#but I wish people would get this bc the feeling behind it! is incomparable

[fluentisonus]

this is a losing battle but I wish people would realize that gimli was aware of how fucked up moria probably was. him and gloin address this from the start, back in rivendell: they talk multiple times about how they've lost contact with those in moria and they fear evil things. the whole lead up to going through moria is interspersed with descriptions of how deeply important khazad-dum and the mountains it's set in is to the dwarves, even in its darkness and abandonment. then when gandalf proposes the idea we get this line: "only Gimli lifted up his head; a smouldering fire was in his eyes" -- nothing about this speaks to naivety or foolhardiness or ignorance as to moria's situation, this is gimli looking clearly and the choices and dangers and deciding that, for him, moria is the path he wants to take, both because he feels it's the only choice left to them (they'd tried the pass over the mountains (in winter!) and it had gone badly, so he genuinely believed it was the best path to take!) and -- despite the ruin & sorrow he expects there -- it's meaningful for him to go there. this is spelled out explicitly by galadriel two chapters later:

"Do not repent of your welcome to the Dwarf. If our folk had been exiled long and far from Lothlórien, who of the Galadhrim, even Celeborn the Wise, would pass nigh and would not wish to look upon their ancient home, though it had become an abode of dragons?"

I wish more people would get this not just because it's annoying but also because it's such an important element of his character, that he's sharply aware of his actions and choices, and their consequences, even as he feels them so strongly, and likewise that to him, that sort of grief and loss is ultimately worth facing & experiencing despite everything -- and that this is portrayed within the text as a meaningful choice that's worthy of respect and understanding

[taeyongdoyoung]

pairing: vamp!Chan x Reader

genre: vampire!au, romance, angst, humour

warnings: sugar daddy!Chan, don’t ask why, he just is; biting, blood; jealous/a bit possessive!Chan bc why not; light swearing; awkward jokes, secrets; Felix and Hyunjin have a cameo due to personal reasons; keep an eye out for back door & insomnia references

word count: 7.7k (i got a little carried away…)

author’s note: Happy Halloween! This is a very special gift for @chaotic-fairy bc I know about her Vamp!Chan weakness and I want to ruin her life (jk ilysm Mary) and I hope she likes it! Without further ado…

Another exhausting week at work and you were genuinely considering quitting. But you needed the pay check to deal with your bills, your rent and getting food. Sadly, you rarely had enough cash left to treat yourself to something nice. You were so damn tired you wished you could find a way to make some extra money without lifting a finger. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

You were feeling pretty desperate when you picked up your phone and started looking for sugar daddy apps. At first, it was just a joke to you. A silly way to pass the time and unwind from the long week you’d had. However, after half an hour of scrolling, you were seriously starting to weigh your options. Some guys on these apps didn’t even want sex! They were just asking for feet pics or something of the sort. Others simply required their potential sugar baby’s company! It was truly amazing what guys would do for a bit of affection. One of the offers piqued your interest more than the others:

Sugar daddy looking for loyalty and something else. Not sex. Specifics discussed in person. 1000$ a week.

Loyalty? That was easy enough to provide, wasn’t it? It was the something else part that got you curious. What could he want that wasn’t sex? There was a phone attached and you wondered if you should call the guy. But he’d specifically said that he would only discuss such details in person. But 1000$ a week was quite a lot of money. Compared to what the other guys were offering, this guy was pretty generous. What would he ask for in return? You were a bit intimidated by the large sum but more than anything, you wished to find out what that something else meant.

You didn’t waste any more time and called the number. You were met with a ridiculously attractive voice.

“Hello?” you said. “I’m calling about the offer in that app?”

“Ah, the sugar daddy app?” the man on the other side of the line answered. Damn it, why did his voice have to be so sexy?

“Y-yes,” you stammered nervously. “Is it still on?”

“I would have deleted it if it weren’t,” the stranger laughed. “Are you interested?”

“I guess so,” you responded. “Could we meet in person to discuss…specifics?”

“Alright,” he agreed easily. “In front of Lotte Hotel. Tomorrow, 6pm.”

Judging by his intonation, you could tell he wasn’t asking, but instead was simply ordering you to go there, which under normal circumstances, you would have found repulsive, but for some reason, you felt the need to do as he asked.

“Okay. How should I call you?”

“On my phone?” the man chuckled.

“No, I mean…do you have a name?” you whispered, feeling a bit awkward.

“You can call me Mr. Bang,” he murmured and for some reason you felt weak in the knees. “What is your name?”

“Y/N,” you managed to utter. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then, Mr. Bang.”

You hung up before you could let him he say “goodbye”, because his dominant behaviour was frustrating you and you wanted to get in the last word. What had you expected from a guy who was offering money for something mysterious in a sugar daddy app? But you couldn’t be hypocritical, because you had been spending time on said app, as well. You sighed to yourself. You were too tired to think. You decided you would dwell on it tomorrow.

🧛🧛🧛

You couldn’t sleep much despite your exhaustion. You were anxious about your meeting with the potential sugar daddy Mr. Bang and had no idea what he would request in exchange for such a large sum of money. You wished he’d been more explicit on the phone or in the app itself so that you would have realistic expectations. You realized you couldn’t do much but go and see for yourself what he wanted. You had a whole day ahead of you so you decided you’d spend half of it watching one of your favourite shows and the other half, picking out an outfit for your meeting with Mr. Bang. Even though you still had no idea what he would like, you wanted to make a good first impression. You settled on a blue dress and white shoes that always made you feel good about yourself.

Once the clock struck 5, you started getting dressed. You put on some make-up, grabbed your bag and walked outside. You lived relatively close to the hotel Mr. Bang had mentioned yesterday, so you decided no public transport would be necessary. When you arrived in front of the hotel at around 5:45pm, you realized you had absolutely no clue what he looked like. How would you be able to recognize him? How would he be able to recognize you? You dialled the phone you’d contacted last night.

“Hello?” Mr. Bang spoke on the other end of the line.

“Hi, it’s Y/N from yesterday. Just wanted to tell you I’m in front of the hotel and to ask you what you’ll be wearing.”

“You can’t wait to see for yourself?” you could swear the mysterious man was smirking.

“No, I just…won’t be able to recognize you? There are a lot of people in front of the hotel, you know.”

“Oh, right,” Mr. Bang laughed. “I’ll be wearing black leather jeans, a black shirt and a red tie. Trust me, you’ll know me.”

You rolled your eyes at his confidence.

“What are you wearing?” he asked.

“Um…a blue dress and white shoes. Is this helpful?”

When he didn’t reply rightaway, you got a bit worried.

“H-hello?” you murmured nervously.

“You look ravishing,” Mr. Bang complimented you and you jumped up in surprise when you heard his words coming both from your phone’s speaker and from behind you. You turned around in shock and couldn’t stop your mouth from dropping. Nothing, not even him informing you in advance about his outfit, could have prepared you for how devilishly good-looking Mr. Bang was. He was taller than you and his face was, to put it mildly, flawless. His black shirt outlined his well-defined figure and his leather jeans made you focus on his muscular thighs, which was honestly quite distracting. If you had to compare him to photos of sugar daddies you’d seen online…nope, it was impossible, his existence was incomparable.

“Earth to Y/N?” Mr. Bang snapped his fingers right in front of your face, which startled you a bit.

“Y-yes, hello, I’m sorry.”

He chuckled, obviously used to such a reaction when people were confronted with his otherworldly beauty.

“Shall we go inside and get a room?” Mr. Bang suggested boldly.

“A room?” not that you were exactly opposed to the idea, but you weren’t sure getting into a hotel room with a complete stranger was sensible.

“Yeah, I can’t afford others listening to the specifics of our arrangement. Is that okay with you?”

This sounded like bad news. What had gotten into you? What on earth were you doing here? Alone? With a potential sugar daddy? What had started as a simple joke had progressed into a completely unexpected direction. You weren’t certain whether it was too late to back out.

“Well…I don’t know if I’m comfortable with this,” you admitted.

“That’s alright,” Mr. Bang reassured you only to frighten you further with his next suggestion. “We could go to a secluded park. Or an abandoned bathroom. Or a secret basement. Which one would you prefer?”

When faced with such horrendous options, you immediately regretted not agreeing to the hotel room. Perhaps what gave away your terror was the expression on your face.

“Relax, I’m just messing with you,” Mr. Bang chuckled softly. “There’s a café nearby that doesn’t have many people, but it’s still not isolated enough for you to concern yourself about getting kidnapped. Or worse.”

His cryptic intonation while pronouncing the “or worse” part didn’t do much to ease your worries. But a café nearby sounded way better than hotel rooms and shady basements, so you agreed to it reluctantly.

Once you two settled in the café and your drinks arrived, Mr. Bang resumed the conversation.

“I know I put that in the app, but let me say it again. I haven’t come here for sex.”

“What have you come here for, then?” you asked, the curiosity killing you at this point.

Mr. Bang sighed.

“Blood,” he blurted out too quiet for you to debate whether you’d misheard him.

“Don’t get me wrong, you look healthy enough not to need blood transfusion,” you pointed out.

“I don’t need a blood transfusion,” he clarified. “I need to drink blood.”

“Is this some weird kink that is fashionable nowadays? If so, I’m afraid I’ll have to go…”

“No, wait,” Mr. Bang said and grabbed your hand to keep you from walking away. “It’s not a kink. I literally need blood for survival. I’m a…vampire.”

Your initial reaction was to burst into a fit of laughter. What drugs was he on? Once you noticed how deadly quiet he was, how unmoving, how serious his expression was, you felt the need to ask:

“You’re joking, right?”

“I wish I was,” Mr. Bang closed his eyes, as if to hide something painful. You couldn’t believe this…this couldn’t be real.

“Fine,” you played along. “Can you prove it?”

“Not here,” he warned you. “That’s why I suggested a hotel room. I suspected you’d ask for proof.”

“How do I know this isn’t some intricate plot to force me into becoming a sex slave or some shit?”

Mr. Bang laughed again.

“I would have simply stated that’s what I’m after in the app, no? See, the truth is that I’m tired of lurking in the shadows, stalking random strangers. It’s too stressful and time-consuming. I’m simply looking for a companion who would give me their blood every once in a while in exchange for a reasonable sum, of course.”

You stared at him wide-eyed, still in disbelief of what he was saying. Either this man was a total lunatic who really believed his own words or…no, him being sincere was practically impossible. Unless?

“Let’s get a room. I need proof.”

“As you wish, sugar,” Mr. Bang smirked and paid the bill in a very attractive way. You were seconds away from asking him not to call you that when he held the door open for you, which got you all flustered and you forgot about your initial plans.

“Thank you,” you murmured shyly on your way out.

Once the two of you had checked into the hotel, you felt how rapidly your heart was beating. Even though you had suggested it so that you could potentially see proof of his bizarre story, you were so damn nervous you could swear you would die from anxiety. What if he was a serial killer? This was a terrible idea. But he seemed so polite…Why would he kill you? You hadn’t done anything wrong. The second the door of your hotel room closed behind you, Mr. Bang bared his long, sharp fangs at you, causing you to flinch in terror and take a few steps back. What the fuck? He was actually telling the truth?! But this was impossible, you thought.

“If you want to go, I’d let you escape.”

You were so frightened that you couldn’t move at all. Frozen in place, you simply couldn’t react to his words for the shock was too great to bear.

“Did you hear what I just said?” the vampire asked.

You nodded numbly, but still couldn’t find the strength to speak.

“You may go, if you wish.”

But you couldn’t. It was foolish and maybe a bit crazy, but no matter how scared you felt in that moment, the larger part of you was so damn curious. You wanted to stay, you realized. And maybe, yeah, you were somewhat tempted by the huge sum of money being offered. But also, you would be lying if you said you didn’t find Mr. Bang hella attractive. And not just because you had just seen proof that he was, in fact, a vampire. There was just something about his mannerisms, his voice that got you addicted in the brief time of your acquaintance.

“If you drank blood from me…” you started hesitantly. “You wouldn’t kill me, right?”

Mr. Bang smiled mysteriously.

“What’s the point of paying you if I was planning to kill you?”

“If I stay…” you continued interrogating him. “Will you drink from me?”

The vampire took a step closer and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Only if you consent,” he whispered softly.

“Will it hurt?” you wanted to know, too curious for your own good.

“Of course it will hurt,” he laughed coldly.

“Just get it over with, then!” you gave him the green light and braced yourself to feel the touch of his sharp teeth on your neck.

You closed your eyes in anticipation. Seconds passed and nothing came. You sneaked a peak, utterly confused.

“You need the extra money that much, huh?” he teased you.

“I’m just…so exhausted of working all day long and not getting enough in return. I wish I could get spoiled from time to time, you know?”

“Let me take you out,” Mr. Bang offered gallantly.

“Huh? We just got here,” you argued in vain.

“You said you wanted to get spoiled, didn’t you? So, let me do this for you. New clothes, fancy food, anything you wish for and it’s yours.”

He was joking, right? You hadn’t even given him your blood yet and he was already promising you so many things…

“What about the arrangement?”

“We’ll get there eventually. But first, I want to show you I’m serious about this and I will hold up my end of the bargain.”

“Oh-okay,” you stammered. “What, r-right now?”

Instead of responding, Mr. Bang grabbed your hand and dragged you out.

You spent the rest of the evening under his wing, while he showed you a whole new world of luxury you previously couldn’t even dream about. Mr. Bang spent more money on insanely expensive dresses, bags and shoes for you than all the money you had ever spent in your entire life. Under any other circumstances, you would have called such a pointless waste of cash outrageous, but because you were the one being spoiled, you allowed yourself this little indulgence. After shopping for clothes, Mr. Bang took you to a ridiculously posh restaurant with the most exquisite meals you had ever seen. Once you were full and started getting worried that the new dresses would no longer fit you, he took you for a walk near the river. The city lights looked so magical at night and with him by your side, you became aware of the fact you had never before felt so happy. It wasn’t necessarily his money that influenced your good mood. The mere knowledge that a busy, good-looking man (okay, vampire, but whatever) had just spent so much time on you, taking care of you and indulging your every wish was so attractive that you couldn’t think straight. Besides, his company had turned out to be quite entertaining and during your walk around the city, you had discovered a lot of things in common, such as your shared love for music, dogs and swimming. Moreover, his sense of humour was so unique that you couldn’t help but laugh at his jokes every once in a while.

At around 10pm, you started getting sleepy so you told Mr. Bang that you had fun and that you were grateful for all the time and money he had spent on you, however, there was one thing bothering you.

“What’s wrong?” the vampire asked you in concern.

“Well, the anticipation is honestly killing me. I want to know what it’s like to be bitten by you,” you admitted openly.

Mr. Bang seemed taken aback.

“We’re in public, you do realize that?”

“There aren’t any people nearby,” you pointed out. “Besides, didn’t you say that you used to follow people on the streets?”

“I did, but…I want this to be different.”

“Should we go back to that hotel room?” you suggested.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Mr. Bang eyed you suspiciously.

“I’m just curious…and I want to ‘pay’ you back by giving you that ‘something else’ you need.”

“You’re a strange creature,” he murmured.

“If it isn’t the pot calling the kettle black!” you giggled and before you could register what was happening, Mr. Bang leaned down and bit your neck. You let go of the bags you were holding and wrapped your arms around him to stop yourself from crumbling on the ground. It did hurt, like he’d warned you it would, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as you had expected. In fact, there was something intoxicating about the venom of his fangs and you could feel yourself getting used to the unfamiliar sting. After he was done with you, Mr. Bang lifted you up in his arms and carried you to sit down on a bench nearby. The world around you was spinning, but you felt uncharacteristically safe in the arms of the vampire.

“It wasn’t that bad,” you shared your thoughts with him.

“If it was another vampire, you would be dead by now,” Mr. Bang explained.

“What, you have some special powers of self-control I should know about?”

“I do, actually. I’m quite restrained in some aspects.”

You found that hard to believe for some reason.

“Do we have a deal, then? Should I sign something?”

“That won’t be necessary,” he informed you. “Human contracts mean nothing to me.”

“Well, I did sign with blood, so…” you joked, earning a chuckle out of him.

“Let me drive you home,” Mr. Bang insisted. “You look tired.”

“Yeah and whose fault is that?”

When you arrived in front of your building, Mr. Bang told you he’d contact you whenever he required your presence and he’d send you money whenever you needed. That wasn’t part of the initial offer in the sugar daddy app, but you couldn’t complain, because it worked in your favour.

“Well, if that’s all,” you were about to part ways. “Good night, Mr. Bang.”

“Oh, and one more thing, Y/N,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Please, call me Chan. It’s only fair.”

You smiled at him. His name sounded as beautiful as he was.

“Alright, Chan. Good night!”

🧛🧛🧛

He didn’t call you the next day. Or the following day. And the day after that. In fact, he didn’t call you for another week, which left you going back to your schedule. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. It was quite upsetting, really. You had so much fun in Mr. Bang’s…no, in Chan’s company. And he seemed to be enjoying himself, as well. Especially with his teeth stuck in your neck. You shuddered at the thought. Why did it feel so good? Did you have a vampire kink? Why hadn’t he contacted you already? You wondered if he was having second thoughts about your little arrangement. If anything, you were the one who had every right to be troubled by this whole thing. And yet, you were looking forward to seeing him again. You kept telling yourself that this was all about the extra cash and the wonderful feeling of being spoiled and treated like a princess. But there was just something about him…

Another Friday night came. You were making dinner for yourself when you heard your phone ringing. You sighed. It was probably one of your colleagues, you’d call them later. Oh, how wrong you’d been. After you were done cooking and sat down to have a bite or two, you remembered to check your phone. And boy, did you have a mini heart attack! It was Chan! He’d finally called and you’d missed his calls, thinking it was someone else! You immediately let go of the fork you’d been holding and dialed his number.

“Why aren’t you answering my calls?” he asked you the very second he picked up.

“Sorry, my hands were busy,” you explained. Even though you had no idea why you were apologizing. Why was he being so demanding?

“Busy doing what?”

“Um…making dinner,” you responded. “Why? What’s up?”

“I…need you,” Chan groaned and his voice was doing unexpected things to your body.

“Right now?” you really didn’t want to abandon your delicious-looking spaghetti. It would be such a shame.

“Yes,” Chan confirmed. “Can you meet me in half an hour in front of Lotte?”

You didn’t agree to it rightaway. What right did he have to separate you from your dear friend pasta? Why couldn’t he wait a bit longer?

“You still there?” Chan asked.

“Yeah, I’m just thinking. Could you come over?” you suggested bravely. “It’s just…you’re not the only one who’s hungry.”

Chan laughed wholeheartedly, the sound sending waves of pleasure in your ear.

“Inviting a vampire to your home isn’t a very bright idea, Y/N. Are you sure you’re ready for such a big step?”

Screw it.

“We’re both starving, so I’m just suggesting the most sensible solution. I’ll be done eating by the time you get here,” you replied. “I’ll text you my address.”

You hung up before he could argue further and quickly texted him your location. Then, you left your phone nearby and started eating your food before it got cold. You wouldn’t let anything get in the way of your relationship with spaghetti. Not even a very handsome, rich, funny vampire…Nope, not at all. You had just finished your plate when you heard the doorbell ringing. Wow, that was fast. You went to open the door and weren’t surprised to find Chan standing there like a man starved.

“Hey, you wanna come in?” you offered.

Chan didn’t want for another invitation and walked inside, looking around curiously.

“Nice place you got there,” he said, paying special attention to every detail of your little home. “So warm and cosy. So…human.”

You smiled at his unexpected compliment, but pulled yourself together soon enough.

“You can skip the formalities, Chan. I know why you’re here.”

He smirked.

“Oh, really? Enlighten me, then. Why am I here?”

“Well, you said you needed me. You’re hungry for blood, correct?”

Chan laughed, obviously amused by what you were saying.

“Are all humans so direct? Or is it just you?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

“I think you’re different.”

“Oh, please, spare me the clichés,” you rolled your eyes. “What are you waiting for?”

Chan made his way towards you in a deliberate manner, like a cat hunting on its prey. You closed your eyes, anticipating him to bite you rightaway. But what took place next was far more shocking. Chan embraced you tightly, not giving you room to breathe, not that you were complaining. It felt quite nice, actually. Being so desperately…needed.

“You’re so soft,” he whispered. “I just wanted to see you again. To make sure you’re real.”

What the hell was happening? You thought he only required your presence for blood. Why was he hugging you all of a sudden? Despite the pleasant surprise, you were a bit worried about his motives.

“If I’m making you uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll let you go,” he mumbled gently.

“It’s okay,” you managed to utter.

“Yeah? Why is your heartbeat so loud, then?”

“Cause I’m nervous.”

“Am I making you nervous, sweetheart?”

“Just a bit,” you confessed.

“Why? You should know by now that I’m not going to kill you.”

Oh, but what if he did something so much worse?

“I know. But still.”

Chan let go of you and you blinked up at him, half-relieved, half-disappointed.

“If I’m going to be your sugar daddy…does that make you my babygirl?” he joked.

You couldn’t resist the urge to punch his chest lightly.

“Shut up, Chan! This is so cringey!” you groaned.

He giggled cutely.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. But tell me, how do you want me to call you?”

“My name not good enough for you?” you crossed your arms, pretending to be annoyed.

“Of course it’s good enough! I love saying your name!” Chan reassured you. “But I want to have a pet name for you. And if you don’t like ‘babygirl’, we can think of something else.”

When put on the spot, you couldn’t think of anything else. You had to admit, ‘babygirl’ wasn’t that bad. It was the ‘sugar daddy’ part that gave you goosebumps. But you couldn’t say that to him right after you had denounced it as cringey.

“Whatever,” you shrugged. “You can decide.”

“Hm, how about I call you ‘my princess’? Sounds good?”

It was perfect, actually. You wouldn’t tell him that, obviously. But it sounded like an upgrade.

“Agreed. How do you want me to call you? Other than your name, that is.”

“You can call me anything, my princess.”

You smiled happily and wrapped your arms around his neck. You had a very, very bad idea. Vicious, even.

“I’ll call you glucose parental figure,” you teased.

“You’re terrible,” Chan chuckled. “I love it.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely.”

🧛🧛🧛

Things were going great between you and Chan. You two would meet up pretty often, sometimes because he was thirsty, sometimes because you were…In any case, your mutual agreement was working in your best favour and you quite enjoyed spending time around him. He would spoil you like there was no tomorrow and even flirt occasionally, which felt really nice. You would flirt back more often than not, but there was one thing that worried you. Was he serious about this? Because to you, this was beginning to look a lot more like an actual relationship. You had to remind yourself it was actually a business arrangement. As saddened as you were by that fact, you decided it would be better to make peace with it and enjoy the situation while it lasts. After all, you had known what you were getting into the minute you had signed up on that damned app.

One day, you were having a break from work. You wondered how to spend it. You could binge-watch a new show. Or you could try baking muffins. But you’d done both of these recently. And you kinda wanted to try something different, more exciting. You wanted to surprise Chan at work. You knew you couldn’t bring him human food, because his diet consisted of…well, blood, obviously. But you could bring him yourself! Both delightful company and meal! He’d be thrilled! There was one teeny tiny problem. You had no idea where Chan worked…You had known him for nearly three weeks and you still had no clue. It was a bit suspicious. You had told him plenty of things about yourself and your workplace. But he was so…mysterious and secretive. It wasn’t even the vampirism that troubled you. His personality, though engaging, was also perplexing. You were struck by an idea. You decided to…Google him. He looked pretty rich and well-spoken so there was a huge possibility you could find his workplace by lurking around the Internet. You told yourself it wasn’t wrong to check out your glucose parental figure on the web. After all, it was the very place that had brought you together. When you typed in his name you were overwhelmed by the thousands of results. It turned out Chan was the CEO of a music company. How come he never told you about this? How he had managed to be so casual when having a conversation about music without bragging even a little was beyond you. Google informed you that Chan was producing and writing music, occasionally singing and rapping himself. You were flabbergasted by all this unexpected knowledge. Why didn’t he share these things with you? It was a good thing to occasionally take pride in your talents. So why? Didn’t he trust you enough already? You didn’t dwell on it further and simply took a screenshot of the location where his company was supposed to be. You dressed up in a hurry and made your way towards him. Once you arrived in front of the large building, you felt a bit intimidated by its size and the number of guards in front of it. What was this? Prison? You had not thought this through. You noticed people were only entering the building with special permits. You didn’t have one. Which meant you couldn’t get in. Damnit. You started lurking around, hoping some generous soul would take pity on you and let you inside with their permit. Somehow…the miraculous happened.

“Are you waiting for someone?” a young-looking guy with blond hair and the deepest voice ever asked you casually.

“Um…I actually wanted to surprise my su-“ you interrupted yourself. You couldn’t just tell a complete stranger that the CEO of one of the most famous music companies was your sugar daddy. That would be so awkward. “My sweetheart,” you said dumbly. Nice save, Y/N. Brilliant.

“I could call him out for you. I work here, you see,” the guy showed you his permit, rubbing salt into the already painful wound – you didn’t have a bloody permit.

“Well, I was hoping I’d catch him by surprise inside. But I guess that’s impossible…” you murmured sadly, hoping that you’d manipulate the stranger into letting you enter the prison-like building.

“What’s his name?” the blond inquired.

“Bang Chan,” you replied smugly.

“Oh! You must be Y/N, then!”

“How did you know?” you were taken by surprise.

“Chris won’t shut up about you,” the guy said. “I’m Felix, by the way! It’s really nice to finally meet you.”

You shook his hand in confusion.

“Chris?”

“That’s his name, yeah.”

So many secrets…What else was Chan…Chris…not telling you? You were so shocked by all the new information that you momentarily forgot your initial reason for coming here.

“I could sneak you inside,” Felix offered. “On one condition.”

“Sure, what is it?” you agreed without thinking.

“I want to see the look on his face when you surprise him.”

“Alright, that doesn’t sound too bad.”

Felix smirked almost devilishly.

When you got inside, you had another big shock. If the building looked fancy on the outside, it was outrageously luxurious on the inside. The lights! The minimalism! You were utterly transfixed by the expensive furniture that you almost didn’t register the fact that your name was being called.

“The Y/N? You’ve got to be messing with me, Lix!” an unfamiliar voice whisper-yelled.

“Keep your voice down, Hyunjin! Her arrival is supposed to be a surprise for Chris!” Felix responded animatedly.

“He’s going to lose his shit!” the guy who was apparently named Hyunjin warned.

Why? You hadn’t done anything wrong by coming here, had you? You just wanted to see him on your day off. If anything, he was the one in the wrong for keeping so many things from you.

“Come on, Y/N. Chris should be in his office,” Felix said, leading you up the stairs.

“Wait up, I wanna come, too!” Hyunjin ran after you. Oh, dear. If you had known your unexpected arrival would create such a scandal in Chan’s workplace, you wouldn’t have come at all. You hated being the centre of attention. Okay, that was a lie. Maybe you liked it. Just a little. Being surrounded by such sweet and handsome guys was kinda exciting, you had to admit.

Before you arrived to Chan’s office, you noticed something a bit weird. Even though Felix and Hyunjin obviously knew about your relationship (or whatever it was) with Chan, they continued to find excuses to touch your back or hold your hand, which, though nice, was also a bit concerning. Not that you had ever talked to Chan about not being allowed to be touched by other people, but still, a part of you felt…guilty? It was so confusing. Also, you noticed that Felix and Hyunjin were walking in a frustratingly slow manner. And you were using the damn stairs even though you suspected that this ridiculously tall building had an elevator. What’s with that? Moreover, you were fairly certain these two were flirting with you. They kept complimenting your hair and your dress, which made you feel both flattered and uncomfortable. Why were you like this? It’s not like you were Chan’s girlfriend. So what if he bought you nice stuff and you gave him your blood. It wasn’t like that, you kept telling yourself. Expect…you wished it was like that. In the rare, brief moments when he showed some semblance of affection towards you, you felt the most special, the happiest in the world. But then, as quickly as he’d start opening up, he would go back to being cold and not mention anything about the way he felt. Which left you in a permanent state of confusion. What were his intentions? Why was he so…on and off?

Eventually, you arrived in front of Chan’s office and he stormed outside as if he knew you’d be standing there, Felix’s arm around your neck and Hyunjin holding your hand for whatever reason. You felt as if you’d gotten caught in the act. Despite the fact you had tried to push his clingy employees away. But they were too persistent and you initially thought they were just being extra friendly. Oh, well.

“Hands off,” Chan snarled out angrily. Okay, that was new. Never before had you seen him act so…possessive about you. Your heart started beating loudly and he gave you a warning look.

“Chris!” Felix unwrapped his arm smoothly. “Look what we bring you!”

Hyunjin also let go of your hand silently. The way Chan commanded them so easily was kinda hot, you had to admit.

“Get out,” Chan growled at them. “You,” he pointed at you. “Stay.”

The last word was said in a soft, almost apologetic way. You walked into his office nervously and began playing with your hands, feeling uncharacteristically shy.

“I just wanted to surprise you,” you murmured sheepishly. “Felix and Hyunjin were just being friendly.”

Chan rolled his eyes.

“Oh, please,” he hissed sarcastically. “I could hear them flirting with you from three floors down.”

Fuck. You had forgotten that vampires had super hearing.

“Don’t get angry at them. They were just excited to meet me.”

“You should be careful around faeries.”

He was kidding, right? First, vampires, now this? What was next? Aliens?!

“Around what now?”

“Lix and Jinnie are faeries. They can be quite clingy…if you let them. Which you did,” Chan pointed out. Was he blaming you? After not telling you anything about himself? Seriously?

“Hey, you can’t take it out on me!” you defended yourself. “If you had warned me in advance where you work, who you work with and your other name, I would have been better prepared!”

Chan nodded, silently agreeing with you.

“You should have told me you were coming,” he continued.

“Are you mad at me?” you pouted cutely, because you didn’t want to fight with him.

Chan shook his head.

“How could I be mad at you when you look so delicious, babygirl,” he whispered and placed his hands on your cheeks.

You didn’t bother complaining about his pet name for you. It was kinda growing on you.

“Why don’t you have a taste, then?” you replied suggestively.

Chan leaned his forehead against yours and licked his lips.

“Later, my princess. I forgot to tell you something.”

“What?”

“It’s really great to see you again.”

“Yeah? You didn’t seem so happy earlier?”

“That’s because I hate it when someone touches something that’s mine.”

“So now I’m something?” you were a bit offended by his choice of words.

“You know what I meant,” Chan sighed, visibly frustrated by having to explain himself.

“I don’t, actually. What am I to you, Chan?” you confronted him. “You keep mentioning our business arrangement and yet you’re acting like this…I don’t understand you,” you admitted angrily.

“I don’t understand myself, either,” Chan confessed sadly.

“Yeah, well, call me when you do,” you sneaked out of his arms and stormed out of his office.

🧛🧛🧛

A week passed by with no contact from Chan. Things were going so great before you’d come to his office. So, why was he acting so distant? Why hadn’t he called you already? After all, it wasn’t your fault that he was being so secretive. You wouldn’t call him first, you had nothing to apologize for. He had to fix his behaviour towards you. Besides, he kept giving you mixed signals. One minute he’d be talking about your relationship as if it was nothing but business, then the next he’d act all protective and affectionate. It was so confusing and frustrating you didn’t know what to think. If he wanted to talk to you again, he would, you kept telling yourself. But damn, you missed him so badly. His beautiful smile and his wacky sense of humour, his adorable dimples, his sexy voice and his mysterious personality that was also the reason for your conflicts. As if he’d read your mind, Chan finally texted you a string of desperate messages.

Glucose parental figure: I miss you.

Glucose parental figure: Can we talk??

Glucose parental figure: I’m so so sorry…

Glucose parental figure: Let me explain everything in person.

Glucose parental figure: Please??

Glucose parental figure: I need to see you again.

You opened the messages but didn’t respond rightaway. Serves him right. A whole week without a call, not even a text. You imagined him seeing that you had read his messages, but still didn’t give any reply. You wanted to torture him a bit longer, the way he had.

Glucose parental figure: I can see you’re online :(

Glucose parental figure: I sent you my money, pls respond <3

You couldn’t help but laugh at his joke. Just as you were about to reply, your phone started ringing. But it wasn’t Chan like you hoped it would be. It was one of your co-workers. However, it was your day off…

“Hi, what’s wrong?” you asked.

“Y/N, quick! We need your help, it’s an emergency!”

“I’m on my way!” you promised and hurried towards your workplace, completely forgetting about Chan’s pleas.

🧛🧛🧛

Once you had dealt with the unexpected problem at work, you returned home, absolutely exhausted. You lay down on the bed and checked your phone. Oh, fuck. Chan had left you a couple more messages and you also had a bunch of missed calls. All from him. He had gotten so worried and you felt awful for not responding to his texts rightaway. You called him immediately even though it was 2am. He had previously told you that vampires didn’t need sleep.

“Please just tell me you’re alive,” Chan begged.

“I’m fine, Chan. There was an emergency at work…Sorry for not picking up or texting you back,” you explained, even though you had hardly done anything wrong. You were still waiting for his apology for the way he’d treated you during your last meeting.

“Oh, that’s a relief! Listen…about last time…”

“You can tell me in person,” you cut him off. “I’m really tired, Chan. Can we meet up tomorrow?”

“It’s already tomorrow,” he teased you. “But yeah, I get what you meant. Just tell me what you want to do, where you want to go. I’d hate to impose on you.”

You smiled, touched by his consideration.

“How about Lotte Hotel? 6pm?” you deliberately suggested the time and place of your first encounter with Chan.

“I’ll be there. Sleep well, Y/N.”

“See you tomorrow. Well, today, but whatever,” you laughed. And you couldn’t tell him to sleep well, because you knew he wouldn’t sleep at all, he’d forever be in a state of insomnia. But you still wished him good night, because despite everything, you still wanted him to have a nice time. You wondered what he did all night. Maybe he watched something. Or produced music. And with such thoughts, you drifted away.

🧛🧛🧛

“Hey,” you greeted him the second you spotted him and Chan pulled you into a hug.

“I missed that smell,” he whispered.

“You do realize how creepy that sounds, right? It’s like telling a pig how nice it smells right before eating it,” you joked.

“Not like that,” Chan laughed. “I just missed everything about you.”

“Right,” you sighed contentedly. He let go of you and you tried your best not to look too disappointed.

“Before we go anywhere, I want to tell you how sorry I am for being an asshole and that I’d completely understand if you never want to see me again. No strings attached.”

You nodded in a morose manner.

“Okay, well, it was nice knowing you,” you teased, but judging by his devastated reaction, he had taken it seriously. “I’m kidding, relax! Of course, I would like to see you again!”

“Really?” Chan blinked at you cutely and you found it extremely hard to resist the urge to kiss him right there and then.

“Yes, dumbass, I would.”

“So…you wouldn’t say ‘no’ to a surprise?”

“Hm, that depends. Will I react the way you did when I surprised you?” you had to make sure.

“I hope not,” he chuckled lightly.

“Let’s give it a try, then,” you consented.

A couple of minutes later, you two were standing on the rooftop of the hotel. There was no one and nothing else but you and Chan, a table full of food and the city’s lights shining in the night. It was an extraordinary sight, one so special you had to pinch yourself to be certain it was real and not a mere figment of your imagination.

“Wow,” you uttered. “This is…a lot.”

“We have the whole place to ourselves,” Chan informed you smugly. “Nobody can bother us.”

“Chan…” you started, feeling shy that he treated you so nicely. “You didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to,” he stroked your cheek gently, which felt infinitely sweeter than any material thing he could provide.

“What if I hadn’t come?” you posed a question.

“Then, I would do this every night, waiting for you until you did.”

You shook your head, overwhelmed by emotions you couldn’t quite place.

“You’re crazy,” you closed your eyes, enjoying his touch.

“Come on, the food will get cold.”

You knew, of course, that he intended all this for you, because human food wasn’t to his liking. Initially, you felt a bit awkward to be stared at while eating, but you reminded yourself this wasn’t the first time. Soon enough, you relaxed around him. When you were done devouring the delicious meals, you found yourself inclined to ask:

“Are you hungry?”

“Not in the way you’re referring to,” Chan giggled.

“Oh?”

“I have something to tell you. You stay right here, okay?”

“Okay?”

Chan got up from his chair and from somewhere on the rooftop, pulled out a freaking guitar. What was he doing? When he came back to you, he knelt down next to you and started playing it, while singing.

“Use the sleeves of my sweater

Let's have an adventure

Head in the clouds but my gravity's centered

Touch my neck and I'll touch yours.”

You started tearing up. The emotions in his voice were unlike anything he’d ever showed you before. What was he doing to your poor heart?

“Cause it's too cold whoa

For you here and now

So let me hold whoa

Both your hands in the holes of my sweater.”

It was getting progressively harder to look him in the eyes as he sang his soul out. Your blurred vision was also not helpful. He was affecting you in a way you hadn’t felt before.

“Y/N…I know that in the beginning, I told you I wasn’t looking for a romantic relationship. I know that the way we met wasn’t traditional. I know that I’m a vampire and I probably couldn’t give you as much warmth as a human could. But I also know that the way I feel about you is special. I know that my life was a shell before I met you. I know that if you let me…I would do my best to make you happy. I guess what I’m trying to say is…I really like you, my princess.”

“Chan…” you whispered and placed your hand on his cheek, rubbing circles with your thumb. “I don’t know what to say. Despite the initial arrangement, I fell for you. And…that’s why I got so upset last week. Because I didn’t think you liked me back.”

“I’m sorry for being a fool and not telling you sooner,” Chan replied.

“It’s fine. But please, don’t ever keep secrets from me anymore, okay?”

“I will try,” he promised. “I really want to share my whole world with you.”

Chan leaned down swiftly and captured your lips in a passionate kiss. He pressed his hands against your back and kept pulling you closer, not wanting to waste any more time. You enjoyed the light chill his touch was sending your way and wrapped your arms around his neck. You couldn’t help yourself and moaned into his mouth, as he squeezed you tightly. A while later, you realized you needed to breathe. You gently untangled yourself from his grasp.

“You’re as cold as ice,” you said softly, not meaning to upset him, just pointing it out for some reason.

“You’re willing to sacrifice our love!” Chan immediately burst into song again.

“Oh my God, Chan, you’re so annoying!” you scolded him playfully.

He gave you another kiss, this time on the cheek.

“You like that about me, no?”

“Are all vampires like you?”

“Oh, no, babygirl, trust me, there are no vampires like me.”

You shook your head in disbelief.

“Listen…now that our relationship has evolved,” you started. “You should probably stop paying me...”

“You can’t stop me from wanting to spoil my princess,” Chan stroked your hair gently.

“No, but seriously! I want to be able to call you my boyfriend in front of people…”

“You’re ashamed of me being your glucose father figure?” he continued tormenting you with his ridiculous sense of humour.

“Will you shut up already and go back to kissing me, please?” you complained needily.

“As you wish, sugar,” Chan relented and came back into your arms…