✓ blood smile.

thirty-two. hearts were hurt

five months.

it's been that long since riki had confessed to the vampire in the school garden after a rainy day. with every step being hard for sunoo.
riki showed a bright smile and showed that taking up a challenge was okay, no matter how many times you fail, it was okay.

it was a sunny day, dusk was falling upon seoul as sunoo bitterly fidgeted with necklace attached around his neck.
he unlocks the necklace, then glances up to the bright-colored vase.
"why did you lie?" sunoo muttered, sighing to himself as he looked the ring.

he had overheard riki talking to heeseung over the phone, about a butterfly necklace that sunoo was holding in his possession.
colors drained sunoo as he heard the words, this necklace used to belonged to his deceased mother.

his heart clinched, something bad was going to happen and he's taking the risk anyway; a risk that was going to break his heart.

• • •

riki arrived to sunoo's home, hands clutched onto the plastic he had gotten from the pharmacy. he felt a cough creep onto him, he coughed.
his boyfriend's home almost being like his own in japan, he missed konon dearly but didn't want to bother her while she was staying under the care of their aunt.

"riki.. can we talk?" sunoo voiced, the light from the living room shining from behind him as riki turned to him.
"yeah, sure, what do you wanna talk about?"

"this." sunoo raised the unlocked necklace, the pendant of a butterfly shining in the light as riki felt his feet cold.
"tell me honestly, you lied to me did you?" tears coated his eyes as he stared at his lover.
"i.." words left the boy's mind and mouth, he could see the soul and emotions in the boy's eyes.

"you lied to me, didn't you." sunoo muttered, feeling his heart shatter as he stared at the boy in front of him, the boy he called his. the boy who gave him all the things he wanted, the feelings he never felt before. the boy who gave him love, comfort and happiness.
a piece of his fragile heart fell to the hard ground, echoing a painful shatter after colliding with the floor.

"sun-"
"don't.. fucking call me that nickname." the vampire cursed, the necklace with the butterfly charm on the floor as riki felt his heart break into pieces.
for the first time, he had felt love, he had felt happiness with the boy he called his love. love is dangerous, hurtful yet so blissful and peaceful.

"sunoo, listen to me please-"
"no, the pain.. it's been done, for all this time, i thought.. she was gone after that fire, but you.. and heeseung lied to me.. you both straight up fooled me. she's gone, her spirit.. isn't here anymore.. i can't say what i've wanted to say.." sunoo grieved, his heart falling as tears aggressively rolled down his face, why.. why was love so hard? why is it so hard to live happily with the boy that stood in front of him?

he needed his answers, but fate was too cruel for the answers.

just a few days ago, he had discovered the abilities of his best friend, heeseung. he knew, he talked to sophie, he talked to his mother and didn't tell sunoo despite heeseung knowing that it will hurt if he kept it for much longer.

"sunoo.."
"no. leave," riki sighed, he hurt sunoo enough, turning to the wooden door painted a pure white, riki took one last glance at the boy he loved dearly.
"i'm.. sorry."

the door shut closed, sunoo sobbing as he hiccups through his cries. he was alone, once again.

love was dangerous,
blissful and hurtful.

yet, people choose to risk it all for a happy memory.
sunoo thought, were riki and me a happy memory in our lives?

— 🔭 AUTHOR'S NOTES
IM ACTUALLY SHAKING WHILE EDITING THIS