crimson Eclipse

I had enough. -Jongho

Mingi sat comfortably on the couch, snacking on chips while watching a movie. The room was scantily lit, with the shadows falling onto the wall and making it cozier but at the same time almost eerie. The sound of chips crunching reverberated in the air while his eyes remained fixed on the screen, totally engrossed in the action.

Like usual, Jongho cleaned up the kitchen, moving around briskly as he put away the scattered grocery bags. He knew that at any time things could escalate when one was dealing with a group of vampires, and so he kept a wary eye on them. Sideways, he cast a look at Seonghwa, who was lying indolently on the couch, flipping through the channels in a bored manner.

"You know," Mingi said absent-mindedly, crunching on another chip, "I don't think I've ever seen you guys actually sleep."

Seonghwa turned his head to one side, his lips tracing a half-hearted smile. "We're just. more productive at night," he replied with a casual nonchalance, fully aware of the truth behind their nocturnal habits.

Yunho merely looked up-smirking-on the floor, leaning against the couch. "Yeah, night owls or something. We thrive when the sun goes down."

Mingi nodded, completely buying it, his eyes wide with interest. "That's so weird. I need like ten hours of sleep or I'm useless. If I don't get my beauty sleep, I turn into a grumpy monster!"

Wooyoung finally piped up, just entering the room with a sly grin, "So that's what's been wrong with you all this time! We've just been too kind to point it out."

Mingi tossed a chip at him playfully, which Wooyoung dodged with exaggerated flair. "Hey! No throwing food in my kingdom!"

Jongho let out a sigh and moved to continue cleaning the counter. "Some people just have different levels of energy, Mingi," he said, looking over at Wooyoung with a silent, amused expression.

"Or need to shun the sun before they spontaneously combust," Jongho mused to himself, shaking his head at that thought.

Off to the side, Seonghwa snickered at Jongho's expression. "Honestly, if I went out into the sunlight, I'd probably sparkle and burst into flames simultaneously.

Yeosang lay beside him, reading, but raised an eyebrow. "Sparkle? Really? Next thing, you're going to say you've been watching those vampire movies again."

"Not the sparkling ones!" Seonghwa shot back, throwing a pillow in Yeosang's direction. "But seriously, some of them are just so bad, they're good!"

"Speak for yourself," Yeosang said, rolling his eyes and plunging back into his book. "But I prefer my fiction to be a bit more realistic."

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Mingi was blissfully chilling on the couch next to Yeosang when, Wooyoung came back, bursting into the room, looking flustered.

"Seonghwa! You took the last of the blood packs again!" Wooyoung shouted, then was too late to catch himself.

Mingi shot straight up, startled, eyes fluttering about in puzzlement. "Blood packs? What are you talking about?"

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Jongho spoke for a speedy recovery. "Wooyoung means... the red sports drinks. Seonghwa's addicted to them."

Wooyoung picked up in a snap. "Yeah! You know the ones. The vampire-themed brand? Total gimmick."

Mingi shrugged, scratching his head. "Weird taste, but okay. I mean, I can't really judge. I love weird snacks."

Jongho let out a sigh of relief but warily gazed over at Wooyoung. Careless, he thought. 

"Seriously, Seonghwa," Wooyoung carried on, attempting to lighten the mood, "we gotta put limits. I really can't keep hunting for drinks every time it crosses my mind that I want one."

Seonghwa huffed and leaned himself against the doorframe, smirking. "You're just jealous 'cause I can have them all in one go and be just fine."

"Maybe 'cause you're a bloodthirsty fiend!!" Wooyoung shot back, his arms folding in mock indignation.

Mingi chuckled, obviously enjoying the teasing." bloodthirsty??!! You guys are, like, too funny. But for real, how do you even drink those things? They seem. intense."

"Definitely not for the faint-hearted," Yeosang said, leaning against Mingi and snatching some popcorn from his hand. "You gotta acquire the taste for 'em. It's an experience in itself!"

"Exactly!" Seonghwa agreed melodramatically, with motions of his arms. "It's like an art. You have to savor every drop."

Mingi raised an eyebrow, looking quite curious. "Maybe I should give them a try. They must be nice, after all, if Seonghwa is so addicted to them, right?"

Jongho, ready to be done with the conversation, quickly interjected. "Yeah, super nice. Anyway, I'll be in the kitchen."

He left the room, finding Yunho and Hongjoong there, unpacking groceries.

"Check this out," Hongjoong said, flashing a photo of an ancient-looking cathedral lit by moonlight. "I'm thinking of captioning it: 'We are of the night, flourishing where others fear to tread.'"

Jongho raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're gonna post that? You're literally screaming 'I'm a vampire' to the world."

Hongjoong shrugged, the mischievous glint not leaving his eyes. "It's poetic."

Jongho sighed, shaking his head. "It's cryptic and dramatic. You do know Mingi's bound to find this one day, right?"

"I'll make sure to block him," Hongjoong said, grinning before his face turned serious. "But I get it. No drawing attention."

Yunho chuckled and patted Jongho on the shoulder. "You're like our unofficial manager at this point. Always looking out for everyone."

"Yeah, and in fact I'm this close to giving up. I'm tired everywhere I go. I cover up," he lamented. "Just why can't we tell him?"

Hongjoong, half-heartedly, shrugged. "Yunho's against it."Jongho shot him the really look. 

"I have been friends with Mingi for a long time I prefer to keep it that way until one day he figures it out. Don't worry, he will find out... someday." Yunho said.

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