#vampire minghao

there are many places that are exciting at night. bars, clubs, restaurants, theaters. especially on a saturday night, the town is full of life.

the university library where you work is not one of those places.

the study rooms have long since closed; computers have been shut off and the last few students have trudged home with bags under their eyes and bags full of half-finished papers. you don't usually work this late, but you're covering the graveyard shift for jun, who has a date with his girlfriend tonight. he definitely owes you one for this, but you get overtime pay for it so does it really matter in the end?

the closing shift isn't difficult. there's a few carts of returned books that need to be shelved, but that's really all there is to it. the only downside is that there's only one person working at night, so you're alone. but then again, some people might see that as an upside. as for you, it's got both pros and cons. it's not a shift you'd go out of your way to ask for, but you don't mind it once in a while. it's usually pretty peaceful after dark, and you can put on your headphones and play your music as loud as you want.

you pick up a stack of books for the history shelf, turning one over and flipping through it mindlessly. the cover is intricately detailed with flourishing silver engraving, and you pause a second longer to stare at it before you flip it around to check the number on its side.

you start to climb up the ladder and run your finger across the spines on the shelf, stopping where there's an empty space between the books. the job isn't hard, but it is boring. counting, shelving, counting again, alphabetizing. 

there's a sharp crack against the library window and you startle, whipping your head around to check behind you. but there's nothing there. it wasn't supposed to storm today… but it's probably just the wind. or maybe a sudden thunderstorm. or, it could be the guys from theta chi again. yeah, that sounds more like it. always the college kids getting up to trouble. it is a saturday night, after all, and this close to halloween there's bound to be at least a couple people throwing ragers tonight.

whatever it is, it's probably nothing to worry about. you've already locked up the rest of the building, so it’s just you alone in here now.

you turn back to the shelf, shoving the book into place before you reach for the next. best to get this over with as quickly as possible so you can go home. 

there's another booming sound, and now you're sure it's thunder because the whole room almost seems to rumble. you startle again at the noise, but this time your foot slips off the ladder and you lose your balance. you only have a split second to brace yourself as you start to fall, but you don't hit the ground.

suddenly there's a hand on your lower back, another on your arm, and you land on somebody's chest instead. you let out a scream, your loud shriek echoing through the silence of the library, and whoever caught you sets you back down on the floor.

you look up to see who it is, and you come face to face with the most gorgeous man you've ever seen. his long blond hair falls in waves at his shoulders, and his pale skin almost seems to sparkle under the overhead lights.

“you alright?” he asks calmly, breaking your trance.

you blink quickly and smooth down your shirt, trying to collect yourself. you just screamed at the top of your lungs in this poor man's face, and he's still being as polite as ever. “yeah, i'm fine, thanks to you. i'm lucky you were there.” you clear you throat and offer him a weary smile as you tell him your name. “i'm so sorry about that, by the way. and, you are…?”

“minghao,” he finishes for you. he doesn't say anything more. his tone is gentle and friendly, but there's still a sizzle of tension in the air around him that feels out of place.

you're trying to wrack your brain for information, but nothing's coming up. “you look familiar. do you work on campus? or— you're a student here?” you add the last part quickly, afraid to assume wrong. he looks young enough to be a student, but he sure doesn't seem like one. a grad student, maybe? or a phd candidate?

he nods. “department of health sciences.” he suddenly pauses, tilting his head to chuckle as if he's just thought of the funniest thing. “i'm sorry, i should've introduced myself better. you probably meet a lot of people, in a place like this.” he holds out his hand for you to shake. “dr. xu. maybe that name is a bit more recognizable. i teach classes in the fall.”

that feels a little more reassuring. and if he only teaches during the fall semester, that explains why you didn't recognize him more quickly.

you reach out to take his hand, and a shiver runs instantly through you when you feel his freezing palm against yours. the heater is running inside the building, but he just came in so maybe it's colder outside than you realize. but still, his grip feels unnaturally cold, as if he's radiating ice from the inside out.

“sorry, i'm just a little surprised. i thought i was in here alone. i swear i locked those doors…” you trail off, subconsciously glancing at the entrance. didn't you lock them? you hum quietly, trying to clear your mind. it's late, so clearly you aren't focused as much as you thought you were. “anyway. what can i help you with?”

minghao chuckles, almost sounding shy. “oh, i'm just here to return a book.” he pulls out a small, leather bound book from the pocket of his coat and hands it to you. his fingers graze against your wrist, and you have to force yourself not to wince at how cold his touch is. “working late, you know how it is.”

you scoff softly, nodding. “i sure do.” why do you suddenly feel like your tongue is in knots? “i'll check this in for you. is there anything…”

“no, that's all.” his words are short, but his tone still has that pleasant lilt to it that puts you at ease. “you've been quite helpful, i appreciate it. i'll get out of your way now.” he bows his head politely, giving you another smile. “be careful with those stairs.”

you turn around to set his book on the table behind you, letting out a chuckle as you start to reply. “i wi—”

but when you turn back around to tell him goodbye, he's already disappeared and you're standing by yourself. the library is deadly silent, not even the sound of footsteps or a door creaking. you turn again to look around for any signs of life, but the large room is completely empty.

you exhale, rubbing a hand across your forehead. the only evidence that minghao was ever there is the book still sitting on the table, looking up at you innocently, as if mocking your confusion.

whatever. all you have to do is just finish putting everything away so you can go home. it's not much longer.

by the time you collect your things and close up the library (you're sure that you did this time, double and triple checking every lock), it's well after midnight.

at this time of night the buses aren't running anymore, so you're stuck walking home. yet another reason to yell at jun later, but you probably won't. you just hope for his sake that his date had better been worth it.

you're not afraid of the dark. it's a fairly safe town, and aside from the college kids stealing each other's bikes and throwing rocks at people's windows, there's not a whole lot of crime that happens here. but still, you don't want to be the first to change that.

you stick close to the inside edge of the sidewalk, your gaze flitting around you as you hold your bag tighter to your chest. your encounter at the library has already put you on edge, making the usually peaceful night sounds feel spookier. the chirp of crickets and the distant howling of dogs (or maybe wolves?) only makes you more nervous as you pick up your pace. you're already almost halfway home. everything is fine.

a whispering sound in the dark makes you freeze, and you catch a shadow slip past the light of a street lamp on the ground. the sound seems to bounce around, unintelligible soft breaths floating around your ears. it's hard to tell if it's only in your head or not.

“hello?” you call out loudly, trying to sound brave. you pull out your phone and turn on the flashlight, shining it around, but there's nothing there. probably just an animal, you tell yourself, but you know you're lying to yourself. no animal you've ever known sounds like that. the disjointed murmurs in your ears makes your skin prickle. maybe it's… fuck, you don't even know what it might be anymore. but you're getting closer now. everything is fine.

you start walking again and the whispering sound returns, and it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. the street is dark and empty, not a single car in sight, not a single light turned on inside the houses you walk past. it's too quiet, eerie.

you see another shadow moving. the whispering finally fades into a clear voice, calling out your name, and it sounds uncomfortably familiar. you whip around to check behind you, but the sight of minghao makes you relax. 

you exhale slowly, almost wanting to laugh with how overwhelmed with relief you are. you're not alone. there's someone here, and it's someone you know. everything is fine.

“are you following me, or something?” you scoff jokingly, but there's a little bit of truth to your words. two coincidences in one night feels like too many, but you're still glad to see him.

minghao laughs warmly, and somehow it makes the street seem smaller. “no, i live over here. i left the lab pretty late, just had some projects to finish up before tomorrow. sorry for startling you.” he pauses, looking you up and down. “i'm assuming you live down this way, too… would you like me to walk you home? it’s not very safe being out here alone at night, especially this time of year.”

his last words seem strange to you. what’s so different about this time of year? but a sharp gust of wind whips your coat around, so you don’t really have time to dwell on it for long. 

you pull your sleeves down to cover your hands, crossing your arms tightly over your chest to keep warm. it’s not usually this chilly, but maybe it’s just because you’re not usually out this late. the whistling of the wind through the trees makes you shiver, and you get the strange feeling that something’s watching you, something just out of reach. and suddenly, minghao’s offer seems like the best thing that could’ve happened to you tonight.

“please,” you tell him with a nod. “that would be great. thank you.”

he flashes another smile, and his teeth glint in the low light of the street lamp as he moves closer to you. “it’s my pleasure.”

now that minghao’s beside you, you’re able to zone out a little as you walk back to your house. the anxious, sort of uncomfortable feeling gnawing at the back of your thoughts is still there, but you push it down. it’s just the late hour. it’s just the wind. it’s just your mind playing tricks on you, and there’s really nothing to be worried about. 

you only realize that you’ve arrived once you notice minghao stop beside you. your mind is still elsewhere, so it doesn’t occur to you until later to wonder how he knew which house to stop at. the wind has completely died down, and the silence that follows is eerie, like the calm before a storm. except there is no storm. there’s only you, and minghao, and the dead of night.

you climb the steps to your front porch and pull your mail out from the metal box on the wall, tucking it under your arm as you fumble with your keys. your hand shakes from the cold as you move to unlock the door. “do you wanna stay for drinks or something?” you say, stepping inside and looking back at him.

you swear you see something flash across his eyes, but you're probably imagining things again; it's probably from the porch light flickering again. you really need to get that lightbulb changed soon. you've been putting it off for weeks, but as long as it still keeps your front door lit, then it's a project for another day.

he gives you a closed-mouth smile, nodding. “that'd be nice.” but despite his agreement he stays rooted in his spot outside, unmoving.

you hesitate in confusion. “well… come on in,” you say after a beat, gesturing inside the house with your arm. 

he finally moves, stepping tentatively through the doorway. once he's inside you flip the latch behind him, waiting for the familiar click as you hear the deadbolt slide into place. suddenly there's a tension in the room that you hadn't noticed before, and you can feel minghao's eyes following your every move.

“do you have extra locks for your door?”

he speaks up suddenly, and you jump a little in surprise. you're not usually on edge like this, but maybe it's just the season. they do say that strange things happen around halloween, after all. and on top of that, it's a full moon tonight, too.

when you don't reply right away, minghao pauses and leans against the kitchen counter, his tone casual as if he’s discussing the weather. “i just came across an article the other day about how easy it is for people to break those locks. you can never be too prepared, especially living alone…” he trails off, shrugging his shoulders.

you nod. you’d never mentioned living alone. but then again, that much is probably already obvious. no other cars parked in front of your house, no extra pairs of shoes in your front doorway, no lights on when you got home. “yeah.” you shift in place, trying to figure out how to bring the mood up.

“am i scaring you?” he asks, crossing his arms. his voice is gentle, but there's a hint of a smirk on his face that makes butterflies rise in your stomach.

“no.” you bite your lip. “should i be scared?”

“guess you’ll have to find out.”

you clear your throat and turn towards the counter, feeling your cheeks burn with heat. obviously he's just messing with you, and you have no reason to be this nervous. “i… i should probably just put my mail away, then i'll find us something to drink. you’re probably tired, i’ll just—”

in your haste to look busy, your hand slips and the stack of papers scatter across the floor. the edge of one of the thicker envelopes catches on your index finger, slicing through the skin, and immediately a pinprick of blood starts to seep from the cut. you jump backwards in surprise and let out a yelp, inhaling sharply as you bring your finger to your mouth out of instinct. 

when you realize what you've done, you pull your finger out of your mouth, squeezing your other hand around the wound to try and stop the bleeding. “sorry! oh my god, this is so embarrassing, i—”

but you stop when you look up and see minghao frozen in place, staring at your hand. his eyes have suddenly grown dark, a deep pitch black so that you can’t see his pupils, and his gaze is still fixed on the small smeared pool of crimson red on your fingertip. you’re about to ask him something, although you’re not sure what you mean to ask, but he speaks before you can get another word out.

“can i see?” 

his voice is like a lullaby, filling your ears like soft music, and before you can even think about what you’re doing you find yourself lifting your hand and holding it out towards him.

his eyelashes flutter as he takes your hand gingerly, his nostrils flared as he watches the blood still running down your finger. he finally breaks his concentration away from the cut, lifting his gaze to stare at you. the look in his eyes is so intense, and you swear you see his eye twitch but it could’ve just been a blink. he doesn’t break eye contact as he lifts your hand to his mouth, sliding his lips around your finger. you think you feel his teeth graze against your skin, but you probably imagined that. 

“band-aid?”

it’s not until he speaks a second later that you realize he’s taken your finger out of his mouth, and you look down at the cut. your hand feels cold and clammy, and you’re so dizzy that you have to lean against the counter so you don’t fall over. you blink and try to shake yourself out of your daze, but your body feels so heavy all of a sudden, too slow to move. even the soft kitchen light seems unnaturally bright to your eyes, and you feel lightheaded, as if all the blood in your body has rushed to the cut on your finger. “huh?”

minghao’s voice comes through clearer now, no longer the sweet melodic tone you’d heard earlier. now the sound is sharp, easily slicing through the warm fog in your mind. “do you have a band-aid?” he repeats.

you exhale, finally coming back to your senses, though your hand is still shaking in minghao’s grip. “y-yeah. the… drawer…” you manage to lift your other hand to point across the kitchen. you swallow thickly, trying to ground yourself and calm down. for some reason you feel positive he can hear your heart pounding in your throat. “there’s a box. by the silverware.”

he moves away, but you vaguely register that he still hasn’t let go of your hand. his hand is freezing, his touch ice cold against your skin, and you feel yourself shiver. the overwhelming urge to sleep overtakes you, and you let your eyes fall closed for a moment while you wait for him.

when you open your eyes again, you’re not in the kitchen anymore. you swear your eyes were only closed for a split second, no longer than a single blink, but now you’re sitting on your couch with your finger tightly wrapped in a bandage.

minghao stands in front of you, watching you closely.  “are you okay?” he asks. his voice is clear again, as casual as can be, and you almost thing you've dreamed this whole situation up. it's a better explanation, at least, than acknowledging you embarrassing yourself in front of your hot colleague.

your head feels so heavy, and you lean against the back of the couch to relieve the ache in your neck. there's a chill in your body that wasn't there before, a tingling feeling that almost borders on pleasurable, but you force it away. 

you forgot he'd even asked you a question until he lets out a sigh, running his fingers through his long hair to flip it out of his face. “i told you it's not safe to be around here at night alone.”

you frown in confusion, your head still feeling woozy. “it's only a papercut, minghao. and i'm fine, i'm not alone. there's a perfectly good doctor standing in my house right now.”

he clicks his teeth at your response, though you can't figure out what you'd said wrong. “you're a naive little thing, aren't you?” he exhales, tsking almost disapprovingly.

despite his tone, his words almost make you laugh, because suddenly everything makes sense. the shy meeting at the library, the encounter in the street, him offering to walk you home… this whole time, it's all been connected, and it took something as small as a papercut to figure it out. “are you hitting on me?”

he lets out a noise of surprise and starts to open his mouth, but you continue before he can say anything. “you could've just asked for my number, you know. i'm not taking classes at the university, so i don't think there's any rules against it.”

“trust me, i would really enjoy that; but no, that's not the reason i'm here.” he manages to get a word in, but you're not deterred. you can see it in the way he stands in front of you, eyeing you like the most delicious treat he's ever seen. you can't believe you didn't realize it sooner.

you hum, crossing your arms as you stare up at him from the couch. “but you do want to sleep with me.”

“i— maybe,” minghao huffs, but you swear you see a little bit of pink in his pale cheeks. he shifts on his feet, a timid expression on his face that seems unbefitting for a man who literally just stuck your bloodied finger in his mouth. “but—”

“aw, don't be shy.” you smile. “i won't bite. promise.”

that gets a laugh out of him. “but i might.”

“ooh, freaky.” you raise your eyebrows. you didn't strike him as the type to be into that, but maybe it's a doctor thing. and besides, who are you to judge? “are you, like, a vampire or something?”

you expect him to laugh again, but he seems unphased by your accusation, simply nodding like you'd just asked him his favorite food instead of whether or not he's a mythical undead creature. “yeah. does that frighten you?”

you shake your head, but you stop quickly when the motion makes you a little dizzy, though you can't comprehend why. “nah, i've seen worse. i had an ex-boyfriend that wanted to be my dog and let me walk him around my house on a leash, but…” you stop, realizing you're probably giving out too many details that minghao probably doesn't care about. “anyway, you already sucked on my finger, so it can't get any weirder than that. are you gonna bite my neck? because that's kinda hot.”

minghao's eyes widen, surprised by your offer, as if he's not the one who just claimed to be a vampire. he narrows his eyes and stays silent for a moment, listening for an inaudible sound. he must decide that you're being genuine, because he quickly relaxes, his lips turning up into a smile. “i… could. only if you want me to. if you'd let me.”

“i do want you to.”

he groans like that's the best idea he's ever heard in his life, and it makes you giggle. it's been too long since you've had somebody in your house who's this enthusiastic about roleplaying. maybe this is the change up you've needed in your life. it's perfectly fitting for the halloween season, too.

“are you sure?” he asks, and you suddenly realize his voice has dropped a few octaves lower. damn, he really is into this.

you pull yourself to your feet, still feeling a little lightheaded, but you're thinking clearly. you're sure of it. if you get in trouble with the university for fucking somebody who's technically your coworker, then so be it. 

“yeah. go on, bite me.”

in one swift motion minghao swoops in, pulling you closer and pressing his lips against yours. his hand wraps around your neck to keep you in place and he inhales sharply, his nails digging into your skin as he tightens his grip. any reservations you still had about him are gone the second you feel his teeth drag against your lips, his tongue slipping into your mouth easily.

you whimper into his mouth as he kisses you, but a second later he pulls away and releases his hand from around your neck, leaving you gasping for breath. he moves again, casually settling himself down on the couch in the spot where you'd just been, and you watch his movements with wide eyes.

he seems refreshed just from the kiss, his eyes sparkling with a new kind of light. he pats his thigh, spreading his legs out wider as he gets comfortable. before he even says a word you feel drawn to him, immediately moving towards him as if being beckoned by an invisible force.

“come on, darling, sit. you want me to bite you?” he finally speaks up. he flashes a grin at you as you plant yourself on his lap, your knees on either side of his hips. you're expecting his body to be warm, but like when you shook his hand in the library, all you feel is cold. a shiver runs through you at the feeling, and you briefly consider getting up to turn the heater on first, but you're already melting into minghao's lap and it feels way too good to leave now when you're just getting started.

“such a pretty thing.” he brushes your hair off your neck and back behind your ear, sending another shiver down your spine at his freezing touch and his deep voice. “will you give me a little taste?” 

his tone makes you pause. you thought he'd have let up on the joke by now, but he seems completely serious to see this through. either he just really likes to roleplay, or…

thunder cracks outside, and you startle on his lap. but he just chuckles, his hand snaking around your waist to hold you tighter against him. “don't be afraid, now. the fear makes you taste so sour, and you're much too beautiful for that, my darling.” he lets out a hum, and your gaze is drawn to his eyes like a magnet. “you're safe with me. just relax and let yourself enjoy it. i promise you'll like it.”

he pauses to wait for your nod, and once you do he moves in closer, his long eyelashes fluttering as he flicks his gaze up to look at your eyes one more time. he goes completely still, inhaling like he's searching for something. but after a moment he seems satisfied with this position, and he settles his ice cold lips against the warmth of your neck.

“ready?” he murmurs against your skin, and his breath makes your skin erupt with goosebumps. it's strangely reminiscent of a chilly gust of wind, the same cold wind blowing outside your house tonight.

you nod again, suddenly feeling shy. his name is on the tip of your tongue, but it instantly dies in your throat before any sound leaves your lips, and you feel his teeth sink into your neck. you choke out a gasp, whimpering at the split second of pain that blooms under your skin but bleeds into pleasure almost as quickly as it begins.

you let out a shaky exhale, struggling to catch your breath. every muscle in your body feels paralyzed. you squeeze your hand on minghao's shoulder, your nails digging into his back as hard as you can.

your lips are parted so beautifully in euphoria, minghao thinks, and yet you don't even realize it. of course you wouldn't. you don't understand how perfect you are, how perfect you are for him. he doesn't let up, plunging his teeth deeper into your neck as he revels at the flood of arousal in your veins that melts onto his tongue like candy.

you try to suppress a moan but it falls from your lips before you can think hard enough to stop it, your hips rolling against his lap. you've never felt a rush like this before in your life. you're addicted to it. every sensation is heightened, every nerve alight with ice cold fire.

you let out a whine and then moan again, grinding your hips down on him desperately. you can vaguely register the hard, thick bulge of his length between your legs but it's the last thing on your mind right now, so focused on chasing the high that's building inside you. you can taste colors and sounds and smells, almost overwhelmed with how sensitive everything is, yet it's the best feeling you've ever had.

he pulls back from you slowly and you whimper as you feel his fangs retract from your neck, leaving you with an even colder sensation that prickles on your skin. his tongue laps at the fresh wound, but your brain can't determine whether the dripping wetness on your skin is blood or saliva. 

“more,” you gasp out once you find your voice again, still panting in exhilaration. your head is full of pressure and you feel dizzy again, even more than earlier. you have to fight to keep your head upright instead of letting it fall against his chest, the weight almost unbearable, but nothing compared to how good your body feels right now.

“no more.” minghao shakes his head firmly. his mouth is stained with blood, the dark crimson red that's blotted over his plush lips making them seem even paler in contrast. he reaches one hand up to hold the back of your neck, and instantly you feel relief from the aching heaviness of your head. “that's enough for tonight. can't let you lose any more blood, sweetheart. but thank you for the snack.”

you exhale quietly as you try to breathe naturally again, but your hips never stop moving. minghao can hear the vibrations from your heart pounding as you grind down against his lap, and it only stirs him up further. it's been a long time since he's been this excited about something other than feeding. he almost can't remember the last time he'd felt the desire to be intimate, and that only makes you seem all the more exciting. it's not what he'd been expecting when he'd offered to follow you home tonight, but this outcome is much, much better.

you're quieter than he'd thought you would be. but then again, everyone reacts differently to him. some in horror, some in shock, some in fear, some in lust. you... well, it's clear you're enjoying it. but you're too quiet. he wants to hear your beautiful screams, the desperate way your breath catches in your throat as your lungs fill with air. he wants to hear the rush of blood in your veins, tinged sweet with your arousal like sticky melted sugar. more than anything he wants to drink you up, but he can't. even if he could, he won't. a beautiful thing like you, you're the kind of meal that someone like him waits centuries for, like a perfectly aged wine savored slowly over years instead of gulped down in one sitting. he's already had a taste of you, and he's perfectly content to wait centuries more for another bite. luckily, he's a very patient man.

but you don't have the benefit of centuries of patience like he does, and he can tell. this isn't enough for you. he can smell it, he can practically taste it in the air that you're not going to get off like this, at least not without taking more from you. and he's determined not to let his appetite get the best of him, not when you're so satisfying in so many other ways. 

“you know you can do better than that, angel,” he murmurs. the nickname burns his tongue, a sharp stinging pain as it leaves his icy lips, but he doesn't care. anything he has to go through to have any part of you, even the wrath of heaven itself, is well worth it to him. all you need is a little encouragement, and he's happy to provide.

you let out a whine, your eyes meeting his dark ones as you tentatively rest your hands on his shoulders once more. he feels firm beneath your grasp, although you don't know why you were expecting him not to be. the tingling feeling in your body is starting to wear off, and he doesn't feel real. there's a fog around everything right now, hazy like walking through a dream. or maybe a nightmare. it's too hard to tell right now. maybe you'll wake up in a few hours and look back on this and laugh. maybe you fell asleep at the library and never even made it home. the only thing you know for sure is that you're never covering another night shift for jun ever again after this. or, maybe you will. actually, maybe you'll offer to cover his shifts every night, if it gives you another chance to see minghao again.

“you're thinking too hard, darling,” minghao interrupts, though you haven't spoken out loud. “i can't do anything you won't like. can't hurt you, at least not tonight. but you're too sweet to waste, anyway. i wouldn't dare spoil you.” he hums, tilting his head downward to look at you through his lashes, his eyes boring into you so intensely that you feel it in the deepest parts of your soul. 

“then, what are you going to do?” you manage breathlessly, meeting his gaze. you're so eager for more, and you're not even trying to hide it anymore. you don't think you could hide it no matter how hard you tried.

minghao hums, brushing your hair back again with his slender fingers. “mm, how about you show me where your bedroom is first, darling? then i'll tell you.”

but before you can answer he stands up and scoops you up into his arms. it seems like only a second passes before he reaches your room, depositing you on your bed with a cold gust of air.

you can't see him in the darkness, and you almost start to call out for him nervously. you've grown used to the familiar coldness of his body, and the room feels emptier without his touch. but as soon as the thought crosses your mind, the candles on your windowsill suddenly flicker to life, crackling with a small burst of flame.

“better?” minghao murmurs, appearing beside you at the edge of the bed. his figure seems to melt into the darkness, barely visible at the edges of your vision, but you know he's there.

“would be even better if you'd touch me already,” you reply, and that earns you a smirk from him.

“forgive me for giving you a chance to change your mind.” minghao huffs and rolls his eyes a little. eager may have been an understatement. 

you whine impatiently and reach out for him, but he cuts you off before you can protest. his voice grows serious, the same sharp tone he used earlier that registers so clearly in your mind. “you're allowed to say no. i'm not using any tricks on you to make you obey me. if you want to stop, then i will.”

something about his voice feels genuine, and you know he's telling the truth. “okay,” you hum softly, trying to match his serious tone. “but i'm saying yes.”

he exhales almost in exasperation, but he's smiling as he leans down over the bed to capture your lips again. his mouth is cold, but this time you're expecting it and it doesn't catch you so off guard.

you're getting used to the feeling of kissing minghao. he tastes better than anyone you've ever kissed, and it's quite easy once your brain manages to get past the initial mental barrier of holy shit you're kissing a vampire and he's really good at it.

one of his hands finds its way down your pants, and instinctively you bite down on his lip in surprise at the sudden icy sensation rubbing between your folds. but that only makes him groan and press his fingers harder against you, moving up to trace circles around your clit.

you whimper into his mouth, your hips simultaneously bucking towards him and away from him as he sinks a finger inside. the cold feeling is such a new sensation, and you clench down automatically around him.

but despite the coldness of his touch, your cheeks are burning hot, and it's getting harder and harder to catch your breath. you wrap your arms around his neck and pull him down closer to you, the front of his body pressed against yours, and he slides in another finger.

he almost can't believe you're real. this close to you he can hear your heartbeat thumping and he knows you're alive, the saccharine-sweet scent of your blood coursing through your veins serving only as a reminder of his own mortality. you're everything he's not: warm and alive and full of emotion, but that only makes him want you more.

the wind has picked up again, drowning out the sounds of your moans as the trees outside thud their branches against the side of the house. it only takes another moment for you to reach your peak, falling apart around him with a choked whimper. he slips his fingers halfway out before thrusting them back in, repeating the motion as he presses the heel of his palm against your clit for more stimulation.

his nostrils flare as your scent gets even more powerful, and he has to concentrate all his energy on keeping himself in check. he's never been more tempted to drink from someone in all his life. he can still taste your blood on his tongue from earlier, his mouth beginning to water at the memory, and in the back of his mind he wonders if you can taste it, too. if you were that good before, then he can only imagine how you'd taste now, with the added syrup of your arousal. you're like an ambrosia he can never have, the sweetest nectar he's ever had the pleasure of sampling. 

his resolve is crumbling, but he promised he wouldn't drink any more. it would hurt you, and it would pain him even more than it would you. if he says anything then you'd only plead for him to do more, lost in the aphrodisiac of his venom and unable to tell your own limits, so he keeps his thoughts to himself and just kisses you harder, swallowing your moans instead of your blood. maybe if he's lucky he'll get another chance to have you another day, once you've had time to rest and recover. if you're willing, he could keep this up for a while. you could be his. forever. 

your thoughts are fuzzy when he pulls away from you, keeping his fingers buried inside for a moment longer before slipping out. the candles’ flames dance wildly, casting long shadows across your walls as minghao seems to shimmer in the air beside you.

“wait,” you call out for him weakly, still catching your breath as you come down. “please.”

minghao hums, his figure solidifying on the bed above you. he slides his fingers into his mouth, slowly licking your wetness off of them with a groan before he moves to unbutton his shirt.

“oh, i'm not going anywhere.”

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The kiss is modest, it speaks with delicacy, yet doesn’t cross the boundaries. The two of you are not lovers – more of friends with benefits, even if the benefits aren’t exactly what one would expect. But, you notice, if you were lovers instead, would anything change? The intimate act of vampire feeding is a love language Minghao taught you to speak fluently.

“Have you slept at all?” he asks in a whisper that doesn’t disturb the bubble of comfort you’re nested within.

“Not yet” you mumble in a hoarse voice. “I just laid down, no?”

“An hour ago” he specifies, and you blink your eyes open.

Through the windows of your bedroom, you don’t see the sun, but neither did you see it before and so you cannot tell how much time passed since the last time you looked outside. It is a deep, comfortable night, a time you would normally be asleep at, if not for how your affair with Minghao impacted your sleep schedule in the past months. The small lamp at the bedside table is the only source of light, although dim, only enough to let you roughly tell your surroundings apart.

“Didn’t feel like it.”

“Maybe you dozed off and didn’t notice” he speaks softly, but there is a vague shade of concern in his voice, barely there, just a hint. His thumb caresses the corner of your lip. “I think I’ve been too harsh on you these days. You should rest for some time. Your body needs to rest.”

“It doesn’t…” You argue, but your voice lacks confidence and you make up for it, turning around onto your back and facing him directly. “I’m fine, I promise!” You lift your hand to your forehead in a drowsy imitation of a salute, but your muscle is weakened and your fingers knock into your eye instead. You let out an annoyed whine.

Minghao holds back a chuckle and shakes his head, taking your unlucky hand in his and massaging the center of it with his palm. His skin is warm, you note – he’s full and satiated, and it shows in how gentle and calm his movements are. Not that there were ever times when he was not gentle to you; yet, he becomes a bit more irritable when too hungry, like there is some longing in him, some sort of primal vulnerability when he finally gets to feed. But it’s not there now. Now, he allows you to be vulnerable instead.

“I don’t need to feed on you as often as I usually do. You don’t need to push yourself.”

“Ah, so you’ve been feeding on me for the mere experience of it~?” you joke.

Your laughter dies in your throat when Minghao’s touch on you stills, and, in a firm, controlled movement, he brings your hand to his mouth, letting his fangs hover above your pulse.

“Can you blame me for that? This is divine.” For a second, you thought he will bite down, and your body tenses a little when he brings his lips down.

Yet, nothing but a kiss to your wrist follows, and you relax instantly. Not this time, you realize – he will stick to his word.

“Does it really taste that good?” you wonder.

With some confidence and strength regained, you find yourself brave enough to maneuver your hand onto his face instead, cupping the side of his jaw. It’s your turn to play with your thumb against his mouth, and you dare to lift his lip a little, exposing one of the sharp teeth. It feels and looks like your own, if not for the elongated shape – but, as you move your fingertip down and feel the underside, it’s sharp. You find yourself reaching with your free hand to your own mouth, touching your own teeth to compare. Minghao stifles laughter.

“You don’t have any self-preservation, do you?” He finally stops your antics by prying your hand off with his own, but holds it like before. Is it an act of intimacy or a way to prevent you from fooling around anymore – you cannot tell. But you smile innocently, though your eyes become drowsy again. “But, to answer your question, there are different factors to the way blood tastes. Your blood type, for example.”

“Do I have a good type?”

He purses his lips, thinking for a moment, and you find yourself frowning, because you expected a straightforward answer.

“I don’t have much preference. It’s a nuance.” He looks away, pondering a few more moments. “Also, the minerals and vitamins you have. Healthy blood always tastes better.”

You gasp.

“That’s why you’ve been giving me the vitamin pills! And here I thought you’re just caring for me!” The offense in your voice is totally fake, but it’s enough to make Minghao glare at you with his eyebrows furrowed. You giggle and he shakes his head – it seems he thought you’re being serious for a second, but he quickly realizes you are just trying to start a friendly banter.

“You had like five different deficiencies when we met” he deadpans. For some reason it makes you laugh even more.

“Fine, fine, fair enough. But” you lift your finger at him “you decided it’s still worth drinking. So it’s surely not all that matters, right?”

 Minghao ponders on it, weighing his words for a few moments. His eyes are fixated on you and you return his gaze.

“The third factor is the hormonal compatibility” he finally announces. “Vampires naturally form a preference towards the taste of people they are attracted to.”

The weight of his words lingers in the air and sinks in gradually. It shouldn’t surprise you, really – although the relationship between the two of you is not romantic, you would be a fool to not sense the fondness in Minghao’s attitude, regardless of whether he fed recently or not. It becomes more and more prominent as the two of you grow closer, and you realize – it wouldn’t be the case over blood only; he came to you of all people, he chose you, it seems, even less for the biological aspect of your blood’s actual flavor than you believed thus far.

“Does this work both ways?” you suddenly ask and Minghao tilts his head to the side. “I mean… does it feel any different because I, uh, I like you?”

You weren’t planning for the confession to slip so casually, and you feel your face heat up at that. Minghao stares at you with his lips parted, as if still processing what he just heard. His eyebrows raise ever so slightly when it finally sinks in, and his mouth curves into a smug grin.

“I don’t know, you tell me.” Minghao’s voice sounds with mischief and he suddenly shifts, releasing your hand from his own and leaning over, as though into a kiss – but when he leans down, his nose nuzzles your neck instead. A pleasant shiver runs down your spine; your breath hitches, and your heartbeat quickens, although barely finding the strength to. Your body is accustomed, it knows what should follow. Except, again, this time it doesn’t.

Minghao lets out a low chuckle and pulls back, seemingly satisfied with your reaction.

But your head spins a little and your eyes cloud for a brief second. Minghao’s face softens; a short-lived concern before he relaxes, placing his palm on top of your forehead. It feels like the gesture of checking your temperature, but you’re aware that he cannot really tell, given his own body’s tends to adjust to the environment. But the action is comforting, it puts you at ease, makes you feel well taken care of, even if it holds no practical value.

If it was up to you, you could stay like this forever.

A small sigh escapes Minghao’s lips as he pulls away, looking towards the window thoughtfully. You vaguely note that his face became more visible to you, and, although you don’t look over there, you suspect the sky is starting to brighten, and it won’t be long before the morning welcomes you. You will be asleep by that time, and you will be asleep at least a few hours into the day as well – but Minghao will stay away from you for longer, hidden until the sun sets again.

“Stay the day here” you mumble. “Pull the curtains over and stay until tomorrow.”

 He hesitates. You suspect he doesn’t want to bother you – once here, he won’t be able to leave until the day comes to an end, and the curtains will have to stay pulled over to keep him from burning.

“Both of us will be asleep for most of the day” you argue, even though he didn’t speak up his concern yet. “And I need someone to make me food.” He lifts his eyebrow, although you know – this argument seems to work, because Minghao puts your wellbeing as his priority, especially when he’s the cause behind your weakness.

He finally surrenders, and your face brightens at the shift in his expression, betraying as much even before he speaks a word.

“Go back to sleep” he commands, standing up. You watch as he walks over to your window, casting one longing gaze at the sky slowly acquiring a deep shade of blue even before any sign of sun pokes through. Then his fingers fidget with the thread that makes the curtains go down, and the room is swallowed by the darkness again, save for that one dim light at your bedside table. The curtains aren’t tight enough to keep it this dark throughout the day – in fact, you wonder if they’re dark enough for Minghao to feel comfortable while here, and you make a mental note to acquire something more reliable.

“Stay with me” you ask, trying to keep yourself cool despite the nature of this request. “Not like you have anything better to do.”

“I need to close the curtains in other rooms before the sun rises” he replies as a matter-of-fact, not looking at you as he walks towards the door.

But your whine makes him stop and turn towards you one last time with poorly faked annoyance – the glimmer in his eyes betraying his amusement instead.

“What, do you want me to burn down?” His voice is raised, as if he was actually offended, and you respond with a laughter.

“I’m sure you will be perfectly safe under my bedsheets” you wink.

Minghao’s eyeroll is almost audible.

You yawn and your eyelids slip closed for just a second. When you pry them open again, he is already out of your sight, and your surroundings’ comfortable silence is disturbed only by the muffled sound of movements in another room.

The chatter was nice, and you wish you could continue it once he’s done. But you don’t think you have it in you to stay up any longer. Your eyes still feel sticky and your muscles are almost limp, making you sink into the mattress like it was shaped exactly for your body. It’s warm and so comfortable that you might just melt into it and forget about everything else.

But, you believe, you can just chat later again. He won’t leave. He will stay with you.

Your canopy bed is currently your little heaven, and, ironically, Minghao seems to have taken the role of your guardian angel. It might go against the common sense to consider him as such, you suspect. However, neither is your trust and fondness for him something said common sense would approve of. And you’re completely, entirely okay with that.

A/N: Please reblog if you enjoyed and check out my masterlist for more SVT fics. And, of course, follow if you would like to read more in the future. Thank you for your time!

Minghao sat on the grassy forest floor watching the werewolf pups wrestle one another in a nearby clearing. He had agreed to kid-sit so the older members of the pack could have a night off. They agreed with his idea with no hesitation. They trusted Minghao wholeheartedly to keep their children safe. The vampire had watched the older members when they were children after all. The pups loved Minghao and treated him like an uncle. Not to mention the promise he made over a hundred years ago to protect the pack. There was no reason to doubt him or worry for the young ones. If Minghao really wanted to hurt the pack, he would have done so ages ago.

His red eyes never left the children. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. He kept counting heads every so often to ensure none had run off somewhere. There was always at least one every generation who tried to dart off to do something stupid. Minghao hated when it happened. It meant he would have to drag the rest of the children with him to find the missing one. And with the current war between faeries and orcs, a pup running away would be bad. They could potentially get too close to the war zone of the forest if they were unlucky enough. Luckily, none had tried to run away yet.

Minghao smiled as a small girl triumphantly pinned down a larger male. She laughed as the boy frowned upon realizing he lost. He pouted a protest, "It's not fair! Amber noona is older than me! Of course she won!"

Amber simply stuck out her tongue before letting the boy up. She darted away to play with some of the other pups. The boy sulked over to Minghao and plopped down next to him angrily. The elder turned his focus on to the young child, "Upset Mingyu?"

Mingyu only nodded. He didn't want to talk right now. Minghao picked up on the mood and returned his attention back to the other children. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. None had run off while he wasn't looking.

Several minutes ticked past before Mingyu opened up, "It's not fair. Amber noona is four years older than me. Now they're gonna mock me for being beaten by a beta."

"Amber may be older, but you're bigger and have more physical strength Mingyu," Minghao spared the pup a glance, "She used her small size and speed to an advantage. As you grow older, you'll figure out how to be more tactful. Don't worry."

Mingyu whined, "I guess you're right. But the others will still make fun of me. I'm supposed to be the alpha and next leader. How can I do that if I get defeated by a beta or an omega?"

Minghao sighed, "You're still young and learning. Don't worry about it alright. You'll grow stronger." He could see Mingyu nodded out of the corner of his eye. Neither had anything else to say.

More time passed. Minghao kept his attention on the pups playing while glancing over Mingyu every so often. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Again, none had tried to go off by themselves.

A scent came wafting to Minghao before the sound of leaves crunching under shoes did. It was a familiar scent. A mix of trees, smoke and tea. Based off how Mingyu sat up a little straighter, the vampire guessed he smelt it to.

"Hello Soonyoung hyung," Minghao said with a grin before the elder even emerged from the treeline.

"Hello Minghao," Soonyoung's voice was slightly muffled by the kitsune mask he wore, "Hi there Mingyu." He walked over to the duo.

"Soonie hyung!" Mingyu stood up and ran to the newcomer. The pup wrapped his arms around him. Soonyoung laughed and returned the hug. They both sat down once they let go of one another.

Minghao turned towards the masked man, "What brings you out here hyung?"

Soonyoung removed his mask, placing it beside him, before answering, "Heard you were watching the pups so I thought I'd come help."

"Ah, I see. Thank you," the vampire nodded with a smile.

Mingyu stared at the earrings and necklace adorning Soonyoung. The earrings were small, white glowing orbs that hung down a few centimeters on a thin chain. The necklace matched them. There was seven orbs glowing white strung along a thin chain wrapped around his neck. Curiosity took ahold the child, "Soonie hyung? Why do you always wear those accessories?"

A look of shock shot across Soonyoung's face briefly. He opened his mouth before closing it to consider how to word his sentence. Finally, he simply settled for asking, "Do you know what hoshi no tama is?"

The pup shook his head. Soonyoung hummed and began to explain, "I have a lot of power. Some might say that I have too much power. So I took some of power and split it into these nine orbs. I can still use my magic, but only on a minor scale. if I want to use something more powerful, I can eat one of my orbs to restore that power to myself. Does that make sense to you?"

"Yeah... But why would you limit yourself like that? Because someone else said you have too much power? And why would they even say that? Who is to say what is too much? Who has the right to make such judgement calls?" Mingyu barely took a breathe inbetween each question.

"I limit myself because it helps make others feel safe. I don't know why they feel like they can what is and isn't too much. I'm not going to argue with them about it," the kitsune explained patiently. Mingyu nodded his head before launching into another conversation.

Minghao turned away from the pair to watch the playing pups once more. He frowned deeply before counting. One. Two. Three. Four. He counted again. One. Two. Three. Four.

Two of the pups had run off while Minghao was tuned into Soonyoung and Mingyu's conversation. Panic ran throughout the vampire. Please don't let them get close to the war zone!

"Hyung! Two pups are gone. I'm going to go look for them. Please keep an eye on the remaining four," Minghao informed Soonyoung. The older male nodded. With a sigh, the vampire vanished in a blink of an eye using his enhanced speed.

Soonyoung chewed on his bottom lip worried for the missing pups. He knew Minghao would find them in no time. The vampire would never let anything happen to one of the pack members or all hell would be let lose. Yet the fox spirit couldn't help but worry. He didn't want any harm to befall the children.

As predicted, Minghao returned not even ten minutes later with the two runners in tow. He had a hand holding onto an am of each in order to prevent them from running off again. He was already lecturing them about how what they did was dangerous and how they could have been hurt.

The man almost snorted in response, but kept his voice down last moment.

“No one is asleep right now” he deadpanned. “That’s why they sent me to ask.”

Minghao was about to utter a response when he froze with his lips ajar. He stared into space motionlessly for a few long moments and Soonyoung froze as well, not wanting to accidentally disperse the focus apparent on the other’s face.

“She woke up” Minghao finally stated. “But she’s not moving.”

Soonyoung only frowned.

What kind of torment awaited you this time?

You were dissociated; the softness of mattress and duvets felt fake, like a trick. Something bad would happen if you let yourself enjoy it. You knew it subconsciously, and so it didn’t feel nice. It felt uneasy.

You remained still, laying on your side from the moment you woke up. The pain had long dulled out. There was no metal, no cuffs nor rope binding your wrists, but you instinctively kept them together – what if he just forgot, what if he will get upset if he sees you moving your limbs freely?

So you didn’t move.

The moment he looked at her silhouette, it was as if all emotions have suddenly ceased to exist. All the anxiety, fear, uncertainty – it all got drowned out by just one that was left: the need to not fuck this up.

His chest moved up and down with breaths that he did not need to take, but did out of habit, to seem a bit more normal, a bit more approachable. She shouldn’t yet know he’s not human – it could forbid her from ever opening up to him. He wouldn’t hide it from her. He would just… not make it obvious.

She laid there. Her breathing was steady, but too weak, too rare – her body wasn’t fighting anymore, it gave up, and she was stuck in the state of apathy, of only surviving. He didn’t know exactly what she went through, but he had enough experience to suspect a lot.

He approached her slowly, making his presence known with steady steps against the wooden panels. He hoped it wouldn’t come off as creepy – for all he knew, anything could trigger adverse reactions, and he didn’t want that.

“My name is Minghao.”

She stirred ever so slightly, her heartbeat picking up – she likely did not expect to hear an unknown voice. But it wasn’t yet curiosity, he thought. It was still fear. He had seen it before. He was another torment that she was expecting, not salvation.

He eventually sat in the armchair at her side, making sure to keep his movements steady and remain at a distance that should feel safe, even though he knew she would not find comfort in his presence anytime soon.

It was bound to take time.

Her gaze was absent.

“The place we are at is my house” he announced calmly. He didn’t seek eye contact – he knew better than to put that pressure on her. But his eyes travelled to her silhouette, wanting to make sure she’s not in pain or discomfort. “What you have been through, is no longer. No one is going to hurt you here. You must be confused, so please, take your time.”

He spoke every word slowly, making sure the tone wouldn’t startle her.

And then, he waited.

He sat there in silence, watching her calmly, waiting for any reaction – positive or not.

But there was none. Her heartbeat and breath did not change after he spoke these words aloud, as if she didn’t understand them, or couldn’t process them.

Or maybe she just didn’t believe them.

Whichever it could be, he waited, acutely aware of Soonyoung’s stressed out presence right outside of the door as he waited for any news to break out.

He was patient. He knew that she needed time to process but also wanted to give her the chance to reach out to him, if she felt confident enough to do so.

But when about a quarter passed with no reaction, he slowly stood up.

“In case you need anything, I will be checking on you. I will also bring you something to eat in the morning. Take your time. This room is all for you, use anything that you need. There is a bathroom behind that door on the left.” With last thought, right before leaving, he added: “But if you would like to leave the room, you are free to do so. Nothing bad will happen to you if you do. No one here will hurt you.”

Soonyoung was biting his nails and almost shot up from his seat the moment the door opened. Minghao walked out with his face calm and unreadable, but Soonyoung knew better than to yell at him to ask for the news. He waited “patiently”­ – if it can be called patience that he was stepping from one foot to the other with his gaze piercing Minghao like a wooden stake (metamorphically, of course).

“It’s too early to know anything” Minghao announced in a hushed voice.

“Did she say anything?”

The man shook his head.

“Let’s let her rest. I will wait here; you go to sleep already.”

Although clearly not pleased with lack of disclosure, Soonyoung decided it would be best to not interfere in the situation any longer. It was complicated enough as it was.

And he knew for himself that Minghao would handle things well on his own.

He saved Soonyoung before, after all, too.

The worst was when a plate of food was placed in front of you with a quiet, “eat”. It didn’t sound like a command – none of it did. But everything could be a trick, a manipulation. Was it poisoned? Was it foul in some other way? Would you be punished if you ate it? Would you be punished if you didn’t?

Yet, listening to the command given was always the best bet. Of all things that happened, listening to orders usually ended up the least… painful. That much you could do.

So you ate.

It hurt. Your stomach hurt. You didn’t remember the last time you had a full meal. Your stomach was full in two bites, yet you knew you couldn’t stop. The flavor… hurt. The texture hurt as well. You struggled to chew – did you already forget how it’s done? You were in a hurry. What if he came in and was disappointed you didn’t do it yet? You didn’t want him to force it down your throat. You didn’t want him to punish you again. Although, at heart, you knew that it would happen anyway. He would never be satisfied. He would always find a reason to make you suffer again.

You couldn’t cry.

Your eyes were too dry to cry, you didn’t have the strength to.

But you didn’t get to half of the meal before you stumbled to your feet, trying to run to the toilet – you couldn’t handle it, no more, your body was refusing to take it in.

Your legs were too weak. You fell to your knees and threw up on the floor.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Wrapping your arms around yourself, you curled up into a ball. You failed. He will be so mad.

He heard some noise. And it was very much coming from her room.

Soonyoung weighted his options.

Minghao left the place to run a quick errand – he would be back in ten minutes at longest, however, because he knew that responsibilities awaited him here. But he was not here now, and Soonyoung knew that some noise could mean literally anything. The ten minutes could be too long.

A bit of him was also selfishly curious. He acknowledged that. That’s why he knew he needed to be careful.

He walked through the small hall and then slowly opened the door to her room.

The sight was pathetic. And it broke his heart into a thousand of pieces.

She was trembling, mumbling under her breath. She was panicking and her fingers dug into her shoulders deep enough to leave bruises. And it only got worse when she heard the door creak.

He couldn’t leave her like this now.

“Hey, are you okay?” He knew how to be gentle, how to not scare her as he approached her. But every trauma was different, he could only rely on what he remembered himself.

He gently put his hand on her shoulder, and she flinched, breaking into another fit of tremors. He didn’t budge, but also didn’t go further. She needed to get used to his touch first.

And she wouldn’t if she didn’t know he won’t hurt her.

“I am a human, too” he spoke softly.

And it was like a magic spell. It didn’t break through – it slowly melted off the walls of ice that she built around herself. The warmth of his hand against her skin finally got acknowledged. A fellow living being – one she must have not seen in such a long while. One that had no power to hurt her, and therefore maybe, just maybe, wouldn’t want to.

“A-are you?”

Her voice was small, like a whimper of a scared kitten. But she looked up at him with her eyes red and swollen from tear-less crying, and Soonyoung returned that gaze.

“W-why…?”

He was not certain what the why was exactly referring to. Her hand reached up and gently brushed his own, as if to confirm he’s real and that his warmth is real, too.

And then she broke into another fit of crying, but this time, there was some unspoken relief in her sobs, and the tremors became rarer and rarer, until she fell asleep in this position, with Soonyoung’s hand still on her shoulder, letting her know that she, truly, is safe now.

Soonyoung suspected that Minghao would be upset that he interfered in the process. But no, quite the opposite – he was curious instead, wanting Soonyoung to tell him the story in all details, putting all pieces together with what happened before to understand the situation.

“Do you think she knew I’m not human? Or do you think she didn’t know you are until you told her?” he finally asked. But Soonyoung couldn’t answer that question.

Lying to her and telling her Minghao was a human was out of question. But if she could open just a little to the fellow species, maybe that could be a starting point.

“I want to try to help her” Soonyoung finally spoke out, a bit uncertain. It wasn’t his place to force things – it was Minghao’s house, Minghao’s mission, and Minghao’s responsibility. But, because he was allowed to stay there with no obligation to ever return the favor, he felt like his presence was starting to become obsolete.

“You don’t have to. It’s not your weight to carry.” Minghao’s voice was gentle, but the point was clear – he didn’t want Soonyoung to have to re-live his own trauma through the girl’s fresh one.

“I know. But I don’t want to get stuck like this. Doing nothing.”

The vampire nodded slowly. He only hoped this was the right choice to make.

It seemed to work.

She didn’t flinch when he entered the room and glanced towards the entry curiously instead, and that alone was a huge win in their situation.

“I got it!” Soonyoung beamed, showing the item in his hand.

A hairbrush.

It’s been a few days already. Small steps at first – she feared even as much as taking a shower at the beginning, and once she did, it was with just a sponge for the first time or two. But Soonyoung’s presence appeared to help her move forward, and eventually, they managed to convince her to change into new clothes and eat her meals somewhat at ease.

But the long time she spent in isolation took a huge tool on her body and appearance. She was thin and pale, her skin was dry, her fingers and nails were bloody from biting on them out of stress. And her hair was matted, probably not remembering the last time it was brushed out. And that little thing was something Soonyoung wanted to help with before anything else – because it was small and once done, it would make one hell of a difference, hopefully in how she felt as well. It was like trying to recover her sense of humanity, and he was determined to make it happen.

She sat calmly on the mattress and he placed himself behind her back. She had a blanked wrapped tightly around her, up to her neck. He paid it no mind at first.

“I’ll try to be careful, but please let me know if it hurts” he spoke gently and she nodded in response.

He picked her hair gently. He was more nervous than he would let on, knowing fully well that one wrong move could set them far behind. But she seemed okay as he held the ends of her hair in one hand, using the other to slowly start detangling it from the very bottom.

But then his fingers grazed her back, and he felt her tense up. He stopped.

“You good?”

She quickly nodded, but he felt the underlying uneasiness, and knew very well what it meant.

“Are you sure?”

To that, she hesitated. Soonyoung didn’t need more to know that she is not good. He placed the hair brush down on the mattress.

“What’s the matter? Do you want to tell me?” he inquired gently, shifting on the bed so he would be facing her instead. Her gaze was down, uncertain, as she reached with her hand to try and move the hair around to cover her neck. “Would you like to show me?” he added quietly, allowing her to ignore the question if she wanted. She bit on her lip.

“It… It’s not very pretty.”

There was something she was not saying – some sort of insecurity, as if she was worried about his reaction. He knew how she felt. Or at least he had a good guess. Tainted. No longer desirable, no longer pure in a way that could make her ever forget of the past.

“I’ll show you mine.”

He didn’t think twice, reaching to the hem of his blouse and pulling it over his head in one go. His hair got stuck in it for a second or two, so he missed her initial reaction – but once finally free, with his hair disheveled, he met her eyes, staring at the upper part of his chest with her lips slightly parted.

His shoulders were littered with scars. Most of them were from bites – deeper and more intrusive than vampire bites needed to be, a memory of how he was used for more than just feeding. But there were some that weren’t as simple to explain, although they didn’t draw that much attention – from random slices here and there, deep scratches that have been re-opened so many times they refused to heal fully… and when he took a deep breath and finally turned around to show his back, the girl’s breath hitched. He almost wondered if it’s not too much, if it won’t scare her again.

Because at the top of his back, there was a sigil burned into his skin, partially a reminder of a spell that bound him into obedience, and partially… a form of branding, the symbol of who he belonged to.

But that was the past, and that thing was no more. It served as a reminder, but it had no power over him anymore.

He turned around again to check on her – her eyes were wide with so much sadness and sympathy that for a short moment, he forgot that she was the one that needed to be taken care of now.

“I-it’s not… Minghao’s, right? It’s not…”

“No, no, no way.” Deciding it’s been enough of a showcase, he hastily pulled the shirt back on. “He got me out of there. Not just me, a few others as well. That’s what he does. That’s why you’re here.”

She slowly nodded.

“So he is… the good guy.”

Soonyoung chuckled.

“Yeah, he’s really great.”

“But he’s still a vampire. He has to… you know.” She vaguely gesticulated around her lips. “Does he…?”

“If you’re as nice as Minghao, people come to you willingly.” Although it seemed obvious in his mind, Soonyoung quickly realized that it was not really, and especially the quizzed look on the girl’s face demanded further explanation. “It’s a society, you know. He can do what he does because there are people willing to make the world better. Like a charity. And, you know, in a society, there’s also market. If you have something you need, there will be someone willing to provide. Normally you have to pay, but Minghao is known for what he does, so there are also people willing to support him on that.” He hoped that his explanation made sense, because he had no idea how to make it better without diving headfirst into all the fascinating details that were unfamiliar to him before, too.

But he also thought that making her think of it more than necessary would only make her spiral again. It was all fresh in her mind.

“The point is, Minghao wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

That much she must have understood, because she nodded slowly.

When she showed him her own scars later, it no longer felt terrifying, and he thanked her for trusting him enough to do it.  

You felt the man’s presence, but you were finally at ease with it.

It turned out that the place they lived in was a literal mansion, with so many rooms and studies that once you felt confident enough to go out, you could spend hours checking out every single space and letting your gaze linger on plants, paintings and ornaments all around. But people would steal glances at you, and you couldn’t tell who they were, and they would disappear from your sight before you could ask them, and so you felt alienated in a way.

You didn’t feel like an intruder, but more like a guest they’re not yet sure how to approach, and whenever you touched something pretty you found, you felt as if someone already claimed it as theirs, making you feel like you shouldn’t linger around it for too long. There was pain echoing through these walls, pain of the people who came here before you, pain that has not yet fully healed.

It was when you entered the library that you finally felt at ease.

The giant skeleton of some sort of bird hung from the ceiling right above the entry, likely scaring off anyone who would normally seek peace in this space. The air was filled with the smell of old paper and still dust, somewhat pleasant to your senses. The curtains were only pulled over to a degree, shielding the bookshelves from the direct sunlight.

To your surprise, it was in the small streak of sun in the corner that Minghao was sitting by a desk with a few books gathered around, writing down some notes as he went through them, flipping the pages in a careful and elegant manner.

At the sound of you entering he lifted his gaze, regarding you with a curious, but calm look on his face.

But when you decided not to speak and went towards the bookshelves instead, he didn’t seem bothered, and decided not to bother you as well, going back to his previous activity.

You weren’t sure what you were looking for, and neither were you sure what you could find in there. You wondered who collected the books – was it Minghao himself, was it someone who lived there before him, or were these completely random finds and gifts that piled up over the past decades?

They appeared to be categorized in some way you couldn’t pinpoint. As you walked through them, you saw different topics – anything from novels, through religious books and grimoires, to books about astronomy, botany or even history.

Eventually, you picked one with a pretty cover – not a proud choice, really, but your brain refused to comprehend the choices that you had. Not with how long it had been since the last time you were allowed to make any choice to begin with.

You sat down on the green carpet and crossed your legs, leaning your back against the side of a bookshelf.

You read the words carefully, savoring every single one and slowly letting your eyes get used to the details. It hurt. And took way more time than it should. You thought there was no way for a person with basic education to ever forget how to read. But as you went on, it felt like a foreign language, words struggling to come together in your head. You took way too much time to make sense out of a sentence, not to mention sorting out the plot.

Frustrating.

You felt as though the time spent in capture set you back by years as a human being. You were a child again, trying to make sense of the world that surrounded you. Your thinking process was so easy all this time. All you needed to do was to obey commands. Your only worry was to not make anyone mad with your behavior. And to endure whatever they would put you through.

You caught yourself trembling when the memories took over what you were reading about, and you found yourself frozen in time, replaying over and over again what you thought was starting to get buried away from your new routine.

You ran hand through your hair, trying to stop your tears from spilling. You felt so… useless. Incapable. You would never get this time back. You would never be your previous self even. You were bound to be impaired, less than, traumatized, for the rest of your pitiful life. To always depend on someone else to provide you with a sense of safety, because you would not be able to sort it out yourself, because you would fall if there was no one to hold you up.

Something shook you out of your daze, and it was the sound of Minghao’s chair jarring against the floor as he got up from his seat, holding a book that he must have just finished reading.

It distracted you to watch him walk past you and put the book back on the shelf. Off another one, he took a new thing – a small book with a dreamy looking cover in deep, metallic shades that reminded you of some more colorful types of dragonflies and beetles.

Minghao came over and placed the book on the floor in front of you.

“Try this one” he suggested calmly, sparing you a small smile. “Take your time.”

Does he know? You wondered.

He does.

It got to you slowly, gradually. How many times he must have seen people like you, trying to get back to normal and failing at understanding that everything would be alright.

Your suffering was unique. But your experiences were not. If Minghao knew that it could be done, you could only trust him to lead the way.

One night, you woke up with a hand covering your mouth.

It filled you with fear with how suddenly it came, and your heart skipped the beat. You instantly forced yourself to calm down seeing Soonyoung’s face above yours, but it didn’t erase the feeling of uneasiness. Something was wrong.

His expression was tense as he put his finger over his lips to signal you to stay quiet.

“Come with me” he whispered.

You got out of the duvets with your legs wobbly. You were feeling so, so drowsy, but Soonyoung held your wrist firmly as he pulled you towards the entry. Through the other room that separated it from the main corridor, he carefully pushed the door open, glancing outside and looking in both directions. Then he urged you to follow him.

“What’s going on?” you tried to ask, but he hushed you quickly. He looked focused as he led you through the halls of the mansion in a direction only he knew the whereabouts of.

You stumbled over your feet, walking down the stairs. In the darkness that surrounded you, every sound seemed amplified, and you didn’t believe you were as quiet as you were trying to be. Or maybe it was just your nervous breath that drowned out everything else.

That was when you heard voices coming from the main hall. One of them belonged to Minghao.

The other made the blood freeze in your veins.

You didn’t understand the words being spoken. Soonyoung’s hand gripped your wrist tighter, pulling you forward. He must have noticed the way you faltered, but didn’t say a word. Was he looking at you, trying to make sure you’re alright? You had no idea, because in your head, the voice was ripping at the strings of your sanity, tearing through what you had been working on in the past weeks.

The two of you reached the back entrance of the mansion and Soonyoung started fiddling with the locks. Your breathing was heavy.

The sound of steps that suddenly echoed behind the two of you was way too close for your comfort. You turned around hastily.

There he stood. Your nightmare, your personal hell. Your end. There was no point running. What could you do, really? You were just a human. You always had been.

And so was Soonyoung, although he quickly pushed you behind himself, shielding you from the silhouette ahead. He, too, realized that running now would be futile, but he did the only thing that he could – standing between you and the man that just appeared.

You had seen him in your nightmares. His presence never left your mind, even when he was nowhere in  your sight. You sometimes wondered what he was doing, imagining him go about his daily life as you lulled yourself to sleep. You tried to learn to hate him. But, in your head, you were still tied to him, still dependent on his will, still below him, still relying on him to control you, to destroy you, but to also give your life a purpose. He did, after all, make you believe that the use he had of you was the sole purpose of your existence. What else would humans be good for, anyway?

As he took slow steps in your direction, you felt everything flash before your eyes, and your legs trembled. Would you be punished for all the time spent away? What would the next predicament be? Would he tear your legs off, or bleed you until you can’t move a muscle?

“You will not disrespect me in my own home.”

Minghao’s voice, as melodic and calm as it could be,resonated through the hall.

You finally spotted him on the other side of the corridor, where the man supposedly came from before reaching the hall. You sensed Soonyoung relax visibly. But you couldn’t bring yourself to be at ease just yet.

“I’ll just take my stuff and leave” the vampire spoke nonchalantly, sending you a glance. You felt nauseous. You couldn’t breathe.

“There is nothing of yours here. You will just leave. Now.”

A threat, subtly preserved behind Minghao’s words, lingered in the air, but you barely heard it. All your focus was on the vampire right in front of you. Although he didn’t move in the past minute or so, it was like his presence was creeping around you, surrounding you. Soonyoung wouldn’t protect you from him. No one would. You felt yourself spiral into the hopelessness.

The vampire’s face was ridden off emotions as he took a single step in your direction. One. Only one, before Minghao changed positions, in a blink of an eye placing himself right in front of the man, so close that not even a step could be taken in Soonyoung’s direction. In yours, too. You couldn’t see his face now, but the body language told you enough. Minghao was angry.

The two of them exchanged gazes for what felt like eternity. No words were spoken for so long that you thought you’re losing your sanity.

And then, suddenly, so fast that your eyes didn’t even catch it properly, something happened. The sound was short-lived, but it made your stomach turn. You could swear your heart stopped for a second.

“Get out of here and never come back.”

Without saying anything more, Minghao turned his back from the man, making it clear that the discussion was over. You noticed something drip from his hand. Behind him, the other vampire was holding some sort of blade – maybe a dagger. How quickly it happened was impossible for your human senses to catch. But the conclusion was easy – Minghao got hurt just now. Your heart ached with worry at realization.

But when the other turned around, you started to calm down. Was it over? Would he not take you? You were still tense, still not sure if you should believe that this would end just like that. But you forced yourself to look at Minghao instead. His eyebrows were still furrowed as he walked in your direction, slowly shifting into an expression of worry and tenderness as he took in your state.

It was only when you allowed yourself one last glance towards the man leaving, did you catch that quick, short movement, one that you would have missed if you weren’t looking directly at it, yet one that seemed to run in a slow motion.

A quick turn followed by a movement of his hand in the air.

You knew what was happening. Instinctively, because your eyes wouldn’t catch it.

Your eyes wouldn’t catch the dagger flying across the air, above Minghao’s shoulder, right towards your face where Soonyoung’s body would not be able to shield you, where you allowed to expose yourself and would pay a price for it.

Would have, if Minghao wasn’t even quicker than the blade, if in just as quick blink of an eye he didn’t catch the glimpse of silver, grasping the blade mid-air with his bare fingers a few inches before it could reach you.

When, moments later, he turned around, the three of you were in the hall alone.

Minghao’s bedroom was smaller and more modest than you expected it to be in the mansion that he was deemed to be the owner of. It was elegant, but plainer than your own, without anything that would indicate it was lived in and not just a guest room. You suspected he spent more time in other places, such as the library. But the bedroom was exactly what was needed right now as the man sat on the soft mattress, allowing you to gently wrap the cuts on his hand.

When everything started to calm down and the adrenaline of the moment started to wear off, you felt… surprisingly normal. More at ease than you believed you would. Minghao reassured you that you didn’t need to worry about anything and if you wanted, Soonyoung could keep you company for the rest of the night so that you were not afraid of staying all alone. But you were too tired to relive all of this again, and you offered your help instead. Minghao didn’t refuse, seeing it as a good sign of your wellbeing, as you suspected.

His right hand was cut in a few places. There were two lines of where he caught the dagger mid-flight. But up his wrist, there was a longer one, probably from the previous, quick sparring that you didn’t see that well.

Your eyebrows were scrunched as you tried to gently maneuver the band aid around the fresh wounds.

“Shouldn’t they heal already?” you wondered out loud. “They don’t look very deep.”

Minghao observed your movements.

“The dagger is made of silver” he replied casually, nodding towards the item lying on the nearest bedside counter. “Silver wounds heal slower, like normal wounds would on a human.”

Your heart filled with pity, but then you froze, struck with realization.

“If he came here for me,” your voice trembled, “why would he bring a silver dagger? He doesn’t need one for me.”

The man shook his head.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think he came here just for you. I think he’s not very… supportive of our initiatives. But don’t think about it too much.”

Although he tried to make it sound casual, you could sense what he truly meant. You remembered what Soonyoung told you about before. If this, truly, worked as a society, then it wouldn’t be that unexpected for Minghao to make enemies along the way.

You felt anger build up inside of you as you continued to wrap Minghao’s hand. His eyes watched you with intent, trying to read through emotions that you were showing. You suspected it not to be very difficult.

Your motions became haste, and you vaguely sensed Minghao flinch when you unwittingly rubbed the fabric across the bigger cut on his wrist. You instantly panicked at the thought of bringing him harm, and the withheld tears of hopelessness unexpectedly started running down your cheeks.

Minghao’s fingers were quick to wrap around yours, uncaring of the wounds. He held your hand still, searching for your gaze.

“It’s okay” he spoke calmly. “You’re okay.”

“B-but I hate that you have to worry about things like this” you let out through sniffles. “You do good things and some people just want to hurt you.” You didn’t care how infantile your words sounded, it was hard enough to collect your thoughts into a sentence.

“Yeah, and some always will.”

It was like a kick in your stomach, the realization of how tough it must have been on him. From what you knew, he had been in it for years over years, tearing through all the hardships for the purpose that he chose for himself, saving hopeless people like you or Soonyoung. You felt like a rescue animal, an abused lamb ripped out of its shed before it could be used up to its limit and discarded. No one would care about it if it died. But Minghao cared for you and didn’t let that happen. You could have been just one of many that he saved, but for you, he was the whole world now.

Partially, it might have been because who else could lead you, now that you lost your only purpose? Now that no one would make the choices for you anymore, force you into obedience and rid you off taking responsibility for yourself.

Maybe you were moving from one attachment to another, you realized. Maybe that’s what kept Soonyoung by Minghao’s side for years after his own trauma had healed. Or maybe it didn’t, maybe it was kept at bay because Minghao was there to stand between Soonyoung and his past.

You didn’t want to be only a weight on his shoulders, though.

“Will you let me help you?” you whispered.

Minghao looked at you with unreadable expression.

“You don’t owe me anything. But you can stay here for as long as you need. As long as you feel you need. I’ll never kick you out.”

“Yeah, but…” You pressed your lips together. “I want to help you like Soonyoung does. I don’t know what he does exactly, but I can tell you trust him. I don’t want to be the one that has to depend on everyone around. I want to be trustworthy, too.”

Minghao’s eyebrows furrowed a bit.

“I don’t want you to misunderstand” he spoke carefully. “If you decide to help me, you’re going to face your past every day. You’re going to see people like yourself. Soonyoung has been doing it for years. But it won’t be easy at first. It will never get easy.”

“I would like to still think about it.” You finally finished wrapping up his hand and completed it off with a bow. Your fingers lingered over his palm. You never would have thought that you could feel this comfortable, this at ease, touching a vampire. But Minghao’s skin wasn’t cold like your oppressor’s. It had fire underneath, warming up everyone who decided to accept him. You wanted to keep that fire from ever being extinguished, even if you would shield it – or fuel it – with your own body.

This last thought seemed to linger with you for a while, making you wonder. Would he agree if you suggested it? To give yourself to him willingly, not by force, but as a gift, like Soonyoung mentioned some people already do?

But then you realized it’s far too early to make a choice like such. Your trauma was still fresh, and you weren’t certain if it wouldn’t take you back to the square one.

“You won’t help anyone else if you don’t help yourself first” Minghao concluded in the end.

His hand reached towards you and for once, you didn’t fear someone getting close to you like that. When he patted your hair, you knew you have nothing to be scared of, nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t hurt you.

You still feared the world, though, and all the things that it would bring. You knew that it was not over yet, that many hardships would come your way, especially now that you were also aware of the struggles he had to face every day.

And if you protected that light that Minghao shone upon you, then maybe, one day, you would be able to shine with your own.

A/N: Please reblog if you enjoyed and follow if you would like to read more in the future. Thank you for your time!

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