Archive of Our Own ^beta
beta 尽在 AO3 (Archive of Our Own)！

Chapter Text  正文开始

Regulation #15: Vampires may browse all human feeder applicants for their desired choice; however, if multiple vampires are interested in the same feeder, the human will go to the highest bidder upon the signing of a contract. All proceeds will be delegated to blood banks. 
第 15 条规定：吸血鬼可以随意挑选他们心仪的人类供血者；但是，如果多个吸血鬼都对同一供血者感兴趣，那么在合同签订后，该人类将归出价最高者所有。所有收益将拨给血库。

~

After another few weeks, Seonghwa’s sleep schedule had aligned more closely with that of the vampires, allowing him to spend more time with them during the night while they were all awake. He began to feel more comfortable around them, and the coven house became more of a home to him as opposed to just a shelter. 
又过了几个星期，星化的作息时间总算和吸血鬼们基本同步了，这样他就能在晚上大家醒着的时候多陪陪他们。他开始觉得自在多了，这个血族府邸也越来越像个家，而不仅仅是个避难所。

Slowly, Wooyoung started to spend more time downstairs rather than staying holed up in his room on the third floor all the time, and Seonghwa witnessed firsthand how difficult it was for him to drink from the blood bags that San gave him. Even while his sire coaxed him through it, he was very clearly miserable, but he tried his best because he wanted to make the coven house a safer place for Seonghwa.
慢慢地，宇荣也开始多下楼走动了，不再像之前那样总是把自己关在三楼的房间里。星化亲眼看到，他喝山给他的血袋有多么痛苦。即使他的血亲一直在哄着他，他还是难受得厉害，但他还是尽力去喝，因为他想让这个血族府邸对星化来说更安全。

However, during the nights in which he drank enough blood to sustain himself, he was really a delight to be around. Everyone was fond of him, that much was obvious, and his soul was incredibly cheerful beneath all of his struggles to adjust to his new lifestyle as a vampire. Seonghwa liked spending time with him, and Wooyoung slowly became more and more comfortable seeking out his touch when he needed a reminder of what the warmth of a human felt like. 
不过，只要他晚上能吸到足够维持生存的血，那状态简直好的不得了。看得出来，大家都挺喜欢他的，而且在那努力适应吸血鬼新生活的挣扎之下，他的灵魂依旧是那么的阳光开朗。星化很喜欢和他待在一起，而佑荣也渐渐变得更加习惯于寻求他的触碰，以此来回忆人类的温暖。

Other than Wooyoung, however, Seonghwa had also grown closer to the rest of the vampires in the coven. He spent time with each of them in various groupings, and although he started out mostly just listening to their conversations, he began to feel comfortable enough to contribute as well as the weeks passed by. 
话说回来，除了佑荣之外，星化和其他血族成员也越来越亲近了。他会花时间和他们以各种组合相处，虽然一开始他只是安静地听他们聊天，但随着时间推移，他渐渐感到放松，也开始参与其中，插上几句嘴。

They had all been kind from the beginning, but as Seonghwa spent more time with them he came to trust their kindness, to understand that it wasn’t an act and it never would be. Just because they were vampires didn’t make them bad people, and in truth, they treated him far better than any human ever had. That alone was enough to warrant his loyalty, and he was able to admit to himself that he was actually happy, more so than he ever had been before. 
他们从一开始就对他很友善，但随着星化和他们相处的时间越多，他就越信任他们的善意，明白那不是伪装，而且永远不会改变。仅仅因为他们是血族，并不意味着他们就是坏人。说实话，他们对他比任何人类都好多了。光是这一点就足以让他死心塌地了。他也能坦诚地承认，他现在真的很快乐，比以往任何时候都快乐。

The first one to wake up as soon as the sun went down was always Yunho, and Seonghwa waited for him down by the fireplace if he was awake at that time, although he had taken to sleeping in odd intervals. Sometimes he napped for half the day in order to be awake with the vampires, and sometimes he just pushed the limits of his body, crashing halfway through the night when he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore. 
太阳刚落山，第一个醒来的总是允浩。如果星和那时醒着，他就会在壁炉旁等他。不过，最近星和的睡眠变得没什么规律，有时候为了配合吸血鬼们的作息，他会一口气睡上半天；有时候又会挑战身体的极限，硬撑到半夜，实在睁不开眼了才倒头就睡。

He always made sure to be awake long enough for Hongjoong to feed from him, for he took his duty as a feeder quite seriously considering all that Hongjoong had done for him. The least he could do was repay him with blood, and Hongjoong was never anything but gentle, so the feedings were never a negative experience. 
他总是强撑着不睡，就为了等洪中来吸他的血。毕竟洪中为他做了那么多，他觉得自己有义务当一个合格的血源。他能做的，至少是用自己的血来回报他。而且洪中总是那么温柔，所以每一次“进食”对他来说都不是什么糟糕的体验。

One evening right after sunrise, Seonghwa sat sprawled on the long middle couch in front of the fireplace, his pink crocheted bunny tucked under one arm. He had just taken a short nap, but now he sat up and blinked a few times, running his hands through his hair to tame it. Footsteps sounded from above his head, and he knew they belonged to Yunho. 
刚过日出时分的一个傍晚，星化懒洋洋地瘫在壁炉前的长沙发上，粉色钩织兔子被他紧紧搂在手臂里。他刚打了个盹，现在正起身揉着眼睛，用手捋顺头发。楼上传来脚步声，他知道是润浩来了。

Yawning, he leaned back against the cushions and waited for company, enjoying the warmth of the fire. Although the vampires didn’t require warmth, they were always asking him if he was warm, if he needed the temperature in the room adjusted, catering to his comfort at all times. Anything was better than relying on the heating system in his car, but he appreciated their consistent attentiveness just the same. 
他打了个哈欠，往靠垫上一靠，等着人来，享受着炉火带来的暖意。虽然吸血鬼们并不需要温暖，但他们总是问他够不够暖和，要不要调节一下房间温度，无时无刻不在照顾他的舒适感。怎么也比依赖他那辆破车的暖气系统强，但他还是很感激他们这份持续的关心。

He didn’t have to wait long before Yunho’s familiar footsteps came down the stairs, padding across the room to join Seonghwa on the couch. Seonghwa turned his head to watch him approach, taking note of his usual work clothes; his scrubs and the lab coat with his name embroidered over the left chest pocket. “Good morning,” Seonghwa said with a smile, although night had just fallen. 
没等多久，尹浩熟悉的脚步声就从楼梯上传来，轻快地穿过房间，来到星和身边，一屁股坐在沙发上。星和转过头，看着他走近，注意到他那身熟悉的行头：手术服，还有那件左胸口袋上绣着他名字的实验服。“早上好，”星和笑着说道，尽管此刻夜幕早已降临。

Yunho smiled, dropping down onto the couch with a sigh, raising his arms to rest his hands behind his head. “Hey, how’d you sleep?” he asked, looking over at Seonghwa. “Have you been up for a while?” 
允浩笑着，带着一声叹息瘫倒在沙发上，抬起手臂，双手枕在脑后。“睡得怎么样？” 他问道，目光转向星化，“起来很久了吗？”

“Not too long,” he answered with a shrug. “I just woke up from a nap. So I should make it at least a few hours before I need to go to bed for the night.” Yunho’s smile grew at that, and Seonghwa’s heart warmed. “When do you have to leave?” 
“没多久，”他耸耸肩，回答道，“刚睡了个午觉醒来。所以至少还能撑几个小时，然后晚上才需要睡觉。” 允浩听到这话，笑容更大了，圣华心里也暖暖的。“你什么时候要走？”

“I have about thirty minutes.” Yunho pulled up his left sleeve to look at his watch, checking the time. “So, I was wondering if I could ask you a few things. You know, my usual questions.” 
“我大概有三十分钟。” 允浩撸起左边的袖子看了看表，确认时间。“所以，我在想能不能问你几个问题。你知道的，我那些老生常谈。”

This had become a routine thing between the two of them, as Yunho had been a vampire for a very long time, and his memories of his time as a human were entirely blurred by now. He found humans to be fascinating, and he asked Seonghwa about all kinds of things that were seemingly basic to any other human, but intriguing to this one vampire. 
这已经成了他们俩之间不成文的惯例。允浩当吸血鬼已经很久了，关于他还是人类时的记忆，现在已经完全模糊不清。他觉得人类很不可思议，所以总是问星化各种各样的问题，这些问题对任何一个普通人来说都基本得不能再基本，但对这个吸血鬼来说，却充满了吸引力。

Seonghwa nodded, for he actually enjoyed spending time with Yunho in this way. He liked to feel like he served a purpose, like he was the one person who could satisfy Yunho’s curiosity when it came to this particular topic. 
星化点点头，说实话，他挺享受和允浩这样待在一起的。他喜欢那种自己能派上用场的感觉，就好像，在关于这个特定话题上，他是唯一能满足允浩好奇心的人。

“What do humans do at the gym?” Yunho asked this time, and Seonghwa bit his lip to withhold an amused grin. He found Yunho’s innocent excitement over such basic things to be kind of adorable, and he always tried to give the best answer that he could come up with. 
“人类在健身房都干些什么呀？” 这次是允浩发问，星化咬了咬嘴唇，才没让自己露出忍俊不禁的笑容。 允浩对这些稀松平常的事情都充满了天真烂漫的好奇，这让他觉得有点可爱，所以他总是尽力给出自己能想到的最好的答案。

He had never been inside of a gym, of course, but he still knew what they were for. “Well, gyms are a place that humans go to exercise,” he explained, recalling all of the people he had seen exiting the gyms in the city dressed in workout clothes, drenched in sweat. “There are machines inside, and treadmills, and weights and stuff. That’s how a lot of humans build their muscles.” 
他当然是没进过健身房这种地方的，不过该懂的道理他还是明白。“嗯……健身房嘛，就是人类锻炼身体的地方啦，”他回忆着在城里看到那些穿着运动服、浑身湿透地从健身房出来的人们，解释道，“里面有各种机器，跑步机，还有哑铃什么的。很多人就是靠这些练肌肉的。”

Seonghwa looked down at himself as he said that last part, taking note of his own scrawny arms, lacking any muscle whatsoever. The bones of his elbows were visible beneath the thin layer of skin that laid over them, and the rest of his body wasn’t much better. Even after having steady access to food for a few weeks, his hip bones still jutted out noticeably, his cheekbones sharp and pronounced. 
星化说着最后那句话，目光落到自己身上，注意到自己那瘦骨伶仃的胳膊，简直是毫无肌肉可言。手肘处，薄薄的一层皮下，骨头清晰可见，身体的其他部位也好不到哪里去。即使已经连续几周能稳定地吃到食物了，胯骨还是明显地突了出来，颧骨也又高又尖。

“Treadmills,” Yunho repeated, as if the word was foreign to him. Which it was, evidenced by his following question. “What are those?” 
“跑步机？” 允浩重复了一遍，仿佛这个词对他来说是个外来语。而事实也的确如此，紧接着他就问：“那玩意儿是啥？”

“A treadmill is a machine that people use to run,” Seonghwa explained, and Yunho hung onto his every word. “Like, you know how people sometimes run around the city to exercise? Or they run in races, and stuff like that? A treadmill allows people to run inside as well. There’s a belt that moves at the speed they choose, and they can change the incline too to replicate hills… have you really never seen one?” 
“跑步机嘛，就是让人跑步用的机器。” 星化解释道，允浩听得那叫一个全神贯注，仿佛每一个字都是金玉良言。“就像，你知道的，人们有时候为了锻炼，会在城市里跑步嘛，或者参加赛跑什么的。跑步机就是让人在室内也能跑步。它有个传送带，会按照你设定的速度转动，你还能调坡度，模拟爬坡的感觉……你真的从来没见过这玩意儿？”

Yunho shook his head, eyes sparkling with interest. “That’s fascinating,” he said, smiling as he leaned back further against the couch, looking up at the ceiling. “Humans are so innovative. Nothing like that ever existed when I was a human.” 
允浩摇了摇头，眼睛里闪烁着好奇的光芒。“真有意思，”他笑着说道，身体更放松地靠在沙发上，仰头望着天花板。“人类真有创造力。我当人的时候，可没见过这么先进的东西。”

Fiddling with his fingers, Seonghwa asked the question that had been nagging at his mind for a long time, for he didn’t want to overstep in order to sate his curiosity. But if Yunho could ask him all of these questions, then couldn’t he ask one of his own? “How long ago was that?” he asked tentatively. “When you were a human, I mean. How long have you been alive?” 
手指不安地摩挲着，星化终于问出了那个在他脑海里盘旋已久的问题。他不想因为满足自己的好奇心而越界，但既然允浩能问他这么多问题，那他为什么不能问一个呢？ “那是多久以前的事了？” 他试探性地问道，“我是说，你还是人类的时候。你活了多久了？”

“Has Hongjoong not told you that already?” Yunho asked, brows rising in surprise, and Seonghwa blushed as he shook his head. He was sure that Hongjoong would have told him if he had asked, but he had never worked up the courage to do so. Not because he was afraid of the answer, but… something about Hongjoong made him nervous, and he didn’t feel that way around the others. 
“洪中还没跟你说吗？” 允浩挑了挑眉，略带惊讶地问道。星化摇了摇头，脸上泛起一丝红晕。他确信，如果自己问了，洪中肯定会告诉他，但他始终鼓不起勇气。倒不是害怕答案，而是……洪中身上有种让他紧张的气场，而和其他人在一起时，他却没有这种感觉。

“Well, I don’t mind telling you,” Yunho continued, and Seonghwa let free a quiet sigh of relief. “I’ve been alive for centuries, now. It’s 2024 now, and I was born in 1618, so… yeah. I’m old. Hongjoong is the only one in our coven who is older than me. But you have to admit it, I’m way cooler than him. He still speaks like he did when I met him. At least I’m modernized - he needs to get in the times.” 
“好吧，我不介意告诉你，” 允浩继续说道，星化轻轻地舒了口气。“我已经活了好几个世纪了。现在是 2024 年，我出生于 1618 年，所以……是啊，我老了。在咱们这个巫师团里，只有洪中比我年纪大。不过你得承认，我比他酷多了。他说话还跟他第一次见我时一样。至少我与时俱进了——他得跟上时代才行。”

Stifling a giggle, Seonghwa pressed a hand to his mouth. “I think you mean ‘get with the times,’” he corrected gently, and Yunho made a sound of understanding.
星和憋着笑，用手捂住了嘴，温柔地纠正道：“我觉得你想说的是‘跟上时代’。” 允浩恍然大悟，发出“哦”的一声。

“Yes, that’s right. The slang still confuses me, sometimes.” Seonghwa wasn’t quite sure how to tell him that the phrase ‘get with the  times’ wasn’t exactly current slang, so he let it slide instead, figuring that the entire coven was better off if Yunho didn’t start learning actual modern slang. 
“没错，就是这样。有些俚语，我到现在还搞不太懂。” 盛华差点就想告诉他，“与时俱进” 这词儿已经算不上什么新潮的俚语了，但话到嘴边还是咽了回去。他觉得，要是允浩开始学那些真·现代俚语，整个巫师团的日子可能就更难过了。想想还是算了，就让他这么着吧。

The two of them talked for a bit longer, until Yunho had to leave. After that, Seonghwa was left alone in the living room once more, although he knew the others would be joining him soon. He made himself a quick snack in the kitchen, and just as he finished he heard another set of familiar footsteps come down the stairs, his breath lodging in his throat as he cleaned his plate in the sink. 
两人又聊了一会儿，直到允浩不得不离开。之后，盛华再次独自一人留在客厅里，虽然他知道其他人很快也会来找他。他在厨房里随便弄了点吃的，刚吃完，就听到另一串熟悉的脚步声从楼梯上传来，他正往水槽里放盘子，顿时屏住了呼吸。

He didn’t turn around, even though he knew that Hongjoong was behind him, for his presence filled up the entire room. That didn’t stop Hongjoong, however, and he came right up behind Seonghwa to look over his shoulder and down at the sink. “Good morning,” he said, and even though Seonghwa wasn’t looking at his face, he could still hear the smile in his voice. 
他没回头，就算他知道洪中就在他身后——他的存在感几乎充满了整个房间。但这并不能阻止洪中，他直接走到星和身后，探头越过他的肩膀，看向水槽。“早上好，”他说，即使星和没有看着他的脸，也能听出他声音里的笑意。

Pressing his lips together, Seonghwa finished cleaning the plate and grabbed a dish towel to dry it off next, Hongjoong hovering behind him all the while. “Good morning,” he replied, his skin burning even though they weren’t touching. “Sleep okay?” 
成华抿了抿嘴唇，洗完了盘子，拿起抹布擦干，洪中一直在他身后徘徊。“早上好，”他回答道，尽管他们没有接触，皮肤却已经开始发烫。“睡得好吗？”

A cold hand wrapped gently around his wrist, and Seonghwa allowed himself to be turned around, holding the plate to his chest. “Yeah,” Hongjoong answered, and he looked handsome even when he had clearly just rolled out of bed, his hair unruly and a black silk robe secured at his waist. “I slept very well. I dreamt about you.” 
一只冰凉的手温柔地握住了他的手腕，成华任由他转过身来，把盘子抱在胸前。“嗯，”洪中回答道，即使他显然是刚从床上爬起来，看起来也很帅，头发乱蓬蓬的，黑色的丝绸长袍系在腰间。“我睡得很好。我梦见你了。”

Seonghwa gripped the plate tighter, for fear that he would drop it entirely. “Oh?” he asked, the sound vaguely choked, and one side of Hongjoong’s mouth lifted into a slight smirk. 
成华更紧地抓住盘子，生怕把它完全掉在地上。“是吗？”他问道，声音有点哽咽，洪中嘴角一侧微微扬起，露出了一个意味深长的笑容。

“Yes,” he said, although he didn’t elaborate any further. Instead, he took the plate from Seonghwa’s hands, reaching past him to place it in one of the overhead cabinets. As he did so, Seonghwa couldn’t avoid the smell of rain that briefly washed over him, familiar now in a way that made his stomach swirl. 
“嗯，”他应了一声，但没再多说什么。而是直接从星和手里接过盘子，越过他，放进了上面的橱柜里。他这么一靠过来，星和还是不可避免地闻到了一阵雨后的味道，现在这味道他太熟悉了，熟悉到胃里都开始翻腾。

His relationship with Hongjoong was… interesting. That was the only way he could think to describe it without causing his face to burn, for everything about their dynamic had been different from the rest since the beginning. Even as the days turned into weeks, Hongjoong remained the same, and Seonghwa hadn’t developed any new ability to handle the vampire who stood before him now. 
他和洪仲之间的关系……真是“耐人寻味”。这是他能想到的，唯一一个不会让他面红耳赤的形容词。毕竟，从一开始，他们之间的相处模式就与众不同。日子一天天过去，变成几周，洪仲始终如一，而圣华呢？他还是没能练就什么新本事，来应付眼前这个吸血鬼。

The black robe tied around his body provided a stark contrast to the pallor of his skin, and as he lowered his arm again, the silky material slid from his shoulder to expose the lean muscle beneath. Seonghwa’s gaze flitted to the area for a moment, and when he looked back at Hongjoong’s face, the smirk had grown. 
那件系在他身上的黑色长袍，与他苍白的皮肤形成了鲜明的对比。随着他放下手臂，丝滑的布料从肩头滑落，露出了下面精壮的肌肉。圣华的目光在那片区域短暂地停留了一瞬，当他再次看向洪仲的脸时，那抹笑容变得更加意味深长了。

“I have to attend to my duties within the council today,” Hongjoong said, and he finally took a step back then. Seonghwa released a breath, blinking hard. “But my hope is that I will be back after a few hours. Will you still be awake?” 
“今天我得去议会处理那些破事儿，” 弘中说着，终于往后退了一步。星化这才松了口气，用力眨了眨眼。“不过我希望几个小时后就能回来。你那时候还醒着吗？”

Catching his lip between his teeth for a moment before letting it go, Seonghwa shrugged. “Um, I don’t know,” he replied, although he made a mental note to stay awake. Not that he would tell Hongjoong that - he had to play hard to get somehow, after all. And as it turned out, the only leverage he could hold over Hongjoong was himself. Nothing else ever seemed to affect him. “I was thinking of going into the city, but I know you don’t want me going alone, so I was going to ask you to come with me. But if you’re busy, then…” 
星化咬了下嘴唇，又松开，耸了耸肩。“嗯… 我不知道，” 他回答道，心里却暗暗决定要熬夜等他。当然，这话他可不会告诉弘中——总得欲擒故纵一下嘛。而且事实证明，他唯一能拿捏住弘中的，好像只有他自己了。其他任何事，都好像无法触动他。 “我本来想进城逛逛的，但你知道的，你又不放心我一个人去，所以我想问你要不要一起去。不过你要是忙的话，那…”

Hongjoong’s smirk fell away immediately, and Seonghwa had to hide his satisfaction. He hadn’t actually been thinking of going into the city until about ten seconds ago, but he had to do what he could to hold the upper hand, even if it only lasted for a fleeting moment. “Tonight?” he asked, and he actually sounded disappointed. “Does it have to be tonight?”
洪仲基那抹坏笑瞬间就垮掉了，星和努力藏住自己内心的那点小得意。其实直到十秒钟前，他都没想过要进城，但他必须得想方设法地掌握主动权，哪怕只是昙花一现。“今晚？”他问道，听起来竟然带着几分失落。“非得是今晚吗？”

“I’m afraid so,” Seonghwa said, leaning his elbow against the counter. “I have to pick something up that I purchased online.” Which was a total lie - as far as he knew, hardly any stores would even be open at this time of night.
“恐怕是这样，” 星化说着，手肘撑在了柜台上。“我得去取个网上买的东西。” 这完全是瞎扯 - 据他所知，这个点儿，几乎没几家店还开着门呢。

“I cannot avoid my council duties to join you,” Hongjoong said, all of his former sultriness entirely gone, his eyes wide with disappointment. “Not this time. But please know… I would like to go with you, if I could.” 
“就算我再想，也实在没法撂下议会的那些破事儿，跟你一块儿走了。” 弘中语气里之前的撩人劲儿全没了，取而代之的是满满的遗憾，眼睛都瞪大了。“这次是真的不行。但你一定要相信… 如果可以的话，我真的，真的想和你一起。”

He looked genuinely upset about this turn of events, and Seonghwa’s heart softened as he reached out to take Hongjoong’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe we could go another time,” he proposed, if only to see Hongjoong’s eyes light up again. “We have plenty of time, after all.” 
他看起来是真的因为事情变成这样而感到沮丧，星化的心一下子就软了下来，他伸出手握住弘中的手，轻轻地捏了捏。“也许我们可以下次再去，好吗？” 他提议道，只是想再次看到弘中的眼睛亮起来。“反正我们有的是时间。”

“Another time,” Hongjoong repeated, and his smile was back now, wide enough for the tips of his fangs to show. “Yes. Please.” Seonghwa returned the smile easily, and for a moment neither of them said a word, until Hongjoong opened his mouth once more. “Perhaps I can ask some of the others to accompany you into the city.” 
“下次吧，”弘中又重复了一遍，笑容又回到了脸上，咧得足够大，露出了尖尖的犬牙。“是。拜托了。” 星化也轻松地回以微笑，两人一时都没说话，直到弘中再次开口。“或许我可以请其他人陪你进城。”

Seonghwa couldn’t say no, because he had already lied about needing to go, so instead he just nodded. “Um… okay,” he agreed, although a large part of him wished to just stay at home. But he hadn’t been out into the urban part of the city in a while, so he supposed it wouldn’t be so bad to go, especially with a group of vampires to join him. 
星化没法拒绝，因为他已经撒谎说自己需要去了，所以只能点了点头。“嗯……好吧，”他答应了，虽然他心里其实更想待在家里。但他已经有一段时间没去过城市中心区域了，所以他想，去看看应该也没什么坏处，尤其是有这么一群吸血鬼陪着他。

He wouldn’t need to worry about anyone hurting him with them by his side. 
有他们在身边，他就不用担心有人会伤害他了。

~

“Woah, these buildings seem so much bigger than they did the last time I was here!” Mingi exclaimed as he exited the car, his neck craned upwards as he looked at his surroundings in wonder. Seonghwa joined him on the sidewalk, and Jongho and Yeosang did the same a moment later, Jongho pressing the button on his keys to lock the car. 
"哇哦，这些楼看起来比我上次来的时候大多了！" 旼琦一边惊叹，一边从车里钻出来，脖子都仰酸了，好奇地打量着四周。星化也下了车，站在他旁边的便道上。钟浩和 吕尚紧随其后，钟浩还不忘按下钥匙锁车。

The vampires owned a few cars of their own, each of them sleek and black, and Jongho had been more than willing to drive the group of them into the city. Seonghwa hadn’t expected the vampires to be so eager to accompany him, but they had seemed thrilled at the idea of strolling through the city at night, so here the four of them were now. 
那群吸血鬼自己有几辆车，每一辆都光滑锃亮、黑得发亮。钟浩更是兴致勃勃地要开车把他们这群人送到城里去。星化原本没料到这些吸血鬼会这么积极地陪他，但他们似乎对晚上在城市里闲逛的想法感到很兴奋，所以现在他们四个人就出现在这里了。

“Where do you need to go?” Jongho asked, looking at Seonghwa as he tucked the keys into the front pocket of his pants. He wore regular black jeans, a fairly modern outfit, and Yeosang was dressed similarly as well. However, Mingi on the other hand was dressed in some kind of cape that looked like it had been made a century ago, and the boots on his feet were reminiscent of a style Soenghwa had only ever seen before in the pictures in the old history textbook he had used in school. 
“想去哪儿？” 钟浩问道，一边看着星化把钥匙塞进裤子前兜。他穿着普通的黑色牛仔裤，很现代的装扮，瑜相的穿着也差不多。但另一边，旼琦却披着一件像一个世纪前的斗篷，脚上的靴子也是星化只在学校里旧历史课本的图片上见过的款式。

In short, they made an interesting group, but Seonghwa didn’t even mind the lingering stares of the people who passed them by. He was a part of something now, he existed within a group, and he didn’t care about the perceptions of the rest of the world. 
总而言之，他们这群人凑在一起挺有意思的，星化压根不在意路人时不时投来的目光。他现在也是有组织的人了，他真真切切地存在于一个集体之中，才懒得管其他人怎么看。

Shuffling his feet slightly, Seonghwa winced. “Um… so, I don’t actually need to go anywhere,” he admitted, for now that Hongjoong wasn’t around he had no reason to pretend. “Hongjoong was just, well, driving me a bit crazy, so I said I had to go into the city because I knew it would knock him down a peg. But there isn’t any real reason for us coming here so, um, I’m sorry about that.” 
星化有点不自在地挪了挪脚，微微皱眉。“呃……其实吧，我并没有非去哪儿不可，” 他坦白道，现在洪中不在，他也没必要再装下去了。“洪中那家伙简直要把我逼疯了，所以我才说要去市里，我知道这样能让他消停点。但我们来这儿真没什么正事，所以，呃，真不好意思啊。”

The three of them stared at him for a second, processing his words before they burst into laughter right there on the sidewalk, the sounds of their joy echoing through the space between buildings. “Oh my god,” Yeosang said, muffling his laughter into his palm. While the others were loud with their amusement, he was more contained, but his eyes betrayed the extent of his glee. “Good for you.” 
三人愣了一下，似乎在消化他的话，紧接着就在人行道上爆发出笑声，欢快的笑声在楼宇之间回荡。“我的天哪，” 旼琦捂着嘴，笑得肩膀直抖。其他人笑得肆无忌惮，他相对收敛一些，但眼里的笑意却藏都藏不住。“行啊你。”

Seonghwa grinned at that, relieved that they understood his reasoning, and when Mingi spoke he sounded as if he were struggling to breathe. “He deserves that,” he gasped, giggles slipping through the gaps between his words. “He needs to be humbled.” 
听他们理解了自己的意思，星化咧嘴一笑，松了口气。旼琦说话的时候，听起来像是喘不上气一样。“他活该，” 旼琦喘息着说道，咯咯的笑声从字缝里溜出来，“他就是欠收拾，得让他知道知道天高地厚。”

That made Seonghwa erupt into laughter as well, and the four of them couldn’t compose themselves for another several minutes, as every time they looked at each other they dissolved into their amusement all over again. Seonghwa’s heart was full of joy, and he hoped that he would remember this moment forever, because he really did feel like he was a part of something. He had never felt like that before. 
这话逗得星化也爆发出一阵大笑，他们四个人又缓了好几分钟才缓过来，因为每次他们一对视，又会再次陷入欢乐的海洋。星化心里充满了喜悦，他希望自己能永远记住这一刻，因为他真的觉得自己是集体中的一份子。他以前从未有过这种感觉。

Once they managed to regain a hold of themselves, they started to stroll through the streets, wandering aimlessly now that they had no real destination. Seonghwa liked it better like this, anyway; the vampires were all curious about different parts of the city that they weren’t familiar with and Seonghwa was able to supply all of the information they asked for after living here all his life. 
好不容易缓过神来，他们开始在街上漫无目的地闲逛，反正现在也没什么非去不可的地方。星和觉得这样挺好；那些吸血鬼们对城市里他们不熟悉的地方都很好奇，而星和在这里生活了一辈子，也能满足他们所有的问题。

“You know so much,” Mingi marveled at one point, and Seonghwa blushed, hands in his pockets as he kicked absently at a small pebble in his path. “We don’t really come into the city a lot, and even when we do, we always stay away from humans. We don’t want to scare anyone. But because of that, we really don’t know much about the human side of things anymore.” 
“你懂的真多，” 闵基忍不住赞叹道。星化有点不好意思，双手插在口袋里，漫不经心地踢着路上的小石子。“我们很少进城，就算来了，也总是躲着人类。我们不想吓到任何人。也正因为这样，我们对人类世界的事情知道的太少了。”

Jongho hummed in agreement, and when Seonghwa’s pebble came into his path, he kicked it instead of letting it be left behind. A simple action, but for some reason it touched Seonghwa’s heart. “Even the youngest of us - well, aside from Wooyoung - are still almost a century old. A lot can change in that time, and especially with technology, everything is so different now.” 
钟浩哼了一声表示同意，当盛 Total 的石子滚到他脚边时，他踢了一下，没让它孤零零地留在原地。只是个简单的动作，不知为何却触动了盛 Total 的心弦。“我们之中最小的——好吧，除了佑荣——也快一百岁了。这么长的时间里，很多事情都会改变，特别是科技，现在的一切都太不一样了。”

“You know how to work the computer at the house, at least,” Seonghwa pointed out, which drew a groan out of Mingi and a subsequent giggle out of Yeosang. 
“至少你还知道怎么用家里的电脑，”盛 Total 指出，这话引来旼琦的一声抱怨，以及随后来自吕尚的咯咯笑声。

“Don’t talk to me about that computer,” Mingi grumbled. “I still don’t understand it.” 
“别跟我提那台电脑，”旼琦嘟囔着，“我到现在还没搞懂它。”

Shifting over to walk alongside Seonghwa, Yeosang linked their arms together, and Seonghwa nearly stopped in his tracks. Some of the others had been very affectionate from the beginning, but Yeosang had never been one of them. He was considerably more reserved, and he had never initiated contact like this. 
换了个方向，走到星化身边，Yeosang 挽住了他的胳膊。星化差点没站稳。虽然一开始其他人就挺腻歪的，但 Yeosang 从来都不是那种人。他一直都很矜持，从来没有主动过。

When Seonghwa looked at him, he offered a soft smile, and Seonghwa returned it immediately. “Mingi is the reason why we’ve had to go through multiple computers,” Yeosang informed, seeming to enjoy Mingi’s squirming. “Each one has wound up with a virus that we can’t get rid of, always because of him.” 
星化看过来的时候，他给了个软软的笑，星化立刻就回了一个。“茗起就是我们不得不换好几台电脑的罪魁祸首，” 瑜相告状似的说道，好像很享受茗起的不自在，“每台都中了病毒，还清不掉，永远都是因为他。”

“What the hell is a computer virus anyway?” Mingi blurted, shaking his head in exasperation. “Computers can’t get sick, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Seonghwa and Yeosang shared a look after that, before they both started to laugh all over again. 
“电脑病毒到底他妈的是什么鬼东西？” 闵基没好气地嚷嚷着，直摇头，“电脑又不会生病，这绝对是我听过最蠢的事儿了。” 星化和 吕尚 交换了一个眼神，然后两人又忍不住哈哈大笑起来。

Mingi continued to whine about this for the next several minutes as they crossed the street and continued to wind their way through the city, until the smell of food wafted towards them on the breeze. “That smells good - are you hungry?” Yeosang asked, and just as Seonghwa was about to say no, his stomach rumbled and shattered any illusions. 
接下来的几分钟，在他们穿过街道，继续在城市里穿行时，Mingi 还在不停地抱怨着。直到一阵食物的香味随着微风飘来。“好香啊——你饿了吗？” Yeosang 问道。Seonghwa 本来想说不饿，结果肚子咕噜一声，彻底粉碎了他营造的假象。

“Let’s go,” Jongho said, and Seonghwa was powerless to resist as he was dragged in the direction of the smell. “I wonder where it’s coming from.” 
“走吧，” 钟浩说着，星化根本无力抵抗，就被他拽着朝香味飘来的方向走去。“我倒要看看，这香味是从哪儿冒出来的。”

Holding a hand to his stomach, Seonghwa blushed. “Um, I think there’s a night market nearby. I’ve never eaten there, but I’ve seen it before. A lot of vendors, that kind of thing. A lot of people too, though.” 
捂着肚子，星化脸红了：“嗯…我想这附近有个夜市。我还没去吃过，但之前有看到过。就是那种有很多摊贩，人也特别多的地方。”

He wasn’t sure how all of the humans at the market would respond to the presence of three vampires, but if they kept their mouths shut to hide their fangs, then he supposed that it would be okay. And if it didn’t go as planned, then they would just leave. Comforted by that thought, Seonghwa’s apprehension dulled, the smell of the food driving him forwards until the market finally came into view. 
他也不确定市场上的人类会如何看待他们三个吸血鬼的出现，但如果他们能闭紧嘴巴，藏好獠牙，大概就没事了吧。万一事情不像计划的那样发展，他们就直接离开。想到这，星化的不安感稍稍减轻了，食物的香味驱使着他向前，直到市场终于映入眼帘。

As he had expected, vendors lined the streets on either side, the roads blocked off around the area. All different kinds of food were visible, for each vendor specialized in something different, and he wasn’t quite sure where to look as he took note of the crowds of people, the containers of various types of food and drink. 
正如他所预料的那样，小贩们在街道两旁排开，道路在这一区域被封锁。各种各样的食物映入眼帘，因为每个小贩都专营不同的东西。他一时不知该从何看起，同时留意着拥挤的人群，以及盛放着各种食物和饮料的容器。

The vampires scanned over the area in wonder as well, and Seonghwa turned to face them, smiling when he noticed their expressions. “We won’t linger here long, but we can find something for me to eat, if you want to see more of the market.” They all nodded, and when Seonghwa moved forward they followed after him, allowing him to lead the way. 
吸血鬼们也好奇地扫视着四周，盛火转过身，看到他们的表情，笑着说：“我们不会在这里待太久，但如果你们想多看看这个市场，我可以找点东西吃。” 他们都点了点头，盛火往前走，他们便跟在他身后，任由他带路。

He noticed all kinds of different foods, and although they all looked wonderful, he was craving meat. Now that he actually had access to a regular stream of food, he ate meat at every meal, and he still couldn’t get enough of it, his body desperate to replenish all of the nutrients he had missed out on for most of his life. He let his sense of smell guide him forward, and he stopped at the first vendor he noticed selling meat. 
他注意到各种各样的食物，虽然看起来都很美味，但他现在就想吃肉。 既然他现在可以定期获得食物了，他每餐都吃肉，但还是吃不够，他的身体迫切地想补充他一生中缺失的所有营养。 他让自己的嗅觉引导他前进，并在他注意到的第一个卖肉的摊位前停了下来。

With the vampires watching in interest, he bought a paper container of food from the vendor, still steaming as he took his first bite to satisfy his hunger. He was always hungry, even though he had eaten dinner not too long ago, and he cleared out the container as he searched for his next stop. “What about this one?” Jongho said, pointing out one of the vendors, and Seonghwa went over and bought something from her, too. 
在吸血鬼们饶有兴致的注视下，他从摊贩那里买了一盒热气腾腾的食物，迫不及待地咬了一口，想先填饱肚子。他总是这么饿，明明不久前才吃过晚饭，他三下五除二地清空了盒子，开始寻觅下一个目标。“这家怎么样？” 钟浩指着一个摊位说道，星化便走了过去，也从她那里买了点东西。

He was enjoying himself immensely, munching away as they weaved their way through the crowd and out the other side, finishing the last of his food before disposing of the paper containers. Just as he turned to thank his friends for indulging him, he noticed two figures looming behind Mingi, and he froze in place.
他吃得那叫一个心满意足，一边津津有味地嚼着，一边跟着人群穿梭。等他们走到人少的地方，他也刚好把最后一口食物解决掉，顺手扔掉了纸质餐盒。他刚想转过身，好好谢谢朋友们满足了他的口腹之欲，却猛然瞥见有两个人影正鬼鬼祟祟地逼近闵基，顿时僵在了原地。

 “Um, guys-” he started to say, but he stopped when he noticed the sharp fangs glinting in the mouths of the shadowed figures as they came closer, his words catching in his throat. His friends noticed his reaction and turned around just as the two vampires behind them stepped forward, both of them fixated on Seonghwa, not even looking at the others. 
“呃，我说哥几个……” 他刚开了个头，话就卡在了嗓子眼儿里。借着光，他瞥见那些黑影嘴里闪着寒光的尖牙，正一步步逼近。他这反应，朋友们自然也察觉到了，一回头，就见两个吸血鬼走了上来，眼神直勾勾地盯着星和，压根儿就没把其他人放在眼里。

“It comes as a surprise that the three of you would dare to bring him here,” one of them said, his voice holding an accent similar to the one belonging to Hongjoong. His hair was inky black, and he was taller than the other vampire, who was considerably older. The second vampire had grey hair at his temples, evidence that he had been turned at a far older age than most. Both of them weren’t nearly as pale as Hongjoong and the others, however; their skin was golden. “Not a smart choice.” 
“呵，你们三个居然敢把他带来这儿，真是让我有点意外。” 其中一个开了口，带着跟洪仲相似的口音。他一头乌黑的头发，身材也比另一个吸血鬼高大得多，而另一个明显年纪更大，两鬓斑白，看来变成吸血鬼的时候岁数就不小了。不过，他们俩的肤色倒没洪仲他们那么苍白，而是带着一种健康的金色。“这可不是什么明智之举。”

Seonghwa backed up a step, their words making no sense to him, and he felt the presence of his friends at his side as they all moved back to stand around him, Mingi blocking Seonghwa’s body completely with his own. “Leave us alone,” he hissed, and he sounded nothing like the Mingi that Seonghwa had come to know. His voice was cold as steel, his shoulders squared as he drew up to his full height, taller than the two vampires he faced down. 
盛华后退一步，那些话他一句都没听懂。他感觉到朋友们都在他身边，他们全都后退，围在他周围。旼琦更是直接挡在了盛华身前，用自己的身体完全遮住了他。“滚开，” 旼琦嘶声道，听起来完全不像盛华认识的那个旼琦。他的声音冷若寒冰，肩膀绷得紧紧的，挺直了身板，比他面前的那两个吸血鬼还要高。

Reaching down into his pocket, Seonghwa grasped the hard surface of the retractable knife Hongjoong had given him. He didn’t want to use it, but he wouldn’t hesitate if these vampires left him with no other choice. 
盛华伸手探进口袋，摸到了洪仲基给他的那把伸缩刀坚硬的表面。他不想用它，但如果这些吸血鬼逼得他别无选择，他也不会犹豫。

The older vampire laughed, but the sound didn’t carry a trace of humor, his eyes hard as he continued to stare at Seonghwa. “We will do nothing to you,” he sneered. “Not here.” Seonghwa couldn’t move a muscle, chills erupting all over his skin under that gaze, his fingers beginning to tremble. 
年长的吸血鬼笑了，但那笑声里听不出半点笑意，眼神阴鸷地继续盯着星和。“我们不会对你做什么，”他嗤笑道，“至少不会在这里。”星和浑身僵硬，在那目光的注视下，皮肤上泛起一阵阵寒意，手指也开始不受控制地颤抖。

“Not anywhere,” Jongho cut in, stepping forward as well, passing Mingi and pushing one of the vampires back, laying both hands against his chest. “Get the hell away from us. He isn’t yours.” 
“哪里都不行，”钟浩插话道，也跟着向前一步，越过旼琦，一把推开一个吸血鬼，双手抵在他的胸前。“滚远点。他不是你们的。”

“Regretfully,” said the taller vampire, licking over his fangs. “If he weren’t Hongjoong’s new toy, I would have a grand time with him. However, contracts do not last forever.” His lips curled into a wicked grin, and Seonghwa took another stumbling step back, his heart hammering against his ribs. “You won’t always be protected.” 
“真可惜，”高个子的吸血鬼舔了舔獠牙，“如果他不是洪中的新玩具，我倒是很想好好玩玩他。不过嘛，契约又不是永远有效。”他嘴角勾起一个邪恶的笑容，星和踉跄着又退了一步，心脏砰砰地撞击着胸腔。“你不会永远被保护着的。”

Yeosang wrapped an arm around him to prevent him from losing his balance, and Seonghwa drew comfort from the contact, still unable to look away from the two vampires. “It was quite the battle to bid for you,” the older vampire added, the sound of his voice grating down Seonghwa’s spine. “Or did he not inform you of that?” 
为了防止他失去平衡，Yeosang 用手臂搂住了他。这份接触让星化感到一丝安慰，但他仍然无法将视线从那两个吸血鬼身上移开。“为了得到你，那可真是一场激烈的竞价，”年长的吸血鬼补充道，他的声音像砂纸一样刮着星化的脊椎。“还是说，他没有告诉你这些？”

“Enough,” Mingi growled, shoving them both back, his voice booming. Their altercation was drawing stares now, and Seonghwa squeezed his eyes shut as he turned away from the vampires and further into Yeosang’s hold, shaking from more than just the autumn chill. “Get out of here. Say one more thing to him, and I’ll rip your throat out with my fangs.” 
“够了！” 旼琦低吼一声，一把将他们两个推开，声音洪亮得震耳欲聋。他们的争执引来了周围人的注目，星和紧闭双眼，从吸血鬼身边挣脱，更加依偎在吕尚的怀抱里，瑟瑟发抖，不仅仅是因为秋日的寒冷。“都给我滚出去。要是再敢跟他多说一句废话，我就用我的獠牙撕烂你们的喉咙！”

“It is shocking that you still have fangs at all, considering how your lover willingly had his taken away,” the tall one threw back, and even without looking, Seonghwa could feel a shift in the air when Mingi snapped. He turned his head just enough to see Mingi throw himself forward, held back only by Jongho’s arm in front of his chest, halting his trajectory. 
“真他妈让人震惊，你居然还留着獠牙，想想你那口子，为了你可是心甘情愿地拔了牙。” 高个儿那家伙阴阳怪气地呛声道。不用看，星和都能感觉到空气瞬间紧张起来，那是旼琦要炸毛了。他稍微侧了下头，看到旼琦猛地向前冲，幸亏钟浩眼疾手快，一只胳膊挡在他胸前，这才没让他冲出去。

Frightened as he was, it took Seonghwa a few seconds to understand that the last jab had been about Yunho and his lack of fangs. Jongho’s anger was obvious as well, but he managed to restrain Mingi as he spat his next words. “If you know what’s good for you, you will leave now. Our leader is not far from here - he’s with the council right now.” 
纵然心头怕得要死，成华愣了好几秒才反应过来，最后那句话是在嘲讽润浩没有尖牙。钟浩的怒火也显而易见，但他还是死死拉住了闵基，然后恶狠狠地吐出下一句话：“识相的，现在就滚。我们的首领离这儿不远——他现在正跟议会在一块儿呢。”

And as soon as those words left Jongho’s mouth, the grins faded from the faces of the two vampires. They didn’t say another word, and instead they just turned and stalked away, disappearing within the crowd of people in the night market who had turned to watch. Jongho looked at them next, bringing Mingi back over to where Yeosang and Seonghwa were standing. “Show’s over!” he called out, and they all turned away at once, murmuring amongst themselves. 
钟浩话音刚落，那两个吸血鬼脸上的笑容瞬间消失得无影无踪。他们一句话也没说，只是转过身，气势汹汹地走了，消失在夜市围观人群中。钟浩接着看向其他人，把 Mingi 拉回到 Yeosang 和 Seonghwa 站的地方。“没事了，都散了吧！”他喊道，人群立刻散开，小声议论着。

“Are you alright?” Yeosang asked now that the other vampires were gone, gripping Seonghwa’s shoulders and holding him at arm’s length, searching his face. 
“你没事吧？” 等其他吸血鬼都消失后，Yeosang 问道，他紧紧抓住 Seonghwa 的肩膀，将他拉开一段距离，仔细地观察他的脸。

Inhaling a shuddering breath, Seonghwa nodded and let go of the knife in his pocket, although he was still shaken. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he murmured, glancing over his shoulder, making sure that the vampires were really gone. “Can we go home?” 
Seonghwa 颤抖着深吸一口气，点了点头，松开了口袋里的刀，虽然他仍然惊魂未定。“嗯，我没事，” 他低声说，回头看了一眼，确认那些吸血鬼真的走了。“我们能回家了吗？”

Mingi finally softened at that, his anger melting away as he nodded, although some lingering tension was still visible along his jaw. “Yeah, let’s go home,” he replied, his voice a bit distant. “Hongjoong will be there soon, too. I need to talk to him.” 
听他这么说，闵基的态度总算软了下来，怒气也渐渐消散，点了点头，只是下颚线条依旧紧绷，看得出还有些不痛快。“嗯，回家吧。”他声音有些飘忽，“洪中也快到了。我得跟他好好聊聊。”

Swallowing, Seonghwa allowed himself to be guided through the streets and towards where they had left the car, his mind still reeling after all that had just happened. “What did they mean?” he asked once they had left the market behind, their surroundings quieter now. He kept casting glances behind them, unable to rid himself of the feeling that they were being watched. “Why did they say those things?” 
艰难地咽了口唾沫，星化任由钟浩牵着，穿梭在街道上，朝停车的地方走去。刚才发生的一切还在他脑海里翻腾，让他一时难以平静。“他们是什么意思？” 离开了市场，周围安静了下来，他终于忍不住问道。他还是不停地回头张望，总感觉有人在暗中窥视。“他们为什么要说那些话？”

“Wait until we get home,” Jongho said, and he still looked visibly bothered as well, his words clipped. “Hongjoong can explain everything to you.” Although that answer did little to satisfy his question, Seonghwa nodded anyway, focusing instead on bringing down his heart rate as they drew closer to the car. 
“回家再说，”钟浩说道，语气生硬，看得出来他也很烦躁。“洪中会把一切都告诉你的。” 这个回答并没有真正解开星化的疑惑，但他还是点了点头，努力平复着加速的心跳，因为他们离车越来越近了。

Once it came into view, Jongho unlocked it and they all clambered inside, Seonghwa and Mingi in the backseat. On the way there, they had left the middle seat empty, but now Mingi slid in further to take the middle seat instead, clearly with the intent to be closer to Seonghwa. Seonghwa smiled weakly at him, and he returned it, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. 
车子一出现，钟浩就开了锁，他们一股脑地钻了进去，星化和旼琦坐在后座。来的时候，他们还特意空出了中间的座位，但现在旼琦往里挪了挪，直接坐到了中间，显然是想离星化更近一些。星化勉强地对他笑了笑，他也回了一个笑容，只是笑容并没有到达眼底。

Their ride back into the forest was silent, each of them absorbed in their own thoughts, the mood considerably dampened. Seonghwa still struggled to halt his trembling, and he couldn’t regain a hold of himself until Mingi wrapped an arm around his shoulders about halfway through the ride, a silent show of support. Only then did he start to calm down fully, his heart dislodging from his throat, his breath coming more easily. 
重返森林的路途一片沉默，每个人都沉浸在自己的思绪中，气氛压抑得让人喘不过气。星化依旧努力克制着自己的颤抖，直到车程过半，旼琦默默地搂住了他的肩膀，无声地表达着支持，他才终于慢慢平静下来，心也从嗓子眼儿落回了原位，呼吸也顺畅了许多。

When they arrived at the coven house, the four of them went inside to find the first floor otherwise empty. Hongjoong and Yunho both weren’t back yet, and Wooyoung and San were likely upstairs. “He’ll be back soon,” Yeosang promised, and Seonghwa nodded, going straight for the couch and holding the crocheted bunny close to his chest. 
他们抵达女巫集会所时，发现一楼空无一人。弘中和允浩都还没回来，佑荣和伞可能在楼上腻歪呢。“他很快就回来了，” 瑜 Sang 保证道。星和点了点头，径直走向沙发，紧紧抱着那个钩针兔子，仿佛抱着什么宝贝似的。

Mingi dropped down to the couch as well, staring into the fireplace with his hands cupped around his mouth, his elbows resting against his knees. “Anything that we kept from you was to keep you safe,” he said after a few minutes of silence, and Seonghwa looked at him, confused. “Just know that, okay?” 
旼琦也一屁股坐到沙发上，双手拢在嘴边，手肘撑着膝盖，盯着壁炉发呆。沉默了几分钟后，他才缓缓开口：“我们瞒着你的一切，都是为了保护你。” 星化一脸困惑地看着他。“记住这一点，好吗？”

Unsure of how to respond to that, Seonghwa chose to say nothing at all, pulling his knees up to his chest to make himself smaller. Whenever he was upset, or scared, or anything in between, his first instinct was always to take up less space. It hurt less when the world made him feel small if he had already done it himself. 
星化一时语塞，不知道该怎么接话，干脆选择了沉默，他蜷起双腿抱在胸前，想把自己缩得更小。每当他感到沮丧、害怕，或者介于两者之间的任何情绪时，他的第一反应总是尽可能地减少自己的存在感。如果他已经让自己变得渺小，那么当这个世界让他感到渺小时，那种痛感似乎也会减轻一些。

Steps moved up the stairs, and a few moments later they descended once more, this time with company. A few moments later, Wooyoung appeared at Seonghwa’s side, sitting down beside him and touching his arm gently to get his attention. “Yeosang said what happened,” he breathed, and he looked genuinely upset after hearing the story secondhand. “What do you need?” 
楼梯上传来一阵脚步声，没过多久，又响起了下楼的动静，这次还多了几个人。片刻之后，佑荣出现在星化的身旁，挨着他坐下，轻轻碰了碰他的胳膊，想引起他的注意。“友尚都跟我说了，”他轻声说道，听了转述之后，看起来真的很难过。“你需要什么？”

Those words alone made Seonghwa want to cry, and instead he just shook his head, leaning closer to Wooyoung. “I want to know what’s going on,” he murmured, resting his head against Wooyoung’s shoulder. He probably should have asked if that was okay, considering the proximity of his neck to Wooyoung’s fangs, but the boy didn’t resist and Seonghwa was desperate for the comfort. After not receiving any physical touch for most of his life, he craved it now in the same way that his stomach asked for food when he was hungry. He needed it, and he knew that Wooyoung needed it just as much as he did. 
仅仅是这些话，就让星和想哭。但他只是摇了摇头，更靠近了佑荣一些。“我想知道发生了什么，”他低声说道，把头靠在佑荣的肩膀上。他大概应该先问问佑荣是否介意，毕竟他的脖子离佑荣的尖牙那么近。但佑荣并没有拒绝，而星和迫切地需要这种慰藉。在生命中的大部分时间里，他都没有得到过任何身体上的接触。现在，他渴望它，就像肚子饿的时候渴望食物一样。他需要它，而且他知道，佑荣也同样需要。

“I would tell you if I knew, but I don’t know anything either,” Wooyoung replied, his voice soft, and that made Seonghwa feel a little bit better. At least he wasn’t the only one in the dark. 
“我要是知道就告诉你了，可我也不知道啊，” 禹英轻声说道，成华听了心里稍微好受了些。 至少不是他一个人被蒙在鼓里。

Another few minutes crept by, and then the sound of the front door opening carried through the house. Seonghwa sat up fully, but he slid his hand against Wooyoung’s, lacing their fingers together for comfort. He watched as Hongjoong came into view, stepping into the living room to find some of them on the couch and the rest standing behind, his brows drawing together in confusion. “What’s going on?” 
又过了让人觉得度日如年的几分钟，前门传来开门的声音，在屋里回荡。星化一下子坐直了身体，但他的手悄悄地滑过去，握住了佑荣的手，十指紧扣，寻求安慰。他看着弘中走进客厅，看到几个人在沙发上，剩下的人站在后面，困惑地皱起了眉头。“这是怎么了？”

Immediately, his eyes found Seonghwa, and his expression changed as he crossed the room in a few swift steps. He stopped in front of the couch, and he reached out to settle his fingers under Seonghwa’s chin, raising his face in order for their eyes to meet. “Are you alright?” he breathed, his concern impossible to miss. “Did something happen?” 
他的目光立刻找到了星化，表情也随之变化。他几步走到沙发前，伸出手，用手指轻轻托起星化的下巴，抬起他的脸，以便两人能目光交汇。“你没事吧？”他轻声问，关切之情溢于言表。“发生什么事了吗？”

Swallowing with force, Seonghwa set his jaw, grounded by Wooyoung’s cold hand within his own. “You tell me,” he replied, his voice lacking its usual warmth. The muscles all along his body were fraught with tension, his shoulders set in a hard line. 
成华用力咽了口唾沫，咬紧牙关，Wooyoung 冰凉的手握着他，让他稍稍镇定下来。“你来告诉我，”他回答道，声音里失去了往日的温柔。他浑身的肌肉都紧绷着，肩膀僵硬地绷成一条线。

“What do you mean?” Hongjoong pressed, and Seonghwa reached up to brush his hand away, looking down once more. 
“你这话什么意思？” 弘中紧追不舍地问，星和抬手想拂开他的手，却又垂下眼眸，躲开了他的目光。

When he didn’t reply, Mingi cleared his throat from his place on the other couch, redirecting Hongjoong’s attention. “While we were out, we ran into two sunwalkers. Nothing happened, but only because we didn’t let anything happen. If Seonghwa had been alone, he wouldn’t have been safe.” 
见洪中久久不语，旼琦清了清嗓子，从另一张沙发上吸引了他的注意。“我们出去的时候，碰到了两个白天活动的吸血鬼。虽然什么都没发生，但那是因为我们没让他们得逞。如果星和当时是一个人，恐怕就危险了。”

Those words caused Seonghwa’s former chills to return, and Wooyoung squeezed his hand. As soon as the words left Mingi’s mouth, Hongjoong’s entire frame visibly stiffened, his hands curling into fists. “They wouldn’t dare…” he said, but Mingi shook his head. 
旼琦的话让星和重新感到一阵寒意，佑荣紧紧握住了他的手。话音刚落，洪中全身的肌肉都绷紧了，双手也攥成了拳头。“他们敢……”他说着，但旼琦摇了摇头。

“Maybe not now, but he’s on their radar. And really, you should have told him why sooner, because they said a lot of cryptic things. Now you have no choice but to explain.” Hongjoong whirled around to face Seonghwa again, his throat moving as he parted his lips again, his fangs stark white against the pink color of his lips. 
“也许不是现在，但他已经被盯上了。说真的，你早就该告诉他原因，他们说了不少含糊不清的话。现在你没得选了，必须解释清楚。” 洪中猛地转过身，面对成华，喉结上下滑动，他张开嘴，露出两颗尖利的牙齿，在粉色嘴唇的映衬下，显得格外雪白。

“What did they say to you?” he asked, his gaze piercing, seeing straight through any facade Seonghwa might try to hold in place. 
“他们跟你说什么了？”他问，目光锐利，仿佛能穿透星和试图维持的任何伪装。

With a heavy sigh, Seonghwa looked back at him, easily recalling the words that had been circulating around within his mind for the last hour. “‘It was quite the battle to bid for you’,” he recited, the words alone making his skin crawl. “What does that mean?” 
盛华重重地叹了口气，回过头看着他，脑海中立刻浮现出过去一小时里一直盘旋不去的话语。“‘竞标你，可真是一场硬仗啊’，”他复述着，光是这些字眼就让他浑身不自在。“这是什么意思？”

Hongjoong’s jaw tightened, and he scanned over the faces of the others, beckoning all of them to come sit on the couch now. “Okay,” he muttered to himself, pacing along the length of the floor in front of the middle couch where Seonghwa and Wooyoung were seated. San joined them as well, and Jongho and Yeosang joined Mingi on the other couch. “I will tell you everything. But please, you must listen to everything I say before you come to your own conclusions.” 
洪中咬紧牙关，目光扫过其他成员的脸庞，示意大家都到沙发上来坐。 “好了，” 他喃喃自语，在地板上来回踱步，就在盛华和佑荣坐着的那个长沙发前面。 旼琦和钟浩、吕尚挤在另一个沙发上，伞也加入了他们那边。“我会告诉你们一切。 但是请你们，在得出自己的结论之前，一定要听完我说的所有事情。”

Although he was tempted to say that he didn’t have to do anything if he didn’t want to, he didn’t want to escalate the situation any further, so he just gave a belated nod. “Fine,” he said, and even as the others settled down, Hongjoong’s eyes never strayed from Seonghwa’s face. 
虽然他很想撂下一句“老子不想干嘛就不干嘛”，但他不想把事态升级，所以还是迟疑地点了点头。“行吧，”他说着，即使其他人都安静了下来，洪中的目光也从未从星和的脸上移开。

“I never wanted a feeder,” Hongjoong said, coming right out with the words, and they hit Seonghwa straight in the chest. He shrunk back against the couch, pressing a hand to his neck, sucking in a sharp breath. And really, those words shouldn’t have hurt as bad as they did, but he couldn’t control the feeling. He felt the pain in his heart, and his eyes stung against his will. 
“我从没想过要找个喂养者，” 洪中直接把话说开了，这话就像一记重拳，狠狠砸在星和的胸口。他一下子缩回沙发里，一只手捂住脖子，倒吸一口凉气。说真的，这些话本不该这么伤人的，但他控制不住自己的情绪。他感到心痛，眼眶也情不自禁地泛红。

Clearly reading Seonghwa’s expression, Hongjoong continued, tension visible at the corners of his mouth. “That is why I have told you over and over again that I will never treat you like a slave, like most other vampires would. I never wanted a feeder at all, because I do not believe it is right. I do not believe that any human should have to sign their life away in order to survive. Humans should never let other humans struggle with that degree of desperation.” 
洪仲基显然看懂了星化的表情，嘴角紧绷，语气也跟着严肃起来：“所以我才一再跟你强调，我绝不会像其他吸血鬼那样把你当成奴隶。说实话，我一开始根本没打算找什么 feeder，因为我压根不觉得那种事是对的。我不认为任何人应该为了活下去就把自己的人生给卖了。人就不该眼睁睁看着其他人走投无路。”

Everything he said aligned perfectly with how Seonghwa felt about his own struggle, but now that he sat there listening to it, he felt more vulnerable than he had since his first day in this house. How naive he had been, to think that Hongjoong couldn’t see right through him. 
他说的每一句话，都像是完完全全说中了星化内心深处的挣扎。但现在，他就这么坐在那里，听着洪中剖析着自己，反而觉得比刚来这儿的第一天还要脆弱。真是太天真了，竟然以为洪中看不穿他。

“However, what you do not understand is how the feeder system works. Every feeder is entered in a system with their basic information, and vampires are permitted to place bids on that human if they are interested. I never wanted a feeder, but I do check the feeder system on occasion anyway, because I believe it to be cruel. I do not think it is right. But when I opened it and I saw you, you struck something different inside of me.” Hongjoong was staring at Seonghwa, his eyes pleading, begging for him to understand. 
“但你不明白的是，这个‘血源’系统是怎么运作的。每个‘血源’的基本信息都会被录入系统，然后吸血鬼们就可以对有兴趣的人类进行竞标。我从没想过要什么‘血源’，但我偶尔还是会去看看那个系统，因为我觉得它太残忍了。我觉得这不应该。但是，当我打开系统，看到你的那一刻，你触动了我内心深处不一样的东西。” 弘中紧紧地盯着星和，他的眼神充满恳求，渴望他能理解。

But no one had told Seonghwa any of this at the blood bank, when he had agreed to have himself assigned to a vampire. He had never known about this bidding system, and it made him feel sick now, his stomach churning.
但当初在血库，同意把自己分配给吸血鬼的时候，可没人告诉过他这些啊。他根本不知道还有这种竞标制度，现在知道了，只觉得一阵恶心，胃里翻江倒海。

Any vampire who had checked that system had seen his face and read his information, then. And no human even bothered to protest against that, because feeders were the disgraces of society anyway. Once he agreed to be a feeder, he had essentially thrown away any scraps of worth he may have still possessed in the eyes of the rest of the humans in the city. 
任何一个查过那套系统的吸血鬼，肯定都看到了他的脸，读了他的信息。而人类甚至懒得抗议这种事，反正供血者（feeders）就是社会的耻辱。一旦同意当了供血者，他就等于把自己在其他人眼中那点儿可怜的价值，彻底扔进了垃圾堆。

He wished the couch would swallow him, and his hands had started to shake again, numb to Wooyoung’s touch. “You must understand… most feeders do not look like you, Seonghwa. You are beautiful, and that is evident to anyone who lays their eyes upon you. But most feeders are not the same; they look… sick, or damaged in ways that you do not. Do you understand what I am referencing?” 
他真想让沙发把他吞进去，双手又开始不受控制地颤抖，对佑荣的触碰毫无知觉。“你必须明白……大部分的饲养者，他们不像你，星化。你是如此的美丽，任何看到你的人都会明白这一点。但大多数的饲养者并非如此；他们看起来……病态，或者说，以某种你无法想象的方式受到了伤害。你明白我在说什么吗？”

“I understand better than anyone else,” Seonghwa croaked, hating how his voice cracked. “I’ve been surrounded by people like that all my life.” 
“我比任何人都明白，”星化嘶哑地说，痛恨自己声音的颤抖。“我这辈子都生活在那样的人群里。”

“I know,” Hongjoong murmured, no longer pacing now, just standing there before the fireplace. He was still wearing the cloak he often wore when he went outside, the same one that he had wrapped around Seonghwa’s shoulders that night on the porch. “But when your information appeared on that portal, along with a photograph of you… in all of my years I have never seen the bids rise that high. Every vampire in this city wanted you, Seonghwa. The cruelest, most despicable ones wanted you.” 
“我知道，” 弘中喃喃道，不再踱步，只是站在壁炉前。 他还穿着他经常外出的那件斗篷，就是那天晚上他在门廊上披在星和肩膀上的那件。“但是当你的信息出现在那个门户网站上，还有你的照片……这么多年来，我从未见过竞标价格涨得这么高。 这个城市里的每个吸血鬼都想要你，星和。 那些最残酷、最卑鄙的人尤其想要你。”

Breath catching in his throat, Seonghwa erupted into a brief fit of coughing, pressing his loosely curled fist to his mouth. He hated the looks of concern, the pity. He just wanted them to look at him like he was normal again. “And let me guess,” he muttered, meeting Hongjoong’s eyes at last. “The worst ones were winning.” 
星和倒吸一口凉气，嗓子痒得厉害，忍不住一阵咳嗽，他用松松握拳的手抵着嘴。他最讨厌别人用那种关切、怜悯的眼神看他了。他只想他们能像以前一样，把他当个正常人看待。“让我猜猜，”他嘟囔着，终于抬眼看向弘中，“最差劲的那些家伙要赢了，对吧。”

After a few long seconds of silence, Hongjoong nodded. “Yes,” he admitted, and the room may as well have been empty aside from the two of them. “You were going to be bought by the leader of the sunwalker coven here in Seoul, and he is a terrible man. I have a… poor history with him. And I just could not let you go to him.”
沉默了好一会儿，弘中点了点头。“没错，”他承认道，好像整个房间里只剩下他们两个人一样。“你差点要被首尔日光行者盟会的头领买走，那家伙简直人渣透顶。我跟他…有点过节。我绝对不能让你落入他手里。”

“So you outbidded him,” Seonghwa filled in, his mind reeling. “For me.” 
“所以你把他给比下去了，”星和接话道，脑子里嗡嗡作响。“为了我？”

Hongjoong nodded again, and he moved forward at last, settling down into a crouch right in front of Seonghwa. In this current position, Seonghwa was the one holding the power, with Hongjoong kneeling at his feet. It was impossible to miss the meaning in that. “I did,” Hongjoong answered. “And I do not regret it. Please understand this.” 
洪仲基再次点点头，终于向前挪动，干脆利落地蹲在了星和面前。现在这个姿势，星和掌握着绝对的主动权，洪仲基跪在他的脚下，这其中的意味再明显不过了。“我承认，” 洪仲基回答， “我不后悔，请你明白这一点。”

“But you never really wanted me,” Seonghwa continued, a pang of pain shooting through his chest when Hongjoong’s face fell. “You only bought me because I would have gone to an enemy of yours otherwise.” 
“但你其实从来都没想要过我，” 星化继续说道，胸口一阵刺痛，因为他看到洪中露出了难过的表情。“你买下我，只不过是因为我否则就会落入你的敌人手里。”

“Well, perhaps at first I did it solely to protect you from the vampires who would hurt you,” Hongjoong admitted, and Seonghwa did appreciate his honesty, despite how it hurt. “But that is not the case any longer. I did not want a feeder, that is the truth, but I do want you. Because you are far more than just a feeder to me, darling. Do you understand?” 
“好吧，一开始，我的确只是为了保护你，不让你受到那些会伤害你的吸血鬼的侵害，” 洪中承认道。星化很欣赏他的坦诚，即使这让他心里隐隐作痛。“但现在已经不是这样了。我一开始确实不想要什么血源，这才是实话，但我现在想要你。因为对我来说，你远远不止是个血源，亲爱的，你明白吗？”

Seonghwa didn’t respond straight away, mulling over all of this in his mind, his head starting to pound. He had known that Hongjoong had requested him, as the woman from the blood bank had told him that, but he hadn’t realized the true circumstances of why Hongjoong had done that. “How much money did you spend?” he whispered, the thought suddenly occurring to him. “In order to outbid everyone else?” 
星化没有立刻回答，而是默默地在脑海里反复咀嚼着这些话，脑袋开始隐隐作痛。他早就知道是洪中指名要他，血库的女人跟他提过，但他没有意识到洪中这么做的真正原因。“你花了多少钱？”他低声问道，脑海中突然冒出这个问题，“为了击败其他人？”

“That does not matter,” Hongjoong said, and Seonghwa understood then that Hongjoong would likely never tell him the answer to his question. “And I am sorry for not telling you this sooner, but I did not want you to believe yourself indebted to me. You are still free to behave in any way that pleases you. You are not under my control, and you never will be.” 
“没关系，” 弘中说道，星和那时才明白，弘中大概永远不会告诉他那个问题的答案了。“还有，我很抱歉没有早点告诉你这件事，我不想让你觉得自己欠我什么。你仍然可以随心所欲地做任何你想做的事。你不会受我控制，也永远不会。”

Pressing his thumb and forefinger into the skin above his eyebrows to alleviate the ache that had gathered there, Seonghwa nodded. “Okay,” he whispered, for he had no reason to question Hongjoong’s words, not when he had proven his intent since the start. “But those vampires who confronted us today… they knew who I was because they had probably placed bids as well, then? Every vampire out there - they all wanted to have me? To use me for my blood?” 
星化按压着眉心，想缓解那阵阵抽痛，轻轻点了点头。“好吧，”他低声说，没有任何理由质疑弘中的话，毕竟从一开始，弘中就已证明了他的意图。“但今天那些找上门来的吸血鬼……他们知道我的身份，也是因为他们可能也参与了竞标，对吧？ 所有的吸血鬼——他们都想得到我？为了我的血利用我？”

Hongjoong grimaced, his anger evident even as he withheld the worst of it. “That is why I warned you about being outside without one of us. Because if you had been alone, they wouldn’t have left so easy. Every vampire in this city knows who you are. Beyond that, every vampire in this city hungers for your blood. I do not say this with the intent to scare you, but you must understand. It is dangerous for you to leave here alone.” 
弘中皱紧眉头，即使极力压抑，怒火也清晰可见。“所以我才警告你，没有我们陪同，千万不要独自外出。 因为如果你孤身一人，他们绝不会轻易放过你。 这座城市的每个吸血鬼都知道你的身份。 更重要的是，这座城市的每个吸血鬼都渴望你的血。 我说这些不是为了吓唬你，而是你必须明白，你独自离开这里非常危险。”

“I get it,” Seonghwa choked out, and he fought the urge to flinch when Hongjoong reached out a hand to cup his cheek. “So I just… won’t ever be safe again, is that what you’re saying? Because even if I leave after our contract ends, that will mean that the vampires can just come after me, won’t it?” 
“我明白了……” 星化哽咽着说，洪中伸手捧住他的脸颊时，他拼命忍住畏缩的冲动。“所以你的意思是……我永远都不会安全了，是吗？因为即使合同结束后我离开了，也意味着那些吸血鬼可以来找我，不是吗？”

“Do not worry about that right now,” Hongjoong soothed, although Seonghwa found it difficult not to, considering all of the implications of what he had just learned. “You are safe here. You will have a safe place here for as long as you want it. I will never let anyone hurt you.” 
“现在别想那些了，” 洪仲温声安慰道，但成华根本没法不去想，毕竟他刚得知的信息量实在太大了。“你在这里是安全的。只要你想，这里永远都是你的安全港湾。我绝不会让任何人伤害你。”

Biting his lip, Seonghwa hated how his eyes burned. He was tired of being a victim. All his life, he had felt like something was wrong with him, and he was so tired of bearing the weight of that feeling. “I’m going to my room,” he said eventually, and he pulled Hongjoong’s hand away from his face, getting to his feet and sidestepping Hongjoong’s crouching form. “I’m sorry, I just - I feel overwhelmed. I need to be alone.” 
成华咬着嘴唇，讨厌自己眼眶发热的样子。他受够了当受害者。他这辈子都觉得自己好像有什么不对劲，也受够了背负着这种感觉。“我回房间了，” 他终于说道，然后拿开了洪仲捧着他脸的手，站起身，绕过洪仲蹲着的身体。“抱歉，我只是…我感觉快要喘不过气了。我想一个人静静。”

He hated how he resorted to a desperation to be alone when he was hurt, but he had been alone for so long that his distressed mind didn’t know how to relax when he was surrounded by people. Deep down, he wanted their comfort, but he wasn’t in the right state of mind to trust their kindness. 
他真讨厌自己受伤时就只想躲起来，好像非得一个人待着才能喘口气。也许是孤单太久了吧，脑子一乱，人一多反而更觉得手足无措。其实，他心里也渴望被安慰，只是现在这状态，实在没法相信别人的善意。

To their credit, the others let him go, for they had spent enough time with him now to understand what he needed. And that only served to make it all worse, because had Seonghwa really been so easy to read from the start? 
说实话，他们倒是挺配合，直接放他走了。毕竟相处了这么久，也该明白他到底想要什么。但这样一来，反而更让他觉得难受了。难道从一开始，他就真的这么容易被看穿吗？

Rushing up the stairs, he went straight to his room and closed the door before crumpling right to the ground, unable to even make it to his bed before the tears began to flow. He dropped his head into his hands, and he curled up as small as the size of his body would allow. His chest hurt, and he didn’t know how to make the feeling go away. He didn’t know much of anything anymore. 
他冲上楼梯，径直冲回房间，关上门，再也支撑不住，一下子瘫倒在地。还没来得及爬上床，眼泪就决堤般涌了出来。他埋头双手之间，蜷缩成一团，仿佛想把自己缩成一个小小的不点儿。胸口闷得厉害，他不知道该怎么才能摆脱这种难受的感觉。现在，他感觉自己什么都不知道了。

For a while, he stayed there on the floor and cried, keeping his mouth clamped shut to muffle any sounds, desperate not to garner any further worry from the vampires who had taken him in. Already, they had done so much more for him than he deserved. They had given him a home, and food, and had treated him with nothing but care. 
他趴在地板上，无声地哭了好一会儿，紧紧咬住嘴唇，努力不发出一点声音，生怕让收留他的那些吸血鬼们更加担心。他们已经为他做了太多太多，多到他觉得自己根本不配。他们给了他一个家，给了他食物，还对他无微不至地关怀。

But beyond that, they had also paid an obscene amount of money to keep him safe from all of the other vampires out there who wanted to sink their teeth into his flesh, to drain his body of its blood. 
更重要的是，他们还忍痛割爱，砸了天文数字般的钱，来保护他，让他免受其他吸血鬼的觊觎，那些家伙恨不得一口咬穿他的喉咙，榨干他身体里的每一滴血。

Fear gripped his frame at the mere thought of how different his life would be now if he had wound up bound to a different coven, a different vampire. He would be nothing but a blood bag, to be used and abused on a whim by the one who owned him. He wasn’t naive, either; he understood that he would likely have been used for more than just his blood, if all of those vampires were so entranced by his appearance. 
仅仅是想想，如果当初他和别的吸血鬼家族绑定，被别的吸血鬼占有，现在的生活会变成什么样子，恐惧就紧紧攫住了他的身体。他会沦为什么？不过是一个任人摆布的血袋罢了，被主人随意使用、肆意虐待。他可不是什么天真无知的小白，他很清楚，如果那些吸血鬼真的那么迷恋他的外貌，他被利用的价值，绝对不仅仅是血液那么简单。

Nausea swirled in the pit of his stomach, and he swallowed down the surge of bile that stung the back of his tongue, breathing heavily through his nose. His face was sticky with tears, and his skin was burning hot to the touch. 
一阵恶心感涌上心头，他赶紧咽下那股刺激着舌根的胆汁，用鼻子粗重地呼吸着。脸上糊满了泪水，皮肤也烫得吓人。

He wasn’t upset with Hongjoong, or any of the other vampires within this coven; he owed them even more than he had ever realized. Rather, he was upset with the world in general, with the terrible hand of cards he had been dealt on the day he had been born. 
他并没有生 Hongjoong 的气，也没有怪这个家族里的任何一个吸血鬼。他欠他们的，比他之前意识到的还要多得多。他只是对这个世界感到愤怒，对他从出生那天起就被命运安排的这副烂牌感到不满。

How was it fair that so many other people lived mostly happy lives, while he was so used to suffering that misery was more familiar than the awkward stretch of his face around a smile? His own laughter was a more foreign sound than the rumbling of hunger within his hollow stomach; he was more accustomed to the feeling of knuckles splitting his skin than the warm arms of an embrace. 
凭什么别人就能过得顺风顺水，开开心心，而他却好像天生就是来受罪的，痛苦对他来说，就像老朋友一样熟悉，反倒是脸上挤出一个笑容，都觉得那么别扭？他自己发出的笑声，比肚子咕咕叫的饥饿声还陌生；他更习惯指关节被人揍得皮开肉绽的感觉，而不是被人温暖地拥抱。

Why had humanity constantly turned its back on him? Was he really that different from everyone else?
为什么人类总是对他避之不及？难道他真的和所有人都不一样吗？

He dragged himself up from the floor in favor of curling up in his bed, for at least the blankets were softer than the hardwood floor. Between the visit into the city and the discussion that had come afterwards, he was completely wiped of energy, and it didn’t take long until his eyes grew heavy. He didn’t resist when they fell closed, the overhead light still beaming down as he drifted into sleep. 
他挣扎着从地板上爬起来，宁愿蜷缩到床上去，至少那里的毯子比硬木地板柔软。进城一趟，加上之后那场争论，他感觉精力被彻底榨干了，没过多久眼皮就开始打架。他也没抵抗，任凭它们合上，头顶的灯还亮着，就这么沉沉睡去。

~

When he cracked his eyes open, the room was dark. He sat up in his bed and pressed a palm to his forehead as he groaned, his headache still present even after a few hours of sleep. The glow of sunlight peeked through the gap beneath the curtains that covered his windows, and it occurred to him that someone must have come in here to turn off his lights and close the curtains. 
他吃力地睁开眼，房间里一片昏暗。他撑起身子坐起来，手掌按着额头，痛苦地呻吟着。即使睡了几个小时，头痛还是如影随形。窗帘的缝隙里透进一丝阳光，他这才意识到，肯定是有人进来关了灯，还拉上了窗帘。

He sat there for a few minutes, blinking aimlessly at the wall as he recalled all that had happened before he had fallen asleep, all of the information he had learned about the true circumstances of his assignment to Hongjoong. Now that a few hours had passed, his emotions weren’t as volatile, and he was able to process all of it more easily as he blinked the last of the sleep away. 
他坐在那里发了几分钟的呆，眼睛无神地盯着墙，脑海里回放着睡着前发生的一切，以及他所了解到的关于他被指派给洪中的真正情况。几个小时过去了，他的情绪不再那么激动，他眨巴着眼，驱散了最后的睡意，现在他能够更轻松地处理这一切了。

Something occurred to him then, however, and he turned to set his feet down against the floor. Amidst his surge of emotions, he had forgotten about Hongjoong’s usual nightly feed. Guilty filled his mouth with bitterness, and he forced himself up from the bed, still wearing his clothes from the day before as he shuffled out of his room and towards the one next door. 
然而，他突然想起一件事，连忙把脚放回地面。 汹涌的情绪之中，他竟然忘了洪中每天晚上都要“喂食”的惯例。 愧疚感像苦药一样涌上心头，他强迫自己从床上爬起来，还穿着昨天一天的衣服，踢踏着脚步走出房间，朝隔壁的房间走去。

After all that Hongjoong had done for him, the least he could do now was actually uphold his own end of the deal. All that Hongjoong needed from him was one feeding per night, and he hadn’t even succeeded at that, too concerned with himself. 
洪仲为了他做了那么多，他现在至少应该履行自己的承诺。洪仲需要的仅仅是每晚一次的喂养，但他甚至连这个都没做到，满脑子只想着自己。

He stood outside of Hongjoong’s door for a minute before he worked up the courage to knock, keeping the sound quiet in case any of the others were already in their rooms, sleeping through the day. Several seconds passed by, and he wrapped his arms around himself as he stood there awkwardly, beginning to realize that he wasn’t going to receive an answer. 
他站在洪中的门外犹豫了一分钟，才鼓起勇气敲门，声音压得很低，生怕吵醒了可能还在房间里补觉的其他人。等了好几秒，也没人应声，他尴尬地抱紧自己，开始意识到可能不会有人来开门了。

Sucking in a deep breath, he touched his hand to the doorknob, the metal cold beneath his human skin. Taking care not to make a sound, he twisted the knob, casting a glance over his shoulder before he pushed the door open far enough to slip inside. 
他深吸一口气，把手放在门把手上，冰冷的金属触感透过他人类的皮肤传来。他小心翼翼地转动门把手，没发出一点声音，然后回头瞥了一眼，才把门推开一道缝，足够他溜进去。

Hongjoong’s room was dark as well, blackout curtains keeping any hint of sunlight out. The only source of light came from the hallway, a sliver exposed by the open door, slicing a window of visibility over the bed. Soft, rhythmic sounds filled the space, and only then did Seonghwa understand that Hongjoong was snoring, deep in the grasp of sleep. 
洪仲的房间里也是一片漆黑，遮光窗帘把所有的阳光都挡在了外面。唯一的光源来自走廊，从敞开的门缝里漏进一丝，像一把锋利的刀，在床上划开了一小块可见的区域。房间里回荡着轻柔而有节奏的声音，星化这才明白，洪仲正在打鼾，睡得正香。

For a moment he just stood there, staring at the bed, at the prone body resting upon it. Hongjoong wasn’t covered by any blankets, and Seonghwa stared at him in confusion before realizing that he had no need for a blanket when he couldn’t feel the cold. Something about that made him sad, in a way. It didn’t feel right to sleep without the comfort of a blanket, for that had sometimes been the only comfort available to him. 
他愣在那里，直勾勾地盯着床，看着床上那个人。洪中没盖任何毯子，星和疑惑地看着他，这才意识到，他感觉不到冷，自然也就不需要毯子。不知怎的，这让他有点难过。没有毯子的温暖，总觉得少了点什么，毕竟对他来说，有时候，毯子是他唯一的慰藉。

Seonghwa pushed the door open a bit further to illuminate Hongjoong’s face as well, his eyes closed and his lashes dusting lightly over his cheeks. His hair was an unruly mess against his pillow, and his arms were splayed out at his sides, taking up the full space of the large mattress. In sleep, he didn’t look like a vampire who had been alive for centuries. He looked young, almost like a boy, the timelessness of his soul hidden behind his closed eyelids. 
星化又推开了门，让光线更多地洒在弘中的脸上。他双眼紧闭，长长的睫毛在脸颊上投下淡淡的阴影。一头乱蓬蓬的头发散落在枕头上，手臂随意地摊开在身体两侧，霸占了整张大床。睡梦中的他，一点也不像活了几个世纪的吸血鬼，反而显得年轻，像个少年一般，他那永恒的灵魂，就藏在他紧闭的眼睑之后。

His chest didn’t move, because he wasn’t alive, but a current of fear still swept through Seonghwa’s frame when he noticed that small detail. Sometimes, he forgot that Hongjoong was technically dead, for he was so animated when he was awake. He was all sparkling eyes and curved lips and sultry tones, no different from a human in that sense. 
胸口毫无起伏，毕竟他已经死了。但注意到这个小细节，圣华还是忍不住一阵战栗。有时候，洪中醒着的时候太鲜活了，简直像个活人，让他都忘了这家伙从严格意义上来说，已经是个死人了。他总是闪着亮晶晶的眼睛，嘴角带着好看的弧度，说话的语气也带着几分撩人，从这些方面来看，他和人类没什么区别。

While he was awake, he still breathed a lot of the time, a reflex of his body in the same manner as his snoring. He still gasped, and sighed, and whispered as much as a human would. But in sleep, his body was still, only his soft snores reassuring Seonghwa that he was okay. In sleep, he truly did resemble the dead in a way that made Seonghwa feel uneasy, afraid that none of this had ever been real at all. 
醒着的时候，他还是会像常人一样呼吸——这就像打鼾一样，是身体的本能反应。他还会喘息、叹气、低语，和活人无异。但睡着后，他却像凝固了一般，只有轻微的鼾声才能让星化安心，知道他还好好的。他睡着的样子，真的像极了死人，这让星化感到不安，害怕这一切都只是一场幻梦。

Just as he was about to slip out of the room once more, Hongjoong’s body moved in one swift motion, however, his eyes snapping open as he rose into a seated position. Scared out of his mind by the abrupt disruption of the stillness in the room, Seonghwa stumbled back a step, his hand flying to his chest as his heartbeat stuttered into a faster pace. 
星化正准备再次悄悄溜出房间，洪中的身体突然动了一下，动作非常快。他猛地睁开眼睛，坐了起来。这突如其来的寂静打破让星化吓得魂飞魄散，他踉跄地后退一步，手捂住胸口，心跳也跟着乱了节奏，怦怦直跳。

“Seonghwa?” asked Hongjoong, his voice thick with sleep, accent more pronounced than usual. Still, his eyes were piercing as they stared at one another, shining in the light from the hallway. “What is wrong? Are you okay?” He shifted again, clearly intending to stand up, and that snapped Seonghwa out of his stupor. 
“星火？” 洪中叫他，嗓音带着浓浓的睡意，口音也比平时重了些。但他眼神依旧犀利，两人四目相对，在走廊的光线下闪闪发光。“你怎么了？没事吧？” 他又动了动，明显是想起来，这一下把星火从愣怔中拉了回来。

“N-no, nothing’s wrong,” he stammered, holding up his hands in surrender, his face burning. He never should have come in here, for now he looked like a creep for standing here and watching Hongjoong sleep. Which… was technically true, although he forced the thought aside as he scrambled for an explanation. “I just - I wanted to see if you were still awake, because I realized that after everything that happened, you never drank from me. You must be hungry.” 
“没…没怎么，”他结结巴巴地说，举起双手，像是投降一样，脸颊烧得通红。他真不该进来，现在搞得像个变态，站在那儿偷看洪中睡觉。虽然…技术上来说，他的确是在偷看，但他赶紧把这想法甩到一边，努力找了个借口。“我就是…想看看你醒没醒，因为我突然想到，发生了这么多事，你还没吸过我的血。你肯定饿了吧。”

Patting the other side of the bed, Hongjoong beckoned Seonghwa forward. “Oh darling, you are so sweet,” he murmured, and warmth curled within Seonghwa’s stomach at the tone of his voice. “Come here.” He leaned over to turn on the lamp beside his bed, light filling the shadowed corners of his room at last. 
洪中拍了拍床的另一边，示意星化过去。“哦，宝贝，你真贴心，”他低声说道，这语气让星化心里暖暖的。“过来。” 他倾身打开床边的灯，光芒终于照亮了房间里阴影笼罩的角落。

The wooden floorboards creaked softly under Seonghwa’s feet as he finally closed the door to the room and crossed over to Hongjoong’s bed, coming to a stop right beside it. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said, fiddling with his fingers to alleviate his anxiety, and Hongjoong looked up at him with his brows slightly raised. 
星化的脚步声轻柔地在地板上响起，他终于关上了房门，走到弘中的床边，停了下来。“我不是故意吵醒你的，” 他说着，有些不安地摆弄着手指。弘中抬起头，眉毛微微挑起，看着他。

“You may wake me whenever you please. I do not require much sleep anyway.” He patted the surface of the bed once more, looking at Seonghwa expectantly. “Will you sit? You may go under the comforter if you wish. I do not use it, but you are welcome to do so whenever you feel cold.” 
“想什么时候叫醒我都可以。反正我也用不着睡太久。” 他又拍了拍床面，带着期待看向星和，“要不要坐？想钻被窝也行。我不用那玩意儿，你要是觉得冷，随时可以自己盖。”

Dipping his head in a small nod, Seonghwa sat down on the bed. That alone was nothing new, for he had laid down on Hongjoong’s bed plenty of times for feedings in the past, but something about this time felt different. This wasn’t a usual feeding time, and after the truths that had been unearthed the last time they had spoken, the energy between them had shifted. 
成华微微点头，在床边坐下。这动作倒也没什么特别的，毕竟过去为了方便喂血，他也不是没在弘中的床上躺过。但这次，感觉就是不一样。现在又不是平常的喂血时间，而且自从上次两人敞开心扉后，他们之间的气氛就变得微妙起来。

Shifting his hair away from the right side of his neck, Seonghwa tilted his head to bare the exposed skin in Hongjoong’s direction. “I’m ready,” he said, staring down at his lap. “You can feed from me now, to make up for before.” 
星和拨开遮住右侧颈项的头发，微微偏头，将那片白皙的肌肤暴露在洪中的视线里。“我准备好了，” 他低头看着自己的腿，轻声说道，“你可以从我这里吸取，弥补之前的事。”

Cold fingers wrapped around his wrist, and when Hongjoong didn’t say anything right away, Seonghwa tilted his head to seek out his face. Hongjoong’s expression had completely changed, the corners of his mouth downturned and his eyes remorseful. “Is that really all you think of me?” he asked. 
冰凉的手指缠绕上他的手腕。洪中久久没有说话，星和忍不住抬起头，想看清他的表情。 洪中的神色已经完全变了，嘴角向下，眼中满是懊悔。“在你眼里，我就只是这样的人吗？” 他问道。

Seonghwa parted his lips, confused. “I - I don’t understand,” he said, trying to keep his focus on Hongjoong’s words and not the physical reaction of his body to that gentle touch. Goosebumps had erupted along his arms, and his nerves had become particularly sensitive. Hongjoong’s touch always seemed to have that effect on him. 
星和微微张开嘴唇，有些困惑。“我……我不明白，”他努力想把注意力集中在弘中的话语上，而不是身体对这温柔触碰产生的反应。他的手臂上冒出了一层鸡皮疙瘩，神经也变得异常敏感。弘中的触碰似乎总能轻易地挑动他的神经。

“Seonghwa, I do not care about a missed feeding. If you decided today that you never wanted me to feed from you again, I would respect that decision, and I would never take advantage of you. It matters to me how you are feeling. I was angry before, and I did not check in with you with the same intent as I should have. Are you okay?” 
“星和，我不在乎错过一次喂食。如果你今天决定再也不想让我从你这里吸取能量，我会尊重你的决定，绝不会占你便宜。我在乎的是你的感受。我之前太生气了，没有像应该的那样带着同样的诚意来关心你。你没事吧？”

Understanding now that Hongjoong had no intention to feed right then, Seonghwa straightened his neck, his hair falling forward to cover his scars once more. His immediate response to that question was to say he was fine, to appease the one asking, but he stopped himself before the words had the opportunity to leave his mouth. Hongjoong was being sincere, he could see it in his face and hear it in his voice. 
意识到洪中现在并没有喂食的打算，星和挺直了脖子，头发垂下来，再次遮住了他的伤疤。他对这个问题的下意识反应是说他没事，为了安抚提问的人，但他阻止了自己，没让那些话有机会说出口。洪中是真诚的，他能从他的表情和声音中听出来。

Was Seonghwa really okay? Hongjoong would see right through him if he lied, he understood that now, so there was little point in avoiding the honest truth. 
星和真的没事吗？要是他说谎，洪中肯定一眼就能看穿，他现在算是明白了，所以再想瞒天过海也没什么意义。

“Not really,” he admitted, his voice strangled. He had never actually been honest about that to another person before, and it was scary to bear his true feelings. Hiding his vulnerabilities had been a key part of his survival over the years, so to lay them bare before another person now was frightening. “It scared me. All of it did. I’m just… I’m so tired of being scared all the time.” 
“也没… 也没那么夸张，” 他承认，声音像是被扼住了一般，带着一丝挣扎。 这话他从未对别人真正坦白过，袒露真实情感让他有些害怕。 多年来，隐藏自己的弱点是他生存的关键，如今却要将它们赤裸裸地暴露在另一个人面前，这让他感到恐惧。 “我是真的害怕。 一切都让我害怕。 我只是… 我只是太厌倦了总是提心吊胆的日子了。”

“I am very sorry for what happened,” Hongjoong said, releasing his grip on Seonghwa’s wrist to cradle his hand gently instead. “I should have been there. Those sunwalkers, they have a tendency to strike when I am not around. Next time you need to leave this house, I will accompany you.” 
“对不起，真的对不起，发生了这种事。” 弘中说着，松开了成华的手腕，转而温柔地捧着他的手，轻轻摩挲。“我应该在那儿的。那些逐日者，他们就喜欢在我不在的时候下手。下次你要是离开这儿，我一定陪着你。”

Seonghwa nodded, and he found that he did feel a bit better knowing that. He trusted Hongjoong more than anyone else, because even after tasting his blood he had never been anything but kind. Perhaps a bit too flirtatious, but always kind underneath. Hongjoong’s fangs had parted the flesh of his neck numerous times, always gentle, always attentive to Seonghwa’s needs. “Thank you,” he murmured. 
星化点点头，心里也觉得好受了些。 他的确比任何人都信任弘中，毕竟，就算尝了他的血，弘中也始终对他温柔以待。 也许是有点爱撩，但骨子里总是透着体贴。 弘中的尖牙无数次划过他颈间的肌肤，总是那么轻柔，那么顾及他的感受。 “谢谢你，” 他喃喃低语。

The light of the lamp behind Hongjoong created a halo around his head, illuminating the messy state of his hair, his face hidden in shadow. But still his eyes glittered, so alive even within the confines of his otherwise dead body. “I have told you before that I would do anything for you,” he replied, unblinking as he stared at Seonghwa. “I did not lie about that. I will not lie to you again, I promise.” 
洪仲身后灯光晕开，像一圈光环笼罩着他蓬乱的头发，他的脸隐在阴影里。但他的眼睛依旧闪闪发光，即使在他这具行尸走肉般的身体里，也显得如此鲜活。“我之前就跟你说过，为了你，我什么都愿意做，” 他一眨不眨地盯着星化，回答道。“我没有骗你。我保证，我再也不会骗你。”

“It’s okay,” Seonghwa said, for now that he had thought this all over, he didn’t feel quite so betrayed. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. I would never have come to trust you if I knew the truth of why I was here in the first place.” 
“没事，” 星化说道，现在他已经把一切都想清楚了，感觉没有那么受背叛了。“我明白你为什么没告诉我。如果我一开始就知道我为什么会在这里的真相，我永远都不会信任你的。”

Hongjoong smiled, and the expression produced an ache in Seonghwa’s heart, one that made it hard to breathe. He didn’t understand why that happened sometimes, why his body ached in response to Hongjoong’s kindness. “You trust me?” he asked, and Seonghwa blushed. 
弘中笑了，那个笑容像一根刺，扎得星和心里一阵钝痛，呼吸都变得困难起来。他搞不懂为什么会这样，为什么看到弘中的温柔，身体就会不受控制地抽痛。“你相信我？” 弘中问道，星和瞬间红了脸。

“Don’t take that to mean more than it does,” Seonghwa replied, but Hongjoong’s grin still didn’t diminish. “I trust you not to hurt me, because you haven’t given me any reason not to believe that yet. I don’t want to have to change my mind, so please don’t make me do that.” 
“别想太多，” 星化嘴上这么说，可洪中那笑容啊，愣是没减弱半分。“我相信你不会伤害我，因为到目前为止，你没给我任何理由不相信你。我可不想改变我的想法，所以… 拜托了，别逼我。”

“I would never,” Hongjoong said without pause, the words coming as easily as the rising and setting of the sun. “I am sorry if my words today hurt you, but I would like to clarify something to you now. I did not want a feeder, but that does not matter, because I will always want you. Now that I know you, I will spend all of my years wanting you. I do not say that lightly.” 
“我绝不会，” 洪中毫不犹豫地说，语气自然得就像太阳东升西落。“如果今天我说的话让你难受了，我很抱歉。但现在我想跟你说清楚一件事。我一开始的确没想要什么‘喂食者’，但那根本不重要，因为我想要的永远是你。自从认识你之后，我这辈子都会想要你。我可不是随便说说而已。”

Blinking hard, Seonghwa parted his lips with little forethought, unable to believe that. “You have an eternity ahead of you,” he pointed out, for he spent more time thinking about that than he would ever admit aloud. “I have a mortal lifetime, and that is all. You may want me now, but you will not want me forever. You don’t need to lie, it’s okay.” 
成华猛眨了几下眼，嘴唇微微张开，几乎未经思考，难以置信地说道：“你拥有的可是永恒的生命啊，” 他一语道破，毕竟他花在这上面的心思，比他愿意公开承认的要多得多。“而我只有短短一辈子，仅此而已。你现在或许想要我，但你不会永远想要我的。你没必要说谎，没关系的。”

“I am not lying,” Hongjoong insisted. “I would not lie about this. You matter more than you think you do. I have been alive for a long time, that is true, but because of that I know very quickly when I have found something special. And you are special to me, Seonghwa. In all of my years, no one has made me feel the same way that you do.” 
“我没撒谎，” 洪仲声音不大，却带着一种不容置疑的坚定，“我绝不会在这种事情上骗你。你比你想象的更重要。我的确活了很久，正因如此，我才能迅速地分辨出什么是特别的。而你对我来说，就是特别的，星化。这么多年来，从来没有人像你一样，能让我有这种感觉。”

Seonghwa’s first instinct was to protest, for he was certain that Hongjoong’s words could not be truthful, but then something occurred to him. He was sitting on this bed with a comforter underneath him, one that Hongjoong did not use, a fact he had made quite clear. Seonghwa’s bed was covered not only by a comforter, but also by several other types of blankets, varying in texture and thickness. 
星化的第一反应是反驳，他实在难以相信洪仲的话是真的，但转念一想，又觉得有些不对劲。他现在正坐在床上，身下垫着一条被子，而且这条被子洪仲从没用过，这点他之前就明确表示过了。星化的床上不仅铺了一条被子，还盖了好几条不同材质、不同厚度的毯子。

From his first day here, Hongjoong had always kept the refrigerator stocked with all of the foods Seonghwa liked. Hongjoong had given him a knife that had been his own several centuries before, one that clearly held a lot of meaning for him. In many ways, Hongjoong had already shown how much Seonghwa mattered to him. After all, he had never given that knife away before now - no one else had ever warranted that gesture. 
从洪仲来到这里的第一天起，冰箱里就总是塞满了星和喜欢的所有食物。洪仲还送了他一把刀，那是他几百年前就有的，显然对他意义非凡。从很多方面来看，洪仲已经表明了星和对他有多重要。毕竟，他以前从未把那把刀送给别人——以前从来没有人值得他这样做。

Mind turning, Seonghwa reached for the edge of the comforter, trailing his hands along it. “What are you doing?” Hongjoong asked, but Seonghwa ignored the question, shifting on the bed as he searched for something. He found it a few seconds later, and he lifted up the edge of the comforter for Hongjoong to see.
星和脑子转着，伸手去抓被子的边缘，手指在上面滑动。“你在干什么？”洪仲问道，但星和没有理会他的问题，在床上挪动身体，似乎在寻找什么。几秒钟后他找到了，他掀起被子的一角给洪仲看。

“You only bought this for me, didn’t you?” he asked, for he was holding a price tag in his hand, one that Hongjoong had failed to remove from the blanket since he never actually used it. “For when I come in here for feedings.” 
“你买这个，就是为了我吧？” 他问，手里还拿着个价签，是洪中没来得及撕掉的，因为那条毯子他压根就没用过。“为了我来这儿……那个的时候用。”

Glancing at the tag before returning his gaze to Seonghwa’s face, Hongjoong nodded. “I bought it on the same day I bought the blankets for your bed. I removed the tags from yours, but I suppose I forgot about mine. I am sorry if the tag is bothersome to you.” 
洪中瞟了一眼价签，又抬眼看着星和的脸，点了点头。“跟你床上的毯子是同一天买的。你的标签我撕掉了，但我的……大概是忘了。如果标签让你不舒服，我很抱歉。”

“Did you never have a blanket before this?” Seonghwa pressed, staring down at the tag in his hand. He ripped it free, returning to his spot at the head of the bed beside Hongjoong. 
“在这之前，你从来没有过毯子吗？”星和追问道，眼睛盯着手里的价签。他一把扯掉标签，回到床头，挨着洪中坐下。

“The mattress is comfortable enough on its own,” Hongjoong explained, seemingly not understanding why Seonghwa was so fixated on this. “But yes, I did buy it for you. I know that humans are sometimes cold when they sleep, so they benefit from the use of blankets. If you do not like it, I can buy a different one. I did not know what you would like.”
“床垫本身睡着就挺舒服的，” 弘中解释道，似乎不太明白星化为什么这么纠结这个问题。“没错，我是给你买的。我知道人类睡觉的时候有时候会觉得冷，所以盖毯子会更舒服。如果你不喜欢，我可以去买别的。我也不知道你喜欢什么样的。”

Seonghwa shook his head, slightly exasperated now. “No, that’s not what I mean. I just - when you said that I am special to you, in a way that you haven’t felt before, I didn’t think that was true. But if you bought me all of those blankets, and the food in the fridge, and if you gave me the knife that used to belong to you… then maybe it is. Maybe it is true.” 
星和摇摇头，现在有点无奈了。“不，我不是那个意思。我只是——当你说我对你来说很特别，是你以前从未有过的感觉，我并不觉得那是真的。但是如果你真的为我买了那些毯子，塞满了冰箱的食物，还把那把曾经属于你的刀给了我……也许那是真的。也许，这是真的。”

That last sentence hung in the air as the two of them looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the room shifted ever so slightly, still warm but now charged with something that hadn’t been there before. Hongjoong’s stare was endless, his touch gentle as he took the tag from Seonghwa’s hand, setting it down beside them. 
最后一句话像羽毛一样悬在空中，两人四目相对，房间里的气氛微妙地发生了变化——依旧温暖，但又夹杂着一丝之前从未有过的暧昧。洪中一瞬不瞬地盯着星化，动作轻柔地从他手里拿过标签，放在他们身边。

His gaze flitted to Seonghwa’s lips before returning to his face, the air around them charged with warmth. “I have something else for you,” he murmured, his voice quieter now. “Please give me your hand.” 
他的目光飞快地扫过星和的嘴唇，又回到他的脸上，周围的空气仿佛都充满了暖意。“我还有别的东西给你，”他低声说道，声音比刚才更轻了。“把你的手给我，好吗？”

With a hard swallow, Seonghwa held out his hand, and Hongjoong took it gently into his own. He reached towards the bedside table, and he opened the small top drawer, taking something out before closing it once more. Turning back to Seonghwa, he looked down at the hand now in his own, pressing against Seonghwa’s ring finger to raise it slightly above the rest.
星化艰难地咽了口唾沫，伸出手，弘中温柔地握住了他的手。弘中伸手去够床头柜，打开最上面的小抽屉，拿出什么东西，然后又关上了。他转回身看着星化，低头看着现在握在自己手中的那只手，轻轻按压着星化的无名指，让它稍微抬起。

He turned his other hand to reveal a ring that now rested in his palm. The band was thick and made from silver, with a massive ruby at the center, a beautiful piece of vintage jewelry. Seonghwa gasped at the sight of it, entranced by how the limited light in the room reflected off the surface of the precious gem. He had never seen a ring this beautiful before, and he was sure that it must be worth a fortune. 
他转过另一只手，掌心赫然躺着一枚戒指。戒圈厚实，通体银色，正中央镶嵌着一颗硕大的红宝石，成色极佳，一看就是古董级的珍品。星化倒吸一口气，被它迷住了，房间里那点可怜的光线，都被这颗宝石反射得熠熠生辉。他从没见过这么漂亮的戒指，肯定价值连城。

Despite that, Hongjoong slid it right onto Seonghwa’s finger, and it rested perfectly at the base. “Why are you giving me this?” Seonghwa breathed, in awe of the beautiful stone now resting on his own finger. Anyone who saw him now would never know the truth of his past, that he had been poor his entire life. This one ring was worth more than everything Seonghwa owned, and he couldn’t understand why Hongjoong would give it to him. 
即便如此，弘中还是径直将戒指滑到了星和的手指上，完美地停在了指根。 “你为什么要给我这个？” 星和轻声问道，他被现在安放在自己手指上的这颗美丽的宝石惊呆了。 任何现在看到他的人都不会知道他过去的真相，他一辈子都很穷。 这枚戒指的价值超过了星和所拥有的一切，他无法理解弘中为什么要把它送给他。

“Twist the ruby clockwise,” Hongjoong directed, dodging the question as he released Seonghwa’s hand. Biting his lip, Seonghwa touched the stone reluctantly, afraid that he would break it. “It is okay, I had the ring made special for this purpose. You can twist it, do not be afraid.” 
“顺时针转动红宝石，” 洪仲基指示道，巧妙地避开了那个问题，同时放开了星和的手。星和咬着嘴唇，有些不情愿地碰了碰那颗宝石，生怕自己把它弄坏了。“没事的，这枚戒指是专门为了这个目的而做的。你可以转动它，别害怕。”

Biting his lip in concentration, Seonghwa started to twist the ruby, and his eyes grew wide when it turned easily. After two full twists, the sound of shifting metal rang through the air, and Seonghwa sucked in a sharp breath when the ruby split clean in half to make room for the sharp wooden spike that emerged from the silver band. 
星和集中精神，咬着嘴唇，开始转动红宝石，当它轻而易举地转动起来时，他的眼睛睁大了。转了两整圈后，金属移动的声音响彻空气，星和倒吸一口凉气，因为红宝石干净利落地一分为二，让出空间，一根锋利的木钉从银色指环中冒了出来。

“It is a beautiful ring, but it is also a weapon,” Hongjoong explained, reading Seonghwa’s surprise. “That wooden spike is all you need to subdue a vampire. A stab to the neck would be most effective, but it is capable of causing immense pain to any area of the body. To return it to the regular ring, you need only to press the ruby back together and twist it in reverse.” 
“戒指是挺漂亮，但它也是个武器，” 洪中看出了星和的惊讶，解释道。“这根木刺足够你制服吸血鬼了。要是能捅到脖子当然最有效，但就算刺到其他地方，也能让他们疼得死去活来。想把它变回普通戒指也很简单，把红宝石按回去，反方向拧一下就行。”

Seonghwa touched the ruby again, pressing both sides together, and the spike retracted once more. He twisted counter-clockwise this time, and when he was finished, the ring looked the same as before. The split in the ruby wasn’t visible at all; it was impossible to tell that a weapon was hidden inside. 
星河再次摩挲着那枚红宝石戒指，指腹用力按压两侧，尖刺便又一次缩了回去。这次他反方向拧动，一切复原后，戒指看上去和之前没什么两样。红宝石上的裂缝完全消失了，根本看不出里面藏着凶器。

“You had this made?” he asked, looking up at Hongjoong, who nodded. “For me?” 
“你特地做的？”他抬眼望着弘中，弘中点点头。“为了我？”

“Yes.” Hongjoong offered a slight smile, and this expression was more innocent than usual, lacking that slight edge that Seonghwa was used to. His eyes had softened now, and the depth of his honesty was impossible to miss. “I will keep you safe, but I want you to have the ability to keep yourself safe as well. I am not underestimating you - I know that you have kept yourself safe long before I met you. But I promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep you from having to use the weapons I give you. I hope they will only ever function as jewelry.” 
“嗯。” 洪仲基嘴角扬起一个淡淡的笑容，这笑容里少了平时那股子若有似无的锋芒，显得格外纯真。他的眼神也柔和了下来，那份坦诚简直一览无遗。“我会保护你，但我也希望你有保护自己的能力。我不是在小看你——我知道，在我遇见你之前，你一直都把自己保护得很好。但我向你保证，我会竭尽全力，不让你有机会用到我给你的那些‘武器’。我希望它们永远都只是装饰品。”

Touched, Seonghwa nodded. His eyes were burning, and he hoped that Hongjoong couldn’t tell how close he was to tears. “Thank you,” he murmured, although he wished that he could find different words, words that would convey just how much this all meant to him. 
星和被深深触动，点了点头。他眼眶发热，真怕洪仲基看出他快要掉眼泪了。“谢谢你，” 他低声说道，心里却希望自己能找到更好的词语，能表达出这一切对他来说有多么的重要。

But Hongjoong was happy regardless; he didn’t expect anything that Seonghwa wasn’t able or willing to give. “I want you, Seonghwa,” he said again, and Seonghwa could have listened to him say that forever. “But it seems to me like no one has ever said that to you before.” 
但洪中 (Hongjoong) 依然感到快乐；他从不奢求星化 (Seonghwa) 无法或不愿给予的东西。“我想要你，星化 (Seonghwa),” 他再次说道，星化 (Seonghwa) 觉得他可以永远听着这句话。“但在我看来，好像从来没有人这样对你说过。”

Vision blurring, Seonghwa shook his head, throat burning as he tried to keep his tears at bay. “That’s right,” he murmured, ashamed of both his words and his tears. “So I’m sorry if I’ve made this hard for you, or if I don’t react to things in the way that other people would. No one has ever wanted me before. For my entire life, no one has ever wanted me. So I - I get scared, because I trust you and that terrifies me. Because if you hurt me, I’ll spend the rest of my life getting over it. I don’t know how to let myself be cared for, because I’ve never experienced it before.”
视线开始模糊，星化 (Seonghwa) 摇了摇头，喉咙火辣辣的，努力不让眼泪掉下来。“没错，” 他低声喃喃，既为自己的话语感到羞愧，也为自己的眼泪感到羞愧。“所以，如果我让你感到为难，或者我的反应和别人不一样，我很抱歉。从来没有人想要过我。我的一生，从来没有人想要过我。所以我…我会害怕，因为我信任你，而这让我感到恐惧。因为如果你伤害了我，我可能要用余生来走出这个阴影。我不知道该如何让自己被呵护，因为我从未经历过。”

Once he started to speak, all of the words came tumbling right out, and by the time he was finished he already tasted salt on his tongue from the tears that had spilled into his mouth. He hated how shaky he had become, both his voice and his body, and he wiped roughly at his cheeks. “Sorry,” he said again, because he didn’t know how else to deal with this. He didn’t want to break down, but he could feel it coming, and that was the scariest thing of all. 
一旦开了口，所有的话就像开了闸的洪水，倾泻而出。等他说完，嘴里已经尝到了咸味，那是眼泪不受控制地流下来，淌进嘴里的缘故。他讨厌自己变得这么脆弱，声音和身体都在颤抖，粗鲁地抹了一把脸颊。“对不起，”他又说了一遍，因为他不知道该如何面对这一切。他不想崩溃，但那种崩溃感已经近在咫尺，而这才是最让他恐惧的。

“Oh, darling,” Hongjoong murmured, his hands moving forward before halting, as if he wanted to touch Seonghwa but was afraid to overstep. “There is no need to apologize. If I am being honest, I was hoping we would have this conversation soon. I can feel that you hold back around me, and I do not want you to have to suffer in silence. You do not have to hide how you feel from me. Never from me.” 
“哎，宝贝儿，” 洪中喃喃低语，手探出去又顿住了，好像想碰星化，又怕唐突了。“你不用道歉的。说实话，我早就盼着咱俩能好好聊聊了。我能感觉到你总在我面前藏着掖着，我可不想你一个人憋着难受。你不用在我面前藏着你的真实想法，永远都不用。”

Now that Seonghwa had started to cry, the tears refused to stop, and when he looked at Hongjoong he could barely see his face at all. “How do I know that for sure?” he asked, his voice no louder than a whisper, afraid of his own words. “Hiding is all I know how to do.” 
盛华一旦哭起来，眼泪就止不住了，他看着弘中，泪眼模糊，几乎看不清他的脸。"我怎么才能确定呢？" 他的声音轻得像耳语，害怕自己说出口的话，"我只会躲藏，别的什么都不会。"

Hongjoong shook his head. “You know how to do a lot more than that, darling. I have seen it myself. You know how to make Wooyoung feel comfortable, and safe, when none of us have been able to do that. You know how to connect with people, how to see straight to their hearts. I know you have been hurt, but you see through to the heart of the people around you. I’ve seen you do it. Let me be that person for you. Because I have already seen your heart, and I know that it is as beautiful as the rest of you.” 
洪中摇了摇头。“宝贝，你可比你说的厉害多了。这些我都亲眼见过。你知道怎么让佑荣感到舒服和安全，这是我们所有人都做不到的。你知道怎么与人建立连接，怎么一眼看穿他们的内心。我知道你受过伤，但你仍然能看穿你周围人的内心。我亲眼见过你这么做。让我成为你的那个人，好吗？因为我已经看到了你的内心，我知道它和你其他地方一样美丽。”

“It isn’t,” Seonghwa breathed, and when he blinked, a tear dripped down to the comforter. He watched as it spread through the fabric, the color darkening in a circle around where the tear had fallen. “You are the only person who thinks that.” 
“才不是呢……” 星化喃喃低语，眨眼间，一滴眼泪滑落，滴在被子上。他眼睁睁地看着泪水在布料上晕开，泪滴周围的颜色逐渐加深，形成一个小小的圆圈。“只有你一个人这么觉得……”

“So what?” Hongjoong countered, not a hint of doubt behind the question. “I do not care what other people think of you. People think bad things about me, too. It does not matter.” 
“所以呢？” 洪仲反驳道，语气里没有一丝一毫的动摇。“我才不在乎别人怎么看你。说我坏话的人多了去了，无所谓。”

Seonghwa sighed, dropping his head into his hands, his shoulders shaking as his tears continued to flow. “I never knew my parents. I was brought to an orphanage at two years old, after someone found me in an alley in the city with fang marks in my neck. A vampire drank my blood when I was a baby, and left me there to die. The thing you do, where you lick my neck to close the wounds… the vampire who hurt me didn’t even do that. I was supposed to die that day.
星和叹了口气，双手捂住脸，肩膀止不住地颤抖，泪水依旧奔涌而出。“我从没见过我的父母。两岁的时候，我就被送到了孤儿院，听说是有人在城里的小巷里发现了我，脖子上还有吸血鬼留下的牙印。有个吸血鬼在我还是个婴儿的时候吸了我的血，然后把我丢在那里等死。你做的那些，舔我的脖子来愈合伤口…… 那个伤害我的吸血鬼根本没做这些。我那天本该死掉的。”

“In the orphanage, other kids came and went, and I was the one who never left. No one ever wanted me, and I was treated like shit during my time there. When I was finally old enough to leave, I realized that the adult world isn’t any better. People hurt me and stole from me before I learned how to survive. I was beaten almost to death more than once. Do you know the absolute terror that paralyzes you when someone holds a gun to your head? I was only eight the first time someone did that to me. I’ve been used again and again, my entire life. I am conditioned to believe that you’re only going to use me, too.” 
“在孤儿院里，孩子们来来往往，只有我，是那个永远也走不掉的。从来没有人想要我，我在那里的时候，简直被当成垃圾一样对待。好不容易熬到能离开的那天，我才发现，成人的世界也好不到哪里去。在我学会如何生存之前，人们就伤害我，偷我的东西。我被打得半死不活的次数，都不止一次。你知道那种被人用枪指着头时，彻底瘫痪的恐惧吗？我第一次经历那种事的时候，才八岁。我的一生，都在被一遍又一遍地利用。我已经被训练成这样了，相信你也会一样利用我。”

Through his tears, Seonghwa glared at Hongjoong, although the anger was completely misplaced. “I refuse to be used anymore,” he said, forcing his voice not to tremble. “And you scare me more than anyone else I’ve met in my entire life, because I want to believe that you’re the exception. Your kindness is more terrifying than any gun. Please, I beg that you don’t hurt me. I won’t be able to bear it if you do. Please.” 
泪眼朦胧中，星化怒视着弘中，虽然这怒火完全找错了对象。“我…我不要再被利用了，” 他强忍着声音里的颤抖，一字一句地说，“而且，你比我这辈子遇到的任何人都让我害怕，因为我…我忍不住想要相信你是个例外。你的温柔，比任何枪炮都更可怕。求你，我求你不要伤害我。我…我真的承受不住…求你，别这样对我…”

“I will never hurt you,” Hongjoong whispered, something unreadable behind his eyes. He moved his hands again then, extending them towards Seonghwa. “Can I hold you? Will you allow me to do that?” 
“我永远不会伤害你，” 弘中低语，眼底深处藏着一丝难以捉摸的情绪。他再次挪动双手，向星化伸去。“能抱抱你吗？你…允许我这样做吗？”

The fact that he was even asking proved enough about his character, but Seonghwa couldn’t shake his terror. If he allowed this vampire to hold him, he would yearn for it for the rest of his days afterwards. 
光是听他问出这句话，就足以了解他的人品了，但星和还是无法摆脱内心的恐惧。如果他允许这个吸血鬼拥抱自己，他怕自己往后的每一天都会为此魂牵梦萦。

But that didn’t change the truth - he still wanted it. He wanted it so badly that it hurt. 
可这改变不了事实——他还是渴望被他拥抱。那种渴望如此强烈，让他觉得心痛难耐。

He looked back at Hongjoong, and he knew that the vampire could see all of his hurt, his apprehension. Unconsciously, Seonghwa had started to curl in on himself as soon as his tears first began to fall, and now he uncoiled the slightest bit, his lips trembling as he answered. “Okay,” he breathed, his voice hardly audible at all. “But please… be gentle. I can’t take any more pain, I just - I can’t.” 
他回望弘中，他知道这个吸血鬼能看穿他所有的伤痛和不安。不知不觉间，星和在眼泪开始滑落时，就蜷缩起了身体。现在，他稍微放松了一点，嘴唇颤抖着回答道：“好，好吧……”他轻声喘息着，声音几乎微不可闻。“但，求你……温柔一点。我承受不了更多的痛苦了，我真的……承受不了了。”

“Come here,” Hongjoong murmured, and when he reached forward, Seonghwa went into his arms willingly. He allowed himself to be pulled closer, his head guided into the crook of Hongjoong’s neck, those small but strong arms wrapping around his back. “I know you are afraid, but you need to let yourself have this. You cannot go on forever all on your own. It does not make you weak to crave the comfort you’ve never known.” 
“过来，” 弘中低声呢喃，他伸出手，星化便顺从地投入他的怀抱。他任由自己被拉近，头被引导着靠在弘中的颈窝，那双虽小却有力的手臂环绕在他的背上。“我知道你害怕，但你需要让自己拥有这一切。你不能永远独自一人扛下去。渴望你从未体验过的慰藉，这并不会让你变得软弱。”

Pressing his face into Hongjoong’s neck, Seonghwa continued to cry, his body shaking in the cage of Hongjoong’s arms. He felt safe like this, and he couldn’t hold himself together anymore. “No one has ever touched me without hurting me,” he said through his tears, breath hitching. “No one before you.” 
把脸埋进洪中的颈窝，星和哭得更厉害了，身体在洪中紧紧的怀抱里颤抖。这样抱着，他觉得好安全，再也绷不住了。“从来没有人……碰我的时候，不是带着伤害，” 他抽泣着说，呼吸都哽住了。“你是第一个。”

One of Hongjoong’s hands carded through his hair, fingers brushing the tangles away, cupping the back of his head with gentle care. “I understand,” Hongjoong murmured, and Seonghwa could feel the vibration of his voice through his neck. “I did not know gentleness when I was a human. At least, not that I could remember.” 
洪中一只手温柔地穿过他的头发，手指拂去纠结的发丝，小心翼翼地捧着他的后脑勺。“我明白，”洪中低声说道，成华能感觉到他的声音在脖颈间震动。“我做人的时候，不懂得温柔。至少，我记忆里没有。”

Seonghwa fisted his hands in the front of Hongjoong’s silk pajama shirt, black like most of his clothes. Every breath was uneven as his entire body trembled, and he struggled to speak through the sobs that he tried his hardest to withhold. “Is that true?” 
成华紧紧攥住洪中丝绸睡衣的前襟，那睡衣黑得像他大部分的衣服一样。他每一次呼吸都急促而不稳，全身颤抖着，努力抑制着哽咽，艰难地开口问道：“是真的吗？”

“I will not lie to you,” Hongjoong reminded, but his voice was gentle. “Yes, it is true. When I was a child, the world was very different than it is now. Vampires existed unchecked by laws, and they killed my entire family when I was five years old. I do not remember most of my life before that, but I know that I had parents, and brothers and sisters, and vampires killed them all. I was the only one left alive, because I had a habit of sleeping under my bed, afraid of vampires. How ironic, that my fear was the only thing that saved me.” 
“我不会骗你的，” 洪仲基提醒道，语气却很温柔。“没错，是真的。我小时候，世界和现在完全不一样。那时候吸血鬼不受任何法律约束，横行霸道，五岁的时候他们杀了我全家。在那之前的大部分记忆我都想不起来了，但我知道我有父母，有兄弟姐妹，吸血鬼把他们全杀了。我是唯一活下来的人，因为我小时候有个习惯，害怕吸血鬼，总是睡在床底下。真是讽刺，我唯一的恐惧竟然成了救我的命的东西。”

His tone remained calm, distant from the story he was telling, only a slight undercurrent of bitterness present. “I started hunting vampires not long after that. The knife I gave to you used to be mine, and before me it belonged to my mother. I killed many vampires with that knife when I was a human.”
他的语调依旧平静，仿佛在讲述一个与自己无关的故事，只有一丝不易察觉的苦涩暗流涌动。“从那以后没多久，我就开始猎杀吸血鬼了。我给你的那把刀曾经是我的，在我之前，它属于我的母亲。我还是人类的时候，就用那把刀杀了很多吸血鬼。”

“Why would you want to become a vampire after that?” Seonghwa asked, and his cries had quieted as he listened to Hongjoong speak. 
“经历了那些，你还想变成吸血鬼？” 星化问，听着弘中的话，哭声渐渐平息了下来。

Hongjoong huffed a laugh, absent of all humor. “I did not want it,” he said simply, and Seonghwa’s trembling halted as he understood what the words meant. “I would have rather died.” 
弘中嗤笑一声，毫无笑意。“我并不想，” 他简单地说，星化的颤抖停了下来，他明白了这句话的意思。“我宁愿去死。”

Silence followed, heavy and thick, until Seonghwa pulled back just enough to look at Hongjoong’s face. His eyes were glassy, shining in a different way now. “How can vampires still cry?” Seonghwa asked, reaching out a shaky hand to brush away the first tear that escaped when Hongjoong blinked. 
一片沉寂，沉重而浓稠，直到星化稍稍拉开距离，凝视着弘中的脸庞。他的眼睛湿漉漉的，闪烁着异样的光芒。“吸血鬼怎么还会哭？”星化问道，颤抖着伸出手，拂去弘中眨眼时滑落的第一滴泪珠。

“The same way we can bleed,” he responded, closing his eyes when Seonghwa’s hand touched his face, sucking in a breath. “The body dies, but it is… reborn. Part of why Yunho is so invested in his position is because of the research he is involved in. He wants to understand that answer to your question, probably more than anyone else.” 
“我们也会流血的，”他回答道，当星和的手触碰到他的脸颊时，他闭上了眼睛，倒吸了一口气。“肉体会死去，但会……重生。允浩之所以如此热衷于他的职位，部分原因在于他参与的研究。他想找到你那个问题的答案，可能比任何人都想。”

Seonghwa pulled his hand back, but he didn’t miss how Hongjoong had leaned into his touch, how it had affected him. “I’m so sorry for what happened to you,” he said, and his own sinuses began to burn all over again, for despite all he had suffered in his life he had still always been too empathetic for his own good. “No one deserves that.” 
星和收回了手，但他没有忽略洪中刚才向他的触碰靠拢的动作，以及那触碰对他产生的影响。“我很抱歉你遭遇的一切，”他说，自己的鼻腔又开始灼热起来，因为尽管他一生中遭受了很多苦难，但他仍然总是过于感性。“没有人应该承受那些。”

“Although I am a vampire, I fought for the regulations because of my own suffering. I did not want another soul to endure that kind of pain. You see how Wooyoung struggles, and that is a boy who wanted to be turned. When you do not want it… it is a different kind of pain, one I would not wish upon anyone.” Hongjoong sighed and opened his eyes once more, his eyelids hooded. “I want you to know that I understand you. You are not alone anymore.” 
“虽说我是个吸血鬼，但我当初也是为了这些条条框框据理力争过的，因为我自己就吃过那种苦。我不想再让任何人和我一样痛苦了。你看禹荣现在这样挣扎，他可是个想变成吸血鬼的家伙。可如果你自己不想变成……那种痛苦是不一样的，那种痛苦我可不希望任何人承受。” 弘中叹了口气，再次睁开眼睛，眼皮半搭着。“我想让你知道，我懂你。你现在已经不是孤身一人了。”

“Thank you,” Seonghwa whispered. “That… that means more to me than you could ever know.” 
“谢谢，”星化低声说道。“这句话… 比你知道的对我来说意义更重大。”

Hongjoong mustered a smile, although his eyes were still home to a deep sadness, the kind that never truly disappeared. Perhaps he had learned how to mask it well over the centuries, but that pain would always live inside of him. Seonghwa returned the smile, the least he could do for this vampire who had given him everything. 
洪仲基挤出一个笑容，尽管他的眼神里依旧藏着深深的哀伤，那种仿佛永远不会消失的悲痛。或许经过这几个世纪，他已经学会了如何很好地掩饰，但那种痛楚会永远住在他心里。星化也回以微笑，这是他唯一能为这个给了他一切的吸血鬼做的。

Now that he had let himself cry, and had allowed Hongjoong to hold him, Seonghwa didn’t feel quite as prone to shattering. He sniffled, rubbing the drying tears away from his cheeks with his sleeve. “Are you hungry?” he asked, looking at Hongjoong. “You can feed from me if you are.” Hongjoong opened his mouth, likely to decline, so Seonghwa added something else. “And don’t lie to me - you promised you wouldn’t.” 
现在他已经放任自己哭了出来，也让洪中抱着自己了，星化感觉自己不那么容易崩溃了。他抽泣着，用袖子擦去脸颊上快要干涸的泪水。“你饿了吗？”他看着洪中问道，“如果你饿了，可以从我这里吸取。”洪中张开嘴，大概是想拒绝，所以星化又补充了一句。“别对我撒谎——你答应过我的。”

Hongjoong paused, his lips parted, and Seonghwa grinned. “You caught me,” he said after a moment, but his eyes had regained their usual sparkle now. “But… are you certain? I do not want to feed if you are still bothered by what we discussed earlier.” 
洪中停顿了一下，嘴唇微微张开，星化咧嘴一笑。“你抓到我了，”过了一会儿他说，但他的眼睛现在已经恢复了往日的光彩。“但是……你确定吗？如果你还因为我们之前讨论的事情而烦恼，我不想吸你的血。”

“It’s okay,” Seonghwa insisted, and he wasn’t lying either. “I don’t mind. It isn’t a bad thing - the feedings, I mean. I could use to feel a bit loose, right now. As long as you’ll take care of me.” 
“没事，”星化坚持道，而且他也没有撒谎。“我不介意。这不是一件坏事——我是说，吸血这件事。我现在正需要放松一下。只要你好好照顾我。”

Smiling now, Hongjoong nodded. “You know I will,” he murmured, and Seonghwa’s heart warmed, because that was true. He did know, and that was the greatest gift that Hongjoong had given him, worth more than the precious gems and hidden weapons. “Come here, then. If you would let me, I would like to do this a bit differently this time.” 
洪仲基笑了，点点头。“你知道我会的，”他低声说道。星和心里暖暖的，因为这是真的。他确实知道，这是洪仲基给他的最珍贵的礼物，比珍贵的宝石和隐藏的武器更有价值。“过来这里，既然你允许，这次我想换个方式。”

That piqued Seonghwa’s interest, and he shifted closer to Hongjoong again, those sturdy but gentle arms circling around his back. Hongjoong pulled him further forward, until Seonghwa was essentially sitting in his lap, heart racing. “Um, are you sure this is… okay?” Seonghwa asked, his skin flaming. 
这话一下子就勾起了星化的兴趣，他忍不住又往弘中的方向挪了挪，那双结实又温柔的手臂环上了他的后背。弘中顺势一带，直接让星化坐在了他的腿上，心跳瞬间加速。“嗯…你确定这样…没问题吗？” 星化问道，感觉浑身都烧了起来。

“I have always wanted to feed from you like this,” Hongjoong said easily, and Seonghwa half expected his heart to leap right out of his mouth. Hongjoong had already held him before, but something about this was… different. Exhilarating. “As long as it is okay with you.” 
“我一直都想这样喂饱你，” 弘中轻描淡写地说着，星化感觉自己的心脏都要跳出来了。弘中之前也抱过他，但这次的感觉…不一样。让人兴奋。“只要你愿意。”

Hongjoong’s gaze burned against Seonghwa’s skin, and he was hyper aware of the feeling of those hands against his body as he replied. “It’s okay with me,” he breathed, held in place by their shared eye contact. 
洪中的目光像火一样灼烧着星和的皮肤，他能清晰地感受到那双手在他身上游走带来的刺激，气喘吁吁地回应道：“我没意见。” 他们的视线胶着在一起，让他动弹不得。

Lips curling, Hongjoong brushed the hair away from the right side of Seonghwa’s neck with a gentle hand, revealing the skin typically hidden behind the black strands. He leaned forward, but he didn’t sink his fangs through the flesh yet; rather, he just tightened his hold, hugging Seonghwa close. 
红中嘴角带着一丝坏笑，温柔地拂开星和右侧颈边的头发，露出了那片平日里藏在黑色发丝下的肌肤。他向前倾身，却并没有急着将尖牙刺入，只是收紧了怀抱，将星和紧紧地搂在怀里。

Easily dissolving into his touch now, Seonghwa sighed when he felt Hongjoong’s lips brush against the sensitive skin of his neck. He waited for the sharp pain of the initial bite, but it didn’t come right away. Hongjoong’s lips lingered for another breath, and then he finally opened his mouth, the sharp points of his fangs resting against Seonghwa’s skin. 
现在，星化已经完全融化在他的爱抚里，当感受到弘中 উষ্ণ 熱 唇 nhẹ nhàng 掠过 他 脖颈 敏感 的 皮肤 时，忍不住 叹息 出声。 他 屏住呼吸，等待着 первоначальный 撕裂 的 疼痛，但 疼痛 并没有 马上 袭来。 弘中 的 唇 恋恋不舍 地 又 停留 了 一 个 呼吸 的 时间，然后 他 终于 张开 了 嘴，尖锐 的 獠牙抵 在 了 星化 的 皮肤 上。

As he sunk them in deeper, he raised one of his hands to rest against the other side of Seonghwa’s neck, fingers threading through his hair. The pain only lasted for a second, and then the drug swept through Seonghwa’s system, the strength flooding out of his muscles. It didn’t matter though, not when Hongjoong’s arms were there to hold him, his fingers brushing through his hair in a steady rhythm. 
他越发深入地挺进，同时抬起一只手，扶住星和的后颈，手指深深地插入他的发间。那刺痛感只持续了一瞬，紧接着，药物便如潮水般席卷了星和的全身，他感到肌肉中的力量正迅速流逝。不过，这都无所谓了，只要有洪中那双臂膀紧紧地抱着他，只要他的手指还在一下又一下地轻抚着自己的头发。

With one of his fists gripping the front of Hongjoong’s shirt, Seonghwa let himself relax fully into Hongjoong’s hold, curled in his lap while the blood was steadily drawn out from his neck. The hand around Seonghwa’s back shifted slightly to grasp his waist, and a soft sound escaped from Seonghwa’s lips. 
星化的拳头紧紧揪着弘中的衬衫前襟，整个人放松下来，彻底沉溺在弘中的怀抱里，蜷缩在他腿上，感受着血液源源不断地从颈间流逝。搂着星化的那只手微微移动，扣住了他的腰，星化不由自主地逸出一声轻吟。

Feedings were intimate by nature, but this time was entirely different from the rest, Hongjoong’s hands gentle but moving with more intent than before. He wasn’t afraid to touch Seonghwa, wasn’t holding him like he was afraid to make a wrong move, and Seonghwa liked that. He liked how Hongjoong made him feel safe, like he could just let go of all of his worry and let himself be cared for. 
喂食这种事，本来就带着点亲昵的味道，但这次却和以往完全不一样。洪中动作轻柔，但手上的劲儿却比以前大了些，带着一股说不清的意图。他不再像以前那样小心翼翼，生怕碰坏了什么似的，而是大胆地触碰着星和。星和喜欢这样，喜欢洪中给他的安全感，好像他可以卸下所有的防备，放任自己被呵护。

Never had Seonghwa experienced anything like this before, and by the time Hongjoong withdrew his fangs, he was completely limp and overcome with bliss. He shivered when Hongjoong’s tongue ran over his neck, healing the wounds left behind. “Thank you, darling,” Hongjoong murmured, nuzzling Seonghwa’s neck, his voice an accented purr. “You are an angel.” 
圣华从未体验过如此销魂蚀骨的滋味，直到洪中抽离獠牙的那一刻，他才彻底瘫软下来，全身都被快感淹没。洪中温热的舌尖滑过他的脖颈，修复着留下的齿痕，圣华忍不住颤抖了一下。“谢谢你，宝贝儿，” 洪中低声呢喃，鼻尖亲昵地蹭着圣华的脖子，带着异域风情的嗓音像是小猫一样咕噜咕噜的，“你真是个天使。”

Seonghwa couldn’t speak, his tongue too awkward in his mouth due to the drug, but he didn’t need to. Hongjoong continued to hold him close, brushing fingers through his hair to help him relax, looking down at him with a soft smile on his lips. He didn’t say anything either, but the air around them was still comfortable, a silence that held Seonghwa’s heart like a pair of soft, familiar hands. 
成华说不出话，那药劲儿让他舌头都打结了，但他也不需要说什么。洪中依旧紧紧地抱着他，手指温柔地穿梭在他的发间，像是在安抚他放松，眼神温柔地注视着他，嘴角带着一丝笑意。洪中也没开口，但空气中弥漫着令人安心的氛围，这份静默仿佛一双熟悉又温暖的手，轻柔地捧着成华的心。

As the time passed by, Seonghwa’s eyelids began to droop, exhaustion pulling at his consciousness. “Go to sleep,” Hongjoong murmured, slowly shifting back along the mattress until he was closer to the head of the bed. He pulled up the comforter from where it was tucked around the mattress, and gently moved Seonghwa to the other side of the bed. 
时间一分一秒地过去，星化的眼皮开始打架，疲惫感拉扯着他的意识。“睡吧，”弘中低声说道，缓缓地往床头挪了挪。他将被子从床垫边拉起来，轻轻地把星化挪到床的另一边。

Just as Hongjoong was about to wrap the comforter around him, Seonghwa blinked hard, a sluggish panic gripping his chest. “Don’ leave,” he slurred, fumbling for Hongjoong’s wrist, desperate not to lose the contact. Over the last few weeks, he had become less clingy after feedings, but this time was different. “Please, I wan’ you to hold me. Please.” 
就在洪仲要给他裹好被子的时候，星和猛地眨了眨眼，一股迟缓的恐慌抓住了他的胸口。“别走，”他含糊不清地说着，笨拙地摸索着洪仲的手腕，拼命地想要抓住他，不想失去那份接触。过去几周，喂食后他已经不那么黏人了，但这次不一样。“求你，我想让你抱着我。求你。”

“Shh, do not get upset, it’s okay,” Hongjoong soothed, sliding his own body under the comforter now before drawing Seonghwa’s body close. “I will stay with you. I will hold you until you fall asleep, okay?” 
“嘘，别激动，没事了，” 洪中安抚着，自己也钻进了被窝，一把将星和搂进怀里。“我会陪着你。我会抱着你直到你睡着，好吗？”

Blinking up at him, Seonghwa relaxed into his touch once more, immediately calmed by the physical confirmation that he wasn’t alone. “Promise?”
星化眨巴着迷离的眼睛，再次放松地投入到他的抚摸中，这真实的触感让他瞬间安心，意识到自己不是孤身一人。“保证吗？”

Hongjoong leaned his head down to gently press his lips to Seonghwa’s forehead, a tender kiss that he wouldn’t remember when he woke up and the effects of the drug were gone. “I promise. Go to sleep, darling.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was so quiet that Seonghwa could barely understand his words. “You are the best thing that has happened to me in a very long time.” 
弘中低下头，温柔地将唇印在星化的额头上，这是一个轻柔的吻，当他醒来，药效散去后，便不会再记得。 “我保证。睡吧，宝贝。” 他顿了顿，再次开口时，声音轻得几乎听不见。 “你是我这辈子遇到的最好的事情。”

Even in sleep, Seonghwa kept his hand fisted in the fabric of Hongjoong’s shirt, his body still desperate for affection while his mind was at rest. And even in sleep, Hongjoong held him close, his grip never falling away. 
睡梦中，星化依旧紧紧攥着弘中的衬衫，仿佛身体还在渴望着爱抚，即便意识已经沉睡。而弘中呢，即使在睡梦里，也把星化搂得紧紧的，那份依恋从未松开。