Without My Drug / Chapter Eleven

[minwhore]

Title: Without My Drug / Chapter Eleven
Author: Nicole Fang
Rating: Pg-13 ~ NC-17
Pairings: 2Min, side!JongKey
Genre(s): AU, supernatural, a slice of horror (maybe), romance, violence, angst, slight-humor
Summary: There were lines that weren’t meant to be crossed. There was a line for falling for your enemy, and a line for a vampire hunter being in love with a vampire (and vice versa). Too bad Minho and Taemin seemed to cross both. Now they’ll both have to deal with the consequences of their actions. 
Quick Author's Note: If anyone is currently stanning the new group B1A4, you should go, watch, and join the ok_b1a4 community. ^^ I have plans to be writing a lot in that fandom too (currently working on a fic with 2min, YunJae, and Jiyoung/Gongchan - Jichan? lol). Any help with the community will definitely be appreciated, from promoting it to just joining. I'd also like to have any experienced mods, so if you're interested... ;D <3 Anyways~ Enjoy!!

For other chapters please check the master ficlist!


CHAPTER ELEVEN

Determined, he stood up and walked after Yunho, tripping on the carpet but righting himself immediately after. He glanced around, hoping no one saw that before hurrying after the other vampire.

“Yunho?” he asked once he had caught up, staying a relative pace behind the other. Giving a grunt of acknowledgement, Yunho turned his head around to question Onew as they started to descend the stairs. Onew decided to forge ahead, disregarding that little hate-human fact about Yunho. “Do you think you’ll ever find a human, or maybe even a Hunter, you’ll like?”

The older vampire seemed to freeze a millisecond at the question before resuming on. Onew tried his hardest not to fall down the stairs at the sudden change in pace. Silence reined between them before an answer came.

“No.”

Onew contained a wince at the cold tone the vampire used. Well, at least Yunho had a reason to be acting that way.

“All they’re good for is fresh blood, nothing more, nothing less.”

Aish. Yeah, there had to be something in the air for that vision of his to come true and his brother was definitely affected by it somehow. But what could it be? He wanted to tear his hair out from frustration. Maybe there was some old books on this crap or something?

He was hit by a sudden realization though, that seriously made him miss a stair. He would’ve ended up sprawled at the bottom of the staircase had Yunho not caught him.

“Oi, pay attention,” Yunho groused, obviously no longer in a good mood and currently sulking. Onew rolled his eyes at him before making his way quickly down the stairs, beckoning with a hand for the other to hurry up. He had to get this working quickly. Once they were down, Yunho seemed to still be irritated at him, snapping an, “Okay, your Highness, what the hell do you want?”

“Oh, stop being a grump,” Onew told him, frowning. His face brightened again, looking very much like a certain brother of his as his eyes crinkled. “I want you to help me go to the human world.”

“…what?!”

--

Taemin leaned against the Hunter as Minho ate his dinner, a genuine smile curving his lips as his hands played around with the other’s. They had been together for the past three days, and it had actually been blissful. Things were more calm and relaxing than ever when they were together, and he found himself closer to the Hunter than anyone else out there (well, except for Key-hyung, that is). It was like he was in a warm dream, and he found himself never wanting to come out. He could happily die like this.

There was a comfortable peace between them as Taemin laid his head down on Minho’s shoulder.

“It’s really weird, you know,” he told the Hunter finally, his eyes forming moons of happiness as he looked at the wall.

“Hm?”

“No matter what, I can’t seem to think of you as an enemy anymore.” Minho chuckled at that, bouncing their clasped hands on his thigh playfully.

“Oh, I thought you were going to mention how weird it was that you’re way older than me.”

Taemin frowned at that, moving to glare at Minho while his nose scrunched up in indignation. “Yah! If anything, you should respect me more, not make fun of me. Besides, you don’t even know my real age.” Minho tweaked his nose in response, giving him a smile.

“Don’t be like that,” the Hunter told him, looking far too amused for his own good, “I was just joking with you. Kind of.” Taemin felt his eye twitch before sighing to release any childish anger he felt. He leaned back on the Hunter, giving the hand in his grasp a squeeze.

“You know, you never told me why you became a Hunter,” he said instead, knowing it was a sketchy subject to talk about but too curious to heed the warnings in his head. Minho inhaled, surprised, at how blunt the question was worded, stiffening a little before relaxing. Taemin smiled when he felt this - he was happy that the human was actually opening up to him little by little.

“It’s a pretty boring tale,” Minho said, giving a small shrug as to not jiggle Taemin’s head too much. “Besides, you never told me how you became a vampire.” Taemin quieted after that, thinking. Huh, had he not? Well, a touchy subject for a touchy subject is what Minho seemed to be aiming for.

He wasn’t one to disappoint.

“You tell your story and I’ll tell mine,” he said, smiling. He wanted to hear Minho’s story no matter what, even if it did mean recalling his past pains. Maybe this would help him take off some stress, even.

Minho leaned his head down on top of Taemin’s and sighed in resignation. “Fine.”

--

Truthfully, Minho was a little wary of telling this story. He hadn’t told anyone about it before, and the only ones who knew about it were those who saw the news article and the head honchos over at the Brotherhood.

Taemin seemed to seriously be curious about it though, if the small sliver of a whine in his voice told Minho anything. And right now, all Minho wanted to do was spoil the vampire. Maybe getting this off his chest wasn’t such a bad idea.

He would try, at least - for Taemin and for himself. He had made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t hold anything back when he dived into this, and that included his past.

However, as the tale began, the pain from his loss coming back to hit him all at once. But now, the floodgate had been opened. There was no way of stopping him from telling this now.

“When I was little, I had a happy family. I had an older brother who I greatly admired, and a mother and father who loved each other. We were pretty normal. We loved each other in a way that only family could, but then…”

--

A kid stood in the driveway of his house, eyes wide with shock. A stream of red liquid ran down the concrete from the garage, mockingly shining as the sun glared down. Maybe…maybe it was paint or something… This wasn’t what he thought it was, right?

This couldn’t be real, right?

Yet, as he approached the garage with shaky knees, his childish mind could only supply him with the answer he most dreaded.

Why was blood leaking out from the garage?

Fear was threatening to drown him then, but a drive he didn’t know he had filled him with determination to find out what was wrong. Running around, he opened the front door (which was unlocked) as silently as he could, leaving it open in case he had to run before cautiously making his way to the garage.

The inside of the house was a mess. It was like a giant fight had broken though his living room, completely crushing anything in its way. Papers were scattered and their family heirloom, a vase, was smashed, the pieces scattered here and there. Their aquarium was broken, the water and the dead fish near the area. The wall even had a hole, large enough for a person to fit their fist in it. It seemed so surreal to him, like he was watching a horror movie that came to life, everything silent and dark...and still... too, too still.

He walked through this, despite his wobbly knees which were trembling due to the shock and horror pulsing through him.

But nothing was more shocking than what he saw next.

The sight of his mother’s dead body stopped him cold. There wasn’t any blood surrounding her. The only thing that made him believe she was dead was the blue tint on her pale lips - her cheeks, however, still had a faint rosy hue. He saw the two puncture holes in her neck but didn’t really know what to do with the information at the moment. Too stunned to do anything, he took two shaky steps before collapsing on the ground near the body, tugging on her blouse. He couldn’t believe it…didn’t want to believe it.

“Umma…” he whispered, tugging at the shirt more. “Umma, wake up. Hyung put you up to this, right? The prank isn’t funny!”

Inside him, something began to crack.

He blinked away tears - silly, why was he crying? - as he took in her pained expression, eyes dull and faded from their normal vibrancy. His heart kept telling him that this had to be a game they were playing, even as his mind told him different. Being a child still, he listened to his heart and got up.

Desperate to prove to himself that this was a prank now, he raced over to the garage door, stepping on any food carelessly flung aside on the floor, and flung it open. However, all that lay in wait was only more horror. The first one came right in front of the doorway.

His father was in a similar state like his mom, lips blue but cheeks red. What made his eyes widen in terror was the way his father was bent. It looked like he’d been twisted, limbs warped at unnatural angles. Again, he saw the odd puncture holes.

He tried to swallow, to take a deep breath in but he couldn’t…he couldn’t. His appa was a strong man who knew multiple martial arts…there was no way he could be defeated, right? This seriously had to be a joke.

The crack began to spread like a web.

“Minho-yah,” a whisper came. It sounded pained. He froze when he realized who the voice belonged to and slowly lifted his wide eyes to finally see his brother lying near the large, metal garage door.

His brother was decidedly the worst of the three. Blood pooled around him, the first red substance he’d seen throughout the entire thing. Maybe it was the liquid, seeing it so bluntly thrust in his face as it was, made the sight worse, or maybe it was seeing his brother’s naked chest covered in large gashes, which probably led to the overflowing blood.

Already, a tint of blue was spreading over his hyung’s lips.

“Minho-yah,” his brother tried again, looking like he was using up all his strength just to call his name. Minho opened his mouth to ask what the crap was going on before his hyung whispered something that had the last piece of the puzzle crack inside of him.

“Run. The vampire is…still…here…”

And right as the vampire sprang at him from hiding, Minho glimpsed at the face before everything around him burst up into flames.

--

Minho paused in telling his story. Taemin was silent too, but the Hunter couldn’t sense any discomfort from the vampire; the silence had been formed due to Taemin processing everything.

“Do you know who killed your family?” Taemin finally asked, looking at Minho. The words were said coldly, but Minho could tell the anger wasn’t directed at him - it was directed toward the murderer.

“No,” he said softly. “But I burned the image of that man’s face into my memory. I will never forget it.” The vampire nodded, leaning back into Minho. He seemed a little satisfied with Minho’s answer, and the Hunter let a wary grin tug at his lips before continuing.

“So that’s when my latent powers awoke,” he said. “When I woke up, I was in the hospital and my neighbors were there. They were Hunters too, and they introduced me to the world of vampires. Through their recommendation, I was able to start training to become a Hunter.”

“It’s a revenge thing, then?” Taemin questioned, pressing closer to Minho’s side.

“Pretty much. I’m surprised I can share this with you, you know. It’s only been three weeks or so since I realized all vampires aren’t bad. For me to do a one-eighty like this…” The red-head laughed at that, a small smile lighting up his face. Minho felt that infuriatingly warm feeling in his chest again, causing a smile of his own to tug at the corners of his mouth.

“I’m surprised too, don’t worry. You hated us so much… I’m just happy you’re okay with sharing this.”

“Yes, well, it’s not like I’m now gaining anything from telling you this. You owe me a story, if you don’t remember,” He smirked, though he knew that if Taemin really didn’t want to tell him, he wouldn’t be able to find it in himself to pressure Taemin. Minho was curious though. Especially since Taemin had told him all those nights ago that drank from animals.

“I guess it’s time to fess up then, huh?” Taemin murmured, a mirthless chuckle coming from his lips. “Mine’s a bit more boring than yours, unfortunately. I saved a boy from getting beat up and got killed in return.”

--

Start of Interlude II

“I heard that gang killed someone again.”

Concerned, Taemin turned around to face Jinki, a light frown taking over his features. His hyung was right next to him, angrily chopping the vegetables they had gotten from the market a little earlier that day.

“Hyung, be careful,” he warned, watching his brother carelessly handle the knife. He knew how clumsy his brother could get sometimes, and he had no intentions of seeing his brother cut off a finger or two. Jinki sighed, putting the knife down and facing him. “I know you’re angry about them - everyone is - but we can’t do much with the power and status we have now. They’re all from noble families, after all.”

Jinki gave him a look. “Are you sure you’re younger than me, Taemin-ah?” he said, an eyebrow cocking as his lips spread into that gentle smile Taemin loved to see on his brother’s face. He snorted in response, going back to cutting his share of veggies.

“Just shut up and cook,” he muttered, making a face down at the food in front of him.

“I think you hang out with Kibum-sshi too much. You’ve become rude to your beloved brother!” Jinki exclaimed, sounding like he was pouting. Taemin opened his mouth to respond but a loud, hacking could that came from the other side of the room made them freeze. Whipping their heads around to stare, they looked worriedly at the bundle on the bed, rags used as blankets piled on top and a bucket of water near the bed.

Taemin’s forehead scrunched down in distress. Why could he do nothing to help his mother, who’s condition seemed to be getting worse lately?

When the coughing stopped, their mother still asleep though she had a pained look on her face, Jinki and Taemin turned back to their cooking, an uneasy, troubled silence forming between the two brothers.

“Are you sure you can’t ask Kibum-sshi to take a case against the gang?” Jinki broke the silence once again.

“You know I can’t ask him,” Taemin murmured back, discouraged. “I don’t want him to suffer from any consequences. If he does that, something might backfire.”

“Taemin, those people are robbing from us common folk. They even trashed the medicine merchant we go to for umma’s stuff! Now look at her! She’s going to die at this rate!”

“Stop!” Taemin barked back, glaring at his brother. He took in the anger in his brother’s eyes, the helplessness in how his body was slumped over. Shocked, Jinki jerked back. Taemin couldn’t blame him - rarely did he raise his voice against his family members, but really, what the hell was up with his hyung today? “I can’t believe you just said that, hyung! If you’re going to be this way today, then go outside and cool your head down. Just because your new job works you hard doesn’t mean you can take your anger out like that and use those words.”

Still looking stunned, Jinki nodded, face blank as he carefully put the knife down and left the small house.

Once his brother was out of the house, Taemin sighed again and walked over to his mother, checking her temperature and washing the rag on her forehead with the bucket of water before replacing it.

“I’m glad you weren’t awake for that, umma. I know you hate it when we fight,” he said, sitting down on the ground and taking her hand, pressing the back of it to his cheek. “But I can’t put up with hyung when he’s like that. I hope you won’t be so angry about it. I sent him out for a little; he’ll be back though. Jinki-hyung is strong enough to pull through this.”

After a moment, Taemin blew out a breath and got up, dusting his hands and resumed with chopping the vegetables.

Little did he know, he would never see his brother again.

--

It’s been two days since then, Taemin thought to himself, flopping onto the ground. He was back in his spot in the meadow, looking up at the darkening sunset as he contemplated. What happened, hyung? I know you’re stronger than this, so why aren’t you coming back home yet?

“And, once again, you look troubled.”

Startled, Taemin shot up into a sitting position, staring up wide-eyed at Kibum. His friend looked down on him with amusement, a grin on his lips.

“Kibum-hyung!” he breathed, eyes still wide and hand going up to rub at his forehead, irritated beyond belief. “Don’t do that again! You almost gave me a heart attack!”

The other rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he gracefully sat down next to Taemin. (Why does everything Kibum-hyung end up doing look like a piece of art?) Key’s hand went to smack Taemin’s head lightly, causing the other to pout and glare.

“Family troubles this time?” he asked instead, raising an eyebrow.

“How was your two day trip?” Taemin asked instead, not really wanting to talk about it. Futile attempt though. He should’ve known that the noble wouldn’t run with the topic change.

“Ugly,” the older said shortly, getting right back on topic. “What happened this time?”

Taemin puffed his cheeks up, annoyed that Key, for once, wouldn’t let him change the subject. He didn’t want to talk about his stupid older brother now after non-stop worrying. Kibum observed this, eyes softening when they took in his worse-for-wear visage

“It must be bad. Your eye bags are getting pretty big and dark.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s just the light.”

“Yah, don’t try that on me. I have perfect sight even at night,” Kibum huffed, grabbing Taemin and forcing the boy’s head onto his lap. Taemin allowed his friend to comb his fingers through his dirty hair, silent and suddenly very tired. Though Key felt a little cold through his clothes, his legs were enough of a cushion for Taemin to feel comfortable and relax for the first time in two days.

“Jinki-hyung hasn’t returned home after two days,” he muttered, eyes set numbly on the sunset. The petting stopped for a second, in shock or something else, Taemin didn’t know, but it resumed quickly enough. “I think it’s my fault that he hasn’t come back yet.”

He could remember when his father found out, and even his mother who actually woke up to eat dinner this time, and how frustrated and lonely they seemed to be now that his hyung was gone. Along with his brother’s disappearance, the money they had decided to rely on was now gone. The tax was due the next day, and Taemin felt as if he had doomed his entire family to a life worse than the one they were already living.

“Everything always seems to be my fault, you know.” The words passed out of his mouth like a statement, resignation and acceptance ringing in his tone. Not a second passed before his head got another smack in return, causing him to scowl up at Kibum, who in turn was glaring back.

“Lee Taemin, stop being such a victim. Not everything is your fault,” the noble told him, finally looking aggravated.

“This time it is though,” he argued, feeling a little offended. What did Key know anyway? “Because of what I’ve said, hyung is missing, we have no source of income now, umma’s getting worse by the second, and just… I don’t think I can do this alone, Kibum-hyung. It’s too much for me to take on all at once.”

His friend was silent after that, seeming to be deep in thought as the petting resumed. Taemin sighed and moved to get more comfortable on Key’s thighs, looking back at the sunset and waiting for the other to tell him something.

“If I bring you a medicine that’s sure to work, and some pay that’ll get you through the next few days, will you stop sulking?” Kibum finally asked, looking bored.

Taemin shot up again, looking at his friend, appalled. Ignoring the ‘sulking’ bit, he managed to choke out an astonished, “W-what?” The noble rolled his eyes, getting up and dusting his pants before offering a hand to the poor boy who looked like he was just about ready to have a heart attack.

“I think you heard me the first time. I refuse to repeat myself.”

Looking at the older boy, Taemin still couldn’t grasp at what happened. Was Kibum really…?

“Are you seriously going to help us?” he asked, clearly ignoring the hand in favor of staring up at the other. Kibum huffed again, giving an exasperated look to Taemin and waving his hand in front of the younger boy’s face, the appendage finally gaining attention.

“Yes. Now are you going to take my hand or not?”

--

Author's Note: The interlude of Taemin's past isn't over yet!! And...I know I rushed through Minho's past a little, but meh, I wanted to get it out of the way. Sorry about that! ^^;; Also, again, I have to absolutely stress that there is a reason for Taemin and Minho to be so close after only a few days. Jinki will tell you in a few chapters later. 
Anyway! Much love to shineeangel who won my bid over on Replay4Japan. ^^ She, being the sweetheart that she is, just wanted an update, which I was already done with. I did make some changes though, and I hope you enjoy it a lot bb! <3