Jongho furrows his brows in throught as he watches Wooyoung from across the room. The older vampire was settled on his stomach in the bed quietly reading a book, a blanket over his body.

"Why are you staring at me?" Wooyoung questions, his voice monotonous, as he turns a page of the book he was reading and not meeting Jongho gaze. The day had gone by and nightfall was coming again when Junkyu decided to go get him some books to keep him busy since he would be staying in the Inn for a while. Then the merman left seeing as he had to return to the castle for the days work before a guard noticed he was missing.

And throughout the day Wooyoung had been unusually quiet. He didn't talk much, just read his books quietly and without rest. He also didn't shed a tear or look distressed or showed any negative emotion at the devastating news he received early that morning. He was just.. blank. It worried and confused Jongho.

"You're acting really strange" Jongho finally breaks his silence. How does one find out their lover was killed but act so aloof about it. Hell, even Jongho himself cried hard for hours at the death of his unrequited crush yet Wooyoung was scarily ok with it? Something's up.

"What do you mean?" Wooyoung glances at him before looking back at his book.

Jongho takes a deep breath. "You don't seem upset at... what I told you this morning. Should I be worried?"

Wooyoung looks at him once more with a slight arch in his eyebrow. "I said I'm fine. There's nothing anyone can do about it now so let's just move on. Ok?" He ends with the weakest of smiles and Jongho could tell right away it was forced.

He's hurting. Jongho could tell he was holding in all his heartbreak and he couldn't understand why. But he decides to drop it, not having the stomach to argue right now.

Later that night, after Jongho had left to go back for appearance so people didn't think he'd gone missing, Wooyoung was alone in the inn. He gets out of the bed with a stretch and looks out the window at the moon and the bright stars.

He really wanted to go out but knew Jongho would be against it. He shakes his head in defiance, goes to grab the hooded cloak Jongho had left, pulls the window open and hops out. Luckily they were in the first floor so he lands on the dry grass outside with no effort. He quietly closes the window and ducked behind a tree before making his way down the busy street.

It was nice seeing actual people after so long. The small town was very quaint and lively. And everyone seemed to know everyone. A few people were beginning to draw their attention to him and that's when he knew he had to leave before someone recognized him.

Though he didn't want to go back to the inn so he made his way to the outskirts of the town and settled down on a grassy hill. The moon and stars were in clear view and the cool wind was raw against his already icy skin.

He pulls the hood of his cloak back and sat comfortably, criss cross, on the soft green field. The quiet was oddly comforting, the breeze whistling in his ears and blowing his bangs ever so slightly as well as crickets singing in the distance added to the placid atmosphere.

Drop.

Drop. Drop.

Tears slowly slid down his cheek and eventually plopped onto his thigh, creating a small wet patch. His hands slowly form fists in the grass as more tears fell.

His chest tightened, his head was ringing and he could barely see as more tears blurred his vision and raced down his cheeks.

And finally, after nearly a full day, he lets himself breakdown. He cries hard, pulling at the grass, pull his hair, gripping his chest hoping for the pain to go away. He felt so empty and devastated. Just so gutted and he grieved alone.

The wails were loud and deeply pained. He brings his knees up to his chest, digging his nails into his thighs. His shoulders shook as he went through heartbreak like he's never had before. "S-san.." He chokes out, squeezing his eyes shut and wanting this nightmare to be over. He couldn't save his mom, couldn't save San. Was it even worth coming back? At least then I would've kept going, living in my delusion that San was alive and missing me as much I miss him. But he's not here so what now? W-what do I do now?

Everything hurt. And perhaps keeping it bottled up all day amplified the pain but it didn't even matter at that point.

"I'm really worried about Wooyoung" Jongho mutters, hands in his pockets, as he walked alongside Junkyu back the inn with a bag of more blood bags for Wooyoung. The crunch of the dirt path beneath their feet along with crickets in the distance was the only sound that was prevalent whenever there was a stretch of silence between them.

"Yeah. Me too" Junkyu says with a small pout, eyes trained to the ground.

"Like.. he hasn't let himself grieve and I'm.. I'm just scared, y'know?"

Junkyu nods. "Maybe it hasn't properly sank it yet? 5 stages of grief and all"

"Maybe" Jongho replies with a shrug. "Still, I just hope he knows we're here for him"

Junkyu's heart skips a beat at the mention of "we" rather than "I". He bites back a small smile and wringes his hands in front of him but doesn't say anything.

After a few long seconds of walking in the silence of the night, Jongho immediately stops him. "Wait.. do you hear that?" He whispers and Junkyu, who was caught off guard, looks at him with wide eyes. He shakes his head no. "It sounds like.. someone's crying?" He sounds unsure but ducks and follows the sound.

Junkyu follows behind him and that's when they see who it was. Jongho's eyes soften and he nearly broke down at the sight. It was Wooyoung, his forehead on his knee as he cried loudly while rocking back and forth. It was a sight too painful to witness.

He steps forward to go to him but Junkyu holds him back by the arm. "Don't. He clearly wants to be alone so it's better we leave him" He advised in under a whisper so Wooyoung wasn't notified of their presence.

Jongho's brows furrow and he wanted to rip his arm from Junkyu's grasp and run to envelope his brother in a hug but he knew the merman was right.

It pained Junkyu more than anything to see Wooyoung hurting so much and he wanted to do anything he could to make it stop but he knew it wasn't that simple. "Let's just go wait in the inn. Once he's ready he'll come back" Junkyu starts up the path again and Jongho nods and turns to follow him but not before looking back at Wooyoung one more time.

San stares at the moon silently, lost in his own thoughts and worries. Seonghwa shifts in his sleep a little beside him, subconsciously scratching his arm before laying still again. A soft snore escapes his lips and San couldn't help but smile a little at his sleeping face.

They'd been traveling most of the day and San called for a break, not that he needed it but because he knew the werewolf needed it. He hadn't slept the previous night because he was too busy following him and San had noticed he was exhausted. But despite this Seonghwa at first refused the offer to rest because he didn't want to feel like he was slowing them down.

After some back and forth bickering San eventually convinced him to get some sleep while he kept a look out, seeing as vampires couldn't sleep anyways, on the basis that he would wake him up once it was nightfall. It would be easier to sneak into Naex when it's dark.

So there they were, Seonghwa fast asleep at the base of a large tree while using San's bag as a headrest. And San sat beside his head and leaning on the tree trunk as backrest.

It was nightfall now and he knew he'd have to wake Seonghwa as agreed but the werewolf was sleeping so deeply he didn't have to stomach to disturb him. He watches as his chest rose and fell slowly. His thick dark brown wispy bangs scattered on his forehead and across his closed eyes like satin curtains. Chapped lips parted slightly as gentle snores escaped and tickled San's ears. And though it was dark and they only had the moonlight to illuminate the forest he could still see the soft flush of red on his cheeks and nose.

He reaches forward to try and brush his hair out of his face but he catches himself and pulls his hand back before he could do so. He swallows and snaps his gaze away, pulling his knees to his chest. He bit down on his lip and took a deep breath in then out.

Then looks back up at the moon once more. "So I guess this whole time I've been talking to you but you were never listening" He whispers. "Now I feel stupid" He follows up with a sad laugh. "It's ok, because we'll see each other soon. Then I can tell you everything in person and nothing else will matter"

Nothing else will matter. He repeats in his head as he looks longingly at the boy sleeping beside him.

A few more minutes and San finally wakes him with a heavy heart. Seonghwa groggily sits up, eyes squinted and still disoriented from his disturbed sleep. "Hey, we gotta keep moving" San says gently and Seonghwa slowly nods then attempts to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Soon they were off walking in a comfortable silence. The night was cool with a slight breeze and Seonghwa shivers. San turns to him, a concerned look on his face. "Are you cold?"

Seonghwa simply smiles softly at him. "I'm fine. Werewolf remember? I'll warm up soon"

San nods in understanding and looks away. Another short silence settles. "I uh-" San starts up again as they duck under a low hanging tree branch. "I should tell you about Wooyoung"

Seonghwa was taken back by the suggestion. "You don't have to tell me anything if you won't want to Mujin"

San sighs. "I know but.. you deserve to know" Seonghwa stays silent at that, waiting for him to continue. The sound of their shoes crunching on the earth filled the empty space as they walked. "Wooyoung is the second son of Jaejoong"

Seonghwa snapped his head at San, eyes widened a little. "Son of Jaejoong? So he's a-"

"Prince. Yes" San completes, eyes avoiding Seonghwa's and instead fixed on rocky forest floor.

"How did you meet him?" Seonghwa asks out of genuine curiosity.

San couldn't help but laugh at the memory. "It's a bit of a long story" He takes another deep breath. "And a painful one. He was killed by Jaejoong or at least I think he was killed. And so I've spent the last 4 years trying to bring him back. But now I'm finding out he's not dead and I guess..." He pauses and tries to find the right combination of words to make up his next sentence. "I guess I don't know how to feel. It somehow doesn't feel real yet"

Seonghwa's brows furrow in slight confusion. He'd heard in passing about the death of one of the vampire princes 4 years ago but no one in his town cared enough for the news to stick around long.

"I'm confused and I have so many questions but I need to see him first. I need to see him with my own eyes. So I refuse to let myself get too hopeful because finding out this is just another dead end will probably feel like I lost him all over again" His voice cracks.

Seonghwa stops then then takes his hand and gives him a reassuring squeeze. He couldn't understand why a father would kill his own son but then again he's heard rumors of how tyrannical Jaejoong is so maybe this new knowledge shouldn't shock him as much. "I'm sorry" Was all he whispers out.

San shakes his head and looks up at him, eyes faintly glossy from trying his hardest to hold back tears. "What are you apologizing for?"

The taller shrugs and flashes a weak smile. "Just.. for everything you've been through. You're caring and you've got a big heart, anyone can see it. You're strong and unfortunately this world has a way of breaking even the strongest of people"

San looks down and bites down on his lip, hard. Seonghwa pulls him in for a hug, wrapping his arms around his neck while San wraps his around Seonghwa's torso and buried his face in his shoulder. He takes a deep shaky breath and squeezed his eyes shut, loving the warmth and comfort radiating off Seonghwa's body.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.