Note: @nanibecute this AU was wonderful to work with and the edit was so so beautiful💓💓 This was so amazing. Thank you for giving me these great AUs and edits for this week!
The Jongho dialogue in italics is from the edit.
Drabble week masterlist
Materpost
*DO NOT REPOST, PLZ*
Your high heels clattered against the marble floor as you strode along the huge windows that were covered with heavy purplish black curtains on the left side. Huge chandeliers were hanging on the ceiling. The huge doors on the left were identical. Your satin strapless flowy gown with a back lacy upper and red skirt with a slit that went all the way up to your upper thigh waved along your steps. The strands of hair that were not tucked in the bun were gently caressing your shoulders.
It all rested against your smooth skin when your steps halted in front of the room at the end of the hallway that was facing the length of the hallway. Your shaky hands rose in the air trying to find the courage to knock. Although, you knew that the person on the other side of the door was already aware of your presence when you entered through the main gate. His hearing ability never lets you sneak around.
Taking a deep breath, you finally knocked on the door lightly with your free hand as the other one was holding a blood bag. There was no sound coming from the other side. It was an eerie silence. You did not like when this happened. It wasn't like he behaved like this regularly but whenever it happened, it was bad.
"Jongho… please open the door… please…" you mumbled sadly.
You heard some shuffling this time. His footsteps were coming closer and your heartbeat was accelerating. The gigantic double door made a noise when he slowly opened it. His irises were bright red. And his skin looked much paler. The room was dark with only one candle lit. He hated light so his room usually had dim lights but not this dim.
Jongho sighed and stepped aside for you to enter. It was a mess. The decoration in his room was everywhere. The books were scattered. His bed looked like someone suffocated there. It was horrible and you felt bad for him.
It was common to have vampires but they were rare and hated… just like any typical book; just like the article that was sitting right next to the candle with the clear picture—
Bloodsucker Choi Jongho was seen after two years, walking down the streets. Be careful and be safe if you don't wanna get under his evil spell!
You removed your heels and sat on the bed. You felt Jongho sitting on the bed. Getting further up the bed, you sat beside him, back rested against the huge red headboard. You passed him the blood bag that you brought for him.
He hasn't drunk a drop of blood for four days. You tried and tried but he won't even open the door, luckily, today he did. "No," his voice was raspy.
"Please. For me?" You tried and he took the bad and poked his teeth into it. His eyes rolled back but then winced at the taste of the blood. You were well aware that he only loved your blood, anybody else's blood tasted like rust to him. But he was angry and hungry; offering him your artery now might end up with you saying goodbyes forever or might even become a vampire yourself.
Jongho threw the bag away as he slumped back. He felt a lot better than he did before. He pulled you closer to him by your shoulders and rested his head on yours. You hugged him from the side.
"I am tired," he whispered.
"I know."
"But I love you."
"I love you too."
…
Vampires can't sleep. So he watched you sleep while hugging him. When his world was falling apart; when he wasn't able to see what his deceased life carried for him; when longed for the warmth of love, he found you.
In the dark scary night, Jongho was on the hunt for his feed. His head was dizzy from the lack of human blood. He wanted to pierce his teeth through the beating artery and devour the blood.
He felt like his wish was coming true when he heard a sobbing person. Following the path of the voice, his nose picked the sweet scent of a human. He saw a silhouette of a person, she was shaking and sobbing violently.
He moved faster and in no time, he was standing in front of you. You flinched and backed up. Your pretty pebble eyes were wide open.
Jongho looked at you and saw a blood bag in your hand. His eyes snapped into your eyes. Scared, you bowed down. Your head was slumped and you offered the blood bag to him.
His dead heart ached after years. Something about you kept him from attacking you. You looked broken and innocent, like, you were bound by your bad fate.
Jongho then noticed the red ashes next to you with a special ring next to it. The ring was made for vampires. Jongho's was deep red, meaning royal vampire. The one on the ground was for a regular vampire. He wondered what it was all about. Why were you here with a bag of blood and crying?
"Who was this?" He questioned.
"B-b-b-brother," you answered, blood bag still in hand.
"Oh… and who are you?" He took the blood bag and sat in front of your crying body. He tore the pipe and started sucking the blood slowly, waiting for you to collect yourself and answer his question.
Gaining some sense back, you shakily spoke, "y/n. He was turned by an angry vampire."
"Ah! Angry vampire. Honestly, it sucks to face an angry vampire, even for me. I mean, I am not usually angry but sometimes I do but I won't turn anybody," you both sat there and talked about anything and everything.
You forgot that you were talking to a bloodsucking monster. You felt lighter with him like there was still someone for you. Surprisingly for Jongho, he was confused internally. He enjoyed and felt normal for once after he died six hundred and thirty-seven years ago.
Jongho's family was dead. His other seven vampire brothers were scattered around the globe to be safer from the cruel humans that were not letting the dead vampires live. How ironic. He only received about fourteen letters from them in two hundred years. He was alone in this world. But then you, you were his only hope. You let him bare his feelings in front of you. You let yourself be bare in front of him. He was thankful that he had you and he adored you. He never let an opportunity pass away to tell you that. His love for you was invincible. He could go miles just to make you happy. Yeah, that was all he wanted… you to be happy.
There was nothing left in him, so he lived through you. He let himself let loose with you. But all he saw was a beautiful world that was laying next to him… y/n.
…
Jongho felt suffocated under this curse for eternity. He never asked for this. This was never his choice. But… you, you were the only one who was keeping him going since that day. You have willingly given in to him.
He wasn't the monster that the world said. He was just a man who was forced to accept this fate. Who would want to live a life forever in this cruel world with least to no humanity? Even at a certain point, vampires gave up and hid behind the darkness of their mansions.
Jongho felt you move against him. "Hey Darling," he pressed a long kiss against your temple.
"Hi," you rasped. "How are you now?"
"Much better. I wanted to be with you but I couldn't trust myself at that time… I'm sorry that I pushed you away," he whispered.
"I know… it's okay. Now we are back in each other's arms. That's all I ask for."
"Thank you," he leaned in and packed your lips softly. His arm pushed you more into his side. "I am still a monster."
"Are all monsters bad?" You balanced on your elbow as you looked at him.
"...I don't know."
"Hmm. If you ask me… no, not all monsters are bad. Yes, you are counted as a monster but you are a good monster! Remember, when you saved that human child when the truck was about to hit him? Or when you helped the old lady cross the road? Or when you caught the robbers stealing from that lady?... Or when you held me tighter and didn't let me drift away from myself?" You whispered the last part. "Not all monsters are bad…"
There were many more good things about him that you wanted to say. He has been better than humans could ever be. His heart was lifeless but was made of gold.
"Why are people not like you?" He asked. If he was alive, the stream of tears would be running down his pale cheeks.
"Why do people not have humanity like you?" Because it does not come easy. Because this is the strongest power that ever existed… and you don't get it easy. You have to go through hell to be like this. And it is hard to survive in this world when you have this power because it's easier to hurt someone than make someone happy.
"My darling, all I want to do is to be your moon and show you all the little stars of my heart," Jongho whispered against your neck. His hot breath made you feel dizzy.
"Jongho," you sighed. "Be my forever, please."
"I am your forever, darling. I'll hold you by my side and never leave you…" he sank his teeth into your neck and sucked.
The pain was pleasurable. You were used to it. I felt different when he didn't sink his teeth. You finally felt like living after almost a week.
Jongho hovered over you and kept devouring your sweet-sweet blood. It was dripping down your neck but he licked. He would never even dream to let your blood go to waste. With the last suck, he left your neck and looked into your eyes.
"Jongho… make me you. Please turn me. I don't wanna leave ever," you panted.
Jongho chuckled, "I would never turn you."
"Why?" You whined.
"Because it's not great. What I am will hurt you if you become one of us," he pecked your lips.
"But I wanna be with you forever."
"You will be… we will end this together. I'll give up when you naturally do. We both will end this and be with each other in another lifetime… in another eternity..."
.....
Sanaa's note:
With this, the drabble week finishes☺ This was fun to do. I hope you all like the drabbles!💓
Taglist:
@veneziamadness @cheline @jhmylove @sansmilkbread
*lemme know if you wanna be added to the permanent or specific taglist*
Visiting the ATEEZ universe, we find unlikely friends Camryn and Jongho meeting via magicks. Although unable to physically meet, the witch and vampire become fast friends and help each other. However, their mutual urge to meet leads them down a tricky path of forbidden research. Be wary of angst throughout this 4.9k word fantasy-based tale, including occasional cursing and yelling, and some moments of self-doubt and lack of confidence. This tale also references lands from a previously recounted story, which can be read here, but no context is necessary to enjoy this piece. In addition, Ryn is gender-ambiguous and left without much description to allow for reading similar to Y/N fics, but total immersion may not be possible for everyone due to the sparse use of their full name.
As he'd done every other sunny day, Jongho stayed home with curtains shut and background music echoing. He'd just finished pouring himself a drink and was on his way back to his reading nook when he suddenly caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
Setting his drink on the coffee table, he abandons any plans of reading as he searches the house for any signs of an intruder. Confused when the search ends fruitlessly, he returns to the spot in the hall where he saw the movement. Seeing the mirror in its usual place, he turns around to see what might've reflected along it. Once again, he finds nothing, so he turns back to the mirror with an insane thought.
"Had I seen myself?" He asks himself aloud as he leans closer to the gold-framed ornament.
As he examines the reflection, he finds an entirely different room being shown to him. Rather than his clean, dark hall, he sees a brightly lit room covered in loose papers and open books. As he moves his head, different angles of the room beam back, and he finds one wall lined with books, the bookshelf disorganized and slightly disheveled. Checking the other side reveals an old unbalanced wooden work desk, with a simple wooden stool in the middle of it.
Looking a bit further, he sees movement once again. Although he can't make out any features of the individual, he can see them dancing around that corner of the room in a celebratory fashion, humming to themselves.
He shakes his head as he makes up an excuse for everything he's seeing, "This is crazy. That's it. Summer's been too long this year. I must simply be going insane."
As he begins walking towards the safety of his books and alcohol, he hears shuffling in the mirror, followed by someone calling out in an unusual language. Intrigued, he looks back to see someone directly up front in the mirror, looking straight at him.
"What are you?" He asks, almost instinctively. As the person tilts their head, he sighs, "Ah, you can't understand me."
Holding out both hands, palms towards the mirror, the stranger gestures for Jongho to wait before rushing back towards the desk. Grabbing a book and what looks like a simple drumstick, they rush back to chant lines from the book while tracing the frame of the mirror with the stick. Jongho leans back against the wall, confused by their actions and intrigued to see the outcome.
Once finished, they look at Jongho with a cheeky grin, "Can you understand me now?"
Shocked, he stumbles over his response, "Oh, I- how'd you... Yeah, yeah I can."
"Perfect! I'm so glad things seem to finally be working for me! It took so long! Oh, hold on, let me introduce myself. My name is Camryn - you can call me Ryn - and I'm a trainee witch." The cheery witch scratches their head as they continue, "I've been a level-one trainee for years now; up until now, it seemed like I didn't actually have any magic in me. The instructors told me to level up this year or they'd kick me out."
With a nervous chuckle, they finish and ask Jongho to introduce himself. Plopping down on the floor, Ryn gives their full attention to their mirror friend.
"Uh, I'm Jongho. I'm a vampire, so I've been stuck in my house thanks to the summer sun again. I don't even really know why I have this mirror, honestly; it's not like I can see myself in it."
"Well, I'm glad you have it. Now, I have a friend to talk to!" Ryn beams, making Jongho laugh.
They're right, though. Now, Jongho has company, the luxury of which he rarely gets. Far too often, it's just him alone with his books and alcohol for warmth. Ryn, as high-energy as they may be, proves to be a welcome change as they spout off question after question about the vampire.
After what feels like ten minutes but is closer to a full hour, Jongho thinks of a question to ask his new friend. Even with people he's met prior, he can't ask this, as they're mostly humans who would fear him or believe he's lying as a joke.
"Hey, Ryn?" He hesitates, instinct stopping him from asking as it usually does, "What do I look like? I've never been able to see my face, so I haven't the slightest clue."
Shocked, Ryn stares at him with squinting eyes and scrunched nose, trying hard to find the proper descriptors. It takes a few awkward seconds before they find the words, but the moment their face lights up, Jongho knows to strap in for another long ramble.
"Well, to start, you look soft but very masculine. You don't smile much, but when you do, your whole face smiles, even if you're only giving a small smile. It's really nice to see. Your eyes are big and expressive, especially with your thicker eyebrows. Every feature compliments your face shape very well. I think a lot of people probably find you intimidating when you're just reserved, not scary. It probably has to do with your dark ete color. They look almost black, but I'm sure they'd shine brightly in the sun. Oh wait, I guess they can't, huh? I'm sorry, I forgot. Anyway, you have full lips, too. Everything fits so nicely; you're quite handsome, really."
As Ryn finishes, Jongho can't help but smirk at their description. He doesn't know whether they're embellishing anything for him, but he chooses to trust them based on their innocent demeanor thus far, so he jokes at them.
"Aw, you think I'm handsome? Thanks, Ryn~!" He makes sure to beam his full-face smile at them in an attempt to flirt, a skill he's picked up to have fun with humans.
However, they don't seem to react, stuck in an observatory mode, "Yes, I think you're pretty attractive. Most people would probably fall for you fairly quickly. You're someone who looks like that."
Cracking up into a fit of laughter, Jongho thanks Ryn, for both the compliment and the laugh. The clueless young witch smiles back, glad to be helpful, and asks whether he can help them in return. As he finishes laughing, he asks what they'd like help with.
"Could you..." Ryn pauses, racking their head for the best way to ask, and sighs before asking fearlessly, "Could you be my friend? Could you keep me company and talk with me and all that? I'm pretty lonely thanks to how long it's taken me to find my powers properly."
The last sentence makes a pit form in Jongho's chest. Knowing how lonely it can be when you're unlike your peers, he instantly relates to the comment. Because of this, he enthusiastically agrees to remain friends and then asks whether it'd be safe to move the mirror to a better location - somewhere he can be more comfortable and show more of his home and interests. Before responding, Camryn flips through some of the books and papers on the floor.
"I'm pretty sure it's safe. At the very least, I'm not finding any recordings saying not to. Plus, it's acting like a window, so I shouldn't think moving it would do anything to it. Just don't break it!"
Carefully, Jongho moves the mirror into his lounge, leaning it against some cabinets for its temporary placement. Jokingly asking if his friend had a good trip, he sits down, grabbing the glass he set on the coffee table earlier. Although he finds most of the ice melted into the alcohol, he isn't one to waste and downs it regardless. Thanks to the dilution, it goes down smoother than usual. Ryn scolds him, ranting about enjoying things in moderation, but he acts like he can't hear them anymore.
"Damned vampire, I should curse you for ignoring me. You're lucky I'm nice." They huff, pouting, and tapping their foot repeatedly.
"Since when do baby witches get taught curses?" Jongho bites back, almost certain they wouldn't know any.
"School doesn't teach curses in general, but do you really think I haven't found any?"
As Jongho watches his friend gesture around the mess of papers, he sees a sense of confidence that borders cockiness. He simply shrugs in response, actually shocked by the possibility. Soon after this exchange, however, Jongho excuses himself, claiming that his drowsiness wasn't letting him focus on the conversation anymore. After promising to return when they both have time, they wish each other a good night and head off, even if it's earlier for Ryn. Ryn quickly scrambles to cover the mirror, throwing a dusty cloth over it.
When Jongho returns the next day, all he can see is the underside of that cloth, so he assumes Ryn is too busy. The vampire doesn't mind, and he spends his day reading while periodically looking up at the mirror for any signs of life.
A few days go by in this same fashion, and eventually, Jongho stops checking the mirror and returns to drinking heavily to pass the time faster. When Ryn finally pulls the cloth away, they find Jongho with a nearly empty bottle in front of him. As he sways along to whatever song plays in his head, Ryn rustles through the pages of the book in their hand to find a spell that amplifies one's voice.
"YA- JONGHO!"
Nearly falling out of the chair, Jongho finally looks back at the mirror. As if nothing happened, he smiles and greets Ryn with a strong sense of giddiness in his voice.
"You're so drunk, Jongho. I thought we agreed to moderation. What happened?"
"You left for a while. Where'd you go?" He responds, entirely ignoring the question and directing attention away from him.
Ryn's posture drops a bit, clearly not happy to mention it, but they admit, "It's exam week, so I've been busy. I have to impress them starting from this week, or I'll get kicked out."
Surprised that it happened so fast, Jongho grows concerned for his friend, quickly beginning to fight the alcohol and sober up fast.
"Are you doing okay? You'll be able to keep up, right?"
"I sure hope so. I did okay this time around. They're glad I'm finally showing some power, even if it isn't much, so they let me pass this time."
"What happens if you can't keep up? You're just kicked out of the school? Would that be that bad if it isn't really helping you much?"
With a nervous laugh and a quick brush of their hair, Ryn admits, "I wish. If that's all, I think I would've let them kick me out. But no, if you fail at the school, they have to wipe your memory from attending. They can't have witches that failed just living with the knowledge they learned; it's a safety hazard."
Moving to the edge of his seat, Jongho can see their teary eyes over the situation, so he quickly changes tune despite the pain in his chest where his heart would be.
"Then we gotta make sure you keep passing!" He stands up, fist in the air, with a determined expression painting his face.
Ryn perks up a bit, but remains slightly confused, "We? Are you going to help me? How so?"
"Uh, I'm not quite sure, but I'll help however I can. Even if it's just watching you practice or helping you study. You're not allowed to forget me."
Laughing at his false selfishness, Ryn agrees to let him help, hoping he'll be able to bring out the magic from wherever it rests inside them.
The rest of the week continues with Ryn practicing spells in view of the mirror, and Jongho giving tips and pointers on how to improve. Many of his observations show that Ryn lacks confidence, so he believes that it's hindering them from being able to procure the magic at all. When he mentions this to Ryn, they look utterly defeated.
"I guess I can't fake it, huh? My instructors told us that if we aren't confident in ourselves, we should be able to fake it until it becomes real." They flop down into the chair behind them, feeling hopeless and ready to give up.
"Confidence is good, but it's something you have to build within yourself. Maybe you can use something else to power it? Is there anything you thoroughly enjoy doing, or anything you do find yourself having confidence in? It could be anything, really."
After sitting with the thought for a moment, the witch perks up, "My classmates love my baking! Does that count?"
"Absolutely! Anything thst brings you joy and makes you feel confident. Do you think there's anyway to incorporate baking into your magic? Is there a way to make it feel like you're making desserts instead of performing spells?"
"I can try changing up the hand movements. Do you think it'll work?"
"I think it's worth a shot." Jongho expresses, hoping for the best, "Maybe its easier if you adjust the magic to your specialties instead of trying to adapt - make it more personal, y'know?"
Watching his friend happily try spells while using baking techniques, Jongho can see the progress build so much quicker than before. On top of that, Ryn genuinely has so much fun that the stress is rolling away as if it's nothing. With a showcase coming up in the following week, this is the first time the duo feels confident that Ryn will pass.
The showcase creeps up quickly, but Ryn masters a good handful of spells just in time. On the night of the showcase, Jongho anxiously waits for Ryn's return.
"Jongho! Jongho! Jongho!"
He hears their voice before they even enter the room, much less the mirror's view, and it makes him sit up at full attention. The joy in their voice puts him at ease, and the bright smile warms his otherwise cold body from the moment they come into view.
"Jongho, I did it!"
"Good job, Ryn! See, I told you that incorporating your strengths would help!"
With a quick solid nod, Ryn adds, "I didn't just pass, either. They're bumping my status up, too!"
"Congrats, Camryn! proud of you! So does that make you level two, officially? Or is there some in between level?"
"I'm a level two witch now!" They rejoice with a bright smile, "The instructors were very impressed to see that I not only learned but mastered all those level-one spells we practiced. I got the level-two spellbook and everything!"
Ryn spends an hour going through their new spellbook with Jongho, picking out spells they'd prefer to learn and explaining how many they need to master to move on to level three. Although they escape the threat of failing, they don't want to stop at level two, which makes Jongho happy. It feels as though he's watching a flower blossom for the first time in his life; he's so happy to be there for his friend through such a great moment.
When summer turns to autumn and the leaves begin to fall, Jongho spends more time out of the house. This time, Ryn feels the loneliness that their vampire friend felt during their exam week. Although they try to practice without him there, the progress slows to a near standstill, so they try to find other ways to pass the time when he's busy.
As a result, Jongho comes back one afternoon to find Ryn passed out on the floor, surrounded by a small group of restless scurrying animals circling them. He tries to hide his laughter as he sits there in quiet admiration, but even the subtle noise alerts his friend, who sits up quickly and scares a few of the nearby critters.
"You're back! I couldn't focus on the spells, so I took up some hobbies to keep busy while you're gone." Ryn starts defending themselves before Jongho even says a word to them, which makes Jongho laugh wholeheartedly.
"Are you training them? Pet-sitting? If you're lonely, you just need one, Ryn, not twenty." He jokes, knowing that they felt the same emptiness he felt once before.
"Twenty?! Are there that many now?!" Distressed, Ryn looks around and roughly attempts to count the quick-moving creatures, "There's no way they cloned that much! I only see like 8, maybe 10."
"I was exaggerating, Ryn, chill. But cloned? How many did you start with? What even are they if they can clone themselves?"
To help explain, Ryn attempts to grab one. However, their hand goes straight through, and the creature disappears into a cloud of colorful smoke. Almost instantly, however, Jongho watches a different one spin around and turn into two.
"I started with two. There's only two, but the clone themselves if they get excited. It's hard to balance when I want to be good at sitting them, but if they get bored, they scream. Loudly."
"So, you need them distracted. Not excited, but not bored." Jongho suggests it calmly as if he's an expert.
"Distracted? I tried to keep them calm before, but I haven't thought of that. How do I keep them distracted without getting bored, though?"
After talking about the creatures for a while, Jongho suggests playing tricks on them. For Ryn, this will help get some magic practice in, all while keeping the picky creatures busy by watching floating objects or seeing things pop in and out of sight. When they start this, the creatures begin to curiously watch from afar, slowly stopping themselves from playing around. After a while, the clones begin fading into the air, until only the original two remain.
"Thanks, Jongho." Ryn sighs with relief, "Is there anything you can't do?"
"See myself, stay in sunlight for very long, go vegetarian." He jokes about himself, gaining a laugh out of his friend.
"Okay, okay. Smartass." As the two creatures yawn and begin nodding off, Ryn adds, "They're falling asleep, thank goodness. I'll probably join soon, too. They've drained me. Thanks again for your help."
After the chaos, both friends decide to turn in for the night. First thing in the morning, Jongho brings a cup of coffee to sit in front of the mirror. Before Ryn arrives, he finds himself deep in thought, wondering about this friendship and what will happen when they get too busy to sit in front of the mirror. Stuck in his mind, he doesn't see Ryn lay down in front of him, chin on their palms as they watch his face wrinkle from his thoughts.
"Jongho, what's got you like that? You seem angry at the world."
Blinking quickly to ground himself out of his thoughts, he momentarily lifts the corner of his mouth before deciding not to hide, "How long are we going to be able to stay friends like this?"
Shocked, Ryn repositions themself, sitting up with legs crossed and hands in their lap. They sit in silence for a moment as they consider why Jongho asked this question and how to answer.
Breaking the silence, Jongho adds, "We can't sit in front of a mirror forever, right? Is there any way for us to meet? Are we stuck confined to this piece of decor if we want to remain friends?"
Hearing the frustration fester towards the end of his questioning, Ryn feels a lump form in their throat, "I... I haven't thought about it. I don't think there's a way to connect our worlds that would be safe to travel between. I-"
"Can you research it? Ask your instructors? Something?"
"I can't."
"Why not?" The bark in his voice causes Ryn to flinch.
"If instructors know about the mirror, they'd likely take it away and reverse the spell."
"What about research? Do you think there's anything about it in the books you have?"
Shaking their head and looking down, Ryn fiddles with their fingers and lowers their voice, "Everything is gone."
"What does that even mean?"
"Jongho, please don't get mad at me. I'd love to find a way for us to travel to each other. Believe me. I've tried, but every book on the topic of parallel universes has been removed from the catalogue. There's nothing other than this mirror to suggest that another universe exists."
Suddenly, the anger washes away. Hearing the apologetic tone in their voice, Jongho realizes that he's been pushing too roughly. He apologizes for reacting that way and explains that he just wants to be able to do more with Ryn.
"I know, Jongho. I'm sorry. I wish we could, but I've looked multiple times and found nothing. Even in the resources in the private library, everything is gone. I don't know why they got rid of everything or how this one spell for the mirror made it through the cracks, but something massive must've happened to cause this."
Defeated, Jongho admits, "We can't keep this up. I know you feel it, too. It's too much of a hassle to meet here all the time, only to do the same things over and over again."
Sighing, Ryn agrees. As they express their desire to figure out more about the magicks involved in crossing that blockage, they pause before suggesting a tactic, "Should I just ask? Should I continue researching and see if I can get any answers, even if it means risking our connection? Would you be okay if the connection is severed, or if my memory of you is wiped while trying to get to you?"
Jongho doesn't respond. Although he knows how hard it would be to reach one another, he desperately wants to do it, but he also doesn't want Ryn risking themself in the process when he can't do anything from his end. Suddenly, it hits him that they don't know whether he can do anything to help.
"Should I do it?"
"Wait a bit. There might not be anything in your library, but I haven't looked at all here." He claims, a new-found hope beaming through his voice.
"I thought there weren't witches in your world?"
"Not that I know of. But I'm a vampire, so there's always a possibility, right? Like clearly magic of some kind exists here. Maybe I can use magic on my side so you don't risk anything."
With that thought in mind, Jongho has a spark of determination. He rushes off, barely saying goodbye to his friend, in hopes of finding a solution. However, after hours in the nearest library, nothing helpful reared its head. When the library closed, he wondered if there were any creature-specific libraries separated from their human-built counterparts. Although he didn't know many other vampires, he asked them for help. He even reached out to his fae friend in hopes that they have records of magicks that could help him.
Although all his efforts of the past 24 hours ended fruitlessly, Jongho doesn't lose hope. In addition to his occasional check-ins with Ryn, he spends the better part of the next three weeks searching and slowly losing hope. Even when finding potential in the forms of old grimoires or fae magick texts, the spells he finds seem to hold no power in his hands. He tries to have Ryn do them, but they don't translate into proper magic in their world.
"I don't know anymore, Ryn. I really don't want to risk you losing memory, but there's nothing here that'll help either." Defeated, Jongho slumps into his armchair.
"But you tried, Jongho. Don't feel bad. There may not even be a way to do what we're trying to do, so don't beat yourself up over it. I'll try on my end. I promise I'll be as careful as possible. I'll check in on Saturday, okay? Hopefully, I'll find something by then."
After that meeting, Jongho grows more anxious as the sun rises and falls each day without hearing from Ryn. When Saturday finally arrives, Jongho sits in front of the mirror with bated breath. He doesn't eat. He doesn't even consider alcohol. For once, his sole purpose focuses on the screen that currently only reflects himself against the blackness of the sheet Ryn uses to cover the mirror.
Hearing the sheet ruffle and seeing the light slowly pouring into his room from Ryn's, he sits at attention. If anybody were to see, he'd look like a puppy waiting for his owner, he notes. Good thing nobody can see him. Seeing a figure emerge between the rays of sunshine, however, Jongho feels himself slump back down. Ryn looks different in a way that he can't quite pinpoint. Did they lose sleep? Were they not eating properly? How did they look so different after only five days?
Putting on a fake smile that only makes Jongho feel worse as the words fall through their lips, Ryn speaks, "Jongho, I'm so sorry."
Before Jongho has a chance to refute their apology and explain why it isn't their fault, another figure walks into view, looming about a foot above Ryn. With a book tucked under their shoulder, this stranger leans towards the frame, sparking a fiery anger in Jongho.
"So, this is the bat?" Her sharp accent is a stark contrast to Ryn's usual carefree and whimsy voice, and she studies Jongho as if he's an experiment.
"Don't call him that."
Ryn's voice now much stronger and stricter than he'd heard before, Jongho can tell that they aren't fond of this new character.
"Apologies." Lifting her hand to her chest, she introduces herself, "Greetings, vampire. My name is Anais, and I am head librarian here at the esteemed Ataraxia Academy for Upcoming Witches. What may you call yourself?"
"Why should I tell you, exactly? What are you doing here? You don't seem like you wish to help." Jongho stonewalls her, hands balled into fists at his side.
With a snotty-sounding laugh, Anais turns to Ryn, "Camryn, would you like to tell him, or shall I?"
"Ryn, what happened? Are you okay? What's going on with this overly-pompous witch?"
Sighing and refusing to lift their head, Ryn explains, "Miss Anais found me searching through spellbooks above my level. As a librarian at the school, the headmaster gifted her with a passive spell that forces students to answer truthfully when asked about going-ons at the library."
"Therefore, how exactly this interaction proceeds is entirely based on you, vampire. Shall I get your name now?"
Although Anais' voice stings his ears like her pretentiousness comes barbed, Jongho plays along in hopes that nothing will happen to Ryn, "My name is Jongho."
"What is your world called, Jongho? It seems that you do not reside within the realm of Uherus. Are you from a neighboring kingdom?"
"I haven't heard of that realm. I live simply in the country of Cyunth. We border along Scroy, which is more known to outsiders."
Jongho watches her reaction to these names closely as her mouth curls up in a wicked smile. Even without knowing why, Jongho can see the acknowledgment behind her eyes as it mixes with a feeling he can only recognize by the dread it gives him.
"Ah." For a woman of high speech, this simple answer irks Jongho. It even warrants a comment from Ryn, who finally lifts their head with a confused expression.
"'Ah?' Do you recognize these names?"
With a nod and a giggle, Anais shows her hand, "These were kingdoms of the past. You must remember learning of the tale of the great ruler Youngkyun when you were a child."
"The insane prince who rejected rule before coming back decades later to bring the kingdom down as revenge for his partner's death? I remember it, but what do you mean kingdoms of the past? Jongho is right here."
Waving her hand towards the mess of books and papers, Anais finds the spell used on the mirror. The page floats over to her hand and she examines it to figure out how Ryn speaks to someone from centuries prior. Upon finding the line, Anais taps the paper and nods, "I see."
"You're telling me Jongho is from the Scroy from 2400 years ago?" Ryn, still unable to process the information, asks for clarification.
"Indeed, I am. As a vampire, he might still be around now, but the chances of him remembering you from that long ago are near zero. As it stands now, you should be ending your contact with this person now. Who knows what chaos it has caused to connect with the past."
"What year is it?" Jongho asks with a flat tone as he finally understands what nonsense the other two are talking about.
"That is information we should not be admitting to you."
"3958." Ryn refuses to listen to Anais' warning, hoping that maybe he will find them if he knows when to search.
"Camryn!" The librarian scolds, "That's it. I will not let you reveal any more information to this immortal beast."
With a simple wave of a hand, the mirror reverts to its original form. Suddenly, Ryn and Anais are gone. Left staring at his own reflection, Jongho etches the numbers on the top portion of the glass with his nail.
a/n: I wrote this for @jonghostation to make her smile. I have to thank her for the idea too as we were talking about vampire!Jongho earlier today. This wasn't proofread so I'm sorry if you find any mistakes. It also serves kind of as a teaser for a vampire!san I'm writing. So pls enjoy ~
~~~
Jongho never liked to be at this place. An underground cave, functioning as a place to hold conferences of his kind and humans. He had been human too, once upon a time. Before he got turned by his maker San, but that's another story.
Today they had a meeting with some of the lords around San's land. Ever since they found out about his power they liked to bring in prisoners to "calm them down" so they wouldn't attack their lands and villages. He rolls his eyes while waiting for the humans to arrive. As if they were blood thirsty monsters. Yes they needed blood to survive but they wouldn't hunt innocent villagers down. Or at least he wouldn't. Jongho's eyes wander to his left side where the youngest turned vampire was walking back and forth. Visibly restless and hungry.
"Wooyoung. Sit down!", San says from somewhere from the side of the room eyeing the two vampires in the middle of the room.
"Don't be that harsh, he's thirsty.", a deeper calm voice answers from the entrance.
"Yeah, just like me, and I don't pace.", San snarls back but stays quiet afterwards
A sound echos through the walls.
Jongho stands up. "They are coming.", he says. Even tho he was one of the youngest his hearing always seemed to be one of the best.
Wooyoung stops in his tracks, eyes flying to the entrance while quickly moving to Jongho's side. San and Seonghwa doing the same, walking from their places to stand in front of the younger ones.
The humans arrive, a smaller Lord with two guards and three others, two male one female, probably the prisoners. Jongho tries to scan their faces but their eyes are down casted.
San takes a step forward: "Welcome.", he smiles, his fangs getting exposed but are probably going unnoticed due to his dimples, "Who did you bring us today."
"They aren't enough for us.", San's thoughts loud in their head, "what are they thinking?"
"Calm down!" He could imagine San rolling his eyes at Seonghwas answers.
Wooyoung next to him was getting anxious: "Jongho, what if we can't feed? I'm hungry, I can't-"
"It will be fine, you know it will.", he whispers back, but hondling onto Wooyoungs arm. Just in case the youngly turned would go crazy.
Through his conversation he missed the introduction of the two male prisoners but his mind was focused now on the girl who was brought forward.
"This is y/n."
"What did she do to deserve to be here?", no negative or positive feelings could be found in San's voice.
"She stole food from the kitchen this morning."
"Please, I just wanted to feed my sisters. I'm sorry.", her eyes shoot up, pleading to San to anyone to listen. But the room stayed silent, her eyes moved around the room until they found Jongho's. At the same time the guard shoved her forward so hard that she fell. The skin on her knees instantly ripping open, drops of blood falling on the floor.
It was as if time stopped. Wooyoung next to him flexed, his senses telling him to run forward to feed. But Jongho's hold on him was too strong. Surprisingly strong. The scent of her blood short cutting Jongho senses too but in another way. He didn't wanted to feast, but protect. She should be his, and his only. Wooyoung didn't register Jongho's change in behaviors before he was pressed against the wall, starring directly in Jongho's red eyes, fangs exposed.
"Don't touch her!"
Jongho never commanded, it wasn't his right but there he was and something in Wooyoung clicked, nodding, even if it just might be to stay alive.
The human lords and guards had run away the second they saw Jongho and Wooyoung fighting. But the prisoners stayed put, even only so because San was holding onto their chains.
A sigh went through San when Jongho let Wooyoung down. "You are no fun today Jongho."
Seonghwa was busy unchaining you. "Don't run away."
"I wouldn't think of it." Whatever just happend you felt strangely content being in this cave after looking in that boys eyes. Somehow you felt connected of some sort. Everything in you screamed to go to him and see if he's alright, but you stayed put on your spot.
"Don't leave a mess down here." Was the last thing you heard before you realized you were alone in the room with the boy.
He eyes you worringly. "Are you alright?"
"If I am alright? You were the one that-", you stopped when you saw his eyes, "I- I'm fine, yeah"
You send your eyes Muster the floor. What was that what you were feeling?
A soft hand on your cheek brings you back to reality, stopping you from thinking. He turned your head until your eyes found his again.
"My name is Jongho, and I promise I won't hurt you.", he says and then leans in give you a kiss on the corner of your lips, "You are mine now, and I will protect you."
