pursing as he crawls over and gently lets his head rest in the older male’s lap.
The chill from Junsu’s body makes him shiver slightly, but the feeling of having another body close to his is enough to make him overlook the lack of warmth.
It takes him only a few minutes to drift off to sleep, body and mind finally finding rest.
---
It seems but seconds later when Yunho feels something icy cold brushing against his jaw. The feeling’s not all together unpleasant and he wants to keep his eyes closed and just enjoy what’s happening.
He probably would have done just that had a low growl not caused him to jerk awake.
His eyes snap open to be greeted by the sight of Junsu’s red eyes staring down at him. He’s seen that look before, on the day when Changmin had nearly attacked him.
Yunho jerks forward in an attempt to escape, only to find his hands effectively pinned above his head.
His breathing hitches instantly, his chest tightening with heavy panic as the reality of his situation begins to sink in.
“Junsu…s-stop.” Yunho stammers, just managing to get the words past the huge knot of fear in his throat.
The plea does nothing to stop Junsu, the kind and caring boy seemingly overcome by the face of a hungry animal.
He dips his head, resting it in the crook on Yunho’s neck. He lets his cold tongue drift over the spot where Yunho’s pulse pounds strongest.
“Junsu stop it. Please!” Yunho panics convulsing slightly as Junsu moves to straddle his hips. He scrunches up his shoulders, as if that will somehow keep him safe from the stronger male.
Yunho feels teeth rake lightly over his skin and that’s all it takes to have him screaming.
“Help me! Jaejoong! Get him off of me!” He yells as loud as his panic-constricted lungs will allow him.
He’s about to go into another round of yelling when he finds a cloth being shoved into his mouth, forcing his tongue backwards in order to accommodate the fabric.
His cries become strangled groans of panic that echo in the back of his throat, probably no even being heard outside the tent.
He gags on his own tongue, tears stinging his eyes as he watches Junsu slowly lower his mouth. This is it. This is the end of his life and what does he have to show for it? Sure he’s got money and respect, but his life is a shamble. It’s a mockery of the stereotypical man. At least, it was.
Just as he feels the light pressure of teeth against his neck, Junsu’s weight suddenly vanishes and a loud snarl fills the clearing.
Yunho sits with his eyes screwed shut, drawing in heaving breath after heaving breath, as if he’s been trapped underwater for days.
The shock and reality slowly begin to set in, forcing him to realize that his “friend” had been about to suck the blood from his body. Junsu had been about to kill him.
His breath suddenly becomes choppy and the tears quickly fill his eyes and drop down his cheek. Before he even has time to realize it, his shoulders are heaving as he lets out harsh sobs.
He curls his knees up to his chest, as if that small action will offer him some sort of protection from the evil that surrounds him.
“Did he bite you?”
Yunho lets out a startled yell and tumbles backwards, watery eyes large as he meets Jaejoong’s steady gaze.
“G-get away f-from me.” He growls through his fearful tears, his body scrunching back up as he turns his back on Jaejoong’s lithe body.
He can’t take it anymore. He can’t stand to be around these cold and malicious people. He wishes that they had never taken him out of that cage.
“Did he bite you, Yunho?” Jaejoong growls, voice slightly angry as he jerks Yunho back around, forcing the younger male to look at him.
His grip on Yunho’s chin keeps the other male from moving as Jaejoong tilts his chin upwards to examine the smooth skin of his neck. He visibly relaxes when he sees the skin there is smooth and unbitten.
“What happened?” He asked in a slightly softer voice, his hand dropping back to his side.
Yunho sniffs slightly and has to bite back the urge to tell Jaejoong to leave. He knows that he won’t get anywhere by trying to boss around the other male. Jaejoong is the lord and master, no one goes against his will.
“I fell asleep and when I woke up he was holding me down.” Yunho mutters towards the ground, leaving out the part about waking up and spying on him and Yoochun. The thought of what he’d seen the other night brings a harsh blush crawling up his neck.
“Did you touch him?” Jaejoong’s voice seems suddenly tighter and it appears as if he’s making a great effort not to look at Yunho’s reddened cheeks.
Yunho’s blush grows stronger at the question, his eyes flickering towards the tent floor as he mutters a quick “yes.”
“Never touch a mediating vampire. Never.” Jaejoong growls, his chest stilling as his breathing comes to a halt.
When Yunho glances back up, his finds burgundy eyes staring back at him, the lusty look of hunger seeming to overtake Jaejoong rather quickly.
He feels the panic begin to wash over him again as he moves towards the corner of the tent, eyes slightly wider as he watches Jaejoong.
The older male shifts forward slightly before quickly jerking around and fleeing form the tent, leaving Yunho alone and confused.
It takes about three minutes before a sound stirs outside the tent. It comes in the form of a low chuckle that’s soon followed by the sound of hands clapping together.
“You can come out of your tent, Yunho. Jaejoong and the other two are off hunting.” Yoochun’s voice floats into the tent, just as cocky and self-pleased as it had been the other day.
Yunho wants to tell him to go away, but he can’t quite get the childish words past his lips
In the end he finds himself crawling out of the tent, his butt falling to rest on the compacted dirt just outside the flap.
Yoochun’s sitting in front of a low-burning fire, his lips pulled into a half-smirk as he takes in Yunho’s disheveled appearance.
“You’ll have to forgive Jaejoong, he wasn’t able to meditate much last night. I kept him occupied.” The words are just dripping with triumph, those eyes glowing with a look of victory.
Yunho feels himself tense up, guilt settling in his stomach as he remembers the peep-show he’d indulged in. If he’d just stayed in his tent, he wouldn’t have gone to sleep on Junsu’s lap and would have never caused the entire debacle in the first place. In the end, it’s all his fault.
He hangs his head slightly before he stands on shaky legs and makes his way over to the stream.
His mouth is dry and sticky and his throat stings slightly from the force of his yelling.
“You really are stupid. What kind of idiot touches a vampire while they’re meditating?” Yoochun’s sneer grates against Yunho ears as he leans down and scoops some of the water into his hands.
“Must have been quite the touch to make Junsu lose control like that. Next to Jaejoong, he’s got the most control out of the whole group.” Yoochun prods further, causing Yunho’s entire body to tense as he tires to keep his anger in check. He knows that he’s weaker that the lithe male and it will do no good if he lost his temper now.
Yunho splashes his face with the cool water before he straightens and turns back to sit at the fire. As much as he hates being with Yoochun, he can’t bring himself to crawl back into the tent like some kind of beaten animal.
“So, how’d you sleep last night?” Yoochun questions casually, arms crossing over is chest as he lifts his eyebrows slightly.
Yunho feels his stomach tighten slightly as he gauges the look in Yoochun’s eyes. Did the other male somehow see him peeking out of the tent in the middle of the night?
“I slept fine.” Yunho lies, turning his gaze towards the flickering flames.
“I’m sure.” Yoochun chuckles in a slightly disbelieving manner.
A tree ruffles softly and by the time Yunho lifts his gaze, Junsu, Jaejoong and Changmin are standing near the fire looking much more placated then they had earlier.
“Yunho,” Junsu began, taking a small step towards the seated male, “I’m so sorry for what happened!” He breathes as takes a seat near him.
Yunho feels himself tense slightly, his effort going towards keeping himself from panicking. He neck tingles slightly as he remembers the feel of teeth scraping against his skin. He’d been so close to death.
“It’s fine, Junsu.” He breathes, voice laden with a tense edge.
Junsu seems to notice the tone, his face falling as Yunho glances away. “I would never…” He trails off and bites at his lower-lip, as if he realized the fallacy of what he’d been about to say.
“I didn’t want to hurt you.” He tries again, reaching out to rest his hand over Yunho’s knee.
“It’s aright, Junsu. Don’t worry about it.”
“Yunho sleeps alone from now on. No one is to be alone with him unless they’ve had a full meditation before. Is that understood?” Jaejoong barks into the clearing, eyes flickering between Junsu and Changmin.
“Yes sir.” The two chorus together, Junsu’s head dipping slightly as he draws away from Yunho in order to stand next to Changmin.
Yunho feels as if he’s leprous, as if touching him will somehow make everyone else dirty.
It’s almost as if he has some kind of invisible shield around him with the way everyone gives him so much space.
“Yunho.”
Yunho lifts his gaze as soon as Jaejoong calls his name, his heart fluttering at the attention.
“Never touch us when we’re meditating.” He states in a firm voice, his eyes growing slightly softer as he holds Yunho’s gaze.
“When we meditate, we absorb the energy around us and if we absorb human energy it breaks our control completely.” His tone is, as always, firm; however, there seems to be a slightly more concerned not to his voice now, like a parent who has just avoided a crisis with his child.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Yunho looks to the ground, not wanting to see the faces of the people around him. He feels like a child blundering around amongst the adults. He has no clue what’s allowed and what’s not and it’s beginning to cause trouble for him.
“Now you know.” Jaejoong sighs as he falls onto the ground next to Yoochun, their shoulders pressed together.
“I’ve never seen Junsu lose control like that.” Changmin adds as he sinks to the ground and pulls a morose Junsu down next to him. “You must have touched him a lot to have gotten that kind of reaction.” He turns his gaze towards Yunho, eyebrows wiggling with his clear implication.
“Shut the hell up, Changmin!” Junsu snaps, shoving the younger male’s shoulder. “He just had his head resting on my lap. You need to stop being such a brainless fuck!” Junsu swiftly stands from the ground and stomps off to his tent, never glancing back at the slightly shocked group.
Jaejoong pulls in a long breath and closes his eyes, head shaking back and forth slightly before he stands from the ground and looks down at the three faces before him. “Pack up camp, we’re leaving.” He calls, ignoring the groan that drifts from Junsu’s tent.
----
It took them all of five minutes to have the camp totally packed up and to get back on the main path again.
Yunho finds himself lagging behind the rest of the group, the searing sun seeming to tie heavy weights around his legs and shoulders. All he wants to do was lay down and sleep. He’s already shed his shirt to keep the fabric from sticking to his body. He’d taken off his shoes as well when the blisters on his feet began to bleed noticeably. He isn’t sure which is worse, bleeding blisters or sharp rocks that are being baked by the sun.
“Do you wanna talk?” Junsu questions as he falls back to walk with Yunho.
“When are we going to stop?” He questions, slinging his shirt to rest over his right shoulder.
“We’re almost there. I want to apologize again.” Junsu’s breathes, taking a slight step closer to Yunho as if to show the truth to his words.
“I’m not angry at you, Junsu.” Yunho sighs, turning his head to glance at the saddened face of the smaller male, “I had no idea that would happen if I touched you.” He can feel how awkward the words sound as they leave his lips, but Junsu doesn’t seem to notice it.
“I’m just glad Jaejoong got there in time to save you.”
Yunho’s gaze flickers towards Jaejoong’s back, his mouth twisting to the left slightly as his brow wrinkles. “Yeah.” He responds in English, his gaze flickering towards the lining of trees along the road.
“What was that thing you just said?” Junsu questions, head cocking to the side as he regard Yunho with a quizzical stare.
Yunho matches Junsu’s questioning look, his brow pulling down to show his confusion. “All I said was yeah.”
“What language is that?”
“It’s English…” Yunho trails off, giving Junsu an even more puzzled look. “You don’t know what English is?”
“No. How do you know it? We only have one language in Pullus.” Junsu’s face is bright with a kind of childish excitement, as if the promise of a puzzle pleases him greatly.
“I’m…not from around here.” Yunho finishes lamely, not sure how to fully explain what happened. Hell, he doesn’t even know what happened.
“Where are you from?”
“New York.” Yunho responds simply. Something about saying that name brings back memories of his upscale home, of his wife and of his two children. He feels his gut twist badly when he tries to imagine his wife’s face and it gets blurred with the image of large, cold eyes and dark hair.
“New York?” Junsu’s nose crinkles as he says the name, his tone edged with slight disbelief. “There’s no such place!” He laughs slightly, as if he thinks Yunho is toying with him.
“Yeah, well I used to think there was no such place as Pullus.” Yunho fires back with a shrug of his shoulders.
His conversation with Junsu is brought to a sudden halt when the group rounds a corner and is faced with the sight of a literal castle towering above them.
“We’re home!” Junsu lets out a happy sigh, hands clapping together slightly.
“This is where you live?” Yunho breathes, body on autopilot as he gapes up at the fortress of grey stone looming in the distance. He feels like an ant in comparison to the magnificent structure.
“Yeah. We don’t get to hang out much because Jaejoong likes to be on the move. But it’s the place we call home.” Junsu turns a fond smile on the building, his head tilting to the side as if that angle somehow adds more to the picture.
Yunho’s attention is dragged away from the castle when he sees Yoochun break off from the group, his long legs carrying him towards the forest edge.
“Where’s he going?” Yunho question, motioning towards Yoochun’s retreating form.
“Oh, he’s not allowed in the castle because he’s a werewolf.” Junsu states with a nod of his head, as if it’s obvious.
“So…there’s more vampires in there?” Yunho questions weakly, gesturing towards the castle.
“Yeah, but don’t worry, no one will touch you if Jaejoong has you under his wing.”
“Does Jaejoong have me under his wing?” Yunho questions in a weak voice, finding his throat very dry at the thought of stranding himself with more vampires.
“Of course he does. He’s not always the most friendly guy, but he has a lot of love and concern for everyone that’s under his command.” Junsu shrugs his shoulders and kicks lightly at a stone, eyes following as it goes skittering across the ground.
“Is he some kind of military…vampire?”
“Well, he served in the Cruentus war and the Turpis war against the werewolves, but he kind of retired after those two. He went through a lot during those three hundred years, so it’s untreatable.”
“Three hundred years for two wars?” Yunho splutters, eyes opening larger as he tries to wrap his mind around the thought of being at war for three hundred years.
“Well, when nobody dies easily, it’s kind of hard to end things.” Junsu shrugs his shoulders again, suddenly seeming very keen on not talking much.
“You’ll finally have a nice bed.” He changes the subject swiftly, eyes flickering to Jaejoong’s tense form.
“That’ll be nice.” Yunho mutters, not really interested in having a bed that’s surrounded by vampires. His nights don’t promise to be very restful.
-------
It doesn’t take them much longer to get into the castle and Yunho’s slightly surprised to find it totally empty.
He catches hide-nor-hair of any other form of life, be it vampire, werewolf or human.
“Where is everyone?” He whispers, his voice refusing to raise into a pitch that would allow others to hear.
“Meditating.” Junsu states, his voice echoing beautifully against the high ceilings and marble floors.
“At the same time?”
“Why not?”
Yunho blinks and then shrugs his shoulders, not able to find a plausible reason as to why they shouldn’t meditate at the same time.
“What are we going to do?” He questions the smaller boy again, picking up his pace in order to stay with the group.
“Jaejoong wants to explain everything to you and then you’re going to eat and go to bed.” Junsu states with a slight nod of his head, a small smile tilting his lips upwards. “I get to hunt for the dinner tonight.” He looks fairly proud of the fact.
“Congratulations…?” Yunho responds in an uncertain voice, left eyebrow hitching upwards slightly.
“Thank you!” Junsu beams at him as he hangs a left and follows Jaejoong and Changmin into a momentous library.
“Everyone take a seat.” Jaejoong commands, bringing an end to all conversation as he motions to the circle of seven leather chairs set up in the middle of the book-covered walls.
Yunho sinks into the nearest chair with a grateful sigh, his feet throbbing lightly as they rest against the cool, black marble of the floor.
After the other two have been seated, Jaejoong stands before them, eyes pinned on Yunho’s haggard form.
“The reason we showed up at the market was to get you.” He begins slowly, arms crossing over his chest as he leans against an oak table sat at the head of the seven chairs.
“We need you because you are the one who will fulfill the prophecy written in the book of Veritas.”
Yunho sits in confused silence for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around what Jaejoong is telling him.
“There was a prophecy about…me?” He questions in a clearly incredulous voice. He almost wants to laugh from the hilarity of it all.
Jaejoong’s face tightens at Yunho’s tone, but he says nothing and only nods his head. “The prophecy speaks of a man who would be brought forth the day after the Labores Solis . That’s you. There’s more and it all fits.” Jaejoong’s eyes were aglow, more alive then anytime Yunho had every seen them.
“You’re serious?” He felt himself drawing back slightly, his head resting against the high back of the chair. “What good would I do anyone here?” Yunho questions after a small pause, mind going back to earlier in the day when he couldn’t even push Junsu away.
“The prophecy said that the chosen one would arise from the enemy but strike them down from the hatred of his own heart.”
“The enemy?”
“The werewolves! The filthy mutts who dirty the vampire lands.” Jaejoong snaps, fists clenching at his side as he takes a slight step towards Yunho. “Don’t you see it? We took you from the werewolves. If it hadn’t been for them, we would have never known about you. You arose from the werewolves and now you will strike them down!”
Yunho can feel his heart thundering madly in his chest as he watches Jaejoong becoming more and more agitated.
“Alright.” Yunho calls, hoping to placate the older male. “What am I supposed to do? I’m nothing but a human.” He points out his obvious weakness, earning himself a dark look from Jaejoong.
“You become a vampire.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I never agreed to this!” He holds up his hands as if that would do anything to stop Jaejoong if he decided to attack.
“It has to happen. It’s the only way that the prophecy can be fulfilled!” Jaejoong insists, his face looking slightly more angry that Yunho was comfortable with.
“Okay, I need proof first. Concrete proof that what you’re saying is true.” Yunho doesn’t believe it for a second, but he figures he can buy himself more time by asking for further details.
“I don’t have the Book of Veritas. The only one who has a remaining copy is the Sage who lives in the mountains of Lepos. The only way we could confirm it is to go and see him.” Jaejoong looks further agitated, now pacing in front of Yunho like a caged panther.
Yunho bites his bottom lip, wondering how he’s going to extend his life as a human. He sees only one option that proves to offer him more time to think.
“Alright, I’ll go with you to see the Sage and if he can prove that what you’re saying is true…then I’ll become a vampire.” Yunho lets the last words out reluctantly, his entire body tense as he watches the look of relief of Jaejoong’s face.
His stomach churns badly at the thought of what he’s gotten himself into.
“We leave in two days.” Jaejoong snaps with a dark glint sitting in his pupil. He doesn’t wait for the others to say anything before he’s gone from the room, leaving a stifling silence behind him.
And the journey was just beginning.
=----------------------------------------=
A/N: Wow, I really did not think that I was going to get that done. Thankfully I did. I came so close to leaving out the explanation as to why Jaejoong wanted Yunho. I’m sure you can tell it was a bit rushed, but it will be explained more throughout the story, so no worries about that!
Ah, I also made a trailer for this story! It’s really short and not very good because I couldn’t find clips that would fit the time period. So do forgive me for that.