The moment the vampire hunter rode off, the splitting headache that had been digging into Hongjoong's head left him. Hongjoong gasped out a breath of relief once he could finally breathe again, burying his head in his hands now that he didn't have to pretend anymore. The air still smelled sharp and poisonous from whatever Jongho carried on his person which tried to kill Hongjoong from a distance. He was dizzy, needed to lean against the frame of the carriage to calm down.

That was too close.

Hongjoong trembled from the fear and the strain. He hadn't felt this lasting pain since he got turned. It was exhilarating, made him feel alive and mortal again, but he was terrified how he came so close to death without Jongho lifting a finger against him.

And Wooyoung... He faced the hunter for the team. He breathed that noxious cloud so close. Touched the most sacred of shapes that made Hongjoong shudder just looking at it, though he had been devout before the creatures of the devil made him their own.

Terrified for his companion, Hongjoong sought him with his eyes. He felt sick to his stomach, could barely move, but he floundered in the direction of his two comrades, who stood near the smoking reminders of the fire that killed their brethren. Jongho made such quick work of them. As if killing them was so easy.

How? How did it work? One part of Hongjoong wanted to run after him to find release from this torment, but the fear held him back. Death visited too suddenly. Just when he chose life and finding answers, it came knocking at his door.

Chilled to the bone with a fear he hadn't felt in so long, Hongjoong stumbled his way over. If Hongjoong didn't hold out against that smell, he would be with that fire right now.

The same relief was painted on Wooyoung's features as he laughed off the hysteria of almost getting caught.

"Can you believe we got away with that? Phew," he said to Mingi, and the merchant rolled out his tense shoulders as well. Not that he was threatened by the hunter. Anything better than becoming a vampire meal.

When Hongjoong tumbled into Wooyoung's side on weak legs, his companion caught him with an arm around his waist.

"Oh!" He made when he realised how badly Hongjoong trembled. He immediately tugged him closer to his warm chest. Always so open and welcoming, it was almost worrying.

Restless palms flittered over Wooyoung's body and down his arm. The foul stench of burning vampires covered any smell his skin might have emitted at touching the cross, but he would be hurt in a way nothing else could hurt.

"Wooyoung! H-How did you do that? You're hurt..." He fretted when Wooyoung just smirked down at him, smug to have him so close. Though the fog in Hongjoong's brain gradually cleared, he was too frazzled to think about those handsome features and the mole on his plush lower lip.

"I heal quickly, no need to fret," Wooyoung assured him, keeping his arms clasped around Hongjoong in a hug and though he was squirming to check on the wound and see if they could provide any healing ointments that worked on it, he had to admit Wooyoung's warmth helped soothe him. It stabilised his tremors, and he quieted down when he realised this embrace might give Wooyoung strength as well. Meek, he looked up at the other vampire so close, the sharp line of his jaw and the uneven shape of his eyes. He was handsome is such a roguish way, and Hongjoong flustered himself with that thought.

"Still, it must have been so painful. From what I hear. Don't vampires burn from crosses?" He mumbled, shy to be looking at his companion like that.

Wooyoung flashed another of his charming grins.

"I promised to help you, didn't I? I can do anything for you, bonnie," he hummed in that sweet voice of his and Hongjoong stemmed against his grip, not knowing what to do with himself. He was inexperienced with flirting and though his heart couldn't flutter at Wooyoung's comments, he felt restless inside his stomach. Wooyoung sacrificed himself to save Hongjoong without being aware of his situation. To him, he just saved his own skin, with little idea that another vampire lurked in the same group.

"I-I..." He stuttered as Wooyoung let go of him and allowed him to escape his scent of leather and cheap perfume.

Mingi cleared his throat when Hongjoong got no word out. As the vampire looked up, caught doing the bear with Wooyoung, the merchant rolled his eyes.

"We should get going before more show up. I had enough fright for a night," he demanded brusquely, and Hongjoong hastily nodded. He felt Wooyoung's fingers caressing through his hair as the fellow vampire crooned at him.

As a seasoned vampire, Wooyoung might have been just as terrified in the past. Scared of every hunter, every priest. He was so strong now, and Hongjoong couldn't put his admiration into words. Maybe Wooyoung was not aware of how he saved him tonight, but Hongjoong owed him his life two times now.

"Let's talk at the next inn. For now, we need a safe place. I can take the reins," Wooyoung offered himself and Hongjoong admired his retreating back when he led Nug back onto the path, rounding the dark spot the vampires left behind. No flesh or bones remained to them, and by sunrise, their last bits would vanquish.

"Go ahead. I'll get that horse," Mingi grumbled as he fetched the spooked animal further down the road. They tied it to the side of the carriage until they found a use for it, either by pulling them too or by selling it.

Once Mingi and Hongjoong piled into the coach, Wooyoung clicked his tongue on the box to bring them back on the road.

Hongjoong breathed lighter as they left the scene of murder behind. Mingi was gnawing on his lip, but he didn't say anything. Likely still nervous about getting ambushed.

Would the vampires have caught up with them if they didn't smell one of their own? Would it have been safer for Mingi to travel alone? No, he was still human; they would have smelled him like Hongjoong did.

But tonight, Hongjoong's gums didn't hurt. They reminisced about the scent of those herbs and silvers Jongho wore on his body and were wiser than to yearn for blood.

-

The moment they arrived in the next town and found a tavern to retreat to (with Mingi gladly inviting them in), Hongjoong chased down Wooyoung. He couldn't dwell on the joy that they were so close to Oxford now, that he might see the familiar streets of home the next day. Though he felt dizzy from his hunger and Mingi asked him with a quiet voice whether he was fine since his eyes looked so frantic, Hongjoong didn't allow himself to rest until he checked in with Wooyoung.

While Mingi got himself a beer downstairs so he could 'banish those goddamn visions out of his mind and catch some shuteye tonight', Hongjoong approached Wooyoung in their shared room. He closed the door behind him as Wooyoung shrugged off his coat. Mingi didn't bring up them not eating with him, easily serving as an alibi to any strangers since he brought food with him to the room later, so no one would wonder why two of his companions looked starved without eating.

Hongjoong hadn't seen Wooyoung hunt since they met, either, but he had to be very sneaky about it.

"Ah, finally some peace. I hope you weren't too scared out there. Vampires can be pretty frightening," Wooyoung huffed as he stretched, spine cracking. He grimaced before he tested the fluff of the pillows, picking the softest one for his slumber. For a vampire, he was quite eccentric, but that lined up with the tales Hongjoong heard of them.

"You risked your life to protect us," Hongjoong muttered as he watched him scurry about. His hand was healed by now, not leaving a trace of the burn of the holy flames. Hongjoong never touched it, but just thinking about crosses made his nerves recoil.

Wooyoung unbuckled his many belts to place them on the floor by his bed one by one. A washing basin awaited them, and they all looked forward to scrubbing the incident from their skins. The scent of burnt vampire lingered in their noses, the vision of their gore in their minds. Until recently, they were nothing but creatures to Hongjoong. Now that he saw them burn, he shared their agony.

Wooyoung's voice was light as always, so soothing to listen to even though they only met a few weeks ago and barely knew anything about each other.

"Oh, I would have fought the vampires or the hunter otherwise; no need to fret. You just make it to Oxford and pay me, sweetheart," he smirked and Hongjoong ducked shyly when Wooyoung's eyes landed on him where he fidgeted next to the bed.

"Could you kill a vampire?" He wondered, glad that Wooyoung was with him and that he knew what he was doing. Hongjoong wouldn't have trusted himself to get this far alone.

"But yes! They are weak to silver as you saw and while I can't touch silver, anything coated in silver colour does the same job," Wooyoung shared and Hongjoong stood baffled.

"Really?"

With a grin, Wooyoung sauntered over to him. He wore only his half-open shirt now along with his pants, and he coyly leaned in to study Hongjoong from below his lashes. They were long and dark, dreamy against the tan of his skin.

"I know what I'm talking about," he smirked with the flash of white teeth.

Hongjoong gulped. The sweet scent of him hovered so close now. Ever since he turned into a vampire, Hongjoong was so confused. So unfocused. He slept with random people to distract himself from the ache in his gums, yearned even for the blood of a vampire... Nothing made sense anymore. There was just the intoxicating scent of his companion, the thrum of blood in his veins.

"You were pretty heroic today..." Hongjoong whispered, licking his parched lips. Wooyoung's eyes dropped to the movement, and a smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. Though Hongjoong was inexperienced, new to the world of people loving one another, he easily realised how Wooyoung interpreted it.

He ducked between his shoulders, feeling hot with shame. Wooyoung didn't know he was a vampire. Didn't know he struggled to keep those sharp, pushing teeth inside his mouth. Instead, he braced his hand against the top bunk by his side, leaning closer.

"Was I? Glad you liked it that much."

His scent was overpowering. The spread of skin on his neck hypnotising. Hongjoong gulped down the saliva gathering in his mouth. He wanted to yank Wooyoung in, wanted to dig his teeth into his throat and still his hunger on the red spurting forth. Would Wooyoung forgive him? Would he understand how the hunger became unbearable?

"I..." Hongjoong mumbled, lidded eyes stuck on a protruding vein, and he felt a finger under his chin, tilting up his head. The air between them felt thick, warm with Wooyoung's heat. Up close, Hongjoong could feel himself trembling as his cold, dead heart reacted to this man's attention when it only found diversion with others.

They leaned in. Wooyoung towards his lips, Hongjoong towards his neck. Accepting the invitation. The vampire breathed that sweet, luring scent as if it were the most sumptuous meal he'd ever had. Prior, he loathed the thought of drinking blood, but Wooyoung's smelled so warm, so succulent. It would be delicious.

Hongjoong's nose brushed Wooyoung's jaw, and he was about to ask for permission to bite him before he went insane, but heavy steps thumping down the corridor startled them apart. Confused, both of them realised they had been leaning in different directions.

Belatedly, Hongjoong realised Wooyoung was about to kiss him.

Shocked, he pulled from his companion's grip.

"Oh, were you going to-" He was mortified, trying to hide away, but Wooyoung frowned at him as well, unsure what he had been going for.

"Nevermind," he said, and they didn't get to talk about it since Mingi entered the room a moment later. Hongjoong fled into his bunk to hide under his blanket and gnaw on his nails.

So close. He almost bit someone. How could he? He was no monster; he wasn't.

Mingi marched in with a huff while Wooyoung stripped out of his shirt, exposing his lean torso and arms covered in faint scars from past battles. He splashed water into his face and onto his shoulders until wet, dark strands hung into his eyes.

"I'll sell the second horse tomorrow. The locals said we will reach Oxford by nightfall. As much fun as travelling with you was, I look forward to finally getting away from this vampire curse," Mingi said, blind to the tension in the room.

Hongjoong was silent as a grave when Wooyoung chuckled.

"Can't blame you. Let's be safe during the last leg of our journey. I can't wait until we make it there."

Hongjoong wasn't human anymore, but his hands clutched into fists from the nervosity of what he might find there.