Crimson Crown

⌠56⌡

It was still pitch black when Jinyoung woke up again.

He felt groggy; due to his hangover, he could barely pull his mind together. He had awakened in the middle of the night for whatever reason-- probably just his body being odd again. He rolled over to go back to sleep, but as soon as his cheek touched the pillow, an excruciating pain shot through his mouth.

He yelped, sitting up. Now he was quite awake.

The pain pierced through his hangover, as it was the worse pain he'd ever felt in a while, especially in his mouth. He couldn't think of anything else part from the pain; it was so bad his eyes began to water.

He needed painkillers.

He swung his legs off the side of his bed, quickly standing up. He was hit with a wave of dizziness from moving too fast, but he pushed through it, keeping his stability as he reached his door. Stepping into the lit hallway, the light made his eyes hurt, and he had to stop for a brief moment. He gathered himself quickly though; the last thing he wanted was for anyone else to see him like this and begin worrying again.

He pushed forward, using the wall to stabilize himself through the pain. He never though his mouth of all places could hurt so bad; but maybe this was his punishment for being so harsh on his body recently.

He had barely gotten to the stairwell before he had to stop again, his hands clapsing his mouth. He let out a groan, louder than he meant to, but the pain was too awful to bear quietly.

All of his weight was pressed against the wall as he hoped that the pain would eventually subside enough so he could at least think straight. Before he could continue on though, he felt a strange chill that alerted his senses, as if he were being watched.

He spun around squinting down the hall. "Who's there?"

"Jinyoung? Again?"

He could recognize that husky voice, his alertness quickly subsided after hearing it. He briefly wondered why he was so on edge; but the pain he was experiencing quickly distracted him again.

"Ah- Jackson..." He stuttered, pausing as soon as he locked eyes with the latter once he stopped into the light. A slew of memories suddenly filled Jinyoung's mind, all from earlier in the night when Jackson found him drunk and he had said some things that were definitely.... unprincely. He quickly covered his mouth as if afraid he'd lose control of it.

Now was the least convenient time to be blushing and embarrassed; he just needed to get to the infirmity as soon as possible for the drugs. He quickly spun around, ignoring Jackson and scurrying away.

"Jinyoung." Jackson called again, and his quick footsteps grew louder as they approached Jinyoung while the latter attempted to get away. He placed a hand on Jinyoung's shoulder, stopping him and pulling him back. "What's wrong? I thought I told you to go to bed, yet here you are, up again. I can't rest if I don't know you're safe and well..."

"Uh, it's n-nothing..." Jinyoung mumbled from behind his hands, his eyes darting everywhere else other than at Jackson.

"Do not lie. I heard your grunting." The vampire muttered. He tugged Jinyoung toward him, removing the prince's hands from his mouth to expose his closed lips. "Your mouth is bleeding..."

The prince blinked, looking down at his hands. They were spotted with his own blood, and he could taste its irony flavor in his mouth; the scent is probably what attracted Jackson.

"Well... I lost some teeth, it makes sense that my gums aren't fully healed."

That had to be the only explanation; he didn't want to work Jackson up again over something trivial.

Jackson's eyes narrowed at the latter's mouth as he spoke. He suddenly slid his hand around Jinyoung's waist, pulling him as close as possible. "Let me see."

Jinyoung's cheeks flamed pink, and in a panic he turned his head away. "No, I just need some pain medicine then I'm going to bed, I promise—"

"Let me look at you."

Jinyoung couldn't help but obey when he was ordered like that, especially while pressed against Jackson's warm body. Jackson's piercing eyes scanned his face, the unwavering attention causing Jinyoung's heart to throb. The vampire leaned in closer, turning Jinyoung's face toward him. For a moment, Jinyoung was fooled that he might get a kiss, and he closed his eyes in preparation. Instead, Jackson's fingers pried his mouth open, coaxing his lips apart with his thumb, brows furrowing as he examined the oral cavity.

It was just a moment later that the prince heard a sharp gasp.

The sound was startling, as if Jackson had seen a ghost. Jinyoung's eyes snapped open to the latter's shocked face. Was the bleeding too much? Was there an infection? Did his gums split open?

"Is it bad?" Jinyoung questioned while trying not to panic. Jackson was not normally shocked by much, so to see his face turn white as it did was quite startling.

Without answer, Jackson gripped Jinyoung's hand and tugged him down the hall, back toward the prince's room. Jinyoung stumbled after him, trying to endure his pain in order to figure out what was going on.

"Jackson-" He called while being drug down the hall, the two quickly entering his room. Jackson shut the door behind them, his eyes still frantic despite the newfound privacy. Jinyoung stepped closer, now even more confused and concerned. "What is the meaning of this, Jackson? Talk to me."

"I messed up." He mumbled. He pushed off the door, pacing across the room.

"M-Messed up? What did you mess up?"

"I didn't know— I didn't think that would—"

Jinyoung followed him and reached for his wrist, holding him still. He'd never seen the vampire so panicked like this, and if Jackson was not collected, it was even more difficult for Jinyoung to keep himself together.

"Calm down and talk to me." The prince ordered, holding onto Jackson tight so that he wouldn't start pacing again.

Jackson let out a rough breath as the fingers of his free hand trembled through his hair. "You're turning."

"Turning?" Jinyoung repeated, confused.

"Y-You're fangs are budding." Jackson muttered as he frantically broke away from Jinyoung and walked across the room. The prince's brows furrowed at the statement while he watched Jackson grab a hand mirror that sat on his dresser, handing it over to Jinyoung. "I-... I turned you..."

Jinyoung hesitantly took the mirror, his heart pumping fast as Jackson stared at him full of guilt. He held up the mirror, angled toward his open mouth. In the reflection, his eyes caught glimpse of two sharp teeth growing through his gums in replacement of the canines he'd lost that shone in the light.

Just a moment after, the hand mirror fell to the floor, shattered.