烧毁的梦 | BURNING DREAMS

第八章

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

minghao stared at the cup in his hand, watching as the steam rose in a steady stream. he could feel the vampires' stare burn through his skin, like he had questions of his own as to why the human was here.

minghao figured it would be best to figure out the answer to that question soon. after all, he was on a time limit.

just a month, one month in the castle.

one month to search and explore.

one month alone with the vampire.

this, of course, was not at all in his agenda. if mingyu could see where he was now, he'd already be out the door and never look back. to hell with the offer on their hands. vampires were never in the contract.

minghao was never one to question the terms of contracts and his customers. he always managed to get it done, find whatever hidden treasure they were after and never speak a word of it again. as long as they had an equal amount of pay, he called it fair.

now watching the steam rise continuously, minghao had begun to question this particular arrangement. he had no clue as to who wanted him here in the first place. it wasn't an uncommon thing with his customers, to remain anonymous. minghao just wished he had looked more into it beforehand.

just who exactly was it that brought him here?

were they aware of the request they made?

did they know of the rumors that surrounded the castle?

did they lead him here knowing he may not come back?

too many questions with so little time. the brunette shook his head in frustration, his forehead creasing at the thought. he brought the cup of tea to his lips, sipping it slowly, as further questions filled his mind.

"are you alright minghao-ssi?"

"hm? what?" the traveler hummed, looking up to find junhui staring right back at him from beside the table. "you've been stuck in your thoughts for over a minute now. i've never seen someone so troubled." then again, he mentioned he hasn't seen anyone in years, minghao thought.

"oh. i didn't realize, sorry."

"you don't need to apologize." junhui waved his hand in dismissal, blowing on his own cup of tea. "it's perfectly normal to wander in one's mind. you've seen mine already."

"about that," minghao piqued, "how..does that occur normally? how does it happen? and why-"

"i see you still have that habit of asking too many questions minghao-ssi." junhui interrupted, a look of discomfort dawned on his face.

minghao looks down apologetically, "sorry, i'll work on that.."

the vampire rests his chin onto his hand, leaning to the side to get a better view of the male, almost studying him. "to answer your question, it does happen occasionally. more than i'd like if i'm being honest. and when it does occur it's usually whenever i feel like i need to remember something. but even in that room, my head gets jumbled up, and the small glimpses i see aren't enough for me to put a picture to it."

"in short, that room is my own personal hell." junhui puts it simply, his mouth falling into a thin line. "although, i suppose there's not much of a difference when you compare it to being trapped in a castle for centuries."

minghao listens to each word carefully, making sure to remember as much as he can for future reference. he takes a longer sip of his tea, junhui taking note and filling it back up without minghao asking him too. this almost brings a smile to the human's lips.

"why can't you leave?"

"why haven't you?" junhui counters, the two engaging in a heated staring contest. "you haven't given me a reason to."

"are you sure that's it, minghao-ssi?" minghao falls silent, the sound of a clock ticking in the background is all he could hear, that, and the subtle breaths of the male in front of him.

"do you need me to give you a reason, minghao-ssi?" he watched the vampire stand up, unknowingly holding his breath as junhui grew closer. far closer than he's ever allowed. junhui turns minghao's chair to face him, placing both hands on each arm rest, trapping the human below him as he inches closer to his face.

"aren't you curious if the sayings are true? should i give you a reason to leave minghao-ssi?" junhui asks slowly, his tongue swiping over his fangs as minghao unconsciously gulps. "after all, i am a monster. am i not?"

minghao pushes junhui's arm straight away, getting up from his seat with a cough. "i think it's time for me to run a bath. i'll see you at dinner junhui-ssi." and with that, the traveler turns away, the back of his neck and the tips of his ears dusted a light pink.

he doesn't turn back to notice the small curve of a smile painted on junhui's lips.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･

minghao's back collides against the door with a sharp thud. he places his hand over his heart, feeling it beat rapidly in response to earlier.

"did that really happen?" he questions, running his hands across his face to wake himself up. the moment fills his mind, like something you'd see in a drama.

junhui standing.

junhui pulling his chair.

junhui just mere inches away from his face.

shit. minghao was screwed. "i've got to stay focused on the task at hand and not bother myself with something so trivial." he mutters, pinching his skin to prove he was dreaming. the yelp that escaped his mouth proved him otherwise.

focus on the mission. just the mission.

minghao sighed, messing his hair up with his hands out of frustration.

the castle was huge- how was he supposed to find a chained-up box in it?

he could always bring up the topic.. but he doesn't know how the vampire would react. is he even aware of the box?

minghao doubts it's even real. then again, thinking back, he does recall seeing something like it in that room from before. the only problem was he didn't know how to get to it.

he recalls the time when he first entered, it was so sudden, yet not noticeable to the human eye. although he's not exactly sure how it worked in the first place, he does know junhui is the key to getting there.

but the whole subconscious thing didn't make sense to him, how was that possible?

"maybe i'll have to stay closer to him from now on." he thought aloud, finally moving away from the door and onto his temporary bed.

that night, minghao stayed up coming up with multiple ways to become closer to the vampire; writing each and every thought that popped into his head down into his journal for safe keeping.