Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The air inside the pawn shop was heavy with the smell of dust and cigarette smoke.

Changbin coughed into his hand as he waited, watching the old man behind the counter work. It took nearly half an hour of Changbin standing there, trying to avoid eye contact with the taxidermied bat on the counter next to him, but eventually the old man took off his goggles. 

“This is a nice watch.” The old man held up the golden watch Changbin had given him. “A little scuffed, but valuable nonetheless. To be honest, it’s worth a lot more than I’m able to pay you. Are you sure you want to sell it to me?” 

Changbin nodded, trying not to seem too desperate as the old man searched his face for any sign of hesitancy. Changbin knew the watch was worth more than anything else in this dingy pawn shop, both in price-per-gram and sentimental value, but he didn’t have time. 

So, he said “please” and motioned for the man to ring him up. 

After looking Changbin up and down, the old man sighed and placed the watch on the counter between them. From a drawer below the till, he procured a notepad and an old-fashioned ink pen. 

“Watches like yours go fast, so make sure to come in soon,” the old man explained as he filled in the details of the watch, adorning it with a little paper tag that matched the number on the notepad before he continued, “If you’re sure, sign and stamp at the bottom.” 

For the first time since he’d come in, Changbin felt a twinge of hesitancy. He knew he wouldn’t be able to buy the watch back. He didn’t have that kind of money. It was the reason he’d come in here to sell the watch in the first place. The watch had been given to him by his father and was the last thing he’d left of him apart from a plate in a memorial hall that he never visited. Changbin took a deep breath, putting his signature and stamp at the bottom of the pawn contract. His father was dead. He no longer needed the watch. Changbin had family that was still alive and needed the money. 

The old man took the notepad and handed Changbin his bleed-through copy and just like that, it was done. 

“I don’t have that much cash in the till, is a wire transfer okay with you?” 

Changbin smiled. “A wire transfer is perfect.” 

He held out his phone and the man tapped away on his own phone until Changbin’s dinged. His heart stuttered a little at the number popping up on his screen. He didn’t think he’d ever had this much money in his bank account.

“Son,” the old man called him back when Changbin moved towards the door. 

Changbin stopped short, his hand on the polished silver handle of the shop. 

“You look like a fine young man. Sensible. Don’t you go spend that money on drugs, or worse, at one of those fanger clubs. You won’t come out alive of those, boy. I’ve seen it before.” The old man patted the stuffed bat next to him. “It’s best to stay away.” 

Changbin felt a little laugh build up in his throat. Maybe it was the money high or the outdated way the old man spoke about their fellow fanged citizens, but he knew it was best not to argue. 

“Yes, sir.” He ducked his head and he wasn’t lying when he said, “I don’t plan to go anywhere near any vampires.” 

The old man seemed satisfied with that, waving him away. 

Changbin left the shop. It was cold out, the autumn moon high in the sky. It stank in the back alley, but Changbin still smiled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. The first thing he did was another wire transfer. Then, he pulled up his contacts and pressed on the only one he had saved under Favorites. 

He let it ring until an automated voice told him that his call had failed. 

Changbin frowned, pulling his phone from his ear before he noticed the date displayed on his lockscreen. It was a Wednesday so his brother had a late class. 

9.54 p.m. [changbinbin]:   hyung took care of your semester fees. i transferred the money already so don’t even try to argue with me. rather tell me what u want for dinner. i’ll get some take-out on the way back. 

He finished his text off with a sticker of a cheering pig and sent it off. 

Feeling quite satisfied with himself and the world, he started walking up the alley towards the main street. He now had plenty of money he could have spent on a taxi, but taking the bus was more economical and he knew tiny allowances led to big allowances led to him being broke again sooner rather than later. It was something he had to try to avoid, at least until his brother was out of university. 

He was almost at the mouth of the alley when a noise to his right startled him. He flinched, cursing as his phone slipped from his fingers. Gagging at the heightened smell of piss and garbage, he crouched down to pick it back up. 

“Holy shit!” 

He nearly dropped his phone a second time when he came back up to find that he was no longer alone. The man in front of him was probably the most beautiful he’d ever seen. He was taller than Changbin and slimmer, with elegant features and a beautifully shaped mouth. 

It pulled into a bashful smile as Changbin stared at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”  

The smell of alcohol and cheap perfume filled Changbin’s nose as the stranger leaned closer, staggering a little. He must have come from one of the clubs on the main alley, his eyes glassy as he tried to focus on Changbin. 

“No worries.” Changbin chuckled, his smile falling when he noticed that the stranger was shivering. It wasn’t that surprising, considering he was dressed scantily in tight leather pants and a sheer top. Changbin hastily took off the cheap zip-up hoodie he was wearing. “Here, you must be super cold! Did you lose your friends? Do you want me to take you back to the club?” 

The stranger watched as Changbin placed the hoodie around his shoulders, his pupils visibly dilating. “You’re kind.” 

Changbin shrugged, feeling his cheeks flush when the stranger curled a cold hand around his bare arm. “It’s nothing.”

“You look strong too.” 

“Well,” he laughed awkwardly, instinctively flexing his biceps. “I work out sometimes, yes.” 

The stranger looked up at him and Changbin felt his smile fall when he found himself struggling to break eye contact. A chill went up his spine. Suddenly, those dark eyes unnerved him. They were devouring him as if hungry, and not in a fun way.

Changbin forced another chuckle, subtly trying to shake the stranger’s hand off his arm, but it was impossible. Like being caught in the grip of a marble statue. 

“You are strong.” The stranger smiled, red bleeding into the whites of his eyes as he bared his teeth. Changbin gasped when he saw fangs. 

“You’re a—”

The rest of his words got caught in his throat when the cool hand holding him moved from his arm to his cheek, softly caressing his warm skin. 

The vampire cooed, looking at him with what almost looked like adoration. “You will survive, won’t you?” 

“W-what?” 

He struggled openly now, trying to free himself but he might as well have wrestled with a boulder. He was powerless when cool fingers wrapped around his throat, his back hitting the brick wall behind him as the vampire pushed them into the shadows. 

“Please,” he tried. “I have a family.” 

Something about his words seemed to enrage the vampire instead of calming him and Changbin whimpered when the vampire dropped his jaw, his fangs flashing. 

“Please,” Changbin begged, but it was of no use. 

His world exploded into pain as sharp teeth dug into the juncture of his neck. The last thing he registered was the smell of iron, and a cool hand wiping the tears off his face as he fell away. 

Chapter Text

Out all the bad ideas he'd ever had, this was arguably Felix's worst one. Unfortunately, knowing this was not enough to stop him. 

He’d been planning the break-in for weeks. There was no going back now.

The house itself didn’t stand out among all the other fancy, lifeless mansions that lined the street. It was of traditional build, with modern touches where they had been necessary. Most of the property was hidden behind a stone wall higher than Felix’s head, but people that lived in a rich neighbourhood like this were expected to care about their privacy. 

With the sun shining in his eyes, Felix stopped looking and started moving. 

The circular wooden gate opened with a simple press of his hand. No lock, not even a handle except for a set of old-fashioned iron rings. It made sense, Felix supposed. Humans—normal humans who weren’t stupid like Felix—would have never come near this house without invitation and no man-made lock could have stopped a vampire from breaking in. 

Felix was human, but he was not going to be stopped either. 

He slipped through the gate, his heart thundering in his chest as he hurried down the short, gravel walkway towards the front door of the house. Most of the traditional structure of the building had been preserved, but the front door had been replaced by a solid sheet of corten steel. 

It gave Felix all the more reason to believe that he would find what he was looking for inside. 

The moment Felix placed a hand on the vertical push handle, the keypad embedded into the corten steel blinked to life. Felix’s hand shook as he pressed his fingers against the screen. It had taken him weeks of observation to get the code, but eventually he’d gotten it. He sent a mental thank you to the cleaning lady whose phone he had swiped to get it. There was no harm done to her, Felix reassured himself. He had returned the phone. 

The inside of the house was not as dark as he had expected. Vampires slept during the day, no doubt safely tucked away in some coffin in the basement, but Felix knew there were metal shutters that could have blocked any sunlight from coming in during the day. He had accounted for that by presetting his phone’s flashlight to the highest setting. 

Felix had accounted for everything, really. He’d worked out the passcode. He’d worked out the schedule of the human cleaning crew so he didn’t accidentally run into them. He’d come here in broad daylight to make sure all the vampires were sleeping. 

What he hadn’t accounted for was a human, not a vampire but a human, sprawled out on the gigantic couch in the living room. There was no doubt he was the reason the shutters were up and sunlight was flooding the living room. 

And Felix might have had a chance. The boy was playing on a handheld gaming console, the volume cranked up so high that Felix could hear the tune of the game even through the earphones stuffed into the boy’s ears. Felix might have been able to creep back into the vestibule, to leave as he had come, but unfortunately for him, the couch was facing the door and the boy chose that very moment to look up from his game, looking straight at Felix. 

Oh, Felix thought, fuck. 

Every single muscle in Felix’s body froze, his mind racing a mile a minute as he engaged in an unforeseen staring match with the boy. 

What should he do? Should he run? Should he surge forward and attack the boy? Neither option sounded like a good idea. If he fled, he’d never get another chance to enter the house and if he attacked the boy, he had no guarantee of knowing that he’d win the fight. Honestly speaking, the boy didn’t look like much of a fighter in his pink sweats, oversized hoodie and fuzzy socks, but neither was Felix. 

After several more seconds of uninterrupted eye contact, the boy jolted and so did Felix. 

“Oh!” The boy dropped his gaming console, his earphones being tugged out of his ears by the cable. He all but fell off the couch in his haste to scramble to his feet. Felix’s eyes widened in surprise when the boy bowed to him. “Hi!” 

Without a better plan, Felix bowed back. 

He could only watch as the boy came towards him with a big smile. “Are you the feeder?” 

“Am I—” Felix’s eyes fell to the boy’s neck, exposed by the stretched collar of his sweatshirt. There was a mouth-shaped bruise adorning the juncture of his neck and in the centre of it, two scabbed over puncture wounds. A vampire bite. Felix hastily put on his best smile. “Yes, yes, I am.” 

The boy’s face lit up, “Wow, I can’t believe you’re here!” 

Me neither, Felix wanted to say. 

“I’m sorry! I mustn’t have heard the doorbell.”

“It’s okay,” Felix said slowly. He licked his lips. “The agency gave me the code.” 

“How lucky! But—” A frown took over the boy’s features, his face turning towards windows. “It’s the middle of the day. Shouldn’t you come once it’s dark? No one is awake right now.”  

Felix’s stomach dropped to his knees. Yes, that was the point. “Uhm…” 

Sweating, he pushed his hands into his pockets. He had no weapon on him, no back-up. A single scream from the boy’s throat and all his plans were going down the drain. He thought about making a run for it after all, but then his fingers brushed over the frame of his phone and he had a better idea. 

He pulled the phone from his pocket, lowering his gaze as he swiped uselessly. He was smart. His brother always said so. He could make this work. 

“The agency told me twelve,” he mumbled, loudly enough for the boy to hear. He swiped some more, frowning before he dramatically slapped his own forehead. “Oh, no!” 

“What is it?” the boy asked, looking even more anxious than Felix was pretending to be. 

“I totally mixed up the times.” Felix groaned. “My supervisor said twelve o’clock and of course she meant midnight, but I read that as noon. This is so embarrassing, I’m sorry.” He bowed. “I should go.” 

A smooth exit had to be the best strategy. It meant that Felix was leaving empty-handed, but if he left without creating a fuss, he could try to come back another time. 

“No, wait!” The boy scrambled forward, nearly hitting the floor face-first as he struggled to run across the hardwood flooring in his fuzzy socks. It ended up with Felix having to catch him, instead of the other way around. 

The boy rightened himself with a sheepish smile, holding onto Felix’s elbow. “You already came all the way here! Won’t you stay for a little longer? Chan never allows strangers to come here so it’d be a pity to waste this opportunity! You can just stay and wait! It’s already way past noon so it’s not that long until sundown. Please.” 

Felix was a little confused as to why the boy was so eager to keep him here, but he wasn’t going to argue. He had hours until sundown which was definitely enough time to find a way to ditch the boy and get what he had come for. 

“I mean…” Felix purposefully dragged out the end of his sentence, keeping his voice meek. “I already took the day off so it should be fine, I think.” 

The boy beamed. “Awesome! I promise you’ll be compensated for every hour extra.” 

Felix smiled. “Okay.” 

The boy clapped in delight. “I’m Jisung.” Jisung bowed again as he introduced himself.

“S—Lee, uh, Lee Felix.” 

“Felix.” Jisung sounded out his name syllable by syllable. “That’s pretty.” 

“Thank you.” 

Without warning, Jisung started walking and Felix hurriedly followed. Anything that would get him deeper into the house was a win in his book. It didn’t matter that he had no idea where Jisung was leading him. 

They left the living room and entered a narrow hallway. The walls were lined with artwork that Felix had no doubt was both authentic and priceless. Felix kept his attention on the boy. He had come to steal, but he wouldn’t waste his time swiping some ancient artefact. That was not what he had come here for. 

“You know, Minho and the others have been telling Chan for ages that he should make use of the blood services offered to him, but Chan’s stubborn. I’m so surprised he finally agreed to let someone come here. He usually resorts to bags and bottles, even though everybody knows it’s not as satisfying to vampires as getting their blood from the source.” 

“It’s not?” Felix asked, trying not to sound as surprised as he felt.  

He’d never come across this kind of information during his research. Whenever the news talked about blood donation drives and mixed-blood beverages in bottles, the tone was enthusiastic. Vampires no longer needed to hurt humans to live. Every citizen was safe. 

Of course, Felix had known that the last part was bullshit. He wouldn’t have been here otherwise. 

Jisung shrugged. “It’s not something that’s advertised, obviously. Humans feel safer thinking that most vampires don’t want them for their blood anymore because they’re already happily getting it from blood bags like capri suns. But according to the guys, nothing beats the original.” 

“Good for me, I guess,” Felix mumbled.

A smile spread over Jisung’s features as he opened a heavy-set wooden door and they found themselves in an office. Felix’s heartbeat spiked. If there was one place he would find what he was looking for, it had to be this exact room. 

Trying hard not to let any of his excitement show on his face, Felix let himself be guided onto an undoubtedly expensive leather couch. 

Jisung made sure he was sitting comfortably, even offering him an extra pillow, before he ran over to what turned out to be a mini fridge, wedged under the large wooden desk that stood in the centre of the room. 

Felix used the time Jisung was away from him to scan the room. The walls were lined with bookshelves, no window, no second door. The only break from the book shelves was a large traditional painting hanging on the wall to Felix left. He didn’t linger on it. Moving something like that would take too much time. 

His best chance was the desk. 

“Soda or water?” Jisung called out to him. “I also have some juice.” 

“Uh, water is fine.” 

Jisung returned to him with a big smile, handing him the bottle of water.  

“Are you a feeder too?” Felix asked to keep the attention off himself. 

“Oh, no!” Jisung flushed deeply. “I’m not! Only one of them—I mean I’m in a monogamous relationship.” 

Felix felt his eyebrows rise to the middle of his forehead. Involuntary, his eyes were drawn to the wound on Jisung’s neck. 

A low squeak escaped Jisung as he clamped his hand over the bite. “It doesn’t always look like that! Minho’s just—he likes to—well, he likes it when the mark doesn’t go away immediately.” 

“Oh.” Felix nodded as if that was normal. “Understood.” 

Jisung cleared his throat. “So, first time?”

Felix froze with his water halfway to his mouth. “How’d you know?” 

“No offence, but you don’t really seem like you’ve done this before.” 

Jisung’s smile was kind and Felix tried not to let any of the panic he felt show on his face. Past the bubbly personality, Jisung was much more observant than Felix would have liked. He had to be careful, more careful than he had been. 

“It is my first time,” Felix admitted. It wasn’t really a lie. Only a couple of weeks ago, he would have never ever willingly come anywhere near the nest of a vampire clan. Yet, here he was. “I’m a little strapped for cash so I thought it might be a good idea to sign up as a donor.” 

That sounded believable enough. Despite most of it being a lie, Felix still felt touched when it didn’t look like Jisung was judging him. 

“I get it.” Jisung smiled and Felix wondered how someone who looked like a vampire’s personal chew toy could look so happy. But then, apart from the nasty bruise on his neck, Jisung didn’t look mistreated at all. His cheeks were round, his eyes bright with curiosity and he smelled clean. Clean but heavy, like expensive body wash. 

“Do you live here?” Felix asked, finally taking a sip of his water. 

Jisung shook his head. “Not officially. I’m in student housing on campus. I mostly come here after classes.” 

Felix perked up. “You’re a student?” 

“Yeah, you too?” 

Felix was about to nod when he remembered that that was a terrible idea. He shook his head. “Not anymore.” 

He was relieved when Jisung had the good grace not to press him any further. 

To distract the other human, he asked Jisung about the game he’d been playing. Once Jisung got talking, there seemed to be no stopping him and Felix was thankful for that. It gave him time to think. 

He had to find a way to get Jisung out of the room without raising any suspicion. Hurting the other boy wasn’t a good idea and Felix didn’t want to. Hurting himself was also a terrible idea. Even sleeping vampires were enticed by the smell of blood. He’d have to go for something simple. 

“Excuse me,” he gently interrupted Jisung, laying a hand over his stomach. “You don’t happen to have any snacks, do you?”

“Snacks?” Jisung’s eyes widened. “You haven’t eaten?”

Felix blinked. “The agency told me not to eat. They told me to come completely sober.” 

“Felix!” Jisung scolded him. “They meant alcohol! You definitely should eat something before giving blood. This really is your first time, huh?” 

Felix tried to look as pitiful as possible as he nodded. 

Jisung patted his hand. “I’ll get you something. Just wait.” 

Felix smiled, his pulse quickening as he watched Jisung pad towards the door. Jisung was too kind for his own good. He was definitely too sweet to be hanging around a bunch of vampires. Maybe Felix should steal him too. 

He shook such thoughts out of his head and hurried to get up once the door to the office had closed behind his new friend. On quiet feet, he snuck over to the desk. There were papers strewn all over, old-fashioned journals and ink pens and finally a laptop, the screen of which was cracked at a perfect ninety degree angle. 

A smile spread over Felix’s lips as he pulled the silver cross he was wearing out from under his shirt. 

This was going to be good. 

*

Felix returned to the sofa just as Jisung returned to the room with a plate of sliced fruit. Jisung looked sheepish as he offered Felix the plate. 

“I’m sorry, I would have gotten you something tastier but this was kind of all we had. I’m the only one at the house who needs three meals a day so the others don’t really think about restocking the snack drawer.” 

Felix waved him off, taking the plate with a smile. He made a show of popping one of the apple slices into his mouth. He didn’t tell Jisung that he was glad the other boy had struggled to put something together for him. It had given him enough time to be successful in his pursuit. 

Now, he only had to think of a way to excuse himself before the sun went down. It was easy enough to fool Jisung, but Felix knew that he was dead meat if he was still here by the time the vampires woke up. 

He took another apple slice as he tried to come up with a believable excuse. Just as he was about to bite into the slice, he noticed a tinge of red smeared on the peel. His heart skipped a painful beat as he looked down at Jisung’s hands. His heart dropped to his knees when he noticed the small, duck print plaster that was wrapped around the tip of Jisung’s pointer finger. 

“Jisung,” he whispered before he could stop himself. Did you cut yourself?

Felix didn’t get the chance to ask the question out loud because in the next moment, the door to the office flew open. 

“Jisung!” 

Felix was pretty sure that if he had eaten before coming here, he would have shit himself at that moment. He watched, frozen in place, as a vampire walked into the room. 

He was more handsome in real life than in the photos that existed of him online. That was the first thing Felix thought. The second was that the vampire, despite being undead already, looked about a second away from keeling over and dying. Again.

There were circles under his eyes so dark they looked like bruises. His crimson eyes seemed black in the low, artificial lighting. The worst was the sluggish way he moved, holding onto the door frame before hauling himself further into the room. 

Felix wasn’t stupid enough to think for a second that it made the vampire any less dangerous. He had done his research and so he knew how extraordinary it was what he was witnessing. Vampires were dead to the world when they slept. The fact that the vampire was moving at all during daylight hours was frightening and this one not only was able to walk, he was also able to yell. 

At the unexpected voice, Jisung startled so badly he nearly choked on the chunk of apple in his mouth. Coughing, he scrambled to his feet, hurrying to meet the vampire halfway. “Chan! You should be asleep!” 

Chan didn’t look interested in appeasing Jisung’s worry. Instead, he grabbed onto Jisung’s shoulders, turning him from side to side. “I smelled your blood. What happened?” 

Jisung slapped his hands away, but lifted his finger for Chan to see. “I just cut myself while cutting up some fruit. See? It’s no big deal.” 

Chan inspected Jisung’s finger closely before he nodded, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment. His entire body started swaying, but then his nostrils flared and his eyes reopened. Dark crimson eyes zeroed in on Felix. Felix blamed it on the daylight hours that it had taken the vampire so long to notice him in the first place. 

All the hostility that had waned from the vampire’s body returned at once. “Who are you?” 

Felix opened his mouth, finding himself unable to form words under the intense glare directed at him. He had done his research. He knew this wasn’t just a vampire he was faced with. This was the vampire. 

Jisung perked up. “Oh, Chan, this is Felix! He’s a virgin.” 

Now it was Felix who choked. All thoughts of his imminent death left his brain as he jumped up, crying out in indignance, “I’m not a virgin!” 

Both Chan and Jisung looked at him with raised brows. Jisung’s grin was entirely too smug as he turned to Chan. “He’s a blood virgin, I mean. He’s the feeder you requested.” 

Chan blinked, a little too slowly, before he frowned. “I didn’t request a feeder.” 

“But—”

They both turned towards Felix. 

Felix felt his soul leave his body for good. He wiped down the front of his sweatshirt. He wiped a bit of apple juice from his mouth. He smiled as he walked towards the vampire and his human friend. 

“I’m sorry,” he said demurely. “I can tell this is a bad time. Thank you for the fruit, Jisung, I—” 

The vampire’s arm shot out, effectively stopping him on his way towards the door. 

“Not so fast.” 

It was obvious that Chan was struggling to stay awake, but he was still terrifying as he perused Felix more closely. His nostrils flared once more and Felix knew the vampire could probably smell the cold sweat trickling down his nape. He could probably hear the erratic pounding of Felix’s heart. 

His eyes narrowed and Felix felt panic take him over. 

It was a split second decision. 

Ducking under the vampire’s arm, Felix bolted for the door. He could hear Jisung call his name, but his only goal was to reach the front door. If he made it outside, no vampire would be able to follow him. 

He’d nearly made it to the living room, now plunged in darkness, when he was caught by the hood off his sweatshirt. He yelped as he was hauled backwards. He would have unceremoniously hit the ground if there hadn’t been a strong hand that wrapped around his throat, lifting him up. One moment he was on the floor, the next moment he was pressed up against the wall, his feet no longer touching the floor. 

He flailed like a fish out of water, clawing at the hand clamped around his throat, but he might as well have tried to break the fingers off a marble statue. “Please,” he garbled. He couldn’t breathe.

“Who are you?” Chan snarled at him, his fangs on full display. 

Felix was pretty sure that he’d never been more afraid than he was in that moment, looking death straight in the eye. Cornered animals tended to lash out, though. 

So, Felix snarled right back, using the last of his air to wheeze out a heartfelt, “Fuck you.” 

Red seeped into the white of the vampire’s eyes as rage took over his body. His grip on Felix’s throat tightened and Felix knew that this was it. Chan was going to rip him apart and there was little he could do about it. 

Felix couldn’t die, though. He was so close. He’d gotten what he had come for. He only needed to make it out of the house. 

Feeling his air run out, he stopped clawing at the vampire’s hand. He pushed his hands under his sweatshirt instead, ripping the cross necklace from his neck and fisting it in one hand. 

There was no way to tell whether it was going to work. He just had to try and hope the internet hadn’t lied to him. 

Using the last of his air to move, he pushed Chan's face away from his own. Chan's fangs caught on his underarm in the process and Felix felt white-hot pain zip up his arm when the fangs broke through his skin. The smell of blood was cloying and instantaneous and Felix could see the Chan’s pupils dilate as Felix’s blood dripped right into his mouth. 

Felix managed to pull his arm away before Chan could clamp down, before the pain he felt could turn into bliss. He knew it would. He focussed on pushing the silver cross of his necklace against the vampire’s neck instead. Awed, he watched as the skin beneath the silver began to sizzle. 

Chan screamed in pain, stumbling backwards and Felix used the temporary distraction to slither out of his grasp. His feet hit the ground hard, pain shooting up his left ankle but the rush of adrenaline carried him through. He ripped his chain back, the skin of the Chan’s neck smoking where the silver had pressed into his skin. Felix lost no time admiring his handiwork. He booked it towards the door as fast as he could. 

Behind him, he could hear the vampire roar. 

Felix didn’t stop even when he made it out of the front door and into the sun. He didn’t stop running until he was out of the neighbourhood, far enough away from the house that he could almost pretend that everything that had happened there had been a nightmare. But there was blood dripping down his arm. There was an undercurrent of euphoria coursing through his blood stream. Venom. 

Felix jumped into the first bus he saw. Despite everything that had happened, he couldn’t help the manic giggle that spilled over his lips as he clutched the cross necklace in his fist.

None of his efforts had been in vain. 

*

The blood that coursed through Chan’s veins was black. It flowed a lot slower than a human’s. He wasn’t prone to headaches, but he felt one oncoming now. 

“Nothing in the garden,” Jeongin reported as he flitted into the living room. His clothes were covered in dirt and there were a bunch of leaves stuck in his hair. He must have really searched every inch of their property. “No traces of forced entry either, neither on any of the doors nor the windows. He must have come in through the front door like anyone else.” 

“Impossible.” Chan shook his head. “How would he have known the passcode?” 

“He said the agency told him the code,” Jisung spoke up, helpless from where he was squished against Minho’s chest. 

“I think it has become pretty obvious that he wasn’t actually a feeder from an agency, don’t you think?” 

Usually, Chan would have never used that kind of tone with Jisung, but he felt a little raw at the moment. He regretted it the moment he saw Jisung wilt in Minho’s embrace. 

“I can’t believe he just showed up in our house and you didn’t question him even a little.” Jeongin snickered from where he was sprawled sideways across the armchair by the windows. “Like, how naive can you be?” 

“He was nice!” Jisung pouted. “I liked him.” 

“He will die,” Minho said darkly, the first thing that had come over his lips ever since they had broken the news to him. Everything else had just been actions. Grab Jisung. Get Jisung to safety. Glare at anyone who dared to come close to Jisung. 

The entire clan was protective of their only human, but Minho was different. 

Jisung wheezed a little as Minho’s grip on him seemed to tighten. Chan thought about helping out his human clan member, but a single move in Jisung’s direction had Minho baring his fangs at him. 

Raising his hands, Chan took a measured step back. 

Usually, he wouldn’t have tolerated any of his progeny disrespecting him like this, but he knew Minho wasn’t fully himself right now. His gaze was distant, haunted as he held onto Jisung for dear life. For Jisung’s life. 

The sight made anger bubble up in Chan’s chest. Centuries of progress, unravelling right before his eyes. Chan was fine with getting hurt in the pursuit of protecting his home, but he was not the only one hurting right now. Angrily, he rubbed at his neck. After an entire bag of AB, his skin was already scabbing over, but silver wounds were a bitch to heal. 

He didn’t allow himself to think of what had come before. The sweet taste of blood lingered on his tongue even after he had tried to flush away the human’s taste with an entire bag of the same blood type. 

“Looks nasty. Like a very fucked up hickey,” Seungmin commented as he came in from the direction of Chan’s office. 

Chan only glared at him. “I made you. It’s not too late to send you into the sun.” 

Seungmin only grinned at him. 

Chan sighed. “You found anything?” 

Seungmin’s joyous expression disappeared as quickly as it had come. He pushed up his glasses, the actual lenses missing from the frame. “All our physical records are untouched, like you said. None of the items are missing either. The human’s smell really only sticks to the sofa and the desk. I think he definitely touched your laptop.” 

Chan groaned. This was bound to be a nightmare. “Can you find out whether he stole anything from on there?” 

“Already did.” 

Seungmin told him what it was and Chan groaned. “This is a nightmare.” He rubbed at his neck more furiously. “I told you we should have just kept everything on paper!” 

Seungmin, unimpressed as ever, merely rolled his eyes. “And remain in the dark ages forever? Please.” 

“Exactly, you’re such a grandpa!” Jeongin yelled from across the room.  

Chan turned his head to glare at him. “I told you to stop calling me that.” 

“But it’s true! You made Seungmin and Seungmin made me so technically—” Jeongin yelped when he was hit in the face with a precisely thrown decorative pillow. 

“Impressive aim,” Seungmin judged, “but I’m deducting a point for the lackluster form.” 

Chan felt the distinct need to rip someone’s throat out. No, not someone’s. He knew exactly what little human he wanted to sink his teeth into. 

“Find him,” he told Seungmin, then Jeongin. “You too. Don’t come back until you’ve found out everything there is to know about the little thief.” 

Jeongin jumped up, ever so eager to go out into the world and use his tracking abilities. 

Seungmin was a lot more reluctant, frowning as he adjusted his glasses once more. “But shouldn’t you be the one to hunt him since you tasted his blood?”

A single glare from Chan was enough to shut him up. 

Both Seungmin and Jeongin moved towards the door. 

“And has anyone seen Hyunjin?” Chan called out. 

No one answered him.

Chapter Text

“Another one about vampires?” the librarian asked him. 

Felix only nodded, waiting patiently as she checked out the book for him. He was about to grab it when she held it back. 

“You know, boy, that fascination of yours is not as harmless as you think.” The librarian pursed her purple-painted lips at him. “You should stay away from that sort. A handsome young man like you has so many better things to do in life.” 

Ignoring the throbbing in his arm, Felix forced a smile onto his face. “I promise I don’t have any intention of going near any vampires, Ma’am.” 

He took his book and his receipt and left the library. 

It was cold outside, the sun setting sooner now that it was turning into autumn. He tightened the scarf around his neck, hiking his backpack higher up his shoulder when he had to run to catch his bus. 

He’d planned to start reading on the bus already, but it was stuffed with people commuting home and so Felix spent the next twenty minutes pressed against one of the side windows, watching the world pass him by. 

At his stop, he got off the bus. It was dark out by now and so he hurried down the sidewalk. It wasn’t that long of a walk to his flat, but he stopped to buy some cat food and a multi-pack of ramen on the way. 

The convenience store clerk smiled at him as he paid and Felix reflexively smiled back. 

“Are you new?” Felix asked as he stuffed the cat food into his backpack. 

The boy blinked, his fox-like features pulling into a grin. “How’d you know?” 

“Mrs Yoon is usually the one who rings me up.” Felix craned his neck to look into the backroom. “Is she around?” 

The boy propped one arm up on the counter, resting his hand on his chin. “Oh, it’s just me right now. I’m helping her out for the night.” 

Felix nodded, pulling his backpack towards himself. He hissed as his arm muscles strained with the newfound weight of it. It took him a moment, but then he shouldered it. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Just fine. I just, uh…” … nearly got mauled by a vampire, “ I overdid it at the gym.” 

The clerk nodded in sympathy. After a moment of contemplation, he plucked a lollipop from the stand next to the till and held it out for Felix. 

Felix reached out his hand. For a moment, he felt the hairs on his arms rise. For a moment, his heart thundered in his chest. He looked up at the clerk, but the boy was only smiling at him sweetly. His teeth were blunt. “For your pains.” 

Like that, the moment was over and Felix took the lollipop, smiling in thanks. 

“See you again,” the clerk called after him. 

Felix stepped back out into the street. It was properly cold now so he pulled his coat tighter around his body and trudged home. 

“Nola!” he called out once he was home, hastily closing the door of his flat behind him. Nola was a purebred house cat, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t eager to break out sometimes. 

Felix smiled when he heard the pitter-patter of paws from his bedroom, followed by a meow and then Nola was barreling towards him, weaving herself through his legs as he set down his backpack. 

“Hi, baby,” Felix cooed as he scratched her head. “Did you miss me?” 

Nola bunted her head against his open palm and Felix felt a small part of his heart heal. He hung his scarf and coat at the door before grabbing his backpack again. Nola followed him into the kitchen. 

“I bought you one with chicken,” he checked the label of the cans he’d bought, “and one with fish. Which one do you want?” 

He held both cans out to let her choose. 

Tail swishing, the orange tabby cat looked at him with unimpressed eyes. 

He sighed. “I know you like beef, but I can’t afford that at the moment so pick one, okay?”

When the cat didn’t move, Felix picked for her. He opened the can with the chicken blend in it and dumped it into her usual bowl. 

“Hyung really spoiled you too much,” he mumbled as he broke apart the chunky paste with a fork. 

Once Nola started eating, Felix left to take a shower. 

His boiler only provided hot water for about ten minutes, but it was enough to rinse off properly. He just had to shut off the water while lathering. Once he did, the distinct sound of kitty claws scratching at the bathroom door became audible.

“No chance, Nola!” he called out. “You know I find it creepy when you want to watch me pee!” 

The scratching continued for a moment before it stopped. Satisfied, Felix turned the water back on and finished washing his hair. Once he was clean and pink from the heat of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the bathroom. 

Nola was curled up on his bed. She lifted her head to blink at him with betrayal in her eyes. Felix couldn’t help but laugh. He crouched down to pet her, running his hand over her silky wet fur. 

“Don’t look at me like that, baby. You know I love you, but even your favourite bipedal can opener needs his privacy sometimes, okay?” 

Nola meowed at him. 

It took a moment for the feeling against his fingertips to really register. When it did, Felix pulled his hand back with a frown. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the dark red smears on his hand. Panicking, he searched Nola for injuries, but all he found was a hand print. A perfectly shaped, deep red hand print pressed into the fur on her back. Nola blinked at him, still unimpressed. 

Dread filled Felix’s stomach as he lifted his hand against the light. A part of him already knew, but that didn’t keep him from making sure. There was blood on his hand. He swallowed the scream building up in his throat. There was a perfect bloody handprint on his cat.

He might’ve screamed but he froze at the quiet, unassuming sound of foot steps behind him. That one might have been a mistake. Felix knew the creaking of the floorboards was intentional. 

Slowly, very slowly, he turned around. 

There was a vampire in the middle of Felix’s bedroom. 

A whimper escaped Felix as he fell back onto his ass. It startled Nola, who promptly jumped off the bed and flitted out of the room. Felix couldn’t blame her. 

Bang Chan looked a lot better than the last time Felix had seen him. That was the first thing Felix thought. I’m going to die, was the second. 

Chan’s eyes never left him as he closed the distance between them, a predator closing in. The vampire crouched down slowly, leaning into Felix’s space. 

A terrible, beautiful, fanged smile overtook his features. “Hello, Lee Felix.” 

Felix couldn't help it. He screamed. The sound ripped from his throat before he could stop it. 

The vampire winced, or pretended to wince as he rubbed his ear. “A hello would’ve sufficed.” 

Felix couldn’t speak. Panic seeped into his bones as he looked towards the door, the window, the bathroom. Any escape he could find. 

“Don’t even try,” Chan’s tone was almost soothing, but Felix could see the danger flashing in his eyes. “I’m going to catch you anyways.”  

He kept leaning closer. Felix shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. He barely withstood the urge to cover his ears. This couldn’t be real. 

Bang Chan wasn’t in his room. Bang Chan wasn’t in his flat. Bang Chan wasn’t here.

Cool fingers brushed over his cheek and Felix did the only sensible thing. He jumped up, clutching the hem of his towel for dear life as he bolted towards the door. 

He could hear Chan sigh behind him. 

Felix yelped as he barrelled into the sofa on his way across the living room. He didn’t let it stop him. Hobbling, he made it towards the front door, ripping it open. 

Another scream escaped him as he was met with two more pairs of crimson eyes. 

“Hi, Felix!” The boy from the convenience store waved at him, looking downright giddy as he leaned into the door. Gone were the brown lenses from his eyes. His smile was no longer blunt as he shot Felix a grin. “Told you I’d see you again.”

Felix stared at the boy in horror before his gaze flickered over to the other vampire. Where the boy from the convenience store looked downright elated to be here, the vampire next to him looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. He regarded Felix with about as much interest as he would have held for a speck of dust. The frames of his glasses held no lenses, Felix noticed. It kind of made him look like the world’s deadest nerd. 

Felix was fooled by neither of them. He knew either of these two could have ripped him apart without so much as straining a muscle. He slammed the door in their faces, moving backwards on instinct, right into a cold, hard chest. 

Chan wrapped his arms around him, lifting him up as if Felix weighed no more than a feather. Felix screamed and struggled, clawing at the arms wrapped around his middle but it was useless. Chan all but threw him onto the sofa into the living room. 

Felix had the presence of mind to grab the throw blanket and drape it over himself, otherwise he would have found himself terrified and naked in front of the vampire. 

Chan didn’t seem fazed. He seemed more interested in scooping up Nola from where she was perched on the armchair. He cooed as he petted her fur. 

Felix felt a different kind of panic settle into his bones. 

“Don’t hurt her,” Felix whispered. “Please.” 

“I’m not here to hurt her.” Nola purred as Chan scratched the cat behind her ear. It elicited a smile from the vampire. At Felix’s whimper, Chan looked up at him, no gentleness nor care left in his gaze. “I’m here to hurt you.” 

Felix couldn’t help it. He let out a terrified noise that was louder than a mere whimper, something raw and vulnerable. 

It seemed to please Chan, who looked at him almost approvingly. “Good. You’re not completely stupid.” 

Now, that made Felix bristle. Despite the fear in his heart, he snapped, “I’m not stupid!” 

Chan merely raised an eye brow at him. “You broke into my home.” He counted on his fingers. “You tricked the most vulnerable of my clan members.” Nola jumped from his arms when Chan let her go. “Most importantly, you stole from me.” 

Felix felt all of his bravado leave him when Chan sat down on the sofa next to him. His eyes were so dark Felix could see his death in them. He subtly tried to back away, gaze flickering towards the window.

It seemed to amuse Chan, who only scooted closer. Cold fingers curled Felix’s chin, forcing him to look the vampire in the eye. 

“Didn’t we already go through the whole running away bit?” 

Caught, Felix glared at him and Chan leaned back, raising both hands in a pacifying gesture. His smile was brilliant and fangless. “Of course, you’re welcome to try again. Maybe you’ll even make it past the front door this time. Jeongin would be delighted. He loves a good chase.” 

Thinking of the two vampires in front of his door, Felix scowled and sank deeper into the couch. His snide was the only defense he had, so he used it to sharpen his tone, “What do you want?” 

Chan didn’t seem impressed by his vitriol, or his question. “Isn’t that obvious? You stole from me. I want you to give it back.” 

“No.” 

For the first time since he’d broken into Felix’s home, Chan seemed genuinely shocked. “No?” 

“No.” Felix crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying to appear much stronger than he felt. “I don’t know what you think I’ve taken from you, but you just broke into my home so me breaking into yours doesn’t count anymore. As for the rest,” Felix lifted his chin in defiance, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Chan watched him intensely before the corner of his mouth twitched into an unamused smile. “You’re already a thief, Felix. Don’t turn yourself into a liar.” 

Felix felt goosebumps rise on his skin when Chan took a hold of his arm, the same arm he’d bitten into. Cool fingertips grazed over the barely healed puncture wounds and Felix almost expected Chan to dig in, but it didn’t look like Chan planned to.  

He didn’t need to. “My venom is in you, Felix. There is nowhere you can run where I wouldn’t find you. There is nothing you can do that can keep me from getting to the bottom of this. You can’t escape me, so speak.” 

Another whimper built up in Felix’s throat. He swallowed it down, shaking his head. “You can’t make me.” 

Felix gulped as he watched Chan open his mouth, his fangs elongating. It was a threat as much as a promise. Felix knew Chan would make good of it. “Think again.” 

Felix knew his time was running out. Chan’s patience was visibly wearing thin and Felix had read enough about him online to know how dangerous that was. 

But what he’d read online might also be what was going to save him. Bang Chan was the first clan leader in Seoul who had signed the national peace accords between humans and vampires. He clearly could be reasoned with. At least, he was willing to listen to humans. 

“If I told you—” Felix licked his lips. “If I told you where it is, would you let me keep it?” 

Chan’s fangs retracted as he laughed. “Not a chance. Do you even know what you stole?”

Felix scowled. “Of course!” 

“Then why do you want it?” Contrasting his harsh tone, Chan’s fingertips brushed over Felix’s skin in feather light touches. “What good would the directory do you? You want to sell it?” 

Felix pressed his lips into a thin line. “I need it.” 

“For what?” Chan laughed at him. “Are you so eager to die, sunshine? The directory may help you find out about every vampire in this city and where to find them, but you have to know that not everyone is as nice to their intruders as I am. Using what you stole from me will get you killed.”

“I just need to find someone.” 

Chan’s grip tightened almost imperceptibly. “Another vampire?” 

Felix looked away. “Maybe.” 

Chan scoffed, dropping his arm. “I thought we were over you trying to lie.” 

“It’s a maybe because I don’t know! I don’t know whether he’s a vampire. But he must be! Otherwise he—it’s the only way.” 

Felix felt his airways grow tight. Just before he could talk himself into a panic, he got startled when Nola jumped onto his lap. Putting her paws on his chest, she bunted her head against his jaw. Felix wrapped his arms around her. He hated the way tears were pricking at his eyes. He cried whenever he got angry and that was embarrassing. It made him look weak. 

“Felix.” Chan’s voice was uncharacteristically gentle, coaxing. “What is it that you’re trying to do here? Explain properly and I promise I will reconsider killing you.” 

Felix knew it was probably a lie. He knew Chan was probably just trying a different approach to get Felix to crack, but it was working. Felix was tired and Chan’s voice was entrancing, promising him that all the bad things in his life would end if he just talked. Felix just wanted it to be over.

“I need to find someone.” He sniffled. “That’s why I stole the directory. He-He must be a vampire now so if I just visit every nest in the city, then I’m bound to find him eventually.”

“That’s an exceptionally stupid plan.” Chan frowned. “You can’t just knock on a vampire clan’s door.” 

“I still have to try.” 

Chan scoffed. “That maybe-vampire of yours is really worth more to you than your life?” 

Where Felix’s heart had been pounding in his chest, he felt himself calm. “Finding him is all that matters.” 

That was why had broken into Chan’s home. That was why he had stolen the directory. That was what he would die for, if need be. 

The disdain in Chan’s voice was palpable. “Because you love that guy?” 

Felix shook his head. “Because he’s my brother.”

*

Chan wiped the pig’s blood off the cat, chuckling at the betrayed expression she gave him every time he ran the wet sponge over her fur. 

“Can we not come in?” Jeongin whined from outside the flat. “It’s boring out here. I found him so I should get to play with the human!” 

“You stay where you are,” Chan said. 

No matter the walls between them, both his clan members could hear him. 

“You’re so nice to him,” Seungmin said, sounding bored even though Chan knew he wasn’t. “Is that why you wouldn’t let Minho come? Because you want the human to live?” 

“No one is going to lay a hand on him,” Chan said, just as he heard the sound of soft, socked steps coming towards the kitchen. “That’s an order.” 

He turned around, smiling when he saw Felix stare at him from where he was hovering on the threshold. It amused Chan that the boy looked more uncomfortable dressed in sweats and a hoodie than he’d had on his sofa, half-naked and snapping at Chan. 

Chan put down the sponge, lifting an unamused Nola out of the kitchen sink. 

“Here.” He held the cat out for Felix to take. “All clean again.” 

Felix darted forward to take the cat, pressing his face into her fur. Chan followed him over to the kitchen table, using the opportunity to look at the human in the bright overhead lights. 

His skin was no longer rosy from the hot water of the shower, but still very enticing. Chan’s eyes flickered to the exposed juncture of Felix’s neck every few seconds. He’d have to find a way to sneak some high-necked clothes into Felix’s wardrobe. If Felix were to walk past any other vampire like this, there’d be a breaking of the accords. 

Chan blinked, suppressing a sigh. He knew it was his venom in Felix’s veins that was making him think these things. His fangs itched as he clenched his jaw. This was why he never drank from the source. It made him latch on in more ways than one. 

Schooling his expression into something pleasant, he folded his hands on the table between them. “So, your brother. You think he’s been turned into a vampire?” 

Felix nodded. 

“Why?”

“Changbin disappeared two months ago.” Felix pointed at the wall to their right. There was a cork board there, holding bills, delivery pamphlets and smack dab in the middle of everything, there was a news paper article. 

BACK ALLEY BUTCHER TAKES ANOTHER VICTIM! the headline read. 

Below it was a photo of some dingy back alley and next to it, a lightly pixelated photo of a smiling young man. It was a cropped family picture. Chan could see the original pinned to the board above the article. 

He frowned, touching the brittle paper of the news paper article. He was familiar with the topic. As always when things went awry in the human world, the police had come knocking at his door first. They’d tried to get information out of him, tried to trick him into divulging information about some rogue vampire running through the city. 

Chan hadn’t told them anything, mostly because he hadn’t known anything, but with over a dozen bodies having littered the streets so far, he had started reaching out to other clan leaders in the city. He had told them to start investigating. 

“You think a vampire is behind these disappearances?” he asked Felix. 

Felix nodded and Chan hummed. Maybe the human wasn’t as stupid as he’d thought. 

“My brother got attacked at night, not that far away from a club where vampires also go,” Felix explained. “They didn’t find his body. No one would have even known he was there if the attacker hadn’t left his bag and a puddle of blood. If it had been a human killer, there would have more traces than that. It must have been a vampire and if the vampire had killed him, he would have left my brother’s body lying there like he left all the others. But he didn’t, so Changbin is still alive.” 

Chan couldn’t help but admire the unbound conviction in Felix’s eyes. He couldn’t remember what it was like, to hope for something so strongly that you willed it to become a reality. It was such a human thing to do. 

“You really believe that.” 

“I know what I know.” Felix jutted out his chin. 

“Felix,” Chan said gently. Humans were fragile, not just with regards to their bodies and he didn't want to break Felix. Not anymore. “Have you considered the possibility that your brother might have died along the way?”

Felix gasped, looking at him with utter betrayal. 

Chan lifted his hands. “I’m not saying this to hurt you. I’m saying this as someone who is of the same make. If it was a vampire who attacked your brother, considering how much blood there is in the photo, there are really only two possible outcomes here. One, the vampire attacked and dragged your brother away to drink him dry. Two, the vampire attacked and dragged your brother away to turn him. Even if you hope for the latter, I don’t think it’s likely. New vampires aren’t viable on their own. Their bloodlust is too overwhelming. There’s no way for them to hide. I would know about it if there was a newborn running around the city. I’m sorry to say this, but I think your brother might not have made it.” 

“He’s not dead.”

“That’s—” 

“He’s not.” Tears brimmed in Felix’s eyes. “He’s not!” he snapped and buried his face in his cat once more. 

Chan sighed. He felt another headache coming. This was not productive. It also didn’t solve Chan’s problem. Tracing one of the many stains on the table, he weighed his options. Eradicating the threat to his clan by killing Felix was always an option, but Chan could admit to himself that didn’t want to. Jisung liked him, Chan told himself. He would cry if I just killed him. And a crying Jisung was never a good idea. A crying Jisung led to a murderous Minho and like that all his clan would just descend into bloody chaos. No, Chan had to find a different solution. 

He watched as Felix petted the head of his cat, clearly in apology for spreading his snot and tears all over her.  

“If I help you look for your brother, will you give me back my directory?” 

Felix’s head snapped up. Chan could hear his heartbeat kicking up. Nola meowed and jumped from his arms. 

“You would do that?” Felix narrowed his eyes. “Why should I trust you?” 

You shouldn’t, Chan didn’t say. He sighed. Threats didn’t work on Felix, so maybe a bit of honesty would. 

“What you stole is not for human eyes. It leaves every vampire in this city, but especially my clan, exposed. That is not something I can tolerate. You’ve made it clear that you don’t care if I squash you, so I’m offering you a trade.” 

Felix seemed to seriously consider it this time. His hand went to his chest, to where he was wearing that damned cross that had nearly permanently marred Chan's neck. “How can I be sure you won’t kill me the moment I give you the data key?” 

“You can’t.” Chan leaned back in his chair, smiling. He knew it looked sinister. There was nothing he could do about that. He was something sinister. 

Felix reached out his hand anyways. Surprised, Chan took it. They shook hands and Chan allowed himself the briefest brush of his fingertip over Felix’s pulse point. It fluttered under his touch. Chan smiled. Felix was so deliciously afraid. He was so amazing brave. 

“Deal,” Felix said. 

“Deal,” Chan said.

And like that, it was done. 

Chapter Text

The fire was overwhelming. It took over every inch of his body, consuming him from the inside. 

He screamed, he was sure. 

For days and nights, he screamed as the fire wreaked havoc on his body. He didn’t dare open his eyes as he changed. He couldn’t. The pain was too great. 

The only consolation he had was the steady caress of a hand in his hair, the quiet whispers of a voice telling him that it would be all right, that he would live, that everything was going to be beautiful. 

Changbin didn’t feel beautiful when he finally opened his eyes. The fire was gone now, only the lick of a flame left in his throat. 

He only felt thirsty. 

*

Felix watched as the world’s deadest nerd broke into his laptop. The vampire’s fingers moved over the keyboard so fast that they blurred. 

“Any copies on the hard drive?” he asked Felix. 

Felix shook his head. The vampire squinted at him and started opening folder after folder. Felix felt a little mortified when he got to the folder with his baby pictures, but there was nothing he could do. He was just glad he’d never gotten into the habit of keeping any porn on his laptop. 

“How’s it looking, Seungmin?” Chan asked from behind Felix. 

He was so close that Felix could feel his breath against his ear. It made Felix shiver and, judging by the light chuckle Chan let out, Chan had done that on purpose. Felix turned his head to glare at him, but Chan’s attention was all on Seungmin. 

Seungmin pushed up his glasses. “So far, the human seems to be telling the truth.” 

Felix scoffed. “I didn’t lie when I said this is the only copy.” He held up his cross necklace. 

“And we’ll be taking that,” Chan said.

“Are you sure you want it? It’s silver, if you remember.” 

Chan smiled at him, fangs on display before he grabbed one of the dish towels from the hooks by the fridge. He folded the towel to cover his palm before he held out his hand. Biting his lip, Felix dropped the cross into it.

“Good boy,” Chan praised, looking Felix right in the eye.

Felix glared at him, if only to mask the way his ears were turning red. He watched as Chan folded up the towel and let the bundle disappear into the backpocket of his slacks. 

“Any cloud storage?” Seungmin’s voice interrupted them. 

Felix shook his head. 

The vampire frowned and opened Felix’s browser anyways, clicking through the history. This time, Felix did feel panic. His browser history was supposed to be between himself, God and his internet service provider. 

“Hey!” 

“I’m three hundred years old,” Seungmin told him as he scrolled past the porn websites Felix had visitted recently. “You can’t shock me.” 

With burning ears, Felix retracted his hands. “Still…” 

Chan skipped around him to lean over Seungmin’s shoulder, peering at the screen with interest. 

When he looked up at Felix, his eyes were glittering. 

Felix left the kitchen before he spontaneously combusted. He ended up flopping down on the sofa in the living room. He’d originally planned to grab one of the pillows and scream into it, but he abandoned his plans when the boy—no, the vampire from the convenience store flopped down next to him. He had Nola in his arms. Jeongin, Felix remembered, that was what Chan had called him. 

“Here,” Jeongin said, a broad, sweet grin on his face as he dropped the cat onto Felix’s stomach. 

“Thank you,” Felix mumbled.

Nola meowed and Felix ran a calming hand down her back. Whether he was trying to calm her or himself, he wasn’t quite sure.

“You didn’t eat your lollipop.” Jeongin held out the candy he must have stolen from Felix’s coat pocket. “I had to pay out of my own pocket for that, you know.” 

Felix sighed and took the lollipop. Maybe a little sugar would make him feel better. Jeongin watched him eagerly as Felix unwrapped the lollipop and put it into his mouth. Only then did Jeongin pull another lollipop from his pocket and popped that one into his own mouth. 

So, Felix sat on his couch with his cat and a vampire and tried not to laugh at how surreal this situation was. 

“Is it good?” 

Felix hummed. “It’s strawberry.” 

“Aw, mine’s cherry! Wanna swap?” 

Felix startled. “W-what?” 

“Jeongin!” Chan’s voice snapped from the kitchen.

Jeongin shot Felix a conspiratory smile. “Oops.” 

Bemused, Felix watched the vampire bite down on the candy in his mouth. After a moment of contemplation, he licked the sugar from his own lips. “Jeongin.” 

Jeongin’s attention snapped towards him so fast Felix nearly startled. “Yes, Felix?”

“You, uhm, you didn’t kill Mrs Yoon, right?” 

Jeongin blinked at him before he laughed. “No, I actually applied to be her part-timer.” A pout formed on his lips. “I’ll probably get fired though now that I’ve abandoned my post.” 

“Stalker,” Felix couldn’t help whisper under his breath. 

Jeongin heard him anyways, of course. He grinned. “I only do what my clan leader tells me to do, Felix.” 

“Feet off the coffee table,” Seungmin said as he came into the living room, Felix’s laptop under one arm. 

“Or my maker,” Jeongin added, his feet hitting the floor. 

“We’re leaving,” Seungmin told Jeongin before he turned to Felix. “You can have this back.” 

Felix took his laptop, holding it in front of him like a shield. He watched as Seungmin and Jeongin moved towards the door. 

“Bye, Felix!” Jeongin waved eagerly before he was dragged out of the flat by his ear. 

Chan didn’t leave. He sat down on the sofa next to Felix, grabbing onto his arm. Felix shivered as Chan’s cool, smooth fingers brushed over his wound. 

Flustered, Felix nodded at his laptop. “I hope you spared my uni assignments.” 

Chan hummed. “Maybe you should focus on those instead of chasing your brother.” 

Felix scowled. “I held up my end of the bargain. You can’t pull out now!” 

“I don’t plan to.” Chan looked at him without that ever present twinkle of humour in his eyes. “I will look into the disappearance of your brother, but in the meantime, I want you to stay put. Don’t do anything reckless. Don’t go visitting other vampires’ nests.” His grip tightened imperceptibly. “You’re going to get yourself killed if you do.” 

Felix nodded. It was hard to look away from Chan’s eyes, even if Chan looked away from him, down at his arm. Felix swallowed when Chan brought his face to the wound. 

He looked up at Felix, his grip loosening. He was giving Felix the option to pull away. 

With his breath caught in his throat, Felix didn’t. He watched as the corners of Chan’s mouth twitched upwards. Good boy, Felix could hear him say. 

Slowly, deliberately, Chan pressed his lips to the scabbed over skin of the bite, his tongue lapping at the wound once, twice until it reopened. Felix watched as deep red blood welled up from the puncture wounds. It didn’t hurt. Felix’s breath hitched when Chan pressed his tongue against his skin, lapping up any blood before he licked over the wound until it closed properly this time. Felix felt a rush of something in his veins, weak but tingling. Venom. 

“You don’t want to bite me?” 

Chan looked up at him and the red faded from his eyes. Only his pupils remained, shining like crimson jewels in the low light. He smiled, bloody and beautiful in a way that made Felix’s heart stutter. “Not today.”

Not today. Not today was not never. Felix’s heart skipped a beat. He looked down at his arm. The skin where the wound had been was red and raised, but the puncture wounds were gone. Felix felt goosebumps rise on his arms as Chan brushed his fingers over the skin once more. Then, he let go. 

“Don’t do anything stupid while I look into what happened to your brother,” Chan said as he rose to his feet. “I’ll know about it if you do.” 

Felix sat up. “You’re leaving?” 

Chan nodded. “The sun is coming up in a few hours. You should go to bed, too. I’ll let you know once we’ve found something.”

Felix narrowed his eyes. He jumped to his feet, going toe to toe with Chan. With his arm as good as new, he didn’t hesitate to jab his finger into Chan’s chest. “Don’t you dare betray me, Bang Chan. I don't care who you are. We have a deal and you better uphold it. If you don’t, I’ll come for you. Don’t forget that I know where you live.” 

Chan’s eyes widened with every of his words before he burst into laughter. He caught Felix’s hand to lift it to his mouth. He lightly grazed his teeth over Felix’s finger before he dropped his hand. 

“You’ll see me again, Lee Felix. If anything, I have to return your cross to you, don’t I?” 

“My brother gave that to me. It was supposed to protect me against vampires.” 

Chan smiled at him. “You should have listened to him.” 

With that, he was gone, faster than Felix could blink. One second he was there, and in the next, he was not. It just made Felix feel all the more stupid for threatening him, but he didn’t regret it. 

Nola meowed as he fell back onto the sofa. For a long while, Felix sat there and petted her. 

He didn’t go to bed until the sun rose. 

*

The first thing Chan did when they got home was go to the fridge in the kitchen and pull out a bag of AB. He ripped it open with his teeth, pouring the contents into his mouth. It didn’t help. He could still taste the tingle of fresh blood on his tongue, of Felix. 

“You want a straw or something?” 

Chan set down the bag. There was still some AB left inside, but he didn’t want to seem like his control was wavering in front of Seungmin. It wasn’t. And the bagged AB didn’t help anyways. 

He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. “Where’s Minho?” 

“Skulking around under Jisung’s window, probably.”

“Jisung went to his dorm?” 

Seungmin nodded, “They fought about it again. Which…I don’t get it, either. Jisung stays here most of the time anyways. Why does he insist on going back to that dingy dorm room when he can just live here permanently?” 

Chan smiled. “I am sure Jisung has his reasons. We can’t force him to stay with us if he doesn’t want to. Even if it would be the logical thing to do.”

Seungmin sighed, looking like he wanted to argue. It amused Chan. Three-hundred years and Seungmin still struggled to see feelings over reason. 

In those three-hundred years, Chan had only seen Seungmin break once, when he’d come to Chan with Jeongin in his arms, begging for permission to turn the human before it was too late. 

As if summoned, Jeongin strolled into the kitchen. “Oh, Channie-hyung’s drinking? Are we all drinking?” 

“Is it a party?” Hyunjin asked as he came in after their youngest, looking stunning in tight jeans, a crop top and with glitter in his hair.

“You look pretty,”  Chan told him. “Are you coming or going?” 

“Going.” Hyunjin smiled, taking the blood bag Chan had left. He sucked it dry before he dropped the empty bag into the rubbish. “There’s a new club in Anyang. I wanted to check it out.” 

“You just want somebody to check you out,” Jeongin snorted. 

Hyunjin glared at him. 

Chan placed a hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “Will you come with me before you go?” 

For a moment, Hyunjin looked nervous. The next, he was burrowing into Chan’s side, rubbing his face against Chan’s shoulder like he was prone to do when he was looking for comfort, or forgiveness. Chan rubbed his back. It seemed that Jeongin’s comment had hit him a little harder than intended. 

“Where are we going?” Hyunjin asked him.  

“To get Minho.” 

“You can’t get him yourself?” Hyunjin pouted. “I put some effort into this.” He gestured at his outfit. “I really wanted to go out tonight.” 

“You’ve been going out nearly every night for months,” Jeongin said. 

“It won’t take long,” Chan said before a fight could break out. “I just need someone to hold Minho back when he tries to punch me in the face.” 

“Can I come?” Jeongin asked eagerly. 

“No,” Chan, Seungmin and Hyunjin said at the same time. 

Jeongin pouted. Chan gestured Hyunjin to follow him as he headed for the front door. 

*

The moon was still high in the sky when they reached the university campus. Minho was sitting on a park bench, his gaze unblinking as he stared at the dorm building in front of him.

Chan motioned for Hyunjin to stay back before he sat down next to his progeny. “Minho.”

Minho didn't react.

“Minho,” Chan tried again, gentler this time. He was Minho’s maker and because of that, it was impossible for Minho to ignore him. 

Minho seemed intent on trying, though. He didn’t move, didn’t look away from the window. 

“You should come home,” Chan suggested, not yet using his maker-voice. It would have left Minho with no choice but to obey him and Chan hated it when he had to do that. “The sun will rise in a few hours.”

“A few hours,” Minho repeated.

Chan sighed. “He’ll be fine, Minho. He’s safe and sound right where he is. You can come home.” 

Minho shook his head. “He might text me. He was angry when he threw me out. He might…” Minho looked down at the phone in his lap. The screen remained dark. “He might text me to come.”

“Jisung is asleep, Min. He’s going to text you in the morning.” 

Minho didn’t move. 

“What is this really about?” Chan prodded.

He knew the answer already, but he wanted Minho to say it. He didn’t mind waiting for the answer. Having lived for as long as he had, Chan was indifferent towards silence, no matter how far and wide it stretched. 

“Someone else could come,” Minho admitted eventually. His voice was quiet, but frantic. “An assassin or thief or—someone could come.” 

“Minho.” Chan kept his tone gentle. 

“He’s not safe, hyung.” Minho looked at him with so much desperation, so much abject panic in his eyes that it broke Chan’s heart. “I love him. I love him and because of it, they’re going to take him from me. They’re going to kill him like all the others so I have to—I have to—I can’t lose him, hyung, I can’t —”

Chan pulled Minho against his chest, uncaring when Minho’s nails shredded through the fabric of his shirt, digging into the skin of his back. 

“No one is going to hurt Jisung, Minho.” Chan stroked through his progeny’s hair. “All your enemies are dead, remember? We killed them all. Everyone in the palace. Everyone who hurt you and your family. Everyone who took them from you. I held them down and you ripped out their throats. They are all dead.” 

Minho shook his head, black tears falling from his eyes. “Someone else might come. It’s not safe. It’s not safe when I’m not there. You turned me. I’m so much stronger now. I can protect him, but I have to be here. I have to watch over him to make sure.” 

Minho pulled away from him then, returning to his original position where he sat with his legs pulled to his chest and his eyes glued to Jisung’s window.

“I’m going to protect him,” he muttered, over and over. 

It made him look like a child. 

To Chan, his progeny was more than that. No human terms could describe the bond that a maker had with their creation. No human terms could describe the devotion that existed between them. Minho was the first vampire Chan had ever turned, his first unborn and the first member of his clan. A part of him, in every sense. 

Like a limb, Chan could feel him, just like he could feel Hyunjin a couple metres away and even Jisung, human as he was and yet a part of his clan all the same. They all belonged together. They all were one clan. Chan would have done anything to protect them and if that meant holding Minho through the worst of his paranoia then Chan was going to do that. 

As if called upon—and maybe Chan unconsciously had—Hyunjin came over to wipe the tears from Minho’s face. 

“Jisung’s gonna get spooked when he sees you all freaked out like this,” Hyunjin scolded, but Chan could hear how his tone was just a tad more gentle than usual. “He’s gonna think you’re ugly and won’t want to kiss you anymore.” 

“I think it’s time for you to eat.” Minho threatened, pointing at the small pack of make-up wipes in Hyunjin’s hand, but there was no heat behind his words. 

It helped, Chan could tell. Hyunjin always helped. That was the kind of calming, gentle effect he had on the world. 

Hyunjin had been turned centuries later than Minho, being the youngest of Chan’s progeny, but he was well aware of Minho’s history, the bloodshed and intrigue that had left him as paranoid as he was. 

There was no judgement in Hyunjin’s voice as he said, “You’re crazy, hyung.” 

Minho shrugged. He was about to push the make-up wipe Hyunjin had used on his face into the younger’s mouth when all three of then startled. The phone in Minho’s lap was vibrating. Minho picked it up immediately, opening the texts he’d received. 

Chan peeked over his shoulder to read, 

3.36 a.m. [jisung ♥︎] Come up. 

3.37 a.m. [jisung ♥︎] If you’re willing to stop being an asshole, that is. 

Minho was on his feet in a heartbeat. 

Chan might have had words for him, of encouragement or of warning, but he didn’t get to say any of them. The automatic doors of the dorm building slid open and Jisung stepped out, his arms wrapped around his stomach as he looked around. His searching gaze stopped when he found them. He seemed surprised to see all three of them there instead of just Minho, but Chan could hear his heartbeat calm at the sight and that made Chan smile. 

Before Jisung’s bare feet could touch the cold, dirty concrete, Minho was there, lifting him up. Jisung grunted as his feet left the ground, but he wrapped himself around Minho all the same. 

“Asshole,” Chan could hear him say, muffled in the fabric of Minho’s sweater. 

Minho shook his head. He pressed a kiss to Jisung’s temple, his cheek and mouth before he carried Jisung back inside to where it was warm. Chan sighed. At least Jisung had the decency to wave at Chan and Hyunjin in goodbye. 

Chan was surprised by the quiet sigh Hyunjin let out. 

“Isn’t it so romantic?” Hyunjin whispered. There were stars in his eyes. “To have a love like that...” 

Chan felt his heart soften. “You’re going to find someone someday, Jinnie.” 

Hyunjin only smiled at him. It was a sore spot for the younger, Chan knew very well. Hyunjin was beautiful, but he had terrible luck when it came to love. In one and a half centuries of being, Hyunjin had never once found the kind of happiness that Minho and Jisung shared. 

Hyunjin was beautiful and there was a line of suitors waiting for him, but people enticed by his beauty weren’t what Hyunjin wanted. Hyunjin was sickeningly romantic. He dreamed of someone who would love him no matter his looks or his status as a Bang vampire. 

Hyunjin wanted true love. 

It was the one thing Chan couldn’t hunt, buy or steal for him and Chan regretted that everytime he saw the longing in Hyunjin’s eyes. 

It was terrible to watch his progeny be denied something that Hyunjin wanted so badly. 

With little else to do, he threw an arm over Hyunjin’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go to that club you wanted. We have to pick up Minho in a couple of hours so he doesn’t have to spend the day in Jisung’s closet again, hiding from the sun, but until then, we can do whatever you want.” 

Hyunjin hesitated for a moment before a soft smile took over his face. He rubbed his face into Chan’s shoulder before he ran off. 

Chan dutifully ran after him. 

*

Felix was a good boy.

He waited. 

A week passed and he stayed put. Another week passed without a single sign of vampires in his life and he stayed put. It was around the three week mark that he realised he had been betrayed. 

Fuming, Felix waited another week before he decided to take action. Chan and his bloodhounds may have fucked him over, snatching the directory back without holding up their end of the bargain, but that wasn’t going to stop Felix. 

He didn’t have the directory anymore, but that didn’t mean that he had never read it. He could still remember some of the names and the locations he’d read about. 

All he needed was an in.

All he needed was one vampire to take him there. It wasn’t as hard as one might have thought. There were plenty of vampires to be found in the city if one knew where to look. 

It was how Felix found himself inside of Good Boy Gone Bad, one of the higher-end clubs in the city that offered bottles of mixed blood right next to their cocktail selection. If nothing else, Felix liked the music. 

He danced, danced, danced until sweat was dripping down his back and he had the scent of every person around him clinging to his skin. Afraid that his make-up would smudge, he made his way across the dance floor, heading right for the bar. 

It didn’t take long for the bartender to notice him. He smiled at Felix with blunt teeth. A human. At least, Felix thought so. It was hard to tell in the colour lights of the club, which made both brown and red eyes look black and some vampires wore contact lenses to seem less threatening. 

“Hi there, what can I get for ya?” the bartender yelled over the thumping music, propping one arm on the counter so he could offer Felix his ear. 

“Uh…” 

Belatedly, Felix realised that he had no idea what to order. It was an embarrassing blunder, his cheeks heating. He was very glad the bartender was human and was therefore unable to pick up on the stuttering of his heart. 

“Water?” he blurted out.

“Water?” The bartender looked at him in disbelief, laughing when he saw that Felix was serious. 

“It’s hot!” Felix fanned himself, pulling the neckline off his shirt away from his body. 

The bartender trailed the movement with his eyes before he shrugged and bent down to open one of the pull-out fridges below the counter. 

Felix received his water and another amused grin before the bartender moved on. Felix watched as the bartender moved towards the very end of the bar where a vampire was sitting. The bartender placed both elbows on the counter, coming closer to the vampire than Felix would have ever dared. 

Whatever the bartender was saying, it didn’t seem to impress the vampire much. The vampire merely lifted an eyebrow, shaking his head before he returned his attention to the bottle of blood in front of him. 

Felix was distracted when a body hopped onto the bar stool next to his. 

“Hi.” The fanged smile that greeted Felix reminded him a bit of a fox, which reminded him of Jeongin, but Felix quickly shook the association out of his head. 

The vampire in front of him definitely wasn’t Jeongin. The vampire in front of him had pink hair, a shaggy pink fur jacket to match and one of the most striking faces Felix had ever seen.

“Are you alone here?” 

Smelling an opportunity, Felix put on a bashful smile and nodded. He really hoped the vampire would see the erratic beating of his heart as nervousness, not triumph.  

“You shouldn’t be! You’re way too pretty to be alone.” 

Felix hid a smile behind his hand. “You’re very, uh, very pretty yourself.” 

The vampire waved his hand, grinning. Felix felt a pang of jealousy at the easy confidence with which the vampire moved. Felix could have lived a hundred years and he would not have been able to move like that. As if he owned the world. 

“I’m Yeonjun,” the vampire introduced himself. 

Felix forced his heartbeat to remain steady, his breathing to remain calm as he said, “Felix.” 

“Fe-lix.” Yeonjun sounded out. “Pretty, just like you. Do you want something real to drink, Felix?” Yeonjun gestured at the water bottle in front of Felix. 

Felix used the opportunity to lean forward. Much like he had hoped, the vampire’s eyes scanned his neck. Felix knew he was looking for puncture wounds, the possible mark of another vampire. There was none. 

Felix smiled. He made sure to look the vampire right in the eyes when he asked, “Do you?” 

The grin that overtook Yeonjun’s features was dark and beautiful. Red bled into the whites of his eyes as he got off the bar stool and offered Felix his hand. 

Without hesitation, Felix took it. 

*

There was always blood. 

Days passed, maybe weeks and there was always blood. Changbin didn’t think. He only drank. The fire in his throat returned the moment he stopped drinking, but he was always given more. He didn’t have to panic. He was always given more. 

There was always blood. 

“You’re so strong.” Loving hands brushed his hair out of his face. They wiped the excess from his chin as he tore into another blood bag, the thick plastic no match against his new teeth. “You’re going to survive, aren’t you?” 

When he looked up, he was met with adoring, crimson eyes. 

Had he still been human, he might have screamed, but the thirst took all such thoughts from him. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but the blood running down his throat, quenching his thirst. 

There was always more and he needed it.  

*

The light in the club bathroom was blue, making his veins indistinguishable against the rest of the skin. 

Felix couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. 

The blue light was designed to keep people from injecting drugs and yet, right in this moment, he could hear the unmistakable moan of a human in one of the stalls, their blissed out whimpering telling of a vampire sinking their fangs into their neck. 

Felix felt the skin on his arm tingle. He only knew what a hint of vampire venom felt like, but it was enough to allow him to press against Yeonjun more eagerly. He needed Yeonjun to gain access to his nest, to see whether he could find any hint of Changbin there, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy this. 

Fuck what Chan had said. Felix was not some puny little human that couldn’t handle himself. He could handle himself just fine. 

He laughed as Yeonjun pulled him towards the sink, hoisting him up so he could sit on the basin. Felix liked the way Yeonjun looked at him, as if Felix really was pretty and desirable and someone worth an effort. 

A shiver went down his spine when Yeonjun caressed his neck. “Not a mark on your skin. You’re not a virgin, are you?”

Felix nearly rolled his eyes. He was really sick of having to clarify himself. “No,” he said sweetly, hoping Yeonjun was too distracted by his bloodlust to hear the waver in his voice. 

He wasn’t lying, Felix told himself. Chan had drank his blood. He’d never fully bitten Felix, but he had still drank from him. Twice. That meant he was no longer a blood virgin, he was sure. 

Yeonjun smiled at him, beautiful and fanged. His mouth fell open wide and Felix felt his heart rate spike. Involuntarily, he closed his eyes. He waited for the pain to come, then the bliss, but neither happened when a loud bang resonated through the air. 

Felix’s eyes flew open just in time to see the bathroom door swing back from where it had hit the wall. The vampire that strolled in ought to be the most beautiful person Felix had ever seen. 

He was tall and lean, with elegant features and a perfectly shaped mouth. His hair was long enough to reach his shoulders and framed his already perfect face in an even more perfect manner. 

Felix felt a little mesmerised, but he quickly reminded himself to look away. It was rude to stare and he didn’t know how the vampire would react to that. The problem was that the vampire was looking right at him, crimson eyes boring into Felix’s own as the vampire’s nostrils flared. 

Yeonjun’s jaw snapped shut with a clack, annoyance plain on his face as he turned around. “Hyunjin. Can I help you?”

“Get away from him.” 

It was hard to fluster a vampire, but in that moment, Yeonjun seemed genuinely shocked. “What?” 

“You heard me.” 

Felix instinctively pressed back against the mirror behind him when Yeonjun growled. “Are you serious right now? Get your own!” 

Hyunjin bared his fangs at him. “You have no right to that human!”

“Pray tell, what makes you think that? He’s not marked!”

Felix was fully convinced that he was about to see the two vampires tear into each other when the door opened once more. The vampire that came in was tall, taller than both Hyunjin and Yeonjun and definitely taller than Felix. 

Despite his height, he had a soft face and Felix clung to the gentle curve of his smile. It fell when he saw Yeonjun, then Hyunjin with their fangs out. 

“Beomgyu told me he heard noise in the bathroom. What’s going on?” 

“Hyunjin here is trying to throw his weight around!” Yeonjun accused, his voice gaining a whiny edge now that he was talking to the tall vampire. “He knows everyone in the club wants him, but for some reason he wants to steal my human.” 

Hyunjin scoffed. “He’s not your human.” 

The tall vampire lifted a hand. He was good at making peace, Felix thought. 

“Is the human yours?” he asked Hyunjin directly. 

The smile that spread over Hyunjin’s face was beautiful and terrifying. “Worse.” 

Felix hadn’t thought it possible, but the tall vampire grew paler than he already was. He swung around to look at Felix, who wondered whether it was possible to flush himself down the drain behind him.

“There’s no way.” 

“He doesn’t have a bite mark on his neck!” Yeonjun protested. He took the hand of the tall vampire, clearly pleading his case. “I checked, Soobin, I swear!” 

Hyunjin huffed and walked around both of them, pushing Yeonjun out of the way to lay a hand in Felix’s shoulder. “Use your nose, you heathen.” 

Felix felt frozen in place as three pairs of crimson eyes perused him from head to toe, their nostrils flaring. 

“Uhm,” he tried but didn’t even know how to finish his sentence. 

Am I going to die? he wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to give any of the vampires any ideas. He turned his head to look at the hand on his shoulder, following its arm to Hyunjin’s face. 

To his surprise, Hyunjin shot him a reassuring smile. Felix didn’t miss the hint of danger underneath. “This little human has my maker’s venom flowing through his veins.” 

Felix blinked, so entranced by Hyunjin’s voice that the words took a moment to register. When they did, he went stiff. Chan. There was no one else, no one else’s venom that Hyunjin could have been talking about. Which meant that Hyunjin knew him, no, more than that. My maker, Hyunjin had called him. Chan was this vampire’s maker. Hyunjin belonged to his clan. 

Felix was so royally fucked. 

“Okay,” Soobin said, effectively breaking Felix out of his downward spiral. Soobin grabbed Yeonjun by the scruff of his neck, forcing him into a bow. “Yeonjun apologises. Neither of us meant any disrespect to you or your maker. You know I have great respect for Chan.” 

“Likewise,” Hyunjin said, sweet and polite now that he had won the fight. 

He wrapped an arm around Felix’s waist and Felix had no choice but to let himself be pulled down from the basin. He stumbled as Hyunjin guided him towards the door. 

Am I being kidnapped? he briefly thought. 

“Soobin,” Yeonjun whined. “He’s stealing him.” 

“Drop it,” Soobin said, his eyes never leaving Hyunjin’s form, clearly searching for signs of the fight happening after all. 

Hyunjin’s tone was sweet and condescending as he opened the bathroom door. “That’s right, Yeonjun, listen to your clan leader.” 

Yeonjun bared his teeth, clearly peeved at the challenge but Soobin held him back. “You heard me. Drop it.” 

Yeonjun dropped his head, a pout forming on his lips. “‘s no fun.” 

“If he’s Bang Chan’s human, you can be lucky Hyunjin stopped you in time. What were you thinking?” 

“That he’s pretty! Felix, you’re pretty! If you ever change your mind—” 

The door to the bathroom fell close, effectively cutting Yeonjun off.  

Felix waited until he and Hyunjin were out of the club before he tried to speak again. “Uhm.” 

Hyunjin let go of him. Felix nearly stumbled at the sudden loss of support. His heart sank a little when Hyunjin crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What’s your name?” 

“Lee Felix.” Felix didn't even think about it.

Hyunjin hummed, a tiny furrow appearing beneath his brows as he leaned forward. Felix startled when he realised that Hyunjin was sniffing him. 

“Are you sure?”

“Am I sure that that’s my name?” Felix laughed to mask the slight panic he felt. He was definitely not going to tell this vampire, or any vampire, his real name. “Yes?” 

Hyunjin frowned, his face moving towards Felix’s hair. “You smell…you smell so much like…” 

Felix broke away when it looked like Hyunjin was unironically going to lick him. 

“What’s your name?” he asked even though he already knew. 

It seemed to work in breaking Hyunjin out of whatever spell he’d been under. He blinked and suddenly he was bowing politely, bowing to Felix. 

“I’m Hwang Hyunjin. I’m part of the Bang clan. You must be the human everybody’s been teasing Channie-hyung about.” Hyunjin perused him once more with gleeful interest before his smile faltered a little. “You’re the human that broke into our home.” 

Felix swallowed, chuckling awkwardly. There was no use denying it. “Yep. That’s me.” 

To his surprise, Hyunjin didn’t seem perturbed at all. On the contrary, he seemed delighted. “Good, then you already know the way!”

“Know the way?” 

He startled when Hyunjin took his hand, swinging their hands between them as he led Felix towards a sleek, black car. 

“Wait, where are we going?” 

“Home.” Hyunjin said as he opened the passenger side door for Felix. “Where else would I take you?”

“Home, you mean your—your nest?” 

“Of course.” Hyunjin gently pushed him to sit down in the passenger seat. “You’re invited.” 

“I am?” Felix couldn’t remember being told anything like that. 

Hyunjin chuckled as if Felix was missing the obvious. “Of course you’re invited, Felix. Chan put his venom in you. That means you belong to him now.” 

Chapter Text

It was different coming to the house at night. There were vampires inside. 

Of course, there had also been vampires inside the first time Felix had come here, but they had been asleep then. It was night time. They were not asleep now. 

As Hyunjin opened the door, Felix looked towards the moon. He wondered whether it’d be the last time he’d ever get to see it. 

Hyunjin seemed oblivious to Felix’s crisis, or maybe he simply didn’t care as he beckoned Felix forward with a smile. “You wanna come in?” 

Felix thought about saying no. He thought about running for the hills, but he knew that everyone inside was already aware that he was here. He had no choice but to follow and so he did. 

“I brought a surprise!” Hyunjin yelled as they passed through the vestibule. 

Felix couldn’t help but think about how absurd it was that he was here, toeing off his shoes when he might get murdered in a minute. To his surprise, there was no answer to Hyunjin’s call or maybe Felix’s human ears were not sharp enough to hear it. 

Fiddling with the cropped hem of his mesh shirt, he padded after Hyunjin into the living room. The scene that greeted him was so mundane it nearly made him laugh. 

Admittedly, Felix had kind of expected Chan’s clan to sit around like they were posing for a lifestyle magazine. He’d imagined a couple of them at the dinner table, one by the bookshelf, one at the grand piano. He’d expected something sophisticated, maybe a half-filled wine glass here and there. 

What he got instead was a gigantic cuddle pile on the couch and Never Been Kissed playing on the giant flatscreen on the wall. Felix was so taken aback he stopped walking.

It was quite the picture, seeing a bunch of vampires strewn all over each other with only Jeongin on the ground, sprawled out on the carpet like a starfish. He grinned when Felix accidentally caught his eye and because Felix was awkward and still fearing for his life, he waved. 

Jisung, who was no more than a pair of big brown eyes peeking over the edge of a fluffy purple blanket, perked up when he saw him, but was promptly pulled back down. The vampire whose lap Jisung was lying on looked at Felix like he wanted to eat him. And not in the fun way. More in the I’m going to rip your throat out with my teeth kind of way. Felix hastily looked away, to Hyunjin who went around the back of the couch to reach Chan, sitting at the far end. 

Chan’s eyes were stuck to the screen of the TV, but he tilted his head when Hyunjin leaned down to whisper in his ear. If Felix had felt awkward and terrified before, the feeling doubled when Chan’s eyes flickered over to him, sliding up and down his body before he looked back at the TV. Clearly uninterested. 

Felix didn’t know why that made his heart sink. He should have been glad. 

No one was jumping up to murder him. Even the vampire under Jisung was staying put, apparently having decided that playing with Jisung’s fingers was more interesting than ending Felix’s life. 

Felix was glad when Hyunjin pulled himself upright, skipping back over to where Felix was waiting. Felix was not prepared for the cool slide of Hyunjin’s fingers against his skin, wrapping around his wrist. 

“Are you hungry?” 

Felix startled. “What?” 

Hyunjin grinned. “I’m thirsty. Let’s get something to snack!” 

“What?” Felix asked again, but he had no choice but to follow Hyunjin. Hyunjin’s grip around his wrist was like stone, strong and smooth like polished marble. 

Are you not going to kill me? Felix wanted to ask, but didn’t dare to. 

The kitchen was hypermodern for such an old, traditional house. Felix could see his own, distorted face in the steel counter tops. It made him afraid to touch anything. 

Hyunjin didn’t seem to have such qualms. He pried open one of the three massive fridges lining the wall and pulled out a bag of what Felix belatedly recognised to be blood. 

He watched with his mouth ajar as Hyunjin grabbed a metal straw from one of the drawers and stabbed it into the blood bag like it was a capri sun. Felix now knew where Jisung had gotten the idea from. 

“What is it that you like?” Hyunjin asked him, gesturing towards the mountain of snacks, chocolate bars and crisps gathered on top of the kitchen island. 

“Uh…” Felix tried, but something about the way Hyunjin smiled around his straw trapped the words in his throat. 

He didn’t know what to say. Everything felt so surreal to him in that moment. 

“I see it’s time to eat,” Hyunjin said as he floated towards Felix. The grace with which he moved simply couldn’t be called walking. 

Felix swallowed, wondering whether he’d have time to grab one of the kitchen knives before Hyunjin stabbed the straw into his neck next. 

But Hyunjin glided right past him. Felix blinked, belatedly turning his head. 

If Felix’s heart had been in his throat before, it dropped right to his ass when he saw Chan standing in the door, one shoulder leaned against the frame. 

“Be nice to him,” Hyunjin whined as he sauntered past his maker. “I like him.” 

Chan’s eyes didn’t leave Felix as he reached out a hand. Hyunjin sighed, pulled the car key from his back pocket and dropped it into Chan’s hand. 

Chan pocketed the key while Hyunjin left the kitchen with an enthusiastic wave in Felix’s direction. Don’t go, Felix almost wanted to beg. He didn’t, though, standing there and staring at Chan as if it was the first time he was seeing him. 

Chan was still handsome as ever, looking sharp even in loose woollen trousers and a cable-knit sweater. All of his attire was black. Felix wondered whether Chan owned anything of colour. Whether he’d lost interest in it after so many years of unlife. 

Felix thought that it made him look like a fallen angel. In another life, that must have been what people had seen him as. Someone who was beautiful and dark and descended upon the world in the night, reaping souls. Felix wondered whether he would get to leave with his soul intact. 

He wasn’t sure he would. 

It was impossible to read the look in Chan’s eyes. All Felix saw was that they were dark, a way darker shade of red than the last time Felix had seen him. Underfed. 

The moment Hyunjin was gone, Chan came towards him slowly. “You went out?” 

Felix swallowed before he nodded. Apparently, he wasn’t worthy of a hello right now. 

“Into a club full of vampires?”

Felix nodded again. 

The corners of Chan’s mouth twitched. He was so close now. His hand came up to tug down the neckline of Felix’s shirt, exposing his skin. Chan’s expression lightened just the smallest bit when he saw that Felix's skin was unblemished. Felix thought his heart might beat out of his chest. “That’s funny.” 

“I-It is?” Felix stuttered. 

“Mhm.” Chan hummed, his fingers leaving the neckline of Felix’s shirt to glide up his neck, framing his jaw. Felix gulped when Chan forced their eyes to meet. “It is funny because I distinctly remember telling you to not go out there and seek out any other vampires. Did I misspeak? Was I not being clear when I said that?” 

Felix swallowed. He could have denied everything. He could have told Chan to fuck right off. He could have told him that he was his own person and if Chan wasn’t going to do anything to help him find his brother, Felix had to do it himself. 

His breath hitched when Chan leaned closer, red bleeding into the whites of his eyes as he brought his mouth closer to Felix’s ear, to his neck. “You stink.” 

Whatever spell he’d been under, Felix felt it lift at once.  

“You stink too!” he snapped, pushing Chan away. 

It didn’t do much because Chan wouldn’t be moved if he didn’t want to be so Felix was left to cross his arms in front of his chest. Partially, he also did it because he was wearing mesh and that really wasn’t hiding anything. Which had been the entire point of his outfit, really. He’d dressed this way to attract vampires at the club, but having Chan look at him, all dark eyed and annoyed, made Felix feel the need to throw a blanket over himself and hide away. 

“You didn’t reach out to me! We had a deal, remember? And it’s fine! You don’t have to help me! But you could have at least been honest about it!” 

Felix hated the way his voice shook as he yelled. It sounded like he was about to cry again when he was just angry. 

Chan’s voice was chillingly quiet in comparison. “I was looking into it, Felix. Your brother hasn’t shown up anywhere, neither in the streets nor in any of the other nests in the city so I had nothing to tell you. I did not break our deal.” 

Felix scoffed. He knew it was the desperation he felt at Chan’s words, not Chan himself that made him snap, “Well, you must be incompetent then! Good to know you’re not as great of a vampire as you pretend to be!” 

It was the wrong thing to say. He knew it the moment the words had left his mouth. Chan’s eyes darkened and Felix involuntarily took a step back, his back hitting the wall. He was stupid, maybe, but he wasn’t suicidal. 

“I-I mean—” 

Chan tilted his head as he took a step closer, clearly interested in what Felix had to say. 

Felix faltered. “It’s just—”  

Both of them looked to the side when somebody cleared their throat. Felix felt the distinct need to hide himself behind Chan when he saw the same vampire standing in the door that had glared at him before.

It was one thing to have Chan angry with him, but this vampire looked at Felix like Felix had personally stepped on his grave. 

“Can you stop yelling?” the vampire asked. “It’s giving Jisung anxiety.”

A jolt went through Chan and suddenly he didn’t look angry anymore. Felix wondered how Chan could look so scary in one moment and so embarrassed in the next, “Of course, Minho. We’re sorry.” 

Minho shrugged, a sneer on his face as he looked at Felix. “You are right, though. He stinks.” 

Felix was smart enough not to talk back. He was sure that Minho would have found great pleasure in squashing him like a bug. 

Chan subtly moved in front of him, shielding Felix from view. “Thank you, Minho.” The dismissal was clear in his voice. 

Felix was surprised when Minho turned on his heel and left. 

The moment Minho was gone, Felix’s breath left him all at once. “Holy fuck,” he muttered. 

Chan looked at him with curiosity, as if he genuinely couldn’t understand why Felix was shaking in his boots. 

“That was the scariest vampire I’ve ever seen.” 

The corner of Chan’s mouth twitched. Felix didn’t find it nearly as funny. 

“Stop laughing at me!” 

Chan didn’t stop laughing at him but he also no longer looked like he was going to murder Felix for the fun of it, so Felix counted that as a win. 

“It’s nothing personal,” Chan said. “Minho just holds a grudge. He is very protective of Jisung and you broke in and could have hurt him so he’s a little peeved.”  

Felix gasped. “I would have never hurt Jisung!” 

“Wouldn’t you have?” There was no outright accusation in Chan’s voice. He seemed genuinely curious. 

And Felix…Felix faltered. He couldn’t deny that he’d thought about it. Jisung was sweet and kind and Felix had thought about hurting him when he’d broken in. 

Chan seemed to understand his silence very well. 

“Your brother is very important to you. I know that, Felix. Don’t think I don’t.”  

“I have to find him,” Felix stressed. “Nothing else matters as long as I find him.”

Chan nodded, holding his gaze. “My clan is the most important thing in the world to me. I’d scour the earth too if one of them went missing and I’d rip apart anyone who hurts them.” Chan’s nose lightly scrunched up in thinly veiled disgust as he leaned closer, closer into Felix’s space. “I haven’t given up on him, I promise. Our deal stands.” 

Felix glowered. “It better.” 

Chan smiled at him, in that amused way of his that made Felix think that he was either funny or about to end up being the late night snack Hyunjin had talked about. “You got it, sunshine.” 

“Good.” Felix was pretty sure he’d only hurt himself if he tried to shoulder past Chan, so he ducked down to dip past him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, me and my stinking ass are just gonna—”

He didn’t get farther than a couple of steps before marble arms wrapped around him from behind, holding him back. Felix yelped, feeling reminded of the last time he’d tried to run away from Chan and Chan had caught him with ease. There really was no running from him. Felix had known that since Chan’s home visit, but feeling the press of Chan’s chest against his back reminded him of it in a different way. 

“Felix.” Chan’s voice was low in his ear. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

“Home?” Felix asked, feeling shaky in his boots for a very different reason. 

Chan hummed, his arms tightening around Felix. “No.” 

Felix felt his heart sink, felt the graze of sharp teeth against his pulse point. He’d almost forgotten. For a moment, he’d almost forgotten that Chan was a monster. He was handsome and had more poise than about anyone else Felix knew, but he was still a monster. 

“Yes,” he tried. “You just told me you know nothing about my brother, so—so I might as well go home.” 

“That’s not a good idea.” 

“Why?” 

“It’s not safe.” 

And you are? Felix wanted to ask. 

He ignored the way his knees were going weak and scoffed. “It’s barely midnight. I can catch the last bus if I leave now so it’s really not that big of a deal.” 

“You’re not going.” Chan’s voice left little room for argument. “It’s late and you’re dressed like an escort.”  

Felix gasped, wriggling around in Chan’s arms so he could hit him in the chest. “Did you just call me a whore?”

“No.” Chan’s grin was wide and terrible, the barest hint of fangs showing. “I’m quite aware you’re a virgin.” 

Felix’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He hit Chan in the chest again, ignoring the way it made his hand hurt. “You are the worst person I have ever met! You disgust me on a molecular level! If I have to stay one more moment in this house with you, I will—” 

The air was punched out of his lungs when Chan picked him up, unceremoniously throwing him over his shoulder. 

“Hey! What are you doing?!” Felix screeched, pounding his fists against Chan’s back. “Let me down!” 

Chan ignored him, leaving the kitchen with long strides. Felix’s stomach flipped and not just because he was upside down. He didn’t think he’d ever moved with so much speed before. 

Felix only caught a glimpse of the living room, of everyone’s heads turning to watch him get carried off like a misbehaving child, but it was enough to make him run hot with embarrassment. Being embarrassed took the fight right out of him. He went limp in Chan’s grip, just kind of hanging out as he was carried up to the second floor of the house. 

They rounded several corners before they entered a spacious bathroom and Chan finally put him down. Feeling a little unsteady after being upside down for so long, Felix stumbled, but Chan’s hand on his arm kept him upright. 

The vampire sighed. “You’re so clumsy.” 

Felix felt the distinct urge to kick him in the shin. “Let’s put you upside down, swing you around and see how you handle yourself!” 

Chan only grinned at him. “Can’t say I haven’t done that before.” 

Felix didn’t know how to even begin processing that statement so he only scoffed. “What are we doing in here anyways?” 

Chan gestured at the walk-in shower to their right. “You have to shower. Or, well, I can also run you a bath. Whichever you prefer.” 

Felix gasped. It was better than getting murdered in the bathtub for easy drainage like what he had assumed was going to happen to him, but still. “I don’t stink that much!” 

“You do.” Chan walked over to the tub to open the faucet. “I welcome you to stay the night, but you’re not staying in my house smelling like vampire oil.” 

“I don’t even want to stay the night!” Felix protested. “And what the hell is vampire oil?” 

Chan scrunched up his nose, the disgust in his voice palpable when he said, “Perfumes that humans put on to attract vampires. There’s blood mixed into it. You reek of it. Really, you smell like a slaughterhouse. How much of it did you put on?”

Felix felt a little faint. “There’s blood on me right now?” 

Chan nodded. 

“Oh my god.” Felix rubbed at his arms. “I didn’t—I was just dancing at the club.” 

“Yes, Hyunjin told me about that.” The soothing scent of lavender filled the air as Chan added bubble bath to the water. With his skin crawling, Felix didn’t hesitate to sit down on the tub next to him. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly. He knew it was probably too little too late, but his brother had raised him right. Felix knew when it was time to lay down his arms and be grateful for the kindness he was shown. 

If Chan was surprised at his sudden docility, he didn’t show it. He only smiled at him, dipping one hand into the steaming water to spread the bubble bath mixture, making it foam up faster. 

“One of these days, you have to start making good choices for yourself, Felix. I’m not being funny when I say what you’re doing right now might get you killed. Why did you go to the club?” 

“I already told you. You weren’t reaching out to me, so I had to take matters into my own hands, didn’t I?” 

A furrow appeared between Chan’s brows. Somehow, that unsettled Felix more than if Chan had outright started yelling at him. “Hyunjin told me he found you in the bathroom with Choi Yeonjun.” 

Felix shrugged. “He was nice. He offered me a drink, so I offered him one in return.” 

“You would have let him bite you.” It wasn’t a question this time. 

Felix could only nod. He knew Chan would have been able to tell if he had lied. “I was hoping he’d take me to his nest so I could look for Changbin.” 

Chan looked up and in the bright overhead lights, Felix saw just how dark Chan’s eyes really were. It was such a deep red Chan’s eyes looked almost black. Severly underfed. 

“Is that all?”

This time, it was Felix who frowned. “What do you mean?” 

Chan wiped his hand on his trousers, then he raised it to place it on the side of Felix’s neck. Felix wondered whether Chan could feel his pulse jump under his fingers. 

“You have my venom in you.” 

Felix swallowed. “So I’ve been told.” 

Chan put his venom in you. That means you belong to him now. That’s what Hyunjin had said. Felix wanted to ask, but he was too afraid of the answer. 

Chan searched his eyes, the furrow between brows deepening. “Is that what you went there for?” 

It took Felix a moment to realise what Chan was talking about. When he did, he didn’t hesitate to hit him again.  “I’m not a fangbanger!”

Chan didn’t budge, leaning closer with every word, “You don’t ever think about it? The rush of being bitten?”

Felix swallowed. He had been thinking about it. Not constantly, but in moments. Whenever there was a lull in his day, whenever he was alone at night with Nola sleeping in the kitchen where it was warm. That was when he’d touched the invisible marks on his arm and thought back to the way it had felt when Chan’s venom had entered his bloodstream. The amount of venom had been minimal, but a rush was the right word to use. 

Felix had never taken drugs in his life, he barely even drank, but he knew none of it could even begin to compare to the potency of vampire venom. The euphoria of it. He’d only had a taste and yet, in his loneliest moments, he yearned for it. 

Thinking about it made Felix look at Chan’s mouth, at his fangs that were just barely out. He licked his lips, his heartbeat pounding in his ears when Chan leaned even closer. 

“Tell me the truth.” Chan’s voice was so low, so enticing. 

Felix couldn’t look away from his mouth. He opened his own. “I think about it sometimes.” 

“Sometimes?” 

Felix nodded. 

The corner of Chan’s mouth lifted upwards. Felix didn’t dare look into his eyes. His breath hitched when Chan’s fingers framed his neck again, covering his pulse point as he brought Felix closer, his fangs fully extending. 

And Felix was ready, his blood rushing in his ears and his eyes fluttering close and then he was falling, falling backwards before he was enveloped by warmth, water filling his nose as he went under. 

As quickly as he had been pushed into the water, he was brought back to the surface. Felix spluttered, flailing to make out where his limbs were in the tub. 

Chan laughed at him and Felix glared, splashing him with lavender-scented bath water. “Asshole!” 

Chan got up and Felix panicked for a moment, realising he was in the water with all his belongings on him, but he relaxed a great deal when he saw his phone and wallet safely in Chan’s hands. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who knew how to steal something. 

Chan tapped away from his phone for a couple of seconds before putting Felix’s things on the basin cabinet, a safe distance away from the tub and Felix’s water-splashing habits. Picking a stack of towels from the shelf next to the basin, he set them down on the edge of the tub. 

“Bathe as long as you need. I’ll be right outside.” 

Felix wanted to splash him again, but the water was nice and so he sank deeper, closing his eyes. There was the faintest brush of a thumb over his cheek before the door opened and closed. 

As soon as he was alone, Felix got to the task of taking off his wet clothes. His mesh shirt went easily, but his jeans were a different ordeal. He nearly drowned trying to peel the skin-tight denim off his legs. As soon as he was free, he let himself sink into the water and allowed himself to fully relax. 

It was stupid of him, maybe, to let his guard down like this in a house full of vampires, but he couldn’t help but want this. He felt safe in the water, in the tub, in Chan’s house. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt safe like this. Not since Changbin had disappeared. He wanted to hold on to the feeling, even if it might have been fake. 

After a good ten minutes of just floating around and inhaling the calming lavender scent of the water, he got to scrubbing himself. There was a ridiculous array of different, high-end hair products lined up on the back edge of the tub. Felix didn’t hesitate to smear the different masks and conditioners into his hair. He was a thief, after all, and chances were high that this was the last time he would ever get to do this. 

He would have stayed in the tub forever, but eventually the water got cold so he got out and quickly scrubbed himself dry. It was when he was wrapping a towel around his waist that he realised he had no clothes to change into. His old ones were soaked, drying over the edge of the tub. Before he could panic, there was a knock on the door. 

“Come in!” 

Chan walked in, a bundle of clothes wedged under one arm. He laughed when he saw the relieved expression on Felix’s face. 

“I thought you might want these.” He held out the pile.

Felix took it eagerly, marvelling at the soft fabric of the sweater on top. He didn’t hesitate to put it on, turning around to step into the sweatpants. They were a little loose around his hips, but pulling on the drawstring helped. He turned around to find Chan staring at the ceiling. 

Felix cleared his throat and Chan looked down. His eyes roamed over Felix’s form briefly before he met his eyes with a smile. “Good?” he asked.

Despite himself, Felix nodded. He didn’t know whether it was the lingering scent of lavender in the air or the slightly oversized clothing or the late hour, but he didn’t feel like fighting with Chan anymore. 

“Is it okay to leave my clothes here?” He gestured to where his jeans were slowly dripping onto the floor. 

“I’ll tell Jeongin to put them in the dryer.” 

Chan motioned for him to follow and Felix did, on his own two feet this time. 

He was startled when they ran into Jisung outside of the door. They were pretty much the same size and height, but Jisung looked incredibly small where he was leaning with his back against the wall, picking on the sleeves of his sweater. 

He stood up properly when the door opened. Despite the fact that Jisung had clearly come here to talk to him, he looked anxious as he sought out Felix’s gaze. 

Felix was not prepared for the wave of guilt that hit him. He hadn’t really felt guilty facing Chan or Seungmin or any of the other vampires. They were vampires and, except for Chan, all of them had been asleep when he’d broken in. But Jisung had been awake. Jisung had been sweet and welcoming and happy to show Felix around while Felix had done his best to deceive him. 

“Hi,” Felix said, resisting the urge to hide behind Chan’s shoulder. 

Jisung inhaled, his cheeks puffing out and his eyes large and round as he tried to speak. Nothing came over his lips. Jisung stood there for several seconds, his frame growing shakier the longer the words didn’t come out of his mouth. Felix was willing to wait, but it seemed like Jisung wasn’t willing to give himself that much time. He broke eye contact with Felix to look at Chan instead, his round eyes pleading. 

Chan stepped forward, running a hand over Jisung’s hair. Jisung wrapped his arms around himself, his face turning red. He looked embarrassed as he leaned into Chan’s side. Felix understood him. 

He wished Jisung would have looked up so Felix could tell him that he did, but it was Chan who spoke first, “Jisung wants to know whether you want to eat with him. Minho is making dinner and Jisung would like you to join, if you’re hungry.” 

Felix’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’d love to.” 

The surprise was evident on Jisung’s face. He searched Felix’s face, clearly hesitant until he saw the earnestness in Felix’s eyes. His entire demeanour changed and he started to look a lot more like he had when Felix had first met him, open and excited. “Yeah?” 

Felix couldn’t help thinking that he really should have stolen Jisung the first time he came here. “Yeah.” 

He found that it felt a lot like forgiveness when Jisung reached for his hand. Felix still wanted to apologise to him, so he took Jisung’s hand with both of his own. 

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry, Jisung. The first time I came here, I took advantage of how nice you were to me and that wasn’t fair to you.” 

A small smile took over Jisung’s face. “It’s okay.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t exactly make it hard for you to deceive me, so—” 

Felix squeezed his hand. “Still.” 

Jisung’s smile softened. “Thank you, Felix.” 

They started walking and Felix felt amazed by the way Jisung didn’t let go of his hand, chattering away as they made their way down to the kitchen. Felix hadn’t expected to be forgiven so easily. 

He looked back over his shoulder to find Chan trailing after them, an amused smile on his face. 

*

The clan seemed to have migrated to the kitchen while Felix had taken his bath. It looked almost too funny to be true, watching a bunch of vampires cook. Dressed in matching pink aprons, Seungmin and Jeongin had clearly been demoted to the role of kitchen assistants. Seungmin was dicing vegetables while Jeongin was standing watch over the rice cooker. He twitched every time a bubble burst against the lid. Minho was standing at the stove, tending to several pots at the same time. Only Hyunjin was missing, but no one seemed to question his absence so Felix didn’t either. Maybe Hyunjin had retired to his coffin early.

Felix felt a little nervous when Minho’s attention shifted from his pots and pans right towards him. Felix was still holding Jisung’s hand and he couldn’t imagine that Minho would like that. But Minho’s cold gaze didn’t linger on their intertwined hands. His eyes trailed over Felix like one might regard a bug on the wall, finding it repugnant but harmless, and then he focussed on Jisung. Where he’d looked dead and cold, the edges of his face softened. 

“I told you he’d say yes,” Jisung preened as he skipped over to Minho. He sounded a lot more confident now than he had in the hallway. The contrast made Felix laugh. He exchanged a look with Chan, who looked just as amused. 

“Yes, but did you ask him yourself?” Jeongin asked Jisung.  

Jisung faltered. 

Not a second later, Jeongin was hit in the head with a wooden spoon. He yelped, scampering off to whine to his maker. Seungmin seemed unimpressed, only handing him a bunch of carrots to cut up. 

Minho lowered his throwing arm and grabbed a new spoon to stir the pot closest to him. A small smile appeared on his stoic features when Jisung snuggled into his side. 

Felix was guided by Chan to sit down at the kitchen island. “Would you like something to drink?” 

“Water, please.” 

The moment Chan was off to the fridges, Jeongin took his place. Having abandoned his carrots, he hopped onto the stool next to Felix. 

Felix had somewhat grown used to Jeongin’s disregard for personal space so he didn’t flinch when Jeongin leaned into his space, most definitely sniffing him. “Nice clothes, Felix.” 

“Oh.” Felix tugged on the hem of his sweater. “Thank you! Did I borrow them from you?”

Jeongin grinned. “No.” 

“The rice is burning,” Chan said, causing Jeongin to squeak and run back to the rice cooker. Jeongin lifted the lid, which promptly made Seungmin slap him up the head. 

Chan placed a refrigerated bottle of water by Felix’s hands before taking the seat Jeongin had abandoned. 

Felix was acutely aware of the space, or lack thereof, between them. He couldn’t help it. Having Jisung or Jeongin or even Hyunjin close to him was fine, nice even in Jisung’s case. Being close to Chan was different. It set his nerve endings alight, as if every brush of Chan’s arm against his own could have set him on fire. He was pretty sure his heartbeat was going haywire, judging by the confused look Seungmin shot him, but he couldn’t help it. 

If he let his mind wander, he would remember the way Chan’s fingers had felt around his neck. How his body had prickled with anticipation when Chan’s fangs had neared his neck. 

Felix blinked and tried to focus on something else, grabbing the water bottle and unscrewing the lid. The cool water helped to calm him down. It also helped against the drowsiness he felt. He hid a yawn behind his hand, focussing on watching Minho cook. 

The vampire moved with dead efficiency, stirring and moving pots without a single hitch. It would have been impressive for a human already, but Minho was a vampire. He did not need to eat and therefore cooking was an obsolete skill. That didn’t seem to have kept Minho from having mastered it. 

Felix’s mouth watered when dishes started being placed in front of him. He hadn’t realised how truly hungry he was before the different, delicious smells wafted up his nose. 

His stomach grumbled and he was pretty sure Seungmin laughed at him as he placed a bowl and chopsticks in front of him. Felix didn’t bother glaring at him. He was too distracted by the food. 

“This looks amazing,” he complimented once all the dishes were on the table and Jisung was settling on the stool perpendicular to him. 

Minho didn’t seem to have heard him or didn’t seem to care to acknowledge him as he sat down next to Jisung. 

Jisung, on the other hand, seemed elated. “Minho is a great cook!” He leaned into the vampire’s side. “He learned just for me.” 

The corner of Minho’s mouth lifted when Jisung turned to look at him. He pressed a kiss to Jisung’s temple before picking up Jisung’s bowl and piling it with food.

Felix took that as his cue to grab his own bowl. He didn’t even know what to pick first, or whether he was allowed to eat all of what Minho had made, so it filled him with relief when Chan took his bowl and started filling it for him. 

Jeongin disappeared and returned with a tray full of heavy glass tumblers, filled two fingers wide with red. He handed them out to every vampire except for Minho. 

Felix couldn’t help the moan that escaped him the moment he took the first bite of his food. The spicy tofu in his mouth was perfect, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, bursting with flavour. 

Jisung laughed at him. “Good, huh?” 

Felix nodded, covering his mouth with his hand so he could say, “This is really good.” 

Chan placed more of the spicy tofu in his bowl. “Eat as much as you want.” 

Felix dug in, watching as everyone else did the same, vampire and human alike. Seungmin and Jeongin clinked their glasses together. Chan took a measured sip out of his tumbler. Felix watched the way Chan’s adam's apple bopped with the movement before he realised what he was doing and quickly focussed back on his food. He didn’t dare look at Chan for too long. 

It was safer to watch Jisung and Minho, mostly because the way Jisung ate was a little bit peculiar. For every bite Jisung picked up, he held it under Minho’s nose before eating it. At first, Felix thought that he was coaxing Minho to eat, but he quickly realised that that was not what was happening. Jisung’s movements were too sloppy for that, his arm merely making a detour on the way to his own mouth. 

The confusion must have been written on Felix’s face, because Chan leaned over to whisper into his ear, “Jisung is letting Minho check for poison.” 

Felix nearly choked on his own bite. “The food might be poisoned?” 

“No. You can eat.” Chan pushed Felix’s bowl closer to him. 

“Minho is just being paranoid,” Jeongin called out, evading the hand Seungmin tried to slap over his mouth. “Poison was how he lost, like, half of his family when he was human so he has to check now before any food goes near Sungie’s mouth.” 

“Jeongin.” Seungmin’s voice sounded unusually grave as he grabbed Jeongin by his hair, bending his head backwards so Jeongin was forced to look into his eyes. “Be quiet.” 

Jeongin looked like he had more to say, but his mouth snapped shut seemingly on its own accord. 

It seemed to be the only reason the spoon in Minho’s hand was lowered back to its place beside Jisung’s bowl. 

“It’s something we’re working on,” Chan said. “But do not worry, Felix, the food is fine.” 

Minho shot Chan a look that Felix could only compare to the glare of a moody teenager. 

“It never hurts to check,” Minho said, the barest hint of fangs on display. His gaze was so intense Felix felt the distinct need to hide. Chan didn’t flinch. He held Minho’s gaze unblinkingly until Minho lowered his gaze. 

“I mean, it makes sense,” Felix said, effectively gathering everyone’s attention. He smiled at Minho, making sure it didn’t look nice at all. “There’s an intruder in his house. Of course, he’d be careful.” 

Minho blinked and then a slow, terrifying, approving smile spread over his features. He sized Felix up as if he’d never seen him before. “That is right,” he said. 

“No, Felix, don’t encourage him,” Jisung whined but it was worth the newfound something-akin-to-respect in Minho’s eyes. 

Deciding not to push his luck any further, Felix focussed back on his food. It was delicious and not poisoned and the nicest thing Felix had eaten in a long time. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten a home cooked meal like this. Changbin had been the one to cook for them. 

The thought of his brother dampened his appetite and despite his best intentions, Felix didn’t quite manage to finish his bowl. It also didn’t help that Chan steadily replaced whatever Felix was eating. Eventually, he had to push away the bowl, his hands falling to his stomach. 

“Was that enough?” Chan asked him, brows furrowed as if he genuinely didn’t know. 

Felix couldn’t help but smile. “Yes.” He glanced at Minho. “It was very good, Minho, thank you.” 

Minho waved him off, seemingly done with paying attention to things that weren’t Jisung. 

Chan stood up so Felix hastily followed. “Do you want me to help with the dishes?” 

“Yes!” Jeongin perked up. 

“Think again.” Chan shot Jeongin a look that had the youngest vampire scrambling to collect all the empty bowls. 

Chan’s smile was a lot less scary when he looked at Felix. “Let me show you to your room.” 

Felix nodded, feeling even more drowsy now that his stomach was full. After giving an all around goodbye to everyone in the kitchen, he trudged after Chan. A quick look at the clock above the living room TV revealed that it was nearing three a.m. and Felix was starting to feel it. 

The guest room Chan took him to was probably the nicest bedroom Felix had ever been to. There was no window so everything was bathed in warm, orange light from the ceiling lamp. The heavy wooden furniture was varnished black and the bed could have easily fit five of Felix. 

“No coffin?” Felix couldn’t help but ask as he looked around. 

The corners of Chan’s mouth twitched upwards. “In dire times, even a hole in the ground will do, but we do prefer beds these days.” 

Felix nodded, lightly swaying where he stood. He felt a little awkward just face-planting onto the bed while Chan was in the room with him, but he could feel his eyes drooping. 

He mustn’t have worried. One moment, Chan was standing in the door frame and the next he was beside Felix, placing a hand on the small of his back to guide him towards the bed. 

Felix felt a little bit like a kid getting tugged into bed when Chan pulled the sheets away for him, helping him get settled in. It didn’t make Felix embarrassed. It made him feel safe. 

He couldn’t help but giggle at how absurd that was. 

Chan smiled at him. In the warm glow of the dimmed overhead lamp, he looked deceptively human. “What are you smiling at, sunshine?” 

Felix shook his head, pressing his face into the pillow. It smelled nice, like fresh laundry and pine wood. “You’re supposed to be the thing hiding under my bed, but instead you’re here, tugging me in.” 

He didn’t get to see Chan’s reactions. His eyelids were too heavy. He no longer managed to drag them back open. All he felt was Chan’s fingers against his neck, against his cheek and then in his hair. 

“Don’t trust me too much, Felix. All vampires are monsters, remember?”

Felix hummed. It was the last thing he did before sleep overtook him. 

*

He only cried in the moments he was lucid. They were far and few inbetween, but they were slowly getting more. In those moments, he could feel, see, smell his surroundings. The smell of wet earth and rust was overwhelming, soaking through everything, even seeping into his skin. Changbin didn’t like it. Wherever he was, he was underground. No light reached here and no warmth. 

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed, but it felt like it had been weeks, maybe even a month, since Changbin had last seen the sun. The absence of its light left him shivering, cold and numb in a way he had never felt before. Like he should have been dead, but wasn’t. 

The only thing that brought him warmth was when the other came and brought him blood, brought him gentle, adoring touches. 

“Soon, you’ll feel better,” the vampire whispered to him and his voice calmed Changbin. Changbin was afraid of him, but even more afraid he was of being alone in the dark. 

“I don’t want to be here,” he pleaded. “I want to leave.” 

Long, elegant fingers carded through his hair. “Soon, you’ll be strong enough. Then, we can leave. Then, I can take you home.” 

“Home?” Changbin saw flashes of a small, freckled boy reaching up his arms, begging to be picked up. Of the same boy, older, throwing his door shut in Changbin’s face before blasting music. Of the same boy, now a man, smiling at him across the rickety dinner table of a small, dingy kitchen. Their small, dingy kitchen. Changbin had a home. He had a brother. “My family—”

“I am your family.” 

Changbin cowered. There was something about the vampire’s voice that made it impossible for him to disobey. He was afraid, but even worse was the thought of displeasing the vampire. It made his stomach turn. He needed the vampire to be happy with him. It was a feeling almost as strong as the thirst for blood. 

“I’m sorry.” 

His lucid moments rarely lasted. The thirst for blood always returned. He could feel it creeping up on him right now. The vampire whispered into his ear, “Hush, baby.”

His head was brought to rest on the pillow of his mattress. The pillow smelled damp, like everything else. Changbin didn’t care. Flames licked the inside of his throat and he bared his teeth. He didn’t have to suffer for long. 

His maker always brought him blood, brought him gentle, adoring touches. 

“It’s not forever,” he was promised. “It’s only to protect you. Right now, the world is too much for you, but not for long. It’s not forever. The only thing that is forever is you and I.”

Chapter Text

Seungmin was waiting for him in the hallway. 

“That’s not the guest room I prepared.” 

Chan ignored his progeny as he started walking. Seungmin snickered, hurrying after him. Sometimes, Chan wondered where Jeongin got his bratty tendencies from. At times like these, he was pretty sure he knew. 

The kitchen was clean when they entered. Chan could hear Jeongin play one of Jisung’s games on the console in the living room. Jisung and Minho were in Minho’s room, their voices muted by soundproof walls, but as members of his clan, Chan could feel them close-by. And then there was Felix’s heartbeat. 

Chan’s room was soundproof too, but he’d left the door ajar so he could hear it. 

He opened the fridge, frowning. “We’re low again.” 

“Maybe because you’ve been chugging all our AB.” 

Chan took one bag of it before he closed the fridge again. “Just place an order with the hospital.” 

“Or you could do what you really want to.” Seungmin’s eyes were such a bright shade of red they seemed to glow in the overhead light. “You know it would be so much more satisfying if you just took what is on offer.” 

Chan bit off the edge of the blood bag and upended it into his mouth. Sweet, sweet blood filled his mouth, but it did little to appease the parched feeling in his throat. It was like he hadn’t drunk at all. He was a thousand years old so mere drops should have been enough to sustain him—they had been enough—but lately…He threw the empty plastic bag into the trash. “He’s not a donor.” 

“He could be. You know he’s got a crush on you, right?” 

Chan took a deep breath. He’d noticed, of course, the way Felix’s heartbeat sped up around him. The way he would stare when he thought Chan wasn’t looking. Humans were very easy to read, loud in their emotions and opinions as they were. “He’s got my venom in him. If he didn’t, he would have staked me a long time ago.” 

Seungmin groaned. “You always do this.” 

“What does he do?” Hyunjin asked as he sauntered into the kitchen. 

“You missed dinner,” Chan told him.

Hyunjin shot him a sheepish smile as he opened the fridge and took out a bag of O. 

“Channie-hyung refuses to indulge in the very willing human you brought him.”  

“Felix?” Hyunjin perked up. “Is he still here?” 

“He’s sleeping.” The words came out harsher than intended. At the shocked look on his progeny’s faces, Chan felt the distinct need to bury himself six feet under. 

Seungmin snickered, wriggling his eyebrows at Hyunjin. “See?” 

“I like Felix.” Hyunjim grabbed a metal straw from the drawer. He didn’t poke it into the bag of O right away. “I wouldn’t mind if he stuck around.” 

“I think you’re not the only one.” 

Chan glared at Seungmin. 

Seungmin grinned. “I meant Jisung. Jisung likes him a lot too.” 

Chan felt the distinct need to throw something at his dear progeny’s head when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Seeing the name of the caller ID, he lifted his hand. Instantly, Seungmin and Hyunjin fell silent. 

Chan picked up. “Hello?” 

“Bang Chan.” 

“Choi Soobin.” Chan kept his tone pleasant as he greeted the other clan leader. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?” 

Chan had an inkling, of course, why Soobin was calling him, but he’d let the clan leader speak for himself. 

He could hear Soobin inhale shakily. It was atypical for a vampire to show weakness in such a way, but then Chan would have been short of breath too if he had been in Soobin’s position. 

“I was calling, uh…” Soobin’s voice trailed off. 

Chan couldn’t help but smile. Soobin was young, the youngest clan leader in the city by several centuries. He was no older than Hyunjin and yet he had done well for himself so far. It was not Soobin’s fault that vampire politics were a nightmare to navigate. A lot of older vampires held a lot of pride. Offending the wrong clan could lead to the extinction of one’s own. Soobin was clearly trying to avoid this. 

Chan decided to help him along, keeping his tone light as he asked, “Is this about your clan member nearly taking a bite out of my human?” 

Chan rolled his eyes when he saw Seungmin perk up at Chan’s choice of possessive pronoun. It didn’t matter what Chan felt or the choice words Felix no doubt would have had for him if he had heard Chan refer to him as his human. Those were all things they could discuss in the nest. The moment they stepped out of the house, Felix did belong to Chan, whether he wanted to or not. Chan would not let him run around the city without that kind of protection. He would not let another vampire come near him. No matter how prone Felix was to seeking them out. 

Soobin finally seemed to have found his words, “Yeonjun apologises. I apologise, too, of course. I should have kept a closer eye on him, but I promise you Yeonjun truly meant no disrespect. He didn’t realise the human was claimed. If you want him to apologise to you in person, I can bring him over and he will.” 

“That won’t be necessary.” Chan had absolutely no interest in any of the Choi vampires coming over while Felix was in the house. “Hyunjin told me already that it was a misunderstanding. Make sure it doesn’t happen again and I have no grudge to hold. I accept your apology.” 

“Really? I mean, thank you! Thank you so much.” 

Chan felt an earnest smile tug at his mouth. “Thank you for calling, Soobin. I appreciate it.” 

“Actually, uhm…” Soobin cleared his throat. “There’s another thing. I don’t know whether it matters to you, but you told all the leaders in the city to reach out in case anything happened and, uh, …”

Chan frowned. “What is it?” 

“We’re dealing with a bit of an incident at the club. ” 

“An incident?” 

“There’s a dead body.” If Soobin had sounded uncomfortable before, it had been nothing compared to now. “Someone drained a human in the alley behind Good Boy Gone Bad . It must have happened earlier tonight, but we didn’t notice until Taehyun went to lock up the back door. Whoever did it must have lured the guy out of the club and—you’re welcome to look at it, if you want. We haven’t called the police yet.” 

“Hold off on calling them a little longer.“ Chan’s grip tightened on his phone. “I’ll be right over.” 

“Of course. Thank you for coming.” 

Chan hung up, his mind whirling as he pocketed his phone. 

“The Choi clan is dealing with a dead human?” Seungmin asked, clearly having listened in. Next to him, Hyunjin stabbed the straw into his blood bag with a displeased look on his face. 

Chan felt his heart soften. Out of all of them, Hyunjin despised violence the most. His youngest progeny was a lover, not a fighter. 

Chan nodded. “Usually, I wouldn’t be that concerned, but Soobin said the body was drained. That means it was a vampire, which means someone broke the accords.” 

“Do you think it’s the same vampire who’s supposedly been going on a rampage through the city?” 

“Possibly. It could be no more than an unfortunate accident, but it’s better to take a look. If there really is a rogue vampire, we have to intervene. Rogue vampires usually don’t stop on their own. They have to be stopped.” 

“What happens when you catch them?” Hyunjin asked. 

“In accordance with our laws, the rogue vampire will be dismembered and left to meet the sun.” 

Chan rounded the kitchen island when Hyunjin’s expression crumbled. “Don’t think about it too much, Jinnie. It’s not something you have to concern yourself with.” 

Hyunjin nodded, taking a sip of his blood bag as he leaned into Chan’s side. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Seungmin asked. 

Chan shook his head. “I’m going to take Jeongin. He’s the best tracker among us.” 

The moment he’d said his name, the noise of the TV in the living room cut off and Jeongin came running into the kitchen. “We’re going out? Where to?” 

“The Choi clan is dealing with a situation at one of their clubs. We’re going there to offer our help.” 

Jeongin seemed to nearly vibrate with excitement. “I love helping. I love situations.” 

“Don’t be too eager,” Seungmin admonished him. “You have to be careful. Don’t go running into danger without second thought.”  

If it had been anyone else, Jeongin would have cooed at them for showing such obvious concern, but it was Seungmin and so he only lowered his head in deference. 

Seungmin turned back to Chan. “What about Felix? Do you want me to wake him?” 

“No.” Chan shook his head. “Let him sleep.” 

Seungmin frowned. “He’s not going to like that. This is the kind of thing he’s been waiting for.  If this has something to do with the disappearance of his brother and he finds out that you went to the club without him, he’s going to be really mad.”

“He doesn’t know what it is he’s asking for by wanting to come. If anything comes of it, I will tell him about it, but for now it’s better if he stays right where he is. He’s safe here.” 

“Wow, hyung,” Jeongin whistled, “you’re starting to sound just like Minho.” 

Chan felt the distinct need to reduce his clan by one member. Their youngest was smart enough to step out of Chan’s reach before he could, hiding behind Seungmin’s back. 

“Get ready,” Chan told him. “The sun is coming up soon so we have to hurry if you don’t want to spend the day hiding out in another clan’s basement, sleeping on a bunch of beer kegs.” 

Jeongin didn’t lose any time obeying him. Chan took a couple of seconds before he followed, listening to the slow, steady beat of Felix’s heart. It did wonders to calm him down before he went into the night. 

*

They made it to Good Boy Gone Bad with two hours left until sunrise. 

Soobin was waiting for them on the curb in front of the club, leading them around the building. A human was waiting for them in the back alley, one of Soobin’s clan. Yeonjun was nowhere in sight and Chan commended Soobin for his foresight. 

“This is Taehyun, he is the one who found the body.” 

Taehyun bowed in greeting, beckoning Chan and Jeongin to inspect the dead body he was guarding. Chan had wondered how no one had noticed the human being bled dry, but then he realised that Soobin hadn’t been joking when he’d said that the vampire responsible had drained the human. There was not a drop of blood left in the body and therefore nothing to smell. 

“Wow,” Jeongin commented as he crouched down. “Now, this is just in bad taste.” 

“I’ve never even seen something like this before,” Soobin said. 

“Whoever did this must have been really thirsty.” Chan frowned. “A newborn, maybe?” 

Jeongin’s nostrils flared as he leaned in, looking at the corpse more closely. “I don’t think this was a newborn. Whoever did this was in control of himself. There’s no other wound but the initial bite on the neck.” 

“What do you think happened, Jeongin?” 

Jeongin frowned. “I don’t know, I—” He reached out his hand and pried open the human’s jaw. The inside of the human’s mouth was black and Chan felt himself recoil. Jeongin hastily pulled his hand away. “Fuck.” 

“Well, that explains the draining.” Chan sighed. 

“What does it mean?” Taehyun asked, looking anxious as he stuck close to his clan leader’s side. 

Soobin shook his head, looking pale even for a vampire. “That’s vampire blood inside the human’s mouth.” 

“It’s a failed turning,” Chan explained. “To turn someone into a vampire, you have to drain most of their blood while steadily replacing it with your own. Whoever tried to turn this human clearly lost control during the draining or didn’t give enough of his own blood and the human died. It’s not uncommon. The self-control required to turn a human is not something every vampire possesses, but this is just—”

“It’s atrocious.” Soobin shook his head in disgust. “Turning someone is not something you do without consideration and consent. Not having the human’s permission breaks the accords.” 

“Also, turning someone without the leaders’ permission breaks vampire law.” Chan sneered as he looked up and down the alley. “There really is a rogue vampire running around the city.” 

“Is that what happened to the other bodies too?” Jeongin asked. “The ones Felix mentioned?” 

“Possibly.” Chan felt a headache coming. “I have to ask to see the police files. See whether the other victims also had vampire blood in their mouths, if there was that much left of them. Did you find an ID on the human?” he asked Soobin. 

Soobin nodded, procuring a plastic card from his pocket. He handed it to Chan. “It’s a university ID. From what we could see on the cameras, the guy came in with a bunch of his friends and they lived it up until he got separated from the group, but whoever lured him out isn’t on the tape.” 

Chan studied the ID, recognising neither the name nor the face. Just an unfortunate soul. A university student. Felix was a university student. This might as well have been him. Chan felt anger roil in his stomach. 

“We have to inform all the other clans in the city. They need to keep an eye out. This cannot happen again.”

Soobin nodded. “Is there anything else I can do to help?” 

Chan considered this for a moment. “Do you think you could bury this? The human, I mean.” He nudged the dead body with his foot. Chan was indifferent towards death and decay, but there were more pleasant sights. He pulled his foot back. 

Soobin seemed almost relieved at his suggestion. “Gladly. Something like this happening isn’t exactly good for business, so it’d be better for us if we don’t call the police.” 

“Make sure you remember where you bury the remains. Someone is bound to miss this human and they will report his disappearance to the police. Once we have settled the matter with the rogue vampire, we can give an anonymous tip.” 

Soobin nodded his head. “I will take care of it.” 

Chan could see Jeongin twitch in the corner of his eye so he hurried to bring their visit to an end. He paid his goodbyes to both Soobin and Taehyun and then led Jeongin out of the back alley with a hand on his nape. 

He waited until they were back in the car before he gave Jeongin the go-ahead. “Speak.” 

“I think I’ve smelt them before.” Jeongin all but clawed at his seatbelt, his pupils dilated. “The vampire, I mean. It was very faint and I can’t place the scent right now, but I’m sure I smelled it before.” 

Chan frowned. That was concerning, “Was it very familiar?”

Jeongin shook his head, clutching it. “I don’t know.”  

Chan placed a calming hand on top of his hair. He wanted to find out what was going on, but not at the cost of Jeongin’s well-being. Jeongin was an excellent tracker, but excellence demanded its price. Jeongin tended to obsess over the things he found, and couldn’t forget the things he didn’t find. 

“Say so if you remember, and if you don’t, that’s fine as well.” Chan rubbed his shoulder. “We all know you’re our best tracker whichever happens.”

Jeongin’s voice was uncharacteristically small when he said, “Okay.” 

Chan started the car. “Let’s hurry home for now. The sun is coming up soon.” 

*

Felix didn’t know how long he had slept. 

There was no window in the guest room, but the dimmed overhead lights dipped the room in a faint orange glow. Felix stretched under the blanket, rolling around on the mattress until he felt a little less like he was still in a dream. 

It was hard to drag himself out of the warmest, most comfortable bed he’d ever slept in, but he had to. He couldn’t stay here forever. Picking up his phone and wallet from the bedside table, he crept out of the room. He listened for any sign of the vampires in the house, but there was none. Gaining more confidence, he walked down the hall, skipping down the stairs to the ground floor. The sun tickled his bare toes as he stepped into the living room. That explained why it had been so quiet. 

A huge smile overtook his features when he found Jisung, dozing on the couch. Felix sneaked up on him, crouching down next to his head to poke his cheek. 

Jisung’s nose scrunched up in his sleep, his hand coming up to swat Felix’s finger away. He grumbled something before his eyes popped open.  

“Oh, Felix!”

Felix laughed. Secure in the knowledge that it was just the two of them and would be for the next couple of hours, he didn’t mind lingering for just a little bit longer. “Hi, Jisung.” 

“You’re awake. You must be hungry!” Jisung fought with the fluffy blanket he was rolled into. “Let me make you some breakfast!”

“Oh, no no!” Felix pressed the Jisung burrito back into the couch. “You don’t have to get up if you’re tired.” 

“No, it’s fine.” Jisung finally wriggled free. “I’m not that tired. I just needed a nap because I stayed up waiting for Chan and Jeongin to come back.” 

“They went out?” 

It had been a conversational question so Felix didn’t expect the answer to be, “Yes, to a murder scene.” 

With his heart thundering in his chest, Felix asked, “What?” 

Jisung hummed, rubbing his eyes. “Another clan leader called. He needed help because someone got drained at his club. I don’t know, Minho didn’t really want to tell me about it, but Chan put the house on lockdown while they were gone so he kind of had to. Apparently, a rogue vampire attacked someone.” 

Felix licked his lips. “Is that so?”

Jisung nodded. “But it’s fine now! Chan and Jeongin went there and took care of it! You don’t have to be afraid.” Jisung took his hand, looking at him with large, earnest eyes. “Being with the clan really isn’t that scary, I promise. It’s actually very peaceful most of the time.” 

Felix smiled. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt at peace, but that wasn’t Jisung’s fault. It wasn’t Jisung’s fault that Felix felt the distinct need to find a piece of wood, then find Bang Chan and stake him. He squeezed the other boy’s hand before he rose to his feet. 

“I’m sorry for waking you up. I should get going.” 

“No!” 

Felix got startled when Jisung scrambled to his feet, putting himself in between Felix and the door. Jisung’s eyes widened in shock when he realised what he had done, making him look a bit like a frightened squirrel. 

Felix narrowed his eyes. “Jisung. What are you doing?” 

Jisung looked anywhere but Felix’s face. “Mhm?”

“Jisung, are you trying to get me to stay here?” 

Jisung’s face turned red as he squirmed. “Well, I mean…Channie-hyung just asked me to convince you not to go until he’d wake up. He wanted to talk to you.” 

Felix nearly scoffed. “Did he now?” He could have talked to me last night. 

“Yes.” 

Deal breaker. 

“Unfortunately,” Felix enunciated every syllable slowly, “I have to go. Someone’s waiting for me at home.” 

“Oh.” Jisung’s shoulders slumped. “Channie-hyung’s not going to like that.” His brows furrowed as he seemed to come to a conclusion. “I understand though! They don’t, sometimes, you know, understand that we still have lives. I’ll tell Chan he has to call you or something. Don’t worry about it!” Jisung’s smile returned to his features, even if there was a hint of insecurity in his eyes. “Would you…would you want to come back some time, though? It’s more fun when you’re here.”

Felix smiled. Oh, he would make sure Chan called. Oh, he was going to make sure Jisung had some good, non-vampiric fun. 

“Jisung.” Felix made an effort to deepen his voice, letting it drip with honey and all things sweet. “Do you want to meet my cat?”

*

Chan woke up on the couch in his office. 

A light groan escaped him as he sat up. The couch was definitely not as comfortable as his bed and so he took a moment to stretch before he got up, driven by the knowledge that the sun was down. It was the beginning of a new night and he had plans. Most of them involved the reason he’d given up his bed in the first place. 

The sounds didn’t reach him until he opened the door to his office. Vampires weren’t prone to yell. Chan felt annoyance ripple through him like a wave. His clan members weren’t prone to fight, but when they did, it could get ugly. 

Resolving himself to play peacemaker first thing in the evening, he started to ascend the stairs to the second floor, where his clan members had gathered. 

The first thing he saw was Jeongin, holding Hyunjin in a tight embrace. 

Then it hit him. The smell of blood. AB. 

Chan flew up the last couple of steps. 

He found Minho, laughing maniacally as he peered through the open door of Chan’s room. It wasn’t the good kind of laughter. 

Chan felt his stomach turn, the smell of blood intensifying with every step he took. He was older than some religions and he still found himself praying, praying as he neared his room. 

It couldn’t be. Felix had been sleeping when he’d left. He’d been fine. He’d been safe. He’d been—

Minho had the good sense to step out of his way when Chan reached the door. The sight that greeted Chan was not what he had expected. The relief at not finding his human dead was short-lived. 

Felix was not in the room, though he undoubtedly had left his mark. It was his blood that Chan smelled. There was not a lot of it, probably no more than the slice of a knife into his finger. Just enough to leave a crimson red Fuck You! smeared on the wall above his bed in giant letters. 

Chan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

“Well,” Seungmin said as he peered over Chan’s shoulder, “I told you he’d be mad.” 

*

The door rang exactly twenty minutes after Felix had ordered them pizza. He jumped off the couch, leaving Jisung to play with Nola as he hurried to the door. 

He’d almost made it there when the door vibrated. Felix frowned. There was a terrible noise like wood splintering and Felix felt a surge of panic go through him. Thinking of his deposit, Felix hurried to pry the door open before it could burst off its hinges. 

He regretted that decision in an instant. 

A flash of fangs was enough to have him jump backwards. He didn’t get very far before his back hit the wall. Felix realised quickly that it wouldn’t have made a difference even if he’d been able to back away further. There was nowhere for him to hide. There was nowhere he could have run where Minho wouldn’t have found him to skin him alive, Felix could tell by a single look into his blown-out crimson eyes. 

At the sight of Minho coming towards him, he slid down the wall, covering his neck with his arms. He knew it was futile. He was going to die. The outright snarl that tore from Minho’s throat told him so. 

“Minho.” 

Minho froze mid murderous step. He struggled, as if he was pushing against invisible restraints. His inability to move only seemed to aggravate him further, but there was nothing he could do against it. Chan appeared behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Do not hurt him. Use your words,” Chan ordered.

Minho seethed, his fangs bared to the fullest as his entire body shook with rage but then Chan’s gentle touch seemed to calm him down, just a little, just enough for the red to fade from his eyes. He still looked murderous, but he also looked like he was aware of his surroundings again. His eyes bore into Felix. 

“You stole my Jisung.” Every of Minho’s syllables came out strained as if it pained him to speak instead of shredding Felix to pieces. “Give him back.” 

Felix stared at Minho, struggling to swallow past the fear of death clogging his throat. 

He didn’t know how he could have forgotten about Minho. All he’d been thinking about was pissing off Chan. It had worked, judging by the unamused expression of Chan’s face, but Chan was definitely not his biggest problem right now. 

His lack of an answer seemed to send a new wave of anger through Minho. He trembled where he stood, clearly fighting against his maker’s order to stay put and Felix thought that if any vampire could overcome it, it had to be Minho in this very moment. 

“Where is he?” Minho pressed on. “You took him. Where did you take him? I can smell him on you! Where is he? Where—”

“Minho?” 

Minho’s head snapped to the side so fast Felix knew that if Minho had been human, he would have broken his own neck. 

Jisung looked at them all with wide eyes, Nola purring in his arms. “What is going on?” 

The tremors stopped. Minho’s fists uncurled. He looked at Chan like a man pleading for his life. 

Chan nodded. “Go.” 

Minho was across the hall within the blink of an eye and Felix couldn’t help but marvel at the way Minho could have murder on his mind in one moment and then touch Jisung as if he was made of precious glass in the next. 

Minho didn’t seem capable of speaking, too busy making sure there wasn’t a single scratch on Jisung so Jisung looked towards his clan leader. 

“Chan? What are you guys doing here?” 

Chan smiled at him, walking over with his hands in his pockets as if he didn’t have a single care in the world. “We were looking for you, sweetheart.” 

“I called you,” Minho said. “A hundred times.” 

Jisung’s eyes widened. He placed Nola in Minho’s arms to pat his pockets. “Oh shit! I think I forgot my phone at the nest!”   

Jisung hadn’t. Felix knew this because he had swiped Jisung’s phone as soon as they had entered his flat, putting it on silent. 

“I think you put it in your coat pocket,” Felix said, using the wall to pull himself to his feet. He was quite proud of himself when his voice only shook a little bit. 

Jisung hurried over to the coat rack, missing the way Minho’s expression crumbled the further Jisung moved away from him. To Felix surprise, Minho didn’t stalk after him. Instead, he buried his face in Nola’s fur, taking deep breaths. 

Jisung frowned as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his coat, right where Felix had hid it. He carried it over to Minho. “I’m sorry, jagi. I must have accidentally put it on silent. You-You really called me 103 times?” 

Minho nodded, keeping his face in Felix’s cat as Jisung pulled him over to the sofa. 

Feeling a certain set of eyes burn into the side of his face, Felix felt unexpectedly eager to join them, but he didn’t get very far when an arm shot out to stop him in his tracks. 

“You and I should talk,” Chan murmured into his ear, his voice leaving little room for argument. 

Felix might have protested, but Chan was already wrapping his arms around him from behind, walking him through the flat like a misbehaving child. The kitchen had no door so the only place to go was Felix’s bedroom. Felix felt a certain kind of doom when Chan closed the door behind them. 

He backed away until his legs hit the edge of his bed. It didn’t keep him from puffing out his chest. His pride was the only defense he had, “You owe me a new front door.” 

Chan clenched and unclenched his jaw as he walked towards Felix. “You’re really set on making my existence difficult, aren’t you?”  

Felix wanted to outright snap at him, but he decided to keep his tone civil. One near-death experience at the hand of a vampire was enough for one evening. “If anyone’s pissed off here, it should be me, don’t you think?” He couldn’t quite help the pout that made its way onto his mouth. “You broke our deal.” 

“Did I?” 

Felix wasn’t a vampire, but he could show his teeth too. “Jisung told me there was an incident at a vampire club. A human got attacked. You went there without me. You went there without me when you knew I would have wanted to be there.” 

“So you thought it would be a great idea to kidnap the human of my most volatile clan member as revenge?” 

Felix jutted out his chin, shrugging. “Jisung is my friend. I just invited him over. There’s nothing wrong with that.” 

“Jisung is your friend,” Chan acknowledged, his eyes a tad too knowing for Felix’s liking, “but are you his friend?” 

“I’d sacrifice you to the devil without second thought if it was to make Jisung smile.” 

Chan’s lips pulled apart to reveal a hint of fangs. Their faces were so close to each other Felix could feel the cool air of his breath. “You’re treading on thin ice, Felix. Never do that again.” 

Felix might have said something snarky back, but something about the way Chan said those last words made him stop himself. Right now, Chan wasn’t speaking to him as the vampire Felix liked to quarrel with. He spoke as the leader of his clan, who was concerned with the well-being of its members. It was not something Felix could fault him for, as much as he wanted to. 

“I’ll send a text next time,” he promised sweetly, his own way of giving in. 

Chan smiled sardonically and tapped Felix’s jaw with his finger. “Good boy.” 

Felix wanted to bat his hand away, but his limbs were a little too shaky for that. He sat down on his bed. He kept his eyes on the buckle of Chan’s belt when he asked, “Did something come off it?” 

“Off what?” 

“The murder scene.” 

Chan hummed and sat down next to him. “You were right about there being a rogue vampire. Someone tried to turn a human, but failed. We can’t be a hundred percent sure yet, but chances are high it matches the other victims that have turned up so far.” 

“That means my brother is still alive.” Felix felt elated, then terrible about being elated, then elated again. 

“Felix…”

“No! If that rogue vampire tried to turn someone and left their body after he failed, that means the vampire didn’t fail with Changbin! He’s alive! I know it! I knew it!” Felix jumped up, unprepared for the way he nearly fell on his face as his legs gave out underneath him. 

Chan caught him before he hit the ground, pulling him back onto the bed, right onto his lap. His arms caged Felix in so he couldn’t wriggle away. 

Shocked, Felix looked down at his hands. They were shaking. He was shaking like a leaf. “What—” 

Chan’s chin pressed into his shoulder, his lips so close to Felix’s neck. “It’s the adrenaline drop, baby. You’re crashing.” 

“You—You try nearly getting mauled by a vampire!” Felix’s voice came out much weaker than he would have liked.

“An occurrence that would have been completely avoidable if you would stop being so deadbent on pissing off every vampire in your vicinity.” 

“No.” Felix’s briefly closed his eyes as he dropped his head against Chan’s shoulder. Future Felix was going to judge him for this, but Present Felix couldn’t really bring himself to care. He was already here, caught in Chan’s arms and it was a nice shoulder. Firm and perfectly shaped. “Not every vampire. Just you.” 

“Just me?” 

“Mhm.” 

Chan’s grip on him marginally tightened. “Good. Keep it that way. Don’t go out there running after any other vampires, Felix. It’s not safe.” 

“My brother needs—”

“Your brother needs you alive. ”

“I just want to find him.” Felix hated the way tears sprung to his eyes. He wasn’t a cry baby. He wasn’t. He was just tired and coming off a huge adrenaline rush and Changbin had been missing for months and—

“And we will, but we will do it together. I promise I’ll take you with me the next time something comes up, but you have to promise not to go out on your own until then.” 

Felix shook his head. “I don’t trust you.”

“Good. You shouldn’t, but listen to me anyways.” 

Felix frowned. “I’ll stake you if you bullshit me again,” he threatened but he knew the effect was dampened by the quiver to his voice. “I’ll break into your house and I’ll stake you and I’ll steal all your shit and—” 

The ring of the doorbell interrupted Felix. He yelped when Chan slipped his arms under his body, lifting him into the air. Felix had little choice but to cling to his neck as Chan carried him into the living room. 

Only Jisung looked up when Chan deposited Felix on the sofa next to him. Minho was busy playing with Nola, scratching her head as she tried to catch the dangly earring in his ear. He didn’t even glare at Felix when Jisung turned to grab onto Felix’s hand, squeezing it with a questioning expression on his face. 

“What did Chan want to talk to you about?”

Felix shrugged. “Just some stuff.” 

“He didn’t say anything weird, did he?” Jisung looked to where Chan was getting the front door. “I already told Minho that it wasn’t your fault I forgot about my phone. Please, don’t judge Channie-hyung if he did! He can be just as overbearing as Minho, he just hides it better.” 

Minho looked up at that. “I’m not overbearing.” 

Felix shook his head, smiling at Jisung. “It’s all good, I promise.”

Jisung seemed to relax a great deal at that. He eagerly stretched out his hands when Chan returned with two boxes of pizza. 

Chan handed him one while taking the other over to the armchair. Felix had no choice but to get up and follow him. He punched Chan in the chest when Chan pulled him onto his lap again. 

Chan didn’t seem to care. He merely opened the pizza box and held one of the slices to Felix’s mouth. 

Felix glared at him before snatching the slice from his hand. “I’m not that weak. I can feed myself.” 

“Can you?” The glint in Chan’s eyes told him that he was being made fun of, which promptly caused him to hit Chan again. “Your punches feel like they’re coming from a kitten.” 

Felix wondered whether he could use the pizza box to stake Chan through the heart. Technically, the carton was very finely shredded wood, wasn’t it?

“I like cats,” Minho said, stroking Nola’s back as he sniffed the pizza slice Jisung held under his nose. 

“We should get a cat.” Jisung perked up. 

Despite the paw on his cheek, Minho ignored Nola to focus all his attention on Jisung, his eyes gleaming. “I’ll buy you three if you move into the nest.” 

Where Jisung had seemed excited, his expression immediately soured. “No.” 

“But—” 

Jisung rolled his eyes. “I’m not having this conversation again, Minho.” 

“It really wouldn’t be a bother, Jisung,” Chan said, the calm tone of his voice working to ease the tension in the room. Even Felix relaxed, and he wasn’t even being addressed. He nibbled on his pizza. “I’m not opposed. No one is opposed. You know everyone in the clan would love to have you.” 

“It’s not about that.” 

“Then what is it about?” 

Jisung shook his head, glaring at his boyfriend. “Stop it, Minho.” 

Minho’s jaw closed with a click. Jisung looked away, his face slowly but surely turning red. Felix didn’t know whether it was in anger or sadness or something else, but he didn’t like it. 

Jisung wasn’t supposed to be upset. 

Minho seemed to agree because he folded, picking up the pizza box to nudge it against Jisung’s knee. 

“I’m sorry. Please, eat more,” he asked quietly. 

Jisung huffed and took another slice, shoving it into his mouth without preamble. Felix could see the way Minho panicked at that, but Minho was smart enough not to say anything. The next slice, Jisung did hold under his nose and Minho relaxed.

Felix looked down at his own pizza. The food helped a great deal to make him stop shaking. He finished off his slice before picking up another. 

“What?” he asked when he noticed Chan smiling at him out of the corner of his eye.

Chan shook his head and Felix rolled his eyes. He was giving up trying to figure out what the vampire was thinking. No one was reaching for his throat right now and that was enough. 

*

Chan sighed as he sat down on the low brick wall opposite of Felix’s apartment. Minho scooted over to make space for him, his eyes glued to the windows where the lights were still on. 

Apparently, Felix had invited Jisung for a sleepover to which Minho and Chan weren’t invited. Chan couldn’t quite forget the smug expression on Felix’s face when he’d shoved Chan out of his apartment. One half of Chan was amused and the other was really, really not. 

His throat itched so he scratched it. 

“You don’t have to stay, hyung.” Minho’s eyes didn’t move from the windows. “I can watch over them both. I won’t even hurt Felix. Jisung likes him too much. He’d be mad.” 

Chan smiled, rubbing Minho’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Minho.” 

Minho raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

Chan shook his head. With Minho watching the windows, Chan focussed on the door.

He could have left. He could have left, but it wouldn’t have been wise. Minho had all but shattered Felix’s front door. It would have been irresponsible to leave the two humans vulnerable like that. Jisung was his clan member and Felix, Felix had to be safe too. 

After centuries, there were no words needed between him and Minho and so it was a while until Minho spoke. “I think Seungmin is right. I think Felix wouldn’t say no.” 

Chan licked along the back of his teeth. “He’s got other things on his mind. I think I’m the last thing he wants to be thinking about right now.” 

Minho chuckled drily. “I think we both know you’re very much capable of changing that, hyung.” 

Chan shook his head. It was something he absolutely couldn’t allow himself to think about. Not when he was going to come home to sheets that smelled like Felix and walls streaked with his blood. 

“Felix struck a deal with me and I plan to uphold it. As soon as we’ve found his brother, he won’t want to see me again.” 

Minho shook his head. “I doubt that.” 

“You sound very sure of yourself for someone who wanted to tear Felix limb from limb no longer than a couple of hours ago.” 

Minho shrugged. “He had it coming. He stole my Jisung.” 

Chan hummed. “A crime undoubtedly deserving of death.” 

He’d said it to poke fun at Minho and the way Minho’s mouth twitched told him that his progeny understood his joke. It wasn’t that Minho was unaware of himself. He simply was not interested in being any different. 

Nonetheless, Minho’s answer was serious, “When I look at Jisung, I feel like I’m looking at the sun. It feels like I’m touched by its light again. Like I’m feeling its warmth again. There’s nothing in the world that compares to that.” 

Chan swallowed. It was the burn in his throat that made him ask, “Not even blood?” 

Minho smiled. His eyes never wavered from the window beyond which Jisung’s heart beat, slow and steady. Chan knew that if Jisung would have needed it, Minho would have stayed where he was even after sunrise. “Not even blood.” 

Chapter Text

There was nothing but blood. 

There was nothing but blood on his mind for so long that he felt like he hadn’t been awake at all until it stopped.

It was a gradual change. His lucid moments rarely lasted until they did. At one point, the few precious minutes of awareness he was given stretched into more than that, stretched into hours. Slowly but surely, he managed to hold onto his thoughts again. 

He was able to think again and the longer he thought, the more he wished he was mindless once more. 

Because there was nothing but blood. It was all he could taste. With his mind returning came the awareness that it was all he would ever taste again. 

“Why me?” 

“Why did you do this to me?”

“Why?” 

His maker treated him with utmost care, but he never answered his questions. He brought him bag after bag of blood and stroked his hair as he drank. 

His maker’s face was the face of an angel but Changbin was sure that he was the devil. 

Only the devil would have done something like this. 

Only the devil would have made him. 

*

Felix didn’t let himself be deterred by the crimson eyes following his every move. He lowered the finger he’d used to rub black eyeshadow on his lids and wiped it on a tissue. 

Jeongin, sitting on his haunches next to Felix’s mirror, leaned forward as Felix dragged the tip of a kohl pen along his waterline. 

“Do you want some, too?” 

Jeongin blinked. He went cross-eyed when Felix held the pen up to his face. Felix couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. It just looked so goofy, a vampire crossing his eyes. Like the boy sitting in front of Felix wasn’t an apex predator. 

A fanged grin split Jeongin’s mouth and he leaned closer so Felix could apply the eyeliner for him. Felix did so carefully, marvelling at the way it made Jeongin’s bright crimson eyes stand out even more. 

“Very handsome,” Felix praised as he capped the pen. 

He yelped when he was suddenly pushed onto his back. Jeongin’s weight on top of him felt like a boulder. Felix struggled to breathe, helplessly flailing. Jeongin didn’t even seem to notice as he beamed down at Felix, “And you’re the prettiest in the world.” 

Felix blinked. He only managed a wheeze in response but Jeongin seemed to understand him nonetheless. The vampire grinned. If Jeongin had been a dog, Felix was pretty sure his tail would have been wagging. It looked like Jeongin might actually nuzzle his face into the crook of Felix’s neck when Jeongin’s head whipped to the side and then he was off Felix as quickly as he’d gotten on top of him. 

Choking a little on the sudden rush of oxygen into his lungs, Felix tilted his head to the side. 

Chan was standing in the doorway of his bedroom. For some reason, that made Felix’s heart beat faster than being tackled to the ground. 

Chan’s dark crimson eyes travelled from Jeongin to Felix and back before he asked, “Am I interrupting something?” 

“No, hyung! Felix and I were just playing!” 

The giddy smile slipped from Jeongin’s face when Chan caught his gaze and held it. Jeongin froze right where he stood. Neither of the vampires blinked until Jeongin ducked his head and flitted past Chan’s elbow to flee into the living room. 

Chan huffed. 

Felix was a little too busy returning his soul to his body to wonder what was going on. He sat up slowly, blinking until the blood stopped rushing in his ears. He truly had never felt fragile in his life until he started hanging out with vampires. 

Chan approached him slowly, looking down at Felix with an unreadable expression on his face. It made Felix feel a little bit like he was about to be scolded even though he couldn’t imagine for what reason. Chan couldn’t think that Felix had tried to hurt Jeongin, right? Chan was protective of his clan members but even he must have been aware that Felix had been the one about to get squashed. 

“Are you okay?” Chan asked him, sounding a little stiff. 

“I’m fine.” Felix didn’t hesitate to grab onto Chan’s arm to pull himself up. He was pretty sure Chan was not about to tackle him, no matter what made the vampire look so sour. “Just not used to tussling with vampires, is all.” 

Chan’s fingers brushed down the bare skin of Felix’s arm before he took his hand. Whatever had taken a hold of him, he seemed to be able to shake it off just then. “I apologise. Jeongin forgets sometimes just how fragile humans are but he never would have hurt you, I promise. He’s just…eager.” 

Felix chuckled. “I’ve noticed.” 

Chan’s thumb brushed over the back of Felix’s palm. “Vampires tend to take their most prominent human traits with them into their unlife. It can be a gift and a curse at the same time. Jeongin has a lot of zeal and extraordinarily sharp senses, even for a vampire. It makes him an excellent hunter, but he sometimes struggles to let go of the things he finds. He gets attached, a bit like a dog with a bone.” 

“And I’m the bone?” Felix asked. 

Chan didn’t answer. 

Felix sighed. “I like Jeongin, so I guess it’s not so bad.” 

The sour expression was back on Chan’s face. “Yeah?” 

“What’s your trait?” Felix asked, taunting Chan just to erase the dead expression from his face. He didn’t like it. “Or does being a big bad vampire qualify as a character trait?” 

Chan took a step closer, so close that there was no space left between them. He got so close that he could brush a little bit of eyeshadow dust from Felix’s cheek. 

“I’m possessive. I don’t like it when people touch my things.” 

Felix blinked. “Oh.” 

“Mhm.” 

A crash sounded from the living room, followed by the sound of laughter. Felix was about to turn away from Chan to go see what his vampiric visitors had broken this time, but a hand on his neck stopped him. 

“Sit with me for a moment.” 

Felix swallowed against the light press of fingers against his throat. He obediently followed Chan to his bed, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. Chan’s hand never left him, only wandered from the front of Felix’s neck to his nape. It was not the kind of choker Felix had been thinking about when he’d picked his outfit that morning, but he couldn’t complain. 

He looked at Chan with wide, expectant eyes. 

Chan’s expression was too serious for his liking. “If we go out tonight, there’s a couple of rules you have to follow.” 

Felix huffed. “Who are you? My parent? I’m not a child, Chan. I’ve been to plenty of vampire clubs before. You know I’ve only informed you of my plans for tonight as a courtesy, right? Because I am willing to honour our deal.” 

In the weak light of Felix’s bedside lamp, Chan’s eyes looked pitch black. “You’re sticking to the rules, Felix, or you’re staying home tonight and I’ll make sure you’re banned from every vampire club in this city. Every. Single. One. I’m not kidding.”

Felix rolled his eyes. “You’re unbearably overbearing, has someone ever told you that?” 

Chan smiled, flashing his fangs. “Get used to it, sunshine.” 

Felix scoffed, but he knew there was little he could do to change Chan’s mind. And it wasn’t like Chan wasn’t right. Felix just hated the idea that he needed him. That what he could do by himself was not enough. But crying about that would be of no use. It would have only smudged his make-up. 

“What are the rules?” he asked, unable to prevent his lips from pushing into a pout. 

Chan stroked his hair in consolation. “You don’t talk to any vampires—”

“What?! That defeats the entire purpose of why I’m going!”

“—alone.” Chan snapped his fangs at him. “I’ll help you talk to anyone you want to talk to, but you don’t leave my side. I’m not telling you this for fun, Felix. I don’t have any interest in scraping your remains off some concrete just because you’re dead bent on becoming a back alley snack.” 

“I’m not—” Chan shot him a look and Felix folded. “Fine.” 

He knew there was no use in arguing with Chan. Chan stroked his hair again and Felix sighed. He liked that a lot better than getting glared at. 

Chan’s voice was surprisingly soft when he pulled Felix closer. “Jeongin got a faint scent pattern from the last body that turned up. He and Seungmin will hunt for it tonight. Don’t think the clan isn’t taking this seriously. We’re working on it, but we’re working on it together, okay?” 

Felix nodded. “Thank you.” Again, Changbin had raised him right. He knew when to be grateful for the help he was given. 

Chan’s voice was soft and gentle in his ear. “I know you want to find your brother now , but you have to be safe. Can you not think about that a little bit too?” 

Felix dropped his gaze. “He’s been gone for so long. It’s been almost three months now. With every passing day—every passing night, I feel like such a failure. If our roles were reversed, it would have never taken him that long to find me. He would have torn this city apart with his bare hands to get to me, but I’m not that strong. I’m not—I haven’t achieved anything.” 

Felix felt his eyes burn, but it helped when cool fingertips wiped the space under his eyes. 

“You’re not a failure for keeping yourself alive, sunshine.” Crimson eyes bore into his own, but it didn’t scare Felix. Among all the monsters in the world, this— his monster gave him comfort. “We’re going to find something, I promise you.” 

Rationally, Felix knew that there was no way that Chan could promise him this, but then again what did Felix know? If anyone would know, it had to be Chan.

He nodded. “Okay.” 

Chan smiled at him and, selfishly, Felix marvelled at how handsome he was. “Yeah?” 

Felix lightly hit his chest. Because Chan was only wearing a buttoned suit jacket with no shirt under it, his fist collided with smooth marble skin. “Yeah.” 

Chan laughed at him, catching Felix’s hand before he could pull it back. He lightly scraped his fangs over Felix’s knuckles before letting go. “Good boy.” 

Felix felt his ears turn red as he got to his feet,  walking to the door. He could hear Chan chuckle behind him and pointedly didn’t look back as he entered the living room. 

The destruction in there was less severe than Felix had expected. Really, the only thing he could find askew was that the cat tower in the corner of the living room looked slightly more crooked than before. But Nola was safe and sound in Minho’s arms, purring with each belly rub, so Felix wasn’t too alarmed. 

Jisung jumped up from his spot on the couch next to Minho when Felix emerged from the living room. Jeongin looked like he wanted to get up too from his seat in the armchair, but he was held in place by Seungmin’s hand on his shoulder. 

Don’t push it, Seungmin’s expression said.

Jeongin pouted. 

“Felix! You look so good.” Jisung fawned over him, touching Felix’s face and exposed midriff. Felix laughed, ticklish where Jisung was touching his sides. Jisung’s grin turned nasty when he looked towards his clan leader, gluing himself to Felix’s side. “Doesn’t he look good, Channie-hyung?” 

Chan stared at them for a good couple of seconds before he shrugged. “Jeongin was right, I guess.” 

Jisung’s face fell in disappointment, clearly unaware of what it was that Chan was referring to. But Felix knew. Felix buried his face in Jisung’s shoulder, suppressing a whine. He didn’t know what he hated more. That he was still embarrassed when Chan was just making fun of him or that five out of six people in his living room could hear the way his heart skipped a beat at indirectly being called pretty. 

And really, Felix wondered when the thought of a bunch of vampires in his flat had stopped freaking him out, but the way he saw it was that he had bigger fish to fry. He had truly evil, brother-stealing vampires to find and stake. 

“You look gorgeous, Felix,” Hyunjin said, lifting himself from his perch on the armrest of the sofa. 

Felix felt his cheeks heat. It was always nice to be complimented, but it felt extra special when it came from someone who was as unearthly beautiful himself as Hyunjin was. 

“Oh, uh, thank you.” 

Hyunjin smiled. He brushed a strand of Felix’s hair behind his ear, doing the same to Jisung while looking at them both with adoration. Felix knew it was stupid, but it made him feel warm. 

Chan cleared his throat and that made everyone look at him. “It’s about time we leave.” 

One by one, the vampires filed towards the door. The brand new front door with metal framing and two security locks which Felix had come home to after his evening class a couple of days ago. Felix hadn’t yet thought about how to explain it to his landlady. 

Chan looked pleased as he watched Felix punch in the code that would activate the alarm system. They were the last to leave and Felix had no problem letting Chan bring up the rear. Now that they were going, he felt excitement buzz under his skin. It felt good, finally getting to do something after several days of staying put at Chan’s request. He all but skipped down the stairs and out of his building, right into Hyunjin’s arms. 

“Are you riding with us, pretty?” 

Hyunjin pointed to where Minho and Jisung were climbing into a ridiculously bulky SUV. 

“Jeongin is riding with you,” Chan said, coming up to them from behind. “Felix is riding with me and Seungmin.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes were glittering with mischief as he bowed his head at his maker, gliding off to Minho’s car. He stopped by Chan’s sleeker car on the way, dragging Jeongin out of the passenger seat. Jeongin whined all the way to Minho’s car, complaining how it wasn’t fair and he hadn’t even done anything, but there was little he could do against the grip Hyunjin had on his shoulder. 

Felix shivered a little when Chan slid his arm around his waist, covering the bare skin of his midriff with his arm. 

“Come on,” Chan told him. “I told Seungmin to drive so the backseat is ours.” 

*

Chan was a shareholder in Attaca. He didn’t know how many stakes he owned exactly. Seungmin had been the one to decide on the clan’s investment in the club. Right now, Chan couldn’t help but be grateful for his progeny’s unforeseen foresight. It made things a lot easier.

Felix had wanted to return to Good Boy Gone Bad, but Chan had convinced him that that wasn’t a good idea. The rogue vampire had never killed twice in the same place and therefore the chances of them returning to Soobin’s club were minimal. 

Attaca was a better choice. Hyunjin had been the one to suggest the club. It was well-known among vampires and humans alike. On the human side, it catered to a mixed audience of university students and high-profile businessmen alike. It was the perfect hunting ground for a rogue vampire. 

It was the perfect hunting ground for any vampire looking to sink their teeth into a human’s neck. 

Chan didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around Felix’s waist again as they walked past the queue gathered in front of the club. Everything he was going to do from here on out, Chan told himself, was to make sure no vampire would even think about sinking their teeth into Felix’s neck. It was just the responsible thing to do. 

The bouncers at the door greeted Hyunjin by name, reaching for him in greeting before they saw Chan and hastily lowered their heads. Chan could see one of them scamper away to alert their clan leader. 

Chan focussed on Felix, burying his nose in his hair. He knew it worked to make him look like he wasn’t paying attention. Like he wasn’t completely aware of his surroundings. As if he could have ever been unaware of the way every single vampire they walked past regarded Felix with interest.

Chan knew it was partially his fault. Being who he was, there was no way of protecting Felix by marking him without drawing attention to Felix for that very same thing. It was a double-edged sword and for the first time, Chan wished that he would have been a lesser vampire than he was. There was no changing who he was though and so he could do little else but keep Felix close. 

If only Felix had made a little less of an effort to look so delectable. He looked good in the oversized clothing he usually wore around Chan already, but in skin-tight clothes with so much actual skin on display, Chan felt his fangs itch just looking at him. He knew Felix had no idea just how enticing he was. He could tell by the way Felix was looking around the inside of the club with wide, excited eyes instead of terrified ones. It was blatantly obvious that Felix wasn’t aware of the countless pairs of crimson eyes that were currently devouring him from afar. 

It made Chan want to taste blood and not the human kind. 

A well-placed elbow into his ribs informed him that he was squeezing Felix a little too tightly, but Chan only pulled Felix closer, glueing his chest to Felix’s back. 

“Behave,” he murmured into Felix’s ear. 

Despite the deafening music, Chan could hear the way Felix’s breath hitched. Weak, little fingers curled around the arm Chan had draped around his middle, blunt nails trying to dig into his skin. With their bodies pressed together like this, Chan could feel the way Felix’s heart was pounding. It felt even better than hearing it. 

He didn’t appreciate it when Hyunjin chose that moment to come and wedge himself between them. He took Felix away from him while Seungmin held him in place. 

“What is it?” Chan all but snapped at Seungmin, unwilling to let Felix out of his sight. 

“Don’t kill anyone tonight, hyung. I’ve got a million won riding on the fact that you’re going to keep your composure while we’re here.” 

“I always keep my composure.” 

“Not when it comes to your human, you don’t.” 

“Felix is not my—” Chan snapped his mouth shut when he saw Seungmin’s eyes light up with glee. 

“See! You immediately thought of him!” 

Chan could do little else but bare his fangs. 

Seungmin clearly wasn’t impressed. He patted Chan on the shoulder. “You’re perfect ninety-nine percent of the time, hyung. It’s very impressive and it makes me admire you so much. Just don’t make tonight the one percent that you snap, okay? It’s too early. It might scare Felix off.”

Chan only grumbled. He could have argued with Seungmin, but it was neither the place nor the time and Seungmin wasn’t one to lose any type of debate. 

“Who betted against me?” 

Seungmin laughed, pulling him along so they could catch up with their group. “Everyone else.” 

*

It was a vastly different experience, going to a vampire club in the presence of the Bang clan. Felix felt baffled already when they skipped the line in front of the club to just walk in like they owned it, but the special treatment didn’t stop there. 

Hyunjin intertwined their fingers as he led Felix towards the back of the club. They walked past a vampire who was a good two heads taller than Felix and twice as broad. Nonetheless, he bowed his head at them before stepping aside so they could ascend the iron staircase that led to the second floor of the club. The space here was separated into booths, each allowing an uninhibited view of the dance floor below. 

Felix felt adequately out of place as Hyunjin pulled him onto one of the plush leather sofas. Jisung and Minho were already there, getting comfortable while Jeongin was hanging halfway over the railing, clearly eager to join the crowd. 

Felix smiled when Hyunjin handed him one of the menu cards from the low table in in the centre of the booth. “Order whatever you want, baby.” 

Felix didn’t bother looking at the card. “Just a water is fine, thank you.” 

Hyunjin frowned, brushing a hand through Felix hair. “You can order something more expensive, you know? Channie-hyung’s paying so don’t hold back. See, they even have champagne!” 

Felix shook his head, watching as Chan entered the booth with Seungmin in tow. Seungmin went straight to Jeongin, pulling him off the railing before both of them left the booth. Chan had said that Jeongin and Seungmin would actively try to track the rogue vampire, so Felix didn’t have to wonder where they were going. He was just thankful. 

He smiled at Jeongin as they passed him by. Jeongin winked at him before skipping after his maker. 

“I’m not drinking,” Felix told Hyunjin, “but maybe some pineapple juice? 

Hyunjin’s disappointment quickly gave way to endearment. “You got it, cutie.” Hyunjin looked like he wanted to squeeze Felix’s cheeks as he got up. “I’ll get you your juice, just enjoy yourself. Sungie? Do you want something to drink?” 

Jisung looked a little preoccupied where Minho was nibbling on his neck, but he managed to open his eyes long enough to shoot Hyunjin a blinding smile. “Just the usual, thank you!” 

Hyunjin disappeared while Chan sat down next to Felix, his arm sprawling out over the back of the sofa. 

Felix shot him a small, giddy smile. Chan caught his hand, playing with his fingers before he curled Felix’s fingers into a fist. When Felix opened his hand, there was a small velvet bag in his palm. 

Felix shot Chan a curious look. Chan just motioned for him to go ahead. Felix’s eyes widened when he opened the bag to find his long-lost silver cross inside. It nearly slipped through his fingers, he was so excited to take it out. 

“You’re giving it back to me?”

“Of course. You told me that your brother gave it to you.” 

Felix didn’t know what to say to that. He wanted to hug Chan, but that maybe wasn’t the brightest idea with the silver in his hand. 

He was about to put the necklace in his pocket when Chan stopped him by the wrist. “No, put it on.” 

“But it’s silver.”

“Exactly.” 

Felix hesitantly wrapped the silver chain around his neck, struggling with the clasp for a second. It was a different one than before, one that wasn’t as simple to open and close as the standard one from before. As soon as Felix had managed to put the chain on, Chan touched his chest just below where the cross pendant dangled.

He leaned closer. “Don’t take it off and if anyone bothers you, do to them what you did to me.” 

“Another rule?” Felix asked, more to tease than anything else. 

Chan allowed him the joke, rolling his eyes goodnaturedly before he looked up when Hyunjin returned to their table. 

Hyunjin was carrying a tray laden with glasses. He set down Jisung and Felix’s drinks first before picking up a scotch glass filled with red. 

Felix looked at Chan. “You’re not drinking anything?”  

Chan hesitated for a moment, a tense smile on his face as he pushed Felix’s drink closer to his fingers. “It is not really expected of me.” 

Felix frowned, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Then, he realised. Chan and Minho were the only ones without a drink. Because their drinks were sitting right next to them. At least, in Chan’s case, that was what everyone assumed. Felix felt delicate all of a sudden, as if his skin was too thin. As if everyone could see the blood flowing through his body. He wondered whether Chan saw him like that. He wondered what it would have felt like if Chan would have wanted to drink like the rest of them.  

Felix was careful to let none of his thoughts show on his face as he picked up his juice. It was arranged in a cocktail glass, a real slice of pineapple and a tiny umbrella decorating the rim. 

He turned to clink glasses with Jisung, who was holding a drink that looked clear like water but smelled like anything but. 

“What is that?” 

Jisung giggled as he clinked their glasses together. “It’s really just sprite and vodka.”

Felix scrunched up his nose but he wasn’t about to judge Jisung for his drink of choice. He could remember drinking a lot of the same concoction during his first week of university, mostly because it was cheap and easy. He felt a little comforted by the fact that Minho seemed just as disgusted as him. 

Jisung didn’t seem to care. He took a happy sip and that seemed to be enough for Minho to smile when Jisung looked at him. 

Because Felix was still turned towards him and Jisung, he saw the exact moment Minho’s face fell. He was on his feet within the blink of an eye, holding out his hand for Jisung to take. 

“Dance with me.” 

Jisung’s eyes widened. He barely had time to set down his drink before Minho was ushering him out of the booth. 

“Chan,” Hyunjin said, clearly asking a question. 

Chan smiled at Hyunjin. “Go with them. Have some fun.” 

Hyunjin looked like he’d rather stay, his eyes moving towards Felix before he left as well. 

What’s going on? Felix wanted to ask, but he promptly got his answer. 

Just as Hyunjin stepped off the platform that their booth was on, another vampire approached. He was flanked by two humans, all three of them dressed in suits that screamed expensive. That in itself wouldn’t have alerted Felix. The more time he spent with Chan and his clan, the more he got used to the seemingly endless amount of money an endless life brought with it. It was the fact that Hyunjin bowed his head at the vampire before he left. 

Felix instinctively burrowed a little deeper into Chan’s side. Chan smiled at him, moving his arm off the backrest to drape it around Felix’s shoulders. Felix knew it wasn’t an accident when Chan’s fingers brushed over the side of his throat. 

The vampire saw it too. A grin split his lips. 

“So it is true what Mingyu told me. Bang Chan has come with a human companion.” 

“Indeed.” Chan’s voice sent a shiver down Felix’s spine. Chan’s tone was polite, friendly even, but there was none of the teasing lilt to it that Felix had grown used to. He sounded cold in a way that Felix was not used to. 

It only seemed to amuse the other vampire further. 

He looked at Felix when he said, “Given the occasion, I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Choi Seungcheol. I’m the owner of Attaca. These are my humans, Jeonghan and Joshua.”  

Both the humans waved. 

Chan’s lips brushed Felix’s ear. “Seungcheol is the leader of the biggest clan in Seoul. He’s got half a dozen progeny and just as many humans in his nest.”

Felix’s eyes widened. He knew it wasn’t common for this many vampires to band together. Vampires were lone hunters by design. A clan of four or five was already substantial and Seungcheol’s clan spanned thirteen people if Chan was telling the truth. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” Felix placed his hands in front of his middle before bowing. “I’m Lee Felix.” 

Chan’s hand on his thigh helped a lot to calm his nerves. 

Seungcheol smiled at him, clearly appraising, before his focus shifted towards Chan. “I was delighted when Mingyu told me that the entire Bang clan is with us tonight. We see Hyunjin a lot and Seungmin comes around when it’s time to close the yearly accounts, but I can’t even remember the last time I saw you, and with a human by your side no less. Have you come here to talk business with me or are you just here to have fun?” 

Chan laughed and it sounded real. “A little bit of both.” 

The vampire’s grin widened and like that the tense atmosphere seemed to be broken. Seungcheol sat down on the sofa next to Chan and Chan let him. 

Felix might have relaxed at that but the moment Seungcheol was roping Chan into a conversation, his two humans descended upon Felix, sitting down on each of Felix’s sides. Chan let that happen too, though his arm moved to the back rest so the tips of his fingers could brush over Felix’s nape, uncaring of the human between them. 

The humans didn’t seem to care either. Their attention was all on Felix. 

“Felix, was it?” one of them asked.  

Felix nodded. 

“I’m Jeonghan and this is Joshua.” 

Felix nodded, thankful for being reminded of their names. Beautiful humans in suits didn’t seem like that polite of an address, even if it was accurate. He felt underdressed suddenly in his jeans and crop top. Like a cheap bottle of wine among really expensive ones. 

It seemed that his emotions were written on his face. 

“You don’t have to be nervous.” 

“Yes, Joshua and I don’t bite.” Jeonghan’s lips pulled into a smile that might as well have been fanged. “We’re just a little curious.” 

“Curious?” Felix blinked. “About me?” 

Joshua hummed, his hand coming to rest on Felix’s shoulder. His touch was feather-light and, paired with his angelic face, strangely comforting. Despite the sharp way he was dressed, his eyes and voice were soft. “You have to forgive us. Your clan leader is kind of infamous for rejecting human companions so we wanted to see who it was that finally caught the great Bang Chan by the fangs.”  

Felix nearly laughed at the wording. He had to keep up pretendes for the sake of his own safety, he’d promised Chan as much, but he couldn’t help but think how ridiculous that sounded. “I don’t think I really did anything like that.”

“Oh, we have to disagree.” Joshua’s eyes were twinkling as he smiled. “He hasn’t looked away from you once, have you noticed?” 

Felix instinctively looked towards Chan, who indeed was already looking at him. Despite the fact that he was still sandwiched between two very beautiful, very scary men, Felix felt his heartbeat calm. Chan shot him a smile and Felix smiled back. 

Jeonghan cooed in his ear. “Oh, you’re so cute.” 

Felix instinctively pressed a little closer to Joshua, who rubbed his back. 

“Don’t take Jeonghan too seriously,” he conspiratorially whispered into Felix’s ear. “He’s nice, I promise. We just find you interesting.” 

Felix looked at him with wide eyes, feeling a little awkward when he had to tell them, “I’m really not that interesting.” 

“I disagree, Felix.” Jeonghan leaned closer. “I’d say you’re plenty interesting.” 

“Right! We’d love to know how you and Bang Chan met!” 

Felix didn’t know whether it was the nervous energy in his stomach or the way he couldn’t imagine ever telling these two men the truth, but he couldn’t help but laugh. The memory of his first encounter with Chan worked to make him regain his confidence. 

He looked towards Chan, making sure that Chan was looking at him too when he said, “It really wasn’t that exciting. I actually met Jisung first.” 

“The human of the crown prince?” 

Jeonghan peered over the gallery railing behind him down at the dance floor. It wasn’t that hard to find Jisung amongst the crowd. Despite the fact that the dance floor was packed, there was a good metre of space between where Jisung was dancing, sandwiched between Minho and Hyunjin, and the rest of the crowd. 

“Yes, Jisung.” Felix filed the question crown prince? away for later. “Jisung and I are friends and Chan and I met when I, uh, visitted Jisung at the nest.” 

Felix tried to stick as close to the truth as possible. He knew that Seungcheol would be able to tell if he lied. Luckily, he seemed to be good enough of a job to at least fool the humans. 

“Oh, I can just imagine it!” Joshua clapped his hands. “I’m sure Chan saw you and he was overwhelmed by how cute you were and he just had to mark you!” 

“You read too many romance novels, Shua.” 

“Actually,” Chan’s smooth voice interrupted them. “I’d argue that Felix marked me first.” 

All three members of Seungcheol’s clan watched as Chan tilted his head to the side, exposing the faint traces of a cross burned into his neck. The scarring was only visible in the brightest of the coloured lights, but unmistakably there. 

Joshua and Jeonghan gasped while Seungcheol lost his smile for the first time since Felix had met him. His eyes flickered to the cross pendant resting on Felix’s chest before he met Felix’s eyes. 

“Oh, Chan,” Seungcheol said as his eyes bore into Felix’. A smile crept back onto his features, but it looked different than before. “You must have done something really bad for Felix to punish you so.” 

“He didn’t like me very much at the beginning,” Chan admitted, rising to his feet. 

Immediately, both Jeonghan and Joshua moved. They seemed quite happy to return to Seungcheol’s side. Felix felt much the same when Chan sat down beside him. 

Chan’s carefully tempered expression gave way to something more gentle as he stroked Felix’s cheek. “I like to think he likes me better now, though.” 

Felix smiled, baring his blunt, useless teeth at Chan before leaning into his touch. He didn’t mind doing it, even if they were being watched. It felt nice. 

“I guess you’re lucky then, Chan. Who would have thought that such a small human could do so much damage? Truly, it’s remarkable."

Felix didn’t like the way Seungcheol looked at him. As if there was more to Felix. As if Felix had something he had to know about. Felix knew it was never good to pique a vampire’s interest in such a way. It scared him. 

A tiny furrow appeared between Chan’s eyebrows, his hand wandering to Felix’s chest, covering his heart. 

Felix was almost relieved when another vampire came up to their booth. He was small and wiry, moving in a way that reminded Felix a little bit of Nola with the way every step seemed sure-footed and precise. 

“Seungcheol,” the vampire called on his clan leader, looking apologetic. 

Seungcheol tilted his head to the side, still studying Felix. “What is it, Woozi?” 

Woozi cleared his throat and that caught Seungcheol’s attention. “There’s some guests who are requesting entrance to the VIP section. They are very…determined. Mingyu’s holding them off but I think it might be better if you took a look.” 

Seungcheol frowned, rising to his feet. He inclined his head at Chan. “I’m sorry, I fear I have to cut our meeting short.” 

“Would you like some help dealing with that?” Chan asked. 

Seungcheol’s mouth twitched in amusement. “No need. This is business as usual. People rarely know how to behave at a night club.” Seungcheol’s eyes flickered over to Felix. “I don’t mind people having fun though. Enjoy your night.” 

With that, Seungcheol was gone. 

Joshua and Jeonghan rose to their feet as well.

“It was lovely to meet you, Felix,” Jeonghan said.

“So lovely!” Joshua reaffirmed. 

“If you ever find yourself wanting for some more human company, don’t hesitate to come back and find me and Joshua.” 

Where Joshua was waving, Jeonghan reached out his hand and, despite Chan’s fingers digging into his hip, Felix took it. 

Jeonghan smiled at him, beautiful and sharp, before letting go. He graciously bowed his head at Chan before taking Joshua and leaving with him. Woozi left with them, leading them in the opposite direction of where Seungcheol had gone. 

“Fuck,” Felix muttered as soon as they were gone, all but collapsing against Chan’s shoulder.

Chan frowned, rubbing his side. “Did Joshua and Jeonghan bother you?” 

“No, no! They were both very kind. Just…a little overwhelming.” 

“That’s funny. I’m pretty sure Seungcheol brought them to make you feel at ease.” 

Felix blinked. “I mean, they were nice!” 

“Don’t worry, I understand why you may have felt uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I can’t say that they did not overwhelm you on purpose. Jeonghan is usually kind, but he can be fierce if he sees the need to be. He is just as protective of his clan as Seungcheol is. He and Joshua came to make sure you weren’t a threat to their clan.”  

“A threat?” Felix laughed in disbelief. “Me?”

“Well, me, but if you were really my human, you’d hold immense power over me. And I didn’t exactly make an effort to dissuade them from the idea that I’m very much willing to listen to what you have to say.” 

“How?” 

Chan smiled as he brought Felix’s fingers to the his neck. “I did not kill you for this.” 

Felix stroked the marred skin. The mark was barely palpable and would fade completely with more time, but it was there. Felix had done that. It didn’t feel him with as much pride as before. 

“Is that bad? Does that mean Seungcheol’s clan will want to fight ours?” 

He didn’t know why Chan was smiling so big all of a sudden. He looked downright giddy before his expression turned serious again. 

“No,” he reassured Felix, his eyes remaining soft. “You were perfect. You always are. Nothing is going to happen.” 

“Are you sure?” 

Chan hummed, stroking Felix’s hair behind his ear. “If anything, Seungcheol’s humans are a little too fond of you. Everyone’s always so fond of you.” Chan sighed. “One day, someone’s going to try and steal you, I just know it.” 

Felix didn’t know whether it was the almost absent-minded way Chan said it or the way he didn’t sound like he was kidding at all that moved him to ask, “Would you let them?” 

Chan smiled. He didn’t have to lean forward. Felix was already leaning into him. Felix thought his heart might beat out of his chest when smooth, cool lips pressed against his cheek. “Not a chance.” 

Chapter Text

Seungmin and Jeongin returned to their booth just as Felix was finishing off the last of his juice.

Jeongin flopped down next to him, rubbing his face into Felix’s shoulder. The fluffy strands of his hair tickled Felix’s neck, making Felix giggle. Seungmin had a little more decorum as he sat down on the opposite couch, reaching for the glass tumblr Hyunjin had left. 

“Did you find anything?” Chan asked. 

Seungmin took a measured sip of blood. “Nothing yet, unfortunately.” 

“You didn’t find anything?” Felix’s heart sank.

Jeongin’s face pressed harder into his shoulder, his hand curling into the hem of Felix’s shirt. 

“Jeongin thinks he might have caught a whiff while we were on the dance floor, but there’s so many different scents in the air, it’s impossible to tell.” 

Chan frowned. “Is there nothing we can do?” 

“We’d have to drag every vampire out of the crowd one by one and let Jeongin sniff them to get a clear reading. I don’t think there’s many that would cooperate.” 

Felix felt his vision blur as he looked down at the dance floor. 

“So, it’s impossible?” he asked quietly. 

“Nothing is impossible,” Chan said, but Felix could hear the apology in his voice. 

He got to his feet. 

“Felix.” Chan tried to grab onto his hand, but Felix evaded him. 

He knew Chan would find a way to make him feel better and Felix didn’t want to feel better right now. He nearly stumbled on his way off the platform, but he was caught by several hands. He shook all of them off. 

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” he announced, maybe a little too snappy but maybe not snappy enough when he noticed that he was shadowed as he made his way down to the ground floor. 

“I can go to the bathroom alone, you know?” 

Seungmin didn’t even blink. “I’m not about to lose a million won.” 

Felix did not know what that was supposed to mean and he honestly didn’t care. He expected Seungmin to wait in front of the door to the bathrooms, but Seungmin didn’t. He gave Seungmin a stern look when Seungmin followed him all the way to the door of his stall. 

“I’m allowed to pee by myself, yes?” 

Seungmin raised his hands in a mockery of surrender and motioned for Felix to go on. Felix huffed, his vision blurring once more as he pushed the stall door open. Great. Not only was he crying because he was upset, there were also angry tears mixing in. He put down the lid of the toilet before sitting down, finally letting the hurt in his chest take him over.  

He didn’t know how long he stayed there, sobbing into his hands. He hadn’t realised just how much faith he’d put into Chan, and Jeongin by extension, until his expectations had been let down. He knew it was neither Chan nor Jeongin’s fault. 

It was Felix’s fault that he’d forgotten. He had let himself forget. He’d gone out and had fun while his brother was somewhere in the throes of some rogue vampire. 

It left Felix nauseated, the idea that he had failed Changbin again. That he was going to continue to fail him. He couldn’t fail his brother. Changbin had never let him down like this. Growing up, it had been him that Felix had clung to whenever life had dealt then another bad hand. He’d been Felix’s rock, steadfast and unwavering. 

“Don’t cry, Yongbok-ah.” 

“But we’re alone now. Now that Dad’s gone too, there’s no one left but us.” 

“And that’s enough. You’ve got me and I’ve got you, don’t I? Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

“No. We’ll take care of each other.” 

“Right.” He could recall Changbin’s laughter so well. “We’ll take care of each other.” 

A knock on his door startled Felix out of his memories. 

“How much longer do you think this is going to take?”

Felix pressed a hand over his mouth to contain the last of his sobs, wiping the tears from his cheeks. It took him another couple of minutes, but he eventually managed to get up and open the door. 

Seungmin was right where he’d left him. 

“You’re horrible,” Felix told him outright as he walked past him. “Do you even know what emotions are?”  

Seungmin squinted, as if he actually had to think about it. “I used to have them.” He shrugged. “Alas, it was better to give up having them.” 

Felix shook his head, walking over to the sinks. “I can’t believe you’d even say that. I know you’re a vampire, but how heartless can you be?” 

Seungmin’s eyes met his in the mirror. His voice was dead when he said, “I gave up my feelings to save someone I loved. It was a sacrifice the gravity of which you will likely never understand, so I won’t bother explaining it to you. Just hurry so we can go back.” 

“You loved someone?” It seemed so contradictory to Seungmin’s dry, factual personality. 

Seungmin bared his fangs at him. His face still looked relaxed, but Felix knew that he wasn’t. Felix was toeing a very thin line. He stepped back, metaphorically and physically. 

Wiping his hands dry on his trousers, he led the way to the door. Seungmin followed. 

Once they were back in the main area, Felix let the heavy bass of the music drown out most of the thoughts in his head. He turned towards the dance floor. “I want to dance.” 

“Can we not go back to Chan now? He’s going to get antsy if you don’t come back soon.” 

“No. I want to dance.” 

He was pretty sure Seungmin was about to grab him and throw him over his shoulder like the petulant, crying child that he was so Felix dove into the crowd, dance dance dancing past people until he had made it to the middle of the dance floor. 

“Felix!” 

Felix managed a smile when Jisung flung himself at him. His cheeks were flushed and his smile was so wide it felt like nothing was hurting at all when Felix looked at him. 

“I missed you!” Jisung yelled, louder than Felix had ever heard him speak. There was a slight slur to his words.

It made Felix’s laugh. “I missed you too.” 

“You’re my friend,” Jisung cooed, patting Felix’s hair and shoulder before pulling him in to dance together. “I’m so happy you’re my friend, Felix.” A hiccuped giggle escaped him. “All my other friends are vampires, did you know? I think there’s something wrong with me but if there’s two of us, it’s not so bad anymore, right?” 

Felix pressed a kiss to Jisung’s cheek. “You’re just fine the way you are, Jisung!” he yelled over the music. Briefly, he wondered how many more vodka sprite concoctions Minho had bought him. 

He liked it, though, when Jisung hugged him so tightly. Jisung was so warm. None of the vampires ever ran this warm. Felix clung to him, moving in tune to the music so they could dance together. 

A short glance over Jisung’s shoulder revealed Minho dancing close-by, his eyes half-lidded but Felix knew he was paying attention to any move Jisung made. A short glance over his own shoulder told Felix that Seungmin had followed him. A decision he seemed to regret now that Hyunjin had him in his arms, forcing him to dance with them. 

Felix smiled and buried his face in Jisung’s shoulder, holding onto his warmth. 

It was so hard to let go and then it was so easy. Seungmin was too busy fending off Hyunjin to pay him any attention. Felix just had to manoeuvre Jisung a little more into Minho’s direction and Minho instinctively wrapped his arms around him. The music was deafening, the lights were flickering fast through all the colours of the rainbow and Felix only had to take two steps to the side to let himself be swallowed by the crowd. 

It was so easy. 

Keeping to the beat, he danced along with people so he could move through the crowd fastest. This time, he hoped they would rub their vampire-attracting perfumes into his skin. He didn’t dare breathe until he had made it off the dance floor. A short glance around told him where he needed to go. He only had to make it there. 

A blast of cold air greeted him as he slipped through the door below a neon green exit sign. Goosebumps rose on his skin at the sudden drop in temperature. The back alley was dimly lit, the only light coming from a lantern on the main street. 

Felix took a deep breath, pulling his cross from his neck and wrapping the chain around his fingers until he could hold it in his fist. Clutching the silver cross between his fingers, he walked over to the nearest dumpster. It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. 

He shattered the beer bottle against the wall. Shards rained onto the concrete and Felix didn’t hesitate to pick one of them up. Pressing the tip into the pad of his finger didn’t even hurt. Blood welled up from the puncture wound. 

He knew it would be enough.

Letting his blood drip onto the asphalt, he waited. 

If there was no way to find the rogue vampire, he’d have to make sure the rogue vampire found him. 

*

“You did well, Innie.” Chan ran soothing fingers through the hair of his youngest clan member. “No one is mad at you.” 

“Felix is mad at me! And with good reason!” Chan had to catch Jeongin’s hands when Jeongin started hitting himself in the head. “I should have found it! I always find it!” 

Chan brought their joined hands to his lap. “You don’t have to blame yourself. It’s okay that you weren’t successful tonight. You’ll get it next time.”

“But Felix was so disappointed! He cried. I made him cry. He won’t like me anymore when he comes back.” 

Black tears brimmed in Jeongin’s eyes. Chan wiped them away before they could fall. 

“Of course, Felix still likes you. He’s mad at the situation, not at you. No one is mad at you, Innie, I promise.” 

Jeongin whined as he fell forward, burying his nose in Chan’s shoulder. “It reeks in here, hyung. I don’t want to be here anymore. There’s so many different smells. It’s like that scent is everywhere and nowhere all at once! I’m not even sure what I’m smelling anymore.”

“Once Felix is back, I’m going to take him home. You can ride with us.” 

“Really? You’ll let me be in the car?” 

Chan forced a smile onto his face. “Really.” 

He turned his head even before Seungmin had fully ascended the steps to their booth. A single look at his progeny’s face was enough to make the borrowed blood freeze in his veins.

He immediately rose to his feet. “No.” 

Seungmin ducked his head. It was rare that he showed real emotion, but the guilt on his face was blatant.  

He raised his hands when Chan stalked towards him. “It’s not my fault, I swear!”

“What happened?” 

“I followed him like you said, but he insisted on joining the others on the dance floor and there were so many people there and Hyunjin was trying to smooch my cheek and I thought Minho had him but—” 

“Jeongin!” Chan whirled around. “Find Felix!”

“But you told me not to—”

“Find him!” Chan roared and Jeongin lost no more time springing into action. 

Red bled into the whites of his eyes as his nostrils flared and he swung his head around, looking towards the dance floor below. A moment later, he was jumping over the railing of their booth, landing on the floor below. 

Chan went right after him, grabbing onto the railing to hoist himself over. He was pretty sure he shattered a couple of of the floor tiles as he landed, but he couldn’t have cared less in that moment. He’d simply tell Seungcheol to send him the bill. 

He was probably going to do more damage if Felix didn’t return to his field of vision in the next ten seconds or so. 

“Hyung!” Seungmin called out from their booth above, still guilty, still unable to make it better. 

“Tell the others and then help me find him!” Chan snapped at him before he started searching through the crowd himself. 

*

The vampires didn’t come through the back door. They came from the street, two of them stopping at the mouth of the alley when the scent of Felix’s blood reached them. 

Felix willed himself to feel no fear when they changed course to approach him. 

“Hey, pretty human!” one of them called out to him. Even as if he was backlit by the lantern on the street, Felix could see his fangs flash. “What are you doing out here by yourself?” 

“Oh, hello.” Felix shot both vampires a timid smile. He exaggeratedly patted his pocket while keeping the hand with the silver chain behind his back. “I came here to smoke, but I can’t find my light.” 

It took every ounce of willpower he had not to step back when the vampire who had spoken walked right into his personal space. He perused Felix with bright red eyes, smiling at whatever he found. 

Felix didn’t flinch when the vampire reached out to touch his chest, unprotected now that he was holding his necklace in his hand. “You shouldn’t smoke, darling boy. It ages you even faster than you humans already do.” 

Felix hummed, not averting his eyes. “Bad habit.” 

“Yes, I know all about those.” The vampire grinned and up close, Felix could see that one of his fangs was missing its tip. The vampire’s eyes flickered down Felix’s body, right to his hand. “Do you know you’re bleeding?” 

Felix startled as if he hadn’t even noticed. He pushed his thumb into his mouth, sucking the blood from his skin. “Oops.” 

The vampire followed the action with rapt attention, red bleeding into the whites of his eyes. Despite that, his tone was deceptively gentle when he said, “It’s terribly cold out here for you, isn’t it? Why don’t you come with us? We know a place where it’s warm and cozy.” 

Felix smiled, tilting his head so he could get a good look at the other vampire. “Is that your progeny?” 

To his surprise, the vampire laughed out loud. “Oh, definitely not! Procreation is for the sentimental. I can promise you I’m not burdened by such things. I like to live for the night and the night alone. There’s so many fun things it offers, don’t you think?” 

Felix felt his insides sour. Swallowing against the disappointment he felt, he kept a smile on his face as he turned towards the other vampire. 

“And you? Do you have any progeny?” 

“No. Why?” the other vampire asked, stepping forward. The grin on his face matched his friend’s. “Are we not enough for you?” 

“Actually,” Felix sighed. “I’m sorry to say that you aren’t.” He deliberately took a step back. “I really just came out here to smoke so I don’t want to keep you any longer. Feel free to move along.” 

Felix was careful to keep a calm facade when neither of the vampires moved away from him. On the contrary, the vampire that was already in his space only crept closer. “Oh, but I quite like it here.” 

“Biting me against my will would break the accords,” Felix warned.

“The accords?” The vampire swung his head around to look at his friend. “Do we care about the accords?” 

“No.” The other slowly shook his head, his eyes darkening as he looked at Felix. “I don’t think we do.” 

Felix had expected a lot, but not that. “But you-you have to care about the accords.” 

The first vampire tilted his head to the side, almost as if he was genuinely curious. “Why?” 

“All the clans signed them. You’re bound by them too.”

“Oh,” the vampire broke into easy laughter. “Sweetheart, we don’t care about clan business.” 

The other vampire nodded, a nasty grin on his face as he said, “Yes, we’re just…passing through, if you will.” 

“Passing through you too, if you will.” The first vampire adopted his friend’s nasty grin, his eyes roaming over Felix’s form as if Felix was his next meal. 

And in the eyes of the vampires, he undoubtedly was. 

Felix had sworn himself he wouldn’t play that card, but it was his last hope to deter the vampires from attacking him. He figured that Chan would forgive him. I don’t have any interest in scraping your remains off some concrete just because you’re dead bent on becoming a back alley snack, Chan had told him. Felix had to at least try to spare him the inconvenience so he said, “I already have a vampire.” 

“Is that so?” The eyes of the first vampire roamed over his neck, clearly looking for bite marks. 

In that moment, Felix wished he would have asked Chan to bite him. 

“Hyung,” the second vampire said. Unlike his friend, he was clearly getting second thoughts. 

The first vampire lightly shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t see anyone else here.” He winked at Felix. “I only see you, sweetheart.” 

Felix knew then, that he wouldn’t talk himself out of this one. Slowly, very slowy he took another step back. He could see that it only excited the two vampires. 

“I’m sorry,” Felix said. 

“What are you sorry for, sweetheart?” 

Felix clutched the silver cross in his fist so tightly he thought the metal might sear into his skin just the same. If his brother had taught him one thing, it was to not go down without a fight. So, Felix thought as he darted forward, he would fight. 

*

Chan was going to break something. He was going to tear something apart. He was going to start scratching at the walls, just to see if Felix was hiding behind them. 

A hand clamped around his shoulder, just as Chan was about to rip open the second of three locked stall doors. There were people inside, a human and a vampire. Chan could tell by the faint smell of blood and the displeased growl he received in response to his efforts. He didn’t care. If that was his human inside, he’d pry apart the plywood layer by layer before doing the same to the vampire behind it. 

“Hyung.” 

Chan ignored Minho’s efforts to stop him. Minho had no right to stop him. He was worse. Alas, Minho was Minho and therefore not to be ignored. He caught Chan’s leg before it could collide with the thin wood of the door. 

“Hyung, stop.” Minho’s eyes bore into his own. “Felix is not in there.” 

Chan knew that. He could smell that. It didn’t help against the frantic need to see it with his own eyes, though. They had searched everywhere else. Seungcheol, upon hearing what had happened, had even allowed them to search the closed-off living quarters below the club where most of Seungcheol’s clan dwelled. As it was, every single room in the club had been searched and still there was no sign of Felix. 

Chan let a growl rip from his throat, just to get some of his frustration out. “Where the fuck is he, then?” 

“Not in here, that’s for sure.” Minho knocked against the door of the bathroom stall before dragging Chan away from it.  

“When we’re done here, I’m chaining him up in his flat,” Chan grumbled as they left the bathroom. 

“Or to your bed,” Minho suggested. “Fuck, why do humans insist on wearing that disgusting vampire oil? It reeks in here.” 

They both breathed against the on-slaught of scents in the thick, stuffy air of the main room. It irritated Chan even more than usual because it was the reason they couldn’t find Felix by smell. Returning to the main room, with all the humans and vampires still merrily dancing to the music, reminded Chan how unusual it was that Minho was here by his side. 

“Where is Jisung?” 

“Hyunjin is taking him home. Sungie doesn’t know about Felix. He thinks I’m sending him home because he drank too much. No one is allowed to tell him anything until we’ve found Felix.” 

Chan thought that Jisung was not going to like it when he found out Minho had coddled him, but that was Minho’s decision to make. Chan was not in a position to argue with that right now. 

So instead, he said, “You could have gone with him.” 

Minho looked him right in the eye. “You never leave me when it gets dire. I won’t leave you. Hyunjin doesn’t like conflict so it’s best if he takes Jisung home.”

Minho’s tone was casual, but Chan knew it took him a lot more to let Jisung out of his sight than he was admitting. Touched, Chan briefly squeezed Minho’s shoulder. 

“Thank you.” 

Minho shrugged. 

They found Seungmin and Jeongin approaching the bar. Seungmin was dragging Jeongin along by the scruff of his neck. From the outside, it might have looked like Seungmin’s grip was scolding, but Chan quickly realised that that was not the case. Seungmin was keeping his progeny upright. Black blood was dripping from Jeongin’s nose and Seungmin looked furious. 

“What happened?” Chan asked at the same time that Seungmin all but threw Jeongin into his arms, “Tell him to stop!” 

“I’m sorry,” Jeongin babbled into the collar of Chan’s suit jacket, fingers curling into the fabric. “I’m sorry! I can find him. I can! I just need to try again.” This time, it was Chan who held him back when Jeongin tried to rejoin the crowd on the dance floor. “Just let me try again.” 

Chan pulled Jeongin into his arms, uncaring of the vampire blood Jeongin smeared all over his exposed chest. He held Jeongin tightly until Jeongin stopped struggling, going lax in his arms while still half-heartedly reassuring him that he could find Felix. 

Chan needed him to, but not like this. “It’s okay, Jeongin-ah. You can stop now.” 

“No. No, we haven’t found him yet.” Jeongin wiped the blood from his nose. “I can try again.” 

Chan just shushed him, feeling the last strings of his patience snap. 

He gently pushed Jeongin into Seungmin’s arms. “Take him home.”

“What? No!”

“Yes,” Seungmin said and even Chan shuddered at the gravity of Seungmin’s maker voice. 

Jeongin clearly tried to fight the order, but it was a fight he was bound to lose. Soon enough, Jeongin was crumbling under the weight of his maker’s will. Wiping his nose, he dropped his head. He would not move until Seungmin allowed him to. 

Seungmin’s expression remained stoic, but his hands were uncharacteristically gentle as he took Jeongin by the shoulder. He nodded at Chan before leading Jeongin towards the doors of the club. 

Chan watched them go with a heavy heart. Things weren’t supposed to be this way. Chan couldn’t remember the last time things had gone so catastrophically not his way. It all just added to his anger. 

“Maybe I’ll just chain him to me,” he decided. 

Minho nodded, sniffing the air despite his obvious disgust. “Always a good idea.” 

“He has to be here somewhere.” Chan looked over the crowd as if Felix’s mop of blond hair would magically appear among the crowd. 

“Didn’t you tell him not to leave your side?” 

“Of course, I told him! I explicitly told him that he had to stick by me unless he wanted to end up as a—” Chan cut himself off when a terrible thought took him over. 

There was no way. Felix couldn’t have been that stupid. Chan refused to believe so. 

Without saying another word, he started making his way past the bar and the people mingling there, his eyes latching onto the bright green neon sign above the door next to the bar.

So simple and yet so terrifying of a thought. Chan had sent Seungmin to search the front of the club first thing to make sure Felix hadn’t left the premises, but of course that wasn’t the only exit. 

Chan pushed the back door open with such force he nearly ripped it off its hinges. 

The first thing that hit him was the scent of burning flesh. It nearly made him walk backwards into the club. It was too familiar of a smell, coupled with the memory of intense pain. It hadn’t been too long since it had been his skin that had been seared. The thought allowed him to move forward. 

Good boy, Chan thought when he found the vampire on the ground.

He was writhing against the silver chain wrapped around his throat, choking and gargling as he struggled to pry it from his neck, but Felix had gotten him good. Felix had managed to get the chain around the vampire’s neck like he was supposed to wear it. It made it virtually impossible for the vampire to lift it. The skin on his hands was already turning black where he was trying. 

Chan might have relieved him of his misery right then and there, but he had more important matters to tend to. Past the smell of burning flesh, he could also smell the blood.

“Felix!” he called out, unable to keep the panic out of his voice. 

A gargle answered him, and then there was the flash of a hand behind the dumpster at the end of the alley. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, followed by the unmistakable sound of something heavy, unwilling being dragged across the asphalt. 

Chan was over at the dumpster with a heartbeat, pushing the metal container aside as if it was a toy. The sight that revealed itself was not something Chan had ever wanted to see in his existence. 

There was a second vampire, sitting on top of Felix. The fingers of his right hand were digging into Felix’s neck so harshly that rivulets of blood were running down Felix’s skin, dripping onto the asphalt below. The smell of blood was cloying, setting each of Chan’s nerve endings alight. 

For a single, terrible second Chan saw and smelled and felt nothing but Felix’s blood, so rich and taunting and flowing freely. He could almost taste it. The moment was over when Felix’s eyes met his past the shoulder of the other vampire. 

A miniscule smile appeared on Felix’s face. There was no fight left in them, even though Chan knew he had fought. He could tell by the giant shard of glass sticking out of the side of the vampire’s face. It had simply not been enough. Just like Chan had warned him. Because Felix was human. 

Chan was not. 

He almost welcomed it when Felix’s eyes slipped shut. He wouldn’t have wanted Felix to see what he was going to do next. 

Lost in his bloodlust, the vampire on top of Felix didn’t even seem to notice it when Chan appeared behind him. Chan only welcomed this, though it wouldn’t have made a difference even if the vampire had bothered to pay him any mind. What was coming to him was unavoidable. 

Chan was unavoidable. He really didn’t like it when other people touched his things. 

Baring his fangs, he gripped the vampire by the shoulder and, with a sickening crack, ripped the arm that was holding Felix clean off. Chan enjoyed the way it made the other vampire scream. He was going to make this hurt and it still was not going to be enough. 

Not ever. 

The vampire whipped around, reaching for him with his remaining arm while snapping his fangs at Chan. Chan threw the torn-off arm to the side to grab the vampire by the jaw instead. He noticed that one of the vampire’s teeth was missing its tip. It was proof that this wasn’t the strange vampire’s first fight. It would, however, be his last. 

Chan dodged sharp nails swiping at his face. When the vampire tried to drive his fist into Chan’s side, Chan caught it. Bringing his fangs close to the vampire’s face, he squeezed until he could feel the bones crack in his grip. He couldn’t quite contain the sick smile that took over his features when the other vampire wailed. 

“Who the fuck are you?” the vampire whimpered. 

“Didn’t he tell you?” Chan asked past his fangs and the red in his vision, tilting his head in Felix’s direction. “I’m his vampire. That is my human you were just digging your fingers into right there.” 

The eyes of the other vampire widened in shock before his expression crumbled into something like disdain. “He came onto us. He was out here, practically begging to be tasted.” 

Chan had no doubt that that was the truth. Unfortunately, he simply didn’t feel like letting it pass. With a snarl, he hurled the vampire against the opposite wall, watching in satisfaction as the vampire slid down the dirty brick. As soon as he’d hit the ground, the vampire tried to get to his feet, but then Minho was there, bringing him to his knees with his remaining arm folded behind his back. 

Holding the vampire in place for him, Minho expectantly looked at Chan. 

Chan shook out his hand as he walked over, ready to dig it into the vampire’s chest and rip out his heart. 

He was interrupted when a voice called him back, “Chan!” 

With red in his vision and his fangs still bared, Chan turned his head. 

If it hadn’t been Seungcheol standing by the back door, flanked by two of his own vampires, Chan might have ignored him. But this was not his territory and he respected Seungcheol enough not to fight him on it. Still, he was glad that Seungcheol had the good sense to raise his hands as he approached. 

“I’m a little busy,” Chan told him. 

Seungcheol looked almost amused as he took in the scene in front of him. “I can see that. May I suggest postponing your efforts for a moment, though?” 

“Why?” 

Seungcheol stepped close, his voice uncharacteristically gentle for a vampire of his standing, but it worked wonders to keep Chan from lashing out at him just for coming close. “Take care of your human first. We’ll take care of the rogues. We will keep them alive for you, I promise, but this happened on my territory and I’d like to ask some questions first.” 

Chan could see the reason in that, as much as the anger simmering in his veins told him to continue with what he’d been doing. 

“Please,” Cheol’s hand briefly touched his shoulder, his gaze falling to the side. “He needs you.” 

Chan followed his line of vision to Felix. Felix, who looked so small where he was curled in on himself, so helpless. Moving in twitches rather than full movements, Felix was trying to press his hands to the wounds on his neck, but it was of no use. Chan knew it wasn’t. He could hear the way Felix’s heartbeat seemed to grow weaker with every beat. 

The rest of the world stopped mattering then. Even moving at vampire speed didn’t feel fast enough. Chan fell to his knees by Felix’s head. 

Felix smiled when he saw Chan. It looked a little lopsided, his eyes half-lidded. Chan knew that Felix would have never been as sweet with him if he had been well, but he was not right now so he gave Chan the sweetest little, “Hi.”  

“Felix.” All the anger left Chan at once. Instead, he was left with a terrifying hole in his chest that might have spread to be Felix-sized if Felix’s eyes would keep drooping like that. 

“I fought them.” Felix’s voice was quiet but proud. “Did you see?” 

“I saw.” 

“You fought them too.” 

Chan took his hand. Such small hands trying to contain such big damage. “Did that scare you?” 

Felix shook his head. He winced when Chan pulled him into his arms. “Hurts.” 

“I know, baby, I know.” 

A tear ran down Felix’s cheek, his eyes fluttering close. “I didn’t…didn’t think it would hurt this much.” 

“Felix.” Chan stroked his hair, his cheek to wipe away the tear. “Do you want it to stop hurting?” 

Felix hummed, his eyes no longer opening. 

Chan lightly shook him. “I need an answer, Felix.”

A small, strained laugh left Felix’s lips. He still didn’t open his eyes. “You’re nice, Bang…Bang Chan. You’re not scary…at all. You’re…nice.” He buried his face in Chan’s chest, seemingly content to stay there. 

Chan shook his head. What he was about to do wasn’t nice at all, but he would do it all the same. “It’s okay, Felix,” he promised. “I’ll make it stop hurting.” 

Felix didn’t react to that. 

Chan lifted his own hand to his mouth, biting into the soft flesh between his pointer finger and thumb. Black blood welled up from the wound and he brought his hand to Felix’s mouth. 

The moment his blood hit Felix’s tongue, Felix started struggling. Chan didn’t allow him to get away. He held him tight, keeping him in place. “It’s okay, baby,” he soothed. “Swallow, yes, just like that. Just a little. It takes just a little.” 

He could tell the exact moment that his venom hit Felix’s nervous system. The frown on his face evened out, his reluctance turning into greed as he grabbed onto Chan’s hand, keeping it pressed against his lips. A needy little whine escaped him as he sucked on Chan’s hand. Chan let him, lowering his own mouth to Felix’s neck. 

He’d stopped asking the universe for forgiveness a long time ago, but he hoped that Felix would forgive him as he lapped up the blood coating his neck. He could feel the way his eyes changed as he finally, finally tasted Felix’s blood again. The taste was indescribable, addicting as if it had been made for him. 

Maybe, he thought selfishly, greedily, maybe Felix had been made for him. And even if he hadn’t, Chan would not be able to let him go after this. Never again. 

Chan methodically lapped up the blood on Felix’s neck before closing his mouth over the wounds that the other vampire had left. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed for him not to sink in his teeth and take all that was left. He couldn’t, though. He wouldn’t. He only allowed himself a single, shallow mouthful of heavenly sweetness before he let his spit pool in the cuts, feeling it with his tongue when they closed. 

The skin that was left behind was unmarred and rosy. Chan pressed a gentle kiss to Felix’s pulse point before pulling away. He also pulled his hand away, despite the protestant whine that Felix let out. 

Felix was shivering in his grip, but Chan knew he was no longer in pain. His pupils were blown wide, his fingers curling into the shoulders of Chan’s jacket. 

“Chan,” he said, voice full of awe, “Chan.” 

Chan smiled at him. “You’re fine.” He pressed a soothing kiss to Felix’s temple, soothing himself too. “You’re going to be just fine.” 

Felix buried his face in Chan’s neck, mouthing at his throat as if he wanted to bite him right back. Chan realised that he would have let him. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Chan hummed. He didn’t stop his ministrations, rubbing soothing circles into Felix’s back. “You’re never going to do that again.”

Felix shook his head, his nose cold against Chan’s colder skin. “I had to try. I had to—I had to try, at least. He would have done the same for me, so—but I—I’m sorry. It was stupid.” 

“It’s good that you know. You will never bring yourself into danger like that again.”

Felix’s answer was too slurred to make out. Chan only continued to rub his back. He’d let Felix babble on for now, perfectly with the way Felix was clinging to him. 

Felix didn’t seem to realise that Chan wasn’t asking, but that was okay. He’d see soon enough. 

*

The room had a single door. 

It was solid, rust-coloured metal. It was strong, but Changbin was strong too. He always had been. He had no doubt that he could have torn it open if he had been able to reach it. 

He wasn’t. 

There was a chain around his ankle. It was neither heavy nor thick, but Changbin could not lift it, could not tear it apart like he could have torn apart everything else in the room, now that the borrowed blood in his veins made him so much stronger. 

The chain was made from silver and touching it would have melted the flesh off his bones. Changbin had tried, once, and suffered such a bad burn for it that his maker had had to pour blood straight onto the wound. 

He’d scolded Changbin harshly and then held him as he cried. 

“You have to be careful.” Soothing fingers carded through his hair. “If you hurt yourself while I’m not here, there will be no one to help you.” 

“Take it off,” Changbin had begged. “I won’t run away, I promise. You can take it off and take me with you.” 

“I can’t yet, darling.”

“You can.” 

His maker had only shushed him. He always told Changbin that it wasn’t safe outside, neither for Changbin nor for others if Changbin went there. Changbin was sick of hearing it. He was sick of the room with a single door. 

He wanted to go outside. He wanted to breathe fresh air again. He wanted to stop feeling like he was buried alive. He wanted it almost as much as he wanted blood. Blood, however, he’d find outside too. 

He’d have to find a way to break the chain. 

*

The basement room was sterile, tiled from top to bottom. The only interruption was the drain in the middle of the floor. Chan supposed that was for easy cleaning. 

He stepped up next to Seungcheol, who greeted him by offering Chan a small, velvet pouch. 

“We took this off the smaller one. Thought you might want it back.” 

Chan peered inside the pouch, finding Felix’s silver cross inside. His fingers curled around the fabric. “Thank you.” 

Seungcheol smiled. “No problem. I’d get it cleaned before giving it back to your human, though.” 

Chan pocketed the pouch. “I’ll make sure to do that.” It wasn’t the only thing Chan was going to do, but Seungcheol didn’t need that many details. 

They turned their attention to the spectacle in the middle of the room. Currently, four of Seungcheol’s clan members were watching over the rogue vampires. Chan supposed that the three vampires had held them in place while the only human—Wonwoo, if Chan recalled correctly—had bound them with thin silver chains. 

“Did they talk?” 

“Eventually. Hoshi can be…persuasive if he wants to be.” 

Chan looked over to the vampire in question, who was currently entertaining himself by poking the taller of the rogue vampires with his own severed arm. Every time the vampire snapped at Hoshi for it, Hoshi laughed. 

“What did you find out?” 

“They’re nomads, for one.”

“That makes sense.”

“Both of them have been released by their makers.” 

Chan’s face scrunched up in disdain. 

It wasn’t that uncommon for nomads to exist because there were clans that preferred to travel rather than settle down in one place, but these two vampires didn’t have a clan. They’d been cast out by the very same vampire that had made them. 

The thought alone made Chan’s stomach turn. 

Releasing one’s progeny was something no maker did unprovoked. The bond ran too deep. Too much blood was needed to create a progeny in the first place. No maker would willingly give up one of their own like that. Chan didn’t want to imagine what atrocities the vampires in front of them had committed to provoke such a punishment. 

But then, he could imagine it very well. Vampire laws, few of them that they had, all centered around the idea of respect. It was necessary to respect each other and the claim one vampire laid, whether it was to land or other vampires or human beings, when eternal life also meant eternal grudges. Blood feuds could last forever between eternal beings and would lead to nothing but the extinction of one’s own kind. 

Alas, it seemed like the two vampires in front of them hadn’t been able to submit to this one, measly restriction of their new unborn life. Maybe they’d been too blinded by their own might. Maybe they’d been too thirsty for blood that wasn’t theirs to take.

Chan didn’t really care. 

“What do you plan to do with them?”

“We got everything out of them we needed to know, so I’m leaving it to you. It was your human they attacked, so the kill is yours.” 

Chan’s mouth pulled into a grin. It wasn’t the nice kind. He stalked closer, declining when Hoshi offered him the arm he’d severed. 

“You can keep that.” Chan kept his eyes all on the one-armed vampire. “He’s not going to need it anymore.” 

The one-armed vampire snarled at him and Chan felt his grin widen. Red tinted his vision and his fangs elongated. 

Before he rid the other of the rest of his limbs, he had the mind to pull out his phone. With a few, quick taps, he sent Seungmin a million won. 

Then, he attacked. 

Chapter Text

Felix woke up in a bed that was not his own. He might have freaked out about that, but his surroundings weren’t unfamiliar to him. For a long while, he just lay there, marvelling at the feeling of soft sheets against his skin, of blood flowing through his veins instead of out of him, of the solid weight of an arm that was draped over his waist. 

He wasn’t dead. 

Blinking against the soft orange light illuminating the guest room, he licked his lips. A tingling sensation filled his mouth, reminding him about what he had tasted before. The memory alone was enough to make him bury his face in his pillow, a shiver running through his entire body, making his fingers dig into the mattress on the search for more. 

He wanted more. He wanted—

Venom. 

When Felix had been in school, there’d been a dedicated day each year during which their biology teacher had wheeled out an old rackety tube TV and shown the class video after video about the effects that different types of vampire-human interactions could have. A vampire drinking human blood had been the main focus of the discussion, of course, but they had also talked about the vice versa. 

About how vampire blood was remarkable in what it could do for the human body and even more remarkable in what it could do to it. About how a single drop of vampire blood could lead to addiction. Felix had always scoffed at the idea that a vampire’s blood could be put in the same category as real hard drugs, but now he knew. 

Now, he knew what it felt like to feel nothing but heavenly bliss for hours on end. Felix had gotten a taste of vampire venom during his first encounter with Chan, but he’d never thought that it was possible for vampire blood to be so much more potent than their saliva. The blood was different. It hadn’t just brought him euphoria. It had changed him. 

Felix wriggled his fingers and toes. There was not a part of his body left that ached. As he swallowed, it didn’t feel like the vampire from the back alley had ever dug his claws into his neck at all. Had Felix not been able to remember so vividly what it had felt like when the vampire had attacked him, he might have thought that all of it had been a dream. But it was real. He knew it was real because he could remember what it had felt like to see Chan come for him. 

Even if Felix had broken his rules, Chan had come for him. Even if Felix had fought him at every opportunity, Chan had come for him. Felix’s death would have made things so much easier for Chan and Chan had still come for him. 

Running his fingers over his own, unmarred throat, Felix wriggled around. It must have been daylight hours still because Chan was in deep sleep next to him. His chest moved in a rhythm that would have been much, much too slow for any human to breathe, but Chan wasn’t human. 

Felix didn’t allow his eyes to linger on Chan’s bare chest. The knowledge of just how defined a vampire’s muscles could be left his mouth a little too dry. With warmth creeping onto his cheeks, he lifted his gaze to Chan’s face instead, studying the prominent line of his brows and nose and plush lips.

The urge to reach out and touch was overwhelming. 

He didn’t dare to. Not because he was scared that Chan would scold him for it. Chan touched him all the time. Felix was scared of what the remnants of venom in his blood stream would make him do once he crossed that invisible line. 

He was still staring when Chan’s eyes cracked open, just a smidge. Felix could see his eyes roll in his head before he opened them fully, staring at Felix with bright red eyes. 

Felix instinctively tried to move back, but the arm around his waist kept him in place. 

Chan’s eyes fell close again, his nostrils flaring as he took a deep inhale and then he was moving, rolling himself right on top of Felix. Felix could do little but wheeze as the boulder-like weight of Chan’s body settled on top of him. 

Chan perused him with half-lidded eyes before he dropped his face to Felix’s neck. 

Felix shivered. He curled his hands around Chan’s arms. His fingers were nowhere near long enough to encompass the width of Chan’s biceps. “Chan.” 

Blunt teeth grazed the side of Felix’s neck, making him shiver. 

“Chan.” 

Chan hummed, his lips closing over Felix’s pulse point. Felix didn’t know what scared him more. The thought of Chan biting him again or the thought that he might not.

“Chan!” 

Chan lifted his head, smiling down at him. He still looked tired, but the drowsiness was rapidly disappearing from his expression. The sun must have been sinking. 

Felix arched his back, pressing his chest against Chan’s to see whether it would grant him a little more space. Chan responded by bracketing Felix’s hips with his knees instead of fully lying on top of him. His face remained close to Felix’s own, his underarms framing Felix’s face on the mattress. Felix had never seen his eyes gleam in such a bright shade of red. 

He couldn’t hide the shiver that ran through his body as he realised that he was the one responsible. It was his blood that Chan had drank last night. He was the reason Chan’s eyes were bright instead of dark. 

Felix had always wondered why any human would willingly agree to be a vampire’s chew toy. Now, he had an inkling. It made him feel powerful. Chan was so much stronger than him, but it was Felix’s blood that made him strong. In the end, someone like Chan would always need Felix more than Felix needed him. 

His breath hitched when Chan lowered his mouth to his ear, but his question was innocuous enough, “How are you feeling?” 

Felix didn’t have to think about it. “Bloody fantastic.” 

Chan hummed, stroking Felix’s cheek before he pulled away. Only then did Felix see that his answer hadn’t made Chan smile like he’d expected. He had expected Chan to be cocky about it, or self-satisfied, but Chan didn’t look like either of these things as he sat up, balancing on his knees so he didn’t put his weight on Felix.

“Good.” 

Something about his tone made Felix’s fingers flex with the urge to reach for him. Suddenly, he no longer cared about what it would do to him if he allowed himself to touch Chan. He needed Chan to not move away from him. Like he was doing right now. Panicking, he grabbed onto Chan’s thighs. “Chan.” 

“What?” Cold. Curt.

Felix searched Chan’s face, desperate for any sign of affection, of emotion, but there was none. Chan’s face was perfect and perfectly void. 

“You’re mad,” Felix realised.

Chan tilted his head to the side. “Why would I be mad?” 

Felix had lived through Chan treating him with every emotion there was. None of it had scared him as much as the absolute nothingness in Chan’s eyes as he looked down at Felix. He didn’t want Chan to look at him like that.

“You know,” he mumbled. “You already know.” 

“What do I know?”

Felix cast his eyes down. The plaid fabric of Chan’s pyjama pants was taut over his muscled thighs, giving Felix nothing to hold on to. It was no use trying to lie. Chan would have been able to tell if he did. 

Still, the words wouldn’t come over his lips. Felix didn’t know whether it was his pride or pure stubbornness that made him unable to confess to his sins. All he knew was that he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t admit to what he had done wrong. If he did that, he’d have to face the consequences. If he admitted to what he had done and Chan finally realised that Felix was not worth the effort, Felix didn’t know what he would do. The thought made him sick. 

His silence provoked a hint of emotion in Chan’s eyes. He huffed and Felix knew that Chan wouldn’t let him get away with it. 

“Was it fun, Felix?” Chan asked, too calmly. “Was it fun, playing with your life like that? Making everyone worry about you? Did you enjoy that?” 

“You know that was not what I was trying to do.”

“It’s what happened nonetheless.” Chan looked entirely unimpressed. “Do you even know the ruckus you caused? One rule, Felix. I had one rule for you. I asked you not to leave my side when we went to the club. And what did you do?"

Felix’s bravado left him as quickly as it had come to him. He simply couldn’t fight against Chan’s stern gaze. Against his own guilt. 

“I left your side,” he admitted quietly.

“You left my side.” The disappointment in Chan’s voice was so severe Felix felt like throwing up. "In a club full of vampires, you just decided it would be a good idea to wander off on your own."

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Felix tried to reason. “We weren’t finding anything so I had to try something else! Changbin—” 

“Your brother,” Chan seethed, “is going to be fucking distraught if he comes back home just to find out that you got mauled. I told you you’re no use to him dead. Yet, you went into that alley as if I didn’t tell you what would happen.” 

Felix squirmed underneath him. “I didn’t think—” 

“Right, Felix, you didn’t think. You nearly died. Do you even realise that? You nearly died behind that dumpster!” 

“Chan—” 

Chan turned his head away, as if he could no longer stand to look at Felix. His voice was heartbreakingly quiet when he said, “I know you only care about your brother, but your brother is not the only person in this world that cares about you, Felix.”

Whatever Felix had wanted to say before, he lost it right then and there.

“You care about me.” Felix didn’t ask it as a question. He didn’t have to. Chan had come for him. No matter what had been best for himself and his clan, Chan had come for him. It was terrifying to think about. It was the only thing he could think about. 

Felix’s breath fell short when Chan leaned down. “What else am I supposed to do, Felix? What else am I supposed to do so you stop running away from me?” Desperately, reverently, he stroked Felix’s neck down to his chest. “Tell me.” 

Felix’s heart thundered in his chest. He was a sheep, caught in the maw of a wolf. He was not scared of Chan. 

“I won’t do it again,” he whispered. He really wouldn’t. He remembered what it had been like before Chan had come for him. It was hard to swallow against the phantom claws in his neck. “I’m sorry.” 

“No, Felix.” Chan’s voice was so gentle and yet so firm. “You’re not sorry. Not yet, but you will be.” 

Faster than Felix could think, Chan rolled off him and got off the bed. He moved so fast it was impossible for Felix to hold onto him. To Felix’s surprise, Chan’s expression was almost pained as he moved away from Felix. “I really hope you will learn from this.” 

“What does that mean?” Felix sat up, shivering against the sudden cold. Chan’s skin never truly warmed, but Felix felt colder without him. 

“Chan!” he called out when Chan slipped through the door. “What does that mean?!” 

But Chan was already gone. 

Felix didn’t get very far in going after him. He felt nauseated the moment his feet hit the floor. Groaning, he flopped back onto the mattress. When he wiped his mouth, his spit was diluted grey. 

*

Chan found Seungmin and Jeongin in the living room. Jeongin was sitting on the floor between Seungmin’s legs while Seungmin plucked leaves out of his hair. Chan couldn’t help the smile that overtook his features. Jeongin must have chased the rodents in the garden again. 

Both of them looked up when Chan came in. 

“Seungmin, care to accompany me?” 

Seungmin nodded while continuing to pluck the last pieces of garden out of Jeongin’s hair. “Where are we going?”

“Back to Attaca.”  

“Am I coming?” Jeongin sat up, looking eager. Chan couldn’t stop seeing him with blood gushing from his nose. 

“No.” 

As quickly as he had perked up, Jeongin folded in on himself, like a chastised dog. Chan hastily softened his tone. “We’re going there to thank Seungcheol for his help yesterday and pay for the damage we did. If there was anything you could do to help, I’d take you with us, Innie, you know this.”

Jeongin nodded, but he still looked a little disheartened. It got better when Seungmin stroked the top of his head. Seungmin usually couldn’t be tortured into openly displaying affection, but Chan knew him well enough to know that he’d been scared the night before. Among all the things in the world, Seungmin cared about Jeongin the most and their youngest had taken a serious hit yesterday. He’d recovered since then, but Seungmin still doted on him. 

In the meantime, Jeongin seemed to have the time of his life, clearly revelling in the attention. Right now, he looked like he might risk tackling his maker into a hug. 

Seungmin seemed to know this because he rose to his feet, smoothing out the front of his sweater vest before he walked over to Chan. Chan grinned, lifting his hand as if to stroke Seungmin’s hair in the same way that Seungmin had done to his own progeny. 

Seungmin bared his fangs at him, making it very clear that he’d bite off Chan’s hand if he touched him. 

Chan laughed and led him towards the door. 

“What about Felix?” Seungmin asked as they went out into the night. 

Chan’s smile slid right off his face. “What about him?” he asked, keeping his tone even. 

He could feel the way Seungmin stared at him before he whistled. “So cruel, hyung. Are you sure you’re not too harsh on him? You know it’s going to drive him crazy if you leave him right now.” 

Chan shrugged. His insides were roiling so he could be sure that Felix was faring even worse than he himself was, but he ignored the feeling. “He has to learn what it means to run away from me.” 

*

Felix wallowed in bed until he could no longer stand himself.

He tried to soothe himself by telling himself that it didn’t matter if Chan was mad at him. So what? Felix hadn’t asked Chan to care about him. But even Felix knew that he was bullshitting himself. 

It hurt. 

Not just in his heart, but physically. 

Felix didn’t think he’d ever felt so miserable in his life. He was sweating and shivering at the same time, waves of nausea rolling through his body. His throat drew tight every time he swallowed. Guilt was a terrible feeling and Felix was choking on it. The thought of Chan being mad at him actively made him want to throw up. 

In search of warmth and something that would make his stomach stop roiling, he eventually dragged himself out of bed. 

He trudged downstairs, following the sound of noise to the kitchen. He found Jisung, sitting on the kitchen counter while Minho stood between his legs. They were pressed so closely together it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. On the stove next to them, a small pot was bubbling with what smelled like beef bone soup. 

Jisung perked up when he saw him. “Felix!” He jumped off the kitchen counter. 

Felix felt a little bit better about himself as soon as Jisung was hugging him. Jisung was so warm and comforting. 

“I was hoping you’d come down soon!” Jisung pulled him over to the stools by the kitchen island. “I would have gotten you myself but Chan’s room is usually off-limits so I didn’t want to go in there without asking.” 

Felix nearly fell off his seat as he sat down. “Chan’s room?” 

“Yeah, Chan’s bedroom!”

Felix frowned. “You mean the guest room?” 

“No, that’s Chan’s room.” Jisung laughed. “At least it was before you came along.” 

“Really?” Felix’s gaze flickered over to Minho, who looked like he was having great fun watching Felix suffer. “Oh.” 

Jisung looked nothing but excited. He leaned over to conspiratorially whisper into his ear, “It means you’re special to Channie-hyung, you know? He never lets anyone in there. You’re super special!”  

Felix couldn’t really argue with that. He was sure he was super special in the way he had managed to piss Chan off. 

That was not something he needed to burden Jisung with, however, so he tried for a smile. “Where is Chan anyways?” 

“He went out with Seungmin,” Minho said, checking on the pot on the stove. 

“He left?” Felix felt himself deflate. 

Minho shot him a look. “He’s going to come back.” 

Felix averted his eyes to the steel top of the kitchen island, clutching his chest. He didn’t know why Chan’s absence was hitting him so hard, but it felt like his entire body was held in an iron grip that only Chan’s forgiveness could release.

Felix looked up when a steaming bowl of beef bone soup was set down in front of him. “Thank you.” 

Minho ignored him in favour of watching Jisung eat. Jisung dutifully let him smell his spoon before he dug into his food. 

Hoping that the broth would calm his stomach a little, Felix started eating as well. It was delicious. It was so delicious Felix felt bad about how little he was able to enjoy it. He kept glancing at the clock above the fridge as if there was a set time that Chan would come back. 

And that was what he was waiting for. 

He wanted—no, he needed Chan to come back so that they could talk. Felix felt like it might kill him if Chan didn’t come back soon.

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t realise at first how quiet the atmosphere in the kitchen had become. Confused, he looked up from his bowl to find Minho and Jisung staring at the kitchen door. 

Felix followed their line of sight to find Jeongin standing in the doorway. At first, Felix didn’t realise what was so off-putting about Jeongin’s sudden appearance, but then he realised what was off. Felix didn’t think he’d ever seen Jeongin unmoving like that. Jeongin was dead still where he stood, staring at Felix with unblinking eyes. There was no white left in them.

“Jeongin?” Felix asked, feeling unsure. 

At the sound of his voice, Jeongin blinked and then his expression was crumbling, black tears spilling down his cheeks. 

Felix’s throat drew tight. He’d never seen a vampire cry. He hadn’t known that they could cry. Jeongin didn’t look like a monster as he folded in on himself, pressing his fingers against his eyes to stop the flood. 

Before he could think about it too much, Felix slid off his chair. 

“Felix,” Minho warned, but Felix didn’t care. 

He knew he was being reckless again, but this was different. Making everyone worry about you? Did you enjoy that? Chan wasn’t the only one that Felix had let down. Chan was gone but Jeongin was here. Felix could fix this. He could fix something at least. 

“Jeongin,” Felix said softly as he approached. 

Jeongin moved away from him but Felix wouldn’t let him flee. He carefully grabbed onto Jeongin’s hands, pulling them away from his face. Jeongin stared at him in shock. As if he was the one who had to be afraid of Felix. 

“What’s wrong?” Felix asked him gently. 

More tears brimmed in Jeongin’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” he blubbered. “I’m so sorry, Felix, so sorry.” 

Felix shook his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Jeongin-ah.”

Jeongin frantically shook his head. “I should have found you! I should have found you, but I couldn’t. I should have—I tried so hard, but there were too many smells. I just got overwhelmed.” 

“I’m not angry with you, Jeongin.” 

Jeongin sniffled, pulling up his nose. “How could you not be?” 

“I am not.” Felix lightly squeezed Jeongin’s hands. “I know you did all you could to help me. I know you would have found me if it was possible. You found me the first time, remember?” 

Jeongin blinked. “I did.” 

Felix smiled. “You did. Millions of people live in this city, but you still found me, even though I tried really hard to get away.”

“It wasn’t that hard.” Jeongin sniffed. “Your smell was easy to track to the bus stop and from there on I only had to run along the different bus lines until I found your scent again.”

Felix shook his head. “That’s not something just anyone could do. Never question what you’re capable of, Jeongin. I don’t think there’s a better tracker out there than you.” 

Jeongin looked shy now. “You really think that?” 

Felix hummed, wiping Jeongin’s face for him. “I do.” 

Jeongin grinned and Felix was pretty sure that if vampires had been able to, Jeongin would have been blushing. He grabbed onto Felix’s shoulders, tipping them over until he was burying Felix underneath him. The movement made Felix’s heart rate spike but he relaxed just as quickly. He knew Jeongin wouldn’t hurt him. He stroked Jeongin’s hair as Jeongin dropped his head to his shoulder, sniffing him. 

“Jeongin,” Minho’s voice sounded. “The floor is a little uncomfortable for Felix to lie on, don’t you think?” 

Jeongin sat up with a jolt. “Are you uncomfortable?” 

Felix smiled at him. “Maybe we can move to the couch?” 

Jeongin sat up, moving so rapidly Felix could only gasp as he was lifted bridal style into the air. One moment, he was in the kitchen, the next Jeongin was dropping him onto the couch in the living room. 

Jeongin didn’t stop there. He covered Felix in blankets, shoving a pillow under his back and a stuffed animal into his arms. Bemused, Felix squeezed the plush fox against his chest. 

Jisung laughed at him as he came from the kitchen. “Wow. You’re getting the whole deluxe experience, huh?” 

“Are you comfortable, Felix?” Jeongin asked and Felix nodded. 

He was comfortable. He still felt queasy on the inside, his eyes regularly flicking towards the door, but he no longer felt like he was going to choke on Chan’s absence. 

“You look comfortable,” Jisung mused. “Can I join?” 

Felix opened his arms and Jisung grinned as he flopped down on top of him. 

“Hey!” Jeongin complained, a pout forming on his lips. Felix waved him in with one arm and Jeongin eagerly joined them. 

Cuddling with Jeongin was a bit like trying to cuddle a marble statue, but his unforeseen weight helped Felix relax. With Jisung squished into his side, Felix felt nothing but warm and cozy. 

He turned his head when Jisung dug his chin into his shoulder.

“Minho didn’t want to tell me what happened yesterday,” Jisung whispered into his ear, “but he couldn’t hide it from me when Seungmin and Jeongin came home. I’m really glad you’re okay, Felix.” 

“I’m glad too. It was...It was scary.” Felix swallowed. It was Chan’s absence that allowed him to say, “I’m really glad Chan got there in time.” 

Jisung squeezed him tightly. “Me too.” 

“Jisung?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Have you ever drank vampire blood?” 

Felix was surprised by the giggle Jisung let out. “Only once and only a drop, but I remember it. It’s not something you can forget, is it?”

Felix nodded. “What happened with you?” 

“Nothing much, really. It was a year into Minho and I’s relationship so I was used to the effects of his saliva. The blood hits more, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, but it was only a drop so I came off it pretty quickly. I did it more for Minho’s sake than my own.” 

“Minho’s sake?” Felix looked through the open kitchen door to where Minho was cleaning up the kitchen.

“Minho was in a bad episode and I wanted him to be able to feel me.”

“Feel you?” 

Jisung smiled. “If a vampire bites you, the venom in their saliva doesn’t only cause an endorphine rush, it also marks you as their property. At least, in the face of other vampires.”

“The smell of the human changes,” Jeongin supplied, looking blissed out with his eyes closed and ear pressed to Felix’s heartbeat. “It’s nice.” 

Jisung nodded. “The blood is like that, but times a thousand. The blood actually makes you theirs. They can feel you then as if you’re a part of them. Usually, vampires only give blood to turn a human. Apart from the physical change, it’s what initiates the clan bond. If a vampire gives you their blood, it creates a real bond between the two of you.” 

“Oh.” Felix hadn’t known that. 

Felix knew then, what Chan had meant when he’d said, No, Felix, you’re not sorry. Not yet, but you will be. Felix was pretty sure his heart was about to beat out of his chest. “You mean there’s…”

“A blood bond between you and our dear clan leader.” Minho looked perversely entertained as he sat down on the back of the sofa. “You must have felt it already, haven’t you?” 

Felix’s stomach turned. He had felt it. He felt it even now, the cold shivers and bouts of nausea that racked his body in Chan’s absence. It became clear to him then, why he felt like he couldn’t breathe without Chan. 

A blood bond.

It should have filled him with unspeakable fear and anger, the way Chan had chained them together. But Felix hadn’t given him much of a chance to ask, had he? Not when there had been the claws of another vampire buried in his neck, tearing it apart. You nearly died behind that dumpster!

Chan must have known what would happen and he had still given him his blood. He had saved Felix even though he must have known that it would chain them together. Felix remembered the way Chan had looked pained too as he had moved away from Felix. 

A bond wasn’t a leash. It went both ways. Chan was bound to Felix just as much as Felix was bound to him. 

A terrible thought occurred to Felix. Was it Chan, who was disgusted with him? Was that why he had been so angry? Because Felix had forced him to give him his blood by being stupid? 

The thought unsettled Felix more than he liked to admit. He would have liked to blame the guilty conscious he felt towards Chan on the vampire blood in his veins, but he knew that that wasn’t true. It was his own inability to admit when he had done wrong that made him feel sick.

A month ago, Felix would have laughed at the idea of him being upset about hurting a vampire, but things had changed since then. Chan wasn’t just any vampire. He was…Felix’s vampire.

“I feel it,” Felix answered belatedly. 

Minho smiled. There was no sympathy in his eyes. He merely looked entertained. Felix couldn’t blame him. The aggressive protectiveness Minho displayed over Jisung might have distracted from it, but Felix knew that it wasn’t just Jisung Minho was protective of. It was the entire clan. Felix no longer believed that Chan was going to harm him, but Minho would have. Minho would have ripped him limb from limb if Felix hurt any of them again. 

“I like it!” Jeongin nuzzled his stomach. “You belong to Channie-hyung which means you belong to the clan. You can’t run away from us now.” 

Felix swallowed as he placed a hand on Jeongin’s head, stroking the silky white strands of his hair. He feared that Jeongin was right. The thought of running away from Chan made his entire being recoil. Even right now, Felix wanted nothing more than run towards him. 

He forced himself to settle deeper into the couch, dropping his head onto Jisung’s shoulder. Among all of them, Felix found the most comfort in his fellow human. If anyone could understand him, it had to be Jisung. 

“Are you okay?” Jisung asked him, always so much more perceptive than he seemed. “Are you scared? I know it's a lot.” 

“Were you scared?” Felix asked in return. 

“No.” Jisung smiled. “I was in love.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Felix could see the way Minho melted at Jisung’s easy confession. With soft eyes and a smile on his face, he looked a lot less scary. 

Felix found that he was not scared. Not of Minho, not of Jeongin, definitely not of Jisung. He wasn’t scared of any of them. 

There was a part of Felix that longed to take the easy way out. He could throw a fit. He could denounce them and leave. Blood bond be damned, he could leave and pretend that none of it ever happened. 

But it had happened. 

Felix remembered all too well what it had felt like when Chan’s fangs had sunk into his neck, when he had dug his teeth into Chan’s hand in return. The absolute bliss that had overtaken him. Not just because of the venom, but also because it had been Chan. 

He couldn’t leave. Not just because of the blood bond, but because he cared too much. Felix didn’t know when he had begun to do so, but he knew that it was real, the care he felt for these people. His clan, if the thrum in his veins was any indication. Leaving them would have hurt him. 

Jeongin had summarised it perfectly. There was no running away now. 

*

“Took you long enough.” 

Chan saved himself the effort of rolling his eyes at Minho. His first unborn was enjoying this all a little too much, as if he was still a prince and they were all no more than jesters at his court. Chan might have chastised him for it, but he had more important matters to attend to than remind his progeny that empathy was not a lost art. In truth, Chan didn’t have a lot of room to talk himself. 

“Where is he?” 

Minho’s nose scrunched up in annoyance and Chan might have been alarmed, but there was no smell of blood in the air. Minho hadn’t killed anyone this fine night. 

Though, that still might change, judging by Minho’s tone when he said, “He better start sticking to you. For what did you pump him full of your blood if he’s going to cling to my human instead?” 

Chan only laughed. He felt his heart soften when he entered the living room to find Felix and Jisung snuggled up together on the couch. They were fast asleep in each other’s arms while Jeongin was sitting on the floor by their heads, attentively watching for any sign of discomfort. 

“Felix tried to stay up to wait for you.” Minho sighed. “It was kind of cute.” 

Chan smiled. 

Jeongin moved out of the way for him when he approached. Chan grabbed his shoulder as he crouched down next to him. 

“I have a mission for you.” 

Jeongin immediately stood to attention. “What is it?”

“Can you go to Felix’s apartment—”

“Yes.”

Chan smiled. “—and feed Felix’s cat? Felix isn’t going home tonight so someone should look after her.” 

Jeongin moved before Chan could say any more. Seungmin, who was on his way into the room, turned on his heel to go after him. It seemed that his episode of being overbearing had not yet worn off. 

Chan turned back towards the couch to slowly, carefully pull Felix from Jisung’s arms. It roused Jisung, who looked disoriented for a moment before his gaze focussed on Chan.

A bleary smile took over his features. “Hi, Channie-hyung.” 

“Hi, Sungie. Will you let me take Felix to bed?” 

Jisung hummed, his eyes drooping close as he thought about it. It took a moment, but then he nodded. “Okay.”

“Thank you.” 

Jisung jerked when Chan freed Felix from the arm Jisung had draped over his stomach. He grabbed onto Chan’s hand. “Be nice to him, okay? It’s overwhelming, being human when all of you...” Jisung interrupted himself by yawning, "...all of you are not.” 

Chan dutifully nodded. “You know I’ll treat him well.” 

“Good.” Jisung melted back into the sofa. “He’s my friend. I want him to stick around.” 

Me too, Chan thought and finally lifted Felix into his arms. His heart, slowly as it was beating anyways, calmed the moment he had his human in his arms. It was the same for Felix. Chan could hear his heartbeat as if it was his own. It made him smile. 

Felix grumbled at being jostled, but he didn’t properly wake up until Chan laid him down on the bed in their room. Chan had planned to join Felix on the bed after changing out of his slacks and dress shirt, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

“Chan.” In the low orange lighting of his room, Felix’s eyes looked huge as he stared at him. The raw emotion in Felix’s beautiful eyes took Chan by surprise. 

Chan had expected Felix to curse at him first thing. There was so much vitriol in his little human, Chan had expected everything up to Felix attempting to stake him. But Felix didn’t look angry as he stared at Chan. He looked awed. His voice was barely above a whisper when he said, “You came for me.” 

“It’s my house.” Chan gave his voice a teasing lilt. Something familiar that Felix was used to from him. “I kind of had to come back, you know?” 

Felix shook his head. “Not here.” His fingers kept flexing against the skin of Chan’s underarm, as if to make sure he was really real and really here. “In the back alley. You came for me.” 

Chan hummed. He didn’t allow himself to recall the memory. He no longer needed to be angry. “I did.” 

“Because you care about me.” Rather than asking Chan, Felix mumbled the words to himself, as if repeating a fact he already knew. Chan was glad that he knew. “Chan?” 

“Yes, sunshine?” 

Felix looked at him and then looked away. Chan felt it, the embarrassment. He felt everything. Both his venom and blood were in Felix. There was nothing Felix could have hidden from him, especially not himself. 

“I won’t judge you, Felix.” The urge to reach out and take Felix into his arms was overwhelming, especially now that he could hear his blood sing in his own veins, but Chan couldn’t. Not yet. “Not ever, not for anything. Whatever thoughts float around in that beautiful head of yours, I want to hear them all.” 

“Because you care about me?” Felix asked it as a question this time. 

“I do.” 

Two words. Two simple words were enough to make his human crumble. Felix’s grip on his arm tightened, his entire body sagging forward until his face was pressed against Chan’s chest. If Chan hadn’t been a vampire, he might have missed it when Felix whispered, “Me too.” 

Briefly, Chan thought that Minho had been right. It did feel like stepping into the sun after a thousand years of having to live without its light. “You too?” 

Felix nodded against his chest. “A lot—” Wetness soaked the linen of Chan’s shirt. “A lot more than I expected, but—” Felix looked up. He was beautiful even when he cried. “I think there’s more of you in my heart than just your blood.” 

"Oh, sunshine." Chan took Felix’s face between his hands, marvelling at its perfection. Felix was not a vampire and yet he was the most beautiful person Chan had ever seen. It seemed worth it, losing the fight. 

And Chan had fought. 

He had stayed away from Felix as much as he could. He had depleted their entire supply of AB in an effort to not sink his teeth into Felix’s neck like he’d been dreaming of since he’d had that first taste. All of it had been in vain. There was a reason Chan had rejected human companionship before. Once he sank in his teeth, it was impossible for him to let go. 

Felix was his now. Not just the blood in his veins, but all of him. Chan would never be able to let go. He couldn’t once he cared. Once he did more than that. 

“I think it is the same for me.” 

Felix’s eyes filled with tears all over. He was scared. Chan could feel it. It made no difference. Chan would rid him of that fear sooner or later.

“Really?” Felix asked him. 

He tilted his head to the side, a smile tugging on his mouth. “Is that such a surprise to you?” 

Felix shrugged, trying to avoid his gaze. “You were mad when you left. I thought you hated me.” 

Chan frowned. “Why would I hate you, sunshine?” 

“For doing this to you. The blood bond, I mean. Minho and Jisung told me about it and I can feel it and I think you can feel it too and…I’m sorry.” 

Chan smiled. It was so easy to smile when Felix was so cute. “Felix.” 

“Yes?” 

“If I hadn’t wanted a blood bond with you, there wouldn't be one.” 

Felix still looked cute even when he frowned. “But—” 

“No buts.” Chan shook his head. “You have to understand that I am too powerful to give my blood to just any human on a whim. Not even to save their life. If I didn’t want my blood in you, it wouldn’t be.” 

Felix blinked, his cheeks and nose pink. “I didn’t force you?” 

Chan shook his head. “No, sunshine, that was all me. I gave you my blood because I wanted to. Because I knew it wouldn’t change anything for me.”

Felix stared at him. Chan liked it when he did that. He’d rather have Felix look at him than anywhere else. 

Out of all the places Felix could have touched him, Felix chose to take his hand. The same one that Chan had bit open to feed him his blood. Felix’s thumb brushed over the very spot he’d sucked on. There was no mark on the skin, yet Felix seemed to see it. “I thought I might have…”

Chan leaned forward so Felix was looking at him instead. He could hear it when Felix’s heart stuttered and he could feel it. It was addictive. 

“You give me too much credit, Felix. You think I’m so much nicer than I am. My reasons for giving you my blood were entirely selfish.” 

Felix’s gaze flickered from his eyes to his mouth back to his eyes. “They were?” 

Chan smiled. He leaned further in, stopping with his lips a millimetre away from Felix’s mouth. “Yes.”

He had planned to close the distance between them, but he didn’t get to do that. He didn’t have to. Felix kissed him first. 

*

He sat with his knees pulled to his chest, watching the metal door of his room with undivided focus. It had been hours and he knew he wouldn’t have to wait for much longer. His maker never left him alone for too long. 

Changbin needed the blood too much and his maker needed him too much. 

For a single second, Changbin allowed his gaze to flicker down to where his fingers were curled into the fabric of his jeans leg. The denim was a little too long, reaching the bottom of his heel. He had been too cheap to get them altered after he’d bought them and he was glad about that now. It was the only thing protecting the skin of his ankle from the silver chain. 

A noise made him look back up. It always started with noise. The sound of footsteps, the sound of the creaking hinges of the metal door, the sound of his maker humming under his breath. All of it took no longer than three seconds. 

Three seconds were enough. 

The moment the metal door started to open, Changbin tugged on the denim in his hands, pulling it up, up, until the chain was touching his bare skin. 

The pain was imminent. He screamed. He couldn’t help himself. It felt like someone was holding an open flame to his skin. He had forgotten how bad it was, not because he suppressed the memory of when he’d burned his hand the first time, but because such a pain could not be committed to memory. It could only be felt and would leave a black, charred mark on his brain just like the one on his skin. 

“Changbin!” 

Changbin had never meant to tell his maker his name, but he hadn’t been able to lie when his maker had asked him. 

“Please!” Changbin looked up at him with teary eyes, reaching for him as if he was a child in need of help. “Please, help me! It hurst so much!”

His maker’s movements were frantic as he kneeled down in front of him, dropping the blood bags in his arms in order to take Changbin’s foot into his lap. Changbin whimpered when the chain moved. He felt like he was going to faint from the pain, but he couldn’t. 

This was his only chance. 

“Oh, Changbin.” The heartbreak in his maker’s eyes looked real. He looked like if he’d been able to take Changbin’s pain, he would have.

Changbin allowed himself a moment where he was merely his maker’s progeny and bathed in that sympathy, that unspoken promise to make it better. 

At seeing him suffer, his maker’s eyes filled with black tears too. Without further hesitation, he curled a hand into his shirt and ripped it off. He tore the cloth in two and wrapped the strips of fabric around his hands several times before he looked Changbin in the eye. 

“This is going to hurt.” 

“Please,” Changbin whimpered, motioning for him to go on. “It hurts so much right now. Please, take it off.” 

His maker nodded and grabbed onto the chain, wriggling his hands under the links. It pressed the other end of the chain deeper into Changbin’s skin, making Changbin wail. His maker shot him an apologetic look before he curled his hands into fists around the chain and, with a single tug, ripped it apart. 

Changbin collapsed the moment the chain was off. His entire lower leg was throbbing, bile rising in his throat at the smell of his own, seared flesh, but he also felt something else. Without the silver so close to him, he felt all of his strength, all of his senses return to him. 

Finally. 

“My darling.” His maker crawled up next to him, stroking his matted hair out of his eyes. 

For just a moment longer, Changbin allowed himself to be weak. He curled into his maker’s embrace, gaining strength from the endless love his maker held for him. It was wretched and harmful, but it was real. Changbin could feel that it was. 

“Thank you,” he mumbled, tugging on the cloth wrapped around his maker’s hands until it fell off. 

His maker smiled at him, but it was sad. “I do not wish to see you in pain. Not now and not ever. You have to be more careful, Changbin.” His maker pulled away from him to lean over to where he’d dropped the blood bags. “Here, let me give you some blood. I brought B, your favourite.” 

Changbin lunged at him just as his maker reached for the blood. He tackled him into the ground, dust rising as he pressed his maker’s body into the ground, right where the silver chain lay. 

His maker shrieked as the silver chain burned itself into his chest. Black tears streaked Changbin’s cheeks as he had to listen to his maker’s sounds of pain. His maker tried to fight against him, but he was weakened by the silver and Changbin was strong. 

He was strong enough to escape. He had to be. 

Changbin pressed his knee into his maker’s back until he could hear bones crack and then he dragged himself to his feet. He didn’t lose any time hobbling towards the door. 

As he stepped out of the room and turned to close the metal door behind himself, he could see his maker reach out a hand for him, desperation in his eyes. 

Changbin threw the metal door shut. If he couldn’t hear his maker’s voice, he didn’t have to obey it when it told him to stay. Ignoring the way every step made him feel like his foot was going to fall off, he ran until the corridor he was in turned into stairs, turned into some type of abandoned factory hall. 

Changbin looked around at the rusted machinery, the strewn about metal pipes, the holes in the roof that allowed him to bathe in moonlight. 

Maniacal laughter escaped him as he saw the wide open gate at the far end of the hall. Despite his injury, he reached it in no time. He was a vampire, after all. 

And he was free. 

Chapter Text

Felix had grown up as a spoilt child. 

Not because his family had been rich. They had always been quite the opposite of that. But he’d always been loved beyond consequence. 

When he’d been a child and got caught stealing from the open candy jars at Mrs. Yoon’s store, Changbin had put himself between Felix and Mrs Yoon's broom trying to whack him. When some kids at school had bullied Felix for being lousy at sports, Changbin had hunted them down one by one and beat them up so badly none of them had been able to participate in gym class for the rest of the year. When his teacher had given him a bad grade so a richer kid in class could earn the prestigious top spot, his parents had gone to war with the school administration for him. It had ended with Felix having to switch schools, but he still remembered what it had felt like to see his family show up for him. 

His parents, for as long as he had been allowed to have them, had always doted on him and when their patience had been exhausted, he had still had his brother. Changbin had always protected him, no matter whether Felix had done wrong. I’m your big brother, Yongbok, he would say, it’s my job to protect you. 

The problem with having been spared from consequences all his life was that Felix wasn’t very good at making good choices for himself. On the contrary, it seemed that he was very good at making bad choices for himself. He didn’t know whether Chan was one, but he wanted to find out. He wanted Chan. He wanted Chan like he had wanted the glistening caramels in Mrs. Yoon’s candy jars. 

Most of all, he wanted Chan to kiss him back. 

A low whine escaped him when the press of his lips was met with cold stone. Kissing Chan felt like kissing a statue. Felix was left desperate to bring him to life. 

When Chan remained rigid even at the swipe of Felix’s tongue against his sealed lips, Felix pulled away. “Chan?”

With his eyes closed, Chan also looked like a statue. Felix couldn’t help but marvel at the way every line of his face, every ridge of his body was perfectly carved. Chan was beautiful in a way that made him seem untouchable. 

Yet, Felix could touch him. He could reach out and place his hand on Chan’s cheek. “Chan.” 

Chan opened his eyes. He inhaled through his nose, not moving a single muscle except for his eyes, which bore into Felix’s own. Felix could see red bleed into the whites of his eyes. The marble cracked and frown lines appeared on Chan’s face as he forced it back, as he forced himself to appear as human as he could. 

“Felix.” Chan’s voice came out much more hoarse than Felix had expected. 

“Won’t you kiss me back?” Felix whispered. 

Chan’s nostrils flared. Not a single muscle below his neck moved.

Felix stroked his cheek. Despite the smooth, unforgiving texture of Chan’s skin, Felix liked touching him. He liked touching him so much. It made the blood sing in his veins.

There was a hint of fangs visible when Chan opened his mouth. “Run away now, sunshine,” he murmured. His eyes were bright red from Felix’s blood and yet darker than Felix had ever seen them. “Run away now or I won't let you." 

“Don't let me." The things he wanted, Felix had never been able to resist. 

Chan lightly shook his head. “You can't be sure that you want that." 

“Please.” Felix thought about the night he had struck a deal with Chan. He thought about all that had happened since then and how Chan had never left him, no matter how much Felix had fought against him. “I trust you.” 

The marble cracked further. Carefully, very carefully, Chan took his hand. The press of his lips to Felix’s knuckles was reverent. “That is very precious to me.” 

Felix intertwined their fingers, looking up at him with huge eyes. “Will you kiss me?” 

Chan let out a noise as if tortured. 

He guided Felix to lie back as if he was fragile. And to Chan, he was. It sent a shiver up Felix’s spine, making his toes curl as Chan blanketed him with his body. 

Chan ran a hand along the side of his face, making Felix’s cheeks bloom with heat. “So beautiful, my human.” 

Felix raked his nails over the front of Chan’s shirt. “Please.” 

Chan smiled, giving him what he wanted. Like he always did. 

Being kissed by Chan felt like having molting lava pouring into his body, warming him up from the inside, leaving him pliant and hot and wanting in a way that had him clawing at Chan’s arms. 

He whined when Chan pulled away, arching his back to bring them closer together again. Chan responded by pressing him further into the mattress. 

His thumb pushed into Felix’s mouth, prying his jaw open without giving him anything. “So greedy.”

Felix responded by trying to bite him. Chan laughed and moved his thumb to Felix’s cheek so he could kiss him again, licking into his mouth and grazing sharp teeth over Felix’s bottom lip until Felix felt dizzy with it. 

“Don’t worry,” Chan promised him, kissing the shell of his ear. “You can be as greedy as you like. I’ll give you whatever you want.”  

“I want you.” The words left Felix’s mouth before he could think better of it. It was terrifying to say it out loud, to give Chan that much power over him, but Felix meant it. He could think of nothing else. He wanted—no, he needed Chan in a way he had never needed anyone else. 

Chan hummed, stroking Felix’s cheek. “How much of me?” 

“All of you.” Felix was greedy. There was no denying it. 

Chan’s smile was small yet overjoyed. He pecked Felix once, twice on the lips before his mouth wandered down to Felix’s neck. His teeth scraped along Felix’s pulse point without tearing at the skin. 

“F-Fuck.” Felix dug his fingers into Chan’s biceps, shivering when Chan pushed a hand under his shirt. Goosebumps erupted all over his body, his stomach clenching at the sensation of Chan’s cool hands on his warm skin. 

Chan let his mouth follow, pushing Felix’s legs apart so he had more space to move as he peppered the sensitive skin of Felix’s lower stomach with kisses. His mouth left searing, tingling traces in its wake. 

Being touched by Chan set every of Felix's nerve endings alight, no matter how big or small the touch. His cock was hardening rapidly in his borrowed pyjama pants, jumping at every one of Chan’s kisses, while Chan was obviously avoiding his groin. 

“Chan,” Felix lightly tugged on his hair, "don’t tease me.” 

“But it’s my favourite thing to do.” Chan’s smile was mischievous as he grazed his fangs along the waistband of Felix’s pyjama pants. “I’ve been so very patient, won’t you let me have this? When else will I see you so beautiful and pliant for me?”

“You have me.” 

Chan stilled for a moment, his gaze softening despite there being no white left in his eyes. Felix liked that. He wasn’t hiding from Chan so he was glad Chan wasn’t hiding from him either. Chan pressed a reverent, open-mouthed kiss to Felix’s lower stomach before he finally, finally pulled Felix’s pants and underwear down for him. 

“See? So beautiful.” 

Felix’s breath hitched at the feeling of Chan’s cool breath against his overheated skin. A loud moan escaped him when Chan wrapped a hand around him. Felix hastily slapped a hand over his mouth, but Chan promptly pulled it away.

“Don’t bother trying to keep quiet. This room is soundproof. I’m the only one who can hear you.” 

Felix was relieved. He liked his clan, but he didn’t need everyone with supernatural hearing in the house to hear him. Breathing heavily, he watched as Chan let spit pool in his mouth before allowing it to drip down Felix’s length. It eased the glide of his hand, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. 

Felix’s fingers flexed against the foreign sensation. “Why does it—?”

“It’s the venom in my saliva. Always there to bring you pleasure.” Chan’s grin turned predatory. “Always there to make sure you won’t even think of running away while I eat you alive.”

“Oh.” 

Felix breathed heavily, his limbs giving out when Chan took him into his mouth. He was pretty sure he couldn’t have run away even if he had wanted to. His legs were shaking too much. He moaned and whimpered as Chan started sucking him off properly. It was so much. Too much. The wet feeling of Chan’s mouth and the light scratch of his nails down the inside of Felix’s thighs worked to drive Felix insane. It hurtled him towards the edge much quicker than Felix would have liked. 

“Chan,” he whined, embarrassed when he felt his stomach muscles draw tight. “I’m going to come if you keep going.” 

Chan pulled off of him with a pop. “Don’t hold yourself back on my account, Felix. I can just make you come again.” 

Those words were nearly enough to send Felix over the edge without stimulation, his cock twitching as his mouth fell open. It seemed to be too good of an invitation because Chan came up to kiss him, devouring him as promised. 

His fingers wrapped around Felix once more and Felix was a goner. He lasted no more than another minute or two before he was coming, mewling into Chan’s mouth as his eyes drew shut, his entire body shaking with the force of his orgasm. Chan pressed kisses to his cheeks, his eyes, and finally, his mouth again. 

Felix was desperate to hold onto him, deepening their kiss even when Chan tried to pull away. Chan smiled against his mouth, his hand around Felix’s cock slowing down until Felix started squirming and he let go. 

“All good?” he asked, kissing Felix’s cheek. 

Felix nodded, needing a moment or two but then he started to feel his limbs again. He scratched at the material of Chan’s dress shirt. “I want to see you.” 

Chan sat up, holding Felix’s gaze as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it off his shoulders. Felix bit his lip, watching him. It wasn’t fair, he decided. No one should be allowed to look like this, vampire or human. 

Carefully, he pressed his hand against the hard lines of Chan’s stomach. The stone-hard muscles flexed under his touch. “You’re really hot.” 

Chan snorted, but Felix could tell he was pleased. He bared his fangs when Felix tried to touch his face. Felix didn’t let himself be deterred. He wasn’t scared. He cupped Chan’s cheek so he could rub his thumb underneath his crimson eyes. Monstruous and beautiful. Felix didn’t think he would ever stop marvelling at the sight of Chan. 

Secure in the knowledge that Chan would let him do whatever he pleased, he let his hand fall to Chan’s neck to pull him into another kiss. His other hand, he used to tug at Chan’s belt. Chan was visibly hard in his slacks and it made Felix feel powerful in the same way the bright red of Chan’s eyes did. Another thing he was responsible for. 

“Do you want it all?” Chan asked him. 

Felix nodded, hissing when Chan’s cool fingers pressed against the side of his ribs, moving down, down the length of his body until he was gripping Felix’s thigh and spreading him apart properly. Every touch of Chan’s drew lines of fire across his skin. 

Felix’s heart thundered in his chest, but that didn’t keep him from saying, “Please.” 

Chan smiled. “So polite, my good boy.” 

He pressed a kiss to the corner of Felix’s mouth before reaching over him. Felix could hear the drawer by his head open and close, followed by the pop of a bottle cap. Hypnotised, he watched as Chan brought slick fingers to Felix’s crotch, briefly teasing Felix’s sensitive cock before he moved his hand lower to tease his rim instead. 

He pressed his thumb against Felix’s hole, stroking it but not pushing in until Felix whined, bucking his hips. Chan smiled, kissing him deeply before he gave Felix what he wanted. At the first press of Chan’s finger into his body, Felix’s breathing set out. 

“Chan.” Felix stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. 

Chan’s finger, along with the rest of his body, stilled. His eyes flickered up at Felix, questioning. 

“I–I lied about—”

“I know.” Chan smiled as he placated him with a kiss, gently working his finger deeper into him. “I know, baby, I’ll go slow.” 

Felix whined, feeling embarrassed. Chan wouldn’t let him cover his eyes, though, catching Felix’s arm with his clean hand and intertwining their fingers. 

“Don’t be embarrassed, sunshine. I like it.” A kiss to Felix’s cheek.” I like that I get to show you.” A kiss to Felix’s nose. “I like that I get to be the one to make you feel good like this.” A kiss to Felix’s lips. “Won’t you look at me?” 

Felix did, looking up at Chan with wide eyes, his mouth falling open in a silent cry when Chan pushed in a second finger, crooking them. 

Chan smiled, dipping down to lick into his mouth. Felix mewled, arching his back when Chan’s fingers grazed over a spot inside him that made him see stars. He had tried to finger himself before, but his fingers had always been too short and the angle hadn’t been right. It hadn’t felt like this. It had never felt like this. “F-Fuck, Chan–” 

“Hush, baby, you’re okay. You look so gorgeous like this, all flushed and opening up for me. Does it feel good?” 

Felix nodded. It felt more than good. It was melting him. His thoughts were turning mushy, his body sinking into the mattress as Chan’s skilled fingers continued to work him open. Chan added a third finger and by the time he was adding a fourth, Felix was hard again, bucking his hips to meet his hand. 

Chan rewarded him by grazing his teeth over his pulse point. It made Felix shudder, the memory of the alley making his skin prickle. He clenched around the digits inside him. Chan pressed a kiss against his throat before he pulled his fingers out, leaving Felix empty and wanting. 

“Chan—”

“I got you, sunshine.” 

Chan braced himself with one arm next to Felix’s head, brushing Felix’s sweat-matted hair out of his eyes before putting his lips to his forehead. Felix felt something decisively bigger than Chan’s fingers press against his rim. His eyes fluttered shut and then he was whining, high and reedy, as Chan pushed into him. It was so much, almost too much. 

He raked his nails down Chan’s back and he was pretty sure that if Chan had been human, he would have broken skin. “F-Fuck, Chan, it’s so–it’s not going to fit! I can’t–can’t take it!” 

“You can take it. I know you can.”  

Felix sought his gaze with teary eyes. “Chan.” 

“I’m here, sunshine. Just relax for me, okay?” Slick, warmed fingers rubbed his side. “Can you do that for me?” 

Whimpering, Felix nodded, trying his best to breathe in the rhythm Chan taught him. He was rewarded by a slew of kisses peppered onto his face and the lightest movement of Chan’s hips, slowly reaming him open. 

Felix bit down on his bottom lip so hard he drew blood. Pleasure zipped up his spine with every one of Chan's thrusts. He hadn’t expected it to feel like this. He hadn’t thought it was possible to feel like this, filled to the brim with his entire world reduced to the building pleasure, the prickle of pain it brought him. A breathless sigh escaped him when Chan’s hipbones met his ass and he stared up at Chan with tears in his eyes. 

"I told you. You did so well. Are taking me so well. You look gorgeous like this." Chan stroked his hair, whispering praise into his ear before he sucked Felix’s bottom lip into his mouth, lapping at the wound until it was no more. 

Felix focussed on breathing, focussed on the feeling of Chan on him, around him, inside him. Chan never stopped kissing him, never stopped stroking his sides and telling him how well he was doing until eventually, the burn of the stretch faded. It left Felix squirming and leaking pre-come onto his stomach. He was so full. 

“Okay,” he panted. “Okay, okay.” 

“Okay?” Chan asked him. 

Felix nodded. “Move–move please.” 

Chan gave a single thrust and Felix nearly choked on the way it punched the air right out of his lungs. But it was also good, so good it made him tremble. “Please, more.” 

“Anything you want, sunshine.” 

Chan kissed his cheek before he began to rock into him in earnest, swallowing the steady stream of moans that spilled over Felix’s lips. Now that the initial pain was fading, Felix was left with nothing but mind-numbing pleasure. He crossed his ankles behind the small of Chan’s back, trying to get him closer, closer until there was no space left between them. 

Chan groaned into his mouth. He wasn’t sweating, not like Felix was, but Felix could tell that he was affected too by the way he struggled to keep an even pace. He didn’t falter, but he would pound into Felix a little bit too roughly before he seemed to remember himself. 

“No,” Felix whined, “I like it like that, please.” 

“You’re not going to be able to walk tomorrow if I do that,” Chan nipped at his bottom lip. 

“Isn’t that what you want?” Felix goaded. “Fuck me until I can’t run away?” 

Chan looked at him in disbelief, but the glimmer in his eyes gave him away. “You’re not supposed to like it.” 

“I know—ah—” Felix panted when Chan thrusted into him harshly. “—what I want.” 

Chan hummed, stroking the sensitive skin of his neck before putting his mouth there. His thrusts slowed instead of speeding up, fucking Felix at a slower, deeper rhythm than before. It was good, but it was not what Felix wanted at that moment. 

Clenching around Chan, he was about to complain when, from one thrust to the other, Chan was pounding into him so hard it made Felix yell, his back arching at the intense stimulation. 

“Ah, fuck! Oh my god, Chan, fuck !” 

He grappled at the sheets, at Chan’s arms, looking for anything he could hold onto. Chan put Felix's arms up to wrap around them around his neck and Felix held onto him for dear life, too overwhelmed to reciprociate any of the kisses Chan pressed against his open mouth. 

With every of Chan’s fast, hard thrusts he felt his sanity slip away a little more. His world reduced itself to the drag of Chan’s cock against his walls, the feeling of Chan’s lips against his own, the feeling of Chan’s arms caging him in, keeping him where he needed to be. His world reduced itself to Chan and him and Felix knew that he would never ever want it to be different again. 

“Chan, I–I–” 

“It’s okay, baby.” Chan didn’t let up, thrusting into Felix so roughly Felix saw stars, all while Chan ran a deceptively gentle hand down Felix’s side. “Just let go.” 

Felix didn’t want to. He wanted to hang on. He wanted to last so the moment would, but he couldn’t. 

“Bite me,” he pleaded. He knew it would take Chan with him. 

Chan’s dark eyes snapped up to search his. “Do you mean that?” 

“Please,” Felix whimpered. He was so close, his hips stuttering where he was trying to meet Chan’s thrusts. “Bite me!” 

Chan groaned, his cock inside Felix jumping as he brought his lips to Felix’s neck. He licked the sweat off his skin. 

Impatiently, Felix tugged on his hair. “I asked you to—”

He cried out when sharp teeth sank into the juncture of his neck. Every cell in his body lit up with pleasure as he came harder than he had ever before. Ropes of come shot up his stomach, his entire body shaking with the venom flooding his bloodstream. It left him tingling on the inside, every muscle in his body trembling with pleasure so intense his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The waves of pleasure coursing through him didn’t let up, they only intensified until Chan pulled his fangs out, lapping at his skin no more than once, twice. Felix knew it wasn’t enough to heal the wound. It would be there for everyone and himself to see these upcoming days. 

Something about the thought made Felix feel hot all over again. 

A cry escaped him when Chan wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him up, up until Felix was sitting on his lap. He felt even bigger like this while Felix was spent. Helplessly, weakly, he clenched down. Chan wasn’t moving anymore but Felix could feel him, could feel it when Chan spilled inside him. 

Wet lips attacked his neck, sucking but no longer biting. Felix went limp in Chan’s arms, overwhelmed and overheated and more sated than he had ever been in his life. Chan’s cool fingers were a blessing as he ran them through his hair. Chan didn’t allow a single centimetre of space between them until Felix’s breathing had evened out. 

“Good?” Chan asked him as he pulled away from his neck and Felix could only nod. 

There was blood on Chan’s chin. Felix swiped it up with his thumb and pushed the digit into his mouth. He could feel Chan’s softening cock twitch inside him at the sight.

Felix scrunched up his nose at the taste. He didn’t know what he had expected. He tasted nothing but blood. 

“Is it tasty?” Chan asked him, laughing. 

“It just tastes metallic.” 

Chan smiled as he touched Felix’s cheek once more. “Good. It should.” 

Felix winced when Chan lifted him so he could pull out of him. He was glad when Chan didn’t let him go. Keeping Felix on his lap, he reached over to the bedside table once more and retrieved some wet wipes from one of the drawers. Felix shuddered as Chan cleaned him up. The feeling of come dripping out of him was not one he thought he would ever get used to, but he wouldn’t have changed anything about his time with Chan. 

Once he was clean, Chan manhandled him to lie down on his side, pulling the covers up over them. Felix was glad Chan didn’t force him into the shower. He could do that when he woke up.

“Thank you,” he thought to say. 

“For what?” 

Felix pressed a kiss to the corner of Chan’s mouth. Chan couldn’t blush, but Felix liked to think he would have if he had been human. “That was the best sex of my life.” 

“I distinctly remember you admitting to me that it was also your first time...” 

Felix whined. “Stop!” 

“...but I’ll be happy to give you something to compare it to,” Chan finished his sentence with a grin. 

Felix thought about replying with something snarky, but he didn’t want to. “I’d like that,” he admitted. 

Chan kissed him, slowly and deeply, and Felix felt something inside him untangle he didn’t even know had been entangled. Like a breath he hadn’t even known he had been holding. 

Chan licked his lips as he pulled away from him. His eyes flickered to Felix’s neck. “Do you want me to close your wound?” 

“Leave it.” 

Chan’s eyes were decisively dark as he looked up at Felix. It made Felix shudder in the best of ways. He pressed his thumb against Chan’s upper lip, right where the left of his fangs sat. “I’m curious. What does it taste like to you? My blood, I mean.” 

“It’s incomparable.” 

Rolling his eyes, Felix huffed. “That’s not a real answer!” 

“I’m not kidding. There’s little that compares to it. To most vampires, there’s nothing comparable at all. To us, human blood tastes like everything you could ever want: the sweetest wine, the heartiest meat, perfect weather and a kiss from your lover. It tastes like life. There’s no way to describe it because it’s different for everyone but we’re all obsessed with it. No vampire doesn’t care about blood.” 

Felix hummed, his eyes drooping close. An involuntary yawn escaped him. “I’m just going to pretend you said that it tastes like chocolate.” 

Chan chuckled. Cool fingers brushed over his throat. “If you had been born a couple of centuries earlier, I would have gone to war for your blood. Does that give you an idea?” 

Felix hated the way heat creeped up his neck so he buried his face in his pillow. “You’re so cheesy.” 

“I’ve had centuries to develop a uniquely bad sense of humour, you don’t even know what else I have in my arsenal.” 

Felix smiled and he knew, without looking, that Chan was too. 

“Chan?”

“Mhm?”

“How did you become a vampire?” 

The ministrations in his hair stopped. Felix waited for several beats, but Chan didn’t speak. In fear that Chan would pull away from him, Felix pressed closer. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled into Chan’s skin.”You don’t have to answer.” 

Chan didn’t hesitate to hold him tightly. Below the covers, their legs tangled. “I’m not upset because of your question. It’s just been so long, I had to think for a moment. There’s not much I can tell you about my time as a human, mostly because I can’t really remember.” 

“You don’t remember?” 

Chan chuckled. “You try living for a thousand years and tell me how much comes back to you. It was cold in the winters. I remember splitting a lot of wood. I think maybe that was my job in the village.” 

Felix tried to imagine it. “What about your family?”

“I had parents, but I can’t remember their faces. If I had siblings, I can’t remember their names.” 

Felix whimpered at those words and Chan pulled him closer. 

“Being turned didn’t take away any of my memories. Time did.” And because Chan knew him well, he added, “Changbin is going to recognise you when he sees you.” 

Felix relaxed at that, pressing his cheek to Chan’s chest. With his eyes closed, he could hear the difference between his own, rabbiting heartbeat and Chan’s slow, steady one. 

“So, you were a human in a village?”

Chan hummed. “There was a sickness one year. A lot of people died. That’s also something I remember.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t have to be. As I said, all those that died have been gone for so long even my memory has faded. I only remember that it was after the sickness…” Chan grew very still.  

Felix waited until he couldn’t anymore. “What happened?” 

Chan’s grip on him tightened. "A woman came to our village. She was beautiful like a star. She asked for shelter so we gave it to her. She asked for food so we gave it to her. There wasn't much left to eat but we thought she was a fellow human, so." 

Felix swallowed, his heart squeezing with borrowed sorrow. “That woman, she was your maker?” 

“Indeed.”

“You don’t sound fond when you speak of her.” 

“She tried to turn what was left of the village, but only I survived. She was my maker and that is a bond that is near-impossible to break, but I was so devastated by the loss of my family, my entire village..." For the first time ever, Felix heard a tremor in Chan’s voice. 

"You turned on her?" he asked carefully. 

Chan nodded against his head. "It took some time. When you're turned, there is nothing you feel but the thirst for blood. It's all-consuming. It took me months to regain my conscious self, but when I did I just...lost it. I thought she was a demon and she had made me one too. I killed her with the plan to end us both, but the remaining blood lust in me wouldn't let me meet the sun. I needed the blood more when I started to hunger beside her remains." 

"I'm sorry." 

"I just told you I killed someone and you're sorry for me?" 

"Your heart was broken. You'd just lost everyone you loved.” Felix trailed gentle fingers over the broad expanse of Chan’s chest. “I can't imagine how terrible that must have felt." 

“It certainly left an impression on me.” 

Felix thought that he understood it better now, why Chan had told him that the most pronounced character trait he had taken over from his human life was possessiveness. Why he hated it when people reached for the things that belonged to him. Why, even though vampires were near-comatose during daylight hours, Chan had woken up to look for Jisung when he had smelled that his only human clan member was bleeding.

Cool lips pressed against his temple. “Sleep now, Felix. It’s a story from a time long-since gone. No need to think about it too much.” 

Felix hummed. He’d long since lost the motivation to open his eyes again. After all they had done, Chan’s skin had taken on some of his warmth. Felix buried his face in his chest, enjoying the steady, much slower beating of Chan’s heart against his ear. 

“Chan?” 

“Yes, sunshine?” 

“I’m glad you’re not long-since gone.” 

A beat of silence. “Now, who’s the one that’s cheesy?” 

Felix huffed, but it quickly turned into a yawn. Chan’s hold on him tightened and Felix clung to him just the same. 

Being wrapped up in Chan’s arms felt a lot like being loved beyond consequence too. 

*

Felix looked out of the great windows of the deserted lecture hall. It was dusk and the sinking sun filled him with anticipation. 

“Mr Lee?”

Felix turned his head, blinking rapidly. 

His professor frowned and Felix hastily bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Sir, what were you saying?”

His professor scoffed. “You’ve been absent for nearly all semester and now you won’t even listen to me while I’m standing in front of you?”

Felix winced. 

His professor’s expression didn’t lighten as he slapped down a pile of papers on the desk between them. 

“Your groupmates reached out to me. You did not participate in any of the group work I’ve assigned you so far.” 

Felix felt a brief wave of betrayal take him over as he stared down at the papers. Then, he realised that he didn’t really have a right to feel that way. He wasn’t a freeloader. He wasn’t the type of person to ask for his name to be put on an assignment which he hadn’t worked on, but he’d been busy these past months and so he’d done just that. Multiple times. He couldn’t really blame his groupmates for growing sick of him. 

He bowed his head low. “I apologise, Sir. I’ve just been…a little preoccupied.”

“Well, un-preoccupy yourself, Mr Lee. The solo work you’ve handed in this semester has been subpar and now I’m hearing that the solid results of your group work were of no thanks to you. I do not know what happened to your work ethic, Mr Lee, but if there is one thing that I hate more than incompetence, it is laziness. I know you are not stupid, Mr Lee, your grades were impeccable up until this semester, so clearly you must have grown lazy.” 

Felix lowered his head deeper and deeper, swallowing against the scratch in his throat. “I’m sorry, Sir. I will do better, Sir.” 

His professor stepped away from him, back to his desk. “I advise you to do so, Mr Lee. If I don’t see any improvement in the upcoming weeks, I will have no choice but to fail you. I don’t think I have to tell you what that would mean for you and your graduation plans.” 

Felix didn’t dare answer. He stayed with his head down until his professor properly dismissed him. The moment he did, Felix walked out of the lecture hall as fast as he could without running. 

His evening class had been the last of the day so there was no else around to witness his humiliation. Small blessings. Felix’s blood rushed in his ears as he ran down the empty hallways. 

His professor’s scolding echoed in his ears, contrasted by memories of how it had been before, when his professor used to praise him so much. Everyone used to praise him so much. It all felt like a lifetime ago. 

Now that he was forced to think about it, Felix couldn’t even remember the last time he had talked to any of his classmates. He didn’t mourn the fickle friendships he’d had with people, but it just proved how much he’d allowed himself to slack in the midst of it all. 

His stomach roiled. Changbin would be so mad when he came back to find out that Felix had wasted all the time and money he had invested into getting Felix to where he was. 

Felix made it out of the doors of the faculty building just as he felt bile rise in his throat. Seeing a couple of students gathered out front to smoke, he ran along the front of the building to dive into the side alley where the garbage containers were. 

Dropping his backpack, he curled in on himself. His stomach was clenching so painfully, he felt like he was going to throw up. Just as he thought that he might actually hurl, he found himself thrown against the brick wall behind himself. The impact knocked the desire to throw up right out of him, along with all the air in his lungs. 

It took him a moment to reorient himself, his limbs automatically pushing against the solid body pressing him into the wall. It felt like he was caught between two slabs of stone. There was no escaping. 

He was able to turn his head just enough to meet a pair of glittering, crimson eyes. “Jeongin!” 

“Hi, Felix!” 

Felix wriggled against the grip Jeongin had on him. He felt a little bit like a bug, squashed against the wall like he was. Jeongin didn’t seem interested in letting go of him though. 

Felix sighed and let his head hit the wall. “What are you doing here, Jeongin?” 

“You’re upset.” Jeongin’s tongue darted out to lick Felix’s cheek. It was only then that Felix realised he’d been crying. “Why are you upset?”

Felix shook his head. He exhaled deeply, allowing his muscles to go limp while Jeongin held him up. If Jeongin was intent on holding onto him, he might as well take advantage of it. 

“I just, uh,” he sniffled, “I had a really shitty day.” 

Jeongin’s expression dropped into something uncharacteristically dangerous. “How come?” 

Felix pressed his lips together. 

“Tell me.” Jeongin frowned when Felix didn’t answer, pressing closer. “Tell me! Tell me!”

“Can you let go of me first?” 

Jeongin let him step away from the wall, but he stayed close by Felix’s side as Felix went to retrieve his backpack. 

Felix led them out of the side alley, sick of the stench of garbage. Instead, he steered them towards one of the concrete picnic tables in front of the lecture hall. Dressed in a hoodie and a pair of loose jeans, Jeongin fit right in with the other students mingling about. He was only missing one of the puffy coats most of the students were wearing to brave the bitter winter cold. From afar, the only thing that made Jeongin truly stand out was his white hair, but the snapback on top of his head worked to hide most of it. 

The moment Felix had sat down, Jeongin was on him again. Felix let him take a hold of his arm, finding a strange comfort in Jeongin’s overbearing touches. They were members of the same clan. Whatever his motivations were, it was nice to have Jeongin here, even if Felix did wonder what Jeongin was doing at his university in the first place. 

“Why were you crying?” Jeongin asked, clearly eager to finally get an answer. 

Felix shrugged. “It’s nothing much.” 

“It’s a lot if it makes you cry.” 

Felix bit his lip. He supposed that was true. He didn’t dare look at Jeongin when he said, “I just got scolded by one of my professors.” 

“Do you want me to kill him?” 

“What?” Felix’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “No!” 

Jeongin didn’t seem convinced, his crimson eyes flitting to the entrance of the university building. Felix gasped and pinched Jeongin’s ear, effectively diverting Jeongin’s attention back to himself.

“I said no!” 

Jeongin pouted, but made no further move. The devilish smile that took over his features did little to reassure Felix though. 

“That’s okay.” Jeongin’s grin was fanged. “I’ll just tell Channie-hyung about it.” 

Felix gasped. “Don’t you dare!” He knew Chan could be reasoned with, but he also knew that Chan didn’t take well to it when someone threatened his clan members and Felix shared a blood bond with him. “What are you doing here anyways?” 

“Chan wanted to come pick you up but he got caught up in boring clan leader business so I got to come to pick you up instead.” Jeongin looked giddy, playing with the car key in his hands. 

“Clan leader business? There hasn’t been another body that turned up, has there?” Felix had spent his lecture skimming through newspaper articles and missing persons posts on social media, but he’d found nothing new. 

“No. Chan’s caught up in actual clan leader business. Super boring stuff, I tell you. I don’t understand how Seungmin can sit in on every meeting. But then, he used to be a scholar back in the day.” 

Felix leaned forward with interest. “A scholar?” 

“Yeah! The people at his academy didn’t like what he had to say though, so they tried to poison him. Luckily, Chan and Minho found him before it was too late.” 

“That sounds horrid.” 

“It’s okay. Apparently, that kind of stuff happened a lot back then.” Jeongin shrugged, a sinister grin overtaking his features, “He got his revenge after Chan turned him.”

Felix knew he should have been horrified by the implication of Jeongin’s words, but he wasn’t. He blamed it on the blood bond he had with Chan that he felt protective over the entire clan, even in retrospect.

“Did his lover survive?” he asked. 

Jeongin tilted his head to the side. “Lover?” 

Felix nodded. “The person Seungmin loved? He told me he gave up his emotions for someone he loved. That must have been when he was turned, no? Did they survive?” 

Jeongin grew very, very still. He unblinkingly stared at Felix for so long, Felix got the feeling Jeongin wasn’t looking at him at all. He was about to ask when Jeongin said, “No.” 

“No?” 

Jeongin’s smile was brittle. His eyes seemed to refuse to focus. “There’s only one person Seungmin has ever loved. He died in a hiking accident. Got crushed by a boulder, the fool.” A shiver went through Jeongin’s body, his head swinging from side to side as he sang, “That’s what you get for going out there on your own!” 

Felix placed a tentative hand on Jeongin’s shoulder and then Jeongin’s gaze was focussing on him, a brilliant smile lighting up his features. He got up. “Let’s go! The others should be waiting!” 

“Waiting?” Felix yelped as he was pulled to his feet. 

Jeongin’s grin was bright enough to light up the night. “Just wait and see! You’ll love it!”

*

Jeongin didn’t take him home, neither to the clan house nor to his own apartment. 

Felix curiously looked out of the passenger window as Jeongin parked the car in a side street downtown. There were people passing by in front of the hood, couples and children dragging their parents along and loud groups of friends. Felix marvelled at the chaos as they joined the crowd down the street. 

Things became clearer when they left the side street and Felix saw the first of the lights. A noise of excitement left him and he clutched Jeongin’s sleeve. 

“We’re going to the winter fair?” 

Loud laughter and screams rang through the air as people crowded around all the different booths lining the street on both sides, and the few amusement rides. 

“Chan thought you might like the lights.” Jeongin grinned, pulling him towards a tall booth that sold all kinds of vampire repellents, from wooden crosses to holy water. 

Felix couldn’t help but laugh. The irony wasn’t lost on him when he saw that, in the shadow of the booth, the entire clan had gathered. Even Hyunjin was there. 

“Felix!” Jisung, who looked a little bit like a penguin bundled up in a black hoodie, white scarf and big, black puffer coat, came barreling towards him. “Finally, you’re here!” 

Giggling, Felix caught Jisung’s mitten-clad hands. “Do you get cold easily or something?”

Jisung grumbled. “Don’t mention it. Minho thinks I’m going to die of hypothermia if I don’t wear four layers at all times.” 

“It’s winter,” Minho said. “Humans get sick in the winter.” 

Jisung let out a sigh, but he accepted the bright pink beanie Minho held out for him. 

“Where’s Chan?” Felix asked. 

“Always right behind you, sunshine.” 

Felix tried to mask the shudder that went up his spine as Chan’s cool breath hit his nape. He whirled around, but the choice words he had on the tip of his tongue left him when he saw Chan, looking as handsome as ever in his long winter coat and leather gloves. 

“Hi,” Felix breathed out. 

Chan studied his face for a moment before he broke into a slow smile. The way he leaned in was also slow, giving Felix ample time to dodge him. Felix didn’t. His breath got caught in his throat when Chan’s lips touched his, gently, once, twice. It filled Felix with warmth. 

He had no doubt that the entire clan knew about what had happened between them, he just hadn’t been sure how Chan was going to treat him in front of them. Any doubts he might have had were quickly eradicated by Chan pushing closer, grabbing onto his neck as he pushed his tongue into his mouth. Felix blamed it on the blood bond, how quickly and completely he melted into the kiss. 

“Wow, gross!” Seungmin called out. “A simple ‘hello’ wouldn’t have done?” 

“Hello,” Chan mumbled as he pulled away to let Felix breathe, stroking Felix’s cheek. In comparison to the harsh winter cold, Chan’s fingers felt almost warm. 

“Hi.” 

“Nice work, Chan,” Minho commented. “You’ve made him dumb.” 

Felix turned his head to glare at him. 

Minho grinned, looking nothing but pleased. 

“Let them be,” Hyunjin said. His eyes shone as he looked at Felix. “They’re cute.” 

“Thank you, Hyunjin.” 

Hyunjin looked at him with nothing but fondness. 

Felix felt it through the blood bond before he saw it when Chan frowned. Chan’s lips briefly touched his cheek. “Why did you cry?” 

Felix blinked. “I didn’t cry.” 

“He did!” Jeongin chirped up. 

“Traitor,” Felix hissed in his direction. 

“Why did you cry?” Minho and Hyunjin asked at the same time. 

Felix shrugged, feeling a little overwhelmed at the sudden, bundled attention of his clan. “Just some stuff at university. Nothing to worry about it.” 

“Anything I can do?” Chan asked, a glint in his eyes. 

“Absolutely not!” 

“Down, all of you!” Jisung spoke up. He waddled over to take Felix’s hand. “If Felix doesn’t want to talk about it, he doesn’t have to. University can be very stressful. You lot wouldn’t get it.” 

“I have seven different degrees,” Seungmin said, sounding slightly miffed. 

“So, clearly, you’ve never struggled at uni!”

Seungmin opened, then closed his mouth. 

Jeongin laughed at his maker before rubbing his hands together. “Right, anyways, now that everyone’s here, we should go!” His eyes glimmered as he looked towards the lights. “I have big plans.” 

Chan sighed, telling Seungmin, “Please, prevent him from getting arrested again. It’s always such a hassle when I have to fill out the paperwork.” 

“Arrested?” Felix asked, mildly scandalised. 

Chan hastily squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry about it, sunshine.” 

Felix looked towards Jeongin, who only winked at him. Felix decided then that he would have to ask another time. There was too much to see at the moment. After braving the first hundred metres of the fair all together, their group dispersed a little. 

Jeongin got stuck at a booth that offered plushies in exchange for a perfect score at can knockdown. Seungmin stayed back with him, probably to prevent the owner from fighting Jeongin when he inevitably cleared out the booth. Hyunjin got caught up at the stall of an elderly lady selling handmade jewellery. Jisung and Minho joined the queue of the popcorn cart right next to it. 

And Felix, Felix went with Chan. Hand in Hand, he walked with Seoul’s mightiest vampire along the different booths and rides, letting the throng of people move them forward. Chan seemed more interested in watching him than paying close attention to anything the fair had to offer so it was Felix who pulled them towards all the different booths that piqued his interest. He tried his hand at different games, but lost at every single one he tried. Chan watched him, standing back with his arms crossed behind his back. 

“Won’t you play for me?” Felix asked after he’d miserable lost at balloon darts. “I know you’d be good at it with your vampire reflexes and all.” 

Chan shook his head, pulling him along so the people in queue behind them could get their turn. “I’m not big on games.” 

Felix pouted. 

“It’s because I get too competitive. It’s no fun for everyone involved.” 

Felix sighed, accepting this. 

“I can buy you one of those obscenely large plushies, if you want. I’m sure Nola would love it.” 

Felix rolled his eyes. “It’s not about getting the price, silly, it’s about playing.” 

“Spoken like someone who hasn’t won a single game so far.” 

Felix growled at Chan, baring his teeth as if he had any fangs to show for it. Chan laughed at him. Felix might have (attempted to) beat him up for being such a dick, but he was distracted by the blinking front of a stall selling corndogs. 

“Are you hungry?” Chan asked him when he noticed Felix’s lingering gaze. 

Felix nodded and they joined the queue. 

“When I was younger, my parents would sometimes take Changbin and I to this fair, but we didn’t have a lot of money so we could only afford to go on one, maybe two of the rides. We always ate at home.” Felix felt giddy when the queue moved forward. “This is special, you know?” 

Chan’s smile was soft in a way that looked almost wrong on a vampire’s face. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Felix felt insecure all of a sudden when he realised how much he had focussed on having fun and how little attention he had paid to doing something Chan liked. 

His worries were eased when Chan took his hand. “Much more than you can imagine.” 

Felix smiled, standing still as Chan adjusted his hat for him. Chan tugged on the strings, teasing him with the fluffy ends before tying them into a bow below his head. 

Felix snorted at being tickled. “You’re not going to package me up like Minho did with Jisung, right?”

“Depends.” Chan grinned as he leaned closer. “Are you into that? I could tie you up really nicely if you wanted to.”

Felix gasped, hitting his chest. “Stop! We’re in public!” 

Chan laughed. “What? I’ve seen your browser history, sunshine. You don’t have to pretend with me.” 

Felix whined, trying to step away from him but Chan caught him around the waist before he could. He pulled Felix in until Felix’s back hit his chest, peppering the side of Felix’s face with kisses. It made Felix giggle hysterically, the blood in his veins singing with how close they were. 

Chan pressed a proper kiss to his jaw before his mouth wandered down to Felix’s neck. Felix’s breath stuttered. He couldn’t help the way he melted into Chan’s embrace when Chan’s lips brushed over his bite mark. It had been a couple of days so the wound had scabbed over, but it was still far from being healed completely, the skin raised and red and sensitive. 

“Chan,” Felix curled his hands into the sleeve of Chan’s coat. It was almost their turn to order and his blood was heating up a little too rapidly, rushing down from his head. “If you continue, I won’t be able to remember my order.” 

Chan hummed, pressing one last kiss against his neck before he let go. They were up and Felix ordered. He felt giddy again as he watched the old lady running the stall put ketchup and mustard on his corndog. 

Chan paid for him and Felix received his order with both hands and sparkling eyes. He could feel Chan watching him, but he didn’t care much as he took a big, eager bite out of the corndog. A low moan escaped him as the greasy flavour hit his tongue. 

“Is it good?” Chan asked him, visibly amused. 

Felix nodded, covering his mouth with his hand. “It’s so good.” 

Chan hummed, his eyes going unfocussed as his head fell to the side. Not a moment later, Felix saw Hyunjin, Jeongin and Seungmin make their way through the crowd. There was a clear plastic bag full of plushies slung over Jeongin’s shoulder. The sight made Felix smile. 

With his mouth full, he waved in greeting. 

“Where did you leave Jisung and Minho?” Chan asked. 

“Jisung wanted to go on the ferris wheel.” Hyunjin pointed at the tall ride forming the centre part of the fair. 

Chan frowned, squinting at the gondolas. “And Minho went up there?” 

“I offered to go with Jisung, but Jisung said it was for couples and that he was okay with not going if Minho didn’t want to and, well, you can imagine how well Minho took that.”

Chan sighed. “He shouldn’t have gone if he’s scared.” 

Felix nearly choked on the last of his corndog. Hearing the words ‘Minho’ and ‘scared’ in the same sentence was just too absurd. “Minho is scared of ferris wheels?” 

“Minho is afraid of heights.” Jeongin explained before shaking the plastic bags with his spoils. “Do you want to see what I won?” 

Felix tried to calculate the number of plushies inside. “At home?” he suggested. “Otherwise, I might think we’ll still be here when they turn off the lights.” 

Jeongin nodded, looking excited at the prospect. Felix noticed that Chan was smiling at him out of the corner of his eye. He tilted his head in question, but Chan only shook his head, pulling him close so he could press a kiss to Felix’s cheek. 

Felix felt a little shy with the rest of their clan watching them, but that didn’t keep him from kissing Chan in return. He had meant for it to be a short peck on the lips, but Chan didn’t let him get away that easily. Sliding his arms across the small of Felix’s back, he kissed Felix until Felix melted against him. 

“Still gross,” Seungmin commented. 

“Let them,” Hyunjin said. 

“Anyone wanna bet if Felix is going to pass out soon? Channie-hyung isn’t really letting him breathe,” Jeongin joined in. 

One of Chan’s arms left the small of Felix’s back. Felix didn’t know what kind of gesture Chan made, but it was enough to make everyone shut up. His thoughts ended up wandering elsewhere when Chan’s fingers brushed along his neck. 

His breath hitched and he pulled away to look at Chan with starry eyes. 

Chan smiled at him. “You’re so beautiful.”

Felix was seriously worried his heart was going to give out on him. 

Now, he really didn’t dare look at the rest of their clan. He slung his arms around Chan’s shoulders, hooking his chin over Chan’s shoulder. Enjoying the feeling of their hearts pressed together, Felix allowed his eyes to drift momentarily, blissfully shut. 

When he opened them again, he found red eyes staring back at him. 

Time slowed. The screaming and laughter surrounding him dulled down. The lights above him stopped twinkling. Felix’s heart stopped beating. 

He could do nothing but stare as red eyes bore into his own. Felix’s mouth formed his name before his brain had even fully processed the sight in front of him. 

Right there, once across the street and past the crowd of people between them, his brother was standing. His skin was a little paler than before, his hair a little longer and his eyes were a gleaming shade of red, but it was Changbin. His brother. After months of search, he was here, less than ten metres away from Felix. 

“Changbin,” Felix breathed out. 

His brother’s head twitched to the side. He had clearly heard Felix. Felix expected him to dart forward, to run towards him like he had always done, but he turned in the opposite direction.

Felix frowned. He didn’t understand. Slipping from Chan’s embrace, his feet moved forward on their own. 

“Changbin!” he called out, louder this time. 

Panic set in when Changbin didn’t seem to be able to hear him. His brother kept moving away, away from Felix. 

Felix started running. “Changbin!” 

“Felix!” 

Chan pulled him back before he could get run over by a group of teenagers chasing each other with foam swords. Felix wriggled out of his grip, nearly braining himself on the asphalt street when he tripped over his own feet in his haste to get to where Changbin’s form was disappearing into the crowd. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Chan asked him. 

“It’s Changbin! He’s right there, he—” Felix craned his neck to look once more at the spot where Changbin had last been. A new wave of panic overtook him when he could no longer find his brother’s silhouette. “He’s gone!” 

“I got him!” 

“Jeongin, no!” 

Plastic crinkled and several plushies spilled onto the street as Jeongin dropped his bag of spoils and dove into the crowd. He weaved through the mass of people as if he were people’s shadow, passing them by before they ever even had a chance to notice he was there.

Seungmin spun on his heels, his expression as panicked as Felix felt. “Chan—”

Chan waved him off. “Go!” 

Seungmin disappeared just as quickly as Jeongin had done. Felix tried to follow right after them, but Chan’s iron grip kept him in place. 

Felix wriggled against it. “Let me go!” 

“Felix—” 

“It was Changbin, Chan! Didn’t you see him? He was right there!” 

“Felix—” 

“I have to go after him! He’s a vampire now! He might be scared!” 

“Felix!” 

Felix flinched at the boom of Chan’s voice. Hyunjin flinched too, even though Chan wasn’t addressing him. 

“Are you sure it was your brother?” Chan asked Felix. “You didn’t mistake him for somebody else?” 

“I know what I saw!” Felix snapped. “It was Changbin! And he was a vampire!” 

Chan’s expression turned grim. He turned his head. “Hyunjin, get Minho and Jisung.” 

For a moment, Hyunjin didn’t react at all. Then, his entire body jolted in protest. “But—”

“I wasn’t asking.” 

Hyunjin’s expression fell and Felix could see the immediate regret in Chan’s expression, but he didn’t take back his order. Hyunjin’s head fell and Felix saw an expression on his face he’d never seen before. Felix was surprised when Hyunjin briefly stepped forward to press a kiss to his hair. Then, he was gone. 

Felix had no time to think about it. “Let me go,” he told Chan. 

“Your brother is a vampire, Felix.” Chan’s expression was no longer angry. It was imploring. “It’s not safe for you to run after him like that.” 

Felix gasped. “Changbin would never hurt me!” 

“He might not want to, but that’s no guarantee that he won’t. He was turned less than four months ago. That makes him a blood-thirsty toddler in vampire age.” 

Felix felt himself puff up with anger, but before he could start yelling, they were interrupted by a scream. It was too loud and horrified to mesh with the screams of excitement coming from the amusement rides. Both of them turned their heads in the direction of the noise. Several voices rose into the air after it. 

The street was too crowded for them to see, but Felix would not let himself be kept in place any longer. He pried Chan’s hands off his arms and set out for the source of the noise. Chan was right behind him. Felix could feel him through the blood-bond. Squeezing himself past all the people and curious on-lookers, Felix made it to where people were congregating. 

His heart set out when at the sight in front of him. 

In the middle of the circle that people had formed, Jeongin was lying on the ground, twitching as Seungmin pressed his hands down on his stomach. What was left of it anyways. Bile rose in Felix’s throat as he realised what he was looking at. There was a hole in the middle of Jeongin’s body, as if someone hadn’t just punched him, they had punched through him. 

Not someone, Felix’s mind provided, Changbin did this. 

Felix felt tears rise to his eyes as he fell to his knees by Jeongin’s side. “What happened?” 

Seungmin ignored him in favour of applying more pressure to Jeongin’s middle. 

Jeongin wailed, flailing his arms. “Sorry,” he babbled, seeking out Felix’s gaze, then Chan’s. “I had him but he’s stronger—” Black blood spilled over his lips. “—stronger than expected. Hurts,” he added in the direction of his maker. 

Seungmin let out a noise that sounded more animalistic than human. He sprung up, his bright red eyes gleaming in the night. “I’m going to kill him.”  

“Seungmin,” Chan warned. 

Felix whimpered. 

Placing a hand on Felix’s shoulder, Chan said, “You will do no such thing.” 

Seungmin, who was by far the most put-together of Chan’s progeny, downright snarled at his maker. “He hurt Jeongin!” 

“I know.” Chan raised a placating hand. “I know, Seungmin, but you will do no such thing until we’ve made a plan. Look what he did to Jeongin. I’m not having the same happen to you.” 

Seungmin, for all his three-hundred years of poise and decorum, looked dangerously close to stomping his foot like a child. 

“Seungmin,” Jeongin’s weakened voice called for him. 

Seungmin stopped snarling at Chan in favour of giving Jeongin his undivided attention. He kneeled down beside him again, carding his fingers through Jeongin’s hair. His fingers left traces of diluted black in the bright white strands. 

“How often do I have to tell you that you’re not supposed to go off on your own?” Seungmin scolded him. 

Jeongin smiled and there was blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. “Knew you would—would come after me.” 

Seungmin growled at him and then sunk his teeth into his own wrist, black blood running down his arm in rivulets before he brought it to Jeongin’s lips. Jeongin eagerly latched on. Felix hastily averted his eyes, looking up at Chan, who looked close to offering his own wrist next. 

Felix covered Chan’s hand on his shoulder with his own. It worked to make Chan look at him. Despite everything that had just happened, Felix managed to say, “It’s not your fault.” 

The unending darkness in Chan’s eyes was interrupted by a single spark of light. He briefly touched Felix’s cheek, wiping away the tears that had escaped Felix’s eyes. “It’s not your fault either, Felix. This was all Changbin.” 

“Please, don’t kill him,” Felix whimpered. “I know he hurt Jeongin so—so bad.” The more he talked, the more tears spilled down his cheeks. “But he didn’t mean to do that! He’s a newborn vampire, you said so yourself! He doesn’t know what he is doing.” 

Seungmin let out a noise of disagreement, but he quieted down when Chan looked at him. Felix looked at him too. “I’m sorry, Seungmin.” A sob escaped him when he looked down at Jeongin. “I’m so sorry, Jeongin. Does it hurt a lot?” 

Jeongin grinned at him, his teeth coated in black as he shook his head. “Don’t worry about me, Felix, I’ll be good—good as new in no time.” 

Seungmin scowled at him. Jeongin held his arm as if it was his favourite toy, lapping up the last traces of his maker’s blood. 

They turned their heads when Hyunjin broke through the circle of spectators. Judging by the way his chest was heaving, he must have run all the way from the ferris wheel to where they were. 

“Where did he run off to?” Hyunjin called out, eyes wild as he looked down at Jeongin, then all-around. 

Jeongin lifted a blood-streaked arm, pointing in the direction of one of the side streets. 

Hyunjin looked close to taking off, but Chan stopped him by saying, “No one is going to go after Felix’s brother right now.” 

Hyunjin’s nostrils flared, his eyes staying on the mouth of the side street, but he bent to Chan’s will and stayed put. He didn’t have a choice. 

Felix couldn’t help but admire how seamlessly Chan slipped into his role of clan leader. “Jeongin, do you think it’ll be okay if we carry you? We’ve caused quite a scene. I’d prefer it if we left before the police arrives.” 

It was then that Felix grew aware of the many eyes on them and the phones pointed in their direction. He swallowed. If his professor had ever asked himself why Felix had been absent so much this semester, he was likely to find out on the evening news. It was not something Felix had the brain capacity left to think about right now. 

Jeongin let out a pained wheeze as Seungmin lifted him into his arms. 

“Let me help you,” Hyunjin said, sounding miserable. 

“Can you grab my plushies on the way back?” Jeongin asked him, clearly trying to crack a joke. Apart from the gaping hole in his stomach, he seemed quite content to be carried in Seungmin’s arms, swinging his legs. 

Hyunjin looked close to crying as he stuck close by them. “Minho took Jisung back to the car. If we call him, he might be able to pick us up halfway.” 

“Good idea.” Chan pulled his phone. 

Hyunjin didn’t smile. His eyes remained glued to the hole in Jeongin’s middle. Now that Jeongin had his maker’s blood in him, Felix could see that the tissue was already knitting itself back together, but it still looked gruesome. The pristine front of Seungmin’s sweater vest was already soaked through with black. 

As everyone started moving, Felix remained where he had knelt. He looked towards the side street, committing the name on the sign to memory. He knew it was useless. Changbin was long gone. If he was smart, he would never come close to Felix or his clan ever again. 

Felix retched up a dry sob. 

“Felix.” 

He turned his head, just as Chan’s hand landed on his shoulder. His touch was feather-light this time. Felix could have shaken him off if he wanted to. He could see in Chan’s eyes that Chan expected him to. 

He gripped onto his hand instead. “Chan…” 

Chan didn’t hesitate to pull him close and Felix burrowed into his side.

“I’m sorry, Felix.” Chan pressed a gentle kiss against his temple. His broader frame worked to partially shield him from all their on-lookers. “You must be very confused.” 

“What if I never see him again?” 

It was what all of Felix’s swirling, spiralling thoughts came down to. Changbin had run away from him. Felix didn’t know why, but he knew Changbin hadn’t done it without reason. The thought that Changbin might never want to see him again made Felix want to crumble where he stood. He was glad that Chan wouldn’t let him. 

“Don’t worry, sunshine. This was only the beginning. Now that we know that your brother is a vampire and out there, there is not a place in this city he can hide from us, I promise.” 

Chapter Text

Chan watched, pained, as his human slept. 

On the outside, Felix looked serene in his sleep. His features were smoothed out. His lips were ajar in a perpetual pout. The deep, even breaths lifting his chest made it look like he was completely relaxed, but Chan knew that Felix’s sorrow had carried into his dreams. He could feel it through the blood bond. 

All that sorrow and anger and desperation was still there, simmering under Chan’s skin because it filled Felix to the brim. 

Felix hadn’t been a fan when Chan had told him that he was taking him back to the nest instead of his own apartment. 

“You don’t understand! I have to go there! Changbin might go there! He might come home!” 

Chan had hated having to crush his human’s dreams, but there had simply been no way he was going to let that happen. 

“You can’t be there if he does end up coming to your apartment. We don’t know how agitated he is. It’s not safe for you.” 

“He’s my brother!”

“Did you not see what he did to Jeongin?” 

It had been a low blow. Felix’s guilty conscience had been written all over his face whenever he looked at Jeongin. It was obvious that Felix blamed himself for Jeongin’s injury. Had it not been for Felix, Changbin likely wouldn’t have come to the winter fair, then Jeongin would have never chased after him and no one would have gotten hurt. 

Most likely. 

Chan wasn’t so sure what Changbin had been doing at the fair in the first place. Had he come to hunt? Had he known that Felix would be there? And if so, who had told him? 

Chan swallowed against the urge to wrap up Felix in his arms and hiss at anyone who even looked in the direction of his human. He couldn’t be sure how Changbin had found Felix, but he didn’t believe in chance occurrences. 

The idea that Changbin was actively seeking his brother out set Chan’s teeth on edge. He wanted Felix to be reunited with his brother, but he could not let that happen until he had made sure that Changbin didn’t pose a danger to Felix.

Felix would hate him for it. Chan was well aware of that, but he’d rather have Felix hate him than have Felix lose his life because he didn’t want to see that his beloved Changbin-hyung was no longer a protector, as much as Felix wanted to hold onto that idea. 

Changbin had turned into something that didn’t exist to protect, that wouldn’t even remember how at the first drop of blood in his vicinity. Like every vampire, he’d been turned into something that existed only to satisfy his own lust for blood and it would take years to regain any instinct beyond that.   

But knowing this would break Felix’s heart. Chan knew it would and he hadn’t yet figured out how to spare him from that pain. 

Felix twitched in his sleep, a low whine escaping him as he pressed his face closer into Chan’s pillow. Anguish reverberated through the blood bond. Coupled with the pain, anger and worry he felt from the rest of his clan, it made Chan’s fingers twitch with the need to do something. 

He turned his head when the door to his bedroom opened and Hyunjin came in. 

“Hyung.”

Chan reached out his hand to beckon Hyunjin closer. 

“Seungmin said I should get you. Everyone’s waiting for you in the living room.” 

Hyunjin’s voice was uncharacteristically hoarse, traces of black marring his cheeks. Chan wasn’t surprised. Hyunjin didn’t react well to upheaval and seeing Jeongin hurt was visibly affecting him, maybe the most right after Seungmin. 

Against his natural instinct to wrap himself around Felix and not let go until his human was no longer in pain, Chan got up from the edge of the bed and headed towards the door. 

He took the time to stop by Hyunjin’s side, wiping his progeny’s cheeks. Hyunjin looked miserable as he leaned into his touch, a fresh wave of black tears brimming in his eyes as he looked at Chan. 

“It will be all right,” Chan promised him. “I’ll make it so, like I always do. There is nothing to worry about, mhm?”

Hyunjin nodded, burrowing into Chan’s embrace. Chan couldn’t help but smile. It was such a rare occasion that Hyunjin openly came to him for comfort. Despite his sensitive nature, his youngest progeny usually preferred to wander off and make things out with himself if he was troubled. The only one allowed to chase after him was Jeongin, but Jeongin was out of commission for the moment. 

Chan tightened his grip and swayed them from side to side until he could feel Hyunjin relax in his hold. When he pulled back, he could see that he had staved off the flood, at least for the moment. 

Hyunjin managed a tiny smile when Chan gave him his broadest one. 

“I can watch over him while you’re gone.” Hyunjin nodded his head towards the bed. 

Chan gently stroked his hair before he let go. “That would be great, thank you.” 

Hyunjin nodded, walking over to the bed with slow, careful steps. He sat down on the edge of the bed like Chan had done, putting a hesitant hand on the duvet covering Felix’s back. 

Endeared, Chan watched them for a moment before he slipped out of the room. 

Just like Hyunjin had said, his clan was already waiting for him in the living room. Seungmin had wanted to set up Jeongin in his room, but Jeongin had whined that he didn’t want to be kept away from the action while he recovered so they had compromised on the living room. 

Jeongin was suckling on a blood bag when Chan came in. Seungmin was sitting on the arm rest behind his head, stroking his hair. Minho stood behind the couch with his arms crossed while Jisung, who was sitting on the floor, was tirelessly wiping at the blood welling up from Jeongin’s wound. With Seungmin’s blood aiding the healing process, the wound looked a lot better already. It was no longer a gaping hole, but it would take days for him to fully heal. 

The sight of it made Chan’s fangs itch, his blood heating with curling rage. Because Jeongin wasn’t his direct progeny, Jeongin’s pain only reached him in muted waves, but Seungmin’s emotions were all the more pronounced. Chan took a deep breath against the second-hand anger piling on top of his own. 

Plastering a smile onto his face, he crouched down by Jeongin’s head. “How are you feeling?” 

Jeongin grinned at him past the plastic of his blood bag. “Just dandy.” He wriggled his body a little as if to show he was all good to go, nevermind the hole in his body. 

Jisung immediately scolded him for it, hastily grabbing another bundle of gauze to press down on the wound. 

Chan watched Jisung work for a moment before he looked at Minho. “Minho, why don’t you take Jisung up to your room? It’s already past midnight.” 

“No.” Jisung’s tone was surprisingly snippy when he shot Chan a glare. “I know what you’re trying to do and I want to be here. I’m a part of this clan too, you know? You don’t have to keep me out of everything just because I’m human.” 

Chan searched his eyes for any sign of doubt or hesitancy, but there was none. Jisung held against him, clearly determined. Chan looked towards Minho, who looked downright proud of his human. Chan was too. 

He had to suppress a smile as he lightly bowed his head. “Of course, Jisung. I’m sorry for making it seem like you weren’t welcome here.” 

Jisung’s cheeks puffed out in a huff before he focussed back on wiping Jeongin’s skin. 

Minho’s expression turned from soft to sinister when looked from Jisung to Chan. “What are we going to do?” 

Chan took a moment to sort out his words, well aware of everyone’s attention falling to him. “Damage control, for one. We have to see what kind of footage hits the news. Since there was no human injured, the police have no right to intervene, but the other clan leaders will undoubtedly see. I have to come up with an explanation as to why Jeongin was attacked.” 

“You could tell them it’s none of their business?” Jisung suggested, innocently enough. 

Chan suppressed a smile. “You are right in that it is none of their business, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t care. If someone attacks one of my clan members, they might think that theirs aren’t safe either. At least, until I tell them that it was a personal attack and not a strong, rogue outlier running around. They care, as unfortunate as that is for our purposes.” 

“That sounds stupid.” 

“It’s vampire politics.” 

“As I said, stupid.” 

Chan laughed. Minho definitely looked proud now. 

“We could tell them the truth,” Seungmin spoke up, his eyes never leaving Jeongin’s face. “At least, the ones we trust. Seungcheol has good trackers. They might be able to help us.” 

Chan shook his head. “No one can know what we know. Vampire Law clearly states what is to do with rogue vampires and we cannot let that happen to Changbin.” 

“Is Changbin a rogue vampire?” Jisung asked at the same time that Minho raised his hand. “Personally, I’m not opposed to hunting him down and leaving his remains to meet the sun.” 

Answering them both, Chan said, “He is Felix’s brother.” 

“Felix will get over it.” 

“I’m not arguing about this, Minho.” 

Minho bared his fangs, looking away. Chan knew that he wasn’t contesting Chan’s decision. He was merely angry at the situation. 

Minho was hiding it well at the moment, mostly because Jisung was with them, but seeing Jeongin injured had nearly sent Minho into a frenzy. It was only because Jisung had been there when they had told him about what had happened that Minho hadn’t run off to find Changbin and bring him back in parts. 

Any threat to the clan had to be eliminated. 

Even Chan’s will would not keep him from protecting the second family he’d been given. Chan knew this. He just hoped Minho would hold out long enough so that they could find a better solution. 

Seungmin growled. “Felix’s brother or not, he has no right to live after what he did to Jeongin.” 

Chan frowned. 

Apart from Hyunjin, Seungmin was the least likely member of the clan to turn violent. Violence simply didn’t coincide with reason. Seungmin seemed entirely willing to abandon his highest principle as he bared his fangs at Chan, challenging him. Another thing Seungmin wasn’t likely to do. 

Chan held his gaze, fully ready to rise to the challenge. He understood why Seungmin was upset, but he would not allow Seungmin’s emotions to get the better of him and upset everyone around them even more. 

Both of them were interrupted by a poignant smack of the lips. Jeongin dropped his empty blood bag to reach for Seungmin’s hand instead. 

“Don’t be angry,” he told his maker. “It’s not Felix’s brother’s fault. I tried to grab him from behind. That was my mistake.” 

Seungmin shook his head, squeezing his hand. “He hurt you.” 

“It’s merely a scratch.” 

“I had to collect your liver from the street and put it back in.” 

“I’ve survived worse.” 

Seungmin let out an angry noise, but Jeongin only smiled at him. He only ever smiled when he looked at Seungmin. 

“Changbin is not our only problem,” Chan said, calling everyone back to attention, mostly also because he saw Minho getting twitchy in his peripheral vision. “We have to find him, yes, but apart from what he means to Felix, I’m more worried about the rogue vampire that turned him. That rogue vampire is still out there and we don’t have a gauge on who they are or what they are planning to do next.” 

“Changbin seems to have survived his transformation so that might put an end to the killing spree of failed turnings,” Seungmin said, seemingly having regained some of his reason. 

Chan hummed. “Maybe. I will send word to the other clan leaders to figure out whether anyone’s had to deal with any more unfortunate incidents.” 

Minho raised his hand. “Can we at least kill the rogue one when we find them?”

Chan waved his hand. “Be my guest. It has to be done either way.” 

“Because of the Vampire Law?” Jisung asked.

Chan smiled at him. “Yes.” 

It wasn’t a complete lie. Chan just also had his own reasons. He needed Changbin’s maker dead if he wanted to bind Changbin to his own clan, and that was the ultimate goal. If he had Changbin, Felix could never leave him. 

Minho looked satisfied with his permission to kill at least one rogue vampire, mollified for the moment. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Chan could see Jisung frown. 

Feeling his discontent throught he clan bond, Chan reached over to stroke the human’s head. “I’m sorry. I know you want to be here, but you don’t have to make yourself listen to us talk about it.” 

Jisung shrugged, even if he still looked unhappy. “I want to be in the know. Besides, Felix is my friend. I don’t want him to get hurt. If this helps to protect him from harm, I say do it.” 

Chan nodded. That was exactly what he was going to do. It didn’t matter which vampire he had to let meet the sun, he’d kill anyone who harboured ill-intent towards his human. That’s what he had given Felix his blood for. 

“Don’t worry, Sung,” Minho said, his gaze a thousand yards away and six hundred years in the past. “No one is going to hurt anyone in this family again. We’ll take care of it.” 

* 

“I just don’t know.” Felix sniffled as Hyunjin stroked his hair. “He saw me. I’m sure he saw me, but he ran away the moment I tried to get to him. Why would he do that? I spent so long searching for him, just why?” 

Hyunjin’s face was filled with sympathy as he wiped the tears from Felix’s cheeks. “Your brother loves you, Felix.” 

“Then why did he run away? It just doesn’t make sense to me.”  

Hyunjin shook his head. “He must have his reasons. Please, don’t be angry with him.” After a beat, he added, “There’s no use in making yourself unhappy.” 

“I’m not angry with him,” Felix mumbled. It was the truth. He was past anger, caught dangling somewhere between bargaining and sadness. “I’m just scared. What if he never comes back? He’s a vampire so he could go anywhere, right?” 

“No.” 

Felix blinked, surprised at the sudden cutting tone of Hyunjin’s voice. “No?” 

“No.” Hyunjin’s tone softened again, lulling Felix in so he relaxed back into the sheets. “Changbin is a vampire, but he’s not unbound. There are things that keep him here.” Hyunjin’s smile was promising. “You are one of them.” 

Hyunjin couldn’t know that. There was no way that Hyunjin could know that, but Felix still found himself comforted by his words. He let Hyunjin stroke his hair and wipe the tears from his eyes. After all he had went through, he could feel himself crash and Hyunjin’s ministrations only helped to make him more sleepy. 

As Felix’s eyes drooped close, Hyunjin started humming under his breath, the tune of an old love song. Felix remembered hearing it in an old film once. The humming became louder the more Hyunjin leaned closer. Felix was almost asleep by the time the door opened, startling him awake again. 

Hyunjin got up off the bed as Chan came towards them. 

“Any news?” Felix asked him.

Chan shook his head as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, taking the place Hyunjin had vacated. When Felix checked, Hyunjin was already gone. 

Cool fingers on his cheek distracted him. “You should sleep more.” 

Felix sighed. “I want to go to my apartment. The sun’s not up yet. He might be there.” 

“Right, he might be there just waiting for you to walk in like a meal he ordered.” 

Felix was getting tired of repeating himself. “Changbin would never do that.”  

“Changbin would do anything if it meant getting blood. It’s not a reflection on his personality, sunshine, I don’t doubt that he cares for you. He’s simply too young of an unborn to control himself.” 

Felix shook his head. “He walked away when he saw me! If he was after my blood, he would have attacked when he had the chance, no? Or he could have attacked anyone else at the fair, but he didn’t!” 

“A single papercut.” Chan took a hold of Felix’s finger as he climbed further onto the bed. “A single swipe of Nola’s claws. It doesn’t take more than a single drop of blood, Felix. Your brother is not who you remember him to be.” 

Felix felt his eyes burn as he looked up at Chan. He felt the need to lash out, to tell Chan that the vampire was wrong, but he knew there was no use in yelling. Chan only told him the truth that Felix didn’t want to see. Or he thought he was. 

Chan didn’t know Changbin. Felix did. 

He had spent the entire night wallowing about it and he was sure of it now. Had Changbin been a mindless monster like Chan said than he would have attacked someone, anyone, at the winter fair, but he hadn’t. There was enough of him left that he wasn’t a danger to Felix, not like Chan thought he was. Felix was sure of it.

But he couldn’t tell Chan that. Chan was too blinded by his own experiences, he would never understand. 

So, Felix merely huffed. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Let’s just sleep.” 

He could feel Chan’s annoyance through the blood bond, but Chan’s tone was nothing but gentle as he stroked Felix’s hair, “I’m sorry, sunshine. I wish it was different and I promise I will give him back to you. It just might take some time.” 

“Okay.” Felix’s voice came out more quietly than he had intended. He wished so badly that that was true. 

Cool lips pressed against the side of his head before Chan lifted himself off the bed. Felix was almost asleep by the time Chan returned to him, now dressed in a pair of silken pyjama pants. Despite their earlier argument, Felix felt his heart calm as Chan slid under the covers next to him.

Feeling him through the blood bond was not enough. Felix was beginning to realise that. As much as he liked to argue with Chan, he needed him by his side more. 

He blinked when Chan wrapped himself around him from behind. Caught in his embrace, he wriggled around until he could touch Chan’s face, his bare chest and arms. 

A frown made its way onto his face. “You’re warmer than usual.” 

“I ran some hot water over my skin.”

Felix blinked. “W-what? For how long?” 

Felix could tell by the damp state of Chan’s hair that he had showered, but he hadn’t known that it was even possible for Chan’s skin to warm up this much. Touching him now, his skin almost felt human. Even when they had slept together, it had never reached human temperature. The water must have been boiling. 

He hit Chan’s chest. “Don’t do that again! It must have hurt! You can’t burn yourself on my behalf.” 

Chan smiled as he caught his hand. “It didn’t hurt me, sunshine. I don’t feel pain like you do.”

“Still! Don’t do it again!” Felix blamed it on the early morning hour that he was tearing up. He pushed Chan onto his back and planted himself on top of him, hugging him like a koala. “I don’t mind that you run a little colder.”

Gentle fingers stroked his hair. “No?”

“No.” 

“I just didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. Jisung is always complaining that Minho’s touch hands are too cold when he touches him so I thought it must be the same for you.”  

Felix shook his head, squishing his face into Chan’s chest. “I don’t care. I’m comfortable just like this.”

Strong arms wrapped around his waist, keeping him safe right where he was. “I’m glad.” 

Feeling the strong, slow beat of Chan’s heart against his ear, Felix allowed his eyes to drift shut once more. The brush of Chan’s fingers up and down his back would have been tantalising on any other day, but in that moment, it did wonders to soothe Felix. He was here and Chan was too and for the moment, that was enough to keep Felix calm. 

He let himself drift off like this, safe and sound in arms that felt so secure, so loving. 

*

Felix woke up while the sun was still up. He could tell by the way Chan was fast asleep under him, unmoving like a statue. Felix took a moment to admire him, beautiful and dead to the world as he was. It was tempting to stay right where he was, caught in the arms of the vampire he had chosen. Right where he was, his blood sang with contentment and he was warm despite the cool feel of Chan’s skin. It was hard to give up both of these things, but he had to. 

He pressed a quick kiss to Chan’s lips, waiting for Chan to spring up and kiss him right back, but Chan didn’t move. Felix had known that he wouldn’t, but he still felt a little disappointed as he moved to get out of bed. It took some time to unwrap Chan’s lithic arms from around his body, but eventually he had freed himself. Picking up his phone from the nightstand, he learned that it was almost noon. Felix was glad for it. He hadn’t slept for as long as he had feared. 

A part of him hadn’t want to sleep at all, just counting down the minutes until the sun rose and all the vampires went to sleep, but it had been impossible to stay awake when Chan’s bed had been so warm and Chan’s arms around him had been so secure and his heart had hurt so much in the absence of both of these things. 

The ground floor of the house was as deserted as expected. Felix had to search for a bit, but eventually he found his backpack neatly hung up next to the coats in the anteroom. He took it off the hook along with his puffer jacket and slipped into his shoes. 

In a house full of vampires, there was no one to stop him as he stepped out into the sun. 

He spent the busride home anxiously wondering what he was going to find when he got home. Had Changbin come home? Had he struggled to break open the new door? Had he been proud to see that Felix had taken good care of their home? Had he been angry? 

A thousand possibilities swirled around in Felix’s head as he walked up the stairs to his apartment. The door didn’t look like anyone had tempered with it, but that wasn’t surprising. The code was Felix’s birthday. Changbin had probably guessed that easily.

Punching in the digits, Felix eagerly pulled the door open. 

His heart skipped a beat when he heard movement in the living room, but then Nola rounded the corner, meowing at him accusingly. Felix scooped her up, cooing his apologies into her fur as he carried her into the kitchen. 

Felix quickly checked on the automatic feeder to make sure it had dispensed her food properly. The automatic feeder had shown up shortly after the door. Felix had sent Chan a very bemused text before Chan had informed him that it was a gift from Minho. Knowing how expensive they were, Felix had tried to argue that Nola didn’t need it, to which he had received a text from Jisung that told him Minho had told him to to tell Felix that he wasn’t taking it back. 

Felix had given up after that. 

Nola jumped from his arms as soon as Felix pressed on the button that opened the dispenser flap. Listening to the crunch of her chewing, he looked around the kitchen, looking for any signs of disturbance. When he found none, he moved into the living room. 

The living room also looked just like Felix had left it. The towel Felix had used to dry his hair laid draped over the backrest of the couch, some of his class notes were strewn around the coffee table. Everything was just the way he had left it. 

He realised then that there was an option that was worse than Changbin’s anger or walking into a possible bloodbath. 

Nothing. 

Feeling bitter disappointment rise up in his throat, Felix wiped at his eyes as he went into his bedroom. He dropped his backpack and jacket by the door, face-planting onto his bed. He didn’t want to cry. He had already cried enough for a life-time the day before. 

Before he would allow himself to crumble completely, he got up to switch on the lights in his room. The window of his room faced the street and if Changbin was out there, Felix wanted him to know that he was waiting for him to come home. 

*

Chan walked into the kitchen to find his first unborn arms-deep in the fridge, throwing blood bag after blood bag on the counter of the kitchen island. 

“What is going on?” 

Minho only briefly looked up at him. “I’m going out there.” 

Chan hummed as he watched Minho stuff the blood bags into a backpack. “Is that why I just walked past Jisung sulking on the sofa?” 

Minho halted in his movements, a silent sigh leaving his lips before he shouldered the backpack. “He’s concerned about my safety. He’s trying to put on a brave face so we don’t look down on him, but what happened to Jeongin scared him more than he wants to admit.” 

“He’s not wrong to worry.” Chan put himself into Minho’s way when Minho headed for the door. Minho shot him an annoyed look, but Chan didn’t budge. “Make sure you don’t end up with a hole in you, too.” 

Minho rolled his eyes. “What do you take me for, an amateur? I may not be an ancient like you, but I’m definitely old enough. I’m not going to lose against a toddler, no matter how strong he came out. Besides, I’m taking Hyunjin with me.” 

“Hyunjin doesn’t fight.” 

“I know, I’m taking him so he can call you when I catch that bastard.” 

“Minho.” Chan grabbed him by the shoulder. Minho’s eyes latched onto his hand, but Chan didn’t lift it. “You can’t kill Changbin.” 

“Not even a little bit?” 

“No. He’s Felix’s brother. It would make Felix very sad if he died.” 

Minho huffed. “I’ve said this before, but I’m still sure he’d get over it.” 

“Minho.” 

“I heard you.” Minho met his gaze straight-on and Chan lifted his hand, reassured that Minho would not go against his will, even if Chan hadn’t used his maker voice.

Standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, Chan watched as Minho approached the sofa. Jisung was wrapped up in several blankets, pretending to work on his laptop. He put it aside when Minho knelt in front of him. 

“You’re leaving?” 

Minho hummed, his eyes slipping shut when Jisung touched his face. In six hundred years, Chan had never seen Minho as peaceful as he was when Jisung touched him. 

“Be careful.” 

Minho snagged Jisung’s hand, pressing a kiss to the inside of his wrist. “I am not the one who has to be careful.” 

“Still.” 

In six hundred years, Chan had never seen Minho bend to another’s will as easily as he did to Jisung’s. “I’ll be back before you know it,” he promised. 

Jisung visibly calmed, his heartbeat slowing. “Thank you.” 

Minho rose up so he could kiss Jisung properly. Chan turned away from them then. He didn’t have voyeuristic tendencies.

More importantly, he had a human of his own he had to take care of. 

*
Felix woke up to banging on his front door. 

He hadn’t even realised that he’d fallen asleep, but it was already dark outside as he stumbled out of his room, the day having run away from him. Faintly, he remembered that he had a deadline at midnight that he really needed to get to. The moment he unlocked the door, it all but flew open. 

“Woah! Chan—what?!” 

Before Felix knew it, he found himself pushed into the corner behind the door, Chan blanketing him with his body. Red was bleeding into the whites of Chan’s eyes as he inhaled deeply, nostrils flaring. “Someone was here.” 

Felix frowned. “What?” 

With his fangs coming out, Chan strode into the living room, looking around before he peeked into the kitchen, Felix’s bedroom and then—

“Hey!” Felix all but threw himself in front of the door Chan was trying to open next. It was the door to Changbin’s room. Felix hadn’t opened it since his disappearance. He wasn’t allowed to. No one was allowed to, because the room had to stay the same so Changbin would recognise it when he came back. 

He pushed against Chan’s chest, trying to stop him but Chan swiped him out of the way as if he was a fly, his eyes blood red and angry as he pushed the door open. 

Felix gasped as he peeked over his shoulder. He felt like the floor was giving out underneath him. 

What had once been Changbin’s room, pristine and untouched, was a scene of destruction now. The sheets had been torn off the bed and the curtains off the rack. The mirror hanging above the dresser was shattered, remnants of black blood coating the jagged edges.The neat stack of books his brother kept on a shelf laid strewn all over the floor, interspersed with clothes and all the little trinkets usually lined up on the edge of the desk under the window. On the floor in front of the bed, there was a photo frame of their family, a rare shot of all of them, with the glass shattered. 

Felix’s breath caught in his throat. “He was here.” 

“Felix!” It was only Chan’s arms wrapping around his waist that stopped him from stepping onto shattered glass. 

Felix struggled against him. “Let me go! I have to see!”

Chan only held him tighter, pulling him back. “Stop, Felix!”

“Changbin was here!” Felix wriggled around in his grip so he could hit Chan in the nose. “You can smell it, can’t you? That it was Changbin.” 

Chan scoffed. “He smells like you only worse.” 

Felix felt a sob built in his throat at the confirmation. “Let me go in,” he begged, clawing at Chan’s chest. “If he was here, he might have left something for me.”

Chan shook his head, turning them around so his back was blocking the door frame. “Go into your room and pack a bag.” 

“What? I’m not leaving!” 

“You’re moving into the nest until we’ve sorted this out.” 

“Like hell I am!” 

Chan growled at him and on any other day, the sound would have put the fear of god into Felix, but right now he didn’t care. Chan had to see that in his eyes because he spun around and picked one of the books up of the floor, holding it up by a frayed edge as half the pages slid out, ripped off the binding. 

“This could be you next, Felix! You think your brother cares about you? He must have cared about his room too, no? That didn’t keep him from tearing it apart!” His tone softened considerably when tears welled up in Felix’s eyes. “Go and pack a bag. I’ll tell you if I find anything.”  

Felix wanted to yell at him, take the book and throw it at Chan’s face, but he knew there was no use arguing. 

He went into his room and packed a bag. 

He was just shoving his laptop and university notes into his backpack when Chan came in. Felix turned away from him, wiping at his eyes. 

“Sunshine.” 

Felix scowled and hoped that Chan felt every ounce of his misery through the blood bond. Chan sat down on the edge of his bed, waiting until Felix was willing to face him. There was no use in sulking, so Felix huffed and turned around.

Chan held out his hand as if in a peace offering. In it was the family photo Changbin had smashed, freed from its broken frame. Felix was more than glad to see that the photo paper was intact. 

“I thought you might want to take this with you.” 

Felix snatched it from his hands, adding it into the binder with his university notes. “Did you find anything else?” 

Chan shook his head. “Nothing that would help. He didn’t leave a note.” 

“I want to see.” 

“Okay.” 

Felix blinked. He hadn’t expected Chan to give in so easily. Chan offered his hand again and Felix took it, letting Chan lead him towards the room. The shards of glass were gone from the floor. The books and trinkets, or what was left of them, had been stacked on the desk. Even the clothes had been folded into piles on the bed. 

With tears welling up in his eyes, Felix squeezed Chan’s hand as he looked around. 

“Does any of it look like a clue to you?” Chan asked. 

Felix took his time looking around. He looked through everything on the desk before moving towards the dresser. Like in the kitchen and living room, there was nothing. Nothing past the rampage. Felix wondered what had made Changbin so angry. He could only guess. He turned to look at Chan and he could see himself and all his pain mirrored in Chan’s eyes. 

A dry sob escaped him. Chan opened his arms and Felix didn’t hesitate to fall into them. It was the only safe place he had left. 

“I hate this,” he whimpered. 

There was so much anger and misery and sadness inside him, Felix didn’t know what to do with it all. He clung to Chan, his cool, unmoving form and the safety it promised. 

Gentle fingers carded through his hair. “I know you do, sunshine, but there is a solution to this. It just isn’t safe for you to be here while we’re figuring everything out. You have to see your brother for what he is right now, not what you remember him to be. He is a newly turned vampire, not the brother you grew up with.” 

Felix shook his head. “I can’t believe he did this.” 

“He might not have meant to do it. Newborn vampires are volatile. He might have lost control without meaning to, but that doesn’t change the outcome, does it?”

Felix wiped at his nose. “Is this my fault? Because I wasn’t there?” 

“No.”

Felix blinked at how quickly Chan’s answer had come. “How would you know?” 

“You did nothing wrong, sunshine.” 

Felix wanted to believe that, but it was hard. “I don’t want to hide out in the nest. Changbin came home once, he might come again. I want to be here if he comes back.” 

“It’s not—”

“Safe, I know.” Wiping his face, Felix met Chan’s gaze straight-on. “But I am going to do it all the same, Chan.” 

Chan sighed. He framed Felix face with his hands, pressing a kiss to his forehead before kissing him on the mouth. It did wonders to soothe the ache in Felix’s heart. “Fine.” 

“Fine?” 

Chan nodded. “I’d prefer it if you just stayed at the nest where all of the clan can look after you, but it’s fine. If you want to stay here, I can stay here too.” 

Felix perked up. “Really?” 

“You’re not wrong if you say he might come back. Minho and Hyunjin are out there right now looking for him, but if they’re unsuccessful, waiting for him here becomes our new plan A until Jeongin has recovered enough to use this,” Chan pointed towards the mirror where Changbin’s blood still coated the glass, “to find him.” 

“Is that how you smelled him from outside the apartment?” 

Chan nodded. “Vampire scents are a lot more muted than human ones and it doesn’t linger. After all, we’re not meant to hunt other vampires.” Chan tapped his cheek. “We’re meant to hunt unsuspecting little humans. The blood is different, though. He might as well have pissed on the floor.” 

Felix scrunched up his nose. “Gross.” 

“And yet it’s true.” 

Felix looked around once more, a terrible thought occurring to him as he took in all that Changbin had broken. “Is it going to be dangerous if Changbin comes back and it’s only you here?” 

Chan’s answering smile was nothing but amused. “Are you worried about me, sunshine?” 

Felix glared at him. 

Chan pressed a kiss to his lips, effectively erasing the frown from Felix’s face. “No, your brother is not a danger to me. Vampires grow stronger over time. With all due respect to your brother, he doesn’t really stand a chance against me if it comes to it.” 

Felix hummed. “I’m sure it is your unbelievable humility that will give you the winning edge.” 

“Bold words coming from the one who can’t keep his greedy little hands off my arms.” 

Felix shrugged, letting Chan move him towards the door. He was squeezing one of Chan’s arms right now. “‘s a nice pair of arms.” 

“You can touch whatever you want once we’ve moved this party to the couch.” 

“Whatever I want?” 

Chan looked at him with such fondness, Felix wanted to drown himself in it. He didn't hurt as long as Chan was looking at him like that. “Yes, sunshine, whatever you want.” 

* 

Felix spent the next week waiting. During the day, he did his best to catch up with his assignments. His professor’s words still rang in his ears and now that Changbin was back, Felix had to work hard so his older brother wouldn’t be disappointed. 

Every night, as soon as the sun set, Chan came to the apartment and if it wasn’t him, it was someone else from the clan. Once, it even turned out to be Seungmin, carrying a large briefcase full of documents. Felix didn’t question what he was working on, simply freeing half the coffee table for him. 

Felix was never alone as long as the sun was down and so it confused him when he sat in his living room, a week after Changbin had wreaked havoc on his room and there was no one that knocked on his door even an hour after the sun had disappeared from the sky. He gave it another half an hour before he started messaging Chan. 

7.35 p.m. [Felix]: Are you coming over? 

7.41 p.m. [Felix]: I downloaded this movie I think you’re going to hate, I want to watch it later <3

7.44 p.m. [Felix]: Chan?

When he received no reply even after the third text, Felix pulled up his contacts, scrolling until he found the one he wanted. Trying to calm his own, anxiously beating heart, he counted every ring until the call connected. 

“Hi, Felix! What’s up?” Jisung’s cheery voice was underlined by the sound of some anime playing in the background. 

“Are you at the nest?” 

“No, I’m at my dorm.” The background noise cut off. “Why?” 

“Is Minho with you?” 

“Not yet, but we’re going out for dinner in…” There was some rustling. “Oh, twenty minutes ago, actually.”

Felix felt his stomach drop. “Can you call Minho? Ask him where he is and whether Chan’s with him?” 

“Yes, hold on.” 

Felix spent the next five minutes anxiously fiddling with the cross around his neck. Chan had given it back to him at the beginning of the week, making Felix promise to wear it whenever he wasn’t there. Right now, it was the only thing that made Felix feel at least a little bit better. He could understand that Chan might be busy, being Seoul’s mightiest vampire and all, but surely he had to have two minutes to spare to reply to Felix’s texts? 

He nearly dropped his phone when Jisung called him back, hastily swiping to accept. 

“I can’t reach him.” Jisung sounded a whole lot less cheery now. “Do you think something happened? Minho never ignores my calls.” 

Felix licked his lips. Jisung was right. Minho would never do that. Nonetheless, he forced his voice to be cheery as he said, “It’s probably nothing to worry about. Minho may have just forgotten the time, or maybe the traffic is bad! I’m sure he’s already on his way to you.” 

“You think?” 

“Yes”, Felix lied. “In any case, I’m going to the house.” He got up from the sofa and moved towards the door, pulling on his shoes. “If Minho is still at the nest, I’ll whack him over the head for you.” 

“Should I come too?”

“No!” Felix’s answer came out too quickly and he winced. “I mean, no, I don’t think that’s a good idea. If Minho arrives at your dorm and you’re not there, he’s going to freak out, won’t he?”

Jisung sighed. “Probably. Okay, I’m going to wait here for him, but do keep me updated! And tell him to call me if you see him!” 

“Promise.” Felix gritted his teeth as he left his apartment, fiddling with the cross around his neck so it disappeared under his sweater. “I’ll tell you as soon as I know what’s going on.” 

“Good. Thank you.” 

They hung up and Felix hurried down the pavement. He’d never wished for a car more than he did the ten minutes he had to wait at the bus stop. He spent the entire ride over texting Chan, then the rest of the clan, but no one answered him. 

By the time he hopped off the bus, he couldn’t even pretend anymore that he wasn’t worried. He ran the rest of the way to the clan house, panting by the time he reached the familiar wooden gate. A breath of relief escaped him when he found that the house looked like it always did, neatly kept and quiet in the night. Both Minho’s bulky SUV and Chan’s sleeker S-Class were in the driveway and that alleviated a lot of Felix’s worries. It left him with the anger simmering under his skin. 

He punched the code into the door, not bothering to switch on the light in the anteroom as he kicked off his shoes. Around the corner, he could hear voices and laughter. His anger flared. It sounded like his clan was having a good old time while he and Jisung were left out. Felix was very curious to hear what they thought they were doing, ignoring their two human clan members like this. The moment he entered the living room, he stopped dead in his tracks. 

The living room was full with vampires. Not just his own, but also half a dozen strangers. A shiver of dread ran up Felix’s spine when every single head in the room turned to look at him, too many pairs of red eyes settling on him all at once. Felix’s breath caught in his throat. 

Naturally, he looked towards Chan, standing in the centre of the room. There was no amusement, no hint of fondness in Chan’s eyes as he lifted his arm. “Felix, come here.” 

Moving any further into the room was the last thing Felix wanted to do, but he knew he had no other choice. Running in the opposite direction might have enticed any of these strange vampires to chase after him and that was the last thing Felix wanted. 

Besides, he trusted Chan. If Chan thought that beside him was the safest place to be, Felix trusted him. He knew Chan would have told him run if he needed to run. Holding onto that thought, Felix forced himself to breathe easy as he took a step forward, then another one. 

Every movement, every breath of his was meticulously followed by half a dozen pairs of strange, crimson eyes. Felix didn’t look at them. He only looked at Chan. The corner of Chan’s mouth twitched in the weak imitation of a smile and Felix gained more confidence from that. 

Just as Felix had to move past the first of the strange vampires, Hyunjin joined his side, guiding him with a light hand on the small of his back. Felix shot him a thankful smile and Hyunjin smiled right back. When they reached Chan, Hyunjin briefly pushed his nose into Felix’s hair before he let him go, stepping back. 

Chan smiled at him too as Felix fitted himself under his outstretched arm. With their bodies so close, Felix felt the blood bond sing and his heart rate calm. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around Chan’s middle, melting against him. Chan let out a barely audible chuckle. He laid a hand on Felix’s cheek before kissing him, deeply and languidly as if there wasn’t a dozen other people in the room, watching them. 

Felix felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment, but he also knew that that was the point. Chan never acted rashly in public and Felix remembered what it had been like at Attaca. A single sign of Chan’s affection was a more powerful token of protection than the silver cross around his neck. 

They broke apart to the sound of clapping and Felix just barely withstood the urge to hide his face in the crook of Chan’s neck. 

“So, it is true!” the vampire right in front of them crooned. “The great Bang Chan has a human.” 

“Indeed.” Chan’s face was a perfect mask of politeness, but Felix shared a blood bond with him. He could feel Chan’s irritation. “This is my Felix.” 

“Felix.” The vampire offered Felix his hand. Felix couldn’t help the way his eyes widened in surprise. He had never seen this many golden rings on a single hand. He exchanged a glance with Chan, who gave him a miniscule nod. 

Felix took the hand offered to him, surprised by how smooth the skin was. While the vampire in front of him had unsettlingly beautiful features, the rest of him looked rugged. Everything from his silvery grey mullet to the mismatched state of his clothes made him look like he had been left outside in the rain for too long. 

The rest of his clan was much the same. They were dressed in the same understated clothing that Felix was used to from his own clan, but there were items that were out of place. Like the leather duster the tall vampire standing behind the couch was wearing or the heavy, decorated coat adorning the shoulders of the vampire right in front of him. All together, they looked more like a ragtag team of bandits than a respectable vampire clan. 

Felix wasn’t fooled by any of it. The lightest swipe of the vampire’s fingers against his wrist was enough to remind him exactly what evoked that subconscious feeling of dread in him. There was a glimmer in the vampire’s eyes that scared Felix. 

He didn’t know whether this vampire was a sane person who was very good at pretending to be crazy or a crazy person who was very good at pretending to be sane. Felix didn’t know which possibility scared him more. 

All he knew was that this vampire and his ragtag clan had been invited into his nest, when Felix had never seen another stranger but himself be allowed to enter and live to tell the tale. 

He was very glad when the vampire let go of his hand and even more glad when he stopped looking at him. Chan didn’t hesitate to take the hand that the vampire had touched, rubbing his thumb over the back of his palm. 

“Felix,” he said, “meet Kim Hongjoong. He’s an old friend of mine.”

Chapter Text

Felix forced himself to appear unaffected as he took a seat on the sofa next to Chan. 

He knew none of the vampires were likely to be fooled by the brave front he was putting on, but he’d be damned if he didn’t at least try. It helped that Chan’s hand never left his nape, squeezing whenever Felix tensed up a little too much. He felt no shame pressing himself close to Chan, happy when Hyunjin on his other side scooted closer to fill the gap he created. 

As everyone got comfortable, it became easier to get a read on the strange vampires that had come to visit. There were seven of them in total, six vampires and one human. The human interested Felix the most, but he struggled to get a good look at the man. It was clear that the vampires were making an effort to shield him from view, keeping him in their middle. The two tallest members of the clan sandwiched him in between them while another two stood behind the sofa by the human’s head and the fifth vampire sat down on the floor by his feet. 

Felix turned his head at the sound of Chan’s voice. 

“It’s too kind of you to visit.” 

“Of course, I came.” While the rest of his clan arranged themselves to fit on and around the shorter end of the sectional, Hongjoong sat down on the coffee table. “I apologise for not calling in advance. Wooyoung showed me videos of what calamity befell your poor Jeongin and I immediately made arrangements for us to come visit.” 

Hongjoong’s eyes flickered over to Jeongin and despite the fact that he himself was human, Felix felt the urge to put himself in between the two of them. Seungmin did. Seungmin got up from his perch on the armrest beside Jeongin, his hands curling into fists by his side as he effectively shielded Jeongin from Hongjoong’s view. 

It made Hongjoong smile. He lifted one hand, stopping the member of his clan who had risen along with Seungmin. “Sit down, Jongho. We are all friends here.” 

Jongho sat back down on the floor, a sallow hand landing on his shoulder when the human reached out to touch him. 

“You needn’t have bothered coming all this way,” Chan said, effectively gaining back everyone’s attention. “Jeongin is just fine.” 

Hongjoong nodded. “And I’m very glad to hear that.” He shot another glance in Seungmin’s direction, cooing, “I know his maker adores him so. It would have been a pity.” 

Felix could see the ripple of anger go through Seungmin’s body. Jeongin reached out to pull him back onto the sofa at the same time that Chan said, “Indeed, there is no pain greater than that of losing one’s progeny.” 

Silence followed.

More than Hongjoong’s reaction, it was the reaction of his clan that alerted Felix. Hongjoong’s entire clan, even the human, snapped their heads to look at their leader. All the amusement in Hongjoong’s eyes faded at once, like a fire that someone had doused with water. 

“Indeed, there is none.” Hongjoong licked his lips. “I am sincerely relieved that you were spared from this.”

Chan hummed, his voice dripping with sympathy when he added, “My condolences by the way.” 

Hongjoong shook his head. The smile returned to his features as quickly as it had fallen, but the light didn’t return to his eyes. “I find that it is better to focus on the living. Well, the unliving and, of course, your lovely Felix. Are you thinking about turning him, Chan?” 

Felix expected Chan to snap at Hongjoong, either with words or his actual fangs, but Chan looked nothing but relaxed. It was only because of their blood bond that Felix could feel the surge of anger that went through him. 

Chan’s tone remained perfectly polite, “We haven’t discussed it.” 

“You should. You’re clearly fond of him. What about you, Felix, would you like to become a vampire?” 

Chan squeezed his nape. Felix didn’t know whether in apology or warning, but neither possibility kept him from leaning forward. The many adornments on Hongjoong’s coat jingled as he matched his movement, leaning forward as if to hear a secret Felix wanted to share with him. Paired with his threateningly broad grin, he reminded Felix a little bit of a cat. Felix just didn’t know how to make it clear to the strange vampire that he wasn’t a canary. 

“I haven’t given it much thought.” Felix forced himself to smile. “Right now, I’m quite happy with my clan as is.” 

Hongjoong’s eyes crinkled with delight, clapping his hands as he leaned back. “Oh, he’s sweet, Chan! You definitely have to keep him.” 

“Thank you. I plan to.” 

Chan looked to the side and not a moment later, Felix felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“Felix.” 

Felix craned his neck backwards to find Minho standing behind him, his eyes trained on their guests. 

“It’s dinner time,” Minho said. “Come with me to the kitchen, I’ll make you some food.” 

Felix looked at Chan, who nodded. Felix didn’t lose any time getting up. Despite the bravado he’d been able to muster up to this point, he was glad to have an excuse to leave. He felt that it was a lot easier to breathe once he was out of the immediate, oppressive vicinity of two ancient vampires. 

And he knew that Hongjoong was one, too. Chan would have never been as polite if Hongjoong hadn’t been as old and therefore mighty as him. Felix was glad to follow Minho into the kitchen and let the big, bad vampires hash it out amongst themselves. He might have been worried about Chan, but he knew Minho would have never left the room if he saw any of his clan in danger. 

It reminded Felix that he urgently had to talk to Minho about the clan member that wasn’t present at all. He was about to tell Minho outright that he better call Jisung if he didn’t want to be single by the end of the night, but then he remembered that the vampires from the other clan would be able to hear him. He wasn’t sure whether they were supposed to know about Jisung’s existence. Knowing Minho, he could guess. So, he came up with something different. 

“Thank you,” he started, giving his voice a light-hearted tone. It worked to make Minho look at him, the vampire raising a single eyebrow. “I was starving,” Felix explained, rubbing his stomach. “I wanted to eat before coming here but I had to comfort a friend of mine. He was supposed to go on this date with a guy, but the guy was a no-show. He didn’t even call to cancel. Really shitty behaviour, you know? ” 

Minho’s eyes widened as he caught Felix’s meaning. Under different circumstances, it would have been funny, watching a vampire struggling to shoot a text message faster than his phone allowed, but right now Felix was just glad. He let Minho type away, knowing that Jisung was bound to have some choice words for him, especially because Felix couldn’t imagine that Minho was going to tell Jisung what was going on. Not until the strange vampires were gone, at least. 

He busied himself with pulling ingredients from the fridge, picking everything that looked appealing to him. He knew Minho would make something delicious out of it. 

“Thank you,” Minho mouthed as he came up to help Felix, his phone back in his pocket. 

Felix smiled and handed him a bundle of spring onions. 

“I’ll cook you something delicious,” Minho said audibly, motioning for Felix to take a seat at the kitchen island. 

Felix knew better than to get in his way so he did as he was told. 

“How did you learn to cook?” he asked, watching Minho chop vegetables at a speed that made his movements blur in front of Felix’s human eyes. 

“I took a cooking class.” 

“Oh.” It was so mundane of an answer, Felix hadn’t expected it. 

The corner of Minho’s mouth twitched in amusement. “Chan suggested it. He thought I might find joy in it. That was before—” Minho cut himself off, but he didn’t have to finish the sentence. Jisung. 

“I’ve come to enjoy it since then,” Minho amended. “I wasn’t allowed to cook my own food when I was human, so it’s been a new experience.” 

Felix nodded. Right. Minho had been a prince once upon a time and he had paid for it by having to watch his entire family die. The thought made Felix shudder. He distracted himself by trying to see just how quickly Minho was cutting the carrots under his knife. That was the reason he noticed right away when Minho’s hand stilled mid-cut, his bright red eyes focussing on a spot over Felix’s shoulder. Felix spun on his stool to see. 

One of the visitting vampires stood on the threshold of the kitchen. It was one of the two that had stood behind the couch. He was hovering as if he was not sure he was allowed to come in. 

“San.” Minho set down his knife. “How can I help you?

“Minho.” San respectfully bowed his head. “We were hoping you’d have some food to spare.” 

“Of course.” Minho picked his knife back up. “Blood’s in the middle fridge.” 

San bowed his head again, looking apologetic this time. “Actually, I’m not looking for blood. I was asking for Yeosang. We were just going to order him food after our visit, but you mentioned cooking something for Felix so…” 

Minho blinked. “Oh, of course. Bring your human here.” 

“We’d be happy to have you join us,” Felix added. It wasn’t a lie. While he wasn’t particularly keen on having any of the visitting vampires near him, he was very curious to talk to the human that was with them.

San full on bowed before he disappeared back into the living room. 

He returned with two of his fellow vampires in tow, the one that had stood with him behind the couch and the tallest of them, carrying their human in his arms like a child. It took Felix a moment to realise that it wasn’t some kind of weird show of possessiveness. 

There was simply little else they could have done. The man didn’t look like he could have stood on his own, not to mention walk more than a couple of steps. He was beautiful, angelic features gracing a sallow face, but his face was also marred by bruising under his eyes, the whites of his eyes tinged a sickly yellow. Felix was not a vampire and yet he could smell it. With the man so close to him, the faint but unmistakable smell of disinfectant and decay filled his nose. This man wasn’t just sick. He was dying. 

The tall vampire carefully deposited him on the stool next to Felix, exchanging an unexpectedly friendly smile with Felix, before he let go. 

“Thanks, Yunho,” the man said. 

Yunho briefly stroked the human’s hair before he took a step back so San could sit down, pulling his stool close enough so the man could lean back against him. 

“I got it,” San told Yunho. “You better go back.” 

“Yeah,” the third vampire piped up. He didn’t look like he was interested in sitting down, instead beelining for the fridge with the blood. “Otherwise, Hongjoong might accidentally start a clan war.” 

“Wooyoung!” San scolded. 

Wooyoung didn’t look sorry as he ripped the top off a bag of B positive with his teeth, promptly latching onto it. 

“Oh, please,” Minho said and Felix was surprised by how casual his tone sounded. “We all know they’re just wheedling each other because they can’t do it with anyone else.” 

“We are very grateful for your hospitality,” San said, clearly trying to keep the peace. 

Minho only smirked at him. 

Felix flinched when a deep, unexpected voice said, “Hi.” 

He turned his head so fast, it made the sick man startle too. Felix instantly felt bad about it. 

“Hi,” Felix gave back, feeling shy all of a sudden. He couldn’t have cared less what the vampires thought of him, but the man was different. He was human too. “I’m Felix.” 

“Yeosang.” Yeosang smiled at him and Felix couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Don’t mind them,” Yeosang said, nodding his head towards the bickering vampires. “They’re not used to being among others.” 

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!” Wooyoung cried out. 

Yeosang only smiled. 

“Is there anything you dislike to eat, Yeosang?” Minho asked, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. 

Felix felt much the same. He knew that if he could smell it, Minho could definitely smell Yeosang’s sickness. It made a morbid part of Felix wonder why the vampires bothered to keep him around. Yeosang clearly was in no condition to give them blood. Really, he looked more in need of it than any of the vampires. 

Felix scolded himself for thinking in such a way as he watched San rearrange his limbs so Yeosang could lean more comfortably against him, as Wooyoung went through their fridges to steal a bottle of the lemonade Jisung liked in every flavour. 

“Yeosang is not good with spicy food,” San answered Minho’s question. 

“He likes meat, though, and the nutritionist said he should eat a lot of fibre,” Wooyoung said, placing the lemonade bottles in front of Yeosang like an offering. 

“I’m fine with anything.” Yeosang smiled at Minho. He reached for one of the lemonade bottles with a shaky hand. “Could I get a glass?”  

“I’ll get you one,” Felix said, sliding off his stool. 

He rounded the kitchen island to get to the cabinets, careful not to disturb Minho in his cooking endeavours. He had to get up on his tippy toes to get the glass from the top shelf, but he managed, heaving a breath as he turned around. 

He nearly dropped the glass when he was met with glimmering crimson eyes and an eager, fanged grin way, way too close to his face.

“Hi,” Wooyoung said, rocking on his heels. “You’re pretty.” 

“Uh, thank you?”

“Do you want to be friends?”

“Wooyoung!” San scolded. “You’re being rude.”

“Am I?” Wooyoung seemed to seriously have to ponder this for a moment. 

He received a definite answer when Minho appeared next to them, pushing him away from Felix like one might swat at a fly. “Hands off, fledgeling.”

“Wooyoung!” Quick as lightning, San appeared next to them, dragging Wooyoung back by the scruff of his neck. “What were you thinking?”

“Ow! I just asked him whether he wanted to be friends!”

“You’re going to get yourself killed, touching another leader’s human like that!”

“I didn’t even touch him! He just smells good. You can smell him too, Sannie, right?”

San scoffed and pushed Wooyoung in Yeosang’s direction before bowing at Felix. “I’m really sorry. Wooyoung meant no harm. He is only a couple of years old. He has no manners.”

“Hey!”

“It’s fine,” Felix raised his hands, placating everyone but especially Minho, who was watching Wooyoung with the quiet calmnness of a big cat on the hunt.

Felix patted Minho’s shoulder before he deliberately sat back down on the stool next to Yeosang and, now on Yeosang’s other side, Wooyoung. 

He placed the glass he’d been holding onto in front of Yeosang. “Can I ask you a question?”

Yeosang nodded, pushing one of the bottles of lemonade towards Wooyoung, who unscrewed the cap for him. 

Felix didn’t know whether it was too forward or he was breaking some ancient vampire rule, but he felt like he’d collected some credit through Wooyoung’s blunder so he dared to ask, “How did you end up with your clan?” 

Yeosang didn’t seem surprised by his question. He only laughed. “Oh, Wooyoung and I were friends in school.”

“Best friends for ten years,” Wooyoung preened.

Felix nodded. Yeosang looked a couple years older than Wooyoung, but that probably hadn’t always been the case.

“Our mothers are also friends,” Yeosang continued. “My mother reached out to Wooyoung’s when I…” He stopped short, gesturing at himself.

Felix felt his heart break. It must have shown on his face because Yeosang placed a trembling hand on his. “You don’t have to feel pity for me. I’ve decided my own fate. It’s going to be over soon.”

It was only because Yeosang looked remarkably at peace with himself that Felix swallowed the words of protest building up in his throat. 

He was glad when Yeosang continued his story. “Originally, my mother thought it’d just be nice if Wooyoung could come visit me one last time, but it didn’t quite turn out like that.” 

Yeosang looked at Wooyoung, who buried his face in his shoulder. San came up behind them, placing a hand on Wooyoung’s head. 

Yeosang looked back at Felix, perusing him with thinly veiled curiosity. “Can I ask you the same? You’re the first other human in a vampire clan I meet so I admit I’m a little curious.” 

“Oh,” Felix felt warmth creep up his neck. “Chan and I—” 

“We met because Felix stole something from me.” 

Felix couldn’t help the way his heart beat faster at the sound of Chan’s voice. He hadn’t even noticed Chan coming in until Chan was already beside him. Warmth flooded his body at the familiar press of Chan’s body against his back. Chan’s nose briefly touched the side of his head. 

His voice was no more than a murmur in Felix’s ear, “I felt your sadness. Is everything all right?” 

Felix nodded, taking Chan’s hand to drape it over his chest. “Everything is fine.” 

“Good.” Chan smiled, pressing a kiss to his temple before he turned towards their guests. He wasn’t smiling anymore when he met Wooyoung’s gaze.  “If you ever touch him again, I’ll rip your hands off.” 

Wooyoung’s eyes almost bulged out of his head in shock. “Hey! I didn’t—” 

“Wooyoung.” 

Wooyoung deflated like a popped balloon at the sound of his clan leader’s voice. Hongjoong came in with the rest of their clan in tow, the two tall vampires and Jongho, who’d been ready to meet Seungmin fang to fang. 

Seungmin and Jeongin were nowhere in sight. Felix supposed Chan had allowed Seungmin to take Jeongin back to his room. 

To Chan, Hongjoong said, “Leave my kid alone. He’ll develop a complex if you’re mean to him.” 

Chan’s smile was unexpectedly amused, considering he’d fully meant his threat. Felix had felt it in the blood bond. “He ought to learn now before he pisses someone off who will actually tear him apart.”

“Wooyoung is really sorry!” San hurried to say, using the hand he had on Wooyoung’s nape to make Wooyoung bow. 

“Chan forgives him,” Felix said. 

“Do I?” 

Felix rolled his eyes, elbowing Chan in the side. He regretted it the moment his elbow met what was the abdominal equivalent of solid stone and a lightning bolt of pain shot up his arm. He hissed, cradling his arm as Chan next to him flooded the blood bond with worry, immediately moving to inspect his arm. 

“Clumsy for a thief,” Hongjoong observed from where he’d hopped onto the kitchen counter, one leg dangling off the edge while he had the other crossed in front of himself. Felix briefly wondered whether he’d ever see the ancient vampire sit on a chair like a normal person. “How did such a clumsy human manage to steal from you, Bang Chan?” 

Felix glared at him with tears in his eyes. It was the pain that made him snap, “Just wait before I steal from you too!” 

Hongjoong’s eyes lit up with excitement, his beringed fingers meeting in a clap. “I’d love to see that!” 

Felix felt a new sense of resolution as he extended his pinky towards the ancient vampire. Hongjoong looked more than delighted as he leaned across the granite to intertwine their fingers. 

“That’s not fair,” Wooyoung whined. “Why does he get to touch Felix and I don’t?” 

“Different ball game,” the tall vampire whose name Felix didn’t know said. Felix could admit that his leather duster was kind of cool.

Wooyoung whined. San patted his hair in consolation. 

“Food,” Minho announced and placed a steaming bowl of soup in front of Felix, then Yeosang. 

Despite the fact that Minho had undoubtedly taken him to the kitchen as a guise, Felix couldn’t help the excitement he felt as he got his bowl. It smelled delicious just like he had expected. Felix dug into his food with gusto. 

“You didn’t finish the story, Chan. Felix stole from you. What happened then?” 

“We fought. Felix won.” 

Hongjoong broke into outright laughter before he realised, “You’re serious?” 

Felix didn’t let himself be deterred from enjoying his food as Hongjoong’s eyes fell on him. 

“Fascinating,” Hongjoong said. 

“I thought so too.” Chan’s fingers briefly stroked Felix’s neck. “I visitted Felix for a rematch, but we came to an agreement instead. He gave me back what he took from me and I promised to help him find his missing brother.” 

Felix froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth. He hadn’t expected Chan to tell Hongjoong about that. Chan hadn’t even told Seungcheol at Attaca about Changbin and the two of them had clearly been friends. Slowly, Felix chewed. It meant that Chan either trusted Hongjoong a great deal, or he didn’t trust him at all. 

“Your brother is missing?” Yeosang asked, eyes full of sympathy. 

Felix nodded, losing the taste on his tongue. “He got taken by a rogue vampire.” 

“A rogue vampire?” That was Yunho, if Felix remembered his name correctly. 

“There’s been a whole spree of failed turnings,” Chan said. “Unsightly stuff. All the leaders in the city have been keeping an eye out. If you could do it too while you’re here, we’d be grateful.” 

Hongjoong stared at Chan, a miniscule furrow between his brow, before his expression smoothed out. “Of course. We will do anything to help.” 

“Thank you.”

The corner of Hongjoong’s mouth twitched. “You know me.” 

As Chan and Hongjoong fell into conversation about things that Felix didn’t even attempt to understand—he was pretty sure he was lacking about a millenium of existence to get it— Felix picked his spoon back up. Minho had gone out of his way to cook for him and Changbin had raised him better than to waste food. It became a little easier to swallow when Chan stroked a hand down his back. Despite the strangers in the house, it made him feel safe.

Despite the strangers in his house, he was not afraid. 

*

Chan didn’t need air to survive, but even he found it easier to breathe once the wayfarers started to bid their goodbyes. Chan had no doubt that they would return, but for the moment the underlying tension in the house dissolved as Hongjoong’s clan left for the morning. 

Chan had offered them lodging, of course, but Hongjoong had declined. 

“We already booked a hotel. They were too accomodating with how many sunproof rooms we requested on short notice, it’d be impolite to cancel last minute.” 

“Of course.” 

Chan was well aware that Hongjoong likely owned the hotel his clan was staying at and therefore they weren’t likely to begrudge him a late cancellation, but he was certainly not going to mention it. 

“Just let me know in advance next time when you plan to visit and I’ll prepare a proper welcome for you.” 

Hongjoong only grinned. “Don’t get slow on me now, Chan. Is the old age finally settling in?”

Chan scoffed. “I’m a single year older than you in a life that has stretched farther than the hands of time. Do you really think you have any room to talk?”

Hongjoong grinned. “A fool is only he who is unaware of his own condition.”

Chan narrowed his eyes. He was well aware what Hongjoong was playing at. 

As if to drive the point home, Hongjoong turned towards Felix, who was safely tucked away under Chan’s arm. “Felix! It was such a delight meeting you! I’m really sad to see us parting so soon, but I have no doubt that we will see each other soon.” 

“Uh, thank you. I hope so.” 

Not if I have any say in it, Chan thought grimly. 

He was tempted to slap away the hands with which Hongjoong reached for his human, but if he did that, then Hongjoong would win. Because Hongjoong was only toying with Felix to provoke him. He was trying to see how deeply Chan really cared. Hongjoong would not truly start caring about Felix until Chan turned him. Too short were the lives of humans, too ephemeral their presence. 

“Take care of him well, Chan. He’s just so lovely.”

“I will.” 

There were no true words of goodbye needed between them and so he and Hongjoong didn’t exchange any. Hongjoong and his clan left the way they had come. One moment they were there, and the next they were not. Chan had no doubt that they’d see each other again soon enough. 

Felix audibly exhaled the moment the door fell shut behind them. “Wow.” 

“Are they gone?” Seungmin came down the stairs. 

Chan hummed. “For now.” 

He caught Felix’s weight when Felix slumped against him. He supported Felix’s weight with one arm as he raised the other to stroke his hair. “I’m sorry, sunshine. You weren’t meant to be here. I know Hongjoong can be…intense, but I promise he poses no danger to you.” 

I’d earlier kill him and his entire clan. Chan wasn’t startled by his own thoughts. He had long since given up pretending in front of himself that there were boundaries to what he was wiling to do for Felix. 

“Well,” Felix mumbled, “intense isn’t the first word that came to my mind.” 

“ Fucking crazy is more like it,” Minho said as he joined them by the door. “It seems that you can take a man off a pirate ship, but never the pirate out of the man. He still acts like the world is his oyster.” 

Despite himself and his own doubts, Chan frowned. “Do not speak ill on him, Minho. You know what he went through.”

Minho looked away. 

“What he went through?” Felix asked, curiosity clearly piqued. 

Chan sighed. “Hongjoong recently suffered a great loss. He lost a member of his clan.” 

A single sentence was enough to make everyone’s face turn somber. Chan couldn’t help himself. He reflexively reached for Minho and Seungmin, holding their heads just like he had held them for as many nights as it had taken to turn them. 

“Whatever your feelings are towards Hongjoong, he deserves our respect. I would not know how to handle it if I ever lost any one of you. The fact that Hongjoong had the mind to come here and check on us even though his clan is in mourning should tell you everything you need to know about his character.” 

“You really consider him your friend,” Felix said, clearly marvelling at the fact. 

Chan shrugged. “He has never been anything else to me.” 

“You can’t really think that he came here with good intentions only,” Seungmin said. “He was digging the entire time he was here. Mingi even tried to sneak away at one point when you left for the kitchen.” 

Chan smiled. “Oh, of course not. Hongjoong hates the city. There’s definitely something else going on, but as long as we don’t know what it is, we will not consider him an enemy. He is my friend and we will meet eye to eye when the time comes.” 

It wasn’t an order, but he knew his progeny would follow his word nonetheless. 

The same did not go for his beautiful, courageous, fearless little human. Felix huffed, puffing out his chest. “If he tries anything, I will stake him.” 

Chan couldn’t help but laugh, pulling Felix closer against him. “Will you?” 

Felix nodded, touching Chan’s face as if Chan was the one in need of comfort. It felt nice. Chan couldn’t remember the last time someone had done that to him, or if someone ever had. It was usually him who comforted others. 

“I don’t like the way he talks to you.” 

Chan smiled. “He was just trying to see something.” 

“And what would that be?” 

Just how important you are to me, really. “Whether I’m still able to keep up with his games. If you’re an almighty vampire, this existence gets boring pretty quickly. Jabbing and jesting is how we entertain ourselves.” 

Felix sighed, but Chan could feel in the blood bond that his words worked to make his human relax. “Vampires are so weird.” 

None of them could argue with Felix’s assessment, so they didn’t. 

Seungmin crossed his arms in front of his chest. “So, what are we going to do with regards to our guests?” 

“Play nice and focus on the real problems we have.” Chan ran his tongue along his fangs. “We have to find the rogue vampire and leave him to the sun. We have to find Changbin and bring him back home.” Preferably in that order. 

Minho walked into the anteroom, grabbing his coat from one of the hangers. “I have to go see Jisung before the sun comes up, but Hyunjin and I can go on another hunt tomorrow.” 

“You’re hunting for my brother?” Felix asked. 

Minho nodded. 

“Be careful.” 

Minho smiled. He said nothing in return, but Chan could read his answer in his eyes, I’m not the one who has to be careful. 

With Minho leaving, the rest of them dispersed. Chan held Seungmin back before Seungmin could run back upstairs. 

“If you go up, can you tell Hyunjin to come down?” 

Seungmin frowned at him. “Why would I do that?” 

“Is he not with Jeongin right now?” 

Seungmin shook his head. “He went upstairs with us but left through the window, saying it was a little too crowded for him in the house. Personally, I think he felt pity for that human boy. You know Hyunjin, he’s not good with misery. It seems cruel even to me, dragging the poor boy around when his own body is failing him so severely. I don’t know what Hongjoong’s thinking, allowing this.” 

“Yeosang said he and Wooyoung were friends when Wooyung was human,” Felix said. “I got the impression that the clan cares for him.” 

“They do.” Chan had no doubt about that after what he had witnessed today. 

He also had an idea as to why Hongjoong was entertaining this, but he couldn’t be sure so he didn’t plant the idea in anybody’s head. 

“San said Wooyoung is only a couple years old.” Felix’s voice was deceptively quiet. “But he moved as a normal member of their clan. They can take him places and he isn’t a danger to anyone.” 

It wasn’t very hard to guess what Felix was getting at. “Changbin might be the same,” Chan allowed. 

There was no way to be sure, but he’d put Felix through so much today, he wanted him to end the night on a positive note. 

It was worth the smile Felix gave him, bright and beautiful and so full of light. 

“Sunshine,” Chan whispered, almost absentmindedly. 

Felix looked at him with so much trust. “Mhm?” 

Chan shook his head. Seungmin was long gone and so he didn’t hesitate to pull Felix closer until they were pressed against each other. “It’s late. Let me take you home.” 

He loved Felix’s face even when he frowned. “You’re not asking me to stay the rest of the night?”

“Trust me, sunshine, if I had it my way you’d stay here forever. Alas, I remember someone whining yesterday about how he had so much work to do before a certain deadline on Friday.” 

Felix whined again at the mention of it, pressing his face in Chan’s shoulder. “Don’t remind me.” 

“Come on,” Chan pulled him towards the door. “If you’re good, we can do whatever you want before the sun comes up.” 

“Oh?” Felix looked at him with rapidly dilating eyes. His greedy little fingers squeezed Chan’s bicep as if on accident. “Whatever I want?” 

Chan leaned in to kiss him, lightly scraping his fangs against his lips. “I’m all yours.” 

Felix grinned against his lips. “I’m going to take advantage of that, you know?” 

Chan only smiled. He would never win against Felix. It was perfect that way. 

*

Felix didn’t question it when he saw much less than usual of Chan the following week. He knew Chan was busy dealing with everything going on, the Changbin-related portion of which Felix was responsible for. Felix didn’t go to the house. He knew Chan preferred him to not be there while the pirate clan stuck around. That didn’t mean he was alone, though. 

Jisung groaned as he dumped his head on the table. “Is it too late to drop out?” 

Felix winced as he looked at the papers strewn all over the coffee table, surrounding Jisung’s laptop like a halo. “Considering that this is your final thesis, I’d say yes?” 

Jisung whined high in his throat before he lifted his head. “Do you need another cat? I can meow and I will love you forever. Just let me stay here, yes? We don’t have to tell anyone.” 

Felix snorted. It made him think of something he had been wondering about for some time. “Jisung?” 

Jisung hummed as he picked up one of the academic articles he had printed, skimming it over with his eyes. “What’s up?” 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

Dropping the paper, Jisung smiled at him. “Just ask the question, Felix. You can ask me anything. We’re twins are we not, my baby?” 

Felix bit his lip, fighting against the smile that threatened to take over his features. He wasn’t used to having a friend like Jisung. Usually, his friendships didn’t run that deep. He didn’t have trouble making friends, but those connections tended to fade as quickly as Felix formed them.

The only person he had ever truly relied on was his brother, but Jisung felt permanent too. Like looking into a mirror. Twins! Jisung had proclaimed them when he had learned that they were born less than twenty-four hours apart. Felix didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise that. 

Still, he asked, “Why won’t you move in with Minho? He’s been asking for a while now, hasn’t he? And if you want to hide out somewhere, what better place than the nest?” 

He had been fully prepared for Jisung to be angry with him, to chuck a stack of papers at his face and leave. Jisung had been angry every time Minho brought up the topic, after all. 

But Jisung was smiling now, reaching over to take Felix’s hands into his own. “Do you want to hear the real reason?” 

Felix nodded, squeezing Jisung’s hands in reassurance. Despite Jisung’s smile, he could tell his friend was nervous. 

“I’m going to ask Minho to turn me after my graduation.” 

Felix’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t help it. He hadn’t expected that. “You want to become a vampire?!” 

Jisung laughed at him. “What? Is that so surprising?” 

Felix guessed that it wasn’t. He just had never thought about it, too distracted by all the devotion Minho held for Jisung to see that Jisung was just as devoted to him in return. 

He had to be, if he was willing to ask for the bite. 

“Are you sure?” Felix had to ask. He had to. 

There was no hesitation in Jisung’s voice when he said, “I don’t want to live without Minho. Not now and not ever. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and I’ve only ever grown surer of it. If he’s forever, I want to be forever too so nothing will ever be able to separate us.” 

It were such simple words and yet they held so much meaning. Felix couldn’t help but marvel at the sure-fire way Jisung said them—his friend Jisung, who spoke either too much or not at all, who lost his words in the face of strangers and yet hadn’t stuttered over a single syllable saying this. 

“You love him.” Felix didn’t bother keeping the awe out of his voice. “You really love him.”

“As much as someone can love another person. Almost as much as he loves me. It’s another reason I want to do this. Minho has told me before that he has no interest in a world that does not have me in it. I know he would follow after me if I died and even right now, that’s what I’m doing.” 

Felix swallowed. It were dire words, but they were true all the same. Minho and Chan and all the other vampires of their clan were eternal. Felix and Jisung were not. It seemed ridiculous to think about right now, with both of them not even in their mid-twenties, but they were dying. With every breath, their body was nearing its expiration date. He had no trouble believing that Minho never not thought about it when he looked at Jisung. 

“He wouldn’t really do that, though, would he? What about the clan?”  

Jisung’s smile lost a lot of its light. “Minho asked Chan to be released before he met me. He-he asked Chan to let him meet the sun.” 

Felix’s struggled to swallow his shock. “What?” 

Jisung tried to smile through it. “It’s not as uncommon as you’d think. A lot of older vampires grow weary after too many centuries of unlife. Minho…he was ready, you know? To let go. He was tired and his demons…you know how he suffers when it’s bad. He didn’t have me back then. He didn’t have any reason to fight his paranoia any longer after six hundred years of being haunted.”

“But he met you.” Felix clung to that. 

The atmosphere lifted along with the corners of Jisung’s mouth. “He did. We met in a cooking class, actually. Did I ever tell you that? From what Jeongin’s told me, Chan forced Minho to do all kinds of things to make him find joy in his existence again. The cooking class was one of them. The teacher paired him with me because he was terrible and I had already learned a little bit from my mum.” 

The memory made Jisung laugh and Felix did too. It was just too absurd of a picture. 

“Minho says he felt like he was stepping into the sun the first time he saw me. I just thought he was the hottest guy I’d ever seen.” Jisung snorted. “He was lucky he was hot, too.”

“Why?”

“I would have had to sue him for stalking.” Jisung grinned. “He wasn’t exactly subtle when he started following me around after a couple of weeks. He even left gifts on my doorstep at one point.”

“You saved him.” Felix realised. And not just Minho. The entire clan— Chan —Felix had to squeeze his eyes shut to shake off the thought. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest at the mere thought of it. 

“Does Minho know? What you’re planning to do, I mean.”

Jisung shook his head. “Only Chan knows. I had to ask him first, of course, if he was willing to accept me into the clan like that.” 

“Of course, he is.” 

Jisung blushed, shrugging his shoulders. “There’s a lot of stupid, overcomplicated vampire rules. And also I still have to graduate first.” He glared at his papers again. 

“Couldn’t you call it quits right now if you hate it that much? I’m sure getting afflicted with vampirism is good enough of a reason to drop out?” 

Jisung shook his head. “I can’t do that. I have to see it through. I promised myself.” 

Felix nodded. He understood that. “I feel pretty similar,” he confessed. “I’m just lucky I like what I study, but even if I didn’t…Changbin did so much for me to be able to finish my studies. I have to see it through.”

Jisung nodded. “My parents have been putting money aside to send me to university since I was little. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad smile as much as he did when I got into my program. I won’t betray their efforts just because it’d be easier to ask Minho to take it all away. I’m going to finish this for them because it has been their dream for me since I was little. Once I’ve done that, I’m going to do what I want for my life.” 

“You’re a good son.” 

“It’s also for me. Becoming a vampire will change a lot of stuff. I want to live the full experience even if that means staying in my shitty little dorm room, eating ramen for dinner four times a week and sharing a washing machine with ten other students. It’s the only time I will ever get to do it as a human.” 

“I admire you a lot, Sungie.” 

Jisung cooed at him, squeezing their hands one last time before letting go. 

“For what it’s worth, I think Minho is going to be ecstatic.” 

“God, I really hope so. I need him to agree to be the one to turn me. I don’t want it to be anyone else.” 

Felix frowned. “Is there a reason why he wouldn’t?” He couldn’t imagine Minho being willing to let anyone else sink their teeth into Jisung’s neck. 

“Not really. Vampires turn their mates all the time, but Minho’s been living with Seungmin for so long, I’m scared he might end up thinking like him.” 

“Seungmin?” 

Jisung nodded. “You know about Seungmin right?” 

“Only that he is in love with Jeongin.” Felix didn’t bother beating around the bush. The lack of shock in Jisung’s eyes told him that he was right too. “He told me that he killed off his own emotions for the person he loved. I didn’t get it then and I still don’t get it now, but he was talking about Jeongin, wasn’t he?” 

Jisung nodded. “They met during the war.” 

It took Felix a moment to realise that Jisung meant the Korean War. His history knowledge was rudimentary at best, but of course it made sense. Jeongin’s body was about twenty years old and the war had happened in the middle of the last century. It fit to make Jeongin around a hundred years old, like he had once told Felix that he was. 

“War means a feast for vampires. So many people bleed and die and no one is there to notice if someone goes missing. Naturally, the entire clan let themselves get conscripted. Because of their shared ‘sun allergy’ it was pretty clear they were going to end up in the same squad. They just didn’t expect that there would be someone else, but their superiors must have thought it would be smart to put the daylight-allergic invalids with the bumbling farm boy they thought was too young to be any good.” 

“That was Jeongin?” 

Jisung hummed in confirmation. “From what Minho has told me, Jeongin was much the same as he is now, if even brighter. Everyone underestimated him because he was the youngest in the platoon, but he was an excellent tracker even back then. Despite the fact that they only operated at night, their squad soon became known for their successful scouting missions. It garnered them a lot of attention. It made Seungmin grow protective of him.” 

“And more than that.” Felix didn’t ask it as a question. He had heard it firsthand even if he hadn’t known then just who Seungmin and Jeongin had been talking about, respectively. “Jeongin told me about a hiking accident. Someone got crushed.”

Jisung winced. “This part, I don’t know that much about because no one likes to talk about it, especially not Seungmin, but from what I’ve gathered, the superiors wanted to make use of Jeongin’s talent to it’s fullest potential so they transferred him to a squad that operated in the daytime. They sent him on a scouting mission in the mountains. He didn’t come back.” 

Felix bit his lip, dreading what came next.

“When nighttime fell and he still wasn’t back, Minho and the others went out to look for him. Seungmin found him. Jeongin had fallen into a mountain crevice, half of him buried underneath a boulder. Seungmin got him out, but half of Jeongin’s body was crushed and he must have been there for hours. He might have died there, but Seungmin carried him back to camp, begging Chan for permission to turn him. Chan agreed and that’s what Seungmin did.”

Felix frowned. “That still doesn’t explain why Seungmin wouldn’t want to be with him.” 

Jisung sighed with all the long-suffering misery of  someone who had been forced to watch this for two years longer than Felix. “It’s because Seungmin was a scholar of virtue for two centuries before he ever even laid eyes on Jeongin. Makers have so much power over their progeny, if Seungmin said something in just the right tone of voice, Jeongin would be forced to obey him. Seungmin knew this when he turned Jeongin, so he swore off his feelings. He didn’t think he could have both.” 

“But Seungmin would never seriously use his maker voice on Jeongin like that.” 

Felix had seen it happen before, but the most Seungmin had ever done was telling Jeongin to sit with his feet still. 

“Seungmin wouldn’t, but he does hold that power over Jeongin theoretically and you know Seungmin. To him, that counts. That’s why he refuses to acknowledge any type of feelings he has for Jeongin.” 

Felix sat back with a heavy sigh. “I feel sorry for him. Mostly I feel sorry that he can’t see how much Jeongin adores him.” 

“And he always has, according to Minho.” 

To lighten the heavy atmosphere, Felix lightly kicked Jisung’s leg under the table. “Hey, that just makes me all the more glad that you’re sure about your feelings. I don’t think Minho is going to think like Seungmin. I think he’s going to go crazy over the idea of being the one to turn you.” 

There was an intense glimmer in Jisung’s eyes as his hand wandered up his neck to cover the openly visible bite mark there, “Minho has been feeding off my blood for years. The blood in him is made from my own. When he turns me, my blood will be his. Nothing will ever be able to separate us then. We are truly going to be one. I wouldn’t give up that connection for anything.” 

Felix nodded. He could understand that. He had never thought about it before, but if he thought about Chan and him, about Chan’s teeth in his neck and their bodies so close and the idea of never, ever having to live without the other—

They were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell, followed by a row of knocks. A look outside the window revealed that the sun had gone down and so Felix didn’t have to guess who was so impatiently demanding entrance to his apartment. 

“My vampire or yours?” he jokingly asked Jisung. 

“Probably yours.” Jisung took a glance at his phone. “Minho is out with Hyunjin tonight, looking for your brother.” 

The thought filled Felix with hope. Minho and Hyunjin hadn’t been successful so far, but they were trying and he didn’t doubt that they’d eventually be successful. At the latest when Jeongin had recovered enough to join them. According to the updates Chan sent him, Jeongin was nearly there. It all worked to make Felix feel uniquely optimistic. 

The knocking persisted. 

“Calm down!” he called out. “I’m coming!” 

He undid the two security locks before he pulled the door open. “Seriously, Chan—” 

The smell of blood was the first thing Felix registered. It was heavier, sweeter than human blood. The unfamiliar and yet familiar sight of black soaking through white cotton only confirmed his suspicion. It made his heart seize in fear. 

Slowly, too slowly, he moved. 

*

Chan had been pretending to be sipping on the stale glass of blood in his hand for the better part of an hour when the call came. He was sitting in the VIP lounge of a club that wasn’t vampire owned, watching the other leaders in the city dance around each other. With a clan leader visitting the city, and one as powerful as Hongjoong at that, more than just one clan leader had gathered in the VIP lounge of the club. 

Chan watched in amusement as some of the younger vampires running around even went so far as to try shooting their shot with his friend. They mustn’t have known that Hongjoong was a taken man. Predictably, Hongjoong only paid them as much mind as it took to send the fledgelings back to their clans with the fear of a vampire god put into them. 

Chan had to give it to Hongjoong. His friend truly didn’t let himself be distracted from his main goal of the night, which seemed to be making sure that his own clan was happy. 

From his vantage point of the VIP lounge, Chan could spot half of them down below on the dance floor while the other half was sitting in the booth with Chan. They had even brought the human, who looked equal parts sleepy and amused where he was safely seated on the lap of Jongho, whom Chan knew to be their best fighter apart from Hongjoong. 

Hongjoong himself sat on the railing separating the VIP lounge from the dance floor, his feet dangling as he watched over his progeny, then shifted his attention to everyone in the booth and back. 

He raised his glass when his eyes met Chan’s, a grin forming on his lips and Chan raised his glass back. He was glad that he was saved from taking a sip of the donor blood in his glass when his phone vibrated in his breast pocket. 

A short glance at the caller ID made him pick up. “Minho?” 

“You have to come to Felix’s apartment. Right. Now.” That was all Minho said. 

The line went dead, just like Chan’s heart. 

Setting down the glass of stale A positive in his hand, he got to his feet. 

Hongjoong was in front of him before he could even think about setting a foot off the platform. “You’re leaving?” 

On any other day, Chan would have cared about manners, especially given the presence of all the other leaders in the room, but, in that moment, he really couldn’t have cared less. 

“Something is wrong with Felix.,” he said before attempting to shoulder past Hongjoong. 

Hongjoong frowned, turning to let him pass. “Go.” 

Chan went. He was out the doors of the club in a heartbeat. Ignoring the valet approaching him, he took off in a run, mustering every bit of ancient strength he harboured in his body to get his legs to move faster. He reached Felix’s apartment in no time, flying up the steps. 

His already slow-beating heart set out another beat when he saw that the door was open. The smell of vampire blood made his stomach turn. He rushed into the living room to be greeted by the sound of crying. With his vision tinted red, he took in the sight in front of him.

Jisung was sitting on the couch, crying like Chan had never seen him cry before. Minho was kneeling on the floor between his legs, begging him to look at him. Hyunjin stood a little to the side, sorrow written all over his face as he stood with his back pressed to the wall. It looked like he wanted to disappear into it. 

None of it worked to calm Chan down. Leaving his clan members as they were, he went through all the rooms, even Changbin’s, but he found nothing except for Nola, sleeping on Felix’s bed. He didn’t find Felix. 

“Where is he?” he asked as he returned to the living room. He tried to reach into the blood bond, but he was greeted with silence which either meant that Felix was asleep, or worse… “Where is he?” he roared. 

Jisung flinched at the noise, pressing his hands over his mouth as another sob escaped him. Minho turned his head to bare his fangs at Chan. 

Chan didn’t care. 

It was the sound of a retched, tear-stained attempt at his name that made him turn around. His eyes widened as he watched Hyunjin stumble forward, reaching for him. He didn’t make it that far. He fell to his knees before he did, black running down his cheeks. 

“I’m sorry,” Hyunjin blubbered. Chan tried to help him up, but Hyunjin remained on the floor. There was so much sorrow filling their bond, Chan felt himself choke on it. “I’m sorry, Chan. You have to—I didn’t think it would end up like this! You have to forgive me!” 

Chan stopped trying to help him up then. For the first time in a long, long time, Chan felt real fear. “Forgive you for what?” 

Hyunjin only shook his head, more tears spilling down his cheeks as he clawed at the floor, so much so that his nails left marks on the hardwood flooring. 

“What did you do, Hyunjin?” Chan grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, trying to get his progeny to talk to him. He needed Hyunjin to confess his sins. “What did you do?” 

Chapter Text

Hyunjin was the last to leave the theatre, his head swimming with images of the old black-and-white romance movie he’d just watched. 

As he ascended the velvet steps of the auditorium, he could still picture the main actress’ face as she’d accepted the marriage proposal of the male lead, the joy on their faces as they had fallen into each other's arms, the way they had begun to dance to a tune only audible to them and the audience. Hyunjin sighed. Out of all the inventions that had been made in his time, romance movies were by far his favourite. Endlessly, eternally, he’d be able to watch the happy couple fall into their happy ending. 

It got harder to hold onto the pictures as he stepped from the dark of the theatre into the blinding lights of the foyer. Hyunjin didn’t mind. He would return for the next showing. 

Because it had been a midnight showing, there hadn’t been many others in the theatre and he’d been the only vampire. He’d also been the only one who had come alone. 

Purposefully lingering behind, he watched the human couples lean into each other as they walked towards the main doors, talking in soft, gushing tones and holding hands. Hyunjin looked down at his own hands. He had nothing to hold onto except the paper cup he’d brought. 

It was of the same make as the ones the cinema sold so that no one would be suspicious as he drank from it during the movie. His just happened to be filled with a bag of B negative instead of sparkling soda. With a sigh, he crushed the cup in his fist and deposited it in the next rubbish bin. 

There was no anger inside him. Even the stabbing jealousy he used to feel had weakened over the last one and a half centuries of his life. What was left was a dull feeling of emptiness, a sense of yearning that was subtle and yet would never release him from its thrall. He was sure about that by now. 

It was the immortal flaw he’d been given. 

All vampires had one. He could see it with his clan. Chan was too possessive, unable to let go of the things he considered his. Minho was too paranoid, seeing hands reaching for his throat where there were none. Seungmin was too rational, unable to let go of reason to spare the feelings of everyone around him and his own. And Jeongin, their beloved Jeonginnie, was often blinded by his own zeal, like a child running towards the edge of a cliff because he wanted to touch the stars above, not seeing the plunge below. 

Hyunjin loved them nonetheless. None of these flaws would ever make him love any of them any less and so he still had hope for himself. He would find love. No matter how long he had to wait, he was going to meet someone who was going to fall for him as irrevocably and irresponsibly as Hyunjin was willing, wanting to fall. 

Until then, he’d remain yearning. 

It was the ringtone of his phone that pulled him from his thoughts. With a short glance at the caller ID, he picked up. 

“Seungmin?” 

“You need to come home.” 

Hyunjin stopped right in between the cinema doors at the curt tone of Seungmin’s voice. Seungmin was usually short with people, preferring efficiency over courtesy, but he was never this curt.

Hyunjin’s heart gave a single, painful beat. “What happened?”

“Someone broke in.” 

Hyunjin was a vampire. It was hard to shock him, but out of all the possible answers, he had not expected this one. “What? Is anyone hurt?” 

“No. It was a human. Chan caught him in time.” 

That only minimally eased Hyunjin’s worries. “How?” he couldn’t help but ask. 

Even if it had been a human, no sane person would have the gall to try that. Not the house of the Bang clan. Not if they wanted to continue living. 

“We don’t know yet, but he came in during daylight hours. Jisung was there. He’s fine.” 

“And Minho—”

“He hasn’t killed anyone yet, but he sure would like to. Luckily, Chan woke up when Jisung accidentally cut himself. He caught the little thief, but the human got away.” 

“He got away?” Hyunjin could hardly believe that. 

“Silver,” Seungmin said in lieu of an explanation. 

“Oh.” 

Really, Hyunjin should have known. There was little else that he could think of which would stop Chan from ripping apart anyone who dared to touch what he treasured, house and clan members included. 

“Do we know why the human broke in? Was it a prank or…?” 

Seungmin scoffed. “The little thief stole Chan’s directory, you know the registry he keeps of every vampire in the city.” 

“Is that dangerous?”

“For the human, yes. Jeongin and I are going out to find him.” 

Hyunjin relaxed a little. There was nowhere the thief could hide where Jeongin wouldn’t find him and once he had him, Chan would take care of it. Chan always took care of it. His maker would never let anything bad happen to them. 

“I’ll be home soon,” he promised nonetheless. 

He knew Chan preferred for the clan to all be together whenever something happened, as rarely as it did. 

“Good,” Seungmin gruffed and with that, the line went dead.

Hyunjin started walking again, stepping out into the cool autumn night. The old film theatre was located in the fun district of the city, but several streets down from where all the fun happened and so it was quiet out here. With the street as good as deserted, he allowed his thoughts to return to the movie he’d watched. 

He was still dreaming of the way the main couple had looked at each other with such ardent fondness when the smell of blood invaded his nose. 

He faltered in his step, turning towards the mouth of the narrow alley that led along the side of the cinema. At first glance, he saw nothing but wet asphalt and rubbish containers. 

Hyunjin might have kept walking, but the smell wafting into his nose wasn’t sweet and enticing like human blood. It was rich and spicy, darker like its colour. The smell of blood in the air was that of vampire blood. 

“Hello?” he called out, frowning when he received no reply. “Show yourself!” 

When he received no answer, he set out into the alley. The street lights barely reached here, but that didn’t bother Hyunjin. He wasn’t afraid of the dark. He was the thing in the dark. 

“I can smell you so there’s no use in hiding! Come out now!”

With most of the vampire-friendly clubs a couple of streets away, Hyunjin could take an educated guess as to what had happened. The bleeding vampire must have gotten himself into a fight he hadn’t been able to finish and the stronger vampire had left him here, stewing in rubbish juice and his own shame to learn how to respect others. With how regularly Hyunjin went clubbing himself, he had seen it a hundred times before. 

“You should just be happy they didn’t kill you, you know!” he called out. 

An answering groan made him swivel towards one one of the rubbish containers. He moved along the wall of the cinema to avoid stepping into anything he didn’t want to step in until he reached it. 

What he saw made his breath hitch in his throat. Right there, between the rubbish container and several stinking bags, the vampire sat curled in on himself with his back against the grimy brick wall, one leg extended and the other pulled close to his body. He was cradling his foot, Hyunjin realised, black blood welling up from beneath his fingers. 

“Hello?” he tried again.

The vampire didn’t look up. He didn’t react much except for the fact that he pressed one hand to the ground, clearly trying to make himself look a little bigger, scarier. He was well-built, thick muscles cording his body, but that wouldn’t help him. 

Hyunjin took one look at the ankle he was trying to cover with one hand and knew he wouldn’t even be able to get up. The wound was too severe. Black blood oozed from the burned flesh, marring his ankle in a circle. Hyunjin’s stomach turned. Vampires fought with claws and teeth and brute strength. Whoever had done this had put silver on the vampire’s skin. 

“Where’s your clan?” he asked. “You’re going to need your maker’s blood if you want that to heal quickly.” 

Hyunjin didn’t know which of his words had done it, but the vampire lifted his head so fast it almost made Hyunjin step back at the sudden flash of fangs and blood-red eyes aimed at him. A threat. It reminded Hyunjin of a cornered animal snapping at whoever came too close. 

Hyunjin realised then that the vampire must have been young. If he hadn’t been, he would have known better than to snap at Hyunjin. Hyunjin didn’t know him, but even if he didn’t, the stranger ought to have known Hyunjin. Every vampire in the city did. Whether Hyunjin wanted them to or not, it was an inevitable part of his existence as one of Bang Chan’s progenies. The fact that this vampire seemed to have no idea as to who Hyunjin was—who his maker was—told Hyunjin that the vampire really wasn’t supposed to be out here. 

His maker clearly hadn’t taught him any of the rules yet and that was bound to get him killed quicker than he had probably died the first time. 

Slowly, he reached out his hand. “Let me help you up. I can help you get back to your maker, if you just tell me who it is.” 

Another snap of fangs and a voice that sounded like ten at the same time, “I don’t have a maker.”

Hyunjin blinked. “You don’t—” 

It was a severe statement to make, but the vampire didn’t look like he was going to take it back or elaborate. He held Hyunjin’s gaze, daring him to say something, to do something and Hyunjin felt something inside him soften. 

Slowly, he crouched down. “It must hurt,” he said, gently like he wished to be treated. 

The vampire blinked, clearly confused as to why Hyunjin wasn’t trying to hurt him. He kept staring at Hyunjin, watching his every move, but there was no violence left in his body. 

“Unfortunately.” His voice was much nicer when he wasn’t growling. “I thought I could walk it off, but—” A dire laugh escaped him. 

The corners of Hyunjin’s mouth twitched. He appreciated a sense of humour, even if it was misplaced. 

“The fact that you walked at all with a wound like that is…” He shook his head. He didn’t know whether he was supposed to be impressed or horrified. 

He was surprised by the vampire’s grin, deceptively bright and easy. “What can I say, I’m a tough one.” 

His words were immediately belied by the pained groan that escaped him when Hyunjin reached out to brush his fingers over the side of his foot. 

“Fuck,” he whimpered, “please don’t do that again.” 

Hyunjin shook his head. “How did this happen? Was it humans? Or another vampire?” 

The grin faded from the vampire’s face, his lips pressing together. Hyunjin knew then that he wouldn’t receive an answer. 

There was little else he could do for him in that case, except for one thing. Chan wouldn’t like it if he found out; Minho would probably drag him around by the ears and Seungmin would lecture him until the sun rose, but Hyunjin still wanted to do it.

Something about the way the vampire looked at him told him that he wouldn’t regret it. It was a stupid thing to be so sure of, considering the state the vampire was in and the cryptic answers he’d given Hyunjin so far, but Hyunjin wanted to believe that, underneath the false confidence and real pain, he saw a plea for help. The vampire clearly didn’t dare utter it, but Hyunjin’s heart heard it all the same.

“What’s your name?” Hyunjin asked him.

The vampire looked at him as if he was gauging whether Hyunjin would use that knowledge against him. 

“I’m Hwang Hyunjin,” Hyunjin introduced himself. “I’m a child of the Bang clan.” 

“Hyunjin.” Something about the way the vampire said his name made Hyunjin’s insides flutter. The vampire licked his lips. They were dry and cracked. It must have been a long time since he had last fed, but he didn’t look at Hyunjin with hunger. He looked at him as if he couldn’t quite believe he was real. “I’m Seo Changbin.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Changbin.” 

Changbin gave him the quirk of a lip. Not cocky, but apologetic. “Likewise.”

Ideally, we greet each other with compassion, Hyunjin reminded himself. It was something his human mother had used to say and he still lived by it so long after her. 

“Do you want me to help you?” 

There was no mistrust or aggression left. Changbin merely looked desperate. “How?” 

Hyunjin smiled as he brought his hand to his mouth. Changbin watched him with laser focus. Red bled into the whites of his eyes as Hyunjin bit down on his palm. 

It hurt, and then it didn’t. Warmth trickled down his skin, black drops of blood hitting the asphalt between them before he moved his hand so his blood dripped onto Changbin’s wound. 

At the first drop of blood on his skin, Changbin hissed, his nails digging into the ground beneath him. He didn’t move. Hyunjin didn’t either. He coated Changbin’s entire wound in his blood, encouraging Changbin to move his leg however was needed. Once Hyunjin was sure it was enough, he pulled away, licking over his palm to close the wound. 

He watched in satisfaction as the wound started to smoke, skin knitting back together. It would take weeks for the mark to disappear, but at least the wound was healing. 

Once there was skin covering the flesh once more, Changbin lifted a shaking hand to prod at it. “Well, that hurt like a motherfucker.” 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh. “A ‘thank you’ would have sufficed, you know.” 

“Thank you,” Changbin said immediately and he looked like he meant it. 

“It was nothing.” 

It definitely was something, but Changbin clearly didn’t know that and Hyunjin was not about to tell him. He’d die of embarrassment otherwise.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Changbin wrapped one hand around his ankle. When he spoke, his voice came out so quietly Hyunjin almost didn’t hear him. “It was me.” 

Hyunjin frowned. “Pardon?” 

“It was me.” Changbin didn’t look up at him. “I was the one who did this. I had to! I had to because I had to get away. He was never going to let me go so I had to do it.”

Hyunjin frowned. A terrible, terrible thought occurred to him then and there, but he couldn’t be sure that he was right. It couldn’t be. No maker would ever do something so terrible to their progeny. Hyunjin refused to believe that. There was too much reverence in the bond. He knew Chan would stand in the brightest daylight if it meant shielding him from the sun. Other makers could not be that different. 

“I’m not sure I understand.” 

Changbin smiled, so sadly that it made Hyunjin’s heart hurt. “I think you should leave now, Hyunjin. I’m so grateful to you. I will never forget this, but you need to leave. He might hurt you too if he finds you with me.” 

Hyunjin wasn’t a fighter. He abhorred violence. And yet, he felt the softest parts of him harden as he listened to Changbin talk. It was the blood, he told himself. He just felt protective over Changbin because he’d given him his blood. 

“Are you still in danger, Changbin?” 

Changbin shook his head, trying for a broad grin. “It’s not something you have to worry about.”

When he got up, Hyunjin did too. When he tried to leave, Hyunjin held him back. Changbin’s skin was cold, even for a vampire. It didn’t keep Hyunjin from holding onto his hand. He knew he would never see Changbin again if he let go. 

“Come with me,” he asked. 

Changbin seemed genuinely shocked. “What?” 

“For my blood. You owe me one favour for my blood. I want you to come with me.” 

Changbin stared at him. He stared at him for so long Hyunjin feared he would just walk away. 

“I can’t go where people are,” Changbin said quietly. “Their blood is too much. I can’t—I won’t be able to control myself. You don’t want me with you. It’s not safe.” His shoulders drooped. “He made me into a monster.” 

Hyunjin kept his tone gentle as he asked, “The one who made you, he did this to you?”

Changbin gave no more than a miniscule nod of his head, but that was all Hyunjin needed. The thought alone filled him with horror and anger, so much anger at the thought of what Changbin’s maker had done to Changbin, but he let none of it show on his face. 

Sliding his hand up Changbin’s arm, he stepped closer. He could see the panic in Changbin’s eyes, but Changbin didn’t move. Slowly, Hyunjin pressed his hand against the side of Changbin’s neck. Changbin let him. Hyunjin was touching a vampire’s most vulnerable part and Changbin let him. 

“Come with me,” he asked again, soft and coaxing. 

Changbin didn’t stand a chance. Hyunjin wasn’t giving him one, not like this. Like this, no one ever denied Hyunjin anything. 

Changbin swallowed and there was still doubt in his eyes when he nodded, but he nodded all the same. As Hyunjin began to walk, Changbin walked with him. He was limping slightly, but that just gave Hyunjin all the more of an excuse to keep holding onto his hand. 

Hyunjin knew exactly where he would take him. He knew it wasn’t what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to call Chan and let him take care of it, but he also knew that he would never see Changbin again if that happened. Vampire Law wasn’t kind to strays. Chances were likely that the leaders would decide to send Changbin back to his maker, if they didn’t toss him into the sun right away. Hyunjin could not let that happen. No, he knew where he could take Changbin. Where it would just be the two of them. There, Changbin would be safe.

They made it to the mouth of the alley before Changbin pulled them to a halt. “Are you going to kill me?” 

Hyunjin tilted his head to the side, amused. “Do you think that that’s what I’m going to do?” 

He let go of Changbin’s hand, waiting for him to run away or attack, but Changbin did no such thing. He only stared at Hyunjin, so intensely that Hyunjin felt borrowed blood rise to his cheeks. 

“I wouldn’t mind if you did. My life is forfeit either way. I wouldn’t mind it, dying at the hands of someone like you.” 

“Someone like me?” 

Changbin didn’t answer that, but Hyunjin didn’t need him to. He could see it all in the way Changbin looked at him, as if he still couldn’t believe that Hyunjin was real. As if Hyunjin was more than the second demon who had come to him in the night to steal him away. 

“I’ll take you somewhere safe,” Hyunjin promised. “Don’t be afraid.” 

“I’m not afraid.” 

Hyunjin didn’t believe him, but he didn’t have to. 

He offered Changbin his hand and Changbin took it. 

*

The furniture inside the penthouse was covered with white sheets, but even so Changbin was afraid to touch anything. 

He’d started working in his last year of school, shortly after his father’s death. He’d started out as a paper collector, then a waiter, then he’d found work as the assistant of a plumber. He had stepped into a lot of homes because of this, but he’d never been to a penthouse before. When he looked out of the wall-length windows, he found nothing but the night sky. All the city lights were below instead of above. 

Something about it made Changbin want to chuckle. His life had been turned upside down and now the night sky was too. 

“The shutters will come down automatically an hour before sunrise,” Hyunjin explained as he led him away from the windows, “so you don’t have to worry about seeking refuge from the sun. Of course, if you want to make sure, you can always stay in the bedroom. It doesn’t have windows.” 

Changbin shook his head, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place and the ease with which Hyunjin was willing to give it away. “Is it really okay to stay here?” 

Hyunjin only smiled. “My clan owns this building. We usually stay at our nest, though, so no one ever comes here. I mostly use it as an art studio.” 

Changbin could see that as Hyunjin led him into the next room. The floor was covered in plastic foil, several easels standing around and in the corner of the room, there even was a block of stone that had been carved into. 

Changbin’s interest was piqued by the painting closest to him, but Hyunjin hastily pulled him away when he tried to take a closer look. 

“Don’t look at that! It’s not finished!”

“It’s still beautiful,” Changbin told him, enjoying the way his words made Hyunjin happy. He was so glad that he could give something, anything back when Hyunjin was doing so much for him. 

“Let’s just go into the kitchen!” 

The kitchen, Changbin found out, was the size of his entire apartment. 

All thoughts about how nice the penthouse was and his own grimey, undeserving presence in it went out the window when Hyunjin opened the fridge. 

Changbin had ripped the blood bag out of Hyunjin’s hands before he even knew what he was doing, tearing the top off with his teeth. Without hesitation, he upended the blood into his mouth. 

A groan escaped him. It had only been two nights since he’d escaped, but the bloodlust was already driving him insane. He sucked at the opening until the blood bag was empty and even then he pried apart the plastic of the bag to lick up the last remaining hint of red. It wasn’t until there was truly not a single drop of blood left that the embarrassment hit him. 

He dropped the torn plastic, looking at Hyunjin in horror. “I’m sorry. I told you I have no control, I—”

“It’s okay.” Hyunjin’s smile was so beatific, Changbin was pretty sure he was an angel. 

Hyunjin pressed another blood bag into his hand and this time, Changbin at least managed to open it slowly before he started to drink. 

“Drink as much as you need. I will get you more.” 

Changbin wanted to thank him, but the blood came first. He was afraid it always would. 

Hyunjin didn’t seem offended. He didn’t even watch and Changbin was thankful for that. It would have reminded him too much of his maker if he had done that. 

Instead, Hyunjin busied himself with rearranging the fridge, piling the blood bags by expiry date until Changbin was done. Once Changbin had cleaned up himself and the mess he’d made, Hyunjin led him back into the living room.

Changbin’s heart did a funny little thing when Hyunjin moved towards the door. It felt as if there was a string between them and every step that Hyunjin took away from him pulled the string tight. 

“I have to go,” Hyunjin explained. “My maker has summoned me and I’m already late, but I will come back. Tomorrow night, I will come back.” He hesitated for a moment. “Will you still be here?” 

That was a good question. Changbin told him the only thing he knew to be true, “I have nowhere else to go.” 

Hyunjin smiled at him with heartbreak in his eyes and Changbin wished he wouldn’t have said anything. 

The silence that fell between them might have turned awkward, but before it could, Hyunjin touched his neck. It set Changbin’s entire being on fire when he did that.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hyunjin whispered and then he was gone, as quickly as he had appeared in Changbin’s life. 

It left Changbin wondering whether the other vampire had ever been real at all. He didn’t trust his own mind enough to be sure. 

The last remaining hours until sunrise, he spent sitting on the floor in front of the windows, watching the world move as he didn’t. He didn’t move even when the shutters went down. 

After Hyunjin had left, he’d taken a single step into the bedroom, realised that it smelled like Hyunjin, and walked backwards out the door. He had already lost control over every single other aspect in his life. He would not lose control over himself in such a way too. 

The last thing he did before getting comfortable on the living room floor was take another blood bag from the fridge. He could feel his maker’s fingers in his hair as he drank, but the cooing voice in his ear no longer belonged to him. 

It’s okay, he heard Hyunjin’s voice in his head. Drink as much as you need. 

Changbin would. He had no choice. 

*

The following night, Hyunjin went back to the penthouse with several bags of clothes. He’d speedran all his favourite stores on the way, knowing that he could explain away the frivolous amount of money he’d spent as him dealing with the stress of having their home broken into. 

Chan wouldn’t berate him, if he even noticed. His maker was a little distracted at the moment.

Jeongin had found the human. He had found out where the boy lived and went to school and now the clan was observing him to see what he planned to do with the directory. Jeongin had even proudly shown Hyunjin the uniform of the convenience store he’d gotten a job at. It was right by the human’s house and allowed him to check when the human came back home at night. 

Hyunjin felt a little sorry for the kid, a rat in a trap he didn’t even know he was in yet, but he also figured that the boy should have known better than to steal from his clan. Chan really didn’t like it when someone touched his things. 

Hyunjin smiled, then swallowed when Changbin greeted him at the door. His new friend was dressed in a pair of Hyunjin’s sweatpants, the fabric, which was normally loosely hanging against Hyunjin’s legs, pulled tight over the bulging muscles of his thighs. He also wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“I brought you…some clothes,” Hyunjin said in lieu of a greeting. 

Changbin turned pink from the centre of his chest up to the roots of his hair. It was a good sign that he had fed recently, at least. 

“I’m sorry. I tried to put on a shirt, but it kind of ripped when I tried to get my arm through the armhole and…“ Shamefully, Changbin offered him the scraps of white cotton he’d been hiding behind his back. “I’m sorry.” 

Right. Hyunjin was definitely not going to think about that the next time he felt lonely late at night. 

“It’s fine!” he quickly reassured Changbin, shaking the bags in his arms. “These should fit.”

Changbin smiled and, still flushed, took the bags from his arms before he disappeared into the bedroom.

Hyunjin went into the kitchen. Apart from his impromptu shopping spree, he’d also plundered the fridges at home for blood, taking all the B. Usually, only Minho drank it, but since he had Jisung, he only reached for it whenever Jisung was busy. With the paranoid episode the break-in had sent Minho into, Hyunjin knew it would be weeks until Minho would let Jisung out of his sight again and therefore, no one was likely to notice if Hyunjin plundered their storage.

Hyunjin put his spoils in the fridge, taking an older bag from the shelf.

He stabbed one of the metal straws he had brought into it and not a moment later, Changbin was standing in the door, eyes dilating as he looked at the blood bag in Hyunjin’s hand. His eyes followed the single drop of blood spilling over, staining Hyunjin’s hand. Hyunjin held out the bag for him. 

Changbin tried—Hyunjin could see that he tried—to walk over slowly, but in the end there was no pretending that he could resist the blood. Changbin all but ripped the blood bag from his hand, lightly bending the metal as he struggled to put the straw in his mouth. 

Hyunjin didn’t berate him for his greed. He remembered what it had been like, to be reduced to nothing but a blood-hungry animal. He had killed his entire village after being turned. Half of them had deserved it and the other half had not. Such were the makings of a monster. Changbin would learn to live with the guilt, as they all had had to. 

Changbin was halfway through the bag before he slowed down. While Changbin looked ashamed, Hyunjin watched him in amazement. It was already better than yesterday. Changbin must have been really starved then. He didn’t manage to stop drinking now, not even for a second, but the straw seemed to help him drink in a more dignified manner. Hyunjin was glad. 

As soon as the bag was empty, Changbin walked over to the rubbish bin and dropped it in. Then he walked back, slowly this time, and took Hyunjin’s hand. Hyunjin watched, just as hypnotised by Changbin as Changbin seemed to be by the blood on his hand, as Changbin’s tongue darted out and lapped up the smudge of red on Hyunjin’s finger.

Hyunjin was pretty sure that the last time his heart had beat this fast, he’d been human. 

Changbin gently lowered his hand and only then his vision seemed to clear, the red receding from the whites of his eyes. He looked at Hyunjin and Hyunjin looked at him. 

The fresh blood in Changbin’s system coloured his cheeks. “Thank you.” 

Hyunjin nodded. “No problem.” He cleared his throat. “Do they fit? The clothes, I mean.”

Changbin nodded, stretching out his arms as if to prove to Hyunjin that he wouldn’t shred this piece of clothing. He looked unfairly cozy in the big sweatshirt Hyunjin had bought him. Despite the different pairs of jeans Hyunjin had bought him, he was still wearing the same paint-stained sweatpants from before. Hyunjin didn’t mind that. Changbin could have them. 

“How’s your ankle?” 

Changbin smiled, pulling up the leg of his sweatpant so he could show Hyunjin. “Healing well. Whatever’s in your blood, it’s helping a lot.” 

Hyunjin could not, under any circumstances, reply to that truthfully so he only smiled and led the way back into the living room. 

They settled on the couch. It was the only piece of furniture that Changbin had uncovered, though Hyunjin could tell by the small pile of manhwas on the coffee table that Changbin had also helped himself to the book shelf in the art room. Hyunjin was glad. He wouldn’t have wanted Changbin to get bored while waiting for him. 

“Did you get in trouble yesterday?” Changbin asked him. “Your maker didn’t punish you for coming back late, did he?” 

“Oh, no, Chan would never!” Hyunjin laughed to erase the worry from Changbin’s eyes. 

There was also something else there. In Changbin’s eyes, he could see a willingness to fight. As if it was him who was willing to protect Hyunjin, and not the other way around. The sight made Hyunjin’s stomach flutter. He was familiar with vampires who were willing to fight to have him, but no one had ever looked like he’d be willing to fight so Hyunjin could have himself.  

“Channie-hyung adores me,” he elaborated. “He adores all of us, but I’m the last one he turned so I get special privileges.” Hyunjin preened. “I can do whatever I want, really.” 

Changbin still looked doubtful, but the smile on his face was real when he said, “That sounds nice.” 

Hyunjin nodded. There was an opening there, for him to ask about Changbin’s maker. He didn’t make use of it. He knew it was not something he could ask about. Changbin would have to offer him that kind of information himself. 

“My clan is like a family,” he said instead. “What about you, do you have a family?” 

He was nervous to ask because for most vampires, human relatives were a sensitive topic, but he was eager to know at least a little bit about Changbin. The broad smile that appeared on Changbin’s face made him feel like he needn’t have worried. 

“I have a brother,” Changbin said proudly. “He’s a couple of years younger than me, but we’ve always been close.” 

Hyunjin didn’t hesitate to reciprocate Changbin’s smile. “He sounds lovely.” 

Changbin’s expression fell as he looked towards the windows. “I’m worried about him. It was just the two of us. Now, it’s just him.” 

Hyunjin’s heart hurt for him. He had hesitated before, but he didn’t hesitate now to touch Changbin’s hand where it was resting on the couch pillow between them. 

“You’ll be able to return home, Changbin. One day, you will.” 

“Not like this.” Changbin shook his head, every word dripping with self-deprecation, “Not with the way I am now. You saw me in the kitchen. The second I smell blood, I turn into a monster. I can’t go home as long as I am like this.” 

Hyunjin winced. He could remember what that had felt like, to be reduced to instincts and not much more for months on end, having to find for every inch of control over his own body. 

“The bloodlust isn’t forever,” he promised. “Not the way it is now. Over time, you will learn to control yourself.” 

“How long does it take?” 

Hyunjin shrugged. “That depends. Some need a year, some a decade.” 

Changbin looked positively nauseated. “I can’t leave my brother alone for a decade! He’s already lost everyone else. I need to get back to him quicker than that. Even a year is too long.” 

“Do you want me to find him?” Hyunjin suggested. “He might have an easier time if he knew that you’re alive, at least.”

“No!”

Hyunjin was confused by Changbin’s harsh reaction, but he quickly realised where he had gone wrong. Right. If Changbin considered himself a monster, then Hyunjin was one too. No responsible big brother would willingly give their little sibling into the hands of a blood-lusting vampire. 

Hyunjin pretended that it didn’t hurt him. It got easier not to think about it when Changbin took his hand, holding onto it with both of his own. With his wide, pleading eyes, he reminded Hyunjin a little bit of a puppy. 

“Can you teach me?” 

Hyunjin blinked. “Teach you?” 

“How to resist the blood. I’ve never even seen you flinch at the sight of blood. You must have learned, right? You can teach me how to not lose control of myself?” 

Hyunjin wanted to say no. He didn’t even know if it was possible to aid the process. His own memories were blurry and what little he could remember was tainted by more blood than could be contained in a bunch of plastic bags. But then there was Changbin, looking at him with such desperation, such hope that Hyunjin couldn’t deny him. 

He was too afraid that Changbin would leave him to find someone else. He was too afraid that Changbin would leave.

“I promise that we can try.” 

It was worth the way Changbin’s face lit up, the way he all but dove at Hyunjin and tackled him into a hug that made them both topple off the couch. 

Flattened out on the floor with Changbin on top of him, Hyunjin’s heartbeat was thunderous in his chest. He was just glad vampires were too thick-skinned for their heartbeats to be as audible to other vampires as the hearts of humans were. He could have easily thrown Changbin off of him too, but he didn’t want to. Not when Changbin looked down at him as if he’d personally hung the moon. 

“Thank you.” 

“Of course.” Hyunjin withstood the urge to reach out and touch Changbin’s chest, just to make sure his heart was beating just as rapidly as his own. “Whatever it takes.”

*

Changbin had suffered a great deal at the hands of his maker, but he’d never gone hungry. There had always been blood. Learning how to withstand the hunger proved to be more difficult than he had hoped. 

“Again,” he pleaded. 

Hyunjin shook his head. With his back pressed against the wall and a halo of empty blood bags surrounding him, he looked like the statue of a god where he sat cross-legged on the floor. 

“I think we should stop for tonight.” 

“Please.” Changbin wasn’t above begging. “I’m sure I can make it to thirty seconds.” 

Hyunjin looked at him with doubt in his eyes, but of course he was too nice to say anything. It had been a week of them trying to wean Changbin off his bloodlust and Hyunjin had been nothing but kind and understanding in the face of Changbin’s continued failure. 

He was not going to give up as long as Changbin didn’t, Changbin had learned that about him. 

“It’s not going to work if you’re trying to force your own progress. You need to have patience with yourself.” 

Changbin couldn’t help but smile. It was obvious Hyunjin hadn’t known him when he had been human. Patience hadn’t exactly been his middle name. “Just one more time. We have one bag left, right?” 

Hyunjin lifted said bag into the air. “If you fail, you’ll go hungry until I come back.” 

“I don’t care.” 

Hyunjin looked at him with doubt in his eyes, but he was going to give in. He always did when Changbin begged him. 

“Close your eyes.” 

After all this was over, Changbin would forever worship at his altar. 

He adjusted his posture where he was sitting with his back pressed against the opposite wall and closed his eyes. 

He could pinpoint the exact moment Hyunjin’s metal straw pierced the thick plastic of the blood bag. It didn’t matter that Changbin had already drank a dozen. The smell of the blood slammed into him like a semi-truck. Every single muscle in his body tensed, the telltale prick of pain in his gums telling him that his fangs were coming out. 

He didn’t move. He was strong. He was hungry. He could hold out. He was hungry. 

“Twenty seconds,” Hyunjin called out. 

Changbin groaned, unable to keep his eyes closed any longer. His vision was cast-over red as he opened his eyes, his gaze reflexively zeroing in on Hyunjin’s hand. Hyunjin himself was looking at the stopwatch in his hand. A single drop of red welled up from the puncture  in the blood bag and like that it was over. 

The next thing he registered was that he was sitting on top of Hyunjin, the empty blood bag in one hand as he licked the last of the blood from Hyunjin’s palm. 

Ashamed, he dropped both. “I’m sorry.” 

Hyunjin only stared up at him, eyes wide and not afraid at all. Neither of them moved until Hyunjin lightly bucked his hips and it was then that Changbin remembered that he ought to get off him, doing so as fast as his bad ankle allowed. Hyunjin remained lying there for a couple of seconds, blinking slowly before he sat up, picking up the stopwatch from the floor to show him. 

“Thirty-one seconds.” 

Changbin couldn’t help but smile. It was small progress, but it was progress all the same. Hyunjin mirrored his smile and like that whatever had hung between them dissipated. 

“Help me up,” Hyunjin demanded and Changbin was more than happy to oblige. 

“Do you have to go soon?” Changbin asked as they cleaned up the empty blood bags from the floor. “It’s late and I don’t want you to get in trouble with your clan.” 

It was something Changbin worried about often. Hyunjin talked about his clan with ardent affection and he always told Changbin that it was fine, that he was free to go where he wanted when he wanted, but his maker couldn’t be that nice, could he? Did he have no interest in chaining Hyunjin to him? 

Hyunjin shook his head. “I have a little time.” 

“I’m glad.” The words left Changbin before he could think about it. It was worth the small, happy smile that appeared on Hyunjin’s lips. 

The truth was that Changbin was selfish. He didn’t want Hyunjin to go. He hated it every time Hyunjin left and not just because he’d be alone with himself.

The bond that Changbin had felt between them that first night grew every time Changbin saw him. It was like he knew Hyunjin, knew when he was happy or sad or angry. He wondered whether Hyunjin felt him in the same way. He could only hope that he didn’t.Hyunjin was a vampire, but he didn’t deserve that.

It had been no more than a week, but Changbin was sure of it now. Hyunjin was his angel, the one good thing he’d been given in return for eternal damnation. 

Apart from training Changbin like a dog, he and Hyunjin had also started painting together. 

“The most important thing for a vampire, right after blood, is diversion,” Hyunjin had told him earlier in the week, leading Changbin into the art room. “If you don’t find ways to entertain yourself, eternity can get really boring really quickly.” 

It had made sense to Changbin and so he’d taken the paint and palette Hyunjin had handed him and started painting streaks across the empty canvas in front of him. 

Hyunjin took care of him like that too. He answered all the questions that Changbin’s maker hadn't. Changbin didn’t have to ask a single one. It helped a great deal in making Changbin feel more grounded. 

As opposed to Hyunjin, whose paintings were beautiful enough to hang in a museum, his own looked more like the weak attempts of a child. It didn’t matter. Hyunjin told him it didn’t. Hyunjin never laughed at Changbin for his lack of talent. He simply encouraged him, insisting that he kept all the canvases he wasted just like Hyunjin did his own. 

“It will be fun to look at them later when you’ve gotten better at it!” 

Changbin doubted that he ever would, but he wasn’t going to tell Hyunjin that. Hyunjin always looked so happy when they painted together and that was all Changbin wanted. 

He found that for him, it was easier to remember how to laugh whenever they did. 

*

Hyunjin had always been beautiful. 

Everyone in the village he had grown up in had told him so from the moment he’d started following his mother to the markets. He’d been beautiful and they had adored him for it. They had called him beautiful even as they had looked down at his mother for having him. 

She had run a guest house. There had only been one room besides the one he had shared with his mother and their guests had only ever come at night, one at a time, but the men had paid well and seldomly caused trouble. The only time his mother would kick them out was when their patron of the night started saying that Hyunjin was beautiful, too.

As a child, he hadn’t understood what had gone on. As he’d grown older, he had learned not to fight it. Being ashamed was better than to starve. At least, that was what his mother had always told him. The entire world had already been against her. Hyunjin hadn’t wanted to make her feel like he was against her too so he had never disagreed. 

The night he had died, there had been three men in the guest room instead of one. 

“No, thank you,” the one that the other two looked to had said. “Only the room will do.”

“Are you sure?” His mother had been a good business woman. She had known how to be persuasive. 

The man had handed his mother another couple of coins and that had been enough to send her away. Hyunjin had scrambled too, but not before he’d been caught snooping. He had learned to hide himself away by then, but the man’s eyes had found him even in the darkness of the hallway, even if Hyunjin had only opened the door a finger’s width. 

The man had had demon eyes. All three of the men had. Hyunjin had hurried back into his own room before they had been able to turn him into a demon too. 

The ruckus had started at midnight. 

First, there had been stones, tearing through the paper walls of their home, then the smouldering stench of fire had filled the air. Hyunjin had stumbled out of the house after his mother, coughing. 

On the lawn in front of the house, a man had stood that had come often, demanding more and more of his mother’s time until she had banned him from coming altogether. He hadn’t liked that. 

His mother, upon seeing him, had yelled at him like never before. She had yelled until the man’s hand had come down on her cheek hard enough for her to fall. 

“You’re a whore, you think you get to tell me anything?!” 

Hyunjin could not recall his mother’s words, but he could recall the words the man had spoken. Hyunjin could recall the rage that had taken him over in that moment and how he had rushed forward to fight even though he had never done it before. 

He had paid with his life for it. 

The fight itself was a blur to this day, but he remembered what it had felt like to lie on the ground, trying to heave air into a body that was broken beyond repair. He remembered the way his mother had wailed for him. Most of all, he remembered gentle hands turning him onto his back and demon eyes full of sorrow. 

“Hyunjin-ah!” his mother had screamed. “Hyunjin-ah!” 

“Please,” Hyunjin had begged, only ever meeting eyes with the demon. “I don’t want to die.” 

There had been no sympathy in the eyes of the demon, but Hyunjin hadn’t expected there to be any. “I can save you, but you may never see your mother again if I do. You will belong to me then. Your place will be in my family, not hers. Is that what you want?” 

“It’s f…fine.” His lungs had nearly given out then. ”There…is someone out there…waiting for me. I have to…find him. Please.” 

His mother had told him so. She had always told him that some day, someone would come and fall in love with her and then they’d never have to worry again. He had no longer believed in that dream for his mother, but he’d believed in it for himself. He was beautiful. Someday, someone would come and love him so that he’d get to be happy forever. 

The bite had set fire to his body on the inside and he had never seen his mother again, but he’d still been beautiful when he had woken up, even more so than before. His dream was still there for him to reach. 

Changbin never called him beautiful. 

Hyunjin could think about little else as he looked at himself in the mirror. He’d heard it a thousand times from a thousand mouths by now, but Changbin hadn’t said it even once. 

He didn’t look at Hyunjin with lust or greed or  the dreamy expression some of his suitors sometimes wore when they looked at Hyunjin without seeing him. Changbin didn’t do any of that. He barely looked at Hyunjin at all. Not like Hyunjin wanted him to, at least. The most Hyunjin had ever gotten out of him was him saying that he liked the glitter spray Hyunjin had used on his hair a couple of nights ago. 

Standing in front of the mirror in his room, Hyunjin shook the bottle, using the last of it on his hair. It was one of those rare nights that he did actually plan to go out to the clubs, just to keep his name out there and his cover up. 

He needed people to remember him in case any of his clan ever happened to ask for him. The end of the quarter was coming up, so Seungmin was bound to make his rounds at least once. The thought of wasting any of his precious time at a club was no longer as appealing as it once had been, but maybe if he left early, he’d be able to swing by the penthouse before the sun rose. 

He and Changbin had started watching Hyunjin’s favourite romance drama together and Hyunjin was eager to see him react to the big twist at the end. 

He ran a hand across the collar of his shirt. He really did look good tonight. Even Changbin wouldn’t be able to deny it. He would have to look at Hyunjin. 

A knock on his door frame made him turn away from the mirror. 

“Going out again?” 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes at Jeongin’s disapproving frown. “And what if I am?” 

“You’ve gone out every night this week.” 

Hyunjin huffed. “I don’t see how there’s a problem with that.” 

“It’s Friday. Friday means clan night. It’s Minho’s turn to pick a movie so we’re watching Never Been Kissed. Won’t you join us?” 

Hyunjin could think of little else that he wanted more in the world than cuddle up with his clan to watch a cheesy rom-com, but his plans for the night had already been set. 

“Pass.” 

The hurt that flashed in Jeongin’s eyes was almost enough for Hyunjin to change his mind, but only almost. Jeongin had the entire clan to play with. Changbin only had Hyunjin. Hyunjin needed to see him. Swallowing against his own guilty conscience, he turned away to look for his bag. 

He expected Jeongin to leave, but Jeongin didn’t. “You’re not going to find him there, you know.” 

Hyunjin stopped with his fingers curled around the strap of his bag. “What are you talking about, exactly?” 

“I’m talking about the one you want to fall in love with.” Jeongin took a step into the room. “You won’t find him at the club. You know those places are only filled with sycophants and suckers. It’s not the right environment for you to find someone.” 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but agree. Just the idea of letting anyone at one of the clubs even come close to him at this point made his stomach turn, but Jeongin couldn’t know that. No one could know that. 

So, he cooed at Jeongin, “Aw, Innie, are you worried about me?” 

Jeongin frowned. “Someone has to be.”

“Thank you, but I don’t remember asking you to do that.” Cutting off whatever Jeongin might have said in return, Hyunjin slipped past him and out of the room. 

“You’d really rather be out there chasing after someone who might not even exist instead of spending time with your family?” Jeongin called after him. 

Hyunjin stopped. He turned back to where Jeongin was standing, his hands balled into fists by his side. 

It was Jeongin’s immortal flaw. Hyunjin knew that. Jeongin didn’t know how to stop. Not as long as he cared and Hyunjin was one of the five people in the world Jeongin did care about. 

Still, Hyunjin couldn’t ease his worries. He needed Jeongin to believe that he really was that selfish and uninterested. All he had with Changbin depended on it. Changbin himself depended on it. 

So, Hyunjin bared his fangs, outright hissing at Jeongin. 

Jeongin stumbled backwards in shock, clearly not having expected that. I’m sorry, Hyunjin thought, wanting to reach out and squish him until Jeongin no longer looked as hurt, but he couldn’t. 

Helplessly, he watched as Jeongin’s initial shock wore off and then he was hissing right back at Hyunjin, red bleeding into the whites of his eyes as he bared his fangs to match. He’d been made by Seungmin, after all. 

“What is going on?” 

Both of them immediately dropped their heads at the sound of their clan leader’s voice. Hyunjin was just glad that Jeongin had the good sense to put his fangs away before Chan reached them. 

“Nothing,” they mumbled at the same time. 

Chan clearly wasn’t impressed. “Jeongin, go downstairs.” 

“Hey!” 

“I wasn’t asking.” 

Jeongin knew better than to even breathe so much as a challenge at Chan, not with the recent bad mood their clan leader had been in ever since a certain little human had broken into their home, so he disappeared down the hall. 

Hyunjin was going to say yes the next time Jeongin asked him to go squirrel hunting in their garden. He swore it to himself. 

“What were you fighting about?” Chan asked him. 

“Nothing.” Hyunjin turned on his heel. “I’m going out.” 

Chan followed him. “Clubbing again?” 

“Yes.” 

Chan nodded. He didn’t try to keep Hyunjin. He never had. Hyunjin had always been grateful for it, but seldom more than he was in that moment. 

Chan merely dug around in his pocket. “Here, take the S-Class. And call if you want one of us to come keep you company!” 

“Thank you.” Hyunjin beamed at his maker as he took the car key from his hand. “I’ll see you before sunrise.”

Chan only sighed, briefly touching his hair. His hand came back glittery, but he didn’t seem to care. 

Hyunjin blew him a kiss before he zipped down the stairs. The sound of laughter and bickering in the living room made his heart hurt a little, but he didn’t stop on his way. 

He just had to hope that the club night would be worth it. 

*

“What’s your brother’s name again?” 

Changbin pulled his lips off the metal straw he’d grown fond of using. It helped him stay conscious as he drank. “Seo Yongbok,” he enunciated clearly for Hyunjin. 

“Are you sure?”

Changbin laughed, pausing the drama on TV so he could give Hyunjin his full attention. “Am I sure that that’s my brother’s name?” 

Hyunjin nodded. 

“Yes, Hyunjin, I’m sure.”

Hyunjin nodded again, mumbling to himself, “You’re right. It was a stupid thought anyway. I probably got it wrong.” 

Changbin didn’t like seeing him like that. Hyunjin wasn’t supposed to doubt himself. 

He took another deep sip so he could say,  “No, I probably got it wrong. Tell me, why do you ask?” 

Hyunjin shrugged, playing with the frayed edge of a hole in his jeans, right above the knee. “I met someone at a club. He kind of smelled like you.” 

That piqued Changbin’s interest. Felix wasn’t likely to go to a club, but it wasn’t impossible. Maybe he’d gone with a couple of his uni friends. “What did he look like?” 

“Cute, about this tall,” Hyunjin held his hand up to his eyebrows, “bleached hair and freckles.” 

Changbin squeezed the blood bag in his hand so hard some of it dripped down his hand. “That’s my brother.” 

Hyunjin frowned. “He said his name was Felix, though, Lee Felix.” 

“That’s him!” 

“How do you know?” 

Changbin had to swallow against the thundering of his own heart. “Lee is our mother’s family name and Felix is the name of the main character from a children’s book I used to read to him. It’s about a cartoon dragon that goes on adventures. He was so obsessed with these books when he was little that we used to call him that. The name means ‘lucky one.’ He must have given it to you because you were a stranger.”

“Oh.” 

To stop the red mist taking over his vision, Changbin licked the blood from his hand. “Did he look well? Did you talk to him? 

Hyunjin bit his lips. “A bit more than that.” 

Changbin felt his excitement die at the guilty expression on his face. “Hyunjin,” his heart sprung up to his throat, “what did you do?” 

Hyunjin hastily shook his head. “It’s nothing bad! I promise, it’s not!”

Changbin didn’t believe him. “What’s wrong with my brother?” 

Hyunjin winced, his bottom lip worried between his teeth. “Your brother is the thief.” 

“What?” 

“The night we met, someone broke into my clan’s nest. A human. He stole a very important directory. It holds information about all the vampires in the city and where they live. Like a phonebook of the undead, if you will. That kind of knowledge could be very dangerous in the wrong hands so my maker tracked him down. To get the directory back, he agreed to a deal. The human would give back the directory and my maker would have to find his brother for him. That’s you, the brother I mean. The human is—”

“—Yongbok.” 

Hyunjin bit his lip. “He’s in my clan house as we speak.” 

Changbin tasted iron on his tongue as he felt the blood that he’d so eagerly drunk come back up his throat. 

Hyunjin seemed to be able to read his expression very well. “It doesn’t have to be a bad thing! My clan is a good one! No one will hurt Felix on purpose!”

Changbin swallowed. “On purpose.”

“You really don’t have to worry!” Hyunjin grabbed onto his hand. Usually, that would have sent a pleasant tingle through Changbin’s body, but he felt nothing but numb at the moment. “Channie-hyung is going to protect him! He said he would!” 

Changbin couldn’t help the derisive snort that escaped him. “Excuse me if I don’t trust the word of your maker. He’s a vampire. My little brother is a human. He’s innocent. However nice you think your maker is, Yongbok should be nowhere near him.”

He knew his words were hurting Hyunjin, but he didn’t take them back. 

Hyunjin chewed on his lip with such vigour that Changbin was afraid he might hurt himself. He was about to reach out and touch his chin so he’d stop when Hyunjin said, “I understand if you don’t trust Channie-hyung, but don’t you trust me? This doesn’t have to be a bad thing! If your brother is with my clan, I can keep an eye on him! I swear I’ll protect him!”

Hyunjin was just as powerless as him, Changbin realised in that moment. Whatever had happened, his maker already had his claws in Yongbok. 

The thought left him nauseated. 

He got up and went to the fridge, taking out every single blood bag they had in store. With his arms full, he returned to the sofa. 

“Can we practise more?” 

“But…” Hyunjin looked towards the TV. The couple on screen was about to kiss. “...we haven’t finished this episode yet.”

“I really don’t care about the drama right now, Hyunjin.” 

It took a moment, but then Hyunjin was getting up. “Of course.” Hyunjin’s eyes were overcast with a thin black sheen. He blinked it out of his eyes before he smiled. “We can do whatever you want.” 

*

“It’s beautiful.” 

Hyunjin’s heart did a funny little squeeze. It was beautiful—his art, the glitter in his hair, the clothes he wore. All of it was beautiful, except for Hyunjin himself. 

“Thank you.” He was careful to put the last finishing touches on his painting. 

Changbin watched him do so. He’d given up on his own painting a while ago, now sitting sprawled out on the floor next to the canvas Hyunjin had put on the floor. Hyunjin wondered whether it wasn’t boring for him, just sitting there and looking at Hyunjin, but he hadn’t yet asked Hyunjin to do something else, so Hyunjin chose to focus on his painting instead. 

“Do you ever miss the sun?” Changbin’s eyes stayed on the canvas as he asked, tracing the bright orange framing Hyunjin gave the sun he’d painted. 

“Sometime. I yearn for it just like every other vampire, but it’s not a big loss in my life. I used to stay up a lot during the nights when I was human, so the switch wasn’t as jarring. Do you miss it?” 

“Not a lot.” Changbin shrugged. “It’s weird to think that I will never see things in the daylight again, but I guess it pales in comparison to everything else.”  

Hyunjin hummed, contemplating for a moment before he had an idea. A low giggle escaped him as he dipped his paintbrush into the yellow he’d used earlier and painted a circle across his face. He went so far as to give it a dozen little rays before he raised his chin at Changbin, preening. “Look at the sun!” 

It was worth the way Changbin collapsed into laughter. 

Look at me, Hyunjin thought as he joined in. Only look at me. Never stop looking at me.

Changbin was looking at him as he crawled over, sitting down on his haunches so he and Hyunjin were eye-level. Mouth twitching in a barely contained smile, he took the paintbrush from Hyunjin’s hand. He dipped it into the yellow before painting the same circle onto his own face. 

Hyunjin grinned, using his thumb to add a couple of rays to Changbin’s face. Changbin gasped and dropped the paintbrush, opting to use his hands too. Hyunjin scrunched up his nose when Changbin coated his fingers in blue and added streaks to his cheeks. Before he knew it, they were painting each other’s faces until there was no more paint left on the palette, all the while giggling like children. 

It left Hyunjin giddy. Changbin’s gaze never strayed from his own. He looked at him all throughout. He didn’t even blink. 

*

Hyunjin didn’t go home that night. He’d missed the sound of the shutters, he said. An hour was too little time to ensure that he would make it back home in time. 

Changbin didn’t hesitate to ask him to stay over. It was Hyunjin’s apartment after all. Upon Changbin’s confession that he hadn’t really used the bedroom yet, Hyunjin insisted on lying down in the middle of the living room floor with him. 

With the sun creeping up into the sky, he fell asleep first. There were still remnants of paint on his face. Looking at him in the darkness, Changbin was sure of it now: Hyunjin was an angel. 

He got up on silent feet and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and a blood bag from the fridge and returned to the pile of blankets Hyunjin had spread out of the floor. 

Staring at the face of his angel, Changbin bit into the edge of the blood bag, upending it over the glass. His throat burned as the sweet smell of blood filled his nose, red filling his vision. He forced it back, the hunger and the mist clouding his vision. His gums itched, saliva gathering in his mouth, but he would not give in. 

Every single cell inside his body screamed at him to feed , to bring the glass to his mouth and drink but he didn’t. He wouldn’t. Once the blood bag was empty, he got up and went back into the kitchen. He put the empty bag into the rubbish and emptied the glass into the sink. 

The animalistic part of him told him to take the blood bag back out of the rubbish and squeeze it for any droplets left, but Changbin didn’t. 

He went back into the living room and lied down where he was supposed to be, careful not to disturb Hyunjin. He didn’t dare reach out and touch him. He was too scared Hyunjin would disappear if he did. 

With Hyunjin so close, the string tied around his heart loosened, allowing him to breathe freely. The one around his neck remained tight, but it always was. His maker never stopped calling for him. Changbin ignored him like he always did. 

He knew he would be safe until the next sundown. The knowledge was enough to allow him to close his eyes. 

Vampires didn’t dream, but the last thing Changbin thought of was the sun. Lying on the floor with Hyunjin so close to him, he could almost feel its warmth.

*

Hyunjin was in love with love. 

His own lack of a lover did not mean he begrudged anyone else their happiness. On the contrary, love was so precious to him he would have done anything to protect it. 

Because of this, he didn’t tell Changbin about Felix and Chan. 

He knew he should have. He knew Changbin was going to be furious with him when he found out about them eventually, but he had made so much progress. Hyunjin didn’t want him to lose his hard-earned control when he learned what exactly Chan had done to save Felix’s life. There was no way to undo what had been done anyways. 

The blood bond was in place. 

Hyunjin could have held onto the naive hope that it would fade with time, all just so he wouldn’t have to tell Changbin about it, but he knew his maker better than that. Chan was never going to let it severe. His maker never let go of the things he cared for and there was a lot more than care in his eyes whenever he looked at Felix. Come hell or high water, Felix belonged to Chan now.

Changbin couldn’t know about this. He wouldn’t understand, Hyunjin was sure about it. The way Changbin talked about Felix was a lot different from the boy Hyunjin knew. Hyunjin wouldn’t have known where to even begin explaining to Changbin that the little brother he’d known no longer existed. As long as Changbin still needed the memory of his little brother as an anchor, Hyunjin could not tell him that it was already too late. Felix’s life had changed just as irrevocably as Changbin’s. 

“How is he?” 

Hyunjin smiled. Despite everything, it was endearing to him, the endless love and care Changbin had for his younger brother. Felix was always the first thing Changbin asked about when Hyunjin came over and Hyunjin was happy to give him good news. 

“He’s well.” 

Felix was well. With Chan’s blood in his veins, he had recovered remarkably quickly from his run-in with the nomads. In Hyunjin’s humble opinion, Felix looked happier than ever now that he’d found his place beside Chan and, by extension, as a member of the clan. That was not something Changbin would want to hear, though. 

Hyunjin just had to hope that he would understand once he saw it for himself. He knew Felix, at least, would be able to explain it to Changbin. Hyunjin would do his best to help him once the time came. 

Hyunjin’s heart did a stupid little jump when Changbin took the bag off his shoulder. Changbin never let him carry it farther than the entryway. You already brought it here, he would say, it’d be irresponsible of me to let you carry it any further.

Hyunjin followed him into the kitchen, watching as Changbin methodically stored away all the blood he had brought him. 

“Chan plans to take the clan to the winter fair this Friday,” he said conversationally. “I’m excited to see the lights.” 

“That sounds lovely.” Changbin’s smile was gentle as he looked at Hyunjin. “I want to show you something.” 

Sitting at the kitchen island with his head propped on his arm, he tilted his head to the side. “Oh?” 

Changbin nodded, his grin a tad too broad to hide the nervousness beneath. He didn’t say any more as he grabbed one of the blood bags and pierced the corner with his teeth. Hyunjin watched him closely but Changbin didn’t move any further. 

And then Hyunjin realised that Changbin wasn’t moving any further. His eyes were clear, his teeth blunt as he smiled at Hyunjin. Apart from the veins straining on his neck, he didn’t look affected at all. 

The air inside Hyunjin’s lungs left him at once. “Changbin.” 

Changbin grinned, making a point out of walking around the island so he could hand the blood bag over to Hyunjin. Hyunjin took it, uncaring about the blood that dripped over his fingers. Changbin didn’t seem to care either. He didn’t even blink as he held Hyunjin’s gaze. 

Slowly, Hyunjin touched his face, pressing his thumb against Chanbin’s lips to feel for his fangs. They came out when Hyunjin touched him, but Hyunjin knew it wasn’t because of the blood. Slowly, Changbin mouthed along his hand to lap up the spilled blood. Every press of his tongue was controlled. Every press of his tongue made Hyunjin feel weak in the knees. 

His vision blurred and he could hear more than see Changbin chuckle. Strong, gentle fingers wiped the tears off his cheeks. “Why are you crying, angel?” 

Hyunjin shook his head. “You did it.” 

“I did it.” All the pride Hyunjin felt, he heard in Changbin’s voice. “I’m not perfect at it yet, but I…I think I’m getting there. I think I’ll be able to go outside again soon.” 

Hyunjin didn’t hesitate any longer. He threw his arms around Changbin. Changbin caught him without stumbling, hugging him so tightly it would have crushed Hyunjin had he been a human. But Hyunjin was not. He was a vampire just the same as Changbin. With their hearts pressed this closely together, Hyunjin could feel that Changbin’s heart was beating almost as fast as his own. 

*

The rage was tearing at his self-control. 

Changbin moved through the crowd blindly, trying to blink the red out of his vision. A woman screamed when he ran into her, her boyfriend cursing at him, but Changbin didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He had to get out of the crowd. 

With every second that the noise and smells and humans around him persisted, he could feel his control slipping further. Soon, he’d no longer be able to hold onto it. A dire laugh escaped him as he ran. He’d come to the fair to prove it to himself that he could and here he was, failing.

Hyunjin had told him he wanted to see the lights and Changbin had wanted to see him. He’d told himself it would be fine if he stayed in the shadows, away from people. He’d told himself it’d be fine if just watched from afar. Hyunjin was beautiful at any distance. Maybe, he had thought, maybe if there was an opportunity to catch Hyunjin alone, he’d surprise him and see the lights reflected in Hyunjin’s eyes. 

He hadn’t known that when Hyunjin had talked about his clan, he’d meant Changbin’s little brother too. Whenever Changbin blinked, he saw that monster press his fangs to Yongbok’s neck and Hyunjin’s serene smile as he watched them. The blood he’d gorged himself on before coming rose back up his throat. 

He veered to the side. There was a small passageway between two booths. If he made it there, he could disappear into the alley behind. 

A group of students blocked his way there and then a hand clamped down on his shoulder. It was all instinct that made him whirl around, his arm shooting out to push away whoever had grabbed him. 

He was met with bright red, excited eyes and a mop of stark white hair. The first thing Changbin thought was that the kid looked too young to be a vampire. The kid’s eyes widened as he looked down at himself, at where Changbin’s arm was going through his body. 

Horrified, Changbin tried to pull it out, wincing when he did even more damage on the way back. 

“Ow,” the kid whispered as Changbin’s arm left him, a gush of black blood dripping from his mouth. People around them screamed when he dropped like a puppet with his strings cut. 

Changbin went to the ground with him, trying to fix what he had done—at least put the kid’s organs back into his body—when a guttural scream rang through the air. “Jeongin!” 

At once, the rage was back and Changbin felt his control slipping farther than ever before. Another one of them. 

This one’s eyes all but bulged out of his head as he saw the kid on the ground, a puddle of black spreading around the kid’s body. His gaze found Changbin. Changbin didn’t know which one of them bared their fangs first. 

It didn’t matter. It was not a fight Changbin would stay around for. He lost no time to get up and run. 

*

The penthouse was empty. 

Hyunjin searched every room twice before collapsing on the floor in the living room. The misery he felt, both his own and the collective pain of his clan, had him curling in on himself. It was all wrong. He didn’t understand how it all could have gone so wrong. 

Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Jeongin, bleeding all over the backseat as Minho drove them to the clan house. He heard Seungmin’s voice, asking for Changbin’s death. He felt Felix’s tears on his skin, asking him why his older brother had run away from him. Most of all, he felt Changbin’s rage, felt it through a bond that had not yet faded. 

Hyunjin wanted to grasp onto his end, wanted to tug on it until it would bring them back together, but the misery he felt was crippling. Changbin hated him. That, Hyunjin could feel through their blood bond. 

A sob escaped him. This was not how it was supposed to be. 

The sound of the shutters had him pull himself into a sitting position. He had to go home. Furiously, he wiped at his cheeks. He had to pull himself together and go home before anyone could wonder where he’d run off to. 

The sound of the front door unlocking had him on his feet within a millisecond, his heart springing up to his throat. “Changbin!” 

Changbin didn’t look at him as he entered the living room. He looked worse for wear. His hair and clothes were in disarray and there was black blood dripping from the knuckles of his right hand. 

Hyunjin darted forward. “What happened to your hand?” 

Changbin evaded him, walking right past him into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, ripping open a blood bag and upending it into his mouth before he even bothered to look at Hyunjin. 

“I went home.” 

It took Hyunjin a moment to realise Changbin was talking about the apartment he’d shared with Felix. His home. His home that was not the penthouse. “Oh.” 

“Of course,” Changbin let out a dire laugh, “I forgot that that’s not where my little brother would go. No, your maker has his claws into him so deeply, he dragged him right back to his nest, didn’t he?”

Hyunjin shook his head, reaching for Changbin’s hand. “You’re hurt. Let me look at your wound. I can give you more of my blood.” 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” 

Hyunjin backed away until his back hit the wall. Changbin dropped his blood bag right where he stood and left the kitchen. 

Hyunjin went after him. “Where are you going?” 

“Where do you think I’m going? Somewhere that’s not here.” 

No. Panic crawled its way up Hyunjin’s throat. “You don’t have to leave! You can stay here. You don’t have to leave.” Don’t leave me. 

Changbin scoffed at him. “Of course, I’m going to leave.” 

“Changbin—” 

“No!” Changbin ripped his arm out of his grip when Hyunjin tried to hold him back. “I asked you to protect him! You swore to me that you would! Instead, you gave him into the hands of that monster!”

Hyunjin was pretty sure that it would have hurt less if Changbin had put his arm through him. 

With tears rising in his eyes, he wanted to yell back that it wasn’t fair, that Changbin didn’t know what he was talking about, but Hyunjin yelling back would get them nowhere. He needed to stay calm if they wanted to resolve this. 

“That monster is my maker and he loves Felix.” 

Changbin scoffed. “Monsters like him aren’t capable of love. There’s nothing he could possibly want from Yongbok except for his blood.” 

“Monsters like him,” Hyunjin whispered. “Don’t you mean monsters like us?” 

“It’s all the same, Hyunjin. We’re all just monsters waiting for the next rush of blood. I doubt there’s anything else out there for us.” 

Hyunjin felt a new wave of tears threaten to overtake him. “So you think you’re incapable of love?” 

For the first time, Changbin stopped in his way. He no longer looked angry as his eyes met Hyunjin’s. He looked resigned. As if he had looked into a mirror and truly seen nothing else but a monster. “Everything I was and everything I ever could have been died when that motherfucker turned me into a vampire. Dead men don’t love. It’s just the fate I’ve been given, is it not?” He shrugged. He shrugged as if it was that easy. As if everything he was, everything they had been, was nothing. 

Hyunjin felt anger overtake him. He’d been miserable before in his life and overjoyed and every single thing in between, but he’d never given in to apathy. He’d never stopped feeling. 

“Well, you’re wrong!” He pushed against Changbin’s chest. He knew Changbin’s heart was beating as fast as his own. “And you want to know how I know that you’re wrong? Because I love you!” He couldn’t help the bitter laugh that escaped him. “I love you! After one and a half centuries, you’re the one I love and that is real.” He’d needed to be close before and now he needed to be far so he pushed against Changbin’s chest. “Nothing you could ever say could make me think that it isn’t!” 

Changbin stumbled. Where his eyes had been apathetic before, they were growing wide in shock. “Hyunjin—” 

“No.” This time, it was Hyunjin who backed away. 

When Changbin tried to reach for him, he pushed him away with all his might. It sent Changbin flying into the opposite wall. The marble cracked with the impact of Changbin’s body, a web of cracks in the stone surrounding him like a halo. 

Changbin didn’t even seem to notice as he fell. Dazedly, he blinked as he stumbled forward, trying to reach for Hyunjin again but Hyunjin was not only stronger than him, he was also faster. 

Tears blurred his vision as he slipped past him and out of the penthouse.

*

Panic seized Changbin’s body as he jumped down the stairs one flight at a time. The impact of his landing made the stone tiles beneath his feet shatter several times, but he didn’t care about that. Hyunjin hadn’t taken the elevator so he must have taken the stairs. If Changbin was fast enough, he’d be able to catch up with him. 

“Hyunjin!” he called out as soon as he hit the foyer. 

There was no one there but the night guard. Changbin was on him in a second. “Mr Hwang,” he demanded, “did he come through here?” 

Visibly terrified, the human shook his head. “N-No, Sir.” 

Changbin cursed and went back the way he had come from. If Hyunjin hadn’t gone down, he must have gone up. Changbin fought against the red mist threatening to overtake his vision. He knew it was the panic calling on his instincts. The tiredness tugging at his bones told him that the sun would come up soon. He’d have to find Hyunjin before that. He’d be right there with him in the daylight if he didn’t. 

Back in the penthouse, he went through every room again but Hyunjin was nowhere to be seen. Further up, then. Changbin went back into the hallway, heading for the maintenance door that led up to the roof. 

There was a lock on the door with a passcode. Changbin had never been more grateful for the vampire blood in his veins. He ripped off the lock, throwing himself against the solid sheet of metal until the door burst off its hinges with a terrible screech. A small flight of stairs greeted him. There was another door at the top of it, but this one was open. 

Panting, he stumbled onto the roof, looking around until finally, finally, he laid eyes on an all too familiar silhouette. 

“Hyunjin!” 

Hyunjin didn’t turn around. He didn’t move at all where he was sitting on his haunches, his face turned towards the lightening sky. 

Changbin was with him within a heartbeat. “Hyunjin!” 

He grabbed onto Hyunjin’s shoulders to get him to stand up, but Hyunjin was like a statue. He wouldn’t move. His chest was heaving as he cried black tears, but he would not move. Every time Changbin tried to lay a hand on him, he shook it off. 

Changbin wanted to yell at him to stop. He wanted to drag him inside and force him to look him in the eye, but he knew that all that would get him nowhere. Hyunjin would not be moved if he didn’t want to be. 

Profoundly, Hyunjin was gentle so Changbin had to be gentle too. 

Forcing his breathing to calm down, Changbin lowered himself to his knees in front of Hyunjin. At last, he’d come to repent at his altar.

“Angel,” he begged softly. If he had thought that it would have helped, he would have pressed his forehead to the ground, “won’t you look at me?” 

A miniscule shake of Hyunjin’s head. A single rasp of his voice, “Leave.” 

Panic clawed at Changbin’s throat. He couldn’t let it control him. He had to be the one in control. “But I don’t want to leave.” 

Hyunjin shook his head, still avoiding Changbin’s gaze. 

“I’m not going if you’re not coming with me.” 

Finally, finally, Hyunjin looked at him. It seemed to break something in him, to look into Changbin’s eyes, because fresh, black tears ran down his cheek. 

“I waited—” He sobbed. “I waited for so long!”

Changbin didn’t understand, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Hyunjin inside where he would be safe. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I went down the stairs first before coming up, but I’m here now. I promise I am.” 

Hyunjin shook his head. “You don’t get it! I waited for so long!” The desperation in his eyes broke Changbin’s heart. It scared Changbin when it turned into exhaustion. “I don’t want to wait any longer. It’s useless. I’m not going to wait anymore, Changbin.” 

Changbin barely withstood the urge to reach for him. “Wait for what, angel?” 

“You.” 

“Me?” 

Hyunjin shook his head. “Someone like you. I’ve waited all my existence to find someone to love, someone who would love me back and you don’t—you don’t.” 

Had Hyunjin reached into his chest and pulled out his heart, Changbin would have felt less pain. “That’s not true.” 

“Of course, it is!” Hyunjin glared at him. “You said so! You said you dead men don’t love! You said you won’t!” 

Changbin pressed his lips shut. He had said that, hadn’t he? “I lied.” 

Hyunjin scoffed, wiping at his cheeks. “You don’t have to lie to me anymore. I’m not stupid. I was, but not anymore.” The smile he forced onto his face was the worst thing Changbin had ever seen. “You can go now, Changbin. Just leave.” 

Changbin gave Hyunjin a smile of his own. He almost found it funny that Hyunjin was willing to believe that he ever would. Almost. 

If Hyunjin wasn’t willing to reach into his chest, Changbin would do it himself. There was nothing he wouldn’t have done for Hyunjin in that moment, in any moment.

“I was waiting for the sun to come up,” he admitted. “When you found me, I mean. I couldn’t walk any farther with the silver burn, my maker’s call was strangling me and I was so hungry, I thought it better to just end it all. I didn’t want to continue on like that. I didn’t want to live like a monster. I never asked for it.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes widened at his easy admission. Changbin had never admitted that he hadn’t asked to be turned, but he was sure Hyunjin had suspected as much. 

“I was ready. I was ready to let go, but I’m not ready anymore, Hyunjin. In truth, I can’t stand the thought of missing a single night that I could have with you. I won’t.” 

Changbin didn’t care anymore. He leaned forward and took Hyunjin’s hands. Hyunjin could throw him off the roof for all he cared. 

“Changbin—” 

“I love you, too.” 

The noise that left Hyunjin’s lip was pained and hopeful at the same time. 

Changbin used their intertwined hands to wipe the black streaks from Hyunjin’s cheeks. “No more tears, angel.” He pressed their foreheads together. “I’m sorry about what I said. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean any of it. Please, believe me. I love you so much.”

Hyunjin sobbed against his mouth. “You’re not lying?” 

Changbin shook his head. “Never. I won’t ever lie to you again, angel, I promise. I love you. I worship you. I love you more than blood. That’s why I could leave the penthouse. No thirst for blood could keep me from seeing you.” 

“Changbin.”

“I’m sorry, Hyunjin. I’m sorry for everything.”

Being kissed by Hyunjin felt a lot like being kissed by an angel too. Changbin had spent weeks working on his self-control, yet it took no more than a single press of Hyunjin’s lips to take it all away from him. He was reduced to nothing but want as Hyunjin fell forward into his lap, as he framed Changbin’s face with his hands and parted his lips for Changbin to devour. 

Changbin didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around him, taking Hyunjin with him as he got to his feet. Hyunjin clung to him like a vice as Changbin carried him over to the door. The moment they were in the shade, Changbin stopped to kiss him again, propping Hyunjin’s back against the wall as he supported Hyunjin’s thighs around his waist with his hands. Hyunjin arched his back when Changbin’s hands wandered a little too close to his ass. 

Tugging on the curls at his nape, Hyunjin pulled his head back, forcing Changbin to meet his eyes. “You love me?” 

“I do.” Changbin would say it as many times as Hyunjin wanted. 

Hyunjin kissed him again, groaning when Changbin dug his fingers into the flesh of his ass. 

“Changbin…” 

“I’ve got you.” 

Changbin lost no time taking them the rest of the way back into the penthouse. Once the door had fallen shut behind them, he didn’t carry Hyunjin into the bedroom. 

He carried him into the art room, their room. This is where they had spent most of their time, where Hyunjin belonged and Changbin did too. 

Laying Hyunjin down gently on the foil-covered floor, Changbin had to take a moment to just look at him, red bleeding into his eyes as he took in every part of Hyunjin’s body, bare and covered. He had never felt hunger like this before.  

Hyunjin seemed to be able to see it in his eyes because he opened his legs, allowing Changbin to crawl between them. Changbin tasted greed in his mouth when Hyunjin pulled him into another kiss. 

He knew Hyunjin liked his clothes so he rid him of them without shredding the fabric like he wanted to. Hyunjin didn’t respond in kind. He ripped apart Changbin’s shirt without preamble, raking his nails down his chest. 

Changbin groaned at the sting, catching Hyunjin’s wrists so he could secure them above his head. Hyunjin’s pupils dilated, his legs crossing behind Changbin’s hips to draw him in closer. 

Changbin kissed him, his lips and brow and neck, his own heart rate rising at the taste of Hyunjin’s pulse against his tongue. It was slower than that of a human, but fast for a vampire. He pressed a chaste kiss to the skin before moving lower, nipping and sucking at Hyunjin’s chest until Hyunjin was whining above him, his erection pressing against Changbin’s stomach. 

Changbin ignored it for the moment, too busy worshipping every centimetre of Hyunjin’s body.  “Fuck, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Hyunjin squirmed, borrowed blood flushing his skin red. “You don’t mean that.” 

Changbin frowned, nipping at his stomach to punish him for saying such stupid things. “Of course, I mean that.” 

“You— ah —” Hyunjin’s back arched when Changbin briefly brushed his fingers over his cock. “—you’ve never said it before.” 

Changbin smiled and lifted his hand off his crossed wrists so he could cup Hyunjin’s perfect face. “You don’t understand, Hyunjin, I was struck the moment I saw you. I thought you were an angel coming to absolve me and I still do.” 

Hyunjin blinked. “But, I thought…you never said anything.”

“Didn’t want you to think I was a creep.” Changbin shrugged before wriggling down so he could press a bite mark into the skin around his navel. “Every time you went out before coming to the penthouse, you complained about the people who’d try to come onto you by telling you how beautiful you were. You complained about how they would see you for nothing but your pretty face. I didn’t want you to think I was one of them.” 

“I know you’re not.” 

Changbin lifted his head only to smile at him. “I’m glad.” 

Hyunjin whined, bucking his hips when Changbin licked a stripe from his navel down to his length. 

“Changbin—” 

Whatever he’d planned to say got lost when Changbin finally took him into his mouth. A lewd moan spilled over his lips and Changbin tongued at the head of his cock to hear it again. He was rewarded with Hyunjin’s fingers in his hair, pulling at his curls as Changbin continued to suck his cock. Replacing his mouth with one hand, he briefly mouthed at his balls before he went even lower. 

“Fuck, Changbin!” 

Changbin was undeterred as he lapped at Hyunjin’s hole, teasing at the rim over and over until it finally gave to the pressure of his tongue. With saliva pooling in his mouth, he used one finger to spread Hyunjin open further and spit in his hole. 

Hyunjin gasped, his hips bucking, but Changbin had long since let off his cock so he could keep his hips in place. Circling his finger, he mouthed at the inside of Hyunjin’s thighs. Hyunjin trembled as he grazed his fangs over the sensitive skin. 

“I want to bite you.” 

Hyunjin’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes darkening as he clenched around Chanbin’s finger. “Do you know what happens when a vampire shares their blood?”

Changbin added his hand to where his mouth was, digging his fingers into the supple meat of Hyunjin’s thigh. “What happens?”

“A bond is formed. I’ll know you and you’ll know me. There’s no separating us, then.” Hyunjin hesitated. “Do you really want that?” 

Changbin found that amusing. He pressed a reverent kiss to Hyunjin’s leg before he let his fangs come out fully. Holding Hyunjin’s gaze, he placed his teeth right over the vein, giving Hyunjin the chance to push him away, to kick him off, but Hyunjin did neither of these things. 

His grip on Changbin’s hair tightened and with dilating pupils, he nodded. Changbin bit down, hard enough to break the skin and then some. Hyunjin screamed, his entire body arching, but Changbin could tell it wasn’t a scream from pain. 

Every cell in his body was electrified by the taste of blood in his mouth. It was darker in taste, richer and the venom in it left Changbin’s tongue tingling. Greedily, he lapped up all that he could get, biting down again when the wound began to close. 

Hyunjin mewled above him, his cock leaking against his stomach. His rim clenched around Changbin’s finger and Changbin turned his head to kiss him there. 

Pushing spit and blood into Hyunjin’s hole, he added another finger before scissoring them apart, far enough so he could wedge his tongue in between. Hyunjin strained against the force of his tongue, but Changbin welcomed every roll of his hips, matching the speed of his fingers to his pace. 

Whining, Hyunjin tugged on his hair. “Changbin.”  

Changbin didn’t stop working him open as he let Hyunjin pull him back up so they could kiss. His lips were slick with blood, but Hyunjn didn’t seem to mind tasting himself. Sweet little moans spilled into Changbin’s mouth when Changbin added a third finger. It was not enough. Hyunjin needed more, rolling his hips to let Changbin know. 

Changbin needed more too. He pressed a reverent kiss to Hyunjin’s brow before taking a hold of himself. His cock was so hard it was leaking, a groan escaping him as he finally got a hand around himself. 

Teasing the head of his cock agains Hyunjin’s hole, he hesitated. 

Hyunjin let out an impatient whine, wrapping his arms around Changbin’s neck to keep him close. “Don’t stop! What are you doing?” 

“I don’t want to hurt you.” 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, rolling his hips so the head of Changbin’s cock caught on his rim. They both groaned. “I’m a vampire, Changbin, I’m not going to break. Fuck me before I do it myself.” 

Changbin gasped, feigning outrage. “My angel, my darling angel, falling from grace so quickly?” 

Hyunjin pressed a kiss to his lips. “Shut up.” 

Changbin shut up and with one, measured thrust, defiled his darling angel. If there was just one sound he was allowed to hear for the rest of his life, it had to be the moan Hyunjin let out as Changbin’s cock speared him open. 

Changbin groaned at the heat surrounding him, Hyunjin’s body holding him like a vice. He pulled out, running one hand through the puddle of blood beneath them to coat his cock in it before he pushed back in. 

Hyunjin met every of his thrusts with a roll of his hips, the both of them finding a rhythm that validated Changbin in what he’d already known. He and Hyunjin were perfect for each other. 

As they found their rhythm, Hyunjin’s jaw fell open and Changbin’s did too, the two of them groaning into each other’s mouth. Changbin started kissing him when he could take it no longer, working his way from Hyunjin’s lips down to his neck. 

Nipping at the sweet skin, he pushed himself up enough so he could look Hyunjin in the eyes. Hyunjin touched his cheek, as if he couldn’t quite believe that Changbin was real either. 

“Will you bite me?” Changbin asked.

Hyunjin blinked, mewling when Changbin lifted one of his legs around his waist to get a better angle. “Will you—ah, fuck—will you let me?” 

“I have your blood in me, but a bond should go both ways. I don’t want it to fade. I want you to bite me.” 

Hyunjin stared at him, black tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he nodded. Changbin slowed his pace to a slower, deeper grind that had Hyunjin raking his nails down his back. Without hesitation, he bared his neck to Hyunjin.  

The pain of Hyunjin’s fangs sinking into the juncture of his neck and shoulder lasted no longer than a second. What followed was bliss, dulled by his own venom, but bliss nonetheless. 

Changbin could feel it, the way his blood in Hyunjin’s body fortified the string around his chest, weaving it through every cell of his body. 

He licked into Hyunjin’s mouth, keeping up the rhythm of his hips, and basked in the feeling of being one. 

*

Changbin carried him into the bedroom afterwards. The art room smelled too much like blood, sweat and sex, he said. Hyunjin had the distinct suspicion that Changbin was just eager to make the bedroom smell like it next. 

He didn’t complain as Changbin disappeared into the en-suite bathroom to return with a washcloth. Feeling pleasantly gooey, he let Changbin wipe him down, giggling whenever Changbin got overly eager to leave a second round of kisses on every centimetre of Hyunjin’s skin. He paid extra attention to all the marks he’d left. There were so many of them, Hyunjin mourned that he wouldn’t get to count them before they healed. 

It would take a couple of days for the bite mark on his thigh to disappear though, and the thought alone had him melting into the mattress. Changbin discarded their washcloth before he joined him under the covers. 

“Beautiful,” he mumbled as he kissed Hyunjin’s jaw. “You’re the most beautiful in the world.” 

Hyunjin smiled. It were words he’d heard a thousand times before, but no one had ever made him feel them like Changbin did. “I love you.” 

Lifting their intertwined hands to rest them between their heads on the pillow, Changbin pressed a reverent kiss against his knuckles. “Too.” 

It made Hyunjin laugh, simply because he was happy. The sun was up and so Hyunjin could no longer fight against the tiredness tugging at his bones, but he managed to hold on just a little longer. 

“Don’t worry too much about your brother.” 

It was not the right time to say it, but he didn’t want them to sleep without Changbin knowing. 

Clearly having to fight against his drooping eyelids, Changbin blinked his eyes open just to look at him. “That’s impossible, I fear.” 

Hyunjin shook his head, gaining courage from the lack of heat behind Changbin’s words. “Chan would never hurt Felix! You haven’t seen the way they are with each other. He loves Felix so much and Felix, Felix likes him too!” 

Changbin scoffed, but it came out weaker than before. “I doubt that.” 

“I’ll prove it to you! They will prove it to you. Just…just wait until Jeongin is better. Everyone is so upset right now and Seungmin is out for your blood, but once Jeongin is better he will calm down and then I am going to take you to the clan house and you can see for yourself that Felix is safe.”

“Safe in a nest full of vampires?” 

“He’s a member of the clan too, you know.” 

Changbin closed his eyes as if pained, but he was still pliant, too tired and sated to be angry. Hyunjin could feel it through their bond. 

His heart swelled to twice its size when Changbin said, “I trust you.” 

Hyunjin brushed his thumb over the furrow between his brows. It evened out along with Changbin’s breath. 

“Thank you,” he whispered nonetheless, just on the off-chance that Changbin could hear him in his sleep. “Thank you for trusting me.” 

*

Chan had no patience for the lock. 

He kicked in the door, the solid wood splintering with the force. The door fell backwards and Chan walked over it, dragging Hyunjin after him. 

Hyunjin tried to pull his wrist out of his grip as they walked into the penthouse, but Chan had no interest in letting him get away. He brought them all to a halt in the centre of the living room, turning so he was looking right at Hyunjin. 

“Tell him to come out.”  

Hyunjin whimpered at the anger in his voice, but he didn’t open his mouth. His eyes found the floor as he shook his head.  

Chan growled at him. He didn’t have time for this. “Tell your little boyfriend,” he ordered in his maker voice, “to come out.”    

Hyunjin looked up at him, black tears gathering in his eyes as he visibly fought the order. It was not a fight he would win, but it seemed like he was determined to try.

It turned out that Chan didn’t need him to obey. 

A creaking of the floorboards tipped him off right before a shadow appeared in the corner of his eye. 

“Chan!” Minho called out in warning. 

Chan barely managed to raise a hand to stall him before his other hand was wretched off Hyunjin’s arm. 

Fangs flashed in his face. Before he knew it, he was tackled to the ground, a nasty crack resonating in his skull as his head left a crater in the floorboards. He didn’t allow himself any time to recover. 

He ripped away the arms locked around his middle and kicked Changbin with enough force that the fledgeling fell backwards. He was back on his feet quicker than Chan would have expected. When he made to lunge at Chan again, Chan punched him in the face so hard it sent his head flying to the side. 

“Chan!” Hyunjin screamed, struggling against the hold Minho had on him. “Stop! Please! Don’t hurt him!” 

Chan had no time to answer. He was too busy dodging Changbin’s blows. He had to give it to the fledgeling, Changbin didn’t back down easy. 

It was still not a fight he would win. For every ounce of rage he felt in him, Chan had twice as much of his own. 

The next fist Changbin aimed at him, Chan caught, using it to pull him closer instead of pushing him away. Changbin stumbled in surprise and Chan used that moment to grab him by the neck, lifting him off his feet before throwing him to the ground. He kept his claws in Changbin’s neck as he sat down on his stomach, pressing his knees down on the joints of his elbows so Changbin could no longer swipe at him. 

What was left was a lot of snapping fangs and growling. It would have amused Chan if he hadn’t needed all his focus not to kill the fledgeling right where he had him. 

“Submit,” Chan ordered. 

Changbin merely grunted at him, baring his fangs. Chan didn’t hesitate to tighten his grip on his neck.  

“Submit,” he demanded again, bringing his face close enough so Changbin had no chance but to look at his eyes. “Submit, or I’ll make sure you’ll never see him again.”

As if on cue, Hyunjin cried out, “Changbin!” 

Changbin’s gaze flickered over to Hyunjin, the aggression in his eyes giving way to desperation. Interesting, Chan thought. Hyunjin hadn’t lied then when he’d said that Changbin loved him. The maker part of Chan’s self was glad. He would have had to kill Changbin twice otherwise if he’d found out that Changbin had led Hyunjin on.  

Chan tightened his grip another fraction and Changbin looked back at him. 

A single word came over his lips, every syllable enunciated with nothing but contempt, “Likewise.” 

Chan had always prided himself on his self-control. He had turned three progeny and overseen the turning of a fourth one. He had worked to bring peace to the world by being the first clan leader to sign the peace accords between vampires and humans. For all intents and purposes, he was the poster child of a well-mannered, self-controlled vampire. 

Unfortunately, Changbin had stolen from him. 

He growled and tightened his grip on Changbin’s neck enough to see black well up under his fingers. Changbin managed to free one arm to claw at his hands, but that didn’t matter. 

Chan was willing to take off Changbin’s head if the fledgeling didn’t start giving him answers soon. Changbin seemed to realise this too because he started tapping at Chan’s arm instead of clawing at it. 

“Chan!” Hyunjin wailed. “You’re going to kill him! Please! Please, I love him! Don’t do this!” 

“Hyung.” 

It was Seungmin’s voice that made him look up. A hiss escaped him. He didn’t like the look in Seungmin’s eyes, full of pity when Seungmin never allowed himself such a foolish emotion. 

“What?” he grunted. 

“He’s not here, hyung.” 

Chan shook his head. With panic seizing his heart, he looked down again. “Where is he?” 

“Where is who?” Changbin wheezed out.  

“Your brother,” Chan growled. 

New rage filling his eyes, Changbin snapped back at him, “What about my brother?” 

“Felix is not here, Channie-hyung,” Jeongin said, holding his middle as he leaned heavily on his maker. Seungmin hadn’t wanted him to come, but Jeongin had insisted. It was Felix, after all. The heartbreak in Jeongin’s eyes made Chan fear terrible, terrible things. 

“He never was.” 

Chapter Text

Slowly, too slowly, Felix moved backwards. He thought he’d gotten used to vampires showing up at his door unannounced, but this was different. This was a stranger and he was bleeding. 

“Who are you?” he stuttered. 

“Seo Yongbok?” 

Whatever Felix had been thinking, all his thoughts ground to a halt. There was only one vampire who would call him that. 

Instead of retreating into his flat, he opened the door further. “You know my brother?”

The vampire in front of him nodded, wiping at his eyes. Black was staining his cheeks, dripping onto the front of his white dress shirt. It was torn in places and the tears would have soiled it further if there hadn’t been a big stain already, running in a line across his chest. 

It worked to make Felix feel as distressed as the vampire looked. 

“I’m sorry,” the stranger said, taking a step back as if he was the one afraid. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to come here. I just didn’t know where else to go. He never mentioned anyone but you, so…” 

“Where is Changbin?” 

The vampire didn’t seem to begrudge him his curt tone. He looked at Felix with sorrow in his eyes and Felix’s stomach clenched with cold dread. 

“No.” Fearing the worst, he took a step further out the door. “Tell me he’s alive. He’s alive, right? Please.” He was not above begging. 

“He’s not dead,” the vampire said and Felix nearly sagged with relief, “but he’s hurt. It doesn’t look so good. He asked for you, but I…I’m sorry I shouldn’t have come. This was a bad idea.” 

“No, wait!” In a surge of desperation, Felix darted forward to grab onto the vampire’s arm. He couldn’t let him leave, not if he knew where Changbin was. “Take me to him! Please, I beg of you!” 

The stranger shook his head, taking another step away. “It’s dangerous. He won’t forgive me if I take you.” 

Felix followed. “I don’t care if it’s dangerous! Just take me to him!” 

“Felix?” Jisung called for him from inside the flat. 

The vampire’s head snapped to the side, his entire body recoiling at the sound. 

It was then that Felix realised two things: One, the vampire was not going to trust him if he allowed Jisung to join their conversation. Two, however much Felix needed him, it was still a vampire in front of him, hurt and bleeding and undoubtedly hungry. Vampires were always hungry. He could not let him come close to Jisung. 

Unceremoniously, he started pushing the vampire towards the stairs. “Let’s go,” he told the vampire, nearly sighing with relief when the vampire started moving. 

“Felix?” Jisung’s voice rang out again. 

Felix took the vampire by the wrist, tugging him down the stairs. He needed him down the stairs before Jisung reached the door. 

“Yongbok!” the vampire called out for him, stopping so abruptly Felix nearly stumbled when he was kept in place by the grip he still had around the vampire’s wrist. 

Felix turned around, wanting to ask what was wrong. He flinched away at the sight of sympathetic eyes and a hand reaching for his throat. It didn’t save him. Felix was used to fangs and claws from his vampires, he’d almost forgotten about their brute strength. He’d never had a chance at all. He clawed at the hand the vampire wrapped around his throat, but it was of no use. 

Before he knew it, the world was blurring in front of his eyes, his knees buckling as all his strength left him. He never hit the floor. Strong arms wrapped around him before he could. 

It was an embrace that was almost loving, taking him away. 

*

Chan was usually very good at accepting the things he didn’t want to accept, but this was unacceptable. 

“What do you mean he was never here?”

“There’s no trace of him anywhere here in the penthouse.” Jeongin looked pained and Chan knew that, for once, it wasn’t because of his wound. 

Chan shook his head. That couldn’t be. He looked down, tightening his grip on Changbin’s throat. “Where the fuck did you take him?” 

Changbin seethed beneath him, straining against Chan’s hold with renewed vigour. “Fuck…you!” he wheezed, having to retch out every syllable. “What the fuck…did you do to my brother?” 

Chan hissed right back. This didn’t make any sense. Panic clawed at his throat when the thought that Changbin might be telling the truth hit him, his fangs itching and vision going from red to normal, back to red every time he blinked. 

“Chan!” Hyunjin begged. “Get off him! He doesn’t know anything!” 

Chan glared at him, his youngest progeny who had betrayed him. Subconsciously, his grip tightened even further. “It has to be him! You said so yourself!” 

Hyunin shook his head. “I was wrong!” 

Changbin stopped clawing at Chan’s hands just then. Instead, he seemed to muster the last of his strength so he could stretch out his arm in Hyunjin’s direction. If he was dying, he was dying with a smile on his face. “Hyun…” 

Hyunjin broke free from Minho’s grip and then he was pushing and pushing against Chan, clawing and pleading until Chan let go off his lover. 

The moment he did, Hyunjin was pulling Changbin into his arms. Changbin looked up at him with wheezing breaths, clearly struggling to suck in air through the windpipe Chan had crushed, but there was also a smile on his face. 

“Hello…beautiful.” 

He only blinked when Hyunjin’s tears dripped onto his face. Otherwise, he seemed to be unwilling to look away from Hyunjin for even a second. 

Hyunjin let out a whimper and then he was biting into his own wrist, dripping black blood onto Changbin’s neck until the wounds closed. 

Chan watched it happen in abject horror. The lack of reaction from Changbin told him that this wasn’t the first time the fledgling and Chan’s precious progeny had traded blood. 

Hyunjin had omitted that little detail when he’d confessed to his relationship with Changbin. He’d really gone out and had gotten bloodbonded behind Chan’s back. Chan wondered whether this was how human fathers felt when their children eloped. He wondered whether it was too late to buy a shotgun and some silver bullets. 

The only thing that kept him from putting an end to Changbin’s life in that moment was the look in Changbin’s eyes. He looked at Hyunjin as if Hyunjin was not just his lover, but an angel from above sent to save him from the horrors of the world. 

Felix would be very upset, he reminded himself. Chan swallowed against the bloodlust filling his mouth. He figured that at least he’d have a way to keep Changbin in line now. 

“Changbin,” Hyunjin asked as he stroked his mate’s hair, “do you know where Felix is?” 

“With…you…” Every of Changbin’s syllables carried distaste and confusion before it was overtaken by something bigger, scarier and more scared. “He’s…with you…no?”

Chan rose to his feet. He looked at Minho. “Get Jisung from the car. He has to tell us again what he remembers.” 

Minho frowned. “He’s already distressed—” 

“I wasn’t asking, Minho.” Chan sighed at the way Minho bared his fangs at him. “I know you want to protect him from all this, but he’s already in it, Min. Felix is his best friend and he’s going to be devastated if we don’t find him soon.” 

As I will be. Chan didn’t say it out loud. He couldn’t let it win, the panic still clawing at his insides. If he did, he was never going to come back from it and him going on a bloody killing spree was not going to help Felix. 

Come on, baby, he thought and tugged at the string tied around his chest, but he received no reply. Sleeping. He had to believe Felix was just sleeping. Everything else would have been unacceptable. Everything else would have meant something he wouldn’t be able to come back from. 

He looked to the side when Jeongin approached him, a distressed little whine escaping him as he touched Chan’s arm. Chan didn’t hesitate to pull him into his side, stroking his hair. Jeongin was usually too wild and excitable to stay put for long, especially in an embrace, but he was clinging to Chan right now, clearly looking for some comfort. 

“Don’t worry,” Chan said with a confidence he didn’t feel. “We’ll find him. Felix will be back with us in no time.” 

“You lost him?” The brief moment of reprieve ended with the sound of Changbin’s voice. Changbin struggled to get up, but he managed eventually, supported by Hyunjin’s hand on his back. “Where the fuck is my brother?” 

Chan bared his fangs, but before he could say anything, Seungmin was there, walking over with long strides. He stopped uncomfortably close in Changbin’s space. 

“Give me one reason.” Seungmin’s voice was calm but there was red bleeding into his eyes. “I just need one.” 

Changbin had the good sense to take a step back when he recognised him. “You were in the alley.” 

Seungmin only bared his fangs at him. “You hurt my progeny.” 

Changbin’s eyes flickered over to Jeongin, who was holding his middle. Real regret coloured his features. “I’m really sorry, kid.” 

“It’s okay.” Jeongin’s smile was as forgiving as Seungmin would never be. He patted his stomach. “I’m almost whole again.” 

“Still—” 

It was the sound of footsteps outside in the hall that made all of them look towards the front door. The sound of footsteps was accompanied by the thundering of a human heart and then Jisung was stumbling into the penthouse, nearly tripping over the front door on his way. Minho was right behind him. 

“He’s not here?” 

Anxiety on humans smelled terrible, acrid like rotten citrus. 

Chan forced himself to be calm and gentle as he guided Jisung towards the sofa, taking a knee in front of him. 

“Tell us again what you know, Jisung.” 

Naturally, everyone else drew closer too. Minho sat down on the back rest behind Jisung, laying both hands on his shoulders while he glared at anyone who was coming too close for his taste. 

Jisung leaned back against him, his heartbeat slowing down considerably at Minho’s solid presence behind him. 

“Well,” he said, nervously looking around. There was a hint of curiosity in his eyes as he looked at Changbin, but his eyes didn’t linger. “The doorbell rang and Felix went to get it. We thought it was you.” Jisung winced when he looked at Chan. “He was talking to someone, but it was hard to make out what they were talking about. Like I already told you, there’s just one thing I heard. Whoever it was, he called Felix Yongbok.” 

Chan sighed, disappointed that there was no other information apart from what he already knew. He knew that wasn’t Jisung’s fault, though, so he squeezed his knee in thanks. 

Jisung shot him a shaky smile. 

“What did you just say?” Changbin’s voice rang out. 

Minho hissed at him for speaking to his human that way, but Changbin didn’t seem to care. For the first time, he willingly moved away from Hyunjin to take a step closer to Jisung. 

“Say it again!” 

Jisung blinked, looking scared but he repeated himself nonetheless, “The vampire called him Yongbok. That’s pretty much all I heard.” 

Changbin’s face took on a greenish hue. 

“What is it?” Chan demanded. 

“Changbin,” Hyunjin said a lot more gently, “what are you thinking?” 

Changbin’s hand was trembling as he reached for his own neck, clawing at it as if he wanted to loosen a shackle that no one else saw but him. Chan had no doubt that it was real, though. A thousand years had not been long enough to make him forget the way it felt when your maker called for you, and the way the call drew a noose around your neck if you refused to answer. 

“Yongbok is really gone?” Changbin asked Hyunjin, the only one of them he seemed to trust. 

Hyunjin nodded. “He was taken from your apartment. I thought it was you at first, because he only ever introduced himself to us as Felix and that’s how everyone else we know knows him too. You’re the only one I’m aware of who even knows that that’s not his name.” 

Changbin shook his head. Chan could see the way the muscles in his shoulders tensed. He was prepared for it when Changbin tried to bolt. 

Chan caught him by the throat, suspending him in the air. Changbin kicked him in the stomach and that prompted Chan to let him go, but he used Changbin’s stumbled landing to push him back into Hyunjin’s arms. 

“Forget it, fledgeling,” he growled. “Wherever you think you’re going, you’re not going there by yourself.” 

Changbin looked absolutely willing to fight his way to the door if he had to. “I have to.” 

“And why is that?” 

“Because it’s my maker.” Changbin looked towards Hyunjin, desperate as if Hyunjin had an answer for him. “My maker has my brother.” 

*

Felix tasted rust when he woke up. 

For a few, disoriented seconds after opening his eyes, he struggled to see anything but blurry shapes, but then his eyes adjusted to his dimly lit surroundings. It was cold where he was, but despite the draft passing him by, he wasn’t freezing. There was a heat lamp mounted to the wall behind him, casting everything in an eerie orange glow. With his head pounding, he looked around. 

He was a factory hall of some kind, though all machinery had been moved towards the corners, stacked on top of each other with inhuman strength. The tarp-covered holes in the roof and layer of dirt on the floor further hinted at the factory’s abandoned state, and who had taken possession of it. Even the windows were covered in cardboard, blocking out all light from the outside. 

With a groan, Felix tried to sit up, but his arm gave underneath him and he crumbled rather ungracefully. Breathing in dust and dirt, he just lay there for a moment, trying to gather his bearings. Every time he swallowed, his throat constricted painfully. Touching the tender flesh, he could tell his neck was bruised. 

It was the sound of footsteps that made him try getting up again. 

Felix couldn’t help the involuntary whimper that escaped him as the vampire crouched down in front of him. On a surface level, Felix could tell that he was beautiful. His elegant features and gentle eyes made him look beatific like an angel, but his smile was a lie. Felix knew that it was. 

It took every ounce of self control Felix possessed for him not to flinch away when the vampire reached out to touch his face, stroking his hair behind his ear for him. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

Felix would have bit his tongue if he had thought that it would help him, but he was sure that it was already too late for him. “Did you take me here to kill me? Where is my brother?” 

A miniscule furrow appeared between the vampire’s brows. “You misunderstand me, Yongbok. I don’t want to hurt you.” 

There truly was no malice in the vampire’s gaze as he looked at Felix. On the contrary, he seemed to regard Felix with a kind of fondness that looked almost ardent. Felix knew better than to believe him. 

He’d believed it once before and gotten abducted for it. 

“I’m sorry if I find that kind of hard to believe.” 

The smile on the vampire’s face faded like paint melting off a canvas. Felix expected there to be anger in its stead, but the vampire only looked sad. It looked wrong on his face. He was too beautiful to be sad. 

“I apologise. I never would have taken you if I had see another way. It’s just that your brother adores you. He talked about you so much when he thought I wasn’t there. I knew that if there was anyone who could bring him back to me, it’d be you.”

Felix swallowed, wetting his lips. “You’re the one who turned him.” 

The smile that took over the vampire’s features was nothing but proud. “Very well observed. You’re just as smart as Changbinnie, I can tell.”

“He’s really not here?” It was all Felix could hope for, that Changbin had escaped this place, that he was alive and well and not hurt like the vampire had said. 

The vampire’s smile was disturbingly serene, “Your brother is so strong, Yongbok. He was strong when I found him but he’s exceeded all my expectations. He survived. Unfortunately, the turning is very painful. Sometimes, it can leave someone confused. Your brother is not here right now, but he will come back. Now that you’re here, he will.” 

Felix closed his eyes. He was really going to die. “It’s not going to work.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Your plan to use me as bait, or whatever.” Felix shook his head. “It’s not going to work. My brother hates me. He’s not going to come here for me. He’s probably running in the opposite direction as we speak.” 

The vampire laughed and like his face, it was a beautiful, gentle sound. “Nothing is stronger than blood, Yongbok. Whether mine or yours, the blood will call him here.” 

“You really believe that.” Felix wasn’t asking.

The vampire looked towards the wide open gate of the factory hall, a couple strands of inky black hair falling into his face. It got easier not to believe his words when Felix couldn’t see his eyes. “It’s not long anymore now. He will come and then everything will be all right again.” The vampire nodded, more to himself than at Felix. “He survived. None of the others survived, but he did. It will all be all right.” 

Yongbok drew his legs up to his chest, bedding his head on his knees. He wished there would have been a way to close off his ears. He didn’t want to have to listen to the vampire anymore. He had already resolved himself to not believe anything the vampire said. It clearly were the whisperings of a mad man. 

*

“You’re not fucking leaving me behind!” 

“Jisung—”

“No! He’s my friend too! You always do this, but you can’t force me to stay back this time! He’s my friend and I’m coming with you to get him back!” 

Shaking off Minho’s hands, Jisung stomped off towards the already running SUV, climbing into the passenger seat. 

Chan watched as Minho stood there for a moment, helpless against his fragile human’s strong will. 

Chan placed a hand on his progeny’s shoulder. “Leave him be and ride with me. I’m sure he won’t be mad anymore by the time we arrive.” 

Minho looked at him, eyes gleaming red. “I’m just trying to protect him.” 

“I know and he knows that too, but you’re not going to change his mind right now. Come on, there’s no time to lose.” 

While Seungmin, Jeongin and now Jisung were taking the SUV, Chan guided Minho towards the S-Class. Hyunjin and Changbin were already settled into the backseat, whispering amongst themselves.

“...just saying.” 

Hyunjin frantically shook his head. “You can’t ask me to do that!” 

Changbin smiled at him, sickly sweet and sad. “Promise me anyways, angel.”

Hyunjin looked close to crying, but he hooked his pinky around the pinky Changbin offered him. The sight made Chan’s chest ache. He knew someone else who sealed promises that way. 

Hyunjin kissed Changbin, desperately clinging to him, and that prompted Chan to clear his throat. He hit the start button of the engine. 

“Alright, fledgeling, where do we have to go?” 

“Harbour district.” Changbin was not a member of his clan, but Chan could still feel the anxious, restless energy rolling off of him in waves. “I don’t have an address, but it’s somewhere in the old industrial area.” 

Chan nodded.. “We’ll find it.” 

They would. Chan was going to scour the entire harbour if necessary. Anything as long as he got his human back. 

Just as he pulled onto the street, there was a beat in his chest, like the tug of a string on his heart. It was weak, nearly got lost in the turmoil he felt from the rest of his clan, but he didn’t miss it. He never would have. 

He’d been waiting and here it was. Here, Felix was. The relief Chan felt was indescribable. He gripped the steering wheel as tightly as he wanted to grab onto the blood bond tying him and Felix together. Beneath his fingers, the metal of the steering wheel dented, but all he poured into the bond was calm reassurance. 

He emitted the sentiment in waves so Felix would not be afraid. He didn’t have to be. Chan was on his way to get him. 

*

Felix tried to fight it at first, telling himself that it wasn’t as cold as he felt, but after hours, he was struggling to stay warm. The heat lamp was only doing so much and with the factory gate wide open, there was nothing protecting him from the cool wind. Silently, he wished that he’d left the house in more than pyjama pants and a shirt. The slippers he was wearing weren’t doing him any favours either. 

He didn’t know whether it got better or worse when the vampire noticed. 

“Oh, Yongbok…” 

Felix didn’t have much more left in him than a whimper. 

Without hesitation, the vampire took off the blood-stained shirt he was wearing, draping it over Felix’s shoulders. Felix would have thrown it back at his face under different circumstances, but he was too cold to reject any scrap of warmth. With chattering teeth, he pulled the fabric tight around himself, eyeing the nasty charred markings running along the vampire’s chest. 

He knew this kind of burn. Someone had branded the vampire with silver. The wound must have been older, parts of it well-healed already, but there were parts of it that seemed to reopen with the vampire’s continued movement. It made Felix think of the chain he was wearing, well-hidden beneath his shirt. He wondered whether he’d get the chance to use it. Whether he would survive it if he tried. 

He looked up when the vampire placed a hand on his head, lightly brushing his thumb across Felix’s forehead. 

“Not long anymore,” the vampire promised. “Your brother will come and then we’ll all be together. Won’t that be—” 

The vampire broke off into a cough. For a moment, it looked like he was struggling to speak, his hand wandering to his neck as if there was an invisible rope around his throat, drawing tight, but the moment passed as quickly as it had come. 

When he noticed Felix’s gaze, he smiled as if nothing had happened at all. “It would be lovely, don’t you think?” 

Felix shook his head. He was too cold to think of any more questions or snide remarks he could spit at the vampire. 

Chan, he thought and tugged on the blood bond, just to feel that it was still there. Just to make sure he wouldn’t die without it. It was so tempting to lie down on his side. If he had to wait, he might as well close his eyes for a little bit. 

He was about to give in to the tiredness tugging at his bones when there was the unmistakable crunch of footfalls in gravel. Where Felix’s heart had been slowing, it started thundering in his chest. 

He might have thought that he was dreaming already, but the way the vampire’s head snapped towards the sound was real. The screech of the factory gate was real as it was pushed open further, as a single silhouette appeared in its door frame. 

Felix’s heart jumped to his throat. Despite the half-frozen state of his limbs, he managed to push himself to his feet. He swayed for a moment, nearly falling back down, but then he was steady. Then, he was moving. 

He didn’t care whether the vampire was going to let him go. He didn’t care whether he might never make it there. He would have recognised that silhouette anywhere, the most familiar to him in the world.

When he’d been six and scraped his knee falling off his bicycle, he’d run into his brother’s arms. When he’d been ten and their mother had found the report card he’d been trying to hide, he’d run into his brother’s arms. When he’d been sixteen and found his shoes on the roof of his school building, he’d run into his brother’s arms. 

To Felix, his brother’s arms had always been the safest place in the world. Nothing bad could reach him there. There, he was protected. 

“Changbin!”

Where Changbin’s steps had been measured, he started running when Felix did. Finally, he was running towards him. Felix couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up inside his chest. They met in the middle of the hall. Felix nearly fell, but like he had always been, Changbin was there to catch him. His brother was there. He was here. 

“Changbin!” The blood in Felix’s veins might have been frozen, but the tears in his eyes were not. “Changbin!” 

The voice that answered him was the voice of his brother and the eyes that met his own were the eyes of his brother, no matter whether they were crimson now. He smiled, a single black tear running down his cheek. “Hey there, Yongbok-ah.”

Felix couldn’t help the wail that escaped him as he buried his face in his brother’s shoulder. It had been so long. He’d spent so many months waiting and hoping for Changbin to come back home that it almost felt surreal to have him back. But Felix had known none of it would be in vain. His brother had never let him down. 

“I missed you!”

Changbin held him tightly, so tightly it nearly crushed Felix, but he wouldn’t have traded this moment for anything in the world. “It’ll be all right now, Yongbok-ah.” His hand on Felix’s head was gentle. “Hyungie’s here.” 

Felix did freeze at the sound of steps behind them. “Changbin, there is—”

“Changbin.” 

A shudder went through his brother, from his very core up his throat. Changbin’s eyes zeroed in on a spot behind Felix’s shoulder and then he was moving, pushing Felix behind himself so he was between Felix and his maker. 

The vampire looked nothing but joyful as he approached them, his arms wide open. He really did look like a fallen angel as he moved, the beatific smile on his face looking grotesque in contrast to the blood running down his chest. The vampire didn’t even seem to notice that his wound was reopening. All his attention was on Changbin. 

Felix curled his fingers into the back of his brother’s shirt, hiding behind his shoulder. Changbin reached back, grabbing his hand. He briefly squeezed it and Felix wanted to hold onto him, but then Changbin was letting go of him, pushing him backwards in the direction of the gate. 

The signal was clear. 

Felix wanted to protest, but before he could even think of speaking, Changbin looked over his shoulder and shot him a sharp glare. It was the same glare he’d used on Felix when Felix had been six and refused to eat his vegetables, when Felix had been thirteen and gotten involved in his first online scam, when Felix had been nineteen and wanted to skip out on their father’s funeral, sick and tired of the world. 

It left no room for argument. There was no arguing with Changbin when he looked at Felix like that, not because Felix couldn’t have, but because whatever Changbin was asking of him was for Felix’s own good. 

Even if Changbin was asking him to leave. 

Frantically, Felix shook his head. He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to leave when he’d just found his brother again. 

The corner of Changbin’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to give Felix one last smile. 

“Run,” was all he said, red bleeding into the whites of his eyes and then he was running too, dashing forward towards his maker. It sounded like thunder when their bodies collided, dust and rust swirling into the air as Changbin tackled his maker into the ground. 

“Run, Yongbok!” Changbin yelled before he lost the upperhand, his maker flipping them over so he was pressing Changbin into the dirt. 

Felix wanted to scream, but all that came over his lips was an aborted hiccup. His feet moved before his brain could catch up with him. He didn’t run towards the gate. He simply couldn’t, not as long as Changbin was in front of him. 

He managed no more than a couple of steps forward before he collided with something solid. The collision sent him stumbling backwards, but strong arms wrapped around him before he could fall. Even before he could gather his bearings, his blood started to sing with the presence of the one it was bonded to. 

“You still haven’t learned to run away when it’s good for you, have you?” 

A dry sob escaped Felix as he dug his fingers into the arms holding him, just to make sure that they were real. “Chan!”

Chan smiled at him, crimson eyes gleaming in the night. “I’m sorry, sunshine, I didn’t mean to make you wait.” He leaned forward to press their foreheads together. “It turns out your brother is just as stubborn as you. He insisted on getting you out first, but I’m here now. I’m here now.” 

Felix threw his arms around his neck, pressing their bodies together so that there wasn’t a single millimetre of space left between them. 

It would be all right now. Felix had no doubt that it would be. Chan was here. 

A scream made him push against Chan’s shoulder so he could see. Changbin was still fighting, but he was no longer alone. It took Minho and Seungmin both, but they managed to yank Changbin’s maker off of him, allowing Hyunjin to help Changbin to his feet. Minho and Seungmin brought Changbin’s maker to his knees.

Changbin’s maker screeched, straining against the hold Minho and Seungmin had on him, “Changbin! Changbin, help me!” 

Changbin shuddered, black tears running down his cheeks as he had to watch his maker suffer, but the hand Hyunjin had on his chest seemed to keep him in place. 

“Stay here, darling,” Chan murmured, pressing a kiss against Felix’s temple before he advanced. 

Felix wiped his nose with a shaking hand, comforted when another set of familiar arms surrounded him. He turned his head and an involuntary smile overtook him at the sight of Jeongin’s bright grin. Jeongin’s presence was solid beside him and Jisung’s hand was warm where it intertwined with his own. 

“Okay?” Jisung asked him, looking relieved and terrified at the same time. It didn’t keep him from staying by Felix’s side. It didn’t keep him from being here. 

“Okay,” Felix mouthed back. 

It would be okay. His clan was here. Felix felt warm all over. It would all be okay.

*

Chan should have known. 

In retrospect, the signs had all been there and he should have seen them for what they were, but there was no crying over spilled blood. 

He didn’t have time. 

Knowing what he knew now, he had no doubt that the sharks were already circling. It took little blood to lure in that which hid in the dark, especially if there was a blood bond involved that far outdid his own. 

No, he’d have to bring this to a quick end. 

The sight of wild eyes and snapping fangs didn’t impress him much, but it was disconcerting to see how far the mighty had fallen. Chan wasn’t prone to feeling pity, but it left him feeling something, seeing someone who might as well have been himself emerge from the dark in such a way. 

It wasn’t a pretty sight. 

He crouched down to be eye level with this rogue vampire, this rogue maker who wore a familiar face. Even knowing him didn’t keep Chan from wrapping a hand around his throat. 

“Release your progeny.” He didn’t have time for greetings or pleasantries. 

All he got was a hiss in return. “Bang Chan.” 

Chan shook his head, adding more pressure to his grip. Beneath his hand, he could feel the skin of the vampire’s neck crack. “Release the fledgeling that you made. He’s not meant to belong to you.” 

“He’s mine!” the vampire screeched. “He’s my progeny! I turned him!” 

“Chan,” Minho warned. He was the only one of Chan’s progenies who knew the other. Even Seungmin was too young to have met him before. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Chan could see Changbin twitch, but Hyunjin’s grip on him seemed to hold for now. 

He shook his head. “You turned Changbin against his will. You know what punishment awaits those who break the rules. You knew it when you turned him too. Release him now, or I will have to enact the Law.”

All he received in turn was a snap of fangs.

The other wouldn’t give in. Chan could see it in his eyes. They were full of desperation and determination and Chan knew that this was how it was going to end. 

There was no anger in Chan’s heart. He only felt sadness. It would not keep him from doing what was necessary. If Changbin’s maker wasn’t willing to release him, Chan had to break the bond the only other way there was. He had to. He needed Changbin. If he had Changbin, he had Felix. If he left Changbin in the hands of his maker, then Felix would follow him. Chan could not let that happen. 

“Is your life not worth more than the bond you have with the fledgeling?” 

A terrible, haunted grimace spread on the other’s face. “He’s mine.” The other’s neck muscles strained beneath his grip. “He’s the one that survived. I have to…take him back.” 

“You can’t have him.” 

Another snap of fangs. 

Chan sighed. In a gentler tone, befitting the kind, gentle vampire he remembered, he said, “It doesn’t have to end like this, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa looked at him with red bleeding into his eyes and where there had been that familiar gentle edge to his gaze, something sinister took over.

“Changbin,” he said, quietly but much more gravelly than before. Chan’s eyes widened. He was not quick enough to rip off the vampire’s head before he yelled, “Protect me, Changbin! Protect us! Kill them all!”

Chapter Text

“Changbin,” Hyunjin breathed out next to him, “Changbin, fight it!” 

Changbin fought it, with every fibre of his being he fought against the thrall of his maker’s order, but it was not going to be enough. He knew it was not.

His new life had begun with the sound of his maker’s voice, with the taste of his maker’s blood and the caress of his hand. There was no disobeying his order. 

“Remember,” he wretched out, frantically, desperately seeking out Hyunjin’s gaze before red took over his vision.

“Hyunjin!” Chan’s voice rang out. “Step back!”

Hyunjin did, just as bound by the voice of his maker as Changbin was. Changbin felt it, the last bit of reason slipping from his mind just as Hyunjin’s hand left his chest. 

And then there were no words left, all his thoughts and feelings giving way to instinct. 

Protect me! Seonghwa’s voice echoed in his head. Protect us! 

He would. It was what he had always had done. It was his most prominent trait. He was a protector. 

A terrible, animalistic snarl ripped from his throat as his gaze zeroed in on where black blood was dripping from his maker’s throat. He lunged forward to get to him, but he was rammed into before he could reach him.

A crack resonated in his skull, spread across his skin as he hit the ground. The impact left him dazed. It didn’t keep him from catching the fist Seungmin aimed at his face. He tried throwing Seungmin off him by bucking his hips, but Seungmin didn’t budge. 

His expression was almost joyous as he leaned down, digging his hand into Changbin’s chest, right where his heart was beating. He looked more than eager to pull it out and leave Changin with a hole in his body, just like Jeongin had been left. 

“It’s good enough of a reason for me, fledgeling.” 

Changbin snarled at him. His maker’s pained cry made him double his efforts to throw Seungmin off. Looking to the side, he could see Chan and Seonghwa fighting, the two of them no more than a blur of vicious shapes. It almost looked like they were dancing as they fought, tearing into each other. 

In a desperate effort to get to his maker, Changbin stopped trying to push Seungmin off and pulled him down instead. A pained cry escaped Seungmin as Changbin threw his arms around his middle and squeezed with all his might, squeezed and squeezed until he could feel Seungmin’s ribs crack. The other vampire went limp on top of him and Changbin used Seungmin’s momentary weakness to finally throw him off. He didn’t look to see where Seungmin landed, scrambling to his feet to get to his maker. 

With Minho’s help, Chan had Seonghwa pinned to the ground. Seonghwa was struggling to lift himself against the knee Chan was digging into his back, the arm Chan was pulling behind his back until his shoulder was cracking, cracking, black cracks appearing in his skin. 

Seonghwa screamed and Changbin ran. He could feel the rage his maker felt, the panic and the bone-deep grief that was always there, ever-present for as long as Changbin could remember. Changbin had never asked about it and Seonghwa had never allowed him to feel it fully, not in the way Changbin had been willing to if only it could lift a little bit of his maker’s burden. 

He’d almost made it there when a weight hit his back, claws digging into his shoulder. 

“Gotcha,” Jeongin snarled into his ear and then Changbin was flying, flying before he crashed into the ground a mere metre from the gate.

“Hyung!” someone screamed, the sound of it piercing through the fog in his brain despite the fact that it was not his maker who called for him. 

Seonghwa screamed too, screamed his name over and over as Changbin struggled to roll onto his back. He coughed, black blood spilling out of his mouth. The ceiling blurred in and out of focus, no matter how often he blinked. There was more noise, so much rage and sadness in his chest, in the air. He was almost thankful when a shadow fell over him, more and more of them surrounding him until he was covered.

The first of them crouched down, right by his head. A beringed hand touched his cheek, tilting his head so their eyes would meet. Where Seonghwa had been screaming, he grew quiet, both in Changbin’s ear and chest. 

“Sweet child,” the vampire said, emitting a calmness that Changbin felt resonate deep within him, even if he had never seen the other before. “It hurts a lot, doesn’t it?” 

“Changbin!” 

The golden string around his heart drew tight, calling to him. There was fear, but it didn’t hurt. It wasn’t covered in slick, oily grief. The feeling inside his chest was golden. It felt like a kiss at dawn, like bright paints covering his cheeks, like lying on unforgiving hardwood floors and discovering something that meant more to him than blood. There was someone he loved, someone he was bound to by choice and not by violence. 

The shadows moved and he was uncovered. Not a moment later, there were arms surrounding him. He snarled, blinking against the red mist that wouldn’t let him see. He didn’t know whether to fight or fold. 

He tried to reach for his maker, calling out his name. Seonghwa didn’t answer. He’d grown so incredibly quiet, despite the fact that Changbin could see that he was alive, on his knees now, caught between Minho and Jeongin as Chan met the shadows head-on. It left Changbin feeling desolate, confused. 

He shrugged off the arms around him to get to his feet. They were back within a second and this time, he couldn’t free himself. 

“Changbin.” Someone he loved, someone he loved was holding onto him. 

It didn’t matter whether Changbin was fighting him, whether he was trying to free himself with all his might. He dug his claws into the arms wrapped around his chest until he was leaving deep, deep marks, but the arms around him did not budge. 

They did not budge because he was loved. 

*

His time had run out. 

Chan knew it the moment Seonghwa stopped fighting him, stopped fighting against the grip Minho and Jeongin had on him too. He simply stopped, his gaze falling towards the gate and staying there. 

Chan didn’t have to turn around to see who had come. 

As slowly and measured as their footfalls were, he moved too. Raising himself to his full height, he turned around. His first glance went towards the corner where Jisung and Felix were cowering, hands clasped tightly. Jeongin was supposed to protect them, but Chan knew he wouldn’t leave until Seungmin got up. It was not something Chan could change at the moment. He drew strength from the way Felix was looking at him, so much fire in his eyes, so much trust. He didn’t even flinch when the newcomers passed him by. He merely seemed annoyed that they obscured his view of his brother, caught for the moment in Hyunjin’s arms. 

For him, Chan would bring this to a good end. 

He forced himself to look away from Felix to watch Hongjoong approach. Much like Chan, he hadn’t come alone. He was flanked by Yunho and Mingi on one side and San and Wooyoung on his other. 

Chan felt a lot better about it when he felt Seungmin’s hand on his back, returning to their row. Jeongin let out a tiny whine when Seungmin took his spot next to him. Seungmin smiled and pulled him into his side. His breathing was a little laboured, but Chan knew Seungmin would not allow any kind of pain to inhibit him until it was over. In that, he was maybe the strongest of his progenies because he was unafraid to endure what was necessary as long as his clan needed him to. 

Without hesitation, Chan moved to the side and back so he was standing behind Seonghwa, placing a loose hand around his throat. It was always good to hold your bargaining chips in hand. 

Yunho, Mingi, San and Wooyoung had the good sense to stop a couple of metres in front of him. Hongjoong didn’t. 

Hongjoong didn’t acknowledge him with much more than a quirk of his lips before he was lowering himself to his knees, right in front of Seonghwa. Chan wasn’t fooled. All the attention Hongjoong wasn’t paying him, his progenies were. Minho hissed, low under his breath and Seungmin grew so quiet Chan knew he was calculating, trying to gauge if and how any of them would attack. 

Chan looked down when Hongjoong’s beringed hand brushed his own. Hongjoong didn’t try to move Chan’s hand off his progeny’s throat. He was fully focussed on moving the hair out of Seonghwa’s eyes, tilting his head up so Seonghwa couldn’t avoid his gaze. 

Seonghwa whimpered when their eyes met, “Joong.” 

Hongjoong smiled, brushing the dirt from his progeny’s cheeks. “Quite the mess you’ve made, my darling.”  

Seonghwa shook his head, straining against the several hands holding him in place so he could lean forward. “I did it, Joong. I found someone and turned him. You will see, he’s perfect. He’s strong and he survived! He survived, Joong.” 

Hongjoong nodded and it was only because Chan had known him for centuries that he was able to see the pain hidden in Hongjoong’s eyes. “What happened with Minjae was not your fault, Hwa.” 

“It was! I had him. I had him and then he just slipped away. My boy, my sweet boy…” 

Where Hongjoong was good at controlling his face, his clan was not. Wooyoung flinched at the sharp cry of Seonghwa’s voice. He curled into San’s side while Mingi looked decisively green in the face. Even Yunho, who Chan knew to be as sturdy as he was built, looked ready to throw himself down to mourn right alongside Seonghwa. 

Chan didn’t miss the dark sheen to Hongjoon’s eyes as he looked up. “Let go of him, Chan.” 

“No.” 

Chan could tell Hongjoong hadn’t expected that. As much empathy as he had for his friend, he was not going to let go until he had what he wanted, “Seonghwa has to release his progeny. Changbin is the brother of my human and he was turned against his will. Seonghwa has no right to him.” 

Hongjoong frowned as he looked back to where Changbin stood, twitching and snarling in the grip Hyunjin had on him. 

“Joong,” Seonghwa whimpered, “Joong, look at him! He’s perfect, isn’t he? It’s enough for you to forgive me, is it not?”

Hongjoong’s shoulders drew tight as he turned back, but he managed to force a smile onto his face as he brielfy touched Seonghwa’s forehead. “There was never anything to forgive, Hwa.” 

“Hongjoong,” Chan said, but he could tell it was too late. 

Hongjoong didn’t have a choice, just like he himself didn’t. Chan had only recently learned what it meant to be bound to someone blood and soul, to have the sun rise and set with the breath of someone else, but Hongjoong had found his mate nearly a millennium ago. There was nothing that could have broken that bond. 

Not insanity. Not the worst of crimes. Not even the loss of a child. 

It didn’t matter what Seonghwa had done. Hongjoong would fight for him until his last breath, just the same as Chan was willing to do for Felix. 

There was no love left in Hongjoong’s gaze as he looked up. “Let go of my mate now, Chan.” 

“I need him to let go of Changbin first.”

Hongjoong bared his fangs slowly, rose to his feet slowly, tilted his head to the side slowly. Several tense, silent seconds passed between them. And then, nothing happened slowly anymore.

Chan didn’t know who moved first. 

Digging his claws deeply into Seonghwa’s neck, Chan pulled Seonghwa backwards as Hongjoong lunged forward. Seungmin tried to put himself in his way, but Hongjoong swiped him out of his way as if he weighed no more than a feather. 

San and Wooyoung were on Seungmin before he could get back up, though it didn’t take long for Wooyoung to find himself picked off of Seungmin and thrown into the nearest pile of scrap metal. 

“Hands off my maker,” Jeongin snarled, going for San next. 

As half of the wayfarers moved forward, Mingi moved backwards, taking off in the direction of the gate. Chan thought he was headed towards Changbin at first. Horror filled him when he realised that that was not where Mingi was going. Minho was quicker than him though, catching up to Mingi before he could get anywhere close to Jisung and Felix. He put himself into Mingi’s way like a wall. 

Mingi crashed into him full-force, dust rising into the air as they rolled across the floor. Yunho joined the fray, wrestling Mingi out of Minho’s arms before Minho could bite Mingi’s arm right off his shoulder. 

Minho jumped back to his feet, smiling at Mingi and Yunho with blood-coated teeth before he crooked his fingers in a come-hither gesture. 

Yunho and Mingi both snarled at him before they followed his invitation, attacking in tandem. Minho skipped away to the side, effectively leading Yunho and Mingi away from Felix and Jisung’s corner. 

“Changbin!” Seonghwa’s voice cut through the chaos before Chan could stop him. “Do what I told you! Protect us!” 

Chan could see the way Seonghwa’s order slammed into Changbin like a hammer, his body curling in on itself before he fought against Hyunjin’s hold with renewed vigour. 

Chan would have helped if he hadn’t been busy keeping a hold on Seonghwa while also evading Hongjoong. It was the sound of screaming that made him falter. Suddenly, he didn’t care anymore about the claws Hongjoong aimed at his face. 

He felt that voice, his chest drawing tight when such an intense wave of pain flooded him that it knocked the air right out of him. His grip on Seonghwa loosened and Hongjoong all but ripped him from his arms. 

It didn’t help him much, because Seonghwa started screeching just the same. 

*

It would go south. 

Felix knew it would before it happened. 

He could barely make out the words that the vampires exchanged, but it wasn’t hard to read their body language, to feel the tension in the air. He’d dealt with vampires for long enough to know that their conflict resolution rarely involved talking. 

A tight squeeze on his hand made him look to the side. Jisung smiled at him, even if it came out a little shaky. “It’s going to be all right, Lix. They’re going to keep us safe.”  

Felix nodded. His entire clan had come and because of it, Felix wasn’t worried about himself. Truthfully, he’d stopped being worried about himself the moment he’d laid eyes on Chan again, had felt the blood bond come alive and Chan’s touch on his skin. 

It didn’t matter that the wayfarers had come or that a fight was about to break out. Chan was the most powerful being Felix had ever known and he trusted him. He was scared, there was no pretending that he wasn’t, but he trusted Chan more than his own fear. He knew Chan would bring this to a good end.

What he was worried about was Changbin. His heart broke as he looked at his brother, writhing in Hyunjin’s arms. Changbin was fighting to stay in control of himself, Felix could see that he was. He also knew that it would not be enough. 

A tortured whimper escaped Changbin as he tried to fulfill his maker’s order and couldn’t and Felix could see Hyunjin tighten his grip on him. Hyunjin was older than Changbin so he was stronger, but Hyunjin was not a fighter and Felix could see him struggle just as much. 

It wouldn’t be over until Seonghwa released Changbin. 

The realisation was a bitter one. Felix had fought so hard. For months, he’d searched the entire city, risked his life and done everything he could think of to get his brother back. Now, finally, Changbin was in front of him, but he was not really there. He was not really himself and that meant he was also not really Felix’s brother. Not until Seonghwa released him from their bond. If he didn’t, Changbin would get taken from him again. 

But Chan won’t let that happen, Felix told himself. 

He tried to hold onto that thought even when the vampires started fighting. 

They moved so fast it was hard to keep track of what was happening. Jisung gasped when Mingi came for them, nearly squeezing Felix’s hand to death. Minho appeared just in time, taking on Yunho and Mingi both to protect them. 

“Don't do anything stupid, Minho,” Jisung whispered, no matter whether Minho could hear him or not, and now it was Felix squeezing his hand.

“He’s going to win.” 

Jisung looked at him with doubt in his eyes. “It’s two on one.” 

“That doesn’t matter.” Felix smiled as he wiped a little bit of dirt from Jisung’s cheek. “Minho is never going to let anything happen to you.” 

Jisung nodded. It was a fundamental truth of his life and so he could draw strength from it, just like Felix hoped he would. 

He looked towards where Chan’s form was no more than a blur as he was moving backwards, backwards in an attempt to evade Hongjoong. The sight made Felix worry his lip between his teeth. He knew Chan was powerful, but Chan had to make sure Seonghwa didn’t escape his grip while simultaneously holding his own against Hongjoong, who was as old as him. The odds were stacked against Chan and Felix didn’t know how to even them. He was no more than a meagre human. In a fight against vampires, he was little more than a liability. He doubted even the silver around his neck could have helped Chan much. 

It opened him up to a different kind of despair, the realisation that Chan was fighting, fighting for him and Felix had nothing to offer him in return. 

He flinched at the sound of Seonghwa’s voice, strained and gargled because of Chan’s claws in his neck, but the conviction in it was clear nonetheless. 

“Changbin! Do what I told you! Protect us!” 

Changbin let out an animalistic sound, every muscle in his body straining against Hyunjin’s arms as red started to bleed into the whites of his eyes. 

“Hyung,” Felix whispered, feeling helpless all over. 

Changbin shuddered, his chest heaving and muscles bulging before he let out a whimper that sounded almost like a hurt animal, his pupils constricting into pins. With horror, Felix saw that Hyunjin had dug his teeth into his brother’s shoulder. 

Changbin struggled to free himself from the bite, but then, just for a moment, he went lax. Just for a moment, the fight left his body and he stopped struggling. A smile formed on his face that looked almost serene. 

Felix could read Hyunjin’s name on his lips, silent and yet heard, before he whispered, “Help me.” 

Hyunjin pulled his fangs out of his shoulder, the blood dripping from his chin mixing with the tears running down his cheeks. “I will wait for you again,” he promised. 

Felix didn’t understand until he heard the crack that followed, until he had to watch his brother’s body sag in Hyunjin’s arms. Hyunjin’s hands moved upwards, cupping Changbin’s jaw. Felix was not quick enough to close his eyes. Between the crack of his brother’s spine and the final snap of his neck, he screamed. 

It drew attention to him, but Felix couldn’t find it in himself to care, not when he had to watch as the life, the second unlife he’d been given, left his brother’s body. 

“Don’t worry,” Changbin had told him when their mother had died. “You still have our father and I.” 

“Don’t worry,” Changbin had told him when their father had died. “You still have me.” 

“But I’m not a son anymore.” 

“Maybe, but I am still your brother and you are mine.” 

Now, Felix was nothing anymore. His lungs constricted and even Jisung’s fist hitting his back was not enough to allow him to breathe again. 

Hyunjin didn’t let Changbin fall. He guided them both to the ground, stroking Changbin’s hair as he cradled his lifeless body in his arms. 

Their descent was accompanied by a terrible screech. It came from Seonghwa, who was no longer in Chan’s arms but Hongjoong’s. It didn’t seem to matter much to him as he clawed at his own face, the syllables  that left him not quite managing to form Changbin’s name. It didn’t matter. There would be no answer either way. 

The grief in his voice was only eclipsed by Felix’s own. He knew it was too late to call his brother’s name, but he couldn’t stop. How could he have when he’d come so close, and yet his brother would forever be out of reach now.

*

Jisung was a coward. 

He always had been. 

All throughout his childhood, he’d been too scared to approach people, too scared of rejection that he’d never even tried to make friends. After having survived his school years, he’d been too much of a coward to tell his parents he didn’t want to go to university for engineering and for it, he’d struggled again to be brave in a sea full of first-year students who were just as anxious as him to do well. 

Even when he’d met Minho, his beautiful, fierce Minho who had showed him what it was like to love someone so deeply that you were willing to bleed for it, he’d been too much of a coward to tell his parents about his vampire boyfriend and the plans he had for after graduation. 

Jisung’s entire life had been dictated by his inability to open his mouth when it mattered and he’d suffered greatly for it. And he’d been fine with that. His entire life he’d been fine with that, but he was no longer fine with it now. 

He couldn’t allow himself to stay meek and quiet in a corner, not when his clan was in danger. 

Because they were losing. Jisung could tell that they were. 

He knew Seungmin was older than both Wooyoung and San, but he was too busy protecting himself and Jeongin to fight properly. Jeongin looked more feral than Jisung had ever seen him, but he was still injured, unable to move as fluidly as Wooyoung and San were moving. 

On the other side of the room, Minho was holding his own against both Mingi and Yunho, but he wouldn’t be able to keep that up forever and whenever he successfully brought down one of them, the other was there to wrench him off of their clan member. 

Chan and Hongjoong were no more than a blur of snapping fangs and claws as they danced around a distraught Seonghwa. Jisung was too much of a coward to even try and make out who had the upperhand. 

The worst was Felix, who wailed and wailed as he tugged at his brother’s lifeless body. Jisung couldn’t imagine it, spending months on end searching for your loved one, getting so close, just to watch them die right in front of your eyes. The sounds coming out of Felix’s mouth were of such grief, Jisung felt tears prick at his own eyes in sympathy. 

Hyunjin was trying to console him. Rocking Changbin’s body from side to side, he was telling Felix that Changbin was going to come back, that his bones would snap back into place and that he wouldn’t stay dead because nothing but the sun could end them forever, but Felix clearly wasn’t hearing him. Felix only seemed to see and what he saw was his brother, ended.

Jisung couldn’t blame him. He knew Changbin was the only family Felix had left. “But it’s fine,” Felix had always told him with the brightest smile, “I’ve got my brother and he has me!” Right now, Felix must’ve been thinking that neither was true. Changbin was dead and he had failed him. Looking at Changbin’s mangled body, Jisung couldn’t blame him for thinking the other wouldn’t come back. 

Feeling his resolution settle in his stomach, he got to his feet. Hyunjin had dragged himself and Changbin’s body over so he could protect all three of them and that included Jisung, but Jisung knew he wouldn’t leave Changbin. Jisung had been there when Hyunjin had confessed to Chan that he was Changbin’s lover. He’d seen the look in Hyunjin’s eyes as he spoke of Changbin. He knew that look. 

Eternal beings felt eternal love and that was what he had seen in Hyunjin’s eyes. 

Jisung counted on it. 

To say that he felt prepared would have been an understatement, but Jisung suddenly was a lot more glad that he’d pressured Jeongin into telling him all that which Minho had been keeping from him on the way over, about Changbin and his rogue maker. Jeongin had even told him about the wayfarers, as much as neither of them had known just how important that would turn out to be. 

Jisung wasn’t brave but he was smart. More than anything, he was willing to try. 

Jisung snuck up to Felix from behind, ripping the silver chain from his neck with a forceful tug. Felix didn’t even react. Jisung wished he could have consoled him, but he knew that there was little he could have done. For Felix, it was over. It was going to be over until his brother came back. Jisung wished with every fibre in him that he would. 

He turned away from him and Hyunjin and Changbin, moving along the soot-covered wall. He had no athletic abilities, but he was fast. He’d always been fast, fast enough to run away from school bullies and now hopefully fast enough to run past a bunch of very angry vampires. 

Whatever the outcome, he had to try. 

He could see it all in front of his eyes. If he made it to the other end of the hall, he’d reach the foot of a rickety-looking iron spiral staircase. It led up to a gallery that was missing half its railing, but Jisung told himself that he could overcome his fear of heights. It didn’t matter whether he was scared as long as he could reach the middle of the gallery, where all the ropes ended that were securing the tarp covering the holes in the roof. 

Dawn was breaking and if he made it up those stairs and undid those ropes, then he’d be able to uncover the roof. The obscure light of dawn would not be enough to burn any of their enemies to a crisp, but it would force everyone to hide in the shadows, hopefully breaking up the fights or give his clan an advantage. 

Jisung knew that there were probably holes in his plan, but that would not keep him from trying. He had to do something to help or he might as well have joined Felix in wailing out his grief over the things he could not change. 

With sure-footed steps, he snuck along the walls, hiding behind any piece of scrap metal that presented itself. As careful as he was not to trip, his attention never wavered from the vampires. Naturally, he looked for Minho. He was torn between watching him to make sure he was winning the fight or not watching so he didn’t have to see him get hurt. 

He was just glad that Minho was so occupied with Yunho and Mingi that he didn’t seem to notice that Jisung had left his corner. Jisung knew even a momentary distraction was dangerous and not seeing Jisung where he was supposed to be would have undoubtedly freaked Minho out. 

Jisung couldn’t help but smile as he reached the bottom of the staircase. He hadn’t known how all-consuming love could be until he’d met Minho. 

Jisung remembered it in precise detail, the night he had confronted him in front of his building instead of hiding in his room and watching Minho watch his window. 

“If you choose me,” Minho had told him, “I’ll be yours until the end of time. You’ll never want for anything. If you agree to be mine, I will give it all to you and myself.”

Back then, Jisung had laughed, taken aback and admittedly a little charmed by Minho’s weirdly old-fashioned proposal. 

“What are you, a prince from a drama?” he’d asked, blissfully unaware of how spot on he’d been. 

Minho hadn’t wavered. He’d merely stood there, looking unfairly handsome and smelling faintly of the dish they’d made in class earlier that night, waiting for Jisung’s answer. Jisung was pretty sure Minho would have stood there all night if he had refused to give him an answer.

“We can get a coffee some time.” 

It hadn’t been until he’d been back in his room that he’d realised how stupid it was to suggest coffee to a vampire. But, Minho had come. When Jisung had clamped up in front of the barista, he’d ordered for him and as they’d sat at their table, he’d looked at Jisung like Jisung was the best thing since sliced bread. Blood platelets. Whatever. 

They had talked about their cooking class, Minho’s inability to boil rice and Jisung had laughed. He’d laughed so much because as stoic as Minho was, he was also involuntarily funny. 

“I’d cook for you too,” Minho had said towards the end of their date. “I’d cook for you every day if you were mine.” 

Jisung had been afraid to ask. “Why me?”

“You make me feel like I’m looking at the sun.” 

Jisung hadn’t known what to say to that, so he hadn’t said anything. He’d finished his coffee and let Minho drive him home. He’d left him sun-less for another month until he’d made up his mind. 

Jisung was a coward so even then, he’d needed his time to work up the courage to say, “Walk me home? We might as well walk together if you’re going to follow me anyways.” 

Minho hadn’t looked embarrassed at being caught stalking because he had not been embarrassed. Jisung liked that a lot about him. For all his weird tendencies and intentional misbehaviour, Minho had never pretended to be anything else than who he was. 

“If you say yes—” 

“Yes.” 

“What?” It was hard to stun a vampire, but in that moment, Minho had frozen up right where he’d stood. 

Watching his cool, big-and-bad vampire suitor turn into a red-eyed statue of disbelief had been enough to make Jisung laugh. 

“My answer,” he’d said, coming so close that he’d known Minho would never again be able to let him go, “is yes.” 

Jisung thought about their first kiss as he started climbing up the spiral staircase. He hadn’t been anxious in that moment. On the contrary, with Minho’s lips pressed against his own, he’d felt himself settle. Where he’d felt jumbled all his life, the pieces of himself he’d never been able to sort out had slid into order. There, he’d been and Minho too and suddenly, until the end of time had not sounded long enough to have Minho and be had by him in return.

For him and for their clan, Jisung was brave enough not to look down as he reached the iron-grid landing. The gallery creaked under his weight and Jisung feared that it would completely collapse beneath him, but nothing more happened when he dared to take another step forward. Jisung swallowed and took another. 

He had made it this far. He could see this through. 

Keeping one hand and his eyes on the wall, he slowly inched towards the middle of the gallery. He’d bridged half the distance when the creaking of the metal tipped him off that he was no longer alone. Maybe, he never had been. 

Forcing himself to look, he was met with crimson eyes and bared fangs. Jisung couldn’t help the whimper that escaped him. 

Since it wasn’t one of his own, the vampire must have belonged to Hongjoong’s clan. Jisung couldn’t recall which of the names that Jeongin had given him hadn’t yet been assigned by Felix to one of the vampires below, but he figured that it didn’t matter what the vampire was called. He'd be able to kill Jisung all the same. 

“H-Hi.” He didn’t know why the vampire was hiding up here but he was not about to ask. 

“Step back,” the vampire hissed, seemingly unafraid of the rickety state of the gallery as he took another, threatening step in Jisung’s direction. 

Jisung had never wanted to follow an order more. He didn’t. Clutching the silver cross in his fist, he raised both fists. “I really don’t want to fight you, but I will!” 

Red bleed into the whites of the vampire’s eyes as Jisung took a step closer. 

“Step back!” 

“Step back yourself!” 

He could be brave. 

He was so close. The lever holding all the rope endings was right by the vampire’s shoulder. 

“Trust me, human, you don’t want to fight me.” 

Jisung couldn’t help but agree with that, but he couldn’t retreat either. 

He took another step forward. “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t kill me.” 

All he got in return was another hiss, the vampire’s body coiling tight like a spring. Before he could attack, Jisung jumped forward.  

He managed to dodge the hand the vampire swiped at him, his fingers closing around the lever. Before he could pull it, a terrifying creak sounded beneath him. Panicked, Jisung stumbled sideways when the floor started to give underneath him. He barely managed to pull his foot away before it fell through the rusted piece of floor he’d landed on. 

The last thing he registered was a stab of pain in his back when he collided with the railing and then the sudden feeling of nothingness when it fell away. A pale hand reached for him, but its claws sliced right through the fabric of his shirt, unable to hold onto it. 

Jisung couldn’t help the bout of laughter that escaped him as he fell. 

Maybe this was how it was always supposed to end. 

He fell. 

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, Seungmin had fallen in love with a boy. He’d fallen in love with a boy who’d slept outside their tent to be closer to the stars and Seungmin had thought that, if Jeongin was able to love the night sky this much, he’d be able to love Seungmin too. After all, Seungmin belonged to the night just like the stars did. 

He’d never gotten the chance to ask Jeongin about it. He’d been so busy worrying about what he was, that he’d forgotten to worry about what Jeongin had been. Jeongin had been human and humans were breakable. It was so easy to crush them in your embrace, to snap their necks, to throw them down a single story inside a factory hall and watch as they shattered like a porcelain doll. 

Seungmin stopped fighting as the smell of blood hit the air, just as the wayfarers did. Wooyoung’s head snapped to the side, his nostrils flaring. He was young, Seungmin remembered, no more than a couple of years. Even if he’d regained his self-control, no fledgeling would ever be immune to this much blood. 

Wooyoung lurched towards the blood, towards the broken body at the other end of the room. Before he could get anywhere, he was grabbed by the neck like a kitten. Wooyoung fought against it, but San was stronger, wrapping his arms around him from behind before he brought them both to the ground. Wooyoung snapped and wriggled, but there was no escaping San’s arms. 

Over the head of the fledgeling, San looked at Seungmin with nothing but pity in his eyes. Go, they seemed to say. 

Seungmin hated pity. He hated it almost as much as the terrible, terrible feeling of loss that was spreading throughout his body. 

Instinctually, he grabbed for Jeongin, pulling him against his chest. It had been nearly a century since he’d last allowed himself this, but for the first time in a long, long time, he let himself do what he wanted, not what needed to be done. 

So, he wrapped his arms around Jeongin and just for a moment, he allowed himself to hold him tightly, to bury his face in his shoulder and assure himself that it wasn’t Jeongin. It wasn’t Jeongin. He could continue on because it wasn’t Jeongin. 

“Hyung,” Jeongin whispered and Seungmin could hear the horror in his voice. 

Like that, Seungmin’s moment of weakness was over. 

He let go of his progeny, ignoring Jeongin’s protestant whine. He could console him later. There were things Seungmin needed to take care of first. His clan needed him more. Minho needed him more. Jeongin was alive. Minho’s boy was not. 

*

The sun went dark. 

He’d had spent centuries without it, living in the dark, feeding in the dark and trying to find something that would give him back just an ounce of warmth. And he’d found it again. He’d found it again in the form of a warm body colliding with his own, a hastily stuttered apology, the nervous twitch of a smile. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into you! You’re not hurt, are you? Oh— oh, you’re not. You’re a—”

Minho had smiled and given this pretty, human boy his most monstruous smile. “Does that bother you?” 

“No.” 

It had been a lie. Jisung’s fear had been so inescapable, it had been so heavy it had been enticing. 

Maybe that was why Minho had followed him, into the room where their cooking class had taken place and every place thereafter. Maybe he’d known it then already even if it had taken Jeongin’s relentless teasing for him to realise his own feelings. 

There had been no neutron star merger that brought back the sun, no explosion in the sky. Its return was gradual. Minho had followed the warmth, the light, step by step until the sun had been his once more. 

He had been born to protect a nation and he had failed. He’d found Jisung and sworn to protect him in all the ways he had not been able to protect anyone when he had been human. He was no longer a frail little prince. His maker had made him something stronger. 

But, he should have known better. He never got to keep the things he loved. 

The sun went dark and Minho did too. 

*

Chan choked on the overwhelming, all-consuming wave of grief that flooded the clan bond. He’d already been struggling with blocking out Felix’s distress, tearing at him through the blood bond, but feeling Minho’s grief was different. It was like having a hole punched through his chest, coupled with the sudden tug and nothing that erased the spot in his brain where Jisung had been. He stumbled as if someone had ripped a physical piece out of him. 

It couldn’t be. 

Instinctively, he looked for Minho. He found him kneeling in blood, so much blood it slammed into Chan’s olfactory senses like a hammer. He knew that particular scent of blood. He’d cared for it, he’d accepted it into his clan, he’d raised it to be better than what it had been. It belonged to him, it belonged to him like all his clan members did and now it was fading, fading fast as the pool around Minho grew in size. 

Chan’s entire body recoiled at the feeling, his gaze flicking towards Hongjoong, remembering that he was in the middle of a fight, but Hongjoong had already stopped paying attention to him. With Chan distracted, he’d fallen to his knees in front of Seonghwa, trying to get his mate to look at him. 

Seonghwa wouldn’t, eyes glued to Changbin’s mangled form as he wailed, once more driven to madness by the feeling of having lost his progeny. Mixed with the sound of Felix’s sobbing, it created a cacophony of sounds that Chan never ever wanted to hear again. 

He ran over to where Minho was kneeling. Minho was helplessly scooping up the blood surrounding Jisung’s body, as if he could put it back in. 

Chan fell to his knees beside him. “Minho.” 

Minho shook his head, helplessly pushing at the blood, trying to keep it from spreading. 

“Minho, I’m so—” 

Chan turned his head when a shadow fell over them, instinctually baring his fangs.  

Yunho and Mingi both had the good sense to take a step back, raising their hands. 

“I’m sorry,” Yunho said. Real sympathy shone in his eyes as he looked at Jisung.

Chan would have been touched if he had still been able to feel such an emotion. As it was, there was no grace left within him. 

“Leave!” he growled. 

Yunho and Mingi were smart enough to obey him, the older of the two bowing his head before he dragged Mingi over to their own maker. San and Wooyoung were already there, flanking Seonghwa. Hongjoong was still kneeling in front of him and finally, the wailing stopped, even if the grieving didn’t. 

Minho let out a noise that was neither human nor animalistic. It was ancient. 

Everything that came to life had to die but they did not. Vampires did not and so some of them forgot. Minho wasn’t one of them. His inability to forget how fragile human life was had tortured him for centuries and yet it had not been enough. He had not been able to prevent this. None of them had been.

“Minho.”

Chan tried to touch him, but his hands slid right off Minho’s shoulder as Minho jumped to his feet, his roar of pain and anger drowning out all other sounds. He lifted his hand, pointing his finger right at Jongho, who was standing at the edge of the gallery above. Before Chan could hold onto him, he was off. Chan raced after him, up the spiral staircase.

“It was an accident!” Jongho called out, half explanation and half a warning as Minho and Chan reached the landing. 

Chan could see the reason why sitting at the end of the walkway, as far away from any danger as they could have put him. Jongho stood solid between them. 

Minho roared again, not slowing down as he ran at Jongho full-speed. He tackled him off the gallery, tearing at him as they fell. Chan forced himself not to follow. He approached slowly. 

Wide, tired, terrified eyes followed his every movement. 

Perusing the other, he tilted his head from side to side. “I do wonder…my friend is smart. He’s maybe the smartest person I know after myself and yet he put his best fighter up here. He put him up here with you. It makes me believe you’re a special one, aren’t you?” 

Yeosang pressed himself back against the grimey brick behind him. He was clearly too weak to get up by himself, but he at least tried to defend himself with words. “Please, don’t kill me.” 

Chan chuckled. The most sinister parts of him wanted to do just that. They made him want to give in to the pain and anger he felt. He wanted to hurt someone simply because he was hurting too. He didn’t allow himself to succumb to the feeling. 

Being eternal also meant eternally striving to be better than that which made him something sinister. 

“Why?” he asked, coming close enough that he could crouch down in front of Yeosang. “Why shouldn’t I kill you? Your protector killed a human I cared for. It would only be fair if I did the same, no?” 

Sadness filled Yeosang’s eyes, his eyes briefly flickering down to the floor below. “It was an accident. Jongho tried to hold onto him, but he was already falling. It wasn’t supposed to happen.”  

“That doesn’t change the outcome.”

“It’s not going to work if you kill me,” Yeosang’s expression turned pleading, “Joongie’s plan, I mean. He had it all figured out until Hwa took your human. If you kill me now, it’s all going to go wrong.” 

Chan breathed in deeply, against the pang he felt at the mere mention of Felix’s name. He could not succumb to the violence he craved. He had to make peace so Felix could be safe too. Hongjoong had sent Mingi and Yunho for him once before and now Minho was too incapacitated to stop them a second time.  

So, he nodded, briefly studying the human in front of him. Yeosang was not lying and he was not afraid. He was dying and it made sense to Chan. Everything made sense to him. 

He opened his arms, beckoning Yeosang into them. “Come on then.” 

Yeosang looked hesitant for only a moment before he wrapped his arms around Chan’s neck. Chan lifted him, silently lamenting how light Yeosang was, even for a human. He really hoped Hongjoong had thought this through. 

“Hold tight, we’re taking the short way down.” 

Yeosang nodded, squeezing his eyes closed. 

Chan wouldn’t let him fall. With the human secure in his arms, he stepped off the gallery, landing in the dust below. He’d expected to have to dodge claws and fangs on his way to the other end of the hall, but he found that Seungmin and Jeongin had done what he couldn’t. 

They’d caught Minho, who was snarling and snapping as he was kept in place by their combined effort. Minho’s feelings of rage and betrayal flooded the clan bond. It left Chan physically nauseated, but he knew Seungmin wouldn’t give in to it. 

In times like these, Seungmin’s ability to shut off every ounce of emotion and instinct within himself was invaluable. He was going to put reason over everything, even if Minho would hate him for it. Even if he wanted to let Minho loose himself. Chan could see it in his eyes. 

Nonetheless, Seungmin held tight as Minho roared, “Let me go! I have the right to kill him! He killed— he killed—” 

Chan didn’t look towards Jisung’s body as he passed him by. He couldn’t. 

He kept his eyes on Jeongin, who bent down to wrap himself around Minho from behind, holding him in place as much as he tried holding him together. Chan wanted nothing more than to walk over and take Minho’s pain from him, find some way to help him, but he had to fix what he could first. 

A short glance to the side revealed that Jongho was suspended on his knees by Yunho and Mingi much like Minho was. There was a row of nasty claw marks running down his face, one of his arms hanging loosely by his side, but he was still alive so Chan figured that Jongho could count his blessings.

“This better work,” he told Yeosang, who only tightened his arms around his neck. 

“It will. I’ve prepared for this.” 

Chan wanted to tell him that there was no preparing for one’s own death, but they’d already reached his clan. 

The moment Chan approached with Yeosang, Wooyoung tried to dart forward, but he stumbled to a stop when Hongjoong lifted his hand. Hongjoong seemed to know his progeny well, because when it looked like Wooyoung might disobey him to get to Yeosang, he said, “Stay where you are, Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung clenched his jaw, visibly struggling against his maker’s order, but it was going to keep him in place.

Chan hoisted Yeosang higher up in his arms, meeting Hongjoong’s gaze. “I found something you lost. Do you want it back?” 

“Don’t hurt him,” Hongjoong warned.

Chan wouldn’t, but that didn’t keep him from raising an eyebrow. “Why? I’m down one of mine. Killing him would just even the score, wouldn’t it?”

“Chan.” 

Chan grinned, channeling all the rage within him. “You bet a lot on this one’s life. Now one of my clan members is dead and I’m about to lose another one because of it. What reason do I have to let your human live? I should kill him and not stop there.” 

Chan studied the rest of Hongjoong’s clan as if he was choosing. The moment Chan’s eyes fell on San, San rose from where he was crouched by Seonghwa’s side. Chan had to applaud San’s gall to put himself right in front of Chan. 

“You can kill me if you give Yeosang back to us.” 

San meant it. Chan could tell that he did. Unfortunately for him, “Your life is not what I want.”

San stared at him. He only moved backwards when Hongjoong placed a hand on his shoulder. San looked hesitant, but he seemed to find something in Hongjoong’s gaze that reassured him enough to return to Seonghwa’s side. 

Hongjoong looked at Chan and Chan held his gaze. It was Hongjoong who looked away first. His eyes wandered to a spot behind Chan’s shoulder, real sadness appearing in his eyes. “I’m sorry about the boy. It wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t foresee this.” 

“Jisung was my clan member,” Chan forced himself to speak his name, even if he choked on every syllable. “He was also Minho’s human. The pain is…”

“I know.” Chan found his pain mirrored in Hongjoong’s eyes. 

He did know, Chan remembered. Hongjoong knew very well what it was like to lose a human you’d cared for, hoped for. It was why all of them were here. 

Hongjoong looked down, pulling off two of the many golden rings he wore. Holding up one of them, he said, “I’ll order Seonhwa to release the fledgeling. If you give me Yeosang, I’ll make a pirate’s promise to you that I will.”  

“That won’t make us even.” 

Hongjoong only nodded. 

Chan held his gaze as he sat Yeosang down by his feet. The moment his hand closed around the ring Hongjoong was holding out, Wooyoung was there, scooping Yeosang up and taking him out of Chan’s reach. He sat him down right beside Seonghwa, the centre they were all protecting. 

Chan didn’t move to go after them so Hongjoong didn’t move either. 

“Yeosang told me you have a plan.” 

“I do.” 

Chan glanced towards Seonghwa, who was curled in on himself as he whispered, his eyes still fixed on where Changbin was. Had they still been friends, Chan would have felt pity for him. He had seen vampires who’d been driven to madness before. Seonghwa lacked the directionless violence that possessed them, but he didn’t look far away from it either. 

“He may not return to you, even if your plan succeeds.” Chan slipped the golden ring onto his finger before he tapped his own temple. “Not fully.” 

Hongjoong didn’t even blink. “That does not matter. He is my mate. I have all eternity to remind him of who he is.” 

Such were the makings of a monster in love. Chan knew the feeling well. It was why he stood here instead of picking apart Hongjoong’s progenies one by one, keeping their maker for last. 

The ghost of a smile grazed Chan’s lips. “Remember why you and I wrote into the Law that killing the vampire of another clan is forbidden?” 

“Because it never ends.” 

Chan nodded. “It never ends.” 

Because he was a monster in love too, he had to find a different solution. He looked down between them. “There’s still one ring left in your palm.” 

Hongjoong held it up like the first one. He didn’t say any more. 

Chan shook his head. “A blank promise might as well not be a promise at all.” 

“I can not revive the human. I’ve already given up that which I’m willing to sacrifice, even though Seonghwa will hate me for it. Even though, as the progeny of my progeny, I can feel him. I have nothing left to give so a blank promise is all I have to offer.” 

“What if I wanted you to watch as Minho tears Jongho apart?” 

Hongjoong bared his fangs at him. 

Inside Chan, there was this urge again, to give in to all the grief and anger in his chest and lash out, but a voice cut through the noise, both outside and inside his head, before he could. 

“Chan!” 

Chan froze at the sound of Felix’s voice, choking on the fresh wave of panic hitting their blood bond.

“Call your hunting dogs back before Minho kills all three of them!” he hissed at Hongjoong before turning around. It was his own panic that filled him when he saw that Felix was no longer huddled in a corner with Hyunjin and Changbin. 

His legs moved before his brain could think of the order. Felix was kneeling by Jisung’s side, his hands dug into the front of Jisung’s shirt. Chan was by his side in a second, touching his face, his back and arms. The smell of blood in the air was so cloying Chan struggled to make out whether any of it belonged to Felix. 

“Felix.” 

When their eyes met, there was no pain in Felix’s eyes. Panic, yes, but also a glimmer of something eternally brighter.

Felix caught his hands and pressed them to the spot on Jisung’s chest he’d been digging into. “Chan,” he whispered, his voice full of urgency, full of wonder. 

Chan shook his head. 

“It can’t be,” he murmured, wanting to console Felix as much as himself, but in that very same moment, he felt it. He hadn’t been able to hear it over all the different sounds of grief in the air, but he felt it. A single, weak tremor was enough.

“Jisung,” he whispered, immediately leaning over him, “oh, Jisung.”

Jisung didn’t respond, never would if they let any more time pass, but that didn’t matter. A heartbeat, no matter how weak, was enough. There was no more time to lose. Letting go of Jisung’s chest, he grabbed onto his wrist instead. It was broken, but that didn’t matter either. Chan allowed himself a single, calming breath. He’d done it so many times before, he could do it again.

For Minho, for all his clan and for himself, he could do it again. 

He was about to bite down when Felix slapped his hand over his mouth. “No!”

It was only the blood bond that kept Chan from reflexively biting at him. He shot Felix a confused look. 

“It has to be Minho!” Keeping his hand on Chan’s mouth, Felix looked towards Minho. “If you’re going to turn him, Jisung wants it to be you, Minho.”

Where Minho sat looking ready to meet the sun, held up more than held in place by Seungmin and Jeongin, he shook his head. “What are you saying?”

“Feel it!” Felix demanded, beckoning him close. 

Felix held no power over Minho, but of course Minho couldn’t deny him. Jisung had loved Felix dearly, so Minho would protect him until the end. Just to protect someone and succeed.

Minho crawled over the short few metres on his knees, seemingly unwilling to get off the ground now that Jisung no longer could. 

“Feel it for yourself,” Felix said as soon as Minho was near enough. He took his hands, pressing them to Jisung’s chest. 

Minho shook his head, shook his head until his eyes widened and then he was gripping onto Jisung for dear life, looking ready to pry apart Jisung’s rib cage just to make sure his heart was really still beating. 

If they hadn’t been blood-bonded and if Chan had not already felt it for himself, he would have killed Felix for giving Minho this cruel moment of hope. 

“Jisung wanted to be turned by you, Minho. He wanted to ask you after graduation, but I think it’s obvious that he’s not going to make it there anymore. That doesn’t change the fact that he wanted you to turn him, though. He wanted to be turned and he wanted it to be you.”

Minho shook his head. Chan noticed that he couldn’t quite bring himself to look at Jisung’s face. “He never said that. He gave me everything, but he never promised me his soul.”

Felix scoffed. “It’s Jisung, Minho. He was nervous to tell you, but he loved—he loves you so much. You have to turn him! It’s what he wanted!”

Minho finally looked down at Jisung and, past the immeasurable grief, there was yearning. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, giving way to desperation. “I can’t—I don’t how—”

The helplessness in his voice reminded Chan of the terrified young prince he’d found, so willing to live in the world and yet so unable to withstand any more of its horrors. Minho had needed his help then and he needed it now and like before, Chan didn’t hesitate to give it to him. 

Gently, he grabbed onto Minho’s face, forcing him to look at him. “You can do this, Minho. You’ve seen me do it enough times.”

“What if I fail? I can’t—now that there’s a change, he has to make it. I can’t withstand it a second time, hyung, if he—”

“You are not going to fail. You are going to do this for him. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be with you every step of the way, just like I was for Seungmin when he turned Jeongin.”

“And I made it!” Jeongin said, grinning broadly. Chan could feel through the clan bond that he wasn’t truly elated, but just like the rest of them he would do and be anything that Minho needed in that moment.

“Jisung wouldn’t want anybody else to do this,” Felix said. “His blood in you and your blood in him, that’s what he wanted. He said that way the two of you would truly be one forever.”

Minho stared at Felix before he looked down at Jisung. It only took a moment until he leaned forward, bending over Jisung so he could stroke Jisung’s hair out of his face. Minho’s hands were coated in blood, but Chan had never seen a gentler gesture. The noise that escaped Minho was silent, but visibly painful as it clawed its way up his throat. It was a last sign of weakness before Minho’s muscles tensed, most of the emotion draining from his face. He met Chan’s eyes, another flicker of desperation.

“Don’t leave me,” he pleaded. “Don’t let me fail him.”

Chan placed a hand on his chest. “Never.”

Minho nodded and took Jisung’s hand, pressing a reverent kiss to his knuckles before he turned his wrist.

“Until there’s only a mouthful left,” Chan instructed, watching closely as Minho bit down. A whimper escaped Minho as the blood hit his tongue, his eyes seeking out Chan’s, wide with panic.

Chan put all the reassurance into their clan bond that he could muster. He held Minho’s gaze as he pressed one of his hands to Jisung’s chest and covered Minho’s grip with the other, nodding for him to continue on.

Minho did, sucking on Jisung’s wrist until it ran dry. He moved to his leg next, his waist and then, finally, his neck.

“Careful now,” Chan warned.

Jisung’s heartbeat had been weak from the beginning and there had been so little blood left in him to begin with. Chan could feel him fading fast. They couldn’t let that happen. It’d be over then.

Minho was no longer shaking. There was nothing but firey determination in his eyes as he pressed a sweet kiss to Jisung’s lips. “You’re so loved,” he murmured. “You always have been but I am going to love you most,” and then he sank his teeth into Jisung’s neck.

Chan let him take no more than a mouthful before he pulled Minho off by the scruff of his neck.

“Good, that’s enough. You did well, Minho,” Chan reassured him with gentle praise as he watched Minho bite into his own palm. Chan adjusted Jisung’s head for him, ignoring the hole at the back of it. He focussed on opening Jisung’s jaw instead.

Seungmin didn’t hesitate to drape himself over Minho’s back, taking a hold of his elbows. “It takes about half of your blood. You’re going to start struggling against it once you’ve lost a quarter.”

Minho grew rigid. “Don’t let me.”

“Of course not.”

“We’re all here, hyung,” Jeongin said, looking determined where he was holding onto Jisung’s legs.

Felix nodded too, his fingers brushing through Jisung’s hair.

“Do it now,” Chan said.

Minho brought his hand to Jisung’s mouth, digging his claws into his own palm to keep the cut open as he let his blood trickle into Jisung’s mouth. Chan moved Jisung’s jaw for him so he would swallow, then he pulled his hands away to feel for Jisung’s heart again. 

A curse escaped him when he struggled to find any hint of movement. “Fuck!”

Minho’s eyes immediately snapped towards him.

“Felix, look away!” Chan said as he ripped open the remnants of Jisung’s shirt and dug his fingers into Jisung’s chest. He used a single sharp fingernail to cut open Jisung’s skin, prying apart flesh and bone until he'd laid open Jisung’s heart.

Without preamble, he grabbed onto Minho’s remaining hand and bit into it, tearing open his palm until rivulets of blood filled his mouth. He spit it out and pressed Minho’s hand right to Jisung’s heart, coating it in black blood.

“Seungmin, hold him! Jeongin, you too!”

Minho let out a terrified whimper, but Chan knew Minho would not falter. He knew Minho would have given all his blood if it meant Jisung would live. Chan counted on it as he used Minho’s hand to massage Jisung’s heart, willing it to beat.

The longer they went, the more Minho began to struggle. Chan remembered it well, the way the vampiric side threatened to take over once the blood loss became too great. It was then that their instincts started to clash, self-preservation over procreation. Being able to withstand the urge to save yourself in order to create a progeny was what most vampires failed at when they tried to turn another. Their act of creation was an act of violence against nature, even the nature of their own selves.

But Minho would not fail.

Chan would not let him.

Faintly, he could hear Felix whimper, but he couldn’t allow himself to look at him. He’d lose focus then and he had to help Minho first. This was Jisung and Minho, this was his clan, this was his village. He would not lose any of them.

“Chan,” Minho whimpered, his eyes overtaken by red as he looked at Chan with desperation, his limbs twitching, just at the same moment that Felix called out, “Minho!”

For a terrible, terrifying moment, the world went quiet.

Then, there was movement in Jisung’s throat, movement that none of them had forced. A shudder followed, going through his whole body. His jaw fell open as his back arched off the ground in a bone deep inhale. With it, his eyes flew open and Chan could see it, the way the brown of his irises was being burnt away by red. 

As quickly as he’d risen, Jisung’s body collapsed again, his eyes falling closed once more and Chan knew he would not open them again until it was over.

Just breathing is fine for now, Chan thought, feeling a hysterical bout of laughter ripple up his throat. He couldn’t yet let it escape.

Holding his breath, Chan slowly pulled his own hand and Minho’s out of Jisung’s chest. He watched with eagle eyes as Jisung’s heart moved, gave a single beat on his own, and then another. Its rhythm was too slow for any human, but that was no longer what Jisung was. 

Like a flicker of sunlight, like a string of molten gold connecting to his brain, Chan could feel him. The feeling was muted, once removed just like he felt Jeongin, but Jisung was there. Jisung was there, in Chan’s brain and his heart and his clan. He was there.

All that Chan had been holding in his chest came out in a choked, aborted noise that was echoed by the rest of his clan. 

Felix was crying. It became easier to breathe when Felix left his spot by Jisung’s head to plaster himself against Chan’s back, burying his face in Chan’s shoulder. His syllables were distorted by sobs, but Chan knew he was cursing.

Minho was frantically biting at his own arm, covering Jisung’s chest in his blood so it would heal. Seungmin helped him, guided his arms while making sure Minho did eventually pull away from Jisung, right when he started looking paler than even a vampire should.

Chan allowed himself a breath, two before he said, “He needs blood. Human blood, I mean.”

Clinging to his back, Felix perked up. “I can—”

“Absolutely not, sunshine. You’ve done enough.” Chan sought out Seungmin’s gaze. “Take Jisung and Minho to the nest. Send Jeongin to the blood bank. Jisung’s not going to have a preference when he wakes up, he’ll just need a lot. Feed Minho, too.”

Minho didn’t react to his words. He was completely absorbed in his own world, holding Jisung in his arms. His hands were shaking as he touched Jisung’s hair, his face and chest, returning his hand to Jisung’s chest over and over just to make sure Jisung’s heart was still beating. Chan could see it on his face, all the love and gratitude he felt. 

“Thank you for coming back.” Minho pressed their foreheads together, looking serene despite the second-hand pain that he was experiencing.  

Chan couldn’t spare him from this. Jisung was twitching, his nerve receptors responding to the venom even though he was unconscious. Chan only hoped he would stay unconscious for most of the transformation. It was an excruciatingly painful process and Jisung had suffered enough.

“Take them home,” Chan told Seungmin once more, rising to his feet. Felix rose right with him and Chan allowed himself to turn sideways so he could squeeze him against his chest, just a little.

“What about Hongjoong and his clan?” Seungmin looked towards the other end of the hall.

“I’ll end it.” Chan didn’t look over his shoulder. He looked over to where Hyunjin was still cradling Changbin’s body. He’d never stopped, a guardian angel of the dead. “We will end it.”

Jeongin and Seungmin helped up Minho, who was unwilling to let go of Jisung for even a second. Drained of half his strength, Minho swayed a little on his feet but Chan knew he wouldn’t fall, not as long as he was holding Jisung.

He turned to Felix. “There’s no way that I could convince you to go with them, is there?”

Felix smiled at him. “Not a chance.”

Chan sighed, nodding. Keeping his arm around Felix’s shoulders, he pulled the golden ring off his finger and slid it onto Felix’s ring finger instead. 

Felix turned red from his neck up to the tips of his ears. “Oh, Chan…but do you really think now is the right time?” 

Chan blinked at him. “What do you mean?” 

Felix squirmed. Chan wondered whether he needed a bathroom. “You know—” 

Chan studied the way Felix was avoiding his eyes, studied the way he was fiddling with the ring on his finger and snorted. “I’m not proposing to you, sunshine.” 

“Y-You’re not?” 

Chan rolled his eyes. “It’s a promise ring, but there’s little romance in it. It’s more like a token of negotiation. The ring stands for an actual promise, like a signed deed.” 

“Oh.” Felix turner even redder, if that was even possible. Clearing his throat, he slipped out from under Chan’s arm. “Cool.” 

Chan couldn’t help but grin as he ran after him, catching him in his arms once more. “Would you have said yes?” 

“No.” 

“You know I can tell when you lie, sunshine.” 

“I’d rather die than marry you!” 

Chan pretended to be wounded, clutching his chest. “That’s so harsh. You know, I would.” 

Felix stopped dead in his tracks. “You would?” 

Chan smiled, bringing their faces so close together he could count every freckle on Felix’s beautiful, beautiful face. “I have no need for a ring because I already put a mark on you that’s much more permanent than some pretty jewellery, sunshine, but if it’s diamonds that you want, I can go through the nest’s attic and find you something nice.” 

Felix’s breath left him in a hitch before he puffed up like a fish. “I don’t want a ring! Not from you, anyways!” 

“Who then? I didn’t yet get to kill anyone today, I’d love to blow off some steam.” 

Felix glared at him and Chan loved the way his human’s heartbeat accelerated and his cheeks flushed. He’d fight forever to see it, these subtle, undeniable signs that Felix was alive. “It’s not funny.” 

It wasn’t, but Chan needed this. He needed Felix and their moment of stupid, whimsical banter so he wouldn’t end up killing someone he shouldn’t. “You are right, of course.”

Felix ignored him as he crouched down next to his brother and like that, the moment was over. 

Chan took a knee by Hyunjin’s side, brushing his hair out of his progeny’s face. Hyunjin’s eyes only opened halfway as he looked up at him, his face weary with exhaustion. “Hyung.”

“Hey, Hyunjin-ah.” 

It seemed that Hyunjin hadn’t quite shed the last of his tears yet. “He asked me to do it, hyung. I never would have—but he made me promise.” 

“I know, Jinnie, I know.” Chan wiped some of the dirt and tears from Hyunjin’s cheek. “You did what you had to do.” 

Hyunjin nodded. His exhaustion didn’t keep him from holding tightly onto Changbin’s jaw. Changbin’s spine had healed already, Chan could tell by the lack of unnatural bend to his body, but his neck could not snap back into place as long as Hyunjin’s grip on his head persisted. 

Chan smiled at his progeny. “It’s okay, Hyunjin-ah. You can let go now.” 

Hyunjin shook his head. “He’s going to try and hurt you if I do that.” 

“He won’t. Not anymore.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” 

Hyunjin took a shuddering breath, exhaling along with Chan and then he loosened his grip. It took a second, but then Changbin’s neck gave a ferocious crack, snapping back into place. 

Felix whimpered, trying to reach for him. Chan moved so he was between Changbin and Felix. He doubted Seonghwa’s kill order had survived Changbin’s death, but he certainly wasn’t going to risk it. It was Seonghwa’s scream that told him that Changbin was back even before the fledgling opened his eyes. 

Felix’s fingers dug into his shoulder, the warmth of his body pressing against Chan’s back. Chan kept them both steady, looking for any sign of impending violence as he watched Changbin blink once, twice. The fledgeling’s eyes were fully crimson as he looked up. His gaze fixated on Hyunjin’s face. 

“Changbin,” Hyunjin whispered, voice raw.

Changbin blinked again. He reached up slowly, his claws shortening into blunt nails as he caught the tears dripping from Hyunjin’s face. A miniscule frown appeared between his brows, but it disappeared when Hyunjin touched his face. 

Changbin stared at him, stared until a smile appeared on his face. His elongated fangs made him look monstrous, but the red was receding from his eyes. “You’re so beautiful, angel. I’m so glad I get to see you again.” 

Hyunjin let out a tiny, blubbering noise and then he was leaning down. Changbin pushed himself up at the same moment, smiling into the kiss Hyunjin pressed against his lips. 

“What the fuck?” Felix whispered, his nose pressing into Chan’s shoulder as if he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to hide his face or keep looking. 

Chan turned his head so he could graze his lips over his cheek, “If your brother ever tries to give you grief about being with me, tell him to go fuck himself.” 

Felix shook his head, clearly still in disbelief as he met Chan’s eyes. “You knew about this?” 

“I learned about it only a couple of hours ago.” 

Felix nodded and Chan could feel the immense confusion in him, coupled with a twinge of fear and sadness before he shut it all away. 

Chan frowned. “You’re allowed to be upset about this, Felix.”

Felix shook his head, clearly forcing a smile onto his face. “Changbin must have had his reasons. Both of them.” 

Chan wished they would have had more time to talk about it, but it would have to wait until later. 

The sound of his own name was enough to gather Changbin’s attention. He finally managed to pull away from Hyunjin. His eyes darkened when he saw Felix plastered all over Chan’s back. He glared at Chan for it, but even he seemed to be aware that it was neither the time nor place to get into it. 

Hyunjin had to help Changbin to his feet, but eventually, all four of them were standing. 

Chan looked at Hyunjin. “Can he walk? I’ll carry him, otherwise.”

“I can walk!”

Changbin looked to be in tremendous pain with every step he took, but his legs were moving so Chan didn’t stop him. He didn’t quite like the way Felix glued himself to his brother’s side, fussing over him, but there was little he could do about it. 

He took the lead as they approached the wayfarers. Where they had been huddled together, Hongjoong rose to his feet the moment they came close. 

Chan took Felix’s hand to show him the ring on it. “You’ve made a promise, Hongjoong.” 

Hongjoong nodded. 

Seonghwa was already getting to his feet, eyes fixed on Changbin, but Hongjoong held him back. Chan could see his friend remove the emotion from his face, from his heart, before he took Seonghwa by the hand. Hongjoong placed his other hand on Seonghwa’s chin so Seonghwa was forced to look at him. 

Seonghwa strained against his hold at first, but once their eyes met, he settled, smiling at Hongjoong. “Hi, Joong.” 

Hongjoong briefly stroked his cheek. His gaze was tender and incredibly sorry. “It’s time now, Hwa. You have to let go of Changbin.” 

“What?! No!” Seonghwa tried to free himself from Hongjoong’s grip, but Hongjoong didn’t let him go. “Joong, no—no! I made him. I made him! He survived, Joong! Look at him!” 

Hongjoong didn’t. He only ever looked at Seonghwa and only ever allowed Seonghwa to look at him. “Release him, Hwa.” 

Black tears welled up in Seonghwa’s eyes. “Don’t make me do this, Joong, please. Please. I’ll do anything you want. He’s for you, for us! Don’t—he’s the only one that survived!” 

Chan had to commend Hongjoong for not giving in to the desperation in Seonghwa’s voice, the terror. Had he not known his friend so well, he might have missed the slight tremor to Hongjoong’s other hand as he used it to properly frame Seonghwa’s face. 

There was no tremor in Hongjoong’s voice when he said, “I know you want a progeny more than anything else, Hwa, and I will give that to you, but it can’t be Changbin, my love. You have to release him.” 

Sobbing, Seonghwa shook his head, “Joong.” 

Hongjoong closed his eyes again, his face losing all expression before he opened them again. “Release him,” he said and this time, there was no overcoming the order in his voice. 

Seonghwa released a sound as if Hongjoong had staked him. 

He tried to look to the side, to Changbin and this time, Hongjoong let him. When Seonghwa tried to move, Hongjoong moved with him, one arm around Seonghwa’s stomach and the other around his neck as he allowed Seonghwa to take a couple of steps forward. Over Seonghwa’s shoulder, he nodded at Chan. 

Chan had no qualms grabbing Changbin by the scruff of his neck, bringing him to his knees in front of Seonghwa. Changbin went remarkably easy, his eyes glued to his maker just as much as Seonghwa was fixated on him. 

Seonghwa’s hands were shaking when he reached for Changbin’s face, tracing the lines of his face with his fingers. “I made you,” he whispered. “I made you and you’re perfect.” 

There was no anger in Changbin’s voice, no derision or hatred. He only sounded sad when he said, “I hope you can be happy.”  

Seonghwa shook his head. “No longer my blood,” he choked on every syllable, “and no longer my progeny. You are no longer a part of the eternal me. I’m releasing you. May we meet again as strangers.” The moment the last syllable had left Seonghwa’s mouth, he collapsed in on himself, but Hongjoong was there. His clan was there, surrounding him as the mourning began again. 

Changbin started heaving halfway through Seonghwa’s speech until finally, he fell forward onto the floor, clutching his chest. Chan could see him struggle to breathe against the pain of the bond severing, against the existential dread that followed the realisation that the tether that had bound him to the night no longer existed. 

Hyunjin moved faster than any of them could have, pulling Changbin into his arms so that their hearts were pressed together. Changbin clung to him, buried his face in Hyunjin’s shoulder and sobbed. 

“Your maker bond is broken, but you are not unbound,” Hyunjin whispered into his hair. “You still belong to me.” 

Chan couldn’t make out what Changbin answered. He was pretty sure that Changbin was biting into Hyunjin’s shoulder. 

Chan could see that Felix wanted to join them, unable to withstand seeing his brother suffer, but Chan held him back. “Give it a couple of minutes.”

Felix looked like he wanted to argue, but didn’t when Chan added, “Please. Please, wait until I can be sure it’s safe.” 

Something in Felix’s gaze softened and he nodded. Chan pulled him into his side, the tiredness tugging on his bones telling him that there was less than an hour left until sunrise. 

They’d have to move soon. 

Hongjoong seemed to realise this too because he rose from the tight circle of his clan to approach them. Chan swallowed the urge to outright hiss at him when Hongjoong came for Felix directly. 

Hongjoong bowed deeply, unlike any pirate would, especially not their king. 

“It seems that our roles have been reversed in the end. Without my knowledge, I stole from you before you could ever steal from me.” Briefly, Hongjoong’s eyes passed over Changbin before they fixated back on Felix. “I hope it’s forgiven now that you have your brother back.” 

Felix’s smile was all teeth. “Hardly.” 

Hongjoong nodded. He looked down, pulling gold off his fingers once more. “All I can offer you in return for your pains is a favour. If there is ever anything you desire, give this ring back to me and I will give it to you.” 

“I don’t need a favour from you.” Chan felt almost human with the way his heart jumped when Felix pressed against his side and said, “I have my own clan to ask for what I want, thank you.” 

Hongjoong grinned, accepting Felix’s rejection with a bow of his head. “As you wish. It’s always good to have a friend at sea, but I can accept that this is not what we are going to be. At least, in this lifetime. There’s always the rest of eternity.” 

Felix scoffed. “Only vampires live forever.” 

Hongjoong’s gaze shifted towards Chan. “Exactly.”

Chan bared his fangs at him, silently telling him to drop it. 

Hongjoong smiled at him before his expression turned somber. He held out the second of the golden rings Chan had seen before. “This one is for the boy, as promised.” 

Chan took it. “I can’t promise you that Minho will be satisfied with this. It may be better if Jongho doesn’t show his face during your next visit.” 

Hongjoong nodded. “We can talk about this more once his mate has passed through the worst of it.” 

Chan doubted that Minho was going to be interested in talking to him if he ever saw Jongho again, but he was not going to argue with Hongjoong. In the end, Minho was going to do what Jisung wanted and it’d be months until Jisung was going to be capable of forming a coherent thought again that wasn’t centred around blood. 

They could leave it for the night, as little of it as remained.

The hint of a smile appeared on Hongjoong’s face. Now that they were no longer actively trying to tear each other’s throats out, Chan could see the signs of weariness on his face. 

“Do you need shelter?” Chan asked, meaning it. 

Hongjoong shook his head. “We will remain here. There’s a basement that Seonghwa has been using. It will do for the rest of us.” 

Chan nodded. There were no more words needed between them. There were still things they needed to discuss, but it could wait. It could wait until the sun had passed. 

For a moment, he considered the remnants of violence in his blood, that urge to kill what might hurt one of his own, that urge to kill what already had hurt them. Chan would not give in to it. 

It was not what he wanted. What he wanted was holding his human in his arms as he succumbed to dreamless sleep. What he wanted was the rest of his clan surrounding him and the knowledge that they were all there, safe and sound. 

“Let’s end it here,” he decided. 

Hongjoong smiled. “Yes. Let’s end it here before it never does.” 

With another, exaggerated bow, he turned to go back to his clan. Chan wasn’t fooled by his swagger. He knew that, much like himself, Hongjoong would never truly let himself relax until the other clan was gone.

“Bastard pirate,” Felix cursed and Chan had the distinct feeling that he’d spoken out loud on purpose, just to make sure Hongjoong would hear him. 

It made him laugh, not because he found it funny, but because he didn’t know what else to do with the overwhelming emotions that he felt in that moment. Briefly, he thought that a thousand years of darkness had been worth it to have Felix. 

He pulled his beautiful, feisty human closer, pressing a bruising kiss to his lips before he forced himself to pull away. 

Only then did he allow himself to notice the dirt on Felix’s face, the dark circles under his eyes and the shiver to his bones. Felix had been remarkable tonight, but that didn’t mean he didn’t look as wrung out as the rest of them. It made Chan feel all the more proud of him. 

“You did well, sunshine.” Thank you for waiting for me. Thank you for being strong. Thank you for not dying. 

Felix hummed, his eyes drooping as well. “I’d like to go home now.” 

“Home?” 

“The nest.” Felix half-heartedly punched his chest. “Don’t ask stupid questions.” 

Chan smiled. I just wanted to hear you say it. 

He draped Felix’s arm around his own waist and guided him towards the gate. Hyunjin was already there waiting for them. Changbin, next to him, looked like he was about a breath away from keeling over. Chan supposed that was what dying and losing your maker in the same night did to you. 

Changbin perked up considerably when he saw Felix approach. This time and even though it went against every of Chan’s instincts, he let Felix go. It was worth the smile on Felix’s face when he ran into his brother’s arms and Changbin caught him. They had all gone through a lot. He’d let Changbin have him for now.

Felix would return to his arms before the sun rose anyways. 

He herded them all out of the factory hall, his skin prickling with the approaching dawn. It really was time to go. 

“What about them?” Hyunjin asked. 

Chan didn’t look back. He didn’t need to. “They have their leader with them. They will be fine.” 

Hyunjin nodded, seeming more than happy to take Changbin’s hand with one and Felix’s hand with the other, leading them both away from the bad, bad place. Felix seemed reluctant to go with him for a moment, but then he, too, seemed to decide that there’d be another night to air out his grievances. 

Chan turned around, taking a hold of the factory gate, its wheels screeching as he started to pull it close. 

The last thing he saw was Seonghwa, sitting on the ground as the rest of his clan surrounded him. Wooyoung was sat right in front of him, Yeosang on his lap. Hongjoong crouched down beside his mate, a smile on his face as he took Seonghwa’s hand and placed it on Yeosang’s head. Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong, uncertainty plaguing his gaze. It disappeared when Hongjoong nodded. It took a moment, but then Seonghwa was smiling too. 

Gently, carefully, Seonghwa started stroking Yeosang’s hair. 

Chan closed the gate. 

Chapter Text

Jeongin ignored the blood running down his shoulder as he sat down on his bed. 

After getting a hole punched through him, the claw marks on his shoulder barely hurt. Really, Jeongin didn’t mind a little pain. Oftentimes, he found that his human father had been right when he’d told him, “A beautiful view is worth walking up a mountain.” 

Jeongin had been no more than ten years-old back then, crying over the blisters on his feet after the two of them had spent hours hiking up the mountain at the foot of which their village lay. To the child he’d been, getting to watch the sunrise rise across the mountain tops had been little consolation for his aching feet. 

He knew better now. 

He knew a little bit of pain was worth the reward at the end. 

He didn’t have to wait for long until there was a knock on his door. 

“Come in!” 

Seungmin slipped into the room with a blood bag in his hand. 

Jeongin didn’t lean forward as eagerly as he wanted to. He had to be patient. Seungmin liked him better when he was patient. Luckily, as a tracker, Jeongin was good at lying in wait. He could be patient if it came down to it. He knew his prize was well worth the wait.  

Seungmin sat down on the edge of the mattress. Jeongin held still while his maker looked him over. Only the way Seungmin’s hand tightened around the blood bag gave away how he felt, that he felt. 

Jeongin tilted his head towards the blood bag. “Is that for me?” 

Seungmin nodded, hastily lifting the blood bag to his mouth. He tore the corner off with his teeth before bringing it to Jeongin’s lips. Jeongin covered Seungmin’s fingers with his own as he sucked eagerly, holding Seungmin’s gaze until his eyes slipped shut at the rush of blood to his system. 

Unlike his maker and much to Seungmin’s chagrin, Jeongin had never quite developed as good of a gauge on his own hunger. Minho had once told him that it was a blessing that he was able to forget about their craving for blood sometimes. Seungmin told him that it was dangerous and that he needed to keep a better track of things, lest he forgot for too long one day and went into a hunger-induced rage. 

Jeongin knew that was unlikely. Seungmin would never let it happen. 

The hunger he felt now had been his choice. 

He had held back when they’d gotten home, too focussed on getting blood into Minho and Jisung to take any for himself. Seungmin had sent him to get a restock at the blood bank, but it had felt wrong to take advantage of his errand while his clan members were still suffering. 

In truth, a part of him had hoped for what was happening right now. Things were chaotic at the moment and they’d have to let the sun pass before they could sort out most of it, but he’d known that his maker would come. Seungmin never forgot about him, even when everything else should have taken priority. 

Sucking up the last of the blood, Jeongin took a hold of the plastic bag so he could discard it on the bedside table. He didn’t want it to get in the way as he scooted forward, closer into Seungmin’s space than before. 

Seungmin didn’t meet his eyes as he touched Jeongin’s stomach, bare because of the shower he’d taken. There was still a mark where the hole had been. Because of the fight at the factory hall and the direct hits Jeongin had taken to his middle, there were now fissures spreading around the edge of the mark, looking like the strikes of a lightning bolt. It hurt when Seungmin brushed his fingers over the open cracks, but Jeongin would endure. He would have endured anything as long as Seungmin didn’t stop touching him. 

Seungmin’s fingers wandered up his chest to his shoulder. He still didn’t meet Jeongin’s eyes as he said, “He got you good.” 

“I fought back.” 

“I know.” There was a flicker of pain in Seungmin’s eyes before he forced it back. Jeongin hated that. He hated the way Seungmin forced himself to be emotionless as he looked Jeongin in the eye. “You have to be more careful, Jeongin. Don’t come running the next time there’s a fight. You were supposed to stay back with Jisung and Felix, remember?” 

“How could I have stayed back?” Jeongin made the conscious decision to let his voice remain soft. “They were hurting you.”

Seungmin shook his head. “I could have handled it by myself. I was handling it myself. You didn’t need to jump in just to injure yourself further.” 

Jeongin was helpless against the snarl rising up his throat. Seungmin had no right to say that. He had no right to say that when Jeongin could still see Seungmin getting crushed in Changbin’s grip, could see Hongjoong throw him to the ground and San and Wooyoung descend on him. 

“Don’t scold me for defending you! I have a right to defend you!” 

Seungmin had clearly not expected his outburst, judging by the way his eyebrows rose to the middle of his forehead. That flicker of emotion disappeared as quickly as it had come. 

“Jeongin,” he chastised, mildly but without leaving any room for discussion. 

Jeongin whined. He was sick of it. There was always, always that insurmountable distance that Seungmin kept between the two of them. They’d gone through enough that night. Jeongin wanted his prize. 

Tipping forward, he pressed his nose to Seungmin’s neck. Seungmin went stiff as a board, but Jeongin wasn’t deterred. He nosed down the line of his maker’s neck, revelling in how much of Seungmin’s scent he got that way. Vampire scents were annoyingly muted and Seungmin rarely let him come close enough to get a good whiff. Careful to keep his fangs to himself, he scraped blunt teeth along the skin to get just a little more. 

“Jeongin.” 

Jeongin nuzzled closer. “Please.” 

Seungmin’s fingers found his hair and Jeongin froze, wondering whether this was the part where Seungmin was going to push him off the bed, but he didn’t. Instead, he started stroking Jeongin’s hair. A shudder went through him and Jeongin felt him fight, felt him lose. 

“Okay,” he whispered. “Okay, Innie.” 

Jeongin whimpered in gratitude, mouthing at Seungmin’s neck. And then, he bit down. 

He dug his teeth in harshly enough that Seungmin could no longer escape him, wrapping his arms around his maker at the same time. A groan escaped him at the rich taste of Seungmin’s blood on his tongue. Tasting both right after the other, he could say with certainty that even the taste of human blood didn’t compare to this. 

Human blood sated him but Seungmin’s blood was more. It exhilarated him. 

And yet, it was not enough. Jeongin wanted more, wanted everything and so he pulled away. Licking the blood off his chin, he sought out Seungmin’s gaze. Seungmin met his eyes, red bleeding and receding from his eyes as he fought for control. 

“Hyung.” Digging his fingers into Seungmin’s back, he pulled him closer, leaning sideways so his shoulder was right there for Seungmin to latch onto. “Take some from me too.” 

Seungmin’s eyes fixated on Jeongin’s shoulder. Jeongin felt a spike of excitement run up his spine when he saw Seungmin’s fangs come out, saw the red in his eyes win out. He flexed the muscles in his shoulder so more blood came out, enticing Seungmin to bite him, to finally allow himself to take something from Jeongin instead of always taking care of him. 

Jeongin’s disappointment was immeasurable when Seungmin blinked and visibly forced back the red in his eyes. 

“It’s late,” his maker said. “We had a long night and the sun’s rising. Let’s go to bed.” 

“No!” Jeongin clung to him. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. “Don’t go! Don’t—don’t leave.”