𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄! ( s.cb + l.f )

19| elemental

Changbin sat at the kitchen table, one arm outstretched and ready to be used as a means to get blood in order to save Felix's life. Seungmin had tied a tourniquet around the upper part of the raven haired boy's arm as a means of stopping the flow of blood through one of his veins in order for the redhead to be able to easily draw the liquid from Changbin's body. As he watched Seungmin pull a pair of light blue latex gloves onto his hands, he continued to pump his fist in order to keep his arm from falling asleep. The tourniquet was tight to the point of pain, but Changbin refused to back out of the process, even though Seungmin gave him that option many times. The raven haired boy was absolutely terrified of the needle that would be going into his flesh. After years of feeling nothing but pain and suffering at the points of needles, he certainly wasn't the happiest person about having to face one yet again. But, he knew that there was a chance that his blood could save Felix's life, and Changbin would do absolutely anything to save him. Anything.

"Are you sure about this?" The redhead asked for what felt like the hundredth time within the span of five minutes.

"Yes," he nodded.

"Now hurry up and do it."

He wanted things to be over quickly, but Seungmin seemed to be taking his sweet time. He'd gathered a needle that was smaller than any of the others he'd ever seen, and it had a short, thin line of tubing that connected to a syringe that would catch Changbin's blood. Normally, the syringe would just be connected to the needle itself, but because the redhead didn't feel confident enough to use a large needle, he was settling for a more complex contraption that would make the risks less prominent. A butterfly needle as he called it was being used in the collection of Changbin's blood, and though it would take a minute or so longer to get the full amount needed, it was the safer option. The raven haired boy's veins were a bit smaller than normal, so Seungmin needed to be extra careful. And while the redhead was very smart, he didn't trust himself enough to be able to stick a large needle in Changbin's tiny veins and be successful with it. The butterfly needle was their best bet, for Seungmin's mental state as well as Changbin's well being.

If anything were to go seriously wrong, the raven haired boy could be in serious trouble. Seungmin wasn't technically a medical professional, but he did know how to properly draw blood. Despite that though, he was nervous, and his hands were shaking ever so slightly. Because he didn't want to freak Changbin out, he didn't explain the dangers of what he was doing (which were pretty damn horrifying). If Seungmin made even one drastic wrong move, the vein in Changbin's arm could be ruptured, and if that were to occur, any number of things could happen. It could result in the raven haired boy having to have the arm cut off if the blood flow to the limb was severed completely. However, if the ruptured vein led to sepsis, then Changbin could possibly die before help arrived.

"You know that this probably won't work, right?" Seungmin questioned gravely as he cleaned off a spot on the raven haired boy's arm with a alcohol prep pad.

"What?" Changbin questioned, his eyes widening slightly.

"I thought you said you know how to draw blood!"

The redhead shook his head.

"Not about the blood drawing, Changbin. I'm saying that your blood probably won't save Felix. You're not a Human Vessel. Just because Crimson Vector tested on you doesn't make you one. It just means that you're lucky to be alive right now," Seungmin told him bluntly.

And, for once in his life, Changbin realized that he really and truly was lucky to be alive. He was lucky because he got to meet Felix, and speak to Felix, and hold Felix, and sleep next to Felix...He was lucky because he was alive at the same time as Felix, and the younger boy was the only person that had ever made Changbin feel like his life wasn't just completely and utterly meaningless.