#vampire!yuta

Jaehyun woke to the sound of muffled music, voices and the smell of food. Blinking, he found himself staring at the high ceiling of the living room, apparently having fallen asleep on the couch after opting to watch some tv after dinner had been served and most of the guests had gone to their rooms. He groaned, reaching to rub at a temple, hoping it would diminish some of the throbbing in his head. He isn't surprised to wake up on the couch; he was certain he hadn't fallen asleep until the earliest of morning hours. What does surprise him is both his lying position and the blanket draped over him, the colorful pumpkin pattern a soft plush. He sits up, glancing around to find a couple of the others are still asleep in the living room; the baby of Youngjo's clan, Dongju, if Jaehyun remembered correctly, and Jungwoo, one of Taeyong's underlings, were curled on the massive bean bag chair, a large navy blanket covering them as they slept. It was adorable, reminding Jaehyun of the family he had in one of his safe houses. The mother  he was keeping safe had panicked when he finally managed to call her, but he had calmed her down and let her know she was safe, as were the three children. He got up from the couch, draping the blanket over the back of the couch before making his way towards the kitchen, pausing when he found a sliding door closing the kitchen off from the living room area. Getting closer lends him a better understanding of the muffled voices. 

“Oi, Wooyoung! Why did you mess up the eggs?” San questioned as Jaehyun approached the door. 

“Just scramble them, you picky cat.” Wooyoung countered with a teasing tone. 

“We aren't cooking for everyone, we don't need to scramble them!” San argued, a pout in his voice that made Jaehyun chuckle as he reached to open the door. 

“Boys, behave or I will ground you both and tell Hongjoong.” Arashi's voice sent a wave of relief over Jaehyun as he slid the door open. 

Despite much reassurance from the others, he was exceedingly worried about her recovering. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him so as to not disturb the ones still asleep before turning to look around. San and Wooyoung were at the stove while Youngjo was washing prep dishes, everyone seemingly content in the routine. 

“Well well well, look who's risen to join us.” Yuta's voice caught Jaehyun's attention, the warlock's eyes finding where the vampire sat at the table. Arashi was perched next to him, head on his shoulder as he spoke. “Did we wake you up?”

Jaehyun shook his head. “That would be the headache I seem to have gotten while I slept.” 

“Some medicine and tea and you'll be fine. I need some more tea myself.” Arashi replied, righting herself to get up. Her multicolored hair is clipped back with a gemmed barrette, and she paused for a moment as she stood - Yuta reaching to steady her with a hand at the small of her back - before she started towards the counter. “Lady Grey, correct?” She confirmed, Jaehyun nodding as he walked to join her at the counter.

“Sit down.” Youngjo told Arashi softly without looking at her. “We can make more for you and one for him.”

“Youngjo, I'm not helpless. I can handle pushing a few buttons on a machine, for crying out loud.” Arashi rolled her eyes, waving a hand at her familiar dismissively. “Just hand me a mug from the second shelf of that cabinet.” Youngjo sighed, shaking his head, but complied with the command, handing a mug with sunflowers on it to her as she set up the Keurig on the counter. She pulled a glass jar over and popped open the spring lid, taking a moment to breathe in the scent inside the jar with a faint smile. Pulling out a small tea bag, she set one in the new mug while lifting her own to empty the remnants. “You're a brood of mother hens, I swear.”

“How are you feeling?” Jaehyun asked, standing at the end of the counter so that Arashi was still in eyeline of where Yuta sat. 

“A little weak, but that'll be fixed once I eat some food instead of sleeping.” Arashi assured. “I was going to make breakfast, but the boys here were obviously not having it.” She motioned her head towards the three currently cooking and cleaning. “They wouldn't even let Yuta help.” 

“Look here, Missy, one of us needs to keep an eye on you.” Wooyoung huffed, turning to point a spatula at her.

“Wooyoung, I am fine.” Arashi insisted, shaking her head slightly. 

“I'm just glad you're awake. I know the others said you'd be fine, but I was still concerned. I caused-” Jaehyun is cut off as Arashi lifted a hand to stop him. 

“First of all, do not apologize. I can tell that's where that was headed.” Arashi stated. “Secondly, I am a healer, I did my job.”

“But-”

“Don't bother trying to argue.” San warned. “Arashi is stubborn as a mule.”

“I can still smack you, Choi San.” Arashi countered, twisting just enough to look at him with a playful smirk. San grinned back, the smile just a tad too wide for a human before turning back to his task at hand. Rolling her eyes, she moved to hand the mug to Jaehyun before placing her own and starting the machine again, setting a teabag in her mug. “ Sugar is on the counter, cream and such is in the fridge.” She let Jaehyun make the tea to his liking before dipping the spoon in a small glass of water to rinse it off. “We came down and saw you, Jungwoo and Dongju sleeping. I didn't want to wake everyone up and cause chaos, so I shut the kitchen door for now.” 

“That's very considerate of you, especially having just come back to everyone.” Jaehyun mused, sipping from his cup. 

“Being one of the few females in this giant ass clan of puzzle pieces, you learn to remind everyone about manners on occasion.” Arashi laughed softly. 

“We’re not that bad, Arashi.” Wooyoung argued.

“Not anymore.” Yuta interjected, chuckling when Wooyoung pouted at him. 

“Like you never had a moment-”

“He very likely didn't, Woo. He was raised as a noble.” San countered, reminding his mate. 

“Noble?” Jaehyun looked at the vampire, surprise written on his face. “You're a royal vampire?”

“Prince and heir apparent of the Osaka clan leader.” Yuta says, though there's no pride in his voice. If anything, he seems bothered by the fact. 

Jaehyun recalled Yuta mentioning that he left home for good reason, and it showed that the story behind that decision still affected him. “I didn't mean to pry.”

“It's actually common knowledge between the clans, it's not like you put a gun to anyone's head.” Yuta countered, reaching for his coffee. “I just prefer not to have anyone think I'm superior to them.” 

Arashi was at his side in a few strides, reaching to thread her fingers through his hair. She leaned down, murmuring in a language Jaehyun doesn't immediately recognize due to her soft tone. It's only when Yuta replied back, just slightly louder, that he realized they were speaking in Japanese. Where Yuta spoke in a relaxed manner, Arashi wasn't quite as calm - obviously speaking a learned language despite a strong fluidity in her pronunciation. Although it’s a sweet moment, something about it was intimate to witness. Jaehyun looked away from the couple, startled when he found Wooyoung next to him. 

“Sausage or bacon?” The fox inquired, crowded next to Jaehyun as if there wasn't a massive kitchen around them.

“What?”

Wooyoung rolls his eyes. “Which do you want, sausage or bacon?”

“Bacon is fine?” Jaehyun asked more than stated. “You guys don't have to make me anything, this seems like a private-”

“Please don't argue with him. He's more stubborn than I can be.” Arashi's voice chimed in. “Is Jaehyun banished to the table as well, or can he help cook?”

“I really feel like this should be for you guys to have a meal together.” Jaehyun protested. “I don’t want to impose.”

“Once Wooyoung makes up his mind about feeding someone, he won't take no for an answer.” Youngjo explained. 

“You're also still recovering, Jaehyun.” Arashi added. “Please, come sit at least. Let the gremlins do their thing.”

“Gremlins?” Youngjo feigned offense as he began mixing batter for pancakes. 

“I said what I said.” Arashi mused, lifting her mug to take a sip. The atmosphere is relaxed and playful, and Jaehyun finds he's actually beginning to feel comfortable for the first time since his return. Whether it's the people, the changes in layout, or some combination of the two, he wasn't sure. As food was made, the familiars made sure Arashi and Jaehyun eat first, then Yuta and San before eating themselves. The group was gathered at one end of the table, plates emptied, when the door opened to reveal Taeyong. 

“Look who's awake.” The dragon grinned sleepily as he walked in. “Welcome back, little storm.” He goes to get a cup of coffee, still sluggish as he worked. “How are you feeling?” 

“I'm good, I promise.” Arashi replied. “I may need a sparring match or two, loosen up after being out for so long.” 

“Oo, sparring?” San perked up. “Can I spar with you?”

“I don't mind.” 

“You guys fight?” Jaehyun asked. “For fun?”

“You learn to defend yourself young when you aren't human.” San replied. “We spar so we can keep sharp on our reflexes and such.” 

“But…Arashi, aren't you at a disadvantage, being a witch?” Jaehyun inquired next. “Our kind don’t typically have the reflexes and such to handle a fight with other nonhumans.” 

“Arashi will be fine. She's a damn good fighter, especially with her magic.” Taeyong yawned as he spoke. 

“I still need to work on my hand to hand. Yuta and Johnny typically help me with that.” Arashi half laughed knowingly, sipping at her tea again.“But to answer your question, Jae, my siblings made sure I knew the basics of how to fight; to defend myself if nothing else.” 

“Would you mind terribly if I tried my hand a time or two?” Jaehyun inquired. 

“Oo, I could use another magic user to spar with. The only other pure magic wielder is Joong.” Arashi perked up a bit. 

“No magic sparring for a few days, let your magic get back its strength.” Youngjo cautioned, scowling as Wooyoung elbowed him sharply in his side. “Ow, what, fox?”

“Watch it, will ya?” Wooyoung warned with a hiss.

“Oh, you two stop it. I'm already well aware of the tiff Yuta and Youngjo had.” Arashi silenced her familiars, looking over her lifted mug at them before taking another drink.  “We’ll discuss it later. In the meantime…Wooyoung, I need you to relax, okay? Youngjo, I need you to not be so tense. Got it?” The two familiars looked at each other, then Yuta and then Arashi before each nodded in turn. “Everything is fine, so stop walking on eggshells.” 

The table slowly came back to life as Taeyong joined with his own coffee, perching across from Jaehyun, between San and Youngjo. The little group talked and caught Arashi up on the activities that happened since she went under, the sun gradually lighting more of the room as it rose further. The day passed fairly casually, and by the time the remaining members were awake, everyone had made their way out into the massive yard in the afternoon warmth. A soccer game had started, and those playing were laughing and teasing each other. Jaehyun had gone to get a cold drink, returning to find Arashi on one of the porch swings, fiddling with the pendant of her necklace as she swayed the swing back and forth slowly. 

“Are you sure you're okay?” He greeted with concern, head tilting as Arashi blinked and looked up at him. 

“I promise that I'm fine, it typically takes a day or two for my magic to recover. I just don't like not having my usual awareness.” Arashi explained. “It makes me feel kind of helpless, and I don't want Yuta having to worry extra about me.”

“I'm sure he'd worry regardless, Arashi. You are mates, y’know.” Jaehyun countered, sipping from his glass. “What's that, if I may?” He pointed at her hand where her thumb and pointer finger held the charm, making her look down. 

“Yuta had it designed for me.” Arashi smiles fondly, moving her pointer finger to reveal the delicately shaped rose gold Sakura blossom, the center a beautiful gemstone. “All the women of his family have a different Sakura pendant, the symbol of his family, and since I'm his mate, he wanted to make sure I was included.” 

“It's gorgeous.” Jaehyun commented. “Why the gemstone?”

“The gem for the month we met.” Arashi answered. “I never take it off.”

“I can tell you two have a pure, unfiltered love. It's magic in its own right.” He paused for a moment to look out at where the others were playing their soccer game, head tilting before he spoke again. “You know, I've seen several different mated bonds in my life, but I've actually never known the feeling.” 

“You've never had a mate?” Arashi’s face fell, but not in pity. “Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry.” She sounded sad as she spoke, her legs stopping the swing. “Maybe you'll experience it soon? Our clan is big enough, even without my familiars' clans.”

“I doubt that's why I'm here, Arashi.” Jaehyun mused, chuckling. “And I'm not sure I even have a mate. After over three hundred years, you learn not to be too expectant.”

“Maybe it wasn't a swipe right moment, but I have learned that people don't just show up randomly for this clan. I like to think we'll figure out why you're here in time.” Arashi countered, unbothered by Jaehyun revealing his age. “To change the subject, though, I am curious about something. At least if the topic isn't too troubling?”

Dark eyes found Arashi's as Jaehyun looked at her. “What is it?”

“This was your home before we found it and made it anew, right?” 

“You could say that.” Jaehyun scoffed a little as he spoke, going to lean his back against the railing. He let his eyes wander the porch. “All of you moved here, fixed up the broken floor boards and awful paint, but I can still feel the ghosts, expect to turn a corner and actually see one.” His left hand lifted to brush his fingers over the smooth surface of elegantly carved wood that captured a wolf’s image. “These were just ugly blocks with awful splinters, the rooms were cramped, the yard bare of color and the food was shitty.” 

“An orphanage?”

“A poor excuse for one. Although most of the kids I grew up with weren't orphans in the traditional sense.” 

“You were sold.” Arashi stated, matter of fact in her tone. 

Jaehyun could sense her eyes on him and he nodded. “When I was a child, my kind were hard to come by. Especially my specific breeding.” 

“You have reptile eyes…are they not from your demon parent?” 

The question was one Jaehyun had never entertained, really, but it did make him wonder, if only for a moment. “I'm not sure. Neither of my parents were - are, I suppose - human.” he answered. “Supposedly it makes me stronger than the normal warlock. I wouldn't know. My mother sold me off as soon as I could speak well, so I don’t really remember anything about her. This place was where I lived until I ran away as a teenager and never looked back.” 

“I'm sorry, Jaehyun. That sounds terrible.”

“Painful memories make us who we are, do they not?” Jaehyun mused, his own words inflected with bittersweetness. “I really, truly thought I would never lay eyes on this place again. But…in a way, I guess I didn't.” 

“What do you mean?”

“The inside is remodeled, more spacious on the ground floor. The bedrooms are bigger, even without magic, and even the porch is different. There's a welcoming feeling here now where I once felt dread and horror.” Jaehyun let his hand fall back to his side. “I never knew there was such pretty wood underneath that hideous green paint. Or that something so ornate and elegant could be hiding beneath the surface.” 

“That's all Chittapon, he's a regular Da Vinci.” Arashi replied. “Each pillar for the porch represents a different member of the clan, and we still have ones that we just sanded down because the manor is so big.” 

“A different member?”

Arashi nodded, pointing to the pillars that bordered the stairs leading to the side yard. One was a large dragon, the other a humanoid form with a katana. “Yongie, Yuta,” she then pointed at the wolf Jaehyun had admired. “That one represents Johnny, the other second for our clan.”

“You can recognize each one?” 

“More or less. Chittapon gave little nuances to the members that are similar species.” Arashi giggled a little. “Also, Johnny's is the first where he worked on creating fur with wood, so it's a little rougher in design. Took him over a month, but he still wasn't happy with it, even though it's gorgeous.” 

Jaehyun couldn't help but laugh quietly with her. “Like I said, maybe I didn't lay eyes on the place in my past. I may be standing somewhere I once did as far as location, but that place is just…not visible. All of you have transformed it.” 

“Beauty can sometimes hide in darkness.” Arashi answered, leaning back as she began to work the swing back and forth again. “I wish I could forget my past sometimes, but it's made me a better healer.” 

“Healing magic is a beautiful gift, you know.” 

“Doesn't do much good in a fight, though.” Arashi countered with a deprecating laugh. “Joong is the one who helped me learn how to fight with my magic instead of being solely defensive with it.” 

“But Tae said-”

“Believe me, I was terrible at first, but that was years ago. Being bonded helps, too.” 

“Do you share your abilities with Yuta?”

“Sort of, but not in the way I think you're imagining.” Arashi replied. “My senses are a little stronger than a regular witch, but mostly I have a boost in my stamina, which helps in cases of prolonged magic use. Yuta has acute abilities from me as well." She lifted her cup from the cup holder in the arm of the swing, taking a sip from her straw. 

“Prolonged…Arashi, how long should you have been awake after helping me?”

“Hmm?” Arashi blinked, tilting her head a little as she thought. “You know…I don't really have an answer for that.” She mused. “In theory, I probably should have been out before you even woke up? It's hard to say since Yuta and I have been bonded for a while. I don't really remember much about the magic wear before we found each other.” 

“So I could have killed you by overusing your magic if you weren't bonded?”

“I mean, you were basically in death's arms by the time we got here, if that consoles you at all.” Arashi countered. “But the majority of my overuse was the comatose spell so you didn't rip your stitches or anything. That spell takes a serious toll on any caster.” 

“I almost killed you?!” Jaehyun's voice raised a bit, staring at the witch. 

“Will you calm down? There's no need to be so dramatic.” Arashi countered, laughing a little before shaking her head. Her tone turned softer as she spoke again. “Please, don't go stressing yourself out on my account, Jaehyun. Had I been anywhere close to that point, Yuta would have been far more protective and way more reckless.” 

“You two seem oddly laid back given the circumstances.” 

“Rather than being what, exactly?” 

Jaehyun jumped as Yuta appeared with the question, walking up from the current game in the yard. His eyes flashed their natural color as he looked at the vampire a moment longer than necessary as he gathered his thoughts. “I just mean that most interbred bonds can be volatile when any danger is presented.”

“Are you supposed to be dangerous?” Yuta asked him, moving to pluck Arashi's glass from her hands to take a drink even as she pouted playfully up at him. 

“Surely not in my current state, but I am still a stranger to your clan, Yuta.” 

“You were also in grave danger when you came to us.” Yuta remarked. “Most creatures show gratitude for such an endeavor as what we took on in saving you.” He arched a brow, the slightest curve of amusement on his lips as he spoke. “And you've been here almost a week since waking and haven't tried anything dangerous.”

“I…”

“That level of protectiveness is for danger that expresses itself, or when a fight occurs or is about to begin. It's a primal instinct to protect that which we love, especially for the predator breeds.” Yuta continued, moving to stop the swing so he can kiss Arashi’s head, one hand brushing the back of his fingers over Arashi's cheek as he handed her glass back. “We protect our family, our home, when danger presents itself, not because a wounded stranger asks for help.” 

“Oi, Yuta! Get back here!” Hwanwoong called, waving his arm. “We've got a game to finish!”

“Scared you can't win without me, foxy?” Yuta called back with a grin, laughing when Arashi smacked at his leg. 

“Go, oh great protector, we're fine.” Arashi teased, rolling her eyes before Yuta leaned to steal a proper kiss and head back. 

“Y’know…you guys are a good bunch. All of you. I'm glad it's you who found this place.” Jaehyun maneuvered to sit on the rail across from the swing, turning so he can lean back against the wolf shaped pillar. 

Arashi smiled fondly, more maternal in the gesture, as she looked out at where the game had continued. “My clan, this family, is full of life from so many walks of it. And this land, this manor, is good to further nurture that. Fate, or whatever you choose to believe in, directed us all together when we needed it, after all. Or that's how I feel about it.” A howl echoed suddenly across the open field and Arashi looked towards the front of the house, even though the porch wrapping around had no full view. “It would appear we have more guests for you to meet.” She chuckled, but didn't move to stand.

“Shifters?”

“And a werewolf.” Arashi chuckled. Moments later, there was a commotion in the house before a tall male opened the kitchen door and looked around. Shoulder length, golden blonde hair peeked from under a beanie as he spotted Arashi. 

“The little witch lives!” He cheered, going over to scoop Arashi up into his arms, sending the swing flailing off balance for a moment. 

Arashi squealed with laughter as she was spun, hiding her face in the man's neck before smacking at his shoulder. “Johnny, put me down!” she scolded, a playful pout on her lips.

“Arashi!” A young voice cried out as the taller male - Johnny - obeyed and set Arashi on her feet, wandering off to the yard with a call of Yuta's name. A young man appeared as Arashi ran a hand through her hair, his own platinum hair bouncing as he rushed to hug her, eyes a rich color akin to whiskey. “Thank goodness you're okay.” 

“Oh, my baby fox.” Arashi hugged back tightly, nuzzling at his shoulder before pulling back to look at him. “I'm so sorry I worried you. Did you finish your trip at least?” 

“There wasn't much left of it. Besides, the others understood the urgency here.” Jisung replied before his eyes found Jaehyun and a distinctive air of protectiveness surrounded him. “Who are you?”

“My name is Jaehyun. A newcomer, if you will.” Jaehyun responded with a mix between a small bow and a nod. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.” 

“He's a friend, Jisung.” Arashi replied, unaware of the stunned look on Jaehyun's face as she speaks to the young man standing in front of her. “He's fine, I promise. Stand down.”

“Jisung, you didn't need to leave your trip early, we had everything under control.” Taeyong interrupted as he walked up the steps.

“Of course I did, my mom was sick.” Jisung countered, pouting at Taeyong. “Plus, it's been two years, we weren't going to be gone much longer anyway.”

“If anything that bad had happened, you know your dad would have come to get you? Or one of Arashi’s familiars?” Taeyong countered. 

“It's fine, Uncle Tae.” Jisung groaned, but his tone was hard to read. “Right now, I'm home ‘cause my family needed me. I'll talk about the trip later.” He turned to give Arashi another hug before darting out into the yard towards Yuta in a blur of white. The vampire spotted and caught him in a hug with barely a stumble and a grin. 

“I can't believe-”

“Yongie, don't.” Arashi cut the dragon off, brow furrowed as she spoke. “He obviously needed to come home.” 

“But he was so happy when you two told him he could go.” Taeyong offered. 

“I’m aware. But for whatever reason, he found he needed to be home more. Yuta and I will talk to him when he's ready. Right now, let's just be happy that he's okay, yeah?” She gave Taeyong a look as she leaned on the railing to watch Jisung interact with Yuta and Wooyoung. Taeyong shook his head with a sigh, but turned to go inside. 

“Mom, huh?” Jaehyun asked, looking at Arashi's profile. 

“Jisung lost his family in a fire when he was little more than a pup. Yuta happened to find him and essentially adopted him before he found me. Jisung was reluctant to get close at first, but he warmed up to me. Especially once he realized I was Yuta's mate.” Arashi explained. “He doesn't call us his parents often, but he definitely sees us that way.” 

Jaehyun made an intrigued noise. “This clan is full of surprises.” 

“You don't know half of it.” Arashi laughed a little. “If you stick around, you'll learn the whole backstory in time.” 

“I'm not sure about that.” Jaehyun replied. “I've never been in a family environment, Arashi. At least not a good one. I don't want to overstay my welcome or disturb something that's already good.” 

Arashi tilted her head as she watched him. “You're a good person, Jaehyun.” she stated. “Whatever is in your past, you overcame it. You run a network of safe houses, for crying out loud. How would you possibly disturb our dynamic?” She let him sit there a long moment, the two of them merely watching each other. “Don’t dismiss it because it's scary.” 

“I'm not scared.” Jaehyun defended far too quickly to be believable.

“Then don't do it because it's unfamiliar. Do you think any of us were so easily endeared to each other outside of mates?” 

“I reckon it hasn't always been pleasant.” 

“Nope. It gets tense, it gets awkward, but that's part of belonging to a family.” 

“Arashi, I'm not sure I even know what family is.” 

“I didn't either, for a long time. But I figured it out, and something tells me you're figuring it out, too.” Arashi countered. 

"Hmm," you leaned against your wall, thinking over her question. Chaein was an elf, and besides the animosity between vampires and elves stemming from political reasons, they were also just naturally opposed. Elves were one with nature whereas vampires, for all intents and purposes, worked against what should be natural. "I mean, what do you want to know?"

"It's hard, right?"

"It can be. If Yuta sees blood his eyes used to almost immediately go red with hunger. He usually is pretty good with having donated blood so I've never worried about him hurting me or anyone. I trust him.”

"But not every vampire is like that."

"Chaein?" you said the elf's name, crumbling the chips bag and tossing it into the trash before you collapsed on the bed next to her. "This is about that person you're dating that you won't tell me about, right?"

She placed her hands to her face to hide the embarrassment, but her pointed ears turning red confirmed your assessment.

"It was hard, at first. I was always worried about him hearing my heart racing whenever we were near each other. I was also worried about other mythics being able to tell that they could smell me on him."

"Your smell is pretty strong- not in a bad way!" she quickly added. You chuckled before going quiet, still thinking.

"I love Yuta not because of or in spite of him being a vampire. It's just... a part of who he is. I wouldn't want to change anything about him. It's also convenient to have someone with hearing as great as his," you added the last bit as you elbowed the elf, hoping to help lighten the mood.

"He's also just so sensitive and so... curious? He didn't grow up with human culture, so he's just so excited by things I find mundane. How's is your vampire?"

"They aren't my vampire... but... yeah. Their parents didn't let them even watch TV."

You sucked your teeth, feeling that ache. Yuta for a few years when he was younger was able to watch human television and even got to play video games with Johnny and Ten.

"If you like them, and you feel safe with each other, that should be all that matters. Do you feel safe?" Yuta knew for a fact you could take care of yourself, this was never a question. But when you were wrapped in his arms, despite him naturally being cold (which was certainly a pro in the vampires favor in the summer heat), you felt safe and warm at heart.

"Do you?"

"I do. I know Yuta would never hurt me, and we'll always have each others back."

Chaein groaned, "you guys are so cheesy, I can't stand it!"

"Cheesy, yes," you admitted, "but you're asking me for a reason!"

"True... they'll outlive me, though."

"Maybe they will, or maybe they won't. Or you could be a cool elf-vampire hybrid and live forever together."

"I think that sounds like a nightmare," she laughed,"Thanks."

Later that night, you were alone with your boyfriend, detailing the conversation you had with Chaein.

"Do you know the vampire she's talking to?" you asked. You two were playing scrabble and you were trying to figure out the next word to layout on the board.

"I haven't figured it out yet... but... do you have any other pros?" this question made you pause and look up, seeing the cheeky grin the vampire now wore.

"Seriously, Yuta?" you teased, and he nodded eagerly. "Well... since you never sleep, you can always help out with an extra chore or two."

"Hm, that is a good one. Give me a con."

"You want a con?"

"I would like an unbiased list!" he was grinning ear to ear now, and you both had completely abandoned the board game at this point.

"Well, I guess it does take me an extra few minutes to cover up my bite marks when someone," you pinched his cheek, "takes a bite out of me."

"Oh you like it," his cheeks were tinted blue, a vampires blush.

"Yeah yeah. But wanna know the best pro?" at your question he raised an eyebrow, and you moved to your bookcase to take out the book you two always would crack jokes about. "I get to pretend I'm actually Bella Swan."

"You said I was Charlie, though," he pouted, "you can't be Bella. That would be weird."

"You're missing the joke," you were giggling, placing the book back down.

"I take being Charlie Swan, very seriously- this is no joke!" and at this response, you burst out laughing.

You never believed Yuta when he said that he was incapable of love. You remember It was a chilly Saturday night on the rooftop of your apartment, looking at the stars above and drinking your hot chocolate when he looked you straight in the eyes and told you he was incapable of love.

"But how? Everyone falls in love."

"I don't know. But that's how we are."

You tried to read his expression but you could not. It was sad, longing, desperation or something else, you don't know. At times like those you would realize that no matter how much you think you knew Yuta, he had his ways of proving you wrong. Your heart broke that day, that moment and you wonder if Yuta could feel it. For someone who claims to have supernatural powers and super hearing he should have been able to. But the night ended like that conversation and Yuta never gave much away.

You have known Yuta for almost a year. A handsome guy with bright red hair moving in the apartment next yours, it was your right to be intrigued. For the first one month he was closed off, creepy and hardly spoke a word more than necessary.

"Hello."  He nodded. "I heard you moved in. I'm your neighbor."

"Okay."

"Ah-yeah. So don't hesitate if you need any help. It's a good place."

"Okay. Thank you."  He said while walking away.

It took two months for both of you to open up and have a conversation which lasted more than 5 minutes and could be classified as a decent one. That was also the time you started feeling infatuated towards him. Yuta was a gentleman. Always helped people in the apartment, played with the kids, even fed the stray cat when he thought no one was watching. He seemed like a simple guy but still there was a scent of secrecy that followed him. The only one who ever visited him was a black haired guy around his age, apart from that he never went out in the day.

It was the third month when you felt you both could be defined as friends. Yuta was still the same calm, closed off and mysterious person but there was a charm in everything  he said and did. You both shared some nice conversation at the rooftop every night and went for movies at some weekends.  Yuta sometimes even hanged around your apartment when he came asking for some stuff like extra pen or some room bulbs in the middle of the day when he could have easily bought those things just outside. You realized he had a great sense of humor but sometimes he talked like he knew something that no one else did. Somewhere along the end of the month you realized that Yuta knew almost everything about you but you didn't knew anything about him.

"So how long have you been living here?"

"Quite long. Can't exactly put the finger."

"Aren't you tired of the city then?"

"Never. It changes a lot and never let's me get bored."

Everything Yuta says leaves you with more questions but you don't understand how to put them into words. You cherish every small moment with Yuta. Even if it's small hello while passing each other in the hallway. At times you want sit in front of Yuta and ask him to tell you everything. Ask him about his life, where he came from and what's his favorite food or why he spends so much time cooped up in his room?

You were both returning home from the movie when you felt Yuta getting a little uncomfortable. He kept moving during the entire movie but he said he was feeling unwell or maybe could have caught a stomach bug. It was when the light from a passing car flashed on Yuta's eyes and you saw his eyes were as red as his hair. It should have rung a bell but it didn't.

The bell banged inside of your head at full volume the next week but it was too late. You were inside Yuta's apartment the first time, needing some ice. He was inside his room but you went to the refrigerator  yourself in a hurry, getting late for your classes. The thing you saw after opening the door was enough to make you gag, throw up and pass out all at once. But you stood there numb, frozen. The refrigerator was filled with blood packets, all stacked one over another.

"Ah-Oh. Bummer."

"Yuta Is it- Is ?"

"Yeah. It's blood."

And that's how you found out Yuta is a vampire. A typical one and that's why he never went out in the day. His eyes turned red because he was hungry and his appetite comprises of the blood he keeps inside his house, thanks to his black haired friend who works in the hospital.

"How are you so calm about it?"

"I have learned that some secrets cannot be stopped from being discovered."

"But aren't I a threat now? I know your what you are."

"Every problem comes with a solution. If you ever decide to threaten me, don't forget I have a lot of powers up my sleeve."

Even after learning he's a vampire, nothing is changed. Except now you the reasons for his unusual behavior, for not going out, for not eating and for having detailed information about a lot of historical events. You even learnt that he's not the only mysterious creature around.

"Why do you even use a coffee mug for blood, I thought you guys directly drank from the packet?"

"That's offensive Y/N, I'm a gentleman not some animal like those werewolves."

"WAIT THOSE ARE REAL?"

It has been six months since you have been in love with Yuta. You aren't surprised. The kind of man Yuta is, no one can stop for falling for him. But you never told him. Sometimes you feel like Yuta likes you. The way he cares for you, spends most of his time with you, looks at you but his voice from a month ago still rings in your mind.

"I don't know but that's how we are."

Incapable of love? Maybe yes Yuta isn't a human being like you but that does that mean he can't fall in love or feel affection for anyone. You haven't seen Yuta in a relationship or with a girl ever but sometimes he did return at dawn with some lipstick stains. When asked he told that he did one night stands but never got involved with anyone. You have done your research about Vampires being in love. It was very much possible, if you could believe those sources online. The hope was sparked when you saw the black haired friend, Doyoung, also a vampire, with a girl at a cafe looking very much in love. So you started the conversation with Yuta again.

"So you haven't loved anyone before?"

"I told you. My kind, we are incapable of love or romance, these kinds of things are not for us."

"For every vampire or it's just-"

"It applies to everyone of my kind."

"But who decided that, why is it a thing?"

"It is a long story. There's a reasons behind everything."

You did not believed it. Something about the way he spoke seemed fake and lifeless. Like he was trying to hide something, like he wanted to avoid something. But the conversation never got farther from here. So that's how you, the shy and insecure girl, decided for the first time that you will not give up, that you will make Yuta fall in love with you, or at least try for it. Because well you had nothing to lose, even if Yuta rejects you, you can isolate yourself in your room until you make yourself believe that was a nightmare. Like Yuta said, every problem came with a solution. The starting isn't easy because you have never done this before, never fallen in love before, never tried to flirt before.

"Oh hey, What's up?"

"You got quite late, busy day?"

"Huh?"

"I asked had a busy day, You here?"

"Oh sorry I got lost-" Finger guns "In your eyes."

1 second.

5 seconds.

60 seconds.

"Oh Y/N, I thought I was in a trance until I realized I'm a vampire and that's not possible."

It's been few weeks since you have been trying to flirt with him and give very transparent signals about your interest in him and you have got nothing solid results. Honestly you would give up if it was not for Yuta's reaction to your flirting. Sometimes he would blush as if all the blood he has sipped from his coffee mug went to his face or just smile looking at you for a while, sometimes he looks like he's about to say something but stops himself.

It's a lazy afternoon when you're both in your apartment, being your lazy selves.

"You know love isn't such a bad thing." You said trying to stir up the conversation again.

"Hm is it?" Yuta says.

One of the reasons your confidence has not gone is because Yuta never asks you to stop. In fact he enjoys it, teases you and even flirts most time.

"See, Snow White found her prince and lived, Cinderella found hers and escaped her nightmares, even Nala found Simba and got their kingdom back. Love also bring change in life."

"Are you saying I'm a disney princess?" Yuta says flicking his hair and laughing.

"Why not? You could be, a sexy goth princess who drinks blood and talks to bats?"

"I don't think anyone wants a princess like that and it's hard to find a prince."

"You're wrong. Maybe the prince is somewhere near, maybe in your neighbor or maybe in front of your eyes." You said huffing.

"Maybe." Yuta says looking serious and holds your hand. "But what if changes aren't positive? What if Cinderella didn't escaped her nightmares?"

"Well she would only know after trying it."

You both sit silent looking at each other. A lot of expressions flashed through Yuta's eyes, but he does not let go your hand, instead he takes it to his lips and kisses it. It's moments like these when Yuta is just right there, close enough to touch but so far away. Like there's wall between you and him and you can't cross it.

It's the next day when you're about to knock on his door when you hear something.

"Seriously Yuta, stop getting your insecurities get the better of you. You're a vampire act like one!"

There's a long pause, an oddly long pause until you heard several footsteps coming towards the door and you made a run for your apartment, you didn't wanted to be caught eavesdropping. You felt embarrassed, it was better to act like you did not know anything.

It was the next afternoon when Yuta knocked at your door in his black loose t-shirt, his red hair falling on his forehead and on his eyes, which looked the same bright red as his hair.

"Hi Y/N, did I disturb you?"

"Of course not, but are you okay?"

"Of course, I'm fine. Perfectly."

"So uh-why are your eyes still-"

"Red? "

"Or you want my blood." You said winking and Yuta choked on his breath.

"You know I stopped sucking blood in the 80s." He scoffed and made himself comfortable on your couch. "I just wanted to spend some time with you." He said patting the sofa.

You made your way towards the couch and sat opposite to him. It was nice spending time with him, even more nice when Yuta was the one who initiated it. But that doesn't mean he loves you and the thought makes you a little sad. Yuta sees you as a friend, with whom he can be comfortable and doesn't have to worry about his real identity. Maybe his incapability to love was just an excuse so he could be just be friends with you. You were deep in your thoughts and did not realize yuta was observing you.

"Hey Y/N, Y/N."

"Huh, yeah? Sorry I zoned off."

"Really? Here I thought you were lost in my eyes again."  He said making you blush.

"Yeah yea, how can I resist those crimson red eyes." You said dramatically fanning yourself.

You both sit in silence finding comfort in each other's presence. You don't even remember when did Yuta became such an important part of your life. He's not just a love interest, he's so much more. He's your best friend, the one who helps you in everything, the one let's you cry on his shoulder, the one who makes you laugh. He's the one for you.

"Why are you staring me?" Yuta says.

"Because I want to admire the look." You say smiling.

"Thank fuck, I thought there was something on my face."

Sometimes you thought if Yuta even knew the amount of feeling you had for him. You were scared that he saw you someone who was just fooling around and was not serious. But you would never be sure and you would never know what was going inside his mind. Even though months has passed, he still is the same yuta with a mystery that surrounds him.

That night you both entered his home when he went straight to the room. He looked tired, that's how he has been looking for a few days. His eyes constantly red and skin getting more rough, like it will crack if you touched it. You did not understand what thoughts were making Yuta so anxious and he was far away from telling you this.

You sighed and went to the answering machine. There was some problem with yours so you had to give Yuta's number to some of your friends if it was something important. Yuta was fine with it because the only to ever call him was doyoung and the landlady.

You pressed the button.

"Hey Yuta." It was doyoung. "Listen, I'm sorry for overreacting that day but I know you haven't picked up the blood from hospital in days and I'm just-just worried about you but you need to tell Y/N you love her. It's pointless to torture yourself like this. Stop thinking so much, just go with your heart and just come to the hospital." The line went dead.

You stood there still trying to process the information until you heard Yuta.

"Damn, I really hate new technology sometimes." You looked up to see him standing near the doorway.

"When you were going to tell me?" You asked and he just took your hand.

"I will tell you everything but not here." So he guided you towards the rooftop, same place where you both have shared countless of conversations, laughs , where he told you he could not love.

"Yuta please, was doyoung-"

"Yes, he was right. I do love you." He said smiling. "How could I not? You are the only one who made me feel like I could breath, that I was more than cold body, that somehow being with you I could remember what it felt like being a human." He said looking into your eyes.

"But why didn't you tell me something?" You said "I thought-that you did not see me like that."

"I'm sorry you felt that way but I wanted to tell you that, tell you how much you meant to me but I was afraid- I Y/N." He took a deep breath. "I have never felt like this before. I was really incapable of love, because I had never felt it until-" He said getting even more close. "Until I met you, and then everything changed. There's no words that I can use to describe how much I love you."

"And-and what about you starving yourself. What if you had died?" You said trying to wipe away your tears.

" I was just restless because I could not figure out what to do. That day when doyoung came, we really had a big argument and he made me realize how much of a coward I was being. He left when we felt your presence outside."

"Wait you knew I was-outside?" You asked getting embarrassed.

"We are vampires." He said as a matter of fact, smiling slyly. "And anyways what matters most is that I have you here now, with me." He said kissing your head.

"And I have you, finally. After so long." "Believe me, you had me at hello."

--

"You should not waste such a warm sunny day. Go out and enjoy a little."

"No. I don't like sunny days, I hate the hotness."

all about y/n

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

“I don’t like her going in by herself,” Yuta interjected Jaemin’s plan.

“Frankly, I don’t give a shit,” Jaemin snapped. The two glared at each other, a tense air filling the space in the car. Parked in Deer Moon, you all were being told the best plan to get Mark out and away from Sicheng.

“Yuta, I’ll be fine,” you soothed. It was hard to stay calm. You had no idea what Sicheng really knew and what he was capable of. Despite knowing these factors, Jaemin refused to say whether or not he knew if Sicheng was a mythic of some sort, leaving you all in the dark beyond the basic course of actions you all should take.

“All she has to do is get him talking for a good five minutes before we bust in, taking him by surprise. It gives us enough time to make sure he’s alone,” Ten added, more calm than you had ever seen him.

“Five minutes,” Yuta repeated. You nodded, and after a moment of silence, you slipped out of the SUV. Determined, and now completely ignoring the frigid night air, you tightened your coat as you walked towards Deer Moon.

You were half-expecting to see Sicheng and Mark at a booth, but instead were greeted by the bartender wiping down the bar top, a pair of deer antlers exposed at the crown of his head. Sungchan barely glanced up at you, simply sighing to himself before he spoke.

“He’s downstairs in the basement. I don’t ask questions, I just do what my boss tells me.”

“Fucking coward,” you spat, walking past him and to the door next to the kitchen he had gestured to.

“Whatever,” he called back. Huffing to yourself, you opened the door to the basement and started down the dimly lit steps.

“... is so ridiculous,” a voice from below spoke. You hurried your steps and saw Mark on a chair, his wrists uncomfortably tied and a blood streak dripping from his nose.

“Mark!” you cried, running to where he sat and reaching to untie the ropes.

“No don't-!” Mark had tried to stop you before, but your hands burned as soon as they graced over the ropes.

You hissed, ripping your hands away. Cradling them close to you, the burn marks gleamed on your finger tips.

“What the fuck?” you muttered, tears of frustration now threatening to spill.

“I just wanted to double check to make sure you had gotten them. I was right,” you whipped your head around to see Sicheng perched in the corner opposite from where you entered. You had come in so focused on trying to untie Mark that for a brief moment you completely forgot who had Mark.

“What even are you?” you shouted, shoving your aching hands in your pocket so he couldn’t see how damaged they were.

“You’re not going to ask what the ropes were covered in? What could leave Mark unharmed but burn you so horribly?” he mocked, stepping closer. You bit the inside of your cheek, fearing that you already knew the answer to this question.

“What are you?” You repeated more forcefully.

“He’s a demon,” Mark spat out, looking at you in fear. You looked between your brother to the normal looking Sicheng, then back at Mark.

“How is that even possible? You don’t…”

“Mark, let’s not oversimplify things,” Sicheng sighed, sounding as if he was bored.You clenched your fist, trying to keep your cool. You had to keep a sound mind for just five minutes in order to not burst into flames. Sicheng furrowed his eyebrows, and within moments his normal brown eyes turned into the blue you had once seen on yourself, his ears turned pointed, and a set of canines now protruded from his mouth.

“I’m Sicheng, but our father refers to me as Beelzebub,” he smirked now, enjoying the panicked look on your face.

“Our?” Mark repeated. You hung your head, trying to remember where you remember that stupid name from.

“Prince of Hell,” you finally turned your head up, remembering your Dad having mentioned it in passing during one of your lessons. Sicheng moved closer then, much to your dismay. “I don’t care what you are. Let. Mark. Go.”

“No, I don’t think I will. I think-  I’ll kill you and your adopted brother here. Then- I’ll kill that little boyfriend of yours. I can’t have my sister being more powerful than I am.”

“I am not your sister!” You shouted, your hands shooting from their pockets as you formed angered fists. Sicheng chuckled now.

“What do you call someone who shares the same father as you, then?” he mocked.

“She calls him Mark, you weirdo!” you turned your head towards Mark, tears welling now at the corners of both yours and of his eyes.

“Oh please how touching,” Sicheng gagged before moving forward and jabbing a punch across Mark’s cheek.

Furiously and without thinking you leapt forward, knocking Sicheng down and winding your fist to begin throwing punches at his face- until you heard a scream of fear. Glancing at your own fist, in the dim basement light, the blue flames added a blue hue to the entire room, emphasizing the fear on Mark’s face.

“Sis?” Mark whispered, your heart shattering. “You’re… really?” he couldn't even say it- shame welled up in your chest. In that moment of weakness, Sicheng knocked you off of himself, forcefully throwing a kick at your torso.

“You’re both so pathetic,” Sicheng sounded disgusted, looking down at you.

“Why were you there? On the blue night?” you asked quickly, knowing that soon enough, Yuta and everyone would be down here. The pain from his kick made it difficult to move, but you maneuvered yourself to at least lay on your stomach. Sicheng frowned.

“I thought all your memories from that night and before were wiped,” he muttered, more to himself than to you.

“It’s my first memory. Why were you there if you wanted me dead? Why not just kill me when I was little and confused?” you choked out. For a moment, a look of fear flashed across Sicheng’s face, before swiftly disappearing.

“So much energy had to be… expended… to get us to the surface. Plus, I was tasked with keeping you alive. I couldn’t turn my back on all of that so soon,” he explained, and he looked down.

“What do you mean by expended?” it was Mark who asked, now also twisting his wrists as he fought with the ropes that held him.

“Oh my god,” it hit you. The painful realization, the explanation hit you like a truck. “It’s easy to get into the underworld, but it’s near impossible to leave.”

“What?” Mark was still confused.

“Batteries, Mark. Satan killed all those mythics and people and used them like batteries,” you cried out, tears pouring their way down your cheeks.

“He just had a couple demons possess and destroy the bodies of a few people to be able to send us to the surface… not that big of a deal,” Sicheng said coldly, not phased in the slightest. You shakily got up, holding your stomach with your singed hands.

Overhead, you heard a round of stomping feet.

“Oh look, it’s your rescue crew,” Sicheng laughed. A small round of blue flames encompassed his body now as he seemed to prepare for the ensuing group. His flames were so different from yours- they were refined, controlled, whereas yours were impossible to control and exploded at nearly the drop of a hat.

“Just kill me, you don’t have to kill anyone else,” you stupidly plead, hoping to keep him at least mildly distracted before they finally made it into the basement.

“Not if I want to rule the underworld someday. Plus, isn’t it just more fun this way?”

You caught a small movement behind Sicheng’s figure. A small white cat had padded onto Mark’s lap and was slowly gnawing at the ropes on Mark’s wrist. The cat shot you a look, then a small wink.

“Of course Satan would send you to do such an easy task,” you were making things up from thin air now, trying to buy Hendery some time to untie Mark. If Jaemin hadn’t sent anyone else down here and was having Hendery untie Mark beforehand, there had to be a major reason. “You’re the weakest of the seven princes. You’ll never have what the others have.”

Sicheng’s cool demeanor was gone in an instant, his flames growing as a rage flashed across face.

“And who do you think you are to tell me that?” he snapped, cracking his knuckles.

“You’ll always just be known as envy for a reason, huh? Nothing is ever enough for you?” you taunted, noting that Hendery was almost done getting through the holy-water soaked ropes. “All you want is whatever everyone else has- because you know you haven’t earned anything.”

“Oh and you have? All you did was be born from a pesky human and Satan thinks you’re more special? You can’t even control your flames!”

You smirked. “I can’t, but at least I didn’t leave the person I held captive with the one thing that can take me down.”

Sicheng was confused for a brief moment, before realizing what you meant. At that point it was too late, and Mark was out of his seat and poured the remaining contents of the holy water over Sicheng. Sicheng yelled in agony, falling to the floor and holding his burned sides.

“Quickly, we have to tie him up with these and bring him upstairs,” Hendery returned to his human form, and brought out what looked like a deep black set of handcuffs.

“Are those-?”

“Onyx handcuffs? Yep. It’s likely the only thing that can keep him from using his flames,” Hendery explained to you, as he gestured to Mark to force the groaning Sicheng onto his stomach.

Your own wrists empathetically ached as you watched Mark tighten them around Sicheng’s wrists. The two then started carrying him upstairs. You stood alone in the basement now. You were worried beyond belief- what had they heard upstairs? Did Yuta know? What happens now with Sicheng? What is Yuta going to say?

A sinking feeling gnawed at you- Mark was friends with Sicheng for years and was able to easily attack him and bind him with handcuffs. When he learned about your parentage, a look of fear you had never seen was there. If you were to have an outburst in front of everyone again, who was to say that wouldn’t be you? Fully burned in holy water and bound by the only thing that can protect you?

You looked down at your singed hand, watching as they slowly worked to heal themselves. Glancing up, you noticed something you hadn’t before- the sub-basement window had been cracked open, the cold night air flooding the basement.

“They’re all distracted by Sicheng, and I sent Yuta to a payphone to call your father,” Jaemin’s voice scared you enough for your hands to catch on fire again.

“Why a pay phone?”

“He lost his phone,” he dug into his pocket and revealed Yuta’s phone. You blinked quickly.

“What…?”

“This is where your path is stuck. If you’re going to leave, this is your last window, and that-,” he pointed to the open window, “- is your last exit. But know that if you do, it will break everyone’s heart,” he turned swiftly on his heel towards the steps of the basement. He paused, glancing over his shoulder. “Everyone’s fear of Satan is nothing compared to their love for you.”

He left you alone now, the weight of the world feeling as if it was resting on your shoulders. You looked up at the window, your mind racing with the intense fear you had. You had no control over your powers, you were the reason Yuta’s brother died, and everyone feared your power.

You stared at the window, the hands of the chilly night air gesturing for you to come out, to leave.

“I love you,” Yuta’s words rang back now, and you gasped, feeling angry with yourself for even considering just leaving. The way you could talk about books for hours, your mutual attraction for the other, the memories you’ve already made together, Yuta was your anchor.

“That stupid prophecy,” you huffed to yourself, turning away from the window to go upstairs and follow your path.

***

Sungchan, and the cook, Taeil, were tied in the corner of the restaurant.

“Is that necessary?” You asked as you entered the dining room. Sicheng was propped onto the bar, and Jaemin perched next to him with a cat-form Hendery on his lap. Mark was getting his nose and bruised cheek treated by Johnny in a booth and Ten paced the restaurant at a rapid speed.

“No, it’s not,” Sungchan replied back.

“I knew we shouldn’t have taken that dude’s money,” Taeil huffed, the blue faerie wings on his back tied up too.

“We couldn’t risk it,” Johnny explained, tapping Mark’s head to let him know that he was healed. Mark thanked Johnny, who then walked to you.

You both awkwardly stared at each other. You waited for him to say something, anything, and he stared at you as if you were a fragile piece of glass.

“Hey.”

“Yeah, Mark?”

“You know Dad’s going to be really sad if you stop calling him Dad, right?” he said, a small smirk forming on his lips. You rolled your eyes, punching his arm.

“You guys can’t get rid of me that easily,” you teased. He ruffled your already messy hair.

“Good,” was all he responded with, wrapping you in a bear hug.

“I’m sorry that this happened, and this is how you found you,” your voice was low as you spoke, squeezing him tightly.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“I think burning a Prince of Hell is more than enough,” you laughed, pulling away. The front door opened then, and you were quickly wrapped in a different, colder embrace.

“I was so worried,” Yuta said into your shoulder, squeezing you tightly. “These assholes have some sort of sound proofing in their basement that makes it impossible to hear almost anything- even for mythics. I had no idea if you were okay or not.”

So they didn’t know anything. You could still be the one to tell him, you realized, and relief flooded your system.

“If we’re letting random mythics use our basement the least we could do is properly sound proof it,” the cook called, glaring over his shoulder to the shifter bartender.

“I’m okay but, can we go outside to talk?” you asked Yuta, your voice low. Yuta raised an eyebrow but followed you nonetheless outside.

“How did my Dad take Mark being kidnapped?” you asked, starting towards the edge of the parking lot, trying to put some distance between you two and the bar. You’d worry about Ten and Johnny finding out later- for now, you wanted your words to only be heard by Yuta.

“It’s hard to listen to a grown man cry I’ll be honest, but he’ll be here soon. I told him that Johnny was able to heal him since it was minor wounds,” he explained, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah, he’d cry whenever either one of us scraped our knees on the playground sometimes,” you chuckled dryly. There was an awkward silence now, and you looked to make sure you were far enough from the bar.

“I… have to tell you something,” you struggled to speak now, your voice shaking.

“Is everything okay?” Yuta’s voice was so soft and full of concern. Staring into his eyes, you began to second guess yourself. Should you even tell him? He had a right to know why his brother passed away, and about your identity. He had opened up to you so much, you wanted him to know.

The corner of your mouth twitched. “To send… powerful beings from the underworld to our world is very difficult. It requires a high amount of energy,” you started. Yuta nodded along, confused but listening closely.

“The blue night… Satan harnessed the energy of those mythics with demons to send two beings to earth. Sicheng was one of them,” at you saying this, Yuta’s eyes flashed into their harsh red.

“I can’t believe that, why? And who else was it? Was it one of the restaurant owners?” he asked. You were shaking now, your nerves and the cold having more control over your body than you did. Hands trembling, you lifted your right hand up and thought about the controlled flames Sicheng had engulfed his own body in. In a moment, a small blue flame began to dance across your fingertips, illuminating yours and Yuta’s face,

“Me,” you whispered, afraid to look up. The only sound for what felt like ages was the wind blowing past the two of you, flickering and threatening the blue flames. It was painful. You were dreading what would happen next.

“What?” That was all Yuta could respond with. You flicked your hand, the flames dying out as you looked back at him. His eyebrows were turned up, his red eyes furiously looking you up and down as if trying to piece things together to no avail.

“I… inherited the power of the blue flames from my biological father,” you explained. “My birth mother, as far as I know, is human.”

“My brother died… because Satan wanted to send you to earth?” he repeated, his eyes now fixed on your own. It felt like a punch in the gut. Pressing your lips together, you nodded. You waited for an outburst, to take back what he had said earlier, for him to tell you that he hated you.

He was still staring, waiting.

“I’m sorry… I… If I could change it I would,” you were crying now, the frigid air freezing the tears that raced down your cheek. Silently, Yuta stepped forward and embraced you. It took you by surprise, and you stood frozen now, wrapped in his arms as you quietly sobbed.

“You… we had no control on the paths we were put on. All we can do… is hang on to each other,” his voice quivered as he spoke, and a warmth began to spill over your shoulders. You wrapped your arms around Yuta, sobbing loudly now as you two held on  to each other, the weight of the world firmly now on both of your shoulders.

You were in this position for what felt like hours, clinging onto each other for dear life. The screeching of tire wheels on the road nearby caught your attention. You parted from Yuta, and your eyes widened in a panic.

“Oh, that’s how we cry,” Yuta realized that you had never seen what vampire tears looked like, the blood streaks that raced over his cheeks making you jump. You brushed your fingers over your now cold shoulder, and pulled them back to see they were soaked in Yuta’s tears- a deep crimson shade of blood.

“That’s fine, we’ll just pretend we look normal even if someone says something,” you half joked, earning you a small chuckle from Yuta. Lacing your fingers through Yuta’s, you slowly walked back towards the restaurant, listening as the loud conversations raised in volume the closer you too got.

Re-entering, you saw your Dad crushing Mark against his chest in a bear hug, cooing as he did.

“My little boy got hurt!”

“I’m an adult man who is fine!” Mark choked out. Your Dad let go and turned his attention to you two at the front door, his eyes widening in fear.

“It’s not my blood,” you quickly stated, raising your hands in defense. Your Dad shook his head, stifling laughter as he wrapped his arms around you in a hug just as strong as the one he was giving Mark.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” he whispered, squeezing you tightly. He let go of you then, shooting a glare at Yuta before moving to the center of the restaurant and eyeing the handcuffed Sicheng.

“Y’know we’re sending you back to hell, right?” your Dad sounded bored as he glared at your old classmate.

“Are you sending her too?” Sicheng chuckled.

“Watch yourself. The President may be human but he’s crazy,” Ten spoke up, stopping the pacing he had been doing.

“Listen to the vampire,” your Dad noted.

“Can we please be un-tied?” Sungchan suddenly begged, yanking at the ropes on his wrists.

“Guys I think it’s a little ridiculous that they’re still tied up,” you spoke up, stepping towards the pair.

“And what if they try letting Sicheng go?” Ten questioned. You glanced at Jaemin.

“Are they going to misbehave?” you asked the psychic, hands hovering near the bounded pair.

“Not if we give them twenty bucks,” Jaemin replied, smirking to himself.

Looking back to Ten, you extended your hand, “I know you swindled money from Jisung somehow.”

Ten groaned, handing you a twenty dollar bill. You held the bill up to the shifter and faerie’s faces now.

“I’m gonna untie you. Don’t give us any problems, got it?”

“Yeah, we get it,” Taeil sounded exasperated. With Yuta’s help now, you guys quickly let the pair out of their ropes, Taeil stretching out his wings and Sungchan going to get a scratch near his antlers.

“These handcuffs are useless,” Sicheng laughed as if there was a joke only he was privy to.

“You haven’t burst into flames, I say they’re pretty good,” Mark scoffed, sifting through your father’s pocket incantation book.

“Did you guys know that I burst into flames when someone else mentions particular names or events?” he announced suddenly. “Of course, I can’t. Not with these handcuffs.”

You shared a glance now with Mark and Yuta, both looking back at you expectantly.

“Yep, me and all my brothers. For me, it’s Beelzebub- that’s my fun little calling card,” he continued. Panicking, not knowing what else to do, you searched around for anything to silence him, settling on the untied rope.

“Shut him up!” Mark shouted as you rushed towards the smirking Sicheng.

You had straightened the rope, ready to force it past Sicheng’s teeth to press onto his tongue, until he whispered, “Lilith.”

It was uncontrollable. Your entire body blew up in blue flames, and you agonizingly felt your teeth extend as the fangs protruded out, your ears instantly growing, and you haphazardly hung onto your shirt as the back tore open to reveal a set of wings.

“Holy shit!” Someone managed to yell loud enough over the raging fire. Your entire being was filled with an uncontrollable rage now, anger spilling over every surface as you looked around you.

Everyone besides you, Sicheng and Yuta were frantic. Ten and Hendery had run out of the restaurant as soon as you lit up, Ten holding the door open and shouting something at everyone else. You had caught the look on Johnny’s face, before he forcibly dragged out a kicking Mark from the bar. Sungchan and Taeil followed suit, and that’s when the first beam fell from the roof.

“Leave!” you shouted in a panic. The voice that came out didn’t belong to you it seemed- it was low and guttural, it scared you, and in that panic you felt the anger growing deep inside of you. Looking now, you watched Yuta’s face through your flames. Why wasn’t he leaving?

He mouthed something to you that you didn’t understand.

It wrapped around your throat first, extinguishing any bit of air you could take in. You began gasping for air, hunched over on the ground as the flames on and around you began slowly puffing out of existence. It was a pressure on every part of your body, and you violently clawed at your throat trying to remove whatever it was that had wrapped itself around you and was stopping your breathing. Eyes watering and panicked, you looked up to see your father’s shaking hands reading over his pocket book, his own eyes clearly red and tearing up as he did so.

“It’s gone, you can stop!” Yuta’s voice came back now. You could guess who he was shouting to, but you were still hunched over, nails digging into the flesh of your neck trying to remove the weight that was still wrapping around you.

Another pair of hands had snatched up your own, leaving you still fighting for air, your vision spotty. A harsh slap to your back left you coughing now, air finally filling your lungs and a painful stinging to seize the area around your throat. You were shaking violently now, your own arms wrapped around your figure and another set of arms wrapped protectively over you.

“It’s just as you always feared,” a voice you assumed was Sicheng, laughed. Your eyes were squeezed shut, forehead kissing the ground as you stayed hunched over in agony. Although your fangs, ears, and wings had retracted to wherever they came from, the pain of them piercing through your flesh plus the skin you broke along your throat made even breathing unbearable. The thought of even looking up made you want to hurl the bile rising from your stomach.

“Yuta, bring Johnny here. She needs a healer,” the voice cracked on that last part, following with a loud thud on the floor. A pair of footsteps started, and faded out of the restaurant followed by a loud call to the outside.

“You’re going to be okay. I’m sorry, I should have protected you,” Yuta’s voice was so low, hardly a whisper. His hands were shaking now, almost hovering over you to show you that he was nearby but feared touching you. Your neck was gushing blood at the moment- of course he was panicking. You wanted to tell him how okay it was to step away to take care of himself, but even quivering your lip to try and speak led to a giant spike of pain to slam against your whole body.

“Holy shit- Yuta get out of here! Ten can smell her outside and your eyes are bad man,” a voice now approaching you stated.

“I’m not leaving- now heal her,” Yuta growled, earning silence from the other people nearby. The person seemed to move slowly to you, and carefully moved his hands to the back of your neck.

“It’s going to hurt, it won’t be perfect, but I’m going to do my best,” Johnny said. He didn’t exaggerate. For a few brief seconds, you had experienced the worst amounts of pain all at once before a majority of it was all gone. You were able to lift your head now and slowly sit up, able to fully assess everything and everyone around you. Most of the restaurant was scorched, Sicheng’s mouth was stuffed with a sock, and everyone was staring at you in fear.

***

There were a few stipulations after that night. First, Sicheng was going to be sent back after he was presented to the council- as such, this wouldn’t be until after Yuta was officially installed. Until that point, everyone there that night agreed to keep your… genetics a secret. The second stipulation was one you had offered to do yourself, much to Yuta’s dismay.

Your father was able to quickly find an onyx necklace for you. It’s managed to keep your powers from flaring up, but at a cost. You were constantly falling asleep, exhausted, and were struggling more than you normally did during finals week. If you could maybe see Yuta more, maybe you’d feel less… exhausted, but he was constantly being whisked away for a new arbitrary task.

Today, you were hoping to sit with him for more than fifteen minutes. You were on your couch in your dorm, laying on his lap and playing with his fingers, your eyes feeling heavy.

“Why are you wearing that?” Yuta asked, his hands letting go of yours and moving to trace over the onyx necklace on your collarbone.

“You know why,” you sighed. No matter how little time you got with him, one thing was consistent- he would always get frustrated staring at the stone weighing you down. It kept everyone safe, this he was sure of, but he was also sure that it sapped any energy you did have.

He pressed his lips together in a thin line. His fingers moved to stroke your hair, now visibly lost in thought.

“Did they finally tailor your coronation suit?” The suit was supposedly something traditionally handcrafted and embellished in the colors of the coronated person's family crest. If the soon to be leader had a betrothed, the coronation outfit was to have their colors as well to reflect that they too would have an impact in the courts.

Yuta had initially asked if you would like your own family’s colors on his outfit, but you admitally pushed him against the idea. If the council didn’t like you when you were human, you could only imagine how they would feel if they found out you were the daughter of Satan and the reason the original heir had died. You had to admit though, it was a wonderful feeling for Yuta to even consider it nonetheless.

“Yeah, I’d show you but it’s a surprise.”

“Ten says he’s seen it though.”

“Ten gives very helpful fashion advice- plus, if I have to have another oligarchy family member there I’d prefer it be Ten.”

“You could have just asked Jaemin. He already knows what you’re going to look like anyways,” you chuckled dryly, stifling a yawn as you did.

“That’s it,” Yuta huffed getting up so quickly you almost didn’t have time to move out of his way. “Put on your coat and come with me.”

Raising an eyebrow, you sloppily grabbed the coat you had strewn onto your kitchen table, and followed Yuta. Oddly enough, walking on the path with him, you realized you were headed towards the main building. It was around three in the morning at this point, so the human students were scarce at best, with mostly just occasional mythics out in groups enjoying themselves.

“Why are we here?” your voice carried through the main building now, the echoes jarring you.

“Sicheng is in the basement, right? I don’t have access to the room,” Yuta half ignored you, his head darting around to make sure no one else was in the building. “We need to ask him something.”

“What-?”

“Just trust me,” his eyes were pleading, and they glanced down to where the onyx sat on your collarbone. You were concerned, yes, but you were also curious. Johnny and your father were the ones primarily handling and taking care of Sicheng to both get information and make sure he stayed well taken care of considering the circumstances. You hadn’t been around him since the night in the restaurant. Everytime you thought about him, you were reminded of the monster that sat inside of you.

You took your ID out from your back pocket and guided Yuta to the basement area. You hadn’t been able to train with your father in a couple weeks, yet walking towards the training area under the gymnasium it felt as if it had been years. You were always confident in your fighting skills, and now, you didn’t know who you were in any aspect.

Scanning your ID and entering the training area, you were confused.

Sicheng sat comfortably on a couch in the center of the room, two locked onyx bracelets holding on tightly to his wrists. He, however, didn’t seem as lethargic as you were. He was perched up on the couch, Switch controls in hand as he played Mario Kart.

Not moving his gaze from the screen, he called out, “Can I help you guys? I’m about to beat my old score on Rainbow Road.”

Blinking, the TV screen went black, and Yuta had moved from your side to next to the TV screen, holding the cable between his fingers.

“Hey man!” Sicheng shouted, pissed.

“You can control your powers,” it seemed like Yuta had meant to ask this, but it came out as more of a statement. Sicheng looked over at you, then the onyx necklace.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been wearing that shit willingly,” he spat, moving to yank at the bracelets that were locked into place on his wrists. “You are so embarrassing.”

“Yuta, can we go?” you called, anger forming in the pit of your stomach. It was taking everything in you to not leap onto the couch and fight Sicheng who was staring at you as if you were a weak buffoon.

“You’re going to teach her to control her powers,” again, Yuta said this as a statement of fact.

“What?” both you and Sicheng roared before glaring at each other.

“Do it… and I’ll argue for you to stay on earth,” Yuta gritted his teeth as he spoke the last part, his fangs extending slightly. He hated asking this, you could read it in his red eyes and the way he was avoiding even looking at Sicheng out of pure spite.

“What makes you think I want to stay here?” Sicheng pressed, crossing his arms over his chest as if he made a grand point.

“You’ve been here for over twenty years now and have chosen to stay the entire time,” you pointed out, hoping to save Yuta the struggle.

“What makes you think I’m not going to kill you if I get the-?” Sicheng didn’t get to finish his sentence, as an angered Yuta now gripping his shirt collar stopped him.

“You will be burned in holy water for the rest of eternity if you even dare to lay a hand on her,” Yuta growled, his fangs now fully extended.

“Geez okay, fine. If it means I get to leave this place then fine, I’ll show her the basics.”

You started heading to the training gym everyday once finals week ended, making the campus nearly desolate as most people were visiting family or on trips for the holiday break. As part of the deal with Sicheng, one other person attended the sessions with you all day mainly because you didn’t trust Sicheng to not to try and kill you again.

The first few days weren’t anything you didn’t feel you couldn’t handle. Sicheng had you remove your onyx necklace and take him on in hand to hand combat with at least some energy. You were able to take him down with relative ease with a chuckling Mark on the sidelines.

Yesterday and today though, were far more difficult. He had requested something rather odd- a sack of one hundred candles and a fire extinguisher. You and Ten had lugged the items in a small cart, confused, but hoping there was an actual reason.

Sicheng set three of the candles in front of you, and handed Ten the fire extinguisher.

Sicheng then pointed to the two candles at the end. “You’re going to light just the wick on these two candles. Only the ones on the ends, not the one on the center. Whenever you make a mistake, Ten’s in charge of putting out the flames and putting you out.”

“Wait, this will put out Satan’s flames?” Ten questioned, staring at the fire extinguisher as if it was a small toy.

“Yes, and it won’t mortally wound her. You guys are the worst up here- using holy water for everything,” Sicheng grumbled.

It was a grueling eight hours. By the end of it, you had burned up a majority of the candles, and were soaked in the fire extinguisher powder. Not to mention you had also managed to burn Sicheng’s pants and the mats in the training room. You got a little closer towards the end of the session- by that you burned only the top half of the two candles- but you yourself were burnt out and Ten was tired of constantly having to put you out.

Today, you were joined by Jaemin and Hendery. You knew Jaemin meant well, but you were well aware of the fact that beyond his future-seeing abilities he didn’t do much in terms of acting as defensive help in case Sicheng did try to lunge at you. Having him come along with Hendery made you feel more at ease since Hendery had mastered some helpful shifter forms. Although, you only ever saw him in his cat form for the most part.

You had gone through another round of candles. You were already nursing a headache from the previous night, and your frustration was making it incredibly difficult to concentrate.

“Focus,” Sicheng repeated robotically.

“What do you think I’m doing?” you snapped.

“You’re focusing on the fire. You need to hone in on your emotions, and then have that translate to your flames,” he explained as if he were speaking to a toddler.

“Well my emotions are very annoyed right now,” you huffed. Sicheng rolled his eyes.

“That anger you felt when you… flared up, you need to hone that. That’s what triggers and fuels Satan’s flames. Use that anger, and release it as the flames.”

You nodded. This did seem to make sense- your anger is what spurred your first outburst with Yuta’s mother, and that inhumane anger you felt once you turned that night wanted to rot away at you.

“Let it out in a small burst,” Sicheng guided. Pressing your lips in a tight line, you shut your eyes, visualizing the candles, their wicks, and how you felt after his mother had looked down on you. How you didn’t feel that you were good enough. Those bits of anger that had been chipping away at you. Opening your eyes, you squinted at the wicks that were now lit evenly by a small blue flame, the center unblemished.

“I did it!” you cheered, smiling brighter than you had in the past few days.

“Finally. Now put it out,” Sicheng instructed, glaring at you now.

“How do I do that?” you asked, your voice dropping from the initial excitement.

“Think of… a happy memory. Something of equal measure to clear that anger you used to ignite them.”

The rest of the session went on to a painfully monotonous cycle of turning on the candles of Sicheng’s choosing and flicking them off. It was grueling, but gave you a key understanding- your emotions were iniscripantly tied to your powers. So, to control your powers, you most certainly need to manage your emotions.

“So, you have homework.”

“Homework?”

“Don’t wear your necklace for 24 hours, and manage your powers on your own in that time,” he instructed, holding the necklace in his hands.

“When did you-?”

“I gave it to him after you handed it to me,” Jaemin explained.

“You’ll be fine, now leave I have a Valorent tournament to join,” he pushed the three of you out then, leaving you standing out in the hall without the ball and chain you had hanging on your neck. While a part of you was ecstatic to not be drained of all energy, you were freaking out over the possibility you messing this up somehow and hurting people.

“Do you have any plans now that you have energy again?” Jaemin asked, following behind you as you started slowly out of the building.

“I’m not sure… I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“I could tell,” Jaemin replied, earning him a chuckle from Hendery.

“Ha ha, you can see the future how funny,” you mocked. Stepping out now into the courtyard, the skies were in twilight, the wind reminding you to put on your coat or to freeze.

“If Yuta doesn’t pass by tonight, Johnny’s hosting a smash tournament in the Night dorm if you want to come by,” Jaemin invited.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that Ten’s saying he’s beaten you a bunch,” Hendery taunted. You scoffed, smiling a bit.

“I’ll think about it- although I could beat him with my eyes closed,” you chuckled. The pair waved goodbye, leaving you to walk alone now to your dorm- or so thought.

Chaein seemed to run out from the forest right by the path, looking exhausted but also excited to see you. You hadn’t spoken with her since the start of the semester, and she had been avidly avoiding you- likely due to her fear of retaliation from Doyoung.

“Y/N! Ten said I’d find you here!” She called, catching up to you. She had on a beanie- likely to shield her from the cold and also to cover her elf ears.

“So you’re talking to me again?” you wanted to not be bitter- but a part of you couldn’t help it. You were classmates with Chaein, and she was the first mythic that spoke with you despite not being family friends.

“I’m sorry, okay? Doyoung threatened to tell my parents I was choosing to sit next to you. They’re not… big into humans,” she whispered the last part despite there not being many day students around. You sighed, and smiled at her.

“It’s okay. Is everything alright? You came out of the forest like a bat out of hell.”

“Right! I wanted to give you this,” she took out a small envelope from her back pocket. You raised an eyebrow, and she shot you an encouraging smile, urging you to open it in front of her. Carefully, you tore open the envelope to see a detailed card with the words beautifully printed Happy Yuletide across the top.

“I know humans share cards with each other during this time of year, and I thought this one looked the coolest,” she excitedly pointed out different details on the card- the shading of the deers, the way the font was composed of four different colors.

“Wow Chaein, this beautiful,” you didn’t really know what to say.

“It’s my way of apologizing, and hoping that we can maybe be friends in the future?” her voice shook a bit at the end, and you stared at the card. The thought put into finding it and even asking Ten where you might be… it was heartwarming.

“I would say this could constitute us as being friends,” you replied. Chaein cheered, wrapping you in a hug that caught you off guard.

“I have to go soon so I don’t miss Johnny’s tournament. You should come!” she encouraged, clapping her hands together.

“I don’t know…” your voice drifted off. Whenever Yuta did swing by, it wasn’t until later in the night you thought, glancing off at your dorm building. “When does it start?”

“In fifteen- it’ll be fun!”

Surprising yourself, you nodded, and followed Chaein to the night dorm. The last time you swung by, you had walked past the main dorm and stayed in the library for a bit. Tonight though, you were arm and arm with Chaein, listening to her go on about how annoying she found her finals to be as you entered the main night dorm building.

The foyer was massive- a large living space in the center with plush carpeting and a grand staircase framing it. A group of students sat around a flat screen TV at the center, the only couch crammed with several mythics and the floor lined with a few different coolers. The students were initially facing away from the door, but all turned their heads to see who entered- most of which being faces that you not only recognized but also were friends with.

“Jaemin, you are such a liar!” Ten shouted, shoving himself off the couch to greet you. He wrapped you in a rather surprising hug, and you immediately could smell the cloud of Soju that enveloped him. “I can’t believe Chaein convinced you to come by!” he slurred, letting go and grabbing your wrist to bring you towards the center.

Johnny was setting up the flat screen, his wings fully exposed and fluttering gently as he plugged in the HDMI and speakers. Jaemin and Hendery were on the couch with Shotaro- whom you had come to learn was Johnny and Ten’s third roommate. Mark was on the floor playing a game of cards with Taeyong- you’d have to ask him later when they were suddenly acquaintances.  

You glanced up, and felt yourself immediately having to control the anxiety building up for fear of it spilling into flames.

Looking down on the foyer was Doyoung and a group of other night students all shooting glares your way. You gulped, looking back down to control your breathing and thoughts as best as possible. For a moment, you wished you had the onyx necklace. At the very least then you knew you wouldn’t burst into flames.

“So you heard Ten was talking shit about your smash skills?” Mark asked, picking up the cards and shuffling them. You laughed, sitting next to your brother.

“I could take her now!” Ten yelled, collapsing back onto the couch and pinching Shotaro’s cheeks.

Counting those in the foyer, it seemed to you that nine people wasn’t much of a smash tournament.

“I can’t let a drunk vampire run around telling lies! Are we missing anyone?”

Ten went to answer you, but Johnny answered before him, “Renjun is grabbing another controller, but normally we’d have Yuta as well.”

“Oh,” was all you could say. Not only did you only get less time with Yuta, but so were his friends and the people he had known for years- it felt selfish of you to just realize this.

“I think this controller should be good,” a new voice announced. They sat on the floor in front of Jaemin and Hendery, a set of orange fox ears peeking through his orange hair and an orange fox tail coming out from his pants. Johnny stood up now, screen glowing behind him.

“All right folks, standard rules apply- seven minutes a match, three lives, and no use of your special abilities… looking at you Jaemin and Shotaro,” Johnny glared at the pair, who exchanged a knowing look to the other. You leaned closer to Chaein and gestured to Shotaro. You knew he was Johnny and Ten’s roommate, but you didn’t really know much about him beyond that.

“Mind reader,” she clarified, knowing what you silently wanted to ask.

“All right, let’s get started!” Johnny called, earning roars from the groups and small murmurs from the crowd upstairs. It was unsettling having them staring down on you guys, so you were hoping that you’d be able to ask Ten or even Johnny about it once you were out of everyone else’s earshot.

Monitoring the time the best you could while also checking for any texts you played the first two rounds with ease, lucking out with Mark in your first and Chaein in the fight shortly thereafter. Going up against Ten though, albeit drunk, was a bit of a bigger challenge than you had initially expected.

“See while you’ve been sleeping with the King I’ve only been playing smash,” he spoke rather loudly, and you bit your tongue to not say anything back to him.

“That’s just sad man,” you heard Taeyong mumble. Taeyong was taken out in the first round by Chaein and was moping around. It took a little longer, but you were able to handle Ten easily once you landed a combo on his character.

“Now you can’t talk shit,” you laughed, blowing a raspberry in his direction.

“I can’t even say I could take you in a real fight,” he sighed, collapsing onto the crowded couch, much to the groans of Shotaro, Hendery, and Jaemin.

“All right Renjun, sorry that I’ve gotta beat you,” Johnny taunted as they moved towards the TV, you now scooting back. Checking your phone, you were a bit surprised.

Yuta: Hey! You’re not in your dorm?

You quickly shot him a text, letting him know where you were, and suddenly feeling nervous. You glanced back towards the staircase, making direct eye contact with Doyoung before you looked back down to Jaemin and Johnny’s match.

“Who would you rather take on, y/n?” Shotaro asked politely, his eyes looking at you curiously.

“Hm,” you looked back at the pair and checked out their characters, “I could take either one, doesn’t matter,” you laughed.

“Don’t get too cocky, human,” Renjun called.

“Ha, human,” Ten drunkenly giggled, seeming to fall in and out of sleep. Remembering you had to have several mind readers around you, you quickly thought of whatever you could to change Ten’s train of thought.

“Ten, how long have you known Shotaro?” you asked the vampire, who then smiled and went to pinch the cheeks of the mind reader, who groaned tiredly.

“I’ve known Taro since he was a baby…” Ten cooed. You glanced over at Mark who smirked at you, knowing your own thought process without having to read your mind.

Much to no one’s surprise, Johnny took down Renjun’s character, leaving Johnny to be the last person you needed to take on in the bracket.

“Let’s make a bet,” Johnny announced. “If I win you have to… wash my car.”

“I’m not washing your car,” you rolled your eyes, taking a controller and sitting next to him.

“If you win you won’t be washing it,” he noted.

“If I win, I get to borrow your car all day tomorrow,” you countered. Johnny furrowed his eyebrows at you, but nodded shortly before you started the last round. The rest of the group gathered around closely behind you two, voicing their own opinions and shouting notes of their own.

“Get her Johnny!”

“You’ve got this, y/n!”

“Dang, that’s intense.”

The only other person you’d been able to play with recently had been Yuta, and he was notably a better opponent than everyone else here. It took effort, but in your last life you were able to finally launch Johnny’s character out and win.

“Woo! I got the car for a day!” you cheered, laughing as you felt several hands patting your back.

“You don’t even have a license,” Johnny groaned, rubbing his forehead in frustration. Amongst the chatter of your small group, there was a small rush of footsteps, catching everyone off guard once it was noticed that the rest of the night students had taken to surrounding the foyer.

“Oh, hello everyone,” Ten slurred, forcing himself out of the couch too quickly and having to catch himself by leaning on your shoulder.

“Okay, your tournament is done now. They can go,” Doyoung announced, glaring only at you. You helped Ten stand on his feet, and glared back at the shifter.

“We haven’t done anything, and our IDs allow us access to here,” you countered. Mark stood a bit closer to the shifter, and turned back to try and share a look with you that you couldn’t quite catch.

“For a human, you have quite a lot of nerve,” Doyoung sneered, his lips curling upward. A small scoff sound was heard next to you, and fearfully you glanced at Ten who now covered his mouth with his hand and was shaking his head rapidly.

“What’s Ten trying to not think about?” Shotaro asked absentmindedly, earning him a surprised look from Doyoung who turned to the group of students behind him.

“Stay in Ten’s mind!” the one named Xiaojun called, a curious look in his eyes as he stared down at your best friend.

“Everyone better stay out of Ten’s business,” another voice called, earning small gasps as the crowd parted. “Doyoung, stop being an ass.”

“Just because you’re dating her, doesn’t mean she can… run amok in our space!” Doyoung changed his composure in Yuta’s presence. Gone was the smug, holier-than-thou expression he held, having replaced it with a much more meek facial expression and hunched, unsure shoulders.

“Her and Mark were just leaving. Don’t be a jerk,” Johnny muttered, reaching to grab Ten and walk him out alongside you and your brother.

“Yeah, don’t be a jerk,” Xiaojun suddenly added, earning him a swift glare from Doyoung. Yuta wrapped an arm over your shoulder as you started out from the night dorm, holding you tightly to his cold body as you glanced back, waving goodbye to Chaein and everyone else who stood still in the foyer.

“See you later!” Chaein called cheerily despite the glare Dyoung had shot her way. Walking out into the cold, Mark was speaking rapidly to Ten, trying to have his mind go anywhere else until you could be fully out of earshot from the rest of the mythics.

“Why is he such a prick?” you asked, pressing yourself closely to Yuta as you matched his steps towards your dorm.

“He thinks he’s better than everyone because he mastered his powers quicker than most other shifters,” Johnny responded. He had sloppily thrown a jacket over his shoulders, the small outline of his wings noticeable to your naked eye now.

“And no one’s ever put him in his place?” Mark pressed, letting off of Ten one he felt you had moved far enough from the night dorms.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll have him taken care of,” Yuta interjected, staring ahead blankly. There was a small silence, everyone seemed puzzled by Yuta’s threatening statement- although he didn’t seem to notice. “So, who won tonight's tournament?”

“I did!”

“Unfortunately,” Johnny sighed, in fear of the bet he had made with you. “What are you even going to do with my car?”

You thought for a moment. Looking up at the night sky, the small clouds that had formed looming over the small group now as you neared your dorms.

“I have a few ideas.”

***

Your fingers mindlessly tapped the steering wheel, the few seconds now passing like an eternity as you stared straight ahead of you in the parking lot. You had felt fairly confident in your three point turn, and you properly used your turning signals. You were sure you answered the testers questions properly too. Yet, why were they taking so long to calculate your results?

“You didn’t look back all the way when you backed up,” the old man noted, his pencil now tapping the sheet on his clipboard. He looked up at you then, the panic in your eyes making him feel bad almost for having said this. “You did just fine, 88 out of 100 is more than enough to get your license.”

“Really?” you were surprised. He handed you the sheet of paper, congratulated you, and stepped out of the vehicle, leaving you alone to stare at the affirmation in your hands. You hadn’t told anyone, not even Yuta, that you were going to take your drivers test with Johnny’s car. You had told everyone you were going to the spa, and they didn’t press too much further than that. Now, after waiting and finally getting your license printed, you were fully licensed to drive. Later than your peers, for sure, but fully licensed nonetheless. You twiddled the plastic ID in your hand, ignoring how tired you looked in your photo and just felt elated.

For a brief moment, you felt like a normal person.

Bringing your phone out from your pocket, you called your boyfriend, fully expecting the video call to go unanswered.

Much to your pleasant surprise, he answered, seeming to be in a hallway.

“Everything okay? And, why are you in a car?” His voice was low along with the lighting, but he looked just as beautiful as ever. Smiling, you brought out your license, flashing it in front of the camera.

“No way,” he hollered, his giggling sounding like a soft bell through the phone speaker.

“I am finally a licensed driver, now I just need a car,” you chuckled.

“Time to get paid for that warden job of yours.”

“At this point- hey, don’t you have a meeting today?” you tried getting a better look of where he was, but it was hard to tell.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore your calls.”

“That’s so romantic- how lame,” you teased.

“It’s a meeting with Ten’s Mom, it’s fine,” he assured.

“Oh, that’s why the hallway was familiar,” you thought aloud.

“I’ve gotta go, we need to finish the meeting up. I love you, y/n.”

“I love you too, Yuta.”

**

The second person you told about your license was Mark. Instead of calling him, you decided to instead meet him in the student parking lot and have him see it in person

“Wow! Having a license was the one thing I had over you,” he joked. You punched his arm playfully, having parked Johnny’s car in his spot and walking through campus with your brother. It had been a while since you could just casually walk through campus, and it was great.

“Do you remember when we would come here when we were younger?” Mark seemed to be thinking what you were, looking at the forest lined path that led towards the main building. You nodded.

“I remembered thinking everyone looked so old,” you hummed.

“Now look at us,” he chuckled, rubbing his forehead. You squinted, looking at the unmoving crease between Mark’s eyebrows.

“What’s on your mind?” you asked, tucking your hands into your coat pockets.

“How do you know something’s up?” Mark raised an eyebrow, stifling a nervous chuckle.

“You have that… thing,” you pointed to the space between your own eyebrows, hoping he would understand. He sighed, massaging that part of his face hoping to relieve the area. He tucked his own hands in his coat pockets, sighing in defeat.

“I think it’s weird you’re Satan’s kid,” he spoke quickly, the crease returning.

“No, that’s not what’s on your mind,” you simpered.

“I really thought that would work,” he muttered, looking down before stopping in his tracks. “I applied to Columbia’s creative writing program.”

“I know, you applied when we were seniors and decided to come to Knight’s Cross instead.”

“Yes, but I reapplied for a transfer and… I got in,” he whispered, raising his shoulders. You paused, surprised before you wrapped your arms around him, overwhelmed with joy and pride.

“That’s so amazing!” you cheered, letting go and jumping slightly. The frown didn’t leave his face though. “Why aren’t you more excited? That’s the best university for writing!”

“I… I have something else to tell you.” Raising an eyebrow at this, you nodded, hoping your brother would let whatever it was spill out of him. “I told Dad already. But I wanted you to hear it from me-,” he raised his hands and gripped your shoulders now, “- I don’t want Knight’s Cross College. It’s yours. It was always meant to be yours.”

This made the color immediately drain from your face and eyes widen.

“Absolutely not,” you almost shouted, walking quickly away from Mark who caught up with you and matched your pace.

“You’re the better fighter, you get along with mythics and humans- hell, you are mythic and human,” he started counting his reasoning off his fingers as if he had been rehearsing this.

“Everyone that matters in the council- who I would work with, hates me,” you countered, your mind immediately flashing to Yuta’s mother. Taking your hands out of your pocket, your left hands fingers had caught on fire, and you quickly shook it to put it out as you calmed yourself down.

“They’d hate anyone,” Mark pointed out. You both stopped now, glaring at each other. You had never given any thought to potentially becoming president of the university after your father steps down. It was always meant to be for Mark, at least that’s what you had always thought. It’s how you felt. It’s what you believed.

“I’m not even his biological kid. I’m the child of one of the worst beings in existence,” you sputtered out, looking down now at your feet as you struggled to control your emotions.’

“DNA doesn't matter, not in this case. You’re my sister, you’re our Dad’s kid, and you are meant for this,” Mark wrapped you in a bear hug then, holding you tightly.

“You think I can do this?” you asked, your voice shaking as you hugged your brother back.

“Trust me, if anyone can run a university and bridge the mythic world with the human world, it’s you.”

You were reminded of the Na prophecy, and squeezed your brother tightly. It was hard to manage your breathing but you did your best despite the fear that potentially you could lose your brother in the way Jaemin said someone would lose their life.

“Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” you spoke plainly, earning a sharp chuckle from your brother.

“I won’t. Plus, I’ll visit you and Dad all the time, and call everyday,” Mark comforted, pulling back from your hug. “I’ll move after new years, so you won’t be rid of me just yet.”

Mark walked with you to the main building, gushing over his future in Columbia and how excited he is for the program as you trudged down to the basement. This time Sicheng was watching a movie when you entered, chewing through a bowl of popcorn. His demon ears were protruding today, and they wiggled slightly upon your entrance.

“So, you haven’t burned anything down in the past few hours?” He asked sarcastically, pausing the movie and placing the bowl down on the ground in front of the couch.

“My hand caught on fire, but nothing else,” you felt a little prideful when you spoke. You were afraid of your own powers, but you had to admit, it did feel good to finally feel as if you had some control over them.

“I’m a little sad to hear that,” Sicheng muttered, earning him an eye roll from both you and Mark. “Today, we’ll go over controlling the fire on your body and your full transformations.”

“Full transformation?” Mark asked for you, raising an eyebrow.

“Yep. That in the bar was her full transformation. It’s when her powers are basically maxed out, and she also has somewhat less control over them,” Sicheng explained, picking at his ears as he did so. Your confidence deflated. The feeling of uncontrollable rage and anger you felt at Deer Moon was haunting to a point that you would rather have been bogged down by the onyx necklace than transform to that again.

“I don’t know about doing a full transformation,” you admitted.

“You know I can trigger it easily right?” he taunted, smirking at you. Your eyes widened, ready to step back and flee from the basement before Sicheng began laughing. “I wouldn’t trigger it like that, you fool. At least, not without Mark here having the extinguisher ready.”

“Don’t be an ass,” Mark scowled, stepping towards the corner of the room and grabbing a full fire extinguisher.

“All right, so let’s get started with you firing up that right hand.”

The next few hours were just as grueling as the previous training had been. While sometimes you could successfully light certain parts up in the sequence Sicheng would give them to you, managing them consistently proved to be a bit of a challenge. It didn’t help that the more you purposefully lit up Satan’s flames, the more an anger began to boil at your core. Relying on channeling your anger was proving to be exhausting, but it was necessary in order to manage your flames- or at least, that’s what Sicheng would say.

Again, you left that night with Mark, covered head to toe in the extinguisher powder.

“You did good today,” Mark comforted, watching as you shivered in your coat and pouted on your walk to your dorm.

“I hate this,” you admitted, dusting some of the powder out of your hair.

“I know,” was all he could respond, patting your shoulder. “I’m gonna head to the night dorm for a bit- figure I should tell Johnny and Ten that I’ll be leaving now that you know.” He ruffled your hair, removing some of the dust, before bounding off along the night dorm path.

Walking closer to your dorm, there were very few students around since most went home for the holiday break. Yet, there was a familiar body perched on the bench nearest to your dorm.

“I thought you wouldn’t make it tonight,” you smiled brightly, admiring how even in the horrible outside lighting, he still looked incredibly handsome.

“I wanted to surprise you,” he chirped, handing you a small bouquet of your favorite flowers before pressing a small kiss on your forehead. You were so surprised and ecstatic to see Yuta. It had been more difficult than you would have liked. With Yuta constantly being whisked off to meetings, and the few precious moments you two had being preoccupied with other issues, it made your heart sing to see that he still wanted to surprise you in such a way.

“This is so sweet,” you whispered, looking between him and the bouquet in your hand.

“Well, I was hoping I could take you out tonight?” he proposed, swiping a hand over your hair, likely in an attempt to dust off some powder.

Your heart skipped a beat.  “I would love that.”

It seems that Yuta didn’t have a car, or not one at the school, since he led you to Jaemin’s car and held the keys.

“He offered to let me borrow it before I could ask,” he explained, earning a small chuckle from you.

“I spoke to Kun and Jungwoo today,” Yuta began, starting the car and driving out from the student parking lot. “They told me about this prompt you wrote in high school.” Your eyes widened as you immediately knew what he was referencing.

In high school, whenever you were in a boring class, you tended to assign yourself random writing prompts and scribble out a few paragraphs for it. Thanks to poor timing and bad luck, Jungwoo and Kun found one prompt you had written in which you detailed your dream date with a celebrity you had a crush on at the time.

“I’m gonna kill them,” you muttered, already writing out the message to them in your head.

“Don’t- because it gave me the perfect idea,” Yuta giggled. After a few minutes, you pulled into a small parking lot of an outdoor shopping mall, the mini golf sign shining as brightly as it was the last time you had been here with friends.

“I thought mini golf was a cute date idea,” you sighed, feeling embarrassed.

“I may not be that celebrity, but I hope I can make it as close to perfect as possible.”

The mini golf place was a little more full than you have liked, there being several local high schoolers and a few of your peers there. Watching Yuta pretend to be human entertained you a bit. Despite the black light, people were still taken aback by his beauty, and his polite smile to the person working the register stunned them for a moment.

“It’s weird not seeing you with your fangs,” you whispered to him, waiting to start on the first course behind another, younger couple.

“I think it’s fun, like our little secret,” he winked. “Wanna make a little wager?”

You hummed, “I’m a little competitive, I don’t know if I can handle making you cry over mini golf.” He clicked his tongue at your response, chuckling a bit then.

“I didn’t get to humble you in smash since I wasn’t there, but I certainly can take you in mini golf.”

“Fine, loser pays for dinner,” you suggested.

“I don’t even eat food,” Yuta muttered furrowing his eyebrows.

“That makes it even better.”

“Fine, if you win I’ll pay for your dinner, but if I win, you let me read your annotated copies of twilight,” he countered, causing you to groan.

“I can’t believe you’re still on that.”

“I’ll keep trying until I can,” he sang, and you gently pushed his shoulder as you laughed. Until the last portion, you and yuta had managed to maintain a tie, taunting the other whenever it was the other’s turn.

“Ah, the cursed windmill. This one usually gets people,” you teased, looking down at where the 18th hole was.

“Hm, I think I’ll be fine. You just get those books ready for me my love,” he taunted, setting himself up. You rolled your eyes, and watched as he seamlessly managed to get the golf ball through the windmill and into its designated spot in one stroke.

“I’m surprised,” you feigned sarcasm, and started to set yourself up as well, trying to angle your club properly.

“You know, you look lovely tonight,” Yuta whispered, his lips tauntingly close to your ear now. You laughed breathlessly, taken aback.

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” you replied, trying to focus again on this last shot. Yuta moved closer now, his hand resting on your shoulder and lips at an increasingly closer distance.

“If not for the other people here, I would devour you,” he hummed, his voice low. Your hands trembled now at the thought, before you stepped away and shot him a glare.

“You are the worst,” you half joked. He shot a mischievous grin, before stepping back to let you fully concentrate. Timing it as best as you could, you tapped the golf ball and held your breath to miserably watch the blades of the windmill cut off the course of the golf ball.

“Ha! I win!” Yuta cheered, raising his fists into the air.

“Barely,” you rolled your eyes, laughing softly to yourself. To everyone else at the course, you two looked like a normal, oddly competitive couple. Yuta was a normal, fang-less human and you were simply the daughter of a university president- and that was a sweet feeling.

“Do you have to read my copy of twilight?” you whined as you started out of the mini golf course.

“Kun and Jungwoo said they went through it a couple of years back and said it has given them a lifetime's worth of comedy- I have to read it,” he teased, reaching a hand out and gently pinching your cheek.

“I’m so gonna kill them,” you vowed, furrowing your eyebrows.

“Nah, you guys care about each other too much,” Yuta notes, smiling in almost a solemn way.

Pausing outside of the car, when you climbed in you asked, “Yuta, do you have any roommates? I know some people in the night dorm do share rooms.” He pursed his lips and shook his head.

“I roomed with Johnny and Ten our first semester, but… the council insisted I should have one of the single rooms,” Yuta explained, before adding, “I’ve always been friends with Johnny at least, so it didn’t affect that too much.”

“Ah,” was all you could respond, the car lulling into a silence only the hum of the radio could fill.

Stupidly, you hadn’t even thought about whether or not Yuta would continue at Knight’s Cross, nor even the future of your relationship. Had he? You stole a glance at him as he drove, his eyes glued to the road.

“You’re thinking,” he noted, not turning to look at you.

“Yeah,” you admitted, watching as the car pulled into a small parking lot.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked, parking on the side of the road and fully turning to look at you. In the dim street lighting, you could see his eyebrows were knit with concern, staring at you with his full concentration.

“I… I don’t want to lose you,” you raised a hand to stop him before he could speak, “and I hate the thought of having to share you with the rest of the mythic world. I know it’s selfish, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said anything.” You felt embarrassed, and turned your face away.

You’ve hated these past few weeks- not being able to see each other as often as you had wanted was hard. It made it more difficult since whenever he spoke about the people he was soon to be working with, it was almost always some sort of controlling, negative way.

“Hey,” he spoke softly, his hand reaching out to gently turn your chin towards him. You covered your shock as best as possible, the red streaks having made their way down his cheeks in the few moments you turned away from him.

“It’s been tough lately, but you have to trust me. I will fix this, and I’ll always put you first. Fuck everything else,” his voice quivering with his tears. Bringing a hand up, you swiped off some of his bloodied tears, his hands moving now to hold your wrists and therefore your hands in place, burying his cheek in the palm of your hand.

“Fuck everything else,” you repeated through a whispered, small tears now making their way down your cheeks. He nodded, repeating and affirming the phrase.

Between Yuta’s face being furiously stained with his own blood, and you hardly having much of an appetite to begin with, you ended up driving back to your dorm. Helping hide his face, you made your way into your studio, giggling to yourselves.

“Ten’s here,” Yuta noted. Looking around, you didn’t see him, and turned back to Yuta with a puzzled expression. “He’s down the hall with Chenle and other humans.”

“Gosh Ten just always has to be around people,” you sighed.

“Hey, he’s good at it,” Yuta replied, smiling to himself. You moved to your small kitchen counter, grabbing and wetting a paper towel before moving back to your boyfriend. Slowly, you began passing the paper along his face and cleaning up the blood that had dripped along from his eyes to his chin.

“How come you cry your own blood?” you asked quietly, moving slowly.

“Well, since we’re half dead, blood is one of the only fluids our body produces. That’s at least what they teach us,” he explained, watching you carefully.

“Interesting. What other fluids does it produce?” you asked absentmindedly, before your eyes widened in embarrassment, his own cheeks growing into that blue hue you had seen as his eyes avoided you.

“You did that on purpose,” he muttered. He blinked quickly as if trying to be rid of the pink streaks making their way across his irises.

“I swear I didn’t,” you giggled. “You’re cleaned up now,” you declared, tossing out the towel into your trash and turning back to Yuta.

“How has your thigh healed?” he asked. You leaned your back against the counter, thinking it over.

“I haven’t paid attention to it much,” you admitted, frowning to yourself. “I guess that means it’s healed pretty well, then.”

“Hm, maybe it needs to be put there again with a little bit more... vigor,” he muttered, having now stood up, leaning against the counter and glancing over at you.

“Hm, maybe,” you hummed. Yuta leaned towards you, and quicker than he must have expected, you met his lips with yours. His lips were soft, and compared to the last few times he kissed you, there was a difference here- this lacked the fear of hurting you it seemed.

Lacking personal restraint, and a feeling of joy that his lips were roughly crashing against yours, you laced your fingers through his hair, dipping his head down more and forcing your bodies to be as close as possible.

Roughly, Yuta pulled away, his eyes having lost sight of their brown and now only showing as pink. His fangs had popped up more now, as large as they were the last few times you had been intimate.

“Please tell me if I hurt you,” he whispered. You leaned in, and quickly placed a small kiss on the tip of his nose.

“I can accidentally burn things now- you have to tell me if I hurt you,” you replied, passing a thumb over his cheek. Without thinking- and catching you severely by surprise- Yuta scooped you up, and gently tossed you over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” you giggled, trying to not shout and alert anyone outside of your dorm. Carefully, he placed your giggling self onto your bed, your hair sprawled in a disarray as you looked at your boyfriend.

“I just wanted to look at you in a better light,” he spoke, climbing the bed slowly until your eyes met, his body now hovering above yours. Slowly, he lifted one of his hands, his digits moving slowly to graze your neck, his thumb stopping to slowly circle where your neck meets your shoulder.

“Is this a better light?” you asked, your voice now in a hushed tone. Leaning down, his nose brushed against yours.

“Just as I thought,” he muttered, his nose tracing along your cheekbone until he reached your ear.

“What?”

“You look lovely in any light,” he breathed out, his breath now tickling your neck. His body was fully pressed against yours now, and you felt the chill of his fangs grazing against your throat.

“Can I bite you?” his voice was quiet still, as if he was shy. You nodded furiously, spending the rest of your evening wrapped around each other.

***

“It’s a bad omen.”

“It’s raining, Ten. It’s not the end of the world,” you chastised, following the guided trail. In preparation for the coronation, you and Mark were tasked with reinforcing some of the barriers put in place from the Vatican. While it didn’t seem to affect you and Sicheng, a demon hadn’t appeared in Knight’s Cross since.

“But Mark is leaving us, and this annoying rain? It has to mean something,” he groaned, tightening the hoodie of his windbreaker. Mark was busy packing today, and had asked Ten to cover for him. As such, the two of you were tasked with burning sage at different points around the campus.

Ignoring Ten and taking out the lighter your Dad gave you, you flicked it on, only for the flame to be blown out as soon as it hit the sage.

“See! Bad omen,” Ten repeated, crossing his arms in satisfaction. You rolled your eyes, and glanced around. Currently, you were in one of the open fields by the main building, just the two of you. Focusing and within a few seconds, the sage’s tip began to burn a bright blue, a smile making its way to your face.

“How is that for a bad omen?” you mocked, raising your hand to waft the smoke around the area, muttering the small bible verse your Dad gave to you.

“It’s incredible how the rain isn’t putting out the flame,” he noted. You shrugged in response, bringing the sage back to eye level and blowing it out just as easily as you had lit it. Instinctually, you tugged at the collar of the turtleneck you wore. It was ugly and itchy- but it was the best you could do when it came to covering up Yuta’s bites from last night. Covering the one on your thigh was easy, but covering the on your neck proved to be a challenge when you realized you didn’t own any scarves.

“That thing is hideous,” Ten noted, frowning at the shirt.

“Yeah. Anyways, where’s the next point?” you asked dryly. Ten held the awkward map your Dad had drawn and scribbled on for you guys, and he opened it up with an arm raised to try and keep the rain off.

“All right, next we have to sage outside of the night dorm,” he instructed, quickly tucking the map safely into his pocket. Boots now sloshing in the muddy ground, you guys walked side by side.

“Do you know what you’re wearing?” you asked. The coronation was three days away, and it was only this morning that you remembered that nothing you owned would qualify as a fit enough outfit for Yuta’s coronation.

“Oh yeah, my Mom got everything tailored and done as soon as it was announced. Oligarchy has to wear red and black since it’s a vampire taking the position,” he explained nonchalantly.

“Hm, so like, what would I wear?” you probed, walking ahead as Ten stopped in his tracks.

“YOU DON’T HAVE A DRESS?” he shouted, his voice blasting over the sprinkling rain.

“Hey, don’t shout!” you scolded, turning back to see his shocked face.

“Dude, you are dating the King, how do you not know what you’re wearing?” Ten had lowered his voice, but his tone was still urgent. You shrugged, walking ahead again towards the night dorm.

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

“Not a big deal? NOT A BIG- sorry, not a big deal?” he shut his eyes, as if thinking something over to himself. “You know what, maybe Chaein has something you can borrow,” he began problem solving, now walking faster than you at a pace you found difficult to match.

“I’m not borrowing a dress from Chaein,” you countered, folding your arms over your chest.

“How… oh,” his look softened then, and the most painful look appeared on his face- pity. You cringed, looking away from him. “You’ve been avoiding thinking about it, huh?” his voice was softer now.

You went to speak, but your throat croaked instead, and you clenched your jaw as you nodded in response, holding back your tears. Of course you had thought and reminded yourself of the coronation- but every time you did, your throat would close up and tears would well as they did now.

“Hey, bud, you guys are going to be okay,” Ten placed a hand on your shoulder, his voice still soft as he gently patted you.

“You don’t know that, I hardly see him now- how about when he’s running an entire kingdom! Fuck- I’m so selfish,” you choked out, passing your hands across your face in an attempt to clear your tears away.

“You aren’t selfish, and look, Yuta loves you. A whole lot- it’s kind of gross,” you looked up when Ten said this, his eyes not looking at you but at your neck. You rolled your eyes, moving a hand to raise your turtleneck higher. “Don’t bother, any vampire can tell from like a mile away that you’ve been bitten.”

“This isn’t a joke, Ten!” you lashed out, knocking his hand off your shoulder.

“I never said it- oh,” he stared at you in fear. Puzzled, you glanced down at your fists which were still normal.

“What is it?” you asked, turning around and not seeing anything.

“It’s… here,” Ten took out his phone then and handed it to you with the front facing camera on. You gasped, your eyes widening. Hovering over your head was a blue flamed halo, the flames small but shining brightly as you looked at it though his phone.

“Oh god what is this?” you panicked, reaching your hand above your head and feeling the flames. “It’s kind of cool,” Ten admitted, smirking as he watched you slowly diminish the flame.

“I can’t even cry in peace,” you groaned, rubbing your forehead in frustration. With your eyes shut, you felt a set of arms wrap around and embrace you, Ten’s cold body holding you tightly.

“Everything is going to be okay, I promise. Yuta, Mark, Johnny, me… we all have your back,” he muttered. Stunned by Ten’s affection, you held your friend in a tight hug before he let go and moved away. “That’s enough hugging, but I am here for you.”

You laughed, and started to continue walking when you saw a panic flash across Ten’s face. He turned around and you both saw Doyoung, staring at you both with a sly grin.

“I was just taking a casual stroll, you know I have to monitor my appearance before events. And, along this path, what do you know, I see a brilliant blue flame,” Doyoung teased, both you and Ten staring at him in silence.

“Blue flame? Like Satan’s? How strange!” Ten feigned, looking at you as if to also act with him.

“Cut the shit- I saw the flames over that ones-,” Doyoung angrily pointed at you, “-head.”

“You know my name!” you interjected, before quickly adding, “and I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Stop playing dumb!” he shouted, a set of sharp wolf ears popping up on the top of his head. Quickly, you looked over and saw Ten’s eyes flash their shade of red as he glared back at Doyoung.

“What is your problem?” you asked, stepping forward and hoping to cut through the aggressive tension rising between Ten and Doyoung. Doyoung bared his teeth then, a set of canines now exposed as he seemed to growl at you.

“You, dammit! You have no place in our world- hell, by the looks of it you aren’t even human. I could always smell that something was wrong with you,” he snapped, his eyes switching to a bright gold hue.

“I am human,” you half lied.

“No you’re not! I saw that blue flame- you are a goddamn… demon!”

“Demons don’t even produce blue flames,” Ten countered, his fangs now fully extended. Doyoung paused at this notion, before leering at you.

“So, Satan has sent his daughter to seduce the King, eh?” Doyoung taunted. You flared your nostrils and squeezed your hands into fist, doing your best to manage your breathing and stop any other possible outburst.

“I’m human, and I love Yuta,” you repeated, more to yourself than to Doyoung at this point.

“Just wait until the council finds out,” he started chuckling, his canines receding despite the protruding wolf ears and his eyes still being golden.

“You won’t be telling them shit!” Ten growled, stepping forward.

“Yeah? And who’s going to stop me?”

“Oh good, I made it just in time,” turning your heads, the interjection came from Jaemin who was sluggishly walking out from the forest, a yellow poncho contrasting with the dim atmosphere. Doyoung’s wolf ear twitched, as if trying to gauge the situation. To be fair, you too felt confused. Jaemin’s priorities didn’t lie with anyone specifically- but rather his family’s prophecy that he had sworn to uphold and protect.

“In time for what?” you asked, trying to focus on anything that wouldn’t flare up your flames and fully prove what you were.

“Oh, yeah,” Jaemin chuckled softly, before turning his attention to Doyoung, an eye turning white. “To tell you that if you ever do tell anyone what you think you saw here, you will be brutally murdered.”

The three of you were stunned, looking intently at Jaemin as if he would suddenly say he was joking. Instead, he maintained his normal stoic expression. He blinked, waiting for a response from Doyoung.

“Oh please, as if you’re telling the truth,” Doyoung crossed his arms, ears still twitching to reveal that he was unsure.

Jaemin shrugged in response. “Could be. But are you willing to take that risk?”

It was silent for a short while, the only sound now being that of the soft rain hitting the gravel path you all stood on until Jaemin moved forward.

“What you saw was a trick of the light. Just some weird lightning. It’s not worth starting… anything else over,” Jaemin added, furrowing his eyebrows. Doyoung visibly gulped, glancing over to Ten and you as if you would contradict what Jaemin had to say.

Frowning, Doyoung nodded. “It was just a trick of the light.”

“Nice. I’ll see you at the coronation,” Jaemin nodded at Doyoung, whose frown deepened before he turned into a wolf, bounding away towards the night dorm.

“How did you get him to listen?” Ten asked before you could.

“When a psychic tells you that you’re going to die horrifically, people tend to listen. They’ll even change their own memories and thoughts if they have to,” he smirked.

“Thanks Jaemin,” you replied, smiling back at the cheeky psychic.