#yookyun

--

Minkyun isn’t quite sure what to make of Yoosu’s best friend.

His name is Kwangji and he has a loud laugh and a deep voice. He speaks politely to Minkyun but tosses jabs at Yoosu and steals food from his plate. It makes Minkyun feel, strangely, like he’s intruding on something.

Kwangji invited Yoosu out for dinner, and Yoosu made Minkyun come too. Minkyun was concerned about being unwanted until Yoosu informed him that Kwangji would like him and won’t mind. And, really, it seems like Kwangji doesn’t mind whatsoever, it’s just…

Minkyun doesn’t need to eat regular food, and even if he did, he’d just throw it up later anyway because his body can’t process it. So, he pushes his rice around on his plate, forlorn, remembering the times where he could eat it, remembering eating ramyeon with his friends on the weekend and watching movies with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. He misses it dearly.

Minkyun squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn’t want to cry here, he doesn’t want to be a burden. He keeps them closed until he hears the squeal of a chair being pushed back and looks up, seeing Yoosu headed in the direction of the bathrooms.

Kwangji immediately turns his attention to Minkyun, almost alarmingly so. “I’ve noticed something in our time together, here.”

“W-What?” Minkyun asks, fidgeting with his chopsticks nervously.

“You’ve really smoothed Yoosu out.” Kwangji takes a sip of his drink, smiling fondly. “He used to be, you know, all sharp edges and blunt words. He never asks me how I am if something hasn’t happened recently, just as small talk, but he did it tonight.” Kwangji sets his drink back down, looking at Minkyun. His gaze is soft. “The way he looks at you is adorable.”

Minkyun feels a rush of embarrassment, a need to hide his face even though his chagrin won’t show. Kwangji picks up on it and laughs, shifting in his chair. “You’re good for him,” Kwangji says quietly. “I’ve known him for almost five years and I’ve never seen such genuine smiles on his face. Take your time with him, he’s worth it.”

Yoosu comes back then, both of their attentions moving back to him as he does. Yoosu flicks his gaze to Minkyun for a moment, corners of his mouth turning up, and Minkyun sees it there- a burning affection, love, deep in his eyes.

Minkyun returns his smile and then ducks his head, feeling like he’s going to melt.

--

“What’cha reading?”

Minkyun turns his attention from the book in his hands to Yoosu, who’s curling up beside him in bed and nestling his head on his shoulder. “It’s just… a book I found on your shelf, it’s interesting.”

Yoosu smiles, tilting his head up to kiss the side of Minkyun’s neck, lips lingering on the scars there. “Hey, that reminds me. Is it way too early for me to be curious about how you died?”

Minkyun tenses. He feels like that’s probably important to know, maybe, but he’s- he drops his focus to Yoosu’s face, still pressed into his neck- he’s scared of remembering what happened.

Yoosu notices his discomfort and raises to kiss his cheek, gentle. “I didn’t say you had to tell me, only if you want to. I wanna know, though.”

Minkyun sucks in a breath, fullness in his lungs calming him slightly. “I… god, I want to tell you but I don’t want to think about it…”

“Shh. Don’t, then.”

Minkyun takes another breath. “No. It… it was dark.”

--

It was dark and I was alone. I was in college, you know, I wanted to be a singer… my night class had just ended and I- I wasn’t scared, not really, because I’d walked the same street for almost a year at that point and nothing had ever happened. Nobody had ever died from my college, that side of the city is- it’s supposed to be okay.

But- I guess there’s a first time for everything, or something like that. I… I can’t remember what they looked like, I only- I can remember how cold their hands were. One of them had bad breath. It was… ah… the woman, she was the one who- mmm.

(“Take your time,” Yoosu whispers, fingers soft on the inside of Minkyun’s wrist.)

She killed me, and turned me. She told me she was, uh, giving me new life or whatever. I just remember being so scared, so so scared, and cold.

I… I don’t know how much time passed, how long I was out, but when I woke up I wasn’t in the city. It was… a field, and I remember that everything was so overwhelming. I could hear birds’ wings overhead and I could smell things I don’t think I’d ever smelled in my life, fresh grass and something from far away… The stars were so bright.

I thought it was almost- almost cool. And really, it was, until- you know. I must have killed twelve people, m-maybe more, I don’t- I don’t remember. I don’t remember what they looked like or how I did it but I remember that it was four days of nothing but, just, grabbing people off the streets and, just, god.

(Yoosu reaches up to catch tears before they fall.)

Once I snapped out of it, everything calmed down, but I remembered killing people and it crushed me. I couldn’t stop crying, and that just- it made everything worse. Wonho… I don’t remember how Wonho found me but I know that he helped me. He fixed me and got me to stop crying but he couldn’t get me to hunt, feed, nothing that wasn’t out of a bag.

--

“But,” Minkyun stops to take a breath, just to calm himself, “now we’re here.”

“Now we’re here,” Yoosu echoes, kissing the side of Minkyun’s nose like he likes to do so much. “What do you miss most?”

Minkyun’s sure Yoosu is expecting something like the ability to eat or college classes or his friends, but- “My heartbeat. I miss my heartbeat.”

Yoosu nods, understanding though not quite. He’s never going to go through this. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s- I don’t know. I don’t want to say that it hurts less now because it’s- it’s only been nine months.” Minkyun laughs, though it sounds sad and hollow to his own ears. “Wonho calls me a baby. He’s almost two hundred years old, did you know that? It’s incredible.” Minkyun closes his eyes, finally letting the book drop from his hands and thumping his head against the wall. “I don’t know if I want to live that long.”

“I’ll live that long with you,” Yoosu whispers. “You know, being a carton of half-and-half has its perks.”

Minkyun can’t help himself- he bursts into laughter, giggling behind his hand and turning to look at Yoosu. “Half-and-half?” He repeats.

“Yeah! I mean, I’ve been called a half-blood more times than I can count, so I might as well own up to it and be a delicious creamer.” Yoosu shrugs, and Minkyun snorts. “It’s never really bothered me. I know there are some hybrids that I used to, uh, work with, I guess, that got really upset by the things they were called. I just used to keep a little list of them. My favorite was mutt, that was cool.”

Minkyun whines, turning his head to kiss Yoosu’s forehead. “You’re fine, just the way you are.”

“Oh, I know I am. But thank you.”

Minkyun rolls his eyes. Yoosu grins. “You’re too much sometimes.”

“That’s my job.”

“I want to buy him.”

Two months ago, the concept itself would have caused Minkyun to recoil, disgusted. Yoosu is not goods, Yoosu is a person, someone with feelings, and he doesn’t deserve to be discussed like this. However.

“Hm?” Wonho replies, turning his head in Minkyun’s direction.

“Yoosu,” Minkyun elaborates, his shame catching up with him. “I want to buy him, I don’t want-” Minkyun stops, pausing to bite his lip, not wincing when his teeth slice into his skin. What doesn’t he want? He doesn’t want to have to hunt on his own, he doesn’t want to lose what little relationship he and Yoosu have built- he doesn’t want to be alone.

“Is this you asking me to buy him from the feeder system?” Wonho asks. Minkyun nods, expecting Wonho to laugh at him, or some sort of resistance. Wonho just exhales, short and through his nose. “Alright.”

“Wait, really?”

Wonho nods, smiling. “Certainly. You’ve been much happier, lately, less of a bore to be around. I don’t mind it. I truly don’t want to see you go to ruin like you did previously.”

Minkyun doesn’t want to go back to that, either. And he really feels like Yoosu is the only thing standing between him and that.

--

Minkyun is expecting less from Yoosu than he got from Wonho. He expects- well, he’s not sure. He brings it up tentatively and stares at his hands instead of looking at Yoosu.

“Buy me?” Yoosu repeats, and it makes Minkyun flinch. The words sound so harsh, impersonal and detached when it’s anything but. “Why?”

Minkyun raises his gaze to Yoosu’s face, seeing that Yoosu looks somewhat contemplative, head tilted to one side. “I- I just…” Minkyun licks his lips, pulling a shaky breath into his lungs. “I don’t want to be alone anymore, really, and I- I’m scared of hunting, I don’t want to kill anyone, I don’t-” He stops when he feels tears prick at his eyes, thick liquid rising in a pink blur.

“Ah, man, don’t cry.” Yoosu says, voice melting off into that soft tone that makes Minkyun’s insides feel fuzzy. Yoosu stands and comes to take Minkyun’s cheeks in his hands, a regular routine by now with how prone to crying Minkyun is. “Really, in case you’re getting any wild ideas, I don’t mind. It’s just… weird, I guess. It’s been weird.”

Yoosu pauses to lean forward slightly, not to kiss Minkyun’s lips but to kiss the mole on the side of his nose. Tears escape Minkyun’s eyes despite it all. “I’m used to like, at least six people biting me every day, but now it’s just you.” Yoosu says, and it sounds like it’s something that’s hard to say. “It’s nice. I want you to.”

“Do you?” Minkyun asks, desperate for firm confirmation as Yoosu’s thumbs catch the fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

Yoosu nods, moving to peck Minkyun’s lips, gentle and fond as always. “Yes. Now stop crying, or you’re going to have to eat again. Dumbass.”

Minkyun smiles, closing his eyes when Yoosu wipes his face with the heels of his hands. He feels so warm, a feeling that doesn’t cross him very often with his icy body temperature. It’s pleasant.

--

“I can’t believe I have papers on you.” Minkyun says, incredulous as he flips through the small stack of papers given to him by a lady from the feeder system.

“I know. It’s like I’m a dog or something. Shame I’m not purebred,” Yoosu remarks as he looks over Minkyun’s shoulder, standing behind the kitchen chair Minkyun’s sitting in. “Look at this body type description. Pudgy. Who the fuck are they calling pudgy?”

Minkyun laughs, turning his head after a moment’s hesitation to kiss Yoosu’s cheek. “It’s cute,” Minkyun says shyly, and Yoosu’s bravado dissipates.

“You’re cute,” Yoosu replies quickly, like he’s desperate to cover up how fast Minkyun disarmed him. It strikes Minkyun as adorable.

Minkyun looks back to the papers, skimming a wall of text with the header ‘background information’. While he does so, Yoosu nuzzles his face against the side of his neck, raising goosebumps along Minkyun’s arms as he does so. Minkyun didn’t even think his body could still do that.

“You’re lucky, you know,” Yoosu says, a teasing edge to his voice. “You only have one scar here.”

Minkyun is confused for a moment, then remembers the slightly raised bite marks that still linger on the side of his neck. He chews his lip anxiously, declining to answer. Yoosu presses a kiss overtop the scars, then nips lightly at the skin there.

“Ah, what are you doing?” Minkyun asks, voice rising in pitch. Yoosu says nothing, setting about sucking a bruise into Minkyun’s skin.

“You know what’s the only thing that could make being us better?” Yoosu asks once he pulls his head up, voice low in Minkyun’s ear. “If we kept our marks for longer than a couple seconds. I’d like to see bruises on you.”

Minkyun can’t help but gasp, leaning away from Yoosu and looking over his shoulder at him. “W-What?” He eventually asks, and he knows that if he was capable, his face would be burning red right now.

Yoosu grins. “Come on, we’d both look good with hickies on us, right? Do you not think so?” When met with silence, Yoosu does some thinking of his own, then leans over to speak lowly again. Minkyun doesn’t like it, except he does. “You don’t have to leave bruises, though, you leave scars. That’s better.”

Minkyun doesn’t know what to do with this, so he takes it the blunt route. “Are you trying to seduce me or something?”

Yoosu sighs, something of a disappointed pout appearing on his face. “You’re taking the fun out of it, you have to at least come a little closer.”

“I’m trying to read about you, but it’s hard when you start saying stuff like that,” Minkyun complains, putting the papers down on the table. “You’re mean to me, Yoosu.”

Yoosu moves around to Minkyun’s other side in response, getting his face close to Minkyun’s and looking into his eyes, studying. It makes Minkyun somewhat uncomfortable, up until Yoosu takes Minkyun’s bottom lip between his teeth.

He holds it there for a few beats before pressing their mouths together, Yoosu’s warm breath entering Minkyun’s mouth. It’s nothing like how they usually kiss, heated and somewhat rough, Minkyun’s fangs first nicking his own lip, then Yoosu’s.

Minkyun can’t stop himself from licking Yoosu’s lip before the small wound closes up, drop of blood divine on his tongue. It makes him feel dirty, like he’s done something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Up, up, get up,” Yoosu breathes, taking Minkyun’s hands in his. Minkyun does as he’s told, standing upright and looking at Yoosu for further instruction. In response, Yoosu places his hands on Minkyun’s hips and turns him, then guides him backwards, causing him to stumble over his own feet. Yoosu keeps him steady, eventually wrapping an arm around his waist to prevent him from toppling over.

Once Minkyun’s back is against the far wall of the kitchen, next to a row of cabinets, Yoosu kisses him again. The kiss from earlier is nothing compared to this, Yoosu’s body pressed up against Minkyun’s and his thumbs pressing into Minkyun’s skin almost painfully.

Yoosu breaks away to breathe, touching the tip of Minkyun’s nose with his own. Then, he asks, “Can you still get hard?”

“Yoosu,” Minkyun hisses, horribly embarrassed.

“Come on,” Yoosu whispers, tilting his head to kiss along Minkyun’s jaw. “I don’t know everything.”

“I- oh my god, I think so?” Minkyun puts a hand over his face, gasping when Yoosu slots one of his legs between Minkyun’s. “Yoosu.”

Yoosu bites at Minkyun’s neck and rolls his hips so his thigh rubs up against Minkyun’s crotch. Minkyun whines, shivers going down his spine, and pushes at Yoosu’s shoulders.

“Stop, stop, I can’t.” Minkyun says, something like guilt twisting in his stomach. Yoosu obliges, taking a half step away from Minkyun, and Minkyun feels the loss of warmth more than usual. “Can- Can we go slower, please?”

Yoosu nods, smiling, and Minkyun is awash with relief. Minkyun likes the light, gentle kisses Yoosu gives him more than anything else. He appreciates feeling loved over feeling desired, even if he knows he is both.

Minkyun gets more time to react, more time to participate, raising his arms to hook around Yoosu’s neck. He likes this a lot better, he likes simmering rather than boiling, he likes Yoosu paying such careful attention to what he wants and what he doesn’t.

Minkyun, as always, can’t help but tear up, Yoosu noticing when he moves to kiss Minkyun’s cheek.

“What’s wrong?” Yoosu asks, concern coloring his voice.

Minkyun bites his lip, trying to will his voice not to tremble when he speaks. “Y-You, you love me, d-don’t you?”

Yoosu nods, hands soft on Minkyun’s cheeks. “Yes, I do, very- very much, I love you very much. Why?”

“I just- god, I feel s-so unlovable and awful, like I shouldn’t b-be alive. Most of the times I- I don’t want to be, I don’t, I just-” Minkyun chokes up, squeezing his eyes shut.

Yoosu pulls Minkyun closer to him, putting his arms around him. “Come on, cry,” Yoosu whispers, petting Minkyun’s hair. “For all the sniffling you do normally, I feel like you really do hold a lot of this stuff in, right? So cry.”

Yoosu’s right, exactly right. Minkyun never wants to burden Yoosu with these things, he never wants him to feel like he has some sort of obligation to Minkyun, being the central figure in his life and all.

Minkyun buries his face in Yoosu’s shoulder as he cries, his own shoulders heaving. Yoosu pets his hair all the while, gentle and reassuring, staying steady even when Minkyun leans heavily against him.

“I really love you, I do,” Yoosu whispers after long minutes spent standing in silence, Minkyun still in his arms.

Minkyun pulls himself together long enough to respond. “I love you t-too, m… more than you know.”

Yoosu smiles, bringing Minkyun’s head up from his shoulder long enough to kiss him, soft and loving. Minkyun manages not to sob against his lips.

--

“Wakey, wakey, blood and bakey.” A few moments’ silence. “Bitch, wake up. Eat.”

Minkyun groans, putting an arm over his face. He peeks when he hears the bed springs creak and swears his dead heart stirs when he sees Yoosu straddling him, leaning over to look at Minkyun’s face.

“Eat,” Yoosu says, baggy shirt hanging off of him. Minkyun’s eyes travel to Yoosu’s bare skin, the slope of his neck dotted with scars new and old.

Minkyun wants to protest, as usual, but it’s been a couple days and with all his useless crying, he really needs to. It’s not like he’s in danger, not exactly, but Yoosu is very insistent on keeping Minkyun full.

So, “I- okay, but, uh- okay.” Minkyun takes a deep breath, steeling his nerves, and then sits up. Yoosu’s now situated in his lap, hooking his legs around Minkyun’s waist and looking every bit of bashful when Minkyun looks at him.

“You’re so sweet,” Yoosu says, pushing Minkyun’s messy hair back. Minkyun makes a face. “Come on, grumpy baby.”

Minkyun kisses Yoosu first, putting his arms around Yoosu securely. Once Minkyun moves to kiss his neck, Yoosu snickers, then says, “You should bite my thigh sometime. Nobody’s ever bitten me there.”

“Yoosu,” Minkyun says simply, and Yoosu laughs again.

“Alright, alright, fine. But, like, just saying… inner thigh, you know-” Yoosu is cut off by Minkyun biting into his shoulder, making a soft noise that goes straight to places Minkyun didn’t want it to.

It forces Minkyun to think about other situations where Yoosu might make such a noise, sounding almost vulnerable, caught between his usual demeanor and something more open. Even as Minkyun takes gulps of blood from the wound he’s made, lips sealed over Yoosu’s skin, he keeps thinking about it. He’s imagining Yoosu with his cheeks pink, hand over his mouth to keep quiet, eyebrows furrowed-

He wants Yoosu to make that noise again. Minkyun pulls away and bites him again, further up his neck, and he gets what he wants. It’s muted this time, like Yoosu tried to stop it.

Minkyun lifts his mouth off of Yoosu’s neck and instead licks up the side of it, catching the stream of blood before it can escape. Minkyun keeps his tongue against the wound until it closes, scraping the barely-coagulated blood off with his bottom teeth.

“Can you give me some time alone?” Minkyun asks once he’s pulled away, feeling strangely out of breath even though he doesn’t need it. A look of worry comes across Yoosu’s face, so Minkyun quickly adds, “It’s nothing serious, it’s just, I- god, this is embarrassing.”

“Oh, wait, wait, do you need the, y’know-” Yoosu makes some lewd hand gestures and some very strange noises.

“Oh my god, just go,” Minkyun says, exasperated, and Yoosu cackles as he climbs off of Minkyun, heading for the door.

“You didn’t deny it! If you need some help, just-”

“Some time alone,” Minkyun reaffirms, and Yoosu pauses at the door, eyes visibly dropping from Minkyun’s face to further south. Minkyun does his best to close his legs and Yoosu grins.

“Cute,” Yoosu quips before he leaves, shutting the door behind him.

Minkyun flops back on the bed. It’s literally so embarrassing to just think about it; he doesn’t think he’s jerked off since high school, which seems a world away now.

And really, in the back of his head, he does want some help. He doesn’t know if he really wants Yoosu to touch him, not yet, but he does want to hear Yoosu whimper like that again.

He thinks about Yoosu in the same position as him, biting the inside of his lip, back arching off the bed, and gasps involuntarily. There’s a sudden flurry of all sorts of indecent thoughts, almost oppressive, each one flowing straight south.

God. Some help.

--

Yoosu’s typing a reply to a text almost four days overdue (from his friend Kwangji, friends united in fellow mutt-hood) when he hears a yell of his name, high and wavering. He wonders, then panics, and then- oh, oh yes.

Time alone.

Yoosu can’t help the wicked grin that spreads across his face as he continues typing, fingernails clicking against the screen. Yoosu’s patient and understanding, but he really can’t wait until ‘time alone’ turns into ‘time together’.

--

Minkyun’s head hurts.

“If you keep going like this, you’re going to starve,” Wonho says plainly, the picture of poised vampire elegance as he sips blood for an arguably cheap wine glass.

“I know,” Minkyun replies through gritted teeth, feeling tears rise to his eyes again. “But I just- I can’t bring myself to do it, I just can’t…”

Wonho sighs, pushing his glass to Minkyun. When Minkyun looks up in confusion, Wonho says, “Go ahead, drink it. I have more in the fridge, it’s not a problem. You need it more than I do, anyway.”

Minkyun wants to argue, but he knows it’s true. Wonho is, first of all, a born vampire. He has more control, taking longer to starve completely. Second of all, he has a designated feeder, his boyfriend, who consents fully and sustains Wonho most of the time. Minkyun has nothing but guilt and despair, turned against his will, cold and dead. He’ll starve in a couple weeks if he doesn’t feed from someone.

So he takes the fragile glass in his shaking hands and knocks the room temperature blood back in one go, metallic taste falling oddly pleasant on his tongue. The realization almost gags him, but he’s sure Wonho wouldn’t want him throwing up in his house.

“If it’s guilt keeping you from feeding,” Wonho says as Minkyun reverts to his original state, staring at his hands, “why don’t you get a feeder? They go into it willingly, they know the risks. Even if you were to kill one, it’d be next to no problem.”

“But that’s the thing,” Minkyun whines, bringing his hands up to scrub at his face. He really doesn’t need to cry, because being turned, all he has to cry with is the blood he consumes. “I don’t want to kill anyone, ever, it makes me feel so bad.”

“And you don’t have to.” Wonho says gently, propping his elbows up on the table. “There are many ways of managing yourself and keeping from doing that, and even more so if you get a dedicated feeder.” When Minkyun opens his mouth to protest, Wonho reaches over and grabs his hand. “I will pay for it. Stop worrying.”

Minkyun surrenders with a nod, shoulders slumping, and Wonho smiles.

--

There are so many questions and preferences to be answered and given. There are hundreds of thousands of feeders in the system, so of course they need to be narrowed down into a few that Minkyun can choose from, if he wants.

Because Minkyun freezes up and almost panics, Wonho does most of the talking, turning to ask Minkyun questions if he thinks it significant enough. Minkyun waits until they’re directed to go sit down before he starts asking what Wonho told them.

“A lot of the questions can be skipped over with a simple ‘no preference’,” Wonho explains, crossing his legs and tapping his foot against his leg. “Things like gender, race, height, etcetera- it’s things that don’t matter for you. But, I did ask if they had a selection of hybrids, and they do, so I’m hoping you’ll end up with one of those.”

“Hybrid?” Minkyun repeats, eyebrows raising.

Wonho nods. “Half vampire, half human. They’re… generally somewhat stigmatised, they’re called half-breeds and mutts and all other sorts of nasty things. But, they’re very good for starving vampires, because they cannot die in that way. They inherit a lot of vampiric traits, including accelerated healing and nigh immortality. So, considering that you are looking rather parched,” Wonho tilts Minkyun’s head so he’s facing him, studying his eyes, “I’m sure the clerk will understand.”

Minkyun chews his lip, ignoring the pricks of pain caused by his fangs catching his skin. After a few moments, he asks, “W-What do they look like?”

Wonho pulls out his phone in response, taking a picture of Minkyun and then showing him. Minkyun is almost startled- he hasn’t looked into a mirror since he got turned almost six months ago, and he wasn’t expecting to look this bad. There are hollows around his eyes, cheeks sunken in and eyes a dark reddish orange.

He looks to Wonho, sees his rich brown eyes, and understands. He hands the phone back and puts his hands over his eyes, willing away tears.

“You will look far better once you feed,” Wonho informs, shifting in his seat. “And your eyes will gradually turn brown again. Stop stressing.”

Minkyun wants to snap that it’s hard to stop stressing in a situation like this, but he lets it die in his throat and tries to still his trembling hands.

Within a few minutes, a kind-looking woman comes out and informs Minkyun that they have the perfect candidate for him and ask him if he wants to do a “test feeding”, which is “recommended for the best possible satisfaction”. The concept feels impersonal and makes Minkyun a little uncomfortable, but the thought of getting his teeth into something alive rather than blood in a glass is so appealing. He needs it sooner rather than later.

He bites into his cheek, almost as punishment for thinking such horrid thoughts, and winces when his fang slices through the skin. In the end, Wonho stands up to haul Minkyun to his feet, sending him off with the kind-looking woman whose name tag introduces her as Choa.

Minkyun licks his lips nervously, shrinking away from those who pass him in the hall that Choa is leading him down, smelling so alive and delicious. It’s scary, the way he can’t stop these thoughts, like they’re eating him up. It’s so scary.

“Are you nervous?” Choa asks, tone soft, and Minkyun nods. She half turns so she can smile at him, warm. Just by the smell of her, Minkyun knows she isn’t something he can eat. She’s different, strange. Whatever she is, it probably offers her protection against such starved vampires as Minkyun. “Don’t worry,” Choa says, pulling Minkyun out of his thoughts. “I think you’ll like this feeder.”

They take a few more turns, paint on the walls turning from dark brown to black in this area of the facility. It smells like what Minkyun remembers a hospital to smell like, sterile and well-soaped. He supposes they have a lot of blood to clean up every day.

Straight, uninterrupted walls turn into doors with numbers on them, and Choa checks her clipboard, then stops at the door labeled with 103. “Here,” Choa says, smiling kindly. “Your feeder is waiting inside. Be warned, there is a camera in the room, but it’s just to keep tabs on the occurrences within. I wish you the best.”

Minkyun knows that by occurrences, they probably mean death of a feeder. It makes him even more nervous as Choa opens the door for him.

He steps inside and finds that it’s rather cozy, a bed along one wall, a couch along the other. The walls are a warm violet color, and he jumps when the door shuts behind him.

There’s a man sitting on the bed holding his phone horizontal in front of him. He glances up when he hears the door shut. “Hey. I take it you’re my new vampire friend?”

The casualness is almost unexpected, but really, feeders are normal people. Minkyun nods, taking a deep breath even though he doesn’t need it. Feeling air in his lungs helps to calm him.

“Hold on a moment, okay?” The man says, shifting his hold on his phone. “I haven’t been able to three star this song yet and it’s pissing me off.”

Minkyun decides he should try for friendly conversation. “What song is it?”

“Ah, the new Red Velvet one. I got it on easy and normal, but then hard kicked my fucking ass. Here, come sit and watch.”

Minkyun does as instructed, sitting down on the bed and leaning over enough so he can see the phone screen. It seems to be a rhythm game, and the notes come up alarmingly quick.

“Oh,” the man says once there’s a lull in the music, a slower bit that he doesn’t need to put his full attention to, “my name’s Yoosu, by the way.”

Minkyun nods, holding his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment. Then, “My name’s Minkyun.”

Yoosu nods, thumbs flying to meet notes as they come, sliding across the screen with ease. He curses as he misses one, the dull noise alerting him to this scaring Minkyun, and Yoosu lets the phone drop from his hands once the song is over. “That was bullshit. But hey, how are you?”

“Nervous,” Minkyun breathes, wiping his hands on his pants. They’re not sweaty, because he doesn’t sweat anymore, but he’s certain they would be.

Yoosu nods, then sits up, studying Minkyun’s face closely. “God. How long have you been turned?”

“Uh, almost six months, now…” Minkyun blinks up at Yoosu, feeling almost shy under such scrutiny.

“Have you not fed since you were turned?” Yoosu asks further, flopping back so he’s sitting directly opposite Minkyun. When Minkyun shakes his head, Yoosu makes a face. “Ew, one of the gross guilty types. We’ve got to break you of that real quick.”

“Excuse me, gross?” Minkyun asks, feeling offense swell in his chest.

“Yeah, gross. There’s no point in moping about it, you have to survive.” Yoosu reaches over to pat Minkyun’s knee, a smile coming to his face. “And I’ll help. Now, I’m sure you heard all this shit already, but I’m a hybrid. Don’t let your stupid ass guilt get the best of you, feed until you’re satisfied. You can’t kill me, like you just literally cannot.”

Minkyun nods, feeling at least a little more settled. Yoosu stands up, patting Minkyun’s legs. He sighs when Minkyun doesn’t get what he wants, taking Minkyun’s ankles in his hands and pulling them out so his legs are straight.

“There,” Yoosu says, proceeding to sit in Minkyun’s lap. Minkyun looks up at Yoosu with wide eyes, Yoosu’s eyes crinkling with amusement. “Don’t get too flustered, it’s easier this way. Now, do you need some help? Some cool tips?”

Minkyun would like to say he doesn’t, because he’s the vampire here and he doesn’t need directions, but he very literally does. He doesn’t remember anything from when he was turned, those three or four days he lost to the bloodlust, gathering energy and resources for the next six months that would be spent crying and hating himself. He gets the gist of it, obviously, but he doesn’t know the best way to go about it.

So: “Y-Yes, it’d make it easier.”

Yoosu nods, settling down in Minkyun’s lap and tilting his head to the side. He pulls the collar of his loose shirt aside, revealing dark scars. He points to the juncture of his neck and shoulder, saying, “This is a good spot to bite. But you can bite up here,” he moves his finger to rest higher on his neck, “or here.” He moves his finger further along his shoulder. “You can also bite my wrist, my thigh, anywhere really, but the neck has large arteries and is generally just more reliable.

“Now, for technique. I’m pretty sure you’re going to be shit at this, but anyway. Apply pressure until you feel the fangs go in, then pull them out and suck. Bite harder if you need to, to open it up more, and since I heal quickly you’ll probably have to bite multiple times. And, like I said,” Yoosu places his hands on Minkyun’s shoulders, smiling at him. “Don’t worry. You can’t kill me.”

Minkyun nods, feeling tearful again for no apparent reason. He decides that it’d be better to not think about it too much, keeping Yoosu’s tips in the back of his mind while he leans in to press his face against Yoosu’s skin. He smells so wonderful, and Minkyun can hear his heartbeat.

“Go ahead,” Yoosu encourages softly, and Minkyun does.

He’s worried, at first, that he bit too hard and hurt Yoosu more than he needed to, but almost the instant that Yoosu’s blood touches his tongue, he is gone.

It reminds him vaguely of the first few days after being turned, just with a little more consciousness. He’s mindful of Yoosu’s wounds closing as he feeds, moving out along Yoosu’s shoulder to bite there instead, feeling nothing but full and satisfied as he does so.

He registers Yoosu petting his hair, running his fingers through the tangled locks, and it’s enough to draw him out of his current state. He breaks away from Yoosu’s skin with a gasp, letting Yoosu wipe the blood from the corners of his mouth.

“There, do you feel better?” Yoosu asks, and Minkyun takes mental stock before answering.

“Yes,” he breathes, then, embarrassed, “You taste really good.”

Yoosu smiles, leaning back slightly so he has room to wipe drying blood off of his neck and shoulder. “Thanks, I guess. Here, lick it.” He offers his hand to Minkyun, with its smudges of blood along the side. Minkyun wants to say no, but he takes Yoosu’s hand in his and licks up the side, sucking stubborn spots and creating hickies that disappear within seconds. “Y’know, you’re real cute,” Yoosu says as he gets up, stretching. “But the next few days will be very touch and go, or everything we’ve done will just,” he makes a gesture indicating an explosion, and Minkyun nods. “So, do you want to come home with me?”

“What, really?” Minkyun asks, looking up at Yoosu. He tries to keep his eyes from drifting to Yoosu’s still bare shoulder, but it’s hard.

“Yeah. That way, you don’t have to come all the way out here every time. It also gives me a break, because if I’m dedicated then I don’t have to come here every fucking day.” Yoosu offers his hand to Minkyun, pulling him upright and smiling at him. “Mutually beneficial, right?”

Minkyun nods, feeling shy again with Yoosu’s hand in his. “Yeah. By the way, uh… thank you, a lot.”

“No problem. It’s my job.”

--

Minkyun just sleeps. He curls up on Yoosu’s couch and sleeps.

He wakes up in Yoosu’s bed, however, tucked in tight. He sees only fabric and looks up, realizing that he has his face pressed into Yoosu’s thigh.

“Oh, hey,” Yoosu says once he notices that Minkyun is awake. “I wasn’t expecting you to be up until sundown. Sleep well?”

Minkyun groans in response, raising a hand to wipe at his eyes. He tentatively puts his hand on Yoosu’s knee, and takes Yoosu’s hum as positive. “I still feel so tired,” Minkyun mumbles against Yoosu’s leg. “I don’t want to sleep anymore, though.”

“You’ll feel tired until the sun goes down,” Yoosu informs, patting the side of Minkyun’s head absently. “It’s because of your body’s pull to sleep at this time of day. If you ignore it, you’ll feel pretty shitty until it’s nighttime.”

Minkyun whines, letting his eyes shut again. “You know more about me than I do…”

“It’s a learning process. I still don’t know everything about myself, but vampires are pretty standard all across the board.”

“Am I cold?” Minkyun asks.

“Mmhm. It doesn’t bother me. A good vampire trait is that temperature difference doesn’t fuck with me like it does with humans.” Yoosu rakes his fingers through Minkyun’s hair, fingernails scratching at his scalp. “Also, in case you’re wondering, and I figure you are, your eyes are orange now. You’re on the right path.”

Minkyun nods, curling in on himself. “I feel really sad.”

“Don’t. You’re fine.”

Minkyun lets himself believe that.

--

Minkyun is too shy to ask, so it’s a relief when Yoosu pushes his way into Minkyun’s lap and loops his arms around Minkyun’s neck.

“Come on, you big baby,” Yoosu says, and Minkyun actually smiles. “You need to stop being so damn timid. It’s not a bother, it’s what I’m here for.”

Minkyun nods in agreement, even though he’ll continue being too shy to ask beyond this. He pauses with his head resting on Yoosu’s shoulder, whispering, “How are you today?”

“Mmm, bored. My bitch ass friends won’t text me because they’re busy. I don’t even know what they’re busy with.” Yoosu shrugs with his free shoulder. “Whatever. I’ve got you, I need to teach you to play FIFA or something so we can have some fun.”

Minkyun’s cheeks would have flushed if they’d been able. “I’d like that, we should do that.”

It feels so much different to bite Yoosu now, more personal, intimate. It flusters Minkyun beyond all belief as he pulls mouthfuls of blood from the flowing wound on Yoosu’s shoulder, just bold enough to rest his hands at Yoosu’s waist.

Minkyun is able to keep himself in check this time, movements no longer trancelike but born out of focus. He stops when the wound closes completely, then, after a moment’s deliberation, presses a kiss to the pinkish skin there.

“You’re so gross,” Yoosu complains once Minkyun’s pulled away, but his smile gives him away. “You’re the best vampire I’ve ever had.”

Minkyun laughs, wrapping his arms around Yoosu. “Thank you, I guess? That’s kind of weird.”

“What about this isn’t weird?” Yoosu asks in turn, and Minkyun nods.

“True.”

--

Minkyun’s never met Wonho’s boyfriend before. They’ve only been somewhat-friends since Minkyun was turned, but Minkyun feels like that’s kind of one of the first things you do. Then again, maybe Wonho was afraid Minkyun would try something.

But- no. Looking at Hyungwon now, hearing his blood run through his veins and his heart thrum in his chest, it’s all so different from Yoosu. Hyungwon is human, normal, and that’s not what Minkyun is used to. He has no interest.

Wonho has obvious interest, based on the way he coos over Hyungwon and by the scars lining Hyungwon’s neck and shoulders. They’re cute, but Minkyun can’t help but sit there and imagine himself and Yoosu doing the same. It’s honestly a little hard to envision, but he could imagine his lips against Yoosu’s, his fingers slotted in-between Yoosu’s own, tangling their limbs together in bed and kissing his neck without the intent to bite.

Minkyun ends up third-wheeling it, honestly, and says that he needs to get back before sunrise. Wonho lets him go, seems happier for it, and even though he felt excluded it still did Minkyun some good to see Wonho.

Wonho, curiously enough, asked no questions about how Minkyun is doing. Minkyun figures he can pretty much tell from the rich brown seeping back into Minkyun’s eyes, but still.

Minkyun is still too damn shy to tell Yoosu when he’s hungry, but- “Yoosu.”

“Oh, I didn’t notice you’d gotten back. What is it?”

Minkyun looks away from Yoosu’s eyes, down at what he can see of Yoosu’s phone screen, displaying the same rhythm game that he always plays. “Can I kiss you?”

There’s a moment of silence, a moment of panic for Minkyun, before Yoosu nods and lays his phone aside. “Sure, come here.”

Minkyun feels his still heart leap, and it’s very, very strange. Yoosu reaches for one of his hands and Minkyun lets him have it, leaning over just enough but not quite. Yoosu sighs and puts his arms around Minkyun’s neck, pulling him down and kissing him.

Minkyun pulls away, but only for a moment, kissing Yoosu again. It’s tender and soft but still makes Minkyun flustered, causing Yoosu to laugh.

“You are literally the cutest,” Yoosu says, cupping Minkyun’s face in his hands. “It’s gross.”

Minkyun sticks his tongue out in response, and Yoosu reaches for it with his teeth. Minkyun lets him have it, Yoosu rolling it in-between his teeth for a moment before letting go.

“I don’t want to leave,” Minkyun whispers, and Yoosu makes a face.

“Don’t get all sad, it’s unattractive. You won’t have to worry about that for a while longer, we have to get you stable before I’ll let you go.”

There is an unspoken I don’t want you to let me go. Minkyun leaves it that way.

--

Minkyun wakes up when Yoosu does only to wrap his leg around his waist and whine, “Don’t get up.”

Yoosu concedes, turning to face Minkyun and kissing the tip of his nose. “Okay.”

Minkyun buries his face in Yoosu’s neck, kissing the warm skin there. He lets his teeth graze Yoosu’s skin, hears Yoosu’s gentle gasp, and really can’t imagine feeding off of anyone else. He doesn’t know if he’d be able to.

Minkyun kisses lazily up Yoosu’s neck and whispers, “I like you so much.”

Yoosu hums. “Go back to sleep.”

Minkyun does.