Meridian ◈ Seungjin

50 ◈ Scales

The shadows grew long in the empty corridor.

The wall thumped loudly as his spine rattled into the surface, his fists swatting at the hands as they tossed him carelessly into the surface.

A laugh. Bitter, and mocking the writhing struggle. It asked,

"Who do you think you are?"

His hands pressed into the wall as he steadied himself and backed his form against it's protection. He snapped,

"Your Messiah."

"That's cute."

"I haven't gotten a thank you for my entire existence in your pathetic life you fuck."

"Tad touchy."

"It's not your neck on the line," He pressed off the wall. His hand slung around, balling up in a fist as he seethed, "I'm going to be strung up!"

His wrist was caught. His feet snagged, collapsing beneath the weight of the pull as he was violently torn into the world of the mocking eyes calling him down.

"For your mess up, you should be."

"Hyunjin?"

The mentioned vampire immediately let go of Jisung, casually backing away as his usual neutral innocence overcame his features. Neither placid, pleased, or affected. Simply existing. Simply bored. And if anyone concentrate enough to peer behind the surrender, simply annoyed. He glanced to the approaching figure, recognizing him as a bewildered Chan hurriedly approaching the two locked in the corner of the hallway, before shifting himself back to the image the older vampire was undeniably attentive too; The disgruntled human still kneeled on the floor. His shoulders hunched, palms pressed down to stabilize himself, ragged breaths furious and bitter with each forced huff from the small cage of his chest breaking apart as if each of his ribs pulled through his back like wings.

"You need to be more careful," Hyunjin crouched down to the human with a light click of his tongue, offering his hand back to Jisung as he muttered loud enough to be heard, "This is the second time you've tripped."

Jisung broke a weary smile at him. He took the vampire's hand, "My mistake."

Hyunjin bobbed his head in a mindless nod as he helped the other to stand firmly on his own feet, hands slipping from the tense grip he kept on the other as soon as Jisung was able to balance himself. The human made a show of brushing himself off; Dusting the palms of his hands off against his gray uniform slacks, swooshing the trouser fabric around his knees clean off the grimy mites of snagged staples and dust specks which caught in the carpeted floors, readjusting the angle the sleeves sloped down his arms sat at, before shifting on his heel with another tossed smile concealing the twitches of his eyebrows at the vampire. He waved briefly to the encroaching Chan, afterward wheeling on his heel and stepping away.

The observing eyes followed his back as he marched away. The quiet steps threatening to turn to stomps, the loose hands warning to fold into enveloping fists, the subtle quirks, rolls, and snaps, hunching, ironing out the expression matted behind the concealment of his hair twisted on his scalp. He watched their masked existence. Waiting for them to slip up. Waiting for them to trip. Waiting for them to make their presence known, for when he would become a danger, for when an excuse for reciprocation would be acceptable. Though that chance never came. The human remained daunting. Forward. He scurried away from the two vampires, never returning his stare to their presence in the echos of the corridor.

Chan halted beside Hyunjin. In a second, his gaze raked over the younger's indifferent nonchalant, searching for the cracks dug deep underneath the plastered expression. Upon finding nothing, Chan pressed, "What was that about?"