(starts doing a funny dance) hell yeaaaaa i finally did it! it's completed! i finished it! thats amazing!

dang i hope y'all will like this


The stars fly past, blurred.

"H-Hey, kid! Can you hear me?!"

He barely makes out the head of a dragon.

"Come on kid, don't you dare go this early in your life!"

A white ceiling is moving, fast.

He knows he's moving, he can feel it, but how isn't quite registering in his mind. There's something soft under him, that's for sure, and he hears the distant echo of squeaking wheels overlapped with voices talking that sound muffled.

His brain is clouded and none of his limbs move to his will. He's grounded to whatever thing he's on, under the mercy of whoever these people are. The tiredness comes back to him like a gentle wave. He decides he doesn't have the strength to fight and he lets himself be pulled into a world of black.

"Gao!"


The next time he opens his eyes, the white ceiling greets him again. Except this time, they're not moving.

He grumbles; his muscles are sore and tired and even though he's awake he can feel the reins of sleep on him again, pulling him back into slumber. This time he fights, he fights because he wants to know what exactly happened to him and where he is.

It doesn't take him long to realize, to be honest. He's smelt this same odour when he was younger, the melancholic memory making way into his exhausted mind. The word takes some time but eventually it forms in his head—hospital. He's in the hospital.

He groans painfully. There's a throbbing on his neck, like a knife is stuck in there. Instinctively his hand reaches up, holding the hurting spot. He finds that he's not touching his skin, but a rough cloth. Surprised, he discovers that his neck is wrapped with the stuff.

The door opens. At first he sees nobody, but then he realizes he doesn't see anyone because the said person who entered is too short for him to see properly.

It's Drum.

The dragon doesn't notice anything but when his eyes lock with Gao's, it's the moment he shouts in surprise. "Gao! Gao! You're awake!" Drum comes running up beside him, the widest of dragon grins on his face and giant tears in his eyes. "Oh man, I can hardly believe my eyes!"

Gao couldn't help a chuckle. But his neck is still hurting, badly. He wants to get out of this bed. He wants to get out of here and… and…

What does he want to do?

The first image that comes to mind is a boy with blue hair and red eyes. The second is the fangs. A tremble quakes his body. He remembers. He remembers everything that happened. How he hissed in pain when the fangs penetrated his skin, how the feral glint never left the red eyes and how helpless he was as the beast above him drank away, whispering sweet lyrics and promises in between licks.

Gao gulped and bit his lip at the memory. His hands shake—something that doesn't go unnoticed by Drum. The dragon's happy smile immediately turns into a frown of worry. "Hey kid, are you okay…? What happened to you? When I found you, there was… there was blood everywhere. I shouldn't have let you go alone, should I? Urgh, I'm so stupid, I can't even protect my Buddy when he needs me most…!" the dragon rambles on without pause, the tears flowing down his cheeks evident.

The boy slowly reaches out, placing a hand on Drum's head. "Hey, hey Drum, listen to me man. It wasn't your fault. I'm… I'm fine. I'm okay now, aren't I?" he says but Drum is still crying.

The dragon wipes away some tears. "But… But…" he hiccups. "You really had us worried, okay?!" Drum says, still wiping more of his tears that are falling. "Your mom even flew back from America!"

"Mom is here?" Gao says, only now realizing how raspy his voice sounds like. But it almost doesn't matter to him because his mom is here? How did she fly from America so quickly? That's like halfway across the world.

Drum looks like he had some sense knocked into him. "Yeah, and I really should find her to tell her the good news!" the dragon says with enthusiasm, traces of crying almost gone. "I'm going right now!" with that exclamation he scurries off to the door before Gao can stop him.

The boy is left on his bed, confused with his jaw dropped. He doesn't understand. Why did his mom have to come back just for passing out in the streets, and so quickly at that? It's barely been a day since he passed out, he thinks. Is he really that hurt?

He winces. Of course he's hurt. He had… a vampire drink his blood. A vampire named Tasuku, nonetheless.

He's not let to dwell on the thought for long. Apparently his mom—and family—must've been close because footsteps approach his room and the doors slide open to reveal the entire household entering with elated and surprised expressions on their faces. Drum is almost squished in between their legs.

Hanako runs up to him and gives him a tight hug around the neck and he winces. She's crying but she's also grinning and he supposes she's really happy to see him so he doesn't have the heart to tell her to let go.

"Gao Mikado, you had us worried sick!" his mom, Suzumi, says as she gives him a tight hug too, squishing Hanako in between them.

"G-Good to see you too, mom…" Gao tries to speak but he finds it difficult. Not only that, he's struggling to breathe now too. "U-Uh, c-can you guys l-let go? C-Can't breathe h-here…!"

They back away and he takes deep breaths, grateful for the space. He doesn't know why, but it felt… wrong, to be that close to them. Which is weird, he's never had any problems with his family hugging him before. Everything is so weird now. He still feels like he wants to get out of this bed and run. He just can't tell to where.

His mother caresses his cheek, his father standing behind her and Hanako clinging onto him with teary eyes. His grandma stands by Hanako, a hand on the child's head, looking relieved and pleased. "Gao, please, tell me what happened to you." Suzumi looks concerned, something he's not surprised by.

What he's surprised by is his inability to explain the truth. He opens his mouth, tries to speak, tries to tell them what happened—about Tasuku, about the fangs, about the words the vampire had whispered to him—but he can't. He can't.

His family sees the distress in his face and they don't question him anymore. His mom pulls him into another hug and his dad pats him on the shoulder. Hanako scrambles for another hug too; apparently she's relieved she wasn't going to lose another brother.

He understands how that feels. He wouldn't want to lose her either.

Drum comes next to him on the other side of his bed, looking anxious and worried. He sniffs. "I'm so sorry, kid."

Gao chuckles. He looks at Drum softly. "I told you, it's not your fault…"

But whose fault was it really? Him, for going out alone at night? Or Tasuku, the one who attacked him? But… was it really Tasuku's fault? What happened to him when he was missing? Where has he gone to now? Gao wants to know. He needs to know.

"Police Commissioner Kisaragi would want to speak with you once he knows you're awake," his mom informs. "He has some questions for you."

Gao looks at her incredulously. "Zanya's dad…? What kind of questions?"

"Well," his dad starts, "he says he believes you're the first 'victim' to a series of killings around the city…" he can see the solemn look his dad is giving him. "But he's not 100% sure. I think he just wants to confirm things first, since it's been one week you've went into a coma."

Gao feels his heart jump. He gulps. A series of killings…? Coma…? That explains why his mom is here.

Everything after that feels like a blur. The doctor comes, ushers his family out for a moment and checks on him with a bunch of nurses. They even take off the bandages and when he looks into the mirror, he see two puncture holes at the side of his neck. Fang bites. He gulps again. They look deep… and they're itchy too, like any other wound he's ever gotten. He catches himself scratching without meaning to. He wills himself to stop it.

The doctor tells him and his family that he seems stable for now, but they'll keep him under the monitor as a precaution. His neck is all wrapped up again, as if trying to hide away his big secret. His family lingers in the hospital room until visiting hours are over and when he's all alone… he finds himself unbelievably relieved.

But his peace is short-lived when his fingers twitch and he groans. His neck stings out of the blue and he holds it, trying to get the pain to go away. The pain grows stronger and he grits his teeth to endure it. He wants to scream, to let it out, but even his voice is missing, gone. He chokes, coughs and hacks and he can't seem to make it stop.

He grips the sheets of his bed and it's like he's trying to cough out his lungs. His throat feels raw, dry, and his neck stings even more. What is happening? What's going on? This hurts too much. It hurts!

Gao swings his legs over the bed and stands. He wobbles for a moment or two, and grips onto the bedside table for stability with one hand. The other is gripping his throat tightly. He tries to speak again, but all he hears are his raspy breaths.

He doesn't know what he should do. His hands are shaking too much for him to open the sealed bottle of water.

That's when he notices a dark figure standing by his window. The pain lessens then, fades away into oblivion as the dark figure stretches out a hand to open the window.

Gao can't tell what he's more surprised about. The pain decreasing, or the fact that he's pretty sure his room is at a high floor of the hospital building—or that it's Tasuku that's climbing in.

By the time that Tasuku's complete inside, the pain is gone—like it never happened, and Gao is left to stare in awe and surprise. At the back of his mind, he barely registers that he feels relieved at the sight of Tasuku in his hospital room.

Tasuku isn't wearing his tattered Buddy Police uniform anymore. He has a navy blue hoodie that's at least one size too big for him, black pants, and worn out shoes. Though Tasuku isn't looking at him, Gao can tell that there's a pained expression on the red-eyed boy's face.

He doesn't want Tasuku to have that kind of look on his face.

Gao takes a step towards him, an arm outstretched and voice hoarse once more as he calls out the other's name. "Tasuku…?"

But Tasuku immediately steps back, closer to the window, as if he's ready to flee at any moment. "Don't, Gao. I've… I've hurt you enough."

Gao pulls back his hand, feeling something wrench in his chest at the rejection. They stand in silence, the sun disappearing behind the horizon as time ticks by. Gao wants to say something, anything, but his mouth is clamped shut, even though he has so much to ask.

It feels like forever before he hears the rustling of clothes and Tasuku is turning to look at him.

Something in his chest lifts.

"I… I'm sorry… about the other night..." Tasuku says, looking concerned. "I tried to control myself, but I…"

"It wasn't your fault, Tasuku. You tried and that's—"

"But I could've prevented it, Gao!" Tasuku looks down. "I could've stopped all of this from happening… I could've…"

Gao steels his resolve then. He makes his way towards Tasuku, wrapping his arms around the older boy, squeezing tight with no intention of letting go. Tasuku immediately freezes up upon contact, body stiff with the surprise. He squirms, trying to pull away. Gao doesn't let him.

"It's all in the past, alright?" Gao says. "Whatever it is that happened, all we can do now is to fix it."

Tasuku stops resisting. Just as Gao thinks everything is okay for now, Tasuku holds him by the shoulders with shaky hands and pushes him away.

There's an alarmed look in his red eyes, his face is bright red, and his fangs are protruding out of his closed mouth. He tries to say something, but no words come out. In the end, silence is all there is between them, with Tasuku still looking worried and Gao still looking determined.

At last Tasuku finds the strength to say what he wanted to say. "Gao, I know you mean well, but I can't let you risk yourself for me. Not when I…" his eyebrows furrow again as he trails off. Gao is about to interrupt, but Tasuku doesn't let him. "The point is, I've done something to you that night, and it's unforgivable. I can't let myself be near you any longer."

Tasuku lets him go, turning away towards the window, but Gao latches onto his wrist. He's not letting him disappear again. "You sucked some of my blood, so what? That doesn't mean I—"

"That isn't it."

"Then what is it?!"

"You wouldn't understand!"

"Because you wouldn't let me understand!"

"I didn't just suck your blood, Gao!" Tasuku says, exasperated and at his limit. He looks like he's about to cry. He takes a deep breath, and says, "I marked you!"

"You… what?"

"My instincts went wild, I lost control of myself, and I… I marked you, Gao. With those bites on your neck." Tasuku says, his voice trembling and going soft. "I claimed you as mine."

Gao's mouth is agape, not entirely sure what to say. He doesn't realize the grip he has on Tasuku's wrist has loosened as he tries to process what he's been told. "What… what do you mean? Claim me…?"

Tasuku isn't looking at him. His fists are clenched and his shoulders are hunched up. "It… It means that you're mine now."

"Like… a slave?" A vampire's slave? is what Gao wanted to say, but he's not entirely sure if Tasuku would appreciate being called a vampire just yet.

"No, God, heavens no." Tasuku looks at him, alarmed. His face is even redder too. "It's… something else." He brings up his other hand, trying to cover how red he is. Gao finds that he likes the sight of a blushing Tasuku. He realizes that Tasuku isn't trying to leave either. That's good, right?

Gao gives what Tasuku said a thought for a while. "Well, if you claimed me as yours… that means I'm connected to you?"

Tasuku nods. "Yeah. That's why you were… in pain earlier. That was my fault. I… hurt you again. I'm sorry."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because they were touching you!" As soon as he says this, Tasuku looks alarmed again, and he quickly clamps his mouth shut.

"But they were my family. And the hospital staff."

"I know." Tasuku looks exasperated now. His hand moves up his sky blue hair, pulling it. Gao thinks that's a bad habit that Tasuku should stop. "But I can't control how I feel, Gao—especially now that I'm like this. That's why I need to stay far away from you."

"How you feel?" Gao echoes, and suddenly, everything slowly connects in his mind. "Tasuku, are you saying that you… like me?"

Tasuku's blush is up to his ears now, but he nods nonetheless.

"Is that why you came looking for me the first night you were back?"

"Yes…"

Gao's heart soars into the sky. He can't stop the grin from his face and he laughs. "This feels like a dream."

Tasuku blinks. "Why?"

Gao smiles softly. "Because I like you too."

Instead of blushing like Gao was expecting him to, Tasuku frowns. "No, you don't."

"What?"

"You don't like me. You only think that you do because of the stupid vampire marking ritual I did to you." Tasuku finally pulls Gao's fingers off of his wrist and walks towards the window. The sky is dark now. The sun is completely gone. The only light on in the room is the bedside lamp. "It's all in your head, Gao."

"That's nonsense!" Gao is getting frustrated now. "Tasuku, I've liked you long before you went missing!"

"I don't believe you!" Tasuku is at the window now. He has one foot on the sill, ready to leave. "I'll go far away from here, and you'll see your feelings are just an illusion. You'll forget me."

Gao doesn't want that. He knows he can't allow that.

Before Tasuku can jump off, Gao grabs onto his clothes and pulls him back in his panic. It results in flailing limbs and bodies tumbling together on the floor. Gao hurts his elbow, he hears Tasuku yelp, and then they both stay still.

Tasuku recollects himself and squirms to get up. But Gao acts fast and has his arms around Tasuku, pulling him back down to the floor.

"Gao! What are you doing?!"

"Tasuku, please…" Gao buries his face into the other's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you again."

"Gao…" Tasuku says his name gently. He feels a hand in his hair and knows that Tasuku's comforting him. "You… don't really mean that."

Gao pushes himself off the floor and brings himself over Tasuku's body, trapping the older boy on the ground. Tears are collecting in his eyes, and one drops onto Tasuku's cheek. Gao forces a smile. "I don't know what hurts more, Tasuku. The fact that you want me to forget about you, or the fact that you don't believe my feelings are genuine."

Tasuku's lips quiver. There's a regretful look in his red eyes. He forces a smile too, his white fangs gleaming, and says, "All I ever do is hurt you, huh?"

"Then stop pushing me away." Gao says.

The vampire beneath him trembles, letting out a shaky breath. He closes his teary eyes and slowly nods. "…Okay. Okay."

Gao grins wide. Tasuku looks up into his eyes and smiles as well, the worry finally leaving his face. He raises one hand to play with a strand of Gao's hair. "I hope you're ready, Gao."

The golden-eyed boy rubs his thumb against Tasuku's cheek. Tasuku relaxes into the touch, letting Gao caress him. He leans down and presses his lips softly on Tasuku's own. Gao pulls back and kisses him again, a little longer this time. He smiles.

"I'm all yours."