Rolling out of bed, you pick your white IKEA robe up from the floor where you dropped it last night, draping it over your silk nightgown and heading toward the bathroom to pee.

It hits you two minutes later, as you're standing in front of your open fridge, that you have vampire blood in there. The color-marked vials are staring back at you where they lie in all their glory, right next to a can of sugar-free Red Bull and the entirely empty bottle of ketchup you should've thrown out a month ago and that you evidently missed during your latest cleaning session.

Two of the three vials, you centrifuged at the clinic, meaning they're prepared for machine analysis but won't tell you much under the microscope. That's why you saved one, grabbing it—and the Red Bull—and putting them on the kitchen table, using your forearm to clear a space from the newly acquired library books.

You make a mental note to put the other two vials in the freezer since you don't know when you'll have a chance to analyze them at the clinic.

Vampire blood, how crazy. It's all you think about as you venture into your living room and pluck the microscope down from a shelf. Vampire blood. Who would've thought? When Jeongguk isn't near, it's easier to look at the situation objectively because are you entirely sure you met a vampire? You didn't just dream everything during a particularly rough fever?

But the blood staring at you from the kitchen table is different from what you usually deal with.

Preparing microscope slides is a process very familiar to you; something you could do with your eyes closed, but you don't think you've ever been as curious as you currently are, doing this one. The blood in the vial—already containing a bit of anticoagulant—is dark, and so is the drop you slowly transfer onto the thin glass slide with a plastic pipette.

Carefully, you place the coverslip on top, the smell of iron already wafting to your nose. It's not unpleasant, just… a lot stronger than what you're used to.

Leaning forward and putting your eyes to the ocular lenses, you switch the objective lens and adjust the position of the stage under it until the cells are sharp. You're not sure what you expected exactly, but you're not that surprised to see the massive amount of red blood cells; after all, they're what give the blood its red hue.

What you didn't expect was for them to be so much smaller than those of a human. You zoom in further, finding that they look a lot like ordinary red blood cells—almost like donuts—just smaller. Normally, having smaller red blood cells is a condition in itself and nothing good, but paired together with the astronomical amount of them?

There are surprisingly few goats in your town. When you do treat any, the most common reasons are difficult births, castrations, or urinary blockages, and therefore, it's been a long while since you got the chance to inspect caprine blood up close.

Taking a step back, you search for the phone you put somewhere as you prepared the microscope, finding it a little too close to the sink for your liking, before opening the browser and quickly typing 'goat erythrocytes'.

Just as you remembered: although rounder, the cells in the images that pop up are definitely smaller. There's also a shitload more of them, tightly packed like Jeongguk's. And as far as you can recall, those features are essentially what allow goats to live at higher altitudes, where the air is thinner and oxygen scarcer.

Since the exchange of oxygen happens at the membrane surface, and a bunch of smaller cells still have more surface area than fewer, larger ones, they're capable of transporting a lot more oxygen.

Satisfied with yet another plausible, logical explanation, you put the phone down and lean back in to the oculars, only to find that, despite the anticoagulant from the vial, Jeongguk's blood is already clotting.

Apparently, you lack one human emotion: shame. You know you possessed it as recently as a few days ago, but you must've lost it somewhere?

"Thank you so much."

"No problem, I'll email you the bill," you say, waving the relieved horse owner goodbye as you turn to the clinic car, vet bag firmly in hand.

A mere second after you've planted yourself into the driver's seat, you reach for the phone, pulling it out of your pocket. Your hands are dirty, fingers covered in that dark grime that comes from scratching a horse too long, but you barely notice as you inspect the screen for a reply to a text you sent an hour ago.

You: Hey, you wouldn't happen to be home, would you?

You don't even care if you just saw him yesterday. Or actually, you do care, cause it's embarrassing, but he also said to ask all the questions before he leaves town, so that's what you're doing.

You: Cause I'm driving by not far from you and I happen to have this jar I'd like you to spit in?

Yes, you're double-texting even.

But shame's claws reach and miss because just below your latest text, there's a reply.

Jeon Jeongguk: Stop by whenever. If I don't open then the door is unlocked.

Confusion grows as you start the car. Why wouldn't he simply open the door?

You try to think of a reason the entire ride there, none the wiser even as you step out of the car—hands cleaned by three antiseptic wipes—and walk up the stairs to the black-painted door.

However, five or so seconds after you knock, you hear footsteps approach on the other side, and then the door opens with a slight creak.

"Hey."

Jeongguk isn't wearing a shirt; only light blue jeans that you suspect he usually pairs with a belt because they're hanging a little too low on his hips, showcasing another white waistband stamped with the letters of Mr Klein.

Your wide eyes take him in, but his naked top half—bulging with muscle and skin even looking invitingly warm—isn't even what gathers most of your attention. No, that would be his black hair, messy and sticking out in multiple directions, and his half-closed, hooded eyes.

"Hi," you reply, your voice a tad too quiet as you admire him.

You'd try to hide it better, but it doesn't seem like he notices your slight—and almost dreamy—smile as he opens the door further and steps back. You follow, closing the door behind you and bend down to remove your shoes. While down there, you happen to notice that he's barefoot.

"Were you… sleeping?" you ask as you straighten up, seeing him look just a little more awake. Key word: a little.

He nods, turning to lead you somewhere. "Yeah, I tried to stay awake, but I ate just before you texted and that means I sleep after, like… almost involuntarily."

You follow, warmth spreading throughout your chest and not only because he's close by, his body heat radiating through your clothes.

"You sleep after eating?" you ask, endeared to hell and back. "You should've just told me you were busy today."

He stops in the kitchen, turning to you. You drop your bag on the floor.

"Yeah," he smiles lazily. "I can stay awake, but it's difficult."

"I can tell," you joke, tilting your head. God, why is he so endearing. "Do you think I could take your blood after you've eaten some time? See the difference and what makes you so sleepy?"

He nods. "Sure. Now?"

You pat your pockets, an act entirely uselessly since you don't keep your vet equipment there regardless.

"I don't have the right equipment with me, unfortunately. Maybe some other day?"

"Sure," he rubs his naked arm, yawning. "…Want me to bring blood to the clinic and drink it there?"

"I'd love that. Or…" You suddenly remember something. "When you say that you're hard to wake… Maybe it would be a bad idea to have you sleep at the clinic in case someone shows up again?"

His quick reflexes, speed, and agility were definitely the only reason Momo didn't find him at the clinic last time. You remember how heavy his limp arm was in your hands; what the hell would you even begin to do if someone came and Jeongguk wasn't waking up?

"Hm, you're right," he seemingly agrees, leaning against the counter, arms crossed lazily across his naked chest. "Come here then?"

"Sure," you agree, trying not to stare too blatantly at his chest or his arms. Or his abs and the faint little happy trail creeping up toward his belly button.

"Great. So… you wanted me to… spit in a cup?" he reminds you, and it looks like he's about to yawn again.

Suddenly reminded, you reach into your bag. "Yes, but also… I got a hold of one of these," you say, straightening up and holding the cup out to him. It's made out of a clear plastic with a soft, almost rubber-like lid up top.

"You want me to pee in it or what?" he asks, taking the cup from your hand and tilting it curiously in his.

"No," you snicker. "Although if you'd pee in a cup for me as well, I wouldn't turn it down. This is a special cup used for venomous snakes. Put their heads to the top, wiggle it a little, and they'll bite. Their fangs will sink through the lid here and the venom drips through and collects at the bottom."

He moves the cup to his mouth. "I just…?" he asks, demonstrating by sinking his teeth into the air above the cup.

"Yeah. Bite it and hold it there for as long as there's venom."

"Will you lend me your hand?"

Surprised—and with your heart skipping a quick beat—you blink but nonetheless offer him your left hand, electricity traveling through your skin when he takes it in his. He holds it so gently, feeling so warm against you, tired eyes finding some sort of focus as they lock onto yours, and he lowers his face to your wrist.

"I thought you… didn't need anything like this?" you ask quietly, heart jumping when he ghosts his nose over the sensitive skin of your wrist.

"Technically, I don't," he says, letting go of your hand and straightening up. You don't see any fangs. "Certain occasions make it easier, though. Like at the bar, when I was drunk, or now, when I'm already full and half asleep."

Nodding because his explanations are logical after all, you watch as he sinks his teeth—fangs—into the taut lid of the cup. Through the plastic, you see drops fall and liquid slowly pool at the bottom.

Then, you hear something. Something… small. You look down, seeing one of the kittens on its hind legs, clumsily reaching up toward you. "Oh, hello?"

It's so much bigger than when you last saw it and its siblings, and you crouch down, carefully picking the black little kitten up. It meows again, settling into your soft hold until it seemingly does a double take at Jeongguk, who stands motionless, watching, with his teeth still in the cup. The little kitten stares.

"What is dad doing, huh?" you coo quietly, smiling at the curious kitten.

Looking at the father in question, he lets out an amused breath before he removes his teeth from the cup, lifting it to inspect the results.

"Is this enough?"

You follow his gaze, watching the liquid at the bottom. It's much less than the blood you collected, and it's relatively translucent.

"Yeah, thank you so much," you say—way too excited—putting the kitten down and watching it dash away to pick a fight with an approaching sibling.

From your bag, you grab the other cup, a standard one meant for saliva, and you hold it out to Jeongguk, trading it for the collected venom.

"I just spit in this one?"

You nod, attention fully on the venom in the clear cup. It's just a tad thicker than water, fluidly following gravity as you tilt the small container.

"Do you happen to know the best way to store this?" you ask, peering over at Jeongguk, who's in the middle of letting his spit drip down into the other cup. "Because snake venom, for instance, is pretty sensitive and needs to be chilled rather quickly. But snakes are, you know, 'cold-blooded,' and you're like, insanely warm. I'm thinking I just go home and put it in the fridge? I'll definitely look at it tonight."

"I don't think it's that sensitive, but I know you can freeze it."

He hands you the other cup as well, and you pack them away safely in your bag.

"So… when are you free?" you ask, trying not to blush. "For the blood?"

Looking like he's soon succumbing to sleep whether he likes it or not, Jeongguk shrugs. "Tomorrow? If that works for you?"

You nod. "Sure. I'm busy later tomorrow, but sometime during the day? When do you typically… eat?"

"Noon?" he suggests.

You nod again, grabbing your bag. "I can do that."

"Yeah, but they just didn't care about it."

Nayeon tips her glass back and forth on the table, chin resting in her other hand. "That's insane. Child-free means child-free; why would they be exempt?"

"Yeah, but what did Dahyun do?" you chime in to ask. "I get that she's too nice, but she had a wedding organizer, didn't she? Couldn't that person throw them out?"

Just before a drunk dude—trying to squeeze past your table and the queue of people waiting to order at the bar—elbows her beer, Momo throws her hand out to catch it. She mutters something you don't quite hear over the music and loud voices before she gathers her thoughts.

"I asked the same, but she apparently threatened to cause a scene, so Dahyun just let her be. But the organizer… encouraged her to look after her kids so they wouldn't ruin anything else."

"Jeez," Nayeon shakes her head. "I just do not understand. Get a babysitter or don't go?"

You're about to agree when you hear someone call your name. It's a man's voice, but not the one you've come to prefer.

It's Joshua, approaching your table, his sight set on you while simultaneously scanning the area as if searching for his friends. Momo and Nayeon barely register what's happening before he's standing before you, leaning his palms on the table.

"Yo, what the fuck was up with that guy?" Joshua questions, looking confused and frustrated more than angry.

"What do you mean? What guy?" you ask, entirely comfortable with playing dumb.

"The guy you were with? Who lifted a car with one hand?"

You lean back in your seat, feeling your friends' confused gazes on your face and trying to channel something similar, your forehead creasing. "Lifted a car? That's not possible. I don't know what you're trying to do, but it's not fun, can we please just move on?"

Tight-lipped, he stares at you, and it brings you immense satisfaction to know that he and his friends must realize that somehow, you were right. You found something, but you're not sharing.

"Dude, what are you even on?" Momo questions. "Leave before we call security. Preferably the town."

Joshua looks between you, and then scans the heads around him that he can see. But luckily, his friends don't seem to be close by, and there's not much he can do but shake his head in frustration and walk away.

Keeping your eyes on him, you turn in your chair, and right before he disappears behind another group of people, he looks back over his shoulder. Without Momo and Nayeon seeing, you drop the confused and slightly hurt look on your face and give him a small smile.

Scientists, the whole bunch of you, you know Jeongguk would have them frothing at the mouth the same way he has you, but you. are. not. sharing. At least not with them; if it were up to you, you'd definitely consider letting your own friends in on the secret.

Meeting Momo and Nayeon's very puzzled looks, you do feel bad for essentially lying to them. But it isn't your secret to share, and you made a promise not to.

"I just don't understand what their problem is," Nayeon questions, clearly upset. God, you're a lucky girl, having friends like yours. "If they say one more thing, I think you should tell Joon because he'll give them a piece of his mind, and a man's scolding might—unfortunately—be what they need."

"Or Yoongi," Momo adds. "Yoongi, when angry, is not fun."

You think about the black haired man with unimpressed, cat-like features. "I've never… I don't think I've ever seen Yoongi mad."

"He doesn't raise his voice or anything, he just…" Momo grimaces. "You know the creepy guy with mals?"

You shake your head slowly. Belgian Malinois seem to be the go-to dog breed for creepy guys. Either that or toy poodles.

"The white, bald guy? I think he's on steroids. He threatened Sana like, years ago, and Yoongi made him leave the clinic, like, tail between his legs, with one sentence and a look."

"Rings a bell," you nod, thinking back to when you first started at the clinic. "I guess it's not that surprising, actually? Yoongi is… I can't even describe him, but he works by vibe? He can have the same no-expression on his face, and you know exactly what mood he's in regardless."

"Yeah. And he's sweet. You should tell him. Or Joon."

You lean back. "I don't know. If they approach me again, I'll think about it, but I don't feel like they're dangerous. Mostly annoying at this point."

"Still, they need to know it's not acceptable," Momo says, lifting the beer to her lips.

"Yeah," you breathe in agreement. "What time is it?"

"Eleven, just about," Nayeon answers, looking at her phone.

"I should get going." You slap your thighs like an old man having been out too late.

"You have the day off tomorrow, though, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I'm spent," you lie. There's one cup of spit and one of venom in your fridge, and they're both calling your name. God, aren't you a special kind.

Nayeon narrows her eyes. "Are you seeing someone we don't know about?"

Just about to stand, you freeze. "Uh, no? Why?"

"Cause Joshua mentioned a guy. And you have been a little absent lately."

Fuck.

"Okay, well…. It's not what you think, okay?" you start, deciding on a smaller white lie. "You know the guy with the stray kittens?"

Momo's eyes widen comically. "Uh… yeah?"

"I'm not seeing him as in seeing him, but I've been helping him with the kittens off-hours. He's not really an animal guy—well, he seems to like animals, he just lacks experience—and I don't really feel great charging him when he's doing a good deed, raising them."

"Oh, that's nice." Nayeon nods.

"But you like him too?" Momo asks, watching your cheeks start to burn.

Fine, seems like you have to admit defeat to your friends—just like you did your mother—at least a bit.

"You saw him," you point out, stirring the melting remains of ice in your glass with the straw. "How could I not?"

Momo chuckles. "That's why I'm wondering. Does he happen to have any friends in town?"

Before you can help it, your eyes widen. "Yeah, he does. Saw an entire friend group with him like… three weeks ago; they're all gorgeous."

"Well, let us know if you see them again," Nayeon encourages, smirking.

You laugh, partially at your friends and partially nervously at what you might've just signed up for. Jeongguk told you his friends were vampires too; would you set your friends onto vampires?

Sure, Jeongguk's nice, but you don't know his friends, and the last thing you want is direct your friends onto someone's dinner plate.

"I will."

"Alright. So, if you're really going home and not to cat guy's, let us know when you've gotten back, okay? If we don't hear from you in twenty, we're calling the cops."

You roll your eyes, but nod. Luckily, they didn't ask whether 'cat guy' actually lifted a car or not.

Walking home from the bar usually takes you around 12 minutes, the perks of living in a small town, but tonight, the…. eyes you think you feel on you as soon as you venture off the lively street have you covering the distance in 8.

Maybe it's paranoia? After all, you started feeling watched only after you conveniently found out there could be an assailant slowly but surely approaching your neighborhood. Despite trying to stay calm, the breath you let out when you're finally able to close and lock your apartment door behind you is long.

Recalling your promise, you send Nayeon a quick text, confirming your safety. She sends a heart back.

The blue numbers on your oven tell you it's nearing midnight when you finally sit down at your kitchen table, the microscope and the sample cups—fresh from the fridge—in front of you. The first drop you let fall on a slide is of Jeongguk's saliva. Clear, more viscous than water, it looks very much like something you could've spit into the container.

If you expected a groundbreaking, scientific discovery there in your kitchen, you'd be disappointed. Besides a lot… cleaner, Jeongguk's saliva looks like that of a human. And by cleaner, you mean that there's a lot less bacteria floating around. You're not entirely sure why, maybe analyzing the fluid would reveal some sort of additional antibacterial aspect?

God, the crimes you'd commit to have your own lab, capable of analyzing your collection of vampire bodily fluids.

Repeating the process but with a drop of Jeongguk's venom, you make extra sure to handle it with care. After all, you don't know a lot about it, and although Jeongguk claimed it wasn't dangerous in smaller quantities, maybe it stings like hell if you touch it and it enters a microscopic wound?

While you've never looked at pure venom under a microscope before, you've witnessed the cellular aftermath of envenomation as part of your education. You've seen cell shapes entirely mangled by one kind of venom, and you've seen blood turned to jelly by another. Death, essentially, following a snake bite.

To both the naked eye and those seeing through a magnified lens, Jeongguk's venom and saliva look quite similar. Even ordinary; not a lot happening within the clear fluids.

You stare at it, wondering…

Three seconds later, you're rising from the kitchen chair, eager steps taking you into the hallway where you rummage through the upper drawer of your small dresser. It's the designated knick knack spot, most of the contents more or less stolen from work; pens, clips, box cutters, and notes, but also things that sales representatives leave with you, hoping your clinic will become a distributor.

Digging through teeny tiny bags of cat treats—you don't even have a cat—you find a wrapped alcohol swab and the little glucose monitor kit you remember receiving last year.

Unzipping the small black bag, you grab the spring-loaded pricker and a lancet and leave the rest haphazardly in the drawer while you make your way back into the kitchen, already wiping your left index finger clean.

Realizing you should've removed the slide first, you do so with your finger clumsily held in the air, and then you're pricking your skin above the glass. To gather enough blood, you squeeze your fingertip, and with a big enough red bead on your skin, you turn your finger upside down, letting it drip.

Even before you put the coverslip back on top and lock the slide back under the lens, you watch the fluids mix, and your blood dilute. Because you're a creature of (human) habit, you put the pricked fingertip into your mouth as you lean forward to peer through the oculars. Only to stop breathing.

One by one, Jeongguk's venom drowns your red blood cells. You watch in real time as cell after cell warps, the venom aggressively mangling their cell membrane and starting to dissolve them. It's inevitable; they can't escape.

You watch the wave of death for close to a minute, and when only a few cells remain alive, fighting for their life, you lean back in your chair, and you stare at your ceiling.

Despite making another mind-blowing discovery right there in your kitchen only that morning, you can't shake that this feels… different.

Bag packed to the brim, you make the now very familiar drive out to Jeongguk's house in a better, more easy going mood than you were in the night before. It must've been the… alcohol remnants and the discomfort of walking home alone. Right?

You're smiling excitedly even before the door to the large house opens, even more so when your vampire appears, ushering you through the small gap 'before the kids escape.' While he doesn't touch you, he's certainly not scared of being close, and before you know it, you're standing there in the small hallway again.

"Hey, Mina," you greet one of the 'kids' toeing around your feet. "And… Lilith, was it?" you nod toward the mother cat that appears from God knows where, stroking herself against Jeongguk's leg. He's wearing light wash jeans similar to those he wore yesterday, but this time, he's also—unfortunately—wearing a dark green t-shirt.

"Wait," you pause, wide eyes watching him. "You did not."

Jeongguk lifts his eyes to meet yours, a knowing grin pulling on his lips.

"'Lilith' as in the mother vampire? 'Mina' as in Dracula's wife, and 'Ruby' for blood red, I assume? Don't tell me 'Angel' is after the vampire in Buffy?"

He chuckles, bending down to pick up the little kitten, who's definitely not as little anymore. She meows and closes her eyes almost instantly, cozying up on Jeongguk's arm and against his chest.

"What about… 'Nyx,' was it?"

"'Nyx' is the Goddess of the night," he informs, reaching his unoccupied hand out to take your bag the moment you set it down to take your shoes off.

"Went right over my head."

You think back to that night, when he stood beside you, holding onto that chilly metal railing outside the bar and telling you the kittens' names.

"I know you probably didn't plan on showing me like that, but were you planning to? At all?"

With your shoes neatly to the side, you straighten up and take a step toward him, intending on following him into the house. But he doesn't move, just watches you with your bag in one hand and the satisfied kitten on his other arm.

"I wanted to, but I'm not entirely sure I would've, had I not done it then. I definitely wasn't supposed to, so… naming them like that made me feel like I was at least giving you a little hint. Maybe even testing the waters a bit."

He tilts his head slightly, looking down at you before he seemingly remembers what you were supposed to do. "Anyway…"

Sight set on the kitchen, he leads. You follow, looking around even though nothing's changed since last time.

"So, about the house… Was it really passed down?"

"No," he shakes his head, putting the black kitten down on the kitchen counter and turning to you. "I bought it in… uh, sometime during the first half of the 19th century, I think. Tried to keep up with all the trends for my estates but gave up after a while. If I actually live somewhere, I'll have it up to standard, but like this, when I'm just visiting?"

"It was furnished like this already?"

"Yeah. I had the running water and electricity installed later on. Was quite the pain in the ass to be honest."

"It's a cool house, though," you compliment, once again peering around the light kitchen. "A bit like a museum. Can't believe you're so old, honestly, like you lived when this was trendy?"

Jeongguk inhales sharply, blinking dramatically in an offense you know he doesn't feel. It makes you laugh.

"Anyway," he repeats his earlier segue, putting your bag down on the floor and reaching for the fridge handle. You watch as he grabs a jug of already mixed blood, putting it on the counter with a soft thud.

"You only wanted blood from after I've eaten, right? Not before?"

Nodding, you can't believe the situation you're in. "Yeah. Thank you."

For a short while, silence settles. It's far from uncomfortable, and you're very busy, watching Jeongguk prepare the blood. First, he pours a big glass of it, plucking a spoon from a drawer to stir it. Of course, your gaze is torn between the way his big, veiny hands hold onto that fragile-looking glass and how his muscles dance discreetly under his skin as he stirs.

Putting the spoon down on the counter, he places the glass in the microwave, presses start, and then turns to you.

"Can I ask why you're visiting?" you take the opportunity to ask as the microwave hums lowly and the glass rotates inside it.

"You can ask," he smirks, leaning back against the counter. "But I can only tell you that it's for work."

"Work?" Eyebrows knitted together, you stare at him. "Like… vampire work?"

"Yeah."

But what kind of work would be deemed 'vampire work?'

"You don't like… work for the Volturi, right?"

"The what? Volturi?"

"Yeah, the vampire…. governing body—I guess—in Twilight. They keep the vampire citizens in check; make sure they don't hunt humans to extinction or expose themselves to them. Or, like, turn babies into vampires."

"Oh. No, not really."

"Good, 'cause you would've probably have broken a lot more rules than you actually did for telling me. And I would be in more shit for knowing."

…Which reminds you…

"Also, uhm…"

Jeongguk raises a dark eyebrow, curious as to what's suddenly gotten you apologetic.

"My classmates… They might approach you if they see you. Just to let you know. Sorry."

"They've been giving you any trouble after what I did?" he asks, voice turning serious.

You sigh. "No, not really. One approached me and asked about you, but he was more… frustrated and shocked than angry, I think. But I mean, what you did is not something a human just does."

A smile pulls on Jeongguk's lips. "I know. That was the point."

The microwave beeps behind him, indicating that his blood has reached his preferred temperature. The body temperature of a human. He turns, opening the door and taking the glass out.

At least relieved that he doesn't seem bothered, you let your shoulders relax a little. "Yeah, I know. I'm just warning you."

"I appreciate it," he says, retrieving the spoon from the counter to stir the red liquid again. "You don't need to worry about me, though."

Eyes again appreciating his hands and arms as he stirs, you can't let go quite yet. "I mean clearly you'd be able to defend yourself if they for some reason wanted to fight, but I'm mostly thinking whether them knowing and stirring up shit does cause you trouble."

"They didn't strike me as people who would tell. And who would believe them?"

"True." After all, you said the same thing.

"And if it comes to it, I can be pretty persuasive."

The tiny smirk he shoots your way has your skin heating, but yet another thought growing.

"You haven't seen The Vampire Diaries, either, have you?"

"No. Is that another movie?"

"A series."

He looks between you and the glass he holds up. "So, I drink this now? Just so you know, I'll get progressively sleepier in a few minutes."

You nod, the Vampire Diaries connection forgotten as a different memory resurfaces and a subsequent realization hits. "Wait, so… were you like dead asleep right after I left when I asked you to drink blood that first time?"

He smiles, putting the glass to his mouth for a first sip. "Yeah. It was pretty fitting that you left, actually. I can stay awake, but it's hard."

You don't quite notice how your smile grows until he asks you about it, wiping his mouth. "What's so funny?"

Watching him gulp down more of the contents, your eyes struggle to stray from his Adam's apple and how it moves with every swallow. "Not funny. I just find that… insanely adorable? What do you mean you eat and then you actually struggle to stay awake? How is that a good evolutionary trait when we don't have to?"

'We' as in 'you.'

Humans.

"Don't make me regret telling you about it," he says, giving you a warning eye and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand again. "Biologically, if I had… hunted for this," he lifts the mostly empty glass, coated in red, "then I wouldn't feel tired until the adrenaline wears off. Since I microwaved this, and I'm chilling in my own house, it hits sooner."

"Sorry. That's kinda cool actually."

He gives you a sweet look that tells you you're forgiven, and then he puts the empty glass down on the counter. "We can sit on the bed."

When he points to the bag you placed on the floor earlier, eyebrows raised in a silent question, you nod. "Yeah, I'll need that."

Before even giving you the chance to, he grabs the handles of your blue backpack, already heading toward the hall and the stairs. You follow closely behind, seeing two kittens play at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're so modern," you comment as you climb the stairs behind him. "Like, I would imagine it's hard to keep up with the ever-changing trends, and so I wouldn't blame you for not even trying? But you speak so normally, and you dress like that?"

"Like what?" you hear him chuckle.

"Like every other modern guy. Not that you're basic or anything, just that nothing about you screams ancient."

You hear the amusement in his voice as he turns to you at the top of the stairs. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," you say, looking up at him as you come to stand before him. It's true, what you said, and while natural, non-altered facial structures don't change much with society, you could never tell by his face either. In a way, he's got a very classic beauty to him. At least according to you, but you don't say that, of course.

"Thank you, then. It's definitely something you learn; going with the flow of society. But it's also harder these days when trends evolve and cycle much faster than before. You used to get 20 years to adapt to big societal changes and now you barely get five. Some trends are dead and buried within six months."

You haven't been in his bedroom since it was covered in a thick layer of dust. Like the rest of the house, it's clean now. He doesn't seem to have a lot of stuff, but the bed is made with white fluffy sheets, a thick, golden bedspread over them and a big, black towel folded at the foot of it.

"Make yourself comfortable," he says, gesturing toward the bed as he puts the backpack down on the floor. "When do you want to take the blood?" he asks, grabbing the towel and unfolding it to drape over the bed.

Noticing your silence, he peers back at you.

"Uh… preferably in an hour and then an hour after that…"

"But…?" he asks, sensing your slight hesitancy.

"But there's something I'd like to do in the meantime."

You can't help it, the slightly sheepish smile that pulls on your lips. Or the heat you feel rise but desperately hope he can't see.

"You look like it's something you're afraid I won't like?"

"I don't know. I mean, I hope you'll be okay with it, and after last time, I think so?"

"Well, what is it?"

His dark eyes are curious and entertained like always, and you most definitely suspect he knows what's going on in your head.

"So when you lifted the car… using one hand, might I add, it made me curious about your back. A human would've probably herniated at least three discs and snapped their spine if they were able to even lift it like that. I figure that everything's probably just… stronger like the anatomy of your arm…"

"…But you'd like to see?"

Essentially asking to feel him up again, you bite your lip and nod once. "Yeah."

Instead of teasing you about it, Jeongguk unceremoniously grabs the shirt at the back of his neck and yanks it over his head, tossing it onto the foot of the bed. Taking the action as consent, you crouch in front of your backpack, excitedly rummaging through it for two things. Well, four things: your small notebook and a pen that you clip to the collar of your t-shirt included.

Sitting down on the edge of his bed—on its right side—Jeongguk looks back at you, his gaze falling to the thick books in your hands.

"Went to the library," you explain, placing them on the bed, next to his discarded shirt.

He cranes his neck to read the titles. One is just a huge book on human anatomy, and the other is slightly thinner and focused on sports medicine.

"Thought you knew everything?"

"I'm a veterinarian. I'd say I know a lot about humans, but far from everything."

A silence settles as you climb onto the bed, positioning yourself behind him and the books at your side for easy access. Jeongguk keeps his head sideways, calmly and quietly watching you open the thicker book on the right chapter, inspecting the sketched human back and its muscles.

Lifting your own gaze from the pages, you take in the sight of his broad, naked back in front of you.

"Okay, so I can…?" you ask, hand hovering over his skin.

He nods, turning his head forward and rolling his shoulders once. Slightly wide-eyed, you stare at the casual display of his muscles. God damn.

Shaking any non-scientific thought out of your head, you begin.

The first thing you do is let your fingers trace his spine as you search for the landmarks. Despite having a very, very low body fat percentage, Jeongguk's vertebrae are less prominent than you'd expected. You can still feel them, however, and soon enough, you have your fingertips on C7, the more prominent vertebra located at the bottom of the neck.

"I can barely feel your spine," you mumble, mostly to yourself.

Is there something other than fat almost… covering them? Can't be anything besides the connective ligaments, you think to yourself. In that case, they're a lot thicker and stronger than in a human. Unless it's muscle that's covering them? Or… maybe his vertebrae have a different design? Maybe they're smoother? Forehead creasing, you consider the shapes possible for vertebrae still able to connect and allow the spine to bend.

You grab the pen from your neckline, keeping your left hand on Jeongguk's back while your right scribble some quick notes in your notebook.

'Vertebrae non-prominent, covered by? muscle/ligaments? different structures?'

Moving on, you leave the pen on the notebook and instead put your right index finger on the drawing. Your left one copies the movement of your right as you trail it down toward the middle of Jeongguk's back.

Latissimus Dorsi. It's one of the muscles at risk of damage from a too-heavy one-handed lift like what you saw Jeongguk perform. Of course, you don't know whether the action impacted him at all; maybe he sustained micro tears? Doesn't make the feat any less impressive.

Using both hands, you trace the muscle where it connects to the spine, all the way from his mid back to the lower part of it.

"Do you usually lift heavy like that?"

As if he wasn't paying that much attention—or just not expecting to be spoken to—he takes a second or two to find his voice. And when he does, you feel your heart squeeze almost pathetically at how he already sounds a little sleepy.

"Yeah. I don't really need to work out to keep my muscles all that much, I just do stuff because it's fun."

"Oh? if my memory serves me right, a human needs to work out a muscle at least within two weeks or it'll start to atrophy to save energy. Muscles are really metabolically expensive to keep."

He straightens up a little. "I could go longer than that, I think. I usually do kinda workout more often than that though."

"Interesting," you remove your hands altogether to note down his words. "And does lifting heavy come with any kind of pain? Soreness?"

"Only if I strain myself, but that happens very rarely. Not when I lifted the car for example."

You nod, more so to yourself. "Okay. So you probably do get micro tears. How long does the soreness typically last?"

"A few hours at most."

"Really? A human will usually be sore for days."

"Yeah. Losers."

A bubbling laughter escapes you, but afterward, another bout of silence settles.

Jeongguk's breaths are slow and deep, and you feel every one of them under your hands as you move them over his back. He yawns.

"Do you need me… conscious?" he asks, repeating the same words from the clinic and glancing at you from over his shoulder. His barely-open eyes and sleepy words pull on your heartstrings. Not only because he's endearing and adorable, but because he's seemingly so comfortable with you. As established, you for sure don't pose a threat to him, but still…

"I mean, I don't mind, but… I guess if you're okay with it…?"

You move when he does, scooting back to give him enough space as he sighs deeply and lies down on his stomach. He's already closing his eyes.

"Go to town," he mumbles.

"You really trust me that much?" you ask, putting your hand on his lower back, feeling the thoracolumbar fascia that connects the latissimus dorsi to the spine. "What if I hurt you?"

"It's pretty hard to hurt me, and I never got the impression that you'd try."

That's definitely true, and you're glad he feels that. While the biggest risk of trusting you has never been bodily harm but exploitation for your scientific research—maybe even fame—you've never had any interest in that.

"I could be a vampire hunter, waiting for the chance to stake you?"

Without even opening his eyes, Jeongguk chuckles. "What a way to go, then. First massaged by a pretty woman and then staked in my sleep. Couldn't complain."

Head and heart soaring in the clouds—and cheeks warm—you can't do anything but flick his skin. He laughs, but it's even more sleepy now.

"Insane," you mumble, reaching for the books again. While you adjust, sitting cross-legged with the anatomy book open in your lap—this time your left hand on the sketch and your right on Jeongguk's skin—he falls asleep.

Once again, you have a gorgeous, huge, superhuman man unconscious under your hands, and you'd be a fool not to take advantage of the situation. Not that you're doing anything he'd object to if awake but feeling his body is easier when you don't have to worry about any kind of tension growing.

Fingers softly tracing the skin and then pressing just a tad harder, feeling the structures underneath, you note that… there's not a lot to note. Besides the vertebrae not being as easily felt, the rest of him feels as expected. His muscles are thick and well-developed, and the ligaments feel stronger and sturdier, just like the ones you managed to ultrasound in his arm. So no surprise there.

It's been roughly ten minutes since you think Jeongguk fell asleep when you feel something. You've got your right hand on his upper back, curiously inspecting his scapula and the trapezius muscle that stretches up toward his neck when there's… a grumbling? It has you pausing, wondering if maybe he said something. But a quick glance at his face confirms that he's still asleep, cheek resting heavily against a pillow.

He must've mumbled in his sleep or something, which… cute.

You resume, hand sliding down his spine and to his side, when you feel it again. But this time, it's not a quick ordeal; it's… longer. The sound is low, starting deep in his chest and reverberating up and through your hand. It's almost soundless, just a low, low sound in the otherwise silent room.

Your heart does what you can only describe as a backflip because it reminds you an awful lot of… purring.

It's been almost an hour when the purring stops. You have your hand on his lower side, toward the back, flipping pages with the other.

"Find anything fun?" a low, raspy voice asks you.

You look up to see that Jeongguk is watching you, his eyes warm but sleepy.

"Uhm, yeah," you state, abandoning the current page search and returning to another. "This," you say, moving your right hand to his upper side, where you run it back and forth, "seems to be an…"

You lift the book to read the small insert aloud. "'Axillary arch.' Which is a muscle… variation. Sometimes considered vestigial. Humans can still have it, but it seems like only around five percent of people do. And not only do you have it, but it seems to be super well developed. Turn over, please?"

No questions asked, Jeongguk rolls over slowly, looking up at you where he now lies on his back. With your eyes buried in the book, you reach for his arm that's closest to you, making it clear you want him to lift it. He does, obediently placing his hand above his head, waiting for whatever you're going to do.

"Okay, so it's a variation of the latissimus dorsi, which is this muscle on your back that reaches up here, " you explain, tracing his side. "But the axillary arch is when it branches off over here, connecting to the pectorals."

You look at your hand as it glides over his warm, taut skin, close to his armpit, feeling for the attachments. "It says here that many think it's useless, but that some suggest that it brings strength but also a more advanced shoulder proprioception."

"And what would that mean?"

"Well, if it does what they suggest, it essentially gives you almost a sixth sense when it comes to body control. Helps your body know how to move appropriately, at least your upper body and arms, and just how much force to use. My guess would be that it's actually very useful when you're so much stronger."

"Hm."

You continue. "Considering a low percentage of humans have it too, it could be another 'you' thing more than a vampire thing, though. I assume you don't know whether others like you have it too?"

"No."

"Alright," you smile at him. "It's very cool, though. Can't believe I missed it."

"When did you miss it?"

"Last time at the clinic? I was feeling your lymph nodes in your armpit."

"Oh yeah." He grins widely

You narrow your eyes as it hits you. The sound you heard when you felt for the nodes… was him letting out a little breath of laughter? "You were awake, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

You just shake your head, putting the book down. "Anyway, would it be alright to draw some blood?"

"Sure."

You get off the bed, digging through the bag for the supplies before you get back on the covers.

"Sit up, please?"

He does, leaning back against the wooden headboard and holding that veiny arm out for you. You position it how you want it, not thinking too much about how you inevitably place his warm hand to rest on your upper thigh, palm up. Drawing blood while sitting on a bed is understandably a first for you.

"You know you don't really have to do that. Or use gloves," he mentions when you wipe his skin with an antiseptic wipe.

You pause, thinking it through before deciding. "Don't wanna take any risks," you mumble.

Focused, you use the same kind of needle as last time, pushing it into his vein. It goes smoother this time around since you already know how much pressure to use. The whole process is smoother, relatively quick, and… silent.

Every glance at Jeongguk's face as he watches your hands tells you that he's dozing off again. It's such an endearing yet… surprising sight; the big, buff, half-naked vampire sitting up and his eyes getting heavier by the second. You don't tease him for it, honestly still flattered that he lets you see him like this.

"Okay, I'm done," you speak quietly. "Do you want me to leave it in or take it out and re-stick later?"

He opens his eyes half way, glancing tiredly at you. "It's up to you. I don't mind either way."

"Okay, hold on," you say, putting some gauze against his skin as you pull the needle out. Of course, it's more out of habit than need because the puncture wound doesn't bleed; it's barely a wound at all. "You can lie down."

He doesn't answer, just shifts to lie back down. Tired, he blinks heavily, and you can basically see him slowly fall asleep again.

With the anatomy book open on the muscles on the front of the human body, you trace his slow-moving chest lightly. To your delight, the… purring starts again.

Your touch is soft as usual when you trace his collarbones, making mental notes of the thickness and hardness of them, his sternum and the dip between his pectoral muscles, and the visible parts of his obliques and where they attach to his ribcage. His chest moves slowly and rhythmically under your hand, and his skin is invitingly warm. You'd write down your discoveries, but there aren't really any more.

Ten minutes later, you have indeed somewhat securely ruled out any big differences. You've even counted his ribs, and somewhere, between the slow, deep breaths of the vampire next to you, and the fact that you didn't sleep that well last night, the sleep bug bites you to.

Your tired eyes glance around the room. It's quiet and calm, and Jeongguk's bed is very spacious.

Would he mind? You don't think so.

Slowly and carefully, you lie down, leaving a good amount of space between you. The low sound coming from him—the purring—is so incredibly relaxing, even if you're too far away to feel it.

Unfortunately, you wake up to movement. Movement moving you.

Big, warm, strong arms are dragging you across the bed by your waist and torso, pulling your back flush against him. Despite waking up only half a second ago, your eyes are already open and they widen further when you feel Jeongguk's mouth in your hair. He draws a big breath, alarm bells sounding in your head as you're reminded of how he used your smell to trigger his fangs.

By pure instinct, you try to wiggle out of his grasp, but your arms are stuck, held tightly against your body, and panic starts to rise when you can't move.

He has to let you go; you can't overpower him.

Your heart beats so hard it hurts when he pulls you even closer, his mouth lowering, as if searching for something. You can barely move a muscle in his hold.

"Jeongguk?" you call desperately.

And just like that, he relaxes. Quick to sit up and carefully move toward the other end of the bed, you watch him. Eyes closed, lying on his side and breathing slowly and calmly, he's still asleep. God, you nearly shit yourself. Are you worried for your safety around him? Not necessarily, but him seemingly grabbing you in his sleep?

Smelling you and perhaps even searching for your neck?

A shiver racks your body.

Jeongguk continues to sleep soundly and unfazed for another twenty minutes, all while your racing heart slowly quiets down to normal again. Flipping through the books in your lap, you find yourself grateful that he didn't wake up because… he still let you go and maybe it would've also made it awkward? Whatever you and Jeongguk are, cuddle buddies aren't quite it.

Another reason for your gratitude is the vision the current situation grants you. Not that of Jeongguk asleep and shirtless—well, that too—but 15 minutes before he wakes up for the second time, someone enters the room. You don't hear the little paws; you only notice when the little kitten has climbed the bed and is in the process of climbing Jeongguk.

You can't tear your eyes away. You think it's… Nyx? who appears on his back, sight set on the little curve at the back of Jeongguk's neck. The kittens must be around five weeks old at this point, meaning they get around pretty efficiently but have yet to acquire the feline elegance someone like their mom possesses.

Jeongguk doesn't stir the slightest as the kitten gives off a tiny meow and curls up at the back of his neck, even tucking its paws in under itself.

And to make it worse, she's not the only one. Within a span of minutes, two more come padding, one using its claws to climb up Jeongguk's jeans, settling comfortably in the curve of his lower back. The other—Mina—finds her way to his front, squeezing in under his thick arm and curling up in the small space between his bicep and his chin.

Whatever you've claimed before, this is the cutest thing you've ever seen in your entire life. If you listen closely, you can hear at least two of the kittens purring.

Smiling to yourself, you turn the page to read about meniscus tears.

You're halfway through the section when movement catches your attention, and you lift your gaze from the text. Jeongguk is waking up, slowly opening his eyes and shifting.

"They're very comfortable with you, dad," you muse.

Jeongguk gives you a sleepy grin.

"Cats also like warm things," you continue.

"Yeah, I've noticed," he says, repeating what he told you the first time you informed him of the feline trait. You wonder if he was already referring to the kittens and their mother's desire to cuddle him? "If I don't have the fire going, they always come and find me," he says, taking a deep breath.

You can't do anything but observe, almost inclined to ask whether you can take a picture. "This is for sure the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Jeongguk lets out a lazy chuckle before reminding you of something. "Did you want more blood?"

"Oh. Yeah, if you're willing to give it?" You glance at your watch. "I'll need to leave soon."

He glances at you curiously. "Late shift at the clinic?"

"No," you shake your head. "Or, well, it depends. The Bar is having a Halloween night, and I promised Nayeon and Momo I'd come. But I'm also on call tonight, and this time of year, we see a lot of horses colicking and canine poisonings."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Rapid temperature drops often make horses drink a lot less water, leading to blockages, essentially. And Halloween means candy everywhere and a larger risk of dogs getting into it."

"Ah. Sucks. I heard about the Halloween event. Tae wanted to go."

"Dress up and everything?" you question, wide-eyed.

You enjoy social get-togethers just as much as the next person, and you for sure like everything Halloween; it's just the overhanging anxiety regarding the mix of you, halloween themes, and the public.

"Yeah? Just because we're old doesn't mean we're boring. I can be a party guy if I want to."

"So you're going? Dressed as what?"

"You'll have to wait and see. What are you going as?"

"You think I'll tell you if you're not telling me?"

"I guess not. Do I have to sit up? For the blood?"

"Preferably, unfortunately," you smile sadly, looking at the kittens, all so comfortable.

Incredibly endeared, you watch Jeongguk reach behind him, gently grasping the black kitten sleeping deeply and satisfied on his warm skin. She wakes up, letting out a sad meow as she's being airlifted off Jeongguk by his large hand.

"Of course it was you," he mumbles when the kitten comes into view. "This one would crawl inside my skin if she could."

He puts her down on the bedspread, and she immediately bolts back to him, entirely intending on reclaiming her spot or at least one against his skin. Not like you can blame her. The other two—one under his arm and the other still on his lower back—move on their own when their heater slowly starts to sit up.

It's mostly that first one, stubbornly wanting to warm herself against him.

"No," he scolds gently, moving her away so that he can sit up without her accidentally getting in the way.

The moment he's upright and seated against the headboard, however, she uses her claws to climb up his jeans. He doesn't intervene until she's climbed her way up to the waistband of his pants and the visible band of his underwear, obviously having her sight set on warmth.

"No, you can't go in there," he chuckles, lifting her off a second before she digs her way in between his jeans and underwear.

"Do they sleep in here too?" you wonder, watching the little kitten fight for her rights.

"Yeah, most of the time. I prefer to sleep in a slightly… cooler environment, but if I don't have the fire burning, then they find me. I tried closing the door once—for their safety because what if I crush them in my sleep?—but that was a mistake because Lilith was just screaming at me to open the door."

You don't bring up that he almost accidentally murdered you in his sleep only half an hour ago. Okay, that's an over exaggeration but who knows what could've happened?

Still, it wasn't intentional, and he's clearly concerned about accidentally hurting others. Well, his kittens, but you feel like you belong in that category too; someone pathetically weak compared to him, easily injured, and who gravitates toward him. You definitely also like warm things.

Retrieving the equipment needed for yet another blood draw, you move closer to him. This time, you don't use gloves, but as he offers you his arm, you still clean his skin and your hands with antibacterial wipes.

"This doesn't hurt you?" you ask as you push the needle through his skin, out of the corner of your eye seeing him pet the kitten, who's settled on his thigh.

"No. I mean, I can feel it, and it's not nice, but it doesn't really hurt."

"That's good, makes me feel better for poking you so much."

"It's fine," he smiles, eyes on the little kitten as another approaches. "Have you… looked at it? Under microscope or whatever it was that you wanted to do?"

Fastening the needle with some tape, you reach for the first out of three vials.

"Yeah. Do you want to know what I found? Unless you already know the differences?"

"I think that we have smaller… cells? And more iron? At least that's what I remember."

"Yeah," you confirm, watching the blood start to fill the vial. It's just as dark as the samples sitting in your freezer. "Your red blood cells are smaller than mine, and so there's room for a lot more, even considering they're already packed, hence the darker color. Combined, they have a bigger surface area and can bind more oxygen, which I'm sure contributes to your strength. Your muscles get more blood due to the size of your veins, and your blood carrying loads more oxygen than a human man's would."

"Interesting."

"Yeah. Funny enough, goats have a similar… set up."

Amused, Jeongguk raises his eyebrows. "Goats?"

"Yeah. They're built to thrive at higher altitudes where oxygen is scarcer and one needs to be oxygen-efficient."

"That's cool."

"Yeah, I think so to. I haven't been able to analyze it at the lab yet, though." Removing the full vial, you attach the second. "And your saliva looks very similar to a human's, only less… bacterial. So I'm guessing there's something antibacterial in there that kills off bacteria. Which could make sense from an evolutionary standpoint if you're supposed to drink from the same human on different occasions. A dirty mouth would lead to more infections and human deaths."

"I think I heard something about that too, actually."

You blink, pretending to be offended. "You know these things but don't tell me?"

He smirks lazily. "I mean, what fun is that? Besides, I mostly remember them because you're bringing them up. I learned whatever I know so long ago, and it's knowledge I don't really need in my day-to-day life."

"I guess you're forgiven."

He chuckles. "You can't say you don't prefer getting to see and discover for yourself?"

You think about it, and sure, maybe you do. "Fine. But what if I miss things? I can't possibly go over every single part of your biology in a few weeks."

"You can try? And what about my venom?"

"You're stressing me out, Jeongguk," you admit, anxiety rising at the thought of having to explore without any help at all. "And your venom just looks a lot like your saliva, but seemingly behaves pretty similarly to some types of snake venom. I did—"

A loud meow interrupts you as the two exploring kittens seemingly get into a fight. They scream and hiss at each other in a way that's surprising for such young kittens. But before you know it, it's over.

"You're calm," Jeongguk pets the kitten on his lap. "You're a good girl."

"How do you know it's a she?" you nod toward the kitten without respect for personal boundaries.

"I can smell the difference."

"You can?"

He hums.

Seeing that also the last vial is approaching fullness, you prepare to remove it. "Since the start?"

"Yeah."

"So your names weren't based on vibes at all?"

He grins, watching you once again detach the vial and use a wad of gauze to pull the needle out. No blood this time around either.

"No. Or I mean, yeah; vampire vibes."

You roll your eyes, curiosity still spiking.

"I haven't asked that much about your senses besides your vision… But your sense of smell is good then, I take it?"

"Yeah."

"Like that of a dog? Do I need to take an extra shower before meeting you? An additional layer of deodorant?"

He laughs quietly. "I don't know if it's as advanced as a dog's. Maybe slightly less? But you don't need to worry; you always smell really nice."

Well, you definitely hope he's not lying—and he didn't seem to mind smelling you in his sleep—but also, you'll definitely make sure to always be extra clean when meeting him.

"You're much more polite than I imagined a vampire to be. I'm done now, thank you," you say, grabbing the vials and the discarded material having gathered on the bedspread.

"It's true though. You smell really pleasant. Very womanly."

You raise your eyebrows as you stand from the bed, packing everything away inside your backpack. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment?"

"You should because it is."

In the middle of feeling your cheeks heat just a tad, you're suddenly reminded of something. You straighten up, watching him where he remains sitting on his bed, stroking the kitten's back as the two others explore the bed.

"I know that I have… maybe a below average sense of smell for a human—possibly an advantage with my job—but you don't… smell much to me."

If you weren't so panicked when he grabbed you, you for sure would've jumped at the opportunity to see what he smells like.

"Can you smell another human? If they're not wearing perfume or have been out, sweating for hours?"

"…No."

"Right. Humans generally aren't able to. Up close, skin to skin, sure but not really from a distance. Vampires communicate more by scent than humans do."

"So you don't wear perfumes?"

"No. I don't like perfumes. Mildly scented soaps and stuff are alright, but not perfumes. A few vampires wear them, but they're the bane of my existence. For example, I would rather you show up here smelling of organic cow shit than… Victoria's Secret."

You chuckle. "Good to know."

<previous | next>

It takes you an hour, mostly because you keep going back and forth regarding the layout, but when everything's transferred, you can't help but grab your favorite graphite pencil. It glides over a fresh page, depicting something you've had a hard time letting go since you saw it.

Another hour, maybe one and a half, and they're there: Jeongguk's laser-focused black eyes. Not pictured: the paperclip.

You keep going, and not long after, the next page contains a profile portrayal of his upper teeth. The central incisor, the lateral one, and then the long, thin, clearly superhuman canine. Behind it, you can glimpse the regular canine.

At nine-thirty pm, you're unlocking the heavy door, peering around carefully. There are no inpatient animals tonight, meaning the clinic should be entirely empty. Also meaning: you have no business inside the building.

Thus, it's dark as you enter, and you only turn on what light you absolutely need as to not risk being found out if any of your colleagues were to drive past—or God forbid, return to retrieve something forgotten—and see the place lit. Walking through the quiet corridors, you note that you have approximately twenty-five minutes to prepare.

At five minutes to ten, your phone dings. Since your outfit for once consists of something other than scrubs, you grab the device from your jean pocket to read the text displayed on the screen.

Jeon Jeongguk: I'm here

You don't reply, just stand from the chair you've been sitting on to note down some things, and head toward the entrance.

Like so many times before, you spot the tall, dark shape waiting just outside the door as soon as you enter the reception area, your heart skipping an excited beat.

With quick fingers, you unlock the door, and then you're peering up at him.

"Hi," you greet, backing up and watching as he steps inside, a tiny gust of wind accompanying him and making goosebumps rise on your arms.

He's wearing black again. A black leather jacket over a black shirt, and dark-wash jeans of the looser kind.

"Hi," he echoes, smiling down at you. His hair is windswept, and you swear his eyes might be even darker than last time you saw him.

You'd say you're quite a talented artist, but God, your drawing of his eyes is nothing compared to the real thing. You almost want to ask him whether all vampires are beautiful because you do remember his friends at the bar, and they were gorgeous as well.

"This way," you say, turning around.

Wordlessly, Jeongguk follows as you lead the way back to the room where he first apologized with the empty crate. Should someone, for some reason, visit the clinic, you'll be safest from discovery hidden away in the farthest room.

Keeping a distance of around a meter or so, Jeongguk's boots thump heavily against the floor as he trails behind you, a sound you're almost starting to find comfort in.

The door to the exam room is open, just like you left it, the light from inside pouring out into the otherwise dark hallway. You enter, shutting the door behind you when Jeongguk's through as well. You're not surprised to see him take his usual spot on the exam table, removing his jacket and folding it to lay beside him.

"You know, you can say no to this, right?" you ask, grabbing the sterile sheet of supplies you've prepared from the counter and placing it on the table next to him.

"It's fine. Consider it my apology for scaring you," he smiles warmly at you.

You return his gesture, pulling on some nitrile gloves.

"I'm very grateful. This is like…." you don't even know what to say as you drag the chair closer to him with your foot, sitting down and grabbing an antiseptic wipe to wipe down the inside of the elbow he wordlessly offers you. His skin is warm, radiating heat even through the gloves. "I feel like I'm the vampire, essentially vibrating at the thought of your blood."

He laughs at that, a lovely deep sound that goes straight to your heart.

"Well, I definitely don't need a tourniquet," you then mumble as you focus on his thick arm, pressing two fingers to the biggest vein and feeling it react almost like that of a human. It does give under pressure—but much less than a human's—quickly filling back up when you let go.

"Do you think this will work?" you ask, grabbing a needle and holding it up for him to see. It's one designed for the largest of dogs; the next step up in strength from a human grade needle.

"I don't know? I've never had my blood drawn."

Your eyes widen. "Really?"

You guess it makes sense, but it's still a surprise to hear.

"Yeah. Not really any use for it. And it wasn't really a thing when I was human."

"You sure you want to?"

"Yeah. How bad can it be? I'm not scared of pain or anything."

"Okay. Then I'll try with this one. It's usually a straight forward process, especially with veins like yours when you don't have to search for them. Or in my case, shave and search for them while holding the patient still."

Jeongguk grins.

"I'll try sticking you, and if it works, then I'll fill a few of these," you nod toward the vials on the blue sheet. "When I'm done, I'll remove the needle."

"Sounds good."

"Great."

Biting your lip, you focus on the needle as you angle it properly against the thick vein. You can't tell if Jeongguk is looking at your hands or your face, but you try not to think about his eyes on you.

Even though you've established that his skin doesn't feel too different from a human's besides the temperature, the needle is met with a surprising amount of resistance.

"Tell me if you want me to stop, okay?" you mumble, a little worried by the amount of pressure you're slowly forced to apply. You really don't want to accidentally stab him if his skin suddenly gives way.

Jeongguk only hums, clearly not that bothered. Slowly and very, very carefully, you increase the pressure, and then, the needle finally pierces through.

Relieved, you turn to the gathered equipment, reaching for some tape to fasten the needle against his skin, and then you're grabbing the first vial, attaching it.

Immediately, there's blood. It trickles in quicker than it would for an animal, or how you've seen your own blood do whenever you've had it drawn, and when you lean in, you notice that it's almost black. The gears inside your head are turning as you consider what it might mean. There's still a slight hint of red—a very dark red, which makes you wonder if his red blood cells are simply so tightly packed that—

Barely having time to finish the thought, you have to reach for the next vial, seeing the current one practically already filled to the brim.

Removing the full vial, you attach the new one, glancing up at his face when you're done. "Feeling okay?"

He nods and smiles softly, as if he realizes your (most likely very unnecessary) words are meant to be caring and not infantilizing.

"God, it smells of iron." You point out, blinking in surprise.

Jeongguk laughs. "Yeah. The iron also makes it a lot darker than human blood."

"I can see that," you say, replacing the second vial with the third and last one. "It looks like it's slightly more… viscous too," you comment, turning that second vial upside down. As you do, the blood pools at the new bottom, leaving a coat of dark red behind. Although it moves slower, its consistency is far from that of syrup; just a tiny bit less watery than your own blood.

"What are you going to do with them?"

"I'm bringing them home with me just so that no one sees them. I'll be looking at… Well, whatever I can see. Usually, putting a drop of blood under a microscope will let you see the red and white blood cells—which carry oxygen and keep one's immune system working, respectively—and then the platelets and plasma.

"Platelets can show things like how quick the body can heal a wound and plasma is basically the liquid that holds the proteins and electrolytes. So I'll be looking at shapes, amounts, and behaviors of the cells. Other than that, I can't really plan ahead because I have no idea what I'll see."

He nods, and you remove the last vial, placing it next to the other two on the sheet beside him. Giving him a quick warning, you then swiftly remove the needle, prepared to wipe any escaping blood with a bit of gauze. But there isn't any; not even a tiny pink dot remains as evidence.

"Uh…" you continue, trying to find your thoughts again as you peer between his flawless skin and the needle you definitely know you just pulled out. "Right… And if I can manage to do it without anyone noticing, I'd also love to analyze some of your blood here at the lab.

"I won't be able to look at the proteins themselves with my microscope at home, but I am particularly curious about them and why you can be so warm without the proteins in your blood essentially cooking. And also whether the lead poisoning you described has left any visible traces. And, of course, to see just how much iron is in your blood and whatnot."

You stand up, disposing the needle in the sharps container and remove the gloves to throw them in the trash. When you're done, you grasp two of the three vials from the table, backing toward the door. "I'll be right back, I'm just gonna put these in the centrifuge."

"Alright."

The dark hallways don't pose a problem for you, knowing every door and every turn like the back of your hand. Therefore, it doesn't take you more than a minute or two to locate the lab with the desktop centrifuge, popping the two vials in and starting the machine. It comes to life with a hum, and you leave the room to let it work in peace.

When you return to the exam room, Jeongguk is standing in front of the ultrasound machine you rolled into a corner prior to his arrival. It's an older model, bulky and ancient compared to the portable ones you take out into the field.

While he's watching that, you're watching him, having an embarrassingly hard time tearing your eyes from his wide, muscular back. And even though you just got to sit eye to eye with his veins, your gaze trails those veins spanning the back of his forearms almost hungrily. God, you can't remember the last time you had a crush like this. Wait, what?

"You wanted to use this one, right?" Jeongguk interrupts your thoughts as he gestures toward the machine, still inspecting it curiously.

"Yeah…" you confirm. He keeps looking at the machine as you retrieve the rest of the blood draw supplies, setting them on the counter along with the third vial; the one you're keeping un-centrifuged for your microscope at home.

"…But what?" he asks when he notices the slight hesitancy, looking back at you to see you leaning back against the counter, crossing your arms and biting your lip as you think.

"Well… your heart was a little hard to hear with the stethoscope, and considering everything—like how strong you evidently are—I'm just wondering if… maybe your muscles are somehow so dense that it's harder for sound to penetrate them?"

"Which would… make it difficult to see anything on an ultrasound as well?" he fills in.

Momentarily, your eyes lose their focus, staring into nothing but the air. "Realistically, they should still be soft enough to ultrasound 'cause, you know… they're not solid, but that bad boy over there is getting up there in age," you nod toward the ultrasound machine. "The portable one is with Yoongi, who's on call."

Jeongguk hums, dark eyes watching you and patiently waiting for your decision.

A thought hits you.

"Would you—" you start, gesturing toward the exam table before you have time to really consider whether your spontaneous idea will help or not. Unbothered, Jeongguk returns to his seated spot.

You approach, looking at his arm (entirely professional this time). You're curious about his muscles, and well, the arm he used to lift the car with is as good as any.

"Do you mind if I…?" you reach carefully for him.

He shakes his head, lifting his arm slightly toward you. You grasp it by the elbow as you consider where to start. God, it never stops surprising you how warm he is.

"Okay, relax," you mumble.

Besides warm like a radiator, his arm is so incredibly heavy, almost to the point where you lose your grip on it when he obeys your request and lets it go limp. Adjusting the hand under his elbow for support, you move the other to the inside of that same joint. All the while, you feel his curious gaze on you as you get to work.

"Not sore?" you ask, referring to how you just stuck a needle into that same spot.

"No. What are you searching for?" he asks, eyes on your fingers as you work them as gently as you can into the crease of his elbow.

"Your distal biceps tendon. Can you do this for me real quick? Make a fist and flex your arm, just a small bend at the elbow?"

He copies your brief demonstration, the contrast between your flexed arms almost comical. Still, it works, and you feel the tendon pop out under your thumb, its thickness and strength very obvious. The question is only: to what extent?

Using both hands again, you move one up his semi-flexed, very impressive biceps, and you try your best to trace the underlying anatomy, your eyes focused on the wall behind him. He's… firm. That's the best way you can describe him. Warm and firm.

"Can I fold this up?" you ask, tugging a little on the sleeve of his t-shirt in order to get to his shoulder.

"Yeah. Or I can just—?"

You take a step back when he grabs the shirt by the back of his neck and yanks it off.

"Yeah. Or that," you smile, trying not to stare at his golden chest. He just has to have your absolutely favorite body type, doesn't he? Wide shoulders, overall muscular but without too much, stringy definition. And that itty-bitty waist, complete with two tiny skin rolls as he sits? Not to mention the veins, but those practically never leave your mind anyway, spanning his hands and running all the way up his shoulders, even. And that's just his body; his face is even more gorgeous.

Oblivious to your infatuated thoughts—or maybe not, but you're not even going to consider that—he puts the shirt beside him, once more offering you his arm.

"Flexed? Or relaxed?"

"Relaxed. I'm just trying to locate some of your tendons and see if, for any reason, I wouldn't be able to ultrasound them."

"What would that reason be?"

"Not sure," you shrug, putting your hands back on his upper arm. "Maybe they're covered by super dense muscle? Maybe you have bone-plated armor covering weak spots like the crease of your elbows? Actually, nevermind; I wouldn't have been able to draw your blood if that were the case, but you get my point."

He grins, amused, eyes focused on your hands again as you start to move them, feeling the top of his shoulder.

"The two biceps heads go here," you explain, pressing your thumb near the front of his shoulder joint and your middle finger just a bit higher and inward. "Should be able to see them on the ultrasound as well. And the muscle, itself… It's definitely soft when relaxed," you murmur, running both hands down his relaxed arm again, palpating the thick tissue.

"While you have your shirt off… Can I..?" Slowly, you let go of his arm, pointing to his side.

"Yeah, go ahead. Whatever you want."

You laugh quietly at his complete compliance. "I appreciate it. Your sacrifice for science."

He chuckles too, moving his arm out of the way as you pull the chair closer with your foot again, sitting down. With your right hand, you feel his side, where multiple layers of muscle cover his ribs.

"I heard your heart better from here, and… while your serratus anterior is quite dense and strong—yeah, I can barely feel your ribs under these muscles—those are probably the real problem," you nod toward his pecs. "But I think I'll be able to see your heart as well, unless there's an internal aspect causing issues. If I can get a probe between your ribs, that is."

"Between them?" he lifts an eyebrow.

"I'm not gonna jam something between them or anything," you're quick to explain, placing two fingers against his side, in the space between two ribs. "I'll put the probe here in an intercostal space, against your skin, and hopefully the sound waves make it between the ribs."

"Hm," he leans back on his arms, and you remove your hand from his skin. "Well, you're welcome to try whatever you want."

Why does he always have to say things like that? Why?! Simply pretending like he said something that didn't make your chest warm, you offer a grateful smile and stand up.

The ultrasound machine squeaks as you roll it over to where you want it, positioning it next to the exam table.

"Do I lie down? People lie down for these, don't they?"

Walking over to the light switches, you flick one of the two main ceiling lights off. "You can, but it might not be very comfortable—"

Turning, you see him already flat on his back, his lower legs hanging freely off the edge and toward the floor.

"It's not so bad," he comments, earnestly.

"Heart this way, though, please," you smile as you approach, even more so when he sits up to lie the other way.

"Is there a reason you turned the lights off? Or just for coziness?"

You laugh. As if you—trying so hard to be professional in the most unprofessional situation ever—would turn the lights off for 'coziness.'

"It makes it easier to see the screen. These old screens aren't as powerful as the new ones."

Spending a moment in silence going through the probes available, you then settle for one and reach for the gel on the little tray.

"This can be a little cold," you warn, squeezing an appropriate amount onto the probe.

He doesn't say anything, his eyes focused on the ceiling.

"I'll start with your heart," you add, sitting down and adjusting the long white cable attached to the probe.

But then you realize that his arm is in the way. "Could you… put your arm either above or under your head?"

"Sure," he agrees calmly, lifting his arm and putting his hand under his head. It gives you a whole new angle of not only his thick and defined arm but his side and abdomen as well. Naturally, your eyes do a quick scan. There's a dark tuft of hair growing in his armpit, something you find unreasonably attractive.

Jeongguk doesn't react when you put the gelled-up probe to his pec. Using your left hand to angle it against his skin, you push the old, worn-down buttons on the machine's small desk with your right, trying to find not only the best angles but also settings.

You mutter your slight frustration when the display merely shows a foggy outline of a mass. Even though this particular machine still performs well enough on animals, it might just have met its match in Jeongguk's pectorals.

"Try to relax as much as possible for me, okay?" you say, eyes locked onto the screen as you hope a slightly softer muscle will be easier to see through.

It doesn't work though, and you're forced to give up. But only after another few minutes of double checking angles and settings, of course; you don't admit defeat that easily.

Jeongguk lets you work in silence. It's comfortable and calm, not awkward in the slightest. He breathes slowly and evenly, taking the odd deep breath when you ask him again to please do his best to relax as much as possible.

Moving the probe to his abdomen, right below the junction of his ribs as you try to tilt it up and underneath them, you spot something.

"Well, your liver looks rather… normal," you state quietly, watching the organ show up on screen like that of any human. At least as far as you know; you don't do ultrasounds on humans, but there shouldn't be that much of a difference.

"Oh—and there's your heart."

Jeongguk turns his head, and the movement has you losing the angle. "Wait. Hold on, lie still; I'll show you."

He keeps his head turned, his eyes warming your face as you adjust the probe, trying to find the image again. It takes you a few seconds, and then you feel yourself light up.

"Look," you say, carefully turning the machine to face him while trying not to move the probe. "It's not the best image, and it's from below, but there it is."

It's fascinating, the small, grainy glimpse of the powerful organ that graces the screen. It beats just like you've heard it, slowly, every contraction precise. Even watching it, a sense of calm washes over you. There's no rush; it does what it's done since long before you were born and what it will continue to do for however long Jeongguk lives. Another few centuries? Millennia?

"Cool."

You chuckle. Jeongguk grins youthfully when you meet his gaze. Of course, he's not as impressed by his own heart, maybe more so the technology that actually lets him see it.

"Yeah. And even though the image is kinda… meh, look here," you trace the faint outline of the heart wall with your finger. "See how thick it is?"

"Uh…" he watches but doesn't seem to quite understand your fascination.

"Okay, hold on," you say, removing the probe from him, and with a little more gel on the top of it, you grab the lower hem of your shirt and move the probe underneath. It doesn't take you nearly as long to find the corresponding angle on yourself—your abs aren't made of steel…—and there it is, only sharper and clearer.

"Do you see the difference? The walls of your heart—the muscle itself—are much thicker than mine," you trace the same shape on your own visualized heart; almost pathetically small compared to Jeongguk's. Not only that, but it beats fast, contracting quickly as if you're in the middle of a marathon. The contrast is almost absurd.

"Yeah," he smiles. "Seems like you're excited about something?"

You huff and remove the probe from your skin, watching the screen go dark. "Mean. And here I was going to show you my condition."

He tilts his head, his curiosity having lost that teasing edge, the tone bordering on worried. "You have a condition?"

"Kinda."

"Well, show me."

You give him the sternest look you can muster.

"I'll be nice, I promise."

"Fine."

Luckily, the shirt you chose to wear today is of the looser, boxier kind, allowing you to slide the probe back under it and against your side. You breathe slowly, trying to calm your heart at least a fraction.

Jeongguk sits up, dark eyes glued to the sight of your beating heart. It thumps evenly—if only faster than his—until it doesn't.

"Wait, that beat was much quicker?"

"Yeah."

"Is that not… dangerous?"

"Keep looking."

He returns his focus to the screen, watching intently. "It happened again. Your rhythm isn't even like mine."

"No. I have 'regular irregularities,'" you explain softly. "It's not dangerous since the rhythm doesn't deviate. Or at least from what's normal for me. It's more like a little quirk."

He bites his lip, and, for a long second, looks at you.

"Can I feel?"

"Feel?"

"Your pulse."

"Uh," you start, more surprised than unwilling. "Sure."

Before you know it, he's reaching his large hand out, gently grasping your neck—the back of it, at least—and with his thumb on your artery, immediately finds your pulse. You guess that's maybe even more of his expertise than it is yours, so you don't bother reminding him that it's generally best to feel for someone's pulse with a finger other than the thumb, which has its own pulse, easily confused with the subject's.

You try desperately to calm your poor heart, willing yourself to breathe slowly as every thump beats against his thumb.

"Relax," he mumbles.

"Be nice—"

"I didn't imply anything," he defends. "I think I have yet to meet even one human whose heart doesn't race when a vampire feels for their pulse. It's instinctual."

Maybe also because you're hot, you almost want to say.

It's only because he's staring into the air as he feels your pulse that you manage to lower it even slightly. A moment passes. And then another; the room enveloped in a thick silence, Jeongguk's warm hand still around the back of your neck, and his thumb on your carotid artery.

"Interesting. I'm not… new to wacky heartbeats, but I don't think I've ever felt one that's… regularly irregular."

He lets go of your neck, and you look at him. "Well, do you listen often? To someone who's not scared you'll eat them?"

"No, not really. Not that I eat humans, cause I don't—you saw the powdered blood I use—I just don't really listen to heartbeats," he explains, which has you nearly rolling your eyes. It's sweet, how he still really doesn't want you to misinterpret him. "Do you feel anything? Is it noticeable?"

"No, I don't feel it," you answer. "I've probably always had it. It's just the rhythm my heart has."

He hums, accepting your answer before he lowers his gaze to the probe in your hand. "…You're not done with me, are you?"

You grin. "No."

Admitting defeat with a smile of his own, he lies back down. You reach for the gel again, turning the screen back.

"Arm up, please."

He lifts his arm and tucks his hand under his head again. This time, you touch the probe to his side, trying to find another view of his heart.

Just like you hoped, a few moments of quiet searching later, and you have the clearest side view of his heart yet. The resolution still leaves quite a lot to be desired, but you're grateful nonetheless, your fingers tapping the buttons to activate the color Doppler mode.

"Do you want to see more? How your heart moves your blood?" you ask, smiling brightly but realizing that far from everyone is as nerdy as you.

"Sure," he answers. Having learned from last time, he doesn't move a muscle, instead waiting patiently for you to turn the screen toward him.

"So, this setting visualizes the blood flow as colors; red is the blood coming toward the probe. Blue is the blood going away from it."

"That's interesting."

"You think so?" you ask. You wouldn't be surprised if he's mostly pretending to be polite.

"I mean, yeah? It doesn't really tell me much, but it's fascinating to see. And I can tell that it makes you happy."

You turn the screen back, eyes locked onto his grainy, slightly foggy heart. With every slow beat, a portion of the screen lights up in red, then blue. You think that's when another realization hits you; not one that douses you in ice water, whispering that you're prey in the presence of a predator, but a calm excitement that… you found something. You found something amazing, something out of this world, and for all you know, you're one of few to ever have a heart like this under your ultrasound probe.

Calm yet powerful like nothing else, his heart moves what must be an immense amount of blood with every contraction.

"Have you ever had your blood pressure taken?" you mumble, pressing another button on the control pad.

"No. It's the tube that goes around your arm, right?"

Nodding, you turn your head to watch him. Or more specifically, his arm. "I'd love to measure yours," you admit almost longingly. "But we don't have any cuffs here that would fit you. We typically measure a horse's blood pressure around the base of their tail, so that's just a human cuff, but it's in the field bag with Yoongi. The canine cuffs we have here won't even clear your forearm."

"Well, if you find a way…" he says, still watching you with that calm, slightly curious look.

You return your attention to the screen, taking the chance to see Jeongguk's heart from every angle possible.

Ultrasonography is a skill learned through time and experience: lots of it. Still doesn't mean it's easy for you or that you can just slide the probe around willy-nilly and find what you're looking for simply because you've got hundreds of them under your belt. You need a light yet stable hand and the knowledge of where to go. Also a bit of luck.

"Do you need me conscious?" Jeongguk's low voice asks after a few more minutes. "Cause I might fall asleep."

"It's that boring?" You look at him, endeared and smiling. "Wait. You sleep?"

You're not sure why you're so surprised, staring at him like he just told you he can levitate. It would be exponentially weirder if he didn't sleep; it just never crossed your mind that he would. He chuckles.

"Yeah. It's not boring, it's just that I'm lying down, in a quiet and dark room. That… touch is pretty soothing, and you keep ordering me to relax."

You try not to blush, removing the probe from his skin and looking around for the tissues to remove the gel. "Do you want to stop? Or at least continue another day?"

"No. I don't mind," he yawns. "Continue. Test me, stick me, feel me up; I don't mind."

You pause, forehead creasing. "While you sleep?"

"Yeah? Just a warning, I sleep pretty heavily. If you need me awake, just… shake me. I'll wake up sooner or later."

"Okay," you snicker. That is such an apex predator advantage. No one is going to eat you, so why bother be on guard?

Not even five minutes later, he's out; his eyes closed and his breaths slow and even. Not entirely satisfied, you're still looking at the blood flow from his heart on the monitor, moving the probe around ever so slightly.

When you were in university, your class got to visit a zoo. The on-staff veterinarian demonstrated how they sedate their animals—large predators, mostly—by dart, and then they opened the enclosures and let you all inside. You particularly remember the lion, who they suspected had torn a ligament, and the brown bear requiring dental work.

It's a feeling like no other, working on a sleeping predator—the sleeping bear, quite literally—and with your elevated heartbeat, hoping to God they don't wake up before you're done and safely outside.

Working on Jeongguk while he sleeps feels similar in ways you can't really explain. While he's not a 200 kg lion, he's huge, lying on the table in front of you with his legs hanging down. And even if you're not actually scared that he'll wake up because you don't think he'll eat you, it's there regardless; the deep, subconscious knowledge that everything he lets you do to him, even if it's essentially whatever you want, is on his terms and his terms alone.

So while the smallest change in Jeongguk's breathing doesn't scare you shitless like the tiny groan the lion let out as you touched its paw, you're still aware of it.

Twenty minutes later, when you suspect you've seen everything the machine can show you of his heart, you carefully wipe the gel from his chest and move toward his abdomen. The moment you put the probe to his skin again, you wait, eyes on his face and awaiting a reaction of some kind, but there's nothing.

Considering his words of consent, you continue, moving the probe around to locate his organs. In humans and most animals, the intestines are always—to some extent—noisy. Food, liquid, and gas are constantly processed by the interior muscles, and it creates a steady background hum of activity. But from what you can see of Jeongguk's abdomen, it's entirely silent and still.

You see the organs relatively clearly through his abdominal muscles, which—despite being thick and surely strong as hell—aren't quite as dense as his pecs. And his organs are there; blood is circulating to and through them; they're just…dormant.

But as you glide the probe over to where his bladder should be, you don't find it. Only on the third pass do you spot it, appearing entirely empty and therefore tiny. It confirms what he said about his near-perfect closed-loop system, where his kidneys don't really output urine unless to get rid of excess fluid.

Quietly amazed, you wipe the gel from his abdomen and some stray streaks that you previously missed on his chest.

Your next target is his arm, but before you do anything else, you quietly stand from the chair, softly padding out of the exam room to pay the locker room a quick visit. Considering everything Jeongguk is doing for you and your curiosity, you can at least make it as comfortable as possible for him. That's the reasoning behind bringing him your personal pillow, carefully putting a hand under his head to slide the pillow in under it.

Just like the lion's paw, Jeongguk's limp arm is—besides warm—incredibly heavy. Struggling a little more than you care to admit, you maneuver it to hang off the edge of the table and into your lap, where his body heat radiates straight through your clothes.

Holding onto that big, heavy, veiny arm, you touch the probe to his biceps, and what you find is so, so interesting. While his heart looked a tad bit bigger than that of a regular man his size, it appeared disproportionately strong, the muscle responsible for its contractions dense and thick, almost like his pecs.

Similarly, the muscles in his arm show up bright on screen, so dense that you barely see through them. It explains perfectly why he's quite a bit heavier than he appears.

You don't rush, feeling alright about taking your time since Jeongguk is sleeping either way. Besides the muscle bellies themselves, you spend quite a while inspecting the different tendons in his arm. As well as you can, at least.

Where the tendons are exposed, like the biceps tendon on the inside of his elbow, they're thick and bright on screen. Clear and sharp. But where they disappear in under too much overlaying muscle, they blur as the soundwaves scatter. You can't conclude much more than that they're thicker than a human's, but you felt that even when you palpated him earlier.

The biggest discovery, however, is probably when you move the probe to the inside of Jeongguk's biceps and over his brachial artery. It's the arm's main blood supply, and it should be well-developed for any relatively fit and strong man. In fact, its size shouldn't be that much of a surprise when you can feel the outline of Jeongguk's even while he sleeps.

But the moment the artery is centered under the probe, and you see the on-screen numbers measure the diameter to be 5.6 millimeters wide, you blink in shock. Almost dropping the probe, you scramble to dig your phone out of your pocket and open the browser, searching for the average brachial diameter for a human man.

3-4 millimeters. Ish. Apparently, an exceptionally strong climber measured at 4.4 millimeters and attributed his almost superhuman strength to his wide arteries. And Jeongguk's is 5.6 millimeters.

His arm rests limply in your lap as you note the numbers down on a nearby stray piece of paper, underlining it twice, as if you'd possibly forget. That has to be one of the big explanations, right? For his super strength? His muscles and tendons are disproportionately strong on their own, yes, but they can generate so much more force and for so much longer because his body can provide them with an almost endless supply of oxygen.

God, now all you need to know is what the hell is in his blood. With that additional puzzle piece, you feel like you're one step closer to solving the mystery that is his strength.

When your own heart finally calms down from the discovery-induced adrenaline high, you find yourself simply watching the flow of his blood for a few minutes. For some reason, it's very soothing, like watching waves hit the shore on an empty beach.

Before you turn off the machine and clear Jeongguk's skin of the remaining gel, the last thing you do is adjust the settings to also thoroughly inspect the uppermost level. His skin.

As expected, and aligning with what you've already seen, it is noticeably thicker. There's not much fat, but the skin itself is thick. You reach for the pen again, writing down a question.

'Sensitivity?'

You power the machine off, the absence of the low humming suddenly making the room almost eerily quiet. Jeongguk is still fast asleep, his handsome face so youthful. You smile to yourself; he wasn't lying when he said that he was a heavy sleeper. Still, you don't watch his face for too long, for some reason convinced that he, at any second, will open his eyes and stare at you. You don't know what you find scarier: him suddenly and unceremoniously staring at you, or finding you staring at him.

Pushing the ultrasound cart away slightly, you settle back into your chair again, carefully grasping his arm. It's one thing to see something on screen—pretty badly portrayed, at that—it's another to feel it. In your line of work, your patients can sometimes show you what's wrong, even if they can't outright tell you. But they can also be entirely stoic or just simply unreliable, and so you've learned to rely a lot on your hands, feeling for whatever's not right.

Rolling your chair just a tad closer, still with his hand in your lap, you run your hands softly up to his shoulder, planning to get a better feel than the previous preview. Throwing a quick glance at his face, you confirm that he hasn't reacted.

You start by tracing your fingers over his shoulder cap, feeling exactly where the thick muscle fibers anchor onto his collar bone. Lifting one hand from his skin, you trace the same part on yourself just to compare. While your attachments are distinctly human; still relatively strong but with a certain degree of "give," Jeongguk's feel much harder. It makes sense because, as established, a muscle can't be stronger than its bone attachments allow it to be.

Returning your hand to his shoulder, you slide your fingers down a little further, carefully prodding the inside of his armpit for the lymph nodes.

There's a sound.

Almost like a quick exhale of air. Your gaze snaps to Jeongguk's face, but he hasn't moved a muscle, still entirely quiet and relaxed. You must've imagined it, or it was the ultrasound machine finally powering down completely. Old things like that make random sounds, after all.

You let your hands move again. Just like the lymph nodes in his neck, the nodes in his armpit are harder than normal, for a human at least.

Continuing further down, your hands reach his biceps and triceps. You've seen the thickness of his upper arm before, even had your hands on him briefly earlier tonight, but it's another thing to really get to feel. You won't deny that palpating the dense muscles makes your heart skip maybe an extra beat, but you'd absolutely keep that fact to yourself. Besides increasing the inevitable attraction you feel toward him, the curious scientist in you is thrilled.

Jeongguk's biceps is incredibly well developed, no surprise there, but you're almost surprised at just how dense his triceps is. Additionally, as you prod the muscles, eyes unfocused on the wall, you note that there's basically no intramuscular fat, or at least you can't feel any. You continue to trace the three heads of the triceps, mapping where they anchor to the elbow.

Concluding that, yeah, he's got a physique rather similar to human men, just leveled up and engineered to withstand more force—like… a lot more—you slide one of your hands down to his wrist, grasping it and lifting.

Struggling just a little, you move his heavy lower arm slowly back and forth, folding it at the elbow, just to get a glimpse of his range of motion. You think perhaps it's a little greater than what's considered normal in a human, but flexibility in humans is highly individual. It could be for vampires as well? You wouldn't call his range of motion unnatural, at least.

With that out of the way, you continue your descent, feeling for the elbow's attachments in the other direction, toward his forearm. They feel just as strong, no surprise there. With your left hand, you feel for the right spot in the middle of his forearm, carefully digging your thumb into the flesh. There's not a lot of give, and it takes a quite a lot of pressure, but then you see it; how his middle finger twitches. Moving your thumb a little to the side and pressing, you get the index finger to react, too.

His wrist is thick and so are the veins running on both sides of it. Actually, all sides of it. You lift his hand again, gently rolling his wrist to test the range of motion of that joint as well. There's zero friction, no sounds or jumps, just fluid motion.

The results remain consistent when you move on to feel the muscles in his hand and his fingers, very gently stretching and curling them. Your own wrist pops occasionally—something it's always done—a reminder that you, at least, are human.

"What are you feeling for?"

The low voice breaks the silence just as you're done with his pinky. It startles you, and your wide eyes flit to his face to find his dark eyes watching you.

"God, don't scare me like that," you complain, exhaling. But you also feel your cheeks heat. His voice didn't sound… newly awoken. "How long have you been awake?"

"Uh, since you started feeling me up," he grins lazily.

"I wasn't feeling you up," you defend, groaning internally. You've been 'feeling him up' for way too long. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Don't worry, I said that you could, didn't I?" he continues, and you can tell he doesn't mind. "And it felt nice; I didn't want you to stop."

You roll your eyes, cheeks very warm.

"So did you learn anything?"

You nod, excitement overriding your embarrassment because you did. "Yeah. So, in conclusion: your muscles are dense. So much so that it does make it more difficult to see past them on the ultrasound. And probably why it was a little harder to hear your heart as well. Your heart is a little bit bigger than what I'd consider normal in a human man, but it works roughly the same, only stronger and capable of moving more blood around. Your brachial artery, however," you say, lightly tapping the spot on his inner biceps. "Is insane."

Jeongguk lifts his eyebrows and sits up, stretching briefly. "How is it insane?"

"The average brachial diameter for a human man is around 3 to 4 millimeters; some peaking at roughly 4.5. Yours is not only thick and extra muscular, but it's 5.6 millimeters in diameter; that's a lot. Logically, that would mean that not only is your heart pumping a lot of blood around, but your veins and arteries are better equipped to deliver that blood to your muscles. And to your other organs, of course."

Jeongguk listens intently, quietly curious, as you continue.

"So not only are your muscles denser, your heart bigger, and your veins and arteries thicker to handle the added pressure, your tendons are crazy thick as well. If they weren't, you'd probably risk tearing the muscles from your bones with how strong you are. You also seem to have a slightly wider range of motion? I don't know if that is a vampire thing or a you thing? For humans, it varies a lot, even among those that don't have connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos."

"Never thought about it."

You shrug. "Then it's probably not a big deal. The movement of your joints, at least your elbow, wrist, and fingers, is very smooth. No clicking or incongruence."

"Like you have?"

"You noticed that?"

He smiles and nods. Then he tilts his head. "What… was it that you did when you pressed on my forearm?"

"I was feeling the tendons that control your fingers. Seeing if I could manipulate them."

"My fingers?"

"Mhm. Look," you say, holding your hand out.

Jeongguk fulfills your request, holding out his forearm and watching as you trace his warm skin to find the spot again. "Relax your hand. Hold on. Okay, see?"

With your thumb pressing down, his middle finger moves, curling slightly.

"Oh? That's cool."

"Yeah. A bit of a party trick," you grin, letting go of his arm and leaning back. "Oh, almost forgot. Your abdomen is very… quiet. Not a lot going on there as you probably knew. And your bladder is practically entirely empty, which supports what you said about your mostly 'closed loop' system."

"Yeah. That, I knew," he smiles widely.

With your cheeks burning yet again, you reach for his shirt, handing it to him. "Thanks for… letting me do all of this."

Telling yourself that it's not weird to be fascinated by him and his anatomy doesn't make you feel any less of a perv, unfortunately.

"No problem. If this is how it is going to the doctor, I kinda wish I could go too."

You laugh. "This is not how it is at the doctor's. And if it is, you need to report the doctor."

"Why?" he smiles, and fuck, you dug a grave and stepped right in.

Why? Because it's inappropriate?

"Well… for one, I'd say we're… friends? I don't have the responsibility to treat you for something like a doctor would for their patient. I'm actually not even a doctor; I'm a vet, and the way I work is a bit different than how a doctor would with human patients."

"You go by touch?"

"Yeah. I use my hands to evaluate a lot. Besides, you're not a human, and you shouldn't be asleep at the doctor's."

He puts the shirt back on, amused.

A thought hits you. "You don't have any doctors of your own? Vampire doctors?"

It's still odd to say the word out loud.

"We do, but not a lot since we rarely need them. We have a few different… services, but they're more like caretakers. Like, if someone gets poisoned or actually dehydrated, they can help take care of them. Quite a few vampires live in solidarity, so it can be hard to survive things like that if you don't have anyone to take care of you."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Those friends you were with, at the bar that night?"

"Also vampires," he grins. "They're not from around here but Tae—Taehyung—is thinking of renting a house here for a few months."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

It makes you wonder…

"There aren't any other vampires here. At least not right now," he says, clearly having realized your train of thought and met you at the station.

"Oh."

He tilts his head. "Are you relieved?"

You think about it. "Uh… I don't know? I guess that makes the chances of being killed by something supernatural… lower, but… I mean, you're nice."

He laughs, lifting his arm to look at his watch. "Oh, shit. I have to go."

"You have… plans? At ass o'clock?"

"Uh… yeah. Vampire plans," he starts, eyes however widening slightly at his own words. "…That definitely do not involve hunting humans for food."

It's your turn to laugh. Does he sound like a bad liar? A bit, but it sounds more to you like he just wants to make sure you're not getting the wrong idea and trips a little over his words in the process.

"Okay. Have fun? And, uh, thank you again for… you know, letting me do all of this."

He grins. "Anytime. Text me when you're home."

Your cheeks get no break tonight, it seems. Still, you nod as you watch him throw the jacket back on as well.

You drive home, falling asleep right after putting his blood in the fridge. And you dream about his warm body and dark eyes. And it hits you as you wake up, that you weren't scared. Nervous and... aware, sure, because you inevitably like the very handsome and charming vampire, but even as he joked about his vampire plans, you were never truly scared.

<previous | next>

"Can I sleep with you?" you mumble tiredly when you realize that he's in the middle of carrying you to your room.

"On the first date?" his low voice teases, and it's so close it makes goosebumps rise on your arms.

"Are you slut shaming me?"

"Yes. That's kinda dirty."

In contrast to his words, he changes course, walking past your bedroom and instead toward his.

Sleep hangs over you like a weighted blanket, and by the time Jeongguk lowers you onto his bed in the dark room, you're almost drifting off again. With only one eye open, and by a sliver at most, you lift your head to see Jeongguk head over to his closet, pulling out a big t-shirt and some shorts which he then turns around to lay on the bed.

Your heart skips a beat and your skin warms because… you have your own sleepwear. They're a few steps away, in a room with so many of your things and clothes, and there's literally no need for you to sleep in his clothes. You know that, and he knows it too.

Without a word, probably figuring you're halfway to the Night Garden already, Jeongguk approaches the door.

"Where are you going?" you mumble.

He pauses, peering back at you softly. "To blow out all the candles."

You nod, your eyes already closing again. But before you can comfortably fall asleep, you realize somewhere that you'd actually prefer to change. Even in your nearly comatose state, you manage to reach for the oversized black shirt and clumsily change into it—intentionally leaving the shorts untouched—and burrow further into the bed before Jeongguk returns. There were a lot of candles after all.

You don't think he realizes that you're still awake when he returns, but since he most likely doesn't care if you watch him undress, you don't feel bad for the way you observe him as he pulls the shirt over his head. Facing the closet, he gives you the perfect view of his broad, naked back. A certain kind of awe and even pride fills your chest. You're always impressed by him, but sometimes, it definitely hits differently.

"How do you even get those muscles?"

"Hm?" Jeongguk turns, his eyebrows raised slightly.

"Those," you nod lazily. "On your back. Like, low, almost on your side. No. Come here."

Still holding his shirt in his hands, he walks over to your side of the bed. You reach an arm out, touching his lower side, a little further back. It's so attractive how wide his back is and how it slowly tapers into his tiny little waist. "These."

"Those are called 'Latissimus Dorsi,'" he informs, clearly amused.

"Oh. The 'lats,'" you nod, recalling the name. You know a few; bicep, tricep, gluteus maximus, hamstring, lats…

"Right," Jeongguk smiles. "And these," he lowers his hand to just underneath. "Are called 'external obliques.'"

Well, you've definitely heard of those too. While you still visit the gym occasionally—or at least you did until a few months ago—you've never taken the rabbit hole down into the deeper knowledge. Or… scratched more than the very surface, really.

"You can train lats by doing any kind of pull-downs," he states, showing how he'd pull a bar or something down in front of him. And while there's no weight, you can see the muscles flex ever so slightly.

"And obliques, you train effectively by twisting. Weights or body weight or whatever. Easy."

You watch him demonstrate by holding some kind of invisible dumbbell in front of him while twisting his upper body. Again, you can't help but glance a little extra at the muscle and how it moves.

You grin lazily. "Oh, so you're a nerd nerd. Got it."

Rolling his eyes endearingly, Jeongguk steps back, grabbing the folded shorts and changing into them, himself. He doesn't mention that he knows you're pantless in his bed.

A second later, he's lifting the duvet to get under it, but if you thought he was just lying down, you were mistaken. Instead, he remains upright as he scoots closer and places one hand on either side of you, carefully leaning over you.

“So I did okay?”

Your heart beats heavily because he's clearly really wondering. Like it's important to him. So, you bring your hands to his sides, running your nails over his skin, and wrapping your arms around him loosely.

He's so warm and so firm, and he smells so, so nice. It's the hint of masculinity and safety again, something so contradicting to you but feeling so right when it comes to him.

There's hope and curiosity and maybe a trace of uncertainty in his dark eyes as he smiles down at you. Even his dimple makes a show-stealing appearance. Your gaze travels over all of him briefly, from the tattoos to the scar on his chest. Everything you can see.

“You did okay," you confirm even though it's the understatement of the century. "Thank you. I don't remember the last time I… I don't remember ever feeling like this."

You've never felt wanted like this. Desired. Like you could be special in any remotely positive way to someone. If ever singled out from a crowd, it's only ever been bad. Or neutral at best. Jeongguk's expression fills of understanding, softening further.

"But don’t… unless you happened to find the roses on the side of the road for close to free, that’s too many flowers.”

He shakes his head, opening his mouth to argue, but you're quicker.

“Yes," you say, nodding determinedly. "Once was okay, but you can’t waste that much money again.”

“It’s not a waste if it makes you feel good.”

“Yeah, it is a waste if you do it more than once. I’ll feel bad instead.”

He pouts, and it makes your already warm chest even warmer. Instinctively, you pull him closer, smiling dumbly to yourself. As if trying to convey your gratitude by more than words, your fingers knead his back, eliciting a surprised yet deep groan from him.

“Can I… is this okay?” you ask, just to make absolutely sure. If you've expected something from him, you want to give him the same kind of consideration in return.

He breathes in deeply, clearly enjoying your hands on his back. “You don’t have to ask. As long as you touch me cause you want to and not because you feel like you should or because I expect you to.”

"Okay," you say quietly, admiring him, high on the content sounds he makes as he closes his eyes. In another setting, they'd turn you on, but at this time, they only make your heart soar. "…You don't have to be scared to touch me either."

"I will not take that responsibility lightly."

And while you can tell by his light tone and closed eyes that he's keeping it… easy, you don't doubt that he's very much serious.

You move your hand to the back of his neck, feeling his black hair between your fingers. "Kiss me?"

The next morning is a lazy one. It starts with you waking up, head resting on Jeongguk's tattooed bicep, his chest moving calmly against your back, and his slow, deep breaths in your hair. His other arm hangs limp from your waist.

You're happy. Content. Not even the fact that your—his—shirt has ridden up, exposing your blue cotton panties, worries you. Sure, Jeongguk is very much asleep but you don't think he'd make a big deal out of it.

Maybe that's what you need the most? Not necessarily positive affirmations because while it's nice to hear him say that you're pretty—and you definitely needed to hear that first—letting him see you however vulnerable sometimes feels easiest when you're not expecting any kind of reaction.

You wonder if he realizes that or if he's just winging it; choosing his actions and reactions as they come. After all, he said he consciously didn't comment on your looks when you first came to live with him so that you wouldn't second-guess his motives.

You stay where you are, your left hand softly tracing the inked designs in front of your face. Jeongguk sleeps for a few more minutes, until you hear him yawn behind you. He happens to move at the same time you adjust, and your lower halves bump into each other.

"Sorry," he mumbles, moving back a little.

"No need to apologize."

You shut your eyes for a moment. Waking up hard is definitely not his fault, and although you appreciate his consideration, knowing exactly how he feels in your hand—big and hard—nearly has you turning around, offering to help.

You do roll over though, but only to look at his sleepy face. Although tired, you've at least had a few more minutes to wake up.

Jeongguk's dark hair is messy, endearingly sticking out in multiple directions, and you raise your hand to gently brush it out of his face.

Sighing deeply, he shuts his eyes again. "I dreamed about you."

"Hm?" you voice, amused.

"Not… It's not why I have a boner," he clarifies after realizing your logical conclusion. "I dreamed that Jihyo had a new mission for us, and I got to have you as my wife again. Well, at first, she insisted that Jimin go with you? As your husband? But I fought tooth and nail and told her how good we look as a couple, and she finally gave in."

"Sounds toxic."

"Mhm. Only for you."

"And she really let you go with me because we looked good as a couple?" You chuckle. "No other qualifications?"

"Yes. Dream logic."

"Right. I mean Jimin's a good looking guy as well."

Jeongguk opens one tired eye, staring at you in silent warning.

"What? He's not my type, but you can't say that he's even remotely ugly."

"No, you're right. He's handsome. But what's your type then?" Jeongguk asks, smirking… curiously?

As if thinking about it, you let your fingers trace his features. His eyebrows, his nose, his cheekbones and jaw. But you know that he sees the admiration you can't keep from your gaze as it moves over his face, and he closes his eyes for another moment, satisfied and happy.

He's so clearly your type, there's no need to say it. But you do anyway, heart beating. "You've always been my type. At least physically."

"But not enough to remember when we first met," he questions lazily.

You think back to those months. They were all very dark for you. "When was it? October? I knew who you were even before you came, but I probably just didn't recognize you. I was under a lot of stress back then."

"No, I know," he says, his voice losing its teasing tone. The hand he's kept hanging off your waist strokes your back.

"The first time I remember seeing you at the station, you were talking to the Chief outside his office. I was sitting at Sana's desk, and she had just gone to the bathroom."

It feels like three lifetimes ago, how you straightened your back to peer over the monitor in front of you to catch a careful glimpse of the new intimidatingly handsome officer.

"You were wearing your uniform, and I think you'd just come back from your first shift after transferring. I'd seen pictures of you, including after you won the Officer Olympics, but I remember thinking that even the pictures didn't do you justice. Then you looked around, and I ducked behind the monitor."

"I didn't see you," he concludes. "Do you… remember the second time we met? Like actually interacted?"

You lick your lips, revisiting another memory. "I think so. Like a week or so later? You were entering the station with Hoseong and Ryung a few steps behind me, and I slammed the door in Ryung's face? And you asked me what my problem was and told me to grow up?"

You smile a small smile. Knowing now that they'd just started slowly and carefully putting their claws into Jeongguk, you don't blame him.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. They'd just told me that you couldn't accept that Hoseong didn't want to date you. It sounded so unrealistic that you would've actually shot him—and they had to convince me for like a week straight not to bring it up to the chief—but when you seemed so angry, doing stuff like that, seemingly unprovoked? And then looking at me as if you were surprised I was daring to speak up, but then giving me the finger? I guess I started buying it."

You remember his face; frustration overflowing when neither Hoseong nor Ryung told you off for your 'unprovoked' attack. A show of innocence for the gallery, of course. And then more frustration when you flipped him off.

You trace his jaw with feather light fingers. "Honestly, it was a bit out of character for me because you and I hadn't really talked yet. But they'd been calling me from unknown prepaid sim cards, just breathing and not saying anything, for like five consecutive nights, and I was just so tired. And you were a man in law enforcement and clearly already friends with them, so why would I even bother giving you the benefit of the doubt?"

Despite knowing everything you'd been subjected to, maybe it feels different to hear your side actually intertwined with his because he pulls you closer, hugging you tightly. He's so warm against you, so strong.

"So while I wish you would've talked to me about it, I don't blame you for that," you continue.

You imagine him pulling you aside, alone. The thing is that you could tell that he wasn't… mocking or taunting you in any way when he called you out for slamming the door, but he was frustrated and agitated, and it didn't make enough of a difference. But if he had asked one or two questions that would've clued you in on the fact that he wasn't aware of the full story, the actual reason you shot Hoseong…

If he either would've asked in a calmer voice why you felt the need to slam that door, or even if he'd just outright questioned why you shot his new-found friend or if it even ask whether it was true that you had…

"I'm sorry," he mumbles into your hair.

"I know. But it turned out alright in the end anyway, right?"

"Did it?"

"I'd say so? I mean… I'm in your bed?" you chuckle.

"Imagine we got to go undercover now though? Or if we'd been… civil while we were? Maybe that was the reason for the boner. The dream."

You burst out laughing, leaning back to look at his face. "Because you got to play house again?"

Jeongguk grins happily. "Yes. I can't believe how out of my mind I was, not realizing the opportunity I had."

"Opportunity to do what, exactly?" you quirk an eyebrow.

"To make things right? Say we were shipped out now instead of then and told to pretend to be married? Would you not have an at least alright time?"

You choose not to misunderstand his words. "I would. Being undercover is always a bit nerve-racking, though."

"Yeah, but pretending to be married to me?"

"Not having to be scared you'd kill me?"

"Yes," he says, pulling you just a little closer again as if he can't help it.

"I would have a better time, yes. A good time, even. Do you think they'd believe us, though?"

"They already did?"

"Hoseok outright asked me if you were abusing me."

"Yes, but he was reading you, not me. You were scared, understandably, but I was never even thinking about hurting you in any way."

"Oh, so it was my fault that they didn't believe us?" you tease.

"No? Because I still think everyone but Hoseok and Yoongi bought it. I mean, even they bought that we were married. I'm also sorry for making you have that conversation with Eunha and Hyeji. At least they seemed to believe you, and I also thought it was very sweet the way you spoke about me."

You let out a loud, painful groan. "Do not remind me. You know what, I think I'm still angry at you for that. Wait—exactly what did you hear?"

Jeongguk snickers, and you both know you're very intentionally skipping the heavier side of the topic, how he essentially but unknowingly joked about your assault when you confronted him about the handcuffs.

"I heard you say that you got a uniform and cuffs for role playing since you enjoy, what was it… 'a man in uniform,'"

"Jeongguk, domestic abuse or not, I will pinch you."

He continues to laugh, pulling you even closer. "I beg your mercy. But I also heard you say that I wasn't only hot and intimidating but also sweet and kind and your best friend in the whole world. And I think that was sweet, and it was super smart of you because I wholeheartedly think they believed you were just a bit embarrassed."

"You know I wasn't talking about you, though? I didn't consider you sweet, kind, or a good friend in the slightest."

"I know," he says, putting his nose in your hair and breathing you in without any sort of shame.

It feels like you're moving together, like you've wordlessly agreed that you've addressed the deepest issues and can now instead talk about other aspects without always apologizing. It's progress you never expected until very recently, but it feels good.

"Should we get up? Have some cheesecake for breakfast?"

At that, he moves back, stretching his arms over his head. "Yeah."

But then he makes no effort to get up, just looks at you. It's like you so often find yourself looking at him. Dreamily.

"What?"

"You are insanely gorgeous."

"Stop," you say, cheeks heating embarrassingly as you wrestle your way out of the covers. Being complimented into embarrassment isn't something you thought you'd ever experience, but… you've never been this happy.

"Alright. Why don't you go and prepare some cheesecake? I'll be with you in a moment; I just have to decide what to do with… this," he explains, casually putting a pillow over his crotch.

You grin, understanding his dilemma and definitely not jealous regarding it. Waking up hard, just as a bodily reaction, and then talking about matters which won't exactly rile you up further. Do you rub one out if it persists or just let it die down?

It's definitely some kind of torture, cutting up slices of cheesecake while wondering what Jeongguk decided to do. The knife you're using is dull, good enough for cheesecake and the safest choice for your fingers when you can't stop thinking about his hands wrapped around his thick cock, muscles tense, and his eyes shut in pleasure. Did he stay in bed or is he in the shower?

As you wait so that you can eat together, you take the opportunity to send your mom a text, and you look through your unread emails, answering some. By the time you hear his footsteps, you're just finishing pouring two cups of coffee.

"Am I correct in thinking we're not really doing anything today? I'm waiting on a call, but other than that…"

You turn, spotting Jeongguk behind you, his hair a little tamer than before but partially in his eyes. Like a real couple, you're sharing an outfit; he's wearing the black sweatpants to your black shirt, his muscular chest bare. If he in any way stopped to admire your legs, naked from where the shirt ends at right underneath your butt, you didn't see.

"You're working tomorrow right?" you ask. "Patrol?"

"Yeah. Night shift, though. For the entire week if I'm not mistaken."

You meet his eyes, and you can tell that he shares your quiet disappointment. You'll be preparing for the preliminary hearing, so you'll barely see each other.

"Then I think doing nothing today would be really nice."

You don't do nothing.

The cheesecake is just as delicious as yesterday. First, you watch a short Youtube documentary about the possible reasons humans dream, which ends just as the cheesecake does. Not ready to leave the couch just yet, you do some traditional zapping, ending up on a channel showing 'Back to the Future.'

You pay attention for a whole ten minutes, Jeongguk's arm around you and you resting against him, a blanket over your laps. He's wearing a black t-shirt, having gone searching for it after the cheesecake because it was a little too chilly to remain shirtless. You, however, still only wear his shirt that you slept in, satisfied with the blanket's warmth.

While Jeongguk watches the movie, you think about him. His body, his voice, his face, his touch… How he talks to you and how he treats you… The roses are where you left them last night, bouquet after bouquet lining the walls and decorating the surfaces.

The more you look at them, and the more you think about Jeongguk, breathing his scent with every inhale, you fill with something. It's a blend of confidence and… need? Or a want, at least. A desire to be even closer and to show him how good and confident he makes you feel. How grateful you are for him.

Putting your hand on his chest, you glance up when you feel his soft gaze on you and his hand gently tuck your hair behind your ear.

That's it. Nervous, yet more determined than you've felt in quite a while, you crawl onto his lap, straddling him. His hands fall to your naked thighs on either side of his as he watches you curiously, eyebrows raised slightly as to ask what you're up to.

"I want to kiss you," you whisper, admiring him with your heart beating rapidly and butterflies fluttering their wings.

"I'd love it if you did," is what he says, smiling in that way that makes his dimple appear.

So you do. With one hand gripping his shirt and the other at the back of his neck, you lean down, pressing your lips against his.

It's so different this time around. You've been seated on his lap a few times, kissing him, and while you've always wanted to feel his lips against yours, you've been different degrees of terrified.

Undercover, when you kissed on the hammock, thinking that he was planning to kill you, and then after everything, when you merely feared that he was lying about his intentions and feelings, bound to hurt you in one way or another.

This time, you're nervous, yes, but in a different way. It's more biological, a natural reaction to wanting to fit in and not disappoint, rather than thinking he's just with you because he pities you. You can never prove that he feels the same kind of irresistible attraction you feel toward him, but he likes you. Jeongguk likes you.

His hands stay respectful, one on your lower thigh and the other moving to hold your waist. They're both warm because of course they are. He hums appreciatively into the kiss, and you lift your hand that was gripping his shirt to carefully hold his jaw instead, kissing him slowly. God, he's addictive in the best way, letting you explore this kind of affection without the overhanging threat of a border with no return.

Feeling cheeky, you pull the tiniest bit on the hair at the back of his neck, immensely satisfied when he lets out an unmistakably appreciative groan. Grinning against his lips, you do it again.

Despite his still hands, he's not passive. Although letting you lead, he follows enthusiastically, even nipping your bottom lip at one point. You're high on something, maybe the roses or just him and his sounds and his touch, and you're full of something else, that deep and warm want.

Adrenaline fills your veins and your pulse kicks into another gear as you lower your left hand from Jeongguk's jaw to his hand that's resting on your thigh. You take it, placing it between your breasts, right in the middle. Since you're only wearing his thin, black t-shirt, you wouldn't be surprised if he feels every single beat of your heart against his palm.

Slowly, while still kissing him, you lower his hand, just like he lowered yours that time in the shower. But he catches on, stopping just before your hands venture between your spread legs.

"Are you sure?" he mumbles against your lips.

"Yes," you whisper. "I want you to. If you want to."

"Of course, I want to. You know that. But it's up to you."

You nod, closing your eyes and kissing him again as you lower your hands further, in under the shirt but on top of your panties. Your heart beats heavy with anticipation and nerves when you feel his hand right there. At first, he caresses carefully, rubbing with gentle pressure over your slit and to your clit, and it makes you break the kiss, unable to focus.

He watches you, you know that even if your own eyes are closed. Drawing a shaky breath, you grip his shirt at his chest again.

"Okay?"

"Mhm," you bite your lip, almost flinching when he adds pressure to your clit, circling it over the fabric of your panties. They seem to annoy him a little, and next thing you know, he's pulling them to the side, running his fingers through your almost embarrassingly soaked folds.

"You're a literal dream," he states, his words breathy.

"Jeongguk," you whisper quietly into his ear.

"Does it feel good?"

Leaning forward, you nod against the side of his face, whimpering when he rubs your clit again, this time harder. He spreads his legs and in turn, yours, giving him unrestricted access. It's vulnerable, and you feel so exposed, but in a mostly exhilarating way.

"What did I do to deserve you, huh? So beautiful and gorgeous and sexy; you take my breath away."

If you weren't so preoccupied, you would've gladly clued him in, telling him that you're not this fond of him purely by chance. But you don't have nearly enough brain power, and honestly, you hope he already knows.

Slowly, gauging your reaction, he trails his middle finger lower, circling. When you nod in approval, he pushes it in. You're so wet already that it slips right in, and he immediately finds that spot, rubbing against it as he pumps his finger in and out.

"Jeongguk…" you repeat. It's like he already knows everything about you and your body.

He stops, his finger still deep inside you.

"Is this okay?" he asks, voice deep and calm.

"Mhm, keep going," you hum. "Please…"

Something about your breathy pleading makes him groan lightly, but he resumes, even adds another finger to pump in and out.

"You are so pretty like this," he says. "The prettiest. My pretty girl."

Your grip on his t-shirt tightens, and your eyes are one second away from tearing up, feeling him hit your sensitive nerves every time. His other hand warms your waist through the t-shirt, his hold on you gentle but firm.

Every ragged breath you take, his scent is there, clouding your brain. Him, him, him; he's all you feel and all you think about. His big body, his muscular arms and shoulders, the tattoos, veins, his warm, golden skin. And that's not even mentioning his dark, dark eyes, capable of conveying so much strength but also gentleness. Or his long fingers, currently fucking in and out of you at a quickening pace.

His phone rings.

You don't know who's calling, but you don't spare it too much thought, seeing as he doesn't stop. Two seconds is all he needs to decide his next action.

"Can you be quiet?" he asks lowly, pulling his wet fingers out of you to eliminate the worst sounds but keeping them on your clit instead.

You take a deep, shaky breath, nodding, still with your eyes closed and your forehead pressed against the side of his face.

"Hey," he answers the phone, sounding entirely normal.

It sounds like a man on the other end of the line, although you can't discern more than a single word here and there.

"Yeah, okay, good. That's great. Listen, can I call you back in a few minutes?"

You bite your lip, feeling him casually roll your clit between his fingers as he waits for an answer. To stop any sound from escaping your lips without permission, you press them against his warm neck.

"Mhm, okay, I'll call you back. Bye."

You hear the faint thud of his phone hitting the couch further away.

"Sorry, about that," he apologizes, and his genuine words and deep voice has you weaker in the knees than his hand between your legs.

"It's okay," you mumble, because you absolutely don't mind. He wouldn't have answered if it wasn't important.

However, your knees definitely feel even weaker when he puts in another gear, clearly enjoying it when the your thighs shake and your hips move seemingly on their own, trying to deal with the intensity of his touches. It's definitely not ruthless, but he's braver than he was at the start, rubbing both quicker and with more force, alternating the pattern and motion.

"So mesmerized by you," he says, and you grip at what you can reach of his back.

As you hold onto him, your breaths become shorter and shorter as the sharp pleasure builds inside you, threatening to spill over.

"Jeongguk."

"I know, baby," he encourages, turning to kiss your jaw.

It builds and builds and builds, until those shallow breaths become one that you hold, biting your lip while the electricity pulses through your entire body, and you drop your head to Jeongguk's shoulder.

His fingers continue a few seconds longer, softly and smoothly letting you ride out the orgasm before he removes them, your panties snapping back in place. Still keeping your head on his shoulder, you open your eyes just in time to see him casually wipe his fingers on his pants.

A quiet moment passes, a chance for you to catch your breath, Jeongguk stroking your back in the meantime.

"I'm gonna live a long time on that," he admits, making you chuckle. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," you say, sliding off him and to the side. Your skin is warm, both because of the nature of what you just did but also since he made you come in like, what, less than five minutes? "I guess two minutes is all I need," you joke, referencing his words from that day at the station when he desperately wanted you to listen to him.

"If you think that makes you less irresistible…" he comments, his round eyes surprised yet slightly… wild.

You just chuckle again. Sure, men usually only come once and 'premature ejaculation' is a different 'problem,' but it still feels embarrassing. To show your gratitude, mostly for his comforting words and how well he treats you in general, you grab a soft hold of his jaw, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

When you straighten up, he takes it as his sign, reaching for the phone.

"Well, I need to make a call," he states, slapping his thighs and standing up. "And then… definitely take care of something this time."

You snort, finding him so incredibly endearing and lovable. You didn't look for the boner, and you don't see it as he leaves the room, phone held up to his ear. What you do see, however, is how he brings the fingers he used to get you off to his mouth, casually licking them clean as he waits for whoever called to pick up.

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