Stinging Nettle | sunki

7 | You too?

"Pick uuuup," Sunoo pouted as he stared at the phone screen, dialing someone.

Ringing sounds could be heard all over the room, typical situation for an afternoon of a non-school day.

Finally, the screen switched to a picture of Jungwon laying on his stomach, head supported with one hand as the other was holding his phone.

"Won! Omg, it took you an eternity to pick up," the older complained.

The boy in the question rolled his eyes,
"Yeah, I've got many more important things to do than to be on the phone with you 24/7."

"Yah, you dare to talk with such an attitude? I thought I was your precious hyung but I must have been wrong..." Sunoo sulked even more.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the hyung," Jungwon muttered to himself. "Stop with it, Sunoo-ssi. You know I still love you," he said to make the latter quit being grumpy.

Their relationship was a true BFF type of relationship. Every given moment they would bicker or tease each other, yet, in the end they would cry if one of them had to leave the other.

"But I don't," Sunoo talked back.

"Hyung!"

"Fine, I'll stop. Anywho, are you busy with anything right now?"

"Nope. I'm, in fact, quite bored out. Why? Do you want to use me again?" Jungwon asked bluntly.

Sunoo felt offended, "What do you mean by again? When exactly did I use you - apparently?" He crossed his arms, waiting for a response.

"Maybe like... all the time? You always send me to a store to buy you something since you're too lazy to go out yourself and I sadly live close enough to you," Jungwon sassed.

"Huh?! That's using you? Isn't it what best friends do for each other, do them favours and etcetera?" The blond was utterly shocked by the younger's words. Was Sunoo really using him?

"Well sure, but only if the one asking for a favour gave the other something in return. Is it the case? Exactly," Jungwon asked a rhetorical question just to show the older's hypocrisy.

Sunoo did get a bit embarrassed, his cheeks turning red as he stayed quiet.

"I'm not mad, though. I wouldn't agree if I didn't want to do those things for you," the younger smiled through the camera.

"T-then," Sunoo stuttered due to his friend's previous statement. "Would you like to pay me visit me today? Talk for a bit perhaps."

"Why not, I can come over."

"Thanks! I'll be waiting. Don't rush, it's nothing serious," Sunoo made sure to mention so as not to stress the younger.

"Okay, see you in ten, hyung!" the other exclaimed before ending the facetime call.
_

Sunoo speedran the stairs after hearing knocking on his door.

"You came!" he exclaimed as he energetically opened the heavy door.

"Obviously," Jungwon rolled his eyes and came inside without asking.

Right away the blond ushered the younger to his room since he thought there was the most comfortable furniture to sit on.

"So? You got some news, hyung?" Jungwon initiated while getting on the bed.

"Yeah, I do... right.. uh," Sunoo struggled to word his thoughts, for some unknown reason he became a bit nervous about telling the other the recent story. "To put it shortly, I met someone... we are friends now! His name is Riki but everyone calls him Ni-Ki," he fidgeted with his fingers.

"Wait that's awesome! Tell me more about it, hyung~"

"He is two years younger than me... goes to the same school, he's fun to be around and everything," the blond continued.

"I hope so. How did you two meet by the way?" Jungwon asked nonchalantly, placing a pillow behind his back.

The question made Sunoo freeze. What he was supposed to reply with?! He can't simply tell the truth, he had already made a pledge which would mean that he couldn't share any vampire related information to anyone unauthorised.

"About that-"

Great, Sunoo lost from the very beginning. Starting a sentence with those words meant he wasn't sure about the topic. Considering it is pretty much imposible to be unsure about an event you experienced yourself a few days ago - the blond could already give up with the lying.

"We met at a... café!" he flashed an awkward smile.

Jungwon wasn't buying it, "No you didn't. You can't lie to me Sunoo-ssi, you are a literal open book."

The cat looking boy was correct. About nineteen percent of the time Sunoo's attempts to lie were unsuccessful. Not that it discouraged him to do it. If anything, he overused the technique to the point where he mastered being horrible at lying. Real dedication indeed.

"You are my best friend, right? Will you pinky promise not to tell anyone... and not to freak out too - probably?" Sunoo looked the other in the eyes, knowing there was no other way to escape the situation.

"Of course, hyung. Whatever it is, I will keep shut," the younger reassured.

Suddenly the chill and fun atmosphere in the room vanished, being replaced by a more serious and mysterious one. Jungwon became wary, sensing the older hid some confidential story behind his teeth.

Sunoo took a deep breath, "I met Ni-Ki at my house, actually. He a-accidentally flew through my window during the night as he is a vampire." He squeezed his eyes shut while telling the story in order not to feel so much anxiety. "Instead of being angry and judgy I accepted his identity and that's how we became friends. I appreciate him a lot and promised not to tell anyone about it all but I f-failed miserably I guess."

Sunoo's heartbeat fastened, every word adding to his apprehension.

"Oh, Sunoo-ssi!" Jungwon quickly embraced the older, rubbing his back, "It's totally okay."

"Wh-what do y-you mean by it. You aren't allowed to know the secret," the blond spoke in a shaky voice. Being too caught up in his worries, he didn't realise when the younger started hugging him.

"Can I show you something?" Jungwon asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"Huh?"

Jungwon let go off of the older, sitting in front of him with a calm expression. Seeing Sunoo calming down a little, he smiled with his teeth showing as he opened his mouth a bit to make the lower teeth separate from the upper.

Sunoo gasped as he covered his mouth with a hand out of reflex. Two shiny fangs were visible between other Jungwon's teeth, they were quite long - but most importantly - definitely sharp as a knife.

"See, it's okay," Jungwon repeated with his tone as full of tranquil as before.

"So you're one of them...?"

"I am."
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