#vampire tae

So I wanted to write something silly after such a heavy story (“Cops & Chaebols”). A friend, the lovely Lovelyhobs, wanted me to write this idea well over a year ago, so I’m finally getting to it! This story is just going to be as dumb and silly as possible! Don’t think too much about it! I did, however, think a lot about it. I didn’t want to do “typical” vampires, so I’m using some pretty “normal” lore and then coming up with my own thing. The vampires in this world have evolved to be almost like humans. They are not known (people would still freak out if they knew there were vampires out there!). They can walk in the sun and sleep at normal times, and they can even eat normal food. But think of them as having a rare immune system disease that requires them to eat certain things in order to stay healthy, aka, blood. Just like normal humans, each vampire requires different types of blood, and some even thrive better on animal versus human blood, etc. They can be seen in mirrors, and garlic isn’t their weakness (except Jin, who’s allergic). If you drive a stake in their heart, they’ll OBVIOUSLY DIE, DUH, OW. Not every vampire has every “typical” vampire power you might think of. Only some can turn into bats, only some can do hypnosis, only some have super speed, etc. Just like how some humans are gifted at birth with special talents, so are some vampires! Hopefully this is enough background to get you going! I’ll try to reveal more things as we go, but I really have no plan for this, I’m just writing :p Let me know if you have any questions! I hope this is fun! This year hasn't been "great" for my writing, and I can't promise posting often. I have four chapters of this so far (150ish pages), so I do want to post what I have before the year is over.

Setting: Generic; didn't put a specific place, but it's probably an American campus somewhere; set during 2022-2024. Character notes: I made them all 19-22 to make sure they're all Freshmen-Seniors to all be at school at the same time. Ships: TaeJin is supposed to be the "main" ship, but typical of me, there are two side ships that might seem to get more attention at first. We have the lovely Jimin and Hoseok and then a lovely trio of Yoongi, Namjoon, and Jungkook. Solo shippers can go away <;3 TW: I'm all about consent, so I will do my best to explain all of that to the best of my ability. But this is a vampire story--if someone drinking someone's blood bothers you, please just don't read this. This is a funny (or attempted to be funny) story more than anything else, so it won't concentrate on any violence.

Rating: M for now

I don't really know anything about frats, so if nothing is "realistic"--uh, it's a fictional story.

Warnings: THERE WILL BE BLOOD!! It’s VAMPIRES!! Also some smut, but idk how much or what kind yet. Also bad words. Some characters deal with some anxiety and self-deprecating thoughts for us to get through.

AO3 masterlist

Chapter 1: Stroker versus Worthless

            Perhaps it wasn’t the best place to start.  The quad or dining hall or state-of-the-art nursing facility with fancy animatronics that would definitely give certain people nightmares as their too-human and yet scarily fake eyes lolled toward you might have been the “best” place.  But the boy with a nametag shining into the sun and a heart-shaped smile wasn’t the best tour guide on campus for no reason. 

            “My name is Jung Hoseok.  Let me be the first to welcome you to Lanton Academy, Middle Earth campus!” he called out with a clap of his hands.  The moms and dads settled down, and the kids snapped to attention.  He used to be surprised at how quickly the parents made friends with each other, but he had figured out a long time ago that most of their chatting was just trying to figure out how to one-up the other.

And the kids—scrawny and wide-eyed or bored and uninterested looking on their phones—he could tell now who was here because their parents wanted them to be a legacy child versus the kid who had been dreaming of this university their whole lives for some reason versus the one who had decided college wasn’t for them at all and would probably drop out after a year at the most versus the one who was too anxious to make any sort of huge decision about their future so would tour twenty campuses until they all blurred into one.

            “As you may know, Lanton has four campuses now,” Hoseok said as he moved his arms in what he called the “airplane stewardess” motions.  He pointed to the West, North, and then down West as he explained the other campuses’ locations. 

            “There is Science & Tech, Nursing & Education, and Totally Everything, all within a quick tram ride of each other.  Today we’ll cover all four campuses, so make sure to get a hot chocolate or coffee when we stop by the on-campus tea and coffee spot, Sip Home in Transylvania.  If you’re curious, ask me later about where that name came from!  Now, we’re starting today at two of the most famous fraternity houses on the school’s entire ground.  All frat houses are here on Middle Earth campus, while you’ll find all the ladies on the west campus, S&T.”

            He tried to keep the history lessons short, but it was the parents with the money he had to impress, not usually the kids.  Everyone was looking up at the buildings he started to describe, anyway, and he couldn’t really blame them.  He didn’t get to come to this campus except for work, but ever since he saw one of the frat boys leaning out his window when Hoseok was having some pictures taken outside, he had found any excuse he could to come by the place.  He was even going to rush this semester, and Hoseok had never had any desire previously to join the fraternity life.

            Perhaps he glanced a bit longingly up at the window he hoped was open, but the morning was still a bit too cold.  Warming himself with the packs in his pockets and the memories of golden hair dancing in the autumn breeze while small hands ran over a pale, smooth chest before they waved down at him, Hoseok cleared his throat to carry on with his tour.

            “On the left you’ll see Stoker house, named after the man himself, Bram Stoker, author of the iconic Dracula.  On the right is Wordsworth house, named after, you guessed it, William Wordsworth.  Does anyone know his most famous work?”

            “‘The Tyger,’ probably,” a boy with huge glasses who looked like a cross between Arthur the aardvark and Draco Malfoy said.  “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright, in the forest of the night.  Or perhaps ‘I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud.’  It’s probably that one, isn’t it?”

            “Oh, wow, a fan,” Hoseok said, not making fun of the boy at all even as a few people laughed.  “Do you know the Lucy Gray ones, then?”

            “Oh, yes!” the boy looked excited now, and Hoseok would bet a million dollars he didn’t have on what the kid’s major was going to be.  “The one about the child being abducted!”

            “Good lord,” a mother muttered.

            “Or about vampires,” Hoseok leaned his torso in.

            “Vampires?  It’s not about vampires.”

            “And why isn’t it?  The moon—her disappearing without any footprints.  A vampire turned into a bat and stole her from the bridge.”

            “A—” the boy said before going silent.  Letting him sit with the theory, Hoseok pointed back up to the houses.

            “The oldest building on campus—”

            “It looks it,” a dad said under his breath.

            “—it used belong to Steven Lanton, who founded Lanton in 1909.  A lover of literature, the school started out as a Fine Arts academy and grew from there.  Today, the Wordsworth house is the oldest fraternity on campus and thus one of the most prestigious.  Though we can’t forget Stoker next door, home to some of the most famous families in the area.  Rumor has it, these two are the hardest fraternities to get into.”

            “Are you in one?”

            “No,” Hoseok said with a shrug.  “But I’ll rush this semester.”

            “What year are you?  Aren’t you too old?”

            “Not at all.  You can join even as a senior.  I’m a junior this year, though.”

            “Do you major in literature?” the boy with the glasses asked again.

            “Not at all,” Hoseok said with a flourish of his coat.  “I’m a fashion major.”

            “Then—why’d you come to this school?” someone else asked.

            “Oh, my dad’s a professor here.  Literature,” Hoseok said.  Someone softly gasped in the crowd, a whispered,

            “Nepotism,” making Hoseok force a smile.

            “Which one is better to join?”

            “Obviously the Stocker one,” a dad pointed.  “Look at the structure.  The other one’s completely falling apart.”

            “Funny you should ask,” Hoseok grinned.  The dad did have a fair point.  With its white brick, black window frames and door and railing around the stairs and porch, the house certainly looked more interesting from a design perspective.  It was two stories tall with a tower in one corner that might have housed a bell at some point or, if the local rumors were anything to go by, a gargoyle. 

            In contrast, the building next door looked like it was in disarray.  The fading blue wooden walls were barely hanging onto the window shades.  The porch and stairs had at least one spot where you might lose a foot if you stepped incorrectly.  And the yard hadn’t been trimmed in a while but also had spots of dead grass.  They also had decorations up from various holidays, mostly Christmas lights with a mixture of Halloween ones.  Several fake bats were hanging along the porch that Hoseok swore had been moved every time he brought a different tour by.  The only clean part of Wordsworth seemed to be a garden off to the side which stayed vibrant no matter the season, though with the snow still melting from the weekend, it was currently covered in several sheets littered with tiny bears on them.

            He looked up at the window on the building on the left and tried not to sigh seeing it was closed and still dark inside.

            “I myself am hoping to join Stoker,” he finally answered the original question, “but don’t let appearances deceive you!  Like I said, Wordsworth has some of the brightest and most talented minds on campus!  Have you heard of Kim Taehyung?”

            “No,” a chorus of voices rang out, but Hoseok didn’t let the negativity dissuade him.

            “A junior, like me.  Recently had one of his pieces showing in the MOA.  The MOA!”

            “The moan-a?” a mom whispered to another one as Hoseok started to walk backwards.  One foot behind the other, he stuck a huge grin on his face.

            Perhaps the two frat houses that were the hardest to get into wasn’t the best place to start his tour.  None of the kids in the circle following after him would probably get in even if they tried.  Hells, he might not get in, and everyone liked him.  But as Hoseok looked back up at the shut window one more time, he knew they had to start somewhere.

            Every story did.

            The beginning to any good dish, as any half-respected chef would tell you, was the selection of ingredients.  Forget the recipe.  The recipe means nothing.  There is no recipe.  Just the fresh zucchini, just the ripe pears, just the blood dripping out of the recently butchered meat.  And to select the finest ingredients took a nose, an eye, even a tongue skilled beyond one dipped into the salt bath of fast food or corrupted by the sordid, flashing videos of the Tik-Tok.  It took a knowledge beyond the super market, an ability to forage as nature intended for the best selections, a wisdom surpassing one’s years that—

            “Jin.  Please,” the thinnest and palest boy sitting at the table said as he slumped his face into his palms.  “Can we please eat?”

            “Yoongi, I am trying to educate you,” the tallest boy in the room huffed as he put his hands on his hips.

            “There’s some O in the fridge,” the blonde on the couch said.  “Want me to get you some?”

            “No, what Jin made smells delicious.  If only he would let me try it,” Yoongi glared up at the boy standing in front of the table who finally flopped his hands to his sides.

            “Fine, you monster.  Tear into it.”

            “Not sure how one tears into eggs,” Yoongi mumbled before picking up his fork.  The three other boys at the table did the same.

            “So today we have scrambled eggs with a hint of chipotles in adobo sauce.  The extra dark color and slightly sweet taste is coming from the blood Jimin so lovingly procured for us.  I do hope you savor your meal and—oh, you’re done.”

            “Thanks,” the boy with a white buzzcut said as he hopped up.

            “There’s no more?” the frowniest of the group asked.  When Seokjin picked up the empty dish and shook his head sadly, the boy thrusted his fork hard enough into the table to leave two small puncture marks, but no one even startled before he grumbled and slunk off.

            “Jimin, you didn’t even get any, I’m sorry,” Seokjin frowned.

            “He wasn’t at the table,” the last boy shrugged before collecting the plates, the lack of sleep as heavy as a weighted blanket on his movement.  “Yoongi, could I show you a song before you leave?  I was up all night coming up with it.”

            “We heard,” everyone in the house said before Jimin dragged himself out of his chair.

            “I’m not hungry, Jin, really.  Still feel full from last night.”

            “Still feel hungover, is what you mean.”  Yoongi leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the blonde stretch.  “You really have to watch how much you drink.”

            “I think you will find, you pale little bitch, that it’s a matter of quality, not quantity.  Everyone tastes so gross.”

            “You find them in clubs.  Of course they taste gross,” Yoongi snorted softly.

            “Oh, where should I find them, then?”

            “Perhaps you could be a bit more like me,” Seokjin said with a palm against his chest, “and procure your blood at the finest establishments in town.”

            “The campus dining hall is only one step above the dumpster, but keep letting yourself be delusional,” Jimin said with a pat to Seokjin’s arm before he stumbled back up the stairs.

            “You’ll be late for class,” Yoongi called out to him, the finger sent back down his way making him roll his eyes.  “Speaking of delusional,” he said as he sat back up straight and tapped the table to get Seokjin’s attention who was running his finger through the pan to stick into his mouth to suck on.  “Your plans for rush.  No.  Absolutely not.  Maybe, like, fifty percent of it will work.”

            “What?  Why not?”

            “Because we can’t throw people off the ceiling to, quote, see if they can fly.”

            “Well, it worked with you,” Seokjin said innocently.

            “And you’re lucky Jimin was around to make everyone forget they saw someone literally turn into a bat before he went splat.  Realistic, Jin.  We have to be realistic.”

            “But I just want to make sure we get a good one this year,” Seokjin huffed as he handed the dish over.  “Not sure if I want another Vlad added to our mix.”

            “He can hear you,” the boy washing the dishes hissed.

            “No, that’s Zane.”

            “And every day, I wish I couldn’t!” a yell from down the hall came.

            “Vlad needs to take up fencing or something,” Yoongi suggested.  “Get all that stabby-stabby out of him.  Look back at the list, Jin.  Make some cuts.  I haven’t even let Jimin look at it yet, and you know the ‘obstacle course in a re-constructed graveyard’ is out of the budget.”

            “Nothing’s out of my budget,” Seokjin said as he sat down and put his feet up on a nearby chair.

            “And you know we’re not supposed to use personal money for the house budget.”

            “The house budget comes from my family’s money,” Seokjin huffed.  “I don’t get why any of that matters.  Besides, we have to beat Worthless.”

            “Worthless,” the boy washing dishes repeated.

            “Worthless!” a shout from down the hall came, two more echoing from throughout the house after it.

            “Worthless,” Yoongi nodded, the chanting never quite his thing.  “Yes, yes, you know we will.  It’s not even going to be a competition.  They’ll probably be finger painting and sitting in a circle talking about their feelings again.  Just look at the budget, please.  D, show me that song?”

            “Oh, yeah,” D’Arcy—who was always called anything but that—said, his fingers still dripping as he hurried to his room as fast as his sluggish form could.  Following much slower, Yoongi shuffled into the boy’s room where Zane was getting dressed, his regular giant coat with what looked like a lion’s mane around the neck ruffling against Yoongi on his way out.

            “Nine AM classes suck,” he groaned as the pair gave him a solitary look of sympathy.  The boy gave Seokjin a salute on his way out, and Seokjin, pajama shorts and t-shirt still on, shivered when the blast of cold air came in.  He shuffled upstairs to his room and yanked his blinds open, his hands on the windowsill as he pressed against the glass to look across the yard between his house and the ratty one next door.

            “I know you’re in there,” he whispered, a fog gathering around his lips until he couldn’t see.  Sputtering a little, he pushed himself back and plopped into his desk chair, the files he had been looking at well into maybe nine PM last night giving him a headache already.

            He was the proud owner of five vampires. 

            Tapping the papers against the desk to make sure they were all even, he looked at the first page and smiled.  Seokjin was destined to be president of the Stoker house because of his family heritage—a great-great grandfather from England in his pursuit of the best tea in the world had traveled to Korea and bit off a little more than he could chew, a phrase which, to Seokjin, made no sense, since one didn’t chew on tea. 

            But Min Yoongi had gotten to join the house merely because he was the luckiest bastard in the world to have met Seokjin.  Seokjin was humble enough to acknowledge he was lucky to meet the guy in return.  The first time the guy slid his coffee over and watched, albeit a little creepily, until Seokjin took a sip was when Yoongi still worked at the campus coffee shop, and Seokjin had known right away he was a fellow vampire.  It just took a little work to find out how Yoongi had known Seokjin was.

            Because unlike one of the many ridiculous beliefs about vampires, Seokjin didn’t go around knowing who was who with a mere sniff.  Sure, if he bit someone, he would know, but there were rules.  They weren’t savages.  Yoongi, however, at least on what he called a “good day,” could tell with one smell.  Yoongi had been almost impossible to convince to join the house.  He wanted nothing to do with anything “the masses” were doing, and he’d “rather jump in front of the wagon than in it” even if there was a fun band playing.  Not at all a trend follower, he only saw the errors of his ways when he realized what he knew all along—all life was war, and joining the winning side was always the smart thing to do.

            A man of great organizational skills, he had become the fraternity’s secretary upon joining.  Seokjin grinned at the little picture paperclipped to the file, Yoongi’s hand halfway in it as he wanted to block the camera.

            “So feisty,” Seokjin laughed before putting it face down on the desk.  He knew Yoongi’s strengths well.  Not only were his powers extremely useful—because being able to smell or hear or see the enemy coming before anyone else could always meant they had the upper hang—but his skills were, too.  Having only played “dignified” instruments growing up like cello and piano, Seokjin knew more classical music than what Yoongi and D listened to, but he could tell Yoongi was talented.  His double major in architecture always seemed random to other people, but he had fixed the house up a lot in the past two years, so Seokjin would never trade him for the world.

            He wouldn’t trade Jimin, either.  Without him, they might have all been surviving off of ramen.  Without blood.  Seokjin shuddered thinking about it as he looked at Jimin’s file, the boy’s smile with his cute little twisted tooth making Seokjin smile back at him.  A junior, Jimin had been one of the only people Seokjin had ever met who he felt intimidated by.  His hypnosis power certainly had something to do with it.  Some days the boy’s moral compass confused Seokjin.  Jimin was always the first one on board with doing a prank, but he had “limits.”  Seokjin shook his head just thinking about how many times Jimin had said “Well, I can’t do that.”  Why he didn’t use his hypnosis to just make the stupid house next door lose its members or fall apart or disappear somehow was beyond Seokjin.

            But Jimin had a mutual enemy of Seokjin, and when he had met the boy when he transferred over, they had become allies.  And now they were friends.  Trying not to wrinkle the paper as he thought about the boy they both hated, he wished some of the dumb powers people wrote about vampires having were real.  Mainly, as he looked at the poster full of holes on his wall labeled “Public Enemy #1,” he wished his fingernails could come off so he could fling them like sharp little knives.

            Taking a deep breath, he put Jimin’s file on top of Yoongi’s, knowing his powers and personality were invaluable.  The last three files Seokjin went through quickly. 

            Vlad Akasha was their newest recruit, mainly chosen for his incredible strength.  Seokjin foresaw standing behind him in battle, the guy’s body keeping Seokjin safe, and the moment had been momentously monumental.  In reality, he wasn’t turning out to be very controllable.  The stereotype of big but dumb just wasn’t really true, and even Jimin had trouble making him do anything.  Then again, hypnosis didn’t work on other vampires like it did on humans, but still.  Seokjin had hope, and it had been dashed, or stabbed, the first time Vlad took his fork at a house dinner and plunged it into the table.

            “You missed your meat,” Seokjin had said cheerfully, only growing half afraid the boy wanted to eat the table when he did it again before he managed to get the beef in his mouth.  So far, he hadn’t taken that fork, or any other sharp object, to any of them or to any humans—that Seokjin knew of—so in the past couple of months they had just started to see his constant but spontaneous stabbing as a fun little quirk!  The boy was studying physical education, and sometimes Seokjin found him and Jimin studying muscles together, so at least they had that to bond over.

            The next file was for D’Arcy Enkil, who had pursued Stoker house after Yoongi joined.  It wasn’t that Seokjin hated to admit he had a little celebrity in the house.  He was one himself.  In a totally different field.  So they weren’t competing.  He used it to his advantage.  Yoongi was the most private celebrity Seokjin had ever met, but he supposed that was part of his appeal.  The brooding, mysterious type.  Seokjin went for the tall and handsome part, and together they made an excellent team. 

            Trying not to get distracted by himself, Seokjin read through D’Arcy’s file again.  He studied music and had no discernable vampire skills, but that was no fault of his own.  Some vampires just didn’t.  He was good at keeping the house clean and followed orders well, so Seokjin considered him a wonderful asset to the house.

            Finally, Seokjin came to Zane Maharat’s file who had been in the house his four years at the university but was a follower with no desire to lead.  The Maharat family was one of the most famous vampire lines, so Seokjin was honored to live with the boy.  Zane was studying business in order to take over the family’s when the time came, and he was one of the most boring people Seokjin had ever met.  Plus, he had this strange habit of talking about werewolves.

            He had thankfully calmed down over the past four years, but his obsession with liking them had turned into wanting to be one, and Seokjin wasn’t one to judge people, but he had his boundaries.  Sure, werewolves weren’t actually real, and whoever had written about the first fight between them and vampires might as well have written alien versus predator—with the vampires being the predators, obviously, who would always win against the nasty little abominations of nature—but it was the principal of the matter!

            The poor boy—a good little boy, really, who had maybe recently cut most of his hair off because he was tired of Seokjin cooing at him while rubbing his head as he scratched behind his ear—had excellent hearing, so they were used to him wearing headphones most of the day just so he wouldn’t have to hear every little thing.  Seokjin assumed it was a little like having an ASMR video playing constantly in your ear, and that would drive anyone crazy.

            “Well,” he said as he put the files back together and leaned back in his chair to stare out the window.  Ability wise, the Stoker house was far more superior than the one next door.  They had more prestigious families.  They had more money.  They had Seokjin, for god’s sake!  But Seokjin wasn’t out to just win.  He was out to annihilate them.  Their leader had made the mistake of embarrassing him once, and Seokjin would never let that happen again.  Standing up, he approached the poster on the wall, his drawing skills not the best, but the guy’s face clear in his mind, and stuck a sharp nail right up under where his nostrils would be if he had drawn any of them.

            “Hope you’re ready to rush, buddy.  Right to the bathroom to shit your little pants,” he said, laughing before flinging his closet open to get dressed. 

            The house he was in charge of was like a complicated recipe, and rush was the opportunity to find the next perfect ingredient.  As long as he made sure next door’s result was a pile of shit equivalent to a can of spam, his was sure to be as fancy as Kobe beef with a carrot puree infused with O negative with stuffed rigatoni and grilled asparagus with shaved truffles and parmesan on top.

            “Shit, I’m hungry,” Seokjin almost moaned at the thought.  If anything, he needed to start the day right.  The battle, after all, was about to begin.

            If he started from the top, it would take forever to get to the bottom.  It was just so—so long.  Just an absolute disaster from head to toe.  There was no point in even starting.  It would never turn out right.  Sighing as his robe fell open, the tail trailing along the floor, Kim Taehyung snapped his fingers softly before sighing again when no flames appeared in the fireplace he had been staring into.

            “I’m cold,” he mumbled before leaning his head back off the couch a little.  “I’m bored.”

            “Perhaps if you help me with rush plans.  Or study.  Or go to class.  Surely you have class.”

            “Not until four,” Taehyung said as he rolled over to stare at the man sitting in the chair that could only be described as a sinkhole.  How Namjoon ever got back out of it was a mystery.  The top of his hair was a bit ruffled, and his huge glasses were pressed up high on his nose, and he had long, fuzzy socks on.  Starting from the top of Namjoon would be easy, but that wasn’t where Taehyung wanted to begin.

            “How long have you been there?” he mumbled.

            “Since last night.  Fell asleep reading.”

            “Typical,” Taehyung said as he watched the guy continue to do just that.  Taehyung had also fallen asleep on the couch without being sure of what time it had happened, but he hadn’t been reading.  He had been thinking.  Plotting.  Of how to get back at one person in particular.  A typical night for him and his friend, really.  The house was quiet, the morning only barely beginning, but by the afternoon everyone would rouse and be thumping around so much Taehyung would wonder, not for the first time, if someone was going to fall through the top floor.  Rolling back over, he flicked his finger at the blinds to no avail.  They didn’t open.  Sighing, he shuffled to the kitchen to make hot chocolate.  First, though, he had to find a clean cup.

            “Why are there no clean dishes?” he huffed.

            “No one can find the chore chart,” Namjoon told him.

            “We have a chore chart?” Taehyung hummed as he looked around for it for a second, too, before shrugging and going back to his drink.

            “You should drink something real,” Namjoon tsked at him as Taehyung came back over to the couch.

            “Says the man who drinks three b-cups every morning.”

            “They’re tasty.  Least there’s blood in them,” Namjoon mumbled before he threw a stack of papers onto Taehyung’s lap.  “Rush.”

            “No thanks,” Taehyung said.  “I like my mornings slow and boring.  Unlike them.”  He couldn’t actually hear anything from next door.  He couldn’t see them, either.  But he knew.  They all got up and lined up like the Van Trap family, their bowties on tight enough to make their lungs screech.  Like little brainwashed soldiers, they traipsed off to class singing their leader’s praises.

            Kim Seokjin!  Kim Seokjin!  Kim Seokjin!

            Taehyung growled just thinking about him, so he whipped the papers up and rummaged through them before throwing them back on the table.

            “We aren’t going to be like them.  We’ll do what we always do.”

            “The paperwork is due Friday, though.  So we kind of have to know what that is.”

            “Make something up. I trust you,” Taehyung shrugged.  “Just make sure it’s better than next door.”

            “Yeah, well,” Namjoon mumbled.  “I feel like we need a strategy, at least.”

            “The strategy is find out what they’re doing so we can sabotage it.  Let’s get Louis to hack them.”

            “You know Kim does everything on paper.”

            “Because he’s too dumb to use a computer,” Taehyung said before pretending to spit on the floor.  “Don’t speak his name around me!  Can’t stand hearing it.  Kim,” he shuddered before sticking his tongue out.  Namjoon took his glasses off slowly.

            “You’re a Kim.  Shit, I’m a Kim.”

            “Ugh,” Taehyung said.  “Thankfully no relation.  It’s really a shame he’s stained our name so offensively.”

            “What did he do, ag—”

            “So, no hacking,” Taehyung crossed his legs and bounced the top one as he tapped his fingers against his mug, his ring clicking against the glass every time he did.  “I could convince a woodland creature to sneak in and—eat the paperwork.”

            “The last time you did that, Seokjin just befriended them.”

            “Yes, that fucker,” Taehyung growled, his hands tight around his mug’s handle.  “Stealing innocent creatures like that.  Making them his slaves!”

            “I think he let them go, actually, but occasionally I see him feeding them outside.  So ma—”

            “What, is he a fucking Disney princess?” Taehyung said as he stood up and flung his robe behind him.  “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

            “Yours, obviously,” Namjoon said as he put his glasses down and stood up to cross his arms over his chest.  “Don’t use your fangs on me.”

            “Sorry,” Taehyung muttered as he stalked over to the window and pulled one plastic blind down to stare into the other house.  From an angle he could see into the corner room at the top of the house.  Kim Seokjin’s room.  Feeling his lip rising, Taehyung tried not to snarl.  The guy was just sitting at his desk.  Like a nerd.  Reading things.  Taehyung bared his fangs, just temporarily, thinking about how long Seokjin’s neck looked.  If he bared it just right, Taehyung could chomp just right and—

            “God, I hate him,” he sighed as he flung himself back onto the couch and slowly picked up the papers.  “Maybe the board would help.”

            “Sure thing,” Namjoon said.  He soon returned and cleared off whosever’s homework was on the coffee table and put down what used to be a Monopoly board.  Taehyung had created his own squares on the back, and here he laid out the battlefield.  On the left, the Stoker house.  Rummaging around in the drawer that should maybe hold TV remotes if they had a TV in the living room, Taehyung pulled out and dumped out the bag of supplies.  No dice were needed.  Just the world’s tiniest toy dicks that he set up.  He knew each by heart, so there was no need for labels or name tags.

            Wiggling the smallest of the group, a pink plastic dildo with as much personality as Kim Seokjin himself, Taehyung arranged them all as he got on his knees and sorted through the other miniatures.

            A giant bear, majestic on its hind legs, was him, of course, followed by an owl bear, a creature he knew didn’t exist but was wise and strong so therefore represented Namjoon.  Next was the lion, for Louis Lee himself.  A computer science major with a bit of a temper issue, Louis was a strong contender for the second smartest in the house and came from a long line of royal vampires—he would probably be king, or president, of the fraternity when he was older. 

            A wolf figure was for Vladamir Petrov.  While Stoker had a Vlad, Taehyung had the real deal with a Vladamir, no cowardly abbreviations here.  The guy was an ox.  Well, a wolf as Taehyung didn’t have an ox figure.  Stronger than two of Stoker’s Vlad’s put together!  Really the same size.  They could be twins if they wanted to be.  But Taehyung would never allow it.  They even shared classes together because they had the same major for some reason, but Vladamir never brought back any useful intel.  Probably because Vlad was too dumb to be interesting. 

            Finally, two ravens were placed beside the rest for the twins, Thomas and Tomas Quinn.  The only literature majors in the house, they had this habit of going “Quoth the raven!” before turning into bats to sleep which made no sense to Taehyung.  There was literally a fraternity named Poe, so he wasn’t sure why they hadn’t joined that one if they were so obsessed with the guy.  It probably had something to do with not wanting to freak normal people out about the whole changing into a bat thing. 

            “Alright,” Taehyung pondered for a moment as Namjoon sat back down and got back to his reading.  Whether he was working on his philosophy or psychology, Taehyung wasn’t sure.  He couldn’t keep up with most conversations with his friend, but he valued his insight even if sometimes he did come across as way too diplomatic. 

            Picking his bear up, he pretended to devour the pink dildo with the bear’s mouth as he made roaring noises until he put the figure back down and leaned onto his elbows to evaluate the playing field.

            “They do the same thing every year.  They pride themselves on it.  Vampire tradition and all that,” Taehyung said as he moved his fingers as if someone snooty was talking.  “So we just need a way to poison their blood samples.”

            “We can’t kill them, Tae.”

            “I’m not talking literally!  Just—make them a little sick.  Could douse everything in garlic.”

            “Again, we can’t kill them,” Namjoon reiterated.

            “Only Seokjin is allergic!”

            “No killing,” Namjoon said one more time.  Sighing, Taehyung thought of termites in their coffins but knew he wasn’t allowed to damage school property and he wouldn’t be able to control the little vermin once released.

            “Maybe we’ll just make our initiation tests who can make the biggest dick out of snow on their lawn.”

            “That’ll really get them,” Namjoon said without looking up from his book.

            “I’ll come up with something,” Taehyung hummed as he put his finger on the pink dildo and wiggled it back and forth a few times before flicking it over.  “I’ll come up with the best plan ever.”

            “You always do,” Namjoon said.

            “This year,” Taehyung said as he stood up, his robe flung behind him as he put his hands on his hips, “I’ll win rush so bad, Stoker will be rushing home to their mommies.”

            “Yep,” Namjoon nodded.

            “Yeah,” Taehyung said as he went back to the window and stared out at his arch nemesis.  “I’m coming for you.  Just you wait, Kim Seokjin.  I’ll get you this time.”

            Getting to the bottom of it would have meant starting at the beginning, and that would be just a bit too much.  He was a bit too long.  Turning to go and get dressed, Taehyung whistled as he went, the start of the world’s most masterful of plans about to unfold.

            To begin—

            Six AM, wake up and run.

            Start from his dorm in the east and run down the street past the two fraternity houses.  Carry on to the north and then south and west until the circle of the university is done.  Make a protein shake while standing by the window catching his breath.  In the winter, his cheeks bloomed as he warmed his lungs up.  Plug in the illegal burner and wake his roommate up to the smell of bacon or eggs or both and give him a plate while his eyes were still half-shut.  Shower and get dressed and take a picture to post in the dingy standing mirror in the corner.  Then sling his camera over his shoulder before heading out knowing he wouldn’t see his roommate until the next morning.  Stop by the coffee shop to get two coffees and get to class early.  Always early.

            He was swiveling in his chair a little, balancing a pen on his finger, the beanie on his head only showing the ends of his hair.  He was thinking of the class project and of a video and of what to eat for lunch later when the door open and someone staggered in.  Smiling with his lips pressed together, Jungkook watched his friend struggle up the steps.

            “Ran into one of those tour groups this morning,” the guy said as he took off his jacket, his high ponytail only slightly askew.  “And you wouldn’t believe what one of the kids asked me.”

            “Oh no,” Jungkook tried not to laugh.  “How’d he know?”

            “Had my nametag still on like an idiot.  I really need to leave that pancake place.  But the food’s so good,” the guy said as he sat down with a small sigh.  “Sometimes I wish my parents had named me something else.  Do I look like a Gray?”

            “Any half-respecting literature major would have asked you the same thing, Dorian,” Jungkook teased before sitting up straight and tapping his pen against his leg. The guy always did look a little gray, but working night shifts and running on caffeine alone would do that.

            “Or just an asshole,” Dorian said, his lips slowly rising as he reached out for the cup in front of him.  “You know, you don’t have to do this.”

            “It’s no problem,” Jungkook shrugged as he looked down at the empty screen where the professor would start to show them pictures soon.  He left the guy to wake up which gave him an opportunity to steal some glances at the tattoos on the arm that was always next to Jungkook.  He was thinking about how Dorian had said,

            “Take a picture, it will last longer,” a few days ago.  It had left Jungkook blushing, but he was thinking about the project.  About what to shoot in black and white.

            “What’s the video plan for today?” Dorian finally asked over the plastic lid.

            “Oh—not sure yet.  Maybe about the project.  Food?  My bike?  Why, would you watch?”

            “No,” Dorian shook his head with a laugh.  “I promise.  No offense.”

            “All good,” Jungkook said, actually relieved.  He wasn’t anyone famous, but enough people had figured out in his freshman year that he was GoldenCloset on the internet.  The account covered his games he streamed and his random videos ranting about school.  He was known for doing how-to’s with makeup and with fixing up his motorcycle.  And plenty of people followed him because of his outfit of the day or just to watch him eat.  It had gone from weird to a bit co-dependent, so Jungkook tried to keep things professional and not let it all go to his head.  When he had met Dorian, he tensed as he always did, a bit afraid he wanted to talk to him because people seemed to think that would bring them friends or money or success somehow, but Dorian had assured him he didn’t.

            “I’m a bit too old fashioned and not a fan of all that tiktok stuff.  No offense.”

            “None taken,” Jungkook had assured him, and they had hit it off quickly discussing cameras.  Jungkook had used a digital one for ages.  Editing was one of his favorite parts of the whole process.  Using a manual one was brave to him, and the way Dorian could just point and shoot and come up with something amazing still blew his mind.  One day he would get to visit the darkroom.  Dorian promised the next time he got to use it, Jungkook could come.

            “The second you don’t have any viewers, just text me.  I’ll get on,” Dorian said like he always did.  “Or if anyone’s being weird.”

            “I will.  But don’t worry,” Jungkook started to swivel again.  He definitely had, at one point.  He still did.  The haters and the trolls and the weirdos, for sure.  But he was more confident with blocking people now, and he had, well, he hated to call them fans, because that seemed weird, but he had loyal viewers who would jump to his defense.  They tended to see things before he did if he saw them at all.

            “What, that SugarBat dude?”

            “What?” Jungkook blinked.

            “Is that who you’re thinking about?”

            “What, no, what?”

            “Oh, come on, it’s how I know I have no chance,” Dorian laughed.  “You’re always thinking about your hero.”

            “He’s not—he just doesn’t take crap from people.”

            “It’s him or, what was it?  Betterthan?  What an asshole.”

            “BetterThanBS,” Jungkook corrected him with a small pout.  “But, no, he doesn’t comment as much.  I think he’s too smart to.  Most people are just looking for—wait, what did you say about you?”

            “When?”

            “You said,” Jungkook said as he pointed his pen at the dude.  “You said—what do you mean you have no chance?”

            “With you,” Dorian said back, a whisp of hair falling out of its tie and tickling his cheek and neck enough for him to brush it back behind his ear.

            “What do you mean, with you?”

            “Oh, come on, Jungkook, I’ve been flirting with you for over a month,” Dorian said as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, the crucifix tattoo surrounded by these purple flowers that always reminded Jungkook of dandelions.  “Or—oh my god, have you not?  You’re just—you’re just a nice person.  You’d get coffee for anyone.  Oh my god, I’m so sorry—”

            “No, wait,” Jungkook reached out, his fingers retracting before they could touch the guy’s arm.  “No, I—I’m bad at this.”

            “You’re young.  Not that, sorry, no offense, I didn’t mean it like that.  You’re just—are you into guys?”

            “Yeah,” Jungkook whispered softly before clearing his throat.  “Yeah, I’ve done a couple videos on it.”

            “Oh?  Should I watch them?”

            “No.  No, really, it’s okay.  They’re just me—whining, mostly.  About being single.”

            “I see,” Dorian hummed, his eyes darting down to the door as a couple of students came in.  “Well, how about this.  If you want to just keep bringing me coffee and casually flirting with me, that’s fine.  But if you want anything more—come get a drink with me.”

            “I can’t.  I’m not old enough.”

            “Shit, right.  Okay, a non-alcoholic drink.  I know this chill place.  Or something you want to do.  I’d invite you to mine, but my roommates are—” Dorian stared off into space for a second before shaking his head.  “They’re not super cool with guests, that’s all.  No offense.”

            “Yeah,” Jungkook said.  “And mine is—well, hardly ever there, but it’s just a little dorm room.  We could go out to eat?”

            “Ah, I’m not big on—sorry, I’m not big on food.”  Jungkook looked at the guy’s tattooed arm and then the vein almost popping out of his neck and then his entire frame, his eyebrow raising as Dorian started to laugh.  “You look like my sister!  Look, I’m sorry I got the family gene of never gaining or losing a pound since I was sixteen!  Don’t look at me like that.”  Shaking his head as the room started to fill up, Jungkook gave Dorian a side eye before biting his lip for a second.

            “Alright, drinks.  I’ll eat before I come.”

            “And I won’t,” Dorian grinned.  “Friday?  Unless you’re busy.”

            “I’m not.  I can do Friday.”

            “You’re not in a frat, right?”

            “Huh?”

            “Oh, rush starts soon, so I just wondered.  Will you go for one?”

            “Probably not,” Jungkook shrugged as he pulled his beanie off and shook his hair out.

            “No?  Not even Stoker or Wordsworth?”

            “Why would I?” Jungkook furrowed his brows.

            “You’re on that campus, right?  Just wondering.  Sorry, no offense meant.”

            “All good.  Just don’t think that’s the life for me,” Jungkook shrugged, their conversation paused as the professor came in.  It begun as it always did, and the Monday continued as they normally did.

            Jungkook went to his other classes and came home to an empty dorm room.  He thought for a while before doing a simple video of just talking while he ate, his beanie back on and pushed back a bit as he adjusted his lights while his ramen cooked.

            “Have some questions for you all today and maybe an announcement?  But I don’t want to spoil it or set myself or you up for expectations, you know?  It would suck if it didn’t work out,” Jungkook said as he sat down to get settled.  “But first question, so leave your comments for sure, is—do you have any friends who are picky eaters?  I don’t even know if picky is the right word.  And I’m not talking about eating disorders, so let’s be careful.  Just—they don’t have to eat a lot.  Crazy metabolisms or something.  If you do, what do they like to eat?  I know this is a bit vague, I just—know a friend.  Anyway, second question, to rush or not to rush?  I’ve honestly not even considered it before,” Jungkook said before rambling a little about the pros and cons he had heard the whole system.  He paused occasionally to look at comments while slurping his noodles, and his nose scrunched a little as he leaned in when he saw two familiar names.

            Sugarbat: you should rush. Join my house

            BetterthanBS: ours would be better

            Sugarbat: **** off. You wanna talk about BS? You’re BS

            BetterthanBS: wow, yes, a really great comeback. Let me list the reasons why our house would be better:

            Sugarbat: 1. It smells like farts 24/7

            Sugarbat: 2. You can wear everyone’s underwear

            BetterthanBS: if you really think this is going to convince him

            BetterthanBS: you’ve been in the dark for too long

            Sugarbat: oh, let’s not get metaphysical

            BetterthanBS: I mean literally, you stupid bat

            BetterthanBS: also, it’s metaPHORICAL

            Sugarbat: no stupid here, only sweet

            “Alright, you guys,” Jungkook laughed a bit nervously.  “Maybe this is one reason I don’t want to join.  It all seems very competitive.  And you know me—I’m very competitive.  It might get a bit toxic, that’s all.  Well, we’ll see.  I think I’ll game some before I work out.  Last question is about my class project!  I have to do something black and white, and I’m thinking tattoos, but if anyone has a cooler idea, let me know!”

            Sugarbat: bats.  I know a guy

            BetterthanBS: if you want rabies

            Sugarbat: and if you want to be bored out of your mind, go with BS

            BetterthanBS: for the last time, the BS stands for you

            Sugarbat: that’d be SB, stupid

            BetterthanBS: only smart people get it

            Sugarbat: get how to spell? Guess I’m smart, then

            “So that’s that!” Jungkook said a bit loudly as if he could really hear the two bickering.  “Have a good meal everyone, and stay warm!  I’ll do another video before the weekend.  And then I’ll update you about—the thing I mentioned.  If it goes well.  Or, no, either way, probably,” Jungkook laughed a little nervously before waving goodbye.

            He didn’t play his best that night, but it started out well.  He just kept thinking about his date.  He had a date.  Nineteen, and finally.  A date.

            And then, to end, he started with how the day begun.

            Move, sweat, breathe, the gym always a bit too crowded but not nearly as bad as the spring and summer.

            That was the way Jeon Jungkook’s start to irregular days began.

            Since he usually only posted one outfit post a day, his followers were already commenting up a storm when he posted what he had on for his Friday night outfit, though the reason was left out of his post.  That morning he had jogged as always, his regular route only slowing slightly when he went past the two fraternity houses on his campus.

            He had gotten used to them and had stopped batting an eye when he saw weird objects in the yard or signs hanging from balconies.  That morning’s bright red “I’m with stupid” clearly constructed on butcher paper and perhaps written with someone’s hands instead of an actual paintbrush it was so messy did make him stop for a second.  With his breath gathering in front of him, he lifted his legs while looking at the beaten down house.  He followed the arrow to the house next door where what looked like a black mummy was hanging from the porch’s roof.  A sign was stuck into its head with a giant wooden stake that read “STOOPID” in the same red paint.  Shaking his head before jogging away, he wondered how long the guys would take to notice it.  And what they would do.

            He remembered last semester coming by one morning to find a maze had been constructed in front of the Stoker house made out of hay blocks.  Another time long strings from Wordsworth house went all the way to the sidewalk with signs attached that said, “Pull me.”  Of course Jungkook had to pull one, his shoulders shaking when he heard what sounded like a balloon popping and a scream coming from inside the house.  He hadn’t stuck around to see what he had done but high tailed it out of there ASAP.  The school paper had even hired him to take pictures of the houses during the last rush as they really seemed to go all out. 

            Jungkook remembered something about turning the school’s fountain red and some poor freshman getting in trouble for it.  And that, the fear of getting into trouble, was probably the main reason he hadn’t joined a fraternity yet.  Convincing his parents he could ride a motorcycle safely without any connections to a gang had been hard enough.  He was a good kid.

            Which was maybe one reason why he also hadn’t dated anyone yet.  He didn’t want to make trouble.  He knew it would upset a lot of his followers, too, if he announced a boyfriend or girlfriend.  But he couldn’t live his life by his parents’ rules alone.  Or by random people’s. 

            So he was excited.  Nervous.  If it didn’t start with butterflies, that probably would’ve been a bad sign.

            Stopping the hum of his bike, he fidgeted with the silver chain around his neck a few times before stepping into the bar.  Fumbling a bit at the door when asked for his ID, he only frowned slightly at the giant M marked on his hand before he looked around.  Dim and a bit too hazy like they were trying too hard to be edgy, the place was probably like any other bar.  The bartender eyed him heavily, so Jungkook was relieved when he saw Dorian wave him over.

            “Wow,” the guy said as he stood up to greet him.

            “Uh, no, you,” Jungkook said, feeling a bit underdressed even if he had put on slacks instead of jeans and thrown a blazer over his plain black t-shirt.  In contract, Dorian wore a super low silk shirt with a maroon corduroy jacket, and Jungkook was reminded once again of how fucking cool the guy was.

            “Sit, sit,” Dorian said with the slightest touch to Jungkook’s waist as he directed him toward a booth.  “What do you want to drink?  Something virgin?  Or just a soda?  Maybe a bloody Mary.”

            “I don’t know what that is,” Jungkook said, a bit embarrassed as he sat down.

            “Really?  Oh, no offense, I thought you might have gone out at least some.”

            “I really don’t,” Jungkook shrugged.  “If you think I’ll like it.  As long as there’s, uh, no blood in it.”

            “As if,” Dorian laughed before he sauntered off.  The drink was apparently tomato juice with celery in it, so absolutely disgusting, but Jungkook sipped it politely when Dorian brought it back.  “They’re mostly used for hangovers, to be honest,” Dorian said as he seemed to enjoy his much more than Jungkook was.  “But this place is known for them.  So.”

            “So,” Jungkook said.  He had sat by the guy for over three weeks now, but those swiveling chairs had kept some distance between them.  Now, Dorian’s arm settled on the booth behind him and his leg pushed against Jungkook’s.  It wasn’t nearly as hot as Jungkook thought it was going to be.  Temperature wise.  Since bodies had a lot of body heat.  It was hot.  He heard his brain do a little funny noise garbled noise like when his camera lens whirred.

            Oh, Jungkook liked girls enough.  They were soft.  And really pretty.

            But boys.

            Sometimes he just couldn’t stop thinking about boys.

            “Is this silver?” Dorian said, the place thankfully not blaring music so they didn’t have to yell at each other.  His fingers came right up to Jungkook’s neck and ran down to the end of his necklace.  He picked it up just a little to examine.

            “Oh.  Yeah.”

            “No offense, but I’m not a fan.  I mean, on me,” Dorian said as he dropped it, the slightly chill metal falling lightly against Jungkook’s chest. “Looks good on you.”

            “Thanks,” Jungkook swallowed as he looked around the place a little.  “So, you come here often?”

            “Well, isn’t that the oldest pickup line in the book,” Dorian laughed.  “But yeah, I do.  At least once a week.  I’m not an alcoholic, though!  Promise.  Just—the atmosphere really fills me up.”

            “Fills you up?”

            “You get it, right?  As a creative.  You just need—” Dorian took a deep breath as he followed Jungkook’s gaze around the place.  There were two people who seemed to know each other at the bar, but otherwise it was pretty empty.  It was barely ten.  “I get inspired here.”

            “Yeah?”

            “Yeah, though it’s nothing like how you do.”

            “I inspire you?”

            “Yeah,” Dorian said before he raised a finger.  “Please don’t say a thing about that damn book.”

            “I wouldn’t, I swear,” Jungkook laughed, his giggle melting when he felt Dorian’s fingers run from his shoulder up to his neck.

            “I don’t want to freak you out.  You’ve never been with anyone, right?  I just—you’re really fucking hot.  Adorable, too.  I just haven’t stopped thinking about you since I first saw you.  Does that make me a creep?”

            “N-no, I don’t think so,” Jungkook’s heart pounded as he twisted toward the guy and dared to put a hand on his thigh.  Dorian eyed it before looking up slowly, his eyes seeming to linger on Jungkook’s earrings long enough for Jungkook to withdraw his hand and put his fingers around them.  “Are they too much?  I want to get more some day, but I don’t know.  Plus, they’re expensive.”

            “They’re gorgeous,” Dorian assured him, his hand moving Jungkook’s away.  He didn’t quite drop his hand, but his grip was loose as he put his palm against the center of Jungkook’s chest.  “You’re gorgeous.  Really.  May I?”

            “Oh.  Sure,” Jungkook swallowed, his hand falling limply back to the guy’s thigh.  He wasn’t really quite sure what he was saying yes to, but he had a general idea.  At least about what they would start with.  Beyond—he wasn’t sure.  Where it would end—he had no idea.

            How could he have known?

            Jungkook didn’t even think about the bartender or even the other patrons in the bar.

            Dorian’s fingers were slightly cold.  He supposed he knew that, with the amount of times Jungkook had passed him a coffee over and shivered a little when their fingers touched.  They sent goosebumps down his arms.  Dorian’s fingers held onto his neck and tilted his head, and the first kiss against Jungkook’s skin right above his necklace was so tender.  So soft.  Jungkook heard himself suck in a breath before apologizing with a whisper.  Dorain grinned against his neck.  Jungkook could feel his lips.

            “Don’t even worry about it.  Make whatever sound you want,” Dorian whispered into his ear.  Jungkook’s fingers tightened a little on the guy’s thigh.  His heart was racing faster than his first solo bike ride.  All he could think about was how his breath smelled like tomato and celery, and there was nothing about to be sexy about this kiss.

            Dorain kissed his neck again, though.  A little harder this time, and Jungkook thought of hickies.  Of what his followers would say if he wore a turtleneck or a scarf indoors.  He thought about how he didn’t give a fuck, though.  Because he was thrilled to get one. 

            He felt just the brush of Dorian’s teeth against his skin, just their hardness compared to his soft lips.  He felt the man’s fingers tighten on his neck, so Jungkook tightened his right back, and with a loud gasp no one in the bar heard, Jungkook’s eyes went wide as he felt something sharp against his skin.

            “Wha—” he sputtered out, but Dorian’s knee was suddenly in his lap like a seatbelt, and Jungkook heard the table rattle as the guy climbed into his lap, his lips, no, his teeth not letting go.

            Jungkook had wiped out once on his bike.  Before it had a motor.  His skin had scraped against the concrete and burned.  He had heard it tearing as he skid to a stop.  That pain was nothing like this, though.  He had broken a bone once, too, when filming.  He wasn’t watching where he was going, and he stepped back right off a small cliff.  The snap of his arm hadn’t even sounded as bad as the camera shattering.  But that pain had been nothing like this, either.

            This was a puncture.  A stab.  Two of them.  Searing and sudden but not over in a second.  The pain did stop.  Jungkook felt his body panic and then stutter, like it didn’t quite know what to do.  The shock.  He was in shock.  That was why he didn’t feel any pain.  But he could feel it.  Dorian had bit him.  There was blood running down Jungkook’s throat.  His eyes were so wide when Dorian pulled away, his tongue licking up all the red around his lips that had nothing to do with tomato juice.

            “Who else wants a taste?” Dorian said, his eyes shining.  Jungkook’s were.  He knew they were, because he felt the prickles of tears collecting there.  He opened his mouth to tell Dorian to stop.  To shout.  Curse.  Jungkook was a fighter, so being polite be damned.  But all that happened was his heart racing harder when he saw the two people at the bar walking up to their table.

            “Let me get another bite, then you two can have some,” Dorian said.  So casually.  Like this was normal.  Like this is simply how he ended his day.  “Where’s Jasper?  Is he not coming tonight?”

            “Who cares.  He’s not at the table to eat, so he doesn’t get any,” one of the guys said.  Jungkook tried to shudder, tried to shiver, tried to do anything as Dorian leaned in and pressed his lips against his gently.

            “Oh, I knew you’d be so good.  So sweet.  You’re going to fill me right up.”  The teeth were back.  Jungkook heard them more than felt them sink back into his skin.

            He tried to think.  Of his bike parked outside.  Of that day the professor had taken attendance and Dorian had “not been on the list yet due to some paperwork issues.”  Of all the things his mother had warned him about growing up.  Of stories.  Of how long it might take before his roommate noticed.  Of his project.  Of his runs.  Of everything.  Of anything.

            But all he could do was close his eyes.  He couldn’t even stop the tears sliding down his face.

            It started with Dorian biting his neck.

            Jungkook had no idea where it ended.

            But the last day of Jeon Jungkook started as it always had, with a jog around campus.  And it ended as no normal day ever did, with his blood being drained out of him.

I never asked for this anyways. I was just a simple college student, doing my best not to fall into too much debt. That's why I had been out late from working the closing shift at 'sugar daddy,' a bakery near the college. It was perfect, (well except for the name) especially considering it was smack dab in the middle of the campus and was almost always filled with cramming and sugar-addicted students. Which was why I ended up out so late. Some stupid freshman couldn't decide which jelly donut they wanted to buy. In turn, causing me to stay an extra 20 mins late after the store was supposed to close. So after I had gotten all my stuff and locked up, it was well after sunset. Walking out in the dark wasn't strange for me but usually, there were other people outside and the campus tonight felt like a ghost town. The air chilly and moon sending a glow that barley led me through the dark. Light layers of frost covered the browning grass, and besides the crunch of the paved sidewalk under my black converse, it was deadly silent. Until a strangled scream shocked me out of my journey back to my dorm and a patronizing hush following the sound. My breath stopped as the sound came from my right near the science building, eyes widening and curiosity getting the best of me, I approached the back of the building. Holding my breath as I peeked around the corner, hair standing on edge and hand covering my mouth to stop the gasp from escaping as I saw the scene unfold. A student who looked a few years older than me, face shifted to the side so all that I could see was his hands gripping a middle-aged man's throat. The older man's feet dangling in the air like a rag-doll. The worst part of it was, the boy looked so normal-nothing like the fables of undead ghost skinned creatures, with pointed ears and grey slicked-back hair. He was like a regular guy-well almost. Besides the fact that his pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, black messy hair pointing in all directions. He looked like a normal, attractive college student. Until two fangs sprouted from his front teeth and were plunged into the older man's neck. I stared in horror and disbelief, what was I watching? My mind froze and all I could think about was that vampires were real and I was watching one suck the blood of a human being. As if the man was a grape but the vampire had wanted a raisin. Before I could get my bearings and run, the man dropped to the floor, a satisfied hum sounding from the vampire as he hit the ground followed by a sickening crunch as if every bone in the older man's body was breaking. This time, I couldn't hide my shock, a gasp escaping from my mouth as I watched the lifeless body. The vampire turned to me, and that's when I got a good look at his facial features. He tilted his head up, a bored look plastered on his face, crimson blood dripping down his plump lips. He raised his heavy lids and stared at me through dark red eyes. The boredom from his face immediately disappeared, his lips turning up in a cocky smirk and his head tilting to the side. Taunting me, as if saying, 'what are you going to do?' That's when my mind started going into overdrive, and before I knew what I was doing my legs were carrying me in the opposite direction as fast as humanly possible. It wasn't until I had reached my dorm did I take a sigh of relief, even then I had grabbed some minced garlic and a flashlight and took refuge in my bed. My mind not even in the headspace to worry about the Physics homework I had due tomorrow.

The next day I had classes all mourning to distract me from the horrifying images from last night. The best way to get over it, I decided was to detox. I took an hour-long shower, scrubbing my body with lavender and washing my hair with honeycomb as if I could wash off the feeling of goosebumps as his red eyes flashed through my mind. I dressed casually for class, a pair of black leggings and a comfy sweater along with fluffy white socks and my black converse. Grabbing my backpack and coat I walked into the chilly air and heading towards my physics class. It was going to be okay, I thought. Who cares if I didn't do my homework, I watched a man die last night. I wondered if that was a viable excuse, 'sorry I didn't do my homework last night, professor, I watched a vampire suck the blood out of a human being.'

If the vampire had wanted to kill me he would've, he was clearly stronger and faster than me. But then, why didn't he kill me? I froze in my steps, the sirens hitting my ears as if they were a punching bag. The flashing blue and red lights, adding to the crowd around the science building causing a shiver to trail down my spine.

"(Y/N) did you hear? Our physics teacher died of a heart attack last night." Emma, my best friend since I came to the university who also conveniently worked at ‘sugar daddy’ said, rushing up to me. Her words came out slow and slurred, blood was rushing to my ears and the world around me slowed when I saw a police officer cover his body with a sheet. How had I not noticed that my professor was the one being killed, maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe my professor and the guy from last night were two different people. Wouldn’t the authorities clearly see the wound on his neck, and notice that he had no blood in his body?

“I can't believe he's dead, I need to go find hoseok I'll be right back.” She motioned to her boyfriend on the other side of the crowd and I simply nodded watching as she walked away.

“Hmm, you have a distinct smell of sugar and honey, no matter how much lavender you use.” I stiffened as a nose pressed into the crock of my neck, goosebumps creasing over my skin when his deep voice spoke. “You smell so sweet, I wonder what you’re blood would taste like?” I sharply turn around, gasping at the boy I found. His eyes weren't red like last night, instead a deep, dark brown. But he was clearly the same person considering the cocky smirk that painted over his features. I wanted to scream as soon as he flashed his sharp canines at me,

“get the fuck away from me.” I mumbled, stepping back from the man, not sounding nearly as confident as I wanted too.

“Aww, sweetie are you scared?” He titled his head to the side in a taunting way, but before I could respond someone was calling my name. I abruptly turned around as Emma waved me towards her. I turned, only to find that the vampire was gone.

Working that night at the bakery was horrible. All of my coworkers had called out so I was closing. Again. By myself. The entire shop was empty and it took so much self-control not to eat another white chocolate, hazelnut cookie. So like most young adults, I decided to play cookie crush on my phone, instead of watching the clock for another fifteen minutes. The pitch of the bell, however, did not cause me to look up, too engrossed in the game to even pay attention to the customer.

“You’re such an interesting little human.” I jump at the voice, my phone slipping from my hands, the loud crack making me flinch as it comes in contact with the marble floor. The music from cookie crush comes to a halt, and I come face to face with crystal red eyes, two pearly fangs sticking out from below his top lip. His smirk only widens at my own shocked expression, as if he’s proud of my misfortune. In my shocked, and panic-stricken state I do the first thing that comes to mind, protect myself. And that consists of throwing a blueberry fluff cupcake at his face. The boy's eyes widen, the color of his pupils shifting back to a brown color as he catches the large treat. A boxy smile breaks on his face, a boyish laugh escaping his throat, and it's terrifying. Because he sounds like a normal human, and he's anything but.

“Did you just throw a cupcake at me?” I don't answer his question, too caught up in how quick his reflexes are. He raises the marshmallow frosting up to his lips, his teeth sinking into the pastry as he lets out a hum of delight. “This is delicious.” He brings his thumb up to his lip, wiping some of the frosting off his lip. Suddenly he appears at my side, his thumb brushing past my lower lip as I unconsciously lick the frosting he's put on my lips. His eyes following my mouths every movement. “But I bet you’d taste better.” His words cause my heartbeat to increase and before I know it, I'm rushing out the first thing that comes to mind. “I bet I taste like dog shit.” He recoiled at my words, his smirk morphing into a shocked expression. “I highly doubt that, little human.”

“Can you stop calling me that! Why are you here anyway? Are you going to kill me just like you killed that helpless professor?” I asked, shocked at my confidence that had come forth all of a sudden.

“The pedophile? I'm so sorry that I killed the man who was looking up girls skirts and harassing them in the back of his car.” I stared wide-eyed at him,

“What?”

“You were his next target.”

   “What?” He chuckled at my questions and offered a hand out to me.

“I can prove it.” I stared questionably at his hand, looking back up at him. Only to realize I didn't even know his name.

   “I don't even know your name.” His figure stiffened for a moment, before his shoulders relaxed, his teeth retracting back to normal and a pleasant brown spreading over his eyes like watercolor.

   “My names Taehyung.”

And just like that, I took his hand.

The newly discovered Vampire whose name was revealed as Taehyung led me to the Science building to prove that my professor was a pedophile and wanted to sexually assault me. Never, in my entire life did I think I would ever be in a situation like this. If my mother could see me now….she’d be so proud.

To fill the silence between me and Tae, I decided to ask him as many questions as possible. Deciding he wasn't a threat, at the moment. “Sooo, do you like, sleep in a coffin?” I questioned while he turned and gave me a ridiculous look. “Of course not, I sleep on silk sheets.”

“Can you turn into a bat?” We approached the back of the building, Tae sliding an ID card that was not his, past the regulator. “No.” He held the door open for me and I quickly walked into the building, his hand landed on my lower back as he led me through the dark, empty hallways. An overhead light provided some solace from the dark, and suddenly I had an idea. “Come here,” I mumbled, grabbing Tae by the arm and dragging him under the light. I stood on my tiptoes, inching closer to his skin as I watched for any abnormalities. His deep voice broke my train of concentration,

“Are you checking to see if I sparkle? Because I do, with my shining personality.” After realizing that he indeed, did not sparkle I finally allowed him to bring me into the professor's office. He led me towards his desk, breaking open a cabinet with ease and pulling out several vanilla folders. All labeled with different last names, one of them being mine. Tae looked up at me, the roles reversed because of the nervous look on his face. “You don't have to open them if you don't want to. But I wasn't lying to you (Y/N).” I didn't question how he knew my name since I had never told him but ignored that, and instead opened the file to find numerous photos of me. Some at work, college parties, in dresses. There were also several sticky notes and index cards recording personal details of my life.

“This is...horrible. How could he do this?” I looked through several other files, finding other girls in the same scenario as me. All falling victim to a horny older man's secret desires.

“I didn't kill him for fun (Y/N). That’s how I found out about you, your name, from him. I find people who are doing horrible things, and if they don't change then I-” Tae parted his mouth, his eyes closing and his teeth sharpening as he threw his head back. “God, I can still taste him. He tasted like tofu. I fucking hate tofu.” He growled out, the bitterness in his words causing a shiver to run down my spine. “Hey,” I spoke up, successfully getting his attention. “Have you ever seen the movie Dracula.”  

The time was well past eleven, but instead of sleeping I was leading a Vampire boy up the staircase towards my apartment. “You know, I watch Dracula movies to make fun of how dumb humans are.” He said, matter-a-factly as we entered the floor of my apartment. “Well, that's valid. Humans are easy to make fun of.” I pulled out my keys and just as I went to unlock the door Tae staggered next to me. “Wow, are you alright?” I asked stepping closer to him, only for him to hold out a hand to stop me. “I'm fine, it's your smell. It’s really strong now that I'm at your apartment.” I cocked an eyebrow at the man, going back to unlock the door as he composed himself. “Well, I hope I don't smell like tofu.” I joked, not thinking anything of it until a hand was roughly grabbing at my shoulder. Flipping me around so my back was slammed against the door. I gasped at the impact, but my attention was drawn to the vampire in front of me. “Don’t insult yourself like that. Your the best thing I’ve ever smelled, don’t even compare yourself to tofu.” His lips hovered dangerously close to mine as he spoke, his breath fanning over mine as his eyes traveled to my lips than to my neck. “Can I bite you?” Before I could even comprehend his question he was pulling away from me, staggering away from my touch as if I had burned him. He gaped at me, eyes unsure and slightly pleading, for what? I couldn’t tell. “God damn it, I'm so sorry (Y/N).” I stared helplessly as he ran from me, disappearing as if he was never even there.

I was late, fuck I was so late. That was the only thought in my head as I ran across campus in December, in nothing but a black skirt and a yellow sweatshirt because I had woken up late. I didn't have classes that day so I forgot about all responsibilities, too focused on how I kept seeing Tae during the week. Getting glances of him, only for him to send me a smile then disappear. I hated when he did that. But what I hated, even more, was the freaking rock in my way, that I, of course, tripped over. I tumbled to the ground, pavement scratching against the bare skin of my knees and hands, the rocks on the ground just scratching my cheek. Enough that it started to sting. I paid no attention to the embarrassing scenario, getting back up and rushing towards the store. A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around my waist, spinning me around till I came face to face with dark, beet red eyes. “Fuck,” I mumbled as Taehyung licked his lips, dragging his lower one between his teeth. He pressed me closer to the wall behind me, what I could only assume was the back science building. “You’re bleeding…”

“T-Taehyung.” I stuttered out, my phone beeping in my pocket as I cautiously pulled it out.

‘Don't worry girl. I got your shift covered. I know how stressed you've been lately. Love you!’

                           -Emma

I gulped at the message, just as gentle hands slowly took the device away from me. “Blood stains your flesh so prettily.” His hands crawled up towards my cheeks, gently cupping the skin as some blood from the cut dripped onto his thumb. Tae, all of a sudden harshly pulled away, a growl reverberating from his throat. “Shit, I can't control it-”

“Tae.” I took both his hands in mine, my voice firm as I watched him try to slither away from me in pain. “Bite me,” I mumbled, watching as his body stopped.

“Say it again.” He hissed, making sure this was what I really wanted, and it was.

“Bite. Me.”

He smirked at me, eyes turning a shade darker and body become more confident as he pulled my hips flush towards his body. My breasts pushing against his chest in a way that made me flush.

“Oh, little human.” He cooed, his tongue straying over his lips as he made eye contact with me.

   "What book are you reading?" You look behind you on the plane to see Taehyung standing up at an awkward angle so he can peer over your shoulder.    "Dracula." You move your sights back to the book in front of you, trying not to smile at the laughter ringing out above you.    "Dracula, really? So, does that make you my Mina?"    "If I was your Mina then I would have gathered a group of men who would have become so completely infatuated with my kind, sincere, and oh-so-innocent character that they would murder you for me. Well, technically for her fiance, but let's be honest they all did it for Mina." You try to go back to reading but close the book when you realize your eyes have been dancing over the same page for the last few minutes. You put your bookmark in and look up again to see Tae giving you a boxy grin.    "Yeah, well I suppose in a sense you are Mina. You could definitely have a bunch of dudes do your bidding."    "Is that so?"    "Yup." You watch Tae whip his head back around and can barely hear Namjoon saying something about 'sit down' over the hum of the engine. Tae, however, stays up anyways. It can't be comfortable, he's having to stand at an obscure angle/crouch in order to avoid banging his head on the overhead. "But I appreciate that you aren't trying to kill the vampire and you aren't really Mina. Besides, cute and innocent gets boring really fast, doesn't it (y/n)?"    You watch Jin's hand clasp around Taehyung's collar and jerk him back into the seat before you can even respond. So instead you have to settle on pulling up your KKT (and paying the outrageous WIFI fee) so you can have the last word. "Why kill the vampire when it's so much more fun to fuck them?" You wait a few moments, praying that Tae also paid for in-flight WIFI before you hear him sputter and cough behind you. Checkmate.    You and Tae have been playing a game of cat and mouse from the moment you met. It's hard not to be drawn to him. He's charismatic, handsome, sweet, and he has this air of unflappable confidence that comes close but never fully crosses the line into arrogance. And you...well you've found your new favorite past time but you never thought about the implications it would bring about later in time. You and Tae flirt back and forth with each other constantly, but you've never crossed the line. Come close, dipped a toe over, sure...but you refuse to be the first one to break. Oh no, Tae will be the one to break.    He's not like the normal fuck boy type, you'll give him that. In fact, he's not even really a fuck boy, he just has the tendencies. He's got this really sweet, sensitive, kind side to him. He's also very intuitive, the type of person to know exactly what you need or want before you ever say it. But he's also the type that's unapologetically himself and it's naturally an easy attractant for women. He could have any pick of the litter, and he knows it. He walks like he knows it, talks like he knows it, but he never actually comes out and says it. And the thought of conquering him, of being the one that he begs for. The one that gets the cocky side of him to bow down before your feet. Oh yes, you'll break him. Unlike Tae, who flirts shamelessly possibly just for the fun of it, you do it for more perverse and personal reasons.    You're attracted to him. More than you'd care to admit too. You want him, you want all of him. You're not sure where in the game that started happening, but you know it's far earlier on than you care to admit to yourself. But he doesn't need to know that. Not until he's worshiping you, and then you'll bare your heart and soul. But he needs to break first. You want to wash off that cocky grin from his face, you want to see him vulnerable and bare to you. And as much as you'd like to pretend it was just a game of conquering the man who can conquer all it was now much more than that. So you've been pushing harder than ever, trying to get him to cross the finish line. You think he probably understands what you're doing. And it seems to you that he's drawing it out to see if you'll break first instead. You've had to slow back down in retaliation. Well, that and the fact that you had been so caught up in the thrill of the chase that you've had witnesses. Technically just one witness actually, just on a few occasions.    Unfortunately, poor Jungkook has been caught in the crossfires of your little 'chases' a few times now. So now you have to be a little bit more careful. Poor Jungkook. The last time he walked in on the two of you had been the worst. He'd found Taehyung feeding from your thigh when he came over to see if Taehyung wanted to play a video game of some sort with him. As if it wasn't bad enough of a position with your dress hiked up and your expensive black lace and chiffon underwear on full display it of course just had to happen right when he finally started looking you in your eyes after he accidentally saw the racy photo you'd sent Tae a few weeks prior. It wasn't that bad, but you're pretty sure that he's maybe seen boobs in real life a handful of times and that didn't help anything. He's a shy, innocent thing under all that bravado he puts on stage. Jungkook still refuses to talk around you, he just turns into an awkward statue and runs away which has caused his blood type endless entertainment recently. She's been using you just to chase away Jungkook, and it's only made you tread more lightly in your game with Taehyung.    Your thoughts are brought back to the present when you hear your phone buzz. You glance over at Jungkook's blood type on your right and Jin's blood type on your left to see both of them sound asleep before pulling up the text. It wasn't a dick pic per say. It alluded to it, but the angle cut off right after the thatch of well-groomed pubic hair. Interesting, so he doesn't shave completely. Somehow, you kind of anticipated him to be an all or nothing kind of guy. Not that you're complaining. The real question is how to respond?    You take a moment to ponder your options before a text pops up.

[Tae-Tae] Speechless? [you] No, I'm just debating if you shave and trim or just trim.    What a cocky little shit. You'll break him one day, you swear it. [Tae-Tae] Care to find out? [you] Hmm... [Tae-Tae] I'll show you if you ask me. ;) [you] Nah, I think my own imagination is probably better. [Tae-Tae] :( It's not tho [you] Whatever you say, babe. [Tae-Tae] babe? I get nicknames now? What can I call you? How about baby doll? [you] Gross, veto. [Tae-Tae] Princess? [you]...I can work with that one, but it's not my favorite. [Tae-Tae] My queen? [you] Much better. I accept from you my humble servant.

   You try to stifle your laughter as Taehyung suddenly appears down the aisle. He shoots you another boxy grin and leans over for a moment to whisper in your ear.    "See, I told you. You can get guys to do their bidding. All you have to ask and your wish is my command. My queen." You look at him for a moment before staring back straight ahead.    "I'd rather hear you beg." You watch his pupils dilate for a moment when you spare a short glance back his way, his head cocked to the side before he finally moves back over to his seat when a stewardess starts walking by.

---------------------------------

Warn him about what?

I grabbed the knob and twisted it with a weak grip, throwing the door open and moving to rush out. But I stopped—and nearly screamed when I came face to face with Yoongi, only it wasn’t Yoongi, it couldn’t have been Yoongi.

Yoongi didn’t have blood seeping from his eyes, nose and mouth like that, dripping audibly onto the floor as he hunched over, nearly stumbling through the doorway of my bedroom.

Yoongi’s skin wasn’t that shade of grayish-blue like he had been dead for days. But overall—Yoongi’s eyes didn’t hold pure fear, the same fear I could feel in the air, the fear that was coming from him.

Blood splattering onto my skin as he uttered ‘no’ and ‘please’ in a voice too weak to have been his own, but he wasn’t begging me, he was begging someone else—something else—I could feel its presence.

And that’s when I saw another figure emerge from the shadows of the hallway, reaching out to claim Yoongi. And I did scream.

And then I woke up, again, this time in broad day light. The sun burned my eyes as I frantically looked around, squinting through the haze of tears and light—everything looked normal, everything felt normal.  

The sound of my door being thrown open made me jump and shriek again—only this time it didn’t make it past my lips, the scream was smothered by a choked sob that caught in my throat when I saw who was standing there.

Yoongi stood in the doorway, his eyes wide but alert and full of fire. “What’s wrong?” his voice held concern and his chest heaved—he had just run up the steps no doubt—he glanced around my room as I scrambled to get out of bed, rushing towards him.

His skin was slightly cold to the touch and the pink tint to the tip of his nose told me he had been outside. I clung to him like my life depended on it, anything I said—or tired to say—came out a jumbled, incoherent mess; I was sobbing too hard to talk, to breathe, I felt like I might pass out.

And for the second time, I saw fear in his eyes—masked—but it was there.

A half an hour later and I was sitting at the kitchen table—my entire body trembling, my core muscles spasming from how hard I had been crying. I wasn’t crying now, I was spaced out, staring at the steaming cup of tea Yoongi made for me, my mind replaying that image and those feelings over and over again. It was mind numbing to see Yoongi in such a state, I was almost unable to process it.

It wasn’t just a dream, it was too real. Something is coming.

“Y/N…” Yoongi spoke softly from the seat next to me, his chair turned to face mine. He reached out to take my hand in both of his, his thumbs soothingly rubbing over my skin. “Can you talk?” he asked, humming when I didn’t answer him. “Are you able to tell me what happened?” he tried to mask the impatient tone in his voice, but he was failing.

“Look and see.” I said, giving him permission to get inside of my head. He hesitated, almost like he didn’t want to know—I didn’t blame him, I could tell he was growing uneasy from my behavior.

His palm spread across the side of my head and I closed my eyes, preparing myself. I felt the mind-numbing chill spread throughout my head, starting at my temples.  I relived the dream, this time with Yoongi, and I squirmed in my seat, the feeling of dread weighing in the pit of my stomach.

Once Yoongi dropped his hand from my head I looked over at him, and my stomach dropped—he didn’t look the least bit concerned. “A-Aren’t you worried? Somethings wrong.” I was almost mad that he didn’t look concerned.

“We don’t know if your dream holds any truth, it could just be a dream…” he sighed. “But I’ll call Jimin, get him to interpret it, he’ll tell us if we should be worried or not.” He looked at me, his gaze softening, “I don’t plan on dying, especially now that I have to babysit you all the time.” He offered a small smile as he stood, vanishing beyond the doorway.

An hour or so later the front door swung open and several sets of footsteps echoed down the hall along with hushed voices, Yoongi turned to from his spot at the counter to face the doorway.

The first person to walk through the kitchen doorway was a noticeably tired Hoseok, he greeted Yoongi with a nod.  He looked over at me and gave me a lazy half smile, “Hey, you.” I gave a soft smile in return.

“Sleep well?” He teased, approaching me and ruffling my hair—Yoongi shot him a look, so he pursed his lips and sat down in the chair next to mine. The next person to walk through the doorway was Jimin, who didn’t bother to acknowledge Yoongi, instead he rushed over to me, squatting down next to my chair to speak to me. “Oh gosh, Y/N, you look exhausted.” His hands on mine were warm and comforting; with him in the room I got the urge to cry again, I knew he understood, I knew he could feel what I was going through. Occasionally that psychic connection came in good use. He stood and hugged my head to his stomach, smoothing my hair down, I could feel him trying to urge his was into my mind, but I wouldn’t allow it—not yet.

A deeper and more commanding voice spoke next, one that ran chills down my spine and sent a small jolt of excitement through my stomach. “So…explain why we’re all here?” Tae asked.

“There was an…incident, involving a dream—” “You say that like it’s nothing—” “I did not—“ “A majority of psychics have premonitions in the form of dreams, that’s how our powers usually manifest first, you know that and you’re treating this like it’s nothing.” Jimin snapped, his voice was both amplified and muffled as I listened to him speak with my head against his stomach, frankly, it wasn’t doing anything to help the dull ache behind my eyes.

“And I know that things can be altered by course of action, so even if the dream was a sneak peak at my death—there can be ways to avoid it and change the outcome.” Yoongi snapped back.

“Yo, wait, who said anything about you dying?” Hoseok spoke, confusion lacing his voice.

There was silence, the clock ticking on the wall seemed to echo, taunting us all while Yoongi delayed his answer.

I pulled away from Jimin to speak, since Yoongi obviously wasn’t going to. “I had a dream, Yoongi was dying, someone—something else was here, in the house.” “Did you see it?” Tae asked, moving to sit at the head of the table. “No, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Yoongi knows what it was.” I cast a bitter glance at him, “That’s why he’s convinced he can avoid it, he knows the dream wasn’t just bullshit but he doesn’t want to admit it.” I could see Yoongi grit his teeth as he closed his eyes, fighting back a bitter remark.

“Y/N, how was Yoongi dying in your dream?” Hoseok asked, swiveling in his seat to face me, eyebrows furrowed—a sudden fire, a sudden bitterness burned in his eyes, it was almost alarming to see him out of character. “He was bleeding from his eyes and shit, wasn’t he?” I gaped back at him, “Yeah…just like that.”

Hoseok gave me a petty smile before turning to Yoongi, “When was the last time you checked—” “Shut up—” “Obviously it—” “I said—” Yoongi stepped forward like he was ready to fight Hoseok into silence.

“GUYS!” Tae slammed his hand down on the table silencing Yoongi and Hoseok’s bickering, causing everyone to jump in the process.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did so, “Let’s not fight…we need to be calm about this, this isn’t something we should waste time bickering over.” “Calm, Calm?” Hoseok shouted as he stood up abruptly, his chair nearly tipping over backwards.

“Y/N, you wanna know what you saw?” Hoseok turned to me. “Don’t you da—” “The thing in the basement—that we’re all afraid of—got out, that’s what you saw.” Everyone went stiff, the air seemed to freeze over, and the chill seeped into every inch of my skin reaching my bones in a way that made my body ache. A paralyzing fear wrapped fingers around my throat and my mind blanked, unwilling to process the words he just spoke.  

“The…what…” I breathed, I had forgotten about the thing in the basement. “Yeah, that, and it’s coming back.” Hoseok sat back down in his chair—though it wasn’t anywhere near the table anymore, he crossed his arms and stared down at his outstretched legs, isolating himself in petty anger.  

“When did that happen?” Tae spoke, snapping everyone’s attention back to the present.

“This morning.” Yoongi spoke, his gaze fixated on the floor. I saw Hoseok squirm in his chair and then draw his legs in to sit up straight from the corner of my eye. “When this morning?” Tae asked, his eyes finding mine. “Minutes before she woke up screaming.”

“You can’t avoid us…” Hoseok spoke, his voice was low and monotone, almost…feminine? “For we are many…” Everyone went wide eyed and turned to look at Hoseok.

His head hung, seemingly staring down at his lap; his hands had a vice grip on the arms of his chair, knuckles white and veins raised. “Pop culture or scripture? Either way they are the words of man, foolish and stupid.” When he picked his head up his eyes were pitch black, “You are foolish and stupid, Yoongi, I tried to warn you.” A grin that belonged to someone else stretched across Hoseok’s lips. A chill snapped down my spine like the crack of a whip, I wanted to bolt out of my seat—out of the house—it looked…wrong on his face.

“But you shut me out, for years.” “How dare you-” Yoongi breathed, his chest expelling the words along with all of the air in his lungs.

“I was never your enemy, Yoongi. I was only what you made me…but I made you—and this is how you repaid me? Locking me away…”

“Rathshiva…” I spoke, her name slipping off my tongue before I could stop it. “Yes, child.” Hoseok, no, Rathshiva turned to look at me.

“Our little witch has been collecting demons to harvest their power, right under our noses—sentenced me to limbo, destroyed my body so I couldn’t come back and stop him.” She looked back at Yoongi, “How do you feel now that your little secret is out?” There was a snarl to Her words, but the way His lip curled, it almost looked smug.

“I wasn’t harvesting their power I was c-collecting them…to stop them.” Yoongi got defensive. “And using their power in the process?” “It was necessary to protect myself—don’t forget you’re the one creating them in the first place.” He clenched his fists at his sides, but he didn’t dare move.  

Rathshiva fake gasped and with a tsk of her tongue she spoke, “No, Child, I wasn’t creating demons, I was creating witches—witches who couldn’t handle the power and became demons—you’ll end up on the same path if you’re not careful.”

“You kept making them after things went wrong, you knew what you were doing.” Yoongi spoke, his voice dropping quieter each time he opened his mouth, like he knew arguing was effortless. He has been caught.

Jimin and I were frozen in our places, both of us radiating anxious fear. Tae, on the other hand, seemed unphased and unsurprised.  

“NO!” Rathshiva boomed, flashing across the room—she moved like Tae in Hoseok’s body—fast as a blur; everyone flinched and jerked in response to Her outburst. Yoongi pressed his body back against the counter, leaning as far away from Her as he could without moving from his spot.

“No, I can’t make them right from over here, I kept making them because I was trying to find a body to use, a body that could handle the magic, so it could handle me. I’ve been trying to come back—I was willing to clean up my mess, but you denied me.” Yoongi was trembling. His face and lips were pale, and his eyes were blown out and frantic—searching every inch of Hoseok’s face like he couldn’t believe he was seeing this. The energy he was putting out was making me sick to my stomach, I could feel the air itself trembling; I could feel the shock, the realization that everything he had just crumbled before his very eyes.

“You denied me, because you got greedy—blaming me for years when you are the one causing your own downfall.” She took a step back, sucking in a breath to compose herself. “The only thing I’ve been meddling with was your little psychic friend so that I had a connection to your world, I needed a way to watch you…I have no real power in the place you put me, that’s why you put me there—remember?”

Yoongi blinked, staring at Her, frozen in his spot. I saw the way his throat contracted, and the way his chest concaved in and his body bowed forward as more air was forced from his lungs—he looked like he was about to throw up, his entire body wracked with the blow of the situation.

“Bring me my body and let me out, maybe I’ll consider cleaning up your mess and saving your life in the process—until then, I’m keeping this one while I have it, while it can handle me.” Rathshiva rolled Hoseok’s neck and crossed his arms.

She wasn’t asking, she was demanding.

Yoongi glanced around the room, I stared back, shocked at what I was hearing. “There’s no way…” Jimin breathed, speaking what was also on my mind. “Oh, there is, Child. The vampire knows because he’s been around the longest, I was never the enemy.” Rathshiva turned and walked around the table, running Hoseok’s hand across Tae’s back as she passed before sitting back down in the seat next to mine.

“Make your choice, Yoongi, it’s time to face the facts. You’ve been denying the truth even from yourself, it seems as though you’ve started to believe it.”

Yoongi locked eyes with Her, it almost seemed like his mind was shutting down and he was self-destructing mentally. The way his eyes shook in their sockets as he stared at her, his knuckles were white from his fists being balled in the material of his jeans at the sides of his thighs; sweat was shining on his neck and face. He was in shock.  

He sucked in a deep breath and glanced around at us all before he bolted across the room and down the hall, I could hear how he stumbled into the furniture lining the hallway.

The front door opened and closed with a loud ‘clunk’ and there was silence in the room for a moment too long, silence that was laced with overwhelming adrenaline and terror—which wrapped around my throat and ran a chill throughout my body.

Judging by the way Jimin was pale and spaced out, staring at where Yoongi previous stood—he was feeling the effects too, though he looked close to puking.

“If he’s smart, he’ll return with my body.” Rathshiva spoke, scooting the chair closer to the table and folding Hoseok’s hands neatly on the surface. “I believe he will, he knows he’s in too deep, I’ve been telling him for years and I think he’s finally getting it.” Tae ran a hand over his face and then up through his hair, sighing.

“Wait…” Jimin whispered, snapping his attention to Tae. “You guys…you’re—you,” He sputtered on his words. “Take a seat, I’ll tell you the story…” Rathshiva spoke, Tae nodded when Jimin looked from Hoseok to him. “You’re taking her side? What are you guys...Friends?” Jimin spoke, breathless, once he sat down.

“More like…Taehyung is my level-headed…acquaintance.” Rathshiva spoke inclining Hoseo—or Her head now, lacing His fingers under His chin.

“You trust my judgement, don’t you?” Tae spoke up as he eyed Jimin—who looked like he was between throwing up and crying—the anxiety building in the air wasn’t doing him any good. Jimin made a noise in his throat that could have been a gag or a noise of agreement.

And so, Tae continued. “As she said, I was always a little more level headed, I was able to take a step back and see everything from a broader view—I understood some of the…logics?—” Tae quirked an eyebrow “—behind her motives, why she did the things she did, granted…some of it was…” Tae paused, choosing his words carefully. “Please, speak freely, I’m intrigued about what you have to say.” Rathshiva arched an eyebrow and the corner of Hoseok’s lip twitched into an evil smirk.

Tae nodded once before continuing, “Impulsive and twisted, but understandable in a way—there certainly were better ways to go about some of the things she did, but Yoongi being Yoongi…if things don’t go his way, he kinda loses it, as we all know.” Tae sucked in a breath.

“In short, her morality is fucked, but she usually meant well—she does like to be an evil bitch sometimes, but who doesn’t?” Rathshiva breathed a laugh at Tae’s blunt statement. “I’ve been painted as the bad guy for years, if you’re not with him, you’re against him and that makes you a monster.”

“Didn’t you try to kill Yoongi? Like…twice?” Jimin asked, his voice quiet but steady as he locked eyes with Tae; avoiding acknowledging Rathshiva directly was keeping him semi-sane. “Kill? No, I would never kill my children—hurt them a little? Yes, but that’s how they learn, I’m sure you’ve heard of Punishment and Reinforcement.”  

“How long have you been banished to…limbo or wherever?” I asked, She slid her eyes to me next, Her dark gaze prodding uncomfortably into mine, into me. “How long has it been now? Eight years?” She spoke, Tae nodded. “Eight, then.” Her lip curled, disdain apparent in the expression forming on Hoseok’s face.

Eight…years.

It was so strange and foreign to see such expressions form on his face, to hear Her voice through his body, it made a question to come mind—“Where is Hoseok?” “On the back burner, he’s in his own subconscious—it’s like…taking a nap.”

“Why do you keep referring to us as child or your children?” Jimin asked, his voice louder, more confident as he sat up straight—the anxiety was starting to disperse, and the menacing vibe died out with it. “Don’t you know?” Rathshiva asked, lowering Hoseok’s hands to the table to properly face Jimin. “K-know what?” He asked, looking between all of us.

“All witches—psychics, seers, practitioners of magic—whatever you be—if you possess the ability to perform some type of magic or have a…gift, you are a descendant of mine, all witches derived from me.” Rathshiva answered, Hoseok’s eyebrows dipped in confusion. “Wait, really? I didn’t even know that…” Tae sat up straight, leaning his forearms on the table.

“Yes, all witches are mine.” “I thought you just created the immortal Great Witches?” Tae furrowed his eyebrows. “I specifically created those types of witches, yes, but they were already born with the ability to practice and therefore are related to me, I was the first witch, in a sense, the first Magical Entity.”

Something clicked, like adjusting the camera lens to see a clear picture. “So, you’re like…a deity?” I asked, “In a way, yes, not quite human not quite otherworldly—because I inhabit a physical body—though I belong more to the other side than here, because I am an entity.” She inclined her head as she spoke, it was clear she was stating her superiority—something I’ve seen too often with Yoongi. Most of the time I wanna smack him upside the head when he speaks down to me like that.

“I have ties to both planes, I’m able to go back and forth between the two—unless I get put in an enchanted limbo, crafted by demons, without having a vessel to return to.” She gave a bitter grin. “Once you get put into a lower dimensional limbo, you have to wait for whoever put you there to take you back out, even myself—the spirit worlds and other realms have laws of their own, things even I cannot break, because they don’t belong to me.”

“…I was told you were a demon…that the magic consumed you, and you became one of those things.” Jimin stared blankly at the table top, I could almost hear him working this through his mind. I’m guessing Yoongi brainwashed him the most.

“Child, I am the magic.” Rathshiva spoke, cocking her head to the side, a sly grin tugging at the corner of Hoseok’s mouth.

I took a moment to process this. “This all makes sense, actually...” I briefly locked eyes with Tae before looking to Rathshiva. “What do you mean?” She asked. I saw Jimin shift in his seat, so his body was facing me as I spoke.  

“You’re an entity, a deity of magic—you are the magic,” I breathed a laugh as realization set in, my skin began to hum as a new adrenaline took over.

“In any mythology or theology, the Gods lived by their own ways, their morals were a little fucked too—that explains why you are the way you are. I-I mean, I think we all know every God was,” I paused to breathe, paused to find words, “a little…questionable in their intentions, and it’s not really an excuse for their actions…but all Gods meddle, so you really could have always had good intentions—but it was the way you went about things that set everyone off.”

I wanted to laugh, laugh at the way it all made sense, laugh at the way the whole situation sucked, laugh at the way it was terrifying but alarmingly okay. The room was humming with adrenaline, so many things were happening and coming into light—I almost don’t know how to handle it, I felt like I might burst at the seams. “Other realms have laws of their own, their own moral code, that’s why you clash with humans, with Yoongi—Gods can’t live among men without chaos, you’re not of this plane, so you can’t live here.”

I wasn’t sure if I should be alarmed by the eerie smile that spread across Hoseok’s lips or not—not until Rathshiva said, “I like this one, she gets it…”

“Y/N is a kindred spirit in her openminded view of things, she sees the bigger picture.” Tae spoke, shooting me a wink.

“So…wait, we’re really r-related?” Jimin asked, looking around at everyone at the table, Jimin didn’t pass Go and collect two hundred dollars, he was stuck in Jail, battling with his own mind—realization was hitting him the slowest. “As an entity I pass on my gifts not my genetics, we’re all related through the magic, not blood ties.” Rathshiva spoke, “I never bore a child, but you’re all mine.”  

“Holy shit…” Jimin breathed, eyes wide but not present—he was still somewhere deep in his mind. That’s when I laughed, a laugh that sounded strange coming from my own mouth, but there it was.

And then I was crying again, and everyone was staring at me. “Perhaps…she should rest…I feel that this has all been too heavy on her mind.” Rathshiva spoke, her voice sounded distant, but all too close.

Everything was blurry, sound was distant, things seemed to move in slow motion. I recognized the hands touching me, they were cold, and they gave a feeling of death.

Jimin briefly passed in my vision, even in the haze I could see that his eyes were wide and full of panic as he was left sitting at the table with Rathshiva, Rathshiva in Hoseok’s body. Hoseok.

“Is he going to be okay?” I asked Tae, he had one hand on my lower back guiding me and the other wrapped around my upper arm. “Who? They’re all in a little bit of a…rough place right now.” Tae’s breath was hot compared to his skin as it fanned across my face. “Give it five more seconds, Jimin will be joining you in your mental breakdown.”

“I felt a lot of things today and the day isn’t half over.” I blinked in confusion, we were standing in my bedroom, though I don’t remember walking up the steps—with the way my knees felt, I probably couldn’t have walked up the steps anyway.

“Why do I feel sick every time you touch me?” I asked, sitting down on the edge of my bed. “Ouch,” Tae breathed with a laugh. “I’m dead…you’re feeling death, Y/N.” “But you’re here.” “I’m immortal.”

“How does that work? What’s the magic behind it? The science? I need answers...” Tae looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or run.

“You need to lay down, your mind took a beating today, this is the mental collapse Yoongi was afraid would happen back when you started working with your powers.” Tae spoke, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me back to lay down.

“Stay with me?” I asked, I wanted to look at him, but I was afraid that if I moved my head, I would puke. I felt like I was swimming in space. “I’m going to go get Jimin, he’s about to start losing it too, I think I can hear him repressing the urge to cry, and Rathshiva is enjoying it too much.”

“Her energy is too much to handle, it feels really scattered and overwhelming…she’s really that bitch—I mean witch, she’s that witch…don’t tell her I said that.”

I heard him chuckle low in his throat, “I won’t, I’ll be back…”

What felt like ten minutes was probably only ten seconds, and then Jimin was joining me in bed; his eyes were glazed over, and he looked pale. Tae tucked in Jimin and then sat on the edge of the bed, “I’m going to sit down stairs and chat with our guest while we wait for Yoongi, you two need to stay up here, okay?” “Need?” I repeated. “Yes, no matter what—noises, voices, anything, you stay in this room, got it?” He patted Jimin’s stomach, and then stood. “Tae?” I lolled my head to the side to look at him, “Don’t let anyone die…”

Tae smiled, though with the way the laugh bubbled past his lips, he sounded nervous, “I won’t.” He wasn’t fully confident in his words, but he said them, and then he left, taking one last glance into the room.

“Tae?” He was gone, but I knew he could still hear me, “Don’t be a martyr.”

Then dissociation set it, I spent some time locked in my own mind; derailed scenes—some from today, some not—floated in and out, nothing really seemed to make sense anymore, the moment of clarity was gone. I could hear Jimin’s breathing as he laid next to me—unmoving and probably spaced out. “What if this is all one big shared delusion?” I spoke, narrowing my eyes as I stared at the ceiling. “I don’t think all of us can go crazy at once…not about the same thing.” “People can share delusions, Jimin, it happened in France.” “What are you even talking about?” “I don’t know.”

Silence fell after that. The energy was slowly dispersing—it seems being distant from Rathshiva was working. Though I wondered what the overwhelming energy was doing to Hoseok’s body, I wondered if he would have a body to come back to…I wondered if Yoongi found her body.

When my mind cleared enough to register my surroundings, I could have laughed in disbelief, the sun was setting. Yoongi hadn’t come back yet, and hours had passed…what if something went wrong? What if he ran?

“Why…do you think he did it?” I asked, I could feel my heart speed up at my own question, I didn’t really want an answer, but I did. “He…wanted power? I guess.” Jimin mumbled. “Power…as if he didn’t have enough of it…” I scoffed, I couldn’t grasp why he was doing it, why take that risk?

“Like he said, he was using it.” Jimin rolled over to face me, I didn’t move to match his position though, I didn’t want to, it would make the conversation too real—but I still needed to know. “I don’t buy the ‘I was protecting myself’ bit, protecting himself from what?” Jimin was silent, I used the silence to create my own theories.

“I think he was using it to keep her there, he could do whatever he wanted with her away, he was using the demons to do his bidding…she said the limbo was lower dimensional, demon made, maybe he used them to keep her away?” I could feel the muscles in my forehead shift as my eyebrows bunched together. I needed confirmation.

“Why did he want to keep her away though? What else was he doing?” I whispered to myself. “I don’t know…I don’t…want to know.” Jimin whispered back, shifting so he was staring up at the ceiling again.

An uncomfortable tension grew in the silence. I didn’t like this waiting game, I felt like I was coming out of my skin.

“Y/N?” “Huh?” “What…do you think is going to happen?” I looked over, this time Jimin was the one who didn’t move to meet my gaze. “He’s going to bring her body back, that’s what he went to do, what else would happen?”

“But…what if…” Jimin squirmed, he didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to make it real—and I didn’t want to know.

“What if that thing comes back, before he does?” The anxiety was back, thick in the air and it slipped down my throat like sludge, I couldn’t respond at first—and so he kept talking. “None of us can really…fight it.” He turned his head to face me, “Rathshiva is limited, barely holding it down in Hoseok’s body; me, you and Tae don’t have any powers like that, and even if—we’d be defenseless against a demon.” I hated this, absolutely hated it. “Jimin…don’t say that…” Shut up, shut up, shut UP. “It’s not going to happen like that, she’ll get her body back, she’ll help if she has to, she…said she would.”

I didn’t know that though, not for sure, none of us did. All we could do was wait. I didn’t doubt that she would help, I didn’t doubt that Yoongi would make it back with her body…but I did doubt when, because then what?

There was a loud thump from down stairs, and Jimin and I both went rigid. Silence followed, one, two, three seconds and then, “It’s okay!” Tae called up the steps. Jimin sucked in a breath of relief. “What do you think that was?” Jimin whispered.

“Rathshiva briefly leaving Hoseok’s body.” Tae said from the other side of the door before coming in, Jimin and I both jerked in surprise.

“She left?!” I sat up, Tae nodded. “She had to, or she’d destroy his body—he hit the floor, but he’s lying down on the couch now.” “But what if the thing comes back? Then what?” I recycled Jimin’s question, now that it was a prevalent concern. Tae swallowed thickly, “Then we…uh, you guys stay up here, and I’ll worry about it, but in the meantime, I’m moving you into Yoongi’s room—it’s protected…just in case.”

“It’ll rip you apart.” Jimin gushed. Tae blinked in response, nervously flexing his hands at his side. “I can handle it, long enough, don’t worry. Yoongi should be back soon.” He didn’t sound sure, and I hated that. “Why not come into Yoongi’s room with us then?” I asked, “I can’t, I’m not permitted to enter, it’s protected—anything that’s not living, breathing, flesh and blood can’t enter.”

“Then I’m not going, it’s not fair.” I spoked, balling my fists in the blanket. “Don’t be difficult, come on, get up.” Tae sighed, moving towards the bed, I didn’t move. “I’m fine here, Jimin can go.” After a second of contemplation, Jimin shook his head, “Hoseok is passed out down stairs, so what about him? I’m not going either—we all go, or none of us go.”

“So, then what? We all die because you’re stubborn? What happened to not being a martyr?” The dark look that crossed over Tae’s face as he spoke was enough to paralyze the breath in my throat, and once his words set in, I was back.

“What happened to none of us dying, huh?” Tae opened his mouth to argue, but was silenced by the front door crashing open, all of us froze, wide eyed. “It’s Yoongi,” Tae breathed before rushing out of the room in a blur. I stayed for a breath of my own and then I was up, nearly tripping over the blanket as I took it with me. “Where are you going?!” Jimin yelled, scrambling to stand. “Down stairs.” I rushed out of the door and down the steps.

“HEY!” Jimin yelled again, stopping at the top of the steps. I only made it halfway down the hallway before Tae sprung out of the parlor doorway, grabbing me around the waist and yanking me into the room. “What are you DOING?!” He hissed all too loud into my ear. “I want to see!” I fought against him, catching a glimpse of Hoseok on the couch, he looked a little…too relaxed. “Is he okay?” I tried to pull away from him again, before I got an answer, I heard Yoongi yell, “TAE!” from the kitchen. “Not now.” Tae spat at me, dragging me with him as he left for the kitchen.

When we got to the kitchen, Tae let me go but stood firmly in the doorway, trapping me in the kitchen; his eyes were flaming, and his nostrils flared as he breathed out.

“What.” He spoke to Yoongi through clenched teeth, I turned too, my gaze landed on Yoongi before it wandered to the body on the table. All of the chairs were knocked over, kicked out of the way and away from the table. “Is that—” “Why is she down here?” Yoongi threw a wild-eyed look my way, he was rushing around, making a circle around the table with black salt and herbs. His hair was disheveled, and his bangs clung to his forehead with sweat, sweat soaked through his shirt and it stuck to his skin.

He looked insane, frantic, almost unrecognizable in this state.

“I need, I-I need…” Yoongi breathed, “The book from my table in the basement, get the book from the table in the basement.” Tae was gone before Yoongi could finish his sentence.

I approached the table, careful to not get too close to the circle.

The body on the table was thin—petite and short, she couldn’t have been more than five-foot-two. “Is this…” I trailed off. She was pale enough that you could see the blue veins running underneath the skin of her arms and neck, though the veins were primarily black along the backs of her hands and around her eyes. Her fingernails were long and black, as were her fingertips, but it faded back into pale skin at the middle knuckle.

The features of her face were sharp and angular, the eyes were closed—but I knew that once they opened, they would be pitch black—dark lashes feathered thick from gray eyelids. Her lips were gray, but black licked along the seam in an oddly natural ombre. Dark, bold brows matched her hair, which fell in wild curls, almost unkept.

Her dress, frayed at the elbows, was off white and dingy; it laced at the bust and stopped at her ankles—she wasn’t wearing shoes, her feet were like her hands—black to pale.

Yoongi started reading from his book, I hadn’t noticed that Tae came back up, I hadn’t noticed the exchange, I hadn’t noticed him pulling at my arm until he spoke. “Come on, we’re going back upstairs.” “No…” I pushed his hands away weakly, I wanted to watch, it was…bewitching, she was bewitching.

I noticed something, a messy circle of pointed sticks laid over her stomach, it can’t be what I think it is. “What is that?” I pointed to it. “Crown of thorns, to mock Christ.” It was.

Tae tugged at my arm again, “No,” I jerked away from his grip. “Leave her.” Yoongi spat between reciting his mantra. Tae made a noise in his throat but didn’t push, he wandered out of the room and down the hall—back to the parlor.

The lights flickered, and the house hummed with electricity—just as it did any time Yoongi channeled a lot of magic. The room spun with a source-less, chilled breeze and the lights cut out; I could barely make out Yoongi and the table, but he kept working.

“Y/N?” I didn’t recognize the voice, the whisper—I barely heard it over Yoongi—but I answered. “Huh?” I looked around the room, though I couldn’t see anyway.

“Don’t talk to it.” Tae was back, appearing silently behind me and breathing down the back of my neck—hands firmly planted on my waist—catching me off guard, I let out a yelp and then slapped my hand over my own mouth. “Don’t. Talk. To. It.” He repeated firmly, his forehead pressed against the back of my head, “Don’t answer it. I’ll be back. Don’t move.” He whispered, and then he was gone.

It’s coming, it’s here.

My heart sped up and my palms began to sweat; the anxiety crept up my spine and trickled down—crackling softly like electricity—down to my heels and back up to the back of my neck.

It felt like someone was—The hallway creaked behind me, as if on cue.

I hoped it was Tae. No, he’s silent, quick, like a shadow.

The hallway creaked again, closer, and the air left my lungs. I kept my eyes on the spot where I knew Yoongi was, even if I could only see the outline of his body. The heat from my palms traveled up to my armpits, up to my scalp, and the coil of anxiety in my stomach felt like it might burst at any second. The hair on the back of my neck prickled almost painfully as it stood on end, warning me—it was close.

“Y/N?” The voice was soft, feminine, almost…childlike. I shook my head at the thought. It’s not real. “Y/N…please…” The voice shifted, now sounding like Hoseok; tired, weak, scared.

Or…was it Hoseok? He didn’t look good when I saw him. I know Rathshiva could have destroyed his body—that’s why she left it…maybe she left it because she destroyed it?

No, no he’s fine. Tae would have said something…right? Or would he? Maybe he didn’t want to say anything because— the floor creaked, right behind me, it’s right there.

“Y/N, I need help…I can’t breathe…she…hurt…me.” The voice died out in a low, gargling noise, followed by a splatter—as if someone spilled something; and then there was a thud, like someone hit the floor…or the wall? I couldn’t tell.

No, no this feels wrong, I need to check, I need to.

“Hoseok?” I whispered, not wanting to move. “Y/N.” He said again, low, as if it was coming from the floor. “Hos-” I shifted to turn. “DON’T!” Tae’s voice boomed from the bottom of the steps, I jumped and shifted back to face Yoongi; wide eyed, my heart hammering in my chest. There was a faint chuckle from behind me, and a dragging noise, “Let’s see the boy for real then…” the voice was deep, guttural, inhuman.

“No!” Tae and I said at the same time, his voice coming out much louder than my own, there was a spring of footsteps and then a loud crash, the sound of glass breaking followed.

A cackle ripped through the air, and there was a yell of pain coming from an all too familiar deep voice. “No, no, no, nonono.” Tears stung my eyes and my throat seized up with the urge to yell out—and so I did, “Do something!” I yelled at Yoongi, who kept repeating his mantra, his voice cracked in response. I knew there was nothing he could do, we needed Rathshiva.

There were more bangs and shatters, the furniture lining the hallway audibly collided with walls—the deafening sound of splintering wood mixed with muffled curses and yelps echoed with Yoongi’s mantra.

It was too much.

The noises halted and there was a loud, drawn out gasp as the unmistakable sound of someone being punched resonated tauntingly down the hall; the raspy chuckle that came next made my stomach lurch with the need to puke. “Do you feel my fingers in your heart, boy?” There was a wet gurgling noise and a splatter—as if flicking paint at a canvas—and then there was nothing from the hallway. Yoongi stuttered over his mantra, the last of the words leaving his mouth in a rush of air. Tears leaked from my eyes and I covered my mouth to stop the sob. There was no doubt what that was, what that meant.

The electricity in the air cracked and dropped, and so the lights in the house turned back on. “Don’t look, don’t turn around!” Yoongi’s voice was hoarse as he spoke from his position on the floor, his back was against the counter and his knees were pulled into his chest; he was staring wide eyed at the table, his face and neck were visibly dripping sweat.

Rathshiva’s body arched off of the table and then it dropped, she was still for a second, then two, then three—and then she sprang to life. She moved like Tae as she took off down the hall, but in a black haze of mist.

There was a long, animalistic, inhuman scream; and I heard several of the light bulbs in the next room—the room closest to Rathshiva—shatter. “Y/N come here, come here.” Yoongi jumped to his feet and rushed around the table to grab me, he pulled me to the farthest corner away from the kitchen doorway, I could feel his hand trembling as he gripped my arm.

Once the light show ended, he sucked in a deep breath and dropped his arm from mine. “I…I need you to stay here…please…stay here. Right here.” Yoongi looked to me with wild eyes, his breath was coming out in pants. He took a hesitant step away from me, facing me as he did so, I nodded; I couldn’t half see him through the haze of tears. He took another slow step, and then turned on his heel and bolted towards the door way; but he stopped in the doorway and stared into the hallway. His shoulders slumped, and his lips parted as air forced its way from his lungs, he wasn’t looking around—he was fixated on a single spot—and I knew.  

My back hit the wall and I sucked in raspy breath, and it left again in a wail. I slid down the wall, gripping my own throat with both hands. Several wracked sobs left my throat before I looked over again, Yoongi was no longer standing in the doorway—he had gone down the hall.

“Is-is-is,” I couldn’t get it out, my throat wouldn’t allow it.

After a few painfully quiet seconds, Yoongi wandered back into the kitchen, his face was blank, and his eyes were distant; bloody shoe prints followed him, and he stopped next to me, sliding down the wall to join me. “Is…” I sucked in a breath and wiped my face frantically, trying to compose myself, as if it would help me speak, as if it would fix the situation. “Is he…dead?” Fresh tears spilled as the word left my lips. Yoongi opened and closed his mouth but didn’t say anything, instead he reached over and put his hand on my knee.

“And Hoseok?” I asked. “He’s…fine.” “But Tae…?” I needed to hear it, he had to say it.

“His heart is at the other end of the hallway, but I can fix that.” Rathshiva materialized from black mist in the kitchen, “He’s not headless, that’s good. That—I cannot fix.”

“Yoongi, help me.” She spoke, her dress swishing around her legs as she walked out of the room. “Wha- wait, what?” Yoongi jumped to his feet, nearly tripping over himself as he rushed after her, “Y-You can fix that?”

“Yes…He’ll wake up, good as new—as will your little ghost walker friend.” Rathshiva’s voice sounded distant—I was still trying to wrap my brain around what she said.

She can fix this…

“Cleaning up, on the other hand, that won’t be fun.” Her eerie chuckle echoed down the hall.

A/N: First things first, I wanted to end it a little annoyingly. Why? Because I hate cliffhangers/unresolved endings. So why not make EVERYONE SUFFER by lowkey doing that?? 

Also, I combined the basement reveal with Rathshiva’s reveal. Two birds one stone, and I felt it fit better in a way? So! Here’s my favorite evil bitch! God, she’s been haunting me for AGES! It feels nice to let the cat out of the bag finally. I read through this twice, but I find its hard to spot spelling errors/typos when you read your own writing, because you already know what it’s going to say—so if you come across one—please ignore it fusdhgjskdg

I hope you enjoyed this part! Thank you so much for reading!

Feel free to send Rathshiva (or anyone else) some love! She’s open for muse chat—where you can ask her questions, interact with her directly or just come hang out with us~

(Any muse of mine, that has been introduced, is open for muse chat!)

        Sohee glanced at Taehyung, not sure how to respond to his cheerful greeting. But his big round eyes stared at her expectantly, making her feel guilty for not answering right away.

        "Hi." she croaked as she tried to sit up.

        Gently, Taehyung aided her by placing pillows behind her back for support. It made her all the more confused; she wasn't used to being treated so nicely by a stranger.

        "And you are?" he blinked cutely. Although he had heard it from the younger boy, he wanted to hear it from her himself.

        "Sohee." she mumbled.

        "Sohee." he grinned, feeling butterflies in his stomach as the name escaped his lips. "Pretty name."

        Sohee blushed. "Thank you."

        Her eyes finally adjusted to the lack of lighting and she could somewhat make up that she was in a small bedroom.

        "Where am I, Tae?" she asked.

        Taehyung felt his heart flip in his chest at the sound of his name being uttered by her voice. Was this the effect of being soulmates? Even the smallest things flustered him.

        "I umm..." he tried to compose himself. "...this is my house."

        Sohee's eyes widened. Taehyung saw the panic in her eyes so he hurriedly spoke, "My mom lives here too. She's the best doctor in town so she patched you up!"

        Sohee finally remembered that she had been severely injured. Slowly, she felt her ribs and saw that it was in fact, stitched up well. Her fingers traced the scar, unaware that Taehyung was watching her do so.

        Taehyung watched her expose a bit of her skin as she checked her wound. He felt his body heat up, but he couldn't look away.

        "What are you?"

        His thoughts were interrupted by her question and soon they found their gazes connecting. She studied his scarlet eyes as he felt himself get shy under her observation. She recognized them as the comforting eyes in her dream.

        "I'm a...vampire..." he answered hesitantly, hoping that it wouldn't scare her. She wasn't panicking even after experiencing the attack right?

        "Can I?" she outstretched her hand towards his cheek.

        She was so curious. Other than his eyes, he looked human. Did they feel different?

        Taehyung gulped, but nodded nonetheless. He held his breath, waiting for her hand to finally make contact. His whole body jittered, filled with emotions that he had never experienced. Her touch was gentle, her skin soft against his. He watched as she studied his facial features with awe.

        He was beautiful, no doubt. More beautiful than any village boy that she had ever come across. Were all vampires this handsome? His eyes were alluring and bright. His skin felt only slightly cold, but didn't feel any different to touch.

        Her hand moved to his lips. Tae's heart was ramming against his chest loudly as she traced the most sensitive part of his face. He couldn't help swallowing hard again nervously.

        "Can I see your teeth?" she questioned as her fingers remained on his lips.

        Taehyung, finally reaching his limit, carefully pulled her hands away from his face.

        "I'll show you." he stated as he smiled and willed his fangs to show themselves.

        "Whoa." She was about to poke his fangs, but he hurriedly gripped her wrist.

        If any part of her made contact with his fangs, he would surely feel drawn to her blood and be unable to control himself.

        "That's dangerous." he scolded firmly, and she retracted her hand understandably. Flustered at yelling at her, he looked down guiltily. But her eyes were still studying him curiously.

        "A-are you hungry?" He fiddled with the ends of his sleeves nervously. "M-my mom cooked some rabbit stew for you..."

        "You guys eat rabbit stew?" she asked.

        Taehyung hummed as he tried to ponder on how he should respond. "Mmm umm...we can eat part of the rabbit?"

        Sohee chuckled, "So you mean you drink the blood of animals?"

        Taehyung smiled and nodded, glad she wasn't really frightened of him.

        And so, Sohee ended up staying until she recovered.

        It was interesting. Even though she was consciously aware that they were vampires, she felt more at ease with Tae Hee and Taehyung than when she was at her orphanage. She enjoyed watching their loving interactions with a warm smile. And to say that Taehyung had a very easy personality to get along with was an understatement.

        He was naturally curious about her, as much as she was about him. It felt like they had known each other for years, and were just catching up on time they had lost.

        "So like...is it true vampires don't sleep?" Sohee asked.

        During the night time, when most vampires were out and about, she was always ushered into Taehyung's room, to keep her scent under wraps from the other vampires. Most nights, she slept there, bundled in Tae's clothes.

        "Mmm..." Tae hummed as he colored nonchalantly, something she had introduced him to. "It's not that we can't. We don't need to."

        "You don't need to?"

        "Yeah." Tae shrugged. "We can sleep. If we're bored, most of the time. But we don't really need it like humans do."

        "How interesting." Sohee padded over to sit next to him. "How about the onions and garlic?"

        Tae scrunched up his nose. "Our senses are sensitive so things like those stink really bad to the point that it hurts us."

        "And that's why you can't go out in the day?"

        "We can do that too, as long as the sun's not out. But we don't like to either, cause humans are more awake at that time. It's dangerous to feed when there are so many witnesses." Tae explained.

        "And how about dying by a wooden stake plunged into your heart?"

        Tae giggled. "Humans are funny. We're not invincible. Of course we'd die if we get stabbed."

        "Vampires die?" Sohee blinked.

        Tae titled his head towards her. "Yeah. My father did during a hunt."

        "I'm sorry..." Sohee frowned.

        "It's alright. We've killed a lot of your friends too." Tae smiled sadly. "Humans seem to think vampires are immortal. In a sense, we're just super-humans I guess."

        "Super-humans?"

        Tae grabbed her hand and placed it over his chest. She felt her cheeks heat up. Then her eyes widened when she felt it.

        A heart beat.

        She glanced up at Tae, confused.

        He grinned widely, "We live for a long time. We start our development like humans do, then after a certain age, our aging slows to the point where it looks like we don't age at all. But we're still very much alive."

        "Wow..." she breathed as she felt the drum of his heart quicken under her touch. "I didn't think..."

        Tae felt very conscious of being so close to her and hurriedly placed her hand back onto her leg carefully.

        "So how old are you exactly?" she questioned.

        "18." he laughed. "Our aging slows anywhere around 23-25."

        She smiled, "Then we're not too far in age."

        "How old are you?" Tae chuckled.

        "17. I had 1 more year until I could move out of the orphanage and be on my own." She hugged her knees.

        "You couldn't leave?"

        She shook her head. "Technically we weren't adults yet so I couldn't do much past running errands at the marketplace."

        "Same." Tae shifted beside her, both leaning against his bed.

        "Don't you guys go hunt?" She wondered.

        "Yeah, but that's about as much as we can get out." Tae chuckled. "You know, it gets dangerous for younger vampires to roam free when they haven't controlled their urges."

        "Urges?"

        "To drink blood." Tae stated.

        "Oh." Sohee awkwardly looked away. "But you seem to have a good handle on it...for someone young..."

        Tae blushed, remembering their first encounter. "I...uh...well...I don't really enjoy hunting or drinking human blood. I'm usually alright with animal blood."

        "So like...a vegetarian of sorts?" She glanced at him, intrigued.

        Tae scratched the back of his head, "I guess. But it's looked down upon around here so I had to adapt to protect my mom. I go to the hunts, but I try not to kill whoever I drink blood from...."

        Sohee smiled. Taehyung truly was different. She was about to grab his hand comfortingly, sensing that he was saddened by his own reality when Tae straightened up tensely.

        "Tae?" Sohee muttered, but she was suddenly pulled into his chest. Her breath got knocked out of her for more than one reason. He tightened his hold and from the way his body tensed, as if on edge, made her realize something was wrong.

        "Stay still." he whispered. "I...I have to um..."

        She looked up at him questioningly.

        "Excuse me." He bit his lip before nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck, causing her to gasp. She covered her mouth, sensing that she shouldn't be making any noise.

        And that's when she heard it.

        "Tae Hee. Where's Taehyung been? We haven't seen him since the hunt a week and a half ago. Was he seriously injured?"

        She gulped. Other vampires.

        Tae was ensuring that her scent was covered by placing his own around her body, taking special care to protect her neck. But it was taking a very high level of his self control not to be drawn to her blood, not when it was pulsing so rapidly out of fear. With his iron will, he pushed himself off of her and hurriedly pulled off the sweater he was wearing to throw it over her body.

        "Stay under the covers until I get back." he cupped her cheeks, a flicker of worry passing through his eyes. "Just sleep, okay? I'll go lead them away from here."

        She rested her hand on top of his with a trusting nod. "Be careful, Tae. What if they smell human on you?"

        Tae smiled, reassuringly. "It'll be alright."  

        She reached out towards his chest, feeling his quick heart beat. Tae's grin faltered, knowing she had caught his lie. But she simply nodded and stated confidently. "I'll be waiting."

        And that was all he needed to hear to know that everything will be alright. He would surely come back. With a last glance at each other, he stepped out of the room. Not long after the sound of cheering roared throughout the house.

        "Taehyung! He lives!"

        Sohee smiled as she listened to the banter between Taehyung and who she assumed, were his friends. And with that, she drifted off to sleep.

        "Ahh!"

        Sohee woke up suddenly at the sound of someone cursing. She found Tae in the corner of the room in a bundle. Curiously, she looked around the room and found a sliver of sunlight entering through a crack in the curtains. Amused, Sohee tugged at it, blanketing the room once again in darkness.

        "Thanks." Tae breathed in relief.

        "Why do vampires have windows anyway?" Sohee questioned with a yawn.

        "Because the moon is pretty." Tae chuckled.

        "How was your hangout?" she asked, rubbing her eyes, still groggy.

        "It was alright." Tae shrugged. He couldn't mention that 2 of his friends had shared that they had found their soulmates. They were in another vampire tribe and had come across each other during one of the nightly hunts. He didn't want to open up about it, because that would mean telling her that in their culture, feelings were seemingly pre-destined. He didn't want to put that burden on her so he quickly changed the subject. "Mom made you breakfast."

        He loved the way she beamed at the thought of satisfying her hunger. It was refreshing after years of seeing the sadistic, maniacal grins of thirsty vampires, right before setting off for the hunt.

        "Your mom is a fantastic cook." She jumped out of bed with renewed energy.

        "Mom was always fascinated by humans." Tae grinned.

        "Like you?" she teased, but Tae's heart fluttered, as his initial thought replied with an, "only by you".

        But he shook the thought away and responded, "Says the one who's always asking about vampires?"

        She giggled and the two of them made their way to the kitchen happily.

        "Good morning Tae Hee." Sohee smiled warmly.

        "Good morning, loves."

        Tae grinned widely as his mom kissed Sohee on the temple sweetly before doing it to him right after.

        "Some rabbit stew for Sohee, and rabbit blood for you, Tae."

        "Is it really that good?" Sohee glanced at his bowl curiously. "You said it's your favorite."

        "It tastes sweeter for some reason." he shrugged.

        "I'm going to tend to the laundry. Eat up." Tae Hee urged.

        "Yes." The two answered.

        After a few seconds of silence, Sohee blurted out. "Can I try?"

        Tae's hand stilled as he was about to slurp into his bowl. "What?"

        "I want to know what it tastes like." Sohee blushed. "I mean, vampires are all crazy about blood...so it kind of makes it look...appetizing?"

        Tae squinted his eyes towards you. "Are you sure you aren't a vampire posing as a human?"

        Sohee chuckled, but Tae redirected his spoon towards her lips. Nervously, she covered the utensil with her mouth. She immediately coughed and gagged.

        "Oh my gosh. Blegh."

        "No?" Tae giggled.

        "No...that's...no..." She stuck her tongue out, not enjoying the taste lingering in her mouth. "I guess I'm really not a vampire."

        Tae's eyes immediately focused, seeing a spot of rabbit's blood on the corner of her lips. Before he thought better of it, he leaned forward and licked the leftovers away.

        The both of them stilled and shifted back with wide eyes at what just happened. Tae's heart was hammering frantically inside his chest. What did he just do?

        "I...sorry...habit...?" he tried to think of a lame excuse, but ended up mentally kicking himself. It made it sound like he would lick blood off of anyone's face. That's not how he wanted to be seen.

        Sohee blushed and nodded, "T-thanks. I wouldn't want that going to waste..."

        Tae smiled shyly before they returned to their respective meals.

        "Blegh." Tae scowled as he watched Sohee cooking. "Why're you putting vegetables in there?"

        "They're healthy. How come your mom has a vegetable garden if you don't like it?"

        "She likes it." he scrunched his nose. "She makes me eat it."

        "It's good for growing boys." Sohee patted his head playfully.

        "Gross."

        "I thought you wanted to try my cooking, but look at you complaining." Sohee shook her head. "I'll just eat this by myself."

        "No, sorry." Tae quickly acted cutely. "Let me try human food please."

        Sohee chuckled at his immediate change. "It's called pizza."

        "Pizza..." Tae hummed. "What's that red stuff? Is that blood?"

        "Tomato sauce." Sohee laughed. "You could think of it as a blood of the fruit though?"

        "Cool." Tae grinned.

        "I'm surprised you have a kitchen and all that." Sohee sat down after putting it in the oven.

        "Well this was once a human village." Tae fiddled with his sleeves.

        "Ahh makes sense." She nodded nonchalantly.

        He smiled to himself. He loved how she never judged him and his kind negatively whenever he revealed their history. He felt safe opening up to her, and it seemed mutual.

        "You know," she turned to him.

        "Hm?"

        "Humans and vampires aren't so different." She claimed.

        Tae blinked, surprised at her conclusion. "You think?"

        "Like not all vampires are evil and not all humans are evil. We have different ways of approaching life. Different preferences of food, but we have a lot more in common than we all want to admit." she shrugged. "We all have feelings. We're all mortal in one way or another. I mean we're getting along just fine right?"

        She looked at him expectantly, and Tae grinned, having heard that exact statement a long time ago.

        "Yeah. You're right."

        He sincerely wished that more people would see that. Then maybe he would be able to exist with Sohee openly.

        Tae Hee smiled to herself as she silently walked away from the kitchen, overhearing their conversation.

        "Taehyung, you have to hunt."

        Sohee heard Tae and his mother whispering after she finished showering.

        "I don't want to..." Tae whined.

        "I know, but honey, everyone's getting worried and suspicious of you. They're wondering why you suddenly stopped coming out of the house or going on hunts. You were one of their best hunters, Tae. And one of the most social vampires in the village. You need to go. To protect Sohee."

        Tae exhaled, "You're right."

        "She'll be sleeping anyways. You need to act normally."

        "What was even normal?" Tae smiled sadly. "I was only acting how I thought dad wanted me to be."

        Tae Hee patted his cheek gently. "You're not your father."

        "But I don't want to disappoint him."

        His mother shook her head. "And I don't want you to disappoint yourself, Tae."

        Sohee frowned. Tae was going through much more than he ever let on. He was always smiling and having fun around her, that she never spared a thought about it. What kind of person was she? She clenched her fist. Maybe she really was being a burden again. The last thing she would want is to hurt Tae and Tae Hee, to cause them trouble.

        "I'll go hunt today. Then I'll talk with Sohee about what to do." Tae smiled. "Please keep her safe."

        "I will. She's important to me too." Tae Hee nodded. "Please be safe, honey. Say bye to her as well before you go."

        Tae nodded, and Sohee hurried to dress herself. There was a light knock on the door.

        "Come in." She called out.

        "Hey." Tae waltzed in, smiling.

        "Hi." She turned around to greet him.

        "I'm going out tonight..." he scratched the back of his head nervously.

        She nodded. "Okay. You'll be back soon right?"

        Tae hummed, happy she wasn't asking anything further.

        "Stay safe, okay?" She reached out to hold his hand. "Then we'll talk when I wake up."

        "Talk?" he worried.

        She smiled, "We always talk. No need to get scared."

        Tae relaxed and chuckled.

        "I'll be waiting." She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

        "I'll be back." Tae ruffled her hair and gently caressed her cheek.

        Sohee nodded as she watched him creep out of the room, unwillingly. She touched her cheek where the feeling of his fingers lingered.  

        Tae met up with the hunting pack for the night, laughing half-heartedly at their jokes, wondering how he had been able to keep up this facade for years. Everyone meant well, and genuinely rejoiced in his return, but why did he feel so empty? Why did he feel so out of place? He listened to the plan for the night intently, making sure to find a way to avoid the actual hunt as subtly as possible. He was already counting down the time until he would be able to return home, back to Sohee.

        And with that, they set off.

        Taehyung was making his way through the woods with the rest of his group, when he felt a pang in his chest, and he froze immediately. His whole body was screaming at him to head back to the house. Were his mom and Sohee in danger? Did soulmates also have this connection? He thought back to how his mom had a bad feeling about his father leaving for the hunt the night he died, and he spared no time zooming back to his home.

        "Taehyung! Where are you going?" He heard their onslaught of screams from the distance, but he couldn't think of anything else other than Sohee being in danger.

        "Get out of the way Tae Hee." One of the vampires pushed Tae Hee away easily as Sohee's breathing shallowed.

        They had come so swiftly. She was deep in sleep when she heard Tae Hee's piercing scream and soon enough, Tae's room door flying open. She couldn't even gasp before she was flung out of Tae's bed and onto the wall. Her eyes filled up with tears at the pain. Tae's mother had hurriedly stood in front of her, spreading her arms out to shield her from them. But it had been futile.

        Sohee looked up, frightened as she nervously stood, trying to appear strong and confident. In front of her were three large and vicious looking vampires. Their eyes weren't the pretty scarlet that Tae's were, but a dark maroon, a little reminiscent of blood. Her body shook out of fear as they approached her. They were looking at her so hungrily that it terrified her, but there was no way she would be able to escape them. She knew that even thinking she could outrun and outsmart a vampire was ridiculous.

        Glancing over at Tae Hee who was staring at her with worried eyes, Sohee smiled contently. She was being a burden to someone else again after all. It was a great risk for them to take her in and she couldn't have them get into trouble or be exiled because of this. Closing her eyes, she prepared for the worst, accepting that this dream-like state had come to an end.

        Would they tear her apart first? Would they suck her dry? She tightened her eyes, tears trickling down her cheek. She never got to say a proper goodbye to Tae; she never got to say thank you.

        She felt their overbearing presence looming right over her and her heartbeat quickened. For the first time in her life, she realized that she didn't want to die. She wanted to keep living, getting to know Tae, and eating Tae Hee's meals. She began sobbing as her honest thoughts flooded in. She wanted to learn more, talk more, get to know them more.

        "Tae..." she mumbled under her breath.

        "Her blood's going to taste so good. Can you feel it pulsing so quickly for us?" the biggest vampire outstretched his hand, reaching for Sohee's tear-stricken face.

        Suddenly, a powerful of gust of wind enveloped the room, and Sohee felt her back being roughly pressed against the wall behind her.

        "Don't you dare TOUCH HER!" Taehyung's voice growled as he protectively stood in front of Sohee, poised to pounce.

        Sohee tore her eyes open at his voice and gasped at the sight of the three large vampires knocked down on the ground. She could see from an angle that Taehyung's eyes were a bright ruby red, and he was baring his fangs and claws out violently.

        "What the hell do you think you're doing?" one of the vampires bellowed as they all stumbled back on their feet, getting over their initial shock. "This is treason! Protecting a human?! And ATTACKING your own kind?"

        "Don't ever lay a hand on her again." Taehyung moved so that his back made contact with her body. He needed to feel that she was there, securely in his grasp.

        "Taehyung. You're crazy. You can't do this." The three worriedly looked at each other, clearly not having expected such a reaction from Taehyung, who had always been sweet, smiling, and seemingly carefree.

        Sohee glanced around curiously. Although the three vampires were by far larger, taller, and more built than Tae, they seemed to be afraid of him for some reason. Sohee wasn't sure what exactly was happening, but she remained frightened of what could occur. Cautiously, she gripped onto Taehyung's cloak, not wanting to be separated from him. Taehyung's heart welled up at the small action of trust. Sohee was leaning on him, trusting him. He would do everything he could not to disappoint her.

        "Get out of my house." He snarled demandingly, and the three slowly backed towards the door obediently.

        "Well we're just going to tell the elders about this then, huh? Then everyone can have a piece of her." One of them taunted, and Taehyung was on them in a flash.

        Sohee inhaled at his insane speed. He had slipped through her grip in a blink of an eye.

        "He's an Unlucky One!" his mother called out before Tae could do anything else.

        Everyone's eyes widened and froze where they were. Sohee still had no idea what was going on, but she kept herself plastered onto the wall, hoping she would be forgotten.

        "He's an Unlucky One?" one of the vampires whispered, sympathetically.

        Taehyung's eyes returned to their scarlet color as he calmly got off the vampire he had tackled down.

        "That's right." he admitted meekly, looking down at the ground.

        Sohee glanced at everyone's solemn expressions and furrowed her brow. What was happening?

        "Is that true?" Another more authoritative voice chimed in and an elderly looking vampire with a long beard appeared at the door.

        Taehyung hurriedly returned to Sohee's side defensively. "Yes, Elder."

        Everyone bowed their heads as he walked by. Sohee did so instinctively.

        "And she knows what you are?" he peered down at her curiously, behind Taehyung's shoulder.

        "Yes, we met during the attack a couple of nights ago."

        There was no use lying to the Elder. He rarely appeared before people, only when something rare or out of hand happened in town. He knew almost everything. It was as if he was everywhere but nowhere at the same time.

        "I see." he hummed as he continued studying Sohee.

        She buried herself closer to Taehyung, who was trying to keep his composure from their proximity.

        "There were two unprecedented incidents that brought me here tonight." The Elder shifted his cloak over his shoulders. "Were you aware of the second?"

        "The second?" Taehyung furrowed his brow.

        "Tae..." his mom spoke up softly. "You're an Alpha."

        Taehyung's eyes widened and his mouth hung loosely.

        There were too many phrases and names that Sohee didn't understand. It made her realize that she had walked into a completely different world. Foolishly, she had thought they would be able to live together, but maybe...maybe it wasn't possible.

        From the context though, it seemed being an "Unlucky One" produced sympathy while being an "Alpha" was unique and awe-inspiring.

        And Tae was both? It seemed to be a rare occurrence from the looks of the situation.

        "I'm a what?"

        "An Alpha." the Elder repeated. "You should remember the term from school, yes?"

        Sohee's ears perked up, intrigued. Vampires had school too? She glanced at the Elder intently, but as if knowing what she was thinking, he was staring right back at her. Hurriedly, she shifted closer to Taehyung who felt his cheeks warming at her closeness.

        "So? I don't see how that's unprecedented." he shrugged.

        "An Alpha, Taehyung, is the strongest vampire in the village and has utmost control over them while Elders have wisdom, respect, and earned reverence. Alphas have a connection, a bond that can impose commands on others. They have speed, agility, strength, keen senses -- a higher breed of vampires." Elder recited, as if answering Sohee's question. "First, Tae, we only ever have one Alpha in a village, and they almost are always well into their 30s when they find out they are. As far as I know, the only Alpha is still alive, so we now have two amongst the clan. And second, we've never had an Alpha who was also an Unlucky One."

        "I don't want to be an Alpha." Tae averted his gaze.

        "You can't reject what you are." Elder smiled sadly.

        "I don't need to be the strongest. I don't want to command people to do what I want them to do." Tae huffed.

        "Interesting." Elder hummed. "Well what you do is of your own accord, but you know the rule of the town is that humans aren't allowed to be here. As it holds, Unlucky Ones must choose one of the three options, and there are no exceptions. Dire measure will be taken if this isn't dealt with swiftly. That is all."

        With a swish of his cloak, he disappeared into the night. The three aggressive vampires also made their exit, embarrassed at being defeated by such a young vampire.

        "Tae." Sohee worried. "Are you okay?"

        He chuckled, "I should ask you that. I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner."

        "How did you know I was in danger?" She blinked.

        Tae smiled as he fixed her hair gently. "I just had a feeling."

        "What will happen now? What's an Unlucky One? What're the three options?" She gushed out.

        Tae glanced at his mother nervously, but she smiled reassuringly.

        "An Unlucky One...well let's say, they're vampires who make a connection with a human...like we have." he vaguely explained. "And I don't expect to pick any of the three options right now."

        "But...?" She worried.

        "My great grandfather once lived in an old abandoned castle." Tae looked at his mother, the answer becoming clear to him. Tae Hee smiled and nodded in agreement. "Humans stay away because they say it's haunted, but it was only because my great grandfather chased away the spoiled, greedy royalty who used to live there and anyone else who tried to come in. He was always fascinated about humans so he kept everything in there and studied it. He passed it down to my grandfather then to my mother."

        "I've kept it clean, and we used to use it as a vacation house." Tae Hee joined in. "I think it'd be perfect for you to stay there. No one knows about it since it's a secluded area. You'll be safe from humans and vampires there. We're the only two that know about it so we can always visit. It's not a bad walk to the village either, and you'll be free to roam around."

        Sohee blinked. It sounded too good to be true. Being free.

        "But I don't...I don't have money." she bit her lip.

        "Oh, don't worry about that." Tae Hee gestured. "Come here."

        Sohee and Tae glanced at each other curiously as they followed his mother.

        "My husband has this storage where he liked to keep the stuff from humans that he killed." Tae Hee whispered. "There are a lot of things here that I think you'll be able to take. We have no use for them."

        Sohee gasped at the variety of clothes, money, weapons, jewelry, utensils, etc. piled up in the room.

        "Tae, you have to take her away at the break of dawn." Tae Hee suggested. "So cover up and wear sunglasses and a cap. No one can see you taking her out. We have to pretend you left her behind somewhere in town. Stay with her and help her settle in. Then come back when the night falls again."

        Taehyung nodded.

        Tae Hee kissed Sohee's forehead. "I'm sorry Sohee. I would've loved to stay as we are now."

        Sohee shook her head. "I was blessed with your kindness, and still am. I don't deserve this treatment."

        Tae Hee tilted her chin up. "No, my child. You deserve the world."

        With that she gave Tae a meaningful glance, before tending to the messy state of the house.  

        "Will you really be alright?" Sohee mumbled as she picked out clothes that she would be able to use.

        "I'll be perfectly fine as long as you're safe." he smiled.

        "You'll come to visit me a lot right?" She blushed as she pretended to focus on perusing the contents of the room.

        "I'll be there every day." Tae chuckled.

        "Good." She smiled. "I'd miss you."

        Tae felt his heart flip over at her relaxed confession. How long would he be able to stifle down his feelings for her? His entire body was screaming for him to yell out that they were meant to be together, that he wanted to be with her forever, but he knew that she would look at him like he had three heads.

        "I'd miss you too." he allowed himself to profess a small fraction of his love.

        As soon as the night sky began lightening, the two set out as planned. They waited until all the vampires were accounted for and had returned to their homes before sneaking out through the back, sprinting to cover themselves with the blanket of the woods.

        Sohee tightened her hold around Tae's neck as he sped through the trees at his inhuman speed. She recalled the sensation, but had previously been on the verge of losing her consciousness the last time it happened, so she hadn't been able to revel in the amazing experience.

        She couldn't help but smile when Tae would stop every so often to make sure she was alright, despite being the one whose skin was burning from the rising sun. She urged him to hurry, not wanting to find out how the sun affected him when it was fully visible. Soon enough, they arrived at the large mansion.

        Sohee jumped off his back and gawked at it. If she was seeing it at night time, she might've been terrified of it being really haunted, but in the daytime, it was gorgeous.

        "Is this really all mine?" she breathed.

        "Yep." Tae grinned throwing her stuff over his shoulder. "Come on. I'll show you around."

        Inside was even grander, and Sohee didn't think her mouth would close from being in the presence of its splendor. Everything was in pristine condition. The chandelier still shined brightly, and there was no speck of dust on the furniture.

        "It must be awesome having super speed." she hummed. "You can clean the entirety of this place without breaking a sweat."

        Tae chuckled. "Just let us know when you need it to be cleaned. We'll help."

        He showed her to the master bedroom, the kitchen, the dining area, the library, and various other rooms that looked like it had never been used. It felt too big for just one person. Without Tae, she knew she would truly feel lonely in this place. But she had no right to complain, this was more than she had asked for. Their generosity, she didn't deserve.

        "How can I repay you and your mom, Tae?" she exhaled as they settled into her new bedroom.

        "Staying alive." Tae shrugged. "That's all we want."

        "I feel like I'm always receiving." she frowned.

        Tae sat down beside her on her bed. "Sohee, before I found you, my mother and I were really unhappy. Believe it or not."

        "What?" She blinked, surprised.

        "Yeah." he chuckled. "When my father died, I changed. I became the perfect hunter. The son he always wanted, but never had."

        He frowned. "But my mother knew I was torturing myself whenever I went out, and I knew she felt frustrated because I was doing it for her. So she wouldn't have to hear rumors about how she had failed at raising a proper son, or rumors about how weird, how un-vampire-like I was. We were stuck in a cycle of protecting each other and not being ourselves that seemed to have no end. Until you came along."

        "Me?"

        Tae nodded. "You helped both of us become ourselves again. My mom hadn't cooked once since I started being a hunter, because I refused the side of myself who simply enjoyed animal blood. She knew I did it secretly to protect her from looking like she was encouraging me, so she stopped altogether even though she loved cooking. We were both lonely and sad, but you changed all that simply by being yourself. You allowed us to be ourselves again."

        Sohee reached out for his hand, which he took happily.

        "You know Tae." she hummed. "I think it's awesome you're an Alpha."

        "What?"

        "You have power." she smiled. "And I know sometimes people assume power is immediately used for control and manipulation, but I think in your case, you could do something wonderful with it."

        "What do you mean?" Tae blinked.

        "I've heard how your friends adore you, Tae. They genuinely respect and follow you, even without you having to control them. It's not the power of being an Alpha that you can use, but the title. You can use it to change things, to protect." she shrugged. "Something more than this."

        "Something more than this..." he repeated.

        "You want so much more, right?" She shifted closer to him, her eyes bright, staring at him fondly. "In the human world, when people are different they too are feared and made fun of. But the people who think outside of the box, who dare to be different were usually those who made a change, who discovered something great."

        "And you think...I could do that?" Tae felt his chest tighten at her immense faith in him.

        She nodded. "I truly believe you could."

        He smiled warmly. "Thank you."

        "No, thank you. Tae, you made me want to live." Sohee leaned her head into his shoulder. "Remember when we first met? I was so ready to finally die. My whole life I felt worthless and unwanted. I had nothing to live for, nothing to look forward to. I just simply existed. I enjoyed helping others and it made me temporarily happy, but it wasn't enough to make me want to live. But when those three vampires attacked, for the first time in my life, I realized I wanted to stay alive."

        Tae glanced at her, so close to him. He fought the urge to envelope her in his arms.

        Now he truly realized why falling in love with a human was labeled as being an "Unlucky One". He would eventually have to choose his fate. But for now, he didn't mind living in the delusion of sharing forever with her, even though he knew "forever" was simply a limited time for humans.

        Forever to him, he settled, was the here and now with her.

        Forever to him, would be the shared memories he would create and ingrain in his mind for as long as he lived.  

        Live.

        He wanted her to live so he could always be with her, and she wanted to live so she could always be with him. But what would happen when the time came where the difference in their beings took effect? Which option would he choose?

        And how would his choice affect them both?

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