『Schadenfreude』▷ jaesahi。

l u k e w a r m

Morning light shone from the window as the curtains swayed with the breeze and Asahi found himself tucked beneath the weight of Jaehyuk's arm, finally awake after a night full of blood. Betraying his uptight character, he didn't make a move to push off the man who was embracing him tightly, allowing him to do as pleased.

His eyes— swirling with billows of cavernet sauvignon and needled with arrows of pitch black— settled onto the blotch of white that was stuck on the other's skin. It was true luck that his fangs weren't much too sharp, otherwise Jaehyuk's neck would likely to have been punctured too deeply and caused the doctor unnecessary suspicion. The wound was already mended with gauze, but the other marks left on his body were far from disguised.

For a split second, his head pounded with pain and the clear memories of the night before flooded into his mind, although he could already guess what had transpired even without them. He exhaled softly, aware that there was no way to turn back time and accepting everything without regret.

Instead he gazed upon Jaehyuk's figure, unable to tell whether it was confidence or foolishness that allowed him to slumber so well in the face of his nemesis. However, he needed not more than a moment to discern it as aplomb for he knew no less that anyone how cunning this man was.

Full of honor and pride was he, but Asahi was no fool.

Saved had he been by Jaehyuk's blood not out of goodwill. In sooth, his weakened state of mind that had been controlled by his thoughtless hunger was thoroughly used by the man for his own behoof. There was null benevolence in his actions, aught done for the fulfillment of his own goal.

Equinox.

In earthly terms, for the night and the day to be of the very same length— but for vampiric beings such as themselves, it was the transition of a human into becoming a vampire. The rarest of all occurrences.

Rare as it was, equinox was anything but easy nor could it be defined by jargon of complicated phrases. It was but a matter of luck, somewhat similar to a game of lottery where there was no certainty that a price even existed.

However, for Asahi who possessed a vampiric soul and a human body, his equinox had already begun. The proof of this was his lukewarm body, not cold enough to be called a vampire's body yet not warm enough to be that of any human. He was standing on the thin grey line between vampires and humanity, an existence belonging neither to each.

Consume no blood and he shall die; but powerless as a human his measly body was.

"Pitiful, aren't you?" Jaehyuk murmured into his ear mockingly, fully awake. "A pureblood vampire reduced into a halfling. Ah, and you were a noble too."

Asahi didn't waste a beat to reply. "Yes, indeed," he tilted his head so that his lips were only an inch away from the other's bare neck. "So what does that make you, a human who fed me his blood?"

Jaehyuk gave a lopsided grin.

"A livestock. Halfling or not, you are a being that requires blood to live. A mere human such as me is nothing more than food."

Observing the man's flawlessly made mask, Asahi found his attempt to determine the implications that laid beneath those words burn into failure. He gazed up onto the pretty face that made him want to puke his guts out, eyebrows creasing almost unnoticeably.

"Then, why aren't you letting go of me yet, Sir Livestock?"

"My, Sir Ettore," the other's eyes turned into crescents as he smiled far too nicely at Asahi. "How despicable could you be, pushing me aside after ravaging fragile little me like a beast all night long? And here I even dared move you into the VIP ward, for us to be provided with some privacy."

Irritation flowed into Asahi like a raging river, but his countenance remained calm.

"Then—"

He swung up, swerving down and placing himself atop Jaehyuk's figure.

"— would you—"

He hovered over the Korean, running his tepid fingertips along the gauze on his neck.

"— like to be ravaged by this feral beast once more, dear sir?"

Jaehyuk's mien loosened and he took Asahi's hand into his, pushing it away from his neck. He gave a false smile of regret, gingerly holding onto the other's slender fingers.

"Apologies," he pronounced, although there was not an ounce of sincerity in his tone. "I am not quite as vulgar as you are, wanting to do it so early in the morning."

"Don't talk like we did something like that."

"Didn't we?"

"Why in the devil's name would we?"

Bursting into a fit of unsuppressed chortles, Jaehyuk covered his mouth in a failed attempt to stop his laughter as he rambunctiously guffawed. Above him, Asahi viewed him with indiscernible eyes.

"Are you perhaps annoyed, Sir Ettore?"

"Certainly more than just annoyed, Livestock."

And laugh once again did Jaehyuk, incredibly amused at the other's unexpected response.

"Oh dear," he simpered. "I feel quite lightheaded. It seems that you've consumed a little too much of my blood, no?"

"You got a blood transfusion before falling asleep."

"Indeed, but it does not change that I feel unwell. How shall you be responsible for making me ill and for the wounds you inflicted in my body with your fangs?"

Impassively, Asahi trailed his gaze upon the other's bare upper body, glancing at the marks of red foisted by his dull fangs. A hand of his slid into one of those, tracing the red of Jaehyuk's arm.

Then up he shifted his eyes, staring straight into the other's dark eyes with his own red ones.

"How about I turn you into a vampire too?"

In an instant, a complacent curve appeared on Jaehyuk's lips. "And on what grounds must you say that?"

"Equinox," Asahi answered with ease. "You help me finish mine and I'll begin yours."

Pleased with the reply, Jaehyuk weaved his fingers into the halfling's dark locks, a leer on his face as he espied the man above him with a guise of rechercé. He smiled at the other with unknown, but perceptible intent.

"A barter for blood and fangs, is it not?"

Asahi didn't waste a second to dive into his cervix and sink his teeth parallel to the wound on the other side and blood poured out of Jaehyuk's neck, quick to be swathed by the halfling's venturing tongue and leaving only its red trails as Asahi imbibed his intoxicating blood.

Pain enveloped Jaehyuk's form, natheless he quivered at the other's pleasing touch.

-----

Y'all better not misunderstand cause they didn't do anything sus the night before. Asahi just bit Jaehyuk like fifty times and left marks on his body because he was super hungry.

Yup.