Them and Us | Ateez

To use as leverage

Howls are welcoming an unfazed Yeosang and a startled Wooyoung in the depths of the classroom. The werewolves - judging by the wooden smell and loud behaviour - are just like excited puppies running around the room and chatting with everyone they see.
The blond male seems glued to the vampire's side as they take a few steps up to find a free place to sit in the middle of the class.
His ears listen in on the words getting exchanged around them.

"Why is he with a vampire?"
"Looks uncomfortable."
"Anyone wants to fetch him?"
He shifts in his seat, eyes not lifting from his bag and the brand new notebook he takes out. He's aware of who the other werewolves are talking about.
Someone knocks on Wooyoung's wooden table. He looks up.

A brown haired male stands next to the table, staring at the hunched werewolf.
"Come, we have a free spot over there." he says, tilting his head to the side.
Wooyoung looks behind the male to see a group of girls and boys together, all watching the conversation over here.
He turns slightly to the left, searching for Yeosang.
The vampire sits next to him and looks unbothered by the talk going on close by. Something about the emotionless look on the other's face while writing on a piece of paper makes Wooyoung subtly smile as he turns back to the werewolf.

"Thanks, I'm good here."
He ignores the raised eyebrow and scoots closer to Yeosang.
"Where is your notebook?" he asks.
"Suit yourself." the brunet says and walks back to his group.
Wooyoung hears a chuckle near his ear.
"I think you angered him."
"Looks like it. What will he do about it? Will he be a grown man and move on or whine about it to his new-found friends?"
Two light grey orbs slide to the group of werewolves and a certain brunet, who makes wide gestures with his hands.

Yeosang hums.
"Guess we'll never know."
He lets out a soft laugh to further accent Wooyoung's giggles beside him. They have leaned into each other like two gossiping school girls.
"And to answer your previous question, I don't like carrying notebooks around. One page per lesson is enough."
"But what if you have to write down more and need to use two pages for a subject?"

"I just don't then. One page from two sides should be enough for a fifty minute lesson, don't you think so?"
"Well..." his blue eyes drift to his thick notebook. He can feel the colour of blood creeping up on his ears.
"That's alright. To each their own."
Wooyoung nods.
"Is the teacher coming or is this some kind of self-study?"
Yeosang looks around the classroom. Other than a few introverted vampires and talkative werewolves, not a single soul looks like a teacher.

"Self-study due to the absence of a teacher, I would call it. Now, give me your notebook." Yeosang raises his hand, waiting for the male to put the yellow notebook in his palm, which the other hurries to do.
"Now then." the vampire clears his throat.
"Let's start with superstitions. Do you want to hear about vampires or werewolves?"
"Vampires." Wooyoung answers.
Yeosang chuckles with a slight head shake.

"Write down the things humans believe we are afraid of then."
The blond male takes a pen and begins to write. He finishes with the vampire peering over his shoulder to read the single word.
"Garlic."
He snorts.
"Now put a comma there and write daylight, fire, silver, saltwater and a cross."
Wooyoung blinks at the vampire.
"That many?"

"More like that non sensual. Go on, daylight is written together."
Murmuring, the male adds the five new words next to his vegetable.
"Are you really afraid of silver or fire? There's torches all around us."
"That's why those are called superstitions. If they were actually true, I wouldn't be here."
"Do you know why people think that these will help against you?"

"More or less. Eating garlic is said to lessen the desire for blood and the saltwater is believed to be just like holy water, leaving ulcers on our skin."
"I mean...garlic stinks and saltwater is briny as well as undrinkable."
Yeosang laughs.
"Indeed."
"So, what can hurt a werewolf then?" Wooyoung asks.
"It's said that silver does the most harm to you." the vampire snickers.

The blond male immediately goes to clutch at his necklace. It's a thin half moon in the glistening grey colour he should be afraid of.
"Funny." he absentmindedly says, feeling the sickle shaped pendant between his fingertips.
"Most beliefs surrounding us are."
"What kills a vampire?"
Yeosang leans closer to scribble a few words down in Wooyoung's notebook.
"Since many believed vampires slept in sarcophagus during the day and came out only at night to feast, the solution was to find their resting place and pierce their heart with a stick while they sleep. After that, the head of the vampire should be cut off and burnt along with the rest of the body. If there's no chance of burning it - garlic should be placed in their mouth."

"Sounds like some people really had nothing better to do than imagine how to commit homicide in the most craziest ways." Wooyoung draws hearts on each i Yeosang has written.
"People then were simple minded like a herd of sheep. Someone just had to open their mouth and they already ran after them, clinging on every word they spewed out."
The blond's blue eyes find Yeosang's grey ones.
"Speaking from experience?"
"A bit." the other shrugs his shoulders.

"How old are you?"
The black haired male hums.
"A few centuries. I don't count anymore."
"Can I ask how you survived all the illnesses and wars plaguing the world?" Wooyoung tries to sound as gentle and soft as a cloud.
"Vampires don't need much. I could live in a forest for years without anyone else and still come out as brand new. Learning new slang words and fashion isn't that hard and adapting seems to be in our blood.Well, I say blood yet I mean a gooey substance we leak when injured."

"I don't know what vampire blood looks like but I have heard of it." the werewolf says, taking a break from his writing.
"All you have to know is that those are all the other substances a body can have except blood." Yeosang explains.
He nods his head, not digging deeper on the subject.
"Are the tests hard? If this is all I have to know, it doesn't look that bad."

"Depends on who you are asking. If me, I would say it's more like a funny quiz with nonsense answers you have to remember. Ask Hongjoong and you will hear how that's the foundation to all the further studies here and you can't continue without knowing when people's obsession or romanticisation of vampires began. This is my fourth year here and I couldn't care less. This place is here to teach you how to behave and how to live among other creatures, that is its sole purpose. All the studying you do alongside is good yet not critical for your growth. As a werewolf, you must look for potential friends and future pack members here."

"I am looking at a potential friend, aren't I?" the question is asked as Wooyoung stares in the talker's eyes.
"Your own species will do you more good than a vampire." Yeosang answers, yet a small smile appears on his face.
"I know that werewolves are team players and they need their own place with people they trust. Me, Hongjoong and Mingi may be good conversation partners, you don't have to be mean to us yet look around you at the many werewolves and try to gain friends. It's in your nature to search for potential pack mates."

The vampire lowers his gaze, taking the piece of paper in front of him.
"Go and have some fun around here with your peers." is the last thing he says before pushing his chair back and getting up.
The werewolves around them become louder since the fifty minutes of the lesson have ended.
Vampires, including Yeosang, quietly assemble their things before walking out of class.
Wooyoung sits and stares as the older male exits the classroom and if he would be in his wolf form, his ears would have fallen.

The black haired vampire takes slow steps along the corridor. He has no further lessons he plans to attend so his focus naturally shifts to the closest staircase, leading him to the library.
As most days, no line awaits him by the wooden doors and he reaches for the handle.
"Yeosang! You didn't get to tell me about superstitions on how someone can become a werewolf!" A voice calls out to him from the stairs.

The vampire is almost surprised when he sees Wooyoung running up to him.
"What about your peers?"
"Yeah, what about them? I get to hang out with an old, cool vampire and there's no way I'm wasting my time on a pack, who doesn't know the answer themselves. So, what is there? Do they think that being bitten by a dog does the trick or they should be the ones biting the dog?"
An amused snort leaves the vampire.

"Third row, seventh shelf, go." He says, opening the library door for the werewolf to get inside.
Wooyoung skips past him with a big grin, still holding his notebook.
"Now let's talk about who you called an old vampire."

Yeosang enters behind him, leaving the door to shut and the sound to echo down the empty hallway.