Nadir ◈ Seungjin

4 ◈ Reasons for Everything

The door ripped open.

Revealing the sun as it shined brightly at the pair. A wide smile and excited eyes, the lips concealing a shattered fang behind their thrill.

The sunshine in the doorway, Felix, nearly shouted with that overly cheerful grin, "Seungmin!"

"Bullshit," The human hissed underneath his breath, loud enough for the vampire beside him to hear. His gaze shifting away from the other two as he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, eyes crunching to scrutinize the commercial bore of carpet in the apartment's hallways. Similar to the carry-on size suitcase Minho was wheeling after himself, Seungmin griped hard at a cardboard box sealed shut tight with the glossy peel of packaging tape. A testament to his protest of Minho having to drag him outside to leave their apartment. What few items he had inside bare necessity, enough to float him through the next few days. Minho did offer for him to use the carry-on instead of his musty box, but they both quickly discovered the package stored more of the needed relics of salvation.

After a long tussel in the dawning sun that morning, the vampire did manage to convince Seungmin to temporarily vacate the apartment until the case could be resolved; After realizing his slurry enough scare tactics to fuel a child's nightmares for generations to come weren't effective, Minho changed his attack plan to simple bribery, meaning the only reason either of them were standing at Felix's doorway was because Minho now owed Seungmin a new chess set after his other subsequently, but accidentally, was broken by the other four when they were trying to move in to their current living space, plus a few extra vacation days. Mainly because of the chess set.

"I'm here too?" Minho reminded, eyes widening slightly as he witnessed the bundle of sunshine beaming brightly at the unreceptive human.

Felix looked him up and down a few times. He hummed a monotonous tone in the back of his mouth, before he commented blandly, "Other Lee."

"What did you call me?" Minho scowled.

A silence stretched between the two vampires.

Both of them refusing to break their connected eye contact.

Seungmin stood awkwardly to the side, his grip on his lazy cardboard box tightening down as he observed the tension between them.

In an instant, the strain disintegrated to grins on both of their faces. The tough air turned to soft returns of 'It's so great to see you again' despite not being a part for more than a few months wrapped up in the tight hug Minho pulled Felix into, the two of them waddling as the ray of sunlight dawned again with jubilant giggles. They forced themselves apart, one last smile between them as Felix held onto Minho's biceps keeping him within arms length for a moment more to allow him to scan him over. His gaze like the beams of a lighthouse, highlighting the unbreakable fog that darkened their expressions the last few hours, returning the joy both to Minho and to Seungmin who watched the scene unfold. Even if he didn't want to admit the feeling was bubbling back to his chest, he couldn't suppress the quirk of his lips anymore.

Reluctantly, Felix released his hold on Minho, steps bouncing him along as he opened the door to the apartment wider. Immediately, their noses were assaulted with a honeyed scent of vanilla and chocolate chips wafting from the inside. A type of warmth from the evening sunset radiating behind. Felix ushered them, "Come in, come in. Make yourselves at home. It's kind of messy, but I cleared out the guest bedroom for both of you so stay as long as you need to."

Eagerly, Minho took his carry-on suitcase and wheeled it into the apartment.

Seungmin tapped his hands on the box hugged tightly to his chest for comfort. Hesitantly. Unsure if he should follow after the other vampire or stay in the dampness of the building's hallway, this apartment was far less expensive than the one he and Minho lived in. He stayed as he was. Unwilling to discover what laid on the other side of that doorway. Despite the beautiful smell curling around their bodies, despite the golden waiting on the other side, despite the welcome they were given confirming it was alright for him to come inside, he hesitated at the border of that open threshold. The entrance to another world within their own. One foreign and unfamiliar. One dotted with what seemed to be a homely comfort, but he couldn't tell for certain how true that was.