ex sanguis

Lost in his own thoughts, he’s unprepared for the beautiful stranger from earlier to extricate himself from the throng of bodies. Mark watched curiously, expecting him to give his attention to the two excited girls from earlier. But imagine his surprise to hear a soft greeting followed by a quick smile. He floundered for a bit before regaining his composure. Lifting his drink to his lips once more, he used it like a temporary shield, one to hide his insecurities behind. “Hello, yourself.” Mentally he berated himself for such a lame comeback as an introduction.

      the question that follows is almost cringeworthy in how overused it is, and his lips curl up at the corners. “normally, i’d walk away from a question like that. but i was wondering the same thing myself.” his voice is amused, leaning casually against the bar as though he belongs there. (he practically does, he thinks, ignoring the voice of an ever so annoying bartender in the back of his head -- shirley temple again?) 

    namjoon ended up panicking when he hit one guy, who was about the same height as him, but had a lot more muscles. now if only he didn’t knock the drink out of his hand. “ahaha, no,” he quickly pushed through then, using his thin frame to get away from the large guy, nearly falling into the empty hallway, but catching himself on a railing. he lifted himself up and glanced back. he was safe for now.

    the human breathed a bit heavy, sweat already on his brow from all the heat coming from the sea of bodies he just pushed through and nearly died in. he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out the box, containing the item. he peeked inside to make sure it wasn’t broken before handing it off to jinyoung.

     he thinks he might have to intervene at one point, when the human lurches into another one of approximately the same height, but with a much sturdier build. oh, he thinks with laughter on his lips, this could certainly become interesting. half to his relief and half to his disappointment (relief at nothing big happening, it wouldn’t do for his precious cargo to be destroyed; disappointment because it would have been hilarious), nothing happens, really, and they make it to the safety of the hallway without further incident. 

“I’m sure they are,” Seokjin drawls, a small smile playing at his lips. “Movie quality, right? I mean… if you bite me, is it gonna leave a mark? They won’t snap off under pressure?” 

He ponders Jinyoung’s proposal for a heartbeat more, then two, weighing his options. On the one hand, he could be reading this all wrong. Jinyoung could very well be pulling him away to grab a bite to eat wearing fake vampire fangs, and Seokjin could be left to shake off the tension coiled in his body all by his lonesome. 

Or… 

Or Jinyoung could be serious, and judging by the sudden honorific that has a strange thrill shooting down Seokjin’s spine, he is to an extent, and Seokjin could be very much correct in guessing that Jinyoung is trying to get him alone (if not take him home, but another dilemma for another train of thought). He bites his bottom lip, apprehension apparent on his face before he finally allows his resolve to snap. 

     “more than movie quality,” he says with a promising crinkle of his eyes. “i think you’d be surprised, hyung.” his voice is filled with dark amusement, letting loose a soft little chuckle that holds both menace and promise, and yet somehow, is still so appealing. the benefits of being a vampire, he supposes. 

     he’d shifted them slightly while the human hadn’t been paying attention, not wanting their little... encounter to spark a mass panic. this is for seokjin’s eyes only. his eyes flutter slightly, peeking up at the other male through his lashes, and he knows seokjin is close to snapping. he knows it -- he can practically taste it in the air, and it’s exciting, to say the least. he can feel his fangs slip out behind still-closed lips when the human finally gives in, and it’s with some relief (his fangs are fucking painful when his mouth is closed) that he opens his mouth, the light glinting off fangs that look disturbingly real. 

@mxjinyoung

Mark has been burying his nose in books as long as he known how to read. It was his mother’s patience and soft words that sounded out words in multitude of languages and flipped pages that were much too large for his small hands to even grasp. It was the lifeblood of his clan, the entire reason they were able to do the magnificent things they tried nowadays.

The ability to read paired with his memory, things ingrained into his mind through continuous repetition, were his greatest strengths. It was how he could rattle off incantations under his breath without a second though, the same reason he drew symbols for transmutation as second nature on every piece of paper he was given.

For all of his studying and practice, it didn’t explain what he was doing in a country where his tongue still tripped over simple words. It’s part of the same reason why he typically chose to hang out in areas where words weren’t always necessary; which explained his current perch on a barstool surrounded by intoxicated humans everywhere he looked. The sweating drink in his hand at first sip tasted of sweet pears before it was completely overwhelmed by the strong taste of the vodka that followed it. Mark took a tentative sip before placing the glass back on the bar. Virtually unknown, he seemed to blend right in with the crowd and the loud throbbing of bass made talking almost impossible. It seemed the first time all week that Mark could feel his shoulders finally begin to release all of the built up tension that had taken up residence in his narrow bones.

     they’re quite tasty, too. that doesn’t hurt, he smirks to himself, and he hasn’t had this kind of... availability in quite some time. it’s certainly convenient. as he slips through the throngs of people, there’s a strange energy that flickers in his senses. it’s one quite familiar, one that he hadn’t expected to feel in this day and age. it’s an energy signature that he’d initially felt several centuries ago, and he frowns slightly as he picks out the person among the crowd. 

     with ease, he slips through the crowd, vampiric grace serving him well as his sharp eyes focus on a figure unfamiliar in their appearance, but familiar in their presence. an eyebrow arches silently as he approaches the unknown, his expression mildly curious. 

When he returns, he finds Jinyoung in relatively the same place and Jaebum can’t help but raise his eyebrows, both of them this time, at him. He adjusts his sleeves, rolling them both up just slightly more, until they end just under his elbow. “You said you wanted a dance, not a fuck,” he points out, already too tired to really consider the second offer despite how good of a fuck the vampire actually was. He had an opening shift tomorrow, and he wasn’t planning on going anywhere with the teasing. Not this time. 

     but jaebum returns just when he’s contemplating moving to the dance floor to seduce someone away, and he settles back down when the other raises his eyebrows. “i wouldn’t be adverse to either,” he shrugs a little bit. “a fuck is always nice, especially with you.” he glances the other’s body up and down, slow, heated, and he smirks a little bit, letting a hint of fangs flash. 

     “i don’t think …” he swallows, licking his lips and steeling himself for a second before he blurts it out. “i don’t think we can do that anymore.” that, of course, referring to their arrangement from before he had been turned into a vampire. 

                  what time didn’t seem to change was how he was so gentle with her. and she let him. had she been well, she had already resisted, never asking him for such help in their many years of knowing each other. with shaky limbs, she tried to hold herself upright though most of her was leaning against him for support. the world spun for a moment and she gripped on the material of his shirt firmly. she let it pass for a few more seconds, taking a deep breath. it felt so good to be breathing.

                  “okay,” she said meekly at his invitation. she looked around, seeing the familiar faces of friends. she was searching for her mother, only to have her vision get clouded and the scent of her perfume envelop her. “my daughter,” she heard her say, pulling away to run her fingers through mihyun’s brittle and lifeless hair, her patchy skin and the hollowness of her cheeks. she knew she was horrifying to look at, at that moment. her mother took her in with such pain in her eyes. if only she knew what she had done prior to her slumber.

                  “mother,” she croaked. “i…you were searching for me, jinyoung said.” she searched the woman’s eyes for confirmation or a clue.

                  “yes,” her mother answered and kissed her cheek gently. “i thought you were dead…but i couldn’t…i couldn’t accept it. to lose both you and your father… i had to confirm everything.”

     “yes, please do excuse us.” his voice is smooth, buttery almost in its velvety tone, and he offers the other female a smile that does not reach his eyes. “perhaps we’ll see you shortly, but for the time being, we shall take our leave.” he murmurs before he sweeps her into his arms, the husk of her body disturbing him, but it’s unavoidable. after centuries of sleep, there’s nothing else he could have expected. 

“Oh is that the kind of line the kids use nowadays?” Seokjin quips, squinting. Sure, Jinyoung has always seemed to have a rather…fangy smile, but Seokjin would have never imagined that the younger man would be the type to use it as some kind of ploy for food or any other implications Seokjin refused to consider. 

“I would give you points for creativity, but as much as you would suit playing dracula himself, it’s a little overplayed after the whole Twilight craze.” 

     (that’s all part of the plan, of course. he knows seokjin well enough to know that the human would never let him drink out of the blue. not without an acquaintanceship being acknowledged beforehand.) 

       he waited until the other came out. when he was allowed in by the other male. he glared at the bouncer, making his way inside. naturally, he tripped causing the bouncer to laugh. namjoon was used to this, but it definitely killed his ego a bit. 

     (hey, no one had ever said that park jinyoung was nice. perhaps he had been, over a millennium ago. but now? it’s such a human weakness, to be considerate of others.) 

     perhaps it’s cruel of him to purposely pick the most crowded places he can go through. while he doesn’t want his club to be destroyed -- and with namjoon’s luck, it’s sadly a possibility, he can’t help but laugh, a smirk permanently quirking up the corners of his mouth, holding back a snicker or two. most of them, however, he just lets free.

He measures out the gin - purposely royally fucking up the ratio just because he knows how Jinyoung reacts to alcohol - and tops it off with the last of the opened can of tonic water he had had from the last order of the same drink. He slides the highball glass towards the older male with an eyebrow raise, sucking on the inside of one of his snake-bites. He only has one of them in today, shaking his head. 

      “what did you do?” he asks even as the other slides the highball towards him, taking the cup and immediately squeezing the lime in before sipping at it, his nose wrinkling as the far too alcohol-y drink hits his tongue. “im jaebum, you ass --” he hisses lowly, his eyes narrowing as he takes another sip of the drink anyways, knowing he’ll regret this. he’ll need to feed extra tonight to knock all of the extra alcohol out of his system, and he contemplates biting into jaebum. despite the atrocious taste, the act will certainly be satisfying.

     it had changed, somehow. he’s not entirely sure how it had changed, but it had. 

     he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be the one who found out why either. trying to continue and focus on his book – it was the textbook for the class that he had just dropped out of, and he was mourning the couple of thousands of dollars he had wasted on classes that year – he tenses slightly when jinyoung slithers into his room and wraps his arms around him. 

     “what’s this all about, wonwoo?” his voice is low, almost a little dangerous, and it’s clear that he doesn’t appreciate this kind of behavior from the younger male without an explanation. idly, he wonders if the newborn is still angry at him for turning him wtihout permission, which jinyoung can... kind of understand. but not really, consdering how much care he’d taken to make sure that wonwoo didn’t hurt anyone. literally nothing has changed for the other save the fact that he’s immortal. and incapable of being in the sun, he supposes, but that will slowly come with time. 

she is distracted, to say the least. nails recently painted in black tapping on the counter, head tilted to the side as she observes the bartender. she is distracted enough not to notice when the guy stops right next to her—almost jumping when she hears the voice, eyes looking up at the male.

now, the way he looks at her is absolutely scary. at least for her. sohyun takes a second to actually react, barely able to gulp as she shifts on her heels, changing her weight from one leg to the other. he isn’t human, an alert almost rings inside of her head—but that isn’t hard to notice, really. human males were scary, but nothing (definitely nothing) compared to this.

     “well, then.” he flashes her a grin with just a hint too much fang, turning to the bartender with an alluring smile. “whatever the young lady said she’d like, and a gin and tonic with lime for me.” he orders fluidly, slipping onto the bar stool next to her. 

    the magic box did not make deliveries. however, there were occasions where a customer could convince namjoon’s boss to make an exception. that meant namjoon would have to hop on his bike and make his way to some location and drop it off. usually, it was for the ‘special’ clients. meaning those who couldn’t come out during day time hours - meaning vampires.

      namjoon wasn’t daft. he knew the world wasn’t as innocent as it seemed. for one, the entire male line of namjoon’s family was cursed by a witch because his great-grandfather was completely superficial and that meant his children and his children’s children and so on would be cursed. fast forward to namjoon’s time - the bad luck was going strong.

     so strong, namjoon popped a tire a block away from where he was supposed to drop off. he groaned as he made his way up to the club, setting his bike off to the side and chaining it to a post outside. he made his way up to the door before he was stopped. he groaned, “i’m here to see park jinyoung.”

     humming softly to himself, he waits inside the club, knowing that some unfortunate delivery boy is to be running the object to him today. he wonders idly if he can sneak a drink out of them, but with namjoon’s luck, it’ll be the cursed boy who winds up coming to the club. sure enough, it’s not much longer later when his phone vibrates and he answers it smoothly, lips curling up at the corners. 

                  darkness surrounded her.

                  time stilled, as if testing her.

                  she was not alive yet she was also not dead. 

                  for some reason, mihyun thought that this torture was more painful than when they branded her skin with holy items. it took her days, weeks or months before she dried out. there was not enough blood in her system to allow her to move around. but there was enough blood to keep her heart beating. very faintly and slowly. it was the state she found herself in before she felt air suddenly gust through her lungs. she could barely inhale it, barely smell it. but she knew she was found.

                  she could hear sounds, sounds she hadn’t heard before, faintly. her senses were dull and she was startled and confused. she could hear the beating of hearts and she knew, with a primal instinct, that she had to feed. she rose up immediately, using every bit of her remaining strength to latch onto the nearest person. she grabbed at an arm and she let out a strangled moan as she tore through fabric and sank her teeth in desperately.

                  she drank, feeling her rotten skin slowly come to life. her skin smoothed out, her hair slowly started growing and she knew this was not enough. this was not enough to quench her thirst. she grabbed onto the man’s arms with a manic need, sinking her fingernails against his skin, hard enough to draw blood. her whole body curled around his body, craving warmth and the feeling of being alive once more. as her senses came back, she pulled away, breathing heavily with blood dripping down the corners of her mouth. using her hands to untie her bandage, she let it fall down and the face she saw…

                  “j-jinyoung…ssi…” were her first words, uttered with dry lips and a dry throat.

      there will be bodies found tonight. he’s certain of it. cradling her carefully against him, his expression softens slightly. mihyun. he hasn’t seen her for centuries, and the last he remembers of her had been tangled nights in bed and talk of how to use her then-husband to kill her father. they had plotted together, the two of them, long nights and days stolen away together whenever it was inconspicuous enough. 

       “mihyun,” he repeats softly. “your mother asked many of us to search for you. you’ve been asleep for a long time.” carefully, he lifts her out of her grave, supporting her with a gentleness he hadn’t known he still had. it’s odd, he thinks, how the reappearance of someone centuries gone can send a fleeting thrill of warmth through him. 

“What, is that all I am to you? A free meal?” Seokjin teases, arms crossing over his chest. “I could be broke, for all you know.” What a thing to say while wearing a designer suit, as someone whose face is plastered on numerous storefronts, in subways and shows.

Still, Seokjin can’t turn down both the challenge in his words or the implication of getting to eat as well- late hour be damned- so he lets out a little sigh of defeat. Jinyoung might be a brat, but Seokjin is obligated and vaguely curious as to what kind of monstrous appetite the other must have to be mooching food off of Seokjin without even a hint of remorse. Either he’s actually broke- unlikely, given how Jinyoung is always dressed, but he might also just prioritize style over food- or he doesn’t want to foot a large bill. Seokjin is betting on the latter. 

      “you’re about as broke as the president of south korea,” he refutes almost immediately, pulling away with the smallest pout on his lips, tilting his head slightly with a pleading look on his face. he only holds it for a moment before his expression returns to the playfully dancing one. 

Drying the highball glass in his hand with a clean towel, Jaebum glances at the vampire with an air of disinterest about it before his gaze drops back to the glass. Dark hair hangs in his eyes and he wonders idly why he didn’t get it cut the last time he passed the barber shop before he hears the other greet him and he has to repress a long-suffering sigh. It wasn’t that Jinyoung was annoying but, well, he was annoying. And he was also very persistent. Those were two things that Jaebum didn’t like. 

      slipping onto the stool with grace, he folds his hands before resting his chin on them, smirking a little bit. “come dance with me, jaebummie.” he cajoles playfully, his eyes flickering with something dangerous, tilting his head innocently. “you’ve been behind the bar for so long, surely you can take your break soon?” 

the whole place isn’t something she is exactly used just yet. well—yes, she’s been hanging out with others a lot lately, meeting parts of busan she didn’t really think existed, enjoying her life pretty much like she’s… human. or something like that, at least.

for someone who’s been spending most of the few years not really interested in what happened around the city, sohyun is surely close to one of the most curious nixies nowadays. friends, clubs, drinks, that’s all her life had been becoming ever since she stopped being so headstrong about her opinions about the human kind and let herself live a little.

sure, she knows well enough busan isn’t a city made of humans only. as much as she exists, other naturals walk around and among them. not to talk about the fact of those who would hunt her if they ever remembered about her species existence.

sohyun’s always been careful, though. even there, in a club, alone as her friends are dancing, she tries her best at paying attention to all the details—not only on how nice the club is, or how much fun she’s having but also a bit alert to anything that could possibly go wrong.

     wandering through the club, he comes upon the bar once more -- there’s no jaebum tonight, which rather disappoints him. teasing the bartender is always fun, and the other is certainly easy on the eyes. but that isn’t to say that there is no other prey. he sets sight upon a girl sitting at the bar who clearly has no idea what anything in the human world is.